Class 78th Watches the Future

by Spirit_Soldier

Summary:

We know the story. Class 78th loses their memories, and were forced into the killing game. Only a few of them survive the game. But what happens when those sixteen students, their memories of each other intact, watch the Danganronpa series? What happens if they see their future selves killing each other? Watch, as Class 78th watches their future.

Notes:

Hello readers. My name is Spirit_Soldier. While I'm new to Archive of our Own, I'm not new on writing fanfiction; and this fic is one I've created on fanfiction.net.

So, as you can all guess from the title and summary, this is about the students of Trigger Happy Havoc watching their future in the killing game. After watching an entire gameplay of the first game, I immediately went to search for a fic like this. When I saw there was none, I quickly decided to make this viewing fic. It was an idea I just couldn't NOT write.

I already got 82 chapters created on fanfiction.net. Now, I plan to place those chapters here as well, and have this fic (Along with possible others) on both sites. I wasn't planning to, considering I have so many chapters, I've been sticking with fanfiction.net for years now, and I didn't think it was really worth it. But after a few readers suggested it, and some encouragement from the other readers, I figured, why not?

My plan is to post at least one chapter per day, in order to not burn myself out by posting all the chapters at once. I'll keep posting one or more until this catches up to my current progress. I hope you all will be patient until then.

Chapter 1: Prologue

Class 78. Out of many of the classes in Hope's Peak Academy, they are one of the classes who're closest with each other. There were a few rough patches, but no one can doubt their bond towards one another, especially towards their lucky classmate.

Currently, the sixteen students are waiting in the classroom for their teacher, all of them discussing the news their principal gave them. "I wonder what kind of trip this will be." Makoto Naegi, the Ultimate Luckster, said. He and the others are gathered in a circle to discuss what the possibility is. "Anyone got any ideas?"

"How about Hiro tells us?" Sayaka Maizono, the Ultimate Pop Sensation, suggested. She's sitting right beside Makoto. "Maybe he could make a prediction."

"Predictions that have a 20-30% chance of being right." Byakuya Togami, the Ultimate Affluent Progeny, remarked. "I wouldn't count on them being correct."

"Hey!" Yasuhiro Hagakure, the Ultimate Clairvoyant, shouted in offense. "Just you wait! This prediction will be totally right!"

"Then let's hear it then." Aoi Asahina, the Ultimate Swimmer, spoke up. Right beside is Sakura Oogami, the Ultimate Martial Artist. "It'll pass the time at least."

Hiro nodded. "All right." He close his eyes, gaining a look of concentration. "I see….us spinning around in a colorful force. And when that spinning stop, we'll be in a big area." He then snapped his finger. "Maybe we'll be going in a dimensional area!"

Silence ruled the class at the ridiculous thought. "...Your idiocy never ceased to amaze people." Celestia Ludenberg, the Ultimate Gambler, remarked. "Such an idea is ridiculous, not to mention impossible."

"It's totally possible!" Hiro defended himself. "Just you wait, this'll happen!"

"Somehow, I doubt it man." Leon Kuwata, the Ultimate Baseball Player, inserted. He's leaning in one of the classroom chairs. "Anybody else has a guess?" He turned to Kyoko. "How about you Kyoko? Is there anything your old man told you about it?"

Kyoko Kirigiri, the Ultimate Detective, shook her head. The detective is sitting beside Makoto as well. "No. Not even when I went to ask him."

Makoto, Togami, and Sayaka perked up at this. They know that the principal doesn't hide anything, especially not with her daughter, unless he wants it to be a surprise or it's something upsetting. "Now I'm really curious." Togami spoke once again. "What could it be that the principal didn't tell Kyoko?"

"I can answer that for you."

The sixteen students turned to the door, where the voice came from. Right at the classroom door is an african american man with dark brown eyes, black hair, and is wearing a business type suit.

Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Fashionista, stood up and pointed at him. "And who are you, lowly peasant?" She questioned with a king-like voice, a crown on top of her head.

Beside the eccentric girl is her sister Mukuro , the Ultimate Soldier, who's shaking her head at Junko's antics.

The man wasn't surprised by Junko's announcement. He merely smiled. "The lowly peasant is the one in charge of your trip. My name is Spirit."

Many eyes lit up in surprise. Several thought that ome of the staff may be leading the trip, but they guess they were wrong. Junko, meanwhile, drop the crown off her head and wiped her surprise look before gaining a sad one. "Does this mean I'm punished for insulting you?"

"I've been warned about your antics, so no." Spirit smirked at the disappointed look on her face. "Now, let's discuss the trip you've been told about."

"Where are we going, anyway?" Hina asked him. "And why are you leading the trip?"

"You would think that one of the staff would be leading it." Togami commented on as well. "Not someone outside of Hope's Peak."

The man merely smiled. "I'm not gonna answer the where part yet." He told them. "As for why, I suggested this trip to the principal, and he agreed. Since I know the location, he let me lead."

There was a few who seemed slightly suspicious, the others doesn't seem to think anything is going on. "S-So, what is t-this trip?" Toko Fukawa, the Ultimate Writing Prodigy, asked hesitantly.

"My fortune told me that we're going to another dimension!" Hiro declared to him. "Am I right?"

Byakuya sighed in annoyance. "Ignore the idiot, please."

"Actually," Spirit began. "For once, his prediction is correct." Before anyone could say anything to that, Spirit clapped his hand. And when he did, the classroom change into a multitude of colors, spinning around the place. Several students cried in shock as they spin around alongside the color, and when it stopped, they all landed on ground below them.

"Ouch….." Makoto groaned, getting up from his fallen state. When he got a look from his surrounding, his eyes widen.

They're not in their classroom anymore. Class 78 are now in a giant living room, with several couches and recliners spread around, a large table at the front of those chairs, and a flat screen TV. The room looks to be very expensive, along with the entire house.

Gasps of shock and surprise were heard when the rest of the class got up. Even Togami, Kyoko, and Celestia seemed to be rattled by what happened. "What the hell?!" Mondo Oowada, the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader, shouted. "Where the fuck are we?!"

"Was I right after all?!" Hiro shouted in panic, grabbing his head. Even though he predicted the outcome, he was shocked at this as well.

"This is where you'll be staying until the trip ends." Spirit told them. "Food and drinks will provided, as you all know, and the trip will last a few days at the least. A week at the most."

"What did you do?" Kyoko questioned, her own voice showing panic.

Spirit smiled. "I teleported." Was his answer. "To an isolated location. Whether it's somewhere on earth or another dimension is up to you decide."

Shocked ran through everyone's body. "But, that's impossible!" Togami cried out, losing his composure. "It shouldn't be possible to teleport, anywhere!"

"Yet here we are." Celestia countered, after managing to gain her composure. Togami doesn't have anything to say to that. "If I may, how did you do that? And do you have any other power?"

"I have my ways." Was his answer to the first question. "As for the other question, yes. While I'm in this area, there are several powers within my grasp."

By now, everyone could feel nothing but shock at what's being told and shown to them. Despite how she feels, Sakura spoke up. "And there's one more question in mind." Sakura stated strongly. "Why did you bring us here?"

"Oh yeah." Makoto then remembered the reason for this trip. "We've been told that this trip is important for our future. Why?"

Spirit hummed to himself. "While I doubt this will be the last question, I'll answer anyway." Spirit said. "This trip isn't just important for your future. You guys are gonna actually SEE your future, in detail."

…

Silence ruled the area. Nobody could say anything, to shock at the entire thing. Several brains were fried at the information given to them. "...This is too much." Hifumi Yamada, the Ultimate Fanfic Creator, stated. He held his brain in pain. "Too much information. Too many things happening."

Spirit chuckled. "I'll give you time to process all of this. I know this is probably overwhelming, and I apologize for giving you all this info."

They all indeed went to processing all the info, including one Makoto Naegi. Everything that had been told to him and what he had seen, is unbelievable. Teleportation? A look into the future? That all seems impossible, something from a sci-fi movie. But yet….

….Here they are. From a classroom, to a living room, they teleported. They couldn't even claim that they got knocked out, since it didn't feel like they woke up.

"...I assume showing the future is one of your powers?" Kyoko questioned. The others turned to the Ultimate Detective in shock.

"Are you just accepting this?!" Byakuya exclaimed.

Kyoko turned to the prodigy. "We just witnessed ourselves coming from the classroom to this room in mere seconds. Right now, I'm willing to believe anything."

"A-Are you a ghost?!" Hiro suddenly questioned, getting scared. "T-That explains everything! And why your name is Spirit?! A g-g-ghost!"

Spirit sighed and facepalmed, along with a few others, after getting out of their shock. "No, that's just a nickname Yasuhiro." Spirit explained patiently. "I'm not an actual spirit nor a ghost. As for your question, Kyoko…." He turned to the young detective. "No. Showing the future is not one of my powers. I merely gathered this information, which was available to everyone in my home."

"Seriously?" Ishimaru Kiyotaka, the Ultimate Moral Compass, spoke up. "Our future could be shown to people from your own home." Spirit nodded.

"I could explain, but we're wasting enough time as it is." Spirit sighed. "Look, the point of this trip is so you guys could see what the future holds for all of you. Trust me, this will benefit several of you, if not, all of you. It will benefit you A LOT, and the principal agreed wholeheartedly. So, I suggest to just accept the situation as it is, sit down, and watch."

Many of them, after their brain wrapped around the situation, thought about what he said. If his words were true, then they can see what's in store for them. Some don't really want to see, wanting it to be a surprise or so it won't mess up their path, but the fact Spirit is saying that it's in their best interest to watch their future peaked their interest even more.

"I don't see the harm in watching." Makoto admitted, getting attention from everyone else. "I doubt this is a prank. This guy seems like a more serious person rather than a prankster. Besides, if the principal agreed to this, then we should put our faith in him and do this."

Everyone thought about Makoto's words. "Makoto is right." Kyoko agreed. "This must be important if the principal wanted us to watch this. It's best for us to sit and see for ourselves."

"Something must've happened if the future." Chihiro Fujisaki, the Ultimate Programmer, spoke quietly. "Maybe if we do watch this, we could stop whatever from happening."

Byakuya, after managing to calm himself, sighed and nodded in agreement. "It would be interesting to see myself in the future. Of course, I know what my future holds for me, but it would still be interesting." A few people rolled their eyes at that.

"This must be to change our destiny for the better." Hiro murmured to himself, though the others could hear him. "Our guardian angels must have sent this, to protect us!"

Hina crossed her arms and sighed. "I don't think it's that Hiro." The swimmer disagreed. But then she perked up. "But it would be nice to see what we would be doing in the future."

"All right! Let's use this chance to bond even further than before!" Taka announced strongly, sitting on one of the couches.

Mondo nodded. "If my bro agrees, then I'll join too." Mondo then sat beside Taka and soon enough, Chihiro join them.

Eventually, everyone got into a seat. Byakuya, Celeste, Junko, Mukuro, and Toko got recliners for themselves, with Toko taking the recliner closest to the Togami heir. Kyoko, Sayaka, Makoto, and Leon sat on another couch together. Sakura and Hina sat on a small couch together. And finally, Yasuhiro and Hifumi took the last couch. Luckily, it was big and sturdy enough for Hifumi's big frame.

"Everyone ready?" Spirit questioned, sitting on his own recliner. Everyone nodded. "Good. Now, let us begin." With that, he summoned a remote into his hand and turned on the TV.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 2: Watching the Prologue: Welcome to Despair Part 1

"Everyone ready?" Spirit questioned, sitting on his own recliner. Everyone nodded. "Good. Now, let us begin." With that, he summoned a remote into his hand and turned on the TV.

When the screen turned on, a light shined on a black and white teddy is sitting in a classroom. One side of its body is purely white while the other side is black with red lightning looking eyes and a creepy grin. A button is right in front of it.

"Um, what's with the bear?" Leon asked, pointing at the bear. "It looks creepy."

"Maybe if we keep watching, we'll find out." Byakuya shot back in annoyance. Leon shot his hands up in surrender.

"Okay, okay, yeesh. I just asked a question."

In front of the bear is a man in his late thirties. He's wearing a long sleeve button-up shirt and dress pants. Currently, his are tied behind the chair he's trapped in and his eyes are blindfolded. The bear moved his head to see the man struggling in his binds.

A few eyes widened in recognition. "Is that the principal?" Makoto asked, causing several more eyes to widen.

"It is." Chihiro confirmed. "But who tied him up? And why?"

When they saw the bear move its head, shock entered through them. "Did that toy just move?" Hifumi asked hesitantly. "Or is it just me?"

"It's not just you dude." Mondo stated in shock.

"I'm guessing that bear, or the one controlling it, was the one to tie up Headmaster Kirigiri." Celestia guessed. "It must be remote controlled."

"Most likely." Makoto agreed, along with some of the others.

Meanwhile, Kyoko had her eyes glued to the screen, a feeling of dread leaking into her heart.

Moving its head back, the bear reached out and smashed the red button in front of it. As soon as it did, a rocket appeared right behind the tied-up man.

The hostage screamed as he got dragged into the rocket before it closed up. A second later, the rocket bursted through the roofs and into the night sky.

"What the hell is going on here?" Mondo exclaimed. "Where the fuck did the rocket come from? And why was the headmaster got launched into it?"

"I don't know bro." Taka stated, biting his lips nervously. "None of this makes any sense right now."

The dread in Kyoko's heart began to get bigger.

As soon as it got high up into space, it began its descent back to the school. It spiralled downward, heat forming around the tip, before it crashed back to the classroom.

The viewers awaited with baited breath, all of them nervous at what they might see.

The bear waited for the hatch to open up. Slowly, the hatch of the rocket revealed an empty seat. But a moment later, several bones belonging to a skeleton fell down.

Several cries of horror went through the room. Several faces went pale. And several look close to vomiting.

"This has to be a fake!" Hiro exclaimed, holding his head. "This has to be! No way would somebody kill the principal!"

"You saw the video, did you not?" Celestia rhetorically, managing to keep her composure. But really, she's as horrified as everyone else and her face wasn't so pale already, it would've been shown. "That looks far too real to be fake."

"But why would somebody kill the principal?" Makoto questioned, his face pale. "And in such a bizarre way?"

"...So that's why he was so pale." Makoto perked up, turning his head to see Kyoko visibly distress. "That's why he said those things….he saw…."

"Kyoko." Makoto called out, getting her back into reality. "Are you alright? Do you need a minute?"

Kyoko shook her head, trying to get her emotions back in check. "No, no. I'm fine. It's not like I'm close to my father anyway."

Makoto could see that she was lying. While she got a good poker face most of the time, almost as good as Celeste, there are times where her emotions would leak through. Most of those times are because of the subject of her father. Like now.

But he let it go for the moment since he could confront her about it later.

Meanwhile, Junko had to keep herself from drooling at all the despair she's seeing. Seeing her classmates' horrified and distressed looks, as well as feeling her own distress and horror, feels so good for her.

What's better is that she suspects that the person who killed the principal is herself. After all, Monokuma is to be her mascot when her plans goes in motion. Oh, she can't wait to see more!

When the bear saw the bones, it began to chuckle in seemingly evil laughter before the screen faded black.

Kyoko's distress and horror turned into anger at seeing the bear laugh at her father's death. The urge to rip the bear apart came as well.

'Wait, why am I so mad?' Kyoko asked herself. 'Why do I feel so distressed? It's not the first time I saw bodies. And it's not like I care for my father.' Maybe she should ask Makoto later when she get the chance.

"That bear is just sick!" Hina exclaimed, covering her mouth. "Laughing at the sight of a corpse? Who would do that?"

"A s-sadistic k-killer, that's w-who." Toko stated, visibly distressed. Ah, the irony there.

Sakura crossed her arms. "Something tells me that the toy will be a major problem in the future."

"Considering it got introduced in the beginning, that doesn't sound farfetched." The Togami heir agreed.

The scene then changed to a large school building. "Hope's Peak Academy." A voice spoke. "The school that brings the best students from every field imaginable."

"Hey, the voice sounds familiar." Hifumi spoke up, recognizing the voice. "Is that Mr. Naegi's?"

The others noticed as well. It also had the effect of all of them temporarily forgetting about what had happened. "It sounds a lot like you." Sayaka agreed, talking to Makoto.

"So I'm the main character on here?" Makoto questioned in shock. How is he, out of all the Ultimates, the main character?

The others, however, aren't so shock. They all agreed that Makoto is more likely to be the main character, the person that keeps the group together. Even Byakuya admits to that, although in a more arrogant mindset.

"I heard that if you come here and manage to graduate, you be set for life. It was built to raise hope in the nation's future, which makes Hope's Peak a perfectly fitting name."

The image got closer to the front of the school. "There are two things you need attend this school. One, you need to be a highschool student already, and two, you need to be the best at what you do. No ordinary student can come here. In order to be enrolled, you have to be sought out."

As the dialogue went on, the screen showed several of the Ultimates. Sayaka and her fellow idols singing on the stage, Leon playing baseball, several magazines of Junko, and Mondo in his motorcycle, with his massive biker gang driving behind him.

Many of them beamed proudly at this or smirked smugly, knowing their skills. Even Toko showed a certain amount of pride for her abilities.

The only one who didn't feel that pride is Makoto, who looked at his shoes. Being the Ultimate Lucky Student isn't really something to be proud about.

The scene soon switched to an awe Makoto Naegi, who's in front of the school. "My name is Makoto Naegi. Unlike many of the Ultimates here, I'm pretty much your average joe. Don't really have special talents or even a unique personality compared to the rest."

"So how does someone like me got into a school like this?" As Makoto's voice paused, the Makoto on the screen looked at the invitation given to him. "Well, in my invitation, they spelled it plain as day. I only got in because of luck. They did a poll for one regular student to enroll in the school, and I was it, making me the Ultimate Lucky Student."

"Wait, I remember that day." Makoto realized, looking at the scene more clearly. "This was the first time I got to Hope's Peak."

That surprised everyone. "But I thought this was in the future." Hina said in confusion. "Why are we watching Makoto's first day?"

"Perhaps we should we ask our host." Byakuya stated. He turned to Spirit. "Why are we seeing Makoto's first day at Hope's Peak?"

"Cause it's an important part of the entire." Spirit said with a shrug. "Rest assured, this will be the only part of the past you'll see. The rest will be in the future. That's all I'm saying for right now."

Byakuya narrowed his eyes, but returned his attention to the show.

"Honestly, it would've been better if I just refused the invitation." The narrator continued. "But if you get enrolled here and graduate, you would be set for life, so I couldn't just say no to the offer."

Sayaka smiled towards him. "Well, I'm glad you didn't refuse the offer." Sayaka said genuinely. "Otherwise, we wouldn't have the chance to be as close as we are now. And I doubt Class 78th would be as friendly to each other."

Makoto blushed at this, but waved it off. "I'm sure you're exaggerating."

"No, she's right man." Leon agreed. "You always manage to spend time with all of us, and talk to us normally. You can't say much about most people, whether at Hope's Peak or out of the school."

"And you're a good mediator for all of us." Kyoko continued. "You always made sure we don't fight with another, and helped us with whatever we've needed."

"I wouldn't go as far as to say things would've been completely different for me, but things would've been less interesting without you." Some in the group rolled their eyes at Byakuya's words. That's Togami talk for 'He's glad Makoto is here'.

Hina smiled brightly at him. "Like it or not, you definitely earned a place in all our hearts. For being so kind, optimistic, and helpful."

Makoto couldn't help but be beet red at the compliments being washed over him. Nevertheless, he grew a bright and hopeful smile on his face.

Meanwhile, Junko looked away from the scene. The sight of such a bright and hopeful scene disgust her. She absolutely hates how optimistic Makoto is and how that hope is affecting the others. She can't wait for the day she can bring that hope down and turn it into despair.

"Alright Makoto." The visible Makoto said to himself. "You can do this." Giving himself a firm nod, he walked into the entrance of the school, and then into the main hall.

He looked around to see the main hall empty. "This is where we suppose to meet, right? Guess I'm the first one to arrive." He looked at the clock in the main hall to see it's 7:10 a.m.

"I'm still envious that you're the first to arrive!" Taka cried out. Several in the group laughed while Makoto scratched his cheek in embarrassment.

"And I'm still embarrassed that I arrived so early." Was the lucky boy's response. He shrugged. "At least I used the time to look around a bit."

'Fifty more minutes until it's eight o'clock. It makes sense for no one else to be.' Makoto thought to himself. He sighed. 'And I got myself so wound up about getting here. Maybe looking around the place will help calm my nerves. It'll at least pass the time.'

So with that, Makoto took his first step into the high school. But as soon as he did, his vision suddenly began to warp.

"What the-?!" Makoto gasped. Everything soon to twist, turn, and melt around him. And sooner than it did, had everything went black for him.

"Huh?" Several people gasped. Mondo spoke up for all of them. "What the fuck just happened?"

"I don't know." Makoto answered, looking down in confusion. "That didn't happen to me when I first got there. Like I said, I looked around for a bit before coming back to the main hall."

"Maybe you were having a dream?" Chihiro guessed.

"I should've known by then that I didn't come here because I had the ultimate good luck." The narrator spoke again. "I was here to witness, the ultimate despair."

"Okay, that sounds really creepy." Hina stated, a creeped out look on her face.

"But it does sound pretty interesting!" Junko chirped. Well, it's actually pleasing for her to hear about the ultimate despair, but she doesn't have to let the others know that. "And it implies that what happened wasn't Makoto falling asleep!"

Everyone turned to her at that. "Are you saying that this statement implies that he's fallen unconscious?" Mukuro asked her sister.

"Bingo!" Junko stated. The others looked shocked at this.

"But that doesn't make any sense!" Makoto cried out. "I don't remember that happening!" Sayaka and Kyoko both grabbed his hand, silently asking him to calm down. The slightly distressed boy looked at the two girls before doing their silent request.

"I think more of our questions will be answered if we continue watching." Sakura stated. "Or at least, we'll find the answers ourselves."

Silently agreeing with her statement, everyone continued watching, hoping to get more answers than questions.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 3: Watching the Prologue: Welcome to Despair Part 2

(Prologue - Welcome to Despair)

Makoto felt a sense of dread at the title, as well as the picture being shown. Something tells him that he isn't going to like what he'll see.

"So, will the rest be about the future?" Kyoko asked Spirit. The host of the gathering merely nodded. "Ok then."

"Maybe we can find out if what transpired was a dream for Makoto." Celestia commented.

"Or maybe someone abducted him and is trying to mess with his memories!" Hiro declared. "Digging through his brain to change them!"

Several face palmed while Makoto shuddered at the mental image. Only Hiro.

The scene switched to a classroom, with the only one there being a sleeping Makoto. Slowly, the boy woke up with a grin. "Wha….?" The boy said tiredly. "Where am I?"

"Um, are you still sleepy Makoto?" Hina asked him, tilting her head. "Cause I'm pretty sure you're in one of the classrooms."

"Why are you sleeping there anyway?" Taka questioned passionately. "It's against the rules to be sleeping in class!"

"And why isn't anyone else there, other than Makoto?" Kyoko questioned with narrowed eyes. "Surely one of us would have woken him up if he was sleeping in class. Kiyotaka for sure wouldn't have let that slide."

"That's right I wouldn't!" Was Taka's passionate agreement.

"Well, we won't get anymore answers by asking questions." Makoto said. "For now, let's keep all of our questions in our mind." Several others nodded in agreement to this.

Makoto looked around to see that he's in an unfamiliar classroom. "What is going on here?" Makoto asked himself. "This isn't a classroom I've been in before." Then he noticed the metal plates on the windows. "Metal plates?"

Kyoko narrowed her eyes at the classroom. "Wait a minute," Kyoko slowly realized. "Isn't this one of the classrooms from the old school building?"

Several eyes widened at this, and they began to notice the similarities as well. "Yeah, you're right Kyoko." Makoto agreed. "The only change there is the wallpaper. But why would I would be in the old school building instead of the new one if this from the future?"

"And what's with the metal plates on the window?" Taka asked nervously. No one had an answer to that.

Kyoko sighed. This is becoming more and more confusing with every second.

Makoto went up and tried to pull off the plates, but it wouldn't budge a bit. "No use." Makoto sighed. "It's bolted shut."

'Why are there metal plates on the windows anyway?' Makoto thought. 'It makes no sense.'

As he looked around the room, he saw a note on the desk he slept on. Going to the desk, he grabbed the note before noticing a line of drool on the desk.

Several laughed or chuckled at this while Makoto flushed in embarrassment. "Don't worry Makoto." Sayaka said, after her giggling subsided. "I think you drooling is cute."

That made the boy flushed even more, causing more giggles from Sayaka. Kyoko and Mukuro also had smiles of amusement, silently agreeing with the Ultimate Pop Sensation.

"I should clean that up before I go." Makoto sighed. He then put the letter in front of his face and began to read. What he read creeped him out a bit.

'The Next Semester is about to start. Starting today, this school will be your entire world.' That's what exactly is on the note, written in crayon and a picture at the top of the cheap pamphlet.

"What the heck is this?" Makoto questioned in confusion and slight panic. "Is this some kind of sick joke?"

"That's what we're wondering." Hina stated, feeling creeped out once more. "Cause it ain't funny."

"Far from it." Sakura agreed stoically.

Putting the note down, Makoto held his head in confusion. 'The note, and those bolted doors, makes it feel like some kind of prison.' Makoto said. 'None of this is making any sense.'

The boy sighed, and looked at the clock. "I should probably get back to the meeting hall. It's already on the meeting time, so most likely, others will be there too."

"Um, why are you talking like you never been in Hope's Peak before?" Yasuhiro questioned in confusion. "I don't get a lot of this, but I know this takes place in the future. So why are you acting like it's still your first day?"

"How should I know?" Makoto questioned back. "This is the future me. I can't know exactly what my other is thinking each time." But inwardly, he's got a sinking suspicion as to why his other is acting like this. He hopes his suspicion is wrong.

Others like Kyoko, Mukuro, and Byakuya have their suspicions as well. But for now, they didn't say anything. They'll wait till they see their other future selves.

The boy walked out of the classroom, and into the hallway. The hallway has a purple lighting, the area seemingly more….dark. "This hallways seems kind of weird too." Makoto murmured.

"So the lighting has changed as well." Chihiro commented. "But who changed it? And why?"

"Maybe to put in a more creepy vibe?" Leon suggested.

"If they are, then they're doing it pretty well." Hina shivered.

'This is getting stranger by the second.' Makoto thought to himself. 'Waking up in a classroom with no other students around... This is not making any sense.' He then spoke to himself. "Well, for now, I'll go back to the entrance hall. I might get some answers there."

With that, he went searching for the main hall. It didn't take him long to find it and he soon found the door to the main hall. When he opened the door, he was met with several other students in the hall.

"Hey, there's the rest of us!" Hiro pointed out cheerfully.

"W-We can s-see that, i-idiot." Toko stuttered out. "Y-You, don't need t-to yell it o-out."

"Cool. Maybe we can get Makoto out of his sleepy state." Hina stated cheerfully.

'Don't count on it.' Makoto, Byakuya, Mukuro, and Kyoko thought. They have a feeling that the future Makoto isn't acting like this because he just woke up.

One of the students spoke up. "Woah! Another new kid?"

"Another? Then you guys are….?"

"Yes….We're all new here. Today's was supposed to be our first day of class." A softer, more feminine voice answered Makoto's silent question.

A nasally voice spoke up. "So counting him, that's make fifteen. Seems like a good cut off point, but I wonder if this is everyone…."

If the group wasn't confused before, they definitely are now. "Um, how come all of us are acting like we're new here?" Hiro asked, confused. "Cause this is definitely not our first day."

"And what's with the sealed door and bigass guns in the main hall?" Mondo questioned. "Those were never there."

"Plus, we all look older." Sayaka commented. "Around nineteen at least. We all got here when we were seventeen, or, in Hiro's case, twenty-one."

"What the hell is going on?" Leon asked, holding his head in confusion.

Makoto didn't want to believe it. Didn't even want to think about the possibility. But it's the only logical conclusion. And like Kyoko says, there's only one absolute truth. So taking a gulp, he spoke up. "I think….our future selves lost our memories."

Several eyes turned to him at the revelation, all of them shocked by his words. "Um, you're joking, right Makoto?" Hina spoke up, after a moment of silence. "Cause there's no reason all of us lost our memories!"

"Yeah! The whole fucking class losing our memories of each other?" Mondo stated in disbelief. "There's no fucking way that could happen!"

"And yet, this is the only logical conclusion." Byakuya stated, getting the attention turned to him now. "It couldn't be anything else."

"They're right." Kyoko supported Makoto and Byakuya. "It would explain why we're acting like it's our first day, why Makoto didn't recognize the changes in the old school building, and why we look older. Nothing else could explain all three things at once."

Several of them wanted to deny it, to find any kind of counter-argument against. But Kyoko's logic is sound. "But….all of us losing our memories?" Taka questioned, distressed. "Of the time spent with each other? How could all of us lose those memories?"

"Yeah. I couldn't imagine not remembering Sakura or Makoto." Hina stated, also a bit distressed.

"No answer has been given to us yet." Sakura stated, crossing her arms. "For now, we have to continue. I know this is something difficult to accept, but there's no other explanation."

No one could argue with that, so they stayed silent for now and continued watching the screen.

Makoto looked at the entire group with awe and nervousness. 'Here they are. All of the Ultimates that were hand picked by the school.' As he took in each of their faces, he noticed something. 'I don't know if it's just me, but I feel a kind of aura coming from each of them.'

Sayaka giggled. "That's just your ability to read people well." Sayaka said to Makoto. "You've always had that."

"And it had continued to develop throughout the school year." Kyoko added in, smiling at him. Makoto flushed at the comments.

"I just got to know you guys well, so it can be easy to know what you guys are thinking." Makoto said modestly. The longer he became friends with someone, the easier he could read them. What they're feeling, when they need help, if they need space, etc.

"Um….how's it going? My name is Makoto Naegi." Makoto stated nervously.

Aoi laughed. "Just like your last introduction, so cute and innocent." Makoto flushed while most of the others girls laughed, chuckled, or giggled in agreement. The only ones who aren't making any laughter are Kyoko, Sakura, Mukuro, and Toko, though the first three held smiles of amusement.

"M-Master is c-cuter." Toko mumbled, referring to Byakuya.

"Sorry about being late. A bunch of stuff just happened, and then all of sudden I was just….asleep."

Some of the them looked surprised at this. "Whoa, you too?" A guy with the crazy hair asked in surprise, his reaction causing Makoto to recoil in shock.

The reaction also stumped the entire class. "Wait, what does he mean 'you too'?" Taka questioned, furrowing his eyebrows. "You mean he experienced the same thing that Makoto did?"

"Judging by the other surprised looks, it follows that our future selves have all experienced this as well." Mukuro stated.

Kyoko narrowed. "I see," She said to herself. "So that must be the stopping point."

That got the attention of the others. "Stopping point?" Makoto repeated. "Kyoko….are you saying that the memories we created after entering Hope's Peak are the ones that's been taken from us?" Kyoko nodded.

"Spirit said that the beginning was an important part for this story." Kyoko explained. "Judging by what we've seen, we can conclude that the reason is because our memories stopped after arriving at Hope's Peak for the first time." Several eyes widened and several faces paled.

"We lost over a year of memories?" Hina breathed, covering her mouth. "How is that possible?"

"This is far from a coincidence that all of our memories been taken." Byakuya stated, pushing his glasses up. "Someone must've somehow captured all of us, and took our memories away from us."

The thought shocked and scared Hina even more. "But who would do that? And why?"

"None of us know yet." Sakura said to her best friend. "The only way to find out is to keep watching and see if the one who's doing this reveals themselves."

Junko is nearly bursting with ecstasy. Seeing her plan coming to fruition, seeing the distress on her classmates' faces, is making her feel soooo good. Imagine the despair when they find out the other part of this! The beginning….of the killing game!

She can't wait, she can't wait, she can't wait!

"This is getting curiouser and curiouser…." A goth looking girl mused.

"This is strange…..beyond any doubt, I declare that this is a strange situation indeed!" An overweight boy with glasses declared, looking nervous.

Leon rolled his eyes. "Way to state the obvious, genius."

"That was the future me!"

Makoto looked at everyone in confusion. "What are you guys talking about?" Makoto asked. "I don't have any idea what's going on right now."

Before anyone could answer, a blue-haired boy with red eyes spoke up. "Just a moment! There's something I need to address!" The guy pointed his finger at Makoto. "Makoto, your tardiness is unacceptable! I'm sure you were told to come at the meeting at 8 a.m. sharp!"

"To be late for your first day is unspeakable! I must report you, and you must accept your due punishment!" The guy declared. This just made Makoto even more confused.

Some of the group got disbelieving looks, directed towards Taka. "You wake up in a school with metal plates on the windows and the front of the school sealed up, and that's what you're worried about?" Leon questioned incredulously.

Mondo put his hand on his head. "I hate to say it bro, but you need to sort out your priorities."

Taka flushed and chuckled sheepishly, despite the fact that it was his future self who's doing this. "Sorry Makoto." Taka apologized, turning towards the luckster. Said luckster just waved off the apology, not seeing it as a big deal.

Before Makoto could say anything to that, a pretty blonde spoke to Taka. "What's your problem? It's not like he wanted to be late. He had no control over it."

Makoto narrowed his eyes. Something seems different about Junko. And not just in appearance either.

But when he looked at Junko, he noticed something. "Wait a minute….where's Mukuro?" Makoto questioned. That got the others attention, and they realized that they didn't see Mukuro either.

"Maybe she still asleep?" Hifumi suggested.

Chihiro thought about the possibility. "Maybe, but why isn't Junko looking for her sister? I would've thought that she would look around the school."

"Maybe I tried, but I ended up in the hallway first." Junko suggested. But truthfully, she knows that the 'Junko' on the TV is actually Mukuro. Her attitude and slight differences in appearance gives it away.

Mukuro also knew this. Not only because she knows what her body looks like, but because of how Junko reacted. Her sister wouldn't jump to defend Makoto first, but Mukuro knows that she herself would do so.

"Well, we won't what happens until we keep watching!" Junko stated. "So let's find out what happens to my hopeless sister!"

The group nodded, and went back to watching once again.

"Everyone calm down!" An upbeat looking brunette girl stated. "Listen, how about we all introduce ourselves to each other?"

A big guy with a leather jacket and long brown hair spoke. "The hell?! This isn't the time for freakin introductions!"

"Maybe, but it may be best to find out who we all are before going to the bigger problem." The goth looking girl retorted in a polite tone. "Otherwise, how can we talk to each other if we don't even know each other's name?"

"Celeste raises a good point there." Kyoko agreed. "Now's a better time than any to get rid of introductions."

"She's got a good point." A petite looking girl with light brown hair agreed.

"Okay, so let's get the introductions out of the way, then we can move on to whatever else. Sounds good?" A blue haired girl summarized.

Makoto looked around, still confused. 'I still don't know what's going on.' Makoto thought. 'But I guess focusing on getting to know them will be good. Now's a better time than any other.'

'I looked up nearly all of my classmates here online, but I still don't know what kind of people they are.' Makoto thought to himself. ' This will be a good chance to find out.'

Celeste's eyes lit up in realization. "Oh, I just realized something." Celeste spoke up to all of them, causing eyes to turn to her.

"What did you realize?" Taka asked her.

"Since this will show Makoto's thoughts, we can see what he thinks of each of us when we first introduced ourselves." Celeste stated. That caused several more eyes to lit up in realization, and directing the attention to Makoto. The luckster gulped in response.

"This is gonna be interesting." Junko giggled. There are several grins and nods in agreement while Makoto groaned.

His luck really is the worst.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 4: Watching the Prologue: Welcome to Despair Part 3

The first person he went to was Kiyotaka Ishimaru. "I'm Kiyotaka Ishimaru, and I believe in bold simplicity! Let's work together on our educational crusade!" Kiyotaka introduced himself.

"Dude, your future self does realize that the situation they're in isn't a regular thing for school, right?" Leon asked. Taka chuckled sheepishly.

'So that's Ishimaru.'  Makoto thought.  'From what I heard about him on the forums, he went to a famous private school and won top honors every year. He's basically a flawless honor student and he's also known for the work he's done for the community's Public Moral Committee.'

"So, you looked up all of us Makoto?" Sayaka asked.

Makoto nodded. "Everyone except Kyoko, which I couldn't find any info on." Makoto stated. "I wanted to know more about my future classmates."

'They say he respects rules above all else, earning him the title of the Ultimate Moral Compass.' Makoto concluded his thoughts.

Taka nodded. "I see you got your information from an accurate source."

"Several, actually." Makoto corrected. That surprised the others a bit. "Like I said, I wanted to know more about my future classmates, and I know that some sources won't be as accurate."

Hina cooed at that. "Aww, that's sweet of you Makoto." Makoto blushed and smiled bashfully at this while Mukuro, Sayaka, and Kyoko nodded in agreement.

"Anyways, you can call me Taka." Kiyotaka continued. "You said your name is Makoto Naegi, right?" He questioned. Makoto nodded. Taka then put on a big smile. "That's a good name, a strong name! You should thank your parents for giving you such an excellent name!"

"If it's such a strong name, why is he such a herbivore man?" Junko remarked cheerfully.

Makoto sighed. "Must you keep calling me that Junko?"

"Yes. Cause that's what you are, herbivore man."

Makoto sighed again, but didn't say anything else.

Taka seemed to get fired up again. "And to keep that name from losing value, you must devote yourself every single day! Life is worth putting every ounce of effort into it, right? Right!"

Makoto couldn't help but think this: 'This guy is….kinda annoying.'

"Huh?!" Taka exclaimed, his passionate demeanor gone in a flash. Makoto winced while a few laughed or chuckled. "I was being….annoying?"

Makoto gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry Taka. I wasn't used to how enthusiastic you usually are. I'm used it now."

"Something tells me you're going to say sorry to several people." Celestia commented. Makoto gulped at this.

After talking to Taka, Makoto went to the next person. Toko Fukawa. "N-Not that you'll remember my n-name, but I-I'm Toko….Toko Fukawa."

'Toko Fukawa. The Ultimate Writing Prodigy.'  Makoto thought.  'Yeah, she wrote a novel when she was ten that got everyone talking and launched her literary career. Then two years later, she released "So Lingers the Ocean", a love story said to be her masterpiece.

'The book was such a hit with women that fisherman quickly shot up to the top of every "Hottest Men" poll.'  Makoto continued his thoughts.  'Despite her age, she's won countless literary prizes and all her books are instant best sellers.'

"Her books really are amazing." Sayaka gushed. "I tried 'So Lingers the Ocean' and I instantly loved it."

Toko couldn't help but get a small beam of pride. But that smile fell when Leon spoke up. "Makes me wonder how someone so gloomy and depressing could make popular love stories? Not to mention a big mean streak on her."

She sent a nervous glare at Leon. "I-If you want m-mean, I'll show y-you mean you r-rockstar wannabe."

Leon sighed. "See what I tell you? A big mean streak."

'Which is why she's come to be known as the Ultimate Writing Prodigy. What else could you call such a young and talented author?'

Toko smiled a little. Despite it not being a compliment from her master, it felt….nice to be complimented on her abilities by one of her friends.

Yes, she considers Makoto and at least some of her classmates friends. She just doesn't want to admit it, like Byakuya.

'But I figured she would be the lovey-dovey type, with her masterpiece being a romance novel and all….'

"She probably is, but it's buried beneath all that gloominess and nastiness." Hiro sighed, the words causing Toko's smile to fade into a glare.

"Sh-Shut up, i-diotic f-fortune teller!"

"Hey! Don't be so hostile!" Hiro cried out.

The two were silent for a moment, merely observing each other. Finally, Toko spoke. "Wh-What? It's not polite to stare, you know." Toko stated nervously. Then suddenly, she started getting defensive. "Stop staring at me like I'm some filthy creature!"

That startled Makoto a bit. "F-Filthy creature? No, I just thought-"

"I know what you just thought….!" Toko interrupted. "You just thought you've never seen such an ugly woman. You just thought it was sooo funny….!"

"N-No, that's not what I was thinking at all…." Makoto protested.

But Toko refused to listen. "Don't bother trying to l-lie to me!" She exclaimed. "I know it's true. Otherwise, you….I just know you can't stand looking at me!" Her attitude then turned gloomy. "Wh-Whatever, I don't really care. I'm used it…."

"What the hell kind of mess up childhood did you have that made you like that?" Mondo questioned.

Toko didn't answer that, preferring not to answer. Makoto and Byakuya, meanwhile, shivered. They were one of the few that knows about Toko's past, the latter unwillingly. To say it was disturbing would be an understatement.

'Wow, talk about an inferiority complex.' Makoto thought. 'I was waaay off about what a successful author would be like….'

Toko couldn't argue with the inferiority complex comment. She admits that, she does have something like that. It's the main reason to why she's so attracted to master, who has a big superiority complex.

Hoping for a more friendly conversation, he moved on to Sayaka Maizono. "Hi, I'm Sayaka Maizono. I look forward to getting to know you." Sayaka greeted cheerfully.

'The way she moves is positively mesmerizing. And that pleasant scent I can't quite place….'  Makoto thought.  'Sayaka Maizono.'

Makoto blushed madly at that thought being revealed. Sayaka blushed as well, but giggled. "That's really sweet of you Makoto." She gave him a kiss on the cheek, causing him to blush even more.

Leon and Hifumi gave him looks of envy while Kyoko, Celestia, Mukuro, and Hina to narrowed their eyes at Sayaka or gave her annoyed glances. It's no secret to Class 78th that Sayaka has a crush on Makoto. Not only that, but Kyoko, Celestia, Mukuro, and Hina had feelings for the boy as well.

That caused Makoto to be the envy of many guys, especially the fans of the Ultimate Pop Sensation.

'When I saw her name in that thread online, frankly I was pretty surprised.'

"Huh? Why were you surprised?" Sayaka asked him.

"You'll see." Was his answer.

An image of Sayaka and her group singing is then shown.  'She's in a pop group famous across the entire country. In fact, she's their lead singer. As the Ultimate Pop Sensation, she's in high demand to appear on TV and in magazines everywhere. But actually, that's not the only reason I was so surprised to find out she'd be going to this school.'

'I'm sure she doesn't remember, but….'  The image disappeared and was replaced back with Sayaka and Makoto talking to one another.  'Well, never mind.'

Sayaka hummed to herself. "Are you talking about when we were in middle school together?"

Makoto nodded. "It surprisde me that we were gonna be in the same class again." Makoto admitted. Sayaka 'ahhed' and nodded.

'No matter how you slice it, she's really beautiful. Almost like a doll or something….'

Again, Makoto blushed in embarrassment due to his thoughts being revealed to everyone. It didn't help when the others laughed at his embarrassment or when Leon commented on it. "Really? Comparing her to a doll?" Leon questioned. "Real smooth man."

"How am I supposed to know people were going to see my thoughts?" Makoto protested.

Sayaka then spoke up. "And it's smoother than your pick up lines Leon." The singer shot back at the baseball player. "You didn't forget the slaps you've gotten from other girls at Hope's Peak, didn't you?" Leon flushed.

"Sh-Shut up."

"I'm not a doll, you know. I'm alive!" Sayaka suddenly said, startling Makoto.

"Huh?" Makoto let out. "Did you hear me?!"

"I'm psychic." Sayaka said with a serious face.

"...Huh?" It was the only sound Makoto could make.

Sayaka smiled again. "Kidding! I just have really good intuition." She stated.

Makoto sighed, but smiled in amusement. "You always love to say that."

"Of course. The looks on people's faces are funny!" Sayaka replied.

'She's a sharp one….' Makoto had to admit, he was impressed.

Sayaka giggled. "Why thank you Makoto." Sayaka thanked the luckster, her sweet smile on point.

Sayaka spoke up once again. "Hey, by any chance….?"

"Yes?" Makoto wondered what's on Sayaka's mind.

A look of realization entered on Sayaka's face. "...Yeah, it must be. I'm sure of it. Hey Makoto, did-"

'I still can't believe she remembers me.' Makoto thought in wonder. He never thought the Ultimate Pop Sensation would remember someone like him.

Unfortunately, Taka cut in. "Jeez, you guys! How long do you plan on to waste our valuable time with this ridiculous back-and-forth?!" He exclaimed loudly. "Self-introductions are for introducing yourself, not bumbling through a bunch of idle chit-chat!"

Several jumped at this. "I guess we should've have expected that coming." Celestia stated.

That startled the two of them. "Y-You're right. S-Sorry. Just got carried away, I guess…." Sayaka apologized. "Sorry Makoto. We can talk about this later." With that, the singer moved away to introduce herself to others.

Meanwhile, Makoto thought about Sayaka's words. 'It sounded like Sayaka really had something she wanted to say. But it's not like we'll never see each other again. Like she said, we can talk later.'

Sayaka giggled. "You have good intuition as well." Sayaka complimented. Makoto blushed.

"Not as good as yours." Makoto complimented back. "I mean, I know I'm like an open book, but the accuracy of your intuition is amazing." Sayaka blushed and looked away.

"Thank you Makoto. That's nice of you to say."

He then moved to the next person to talk to. Leon Kuwata. "Yo! The name's Leon Kuwata! What's up?" Leon greeted.

That surprised Makoto a bit. 'I recognize that name.' Makoto realized. An image of Leon, in a professional baseball uniform and an intense look, playing baseball. 'He played for the national high school champs as their cleanup hitter. The Ultimate Baseball Star….'

Leon groaned. "I wish I could burn that picture." Leon stated. "How did somebody get that anyway?"

"Maybe you could ask Mahiru, from the 77th class." Chihiro suggested. "She is the Ultimate Photographer, so she should know."

Leon nodded. "I'll go do that after all of this."

'And that superb athletic specimen is….' Makoto thought. Then the image switched back to Makoto and Leon talking. "You? Seriously?!" Makoto blurted out.

That caused the others to laugh while Leon sulked. "Was it really that surprising?" Leon asked him.

Makoto chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry man. I guess I shouldn't judge a book by its cover."

That startled Leon a bit. "Huh? What's wrong?" Leon asked.

"N-Nothing, I'm just….surprised." Makoto explained himself. "I figured with you being the Ultimate Baseball Star and all…."

"What, were you expecting some kid with a shaved head?" Leon questioned with a bit of annoyance.

"Shaved head?" Makoto shook his head. "No, I was just expecting more of a, you know, sporty-looking traditional baseball player type. That's how you looked when I found that article and picture of you online."

"You have to admit, the difference between that picture and your regular appearance is remarkably different." Celestia stated.

Leon huffed. "It's not like I wanted to dress like that, you know. That's just part of playing in the national championship."

That shocked Leon. "What?! Aw man, you found that picture of me playing baseball? Seriously?! I hate that picture!" He crossed his arms and huffed. "This is not cool. This is so not cool. Seriously, I'm like, mega embarrassed right now."

The baseball player then explained himself. "I didn't have a choice, okay? Shaving your head like that is part of national championship regulations!" He then pointed his thumb at his hair. "But now I refuse to cut my hair. And I'm not gonna dye it back to normal either!"

"Heck yeah!" Leo pumped his fist. "There's no way I'm gonna cut this bad puppy off!" Makoto shook his head at his best friend's antics.

"Can I be honest with you for a second?" When Makoto nodded, Leon spoke again. "I don't like baseball. Like, at all. Never gone to a single practice."

"So, honest huh?" Makoto questioned, sending a look to Leon.

Leon chuckled sheepishly. "Okay, so the part about not liking baseball is a bit of a lie. The only part I didn't like about it was cutting my hair off."

Makoto's eyes widened at this. 'He's never practiced, and yet he was still his team's star player?' Makoto thought in disbelief. 'He must be some kind of prodigy….'

"I still wonder how someone so lazy can be so good." Sayaka muttered. While she held no grudge against Leon, she's still a bit miffed that someone as lazy as him could earn his skills and position so easily, compared to where she had to work hard to get her spot.

Makoto helped her out in getting most of that resentment out, but there are times where she can get annoyed by it.

"And as soon as I got accepted here, I quit baseball for good! I have my own dream for the future!" Leon declared.

Makoto looked at him, confused. "A dream….for the future?"

Leon grinned. "My only path in life is getting into music! You can feel that star-quality aura I have, right?" He rhetorically asked. "I'm gonna be a singer, so all I need is a songwriter and someone on a guitar, and we're all set! This new version of me that's chasing after my dream is like….super cool to the max!"

Some sighed while others rolled their eyes. "And how's that been working for ya?" Mondo asked him dryly.

Leon blushed and looked away. "Um, not so well." Leon chuckled sheepishly. "Someone else got the title for Ultimate Musician already."

"It's a good thing you only did it just to get a girl." Hina stated with an eye roll.

"And that we got you back into professional baseball again." Byakuya spoke in. Leon groaned.

"Yeah, yeah. Twist the wound, would ya?"

'I can't believe what I'm hearing.' Makoto thought incredulously. 'I never imagined that I'd hear something like that from a baseball all-star….'

"Are we that different from what people expect?" Chihiro questioned.

Makoto explained. "For some of you, yes. Remember that most people are only seeing specific things like what you guys excel at, so we normal people tend to paint a different picture from what is actually true. Though I'll admit, some stories are more crazy than others."

Shaking his head, Makoto moved on to another classmate. Hifumi Yamada. "I….am Hifumi Yamada. But if you want to call me by my nickname, 'The Alpha and the Omega' I don't mind!" Hifumi stated.

Leon shook his head. "Dude, no one is going to call you that. Only you do."

Hifumi slumped. "I know…."

"By the way, how much do you know about the world of 2D art?" Hifumi asked.

"World of….2D?" Makoto hesitantly said.

Hifumi then started to get pumped up and smiled. "Well, in that world, I am well known and supremely regarded as the Ultimate Fanfic Creator. I once sold 10,000 copies of one of my fan comics at a school festival. The event has passed into legend." He stated proudly. "Some of them didn't get it, of course, saying I 'tainted' the event. How stupid can you be?!"

"That is tainting the event!" Taka exclaimed, standing up. He pointed at Hifumi. "You can't just sell stuff like that during a school festival! It's a school festival!"

Hifumi quickly stood up, ready to defend his position. "The 10,000 copies I sold says otherwise!" Hifumi stated. "And it didn't taint the school! It made it even better!"

"Why you-"

"Both of you, stop it." Kyoko interrupted. She knew this argument was going to be a long one, and she's not going to have it here. The cold tone in her voice made the two stiffen. "This is not the time for a long pointless argument. Understand?"

"Y-Yes ma'am." The two said, quickly sitting back down. Kyoko is one of the girls you don't want on your bad side.

'That's too bad about them, but selling 10,000 copies like that is definitely pretty remarkable.' Makoto thought.

Hifumi continued. "The words of such idiots means nothing to me. I am like Van Gogh-utterly unappreciated in my time. I am a soldier, serving day and night to destroy all mindless preconceptions of fanfiction. I'm sure if you were to observe my work, Mr. Naegi, you would comprehend its greatness immediately. For my work is filled with the deepest meaning…."

Toki scoffed. "G-Greatness? D-Deepest meaning? D-Don't make me laugh. T-They're are j-just pictures with d-dialogue. N-No deep meaning in t-those."

"I call blasphemy in that!" Hifumi declared. The two glared at one another, causing the others to sigh.

The rivalry between those two will never end.

"What….what kind of meaning?" Makoto hesitantly asked.

"It's about embracing our basest urges." Hifumi declared.

"And this is one of the many reasons why you don't have a girlfriend dude." Mondo deadpanned. Hifumi sagged a little at that.

'I don't think I want to comprehend it.' Was Makoto's deadpanned thought.

"Smart thinking." Celeste instantly agreed with Makoto.

Makoto smiled uneasily while Hifumi sagged even more. "Sorry Hifumi." Makoto apologized.

Moving away from Hifumi, Makoto moved onto the next person. Aoi Asahina. "Heya! I'm Aio Asahina! But my friends just call me Hina. Sup?" Aoi introduced herself.

'Aoi Asahina.'  Makoto thought.  'She's been breaking records in every competition she's been in since elementary school. She's even been chosen as an upcoming Olympic cadet. She is, without a doubt, the Ultimate Swimming Pro.'

Hina grinned bashfully and rubbed the back of his head. "Aww, you're making me blush Makoto." Hina said.

'The combination of her ability, appearance, and, um….proportions has been widely discussed online….'  Makoto thought.

Hina looked confused at the 'proportions' part. "Um, what do you mean by proportions Makoto?" Makoto looked away, not sure how to answer that.

Unfortunately, Toko decided to answer. "H-He's talking about y-your b-big bimbo b-breasts."

Hina blinked once. Then she blushed heavily, and covered her chest. "Ehhhhh? Seriously? People talk about that?"

Sakura's head turned down, her face darkening. "Makoto….."

Makoto held his hands up in surrender. "I only meant that in the most neutral way possible!" He exclaimed in panic. "I promise, I never participated in those discussions! The only reason I know about it is because I was looking up you guys online and it just happened to be in one of the forums!"

Sakura stared at him, trying to find any lies that were hidden in his words. Finally, she nodded. "Alright. But you will give the name of the sites you found those comments, and I'll see what they've been saying about my friend." Makoto gulped, feeling pity for those unlucky perverts.

Hina's blush still remained on her face, though for a different reason. She wonders what Makoto thought of her looks, and if he agreed with the viewers online. Maybe she can ask him later.

Hina then adopted a thinking face. "So, uh, what's your name again? Sorry, totally forgot!"

"Makoto Naegi." The luckster answered easily.

She smiled. "Oh yeah, I knew it was something like that!"

"No, not 'something like that'. It is that…." Makoto said with slight exasperation.

"Sure, sure, got it!" Hina said cheerfully. "Here, I'll hammer it into my brain right now!" She then moved her finger on her palm, like she's writing something. "Makoto Naegi….Makoto Naegi…."

That confused Makoto a little. "Um, what are you doing?" He asked.

"You don't know?" Hina look a little surprise by this. "If you wanna remember someone's name, you gotta write it on your hand three times!"

"I've never heard that before in my life…." Makoto deadpanned.

"Neither did the majority of us." Byakuya stated. He sighed. "Honestly, where did such a ridiculous theory come from? And if you say Hiro, I'm going to laugh."

"No, of course not!" Hina quickly denied. "I didn't take anything he said seriously since day one of meeting him!"

"Hey!"

"But it seems to work for her." Makoto supported the swimmer. "So I don't think it's that big of a deal."

Byakuya tsked, but didn't argue. "Whatever you say."

Hina gave Makoto a grateful smile for the support. He's always looking out for everyone, one of the things she likes about him.

"Hey, by the way….how do you spell your last name?" Hina asked him.

"You spell it exactly like how it sounds." Makoto told her.

Hina put on another thinking face. "Umm…." She stayed silent for a moment, trying to figure out how to spell the name. After a couple seconds, she smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head. "Well, I have no idea. Hahaha! I'll just figure it out later and write it down. Anyway, glad to meet ya!"

"S-Sure, same here." Makoto said, a bit surprised about the amount of energy she's got. 'Well, one thing I learned is that she's totally easy going and bursting with energy.'

"One of Hina's signature and best traits." Makoto continued, causing Hina to blush.

Sakura nodded. "I agree, it's what makes Hina so easy to befriend."

"Not to mention how nice she is." Chihiro added. Hina's blush growing bigger at the compliments.

"Come on you guys, you're giving me actual blushes." Hina said, looking away from them bashfully.

"Y-You're probably enjoying the a-attention, you b-bimbo." Toko retorted, ruining the moment and causing Hina's bashfulness to be replaced with embarrassment and anger.

"I-I do not! And stop calling me a bimbo!"

Before the argument could escalate anything further, Makoto stepped in. "Please, don't fight. We still need to finish watching this, remember?" The two glared at one another, but complied to Makoto's wishes.

After talking to Hina, he continued onto his next fellow classmate, Chihiro Fujisaki. "Hello, nice to meet you. I'm Chihiro Fujisaki." Chihiro greeted shyly, a blush on her face. "Sorry, I get kinda embarrassed whenever I introduce myself like this." She then gave a smile. "Anyway, I hope we can get along."

Sayaka squealed. "You are so cute Chihiro! So very cute!"

"Th-Thank you." Chihiro said, a blush on the programmer's face.

"Same here. Nice to meet you." Makoto greeted back, smiling.

"...Huh?" A glint suddenly hit Chihiro's eyes. "Maybe it's just my imagination, but….have we met before?"

Heads shot up at that.

"Wait, our memories were wiped, right?" Taka asked. "If so, how does Chihiro recognize Makoto? Did the two of you meet before Hope's Peak?"

The two of them shook their head. "No, we never met before Hope's Peak." Makoto answered.

"Um, I don't think so." Makoto responded back. "We just met for the first time. Which is why I said 'nice to meet you.'"

"See?" Makoto pointed out.

"So, our memories aren't completely wiped from our minds." Kyoko stated. "More like they were locked up instead."

"I wonder what it would take to get them back." Byakuya pondered.

"We'll just have to see." Sakura said, turning to Makoto. "On another topic, was that last sentence from your future self really necessary? There was no need to be smart about it."

Makoto winced. "I don't think my future self meant it like that." Makoto said. "But I'm sorry if I caused any misunderstandings Chihiro."

"It's alright." The programmer said, not bothered at all. "While my amnesiac future self might take it the wrong way, I know you aren't like that most of the time Makoto."

"Oh yeah. Good point." Chihiro agreed, looking a bit embarrassed. "Sorry."

"Y-You don't have to apologize for that." Makoto said to her.

"Oh, yeah."

'Chihiro Fujisaki is known for all the cutting edge programs she's created. She's the Ultimate Programmer.'  Makoto thought.  'She's also got that timid little bunny thing going on, which has endeared her to her legion of fans.'

Chihiro shuffled uncomfortably at the mention of those fans and Leon's comment didn't help either. "Yeah, I can see why she's got so many fans."

"And not just guy fans either. There are many girls who find her demeanor cute." Celestia commented.

"She's just the sister girls would want to have!" Sayaka stated happily.

Makoto, seeing how uncomfortable Chihiro looked, spoke up. "How about we stop talking about this? There's still a lot to watch."

"The dude is right. Let's finish this so we can fucking go home." Mondo supported. With that, the group fell silent once again, with Chihiro giving them both a thankful smile.

"Hey, so l-listen," Chihiro hesitantly said, her eyes seemed like they would burst into tears any moment. "I-I'm really sorry."

"Huh?" Makoto was brought out of his thoughts at Chihiro's sudden apology. "What are you apologizing for?"

"Well, just cuz….you seem upset." Chihiro answered. "You must be mad at me, right?"

"No, not at all!" Makoto hastily reassured. "I was just lost in thought about something."

"Huh? Lost in thought?" Chihiro asked, a bit curious.

Makoto nodded. "Yeah! It had nothing to do with me being upset or anything." Chihiro sighed in relief at that.

"Oh, good. I was afraid that maybe you didn't like me." She said, her cute smile returning to her face. "Hehe….I'm glad!"

Makoto stayed silent, stunned by how cute Chihiro is acting. 'Okay, I'm starting to understand why her fans are so into her… .'

Now it's Makoto turned to shuffle uncomfortably. He and Mondo are one of the few people who knew about Chihiro's true gender. The fact that he was a little attracted to a boy….bothered him a little, but not that much.

Chihiro played a very convincing girl. His performance even tricked Byakuya and Kyoko, the most observant people in the class. That made him feel better about it.

"Alright, so seven introductions down." Hina counted. "Seven more to go."

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 5: Watching the Prologue: Welcome to Despair Part 4

Shaking his head, Makoto got himself out of his stupor and went onto the his next classmate, Kyoko Kirigiri. Makoto waited for the girl to say something, but there was only silence. Several seconds had past, and the awkward silence continued.

"Um, Kyoko, in an introduction, you introduce yourself." Leon pointed out dryly. "Even someone like Byakuya knows that."

Kyoko flushed and gave the baseball player a glare. "I know that Kuwata, thank you very much."

Finally, Makoto spoke. "Um….can I ask you name?" He asked hesitantly.

There was another moment of silence after that. But finally, Kyoko spoke. "My name is….Kyoko Kirigiri." After that, she went back into silence again.

"You really had a hard time interacting with us." Makoto chuckled, causing Kyoko to flushed.

"I never had any interactions with people my age before I got to Hope's Peak, so give me a break." Kyoko stated, looking a bit embarrassed. "I don't have your natural ability to get along with everybody around you."

Makoto blushed at that. "You're exaggerating about my 'natural ability'."

"Do I seem like someone who would exaggerate things?" Kyoko retorted. "You were the first one who managed to befriend me, and later helped me socialize with the others. Not to mention our other… more difficult classmates as well." Kyoko smiled. "Trust me, you're a natural at making friends."

Makoto blush grew bigger at this, but he held a smile on his face.

'She's pretty tight lipped, huh?' Makoto thought. Then another thought came to mind. 'Oh, but you know, her name didn't show up anywhere in that Hope's Peak Academy thread. And I did see students like me, ones who didn't have any real identity or presence. Could she be one of them….?'

Makoto shook his head. "You are too good at your job Kyoko." Makoto complimented. "To be able to keep your title and yourself out of the media is incredible."

Kyoko blushed and looked away. Despite being friends with Makoto for a while now, she still isn't used to his compliments. "I-It's nothing." Kyoko said. "A Kirigiri prides themselves in their skills."

"So, um….what are you doing at this school?" Makoto asked her hesitantly.

Makoto winced at how that sounded. More so when someone pointed it out. "Those were poor word choices Makoto." Taka told him.

The luckster smiled apologetically at Kyoko. "Sorry about that Kyoko."

The girl waved it off. "Don't worry. It isn't that big of a deal." Kyoko said. "Besides, I know you well enough that I know that wasn't your intent."

Kyoko stared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?" She asked.

Noticing his poor choice of words, he corrected himself. "No, I just meant…. getting invited here means you're some kind of 'ultimate', right? So what's your talent?"

She was silent again, looking away from him. When she spoke again, she sounded a bit defensive. "Why should I tell you?"

That surprised the others a bit, including Kyoko. "But I remember you telling me your talent when we first met." Makoto said in confusion. "Why doesn't your future self want to tell me?"

"That's what I'm wondering." Kyoko stated. "While I didn't like revealing my skills in the first place, it didn't matter all that much since I decided to reveal myself to Hope's Peak."

"Maybe it has something to do with the memory wipe?" Sakura suggested.

Kyoko thought about that. "Maybe, but I'm not sure about that. The memory wipe doesn't seem to have affected our personalities."

That startled Makoto a bit. "Huh?" He rubbed the back of his head. "Well….I guess you don't have to tell me."

"No, I don't have to tell you. So I'm not going to you." She said coldly.

That got a frown from Sayaka. "Your future self didn't have to rude about it." Sayaka said a bit angrily. "It's not he like he tried to push you into telling him."

Kyoko winced because she couldn't deny it. That was rude of her future self and despite the fact that it was her future self's words, she couldn't help but be embarrassed a little. After all, the future Kyoko is still HER.

Makoto, ever the pacifist, spoke up. "Calm down Sayaka, it's not that big of a deal." Makoto placated. "No use at getting upset for something that happens in another time, especially something so small."

Sayaka sighed, but didn't argue. Makoto is the type to forgive others easily, especially those he sees as a friend.

And knowing that Kyoko's feeling embarrassed, Makoto grabbed her hand, getting her attention. He smiled at her, silently saying not to worry about it.

That washed away the detective's embarrassment as she squeezed his hand in thanks.

'Nothing about her turned up online, so I was thinking she maybe got picked by chance like me, but….' Makoto examined her, seeing no facial emotions on her. 'Her face is like an iron mask. If she doesn't want to tell me anything, no point asking.'

"That's Kyoko for ya." Makoto agreed with his future self. "Don't say anything unless she wants to or know she needs to."

Kyoko smiled. That's what she likes about Makoto, his understanding nature and how well he reads people in first meetings. She then noticed that she's still holding Makoto's hand. She blushed a little at this, and quickly took her hands away.

She never really had physical contact with people, or let anyone touch her without her permission. So things like holding hands with her crush can easily fluster her.

Makoto then moved away from her and onto the next person, Junko Enoshima. "Hii! I'm Junko Enoshima! Charmed, I'm sure!"

Makoto narrowed his eyes at the Junko on screen, trying to figure out what's different. It didn't take him long to figure it out, and when he did, his eyes widened in recognition. A couple other eyes also lit up in recognition, mainly Byakuya's and Kyoko's.

"Wait a minute, that isn't Junko." Makoto stated, getting the group's attention. "That's Mukuro."

This shocked the rest of the class. "Seriously?" Taka questioned. "How can you be sure?"

"It's the freckles." Makoto answered. "Junko doesn't have freckles. But Mukuro does. If it wasn't for that, they would be exactly alike."

"There's also a difference in body size." Kyoko mentioned. "And a slight difference in the eyes' shape and color compared to Junko. The difference can be seen if you look more closely."

The others then took a closer look at the Junko on the screen, and began to see the differences. "Okay, I can see the difference." Leon agreed. He didn't dare mention Mukuro's assets. He doesn't have a death wish. "But why is Mukuro disguised as Junko in the first place?"

"Why not ask the girl herself?" Byakuya asked, looking at the Ultimate Soldier.

Mukuro shook her head. "I don't know myself, since this is in the future." Mukuro stated. "But if I had to guess, maybe my future felt that Junko was being targeted or something, and disguised herself to make sure she isn't harmed."

"And then Mukuro could beat the crap out of the creep!" Junko declared. She then got some glasses out of nowhere, and spoke in a teacher-like tone. "Too bad she didn't calculate the others getting targeted and her memories getting taken."

"So does that mean Junko is the only one who wasn't taken?" Celestia asked.

"Another mystery to add to the list of mysteries." Chihiro said.

'Anybody would recognize this one,' Makoto thought. The scene is then switched to the various magazines of Junko. 'She's got more charm and presence than any other high school girl in the country. She's the Ultimate Fashionista.'

Junko grinned and placed her hands over her heart. "Aww Makoto, I'm touched!" She teased. "If you want, I can arrange for you to get a front row seat for my next photo shoot!"

Makoto blushed scarlet red at that while several girls glared at the fashionista, including her sister. Junko giggled. It's so fun getting her female classmates angry.

'I've seen her in tons of magazines covers, but….' The scene is then switched back to the present Junko. "I feel that it doesn't match up to reality."

Mukuro frowned at that. "Are you saying that I'm not as pretty as my sister?" Mukuro asked. While she had been compared to her sister a lot, hearing it from Makoto was a bit painful.

"No, not at all!" Makoto quickly explained himself. "My future self is just seeing the difference between the covers and you disguised as Junko, that's all. Besides, you have your distinct beauty."

That surprise Mukuro. "R-Really?" She stammered.

Makoto nodded. "When you relax and let your guard down, you look….really cute. Cuter than most girls."

That caused Mukuro to blush madly and look away. "T-Thank you." Mukuro stuttered out, her cold demeanor melting instantly. Only Makoto and her sister were able to do something like that. She didn't notice the glares being sent in her direction.

Leon looked at Makoto enviously. How on earth does his friend pick up all the girls so easily? He even gets the colder ones, and he doesn't even know he's doing it!

"Huh?" Junko said in surprise. But then realization hit her eyes. "Oh, are you talking about my cover photos and junk?" She then grinned and gave a peace sign. "Ahaha, well of course! Those are totally photoshopped!"

"Photoshopped?"

"Yeah, you know - like edited to hell and back. With like, computers and junk." Junko explained.

"Oh, so they aren't real." Makoto said in a bit of surprised.

That caused Junko to frown. "Come on, don't act all surprised! You're gonna make me all depressed." She said. "It's totally normal these days to photoshop the crap out of cover photos."

"She's correct, but given the Ultimate Fashionista title, you would think she wouldn't need to be photoshopped." Hifumi stated. "After all, she's got that title for a reason."

"That's right. My beautiful little face." Junko stated, in her diva persona. "And my gorgeous looking bod." A few rolled their eyes at her bragging, but didn't disagree. Junko definitely earned the title of Ultimate Fashionista, especially since she can switch personas so easily whenever needed.

"If you're surprise by that, you'd be totally blown away by a certain dangerous little diva of ours." Junko continued. "They make the eyes and junk super big, and tweak the skin so it looks all ceramic and porcelain."

"Oh." Makoto said. Then he thought. 'So many dreams are getting crushed today….' These guys are definitely different from how others see them.

He then moved onto the next person, Mondo Owada. "Name's Mondo Owada. Nice to fuckin meetcha." Mondo introduced himself.

'Mondo Owada, huh? Which means,' The scene then switch to the army of bikers, with Mondo leading them. 'He's the current leader of the largest biker gang in Japan. He's earned respect, even awe, from every gang leader in the country. He's the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader….'

"Damn straight!" Mondo stated with a grin. "And let nobody forget it!"

"Being able to lead hundreds of those bikers is definitely incredible." Chihiro agreed. "Not many could be able to control that amount of people."

"It's not easy, let me tell you." The biker sighed. "Had to get people I trust to break up fights or make sure some don't take things too far. Good thing there were quite a few that my brother trusted….before he died."

Taka patted his friend's shoulder in comfort, knowing that it's hard for him to mention his deceased brother.

Makoto was silent, a bit nervous to say anything to the gang leader. "Umm," Makoto said before managing to get out a sentence. "Nice to meet you, too."

"Hell yeah." Was Mondo's response.

'I'd better be careful around him.'  Makoto thought nervously.  'One wrong word and I could wake up at the bottom of the ocean….'

"You really thought I was that violent dude?" Mondo asked him.

Makoto chuckled sheepishly and rubbed his head. "Sorry Mondo, but to be fair, your appearance and demeanor didn't help much."

"Not to mention what happened to Chihiro's bullies and stalkers." Leon mentioned. "You've definitely got a temper in you."

Mondo rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah, yeah." The biker sighed.

He quickly moved onto his next classmate, who looked even more threatening than Mondo, Sakura Ogami. "I am Sakura Ogami." Sakura stated simply.

Makoto opened his mouth to ask something before quickly closing it. 'Oh jeez, that was close. I almost asked her if she was a guy.' Makoto thought. 'The day I say something like that is the day I turn into a human meatball.'

Several of the students laughed while Makoto winced, smiling apologetically at Sakura. "Sorry Sakura."

The martial artist merely smiled in amusement. "It's fine." She stated. "You're not the first to think that I was a guy, and you probably won't be the last."

'But I remember now. She competed in a martial arts tournament and won, despite being a girl. She's the Ultimate Martial Artist. She's fought in over 400 matches and never lost a single one.'

"Definitely competing in the strongest out of the class." Leon commented. "The only one in here that could probably match against her is Mukuro."

"I admit, Mukuro is a worthy opponent to face." Sakura said. She then turned to Makoto. "By the way, what do you mean when you said 'despite being a girl'?"

Makoto stiffened and paled at Sakura's gaze. One wrong word and he's dead. "I-I don't mean it in a bad way Sakura!" Makoto hastily explained himself. "I know that some girls can be tough, but there aren't that many that are as strong as you! I meant it like that!"

Sakura stared at him a little longer, making the boy even more nervous. However, shortly after, she tore her eyes away him. "Very well, I will accept that. I know you are far too kind-hearted to mean anything of ill intent."

Makoto couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, getting a giggle from Sayaka and a smirk from Kyoko. He dodged a huge bullet there.

'That thread also said a bit more about her.' Makoto thought. 'Some called her Ogre; some even think she's the closest known relative to the primates-the famed missing link.'

Sakura sighed in annoyance at that. "Where do people come up with such ludicrous theories?"

"Most likely the same place Yasuhiro comes up with his ridiculous theories." Celestia commented. "Because they are stupid, plain and simple."

"My theories aren't stupid!" Hiro protested. "They have at least a thirty percent chance at being correct! Besides, they might be right about that theory there!"

"It's no wonder he's still in high school." Byakuya grumbled under his breath.

'I remember a warning from one of threads. I think it was "Any incoming Hope's Peak students who are reading this, let me warn you right now. If you value your life, avoid her at all costs."'

Makoto took in Sakura's appearance.  'Standing in front of her now, I don't think they were exaggerating about that….'

"Sakura isn't violent!" Hina huffed. "She may look scary, but she doesn't have a temper like Mondo!" Then she realized what she said about her friend, and smiled sheepishly at her. "No offense Sakura."

"None taken Hina." Sakura reassured her. "I know my appearance can be frightening to others. That's probably the reason why they made that warning."

"It really goes to show that you can't judge a book by its cover." Makoto chuckled. "Though you can be frightening when one of us, especially Hina, gets hurt or harassed in some way." Sakura is protective of her friends, that's for sure.

Sakura then spoke up. "Hey, you."

"Huh? Y-Yes?!" Without knowing, Makoto stand up to attention. Saying nothing else, Sakura began to poke and prod at his body, confusing the boy.

"Um….what are you….?"

"Muscular quality and quantity is right around that of an extremely ordinary high school student." Sakura said in disappointment. "Hmph. What a shame. You aren't at all fit to be my training partner."

"It weirded me out when she started doing that to me as well." Leon sighed. "And I'm glad I'm not sparring with her."

"Which reminds me, how sparring with Mukuro?" Makoto asked the martial artist. Few months back, the luckster managed to convince Mukuro to spar with Sakura every now and then.

"Like I said before, she's a worthy opponent to be facing." Sakura said. "Her training and her time with Fenrir has served her well."

"I admit, Sakura is probably one of the toughest opponents I've faced." Mukuro admitted. The skills the both of them possessed eventually fostered into mutual respect towards one another.

'I'm not sure that's a shame for me.' Makoto deadpanned. The luckster then moved onto the next person, Byakuya Togami.

"Name's Byakuya Togami." Byakuya said shortly. He didn't say anything else afterwards.

"Hi, uh….nice to meet you." Makoto said. Byakuya still didn't say anything else. 'That's the most half-assed introduction I've ever heard.' Makoto thought with some annoyance.

"That's Byakuya for you." Hina sighed. "He did the same for the rest of us."

"Introductions are just introductions. No need for small talk." The Togami heir stated. "Especially in the situation our future selves are in."

"Still, your intro could've been better." Celestia commented.

Byakuya sighed. "I admit, I could've made some effort to greet you simpletons." He said. "But what's done is done, and it's a waste of time to even think about it."

"I-I thought master's g-greeting was c-cool." Toko muttered.

'But there isn't anything I could do about it.' Makoto thought in resignation. 'Even amongst the ultimate students, this one is special. Byakuya Togami….the heir to his family's massive financial conglomerate. He's already started managing business operations, and his own personal assets are, well, vast. His title of Ultimate Affluent Progeny is completely accurate. He's the definition of "exceptional". That's everything I learned about him in the Hope's Peak Academy thread online.'

Byakuya made a 'hmph' sound. "I don't need anyone telling me this." He stated haughtily. "I already know that I'm the very definition of exceptional."

Several rolled their eyes, especially Hina. "By the way, how big are your assets?" Hifumi asked him in curiousity.

"Big enough to make Sayaka's or Leon's look small in comparison." Was Byakuya's answer.

Makoto backed up that answer. "He's not exaggerating. I saw glimpses of his assets online, and they were a lot."

"We're done with introductions, right?" Byakuya questioned, jolting Makoto from his thoughts. "How much longer are you going to stand there? Go away. I'm sick of looking at you." His aura was similar to that of a king in training.

"I forgot how much of an asshole he was." Mondo groaned.

"You're acting like he changed at all." Hiro stated. "He's still a big jerk to all of us."

"He may still be a jerk, but he's our jerk now!" Hina stated cheerly.

Byakuya's eye twitched at that. Annoyances, all of them.

Quickly moving away, he went onto the next person, Yasuhiro Hagakure. "I'm Yasuhiro Hagakure-Hiro for short! Take it easy, yeah? I know I will!"

'Yasuhiro Hagakure, known as "Supernova" in the psychic community.'  Makoto thought.  'The trend setting Ultimate Clairvoyant. Honestly, I don't really get this fortune telling stuff. It's pretty much beyond me. Still, I can't help but wonder if there's any truth to it.'

"There's truth in them!" Yasuhiro exclaimed defensively. "My fortunes are accurate thirty percent of the time! That's a higher chance than any other fortune teller!"

"I guess that's out of all the fortune tellers, he became the Ultimate Clairvoyant." Byakuya commented. "The others are even less accurate than he is."

"Ahh...okay, I give up." Hiro said, breaking Makoto out of his thoughts.

The boy looked at him in confusion. "Huh? What happened?"

"I saw it. I looked right at it." Hiro murmured. "Seriously, I totally saw it!"

"...Saw what?" Makoto hesitantly asked.

"A guardian angel with a crazy perm chasing after Bigfoot running off with a skyfish in its mouth." Hiro explained. "And that guardian angel….is YOUR guardian angel!"

…..

The group was silent for a moment, wondering if Hiro was okay in his head. "Where the hell do you come up with this shit?" Mondo questioned.

"I was just kidding about that!" Hiro stated in his defense. "Ask Makoto, I told him the same thing on the first day of school!"

Several eyes turned to the luckster. "Yeah, he was kidding about it." Makoto confirmed with a nod. "Said so himself."

Several 'ahhed' and nodded before going back to the screen.

Makoto stared at him, baffled at what the guy said. "Nah, I was just kidding." Hiro laughed it off. "But hey, we should grab some brewskis sometime and get real deep into Lemuria and its civilization."

"What?" Makoto said, both surprised and confused. "We're not allowed to drink! We're in high school!"

"Oh, I'm actually 21." Hiro casually replied. "I've been held back a few times you see, and….well, it's a long story."

"But still, you think that other students would be allowed to drink?" Byakuya questioned.

Hiro chuckled sheepishly. "I kinda forgot that most high schoolers are younger than me. And that there's very few who're twenty or over."

"V-Very few is c-correct." Toko mumbled.

'A few times?'  Makoto thought in shock.  'Yeah, I bet that is a long story.'

"Wow, your thoughts are really snarky man." Hiro commented on. "I never hear you say anything of these things out loud."

"I don't think anyone did." Hina stated. "It's definitely surprising to see it."

Makoto chuckled and rubbed his head sheepishly. "Well, it can't be that surprising that there a few things I keep to myself." Makoto said sheepishly. "We all have thoughts that we keep in our minds, don't we?"

No one could argue with that. They all did have thoughts that they wouldn't reveal.

Shaking his head, he moved on to the last person to talk to, Celestia Ludenberg. "I do not think we have been introduced. I am Celestia Ludenberg." Celestia greeted politely.

"Celestia….Luden….huh?" Makoto couldn't pronounce the last part.

"Ludenberg." Celestia repeated. "It is my name. But if you don't mind, I would prefer you to call me Celeste."

That confused Makoto. "Um….you are Japanese, right?"

"Of course." Celeste confirmed. "Why do you ask?"

"If you don't mind….could you tell me your real name?" Makoto asked carefully.

That confused a few of the others. "So wait….Celestia isn't her real name?" Hina asked in surprise. Some rolled their eyes or shook their head at the oblivious swimmer.

"It is my real name." Celestia stated, her voice sounding polite, but forceful at the same time. "If you don't mind, why don't we go back to watching this?"

"Wait, but-"

"Hina, we can talk about it more later if you like." Makoto said before the Hina could continue. "But for now, how about we get back to watching this?" Hina was hesitant, but nodded. Celestia smiled at him gratefully for that.

Celestia giggled. "I don't know what you're talking about. Celestia Ludenberg is my real name. But as I mentioned, I would much rather you call me Celeste."

Makoto stayed silent at that. 'She's polite, but pretty forceful at the same time. I don't think she wants to say any more about it….'

Celestia giggled. "You are one of the very few who could pick up my mood like that. After all, you are very high in my list of C-ranks, and close to B-rank Makoto."

"Um….thank you?" Makoto said, not really understanding what that meant. Though some of the others suspected what the implications were, three of them being Kyoko, Mukuro, and Sayaka. The girls glared at the gambler.

'I guess the rumors in the thread were right about her.'  Makoto sighed mentally.  'The self styled "Celestia Ludenberg", she's the Ultimate Gambler who's never lost a bet. Other than her obvious love of gothic lolita clothes, everything about her is wrapped in a veil of lies.'

'But I'm slowly unwrapping that veil.' Makoto thought to himself. After all, he's one of the few who found out Celeste's real name.

"It's more like an obsession than love." Leon stated. "We've never seen Celeste in anything else other than those goth clothing."

"Well, I don't see anything wrong with that. It's just something that she likes." Makoto said. "Besides, I think it suits her. It gives her a dark sense of beauty."

Celeste felt a tint of pink enter her cheeks from the compliment. But she cleared it up before anyone else could see it, and smiled at Makoto. "Thank you Makoto. That's very sweet of you to say."

'They say she entered and won an underground gambling tournament, earning the title of "Queen of Liars". She totally cleaned out the other players, taking their life savings and laughing as she did.'

"Yeah, that totally sounds like Celeste." Hiro sighed. "Polite on the outside, but brutal in the inside."

Slowly, Celeste turned towards him, a dark aura growing her. "What did you say about me Yasuhiro?" She asked politely, the dark aura growing bigger with every word.

Hiro yelped and moved his hands in front of him to defend himself. "Nothing! Nothing at all!"

"That's what I thought." The dark aura then disappeared, making Hiro sighed in relief. That's was a close one.

"I look forward to getting to know you better." Celestia stated, giggling at the end.

'That smile is beyond deceptive.'  Makoto thought cautiously.  'I'd better watch myself around her….'

"That's smart of you Makoto." Byakuya stated with a nod. "Celeste is definitely someone you would need to watch your words with." Even he had to admit that Celeste is someone to keep a close eye on.

"Aw, don't worry. I don't plan on humiliating him." Celeste stated. "I have no need to, especially since he's my knight."

Makoto blushed a little at how that sounded while Hina, Kyoko, Mukuro, and Sayaka sent Celeste annoyed glares. The gambler merely smiled at them.

"Hmm, so it looks like all the introductions are done." Chihiro observed.

"So that's mean we'll be going back to the main part of the story!" Hifumi declared.

"And hopefully get some answers." Byakuya finished.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 6: Watching the Prologue: Welcome to Despair Part 5

With that, all the introductions are done. 'Hmm,' Makoto thought to himself. 'Even though they're all ultimate, they each have their own individual sorts of….something.'

"Who doesn't at Hope's Peak?" Leon asked as he turned to Makoto. "The only one who doesn't seem to have that different sort of something is you."

Makoto chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah. I guess that's the abnormal for Hope's Peak."

"But it's not a bad different." Sayaka chimed in. "Our class needed somebody normal." Several nodded in agreement to her words.

Byakuya then spoke up. "Okay, time to get to business." He declared. "This is no time to stand around making friends like a bunch of dull eyed baboons."

Hina huffed. "Couldn't you say thing nicer for a change?"

"This is Byakuya we're talking about, remember?" Leon asked rhetorically. "Nice is a foreign concept to him."

Hina giggled. "Okay, that's true."

Byakuya chose not to respond. As if he should be nice to his simpletons of classmates.

"Oh, that's right." Makoto then directed his next question to everyone. "I think someone said something about a bigger problem or something? What was that about?"

"Well, you see," Sayaka began the explanation. "Makoto, you said a bunch of stuff happened and then you were 'just asleep, right? Well….the same is true for all of us."

Makoto's eyes widened in shock. "What? Seriously?!"

"Just after each of us got to the main hall, we lost consciousness. And when came to, we were somewhere here in the school! That's what happened to you, right?" Leon continued.

"So here's concrete proof of my theory of entering Hope's Peak being the stopping point." Kyoko stated.

Byakuya nodded. "While we didn't need it, it's nice to confirm that your hypothesis is correct."

"Which also means that your hypothesis about there being a kidnapper around is most likely correct as well." Makoto said. "But if this a kidnapping, is this really Hope's Peak?"

That got eyes on him again. "What do you mean? Why wouldn't this be Hope's Peak?" Hiro asked in confusion.

Before he could answer, Kyoko spoke up. "I think it would be better to see for ourselves what he meant." Kyoko said. "If we keep talking right now, we won't be able to finish."

"B-But that's just….weird! That every one of us would get knocked out like that." Makoto cried, feeling of mixture of shock and confusion.

"Exactly!" Mondo yelled out. "That's why we're all freakin' out!"

"And that's not the only thing." Taka spoke up. "You saw where all the windows in the classes and hallways were, right? But instead of normal glass windows, it was a bunch of big metal plates! What's that about?!"

Junko then spoke. "Plus, all my stuff is missing! Even my cellphone."

"Yeah, you're right." Chihiro said. "I haven't seen my PDA anywhere, either."

"So we don't have our stuff either?" Leon questioned.

"Of course, it would be bad for the one doing this if one of us called for help with our phones." Celestia stated. "It makes sense to take our phones and other electronics."

"And then there's the main hall here." Taka stated nervously. "The front exit is completely blocked by some giant metal hatch. But there wasn't anything like that when I first got here! What the heck?! What's it doing here?!"

"Metal plates on the windows, a metal hatch in the front exit," Byakuya listed off. "Plus, there's the change of wallpaper in the hallway. I don't remember these things in the original old school building, do any of you do?"

Everyone shook their head. "Is that what you meant Makoto, when you asked if that is actually Hope's Peak?" Chihiro asked the luckster. Said luckster nodded.

"Yeah. Plus, if this is actually Hope's Peak, what happened to the school?" Makoto asked. "And why isn't there any policemen to break us out?"

"There are so many questions, and we don't have enough details to give a concrete answer." Kyoko mused. "We could say that the kidnapper, or kidnappers, took us to a different place, but there are a lot of similarities to the old school building that we can't ignore." Plus, if they were taken to a different area, it doesn't explain why they….they killed her father.

She mentally growled to herself. Why is that difficult to even think about?

"So for now, we should continue watching." Celestia stated. Everyone silently agreed and turned back to the screen.

"Maybe we got caught up in some kinda, like, you know….some kind of crime or something?" Junko suggested nervously.

"What, like….a kidnapping?" Leon questioned, just as nervous. "You think maybe someone grabbed us and hauled us off and we're not actually in school?"

"Okay, can you stop pointing out kidnapping as a possibility? I'm getting kinda nervous." Leon stated, as nervous as his future self.

"How do you think we're feelin'?" Mondo grumbled.

"Come on, don't think like that. Cheer up!" Hiro stated. "I bet this is all just part of the school's orientation procedure." Hiro then started to sound more confident. "Yeah, I'm sure that's it! So I'm just gonna take it easy for a little bit."

"Yeah, now that you mention it," Hiro mused. "Maybe this is a prank from the school!"

That received many incredulous from the group. "How the hell is this a prank?" Byakuya questioned in disbelief. "Why would the school staff agree to do this for fun?"

"Well, the headmaster does have a sense of humor." Hiro explained optimistically. "It just went out of hand a bit."

"I doubt my father would do something like this." Kyoko stated firmly. "Nor would the school staff."

"Oh," Chihiro said with a bit of relief. "So you think they wanted to do something to surprise us?"

"Huh. Well if that's all it is, it's nap time for me." Leon said, relaxing. "I was up way too late last night, so I could use a little shuteye."

Mukuro shook her head. "That's just wishful thinking there." Mukuro said. "Sooner or later, that's going to come back and bite you."

"To be fair Mukuro, not many would want to go to the worst possible conclusion." Makoto defended their future selves. "It's better to think positive rather than negative."

"I could feel the tension evaporating at that time," The narrator Makoto spoke up as several of the students started relaxing. "But then….it began."

The monitor in the room suddenly turned on, revealing static. But soon, something through that static formed. A silhouette. "Ahem! Ahem, testing! Mike check, one two! This is a test of the school broadcast system!" The image spoke up. "Am I on? Can everyone hear me? Okay, well then….!"

"Ahh, to all incoming students!" The image continued. "I would like to begin the entrance ceremony at…..right now! Please make your way to the gymnasium at your earliest convenience. That's all. I'll be waiting!" With that, the broadcast ended.

Makoto felt a bit pale when he heard the broadcast. That voice, so carefree and cheerful….that it made him feel both nervous and scared. Hina, Sayaka, Toko, Hifumi, and Chihiro felt the same way as well.

"What. The. Hell?" Junko stated, sounding creeped out and fearful. Though really, she's just acting for the others. "What was that?"

"I-It definitely wasn't o-one of the t-teachers." Toko stated, more nervous than usual. "N-Nor wasn't t-the usual p-person doing broadcasts."

"This situation keeps getting stranger!" Hifumi stated in fear.

"Maybe they hired someone else to do this." Hiro stated optimistically. "Just to keep the prank up."

"I don't think that's it." Celestia stated calmly. Though while she's calm on the outside, she's a bit nervous in the inside. "This is the work of the mastermind behind this."

Meanwhile, Kyoko is thinking about what they've seen so far. Several questions are in her head right now. Are they at Hope's Peak? Who's pulling the strings? Are they the only ones in the building? If so, why only them out of everyone in Hope's Peak?

So many questions, and not enough information to make a good conclusion.

First, there was silence after that broadcast. Then Junko spoke up, sounding scared and creeped out. "What. The Hell was that just now?"

No one answered her question. Instead, Byakuya went to the direction of the gym. "Well then, if you excuse me…."

"H-Hey!" Junko called out in shock. "What, you're gonna take off just like that?"

"I agree with Mukuro, you really just going to follow that thing's orders?" Hina questioned in shock.

The Togami heir shrugged. "It's not like we really have any other choice." He stated. "Besides, wouldn't it be better to know our situation?"

"I….guess that's true." Hina admitted.

"Ohh yeah, now I get it!" Hiro stated to himself. "This whole thing was just to get us all pumped for the entrance ceremony!" He then laughed happily. "Man, thank god it was all a joke. I'd be totally freaked if this was real!"

That was met with several facepalms or sighs of exasperation. "S-Stupid u-urchin." Toko stuttered out.

"Hey, leave my hairdo out of this!" Hiro exclaimed, holding his hair. "It's stylish!"

"I-It makes you look like a sea urchin with all that over your head." The writer shot back.

"Alright, I guess I'll head, too. Wonder what they got planned for us next…." With that, Hiro started leaving.

"Damn, I was totally looking forward to that nap, too." Leon groaned. "Why'd they go and kill the mood?" Leon then went to the direction of the gym.

"W-Wait for me!" Chihiro cried out, running to them. "I wanna go with you!" With that, the programmer left.

"That is it, then." Celeste stated, smiling. "I'll see you all there." The gambler then walked off with the others.

"N-Not that anyone cares, but I-I'm gonna go, too…." Toko stated, going to the gym as well.

Hina also took off to the gym as well, leaving the rest at the main hall. Makoto stood in place, the uneasiness swelling up inside him and not willing to go away.

"This….this doesn't seem right." Sayaka said nervously.

"Yeah, that announcement was totally weird." Junko agreed.

Sayaka subconsciously clutched Makoto's arm. "I'm also having a bad feeling about this." Sayaka said.

"Yeah, the creepy vibe is really getting bad." Hina stated in nervousness. Sakura, in response, put a hand on the swimmer's arm, silently reassuring her.

"While the video was creepy, we must continue to watch and find out more." Taka stated. "Besides, our others will eventually have to go anyway."

"He's right. Staying at the main hall won't mean we're safe." Kyoko declared, getting out of her thoughts for a bit. "The only thing our future selves can do is go and find out more about the situation."

No one could argue with that, so they all tried to get themselves to calm down. After pushing down her nervousness, Celeste noticed Sayaka clutching onto Makoto's. "And how long are the two of you gonna stay at that position?" Celeste remarked.

The two of them blinked before noticing that Sayaka is clutching onto Makoto's arm. Immediately, the two separated, blushing madly. Some in the group laughed, with Leon giving his friend a teasing grin, while Mukuro and Kyoko gave Sayaka hidden glares. Celeste smiled at them, though that smile held a certain amount of darkness towards Sayaka.

Hina merely pouted. She wished she was sitting near Makoto right now.

"Maybe, but just staying put doesn't mean we'll be safe." Kyoko stated matter-of-factly. "Besides, aren't you guys a little curious to find out what's going on around here?"

"If we don't move forward, we learn nothing. The only choice is to push ahead." Sakura said.

Hina smiled. "You and Kyoko always have wise words for when we need them Sakura."

The martial artist merely shrugged. "I just say what I think is needed to be said. That's all."

"Same here." Kyoko agreed.

'She's right, I guess.' Makoto thought. 'But still….I'm kinda - no. Really nervous. We don't have a choice though. We have to go.' Makoto then spoke up. "They said to go to the gym, right?"

Kyoko nodded. With that, the remaining eight went to the direction of the gym. It didn't take them long to get there, and they all entered the trophy room, which was before the gym.

Kyoko quickly analyzed the room in the screen. "The trophy room is exactly the same." Kyoko stated, after getting a good look. "There are even trophies that you couldn't replicate."

"So we really are in Hope's Peak?" Leon asked in shock. The others are just as shocked. "But that doesn't make any sense! How are they able to seal the old school building and get us in here? I doubt anyone would be ignoring something like that!"

"The ones pulling the string must be some type of group or organization to do this." Byakuya said. "A powerful one at that."

'Nope! Just two sisters with a lot of despair to give out!' Junko mentally cheered.

"God, I had no idea this Hope's Peak Academy place was gonna be such a pain in my balls." Mondo groaned. "It really ain't that different from the time I spent in juvie. Hell, this place is even worse!"

"Isn't your future self a bit overreacting bro?" Taka asked him.

Mondo grunted. "Only a couple of people in the building, windows and doors sealed shut, a dark aura around the place, and fucking guns at the front of the door." The gang leader listed off. "No, I don't think my future self is overreacting about feeling like juvie, maybe even worse."

"At least we aren't in prison uniforms or in chains." Makoto said optimistically.

"And why isn't there anyone here?" Sayaka questioned. "Walking through the halls, I don't see a single person…."

"Not a single person?" Sayaka repeated her future self. "But why isn't any of the other Hope's Peak students or classes chosen?"

"Does someone have a grudge on us that we didn't know about?" Mondo asked.

Hiro, however, thought differently. "Maybe the rest of the student body are in on the prank, and watching us!" He received more than a few face palms for that suggestion.

"Ignoring the idiot," Byakuya said in slight annoyance. "The situation is definitely strange."

"Isn't that like, seriously not good?" Junko questioned in nervousness.

"Th-They're just trying to spook us! They'll take those metal plates down later, I'm sure of it…." Taka said, trying to sound reassuring. But in reality, he wasn't so sure of himself either.

"All we can do now is hope for the best and prepare for the worst." Sakura stated. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

"Well hell, it ain't like I'm scared or nothin. Let's just get this over with!" Mondo said.

Celestia rolled her eyes. "Sure, keep telling yourself that you aren't the least bit scared." Celestia commented. "It might just work if you do it enough."

"Shut up." Mondo grumbled.

Then he started yelling angrily. "Hey! Where's whoever called us here?!" He started running into the gym.

"Must you run in there Mondo?" Taka griped. He could've just walked!

"Mondo stop, no running!" Taka exclaimed, running towards the biker.

"L-Like you're o-one t-to talk." Toko said to Taka. The moral compass looked sheepish at this.

"Well, I was trying to stop him." Taka weakly defended himself.

Sakura then followed them. "I too, shall go." She walked calmly into the gym.

"H-Hey wait! Don't leave me here all alone!" Hifumi cried out, quickly going with them.

Makoto, Kyoko, Sayaka, and Junko looked at each before they all entered into the gym, despite the uneasy dread they're feeling. When they entered, Makoto was surprised to see that it looked like a completely regular looking entrance ceremony.

"Oh. It really does look like an entrance ceremony…." Makoto said in surprise.

"This is making it even more creepy." Junko said 'nervously'. "This looks exactly like the entrance ceremony we had."

"Our future selves don't know that, however." Sakura pointed out. "Still, this is a bit bizarre, no matter how we look at it."

"A bit bizarre is an understatement." Leon groaned.

"See? Told ya!" Hiro boasted. "It's a totally normal entrance ceremony."

'He's right.'  Makoto thought.  'But in a way, that just emphasized how completely NOT normal this situation is.'

Then a cheerful voice broke through. "Hey there, howdy, hello! Is everyone here? Good! Then let's get things rolling!" As soon as that statement was finished, the scene changed.

Everyone tensed up. Are they going to see who's the mastermind behind all of this?

The camera lowered down from the ceiling to behind the group of Ultimates. When the camera was right behind the students, it zoomed in to the podium on the stage and suddenly, a bear hopped onto it.

Several eyes widened at the sight of the bear. "What the hell?!" Leon exclaimed in shock. "That's the same damn bear from the beginning! The one that killed the headmaster!"

"But why is it here?" Chihiro asked. "Is it involved with what's happening?"

Byakuya sighed. "The one who killed the headmaster and the one who kidnapped us are one of the same." Byakuya said. "Of course, that should've been obvious to us. The mastermind is most likely using that bear to talk to the students, so we won't know who did this."

"But why do they need to conceal their identity?" Junko asked, playing the part of ignorance.

"Most likely to make sure we don't know who's behind it, in case their plan goes wrong." Kyoko suggested. "Or it's to keep themselves protected. After all, we have several people in there that are capable of fighting."

Chihiro was the first to speak. "Huh? A….teddy bear?"

To the group's surprise, the bear spoke back. "I'm not a teddy bear!" It told them. "I….am….Monokuma! And I'm this school's headmaster! Nice to meet you all!"

That proclamation shocked everyone. "Wait, is that bear proclaiming that it's the headmaster?" Hina questioned in shock. "What the heck?"

"And it can talk?!" Hifumi cried out in shock and terror.

Byakuya sighed. "Yes, it can't talk, but more importantly, we can see the reason why the headmaster was killed." Byakuya said to everyone. "It's to take control of the school."

Everyone recoiled at his statement. "The fuck? Why does it want to take control?" Mondo asked in confusion. "And does this mean they killed the entire school staff as well?"

"We don't have any proof of that, but it seems likely." Kyoko said in musing.

"Are you sure that the principal is actually dead?" Hiro asked. "Maybe that's just part of the prank."

Everyone ignored Hiro. None of them felt like explaining to him how that would be impossible. "So, instead of just getting answers, we end up getting more questions as well." Celestia sighed. "This is very troubling."

"T-This is just the beginning." Toko said, keeping in her stuttering a little. "A m-mystery at that, from the l-looks of it. A good mystery never reveals all it's cards in the beginning."

"Could you not treat this as some type of show please?" Leon groaned. "We're watching our reality here!"

Makoto, ever the optimist, spoke up. "Well, there is one thing we'll find out soon." Makoto stated to everyone. "If the mastermind set up something so they can communicate to us, then they must want to tell us at least part of our situation."

Several of the students thought on Makoto's words. While some were not sure that they'll get all the answers from that bear, they'll at least get a few parts. Knowing that, their spirits had temporarily recovered, earning a few smiles. They'll be able to learn of their future situation better, about why they were trapped in the old school building of Hope's Peak.

Although, their smiles will soon be wiped off their faces once they find out the reason.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 7: Watching the Prologue: Welcome to Despair Part 6

"Wh-? Waaaaaah! That teddy bear can talk!" Hifumi cried out in shock.

"Calm down." Taka said, though, he's just as surprised. "I'm sure there's just a speaker inside it."

The bear, now known as Monokuma, spoke up angrily. "I told you already, I'm not a teddy bear!" He then jump off the desk and stared directly at them. "I'm Monokuma! And I'm your headmaster!"

"Waaaaah! It moved!" Hifumi cried out.

"Are you going to react to every little thing dude?" Leon asked in annoyance. "Your future self need to calm down!"

"This is all so surprising!" Hifumi defended himself. "Of course I would react like that!"

"Seriously man, calm down!" Mondo exclaimed. "It's probably just a remote control toy or somethin'."

That depressed Monokuma. "How dare you compare me to a child's plaything! You've cut me deep. Deeper than Mariana's Trench." He quickly got out of his depression. "My remote control system is so complex, even the folks at NASA can't recreate or even comprehend it!"

"Really?" Chihiro's curiosity spiked at the information given to them. "Is his control really that advanced than those of NASA? It's a bold claim to be made."

"I doubt we would be able to see the controls any time soon, so it will remain a mystery for right now." Byakuya said.

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

"Bear that? Really?" Leon groaned. "He had to make a pun?"

"A very bad one at that." Celestia stated.

"'Bear' that? Really?" Celestia questioned. "You are….unfortunate."

"Now then, moving on! We really must hurry and get started." Monokuma continued, not making anymore bear puns.

Junko commented on that. "Giving up already? No other stupid bear puns?" She questioned.

"Quiet down now, quiet down." The bear said, ignoring Junko. "Ah, okay so….!"

"He has abandon the gag." Sakura deadpanned.

"S-Seriously? A-At least stick t-to s-something for a while, b-before abandoning it." Toko said in annoyance. "I-I hate it, w-when p-people do that."

"On the bright side, we won't be hearing anymore bear puns." Leon countered. "That would've been even more annoying."

"Everyone, stand at attention and bow! And….good morning!" Monokuma stated.

Doing exactly as Monokuma said, Taka responded back. "Good morning!"

Everyone gave Taka a weird look. "Should've expected him to do something like that." Celestia commented. "Even in the situation our future selves are in."

"It's important to respect our authority figures!" Taka stated firmly.

Mondo rubbed his forehead. "Bro, that bear probably kidnapped us. I don't think that's an authority figure we should respect."

The Moral Compass had no rebuttal against that.

"Y-You don't have to s-say it back…." Toko told Taka in annoyance.

"Now then," Monokuma spoke up once again. "Let us commence with a most noteworthy and memorable entrance ceremony! First, let's talk a bit about what your school here will be like."

"Why am I getting a bad feeling about this?" Makoto asked randomly as nervousness slowly started creeping into him.

"I think we're about to see." Was Kyoko's response to that question.

"Now, ah, make no mistake - you few students, so full of potential, represent the hope of the world." Monokuma began explaining. "And to protect such splendid hope…."

That's when he dropped the bomb. "You will all live a communal life together solely within the confines of this school. Everyone will in harmony here, and adhere to the rules and regulations of the school!"

Silence. That was the response to Monokuma's statement. "What….?" Chihiro spoke, completely stunned.

"What the hell does he mean by that?" Mondo asked, confusion written all over his face.

"If it is what some of us think it is….this will be most troubling." Celestia stated.

'...Huh?' Was Makoto's thought process with what Monokuma stated.

"Ah, now then….regarding the end date for this communal life….." Another bomb then got dropped. "There isn't one! In other words, you'll all be here until the day you die! Such is the school life you've been assigned."

That broke everyone out of their stupor. "U-Until the d-day we die?" Toko questioned. "H-He t-turned Hope's Peak….?"

"...Into a prison?" Taka finished off, shock and horror written all over his face.

"That's their plan?" Byakuya questioned. "Just to keep us confined in the school?" He then shook his head. "No. I doubt that's the entirety of their plan."

"If that was it, then there's no reason to wipe away our memories." Kyoko agreed with the heir. "Unless it's to make Hope's Peak seem more dangerous. And there's a very small possibility there."

"Wh-What did he just say? Until the day we d-die?" Toko stuttered out in shock.

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

"That's the least of our worries right now!" Sayaka exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Sayaka agreed with her future selves. "No one would be thinking about common conveniences in that situation!"

"That is quite correct." Celestia agreed with the pop sensation. Her next sentence doesn't, however. "We would think about it after however, if we were to stay there for a while."

It was Celeste's turn to receive a round of weird looks from everyone. "...That's Celeste for you." Makoto sighed.

"Yeah, what the hell?" Junko cut in angrily. "You're saying I have to live here forever? You're screwing with us, right?"

"No, I am not screwing with you!" Monokuma denied. "I am no liar, of that you can be 100% sure. Ah, and just for your information….you're completely cut off from the outside world. So you don't have to worry about that dirty dirty land beyond these walls ever again!"

"C-Cut off?!" Sayaka exclaimed, horrified at the thought of it. Cut off from her family, her friends….her dreams? "No! No, that can't be true!"

Makoto gritted his teeth. He can see that this part is affecting Sayaka a lot, and he doesn't want to make it worse, but he can't let her go towards the denial. "But there's proof of that." Makoto said reluctantly. "The metal plates on the windows, and the metal hatch in front of the main entrance. I bet that's used to keep us in."

"That would be the most accurate conclusion." Byakuya said in agreement. "It may also be used to keep others out."

That hit Sayaka hard. The thought of losing her family, friends, and her dreams, especially her dreams….just the thought of it made her scared. Made her shiver in fear.

Makoto, knowing how's Sayaka is currently feeling right, instinctively grabbed her hand. She clutched it tightly in response, holding onto Makoto like he's an anchor.

"Cut off?" Makoto repeated. He then remembered the metal plates on the windows. "So all those metal plates all over the school is there to keep us trapped in here?"

Monokuma nodded. "That's exactly what they're there for." He confirmed. "No matter how much you may yell and scream for help….help will never come. So with all that in mind, feel free to live out your life here with reckless abandon!"

"He's acting like we're okay with this!" Leon exclaimed. "But we're not! We're seriously not!"

"If this is some kind of sick joke it ain't funny! Not at all!" Mondo growled.

"Come on, what the hell is this?" Leon questioned, his face pale. "I don't care if the school or whoever else is behind it all, this is just a really bad joke."

"Yeah! Cut this shit out!" Mondo growled. "It isn't funny anymore!"

"If only it was a joke." Byakuya sighed. "I doubt anyone would go as far as to take our memories away just to make a joke."

"Relax. I'm sure they'll give us back our memories back once the prank is over." Hiro said, very laidback at this. Again, everyone ignored him, despite some wanting to punch him.

"You keep saying this is a lie, or a joke. A bunch of skeptics, all of you." Monokuma said in slight annoyance. "But I guess it can't be helped, huh? You all grew up in an age where you're taught to doubt your neighbor."

"Well, you'll have plenty of time to find out whether or not what I say is true." Monokuma continued. "And when that time come, you'll see with your own eyeballs that I speak the undeniable truth."

"Having to live here forever would be….quite the problem." Celestia stated, looking down.

"I think it would be way more than 'quite the problem'." Mukuro said. "Way more."

"Come now. What's the matter with all of you?" Monokuma questioned. "You all decided of your own free will to attend Hope's Peak Academy, didn't you? And now, before the entrance ceremony is even finished, you've already decided you want to leave?"

"Damn right we do!" Mondo roared. "We signed up to join a school, not a prison!"

"None of us signed up for memory loss or to live at Hope's Peak forever!" Taka agreed with his best friend.

"How would they be able to do that anyway?" Chihiro pondered. "Hope's Peak isn't exactly an unknown place, and people would want us to be rescued, along with the mastermind captured."

"Well, unless they have very big guns." Junko said out loud in 'wonder'. "That would probably keep more than a few away from Hope's Peak."

Makoto grew a bit pale at the thought. "Let's not think about that possibility please." Makoto suggested weakly. He'd rather not think about the possibility of people dying just to try and rescue them.

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

That got everyone's full attention.

"R-Really?"

"It's not fucking with us?"

"Is there a way for him to let us go?"

While the others are beginning to feel relieved to hear a way for their future selves to get out, Makoto, Kyoko, Byakuya, Mukuro, and Junko didn't believe it. The first three because they have their suspicion on that 'one way'. The last two because they know what the way out really is.

"R-Really?" Toko asked.

The bear than made a 'check me out' pose. "As headmaster, I've crafted a special clause for those of you who would like to leave! I call it….the Graduation Clause!"

"Now, let me tell you about this fun little rule." Monokuma started to explain. "As I mentioned, in order to maintain an environment of harmony here, we rely on a communal lifestyle. And if someone were to disrupt that harmony, they and they alone would be allowed to leave the school. That, my students, is the Graduation Clause!"

Their relief was soon gone, and was replaced with slight apprehension, when they heard the 'disrupt the harmony' part. "Disrupt the harmony?" Sayaka repeated nervously. "What does he mean by that?"

"Something tells me that this Graduation Clause isn't as innocent as it sounds." Kyoko said with narrowed eyes.

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

The bear covered it's mouth, letting out evil giggles. "Well, you know," He then dropped the biggest and final bomb. "If one person were to murder one another."

Nearly the everyone felt their blood run cold at this. Eyes got wide, faces were pale, and jaws were hanging left and right. Even Byakuya felt a chill down his spine at Monokuma's Graduation Clause.

"M-Murder!?" Makoto spoke out in horror.

"He expects us to kill each other?" Hina cried out, covering her mouth. Her face is white as a sheet.

"Are you kidding me?" Leon rhetorically asked, pale as well. "He's gotta be joking, right?"

"This is far from a joke." Sakura said gravely.

"So that's what the Graduation Clause is." Kyoko stated, grimacing. "And that's its goal. It wants us to kill each other."

"But why?" Sayaka questioned in distress. "What would anyone gain from doing that?"

"What would a psychotic murderer gain from killing dozens of people?" Byakuya retorted. His voice was sounding grave. "Nothing but the thrill of killing. That's most likely the mastermind's reason for doing, in theory at least. For fun."

"M-Murder!?" Makoto cried out in shock and horror.

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

More chills went down their spines. "D-Does he r-really e-expect us to k-kill?" Toko stuttered out.

"That fucker is crazy!" Mondo growled. "We wouldn't want to kill each other!"

Before anything thing else could be said, they suddenly heard Hiro chuckling. They all turned to the Ultimate Clairvoyant because of it. "Wow, this is a really good prank. It's scaring a lot of our future selves."

"You still think this a prank?!" Several screamed in disbelief. After what they're seeing, there's no way that any of them think this is some kind of prank. At least not to the extent Hiro is believing.

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

"This is crazy!" Leon exclaimed. "This damn bear is crazy! How did we end up in this situation?!"

"You think anyone here knows the answer to that question?" Junko retorted. On the outside, she's really just putting on the facade as being as shocked and horrified just like the others. But really, she's mentally laughing in glee at all the despair around the room.

Seeing all of them horrified and distressed at the fact that the only way Monokuma would let them out is to kill each other, it's bringing so much pleasure to Junko. So much that she hasn't even registered the consequences about this yet.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Leon exclaimed. "To kill each other is….It's….!"

"To kill each other is to kill each other!" Monokuma stated simply. "I'm sure there's a dictionary here somewhere if you need it."

"He's acting like we should have no problem comprehending what he's telling us." Mondo growled. "Like we would be okay killing each other!"

"But it's inhumane!" Makoto stated. "There's no way anyone here would agree to kill anybody."

'Not right now, at least!' Junko sang in her head. Once she gets her motives up and running, the killings will definitely begin!

"We know what it means, that's not the problem!" Hina retorted back at the bear. "Why do we have to kill each other?!"

"Yeah!" Hifumi shouted in agreement. "Stop blabbering on with all this nonsense! Just let us go home already!"

"You tell it future me!" Hifumi shouted in agreement with his future self.

The bear was silent for a moment. But then it spoke. "...Blabbering?" He repeated. Suddenly, the screen closed up onto the bear's face, it's robotic red eye glowing.

Several jumped at the close up. Hifumi cried out and leaped behind the couch in fear. "He's going to kill me!" He cried out in fear.

"R-Relax." Taka said, calming down his heartbeat. "I don't think Monokuma is going to kill you for this."

"Y-Yeah. I-It's too soon for a-a d-death to happen." Toko stated. Then she muttered to herself. "Although I wouldn't mind if you were killed off in the beginning."

"Again, can you not treat this like this is a story?" Leon groaned.

"Blabbering, blabbering, what do you mean by blabbering?! Stop blabbering on about blabbering on!" Monokuma stated angrily. The scene then moved away from Monokuma's face, though you can still see that it's angry.

"You guys just don't get it, do you?" Monokuma rhetorically asked. "'Let us go, let us go!' You keep on saying the same thing over and over and over and over! Let me say this to you clearly. From this moment on, this school is you home, your life, your world. Got it?"

"And you can kill as much as you want to kill!" The bear said more eagerly. "So go ahead, go on a kill-kill-killing spree!"

Many felt disturbed at the last part, this bear was clearly sadistic. Byakuya clenched his teeth in anger. "The mastermind is going to rue the day he messed with the Togami family!" He declared in anger.

"He's going to regret messing with the lot of us!" Mondo corrected, cracking his knuckles. "Once we find out who's this mastermind, I'm going to crack open his skull!"

"But what if the person is a girl?" Chihiro asked. Mondo faltered at that.

"...I'm sure others are going to deal with that." Mondo answered, looking away.

Several looked disturbed at what the bear is saying. Some like Chihiro are close to tears. Hiro, however, doesn't seem fazed at all. "Alright, come on….How long are you gonna keep this up?" Hiro asked Monokuma.

"Eh?" Was the response from the bear.

"You got us, okay? You scared the hell out of us." Hiro said to it. "So you can go ahead and reveal the trick now."

"Reveal the trick?" Monokuma repeated in confusion.

"Yeah, cuz I mean….Y'know, this is all some kinda trick and all, right?" Hiro questioned. "So uh, like…."

Everyone facepalmed or made a face of annoyance or disbelief at Hiro's idiocy. Possibly a mixture of both emotions for some.

Hiro, however, laughed. "Man, they're doing really good, playing the bad guy." He commented. "Everyone is believing the entire thing."

Celeste decide to speak up. "Hiro?"

"Yes?" Hiro responded back. When he turned towards her, he saw a dark aura surrounding her, with a sweet smile plastered on her face.

"Shut. Up."

Hiro gulped. "G-Got it!"

Several sighed in relief at that. They couldn't stand more of Hiro's stupidity. Mondo himself was close to knocking out the idiot.

"Dude, shut the hell up and move out the way." Mondo stated in annoyance. He shoved Hiro away and marched towards Monokuma, standing in front of the bear. When he spoke, his voice began to shake like thunder. "Listen up, asshole! This shit's gone too far! What the hell kinda joke IS this?!"

"Why do you guys keep saying this is a joke?" Junko asked randomly. "It's not as bad as what Hiro is doing or anything, but we should've known by now that this isn't a joke."

"It's human nature to not fully believe the worst possibility at first." Makoto sighed. Though he had to admit, there's a line between disbelief, denial, and just plain stupidity. Hiro is in the line of plain stupidity.

"Joke? What, you mean like your hair?" Monokuma casually insulted the biker.

"What the fuck did it just say?!" Mondo roared, standing up. "I don't care if that thing is robotic or stuffed, when I get my hands on it, I'll rip it to shred!"

Immediately, Taka and Chihiro grabbed onto Mondo's shoulder. "Mondo, calm down!" Taka stated firmly. "Control your anger!"

"Please take some deep breaths." Chihiro pleaded quietly. Mondo growled before doing what Chihiro say and taking some deep breaths. Slowly, he sat back down.

A few sighed in relief. That's one violent reaction thwarted.

That set the biker off. "FUUUUUUUU-" With a sudden boom, Mondo launched himself off from where he was standing and went straight towards Monokuma. Locking onto his target, he landed and grabbed the bear, lifting it up.

"Gotcha, you little piece of shit!" Mondo stated angrily. "I dunno if you're a toy or a stuffed animal or whatever the hell! Either way, I'm gonna rip you to fuckin shreds!"

The scene caused some of them to cheer, wanting to see Mondo rip Monokuma to shreds. "Make it suffer Mondo!" Hina whooped. Sakura shook her head at her friend, though she didn't blame her acting this way.

"Gladly!" Mondo exclaimed happily, despite not being the one to do it.

"Waah!" Monokuma yelped in surprise, flailing his arms. "Violence against the headmaster is in violation of the school regulations!"

"You think we would follow the rules when you're trying to get us to kill each other?" Leon questioned rhetorically. "Yeah right. Fat chance of that happening."

"The mastermind did a smart move however, communicating with us through Monokuma." Byakuya sighed.

Makoto nodded in agreement. "Otherwise, Mondo or Sakura would've subdued them by now."

"Damn right I fucking would've!"

"I would not let our kidnapper escape, that is certain."

"Shut the fuck up!" Mondo shouted back. "Let me outta here, or I swear to Christ…."

Monokuma then went limp, suddenly starting to beep. "What, no smartass comeback this time?!" Mondo grinned. The beeping continued, going faster, annoying and angering Mondo further. "Stop that goddamn beeping and SAY SOMETHING!"

Many were wondering what that beeping noise is. A second later, Kyoko and Mukuro shared a moment of realization. "It's a bomb!"

"Wait, what?" Was the response from the group to Mukuro's statement.

"A bomb!" Kyoko repeated what Mukuro said urgently, causing several eyes to widen. Especially Mondo's. "He needs to get rid of it!"

Kyoko's eyes widened in realization. "Watch out! Get rid of it!"

"Huh….?" Was Mondo's response as the beeping got faster.

"Hurry up and throw it!"

Stunned by the fierceness in her words, Mondo silently did as he was told and threw it. And as soon as he did…..

*BOOM*

Monokuma exploded.

That shook everyone up even further. Despite Mukuro's and Kyoko's warning, they couldn't help but feel shocked at what had transpired. "That son of a bitch!" Mondo breathed out in shock. "It really tried to kill me!"

"Bro almost got blown up!" Taka exclaimed, feeling his heart rate go up. "That was too close!"

"Thank god that Kyoko warned him." Makoto said in relief.

Everyone's eyes widened in shock. "The hell?!" Mondo exclaimed in shock. "Th-That sure as shit wasn't a joke. It blew the hell up!"

"Now our future selves know for sure that this isn't a joke." Celeste stated.

"No, not at joke! This has gone far from the line of joking!" declared Hifumi, who got back on the couch some time ago and now biting his fingernails in fear.

"But you know," Chihiro spoke up. "This means that the teddy bear's been destroyed, right?"

Several of the students immediately latched onto that. "She's right." Sayaka said, in a bit of relief. "Which means we might not have to worry about it anymore."

"And we can find a way out without any interruptions!" Leon grinned.

Byakuya (Along with a few others), however, did not believe that that was the end of Monokuma. He sighed. "Idiots. Do you really think that the bear's self destruction would just be the end of it?"

That hope was soon knocked down when they heard a very familiar voice. "I told you, I'm not a teddy bear! I'm Monokuma!"

And soon enough, another Monokuma bear appeared.

That wiped the grin off of Leon's face. "There's a spare?!"

"There's a spare." Junko groaned. The relief on Sayaka's was also wiped away quickly, and she clutched Makoto's hand even tighter.

"What did I tell you?" Byakuya sighed. "I knew this wouldn't be the end of it."

Leon immediately turned pale. "Uwah! There's another one?"

"You son of a bitch!" Mondo growled, looking very blue right now. "You seriously tried to kill me just now!"

"Well, yes. I was serious about trying to kill you." Monokuma stated, his red eye glowing angrily and his claws out. "You did violate one of the school regulations, after all."

"And that gives you the excuse to kill someone?!" Taka exclaimed. "That isn't how school regulations works at all!"

"Not to mention they were provoking us to attack." Chihiro said softly. "They should've known that we would've reacted badly to the whole situation."

"They did. And that why they set the trap there, as well as the school regulation." Byakuya stated. "I doubt those machines are cheap, so he needs to make sure the students don't end up destroying all of them."

"I'll let you off with a warning this time, but you'd better be careful from now on." Monokuma warned him. "Any naughty boy or girl who violates my rules won't get off with just a little swat on the butt."

"H-Hey," Junko spoke up hesitantly. "So does this mean there's like, a bunch more of you around somewhere?"

"Monokumas have been placed all throughout the school, yes." The bear confirmed. "Plus, don't forget about the surveillance cameras installed everywhere."

"So the mastermind will be spying on us everywhere around the school?" Makoto questioned.

"That means we can't try to find a way to escape, or plan, without the cameras watching." Mukuro sighed. "We would be on the mastermind's watch at all times."

"And if you're caught breaking any rules, well," Monokuma continued explaining. "You all just saw what happened, right?" He giggled evilly once more. "And I won't be so forgiving with my punishment next time. So don't let it happen again!"

"Th-That's not even punishment. That's just….wrong…." Hina stated, looking very disturbed.

"Agreed future me." The present Hina said, looking as disturbed as her future self.

"I think the term you're looking for is murder." Celeste stated with a straight face. "It would be murder."

"Now then, lastly," Monokuma changed the subject. "To commemorate your joyous entry into our school, I have a little something for you." He then brought up a stack of electronic handbooks from under the desk, and held one up. "This is our official student handbook! Pretty cool, huh?"

"Are those our handbooks?" Hifumi asked, trying to get his mind off the bad stuff for a bit.

"Maybe." Chihiro hummed, thinking about it. "It's extremely difficult to recreate those handbooks. You have to be a master in programming to achieve it."

"As you can see, it's fully digital." Monokuma explained. "So naturally, we call'd it….the e-Handbook!"

Silence was met with his statement. "Ahem. Yes, well, moving on," Monokuma said awkwardly. "This handbook is absolutely vital to a healthy school life, so don't lose it!

As he spoke, he started passing the handbooks to the students. "When you start it up, it will display your name. Always make sure you have the right one! Now, this is not your everyday notebook. It has so many more uses than that!"

"Also, it's completely waterproof." Monokuma continued, after finishing passing out the handbooks. "Splash it, wash it, drown it, it'll keep on ticking! And thanks to its space-age design, it can withstand an impact force of up to ten tons. Very resistant!"

"Yeah, those things don't crack easy that's for sure." Mondo agreed, though he sounds quiet. "Makes me wonder what the hell kind of stuff it's made of."

"It contains all of our school regulations, so make sure you review them thoroughly!" Monokuma told them. "You'll hear me say this a lot, but any violation of school regulations will not be tolerated. Rules restrict, yes, but they also protect. Society, for example, would be utter chaos without laws. The same thing applies here! Which is why it's crucial we have strict punishments in place for violators!"

"Is it seriously comparing society to this sick game he's playing?" Leon questioned, holding his head. "Is it seriously doing that?"

"Yes, it is Leon." Makoto confirmed, just as confused and disturbed.

"Okay, well…..that brings our entrance ceremony to a close!" Monokuma stated loudly. "Please enjoy your abundantly dreary school life! And….see ya!" With that, he disappeared, leaving the group of Ultimates into a state of shock.

At first, everyone was silent. Then, Taka spoke. "So guys," He began hesitantly. "How would you define what we just experienced?"

"How….? Why….?" Leon slowly spoke up. "I don't understand any of this…."

"Here's a few words." Junko stated. She started listing them off her finger. "Dreadful, hopeless, shocking, depressing-"

"Thank you Junko, we get it." Makoto interrupted, not wanting to hear more. He can tell that the rest of his friends were just as shocked and horrified as he was at what they've seen.

"We have to l-live here forever….? Or….k-kill?" Toko questioned, quickly panicking. "Wh-What….? What just happened?!"

"Everyone, we need to calm down." Kyoko stated calmly, but firmly. "First, let's just take a second to summarize everything we have just heard."

Makoto shook his head. "I don't know how you do it, but your ability to stay calm in situation like these is amazing." Makoto complimented.

Despite the situation they're watching, Kyoko felt herself blush again and turned away. "My family had always taught me to stay calm in any situation, so it's no big deal."

"Based on what Monokuma said, we essentially have two choices." She started. "Choice number one is that we stay here, living a 'communal life' together until the day we die. And the other choice is…."

Celeste then spoke up and continued for Kyoko. "If we want to get out of here alive, we have to kill someone. Right?"

"But….killing someone," Chihiro struggled to get out, close to tears. "That's…."

"Horrible." The present Chihiro finished, close to tears as well.

"We were abducted out of nowhere and stuffed into this place meant to look like a school." Hifumi stated fearfully. "And now we're supposed to start killing each other? This is," He then began to freak out. "This is….this is just….! What is this?!"

"A lie, is what it is." Taka said in denial. "All these ridiculous things we've heard, this has to be all fake!"

"The stuff we're hearing definitely sounds like something from a game or anime." Makoto muttered in agreement.

"But unfortunately, this is a possible future reality." Sakura said gravely.

"But it doesn't matter if it's real or not to our future selves." Byakuya stated. Before anyone could ask what he meant, he spoke once again. "Don't ask. I'm sure my other will say it."

Byakuya then spoke up. "Right now it doesn't really matter if it's real or fake. What matter is," He says this next question to everyone. "Is there anyone here who's seriously considering all this?"

To that, nobody had a response. Keeping quieting himself, Makoto turned to look at the others. Everyone was looking at one another, trying to gauge each other's reaction. The suspicion and hostility was clear.

"And that's when it hit me." The narrator Makoto spoke while the scene played out. "I realized the true terror hidden within the rules Monokuma had laid out. 'You must kill someone if you want to leave.' Those words had planted vicious thoughts deep within each of us. Each of us became suspicious of everyone else. We were forced to wonder," The scene then expanded to show everyone gathered looking at each other. "'Is somebody going to betray us?'"

"Wait, we're actually suspicious of each other?" Hina said in disbelief. "But we shouldn't be!"

"It's a natural response." Byakuya responded back calmly. "Keep in mind that our time with each other, our time at Hope's Peak, were wiped away. Because of that, we see each other as nothing but strangers."

"And because we don't know each other, we can't help but wonder if someone's going to betray us." Makoto said with a grimace.

"That must be one of the reasons, if not the only one, as to why the mastermind took away our memories." Kyoko mused. "So that the trust we had built with each other will be gone, and the chances of us killing increases."

Hina paled. "So….there's a chance that one of us might kill?"

"If the desire to get out doesn't inspire us to, the suspicion and hostility surrounding the area will cause one of us to do it." Mukuro said quietly. And if that doesn't work, Junko will probably use ways to motivate them, with her disguised future self making sure everything is going according to plan.

Makoto started shaking a little at the thought. He cared for each and every one of his friends. The thought of them killing each other is….

Makoto shook his head. He shouldn't doubt his friends. Despite their future selves' memory losses, he knew what kind of people they were. While he won't be blind to the suspicion and hostility, as well as the possibility of it happening, he won't lose faith in his friends.

The scene then went black. "And that was how my school life began." The narrator continued. "The school, that had come out of nowhere to raise my hopes high, is not a school of hope. It's…."

"...a school of despair."

That shook several of the students hard, scared of whatever possibilities the future had for them. They felt shocked at the possibility of this happening, anger at the mastermind behind all of this, and finally, fear at the possibility of one of them killing and/or one of them dying.

Junko was watching all of this, taking pleasure in their despair. She can taste it all, their horror and fear, about this. This is like ambrosia for her!

"Hey. Spirit," Hina spoke up weakly, turning to the host of the whole thing. "None of us are going be killed here, right? None of us are going to kill, right?" Spirit didn't answer the girl, scaring Hina further. "Right?!"

Instead, he pointed at the screen. "Just keep watching. You can find out the answer with this."

The TV suddenly started playing music, and a few seconds later, another scene started playing…

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 8: Break Chapter 0

"Was that….an opening?" Hifumi asked Spirit slowly. He, along with the others, are feeling various emotions about what they've seen.

After the prologue, music started playing and various scenes played out. A bullet piercing through the group, pictures of themselves, what looked like executions, and other bizarre scenarios.

The video lasted for a minute and thirty seconds, the usual time for most anime openings. "Yes, that was an opening." Spirit confirmed with a nod.

That got Mondo rising up from his seat and raising his fist at Spirit. "What the hell do you think this is, buddy? A stupid anime with us as the stars?"

Spirit shrugged, not minding the outburst. "I thought it would add a bit of flare to it." He said. "Besides, that opening has some importance to it."

"What would make a stupid opening so important?" Byakuya questioned with a raised eyebrow. "While I don't mind seeing myself on the throne, the rest was a waste of time."

Spirit crossed his arms. "I think some of you have reached a conclusion."

The host was proven correct when Kyoko spoke. "It's to show how serious our situation is, correct?" The detective deduced, staring at Spirit. "To make sure we know that all of us have some importance in this, and that our lives are going to be in danger. Am I right?"

Spirit nodded. "As expected from the Ultimate Detective."

"So," Hina spoke up, shaking a little. "Some of us are going to die? Going to be killed by each other?"

No one dared to answer her question. The information given to them, everything they've seen….it was all so overwhelming for them. Even Kyoko needed some time processing it all, though she didn't show it.

Makoto himself was frozen in shock, recalling the scene where his future self was briefly seen near the trash compactor. Does this mean that he's going to be killed in the future? Was that foreshadowing his death?

Hiro was wondering why everyone why everyone else was taking this so seriously. This is a prank, isn't it? No way all of this is real. And the opening was for them, to make sure they fall for it. Once the staff and anyone else watching get their laughs, they'll give their future selves their memories back. He's sure of it.

Mukuro is stunned. Despite knowing about the planned killing game and being a part of that plan, seeing Makoto about to be executed shocked her. She doubted that it was for killing someone, so he must have broken a rule or gotten on Junko's bad side.

She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, being careful not to show confliction on her face. She wished that she could get Makoto out of this, stop him from being involved. But unfortunately, Junko wants every one of her classmates to feel despair. And there's little chance of convincing her.

"I'll let you guys take a break." Spirit offered eventually. "So you can process everything." A few grateful nods were sent in his direction for his offer. "In the meantime, you can go to the game room during this. It's at the back."

"Wait, there's a game room?" Leon repeated, surprise enveloping the entire class.

Spirit nodded. "It has everything you need whenever you guys take breaks. A food court, if you're hungry. Games, mangas, and the latest magazines for entertainment. Bathrooms if you need to freshen up or anything else. And more."

That brought up the spirit of some of the students, and they started going to the game room. Leon, Sayaka, and Kyoko were about to follow everyone else when they noticed that Makoto has yet to move.

"Hey, Makoto?" Leon spoke up, looking at his friend in concern. "You okay man?" He poked at Makoto's shoulder, but received no response.

Sayaka instantly grew concerned, the others also stopping in their tracks to cast a look back towards Makoto. "Do you think it's because of that opening? Of….that part?"

"Most likely." Kyoko agreed, closing her eyes. She herself was trying to keep her mind off that fact as well. While she knew there's no avoiding the truth, she also knew not to take everything she saw in heart.

With that in mind, Kyoko went over and shook the boy, bringing him out of his stunned state. "Oh, Kyoko? What happened?"

"There's a game room near us." Kyoko said, hiding her concern for him. "We're all going to go have a look. Are you coming?"

Makoto blinked for a second before nodding. "Yeah, I am. Let's go." The boy slowly got up and walked to the game room, ignoring the worried stares of his friends.

Meanwhile, Junko is calming down from her despair high. While she still isn't showing her true feelings, she's mentally calming down so she can think rationally. And once she did, she realized something.

This could totally derail her entire plan. No doubt when one of them processed everything, they can see that they could use this to change the future. And if they somehow figure out she was the mastermind….her plans will be utterly destroyed.

(Game Room)

Once again, surprise was written over the entire class. But instead of pale and blue faces, they were ones of excitement and amazement.

Several food vendors for different kinds of food lined up one side of the room, arcade games and large TVs with other video games lined up the other. Stacks of books, magazines, and mangas circled a comfortable sitting area. It was definitely a place where they could relax.

"Damn. This place is awesome." Mondo said in awe.

"I think I wouldn't mind watching our future, if we can go here from time to time." Leon remarked as he looked around.

"This will give us some stress relief for what we would witness." Celeste agreed.

"Alright!" Taka spoke loudly. "Let our recreational time begin!" With some rolling their eyes, the group went to the food courts to get something to eat. It should be lunch by now, and they're hungry now.

Junko and Mukuro didn't go to the food court but instead, Junko led Mukuro to the bathroom. Meanwhile, after Makoto and Kyoko got their food, Kyoko led him to one of the empty tables to talk about the thing that was bothering her the most.

"So, what's bothering you Kyoko?" Makoto asked as they sat down. After seeing the game room, he momentarily forgot about the opening. "I've been noticing from time to time that you seem distressed. I especially noticed it when we saw you father get killed."

Kyoko looked away. "That's what's bothering me." She admitted. "I cut ties from my father. The only thing that made us family is our blood, nothing else. I don't have any kind of relationship with him. But," She closed her eyes, and Makoto could see the very slight bit of confliction on her face. "Whenever I think about that scene, seeing his skeleton….my heart tightens. It's difficult to even think about."

Makoto stayed silent, letting Kyoko continue. "And then there's what my father said to me before I went to class today." She brought in. "It was when I tried to inquire what the trip was about. When I was about to leave his office….he told me that he was sorry for leaving. That he regretted leaving after my mom died. And that he wanted a chance to reconnect, despite me saying that I would denounce any connection we had."

At first, the action had confused her, she wondered why he had said it. After seeing the beginning of 'Danganronpa', as the opening called it, she now understood the reason behind it. Spirit said that her father saw a brief glimpse, and his death must've been that brief glimpse.

Makoto continued to stay silent, waiting for anything else Kyoko had to say. When she didn't say anything else, he spoke. "Do you want my opinion or did you just let out your thoughts?"

Kyoko was silent for a moment speaking. "I would like your opinion." Kyoko admitted.

Makoto nodded. "Well, you say that you don't want anything to do with your father, right?" He asked. Kyoko nodded. "And sorry if I'm prying, but are you sure you're telling the truth?"

Kyoko was a bit surprised by his question. "Of course I am. I rarely ever lie to someone Makoto, you know that."

"I'm not asking if you're lying to me." He said calmly. "I'm asking if you're lying to yourself."

Kyoko's eyes widened at his response. "Lying to myself?" She repeated in disbelief. "But I have no reason to do that. We haven't seen in each other in years, so I shouldn't feel anything about him! Nothing but hate at the fact that his shadows followed my childhood!"

"Then let me ask you a few questions." Makoto suggested. "How did you feel when you saw him die on screen? How did you feel when the bear was laughing at his corpse? How do you feel at the thought of your father's possible death? And please, be honest, not just with me, but with yourself."

Kyoko was silent once again for a moment. She briefly thought about avoiding the question, but when she looked into Makoto's eyes, she saw the kindness and desire to help her. This caused her to search into how she felt. "I….I felt horrified. Felt my heart stricken at the site of my father's bones." Kyoko admitted, looking down. "When Monokuma laughed, I felt angry. Very angry. And the thought of him dying," Her hands clenched together as she spoke. "It hurts just thinking about that possibility."

Makoto smiled a little. He's glad Kyoko is being honest with herself. "If you didn't care about your father like you say, do you think it would affect you this badly?" Makoto rhetorically asked. "I know you Kyoko. You don't let most things affect you so badly. And you don't have the talent to lie or act like Celeste does. So if you're reacting this badly to the headmaster's possible death, then that means a part of you still care about your father."

Kyoko closed her eyes, and turned away. As much she wanted to counter those statements, she know in her heart that they're true. And Kyoko isn't one to argue when the evidence is right in front of her. But….

"Even if I do still care about him, does he care?" Kyoko spoke softly, showing a little more of her emotions. Makoto had an odd effect on people the more he got to know them. "He left me when my mother was dying, used her death as an excuse to pursue a different path, and never considered my feelings. So what makes you think he cares?"

Makoto was a bit surprised to see Kyoko saying these things. She always said that she never felt bitter at the fact that her father left her with her grandfather and saying that she was glad that that had happened. But now, Makoto could see that a part of Kyoko did feel angry that her father left.

Without saying a word, Makoto put a hand over Kyoko's gloved hands, getting her out of her thoughts and her attention to Makoto. The gesture and his smile caused her to blush. "I can't say I know the headmaster personally, but I'm sure that he's a good man. He cares for all of his students at Hope's Peak, and I have no doubt he cared about you. Otherwise, he wouldn't have apologized or asked for a chance to reconnect."

"But if that doesn't convince you, trying talking to him out of school." Makoto continued. "Take his offer to reconnect and see where that leads. Then you can see if he's serious or not."

Kyoko closed her eyes, thinking about his suggestion. Finally, she re-opened her eyes and answered. "I'll take your words into consideration. But not right now. After all, we still have to watch the rest of our future."

Makoto smiled, glad he made a bit of progress. Though he could tell that Kyoko still had some doubts about his opinion on the headmaster, he's glad that she didn't deny the fact that there may be a part of her that still cared for her dad.

Kyoko then noticed their hands were still connected, and felt her face slowly burn up. "You can let go now." Makoto blinked before noticing that his hand was still on top of hers. He blushed, and quickly move his hand away.

"S-Sorry Kyoko." Makoto stammered. "I-I didn't know my hand was on yours, and-"

"It's fine Makoto." Kyoko interrupted, smiling slightly at his stammering apology. It's really cute. "Let just eat so we can get back." Makoto silently nodded as the two started chowing down on their food.

(With Junko and Mukuro)

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Mukuro asked her sister, once the two of them got into the bathroom.

Junko jump up and sat on the edge of the sink. "There's a big problem sis." Junko stated. "Can you guess what that problem is?"

It didn't take long for Mukuro to figure out what Junko means. "You think watching this future might sever the plan for creating a world of despair?" Mukuro deduced.

Junko nodded. "That Spirit guy says that watching this will be beneficial to the class." She then put a pair of glasses on, and got into 'teacher mode'. "If it means what I think it means, it means that the class might find out that we're the masterminds. And that would sever, if not, destroy our plan."

She then got into rockstar mode. "Do you think you can go rambo on this guy and stop this entire thing?"

Mukuro shook his head. "You saw what he could do. We don't know his full capabilities, and if we fail to kill him, we would be revealed early."

"Ugh! Such a hopeless sister!" Junko then jump off the counter and proceeded to punch and kick sister. Strangely, Mukuro didn't block those attacks, despite being completely capable of doing so. In fact, she looked like she was enjoying the attention.

Once Junko got bored, she went into her depressed persona. "Things don't look so good for us." Junko stated. "If they find out that we're really Ultimate Despair, they're going to make sure we don't do anything. And if Mondo and Sakura work together, along with that psycho murderer, I don't think you would be able to win the fight."

Mukuro didn't disagree. She knew her capabilities and her title of the Ultimate Soldier, but Sakura isn't the Ultimate Martial Artist for nothing, and Mondo is pretty strong as well. She doesn't know Genocide Jack's capabilities, but more than likely, she would lose if all three of them fought her at once.

Junko then hugged herself, still in her depressed persona. "But the thought of our plans getting destroyed, the thought of classmates finding out and capturing us when they do," Junko then began to shake, something that concerned Mukuro a bit. "It makes me so, so…."

"...excited!" Junko squealed, drool coming from her mouth. The shaking wasn't from fear, but from excitement. "Oh, just the thought of my entire plan going down hill just because of this glimpse into the future is making me feel so much despair! I'm drooling!"

Mukuro just watched, her worries gone and not at all surprised that Junko is so excited about this. This is Junko, after all. Her despair fetish had no bounds.

"So you have no problems with all this happening?" Mukuro clarified.

Junko nodded. "Yep! It's only a possibility that my identity will be revealed, so I wouldn't worry that much! And if it does happen," She began drooling once again. "I would feel all that despair! Oh, I'm so excited!"

Mukuro could only wonder what got her sister to become like this. Unlike her sister, she's not so excited about all of this. Not because of the possibility of being captured, but because Makoto might die. Her heart clenched just thinking about it.

Despite her feelings though, she's going to stay by Junko's side. She isn't going to abandon Junko. Not again.

(Living Room)

Soon, the group finished up their lunches and everyone started going back to the living room, some reluctantly. After settling back down onto their seats, many of them were apprehensive of what's to come next.

Kyoko, noticing the apprehension, spoke up. "You do remember what Spirit said, didn't you?" Kyoko questioned, getting everyone's attention. "That this could benefit us in the future."

"Can you explain how this will benefit us?" Hifumi asked the detective. "What do you think we'll see?"

Kyoko didn't hesitate to explain. "I doubt our future selves will just accept this fate. They would try to find a way out or who's behind all this. And if they manage to find out who's behind this…."

"...We would know who to stop." Chihiro realized, causing mental lightbulbs to light up left and right. "If this shows what the situation is, or even how we lost our memories, it would be extremely beneficial to us."

"That is, if our future selves can cast off their suspicions of each other." Byakuya reminded them. "Remember the ending of the prologue. The group is still very suspicious of one another."

"It's true." Makoto agreed with Byakuya. "But I have hope that our future selves will work together, at least a little bit."

"But still, even with the possible information we could obtain, ask yourself this." Kyoko told everyone. "Do we really want to know what's in store for us? We might see something we may regret seeing. Or that'll haunt our minds for years to come."

All of them stayed silent at that. Several feel conflicted at Kyoko's words. Junko, meanwhile, looked on. She predicts that after the prologue, along with Kyoko's words, that many would lose the will to watch it.

However, that prediction will go down the drain when Makoto spoke. "We have to know what's in store for us." Makoto said. "Cause if we don't, we would regret more later down the road. Besides," He turned to everyone with his bright smile. "I believe we can endure what we're about to watch. As long as we have each other, we can get through this entire thing, no matter the outcome."

Everyone looked at him in awe for his never-ending positivity, but soon, they all shared the same thought. "You are right Makoto." Sakura agreed, smiling at her friend. "We must push forward, otherwise, we would regret it later."

"Yeah." Leon agreed with a grin. "And if we can find the guy behind all of this, we can track him down and kick their ass!"

"Damn straight!" Mondo roared in agreement. "We won't let this guy get started on this crazy plan of theirs."

While spirits were being lifted high, Junko is looking at Makoto with a mixture of annoyance and curiosity. Despite all the information given to him, he's still so damn positive.

Oh well. She's sure that his spirit will break as he watches more and more of friends die.

"So, you're all ready?" Spirit questioned. Everyone nodded. "Good. Then let's start chapter 1." With that, Spirit started the TV once more.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 9: Watching Chapter 1: To Survive Part 1

When the screen turned on, it was still black. "You must kill someone if you want to leave." The narrator Makoto repeated. "Those words kept being repeated in my head. I could feel that paralyzing fear slowly making its way through my body, dominating every last nerve. The air hung heavy on me, pressing down like a weight. It took everything I had to endure that weight."

(Chapter 1 - To Survive - Daily Life)

"Something tells me that this'll get intense." Hifumi declared as they looked at the title and picture. "Yes, very intense indeed."

"The picture looks like a battle could happen between that fucking bear and Makoto." Mondo commented. Makoto began sweating at the sound of that.

"I don't think that would happen." Makoto stated. While Monokuma doesn't look tough, he probably got several weapons in the school and probably in himself.

"But for as heavy as the air felt," The narrator Makoto continued. "All it took to pierce it was her sharp words."

"So? What are you going to do now?" That broke everyone's suspicious glance and they all turned to the one who spoke. Kyoko Kirigiri.

She stared at them right back, no amount of fear or suspicion in her eyes. "Just stand around glaring at each other?" Her question was directed at everyone in the room.

Makoto sighed in relief at that. "I'm glad your future self is there with us Kyoko." Makoto told the detective. "Otherwise, the tension would've still been there."

Kyoko smiled. "It's fine." Kyoko waved off. "There needed to be someone who had to break off the suspicions and fearful thoughts."

That broke all of the tension. "R-Right….she's right!" Taka stated. "Sometimes, even if you're nervous or afraid, you just have to step forward! To forget such a simple fact….I can't forgive me myself. I so ashamed! Please, someone hit me! I can't forgive myself! Somebody hit me! Punish me!"

"I can't believe I forgot something either!" Taka exclaimed, holding his head. "Mondo, please hit me for this! I need to be punished!"

"Jesus bro," Mondo sighed, shaking his head. "You don't have to overreact like that. You weren't the only one who was afraid."

"Jesus." Mondo groaned. "If you have time to yell about it, you have time to DO something about it."

"Perhaps," Hifumi spoke in. "But….what is the mission, exactly?"

Leon slapped his forehead. "Idiot!" The baseball player exclaimed. "To look for a way out, duh!"

"And we totally need to find whoever was controlling that stupid bear and beat the hell out of 'em." Junko said in anger.

"Look like our future selves' objective is similar to ours." Taka stated. "Only that we're not trapped in the school."

"So it seems." Sakura agreed.

"B-But before we do all that, maybe we should take a look at the handbook." Chihiro suggested shyly. "It's probably best to check out the school regulations Monokuma mentioned before doing anything else."

"True." Celestia agreed. "If we stumble around with no clue to what the rules are, something like before might happen again."

"And if that happens, I doubt anyone else would be able to escape Monokuma's punishment." Celeste added in. More than a few gulped at that.

Mondo look away at that. "Shit."

"Fine." Junko sighed. "Then let's hurry up and check out the stupid rules already."

Everyone started turning on their e-Handbooks, Makoto included. When he turned it on, the first thing that appeared is his name. He then selected the school regulation icon, which caused the first rule to appear.

'Rule number 1: Students may reside only within the school. Leaving campus is an unacceptable use of time.' Makoto read to himself. 'Rule 2: Nighttime is from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Some areas are off-limits at night, so please exercise caution. Rule 3: Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory will be seen as sleeping in class and punished accordingly.'

'Rule 4: With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore Hope's Peak Academy at your discretion.' Makoto kept reading. 'Rule 5: Violence against Headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited, as is destruction of surveillance cameras. Rule 6: Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes "blackened" will graduate, unless they are discovered. Rule 7: Additional school regulations may be added as necessary.'

As soon as Makoto finished reading the rules, several of the students gained angry looks. "What the hell? These rules are meant to control us!" Leon raged.

"Like hell I'll let them do that!" Mondo roared. "No stupid rules are going to stop me from escaping!"

"So, you would rather get yourself killed trying to find a way out?" Celeste calmly asked the biker. That stopped Mondo raging. "While I don't agree with these rules, if you break them, Monokuma will kill you."

Mondo was silent for a moment before sighed and reluctantly settled down.

Makoto looked up from his reading, feeling a little dizzy. As he looked down, he saw the others having stormy faces. "This is bullshit!" Mondo raged. "What the hell kinda rules are these?! I'm not gonna let them control me!"

Before he could do anything, Celeste spoke. "Well then, why don't you wander around the school without a care in the world and see what happens? Personally, I would love to see what happens when someone breaks one of the rules."

Hina blinked. "Wow, that's pretty similar to the conversation here." Hina mentioned.

"Only the future Celeste had a more apathetic wording to her warning." Taka added in. He laughed. "This goes to show how well we are getting along with each other!"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Celeste stated. "Several of you are still D rank, just only higher than regular D ranks. Very few of you here are C, one of them being Makoto."

"But if he got punished like what we saw before, I don't think there'd be a respawn point waiting for him." Hifumi said nervously. Mondo went silent at that, losing his rage.

He stayed silent for a moment before speaking up. "I….ever since I was a kid, I grew up with my older brother pounding this into my head. When a man makes a promise, he has to keep it, even if it kills him."

"...So what?" Was the response from Junko.

"I've made a ton of promises that I still have to keep, that's 'so what'!" Mondo exclaimed. "So I can't afford to die in here!"

"So in other words, future you are gonna follow the rules?" Celeste asked. Mondo reluctantly nodded.

Celeste sighed. "None of that made much sense to me, but you're saying you will follow the regulations, is that it?"

"Huh?" Was Mondo's response. "Oh well….yeah, I guess you're right." With that, all the steam was taken away from Mondo.

Sayaka then spoke. "Hey, um….I have a question. For regulation number six….what do you think it means, exactly?"

Makoto knew what she was talking about. The rule about the 'blackened'. "You're talking about the second half, right? Where it says 'unless they are discovered'? I was wondering about that myself."

"Now that they mentioned it, I'm wondering about that too." Makoto said.

Byakuya then spoke up. "It means that no one can find out that they're the killer, obviously."

"But how would that work?" Chihiro asked. "Does Monokuma have some kind of set up for that?"

"Hopefully, we don't find out the hard way." Sayaka says.

"It's saying that if you want to graduate, you have to kill someone without anyone finding out it was you." Byakuya stated.

"B-But why?" Toko asked. "Why do we h-have to do that?"

"I don't see any reason to worry about it." Byakuya said. "Just worry about following the rules as they've been explained to us. Frankly, I don't want to hear anything from someone who waits for others to decide what to do for them."

Toko giggled perversely. "E-Even at a t-time like this, m-master is such a flirt with me."

Hiro sighed. "I will never understand her masochistic side."

"None of us will man." Leon sighed with Hiro.

Toko blushed a little. "D-Don't jab at me."

"More like a full on stab." Leon countered.

"S-Shut it. Y-You know nothing about l-love." Toko hissed.

Leon rolled his eyes. "I know enough where I can tell what love isn't like." Leon retorted.

"Well for now, let's forget all this silly junk about murderers or whatever." Hina spoke up. "Now that we know the rules, let's go exploring the school!"

"True." Taka agreed. "We need to find out where exactly we are. Is there any way out? What about food and supplies? There are tons of questions we need to answer!"

"Agreed future me!" Taka shouted in agreement. "There are questions we need to answer as well!"

"Some the same, some different." Celeste stated. "Hopefully, this series will answer all of them."

"Damn straight!" Leon stated, feeling pumped up. "Okay, then let's all start looking around!"

"...I'll be going alone." Byakuya stated.

"What? Why?" Junko questioned. "That's a pretty stupid idea, don't you think?"

Byakuya didn't hesitate to answer. "Someone here might already have started thinking about murdering one of us. Are you saying we should stand around with them in our midst and make it that much easier for them?"

A few eyes widen. "You really think that would happen?" Makoto questioned in shock.

"Like it or not Makoto, the possibility is there." Byakuya sighed. "Our future selves were suspicious of one another. My other is just making sure he doesn't get killed."

"Yeah, like going off by yourself is soooo much better." Junko stated with an eye roll.

"H-Hey, hold on a second." Sayaka spoke in. "That would never-!"

"Don't bother saying it couldn't happen. You can't deny the possibility." Byakuya interrupted harshly. "That's why you all seized up in fear when that graduation rule was made clear to you. Am I wrong?"

"B-But…." Sayaka then stayed silent, looking very guilty. Several of the other Ultimates look guilty as well.

Kyoko sighed. "While the possibility is there, you could learn to trust people more Byakuya."

Byakuya made a 'hmph' sound, but didn't disagree.

The Togami heir continue. "So, I'm simply acting in accordance with what I think is best for me." With that, he went out of his way to the exit of the gym. But his path got blocked by Mondo.

"Hold on! Like hell I'm gonna let you run off and do whatever you want!" Mondo stated, looking pretty threatening.

But Byakuya was not deterred. "Out of my way, Plankton."

"Wh-?! The fuck's that supposed to mean?!" Mondo demanded.

"One tiny bit of plankton, drifting across the sea." Byakuya explained, mocking Mondo. "So miniscule, so insignificant, they couldn't possibly have any kind of influence on the boundless ocean."

Mondo growled. "I forgot how much I wanted to kick you ass!"

Byakuya chuckled. "Doesn't mean my future self's words are any less true."

Mondo paused at this. "Wait. You know what? I still want to kick your ass!" He jumped up and was ready to pound Byakuya's skull in, but he was held back Taka and Chihiro.

"Bro, calm down!"

"You know that Byakuya is like that!"

Mondo growled, but sat down. If he wanted, he could've broke out of their grip. But he didn't want to disappointment his bro nor hurt Chihiro in any way. He's way too fragile to hurt.

That angered Mondo immensely. "I'm gonna kick your ass!"

Before Mondo could fulfill that threat, Makoto ran up and stood between the two. "S-Stop it! We shouldn't fight!"

Mondo winced. "Oh, you shouldn't have tried to stop me at my state Makoto."

Unfortunately, Mondo take too kindly to that. "The fuck you just say? You some kinda goody-goody little bitch? Who do you think you are, talkin' to me like that? You think you're my fuckin' dad or something?!"

Hina scowled. "He's just trying to stop you from fighting! That doesn't mean you should insult him!"

Mondo rubbed his neck sheepishly. "I was angry, okay? I couldn't help it." He defended himself.

Makoto stepped back, slowly realizing what he put himself in. "N-No, I wasn't-!"

"Fuck you!" A second later, Mondo punched Makoto and sent him flying through the gym. Soon, the boy landed on the other side of the gym.

Sayaka and Hina gasped, covering their mouths in shock, while Fukuwa covered her eyes. Hifumi and Hiro winced, feeling bad for Makoto. "That critical attack must have hurt." Hifumi stated.

"Well, what did you expect?" Leon retorted. "Mondo is like a freaking monster when angry. I would be surprised if Makoto survived that."

Makoto glared at the Ultimate Baseball play for that assumption, but stayed quiet. He wasn't THAT weak!

Meanwhile, Mondo spoke up in anger. "Who the hell are you calling a monster, jackass?" The biker got up with his fist raise at Leon, but Taka and Chihiro quickly got him back on the couch again.

Sakura closed her eyes. "You should really learn to control your anger, Mondo." Sakura stated. "You can use this as a means to control it, when the time comes for you to avoid hurting somebody."

Meanwhile, Kyoko, Celeste, and Junko did their best to keep their emotions in check. The first two were angry, the last was amused.

Junko easily managed to stop an amused grin from coming up. Celeste had a bit more trouble concealing her anger, but manage to do so. Kyoko, however, while isn't showing any obvious signs of anger, had a very slight scowl on her face and her purple eyes darkening a bit.

Mukuro didn't bother hiding her expression. She looks ready to kill Mondo for what he did.

'Oh, that's right.' Makoto thought wearily, on the verge of unconsciousness. 'I'm trapped in here with a bunch of 'ultimates'. My common sense must've….stopped functioning after all this. I guess I shouldn't be surprised something like this would happen. But I'd just….lost track of my sense of reality.' That was his last thought before going unconscious.

"Are we really that scary to you?" Sayaka asked him, after getting out of her shock.

Makoto smiled sheepishly. "I wouldn't say scary for all of you, but a normal kid with a bunch of talented people could be a bit overwhelming." Makoto explained himself. "And some my fears were justified, considering my future self was just launched across gym."

"Oh. Speaking of which," Sayaka slowly turned to Mondo, a smile on her face. And in the background, a dark aura surrounded her. "Mondo. We'll need to talk about controlling your temper."

"Do you mind if I join you?" Mukuro asked, her killer glare directed at Mondo.

"Sure. I don't mind if some of you girls join me in educating him." Sayaka said sweetly. Mondo felt himself a bit pale at this.

Celeste giggled. "Your future self just dug you an early grave."

Many of the guys felt sympathetic for Mondo. Especially when they saw Hina glaring at him, along with Kyoko giving him a cold, emotionless stare.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 10: Watching Chapter 1: To Survive Part 2

The scene changed to Makoto sleeping on a bed. Slowly, the boy woke up with a groan. "Huh?" The boy said, when he noticed he was in a completely different location. "W-Where am I?"

Slowly, he rose and examined the bedroom he's in. It was a small room, with a desk next to his bed, a table and small cupboard at the front, and two doors to the side of him. A camera was also in the room while the windows behind are sealed with metal plates.

Makoto's eyes widened in recognition. "Is that my old room? Or at least, one of the dorm rooms at the old building of Hope's Peak?"

"So it seems." Byakuya confirmed.

"Okay, so," Makoto spoke to himself. "Where am I now?" He got up from his bed and looked around. He saw a lint roller near the bed, as well as a notepad on the desk. As he looked around the room, he found a key on the desk with his name on it.

"So there are rooms assigned to us." Celestia mused. "At least we won't have to go through the trouble of picking rooms."

"Are you seriously worried about that?" Leon questioned in slight disbelief.

"Okay, I think I'm starting to understand." Makoto said as he looked at his room once more. "This room must be my assigned dorm room."

'Someone must have carried me here when I got knocked unconscious.' The lucky student thought. 'That answers my first question. My next one is what everyone else is up to right now.' His eyes then went to the far door on his right. 'Well, there's only one way to find out. And that's to get out of this room.' With that in mind, he went to do the door, opened it, and rushed out.

Which caused him to crash into someone.

"Ahh!"

"Oh!"

Makoto fell onto his butt and held his head from the sharp pain on his forehead. When he opened his eyes, he saw Sayaka on the ground as well. "Sayaka? S-Sorry! Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine." Sayaka reassured, holding her head as well. "I hope you're okay." She held an embarrassed smile on her face.

Junko giggled at the scene. "The two of you are such klutz." Junko sang, causing the two to blush. "And this is like, a really cheesy scene, you know? Where a guy and a girl bump into each other in romance shows or movies."

Several of the other girls didn't like that comparison. That could be seen with Hina gripping onto the side of her seat a bit too forcefully, Mukuro subconsciously moving her hand to her knife, Celeste's polite smile holding a bit of a dark aura, and Kyoko's eyes darkening a bit.

Slowly, Makoto and Sayaka got up from the ground. "Are you okay, Sayaka? Are you hurt?" Makoto asked, concerned about their collision.

Sayaka giggled. "You make it sound worse than it really is. I'm completely fine." She reassured. "I know how I look, but I've actually built some pretty good muscle from jumping up and down the stage!"

Makoto sighed in relief. "That's good, then." He stated with a smile.

Sayaka giggled. "You always worry so much about your friends Makoto. Even those that are capable of handling most minor injuries, like Mondo and Sakura."

Makoto blushed and shrugged sheepishly. What could he say? He gets worried easily, especially when it comes to those that he cared about.

"But….are you okay?" Sayaka asked, this time being the one concern. "You know, from when Mondo hit you…."

'Yeah, that's true.' Makoto remembered. 'I got knocked out right there in front of everyone. I guess I revealed my lack of cool right from the beginning.'

"I don't think you have to worry all too much." Chihiro said to the luckster. "After all, I doubt many could take on a punch from Mondo and stay conscious. Even only a few people from Hope's Peak could sustain a hit like that."

Makoto smiled. "I don't think I would've thought it that way. Thanks Chihiro."

"Makoto?" Sayaka called out in concern, breaking Makoto out of his thoughts.

"Oh, uh, I'm fine!" Makoto replied, after getting out of his thoughts. "Nothing wrong here!"

Sayaka smiled in relief. "Oh, that's good. I was kinda worried." She admitted.

"Th-Thanks." Makoto said, a bit embarrassed. However, he immediately straightened up and asked his next question. "By the way….what are you doing here?"

"Actually, I came to get you." Sayaka answered.

That surprised Makoto a bit. "You came….to get me?"

"Well, if you really are feeling better," Sayaka said. "I was hoping you could come to the dining hall with me."

"The dining hall?" Makoto repeated, wondering why.

Sayaka then explained everything. "After you got knocked out, everyone decided to go and do their own thing. We've decided to split up and look around so later, we can get together and discuss our findings."

"So we're working together for right now." Sakura stated. "That's good."

"And splitting up is a smart move." Kyoko stated. "Not only because it covers more ground, but there are some of us who wouldn't want to pair up with anybody." Kyoko herself knew that given the state her future self is in, she wouldn't trust anyone around her. Especially with the possibility of the killing game.

"So does that mean it's almost time to get back together?" Makoto asked. "If that's what's going on, then of course I'll go with you!"

"Good. Let's go to the dining hall then." Sayaka then walked over to the dining hall, Makoto following her shortly after.

"Wow. Even in a perilous situation, the two of you stick together like glue." Taka observed.

Makoto blushed while Sayaka merely smiled. "What can I say? We fit together well." Sayaka stated. Her statement was also directed towards the other girls, causing narrowed eyes and annoyed glances from them.

'Vixen.' Mukuro thought venomously.

They soon got to the dining hall, which resembled that of a restaurant's. "So this is the dormitory's dining hall." Makoto said absentmindedly.

"It looks pretty clean, so that's good." Sayaka commented. Then she looked a bit embarrassed. "Er, I guess that's not really important right now, with us being prisoners here and all."

"Yeah, that's true." Makoto agreed.

"On the contrary, it's really important to have a clean place to eat." Celeste disagreed. "I would not want to eat in a dirty room."

The group merely sighed in exasperation or rolled their eyes at Celeste's statement. Only she would be worried about something so trivial in a situation like that.

'The others aren't here yet.' Makoto thought as he looked around once more. 'Guess we don't have much of a choice but to stay here.'

"Okay, let's just wait here." Sayaka said, surprising Makoto.

"Huh?! You heard that?!"

"Like I said, I'm psychic." Sayaka stated with a straight face. Then the straight face evaporated into an amused smile. "Come on, I'm just kidding! Seriously, I just have amazing intuition."

'Is it really just intuition?' Makoto couldn't help but think.

"Most likely is because you're very easy to read." Byakuya stated. "You're an open book, and you show all of your cards in your hand. It's no wonder Sayaka can read you so easily."

"I don't know if that should be an insult or compliment." Makoto admitted.

"Take it how however you like." Was Byakuya's response. "I'm merely stating the truth."

"Well, let's take it as a compliment then." Hina suggested optimistically. "It means that people can trust you more."

'But it also means that you can be more easily deceived.' Kyoko thought, feeling a bit worried for the future Makoto. He's so open about his emotions that he can be easily manipulated by others.

"By the way, Makoto," Sayaka spoke up once again. "I know this is kind of continuing the self-introduction thing, but I wanted to ask you something."

That got Makoto curios. "What did you want to ask me?"

"Makoto," She began. "Did you happen to go to Blackroot Junior High? Were you maybe….in class 2?"

That surprised Makoto. "Y-Yeah, actually….I was." He answered.

That brought a smile from Sayaka. "I knew it!" She declared. "I went there, too! I was in class 4, though. Do you remember me?"

"Wait, the two of you were in different classes in that school and Sayaka still remembered you?" Taka asked in surprise. "Have the two of you interacted at some point during that time?"

Makoto shook his head. "No, we never really talked to each other before we went to Hope's Peak."

"Then how did Sayaka remember Makoto throughout all that time?" Junko asked. "Makoto is a pretty unremarkable guy. Way too normal to be noticed among the crowd of other normal people."

'Okay. That comment stung a bit.' Makoto thought with a wince.

"You'll find out in a bit." Was Sayaka answers. "It's just my intuition, as well as my experience so far in Hope's Peak, but I have a feeling my future self will explain."

"Do I remember….?"

'Even back in middle school, she was a celebrity with all kinds of "ultimates" surrounding her. How could I forget?' Makoto thought to himself. 'Almost as surprising as her question was that she remembered me! We'd never even talked to each other, but she somehow she still knew who I was.'

"That is a curious thing." Celeste mused. She smiled slyly. "Could it be that our Pop Sensation was stalking Makoto here?"

"N-No! I wasn't stalking him!" Sayaka protested, blushing in embarrassment.

"Hey, are you okay?" Sayaka called out, snapping Makoto out of his thoughts once again.

"Oh, yeah." Makoto responded back. "I'm just surprised, is all. I wouldn't have thought that you would remember me."

"We went to the same school for three years, of course I remember!" Sayaka told him, as if it was obvious.

"So, stalking him for three years then?"

"I wasn't stalking him!" Sayaka denied. "Makoto just did something that caught my attention!"

"It's true." Makoto supported Sayaka's statement. "There was something that brought her attention towards me."

"Well, that's true." Makoto admitted. "But there were lots of students in our grade, right? Plus, I've never been the type of person to ever really stand out. I'm average at everything, and all my hobbies are totally normal. Even 'normal' would call me boring."

"I wouldn't call you completely normal." Byakuya stated. "You have an unnatural amount of kindness, though not as much Chihiro's, as well as an unusual amount of optimism."

"An unusual amount of kindness and optimism?" Makoto repeated as a drop of sweat rolled down the side of his head. "Are they really unusual?"

'You have no idea.' Several of them thought.

"What are you talking about?" Sayaka asked. She giggled. "You're so strange!"

"S-Strange?" Makoto repeated in shock. "That's-!"

Sayaka giggled louder, causing Makoto to stop speaking. 'Wow. Her smile is the nicest smile I've ever seen.' Makoto thought, feeling his heart rate calm down.

Sayaka blushed at this. While she's no stranger to receiving compliments from guys, none of them have ever really complimented on a simple smile. 'He really is sweet.' Sayaka thought.

Hina pouted, feeling jealous that Sayaka is getting all that time with Makoto. When will her future self get that time? She hopes it will come soon.

Mukuro and Kyoko frowned, getting jealous at the fact that Makoto is beginning to have a crush on Sayaka, if not, have one already. Celeste felt the same as well, although she's hiding it better than the others.

"Anyway," Sayaka spoke up once again. "I'm really glad….that I know somebody here. Talking to you has made me feel a lot better about all this. You're amazing, Makoto!"

Makoto couldn't help but blush at this scene, and it only grew bigger when he realized that the conversation between him and Sayaka are being shown to his classmates. Judging from the blush on Sayaka's face, she must have realized this as well.

Leon was grumbling to himself, feeling jealous that Makoto was able to get Sayaka's attention. Without trying at that!

Despite feeling warm at the last statement, he disagreed with it. "No, I'm really not." Makoto denied. "I'm nothing at all compared to all you 'ultimates'."

"But you're the one that helped me find my courage again." Sayaka argued. "Not any of these 'ultimate' students."

Leon grumbled even more at that. 'I so could've got her courage back.'

Makoto smiled bashfully at this. "Thank you for saying that."

"And to thank you for help me out, I'm going to become your Ultimate Assistant!" Sayaka declared.

That surprised the group. "My assistant?" Makoto repeated in surprise.

"Your assistant?" Sayaka also repeated, a blush on her face.

Leon, though feeling jealous, had to tease Makoto about this. "Wow, having the number one idol as your assistant? Nice one bro." Makoto blushed in embarrassment at this.

Mondo smirked at the two. "Do the two of you play those roles when none of us are looking?" He teased, getting the two blush even more. Hiro laughed at all of this.

"Man, your luck is still going strong Makoto." Hiro commented, getting a bit jealous as well. Hifumi, meanwhile, is between praising Makoto for his ability or steaming in jealousy.

Hina pouted even more while Sakura smiled in amusement. Kyoko merely raised an eyebrow at the idea and Mukuro just scowled in jealousy, knowing the two could get closer with Sayaka being Makoto's assistant. Junko, who was pretty bored in watching this, got a bit amused at how her sister is acting.

"Huh?" Makoto stated in shock. "My assistant?"

"Yup!" Sayaka confirmed brightly. "I'm your assistant now! I'm going to help out as much as I can, so let's get out of here together!"

Sayaka, after getting out of her embarrassment, decided to take advantage of this little moment with her and Makoto on the screen. "So our future selves are getting closer than last time." Sayaka commented to Makoto.

Makoto chuckled and nodded. "Yep. Seems like it."

"Maybe I can become your Ultimate Assistant as well?" Sayaka asked him 'innocently'. That brought Makoto's eyes wide and a healthy blush on the boy's face.

"Wh-What?"

"Well, our future selves doing it. Why not us?" She latched her arms around Makoto. "I may not have that much experience being an assistant, but I'm sure I could do it."

Makoto's face is that akin to a tomato now. Meanwhile, Hina is gnashing her teeth in jealousy, Mukuro is resisting the temptation in putting a knife in Sayaka, Celeste is holding a dark aura around her, and Kyoko has her eyes narrowed at Sayaka.

Sayaka, in return, gave the girls sly smiles while Makoto isn't looking, angering them further. Those around them, san an oblivious and embarrassed Makoto, took a step back at the obvious rivalry between the girls.

"I don't need a fortune to tell me that this will get ugly during this whole thing." Hiro stated. Several in the group agreed with the clairvoyant.

Makoto felt himself get pumped up with Sayaka's words. But as he looked around once again, he saw that none of the others were here yet. 'Everyone else still isn't here.' Makoto thought. 'I don't even know what time it is right now. There must be a clock around here.'

He soon found a clock near the entrance of the dining hall. When he looked at the time, his eyes widened. "What?! 7:00?! At night?!"

Several's eyes widened as well. "He was knocked out for THAT long?!" Leon exclaimed.

"M-Mondo's punch m-must've been harder t-than we thought." Toko stuttered out. "O-Or m-maybe it's that M-Makoto is weaker than we r-realized."

"Hey!"

"Well, Makoto was launched into the air. Mondo must've put too much strength in it." Chihiro pointed out quietly.

Mondo paled when he felt the killing intent from the other girls and from the reminder that he had hurt Makoto badly. He's going to suffer soon, he's sure of it.

"You were unconscious for a pretty long time." Sayaka explained to him.

'I see.' Makoto thought. 'Without being able to look at a window, I lost all sense of time. If I have to stay in a place for too long….I might go crazy.'

Hina suddenly paled. "How long will our future selves be stuck inside the school?"

"Who knows? It maybe days, weeks, even months." Byakuya stated. "There's a small chance it's for the rest of their lives, if our future selves actually manage to avoid killing one another."

Hina whimpered at the thought. "I just might go crazy if I can't go play outside!"

"The thought disturbs me as well." Sakura agreed with her friend. "There are limits to what exercises I could do inside the school walls."

"Relax. I'm sure they'll take us out of the old building soon, I'm sure of it." Hiro waved off. Everyone ignored him.

"I can't believe no one's here yet." Sayaka commented. "But I'm sure they'll start showing up soon."

Just as she said that, Taka threw open the dining hall doors and entered in.

Several jumped at that. "What the heck? Did Taka time that?" Leon questioned.

"I'm sure it's just a big coincidence." Taka stated. As if he would wait in front of a meeting place when he could enter in! A waste of time for sure!

"Ah, Makoto, Sayaka! So you two got here first, huh?" Taka rhetorically asked. He sagged his shoulder a bit in disappointment. "Too bad….I was sure I'd beat everyone here. I guess that just means I don't have enough fighting spirit yet!"

The moral compass quickly picked himself back up. "Well I won't give up! Next time, I swear I'll win no matter what it takes! Justice shall always prevail!"

"Well said future me!" Taka agreed passionately while the others groaned in exasperation.

"Bro, that's a bit much there." Mondo mumbled.

Sayaka giggled. "That's a bit much, don't you think?"

After Taka came in, the others followed shortly after. A few minutes later, everyone had gathered at the dining table. "Okay! It looks like everyone's here. Time to start the meeting!" Taka declared. "Let's all go around and share what we've found out during our respective investigations! The sooner we find out what's going on, the sooner we can get out of here!"

"So our alliance begins." Hifumi announced in a menacing like voice.

Makoto was taking another look at the group when he noticed something. "Wait. What about Kyoko?" Makoto pointed out, getting everyone else's attention. "She's not here."

That got Taka riled up. "What?!" He exclaimed. "She's going to be late?! And without telling anyone either!"

Makoto felt himself become a bit worried, but only a little bit. He knew that Kyoko, being a detective and all, is always thorough with her investigations. She's probably just spending more time to look around in detail.

"Well, I hope future Kyoko will be okay." Hina said with concern. Despite Kyoko being one of her rivals, she still cared about her well-being.

The detective waved off the concern. "Don't worry. I doubt my future self is in danger." Like Makoto, she also believed that her future self is just looking around more thoroughly. Hopefully, that search will lead to some clues for them.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 11: Watching Chapter 1: To Survive Part 3

"Wait, hold on a sec!" Junko interrupted, noticing something.

"What's wrong?!" Taka questioned in annoyance.

"What about, uh….what's her name? You know, the silver haired girl." Junko stammered out, trying to remember the name. "Uhh….oh yeah, Kyoko!"

"You're still acting like Junko, Mukuro?" Makoto asked her. "I thought you would've took off the disguise by now."

"The enemy may not know that I'm not really Junko, so I can't risk her safety." Mukuro replied in response. "The enemy might be searching for me, not Junko, so it would be easier for her to hide."

Makoto 'ahhed' and nodded.

"...What about her?"

"She's not here." Junko told him.

That shocked Taka. "What?!" The group took a look around the dining hall and sure enough, Kyoko was nowhere to be seen.

"I wonder where she went." Hina commented in concern. "Has anyone seen her?" To that question, everyone shook their heads.

"Wait, so 'nobody's' seen her?" Chihiro clarified.

More than a few eyes widen. "Could it be that….?" Junko trailed off.

"No, I don't think that has happened." Celeste was the one to answer. "Far too early in the series for the murder to happen."

"I agree. Would be a crappy story if a murder happens so very soon." Hifumi agreed with Celeste.

"Are we seriously treating this like a TV series?" Leon questioned in disbelief. "Are we really doing that?"

Makoto chuckled at this. "Well, other than the fact that it's too early, as Hifumi and Celeste claims, Kyoko isn't one to let her guard down with people she doesn't trust."

"And since my future self doesn't know any of you, I doubt I will let my guard down." Kyoko finished for Makoto.

'Why hasn't Kyoko shown up yet?' Makoto thought. 'Could it be because…..?' He remembers Monokuma's words, the conditions set for them to leave this school. 'Is it possible? Has she really….?'

Makoto shook his head. 'No, no. I'm just overthinking things.'

Taka growled in frustration. "Darn it, Kyoko! You're really going to be late like this on the first day of school?! Not only is she late, she didn't tell anyone she would be late! A most unbecoming personality trait."

Junko rolled her eyes. "Quite the jackass you're being right now."

"Well, what did you expect? I value punctuality! It's everything!" Taka stated.

Junko look at him, stunned. "You're being a real jackass, you know that?"

"Well what do you want me to do?! Punctuality is everything!" Taka stated in defense.

"It's kinda scary how similar our words are alongside our future selves." Makoto commented, chuckling a little.

"Well, this is our future selves, with their memories wiped of Hope's Peak." Chihiro said. "We're bound to have some similar lines."

"Now then, I declare that the first session of the Hope's Peak Academy briefing meetings has begun!"

"Makoto," Sayaka began to speak to the luckster. But then she changed her mind. "Actually, first of all, I've talked enough. Maybe we should listen to what everyone else has to say."

Makoto nodded. "Okay, let's do that."

Sayaka hummed to herself. "You know…."

"Huh? What's up?" Makoto asked curiously.

"I feel like I really really have become your personal assistant, don't you agree?" She asked him, smiling. "I may not be the best assistant in the world, but I'll give it everything I got."

'No….you've already done so much as my assistant.' Makoto thought.

Makoto and Sayaka blushed once again. Makoto, because his thoughts are revealed to all of his friends, and Sayaka, because of the implications of those thoughts. His thoughts also made her feel warm, warm at the fact that her presence is helping him.

And it also gave her the chance to give her rivals a smug look. It took Celeste all of her willpower to not break her mask and let her short-tempered side show itself.

"Okay, so since you're in the dark about all of this, let me lay down out what's been going on." Sayaka continued on speaking. "Everyone split up to investigate different parts of the building, but Byakuya and Taka each went off their own, and so did Kyoko. Leon, Hiro, Junko, and Chihiro grouped together. The same goes for Hina, Sakura, and Mondo. Celeste, Toko, and Hifumi were left over, so they joined up."

Byakuya, who was sitting at one of the other tables nearby, with Toko close by, spoke up. "I wanted to try and find some clue as to who's responsible for imprisoning us here." He explained. "But unfortunately, I made no such discoveries. That's all from me."

"I see. That's disappointing." The present Byakuya sighed. "Well, it shows that we aren't dealing with an amateur criminal, that's for sure."

'No, you're not!' Junko sung in her head. She's far from an amateur, that's for certain.

"Really? That's it?" Taka questioned.

"If I'd uncovered anything, naturally I would have more to say." Byakuya stated, as if it should be obvious. "But I didn't. So I don't."

"Honestly, did you expect me to give out any useless information that others found out?" Byakuya quipped. "That would be a waste of breath."

No one bothered trying to argue with him. Mainly because he got a point.

"R-Right. Understood." Taka responded. He then started his report. "For me, I spent some time looking around the dormitory, and there I made the discovery of the century! I found that there was exactly one room for each person!"

"...Seriously?" Leon stated, a bit dumbfounded. "You're calling that the discovery of the century? Any one could've figure that one out."

Taka had no rebuttal for that. He looked a bit embarrassed.

"Well yeah," Hina said with a shrug. "I figured that out before anything else."

"See?"

"Okay, I admit, that was a bit of an exaggeration." Taka conceded.

"Every door already has a nameplate on it, so I guess they've been pre-assigned." Junko explained to everyone.

"And each room key was attached to a keychain with the owner's name precision-etched onto it." Sakura continued for Junko.

'Well, that confirms that the room I was in was, in fact, my room.'Makoto thought.

"And Chihiro and I found out that all the rooms are totally soundproof." Junko continued speaking.

"Your next door neighbor could scream their lungs out, and you wouldn't hear a thing." Chihiro added.

"Well, each room also has a private bathroom, which could also lock." Celeste added in.

"But it looked like only the female bathrooms had locks on them." Junko corrected a bit.

"Okay, so they got a bunch of rooms ready for us." Mondo stated. "They're assuming we're gonna be here for a while."

"Well, better to have than have not!" Taka said with his usual passion. "At least we don't have to worry about surviving like wild animals."

"Yes. Thank goodness for that." Celeste stated in relief.

"Th-That can't be all you have to r-report, can it Mr. Honor S-Student?" Toko questioned.

Taka thought about it for a minute. "That's all for my report!" He announced. "Let's move on to whoever's next!"

"I guess that's all he has to say." Hiro stated the obvious.

"W-Wow. H-HIs report is s-sooo important." Toko snarked. Taka didn't take much offense to her comment. It's Toko, after all. And he refused to get depressed over such meaningless comments!

Junko then spoke once again. "For what me, Chihiro, Leon, and Hiro did, we went all up and down the school, double-checking the windows in all the hallways and classes." She explained. "We wanted to see if we could get any of those metal plates to come off. And what happened was…."

"Nothing. Not a damn thing." Leon continued for Junko. "We couldn't get a single one to budge even a little bit."

"Those plates must've been screwed on the walls tightly." Taka mused. "They really want to make sure that we don't get out of here."

"Well, Mondo and Sakura haven't tried yet." Hina said optimistically. "Maybe they can pull it off."

"If they could've, our future selves would've been out by now." Celestia retorted. Hina winced.

"Good….point."

"There wasn't any hope of escape anywhere." Chihiro said tearfully. "The school really has been cut off."

"This sucks." Junko groaned. "It really sucks! It sucks, sucks, sucks, sucks, SUCKS! What the hell are we gonna do?!"

"Goddamn, calm down!" Leon exclaimed, getting nervous himself. "You're starting to make me nervous!"

"Yeah, seriously Mukuro, what's the deal?" Leon groaned. "I know you're acting like Junko, but that doesn't mean you have to panic like that."

Mukuro shrugged. "I'm merely doing what Junko would've done in that situation."

After a moment of silence, Hina spoke up. "Well, I guess it's our turn now!" She stated, referring to herself, Sakura, and Mondo. She put on a thinking pose. "We thought maybe we could find some way to communicate with the outside, so we went looking all over!" Then she got a little sadden. "But….we didn't find anything. Sorry."

"I went back to the main hall, thinking maybe we could do something about that giant hunk of metal." Mondo spoke up. "But even with Sakura and me both, it wouldn't budge. We hit it with desks and chairs, and nothin'. It was hard as, like….metal."

Celeste rolled her eyes. "Amazing comparison Mondo." She dryly stated. "Truly."

"Okay, okay, I could've come up with something better." Mondo groaned, seeing how stupid his comment was.

"Ignoring Mondo's lousy comparison," Byakuya began, ignoring the "Hey!" from Mondo. "It seems that the person doing all this got us sealed up and their tracks covered well. And that metal hatch must've been to endure heavy attacks."

"And if that doesn't work, those guns are there to stop people from coming out." Kyoko finished. "Yes, they did made this place seemingly inescapable."

That didn't sound good to the others. It made them very nervous.

"Well, yes, it is metal." Celeste remarked.

"Anyway, if we're gonna out here, it's not gonna be through there." Mondo stated.

That brought Hina's mood down even more. "I feel like I could cry." She said sadly. "But no, I have to hold it in! I have to manage my hydration!"

"I shall tell what happened next." Sakura then spoke up. "It has nothing to do with communicating with the outside world, but it's still worth worrying about. In both the school and dorm areas, there was a set of stairs leading up to another floor."

"But there were gates there, and we couldn't find any way to open them, so we couldn't check it out." Hina told them.

"In other words, at this point, we are only able to search the 1st floor." The martial artist stated. "We can further assume that there is potentially something above the second floor, as well. And if that's the case, there is at least a chance it may lead to a way out."

Byakaya sighed. "No point finding something there. There's not even an escape route at the fifth floor."

"Well, our future selves don't know that, unfortunately." Sayaka pointed out sadly. "They don't have the memories of Hope's Peak, so they couldn't know."

"But if the mastermind is blocking it off, maybe there's something up in those floors that he's hiding." Makoto said optimistically. "Something he added in himself, and doesn't want us to know."

Kyoko hummed at the thought. "That idea does have merit." She admitted. "We'll just have to continue watching and see if your theory is correct."

The others took that into thought. This time, Celeste spoke up. "As for me, Hifumi, and Toko, I can't say we acted as one. Rather, we did nothing as one. We spent the entire time in the gym." She looked down. "Honestly, we are not exactly the types to go running around a school like a gaggle of junior detectives."

"So instead, you stay in the gym while the rest of us work our butts off?" Junko questioned. "Yeah, that's really fair."

Celeste shrugged. "Well, it's not like our help would've done anything."

"Still, it is better to do something to help rather than nothing!" Taka chastised. "Even if your efforts would turn out fruitless, you could at least say you did something!"

"What the hell were you thinking, just sitting around the gym the whole time?" Junko demanded.

"W-Well, it's not like any of you i-invited me along!" Toko defended herself. "Nobody said hey, c-come with us! I blame y-you for leaving me out! I-It's your fault!"

"If you wanted to go with someone, you should've just said something!" Junko retorted.

"A point to the soldier." Leon spoke in.

Toko glared at him. "L-Like I would w-want to go anywhere with a-any of you. The only p-person I'm willing to b-be with is Master."

Leon turn to Byakuya. "I don't envy you. Not at all."

Toko turned away from her. "Hmph. F-Forget it. Like I'd w-want to go anywhere with a dirty s-slut like you."

That got eyes to widen and more than a few faces to pale before they turned to Mukuro. The soldier has her head down, a dark look in her eye and her hands near her knife.

"What?" The soldier hissed in anger.

Toko paled and hid behind the couch. "I-I'm sorry!" She cried out in fear.

That stunned Junko. "Slut….?"

Toko didn't let up. "Your mind is as th-thin as your body. You m-make me sick to my s-stomach."

"I'm really considering throwing my knife at you."

"I-It was future me!" Toko exclaimed in fear.

That got Junko out of her stun state, and got her angry. "I….I don't even know how to react. How can you say something so awful to someone you just met?"

"That's Toko for you." Hiro sighed. "Always has something to say to someone."

"Except Byakuya." Leon added.

"If Mukuro wasn't disguised as me, she probably would've gutted you by now." Junko mused. "I think that's what happened to the last person who called her names."

Toko squeaked a little in fear at that. Not to self, learn to control her own mouth.

"Alright guys, everybody just calm down, okay?" Hiro spoke in. "All this stress is bad for the skin, y'know?"

"Yeah!" Sayaka agreed. "It sounds like you two are so close now you're fighting like sisters!"

Several sweatdropped at that. "Sayaka, I don't think that's what's going on." Makoto told her hesitantly.

"Huh? Then what is it?" Sayaka questioned, a bit confused.

"A verbal catfight." Mondo answered. "That's what it fucking look like."

Makoto sweatdropped. 'I….don't think that's what's going on, Sayaka.'

Sayaka then spoke up again. "So that's what they have to say, huh?" She rhetorically asked. "Then I guess I'm the only one left." She then started explaining what she had done. "I went and had a look around the dining hall. I found a fridge in the back of the kitchen, and it was overflowing with all kinds of stuff. I guess we don't have to worry about food, at least."

"Sure, for now." Hifumi groaned. "But even with all that, there are fifteen of us. How long can the food last?"

"Y-You can just eat sesame s-seeds or something." Toko said callously.

"Huh?" Was Hifumi stunned response. "What am I, a parakeet?"

"You really think a big guy like him could just eat seeds?" Mondo questioned Toko.

Toko shrugged. "H-He look like h-he had enough f-food as it is." Toko voiced out. "F-Fatso doesn't look like h-he'll need anything b-big for a while."

"I'm not in hibernation!"

"I don't think we have to worry about it." Sayaka reassured them. "All the food gets restocked automatically each day. At least, that's what Monokuma said."

That got the group's attention. "You saw him?!" Junko exclaimed in shock.

"Yeah, he came out of nowhere while I was checking the fridge, told me that, then disappeared again." Sayaka explained. "He was so fast, I can't believe someone could have been moving him around with a remote control."

That surprised the group. "I guess he wasn't exaggerating about his control systems." Chihiro murmured.

"It seems so." Byakuya agreed, overhearing what Chihiro said.

"A weaponized toy that can just appear from nowhere." Chihiro murmured loudly, looking a bit nervous. "I can't tell if we're supposed to be afraid or not."

"Our future selves should be cautious, at least." Sakura stated. "Who knows what they would do, along with their capabilities."

Mukuro and Kyoko nodded in agreement with the martial artist. Being cautious is always the best course when dealing with an unknown enemy.

"But was everything okay?" Hina asked in concern. "He didn't try to like, eat you or anything?"

Byakuya face palmed. "If you really think that a machine would actually want to eat a person, then you really are an imbecile."

"Sh-Shut up!"

"E-Eat her?" Hifumi repeated. Then an odd look entered his eyes. "Um, what do you mean by that? I mean, when you say 'eat', what kind of eating are we talking about?"

That gained more than a few disturbing looks, and several of the girls scooted away from Hifumi. Sayaka especially. "Seriously dude?" Leon groaned. "Get some self control here. And a cleaner mind."

Hifumi could do nothing but rub the back of his head in embarrassment. Seeing how it turned out, he had to admit, it was a bit creepy.

That disturbed Hina a bit. "C-Come on, man!"

"What the hell, fatty?! You're acting like some kind of sleazy drunk dude." Leon told the fanfic creator.

"Not like there's a good kind of drunk dude." Hiro murmured.

Byakuya sighed. "They're getting off track from this meaningless conversation." The heir said in aggravation.

"Blame Hifumi for being pervy." Leon said, pointing fingers at Hifumi. "Seriously, what caused you to ask that in public?"

"Um, healthy curiosity?"

"More like a mind down in the fucking gutters." Mondo deadpanned.

"Hey! Stop screwing around, all of you!" Junko exclaimed in anger, breaking the conversation. "Are you still asleep or something? We're prisoners here! We could all die any second!"

That started the group a bit. "Why are you getting so angry Mukuro?" Makoto asked her. "Usually, you're more calm and reserved. I know you're acting like Junko, but I doubt she would get angry about this."

Mukuro sighed. "Your guess is as good as mine." She told him. "Maybe the reason might be shown as we progress." Most in the group took that explanation with no trouble.

Kyoko, however, felt suspicious. Her instincts were telling her that something was off. Whether it was from the show or here in the viewing room, she doesn't know. She'll just have to wait and see. But one thing for sure, she's very suspicious of Mukuro right now.

"She's right." Mondo agreed. "We can't be makin' stupid jokes right now. We gotta do something, or-!"

Just then, a sharp voice cut through Mondo's sentence. "You're all spending an awful lot of time yelling and carrying on." At that time, Kyoko walked into the dining hall. "Do you really think you can afford to do so? Have none of you accepted the reality of the situation?"

"So future Kyoko finally showed up." Byakuya announced. "Hopefully, her search will turn out more fruitful than ours."

"I hope so too! Otherwise, there was no point in being so later!" Taka griped.

When she entered in the dining, everyone turned to the white haired girl. "Kyoko! Where the heck have you been?!" Taka questioned fiercely. "We already started the meeting without you!"

She didn't say a word. Instead, she went over the table and dropped a piece of paper on it, getting everyone's eyes on it. It looks to be a map for something.

Several eyes widen. "Is that….?" Hina trailed off.

"A map of Hope's Peak?" Taka questioned in shock. "But where did the future Kyoko get that?"

"Did the mastermind had it laid around or something?" Mondo guessed.

Kyoko disagreed with that guess. "I doubt it. Otherwise, my future self wouldn't have taken as long. Most likely, it was hidden somewhere."

"Huh? What's this?" Makoto asked curiously.

"It appears to be a map of Hope's Peak Academy." Was Kyoko's answer.

That shocked everyone. "A map?" Makoto repeated in shock.

"W-What the….?" Taka stuttered, also surprise by the sudden info given to them. "Where did you find this?"

"It doesn't matter where I found it." Kyoko stated.

Taka disagreed. "It DOES matter!" He retorted. "You're really freaking us out right now!"

"You know, that could get our future selves to be suspicious of you." Celeste pointed out to Kyoko. "I may keep my secret, but I don't hide information to my allies if I want to gain their trust."

Kyoko closed her eyes. Celeste does have a point. But her future self didn't have that same trust in people as she does now since her memories got wiped. So most likely, she was going to keep a lot of secrets, even when she doesn't have to or if it made her look suspicious.

"Never mind that." Junko cut in. "What's it mean?"

"Just look at it." Kyoko advised. "The building we're in right now is laid out in precisely the same way as Hope's Peak Academy."

"So what you're saying is….this really is Hope's Peak Academy?" Makoto clarified.

"Well, in terms of its construction, yes." Kyoko answered. "But it looks like it's had a number of strange….renovations done to it."

"Renovations?" Makoto repeated. "You mean they added some stuff to the school?"

"Well, they added the metal hatch, guns, and metal platings in the school." Chihiro said. "It wouldn't be too surprising to find out they also added more things."

"But how are they able to get those renovations?" Taka questioned. "I doubt this would have gone unnoticed by the public."

"Renovations?" Makoto repeated.

"I don't know all the details yet." Kyoko told them. "All I found was details about the first floor."

"But then," Chihiro spoke up. "This really is Hope's Peak. We didn't get kidnapped and taken to some other place."

"So stupid it's not even possible." Mondo growled. "This is where the country's future elite are supposed to come and learn?"

"But if this really is Hope's Peak, where are all the other students?" Hina questioned.

"And yet another mystery to add to the long list of mysteries." Byakuya sighed.

"Have they died?" Celeste began listed off the possibly. "Maybe at their home? Or maybe they're suffering the same fates in different parts of Hope's Peak? If the mastermind is doing the killing game at the old school building, it's a possibility that the other buildings are being used the same way or not being used at all."

Taka gulped. "What on earth is going to happen to Hope's Peak in the future?"

"Whatever it is, I bet it's not good." Hina said, a bit scared at the possibilities.

Hiro sighed. "Can we not talk about all this negativity? It's making me bummed out."

"Hey, come on, guys." Hiro sighed. "Let's stop talking about all this….you know, negative stuff."

"But aren't you worried?" Makoto asked. "Things don't look good."

"Worried? What's there to be worried about?" Hiro asked. "I mean, this was all planned out, right? The people in charge of Hope's put this all together, right?"

Sighs of exasperation and facepalms went throughout the group. "Can I just fucking punch him? Just once?" Mondo growled. "Cause his stupidity is really getting on my damn nerves."

"Hey! Don't be mean!" Hiro cried out, using his arms to shield his face.

He then began to laugh. "Man, if I got stressed every time something like this happened, I'd have ectoplasm shooting out of my mouth! Good things come to those who wait, right? So we just gotta chill and everything'll work itself out!"

That caused Celeste to laugh, which gained the other's attention. "Wh-Why are you laughing? What's so funny?!" Toko questioned.

"I-I'm wondering the s-same thing." Toko said.

Makoto turned to Celeste. "Celeste, do you know?"

"I have a guess as to why." Celeste stated. "Let's see if I'm correct on it."

"I am just happy, that is all." The gambler explained. "It seems that splitting up to investigate was a good idea, after all."

"Haven't you b-been listening?!" Toko exclaimed. "Looking around was a t-total waste of t-time! We d-didn't find a way out, didn't f-find who's behind this. We still have no idea what's g-going on!"

Celeste looked mildly surprise at this. "Huh? Is it not clear to you what's going on?" She questioned. Then, she dropped the blunt and unfortunate truth. "It is perfectly obvious that we have been imprisoned in some secret location, with no way out."

"And it seems my guess is correct." Celeste stated, not looking surprised. Byakuya, Kyoko, and Mukuro are the same as well. They saw that statement coming a mile away, plus, for Mukuro, her training doesn't let her react to such news.

The others, however, couldn't react as calmly. "N-No, way out? Our o-other selves are stuck there?" Toko questioned fearfully.

"This is isn't good. This is definitely not good." Junko, pretending to freak out, kept repeating.

Mondo, however, couldn't accept that fact. "The hell with no way out of there!" He denied angrily. "How about punching the damn walls until my knuckles bruises.

"Hell yeah! That could make a way out for us!" Leon agreed with Mondo.

Hiro, however, still didn't believe the situation their future selves were in. "Come on guys, this is just a joke. I'm sure there's a way out somewhere, and when we find it they'll congratulate for us for doing so."

Hina, having enough of Hiro's stupidity and stressed everything that had happened, gave an annoyed glare. "Can't you get it through your thick skull that we're not part of some prank?"

Many looked a bit surprise by her irritated question, but honestly, no one could blame her. Never the less, Sakura placed a comforting hand on Hina's shoulder. "Calm down, Hina." The martial artist said softly to her friend. "Calm down."

Hina continue glaring at Hiro before taking a few deep breaths and calming down.

Taka spoke up. "We'll just have to rely on our future selves to find the answers about Hope's Peak, answers that we can use to our advantage."

"He's right." Makoto agreed with the Moral Compass. "We can't let this bring us down, otherwise, the mastermind will already be winning. We have to stay focussed on the positive aspects about this, or we'll end up losing."

Taka's and Makoto's words brought their spirits up. The group kept their thoughts on the fact that they can use this knowledge to their advantage, rather than focus on the possible outcomes.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 12: Watching Chapter 1: To Survive Part 4

No one had a response or rebuttal to Celeste's statement. "You didn't h-have to go and s-say that." Toko growled in frustration, holding her head. "I w-was trying trying not to th-think about it. N-No way out….we're t-trapped here. What are w-we supposed to d-do?"

Byakuya smirked. "It's very simple. If you want to leave, you just have to kill-"

"Don't even joke about that!" Junko interrupted in anger.

Many stared at the Togami heir in disbelief. "Seriously Byakuya? That doesn't help the situation. It totally does not." Leon told him.

Byakuya sighed. "I admit, my future's self was a bit out of line."

"More than a bit." Hina muttered.

"Everyone just calm down, please!" Sayaka pleaded to the others. "We need to stop and think about what to do from here."

"There's gotta be 'something' we can do." Leon agreed.

Celeste gave an answer. "All we can do is adapt. Adapt to living our lives here from now on."

That surprised Celeste a little, but she didn't show it. The others are surprised by this as well. "Wait, we're supposed to just accept living our lives out like that?" Mondo questioned. "Why would you want to do that?"

"Remember that this is my future self, so I can't know everything that she's thinking." Celeste replied easily. "But if I had to guess, it's likely because since she knows escaping seems futile, they might as well adapt to it."

Makoto looked at Celeste as he caught her lie. Since he has gotten to know Celeste, like he did with all his other classmates, he knew that the gambler wouldn't want to be stuck in there. Her dream would be out of reach if she simply complied.

"Live here?" Chihiro questioned fearfully. "Are you saying we should just accept it?"

"A lack of adaptability….is a lack of survivability." Celeste stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "Survival is not based on who's the strongest or the smartest. It comes down to who can adapt. And as someone who has come out on top more than once, I have a suggestion."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Mondo questioned.

"We all understand that we're trapped here, which means we will be spending the night." Celeste started explaining. "However, you all remember the rules regarding nighttime, right? So regarding this 'nighttime', I think we need to add a rule of our own."

'Ah, so that's what my future self is doing.' Celeste realized. She's trying to take control of the situation, making sure no one commits a murder and more importantly, she doesn't become a victim. Since she isn't strong enough to fend off any attackers, she had to make sure that she can get as much safety as possible.

"What do you mean?" Makoto asked her.

"Going out at night time should be prohibited altogether." The gambler proposed. "The school regulations doesn't actually tell us not to go out at night. I would like to make it official."

"B-But why?" Toko questioned.

To make sure any murder plans are limited. That's what Celeste and a few others have deduced. If everyone followed that rule, then potential murders are limited.

"The way things are now, every time night comes we will all start to get worried and anxious." Celeste explained. "We will all be afraid that someone might try and come kill us."

"What?!" Sayaka exclaimed in alarm.

"If we have to worry about that night after night for who knows how long, it will wear us down in no time." Celeste continued explaining.

"So you're suggesting we limit our activity at night as a kind of preventative measure." Sakura deduced.

"The idea has some merit." Kyoko agreed. "However, who's to say that everybody will agree to them? Laws never stopped criminals from forming."

"True, but I think my future self will address that soon." Celeste responded back to Kyoko.

Celeste nodded. "However, unlike the other rules, nobody can be forced to comply. We all have to agree to follow it."

"I see what you mean." Junko said in understanding. "But….I think I can agree with that. It's like the little goth lolita said. Without something like that, we're just gonna self-destruct."

Taka then spoke up firmly. "On behalf of all men here, I agree to comply!"

"Hey, you can't just decide to speak for us!" Leon complained.

"Seriously, let us make our own decision." Leon groaned. Taka does that a lot with the class.

"So everyone is in agreement? Good." Celeste said quickly, stopping any potential arguments.

Byakuya sighed. "I can already tell that this rule isn't going to help. Only a few agreed to that rule verbally, and that won't stop any others from complying."

"Well, even if you're right, at least it'll give us some peace of mind for a while." Makoto said optimistically. "That's something." Byakuya shrugged.

"Perhaps."

"Then if you will excuse me…." The gambler stood up from her seat, drawing the attention of the others.

"Huh? Wait, where are you going?" Chihiro asked her.

"It is almost night time. I want to take a shower before it arrives." Celeste answered. "So….goodbye." With that, Celeste left the dining hall with pure elegance in her steps.

After a moment of silence, Hifumi spoke up. "S-So I guess it's pretty obvious where we go from here. It looks like we'll be spending the night."

"So our future selves have no choice but to spend the night there." Leon sighed. "While we all saw that coming, it's pretty disappointing."

"It would be very anticlimactic if there was a way out the mastermind didn't seal or all the clues are found in that first day." Celeste stated. "Plus, there are plenty of mysteries that can't be solved in a span of one day."

"U-Understatement of the y-year." Toko muttered.

"Adaptability." Sakura repeated what Celeste said.

"So, Mr. Chairman," Junko spoke to Taka. "What next? One person already left."

"U-Umm," Taka tried to think of anything else that needed to be said. "Well then, what say we call for an end to today's meeting?! Like she said, it's almost nighttime anyway. We can reconvene first thing tomorrow morning!"

"Do we really have to stay the night here?" Chihiro questioned tearfully.

"We don't have a choice." Junko stated. "We can't go for long without getting some sleep."

Mondo looked down at the table. "So we just have to get up." He sighed.

"That's all f-fine and good for t-today, but what do we d-do tomorrow?" Toko questioned.

Sakura answered that. "Our only option is to split up and look around again, and let everyone know if we find anything."

"We're just gonna end up empty handed." Hifumi moaned. "Our future selves looked everywhere in the first floor."

"Well, we're not sure if they did so." Chihiro mused. "Remember that we're watching this in Makoto's point of view mainly, and he got knocked out for most of that day."

"So in other words, there might be places where we haven't looked yet." Kyoko concluded from Chihiro said. "And there were still the other floors, where the mastermind may have put some clues there. My future self did say that they made some modifications to the school."

"So there's still some hope left!" Makoto beamed.

"Yeah, okay. Let's do that!" Hina agreed with Sakura.

"Then we're done for today?" Junko asked. "Good, I'm exhausted." With that, Junko left the dining hall and the others slowly left as well.

"Makoto, are you ready to call it for today?" Sayaka asked him.

Makoto nodded. "Yeah, let's go." The two then went to their own rooms.

When Makoto got to his room, heavy thoughts were clouding his head. 'Is this really where I'll be staying for the foreseeable future?' Shaking off those heavy thoughts, he decided to go to the bathroom.

He tried opening the door, but it didn't let him. 'Huh? Locked?' He thought in confusion. 'But only the girls' bathrooms were supposed to have locks, right?' He tried opening it again, but it didn't open.

"What the heck?" Taka questioned in confusion. "Like Makoto said, only the girls' bathrooms are supposed to have locks? Why is his door locked?" The others looked confused as well, even Kyoko and Byakuya doesn't have an answer to that.

Hifumi leveled his glasses at this. "Yes, why is Makoto's door locked? Could it be that he's hiding something nobody else should know?" That caused Chihiro to flinch a little.

Makoto, seeing what Hifumi was implying, stood up to face the fanfic creator. "That's not true and you know it, Hifumi!"

"Indeed." Byakuya agreed, coming to the lucky student's aid. "Need I remind you that Makoto is present in the boy's changing room every time to prepare for physical ed? If he were a girl, it would definitely be a problem on his part for us to not notice."

Some in the group were surprised that Byakuya had decided to come to Makoto's aid. Hiro was one of those people. "Dude, are you actually defending Makoto? I guess I was wrong about you a little. You've gotten soft."

That got a scoff from the Togami heir. "I merely want to get this conversation over with so we can get back to the important matter at hand."

"I take it back. He still has a stick up his butt." Hiro muttered.

That got a glare from Byakuya. "Care to repeat that?"

Small beads of sweat formed on the fortune teller's brows. "I said nothing."

"It's no use. It's really locked."

"Bzzt! Wrong! Not locked!"

"Holy crap!" Makoto cried out in shock at Monokuma's sudden appearance.

That also caused the others jump, yelp, and/or cry out in shock. "Holy shit!" Leon cried out. "He came out of nowhere!"

"Guess Sayaka wasn't exaggerating when she talked about it's speed." Makoto said, trying to calm his heart down.

"Jeez, talk about an overreaction." Monokuma said. "It's like you saw a ghost or somethin'! Like….some kind of….robot bear….ghost."

"G-G-Ghost?!" Hiro exclaimed in fear. "There's ghosts here?! Robot ones at that!"

Byakuya felt his eye twitch a little. "No, you idiot. It just mindless babble from the bear."

"W-What are you doing here?!" Makoto questioned, trying to calm his heartbeat down.

Ignoring the question, the bear spoke up once again. "Makoto Naegi, this is super duper majorly bad! So bad it's almost magical! Ultra magical awful awful attack!"

Several of them sweatdropped at the bear's over exaggeration. "A bit of an exaggeration, isn't it?" Taka questioned.

"Understatement of the year, bro." Mondo stated, still flabbergasted at what just transpired.

"In fact, I acknowledge that the door to your bathroom has a problem with the doorframe!"

That surprised Makoto, thought not as much as when Monokuma suddenly appeared. "Wait, so the reason it won't open isn't because it's locked? The door just….doesn't fit?"

"Oh. That explains it then." Leon said, with the others accepting the explanation as well. Even Makoto wasn't surprised by the revelation.

They all learned that Makoto has a lot of bad luck in his life, even Makoto himself accepted it as a part of him. Eventually, trivial things like this stopped surprising the class when it came to the Ultimate Lucky Student of Class 78.

"Didn't you see the notice? What, can't you read?" Monokuma said in aggravation. "The bathrooms in the boys' rooms don't have locks! I mean, a lock on the boy's bathroom is kinda pointless, don't you think?"

"Well, I don't think it's pointless." Chihiro spoke up. "I mean, I'm sure guys don't want anyone barging in when using the bathroom, right?"

"Really?" Junko asked. "Hmm. I didn't think boys needed a lock in a bathroom. Didn't think they had anything to hide."

"No, we do have privates we would like to keep to ourselves." Makoto said with a drop of sweat on his brow.

"Well, it's not that it's pointless, I guess. But I'm no expert on the birds and the bees and all that." The bear then changed the subject. "Anyway, there's a little trick to opening this particular ill-fitting door. And that's what I'm here to teach you!

"Okay, ready?" The bear began instructing. "So you just gotta turn the doorknob, then lift up while you pull! Go ahead, give it try!"

"Is it me, or is Monokuma being strangely helpful right now?" Hifumi questioned.

"I-It's not you." Toko confirmed. "W-What's up with t-that bear?"

"Guess it sees no point for people to struggle with small things like that." Byakuya said with a shrug.

"Turn the knob, and the lift the door up while I pull." Makoto murmured to himself, doing as Monokuma instructed. When he did that, the door opened no problem.

Monokuma giggled at this. "See? It opened right up! Isn't that crazy, though? Your door's the only one that doesn't fit quite right! You're supposed to be the Ultimate Lucky Student, right? But looks like you're not lucky at all!"

"Who would want to bet that Monokuma set that up just so he could make fun of Makoto?" Celeste deadpanned. Most, if not all, of the students raised their hands. "Good. Glad it isn't just me."

"So the mastermind is childish as well?" Kyoko sighed. "Perfect. A sadistic, childish, bully."

"That seems to sum up Monokuma well." Taka agreed.

"Anyway, I suddenly don't feel like being here anymore. Bye!" With that, Monokuma disappeared.

"H-Hey! Wait!" But Monokuma was already gone. 'Dammit.' Suddenly, a bell started to ring around the school, and soon after, the monitor turned on.

The monitor revealed Monokuma, sitting on a chair, with a drink in his hand and monitors behind him. "Mm, ahem, this is a school announcement. It's now 10 p.m. As such, it is officially nighttime. Soon the doors to the dining hall will be locked, and entry at that point is strictly prohibited."

"The doors to the dining hall is prohibited?" Sayaka repeated. "I wonder if there's anything Monokuma is hiding there."

"I wouldn't hold on to that idea too tightly." Kyoko said. "If there was anything to hide there, I'm sure we could've found it during the day time."

"It may just be there to keep late night snackers from going in." Celeste suggested. "A constant supply of food isn't cheap."

"Okay then….sweet dreams, everyone! Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite." With that, the monitor turned off.

"Alright, that was a bit creepy." Leon stated with a grimace. Several nodded in agreement with him.

'Look like it's night time.'  Makoto thought to himself.  'We all promised we wouldn't leave our rooms now.'

"All I can do now is try and get some sleep." As Makoto mumbled that, he collapsed on the bed. His eyes closed almost immediately, utterly exhausted for the day. 'Today was exhausting. I feel like I spent the entire day staring at a TV, watching movies.'

"H-How would you know h-how that feels?" Toko questioned. That got a sheepish chuckle from Makoto.

"My sister and I did that once." Makoto answered. "One time during the summer, we spent the entire day watching movies. Doing nothing but that can surprisingly make you tired, especially your eyes. A different kind of exhaustion from physical sports."

"Hmm. We should test that theory together." Taka thought about out loud. "Have a get together at the weekend and spend the entire day watching movies, each of us choosing one we like."

'Or like some kind of illusion where I'd been tossed into a made-up fantastical world.' Makoto then spoke out loud again. "Yeah, that feels about right." He mumbled. "There's no easy way to just accept the situation we've suddenly been dropped to." With those last words, Makoto fell into slumber.

'Ain't that the truth?' Makoto thought sadly. It was hard for the present 78th class to accept what they're seeing, so he could imagine what their future selves are feeling right now.

"So this is how the curtain closed on my first day at Hope's Peak Academy." The narrator Makoto spoke up before the scene faded away.

A moment after the screen turned black, the school bell rung once again. The monitor then appeared and turned on, revealing Monokuma once again. "Good morning, everyone! It is now 7 a.m. and nighttime is officially over! Time to rise and shine! Get ready to greet another beee-yutiful day!" With that, the monitor turned off.

"What beautiful day?" Leon dryly stated. "It's not like they can see the outside."

"That bear loves to taunt us, that's for sure." Byakuya said.

Slowly, Makoto awakened from his slumber. 'Apparently, it's morning.' Makoto thought a bit groggily. 'But thanks to the total lack of windows, there's no way to know for sure.'

"I really hope our future selves won't stay there for much longer." Hina shivered. "The thought of not being able to see the sun anymore just makes me shiver."

He got up from his bed and moved to the side, his feet on the floor.  'Anyway….what should I do now?'  After thinking about it for a moment, he decided.  'Maybe I should go find Sayaka, and we can figure out where to go from here together. She did say she's my assistant now.'

Leon grinned teasingly and took another chance to tease his friend. "Already attached to Sayaka, huh?" Makoto blushed madly at this.

"W-Well, Sayaka is probably the one that I got to know the most out of that situation, and she's one of the friendliest in the group." Makoto defended his future self. "O-Of course my future self will want to be with her."

Sayaka giggled, latching her arms around Makoto's arm again. "I think it's cute you want to be with me." Sayaka stated her opinion. "And I'm sure my future self will accept the company."

Makoto blushed even more at this. Meanwhile, Hina, Kyoko, Mukuro, and Celeste are either frowning, giving Sayaka a glare, or leaking out a bit of killing intent.

Sayaka is going to milk this, they can tell.

"Okay, it's decided!" Makoto spoke to himself. "I'm gonna head to her room!" With newfound determination, he left his room and went out. He immediately went to Sayaka's room, which is right by his. He rung the doorbell and waited for Sayaka to answer.

Soon enough, Sayaka opened the door. "Hello?"

He smiled. "Good morning, Sayaka."

Immediately, a bright smile entered her face. "Oh, Makoto! Perfect timing!"

"Look like Sayaka had the same idea." Junko commented. "The two of you really do stick like glue, even with the memory wipe."

The two blushed a little from her comment.

"Huh?" Was Makoto's response.

"Listen, I have a favor to ask…." Sayaka told him, looking away.

"A favor?"

"Hmm, I wonder what that favor would be, hmm?" Hifumi suggested slyly.

That got Sayaka's and Makoto's blush to increase dramatically. "It's not anything like that!" Sayaka denied. "And I suggest you to stop implying things like that in the future Hifumi!"

As she said that, she gave a polite smile, but clearly, it was anything but a smile. The fanfic creator gulped a little in fear. "U-Understood!"

"I was just getting ready to head out." She continued. "If it's okay, would you like to come with me? Maybe we could talk."

Makoto nodded. "Yeah, sure. Where are you headed?"

"Oh….um…." Sayaka suddenly became nervous. "I've been thinking that….there might be something around here I could use for self-defense."

That alarmed everyone. "Wait a minute, what do you mean for self defense?" Taka questioned Sayaka. "Does your future self think that one of us might try to kill?"

"If Sayaka isn't planning to become a murderer herself." Celestia suggested quietly.

Sayaka fidgeted at the stares from her classmates, and quickly started explaining. "Well, this is my future self saying that, so I don't know for sure what she's thinking. But, I'm sure she's just thinking about the person who kidnapped all of us."

Some of the others continued staring at her intently, not buying it. Makoto, however, being the trusting friend, believed her claim. "Yeah, we don't know if our kidnapper would strike or not. I'm sure that's what the future Sayaka is thinking."

The more suspicious classmates, such as Byakuya, Kyoko, and Celeste, couldn't help but sigh or roll their eyes at Makoto's trustful nature. Nevertheless, they backed down for now.

That alarmed Makoto. "Self defense?"

"Well, I mean," Sayaka began explaining herself. "Whoever's keeping us here could show up and attack us any time. You never know."

'Whoever trapped us here, whoever presented us with rules for murdering each other,'  Makoto thought with dread.  'Whoever put us in this insane position….She's right-we never know when they might attack.'

"So I just….want to be able to protect myself no matter what happens." She finished explaining.

"Look like we were right about Sayaka's thoughts." Makoto said, smiling at Sayaka.

Sayaka smiled as well, but it doesn't reach her cheeks. Really, unlike Makoto, she had a feeling that her other is trying to get a weapon because she suspected the others. Maybe even she was the one thinking about killing.

Few of the other students shared this thought as well. Byakuya couldn't help but roll his eyes at Makoto's trusting nature. 'He's just asking for someone to use him.'

Celeste and Kyoko, on the other hand, were worried for Makoto. He had a lot of trust in Sayaka, and if the singer betrayed him, it will definitely affect him badly. 'For Makoto sake, I hope I'm wrong.' The two of them thought simultaneously.

Mukuro is also concerned for her crush while Junko is mentally giggling in glee. If Sayaka drops into despair, Makoto will also be on his way to despair. 'Let's see if he can stay positive from that.'

'A weapon to protect herself.'  Makoto idly thought.  'Well….now that I think about it, that display case in the gym entryway had a bunch of stuff. Maybe….'

"Oh, the gym? Okay, let's go!" Sayaka said, suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

That startled Makoto once again. "A-Again?"

"Like I said, I'm psychic." She responded back. And like the other times, she started giggling. "Come on, I'm just kidding! Seriously, I just have amazing intuition."

'Am I really so easy to predict?' Makoto couldn't help but think that.

"Yes, you are."

"Very easy."

"Like an open book."

Makoto chuckled sheepishly from the answers given by Celeste, Kyoko, and Byakuya.

He shook those thoughts out. 'Anyway, we should head to the gym.'

The two them walked to the gym, and soon enough, they got to the trophy room. "Here we go." Sayaka said. "I might be able to find something to protect myself with." She turned her gaze to the trophy case, where several items are being held. "Yeah, I'm sure I'll find something in the display case I can use."

"What could be used as a weapon in there?" Hiro asked. He was also wondering why would they search for a weapon. It's not like anybody is going to attack them. "I mean, they're just trophies."

"You'd be surprised." Mukuro spoke up. "There are many things that could be used to defend one's self or even kill a person. Whether it's blunt or sharp, if it's durable, you can use it to fight in the battlefield."

"Speaking from personal experience, sis?" Junko asked her.

Mukuro nodded. "While it doesn't happen often, there are times where I needed to improvise."

Makoto also held his gaze at the trophy case. The two of them looked around it, trying to see anything they could use as a weapon, until Makoto's eyes landed on a gold sword. 'Is this….a sword? Oh, no, I think it's just a replica. Still, it's pretty impressive. It's completely covered in gold coating.'

"Could that sword be used as a weapon?" Mondo asked Mukuro.

The soldier nodded. "Mainly for defense, since it's just a replica. You would be able to fend off most of us here, except the ones adept in some form of combat."

Makoto slowly went to grab the sword, only to pull back when he felt something liquid on his hand. He looked at his palm only to see that the gold coating was all over his hand. "Jeez! I barely touched it and I got that gold stuff all over my hands."

"That sword still isn't dry yet?" Leon questioned in disbelief. "What is that gold made out of?"

"And how did they carried it without any of that gold coming off?" Chihiro wondered.

Sayaka went over and looked at his hands. "Wow, you're right." She said in surprise. "Your hands are totally gold! Even just for self-defense, I think it's a little…."

Makoto sighed. "Well, it's still better than nothing, I guess."

"You should take it with you!" Sayaka suggested. "It might help liven up the your room a little."

"You're gonna let Makoto take it?" Junko questioned. "I thought you were looking for a weapon."

Sayaka shrugged. "I think my future self didn't see much use for a sword replica."

"You think so?"

"But I guess you'd better be careful with it." Sayaka giggled. "You should wrap it in newspaper or something." Sayaka then looked at the rest of the trophies, humming. "I don't see anything I could really use for self-defense…." She sounded a bit disappointed.

"H-Hey, don't worry about it!" Makoto reassured her. "It's not like you need it right away, right? Plus, if anything were to happen…."

"When the time comes…..I'll protect you." The luckster declared.

That surprised Sayaka. "You'll….protect me?"

Makoto and Sayaka, once again, blushed at this. Makoto blushed from embarrassment even further when his friends started teasing him. "Damn Makoto, didn't know you were such a ladies man." Leon cooed.

"I agree. Our luckster is our little casanova." Mondo joined in on the teasing. Hiro grinned teasingly at Makoto as well.

Byakuya couldn't help but smirk at the lucky student. "How noble of your future self."

Sakura and Chihiro chuckled at their friend's embarrassment.

Toko, meanwhile, tried to picture Makoto as some type of bodyguard. After a moment, she shook the thought away, not being able to form the picture. His gentle nature and small demeanor made it near impossible.

A blush and a small shy smile formed on the Pop Sensation's face. "Thank you for saying that." Sayaka said softly. "If I got you on my side, I guess I don't need a weapon after all!" She giggled as she said that.

Taka couldn't help but tear up in admiration at Makoto's declaration. "I was right to call you my professor!" Taka stated passionately, speaking to Makoto. He then spoke to everyone else. "We should all follow his example! To help one another in such a time!"

Hifumi disagreed with that statement. "If it leads to an early grave, I won't do that. I want to live my full life."

Aoi, who was feeling very jealous of Sayaka, use that comment to vent it out. "So we'll watch your back when you're in trouble, and you just cower away if the situation was the other way around?"

"Did you forget that Mondo nearly got blown up if Kyoko haven't warned him?"

"That's a good example to what I said, you moron!"

Meanwhile, Junko sniffed and wiped away a fake tear. "That so beautiful! You sound like one of those fairy tale knights that want to protect the princess, Makoto. That or one of those cheesy soap drama's." Sayaka blush even further at the image. The image of Makoto being her knight and protector.

"He would be an interesting knight, if I ever came into danger." Celeste commented on in thought.

Kyoko and Mukuro, meanwhile, stayed silent. They felt very jealous of how close the future Sayaka is getting to Makoto. And they'll continue to get closer, if nothing continues to happen. Though the possibility of something bad happening does concern them.

'That mysterious smile….'  Makoto thought fondly.  'I can tell it comes from the heart. It makes me feel at ease. It makes me feel that I can do anything.'

Sayaka couldn't help but glance at Makoto, who's tomato red from the teasing of his male friends. Does her smile really affect him that way? Does it really make him feel at ease? The thought made her heart flutter.

"Okay, we can stop looking for a weapon, then." Sayaka said. "But as long as we're here, let's hang out for a bit more."

"And so the bond between Makoto and Sayaka deepens." Hiro announced.

That got the two mentioned pair even more embarrassed as well as getting Hina and Mukuro to glare at him, and got Kyoko and Celeste to let out a bit of killing intent towards the Clairvoyant.

Amazingly enough, Hiro manage to ignore the hostility. He felt it was worth teasing his friend.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 13: Watching Chapter 1: To Survive Part 5

"Umm," Sayaka tried to think of something to talk about with Makoto, but nothing seemed to come up. "I know I said that I wanted to talk to you, but now that we're here….I don't really know what to talk about." She looked down. "And I was the one who invited you to come with me too. Sorry…."

"It's okay." Makoto quickly reassured. "I mean, if there's nothing to talk about, then we can just not talk, right?"

"Huh?"

"You don't have to force yourself to talk." The luckster explained. "We can just, I dunno….stare off into space or whatever."

"Stare off into space?" Byakuya repeated, raising an eyebrow at Makoto. "That sounds incredibly boring."

"Well, I don't think my future self wanted to force a conversation out of her." Makoto explained sheepishly. "So silently hanging out would be a good option."

"And who's to say I wouldn't like the idea?" Sayaka supported her friend and crush.

"Stare off into space….?" Sayaka pondered the idea.

"Oh, but you're probably super bored!" Makoto hastily added. "Just standing around doing nothing."

Sayaka quickly spoke up. "No, it's not that it's boring. It's just," The idol took a bit of time to find the right words. "I've never really done it before. I don't have a lot of time to just….do nothing."

"I-I guess that makes sense." Makoto said in a bit of understanding. "You're not a normal high school student like me. You've got tons of stuff to do every day."

"So for me, doing nothing is like a vacation." Sayaka told them. "So the idea is far from bad."

"How much do you really have to do?" Hiro asked curiously. "You don't just sing all day, do you?"

Sayaka shook her head. "No, not all day. Our vocal cords would get tired. Have to do stuff like magazines, photo shoots, talk shows, etc."

Sayaka was silent for a moment, in thought. Then, she spoke up. "Hey, um….this is kinda out of nowhere, but," She turn her eyes towards him. "Makoto, do you have a dream?"

Makoto was a bit surprise of the question. "Well….what about you, Sayaka? What's your dream? I would like to hear…."

Junko raised an eyebrow. "Avoiding the question, are you now?"

"N-No! It isn't like that!" Makoto denied. "My future self was just curious. The question came out of the blue."

"Well, what is your dream?" Sayaka asked him. "I think all of us would like to hear it."

"Yeah. Several of us have our dreams clear to the world." Leon stated. "But we can't even guess what your dream could be."

"Oh. um," Makoto rubbed the back of his head, trying to think of what to say. "I haven't really thought about it all that much. Not much I could really do. But I guess I wanted to it be something where I can help others, make people feel happy and hopeful at least."

His answer brought a few smiles across the room. "That's not bad at all." Kyoko said. "There are plenty of careers where you could fulfill that role. And it suits you."

Sayaka nodded in agreement. "Yep. Your positive outlook is infectious."

Makoto blush a little at the praise from the two girls, and stayed silent.

"I….my dream is," Sayaka began. A smile formed on her lips. "I've always wanted to be a star, as long as I can remember. I grew up without a mother, you know, and my dad worked really late every night. I was always home alone. I was just a kid, you know? So I was really lonely."

"But that all changed when I saw a pop star on TV for the first time." She continued. "She was so pretty, like a princess. And she could sing, and dance, but more than anything else, there was her smile. Looking at her smile, I could feel my loneliness melting away. I decided that's what I wanted to be someday. I wanted to give that kind of encouragement to others. Eventually, the became my dream."

"Wow," Hina said, some tears forming in her eyes. "That was beautiful."

"Your dream to become a singer sounds very sincere and selfless Sayaka." Chihiro complimented. "And now you're living your dream."

Sayaka blushed. "Thank you, you guys."

Makoto smiled at her. He heard her story some time ago, so it wasn't his first time hearing this. Still, he couldn't help but feel happy for Sayaka. To be able to complete a lifelong dream is amazing.

Makoto was in awe of that story. "That's so amazing, though." He said. "You were able to actually fulfill your lifelong dream. Honestly, it's really incredible."

Sayaka smiled. Hearing it from Makoto, who's always polite and sincere with whatever he's saying, is nice. Made her feel like what she did to make her dream happen was worth it even more.

Sayaka was silent for a moment. Then, she spoke, looking serious. "I did whatever it took to reach that dream. I mean it. Even some things that….weren't so pleasant."

Sayaka stiffened at this. Is her other going to reveal those things? Makoto, seeing her stiffen, grabbed her hand and gave a soft squeeze, silently reassuring. The pop idol relaxed slightly at this, but didn't relax fully.

"Huh? What do you mean, things that weren't so pleasant?" Taka questioned her.

Sayaka stayed silent, not wanting to answer. Fortunately, Makoto knew this and helped her out. "It's something she doesn't to talk about Taka." Makoto politely told him. "Let just focus on this for right now."

Taka nodded and put his eyes back to the screen while Sayaka smiled at Makoto gratefully.

"I honestly believed that as long as you kept chasing your dreams, someday they may come true." Sayaka stated passionately. "But to do that, you can't take your eyes off that dream, not even for a second. Even if sometimes it's a bad dream….whether you're awake or asleep, to make your dream a reality, you have to keep your gaze fixed on it no matter what."

"That's a rather….focused view." Taka said, not knowing what to think about Sayaka's philosophy.

"M-More like obsessed." Toko disagreed.

Sayaka shook her head. "No, it's not obsession." Sayaka denied. "It's keeping your eyes towards the goal."

"In that world, if you lose focus for even a split second, you get left behind." She continued. "You have to keep on swimming against the current, without even taking time to breathe. That's the kind of world my dream lives in."

"T-The music biz really that tough?" Leon questioned hesitantly. "Well, I'm glad I got back to baseball. Don't know if I could handle the stress."

"You definitely wouldn't." Sayaka couldn't help but muttered. You don't survive in the music business with that kind of laid-back attitude. That's what she believes.

If only she met the Ultimate Musician.

"I-Is it really that tough?" Makoto asked nervously. "Is it not fun at all?"

"Oh no, don't get the wrong idea." Sayaka reassured. "It's super fun! But….that's exactly what scares me."

"Huh?" That's becoming a catchphrase for Makoto.

"I enjoy every single day I wake up and get to do what I do." Sayaka told him. "Everyone in our group is amazing. We're rivals in a way, but they all mean so much to me. We've performing together since we were young, so they're all like family to me. Without them, I would've given up on my dream a long time ago. To work together, and fulfill our dreams together, has brought me so much happiness." As she told him this, the smile got back on her face at the fond memories.

But then the smile disappeared and she became serious once again. "But that's the thing that scares me the most. If the world gets tired of us, then what happens? What happens to us? Then the dream dies, those wonderful days come to an end, and everyone goes their separate ways."

"Why am I getting sudden chills?" Hifumi questioned, a bit nervous at how Sayaka is acting.

"You seem to take your dream seriously." Byakuya remarked to Sayaka.

Sayaka looked down, away from everyone. "I worked hard to fulfill that dream." She explained seriously. "For it to die, it wipes away all that hard work."

'S-Sayaka,' Makoto thought in alarm. He noticed something. 'She's trembling. She must be terrified. She worked so hard, sacrificed so much, to get where she is. She must be terrified of losing it.'

"Is that true Sayaka?" Hina asked in concern.

The idol nodded. "Makoto hit it right in the nail Just the thought terrifies me." She admitted. She turned to Makoto. "It's only the first day, and you're able to read me well."

"Well, I guess deadly situations do tend to get people to bond faster." Makoto said, smiling sheepishly. Sayaka smiled.

"Guess so."

"So that's the reason I decided to come to Hope's Peak." Sayaka said.

That got Makoto's attention. "What do you mean?"

"Well….they say that if you graduate from here, success is basically guaranteed. Which means I could keep on performing with my best friends, forever and ever." She explained. "At least, that's what I thought. I really did believe that, but…."

"...now we're trapped here, with no way out. They're probably waiting for me," An obsessed and terrified look entered Sayaka's eyes. "While I'm in here, the world out there is forgetting about me. Minute by minute, we're all disappearing. But still…."

"Sayaka….?"

"I can't afford to be stuck in here!" Sayaka shouted, startling Makoto.

That startled the others as well. "Okay, scratch that Toko, this is obsession right here." Leon remarked.

"This situation is affecting future Sayaka more than we thought." Mondo stated. "That look is scaring me a little."

Sayaka's hand is gripping onto Makoto's, having a hard time watching this. Makoto gripped back as tightly as he could in reassurance.

Kyoko and Byakuya narrowed their eyes at the future Sayaka. Could she end up trying to murder somebody? Could her desire to keep her dream lead to her being the first one to kill?

Mukuro narrowed eyes at both the future Sayaka and Sayaka here. She better not try to use Makoto or worse, try to kill him. She doesn't think she could hold herself back if the latter happens.

Junko is analyzing the scene in front of her. Seems like Sayaka will be the first to kill. She just need one more push, and she would be on her way to killing.

'She sounds….desperate. Really desperate.'  Makoto thought.  'But, I understand why she feels that way. Trapped here, the dream she put so much effort into is on the verge of disappearing forever. It isn't something I can fix with a few kind words. I can't imagine how much weight she's carrying.'

Sayaka gain a small smile. "You're really understanding Makoto." Sayaka said softly. "Most would think I'm overreacting. But you exactly understand how I feel."

Makoto smiled at her. "Well, you're my friend. Of course I understand you." Makoto replied back to her. "I would be a crappy friend if I didn't."

The pop idol, after that outburst, manage to get back control of her emotions. "Ah-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to complain." Sayaka apologized. "I kinda killed the mood, huh?"

"No, not at all." Makoto reassured.

"I'm really sorry." Sayaka apologized once again.

The two were silent once again. "Um, Sayaka," Makoto spoke up, wanting to change the subject for the moment. To help her feel better. "Actually, are you hungry? Before we head back, why don't we go to the dining hall and get some food?"

The girl was silent for a moment. "So," Sayaka finally spoke. And then, her mood went a quick 180, from sad to happy. "You want me to make us something to eat? I might not look like it, but I'm actually a pretty good cook!"

The more observant people couldn't help but notice the quick 180 of Sayaka's mood change. 'So she's wearing a mask.' Kyoko, Celeste, Junko, Mukuro, and Byakuya thought.

Sayaka felt a foreboding thought coming to her head. She feels that her future self might do something drastic. And her intuition is pretty accurate.

"Wow, really? What's your specialty?" Makoto asked curiously.

"Chili oil." She stated with a straight face.

"Huh?!" Was the response of the others. Mondo then spoke up. "That's not food, that's a fucking condiment!"

Sayaka giggled. "Relax. I'm sure it was a joke." She reassured them.

"You mean the condiment?!"

Sayaka giggled at that. "Just kidding!" She burst out laughing, effectively getting rid of her early mood.

'Her mood went a complete 180.'  Makoto couldn't help but thin k.  'But how did it happen so fast? It was almost like a mask, like some kind of neutral expression.'

Makoto looked at Sayaka. It's true, her happy expression was like a mask, the first couple of weeks. After, she slowly opened up to him and show other parts of herself behind that mask.

"Hmm, could it be that she's bipolar?" Hiro guessed.

That got Sayaka to slowly turn towards him, a sickly sweet smile plastered on her face. "I'm sorry, I'm what?" A dark aura surrounded her.

Hiro yelped and held his arms up in front of him. "Nothing, I said nothing!"

Shaking those thoughts away, the two of them went to the dining hall. When they got there, they saw only a couple of people in the dining hall.

When they entered, Makoto noticed Junko laying her head down at one of the tables. That got him a bit curious. "I'm gonna check on Junko for a moment." Makoto told Sayaka. "Is that okay with you?"

Sayaka nodded. "Sure. I'll make breakfast while you're talking." Makoto smiled at her gratefully before going to Junko's spot in the dining hall.

"Look like you're going to get your moment with Makoto, Mukuro!" Junko whispered to her sister, causing the soldier to blush.

"Hey, Junko, are you alright?" Makoto asked in concern.

He received a groan in response. And slowly, the fashionista lifted her head up. "God, I am seriously freaking bored….!" She moaned. "I'm gonna die….I'm gonna die from being so bored! I'm infected! I've got terminal boredom disease!"

"Wow, you've really got Junko's personality pat down." Leon commented. "I would totally see her acting like this here."

Mukuro nodded. "She is my sister, after all. I should know enough about her to act like her."

"Cool! Maybe you're not such a useless sister!" Junko said brightly, causing the soldier to blush a little once again.

"I-Is it really that bad….?" Makoto asked hesitantly.

"I just hate being bored. Hate it!" Junko declared. "I never noticed how much I hate it! But once we got trapped in here, it finally hit me!"

'That's….pretty recent.' Makoto thought to himself.

Junko continued. "I'd rather be living homeless in the street than stuck in here!"

"Homeless?"

"Yeah, you know! Like, the hobo life!" Junko explained. "I've done it before, you know."

"Huh?!" Was the response from several, due to the disguised Mukuro's statement. Everyone turned to the soldier, as well as her fashionista sister. "Is this true?" Taka questioned.

Junko was the one to answer. "Yep! Totally lived the hobo life!"

"And you ended up becoming a fashionista?" Sayaka questioned, a bit stuned. "The Ultimate Fashionista at that."

"Well, the hobo life didn't diminish my natural beauty." Junko stated, getting into her royally arrogant persona. "Any fool with eyes can see how perfect I am." That got Toko grumbling a bit in bitter jealousy.

"At least the two of you managed to get out of that life." Makoto said, smiling. He wasn't affected by the sudden info, since he heard it from Mukuro at one point. "I assume you did, considering the two of you managed to go to France for vacation."

Mukuro nodded. "You assume correctly. We eventually lived more comfortably."

"You have?!" Makoto exclaimed in shock.

"Yeah. It's….a long story." Junko said, not getting into details.

"And now you're a model?!"

"Well….that's a long story, too."

'How many 'long stories' do you have?' Makoto questioned to himself.

"I still haven't gotten the story." Makoto mentioned to Mukuro.

The soldier sighed. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Was her answer. "And we don't have the time to tell it right now."

"Seriously, if I had to choose between staying here and being homeless again, gimme the street!" By now, Junko propped herself up on her elbows.

"I….guess I can understand that." Makoto said. "I mean, you're probably in more danger here than there…."

"Oh hell no!" Junko refuted. "Homeless is totally dangerous! You never know when a pack of wild animals might show up."

"Wild animals?" Hifumi questioned in confusion.

"She means people willing to attack you." Junko informed him.

"Wild animals?"

"Oh, I don't mean literally." Junko reteriated. "I mean people who attack the weak, who wants to hurt you. The world's full of animals like that, y'know?"

"Ain't that the fucking truth?" Mondo grumbled. He've seen much of that while with his gang.

"Well, I think it's safer living on the street than trapped in a building." Leon said. "At least you have more open space to escape your attacker."

"But I think that having to live like that made me way stronger." Junko said, her voice getting a bit softer.

Makoto couldn't help but notice that change of tone. 'Hearing someone with actual experience talk like that really has a lot weight to it.'

"Okay, that sounds like something Mukuro would say." Hifumi commented. "Getting out of character there Ms. Ikusaba."

"Oh come on Mukuro! You could at least stay in character, can't you?" Junko complained. Mukuro looked sheepish at this.

"Sorry, that kinda got weird, huh?" Junko said, getting out of that serious state. "All I was trying say is….when the hell are we gonna get out of here?!"

She then started shouting at one of the cameras."Hey, whatever dumb bastard trapped us in here, are you listening?! When are you gonna let us OUT?! Just tell us what we gotta do to get out of here! Hell, you can even just tell me! I know how to keep a secret!"

The group got taken aback by her shouting. "Okay, that was fucking unexpected." Mondo bluntly stated.

"Did you really think that shouting would work?" Byakuya questioned Mukuro with a raised eyebrow. "Even for acting, it was a bit much."

Mukuro didn't show any embarrassment. "Okay, I admit, it might've been a bit much."

"Maybe she was trying to recover from that bouts of seriousness." Junko suggested with a chirp.

Silence, along with some stares from the few people, was met with her shouting. "Nothin' huh? Pisses me off." Junko grumbled, laying back down on the table.

Makoto chuckled. "Well, I mean….there's no way they'd make it that easy." When the two got silent, a thought came up to Makoto. "But listen….you're not thinking of doing anything….drastic, are you?"

"Drastic?" Junko questioned. Then realization hit her eyes. "Oh, you mean the whole 'kill someone' thing? Haha, Don't worry, I would never kill someone!"

"Yeah, r-real reassuring when it comes from a mercenary." Toko said sarcastically.

Mukuro didn't hesitate to speak. "I would only kill if ordered to, not if I want to." She stated. "No matter the situation, I only kill if the mission requires me to."

"And since you aren't ordered to kill anybody to escape, you won't do it?" Makoto questioned. Mukuro nodded.

"Exactly."

She then grew a worried look. "What, do I look like I would? Do I seriously look like a killer?!"

"N-No, that's not what I meant." Makoto quickly reassured. "Really, you don't."

"Right? I don't, right?!" Junko reiterated.

"Worried there, huh sis?" Junko questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Well, it's Makoto, so I don't think you have to worry. Most likely, he's just worried about you."

"Yeah, I agree. I think future me is just worried." Makoto agreed. That got a blush from Mukuro.

"But anyway, are you saying you were worried about me?" A small blush was gain on her feature. "Gotta say, Makoto….that's kinda cute."

That caused Mukuro to blush even more while Makoto blushed a little as well. "Kinda cute, huh?" Junk grinned teasingly. "You know, you didn't have to say that in order to be like me."

"You're enjoying teasing her, aren't you?" Makoto questioned, the blush still on his face.

Junko nodded. "Very."

"You almost killed me with cuteness there!"

"...Huh?"

"C'mon, I'm just screwing with you!" Junko waved off. "You didn't take it serious, did you?! But ya know….there's something about you. I'm not getting sick of talking to you, like I do with most people. Let's hang out again, 'kay? Ehehe!" With that, the fashionista got up and walked away.

"What do you mean by that?" Makoto asked Mukuro curiously.

The soldier smiled slightly. "Well, there's something about you that makes me want to talk to you more. That makes me more relaxed around you."

"Really?" He didn't really get what was so great about him. He's as normal as normal can be, if only a bit more positive than others.

"Really." Mukuro confirmed.

Makoto watched as Junko playfully walked out of the lunch room. "I….still don't get her." He admitted to himself. 'Am I getting played, somehow….?'

Mukuro shook her head. "I wouldn't do that. I'm not the type to mess with someone's head."

"I know." Makoto said, not disagreeing. "But your future self is disguised as Junko, and she seems the type to do so!"

"Aw! That's so mean Makoto!" Junko pouted, getting into her cutesy persona for a moment.

The scene then changed to Makoto in his room, sitting on his bed, with the fake sword in his room. 'The only thing in my room is….a fake sword covered in gold.' Makoto thought blankly. 'All it does is make me feel that much more uncomfortable.'

He then laid back on his bed, looking up at the ceiling. As he does, the conversation he had with Sayaka this morning replayed in his head. 'Even if I understand where her desperation is coming from, I can't relate to it.' He can't help but think in frustration. 'The pressure she's under is way different from anything a normal high schooler like me go through. She didn't just stumble into the school the way I did. So I can't say I feel things the way she does.'

'Compared to her….no, compared to everyone else here….there's no doubt I just don't match up.'  Makoto continued.  'I guess that might explain my own frustration.'

"I think not matching up with anyone can be a good thing." Kyoko reassured her friend. "You won't have strong motives to kill like the others most likely would. Having no reason in attending Hope's Peak means no past dragging you down."

Makoto blinked before smiling a little. "I haven't thought of it like that." Makoto admitted. "I guess it means it's a good thing that I don't share Sayaka's frustration."

"A very good thing." Sayaka herself asserted.

Shaking those thoughts off, he decided to go exploring. 'I don't feel like standing in my room all day.' With that in mind, he got up and went to the door, hopefully to find any clues about this place and possibly a way out.

However, as he open the door, he was met with an already familiar blue-haired friend. "Oh! Sayaka!" Makoto said in surprise.

"Oh come on!" Hina whined quietly. "Can't any of us get some time with Makoto?"

Sakura could only smile in amusement at her friend and rub her back in reassurance. "Relax Hina." Sakura said softly. "I'm sure you'll get your time with him."

"I hope so." Hina pouted. "Cause Sayaka is hogging all the time."

Sayaka, as if she heard her, smiled cheekily at Hina. The swimmer growled a little in response.

"Umm, Makoto?" Sayaka spoke up nervously. "Do you think you could make time for the two of us to talk?"

"Wh-What's wrong? Why are you being so formal?" Makoto asked in concern for his friend. As he asked that, he walked into the hallway and closed the door behind him.

"W-Well, it's just," Sayaka took a deep breath before speaking once again. "I guess that was kind of formal, but it's just because I know I can count on you."

"...Huh?"

"Having you by my side really makes me feel a lot better." Sayaka stated. "If you weren't here with me, I just don't know what I'd do. I'd be lost. I hate that we had to meet again under such awful conditions, but….I'm relieved you're with me." The relief is evident in her voice.

Makoto blushed once again. The future's Sayaka words gave him a fluttery feeling, but also makes him feel embarrassed. Sayaka blushed as well, embarrassed about her thoughts being revealed like that.

"So, are you gonna invite us to the wedding?" Mondo teased, causing the two to blush harder.

"The two of you do look cute together." Chihiro giggled. Kyoko, Mukuro, Celeste, and Hina refrained themselves from giving Chihiro annoyed glances or glares. She's too sweet for something like that.

"Sayaka," Makoto breathed out. A blush spread on his face. 'Hearing her say that….it's nice, but kind of embarrassing at the same time.'

Sayaka, though still blushing, couldn't help but giggled at Makoto's thought.

"I….know how you feel." Makoto managed to say to her. "You being here is what saved me."

"R-Really?" Sayaka said in surprise, a blush formed on her face. A giggle came out of her mouth. "Thank you for the flattery."

Makoto mentally shook his head.

'No, Sayaka. That smile of yours really did saved me.'

By now, Makoto is wondering why his face isn't permanently red yet while Sayaka's blush kept getting bigger. "It's really sweet of you to think that." Sayaka said, smiling softly.

Kyoko, Hina, Mukuro, and Celeste are stewing in jealousy. It's clear that the future Makoto is quite taken with Sayaka. 'I hope my future self manages to let herself open up to Makoto soon.' Kyoko thought.

'Come, future me, show Makoto that you are the better woman.' Celeste thought.

'Come on, let my future self have some time with Makoto!' Hina whined.

'...I hope my future self gets some more time with him.' Mukuro thought with a small blush.

"But it's kind of strange, you know?" Sayaka asked rhetorically. "I never thought I'd get a chance to really talk to you like this. All through middle school, you never talked to me. In fact, you never even looked at me."

"It's because you were a celebrity. I couldn't just go around staring at you….." Makoto explained himself. Then something hit him. "Wait, how do you know I never looked at you?"

That got some minds clicking. "Now that Makoto mentioned it, how did you know that?" Taka questioned. "The two of you never made previous interactions."

"Maybe Celeste was on too something about Sayaka stalking him." Junko suggested slyly. Sayaka blushed.

"I wasn't!" She denied.

"Because I looked at you all the time." Was her answer.

"...Huh?"

"This evidence suggest otherwise."

"I'm telling you, I wasn't." Sayaka pouted. "My future self is going to explain herself."

"I was always looking for an opportunity to talk to you." She clarified.

That surprised Makoto. "You….wanted to talk to me?"

"But since I always had so many people around me, we ended up graduating without saying a word." She said in disappointment. "That was one of my biggest regrets."

"But….why me?" Makoto asked, wanting an answer.

"Th-That's what we want to know." Toko stated. "Wh-Why would an idol want to talk to a c-common boy?"

"I admit, my curiosity is piqued as well." Byakuya stated, one of the few times he agreed on something with Toko. "You did say your future self was going to explain, did you not?"

"Yep." Sayaka confirmed. "And it looks like she's about to."

"Do you remember during our first year of junior high, that huge bird wandered into the school pond?" Sayaka asked him. "It was like out of a fairy tale. The turtle once every million years, the bird once every thousand."

Makoto thought about it for a moment before it clicked. "It was a crane, right? It just walked right into the pond." Makoto remembered.

"That's right!" Sayaka confirmed. "That what it was. It was so big, the teacher had no idea what to do." The she smiled. "But you led it into the forest behind the school. You helped it find its way out."

"That's what got you to notice Makoto?" Byakuya asked with a raised eyebrow. "That's just him being an overly kind person."

"And that's what got me to notice." Sayaka argued. "No one but Makoto was willing to help that Crane find it's way back home. You don't see that many people doing that."

"And I still think you're exaggerating about that." Makoto murmured sheepishly.

'Well, only cuz I was already in charge of taking care of animals at school.'  Makoto thought.  'They made me do it.'

Sayaka shook her head. "You're being too modest Makoto. You could've just led it out of the pond, or possibly let animal control deal with it, but you decided to help out. That's what made it special."

Makoto chuckled sheepishly at this, a bit of the blush remaining on his cheek.

"I should have said thank you then, but….is it okay if I do it now?" Sayaka inquired.

"Thank me?" The luckster repeated in confusion.

"I'm that crane, you see." Sayaka declared. "I've come to return the favor. Here, let me make you a cloak."

"...Hubba-Wha?!" Hifumi cried out in shock.

Celeste face palmed. "Relax Hifumi. Sayaka is most likely joking."

"You always make jokes like that." Chihiro commented.

Sayaka giggled. "What I can say? I like seeing people's shocked reaction."

"..."

Sayaka giggled at Makoto's befuddled look. "Just kidding!"

"Y-Yeah, I kinda figured."

"Honestly though, I was so impressed." She continued. "That's why I wanted to talk to you, even just once. I never imagined this would be how I got my chance…."

'Yeah. If we'd met again at a train station somewhere downtown, that'd make for a nice dramatic reunion.'  Makoto thought.  'But instead, it's this weird school.'

"At least we got a better reunion than that one." Sayaka said optimistically. Makoto smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. There's definitely that."

"Maybe, but still," Sayaka said, interpreting Makoto's thought. "I'm sure you'll help me find my way out, just like that crane. You'll save me. It's just intuition, I know, but I still believe it."

"That is a lot of confidence you have in Makoto." Celeste commented on.

Sayaka smiled. "Well, he's a very dependable person. I bet that's what my other is thinking." Honestly, she isn't hundred percent sure on it, but she isn't going to voice it.

Kyoko couldn't but feel suspicious over future Sayaka's words. That bad feeling she's having, has been slowly increasing. Is future Sayaka planning something, or at least thinking about it?

'I'm going to save her?' Makoto thought in surprise. But then the surprise soon turn into determination. "I'll do my best, I promise that. I'll make sure it's more than just intuition. If there's anything I can do, I'm going to do it!"

Byakuya frowned. "Careful with making promises like that Makoto." The affluent progeny warned the luckster. "People can take it in more ways than one, including your friends."

"What do you mean?" Makoto asked him curiously.

"Just a little warning for the future." Byakuya had to admit, his suspicion for Sayaka is also increasing. He won't voice this out yet, knowing it would just cause some confusion, but will hold onto it until there's no more reason to.

"I believe you." Sayaka stated. "Besides, my intuition always turn out to be right. Cuz I'm psychic." She giggled once again. "Kidding, kidding!" She laughed out loud as she said it.

"The two of you are getting closer and closer with every conversation." Chihiro commented on with a small smile. "That's nice."

"I agree." Sayaka chirped, laying her head on Makoto's shoulder. "We're close to becoming soul mates." Makoto blushed while the other girls gave Sayaka the stinky eyes.

Yep, they are correct. She is definitely milking it.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 14: Watching Chapter 1: To Survive Part 6

The scene is switched to Leon and Makoto in the bathroom, the two of them looking for any clues in here. "No use." Makoto sighed. "Nothing in here."

"Wait, why are you two looking inside the bathroom?" Byakuya questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Do you honestly expect a secret doorway or something to show up in there?"

Makoto smiled sheepishly at this. "I don't know for sure myself, but I guess my future self is thinking that it wouldn't hurt. Anything else we could have probably already been searched or someone else is searching."

"And you know the old saying. Don't knock it until you try it." Leon added in.

Leon sighed. "I'm not even afraid anymore. Now I'm just pissed off." As he said that, his expression grew angry. "Why?! Why is this happening to me?!"

"I-It's not like you're the only victim." Toko remarked. "Remember that the rest of us are trapped."

Now it's Leon turn to be sheepish. "I think my future self knows. He's just letting out some steam."

"This isn't fair, man! I mean, am I wrong?"

"Oh, um, yeah. It really isn't." Makoto replied back. He was taken off guard a bit by Leon's sudden bout of rage.

"Right? Totally unfair. Ultra unfair!" Leon exclaimed in anger. "Just like having to shave my head right before every baseball game!"

"Um, if I recall, that choice was yours, was it not?" Celeste questioned.

Leon groaned. "They didn't gave me a choice, okay? I didn't even want to play at first!"

"Well, I mean….you chose to do that, right?" Makoto pointed out.

Unfortunately, that did not help Leon's anger. "C'mon, man! Are you against me now, too?!" He questioned angrily. "I didn't even want to play! But the coach and all the teachers begged me, so I did it! And then they made me shave my head, just cuz it's 'tradition'. How's that fair?!"

"Seriously, why?!" Leon griped. "The people back in America didn't have to do it."

"True, but there are people who deem tradition just as important." Sakura said. "Especially with the things they pride themselves in. Letting anyone disregard that tradition, even those very skilled, would be like dishonoring the subject they pride themselves in."

"Yeah, whatever." Leon grumbled, not really caring.

"You really hate baseball that much, huh?" Makoto couldn't help but comment.

Leon crossed his arms and nodded firmly. "Damn straight I do!" He proclaimed. "Who has fun running around on a dusty field for three hours?!"

'But….for baseball plays, the field is like sacred ground, isn't it?' Makoto thought.

"But, it's so not cool!" Leon continued to gripe. "Spending all that time at practice, getting covered in sweat and dirt. It's just baseball, right? It's easy! Who needs practice?!"

Sayaka had to bite her tongue so she wouldn't say anything rash to her friend. Unlike him, she had to work for her talent, even doing stuff that she regrets doing. It irked her how he didn't earn his talent, able to get his baseball position without even doing anything, and doesn't even care!

'I think the gods picked the wrong person to be bless with that much talent….'

"Dude!" Leon exclaimed, stunned.

Makoto winced sheepishly. "Sorry man."

"Can't say he's wrong though." Byakuya remarked. Some of the others like Toko, Celeste, and Junko agreed with the Togami heir.

"...You guys all suck." Leon grumbled.

"Still," Leon began. "I gotta admit, baseball wasn't all bad. It did have a few things going for it."

"Yeah, right?" Makoto agreed. "Like the feeling of camaraderie between you and your teammates!"

Leon shook his head at that. "Nah, nothin' like that! I can't stand being around a bunch of sweaty guys. So totally uncool!"

"Then….what did you like about it?"

"Well, I hate studying, right?" The baseball player started explaining. "But I still got into this super fancy school on a sports scholarship. As long as I kept playing, I never had to study!"

Byakuya's eyes twitched. "That kind of lazy viewpoint leads to you on the streets, Leon."

"And yet I'm at Hope's Peak." Leon countered with a grin. Byakuya merely sighed in annoyance.

"And besides that," A grin then formed on his face. "It made me super popular with the ladies! Booyah! Ya jealous? I got to third base in more ways than one, if you know what I'm sayin'! ….Just kidding!"

That got several classmates to roll their eyes. Typical Leon.

Makoto didn't know what to say to that. He was just….baffled. Leon chuckled. "I got plenty more where that came from!" He stated. "I'll tell ya more about it next time. Right now, I want to ask you something else."

"What's up?" Makoto asked curiously. The two of them walked out of the bathroom and went a slow pace to the dining hall.

"Well, I wanna start up a band, right?" Leon asked rhetorically. "I was wondering if you know anyone who's good at writing music. Oh, but nobody too popular! I don't want anyone to overshadow my own popularity as the lead singer!"

Byakuya blinked a little in surprise. "That is….some fair amount of thinking you've put in your plan." The heir admitted. "I'm surprise you actually thought about it."

"Hey. I was being serious about it the first few months." Leon grumbled.

"Your motive for doing it says otherwise." Sakura countered. That got a few laughs while Leon grumbled even more.

"You're serious about becoming a musician, huh?" Makoto couldn't help but comment.

"Absolutely!" Leon agreed, completely determined. "And I don't want be a George, ya know? Gotta get that Paul action!"

"A what and a what now?" Hina asked in confusion. Sakura merely shrugged, not knowing what Leon is talking about.

"Speaking of which, what kind of music do you want to make?" Makoto asked him.

Leon thought about it for a bit. "Well, what if I said I wanted to be like the Damned, The Clash, and The Sex Pistols?"

Makoto, after thinking for a second, answered. "Those are all punk bands, right?"

"Damn straight!" Leon confirmed passionately. "My plan is to conquer the world with punk!" Then he said the next part with a little less passion. "Cuz I mean….when it comes to punk, it doesn't really matter if you can actually play or not."

'I'm….not sure how many punk bands would agree with that.' Makoto couldn't help but think.

Sayaka shook her head. "Any genre requires you to know how to play." Sayaka explained. "Even something as wild as punk. You can't just go in there and play professionally." She may be just an idol, but she's got a good grasp of music and their genres.

"Anyway, by the time I got to this school, I'd already decided I was gonna quit baseball." Leon stated. "I was just gonna use it as a stepping stone once I got into Hope's Peak to propel me to stardom. I was gonna use my time here to become the Ultimate Musician."

Junko turned to Leon. "So, stepping stone huh?" She smirked in his direction.

"Use it to propel to stardom, huh?" Celestia joined in.

"And you do realize that you had to be skilled in all kinds of genre to become the Ultimate Musician, right?" Kyoko questioned with a raised eyebrow as Leon slumped further and further into his seat.

Makoto smiled at his friend sympathetically before turning to the others. "Okay, I think he's had enough. No need to twist the knife more."

"Aww!" Junko whined. "But I like twisting it!" Celestia and Kyoko, meanwhile, just quietly turned back to the screen.

Leon smiled. "Thanks man. Don't know how much more I could take."

"Anytime Leon." Makoto said back, smiling back at his best male friend.

"...That's dream dead now, though." He said in disappointment. "I came here chasing a dream, but I never imagined it'd turn into such a nightmare….Dammit! I have to do it! I have to become a famous musician!" His disappointment slowly turned into anger. "Stop screwing with me, world! Give me back my youth! Give me back my dreams!"

"Is everyone gonna be yelling at the ceiling?" Hiro questioned. "First Mukuro and now Leon? What has the ceiling ever done to us?"

"It's just their way to let out their frustration." Makoto said.

'So Leon did have a dream after all.'  Makoto thought.  'But it had nothing to do with baseball. He was never really serious about baseball, but I can't say I blame him for what he did.'

"And what's your thoughts on his dream now?" Junko questioned him with a smile. Makoto gulped.

"I plead the fifth." Was his statement.

"I….I swear to god, I have to do it!" Leon said, his voice getting desperate. "Then that girl at the hair salon will go out with me!"

"...Huh?" Makoto stopped walking, shocked at what Leon just said.

Leon noticed and stopped as well. "Oh yeah, she told me she only dated musicians." Leon explained to him. "Her face is okay, but she's got a smokin' hot body. I gotta get me some of that!"

"That's….not the real reason you want to do all that, is it?" Makoto asked hesitantly.

"What better reason is there?!" Leon questioned rhetorically, as if it was obvious. "The whole point of becoming a musician is to be popular, right?"

Sayaka couldn't help but scowl at that. "No, that's not the only reason people become musicians or singers." She said a bit angrily.

"No matter how many times I hear it, his motivation for becoming a musician….still baffles me." Sakura said blankly.

"I know, right?" Hina agreed. "I mean, he was so passionate about it and then we found out that he wanted become one just to get a girl to ask him out?"

"That is not the correct motivation to even call it a dream!" Taka reprimanded Leon. "Should I give you another lecture, just in case?"

Leon paled and held his hands up. "No, I'm good! I've learned my lesson!" He does NOT want to be in one of Taka's lectures again.

"Speaking of which, do you know what kind guy Sayaka's into?" Leon inquired. "Is she into musicians? Or maybe actors? Maybe I should become an actor!"

"You already thinking of switching your plans?" Mondo questioned incredulously. "Jesus man, keep your hormones away from your common sense."

Leon chuckled sheepishly. Sayaka, meanwhile, merely smiled in amusement, erasing her scowl. She isn't really bothered by Leon being into her. Being an idol means have a whole bunch of guys having a crush on her.

Makoto doesn't know what to say about this. "Let's….just go to the dining hall before it's late." Was all Makoto could muster. Leon shrugged and the two continued walking to the dining hall. 'I feel like I'm understanding Leon a little better….'

The scene switched to Makoto, laying on his bed. It's 10:00 p.m., making it officially nighttime. 'Today's already come to an end.' Makoto thought to himself. 'But I swear….tomorrow I'm going to find some sort of clue! I swear!' With that statement in mind, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

'I wonder how long he'll be thinking that.' Junko thought to herself. 'Sooner or later, he's going to break. Wonder when that will be.'

The scene switched to Makoto at the A/V room, looking at all the monitors. It was the only place he hadn't looked in yet, so he decided to look inside. "Heeey, Makoto~!" The luckster turned to see Junko walking over to him, smiling. "Slacking off again?"

"N-No, that's not it." Makoto denied, blushing a bit. But then he soon corrected himself. "Well, kinda. Someone else already looked in the A/V room, and I just wanted to check it out. Guess I was kinda bored."

Junko sighed. "Yeah, I'm bored too." She admitted. "Let's chill for a while!" The fashionista sat on one of the seats.

The two were silent for a moment, just relaxing, when Junko spoke up once again. "Hey, Makoto? Can I tell you something?" Instead of her usual perky tone, it was softer. "I mean, you and you alone…."

Junko raised both her eyebrows. "Oh? What this? A love confession about to happen?"

Mukuro blushed darkly at the thought while Makoto blushed a little as well. "I-I'm sure it's something else, Junko." Mukuro hastily said. The thought of confessing to Makoto made her heart race faster than being bombarded by bullets and explosions at a battlefield. And considering she actually experienced the latter first-hand, that's saying something.

"Just me? What is it?" Makoto asked, sitting on one of the other chairs.

"My true intentions." She answered him.

"Huh?"

"To be honest, I'm kinda fed up with all of this." Junko said softly.

Junko narrowed her eyes, just a bit, at the screen. Does that sound like Mukuro is having second thoughts on the plan?

Mukuro also wondered this, but then shook her head. She has been having second thoughts about it ever since meeting Makoto, but her future isn't dumb enough to reveal those thoughts around the cameras.

"We're all ultimates, right? So we get carried away and rush face-first into stuff. Even I have to wonder if it's okay to live like that."

Makoto looked at her curiously. "Are you thinking of quitting modeling or something?"

At that, she stayed silent. After a moment, she spoke up. "Dreams are meant to change as you grow up, right? Depending on where you're at- kindergarten, elementary school, junior high, high school….but I've had the same dream since I was a little kid, and I've been rushing towards it ever since."

"So I've never really had to think all that hard about my dreams." Junko finished off with a bit of frustration in her voice.

"Mukuro…." Makoto turned to the soldier. "Is your other thinking about quitting your soldier life?"

Mukuro was silent for a moment. No one could tell what she's thinking, due to her blank face. Then, she spoke. "Those thoughts had crossed my mind a couple of times."

"But why?" Hina asked curiously. "I mean, there are those who still have the same dream. That just mean you still feel the same way about it, right?"

Mukuro was merely silent at this. "I think my future self will explain." Was all she said, after a moment.

"But what's wrong with that?" Makoto asked curiously. "It just means you still feel the same way, right?"

Junko looked down. "That's what I used to think." She admitted. "But if it doesn't change, your possibilities can't grow, right? That's how new opportunities are born. And up until now, I never did that. I never let my dreams grow. All I saw was that one dream. I put everything I had into that one narrow little world."

Makoto, along with some others, couldn't help but look at the stoic Mukuro. Does she feel the same way? This may be her future self, but her memory was wiped along with everybody else. Is that what she's feeling right now?

Junko was a bit surprise. She always thought that Mukuro is just a muscle-head, kinda like Oowada, but with less of a temper. She never expected her sister to have thoughts like that.

'Guess she have more layers than I thought.' Junko thought.

She clenched her hands into fist. "I feel like there's so much more I could be doing that I'm not, and I don't like that feeling. So I think I'm going to start looking for it. Is it childish of me to think like that? Am I just being a baby?"

Makoto shook his head. "I would say it, but I think my other is going to."

"No, not at all." Makoto reassured. "I'm the same way. I'm still trying to figure out what it is I want to do. And sometimes I feel like I'll never find it. I feel like maybe I'll spend the rest of my life looking for it."

"But I'm not sure it's even about finding it or not finding it." The luckster began to finish off. "Maybe the important thing is that you're looking for it."

"Wow." Chihiro said in awe. "That's a wonderful speech."

"Was that what you were thinking?" Kyoko asked Makoto.

The boy nodded. "Honestly though, I'm not sure if I said it right."

"Well, your words were somewhat inspiring, to say the least." Byakuya spoke up. "It'll give Mukuro something to think about."

Makoto turned to said soldier. "What about you, Mukuro? What do you think?"

The soldier looked down. "It'll be something to think about for sure." A small smile played on her lip. "Thank you, Makoto."

The luckster chuckled sheepishly. "Well, it was my future self who said it, not me."

"Well, the two of you are the same, so I'll thank you anyway."

His small speech stunned Junko. "Makoto, you…." She began in a bit of awe. "You actually sounded kinda cool just now!"

That embarrassed the boy. "N-No, that's not what I was trying to-"

"But you could be right." Junko interrupted. "Getting lost can be a good thing! As long as you're looking for it, maybe that's enough to be happy." A smile entered her lip. "Yeah. I'm gonna remember what you said."

'I will too.' Mukuro thought to herself. She glanced at Makoto. With only a couple of words, he manage to change her thought process. Then again, his smile caused her to form a crush on him. 'Thank you.'

"Thank you, Makoto."

"S-Sure." The boy said scratching his cheek in embarrassment.

"In return, I promise that if I do decide to kill someone, it won't be you!"

That startled and scared some of the others a little. "Don't joke about shit like that! Especially in this situation!" Mondo growled.

"My bad." Mukuro replied back calmly.

That scared Makoto a bit. "D-Don't say scary stuff like that!" Junko merely laughed it off, giving time for Makoto to think a bit.  'While that last bit scared me, I'm glad I was able to talk to Junko like this. I feel like I know her a lot better now.'

"But before I can do what you said, I gotta get out of here first!" She stated abruptly. "So I'm definitely gonna find out how to get out!" With that, she walked off, presumably to keep on her search.

"G-Geez. Try looking for a way out, instead of y-yelling about it." Toko grumbled.

'Maybe if she stopped yelling at nobody how to get out, she'd find a way.'  Makoto deadpanned. But then a smile form.  'Well, I guess it's okay. She can do things however she wants.'

For a moment, he decided to stay in the A/V room, just relaxing. Then, he got up and walked out, going to see if there's anywhere else he could look at.

"Hey, Makoto!" The luckster turned his head to see that it was Leon, who's at one of the corners in the hallway, that was talking to him.

"Yeah, Leon?"

"Listen I have something to tell you, but….it's kinda a secret." Leon explained. "Could you, uh, come to my room?"

That got Makoto curious. "Your room?"

"Anyway, I'll be waiting!" With that, Leon went over to his room, leaving Makoto to think.

A few eyebrows were raised at this. "Why do you want Makoto to come to your room?" Sakura asked him.

Leon shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it's something he doesn't want anyone else to hear. We all can agree that Makoto is pretty trustworthy when you get to know him."

Everyone nodded and showed their agreements in their own way. Class 78th's Ultimate Lucky Student is the most trustworthy out of all of them, that's for sure.

'I wonder why Leon suddenly invited me to his room like that.' Makoto thought. Shrugging, he went to the direction of Leon's room.

When he got in, he saw that Leon's room was far different from his. It was filled with stuff a rockstar would want, an electric guitar, a boom box, CDs and several other things. "Welcome to the room of a future superstar!" Leon stated with a grin.

There were several snorts of amusement from that. "F-Future superstar? Not likely." Toko scoffed.

"And you're still keeping that stuff, even after getting back to baseball?" Byakuya asked with a raised eyebrow.

Leon chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I didn't completely give up on that dream….nor on that girl at the hair salon."

"You're hopeless." Sayaka shook her head with an amused smile.

"So, what's up? You said you had a secret or something?" Makoto asked him.

At that, Leon stayed silent and his mood turned a bit serious. He was silent for a couple of second before speaking up. "Well, okay, it's like…." After trying to find the right words, he decided for the blunt approach. "Let's play baseball!" Then he grinned. "Kidding, kidding! That was a joke. Super joke! I hate baseball, remember?"

Several eyes flashed in realization. "Ah, so this is your realization of your love for baseball." Celeste commented. "Though I'm surprised it was this quick. It took you a week for you to realize how much you actually love baseball."

"Well, we're trapped inside the school, with no way of going outside." Leon explained. "Being stuck in there, not being able to play baseball, at all, probably made that conclusion easier."

"That would explain it." Sakura agreed.

Another moment, he was silent. Then he let out a sigh, something Makoto noticed. 'Wait….it sounds like it wasn't a joke.' He then spoke up. "Leon, do you….want to start playing baseball again?"

That startled Leon a bit. "Wh-What are you talking about?! Don't be stupid!" Leon said heatedly. "How many times have I told you how much I totally hate baseball?! I, like, don't like it at all!" His glare remained fixed on Makoto for a few seconds, until he deflated. "...is what I thought. But actually….this is longest I've ever gone without playing, ya know? I mean, I was so good, they forced me to play like, all the time."

"And being away from the game for so long has made you realize how you really feel?" Makoto clarified.

Leon growled in frustration. "Dammit! It's like mind control! Baseball brainwashed me!"

"Or you didn't realize how much you really enjoyed it until now." Sayaka told him. "You must have played baseball at some point before you actually joined a baseball league. If you didn't, then no one could've known about your skill."

Leon sighed. "Yeah, yeah, I know that now." He mumbled.

"But fine, whatever! I just wanna throw the ball around a little! But I can't play baseball by myself!" Leon groaned, sitting his bed. "I never shoulda come to this school!"

"L-Leon…."

"If what's happening to us really is some kinda school event thing, then when it's over, I think I'm gonna drop out and go back to my old school." Leon told him. "Maybe my team won't want me back, but all I can do is beg for forgiveness and hope for the best."

Several were a bit impressed with what he said. "Wow. Maybe the hothead actually can learn something." Byakuya commented. He received the stink eye from Leon for the hothead comment.

Makoto sighed. He talked to Leon about this before, and know what's gonna come next.

"I-I don't think you have to worry about that." Makoto reassured. "I'm sure they'll be happy to have you back. If you just show them how you really feel about baseball, how you're willing to go to practice and-"

"Practice?" Leon interrupted, looking up. "Hell no! No way! I really, seriously hate practice! I don't need practice! I just wanna play the game! Even an exhibition game or whatever!"

"O-Oh." Was all Makoto could say to this. "Well….I'm sure it'll work out somehow." He offered.

Leon nodded in agreement, grinning in confidence. "Yeah, they can't just drop someone as good as me! I'm sure they'll forgive me no problem! I mean, it's me, right?! I'm the up and coming Koshien Stadium Superstar!"

"And I take back my previous statement." Byakuya sighed in irritation as the others sighed as well or rolled their eyes. "He doesn't learn anything at all. A fool remains a fool, I suppose."

"Up yours, Byakuya."

"At least I have money." Byakuya stated dryly.

Leon laughed. "You're gonna be there rooting for me, right?"

Makoto sighed mentally. 'I don't think he's learned his lesson.' The luckster thought. 'But still….I think it's impossible for me to hate him. He and I talked about so much together. Have I finally met the real Leon….?'

"What, what does he mean by 'talked about so much together'?" Kyoko questioned with a raised eyebrow. "They've only talked a few times before, haven't they?"

Spirit was the one to answer her question. "There were many conversations Makoto had with his classmates, even the more reclusive or anti-social ones. This was just picked out at random, but they are important as these conversations highlights everyone's personality."

"This really is made out to be an anime." Hifumi commented on.

Spirit shrugged. "It's to lighten up the mood, a bit." The host of the whole thing admitted.

The scene switched to Makoto walking down the hallway once again, at the direction to his room. 'The third day here is almost at an end.' Makoto thought to himself. 'Got to know many of my classmates here these past days, at least. Some more than others, though.'

"I wish we could see Makoto interacting with all of us." Hina pouted. "So far, we've only see him having conversations with Leon, Junko, and Sayaka."

"But from the sounds of it, Makoto has interacted with us." Hiro pointed out. "We just haven't seen any of our interactions yet."

"Which makes me wonder, why haven't we've seen Makoto interacting with all of us?" Byakuya questioned. He turned his head towards Spirit. "Why have we only seen him converse with Junko, Leon, and Sayaka? As Hiro pointed out, it does sound like Makoto have conversed with the rest of us. While you did say that they were picked at random, why have we only seen him having conversation with those three?"

Spirit shrugged. "Most of your conversations picked aren't as important, and if we go through all of them, we'll be here for more than one week." The host pointed out. "I had to micro-manage, pick out the most important conversations. Those that focus on the plot, foreshadowing, and character development."

Many of them accepted the explanation. It made sense to them, especially to the Ultimate Writing Prodigy and Ultimate Fanfic Creator. However, a few like Kyoko and Junko aren't satisfied with it.

'Why do I have the feeling he's hiding something?' Kyoko thought. For now, she let it go. She'll just have to focus on the story.

He sighed. 'But still, when will I-no, we,' He corrected himself. 'When are we gonna get out of here?'

A few seconds later, he's at the door to his room. Before he opened it though, an already familiar voice called out to him. "Hey, Makoto." The boy his head to the side to see Sayaka, her head popped out of her room.

"Oh, hey Sayaka." The luckster greeted. The pop idol slowly got out of her room and closed the door.

"Listen, may I ask you just one question?" She asked formally.

It was something Makoto noticed. "So polite again! What's going on?"

"And so polite again, I'd like to ask," The question was something Makoto wasn't prepared for. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

If Makoto had something to drink, he certainly would've spitted out by now. But his eyes are wide, as are Sayaka's, blushes back on their cheeks with a vengeance.

The others are surprised as well. "Wow girl, you're going for your man fast." Junko stated with a grin, getting Sayaka to blush further.

"I-It's not like that!" She denied. "I-I'm sure she's just curious, is all!"

That definitely took Makoto definitely off guard. "Wh-What?!" A blush spread on his face. "That's like, way outta nowhere!"

"Huh? Are you embarrassed?" Sayaka questioned. "Does that mean you do?" A slightly disappointed look etched on her face.

Noticing the look, Makoto responded quickly. "N-No, I don't! A girlfriend….? Not at all!"

"It's not something you admit easily to dude." Leon teased his friend. "Well, unless of course, you expect Sayaka to ask you out. Do you?"

"Sh-Shut up!" Was Makoto's embarrassed response. Leon merely grinned, as did Hiro and Mondo.

Once again, Kyoko, Mukuro, Hina, and Celeste felt their ire rise up. Sayaka is becoming more of a threat, even more so than usual.

"Then….do you at least have a crush on someone?" She asked hesitantly.

The blush on Makoto's face spread further. "J-Just wait a second!" Makoto protested. "What's going on here? Why are you asking me all these questions?"

"I was just curious, so I thought I'd ask." Sayaka stated with a smile. "Is that bad?"

"It's not that it's bad…." Makoto said, the blush still on his face.

"But it's only natural I'd be curious, right?" Sayaka asked rhetorically. "Because we're…."

Several felt themselves paying more attention to this. 'We're-?!'

Makoto felt his heart racing. 'We're-?!'

"Because we're classmates, going through the same thing together." She stated.

That got everyone to settle down, with Makoto sagging a little in disappointment. The other girls with crushes on the luckster sighed in relief, some more obvious than others.

'Classmates….'

"Although….that's not all there is to it." Sayaka added in. "You and I are more than just classmates…."

'More than that?!' Nearly everyone's attention was drawn once again.

'More than that?!'

"We're friends." She told him. "We've been friends since middle school, in a way."

And once again, they settled down. Toko snorted. "W-Way to lead him on."

Sayaka ducked her head down in embarrassment. "I don't think my future self meant to do that." She mumbled loudly. "Sorry Makoto."

The luckster chuckled. "It's fine. Shouldn't really expect for you to say anymore than we're friends. Nothing special about me to draw your attraction, after all."

Nearly all of his guy friends stared at Makoto blankly. He have five girls falling for him, and says something like that?

'That's true….'  Makoto thought, a bit of disappointment inside him.  'Yeah, we're friends. Of course.'

The two were silent for a moment before Sayaka spoke up again. "So? Aren't you going to ask me?"

Her question got him out of his thoughts. "Huh? What?"

"No, not what." Sayaka stated. "Aren't you going to ask if I have a boyfriend or not?"

"You want him to ask you that?" Sakura questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Why?"

Sayaka flushed. "I-I'm sure my future self has a reason." Sayaka responded back. Though, she has an idea as to why she ask that.

'I mean, it's not like I don't want to know.' Makoto thought in his head. 'Of course I want to know.' He then spoke up to Sayaka. "You're really popular, right? So I wouldn't be surprised if you did."

"Nooope! I definitely don't!" She stated. "...The truth is, I'm way too busy for things like that."

"Th-then," Makoto began hesitantly. "Do you have a…..crush on someone?"

"Hmm, I wonder…." Sayaka said, a smile on her face. "Let's just say….there's someone I'm interested in." Sayaka stared right into his eyes, her cheeks red.

Makoto felt his own cheeks still red, if not redder. 'Wait….me?'

Junko whistled. "Damn, you are going for your man, aren't you?" Junko teased, causing Sayaka to flush even more.

Makoto's own cheeks are still aflame, and he couldn't help but glance at Sayaka for a moment. 'Could she have a crush on me?' The luckster couldn't help but think. 'No, it can't be. I'm just a regular high school student. What could see in me? I'm probably just overthinking things.'

Kyoko, pushing away her jealousy for right, is wondering why Sayaka is clearly hinting her affection towards Makoto. Sure, the pop idol isn't shy with getting close to Makoto, unlike a certain soldier, but she doesn't heavily hint her feeling towards the luckster. So why is her future self doing so?

"But I need to put those feelings aside for now." Sayaka declared. "Getting out of here is all that matters."

"Y-Yeah, you're right." Makoto agreed, his blush slowly fading.

Sayaka faced Makoto fully. "Let's get out of here together, Makoto." She stated. "No matter what. Please don't turn your back on me, okay?"

"O-Of course! I would never turn my back on you!" Makoto stated.

Junko bit back a giggle. Sayaka is playing him like string. She is definitely gonna kill someone, that's for sure, and it's going to have Makoto involved.

Byakuya and Kyoko couldn't help but sigh. Makoto is being way too trusting, especially in the situation he's in. The only thing they could hope for is that Sayaka isn't going to do what they expected.

"I want you to know something, Makoto. And I want you to know that I mean it-I can't fake my feelings." She told him. "I'm….really glad you're here." A smile etched onto her face once again.

Now Sayaka is a bit concerned. She likes the fact that her future self is getting so close to Makoto, sure, but it looks like her future self is trying to make sure that Makoto stays loyal to her.

She has a bad feeling gnawing in her stomach.

Seeing her smile, encouraged him. Strengthen his resolve. Made Makoto feel stronger. 'I have to do my best in here!' Makoto thought in determination. 'For myself, and for Sayaka!'

"You two are getting extremely close." Hifumi commented. "The friendship level is boosted to the max."

"What I can say? We click well." Sayaka stated with a smile. But while she's smiling on the outside, she's still very concerned in the inside. She and Makoto are clicking almost too well.

Celeste and Kyoko are concerned as well. Celeste knows manipulation when she sees it, and while Sayaka is mostly honest with her feelings, she's using them to manipulate Makoto. To make sure he either helps, or won't betray her in the future, if she decides to kill. And it looks like it's working. Kyoko is also having similar thoughts.

"I'm so happy you're going to do your best for me!" Sayaka said brightly.

"What?!" The luckster exclaimed in shock. "You heard me?!"

"Like I'm said, I'm psychic." Sayaka repeated her favorite line. She, as usual, she giggled. "Kidding! I just have really good intuition….but is that really what you were thinking?"

The blush returned on Makoto's face. "U-ummm….well…." Not wanting to say it, he decided to change the subject. "A-Anyway, let's just help each other out and get out of here, no matter what it takes! I'm gonna do my best for sure!"

"Yeah, you're right." Sayaka agreed. "We need to work together and do our best." She giggled as she said that.

'I'm gonna do my best.' Makoto thought in determination. With that, the two of them went to their bedrooms.

By now, the smartest or more observant watchers are concerned (san Junko). This is holding a lot of foreshadowing, at the possibility that Sayaka might use him.

They didn't voice their suspicions out loud, though. Voicing their suspicions might cause some chaos.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 15: Watching Chapter 1: To Survive Part 7

Makoto slowly pulled himself out of bed, groaning sleepily. "Another night of restless sleep." Makoto said to himself. "I can feel the fatigue piling up."

His commentary concerned some in the group. "Your future self should try to get better sleep." Kyoko informed Makoto. "Otherwise, he's going to fall on his face at some point."

"Well, could you blame him?" Makoto asked his friends. "I'm pretty sure most of us would be pretty restless given the condition we're in."

"Good point." Chihiro admitted.

As soon as that thought crossed his mind, the sound of the doorbell ringed his room. Curious, he went up to the door and opened it, only to be met with an energized Taka.

"A fantastic morning, isn't it?!" Taka greeted cheerfully.

"T-Taka?" Makoto said in surprise. "What's up? Why are you here?"

Instead of answering, his reply went: "No matter how intensely the stormy seas may batter me, I will not fall as long as my feet are firmly planted! You agree, right?"

"U-Um, I'm not sure I understand…."

"And if you can't do it alone, just find someone to support you, and you can support them back!" Taka continued passionately. "That's how you can overcome any storm!"

Question marks appeared on Hifumi's, Hina's, and Hiro's heads. "Um, does anyone one know what he's saying?"

"I think bro was saying that he wants all of us to form up together as a team." Mondo translated. "So that we can face the mastermind."

"But, we're already a team, aren't we?" Hina asked, still confused. "I mean, aren't we already working together?"

"Maybe, but we all seem to have formed our own groups or are looking around alone." Chihiro explained. "The only one here who's trying to get to know everyone is Makoto."

Said luckster smiled sheepishly.

"So in other words, future Taka wants us to bond with each other?" Sakura deduced.

This time, Taka was the one to speak up. "That would be an accurate conclusion!"

Makoto was silent at this. He honestly doesn't know what to say. Thankfully, Taka explained himself. "I was thinking about it last night, and….I decided we all need to really come together. And that when I realized, every morning from now on, after the morning announcement, everyone should have breakfast together!"

"And now is the beginning of that fateful day!" Taka stated with his usual passion. "Please head to the dining hall at your earliest convenience!"

"Look like they nailed it." Hina turned to Mondo and Chihiro. "The two of you got pretty good at speaking Taka's 'rule-book' language."

"Well, hanging out with a friend for a certain amount of time helps you understand them better." Chihiro stated in her usual polite and meek tone.

"True." Makoto nodded in agreement. He knew everyone better enough that even he could tell their moods or how they hid their feelings.

Without waiting for a reply, Taka turned and walked away. Makoto stood there for a moment before speaking to himself. "Well….I guess I'd better head to the dining hall."

The scene changed to everyone gathered at the big lunch table. "Everyone, thank you for making this time in your busy schedules to come together."

Leon rolled his eyes. "How much do you want to bet that Taka dragged us into it?"

Leon scoffed at his side of the table. "I didn't make time for shit. You dragged me here."

"Called it."

"No one disagreed with you Leon." Sayaka remarked.

Taka ignored the remark. "I know I already mentioned this, but in order to get out of here, it is essential that we all cooperate with each other. And first, is this breakfast meeting to allow us to become friends and to build trust!" He began to get more passionate once again. "So from now on, let's all meet here in the dining hall every morning after the morning announcement!"

Byakuya sighed. "This isn't going to work." The heir stated. "Not only do we distrust one another at some level, but there's Monokuma to worry about."

"Byakuya has a point. Would the mastermind just leave us alone after three days?" Celeste remarked. "The bear seemed quite eager about the possibility of us killing one another."

"Let's try not to think about that right now." Makoto said. "At least we're making an effort to work together."

"Let's see if that effort will be worth it." Kyoko stated.

"Now then, let's eat!" With that, Taka sat back down on his chair, grabbing his plate.

"You w-want me to eat breakfast with other p-people?" Toko stuttered out, pressing her index fingers together. "I've never done that b-before. I'm not s-sure…."

"Yeah, it's been a while for me too." Leon stated.

"Well anyway," Junko spoke up. "Did anyone happen to come up with any clues?"

Silence was met with that question, echoing across the dining hall.

"Guess that answers the question." Mondo deadpanned. "Not one fucking clue."

"Seriously? Nothing at all?" Junko said in disbelief. "Anything? It can be about how to get out, or who's doing this, nobody has anything?!"

"...You are going to die." That chilling statement came from none other than Celestia.

And it shocked Junko. "Huh?"

"If you can't stop yourself from showing weakness in front of others," Celeste explained coldly. "You will die."

Several chills went up to people's spine. Mukuro subconsciously narrowed her eyes on the threat, her hands twitching towards her knives.

"Celeste," Makoto spoke up nervously and slowly. "Did your future self had to say that to Mukuro? It was pretty unnecessary."

"I admit, that was out of line. I apologize for my future self." Celeste said, looking to Mukuro. That settled down the soldier for a bit.

"W-What the hell?" Junko exclaimed, a bit rattled. "Don't even freaking joke about that!"

"I am not joking. Adaptability is survivability." Celeste repeated what she had said three days ago. "Did I not say so? So you'd better hurry up and adapt to your new life here."

"Have you gone completely insane?" Junko questioned, looking directly at Celeste at her side of the table. "Adapt to my new life here? Do you have any idea what you're saying?"

"Yeah, I have to agree. Why would any of us want to adapt to that kind of life?" Leon questioned. "I definitely wouldn't."

Celeste debated whether or not to tell her classmates about her lying. It wouldn't hurt if they knew, and they might benefit from it. But, she's nervous about how they would react to it. Maybe she'll ask Makoto about it later.

Mondo then spoke up. "Yeah, sounds like the girl wants to live here. And hell, more power to her. But shit," He slammed his fist onto the table. "No way in hell am I living here! I'm gettin' outta here, I don't give a shit!"

Celeste laughed a little at that. "Sure, feel free."

"Okay, so," Leon cut in, getting the conversation back in track. "Nobody has any clues?"

"One thing I can tell you is who's behind all this." Hina declared. "Someone who's totally weird and messed up. Why else would we be trapped here in the first place?"

Byakuya face palmed. "I think he meant actual clues, dimwit. Anyone with a functioning brain could've figured that part out."

"Hey!" Hina pouted angrily at this. "Well, no one else said it!"

"That because many of us already deduced that in our heads."

"Well, sure, it could be something like that. But for now, actual clues are…." Leon trailed off.

That's when Chihiro spoke up a little. "U-Umm,"

Leon turned his head towards the programmer. "Huh? What's up?"

"If you think in terms of people who are really abnormal or bizarre," Chihiro began explaining. "Do you think maybe the person responsible for all this could be a certain murderous fiend?"

That got everyone's attention. "Certain murderous fiend," Makoto repeated. "Is Chihiro talking about Genocide Jack?"

"But that would be impossible." Kyoko disregarded. "Genocide Jack is Toko's other personality, and Toko is with us." Toko flinched a little at the reminder of her alter ego.

The group found out about Genocide Jack some time ago. Kyoko, being in the law enforcement, wanted to tell the police about Jack, but Makoto managed to convince her not to. Instead, they made sure that Jack, or Jill as she preferred to be called, doesn't go on a 'cute boy' killing spree.

"Not to mention she doesn't have the brains to conduct something like this." Byakuya remarked.

"A-And she only kills c-cute, adorable boys." Toko put in. "There's no way s-she would be interested in something like this. And she prefers doing the killings herself."

That got the groups' attention. "A murderous fiend," Makoto repeated. "Chihiro, do you have any idea who might be behind all this?"

"Well, maybe." Chihiro confirmed. "I mean, I can't really be certain, but…."

"Certainty is not a concern right now!" Taka cut in. "I'll allow whatever remarks you may have!"

"O-Okay." Chihiro responded, a bit startled. "Well, have you guys heard of Genocide Jack?"

Makoto's eyes widened. "You mean that serial killer that's been in the news and all over the internet?"

"And it seems that Chihiro was talking about her." Sakura stated. "But we already established it would be impossible for Genocide Jill to pull this off, especially since Toko is with us."

"So who could pull this off?" Taka asked. "Should that be the question we should ask ourselves?"

Chihiro hummed in thought. "Well, I don't know about starting the whole killing game, but I know someone who could possibly wipe away our memories of Hope's Peak."

That got the group's attention. "Really? Who is it?" Hina asked eagerly, hoping to expose the mastermind early.

"He's an upperclassman that I've been working with on a project." Chihiro stated. "His name is Yasuke Matsuda, the Ultimate Neurologist."

"The Ultimate Neurologist?" Byakuya thought about that possibility. "With his skill set, it could be possible that he develop something like that."

"The question is whether he's the mastermind, just involved in this, or if the mastermind took some of his research for their own purposes." Kyoko put in. She sighed. "If he was able to erase memories at all, then it's something we'll need to talk about later."

"The monstrous villian who's murdered scores of victims in brutally bizarre fashions. The word 'bloodlust was left at each murder scene, written in the victim's own blood." Byakuya built in. "Whoever it is, he's like a ghost. He strikes without warning, and disappears without a trace. And on the internet, they started calling him…."

He turned his head towards the group. "Genocide Jack. That about covers it, I think."

"Most of it is right except that he is actually a she." Junko stated. "What made you guys think that the murderer is actually a guy?"

"Well, to be fair, a girl murdering people isn't the first thing that pops into your mind." Leon said. "Especially in the bizarre fashion Genocide Jill does it."

"They say he's claimed over a thousand victims." Hiro said, a disturbed look on his face.

"That's just an urban legend though, right?" Junko asked, also looking a bit disturbed. "I mean even like, ten people would be totally insane." All the while, Toko stayed silent, not looking anyone in the eye.

"Thank god it isn't a thousand victims." Makoto sighed. "But her victims are in the double digits."

"At least we're able to control her though!" Hina chirped optimistically. " Or at the very least, stop her from killing anyone else!"

"Y-Yeah. I'm glad she hasn't been able to kill for a while." Toko agreed. Despite her bitter attitude, she doesn't like seeing people die, especially at her hands.

"Anyway," Chihiro spoke back up. "Whoever Genocide Jack really is, he's obviously some kind of super crazy killer."

"And if he really is this 'ultimate' psycho, I wouldn't be surprised if he put together something like this." Mondo stated.

"Super crazy killer? Definitely, especially the crazy part." Leon stated. "Putting something like this together? Not possible."

"But like I said, I can't be certain." Chihiro reminded them. "I don't have any evidence or anything. It's just a thought."

"But if they're a killer, isn't that like a killer kind of a problem for us?!" Leon asked nervously.

"It's okay!" Hina stated with slightly forced optimism. "Everything's absolutely, positively, one hundred percent without a doubt gonna be okay! Cuz help is gonna be here soon, I'm sure of it!"

"Huh? H-Help?" Toko questioned, finally speaking up.

"We've been stuck in here for a few days, right?" Hina asked rhetorically. "Nobody's been able to contact us, so I'm sure they're getting worried, I bet they called the police already!"

"That's another question to ask." Kyoko murmured loudly. "People would've noticed what's happening in Hope's Peak. So what's going on outside?"

"Is there something stopping the police from trying to get us out, or at the very least, investigate it?" Makoto wondered. "There are several theories we could think of, but all of them have several holes in them."

Kyoko nodded in agreement. "The best theory is that there are barricades or traps outside that prevent the police breaking in, if they found out about us."

"But the main question is how the mastermind was able to set all this up without people noticing." Byakuya joined in. "That is the question surrounding all these other questions."

Suddenly, an evil laugh was heard throughout the dining hall. And soon enough, Monokuma appeared in front of the table. "The police? You're putting your faith in the police?!"

Several of them jumped and/or yelped when Monokuma laughed and appeared. "Again?!" Leon exclaimed.

"And it looks like Monokuma stopped leaving us alone." Byakuya sighed.

Several jumped and/or yelped at his sudden appearance. "What are you doing here?!" Sakura demanded.

"You guys, seriously," Monokuma ignored Sakura's demand. "Do you understand what role the police exist to fill? All they're good for is being a foil, playing against a villian or anti-hero or evil organization. The bad guys come along and destroy them, and that shows just how badass they really are. Are you sure you wanna rely on such an unreliable group of losers?"

"He's got a point." Hifumi said in thought. "In mangas and anime, as well as games, the police always end up being defeated by the antagonists."

"I-It's the same in literature as well." Toko put in. "The p-police are always defeated."

"But this isn't an anime nor a game. This is reality." Kyoko stated. Her tone is neutral and cold, and her eye is twitching a little. Being in the law enforcement, Monokuma's comment stung a bit.

Makoto, noticing those slight changes in her demeanor, spoke to her quietly. "Don't let it get to you. It's just words coming from a maniac. Besides, you know yourself that the Kirigiri lines of detectives are the best in the business."

Kyoko smiled slightly at Makoto's attempt to make her feel better. She slightly nodded to him before turning back to the screen.

"I mean come on! If you really, REALLY wanna get out of here, all you gotta do is kill!" Monokuma attempted to tempt them, once again.

Suddenly, Hiro laughed, drawing the group's attention. "Why the hell are you laughing?" Leon questioned in bewilderment.

"I'm just impressed at the total commitment to this whole act." Hiro said, still smiling.

While others had looks of disbelief or exasperation, Hiro nodded in agreement. "I know, right? I can't believe how long they're doing this act."

"I wish his stupidity is an act." Byakuya mumbled in irritation.

"...You're still going on about that?" Asked a incredulous Junko.

"I'm thinking the same thing sis." Junko sighed. "Looks like we do have the twin connection." Seriously, Hiro's stupidity right now is boring on her, more than her usual boredom. Not to mention how irritating it was.

She could not wait for his world to come crashing down. That should fix the extreme boredom with him.

"So, mister serial killer psycho freak bastard….what the hell do you want?" Mondo growled.

Monokuma tilted his head in confusion. "Mr. Serialkillerpyschofreakbastard, huh? That's a pretty long name! German, maybe?"

"We know who you really are!" Mondo stated.

In response, Monokuma merely turned away. "Maybe if I just ignore him, he'll go away…." He murmured loudly to himself.

Mondo growled. "I really want rip that piece of shit teddy bear!" The biker snarled. "So much!"

"Mondo, take some deep breaths." Chihiro pleaded with him. Mondo was silent for a moment before doing the progammer's suggestion and took some deep breaths.

"Better." Mondo admitted. "Still angry with the bear, though."

"Join the club." Leon grumbled.

"Hey! Don't ignore me, asshole!" Mondo shouted in anger.

Ignoring him, Monokuma turn back to everyone else. "Okay, okay, let's get back to business." The bear stated. "Your life here has already begun and a couple days have gone by, and nobody's killing anybody!"

"He really expected that we would kill in a heartbeat?" Leon questioned in disbelief. "Um, newsflash. None of us are bloodthirsty, or desperate enough."

"And Genocide Jill only kill 'cute, adorable boys'." Hina quoted what Jill said. "And the only one in her criteria is Byakuya, and she claims that he's too hot to kill."

"Don't remind me." Byakuya shuddered. Toko is merely an annoyance to his life. Jack is the bane of his existance.

"I thought all you kids were lazy and selfish, and here you are working together." He then hung his head. "But I'm totally bored!"

"We already mentioned how insane he is, right?" Hina asked. To the several nods, she said this. "Well, I'll say it again. He's insane."

"Yeah. From the sounds of it, he's doing this because he's bored." Taka stated in disbelief. "Who would do something like this, just because they're bored?"

'Me!' Junko cheerfully thought. Truthfully, she's bored as well, though some of the commentary does free her of her boredom a little bit.

Makoto glared at Monokuma. "There's nothing you can say that'll make us start killing each other…."

Before he could finish, Monokuma interrupted. "Wait, I think-yes! Ding ding ding! I got it!" He declared. An idea seemed to pop in his mind. "All the mystery ingredients are right here-right people, right place. So why hasn't anyone killed anyone, yet? That's what I couldn't understand. But I just realized there was one very important piece missing!"

"Um, does anyone else have a bad feeling about this?" Several hands was raised to Hifumi's question. "Oh, good. It's not just me."

Makoto looked nervous at this. "Wh-What are you….?"

"If you wanna know, I'll tell ya! It's motive!" Monokuma declared. He giggled in glee. "It's so simple! I just have to give everyone a motive!"

"Motive?" Taka questioned. "What does he mean by that?"

"He means that he's going to give us a reason to kill." Byakuya informed him. "Give us a reason to murder each other."

"What reason could he give us to do so?" Leon asked, though he does sound nervous.

"We're in trouble." Celeste deadpanned to herself. You do not ask that kind of question. They always get answered in mangas.

"Motive? What the fuck are you talking about?" Mondo growled.

Ignoring him, Monokuma spoke to the group. "Oh, by the way! There's something I want to show you guys!"

"Stop changing the goddamn subject!"

"I have a little video I'd like you all to see." Once again, the bear ignored the angry biker.

"Something tells me that he isn't changing the subject." Makoto gulped.

"Oh, but don't worry. It's not some pervy 'adult' video or anything. Seriously, it's nothing like that!" Monokuma hastily assured, looking nervous and sweaty. "It's a special video for each of you showing that's going on outside the school."

That got everyone's attention. "Outside the school….?" Makoto said warily. "What are you talking about?"

Monokuma chuckled. "Ooh, Master's important today! Why don't you just watch it and find out?"

"I'm getting really nervous." Chihiro muttered, fidgeting a little. "What does he want to show us?"

"Something that would give us the motive to kill, probably." Sakura deduced. "What it is exactly, I'm afraid to find out."

"You can go to the A/V room to watch the videos." Monokuma informed them.

Kyoko nodded. "Good, then we can go watch the videos right now. But before we do that, I would like to know…." She stared at him directly in the eyes. "What are you? Why would you do something like this? What do you want from us?"

Monokuma tilted his head. "What do I want from you?" He repeated. "Well, if you must know…."

The camera then gain a close up to his face. "Despair. That's all."

Chills went down everyone's spine. What he said, and how he said it scared several of them. "I got a cold feeling in the pit of my stomach." Makoto admitted.

"So do I, man." Leon agreed. Sayaka, Hifumi, Hina, and several others also nodded in agreement.

"Now I'm really nervous." Hina shivered.

"Why would the mastermind be interested in our despair?" Sakura questioned, crossing her arms. "What have we've done to them to earn that?"

"I doubt that question would be answered soon." Celeste sighed.

The screen went back to it's regular size. "If you want to know more than that, you'll have to figure it out for yourselves. Do whatever you need to uncover the mystery hidden within this school. I won't try and stop you. Cuz to be honest, it's entertaining as heck watching you guys search so desperately for answers! So I guess I want some amusement, too."

Mondo growled in fury. "The fact that he only sees us as fucking entertainment is pissing me off!"

"There's a lot of things that's 'pissin us off', as you say." Byakuya stated, eyes narrowed. Once they find out the identity of the mastermind, he will use all his resources from the Togami family to hunt him down!

"Well, at least he gave us some useful information." Kyoko stated, drawing all attention to her.

Makoto was the one to speak. "Really? What do you mean?"

"You'll see." Was all she said.

With that, he disappeared, laughing along the way. "He's gone," Sayaka said, a bit to herself. "And once again, he left before we could find out anything useful."

"Really?" Kyoko questioned rhetorically. "I think we learned something very useful. He has no intention of standing in the way of our pursuit of the truth. Interesting."

"Oh yeah, he did mention that." Makoto agreed. He tapped his chin in thought. "I wonder why, though."

"He's either arrogant or stupid to believe that we can't find anything." Byakuya stated.

"Or he set up measures to make sure we don't find anything." Mukuro suggested. "That's also a possibility."

'Or the possibility of losing is too delicious to ignore!' Junko thought merrily. She really don't think that her class have a high chance of escaping, but the small possibility is just oh, so, delicious.

"Perhaps," Sakura agreed, partially at least. "But what about the videos he mentioned? I'm very curious to see what's on it."

"Same here! Okay, so….!" Mondo started looking around the dining hall, until his gaze landed on Makoto.

Makoto sighed. "Great." He mumbled. He should've known this would happen.

He grinned. "Hey, Makoto! Check this out for us, would ya?" Makoto's eyes widen at the request.

"Huh? Why me?!"

"Cuz you're the closest to the door!" Was the biker's answer. "That's the rule, right?"

"R-Rule?"

"What rule is that?" Sayaka questioned, a raised eyebrow.

Mondo rubbed the back of his head. "Um, the rule of doing an errand."

Mondo sighed. "Hey, hey," He started mumbling. "Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!" He then began shouting. "HEEEY! You see how passionately I'm begging you?! What's the big deal? Just check it out real quick!"

"Why Makoto of all people?" Kyoko asked, also raising an eyebrow. "Why not someone more capable of handling anything dangerous thrown at them?"

"How the hell should I know?" Mondo asked with a shrug. "Like my future self said, he's the closest to the door. And he probably doesn't think anything dangerous is going to happen."

"You're terrible, you know that?" Sayaka muttered, shaking her head.

Makoto silent for a moment. Then, he said shakily. "O-Okay….I guess I'll get going, then."

That made Mondo's anger disappear. "Awesome, thanks! I owe ya one!"

"...If Makoto's going, I'm going with him." Sayaka declared. "It's not safe to walk around this place alone."

Makoto sighed in relief. "Thanks, Sayaka."

"Anytime Makoto." Sayaka replied with a smile.

"Yeah, sure thing. Then we're countin' on the both of ya!" Mondo stated. "If anything happens, just yell and I'll come runnin'!"

Makoto and Sayaka nodded before walking out of the cafeteria. After walking a few feet away from the dining hall, Sayaka spoke. "I can't decide if Mondo is totally dependable or completely terrible." Sayaka admitted.

"Yeah, I'd have to say he's kind of both." Makoto said. 'He's not exactly a bad person, but I definitely can't say he's a good person, either.'

"Hey!"

"Sorry Mondo." Makoto apologized. "But to be fair, you did send me to check out the motive by myself. Not to mention the punch you gave me."

"He got you there bro." Taka said, placing a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder.

Mondo sighed. "Yeah, I guess so."

With that, the two went on their way to the A/V room. It didn't take them long to get there, and when they did, they saw a cardboard box sitting on one of the video players. "Huh? A cardboard box?" Makoto and Sayaka went towards and looked inside. Their eyes' widened. "It's…." Makoto began.

"...a bunch of DVDs." Sayaka finished. Sure enough, there are a bunch of DVDs, with names on each one. "And each one has a label on it with someone's names."

"One hundred bucks says it's the motives that Monokuma was talking about!" Hiro stated.

Leon snorted. "A sucker's bet."

"This must be the 'video for each of us' he mentioned." Makoto deduced.

Sayaka nodded in agreement. "I'd better go tell everyone!" With that, Sayaka ran out of the A/V room, leaving Makoto alone. Makoto, meanwhile, just stayed where he was, looking at the discs inside the box.

'How are we going to play these?' As Makoto thought that, he saw a DVD player underneath the monitor. 'Oh. That's how.' He then spoke outloud to himself. "Maybe I'll watch mine real quick, before everyone else gets here."

He then began sorting through the DVDs and after a moment, found the one with his name on it. After that, he took out the disk and slid it into the expensive looking DVD player. He sat down and put on a pair of headphones. He stared at the screen, and when it blurred on….

It revealed his family, all sitting down on his couch. He cried out in alarm and shock. "Mom? Dad? Komaru?" Makoto said in surprise.

The present Makoto is also surprised. "That's the same video my family sent me, my first few days at Hope's Peak." Makoto realized.

"So that's your family?" Sayaka asked. She smiled. "They look like nice people."

"And they sent a video for you?" Leon asked, snickering a little. Makoto flushed.

"Lay off." He muttered.

His mom then started speaking. "You getting picked to attend Hope's Peak Academy is like a dream come true. Make sure you do your best!"

"I'm so proud of you, son." His dad started speaking. "But remember - don't push yourself too hard!"

"Are you really watching this, Makoto?" His sister, Komura, asked. "Good luck, okay?" Makoto couldn't help but gain a happy look on is face at seeing this video.

Makoto couldn't help but smile at this, though a small blush formed on his face. "Aww, your family is so supportive of you!" Sayaka gushed and teased a little, causing the blush to form more on the luckster.

"You definitely have a loving and supporting family Makoto." Kyoko agreed, a bit envious of that fact. Though she made sure to hide that envy from her voice and facial features.

"Yeah. They're the best alright." Makoto smiled happily. Though while he's happy to see that video again, something is bugging him. Why would Monokuma show him something like this? Was that really a motive to kill? The idea has a little merit, but if anything, it would give him the determination to find a way out without killing anybody.

It also bugged Kyoko and Byakuya as well. They're wondering the same thing Makoto is.

"If it had ended there, that would've been fine." The narrator Makoto spoke up. "A message of love and support. After leaving my family behind to attend Hope's Peak, it would have given me hope, given me strength. If this was a normal school, I would've been happy, if not a little embarrassed. With my family's support to rely on, I would've been motivated to do even better."

"But, here, now, it was totally different." Makoto's voice got slightly darker. "I wasn't living an ordinary school life. So I had a pretty strong feeling that the video wasn't going to end there."

Makoto's happy feeling was slowly replaced to being concerned. What's going to happen? What's going to show next?

"I hated having that feeling," The video than began started to switch. "but it turned out that I was absolutely right." And it switched to a destroyed living room, with no one in sight. Makoto's happy face was replaced with absolute horror.

It was the same with the present Makoto. "Wh-Wha-?" He stuttered, trying to form words, but couldn't. His face pale and eyes were wide with panic.

The others are also shocked by this scene. "What the hell happened to the room?" Mondo cried out. "Did it become a warzone or something?"

"And where's Makoto's family?" Chihiro questioned fearfully. "What happened to them?"

Makoto is shaking now. "Mom. Dad. Komaru." He whispered. Where is everyone?

Kyoko and Sayaka, seeing his state, quickly took his hands and held them tightly in comfort. Mukuro looked away, her heart lurching at the horrified look on Makoto's face.

'It's your fault.' A voice in her head said. 'You let this happen. You know Junko's plan, and could've stopped it. You could stop it now. But you won't.'

Mukuro pushed that voice away. She can't listen to it. She can't abandon her sister again. Even if that means Makoto suffering.

'Where'd everyone go?'  Makoto thought in panic.  'It looks like a warzone or something.'

As if to reply, a voice he's growing to hate went through the speakers. "Makoto Naegi, accepted into Hope's Peak Academy. And his family, who supported such a lucky boy. But it seems like….something's happened to this family's well-being! Oh boy, this is bad! What could have possibly happened to this family's well-being?!"

Then the video switched to a sentence, saying "Look for the answer after graduation".

Some of the horror was replaced with anger. "That fucker!" Mondo roared. "He attacked Makoto's family!"

"And he either took them hostage or worse." Hifumi stated nervously. That did not helped settle Makoto's nerves.

"W-Why?" Makoto asked himslef. "What happened to them? Are they hostages or…." Sayaka and Kyoko gave Hifumi a quick glare before going back to comforting the panicked boy. Hina, Celeste, and Mukuro also looked a bit crossed at Hifumi.

"Makoto, calm down." Kyoko said softly. "Nothing happened to your family in our timeline. Don't worry."

"Yeah, Kyoko's right. Please, don't be so worried." Sayaka added in. Slowly, Makoto is getting himself together.

Junko masked the glee and pleasure she's feeling. Seeing Makoto so shaken up caused her pain in her heart, a pain she welcomes. And to fuel the flame, she said that. "Guys," She spoke up 'nervously'. "If Makoto's DVD showed his family possibly in danger, what's on our DVDs?"

Everyone paused, for a moment, before eyes began widening in realization, horror, and/or anger. "Does that mean our families may be in danger?!" Hina exclaimed in fear.

"It's a likely possibility." Sakura said grimly.

"So that's the motive he's talking about." Byakuya realized, a frown on his face. "Show those close to us being in some form in danger…."

"...thus fueling our desire to leave." Kyoko finished. Makoto finally managed to get himself back together, but he's still scared of the possibility of his family in danger. And also angry at Monokuma.

As soon as the video ended, Makoto spoke. "W-What is this?" He shakily asked himself. His voice got louder. "What happened to everyone?!" He started shaking in fear and anger. "GOD DAMMIT!

He slammed his fist on the desk over and over again. "I have to get out of here." He said to himself. He started getting louder again. "I have to get out, right now! I need to make sure everyone's safe!"

"And it seems like the tactic is working." Byakuya commented. He looked at Makoto.

The luckster gripped his knee. "Could you blame me?" Makoto asked them. "One moment, I saw a video of my family wishing me luck. The next, the living room was a warzone and they're missing. What else was I supposed to think at that moment?"

"No one blames you Makoto." Sayaka assured, though she sounds scared of the possibility of what her future self would see. "Any one of us would think the same way in your position."

"Yeah." Hina agreed, wanting to help cheer up her friend. "And it look like we'll be in your position soon."

"Makoto?" Makoto turned his head slightly to see a concerned Sayaka beside him. "What happened? Make sure who's safe?" He turned his head more to see everyone else at the entrance of the A/V room. There's faces are full of confusion.

"Wh-What's going on?" Hina asked him hesitantly.

Not trusting himself to speak, Makoto pointed at the cardboard box. "Is that what Monokuma was talking about?" Leon questioned nervously.

"What's on them?" Taka asked. Everyone gathered around the box, and each of them grabbed their DVDs. They all went to a monitor, sat down, and put their headphones on to watch.

It didn't take long for all of them to react. Cries of shock, anguish, and fear came all around. "What the fuck?" Mondo cried out, eyes wide.

"Th-This can't be real, right?" Hina asked, staring at the screen in fear and anxiety. "It has to be fake, right?!"

"Yeah, no way it's real. Haha….no way." Leon stated, not sounding convincing.

"I can't t-take it, anymore," Toko cried out in anguish, holding her head. "I c-can't take this anymore! Let me out of h-here!"

"Looks like we're correct with our assumptions." Kyoko said grimly. "It was videos of those close to us in possible danger."

"I wonder what's worse. Imagining the possibilities, or seeing our videos?" Hina asked randomly and nervously.

Makoto was the one to answer. "The latter is the worst, trust me." He told her. "More possibilities are running through my head about what could've happened."

"We'll take your word for it." Taka stated nervously.

'So everyone is seeing similar videos.' Makoto thought grimly. He can see the looks of fear and confusion from everyone. Well, almost everyone.

Kyoko is still calm and collective, staring at the screen in thought. 'Even now she's still calm and collective.' Makoto thought in a bit of amazement.

"How can you still be so calm at something like this?" Hina cried out in disbelief.

Kyoko looked at Hina dryly. "In my line of work, it's required to stay calm at all times." Kyoko replied. "I don't let myself show my emotions to anything."

'Well, that's almost true.' Makoto mused. There were a few things that can get Kyoko to react, and Makoto knew those few things, but he's not going to exploit them.

"I see," She said, mainly to herself. "So this is what he meant by motive. He wants to fuel our desire to leave so that we're more likely to start killing each other."

"It's the classic 'prisoner's dilemma'." Celestia stated.

"Prisoner's dilemma?" Mondo repeated. "What the fuck does that mean?"

"My other will explain." Celeste replied back.

"...Huh?" That response came from Hifumi.

"Let me use this as an example." Celeste began explaining. "Imagine two countries are on the brink of war. But both countries want peace, and each commits to scaling back their forces as a sign of good faith. But there's a chance that one country may betray the other, so each country fears lowering their guard. The result is that neither scales back their forces, and they both end up betraying each other."

"In other words, the fear of invisible treachery becomes the greatest enemy of stability." She concluded.

"That would be an accurate assessment to what's happening there." Byakuya sighed. "Invisible treachery."

"That video made a bomb that's just waiting to explode." Junko stated 'fearfully'.

"That kinda sounds l-like us right now," Toko said nervously. "Everyone says they'll work together, but in our hearts we're all afraid someone might betray us….."

"Don't put those awful thoughts in our head!" Taka protested. "That's exactly what they want us to do!"

"You can say that," Leon started in a accusatory tone. "But maybe you're thinking that once everyone drops their guard, you can just…"

"What?!"

Makoto shook his head. "They're doing what exactly what Monokuma wants, and what Celeste described." Makoto groaned. "Getting paranoid of each other, until eventually, someone starts killing."

"Makoto is right. Our future selves need to calm down." Sakura grunted. "Or else, this'll end badly."

"Easier said than done." Mukuro said. "Those videos are fresh in everyone's mind."

"This is exactly what Monokuma, or whoever's behind this, wants." Sakura cut in. "They want us to fight. Don't you see?"

"Yeah, you're right." Chihiro said, sounding a bit fearful. "We all need to calm down."

"Okay, then. Maybe we should start by all just….talking." Junko suggested. "Maybe if we all just talk about what we saw, that'll help get everything out of our system. Besides, I think we're all super curious, right?"

Everyone looked at one another. "I have to admit, I'm pretty curious about what's on our videos." Mondo admitted.

"Same." Chihiro agreed. "But at the same time, I don't want to know."

"Yeah. I really don't want scary thoughts running through my head." Hina admitted. "Well, more scary thoughts."

"Well, let's just see what happens." Makoto said, getting back his optimism a little. "If they do talk about it, hopefully it would stop the paranoia and panic. Reduce the risk of us killing each other."

The others nodded in agreement with the luckster. Hopefully, that will happens. Hopefully.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 16: Watching Chapter 1: To Survive Part 8

'Now that she mentioned it, I do wonder what's on everyone's videos.' Makoto thought to himself. 'It would be a lie if I said I wasn't curious.'

"It would be a lie if any of us said we weren't curious." Leon stated. "Though I'd rather not see it right now. Not after seeing Makoto's video."

Sounds of agreement came from the others.

"Hey Sayaka," Makoto turned to his idol friend. Her arms are wrapped around her body, and the girl is shaking a little. "What was in your video?" He asked.

She stayed silent and continued shaking, concerning the lucky student. "What's w-wrong? Just hurry up and t-tell us." Toko said rudely.

Again, Sayaka stayed silent. A look entered Sayaka's eyes, one that Makoto has seen before, further concerning the boy.

"I think you just made it worse, Toko." Sakura grunted. "You need to think about what to say before you say it."

"I-I'm just saying what I'm thinking. N-Nothing wrong with that, is there?" Toko muttered bitterly.

Meanwhile, Sayaka and Makoto stared at the future Sayaka in concern. What on earth did she see to make her act like that? Sayaka felt a bit of dread coming in her heart.

"Sayaka?" Slowly, Makoto touched her hand….

And that was the trigger for Sayaka. "Stop it!" With that shout, she pushed his hand away and ran out of the A/V room.

Now everyone's concerned for Sayaka. "What she had seen must have been extremely traumatizing." Sakura thought out loud.

"Whatever it was, it was something big, at least for future Sayaka." Kyoko turned to the present Sayaka. "Do you have any ideas?"

Sayaka gulped. "A few." Sayaka admitted. "I'd….rather not think about them right now." If she does, she might end up like her future self.

"Sayaka?!" Hina exclaimed in alarm. Some of the others looked alarmed at her sudden departure as well.

Before any of them could chase her, Byakuya spoke up. "Let her go." He said coldly.

"I-I can't do that!" Makoto protested. "I have to make sure she's okay!"

"I h-hate romantic comedies like this." Toko grumbled. "I don't care what h-happens to her, personally…."

"Seriously?" Hina gaped. "How can you say something so heartless, Toko?"

"W-What? My future self d-doesn't know her, so why should she care?" Toko defended herself.

"It's still an apathetic and cruel thing to say to a person." Sakura chided. "It's why you push people away."

Toko tsked. "Whatever." However, she couldn't help but see that….her words did sound a bit cruel. Watching herself deliver those words brought a new perspective about herself.

"That's because you're totally thoughtless!" Junko retorted.

Hina looked to where Sayaka ran off. "I'm….really worried." Hina said.

Celeste sighed. "Then why don't you go do whatever you think you have to?" She questioned. "We don't all have to stick together, right? Speaking of which, I have my own things to take care of. Goodbye."

She along, with several others, started leaving the A/V room and went their separate ways for right now. Makoto also went out, looking for Sayaka.

"If anybody can help her, it's Makoto." Hina said in confidence. Some of the others nodded in agreement.

Kyoko and Byakuya however, are a little skeptical. Something tells them that Makoto's kind word, however influencing they are, won't help in this situation.

The scene changed to Makoto looking around in the hallway. 'Where is she?' Makoto thought worriedly. When he saw an open door, he went inside.

When he entered the classroom, he saw Sayaka sitting on a chair in the corner, with her hands on her knees and her eyes staring absently at the floor.

That got several of the of the students concerned. "Um, Sayaka?" Chihiro spoke up worriedly. "Is your future self okay?"

"I'm….not sure." Sayaka said, also concerned. The sight of herself like that is very unnerving, and there were a few things that could get her into that state.

'Sayaka?' Makoto thought as he slowly approached the girl. 'Is she upset? Angry, maybe? Wait, no,' The luckster got a closer look at Sayaka's face. 'There's nothing. She looks completely emotionless. Like her original mask was completely stripped away.'

"What the hell did she see?" Leon questioned.

"It must be something really bad to make her like this." Junko said, making a fake frown.

Present Sayaka is really concerned now.

"S-Sayaka?" Makoto spoke up hesitantly. "Are you okay?"

After a moment, she spoke. "Yeah….I'm fine." She spoke slowly. "Actually, no….how could I possibly be fine? What did we do to end up like this? Why are they doing such terrible things to us?"

She then stood up, shouting, "I want out! Let me out of here right now!"

"This is not good." Byakuya narrowed his eyes. "In the state she's in, she's willing to do anything to get out of the school. Even…."

Sayaka shook a little at the implication, but Makoto shook his head. "No, Sayaka wouldn't do that." Makoto stated. "She's too kind to do that!"

"But like Byakuya said, in the state she's in now, she's willing to do anything." Celeste pointed out.

"Future me will calm her down! I'm sure of it!" Makoto continued firmly.

"I have no doubt about that." Byakuya sighed. "You're too kind-hearted to let her stay like this. Let us hope your words can get through to her."

"Sayaka! Calm down!" Makoto grabbed the idol's shoulder, stopping her from thrashing around. "I understand. I know how you feel right now. When I think about what might have happened to my family…."

He closed his eyes, a flash of the video entering his mind, before shaking his head and opening his eyes back in determination. "But now more than ever we have to stay calm! This is exactly what they want. They want us to lose our composure and to stop thinking rationally."

"Think about it - those videos have to be fake!" He continued. "Because if those things really had happened, people out there would be in an uproar. Our families, the police, everyone! Right?"

Sayaka continued to stay silent under Makoto's speech. "So let's just calm down, okay?" Makoto gently asked. "Otherwise, we've already lost."

"Wow," Hina said in awe. "That was a good speech."

"I agree. It sounds very moving." Sakura agreed with her best friend.

"It is very moving!" Taka stated, tears in his eyes. "That speech is filled with such passion, such determination!"

"You have a gift for words, Makoto." Kyoko smiled at the luckster. Said luckster blushed and smiled sheepishly.

"Thanks. Though my future was probably trying to reassure himself as much as Sayaka." Makoto admitted.

"Still, it was a good and moving speech Makoto." Sayaka complimented. "I felt myself getting calmer."

"But can it get future Sayaka calmer?" Byakuya questioned. "That's the question we should be asking."

"Yeah, she still look a bit frantic." Junko pointed out.

"As long as we work together, I'm sure we can find some way out of here. And help might even come before that." Makoto concluded.

"But," Sayaka finally spoke up. "What if there isn't a way out? What if help never comes?"

Makoto gritted his teeth a little at that difficult question. "I-If that happens," His eyes glinted in determination. "Then I'll get you out of her myself! No matter what it takes!"

Several eyes widen in surprise at the Makoto's declaration. Makoto himself is also shocked by this.

"Did Makoto really just say that?" Leon asked in surprise. "I mean, he's a super positive guy, but this?"

"Yes, he did said it." Byakuya confirmed, just as surprised. "And with such conviction as well."

When he said, Makoto paused. 'What the- Why did I say that?'

"And it seems like future Makoto is shocked by his own words as well." Celeste commented on.

Before he could think anymore on it, Sayaka suddenly launched herself onto Makoto, surprising the boy. "Sayaka?" The idol buried her face into his chest.

The other girls felt spikes of jealousy, but pushed it away. They all know that right now isn't the time to let their rivalry show.

"Please….help me," She cried, her voice small and shaky. "Why? Why is this happening to me? To kill, or be killed….I just can't take it anymore….!"

"Sayaka…."

Leon, Makoto, Hina, and Sakura couldn't help but frown a bit. Out of the entire class, they knew her the most, so it's….odd, seeing her so emotional. Not to say that she isn't emotional, she just doesn't openly display it.

Kyoko, Byakuya, and Celeste has those same thoughts as well. They may not be as close to Sayaka, but they are observant. And they know Sayaka isn't this emotional.

Sayaka herself also knows this. And since this is her future self, she can also tell that what she's doing is an act. 'Is she planning to….?' Sayaka didn't let herself finish the thought. Just thinking about using or killing any of her friends, especially Makoto, just makes her sick.

Junko was also noticing the act. And is cheering mentally. Looks like a murder is going to happen soon. This is gonna be great! She wonders who Sayaka is going to target.

The idol cried a bit of more. Finally, after a moment, she looked up from Makoto's chest, her eyes watery. "Can I," She spoke hesitantly. "Can I believe what you said?"

"Huh?"

"That you'll help me get out?" Sayaka clarified. "No matter what it takes?"

"A-Absolutely!" Makoto answered.

"Makoto," She spoke tearfully. "You're the only one that I can trust. So please, no matter what happens, please always be there for me. I need you by my side…."

Sayaka frowned fearfully. Yep, this is definitely an act. The feeling behind it is there, sure, but an act nonetheless. And she fears what she's going to do to Makoto.

"O-Of course I'll be there for you! No matter what, I'm always on your side. I mean," Makoto smiled. "You are my assistant, after all."

Shaking off Sayaka's odd behavior, Hina turned to Makoto. "Even seeing the same thing we all did, you're the one doing the comforting."

"And to say that you'll stay by her side, help her get out," Sakura smiled. "It's incredible."

"Though isn't it a bit arrogant, thinking that he could do it?" Junko asked everyone.

Kyoko shook her head. "If it came from anyone else, maybe." The detective said. "But we all know Makoto isn't like that. And what he said didn't have arrogance in his voice. No, that was pure determination."

Several nods of agreement were passed around, making the luckster blush. Still, he wondered to himself how his future self still had the strength to say those things, even after the video. He could chalk it up as his future self growing up, but considering their memories were wiped, he doubts that's the answer.

So he has to wonder….does he have that kind of strength?

Sayaka was silent for a moment. Finally, she spoke. "Thank you, Makoto. Hearing you say that, I feel like I can keep going. I can get through this….as long as you're with me." Finally, she smiled. "Like you said, I'm your assistant."

Getting over Sayaka's odd behavior, Hina smiled in relief. "Good. She's better now."

"The smile is a little forced, but it's definitely an improvement." Makoto agreed.

'Don't count on it.' Kyoko, Byakuya, and Celeste thought. Something tells them that she's far from better.

Suddenly, Monokuma appeared. "It's standing up!"

Sayaka and Makoto yelped, jumping away from each other.

The others yelped once again. "Will he stop doing that?" Leon complained.

"I doubt he will." Junko sighed.

"Makoto! It standing up!" Monokuma repeated.

"What's standing up?!" Makoto exclaimed, frustrated.

"Do you even have to ask?" Monokuma asked rhetorically. He pointed at Makoto's crotch. "Your flagpole!"

Makoto's eye twitched and his cheeks flushed in embarrassment.. "Like I would react to Sayaka hugging me! I'm not a pervert!"

"Yeah." Leon agreed. "Hifumi would be the one to react though."

"Hey!"

Makoto flushed. "Get the hell out of here!"

Monokuma shook his head. "No! No! I wanna join in!"

"Dammit!" Makoto cursed. "Well if you won't leave, then tell us what the hell is up with those videos!"

"You know Makoto is pissed when he's cursing." Yasuhiro commented on. "The guy almost never curses."

"Well, the bear did ruin the moment between Sayaka and Makoto." Leon pointed out. "Of course he would get pissed."

"Ahh….it's about to come out," Monokuma announced, holding his stomach. "It's gonna come out! My pristine, pure white…."

"...Stuffing!" Monokuma finished. "My honest, innocent stuffing is about to come gushing out!"

"God damnit, that fucking bear is annoying!" Mondo growled. "It's just asking to be punched!"

"How do you think other me feel?" Makoto frowned. It takes a lot to annoy and anger him, and Monokuma is slowly entering in the very small list of things that annoy him.

That was the last straw for Makoto. The boy cocked his fist and swung at Monokuma as hard as he could. But it was for naught, as he ended up punching the air, and the momentum in that punch propelled him to crash into one of the desks.

Several of his gasps in shock. "Is he alright?!" Hina and Sayaka asked in concern.

"That was a close one." Byakuya stated. "If Monokuma didn't dodge the punch, it would've executed Makoto."

Makoto paled a little. Yeah, he was lucky Monokuma dodged that punched.

"Why would you do something so suicidal at the moment?" Hifumi asked him.

Makoto chuckled sheepishly, the paleness still on his face. "I'm guessing my future self wasn't thinking about the consequences. Maybe after seeing the video and Monokuma's rude interruption, it just kinda pushed him over the edge."

"You better get some control over your emotions, Makoto." Kyoko stated with a slight stern glare. "I don't want you to die just because you let your anger out of control."

Makoto felt his spine straighten at the stern glare. "N-Noted."

"I don't think you'll have to worry about that." Chihiro voiced. "After all, it's hard to get Makoto angry enough to lose his cool."

Kyoko's eyes softened. "I know. But Monokuma was able to push him over the edge, as we've seen."

"A-Are you okay?!" Sayaka exclaimed in concern.

"If I hadn't avoided your punch, you would've just violated school regulations." Monokuma pointed out, his back at the students. He then turned towards them at his next words. "But boy are you slow slow slow slow SLOW! I could've downed a thousand-dollar full-course dinner in the time it took you to finish your swing!"

"Your speed, agility, alertness, passion, boldness, sense of despair, antagonization, it's all lacking!" Monokuma lectured. And with that, he disappeared as fast as he appeared.

"I'm glad that was fucking over." Mondo grumbled.

"What was the point with that?" Byakuya questioned, a raised eyebrow. "Did he do all that just to ruin the good mood?"

The two students were silent for a moment. After that moment pass, Sayaka spoke up. "What the heck was that just now?"

"I don't blame her for asking that." Chihiro said softly. "We don't even know what to call that."

"How about just him being a jerk?" Hina suggested.

Makoto sighed in aggravation. "He just wanted to mess with us."

"Well, for now….you wanna just head back?" Sayaka asked.

"Yeah…."

The scene changed to Makoto and Sayaka at the dorm rooms. "You should get some rest, Sayaka." Makoto suggested. "You still look pretty shaken."

"I'm sorry for making you worry about me," Sayaka apologized. "You're right. I'm going to lay down for a bit."

WIth a nod and small bow, Sayaka went inside her room. And again, the scene changed to Makoto laying on his bed, in his room. 'Jeez,' Makoto thought tiredly. 'Seriously, what's going on here? There's just so many problems. I can't even decide what the biggest problem is….'

'That we're trapped in here? That what I saw in the video might be real?'  Makoto began listing off.  'Monokuma? What the mastermind has in store for us? Or….are 'we' our biggest problems?'

"Yeah. That's what I'm thinking to." Makoto sighed. "There's a list of problems, and it's hard to decide which one of them is the biggest problem."

"Each one of them has the potential to be the biggest problems." Sakura agreed. "It's hard to decide which one to focus on."

"I say that all of them are equally big." Mukuro spoke up. "And if you put your focus one, you leave yourself defenseless to the other."

"So what are we supposed to do? Deal with those problems all at once?" Leon snorted. "Easier said than done."

Makoto stayed silent, staring at the ceiling in anguish. 'I want to get out of here.' Makoto thought. 'But I could never kill someone. Do the others feel the same?'

The students looked at one another. Several of them would like to say that they wouldn't, that they wouldn't kill each other no matter what, but if they're being honest, only a few of them could honestly say that. Makoto is one of those few.

Makoto paused at that thought and sighed.  'Yeah, that's definitely the biggest problem right now.'

"Indeed it is." Kyoko agreed with a sigh.

"If desperation doesn't fuel one of us to commit murder, then paranoia might do the trick." Celeste stated.

The screen then went dark. After a few seconds a darkness, the ring of a doorbell was heard. The screen lit back up to Makoto opening his eyes. 'Huh?' Blearily, he checked the time. He was surprised when he saw what time it was. "It's almost ten o'clock. I fell asleep without even realizing it…."

'Nighttime's about to start….' Once again, he spoke out loud. "So how come someone's here?"

Kyoko narrowed her eyes. "Your future self needs to be careful." The detective stated. "After seeing those videos, there are bound to be those who're thinking about killing someone."

"This is Makoto we're talking about. Too trusting for his own good." Byakuya deadpanned.

Sayaka, Hina, and Mukuro frowned in concern for their crush. Celeste is also concerned, but schooled her features as usual.

Slowly, he got out of bed and went to the door. When he did, he was met with Sayaka once again. "I'm really sorry to come so late."

"Sayaka?" Several of them said in surprise. Toko was the one to ask everyone's silent question. "W-What she's doing out s-so late?"

"You don't think she's gonna….?" Junko trailed off.

"No! I would never kill Makoto!" Sayaka denied. Even with her memories wiped, she wouldn't kill such a kind person!

'Sayaka?!' Makoto thought in surprise. Before he could say anything, Sayaka quickly came in and closed the door. "Sayaka? What are you doing out so late?" That he noticed her arms wrapped around herself, and her body trembling. "I-Is everything okay….?"

"Sorry to bother you, but….something really weird just happened." Sayaka told him.

"Something….weird?"

"Just a little while ago, I was laying down in my room," Sayaka began explaining. "And all of a sudden, my door started rattling and shaking."

What she said, along with the tone of her voice, got most of them to tense up.

Makoto tensed up at this. "It was like someone was trying to force the door open." She continued. "My door was locked, so they couldn't get in, of course. But they started shaking the door harder and harder. I was so scared I couldn't even move."

"Someone try to break into her room?" Hina asked, eye wide.

"But we all know that the doors are locked." Hifumi stated, nervous. "So why would they attempt it in the force place?"

"Maybe they were trying to force themselves in?" Mondo supplied. "But which one of us was trying to do it?"

Kyoko and Celeste, meanwhile, narrowed their eyes. They can already tell Sayaka is lying. What is the idol trying to do?

"S-So what happened?!"

"After a while, it just….stopped." Sayaka told him. "I let some time go by, then I got up and opened the door to check outside, but there was nobody there."

"Someone tried to force their way into your room?" Makoto asked in a bit of disbelief. "But….who would do something like that?"

The classmates couldn't help but think which one of them would've done it. It's hard to imagine any of them trying to force their way in Sayaka's room.

"Well, maybe they wanted to tell Sayaka something." Hiro suggested, after being silent for so long. "Give her a message."

"By trying to break to her room?" Leon questioned incredulously. "Um, I don't think that's a possibility."

"It's not like I'm suspicious of anyone here, but still," Sayaka said. "It makes me nervous. What if something like that happened in the middle of the night? What would I do then?"

"Well, you don't have to worry about that." Hina stated. "We can't go outside during nighttime."

"That's a rule we all agreed to." Byakuya countered. "It wasn't a rule Monokuma made, so any of us could decide to break it."

That wiped that reassurance.

"Y-You don't have to worry about that, right?" Makoto said, a bit nervous himself. "I mean, we can't go outside during night time."

"But that's just a promise we made, right? If someone decided to break that promise…." Sayaka trailed off.

Makoto gulped. "Th-Then….why don't you stay in my room tonight? Would that make you feel a little better?"

"Huh?!" Several exclaimed in shock at the idea Makoto offered eyes widening. Makoto and Sayaka are also surprised by this. They all momentarily forgot at the possible danger future Sayaka was facing.

"What?!" Sayaka exclaimed in surprise.

"All it said in the school regulations was that we had to sleep in 'the dorm rooms', right?" Makoto explained. "It didn't say specifically 'which' room each had to sleep room. So…."

Soon, the shock was gone and Leon, Mondo, and Hiro are cheering and whistling. "Wow, Makoto, you're making a bold move!" Leon cheered.

"Who knew you had the balls to ask that?" Mondo laughed.

Hiro grinned. "Our little guy is becoming a man." Byakuya merely smirked as Makoto and Sayaka blushed up a storm.

Taka, however, have a different opinion. "Makoto, how could you?! Inviting a girl to sleep in the same dorm room with you? That's completely immoral!"

"I-It's not like that!" Makoto protested, his blush getting brighter. Sayaka merely stayed silent, trying to block any fantasies in her mind.

Kyoko and Celeste, meanwhile, momentarily forgot about the fact that Sayaka is lying. Kyoko raised an eyebrow at Makoto's direction while Celeste muffled a giggle at Makoto's flustered state. Mukuro, however, is trying to keep herself from glaring daggers at Sayaka while Hina pouted once more.

"I-It always the innocent that makes these b-bold moves." Toko accused. "N-Next he's going to touch her a-all over when they're in bad." Truthfully, she's know that isn't true. She just like getting a reaction out of the boy.

"Toko!" Makoto shouted, now completely tomato red. "Seriously, it's not like that! Future me is just making sure she's safe!"

Sayaka, though still blushing, smile sweetly at Makoto. "Well, thank you Makoto for trying to keep me safe." She gave him a kiss on the cheek, which made sure the blush on his face stays on.

That small interaction cause Mukuro to grit her teeth tighter, Hina to fume a little, Kyoko to frown, and Celeste to gain a dark aura.

'Come on Sayaka, stop rubbing it in!' Hina whined.

"B-But," Sayaka blushed, looking away from him. "Two people sharing one room is….you know…."

Makoto blinked before blushing up a storm. "Oh jeez, I'm sorry! I didn't even think about it! Honestly, that didn't even cross my mind!"

"No, I know, me neither." Sayaka reassured. "It's not that I mind the idea, but…." Once again, she looked away, the blush still on her face. "Um, if you don't mind, could we maybe switch rooms? Just for tonight?"

"Switch rooms?" Leon raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You're willing to put him in the same danger?"

"I doubt it's like that." Sayaka protested. "The doors are locked, and secure. It's probably just so I could feel safer."

"Still, you're alright with me staying in your room?" Makoto couldn't help but ask. "That doesn't, like, concern you or anything?"

Sayaka giggled. "I doubt my future self would've suggested it if it did." Sayaka stated. "Besides, you're too innocent to do anything pervy."

"Switch rooms?" It didn't take long for Makoto to think about it. "I-If it'll help put your mind at ease, then it's totally fine with me." He scratched the back of his head. "I don't mind you staying in my room, but are you sure you're okay with me staying in yours? That doesn't, like….concern you?"

Sayaka smiled. "It's fine. I trust you."

"In that case, then," The bell suddenly rang, and a few seconds later, the nighttime broadcast was played.

"Oh man, it's already nighttime," Sayaka noted.

"Okay, so it's settled. I'll head to your room right now." A thought suddenly entered his mind. 'Oh, if we're gonna trade rooms, we'd better tade keys, too.'

"Ah, that's right. We'll have to trade keys." Sayaka agreed.

"Again?!"

"Like I said, I'm pyschic." Makoto waited for the next line to come out. But she didn't say them.

"...Huh?" He said in confusion. "Hey, aren't you gonna say you were just kidding?"

"What if I wasn't just kidding….?" A smile entered her lip.

"Wait, she really is psychic?!" Hiro exclaimed in alarm.

Several people facepalmed. He could fall for a joke like that, but it's hard for him to believe that what they're watching is real?

"No, you fucking idiot." Mondo groaned. "She was just kidding around, as usual."

Makoto couldn't help but be relieved. 'Thank goodness. It looks like she's already started to get back to normal.' "Okay, we better trade keys then." He said out loud.

"Yup, let's do it." The two of them then trade keys. When Makoto looked back up, there was another worried expression on her face.

"Makoto….please be careful." Sayaka told him. "If someone comes to the door, don't open it no matter what."

"I won't." Makoto reassured her. "The same goes for you, Sayaka. No matter who it is, don't open your door for anyone."

"Even if I'm sure it's you, I absolutely won't open it." Sayaka stated. "Otherwise, what's the point in even switching?"

Another thought entered his mind. "Oh, by the way….just so you know, my bathroom door tends to get stuck. There's a little trick to opening it." He directed her to said door. "You have to turn to knob, then lift up the door while you pull it out. Just do that and the door should open no problem."

"T-The showers don't work during nighttime." Toko stated. "Why would she need to know?"

Makoto blushed. "I guess my future self forgot about that."

"Well, I might use it when it's morning time." Sayaka said.

"Okay, but the showers don't work during night time anyway, right?" Sayaka reminded him.

Makoto blushed. "Oh, that's right. I totally forgot."

"But I guess I might use it when I get up in the morning. So thank you."

"Okay, well, I better get going." He turned to the direction of the room door. "See you tomorrow Sayaka."

As he went to the exit, Sayaka spoke up. "Oh, and about what I said before," When he turn his head to her, she smiled. "When I said I was psychic, it was really a joke. Honestly, I'm just very perceptive."

Makoto smiled back. "Yeah, I know."

"Well, goodnight then." Sayaka concluded the conversation. "See you tomorrow." With parting smiles towards one another, Makoto left to Sayaka's room.

"So Makoto is entering Sayaka's room," Hina creased her eyebrow. "I hope nothing bad happens to him."

"I wouldn't worry too much. The locks aren't pickable, and the doors are pretty sturdy." Taka stated. "There only a few of us here that are capable of breaking through by force, and I doubt they would."

Meanwhile, Kyoko furrowed her eyebrows. Why would Sayaka want to switch rooms? Is she planning to murder someone, and then frame Makoto for it? That's the only possibility she could see.

Kyoko sighed. For right now, she'll keep that to herself. She might be wrong, and she doesn't want to spark mistrust amongst her classmates. 'Great. I'm becoming soft.' Kyoko thought wryly.

The scene changed to Makoto entering Sayaka's room. When he did, he took a small look around. 'So this is Sayaka's room.' Makoto thought. 'It doesn't really look any different from mine.' "It smells nice, though," Makoto commented, smiling a little.

As he walked to bed, he saw in the corner of his eyes Sayaka's CD in the trash. 'The CD in the A/V room Sayaka had.' He thought. 'Which reminds me, I never did found out what was in it. But I'll let her bring it up next time.'

As he laid down onto the bed, a scent entered his nose. 'Sayaka's….scent.' He smiled dreamily as he slowly fell asleep. 'Maybe it'll bring me some sweet dreams.'

That got laughs out of some of Makoto's male friends while the boy himself blushed madly at his thoughts being revealed. Sakura and Chihiro chuckled as well, while Byakuya had a faint smirk.

Sayaka blushed a little, but turned to Makoto with a mischievous smile. "Do I really smell that good?"

"Um... I uh... you see... erm," The flustered boy tried to make a response, but couldn't, causing Sayaka to giggle.

It also caused Hina and Celeste to giggled while smiles entered Mukuro's and Kyoko's faced. Despite being jealous of Sayaka, they had to admit, seeing Makoto flustered like that is all too cute.

The scene changed to morning, with Makoto walking to the dining hall. When he did, he saw that Hina, Sakura, Chihiro, and Taka was already here. "Hello Makoto, and good morning! Can you believe it? I was the very first one here this morning!" Taka stated cheerfully.

"Way to go future me!" Taka cheered. "Your fighting spirit is strong!"

Several either shook their head or sighed, though there were smiles on their faces. Only Taka would be happy about being the first one here, even in the situation their future selves are in.

Chihiro giggled. "Good morning."

"Mornin'!" Hina chirped.

"I suppose I'm early." Sakura greeted with a smile.

Makoto smiled at them and said his good morning, sitting at the table with them. The narrator Makoto then spoke. "I figured everyone who had arrived on time could be considered model high schoolers."

"Yeah. Makoto, Taka, Hina, Sakura, Chihiro, and Sayaka seems to be the ones to always be on time." Junko noted. "Especially when Makoto became Class Representative."

Makoto blushed. When it was time to pick a Class Representative, the entire class unanimously picked him. It was shocking for him, especially since Byakuya isn't the type to let someone else be the leader.

Though his excuse was that he already plan to lead an entire corporation. He might as well let a commoner get a minor spot of leadership.

"And the ones who showed up a little late…." Mondo, Junko, and Hifumi appeared at the table next.

"Yo." Mondo greeted simply.

"Sorry I'm late!" Junko sung. "My make-up just would NOT cooperate this morning!"

"My apologies, ladies and gentlemen." Hifumi greeted them. "My morning, ah, duty took a little longer than usual."

"...were the types with a more relaxed sense of time." The narrator continued. "Most high schoolers fall into this category."

"Yep! Me and sis, along with Mondo and Hifumi, are the more relaxed type!" Junko chirped.

Leon looked at Hifumi suspiciously. "What do you mean by morning duties?"

"I just write, that's all." Hifumi quickly reassured. Leon kept his eyes narrowed, but let it go for now.

"And finally, the ones who kept everyone waiting forever…." Kyoko, Celeste, Toko, Leon, and Hiro were the last to appear.

"...I suppose I'm late." Kyoko stated simply.

"Good morning, everyone." Celeste greeted.

"My bad, guys! Slept right through the alarm!" Leon said sheepishly.

"Wh-What? Is it s-so awful to be l-late?" Toko questioned.

"I didn't oversleep, just so you know. Nope, got lost!" Hiro stated. "I blame the Bermuda Triangle…."

"...Don't care about time or other people in general." The narrator Makoto began to conclude. "They're the kind to move at their own pace."

"And that would be Kyoko, Celeste, Byakuya, Leon, Toko, and Hiro." Junko listed off.

Toko scoffed. "L-Like I would care for y-you people."

"Yeah, right." Hina snorted. "You love us. Admit it!"

"Like a t-tumor."

Byakuya gave Hiro a blank stare. "The Bermuda Triangle? Really?"

"Hey, that Triangle always messes up people's perception of time! Maybe it messed with my perception too!"

"But you aren't even in the Triangle, Hiro." Sakura sighed. "If you're trying to make an excuse, make a more believable one."

"But regardless, everyone had arrived." Right after, the tone shifted. "At least, that's how it was supposed to go…."

"Wait, aren't we still missing some people?" Taka questioned.

That got everyone's attention. "Yes, he's right." Hina realized. "Byakuya and Sayaka aren't there yet."

"Well, maybe they're late like the others." Chihiro supplied.

Hina confirmed it. "Yeah, Sayaka and Byakuya aren't here yet."

Makoto frowned. 'I don't know about Byakuya, but I would definitely put Sayaka in the "model high schooler" category. So for her to be so late….'

Soon enough, Byakuya arrived. "What's going on? Did something happen?" He inquired.

"So Byakuya arrived." Leon noted. "But Sayaka didn't."

"And like Makoto said, she's in the 'model high schooler' category." Celeste stated. "What caused her to be so late?"

"Hey man!" Mondo greeted. "Have you seen Sayaka?"

"Why would I have? I just came straight from my room to here." Byakuya explained.

"Did she forget about our breakfast promise?" Hifumi inquired.

Kyoko frowned. "I got the sense she always has her stuff together."

Makoto frowned, uneasiness creeping into his mind. He looked at Sayaka, who looked back. The two of them are feeling the same amount of uneasiness.

Makoto felt uneasiness to grow inside him. And it kept growing until he got up from his chair. "I-I need to go." He told everyone. "I have to check on her!"

By now, everyone is getting worried. "Do you think she's….?" Hina trailed off fearfully.

"No! That isn't possible!" Taka shook his head. "Why would any of us kill her?"

"Those messed up videos, remember?" Junko reminded him. The moral compass blanched a little.

Sayaka herself is gripping her fist nervously. It's not what everyone thinks, is it?

Those words barely flew from his mouth before he ran out the dining hall. He headed straight to Sayaka's room and burst in. When he did, he saw that the room had completely transformed, from neat and tidy to destroyed and demolished. "W-What the hell?!"

Several eyes widen at this as well. "Woah Woah! What the fuck happened?!" Mondo yelled loudly.

"The room! It's completely destroyed!" Hina exclaimed. "How?!"

"And where's Sayaka?" Makoto asked worriedly.

The present Sayaka is shaking in trepidation. Could it be? Did she actually….?

He looked around, trying to see any sign of Sayaka, when he spotted the bathroom door. "The bathroom. I'd better go take a look." He went inside the bathroom. "Let's….take…." He slowly started trailing off. "A….look….in….side…." His eyes widen in shock and horror.

Right in front of him was Sayaka Maizono, dead, on the floor, blood splattered around her and on her clothes, and a knife in her stomach.

Makoto screamed at the site of Sayaka's corpse. "What I saw dug it ways through my eyes and buried itself within my brain." The narrator Makoto stated. "I couldn't stop screaming. And then….And then…."

Makoto voice died down before falling on his back. When he landed, the screen turn black. "...Everything went black."

Silence. Dead silence filled the entire room. Nobody could believe what they are seeing. Hina and Chihiro covered their mouths. Leon and Taka felt themselves pale in the face. Toko fainted from site of blood. Even Kyoko felt herself shock at seeing Sayaka dead, despite suspecting that the idol had died.

Makoto felt himself shaking, his eyes widen in horror. He wanted to scream. He wanted to shout. He could feel himself about to burst. But before he could, he remembered that the present Sayaka is with him and turned to her.

The girl is shaking, her eyes widen with just as much horror, if not more so. Seeing herself, dead on the floor, a knife in her stomach….it's horrifying. And this is her possible future. "I'm….dead?" Sayaka whispered. "Someone….killed me?"

Unfortunately, Hiro chose the wrong time to speak up. "Wait, this is still a prank, right?" He asked nervously. "I mean, sure, that's blood look really real, but…."

Sayaka whirled to him in anger. "You still think this is a prank?!" She shouted in fury. "Newflash Hiro! It isn't! This is real! This is our future! This is my future self dead on the floor!"

"Nope!" Hiro shook his head rapidly. "Nope, nope, nope, nope! Not going to fall for it! Not going to!" A strained smile entered his face.

Sayaka screamed and lunged at him, but Leon and Makoto grabbed her by the arms. "Sayaka, calm down!" Makoto exclaimed to the idol. "Calm down, please!"

Slowly, Sayaka calmed down from her anger. But she ended up latching onto Makoto, burying her face into his chest, shivering. The lucky student wrapped his arms around her in response, trying to give some comfort.

With everyone's attention on Sayaka right now, Junko couldn't contain herself any longer. She tried her hardest to contain herself and to stop convulsing around in her seat from the euphoria of despair. She wrapped her arms around herself as muffled noises of glee and laughter escaped her mouth. Junko didn't care if anyone caught her right now, it'd only make her feel better.

Mukuro gave Junko an odd glance as she started shifting around next to her, but knew that she would be fine. Junko's just enjoying herself. What concerned the soldier now, was how Makoto was going to fare with everything.

'This is only the beginning... Can... Can I really go through with this?' she thought as she looked over at Makoto still holding Sayaka and softly stroking her back in an attempt to reassure her.

"So," Hifumi began shakily. "One of us really killed Sayaka?"

When he asked that, horror entered nearly everyone's eyes. Since Sayaka is laying dead on the floor….that means one of them killed her.

Someone within Class 78th has murdered one of their own.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 17: Watching Chapter 1: To Survive Part 9

(Chapter 1 - To Survive - Deadly Life)

"That's not a good sign." Junko stated, finally managing to calm herself. Everyone couldn't help but agree to that.

"Is Makoto okay?" Hina asked, remembering that he blacked out.

"He probably is." Byakuya said. "He must've just fainted from seeing Sayaka dead."

The screen changed to Makoto's point of view, the boy slowly opening his eyes. When he did, he saw that he was looking a familiar ceiling and a familiar face. "Ah! You're awake! Finally! Are you okay?" Hina asked him in concern.

"Now's no time for sleeping. Get your ass up!" Mondo growled, his head bowing down.

"Dude, calm down man" Leon said. "Seeing Sayaka dead in his own bathroom is not something he could brush off. It's not something any of us could have brush off in his shoes."

Mondo sighed. The biker clenched his fist and closed his eyes, looking a bit blue in the face. "Yeah, I know."

"Huh….?" Was Makoto's slow response.

"You were unconscious, dude." Hiro told him. "I had to carry you back here."

"It's no surprise, considering what happened." Sakura stated.

"What….happened?" That's when the memories of Sayaka, dead in his own bathroom, came rushing back. "Gr-Graaaah!" He cried out in horror.

"H-Hey, are you okay?!" Hina asked, startled.

He ignored the question. "So it wasn't a dream?" The lucky student asked, sitting up. "What I saw….it was real?"

"That's right. It really did happen." Byakuya said coldly. "Sayaka….is dead." Makoto's face contorted into horror and despair at Byakuya's cold answer.

Several of the students' hearts' broke at seeing their favorite lucky student with a horrified look on his face. Even Byakuya felt himself getting emotional at Makoto's horrified state before looking away. Maybe he should've been a bit more tactful with giving the news.

Hina and Chihiro started tearing up at seeing this while Celeste and Kyoko felt their eyes getting misty. The others, such as Leon and Mondo, had to look away from the screen for a moment.

Mukuro gripped her knees at the sight. This was because of her. Makoto is like this, because she didn't stop Junko's plan. Seeing him so horrified is ripping her up inside.

Once again, she had to ask herself. Could she really go through with this?

Junko felt like shaking in glee and crying at the same time. Seeing Sayaka dead, Makoto screaming, the horrified look on his face when it was confirmed it wasn't a dream, it's all so despairful! It makes her want to orgasm, but at the same time, she wanted to cry at Makoto's horrified state. It was glorious!

Suddenly, Makoto shot up and took off running. "Hey, where do you think you're going?" Byakuya called out.

Makoto stopped and turned to the prodigy. "I have to see for myself!" Makoto shouted. "I have to see if Sayaka is-! If Sayaka is….!"

"You can check once, twice, a thousand times." He told him coldly. "Sayaka is completely and irrevocably dead!"

Sayaka flinched and buried her face further into Makoto's chest. Makoto, in response, tightened his hold on her and continued stroking her hair.

"You could be a little more sensitive Byakuya." Sakura sighed. "This isn't something people could just accept."

Byakuya sighed. "Perhaps." Was all he said.

"No!" Makoto shouted. "I have to see for myself!"

"Listen to us, man! Whaddya think's gonna happen if you go out there?" Mondo asked him.

"Well what good is it gonna do just sitting around here?!" Makoto retorted. "I mean, why are we all hanging out in the gym at a time like this?!"

"Yeah, now that he's mentioning it, why are we at the gym?" Leon asked. "I would've thought we would be gathered in his room."

"Monokuma must've summoned us to the gym." Kyoko deduced. "That's the only possibility as to why we're there."

"And we listen to the fucker?!" Mondo growled. "He's the damn reason why this happened!"

"That's why we listen to him." Kyoko stated, a bit coldly. "No matter how we feel about him, he's our future selves' kidnapper. Disobeying him would be unwise."

Makoto sighed. "She has a point." The luckster said. "We saw what he tried to do to Mondo for attacking him."

"What makes you think he wasn't the one that killed me?" Slowly, Sayaka got out of Makoto's embrace, though she kept a hand gripped onto his own. "How come we aren't thinking that he didn't do it?"

Byakuya crossed his arm. "While it would be nice to pin it on the bear, for one, it would be too convenient." Byakuya began explaining. "And two, if he wanted to kill us, he could've done so in the beginning instead of telling us to kill each other."

"Our friend….Sayaka….she's…." Finally, he shouted. "She's dead!" When he said that, he looked down. The horror and despair is still on Makoto's face.

Sayaka and Makoto gripped each other's hand tightly. The idol is glad Makoto is at her side. Otherwise, she felt that she would've broken down.

Kyoko spoke up. "None of us want to be here right now, either."

"Then….why?"

"Sh-Shouldn't it be obvious? Monok-kuma," Toko answered. "He told us all to c-come here."

"Well, hold on! Don't talk like that. We all protested it!" Taka stated. "I mean, we remember the terrible price Sayaka had to pay. B-But…."

"I'm the one who convinced them to come." Kyoko told Makoto. "Right now, we need to do whatever he says. We're his prisoners, right? It's not a good idea to defy him without reason. We don't need to make any more sacrifices than we already have."

Leon scowled. "While you have a point Kyoko, it still pisses me off that we have to listen to him."

"I wouldn't expect any of us to be happy about it, or all of us to be resigned." Kyoko stated. "And I doubt my future self would either."

Makoto stayed silent for a moment. Then, he spoke. "Why should we listen to anything he has to say?" A scowl entered his face. "It's obvious he's the one who killed Sayaka!"

As he said that, Monokuma appeared. "I would never do that!" Monokuma denied. "If you can believe anything, you can believe that!"

Leon growled in anger. "He's here again…."

"Unless someone violates a school regulation, I absolutely will not interfere." The bear stated. "I can promise you, I won't do anything that goes against the purpose of your school life here. I'm famous at safari parks throughout the world for following the 'Bear-Times-One' rule!"

Mondo growled. "I really wish I could say that the fucking bear is lying."

"But like Byakuya said, if he wanted to kill all of us, he could've just done it earlier." Kyoko said. "Or if he wanted to frame one of us, he wouldn't need to resort to showing us motives."

"Then….who did it?" Chihiro asked fearfully. "Who killed her?"

"You already know the answer!" Monokuma declared. "The one who killed her is….one of you!"

Everyone was silent at this. Makoto felt his horror grow. 'One of us….killed Sayaka?' Makoto thought. He shook his head. 'Don't be stupid. That's….'

"The only logical answer." Byakuya sighed. "As much as we don't want to believe it."

"So one of us really did kill Sayaka." Hina covered her mouth, "But who?"

Sayaka looked at all of her friends. Who could've killed her, and why?

"Hmm? What's the matter?" Monokuma questioned, tilting his head. "You guys all look like you're about to see a dove get shot up with a Gatling Gun! Don't you remember what I told you when this all began? One of you decided to kill Sayaka so that you could graduate! Someone's just following the rules. There's nothing wrong with that!"

"Everything is wrong with that!" Taka shouted. "Killing someone just so they could escape? That's wrong!"

"Don't pretend it's normal, you fucking bear!" Mondo roared.

Hifumi shakily spoke up. "Y-You're lying….right?"

"Of course he's lying!" Makoto exclaimed. "I'm telling you, he killed her!"

Makoto gripped his fist. He wish he could believe that, that none of them was the killer. That last thing he wants to do is doubt his friends.

But he knew that one of them did it. He doesn't know why, but he, along with everyone here, just knew that Monokuma wasn't lying.

Monokuma rebuked his accusation yet again. "Nope, sorry. One of you is now a bona fide killer. If they wanted to, the one who did it could testify to that little fact."

"What….?" Without thinking, Makoto looked around at everyone. Everyone else did the same, a combination of fear, suspicion and confusion in the air.

"A-Are you serious?" Chihiro asked, tearing up.

"Someone," Taka became very pale. "Someone killed someone!"

"It's amazing what some people are capable of." Celeste remarked.

"Hey, hold on!" Mondo protested. "Don't assume he's telling the truth!"

"That's enough." Byakuya said loudly, silencing everyone talking. "Before we do anything else, I'd like to confirm something with the stuffed animal here." He turned to Monokuma. "If one of us really did kill her, that person gets to graduate from the school, right?"

"...Huh?"

"Don't play dumb!" The heir demanded. "That's what you said, isn't it?! If you kill someone, you get to leave!"

"Hang on a minute, why do you want to know about it?" Mondo asked.

Byakuya scoffed. "If you think that I was the one who killed her, I very much doubt it. If I did, I wouldn't ask that question and draw suspicion to me. Plus, I don't succumb easily to desperation."

"Puhuhu," Monokuma started giggling, more and more until it became a full blown evil laughter.

"Why are you laughing?!" Leon questioned, pale.

After a few more giggles, the bear answered. "It's cuz….naive. You're just so naive!" He let a barking laugh. "You think it's really that easy? That you can just kill someone and waltz on outta here?! You're super naive! Devilishly naive! HELLISHLY NAIVE! No, no, no, the real thing has just begun."

"Wait, you mean there's more?!" Leon exclaimed.

"Not surprising." Celeste said. "If you recall the sixth rule, it's stated that you can't be caught if you're the 'blackened'."

"Which mean you have to get away with the murder in order to leave." Byakuya summarized.

"Meaning that Monokuma's got something set up for that." Kyoko deduced. "Something we might not like."

"Oh come on. Can we get a break here?" Hina whined.

"The….real thing?" Makoto asked cautiously.

"Are you ready?!" Monokuma asked everyone. "Allow me to explain the second part of the rule regarding graduation! Just like I explained before, you must kill someone if you want to leave. However, even if you do that, there's still one more part to the agreement you have to uphold, remember?"

Celeste was the one to answer. "You are referring to rule number six of the school regulations. If you are the 'blackened' that committed the murder, you can't be found out by the other students. That is what you're talking about, is it not?"

"Bingo!" Monokuma confirmed eagerly. "It's not enough to just kill someone. You have to actually get away with it! Which naturally means you need a system in place to assess whether or not it's been gotten away with! So, a certain amount of time after a murder has taken place, a class trial will begin!"

"A class trial?" Makoto furrowed his eyebrow. "What's that?"

"Not anything good, I suspect." Celeste stated. "And it looks like our answers were correct."

'Class….trial?' Thought a confused Makoto.

"Yup! It'll begin a few hours after the murder!" Monokuma stated. "Everyone will gather together, including the blackened who committed the murder. And they and the spotless students will all engage in one debate showdown!"

The scene changed into a image of boys and girls facing each other in podiums, with Monokuma on a throne. "During the trial, you'll have to present your argument about who you think the blackened is" The bear began explaining. "And once everything comes to an end, the outcome will be decided by popular vote! If the answer you arrived at is correct, only the one that disturbed your peace will be punished. The rest may continue their communal life."

"However," The bear continued. "If you choose poorly, then the one who got away with murder will survive, and the rest of you will receive your punishment. Which will means your school life will come to an end! As far as class trials go….that's all there is to it!"

"Wait, so you mean he wants us to point the finger at someone?" Makoto questioned in shock. "Condemn them to this punishment he keeps talking about?"

"And what does he mean by punishment?" Hina asked nervously.

"I think we can all guess that." Byakuya sighed.

The scene switched back to the gym. "So, um," Hifumi spoke up nervously. "What exactly is this 'punishment' you keep talking about?"

"Oh! Well, to put it simply," Once again, the bear dropped another bomb. "It's execution!"

Several eyes widened in horror and skins started paling. Makoto, reveling in his own horror, cried: "Execution?!"

"Is he fucking serious right now?!" Mondo exclaimed, very pale.

"E-Execution?!" Hifumi screamed in terror.

"And by executions, you mean…." Before Chihiro could finish that, Monokuma suddenly got in front of her, causing the programmer to yelp and land on her butt.

Several others yelped at the speed. "Chihiro!" Taka exclaimed.

"You get the fuck away from her!" Mondo shouted in anger.

The camera got another close up to Monokuma face. "Execution is….execution. Ex-e-cution!" Monokuma emphasized. "Electric chair, bzzt bzzt! Poisonous gas, cough cough! Torn apart like a paper plane in a hurricane!" After that, Monokuma jumped away from Chihiro.

By now, nearly everyone is pale in horror. "So if we pick the wrong person, all of us will die," Kyoko began summarizing. "But if we get the right person, they'll be executed."

"So's he forcing us to condemn a person to be killed?!" Makoto exclaimed. The boy is shaking now. "That's insane!"

"That is way too cruel." Hina said, covering her mouth. "Having to find out the death of one of our own, and then immediately condemn the killer to die."

"I know they killed, but that doesn't mean they deserve to die." Chihiro said, near tears.

Meanwhile, Sayaka stayed silent, her hand still in Makoto's, a conflicted look on her face. Makoto looked at her in concern, but stayed silent for right now. He's got the feeling that she'll tell him about it later.

By now, several of the students are quite paled. "S-So, to make sure I understand," Taka spoke up, also looking pale. "If we get the culprit right, then only they die. But if we get it wrong, all the rest of us gets….executed?"

"What a smart chimpanzee you are!" The bear complimented. "Look at you, implying you didn't do it without actually saying it!"

"Is he accusing me?!" Taka exclaimed in outrage. "I would never kill someone!"

"Hey you fucking bear, going lay your accusations somewhere!" Mondo shouted in anger. "Don't you fucking dare accuse my bro!"

"Already planting suspicion amongst us. That bear is going to be a nuisance." Byakuya sighed.

"So it's basically what the outside world calls a 'lay judge' system, or an inquisition type thing!" Monokuma explained. "Which means you'll be deciding who you think the killer is. But judge carefully, cause all of your lives are on the line!"

"That bear created a double edge sword." Mukuro said quietly. "If we get it right, we'll have to live with the guilt of condemning someone to death. If we get it wrong, then we'll die. Either way, he would get what he wants."

"Clever and cruel. That's what that sword is." Sakura stated, her eyes brimming with anger. Once she finds this mastermind, she won't let them escape from her grasp.

"Okay, let me just add the rule I just described to your handbook. Make sure to keep it in mind!" Monokuma then pulled out a E-handbook and added the rule in.

Just as he finished, Junko suddenly spoke. "W-Wait, hold on a second!" Junko spoke up in anger. "You're freaking insane, you know that?!"

The disguised Mukuro's statement got everyone's attention. "Mukuro," Makoto said, concern in your voice. "What are you doing?"

"I'm not sure." Mukuro narrowed her eyes in thought. Her sister, Junko, is also thinking.

"Hmm?" Was Monokuma's response.

"A class trial? What the hell is that?!" She exclaimed. "I don't want anything to do with it!"

"Why not?"

"Whaddya mean, why not?! Why do I have to waste my time trying to figure out who murdered someone?!"

Several's eyes began to widen. "Mukuro, you're putting yourself in danger." Kyoko stated. "My future self did say it isn't wise to disobey him right now."

"I guess my future self saw the class trials as too cruel. Condemning someone to get murdered is not something I would want to be a part of." The soldier said. "I may have killed as my time in Fenrir, but my enemies fought back. I don't choose who to be killed."

Inwardly though, she thinks that Junko must've order her to say those things. Junko is thinking the same thing.

"What?!" Exclaimed the bear. "Are you say saying you're not gonna participate in the trial?! Only punishment awaits such blasphemy!"

That took Junko aback. "What? Punishment?!"

"Please don't tell me he's going to kill Mukuro." Makoto pleaded.

Mukuro blushed at her crush concern as Junko spoke up. "Don't worry! I'm sure sis can handle anything thrown at her!"

"I know. But still, I'm a bit worried for her." Makoto stated back, making Mukuro blush more, despite the situation.

"I might," Monokuma try to think of a good punishment. "I dunno, throw you in a deep, dark, scary prison or something!"

'Oh! That's what future me is doing!' Junko figured out. 'Get my hopeless sister in a jail cell to set an example to the others!'

That got Junko's fire back. "Shut the hell up!" She shouted in anger. "Say whatever you want, I'm not gonna be part of this!"

"Don't be so selfish!" Monokuma growled.

"You're the one being selfish!" Junko countered back. "Kill whoever you want, it's got nothing to do with me!"

The group couldn't help but cheer for Mukuro. "You fucking tell that bear Mukuro!" Mondo cheered.

"Yeah! We won't be a part of his sick game!" Hina whooped.

Sayaka couldn't help but frown. From sounds of it, they don't care who murdered her. She knew that it wasn't what they're thinking, that none of them simply doesn't want to condemn someone to death, but the thought still came up in her mind.

She shook her head. She needs to stop this line of thinking. Condemning someone to die is not something she should want.

"The evil standing before me," Monokuma began trembling. "I'm trembling with fear!" He then stopped trembling and brought out his claws. "But I won't give in to such evil! It's my style to stick it out and resist till the very end! If you really want to get out of here, you'll have to go through me first!" He then began running, though it look like more of a waddle.

Despite the situation, the group couldn't help but laugh at the site of a running Monokuma. "Quite the drama queen there." Celeste stated.

"Yeah, seriously." Leon rolled his eyes, still snickering. "Go roleplay in your own time."

"If he's trying to be serious, he's failing." Byakuya remarked.

However, before he could get close, he was suddenly got stepped up by none other than Junko Enoshima. "Gyumeh!"

That got everyone to stopped laughing. "What the hell are you doing?!" Leon exclaimed.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?!" Hina questioned.

Makoto looked at her in heavy concern. "Mukuro?"

"Monokuma says that he would lock her in a cell." The soldier reminded them. "So I should be fine."

"Are you enjoying yourself now?" Junko rhetorically asked.

"Are you?"

"Huh?"

"Violence against the Headmaster Monokuma is not allowed." The bear said menacingly. "You've violated a school regulation…."

Sakura sighed. "At least she won't get killed. I'm glad for that."

"And look at it this way! If she gets put in jail, then she could break out and find out more about the mastermind!" Hina stated, after thinking about it. "She's the Ultimate Soldier, right? So it should be easy for to break out!"

"That is a possibility." Celeste mused.

Makoto beamed. "Our future self is going to have hope!"

Mukuro had to withhold a wince while Junko had to withhold laughter. For Mukuro, she can't help but feel bad for indirectly giving them that hope. For Junko, it's so funny and so despairful that they're relying on Mukuro, when her hopeless sister is on her side.

"I invoke the mighty summoning spell! Help! To me, godly spear Gungnir!"

The camera suddenly moved to Makoto and the others as several whooshing sounds were made. Makoto's eyes widen in horror at what he said.

"Wh….?" Junko's face is blue, and her mouth and eyes are open wide in shock. "H-Huh?" The camera angle then enlarged and move downward to show spears all through her body. "This wasn't….supposed to….why….me?" As her eyes shot wide, the spears suddenly pull out of her simultaneously. It cause blood to splatter and for the fashionista to fall down in a limp, letting out one last breath.

The slightly happy air evaporated completely when they saw the death of Mukuro. And like when they saw Sayaka's death, eyes were wide with shock, faces were pale in horror, and the whole room is completely silent.

Hina was the one to speak up first. "Mukuro's….dead?" She said in horror.

"What the fuck….?" Leon breathed, his whole face pale.

Makoto is shaking in horror. Sayaka was bad enough, but now Mukuro? Two of his closest friends, dead right in front of him in such a short time. "No," He said hoarsely, the horror etched into his vocal cords. And like he did with Sayaka, he looked towards Mukuro.

Said girl couldn't keep her emotions out of her face as she sat frozen in her seat. Shock, confusion, horror, and despair is written all over her face. She's….dead? And the one who killed her was her own sister? What's worse was that it seemed like her future self sounded confused and shocked from her words as well. It was a one-sided betrayal.

Even Junko, with Ultimate Analyst abilities, was shocked at what she saw. "I….Mukuro….she….wha…." Suddenly, a mass amount of despair and pleasure shot right through her body, causing her eyes to roll to the back of her head and herself to simultaneously faint onto the floor.

"T-T-This is horrible," Chihiro covered her mouth, tears spilling on her cheeks. "Two of our friends our dead now."

"This is a dream! A very bad dream!" Hifumi exclaimed, holding his face in terror.

"We wish it was." Byakuya stated, his fists clenched tightly and his face quite pale. "But no. This is our possible reality."

Makoto, who was still staring at Mukuro, gain a look of concern. He could only imagine what she's thinking right now. He wanted to go to her, see if he could do anything to help, but there's another person by his side, who also needs his help. He'll have to speak to Mukuro later.

Shock and horror filled the gymnasium. "Wh-What the….?" Hina covered her mouth, looking quite pale.

"I don't…." Tears once again filled up the programmer's eyes.

"Th-This can't be real." Leon breathed, looking very pale.

"NO WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!" Hifumi screamed in horror.

Monokuma then spoke up, slowly getting up from the floor. "Now I'm painfully aware of the great power and meaning of a promise." He stated. "I really wanted to keep a corpse from popping up for no good reason, ya know? But I guess you all needed to be taught a lesson, after all. Ahh, what an amazing promise! But now you guys understand, right?"

Once again, a close up to Monokuma's face happened. "Now you see just how serious I am." The bear said menacingly. "Defy me and you get shot full of holes, exploded, buried alive, disintegrated….etc. So, if you don't want that to happen to you, you'd best obey these school regulations!"

Celeste turned to Byakuya. "What did you say about him failing to be taken seriously?"

"I have may spoke too soon." Was Byakuya statement.

Mukuro, meanwhile, had a thought in her mind. 'She killed me….just so she could set an example to the others? Was I... really so... expendable?'

Makoto himself is looking at the now dead Junko Enoshima in horror, an unbelievable amount of blood pouring out of her. His eyes are wide and face pale. "It's really not all that shocking." The bear stated. "She just died, that's all. Just went and died. It's no more remarkable than the inevitable demise of the entire human race. It's just as natural as the eventual end of the world itself."

Makoto gripped his free fist in anger. "Is the death of a human being, the death of our friend that irrelevant to him?" The luckster questioned. "That bastard!"

Mukuro turned to Makoto, surprised. It wasn't often for her to see Makoto angry, much less, for her.

"Makoto?" Hina looked at him in concern.

Makoto sighed, calming himself down a little. "Sorry. Seeing two of my closest friends die, with the latter's death being so casually dismissed by the bear, it's just so aggravating."

Mukuro continued to be surprised by his words. Closest friend? He really considered her that?

"This isn't some superhero comic. So it's not like when you die, you didn't really die." The bear continued. "This is reality!"

"...Why did you have to kill her?" Kyoko asked him. "Didn't you say you would put her in a prison or something?"

"I changed my mind." Was Monokuma's response.

Mukuro clenched her fist. More questions filled her head. Did her sister do it….on a whim? A last minute decision? Was it revenge for her leaving?

Kyoko shook her head. "No, you've been wanting to kill this entire time."

"Kill this entire time?" Monokuma tilted his head in confusion. "Don't be silly, you can't kill time! Or are you being metaphorical? Are you saying I wanted to waste time this whole time?" That thought got him looking angry. "Come on, what do you take me for? I'm Monokuma!"

"He's avoiding the question." Sakura stated.

"Or, he's trying to make a fool out of Kyoko." Leon suggested, Kyoko slightly frowning at the last suggestion.

"Anyways, none of that matters now." Monokuma got back to the main subject. "I have something I'd like to give you to help you in your search for the blackened!"

He then pulled out a black file out of nowhere. "This little file has all the information I've gathered about the death in question. I like to call it….The Monokuma File! I mean, naturally you guys aren't experts at this kind of thing, so you can only do so much with a corpse."

"Um, Kyoko is an expert at this." Leon pointed out. "With her help, we'll be able to find the culprit."

Kyoko nodded. "I should be able to do it, especially with the file that Monokuma gave us."

Makoto gripped his fist. "I don't know want to see anyone else die, much less sentence them to death." Makoto admitted. "But our future selves doesn't have a choice. And we can't let Sayaka's murderer get away with it either."

"True. Sayaka's death can't go unpunished." Taka agreed. He then looked down. "I just wish our future selves didn't have to do it Monokuma's way. I don't wish for the death of one of our own."

"So instead, I've gathered up everything I know about the circumstances and cause of death." The bear continued. "What's that? How do I know the cause of death, you ask? Cuz the surveillance cameras picked up the whole thing! I got see it all go down!"

Another spark of anger coursed through Makoto. He knew that it should be expected for Monokuma to watch, to not do anything, but….the fact that it happened still made the luckster feel anger towards the mastermind.

"He sounds so….happy about it." Hina stated, covering her mouth in horror and disgust. "This guy is sick."

"At least it will be a fair trial." Kyoko sighed. "While it's disturbing he saw it all, it's….reassuring that the trial will be fair."

"That doesn't feel right." Chihiro said, feeling a bit sick.

"It's not suppose to." Was Kyoko's comment towards the statement.

"Wait, so then….you know who killed Sayaka?" Kyoko clarified.

"Of course I do!" Monokuma confirmed. "If I didn't, I couldn't possibly pass a fair and accurate judgement during the trial, now could I?"

"That's a good point." Kyoko reluctantly conceded. "The judge has to be able to make the proper decision. That's….somehow comforting."

"Don't get me wrong, but I kinda wish it wasn't." Leon said, looking sick as well. Several others look so as well, especially Sayaka.

Said idol is holding her mouth, keeping her silent cries from coming out. The fact that the sick bastard watched her die made her very ill. Makoto, knowing how she's feeling and feeling ill himself, rubbed her back in comfort.

"Now then, please put your full effort behind your investigation! After all, you don't have any choice but to give it your best shot!" Monokuma giggled. "Seriously, you don't have a choice! Okay, so we'll meet up for the class trial….in a little while!" With that, Monokuma disappeared once again, leaving the class stunned and confused.

Everyone was silent, not knowing what to say at the moment. Everyone conscious is trying to process what had happen. Finally, it was Leon who spoke up. "So, Sayaka died," Leon began. "And one the who killed her is one of us. Monokuma told us we have to find the culprit, or we'll die except for the murderer. And to top it all off, he killed Mukuro to set an example."

"No time to grieve, no choice but to find the culprit and send them to die," Again, tears spilled out of Chihiro's cheek. "This is too cruel."

"Yeah. And the damn bear sounds so damn smug about it." Mondo growled, his head down and eyes closed.

"And none of the routes will lead to a happy ending." Celeste said. "If our future selves fail, then we'll have to see them die. If they succeed, will be forced to see one of us be executed."

"That's true," Kyoko sighed. "But they need to find the culprit. If they don't, then the mastermind will get a quick victory."

Makoto spoke up. "Kyoko's right." Makoto said, sounding a bit strain. "They need to do this. And Sayaka's murder can't go unsolved, so the only thing we can do is hope for the best possible outcome."

"Which is finding the killer, and then getting them killed." Hina gulped, feeling very ill. "I'm not liking this at all."

"How do you think Mukuro and I feel?" Sayaka muttered, scooting closer to Makoto and wrapping her arms around his one arm.

Slowly, after a long moment of silence, Makoto moved over to Junko's body and knelt down towards the corpse. He put two fingers on her wrist, checking for a pulse, but didn't receive any. "She….really is dead." Makoto said in dismay.

"I would be surprise if she was still alive." Byakuya sighed. "Ultimate Soldier she may be, but it's impossible to survive several spears in one's body and the blood loss coming after."

"I'm sure my future self knows that, subconsciously at least." Makoto stated, looking down. "But still-"

"W-W-Wait," Everyone turned to Hiro, who was stunned silent for most of it. The oldest of them look shaken. "J-Just wait a second! S-She's….really dead?! Then that means….everything we've seen so far is real?! This is our future?! Not some kind of prank or anything?!"

"Hell no!" He shouted, holding his head. "Someone get future me outta there! Save him! SOMEBODY HELP!"

'He's accepting this situation now?!' Was the overall thought of everyone conscious in the room. Even Kyoko and Celeste couldn't keep off the look of disbelief at the idiocy being displayed.

Sayaka and Mondo growled, both standing up to punch Hiro right in the face. But Makoto and Chihiro quickly grabbed onto their respective friends, stopping them from doing so. Makoto pulled Sayaka back into their seat and whispered some comforting words while Chihiro gave Mondo a pleading look, settling the angry biker down.

"I don't know why you even bothered to check." Byakuya remarked. "After those injuries, and losing that much blood….frankly, I'd be shocked if she did survived something like that."

"H-Huh? H-Hold on," For the first time in a while, Hiro spoke up. "H-H-Hold o-on! J-J-Just w-wait a second! Sh-She's….dead?! Then that means….that means everything that's happened so far is real?! It's not a joke or whatever?! It's really real?!"

He then started screaming. "Hell no! S-Someone save me! Let me outta here! SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

"You're j-just now accepting that?" Toko asked incredulously.

"At least we can cross Hiro off as a possible murderer." Byakuya sighed. "Considering he'd continue thinking that this whole thing was a joke, I doubt he would've killed Sayaka."

"No argument there." Kyoko sighed. Hiro is definitely crossed off the list.

Makoto looked at the others. Suspicion and fear invaded the faces of everyone. 'We got put in a position that gave us no choice but to be suspicious of one another.' Makoto thought in agony. When his eyes went to Kyoko's, he was amazed at what he saw. 'Yet, there isn't even a hint that any of it has gotten to her.'

Kyoko smirked to herself from the compliment. While she's sure that she had her own suspicions as well, she was content to know that her iron clad mask hasn't failed her.

"Now's no time to wallow in your depression." Kyoko stated to everyone. "The worst thing we can do right now is lose all faith in each other. That would lead to the same disastrous result as having total faith in everyone else."

"Huh?" Leon said in confusion.

"Cooperation is absolutely key at this point." Kyoko told everyone. "Who you decide to trust or not trust is, of course, up to you."

"Continuing to think about and talk about the deceased certainly isn't going to help anything." Celeste said coldly.

That angered Hina. "S-Saying stuff like that is just-!"

"How many times have I told you?" Celeste interrupted. "Anyone who can't adapt….will die. Death is the only thing awaiting those who are unable or unwilling to adapt. If that happens, you only have yourself to blame."

"Celeste!" Makoto exclaimed. "You shouldn't say stuff like that!"

"Especially during something like this!" Hina stated, scowling in anger.

Due to years of lying and acting, Celeste didn't wince in guilt. Instead, she only sighed. "I admit, I was more than a bit out of line there. What my future self said was uncalled for."

"What an awful thing to say!" Hina shouted in anger. "Especially after what's happened!"

Kyoko interrupted the conversation. "Right now, exposing the killer is the most important thing. Because if we don't, we're all going to die here."

"Way to be an Ice Queen, Kyoko." Leon commented on.

The detective merely sighed. "I need to be. If our future selves don't put their focus on exposing the killer, then they'll all die."

"I know, I know. Still, you can take a page in Makoto's book and put it nicely once in awhile."

"...She's right." Byakuya stated. "We need to begin our search right away."

"Either way, we can't run away from the situation, so we have no choice but to move forward." Sakura conceded.

"We just hafta do it, I guess…." Hina sighed in reluctance. "What other choice do we have?"

"No way in hell am I letting someone kill me!" Leon stated in anger. "Alright, dammit! Let do this!"

"Look like they're going to work together to find the killer." Sakura stated.

"Yeah. Like our future selves are saying, we don't really have a choice." Leon said. "And there's no way I'm going to let that bear kill me that easily!"

"Yeah! We'll be living as long as possible!" Hina cheered, though it was less exuberant than it usually is.

As everyone encouraged themselves to do this, Makoto started thinking to himself. 'Yeah, we have to do it. There's no other choice but to.' The luckster thought. 'If it's the only way to survive, then that's what we have to do! But more than that, I need to find….I need to know why Sayaka had to die. Why she had to be the one.'

He thought back to the corpse he saw. 'I'm terrified of finding out, but if I don't….I know I won't be able to ever accept her death. So there's no other choice for me.'

"Makoto," Hina murmured, covering her mouth as tears formed in her eyes. The emotions in his thoughts, the tone….it breaks her heart.

"Such emotion, such passion!" Tears are running down Taka's face. "It shows how much you really care for Sayaka!"

Makoto nodded, looking down. "I have no doubt I would be the same now." The luckster stated. "I would want to find who killed Sayaka, why she had to die. So, while I'm terrified about the outcome, I hope we do see why she had to be the first one."

'Oh Makoto….' Unshed tears stung in Sayaka's eyes before burying her face into his shoulder. Seeing herself dead was bad enough. Seeing how badly it's affecting Makoto, how devastated he is, makes it even worse. While she's happy he cares about her that much, it's horrible seeing him in that much pain.

If only she knew what's in store for them.

Byakuya then spoke up. "Pause the TV." He ordered Spirit. The host raised an eyebrow before shrugging and pausing the TV. "Now, before we start, we better snap Hiro out of it," They turned to the still panicking Hiro. "Wake up Junko," They turned to the unconscious fashionista. "And I suppose check on Toko/Jack." Finally, they turned to the unconscious author.

"...I'll get my sister up." Reluctantly, Mukuro went up to wake Junko.

"I'll help Hiro snap out of it." Hina sighed, getting up from her chair.

"I'll handle Toko." Makoto silently ask Sayaka to let for right now. Reluctantly, she did so, but silently pleaded for Makoto to be careful. He smiled reassuringly before going to Toko.

Slowly, he approached the unconscious girl, like she's a dangerous predator. And considering what's lurking inside of her, it isn't farfetched.

Just as he was about to touch her, Toko suddenly jumped and flipped into the air, startling everyone and causing Makoto to fall on his butt. The girl landed on her feet, her head bowed. And when she lifted it up, it was revealed to be Genocide Jack.

"Hey Big Mac!" Jack, or Jill as she would like to be called, said. "Long time no see!"

Makoto chuckled uneasily. "Hey Jill."

She gave him her usual grinned before looking around with a frown. "Where the hell are we?" She asked. Her gaze then landed on Spirit. "And who the hell is this guy?"

Spirit inclined his head towards her. "Hello Genocide Jack. There's a lot of things that needs to explained. You might want sit down. It's kinda a long story."

"Ooooh, story time! Never done that before!"

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 18: Watching Chapter 1: To Survive Part 10

SLAP

"Ow!" Hiro held the cheek that was slapped. "That hurt, Hina!"

"Good, I snapped you out of it." Hina sighed. "I guessing you remember everything that, happened before freaking out?"

"Y-Yeah," Hiro shivered, remembering the fact that their future selves are trapped in a killing game. "W-What did I miss?"

"Our future selves decided to work together to find the killer amongst us." Hifumi declared beside him. "And Ms. Jill is with us right now."

Speaking of the murderous fiend, Makoto, Kyoko, Spirit, and a reluctant Byakuya explained everything that happened, from being teleported here to where they stopped.

"So, we're all brought here to watch the future of ourselves with us kidnapped and our memories erased?" Jill clarified. "And the little Miss Perfect and the human killing machine are dead, with the first one getting killed by one of us?"

"That basically sums it up." Makoto stated.

Jill hummed in thought, tapping her scissors at her chin. "Well, that sucks." She stated. That received quite a few face faults.

"Yeah. More than sucks." Leon deadpanned, one of the few who face faulted.

"Still, might as well watch the chaos happening!" Then a small blush formed on the tongue lashing killer. "And I'll be right by Master's side while I see it all go down!"

"Someone kill me now." Byakuya muttered.

While that was happening, Mukuro finally managed to get Junko up. "Uh…." Junko let out a groan. "What happened?"

"You fainted when you saw my future self killed." Mukuro told her plainly. "While you were unconscious, Monokuma got back to the subject of the class trials and had us begin the investigations."

Slowly, Junko got up from the couch and back to her seat. Makoto, hearing her up, turned to the fashionista in concern. "Junko, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm alright." Junko said quietly. "It was just….shocking to see that happen to my sister."

"Yeah. No one expected Mukuro to die so soon." Leon added in. "Do you need some time?"

Junko shook her head. "No, I'm good. Let's….just continue watching this." Some of the students nodded and turn their eyes back to the front.

Mukuro looked at her sister, wondering what's Junko thinking right now. Most likely, she's despairing over the fact that she killed her own sister, but at the same time, giggling and convulsing at the despair she's feeling from that. There probably wasn't an ounce of guilt that lingered in Junko, the thought both hurting and angering Mukuro.

"Before we start searching for Sayaka's killer, we need to decide what to do about securing the crime scene." Kyoko told everyone.

"What do you mean?" Makoto asked.

"You're thinking of putting someone on guard duty so nobody can disturb the area, aren't you?" Byakuya deduced. "After all, if the culprit decides to destroy the evidence, we're pretty much screwed."

"In that case, I don't mind doing it." Mondo volunteered. "I don't like havin' to think, anyway. I'll let you guys figure out who killed the chick."

"Okay, then we can let Mondo look after the scene." Hina stated.

Byakuya, however, disagreed. "Well, no," He stated. "We can't just leave him there alone."

"Huh? Why the hell not?" Mondo questioned.

"Yeah. Bro is one of the strongest here, I'm sure he could handle most of us." Taka stated.

"Tch. Just keep watching." Byakuya said.

"What? Why the hell not?!" Mondo questioned angrily.

"Isn't it obvious?" The heir asked condescendingly. "If you were the culprit, what's the first thing you would do? By volunteering for guard duty, you're in a position to destroy all the evidence you want."

"Wh-? Are you accusing me Togami?!" Mondo roared.

Byakuya shook his head. "My future self is merely saying that it isn't wise to let anyone guard the crime scene by themselves, no matter who it is. It's a risk we can not take."

"Still, it would be risky volunteering for guard duty and destroying the crime scene." Chihiro said. "That would have the fingers pointed at you."

"Not unless you just rearrange the crime scene the way you want," Celeste added in. "That would be much less risky, and secure your innocence better."

"Yep, yep, yep! Had to rearrange my own crimes several times when I kill an adorable boy." Jill added in.

"Like I said, far too risky to just have one person guard the crime scene." Byakuya said.

"Wh-?! Fuck you!" Mondo growled.

Sakura sighed. "Fine, then I'll stay there on guard duty as well." She volunteered. "That way there's no problem."

"2-player co-op base defense with the two of them," Hifumi murmured loudly. "With their stats, they're totally OP!"

"Huh?" Hina asked, tilting her head in confusion. Some of the others looked confuse as well.

"He's basically saying since they're so strong, it would be impossible for anyone to tamper with the crime scene." Makoto translated for Hina. The girl made an 'ah' sound and nodded gratefully to Makoto. Being an athlete, she doesn't play video games all that much.

"Since we won't be able to help investigate, we're putting our faith in the rest of you." Sakura told everyone.

"I-I'm still pretty freaked out, but….I'll try." Hina told Sakura.

As the others were talking, Celeste took the time to look through the Monokuma file. "Hmm?" She looked at one part of the file that interested her. "Oh my, this is interesting."

"Huh? What's interesting?" Leon asked her.

That also got the group's attention. "What did she see?" Hiro asked.

"Do you think it's something that's going to help us in the investigation?" Taka asked eagerly.

"I was looking through the Monokuma file we received." The gambler told everyone. "And I noticed something very obvious, and very unusual."

"What are you talking about?" Chihiro asked her.

"Go ahead, take a look." She let them view the Monokuma file. "Notice anything interesting about where Sayaka died? She died in Makoto's dorm."

The entire class immediately recognized the implications that hid behind her words. "Oh shit!" Mondo cursed.

"Are we going to blame Makoto now?!" Hifumi exclaimed in horror.

"You're exaggerating! I'm sure some of us won't automatically blame him!" Hina said, though an unsure expression is on her face. "Right?"

Several eyes widened in surprise, with Hina checking the Monokuma file. "Wh-? She's right!"

"Then, could it be….?!" Hifumi gasped in horror.

At once, everyone's gaze turn to Makoto. The boy's eyes widen in shock and held his hand out in panic. "H-Hold on a second! You've got it all wrong!" He protested. "F-For just one night, I….I traded rooms with her. I did it because….she was afraid."

"Y-You expect us to b-believe that?" Toko asked, suspicious eyes trained on him. "Just tell us the t-truth!"

"So that's my other self, huh?" Jill casually asked randomly. "Wow, she really does look like a downer. Not a bright and spirited person such as mua!" No one payed attention to what she said, too focus on the screen.

Suspicion and fear entered everyone's eyes once again. 'Y-You think "I" did it?!' Makoto thought in shock.

"Everyone thinks I did it?!" Makoto exclaimed in shock.

Sayaka's eyes widen in shock before scowling in anger. "You mean everyone's blaming him?" Sayaka questioned in anger. "Just because I died in his room?"

Several flinched and looked away from her at that. None of them like the fact they're blaming Makoto for Sayaka's murder, and some were angry with their future selves for thinking that. "Well, Makoto's room was where the crime happened…." Hiro trying to defend himself and the others.

But Sayaka isn't accepting that. "And he would leave obvious evidence like that in his room?" Sayaka retorted. "Plus, our future selves saw his reaction! There's no way someone could fake that!" She then turned to the detective. "And Kyoko, you, of all people, should know that there are such things circumstantial crime scenes!"

Kyoko turned her eyes away from Sayaka's furious scowl. "I'm sure my future self will find evidence that shows that Makoto is innocent."

"She better." Sayaka remarked, the scowl still on her face.

Kyoko spoke up. "Let's stop talking, for now." She stated. "We need to begin our investigation soon. At this point, we should all split up. We need to get to the bottom of this and find out who killed Sayaka. We'll have to collect clues to form a foundation, then construct an argument to come to a final decision. If we get this wrong….well, do I really have to say any more?"

"I'd rather you didn't, no," Hifumi moaned.

"And there's a good chance they'll get it wrong." Mukuro stated, a scowl etched onto her face. She's also angry at the fact that everyone was so quick to accuse Makoto.

Kyoko turned to the exit. "Everyone pray for good luck." With that, she hurried out of the gym.

"I'll be going, too." Byakuya was the next to go out of the gym.

"Oh yeah, I'm on guard duty, huh?" Mondo remembered. "I'd better head to the scene of the crime!"

"Ah, that's right." Sakura agreed.

The biker turned to the others. "Lemme just say this right now!" He announced to them. "If whatever son of a bitch did this is here right now, and they're thinking of destroying that evidence," He cracked his knuckles. "They better not let me find 'em! I'll skip the trial and cave their goddamn skull in myself! I'm serious! I will fuck them up!"

"I pity the bastard who tries to go past them." Leon muttered. A few others couldn't help but nod in agreement to that.

With those deadly words in the air, he and Sakura went to guard the crime scene, leaving the rest here. "But," Hina spoke up. "I mean, we're not detectives or anything, y'know? And we're gonna investigate a murder? How do we even do something like that?"

"We don't r-really have to do anything in p-particular." Toko remarked. "W-We already know who k-killed Sayaka."

"What are you implying?" Makoto questioned.

"It was y-you." Toko accused.

"I'm telling you, it wasn't me!"

When Makoto stepped forward towards her, Toko began freaking out. "D-Don't come any c-closer! Are you g-gonna kill me next?!"

"Wow, my other self is such an idiot." Jill casually said. "Accusing someone just because the crime was in the area they're usually in? That's like saying a italian sauce is from another restaurant that has a similar tasting one. All circumstantial!"

"She's still comparing murder to cooking?" Leon asked, looking green in the face.

"W-Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot." Hina hesitantly said. "It's not for sure that Makoto's guilty yet."

"That's true." Hifumi agreed. "We may as well at least check just to check."

"They're acting like it's already decided that Makoto is guilty!" Sayaka stated angrily.

"While I admit, I'm peeved at our future selves' idiocy but it shouldn't be surprising." Byakuya sighed. "The fear and suspicion would cause them to point fingers at the first target."

"Do you include yourself in that Byakuya?" Celeste asked 'innocently'. Byakuya huffed and turned away, not willing to answer that.

"Even if I w-wanted to, I c-couldn't help inv-vestigate." Toko stated.

That got Leon's attention. "Wait, why not?"

"I'm not g-good with….b-blood." Toko said nervously. "All it takes is o-one glimpse and I b-black out."

"That'll cross Toko off the list of suspects." Makoto said. "Someone with a fear of blood wouldn't kill somebody."

"Or at the very least, wouldn't use something that could make wounds to do it." Kyoko added in. "And Genocide Jill would only kill guys she deems cute, not girls."

"Damn right!" Jill agreed. "I would sooner kill Master before killing the idol."

"Like I would let you." Byakuya muttered. The day he let those scissors get near him is the day he give away his entire fortune willingly.

"Well, whatever. I don't think anyone was expecting much from you, anyway." Leon said dismissively. "Alright, I guess I better get going."

With that statement, he, along with most of the others still in the room, started leaving. "W-Wait, don't go yet!" Makoto protested. "You have to hear me out!"

Despite his words, they continued leaving, with their parting look towards him still filled with suspicion. Makoto stood there in the gym, with only a few others still inside. 'Does everyone really think I'm the killer?' Makoto thought in dismay. 'How did it turn out like this?'

"That's what we're wondering." Chihiro said softly, upset at the fact that most of them are accusing Makoto.

"It really does suck." Junko fake pouted. "And they're accusing him just because Sayaka was killed in his room." Inwardly though, she's giddy at the fact that most of her classmates are set on Makoto being the killer. If they continue on that mindset, then execution for all of them! It would be so despairingly wonderful!

"I hate the fact we turned on a comrade based on a coincidence!" Taka stated, looking down. "And it makes me wonder if we would do the same, to anybody we don't know well. Just turn on them when they get bad spot-light." Mondo put a hand on his friend's shoulder in comfort.

"I'm afraid we all owe you an apology Makoto. Especially with future vocal accusations." Sakura said quietly.

Makoto waved off the apology. "This is our future selves, right? We can't control what they say." Makoto said reassuringly. "Besides, everyone is scared and Monokuma put us in a situation where we have to suspect each other. Plus, with the evidence, it makes sense for everyone to suspect me."

His words caused a few others to sigh. He's way too forgiving.

He shook his head. 'Seriously, they got it all wrong,' He thought anxiously. "Why do they have to suspect me?!" The luckster questioned, the anxiety in his voice. Once again, he went back to his thoughts. 'I have to do something. Otherwise, everyone will….'

Makoto gulped, remembering Monokuma's words. 'I can't let that happen,' He thought in determination. 'I can't let things turn out the way Monokuma wants!'

None of them were surprised by his thoughts. By now, they all knew that Makoto is a very selfless person, who would help out anyone. "Seriously dude, you're getting accused of killing someone you cared about and you're still thinking of saving them?" Leon sighed.

"Of course. I can't let them die because of a false accusation." Makoto said fiercely.

"And you're not even worried about your own life?" Hina asked him.

"Well, of course I worry about my own life." Makoto admitted. "But I want to save everyone else as well."

Sayaka smiled. "That's our Makoto. Always thinking about others before himself."

'All I have to do is find out who really did it….who really killed Sayaka!' He grabbed the Monokuma File on the floor and began reading through it. "The victim was Sayaka Maizono. The time of death is estimated to be around 1:30 a.m." He began reading aloud. "The body was discovered in Makoto's dorm, in the dormitory. All evidence suggests that the death took place in the bathroom. The cause of death was a stab wound to the abdomen. There was also an injury to her right wrist. Specifically, the wrist appears to have suffered a fracture."

"Wow. That thing has a lot of info." Hiro commented on.

"Yeah. That should help with the investigation to Sayaka's murder." Kyoko hummed. "Not that I really need it."

"Yeah, yeah." Leon said with an eye roll. "So, are we going to try and figure out which one of us killed Sayaka?"

"I don't see why not. No harm will be done doing that." Kyoko said with a shrug.

"So, trying to figure out the killer of Sayaka Maizono." Celeste mused. "It would be more fun if not for the fact that this is our possible reality."

"If any of you did think it was fun, I would've slapped you." Sayaka muttered.

'We have no choice but to push forward if we want to find out what happened,' "Somehow, I have to find the truth." The luckster said aloud.

The scene switched to Makoto walking to his room. "So that we can all survive." Makoto's voice spoke through the scene. The luckster went into his room. "And for Sayaka….I have to find out how she was killed!"

'Alright. I'll look into the state of my room first,' Makoto thought. 'If I look again, maybe I'll find some clues here.'

"So, I started the investigation in the room." The narrator Makoto began summarizing. The scene showed Makoto looking at around the room. "The first thing I noticed that there was an obvious struggle, due to the scratches and gouges around."

Makoto looked down. "Damnit. Sayaka's room was right next to mine. If I had only heard her…."

"That wouldn't have been possible Makoto." Sakura said softly. "The rooms were soundproofed, remember?"

"No matter how loud someone could be in that room, no one would here with the doors closed." Byakuya stated.

"For our soundproofed rooms to be used in such a dastardly way!" Taka exclaimed, tears stinging in his eyes. "It brings me to tears just thinking about it!"

The scene switched to Makoto looking at sword and sheathe on the ground. "Then I noticed the gold coated sword on the ground, missing some of coating, and it's sheathe, which has some scratches."

"It's obvious that someone used the sword during the struggle." Mukuro mused. "Especially since the handle is missing the most of its coating."

"But what about the sheathe? Why the hell does it have those cuts?" Mondo pointed out. Mukuro shrugged.

"Unless we figure out at least some of the situation, it would hard to guess." Is what Mukuro said.

Makoto's eyes diverted to the key on the floor. 'Oh yeah. Sayaka and I switched keys before going room.' A thought came to mind. 'Then how did the killer get into the room in the first place? I doubt Sayaka would go out of the room, or open the door for anyone.'

"Oh yeah. Now that Makoto mentioned it, how did the killer enter the room?" Hina asked. The others wonder that as well.

'The only way that would be possible is if Sayaka let them in.' Kyoko thought. 'There's no other way.' She decided to keep that to herself though. She'll bring it up in the trial, if none of their future selves' do. "We'll find out later when the trials start, so lets not worry about it for right now." Kyoko spoke up.

Several nodded to that and went back to the screen. Sayaka, meanwhile, had the thought still plaguing her mind. Like Kyoko, she deduced that the only way for the killer to come in is if she herself let them in. But why would she do that?

A bad feeling began gnawing into her stomach.

"Next I spoke to Kyoko, who was investigating the room herself." The scene then switched Makoto and Kyoko, the latter on her knees and looking at the ground. "I found out from her that there wasn't a single ounce of hair in the room, not even mine. The lint roller was used as well, which means that someone got rid of the hair."

"Someone got rid of some hair?" Mondo questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Why the hell did they do that?"

"To eliminate any trace that they were here." Kyoko answered. "I have to admit, that's clever."

"With the variety of hair colors in this classroom, it would have been pretty easy to find out who the killer was!" Jill agreed.

"Good point there." Taka agreed. "Though there are some of us who share the same hair color, such as Byakuya and Junko."

"And finally, I went into the bathroom, where Sayaka's body resided in." The scene switched to Makoto, standing in front of the bathroom. 'The bathroom,' Makoto thought to himself. 'And on the other side of the door….' A brief black and white flashback of Sayaka's body entered in his mind.

Sayaka stiffened at this. She didn't want to see this. She didn't want to see her dead body once again. Makoto, feeling her stiffen, squeezed her hand, silently saying that he's here for her. It calmed her slightly.

He felt himself freeze for a moment before shaking his head. 'No….I can't let it get to me!' Makoto exclaimed in his head. 'I can't afford to freeze up now!' Pushing down his panic, he pushed himself into the bathroom. And immediately, he was faced with the dead Sayaka. "Sayaka…."

Sayaka saw a small glimpse of her body before quickly burying her head into Makoto's chest once more. Makoto, in response, hugged her back and stroke her hair comfortingly, trying to keep his own tears at bay at seeing Sayaka's dead body.

The others felt sick at seeing Sayaka's dead body. Mukuro and Kyoko, however, felt less sick due to the professions they're in, but like everyone else, they felt their heart clench at Makoto's tone of grief.

Dizziness, nausea, and the urge to burst into tears hit him instantly. 'No.' Makoto squeezed his eyes tightly. 'I can't….I can't hesitate now.' When he opened his eyes, determination was brought back up in his eyes. 'I have to find out. I have to find out what happened, why she the one who had to die!'

Makoto couldn't help but feel amazed at his future self. He couldn't imagine what his future self is feeling, seeing Sayaka's corpse right in front of him and the smell of blood assaulting his senses.

He wasn't the only one. "Wow. Future Makoto is keeping himself together." Hina said in awe. "I would've puked if I was right in front of this."

"It's impressive how well he's keeping himself together." Kyoko agreed. Others nodded in agreement to this as well.

"So, I examined her body and saw a couple of things." The narrator Makoto spoke again. "One, was the gold coating on her broken wrist. Next was the blood on her finger. And finally, was the numbers on the walls behind Sayaka."

"What the-? Numbers?" Leon, along with several others, looked at the numbers behind Sayaka. "11037."

"What the heck does those mean?" Mondo turned to Chihiro. "Hey Chihiro, do you know?"

Chihiro shook her head. "No. From what I can tell, those numbers don't hold any special meanings."

Kyoko narrowed her eyes at the numbers. Something tells her that those numbers will give them the answers, but the scene switched before she could get a better look. She'll have to think on it later, when they see it again.

"Wh-?!" Makoto nearly cried out in shock before covering his mouth. '11037? Did Sayaka write this?'

After looking at for another moment, Makoto decided to leave the bathroom. And when he did, he was met face to face with Kyoko. "It looks like you found it, right Makoto?" Kyoko asked him. "The bloody numbers….that's most likely Sayaka's dying message."

"Dying message?" Leon asked, confused. "But what could they mean? Is it morse code or something like that?"

"I don't even know morse code." Sayaka stated, getting out of Makoto's hold. Though the two are still holding hands. "It can't be that."

"Well, the message must have some type of meaning." Taka stated. "Otherwise, writing it would've been a waste."

"I'm sure there's a reason behind it." Kyoko stated. If only she had more time to look at it.

"I've never seen something written in blood before," Makoto commented on softly. "It really was her final message. It's as if she wrote it with life itself."

"...Do you often talk like an aspiring poet?"

Makoto blushed while a few of his friends snickered. "Now that she mentioned it, there were times where you did spoke like that." Hina giggled.

"Though it wasn't often." Celeste add in.

"But the numbers she wrote….what do they mean?" Makoto asked. "11037….I have no idea what that could possibly mean."

"The way she wrote the numbers makes me think that she wanted to use the body to block them." Kyoko said in thought. "If she wrote them in that location, while she was sitting the way we found her, it means she must have wrote them by turning only her hand toward the wall. If you were to write something in that position, do you know what the result would be?"

Kyoko took in everything her other's is saying. And combined that with the brief glimpse of the dying message. 'Writing with only her hand turned to the wall….if you do that, it would be backwards….which would mean….'

Kyoko's eyes widen very slightly, realizing what the dying message was. 'L-E-O-N. Leon.' Sayaka was writing her's killer name. And Leon is the killer.

She decided to keep that to herself for now. Who knew what kind of chaos would spread.

The detective wasn't the only one who found out. Junko also manage to put that piece of the puzzle together. 'So, Leon was the one who kill poor Sayaka, huh? First Sayaka, then Mukuro, now Leon. Two of Makoto's closest friend, and his best male friend. This will be so despairing for him!'

"The results….?"

"Think about it."

"You're not gonna tell me?"

"You need to uncover the mystery of this case yourself," Kyoko told him. "Otherwise, the case will end and you'll remain unconvinced."

"Wait, so future Kyoko got something?" Mondo asked.

"Seems like it." Byakuya confirmed. "But it seems that she's going to keep it to herself for now, and to make Makoto to figure it out himself."

"Huh? But why?" Hina asked in confusion. "Why does he need to figure it out himself?"

"I'm sure my future self has her reasons." Kyoko stated. Really, she doesn't have enough concrete detail to confirm what she suspects. So she'll keep her theories to herself for now.

'It sounds like Kyoko knows Sayaka's dying message means.' Makoto thought to himself. 'But honestly, I don't have a clue….oh, I know who to talk to. When it comes to numbers, who better to ask than the Ultimate Programmer?'

Chihiro shook her head. "If I don't see any meaning in those numbers, then my future self won't." Tears stung her eyes. "I'm sorry for not being helpful."

"No, it's okay Chihiro." Makoto reassured the programmer. "You did the best you could, and I'm sure your future self will do her best."

The narrator Makoto spoke up again. "Kyoko and I then exchanged some information. I told her about the faulty door when she asked about it being broken, then she told me about the broken doorknob." The scene showed the doorknob barely holding on to the door.

"A broken doorknob?" Hina said in confusion. "Why is the door knob broken?"

"Someone tried to force their way into the bathroom?" Hifumi inquired. "But the bathroom door didn't even have a lock. Why did they need to do that?"

"Cause they didn't know that the door was faulty. So when they tried to open it, they couldn't." Sakura said, frowning in thought. "So they thought they needed to get in there by force, not knowing that their actions were completely unnecessary."

A thought entered Sayaka's mind. "Wait. This is evidence that can be used to prove that Makoto is innocent." Sayaka stated. "After all, why would he break into his own bathroom, knowing about the faulty door?"

The others thought about her words. "She has a point." A smile entered Chihiro's lip. "Yep. This could prove Makoto's innocence."

"Alright! Progress!" Leon whooped, pumping a fist. Kyoko and Junko wondered how fast that excitement would go when it's discovered that he's the culprit.

"After that, I left the room and continued my investigation." The scene switched to Makoto walking to the direction out of the dorm rooms. He stopped when Byakuya spoke up. "So, why was Sayaka in your room when she was killed?"

Makoto turned to the heir at that question. "Could it be because….you are the culprit?"

Sayaka let out a small growled. Seeing her death, Hiro's idiocy, and the knowledge that it was one of her classmates that killed her is making her mood bad enough. The fact that almost everyone accused Makoto, of all people, of killing her is getting her angry.

"N-No, you've got it all wrong." Makoto denied. "Sayaka and I….switched rooms last night."

Byakuya looked at him with plain suspicion in his eyes. 'He doesn't even try to hide the suspicion on his face.' Makoto deadpanned in his mind.

Finally, Byakuya spoke once again. "Even if what you say is the absolute truth," He began. "You're still responsible for her death, wouldn't you say?"

Several stood up straighter at this. Confusion was written on some faces while Sayaka's face darken. "What?" She hissed quietly.

"Huh?"

"After all, she wouldn't have died if she hadn't switched rooms with you, right?" Byakuya asked rhetorically.

Makoto make a choking noise at that, shock at that accusation. 'The reason Sayaka was killed….was because I agreed to switch rooms?'

Several eyes widened in shock at the point Byakuya made. Byakuya himself wasn't surprised by this, but internally winced. He had to admit, in the past, he was more callous to his classmates than needed. He mellowed out thanks to his time at Hope's Peak, with the help of Makoto mostly, so seeing his future self saying that….made a sliver of guilt enter his heart.

Kyoko narrowed her eyes in anger at the accusation made, as did Mukuro and Celeste. Hina eyes widen for a moment before scowling in anger. Sayaka, however, took it the worst out of the girls.

"You bastard!" Sayaka roared. She launched herself at Byakuya, but Makoto and Leon quickly grabbed her by the arms once again all the while Byakuya just pushed up his glasses and kept facing forward. "How dare you blame Makoto for my death?! How DARE YOU?!" Said heir remained quiet in his seat.

"Sayaka, calm down!" Leon exclaimed, keeping a good hold on her. "I don't like it anymore than you do, but it was the future Byakuya that said it!"

"Yes! We can't blame Byakuya for this! So please calm down Sayaka!" Makoto pleaded. Sayaka stopped for a moment before taking a deep breath, calming her anger. Slowly, she sat back down, along with Leon and Makoto.

"Sayaka got really angry." Chihiro said softly.

"Can you blame her? Togami tried to push the blame on Makoto." Mondo grumbled. "I would've lost my temper myself if Sayaka hadn't."

'She's dead because of me?' Guilt and grief entered his mind. 'Then….it should have been me that died?'

"No!" Sayaka shook her head. "No, it shouldn't have been you that died!"

"But Sayaka, Byakuya made have had a-"

He stopped speaking when Sayaka gave him a stern glare. "Don't. You. Say it. Don't you dare say that Byakuya may be right. It was my future self's suggestion to switch rooms, not yours."

"She's right Makoto." Kyoko said softly, but firmly. "You had no idea this outcome would have happened."

Byakuya spoke up. "I admit, my future self was out of place when saying that." The heir said. "You had no control of the situation Makoto. Do remember that."

"Byakuya's right! So don't blame yourself for this Makoto!" Hina added in.

Makoto looked at all of his friends before giving a smile and nodded.

"Well, all we can say right now is that it's a possibility." Byakuya told him.

Makoto, still shaken up, walked away from the dorm rooms. Narrator Makoto spoke up once again. "It would be on my mind for a while. But after the investigation in my room, I decided to go to the dining hall. I suspected that the knife used was one of the kitchen knives and decided to go to the kitchen to check."

"A good assumption." Kyoko agreed. "Most likely it is."

"No argument from the crowd." Junko stated.

The scene switched to Makoto entering the dining hall. When he did, he saw Hina sitting at one of the tables. "Hina….are you investigating the dining hall?"

"Oh, no." Hina shook her head. "I'm just taking a break. Actually, I've been taking a break since we started."

"Seriously?" Jill cocked her head. "Are you secretly blonde or something? Cause you act like a dumb blonde bimbo!"

"Hey!" Hina and Junko shouted, for obvious reasons.

"Well, you can't blame her." Makoto said. "Most of us don't really know what to do in a investigation."

"You look to be doing pretty well though." Kyoko noted. That got a slight blush from the luckster.

"This is all a first for me, ya know?" Hina sighed. "I don't have the first clue what I should be doing."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Makoto agreed with her.

"And I dunno why, but being in the dining hall helps me calm." Hina continued explaining. "So I know I shouldn't, but I've been kinda….hanging around here."

Hina pouted a little. "Aww. And seeing this happening is kinda cool. I wish I wasn't just standing around when Kyoko and Makoto are actually doing something."

"I'm pretty sure you aren't the only one doing that." Byakuya stated. "Toko, for one, is probably still in the gym or in her room. You're not the only one being useless."

"I'm not sure how to take that." Hina admitted.

"To tell you the truth….I was doing the same thing last night, when Sayaka was killed…."

"You always seem to hang out at the dining hall whenever you're stressed." Celeste mused. "Guess that hasn't changed, even with your memories wiped."

"Must be because our subconscious still remembers how we feel about certain things and areas." Chihiro suggested.

After that, Makoto went to the kitchen to see if his suspicion is correct. Sure enough, one of the knives on the wall is missing. 'So the knife that was used was one of the kitchen knives.' Makoto thought. 'Or was it missing before this whole thing? Well, Hina was here last night. Maybe she knows.'

He went out of the kitchen and back to Hina. "Hey, so," Makoto spoke up, getting the girl's attention. "Did you notice that one of the kitchen knives is missing in the kitchen?"

"Yeah, weird huh?" Hina confirmed. "I thought it was kinda strange, a knife just disappearing like that."

"Oh, so it wasn't missing from the beginning?"

Hina shook her head. "Nope. Last I remember, they were all lined up in a nice, neat row."

"So when did you notice one of them had disappeared?" Makoto inquired.

"Well," Hina began explaining. "I went to go get some tea from the kitchen last night, and all the knives were still there. But when I finished my tea and went back into the kitchen to wash my glass, one of the knives were gone."

Makoto's eyes widen slightly at this. "So you're saying that the knife disappeared while you were drinking your tea in the dining hall?"

Hina nodded. "Yeah…."

Several's eyes widen before a smile formed on Chihiro's face. "This could prove that Makoto is innocent."

"Definitely! Since Hina was there, she can give Makoto a good alibi!" Taka stated.

Hina beamed widely. "I can actually be useful in the trial now!"

"That you can, Hina." Sakura agreed, smiling.

'In other words, you were right there in the dining hall when someone came and took it.' Makoto thought. 'Then you should be able to say for sure….you can tell everyone I didn't come to the dining hall last night. Which proves I didn't take it!'

Makoto beamed at this. "With that, my future self can prove his innocence."

"Don't go celebrating yet." Byakuya cut in. "Remember, they still need to find the real culprit."

"And not many clues were found." Sakura sighed. "Not one that can pinpoint the possible killer."

'I wouldn't say that.' Kyoko thought to herself.

"Hey, by the way," Hina spoke up, gaining Makoto's attention. "Did you really kill Sayaka?"

"Hina!"

"You idiot!"

"Oh come on!"

"You dumb bimbo!"

Hina winced. "Sorry." She apologized. The four comments came from Sayaka, Byakuya, Leon, and Jill, respectively.

"It's alright Hina." Makoto said reassuringly. "You're not the only one to think that."

"And I'm not happy about that." Sayaka muttered angrily. Sweet little Makoto doesn't deserve those accusations.

"Wh-What?!" Makoto exclaimed. "Of course not! I would never!" Hina stayed silent, doubt in her face. "Hina….do you really think I murdered her?"

"Well," Hina fumbled for an explanation. "She was killed in your room, right? So, I mean….you guys were supposed to be friends, right? But you still….killed her….on the other hand, two people becoming good friends, then one killing the other is a classic drama setup. So when you consider everything together…."

"...I honestly have no idea." Hina looked down, utterly confused and depressed. Makoto was silent for a moment before shaking his head and leaving the dining hall.

"Um, did anyone else understand any of that?" Hiro asked.

"I don't think anyone understood that jumbled up mess of an explanation." Byakuya sighed. "Not even the girl herself."

"You got me there." Hina admitted, rubbing the back of her head.

"So, there's the cuts and gouges in the room, and the gold coated sword." Kyoko began listing off. "There's the bit of gold on her broken wrist, as well as the bloody finger. There's also the dying message, as well as the broken doorknob."

"There's also the missing knives, as well as Aoi's statement." Mukuro added in, albeit quietly. "That's all the evidence found so far."

"Well, it seems like there's still more of this investigation to go through, so maybe there's something else that would tell us who the killer is." Taka stated.

"So let's continue watching, and see what else we'll uncover." Byakuya stated.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 19: Watching Chapter 1: To Survive Part 11

"The next place I went to is the trash room, which Celeste suggested me to look at when I spoke to her." The narrator Makoto spoke. The scene showed Makoto walking into the trash room.

"A good place to look into." Celeste commented on. "If I were the killer, I would get rid of any evidence that can be thrown away." Then she looked down. "Though it's too bad my future self can't join Makoto in his search."

"Why can't she?" Mondo asked her.

Her answer stumped everyone. "That place is filthy." She stated. "And I do not want to get my dress dirty going in there."

"...Typical Celeste." Byakuya deadpanned. The others couldn't help but agree with him.

'Here's the trash room.' Makoto thought to himself. 'But there's a sturdy gate here. No way to get past….'

Suddenly, Monokuma appeared in front of him. "It's the end of the line."

"So this is where all the trash ends up at." Makoto commented on. "How do you get this open?"

"No, no, no! No entry beyond this point!" Monokuma announced. "Only the person on cleaning duty is allowed in!"

"Cleaning duty….?"

"No, no, no! No entry beyond this point! Only the person on cleaning duty is allowed in!"

"Alright, I'm sure he got it the first time." Leon groaned.

"Who's the person on cleaning duty?" Makoto asked him, trying not to get irritated.

He was met with the same phrase. "No, no, no! No entry beyond this point! Only the person on cleaning duty is allowed in!"

Celeste huffed in frustration. "It will be a waste of time asking him."

"I'm pretty sure he is going to realize that." Byakuya stated.

Makoto groaned in annoyance. 'This is stupid. It'd be fast just going around and asking the others.'

"No, no, no! No entry beyond this point! Only the person on cleaning duty is allowed in!"

"Will he just shut the fuck up?!" Mondo shouted in anger.

"I'm not sure if that Monokuma is automatic, or just repeating it to touch our nerves." Taka stated.

"Probably both." Hifumi said.

The scene switched to Makoto walking in the hallway of the dorm rooms, where Leon, Byakuya, and Hifumi are at. "Hey Hifumi," Makoto spoke up, getting the fanfic creator's attention. "Do you know who's on cleaning duty?"

"Cleaning duty? As a matter of fact, that's me. Why do you ask?" Hifumi questioned. "It just so happens Monokuma talked to me yesterday and asked me to care of it. Without someone on cleaning duty, the school would be flooded with trash in no time. So I formally applied for the position!"

Celeste shuddered at that thought. "The thought of being in such filth disturbs me."

"But why do we need something like trash duty in the first place?" Sakura questioned. "Why not just let us throw away the trash any time we want?"

Byakuya furrowed his eyebrows. "Most likely so that the blackened can't easily eliminate evidence. If everyone had access to the trash room, the killer can get rid of anything that could get them exposed."

"It seems like Monokuma is making these investigations as fair as possible." Kyoko mused. "That's….somewhat good."

"I was gonna start this morning, but after what happened, I haven't had a chance to get started yet." Hifumi told him.

"And since you're on cleaning duty….can you open the gate in front of the trash room?" Makoto inquired.

"Of course!" Hifumi confirmed. "It's my job to gather up all the garbage and toss it in the trash room. And to do that, they gave me the key to the trash room gate!"

Leon narrowed his eyes at Hifumi. "Why did your future self volunteer for trash duty?" Leon questioned. "Do you want to dig into the girls' trash and….do stuff?"

"I told you before! My interest is strictly in 2D!"

"And I'm still calling bs on that, especially during the time you let Celeste boss you around a lot."

"I was not max leveled at that time! I am now!"

Makoto sighed. Every time Leon suspected Hifumi of doing something perverted, they always go on like this. "Hey Leon, just drop it for now and continue watching this." Makoto told his best friend. The baseball player huffed, but nodded regardless.

"But we're supposed to rotate once a week, so eventually you'll be in charge."

"That does seem more convenient." Makoto agreed.

"Actually…." After some thinking, Byakuya smirked. "That must be why. If anyone could go in and out the trash room whenever they wanted, then destroying the evidence would be easy."

"It seems like future Byakuya got to the same conclusion." Junko commented on.

"Well, my future self is as brilliant as me." Byakuya drawled, causing some eyes to roll.

"The thrill would disappear, and things would become boring."

"Wait, wait, wait, back up!" Leon exclaimed, holding his hands out. "Arrogant heir said what?"

"Th-Thrill? Boring?" Chihiro questioned in shock.

The others were shocked at what future Byakuya said, especially the heir himself. The Ultimate Affluent Progeny didn't expect himself to say something like that.

Sayaka turned to Byakuya and sent a deadly glare at him. "You think this sick game is thrilling? Even when I DIED?!"

"I don't." Byakuya refuted, crossing his arms. "I don't know why my future self seems to think so." This sick game and the death of his classmates….he didn't find enjoyment in this game.

"B-Boring?!"

"Anyway, more important than that," Leon turned to Hifumi accusingly. "Hey fatty! Why'd you want the cleaning gig, anyway?!"

"I-I just decided to volunteer for something I knew no one else would wanna do." Hifumi answered, a bit startled at Leon's questioning. "What's the big deal?!"

"Liar! I know why you did it." Leon proclaimed. "You wanna dig through the girls' trash! Looking for….y'know….and poking around at it!"

Hina tilted her head in confusion. "I don't get it. Looking for what?"

"It's probably best if you don't know Hina." Sakura sighed. She turned to Hifumi sharply. "And I hope Leon's accusation is wrong, Hifumi. For your sake."

Hifumi gulped at that. He kinda hope so too.

"What are you talking about?!" Hifumi exclaimed. "All my love is for 2D!"

"But there's all kinds of trash diggers like that! Maybe you'll get tired of 2D, and then turn to-"

"I would NEVER get tired of 2D!" Hifumi declared loudly. "After spending a significant amount of time comparing 2D and 3D, I voluntarily chose 2D! The only thing 3D is good for is to shower love and affection on 2D!...Oh, and PVC figures!"

Once again, everyone sent a disturbed look towards Hifumi and a few more scooted away from him as well. "Do you not hear yourself when speaking like that?" Byakuya questioned, clearly disgusted. "Or aware of how you look when talking about your hobby?"

Hifumi looked away from the screen and his classmates. "Um, no. Not really."

"Like I said before. Self control." Leon stated.

"How are you not totally embarrassed to say stuff like that?!" Leon cried with a disturbed face.

Byakuya sighed. "If you're so worried, about Hifumi's questionable morality, there's a very easy solution." The heir told hm. "Whenever a guy has cleaning duty, Sakura can accompany them, from picking up trash to disposing of it."

"Huh?!"

"Wow. That's actually a good idea Byakuya!" Hina stated. "No guy would dare dig through the trash with Sakura around!"

"That's my master! Always so smart!" Jill sighed dreamily, drooling.

Byakuya sent a disgusted look at Jill before turning to Hifumi. "And if you're so devoted to your 2D like you say you are, then it shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"Um, well, no. It shouldn't." Hifumi said, though a bit nervous.

"Whaaat?!"

Byakuya turned to Hifumi. "If you're as innocent as you claim, where's the harm in it?"

"Kh-! That's not how it's supposed to-!"

All of the girls turned sharply towards Hifumi, each with their own look that can kill a man.

"Were you actually planning to dig through our trash?" Sayaka asked.

Jill giggled. "He'd better come up with a good answer!"

"Or else he's a dead man!" Junko agreed.

"I-It was future's me plans! His plans!" Hifumi quickly said as he shrunk in his seat.

"And for that, your life will be spared for now." Sakura declared "But we better not see anything else like it." Hifumi gulped.

"Anyway, on another topic," Makoto spoke up, trying to get back to what he wanted to ask. "Hifumi, since you were on cleaning duty, I have a favor to ask you.

"What, so now you suddenly want to join my party?" Hifumi questioned. "Sorry but you haven't triggered that flag yet. I mean, you haven't helped me recover from a past trauma, or save a village, or beat a boss….."

Leon turned to Makoto, Sayaka, and Kyoko. "Do you guys ever wonder what going inside that head of his?"

"He just plays way too many videogames." Kyoko deadpanned.

"Specifically RPG and MMO ones." Makoto added in.

"No, nothing like that," Makoto stated. "I was just hoping to get into the trash room and look around."

"Oh, okay!"

'That was easy...'

"Seriously? Just like that?" Leon questioned in a bit of disbelief. "Even if no one accused Makoto of being the killer, you would agree so easily?"

"Um, well," Hifumi don't really have a good answer to that.

The scene switched to Makoto and Hifumi at the gate of the the trash room. "You'd like me to open the gate, wouldn't you?" Hifumi asked rhetorically. He then let out a small laugh. "You know, when I look at it, it makes me think….they said he killed his wife. He learned how to get by on the inside, but never stopped dreaming. Get busy livin' or busy dyin', he said. So him and Rita, they found themselves a way out…."

Question marks appeared on several heads. "Does anyone, other than Hifumi, ever knows what he's talking about?" Leon asked them. "Cause I sure as hell don't!"

"This is worse than Hina's malarkey." Byakuya mumbled to himself.

Hifumi let out a small laugh. "That's because your feeble mind can't comprehend what I'm saying!"

"It sounds like you're saying just random stuff." Hiro said, scratching his head in confusion.

"...Whatever, just please hurry up!" Makoto pleaded.

"Okie dokie!" Hifumi said in response. "Leave it to me!" Hifumi pulled out the key and used it to flip the switch next to the gate. Soon enough, the gates open.

As the two walked further into the trash room, Hifumi spoke up. "However, Mr. Naegi," He pointed an accusing finger at Makoto. "Surely you aren't planning to use the trash room to destroy evidence, are you?! Y-You fiend! You planned this all along!"

Sayaka slapped her forehead. "I don't know what's more irritating," Sayaka grumbled. "That it just occurred to him that someone could trick him to do that….or that he also thinks that Makoto is the killer."

"I think both of those are equally irritating." Junko stated.

"N-No!" Makoto denied. "I just wanted to see if the actual killer had tried to destroy any evidence or not!"

"But the 'actual killer' is you, isn't it?! You want to see if you left anything behind!" Hifumi accused. "Wait….maybe a parallel world….?"

Makoto looked at Sayaka in concern when she made a hand strangling motion, anger and irritation clear on her face.

Makoto let out a breath of exasperation. 'Whatever, let's just hurry up and keep looking.'

The narrator Makoto spoke up once more. "There were three things I found in the investigation." The scene switched to Makoto kneeling down to the ripped piece of fabric that belonged to a shirt and some broken pieces of glass. "First thing was a burnt piece of fabric that was covered in blood, second thing found was that there were some broken shards of glass in front of the incinerator and the last thing was that the incinerator was already on."

Hiro's eyes shot wide open when he recognized what was on the screen. "Hey! That's my crystal ball!"

"Your crystal ball?" Byakuya raised an eyebrow at the clairvoyant. "What is it doing in the trash room?"

"Hell if I know! But more importantly, why is it broken?" Hiro looked very shocked at seeing it broken. "I was told that it was indestructible! You're telling me that it was a lie?"

That got several sighs and/or eye rolls. Hiro told them before that his crystal ball was indestructible, but none of them believed it for a second. They all didn't have the heart, or the patience, to break the news to him.

"More importantly," Celeste spoke up. "Why is the incinerator already on?"

"A burnt off piece of fabric, a broken crystal ball, and the incinerator on." Jill listed off. "I don't know why that glass ball in there, but someone must've turned it on and threw a shirt in there. And judging by the blood, it was the same person who killed Sayaka."

"But the only one who could turn it on is…." Slowly, several of them turned to Hifumi. The fanfic creator paled.

Before he could panic, Makoto spoke up. "I don't think it's Hifumi." Makoto said. "Otherwise, the evidence would've been cleaned up better. I think we'll find out later during the trial."

Meanwhile, Kyoko had a guess as to what happened. 'Leon must've found that crystal ball somewhere and used his skill as a baseball player to throw it at the button that turns the incinerator on. Then, he threw his shirt in there, but because he can't get past the gate, he couldn't completely get rid of it which explains the burnt piece of fabric.' The pieces were slowly coming together for her, but she still hasn't figured everything out yet. While she might have a very probably theory amongst other theories, she won't commit to them without the evidence to support them.

"Huh?! Someone turned the incinerator on!" Hifumi yelled in shock. "Very strange….I'm quite certain it was off the last time I was down here. Perhaps it was the work of a fairy…."

"Fairy?" Jill cocked her head in confusion before letting out a raspberry. "Yeah, right. Why would a fairy want to be near fire?"

"Maybe it was an ember fairy!" Hifumi suggested.

"Hmm, that makes sense!"

"I am surrounded by idiots." Byakuya mumbled.

Makoto's head shot up to Hifumi. "Hifumi! Do you realize what you just said?!"

"Huh? The fairy….?"

"...No." Makoto deadpanned a little. "You said that last time you were here, the incinerator was off."

"Ah, yes." Hifumi confirmed. "About that there can be no mistake. If I've got one thing going for me, it's my memory! Yesterday, as soon as I was appointed, I came down to check the place out. It definitely wasn't on at the time and I haven't been back to the trash room as well. And also, since I'm the only one who has the key to open the gate, it should be impossible for the incinerator to be on. And yet…."

"Then how did it get turned off if Hifumi didn't turn it on?" Hina asked in confusion. "That shouldn't be possible."

"Maybe, they grabbed a long stick from somewhere and used that to turn on the incinerator!" Jill suggested. "That should be able to turn that thing on? Huh? Huh?"

"...I have no idea how to respond to that." Celeste deadpanned. "Where would one even get a stick long enough to turn on the incinerator?"

"From the trees! Duh!"

"They can't go outside you idiot." Byakuya groaned.

"Ah! Did I upset my master?!" Jill exclaimed. "Here! Let me comfort you with my voluptuous body!"

"Voluptuous isn't the word I would use." Leon whispered to his couch mates while Byakuya resisted Jill's advances. "Got to give the psycho points for confidence though, something Toko severely lacks."

Finally, after Byakuya managed to get Genocide Jill silent and the group continued watching.

'That means someone was able to switch on the incinerator without opening the gate.' Makoto thought. 'But….how is that possible?'

"Your future self isn't considering that Hifumi may have turned it on?"

"Ms. Ludenberg!"

Makoto shook his head. "He probably had the same thought as me, that the evidence would've been completely destroyed and nothing would've been left. Plus, I don't want to point fingers at my classmates unless I'm absolutely sure it's them."

He didn't mean to say as a way to jab at the others. Nevertheless, some of them winced.

As he pondered that, Hifumi spoke up. "This whole thing is quite strange, indeed," Hifumi declared. "When I was here last, the incinerator was off, and those glass shards and burnt clothes weren't here." Once again, he pointed a accusing finger at him. "What does it mean, Mr. Naegi?! Will you be confessing soon?!"

"Why me….?" Makoto couldn't help but groan.

"Everyone already knows you did it!" Hifumi stated. "All the mysteries are being solved one by one!"

Mukuro's hands twitched to her hidden knives, fed up with the all the suspicion that has been placed on Makoto, but resisted the urge to either destroy the TV or kill her classmates herself.

"Sayaka, calm down please," Makoto pleaded to the girl, who look like she's going to blow up at any time. "There's nothing we can really do about the accusations against future me."

Sayaka let out a frustrated sigh. "I know. But it's just so frustrating, seeing everyone look at you with accusing eyes!"

"It ain't no picnic for us either." Mondo grumbled. "If we vote Makoto, we're all screwed except for the one who offed you."

"Not only that, but we all care for Makoto. Seeing ourselves accuse our class representative does not settle well in our stomach." Taka stated, getting a blush out of the luckster.

"After that, I went to Chihiro and Yasuhiro. The first about the numbers, the other about the glass shards." Naruto Makoto spoke up. The scene switched to the gym, where Makoto is talking to Chihiro. "I talked to Chihiro first, but she didn't know what the numbers meant so I then went to Yasuhiro."

Makoto walked up to the still panicking Hiro. "Hey Hiro, can I ask you something?"

In response, Hiro cried out in distress once again. "No, no, no, no, no! I gotta get outta here! Gotta get out now! I've had enough! Gotta break free!"

"You're STILL panicking?" Hina questioned in disbelief.

"And it seems he's caught up with the stages of panicking." Hifumi observed.

"I'm really questioning how slow his brain process everything." Celeste stated.

Hiro's shoulder sagged. "You guys suck, you know that?"

"Hiro! Snap out of it!"

"Hrm?" Makoto's exclamation seemed to have snapped Hiro out of his panicked state. For now. "Huh? Makoto, what are you doing here? What….?"

"Look like someone will have to get Hiro caught up on what transpired." Sakura sighed.

Makoto held up a clear bag filled with the broken chunks of glass. "Hey, um….does this look familiar?"

"Ahhh!" Hiro yelped in alarm. "That's my crystal ball! But….it's all smashed! What the hell…..?"

"I know right?!" Hiro exclaimed in agreement. That got sighs from his friends.

"I-I only bought it cuz the guy said it was blessed!" Hiro explained himself. "He said it was unbreakable! So….how did it break?"

Realization hit his face. "Was it actually made of glass?! And not crystal?! Did that guy totally dupe me?! He said it belonged to the pillars of history….Genghis Khan, George Washington, Napoleon….he said whoever had the ball controlled the world! Was that seriously all BS?!"

"I've been had! Tricked!" Hiro cried out. "How could that guy do that?"

"Quite easily, from the looks of it." Celeste stated. "Even I think that was a ridiculous lie to fall for."

"Yet, he fell for it." Leon looked at Hiro disbelieving. "Seriously? Pillars of history? Controlled the world? You really bought all that bull?"

Hiro chuckled sheepishly. "Well, he made a convincing argument."

"Or you're just a plain old fucking idiot." Mondo deadpanned.

"U-Ummm," Makoto spoke up hesitantly. "Let's put that aside for now. So you can say without a doubt that this belonged to you?"

"Yeah, that's mine for sure." Hiro confirmed. "I prolly forgot it in the laundry room last night. Someone musta came by and snatched it."

"The laundry room?" Chihiro furrowed her eyebrows in thought. "Then that mean anyone could've took it. But what would they use it for?"

'...To throw it.' Makoto realized. 'If they could hit the incinerator button, all they have to do is throw the shirt in there. But the distance from the gate to the incinerator is far. You either have to be extremely accurate with the throw, a huge amount of luck, or…..'

'...The confidence to land that throw.' Another realization hit his mind. 'Most likely, the killer would've have to been confident to land that throw. But who-' Instantly, Makoto shut off that line of thought. He don't want to suspect any of his friends of killing Sayaka. But he isn't stupid. He knows that the killer is one of his friends, and they must be found.

However, he's gonna wait for as long as possible for that.

'The laundry room, huh?' Makoto thought to himself. 'Which means, anybody could've went and grabbed it.' He then spoke up to Hiro. "Thanks, Hiro. That's all I wanted to know."

"S-Sure…."

Makoto was silent for a moment. Then, hesitantly, he asked. "Um, by the way….I'm almost afraid to ask this, but how much did you pay for that thing?"

Seeing this part, Makoto prepared for the shouts of disbelief that will about come. Hiro told him already, so he knows how his classmates will react.

"Everything I saved up from fortune-telling for two full years." Hiro answered. "Came out to be like….a million."

"A million?!" Nearly everyone screamed. Mondo then spoke for all of them. "Is he fucking joking?!"

"No, he isn't." Makoto sighed. "He told me before that he spent a million dollars on the crystal ball."

"Are you that stupid that you would waste all that money for a supposed indestructible ball of glass?!" Byakuya seethed. If there's one thing he loathed the most, it's a complete waste of money like that.

"Why, dude? Just, why?" Leon questioned, trying to understand Hiro's reasoning behind this.

Hiro was a bit startled at his classmates' reaction. "I-I'm sure my future self will say it."

"A m-million?!"

"That's pretty cheap, actually." Hiro stated. "I mean, considering it gives you the power to control the world…."

"See? Since it was suppose give you the power to control the world, it's pretty cheap." Hiro said quickly.

The sound of facepalms echoed the room. "You, are the most idiotic human being I have ever met, Yasuhiro." Byakuya declared.

"I was right to put him below D-rank." Celeste muttered. Like Byakuya, she's also appalled at how carelessly he threw money out like that.

"Is there a brain in there?" Junko asked, honestly wondering that. "Is there anything in there? Cause I'm starting to think otherwise."

"You're not the only one Junko." Leon sighed, rubbing his hair. "If there is, I don't think it's a functioning one."

"Oh come on, you guys!" Hiro whined. It was a totally good thing to buy! Or was supposed to be, anyway.

Makoto couldn't help but keep the look of pure disbelief on his face. 'That's just too….too stupid. I can't even feel bad for him….'

"Makoto!"

The luckster smiled apologetically to the clairvoyant. "Sorry Hiro. But that really was a stupid move on your part. You should've known that the seller's words weren't credible." Hiro's shoulder sagged at that.

"And finally, to end the investigation, I went to the A/V room." The scene showed Makoto going into said room. "I went there to look at the video Sayaka got. It may not be relevant to the trial, but I felt that it wouldn't hurt to see."

Sayaka felt herself stiffen a little, nervousness entering her body. They're about to see what got her future self to break down.

Hifumi grimaced. "We're probably not going to like this, are we?"

"No, we won't." Taka said, bracing himself.

Makoto looked at the DVD held in his hand before taking it out of the case and sliding into the DVD player. Pressing play, the video started playing.

It was dark for a few seconds. But after those seconds, screen turn on to show Sayaka and her idol group in a concert, dancing and singing.

Despite having a feeling of who's gonna be on there, Sayaka was still surprised. "My idol group." She gasped.

"So this is what Monokuma showed you?" Taka narrowed his eyes. "I wonder what he'd show the future Sayaka after this part."

"Definitely nothing pleasant." Leon remarked.

"Sayaka…." The pain is clear in the boy's face, and his eyes started getting filled with tears.

Then, a voice that Makoto began to despise came up. "Sayaka Maizono, the Ultimate Pop Sensation - lead singer for a world-famous all-girl pop band."

Several winced at the pain in Makoto's voice, but then they all stiffened with the voice they're beginning to despised enter the video. "We're already hearing that bastard's voice." Mondo growled.

"It won't be long for him to sprung his motive." Kyoko stated.

"For these girls, the glowing spotlight only made them that much more beautiful. But then," Then video suddenly went dark, but when it got back up, a different image was shown.

The background of the stage was read, the stage itself in ruins, and Sayaka's pop group unconscious on the ground. The video startled Makoto. "What the-?!"

Everyone reacted and recoiled in shock at what they're seeing. "What the hell just happened?!" Leon questioned.

"Did a fucking riot break out?!" Mondo exclaimed. "The whole place is trashed!"

"And why are the other girls unconscious?" Taka questioned worriedly. "Did they faint or something?"

Makoto at the scene, his own eyes wide in shock. And then he glanced at Sayaka.

The girl is shaking, her eyes extremely wide with horror and glued to the screen. "W-Wha-?" She began breathing out. "H-How? My friends….?" She wanted to take her eyes off the screen. To look away from this horrifying image. But her eyes wouldn't let her.

Makoto, knowing how she's feeling, quickly wrapped his arms around her and gave her a hug. Sayaka quickly returned it, clinging onto him like a life line.

And suddenly, a background of Monokuma popped up. "This ultra successful team suddenly fell apart!" Monokuma stated. "None of them will ever perform onstage again. None of them will ever feel the warmth of the spotlight. For Sayaka, there's simply nowhere for her to return to.

"So here's the billion dollar question - what oh what could have caused the group to break down into pieces?!" Finally, the video ended with the words 'Find the answer after graduation'.

"Monokuma was the one who did this?" Chihiro questioned.

Byakuya frowned in thought. "But how is he able to ruin such a famous group?" While he doesn't listen to pop songs all that much, if at all, he still recognized Sayaka in her Ultimate position. "How powerful is the mastermind?"

Sayaka, meanwhile, is shivering. The obsessed and terrified look that was in her future self's eyes got in hers. Before she could sink herself in it, Makoto whispered in her ear. "Sayaka, calm down please. Your friends are okay. You're still the Ultimate Pop Sensation. Nothing happened to them yet."

Sayaka took those words in slowly, like a dehydrated man drinking water. She took a few deep breaths before letting go of Makoto, though once again, her hand is clinging onto his.

After that, the video cut off. "Wh-What the hell….?" Makoto questioned, slowly getting up. "That wasn't real, right?"

'They're a super famous group. Everyone knows who they are,' Makoto thought to himself. 'Is he trying to say he was even able to get to them? If that really did happen…. then everyone in the outside world must be going crazy!'

"Once again, just how powerful is the mastermind?" Byakuya questioned, frowning. "How much resources or influence did they manage to get?"

"That's just too scary to think about." Hina shivered, wrapping her arms around herself.

"We might need to work together to stop the mastermind." Celeste mused. "If they're as powerful as we suspect, we need all the physical strength, resources, and influence we could get. Just to be safe, at the very least."

"But first, we have to know what enemy we're fighting." Kyoko stated. "We need the mastermind's identity, or at least a hint of it."

Junko internally smirked. That would be easier said than done. She didn't let her identity get revealed easily, that's for sure.

Suddenly, the school bell rung. Soon after, the monitor inside the A/V turned on, revealing Monokuma in his usual position. "Erm, so, ah….I'm getting tired of waiting." Monokuma stated. "What say we just get started, hm? It's time for the long-awaited, class trial!"

"Now then, allow me to appoint a proper location for the proceedings." Monokuma began explaining. "Please go through the large red door on the 1st floor of the school!" He let out his usual giggle. "See you soon!" With that, the monitor turned off.

Everyone tensed. This is it. The trial is about to begin. They'll see whether they find the killer within their group, or get executed for picking the wrong person.

Makoto tensed, silent for a moment. "The red door on the 1st floor," Makoto repeated to himself. "That's where I should go….no, where I have to go." With that said, he walked out of the A/V room.

The scene switched to Makoto going through the red door, and saw everyone waiting near an elevator. "You're late, Makoto!" Taka exclaimed, pointing at the luckster. "We've all been waiting for you!"

"Hmph. I bet y-you were afraid you would be discovered as th-the murderer you are." Toko said. (Making Sayaka let out a growl)

"Let's not jump to conclusions just yet!" Taka stated. "Save that for the class trial!"

Makoto sighed in relief. "Thanks Taka."

"I'm glad that not everyone is pointing fingers at him." Sayaka huffed.

"There we can all reveal the details of Makoto's crimes!"

Makoto's head dropped to the ground. "Oh come on!"

"Are you serious?!" Sayaka exclaimed in pure frustration.

Taka bowed his head in shame. "I'm deeply sorry for my accusation Makoto! If you must, hit me for such idiocy!"

"Hey, no need for that Taka." Makoto reassured nervously. "It was your future self that made the accusation, not you."

'So they all really are convinced that I did it.' Makoto thought grimly. 'But I didn't do it.' A flashback of the dead Sayaka on the bathroom floor. 'Sayaka and I both knew that all too well.' The scene switched back to Makoto. 'But then who is the killer?'

He looked at everyone in here. 'The one who killed Sayaka….is it really one of us?'

The monitor inside the room suddenly turned on, revealing Monokuma. He let his usual giggle. "Is everyone here? Okay then," He then began the next set of instructions. "Please board the elevator in front of you, which will transport you to the room where all your fates will be decided." He giggled once more. "I'll meet you all down there and don't take too long! I'll be waiting…." With that, the monitor turned off again.

Everyone turned their head towards the elevator. Sakura was the first to move towards it. "Let us begin."

"Good idea." Celeste was the second one to go. Slowly, everyone started going into the elevator, but Kyoko and Makoto stood back.

"Are you scared?" Kyoko asked him.

"N-No," Makoto shook his head. "Scared isn't quite right…."

"Then what would you call it?" Leon asked him.

"Anxiety, maybe." Makoto suggested. "I mean, most of us are pretty anxious about this, aren't we?"

"Yeah. The music isn't helping much either." Chihiro then turned to Spirit. "By the way, I've been noticing that music have been playing in the background. Why is that?" The programmer have been wondering that for a while, along with everyone else, but with everything that they've been watching, no one thought of asking.

"Like with the opening, it adds a bit more flare to it." Spirit told him. "I'm surprised that you haven't asked sooner."

"Our minds were preoccupied with everything else." Byakuya sighed.

"I said it before, but it's up to you to uncover the mysteries surrounding the case yourself." She turned and walked to the elevator. "If you don't, you'll never come to grips with the truth."

"Judging by her words, I'm guessing Kyoko knows that Makoto isn't the killer." Celeste noted.

Makoto and Sayaka sighed in relief while Kyoko couldn't help but smirk at the latter. "Told you my other will find out."

"I'm really glad your future self with them Kyoko." Makoto said gratefully.

Makoto looked down. 'I know. I don't need anyone else to tell me that.' He gripped his fist. 'In Sayaka's honor, I swear I'll find out who the real killer is!'

Trying to give himself courage, he walked into the elevator. And as soon as he entered the elevator, the door behind him closed and the steel box descended downward.

They all waited for the box to get to the basement. "I wonder if this is how death row inmates feels when their time finally comes…." Makoto pondered.

"Rather than that, is it not more like a defendant waiting to receive his judgement?" Celeste suggested.

"Both seem like accurate comparisons." Mukuro stated.

Hiro sighed. "Oh man, I can feel my future self's nerves right now!"

"Same here! I bet my future self is shivering like crazy!" Hina said, one of the few times she agreed with Hiro.

The elevator continued moving, oblivious to the anxiety in the room, until it finally stopped and open its door.

What they were met with is a royalty looking room, with sixteen podiums in the middle facing each other. The students slowly got out of the elevator, examining their new surrounding. And then an evil and obnoxious laughter entered the room. "You've finally arrived!"

They looked to the direction of the laughter to see Monokuma, sitting on a throne. "What do you think? Doesn't it feel like a real courtroom? It's like a Hollywood movie, set, right?!"

Jill narrowed her eyes at Monokuma. "So that's the one in charge, huh?" She then grinned wickedly, pulling out her designed scissors. "Well, since it's a toy robot, I can snip, snip, snip it all I want! Once I see that stupid bear I'll-ACHOO!" At the sudden sneeze, Jill instantly turn back to Toko. "H-Huh?"

"Hey Toko." Makoto waved his hand towards her. "You changed into Jill again. We'll give you the rundown to what happened."

While Makoto and a few of the others explain what happened to Toko, Byakuya raised an eyebrow at the so called courtroom. "The bear honestly thinks that that looks like a courtroom?"

"It looks like a throne room to me." Hiro said, looking at the area on screen in confusion.

"It's because it is, idiot." Mondo sighed. "If it's not, then it's total shit."

That comment got Junko mentally depressed. 'Did they have to make fun of my stage?'

"Not even close." Mondo stated. "It's total shit."

"Okay, okay," Monokuma steadily ignored the insult. "Everyone find your podiums and stand there! Hurry up now, hurry up!"

"Once again, he's way too eager." Hina said, a disturbed look on her face.

"His bloodlust seems endless." Hifumi said nervously. "Insatiable."

The remaining students slowly went over to the podiums. "And so, the curtain on our first case opened," The narrator Makoto spoke. "A deadly judgement….a deadly deception….a deadly betrayal…." The camera showed Hifumi, Toko, Leon, Celeste, Byakuya, Chihiro, and Hiro walking on their podiums.

"A deadly riddle, a deadly defense, a deadly faith," The camera switched to Hina, Mondo, Kyoko, Sakura, and Taka walking on their podiums.

Finally, the camera switched to Makoto walking on his podium, determination clear in his eyes. "A deadly….class trail!"

Everyone tensed, anticipating the class trial. This is it. This is where they either find out who killed Sayaka….or die trying.

"I have to admit, Makoto looked a little badass just now." Leon commented on. "Especially with the camera angle and narration."

"Yeah! He's definitely playing the role of the hero really good!" Hina stated. Several others nodded in agreement, causing a blush to come from the youngster.

"Seriously, guys, I don't think I looked that cool."

"Trust me Makoto, this scene makes you look very cool." Junko stated, grinning at him. "I'm almost tempted to take you out a date."

That got Makoto blushing more, while his crushes' glared at Junko. Sayaka, in particular, is giving her a death glare. "I don't think this is the time to tease him like that." Kyoko told Junko evenly. "Right now, we should focus on the trial."

Junko pouted. "Aww. But I like teasing him!"

Makoto, though his face still burning, returned his attention back to the TV. The class trial has begun now. Time to find out which one of them killed Sayaka, and why she was killed.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 20: Watching Chapter 1: To Survive Part 12

"Let's begin with a basic explanation of the class trial! So, your votes will determine the results." Monokuma began explaining from his throne. "If you can figure out 'whodunnit', then only they will receive punishment. But if you pick the wrong one, then I'll punish everyone besides the blackened, and the one that deceived everyone else will graduate!"

"And the killer really is one of us, right?" Makoto asked, a small part of him hoping for a no.

Unfortunately, the rest of him knew it was pointless to hope. "Of course!"

"Okay, then," Taka spoke up. "Everyone close your eyes, and whoever did it, raise your hand!"

The sound of facepalms echoed the room in response to the ridiculous proposition. "Bro, no one would raise their hand like that." Mondo groaned. "Remember if they get caught, they'll end up dead."

Taka dipped his head sheepishly. "Well, maybe they might have had a change of consciousness."

"Doubtful. If none of us revealed that they were the killer, then I doubt they will anytime soon." Celeste sighed.

Mondo facepalmed. "Don't be a goddamn idiot." He groaned. "Why the hell would they raise their hand?"

"Before we move on and start the trial, can I ask a question real quick?" Kyoko asked.

The camera then switched to the pictures of Sayaka and Junko on the podiums, a red X crossed over their faces. "What's going on with….those pictures?"

"Yeah. Why are those pictures?" Hina asked, looking a bit creeped out. "They're kinda creepy."

"Yeah. They are." Makoto agreed, shifting uncomfortably. They're also glaring reminders that Sayaka and Mukuro are dead.

Said girls were also aware of this, and Mukuro turned her eyes away from the screen while Sayaka shifted closer to Makoto for comfort.

"I'd feel awful if they got left out just because they died." Monokuma stated. "Friendship penetrates even death's barriers!"

"Friendships….penetrates?" Hifumi repeated, wide eyes.

His comments, once again, weirded out the entire class. "Seriously? Even during a time like this?" Leon asked in disbelief. "Mind out of the gutters, Hifumi."

Hifumi, who had the same reaction as his future self, looked away, trying to look innocent. No one bought it.

"Okay," Celeste spoke up. "But what about that other empty seat?" The camera switched to the last empty seat. "There were only fifteen of us to begin with, so why are there sixteen seats?"

"Oh, no reason." Monokuma answered. "It's just that our little courtroom here can technically fit up to sixteen people."

Byakuya narrowed his eyes. "I highly doubt it's a technicality."

"Most likely, the last seat was reserved for Junko, or Mukuro, in the mastermind's point of view." Kyoko stated. When she said that, something came into her head. A glaring detail she missed.

She'll sort that one out later, though. Right now, she needs to pay attention to the trial.

"Oh, right. Junko was the only one who didn't get caught." Hina said in remembrance. "Makes me wonder where she is now."

'In the monitor room, watching all of the despair so close, yet so far away!' Junko thought in a wistful dramatic way.

"Okay, that about does it for the preamble. Time to get started!" Monokuma announced. "First up is the case summary. Now, let the trial….begin!"

'The debate is about to begin.' Makoto thought to himself, looking focus and determined. 'Anything I found, anything I noticed….I have to be ready to speak up about everything. My life isn't the only thing on the line here. Everyone's lives are too!'

Sayaka sighed. "Will there ever be a time where you worry about yourself, Makoto?"

"Well, like 'I' said, it isn't about just me. Everyone's lives here are at risk." Makoto stated. "I can't fear for my own life when other lives are in danger too."

"Wise words to be spoken." Sakura praised.

As soon as Makoto finished thinking that, the camera zoomed out and started spinning. Continuing to spin, it zoomed in to the students and several bullets, each with a piece of evidence engraved on them, appeared onto the screen as an overlay. When the camera stopped at Makoto, the bullets were gathered up and put away into the slot beside it.

"What the-What the hell is this?" Mondo exclaimed in shock. Everyone else is also surprised by what they just saw.

"This is what's called the non-stop debate." Spirit explained to them. "There's gonna be several debates where Makoto is gonna spot contradictions in. Once he sees them, a bullet will be shot and he will correct that contradiction."

"What's the point in adding that?" Byakuya raised an eyebrow to their host. "I don't see the point in it."

"For one, it would be easier for you guys to spot contradictions." Spirit said with a shrug. "Not all of you are adept to spotting those things."

"He raises a good point." Celeste stated. "And what's the other reason?"

"Same reason as the music and opening. Also to make the trials, which is more of a debate, more organized and structured." Was the host's answer. "Just so you know, there will be more features like this throughout the trial."

The camera began switching from character to character as they speak. "I assert that the one who was murdered was Miss Sayaka Maizono!"

"...Yeah, we know that part already." Hiro deadpanned.

"And the murder took place in Makoto's room." Byakuya continued.

"In the bathroom." Hina added in softly.

"So it seems most likely that," Chihiro mused. "The killer must have taken her by surprise while she was in the bathroom." Chihiro then started to tear up a little. "She didn't even have a chance to resist…." Just as she said that, the last sentence appeared in front of her.

"Oh, I see it!" Hina said eagerly. "The contradiction!"

"We have eyes. We don't need you to tell us." Byakuya deadpanned.

'No, that's wrong!' As Makoto thought that, the bullets on the bottom cycled around until the correct one was highlighted. Then, it was shoot through the previous sentence as Makoto continued. "Just a second, Chihiro. Try to remember how my room looked," A flashback of the room was shown. "With the way things had been damaged, I think we can definitely assume there was a struggle."

That surprised Chihiro. "A struggle? Between who….and who?"

"Between Sayaka and the killer, of course." Makoto answered.

"One glimpse of the room and it should've been obvious." Byakuya remarked. "How did Chihiro miss that?"

"Maybe because she didn't get a good glimpse of the room." Taka suggested. "If any."

"So you're saying that….Sayaka wasn't caught by surprise in the bathroom?" Chihiro clarified.

"She must have been attacked in the main room first, then she ran to the bathroom to try and hide." Celeste theorized. "The killer followed her in, and that's where they finished the job…."

"That much should have been obvious after taking one look at the scene. It shouldn't even need explaining." Byakuya remarked coldly.

"S-Sorry," Chihiro said, looking embarrassed.

"Well he didn't have to be mean about it!" Hina complained with a scowl.

"...Okay, so what's next?" Was Hiro's question.

"Next is the subject of the murder weapon." Sakura answered.

"Wow," Hifumi said in amazement. "This is starting to sound like a real trial!"

"Yeah. This is becoming very serious." Hifumi agreed with his future self.

"Though from the sounds of how the class trial will be like, it seems like it's gonna be a mix of a trial and a debate." Makoto mused. "After all, each of us are making our arguments on which one of us did it."

"True." Kyoko agreed with him.

The non-stop debate started once again. This time, Sakura was the first to speak. "So what was used to kill her?"

"There was some kind of sharp object thrust into her stomach," Taka mused. "Without a doubt, that's the murder weapon!"

"So the killer used some random knife they had had on em…." As Mondo said that, the words appeared in front of him.

'No, that's wrong!' The bullet was shot and Makoto spoke up once again. "No. I do think it was a knife - but not just any knife. I'm almost positive it was a kitchen knife."

"Huh? A kitchen knife?" Mondo asked in confusion.

"After the murder, we discovered that one of the knives from the kitchen was missing." Makoto explained.

"Which means that knife must be the murder weapon." Sakura deduced.

"Ohh….yeah, I guess that makes sense. You could sorta see the weapon stickin' out of her stomach," Mondo said. "And if you look real close, it even has a lot of the blood on it, I could totally see that being a kitchen knife."

"Okay, so the murder weapon was a kitchen knife. But where does that get us?" Leon questioned. "I mean, we all know Makoto killed her, right?"

"That's r-right," Toko agreed. "Makoto's room was the s-scene of the crime. What more proof do you n-need?"

"A lot more proof." Sayaka growled, looking ready to strangle someone once again. Why are they so adamant that it was Makoto who killed her?!

Makoto gave the idol a pleading look, which got the idol to settle down a little. But she still has a slight scowl on her face.

"H-Hold on a second! I'm-!"

Makoto was interrupted by Kyoko. "Let's draw our conclusions after we've presented our evidence." Kyoko told them. "Otherwise, what's the point of the trial?"

"Well, we can talk all we want, it's not gonna change that conclusion." Leon remarked.

"Leon…."

Leon held his hands up in surrender. "It's not my opinion! It's his!" He cried, a finger pointing at the screen. No way he's facing Sayaka's wrath!

"I don't think that's true at all." Kyoko stated. "I'm sure if we keep at it, something new will reveal itself."

"You really believe that?" Hiro asked in a bit of disbelief. Kyoko merely stayed silent at that.

'She's right. There's gotta be a breakthrough somewhere just waiting for us to find it.' Makoto thought in determination. 'Because I know damn well that I'm not the killer!'

"Luckily, there are. Three of them, in fact." Kyoko said, a small smirk on her face. "At least one of them should help clear Makoto's innocence."

"Three of them?" Celeste asked in confusion. "I gather that Hina's testimony, along with the doorknob being broken, are those breakthroughs, as future Makoto said. But what is the third one?"

Makoto was thinking about it for a moment. Thanks to how the investigation was organized, it didn't take him long to figure it out. "You're talking about the lack of hair in my room, aren't you?"

Kyoko nodded. "It would be natural for you to have hair in the room, since it's your room. But since all of it disappeared, it's safe to assume that the killer was the one to do it."

Hina beamed. "Three pieces of evidence that proves Makoto isn't the killer! Alright!"

Sayaka felt a little relieved at that. But she's still tense, knowing that the accusations against Makoto will still be going strong.

Once again, the non-stop debate started up, with Leon being the first to speak. "So I guess there's no question that the kitchen knife was the murder weapon." He said. "But where does that get us?"

"M-Makoto must have taken it f-from the kitchen, right?" Toko accused. "He did it in s-secret, when nobody was in the d-ding hall…."

Once again, when the words appeared, the corresponding bullet was shot and Makoto spoke up. "Okay, wait, hold on." He told them. "I didn't take the knife from the kitchen."

"Next you're g-gonna say you're not the k-killer, right? Go ahead and say it all y-you want….!"

"Damn. Future Toko is adamant that Makoto is the killer." Leon whistled.

Toko, seeing this and hearing what Leon said, frowned and looked away. Like everyone else, she didn't like that Makoto is being accused of murder. She especially didn't like the fact that her future self is so adamant about it. It made her feel worse than usual.

"Well, what if I had a witness?" Makoto countered. "What do you think, Hina?"

"...Huh?" Was the girl's response.

"Hina, I like you and you're a good friend, but if you forget the fact that you were in the dining hall….."

"I'm sure she won't forget!" Hina cried out, fearful of the angry Sayaka. She swore that Sayaka can be very scary sometimes.

"Remember what you were telling me earlier?" Makoto asked her, a flashback of Hina's words entered the TV before switching back to the trial. "Just to be perfectly clear, the knife disappeared while you were in the dining hall, correct?"

"Y-Yeah, that's right," Hina said, remembering what she told Makoto.

"And at any point while you were there, did you ever see me come into the dining hall?" Makoto asked her.

"Ummm….no, I don't think so…."

"You don't 'think' so?" Byakuya commented on.

"...No, he definitely wasn't there!" Hina corrected herself, with more confidence.

"The knife disappeared while Hina was in the dining hall. But I wasn't there the entire time." Makoto told all of them. "In other words, there's no way I could have taken the knife!"

"Alright! A good old alibi!" Hiro cheered.

Sayaka sighed in a bit of relief. "That should stop the accusations, right?"

"Okay, th-then what about this….?" Toko began suggesting. "What if the i-idiot swimmer girl and M-Makoto are in on it together, a-and lying to protect each other?"

"Oh come on!"

"You've gotta be fucking kidding!"

"Idiot swimmer girl?! That name again?!"

"Wow. Your future self is really hell-bent on the fact that Makoto is the killer." Junko whistled, causing Toko to wince.

"Y-Yeah." She cowered a little under the glare Sayaka is giving her, which is joined by a small frown from Sakura. Neither of them appreciated their closest friends getting accused.

"Idiot swimmer girl?!" Hina exclaimed in shock. "Oh, and more importantly, why would I get involved in something like that?!"

"Speaking of which, I'd like to ask the bear," Byakuya said. He turned to Monokuma's direction. "If there is an accomplice, do they also become 'blackened'?"

"So you ask, and so I shall answer!" Monokuma began answering. "Each murder is allowed to have an accomplice, but only the one who did the killing will get to graduate."

"That should shoot down Toko's theory of them lying to protect each other." Kyoko stated. "After all, if only the killer gets to profit, then there's no way anyone would work together."

"But someone could try saying that they didn't know at the time and work together anyway." Taka suggested.

"Maybe, but if so, then the accomplice would've revealed the crime by now." Byakuya said. "Or at least, give us hints as to who did it."

"So in other words, two people can work together, but one of them has no chance of profiting from it." Kyoko summarized.

"Then there's no way anyone would work together," Mondo stated. "Right?"

"But….what if they did work together, and and they just didn't know about the rule?" Chihiro suggested.

"Uggh, good grief! Enough already!" Monokuma exclaimed in annoyance. "No, okay?! There are no accomplices in this case!" He then realized what he just revealed. "...Oops! Did I say that out loud?"

"And that will shut down the accomplice theory." Byakuya sighed.

"It will definitely save a lot of time." Makoto agreed.

"Anyway, I didn't go to the dining hall, and I didn't take the knife." Makoto got back to the main subject. "So I'm not the killer!"

"Okay, so then….who did take the knife?" Chihiro asked.

"Hina seems the most obvious candidate." Celeste stated. "After all, she just said she was in the dining hall."

"Oh crap! Everyone's gonna blame me now!" Hina exclaimed in worry. "Why Celeste?"

"My apologies, Hina, but our future selves needed to point out something." Celeste told her.

"Relax Hina. I'm sure there will be an alibi for you soon." Sakura reassured, confident that Hina isn't the killer.

"N-No way! I swear it wasn't me!" Hina said in panic.

"Sure," Hifumi began. "But can you or anyone else prove that?"

"I can." Immediately, Sakura spoke up.

"That's right! Sakura was with me the entire time while I was drinking tea…." Hina quickly said.

Hina sighed in relief. "Oh, good. I got an alibi. Thank you, Sakura."

"Don't get comfortable yet. This implies that either of you could've grabbed the knife." Byakuya pointed out. That got a gulp from Hina.

"Uhh," Leon spoke up. "I hate to have to ask this, but just to be sure, Sakura's…."

"Me." Said girl shortly stated.

"...Right." Leon grinned nervously at the intimidating looking girl.

"Scared of one of our strongest classmates, Leon?" Celeste asked amusingly, getting several chuckles and smirks from his classmates while Leon grumbled.

"Can you blame me? She looks like she could take out a tank if she wanted to." He then gulped and quickly looked towards Sakura. "Um, no offense, Sakura."

"None taken. Like I said before, I'm aware of how intimidating I can look." Sakura stated, smiling a little in amusement.

"But then….couldn't either of them one of them have grabbed the knife?" Hiro questioned.

"Actually, no." Hina disagreed. "Because….um….well…."

"Just spit it out already!" Mondo demanded in irritation.

Sakura was the one to answer. "I stayed in Hina's room last night."

Several eyes widen in shock at this. "The two of you in a room….together?" Hifumi slowly questioned. A perverted look entered his features. "I wonder what those two were doing while in there. Something, explicit, maybe?"

"Oh gross, Hifumi!" Hina exclaimed, a creeped out look on her face. "I doubt anything like that happened!" Sakura merely sighed, wondering how Hifumi thought process end up to that.

Suddenly, Hifumi got hit with a baseball, drawing an "Ow!" from the fanfic creator, as well as wiping that perverted look off his face.

"Glad I found these puppies in the recreational room!" Leon said, tossing a baseball up and down on his hand. "Did you not see yourself on the TV fatty?" Hifumi had the decency to look embarrassed and sheepish.

"We're lucky that Jill left when she did." Byakuya sighed. "Her comments would've been more revolting than that of Hifumi's."

"Yes. We should be lucky that she isn't here." Sakura sighed in aggravation.

"I got scared thanks to those creepy videos. I wasn't really thinking, I just asked her to stay over." Hina explained herself. "Which means that we have airtight alibis!"

"Alright!" Hina said in relief. "Look like Sakura and I are out of list of suspects."

'So Makoto, Toko, Hiro, Hina, Hifumi and Sakura are crossed out of the possible people that could have killed Sayaka.' Byakuya thought to himself. 'Which leaves seven of us as possible suspects for her murder.' He didn't voice this out, though, deciding to keep it to himself to avoid trouble.

"You s-stayed over….?" Toko asked, a bit surprised. "Doesn't that v-violate one of the school r-regulations?"

"We're not allowed to sleep anywhere but the dorms, but it doesn't say we have to stay in our assigned rooms," Chihiro recalled. "So….I don't think that's a problem."

"It IS a problem!" Take protested loudly. "A boy and a girl spending the night together?! It's….it's….unwholesome!"

Immediately, several of them started laughing or smirking in amusement. Even Sakura is smiling in amusement at the mistake. Taka, however, moaned in embarrassment. "Oh no."

Mondo patted his friend in the back, still chuckling. "Don't worry, bro. Your not the only one who made that mistake."

"But….I'm a girl."

"Wh-?! You are?!" Taka exclaimed in shock. Then immediately, he felt ashamed. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!"

"Please forgive me for such a horrible mistake, Sakura!"

"It's alright, Taka. Like I said the before, this won't be the last time someone make that mistake." Sakura reassured, still smiling.

"But if it wasn't either of you, then what other possibility is there?" Celeste questioned.

"She's got a point." Kyoko agreed with the future Celeste. "With Monokuma prohibiting us from going in the dining hall during nighttime, it's not possible for anyone to steal the knife during that time."

"So SOMEONE had entered the dining hall. Otherwise, there's no explanation as to how the knife disappeared and was later used as the weapon to kill Sayaka." Mukuro said.

"Actually, there is one other possibility." Sakura recalled. "Right, Hina?"

"Oh yeah, that's true!" Hina started recalling as well. "One other person did come to the dining hall while we were there."

"Finally. Maybe we can find out which of us did it with this." Leon stated, with a bit of relief.

"But why didn't Sakura or Hina mention this in the first place?" Byakuya remarked. "While I can see Hina forgetting, Sakura isn't so dimwitted."

"Hey!"

"Why didn't you say so in the first place?" Byakuya questioned in annoyance.

"Well, because….they're not here anymore." Hina answered him.

'Huh?' Was the overall thought of most of them in the room. Someone who's not here anymore?

Makoto's eyes widened in surprise. 'Someone's who not here?' Makoto thought. 'Are you talking about….?'

"Sayaka." Hina continued. "She's the one who entered the dining hall. And then later….she wound up dead…."

That shocked everyone in the room. "S-Sayaka? She was the one who took the knife?" Makoto questioned, completely bewildered. Sayaka herself also had trouble keeping the shock to herself.

"That seems to be the only possibility." Celeste stated. "No one else could've taken the knife."

"But why did she take the knife?" Chihiro asked. "Did she want something for protection?"

"Yeah….yeah, I'm sure it's that." Makoto said, quickly clinging to that explanation.

A few others, however, thought differently. Byakuya has two theories: either Sayaka knew, or at least suspected, that someone planned to murder her….or was planning to do a murder herself.

Kyoko, however, is confident that Sayaka was planning to murder Leon. The knowledge just now given to them, along with the other pieces of evidence they saw, all made her more confident in her theory. She also suspected that Sayaka planned to frame Makoto for the murder, which is why she chose his room as the scene of the crime.

She looked at Makoto discreetly in concern, wondering how he would take it.

'S-Sayaka….?' Makoto thought, startled. "Then….Sayaka was the one who took the knife….?"

"That's the only possibility." Sakura answered. "And thinking back on it, she was acting kind of unusual. When she came into the dining hall, she didn't even look at us. She just went straight to the kitchen. As she left, she said she just wanted a drink of water. But most likely…."

Sayaka started shaking a little in trepidation. Why would she take the knife? Immediately, her thoughts went back to her future self's reaction to the motive, her behavior with Makoto after, her switching of rooms, and the possibility that she let her killer in the room. Could it be….? Did her future self….?

She shook her head. No! No, she wouldn't! She wouldn't go that far, right? She wouldn't do that to Makoto, would she? But no matter how she tried to shake that thought out of her head, a cloud of doubt still remained in her heart.

Junko covered her mouth to mask her giggle of glee. Oh, the tragedy! The despair! Once Makoto finds out about what Sayaka tried to do, he would feel so much despair! She couldn't wait!

"Then the person who took the knife was the victim herself!" Taka stated.

"I'm sure….I'm sure she just took it for self defense…." Makoto stated, not sounding very sure.

"So you're saying that the knife she took….was then taken from her, and used to kill her?" Byakuya clarified. His eyes then went straight to Makoto. "In that case, you may not have taken the knife, but you still could have killed her."

"What?!" Makoto, Sayaka, and a few others exclaimed. Some of the others' also have their eyes widened in surprise.

"What?!" Was the response from Makoto.

"S-See?! He did do it, a-after all!" Toko quickly stated.

"Oh come on!"

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Those comments came from Mondo and Leon, respectively.

"No, you're wrong!" Makoto protested. But unfortunately, most of them wasn't listening.

"So that's how you would twist the argument and send us all off in the wrong direction?!" Hifumi accused. "Hm-hmm….you possess a most terrifying talent…."

"Are we back to square one again?" Hina exclaimed in frustration.

Sayaka's anxiety transformed back to anger. "Are you guys that quick to point fingers at Makoto?!"

"They're quick to jump to conclusions,that's for sure." Mukuro clipped, very displeased as well.

'Damn!' Makoto cursed in his mind. 'If I don't do something, they're gonna blame me for the murder! Don't they understand? If they convict me, everyone's gonna die!'

"And yet, Makoto still wants to save everyone." Sayaka pointed out, causing the guilty parties to slump in guilt.

"Sayaka, relax. Remember, we can't control how our future selves think." Makoto said to placate the girl. "Besides, I doubt my future self is going to hate everybody just because of some accusations."

'Just because of some accusations?' Mukuro thought in aggravation. 'Makoto, sometimes you are too kind for your own good.'

"Hold on." Kyoko interjected. "It's still too early to decide conclusively that Makoto is the killer, wouldn't you say? Because, you see, if the room did belong to the killer, then they did something most bewildering. And until until we unravel that little mystery, you simply can't declare that he's the killer."

Several sighs of relief entered the room. "I'm really glad that you're there Kyoko." Makoto said gratefully, earning a small blush from Kyoko.

"I wouldn't let you get framed for something you didn't do, Makoto. No matter the situation." Kyoko told him.

"Bewildering? What the hell are you talking about?" Mondo questioned.

"Something was missing from the scene of the crime that by all rights should have been there." Kyoko explained.

"Something missing from the scene?" Byakuya repeated. "Your future self is talking about the hair, isn't she?"

"Oh, right! We still have that evidence for Makoto!" Hina beamed. "That should prove he's innocent!"

"I doubt that by itself would convince our future selves of his innocence," Celeste mused. "But it would be a good shift to that direction."

'Something that wasn't there at the crime scene?' Makoto thought. The camera angled to the side of his and his body turned black. Flashbacks of the investigation began showing. 'Let's see….I remember Kyoko was searching for something on the floor….she was searching for….'

Makoto's image went back to normal as it hit him. "That's right! There wasn't a single strand of hair on the floor!" Makoto realized.

"What the heck was that?" Leon questioned.

Spirit answered. "Another feature I added here. Whenever an important piece of evidence needs to come up, this is used."

"So….the culprit removed some evidence?" Chihiro questioned.

"Yes. And if I were the culprit, why would I need to get rid of all the hair in my own room?" Makoto asked them all. "It wouldn't be unusual at all to find my hair at the crime scene, if the crime scene is my room."

"The reason that all the hair was gone….was to remove any trace that Sayaka had ever been there." Celeste suggested. "That makes sense, does it not?"

"No." Kyoko answered. "If that were the case, they would have to do something about the body itself, not just her hair."

"Ah-ha-ha! Yes, very true, very true!" Hifumi declared dramatically.

"Now's not the time to divulge in your fantasies, Hifumi." Taka chastised. "This is serious, here!"

"I know it's serious! But I need the act the part of a mystery solver!"

"Mystery solver? It looks like Makoto and Kyoko are doing most of the brunt work." Junko scoffed. The fanfic creator deflated at that.

"Okay, then why wasn't there any hair on the ground?" Leon asked.

"The killer got rid of it all, of course. To remove any trace that they had ever been there." Kyoko answered.

"Wait, then that means….!" Mondo began saying in realization.

"Precisely." Kyoko interjected. "It's simply beyond reason to believe that the room's owner and the killer are one and the same."

"Alright! That should get us convinced!" Hina cheered.

"Hopefully." Sayaka agreed.

"Then….Makoto isn't the culprit?" Chihiro asked.

Before anyone could answer, Taka interjected. "But are you sure we can decide something so important base solely on the absent of some hair?!"

Heads were dropped. "You have got to be kidding us." Leon groaned.

"He's got a point though, as much as it annoys you guys." Makoto sighed. "We'll just have to hope that the last piece of evidence will convince everyone."

"I'm sure it will. After all, there isn't anything that should counter it." Kyoko said in confidence. "And with the missing hair evidence already given, it should convince everyone."

"No. There are other reasons that prove why Makoto couldn't have done it." Kyoko said smoothly.

"I would like to hear those reasons." Sakura requested.

"Here's the last piece of evidence," Sayaka murmured worriedly. While Kyoko says that the last piece of evidence should convince everyone, she's still concerned that her class will vote Makoto and get themselves killed.

While she's miffed that most of them are so adamant that Makoto is the killer, they're still her friends. She doesn't want any of them to die.

"Do you remember anything remarkable about the bathroom at the scene?" Kyoko asked them. "Sayaka was attacked in the main room first, then fled into the bathroom, right?"

"Yeah, then they ran after her, got into the bathroom, and stabbed her." Mondo confirmed.

"And how did the killer get into the bathroom? Did they have any trouble with it?" Kyoko asked them.

"What do you mean?" Celeste inquired.

"It's fairly obvious that the killer had some trouble getting into the bathroom," Kyoko began explaining. "There was clear evidence left behind."

"You're talking about the doorknob, right?" Makoto recalled.

"Huh? The doorknob?" Hiro said in confusion. "What doorknob?"

"The doorknob for my bathroom….it was completely broken." Makoto told him. Going on his E-Handbook, he showed a picture of the broken doorknob to everyone. "See how the top part was unscrewed, and the doorknob about ready to fall off?"

"Oh yeah, that's true," Chihiro agreed. "But what does it mean?"

"In trying to bypass the lock, they ended up nearly removing the entire doorknob." Kyoko explained. "This is another most bewildering act for the room's owner. It proves Makoto is beyond suspicion."

"So what, you're saying he wouldn't break the door in his own room?" Leon asked rhetorically. "But if the only choice you have is to break it, you break it! There's nothing 'bewildering' about it!"

"Not if it didn't have a lock in the first place, and the owner knows how to open it from the outside." Byakuya remarked. "With those cases, it's pretty bewildering."

"Definitely." Kyoko said in agreement. While she and Byakuya don't see eye-to-eye a lot of times, they can agree with one another on some things.

"You still don't see? Okay then," A small smirk formed on her face. "Let's take another look at how the incident unfolded. Hopefully that will help you understand…."

'A most bewildering act. I almost didn't notice it at first, but….is that a key point here?' Makoto thought to himself.

Non-stop debate started up yet again and Kyoko was the first to speak. "The incident took place in Makoto's room." Kyoko began summarizing. "Sayaka was attacked in the main room first. She then fled into the bathroom."

"Then the killer ran after her," Mondo continued for her. "And they got into the bathroom."

"At that point, the killer had to try and bust down the door," Leon spoke in. "Because Sayaka had locked it."

"No, that's wrong!" The bullet was shot as Makoto gain the attentions of the others. "The reason my bathroom didn't open wasn't because it was locked. After all, the girls' rooms are the only ones with locking bathrooms, right?"

"I can't believe we've forgotten about that fact." Celeste stated with an aggravated sigh. "Why didn't we think of that sooner?"

"Suspicion and fear clouds your judgement." Mukuro said quietly. "These emotions are rather common in the battlefield, mainly fear though. And it always causes soldiers to lose their cool and ability to think, ultimately leading them to their deaths."

"A-A fearfully a-accurate description." Toko said with a shiver. "That a-almost happened to our f-future selves."

"Yes," Sakura agreed. "Now that you mentioned it, it is true."

"Then….why didn't your bathroom door open….?" Chihiro asked him.

"Because it was stuck." Makoto answered.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Leon questioned, confused.

"My bathroom door doesn't fit in the frame quite right." Makoto explained. "Monokuma over there can testify to that."

"Yup! True as true can be!" Monokuma confirmed. "But ya know….you're supposed to be the Ultimate Lucky Student, right? But to have such a cruddy door…." He giggled at the thought. "That's not lucky at all!"

'That title is the bane of my existence.' Makoto mentally sighed in aggravation. People would always comment on that, and compare him to another lucky student that's currently suspended. Apparently, that student's luck is as unpredictable, but much better, than his.

"But you know, that bit of unlucky is pretty lucky, right?" Hiro mused. "I mean, if that door wasn't stuck, it would've been harder to convince everyone else that he isn't the killer, right?"

Everyone blinked and took a second to register what the clairvoyant had just said. When Hiro put that way…. "I think Hiro said something intelligent for once." Celeste said in astonishment.

"What do you know? Miracles do happens." Byakuya stated, the two comments drawing a "Hey!" from the fortune teller. "Anyways, the fool does have a point. That luck of yours seems to have worked out in your favor."

"I really do wish I know how exactly it works." Makoto moaned.

'You're telling me.' Junko thought to herself. 'Even with my analyst abilities, it's hard to predict that luck of his.' That both annoys her and excites her. It could stuck a wrench in her plan at any time, but at the same time, the unpredictable nature of it is just sooo exciting. Almost as much as despair's unpredictable nature.

It's a conflicting feeling, that's for sure.

Ignoring Monokuma, Kyoko spoke up. "So the reason the door didn't open was because it was stuck," Kyoko began explaining. "But the killer didn't know that, and assumed it was locked. So they tore apart the doorknob to get in."

"Okay, but then why would the killer even think the door was locked in the first place?" Celeste questioned. "Everyone should have known you can't lock any of the boys' bathrooms."

"The killer could've easily made that mistake, thanks to one important detail about the scene of the crime," Kyoko stated in confidence.

Makoto furrowed his eyebrows in thought. "The killer must not have realized that it was my room." Makoto concluded.

"Wait, so they didn't even know where they were?" Junko asked in disbelief. "Are you sure that it isn't Hiro? Cause it sounds like a Hiro move to me."

"Can you guys stop being mean?!"

"Well, since Sayaka was in the room and not me, it would have been an easy mistake to make." Makoto said. "So it isn't that idiotic."

"So you're saying that it's still idiotic."

"I-I didn't mean it like that!"

"What?! Are you saying the culprit didn't even know where he was?" Hifumi exclaimed in shock. "That's….inconceivable!"

"And yet, he's absolutely right."

"SAYWHAAA?!"

"Well, to be more specific," Kyoko began correcting herself. "What the killer didn't know was that Makoto and Sayaka had switched rooms. Which is what led to the misunderstanding about the bathroom. If Sayaka had been in her own room, then…."

"Then there would have been a lock on the door, and they would've had to break through!" Taka realized.

"So they had no idea how unnecessary their actions were," Sakura sighed.

"Ultimately, we can't know if it came open by force or by pure accident," Kyoko began concluding. "The killer must have been considerably confused, with no idea as to how they actually got the door to open."

"Regardless," Byakuya interjected. "It was a pointless act. Wasting time trying to break down a door that wasn't locked is…."

"...definitely something I wouldn't do, since I would've known exactly why it wasn't opening. Right?" Makoto finished.

"That is….a definite possibility." Byakuya sighed reluctantly.

"You want salt on that wound, Byakuya?" That smug question came from Sayaka. Byakuya just ignored her.

"So the killer would have to be someone who didn't know they'd switched rooms?" Chihiro guessed.

"Then Makoto c-couldn't have done it…..!" Toko realized.

"We managed to convince Toko!" Hina cheered. "If we got her convinced, then the others are definitely convinced!"

"Yes. Finally." Sayaka said in clear relief. Those damn accusations against Makoto are over now.

'That's what I've been trying to tell you….' Makoto thought in exasperation and relief.

Once again, more than a few looked away in guilt for what their future selves put Makoto through. If they're capable of pointing fingers at someone just because of circumstantial evidence, what else could they be capable of?

"After all that, you don't look pissed off at the slightest." Leon commented on. "If I were put through the ringer like that, I would pull a Mondo and curse them all three ways to Sunday."

"It's impressive, seeing Makoto keeping his cool most of the time." Kyoko complimented, also intrigued by his mental fortitude. "Most people in your shoes wouldn't have taken all of those accusations so easily."

Makoto blushed. "I wouldn't say easily," He protested. "My future self nearly panicked a couple of times."

"Yet you managed to pull yourself together," Sayaka countered. "Give yourself some credit, Makoto. You did a very good job there." Makoto blushed, especially when Sayaka gave him a kiss on the cheek and wrapping her arms around his. That drew dirty looks from Celeste, Mukuro, Kyoko, and Hina.

'Well, at least she's feeling better for now.' Makoto thought, relieved and face still burning up. 'The trial, along with some of the features, helped a lot. Thanks a lot Spirit.'

Too bad the slightly pleasant atmosphere won't last for long.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 21: Watching Chapter 1: To Survive Part 13

"Okay, then who did do it?!" Mondo questioned in frustration.

"I'm sorry, but I give up!" Hifumi declared. "Quit without saving!"

"But….what happens if we can't decide on who we think did it?" Chihiro asked fearfully.

"Well then, why don't we just vote right now?" Taka suggested. "Majority rules!"

"Majority rules? Yeah, that's a great idea." Leon said dryly. "If we all want gamble with our lives, maybe."

"Gamble?" Celestia perked at the word.

"Don't even think about it, Celeste." Byakuya warned. "We're not in that position, anyway, so it's a mute point."

"Majority rules? Do you really think that's a good idea?" Leon questioned.

"Yeah! Our necks is on the line here!" Hiro agreed with Leon. "Someone needs to do something. Seriously!"

"Does no one else have any other thoughts or questions?" Celeste asked everyone. "It does not matter how trivial it may seem."

"Oh! As a matter of fact, I do have one question!" Hina said, recalling something.

"Oh….you…."

"You don't have to sound so disappointed!"

"Yeah! Like seriously, weren't you the one who said that it doesn't matter how trivial the questions were?" Hina complained.

"I did." Celeste confirmed. "But this is you. It's most likely the question would be completely useless." That got an angry pout from Hina.

"It's fine, it's fine, just ask your question!" Taka told her.

"Oh yeah!" Hina then began her question. "Okay, so, umm….well, I was just wondering, how'd the culprit get into Makoto's room in the first place?"

Several eyes blinked in response to the unanswered question. "Oh yeah." Taka realized. "We completely forgot about that."

"Definitely the million dollar question." Leon stated.

"See! The question is useful!" Hina said, sticking out a tongue out towards Celeste.

Makoto chuckled at his friend's childish antics. "Well, good job for addressing that Hina." That got a beam from the swimmer, along with a blush.

"Hmm….yes, how did the killer get inside?" Sakura agreed with Hina's question.

"Maybe Sayaka just dropped the key somewhere and the culprit picked it up." Leon suggested. "That's possible, right?"

"I don't think so. That seems way too convenient." Taka disagreed.

"Then….maybe someone picked the lock?" Chihiro suggested.

"Negative!" Taka refuted. "If you remember, Monokuma made it quite clear that all the locks are all secure! Unable to be picked!"

"Man," Junko let out a huffed. "It seems like the only way for someone to come into the room is if the person inside lets them in." She said 'sarcastically'.

"But Sayaka wouldn't do that." Makoto disagreed. "She already got scared from the attempt someone made to enter in her own room. I doubt she would let anybody in."

Kyoko sighed. The evidence and circumstances spoke for themselves: during nighttime, the only way anyone could've accessed another person's room was if the original owner opened the door in the first place. She has an inkling that Sayaka was lying about her feelings, but decided to stay silent for now. Her future self can address it.

Meanwhile, Sayaka bit her lip in concern. Her mind is back to the fact as to how the killer got in, and the bad feeling is back in her gut. Did her future self really let them in? Fear and confusion returned to gnaw at her mind as the trial continued on.

"Fine, how about this? The killer got in the easy way." Hifumi stated. "They could've knocked and said they wanted to talk or something, and Miss Maizono just….let 'em in!"

"No, that can't be it, either." Makoto disagreed.

"O-ho! Trying to argue against me?" Hifumi inquired dramatically. "Sounds like somebody doesn't know his place! Hello?! Why, exactly, can't that be it?!"

"Because Sayaka was already scared, remember?" Makoto reminded him. "That's why she asked me to switch rooms in the first place. Knowing what she'd been through, I just can't believe she would have opened the door for anyone."

"...What if her being scared was a lie?" Kyoko suddenly suggested.

"What?" Makoto was taken aback by the suggestion. "L-Lying?! Why would she lie about that?"

"Yeah! She did seem pretty scared back at the time!" Hina added.

"Maybe, but there's no other way to get into someone's room other than them opening the door for in the first place." Kyoko said. "Since it's nighttime, and considering the promise we have all made, the chances of seeing someone else not in their room is slim, so stealing the key from them is out of question. Also, if someone was truly scared, they'll be on even higher alert, and opportunities like these wouldn't rise."

Makoto still couldn't believe that Sayaka would lie to him. It just doesn't seem possible. "Sayaka," He said to her hesitantly. "What do you think? Do you….think your future self is lying?"

Sayaka bit her lip and avoided the eye contact in an attempt to hide the conflict written all over her face. "We'll….let just see if there's any proof of that." She finally said, not wanting to think about it.

"...Huh?" Makoto was taken aback at the suggestion before his shock turned to anger. "Wh-What the hell was that supposed to mean?! Why would she lie about something like that?!"

"I know you don't want to consider it, but look at this and tell me….can you still deny the possibility?" Kyoko then held up a note shaded in pencil, revealing imprints of words. "I found a notepad during my search, and I shaded in the top sheet with a pencil. These were the words that appeared as a result."

"There's something I want to talk to you about, just us two." Makoto read to himself. "In five minutes, come see me in my room. Check the nameplates to make sure you don't get the wrong room, okay?"

Celeste cocked an eyebrow. "You detectives still do these kinds of tricks?"

"While it is one of the oldest tricks in the book, it still has its uses." Kyoko answered. "As you can see."

"Still, even if it's old, it's still pretty cool! Made me careful when I write in notebooks!" Hina stated.

Meanwhile, Sayaka looked at the note with trepidation. Did….she write that? Where did Kyoko find it?

Just as he finished reading, Hina spoke up. "Oh man, I've totally seen people do that on detective shows! When you write on a notepad, it can still leave an imprint on the next page. Sketch over that next sheet of paper, and you can see the original words! When I saw that, I was like 'Holy crap! I better make sure I rip the paper out before I use it from now on!'"

"I know, right future me?" Hina agreed with her future self, causing some smiles of amusements to come her way.

"It's a pretty old fashioned technique, but even the classics can be surprisingly useful sometimes." Kyoko stated. "Oh, and I should also mention….I found that notepad on the desk in Makoto's room."

Makoto's and Sayaka's eyes widened. "M-my room?" Makoto repeated. "But we haven't seen myself write a note of any sort!"

"So Sayaka must have wrote it after the switch." Byakuya deduced. "Which supports Kyoko's proposition that Sayaka was lying."

"But, why would she lie about that?" Makoto questioned, a bit distressed. He turned to the blue-haired girl. "Sayaka, do you have a clue why?"

"I….don't really know." Was all Sayaka could say, still refusing to look at him. The possibility of her luring someone out to kill them, and then to frame Makoto….she couldn't believe that. She doesn't want to believe that. But she wasn't stupid. The evidence spoke for itself, and seeing more and more of the puzzle pieces come together just made the feeling in her stomach that much worse.

"Huh?" Makoto said in surprise.

"Which means, only someone who had been in Makoto's room before the incident could have written it." Kyoko stated.

"Then it was either Makoto, who lived there, or Sayaka, who switched rooms for a single night…." Byakuya deduced.

"So, Makoto," Kyoko turned the luckster. "Did you write this?"

"N-No, I didn't. But-"

"Of course you didn't." Kyoko interrupted. "Because the note also bears a perfectly legible signature - Sayaka's signature."

Sayaka shifted a little in her seat, her arms slowly loosening their grip on Makoto's arm. Though he didn't notice it, the hard evidence and the turn of events are definitely hammering away at her mind.

"But why write that letter?" Makoto asked, frowning. "Who was it for?"

"Most likely it was her killer that she was trying to contact." Byakuya mused. "For what, we have yet to know for certain."

"The note was most likely her way of getting in touch with a certain someone." Kyoko theorized. "She must have slid it under the door to let them know she wanted to meet them in secret."

"If you got an invitation like that from the Ultimate Pop Sensation, what young man could resist?" Hifumi stated. "Of course, I'm only into 2D so it wouldn't have any effect on me!"

"Yeah, right." Leon rolled his eyes, clearly not believing Hifumi. "You would jump at the invitation."

"I would not! I am not a 3D lover like yourself!"

"Guys, now's not the time to argue about this." Makoto pleaded to them as he noticed how uncomfortable Sayaka looked. He can tell that, while she's somewhat used to it, she doesn't particularly like it when guys are fantasizing or talking about her like that.

"...But can we be sure that someone has actually received this note?" Celeste questioned everyone. "And honestly, even if they did, I do not think they are at all involved in what happened."

"What makes the future Celeste confident in that?" Mukuro turned to the gothic dressed gambler. "Do you know?"

"I have a guess, but I will allow my future self to explain." Was all Celeste said.

"Huh? What makes you say that?" Chihiro inquired.

"Hmhm….would you like to hear what I have to say?" Celeste rhetorically asked. "Very well, then. Pay attention!" With that, the non stop debate started up once again.

Celeste began explaining her reasoning. "Sayaka and Makoto switched rooms, correct?" Celeste rhetorically asked, the words popping up on the screen as she vocalized each one. "But in the note, the place they were asked to come to specifically said, 'my' room."

"I see," Chihiro said in realization. "So if someone read that note, then they would have gone to Sayaka's room!"

"I see," Taka said with a frown. "That does make some sense."

"Exactly." Celeste stated with a nod. "The room that Makoto was staying in."

'No, that's wrong!' A bullet shattered the words on the screen as Makoto spoke up once more. "The nameplates on our rooms were switched as well."

Again, Makoto's objection has surprised multiple people. "They were switched?" Leon asked.

"But how come none of us noticed it?" Hina asked in confusion.

"Probably because we were too busy trying to process everything else." Kyoko deduced. "And the camera wasn't angled to where it was glaringly obvious."

"They got….switched?" Celeste said in surprise.

"That's right." Kyoko confirmed. A flashback of Makoto looking at the nameplates was shown. "The nameplates were switched, just like the rooms themselves. As a result, the nameplate on Sayaka's room actually had Makoto's name, and the nameplate on Makoto's room has Sayaka's."

"So what you're saying is, the room Sayaka was staying in, was actually marked as her room." Byakuya deduced.

"Then," Chihiro spoke up. "If someone did do what the note said, they would end up at Makoto's room and therefore, where Sayaka was."

"Plus, the rooms were right next to each other." Kyoko added in. "So switching the nameplates would be no problem."

"And the only one who could've switched was Sayaka." Mukuro finished as she pieced everything together. "Makoto and Sayaka were the only ones who knew about the switch, and it's obvious to us that Makoto didn't do it."

"But….why would we she do that?" Hina questioned, frowning. "What was she doing?"

"We would have to watch more of it to get a better understanding." Kyoko said. She of course knew what Sayaka was planning now, but most of the others, especially Makoto, wouldn't accept it unless they figure it out themselves.

Sayaka tightened her loosened grip on Makoto's arm, anxiety filled in her eyes. There's more and more evidence that….that she was deceiving Makoto. That she was planning to kill someone. Did she really have the capacity to do such things? Would….would she really sacrifice Makoto, of all people, for her dreams?

"Sayaka?" Makoto turned to the her as he felt her grip tighten on his arm. "I'm guessing you're just as confused about this as we are?"

"Y-Yeah…." She said, eyes facing forward. While it isn't a lie, it wasn't the complete truth.

"Don't worry. I'm….I'm sure everything will be explained." Makoto tried to reassure her, though he still looked lost himself. Sayaka bit her lip, praying to anyone listening that it wasn't what she's thinking.

"And the one who switched the names was," She turned to Makoto once again. "Well of course it wasn't you, right Makoto?"

"R-Right…."

"Okay….then who did it?" Leon inquired.

Reluctantly, Makoto spoke up. "Sayaka and I were the only ones who ever knew about us switching rooms." He explained to everyone. "So the only other person besides me who would even know to switch the nameplates….was Sayaka."

"You can also infer as much from her notes," Kyoko brought up the note once again. "She specifically told the recipient to check the nameplates. She would only have written that if she knew the name plates would have been switched."

"But….why would she switch them in the first place?" Chihiro asked.

"She wanted someone to come into the room she was in, and also hide the fact that it was Makoto's room." Kyoko stated.

"What?" Said a shocked Makoto.

"Inviting someone to your room, but not telling them you'd switched rooms," Hina summarized. "Why would anyone do that?"

'...To lure them into a trap.' Byakuya deduced. 'And depending on who attacked first will reveal Sayaka's true intentions.' Unfortunately, he forgot a few details of the investigation. In future investigations and trials, if any, he'll need to pay more attention to certain details.

"To understand that, we first need to understand what happened after she invited the person into the room." Kyoko said. "That's where the truth lies…."

Several of them tensed a little. Here they go. They're about to find out what exactly transpired in the room. Kyoko glanced over at Makoto worriedly once more. She had no doubts that Makoto wouldn't take it well. She couldn't even guess what his reaction to it would be. Her eyes then fell onto Sayaka who sat opposite of Makoto. She seemed to have figured out most of what has happened but judging from her own facial reactions, she too, was having trouble accepting it. Kyoko gripped her seat handle as she braced herself for the aftermath; it was going to get ugly.

"Man, this trial is getting more and more confusing by the minute." Hiro complained. "Why can't the killer just come out and explain everything?"

"Cause they would be killed, simpleton." Byakuya said with an eye roll. "Would you reveal every detail of what happened if you were the killer?"

That shut Hiro up with a gulp.

"I thought so."

"What happened then was…..probably," Taka began musing. "Whoever she invited over….came in, and….attacked her! We figured it out! We know who did it! Whoever she invited over is the culprit!"

Cue facepalms. "But we don't know who that is yet." Byakuya said, slightly irritated. "We figured out the situation, not the person who was in that situation!"

Taka ducked his head in embarrassment. Okay, his future self is getting a bit too excited about this.

"But we still don't know who it is, ya goddamn idiot." Mondo said, slightly aggravated.

"Sayaka fought with her killer in the room, yes?" Celeste inquired rhetorically. "Perhaps the answer question lies in that initial struggle."

"Yes, I think you're right." Kyoko agreed.

"Then….we just have to figure out what happened during the fight, right?!" Hina asked.

"Which reminds me….there was a replica sword at the murder scene." Sakura remembered. "Was that perhaps used in the fight?"

"Oh yeah, what's the deal with that sword?" Mondo asked.

"Sayaka suggested I hold onto it." Makoto told them. "I thought it might come in handy if I had to defend myself….it seems pretty likely that the killer used it to break Sayaka's right wrist."

"How does he know that?" Hiro asked in confusion.

Makoto narrowed his eyes in thought. "If I remember correctly, there was a bit of gold coating on her wrist." Makoto answered. "That's a good indication that it was the sword that broke her wrist."

"Good memory there, Makoto." Kyoko praised, getting a small blush from the luckster.

"How the hell could you possibly know that's what broke her wrist?!" Leon questioned.

"All you have to do is take a good look at her broken wrist and it should become pretty clear." Makoto answered, getting on his E-Handbook. He showed them a picture of the broken wrist. "Right there where her wrist is all swollen, there's something glittery there, see?"

"Is...is that gold?" Chihiro asked.

"It sure is." Makoto confirmed. "Specifically, the gold coating from the replica sword. You barely have to touch that stuff and it'll stick right to you. And there's some on her wrist because…."

"I've got it! Because she got hit with the sword, right there on her wrist!" Taka answered.

"I see, I see," Hifumi said mysteriously. "And so the truth draws ever closer…."

"Alright! Then it's about time to solve this mystery!" Hiro declared.

Celeste giggled disdainfully. "As if you could actually figure out what happened, let alone who the killer is."

"I so could do it!"

"Then explain to us why you're still in school with us?" Byakuya shot back. That got Hiro to shut up once more.

The non-stop debate started up again, this time with Hiro. "When the fighting broke out," The fortune teller murmured. "The culprit grabbed the sword and that's when the first blow was dealt! A sword based sneak attack!"

'No, that's wrong!' The bullet was shot and Makoto spoke up once more. "Actually, no." The luckster disagreed. "I don't think the fight started with the sword."

"Huh? Why not?" Hiro asked in confusion.

"Because the sword sheath has been scratched." Makoto answered. He turned on his E-Handbook and showed them the sword. "See? There's a gash on it, like someone cut into it with something sharp."

"Something sharp….you mean, like the kitchen knife?" Chihiro inquired. "That was the only sharp thing found at the scene."

"Stop jumpin' ahead!" Mondo demanded. "Slow down and explain it so I get what the hell's goin' on?!"

"Yeah!" Mondo agreed with his future self. "What the hell happened?"

Makoto was the one to answered. "The knife must've been used first, with the sword being used to block." He told the biker. "Otherwise, there's no explanation as to how the sheathe has been scratched."

"I doubt someone would attack with the sheathe still on." Mukuro said. "But using it to defend, especially on instinct, is much more likely."

"If the sword was used first, there wouldn't be any explanation for the scratch on the sheath." Makoto explained. "If you were to attack someone with the sword, you'd take it out of the sheathe first, right?"

"That's true." Mondo agreed. "With the sheathe on, it'd be heavy and bulky and useless as shit."

"Okay, so how did the sheath get damaged?" Hifumi inquired.

"If they got attacked with the kitchen knife, maybe they grabbed the sword as a defensive impulse." Kyoko answered. "In that case, there wouldn't be any time to actually unsheathe the sword since you're under attack."

"So you're saying the sword was initially used to defend against an attack from the knife," Sakura deduced.

"Which means whoever had the kitchen knife….was the one who attacked first!" Hifumi stated.

'So who was the one who attacked first?' Sayaka thought in turmoil. 'Was it my killer? Did... did….I attack first?' She shook her head. 'I-I'll find out soon! Maybe I'm wrong! Maybe something different happened?' Despite her last thoughts, a part of her still disagreed with them, all the more making her uncomfortable.

"I think I get it! So here's how it all played out," Taka began summarizing the possible event. "The culprit came in, found the kitchen knife hidden there somewhere, then they took it and attacked Sayaka before she knew what was happening! So she grabbed the sword to defend herself, but then the culprit took that from her too! Then, after they broke her wrist with the sword….they took the knife and….finished it…."

Junko rolled her eyes. "That was an extremely poor display of logic. It doesn't even flow well!" The fashionista said.

"I agree. I don't think that's what happened." Kyoko agreed with the fashionista. "And I'm sure my future self feels the same way."

"Why not?" Sayaka demanded, a part of her wanting to latch onto that story. "I mean, the knife was the weapon used to kill me right?"

"True," Kyoko agreed. "Let our future selves explain why."

"Sorry, but I don't think Sayaka used the sword to defend herself." Kyoko interjected.

"Wh-?! How the hell can you not think that?!" Leon demanded.

"Because she never held the sword at all." Kyoko answered. "There's a certain part of her body that makes this clear."

"You're talking about her palms, right?" Makoto clarified. "The palms of her hands were perfectly clean, so I don't think she ever picked up the sword…."

"How can you know that just by looking at her palms?" Hina asked.

"Like I said before, the gold coating on that sword comes right off." Makoto answered. "All you have to do is touch it. In fact, if you look at it, you'll notice that a lot of the gold has already came off the handle. It's safe to assume that that's because whoever used the sword got some of it on their hands. There's really no way she could have picked it up and come away completely clean."

Sayaka sagged and dipped her head at that. Well, there's go that theory. Makoto looked over at her again.

"Sayaka, what's wrong?" He asked her. "Well, what else is wrong, I mean?" She smiled weakly.

"N-Nothing. Just….a bit disappointed that we haven't figure out the whole story yet." She said, still looking at the floor and trying to hide how she's really feeling. Makoto frowned in concern, but let it go for right now.

"Maybe she w-washed her hands after she escaped into the bathroom…." Toko suggested.

Cue facepalms. "Really?" Leon asked in disbelief. "You're about to get murdered, and the first thing you think about is washing your hands? Yeah, I'll take that advice the next time a murderer is after me."

"N-No one asked you!" Toko hissed at him.

"Sorry, but I don't think so." Makoto disagreed.

"Why d-do you say that? Is it b-because you think I'm u-ugly….?" Toko accused.

Makoto was taken aback at the accusation. "N-No, that's not it at all!" He protested. "According to the Monokuma File, Sayaka's time of death was around 1:30 a.m. In other words, at 'nighttime'. And the water in the bathrooms shuts off at night time, right?"

"Oh….I didn't know that." Toko admitted. "Actually….I haven't taken a shower here yet…."

That got plenty of disgusted and queasy looks. "Toko," Makoto turned to the writing prodigy. "Please tell me you've taken a shower recently."

"Um….well…." Toko looked away at the question, causing everyone to slightly push their seats away from the writer, even the ones in couches managed to do so. "W-What? I-Is it wrong not to b-bathe for a while?"

"Yes! Yes, it's most certainly wrong!" Taka stated, turning a bit green.

"Sakura, Hina," Byakuya looked at the most active girls in the classroom. "At the next break, you will force Toko into a shower, until every bit of dirt is off of her. Am I clear?" That got Toko frightened a bit.

Hina huffed at the commanding tone. "Fine!"

"We will make sure she gets a proper shower." Sakura agreed.

"Oh my," Hifumi groaned, backing away from her a little.

"Y-You're no different!" Toko hissed. "You s-smell like a big f-fat ugly donkey!"

"Hmm?" Was Hifumi's response. "I'm not sure whether to take that as an insult or a compliment!"

"An insult, obviously…." Leon said incredulously.

"In what fucking universe is that a compliment?" Mondo asked incredulously.

"In the world of Demon Angel Pretty Pudgy Princess, my friend!" Hifumi declared.

"...Let's not try to make sense of this blasphemy." Byakuya sighed. "I have a big enough headache as it is."

"...So anyway," Taka went back to to the conversation at hand. "If Sayaka never touched the sword, then that means the killer was the only one who used the sword."

"But hold on." Taka said, processing the new information. "If that's right, then the one who damaged the sheath with the kitchen knife was…."

Makoto's eyes widened in shock and realization. "Sayaka?" He breathed out. "She had the kitchen knife?"

"But," Chihiro said in confusion. "We already said that the attack started with…."

"The person with the knife attacked first, and the sword was used as an impromptu defense." Byakuya summarized.

"Then the one who attacked first was….!" Hifumi realized in shock.

"...S-Sayaka?!" Makoto exclaimed in pure shock.

"S-She attacked first?!" Makoto questioned, just as shocked as his future self.

Several of the others are shocked at this as well, and soon, all eyes fell onto the Ultimate Pop Sensation herself.

Sayaka's eyes are also just as wide with both shock and horror, but for a completely different reason. She….she was the one who attacked first. She tried to murder someone.

"B-But why?" Chihiro asked, near tears. "Why did she attack someone?"

"I think you have a guess as to why." Byakuya sighed.

"Now do you understand? She wasn't a blameless victim in all of this." Kyoko stated.

"No, far from it." Byakuya agreed. "It's almost as if….she had been planning to commit a murder of her own."

"Murder?!" Hina had her mouth covered at this. "She was planning to murder?!"

"No, no that can't be right!" Taka denied. "Sayaka, of all people, committing murder?"

"Taka's right!" Makoto agreed, not wanting to believe his friend was planning to kill. "Sayaka….she wouldn't do that!"

"And yet, the evidence points to that." Byakuya sighed. "Taking the knife from the kitchen, making that note, switching the nameplates….it all points to her making plans to kill someone." Makoto looked sick at this.

Celeste, Kyoko, and Byakuya didn't bother to point out the other definite possibility. None of them want to break that news to Makoto, despite their personalities.

'What?' Makoto thought in shock.

"She took the knife from the kitchen, then invited the culprit to the room she was staying in." Byakuya began summarizing. "And if it's true that she already had the kitchen knife and attacked without provocation…."

"Indeed….these are all actions of an assailant." Sakura deduced.

"Which brings up another point," Celeste spoke up. "Makoto, Sayaka was the one who suggested you two to switch rooms, correct? Maybe the reason she wanted to switch rooms was so that she could pin the crime on you. That is a possibility, is it not?"

"W-W-What?!" Makoto exclaimed, his eyes getting even wider. "P-Pin the crime on me?!"

Kyoko sighed. "That's the only possibility as to why she would have wanted to switch rooms." Kyoko stated.

"As well as the lie she told." Celeste added in, not letting any emotion show. Though really, she's very angry at the future Sayaka for what she attempted to do. "I know when someone is lying, and Sayaka was definitely lying when she told that story."

"So she was using him?" Mukuro hissed, a hand near one of her knives subconsciously.

Sayaka covered her mouth in horror, tears swelling up in her eyes. She was just as shocked as everyone else when she found out she had the capacity to do what she had done. She wanted to deny it, deny the possibility that she tried to frame him for murder….but with all the evidence pointing to it, there was little she could do.

"Sayaka wanted to- on me?!" That shock the luckster's feeling increased even higher.

Kyoko stayed silent at this, looking away. Celeste spoke up once more. "That would also explain why she would switch the nameplates. She wanted to get whoever she had targeted to come to Makoto's room, where she was staying, and by committing the murder there, instead of her room, that would incriminate Makoto.

"But for that to work, the target had to be lured out while still keeping the room swap a secret." Celeste continued. "If the target knew she had switched rooms, they would have became suspicious right away."

"So that's why she switched the names?" Mondo inquired.

"But doesn't that plan seems a little risky?" Hifumi questioned. "For one thing, even if her plan worked, Mr. Naegi would just tell everyone they'd switched rooms."

"Yeeaaa-no." Junko stated. "Makoto wouldn't easily rat out a friend like that."

"And the future Sayaka knew that all too well." Sakura said, clenching her fist as she was dealing with conflicted feelings.

"I don't know," Byakuya said doubtfully. "I'm not sure our softhearted Makoto is capable of that kind of cutthroat behavior. I'm sure Sayaka realized the same thing, which is why out of all of us, she asked him to switch rooms."

Makoto stayed silent, confliction clear on his face. Toko spoke up. "P-Plus….she was the Ultimate Pop Sensation," She reminded them. "A t-totally forgettable kid kid, o-or a national superstar….who are you m-more likely to believe?"

"Wait then….you're saying she had this all planned?" Hifumi inquired in shock.

"Holy shit!" Mondo cursed, also shocked.

"W-Wait! This can't be true! It just can't!" Makoto protested. "Maybe….maybe we could look at the investigation again! See what we missed! I….can't believe that Sayaka would be willing to betray me like that!" He turned to Sayaka. "Don't you agree Sayaka? Don't you think there's something missing?"

Sayaka finally slowly turned to Makoto, her eyes conveying so many different messages to him. She really wanted to say that there's a mistake, that this all wasn't possible….but she knew that she would just be lying to herself.

Byakuya sighed. "Even if it was possible to check, it would be a pointless endeavor." Byakuya said firmly. "There's no evidence to be found, and everything we did find pointed to Sayaka being the first to attack. There's nothing that would prove otherwise."

"B-But-!"

"Makoto," Kyoko said softly. She hated to do this, to break this to Makoto, but she can't let him be in denial. "Can you remember the moments where Sayaka acted strange? Where she showed that she wasn't her usual self?"

Makoto furrowed his brows as he recalled those moments. Now that Kyoko mentioned it….he remembered Sayaka was acting odd. Right after seeing the motives, she went into a breakdown. The most unusual part of it….was how much emotion she was showing.

Was she….was she using him the entire time? Ever since the motives? "I need you by my side…." Was what Sayaka said. That was all an act?

Sayaka choked back a sob at the betrayed look in his eyes and face. She closed her eyes and turned away, along with loosening her arms around his.

"But in the end, her plan backfired." Celeste stated, the video continuing. "She launched her attack with the knife, then found herself under attack in return. That must be when her wrist got broken, and she was forced to drop the knife."

"The tables were suddenly turned on her, and she died at the hands of the one she'd planned to murder," Sakura concluded softly.

"J-Just hold on! That can't be true!" Makoto protested. "Because….! Because….."

"Hey, hey! You guys have totally derailed the argument!" Monokuma interrupted. "You're being super boring right now! Come on, hurry up and decide who did it! Wouldn't it be awful if I had to punish you all just because you ran out of time?!"

"Oh, right. We still need to find out which one of us killed Sayaka." Leon said, getting out of his shocked state for a moment.

"They'll need to focus on the trial, especially Makoto." Kyoko sighed. She turned to the shell-shocked boy sympathetically, trying not to wince at the amount of emotions in his eyes. "You should too, Makoto. Keep your mind off of what we found for now."

Makoto looked at Kyoko for a moment before silently nodding. The luckster softly got his arm out of Sayaka's arms, slightly shocking the girl and also making her feel more vulnerable. She silently clutched the bow on her uniform as her tears continued to stream down her cheeks.

'What did you expect?' A voice whispered in her head. 'Him continuing to being close with you? To keep trusting you for what your future self did? He can't even look at you right now.'

"Oh yea….we gotta decide on who we think did it…." Hiro remembered.

Makoto stayed silent, confliction clearly on his face. Kyoko spoke up. "Makoto, right now you just need to concentrate on figuring out the answer to this mystery. If we can't uncover who murdered Sayaka, it's over for all of us…."

'Is….is it really all over?' Makoto thought. 'Obviously I'm committed to finding out who killed her, but what can I do? I mean, as far as clues go….there's nothing left.'

"Seriously?" Hiro asked, feeling a bit scared for his future self. "There's nothing at all?"

"No, there is something." Kyoko stated, crossing her arms as she focused her attention to the screen. "Something I bet my future self or Makoto will figure out."

'Wait a minute….' Makoto thought, remembering something. 'There is one more clue….' As he thought that, the non-stop debate started up, this time, stopping on Leon.

"It's easy just to say, 'Hey, decide who did it!'" The baseball player stated. "But there just aren't any more clues, right?"

"No, that's wrong!" The bullet was shot as Makoto said up. "There might still be one clue left - Sayaka's dying message."

"Dining-wait, what did you say?" Leon questioned.

"The dying message." Kyoko repeated. "She wrote something on the wall behind her, remember? 11037, written in her own blood. There must be a clue about the killer hidden in there…."

"Oh yeah, those numbers Sayaka wrote." Hifumi remembered. "But what message could that convey?"

"It has to be something. Otherwise, she wouldn't have wrote it." Taka said. "Some kind of hidden message."

"Well, before we get too far into that, I need to ask," Celeste spoke up. "Can we really be sure that Sayaka is the one who wrote it?"

"Her left index finger had blood on it." Makoto said. "That could only be because she used that finger to write the message."

"I see….she broke her right wrist during the fight, so she'd have to use her left hand to write…." Taka recalled.

"Sure, I think we can all agree Sayaka wrote it, but still," Hina spoke in. "What the heck do those numbers mean? 11037?"

"Hey Chihiro, you're a computer nerd or whatever, right?" Mondo asked the programmer. "You should know all about numbers and shit!"

"N-No, that's not," Chihiro stammered, but quickly got her words. "Yes, I'm a programmer, but I don't see any kind of meaning in these numbers."

"...Of course." Kyoko said. "It's because they're not numbers."

"Not numbers? Then what the hell are they?" Mondo questioned.

"Well, maybe I'm wrong, but those two 1s seems more like an N to me." Junko 'suggested', pretending to narrow her eyes at the screen. "Oh yeah, definitely an N." 'Aha! So that's what transpired! Ooooh boy this is going to be so despairingly wonderful!' She thought in glee as she pieced everything together.

"Is it because of those two diagonal lines?" Hifumi inquired.

"Correct my chubby little peasant!" Junko stated, getting into her royal persona. "I shall reward you five acres of land for that correct answer!"

"Now's not the time to play around Junko." Taka chastised the fashionista, oblivious to her grin that's wider than humanly possible.

"Oh!" Hifumi then saw something, looking on his E-Handbook. "Yeah, it looks like…."

"Huh? What? What?!" Mondo demanded.

"No, it's just….look at the numbers again, but don't think that they're numbers." Hifumi advised them. "Doesn't the first two numbers, 11, look less like two numbers and more like one letter?"

"Ah, you're right!" Chihiro realized. "The connecting line is barely there, so I assumed it was 11, but looking at it now, you could also read it as an N!"

"Woah! You might've finally just said something worth a shit!" Mondo complimented the progammer.

Hifumi let out an evil laughter. "Our little grey cells are really getting excited now!"

"Yes! We are close to solving this mystery!" Hifumi let out an evil laughter.

Chihiro leaned towards Mondo. "Um, shouldn't we remind him that if we find the killer, then they'll get killed?"

"Nah." The biker shook his head. "The fatso will remember soon."

"But even if that really is an N, 'N037' doesn't make any more sense than before…." Sakura sighed.

"Unfortunately, that's true." Hina sighed. "I couldn't even begin as to how to figure who killed Sayaka with that."

"Noel? Maybe?" Hiro tried.

Meanwhile, Makoto, Byakuya, and Celeste went to figuring out the clue. 'Wait a minute….' Makoto began thinking. 'If I rotate it, then….'

'...It will reveal the killer's name.' Byakuya thought.

'And the name written on that wall,' Celeste unknowingly continued on the thinking processes. 'Is none other than….'

'...Leon?' Makoto thought, his eyes wide with horror. 'He's the one who killed Sayaka?….or rather, who Sayaka tried to kill?'

Makoto thought about the numbers. 'Let's see….the 0 more look like an O….maybe if I rotate it….' His eyes widen in realization. "Oh my god….now I see! She wrote down the killer's name…."

"Woah! You shot past the clue and right to who did it!" Hina exclaimed in shock.

"W-Wow. T-The killer's name? C-Clever." Toko admitted.

"But whose name is it?" Taka asked, both eager and nervous at the same time, mostly the latter. "Makoto, did you figure it out?"

"You'll….you'll see." Makoto said, not willing to say it.

"Huh?!" Hina exclaimed. "You just shot past the clue part and right on to who did it!"

"So wh-who's name did sh-she write….?" Toko questioned.

"The key to solving this mystery was simply to rotate the writing 180 degrees." Makoto stated, turning the E-Handbook in his hands that direction. "If you consider the circumstances in which she wrote that message, then by turning the message upside down, it becomes the letters L-E-O-N. L-E-O-N….or more accurately, Leon!"

"H-Huh?!" Leon was startled when he heard his name. "U-Um, did I just heard wrong? Did they say, 'Leon'?"

The others who had yet to figure it out was also shocked. "No, you didn't heard wrong, dude." Mondo regretfully informed him. "That was your name."

Leon turned pale in shock, his blood running cold. "W-Woah woah woah! Wait! What? I-It must be a coincidence! Maybe they got it wrong, or something!" There's no way he would kill Sayaka….there's no way she would've chose, him, of all people, to kill.

Sayaka, meanwhile, is shivering in fear, her tears silently cascading down her eyes. Not only did her future self try to frame Makoto for murder….but the one she was planning to murder was none other than her inspiring rockstar friend, Leon.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 22: Watching Chapter 1: To Survive Part 14

"Wh-?!" At the mention of his name, Leon turned very pale. "What the hell are you talking about?! I-It's just a coincidence! It's just a bunch of random squiggles that happened to look like my name!"

"No, it's not random at all." Kyoko countered. "She wrote that message on the wall behind her as she was leaning up against it. In that position, she couldn't move to write normally, and had to write upside down, as it were. And as a result, when you look at it standing in front of her, it ends up getting flipped. Try it for yourself, if you want. Write something sitting like her, and the letters will be inverted."

"Th-That sounds like one hell of a stretch to me!" Leon stated. "I'm the killer?! You can't just go around and say shit like that!"

"Y-Yeah!" Leon quickly agreed with his future self. "The message being my name is just a theory, not a fact! Maybe….maybe Sayaka was trying to write someone else's name and messed up!"

"But none of our names matches up with what's written on the wall." Chihiro hesitantly pointed out. "The only one it matches, is you."

Before Leon could defend himself further, Kyoko spoke up. "Besides, if it wasn't you, then it wouldn't explain why your future self tried to destroy the evidence."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Leon asked her, confused.

"You'll see. I'm sure my future self will address it." Kyoko said.

"If you're not the killer, then why did you try to destroy the evidence?" Kyoko countered.

"...Huh?" Was Leon's response.

Makoto had an idea as to what she's referring to. "You mean….the burnt piece of fabric I found laying on the ground next to the incinerator, right?"

Kyoko nodded. "As the killer stabbed Sayaka, they must have gotten some of their blood on them." She deduced. "And to dispose of the shirt covered in the victim's blood, they threw it into the incinerator."

"But one piece burned off and got left behind…." Celeste noted.

"And the killer didn't notice. If they had, they most certainly would have panicked." The camera switched to the nervous looking Leon. "Isn't that right, Leon?"

That got the baseball player paler. "Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-?!"

"H-H-Hold on, a lot of us also wear white shirts like mine!" Leon protested. "Look at Byakuya, Chihiro, Hifumi….they all have similar white shirts!"

"That's true." Taka said, not sure how to feel right now. His emotions are jumbled up right now at the revelation of Sayaka's attempt at murder. "A piece of fabric can't conclude that he's guilty."

"Maybe, but there are other reasons why Leon is the most likely the suspect." Kyoko said. "Some of you may have seen it or figured it out already."

"But is one scrap of fabric enough to conclude that Leon is guilty?" Sakura questioned.

"Yeah," Chihiro agreed. "I mean, Leon's not the only one wearing a white-button up shirt…."

"Th-That's right!" Leon agreed with quickly. "There are plenty of other people here with shirts like mine! With just that one charred piece, there's no way you can say for sure who it belongs to!"

"You're right. That alone isn't enough." Makoto said. "But there are some other points that may reveal the truth…."

"What other points? There isn't anything else!" Leon exclaimed, getting a bit angry and scared.

Makoto winced. "I'm sorry man, but there are other pieces of evidence that our future selves didn't show yet….evidence that will point to you as the killer."

"B-But I can't be killer! I just can't!" Leon protested. Clearly, he was slowly losing his grip on himself as the truth continued to slowly expose itself.

Sayaka had to look away from Leon, his reaction becoming to painful to watch. 'I'm sorry Leon. I'm so sorry.'

"...Are you finally starting to understand?" Kyoko asked him. "The answers to all the riddles are right here."

"Yeah, I think so," Makoto confirmed. "If we look closely at how the shirt was disposed of, we should be able to figure out who the killer is."

"O-Oh yeah….that's a good point. I think I know what you're going to say," Leon spoke up, slightly relieved. "You can't reach the incinerator without opening the gate in the trash room, right? And obviously you wouldn't be able to hit the switch to turn it on, either. You need the key to get in. And the one with the key was….the person on cleaning duty! So the killer had to be whoever was in charge of taking care of the trash!

Hifumi laughed at that. "Interesting…." It took a few seconds for the fanfic creator to process the accusation made. "...Gweh?!"

"Before you panic Hifumi, remember that we already talked about the possibility of you being the killer," Celeste pointed out, stopping the panic before it could happen. "The evidence would've been better destroyed if the one on cleaning duty is the killer."

Hifumi sighed in relief. Leon, however, was the opposite. "W-Well, how else could somebody turn the incinerator on and destroy the evidence? There isn't any other way to open it!"

"Actually, there is." Byakuya stated, remembering another piece of evidence seen in the trash room. "You'll see what it is soon."

"Hold on!" Makoto exclaimed. "I think I know how someone could dispose of the evidence without using the key to the trash room!"

"But if you can't get pass the gate, you couldn't possibly turn on the generator, could you?" Sakura pointed out.

"Yes, you could. If you used this." Makoto, using the E-Handbook, showed them the broken crystal ball.

"What is it, some kind of glass ball?" Mondo asked. "It's busted to hell…."

"Actually, it was supposed to be a crystal ball." Hiro explained. "But, uh…."

"He got tricked out of losing a whole lot of money." Junko said nonchalantly. Hiro hung his head shamefully in response to her words.

"But….how would you use it?" Chihiro questioned.

"The killer simply took aim at the incinerator switch and threw the ball through a gap in the gate." Makoto answered. "All they had to do was hit that switch, and the incinerator would come to life."

"Someone threw that….through a gap in the gate?!" Hifumi exclaimed in shock.

"I know! That shouldn't be possible!" Hifumi agreed with his future self's shock.

"The accuracy to hit a small target that's thirty feet away from you would be extremely difficult to do." Chihiro pointed out, looking shock herself. "Someone would have to be extremely precise with the direction and timing."

"Or….have the confidence and skills to do so." Makoto said quietly, not wanting to upset the baseball star anymore than he already is.

"Remember what you said before, Hifumi?" Makoto asked him. "You told me that the last time you checked it, it was off." The luckster then addressed everyone. "But Hifumi had the key, so the only way the incinerator could have been turned on without his knowledge, was because the killer was able to hit the switch without opening the gate. Once they'd got the incinerator going, all they had to do, was ball up the shirt and toss it in!"

"H-Hey, come on….what the hell is this?" Leon cried, getting more and more pale.

"All you have to do is look at the scene to know that the killer never actually went inside the trash room." Kyoko then began listing off the pieces of evidence. "The shards of broken glass, the incinerator being left running, the piece of shirt that escaped the fire….if the killer had been on cleaning duty, the evidence would have been taken care of much more thoroughly."

Each piece of factual info kept hitting Leon hard. It's getting harder and harder to defend his future self, to say for sure that he isn't the killer. "No….no it can't be…." Leon muttered, looking pretty pale and shaking a little.

"W-Wait no….just hold on!" Leon protested.

"But the distance from the gate to the incinerator has to be at least….thirty feet, right?" Chihiro interjected. "The pinpoint accuracy you'd need to throw a glass ball that far and hit something that small….could someone really do that?"

"Th-That's right! There's no way!" Leon quickly agreed. "It'd be impossible!"

"Difficult, absolutely. Impossible? I don't think so." Makoto disagreed. "Because the killer is the Ultimate Baseball Star. Isn't that right, Leon?!"

That's what cracked Leon. He knows his own skills, and he's confident that he could hit a target like that. While it's a challenge, when he puts his mind to the pitch, he always gets what he aims for.

Was it….really him? Did he really….kill Sayaka?

Some of the others felt themselves sick at hearing this. Hina and Chihiro are near tears. They all know that one of their future selves killed Sayaka, they knew it, but to actually figure it out….it doesn't feel pleasant.

Makoto couldn't help but wince in sympathy for his friend. This must be hurting him. Not only because he was the one to kill Sayaka, but their bluenette friend was the first to attack and try to murder him.

"D-Do you have any idea how stupid you sound right now?!" Leon exclaimed, his face completely pale.

"A target thirty feet away would surely be little challenge for the Ultimate Baseball Star." Celeste taunted.

"Y-Y-Y-You can't be serious!" Leon stuttered out. "I….! I…!" Finally, his pale face went red with rage. "I'm not the killer! These goddamn shit-for-brains have got it all wrong, I'm telling you!"

"He still won't admit it?" Celeste questioned with a sigh. "All of the evidence points to him as the culprit."

"When being cornered like a fucking animal, you lash out like one." Mondo sighed. Like the others, he honestly don't know what to feel about Leon being the killer, let alone the entire situation.

"You still won't admit it? Okay then," Kyoko sighed before turning to Makoto. "Makoto, go ahead and review the incident one more time to make his crime perfectly clear. And with that, we can end this…."

"Listen to me! What the hell do you mean end this?!" Leon shouted, veins popping up near his eyes.

"Say what you want, Leon. But all the questions have been answered, and the truth has been revealed." Makoto stated. "Now here's what happened….!"

Spirit spoke up once again. "Another feature is going to be added here." The host told all of them, getting their attention. "It's called the closing argument. It's where the event is shown in a manga format while Makoto summarizes the entire case."

"Is it to give us a clearer picture as to what exactly happened?" Celeste deduced.

Spirit nodded. "Exactly."

Sayaka bit her lip, her face still pale and tear stained. She is not looking forward to seeing herself attempt a murder, nor seeing her death.

The scene changed to a dark screen, with the words 'Act 1' on the right side of the screen. "I think I'd better take one more look back at the case from the beginning," Makoto began. "Last night, the killer went to the room where Sayaka was in, or in other words, my room. From what we can tell, Sayaka invited that person there intending to kill them. She attacked them with the knife she'd taken from the kitchen earlier…."

As he spoke, the screen, in manga format, showed the killer entering the room, with Sayaka hiding behind the wall and ready to strike. When Makoto said that Sayaka attacked, the TV showed the killer dodging the attack from Sayaka.

"...But then something something happened that she wasn't prepared for." The scene then showed the killer bumping into the sword. As he noticed it, Sayaka went in for another attack. The killer grabbed the sword and blocked the strike. "They grabbed the fake sword I'd put in my room, and fought back."

"During the struggle, a strike from the sword broke Sayaka's right wrist…." With the sword still held up, the killer swung it downwards as continued Makoto speaking. "And that's when she lost her grip on the kitchen knife."

A picture of the replica sword being held menacingly while Sayaka was leaning on the wall, holding her broken wrist, was shown. A small panel of Sayaka's eyes looking to the right, was in the middle of it. "Finding herself cornered, Sayaka panicked and ran into the bathroom." Scene 2 then started, with a picture of Sayaka running into the bathroom being shown while the killer reeled in shock for a bit.

"The killer went after her, but couldn't get the bathroom door open." The scene then showed pictures of the killer trying to get in while Sayaka was leaning on the door. "What they didn't know was that my bathroom door got stuck easily, and there was a trick to opening it. Sayaka knew about that because I told her, but of course the killer had no way of knowing."

A picture of a scared Sayaka was shown. "So instead, the killer forced the door open," A picture of the killer holding the screwdriver near the doorknob was appeared next. "Took the kitchen knife…." The pictures switched to the killer entering the bathroom, holding the knife menacingly, and a shocked Sayaka, the picture turning black and white in a second. "...And stabbed Sayaka."

As the scenario continued playing out, Sayaka felt herself shaking and her eyes widen with various emotions. She wanted to look away from this, she didn't want to see herself attempt murder and get killed in return, but, like with the motive, her eyes wouldn't let her. And unfortunately, she doesn't have Makoto to help comfort her.

The vicious look on her future self's face terrified her. Her attempt at killing Leon made her want to cry even more. She felt like she was being stabbed when the picture faded to black and white. Sayaka tightened her grip on her bow and pulled her knees up to her chest as her emotions ran everywhere.

The others were also having a difficult time seeing this. Hina, Makoto, Leon, and Sakura were having a hard time comparing the Sayaka on the screen to the kind girl they became close with. Leon also had to deal with the nagging thought of who the silhouette is.

A picture of Sayaka sliding down the wall, blood splattered behind her, was next to be seen. "But with what strength she had remaining, Sayaka left a dying message…." A picture of Sayaka writing the message was then shown. "To keep the killer from noticing, she wrote it on the wall behind her."

Pictures of her letting out her last breathes, the killer's reaction, and Sayaka dead on the floor was revealed. "And with that, all her strength was gone."

Makoto's gripped his hands on his knees at the sight of Sayaka's dead body. A deep part of him felt like it was right since he was betrayed, but the whole thing was just wrong. Nothing would've warranted her death.

Kyoko saw this and silently put her gloved hand over his, prompting Makoto to look at her and gave a small smile in thanks, though it didn't quite reach her eyes.

Act 3 was next. "With Sayaka dead, the killer quickly began destroying the evidence. First, they took off their shirt, which was covered in the victim's blood." A scene of the killer making a motion of taking off their shirt was shown. "Then they took the lint roller in my room and cleaned up the area." Pictures of the killer cleaning up the hair in the room was next. "They wanted to make sure they got rid of any trace they'd ever been there…."

Act 4 was the last to be shown. "Afterwards, the killer headed to the trash room to destroy their bloody shirt." A scene of the killer in the trash room got displayed. "They tried to burn the shirt using the incinerator there. But the trash room was blocked off by an especially sturdy gate, preventing access to the incinerator."

"So they came up with a plan to use Hiro's crystal ball, which he'd left in the laundry room." A picture of the killer holding the crystal ball was next to be on screen. "The killer managed to throw the ball through the gap in the gate and hit the incinerator switch." Pictures of the killer's eye on the switch, preparing to throw the ball, and the glass ball being thrown appeared. "For any normal person, that would've been an impossible throw, but the killer had the confidence to take the shot. And that's because the killer….was the Ultimate Baseball Star."

"The crystal ball, thrown with absolute precision, hit the switch on the incinerator…." Pictures of the ball flying towards the switch and the ball hitting the switch was shown. "...which then quickly roared to life." The switch being turned on and the incinerator coming to life came soon after. Pictures of the killer balling up the shirt and throwing it in the incinerator was the next to be shown.

"Having destroyed the last piece of evidence, they left the area with, I imagine, a sigh of relief." Pictures of the killer leaving the door, the shirt being burned, and the killer walking away with that sigh of relief were the next set of pictures. "But there was one thing they missed…."

The pictures of part of the shirt getting burned off and falling out of the incinerator were the last pictures to be shown. "Part of the shirt they'd thrown into the fire burnt away and fell out of the incinerator. The killer didn't notice this, and so left behind a piece of indisputable evidence."

The scene then switched to Leon's podium and Makoto's getting close together. The latter's face and the silhouette's face got in front of the scene, with the silhouette revealing itself to be Leon. "Isn't that right….Leon?!"

"A good summary of the case." Kyoko complimented on. "With it, all the contradictions that were presented are now completely cleared up and we have a good grasp as to what happened." Kyoko then turned to Leon. "So, Leon, can you deny any of this?"

The baseball player was silent for a moment, his face still very pale. After that long moment, he spoke. "No….no, I can't." He admitted painfully, his body shaking. With the whole summary of the case, there was no doubt that it was his future self that killer Sayaka. It was him that his blue haired friend tried to kill.

"But I doubt the future Leon will accept defeat that easily." Sakura sighed, frowning.

"I have to agree." Byakuya stated. "We will need something even more indisputable in order for him to concede defeat. Not that his tantrums would do anything. Everyone else is pretty much convinced."

"Can you blame him for acting like that?" Chihiro asked softly. Byakuya sighed.

"No, I can't." 'Though he brought it upon himself.' Byakuya thought the last part to himself.

The scene switch back to the trial room, with Makoto still speaking. "It would appear that Hiro simply forgot his crystal ball in the laundry room." Makoto continued. "You went there to try and wash the blood out of your shirt, and that's where you saw it, right? Seeing the ball, you thought of a way to take care of everything…."

"So, Leon….do you object to anything that's been said?" Kyoko questioned.

"Do I object?" After a small moment, he exploded in anger. "Hell yes I do! Of course I object! I object, I object, I object!"

"Shut up you idiot." Leon mumbled loudly to his future self.

"It seems like you were right when you said he wouldn't give up." Celeste sighed. "Is there any more evidence left to show that he's the killer?"

"Actually, yes. There's one more thing." Kyoko stated. "And there's nothing Leon could say that would refute it."

"After that, it'll be over." Makoto mumbled, trepidation coming up with his other emotions.

"I mean, all of this is just a bunch of stupid theories! You need evidence! Where's the evidence?!" Veins appeared in Leon's eyes and sweat rolled down his head as he slammed his hands onto the podium. "Without evidence, it's all bullshit! It's bullshit and I refuse to acknowledge it!"

"Well then, I guess this is as good a time as any to present the evidence that proves you did it." Kyoko remarked. "Makoto….I believe you're in possession of that evidence?"

That got Makoto out of his emotional whirlwind. "I….have the evidence?" Makoto asked in confusion. "What is it?"

"It must've been something we haven't seen yet." Kyoko mused. "Cause I can't figure out what evidence my future self is talking about."

'I….have the evidence?' Makoto thought in confusion.

"When the killer removed the screws from the doorknob, they didn't use anything from your room to do it." Kyoko told him. "Instead, they must have used something that belonged to them."

That's when it clicked in Kyoko's and Makoto's mind. "The toolbox." The former stated. "That's my future self is talking about."

"I never used the toolbox, and since Leon thought it was Sayaka's room, he didn't even think about finding it." Makoto continued. "So he would have had to use his own toolbox."

"So he would need to show his toolbox in order to prove whether or not he did it." Byakuya deduced. "And that will be end of this trial."

'And the start of the execution!' Junko internally. She have no doubt she would convulse again when Leon's execution start. She's having a hard time already keeping the pleasure in.

'They used something of their own to remove the screw,' Makoto mused over. 'Could it have been….?'

"I refuse to acknowledge you! You're stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Leon declared angrily. "Stupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupid!"

"Shut up, you idiot!" Leon exclaimed, holding your head. "It's over! They figured it out!"

After a moment of thinking, it clicked in his head. "The screws on the bathroom doorknob were removed." Makoto said. "I wonder what kind of tool the killer used to remove them…."

"I mean….it had to be a screwdriver, right?" Mondo guessed.

"Oh yeah. I'm pretty sure the toolkits each had one inside." Hiro remembered.

"Then that must be what he used!" Hifumi stated. "There aren't any other tools anywhere."

"But the toolkit in my room had clearly never been used…." Makoto told them. As he said that, a flashback of Makoto into his drawer during the investigation was shown.

"That's because the culprit didn't know it was your room! They thought they were in Sayaka's room!" Taka realized.

"Only the boys got toolkits, so the killer naturally assumed there wouldn't be one in there…." Chihiro said.

"Okay, then whose toolkit did the killer use?" As Makoto asked that, the camera angled closer to his face.

It quickly moved to the angry and frantic Leon, in the same angle. "Stupidstupidstupid!"

The camera moved back to Makoto. "It had to be their very own toolkit!"

And back to Leon. "Stupidstupidstupidstupidstupid!"

Once again, to Makoto, this time, he has his eyes closed. "Leon, would you mind showing us your toolkit? If I'm right about this, then," Opening his eyes with clear determination, he declared this. "Your screwdriver will show some evidence of being used!"

The camera froze Leon's angry expression, moving closer to in different angle until the image broke like glass. "Stupidstupidstu….uh, huh?" His angered expression got mixed with a stun one.

"Let me guess, another feature added in?" Byakuya remarked.

Spirit nodded. "To show that they lost the argument, whenever somebody feels particularly stubborn."

"And if you say you used it for something else, you'll have to explain exactly when, where, and why…." Byakuya declared.

"And let me say this right now," Kyoko stated. "'I lost it' isn't an excuse at this point."

"And with that, Leon is finished." Celeste concluded.

"Stu….pid. Stu…." The anger on Leon's face melted away, replaced with a mix shock, defeat, and despair. "...pid?"

Everyone felt chills at the expression on Leon's face. The mix of shock, defeat, and despair was bad enough. The black and white drawing of it made it even worse.

"That is fucking creepy." Mondo mumbled.

"I agree. That face is unsettling." Taka said with a shudder.

'A face devoid of all hope and filled with despair!' Junko stated in her mind. It's becoming harder and harder to contain herself.

Mukuro winced at his face as well. Though she's seen countless defeated soldiers express similar faces, it was quite different when said person was one of your classmates and potential friend.

"So, you have no rebuttal?" Was Byakuya's rhetorical question.

"Then it would seem….we are finished here." Celeste stated. Leon didn't say anything, the shock and defeated look still on his face.

'I….caused this.' Sayaka thought, feeling ready to puke at the sight of Leon in shock and defeated. 'I brought Leon to this.'

Monokuma let out a laugh. "Looks like you've reached your verdict!" The bear stated. "Then are we ready to cast our votes? You all have a lever in front of you. Use it to make your selection! Oh, just to remind you all, make triple sure you vote for someone! You wouldn't want to be punished for something so minor, right?"

'He's forcing us to vote for Leon.' Kyoko thought as she slightly narrowed her eyes at the bear. 'Forcing us to agree to execute him.' The bear wanted to make sure that everyone was also responsible for his death.

Everyone stayed silent to this. "OKay! Then let's get excited!" Monokuma cheered. "Who will be chosen as the blackened? Will you make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one? What's it gonna be? What's it gonna beeee?!"

After that rhetorical question, the scene switched to a slot machine, with the students' faces on the slots. The slots continued rolling until all of three of them stopped on Leon, causing the lights to flash, cheers to come out, and money to flow out of the machine.

The scene faded back to all of the students, who've got off their podiums and gathered around. "Uh-oh! Looks like you got it right on the money!" Monokuma stated. "The blackened in this case, the one that killed Sayaka….was none other than Leon Kuwata!"

That statement hit nearly everyone hard. Even when they figured it out, even when they knew for sure that Leon was the killer….it was still something none of them wanted to hear in words.

"I-I can't believe it." Hina breathed out, pale. "Leon killing Sayaka? It just doesn't seem possible."

"Not to mention how the entire scenario played out." Taka agreed, also pale. "I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around it."

"Ain't that the fucking truth?" Mondo stated, none of his usual heat in his voice. He looked at Makoto, Sayaka, and Leon, the three looking the worst out of everyone. "But at least we don't have it as bad as they do."

"For now." Byakuya added in. He has no doubt that there will be more killings. Until they found a way out, or find the one leading this, Monokuma will keeping giving motives, which in turn motivate them into killing.

"...Huh?" Leon finally manage to get out of his state, though he still look very pale. "H-Hold on a second…."

"Leon…." Makoto stepped towards the baseball player. "Leon, did you really….kill Sayaka?"

"I don't believe it…." Hina said, looking pale amongst several others.

"Son of a bitch….!" Mondo growled. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"I-I knew there was a p-part of him that was a s-savage," Toko remarked, both pale and sweaty. "But t-this is…."

"I never thought he would be capable of killing Sayaka," Hifumi murmured, looking pretty freaked out. "Then again, the memories of our time together were taken away."

"I-I didn't have a choice," Leon attempted to defend himself. "It was killed or be killed! S-So that's why….I killed her first."

'Oh. Right.' Makoto was reminded of that little fact. 'Sayaka tried to kill Leon….and tried to pin it on me.' Being reminded about that brought back the whirlwind of emotions he was feeling.

"How the fuck was that self-defense?!" Mondo growled. "Maybe it was in the beginning, but when she started hiding in the bathroom, it stopped being defense!"

"I….I don't know!" Leon cried out, holding his head. Why did his future self went after Sayaka? Was it for payback? Because of that motive? Why?

"None of you are any different!" Leon lashed out on them. "One wrong step, and you'd be the one standing here! It was complete chance that I wound up like this! I was just….unlucky! That's all…."

"Grr…!" Was Mondo's response, bowing his head down the floor.

"H-Hey, come on….!" The baseball player exclaimed. "You expect me to just accept my death?!"

As they talked, Makoto got lost in thought. 'The decision we made was right after all.' Makoto thought to himself. 'But when I think about it….honestly, I'd be better off if we'd been wrong.'

"Huh?! Why?" Hina questioned in shock.

"I-If we've been wrong, we w-would've died." Toko told him. Makoto didn't say anything. He just stayed silent.

'Because if what we came up with really is the truth….then that truth is that Sayaka was trying to frame me.'

"Oh….that's why." Hina and Toko, along with some of the others, winced at this. Tears filled up Sayaka's eyes again.

'But, even if that's true….I can't say she was wrong.'

Once again, it took the others by surprise. "Um, what does he mean?" Hiro asked in confusion. "Is he saying that what Sayaka tried to do was the right thing?"

"No….that's not it." Makoto said softly, shaking his head. "What Sayaka did….it wasn't right. But I can't say it was wrong either. After all, I wasn't in her shoes."

"All of our future selves saw videos of those we cared about in danger." Mukuro pointed out, trying to keep the anger out of her tone. She was still slightly mad at Sayaka for what she had almost done to Makoto. "What makes you say that we weren't in her shoes?"

"I think my future self will explain." Was all Makoto gave. He doesn't really feel like talking right now.

"It's all because of the video," He mumbled quietly to himself. "Even I couldn't handle what I saw in there. If I was her, and the video actually had something to do with me, I couldn't even imagine…."

Flashbacks of Sayaka first reveal of her mental state was shown. "The one thing that was more important to her than anything else: her dreams, her friends….to have to see something like that happen to them….and Sayaka…."

Flashback of that talk in the trophy room showed up again. 'For the friends that meant so much to her….that's why she betrayed me.'

'But….it wasn't worth it.' Sayaka thought to herself. 'Betraying Makoto….trying to kill Leon….the look of betrayal and shock on Makoto's face….that dream isn't worth it.' And she had no doubt that if her friends heard what her future self did, they wouldn't support it. Not at all. They would've been extremely disappointed.

'So….when she said….' A flashback of the talk between Makoto and Sayaka after the motives was shown. 'She was lying to me from the very beginning. She was using me….is that why she talked to me in the first place?'

Those thoughts were plaguing Makoto as well. 'When did she plan to betray my future self? After the motive? Somewhere before that? Could she have been manipulating me from the very beginning?' Those thoughts could not leave Makoto.

Sayaka, however, thought differently. She knows that she wasn't manipulating him from the very beginning. She knows that the bond they shared in that killing game was real. But the thought made it all the more painful. She decided to betray a friend for her career, rather than put her trust on him.

'I….I guess I'll never know….' He concluded. 'Because there's nothing I can do to ask her what she was thinking. Once you're dead….that's that….'

'Oh, he's in complete and utter despair!' Junko thought in utter joy. 'Shows you Mr. Positive! The stronger positive feelings are, the bigger the despair is! The possibility of Sayaka betraying him is probably making poor ole Makoto despair!' Her mouth watered at the thought.

"Boy howdy! The entertainment industry must sure be terrifying, huh?!" Monokuma exclaimed. "I mean, to try and kill someone just because of those relationships! She seemed so nice and lovely on the outside, but inside….she'd descended into pure madness!"

That snapped Makoto out of his funk. 'What….what did he say?' Anger slowly started building up inside him.

It also angered some of the others. "What right does he have to judge Sayaka?" Hina remarked angrily.

"He has none. None at all." Sakura stated, frowning even more.

"What….what did you say?" Makoto asked, getting out of his thoughts.

"I understand, really I do. Yup, yup!" The bear stated. "You're in utter despair thanks to Sayaka's betrayal, right? Compassion, intimacy, love….the strong the feelings, the stronger the despair when they collapse!"

That brought a volcano of anger in Makoto. "Is he screwing with us?!" He shouted, surprising several of them. Even Junko was surprised by this. "He put our future selves in this mess in the first place! He forced Sayaka to do that!"

"But….didn't Sayaka make that choice on her own?" Junko asked.

A angry scowled is set on his face. "Even though it was her choice, it was forced into her hand! He forced her into a decision she wasn't emotionally ready to make! He has no right to say those things!"

Junko was shocked at his reaction, mentally frowning. This isn't despair! This is righteous anger! He was supposed to despair at the possibility that his closest friend could betray him!

The others had shocked looks as well. "I never thought Makoto was capable of that kind of anger." Taka said in wonder.

"Yeah." Hina murmured in agreement. It was both cute and scary at the same time.

"I don't blame him." Mukuro said softly, her eyes filled with sorrow for Makoto. "With everything he had to confront in the spans of a few hours, some sort of outburst was bound to happen."

That caused Makoto to snap. "Stop screwing with us! This is your fault!" He yelled angrily. "Sayaka being forced to do something like that….all of it….everything….! It's all your fault!" In a frenzy, he lunged at Monokuma.

Hina gasped. "No!"

"What is he doing?!" Mukuro exclaimed.

"You idiot!" Byakuya growled.

"Somebody stop him!" Hifumi squealed.

Sayaka let out a strangled gasp, covering her mouth. Even Kyoko and Celeste dropped their masks as shock overtook them.

But before he could get close, Kyoko latched onto to his arm. "That's enough." She said firmly. "If you really want to make her enemies pay for what they've done, you need to let it go for now."

Makoto was silent for a moment before settling down. "Dammit!" He cursed in frustration.

Several sagged in relief, especially those with crushes on him. Kyoko and Celeste schooled their features once more before the former firmly turned towards the luckster.

Before she could scold him however, she took note at the look on his face. She sighed, and decided to let it go. It'll probably be the last time Makoto try to attack Monokuma.

"Ahh, that was a close one!" Monokuma panted in relief. "I thought for sure you were gonna give me a good walloping! Just barely avoided punishment, you did!"

"A face. A name." Mondo growled in extreme. "Give me those, and I'm gonna give the damn bastard a good fucking walloping!"

'Not if the mastermind a girl, right?' Junko sung in her head. She predicts that if the others ever finds out that she's the mastermind, Mondo will struggle with pounding her face in.

"Now then! Since you so magnificently revealed the identity of the killer during the class trial…." There's an eagerness to the bear's voice now. "...the blackened, Leon Kuwata, will receive his punishment!"

"P-Punishment?" At this, Leon got even paler, if that was possible. "W-Wait, you mean he's about to….execute future me?"

If there was any color remaining in the students' cheeks, it was completely gone now. They were not going to enjoy this, they just know.

Sayaka eyes grew back in horror, tears slowly coming out of her eyes. 'No….no, please, not Leon….don't let him die because of me.' But she knew that thought will be left unheard.

"P-Punishment?" At this, Leon's feature got even paler. "You mean….e-execution?" At this, he panicked a little. "W-Wait a second! I didn't have a choice! I HAD to kill her! Y-Yeah, that's it! I was just protecting myself in the heat of the moment! It was self-defense!"

"Does he honestly still believe that it was self defense?" Junko asked in disbelief.

"Like Mondo said, it stopped being self-defense when Sayaka ran into the bathroom." Byakuya said.

Celeste cut in at that. "How, exactly, was it self-defense?" She questioned him. "When you forced your way into the bathroom, did you or did you not use your very own toolkit? After she'd shut herself in the bathroom, you went out of your way to head back to your own room. Then you came all the way back, broke into the bathroom, and killed her. Am I wrong?"

"You had any number of chances to stop what you were doing. But you chose not to." Celeste continued. "Is it not because you had an unclouded intent to commit murder?"

"N-No! That's not….!"

"He really believes that it was self-defense." Makoto spoke quietly. "We don't know the entire scenario. Maybe it was self defense."

"Y-You really think that?" Leon asked. While he's still afraid of what's going to happen, he was slightly shocked and confused at Makoto's words.

"Yes. Maybe he was afraid that Sayaka would be after him, or tried to talk to her, but ended up having to….you know," Despite the betrayal he felt, he couldn't finish that full sentence. "There's a lot of 'what-ifs' that could've happened, it could've been any of these scenarios."

"Regardless, it won't really matter to that psycho bear. I have a strong feeling he's not the type to care for any type of semantics." Junko sighed. That didn't make Leon feel better.

"Stop it," Makoto interrupted the argument. "I've had enough of this."

"Oh? Are you sure? You were closer to her than anyone, were you not?" Celeste inquired. "He killed your precious Sayaka. Do you understand?"

Makoto closed his eyes in the painful reminder. "I can't say Leon is solely to blame." Makoto admitted. "Of course, I don't plan on blaming Sayaka, either. Because…." Opening his eyes, he set towards Monokuma. "The one to blame….is you!"

"S'waaaah?!" Was Monokuma's response.

"If it weren't for you….this never would have happened to Sayaka, OR Leon!" Makoto stated angrily. "We shouldn't be fighting each other….we should be fighting against the one who put us in this situation! The mastermind!"

"Inspiring and truthful words." Sakura said in approval. For now, the execution was set in the back of their mind for a bit. "It should be something our future selves should take to heart."

"Unfortunately, logic and emotion don't always go hand in hand." Kyoko sighed. It's why detectives firmly stand on neutral ground. So emotion doesn't push away logic and facts. Mukuro nodded in agreement a few seats away. She's seen her fair share of soldiers failing to control one or the other.

'How could you not blame me?' Sayaka cried out mentally. How could Makoto not blame her future self for what she had done? Does the current Makoto feel the same way? Or does he feel different?

"Uh-oh! Did you awaken your sense of justice?!" Monokuma questioned mockingly. "Well, it just so happens that there's nothing more unethical than an unwavering sense of justice. After all, it's people with that sort of mentality that perpetuate war all over the world. Is that the kind of justice that's awakened within you?!"

None of them liked what Monokuma is insinuating. "For once, would he just shut up?!" Mondo growled.

"No, let him speak. The mastermind will be just be digging their grave deeper and deeper when we find and defeat them." Celeste said in a calm but deadly tone.

"Makoto's sense of justice is not bad as you say it is you stupid bear!" Hina exclaimed in anger. Sayaka, also forgetting about the execution that's about to come for a moment, scowled in anger, her hands shaking.

"Just….shut up!" Makoto shouted in frustration.

"Okay, well, anyway. More importantly….!" Monokuma got back to the subject at hand. "Let's hurry up and get to what everyone's been waiting for! The punishment!"

The anger and frustration was quickly replaced with fear and anxiety once again. "O-Oh no…." Toko said, covering her eyes.

"This is not going to be pleasant." Sakura said grimly. The bear is way to excited for this.

"No….no, no, no….." Leon muttered, holding his head.

"I'm begging you…..!" Leon began pleading. "Please, don't do this!"

"No more begging! No more excuses!" Monokuma rejected cruelly. "You must pay the penalty for breaking the rules! Society demands it!"

"What society would demand something like this?!" Taka demanded, looking as anxious and apprehensive as the others.

"T-This is too cruel." Chihiro said tearfully, trying to hold back the tears.

"S-Stop, please….!"

Monokuma gleefully ignored Leon. "Now then, I've prepared a very special punishment for Leon Kuwata, the Ultimate Baseball Star!"

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no!"

"Let's give it everything we've got! It's…..PUNISHMENT TIIIME!"

"NNOOOOOOOOOOO!" As Leon's scream went through the trial room, Monokuma pull out a gavel and hit it on a big red button that suddenly rose out of the ground before him.

*GAME OVER. LEON KUWATA HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY. COMMENCING EXECUTION.* Those words were what appeared under the button as a pixelated Monokuma dragged an equally pixelated Leon.

Leon's scream also resonated through the living room, sending chills down everyone's spine. All of them were helpless as they watched Monokuma slammed the gavel.

"...The fuck is this shit?" Was all Mondo could say when they saw the video-game looking scene. Everything about him is currently tense, something that everyone else is feeling. Well, everyone except a certain mastermind.

"Oh god...oh shit…." Was all Leon could say, horror and dread clear on his face as watched the pixelized Monokuma drag his own panicking and struggling avatar off the screen.

The TV went back to Leon, who's looking around in a nervous fashion. He didn't notice a chain coming up behind behind him until it was too late. When it clamped onto his neck, it began dragging him out of the trial room in slow motion before it sped up and dragged him out in seconds. The exit he went through closed and the IN USE sign lighted up above the door.

As the chain dragged him, Leon struggled against it in vain. The chain took him to a baseball field, and in slow motion, the screen showed it off before speeding the scene back up and taking Leon towards the scoring board. Leon was dragged to the middle of the field, where a single metal pole stood. As he hit the pole, more chains quickly restrained him against it and all his attempts at struggling was quickly suppressed.

The camera closed into Leon, showing off the chains wrapped around his body. He took a quick look at the chains that restrained him, before looking back to the front as something appeared. The camera moved back to show a large gatling gun coming out of the ground, pointed right at Leon.

The scene got quiet as the gatling gun was loaded with baseballs. Behind the gates, Makoto and the others are forced to watch as the gun slowly fired up, its mechanisms clicking and whirling. As the music started back up, the gatling gun's noises got louder and louder. Under it, Monokuma, wearing a cap, aimed a baseball bat towards Leon.

THE 1,000 BLOWS

At first, it only started with a few shots at Leon. But slowly, the gatling gun started firing faster and faster before firing like a machine gun. The gatling gun started moving around, shooting every part of Leon's body as the class watched in horror. Any baseball thrown towards Monokuma was hit back with his baseball bat.

As the shooting continued, blood started appearing on Leon's body. The onslaught continued until the scene entered slow motion, showing the baseballs coming at Leon, the blood everywhere, and his screams of pain being drowned out in the relentless assault. The camera showed the pained and terrified face of Leon. When he opened his eyes to see the baseballs coming right at his face, the scene returned to real time.

Finally, the onslaught stopped, the gatling gun stopped right where it came from, and the gate opened. The camera showed each and every expression of the rest of the class' face, including Monokuma's, before it showed the silhouette of the now dead Leon with hundreds of baseballs laying all around him. A baseball slowly rolled forward to show the blood splattered onto it before the camera zoomed out to show everyone the appalling scene one last time and fading to black.

For the third time, dead silence filled the room at yet another death. Horror, anguish, grief, despair, and terror ate away at the students.

Byakuya, Mondo, and Sakura had to look away from the scene, teeths clenched. Taka and Hina looked close to puking, their faces pale, and the latter having tears coming out of her eyes. Terror was written on Hifumi's and Hiro's face. And even Kyoko and Celeste looked visibly shaken at the gruesome scene.

The execution….it was the most agonizing thing they had ever seen in their lives. Not even Kyoko or Mukuro had saw something so twisted in their lines of work. It was horrifying and despairing nightmare fuel for some.

Makoto himself was extremely pale, his whole body visibly shaking in fear while horror, grief, anguish hid behind the look in his eyes. He had to witness three of his friends die. Worst is that those three closest to him.

Sayaka, the idol he had a crush on and bonded with ever since day one. Mukuro, the soldier who seemed distant towards the others, but was always friendly and welcoming towards him. Leon, his best friend, indecisive with his career, but still a fairly dependable person. He had to witness all three of their deaths.

Leon was worse. His face his white as a sheet and his eyes glued to the floor, his expression devoid of life. Witnessing his own execution….he didn't even know how to describe it. How could one describe the terror building up as the execution started? How it turned to horror when he saw himself getting pelted with the very icon of his career? He can't even think of an emotion to describe how he felt at seeing his battered corpse.

Throughout the execution, Sayaka curled up into a ball and let the guilt build up as it all played out. When Leon finally died, she cried profusely. This was her fault. She caused this execution. Her future self was the one who start the entire thing. And now poor Leon had to suffer for it. For her mistake.

Chihiro didn't say anything, she couldn't say anything. Tears silently strolled down her cheeks, the programmer's mind replaying the whole execution. What was worse was that they basically condoned Leon's execution. They voted for him, gave the "okay" for Monokuma to kill Leon. They were as responsible for Leon's death as Leon was for Sayaka's. 'I'm….weak.' She thought helplessly.

Toko is curled up into a ball, her eyes curled shut. She saw some of what was happening. When the blood started to appear, she quickly closed her eyes and attempted to block out the rest of the execution, but to no avail. Still, what she saw was enough to give her nightmares for weeks. 'Are we going to keep seeing stuff like this?' Toko cried out mentally. 'I don't know if I could take this anymore!'

Junko ended up landing on the floor, on her knees and one hand, the other holding her mouth, her whole body visibly shaking. If anyone one payed attention to this, they would assume that she's as affected as the rest of them. But that isn't even close to truth.

Instead of shaking in horror, it's shaking in pure ecstasy. Instead of covering her mouth to hold back her lunch, she was holding back her cries of pleasure. Once again, she tried her hardest to contain herself, but the amount of despair in this was too much. And once again, she didn't care if anyone saw her.

Mukuro ignored her sister, dealing with her own emotions. Honestly, she didn't know what to feel right now. Guilt, betrayal, and loyalty was all mixing up to be a jumble of confusion for her. She's feel guilty for her future self assisting Junko in putting her classmates through the killing game, and the betrayal from her own sister increased it. But even with that, a sense of connection still remained with her.

'Why? Why do I still feel loyal towards her?' Mukuro thought in frustration. 'She betrayed me! She killed my future self without hesitation!' But….she betrayed her first. Abandoned her years ago. Does it make them even? She closed her eyes and bawled her fists in frustration as she can't find an answer.

No one could say anything at the moment. All of them just processed the horrifying execution they witnessed. The first of several they will see.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 23: Watching Chapter 1: To Survive Part 15 + Break

"What we saw," Narrated Makoto, as the screen was still black. "That was the true face of despair." Right as he said that, the screen lit back up, revealing the sick and horrified faces of the remaining students. "What else could you call it, other than that?"

As the students processed what they have seen, Monokuma hopped back onto his throne. "Wooohooo! Extreeeeeeeeeeme!" Monokuma cheered. "Man, my adrenaline is pumping right outta control!"

Its unnaturally gleeful voice snapped everyone out of their stupor and reality slowly came back to them. "What….what the hell did we just watch?!" Hiro yelled, holding his porcupine like hair.

"A horrifying and bizarre execution." Byakuya said, still looking rattled.

"Leon….Leon is dead too!" Hina looks close to hyperventilating, the tears still running her cheeks. Sakura put a hand on Hina's shoulder, squeezing it lightly in order to comfort the swimmer.

"So now, there are 12 of us left." Celeste said, managing to get some control back over her emotions, but she still couldn't contain a grimace. "How many more of us will die, I wonder?"

"It's not something I would like to think about." Taka said, still looking pale but managing to hold back his lunch.

Leon was still in shock at what they've seen. There was nothing he could think to say about this. Nothing at all.

While everyone is still reeling from what they witnessed, Junko got back up from the ground and returned to the couch. Though she still had her hands muffling the gleeful spout of laughter, she managed to keep her composure somewhat.

"Uwah….! Uwaaaah!" Hifumi screamed in pure terror.

"Wh-Wh-What's going o-on?!" Toko screamed, looking extremely distressed.

"I-I can't take this anymore….!" Chihiro exclaimed tearfully. "Do we really have to keep doing this? I just can't take it!"

Monokuma spoke up once more. "Well hey, if you don't like it….." Another close up to Monokuma's face happened. "...all you gotta do is swear to cut off all ties with the outside world and accept living here forever! But that's only if every single one of you can get on-board with that." His evil laughter rang around them after that.

"In other words, a choice to give up all hope in finding a way out." Makoto said gravely, his eyes still wide with various emotions. "And give in to despair."

"Luckily, none of us would accept staying in there forever." Kyoko sighed. "But the option to continue on finding a way out has little hope."

"Exactly what the mastermind wants." Sakura stated, her free hand clenched in anger. Monokuma is for sure a sick and twisted monster.

The camera zoom back out. "Man, fuck you," Mondo said gruffly, still rattled at what he witnessed. "Why the fuck are you doing all this evil shit to us?!"

"Evil?!" Monokuma exclaimed in outrage. "You make it sound like I'm some dark, awful, secret society type of guy! Or in this case, a dark, awful, secret society type of BEAR!"

"Um, so why are you putting an upstanding young citizen like me through such a grueling ordeal?" Hifumi inquired fearfully.

Monokuma tilted his head at the question. "It seems like you're trying to use common sense to make sense of something that doesn't make sense! That's like trying to put a mile on a scale! I just don't think it's possible…."

"He's avoiding the question." Kyoko mumbled to herself with a frown. Why is he doing that? Does the reason have something to do with how to get out of here or the mastermind's identity? An odd feeling rose within her as she replayed Monokuma's response in her mind. It seemed to be of some importance, but at the same time, it doesn't. She'll have to let it go for now.

"Hey, uh, I don't think what you're saying and what I'm saying quite fit together." Hifumi said nervously.

Mondo then spoke up. "You piece of shit!" Mondo growled at him. "I don't know who you are, but I'm gonna pound your ass into the ground!"

"Damn right I will!" Mondo stated, sounding angry and tired. "He's going to pay for what he's planning to do us! I'll break his fucking skull before he'll get the chance!"

"Get in line then, I'm going to find them and make them suffer first." Byakuya remarked coldly. Once he gets the identity, he'll use all of his resources to hunt down and drag the mastermind by his feet.

Monokuma merely giggled at that. "You must really hate me to get so angry, huh?" The bear asked rhetorically. "But if you do that, you're barking waaay up the wrong tree. What happened, happened because more than one of you decided you wanted to get out, right? No matter how much time passes, you can't cut free of your regrets from the outside world. You're to blame!"

"He's blaming us?!" Hina yelled, getting angry. "He's the one who put us in that insane situation in the first place!"

"He's the one who gave us the motives to kill!" Makoto continued, just as angry as Hina. "He's the one that triggered Sayaka to do that! If he's going to blame anyone, it's himself!"

'Nope, nope! It's because Sayaka chose not to break free of the outside world!' Junko retorted in her mind. It's not her fault if they choose to murder in order to escape. She just….gave them a little nudge in the right direction.

"Of course we can't cut f-free of the outside world!" Taka stated shakily. "Being trapped in this insane p-place….!"

"Hmm….you're trapped, are you?" Monokuma inquired. "Well, I'm sure once you learn all the mysteries of this school, your thinking will change for sure. You'll think, 'Boy, isn't it so wonderful how we all get to live here forever?!'"

"Why would we be happy about being trapped in that place?" Hiro cried out, confusion mixing in with his terror. "I wouldn't want to live there!"

"What is he getting at?" Byakuya questioned with narrowed eyes.

"What are you trying to say….?" Taka inquired nervously.

Kyoko's eyes narrowed. "I feel like there's some deeper meaning hidden in there," Kyoko said. "Just like before…." When she said before, she means when Monokuma eagerly started the execution. When he said 'everyone'. "When you say 'everyone'...who exactly are you referring to?"

That got several of the people's attention. "Yes. What does he mean by everyone?" Sakura agreed with the question. "And why would we glad to be trapped inside the school?"

"What is Monokuma hiding?" Taka questioned, struggling to come up with something.

"I doubt he will tell us." Celeste sighed. "He seems to want to keep that information to himself and let the rest of us figure it out."

Kyoko silently stored those few hints away for later. She'll need to write down everything they've found out, any clues they had about the school, mastermind, and their situation later. Maybe she'll be able to piece something together when she has the time to.

"Sorry, I said everything I've got to say!" Monokuma stated. "I need to save some of the fun for later!" With another spout of evil laughter, he left the scene, leaving everyone overwhelmed by the nightmare turned reality.

No one tried to speak. Some were tearing up, other faces were devoid of emotion and replaced with stupor. All of them just stood there, unable to move, and while everyone was paralyzed by the situation, Kyoko moved closer to Makoto. "Makoto. Can I talk to you for a second?" She whispered into his ear. "Before we head back, there's something I want to talk to you about."

"Huh? What does Kyoko want talk about with Makoto?" Hiro asked in curiosity.

It didn't take that long for Makoto to find an answer. "It's probably about Sayaka." He said quietly. He turned to Kyoko. "Am I right?"

Kyoko nodded. "Most likely, you are." She said softly. "I'm surprise you figured it out."

"It wasn't that hard to do so." He said with a shrug, his voice shaky from everything he heard and witnessed.

Makoto was silent for a moment. Then, he spoke. "It's about Sayaka, isn't it?"

Now it was Kyoko's turn to stay silent for a moment. "I'm surprised you figured it out." She admitted. "I told you before the class trial started that you had to figure out the mystery of this case for yourself."

"You wanted me to realize how Sayaka betrayed me by myself, didn't you?" Makoto realized. He then looked down and clenched his fist. "The thought never even crossed my mind. I feel like such a fool, becoming such an easy target like that…."

"You weren't being a fool Makoto." Sakura said firmly. "That was just placing your faith in a friend. You couldn't have possibly imagined that she was planning to kill someone, and then putting the blame on you."

"Yeah, Makoto! It was future Sayaka's decision, a decision that was impossible to see!" Hina stated in order to comfort the luckster. Sayaka, who had managed to stop her tears, couldn't help but flinch at those truthful words.

Makoto stayed silent. While he's appreciates that they're trying to cheer him up….being reminded that it was a conscious decision on Sayaka's part made it worse.

"Sayaka meant to double-cross you. That's a fact that you can never change." Kyoko stated. "But even till the very end, she wasn't sure of her decision. That's why….as she lay dying, she was thinking of you."

Several heads snapped up at that. Even Kyoko was surprised by what her future self said. "She was thinking of Makoto?" Byakuya repeated. "Why would she say that with no evidence?"

"Yeah." Makoto said quietly. "No matter how much I want to believe that….the only one who would know that is future Sayaka, in her dying moments."

Kyoko stayed silent, watching her future self closely. What is she trying to do?

"She was thinking….of me?" Makoto's attention went fully to her now. "You can't just say something like that….I mean, there's no way you can know that. Only Sayaka would know for sure, and we can't ask her now…."

"Even if you can't ask her, you can infer it, don't you think?" Kyoko responded back. "Her final thought….was how she could protect you."

"What….?" Makoto looked surprised at Kyoko's statement.

"The fact that she used her last ounce of energy to leave her dying message proves it." Kyoko stated. "If she didn't care what happened to you, she never would have left that message."

Throughout the post execution, Leon stayed silent. He couldn't really say anything, and didn't want to say anything. However, he couldn't help but comment at this. "What makes Kyoko think she didn't do so just to take me down with her?"

"I….have to agree with the possibility." Makoto said. "It may have been her just trying to get revenge."

Sayaka shook with grief at their words. Has their trust in her got shaken up that badly that they would suspect that she would do it just to spite Leon? Though honestly, she was wondering herself if that's what the case was. Her trust in her own moral compass has been shaken up badly by the revelations given to them.

"Well…..maybe she just wanted to get back at the person who had killed her." Makoto suggested.

"That's certainly one possibility." Kyoko agreed with. "But I don't think that's what it is. She was….uncertain. She wasn't sure she could kill someone….or deceive them. Which is ultimately why her plan failed. Her hesitation attracted failure. It's almost ironic when you think about it."

Makoto stared at her quizzically. "Why are you telling me all this?" He asked her.

"I have to agree with future Makoto, here. This is most unlike you, Kyoko." Celeste commented on.

"Granted, you have gotten along better with class as the months passed, but your future self's memory has been wiped away." Byakuya stated. "You wouldn't go out of your way to offer comfort to someone, nor give them anything that isn't straight facts."

"I'm….confused about this as well." Kyoko stated, her ironclad mask not revealing her confusion. This isn't something she would usually do.

"Because," She began, trying to find the right words. "You're the kind of person that can overcome this. Because you can move past the deaths of your friends - Sayaka and Leon - and keep moving forward. Without someone like that, the others never be able to break free of such a desperate situation."

Her small speech had nearly put everyone into a state of shock. "Wow Kyoko," Hina said in awe. "I never thought you could say something like that."

"Agreed. Who knew Kyoko could say something profound?" Taka stated, amazement also in his voice. "And it might be the words that Makoto would need!"

"And it shows that you really do care about us, if only a little." Chihiro said with a wide smile.

"Yeah…." A small smile entered Makoto's face. "I'm glad your future self is looking out for everyone's well-being." While Kyoko is not extremely heartless, he never saw this side of her. His respect towards her, and he's sure several, if not, all of his classmate's respect for her has gone up as well.

"Yes….I'll admit, it's nice to know I'm capable of that." A small smile entered Kyoko's face. In the beginning, she thought her future self would just be looking out for herself mainly. The last thing she expected was for her to try and comfort Makoto.

"Move past their deaths?" Right as the question got out of his tongue, Makoto shook his head. "That's….I could never do that."

Kyoko didn't respond to that, closing her eyes. "No….I'm going to carry them with me the rest of my life." Makoto declared. "How could I possibly 'move past' something like that? Leon….Sayaka….I'll carry them with me forever. I'll carry their memories with me wherever I go!"

Once again, everyone was shocked or surprised at what they just heard and all eyes fell onto Makoto. "Carrying the memories of Sayaka and Leon?" Celeste questioned in surprise.

"That's a difficult road to follow." Mukuro said, concern mixing with her genuine surprise. "It's almost like getting stabbed in the back and leaving the knife there as a constant reminder."

"And yet, he said that he was going to do that." Hina said, amazement back in her voice.

"Even with all the shit he's been through, he's still able to say something like that?" Mondo questioned in shock.

Makoto himself looked at his future self in surprise. He honestly thought he couldn't say something like that, not after everything he went through in the past hours. Is he really that strong-willed? Does he really have that kind of willpower to go through with it?

Junko looked at Makoto with disguised annoyance. While she knew that there was a chance of Makoto getting back up from this, being the optimist that he is, she was betting on Sayaka's betrayal would put a dent on that optimism. Oh well. There's plenty of despair left for that to happen.

Kyoko stared at Makoto for a moment, digesting his words. "So instead of forgetting them….you're choosing the hard road." A small smile entered her face. "Well, I have high expectations for you. By the way, I have to admit, I'm curious….how did you know I wanted to talk to you about Sayaka?"

"Oh, well…." After thinking for a moment, he said this. "I'm psychic."

That startled Kyoko. "Huh….?"

Sayaka stared at Makoto with wide eyes. That's the joke she usually used, and everyone knows that. So….Makoto really did intend to carry the memories of her and Leon?

Like Sayaka thought, everyone recognized the joke. "So Mr. Naegi is really going to try and remember them huh?" Hifumi commented on.

"Well, I think that's amazing!" Hina gushed with stars in her eyes. "Who knew Makoto could say something like that? Not to mention that soft heart Kyoko revealed to have!"

Makoto blushed in embarrassment at Hina's gushing while Kyoko turn her face away, a bit of pink on her pale cheeks.

Makoto laughed a little. "Kidding….I just have good intuition." As he said that, the screen turned black.

"Chapter 1, To Survive. THE END." The screen showed those words before showing the red and yellow silhouettes of the entire class, blacking out Sayaka, Junko, and Leon.

As the video ended, the class remained silent, processing everything they have seen. While the chapter did end in a somewhat light note, there's still….a lot to digest.

Sayaka being murdered by Leon, the reasoning behind it, Mukuro's death by the hands of Monokuma, Leon getting executed, and maybe even things before or during the whole murder investigation. It's going to take some time for everything to sink in.

"Let's….take a break here." Byakuya sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I think we can all agree that we need time to absord all of this. Some, more than others."

No one disagreed. Everything they've seen was much to take in. Too much probably.

Kyoko spoke up. "It's late in the evening anyways. It's best to eat dinner now and then get some rest for the night." Kyoko turned to Spirit. "Is it alright that we do?"

Spirit nodded. "Your rooms are upstairs. Each of you will have one for yourselves." Spirit informed them. "When you come to terms with what you've seen, we'll continue."

"Thank you." Makoto said gratefully, though his voice is weak. "We'll be needing that time."

With that, the class got up and went in different directions. Some, like Leon, went upstairs, not feeling very hungry. Others went to the dining hall to get something to eat. Everyone was fairly silent on their way to their destinations.

Makoto was on his way to the dining hall when Sayaka spoke from behind him. "Makoto?" The luckster stopped on his track before turning towards Sayaka. The girl's eyes are red from crying and her cheeks are stained with tears. "I….I need to explain to myself to you….explain my future self's action. I-"

"Sayaka. Please, don't." Makoto interrupted, stopping her. "I understand why your future self made that choice, I do. Your dream, your friends….they matter to you more than anything. Seeing what happened to them, seeing that possibility, it made you desperate to get out."

"...But even though I understand, I….I can't brush off what I've seen. Like it was nothing." Sayaka's head snapped up in shock, tears already forming in her eyes. She winced when she saw the look on Makoto's face, a mix of guilt, conflict, and sorrow.

"How am I supposed to feel, knowing one of your closest friends tried to frame you in the future?" He asked her, his voice laced with emotions. "That she manipulated you for who knows how long in the future? That under dangerous circumstances, there's a possibility that she would betray me to keep her dream?"

Tears formed in Makoto's eyes. "What hurts the most is wondering if I could trust you." He stated. "I keep wondering if you would do the same, regardless of the time spent with each other. That you would manipulate me, use me, then throw me away."

Every sentence, every question, stung Sayaka badly. Tears silently fell into her eyes as she listened to Makoto. She couldn't come up with a good defense, with the guilt eating her up and knowing that Makoto is justified in feeling this way.

"I'm sorry Makoto." Sayaka said, covering her mouth when a sob came out. "I'm….so sorry. I didn't think I would ever do something like that to you."

At the site of the crying idol, Makoto felt the urge to go and comfort her. To make her feel better. But the betrayal and distrust stopped him from doing so. "Just….give me time to think." Makoto said, looking away from the idol, both his heart and mind suddenly felt heavy as he broke eye contact. "I just need to think for a while." Despite a part of his mind protesting this, he turned to leave. "Later, Sayaka."

With that, Makoto left, leaving Sayaka by herself. The idol merely stood where she was, watching as Makoto left the room. It took her a while before going back to her room. She didn't think she could eat anything right now. If she tried, she bet she would throw it right back up.

(With Mukuro)

Like some of the others, Mukuro decided to head towards her room. She has too much to think about to even think get anything in her stomach, the main thing being where her loyalties laid.

For most, they would've immediately cut off any loyalty they had towards the one they worked for, after seeing what would happen. But….it wasn't simple for Mukuro.

Despite what she saw, she still cared for her sister. Still loved her. A part of her still want to stay loyal to her.

The room Mukuro is in is a lot like the dorm rooms at Hope's Peak. The differences though is the flat screen TV in the room, as well as the pack of Monokuma dolls inside her drawer. She had a feeling that those were meant for stress relief.

As she laid on her bed, looking up at the ceiling, she thought about the reasons why she still felt loyal. She knew a part of it is guilt. The guilt of abandoning her in France, choosing to fight with the Fenrir instead of staying by Junko's side.

But the biggest reason is probably because she's a soldier. And as a soldier, she needs something to fight for. If she doesn't have that, then she's just mindlessly fighting and killing.

Junko is that something she's fighting for, and a part of her wants to stay loyal to Junko since if she's gone, there will be nothing left for her to fight for. A small voice reminded her that Makoto could be someone to fight for, but for now, it went unheard.

But it's obvious that Junko doesn't care for her now. That she's more than willing to kill her at any moment just to feel the despair of it. And it's hard, painful even, to watch her classmates, possibly her friends, go through that despair. It's painful to watch Makoto go through that despair.

So what should she do? Who should she side with? Her classmates? Or her sister?

Before she could think more on it, a knock echoed into the room. "Hey, sis! Can I come in?" Mukuro stiffened at the sound of her sister's voice. "We got a lot to talk about!"

Reluctantly, Mukuro got up to let Junko in. If she ignored her, who knows what Junko will do. Besides, she needed to confront her about what they saw. What Junko's future self did to her.

When she opened the door, she was met with a bright face. "Oh, watching the despair and death of my classmates is more wonderful than I have imagined!" Junko squealed, skipping into the room and flopping down on Mukuro's bed. The soldier quickly closed the door, to make sure no one would hear.

"Never thought miss pop idol would have the guts to try and do a stunt like that." Junko casually stated, like she's talking about usual gossip. "But I'm glad she did. It started up the road to despair! You go girl! And Leon's execution? Gloriously despairful!"

Mukuro stayed silent, letting Junko speak. "And the thing that trumped all that despair?! Seeing my future self killing my own sister!" Junko shivered at the memory, rubbing her thighs. "Oh, the despair my future self have felt when she ended your life! The despair you must've felt when you got betrayed! Oh, I'm so jealous!"

Junko then flopped back up in sitting position, indian style. "Oh, and not to mention your despair! I can't imagine how you're feeling right now, knowing that any opportunity I could get, I might betray you and kill you!" She looked at her curiously. "Can you describe it to me sis? Describe to me how exactly you feel?"

"...Am I that expendable?" Instead of answering her question, Mukuro asked her own questions. "Am I just a pawn to you?"

Junko frowned. "Um, when someone ask a question, you don't answer with a question Mukuro."

"I don't care." Mukuro snapped, making Junko's eyes widen in shock. Mukuro herself was also shocked at what she said, but right now, she wanted answers. "Right now, I have questions I want answered. Would you really betray me? After everything I did and planned to do for you? You would kill me just so you could feel despair for that one moment?"

Junko stayed silent. A blank look entered her face, emotion completely off. Then, she went and slapped Mukuro, causing the soldier to fall down on the floor with a gasp.

Like always, Mukuro saw it coming, and she was planning to block the attack. But what stopped her was a sudden flash of the past. Leaving Junko, fighting with Fenrir, living day by day on the battlefield wondering if her sister was still doing well. It stunned her long enough for Junko to get the slap in.

"Oh, so my hopeless sister decided to talk back at me, huh?" Junko said, her voice devoid of emotion. "Well, if you really want to know how I feel about you, what I would do, I'll tell you."

Junko then put her heel on Mukuro's abdomen, hard, drawing a gasp of pain from the soldier. "We may be flesh and blood, but you're still a pawn to me. Strong, yes, but still a pawn"

Her cold words caused Mukuro to wince, especially when Junko began drilling her heel in her abdomen. "Like any pawn, you are expendable. And I have the liberty to choose when to discard my pawns."

"But even though you're a pawn, your still my twin sister." Junko said, this time, her voice is softer. "I love, and care about you very deeply. And because of that…..the despair of killing you like that can be hard to resist." She bent down and caressed Mukuro's cheeks with one hand as a crazed look entered her eyes. "I could imagine it already. The decision to end your life, seeing the blood pour out of you, the shock, the confusion, the betrayal in your eyes…..that's a type of despair you can't just ignore."

She removed her hand and the crazed look left was replaced with her usual grin. "So, in conclusion, yes. Even if you follow every order of mine to the letter, I would betray and kill you, just to get that taste of despair."

Finally, Junko took her heel off of her sister and stepped back. Mukuro, throughout the entire speech, felt tears build up in her eyes. Everything her sister said, what she told her….it broke her heart. While it wasn't the first time Junko tried to kill her, those attempts weren't that serious. Junko herself also knew that those attempts wouldn't kill her so easily.

But the successful attempt at her life in the killing game….that was different. Junko knew she had her guard down. She had no reason to change her mind on the plan aside from simply killing her for pleasure. That knowledge, along with what Junko said, caused her heart to be filled with so much sorrow. Seeing Junko's true intentions seemed as if her world was suddenly flipped upside down. All of a sudden, Mukuro felt like she understood less of the world than she did before.

"...Do you feel any guilt at all for what your future self did?" Mukuro finally asked, slowly getting up from the floor.

"Huh? Why are you asking a question like that?" Junko asked, as if the answer should be obvious. "Of course I feel guilty! I felt shock, confusion, horror, grief, guilt, and, most of all, despair, from seeing you die by my hands! And it felt so good, watching the entire thing!"

Slowly, Mukuro made her way to her bed and sat on the edge of it. "So, can you answer my questions now?" Junko inquired.

"...I felt hurt." Mukuro reluctantly began telling Junko how she felt. "Shock, confusion, betrayal, I felt all of that. All the questions asked, they were on my mind throughout the rest of the whole thing. Anger a little bit after. That's how I felt."

Junko looked at Mukuro enviously. "Man, I'm really so jealous of you!" She whined. "I wished I was in your position….oh well. I better get something to eat before it's time to tuck in. Later, Mukuro." With that, the fashionista skipped towards the door.

Before she went out, however, she paused to add something. "Oh, and don't talk back to me again." Junko looked at Mukuro with an evil smile. "Who knows what punishment would await that. Such as, I don't know, telling Makoto our entire plan and your involvement in it? Can you imagine how he'll look at you after that?"

Mukuro's eyes widened in horror at her suggestion. "W-Wouldn't that reveal you as the mastermind?"

"True. That would be a big bummer, assuming that this whole future thing doesn't reveal me anyways." Junko mused. "Well, maybe I would just reveal you as a future spy for the mastermind." The horror on Mukuro's face grew even bigger. "Well, later! Keep that in mind, sis!"

With that, the diva slammed the door and left the room, leaving Mukuro with several thoughts running through her head. She had thought she finally understood Junko, but it turns out she really didn't. She had been doing everything to please her, but in reality, she really wasn't pleased. She's been doing anything for her forgiveness and it turned out to be completely futile. Mukuro just stood there, eyeing the door of her room, before tears slowly trailed down her eyes. For the first time in her life, the ultimate soldier slowly started sobbing like a regular girl.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 24: Break Chapter 1

(Recreational Room)

Wanting some time to think for himself, Makoto went to grab a sandwich from one of the small booths before leaving the room. Before he could get out, however, Hina's voice called him over. "Hey, Makoto!" The luckster turned to see Hina, with the majority of the class, waving at him. "You aren't going to stay and join us?"

Makoto smiled apologetically. "Sorry Hina, I just….need some time to think right now." With that, he turned around, sighed and walked away with sulking shoulders.

"Is Makoto okay there?" Hiro asked, concerned for him.

Mondo sighed. "Obviously not dude. And it's not even his fault." The biker clenched his hands together. "I mean, fuck. We just watched Sayaka, Mukuro, and Leon get goddamn wasted. And Sayaka was the one who started the whole damn thing."

"Yeah." Taka looked down at his plate of food. "Still, what Leon did was inexcusable. He should've found another way to resolve, regardless of what stress he was in."

"No argument there, bro." Mondo agreed. "While Sayaka isn't a saint either, she didn't deserve to die."

Meanwhile, Chihiro was silent. The programmer is trying to analyze the situation, figure out Leon's logic in his actions, as well as Sayaka's actions. The first was hard to do, since not much was revealed. They didn't see neither Leon's nor Sayaka's point of view in the situation, so she can't draw an accurate conclusion to what Leon was thinking.

Sayaka wasn't any easier. While the programmer understand the logic behind Sayaka's action, she doesn't know what to think of it. Is it something she should hold against Sayaka? Should the idol be forgiven?

After a moment of thinking, Chihiro decided to ask everyone else for their opinion. "U-Umm, guys?" Chihiro called out timidly, gaining everyone's attention. "Since we're talking about Sayaka and Leon….what do you guys think of their actions?"

Everyone was silent for a moment at that question. "Wow. That's a loaded one." Hiro said, holding his head. "What do I think? I don't think I want to think about this at all."

"Me neither." Hifumi said as he served Celeste's favorite tea to her. "It's like a complicated mystery anime, that has a mystery behind a mystery. Once you solve something, something else is hidden behind it. Those kinds of mystery hurts my brain."

Toko snorted. "O-Of course the two o-of you don't want to think. You're m-minds could h-hardly think now." She ignored the indignant shouts from the two. "A-As for me, I think Leon is a d-dirty killer. S-Sayaka isn't innocent either though, and got the p-potential to be dirty too."

"I think that's a bit far Toko." Hina argued. "While I definitely don't agree with either of them trying to kill each other, I don't think it's simple as Leon being a dirty killer."

Toko huffed, but didn't deny it. In all honesty, she doesn't believe her words fully either. She hates killing, but she doesn't know the situation Leon was in. Still…. "M-Miss Perfect doesn't have an excuse e-either."

"I don't know about that." Taka said, frowning. "I want to agree with you on that, but….that motive forced her hands, didn't it?"

"Yes. The choice of either killing somebody or losing your career." Celeste spoke in, taking a sip of her tea. While she is angry at Sayaka for trying to frame Makoto, she found herself relating to her after a moment of thinking as well. "A career she worked very hard on. If it were my own assets on the line, I might've at least given the thought some consideration."

"Okay, yeah, her job was being threatened, but is it really worth killing someone?" Hina argued, a big frown on her face. "Not to mention trying to frame poor Makoto for it."

"Sayaka worked hard to get the position she's in. There was a part in the future where she said that she have to do things she didn't want to." Byakuya retorted. "When everything you worked for is at risk, you look at every available option." His thoughts went to his own assets, as well as the entire Togami line.

Before they could argue, Sakura put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "They may have a point." Sakura said to Hina gently. "We're not in their position, so we can't judge her too harshly. When it comes to thing people put their heart and soul in, they would do almost anything to keep it." Hina still has a frown on her face, but didn't say anything else.

After looking at her friend for a moment, she turned back to the others. "As for Leon, his actions are immoral, but I can understand it somewhat. The situation was a helpless one, something that would be hard to deal with."

"Like future Celeste said before the execution, he had plenty of time to think this through." Byakuya remarked. "A number of chances to stop what he was doing. But he didn't."

"I don't think it was that simple for him." Sakura countered, frowning.

While the group talked about what they witnessed, Kyoko is sitting by herself, writing what they found out so far. For one, they found out that this killing game is located at Hope's Peak, right in the old school building. Several modifications were made, such as the trial room, the front door sealed up, and metal plates on the windows.

The mastermind killed the principal, her father, and the school seemed to be absent of any other students, the old school building at least. Several disasters seemed to have happened outside of the building, which appeared to be things the mastermind orchestrated. The mastermind also seemed to wield a lot of power, both in finance and influence, if the motives and how advanced Monokuma was has any indication. Monokuma isn't stopping them from searching for the truth, and is even giving them hints, whether he knows it or not.

Their future selves' memories got wiped in what would've been their third year at Hope's Peak. Yasuke Matsuda, so far, is the only suspect for who the mastermind could be, or is at least associated with the mastermind.

'Alright. That should cover it.' Kyoko thought to herself. 'Now, I just need to review it.' However, just before she could do that, someone called out to her.

"Hey, Kyoko." The one who called out was Hina. Taking her eyes off the notes, Kyoko looked at the group. "Can you come over here for a minute? We wanted to ask you something!"

Kyoko silently got up, putting up her notebook and pencil before going over to her fellow classmates. "Yes, Hina?"

"I was wondering, what do you think of….what Sayaka and Leon did?" Hina asked her. "We've been talking about it, and there's a lot of mixed opinions."

Kyoko didn't say anything at first, just silently standing behind an empty chair at the table. Then, she voiced her opinion. "Leon was not thinking straight at the time." Kyoko stated bluntly. "His thoughts were in most likely affected by paranoia, vengeance, or stress due to Sayaka's attempt at his life. It's common not to think clearly in those circumstances."

"Wait, you're saying that Leon was right in killing Sayaka?" Hiro asked in disbelief.

That question resulted in a cold glare from the detective, making Hiro and yelp duck down under the table. "I did not say that." She said clippely. "I'm saying that I understand why he did it. While his actions are immoral and deserve proper punishment, it's at least understandable."

"And Sayaka?" Byakuya inquired with a raised eyebrow.

At that inquiry, Kyoko worked her mind to make sure no angered bias came from her answer. She is angry at future Sayaka, angry that she's willing to betray Makoto like that, but she isn't going to let it cloud her judgement. She's a Kirigiri, and a Kirigiri does not let emotion cloud them from finding or speaking the truth.

"I admit, her willingness to betray Makoto angers me." Kyoko said honestly. "Betraying someone's trust is something I detest….but even still, it's understandable. Her situation was to kill or lose her dream forever. The stress and reality of the situation influenced her mentality, in other words, she wasn't thinking straight when she made her decision."

"Do you think something like that is forgivable?" Sakura questioned.

"If you're asking whether or not we should forgive our Sayaka, that's up to you to decide." Kyoko told them. "After all, everything we've seen is in an alternate reality, albeit, some time into the future. Still, we can't ignore what we've seen, so you need to decide for yourselves, if the Sayaka standing with us today can be forgiven."

For Kyoko personally, she can't really trust Sayaka after finding out what her future self did. She's hardly a trusting person, and Sayaka broke her trust after what she attempted to do. Makoto will probably forgive Sayaka eventually, so she'll need to keep an eye on the idol for Makoto's sake.

Wanting to review her notes without anymore interruptions, Kyoko stood up. "I'm going to my room now. If you would excuse me." With that, she left the room, leaving the rest of her classmates in silent thought.

After a couple minutes, Hina spoke up. "We need to decide for ourselves if the Sayaka standing with us today can be forgiven." Hina repeated what Kyoko said, slumping. "Yeah, right. She says it like it's an easy decision."

In all honesty, despite their rivalry for Makoto, Sayaka is a good friend to Hina. The two hang out and talk with each other, and get along very well. But the fact that she tried to kill someone, and frame poor Makoto as well, is something she can't ignore. It isn't something she could brush off easily like most things.

"You have all night to figure it out. After you take the stink off of Toko, you can think about it in your room." Byakuya told her. He stood up in his seat. "As for me, I won't be holding it against her. It's pointless, considering this only happens in the future." With that, Byakuya left.

Hina blinked at the reminder. "Oh yeah, I forgot that me and Sakura have to give Toko a bath."

"Yes. We should get to it." Sakura said, looking around for the writing prodigy. She immediately spot her trying to sneak away from the break room. "Toko!"

The writer yelped and attempted to make a break for it. But Sakura and Hina was already on her tail. "Get back here Toko!" Hina yelled as they chased after her.

(With Leon)

Leon thought the day he was forced to shave his head the worst day ever. He thought the day he found out there was already an Ultimate Musician was the worst. He thought losing his favorite shirt was the worst.

None of those things could compare to this day.

He sat on the edge of his bed, fists clenched and feeling nothing but the anger and stress boiling within him.

What he's angry at, well, it could be at a number of things. Maybe it was at Sayaka for her future self's attempt at killing his future self. Maybe it was at the others for voting him dead. Maybe it was at Monokuma for executing him, for setting up that messed up game in the first place.

But, if he's being honest, he's actually most angry and disappointed with himself.

What the hell possessed him to kill Sayaka? While their memories were wiped, Leon knew that he had admired Sayaka for her idol career and had a crush on her. Why would he go out of his way to break through that door and put a knife in her stomach? He could've calmed her down through the door, or he could've easily just left and called for help. Why didn't he do either of those? In hindsight, it was so god damn easy...

And more importantly, why did Sayaka choose him of all people to kill? What did he do wrong? Sure, maybe he should flirt less, and maybe he didn't take the singing career that seriously, but that didn't warrant his death. Right?

He shut his eyes when the execution ran through his head. The baseballs he collected in his pockets suddenly seemed heavier of all of sudden. Baseballs. Of all things, it had to be the icon of his career. Why that of all things? Did that bastard teddy bear wanted that to haunt his dreams in the afterlife? Maybe make it feel more hopeless?

"Damn it," Leon gritted out, his eyes still close. "Why? Out of everyone here, why did it have to happen to me? Why me?!" He screamed out the last part, holding his head to together.

Suddenly, a knock entered the room, interrupting his thoughts. "Hey, Leon. It's Makoto." The luckster's voice sprung into the room next. "Can I talk to you?"

Leon scowled. "Why? So you could scold me about killing Sayaka? Well, I don't want to hear it!" The baseball player exclaimed, as he proceeded to lay on his bed.

"No, that isn't it at all!" The alarm in Makoto's voice was clearly. "I just wanted to talk, that's all. I know….that you must feel pretty bad about what you say."

Leon snorted. "Understatement of the year."

"I guess you don't want to see me, considering we basically helped kill you." The guilt in his voice was heard. "So I'll just tell you this. Don't blame yourself for what happened Leon. Despite killing somebody, your future self was a victim in it."

Leon bolted upright and looked at the door in shock. "How could you say that?" The distress was clear in his voice. "I killed somebody Makoto! I killed Sayaka out of my own conscious mind! How could you say that I'm a victim, when Sayaka is dead because of me?"

"Cause it was….Sayaka's plan." He replied, Leon instantly picking up the pain in his voice. "She tried lure you in and kill you. You got put in a situation where you couldn't think straight. Maybe it was paranoia that hit you. Maybe you actually wanted to talk to Sayaka, but ended up being forced to kill her."

Leon gripped his fists, desperately wanting to believe his words despite the cold truth of his actions said everything otherwise.

"You can't know that for sure Makoto!"

"I know enough to be sure that you're a good person Leon." Makoto's voice was resolute. "You wouldn't kill her with malicious intent. And it was clear in your future self's voice that he clearly believes that it was self-defense, despite Celeste's good points."

The luckster's voice then got softer. "You might be hot-headed Leon, but you're also not a liar, so don't eat yourself up about this. Now that we know our future, we can do things to stop it. To make sure that you won't kill Sayaka, that you won't end up being executed. I believe in that." Shortly after, Makoto's footsteps slowly faded into the distance, leaving Leon alone in his thoughts again.

(The hallway)

The luckster let out a heavy sigh as he left the door of Leon's room. Despite battling his own demons right now, he felt that he needed to help Leon come in terms with what they've seen. He couldn't just abandon him, despite what his future self did.

Hopefully, his words got to his best friend. He doesn't want Leon to implode from the guilt of killing Sayaka and the despair of seeing his own death.

As he continued walking to his room, he heard footsteps from behind him. Turning his head, his eyes widened in confusion when he saw Hina and Sakura walking, the two of them holding a struggling Toko by the arms and legs.

"No! Let me go!"

"Come on Toko! All of us needs a bath!"

"You will not be an exception to this rule, Toko."

Toko still struggled and protested as they passed a shocked and confuseed Makoto who pressed himself against the wall to let them pass, none of them noticing him as Toko seemed to be putting up a pretty good fight.

"...Guess Toko was trying to escape." Makoto finally said, before continuing his walk. It's getting easier and easier to accept his classmates' eccentric personalities.

He was about to resume walking but found himself rooted to the ground as something stopped him again. It was the sound of sobbing coming from one of the rooms. Half-expecting it to be Sayaka's room, Makoto looked at the direction of the crying only to see it was….Mukuro's room.

Well, this is a first.

"Mukuro?" Makoto called out in concern, knocking on the door. "Are you alright?"

As he asked that, the crying stopped before Mukuro's shaky voice replaced it. "I-I'm fine. Don't worry." The tone in her voice worried Makoto more. As far as he knows, very few things, if anything at all, could shake her.

"Are you sure? You don't sound alright." Deciding to test his luck, literally, he grabbed the handle of the door. Luckily, the door's unlocked. "I'm coming in ok?"

Hearing no protests, he went in only to see Mukuro sitting on the bed with red eyes and a tear stained face. Makoto instantly grew concerned, he's never seen Mukuro like this before.

"Mukuro, what's wrong?" Makoto sat beside her, his face filled with concern. "Was it your future self's death?"

Mukuro refused to look at him, her eyes threatening to pour out water once more. "Don't worry about me. You have your own problems to deal with, don't you Makoto? Don't let me stop you from dealing with them."

"Mukuro, I'm not gonna leave you like this." Makoto told her. "You're my friend. I don't abandon my friends."

Mukuro tightened her grip on her fists and continued to look away from him, grief and guilt gnawing on her. 'I don't deserve your help.' Mukuro thought miserably.

"Mukuro, please, look at me." At his pleading request, Mukuro turned her head towards Makoto. She was met with his smile, the same smile she fell in love with. "You're my friend. And friends help each other, so please, tell me what's wrong."

The soldier stared at him, several emotions building up within her. Pain and sorrow stabbed at her for putting Makoto in this position, but at the same time, happiness and even a little bit of admiration for his eagerness to help. Even when dealing with his own problems, he's found strength within him to help others. 'If only you knew the extent of my problems. You wouldn't be so eager to help, Makoto.'

"...I-It's about my death." Mukuro said quietly. She decided to tell part of the truth. "It was just so….sudden. It happened so fast, that I didn't know what to think." She clenched her fists on top of her knees. "I'm a soldier. Whenever I fight on the battlefield, I knew there was always a chance of me dying. Being the Ultimate Soldier doesn't change that."

"...But nothing ever prepared me for that." Mukuro admitted to. "None of my training, none of my experiences, nothing prepared me to see my own death in the future. It's something you just don't think about. When you fight, you're always thinking ahead of you opponents, always looking for openings and planning ahead. You down one person and you've already figured out how to take on the next five. The last thing you want to think about is your own death, and now that I've seen it….I can't help but wonder if this will be my future. If I'm just going to fight until I die..."

"No, that's wrong." Mukuro looked up in surprise at Makoto's quiet yet bold refutation. Makoto was looking at her with eyes of determination. "I'm no soldier Mukuro, but even I know that the best laid out plans don't always go as planned. Things are always changing, just like in life, thing's aren't always set in stone. Just because you have a road laid out in front of you doesn't mean you have to walk on it, you can always look for other roads. And even then, I think spending the effort to find those other possibilities is more important than the end result itself. So that's why I believe there's a possibility that we'll all survive from this and that I'll be fighting for it once I find it."

"Besides, as morbid as it was, what we watched will help us I'm sure. We learned and seen things we otherwise might've not known." He continued. "You're one of the best soldiers out there Mukuro, if not, the best. You said before that once you know the enemy fully, you can easily defeat them. And so, I believe in you Mukuro, and I hope you can believe in yourself as well."

Mukuro stared at Makoto in awe. His words, his tone….it's so different from her sister's. Instead of eyes filled with despair, it's filled with hope. Instead of a tone of cruelty, there's limitless kindness in his tone. Instead of a crazed smile on a fake mask, it's a genuine smile that could light up the darkest hearts.

But can she truly believe in herself? Could she have faith in herself? "...I'll think about what you said." Mukuro told him, a small smile on her face. "Thank you, Makoto."

Makoto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Anything to help a friend out." The luckster then stood up. "If you need someone to talk to, let me know. I'll be here to listen."

With that, Makoto went to the door. But before he got out of the room, a question came to mind. "By the way," He spoke up, getting Mukuro's attention once more. "How's Junko taking it?"

At that question, Mukuro had to fight back the tears once more. "She….was sad and horrified." Mukuro said, telling a half-truth. "But I wouldn't worry about her. She'll bounce back quickly. She always does."

That a got chuckle from Makoto. "Yeah, she sure does." Finally, Makoto left the room, leaving Mukuro to her thoughts.

As the door closed, a thought struck Mukuro.

"It's ironic isn't it? He's in no physical way anywhere close to being a soldier and yet, he's already more of a soldier than I am... I fought to get stronger, while he fights to help others... almost protecting them... Huh. Soldiers fighting to protect...?"

A small smile slowly slipped out as Mukuro seemed to come to realize something. Makoto could be someone to fight for, someone to prove her loyalty to, someone to protect. He's the first person to show compassion to her, to smile at her, to see her as more than just a soldier. He's the first person she ever befriended, had an interest in outside of her tiny world, the first person she ever fell in love with.

The smile quickly faded as she was soon faced with a very scary dilemma

Should she do it? She looked down at her Fenrir tattoo on the back of her hand, the wolf staring back at her as if it would follow her no matter what happened.

Should she tell Makoto about everything? Reveal herself as a traitor to him?

(With Kyoko)

Sitting on the bed of her room in darkness save for the small desk lamp next to her, Kyoko reviewed the notes she had written. After reviewing them, she began doing what she does best. Finding the truth in a sea of lies and contradictions.

But so far, she couldn't think of anything that could give her at least a probable theory as to what happened to Hope's Peak. Of why the mastermind wiped their memories and forced them to kill each other. And there's also the small mysteries to worry about as well, such as Mukuro disguising herself.

Kyoko's eyes narrowed in thought at that. Now that she's thinking about it, why would Mukuro still be wearing that disguise? If their memories were erased, then they shouldn't know why she's wearing it.

Maybe Mukuro's instincts is telling her to keep up the guise. Their memories may have been wiped, but not their instincts. But she still can't help but feel that it was still very odd of her to do so.

She sighed. Best to let it go for now. It really isn't possible for Mukuro to be the mastermind, considering Monokuma killed her in the first place.

Her thoughts then went to the mastermind. Honestly, the only named suspect for the mastermind is Yasuke Matsuda, but he could also only be associated with them. Worst of all, there weren't any indications that the mastermind was just one person. It could have been a whole group for all she knows.

Another sigh left her and she rubbed her temples in frustration. She doesn't have enough information to figure out anything. She couldn't even narrow down any of the theories yet. They needed to find out what exactly happened to Hope's Peak, what happened before their memories were wiped, to get an even stronger theory for the hows and whys.

Well, there were still some chapters left to go through. Hopefully, they'll be able to find the truth.

(With Makoto)

After talking to Leon and Mukuro, Makoto finally got back to his room. He took a bite at the sandwich he got from the break room as he began thinking about what he witnessed. Knowing there was a lot to think about, he started with the motives they saw.

He's honestly scared at what he witnessed. Knowing that his family might've been in possible danger, might still be in danger, or even….dead, terrified him. It made him want to see his mom and dad, to see Komaru again, just to reassure himself that they're fine. That they aren't hurt in anyway. 'Calm down, Makoto.' He thought in his head, as he nearly choked on the sandwhich and taking some deep breaths afterwards.

Taking another bite of his sandwich, his thoughts then went to Monokuma. Honestly, the thought of that mechanical, sadistic, maniacal bear made his blood boil. He wiped their memories, told them to kill each other in order to get out, pushed them to that choice, and then mocked them when it happened. He took Mukuro's and Leon's lives with glee, and forced them to basically agree to kill Leon. And the worst part? It's only the first chapter. How many more were going to follow?

It made Makoto think if there's anything else that could make him hate Monokuma even more. Anything else that would fuel his ire at the monochrome bear. Once again, he took some deep breaths, to calm down his anger.

Taking one last bite of his small supper, his thoughts went to the three deaths he was forced to witness. Sayaka's, Mukuro's, and Leon's.

Seeing Sayaka with a knife embedded in her stomach made him want to scream. Thinking about Mukuro getting skewered drained all the color in his body, made him want to faint. Thinking about Leon's execution made him want to puke the sandwich in his stomach. Those three were one of his closest friends, with Hina, Kyoko, and Chihiro on the list as well. How could he not be horrified at seeing their deaths in the future?

And the worst part of it was how it all began.

With that thought, he finally got to the thing that troubled him the most. Sayaka's betrayal. He avoided thinking about it for a while, because whenever he did, several emotions flooded his mind. But now that he's alone, he can deal with it.

Finding out that Sayaka was planning to kill after the motive was a shock. Finding out that she had planned to frame him for it was a punch to the heart. Thinking that she was unsure of her decision, and that she might've sent the dying message to clear his name, is hardly comforting. It still hurts that she chose to use him like that, the pain lingering as if mocking him for being so naive.

A part of him wondered if he could still trust her. Wondered if she would do the same thing, regardless of the time they spent with each other. A smaller part even wondered if she's just pretending to be his friend now.

Yet, with all these thoughts in his head….the thought of pushing her away, of throwing away their friendship, pains him. Despite her future self's betrayal, he couldn't stay angry or afraid of her. He still cared deeply for her. The fact that he wanted to hug and comfort her when she was crying proved that.

At that thought, he immediately removed the possibility of whether she was pretending to be his friend or not. If that was the case, she wouldn't look so heartbroken. The guilt, the sorrow, it all looked so real. She couldn't have faked that, rather, no one could fake something like that.

The luckster sighed. He knew that her future self's betrayal would linger in his head for a while. The entire killing game itself will stay in his head for a long while. But he wants to trust her again. To stay friends with her. To give her another chance. The thought of resenting her, pushing her away, and ignoring her pained him.

Still, he needs to think on it longer. Maybe he could sleep on it. However he quickly shook it off. There's no doubt Sayaka is still suffering from what they saw, and he felt guilty for letting her feel this way. He couldn't put if it off until the morning. He needs to make a decision tonight. And so, he got up from his bed with an uncertain heart, but determined eyes.

(With Sayaka)

It's been hours since they finished chapter 1 of their future. Of Danganronpa, as it was called. All throughout that hour, Sayaka had curled up in her bed, just….thinking.

She didn't need to ask herself why her future self did the things she did. She already knew. It was to protect her dream, get her career back. She worked so hard to get there, and just the thought of losing it made her freeze.

No, the question on her mind is what she would do now, if she were in the same situation, with the memories of Makoto, Leon, Hina, and all of her classmates still there. Would she have stopped herself? Or would she have continued? Would she have sacrificed everyone's lives for that dream?

She thought about what her classmates would think of her actions. If her intuition is correct, and they almost always are, many of them would have a hard time understanding her situation. Kyoko and Mukuro would most likely hold a grudge over her, since the two held Makoto dear to them like she does. Hina would be conflicted about it while Byakuya, Celeste, and Sakura may be more understanding. Hiro and Hifumi wouldn't even bother trying to figure anything out.

And Leon? She curled up tighter, trying desperately to hold the tears. There are probably a number of things he's thinking right now. Why he killed her, why she decided to kill him, what did she do wrong, and more. Leon was probably angry at her, at the class, at Monokuma, and at himself. She couldn't blame him for being angry at her. She caused his death in the first place.

And Makoto….the thought of her dear friend, her crush, finally got the tears to leak out again. Their talk earlier is still ringing in her ears. She honestly couldn't blame him for feeling the way he does. She wouldn't blame him if he decided to not trust her anymore. Still, that thought pains her to no end.

'So, now you know how much you would sacrifice to keep your dream.' A voice spoke in her head once again. 'Question is, are you going to change that? Or going to keep your career above all of your friends?'

At that question, Sayaka's self loathing mind froze. It was an excellent question, and she couldn't help but think on it. Could she change that? Change her priorities, so that she wouldn't betray and sacrifice her friends? The idea seemed almost impossible to her. Her career, her idol friends, she did almost everything to keep those things in her adolescence life. It was the sole reason that she's fought so hard in her life so far. Is it even possible to lower that priority?

Before she could think more on it, she heard a knock on the door. Sayaka looked in its direction with slight surprise before slowly getting up and walking over to it. Who would still be up this late at night?

When she opened the door, she was surprised to see that Makoto was standing there. "M-Makoto?"

Makoto half-smiled apologetically. "Sorry if you were asleep, but... I wanted to talk to you."

Sayaka shook her head. "No, don't worry." She looked down. "After what we saw, and our talk….I couldn't get to sleep." She winced at the guilty expression on his face. She didn't intended to make him feel guilty.

"Yeah, I'm really sorry about that," He said guiltily. "I didn't really want to hurt you, but, I just couldn't ignore what we saw."

"No, no, it's okay Makoto." Sayaka reassured quickly. "I don't blame you thinking about it. I know I deserved that."

Makoto couldn't disagree on that, but didn't want to agree on it either. So he just stayed silent at that. "So umm...Can I come in?" The luckster asked her. "So that we can talk?"

Sayaka was nervous and scared. What is he going to say? That he can no longer trust her? That he's breaking ties with her? Scenario after bad scenario played out in her head, though she couldn't imagine him being angry or violent. Makoto's gentle nature doesn't fit anger or violence, even when she saw him angry at Monokuma. "S-Sure."

With that, the idol let the lucky student in the room. The two of them sat on the bed together, both of them being silent for a moment. Makoto was the first to talk.

"I've been thinking a lot about we saw….about what your future self did." She winced once again.

"I can't condemn you or get angry at you about it. After all, it was your future self that did it, not you yourself." Makoto continued softly. "Still, I can't ignore that in that situation, you would've betrayed me no matter what I said. I….can't get off the idea that you would do the same thing if were put in that situation now, without the memory wipe."

Sayaka has her eyes shut and teeth clenched by now. Here we go. He's going to break off their friendship. Severe the bond the two share with each other.

"But, even with those thoughts in my head, I... have decided to keep my trust in you." Sayaka snapped her head towards him in shock. He smiled softly at her. "I'm not gonna let something that has theoretically happened, take away everything we've done together, our friendship, our bond."

Sayaka stared at him in shock. He's….forgiving her? He still trusts her? Slowly, tears build up in her red eyes before she flung herself onto Makoto, causing the luckster to yelp in surprise. Before he could panic, she began crying. "I...Thank you….thank you so much, Makoto!" She muffled into his shoulder in between her sobbing.

Immediately, his kind nature kicked and he wrapped his arms around her, comforting her. The guilt that was plaguing him faded away, but some still lingered for causing her like this. However, he's glad that he decided to keep their friendship. If they're gonna go through this, then they should be doing it together, not doing it against each other. Otherwise, it would be like being in that killing game.

As Sayaka cried into his shoulder, she learned a very important lesson. Friendship bonds were irreplaceable. Nothing should be above them, not even her career. From now on, nothing would make her break this sweet boy's trust in her. And she will have to show that loyalty to the rest of her friends as well.

She won't ever put her friends and loved ones below her career.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 25: Watching Chapter 2: Boys' Life of Despair Part 1

"Is that a buffet in the living room?" Was the first question that was asked when the ultimate students entered the living room. True to Hina's question, there was a breakfast buffet completely set up with dishes ranging from japanese cuisine to western classics.

"I assume Spirit was the one to set it up." Byakuya responded, walking into the room. He didn't bother to answer Hina's question, when the answer is obvious. "The question should be why, though?"

"To save you all the hassle of having to go to the break room to eat, then having to come back here." Speaking of their host, he came out from the break room, wearing the same suit as yesterday with several pitchers of different drinks floating around him.

Everyone expressed their own shock and incredibility when they saw the floating pitchers around him, even the more stoic ones were both clearly impressed and surprised.

"Wha-Whaaaaat?!" Hifumi screamed in shock. "How?! How is that possible?!"

"Mass teleportation isn't the only skill I possess." Spirit stated with an amused smirk. "I got more than a few tricks up my sleeves."

"Yeah, I bet." Junko stated, mouth agape. While this isn't as shocking as being warped from one point to another in an instant, it was still pretty surprising to see. 'Okay, if I send Mukuro after this guy, she might need the element of surprise on her side….'

The group continued staring at Spirit as he began to set up the drinks right behind the food and placed a stack of cups in front of them. Feeling the gaze of everyone behind him, he turned to the group. "You can stop staring now." He dryly said. "Go ahead and start eating. Once everyone gets down here, we'll start the next chapter of Danganronpa."

His words drew everyone back to reality, though a bit of dread filled them all. Well, all except for Junko. To get their minds off of it for now, they went to the couches and started eating. Hina squealed at the sight of donuts and immediately made her way over, quickly filling her plate with them.

As Byakuya got his plate, he spoke up. "So, we're waiting for Kyoko, Sayaka, Leon, Makoto, Toko, and Mukuro. Is that correct?"

"Yes, that would be correct." Celeste confirmed, sipping a cup of tea. "I would prefer it if they didn't take too long."

Meanwhile, Kyoko was standing in front of Sayaka's room. Last night in her own room, she decided to confront Sayaka about what her future self did to Makoto. Even if Makoto decided to forgive her, and it's most likely that he did, Kyoko wasn't as forgiving. She wanted to make it clear to Sayaka that she will be watching her from now on.

Before she could even knock, however, the door swung open. But instead of the expected Sayaka, it was Makoto. "K-Kyoko?!" The boy's eyes widened in shock at seeing the detective.

Kyoko, while a little surprised, maintained her usual composure. "Good morning, Makoto." Kyoko greeted. "May I speak with Sayaka?"

Her request snapped Makoto out of his initial shock. "Um, y-yeah, sure." The luckster quickly walked out of the room, but not before turning back towards Sayaka. "Do you want me to wait for you?"

"No, it's okay. I'll catch up with you." Sayaka reassured. "Go on ahead." Makoto smiled and nodded before heading his way. As he walked past Kyoko with a nod as well, she took the opportunity to come in and close the door.

"I assume that Makoto has forgiven you then?" It was more of a statement than a question.

Sayaka laughed slightly at that. "He really is predictable, huh?" She said softly. "Still, I'm kinda surprised he actually did, considering his reaction yesterday."

"You underestimate his naive and forgiving nature." Kyoko responded. She walked to the empty chair at the desk. "Even when hurt badly by his friends, he would forgive them. Remember the time his luck forced him to stumble into a sparring session between Mukuro and Sakura, and Mukuro landed a solid kick into his stomach?"

That got another bout of light laughter from Sayaka. "Mukuro tried to stop it last second but he still flew right into Sakura. Poor Mukuro couldn't stop apologizing after that, even when Makoto already forgiven her countless times." Sayaka sighed. "He's a very sweet guy, that's for sure. I don't think he's ever able to hold grudges."

"Indeed." Kyoko turned the chair around to the side before sitting down. "While it's endearing, it could put him in danger of getting hurt again."

Sayaka looked down, her smile fading. "No arguing against that." She said. "Is that why you're here?"

Kyoko nodded, her ice cold mask on. "I'll be frank. After what we've seen, you clearly can't be trusted." She stated bluntly "While I do understand that the situation you were put in, betraying someone else's trust is something I absolutely cannot tolerate. Especially when that person is someone as innocent as Makoto."

Sayaka winced at her words. "But since it was only your future self that committed it and not you yourself, I'll only give you a warning." Kyoko's eyes narrowed a bit further, and she spoke with a more firm tone. "If it happens again, don't expect to be let off so lightly."

Sayaka knew that it wasn't a threat. Whenever Kyoko puts her mind to something, she's going to do it. But, surprisingly, she wasn't scared or intimidated by Kyoko's cold stare. "I don't blame you for not trusting me." She said softly, staring at her clasped hands that rested on her lap. "To be fair, I'm having trouble trusting myself too."

Then she raised her head. "But despite him having all rights to distrust me, he decided to give me a second chance. And I intend to honour that because I learned something from all this. It's a promise I made to myself. Nothing will ever be as important as the people who stand beside me. Not even my career. I don't know how I could have been blind to something so simple before, but you can have my word for that."

The two girls maintained a silent standoff for a moment; determined ocean blue eyes stared into their cold purple counterparts, neither yielding to the other.

After assessing Sayaka for a bit, Kyoko finally responded. "We'll see if your words holds true." With that, Kyoko got up and left the room.

(With Makoto)

After getting a fresh pair of clothes and freshening up a bit, Makoto went on his way downstairs for breakfast. He managed to met up with Mukuro during his detour and the two of them made their way to the living room.

As they walked side by side, Mukuro frequently looked over at Makoto with conflict in her eyes. She still doesn't know if she should reveal everything to him yet, reveal herself as a traitor. After all, she doesn't know how he would react to it. He reacted badly when he found out Sayaka attempted to frame him in the future. How would he do if he finds out she's a spy for the mastermind? Not to mention that the mastermind was Junko.

Would he be angry or afraid of her? What would happen between them after that? Would he even accept what she tells him, if she decides to tell him, to be true? There were so many questions outside her expertise as a soldier, and her lack of knowledge in socializing only made her feel worse.

In the end, she decided to keep silent on it. The decision isn't something she could make overnight, and patience often had its rewards. Maybe opportunity will present itself sometime later.

When the two walked into the living room, Makoto nearly jumped in surprise while Mukuro merely raised a brow in slight admiration at seeing the breakfast buffet. "Good morning, Makoto, Muku~." Junko waved at the two of them. "Spirit decided to set up breakfast here today, isn't it amazing?"

"Oh." Makoto looked towards Spirit. "Well, thank you Spirit."

The host shrugged. "It's pretty simple for me. No big deal, really." He pointed to the couches and recliners. "Go take a seat and eat. Once everybody's down here and eating, we'll be continuing from where we left off."

Makoto nodded. "Right." Makoto then went to the couch he was at before. Without thinking, Mukuro followed him and sat right beside him. Junko noticed her change of seats right away.

"Hey Muku~, aren't you in the wrong seat?" Junko asked her curiously. Mukuro blinked as she slowly registered her sister's question, and after having realized where she's actually at, she blushed and quickly went back to the recliner she sat in the day before. Makoto sweatdropped as he watched the soldier scuffle away.

"Um, you didn't have to move Mukuro. I didn't mind you sitting here." Makoto said. The soldier, still blushing, shook her head.

"N-No, it's alright. I'm fine here." Mukuro insisted. "Besides, Kyoko, Sayaka, and Leon were sitting there, right? I wouldn't want to force them to find another seat."

"Okay then. If you insist." Makoto then went over the table to get some food. As he did, Celeste and Hina looked at the couch with temptation in their eyes.

The empty couch that Makoto sat on was practically inviting them to move over. But for Celeste, she didn't want to give up a seat she got all for herself while Hina didn't want to leave Sakura alone. In the end, they both stayed where they were.

A moment later, Kyoko came down the stairs and silently sat beside Makoto once again, at the edge of the couch. Her face didn't betray any sign of shock or surprise as she walked past the magically set up breakfast buffet. Toko was the one who came next, her arms wrapped around herself defensively and her body shaking.

It drew some curious looks. "What's the matter Toko? Bad dream?" Chihiro asked in concern.

"N-No. The bathing is still f-fresh in my m-mind." Toko stuttered out, sitting down on her recliner. "I-I can't get the m-memories o-out of my head."

Hina sighed in exasperation. "Come on Toko, the bath wasn't that bad."

"Sh-Shut it, you p-perverted swimmer."

Hina blushed. "I-I'm not perverted!"

"You r-rubbed your hands a-all over m-me."

"You refused to take a proper bath! You had to get bathed somehow!"

Makoto couldn't help but blush in embarrassment from what he's hearing. Chihiro had the same reaction whille Celeste and Junko giggled in amusement. Sakura simply sighed in exasperation, and Hifumi looks a bit too interested.

"Toko, Hina, this is not something you should be talking about in front of us!" Taka scolded. "Spare us the details of what happened in the bathroom!"

"Don't say it like that!" Hina protested, her face burning red.

Hifumi then spoke up. "Um, actually, could you give us more details?" A perverted look entered his eyes. "Such as, how and where you bathe her?"

Hina and Toko felt their spines crawl at the perverted look. But before anyone could say anything, a baseball smashed into the side of Hifumi's head. "Ow!"

"Seriously, dude? It's too early in the day to start being perverted." Everyone turned to see Leon walking down the stairs. He waved weakly at them. "Yo."

"Morning, Leon." Makoto waved at him from his seat. "How are you feeling?"

"Somewhat better. Still kinda shitty, though." Leon sighed, which then turned into a yawn. "Could feel worse. Might actually even qualify for being dead from lack of sleep." He then took notice of the breakfast buffet in the living room. "Um, why is breakfast over here?" He asked as he pointed his finger accusingly at the tables.

"Spirit set it up." Kyoko answered. "Once everyone is here, we'll be continuing from where we left off while we eat."

"Oh. Cool. Don't mind if I do." Leon went to the other side of the couch and grabbed some food. "So, the last person we're waiting for is Sayaka?"

Makoto nodded. "Yeah. She should be here soon."

Sure enough, Sayaka got here under a minute later. "Good morning." Sayaka greeted softly. She looked around to see breakfast on the table. "We're going to be eating here?"

"Hey, Sayaka. And yeah. We'll be watching our future while eating breakfast." He looked at her curiously. "What took you so long?"

"Sorry. Took a shower since I didn't take one yesterday." Sayaka moved towards the couch Kyoko, Makoto, and Leon sat at before hesitantly sitting down. She glanced at Leon nervously, wondering what he's thinking right now.

Once Spirit saw that everyone has gathered, he produced the remote control out of nowhere and pointed it at the large tv. "Alright, then. Everyone ready to start?" His question was met with silence. Honestly, most of them didn't think they could handle another chapter or didn't want to keep going, especially after what they've already seen.

Kyoko noticed the hesitancy and dread from her classmates and sighed. "We can't delay it any longer. And we definitely can't stop. Otherwise, the killing game will be almost certain to happen." Kyoko looked towards Spirit. "So go ahead and play it."

Spirit nodded and turned on the TV.

When the TV turned on, Makoto was standing in front of the bathroom, seemingly hesitant to open the door. As he slowly turned the knob and opened it, he was bewildered to find that any trace of what has happened has disappeared. "It's gone…." He whispered.

Sayaka, who tensed up when Makoto entered into the bathroom, was surprised along with everyone else, to see any trace of her future self gone. "Um, what happened to Sayaka's body?" Hiro asked.

"Monokuma must have cleaned up the body either during or after the trial." Kyoko easily deduced. "Considering there's several more Monokumas on stand by, it wouldn't be a difficult task."

He walked inside the bathroom, realizing everything was exactly like it was before Sayaka's murder. He placed his hand on the spot where she wrote her last message, looking for something, anything to prove that she was here. 'She….she really is gone. Almost like….there was never anything there to begin with. Every last sign of Sayaka's existence has disappeared without a trace….'

That last line shook Sayaka a little. To disappear, to have no trace of her existence….it was the main part of her fear when her idol career skyrocketed.

By instinct, Makoto squeezed her hand and squeezed it in reassurance. She held on tightly, taking some deep breaths.

"It's just like he said…." Makoto mumbled out loud. Right after he said that, a flashback of the remaining students going to the elevator was shown.

Before they could go in, however, Monokuma popped up once again. "Oh, I almost forgot!" The bear got the students' attention. "Since the class trial is over, I'll go ahead and dispose of all the corpses!" Several eyes widened at that. "It's okay, no need to thank me! Just seeing your delighted, smiling faces is thanks enough for me! After all, nobody wants to look at a rotting corpse every day! That can't be good for your health…." He ended with his usual laughter before disappearing once more.

His words, as usual, angered most of them. "He doesn't have the decency to treat the dead with respect and let us mourn properly?" Taka exclaimed in anger.

"Oh come on! I get that we can't get out, but we could at least have some sort of ceremony!" Hiro whined, holding his head. "Otherwise, Sayaka's, Mukuro's, and Leon's ghosts might haunt us all!"

"I do agree that they need a proper ceremony for the dead." Sakura stated, her face clearly stating that she's angry.

Makoto looked down and bawled up his free fist. The bear was purposely making sure that they had no time to mourn any of their friends. Beside him, Sayaka felt a bit dehumanized. While being an idol does get you treated like a doll from time to time, she was still a human being. No one deserves something like that.

Mukuro, however, looked a bit conflicted. She understood that mourning the dead was a custom to most societies, even Fenrir had certain practices and ceremonies after battles to honour the dead. But they never meant anything to her, it was just another set of rules she followed for the sake of following rules. Was she supposed to feel something?

"Unfortunately, they don't even have the time to mourn the dead." Byakuya said crisply. "There still trapped inside the building, and the killing game is still happening. The only way to have time to mourn the dead is if they get out of here." None of the more spiritual and/or moral classmates looked happy to hear that, but they didn't say anything else for now.

The scene went back to the present, with Makoto still looking around. 'The sick bastard didn't even give us time to mourn our dead.' Makoto thought to himself. 'I keep pinching myself to see if I'm dreaming….but unfortunately, this is all real.'

Makoto's thoughts brought them all back to the situation they're all facing. Their future gave them no chance to grieve for their friends, to mourn them, to move on properly. It was a short scene, but surely enough, everyone understood the weight behind it.

"This type of thing is common in mangas." Hifumi said softly. "The main character not getting the chance to mourn their friends, having to continue on."

"I-It's the same in books, too. Horror, suspense, and tragedy mostly." Toko stated, momentarily losing her stuttering for now. Whenever she's talking about her talent and hobby, she feels more comfortable. "There's little to no time for the characters to grieve for the ones that died. But they usually manage to move on."

"It's exactly what Makoto needs to do right now." Celeste stated. "Like Byakuya said, they don't have time to mourn. They need to take time to find a way out of the school."

"As well as find out the mysteries that surrounds Hope's Peak." Kyoko added in.

Makoto took a deep breath before nodding in agreement. "Yeah. Hopefully, future me will have the strength to move on for now. And then he and the rest can grieve when they all get out of the school." Sayaka, momentarily forgetting the feeling of dehumanization, hoped future Makoto gets over her death as well. She doesn't want to become a burden to him, especially since he's still stuck in the school.

Slowly, the scene faded to black and faded back as it transitioned to Makoto entering the dining hall, where everyone else is at. "Sorry I'm late…."

"Hey….are you okay, Makoto?" Hina asked him in concern.

"You sure took your sweet time!" Taka scolded him. "I was just about to go get you and drag you back here!"

"Holy smokes! You could at least show some concern for him Taka." Hina remarked with a small scowl. "He just lost Sayaka and found out she tried to frame him! Of course he wouldn't move around fast."

Taka ducked his head down in shame. "Yes, you're right. I really should consider someone else's feelings more." Honestly, he could see now that there should be a time where he should re-evaluate his….strict nature.

"S-Sorry…."

"So? What happened?" Taka inquired. "Was your room fixed up and like he said? I imagine it would be pretty hard to sleep with a rotting corpse in your bathroom!"

That got more than a few disbelieving looks, with Sayaka feeling especially offended. "Bro, that's a fucked up thing to say." Mondo said incredulously. "Why would your future self ever say that?"

Once again, Taka hung his head in shame. "I-It logically makes sense though..."

"Well, to be fair, he is right in some sense." Leon remarked.

Mondo looked at him with disbelief, as did a few others. "Jesus, that's still fucked up, man." The biker stated. "There's more to this world than just black and white dude."

Mondo looked at him in disbelief, as did a few others. "Jesus, that's fucked up, man." Mondo stated. "Why would you say something like that?"

Slowly, Makoto spoke up. "My room was….spotless. There wasn't anything left. Like the whole thing….never happened."

"It must be tough staying there, knowing what happened." Sakura said sympathetically. "Why don't you just stay in Sayaka's room?"

Makoto shook his head. "Her scent in the room would be just as big of a reminder, if not more so."

"Well," Makoto began, looking down. "Staying there, with her scent still hanging in the air….that would hurt just as much. Plus," The luckster took a deep breath before continuing. "I've decided I can't turn away from her death."

"M-Makoto…." Hina said hesitantly. "Hey, cheer up! Getting depressed isn't gonna help anything, right? If we all work together, I'm sure we'll find a way out of here! So everyone just….try and cheer up and get back on track!"

Makoto smiled. "Even after what happened, you try hard to stay positive Hina."

"Well, she's right after all. No use mopping around." Hina stated, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

"Glad to see you trying to cheer Makoto up." Sayaka said softly. "I don't want him being depressed over future me."

'Though I don't think it will work on everyone.' Byakuya thought to himself. He himself knew that he'll probably feel cynical about their odds of surviving and escaping together.

Right after, Byakuya spoke up. "Is that honestly supposed to make us feel better?" The heir questioned.

"Huh?" Was Hina's response.

"We were already 'working' together and yet someone was still murdered." Byakuya pointed out cynically. "Anyone could betray us at this point. Now that it's happened once, it's a question of when, not if, the next one will take place."

"Yeah, because S-Sayaka made the first move…." Toko supported Byakuya's words causing Makoto to become more depressed.

Sayaka flinched a little at that while several others frowned at Byakuya's and/or Toko's words. "What makes you think that's going to happen?" Hina asked angrily.

"Because, now that the first murder has happened, several of us will become paranoid, wondering if they'll be next." Byakuya pointed out with a sigh. "And if that's not enough, I'm sure Monokuma will come up with more motives to give us that desire to escape."

"Whether or not that statement is true, there's no need to voice such a pessimistic view." Sakura stated with a frown. "And was it necessary for Toko to point out what Sayaka did?"

"Yeah, that's really pouring salt on the wound." Hiro agreed. Toko merely looked away from all of them.

"B-But," Hina protested. "If we work together against the mastermind, nobody'll have any reason to do something like that!"

Byakuya scoffed. "Keep telling yourself that. I'll be over here in the real world." He remarked coldly. "Working together, fighting a common enemy….like it or not, it's not that simple."

"What does he mean by that?" Hina asked in confusion and anger. "Why can't it be that simple?"

"I'm fairly sure someone will ask that question." Celeste said. "And that someone will explain."

"...What do you mean?" Hifumi asked hesitantly.

Celeste was the one to answer that. "The mastermind seems to be much more powerful than we ever suspected." She stated. "They took over Hope's Peak, which was supposed to be well defended, then modified it to fit their desires. In addition to that, they created Monokuma, which seems to be an incredibly advanced bot, as well as having the resources to provide for our every need."

"And the cherry on top is the execution we witnessed." Celeste continued on. "Everything has been planned down to the last excruciating detail. This is not the work of your everyday psychopath. Defying them may be too smart of a choice…."

"Celeste brings up a good case." Kyoko stated with a small frown. "The mastermind does seem more powerful than we had previously thought. All the things she mentioned are solid points."

"So we'll have to ask ourselves this: What are we going to do once we find out who the mastermind is? What will we be facing?" Celeste stated. "Stopping the future doesn't really sound so simple now compared to when we first started."

"Still, we can't give up!" Hina stated stubbornly. "Neither will our future selves! What else could they suppose to do?"

"If there were other good options, I would've mentioned them by now." Byakuya scoffed.

"Then….what are we supposed to do?" Sakura asked.

"Anyone who truly does want to escape….will just have to follow the rules." Byakuya answered. "In which case, the only option is to deceive those around you, and win the game."

"Byakuya!" Makoto gasped in shock. The others were surprised as well. "Why would you say something like that?"

"I agree. It's unlike you to give up like that." Kyoko stated. "You're not the type to bend towards the enemies' rules."

Byakuya narrowed his eyes at the screen. "Yes. That's what I'm trying to figure out." Why is his future self blatantly accepting this? There must be a reason behind it. He'd never simply comply to some twisted game like that. Perhaps he might be planning something next? Or, could it be that he's simply bored and that we wanted to try to make things interesting? Byakuya mentally shook his head at that last thought. Being bored should be the last thing on his mind, there was so much more happening right now.

Someone spoke against that. "N-No…." Everyone turned to Chihiro, who had been silently crying at the table she's sitting at.

"No what?" Byakuya questioned harshly.

"I don't want to live….if it means killing someone else." Chihiro stated tearfully. "I don't want kill anyone else….!"

"Huh? Anyone else?" Leon asked in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Yeah, in case I'm missing something, Leon was the only one that killed somebody." Hiro said, also confused. Chihiro merely stayed silent, knowing her future self will explain.

"Anyone….else?" Hiro slowly repeated in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Leon died because we voted for him, right?" Chihiro asked them, guilt clearly evident in her voice. "It's no different from us killing him ourselves!"

The group was a bit startled to hear Chihiro saying that, though not much. Makoto turned to the programmer. "Chihiro, do you feel the same way?"

Chihiro nodded, tears building up in her eyes. "We sent him to his death. We gave Monokuma our approval to kill him by voting for him." The programmer said guiltily. "We are as responsible for his death as Leon himself is for Sayaka's."

"B-But….if we didn't do it, Monokuma would've killed us all!" Hiro protested.

"B-But…." Was all Hiro could say at the moment, a bit pale.

"If we hadn't voted for him, then we all woulda died instead, right….?" Hina pointed out. "That isn't what you wanted, is it….?"

"See? Hina agrees with me!"

"And Chihiro, like Hina asked, would you really want to everyone else to die while Leon himself lives?" Sakura asked her softly. The programmer couldn't say anything to that, tears slowly going down her cheek as a conflicted expression dawn on her face.

Chihiro stayed silent, the tears still running down her face. "She's right." Hifumi spoke up. "If you heap that kind of blame on yourself, you'll turn into a full-fledged masochist."

"Seriously, Hifumi?" Leon deadpanned. "You have to say the last part?"

"Well, I'm just making sure we don't have another masochist?"

"Chihiro is not a Toko, fatty. Don't compare anyone to her."

That earned a venomous glare from the writer. "A-And no one wants to be a-an indecisive b-baseball player." Toko hissed. She briefly thought calling him a murderer, but decided against it. She isn't THAT mean.

Again, Chihiro stayed silent. This time, Makoto brought it upon himself to speak to the programmer. "Chihiro, listen…." The luckster said softly, gaining her attention. "You're not to blame. Not you, not Leon, and not Sayaka. The mastermind is responsible for everything that's happened."

"We had no choice but to vote. I can't even imagine what would've happened to us if we'd refused." Makoto continued. "And in the end, it was Monokuma who ultimately killed Leon! So don't waste your anger on yourself….instead, direct it at the mastermind!"

"Yet another empowering speech!" Taka stated in admiration. "Makoto sure has a talent for it!"

"I have to agree. He seems to have an born talent for inspirational speeches." Celeste agreed with the moral compass.

Chihiro looked at Makoto hesitantly. "Do….Do you really think that's true?" Chihiro asked him.

The luckster took a deep breath before speaking. "Yes, Chihiro. But I don't just think it. I know it." He stated. "I won't hold blame on anyone, except for the one hosting this sick game in the first place."

Tears formed in Sayaka eyes once again, but she manage to keep them at bay. Despite what they've seen, despite knowing that her decision was a conscious one….Makoto still didn't blame her, not even a little.

Still, she can't help but feel somewhat responsible for this. For starting this conflict in the first place. She hopes that this won't snowball into a blood bath.

Chihiro silently assessed Makoto's words. Is he right? Is the mastermind ultimately to blame? Should they not feel responsible at all for Leon's death?

Chihiro looked to be pondering Makoto's speech a little. But before she could do so for long, the school bell rung around the school. "Mm, ahem, this is a school announcement. It is now 10 p.m. As such, it is officially nighttime. Soon the doors to the dining hall will be locked, and entry at that point is strictly prohibited."

"Oh, and one other thing…." Monokuma added. "It as totally obvious before that you were trying to make yourselves feel better and justify what you did. See you, see you, don't see you, see you! That's about how much I can see you, even when you try to hide! Now pay attention and remember this well!"

"The burden of judging others is a heavy one to bear. So be well aware of your actions!" The bear stated. "Order and stability relies on the sacrifice and responsibility of everyone! Okay then….sweet dreams everyone! Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite…." With that, the announcement ended.

Mondo was the first to speak. "Is he fucking with us? He's seriously fucking blaming us for Leon's goddamn murder?"

"Wow. That's just plain on mean." Hiro sighed.

"Um, it's more than mean!" Hina remarked with a scowl. "How could he blame us for something he did?!" Chihiro looked down, the guilt latching itself back on.

'Junko loves to put the blame on other people. Not keeping any of the liability to herself.' Mukuro thought to herself. Junko would find some way, any way to make people feel like it's their fault for anything that happens, even when she ultimately forced them to do so or pushed them towards that decision.

Makoto looked down, clenching his fist. "He doesn't have a right to judge us!" He said angrily. "Not when he forcing us into this!"

When it ended, Toko was the first to speak. "What w-was that just n-now….?" She cried out in distress.

"Was he saying it's our fault what happened? That's pretty cruel, man…." Hiro sighed.

"That piece of shit! Who does he think he is?!" Mondo growled. Makoto, along with the others, stayed silent.

"But isn't he right?" Chihiro asked them. "Shouldn't we take responsibility for what happened to Leon?"

"I might have to agree with Chihiro here." Junko sighed. "Pushing the blame onto the psycho bear seems like the easy way out to me. None of you guys feel guilty about what to Leon?" She asked nonchalantly.

Makoto looked down, visible anguish in his eyes. "I do." Makoto said, a little guilt seeping in his voice. "I do feel guilty for killing him. But if we keep blaming ourselves for something that's out of our control, then we'll eventually get consumed in our despair."

"Still sounds like an excuse to me."

"Then tell us, what else could we have done?" That question came from Kyoko. "Tell us, what other options was there for us to do at that time? We would very like to hear it."

That got Junko silent. Kyoko nodded. "Nothing. I thought so." She narrowed her eyes at Junko. "And don't take this personally Junko, but your future self isn't there. You don't have a right to judge our actions right now."

"Okay, okay. Sorry. Jeez." Junko apologized, rubbing her head sheepishly. "Just thought I would point something out, that's all." She mentally giggled at getting on Kyoko's nerves for a second there.

"Well it ain't helping." Mondo growled before turning to the guilty programmer. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey Chihiro, listen to Makoto. Don't eat yourself up about this. Otherwise, you're might end up in that deep fucking pit."

Chihiro looked up at Mondo for a moment before nodding. "I-I'll try." She smiled. "Thank you, Mondo. You too, Makoto." The luckster and biker nodded.

The scene switched to everyone going back into their rooms. "And so, the day drew to a close," Narrator Makoto began. "A tense, maddening day that saw the deaths of three classmates. Sayaka, Junko, and Leon…." Pictures of each one of them was shown, all smiling happily.

"But….this is just the beginning," The narrator continued. "Our despair has only just begun….!"

That send chills down everyone's back. The haunting tone in Makoto's voice, the weariness, it made their spines shake. "O-Only the b-beginning?" Toko said fearfully. "H-How much w-worse could it get?"

"We're going to have to see." Celeste stated. "Hopefully, it isn't as bad as we think."

"Knowing how bad it is right now, I don't think it's gonna get any better." Hifumi moaned.

Guilt seeped through Sayaka once more. This is her fault. She started this. Her future self's choice is leading everyone to despair. How many of her friends are going to die because of her?

Makoto could see the guilt in her eyes. Not wanting her to keep blame herself, he squeezed her hand again, causing Sayaka to look at him. He gave her a smile, silently telling her to not blame herself. Sayaka silently smiled in response. While her future self caused this, she will make sure that will she stay loyal to her friends. Loyal to Makoto.

Chihiro clenched her hands on top of her knees, her mind racing at all the possibilities. How many more are going to die? How many will commit murder and get executed because of it? How many will she have to vote to kill?

How long will it last? How many chapters do they have? How many people will survive? The questions kept piling in her head, and there's nothing she could do to stop them. But one question rang through her head the most: How much worse will it get?

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 26: Watching Chapter 2: Boys' Life of Despair Part 2

(Chapter 2 - Boys' Life of Despair - Daily Life)

"How ominous" Celeste commented. "It seems to suggest that the boys will be getting the attention in this chapter."

"Come on, really?" Hina pouted at that. "A lot of shows focuses on the guys."

"Yeah well, we don't want the focus in this kind of show." Leon remarked.

When the picture disappeared, narrator Makoto spoke up. "I woke up the next day to Monokuma's normal morning announcement. Then he called us to the gym."

"Say what?" Leon questioned in annoyance and worry. "He's already got more plans in motion?"

"C-Can't he give us a b-break?" Toko whined in fear.

"We were practically frozen with fear. But Monokuma was determined to get us involved in his little game," Makoto continued. "And with that goal in mind, he began it…."

Everyone tensed up, wondering what Monokuma got in store for them now. Chihiro, in particular, is shaking in trepidation. Is it another motive? A new rule to be added? Is he just going to mock the dead?

None of them expected what happened next….

The screen the lit back up to show everyone gathered in the gym, with Monokuma doing some sort of exercise in front of them. "Okay! Lift your arms up, and down! One, two, three, four!"

"One, two, three, four!" Taka repeated, as he was the only one doing the exercise while everyone else was just standing around, confused as to why Monokuma wanted them to to do this.

"Now reach waaay up, and bend waaay down!" Monokuma instructed, doing exactly what he's instructing. "Tighten those muscles! Let's add a little strength, a little speed to those young bodies of yours!" While Taka did as he instructed, everyone else continued to stare in confusion.

And just like their future counterparts, the group was confounded. "Is he….trying to make us do exercises?" Makoto slowly, utterly befuddled.

"It would seem that way." Byakuya couldn't help but shake his head, both disappointed and annoyed at Monokuma for the jest. "Clearly, I also underestimated the bear in a different sense as well."

"What is his intention for gathering us to exercise I wonder?" Kyoko questioned, trying to figure out what's going through the mastermind's head.

"Well, I think it's wonderful that he's making sure we maintain our physical fitness!" Taka stated. "But why isn't anyone else exercising?"

"Um, I don't know, maybe it's because they're wondering if the mastermind has a screw loose?" Leon dryly stated. "Or more loose?"

After a few minutes of exercising, Monokuma stopped. "Ahh, doesn't this feel just great?!" Monokuma asked the class rhetorically. "Being stuck inside like this, you gotta make sure to stay healthy!"

"You're the one keeping them there in the first place! I mean, give them some fresh air already!" Hina exclaimed in anger. Then her head dropped. "Poor future me! How is she faring for not being able to go outside?"

"I'm surprise she haven't lost it yet." Celeste commented on. Hina had the most energy out of all of them, so this must be hell for her.

"You're the o-one keeping us 'stuck inside'..." Toko retorted.

"Don't sweat the small stuff! That's my motto." Monokuma waved off. "Whoa, I sounded pretty cool just now, don'tcha think? Did you fall in love with me? Am I just to die for? Am I just to die in writhing agony for?"

"Disgusting." Byakuya deadpanned.

"Yeah! Like hell we would die for you!" Mondo growled.

No one bothered to answer any of those questions. "So….why did you call us here?" Sakura questioned. "Certainly it wasn't to make us exercise…."

"'Just' to make you exercise?" Monokuma repeated, sounding angry. "JUST to make you exercise?!" He then went on a tangent. "If exercise makes you laugh, exercise will make you cry! Now, if you keep doing these exercises, you will uncover the secret of the Assassin's Fist! Passed down from generation to generation in the empire of darkness….the power can be yours!"

Everyone was at a loss of words from Monokuma's response. Usually, any sort of complete silence was from the horror of the situation. However, Spirit paused the video for a second as he noticed how practically the entire class was completely bewildered from Monokuma's 'explanation'.

"...How old is the mastermind?" Leon deadpanned as Spirit pressed play. "Like, seriously? Assassin's Fist? Empire of Darkness? Are you sure Hiro isn't the mastermind?"

"Hey!" Hiro shouted as he raised a fist in protest. "I'll have you know that I would sound way more convincing than that bear!"

"Reminds me of that Tanaka guy with the hamsters. He never shuts up about his black magic." Mondo mused. Taka glowered at the reminder of the Ultimate Breeder. He tried extremely hard to have him put those hamsters back in his room, but his upperclassman was resilient about keeping them around.

His offer was only met with more blank stares of annoyance. "That sounds like the kind of junk a middle schooler would come up with…." Hifumi stated.

"It doesn't matter!" Makoto exclaimed, getting slightly annoyed. "Just get to the point. Did you really call us down here just to exercise?"

"Of course not!" Monokuma denied. "You think I have that kind of free time on my hands?!"

"Okay, so then…."

"Ahh, I'd like to make an announcement!" Monokuma declared to everyone. "Every time you overcome a class trial here at Hope's Peak, a whole new world will open up to you!"

"A whole new world….?" Hiro repeated in confusion.

"It'd really suck if you had to live here forever with nothing new to stimulate you!" Monokuma began explaining. "Besides, I know how you kids get these days with your ADD and ADHD. I gotta keep you motivated! So go ahead, look around all you want! Enjoy the brave new post-trial world till you explode!" With that, he left, leaving everyone else even more confused than they already were.

"...Um, what the heck just happened?" Hiro asked in confusion. "A whole new world? New post-trial world?"

"Sometimes, it's hard to tell the mastermind's age." Kyoko sighed, rubbing her forehead. "The fact that they're speaking through a robotic bear doesn't help."

"Do you think he opened a way out?!" Hina asked eagerly. Some of the others looked eager at the prospect.

Unfortunately, Celeste decided to pop their bubble. "That's highly unlikely. Even I wouldn't make a bet on that."

"W-Well, you never know!" Hina argued, though it was weak. "Maybe they got lucky!" Celeste only raised a brow at Hina, not even going to bother responding to that.

"Tch, If that's the case, Makoto wouldn't have had that ominous narration before." Byakuya responded, slightly annoyed. "Have you not been paying attention?" That got Hina to sag her shoulder in disappointment.

"A new world….?" Makoto repeated what Monokua said.

"Is he talking about….a way to get outside?" Hina asked hopefully.

"That seems….unlikely." Celeste stated doubtfully.

"Well we won't know till we look!" Mondo argued loudly.

"Whatever he meant, it seems like we'll have to search the school one more time." Sakura stated to everyone.

Kyoko held her chin in thought. It didn't take her long to deduce that a whole new world means areas of the school that were previously closed off. She was about to tell everyone until a quick survey around the room told her that half of the others had managed to come to the same conclusion. Well, it seems like the rest will figure it out in a minute anyways.

"Okay, then let's split up and start investigating!" Taka instructed. "When you're done, everyone meet back up at the dining hall and we'll share what we found!"

Byakuya rolled his eyes. "You're basically a one-trick pony, you know that?"

"More like a staple food source!" Taka countered. "Now let's get moving!" With that, everyone began searching around the school one again.

"So, if it isn't a way out of the school, what does Monokuma mean?" Taka asked.

Makoto was the one to speak. "I think Monokuma opened up the upper floor." Makoto explained to him. "That's the only thing I could come up with."

"It's the only thing anyone could think of." Byakuya remarked. "What else it could it possibly be?"

"It could've been a gateway into an all powerful mystical world!" Hiro suggested.

"...I'm just gonna pretend you didn't say that. For my own sanity." Leon deadpanned.

The scene switched to Makoto walking out of the gym and into the hallway. When he got to the hall that leads to the upper floor, he saw the that the gate that was blocking the stairs has been lifted up. 'The gate is gone.' Makoto thought in surprise. 'So this is what Monokuma meant by "a new world"?'

"If so….what's up there?" With that question, he began walking up the stairs.

The group already knew what was in the upper floor. After all, despite only being in the old school building for a short amount of time, the layout of it was still fresh in their minds.

"So, they're gonna be going to the second floor now?" Hina whooped in joy at this. "Future me can go to the pool!"

"There's also the workout room where my other can go to." Sakura said, a small smile on her face. "There's no doubt she'll enjoy that."

"The library as well." Byakuya mentioned. "Hopefully, there will be some information on the situation."

"The school's library has always been up to date." Chihiro mused.

"But we can't know for sure if that had continued." Kyoko pointed out. "For one thing, after making the new school building, I doubt they would continue updating the library in the old one. And we also don't know what modifications Monokuma could have made to it."

"You…..raise a good point." Byakuya sighed.

When he got up to the second floor, he saw a completely different looking hallway. 'So this is the second floor.' Makoto thought, looking around. 'Maybe there is some kind of clue here…..yeah, I'm sure of it. There's gotta be something here….!' Energized by his optimism again, he began looking around the second floor.

The scene switched to Makoto entering the pool area, with Chihiro, Hina, and Celeste already in there. "Oh, Makoto! Hey, guess what!" Hina began talking excitedly, going over to the luckster. "Guess what I found! There's a pool! A POOL! Pool, pool, pool!"

"Y-You don't have to keep repeating it, I got it…." Makoto said, chuckling nervously.

Hina's excitation brought some warm smiles across the class, temporarily relieving them of their situation. "It's almost exactly similar to your reaction on our first days of school." Sayaka said with a fond smile.

"The only difference is that she didn't immediately jump inside the pool." Leon remarked with a smirk of amusement. "With her uniform still on."

Hina blushed in embarrassment. "I-I couldn't help it! I was really excited!" Hina whined. Makoto chuckled and flushed a little, remembering how her uniform clung onto her body after getting out of the pool.

"And there's tonnes of exercise equipment in the locker room!" Hina mentioned, still excited. "Sakura's gonna go nuts when she finds out!"

"Yeah, you're right about that…." Makoto agreed. 'Hina seems way more excited than usual.'

"Well, of course I would be! Despite everything that's happening, a pool will always get me excited!" Hina stated. Then she held up one of her donuts. "That, and donuts!"

"Yes, we know Hina." Makoto said with a small chuckle.

Makoto then turned to Chihiro. "Hey Chihiro, have you checked out the pool yet?"

"No," Chihiro answered, a bit nervously. "I….don't like wearing swimsuits."

'Yeah, you do seem like the type who might not be into that kind of thing.' Makoto thought to himself.

"For sure! You looked really uncomfortable when we all went swimming together at the pool." Hina mentioned. "You even went out of your way to submerge your entire body most of the time."

"Y-Yeah," Chihiro fidgeted, looking away.

"But still," Chihiro continued. "It sounds like the locker rooms have all the exercise equipment you could ask for. Maybe I'll give it a try. I'd kind of like to get a little stronger…."

"You want to get stronger, Chihiro?" Sakura asked with a raised eyebrow. "You never expressed anything like that before."

"W-Well, I guess being in this dangerous position made my desire stronger." Chihiro said nervously, rubbing the back of her head.

"You want to get stronger?" Makoto asked in slight surprise. "I have to say, that's kind of unexpected…."

"But," Chihiro looked down. "I'm not even brave enough to step foot into the locker room…."

"Huh? You don't even wanna go in the locker room?" Makoto asked in confusion.

"It's not that I don't want to. It's just…." At there, Chihiro stopped, struggling to find the right words.

"Now that Makoto mentioned it, you did seem to avoid the locker room when we were in the old building." Celeste pointed out. "Even when we all decided to go swimming, you changed your clothes in your own room."

Chihiro looked down, trying to think of what to say. Fortunately, Leon decided to help out. "Well, not all of us like to change with other people around." The baseball player stated. "For me, the thought of changing in front with a bunch of sweaty guys does not sound cool at all."

"So you're just uncomfortable with changing in front of girls?" Hina inquired. Chihiro nodded quickly to that. "Oh. Ok, then."

Chihiro sent a grateful smile towards Leon, who grinned back. He was also one of the few who knew about Chihiro's true gender, something he teased the programmer about from time to time.

'I don't get it.' Makoto thought with furrowed eyebrows. 'Is she afraid of locker rooms or something? That's a pretty weird phobia, though….'

Leaving her alone for now, Makoto's focus shifted to the two doors in front of him. 'So this is…..the locker room?'

"Oh! And I guess you need your handbook to get into the locker rooms!" Hina said, noticing the locks beside the doors.

"Really….?"

"Really, really!" Monokuma sudden appearance caused Hina yelp and jump a bit.

Some of the others did the same. "How many times is he gonna do that?" Leon asked in aggravation.

"As long as it will keep giving us heart attacks." Junko said with an annoyed sigh. Was this really all she could think of for Monokuma's entrances? Lame.

"If you want to unlock the locker room," Monokuma continued. "You'll have to swipe your personal e-Handbook across the card reader next to the door. However, to ensure maximum security within each locker room, only a boy's handbook can open the boys locker room, and the same goes for the girls! And that's the bottom line!"

"That programming has been there before he took over Hope's Peak." Chihiro said. "Why is he making it out like it's his own doing?"

"A subtle assertion of power maybe? While that technology does belong to Hope's Peak, he's doing an awfully good job convincing us that it's his work." Kyoko suggested. "Though judging from what we've seen, it's not farfetch'd to think that way. It's possible that he could have replaced it with his own."

"Hmm….but what if someone opens the door, and then someone else sneaks in?" Hina inquired.

"Anyone who commits such indecency will be punished without mercy for their scandalous sexual depravity!" Monokuma declared. He then hopped over to the huge mounted gun on the ceiling. "See, there's a gatling gun mounted on the ceiling, right? And it'll be all DUKKA DUKKA DUKKA DUKKA!"

The sight of the huge turret on the roof was more than enough to drive the point home. "That's a fucked up way to enforce a rule." Mondo stated bluntly.

"Yeah! Somebody could get really hurt with that!" Hina proclaimed.

That earned a few facepalms. One of which, was Leon. "Huh yeah. I'm 99% sure that's called being dead." Leon retorted.

"I'd bet it'd really hurt to get shot by that thing!" Hina exclaimed.

"Um, no," Chihiro hesitantly said. "I think it'd be a little worse than that…."

Toko snorted. "U-Understatement. You don't n-need a soldier to k-know that you would get k-killed from that thing."

"But what happens if someone loans their handbook to someone else?" Celeste inquired. "A boy could borrow a girl's handbook, and that would get them into the girls locker room, would it not?"

"Wh-?!" Monokuma looked shocked. "That never even occurred to me! To think someone could be so low, so cowardly, so devilish!"

"Hmm," The bear looked down in thought before looking back up. "Okay, then how's this sound? Time for a new rule! As of this moment, loaning your e-Handbook to another student is strictly prohibited! There! So now nobody can give their handbook to anyone else, right?

"You like that? I'm kind of a genius, right? It's cuz my brain is 100% cotton!"

"That psycho bear loves to hear himself chat." Leon deadpanned. "How does it switch from sadistic psycho to an annoying chatterbox?"

"Well, it's easy to switch roles when you aren't showing your actual face." Junko said with a shrug. Then, deciding to take a chance, she swiftly put a crown on her head and spoke royally. "Of course, the mastermind doesn't even compare to I, the Ultimate Fashionista! How dare he make a mockery of me?!"

"Is now really the time to do that Junko?" Taka griped. The moral compass turned to Mukuro. "Mukuro, can't you do something about your sister?"

The soldier gave him a blank look. "Would you like to try?" She offered.

That gave him pause. "...Good point." He sighed. Even he know it's hard to stop Junko and her antics.

"I do not imagine anyone would have lent their handbook out in the first place." Celeste stated. "After all, they would likely be held responsible for anything that they might do using the handbook…."

"That, and there's not really much of a use for switching Handbooks." Byakuya stated. "Our handbooks are mainly used as a rule book, to open up lockers, and other areas of the school, such as the locker rooms."

"Though the consequences could be much more dire in the killing game." Mukuro commented.

"But ya know, you seem awfully concerned with all this locker room security stuff," Hina mentioned.

"It's cuz all you teenagers are sex-crazed maniacs! You're at the age you'd try humping a plastic bottle!" Monokuma accused. "So to keep anything unseemingly from happening, I have to maintain a vigourous watch!"

"I doubt any of you would be in the mood for something like that." Celeste remarked. "After all, being trapped in a school where the only way to get out is to kill someone doesn't leave a very... romantic setting."

"Then in that case, I would ask that you keep the same close eye on our dorms." Celeste requested. "If some man and some woman decided to share a room, there would be nothing to stop them."

'Yeah, nice try you royal disappointment.' Junko thought with a mental eye roll. 'I ain't born yesterday.' She could obviously see that Celeste is trying to lower the chances of a killing to happen.

"All I care about is protecting the holy image of the school itself!" Monokuma retorted. "I don't care what happens in your private dorms! By force or by cunning, do whatever you want!"

"I hate you so much…." Hina growled at him.

"Okay, so the new regulations are in place! See ya!" With that, Monokuma disappeared once again.

"...So, the bear killed the mood once again." Leon sighed. "That thing loves to do that."

"Of course it does. It enjoys seeing us suffer." Sayaka said.

Hina sighed in aggravation. "Maaan, that stupid bear totally ruined my mood!" The swimmer complained. "Maybe I'll go take a dip to cheer myself up. Celeste, Chihiro, you wanna come with me?"

"There is nothing I hate more than getting water on my face." The gambler replied.

"Sorry….I'll pass this time." Chihiro politely declined.

Hina pouted. "I don't get why you guys don't want be in the water all the time!"

"That because very few love the water as much as you do Hina." Makoto said, smiling a little.

"How come!" Hina exclaimed in shock. "When you're in a funk, there's nothing better than a good swim to pull you out of it!"

'I pretty sure that only applies to you….' Makoto thought..

"It's kinda funny seeing the differences of Makoto's thoughts from when he first met us compared to him now." Leon commented as the scene transitioned, earning a look from the luckster.

The scene switched to Makoto entering the library, where Byakuya, Hifumi, Toko, and Kyoko resided in. "It's remarkably dusty in here. And the lighting is less than ideal." Kyoko commented on. "For a library, it's not the kind of place I'd want to do much reading in…."

'Yeah, there's a lot of dust on the books.' Makoto mentally agreed as he surveyed the books. 'Like it hasn't been taken care of for a long time.'

"Guess the mastermind left the library alone." Makoto thought outloud. "I wonder why, though."

"Maybe it didn't cross their mind to clean it, or alter it." Sayaka suggested.

As Makoto looked around, a shocking gasp from Hifumi brought his attention to the fanfic creator. "I'm absolutely shocked!" Hifumi exclaimed.

"...How come?"

"They have all these books here, and not ONE copy of ANY of my works!" Hifumi cried in outrage.

Byakuya rolled his eyes. "That's a library, not a manga store. Your filth wouldn't be seen in there."

"M-Master's right. Your filthy mangas w-wouldn't be found with pure literature." Toko agreed with Byakuya. And not just because of her obvious feelings for him.

"Besides, didn't the library not have any of your works to begin with?" Chihiro thought out loud.

"None of you get my art. Not one bit." Hifumi said, looking frustrated.

"W-Well, yeah," Toko said. "Why would they have m-mangas in a library? Plus, most 'fanfic' is j-just porn drawn by a bunch of a-amateurs…."

"You just don't get it. Not. At. All." Hifumi stated in frustration.

"I-I do too get it," Toko responded back, with a perverted grin on her face. "And w-with a face like yours, anyone can tell n-nothing you do is worthwhile."

"Uh oh." Makoto muttered.

"Say whatever you want about me, but never judge a book by its author!" Hifumi exclaimed. "Now hear this! Appearances mean nothing at all! What you see before you is nothing more than the rind that contains the meaty pulp of my genius! My creations is what determine my meaning and value!"

Toko snorted. "I-I still th-think you're full of it." The writer stated. "O-One look at you, and others will tell t-that your books aren't a-anything good."

"Then what about your books?" Hifumi retorted. "Anyone that knows of your personality wouldn't ever believe that you wrote those books!"

"Wha-What? H-How dare you?!"

The class sighed at this. Why did they have to get into an argument now? "Toko, cease this pointless conversation." Byakuya said firmly. "Now."

"You as well." Celeste commanded the fanfic writer. "A waste of my precious time."

Toko immediately backed off like an obedient puppy, whereas Hifumi only reluctantly did so.

Toko snickered at this. "You're so f-full of it…."

"Hmph. I'm used to being misunderstood." Hifumi waved off. "You think weak attacks like yours will drop my HP?"

'Those two….really worry me.' Makoto couldn't help but think.

"I think we can all agree on that." Leon said blankly. "And in more ways than one."

Several nodded in agreement while Hifumi and Toko let out indignant squawks.

"And besides, I've seen what you write Miss Fukawa." Hifumi stated, calming down for now. "Talented as you are, your stuff isn't any more 'worthwhile'."

That got Toko hissing again. "Don't compare your garbage with my novels!"

"Yeah!" Sayaka voiced in agreement. "Her love novels are amazing! They are definitely worthwhile!" While Sayaka and Toko don't get along all that well, Sayaka can definitely say that her novels are amazing.

That dropped Toko's smile. "My stories are filled with true love and pure feelings! Don't compare them to that garbage of yours!" Toko hissed in outrage. "Your writing doesn't even m-mean anything. It's just a bunch of j-jumbled up letters….! S-Someone should just….burn it all."

"Ooh, the lady doth protest too much, methinks!" Hifumi declared mischievously. "I bet you're secretly into boy-on-boy action!"

"Boy-on-boy….?" Toko visibly shuddered. "I don't care if it's an a-anime or mangas or fanfic or w-whatever! It's all filth! Throwaway culture that'll be trashed and forgotten in half a decade! Ugh….just t-talking about it makes me sick to my s-stomach. I feel like I'm gonna throw up…."

Hifumi let out a small growl at this. Celeste felt her eye twitch a little from the development. That was not an image she wanted to see.

'I've got to remind myself that Toko probably wouldn't like Komaru.' Makoto thought with a sweatdrop. His sister loved manga and anime, and is very passionate about them. 'And Komaru wouldn't like Toko's attitude...maybe..'

Hifumi let out a small growl. "You've insulted me, and you've insulted my honor!" He declared.

'Those two are really freaking me out.' Makoto thought, taking a step back. 'I've never seen anything like it….'

"You mean a nerd war?" Mondo commented on. "Yeah, haven't seen nothing like that either, until those two."

"N-N-Nerd?!" Toko stuttered indignantly. "D-Don't compare me to that trash lover!"

"Trash lover?! Why I outta…."

"Enough! Such pointless fighting is not welcome in a school environment! Also, you two have wasted enough time as it is! We need to keep moving forward!" Taka shouted, effectively stopping both of the writers.

"Saw that one coming.." Mondo muttered as he grabbed Taka's arm to stop him before he went on a streak.

When he bumped onto the desk behind him, he turned around to see a letter on top of the desk. "Huh?" Seeing the letter, Makoto picked it up and read the outline. "Hope's Peak Academy….?"

"It was buried under a thick layer of dust." Kyoko observed, coming to Makoto's side. "Well, shall we see what's inside?"

"But….we shouldn't read other people's mail without their permission." Makoto protested a little.

That got a few disbelieving looks, as well as facepalming. "Really, Makoto?" Byakuya grouched. "Now is not the time for proper etiquette."

"Well, he isn't wrong though." Sayaka hummed. "But I guess he doesn't really have a choice in that situation."

Makoto blushed and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Yeah, he couldn't disagree with that.

"What we shouldn't do is leave here without finding out what's inside." Kyoko countered firmly.

"O-Okay…." Opening the seal of the dusty envelope, Makoto pulled out the letter that was inside it. He then unfolded it, and began reading its contents. "From the Hope's Peak Executive Office…."

"Throughout the years, we have been committed to shaping the youth who will one day shape the world." The luckster read. "We have a long, proud history as an institution of higher learning with full governmental support. Our graduates enter society ready to take active leadership roles in every major job field."

"However, Hope's Peak Academy must now lower the curtain on its glorious history, for the time being." He continued. "The decision was not an easy one to make, but serious issues beyond our control have made it necessary.

"But make no mistake- this is not the end for Hope's Peak Academy." Makoto began finishing up. "We intend to reopen our doors as soon as the issues forcing our closure have been resolved. That being said, this is the end for now, and I would like to personally and sincerely thank everyone for your help and support over the years. For now, we are awaiting official governmental authorization to formally cease operations…."

Everyone's eyes widened in surprise. "So Hope's Peak was actually shut down?" Taka questioned in shock.

"That would explain how the mastermind was able to use and alter the old school building, as well as to why there isn't any other students there." Kyoko said, writing down the information on her journal. 'And judging by the dust, I would have to say that it was closed for around a year, maybe?'

"But why did it need to close down?" Makoto asked with furrowed eyebrows. "What serious issues were there?"

"Did the mastermind has something to do with it, perhaps?" Byakuya mused. "Or was it something else, and the mastermind took the opportunity?"

"And how did he manage to get all of us in the old school building if the school was shut down?" Celeste questioned. "Did he kidnap us in our homes? Gathered us there somehow?"

"Man, why do the answers keep giving us more questions?" Hiro whined. "Why can't there be answers that lower the numbers?"

'Oh, trust me. You wish that you didn't know all the answers if you manage to find everything out.' Junko thought with a mental smirk.

While she doesn't know everything that has happened, she knew that her overall plan had succeeded in the future they're watching. Hope's Peak and possibly, the whole world had fallen to the despair and chaos. The current killing game was also being broadcasted to the whole world, if the cameras were of any indication. From all that she has seen, that's how much she was able to make out.

But that was the end of Junko's knowledge. There were still many other factors that she could still be shocked and surprised from. At least it wasn't entirely boring. 'Who knew this future watching thing could be so exciting?!'

Makoto looked up from the letter, facing the others. "What does this mean….?"

"Hmm….the contents of this letter are quite interesting indeed." Byakuya stated.

"It would seem Hope's Peak had stopped functioning as a school." Kyoko deduced. "And judging by the amount of dust the letter and collected, it doesn't seem like have happened recently. If I had to guess, I'd say this letter could be at least a year old."

"A year?" Sayaka repeated in shock. "Hope's Peak is gonna be closed down for a year?"

"Correction: In that time line, it had closed down for at least a year. Taking that into account, since we have no news that Hope's Peak is closing down in our time line, then we have to assume that our future selves are at least nineteen years old," Kyoko mused out loud. "That would mean, we would have lost at least a year's worth of memories and maybe, Hope's Peak is going to make an announcement soon."

"At least a year's worth of memories?" Chihiro cried. "T-Then, everything we've done together was for nothing?" Everyone shuddered at that sudden thought.

"W-well, I wouldn't put it that way.." Makoto said, trying to figure out how to put it so it wouldn't sound so bad.

"But why?" Taka questioned with furrowed eyebrows. "What's gonna be happening? And how soon will it start?"

"It would have to be something that either endangers the students and the staff, or something that stained Hope's Peak reputation." Celeste mused. "Those are the top possibilities I could think of."

"It seems that the mysteries about the future gets more complicated with each chapter." Sakura said, frowning.

Mukuro frowned as well. She knew almost exactly what was going to happen, but couldn't bring herself to speak up. It was such an extreme scenario that it might as well have been a joke.

"So….you're saying Hope's Peak closed down at least a year ago?" Makoto asked her, shocked.

"Most likely, the mastermind took over the abandoned school in order to put on this little performance." Byakuya reasoned.

Makoto looked troubled at this. "B-But that would mean it was closed when I got here just a few days ago," He pointed out. "But I didn't get that sense at all." As he said that, a flashback at the outer appearance of Hope's Peak was shown.

"Plus, if the school had shut down, don't you think it would've been in all the newspapers and stuff?" Makoto asked them. "I mean, you're saying it could've happened over a year ago, right? But before I got here, I looked stuff up online about the school, and never saw anything about this."

The group of Ultimates grimaced at what Makoto's statements. They nearly forgot that their future selves' memories have been stolen. "It seems like our future selves are having a bigger amount of questions." Makoto said forlornly.

"What they remember contradicts what they've seen and read." Byakuya stated. "If they are going to figure out the mysteries behind the old school building, they'll need to find out somehow that their memories have been wiped."

"And even if they do find that out, they won't accept that fact easily." Kyoko said. Memory loss on that scale wasn't something most people would accept as fact.

"That must have all been part of the mastermind's plan. They lured us all in here…." Byakuya said in thought. "Someone who could create a place to judge and execute people could potentially be capable of anything. Of course, that's all assuming that this letter is real."

"If it is real though, that does solve one mystery surrounding the school," Kyoko said. "The reason there are no other students here could be because the school has already closed down."

"My future self raised a good point." Kyoko agreed. "Despite thinking differently, due to our different memories, it's probably the fact that the school was closed down was the reason there aren't any other students."

"However, there's still the possibility that the other buildings could be in use." Celeste pointed out.

"But if Hope's Peak is shut down, what are the other buildings used for? More killing games?" Sakura pointed out, causing everyone to shudder and dropped that line of conversation immediately.

"That would be a nice, simple solution, it's true." Byakuya agreed.

"But then….what about this other part?" Makoto pointed out another part of the letter. "The parts talking about the 'serious issues'. What did they mean by that? That's apparently why the school had to close. Is there any connection between that and what's happening to us now?"

"Can you stop asking more questions?" Hiro whined, holding his head. "I feel like I'm gonna explode."

"Yeah, I'm getting a headache from the amount of questions too." Hina agreed with Hiro.

"But Makoto did bring up a good point." Chihiro told the two softly. "Is it possible what we're seeing and the serious issues that got Hope's Peak closed down are connected?"

"Oh, you betcha!' Junko answered mentally. After all, her plans all revolved around Hope's Peak. And what's more fitting than using the school of hope to bring despair onto the entire world?

"If the two events are in fact connected, uncovering that connection would be a useful clue, on top of figuring out the mastermind's motive," Kyoko concluded. "Although I can't really say any more until we find more details.

"So in other words, only the mastermind knows the truth right now." Byakuya stated bluntly.

'The mastermind's motive,' Makoto thought to himself, looking at the letter. 'If we can figure out why they would want to imprison us all here….will that be enough to get us out of here?'

'Or….?' Before Makoto could finish that thought, the scene turned back and switched to the dining hall.

"Or what?" Hifumi inquired, looking at Makoto. "What was your future about to think, Mr. Naegi?"

"I don't think I want to know." Makoto said with a grimace. He doubt it's anything pleasant.

The remaining students are all gathered at the table, ready to discuss what they've found. "Okay, ladies and gentlemen!" Taka greeted everyone. "How'd it go? Did anyone discover anything interesting new anything?!"

"Interesting new anything?" Leon repeated incredulously. "Who the hell says that?!"

"As a matter of fact, I do!" Taka stated in his usual confident tone. "Or at least, used to! Makoto and Mondo told me that most people don't say things like that!"

"Only if they have a screw loose in their head." Leon deadpanned.

"There's a library!" Hifumi told everyone.

"And a pool! A freakin pool!" Hina added in excitingly. "And locker rooms filled with exercise equipment!"

"There was not, however, anything resembling an escape route." Sakura said grimly.

"Yeah….she's right…." Makoto sagged his shoulder in disappointment.

"But at least they gathered more information." Kyoko said.

"Yeah. There's that." Makoto agreed with the detective.

"Well hey, there's no reason to get all sulky! Wait till you hear about my amazing discovery!" Taka then announced what he found. "The warehouse and bathhouse on the 1st floor of the dorms are now open! And the warehouse is chock-full of food, clothes, whatever you want. There's so much it's insane!"

"Wait, the warehouse is opened now? So that means," Hina's eyes shined brightly. "Donuts! Future me, you can go get your donuts now!"

That got several of them chuckling at Hina's loves for the sweets. "And now that the bathhouses are open, they can take refreshing baths." Celeste added in.

"So go ahead and stuff yourself to the gills whenever you feel like!" Taka then ended that with a laugh.

"Keep in mind, of course, that going out at nighttime is still prohibited." Celeste pointed out. "Please do not forget…."

"Okay, and what about a fuckin' way out of here?" Mondo asked everyone. "You find anything like that?"

"Oh, well….ummm…."

"There wasn't anything in the warehouse we could use to get our asses outta here? Nothin'?" Mondo questioned angrily.

"U-Unfortunately, no," Taka said somberly. "Not that I saw…."

"By now, this isn't becoming a surprise." Kyoko sighed. "The mastermind seems well prepared to block any attempt of escape."

Mondo groaned. "You fuckin' people," He growled. "Who gives a shit if we have a goddamn pool now?! Or a warehouse, or whatever the fuck! We're still trapped in this piece of shit school! We need to find a goddamn way OUT!"

That brought everyone back to reality, and got the mood a bit heavier. "Did you really had to put it that way, Mondo?" Chihiro asked timidly.

The biker sighed. "I don't know." He shrugged. "But everyone was forgetting the fact that they're trapped in the plus. Guess future me was frustrated."

"Well, you didn't have to take it out on everyone." Makoto told Mondo. "Being tense all the time isn't always a good thing."

"And being stuck in a delusion of normalcy won't help either." Byakuya countered. "You saw how that worked out for Hiro."

"Now, now. There is no point in taking your anger out on us." Celeste chided softly. "Adaptation is the key, yes? For now we must find a way to enjoy our current situation."

"Whatever you say, you fuckin' loon…."

"Oh?" A dark aura surrounded Celeste. "A loon, am I?"

"Well, you can't blame him." Junko spoke in. "Your talk about adapting and surviving is pretty psycho like."

"Still, I do not like being called a loon." Celeste did her best to reign in her temper.

"For now, let's just continue our investigation," Taka interjected, still looking a bit down. "And let everyone know if you should discover something."

"So, are we done for today?" Kyoko questioned.

"W-Well….yeah," Taka said unsurely. "I guess so."

'The air is heavy again.' Makoto sadly noted. 'Was this the mastermind's plan? To give us hope, then to crush it….?' The camera then focused on Byakuya, who looks to be deep in thought.

"So they can enter the second floor, as well as the bathhouse and warehouse," Sayaka began listing off. "Find out information about the school….but nothing to help get out of that school turned nuthouse."

"Unfortunately, not." Sakura replied with a grimace.

"Though it won't stop them for searching." Makoto stated. "And maybe uncovering the mysteries surrounding the school will help."

"I hope you're right, Makoto." Mukuro said softly. And she isn't lying when she said that. She does hope that they figure out everything.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 27: Watching Chapter 2: Boys' Life of Despair Part 3

After the meeting, the scene switched to the class returning to their dorms for the night. Makoto and Kyoko were beside one another as they walked down the hall in comfortable silence. The soft footsteps of sneakers and the clacking of the detective's heeled boots complimented each other throughout their silent stroll in the night.

Suddenly, the comfortable cadence of their footsteps was interrupted as Kyoko broke the silence. "Are you scared, Makoto?"

"Huh….?" Makoto looked up at the sudden question.

The others were also surprised by that question. Both from the fact that Kyoko was the one to break the silence, and the nature of the question itself.

"That was out of the blue." Junko stated bluntly.

"Also, aren't you a couple days too late to be asking that question? I really hope this wasn't how you actually opened up to Makoto." Leon sarcastically said.

"Why the sudden interest? You didn't seem awfully interested the first time he said 'hi'." Sayaka added.

Kyoko shrugged. "I'm guessing maybe my future self wants to get to know Makoto after the first trial."

"Being trapped in a place like this…." Kyoko clarified.

"Wh-Who wouldn't be?" Makoto rhetorically asked. "Of course I'm scared, being trapped in this insane school…" 'More so now, with what happened.' He added mentally to himself.

"Ah. That's good."

That earned several more looks of confusion and befuddlement. "Am I missing something, or what?" Mondo asked. "How the fuck is that good?"

"Maybe even Kyoko has a weird side that no one else knows about." Hina thought out loud. When she caught the look that the detective gave her, she immediately felt embarrassed and rubbed the back of her neck apologetically. "Ahh, sorry!"

"Listen, my future self will explain." Kyoko said, already knowing what she meant by that.

That earned a befuddled look from Makoto. "That's….good?"

"Fear is proof that your imagination is functioning." Kyoko explained. "Frankly, I feel bad for anyone who can't feel fear. Without imagination, you can never deduce which action to take next."

"Ah." Celeste nodded to herself. "A most interesting thought."

"But what about you? Your future self is pretty damn calm." Leon pointed out.

Kyoko rolled her eyes. Of course she is. She doesn't let herself show her emotions so openly.

"But what about you? You seem totally calm." Makoto pointed out. "You don't act afraid at all."

"I'm scared too, of course," Kyoko told him. "I simply hide my emotions. There's no advantage to be gained from letting others see how you feel."

"You hide…? Huh….?" Makoto was confused at that.

"What I mean is, I'm not as foolishly open as you are." Kyoko stated bluntly.

'Foolishly open….?'

Sayaka huffed. "Did you have to say it like that, Kyoko? There's nothing wrong with being so open with your emotions."

"You and I both know, full and well, the dangers of being so open and trusting." Kyoko countered calmly. "Or do I have to remind you of what happened in chapter 1?" Sayaka winced at that, and stayed silent.

The two are now at the middle of the hall, with everyone else already in their room. "Also, the 'fear' I experience is a little different from yours, I imagine." Kyoko added in.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Makoto asked curiously.

"How can it be different?" Hina asked, tilting her head.

Kyoko stayed silent, knowing that her other will say the difference, as well as surprised that her other is being this open to Makoto. She guessed the last chapter got her future self to see the same thing within Makoto that she herself saw.

"You're afraid of what you might lose, right?" Kyoko asked rhetorically. "I'm afraid of what I've already lost."

"Afraid….of what you've already lost?" Hifumi repeated, confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Yeah. How can you be afraid of what you already lost?" Hina asked as well.

"Wait a minute….is it ghosts?!" Hiro exclaimed in panic. "Are there ghosts haunting her?!"

Once again, the sound of facepalms echoed the room. "Why the hell does it always come back to ghosts?" Mondo growled in frustration.

"I'm sorry….I don't understand." Makoto admitted.

"I know." She simply stated, turning away from him. "Goodbye." And with that, she left her room.

Hina pouted. "Hey! You can't just do that! You didn't even explain to him what you meant!"

"Of course not. I'm not the type to open up about everything." Kyoko retorted coolly. "Not even to someone like Makoto."

"I would be surprised if you did." Makoto admitted.

Makoto sighed. "Well, we're just still getting to know each other." He figured to himself as he opened the door to his own dorm. "Maybe we'll talk more next time." With that, he went into his own room and the screen went dark.

The next day started with a slightly different morning announcement. Makoto groaned as he woke up to the blaring bell that rang through the dorms. "Good morning everyone! It is now 7 a.m. and nighttime is officially over! Time to rise and shine! Get ready to greet another beee-yutiful day!" Monokuma broadcasted through the monitors.

"Oh, that's right!" The bear said in an afterthought. "I wanted to let you know that your e-Handbooks have been updated! New regulations have been added, so please take a look and enjoy your school life more than ever before!" With that, the monitor turned off.

Makoto got up from his bed with a small yawn. 'He must be referring to yesterday…."Loaning your e-Handbook is strictly prohibited."' Makoto thought to himself. "But right now, I need to hurry up and head to breakfast."

The scene switched to Makoto walking into the dining hall, where most of the remaining students are at. "Mornin', Makoto!" Hina chirped at her seat.

"Good morning," Makoto greeted, sitting down. "Is everyone here already?"

"Nope! Still waitin' on Byakuya and Taka." Hiro informed him.

"Really? Taka isn't there?" Mondo commented in surprise. "That's strange. Usually, bro would be at the dining hall first thing."

"I agree. I would be." Taka remarked with a frown. "Maybe I'm trying to get Byakuya out of his room? He has been tardy before."

"I hope it's that." Chihiro said, a bit nervously.

"Byakuya's no surprise, but it's strange Taka's not here yet…." Makoto said with a small frown.

"Knowing Taka, I imagine he is trying to get the King of Tardiness up and out of bed." Celeste remarked.

"King of Tardiness? How very mature of you." Byakuya snarked. "I just don't believe I should rush out of bed for you commoners."

"I'm sure they'll be here soon enough. Just be patient…." Sakura reassured them.

"I don't mind waiting for them, but there is one problem," Celeste stated.

"Which is….?" Makoto inquired.

"I am thirsty."

"You're thirsty?" Leon repeated in slight disbelief. "How the hell is that a problem?!"

"Well, I don't want my throat patch while I'm waiting." Celeste stated. "There's nothing more horrible than the feeling of a dry throat."

"That's Celeste for you." Makoto sighed.

"How the hell is that a problem?!" Mondo questioned in slight disbelief.

Celeste ignored Mondo and turned to the doujin artist. "Hifumi, would you make me some tea?"

"...Huh?" Has the response of the overweight fanfic creator.

"Milk tea, if you please." Celeste requested.

"Why….why me?" Hifumi hesitantly asked.

"Your roundish figure reminds me of the owner of the coffee shop I used to frequent." Celeste explained.

'That's your reason….?' Makoto thought incredulously.

"Yeah, I still call bull on that." Leon said bluntly. "No way that's the reason."

"Well, believe it or not, it is." Celeste retorted.

"I can feel my throat drying." Celeste told Hifumi. "Quickly, please."

"O-Okay…." Looking unable to refuse her order, Hifumi went into the kitchen.

Leon rolled his eyes. "Ever since the beginning the school, you let Celeste order you around."

"Like I said before, I wasn't max levelled at the time!" Hifumi stated. "I am now!"

"Then how come you still act like her servant?"

"Cause, if we were to fight, our attack powers would destroy the school!" Hifumi declared. "So to avoid that, I serve Ms. Ludenberg, though there are times that I purposefully face her wrath!"

'Why does he have to say these things out loud?' Celeste couldn't help but gripe in her mind. It's embarrassing.

A few minutes later, Hifumi came back with a small tray of tea. "Thank you for waiting!" Hifumi stated proudly.

Celeste giggled. "Finally…."

"Hang on," Makoto looked closely at the tea. "Oh, no."

"What is it?" Sayaka asked him, as not only herself, but a few others were also curious and concerned as to what he had noticed.

"The milk isn't separated from the tea." Was all Makoto said. That was all he needed to say, judging by the several 'ahs' he got from his friends. Around the first few weeks, when Celeste began ordering around Hifumi, one of her request has been milk tea, like her future self requested. And they have a feeling it will be play out the same way.

"You c-could've made some for the r-rest of us, you know…." Toko mentioned.

"Y-Yeah. Why didn't you?" Toko asked him.

"I believe future me will explain!" Was what Hifumi said.

"I emphatically decline!" Hifumi stated to her. "You're not my type at all!" He then laugh a little. "It's all about the law of causality, basic instinct, act and react!" That got a small growl from Toko.

Toko growled herself. "L-Like you're any better! I d-doubt anyone would fall for y-you!"

"I will not fall by such bitter words! I will remain standing and triumphant!" Hifumi declared.

"Well then, if you don't mind…." She held the small tea cup delicately in her hand with a small smile. But then she pause. "...Wait."

She cocked her head to the side….and threw the cup as hard as she could on the wall. Everyone else jumped in shock from the shattering of the cup. "What the-?!" Hifumi gasped in shock. "What are you doing, my white little rabbit?!"

Hifumi pouted, remembering the exact same thing happening back at Hope's Peak. "You didn't have to do that, Ms. Ludenberg."

"It wasn't the same tea that I enjoy. It needed to be disposed of quickly." Celeste replied coolly.

"I HATE this kind of tea!" Celeste stated in disgust.

"U-Umm….I don't understand…."

"Imagine we are at a coffee shop-just any normal everyday cafe. I sit down, and I order some tea." Celeste began setting an example. "Then they ask me, 'Would you like lemon, or milk?' Now, further imagine that I replied, 'Ah, yes, I would like milk tea, please'. In this case, along with my tea they may bring me a small container of milk, yes?"

She then pointed at the remains of the milk tea. "But this is not for me! I am among those who prefer the milk to be a part of the process from the outset! The fragrance is just overly sweet that way. Adding milk or lemon right before you drink is like dousing your fries with ketchup - mere condiments! Whenever I look for a cafe, I first review their menu to see if it offers the proper style of milk tea. And I cannot acknowledge any 'milk tea' that does adds the milk during the brewing process!"

The overall reaction was….wide eyed bewilderment.

The reactions of the present class was the same. No matter how many times they hear it, it stills bewilders them how Celeste take the smallest of things so seriously. "I still don't understand why you rant over fucking tea." Mondo stated bluntly.

"Of course you don't. Your sense of taste is as dull as your brain."

That got a growl from Mondo, as vapours of anger streamed out of his ears. Oddly enough though, he managed to stay calm in his seat as it's ingrained into his head to not hurt women, even if they're capable of fighting, like Sakura and Mukuro.

"Umm," Hifumi started, still baffled. "I went to all that trouble to make you that tea….and you wanted me to go even further?"

"Yes," Celeste answered. "I realize it can a bit of a hazzle. Even in cafes that offer proper milk tea, it is always more expensive than simple tea with milk. It takes more time to prepare, surely, but….why even bother creating a menu if you are not going to offer the highest level of quality?!"

'The dining hall doesn't even have a menu.' Several thought blankly.

"Well, um….we don't actually have a menu…."

That cause Celeste to lose her temper. "That doesn't matter!" She exclaimed angrily, holding her covered index finger up. Her accent was lost as well. "Hurry up and bring me what I ask for, swine!"

"WHAAAAT?!" Hifumi screamed in terror. "O-Okay! Your little piggy will bring it right out!" With that, Hifumi ran back in the kitchen in fear.

Celeste settled back into her usual mood. "Hmhm. I do so love coercion."

"...That still scares the living daylight out of me." Leon stated.

"Yeah. That temper of hers is scary." Hina said with a shudder. Several others nodded in agreement.

"Though it's fun to get Ms. Ludenberg angry sometimes." Hifumi said, a bit mischievously. "She acts a lot like those tsundere."

"Hifumi, will you shut up?" Celeste nearly growled.

The others looked at Celeste in shock. "You were like….a totally different person just now." Hina pointed out.

"Yeah, shit….you really went psycho there." Mondo agreed. Celeste merely giggled.

"I would hate to be the bastard that angers her. Actually, I'd almost feel sorry for anyone that does." Mondo deadpanned as Chihiro shuddered in agreement.

'I knew there was more to her when I first met her,' Makoto thought to himself. 'I'd hate to have her as an enemy. Seriously man. She's one scary chick….'

Celeste held an amused smile. "Is that what you think of me, Makoto?"

The luckster chuckled sheepishly. "Yeah, it was at first." Keyword, "was". Now that he knows what she's really like, it wasn't all that bad. Most of the time.

Suddenly, the dining hall door flew open and Taka came storming in. "Bad news, everyone! There's a mystery afoot!"

"Huh? What happened?" Hiro asked.

"It would seem Byakuya refuses to leave his room!" Taka told them. "I stood there pressing his doorbell over and over, but he never showed himself."

Byakuya rolled his eyes. "Did it ever occur to him that I might not even be in there?"

"Maybe he just….wasn't there." Makoto suggested.

"See? Even a person with average intelligence can figure it out."

'I wouldn't say average.' Kyoko thought. As average as Makoto was, he did have a surprising amount of hidden intellect and insight within him.

"I'd like to think so. But I'm worried something might have happened to him." Taka said in concern, immediately alerting everyone else in the dining hall.

"I-It might be a good idea if we all split up and go look for him." Makoto suggested nervously as he got up from his seat.

"Ah! I has just about to suggest the same thing!" Taka stated.

"Stop trying to one-up e-everyone…." Toko told him.

"Okay, then I'll go check his room one more time." Hina volunteered. "I'm just gonna keep hammering that button till I get a response!"

"Very well, then the rest of can go check the rest of the building." Sakura said.

"Yeah. Before it's, y'know….too late." Hiro said nervously. No one said anything else and quickly began the search for the Ultimate Affluent Progeny.

While everyone else slowly felt their adrenaline get to them, Byakuya, simply rolled his eyes.

"Like I would let myself be killed like that." Byakuya stated, gaining the attentions of the others. "I'm probably up in the library."

"And likely reading too." Kyoko sighed. After all, the Togami heir always had a strange interest in that old library.

The scene switched to Makoto looking around the hallway. 'Where might Byakuya have gone….?' Makoto thought. His eyes has then set on the stairs leading to the second floor. 'Maybe he went to check out the second floor again….' With that thought in mind, he went up to the second floor.

The scene switched to Makoto at the door of the library. Slowly, he opened the door. When he saw who's in there, he cried out in surprise. "Byakuya?!"

There was the Ultimate Affluent Progeny, sitting at the desk, reading a book, with a cup of either tea or coffee in his other hand.

"Looks right you were right, Byakuya." Chihiro said.

"But you should be at the dining hall!" Taka raged. "Not at the library!"

"And you got everyone so worried, too!" Hina pouted.

Byakuya rolled his eyes. "He didn't ask for anyone to find him, did he?"

"Hey, uh….what are you doing?" Makoto inquired hesitantly.

"I'm fishing. What does it look like I'm doing?" Byakuya asked rhetorically, not looking away from his book. "I'm trying to read. So if you could be quiet…."

"Oh….sorry." Then Makoto's eyes shot back up in realization. "Wait, no-! What are you doing here? Everyone's super worried! We've all been looking for you!"

"Who asked you to do that?"

"B-Because…." Makoto fumbled for an explanation. "We're all supposed to meet up in the morning and eat together. We made a promise!"

"A promise?" Byakuya sighed in annoyance. "Can't I get a second's peace and quiet around here?" Snapping his book shut, he slowly stood up from his chair.

"That what I wish for everyday." Byakuya sighed. "Unfortunately, peace and quiet rarely comes by in Hope's Peak."

"Here, here." The more reserved Ultimates agreed with their own sighs.

Moments after he got up, the others came in the library, hearing Makoto's shouts. "Byakuya! So this is where you've been hiding!" Taka point an accusing finger at Byakuya.

"The heck are you doin' here, man?" Hiro sighed.

"We were very concerned…." Sakura added.

"Well you have no reason to be. I was just reading." Byakuya informed them. "I've never read such a….coarse novel, but it might prove useful at some point."

"Wh-What are you reading?" Hina asked hesitantly.

"A mystery novel." Byakuya answered shortly.

"A mystery novel?" Suddenly, Hiro started panicking. "Wait, is gonna use that knowledge from the novel to betray us?!"

"H-How, sneaky of him," Hifumi said nervously.

Byakuya rolled his eyes. "Relax, you simpletons." He chided them. "The knowledge will probably be useful when another killing happens."

"Don't say it like another killing is going to happen." Makoto protested. The heir sighed.

"Makoto, like it or not, another killing is bound to happen. There's no ifs, ors, or buts about it."

"W-Wait, so are you gonna use what you're learning in there to betray us?!" Hifumi accused nervously.

Byakuya rolled his eyes. "Don't be stupid."

"Yeah!" Makoto agreed.

"It's just something to keep in mind."

That statement caught the group off guard. Especially Byakuya. "Wait, wait, wait, what did he say just now?" Leon questioned, wide eyes.

"'Something to keep in mind'?" Junko quoted with wide eyes.

"Yea-what?" Makoto turned to Byakuya with a confused expression plastered on his face.

"If I decide to fight, I'll come up with something original." Byakuya continued, a smirked plastered on his face. "Otherwise, this game of ours will totally be boring, right? It's not often you get to take part in such a high-stakes, high-tension activity. So, if you're going to do it, you have to make sure it's entertaining." He ended that with a small, sinister snicker.

Throughout his whole speech, the group looked at the whole thing with a mix of shock and disgust. "Game? Boring?" Sayaka repeated in shock.

"High-stakes, high-tension activity?" Chihiro repeated, her face getting pale.

"Is fucking Togami actually enjoying himself?" Mondo growled.

Byakuya silently glared at his future counterpart on screen. What on earth is he saying?! It wasn't his thing to bend to another's will, especially not in a situation like this.

"What the fuck do you mean, 'game'?!" Mondo growled at him. "That's fucked up!"

"But it is a game." Byakuya persisted. "It's a game of life or death, which can have only one winner. That's all there is to it."

"H-He, actually thinks that this is all a game?" Makoto stuttered in shock.

"It appear so." Sakura said grimly.

"He is right." Celeste agreed with the heir. "It's a zero-sum game."

"Huh?" Makoto gain a confuse look. "Zero-sum game?"

"What the heck does that mean?" Hina asked, still looking shock. "And why is future Celeste agreeing with him?"

"My future self will explain." Celeste said.

"Huh?" Now Makoto turned to Celeste in confusion.

"It is part of game theory, a mathematical model." Celeste explained. "In game theory, what we are going through now is a 'zero-sum game'. In this type of game, in order for one person to gain something, another must necessarily lose something. In other words, it is a situation in which participants must compete for a position or limited resources."

"You mean like….a kind of elimination match." Sakura clarified.

"Entrance exams, sports tournament, job openings-most social interactions fall in this category." Celeste continued. "Everyone must scramble to obtain something which is limited. For you to succeed, someone else must fall. This also applies to the school life we have been subjected to here. In this case….our 'limited resource' is that only one of us can successfully become the blackened."

"So, this game was designed from the beginning to force one of us to try and defeat all the others." Byakuya stated.

"Th-This is- How can the two of you treat this so casually?!" Makoto exclaimed. "As if this is a regular competition?!"

Byakuya gritted his teeth. "I….I don't have an explanation for this." And it was hard for him to admit that. This whole thing was similar to the Togami initiation he participated in years ago. Despite not showing it, a part of him never liked it. A couple years ago he may have acted like that, but seeing it the way he was now, was eerily wrong.

"I guess my future self is just adapting to this." Celeste suggested. But that was a lie. She knows why her future self is doing this. After all, she knows herself.

"Th-That….that can't be what they had in mind!" Makoto protested.

"This is why adaption is so crucial." Celete chided him. "If those who want to escape were to disappear, there would be no reason to continue to playing the game."

"But why would I want to stop playing? It's so much fun….." An evil smile went on Byakuya's lips.

"H-He thinks it's fun?!" Chihiro questioned, tears building up in her eyes.

"Did Celeste and Byakuya both lose their goddamn minds?" Mondo growled. "They're talking like fucking loons!"

Kyoko narrowed her eyes. From what she can guess, it's their way of coping through the whole ordeal. Acting as if this is a game to them, that they're untouchable.

Junko had to stop herself from giggling uncontrollably. She knew Byakuya was a perfect candidate for the killing games! His superior attitude wouldn't let him admit that he's in danger in the killing game, so he treats it like it's an actual game!

"It sounds as if you do not acknowledge even the possibility that you may lose, am I right?" Celeste inquired.

"Of course." Byakuya confirmed.

Celeste giggled at that. "You do not speak like the others. Exactly what I would expect from the Togami heir apparently."

"...It's just normal arrogance, isn't it?" Hiro questioned.

Byakuya normally would've said that it wasn't arrogance, that it was pure confidence. But the way his future self is acting shocked him into silence.

"You talk like that, but what if you end up dead?!" Hina retorted.

"I won't." Byakuya told her. "It simply isn't possible."

Kyoko sighed in aggravation. Is Byakuya really arrogant enough to believe he can't be killed?

"Who the fuck do you think you are?!" Mondo growled angrily.

"You know, I still just can't believe it," Byakuya suddenly said.

"Believe what?!" The biker questioned.

"That an uneducated, brain-dead, useless piece of garbage like you has survived this long." Byakuya stated coldly.

"THE FUCK DID HE CALL ME?!" Mondo roared, looking ready to go over towards Byakuya and pummel him. Luckily, Chihiro and Taka grabbed his arms before he could. "Your future self is asking to die, Togami!"

Byakuya merely looked away, not bothering to address that with a response. But inwardly, he winced at what his future self said. He's condescending towards his classmates, sure, but he didn't ever go this far.

That angered Mondo immensely. "I'm gonna fuckin' kill you!"

"Like I said. I won't die." Byakuya repeated.

"Your arrogance might be your undoing, Byakuya." Kyoko remarked. "You are not invisible, and the situation isn't a game. Everyone's has an equal risk of death, and you're not an exception."

"I….know that." Byakuya reluctantly said to Kyoko.

"You keep saying that, but-"

Celeste interrupted Hiro. "Do not bother arguing with him." The gambler advised. "For him, the concept of losing simply does not exist. He is the Ultimate Affluent Progeny after all - a boy raised to succeed from the day was born."

"He considers victory his destiny, and has lived his life accordingly." Celeste continued. "Tests and challenges are merely ways for him to stand victorious. Even if it is a life-and-death situation."

"Yeah, that does describe Byakuya to a T." Makoto agreed with a sigh.

"Good thing we brought him to our level, thanks to Celeste and Kyoko." Junko chirped. "Give him a good old taste of a reality check."

"Silence, you fashion addict." Byakuya said in annoyance. He does not want to be reminded of the day Celeste and Kyoko knocked some of his arrogance out of him.

"...Is that not so, Byakuya?" She directed that question to the heir himself.

Byakuya smirked. "At least one of you seems to understand."

"It is because I am the same as you." Celeste declared. "Games are meant to be won."

That wiped the smile off of Byakuya's face. "Are you trying to suggest we're on the same level?!" Byakuya questioned, as if insulted. "Close that vulgar mouth of yours."

Celeste rolled her eyes. "I have forgotten the days you were that arrogant." The gambler casually said. "And that rudeness of yours."

That surprised Celeste a little. "Well, well. I do apologize."

"Anyway, let me say this to all of you." Byakuya addressed everyone in the room. "You all need to try harder. If an opponent isn't going to give it their best, where's the fun for me?"

By now, nearly everyone is getting frustrated at the heir. "He actually thinks this is fun?!" Sayaka angrily said.

"People have died in the game! Our FRIENDS have died!" Hina growled.

Mukuro sighed. Arrogance has always been a trait she frowned upon whenever assessing members of her squad in Fenrir. More often than not, they are the ones who die on the battlefield first, thinking they are superior to everyone else.

"H-How could he say things like that?!" Chihiro exclaimed, the tears threatening to spill. She turned towards the present heir. "Why would you say those things, Byakuya?! It isn't a game! Not at all like a game!"

Byakuya continued to be silenced by his own behaviour as he simply crossed his arms and stared at the screen, not budging at all to the reactions all around him.

"Th-That's a terribly way to look at it…." The one who stated that was none other than Chihiro.

"Hmm?"

"This….isn't a game." Chihiro stated to Byakuya, tearfully. "Our lives are on the line, you know….to kill your own friends is….is…."

"It's horrible!" She finally yelled.

Her shout surprised the group. "Wow, Chihiro." Leon said in awe.

"I never thought you had it in you to speak up to Byakuya like that." Junko said, genuinely surprised by Chihiro's courage.

The programmer looked down. "W-Well, I couldn't stay silent while Byakuya say those things. It's just wrong."

"None of us disagree with you on that, Chihiro." Taka said comfortingly, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Byakuya scoffed. "Friends? Who decided that?"

"...Huh?"

"We're not friends." Byakuya stated. "No, quite the opposite. We're in competition-we're enemies."

"B-But….you know…." Tears began leaking out of Chihiro's eyes.

"But what?" Byakuya questioned in annoyance. "Stop trying to force your contradictions on me and accept what I'm telling you."

"U-Um…."

"Yes? If you have something to say, say it." Byakuya said harshly. "Otherwise, keep your mouth closed."

Despite not being the one directly addressed by those words, Chihiro still instinctively recoiled and teared up. "I-I'm sorry…."

"Don't be. He's the one who's wrong." Leon said, clearly bitter about the way he was treating Chihiro in the future.

"Yeah! Calling this game fun, declaring that he isn't friends with us, and making poor Chihiro cry!" Hina stated, just as angry.

"This behavior is definitely not something I approve of." Sakura said softly, her eyes closed.

"Hey, shithead!" Mondo shouted. "You get off on bullying people that can't fight back?! You wanna try that on me?!"

"So, you're back to pretending to be friends, huh?" Byakuya remarked. "And how long do you think that's gonna last?"

"Fuck you!"

"Is that all you can say?" Byakuya asked him. "It's unfortunate you would waste your breathe on such empty gibberish."

That was the last straw for Mondo. "You're a dead man, Togami!" He roared and prepared to charge the Togami heir.

But before he could, Chihiro got in front of him and held her hands up. "Don't, Mondo!" Chihiro pleaded. "It's only the future Byakuya that's saying this, not Byakuya himself! You can't hurt him for what he can't control!"

Mondo growled, looking at the very still Byakuya with an angry glare before slowly sitting back down.

"I don't blame him for wanting to strangle him." Sayaka muttered darkly. After all, she herself is pissed at Byakuya, and was before during the investigation of her murder.

That ticked Mondo off even further. "That's it! You're fuckin dead!"

Before Mondo could do just that, Hina got in front of him and held her hands up in a placating way. "H-Hold on! Just calm down!"

"I AM calm!"

"How is this 'calm'?!" She questioned in disbelief.

"Yeah! You look like a raging bull!" Hina pointed out. Then she looked at the currently angry Mondo. "You look like one now too!"

"Can you blame him?" Leon asked. "Byakuya is working his short temper here."

Byakuya turned away from everyone. "Anyway….I don't have any intention of working with the rest of you any longer." Byakuya declared. "To cooperate during an elimination game is….well, frankly, it's a waste of time. And I hate wasting my time."

"Waste of time….?" Makoto asked in disbelief.

"Engaging is 'friendly' group meals is out of the question. Someone could easily poison our food." The Togami heir pointed out. "And I'd rather not become part of the Last Supper just yet."

"Quit talking like you're in a fuckin' movie or something!" Mondo growled at him.

Byakuya began walking out. "All I'm saying is that, ultimately, you are all free to do whatever you want on your own. Goodbye." And with that, Byakuya left.

The group was silent, digesting what Byakuya told them. "Was….was he actually serious?" Hiro asked hesitantly.

"Yes. It appears that, in fact, he is." Celeste sighed.

"Ho-How could he say crap like that?!" Hina questioned in anger and disbelief. "Treat it like a game?!"

"It's insane!" Hifumi agreed. Would the heir really act like that in the situation?

"But why?" Taka questioned. The moral compass turned to the heir. "Why would you say such things?"

Byakuya sighed. "Think what you like. If I had an answer to this, I would have shared it already." He said with a little less confidence than his usual demeanor.

"Was he serious about all that….?" Hiro asked hesitantly.

"He was, without a doubt." Celeste confirmed.

"Well fuck him, then." Mondo stated.

"B-But what he said….he might not be n-necessarily be wrong…." Toko argued. "I mean, can you s-say for sure someone won't poison our f-food?"

"Seriously, Toko?!" Hina exclaimed with mouth agape.

Leon rolled his eyes. "Of course you would try to defend him!" Leon griped. "The dude could do nothing wrong in your eyes!"

"Sh-Shut it. M-Master's perfect in every way." Toko hissed at him. "Y-You should wish to b-be like him."

"Uh, no thanks. Rather not be an arrogant asshole."

"Hey, come on! You too, Toko?!" Hina exclaimed.

"Well, it's n-not like anyone would care even if I w-was gone, right….?" Toko asked all of them. "Actually, I bet you all w-want me gone! You all think I'm d-digusting!"

That got sighs from everyone, with Sayaka being the first to speak. "Oh no…."

"Here goes her 'Enemies everywhere' mode." Hiro continued.

Toko did not take that well. "Wh-Who gave a-all of you permission to assign me a m-mode?!"

Makoto waved his hands in protest. "None of us think that…."

"You j-just think you don't think that!" Toko accused.

Hiro sighed. "I know some people like to play the victim, but this is just….totally out there."

"You think I d-don't know, but I do….you want me g-gone!" Toko declared. "And I'm s-sure….the rest of you want the same th-thing, do you?!" With that statement, she ran away from everyone.

"Seriously, what the hell kind of life did you have to become….that?" Mondo questioned.

"A whole lot of factors could lead to that kind of mentality actually." Mukuro chimed in. "Persistent betrayal, lack of socialization, lack of support from family and friends in addition with continues physical trauma, childhood trauma, emotional trauma... and the list goes on." The soldier began explaining, but ended it short as she noticed Toko getting more uncomfortable by the second.

"For a soldier, you seem to know a lot about this topic." Kyoko said, causing Mukuro to shrug.

"Had to research for one of my escort mission."

"Well whatever it is, I'm contempt not knowing whatever it is." Leon stated.

"As you should be." Makoto and Byakuya muttered.

"Ah, hey! Toko wait!" Makoto shouted, but there was no stopping her.

"Just let her go. Once she gets going like that, there's nothing you can say to bring her back." Celeste advised as Makoto stopped at the door. As the writer's footsteps faded into silence, everyone stood there taking in everything that had transpired.

"Soo, it seems like rich boy and emo girl are going to be alone for a while." Junko commented.

Sakura sighed. "It appears so."

"Can't say that I'm too surprised about this." Sayaka said. "Those two are the most anti-social out of us all."

'Not to mention their difficult personalities.' Makoto thought to himself. Best not to say that out loud, lest he earns their wrath.

"Still….I don't think any of us expected Byakuya to say those things." Sayaka continued, clenching her fist in anger. "Treating it like a game, saying that he's having fun…."

"And saying that he plans to kill someone." Hiro added.

"But…..will he?" Hifumi asked nervously. No one had an immediate answer to that one, even the brilliant minded Togami heir found himself to be baffled by the one person he knew the most.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 28: Watching Chapter 2: Boys' Life of Despair Part 4

"Hey, Makoto. You know what I think?" Hiro asked the luckster. The two were in one of the classrooms at the first floor. "You and me meeting like this? It wasn't a coincidence."

"What made you think that?" Leon questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"When I read my own future." Hiro answered. "So when it did happen, I knew our meeting wasn't a coincidence."

Makoto groaned at the reminder of that fortune, more so when he realized what conversation they're watching. Sayaka looked at him in concern. "What's wrong, Makoto?"

"Its... uh... it's something interesting.." Makoto said, carefully picking out his words.

"So I've got some good news for you! I'm gonna give you a psychic reading at a huge discount!"

"A discount…..?"

"Normally it's a thousand bucks for two hours." Hiro explained. "But for you? Let's call it nine hundred!"

"SAY WHAAAA?!" Hifumi exclaimed in shock. "A thousand bucks?!"

"EXTORTION IS NOT WELCOME IN A SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT!" Taka screamed.

"And nine-hundred? That's only a hundred less!" Hina stated, throwing her hands up.

"You call ten percent a huge discount?" Celeste questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Well, that's all the more reason why I shouldn't get a fortune from you."

"Hey, my fortunes are worth the price! Believe me!" Hiro cried out.

"That's only a hundred-dollar discount!" Makoto pointed out in disbelief. "And even then that's way too expensive!"

"Hey, come on! You should count yourself lucky that the Ultimate Clairvoyant is willing to tell your future!" Hiro said in offense.

"Yeah, right. Lucky." Makoto mumbled to himself.

"...So are you right every often?" Makoto inquired.

"I sure am!" Hiro confirmed. "At the bare minimum, I've got a 30% chance of accuracy!"

'30%? That sounds pretty sketchy….' Makoto thought skeptically.

"That isn't sketchy at all!" Hiro cried out.

"Um, it is." Hina backed up Makoto. "Who would a want fortune that's only 30% accurate?"

"A 30% chance of being accurate." Byakuya corrected. "Makes me wonder how that fool got people to buy those fortunes."

"You guys are haters! All of you!"

"For real? Don't make that face!" Hiro exclaimed angrily. "Didn't you hear what I said?! 30% of the time, I'm right! That includes natural disasters, election results, you name it! Don't you realize how amazing that is?!"

"Amazing?" Toko scoffed. "I-In your dreams."

"With that type of advertisement, I doubt anyone would pay for it." Junko remarked. "How did you earn a million bucks then?"

"Probably because our dear fortune teller don't mention that little fact. Am I wrong?" Celeste asked mischievously. Said fortune teller stayed silent at this.

"Umm…."

"Okay, fine!" Hiro huffed. "I'll give you a special trial run! After all, I've already seen what the future has in store for you!"

Makoto covered his face in his hands. This is not something he's look forward to reliving. Sayaka and Hina looked at him in concern. "What's wrong, Makoto?" Sayaka asked him. "What are we about to hear?"

"Something I pray to God doesn't happen." Makoto's muffled voice groan.

"What?! When did you see it?!" Makoto exclaimed.

"You won't believe what I saw," The clairvoyant snickered. "It would appear that the mother of your children, and the mother of my children, are the same woman!"

There was a small moment of silence before the class erupted with their reactions all at once.

"Say what?!" Hina recoiled in shock and disgust. "Eww!"

"I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT POLYGAMY IS ALSO ILLEGAL!" Taka cried out.

"That's your fortune, Makoto?!" Sayaka exclaimed, her spine crawling. Makoto merely nodded, his hands still covering his face.

Celeste's smile was eerily calm. "It would seem that your fortune is incorrect."

"What? But you don't know-"

"It would seem that it would be incorrect." Celeste repeated, with a bit more force.

Unfortunately, the fortune teller didn't see the warning of danger. "Hey, come on! Why are you so insistent that it's wr-"

"Hiro, you better shut up before I rip that porcupine head of yours!" Celeste shouted in rage, looking ready to do just that.

Hiro yelped and leaned way back into his chair. "Y-Yes, ma'am! Will do ma'am!"

Mondo sighed and facepalm. "Well, that's a fortune we can say for sure is wrong."

"Yeah." Leon agreed with a snort. "Like there's any girl would want to be with Hiro, of all people." Especially not any of 'these' girls.

Kyoko and Mukuro, while showing no noticeable hints of disgust, had their nose scrunched up after hearing it. The thought of being with Hiro, of all people….none of them wanted to consider that.

No one noticed the small smirk on Spirit's face.

"I refuse! Denied! Don't like it!" Makoto refuted immediately.

"Doesn't matter if you don't like it! That's just the way it is." Hiro told him.

"...30% accuracy, you said?"

"At least." Hiro answered.

'I-I pray to everything holy that you're wrong!' Makoto pleaded in his mind. 'Please, be wrong!'

"Don't worry, Makoto." Kyoko said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I can say with absolute certainty, that he's wrong."

"Yeah. No way the two of you will be with same woman." Sayaka said fervently. Hina, Mukuro, and Celeste nodded in thanks.

"Um, thanks." Makoto, while grateful for their confidence, was a bit confused. They really care that much about it?

At that thought, Leon, Mondo, Byakuya, and Toko felt the urge to facepalm.

"AGAIN, I MUST REMIND YOU THAT POLYGAMY IS ILLEGAL!" Taka cried out from his seat.

"Now then, since that was a special trial run, I'm afraid I can't apply the discount." Hiro stated. "That'll be one thousand dollars, please! Don't worry, you can pay me after we get outta here."

"Say what?! He's making you pay for a trial run?!" Hina exclaimed, mouth agape.

"That's not how a trial run works! Hell, that's not even how business works!" Leon sighed.

Makoto nodded with a sigh of his own. "He still wants me to."

"If you didn't ask for the fortune, then there is no need for you to pay for it." Mukuro said coldly, turning to Hiro. "Right, Hiro?"

Hiro gulped. "W-Well, I need to make a living som-" When he looked over and saw the intense look from the soldier, he reiterated. "I-I mean, right! Of course I wouldn't!"

Mukuro nodded and leaned back comfortably into her chair, satisfied with his answer.

"W-Wait, hold on-!" Makoto protested. "But there's no way you're gonna be right, right?!"

"If you like, I can do a reading right now to see whether my reading was right or not." Hiro offered. "Naturally, additional fees will apply!"

"Don't do it, it's a trap!" Hifumi squealed.

"Yeah, I knew that." Makoto sighed. "Still, it was tempting to know whether that fortune was right or not." He shuddered. "I do not want to imagine my children having the same mother as Hiro's."

"Is it really that bad of a thought?"

"Yes." Was the unanimous answer of everyone. The clairvoyant hung his head at this.

"MUST I KEEP REMINDING YOU THAT POLYGA-mmph!"

"Oh for crying out loud, shut up will you?" Mondo sighed as he held Taka down, with Chihiro silently apologizing on the biker's behalf.

Hiro then began leaving the classroom. "Think about it, okay? Let me know as soon as you're ready for my services." He then left with a laugh.

'Oh….he's gone….' Makoto thought absentmindedly. 'Do I have enough in my bank account to take another crack at it….?'

"...No!" Makoto shook his head, erasing that thought. "I can't bring myself to pay for something like that!" He then sighed. 'I can see how people could fall into that kind of cycle, though. That was close….'

"At least you had the common sense to shake that thought away." Byakuya remarked with a sigh.

"Yeah." The luckster agreed, sounding sheepish. "Otherwise, I would've ended up broke."

"Please, whoever's listening, I'm begging you," Makoto pleaded. "Whatever else happens, don't let him be right!"

'Definitely not!' Was the thought of all five girls with crushes on Makoto.

Leon scoffed. "The day I see Hiro with a girl is the day I see Byakuya dating Toko."

"Don't even entertain that nightmarish thought." Byakuya said coldly.

The scene switched to Makoto walking in the second hall once again. As he walked, he saw Taka checking out some of the classrooms. "Taka?" Makoto called out, getting the honor student's attention. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, hello Makoto!" Taka greeted with his usual energy. "Just checking out the classrooms, making sure they're in fit learning condition!"

"Why bother?" Hiro asked in confusion. "I mean, there's no teachers around to, know you, teach."

"Even so, it's best to make sure they're in top condition, so when the school is liberated, then they can be usable!" Taka stated. "After all, no one would want to be in unfit classrooms!"

"That should really be the least of their worries right now." Makoto said with a sweatdrop.

"Why?" He asked curiously.

"While there aren't any teachers around, some of us might want to continue studying in the classrooms!" Taka explained. "And it best to study in a clean and sturdy classroom!"

"That, too! Well said, future me!"

"Only you would study at a time like that!" Leon retorted.

'Of course.' Makoto thought with a sweatdrop.

"Hey, Makoto! As long as we're talking, let's REALLY talk, whaddya say?!" Taka requested.

"Huh?" Makoto was a bit startled at the request. "Oh, sure, that's fine…."

"Excellent!" Taka said cheerfully. "Then let's get down to the brass tacks and find out where we stand on all the big issues! So, what should we discuss? Politics? The economy? International affairs?!"

"...Are you having a normal conversation or a debate club?" Leon deadpanned.

"For Taka, it's one and the same." Celeste remarked. The Moral Compass studiously ignored the two.

"Wait, hold on." Makoto protested, holding his hands up. "Instead of a big, serious discussion, can't we just have a normal conversation? That's the best way to learn about people, I think."

"What do you mean by a 'normal conversation'?" Taka inquired.

"Umm….well, for example…." Makoto tried to think up of a good example. "What do you like to do in your spare time?"

"Study, of course!" Taka answered, as if it was obvious. "I'm a student, aren't I? A student must be a studying professional! And of course my duties as the chairperson of the moral committee keep me quite busy, after all! It's my duties to foster an environment in which we can all focus on our studies!"

"Okay, but….what else?" Makoto asked hesitantly. "Like when you're at home, or you just have some time to kill?"

"If I have time to kill, I study!"

"Holy crap!" Hina remarked with wide eyes bewilderment. "You know, there's such a thing as too much studying."

"There's never such a thing as too much studying!" Taka rebuked. "Like I said, a student must be studying professional!"

"If that's the case, why do we have idiots like Hiro and Leon?" Byakuya remarked.

"Hey!" Leon protested. "Don't saddle me up with Hiro! At least I get better grades than he does!"

"You guys are just mean." Hiro muttered dejectedly.

"I….see…."

Taka laughed in joy. "This is fun! Okay, my turn. Makoto! What do you like to do in your spare time?"

"Um, you know, just normal stuff." Makoto answered, rubbing the back of his head. "Watching TV, playing video games…."

"Huh? And this helps you study….how?"

"N-No, it's not about studying. It's just for fun, ya know?" Makoto tried to explain.

But Taka was having none of it. "But doing things 'just for fun' serves no purpose! There must be more to it. You wouldn't spend your valuable time doing something useless, would you?"

"I'm glad you and Mondo broke him out of that, somewhat." Leon muttered to Makoto. "But how did you convince him to change his mind about actually enjoying his life?"

"Um, you'll get that answer soon." Makoto answered sheepishly.

'He can insist all he wants, but in the end….' Then a thought came into Makoto's mind. 'But wait. Maybe….'

"You know how it's useful?" Makoto began. "It helps you give you something to talk about with other people!"

Leon whistled. "Nice one, dude."

"It helped in the long run, somewhat." Makoto said sheepishly.

That got Taka's attention. "Something to talk about….?"

"Like when you see something awesome on TV, or some awesome game, and you want to share it with someone." Makoto continued. "You'll find other people who feel the same way, and that's how you make friends. See?"

"Wh….?" Taka looked completely shock at this. "Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-?!" Finally, he shouted. "Of course! I was once blind, but now I finally see!"

The others recoiled in shock at this. "What the heck?!" Hina exclaimed in shock.

"What's wrong with him?" Junko questioned.

Taka was the one to answer. "He just made the realization of a lifetime."

"That kind of thing plagued me for years," Taka moaned. "I've tried making friends, but whenever I would make conversation, it would die after a few minutes. And now….I've finally found the answer…."

"I need to study more games! More TV shows!" Taka declared.

"Study games? TV shows?" Hifumi repeated in disbelief. "You don't study them! You enjoy them!"

"I fail to see the distinct difference."

"That's because you're a study freak, Taka." Leon deadpanned.

"N-No, you don't need to 'study' them…." Makoto attempted to tell him.

But Taka wasn't listening. "Ahh, I'm so ashamed of myself! If there was a hole somewhere around here, I'd totally hide in it! I let it get to me, I wasted all that time….I never saw the blind spot in my studies!"

"I'm a complete embarrassment!" Taka continued ranting. "I'm not qualified to even be on the morals committee, let alone lead it!"

"It's was the most shameful day for me!" Taka moaned dramatically. "But now I have improved, enough to be worthy to lead the moral committee!"

"Sometimes, I worry about you bro." Mondo admitted.

"I-I don't think it's that big of a deal…."

Taka interrupted him, stating this. "Thank you, Professor Makoto!"

"Professor?!" Makoto exclaimed in shock.

The others was also surprised by this. "He actually calls you a professor?" Junko asked Makoto, slightly amused. The luckster rubbed the back of his head sheepishly at this.

"Yeah. Been doing so whenever we have those kind of talks."

"And it's a rightfully earned title!" Taka declared. "Makoto has been teaching me things I severely lacked knowledge of, ways to make more friends!"

"Maybe Toko and Byakuya should have a class with Makoto?" Hiro asked.

The resulted in a glare Byakuya. "Care to repeat that, Hiro?"

Hiro gulped, "Nothing! I said nothing!"

"I thought so."

"You've taught me a most valuable lesson!" Taka explained. "You've earned my respect, and the title of professor!"

"Th-That's gonna make things super awkward….!"

Taka merely laughed at this. "There's no need to be modest, Professor! I can't wait for your next lesson! And until then, I will strive to learn as much as I can on my own! Well then, Professor- by your leave!" Without waiting for a reply, Taka went off.

Makoto blinked in slight bewilderment before slowly getting out of the classroom. As he walked around the hallway, he mused on the new title Taka gave him. "Professor…." 'That….doesn't sound to bad. Professor Makoto….'

Makoto blushed at that thought being revealed, especially when his friends turn to look at him. "So, being called a Professor doesn't so bad, huh?" Hina remarked with a grin.

"So, our little Makoto isn't so modest after all." Junko stated, with a similar grin.

"Lay off, you guys!" Makoto whined, his blush a bit bigger. "It's not like I developed a big ego from the title!"

Sayaka considered teasing Makoto about, the way she usually does, but decided not to. Their friendship had taken a crack, she's not sure she should do that right now.

"So the thought of being a teacher appeals to you... interesting." Kyoko spoke to herself, a small smirk on her face.

The redness on the luckster's cheek did not diminish. "Well, er, uh…."

"That's excellent! You would make for a wonderful teacher, Professor!" Taka stated passionately.

Byakuya sighed. "Let's continue this," Byakuya said firmly, much to Makoto's relief. "You all can tease Makoto about it, later."

"Byakuya!" The heir ignored his friend's shout.

The luckster stopped his musing when he noticed Hina leaning on the wall near the workout room. "Hina?" Makoto called out, walking towards her.

The girl didn't respond back, looking down sadly. "Is something wrong, Hina….?" Makoto asked in concern. Again, the swimmer didn't answer.

"W-Wow. The i-idiot swimmer really looked depressed." Toko noted.

"Oh come on, Toko!" Hina whined. "Are you really gonna revive that name again?!"

"She kinda has a point, though." Chihiro pointed out. "You do look rather down."

"I've reached my limit…." Hina moaned. "I'm stuck in here, can't do any sports, can't do anything! I'm sick of this!"

"Oh…." Was the overall reaction with the group. They forgot that this was torture for Hina, who possesses a near endless amount of energy.

Hina, at the reminder of her other's suffering, dropped her in head sympathy. "Oh, poor future me!"

"She has a pool though." Hifumi pointed out. "Why not use that?"

"Just a pool, isn't enough!" Hina argued. "I may love it, but I want to see the sunlight as I swim, feel the wind rushing around me as I come to the surface! With the windows all blocked, I can't have that!"

Sakura put a hand on Hina's shoulder, understanding what Hina's going through. After all, her own future self must feel limited, being confided in the school.

"I wanna get out under the sun and do some laps! Run a marathon! I wanna do some real SPORTS!"

"H-Hina!" Makoto slightly stepped back from the energetic girl. "Calm down, okay?!"

But that fell on deaf ears. "I can't do ANYTHING in here! If I can't move around, I'm gonna DIE, like a BUNNY RABBIT!"

"But…." Makoto brought up hesitantly. "I always heard rabbits die from loneliness…."

Cue facepalms. "Really, Makoto?" Leon sighed. "While Hina's comparison was god awful, did you have to say that?"

"Well, it's true, right?"

"I doubt she fucking cares right now." Mondo stated.

"Whatever! I'm gonna die if I can't get some proper physical activity!" Hina exclaimed.

"Don't think you think that's a little extreme….?" Makoto pointed out.

"You think I'm kidding, don't you?" Hina accused. "But I seriously can't sit still, you know? Why else would I have joined six sport teams in school?"

Makoto's eyes widen in shock. "Six?!"

"No matter how many times I hear it, I'm still surprise that she can do that many sports." Leon muttered loudly. "She has the energy of my entire baseball team."

"I'm still wondering how Hina gets all this energy from." Celeste mused on. "It's like she doesn't run out, at all."

"She definitely has as much energy as few of the soldiers in Fenrir." Mukuro said. If she had the skills to fight in battle and the instincts of a survivor, she would've been a valuable soldier.

"Yeah!" Hina confirmed. "Track, basketball, softball, volleyball, tennis, and the big one….the big one?" Before she could finish, she ran out of energy.

Makoto then finished it. "It's swimming, right?"

"Yeah, you got it…." Hina nodded. Then she let out a groan. "I don't even care what stroke it is. Just get me in a pool under the blue sky!"

"But isn't it hard to do that many sports, even for you?" Makoto pointed out.

"If I can't move, I'll just shrivel up and die," Hina stated. "And I need a challenge! More and more new stuff to try….!"

"A challenge….?"

"What I really love about sports isn't winning, ya know?" Hina began explaining. "It's having to fight and struggle and give it all to reach the top. It's that excitement, that fear you might suffer a heartbreaking loss. And then when you finally reach that goal, it's just….lonely. It's lonely at the top, ya know?"

Several blinked at that small speech she gave. "Wow, Hina." Chihiro said in awe. "That's very profound."

"I agree. Who knew that the athletic airhead have a philosophical side?" Celeste voiced.

Byakuya nodded. "Almost surprising as Hiro spouting intelligence."

"Is there a time the two of you aren't being hurtful?" Hina whined.

Makoto looked at Hina in amazement. 'I can't really relate, since I never really got into sports.' Makoto thought to himself. 'But I could tell that the reason Hina was so amazing was how hard she could fight and struggle.'

Hina blushed at hearing Makoto's thought. "You….really think that I'm amazing, Makoto?"

The luckster, who was blushing at having his thoughts reveal once again, nodded. "The fact that you do sports for that struggle, instead of just to win, is amazing Hina. That part of you is really special."

The swimmer have a deep blush on her face. "Thank you." She muttered, looking away, leaving the other girls slightly displeased by the lack of praise going their way.

"So that's why I want to push myself as hard as possible when it comes to swimming." Hina began concluding. "I want to aim for the very highest mountaintop!"

"The highest mountaintop….?"

"I'm talkin' about the gold metal, of course!" Hina declared. "Aim for the gold, even if it means I'm a super gold spaz!"

'Did she just call herself….?' Makoto thought in confusion. Shaking his head, he began speaking. "Okay, but if that's what you want, isn't that all the more reason? If you have a goal, why are you standing around making excuses?"

"Hey!" Hina shouted in offense. "When did she said that she's making excuses?!"

"Just let future me explain." Makoto said, holding his hands up.

"Excuses?" Hina repeated. That got her slightly angry. "Hey! When did I ever make any excuses?!"

"Sure, maybe we're stuck in her right now, with no way out." Makoto continued. "But if you really want to make an effort, shouldn't you try to see what you can do in here?"

Hina blinked at this. "...Yeah, he's right." She said, somewhat to herself. "If I want to get that gold medal, I need to the very best I could and not make any excuses."

"And this is why we come to Makoto for advice." Sakura said with a smile.

"Yeppers!" Junko chirped. "He's like our personal counselor!" The luckster rubbed his head sheepishly as he blushed. He doesn't think it's that big of a deal.

Hina recoiled in shock at this. "Th-That's a challenge! You just made an official challenge!" She then frown in thought. "But….I think you're right. If I want to get that gold medal, I have to make every effort I can. I want to become a 'genius of effort'! I bet Ian Thorpe said something like that!"

"Yeah! I can't go around making excuses, just cuz we're stuck in here!" Hina decided. "Alright! I think I'm gonna go do some push-ups in my room! Like maybe around a thousand or something!" With that, Hina ran out of the hallway.

"I'm still trying to figure out how much energy she has to burn." Sayaka admitted with a sigh. "It's almost endless."

"No argument there." Leon remarked. "I mean, seriously, what normal person would do a thousand push-ups?"

"Any exercise nut in Hope's Peak." Junko chimed.

Makoto smiled as he watched her go. "She recovered as fast and strong as I would have expected…."

"Yeah. It's definitely not a surprise there." Makoto said. "There are very few things that could keep her down."

"Uh-huh."

"Definitely."

"It's extremely difficult to keep her depressed for long."

Hina blushed at the compliments washed over her. Then, she realized something. 'Wait a minute….I got some alone time with Makoto!' She grinned at this. 'Woohoo!'

At the same time, Kyoko, Mukuro, Celeste, and Sayaka felt the urge to glare at Hina.

The scene then switched to Makoto entering the room. 'Another day, gone….' Makoto thought tiredly. 'But even though today is over….this 'game' definitely isn't. How long is this gonna keep going?' With that thought in mind, he laid down in bed.

The next morning, Makoto and the others are gathered hall once again. The only ones not present were Toko and Byakuya. "Is this….everyone?" Taka asked hesitantly. "It feels a little….small."

'Byakuya and Toko stormed off yesterday.' Makoto recalled. 'It's not that surprising they're aren't here right now.'

Some frowned as they recalled what they had seen in the library. "Right. I briefly forgot that Byakuya decided not to join us for breakfast." Taka said with a sigh. "With the suspicion of someone poisoning his food."

"And Toko, being the loyal fucking puppy she is, followed his lead." Mondo remarked irritably.

"I-I am not a dog!"

"Even the table looks bigger somehow." Taka noted sadly.

"I assume that is because three people are dead, and two are abstaining." Celeste pointed out.

"Which leaves two-third still united, somewhat." Celeste stated with a sigh. "Or five-eighth, counting Junko."

"Definitely an decrease in our numbers." Sayaka said sadly.

"Yeah, I guess with five people missing, I guess it would feel kinda empty." Makoto admitted sadly.

"Still….I know Byakuya's whatever, but should we check on Toko?" Hina asked in concern.

"I vote no. She's super annoying." Hiro stated.

Toko glared at Hiro for that. "Y-You're more annoying, you cowardly fortune teller!"

"I'm not cowardly!"

'You kinda are, Hiro.' Makoto deadpanned, remembering when Hiro begged him to donate his organs. That's a conversation he remembers quite well.

"How can you be so cold?" Celeste questioned. "You are like a piece of rock candy."

"What?! No, rock candy isn't cold! It's sweet!" Taka refuted.

"...Anyway, Byakuya's the real problem." Mondo went back to the main subject. "If we don't keep an eye on him, he might really kill someone. You can see it in his eyes…."

He growled. "We got no choice! Get some rope! We're gonna hafta keep him bound and gagged!"

"Oh, that's a good idea! Tie him up to stop him from doing anything crazy!" Hina stated. Then she started pondering. "Maybe we can do that to him whenever he gets too uppity?"

Leon grinned at that. "I would pay good money to see that!"

"Try it, and you'll regret it." Byakuya remarked coldly.

"I think that's going a little overboard…." Makoto said nervously.

"He's right! In this situation, there's nothing scarier than when an ally turns loose cannon!" Taka stated. "It's just like when we were kids, and someone would go crazy at sports day or whatever!"

"What the fuck are you talking about?!" Mondo exclaimed. "You gonna use the rope to do tug of war or something?! Idiot!"

Taka recoiled in shock at this. "I'm not an idiot….!" He then pointed a finger at Mondo. "YOU'RE an idiot!"

"Who are you callin' stupid?!" Mondo growled.

The group was a bit surprise at seeing Mondo and Taka fighting. "Wow, I did not see that coming." Junko whistled. "I'm used to seeing those all buddy-buddy now."

"I'm with you there." Hina agreed. "I forgot that the two of them were at each other's throat in the beginning."

"As it should be! Bro and I now have a brotherly bond so strong that nothing can break it!" Taka declared passionately.

"Damn straight!" Mondo agreed with the moral compass. "Anyone tries to, and I'll pound their face in!"

Makoto sighed as they began arguing before noticing a saddened Chihiro across from him. "Huh? What's wrong, Chihiro? You don't look so great…."

"Oh, I'm just going through some….self-loathing." Chihiro explained.

"Self-loathing?" Makoto repeated.

"But why are you mad at yourself?" Sayaka asked in concern.

Chihiro looked away. "I have a guess, but I think future me will explain."

"Huh? Self-loathing?"

"Well, after what Byakuya said to me yesterday….I just got so nervous, I locked up. I couldn't say anything." Chihiro explained further. "Mondo ended up having to help me out. And even 'he' said I was someone who 'can't fight back'. I….I hate how weak I am."

"Mondo! You made Chihiro depressed!" Sayaka said with a glare.

The biker held his hands up. "How was he supposed to know what to say in front of her?!" Then he sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "But….sorry, Chihiro. I know that's a sensitive topic for you."

Chihiro smiled. "It's okay, Mondo. I don't hold it against you."

"Ahh, I see. So Mondo made you depressed." Hina sighed.

"What?! How's it my fault?!" Mondo exclaimed. "I wasn't tryin' to be mean! Besides, girls are just naturally weak anyway right?!"

"Wait a minute….we girls are what now?" Junko asked slowly, turning towards the biker. Hina, Kyoko, Sakura, Mukuro, and Sayaka also turned to the biker, each of them having an intense glare.

Mondo, along with some of the other guys, paled. "Well, I, what I meant was….." Mondo struggled to find the right words.

Celeste giggled. "Ahh, when the hunter becomes the hunted. This will be interesting."

"You fool! Those are one of the many things you don't say about girls! Your hp will take a direct hit!" Hifumi exclaimed.

"Girls, please don't get angry at Mondo." Chihiro pleaded with the girls. "Besides, he didn't mean anything bad about it."

The girls stared at Mondo for a moment longer before turning away. "Fine. But only because you say so, Chihiro." Hina sighed. It's hard refusing something from Chihiro.

Chihiro was silent for a moment. Then, slowly, started crying, startling Mondo. "Are you….crying?"

"It's cuz you were screaming like a lunatic!" Hina pointed out. Chihiro continued crying, with some small hiccups coming out of her.

Chihiro looked away from herself, shame coursing her body. She really was weak, if simply yelling could make her cry.

At least she's getting a bit better….but not as much as she would like.

"Hey, c'mon, don't cry," Mondo slightly pleaded. "I-It's my fault, okay? I won't yell at you anymore…."

"Really? Not sure I can believe that…." Hina said in doubt.

"J-Just shut up," Mondo told her. Then an idea come into his head. "I got! I'll make you a promise as a man!"

Chihiro looked up at that. "Promise….as a man?"

"Maybe I mentioned this before, but….ever since I was a kid, there was one thing my brother told me over and over again." Mondo explained. "He said no matter what, a real man ALWAYS keeps his promises. That's what he left me."

"Left you?" Hifumi inquired.

"Oh yeah….my brother's dead." Mondo informed, looking down.

Mondo looked down, gripping his fist. Chihiro and Taka patted his shoulder in comfort.

"Oh….I see…." Is all what Makoto could say.

"Anyways, I don't wanna talk about it. Don't wanna make you guys cry!" Mondo then grinned at Chihiro. "Anyway, so you can trust me when I make that promise. So you don't gotta cry anymore!"

Chihiro wiped the tears out of her eyes. "O-Okay." Chihiro then smiled at Mondo. "Thank you….Mondo."

"S-Sure…." Mondo looked away with a slight blush.

Mondo turned away, feeling a bit weird. Damn it, does Chihiro have play such a convincing girl?

"But….I still don't like how I am right now. I have to get stronger." Chihiro stated, the smile gone. "If I'm so weak anything can make me cry….that's not good."

"Well, you're getting better." Leon noted. "It's getting harder for some things to make you cry.

"But still, I don't think I'm as strong I as I want to be yet." Chihiro said, wringing her wrists a little.

"Still, don't stress out too much about having to get stronger." Makoto advised.

Chihiro shook her head. "No….I want to get stronger. Maybe I should….start working out."

"In that case, I would be happy to help you out anytime." Sakura offered.

"B-But then Miss Fujisaki would get smashed into a billion pieces!" Hifumi screamed.

"Shut up, you." Hina slightly growled.

"What makes you think Sakura would do that?!" Hina questioned.

"Cause Miss Ogami is so big and Miss Fujisaki is so little!" Hifumi exclaimed. "The training Sakura does would break her!"

"Honestly, Hifumi, I wouldn't put her in that level of training." Sakura huffed. "I would make sure she does something that fits her strength level."

Chihiro giggled as she watches the interaction. "Oh, finally cracked a smile, huh?" Hiro noted.

"Y-Yeah…." The programmer smiled at everyone. "Everyone….thank you."

Makoto smiled at this. 'Looks like Chihiro's got some life back.' He thought to himself. 'Yeah, if we keep helping each other out like this….we're bound to get out of this place sooner or later!'

"There's that limitless optimism." Kyoko said with a small smile.

"Yep. Even with everything that's happening, Makoto is still as optimistic as ever!" Hina cheered.

'There's gotta be a breaking point somewhere...' Junko thought with an evil smile. She knows that her future self would try hard to break that hope of his.

'But still,' The scene switched to Makoto entering his room. 'The main problem is Byakuya and Toko. How can I get to know them better?'

"That'll be an uphill fight." Taka mused. "Especially in the current situation we're watching."

"Yeah, but I believe Makoto can win their hearts!" Hina stated in confidence. "If he could do it once, he could do it again!"

"I admit, Makoto is probably one of the few I can stand to have a conversation with." Byakuya admitted. "It's a possibility that he can snap my future self out of it."

Makoto couldn't help but blush at the confidence the others have on him. He really hope he could live up to that confidence.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 29: Watching Chapter 2: Boys' Life of Despair Part 5

The scene changed to Makoto walking in the hallway. 'I'll check on Toko. See if she's alright, and maybe talk to her.' Makoto decided.

After a moment from pressing Toko's doorbell, she hesitantly came out from her room. "W-What do you want?" Toko asked him.

"Well, I just wanted to check up on you, that's all." Makoto told her.

The writer looked at him with confusion and suspicion. "W-Why would you want to check up on me?"

"Welp, it's not like she's any better now." Leon commented.

"S-Shut up!"

"Well, I mean, you know," Makoto said, trying to come up with the right words. "We're trapped together, right? If we're gonna be friends, it's good to make sure we're alright."

"Huh?" His words seemed to startled Toko. "What'd you s-say?"

Makoto looked at her in confusion. "U-Um…."

"After the p-part about being trapped," Toko clarified. "We're gonna be wh-what?"

"Uh….friends?" Makoto repeated, wondering what's wrong. That brought a snicker out of Toko.

"Whaddya mean, friends?! You think I'm stupid?" Toko questioned him aggressively. "You're trying to trick me! I've already been h-hurt once before….I'm not gonna l-let it happen again….!"

"Damn. You really are paranoid." Mondo stated. "Who the hell stabbed you in the back and rubbed salt deep in the wound?"

"L-Like I would tell you!" Toko shot back.

'Youve been hurt? What happened….?' Makoto thought in concern.

"Come on, y-you don't really care about m-me," Toko continued. "You don't want to kn-know about me! I know that….!"

"N-No, that's not true….!" Makoto protested.

Toko scoffed. "Fine. Then t-tell me…."

"Tell you what?"

"You know why they c-call me the Ultimate Writing Prodigy, right?" She asked him.

Makoto nodded. "Yeah, sure. You've won all kinds of literature prizes and stuff."

"Then tell me wh-what I'm good at," Toko demanded. "Tell m-me what my genre specialty is! If you r-really wanna convince me you give a crap, you sh-should at least know that….!"

"I'm guessing the two of you had this conversation before?" Taka inquired. "If so, what would've happened if he didn't knew the answer?"

"I w-wouldn't be surprise and scoff at h-him." Toko answered. "M-Maybe tell him to go away."

"Glad I did know." Makoto said with a nervous chuckle.

Makoto answered with only a second to think about it. "It's romance, of course."

"Oh….you a-actually knew?" Toko asked in shock.

"Your biggest success was 'So Lingers the Ocean', right?" Makoto continued. "Everyone says it's your masterpiece. The book was such a hit that fishermen shot to the top of all 'Hottest Men' polls….right?"

"H-How did you know all that….?" She asked, looking like she's about to panic. "There's no way you c-care about me….!"

"I'm telling you, I do!" Makoto insisted. "I mean, we're friends, aren't we?"

Toko shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. "S-So, straightforward."

"That honest nature of is amusing sometimes." Celeste remarked with a giggle. A few nodded in agreement while Makoto flushed a little once again.

That caused Toko to recoil in shock. "I'm blind! Your s-straightforward nature blinded me!" With a scream of a banshee, she ran back into her room and slammed the door.

All the while, Makoto looked on in confusion. "I'm not really sure….does she hate me now?" He sighed to himself. "So much for checking if she's alright."

"Did that happened when you first spoke with Toko?" Sayaka asked Makoto curiously.

The luckster nodded. "The difference was that I tried to small talk with her, and that we were in library. I has checking the books there, and saw Toko reading alone."

"Hmph. And I-I was enjoying being a-alone, thank you." Toko grumbled. But inwardly, she's glad Makoto made the effort to talk to her. It helped open up that inferior shell she made for herself, if only a little.

Makoto was about to leave, when heard somebody nearby. "No…."

"Huh?" Curious, he turned around to see Chihiro standing around , a cute frown on her face.

"No….!"

"What's wrong, Chihiro?" Makoto asked, walking towards her.

"Ahh, it's hurt…." Chihiro responded, looking as if she's struggling a little.

"Huh? What's hurts, Chihiro?" Hina asked, automatically concern.

"Did something happen to you?" Sayaka asked, equally concern. Some of the others also looked immediately concern for the programmer.

Chihiro waved her hands rapidly from the concern being received at her. "No, no, it's okay. If i remember correctly, it's nothing major."

"Huh?" Immediately, Makoto grew concern. "Did you get hurt, Chihiro?"

"Oh, well….not really." Chihiro answered. "I got bit by a mosquito last night."

That settled the group down. "Oh, good. Just a mosquito bite." Sayaka said in relief.

"And how much do you want to bet Chihiro let it bite her?" Leon remarked in amusement.

"Hey!" Chihiro pouted.

"A mosquito….?" Makoto repeated. "Oh, I figured something serious had happened, since you were saying how it hurt."

"Oh, did I give you the wrong impression?" She asked. A guilty look entered her face. "S-Sorry!"

"You don't have to apologize. It was my own fault." Makoto reassured her. "But you said it hurts? Did it really bite you that hard?"

"Yeah, see? Look." Chihiro held out her arm, which revealed a big red bump on her pale skin. Makoto's eyes widen in alarm at this.

"Holy cow!"

"Yep. She definitely let that mosquito get a good bite out of her." Junko stated. "Just like last time."

"No argument here." Leon agreed.

"How dare such a vile creature attack the innocent!" Hifumi shot out.

"It's way past itchy now. It really hurts….!" Chihiro whined a little.

"But why's it so big?" Makoto inquired. "Did it bite you while you were sleeping or something?"

"Oh, no. I was awake." Chihiro informed him.

"But you didn't notice?"

"No, I noticed. But…."

"But what?" The luckster asked.

"Well, I felt it bite me, and I looked down at it." Chihiro explained. "But I didn't do anything. I just sat there and watched it suck my blood…."

That baffled Makoto. "You just watched? Why didn't you smack it?"

"Cuz….that would've killed, right?" Chihiro answered.

Sakura sighed. "You are far too kind Chihiro. Even more so than Makoto and Hina."

"Heck, you still haven't changed that much now." Mondo added. Chihiro pouted a little more.

"Well, bugs are living things too. I don't want to kill them."

"Well yeah, but…."

Chihiro continued. "It must have been really hungry to suck that much blood. If it was that hungry, it would've been really sad not to let it have anything."

"But….it's just a mosquito." Was all Makoto could say.

"Mosquitos are living things too, though." Chihiro argued softly. "It might have its own mosquito family…."

'It will be hard to get her into killing.' Junko remarked with a mental sigh. 'Well, there's one thing that could get her into a killing spree…..or rather, him, into a killing spree.' Yeah, she knows that Chihiro is a boy. It didn't take her so long to figure it out, thanks to her Ultimate Analyst ability.

She wonder what would happen if Chihiro's got threaten to have that secret be revealed…..oh, the thought of that despair excites her so much!

"S-Sorry. I know that's dumb…."

"No, really, you don't have to apologize." Makoto reassured her once again. "But don't go scratching it, okay? That'll just make things worse."

"But what if it gets so itchy I can't take it?" Chihiro whined once again.

Makoto thought about it for a moment. "Well….in that case, just take the tip of your fingernail and push it into the bump. That'll help."

Chihiro's eyes widen slightly at that. "Wow, I had no idea….!" A smile lit up her face. "You're so smart, Makoto!"

Sayaka couldn't help but let out a tiny squeal at the smile. "That smile of yours is so very cute, Chihiro!"

"Like a tiny, little animal!" Hina agreed readily. "I just want to hug and cuddle if you smile like that!"

The programmer's adorable nature caused everyone else to lighten up in their own unique ways.

'That smile of hers. It's like a cute, tiny little animal.' Makoto couldn't help but think. 'Does she do that on purpose? If so, that's a whole other level of scary.'

"Indeed, that is scary." Hifumi agreed. "She could take advantage of any guy, and even girls, and use them however she like."

"I-I wouldn't do that!" Chihiro denied. "It's not nice to use people like that!"

The two petite Ultimates began walking together. "But anyway, don't you think it's kinda strange?"

"Huh? What is?" Makoto asked curiously.

"Well this school is completely sealed off, right?" Chihiro rhetorically asked. "So how'd a mosquito get in?"

"Yeah, Miss Fujisaki have a good point." Hifumi agreed. "How did a mosquito got into the school?"

"It probably came from the Greenhouse." Kyoko answered easily. "Several bugs have gone their before."

"Maybe there's somewhere here in the school where bugs can live and grow. Some kind of….nature-y spot."

'A "nature-y" place in the school….? Well, I can't say for sure that there's not.' Makoto thought to himself.

Another idea popped into Chihiro's mind. "Or, or, or! Maybe there's a secret passage somewhere that leads out of the school!" Chihiro suggested excitingly.

'A secret passage….' Makoto shook out of the thought. "Well, even if there's not, I'm sure we'll get out of here somehow. As long as we all work together, I'm sure we'll be out of here in no time!"

"You're right! Working together is super important." Chihiro agreed, a smile on her face. But then, smile slowly went down and she let a heavy sigh.

"That didn't sound good.." Mondo noticed.

That got Makoto's attention. "What's wrong? That seemed like a pretty heavy sigh…."

"Oh, sorry…." Chihiro apologized. "It's just, everyone else is working so hard to get us out of here, but I'm no help at all."

"That's what you're thinking about, Chihiro?" Sayaka shook her head. "You shouldn't feel guilty or sad about that. It's not like there's much to help with."

"And besides, you did more than Celeste, Toko, and Hifumi does." Leon pointed out. "When we first started looking around, the first three just stand around at the gym when they first started searching around the school."

Chihiro looked down. But can she do more for the group?

"Th-That's not true at all!" Makoto protested.

"It's okay, you don't have to try and make me feel better." Chihiro said, looking down sadly. "I know it's the truth. I'm completely useless without a computer in front of me. At least if I were a little stronger or something, then I'd be able to help somehow…."

"Listen, you'll get your chance." Makoto insisted. "I'm sure there'll be a time when your skills come in handy. So you don't have to worry much, okay?"

Chihiro couldn't help but look up at this. Is that really true? Could her skills….come in handy? A smile entered her lips at the thought. She certainly hopes that's true.

Chihiro looked up at this. "My skills might….come in handy?" A smile entered Chihiro's lips. "If I get a chance, I'm gonna work super hard to chip in! When it comes to computers, you can count on me!"

'You're right about that.' Makoto silently agreed on. 'No matter what anyone might say, you're still the Ultimate Programmer!'

"There's no doubt about that." Hina chirped. "I would be a mess when it comes to that programming stuff."

"If there's anyone capable of handling computers, it's Chihiro." Sakura agreed with a smile.

Mondo grinned at Chihiro. "Yeah, no one can match our little programmer. Hell, if Monokuma is connected to a computer, I would worry!"

Chihiro looked at everyone in slight amazement in their confidence in her. Makoto smiled at her. "I'm sure I'm right about this. You'll definitely get your chance at computers!"

The smile on Chihiro's face got bigger. "I hope that times come! I know I will work extremely hard on it!"

Curiosity then entered his face. "Speaking of which, how did you get into programming?"

"Huh….?" Chihiro broke out of her excitement at the question.

"Well, I mean….I always assumed most programmers were guys, so…." Makoto trailed off.

Chihiro was silent for a moment. "Is it really that weird….?" Chihiro asked hesitantly.

"N-No, nothing like that!" Makoto reassured quickly. "I was just curious on what got you interested in it. I mean, why programming of all things?"

"That is a valid question." Byakuya agreed. "There has to be a reason you're interested in it." Some of the others looked curious as well.

"Well, I think I'll be explaining that in a second." Chihiro said.

"Why….?" Chihiro mused on that. "I mean, there isn't much of a reason. I've always been kind of weak, ya know. I was never able to run around with my friends or anything. We had a computer at home, so I'd kill time poking around with it. And I found out I really liked it!"

"My dad was a software engineer, and he had a bunch of programs on there that'd he built." She continued explaining. "I found one of them and started playing around with it, adding stuff here and there, and that was how I ended up making my very first program."

"Interesting….what kind of program was it?" Makoto asked her.

"A kind of database software." Chihiro answered.

"Database software…."

"A user could communicate with it, and it would take that information and find what they were looking for." Chihiro explained. "It was a way of interacting with the computer without having to physically type things out."

It took Makoto a minute before he figured it out. "You used voice recognition, is that it?"

"Yep, exactly!" Chihiro confirmed happily. "You could talk to it, and it could talk back. It was a lot of fun!"

"It's amazing that Chihiro was able to create something like that as a child." Taka remarked in awe. "It certainly showed that she earned her Ultimate title."

"Our little computer nerd has both looks and brains!" Junko chirped. 'Both alive and dead!' She mentally added.

Chihiro flushed at this, and shifted uncomfortably.

"It didn't even really sound like me! I would get totally absorbed in talking to it….

'It's like a kid recording themselves and playing it back again….' Makoto couldn't help but think in amusement.

"Yeah, it sure does!" Hina giggled.

"It just makes me want to hug and never let her go!" Sayaka declared, getting a chuckle from Makoto. His blue haired friend is like this whenever Chihiro does something she deems 'cute'.

"The key part of the program was getting it into recognize what I was saying." Chihiro explained. "The recognition accuracy was the most important thing. Japanese is kinda hard, so it was pretty challenging."

"But you were able to do it eventually?"

"Yup!" Chihiro confirmed. "And right around then, my dad found out I'd messed with his software without permission. I thought I was gonna get in so much trouble, but all he said was how impressed he was! The software was able to take natural speech and pull out key search terms to retrieve information. My dad said it worked so well, it was gonna change the face of software interaction all over the world!"

"I have to admit, that's true." Byakuya admitted. "I've more than a few businesses that uses your programming, including the Togami Corporation."

"R-Really?" Chihiro asked in surprise.

Byakuya nodded. "Using voice recognition is fairly convenient for several workers." Chihiro smiled widely at this.

"The development costs are still pretty expensive, so it hasn't spread out that much yet, but…." She shook her head out of the thought. "Anyway, I've been addicted to programming ever since. I can't tell you how happy it made me to be able to make others happy!"

Makoto couldn't help but smile at Chihiro's excitement. 'It's obvious how much you love computers. You seem to just….light up when you start talking about them.'

"Yeah." Leon agreed with his friend. "There isn't a time where Chihiro doesn't light up like a christmas tree when talking about computers."

Several nods of agreement were around while Chihiro flushed a little.

"Ah!" Chihiro's eyes widen when she realized how much she talked. "Sorry, I spent all this time just talking about myself….."

"No, I had a lot of fun learning more about you!" Makoto reassured.

Chihiro looked surprise by that. "Huh? Really….?"

"Yup!" Makoto confirmed. "I hope you'll tell me even more next time."

"O-Okay!" A smile once again formed on Chihiro's face. "Let's hang out again sometime! It's a promise, okay?" Makoto nodded in agreement.

"The two of you get along so well!" Sayaka said happily. She wasn't really jealous of Chihiro. Her intuition tells her that the programmer isn't interested in her favorite lucky student and vice versa. "Like brother and sister."

"It's really cute!" Hina chirped.

Makoto flushed and laughed a little. "Yeah, I guess we really do."

"It is fun talking with Makoto." Chihiro said with a beaming smile.

The next scene showed Makoto walking towards the library. 'Let's see if I get to know Byakuya better.' Makoto thought to himself.

"Are you actually going towards Byakuya?" Leon asked incredulously. He shook his head. "You are determined to make friends with everyone."

"More like stubborn." Byakuya sighed.

"You're walking into a trap!" Hifumi cried.

Makoto could only chuckle sheepishly at this.

Before he could get near the door, someone walked out. That someone was Byakuya. "Oh, Byakuya!" Makoto exclaimed in surprise. "You finished reading?"

Byakuya nodded. "For today." He narrowed his eyes at Makoto. "I have a question for you."

"Huh? You do?" Makoto asked in surprise.

"Something's been bothering me for a while now, and I can't take it anymore." Byakuya continued. "So to answer my question, I need you to explain to me what exactly your 'Ultimate Lucky Student' title means."

"Really?" Hina questioned. "You've been wondering what his title means? That's what been bothering you?"

"Of course not." Byakuya said with an eye roll. "The explanation will give me the answer to my question, you simpleton. It's not too hard to understand that."

"At the same time, given your intellect, one would think you would have easily deduced what his title means as well." Kyoko replied, to which Byakuya ignored.

Makoto, meanwhile, groaned, knowing the results of this conversation.

"Oh, well…." Makoto thought about his title for a moment. "I don't totally get it myself, but what I do know is that I was picked at random from a pool of normal students."

"So you just got into Hope's Peak by blind luck." Byakuya summarized. He nodded to himself. "Well, that answers my question."

"What was the question….?"

"How a commoner like you, with absolutely no unique talents or abilities, could get into this school." Byakuya remarked. He paused for a moment. "Oh, I forgot to mention boring. How a boring, untalented, utterly genetic commoner got in…."

'Boring? Generic….?'

"Seriously, Byakuya? Did you have to say it like that?" Hina remarked with a small scowl. "And Makoto isn't boring!"

"Jeez, he's not even talking about me and I can feel the sting..." Hiro added.

"This is Byakuya we're talking about." Celeste retorted. "The Togami heir doesn't hold back from stating his opinion."

The words stung the luckster a little. "D-Did you really have to list all that off?"

"But it's the truth." Byakuya stated.

"Maybe compared to you, the Ultimate Affluent Progeny and all…." Makoto insisted. "But even I-!"

But the heir wasn't hearing none of it. "You seem to think title it's merely an issue. But make no mistake, my lineage, intelligence, figure, athletic ability-they are all ultimate. Which is to say, I am the Ultimate Perfection. Feel free to begin calling me that, in fact."

"O-Oh, master." Toko sighed, a bit of drool coming out of her. "Always s-so cool."

The group just ignored Toko. "Damn, I forgot how arrogant the old Byakuya is." Leon deadpanned. "Like seriously, Ultimate Perfection?"

"More like the Ultimate Ego." Junko giggled.

"I'm very glad he mellowed down, somewhat." Kyoko sighed. "Otherwise, he would've been unbearable to be around." The heir decided to ignore his classmates' comments on him.

'He's really taking this to the extreme….' Makoto thought to himself.

"You, who have nothing. I, who have everything." Byakuya continued arrogantly. "We are living proof that all men are not created equal. You have my pity, Makoto. Life can be very cruel indeed." Makoto could only be silent through the derogatory speech.

Taka couldn't help but scowl at this. Geniuses like Byakuya has no respect for those below them, or those who work hard in their life. It's one of the reasons why he strongly dislike geniuses.

Mukuro's fingers clutched her arm rest a little tighter as she listened to Byakuya speak. Usually, she would have felt indifferent to anyone that wasn't Junko or Makoto speaking. 'This is unexpectedly frustrating... I wonder if everyone else feels the same way...'

"Okay, the more that dude speak, the more I want to punch his fucking lights out." Mondo mumbled/growled. Some nodded in agreement to this.

"And because I pity you so much, perhaps someday I'll allow you to hear my tale of glory." Byakuya declared. He then walked away from the luckster. "Consider it a blessing, a gift from me to you, to allow you to bask in my glory."

"Yeah, I would return that gift to the cashier. REFUND PLEASE!" Junko said.

"Or, chuck it out the window." Leon offered.

"Or, dump it into the incinerator." Sayaka added in.

Byakuya merely scoffed at them.

As Byakuya left, Makoto just stood there, processing everything he heard. "I learned one thing about Byakuya today," Makoto said to himself. "Anytime I talk to him, I need to be prepared for extreme psychological trauma."

"It's a wonder you're still sane, considering how many times you talked to him." Mondo whistled.

Makoto chuckled sheepishly. "What can I say? I can take verbal punishment better than physical punishment."

"No doubt there." Leon snorted.

As he was about to go in the library, an angry voice entered into the hallway. "Ahh, dammit!"

A bit startled, he turned to the direction of the voice to see Mondo, pacing a little and clearly looking angry. "Mondo?" The luckster got closer to the biker.

"Bastard! Dammit bastard son of a bitch!"

"Whoa!" Hina yelped in surprise. "You are really mad!"

"What's the matter bro?" Taka asked in concern.

The biker sighed. "I think I entered my limit being trapped in that fucking building."

And immediately stepped back at the string of curses. "What's wrong? Why are so mad?"

"Why am I mad?" Mondo repeated angrily. "Why am I mad?! Can't you SEE why I'm mad?! I need to get outta here! I need to get out and run wild!"

"Yep. I'm fucking right."

"You exercise fanatics are very jumpy when trapped in an isolated building." Celeste noted.

"I'm so pissed off right now! Shit!"

"I-I know how you feel, but….just don't do anything crazy, okay?" Makoto spoke hesitantly.

Mondo then suddenly made a suggestion. "Hey, how about we have a one-on-one?!"

"One-on-one?!"

"Relax. It's just a bare knuckle brawl. No weapons." The biker stated. "No weapons. Whaddya say?!"

"Are you crazy?!" Hina exclaimed. "Makoto wasn't even able to handle one hit from you!"

"And now you want to fight him?!" Sayaka questioned in disbelief and slight anger.

Mondo slightly looked away at the girls. "Well, I have to get that pent up energy out somehow."

"Then find someone else to spar with." Mukuro said curtly, sending the biker a glare.

"H-Hold on!" Makoto protested, waving his hands. "Friends can't fight each other!"

"But that's the only way I can burn off all this energy!"

"But I mean….I've never even been in a fight before," Makoto argued. An idea then pop in his head. "Oh, I know! Why don't you go ask Sakura?!"

The suggestion surprised Mondo out of his anger. "What….?"

"I mean, you can spar with her, right?" Makoto continued. "You don't have to actually fight, but just….train."

"One problem though," Leon remarked. "Mondo doesn't hit girls."

"Even girls capable of defending themselves, such as Mukuro and Sakura." Taka agreed.

"D-Don't be a fuckin' idiot! I can't hit a girl….!" Mondo protested. "And she's a girl, right? I'd ruin my honor….my mom would kill me!"

"Yeah….are you sure it's just that?" Hina asked innocently. "Could it be because your scared of her?" Mondo stiffened at that.

"N-No, I'm not!"

Makoto merely stayed silent at this, an incredulous silence. "I'm serious!" Mondo insisted loudly. "I can't hit girls! It's not like I'm scared of her or anything! Ya bastard!"

"Oh, you so are!" Hina giggled. Mondo flushed.

"I'm telling you, I'm not!"

Hina merely giggled more, with Sayaka, Celeste, and Junko joining her. Kyoko, Byakuya and Sakura have smirked of amusement, especially Sakura, while Leon and Hiro laughed. Makoto and Chihiro had the decency to hold back their laughter.

Mondo flushed even more, either in embarrassment, anger, or both. "Fuck all of you!"

"Okay, okay, you don't have to shout…." Makoto placated.

But Mondo continued shouting. "Shouting's in my blood, asshole! When I get stressed out, I yell! Shit!"

'Sounds like he must be really stressed out….'

"Yeah, no kidding." Hina said, finally controlling her giggling. "And he must be stressed out a lot, since he yells a lot."

"It's just a nervous habit!" Mondo shouted. "What's the big deal?! Other than the fact that it makes it hard to ask girls out! I get all nervous, and I start yelling! So I always get rejected! And thanks to that, I'm on a ten-game losing streak right now! It really sucks!"

Leon's mouth hung open in disbelief at everything he heard, with some of the others being incredulous as well. "Seriously?" Leon slowly turned to Mondo. "You yell at them?"

Mondo looked away from the baseball player. "Y-Yeah! So what?!"

"...I'm gonna coach you thoroughly on the art of dating." Leon told him seriously.

'Please don't.' Sayaka thought.

'Ten games….?' Makoto thought incredulously. 'That's….pretty bad.'

"A very big understatement." Celeste giggled. "Someone really do need to control their temper. And their volume."

"Fuck off, you gothic addict." Mondo mumbled.

"But seeing this side of him, is actually….pretty cute." Sayaka said, giggling. That caused Mondo to snap his head towards Sayaka in disbelief.

"C-Cute?!"

"Yeah! It's very cute!" Hina agreed, a wide grin on her face. Kyoko, Junko, and Celeste also agreed to this, with smirks or grins of their own. And that quickly earned laughter from Leon, Hiro, and Hifumi.

"S-Stop laughing, you jackasses!" Mondo growled, trying to look menacing. But his flustered state only got them laughing harder. "Seriously, I'm not cute!"

Chihiro couldn't help but giggled this time, covering her mouth, while Taka gave his friend a sympathetic smile.

The steam suddenly got out of him, and ended looking depress. "Shit! And I'd forgotten about that, too! Thanks for reminding me, jackass! How're you gonna make it up to me, shitstain?!" He let out a depressed growl before slowly walking away. "Now I'm gettin' all depressed. I'm outta here…."

Makoto rubbed his head sheepishly as Mondo trudged away. "I guess I kinda messed that up," He admitted to himself. 'But I did get to see a side of Mondo I had no idea existed. It was almost….kinda cute.'

"The fuck you just say, Naegi?!"

Mukuro almost instantly stood up from her seat had it not been for her sister's hand holding her back.

"Jeez, calm down will ya? He's not gonna hit him." Junko whispered, then she leaned in closer and whispered more quietly. "And even then, let em at it god dammit! You don't have to make everything boring!"

Makoto held and waved his hands in front of him, pale as a sheet. "It wasn't me! Wasn't me!" He was definitely not getting a punch from Mondo.

Mondo growled before sitting down. "You're lucky it isn't!"

'He'd murder if he heard me say that, though….'

"Damn right I would." Mondo muttered. And he glared at Leon, Hiro, Hifumi, and Byakuya. "And that goes for you guys too! Any of you call me cute, and your ass is mine!"

"G-Got it!" Hifumi and Hiro squealed in fear while Leon merely snickered a bit more. Byakuya merely scoffed, not afraid of the threat.

Chihiro then decided to speak, in hope changing another subject calms her biker friend down. "Does anyone notice that there's more people Makoto is talking to?"

The change of subject did the trick, and got the group focus on that. "Our little hacker is right." Junko stated. "Makoto has been talking to more people."

"Or at least, the video is showing more conversations." Kyoko slightly corrected.

"But why show many conversations now?" Celeste questioned. They all turned to Spirit.

The host sighed, but answered. "Some foreshadowing, some character development, some of importance."

"You seem to like treating our future like a TV show." Byakuya remarked with a raised eyebrow.

Spirit shrugged. "It helps organize everything. Besides, you guys seem to be enjoying it."

That got several sheepish chuckles. "I have to admit, it's enjoyable seeing these talks." Makoto admitted. "Helps push the back what happened….with Sayaka, Mukuro, and Leon." Several in the group couldn't help but be in agreement to that, especially the victims.

Junko, however, mentally pouted. She really hope this light-hearded crap is over soon. She wants to see who dies next! Want to which one of her classmates' deaths she will cry and despair over! She wants her despair high, dammit!

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 30: Watching Chapter 2: Boys' Life of Despair Part 6

The next scene switched to Makoto laying down on his bed, looking up at the ceiling. 'It's evening now. Time to eat dinner.' Makoto thought to himself. 'I guess I am feeling a little hungry. Better get to the dining hall before it closes.'

With that thought in mind, he got up and went out of his rooms. As he walked to the dining hall, he saw Celeste walking around. "Well there, good evening." Celeste greeted.

"Celeste….what are you up to?" Makoto asked cautiously.

Celeste had a small pout. "Do you always suspect me of doing no good?"

"With you Celeste, anyone should be cautious." Makoto stated, to which the gambler giggled in response.

"You learn earlier than most, I suppose."

Celeste giggled at his question. "What am I up to? I am simply going for a nice evening stroll." Celeste looked at the direction of the dormitories. "You know, I was thinking about the students who used to live here. I would very much like to know what is going on in, but it seems the upper floor is still locked."

"Locked?" Taka furrowed his eyebrow. "Well, he never unlocked the second floor to the dorms. I wonder why."

"But the old building is still being used so, I kinda do want to know what happened to everyone else." Sayaka thought.

"Perhaps we can come back to this later when it becomes more relevant." Sakura suggested, to which she earned several nods of agreement.

"It must be another of Monokuma's little tricks."

"Sometimes he gets hung up on the weirdest stuff…." Makoto sighed.

"Do you think so?" Celeste rhetorically asked. "It seems that it's merely him displaying his passion….toward the production of this killing game."

That statement brought a few chills down people's spines. "Yeah, I think I like Makoto suggestion better." Hiro said weakly.

"She has a point, though. It's one of those little things that show his obsession towards this game." Byakuya stated.

Makoto felt his spine crawl a little at that. "By the way, Makoto," Celeste said, changing the subject. "I would like to share something with you."

"Huh?" Makoto looked at her curiously. "What is it?"

"My perfect gambling strategy."

"Gambling strategy?" Hina turned to Celeste at this information. "There's actually such a thing?"

Celeste nodded. "Of course there is. Several gamblers have their own strategy when gambling." She sighed. "Though I wished my own wouldn't be revealed like this." Well, it doesn't matter all that much. It's not like someone could successfully replicate her strategy.

"Of course there is." Celeste confirmed, as if it's obvious. "Are you ready? Please pay attention."

With that, she began explaining. "Whatever the game, you must have a mind for strategy. This will allow you to increase your odds of winning. However, the exciting part about gambling is that there is a power which can overwhelm any strategy."

"Seriously?" Leon questioned, mouth agape. "So no matter what plans you have, there's something that can crush that plan to dust?"

"Indeed, there is." Celeste answered. "And my future self will tell you what it is."

"There is….?"

Celeste nodded. "That power is….luck."

"Luck….?"

"There are only two types of luck - good and bad luck. There is no in-between." Celeste began lecturing. "And that luck is built into every human at the moment of conception. Like a computer program. Some call it fate. The bottom line is, luck is life."

"So you're saying….that your 'gambling strategy' is relying on luck alone?" Byakuya questioned. He shook his head. "How preposterous."

"You shouldn't underestimate the power of luck, Byakuya." Celeste stated. "A little good or bad luck can effect immediate or long term outcomes."

"Well, it does seem that Makoto's luck is a little... skewed..." Mukuro thought out loud.

"No doubt about that." Makoto muttered to himself.

"Do you see what I'm saying?"

"You mean….that's your 'perfect strategy'?" Makoto questioned in slight disbelief.

"Correct." Celeste confirmed, her face not showing any indication that she was kidding. "You see, I was programmed to have good luck when it comes to gambling. This is why I have never lost."

"So that's all there is to it….?" Makoto inquired.

"You are the Ultimate Lucky Student, yes?" Celeste asked rhetorically. "Does this perhaps exceed my own luck? One day, I hope to put that to the test."

"Did you?" Sakura asked.

Celeste shook her head. "No. We've never really had a time to put own individual luck to the test."

"Besides, I have more bad luck than good luck." Makoto said sheepishly. "Celeste would probably wipe the floor with me." As he said that however, he can't help but think if what Celeste said had meant another thing.

"Well then, have a good night." With that, Celeste walked away.

After watching her walk away, Makoto continued his way to the dining hall. 'It's probably not a good idea for me to gamble anyway.' Makoto sighed. 'My life has been more bad luck than good luck lately.'

"Not to mention you would have a horrible poker face." Junko chimed in. There were several nods of agreement to that while the luckster pouted.

"That thought was tested a few minutes later." Narrator Makoto spoke up as Makoto walked to the dining hall. "I just wanted to get something to eat."

The narrator continued as Makoto walked inside. "But the minute I went inside, I got roped into this."

"Oh no," Sayaka groaned a little. "What are you going to be wrapped up into this time?"

Makoto could only chuckle sheepishly to this. It's no secret that he gets into the most bizarre of situations.

Hey, Makoto! Perfect timing!" Taka called out. The moral compass stood opposite of Mondo, both refusing to back down from one another.

"Huh? What's going on?" Makoto asked in confusion.

"I have a favor to ask!" Mondo stated to him.

'A favor….?' Makoto thought cautiously. 'I have a bad feeling about this….'

Makoto suddenly realized what's going to happen. "Um, I think we're gonna see them have that competition again."

"You mean the endurance competition you've told us about?" Hina asked him. Mondo and Taka brightened at this.

"So we're gonna see the birth of me and bro's friendship?" Taka grinned widely to this. "Excellent! I would love to have our classmates to witness the bond we made!"

"Damn straight, bro! It'll be nice to relive those moments!" Mondo agreed.

"C'mon, Makoto. You gotta be our witness!" Mondo told him.

"Witness to what….?"

Mondo glared daggers at Taka. "This guy's been talkin' shit about me since day one." Mondo stated in anger. "Callin' me a coward and shit like that…."

"You are a coward!" Taka retorted, glaring right back at Mondo. "That's why you turn to violence to solve your problems! That's why you can't do what society asks of you, why you walk around dressed like that!"

"...The fuck you say?" Mondo looked down, gripping his fist. "You dunno shit."

Taka continued. "You already lost to yourself, but you're such a coward you don't even realize it!"

"How the hell did it got from being at each other's neck, to buddy-buddy every day?" Leon asked, trying to wrap his head around that.

"It is quite hard to imagine how they changed from that-" Celeste said, nodding towards the screen before turning towards the mentioned duo. "- to this."

"I agree! That's a sudden change of character if there's ever was one!" Hifumi agreed.

"So what, you sayin' you're not a coward?" Mondo responded back. "You think you're tougher than me?"

"I know I am!" Taka stated in confidence.

"Okay, then let's throw down." Mondo declared, cracking his knuckles. "Prove you got what I don't got!"

"I accept your challenge!" Was Taka's response.

"Woah, are they actually gonna fight?!" Hiro exclaimed nervously. "I thought it was gonna be that endurance competition thingy!"

"It is." Makoto reassured. "They just made it sound like they were gonna physically fight."

The two then turned to Makoto. "So that's what's happenin', Makoto." Mondo stated. "You gotta be our witness!"

"You're gonna….throw down?" Makoto repeated nervously. "You're not gonna like….start punching each other, are you?"

"There's a bathroom on the 1st floor of the dorm, right? With a sauna inside?" Mondo asked them.

Taka nodded in understanding. "I see….a simple endurance contest, is it? We're going to see who can stay in the sauna in the longest, am I right?!"

"Goddamn straight!" Mondo confirmed, staring down Taka, who stared right back.

"Wow. It feels so odd, seeing the two fighting now." Hina stated, wide eyes.

Sakura nodded in agreement. "It's been so long since we've seen Taka and Mondo argue with one another."

"To be real though, they still occasionally do." Leon commented.

"WE DO NOT!"

The next scene showed Makoto, Taka, and Mondo at the bath house. "A-Are you guys really gonna go through with this?" Makoto asked hesitantly.

"Shit yeah!" Mondo answered.

"He'll be done in a matter of minutes, anyway." Taka declared. "People like him are, without exception, all talk!"

"Bring! It! On!" Mondo stated back. "Hell, let's make things interesting. Wouldn't wanna win without a challenge, right?"

"Interesting….?" Makoto inquired.

"More like suicidal." Makoto sighed. He still couldn't believe Mondo lasted as long as he did!

"We're gonna battle with all our clothes on!"

"Wait, you did what now?!" Hina exclaimed.

"You wanted to go in the sauna with clothes on?!" Leon questioned in shock.

"Do you realize how unnecessary that is?!" Byakuya asked incredulously.

"More like you're both nuts!" Junko stated.

"Did you actually did that?" Sayaka questioned Mondo. In response, the biker looked away from the idol, answering her question. "No way…."

"Sh-Shut up! I wanted to prove something, okay?!"

"More like have a death wish." Leon deadpanned. "Anyone with half a brain knows that suicidal."

Taka recoiled in shock at the suggestion. "Th-That's idiotic! Suicidal!"

"See, even Taka saw how illogical it is." Byakuya pointed out.

Taka chuckled sheepishly. "I'm sorry bro, but your decision wasn't the smartest one to make."

"Yeah, yeah." Mondo sighed.

"What, you afraid?" Mondo taunted.

Taka gritted his teeth. "Y-You're going to regret this!"

"Shut up and let's do this!" Mondo stated.

The scene switched to Taka and Mondo in the sauna, sweating up a storm. Taka, with only a towel on, while Mondo stilled had all his clothes on.

"Holy shit, he's actually doing it…." Leon whispered in absolute disbelief.

"Told you you would have a hard time believing me." Makoto told his friend.

Kyoko shook his head. "Honestly, some of you guys do the most stupidest things."

"Don't act like the females don't have their own brand of idiots." Byakuya retorted.

"Well, on the other hand, they both look quite determined." Sakura commented.

"H-Hey, Mondo," Taka spoke up, sound exhausted.

"What, asshole?" Mondo sounds just as tired.

"You can take off your uniform, ya know." Taka pointed out. "Go ahead, I won't judge."

"And you can shut the fuck up and mind your own business." Mondo retorted. "I mean, look at you. Your face is all red. What're you, one of those goddamn hot spring monkeys?"

"It's just so happens….I was born with a red face….!" Taka attempted as a retort.

"Seriously? That's the best you could come up with?" Junko deadpanned. "I've heard better comebacks from my socially awkward sister."

Taka looked away with a blush from that comment while Mukuro gave a look towards Junko.

"You don't have to act all big, man." Mondo told him.

"A-Act, you say?" Taka laughed tiredly at this. "I'm still plenty good to go! I'm so good, I could eat a steaming-hot bowl of soup right now!"

All the while, Makoto was outside looking into the sauna with concern. "Are they….okay?"

"No. Clearly, they are not." Celeste sighed.

"A few minutes passed…." Narrator Makoto spoke up. "Then a few dozen minutes….then an hour…."

"You stayed in there for over an hour?!" Leon asked incredulously. "Especially you, Mondo?!" He was wearing his full clothes for crying out loud.

"Mondo and I have excellent endurance!" Taka stated proudly. "Especially my bro."

"M-More like excellent s-stubbornness." Toko muttered.

"D-Don't you think….it's about time….you gave up?" Taka asked tiredly.

"What about you?" Mondo countered, sounding just as tired. "You can hardly talk….dumbass."

"Say wh-whatever you want….I'm still totally….good to go! In fact, I'm starting to feel….kinda cold!"

"That's….prolly not good…."

"Yeah, that doesn't sound good." Hina said, a little bit worried.

"I'm sure it's not anything to concerning." Celeste stated. "After all, the two of them were well the next morning."

Makoto looked very concerned. "H-Hey, uh….guys?" He hesitantly called out. "I know you both wanna prove how big and badasses you are, but….don't you think you've done enough?"

Here was his response. "SHUT UP!"

Makoto took a step back at that. 'Gah,' He mentally groaned. 'I just can't win.'

"You boys and your manly pride." Sayaka huffed. "It's always getting you hurt."

"Though it's mainly Leon, Mondo, and Taka." Hina sighed. Said guys looked away sheepishly at this.

The bell then rung, and the nighttime announcement played. Once it was done, Makoto looked at the door to the sauna. "...Hey, did you hear that?" Makoto asked them. "It's nighttime. How about we call it a tie?"

The two, however, disagreed. "In a true competition….there's no such thing as a tie!" Taka said tiredly. "You win, or you lose. That's….the only thing that matters!"

"Listen to you….you son of a bitch….!" Mondo stated. "Then bring it on….! I'll….I'll push you right up to the gates of hell!"

"Idiots," Byakuya muttered under his breath.

"Are they seriously going to risk dying to win?!" Hina exclaimed. "I mean, if one of them passed out now, Monokuma would kill them!"

"He would even count passing out as sleeping?" Junko asked.

Sakura shook her head. "Monokuma is an enigma, so it's hard to predict what he's thinking. Still, I wouldn't risk something like that."

'The gates of hell?!' Makoto thought in alarm. 'That's not a good place to push someone!' He spoke up once again. "Th-This isn't good, guys…."

"Yeah, you hear him?" Mondo told Taka. "Better crawl on back….to your room….!" He then spoke to Makoto. "I'll let you know how it went….in the morning! Then you can start spreading my….my legend….!"

"Come tomorrow morning….you'll fall down in front of me….down on your knees." Taka countered. "I'll show you where to do it….!"

"Big talk from someone….who face is about to explode….!"

"Right back a-at ya!"

"Is this really how you guys bond?" Sakura asked, rather perplexed about the topic.

"Indeed, I have seen very few others who would bond like this." Mukuro added.

"Not all guys," Makoto protested slightly. "But yeah, some do bond like this."

"There's a bunch of dudes in my baseball team that form friendships from competitions like this." Leon informed them. "Though I think it's pretty uncool, myself."

Makoto could only stare at the entrance of the sauna before finally deciding to get to bed. "Okay, well….g'night then." With that, he left.

The scene switched to Makoto entering his room with a sigh. 'I really hope those two don't overdo it….' He thought. 'But I'm sure….to the death?' He shook his head. 'No, surely they wouldn't go that far.' Still concerned about the two, Makoto went to bed.

"I'm glad you guys didn't get heat stroke or something." Makoto sighed.

"Of course not! Bro and I are far more endurable than you think!" Taka stated passionately.

"More like you two meat-heads are two stubborn to quit." Junko muttered loudly with an eye roll.

The next morning, Makoto got up as usual. "Morning, huh….?" He got himelf out of bed. "I hope Mondo and Taka survived…."

"Worried about them, I went to the dining hall faster than usual." Narrator Makoto spoke up as the TV showed Makoto walking and going into the dining hall. "And when I entered…."

The camera showed Taka and Mondo sitting at one of the tables. Mondo laughed loudly. "What are you talkin' about, bro?"

Taka laughed just as loudly. "What are YOU talkin' about, bro?!"

"What….the….?" Makoto stood there, stunned at what's transpiring.

"You have no idea what kind of shock that gave me." Makoto groaned a little.

"Actually, I think we're getting an idea, now." Leon admitted.

Hifumi nodded. "That's way too quick of a character change."

"Hey, Makoto!" Mondo greeted.

"Thank you for acting as our witness yesterday!" Taka said gratefully.

"Huh?" Makoto blinked, his mind processing what he's seeing. "Are they….friends now?"

"They've been like this all morning." Hina explained with a sigh. "They were all buddy-buddy as soon as they walked in. It feels gross."

"It still does now." Hina grumbled.

Taka and Mondo shook their head. "You girls will never understand our manly bond!" Taka stated.

"The guys here can barely understand it." Leon mumbled.

"Feels gross?" Mondo looked offended at that. "Hell no. Feels great, more like!"

That got Hina recoiling a little. "This almost feels like sexual harassment, somehow…."

"Forget her, bro." Taka said, shaking his head. "A girl like her just doesn't get our manly bond! Friendship between men is stronger than blood! A woman could never understand!"

"What you just said? Bro, that was cool as shit!" Mondo complimented. "I should get a tattoo of it!"

"No, bro, you mustn't!" Taka statd. "Your body is a temple, given to you by your loving parents!"

Taka sighed happily. "It feels wonderful, reliving the moments we've become as close as brothers!"

"Yeah. Too bad we couldn't see the entire thing." Mondo agreed with Taka. "But at least we got have memories of those time, bro."

"Memories that will be longed cherish!"

"Th-The swimmer is r-right. This d-does feel like sexual harassment." Toko said with a shudder. Sayaka couldn't help but be in agreement to that. Even the more stoic girls felt a bit uncomfortable, but didn't show it. Those two got along a bit "too well".

"Well, it nice that the two were able to get along so well." Chihiro said, despite feeling uncomfortable herself.

"So, um….who won the contest?" Makoto asked.

The response was this. "Who gives a shit?!" Mondo exclaimed.

"Yeah, don't ask stupid questions!" Taka stated. "What matters is that we both took part of it together!"

"That's….completely different from what you were saying last night." Makoto couldn't help but say.

"And to this day, none of us figured out what had happen in that sauna." Leon sighed.

"A mystery above all mysteries." Hifumi said in a spooky voice.

"Friendship between men seems very….simplistic." Sakura couldn't help but say. "Nothing like what I'm used to with girls."

"Yeah, for real…." Hina agreed.

"Kinda reminds me of some of the soldiers in Fenrir." Mukuro muttered. Some of those bonds were formed in similar circumstances to Taka and Mondo, though being herself, she never understood it. She's kinda glad that she isn't the only one. 'Maybe...I can do this with Makoto?' She thought before returning her attention to the screen.

Trying to ignore the whole 'brotherhood' thing Taka and Mondo are radiating, Makoto sat in front of Kyoko. "Hey, Kyoko." The luckster greeted. The lavender haired girl regarded him with a nod.

While the two ate their breakfast, Kyoko was silent as usual. 'Quiet as ever….I guess she doesn't like to waste her words.' He then tried to make conversation. "Hey, um….Kyoko?"

"If you're expecting a conversation, don't." Kyoko bluntly stated. "There's no need for it."

"And here goes the Ice Queen of class 78th!" Junko remarked cheerfully. "Cold as ever!" She received a flat and annoyed look from Kyoko in response.

"But, I mean," Makoto fumbled for something to say. "Don't you think talking is important? I feel like if we're gonna get out of here, we all need to be on the same page. And to do that, we need to get to know each other."

"Well said, Makoto!" Taka agreed on. "Mutual understanding of each other can increase our chance of getting out of here!"

"Unfortunately, our clashing personalities and Monokuma will interfere with that." Mukuro said with a sigh. "The bear will set motives for us to kill each other, and there are those who don't want to work together."

"Byakuya and Toko." Leon fake coughed out. Byakuya gave him a non-amused glance while Toko scowled at him.

"You could certainly make the argument that forming friendships may help prevent killings." Kyoko said. "But are you asking for some kind of deep connection?"

"...Huh?"

"You could just be deceiving us, pretending to be everyone's friend so you can gather information." Kyoko accused.

That got Junko bursting into laughter. "Makoto…..deceiving…..someone?" The fashionista wheezed out, holding her stomach. "Oh, you're hilarious, Kyoko."

Leon, Mondo, Toko, Sayaka, and Hina also bursted out laughing or giggling. The idea of Makoto trying to deceive people so he can kill somebody is just so doubtful, that it's laughable.

Kyoko felt her cheeks go slightly red, slightly turning away from her peers. "Given the circumstances, it was a fair accusation." The detective defended herself.

Makoto's eyes widen in alarm at the accusation. "N-No, that's not-!"

"Well then, let's do a quick test, shall we?" She interrupted.

"A….test?" His alarmed look now turned into confusion.

"If you're as gung-ho on friendship as you claim, this should be an easy question." Kyoko told him.

"O-Oh, okay," The luckster agreed. "So I just have to answer your question, is that it?"

"Are you ready?" With that, she began. "You consider Hina one of your friends, yes? If that's true, what is her ultimate ability?"

"That's an easy one," Makoto said with some confidence. "Hina's the Ultimate Swimming Pro, of course."

Kyoko considered his answer. "Well….asked and answer." She said. "Then your pleas of camaraderie are true."

"Of course….!"

"L-Like M-Makoto is capable of deception." Toko snorted, still letting out of a few snickers. "T-That means Hiro is a-actually smart."

"I am smart!"

"You have a functioning brain that rarely works. That's about it." Celeste remarked, sounding both polite and dry at the same time.

"Yes, of course." Kyoko agreed, with a slight smile. "Such a foolishly open person as you could never lie. Everyone would know right away."

'Again with that "foolish open" stuff….'

"Ooh, so you were testing him." Sayaka mulled out loud, to which Kyoko gave her a "you-didn't-have-to-announce-it" look.

"Regardless, Kyoko is merely speaking the truth." Byakuya remarked dryly. "Your honest nature makes you a great target for deception."

Makoto silently winced to himself, remembering what happened to chapter 1. But he didn't let that get to him. "Maybe," He admitted. "But I'd rather be honest with others than be suspicious of them or lie to them."

"Okay then, as promised….what would you like to know about me?" Kyoko inquired.

"Oh, um….let's see…." Makoto frown in thought. "What school did you go to, before you came here?"

"Before I came here….?" It was Kyoko turned to be in thought. "I guess I was living abroad."

'Huh?' Makoto, Byakuya, Celeste, and the present Kyoko caught the future Kyoko's words, along with her wording.

Junko, on the other hand, quickly figured it out. 'Oh, so I wiped her memories of being a detective.' She thought to herself. 'Makes sense, since being an Ultimate Detective would make the trials less of a challenge. Too bad that didn't work.' She mentally pouted at that. 'Oh well! That means I gotta do more than that! Hehehe!'

"Abroad….?" Makoto repeated curiously. "Was it an exchange program? Or do your parents work overseas or something?"

Once again, Kyoko was silent in thought. "My parents? I suppose?"

"Um, what with the questions mark?" Hiro asked in confusion. "Does she not know anything about her parents?"

"Maybe she's just not telling him?" Chihiro wondered.

"No. I can say for sure that she is quite confused, and I do know about my parents." Kyoko said with a small frown. "While I have little to no memories of mother, I knew she existed and was around before her death. And I found out about my father being in Hope's Peak before enrolling here." Her father was the main reason why she enrolled.

"Then what's up with the questions?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out." Kyoko responded back, putting her focus back onto the TV.

'Why all the questions marks….?' Makoto thought in confusion. 'Anyway, okay….so she was living abroad because of her dad's job.' Makoto spoke up once again. "So what's kind of work does he do?"

And again, she thought about that question. "Foreign government? Top secret clearance….?"

"Why on earth is she questioning herself?" Taka questioned. "It's like she's trying to remember these things, but don't have a clear memory."

As he spoke his words, it sparked a realization in some of the students' mind, especially Kyoko's. Makoto turned to the detective with wide eyes. "Do you think….your memories of being a detective got wiped from your mind?"

That took the others who hasn't figured it out by surprise, while Kyoko nodded in agreement. "Along with memories of my father and possibly other members of my family." She mused. "Anything that had any association of my talents."

"So wait, the mastermind wiped your memories of being a detective too?" Hina asked with wide eyes. "Seriously?"

"It would explain her answers, and the way she words them." Celeste stated. "She spoke with uncertainty, and it's very rare for Kyoko to speak like that. Also, the way she was silent for a moment also indicated that she's trying to remember what Makoto had asked her."

"But why take Miss Kirigiri's memory?" Hifumi asked.

"Most likely an attempt to get rid of her abilities as a detective." Byakuya deduced. "After all, the way is killing game is made, her talent would be the most useful. But it seemed to have failed, considering the class trial."

"Of course. The brain works like a muscle, as it can't forget the skills it has developed." Mukuro described. "If you've learned to fight in battle, play in olympics, or solve mysteries, a memory wipe wouldn't make those abilities go away. Your subconscious mind would remember the abilities you possess."

"Wow, okay. That's some food for thought." Junko would have to remember that. 'It would seem, she didn't mention that in this future... oh well~!'

"Well, I'm glad she still had her talents." Makoto said with a sheepish chuckle. "Otherwise, we might've been goners in the class trials."

Kyoko smiled. "I am glad that my skills as a detective didn't disappear with my memories as well."

'More question marks?' The luckster couldn't help but wonder. But once again, he shook it off. 'Okay, so he does top secret work for other governments….all I can think of is….assassin?'

That got some of them bursting out laughing again. Kyoko looked at him with an amused smirk. "Were you trying to guess my talent?"

Makoto blushed. "H-Hey, I didn't have much to work with!" He protested.

"Still dude, it hilarious that you came to that conclusion." Leon laughed out. The luckster's cheeked burned in embarrassment.

"Lay off, Leon!"

She stood up. "I kept up my end of the deal." She stated. "This should be enough, right? I'm leaving now." With that, she got up and left.

"Well, as abrupt as usual." Celeste teased "There is a thing called social etiquette. You, Byakuya, and Toko can learn a thing or two about."

Kyoko and Byakuya gave her non-amused looks. "My etiquette is fine, thank you." Byakuya said curtly.

"Y-Yeah! Master is perfect just the way he is!" Toko hissed at Celeste. The gothic gambler merely giggled.

"Very well. No need for me to stop your delusions."

'No. She isn't rude, she's confused...' Makoto thought to himself.

Makoto watched as she left. "She's so full of mysteries." He couldn't help but muttered. 'And hearing what she had to say just makes it even more mysterious on top of everything….'

"She's probably a mystery to herself." Celeste said. "After all, a good chunk of her past has been taken away from her mind."

"So it would seem." Kyoko agreed with a nod. "But it does answer something else."

"What is it?" Sayaka asked curiously.

"That the mastermind sees me as a threat to their plans." She answered. "If they would go through the trouble of wiping away more of my memories than anyone else's, then I am clearly a threat to them."

Makoto looked worry. "Do you think they'll come after you?"

"There's a chance." The detective admitted. "But they seem to hold their rules in high regards, so it's unclear right now if they would break it just to get rid of me."

'Would I?' Junko wondered to herself. 'Gee, I don't know. Probably not blatantly. Maybe something underhanded that public wouldn't see.'

"Well, I hope your future self will be okay." Makoto said, still concerned. "I know you can take care of yourself, Kyoko, but I'm still worried."

Kyoko smiled. "Your worries are appreciated Makoto, but unneeded. I'm not an easy target, and those would think that, will come to regret it."

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 31: Watching Chapter 2: Boys' Life of Despair Part 7

The next scene showed Makoto walking in the hallway. "So, what should I do today?" He mused to himself.

As he was walking, something grabbed him by the arm from behind. He turned around in slight surprise until he realized it was just Toko.

"T-Toko?" Makoto asked, still reeling from the sudden grab. "What's the matter?"

"Why are you s-so surprised? Am I really that an-noying?" She scoffed. "W-Well I already know I'm annoying. I came here kn-knowing that, so….that makes it okay…."

The group let out a collective sigh. Gloomy Toko just depressed everyone.

"No, you're not annoying," Makoto denied. "I'm just wondering what was going on."

"I have a f-favor to ask," She told him. "I want you to g-go somewhere with me…."

"Go where?" A familiar glint entered Hifumi's eyes. "Could it be that Miss Fukawa is wanting to be with Mr. Naegi?"

"W-What?!." Makoto cried.

"D-Definitely not!" Toko exclaimed. "Master is my one and only true love!"

"Oh, but who knows? Maybe you're imagining Mr. Togami and Mr. Naegi- OW!" A baseball hit him right between the eyes.

"Hey, do us a favour and at least keep that stuff to yourself." Leon stated, shivering a little. "I want to keep my sanity."

"Agreed." Byakuya said curtly, his face showing obvious disgust. "And thank you, Leon, for silencing him before he could continue that line of nightmare."

"And….where is it you want to go?"

Toko looked hesitant on saying. "W-Well….the library."

"Oh, of course it's the library." Junko deadpanned.

"Where else would she go?" Taka said. "After all, she is the Ultimate Writing Prodigy! It makes perfect sense that she would like to read the books there!"

That got the others to stare at him blankly. "...Looks like we'll need another talk soon, bro." Mondo sighed.

"Huh?" Makoto looked at her in confusion. "Are you looking for a book or something? Why don't you just ask Byakuya? He spends all his time in the library, anyway."

The moment he finished his words, Toko gasped audibly with a half shriek, causing Makoto to take a step back. "D-Did I say something wrong….?"

"You're not a b-b-blabbermouth, right?" She questioned, narrowing her eyes at him. "This h-has to be a secret!"

Makoto looked at her for a moment before sighing. "I honestly have no idea what you're talking about, but if you want me to be quiet, I'll be quiet."

"Some secret." Junko stated with an eye roll. "Anyone with eyes can see that you have the hots for Byakuya."

"That's putting it lightly I think..." Sayaka said.

"Then let's g-go to the library!"

"Okay, I got it, the library…." Makoto sighed as the two began walking to the library. 'Jeez, why so pushy?'

The scene switched to Makoto and Toko slowly entering the library. "Qu-Quiet! Be quiet when you g-go in! ….Don't l-let him see you!" As they crept into the library, Byakuya was already sitting at one of the tables reading a book.

"H-He's here," Toko muttered, staring at Byakuya. She let a small, strange laugh. "He's r-really here."

"Okay, raise your hand if you saw that coming." Thirteen hands shot into the air, with Taka still oblivious to what's happening, and Toko and Byakuya refusing to admit it. "Yeah, thought so."

She turned to Makoto. "Okay, M-Makoto. Go talk to him!"

"What?!"

"Stop b-being so loud!" Toko shushed. "Just hurry up and g-go talk to him!"

A few mouths were agape. "What do you expect him to say?" Sayaka asked.

Toko looked away. "I-I don't know. But I want to see how c-cool Master is."

"Then you should go talk to him!" Leon retorted.

"Don't tell her that." Byakuya said, clearly displeased. "Her presence enough is annoying."

"You go talk to him, if you want to so bad….!" Makoto retorted.

Toko shook her head. "I c-can't! I don't want to i-interrupt him….!"

'That's….kinda crazy.' Makoto couldn't help but deadpan to himself.

"Definitely."

"Definitely messed up."

"Miss Fukawa is an unstable individual, that's for sure."

Toko gave Junko, Hiro, and Hifumi a nasty glare for their responses.

Makoto's focus returned to Byakuya, who didn't move an inch from his sitting position. 'He seems to be really focused on that book. It doesn't seems like the best time to talk to him….'

Taking his eyes off his book, he turned towards Makoto's and Toko's hiding spot. "Hey, you." He spoke up. "What are you doing back here? I hate even having to look at you."

"Byakuya, can you even be a little respectful towards your classmates?" Taka lectured sternly.

"And what's wrong with Makoto?" Hina pouted angrily. "He's adorkable!"

"Yeah!" Sayaka agreed firmly, embarrassing Makoto. Leon, Mondo and Hiro laughed at Makoto, which only worsened his embarrassment. It was something Hina and Sayaka came up with some time ago, and they're fond of calling him that every now and then.

"Ah," Makoto got out of his hiding spot. "So you noticed me, huh?"

"...Of course." Byakuya confirmed. "Now hurry up and leave. And take her with you."

Toko was silent as she got out of her hiding spot. "Hey, um….Byakuya?"

Byakuya raised an eyebrow, silently asking what. "Remember how you said, 'Don't be a woman who dominates w-weak men. Be a woman dominated by a s-strong man'?"

"...The fuck?" Was Mondo's simple statement. It was something most of the others was thinking as well.

"Oh, come on! Are we hearing more of Toko's fantasies?" Leon groaned. "I had enough of those to last a lifetime!"

Several shuddered at the memory of Toko's vivid fantasies, especially the one who played a part of it.

The scowl on his face increased. "I never said that."

"W-Well, actually, I just thought it sounded like s-something you might say…." Toko giggled a little.

"Like I would let those words be uttered from my mouth." Byakuya said in disgust.

"...Get out." Byakuya said, pure disgust in his tone. "And go take a bath. You smell."

Toko reeled back from the brutality of his words, but stood where she was, looking completely shocked.

"Don't make me say it again." Byakuya ordered. "Go now, before your stench latches onto the entire room."

"Damn." Mondo couldn't help but say. "That's brutal."

"That's no way to speak to a young lady, Byakuya!" Taka scolded.

"Is there anyway you could be, I dunno, nicer?" Hina asked him. Byakuya merely let out a 'hmph'.

"And risk leading her on?" The heir said. "I'll pass."

"O-Okay…." With that, Toko slowly left, with Makoto following her.

As they got out of the library, Makoto couldn't help but notice her silence. "He really dug into us there." He said. "Maybe he's in a bad mood…." She continued staying silent. 'She seems super depressed. Did he really upset her that much?'

"Wow, you really upset her, Byakuya." Hina pointed out.

"Your future self should really apologize to her." Chihiro suggested.

Byakuya rolled his eyes. "I could care less if she gets upset." The heir stated. "Maybe she'll leave me alone, at least in the future."

'Don't count on it.' Makoto thought to himself. He remembered a similar experience with Toko, and had an idea of what's about to happen. Especially with the small sighs and giggles Toko are letting out.

"Byakuya….to go that far…." Her head then shot up, a smile and a big blush on her face. "He must be r-really concerned about me!"

"...Huh?"

That was not something everyone else was prepared for, but felt as if they should have been. "...We really should've seen that coming." Junko deadpanned.

"Indeed." Sakura agreed.

Byakuya sighed in annoyance, pressing his palms on his forehead.

"He told me t-to take a bath and everything." She explained. "He must really care a-about my well-being!"

"M-Master cares a lot about m-me!" Toko stated. "Especially since h-he made sure I get a bath!"

"How the hell are you interpreting it as him caring?" Leon questioned in disbelief.

Celeste was the one to answer. "It's because she has so much affection for him, that any words he speaks will be taken as compliments."

"I still think, that that's putting it lightly." Sayaka repeated herself.

Makoto slightly gaped at her, not believing what he's hearing. "Hey, M-Makoto….what do you think?" Toko asked shyly.

"Think….about what?" He asked cautiously.

"Do you think B-Byakuya and I would be….g-good together?"

"No. No, we would not." Byakuya said with an eye twitch. "And those who would say otherwise will regret it."

"Um, well now….I-I don't really know." He answered.

Byakuya looked over at Makoto, his eyes bearing a certain kind of threat that he hasn't seen before. "It was future me, future me!" Makoto panicked.

Kyoko quickly spoke up. "Calm down, Byakuya. Besides, at least he didn't say yes." Byakuya looked over at Kyoko for bit before sighing and returning his gaze to the screen.

"It appears we'll need to have a talk sometime."

"O-Of course!" Makoto let out a sigh of relief, then turned to Kyoko. "Thanks for the save." He whispered. Kyoko smiled and silently waved it off, signalling him to just keep watching

"That's t-true." Toko admitted. "There's really no w-way to know….but the distance between u-us doesn't change our love….!"

"Um, did she forget that the love is only one-sided?" Hiro asked in confusion. Toko glared at him.

"N-No, it's not!"

"No, the fool is right." Byakuya deadpanned. "The only thing I feel towards you is pure disgust!"

"B-But master!"

"Because as soon as you realize your f-feelings, the love is born. That's h-how love works!"

"O….kay." Makoto slowly said, probably the only thing he could say.

"There m-might come a day when y-you understand." Toko said. "Maybe. S-Someday."

'I kinda hope not.' Makoto thought with a sweatdrop. At least, not this way.

"Well….bye." With that, Toko left in a daze. Makoto merely stood where he was, utterly befuddled.

Monokuma then suddenly appeared. "Ah, young love!"

"Uwah!"

The others yelped and/or jumped as well. "Damn it, will he stop doing that?!" Mondo growled.

"I'm way too young to have a heart attack!" Hiro agreed.

Monokuma continued speaking. "Who would've guessed she would go for someone like him? But eager passion can also be scary! Sometimes that leads people off in the wrong direction!" Ending that with a laugh, he left the area, leaving Makoto even more befuddled.

"...All of a sudden, I feel exhausted." Makoto deadpanned tiredly.

"I don't blame you." Kyoko sighed. "Anyone would be after going through that."

"I would probably nap in one of the classrooms, first chance I get." Leon remarked.

Taka didn't take that well. "Sleeping inside a classroom is prohibited!"

"Maybe I'll go back to my room for now…." With that, he went back to the the first floor.

The scene switched to Makoto coming down the stairs. When he got downstairs, he was met with a depress looking Taka. "Taka?"

"I'm weak, Makoto," Taka moaned. "So very weak…."

"What's wrong, bro?" Mondo asked in concern.

Taka groaned. "I think I've hit my own limit, trapped in that place."

"What happened….?" Makoto asked in concern.

"Haven't you realized?" Taka asked him. "This school is missing something of the utmost importance! Textbooks! Classes!"

"It looks like I'm correct."

"Yeah, that explains it." Mondo sighed. "Even when sick as hell, you won't let it stop you from going to school."

"This must be absolute torture for you." Celeste commented on. She can't imagine how her future self is fairing right now.

'Oh, um….I can't say I really miss the stuff.' Makoto admitted to himself.

"Makoto!"

The luckster laughed sheepishly. "Sorry, Taka." He apologized.

"Not everyone is a study fanatic like you are." Leon remarked.

"I'm just gonna come right out and say it….I'm freaking out!" Taka stated, getting into a panic. "As we speak, we're being left in the dust by other students our age! I'm totally freaking out!"

"Imagine how he would feel if he finds out that some of his memories were taken." Junko said.

Unfortunately, that thought provoked the present Taka. "Oh no….with his memories gone, at least a year worths of knowledge has disappeared!" He shouted in panic. "Maybe even more!"

"W-Why did you have go a-and say that?" Toko groaned.

Mondo put a hand on Taka's shoulder. "Bro, calm down! We'll be able to stop this from happening, trust me! We won't be behind anyone!"

The Moral Compass took those words in before taking some deep breaths. "Okay. I'm good."

"Makoto! What should I do?!" He asked the luckster. "If I keep involuntarily skipping class like this, I'm gonna reach dunce status in no time!"

"I-It's not really that big a deal. Just calm down…." Makoto told him. "You were always at the top of your class at the private school you used to go to, right? I mean, you're basically genius level, so even if you miss some classes, it's not the same as an ordinary kid ditching…."

Taka froze at the word, "genius". Mondo and Makoto also froze before looking at Taka worriedly, knowing that the guy doesn't like that word.

"Yeah, that's true." Hina agreed, unknowingly adding fuel to the fire. "Taka's grades are one of the best out of the class, so that must make him a gen-"

"No." Taka spoke, his voice quiet but fierce. "No, I'm not a genius. I'm just an ordinary student, just like anyone else. So don't call me a genius!"

That cause some of the others to reel back a bit. "Whoa! What's wrong with you?" Leon questioned. Taka merely stayed silent, inclining his head toward the TV.

"Genius….?" Taka seemed to freeze at the word. "Don't say that…."

"Huh….?"

"I'm no genuis. I'm a normal person, just like anyone else." He insisted. "I'm from a middle-class family, you know? Actually, they're not even middle-class. That's why I have to push so hard! I have to knock down that wall!"

"It's not geniuses that change the world. It's ordinary people who make every effort they can." Taka continued. "And to prove that, I have to keep on making effort after effort after effort!"

"It's ordinary people that change the world?" Byakuya scoffed at that. "Do you commoners really believe that?"

"I have to agree with Togami." Celeste spoke in. "The only one who change the world, are geniuses."

"Of course the two of you would say that!" Taka remarked with a scowl. "But I will not stand down! I know I'm right!"

"If you say so, dear." Celeste giggled.

"So don't call me a genius!" Taka demanded. "Don't lump me in with those lazy clods who don't put in any effort!"

"What?" Byakuya hissed, clearly looking angry.

Taka's words also angered Celeste, who had her eyes narrowed. "Lazy clods, are we?" She asked rhetorically, with a thin line of anger in her tone.

Taka didn't back down from the two and glared at them. "While my choice of words could have been better, I stand by my opinion!" The Moral Compass said fiercely. "Geniuses put no effort into what they are doing, have no value of actual hard-work!"

"And what right have you to judge me, commoner?" The heir and the honor student glared fiercely at one another, neither one backing down.

"Bro, calm down." Mondo sighed, putting a hand on his shoulder. "No fucking point getting into an argument. We need to finish this damn show, or vision, or, whatever the fuck it is."

Taka continued glaring at Byakuya for a moment before settling down. At the same time, the heir huff and settled as well.

Meanwhile, Junko mentally pouted to herself. She is not lazy! She's working hard to bring despair into the world, doesn't she?

….On second thought, she might be a little lazy.

"S-Sorry," Makoto apologized. "That's not what I was trying to do."

Taka was silent for a moment. "No, I'm sorry. I got a little carried away. But I only said all that because you and me are the same. You and me, we're just normal people. We know that it means to make an effort. That's why I want you to know exactly how I feel…."

"I understand…."

Sayaka, Hina, and Leon couldn't help but emphasize with Taka a little. Without their own talents, they're just as normal as he is. So they can understand how he's feeling.

"And that's why I'm so passionate about the morals committee." Taka continued. "I want to create an environment where everyone has the opportunity to give it everything they've got. That's why I put all my blood, sweat, and tears into creating that kind of environment. I want everyone else to understand that, too."

"In the end, you can't succeed if you don't try. Anyone who says differently is selling something." He pulled his fist up. "Effort is everything! That's the only way to fix anything in this world! And I have to prove that to all the ordinary people out there so they'll keep on trying! I have to become the ordinary man who can surpass any genius!"

"Wow, Taka." Hina said in awe. "That's some determination."

"Strong conviction, that's for sure." Leon agreed.

Sayaka looked at Taka, feeling more empathy towards him. It's like her trying to realize her dream.

Sakura hummed. "The ordinary man who can surpass any genius. That's a challenging path."

"And I intend to stay that course!" Taka stated in pure conviction. "I'll be one of the many that will surpass geniuses!"

Byakuya merely scoffed at the notion, while Celeste rolled her eyes. However, the former couldn't help but understand the commoners a bit better, seeing Taka's viewpoint.

"Those are the feelings I carried with me when I entered Hope's Peak Academy…." He looked down. "But now that I'm trapped in here, I've been robbed of the opportunity to make that effort. So now what am I supposed to do….?"

"Taka…." Makoto said, his voice soft.

"Sorry, Makoto." Taka apologized. "I didn't mean to make you listen to my pathetic complaining…."

The luckster shook his head. "No, it's not pathetic at all." He reassured. "I can totally understand why you'd be upset. You obviously feel really strongly about this."

"I really hope you don't give up and start to lose track of what you want to do." Makoto told him. "If you really believe that effort is what matters, you can't give up, right? Because if you can't make that effort, then what do you have left?"

"He….has a great point." Taka said. He clenched his fist in determine. "I cannot give up my philosophy, just because I'm trapped in a school! If anything, I need to cling onto it further!"

"That's the spirit, bro." Mondo supported his best friend. "And I'm damn sure Makoto's speech is going to encourage future you."

Taka's eyes widen at this. "I think until you said that just now, I'd totally forgotten what I was here for." He said. "The foundation of effort is the will to never give up."

He clenched his fists. "You're right! I have to try, no matter the situation. Even without classes, without assignments, I can just look back at what I've learned already and reinforce those basic principles!"

"Good idea, me!" Taka cheered.

"Yeah, good idea!" Makoto agreed.

Taka smiled. "I'm glad we had this talk, Makoto." He said sincerely. "Wow, I feel so much better getting all that off of my chest! As my way to say thanks, next time I buckle down for a study session, I'll make sure to invite you! Let's work together as fellow ordinary people to show those geniuses who's boss!"

"Look like he got his old energy back." Hina chirped.

"Definitely." Mondo agreed. "Makoto's words definitely had a good effect!"

"And I, myself, will take those words to heart!" Taka said passionately. "If I'm ever not able to go to school, I'll re-evaluate what I've already learned!"

"Glad to hear that I could help." Makoto said, rubbing his head sheepishly.

Makoto smiled, seeing the usual energy back from him. 'Even though he says he's not a genius, I still think he is one.' Makoto thought to himself. 'He's one when it comes to effort. Still, I did notice one thing,' A small frown etched onto his face. 'He seems to have a lot of hostility toward the idea of someone being a genius. Is there some reason he feels that way….?'

"Yeah, now that he mentions it, is there a reason you hate geniuses so much?" Leon asked with a raised eyebrow.

Taka shook his head. "Like Makoto said, I dislike the idea of someone being a genius, not geniuses themselves." The Moral Compass simply said.

Meanwhile, Chihiro looked down, feeling a bit hurt. Many people considered her a genius, thanks to her skills in programming. Does that mean Taka considers her lazy? As someone who doesn't put effort into what they're doing?

Still feeling a bit tired from dealing with Monokuma and Toko, Makoto went over to the dormitory hall. When he got there, he was met with Hina, who looked exhausted. "Ugh….Hey, Makoto…."

"Wow. You looked tired, Hina." Hiro noticed.

"Did she decide to run a marathon through the school?" Junko questioned.

Taka didn't take that joke well. "Running through the hallway is prohibited!"

"I'm so tired…."

"Yeah, you looked pretty tired." Makoto agreed. "What happened?"

"Well, I wanted to forget that scene between Taka and Mondo, so I decided to do a push-up, sit-up, and squat set." Hina explained. "I ended up doing a thousand of each…."

"Why am I not surprised by this?" Leon asked blankly.

"Her stamina is definitely maxed out." Hifumi said. "Probably even above the cap…."

"At least she's taking Makoto's advice to heart." Sakura said, smiling.

"Well, that would explain it." Makoto deadpanned a bit.

"Tired….so tired….." Hina groaned. "I want….something sweet….I want those things you get when you mix flour, sugar, butter, and eggs, then deep fry 'em…."

"Donuts." Everyone answered simultaneously.

"Yeah, that answer was too fucking obvious." Mondo sighed, getting an embarrassed blush from the donut lover herself.

It took Makoto a moment to guess. "You want some donuts, don't you?"

"Don't tell anyone, but there's actually a bunch of frozen donuts in the warehouse….!" Hina informed them. "Throw those in the microwave for a few minutes and just imagine….

"Imagine the chewiness of the donut!" She told him. "You know what Im sayin', right?! You'd eat the crap outta that, right?!"

"You really do love donuts, huh?" Makoto asked her.

"Is there anyone who doesn't?" Hina retorted. "Who on Earth-no, who in the whole universe can say they hate donuts?!"

"Think about the sensation of biting into a donut. First the sweetness floods your mouth, then the soft dough cushion you…." A look of contentment is etched onto her face. "Next you get that hint of egg and butter, right? Your whole body starts to melt….you feel like you're falling into the center of the donut itself!"

Hina felt her mouth watered at the description she's giving, and felt hungry more and more hungry. So without hesitation, she grabbed more donuts leftover from the buffet and started eating more.

That cause several of her friends to shake their heads fondly. "Welp, there she goes again." Leon spoke for everyone.

"When people talk about the donut effective, that's what they're talking about….!"

"They do not, you idiot." Byakuya deadpanned.

"You really need to learn to make better metaphors." Celeste giggled, getting a small raspberry from Hina.

"That's absolutely not true." Makoto stated bluntly.

"Ah, I can't take it anymore!" She shouted, suddenly. "I'm drooling like Niagra Falls over here! Get outta my way, Makoto, or I got an uppercut with your name on it!"

"I-I'm not in the way…." He said nervously.

But she wasn't listening, or is barely listening. "Wait for me, god of donuts!" With the declaration, she ran off.

Makoto was silent for a moment before shaking his head. "Whenever I'm around her, I feel like I'm soaking in the essence of human vitality…."

"No argument there." Mondo agreed with Makoto. "I even feel energized just by watching her."

"It's a good thing that she can affect people like that. I for one, welcome this energy." Sakura smiled, bringing a sheepish grin to the swimmer.

'At least I don't feel tired anymore.' Makoto thought to himself. 'I guess I can do my laundry...'

The next scene showed Makoto, holding a pile of clothes, entering the laundry room. There, he saw Chihiro sitting at one of the benches. "Hey, Chihiro." Makoto greeted.

The programmer looked up before smiling. "Oh, hey Makoto." Chihiro greeted back. "You're here to do laundry, too?"

"Yeah." Makoto confirmed, putting his clothes in one of the washers. "You too?"

"Mmhmm." She confirmed. Then she looked down nervously, twisting her fingers together. "Um, if you don't hate the idea….would you like to talk some more?"

'Jeez, if there's anyone who can say no to someone who asks like that, I'd like to meet 'em.' Makoto thought.

"Yeah."

"Same here!"

"Very hard to say no to that face."

Chihiro blushed at Sayaka's, Hina's, and Hifumi's words. "I think the only person here who would say no is Byakuya." Hiro said.

"But he doesn't have a soul, so he doesn't count." Leon retorted.

"Very funny." Byakuya muttered with an eye roll.

Makoto nodded, sitting down beside her. "Sure, I'd love to learn more about you."

"Okay. But….want do you want to know?" Chihiro asked him.

"Well, let's see," Makoto thought about it for a moment. "What kind of program are you working on now? I bet it's pretty amazing."

"Oh! Actually, I just started the research process for something…." Chihiro told him. "You remember that database software I told you about? I'm retooling it into something a little more complex."

"Really?" Taka asked, looking interested. "What do you mean, Chihiro?" Some of the others look interested as well.

Chihiro shifted uncomfortably. "I-I'm not allowed to talk about it. I signed an NDA with the company that hired me, so I can't really say anything…."

"But you told Makoto, didn't you?" That question came from Kyoko. That got a flush and a guilty look from the programmer.

Mondo laughed lightly at this and gently patted Chihiro on the back. "Don't worry about it, Chihiro. Whenever you're with the little guy, you intend to spill your guts about anything." There were even times he almost told him about the circumstances about his brother's death. It wasn't even something told his bro, or any of his close friends in the gang.

"Indeed." Kyoko nodded in agreement.

"There isn't any doubt there." Sakura nodded.

"He's the type of guy you open yourself up to." Sayaka said.

"W-Without even realizing it, s-sometimes." Toko added in.

The luckster himself is blushing beet red at their words.

"But I signed an NDA with the company that hired me, so I can't really go into the details…."

"Yeah, they probably wouldn't want the wrong people to hear about it, huh?" Makoto said in understanding.

"It's not that I don't trust you or anything!" She hastily said. "I just….made a promise, you know? S-Sorry…."

"No, it's okay." Makoto reassured. "It's my fault for asking about something you couldn't talk about."

"Oh, but," Chihiro started thinking for a moment. "...maybe I can give you a little hint."

"So you actually gave him a hint?" Taka questioned. Chihiro nodded.

"I didn't think my hint would be too easy." Chihiro said, still sounding a bit guilty. "Guess I was wrong."

"It has to do with simulating human thoughts."

It didn't take long for the smarter students to figure it out. "So you're developing artificial intelligence?" Celeste questioned, causing some eyes to go wide.

Chihiro's eyes went wide before she began looking more guilty. "I knew it. My hint is too easy…."

"More like you're dealing with smart people." Leon reassured. "Don't worry, Chihiro. I'm willing to bet that only some of us figured it out."

"Me, Makoto, Kyoko, and Celeste obviously." Byakuya listed off. "The others are too average in intelligence, or too dimwitted to figure it out."

'Why do I have the feeling he's talking about me?' Hina, Hiro, and Mondo thought simultaneously.

After a moment, it clicked to Makoto. "You're developing some kind of artificial intelligence, aren't you?"

"Ah!" Chihiro gasped in surprise. "You figured it out! Was my hint too easy….?" She began to tear up in panic. "Ahh, what am I gonna do? If they find out I broke my promise, they might…."

Makoto quickly reassured the girl. "Don't worry. I'm not gonna say anything to anyone."

"Y-Yeah, I know….I know I can trust you." Chihiro said, pulling herself together. "Okay, I guess I can tell you about it."

Chihiro then began explaining. "I'm working on a type of artificial intelligence the world has never seen before. It's what we call a strong AI. It's designed to think like a human, to process any mental task we can."

"A strong AI?" Hina tilted her head in confusion. "What does that mean?"

"Yeah? How different can an AI be?" Hiro asked.

"I'm sure future me will explain it." Chihiro told them.

"A strong AI….?"

"You see, in the field of artificial intelligence, there's strong AI and weak AI." Chihiro informed him. "Weak AI isn't meant to match human intelligence. It's simply a type of problem-solving software. A weak AI isn't actually thinking, it's just executing actions programmed into it."

"Strong AI, on the other hand, is a program that can achieve true self-consciousness-full ego awareness." She continued. "In other words, a strong AI is a complete entity, a computer program capable of becoming aware. But it's always just been a hypothesis. Plenty of experts don't think it's even possible."

Seeing that a few of the others are still a bit confused, Makoto explained. "Chihiro is basically saying that a weak AI only do things that are programmed to do, while a strong AI has the awareness and intelligence of a human being."

That got everyone understanding. "So, Chihiro is actually trying to do that?" Hina asked, sounding amazed. "That's sound cool! Something from a sci-fi movie!"

"I'm not sure." Hifumi said nervously. "What if the AI rebels against it's creator, and try to destroy all of man kind?"

"It won't do that!" Chihiro reassured quickly. "I promise, the AI won't have thoughts of hurting people!"

"It sounds like something from a sci-fi movie…." Makoto murmured in awe. "And you're working on something like that?"

"Well like I said, right now I'm just researching it." Chihiro told him. "I've made a lot of progress on the programming side, and the intelligence development, but when it comes to actual awareness, it's still a long way off. It might even be impossible…."

"So you already have a AI made?" Kyoko inquired.

Chihiro looked hesitant to answer, but eventually, she nodded. "Yes. Like I said, the programming and intelligence development is mostly done, but actual awareness is still a long ways off."

"Can you tell us more of this, AI?" Celeste inquired.

Before Chihiro could answer, Byakuya interrupted. "You should do it, later, when we're not watching this."

Just as some of the were about to argue, Chihiro quickly spoke up. "Y-Yes. You're right, Byakuya." She said quietly. "Let's continue watching, okay?"

That gain some sighs, but they complied with her request.

"Really….?"

"I'm not sure how to put it, but…." Chihiro said, trying to think of the right words. "No matter how well designed or complex a program is, no matter how closely the software can simulate the workings of the human brain….I don't think that's enough. If the program is only simulating thought, it will always be lacking something."

"And what is that something?" Taka inquired.

"It's probably the one thing that makes us all human." Sakura said. "A soul."

"Lacking….?" Makoto inquired.

"Well…." Chihiro looked down. "I guess you could say….a soul."

"Looks like you're correct, Miss Ogami." Hifumi said.

"Of course. It's kinda obvious, once you think about it." Makoto said. "A soul is something you can't really program. It's something you're born with, that's been with us all our lives. It can't be something you can create with technology or some other mean."

"Well said, Makoto." Sakura said, a small smile on her face.

"If you could somehow poor your own soul into the software, maybe then a strong AI could be created." Chihiro said, sounding thoughtful.

"Wait….a soul?" Makoto repeated.

"Yeah, I know. It's not a programming term." Chihiro said, looking back up. "I'm not even sure how that would work on a technical level."

"Not to mention, realistically." Mukuro said, crossing her arms. "It's impossible to physically take your soul out, and put it into something else."

"In addition, the idea of a soul would be rejected in the science field since there's no real way to prove that one exists. It's simply a concept that is universally agreed upon by people." Chihiro added.

"Do you think a ghost could go into an AI and use it to destroy us all?" Hiro suggested, sounding frightened. All this soul talk is scaring him.

And his question gain several groans of annoyance from the group. "Um, no. I don't think that's possible, Hiro." Makoto said, sweat dropping, before anyone else could snap at him.

"S-Sorry, forget I mentioned it….." Shaking her head, she continued talking. "Anyway, all I have right now is theory. There's still a lot of research left to do."

'Artificial intelligence sounds like a pretty tough subject.' Makoto thought to himself. 'But I'm glad I got to hear about it….'

Chihiro then gain a worried look. "I wasted your time on another boring topic." She murmured. "I must have bored you to death, huh?"

"No, the complete opposite!" Makoto reassured, smiling. "It was really interesting!"

"Makoto's right! The subject of artificial intelligence is fascinating!" Taka agreed. "It's something I would like to include in my academic studies!"

"Yeah!" Sayaka agreed. "It was really nice to hear you talk about it!"

"It's an interesting topic to speak about, Chihiro." Sakura reassured, smiling. "Many of us hear were glad to listen to it."

Chihiro have a big smile on her face. She's really glad of her friends like it!

Chihiro looked surprised at that. "You mean it….?" A smile then lit up her face. "Okay! Next time we talk, I wanna hear about you!"

"Oh, well…." Makoto scratched his head sheepishly. "Unlike you, I really am boring."

"No excuses!" She stated. "It's your turn next time!"

"O-Okay…."

"Hmm. Now that Chihiro has mentioned it, you've never talked about yourself, Makoto." Celeste brought up, looking at the luckster. "Am I wrong?"

Makoto sweatdropped at this. "Well, um…."

"Yeah, that's right!" Hina said in realization. "All of us talked about ourselves with you, but you've never talked about yourself to any of us, have you?"

"Well, I talked about my life with Chihiro." Makoto corrected/protested. "Besides, like I said, my life actually is boring compared to all of you guys."

"Like Chihiro said, that's no excuse!" Sayaka said firmly. "First chance we get, all of us should gather around and find out about you!"

Makoto gulped as several of the others nodded in agreement. Something tells me that he isn't gonna get out of this one.

Chihiro giggled happily at this. "Yay!" (That got Hina and Sayaka squealing at how cute she's acting)

'When she says it like that, I think the only way to refuse….is if you're one of those soulless AI program she mentioned.' Makoto thought to himself, looking at the happy programmer.

"Yep."

"Definitely."

"No doubt about that."

"They really don't have a soul if they can say no THAT."

Chihiro looked down, turning beet red at the compliments washing over her. Do they really think she's that cute?

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 32: Watching Chapter 2: Boys' Life of Despair Part 8

"My post-training break is the most relaxing time of my day." Sakura told Makoto, both of which were talking in the locker room outside the gym. "The sensation of your muscles cooling down after heating up during a workout is the only true reward. No matters how many times I experience it, I never get tired of it."

"Do you exercise every morning, Sakura?" Makoto inquired.

"Look like Sakura gets her turn with our favorite luckster." Junko mused.

"Now it looks like the only one who we didn't see talk to him is fatty." Leon remarked. Then he muttered. "Personally, I hope to avoid seeing conversations with him as much as possible."

"F-For once, I a-agree with you." Toko grumbled. The fanfic creator pretended not to hear them.

"Unless there are errands that I absolutely can't get out of, yes, I always do my training." Sakura confirmed. "If I don't, I feel restless the entire day."

"But I'm amazed you can do it every single day. Doesn't it get tough?" Makoto inquired.

"I can't say I've ever seen it as tough." Sakura admitted. "It's all so that I can get stronger after all. And I have to get stronger, because my destiny is to fight."

"Destiny?" Hifumi repeated in slight befuddlement. "Ah, aren't you overreacting a bit?"

Sakura shook her head. "No. Like all of my family, I was destined to fight."

"Just like how mine is destined to lead the world." Byakuya added in, to which, everyone ignored him.

"Your destiny….is to fight?" Makoto repeated, in slight befuddlement.

"From the day I was born, I've been fighting." Sakura told him. "Heaven sent me to live as its champion."

'That's one heck of a legend….' Makoto thought in shock.

"Yeah, no kidding." Leon gaped in shock. "I mean, really? The heavens sent you as a champion?"

"You believe that?" Hiro questioned, also gaping in shock.

Sakura nodded to this. Hina decided speak up. "It's not so surprising! I mean, she's super strong! There isn't anyone who can beat her in a fight!" Sakura smiled at Hina's confidence in her abilities.

"My father was my master, and every waking moment was spent with him learning to fight." She informed him. "As a child, I sparred with boxing champions and hit the mat with wrestling gold medalists."

"SAY WHAA?!" Hifumi gasped in shock.

The others looked at Sakura in shock. "Don't tell me you actually won against those guys?" Hiro asked, in slight fear.

Sakura shook her head. "No, of course not. It would be unrealistic of me to win I first began." That got a few sagging in relief at that.

"I was no match for them when I first began, of course….but before long, they were no match for me."

Of course, that relief was short-lived. "W-What do you mean by, 'before long'?" Hifumi asked hesitantly.

Sakura mused at that. "I would have to say about a year or so."

Astonishment and disbelief swept across the class. "And you're calling that, realistic?" Leon breathed in disbelief.

"Says the Ultimate Baseball Star, who never practiced once in his life." Celeste retorted. "I believe some of our talents are far beyond the norm when it comes to gaining them."

"Ain't that the fucking truth?" Mondo grumbled.

"Y-You mean….you actually started beating people like that?" Makoto asked in slight disbelief.

"My specialty is mixed martial artists." Sakura told him. "It's the most effective real-world fighting style, which is why I chose it. I don't want to just be the best in competitions. I want to be the strongest human on Earth."

"I wouldn't bet against you, that's for sure." Makoto stated. "But aren't you already the best?"

"You would think becoming the Ultimate Martial Artist would make you the strongest." Hifumi agreed with Makoto.

"Yeah. Especially since that even someone like Mukuro, who's the Ultimate Soldier, can't beat you in a fair fight." Leon pointed out. The soldier, though slightly displeased, silently nodded knowing that it's true.

"So why is this whole mixed art thing the best? I mean, I never learned any of it and I still beat people up just fine." Mondo commented.

"The problem with adhering to one martial art is that you're limiting the amount of options you have while also making yourself somewhat predictable in combat." Mukuro explained.

"Each form of art has their own strengths and weaknesses. For example, one traditional Chinese martial art, Wing Chun, is great for self defense as it teaches a lot of hand trapping and short range techniques for your casual encounters in a dark alley. However, its strength is also a weakness as you can only apply that in very specific ranges. That changes when you apply longer range techniques from another art such as Tae Kwon Do."

"I see, so realistically, one would be taking in the strengths of the various arts they have learned, and mold it into one; In other words, the perfect art." Celeste thought.

"The perfect art doesn't exist as each art's strength is a weakness to another in some way. It's a very complicated rock-paper-scissors system because of how flexible and broad each art is, but you get the idea." Mukuro said, earning a nod of agreement from Sakura.

"Wow that was boring. Can we get back to this?" Junko sighed.

Sakura shook her head. "No, not yet. There's still someone I have to surpass…."

"Really….?"

"Until I can beat him, I'll never become the strongest…."

Sayaka was the first to react, completely surprised and mouth agape, she spoke: "You mean there's someone out there stronger than you?"

Like Sayaka, the feeling of disbelief and awe quickly spread amongst the others. "I'm gonna repeat what she said," Leon said slowly. Then, his voice got faster, and louder. "There's someone stronger than Sakura out there?!"

"No! No, no! I'm not gonna believe it!" Hifumi denied, covering his ears.

"Is this guy some fucking monster or something?" Mondo breathed in disbelief.

"It's still pretty hard to believe you know." Makoto added.

Sakura was silent at that. 'I honestly can't believe there's someone out there stronger than Sakura,' Makoto thought incredulously. 'If they're real….can they really be human?'

"Yeah, I agree! They can't be human!" Hiro said, pulling his dreads. "Ogre is scary enough! How can there be someone stronger than her?"

"Stop calling Sakura that!" Hina stated angrily.

"Can you tell us who that is?" Sayaka asked the martial artist.

Sakura looked away, in response to the question. "If this entire... matter, is really a vision of our future, then I'm sure it will be addressed eventually."

"W-Why not tell us, right now?" Toko questioned, with her usual tone.

"Because I prefer to not talk about it right now." Sakura answered softly. "It's a personal matter."

Hina look at her friend with worry. "Are you sure you're okay with it being revealed, Sakura?"

"Hina, it will be revealed, regardless of how I feel." Sakura told her. "And the others will eventually go through this as well, so there's no use worrying about it."

Her words silenced the class, each thinking about their own secrets.

Remembering something else she mentioned, he spoke up. "Um, you said that 'Until I can beat him'. Does that mean the person is a guy?"

"He is indeed, a man." Sakura confirmed.

"So you were talking about….your dad?" Makoto confirmed.

"A logical guess." Celeste agreed. "After all, who else other than the one who trained up to this point?"

"Yeah. It's got to be your old man, right?" Leon asked the martial artist herself.

Again, Sakura was silent, but only for a moment this time. "The family dojo has been passed down from generation to generation for the past three centuries."

"Three centuries….?" Makoto repeated in amazement. "That's one heck of a history."

"I was born into the family as an only daughter." Sakura continued. "Male or female don't matter. It's my duty to protect our legacy. And because I am a woman, I must be even stronger than if I were a man.

"Some would say that a woman is incapable of becoming the strongest human alive." She stated, determining lacing strongly in her voice. "I want to prove them wrong."

"The people who say that are stupid." Leon deadpanned. "All you have to do is look at Sakura or Mukuro."

"Or any of the female fighters in Hope's Peak." Sayaka pointed out. "We certainly have a handful of them at the school."

"No argument there." Mondo agreed.

"Which is why I subjected myself to such feverish training under my father's instruction. Surpassing my father was certainly important to me." Her voice finally went softer, back to her usual tone. "But that was just a matter of time."

"What do you mean….?" Makoto asked slowly.

The implication were hit by some of the them. "Do you mean that….?" Hifumi trailed off, a little disbelief in his voice.

"I was 14 years old when I first beat my father in a sparring match." Sakura answered. "After that, I never lost to my father again."

Makoto's eyes widened in shock and realization. "Wait, then….!"

"Yes. I have already surpassed my father." Sakura confirmed his unasked question.

Once again, that shocked several of them. "You surpassed your own father at 14?!" Hifumi squealed.

"That's fucking insane!" Mondo agreed.

"Amazing! No wonder you're the Ultimate Martial Artist!" Hina praised, looking at Sakura. "But how were you able to surpass him at such a young age?!"

Sakura smiled. "The same way you go in any path. Hard-work and commitment."

"But you must have had some natural talent to get this far." Sayaka pointed out.

Sakura smiled. "You're probably right. But I wouldn't be the Ultimate Martial Artist right now without the commitment I put into this."

Hina grinned. "Yep! You're definitely one of the strongest, Sakura! And I'm cheering for you to be number one!"

"Thank you, Hina." Sakura said, smiling. "I'm glad to hear that I have your support."

Byakuya, Kyoko, Celeste, and Mukuro, meanwhile, were more focused on something else. It wasn't missed to them that Sakura could've just said that she eventually beaten her father. It's clear that she's avoiding the topic of who is stronger than her.

"I don't believe it…." Makoto muttered in disbelief.

"I'm not sure I did the right thing." She confessed. "My father also had the desire to become the strongest human alive. But I can't look back. I can only move forward and try to claim that title for myself. That is my destiny."

She then straighten up. "Well, that's all for now. That was enjoyable. Goodbye." She said, leaving the room.

'Wait, hold on….' Makoto thought as she closed the door. "I never did find out who could possibly be stronger than her…."

"Oh. That's right. We didn't." Chihiro said in realization.

"You were avoiding that line of conversation, were you?" Celeste pointed out, looking at Sakura.

The martial artist nodded. "Again, it is a personal matter that I would rather not indulge in right now."

"Sooo, I'm guessing the only ones who knows right now is donut girl and lucky boy?" Junko asked her. Again, Sakura nodded.

"Both of them are people I can trust with anything." Hina beamed at that while Makoto smiled bashfully.

'Did she avoid talking about it on purpose….?' Deciding not to think about it for now, he left the locker room as the screen faded out.

The next scene faded back in with Makoto eating lunch at the dining hall. "Hey, Makoto!" The luckster looked up to see Mondo right in front of him, at the other side of the table. "What's your ride?"

"Huh?" Makoto gain a confused look at the question. "My ride….?"

"Yeah, man! Your hog! Your chopper! Your motorcycle!" Mondo beamed.

"Oh, uh….I don't ride anything." The luckster admitted.

Makoto's eyes widen at this. "What?! You're not a little kid anymore, right?! And you still don't have a hog?!" He let out a groan. "God, you're a fuckin' dweeb!"

"Not every guy has a motorcycle, Mondo." Leon stated with an eye roll. "None of us guys here have a motorcycle, except for you."

"Not my fault you're missing out on something awesome." Mondo snorted.

"Uh….sorry?" Makoto said hesitantly.

"Alright man, I'm gonna educate ya!" Mondo told him. "A real man rides Kawasaki, okay? That's what I ride."

The biker then grin. "You outta see it, man. The v-twin's got that monster power, it's like you're dancin'. Course, it ain't just for anyone. You gotta have the skills to handle it!"

"Yeah, it was definitely one impressive bike." Leon agreed. During their evaluations, they all got to see Mondo's motorcycle.

"And bro rides it very well!" Taka complimented with his usual passion.

Mondo grinned at that. "Thanks, bro."

"You must really love your motorcycle…." Makoto commented on.

"Hell yeah I do!" Mondo exclaimed. "I'm a goddamn biker, ain't I? We're crazy as hell!"

"Yeah, you're the leader of the biggest biker gang in Japan, right?" Makoto inquired.

"Damn straight! The invincible Crazy Diamond gang!" Mondo stated with pride. "You wanna come ride with us? The monster sound comin' outta that straight pipe….Hot damn!"

"Makoto? Riding with a biker gang?" Junko raised an eyebrow at that. "That would be quite the interesting sight."

"That is, if he can last more than ten seconds." Celeste giggled.

"Especially with his luck of his." Hifumi put in. That brought a chill in Makoto's spine, and a wave of worry amongst the others. Did they really have to point out his horrible luck of his?

Mondo let out a sigh. "Man, that makes me think back to when I first started riding. My big bro used to ride too, ya know. His name's Daiya."

"Daiya and Mondo - together we were the Diamond Brothers!" Again, his word was filled with pride. "Everyone up and down the country knew us! Course, I was always the cool one…."

'The Diamond Brothers?' Makoto repeated in his head. 'That sounds kinda….incredible.'

"Yeah, I agree. It really does sound incredible." Chihiro agreed. She turned to her biker friend. "Did you learn everything from your brother?"

Mondo smiled at that, though it was slightly sad. "Yeah, I did. Every trick and technique I know, was learned from him."

"The first time I went out, I ended up at the back of the pack." Mondo continued. "Eventually the cops got on us, and they surrounded me. I was in some tough shit, man! So I pulled over, but when they came up to me….well, let's just say it was a massacre."

"Mondo, you really shouldn't harm the police force!" Taka scolded his friend. "Nor you should do anything to earn the police's ire!"

"Hey, we weren't hurting anybody." Mondo held his hand up. "Just having some fun."

Makoto recoiled little at his choice of words. "A massacre….? Man, Mondo. You must really be strong…."

"Of course! You can't wave the banner for our gang without that kind of strength!" Mondo stated. "In a fight, they'll go for the leader first. Kill the leader of the pack, ya know? That's why the other gangs come after me."

"That is true." Mukuro agreed. "In any battle, you would take out the leader if you're able to. Without someone in command, the remaining body will quickly succumb to confusion and disorganization. After that, it's easy pickings."

"Have you taken out any leaders, Mukuro?" Makoto asked curiously.

Mukuro nodded. "You could say that if I see an opportunity, I would immediately take it."

"So if you wanna be the leader of the pack, you gotta be a tough motherfucker! You'll see what I mean when we go on our first ride. Get ready for it!"

That got Makoto a little nervous. "Actually….maybe it's better if I don't get involved in that kinda thing. And like I said, I don't have a motorcycle. I don't even know how to drive one!"

Kyoko, Sayaka, Mukuro, Celeste, and Hina silently agreed with their crush. None of them wanted to see Makoto riding with a gang and get into all sorts of troubles given his luck.

"Then you can ride with me!"

"Say what?" Hina cried in shock. "But, didn't you say that the other gangs target you the most?"

"Um, yeah, I think you did." Leon confirmed, looking at the biker.

Mondo rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, so? That would make it more fun."

'Not for me!' Makoto thought in his head.

Sayaka unintentionally repeated his thoughts. "Not for him!"

'Riding with Mondo….' That got Makoto nervous. 'But other gangs target him first, right?' Makoto shook his head. "No….nooo way…."

But apparently, Mondo didn't hear him. "Hey! I said get ready for it!" Mondo then got up from his seat. "Damn, I am pumped! I can't wait to get outta here now!" With that, Mondo left in a good mood.

"Look like Mr. Naegi doesn't have a choice in that matter."

"Not having a choice in the matter..." Mukuro repeated slowly, looking towards Mondo. "Perhaps we can have a discussion about that?"

"Agreed." Kyoko spoke, also staring at the biker coldly. As part of the law enforcement, she will not let Makoto be a part of any trouble. He's already been in enough.

Mondo isn't stupid enough to argue with those two, so he stayed quiet. But he let out a small huff of disappointment.

Makoto smiled sheepishly at this. "Um, thanks you two."

Makoto grew pale at the thought of riding with Mondo. "Crap….this is really bad…." 'Even if I get out of here, I might still be in trouble….'

"With that luck of yours, there's no doubt about it." Junko snorted. Makoto hung his head depressingly at that, there were more than a few times where he was caught in the middle of danger….but he quickly found a reply.

"Well, despite all the trouble I get into, I still make it out in one piece!" He pointed out, to which Junko ignored.

"That is interestingly true..." Celeste mused.

Trying to put his anxiety back, he finished up his lunch and left the dining hall. Shortly after, he ran into Taka once again in the hallway.

"Oh, hello Makoto." Taka greeted. "I was about to go to my room for a study session. Would you like to study with me, Makoto?"

"Look like you're fulfilling you're promising to Makoto," Chihiro mused. "About inviting him to one of your study sessions, I mean."

"Glad to see I'm studying now!" Taka stated with a beaming smile.

"Yeah. Only you would be eager to do that." Leon stated with an eye roll.

"Come to my room! If there's anything you don't understand, I'm a very attentive teacher!"

"Um….I don't think I need you to be all that attentive." Makoto replied with a sweatdrop. "But sure, you don't mind if I stop by?"

"Of course not!" Taka answered. "Okay, let's do it!" With that, the two went to Taka's room.

The next scene showed Taka and Makoto in the former's room. As expected of the Ultimate Moral Compass, there's a collection of dictionaries and reference books, along with pieces of calligraphy and a pie chart on the wall. An iron board is set up in his room, as well as a practice kendo sword.

The two are sitting at the coffee table, face to face. "Okay, next one." Taka stated. "What country first established 'zero' as a numerical concept?"

Makoto frowned in thought. "It was….India, wasn't it?"

"Correct! Another question answered well!" Taka cheered.

"Look like we have a timeskip here." Hifumi murmured.

"Thank you, captain obvious." Junko stated with an eye roll. "At least most of us got it."

"Most of us?" Sakura raised an eyebrow at the wording.

"It's hard to tell when Hiro gets anything."

"I'm not that dumb!" Hino whined.

Toko snickered at that. "A-At least you admitted it."

"Wai- that's not what I meant!"

"Seeing you excited gets me excited! Let's stack our effort one on top of the other and show those self-centered genius jerks what for!"

Byakuya and Celeste rolled their eyes at that while Celeste winced a little. "How very mature of you." Byakuya drawled.

"Look like the genius thing is still fresh in his head." Leon remarked.

"Well, it's not something you can forget about in just a few hours." Makoto said.

Makoto looked at Taka hesitantly. "Hey, um….Taka?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I just noticed….you seem to really hate the idea of geniuses." Makoto approached carefully.

"Hmm," Taka had a little frown at that. "I guess that I feel like they're just….my sworn enemy, you know?"

"Huh….?" Makoto looked at him in confusion.

"But you hit the nail on the head. You're pretty sharp!" Taka complimented.

"More like it's obvious, bro." Mondo stated with an eye roll. "Even if you're right about Makoto being sharp."

"But why does he hate geniuses so much?" Hina asked.

"It'll probably be explained on here." Mukuro told her.

"But….why?" Makoto inquired.

Taka balled his hands together at the table, his head lowered and the frown increased. "There's someone….someone I respected, someone I hate. Someone I have to surpass….because he was a genius."

"What….?"

"Toranosuke Ishimaru. Do you recognize that name?" Taka asked him. "He was my grandfather. He was once….Prime Minister of Japan."

A few gasps of shock echoed the room. "Your grandpa was the Prime Minister?!" Hina exclaimed in shock.

"I suspected as much." The Togami heir stated, not really surprised. As soon as he heard Taka's last name, he had a feeling that the moral compass was related to the Prime Minister. Those who has also figured it out, or has been told already, wasn't surprised either.

Taka nodded. "Yes. My grandfather was the Prime Minister of Japan, Toranosuke Ishimaru."

"He was your grandpa?!" Makoto exclaimed in shock.

"He went from Minister of Foreign Affairs to Chief Cabinet Secretary, and finally….Prime Minister." The Moral Compass listed off. "And all without any support network, and only a high school degree….! He was, simply, a genius. Everything he did, he did without any effort."

"Wow." Hina said in awe. "You're grandpa sounds amazing, Taka."

"So why would you hate him for that?" Sayaka asked.

Byakuya was the one to answer. "Because he squandered that success." The heir stated crisply. "He fell from his position as fast as he got it."

Taka nodded in agreement. "As much as I hate to agree with him, Byakuya is correct."

"He sounds like an amazing person." Makoto said in awe. "And he was your grandfather?"

Taka nodded. "He was a genius. He'd never known failure. His success was unimaginable to a normal person. But because of that…."

Taka's hands clenched tighter. "He allowed himself to be controlled by naive emotions, and got roped into a corruption scandal. He had no idea what the world of geniuses was really like. At least, that's how I see it.

"At that point, he fell just as fast as he had risen." Taka continued. "And it wasn't just in politics. The business world had no use for him anymore, and he plummeted. The debts he left behind torments my family to this day. He died a few years ago. By the end, he wasn't speaking to anyone."

"Despite his fame, his legacy….the only people who came to his funeral were family members." Tak concluded.

The story of Taka's grandfather, of his downfall, along with the effects of it, shocked the group. "Damn, dude" Leon whistled. "It's no wonder you're pissed at him."

"And that what you meant when you said that you weren't even middle-class." Sakura observed. "Are those debts really that severe?"

Taka sighed. "Yes, they are." He said. "My family has yet to pay them all yet."

Chihiro frowned in sympathy for her friend, as did a few others.

"That's hard to imagine…." Makoto admitted.

"Some consider this genius' fate a blessing. But I see it as a tragedy more than anything." Taka stated. "The tragedy of finding success without understanding the importance of effort. There's nothing worse than a genius who trips and falls. Just like my grandfather…."

"And you think I would fall like your grandfather did?" Byakuya questioned with a frown. "As if."

"You say that now, but one stumble and you may end up like him!" Taka stated.

"And he sure will!" Junko thought with a smile.

Sakura frowned a little. "I can understand why you would value hard-work, Taka," The Martial Artist stated. "However, not all geniuses are like your grandfather."

"Sakura got a point there, bro." Mondo agreed. "I mean, Chihiro here is a genius when it comes to programming, isn't she? That doesn't mean she's gonna end up in debt like your granddad."

Taka frowned at their words. It wasn't easy to just simply accept those words.

"And that's why you hate the word 'genius'?"

"My grandfather serves as an important lesson why you must never be deceived by words like 'genius'." Taka said. "Relying on my effort, I will reach greater accomplishments than anything my grandfather ever did!"

"But to do that, you'll need to respect those talented in their line of skill or work." Sakura lectured him. "'Geniuses' can work as hard as you can, as well but, you need to respect your rivals and enemies, in order to win."

Taka considered Sakura's words for a moment. He has to admit, considering his time with his classmates, Sakura's words hold some truth to them. But there are still those out there that holds those titles and doesn't value hard-work, aren't there?

"Look, just don't think on it too much, bro." Mondo said, seeing the confliction on his friend's face. "Just think about it later."

The Moral Compass sighed, reluctantly burying his thoughts. "Alright."

"So we have to work hard to build a society where those who put in the most effort are properly rewarded!"

"I-I see…." Makoto looked down. 'I can agree with him, but Taka and I aren't the same. I can't reach for those kinds of big dreams….'

"Yeah, I feel the same way." Hina admitted, rubbing the back of her head. "That kind of dream seems way too big for me."

"Ditto." Mondo agreed.

"But you know, Makoto….I'm really happy!" Taka stated, cheering up a bit. "I figured this school would be full of geniuses. I mean, I thought everyone would be my enemy. I never imagined I'd meet someone here who I could share my story with…."

"How do you see us now?" Sayaka asked Taka curiously.

Taka responded with slight hesitation. "This is rather difficult to admit, but it's clear that I have made a misjudgment. Perhaps not everyone here are pure geniuses, and some of you had worked hard to get the titles you have... but this is a matter I'll have to figure out another day."

"Glad you start seeing us that way." Mondo stated.

"I'm so lucky to have met you here! This kind of thing only happens once in a lifetime!" He gain back his usual demeanor. "I hope we can stay close, and combine our efforts to shape things the way we want!"

"Yeah, definitely…." Makoto agreed. With that, the two continue to study for a while.

"So, we've been seeing Makoto talk to everyone for awhile now," Junko commented on, clearly a bit bored. "Do you think Monokuma will try and get us to become murder happy again?"

"I really hope not." Hina stated. "I'd rather watch us interact with each other."

"But this won't last forever." Byakuya sighed. "The bear seems to get bored easily, at least in the span of a few days."

"Can you not kill the mood?" Leon muttered. "Let's enjoy this while we can."

Right after, the screen turned black. A moment later, the school bell rung, and an image of Monokuma flared up. "Ahem! School announcement! S chool announcement! Nighttime is quickly approaching, but before it arrives…."

"All students, please gather in the gym immediately." The bear instructed. "Emergency! Emergency!" With that, the announcements ended.

Immediately, dread filled the group. "You just had to jinx it, didn't you?" Hiro whined.

"Well shit!" Leon protested, pretending to flip a table by throwing his arms up.

"He wasn't going to stay silent for long." Kyoko sighed. "It was only a matter of time until he tries to get us to kill each other again."

"But what is this emergency he's talking about?" Taka inquired.

"Guess we'll find out." Mukuro said.

The camera went to Makoto's room, with the luckster sitting on the bed and looking at the monitor suspiciously. "Gather in the gym….?" He murmured to himself. "Why now all of a sudden?" He frowned. 'I really don't like the sound of this. I have a bad feeling about this….'

"As do we all, Makoto," Sakura spoke in. "Anything coming from the bear is hardly ever pleasant."

"N-No argument there." Toko agreed.

"Let just be mentally prepared for what the bear has in store for us." Byakuya stated. Then he sighed. "And I do mean, anything. I haven't forgotten the last gym gathering."

Several sweatdropped in remembrance of the beginning of chapter 2. Some were kinda hoping something like that would happen, but they all knew it would be something bad….

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 33: Watching Chapter 2: Boys' Life of Despair Part 9

"Hmm….asking us to gather together all of a sudden like this," Taka mused as he stood vigilantly in the gym. Everyone else around him had their own looks of fear, suspicion, and vigilance. "What could he possibly want?"

"Indeed. What might await us this time?" Celeste questioned.

"I don't even want to know." Sayaka complained.

"And yet, we have to watch." Byakuya sighed.

Byakuya let out a small chuckle. "He keeps things interesting, that's for certain."

"Is he actually laughing?" Leon questioned in disbelief. "I mean I know we talked about this but uggh!"

"He's seriously messed up right now!" Hina exclaimed.

Byakuya gritted his teeth, at the reminder of his future self's attitude.

"How is that funny?" Hifumi questioned in slight disbelief. "Can't you smile like a normal person once in awhile? Like how the housewife on a classic TV show smiles at the end of an episode?"

Junko snorted. "He could! Once he gets that stick out his ass!"

"There's no way! It's lodged in there!" Leon remarked. "Not even Makoto could get that out of him!"

"And it's impossible to stick a brain into that empty head of yours, no matter how hard someone tries." Byakuya retorted.

"There's something totally messed up with you if you can laugh at a time like this!"

Byakuya raised an eyebrow at this. "Which of us is actually 'messed up', hmm?"

That startled Hina a bit. "Wh-What's that supposed to mean…."

"Nothing in particular. Just admiring, that's all…." The heir stated. "I don't want to kill anyone. But I also don't want to stay here, living in blind denial day after day. I was just admiring how you could live like that and still keep your sanity."

Hina growled at this. "Denial?!"

"Are you trying to make everyone your enemy?" Kyoko questioned, looking at the heir. "Because you're making yourself a target."

"No kiddin'." Mondo snorted. Byakuya chose not to speak right now.

Hina gritted her teeth at this. "I'm not in denial…."

"That reminds me. Remember how you kept rambling about how the police would come to help us?" He asked rhetorically. "How did that turn out? It seems to me there's no sign whatsoever of possible rescue."

Makoto's eyes widened as he remembered. "Now that he mentioned it…."

"Yeah! Where the heck is the police?" Hiro questioned. "Shouldn't they be rescuing us by now?"

"It's been nearly a week since we got trapped there." Taka mused. "People are bound to notice us missing."

"But we don't know if they know, that we're trapped in Hope's Peak." Celeste pointed out. "Hope Peak has been closed down, remember?"

"Th-That's just…." Hina began growing pale. "I wonder what actually happened."

"It's strange, that's true." Kyoko agreed. "There's no way the police wouldn't know about it. We're right in the middle of a major urban area."

"Kyoko has a point." Makoto stated. "Since Hope's Peak is at a major urban area, the people should've noticed something strange about the school."

"Pretty hard to miss too, with all the metal plates and what not." Mondo commented.

"But all that we have is theories right now." Byakuya stated. "For all we know, none of them are right."

"True. We don't have a base for anything right now." Kyoko admitted with a hint of resignation. "The only thing we know for certain is that our memories are erased, Hope's Peak has been closed down, and that we are in Hope's Peak."

"The police sucks!" Hifumi declared. (To which caused an eye twitch from the detective.)

"On the contrary, the mastermind may just be that powerful, to take control of even the police…." Celeste retorted.

"Oh!" Hiro gasped in remembrance. "This might not be related, but-"

"Then don't say it." Toko interrupted.

"Nope, gonna say it!" Hiro stated back.

Toko sighed. "G-Great. What idiotic comment is gonna come out now?"

"It's not gonna be idiotic! It'll be important, I just know it!" Hiro exclaimed.

"It's about last night. I was near the main hall, just staring off into space." Hiro began. "When all of a sudden….I heard it."

"You heard what?" Chihiro asked curiously.

"A sound that…." Hiro frown in thought. "I don't really know what it was…."

"Wh-What kind of sound?" Taka inquired.

"Well like I said, I don't really know." The fortune teller repeated. "But if I had to describe it….it was like….a construction site, I guess?"

"A construction site….?" Makoto repeated in confusion.

"Yeah, a construction site?" Hina repeated in confusion.

"Well, that would open up to multiple possibilities." Byakuya mused. "If Hiro's words are credible."

"For all we know, the dude may have just imagined it." Mondo agreed.

"I mean, I could just making that up. I only just barely heard anything…." Hiro told them.

"See? What'd I tell you?"

"Still, it's something we should keep in mind." Kyoko said. "In case we find something that coincides with what Hiro said."

"Yes. With any mystery anime, the seemingly most unimportant detail could become very important." Hifumi stated.

"Chekhov's gun, a writing principle stating that every element in a story must be significant in some way and those that aren't should be removed." Toko cited, before realizing that everyone was looking at her. "W-What?"

"N-Nothing. It's just... new.. to see you speak without the stutter." Makoto commented, causing Toko to look away in embarrassment.

"S-Shut up and f-focus!"

"Then you d-definitely made it up." Toko stated cynically. "M-Must've just been the sound of the ocean in th-that head of yours…."

"You have the weirdest insults sometime, Toko." Hina sweatdropped with a few nods of agreement around her.

Then, a familiar, annoying voice popped in. "Say what?! Whatchoo talkin' about, Toko?!" As everyone turning towards the platform, the scene changed.

The camera lowered from the ceiling to behind the remaining Ultimates. When the camera was right behind them, it zoomed in to the podium and once again, Monokuma appeared on it.

Kyoko was the first to speak. "He's arrived…."

"What Hiro heard was the sound of construction…." Monokuma informed them. "But it could've been an explosion!"

That got several blinking in shock. "Huh? An explosion?" Makoto repeated slowly.

"He's joking, right?" Hiro asked nervously.

"With this bear? Who could say?" Junko said.

That caught the group by surprise.

"Huh….?" Was the only response Makoto could manage.

"Or maybe a machine gun!" The bear let out his signature laugh. "That can kinda sound like construction in a way!"

"What are you talking about….?"

Kyoko frowned. "If he's not lying, then what Hiro heard is probably something important."

"What do you mean?" Sakura inquired.

Makoto spoke up then. "Do you think a fight is happening outside?" Kyoko nodded.

"If I'm right, then there's a basis for one of my theories." The detective explained. "Given that the school seems to have been reinforced with a variety of barricades and automated defenses, we can only assume that the exterior is like that as well. It's likely that we haven't been abandoned but instead that there are people, most likely the police, that are trying to break through."

"And I'm guessing they made ways for the entire school building to be nearly soundproof, since Hiro could barely here it." Celeste mused. "So who knows how long the people out there was trying to get us out? Or how many that have died trying?"

That got more than a few nervous gulps. None of them wanted to think about it.

"It's still a theory as of now so I can't confirm anything. Lets keep watching." Kyoko said, taking their minds off the gruesome thought.

"Ah-ah-ah! Beyond this point my mouth is zipped, my lips are sealed, I am fully puckered!" Monokuma declared. "It's a secret little secret!"

"Look like we won't get any more information from the bear." Byakuya sighed.

"You think its doing this on purpose?" Hina asked.

"Regardless, a little information is better than no information!" Taka exclaimed.

"Fine, then let's move on to what you can tell us." Kyoko said, getting to the main reason. "Why did you call us here?"

"You don't beat around the the ol'bush do ya?!" Monokuma rhetorically asked. "Ready for me to get to the point, huh? But before that, you don't mind if I vent a little?"

"Do we have a choice?" Leon remarked.

"My guess is no." Junko chimed in.

"I'm low on energy these days. My stitching is even losing all its shine and luster," Monokuma said depressingly. "I'm thinking, it's probably become of this ho-hum, boring old everyday life. I'm looking for something with a little more stimulation, something ripe with danger and intrigue!"

"Then how about joining the fucking army?" Mondo suggested. "That should stimulate you enough, you psycho bear!"

'No thanks. That's Mukuro shtick, not mine!' Junko denied.

"Listen, can I be frank?" Monokuma asked. "The next blackened hasn't shown up yet, and I'm getting booooored! So, I've decided to come up with a new to motivate you!"

That had several of them stiffen in fear. "M-Motivate?!" Hina exclaimed.

"Does he have more of those videos?" Chihiro questioned, shaking a little.

"I really fucking hope not." Mondo stated, clenching his fist.

"M-Motivate….?!" Makoto exclaimed in trepidation. "Is it another set of videos or something….?" The memory of his home being a wreck flashed into his mind. "Are you gonna show us some demented thing to try and drive us all to murder?!"

"Drive you to murder?!" Monokuma repeated in outrage. "What a mean thing to say! That's just awful!"

"It's what you did!" Sayaka shouted in anger, and slight guilt. "You showed us something to drive us into murder, you psychotic monster!"

"Sayaka…." Makoto clasped his hand onto Sayaka's, with her returning the grip. Though she didn't spew out anymore words, the angry look on her face did all the speaking for her.

"I don't know what you've got planned, but we're not going to kill each other!" Taka stated confidently. "No matter what you do, I swear to God we won't!"

"Yes! We will definitely not kill anyone!" Taka agreed with his counterpart.

Byakuya rolled his eyes. "Merely wishful thinking. We all know good and well that another killing is bound to happen."

"You know, it couldn't hurt to be a bit more optimistic." Hina said with a frown.

"I'm only being realistic." Byakuya remarked, rolling his eyes. If killings didn't happen in this future killing game, there would be no need for any of them to be here.

"Hmm. That's very big talk. Do your very best to back it up, okay?" The bear then went back to the subject at hand. "Now then, with your permission, let me begin!"

Chihiro wrapped her arms around herself in fear. "What is it going to do now?"

"Whatever it is, we should brace ourselves." Sakura advised, also tense.

"So, this time it's….embarrassing memories and secrets!" He revealed. "As long as you're alive, it's a given that there's things you don't want other people to know about you! So I did a little investigating of my own, and I dug up some of your darkest secrets!"

That had everyone stiffened up. "O-Our darkest secrets?" Toko repeated. "Y-You don't t-think he's serious, do you?"

"If they aren't our darkest, I doubt he would've used them as motives." Celeste said with a frown. "But how will he use them, I wonder?"

"I have an idea of what he's gonna do with them." Kyoko said.

"So do I." Makoto spoke in with a anxious frown. "And I don't like it."

Monokuma then showed several envelopes in his hands. "And those embarrassing memories and secrets are all contained in the envelopes I have right here. I'm going to hand them out now, so take a second to take a peek!" After that, Monokuma toss each of them toward the feets of their respective owners. Makoto quickly got his off the ground.

Subconsciously, everyone leaned in a bit closer to the screen in anticipation of Makoto's secret. Considering that Makoto is such an open book, and doesn't seem to have anything like that, they can't help but be curious about what he got hidden.

The boy in question went a bit rigid, wondering what secret does Monokuma that would make him want to kill. As he recall, he doesn't have anything big, does he?

Nervously, he pulled out what was on there. When he read what was one there, his entire body went rigid.

The note says, "Makoto wet the bed until he was in 5th grade."

The initial moment of dread was replaced by a small moment of silence before a couple of students bursted out laughing. "You wet the bed until 5th grade?" Leon laughed out.

"Seems like his secret is normal as well." Junko snorted, though she's slightly peeved that there isn't any good dirt on him.

Sayaka giggled and, along with Kyoko, shuffled a bit away from him, prompting him to pout. "Hey c'mon, it's a normal thing! I swear!" He tried to defend himself, but only receiving more laughter.

"I don't know what to think," He sighed. "Should I feel embarrassed that my secret got revealed…..or weirded out that Monokuma thought I would kill someone over that?"

"He probably couldn't find anything else about you." Mukuro said with a shrug.

"What….?!" Makoto exclaimed.

"H-How….?" Hina stuttered in shock.

"How'd you find out about this?!" Taka questioned in panic. And just like that, everybody started panicking at once.

The continuation of the video put a hard stop on any more laughter from happening, bringing everyone back to reality. "This isn't the time for laughter." Byakuya said crisply. "After all, the mastermind knows all our darkest secrets."

"Wh-What does he plan to do with them?" Chihiro stuttered in slight fear.

Celeste gripped the armrests. "I think we all have an idea as to what."

Monokuma spoke up from all the panicked talking. "You have 24 hours! If someone doesn't become blackened by then….all your deepest, darkest, most embarrassingest secrets will be exposed to the world! Maybe I'll roll by a crowded intersection in a van strapped with loudspeakers and spill the beans!"

Chihiro's eyes widen dramatically and went pale as a sheet. "H-He's gonna reveal our secrets to the world?!"

Some of the others, such as Mondo, Toko, and Celeste, didn't feel so well either, though the more stoic ones manage to hide their emotions.

"I don't know if I should feel good for not being there." Leon admitted, not looking well. "On one hand, it saves me from dealing with this, on the other hand….well, I'm dead."

"Trust me, I know how you feel." Sayaka agreed, feeling as bad and conflicted as Leon, if not more so. After all, she did start chapter 1, but since she's dead, she doesn't have to worry about doing it again. A strange and uncomfortable thought, for sure.

Meanwhile, Junko is swimming in mental bliss. She could never get enough of the panic and terror and despair from her classmate's faces, especially poor little Chihiro's. She can imagine the despair the future Chihiro is feeling right now!

He let out a fake embarrassed scream. "Wouldn't that be so embarrassing?!"

Makoto was silent for a moment. Then, he spoke. "So that's what you meant by 'motivate'?"

"Yup, you got it!" Monokuma confirmed. "They're all pretty unpleasant, trust me. None of you want me to reveal that stuff, right?"

"It's definitely something I'd rather people not know," Makoto admitted. "But….we'd never kill over something like that!"

That shocked the bear. "Wh-What'd you say?!"

"He's right!" Taka immediately agreed with. "Your plan is doomed to fail! No one's gonna murder someone for this kind of thing!"

"Agreed, future me and Makoto!" Taka said with the same passion. "There's no one who would kill over embarrassing secrets!"

"Yeah! There's no way I would kill somebody over mine!" Hina agreed.

Some of the others, however, couldn't bring themselves to agree with them. Kyoko, Celeste, and Byakuya know full well that everyone have different secrets, and that each secret isn't at the same level as the others.

Junko also knew this as well. And that there are certain secrets people would really kill over, such as Toko being Genocide Jack or Chihiro actually being a boy.

"O-Oh, no…." Monokuma moaned in disappointment. "Is it because….for better or worse, your memory is still a way to connect to the outside world? I have stuff I wouldn't want anyone to know no matter what, so I assumed you'd all be the same. Which is why I put so much effort into preparing this next motive!"

Monokuma turned away from them. "Maaan! You're saying you really won't kill each other over this stuff? That just sucks!" The bear let out a sigh, almost looking convincingly depressed. "Well, what can you do? Okay, then in just 24 hours, I'll expose all your secrets just to make myself feel a little bit better! So sad, so depressed! Farenotwell…..!" With that, Monokuma left the gym.

Mondo clenched his teeth, thinking about the circumstances of his brother's death. If the gang finds out that it was because of him, everything they worked for will crumble. Will his other try to stop that from happening? Would he….kill?

'No. No, I'm strong!' Mondo thought, shaking his head. He wouldn't let this shake him. He wouldn't let this result in him killing somebody! He's strong enough to handle this!

Though inside….he knows what he's afraid of that happening. Afraid of that possibility.

Chihiro, meanwhile, is shaking, her arms wrapped around herself. What would happen if her secret got revealed to the world? How would people look at her? A pervert? A cross-dressing freak? Just the thought of her secret getting revealed terrifies her. She can't imagine how her future self is feeling right now.

Hina was the first to speak up. "I didn't know what to expect at first, but….maybe we dodged a bullet on this one." The swimmer stated. "I mean yeah, having those secrets revealed is gonna be totally embarrassing. But that's seriously not enough to give someone a reason to kill, right?"

"Definitely not!" Hina agreed with her other. "Like I said before, I wouldn't kill somebody over mine! I doubt anyone else would!"

"I would have to disagree." That comment came from none other than Byakuya. "There are people who could, and probably will, kill to keep their secret to the grave."

That shocked the others. "How can you say that Byakuya?" Taka demanded. "Why would anyone kill over something as petty as embarrassing secrets?"

"Do not hold your secret in the same pedestal as everyone else's." Byakuya chided. "You cannot judge someone else's values based on your outlook. Some secrets may be darker than you realize."

"And what makes you say that?!" Hina demanded.

"Genocide Jack." That shut them all up quickly.

Makoto bit his lip. He can't help but admit that Byakuya has a point. After all, the whole class knows about Genocide Jack, and he is one of the few that knows that Chihiro is a boy. If those two are hiding those kinds of secrets, what does everyone else have?

"Good news, everyone! I have a brilliant idea!" Taka told everyone. "Why don't we all just confess the secrets in those envelopes right here and now?! If we do that, any and all motive for murder will vanish! That's pretty smart, right?!"

"Yeeaaah, that's not gonna work." Leon deadpanned.

Taka turned his head towards the baseball player. "Why not? How can you be so sure?"

"Again, Genocide Jack." Byakuya emphasized, causing Toko to shudder a bit.

"Okay, so my embarrassing thing is…."

Toko interrupted him. "I d-don't want to hear your stupid s-story!"

"What?!" Taka exclaimed.

"Besides, I don't….I don't w-want to talk about it…." Toko stated. "I don't c-care what anyone says, I don't want to talk about it!"

"Neither do I." Celeste spoke up. "Not because it is unpleasant, but because it is impossible."

"Aren't you being a bit dramatic?" Hiro asked her.

Celeste shook her head. "No, I am not. It is impossible for me to reveal."

'That's definitely a lie there.' Makoto thought with a mental eye roll. He has a feeling that her secret is her real name.

"Well, it's just human to wanna hear it when you say it's impossible!" Hifumi stated in interest. "C'mon, it'll be good for ya!"

"Absolutely not." Celeste denied.

"It's okay, just a little bit." Hifumi insisted. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon….!"

"Aren't you a bit too interested, Hifumi?" Hina asked, a bit creeped out.

She wasn't the only one. "What the hell do you think she's hiding?"

"Who knows?" Hifumi said, a bit persasive. "Miss Ludenberg may be hiding something very jui-"

"Hifumi, if you value your life, I suggest you be quiet." Celeste said with a tight smile, trying to reign in her temper.

"As I said-"

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon!"

Finally, Celeste snapped. "I said I don't wanna talk about it, you big tub of lard!" That had Hifumi screaming and backing away in terror.

A few jumped, but overall, no one was surprised by this. Hifumi really shouldn't have insisted on it.

Byakuya then spoke up. "I agree with them. There's no need to discuss it."

Taka then turned to Chihiro. "What do you think, Chihiro?"

"Um….s-sorry, I don't really want to talk about it right now." Chihiro said, looking down.

The present Chihiro also looked down. Of course, it's not surprising that she doesn't want to reveal her own secret. She was too weak to do that.

"But I don't want to leave things the way are. So maybe I can talk about it later…." She took a breath. "After I try my best….to become strong….then I can tell everyone."

Then, her head shot up in shock. Did she hear that correctly? Is her future self….actually willing to tell her secret? Makoto, Mondo, and Junko was also surprised by this.

Chihiro ran through her thoughts again and again, asking question after question about her own secret. She couldn't let the world know that she's actually a boy, the consequences would be completely unbearable. It would ruin her life. So then, why was she willing to reveal it?

"If you don't wanna talk about it, you don't have to." Hina reassured. "I'm not super excited to talk about it, either…."

Mondo let out a sigh. "If everyone's that much against it….even if my bro's the one that suggested it, I gotta say no."

"W-Well, that's okay, then." Taka relented. "Either way, it's just a few secrets, I'm sure nobody's about to kill anybody over it."

'I hope you're right….' Makoto thought. 'A secret so bad you'd kill someone to keep it….nobody's got something like that, right?'

"I would like to think not," Sakura said, closing her eyes. "But…."

"Considering what Toko's secret is, there are probably a few of us who have bad secrets." Kyoko said. "Otherwise, Monokuma wouldn't be so confident about it being a motive."

"But you saw him be surprised that none of us would kill for it, right?" Hina reminder her.

Mukuro answered that. "He's probably faking that." That earned a few gulps, and a look of approval from Junko as she soaked in the fear from everyone.

Makoto bit his lip. Like his future self, he hoped that none of his friends have secrets they would kill someone over. But, in the back of his mind, he knew more than a couple that would definitely do it.

"Okay, I'll stop with the secret talk. But…." Taka said nervously. "Each of us has 24 hours to get ready! Having our secrets exposed isn't going to be fun, but it's not like we're gonna die cuz of it! So, you know, um….don't do anything, hasty?"

"T-That only gonna make us worry m-more, idiot." Toko hissed. "S-Stop repeating it."

Taka bowed his heads. "My apologies!"

"The way you keep repeating it kinda makes me worry even more…." Hifumi told him nervously.

"Oh….." The moral compass simply said. "Uh, okay, sorry." After a few more words from the group, the class left the room.

Soon, all of them got back to their room. As Makoto got closer to his own room, he was stopped by someone grabbing the sleeve of his jacket. He turned to see Chihiro behind him. "Chihiro, is something wrong?" Makoto asked in concern.

"No," Chihiro shook her head. "It's just….I know that we talked earlier, but can we talk about you tonight?"

Makoto rubbed the back of his head. "Um, sure, I don't mind at all."

"Really?" A smile lit up her face. "Great! Let's go to my room then!" Before the luckster could say anything, the programmer pulled him to her room.

In a span of minutes, the mood in the room slowly lightened up at the change of pace. The girls in particular, smiled fondly at seeing the two interact. "It's always nice seeing our two cinnamon rolls talk with each other." Sayaka sighed.

"No doubt there." Hina said in agreement. Said 'cinnamon rolls' blushed at the compliments.

But Chihiro focused her gaze at her counterpart. Is she really not affected at the fact that her secret will get exposed in 24 hours? What's going through her thoughts right now? She tried to simulate her future self in her mind, but she still can't come to a conclusion.

The scene switched to the two of them sitting on Chihiro's bed. "Okay, let's go! I wanna hear all about you!" Chihiro said eagerly.

"I'm happy to talk, but what do you want to know?" Makoto asked.

"Well, let's start with a question." Chihiro said, thinking for a moment. "What do you like to do in your spare time?"

"Well, you know," Makoto began, a bit sheepishly. "I watch TV, play video games, lay around….that's pretty much it."

"Huh?" Chihiro looked surprised at this. "What about sports?"

"Oh, I don't really play anything." Makoto said sheepishly. "The only time I run anywhere is during gym, or when I'm running late in the morning…."

"Really? And you're still so strong?"

Junko snorted. "Did you not see Makoto getting sucker punched by Mondo?"

"Yeah. Makoto's is pretty weak out of all of us." Hiro mentioned. Makoto glowered at the fortune teller for that comment.

"Like you're any stronger!" Hina huffed.

That took the luckster off-guard a bit. "Strong? Me?" Makoto shook his head. "N-No, I'm pretty much on the bottom of masculinity!"

"You're on….the bottom rung?" Chihiro asked slowly. "Oh…." The programmer gained a disappointed look.

"What gave you the impression that I was strong?" Makoto asked the programmer.

Chihiro looked away sheepishly. "I don't know, it just….you just seemed to be strong. I thought the way you held yourself is strong."

"Perhaps you're seeing Makoto's mental strength, rather than his physical one." Kyoko suggested. "After all, from what we've seen here, Makoto is incredibly strong, mentally."

That got a sheepish chuckled and blush from the luckster. "I don't really know about that."

"It's true," Sayaka agreed with Kyoko. "Even after the deaths of me, Mukuro, and Leon, as well as the fact that….that I betrayed you, you still held strong."

"Not to mention the intention to carry the weight of their deaths." Mukuro added in. "Only those with clear mental strength could do something like that." The blush on Makoto's face grew bigger.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Makoto asked in concern.

"Well, it's just….I'm looking for someone strong." Chihiro told him.

"Someone strong?" Makoto repeated. "Well, what about Sakura….?"

"...No, I mean a guy." Chihiro corrected.

"A guy….?" A perverted glint entered Hifumi's eyes. "Miss Fujisaki, do you have an interest in strong guys? Are you….attracted to them?"

That caused Chihiro's eyes to widen and to shake her head rapidly. "N-No, it isn't like that!"

"Now, now, no need to be-" Before he could finish, a baseball once again hit Hifumi in the head. "Ow!"

"You really like getting hit with these baseballs, don't you?" Leon commented casually, his eyes hinting to the huge sack of baseballs below his arm rest. Chihiro gave Leon a grateful smile, which he responds with a low thumbs up.

"Then what about Mondo?" Makoto suggested. "He's the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader, right? He's gotta be the strongest guy here."

"Mondo…." Chihiro thought about it for a moment. "Yeah, that's it!"

"But why are you looking for a strong guy?" Makoto inquired. That got Chihiro silent.

"Yeah, I'm curious to," Hina spoke in. "I mean, why not Sakura or even Mukuro?"

"Well, because, I….." Chihiro, like her future counterpart, ended up silent.

Seeing the conflicted look on her face, Hina backpedaled. "You have tell me if you don't want to, Chihiro. I won't push you for an answer." That earned a sigh of relief from the programmer.

'She went silent again….' Makoto noticed. 'Is she, like….into tough guys or something?'

After a moment of silence, she began speaking. "I want to….start training." She admitted. "I'm so weak….

"...Huh?"

"I thought if I could talk to someone strong about it, it might help motivate me." Chihiro explained.

"And you think Mondo, or any other tough guy, would help with that?" Junko asked.

Chihiro nodded, looking down. "I-I don't mean to offend anyone, but…."

"It's alright, Chihiro, I'm not offended." Sakura reassured. While she's curious as to why Chihiro would seek a strong man for advice rather than her own gender, she took no offence from her words.

"So that's why, huh?" The luckster said in understanding. "Sorry, I wish I could help somehow…."

The two was silent for a moment. Then, Chihiro spoke up. "Hey Makoto….? Do you have any kind of, um….inferiority complex?"

"Inferiority complex…..?"

"You know, some part of you that you can't stand. Something you absolutely hate…." The programmer explained.

Makoto looked up at the ceiling. "Well, I guess so…." He answered. "For me, it's how forgettably ordinary I am. I've been made painfully aware of this part of me ever since I came here. The rest of you all have your ultimate abilities, but I don't have any kind of talent at all."

That had the group looking at the luckster himself. Said luckster looked away from them, feeling a bit embarrassed that his own insecurities were let out.

"Hey Makoto," Hina called out softly in concern. "Do you really feel that way?"

After a moment, Makoto spoke up. "Well, sometimes yeah. I mean, even though I forget about this sometimes when I talk to you guys, all of you have such amazing talents." He told them all. "Every one of you excel in your field. But me….other than my optimism, I'm just a normal guy lucky enough to be picked to go to Hope's Peak. And even then, it was quite the misfortune that got me into here."

The others looked at him in surprise. Though they had became great friends with him, they had no idea that Makoto had that kind of insecurity within him. One of the few who wasn't shocked by his confession was Chihiro, who have spent the time learning about the luckster.

Celeste looked away, gripping the arms of the chair she's on. His words, his insecurities….they hit close to home, more than she would like to admit. Any empathy she's feeling on the subject, she tried to push it down in her mind.

Makoto sighed. "I know, it must be pretty stupid compared to the problems you guys have, but it's something I can't help feeling that."

"No," Sayaka latched onto his arm, which got the luckster blushing. "No, it's not stupid at all."

"We all got our insecurities, Makoto," Kyoko, meanwhile, grabbed his other hand with her gloved hand. "There's no need to feel embarrassed about it." Several of the others voiced their agreement to this.

"Yeah man, it's not that big of a problem." Leon commented with a thumbs up.

"You may see yourself as inferior, but at the end of the day, we're all still part of Class 78." Mukuro added, prompting a look of disapproval from Junko.

Makoto's cheeks went a bit redder. "Th-Thanks."

"And….how do you overcome those feelings?" Chihiro inquired.

"I'm not sure I can…." Makoto admitted. "That's why I just decided to accept it. It's how I feel, and there's nothing I can do about it. And if I find myself thinking about it too much, I just find something else to do with my time. If I throw myself into something hard enough, I can forget about it for a little while."

"Throw myself into something…." Chihiro pondered those words. "I see. That's a good idea. If I don't do something, nothing's ever going to change." A bright smile entered Chihiro's lips once again. "Yeah, I think your advice has helped me understand!"

'Advice?' Makoto thought to himself. 'I'm not sure if it was anything like that….'

'It still doesn't feel like it.' Makoto thought. But he's glad it helped Chihiro, especially since he knew the programmer's secret.

Chihiro giggled. "Thanks, Makoto!"

Makoto smiled. 'Well, if it helped, that's good enough for me.'

"Yeah, it helped a lot." Chihiro reassured. "Thanks a lot, Makoto."

Makoto smiled and shrugged. "It' no problem. Glad I could help, somewhat."

Mukuro then pointed out something. "It seems you and Chihiro aren't really affected by the thought of your secrets being revealed."

Makoto chuckled sheepishly once again. "Well, my secret, while embarrassing, isn't really something I would kill somebody about."

"True enough," Byakuya agreed. He doubted anyone would kill over such a mundane secret. He then turned to Chihiro. "But what about you, Chihiro? Is your secret is as boring as Makoto's?"

"Um…." Chihiro looked away. "It's something I want to try to keep secret, as much as possible. Still, even with that, I wouldn't want to kill anybody." Which makes her future self's reaction that much more surprising. Instead of crying, feeling terrified, or letting anxiety eat her up alive….she doesn't do any of those thing. She ran through several simulations in her head, but without that one piece of information, it just doesn't make sense that she's thinking about revealing her secret.

As they talked more, narrator Makoto spoke up. "Secrets or memories you don't want anyone to know….a way to connect to the outside world," He began. "Honestly, the things Monokuma said didn't have an effect on me. There's no way anyone would kill over stuff like that. At least, that's what I thought…."

As he spoke, once the nighttime announcement played, the Makoto on-screen left Chihiro's room and went back to his. "But maybe I was just being optimistic. Which is probably why, without too much of a struggle…."

Once he got into his room, Makoto got onto his bed. "Geez, I'm more tired than usual. Super tired today….."

As he closed his eyes, the narrator Makoto spoke. "...I fell asleep." The screen then went back. "But what I didn't know is that even then….a tragedy was taking place."

That had everyone stiffening. "A-A tragedy….?" Hina stuttered out.

"Makoto, you're joking, right?" Hiro asked nervously.

"Do you really think Makoto's the type to joke about crap like that?" Junko asked rhetorically.

Makoto gripped his legs. What are they about to see? Who….who's gonna die next?

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 34: Watching Chapter 2: Boys' Life of Despair Part 10

"...morn….ing." A far away sounding voice said. "...goo….d….Good….d….morning…."

"Um, what's that?" Chihiro asked nervously.

"Whatever it is, it's freaking out me out." Hina said, also nervous.

The scene showed a sleeping Makoto slowly opening in his eyes. And when he did, he was face to face with Monokuma. "Good morning!"

"Uwaaaaah!"

The others yelped or shouted in shock at Monokuma's sudden appearance. "What the hell?!" Mondo exclaimed.

"Why is Monokuma is Makoto's room?!" Sayaka questioned, with a bit of worry in her voice.

Makoto quickly sat up and backed away from the bear. "Upupu! Nice reaction!" Monokuma snickered. "I'm glad to see you didn't disappoint!"

"Wh-What….?!" Makoto, fully waking up, exclaimed, "What are you doing here?!"

"That's what we want to know!" Leon agreed. "The last thing I want to see when waking up is that damn bear in front of me!"

"Here, here." Hifumi agreed. The others nodded or agreed verbally as well.

"I wanted to spice things up!" Monokuma explained. "So instead of a school announcement, I decided to wake you up in person!"

"What the hell for?!"

"Because it's fun." Was the bear's answer.

'Agreed, Monokuma!' Junko mentally cheered. It's really fun to see her classmates react like that! Plus, that little surprise made the viewing less dull for her.

And she has a feeling that there's more to come.

Makoto let out a groan. "It's not fun for me."

"Why did I get the feeling he did that to all of us?" Taka inquired.

"Probably because he did so." Celeste sighed. "He wouldn't miss the opportunity to scare all of us." Heaven knows how she would react to that surprise. Hopefully, she restrained from throwing something at the bear.

"And as long as I'm here, I figured I'd let you hear it right from the bear's mouth."

"Hear what?" Makoto asked in annoyance.

"Are you sure you should be acting this laid back?" Monokuma asked rhetorically. "I mean, even though something happened to one of your buddy-buddy classmates?"

The bear's words incited a wave of fear and dread around the students. The events of chapter 1 was still fresh in everyone's minds.

"What?!" Leon exclaimed.

"S-Something happened?" Hina asked, a little scared on what they'll find out.

"What….?" That had Makoto's face turning pale.

"Wuhwuhwuh-what?" Monokuma tilted his head towards him. "Your face is all blue, like someone on the verge of death!"

"What….what happened?" Makoto nervously asked. He began getting more frantic. "What are you talking about?!"

His response was the bear's usual laugh. "That's for me to know, and you to find out! Good luuuck!" With that, the bear left, leaving Makoto to his own thoughts.

"Did….it happen again?" Sayaka asked shakily.

"It can't be!" Hiro said in panic. "I mean, those were just embarrassing secrets, right? Who would want to kill for that?"

"I told you, you can't judge someone else's experiences based on your own." Byakuya chided. "If it is another murder, which is most likely, then someone thought it was more important than you thought."

"Then how come the future Byakuya failed to address that concern?" Taka cried out.

The heir closed his eyes. It's probably because it didn't benefit him in anyway.

'Something's happened to someone….' Makoto thought in his mind. 'Is it…? Was it-?!' He shook his head. "No, it can't be….there's no way someone would…."

After a moment of silence, he got up. "...The dining hall." He decided to himself. "I need to get to the dining hall." With that, he got ready and went to the dining hall.

When he entered in, the only people here are Sakura, Hina, Hiro, and Byakuya. Hina was the first to speak. "Ah, Makoto!"

"Are you okay?" Hiro asked in concern.

"Did Monokuma talk to you, too?" Sakura inquired.

Makoto counted everyone here. "Hiro, Hina, Sakura, and…." He turned to the last one here. "Byakuya…."

"They're the only ones here?" Mukuro mused out loud, narrowing her eyes. "What about everyone else?"

"We're either searching around the school to figure out what Monokuma was talking about," Kyoko deduced. "Or ... no longer here."

Though she didn't directly say it, she still couldn't lie about the fact that someone has died. Her words put the group on edge a little bit more.

"You're the only ones? Where's everyone else?"

"Either they're off trying to verify what Monokuma said…." Byakuya stated. "Or they've fallen victim to the 'something' that Monokuma mentioned."

"The….something?" Makoto repeated, getting more and more nervous.

"It can't be….has it happened again?" Sakura questioned. "Murder….?"

The reminder of the murder drove the tension up even more in the room with those who aren't on the screen hoping they didn't die.

"D-Did a murder….really happen?" Chihiro asked shakily.

"From our perspective, at least, it's obvious." Celeste said, closing her eyes. "With the ominous foreshadowings been given to us, another murder has most likely happened."

"Now, now, Miss Ludenberg…." Hifumi said nervously. "Maybe Monokuma is just lying, so we could all panic about it."

"While it may be true that he wants us to panic for a bit," Sayaka put in. "I doubt that damn bear would lie about something like that happening."

"No use denying it." Byakuya said, narrowing his eyes. "Let's just see which one of us is the next victim."

That had Makoto's blood running cold. "S-So if something did happen….does that mean someone did it cuz of what happened yesterday?"

"It can't be!" Hina cried out. "That stuff was just a bunch of old memories!"

"'Just old memories'?" Byakaya repeated. "Don't be so sure about that. Clearly someone felt it was more important than that."

"Huh….?" Makoto turned to the heir in confusion.

"To judge someone's else's values based on your own outlook….do you realize how dangerous that is?" Byakuya asked them all.

"Oh, now you say something!" Sayaka cried out, throwing her hands up. "That bit of info isn't gonna do anything for us now!"

"Wh-? Why didn't you say something yesterday?!" Hina demanded angrily.

Byakuya raised an eyebrow. "Did you already forgot? This isn't a co-op game. It's every man for himself." He told them. "What good does it do me to go out of my way to help you?"

"Are you fucking serious?" Mondo growled. Several of the others also look angry.

"Will he stop saying that it's a game?!" Hina exclaimed. "It's far from a game!"

"That Byakuya is seriously messed up in the head." Leon remarked.

"Stop saying that already!" Hina exclaimed in frustration.

"There's something wrong with him, for serious." Hiro said, looking at Byakuya nervously. "Did he get brainwashed or something?"

"That's not important." Sakura told them all. "What matters right now is that we find out what happened…."

Byakuya nodded in agreement. "She's right. Let's all split up and begin looking." He snickered sinerstly. "The game is afoot."

Byakuya scowled to himself. Watching this was infuriating, a constant jab at his old self. He couldn't even defend himself since they're right.

"So we began searching through the building." Narrator Makoto spoke, as the TV showed Sakura, Hina, Hiro, Byakuya, and Makoto searching around. "We first started at the first floor. After finding no one there, I went to the second. And my search lead me to the locker room."

The scene showed Makoto going into the locker room. When he did, he noticed something. 'Huh….?' As he got closer to the boy's locker room, he saw that the door is opened. 'The door's open. But aren't these supposed to be locked….?'

"Makoto's right." Taka agreed, furrowing his eyebrows. "They should be locked."

"I have a bad feeling about this." Junko muttered with a convincing sense of concern. She hid a smile as several of the others grew more nervous.

After that thought ran in his head, the school bell rung, and the monitor inside the locker room turned on. "For this investigation, I have unlocked the doors. Please look around to your heart's content!"

The mention of the word 'investigation' drove everyone towards the edge once more.

"I-Investigation?" Taka stuttered.

"And that confirms that a murdered happen." Byakuya sighed. "Not that we needed confirmation."

No one tried to disagree with him. It was a fact that no one wanted to accept.

Makoto's eyes went wide at this. "I-Investigation….?"

"Just as I thought." Makoto turned around to see Byakuya behind him.

"Byakuya-!" The luckster gasped in shock.

The heir ignored him. "Judging from what he just said, there can be no doubt a murder really has taken place."

"C-Come on….!" Makoto said, almost sounding like he's whining.

"I know, right?" Hiro whined. "Why did another killing have to happen?"

"What we should asked ourselves is who's the next victim." Celeste remarked towards Hiro.

"I don't think any of us want to answer that right now." Leon muttered.

"And the other rooms…." Byakuya murmured outloud. "They're suspicious. Very suspicious, indeed. Wouldn't you, agree?"

"Huh?" Makoto looked at the affluent progeny in confusion. "Suspicious….?"

"It seems nobody's searched the locker rooms. Let's start with the girl's locker room…." Without waiting for a reply, he went over to the door and pressed his hand on it.

"Um, why do you want to go to the girl's locker room?" Junko asked him, noticing his actions. "I thought that was Hifumi's thing."

"I resent that!"

The heir ignored them, frowning to himself. Why indeed, does his future self want to look in the girl's locker room? It was definitely a strange decision.

With one push, the door slid opened, and the two entered into the room. And once Makoto got a good look as to what's in there, he froze.

Right in the girl's locker room is Chihiro, hung up and dangling from the ground, blood coming from head down to her legs, her eyes wide open, and the word bloodlust written from behind. "What….?"

"I don't know how long it took for me to fully comprehend the reality of what I was looking at." The narrator Makoto said. "But as soon as I did…."

As the screen turned black, Makoto let out a loud, horrified scream. "A wild, almost primeval scream escaped from my mouth."

Yet again, a horrific silence took up the room. Not only had Chihiro died, but the brutal display of her body baffled everyone even further.

Hina's and Sayaka's faces was of complete horror, while Taka, Hifumi, and Yasuhiro were as white as a sheet. Kyoko, Byakuya, and Celeste, on the other hand, still had their neutral expressions on their faces, already thinking about what they saw.

Makoto, once again, is shaking, his eyes wide in horror, grief, shock, and confusion. Not only did someone else die, it was yet another of his closest friends in the class. And what confused him is the fact that Chihiro's in the girl's locker room. How did he get in there? It shouldn't be possible for the programmer to be in that locker room, right?

The programmer herself is staring at the screen with wide, horrified, and confused eyes. Her face is twisted into pure anguish. She's….dead? How? Why? Question after question began flooding her mind with none of them having any answers. There were so many questions and feelings, that her mind eventually shut down after a moment. She settled with a blank expression facing the screen with empty tears slowly streaming out of her eyes.

Toko looked at the scene with horror, as well as realization. But she wasn't focus on the body. No, what she focused on is the words written behind Chihiro. Bloodlust. "W-What….b-but….w-why…." The effect of seeing blood, and the words written on the wall, caused to fell unconscious once again.

Mondo was completely red and looked to be in a state of shock. Horror, fury, confusion, all of those emotions are raging inside him at the site. Despite his state, he was the first to speak. "What….the hell?" He roared.

That broke everyone else from their silence. "C-Chihiro's….dead?" Hina asked, her voice sounding close to breaking. "B-But, why?"

"Curses!" Sakura growled, head hung low. Another of her friends, dead! And Chihiro is the victim this time!

"Took the words right out of my mouth!" Leon growled, looking pissed off. "Who the hell decided to kill Chihiro, of all people?!"

"That is what we need to find out, don't we?" Celeste retorted, doing all she can to keep her emotions in check. "We need to find out, which one of us, killed Chihiro."

Chihiro slowly folder herself into a ball in her chair. Though still expressionless on the outside, her overloaded mind now had to deal with the fact that one of her friends had just killed her. What were friends for? Was she wrong to trust people? Moving forward had always seemed easy, but now, it was suddenly very difficult.

Junko in the meantime, is enjoying the dread and tension. She almost jumped at the beautiful display of a murder. Another one of her classmates are dead and this time, it's their lovable and timid programmer Chihiro. The sight of the current Chihiro trying to hide herself from everyone else was just pitiful too! Oh, the despair is so good! This time, however, she was careful to reign in the pleasure she's feeling, and instead, looked as horrified as anyone else.

(Chapter 2 - Boys' Life of Despair - Deadly Life)

The screen changed to Makoto, who's sitting on his butt and staring at Chihiro's corpse in distress. Byakuya, on the other hand, was perfectly calm. "Most unusual, don't you think….?"

Makoto looked at him in confusion. "Look. Chihiro's corps has been suspended somehow." Byakuya pointed out. "And something's been written on the wall, in blood….'Bloodlust'?"

"Bloodlust?" Hiro repeated nervously. "But, isn't what Genocide Jack writes down whenever she kills somebody?"

The group slowly turned the unconscious book writer. Mondo, getting his senses back, slowly let out a furious snarl. "Was that fucked up serial killer the one who killed Chihiro?"

Kyoko was the one to answer. "Not likely. Remember that in most of her cases, she uses scissors to both kill and hang her victims. Not to mention, all of her victims were male. There's no reason for Genocide Jack to change her methods or her targets."

"Not unless she decided to kill to keep her secret, as well as to survive." Byakuya pointed out.

The detective shook her head. "No. If that was the case, she wouldn't even bother with the message and arrangement. That would obviously point her as the suspect."

"Well, whoever it is, I will beat their ass into the ground!" Mondo growled, his hands curled into fist. "Anyone who would lay a hand on Chihiro is scum!"

"Such a brutal way to kill someone….." The heir trailed off, before slightly correcting his statement. "No, this is beyond brutal. Wouldn't you agree?"

"They killed her. How could it not be brutal?" Makoto exclaimed.

Byakuya shook his head. "No, that's not my point." He stated. "This murder is far too bizarre for any everyday amateur to have committed it. Unlike with Sayaka, this murder was not a crime of passion or necessity. It's almost as if whoever did this….did it for fun. You see what I mean, don't you?"

The idea had everyone's spine crawling. "F-For fun?" Hina repeated, feeling sick.

"But who on earth would do something like this for fun?" Taka questioned in distress.

Makoto had an idea as to who would kill for the thrill of it, other than Genocide Jack. But for right now, he pushed that thought away. He'll save it for the class trial.

The idea stunned Makoto. "...What?"

Before either of them could say anymore, Taka rushed in. "Hey, I heard screaming! Did something-?" When he caught site of Chihiro's corpse, he let out a horrified scream, color draining from his face. "Chihiro?!"

Right after his scream, the school bells rung and the monitor suddenly turned on. "A body has been discovered!" The bear announced. "After a certain amount of time, which you may use however you like, the class trial will begin!" With that, the monitor turned off.

The announcement surprised the group. "Um, what the hell was that?" Sayaka asked, looking as bad as the others.

"Obviously, it's an announcement for when a group of people found the body." Byakuya pointed out. "It probably had played during the last murder as well, while Makoto was unconscious."

Makoto looked at the monitor in surprise. "What the hell was that….?"

"Ah, that's right. You were unconscious during Sayaka's, so you don't know about it." Byakuya remembered. "What you just heard was the body discovery announcement. Apparently, when three or more people discover a body, an announcement plays to let everyone know."

"And it seems that I was correct." Byakuya said. No one else commented on it.

"I imagine it's so that the search for the culprit can proceed fairly for everyone involved."

'Proceed….fairly?' Makoto thought, processing what Byakuya said.

"The body discovery announcement?!" Taka exclaimed, still pale. "Then Chihiro really is….?"

"Dead, yes." Byakuya said coldly. "Before you start screaming your head off, go round everyone up. It seems another game has begun. Another life-or-death game to uncover a killer…."

"He's acting so callous about this!" Hina shouted in anger, as well as distressed. "Why is he treating this like a game?!"

"Trust me Hina, we're all asking that." Leon remarked.

While they were talking, Makoto and Mondo looked at Chihiro in concern. The small programmer looked completely lost. Any sign of her usual cheerful self was gone, replaced by an empty husk. "Hey, Chihiro….?" Mondo called out softly. "You okay there?" Slowly, he put a hand on her shoulder.

That caused Chihiro to flinch before turning her head to the biker. Slowly, tears started running down her eyes once again. "W-Why….?" Chihiro spoke out, squeezing her legs tighter towards her, a bit of emotion returning. "Why would any of our friends want to kill me?" Was it because she's the easiest target? Did she earn someone's ire at any point? Or was it something else?

Mondo closed his eyes. "I don't know." He told her. "But one way or another, we'll find them."

Chihiro doesn't know how to feel to that. On one hand, if they don't find her culprit, then they'll all be killed. But on the other, if they do, the one who killed her will be executed. But she doesn't any of her friends to die. Even though one of them had just killed her, she couldn't deny that she didn't want that person to die either.

The screen blackened for a moment before showing nearly everyone gathered around the body, many of them looking confused, fearful, and angry. "Damn….I couldn't keep her safe….!" Sakura growled, looking down.

"So there's another victim…." Taka stated in anguish.

"Which means we are now in the same position once again." Celeste said calmly.

Mondo looked at the scene, stunned. "Fuck, man…." He breathed out slowly. "What the fuck is this?!"

"It's a dream….this is a dream! It's all just a dream!" Hifumi said in denial. "In fact, I haven't even been born yet! I don't have any memory of ever being alive!" He then let out a terrified screamed.

Celeste closed her eyes in frustration. "Will he stop spouting nonsense?"

"At least it isn't Hiro being in denial." Byakuya sighed. "That was more of an annoyance than this."

"True."

"Hey! I have a perfectly good reason to be in denial!" Hiro defended himself. He held his hand towards the screen. "I mean, who would want to believe in this?!"

He….has a good point. One that no one could argue with.

"Shut up." Celeste stated coldly to the fanfic creator.

The attention was then put towards the message written on the wall. "I don't think it's any kind of dying message." Kyoko theorized. "It's just too….strange…."

"That, and she's in no position to actually write the message." Mukuro said, pointing out the position she's in.

Kyoko nodded in agreement. "True."

"But you know…." Taka said, realizing something. "That thing about writing 'bloodlust' in blood….doesn't that sound kinda familiar?"

Memories of them talking about the murderous fiend, Genocide Jack, came into mind. "Genocide Jack!" Hiro exclaimed in shock and fear.

"Then this is….some copycat killer trying to imitate Genocide Jack's 'style'?" Hina questioned nervously. "But….why would anyone do that?"

"Yeah, that's true." Taka said, furrowing his eyebrows. "Why would any of us want to imitate Genocide Jack's style of killing?"

"Probably to frame her, most likely." Byakuya said. "After all, Genocide Jack's signature message would obviously point to her."

"Like the murder happening in Makoto's room." Mukuro said with a frown. "I'm beginning to see a pattern there."

"Yeah." Makoto agreed.

"Perhaps….it's the work of the real Genocide Jack." Byakuya suggested.

"The real….?" Hiro went pale. "Wait, are you saying Genocide Jack is here in this school?!"

"Th-There's no way….!" Hina said in denial.

Leon sighed. "Remember the days where the thought of having a serial killer in our class was terrifying?"

"Now, you could have an assassin inside the class and you wouldn't even bat an eye." Sayaka agreed with her own sigh.

Makoto let out a sigh as well. Where did all the normal people go?

"But going so far as to write bloodlust at the scene….I am surprised at their stupidity…." Celeste commented on.

"I can't imagine a worse situation than dealing with a stupid murderer…." Sakura stated.

"Well, she ain't stupid." Junko said, crossing her arms. "Crazy, definitely, but not stupid."

"No argument there." Hina said, looking at the unconscious book writer.

Hina then let out a surprise gasp, looking at the door. "Ah-!"

"What is it now?!" Hifumi exclaimed in fear.

"Toko!" Was Hina's answer, pointing at the entrance of the girls' locker room.

Sure enough, the book writer was there, staring at the scene in shock. "Ah…ahh…?" She muttered, looking at the scene in terror. Nnnnnno…w-why…? Why…? W…h…y…?"

"WHYYYYYYYY?!" With that screech, she fainted.

"Aaaand, she fainted." Junko announced. "Been wondering when that was going to happen."

The others weren't surprised either.

"She fainted! That did NOT sound good!" Hiro exclaimed.

"T-Toko!" Hina rushed over to Toko and started trying to shake her awake. "Toko, are you okay?! Come on, wake up!"

"Wait a minute…" Hifumi spoke up nervously. "Our future counterparts doesn't know about Genocide Jack being inside Toko, right?"

That caused the others to grow pale, wondering what chaos would happen when Jack wakes up.

"Oh, that's right." Hifumi said in remembrance. "I just remembered what she said, about how she faints anytime she sees blood."

"So she is hemophobic?" Celeste deduced. "I imagine she does not watch too many horror films, then."

"This isn't a violation of the rules, right? I mean, technically she passed out somewhere besides her room." Hiro pointed out nervously.

Makoto shook his head. "No, I think it should be okay. The regulations prohibit 'sleeping'. Like, on purpose."

That provided temporary relief for Hiro. "Ahh, so since didn't faint on purpose, it doesn't count? Gotcha."

Hina, ignoring the commentary, continued shaking Toko. "Toko, can you hear me?! Hey, you gotta wake up!"

As if she heard her, Toko stood up from her spot on the ground, as if she's possessed. A strange smiled and look is placed on her face.

Several of them stiffened. "Oh crap! Genocide Jack!"

"This is going to cause more chaos." Celeste sighed.

Byakuya, however, have a different opinion. "I don't think we have to worry right now." He told the others. "While she doesn't possess the same memories as Toko, they share the same emotions."

"That is true." Kyoko said in agreement. "And you think her emotions will tell her not reveal herself as Genocide Jack?"

"Most likely, so." The heir stated. "And she's not stupid enough to reveal herself if no one else knows. Otherwise, she would've been caught long ago." That relieved the others a bit.

"Huh? What?" Hina said in confusion.

"Sorry about that. I was just so shocked, ya know?" Toko said, for once speaking clearly. "It happens, right? Was I the only one?"

"T-Toko? Are you….okay?" Makoto asked, worried.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" She let out some sort of mad laughter. Her eyes was then set on a dead body. "Whoa, is that a dead body?! Hey! Are you dead?!" Once again, she cackled.

"She musta hit her on head real hard when she fainted…." Hiro said, more than bit creeped out.

"Yeah, I would've thought the same thing if I didn't know a serial killer was also in that head of hers." Leon admitted.

"Ditto." Mondo agreed.

"The world has a front and back, a top inning and a bottom, a sea of truth and a web of lies!" Toko spouted out.

"This is….quite concerning." Hifumi said nervously. "I mean, she sounds completely different…."

"No, no, no, everything' fine!" Toko reassured. "At least the stutter's all gone. That's a good thing, right?!" She ended with her insane sounding laughter.

"It's clear to me that everything's not fine!" Taka refuted. "Your eyes seem strangely vacant!"

"It might be best if we take her back to her room for the time being…." Sakura suggested.

"I don't mind taking her, but….could someone help me?" Hina asked the group.

Hifumi began volunteering. "If you need help, I don't mind-"

"Taka, could you help me?" Hina asked the Moral Compass.

"Huh? She totally ignored me!" Hifumi exclaimed in shock.

"Of course she did. What girl would want to be alone with you?" Junko remarked. Hifumi slumped at that.

"Very well. You take care of the girl, and the rest of us can begin the investigation right away." Byakuya ordered. "Can I assume nobody has a problem leaving Sakura and Mondo on guard duty again?"

"Wait, are you really gonna start the investigation already?" Hina questioned in shock.

"Of course. They have no time to waste, and we all know that it wasn't the mastermind who did this." Byakuya told her. "The investigation needs to be started as soon as possible."

"Byakuya has a point." Kyoko sighed. "If they don't find the culprit, then their lives are forfeited. No time can be wasted."

"Yeah, but still…." Makoto gripped his knees, confliction in his eyes. "We can't have a little time to mourn our friends? No time to grieve?"

Kyoko put a comforting hand over his. "They will once they can get out of there, Makoto."

"H-Hold on a second." Makoto protested. "Rushing into an investigation-"

"The mastermind isn't behind that." The heir interrupted curtly. "After what happened last time, you surely realized that."

Makoto gritted his teeth at that. "There's no question that Chihiro was murdered by someone among us." Byakuya said coldly.

"I can understand Makoto's feeling." Taka admitted. "It just so hard, to think that one of us would decide to kill Chihiro, of all people."

"Well, it's possible that Genocide Jack and Byakuya could've done it." Hiro said nervously. "After all, future Byakuya seems messed up in the head and Genocide Jack is a serial killer."

That earned a glare from the heir. "My future self is not foolish enough to kill somebody after opening up his intention to everyone." He told Hiro. "As interesting as it would make the situation for him, he knows that the others would point to him as the murderer. And we've already discussed Genocide Jack. Do try to use what brain cells you have before throwing accusations at me."

"Okay, okay!" Hiro said, a bit intimidated by the glare. "Alright, what about Cele-"

"Finish that sentence, and you have better prepare for a painful death." Celeste said, a sweet, but cold smile plastered on her face. That caused Hiro to yelp and duck in fear.

Mukuro sighed. "Let's hope the future Hiro could keep his accusations to himself in the trials."

"Agreed." Sakura said with a nod.

"Isn't that right, Monokuma?"

At the call of his name, the bear appeared. "Right as rain!" Monokuma confirmed. "But don't take it as a bad thing. It's just a fact of life! Because….that's how graduation works!"

"Don't take it as a bad thing?!" Makoto said incredulously. "Does he really think we won't?"

"He probably just saying those things to aggravate us." Mukuro sighed, shooting a sideways glance at her sister. Though Mukuro has never been one to rouse at the taunts of others, she had seen plenty of people get fired up from empty aggravations.

Makoto, ignoring Monokuma, stared at Chihiro's life corpse. 'Then….it happened again? Is that what you're saying? That another one of us….?' The screen switch back to the haunted look at Makoto's face. 'Another one of us….killed….a fellow classmate?'

Once again, the look on the luckster's emotionally affected the group. It's not a look they're used seeing with Makoto, and one that they'll probably never get used to. The small whimper Chihiro let out, and the tears falling from her eyes, is not helping.

Mukuro felt her heart clenched once again, guilt eating her up. Not only is she helped cause Makoto distressed, but another classmate is now dead. True enough she had made the decision for this to happen, but her time at Hope's Peak slowly changed that. Once again, she wondered to herself: Can she tell Makoto about her part in the killing game?

"What, does that freak you out? You guys got no balls, you know that?!" Monokuma taunted. "Is there just nothin' down there at all? Well, I'll let you pray to mine if you want. Actually, I don't have any, either! Sorry!"

Veins began popping out of Mondo's temple. "I'm. Gonna. Crack. His. Skull!" Mondo growled, his teeth grinding together. His temper is being pushed to the limit right now, and it took every ounce of willpower to stay in this seat.

"How about punching the mastermind's teeth in first?" Leon asked, also annoyed and pissed off. "That way, he can just shut up!"

"That would be very appreciated." Byakuya said, irritation clear in his voice.

Byakuya then spoke in irritation. "Stop monologuing and give us what you came here to give us." He ordered. "You did bring it, right?"

The bear let out a small. "I sure did, chum!" He then pulled out the next Monokuma file. "Allow me to present to you the next Monokuma File. I know how much you must be looking forward to it! So, please do your very tippy-top best on this investigation!" With that, Monokuma left.

Hina looked sick. "Do we really gotta do another investigation….?" She questioned, glancing at Chihiro. "Examining the corpses of one our friends, having to suspect all our other friends…." She wrapped her arms around herself. "I hate this….I can't take it anymore!"

Chihiro, who was quiet for most part, finally spoke up. "I hate it, too." She whimpered, getting everyone's attention. She seemed to have recovered somewhat from her earlier breakdown, but more importantly, she seemed to have figured out what she feels. "Even though someone killed me, I don't them to be sacrificed. I don't want anyone to die!"

Sayaka bit her lip at that. Despite being killed, despite one of her friends being her murderer….Chihiro doesn't wish them any ill-will. While a part of her wanted them punished for putting a knife in her stomach. 'Chihiro is a much better person than I am.' She thought to herself.

"But if we don't, the rest of us will be killed." Celeste sighed. "There's no favorable option for us."

Chihiro buried her head in her knees. She knows. And she hates that.

"I hate it, too!" Hiro screamed in distress. "I-I-I've had enough! I'm gettin' outta here!"

"Where the hell do you plan to go to?" Leon asked incredulously. "Did Hiro forget that they're trapped in the goddamn school?"

"That is most likely the case." Byakuya sighed.

"Where do you plan on going?" Sakura questioned. "There's nowhere to run."

"Just accept it already. After all, blood is just a liquid." Byakuya said coldly. "A dead body is a simple object."

That was the last straw for Mondo. Before anyone could do or say anything, he shot off like a bullet straight towards the heir.

But just as he got into striking distance, chains suddenly shot from behind him and wrapped around his arms, torso, and neck. He immediately hit the ground, a few feet short of Byakuya's seat, to which even he was a bit surprised. Everyone stared at the scene in pure shock while Mondo struggled against the chains on the ground, anger and confusion mixed together. "What….the hell?"

"While Byakuya deserves a slap to the face, I doubt you'll stop there." Spirit said flatly. "No excessive violence is permitted while I'm around. These chains help enforce that rule."

"You can summon chains?!" Hifumi squealed in shock. Spirit nodded.

"Like I said, many tricks up my sleeves." Their host repeated. "Some of them used to keep the more….temperamental ones, in check. Now Mondo, will you settle down?"

"Like hell!" Mondo roared, still struggling to strangle Byakuya. The heir merely sat stiffly in his chair, with his initial surprise subsided, showed little reaction to Mondo's rage. "I'm gonna fuck him up for what he said!"

"I say let him." Leon muttered angrily. Not only is he calling Chihiro an object, but also him, Sayaka, and Mukuro. And that pissed him off real badly.

Chihiro, however, thought differently. "Stop Mondo, please." Chihiro pleaded weakly, her voice hoarse. "I don't want anyone fighting because of me. So please, calm down."

"Also, remember that everything we're seeing is only happening in the future, bro." Taka reminded him. "We cannot change what happens there."

The biker stood their stiffly, anger clear in his face and posture. But after a moment, he relaxed, causing the chains to retract back into the ground. "Fuck!" Was all he said as he got up, gave a threatening look at the heir before returning to his seat. He seemed to calm down a bit more as he walked pass Chihiro, her pleading eyes doing the work.

Meanwhile, Junko mentally pouted. She would've liked to see that entire thing go down, for multiple reasons.

"You are very….enthusiastic about all of this, are you not?" Celeste inquired.

"How can I not be?" The heir asked rhetorically. "If we don't unmask the culprit, we all die."

"Th-That's true, but…." Makoto protested. "To jump into it so soon…."

"What? Do you want to die?" The heir questioned harshly. "Fine, then go off and die somewhere. Right now, go ahead. You're a waste of space."

That caused Sayaka to let out a growl, her anger towards the affluent progeny increasing. It increased more when she saw the hurt look on Makoto's face. "That. Bastard." She hissed lowly, drawing a concern look from Makoto.

"Sayaka, please don't be bad." The luckster pleaded. "Remember, that this is the future Byakuya talking."

"With his memory wiped." Sayaka pointed out angrily. "Up until the day we all entered Hope's Peak. Which was only months ago." Makoto flinched a little at that.

"I know, but, even if it was only a couple months, I think he's starting to change." Makoto told her, truly believing that. "So please don't get mad at him for this."

Sayaka was silent for a moment before speaking, this time more softly. "Fine." It's only because of Makoto, and his forgiving nature, that she isn't going up there and slapping Byakuya right in the face. It's hard to believe that the Byakuya now used to be so different.

Mondo then spoke up. "A dead body is an….object?" He then started yelling at him. "Chihiro wasn't an 'object'! Show a little respect, or I'll beat some into ya!"

"Everyone stop bickering." Kyoko ordered. "Listen, there's some truth in what Byakuya said."

"K-Kyoko!"

"You actually agree with the jackass?!" Leon exclaimed.

"I don't agree with him on everything." Kyoko reminded him coldly. In fact, she's more than a little angry at what he said to Makoto. "But if we don't find the culprit, we will all die. That's a fact that cannot be ignored."

"Yeah…." Hina said dejectedly. She wonders how her other self is feeling. Pretty bad, she imagine.

The lavender haired girl turned towards Makoto. "If we don't solve the mystery and find the killer, our lives are forfeit. And if Byakuya is right that Genocide Jack is somehow the one killed Chihiro….then unless we do something, more victims could start piling up."

"Forget more victims! If we mess this up, we're all dead meat!" Hifumi exclaimed.

That's when Monokuma appeared. "Hold on, hold on." The bear began. "If that's your worry, you don't gotta worry any longer! In any one killing game, the guilty party may only kill a maximum of two people."

"What….?" Hifumi said, confused. "I don't remember any rule like that."

"Neither do I." Taka agreed. And that is something he would definitely remember!

"He probably just added the rule." Mukuro deduced. "Otherwise, the killing game probably wouldn't last long."

"You think he wants the game to last?" Sakura inquired.

"I would assume so, yes." Mukuro answered, acting like she have as much knowledge as everyone else. "Otherwise, he would've just added every motive all at once. Use that confusion to cause someone to do something rash."

"That's a good point." Kyoko mused. "Plus, there's the added rule." Question is, why though? Is there a reason the mastermind wants the game to last long?

"I just came up with it." Monokuma answered. "I mean, if one person went around and killed everyone, your lovely student life would be all over, right?"

"It would seem that Mukuro was correct." Celeste said. "But why not one, though?"

"The answer would probably be given, soon." Byakuya said, trying to take his mind off of how his future self is acting for right now.

"In that case, why not limit it to one person?" Sakura questioned.

"Well in a good mystery, you don't want to miss out on at least the potential of a serial killer angle!" The bear let out a sinister laugh. "Just one would totally murder that possibility! Farewell for now! I'll catch you guys at the class trial!"

"Does….anyone understand this pyscho's thought process?" Leon groaned.

"I doubt any of us WANTS to understand him." Hina pointed out.

"I can't say I understand his thinking, but if we can kill up to two people….then one more person's life could still be in danger." Celeste said.

"Which is definitely not good." Byakuya stated. "We need to uncover the culprit before something else happens."

"YOU need to shut the fuck up!" Mondo retorted angrily.

"W-Well…." Hina spoke up nervously. "For now, Taka and I are gonna drop Toko off at her room."

"Nice! I'm gonna get dropped off!" With that, Hina and Taka escorted out of the room.

"We have no time to stand around here. We must begin our investigation tout suite." Celeste spoke up. "If we do not solve the mystery of who killed Chihiro, then we will quickly follow her into the afterlife."

'That's true….' Makoto thought to himself. He clenched his hands into fists. 'I hate this, but….if I want to survive….me and everyone else….have to do it. We don't have any other choice!'

"Indeed we don't." Celeste sighed. "And so, our future selves are beginning yet another investigation."

"But, who is the killer this time?" Hifumi asked nervously. "Who would really kill Chihiro, of all people?"

"That is the question we all need to figure out." Kyoko said. "But before we start, someone needs to wake up Toko. Or rather, Genocide Jill."

"No need! I'm here!" With that sudden statement, Jack leapt up from her spot on the ground and landed on her feet, startling some the couple people sitting there.

"Dammit Jill, would you stop doing that?!" Leon exclaimed. "Monokuma is giving us enough heart attacks as it is!"

"Sorry, no can do!" Jill denied. "A famous serial killer such as mwuah must make their dramatic entrance!"

"More like infamous." Hiro muttered.

Jill happily ignored the fortune teller. "So, what did I miss? Did I make my shining introduction yet?"

"Um, I wouldn't call it shining…." The group then began explaining what had happened during her absence.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 35: Watching Chapter 2: Boys' Life of Despair Part 11

"So it was the rockstar wannabe that killed little Miss Perfect, huh?" Jill commented on casually. "And now it's Tinker Bell that got killed off?"

"That is correct." Celeste confirmed with a nod.

Jill let out a cackle. "Interesting! Very, very interesting! Never thought any of us would murder the heck out of that loli girl!"

"None of us did." Hina sadly said. "Why would anyone want to kill Chihiro, of all people?"

"Well, let's watch and find out!" She flopped back on her previous seat. "I want to see who cold-hearted enough to take out Tinker Bell!"

"Of course she's excited for this." Leon grumbled. Never the less, everyone pay their attention back to the screen.

'First off, I'd better check the Monokuma File to see exactly what's going on.' He began reading the Monokuma file. "The victim was Chihiro Fujisaki. The time of death is estimated to be around 2:00 a.m. The body was discovered in the girls locker room, on the 2nd floor the school. The cause of death was a blow to the head with a blunt object. She was killed instantly."

"There's less information than before." Kyoko noted. "But only a little."

"Would it hinder the search for the culprit?" Taka inquired, to which the detective shook her head.

"No, it shouldn't. It just means there isn't anything else to add."

'That's….all it says.' He mentally sighed. 'Well….it's not like there's any point in complaining about it. No matter what, I gotta do what I gotta do….'

As he lowered the file from his eyes, Byakuya cames towards him. "Hey, Makoto. Do you have a second?"

That was definitely an odd sight for everyone. "Strange that you would be the one to seek one Makoto." Mukuro said, narrowing her eyes, the suspicion clear in her voice.

"I swear, if you start insulting him again…." Sayaka growled towards Byakuya, not finishing her sentence, but her tone leaving her intent obvious. The scowl on Hina's face, along with the cold looks from Kyoko and Celeste, also backed up the idol's unfinished threat. Though Byakuya didn't react to them, his motion of pushing up his glasses was enough of a response for the girls.

"Huh?" Makoto looked at him in confusion. "Did you….need something from me?"

"Of course." The heir stated, as if it was obvious. "Life without purpose is quite dull, you know?"

"Um, so….what did you need?" Makoto asked warily.

"I'm going to let you cooperate with me during my investigation." Byakuya declared.

"...Huh?" (A shared thought amongst everyone else)

"I'm purchasing your talent." Byakuya explained arrogantly. "The same talent which allowed you to solve Sayaka's case."

"Wha-Wha-Wha-Whaaat? Master would choose him over me?" Jill cried out.

"So you want to use him for the investigation?" Sakura asked, ignoring the serial killer.

Byakuya nodded. "Out of all of you plebeians, Makoto and Kyoko are the most useful in these investigations."

"And since Makoto is more a pushover, you chose him." Leon called out. The heir ignored him while Makoto gave his friend a not-so-friendly look.

"S-Solve….?" Makoto repeated in surprise. "No, I just…."

"You seem to have limited use. Which is why I've chosen you." Byakuya told him. "You have the honor of contributing to my investigation."

"Honor. Right." Junko remarked dryly. "Do you really think that everyone in the world want to kiss your feet?"

"Anyone with common sense would feel honor to use their talents for my benefit." Byakuya stated arrogantly.

"I know I would!" Jill sighed dramatically. "If there's any cute boys master wants me to kill, I would gladly do it!"

"...Are you sure you didn't meant any person with no common sense?" Leon deadpanned.

'So….you're inviting me to come with you?' Makoto deduced. 'You're doing it in the most arrogant way possible, though….'

"What did you expect?" Mondo grumbled, still very pissed off at Byakuya.

The heir spoke up once again. "Now then, shall we get started?"

"B-But…."

"We need to get moving. There's no time to be standing around." Byakuya told him rudely.

Makoto was silent after that. 'I don't really know what just happened….' He admitted to himself. 'But it looks like I'll be working with Byakuya on this one.'

Leon patted Makoto's shoulder sympathetically. "I pity you, man. I truly do."

"Ditto." Hina added in, with some of the others nodding, looking sympathetic for their favorite luckster.

Makoto couldn't help but sweatdrop at this, while Byakuya merely let out a scoff.

"I began the investigation in the girls' locker room." The narrator Makoto began summarizing. The scene showed Makoto kneeling on the ground, looking at the dumbell. "The first thing I noticed was the dumbell, which has a bloodstain on it."

The scene switched to Makoto looking at the bloodstain on the carpet. "Next, was bloodstain on the carpet, followed by the blood on the poster and of course, the word BLOODLUST, written with Chihiro's blood." The camera moved towards the poster and the bloody words.

"So we can assume that a dumbbell was used to kill Chihiro." Kyoko deduced. "After all, the cause of death is a blow to the head, and there's no other possible weapon in sight."

"Plus, the blood on the dumbbell seems to mach the wound on Chihiro's head." Mukuro added. "Although, we would need to have a closer look to check."

The thought made some of the others sick, especially Hina and Makoto, the two of them being the most emphatic of the Ultimates. Chihiro herself especially looked uncomfortable at the thought of someone looking at her wounds so closely.

The next scene showed was Makoto and Sakura talking to one another. "Then, I heard Sakura's account about the scene of Chihiro's death. I thought there was a possibility of Chihiro being killed somewhere else and moved here, but she thought otherwise."

"She's been talking a lot lately about how she wanted to get stronger." Sakura told him.

"So you're saying she came here to excerise?" Makoto inquired. "But according to the Monokuma File, apparently she was killed around two in the morning. Would she really exercising that late?"

"A good point there." Celeste agreed. "Why would anyone want to exercise at two in the morning?"

'….To avoid getting spotted.' That's the conclusion Makoto, Leon, and Chihiro made. After all, if Chihiro tried during the day, the risk of getting caught was high. So night was the only possible option.

'But how on earth did Chihiro get in there?' Makoto thought to himself. The best thing he could think of was that Chihiro managed to hack into the handbook, but that didn't seem likely. Failsafes were probably put in there to stop something like that from happening.

"Hina or myself are usually in the locker room during the day. So she was probably avoiding it then." Sakura theorized.

"Avoiding it….?" Makoto repeated in confusion.

"Although we invited her to join us more than once, she never showed up." The martial artist explained. "So I can only assume she was trying to avoid us."

"And instead, she came to exercise in the middle of the night?" Makoto guessed.

"Perhaps. But's it difficult for me to imagine she would have come alone." Sakura said. "She did want to exercise, but she specifically mentioned she couldn't do it by herself. She needed support from others."

"So you're saying she could have come here in the middle of the night to train in secret…..but that she would have come with someone else." Makoto summarized.

"That's certainly, plausible." Kyoko mused. She turned to the programmer in question. "Chihiro, would you have brought someone with you to help you exercise?"

Chihiro looked at the detective, her cheeks stained from crying. "Probably." She said weakly. She doubted she would have been able to exercise by herself since she had no idea where to start.

"So that would create one theory." Byakuya stated in thought. "Possibly, she asked someone to help exercise, and that someone used that opportunity to kill her."

"But who?" Celeste questioned. "That is the question we're wondering. Only the girls are able to go in the girls locker room, and I doubt she would ask me or Toko to help her."

"Are you saying that either Sakura or Hina are the only choices?" Taka questioned.

That had Hina protesting. "Hey wait a minute-"

"Let save the accusations for when the trials come," Kyoko suggested. "Pointing fingers now is going to lead nowhere." After a moment, the group began to settle down.

Meanwhile, an unpleasant feeling got into Makoto's head. He has a feeling that Sakura's account could pinpoint who the culprit is. For now, he ignored it, saving it for class trial like before. He'd rather not think on who could've done it.

"It's a possibility, I think." Sakura agreed.

As Makoto moved away from Sakura, Mondo spoke up, overhearing the conversation. "Dude had a real complex about being weak." The biker said sadly. "You heard Chihiro talk about it, right? All 'I need to get stronger!'"

Kyoko made a note of Mondo's statement. True, Chihiro had been pretty insistent about getting stronger, but something else about that statement was just rubbing her off in the wrong way. She took a peek over at the biker, who seemed rather rigid for his usual self.

"Yeah, I do remember she said that more than once…." Makoto agreed softly.

"Sure did." Mondo said. "Which….I guess explains the trip down here…."

"But….did she really need to get stronger that badly?" Makoto questioned. "You already mentioned it, but….she was a girl, after all. Most girls aren't all that strong."

"That's true." Sakura admitted. "It took a lot of training for me to get my current form."

"I required a lot of training as well." Mukuro agreed.

Hina turned to Chihiro in concerned. "Chihiro….why did you want to get strong so badly?" In response, Chihiro merely looked away from her, not wanting to answer that.

"I dunno, man. I haven't really thought about that stuff." Mondo admitted.

Makoto frown to himself in thought. 'The cause of Chihiro's complex….I can't help wonder what it might be.'

'It's because he's actually a boy.' Makoto, Leon, and Mondo thought, looking at one another. They all know that the cause of Chihiro's complex is due to her true gender.

"Finally, I looked at Chihiro's body." The scene went to Makoto looking at the body itself. 'Another dead body….' Makoto thought, feeling sick. 'Chihiro's dead body….'

The others also felt sick, once again, at seeing another dead body. Chihiro buried her head in her feet, letting out small whimpers, while Mondo let out growls, the sight of Chihiro's dead body lighting up his rage.

"I don't think I'm gonna get used to seeing a dead body." Hina said, looking ready to hurl. "Especially one of my friend's."

"Yeah." Makoto agreed with the swimmer.

"Trust me. No one ever does." Kyoko said, Mukuro nodding in confirmation in the back.

Byakuya then spoke up from beside him. "But the more I look, the more strange it all seems. This must be Genocide Jack's work."

"Oh, so this is a copy of my handiwork!" Jack stated, staring at the crime scene with interest. Then she laughed hysterically. "Well, I'm flattered that they tried to copy my murders! But also offended! I mean, they didn't even use anything sharp to do the killing let alone scissors! This is an insult!"

"Shut the fuck up, you damn psychopath!" Mondo growled threateningly. The fact that Genocide Jack is a girl, as well as the chains that Spirit can summon, are the only things stopping him giving Jill a piece of his mind.

"Well, but…."

"But we're still not sure he did it. Is that what you want to say?" Byakuya questioned. He then let out a small snicker. "I wonder about that…."

"Byakuya seems dead set on pointing at Jill as the killer." Junko pointed out. "But why?"

"Why indeed." Byakuya agreed, wonder what his other is thinking. He could tell there's something his future self knows, that the others don't. But what exactly is it?

Jill let out a dreamy sigh. "Oh, master! You must think so highly of me!"

"As I would a roach." Byakuya muttered in remark.

After a small moment, he spoke up again. "Now I believe it's about time for us to move on."

"Huh? Already?" Makoto asked in surprise.

"New clues won't magically appear by standing around here." Byakuya said in response. "We need to check every aspect of this case."

"Th-That's true, but…."

The heir didn't let him finish. "If you're satisfied, let's hurry up and proceed." With that, he walked out of the room.

'He's so….pushy.' Makoto couldn't help but think. 'I got caught up with the wrong person this time….'

'No doubt there.' Several people thought simultaneously. None of them would want to have Byakuya as their partner, that's for sure.

With that thought, he followed him out the girls' locker room, and stopped at the outer locker room. "So, this is our next location." Byakuya stated.

"Huh? This place is related to the investigation?" Makoto asked in confusion.

"Figure it out for yourself." Was the response given by Byakuya. "It's no fun if you don't, right?"

"Or you could just tell him yourself." Sayaka grumbled. The accusations Makoto had to face in the previous chapter had lit up a protective side of her. So Byakuya's harsh attitude around Makoto made more than a bit angry.

Makoto thought silently for a moment before deciding to do what Byakuya said. As he looked at the card reader near the girls' locker room, a thought occured to him. 'Because of the card readers on here, only the guys can enter the boys' locker room and the girls in the girls' locker room.' He remembered. 'In other words, Chihiro's body being found in the girls' locker rooms means….'

"That one of the girls did it, correct?" Taka finished for Makoto. "Kyoko, Celeste, Hina, and Sakura."

Kyoko spoke up to that. "Like we said before, we need to wait until the trial starts before we start accusing people."

"Y-Yeah. So don't start accusing us!" Hina told Taka angrily.

That's when Byakuya spoke up. "I can see right through you, Makoto."

That gain the luckster's attention. "See right….through me?"

"Allow me to tell you what you're thinking…." Byakuya began. "Since Chihiro was found in the girls' locker room, the killer must have been able to get in there. As such, the killer must be one of the girls. Did I get it right?"

When Makoto nodded, Byakuya snorted. "Good lord, you're simple."

"Wait, what?" Hiro said in confusion. "But he's right, isn't he? I don't see how else a guy could enter the girls' locker room."

"Without turning to swiss cheese." Leon added, remembering the machine gun.

"But am I wrong?" Makoto asked him.

"You should pay closer attention to the regulations." The heir advised. "The answer has been in front of you the entire time. 'Loaning your e-Handbook is strictly prohibited'. Only the act of 'loaning' a handbook is prohibited."

Byakuya's eyes lit up in realization. "So that's what my future self saw…." Kyoko and Celeste realized this as well, understanding hitting their faces.

Most of the others, however, didn't. "Okay, so borrowing isn't forbidden. So what? It still needs to be loaned by somebody, doesn't it?"

"Not if you borrow it from a corpse." Celeste retorted.

Understanding now dawned on Makoto's face. "So we could borrow the E-handbook of our dead friends?"

"Precisely." Byakuya confirmed.

"But we don't know if it's possible to access those E-handbooks." Sakura countered. "Where would they be at now?"

"The future Byakuya may know." Kyoko theorized. "Otherwise, he wouldn't be so confident on his theory." Byakuya nodded his head in agreement to this.

At that point, Monokuma popped, laughing evilly. "I would expect nothing less from the prodigal son of the noble Togami family! So you managed to sniff out the loophole in the regulations!"

"And Monokuma's statement confirms this." Celeste stated.

"But where are the E-handbooks?" Taka questioned.

"We'll probably see for ourselves soon." Mukuro stated.

"Knowing you, I would bet you created it on purpose didn't you? To add a little more excitement to things." Byakuya deduced.

Monokuma let out a cry. "You're treating like a puny little appetizer instead of the main course that I aim! Now then, since the dead can't actually talk, they're not people anymore - they're things! Got it? Got it? Good."

"Would people stop calling us things?" Leon growled in frustration. He's getting tired of that crap!

"Wait, hold on…." Makoto protested. "You're saying that's a loophole, but in order to borrow something from someone, then….that means someone would have to loan it, so….uhh…."

"So sleepy…." Monokuma said in slight frustration. "Just listening to you makes me wanna pass out! Be more like Byakuya and get your poop together! Or else I'll charge you with criminal negligence!"

'How am I supposed to know that our late friends' E-handbooks could be accessed somewhere?' Makoto thought in slight annoyance.

"No more questions! Figure out the rest your own damn self!" With that, the bear left.

"Well, I know you are unfortunately lacking in mental capabilities, so I'll fill you in myself." Byakuya told him. "Let's head to the main hall."

"The main hall….?" Makoto said in confusion.

"That'll help you understand what's going on." Was all the heir said.

As the scene switched to the main hall, the narrator Makoto spoke. "So, I went to the main hall, to see what Byakuya and Monokuma meant. And what I found…."

Makoto looked at the mailbox here, and opened, revealing three E-handbooks. "...was the E-handbooks."

'Three E-handbooks?' Makoto exclaimed in his head. 'But what are they doing here?'

"Wait a minute…." Makoto said slowly. "Are these Sayaka's, Leon's, and Mukuro's E-handbooks?"

That caught the others in surprise. "Why do you think it's ours?" Sayaka asked.

"Cause I don't see why Monokuma would have other handbooks available." Was Makoto's answer. "I mean, there's no one there but us, right?"

"A good point." Kyoko agreed. And if Makoto is correct on this, this creates a good theory as to who did it and what happened.

"So, you finally found them." Byakuya spoke up from behind Makoto.

"Huh?" The luckster turned towards the heir. "Did you know these were here, Byakuya?"

"I happen to find them by chance myself the other day." Byakuya answered.

Celeste narrowed her eyes. Something is telling her that Byakuya knows something the others don't. His response is too suspicious.

"It seems there's a system in place where the handbooks of dead students get 'delivered' into the mailbox."

Makoto's eyes widen at this. "So then, these three handbooks belong to Junko, Leon, and Sayaka?"

"You can go ahead and confirm it yourself." At Byakuya's suggestion, Makoto immediately turned one of them on. And when he did, it reveal Sayaka's full name.

"So it looks Makoto's theory is correct." Kyoko mused out loud. And this little info gave her a suspect as to who killed Chihiro.

"So, does that mean a guy could go to the girls' locker room using those?" Hifumi questioned.

"That seems to be the case." Sakura answered. "Which means anyone could've murdered Chihiro."

"Oh, man! We're back at square one!" Hiro complained.

"As if the trial would be easy." Byakuya scoffed.

"You're right! This is Sayaka's handbook!" Makoto exclaimed.

"Now do you understand?" Byakuya asked. "This is the key to the loophole that I revealed earlier."

"Yeah, I feel like I'm starting to get it…." Makoto confirmed. He thought about Byakuya's words back at the locker room once more. 'I see….yeah, now I understand.'

As Makoto put Sayaka's handbook back, Byakuya noticed something. "Hm? Hold on a second…."

"What's wrong?" Makoto asked curiously.

"That's strange." Byakuya murmured loudly. "One of the handbooks won't turn on."

"Huh?" Hiro questioned in confusion. "It broke, somehow?"

"But, they're suppose to be unbreakable!" Hina exclaimed. "How did one break? And which one break?"

"You know what? That's a good question." Junko remarked. She designed those handbooks to be unbreakable! Who managed to break it?

"Is it broken? Who is it?" Makoto inquired.

"The other handbook showed Junko's name when I started it up." Byakuya informed him.

"Then the one that won't turn on must be….Leon's, right?" Makoto deduced.

"It would make sense, yes." Byakuya agreed. "After all, he did get plummeted with dozens and dozens of baseballs."

The air grew cold at the reminder of Leon's execution. "Yeah….that would make sense…." Makoto said, a bit pale at the reminder.

A short and cold silence hung in the air until Jill processed what had happened.

Jill tilted her head. "Pelted with baseballs?" She tapped her chin in thought. "Creative. Never thought baseballs could be used to kill. This mastermind guy must more creative than I am."

"Probably more insane than you are." Mondo muttered. Jill, hearing that, scoffed.

"Oh, come on! No one is more insane than mwah!"

Junko's eyes glinted at that statement. 'Challenge accepted!'

'Pummeled with baseballs….' At the reminder of Leon's death, memories of his execution flashed into Makoto's mind. Being dragged out of the trial room, chained up, pelted with hundreds and hundreds of baseballs….

The memory flashes brought more chills among the group. Leon clenched his fist tightly at the scene, shaking a little, while the guilt from Sayaka increased. She made a point to look away from Leon.

Makoto, while still pale, looked at both of his friends in concern. He really hopes that they can talk about this to each other soon. He doesn't want this tense situation to continue between them.

Shaking the image out of his head, he responded back. "You're right. It wouldn't be surprising for the handbook to break during that kind of assault."

That's when Monokuma popped up. "Hey, hey!" He began angrily. "Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! HEEEY!"

That startled the others. "What does he wants now?" Hina questioned in frustration.

"Wh-What….?" Was all Makoto could say, startled.

"That e-Handbook is essential to student life here! Crucial, integral, instrumental, a super big deal!" Monokuma exclaimed. "There's no way it would break that easily!"

"But it broke, didn't it?" Hifumi pointed out. "There's no way around that."

"But it did…." Makoto pointed out.

"If it I say it wouldn't break, it wouldn't freakin' break!" Was Monokuma's retort. "It can withstand up to ten tons of pressure, and it's waterproof up to one hundred meters, okay?! I don't care how many baseballs you hit with it, it wouldn't do crap!"

"Then how the hell did Leon's brake, huh?!" Mondo exclaimed, his tone angrier than usual when dealing with the bear.

"Oh, but uh…." His expression then turned sheepish. "Even my amazing handbook have one single weak point."

That definitely got the other's attention.

"Huh?"

"It does?"

"What is it?"

Before more questions could be asked, Kyoko spoke up. "Calm down. It'll probably be explain during the investigation or trial." Though honestly, she has an idea as to what the weakness. It would explain a certain policy put in place at the sauna.

"It does?" Makoto said in surprise.

Before he could ask, Monokuma stated, "But it's a secret! I wouldn't want you to breaking any more handbooks!"

"Oh come on!" Junko exclaimed, throwing her hands up. "That's such a lame excuse!" She was a little annoyed that her future self kept this from her, but it did make things less boring. It must have been a later change considering she hadn't thought of it yet.

"Yeah! Why would any of us break our handbooks on purpose?" Hina agreed with the fashionista.

"Then Leon must have broken it somehow without realizing what its weakness was, right?" Byakuya theorized.

"Hmm…." The bear put his paw on his chin in thought. "Hard to say! You know what I think? I think his handbook isn't actually broken!"

"Huh?" Was the response made by several people. Mondo then spoke up for all of them. "Is the fucking bear playing with us?"

"It's really hard to tell." Celeste sighed. She really wished the mastermind actually showed themselves. It's near impossible to read a mechanical bear!

Meanwhile, Kyoko silently took down everyone's statements. She could feel the pieces slowly coming together, but it still wasn't enough to prove beyond a doubt who the killer is.

"But, you might ask, how could that be?!" With that, he left, leaving the question hanging in the air.

"Hey!" Hina shouted, shaking her fist. "Get back here and explain everything to us properly!"

"Save your breath. Even if he could hear you, I doubt he would answer." Byakuya remarked. "At worst, he would just spout more incoherent nonsense."

"Man, I hate riddles!" Jill huffed. "Snipping and stabbing adorable boys is much more simple!"

"Can you please stop talking about killing, Ms. Jill?" Taka pleaded.

After a moment of silence, the luckster spoke. "What just happened?" He looked at the e-Handbook in his hand. "Monokuma said it's not broken. But it's an undeniable fact that it's not turning on."

"Well, I don't see any connection to the case, so it doesn't matter for now." Byakuya told him.

'You think so?' Makoto remarked in his mind. 'Either way, something about it still bothers me….'

"It'll probably be something to keep in mind." Kyoko stated, noting that down.

"I agree." Said the affluent progeny. "After all, if it wasn't important, we wouldn't shown this." Makoto nodded in agreement as well.

"Okay then, this should be enough to get things rolling." Byakuya said, partly to himself. "Let's begin our investigation in earnest and track down the true culprit."

"Yeah. We need to find out who killed Chihiro!" Makoto said in determination.

'Damn straight!' Mondo thought in anger. Once they find the bastard who did it, they better have a good explanation as to why they killed Chihiro!

Byakuya, however, thought differently. "To be exact...not quite."

'Huh?' Makoto thought in confusion. "What do you mean by, 'not quite'?"

"Certainly I want to reveal Chihiro's killer," The heir slightly correct himself. "But more precisely….I want to discover the true identity of Genocide Jack."

"Oh, master!" Jill sighed dreamily. "You so desperately want to meet me!"

"As if." Byakuya muttered. He wished that the serial kill stayed in that disgusting head of hers.

That surprised Makoto a bit. "So, you truly believe that Genocide Jack is the one that killed Chihiro?"

"Absolutely." Byakuya answered. "I have no doubt that Genocide Jack is the culprit of the case. And I have a basis to believe that. I assure you, Genocide Jack is one of us."

Kyoko narrowed her eyes. She wondered why Byakuya is determine to point fingers at Genocide Jack. It could be because of the arrangement made, and his own arrogance lead him to think that he found the answer, but she doubts it. Something is telling her that it's something else.

"Is there really proof….?" Makoto questioned with a bit of doubt.

"There's somewhere I want to take you." The heir told him. "This will provide all the evidence you need. Evidence that Genocide Jack is the one that killed Chihiro!"

"Sorry to disappoint you master, but, for once, I'm not the killer!" Jack stated.

"Yeah. We all realize that." Hiro sighed. "Still, what this evidence Byakuya's talking about?"

'Probably at the library.' Byakuya mused to himself. That place is a treasure cove of information and apparently, that's the only other place where he would go to.

'Evidence….' Makoto frowned at this. 'Does something like that really….?'

Before he could finish that thought, a shout drew their attention. "Ah! Hey, you two!" Said two turned their heads to see Hina jogging towards them, looking panicked. "Big trouble! Need your help!"

Her panic expression made the group nervous. "Why is she's panicking, of all of sudden?" Hifumi asked nervously.

"Did Genocide Jack do something already?" Hiro guessed, just as nervous. "Like murder somebody?"

The girl in question answer that. "I only killed adorable boys, remember? And most of you aren't up to my standards."

"I still don't know if I should be relieved or angry." Hiro admitted.

"Try relieved." Leon remarked. He wouldn't want that psycho trying to kill him, or chase after him. He's already have enough of that with his cousin.

"We're busy. Leave us alone!" Was Byakuya's curt reply.

"But it's an emergency….! Emergency!" She exclaimed in panic. "C'mon, please! You gotta help me!"

"Just calm down, okay Hina?" Makoto attempted to calm down the girl.

Unfortunately, his words fell flat in her ears. "But….but….! It's an e-mer-gen-cyyy!" She stated, emphasizing the emergency part. "Something's wrong with Toko. She's acting super strange!"

"Strange?" Junko cocked an eyebrow at that. "But wasn't she already acting strange, when Genocide Jack took over?"

"You panic over the littlest of things, honestly." Celeste sighed. That drew a pout from the swimmer.

'Well, I mean….she was acting pretty strange earlier, right?' Makoto thought to himself. Reluctantly, he turned to the heir. "...What should we do, Byakuya?"

"Since it's Toko….I must admit, I'm intrigued." Byakuya admitted. "I suppose we can take a second to see what's going with her."

That caught the group attention. "Did you just say what we think you just said?" Leon questioned.

"You're actually interested in Toko?" Hina asked in disbelief.

Byakuya himself was surprised for a brief moment, until figuring out why. He must have somehow knew of Toko's alternate identity. This whole thing was a huge misunderstanding. He sighed, things are going to get a lot more annoying.

"Why be interested in my gloomy side?" Jill huffed. "You should be more interested in meeeeee!"

"Trust me, I hold you both with equal interest: Which is little to none." Byakuya snarked.

The serial killer sighed at that. "Still playing hard to get. However, I will not give up on you!"

The heir sighed, just wondering what did he do to earn this.

"Are you sure?" The luckster asked him.

His response was a bland look. "Don't make me repeat myself." Byakuya told him.

'I….didn't expect that.' Makoto thought in slight bewilderment. I thought for sure he'd just say no, and that'd be the end of it.'

"Yeah, we thought so too." Junko stated. "Think he knows about Genocide Jack or something?"

"Who the fuck cares?" Mondo growled. "Shouldn't they focus on the fuckin investigation?"

"Calm down, Mondo." Makoto tried to placate the biker. "Remember that she's connected to the crime. She might give us something that could help us."

Mondo sighed, but settled down. "Fine."

"Okay, okay, come on! Hurry!" With that statement, Hina rushed off to the dorms.

"W-Wait for us, Hina!" Makoto ran after her, while Byakuya merely walked.

The scene switched to Makoto and Byakuya arriving to the dorms, the former holding his knees and breathing a bit heavily. "You guys are too slow!" Hina scolded.

"I think you're just….too fast…." Makoto breathed out.

"No argument there." Leon snorted. "Makes me wonder if your family are running in caffeine too." Hina chuckled sheepishly at that.

"So? What's this emergency?" Byakuya asked her.

"Well, after what happened in the girls locker room, we left Toko in her room so she could lay down." Hina explained. "After a while, we came back to check on her. Ya know, see how she was doing. But when we did….it was weird. She refused to come out, and she kept saying all this weird stuff."

That caught Makoto's interest. "Weird stuff….?"

"We should try talking to her ourselves." Byakuya suggested.

"Y-Yeah, good idea." He nervously went over to Toko's door. 'Might as well give it a shot….'

Makoto pressed the doorbell, and waited. After a moment, the door slowly opened, and Toko showed her head through the crack, shaking.

"Holy shit!" Leon choked. The others were also gasped, startled. "I can feel the negativity from here!"

"It's like poison trying to go into your lungs." Hifumi stated.

"It's almost making me depressed." Junko admitted. Honestly, she's feeling jealous of Toko right now.

"...What?" Toko spoke, both rudely and nervously.

"Oh, um…." Makoto stammered, trying to compose himself. "Nothing. It's just that….Hina was really worried about you, holing yourself up in your room…."

"Leave me a-alone…." Was Toko's reply.

"Um, yeah, sure thing…." Makoto replied back. "But….could you open up, just for a second….?"

She was silent for a moment before her shaking increased. "Won't a-allow it….."

"Huh….?"

"I w-won't let Genocide Jack have control!" With that statement, she slammed the door in her face.

In her response, Jill blew a raspberry at her other personality. "You sore loser!"

"Well, that's going to make her more of a suspect." Leon sighed. "Makes me wonder how no one found out about her sooner."

"Since she's reclusive by nature, she wasn't near anyone that would be able to figure it out. In addition to that, she only comes out when Toko loses consciousness." Kyoko explained. "Once she came here, and befriended all of us, the secret would've come out eventually."

"Especially since you're a detective." Sayaka pointed out. Kyoko nodded.

"That too."

"Wh-What was that….?" Makoto questioned nervously, as well as in slight beffudlement.

"She's been acting like that the whole time." Hina explained. "When I rang, she said something about driving out the killer. It doesn't make sense, right?"

"It does when you add multiple personalities into the equation." Mukuro pointed out. "Though I doubt that most of us would consider the factor."

"Yeah. Didn't even think about it until Kyoko and Byakuya told us." Hina admitted.

"I was afraid to leave her in there alone, so I tried to bust down her door, but it felt like something was holding it shut on the other side. I couldn't even budge it…."

Makoto looked at the door in concern. 'Toko was scared enough to even bar her door….?' The luckster thought to himself. 'Does she think the same thing as Byakuya? Does she really think the serial killer Genocide Jack really murdered Chihiro?'

"Yeah, she probably thought that once she saw the bloodlust logo." Jill stated nonchalantly. "Didn't even think about the fact that I didn't use my wonderful scissors!"

"Or maybe she was terrified that you got out when she fainted." Sakura added. "Probably a mixture of both."

'Is that's why Toko so scared….?'

"Whatever it is, I'm really worried about her…." Hina said, concern clear in her voice. "Isn't there anyone who might be able to persuade her….?"

At that question, the group slowly turned to the heir himself. He huffed in response.

"It's unlikely." Byakuya stated. "We don't have the time we did before to coax her out of there."

When Jill first appeared during their time at Hope's Peak, Toko did the same thing as her future counterpart and barricaded herself in her room. It took quite a bit of coaxing from Makoto and Byakuya to get her out of ther.

"A good point." Taka admitted reluctantly. "Still, it wouldn't hurt to try!"

At that question, Hina and Makoto slowly turned to Byakuya. "Hey, Byakuya…." Makoto began hesitantly. "You think you could ask her? To come out of her room, I mean."

Byakuya was silent for a moment. Then, he said. "Fine, whatever."

"Huh? You're gonna talk to her, Byakuya?" Hina asked in slight surprise. "Wow, I guess you can be nice when you want to!"

"I have a feeling you're gonna be taking those words back." Junko sighed. "I just know it."

"It is Byakuya we're talking about." Hiro added in. The guy probably doesn't even know the meaning!

He ignored her and went in front of her door without a sound. After pressing the doorbell, after a few moments, Toko opened it once again. "Leave me alone! You're all s-s-s-so annoying…."

When she realized who she was talking to, she gasped in shock. "Backula!"

That got some people bursting out laughing. "Backula?" Leon wheezed out. "She seriously called you that?"

"That's hilarious, dude!" Hiro gasped. Sayaka took great pleasure in laughing at Byakuya, while even Mondo and Chihiro let out snickers and giggles, respectively.

"How mature of you all." Byakuya dryly remarked in slight irritation.

"It's Byakuya…." The heir corrected her.

Toko was silent for a moment before speaking again. "I-I'm sorry. I couldn't k-keep our promise…." She apologized shamefully. "But don't w-worry. Never again…."

"I….! I won't let Genocide Jack have control ever again!" With that, she closed the door once again.

The mention of a promise stopped the remaining laughter. "What on earth is she talking about?" Celeste questioned with furrowed eyebrows. "A promise?"

"Do you think she told Byakuya about Genocide Jack?" Mukuro theorized. "Is that why he's so confident about Jack being the killer?"

"It could be." Byakuya admitted. "Or it could be one of Toko's ridiculous delusions."

"Do you want to hear about some of my fantasies, master?" Jill asked eagerly. "Some of them are very steamy!"

"No." The heir said flatly.

"Even Byakuya couldn't pull it off…." Hina said sadly.

"There's nothing we could do. Let's get back to the investigation." Byakuya said shortly.

"H-Hold on!" Makoto protested. He turned to Byakuya. "What was Toko talking about just now? Something about a promise?"

"Hm? Oh, I have no idea." Byakuya said dismissively. "Another one of her delusions, I'm sure."

'It's probably that.' Kyoko thought to herself. 'But I'm not sure. Byakuya is definitely hiding something.' While she isn't sure Byakuya is the killer (Mondo is high on her suspect list), she's sure he's involved somehow.

"B-But…."

"If I say I don't know, that means I don't know." Byakuya cut off. "Just let Hina take care of her."

"O-Oh….yeah, okay." Hina agreed. "I'll stay here and keep an eye on her."

"Well then, let's go." Byakuya then speed walk towards his destination.

"B-Byakuya!" And Makoto hurried to catch up with him.

"You really chose the wrong the person to partner up with, Mr. Naegi." Hifumi stated.

"Hey!" Makoto protested. "It's not like I had a choice!"

"Hmph. You should be honored that I decided to give you my attention." Byakuya scoffed arrogantly.

"Yeah, right. Honor." Sayaka muttered to herself.

"Alright. So, what evidence do we have so far?" Taka interjected, turning towards Kyoko.

The detective didn't hesitate to answer. "We have the blood written word, BLOODLUST, the dumbbell covered with blood, and the bloodstain on the floor. We also have Sakura's and Mondo's accounts, as well as the e-Handbooks from the deceased."

"Let's not forget the fact that one of them is broken." Byakuya pointed out. "As well as what Monokuma told us. Those would probably be instrumental in the trial."

"That seems like all the evidence so far." Makoto mused. "I wonder how much we got left to find."

"We will see." Celeste stated.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 36: Watching Chapter 2: Boys' Life of Despair Part 12

"I tried to talk to him several times as he walked…." The narrator Makoto stated, the scene showing Makoto trying to do just that. "But he didn't even look back, let alone say anything. He just kept walking towards his destination. Finally, we stopped at the second floor, inside the library. But it wasn't the library itself that Byakuya wanted to show me. The place he wanted to show…."

The camera switched to Byakuya opening the room inside the library, which is filled several books and files. "Was the archive." Byakuya said in unison with the narrator.

"The archive?" Leon repeated with a raised eyebrow. "You're interested in that old room?"

"Indeed." Byakuya replied back. Soon as he saw the archive, he quickly figured out what his future self want to show Makoto.

"Whoa! There are so many books and files." Makoto muttered in awe. Then he started coughing once the dust enter his lungs. "And so much dust, too."

"I would say there's enough value in this place to endure the dust." Byakuya remarked.

"Why? What's so valuable about it?" Leon questioned. Due to the opening of the new school building, most of Class 78th didn't really have a chance to explore the archive. Except for one student.

"You will see." Byakuya stated. "The information in the archive might surprise you."

Makoto then moved over to the one with the files. 'The shelf is packed tightly with files….' He then picked out a random file.

That caused Byakuya to then speak up. "Ah, you have a sharp eye indeed to select that file."

"...Huh?"

"That's the report on a presidential assassination." The heir informed him casually. "The original kept at a national library."

The mention of the topic surprised everyone. "Say whaaaa?!" Hifumi exclaimed, voicing everyone's thoughts. "A presidential assassination?!"

"H-He's joking, right?" Hiro hesitantly.

"No, I can assure you that he isn't joking." Byakuya assured him. "Now do you understand the value of that room? Of those files?"

Leon gulped. "Um, yeah, I think we're getting a clear picture." He was going to ask why such things were in the archive, but held himself back when he pictured Byakuya's response to his question.

"It won't be declassified for another thirty years. Are you sure you want to look at it now?" A smirk formed on his face. "There's no telling who's crosshairs you might wind up in for peeking in it…."

"..." Makoto slowly put the file back into the shelf, without saying a word.

"Wise choice, Makoto." Celeste stated, with several nods of agreement. With his luck, just touching the file would possibly get him into big trouble.

"As I looked at each shelf, Byakuya finally told me what's in here." Narrator Makoto stated as the camera moved to each shelf. "Classified government documents, police records, names of the most important people….things that no normal person would ever see."

"The hell?" Mondo cursed, mouth agape. Even Chihiro is temporarily distracted by the information given to them, her slightly red eyes wide with shock. "That kinda shit is in a school?"

"Hope's Peak is really that influential?" Taka questioned.

"So it would seem." Kyoko mused. Who knew that Hope's Peak Academy would have that kind of information, in the library of all places?

"This….can't be for real, right?" Makoto asked, in slight disbelief.

That earned a scoff. "That's your guys problem. Anything that doesn't fit into your preconceived reality, you label it a lie."

"Well, it's not that." Makoto reteirieted. "It's just….it's not like I totally refuse to believe it, but, I mean, there's just so much. How could anyone have put all this together?"

"Hope's Peak did have ties to the government." Kyoko remembered. "We just didn't know how strong those ties were."

"Yeah. No kidding, there." Leon snorted.

"I suppose it goes to show just how much power Hope's Peak truly wields." Byakuya mused. "Or perhaps, the mastermind may have wanted to provide us with enough entertainment to keep us from getting bored."

"He has some messed up views of entertainment!" Hina stated, horrified.

"This killing game, clearly tells us this, Hina." Celeste remarked, her voice a bit dry.

'U-Um….' Makoto shook his head. 'It's no use. I can't keep up with all of this. It's just too unreal….'

"I don't blame you." Kyoko said softly. "It's not something most people will be able to process properly." Several of the others nodded in agreement.

"What's wrong? You still can't believe it?" Byakuya questioned.

"What about you?" Makoto shot back. "How can you believe it so easily? Things like that are usually impossible…."

"What do you mean, usually?" Byakuya asked him, frowning. "Usual? Normal, ordinary, simple? Those things don't exist anywhere in the real world. If you don't understand what they actually represent, you don't understand the nature of anything."

'You don't pull your punches, do you….?' Makoto thought blankly.

"No. No he does not." Taka agreed.

"I would be surprised if Mr. Pompous actually does do that." Junko sighed.

"Besides, what you consider 'usual' is based on your common sense, right?" The heir continued. "But what makes you think your own 'common sense' applies to me at all? The documents gathered here are genuine. I have reviewed them multiple time, so there is no doubt."

"What?!" Taka exclaimed, shock and aghast. "You read classified government information?!"

"As well as the police records?!" Hina added in.

"Multiple times?" Sayaka concluded.

"Yes." Byakuya confirmed, not perturbed at the least. "Is something wrong?"

"Yes, something is definitely wrong!" Taka stated, glaring at the heir. "That information is restricted to the government and law enforcement! You shouldn't be reading those, even with your status as the heir of the Togami family!"

"Oh, on the contrary, it's because of my status as a heir that I'm allowed to read this." Byakuya shot back, shocking the others.

"W-What?" Chihiro stuttered out.

That caused Makoto's eyes to widen. "H-Hold on a second!" He stated. "You're saying you've read all these documents, and more than once?! But….all this has to be like top secret, confidential stuff, right? So why….?"

His was response was this. "My family has a reading room just like this at our home. Ours is bigger, of course. And not as dusty."

"...What did the asshole say just now?" Mondo questioned in disbelief. He wasn't the only one shocked by this, everyone else sat there agape in shock.

"His family have these kinds of files?" Hina breathed out in shock. "And even more of it?"

Makoto blink in pure befuddlement. "Huh….?"

"Members of the Togami family have access to any variety of government-related documents." Byakuya informed him. "That includes foreign powers as well as domestic."

"H-How is that possible….?" Makoto shakily asked.

'That's what we want to know!' Was the incredulous thought of just about everyone.

"There's a secret council that controls the world from the shadows, that has the real power." Byakuya informed him. "My father is a member of that council. And I have within me the bloodline that will allow me to one day bend the world to my will…."

That stunned several of the people here, their mind trying to process the information given to them. Even Kyoko and Celeste are shocked at the amount of influence given to the Togami family line, and had to will themselves to keep their individual masks on.

Finally, after a moment of silence, Jack was the one to speak. "Wow! My master is even cooler than ever!"

"Cooler? More like scary!" Hiro exclaimed, looking freaked out.

"H-How come you never told any of us?" Makoto asked the Togami heir.

"Cause I have no reason to." Byakuya replied with an eye roll. "There wasn't a point in any conversation I had that I needed to bring it up, so I didn't." While he loves to boast, he's not a fool. He doesn't tell anyone that kind of information unless he have reasons to.

Which makes him wonder why his future self revealed such information to Makoto. Sure, Makoto is probably one of the few people he actually respects, possibly even calling him a friend, but he wouldn't reveal that kind of info lightly.

"But to become such a ruler, I must he know all levels of this world backwards and forwards." He continued. "So whenever I have time, I like to review whatever documents and materials that interest me. Which is why I can proclaim, without a doubt, that the materials gathered here are the real thing."

Makoto could only stare at Byakuya. 'This is beyond believing or not believing.' He thought. 'Byakuya is actually starting to scare me more than the actual mastermind….'

"Yeah, no kidding." Hina agreed shakily. "I don't want to imagine a world where Byakuya is ruling it."

"I don't think any of us does." Leon remarked.

Byakuya, in response, smirked at this. While he isn't planning to become a tyrannical dictator, it was an interesting response.

"And what always interested me the most were the most were the 'cold case' police investigations reports." Byakuya told him. "Reading through those reports has always been a hobby of mine, ever since I was little."

"That's a hobby of yours?" Junko asked in confusion. "I would've thought it would a hobby of Kyoko's."

"You don't have to be a detective to be interested in cold cases." Byakuya said with an eye roll.

"It's an excellent mental exercise. I've solved more than a few of those cases just by reviewing the reports. And among all those reports, one of my recent favorites, is the Genocide Jack case."

"Genocide Jack?" Mondo looked at the blonde Togami heir incredulously. "You were actually interested in that psycho?"

"I was interested in the case itself, not the person." Byakuya clarified. "Especially now that I got to know her."

"Oh, master! Always washing me with compliments!" Jack sighed dreamily.

"How about stabbing you with insults?" Hiro muttered under his breath.

As he spoke, he picked out a heavy file from one of the shelves. "This is the complete case file." The heir displayed to the luckster. "Every single report surrounding the Genocide Jack case has been complied in here. Feel free to look at it in here, but you can't take it with you."

With that, Byakuya handed him the file and Makoto began flipping through, with tense, nervous fingers. He stopped when reached a certain page. "In those files, I saw the collected pictures of each crime scene." Makoto narrated. "The names of each victim ran on for several pages."

As he spoke, pictures and names of the victims were shown. "Ken Harada, Tetsuhiro Honda, Shoji Gaku, Kanno Isei, Takeshi Yoshida….the list just ran on."

As the narrator spoke, and as they saw each scene, the group began to feel more and more sick. Some covered their eyes, some looked close to barfing, some were just white as a sheet. Only Kyoko, Mukuro, Celeste, and Byakuya had neutral faces on. The first two because they've seen more than their share of grizzly stuff, Celeste because she doesn't want to show any weakness, and Byakuya because he seen the files more than once already.

"Ooooooh, a slideshow of all my kills!" Jill exclaimed eagerly. "My favorites are the younger ones, like Kanno! Those are always the more adorable!"

"Please, Jill, just stop talking." Makoto pleaded, looking pretty pale. He's pretty sure the images will burn inside his head for a long while. It's probably the same for everyone else.

"The next thing I saw was profiling results, where it explains that all of the crimes all the crimes took take at either weekdays at night, or during holidays, during day or night." Narrator Makoto continued. "That the most common time for the killings were during the holidays, which suggest that the suspect may be a student. They linger on for a moment before, but when they leave, they're in a panic. The behavior suggested…."

"...that the suspect may potentially suffer from dissociative identity disorder." Makoto read out loud.

"The key point here is that the culprit may well have a split personality." Byakuya pointed out.

'A split personality….?' Makoto thought numbly. 'Like the kind of thing you see on TV? So I'm part of another unbelievable story….but this one way more unbelievable than anything else up till now.'

'Or….maybe it really isn't.' He continued thinking, almost absentmindedly. 'I dunno, I feel like my mind has gone numb….'

That had the others concerned. "Are you okay, Makoto?" Sayaka asked in concern.

Makoto rubbed his head sheepishly at this. "Pretty sure. The amount of information given to him is probably too much for him to process. I still remember the first time I met Jill."

"I'm surprised you didn't faint." Junko remarked. "Would've thought you would hit the ground after all that."

"Makoto proves to be resilient whenever he needs to be." Kyoko stated.

"Alright, we should get going soon." Byakuya spoke up.

"Huh?" Shaking off his numb state, he looked at the heir in confusion. "Where are we going?"

"Anywhere but here." Was his answer. "We finished our business here, haven't we?" With that, Byakuya left the room.

"Ah, wait! Byakuya!" And once again, Makoto hurried to catch up with him.

The scene switched to the two coming out the library. "Well….this is where we part our ways." Byakuya told the luckster. "I have some things I need to take care of before the class trial."

"Huh? Just all of a sudden like that?" Makoto asked in surprise.

In response, the heir merely looked at him in annoyance. "Come on, enough of your annoying misapprehensions. Did you really think we'd be together the whole time?" He asked in annoyance. "Take responsibility for yourself and do something useful. Move the investigation forward on your own." With that, he was gone.

"Damn. He cut you off as fast as he pulled you in." Leon whistled.

"That's Byakuya for you." Makoto sighed, not really bothered by this. He got used to this kind of behavior from the affluent progeny.

Kyoko, meanwhile, narrowed her eyes. Byakuya invited Makoto into his investigation, then cut him off after showing him the Genocide Jack case? She can tell Byakuya is trying to lead him into a certain conclusion. Most likely that it was Genocide Jack that killed Chihiro.

But why is that? It was hard to make a conclusion from the limited perspective they were shown, but she still ran several theories through her head. She frowned when most of them came to two common conclusions.

Makoto just stood outside the library before remembering everything he found out. 'Genocide Jack….' Makoto thought to himself. 'He's the one that killed Chihiro. And that murderous fiend….is one of us!'

"Oh, come on!" Jill scoffed. "You make that sound as if it's a bad thing!"

"It is a-"

Before Taka could finish, Mondo covered his mouth. "Don't waste your breath, bro. This demon has no fucking morals." Mondo sighed.

'But who is it….? I have to find out, no matter what it takes.' Makoto then began walking to the the pool area. 'And to do that, I need to check the girls locker room, one more time, as well as check the boys locker room, and see if there's anything the others have found out. Find out everything I can….'

"The boys locker room?" Taka questioned, slightly frowning. "Why would you need to work there?"

Makoto furrowed his eyebrow in thought before remembering something. "I think it has something to do with the posters…."

As Makoto began investigating, the narrator Makoto spoke up. "The first thing I noticed as investigated both locker rooms were the posters." He stated. The TV showed the luckster looking at both posters. "In the boys locker room was a poster of a boy band, Tornado, while in the girls locker room, was a swimsuit model."

"It seems you are correct, Makoto." Kyoko said, narrowing her eyes and resting her chin on her fist as she began thinking. "And that is bizarre…."

"How so?" Sakura asked curiously. While she did go in that locker room frequently, she didn't really pay attention to the poster.

"Cause usually, you would see a swimsuit in the guys locker room, right?" Junko casually remarked, not caring that she's helping them out by saying it. "And the boy band in the girls locker room?"

"Yeah, it wouldn't make sense the other way around." Leon agreed. He knows he would rather look at the….developed, swimsuit model, than the boy band.

"So what, you think they were switched?" Mondo asked them.

"It's possible." Kyoko answered. But if they were switched, then that would open up a whole new line of questions.

"After that, I went to ask Sakura about it, since she spends a lot of time at the locker room." The scene switched to Makoto talking to the martial artist. "Unfortunately, she didn't really payed attention to the poster. But there was one thing she noticed…."

"You see, I like to drink a little protein coffee every time I finish exercising." Sakura told him.

"We have protein coffee?" Makoto asked curiously.

Sakura nodded. "In the warehouse. It's not the highest quality, but I don't have a lot of other options. I mix protein powder with coffee, and down a glass of it after exercising. Anyway, the other day, I spilled some on the carpet in the girls locker room, and it left a stain."

"A stain….?" Makoto looked at the carpet under them. "But I don't see a stain on the carpet now…."

"Exactly." Sakura stated. "I noticed it earlier - the stain has disappeared. I can only assume someone came along and cleaned it up. But still, isn't it unusually clean? As if there was never a stain to begin with…."

The conversation drew the group's attention. "A stain….?" Taka repeated, furrowing his eyebrows. "Do you think it's the same stain in the boys locker room?"

"It probably is." Sakura said. "It's far too coincidental for it not to be."

"So does that mean the posters and carpets, along with anything else, were switched?" Sayaka asked. "But why?"

"It's something to figure out in the trial." Kyoko said. She has a feeling something is missing, something that would tie the entire case together.

Makoto, on other handle, figured out that someone most likely killed Chihiro in the boys locker room, and moved the programmer to the girls. It would make the most sense, and explain how Chihiro got inside the girls locker room. But who killed and tied up Chihiro is something he hasn't figured out yet.

Junko sighed as she figured out what had mostly happened in the case with her Ultimate Analyst abilities. "Well, that was boring... guess the only thing left is who dunnit." She thought.

Makoto furrowed his eyebrows at the new information. But before he could think more on it, he spotted Kyoko leaving in the corner of his eyes. "Hey, Kyoko?" Makoto called out, stopping the girl. "Have you made any progress on your investigation?"

The lavender haired girl turned around as Makoto walked over to her. "Generally speaking." She answered. "But I have to get going. I have something unrelated to take care of."

"Something besides the investigation….?" Makoto questioned with obvious confusion. "What….is it?"

"Nothing you need to worry about." She reassured. "Just concentrate on the murder."

"B-But…."

"Before I go, let me give you one piece of advice." Kyoko said, steering the conversation away.

It was rather difficult to watch the detective be so rejecting. "You're changing the conversation." Byakuya pointed out. "What on earth do you have to hide?"

"Probably something that I can't say in front of a camera." Kyoko said. "Or that I can't trust anyone with."

"Even someone like Makoto?" Sayaka asked her with a frown, to which the detective responded with a sigh.

"It's not that I don't trust him, I just don't give my trust easily, Sayaka. You know that. Especially not in that kind of situation." She knows that she have little reason to not trust Makoto, but those trust issues doesn't shake off easily.

"You should examine Chihiro's body one more time. Thoroughly." She advised. "Also, her handbook is missing. You might want to determine its whereabouts." She turned back around. "That is all. I'll be praying for your success." With that, she left the locker room.

"Um, what does she mean by thoroughly?" Hifumi asked nervously.

"She probably means the rope and the head wound." Taka guessed. "I can't think of anywhere else she would look at."

'I do….' Makoto thought. He knows how thorough Kyoko is when it comes to her investigation, and with the knowledge he knows about Chihiro, there's a high chance that his detective friend found out about Chihiro's true gender.

Judging by how tense Chihiro looks, she knows this as well.

Despite that, however, he isn't gonna say anything. And he knows Mono or Leon won't either. They'll respect the programmer's privacy till the end.

Like Makoto, Kyoko also knew that she meant something else. But doesn't quite know what exactly her future self wants Makoto to check. She would have to check the body herself to see what, and she doubt that Chihiro is in the mood to be touched right now. Or that Mondo would act calmly to the suggestion.

"I guess I'll take another look at the body, then…." Mumbling to himself, he went over Chihiro's body. He grimaced at the site of the programmer's corpse. "I know she said 'thoroughly' but I do have my limits…."

Chihiro, who was uncomfortable at the possibility of her secret getting revealed, slightly relaxed at Makoto's words. For now, she doesn't have to worry about that.

But in the back of her mind, she knows that the others would find out sooner or later.

He sighed. "Well, I'd better give it a shot anyway. Let's see…." As he inspected the body, he looked at the rope tied onto Chihiro. 'This rope was used to tie up Chihiro in this….crucifix position. But….huh?' He looked at the hanging part of the rope to see a plug. 'Wait a minute….this isn't rope! It's a plug!'

"A plug?" Celeste said in slight surprise. "Wait, isn't this the extension cord used in the library?"

"It is." Byakuya confirmed, his eyes narrowed. But why used that as rope? Was there nothing else to use?

That question was voiced by Mukuro. "Why a plug? Isn't there anything else suitable for the task?"

"Possibly not. Or they probably just went and got the closest thing to them to use as rope." Kyoko theorized. Personally, however, she suspects that Byakuya, at the very least, have something to do with the murder. There are too many red flags to dismiss him.

He then looked at the head wound. 'And the thing that killed her was a blow to the head….' He frowned as he thought about that. 'There's definitely something wrong with those two things….'

Jill scoffed. "Of course there's something wrong! My beautiful scissors wasn't used whatsoever! Just a plug and a heavy dumbbell!"

"Yeah, that's true." Makoto agreed. "This should help prove that the murderer isn't Genocide Jack."

"Agreed." Kyoko said with a nod.

"After checking the locker room once again and the body, I went out." Narrator Makoto stated as Makoto left the room. "I was planning to check the Genocide Jack case file one more time when Hifumi told me that Celeste found something worthwhile."

"Really? What did she see?" Makoto inquired.

"She refused to tell me." Hifumi told him. "It's like when a girl bullies the boy she likes, right? Right?!"

Leon snorted. "You wish, fatty."

'Like I would have feelings for the idiot!' Celeste thought with slight disgust. At best, he's a pesky servant that wouldn't leave her alone.

Makoto decided to ignore the question. "Okay, so….where is Celeste now?"

"The warehouse by the dorms." The fanfic creator answered. "She was there, but at the same time….not there."

"Huh?" Hina tilted her head in confusion. "What the heck does he mean by that?"

"Let's just consider it another of Hifumi's random dialogue." Byakuya sighed.

The narrator spoke up once again as Makoto left. "So, I went down to go and see what Celeste is doing, as well as what she knows." The scene switched to Makoto coming inside the warehouse, while Celeste is looking around.

"Celeste…." Makoto called out, drawing the gambler's attention. "What are you doing here?"

"This warehouse is amazing. It has absolutely everything one might need to live a full life." Celeste calmly gushed. "From food to clothes to towels….there's an endless supply to choose from."

"You're avoiding the question." Kyoko pointed out. "Does this mean there's something you know?"

"It's quite possible." Celeste answered. What her future self knows is only something she could guess.

"I see that, but….have you founding anything related to the case?" Makoto inquired.

That got Celeste serious. "I knew you were going to ask me that." She said. "I thought talking to you about the warehouse itself might misdirect you, but I see it was pointless."

"Why try to avoid the question in the first place?" Junko asked with a raised eyebrow. "Other than being the killer, there would be no reason for you to do that."

"I very much doubt that I'm the killer." Celeste dismissed. "But she probably knows something that would either make her a suspect, or because she doesn't trust the others with the information."

"Then did you find something?" Makoto inquired.

"Very well. I will tell you, and only you." Celeste stated. "Last night, I saw her here….Chihiro was in the warehouse."

That caught the others by surprise. "What, really?" Leon said in shock.

"Chihiro was at the warehouse?" Mondo questioned.

"What?" Makoto's eyes widen in shock. "Really?!"

"This was right before nighttime." She began explaining. A flashback of the event began showing.

"Hm?" Celeste spotted Chihiro carrying a large duffle bag. "What are you doing out this late?"

Her question startled Chihiro a little. "Oh, um….I was just…."

"Are you planning to go exercise, perhaps?"

"What?!" The programmer exclaimed. "H-How did you know….?"

"Because I can see a blue track jacket sticking out of the duffel bag you're carrying…."

"Oh, you're right….thanks." Chihiro quickly stuffed the track jacket into the bag fully. "Well….I'd better get going. I'm kind of in a hurry."

"And just like that, she was gone." Celeste finished.

"So Chihiro was exercising during the night!" Hina exclaimed in realization.

"And it proves that Chihiro was killed in the locker room." Byakuya stated. "But who was with her, I wonder?"

"Most likely someone she trusted a lot." Kyoko deduced. "Either that, or someone spotted go there, and use that chance to kill her." But personally, she thinks it's the former. Cause there was no trace of the duffel bag nor the track jacket.

"Either way, it doesn't sound good." Leon said with a grimace.

"I assumed she was merely stocking up to go exercise in the morning, but it appeared she ignored the nighttime rule, and headed directly to the girls locker room. If she hadn't broken our rule, none of this would ever would have happened…."

She let out a small noise of discontent. "You get what you deserve, I suppose."

"Celeste!" Makoto exclaimed. Chihiro flinched at this and curled up tighter, while Mondo growled like a raging dog. A part of him is really considering breaking his no hitting girl rule….

The gambler, who was slightly surprised at her own words, had the decency to look apologetic. "I'm sorry, Chihiro. That was disrespectful of me, especially under the circumstances they're in."

"N-No, it's okay." Chihiro said weakly. "It was your future self that said it, not you." Besides, Celeste did have a point. If she didn't try and go exercise during the night, if she was just willing to reveal her secret and get stronger during the day, she wouldn't end up like that.

But in the end, she was too weak to do that, and ended up getting killed.

Makoto decided to ignore Celeste for right now, and left the room. 'So, she went to the girls locker room last night in order to exercise without anyone knowing.' He thought to himself. 'But the strange thing is, there was no trace of the track jacket or duffel bag Celeste said she saw Chihiro carrying.'

Hina frowned. "Yeah, now that he mentioned it, I didn't see a duffel bag or track jacket either."

"Perhaps the killer hid it, so one could say for sure if Chihiro got killed in the locker room or not." Celeste suggested. "That's a possibility, isn't it?"

"Probably." Sayaka said. "It's a good thing Celeste saw her during the night, then."

"Definitely." Leon agreed. The case would've gotten a lot much harder if she didn't.

"Finally, I went back at the archive, to look at the Genocide Jack case once again." Makoto narrated. The scene switched to Makoto looking for the case in the Archive.

"Hmm….I know it was around here somewhere…." He murmured to himself. But after searching through every murder case, he didn't see any sign of the Genocide Jack case. "Huh….? It's gone!"

"Huh? It's gone?" Hifumi gasped in shock. "But the only one who knows about the Archive is…."

"...Byakuya and Makoto." Kyoko finished. "Byakuya must've taken it then."

"But why?" Taka questioned. "Is there any reason for Byakuya to do this?"

"I guess we'll have to see in the trial." The heir replied. Most likely, he's gonna use the file as proof for Genocide Jack being the murderer.

'Did someone take it out of the archive?' Makoto wondered. 'But there's only one person other than me who knows about the archive….' Before he could finish his thought, the bells suddenly runged, and the monitor turned on.

"Erm, so ah….I'm getting tired of waiting. Shall we just plunge right in?" Monokuma said. "It's the moment you've all been waiting for….the class trial! You remember where to meet, right? Please go through the red door on the 1st floor of the school!" He let out his usual laughter. "See you soon!" With that, the monitor turned off.

Once again, everyone tensed. The second class trial is about to begin.

'I have a feeling this one is going to be a bit more chaotic….' Makoto thought with a grimace.

Makoto sighed. "It's about to begin." With that small sentence, he left the archive and the library.

The scene switched to nearly everybody close to the elevator towards the class trial. Monokuma quickly appeared right after. "Ahem, so….is everyone ready to- whaaat?!" The bear swiveled his head back and forth. "Am I blind, or are we missing somebody?"

When the bear said that, the group noticed that Toko wasn't there. "Is Toko still hauled up in her room?" Leon asked rhetorically. "Did she forget that we don't have a choice in going in the class trial?"

"She probably doesn't care at that moment." Sakura sighed. The young book writer was really spooked about her other side coming out.

"Yeah, Toko's not here." Mondo informed him.

"And Toko is….?"

"You really don't remember….?" Hiro asked, baffled.

"Kidding! I'm just kidding." Monokuma reassured. "How could I forget that little nutjob? She's a crucial part of the class trial this time!"

"More like Genocide Jack is the crucial part." Byakuya corrected. "But, considering they are basically the same person, we can call that true."

"Well, more like in the same body." Leon remarked, looking at the serial killer. "The two are night and day when you compared them together."

"Aye! Me, the confident, passionate, serial killer!" Jill declared, laying her hand on her chest and holding the other one out. "And Toko, the nervous-wreck, sullen, book writer!"

"Looks like Jill is gonna be staying for a while this time." Makoto commented to nobody in particular.

"So it would seem." Kyoko agreed with a nod.

"Okie dokie, I'll go ahead and drag her out here kicking and screaming. Just one moment, please!" After that statement, he bounced out of the room.

"Is he really gonna….?" Sayaka began, but trailed off as they saw the next scene.

A few minutes later, he came back, dragging a struggling Toko, just like he said.

"...He did." Leon deadpanned. "At this point, I'm not that surprised."

"Tell me about it." Junko huffed. "On another note, is Toko trying to get suspected? Cause she's looking like the culprit right now." Though, she does regret not making a punishment for not showing up on time. Guess that will be something she can note down.

"Especially with Monokuma's words." Celeste pointed out.

Toko groaned in protest as the monochrome bear dragged her inside. "I t-told him I didn't want to, but….h-he forced me! I can't believe you would d-drag a girl around…." She glared at him as she got up. "Terrible….! You're t-terrible!"

"She's saying that like he has any morals." Mondo pointed out. "Like hell it has any."

Monokuma ignored her as he let out a breath of exertion. "So NOW everyone's here, right?" He rhetorically asked. "Okay then, hustle onto the elevator and let's get this show on the road! I'll see you guys down there!" With that, he disappeared once more.

"So, shall we get going then?" Byakuya said as he moved towards the elevator. "It's time to find out who killed Chihiro."

'Chihiro….' Makoto thought to himself as everyone went on the elevator. 'Chihiro Fujisaki….she was so gentle, so calm and meek. Nobody had any problems with her….' A flashback of Chihiro was shown. 'Someone made a choice to kill….a girl like that….

Makoto's inner monologue made the others sick to the stomach, while Chihiro buried her face in her knees at the sight of her corpse. "Why would any of us decide to kill someone like Chihiro?" Taka questioned, trying to comprehend something like that.

"I don't know, bro." Mondo said, the anger returning once again. "But when we find out who, they better have a good explanation for it!"

"Yeah!" Hina agreed. "None of us should even think about killing someone as sweet as Chihiro!" Sayaka nodded in agreement to this.

"Well, maybe they saw Chihiro as an easy target…." Hiro suggested hesitantly. He yelped when felt several glares from some of the others, especially Mondo. "Nothing! Forget I said anything!"

"Idiot." Celeste muttered under her breath.

The scene switched back to the present, with almost everyone inside the elevator. 'And that murderer….is one of us.' Makoto thought. 'Someone standing right here….' He then spoke out loud to himself. "We have no choice, right? We have to do this…."

"Yes." Kyoko replied from beside him, to which he nodded. The two of them then entered the elevator with the others, and as soon as they did, the door closed.

The elevator began moving down like it did before, until finally, it arrived once again. As the door opened, the group was met with a redecorated room, the color being red and yellow. "What do you think? I redecorated! Isn't it so fresh? Isn't it so EXCITING?!"

"He redecorated the room?" Sakura questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Why go through that trouble?"

"I don't think we can understand the thought process of a deranged psychopath that wants us to kill each other." Byakuya remarked dryly.

'Well, having to see the same thing is boring!' Junko thought to herself. 'Changing it up makes it less boring!'

"Don't waste our time with stupid questions." Byakuya stated bluntly. "Let's get this over with."

"Good, good, you're rip-raring to go!" Monokuma said eagerly. "Gotta say, I don't hate it! Not at all! Okay then, let's get this show on the road! Everyone, please find your assigned seats!"

As the students went to their podiums, the narration began. "And so, the curtain opened once again…." Makoto narrated. "A deadly judgement….a deadly deception….a deadly betrayal…." The camera individually showed Hifumi, Toko, Celeste, Byakuya, and Hiro on their podiums.

"A deadly riddle, a deadly defense, a deadly faith…." The camera then showed Hina, Mondo, Toko, Sakura, and Taka on their podiums. Once again, Makoto was the last to be shown. "A deadly….class trial….!"

"And so, it begins again!" Hifumi said, both mysteriously and nervously.

"I'm guessing Makoto is gonna be saying those lines every time?" Junko questioned, remembering the same words being said in the first trial.

"Well, I don't mind seeing it!" Hina stated. "It's still make Makoto look so cool!"

Makoto was about to object, but only blushed in embarrassment when he noticed that his friends around him showed their subtle signs of approval.

Sighing and shaking off his embarrassments, Makoto turned his attention back to the TV. It's time to solve the mystery behind such a twisted murder.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 37: Watching Chapter 2: Boys' Life of Despair Part 13

"Let's begin with a basic explanation of the class trial! So, your votes will determine the results." Monokuma explained, once again on his throne. "If you can figure out 'whodunnit' then only they will receive punishment. But if you pick the wrong one, then I'll push everyone besides the blackened, and the one who deceived everyone else will graduate. Okay, so first off, let's talk about the murder weapon!"

'First we have to make clear what was used to to deliver the fatal blow….' Makoto thought to himself. Then, he spoke up. "Can we agree that the object that dealt the fatal blow was the dumbbell, found at the scene of the crime? It was covered in blood, and there was nothing else at the scene that could have caused that kind of injury."

"And the wound on the victim's head is consistent with the shape of the dumbbell." Kyoko added. "As far as I'm concerned, there's no mistake and no room for doubt on this one."

"Wait….you actually looked directly at her head wound?" Hina asked, a bit pale. Though it was to be expected of Kyoko, it was still slightly unsettling, especially for Chihiro.

Kyoko sighed, but nodded. "Of course. I'm a detective. I need to be completely thorough if I want to solve the mystery." She said before giving an apologetic look at Chihiro. "In any case, I apologize if it makes you uncomfortable Chihiro."

"I-It's okay." Chihiro quickly reassured. "You need to find who did it, so I can't blame you for it."

"You….looked at her head wound?" Hina asked, clearly looking disturbed.

That caused Hifumi to scream in terror. "That's sooo creeeepy!"

Kyoko stayed silent at this, to which Byakuya took the initiative to speak up. "If you don't mind, I will proceed from here. Let's move on to the discussion of the culprit." He said. "Although, I believe the criminal behind this heinous act is already quite clear."

"What?! For real?!" Hiro exclaimed.

"Chihiro's killer is….the fiendish serial killer, Genocide Jack!" Byakuya declared.

"Your future self is very insistent that it was Genocide Jack killed Chihiro." Sakura pointed out. The heir sighed.

"So it would seem." Byakuya said with an obvious tone. Honestly, with the evidence they have gathered, it is blatantly obvious that his self on the screen has something to do with the murder. He glared at the screen, vaguely understanding the implications and the intentions behind his actions. With his arms crossed, he tightened his grip on both sleeves as he forced himself to focus on the current events. Speculating about something that will inevitably reveal itself was a waste of effort.

The non-stop debate started up, with the bullets being gathered up before being loaded into the revolver. Byakuya was the first to speak. "The culprit is Genocide Jack. I'm sure of it." He stated once again. "Case closed, as far as I'm concerned."

"But….that's impossible!" Hina protested.

"Why? What makes it impossible?" Byakuya asked.

"Well, I mean….come on….!" The swimmer exclaimed. "There's just no proof for it!"

'No, that's wrong!' Makoto thought. The bullet was shot and Makoto spoke up. "I….might know one reason he could be involved…."

"What?!" Hina gasped in shock.

"I found this file while I was looking around the archive in the library…." Makoto explained. "I guess it's some kind of confidential file that police put together about the Genocide Jack case."

"What….? That's kind of weird as shit, isn't it?" Mondo questioned. "What was something like that doing in the library?"

"The why of it is probably more trouble than it's worth, so let's forget about that for now." Byakuya said, changing the subject.

Kyoko nodded. "Smart move, avoiding the subject."

"Yeah. Talking about the archive will open up another conversation we don't need." Makoto reluctantly agreed.

"More importantly, it outlines all the specifics of every Genocide Jack case in exceeding detail. According to the file, there appear to be two defining characteristics in every Genocide Jack case. The first is the bloody message is found written at the scene of every murder."

"Oh, that's right!" Hifumi remembered. "'Booblust'!"

Before anyone could react to that, a baseball hit Hifumi right in the head once again. "Ow! I didn't say anything!"

"The fact that one of you said it earned a baseball to the head, fatty." Leon deadpanned.

"It completely baffles me on how you can make that kind of mistake." Celeste said, disbelief and exasperation hidden from her facial feature and voice. The fanfic creator turned away, not knowing how to answer that.

"Uh, no….it's actually 'bloodlust'..." Hina corrected in exasperation.

"But more importantly, is the other characteristic. And it's something that has never been made public…." Byakuya pointed out.

"Never made public….? What the hell is it?" Mondo asked.

Makoto chose to explain this. "Apparently, in every Genocide Jack case, the killer suspends the body in a certain way." He told everyone. "Other than the killer, the only people who know about the this are the higher-ups in the police department."

"However, Chihiro was most definitely suspended in the same way." Byakuya stated. "So, how did the culprit know about this, when only high-level police officials were aware of it?"

"Yeah….that's a good point." Hina said with a frown. "The only one here in the police department is Kyoko."

"However, my memory was wiped with anything that has to do with my talent as a detective." Kyoko interjected, before anyone could throw accusation. "That would include any cold cases that I know of. So it couldn't have been me."

"Then who the hell could've done it?" Mondo demanded.

"Maybe it's just a big old coincidence!" Jill suggested. "A huge stroke of luck!"

"No. I doubt that it was a coincidence." Makoto muttered, mainly to himself. The only one who could even know about the Genocide Jack case and copy it….is Byakuya. After all, he was the only one to have read that case due to his isolation in the library, and Toko had managed to keep Jack in check up until the body announcement.

"There's only one logical answer I can think of. It's because the culprit in this case….is the real Genocide Jack."

"No fuckin' way!" Mondo exclaimed in shock.

"You're saying Genocide Jack….is one of us?" Celeste said in slight surprise.

"Yes." Byakuya confirmed. "In fact, it's Toko."

His statement took the others off guard. "He knows?" Sayaka asked in slight shock.

"Not surprising, considering Toko's infatuation with him." Kyoko mused. "She probably told him right after the motive was revealed."

"Or he could've figured it out himself at some point." Mukuro pointed out, prompting Kyoko to nod in agreement.

"Yes, that is a possibility."

Said book writer was taken by surprise at the statement. "Wh….?"

"Genocide Jack's true identity….is Toko Fukawa." Byakuya declared.

"YOU LIIIEEEEEE!" Hifumi screamed in horror.

"Wh-Wh-Wh-What?" Toko stuttered, still shocked by the accusation.

"Hey, okay, wait, hold on a sec!" Hina protested. "Toko has like, bloodophobia or whatever, remember? What kind of serial killer is afraid of blood?!"

"Is Toko Genocide Jack?" The heir asked rhetorically. "The answer is yes….and no."

"Another riddle?" Hiro complained. "Many, why's this gotta be so complicated?"

"If you use your brain for a moment, the answer would be clear." Byakuya remarked.

"How would any of us expected to have multiple personalities?!" Hina exclaimed in protest. "That's the kind of stuff you see in movies or TV shows!"

"Oh come on, is it really that weird?" Jill mocked complain. "Having multiple personalities can't be that weird!"

"That because your line of thinking is fucked up beyond reason." Mondo deadpanned.

'Or... that's because that kind of mental disorder is quite rare...' Makoto thought to himself.

'It does seem like a riddle in a way, but….' Makoto thought to himself. 'I feel like….I can just about see it.' The camera angled to his side and his body turned back. Flashback of his time in the archive once shown. 'I think it was in the Genocide Jack case….it was on the profiling results….the suspect suffered from….'

Makoto's image went back to normal as the answer come to him. "Is it because Genocide Jack….has a split personality?" The lucky student said.

"...Huh?" That response came from a confused Hina.

"I think I read that somewhere in the file, too…." Makoto informed them. "They thought that the suspect might have….what did they call it? 'Dissociative Identity Disorder'."

Hifumi hesitantly spoke up. "O-Okay….but still, to go and say that about Miss Fukawa is-"

"Perfectly acceptable." Byakuya interrupted. "Toko's strange behavior after seeing the body is proof enough that she has a split personality."

"You're talking about how she started acting totally different than usual, right?" Makoto deduced.

"That's right." Byakuya confirmed. "Think back - she fainted when she saw Chihiro's corpse, and then when she woke up…."

"The psycho killer with the scissors popped out!" Junko declared, slightly getting into her punk rock persona.

"Aww, you're making me blush!" Jill stated in mock embarrassment.

"She was acting funny, that's for sure!" Taka agreed. "That melancholy tone of hers completely disappeared!"

"Don't go assigning adjectives to my t-tone without permission….." Toko told him.

"But it is melancholy." Hiro pointed out, sighing. "Man, just being around her can be depressing."

"Come on, Hiro, she's not that bad." Makoto defended the writing prodigy. She couldn't really help her personality,

"Not to mention, once she regained consciousness and saw Chihiro's body again, she was utterly calm." Byakuya added. "In other words, within her is one personality that can't handle blood, and one that obviously can."

"Yeppers!" Jill agreed. "Master knows me so well!"

"I'm pretty sure that just common sense…." Hiro said, scratching his head.

"I wouldn't call it common sense…." Sayaka muttered.

"N-Ngh….!" Was all Toko could let out for the moment.

"So when Toko trapped herself in the room, it's because she was scared of Genocide Jack….?" Hina guessed.

"The reason she locked herself in her room wasn't to keep other people from getting in…." Byakuya explained. "It was to keep her other personality from getting out."

"What….?" Hina said in shock.

"Toko was afraid - afraid of the murderous fiend inside of her, of killing even more people…." Byakuya stated.

"H-H-How…..?" Toko stuttered out.

"Yeah, how can you know all this?!" Hina demanded.

"...I do believe you misunderstood her." Byakuya told the swimmer. "What's she trying to say isn't, 'How can you know all this?' No, what she wants to know is, 'How could you tell them?'"

"...Huh?" Was the only response Hina could form up.

"Guess that answers whether or not Toko told him." Leon said, not really surprised by this. The others aren't really surprised by this either.

"And it's probably why Byakuya was insistent that Genocide Jack is with them." Mukuro added.

"Last night, just before Monokuma gave his 'motive' speech, Toko and I had a strange conversation." Byakuya began explaning. "She told me a most interesting story. She said a murderous fiend lived within her, and she was afraid it could appear and attack at any time. And that trepidation is what's caused her to have such a bleak attitude. Isn't that right, Toko?"

This caused Toko to make more struggling noises.

"This is all a lie….right, Toko?" Hina inquired, hoping for a "yes".

Toko ignored her, however. "Y-You said wouldn't t-tell anyone….!"

"...What?!" Hina exclaimed in disbelief.

"You p-promised….!" Toko told him, looking betrayed. "I can't b-believe you l-lied!"

"You have only yourself to blame," Byakuya said callously. "You came to me with your tragic little story. I didn't ask you to. This is the real world, not some romantic fantasy fairytale."

Some couldn't help but frown at how callous Byakuya is treating Toko. "Man, that's cold, Byakuya." Hiro sighed.

"Yeah! While I know Toko isn't the easiest person to get along with, you didn't have to reveal her secret like that!" Hina scolded him.

"Despite whether or not you ask her to do this, revealing this is a breech of trust!" Taka stated. "At the very least, you could've asked her permission to reveal this!"

"If she was the killer, she wouldn't want it to be revealed." Byakuya retorted. "While we all know Jack isn't the killer, the others don't know that, do they?" Though, even he had to admit to himself that his statement was unnecessary, regardless of how he felt about the girl.

Toko made several several strangling sounds of anguish but Byakuya continued. "Besides, you broke your promise first." He told her. "You said that as long as you were here, no matter what, you wouldn't let Genocide Jack kill anyone. But in spite of that promise…."

'Oh, so that was what the promise was!' Makoto realized, remembering what Toko had said to Byakuya during the investigation.

"You said if I k-kept my promise….you would g-go out with me!" Toko accused. "Th-That's the only r-reason I promised….!"

'Fantasy.' Nearly everyone thought blankly. They don't need to be a detective to figure that one out.

"How many times to do I have to tell you? I never said that." Byakuya refuted. "But you weren't able to do it - you just couldn't resist that rush from killing, could you?"

"I-I tried…." Toko said, distressed. "I swear I t-tried to control it! B-But…."

"But your efforts were useless. What a disappointment." Byakuya said coldly.

The frowns went even further. "Mr. Togami is being colder than usual…." Hifumi hesitantly pointed out.

"No doubt there." Leon agreed. "What he's saying is cold, even for him."

"I'm actually starting to feel bad for Toko." Junko remarked with a fake frown.

Jill, however, pouted. "Why can't I get that attention?! I want verbal abuse spat on me more often!"

"You are one sick masochist." Mondo stated bluntly.

"Nggh….I hate you…." Toko declared venomously.

Byakuya was unperturbed. "Well, the opening act is nearly finished." He stated. "All that's left is to hear from the person the person in question directly."

"The p-person….?" Toko went even paler than usual. "Y-Y-You dont m-m-m-mean….?!"

"YES!" Jill shouted in excitement, pumping her fist. "My glorious debut is about to begin!"

"But didn't you already have a debut in the locker room?" Hifumi pointed out.

Jill waved that one off. "Oh, that was just a small taste of my reveal! My true revelation is about to begin!"

At that moment, Toko fainted from the stress and anxiety. But in the next moment, she lunged back up. The camera moved towards her feet and slowly moved up before revealing Genocide Jack. "Well, hello there! Is it me you're hoping to see?!"

Hifumi yelped in shock at this. "Eugh, what the heck?!"

"So you figured it out, huh? Well, whatever! What're ya gonna do?!" The serial killer sighed loudly. "I'm the Ultimate Murderous Fiend, Genocide Jack! Or better yet, let's go with Genocide Jill!"

"Aaaaaaand, there's my introduction!" Jill cheered loudly. "The Ultimate Murderous Fiend has finally joined the killing game!"

"Normally, that would've been worrying." Makoto said with a sweatdrop. But fortunately, and weirdly, the fact that she's a 'professional' serial killer made them safe.

"What the fuck is this?!" Mondo exclaimed.

"Toko….what happened to you?" Taka questioned, slightly fearful.

"Not Toko! That's a loser name!" The newly dubbed Genocide Jill corrected him. "And what happened is a textbook split personality! So what if one of them happens to be a serial killer?! You should turn a blind eye to one's faults!" She ended with an a round of insane laughter.

"Okay, while we all know about Genocide Jack, this intro still freaks the hell out of me." Leon whispered to his couchmate. Makoto and Sayaka couldn't help but nod in agreement to this.

"She's so….intense!" Hiro gasped.

"Like they say, sound in murderous mind, sound in murderous body!" Jill stated

"This one is so different from the one we've come to know…." Sakura said, looking at Jill with mixed emotions.

"Yes, well, the world is composed of a front and a back, you know." Jill told her. "Just like how every inning has a top and bottom, or how in depths of every truth lives a little lie….behind every dark dark and gloomy soul lives another that shines as bright as the sun!" She ended that with another round of insane laughter.

"How one earth does she sound crazy and philosophical at the same time?" Hiro questioned, trying to wrap his head around it.

"It's probably best not to think on it." Kyoko advised. Dealing with something like that without mental preparation is going to take quite the toll on one's mentality.

'This is the "murderous fiend" Genocide Jack?' Makoto thought, staring at the scene in shock. 'This is…..this is…..this is beyond insane!'

"Aww, thank you Big Mac!" Jill stated, giving a bow. "I do try my best!"

"Um, Miss Jack - er, Jill? Can I ask you a question….?" Hifumi nervously asked the serial killer.

"What's up?!" Was the response she gave.

"Some of us think you might be the mastermind behind our entire situation." Hifumi explained. "What are your on thoughts on that?"

"Really? You guys really thought I was the mastermind of all that?" Jill scoffed. "Please! My passion is focused on individual murders I do myself, not a group! Besides, if I wanted to gather people to kill people, it would be a group of adorable boys!"

"Ignoring her…." Byakuya turned to the fanfic creator with a blank look. "What possessed you to ask such a question? If she was the mastermind, would she really go and admit it?"

"There's also the fact that Genocide Jack is in the school with us, and there's no way she could control Monokuma from her position." Kyoko pointed out. Their solid points couldn't help but make Hifumi embarrassed at himself on the screen.

"Well I'll tell you! I'm the mastermind of all masterminds!" Jill declared….and then takes back those words. "Just kidding!"

"Then….it's not true?" Makoto inquired.

Monokuma was the one to answer. "Of course it's not true! How dare you try to link me to that creepazoid?!"

"Says the psycho who's making us play this life-or-death game." Leon deadpanned. "Does he really delude himself to think he's all normal?"

'At least I keep the craziness organized!' Junko protested in her head.

"And another thing! The police and government and society in the outside world are totally powerless!" Monokuma added in. "I mean, they just let this idiotic bloodthirsty maniac go buck wild all over town!"

"Sure, I'm a bloodthirsty maniac. But life is pain, right?" Jill rhetorically asked. "To live is to hurt other people. It's a necessary evil if you want to survive. The act of living itself causes pain for everyone….just kidding again!" She ended the last statement with a laugh.

The whole room was silent to this, just….baffled to the revelation revealed to them. "This should be enough to convince you." Byakuya spoke up. "This murderous fiend is responsible for Chihiro's death. There's clearly a motive, so there should be no doubt."

"...A motive?" Sakura questioned.

"Remember what Monokuma told us?" Byakuya reminded her. "If someone didn't murder or graduate within 24 hours, an embarrassing memory or secret would be revealed. Well, let's assume that Toko's secret was about Genocide Jack. If a secret like that came to light, Toko's life would have undoubtedly been forever ruined. So she had a very clear motive to never have that side of herself exposed."

"Yeah, that's true." Leon said with a small nod. "If it came out that she's Genocide Jack, or have the psycho inside her, either she'll spend her life running or in a mental hospital."

"Well, it's a good thing that someone got kill happy!" Jill commented on casually. "Otherwise, I might not be able to kill anymore adorable boys!"

"Your version of a good thing is messed up." Hiro stated, looking creeped out.

"Interesting….very, very, very interesting….!" Jill responded back, looking in thought. "But sorry! As much as I hate to admit it, I'm not the culprit!"

"...Huh?" Was the confused response from Taka.

"But I can't imagine anyone other than you could murder someone in such a bizarre fashion…." Celeste pointed out.

"Maybe so, maybe so! But nevertheless, it's the truth." Jill insisted.

"...Do you really expect any of us to believe you?" Sakura questioned.

"Yeah!" Hina agreed readily. "I could never believe a word you say, you monster!"

"Oh dear." Celeste said. "Hopefully, they will figure out that it wasn't her soon."

"That is up to our lucky boy here!" Junko said impulsively.

Kyoko nodded. "True. After all, only he and Byakuya knows about the full version of the Genocide Jack case, and Byakuya is currently insisting that Genocide Jack is the culprit." And the fact that Byakuya was the only one who knew about the Genocide Jack case before Chihiro's murder made him a prime suspect in her mind.

The non-stop debate started up once again, this time, with Jill talking first. "Sorry, but I didn't kill anyone!"

"You say that, but do you really expect any of us to believe it?" Sakura repeated.

"Perhaps if you have an alibi, that would change things…." Celeste suggested.

"Ohh, an alibi, huh? Now we're talking!" Jill said excitingly.

"When you compare your past murders to this incident…." Byakuya began pointing out. "...the modus operandi matches completely!"

'No, that's wrong!' Makoto thought. The bullet was shot as Makoto spoke up. "Are the methods of murder really exactly the same? I'm not so sure about that…." The luckster expressed. "I think there's a slight difference between the Genocide Jack cases and this one…."

"Huh? How's it any different?" Hiro asked, confuse.

"Uh-oh, you don't know?" Jill asked rhetorically. "Well then, human garbage, let me tell you!"

"Hey!" Hiro shouted in offense. "That was a mean thing to say!"

Jill blew a raspberry at him in response. "Like I care, human garbage!"

"I murder with passion and conviction! I consider myself a professional, and I have a very particular way of doing things!" She explained passionately. "Imagine you go to a fancy Italian restaurant. They're very picky about the noodles, the sauce, everything. But what happened with Chihiro….it'd be like if that same Italian restaurant started using Ragu or Chef Boyardee! This is no creation of mine!"

The comparison to food suddenly made half the class sick in their stomachs. "Can't she compare killing to anything else?" Taka griped.

"And nothing edible?" Hifumi added, trying not to lose his breakfast.

"But killing people is very comparable to cooking!" Jill argued. "Doing it always make my mouth water!"

"Are you trying to make us barf?" Leon groaned.

"Let me rephrase that, in a way that maybe makes more sense…." Makoto said, looking a bit green. "There are two clear differences between the Genocide Jack cases and this one. For one, the cause of death is different. In the Genocide Jack murders, all the victims are killed the same way. According to the case file, they were all apparently killed with….a pair of scissors. But Chihiro died from a blow to the head, right?"

"Ah, yes!" Hifumi said in realization. "That is remarkably different from the other murders!"

"Wouldn't it be strange for someone who kills the same way without fail to suddenly change their method?" Makoto rhetorically asked. "And there's more-one more conflicting detail."

"That's right!" Jill agreed. "In my recipe of murder, if the bloody message is the tortellini, then the arrangement of the body would be the pesto sauce!"

"Could you please stop comparing killing people to cooking….?" Hiro groaned.

"Yeah, seriously!" Hiro complained. "It makes me want to avoid any italian restaurants!"

"Or avoid eating any italian food." Celeste added, being careful to mask how sick she feels.

Makoto nodded in empathy from his seat. 'I think... I'll be avoiding pasta for a while...'

"S-So….are you saying the other difference has to do with how the body was arranged….?" Taka clarified.

"Do you remember what the killer used to suspend her with?" Makoto asked them. "They used some kind of rope to hang her up by the wrists."

"What is your point?" Celeste asked him.

"Well, in all the previous Genocide Jack cases, something else was used to suspend them…." Makoto explained. "Specifically, pairs of razor-sharp scissors."

"And guess what! I used my own, specially designed for the murders AND the arrangements!" Jill informed them all. "Like I said, I'm a professional. So naturally I'm very picky about the tools I use!" A thought then occured to her. "And-andandandandand ya know what else? Big Mac said there's two differences, but he's wrong!"

"Big Mac….? Are you referring to me?" Makoto asked, clearly puzzled.

"Listen up, Big Mac! There's actually one more difference!" Jill stated, ignoring the question.

Makoto's eyes widen at this. "...Huh?"

"Oh, I can't believe he overlooked who the victims are!" Jill moaned in complaint. "That's like, the most important part of the crime!"

"I doubt Makoto, or any of us, would focus on who the victims are." Sakura sighed. "Especially with how gruesome your murders are."

"Y-Yeah." Makoto agreed. Who the victims are, specifically their similarities, would be the last thing in his mind.

"My word! You really didn't notice? Take a look at who the victims were in each Genocide Jack case…." Jill advised. "There's a pattern there just waiting to be discovered!"

"A….pattern?" Sakura questioned.

"Figure that out, and it'll be plain as death why I couldn't have killed that loli girl!" Jill stated.

Makoto frowned in thought. 'Hmm….let's see….' Makoto started thinking. 'There was a pattern surrounding the Genocide Jack cases, and Chihiro didn't fit in it….?' An answer then struck his mind. "Is it because….Chihiro was a girl?"

"BINGO! Bullseye! Right on the money!" Jill confirmed.

"What are you talking about….?" Hiro asked in confusion.

"In all the Genocide Jack cases, all the victims had something in common." Makoto explained. "Every one of them were boys."

"They were all….guys?" Hiro repeated nervously.

"That's right! The people I kill with such passion and conviction….are all adorable little men!" Jill said excitingly. "Kyaaah! I can't believe I said it! I'm so embarrassed!"

"The hell is wrong with you?!" Mondo exclaimed in shock.

"I can't help it. I'm just a full throttle boy-on-boy fangirl! And the mopey side of me just hates it!" Jill told them all. "But now I'm on the fast track to becoming a full-fledged madam!"

No one bothered trying to figure out what Jill was talking about. For their sanity's sake.

"So since Chihiro was a girl and not an 'adorable little man'...you wouldn't kill her?" Taka asked, with some doubt in his voice.

"Would an italian chef suddenly start making ramen, just because they're both noodles? Don't be stupid!" Jill answered him. "I have too much passion and conviction to cross that line! That's the absolute reality of the one and only!"

"We get it. You've clearly explained your hobby and your philosophy. But that's not all there is to it." Byakuya stated. "It's a different matter entirely….when you're forced to kill in order to survive."

"Quiet, lowly cur!"

That statement startled the group, especially the one being addressed. "Lowly cur?" Byakuya repeated, feeling shock and insulted.

"Did the psycho actually insult Togami?" Mondo asked incredulously. "I mean, she has the balls to do it, but I never thought she would actually go through with it!"

"I wouldn't let anyone accuse me for killing somebody for something as petty as mere survival!" Jill stated passionately. "Not even master is allowed to insult me like that!"

"I didn't think you could actually get insulted." Hiro muttered.

That startled the affluent progeny. "Lowly….cur?"

"I would never kill for a reason as petty as mere survival!" Jill stated heatedly. "And! If by some fluke did kill to survive, why would I bother with the message and arrangement?! It'd make me the obvious suspect!"

"A good point there." Makoto agreed with. "One that everyone will have to see."

"Indeed." Kyoko also agreed. No one would leave obvious tracts of evidence, or even set it up.

"That….does makes some amount of sense." Celeste agreed reluctantly.

"PLUS! Whatever reason I have for killing, I would NEVER leave out my prized scissors!" Jill added. "Who would go out of their way to use a big, stupid, heavy dumbbell?"

"Maybe you used the dumbbell cuz you couldn't find any scissors in the school?" Hifumi suggested.

"ANY scissors?" Jill turned towards Hifumi angrily, causing the fanfic creator to yelp in fear. "What do you mean, I use 'any' scissors?!" She pulled out her unique set of scissors. "Does these look like just any, normal looking scissors to you, Huffy?!"

"No ma'am! Sorry ma'am!" Hifumi squealed, scared out of his wits.

"'Any' scissors?" Jill sounded very insulted at his words. "I just don't just use 'any' scissors! I only use my own set of high-class, envy of the entire world scissors!"

"Okay whatever, there still aren't any in the school…." Hiro pointed out.

That statement was countered by this. "Are you sure about that….?" Before everyone eyes, Genocide Jack pulled out four pairs of scissors. "Da da-da daa!"

The appearance of Jill's unique scissors shocked everyone, even the more stoic ones. Mondo was the first to speak. "What the hell?!"

"She's fully equipped!" Hifumi yelped.

"But, how?!" Hina exclaimed, trying to wrap her head around what they're seeing.

"Didn't the mastemind take everything from us?!" Taka questioned, feeling just as confused.

Jill merely laughed hysterically at this. "Not even ths mastermind can separate me from my precious scissors! If they take them, I'll just make more!"

"What the hell kind of material do you use?!" Leon exclaimed.

Even Junko was surprised by this. She's pretty sure her future self and Mukuro managed to secure any and all personal belongings they had. So how the heck did she manage to attain those scissors?!

Hifumi yelped at this. "She's fully equipped!"

"That's right! So I can kill anytime, anywhere!" Jill stated confidently. "Why would I resort to dumbbells or rope, when I have my trusty scissors by my side? Go ahead, tell me I'm wrong. You can't, can you? Gutter dogs, all of you!"

Calming down, she put her scissors away. "Not to mention, I have no clue how tie a good knot. So rope's totally out of the question anyway!"

Taka let out groans of frustation. "I have no idea what's going on anymore….! Could such a heinous villian really be innocent?!"

"But….the body really was suspended, right?" Mondo questioned. "And nobody but the police knew about that…."

"Yeah!" Hina agreed. "That's why we figured it had to be the real deal and not some copycat killer or whatever!"

"And now, we're back to that particular question." Taka said with a frown. "How could someone replicate Genocide's Jack arrangement of the body without any knowledge of such?"

"Maybe it's like what Jill said. A coincidence." Hiro said.

'...No.' Makoto thought to himself. 'It's not a coincidence. And there's only one person here that could've possibly replicated the arrangement.' He has a feeling that things is gonna turn south, real soon.

'Actually, hold on….' Makoto thought in realization. 'There is one person….one person who could've copied the Genocide Jack cases!'

The more intelligent either immediately knew who Makoto was talking, or quickly figured it out. "Makoto, are you suggesting….?" Celeste trailed off.

The luckster nodded at the unasked question. "I think he is."

The others were quickly interested in Makoto's thoughts. "Who are you suggesting?" Mondo demanded, wanting to know who coud've possibly done it.

"That answer will be answered soon." Kyoko responded.

Byakuya, meanwhile, attained a neutral look. He figured out a while ago that only he could've copied the arrangement of the body, but had put in the back of his mind at the time. Now, he had no choice but to the face the truth.

With the suspect in mind, he quickly spoke to the person in question. "Byakuya….it's possible you could have found out, isn't it?" The luckster accused. "You'd have no problem gaining access to classified government documents or internal police records. Plus, you'd already looked through the Genocide Jack file before this all happened, haven't you?"

Several eyes widened in shock at this. "Are you saying that Byakuya is the killer?" Taka asked in shock.

"That would explain why he pushed the Genocide Jack theory." Mukuro mused. "I doubt he was blind to the differences between Genocide Jack's cases and this one."

"So it was master who set it all up?!" Jill let out a heavy breath, a huge blush on her face. "Ohhhh, just when I thought I couldn't love him more!"

Mondo glared furiously at the affluent progeny. "Answer us, Togami!" Mondo growled. "Did your future self murdered Chihiro?!"

Byakuya retained his neutral look, even with all the stares he's getting. "At the very least, he's involved somehow." The heir responded towards the angry biker. "But we can't be sure yet."

"Who else could it be, but you?" Leon pointed out. "None of us knows about the arrangement."

'True.' Byakuya thought to himself. 'But that doesn't mean I murdered Chihiro.' While it does look like his future self is the murderer, he still believes that he isn't stupid or even arrogant enough to think that he would be able to get away with it that easily.

However, the other possibility….isn't so pleasant to think about. Not at all.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 38: Watching Chapter 2: Boys' Life of Despair Part 14

Byakuya stayed silent at the accusation given by Makoto.

"A-Are you saying….Mr. Togami did it?" Hifumi gasped in shock.

Again, the heir stayed silent. "Then the reason he pushed the theory of Genocide Jack being the killer so hard was because he wanted to pin the crime on her!" Celeste deduce.

"So he arranged the scene to disguise it and make it look like I'd put my stamp on it….!" Jill figured out. A heavy blush then hit her. "The adorable glasses man was behind it all?! Ahh, I'm on fire!"

"..." The group slowly inched away from the crazed serial killer, especially Byakuya.

"...Well, Byakuya? What's your response?!" Taka demanded.

"I see…." Byakuya murmured loudly. "So now the suspicion falls on me." He then turned his attention towards Makoto. "Then I must ask….when would you say I began acting suspiciously? Surely you must have an answer…."

"Hmm, looking back and thinking about it now, the way you were acting right before we discovered the body was a little strange…." Makoto mused. "You wanted to go to the girls locker room right away, right? But since you're a guy…."

"I should have naturally thought of the boys locker room first. Is that what you want to say?" Byakuya finished for him. "The victim was Chihiro. A girl. Hence why I said we should check the girls locker room."

"Nothing strange about that, I'd say!" Hifumi stated.

"On the contrary, there's something very strange!" Makoto countered.

"How is it so strange?" Hina asked in confusion.

"There's nothing strange about a guy looking in the girl's locker room." Hifumi stated. "Taking the chance to look in the girl's locker room is a natural action for any guys!"

"Yeah, if they're creepy perverts." Leon shot back.

Ignoring Hifumi, Makoto turned to Hina. "I think future me is going to explain soon. But yeah, thinking about myself as well, I think it's strange too." After all, how could Byakuya know where to look in the first place?

"Okay then, what's so strange about it?" Byakuya asked. "Go ahead, share it with the rest of the class."

"I'll tell you what's so strange about it…." Makoto declared. "Because up until we actually discovered the body, we couldn't have known who the victim was! So your claim that you went to the girls locker room first because Chihiro was the victim doesn't hold up!"

"That is a good point." Celeste agreed. "The only ones who would've known about the body being there is the killer."

"So it really was the asshole that killed her?!" Mondo questioned, looking ready to strangle Togami here and now.

"For now." Sakura said with her eyes closed, still thinking about the situation while Byakuya stayed silent.

"I see….that's a good answer, I must admit." Byakuya conceded. "Interesting. Very interesting, indeed. But your reasoning is still too weak!"

Makoto was taken aback by this. "Huh….?"

"What's wrong? Is that it?" Byakuya questioned. "Surely you've got more than that. Go ahead, show us…."

The others were also surprised by this. "Um, doesn't he realize he's being backed into a corner?" Leon questioned. "He's being weirdly calm about this!"

"That is strange, even for Byakuya." Celeste said in thought.

Makoto frowned. 'What's with Byakuya's attitude….?' He thought to himself. 'It's like….he doesn't even care. I've got him cornered, but he's acting like it has nothing to do with him….!'

"Maybe because it doesn't." Byakuya sighed. "Or, at the very least, wasn't the one who ended Chihiro's life."

"What the hell do you mean by that?!" Mondo demanded. "The only one who could've done is you! None of us here knows about the body arrangement!"

'True. But that doesn't mean he killed her.' Kyoko thought to herself. While she isn't counting him out yet, him setting up the arrangement doesn't necessarily means that he was the one to murder Chihiro. At least, not with the current information so far.

"What's the matter? You're not finished already, are you?" Byakuya taunted. "There must be more to it…."

"Th-There is…." Makoto said, with slightly less confidence. "I think…."

"There is more to it." Kyoko confirmed. "Think about it. We just talked about the difference between this case and past Genocide Jack incidents. The proof you're looking for is hidden there…."

"...Oh?" Byakuya inquired. "Proof that I'm the culprit, you mean?" Kyoko stayed silent at that.

'Oh yeah!' Makoto thought to himself as he watched his other self on the screen trying to piece things together. 'The plug!' But when he thought about the plug, along with Byakuya's behaviour during the entire thing, something felt wrong to him.

The non-stop debate began once again, with Genocide Jack being the first one to speak. "What, the difference between the cases?" She asked. "You want me to explain it again?!"

She then went explaining once again. ""When I want to kill, I use my very own special scissors!" The serial killer stated. "And I use those same scissors to arrange the body!"

"But…..Chihiro was suspended with…." Celeste said in thought. "It was some kind of rope, was it not?"

"That's right! It absolutely was!" Taka confirmed.

"Then there must be something very fishy indeed about that rope…." Hifumi said.

"Hey, Byakuya! Where'd you get it from, huh?" Mondo demanded.

"I've never seen that rope before in my life…." Was the heir's response.

'No, that's wrong!' Makoto thought. The bullet was shot as Makoto spoke up. "Actually, I'm pretty sure you have seen it before. Because you see, that rope - or should I say….that extension cord?"

"What?!" Hifumi exclaimed. "An extension cord?!"

Makoto focused his attention on the heir. "Byakuya - you've used the extension cord in the library more than once, haven't you? And the same extension cord that was in the library all this time went missing after the murder! There's no way someone who uses that extension cord as much as you do wouldn't discover that fact!"

"So it's Byakuya who took the cord and used it!" Taka stated. "More evidence that Byakuya is the killer!"

"So, Byakuya really did kill Chihiro?" Hina asked, frowning.

'I'm not sure about that.' Makoto thought to himself. This isn't right. The mistakes Byakuya are making, the evidence he's leaving, those aren't the things Byakuya would do. Despite being arrogant, he is smarter than this.

Which leads to the conclusion that he's doing those things intentionally.

"Then Byakuya must be the one who took the extension cord!" Taka stated. "I can't imagine any other possibility!"

The heir was silent for a moment before speaking once again. "That's really what you think?" He asked. "That your conclusion is something like this….? I killed Chihiro in the girls locker room, then hung her up and wrote that bloody message. I intentionally made it look like Genocide Jack was behind it. Is that about right?"

"Okay, what the hell is wrong with him?" Mondo demanded. "He's backed into a fucking cornered, and the asshole is still completely calm!"

"Despite Byakuya's arrogance, he's not immune from panicking or losing his composure." Sakura said with narrowed eyes.

"So why isn't he panicking?" Junko asked with a 'frown'. It was easy to figure out that he altered the crime scene, but the murder itself was another story.

Makoto was silent to this. 'He's doing it again….' He thought to himself. 'He's totally calm, totally unconcerned. As if he's not even involved….' That's when it struck him. 'Wait….not even involved….?'

"What are you thinking, Makoto?" Mukuro inquired.

Makoto frowned in thought. "I'm….probably thinking that he might not be involved in the murder."

"Huh?" Hifumi said in confusion. "But, wasn't it future you that accused him in the first place?"

"I know, but, the way he's acting, how calm he is, it just doesn't seem right." Makoto said. Like Sakura had said, Byakuya would've panicked like anybody else if backed into a corner.

"What's wrong?" Byakuya questioned. "I asked you if you think that's what happened."

"Hell yes that's what happened!" Mondo quickly spoke up. 'So that's it, right? Byakuya's the killer!"

"I don't disagree with not disagreeing!" Jill stated.

"He kept calling this a game, right?" Taka asked rhetorically. "So he'd totally willing to do something like this to 'win'!"

"No, not when he declared his intention to everyone before the murder." Kyoko disagreed, shaking her head. "Byakuya may be arrogant, but he's no fool."

"True enough." Celeste agreed. "The smart thing would to be to wait until he knows for sure that the others won't accuse him."

"Or wait as everyone else eliminate each other one by one." Mukuro added. "Surviving through the whole game doesn't necessarily mean killing somebody and deceiving everyone else."

"Um, let's stop all this strategizing please." Sayaka pleaded, concerned about where this topic was going.

Makoto was silent through all of this. After a moment, however, he spoke up. "Um, sorry but could we hold on just a second?" He requested. "I….I think we need to talk about this a little more."

"Huh? Do you really need to?" Hiro sighed. "We've already decided who did it."

"Do you want to die?" Celeste questioned incredulously. "Cause it seems that way to me."

"No I don't!"

"Then you need to stop be so quick to decide on who the killer is." Kyoko scolded him, hiding her irritation. In fact, several of her classmates needs to stop that way of thinking. Jumping to conclusions that quickly in their current situation is extremely dangerous, if not fatal.

"I know, but still…." Makoto persisted. "There's something that still bothering me…."

"Is that right? And what, pray tell, is still bothering you?" Byakuya questioned. "I killed her in the girls locker room, then disguised my crime. Specifically, I dressed it up to make look like it was the work of a homicidal psychopath. What about all that 'bothers' you?"

'Wait….' Makoto thought, processing what Byakuya said. 'What was that just now? Something's not right….'

The present Makoto also caught that. 'I almost forgot about that. The possible crime scene switch!'

Makoto then decided to speak up. "You say you killed Chihiro in the girls locker room, right? But are you sure about that? Isn't it possible that the murder took place somewhere else?"

That earned a scoff from the heir. "How disappointing…." He said in disdain. "What kind of question is that? Even in the world of disappointments, this is a true letdown. She was found dead in the girls locker room. There is absolutely no question about that. How could the scene of the crime be anywhere else?"

"Well….I think it's entirely possible that she was killed somewhere else, then carried there later…." Makoto theorized. "...along with the rest of the murder scene."

The last part got everyone's attention. "The rest of the murder scene?" Junko repeated in 'confusion', covering up the fact that she's leading him on to reveal more information. "What the heck are you talking about?"

Kyoko, who quickly caught on beforehand, made the deduction for them. "You're talking about the posters and floor mats being switched, aren't you?" Makoto nodded.

"What are you talking about?" Taka questioned. "What does the posters and mats being switched have to do with anything?"

"I think that question will be answered soon." Mukuro interjected before more people could ask for answers.

"The….rest of the murder scene?" Byakuya said in surprise. He then narrowed his eyes at the lucky student and addressed him. "That was awfully specific. Please tell me you have a reason for saying all of that."

"Wait a minute, was Byakuya taken off-guard?" Leon asked with wide eyes.

"I believe he was." Celeste confirmed, amused by his reaction. "And he was so confident before…."

"Did he not realize the that scene of the crime could've been somewhere else?" Kyoko asked.

"What the hell do you mean by that?" Mondo demanded in frustration. "How could Byakuya not know? He's the one who killed Chihiro, isn't he?"

"Considering I don't know, it probably means that I didn't kill her." Byakuya said crisply.

Mondo growled at him, but before he could snap at him, Chihiro grabbed his arm, giving him a silent plead to calm down. Sighing, which sounded more like a growl, he calmed down. Well, as calm as he could be right now.

"I believe I do…." Makoto responded back. 'Hey, Byakuya….did you just….did I take you off-guard?' He asked to himself. 'When the story suddenly moved to the crime scene, Byakuya, who'd been so confident up until now, maybe didn't even realize that the actual scene of the crime could have been somewhere else.'

"Hey, don't just move on without permission!" Taka interjected. "What do you mean she was killed somewhere else?!"

"Come on, Makoto!" Byakuya pushed. "If there's any chance the murder took place somewhere else, let's see the proof!"

Shaking his head out of his thoughts, he begin explaining. "The proof that she was killed somewhere else is….the poster that's hanging in each locker room."

"Your proof….is some posters?" Byakuya asked, baffled.

"The poster in the girls' locker room was…." Taking out his e-Handbook, Makoto showed them the posters. "A picture of a supermodel. But don't you think that kind of strange? Why would the girls locker room have a poster like that?"

"I bet those massive jug of hers were totally fake!" Jill stated, ending the statement with some laughter.

"Hey! I was going to say that!" Junko complained.

That earned a few sighs or facepalms. "Was that comment necessary?" Byakuya groaned, ignoring Junko.

"Of course it was! Nobody else was going to!" Genocide Jill said proudly.

"That because we learned a thing called decency." Leon remarked dryly.

Makoto ignored the serial killer. "Meanwhile, the boys locker room had a poster of the super popular boy band, Tornado. Again, that doesn't really seem to belong in a boys locker room."

"So you're saying that maybe the posters were switched?" Celeste clarified.

"And there's one other thing I noticed about the locker room…." Makoto continued. "You know what I'm talking about, right Sakura?"

"You're referring to my protein coffee, aren't you?" Sakura deduced.

"...Protein coffee?" Hifumi asked in confusion.

"While I was in the girls locker room earlier, I spilled some protein coffee on the carpet." Sakura explained. "But I noticed that after the murder, the stain had been totally scrubbed away."

"The stain on the girls locker room carpet wasn't scrubbed away." Makoto told her, pulling up the picture of the stain. "In fact, I found it on the boys locker room carpet."

"That's….definitely the stain from the protein coffee!" Sakura exclaimed in confirmation.

"Then….does that mean that the carpets were switched, too?" Celeste asked. "But….why would anyone do that?"

"Like Makoto said before, to move the murder scene from one place to another." Mukuro said. "That is possible."

"Not only is it a possibility, but it's most likely true." Kyoko said. "The coffee stain, which Sakura confirm that it was the same stain she spilled, is proof of that."

"But, why would anyone even bother switching the crime scene?" Celeste pointed out. "That seems like an awfully wasted amount of time."

'...Maybe to hide the fact that Chihiro is a boy?' Makoto thought to himself. 'That way, the list of suspects would either point to the girls or anyone?' One thing he's certain of, however, is that if the murder scene has been switched, it was one of the guys that did it.

"To move the murder scene from one locker room to the other." Makoto theorized. "It's certainly plausible, don't you think?"

"What?!" Taka exclaimed in shock.

"In other words, in order to completely swap the scene of the crime, the bloodstain carpet and the posters were moved along with the dead body." Makoto explained. "By doing this, the killer was able to change the entire room where the murder took place."

"I can certainly follow your reasoning, but….why would the culprit bother doing that?" Celeste asked.

"Huh…?" Was Makoto's response to the question.

"Why would they go to all the trouble of switching the scene of the crime?" Celeste inquired. "Actually, an even bigger question….if the murder did take place in the boys locker room, then how did Chihiro get in the boys locker room in the first place?"

"Ah-!" Makoto gasped, eyes wide, realizing the hole in his argument.

"To get into the girls locker room, you have to swipe your e-Handbook across the card reader device." Celeste reminded them. "But Chihiro's handbook should have only allowed her access to the girls locker room. She had no way to get into the boys locker room to begin with."

Several eyes widen at that. "Ah, that's a good point!" Taka realized. "With the card reader, it would make it impossible for her to get in!"

"And she can't get in with Leon's handbook, since it's broken." Kyoko remembered, frowning.

"Then, maybe she hacked into her own handbook and changed it?" Hina suggested. She turn to the programmer, who didn't speak for a while. "What do you think, Chihiro?"

The programmer looked down. "Maybe. If Monokuma didn't add anything to prevent that." She said quietly.

"No, she DID have a way!" Hiro stated in confidence. "And I can tell what it was!"

"I highly doubt that." Was Celeste response.

"Shut up! I'm telling you, I know how she could have done it!" Hiro insisted.

"Why can't you just believe in me for once?" Hiro griped.

That earned an annoyed sigh from Celeste. "To even ask such a question…."

The non-stop debate began once again, with Celeste doing the talking first. "Is it really possible?" Celeste questioned. "Could Chihiro really have gotten into the boys locker room somehow?"

"Ah! I've got it!" Taka spoke in realization. "She must have hacked her e-Handbook! She was the Ultimate Programmer, after all. I'm sure it would've been no problem for her!"

"No, I don't think that's it…." Hiro disagreed. "She used the thing that was in the main hall!"

"Huh? What thing?" Hifumi asked.

"I'm talking about Leon's handbook, of course!" Hiro answered.

'No, that's wrong!' The bullet was shot as Makoto spoke up. "No, I don't think Chihiro used Leon's handbook."

"Why not?!" Hiro exclaimed.

"Because Leon's handbook was broken." Was the simple answer given.

"Oh! Well then yeah, I guess that'd be pretty impossible, huh?" Hiro said in response.

Some were stunned at how quickly Hiro gave up. "Seriously? You gave up that quickly?" Leon asked in disbelief.

"Hey, I'm not afraid to admit when I'm wrong." Hiro said with a shrug.

"Probably one of the few good traits about you." Sayaka remarked with an eye roll.

"I am struck silent by how quickly you gave up…" Sakura sighed.

"Plus, isn't there a regulation against using someone else's handbook?" Celeste questioned.

"Actually, the rule states that loaning your handbook is prohibited. It says nothing about borrowing one." Byakuya pointed out. "In other words, you could borrow a dead person's handbook all you want, and you'd be safe."

"Yup, yup, yup! Hit the square nail square on the noggin!" Monokuma confirmed.

"Of course, if it were broken, that wouldn't make any sense anyway…." Byakuya said.

"So then, she must have hacked hers like I said!" Taka stated. "She used her Ultimate Programmer skills and-!"

"Bzzzt!" Monokuma interjected. "You can't fix an e-Handbook. The instant you open one up, a security buzzer starts blaring!"

"Well, that roots out that theory." Hina sighed. "Isn't there any other way to get into the boys locker room?"

"Nothing that I could think of." Sakura sighed. "She can't hack her handbook nor can she use Leon's handbook."

"Does that mean Makoto's theory is wrong?" Junko asked, looking forward to see him wrong for once.

"So it would seem." Celeste said with her own sigh. "There isn't any other way for a girl to enter the boys locker room."

'...No.' Makoto thought to himself. 'It is possible for Chihiro to enter the boys locker room.' Unfortunately, he, Leon, and Mondo are the only ones who knew of Chihiro's secret.

"So if she didn't use Leon's handbook, and she didn't modify her own…." Sakura trailed off.

"...Maybe Mr. Naegi's initial assumption is just….wrong?" Hifumi finished.

"It seems like there's no other way she coulda get into the boys locker room, so I guess so…." Hina sighed.

"Okay then, I vote for Byakuya!" Taka declared.

Byakuya scowled. "Is that it, then? Are they going to vote for me as the culprit?"

"The evidence suggests that you did it, Byakuya!" Taka told him. "There's no going around that!" Mondo nodded in agreement, still looking extremely angry.

Makoto and Leon, meanwhile, frowned, and looked at one another. They both know that Chihiro is a boy, which means that the programmer could easily enter the boys locker room. However, no one else, aside from Mondo and Chihiro herself, knows that, and their future selves doesn't know that either.

They both could see that in order to survive the trial, and find the real culprit, Chihiro's true gender needs to be reveal somehow.

Chihiro, coming to the same conclusion, found herself in a very difficult situation. On one hand, if they don't find out, they could all die but on the other hand….the thought of her friends knowing her secret terrified her.

Makoto was silent through all this. 'Is that it, then?' Makoto asked himself. 'Chihiro was killed in the girls locker room, and Byakuya's the one who did it? Really? But still….I don't know what else I can do….'

"...Hold on a second." Kyoko finally spoke up. "I agree with you, though. I think you're on the right track."

The fact that Kyoko spoke, after so long, caused them to jolt in surprise. "She speaks!" Junko announced dramatically.

"What do you mean, Kyoko?" Taka inquired in confusion. "How could he be in the right track, when it isn't possible for Chihiro to enter the boys locker room?"

"I'm not sure." Kyoko murmured, her eyes narrowed. There's something her future self knows that they don't. What is it?

"What the-? You finally decide to open you mouth, and that's what you've got to say?" Mondo exclaimed. "There's no way she could get in the boys locker room, right?! So-!"

"Why are you so sure she couldn't get in?" Kyoko inquired. "There's still one other way she could have gained access."

"...What?!" Mondo said in shock.

Her words also surprised the others. "What the hell? What do you mean, there's another way?" Mondo demanded. Inwardly, however, realization hit him as the possible way for Chihiro to get in hit his angry addled mind.

'Ooooh, so the detective figured it out!' Junko giggled in her mind. 'Oh, this drama is gonna be entertaining to watch!'

Chihiro, meanwhile, has her eyes wide, terror forming in her heart. She knows. She figured it out.

"What are you talking about?! What other way is there?!" Taka demanded for answers.

"Well, to explain that, why don't we take a little break from the trial?" Kyoko suggested. "I'd like you all to see to come see something."

"Huh?" Hina tilted her head in confusion. "What do she want us to see?"

"It must be something important if she want us to see it for ourselves." Byakuya said, crossing his arms. "But would Monokuma even allow it?"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! Just what do you think you're doing?!" Monokuma demanded.

"Don't worry. This'll make the whole trial more exciting." Kyoko reassured. "I'm sure that thought must please you?"

"Huh? It'll make things more exciting?" Monokuma asked, eagerness in his tone. "Well alright then! I declare an official class trial recess!"

"That answers that question." Junko remarked defeatedly. Mentally, she pouted. Curse Kyoko for exploiting her own weakness like that!

Chihiro stiffened even more, the fear and anxiety slowly increasing. Is Kyoko going to reveal her secret to them? Is she going to them her true gender? Though she really hoped it wasn't, it was just a desperate false hope to convince herself to stay composed.

"Huh? For real?" Hina said in shock.

"Now then, what is it you wanna show us?" Monokuma inquired. "It better not be boring, or I'll be very unhappy….!"

"Oh, I have no doubt it'll meet your lofty expectations." Kyoko reassured once again. "Now, shall we go?"

"Ooooh, this is getting interesting!" Jill commented on cheerfully. "Wonder what Miss Sherlock is going to show us!"

"Knowing Kyoko, I know it has to be something important." Makoto said. Inwardly, however, he knows that it's most likely Chihiro's gender that she wants to reveal to them.

The scene switched to the group entering the girls locker room. "...The girls locker room?" Makoto said in surprise.

"We've already searched this place top to bottom!" Taka reminded Kyoko. "What are you trying to pull, missy?!"

"I'd like you to examine the victim's body, one more time." Kyoko requested. "Be sure to examine the entire body very carefully. Take your time."

"Wh-What?!" Chihiro exclaimed, her voice high in fear.

"The hell?!" Mondo cursed, turning to Kyoko. "What do you mean examine the entire body?"

"You mean like….touching her?" Hifumi hesitantly asked, looking very creeped out. Many of the others also looked disturbed by this, even those like Byakuya and Celeste.

"That would be extremely disrespectful!" Taka stated, though his usual passion is a bit diminished.

"I think there's something there that my future self wants the others to see, or feel." Kyoko mused. Her eyes then widen slightly as a possibility occurred to her. Could it be….

"Examine, her….carefully? Like, using our hands?" Hifumi inquired. Immediately, he recoiled in disgust. "Nowaynowaynowaynoway!"

"It's….probably best if I don't run my hands all over a girl's dead body…." Taka said, looking disturbed.

"I-It's not that I'm creeped out or anything. It's just….based on religious grounds, you know….?" Hiro said as an excuse. The look on the other guys' faces says that they aren't doing it either.

Junko huffed. "All of you guys are such wimps!"

"Like any of us would want to touch a dead girl's body!" Leon said in retort. He shuddered. "Even Hifumi has standards."

"...Very well. I'll do it." Sakura said in resignation.

"B-But you're a girl." Hina protested. "You shouldn't have to touch a dead body. Just let one of the boys do it…."

"No, it's okay. I think Chihiro would rather have a girl examine her." Sakura reassured. "So just leave this to me…."

"S-Sakura…."

"What is this, some kind of secret girl-on-girl action?!" Jill inquired eagerly. "Is that what you two are about?!"

"That's not it at all! Stop screwin' around!" Hina denied.

"Seriously, you always think it's like that!" Hina complained, glaring at the serial killer. "We're just friends! Best friends!"

"Denial can only get you so far!"

"It's not denial!"

At this point, Chihiro is shaking, curling herself even tighter. Her eyes are wide with anxiety, fear, and distress. She knew this could this happen, knew that there was a big possibility of her secret being revealed when the investigation started. Despite convincing herself that it may have been something else, she knew this was bound to happen.

Her anxiety wasn't unnoticed by her classmates. "Chihiro? Are you okay?" Sakura asked, concern lacing in her voice.

"Is Cherry really that concerned about being felt up while dead?" Jill commented on casually. "It isn't that big a deal, is it?"

"You, need to shut up!" Leon yelled in her defense as he knew why Chihiro is acting this way.

Mondo, meanwhile, is growling and clenching his fist tightly. Anger is building up at the fact that Chihiro's secret is going to be revealed without her consent.

"Okay, here I go…." Sakura then faced the dead body of Chihiro. "I'm sorry, Chihiro. Please excuse the intrusion…." Putting her hand together in a brief prayer, Sakura began to examine the body carefully.

Chihiro then began hyperventilating. The sight finally caused Mondo to snap. "Stop this!" Mondo roared, startling everyone as he stood. He glared directly at the host of the watching. "Stop this fucking thing right now!"

"I'm sorry, but I can't." Spirit said calmly. "This is one of the many important parts of the future that you all need to see."

"Like hell it is!" Mondo glared at their host. "We don't need to see any of it! It's obvious that it was fucking Togami!"

"This scene might say otherwise." Togami interjected coldly. "There's obviously something here that is important. It would most likely be shown in the trial, so your point is invalid."

"Why you….!" As Mondo stood up to try and pumble either Byakuya or Spirit, Chihiro grabbed his arm.

"M-Mondo, don't." Chihiro pleaded. "We don't have a choice. They need to know, in order to continue."

"But Chihiro-"

"Please Mondo. It's going to be revealed even if we don't watch this scene." Chihiro told him. She then took a deep breath, building up as much courage as she could. "I….I have to be brave. I have to be strong. So please, don't try to hurt anyone."

Mondo stared at the programmer for a long moment before slowly settling down. He clenched his knees angrily as the others stared at the two with mixed caution, confusion, and sympathy.

Chihiro took another deep breath before settling down with a look of determination. Sh-...He have to brave. He had to be strong. If they don't continue, then "it" will happen. And the rest of his friends will die.

"Be sure to check her entire body, and I believe we will solve this particular mystery." Kyoko reminded her.

"Her entire body….? I know you say that, but…." Sakura's eyes widen as she felt a certain area. "What-? This is….what does this m-?" She then let out a roar of outrage and disbelief.

The roar startled several of the others. "W-What the heck?!" Leon exclaimed, still on the defensive on Chihiro's behalf. "What on earth are you feeling?"

"I'm….not sure." Sakura said, also surprised by her counterpart's outburst.

Chihiro flinched at the outburst, but did his best to keep his look of determination. Still, the roar caused to shaking a little once again.

"What is it?!" Makoto asked, startled.

"Not possible….it's not possible!" Sakura said in denial, staring wildly at Chihiro's lifeless form and trembling. "This….this girl is….!"

"Is what?!" Hina demanded.

"...is a boy!" Sakura revealed.

The revelation stunned the entire group. Several eyes widen, mouths were agape, even Kyoko, who had began feeling suspicious, couldn't help but feel at least a bit surprised.

"Wh-Wh- Whaaaaat?!" Sakura roared in disbelief. "Chihiro….is a boy?!"

"She is a He?!" Hifumi squealed in pure shock.

"Wha- I- this got to be a joke, right?" Hiro said, shaking his head in denial. "Right?"

"Sakura wouldn't joke about something like this!" Hina told him, her eyes incredibly wide.

"Then…." Taka looked at Chihiro, clearly rattled. "Chihiro, you're a boy?!"

The programmer, who ducked his head and closed his eyes at the outbursts, hesitantly looked up and nodded. "Y-Yes."

"Eeeeeeek! You're a crossdresser?!" Jill squealed in shock and eagerness. "Now I'm really on fire right now!"

Byakuya and Celeste didn't say anything. Just looked at the boy with shock overriding their faces.

"But, why hide the fact that you're a boy?" Sayaka asked, staring at the newly revealed boy with wide eyes. "Why would you dress up as a girl?"

Chihiro curled up tighter, not ready to reveal that story yet. Before he could say anything, however, Makoto spoke up. "Maybe we can talk about it later, after the trial?"

Kyoko narrowed her eyes at Makoto, as well as noticed that Leon wasn't surprised. "You knew about this, didn't you? You and Leon?" She then remembered Mondo's reaction and turned to Mondo. "And you as well, Mondo?"

"All three of you knew?!" Hina questioned in shock.

All three guys nodded in admission. "Chihiro told us a little while ago." Makoto admitted. "He didn't reveal it to everyone yet, so he asked us to keep it a secret."

"I'm surprise you were able to hide it in the first place considering how easy to read you are." Byakuya jabbed at him, taking the opportunity to conceal his recovery from his surprise.

Makoto pouted and took the bait. "Hey! I know how to keep a secret!" He rubbed the back of his head. "While I know I'm not the best liar, I can keep something to myself when I need to."

While Kyoko felt slightly irked that Makoto kept something from her, it was on reasonable grounds. After all, the secret was a personal one.

Chihiro couldn't help but feel extremely anxious at the shocked looks on several of her friends' faces, especially Sakura's. Will they hate her now? Be angry and disgusted at her for dressing up like a girl?

"Ah, I see." Hifumi spoke calmly. "So 'she' was actually a he. Interesting. Thank you for confirming this fact." When the revelation finally finished processing in his mind, he screamed out in shock. "Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?!"

"...You're joking, right?" Hiro asked blankly.

"I wouldn't joke about this!" Sakura answered.

"Th-Th-Then….Then it's really true?!" Taka exclaimed in shock.

Makoto looked at Chihiro's body with very wide eyes. "Chihiro was….a guy?"

"I'm surprised misses detective or Mr. Pompous figured it out." Junko pointed out.

"I'm….surprised as well." Kyoko admitted. In hindsight, there were several clues that pointed out Chihiro's actual gender. But she dismissed them all due to the boy's shyness.

Plus, she had to admit, Chihiro played a very convincing girl. Maybe one day... she would have to ask him on how to identify such people.

"Hmm?" Monokuma tilted his head at this. "Oh what, you guys didn't know? Heck, I knew right off the bat! Chihiro Fujisaki was totally a guy!"

"Th-Then….he was a cross-dresser?!" Jill squealed. "Now I'm REALLY on fire! I wish I HAD killed him!"

Chihiro suddenly shook in fear from the threat, especially when he saw Genocide Jack looking at him with renewed murderous curiosity.

Fortunately, she wasn't the only one who noticed. "Back off, you murderous psycho!" Mondo growled warningly, holding his arm in front of Chihiro as if to block her from the boy. "You ain't laying a finger on him!"

"If you want to get at Chihiro, you'll have to deal with us first!" Leon backed Mondo up, standing up from his seat and whipping out a metal bat out of nowhere.

Sakura then decided to speak up, shocking Chihiro. "I agree." Sakura said, glaring dangerously at Jill. Though she remained sitting, she was prepared to act at once if Jill tried anything. "If you even attempt to harm her, I will show you no mercy."

Chihiro looked at everyone in surprise, but specifically at Sakura. Why is she defending him? Even after the reveal that he's a boy?

"But, he's an adorable boy! A crossdresser!" Jill whined in defeat. "That kind of thing really makes me on fire!"

"We won't have any of your scissors near him!" Hina declared, also getting up and glaring at her. "So don't even try it!" The serial killer pouted childishly at this.

'Something tells me that Chihiro is going to have bodyguards for a while.' Makoto thought with a sweatdrop. He knew that Genocide Jack would give up as soon as Byakuya orders her to, but the others might not be swayed so easily.

"So that's what Kyoko wanted to show everyone, huh? Interesting…." Monokuma let out his signature laugh. "Yes, that certainly does make things much more exciting! Now let's ride this wave of excitement back to the courtroom and get back to the trial!"

"So, this new information changes a lot of thing." Kyoko mused. "Makoto's initial theory is now very plausible, since Chihiro is a boy."

"Assuming that his handbook registers him as a boy." Celeste pointed out.

That's when Chihiro decided to answer. "Mine does." He admitted. "I couldn't lie to the headmaster so I asked him to keep it a secret."

"And since anyone can get Sayaka's or Junko's handbook, it would be easy to transfer his body from the boys locker room to the girls locker room." Byakuya continued for Celeste.

"That still doesn't mean your innocent, Togami!" Mondo pointed out angrily.

The heir pushed his glasses to his face. "We shall see."

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 39: Watching Chapter 2: Boys' Life of Despair Part 15

The screen then faded into back before showing everyone in the trial room once again. "Ahem! I do apologize for keeping you waiting. Now then, let's resume the class trial!" Monokuma declared. "We've all just learned of the shocking revelation that Chihiro was actually a boy! Let's it pick up from there!"

"Yes, well….I don't know his reason for hiding it, but the fact is, Chihiro was not a girl, but a boy." Kyoko stated.

'To think that Chihiro….was actually a guy.' Makoto thought. 'The thought had never even crossed my mind….'

"It never crossed any of our minds." Junko said. She then got into her teacher persona. "Not even the geniuses Byakuya or Kyoko were able to figure it out!"

Byakuya sighed. "To think I was able to be deceived like this... I will have to be more diligent next time."

"Well, Chihiro did play a mighty convincing girl." Leon remarked with a smirk.

"And because the victim was male, he would have had no problem getting access to the boys' locker room." Kyoko continued.

"Assuming his handbook did, in fact, list his gender as male…." Byakuya pointed out. "Then yes, that would be true."

"Of course his handbook said he was a boy!" Monokuma confirmed. "He dressed like a girl, but he was a boy through and through!"

"So then, there should be no issue with Makoto's initial assertion…." Kyoko said. "The victim was killed in the boys locker room, and was then later moved into the girls locker room. And the killer could've easily used Junko's or Sayaka's handbooks to get into the girls locker room."

"So Chihiro was really killed in the boys locker room?!" Taka gasped in shock.

"I still don't understand the motive for moving the body, but….yes, that does seem plausible." Kyoko confirmed.

"Maybe it's to hide the fact Chihiro is a boy?" Makoto suggested. "So it would be harder for us to connect the dots?"

"That is the most immediate possibility." Kyoko said.

"Well….I must admit, I did find it rather odd…." Byakuya admitted. "I knew he felt a little….off. There was a certain incongruity to his 'female' body."

"This is a most titillating situation!" Jill exclaimed with a heavy blush.

"So now everything has been connected." Byakuya mused. "All the mysteries have finally become clear."

"Okay, well, connected or clear or whatever….we still think you're the killer, remember?" Hina pointed out.

The heir ignored her, and chuckled to himself. "Very interesting. This has become very interesting indeed…."

"Ahh, he's off in his own little world…." Hifumi sighed.

"Okay then, I'm starting to think that he isn't really the killer." Junko stated obviously. Even she was getting tired of watching that. "He's just too carefree about this."

"But maybe that's a trick to make us think he isn't the killer?" Hifumi suggested.

"No, I don't think that's a trick." Makoto disagreed. "While Byakuya is smart, I don't think he's capable of that kind of deceit. He still prone to surprise and panic like all of us." Especially when things don't go his way.

"What about you, Makoto?" Kyoko asked the luckster. "After everything we've learned, do you still think Byakuya's the killer?"

"Well, without a doubt Byakuya's the one that made Chihiro's death look like Genocide Jack did it." Makoto answered confidently. However, just as quickly as his confidence came, it was replaced with doubt. "But….but I….I think he might not be actually be the killer after all."

"What? But aren't you the one who accused him in the first place?" Hifumi pointed out.

"That doesn't mean that I can't say that I was wrong." Makoto said with a frown. "I'm willing to admit that I made a mistake."

"And that's a good quality to have, especially now. Pride is the one thing we can't afford to have in the trial." Sakura stated in approval.

"Also, there's nothing wrong with new information being admitted into court that would change how a case will proceed. Not everything can be made with the initial evidence available." Kyoko added.

"He just seems to be too….easy going about all this. Like he's enjoying us solving the mystery…." Makoto explained. "The way he's acting, it makes it seem like it doesn't have anything to do with him."

"And you think that might be because it doesn't have anything to do with him?" Celeste asked.

"Plus, the evidence he left behind was a little too….how can I put it? Overt." Makoto pointed out. "He consciously chose the extension cord, knowing it could connect him to the murder. At least, that's how I see it…."

Byakuya remained silent at Makoto's explanation. "And Byakuya, when you found out the murder took place in the boys locker room, it seemed to rattle you." The luckster continued. "And then again when you found out Chihiro was actually a guy. If you really were the killer, that stuff wouldn't have had any effect on you."

"Those are some good points." Celeste agreed with. "After all, human emotion is genuinely honest."

"While there isn't any concrete reasoning in there, it would be something my future self will accept." Byakuya stated.

"So….Byakuya didn't kill Chihiro?" Hina asked for confirmation.

"So that's what you're thinking, huh?" Byakuya rhetorically asked. "Well, it bothers me that you don't have more concrete reasoning, but….it's fine. I guess I'll mark it as correct, for the time being."

"Mark it as….correct?" Hina repeated in confusion.

"He's right. I am not the culprit." Byakuya confirmed. "I just happened to come across the corpse in the girls locker room, and decided to alter it."

"What?! Is he fucking serious?!" Mondo roared.

"Yeah! Does he really expect us to believe that easily?" Taka agreed with Mondo.

"And if he is telling the truth….why he would he mess with Chihiro's body like that?" Sayaka questioned, looking a bit sick.

"Are you fucking with us right now….?" Mondo growled.

"No, I am not….effing with you right now. I'm telling you the truth." Byakuya told him.

"Well I find it very hard to believe!" Taka stated.

"Go ahead, find it very hard to believe." Byakuya said nonchalantly. "You're free to be executed along with the rest of us."

"If you're really telling the truth, then….why? Why'd you do that to his body?" Hina asked him angrily.

"My reasons hardly matter right now." Byakuya replied callously. "Uncovering the culprit is much more important, wouldn't you say?"

"Like hell he is going to chicken out!" Mondo exclaimed angrily.

"Yeah! Man up and answer the damn question!" Leon immediately agreed with Mondo. If it weren't for the possibility of those chains being summoned, he probably would've punched the TV. Or Byakuya. Maybe both.

"Unfortunately, Byakuya is correct." Kyoko sighed. "We need to focus on who else could've done it first, then question him as to why he did what he did."

"And I doubt Monokuma would let the trial go astray." Makoto agreed with the detective. "So, we don't have a choice but to focus on finding the culprit."

"Now then….if it wasn't me, who was it?"

"W-Well….I don't think I can say for sure without talking about a little more." Makoto responded hesitantly.

"We're seriously gonna keep going?" Hiro complained. "We're all good, aren't we? I thought it was clear Byakuya did it!"

"Has he been listening to anything Makoto and Kyoko has been saying?" Junko questioned rhetorically. "Cause what they all said so far points to the possibility of Byakuya not being the culprit."

"Hiro, you are taking this trial way too casually." Sayaka sighed in annoyance. It's like the fortune teller forgot that if they get it wrong, then they will all die.

"No, I'm with Makoto." Kyoko said. "If there's any doubt whatsoever, we need to explore every possibility. Because if we're wrong, we all die here."

"...That's true. Very well, then, I'm with you, too." Celeste conceded.

"Damn straight! Count me in!" Hiro stated confidently.

"Do you not have a mind of your own?!" Taka demanded in frustration.

"Of course I do!" Hiro responded back in anger. "What am I, an ant or somethin'?"

"You may as well be." Byakuya remarked, with some nodding in agreement. "With the way you easily agree with the most popular opinion, it very much implies you don't have your own mind."

"Like future me said, I do!"

"Then act like it!" Taka retorted. Honestly, he's not sure how he had put up with Hiro's laziness all these months.

"Anyway, let's discuss this all as a group one more time." Makoto said, changing the subject. "We still have time to make our decision."

"That's very true…." Sakura agreed.

"Our lives are all on the line…." Hina said nervously.

"Excellent! Then shall we resume our game of hide and seek?" Byakuya inquired.

'But if Byakuya didn't do it, then who's the real killer? Who murdered Chihiro?' Makoto asked himself. 'One thing we can be sure about is that the killer is a guy. Since the crime scene was the boys locker room, you would need a boy's handbook to get in. And since Leon's Handbook is apparently broken, the killer would have had to use their own.'

"Which means the suspects are Mondo, Taka, Hifumi, and Hiro." Kyoko listed off. "Makoto is off the list, for obvious reasons. And Byakuya's guilt is questionable as of now."

"So our list of suspects are narrowed down to those four boys." Celeste summarized.

"I still think that Togami did it!" Mondo stated, but then aim his glare at Hifumi and Hiro. "But I'm willing to bet those two as possible killers!"

"Hey! Don't pick us out!" Hiro protested.

"Y-Yeah!" Hifumi quickly agreed. "You and Taka could've easily done it too!"

"Like hell we would kill Chihiro!"

"Yeah! Mondo and I wouldn't even think about harming Chihiro!" Taka agreed with his best friend.

"Perhaps we are still too hasty with our conclusions. Everyone calm down." Sakura said, mediating the room.

Kyoko's eyes narrowed in thought. 'I wouldn't be too sure about that.' She thought to herself. With the knowledge of Chihiro being a boy, a conversation during the investigation came up in her mind. One tiny detail that triggered her curiosity. And now she knows why.

'But that's still not enough….I need to find some more clues.'

After that thought, the nonstop debate started up once again. This time, it was Sakura spoke first. "Isn't there a single clue that might lead us to who did it?"

"Well, clues are one thing, but, did nobody get a look at the killer?!" Taka inquired to everyone.

"I'm sure if someone saw the killer, they woulda said something by now…." Hiro pointed out.

"Perhaps someone saw the victim at some point." Sakura suggested. "Even that might be enough for now…."

"Yeah, all we need right now is any kind of new info!" Hina agreed.

"It's over….it's all over….!" Hiro cried in misery. "You wanna know who saw the victim? The killer! And only the killer…."

"No, that's wrong!" Makoto spoke up loudly. The bullet was shot as Makoto continued speaking. "I believe someone else did see the victim before he was murdered. What do you think, Celeste?"

"Oh, right! Celeste did see Chihiro during the night!" Hina gasped in realization.

"Finally! We got something!" Taka expressed with relief.

"Hopefully, it can lead to something." Byakuya said.

"Now that you mention it, yes. I did see him." Celeste confirmed.

"Huh? Really?" Hifumi asked in surprise.

"Oh, but I suppose only Makoto knows about this." Celeste mused. "The rest of you had no idea, did you? That is why you're all making such ugly noises."

"Why bother hiding it that info at all?" Taka questioned. "That would've been something we all would've liked to know!"

"Most likely because my future self doesn't trust most of you." Celeste explained. "Any of us could be the killer, and if I told them, my life would've been at risk. The killer might've chosen to silence me, to keep it a secret."

"Then why tell Mr. Naegi?" Hifumi inquired.

"He's the most trustworthy out of all us, of course."

The silence was everyone's response to that answer. After all, no one disagreed with that. Makoto did prove himself to be a honest and trustworthy person countless times.

"Wait a minute, what about the rest of us?" Leon complained.

"Whatever, just hurry up and tell us!" Taka demanded.

"It was last night, right before nighttime." Celeste began recalling. "I saw Chihiro….in the dormitory warehouse. I saw him stuffing a track jacket into a duffel bag. And then, I assume, he headed off to exercise."

"A tracket jacket and a duffel bag?" Taka repeated in confusion. "But we didn't find anything like that at the murder scene!"

"It seems likely that the culprit destroyed them to get rid of any evidence…." Sakura deduced.

"And that's when he said something that struck me as rather odd…." Celeste continued. "Chihiro told me he was 'in a hurry'. But why would he be in a hurry? Only if someone were waiting for him, I should think."

"So Mr. Fujisaki was on his way to meet with someone, and then they were going to work out together….?" Hifumi guessed.

"But Hina and I had invited him to exercise with us plenty of times, and he always declined…." Sakura pointed out.

"Probably cuz was afraid you'd find out the secret he was hiding, right?" Hiro assumed.

"Which means that conversely, he must have trusted whoever he was meeting with very much." Celeste deducted. "Enough so that he was willing to risk his secret being revealed…."

"Uhuhu! What a marvelous friendship!" Jill commented.

"But who would Chihiro trust enough to reveal his secret?" Hina asked.

Her question, along with the dialogue itself, caused a few minds to click. 'Oh no….please don't tell me….I.. did point him towards...' Makoto thought in horror. He shook his head. 'No no no. Maybe….maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm just thinking in the wrong direction.'

Junko mentally giggled gleefully to herself. 'So it's Mondo who killed poor old Chihiro? Now that's really despairful! Oh, I can't wait to it unfold before our eyes!'

Byakuya narrowed his eyes. 'Someone he would trust….the one would fit the most would be Mondo...' However, he isn't completely sure of this. So he kept quiet for now.

"The point is, whoever he met up with is the culprit, right?" Hina summarized. "So we just gotta figure out who it was!"

"But knowing what we know, I can't even guess…." Makoto groaned.

"...No, we already have what you need to make the connection." Kyoko declared.

"...Huh?" Makoto responded back in confusion.

"Yeah, what Makoto said. Huh?" Hina said, tilting her head in confusion.

"How can we know that?" Leon remarked in confusion. "There isn't anything that can point fingers at anyone, other than Byakuya."

"I'm not sure." Kyoko said, narrowing her eyes. What her future self trying to do?

"You know who the killer is." Kyoko stated.

"S-Seriously?!" Taka exclaimed in shock.

"Wow, that was quick!" Jill stated casually.

"Too quick." Byakuya noted, his gaze focused on Kyoko. "And she's not the type to make such declarations so openly."

"So why Kyoko is saying such a thing?" Taka questioned.

"W-Who is it?!" Who's the killer?!" Mondo asked, demanding for answers.

"Think back to the track jacket and duffel bag the killer disposed of." Kyoko told them. "Focus on the details of these items, and it should become obvious who was waiting for him."

"Really?" Junko said, with obvious disbelief. "Two pieces of evidence that we don't have? Are your detective abilities dulling, Kyoko?"

"I assure you, my skills are fine." Kyoko responded back, hiding her irritation at the claim. "I'm sure my future self has arrived at a conclusion of sorts."

"What is she thinking is the question." Byakuya remarked. "Cause, like Junko pointed out, both pieces of evidence were disposed of before we could get a look at them."

"...Are you sure about that?" Celeste asked with obvious doubt. "You really think we can figure out who did it based on two pieces of evidence that we don't have?"

"What, you wanna track down some fingerprints or something?" Hifumi questioned.

"Even if we had the equipment for that, we wouldn't know how to use it!" Taka stated.

"As was noted, the evidence is already gone." Byakuya pointed. "There's nothing to get fingerprints from."

"Maybe, but we can make certain inferences, if we just take the time to talk it out." Kyoko insisted.

'Ah. I didn't make a conclusion, I'm trying to bait out the culprit.' Kyoko concluded in her mind, hiding a smirk of her own for taking such a risk. That's the only reason she can think of as to why.

"Easy for you to say…." Hina sighed. "But fine - Celeste, did you notice anything special about the bag or jacket?"

"The bag was….just a normal duffel bag from the warehouse." Celeste explained. "All the bags in there are the same, so I can't imagine what would make that one special…."

"Well, if I remember right, there was a decent variety of tracksuits to choose from…." Sakura recalled. "Do you think there might be some connection between the culprit and Chihiro's jacket?"

"Perhaps." Kyoko said in response. "Let's explore that and talk a bit more about the jacket he took."

"Um, am I the only one confused here?" Hiro asked, looking very confused.

"No, your not Hiro." Hina said, looking confused as well. "How is this gonna help us find the culprit?"

"We'll just have to see." Sakura sighed.

As they spoke, Makoto seemed to realize Kyoko's intention. "Wait, don't tell me you're trying to bait the culprit out, are you?" Makoto whispered to Kyoko. The detective nodded.

"I see you caught on."

"It the only reason I could think of as to why you would say those things." Makoto told her. "But do you think that would work?"

"I don't know. But for whatever reason, my future self is confident enough that it will work." Kyoko answered him.

The non-stop debate started once again, with Kyoko starting the debate. "First of all, we know where Chihiro was headed…." Kyoko began. "He was on his way to go exercise. So next we have to ask, why did he choose the specific tracksuit that he did?"

"What do you mean, the specific tracksuit?" Byakuya questioned.

"I got it!" Taka declared. "He picked that tracksuit because….it matched the one the culprit was wearing!"

"So what you're saying is….the killer was wearing the same blue tracksuit as him?" Mondo guessed.

Mondo's question caught the attention of the more intelligent students. One of which was Makoto, who's eyes got wide. 'Hold on…' The luckers thought to himself. 'How….'

'...does Mondo know….' Byakuya unknowingly continued, eyes narrowed.

'...what color tracksuit Chihiro has?' Kyoko unknowingly finished, her gaze focused on the biker. 'It seem the bait has worked.'

'Huh?' Was Makoto's thought. The bullet was shot as Makoto spoke up. "Hold on a second, Mondo! What did you just say?"

"...Huh? What'd I say?" Mondo asked, confused.

"When Celeste testified a few minutes ago, she said that she saw him stuffing the track jacket into a duffel bag and left to go exercise." Makoto explained. "She never said anything about the jacket's color. So why did you say Chihiro's 'blue' tracksuit?"

Several eyes widen in realization at this. "H-Huh?!" Mondo exclaimed, his anger replaced by shock.

"Now that Makoto mentioned it, why did he say Chihiro's 'blue' track jacket?" Celeste questioned accusingly. "Nobody said that it was blue."

"W-Wait!" Taka protested. "Maybe he's just guessing the color! O-Or maybe he's been told this by someone else!"

"That doesn't sound like a person merely guessing." Byakuya pointed out. "If he was, he wouldn't have said something as definitive as 'same blue tracksuit'."

Chihiro, meanwhile, is staring at the screen, with wide, anxious eyes.

Mondo recoiled in shock at this. "What are you-?! You just-!"

"Hey, Celeste. What color was Chihiro's tracksuit?" Byakuya immediately asked.

"As a matter of fact, it was….blue." Celeste confirmed.

"And before we began the trial….did you tell anyone that?" Makoto inquired.

"The only one I told about any of this was you." Celeste responded back.

"Then….how the heck does he knows about the color of the tracksuit?" Hina questioned, wide eyes.

"Could it be that Pompair is the one to kill Cherry?" Jill questioned, looking very interested.

Sakura turned to the biker. "Mondo, your future self has some explaining to do."

"H-Hold on!" Mondo protested. "Maybe…he might've…."

"I-I'm sure there's a reason why he knows!" Taka argued, supporting his friend.

"Then….Mondo, how did you know what color Chihiro's tracksuit was?" Sakura questioned, turning towards the biker.

"B-Because I-! I just-!" Mondo stammered, completely taken off guard.

"I-I'm sure he saw the clothes at some point in the investigation….!" Taka suggested nervously.

"Y-Yeah!" Taka quickly agreed with his future counterpart. "Maybe he spotted them when we were investigating."

"No, that's impossible." Kyoko said flatly. "And I think my future self is about to explain why."

"No, that can't be it." Kyoko flatly stated. "The bag and clothes were surely disposed of by the time we began our investigation."

"Then the only reason he could have known what color the tracksuit was…." Jill began. "...is if he saw Cherry with it before he died! That's the only possibility!"

"Cherry….?" Hina repeated in confusion. "Are….are you talking about Chihiro?"

Jill ignored her question. "So, how 'bout it?! Did you see the tracksuit or didn't you?!"

"J-Just by chance….I just happened to see it last night…." Mondo quickly explained. "He walked past me, and he was carrying the tracksuit in his hands."

"No, that's another impossibility." Byakuya stated bluntly. "Chihiro had it stuffed in the duffel bag, remember?"

"T-Then maybe it was hanging out of the bag?" Taka suggested. "That's possible, right?"

"No, it isn't possible." Makoto answered with a shake of his head. Despite not wanting to believe Mondo would do this, he can't look away from facts. "After all, Chihiro made it a point to keep it in the bag."

"No, that can't be it, either." Makoto interjected. "According to Celeste's testimony, when she noticed it, Chihiro made a point of making sure the jacket was completely in the bag. If you just ran into him briefly, you couldn't possibly have seen what color the tracksuit was."

Chihiro began shaking once again, disbelief entering his emotions. He can't believe that Mondo is the culprit. That Mondo….is his killer.

"Gh-! Nggh….!" Was what came out of Mondo's mouth.

"It would appear you dug your own grave." Kyoko remarked.

"Perhaps, but you handed him the shovel, didn't you?" Byakuya pointed out. "That's why you said what you did. Focus on the tracksuit, and it'll be obvious who he met with? What a bunch of nonsense…."

"...Ah, now I understand. It was all one big bluff, wasn't it?" Celeste realized. "Your true intention was to draw a slip of the tongue from the culprit….that's why you said you knew who did it, to put them on edge."

"And it looked like it worked perfectly." Junko said.

Mondo, however, disagreed. "Don't say that like I'm the culprit!" The biker said heatedly. "It wasn't me!"

"Then how else can you explain your slip of the tongue?" Celeste questioned with an arched eyebrow. "I don't hear any explanation for that."

"T-There's has to be something!" Taka stated in defense for Mondo. Like Chihiro, he can't, or doesn't want to believe that Mondo would kill the programmer. "Bro may skirt the laws, but he isn't a murderer!"

"That's right." Kyoko confirmed. "However, Mondo was my target all along. I had my suspicions about him from the very beginning!"

"W-What?!" Mondo was getting more frantic, as well as angry. "What the hell made me so suspicious?!"

"That's what I'd like to know too." Leon said with a frown. While not as bad as Chihiro and Taka, he isn't willing to point fingers at Mondo yet. "I don't remember him doing anything that would make him suspicious."

"You'll see." Kyoko told him. "But it was another slip of the tongue."

"But why….? What made you so suspicious?" Makoto inquired.

"That's a good question." Kyoko said. "There was a certain turning point that tipped me off. Maybe you didn't notice it, Mondo, but you tend to refer to men and women differently. You only call guys 'dude'. For girls, it's 'chick'. And after he was killed, you happened to refer to him as 'dude'."

"Now that Kyoko mentioned it, Mondo did say that…." Sayaka said, her eyes going wide. "I just didn't think much about it."

"W-Wait a minute, hold on! It's probably just a mistake!" Mondo argued hastily. "I probably just meant to say chick, and ended up saying dude!"

Leon looked down at this, gritting his teeth. "Sorry man, but I doubt you would make a mistake like that." The baseball play said. "Not if you been referring to guys and girls like that for a long time."

"Nggh….!" Mondo gritted his teeth at this, confliction clear in his face.

"Once I picked up on that, it occured to me Mondo knew something that we didn't."

"Y-You noticed such a tiny detail?!" Hifumi asked in shock.

"Are you a witch? She's a witch!" Jill declared. "You're positively frightful!"

"No, I'm not the frightful one." Kyoko denied, staring directly at Mondo. "Not nearly as frightful as someone capable of murdering a friend."

"Kh….!" Was all Mondo could get out at the accusation.

"Mondo….was it really you?" Makoto slowly asked. "Did you really….kill Chihiro?"

"N-NO!" Chihiro yelled, startling everyone. Disbelief and anxiety is clear in his voice, as well as on his face. "M-Mondo couldn't have killed me! He can't have! There's no reason for him to!" Tears began filling his eyes once again. The thought of the person he bonded with most, the person he admired, killing him….it was something he couldn't even think about. "He's….he's my friend." Some felt their heart clench at Chihiro's word

"Chihiro's right! Bro couldn't have killed him!" Taka quickly spoke up, the anxiety also clear in his voice. "The two of them have been close with one another ever since we've all met each other. Mondo wouldn't even have think about harming Chihiro!"

'Which makes it even more despairful!' Junko thought cheerfully. Killing the person you're close with, being killed by the person you admire most….who wouldn't want to watch that kind of drama?

"I...I….I-I-I…." Finally, Mondo snapped. "I didn't kill anybody! You've been all over me, judging everything I say, putting words in my mouth. What gives you the right to treat me like a goddamn criminal?!"

"Oh, maybe because you are one?" Byakuya pointed out.

His response was a growl. "I'm a biker, not a murderer! I may have done some stuff to earn a bit of time in juvie, but nothing seriously fucked up!"

"Y-Yeah!" Taka quickly agreed. "He would never do something like that! This is a false accusation!"

"It's true, my reasoning on that is pretty shaky." Kyoko conceded.

"Th-That was fast…." Makoto couldn't help but say.

"It was no use trying to cling on to it." Kyoko said with a shrug. "It would just delay the trial. We need more evidence to pin it on Mondo."

"And there is no evidence and no motive! Which means Mondo isn't the killer!" Taka said firmly. "Like future me said, it was a false accusation!"

"Don't get your hopes up yet. He's still a possible suspect." Byakuya warned him.

"B-But why?!" Chihiro protested.

Celeste was the one to answer that. "His two slips up can't be ignored. While there isn't sufficient enough evidence against him, his words made him a very possible suspect." She frowned. "Changing the subject, it look like our future selves are out of leads."

"Oh crap. That's a problem." Hina moaned.

"Well, this does present us with a problem." Celeste noted. "It seems we are all out of leads."

Hifumi suddenly started chuckling, drawing the attentions of others. "My time has nearly come…." The fanfic creator declared. "That's what my little ghost friend is telling me!"

Byakuya raised an eyebrow at that. "What on earth is he on about?"

"Does Hifumi have something we could us?" Makoto wondered.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me." Makoto said, remembering his conversation with Hifumi. "Hifumi, weren't you telling me you found some evidence….?"

That got the group's attention. "What?"

"Seriously?"

"What kind?"

Hifumi, who was also surprised, recovered and let out a laugh. "Finally, my chance of triumph has come!"

"Really?! What kind of evidence?!" Hina asked eagerly.

Hifumi was silent for a moment before his bravado quickly deflated. "Actually, you know….now that I'm thinking about it here calmly, it might not be all that relevant."

"Jeez, did your confidence just get up and walk way?" Hiro sighed. "It's fine, man, just tell us!"

"Agreed." Sakura nodded. "At this point, anything that can be of use is preferable."

"Hopefully, it can help pinpoint to who actually did it." Makoto sighed. Inwardly though, he's nervous about the results. The culprit is most likely either Byakuya or Mondo. And he has a feeling that it is the latter.

"I-If you really insist, then…." Hifumi said nervously before pulling out a shut down e-Handbook. "Umm….here it is."

"Hmmm?" Jill cocked her head to the side. "What do you have here?"

"It happens to be an e-Handbook. I found it laying on the ground, so I scooped it up." Hifumi explained.

"An e-Handbook, just laying on the ground?" Kyoko repeated in thought.

"Then it has to be Chihiro's, right?" Makoto deduced. "After all, it was missing in the crime scene."

"Then do you think that Chihiro's handbook have some sort of clue?" Hina asked excitingly. "Something that can tell us who the culprit is?"

"It is a possibility." Celeste mused.

"It was just laying around?" Makoto rhetorically asked. "Then it has to be Chihiro's. We know his handbook was missing from the scene of the crime, right?"

"For a fact." Kyoko confirmed.

"For a fact indeed!" Hifumi declared, getting his confidence back. "I was totally sure I'd found it!"

"Then it must hold some clue about the culprit, right?!" Hina inquired.

"...Well, that's what I was hoping. But it's busted. It won't even turn on." Hifumi informed them dejectedly.

"Another broken e-Handbook?" Taka questioned, getting his mind off of the accusation against Mondo for now. "How on earth did that one break?"

"The only one who knows is Monokuma and the culprit himself." Mukuro pointed out. "So right now, the best way to know is to ask the bear himself."

"Let's hope he's willing to give that info." Sayaka groaned. "Or if we're able to pressure him into giving it."

"I imagine the murderer broke it to get rid of any evidence after the murder." Celeste theorized.

"That's odd. I didn't think the handbooks were quite so….fragile." Byakuya commented on.

"You're right, they're not!" Monokuma answered. "They're totally waterproof and shock resistant! It would take an awful lot to break one…."

"And yet, this one does appear to be broken. As is Leon's, sitting useless in the main hall." Celeste pointed out. "For all your confidence, that is a remarkably high failure rate."

The bear merely responded with his signature laugh. "Do you think there might some kind of mystery in there somewhere?" Monkuma asked. "How, precisely, did the handbooks get broken?"

Makoto was the one to answer that. "You already told us before that the handbook has one weak point, did you?" He pointed out.

Monokuma groaned in annoyance at that. "You remember that?!"

"Of course we did." Byakuya said with an eye roll. "Did the bear honestly think we would forget that kind of information?"

"It seemed Monokuma slipped up a little." Kyoko noted.

Junko had to fight off a blush of embarrassment. 'Well, anyone can make a mistake, can't they?' She thought to herself.

He ducked his head down in embarrassment. "S-Sure, maybe I let that slip, but I never told anyone what the weak point actually was!"

"But if the handbook is supposed to never break, and two of them broke in quick succession," Sakura spoke up. "Then…."

"Then we can only assume that someone's figured out its weakness." Kyoko concluded. "You know what the weakness is, right Monokuma? So, what is it?"

"Huh? You're asking me?" The bear gasped.

"I think it's a necessary piece of information if you want this to be a fair trial." Kyoko stated.

"Yeah!" Hina agreed with detective. "So tell us already, you stupid bear!"

"But….if I tell you, and someone else decides to copy it, that would be very not good…."

"Oh come on, that's a crappy excuse!" Hina whined.

"Why would we want to break our own e-handbooks?" Leon remarked. "Just give us the damn info!"

"Just tell us already!" Hina demanded impatiently. "Why would we wanna break our own handbooks?!"

Monokuma sighed. "Oh well….I have a weakness for pushy demands. But you're sure you won't follow their examples?"

"We won't! Just tell us!" Several of them exclaimed in annoyance.

"Then allow me to make a special announcement! The weak point of my cutting-edge e-Handbook is….when it's exposed to high temperatures for too long, it will suffer a meltdown and totally brrreak!" He revealed.

"Huh?" Now the group of Ultimates are blinking in surprise at the revelation. Sayaka was the one to speak up first. "That's what the weakness was?"

"Then the handbooks must've been in the sauna!" Junko said in realization.

"What makes you think it's in the sauna?" Taka asked.

At the question, Junko got into her teacher persona. "Causing, looking at the open areas in the first and second floor, the only area that has really high temperature is the sauna."

"I flippin' knew it!" Hifumi suddenly stated.

"...You knew it?" Makoto said in shock.

"Yeah, cuz I found the handbook laying on the floor of the sauna!" The fanfic creator informed him.

"And that proves my theory."

"But, then how mine break?" Leon asked, confused. Last he check, the sauna wasn't open while he was still kicking.

As Makoto thought about Leon's question, a thought occurred. '...Maybe it wasn't Leon's.' He thought. 'Maybe it was someone. Someone who brought their e-Handbook in the sauna.' And there's only one person who would've done it. 'Mondo….you really did it, didn't you?'

"The temperature in the sauna can reach over 200 degrees. Strange how you don't get burnt, huh?!" Monokuma began explaining. "It's because as your sweat evaporates, it creates a cooling layer of air around your skin! If the hot air of the sauna were somehow pushed directly onto your skin, you'd definitely get fried! That layer of air would get blown away. That's why you may feel a burning when you move around. So when you're in a sauna, make sure to keep nice and still!"

"Wow, interesting!" Taka mused. "I learned one new fact today!"

"That is a mere trifling speck of knowledge!" Hifumi stated.

Byakuya facepalmed. "Can we not focus on meaningless information?"

"No information is meaningless!" Taka argued. "Learning is the key to a good life! No information is worthless!"

"It is when it's irrelevant to the current situation."

"Anyway…." Makoto spoke up, trying to get the trial back on track. "If you found the victim's handbook in the sauna….then the killer must've been purposely trying to raise its temperature in order to break it."

"Meaning the culprit somehow knew its weakness…." Sakura said.

"But how'd they find out?" Hina wondered. "Monokuma said he didn't tell anyone, right?"

"Indeed, quite the mystery…." Hifumi agreed.

"What if they discovered it by accident?" Kyoko suggested.

"By accident?" Sakura turned to Kyoko. "How could they found out by accident?"

"Just wait a moment. I think my future self will explain." Kyoko told her.

"What do you mean, by accident?" Sakura inquired.

"What if the killer took their own handbook into the sauna, not knowing its weakness, and it broke?" Kyoko theorized. "They'd realize it was broken, of course, and it wouldn't be hard to figure out why. And once they had Chihiro's' handbook, they knew they had an easy way to dispose of it."

"That is a good theory," Sakura agreed with, crossing her arms. "And it's probably what'd happened. But who could've done it?"

"Always come down to that question." Hiro sighed.

"I won't say it's not possible, but….who would have done something like that?" Byakuya questioned. "I don't know of anyone who took their handbook into the sauna…."

'Wait a minute….' Makoto's eyes widen in realization before closing his eyes resignation. 'Mondo. He's the only one we know of that brought their handbook into the sauna.' He also can see that Sayaka, Kyoko, Byakuya, and a few more of the others realized this as well, remembering the sauna match between Taka and Mondo.

"...I might know someone who did." Makoto declared.

"Whoa, seriously?!" Hifumi exclaimed.

"You know somebody that could've brought their handbook in the sauna?" Hina questioned in surprise.

Makoto nodded, his head bowed. "I do. My future self have seen it, first hand."

"Really? Who is it, then?" Jill questioned him with her usual energy.

"I think the one who may have taken their handbook into the sauna was…." Makoto's eyes went directly towards Mondo. "Mondo….your handbook got broken in the sauna, didn't it?"

"Wh-Wh-What?!" Mondo recoiled in shock.

"Th-The hell?!" Mondo exclaimed, looking shocked and angry.

"Why?!" Taka demanded. "Why do keep accusing him?!"

"Why do you keep thinking that Mondo killed me?!" Chihiro questioned tearfully.

Makoto winced at the looks on Taka's and Chihiro's face. "You can figure it out by yourselves." The luckster softly said. "After all, all of us here has seen it the evidence in my future self's eyes."

"Wh-What?" Chihiro stuttered, getting a bit pale.

"Remember the endurance contest Mondo and Taka had?" Kyoko told everyone. "If you can recall that moment, it will be clear why Mondo is the most likely candidate to have done this."

At the mention of their endurance, several more eyes widen in realization. "He left his clothes on during that." Leon realized. "And probably had his handbook in there."

"He did." Sayaka said with a solemn nod. "That's why he's the most likely candidate for it."

"Why?! Why do you keep accusing him?!" Taka demanded.

"Mondo and Taka had an endurance contest in the sauna not too long ago, remember?" Makoto reminded everyone. "And for the contest, Mondo just so happened to keep his school uniform on. But little did he realize, he'd also left his handbook in one of his uniform pockets. And when it was all over, Mondo discovered that taking your handbook into the sauna could easily destroy it."

Mondo let out a panicked growl at this.

'No way….no fucking way….' Mondo denied in his mind. There's no way he could've done it! There's no way he could've killed Chihiro! What reason was there?

"H-Hold on! That just speculation!" Taka protested. "You need proof! Actual, solid proof!"

'Taka….' Makoto thought with a grimace. He wish his future self is wrong. He really wish that he thinking things the wrong way. But someone killed Chihiro. And unfortunately, that someone seems to be Mondo.

"Now, wait hold on….!" Taka protested. "You've got it all wrong! He would never kill-!" He then began getting frantic. "I don't accept this! Show me the proof! The actual, solid proof!"

'I mean…..I don't want to believe it either. But….' Makoto thought in his head. 'But I found something that proves it beyond a shadow of a doubt….'

"What? What proof?!" Taka exclaimed, becoming pale. "There isn't any proof!"

"Actually, there is." Byakuya responded, remembering 'Leon's' broken e-Handbook. "It's proof that would prove without a doubt that Mondo is the culprit."

The non-stop debate started up once again, with Kyoko speaking. "Let's test Makoto assertion." Kyoko began. "If what he says is correct, then Mondo….you broke your own handbook."

"In other words, if Mondo's handbook is actually broken…." Celeste mused. "Then that proves what Makoto said is right."

"Well my goddamn handbook works just fine!" Mondo told them.

'No, that's wrong!' The bullet was shot as Makoto spoke up. "Mondo, the handbook you have right now….is it really yours?" He asked him.

"...The fuck is that supposed to mean?!" Mondo exclaimed.

"The broken handbook that was in the main hall…." Makoto pointed out. "Isn't that one actually yours?"

"What the heck are you talking about?!" Taka questioned him.

"How on earth would the one in the main hall be his?!" Taka continued for his future self. "The one he has is his!"

"Are you really sure about that?" Mukuro inquired. "I think Makoto is saying that he possibly switched them out."

"H-Huh?" Chihiro spoke up, his voice sounding weak.

"What I mean is, I think Mondo swapped his handbook out for one that actually worked." Makoto explained. "I think he took Leon's handbook and replaced it with his own. After all, Monokuma said himself that Leon's handbook never should have broken."

"That's right! The punishment it suffered wasn't nearly enough to destroy it!" Monokuma confirmed.

"So that means Mondo switching out his handbook for Leon's is the only option he had." Mukuro said with a tiny grimace. "How unfortunate."

"No kidding." Leon sighed, clenching his fist.

Taka and Chihiro looked more and more frantic, while Mondo looked down on his clenched fists and knees. "No fucking way….it can't be…." He muttered to himself.

"So then, the broken handbook in the main hall is actually Mondo's." Celeste said. "Which would mean that the handbook Mondo has right now is actually Leon's, yes?"

"But doesn't that violate the school regulation that says loaning out your handbook is prohibited?" Hina pointed out.

Byakuya facepalmed. "Did you honestly forget that I said you can borrow a dead person's handbook?"

"A-A lot of stuff is happening right now!" Hina said in her defense. Honestly, she's having a hard time believing that Mondo would kill Chihiro, of all people. It just doesn't seem possible. But the evidence is hard to argue with right now.

"Well, here's how I look at it…." Monokuma spoke up. "There is a rule about loaning your handbooks to another student. But if they're dead, they're not a student! It's kind of a grey area, I admit, but no worries! If anything, it just makes things more interesting! As such, I decree that exchanging handbooks with a corpse is not a violation to the rules!"

"Well, Mondo? If I'm wrong about this, you're welcome to say so." Makoto said softly. "I'm happy to admit I made a mistake, but…."

"S-Son of a bitch….!" Mondo cursed.

"H-Huh?" His future self's words cracked him out of his denial. What….what did he just said? Does those words mean….he admitted to killing Chihiro? 'Now that I think about, all of Makoto's words makes sense.' Mondo thought to himself. 'Makes so much goddamn sense….'

"M-Mondo?" Chihiro spoke up, growing paler. "W-What's the matter?"

"Y-Yeah, bro, a-aren't you going to say he's wrong?" Taka asked him, panic clear in his voice. "Aren't you?"

"I…." He doesn't know what to say. Everything that pointed to him being the killer fit together perfectly. Even someone with a dense head such as himself was able to follow through the trial. But if he's going to accept that, he just wanted to know why?

"What's wrong, bro? Come on, tell him he's wrong….!" Taka urged his friend. "You ARE wrong! You HAVE to be wrong….!" He then glared fiercely at Makoto. "Everything you just said is wrong! You made it all up!"

"Okay, then why don't we look back on this case one more time, from the beginning?" Makoto suggested. "That way, everything will be clear, and we'll all see if I was right or wrong!"

'The Closing Argument….' Celeste closed her eyes. 'This makes it definite that Mondo is the culprit.' This may be only the second time they've seen it, but it's clear that it tells who the culprit is.

Several of the others realized this as well. The more reserved ones like Sakura and Kyoko closed her eyes in resignation, while others like Sayaka and Leon expressed sadness or frustration through their facial expressions.

Mondo himself closed his eyes and gritted his teeth as he awaited the final explanation, while Taka and Chihiro felt their blood run colder. Consciously, they still refused to believe Mondo is the killer, but subconsciously, they knew what's about to come and what it means.

'First Daiya, and now Chihiro...

...

...

Just... why?'

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 40: Watching Chapter 2: Boys' Life of Despair Part 16

The scene changed to a dark screen, with the words 'Act 1' at the right side yet again. "First, let's take a look back to before the incident…." Makoto began. "Last night, Celeste saw Chihiro in the warehouse, correct? At the time, she was apparently stuffing something into a duffel bag." As he spoke, the closing argument scene showed Chihiro packing the tracksuit, and Celeste spotting her. "That something was a blue tracksuit. You can confirm this, right Celeste?"

It then moved to Act 2, showing Chihiro stuffing the tracksuit fully inside before moving out and waving goodbye to Celeste. "With bag in hand, Chihiro headed out, even though it was officially nighttime. She made her way to the locker room, specifically, the boys locker room. But how could the victim, who was apparently a girl, access the boys locker room?" It then showed the locker room, as well as Chihiro using her handbook to access the boys' locker room before going in. "Simple. Because 'she' was really a he. Which is why he was able to use his own e-Handbook to gain entrance to the boys locker room."

"Once inside, he met with someone there. And the person he met was the one who killed him!" Act two then showed Chihiro meeting up with said person, then going into one of the lockers. As he did, the person picked up a dumbbell. "It seems likely that the killer grabbed the nearby dumbbell, approached the unsuspecting Chihiro…." It then switched to the killer approaching Chihiro, the boy turning around in shock, and blood sprayed everywhere. "And attacked him." A bit of the blood went onto the poster and mat. "And that's where the bloodstains on the poster and carpeting in the boys locker room came from."

Next was dumbbell being dropped, the killer looking panicked, and Chihiro, dead on the ground.

Chihiro felt himself shaking when his murder began playing out. When he saw the silhouette attacked his future self, the programmer flinched heavily, like he was the one struck. He looked away from the screen as it was rather morbid to look at his own dead body, the discomfort making him tear up.

The others are also having a difficult time seeing this. Tears began leaking from Sayaka and Hina, while anguish hit Taka's and Makoto's faces. Sakura closed her eyes and looked away, teeth clenched.

Mondo himself is shaking, in rage, confliction, and anguish. Rage at seeing Chihiro killed, but confliction and anguish at the the large possibility that it was him. 'B-But….why would I kill Chihiro?' Mondo thought to himself. 'Why would that thought even cross my mind?'

"It was likely in the heat of the moment. The body was arranged, but the murder itself felt unplanned." Act 3 then appeared, with the culprit rolling up the mat, along with pulling off the poster. "Which is why the killer hurried to try and hide the act. First, pulling up the bloodstained carpet, then removing the bloody poster….." It then showed the culprit pulling Chihiro's corpse onto their shoulder, along with the door to the girls locker room. "...and finally carrying the corpse into the girls locker room."

"A girl's handbook was necessary to get into the locker room, of course….but this alone doesn't prove that the killer was necessarily a girl." The next scene showed the culprit holding an e-Handbook before using it to enter in the locker room. "After all, Sayaka's and Junko's handbook handbooks had been placed in the main hall. Using one of the those, a boy could get into the girls locker room without much problem." Next it showed them placing the bloody poster onto the wall, then laying Chihiro down on the floor. "And that's exactly how the killer did it. With the carpet and the poster they'd brought with them, they got to work…."

The next part was the culprit letting out a breath of exertion, as well as the switch of the crime scene. "They changed the layout of the boys and girls locker room, in what you might call….a crime  scene switch! That could have been the end of things, but no…."

Act 4 was then shown, with Byakuya looking into the girls locker room, a sinister smirk on his face. "Byakuya discovered the body and decided to….intervene in the situation, making things even more complicated." He then entered the room, with an extension cord in his hand. "So, after stumbling into the crime scene, he went and grabbed the extension cord from the library, and then he got to work."

"He used the cord to string up Chihiro's lifeless body." The climax argument showed Byakuya tying Chihiro's hands and neck. "Then, using the victim's own blood, he left a grisly message there at the scene of the crime." A picture of Byakuya gathering up some blood on his fingers was shown before using it to write the message. The picture of the fully altered crime scene was shown. "He wanted to create the illusion that Genocide Jack was responsible for the slaughter."

The sight of Byakuya altering the crime scene and messing with Chihiro's body upset the entire class. Hina and Sayaka had angry scowls plastered on their faces, Mondo was shaking in rage, and the silence amongst the rest was more than enough to express their discontent. Chihiro felt himself shaking, a few whimpers coming out of him. Grief and nausea hit him as he curled up tighter.

Byakuya himself kept his head towards the TV, his face unexpressive. Inwardly, however, he's also feeling a bit of anger and disgust towards his future self. What has possessed him to do this? Why alter the crime scene and string up Chihiro's corpse? What is there to gain from that?

"And around the same time that Byakuya was putting together this facade…." Act 5 began, with the killer entering the bath house. "...the killer, having already disposed of Chihiro's bag and other belongings, arrived at the sauna. There, they planned to destroy the last piece of evidence….Chihiro's handbook." The scene showed the killer throwing the handbooks into the sauna, watching it land before it shorted out. "And just as the killer expected, the steamy sauna was enough to ruin the electronic gadget. Somehow, the killer knew that the handbook couldn't stand up to the heat of the sauna. And the reason they knew that is because the sauna had already wrecked their own handbook! ….And that's how it all played out."

The scene then switched to pictures of Makoto and the silhouette. A second later, the silhouette revealed itself to be Mondo. "Isn't that right, Mondo Owada?!"

"And with that, all the contradictions have cleared up." Celeste sighed softly.

Kyoko turned to Mondo. "So Mondo, can you deny that you're the culprit?"

His response was a resigned look. "What the hell do you think?" The biker said gruffly. "You saw what happened. There's no way I can deny it."

"M-Mondo?" Chihiro spoke up, her eyes wide with horror and a wave of unshed tears.

"I'm sorry, Chihiro," Mondo said, refusing to look at him. "I don't want to believe that I killed you. But even I know when to give in." It was extremely frustrating. It wasn't him that killed Chihiro per se, but at the same time, he also couldn't deny that he did kill him. Had this all been for a speeding ticket, he could've accepted it. Had this been for disturbing the peace from his gang brawls, he could've accepted it. But for something he didn't know why it happened and yet it was a fact? Mondo didn't want to accept it, but he also couldn't reject it. What is he supposed to do?

"H-Hold on! Just wait a minute, bro!" Taka protested, his eyes swimming with anxiety and denial. "There's no proof! No actual, physical proof!"

"Bro, please…." 'Don't make this harder on me than it already is...'

But the moral compass wasn't listening. "Without proof, this is all just speculation! They can't pin any of this on you!"

"T-Taka right!" Chihiro quickly agreed, his voice sounding a bit strained. "If there's no proof, then he can't be the one that killed me!"

'I'm sorry, Taka, Chihiro, but there is proof.' Makoto thought sadly, his expression downcast. 'And the proof is in Mondo's pocket.'

The scene switched back to the trial room. Mondo let out a resigned groan in response to Makoto's summary.

"W-Wait….! No, this can't be right!" Taka protested frantically. "Where's your evidence….? Y-Yeah, where's your evidence?!"

Seeing how future Taka is acting, as well as how the present one and Chihiro is acting, caused some of the students' hearts to ache.

'Dammit bro, just stop it.' Mondo thought, gritting his teeth and closing his eyes. 'There's no use denying it now. Please, just, accept it.' But he knew that Taka wouldn't. Not until there's no way to deny it, or when future self finally admits it.

'Evidence that Mondo is the killer….' As Makoto thought that, the camera angled closer to his face, his eyes closed. 'That already revealed itself earlier in the trial.'

The camera moved back to the frantic Taka. "You need evidence! You need proof!"

It went back to Makoto. 'All I have to do is check that one item of his, and everything will become clear….'

And back to Taka. "Without any proof, you can't pin any of this on him!"

Once more, it moved back to Makoto. This time, the luckster opened his eyes in resigned determination. "I do have evidence!"

The camera froze to Taka's frantic expression, moving it closer in different angles until the image broke like glass. "W-What?" Taka froze at Makoto's statement.

"If my thinking so far is right…." Makoto continued. "Mondo must have replaced his broken handbook with Leon's. In which case, we can just check each of our handbooks right now. Once we do that, we'll-"

"We don't gotta do that." Mondo finally spoke, his voice soft.

"Huh?" Was Makoto's confused response.

"What….?" Taka felt himself become white as a sheet a Mondo's word. "Bro….what are you….?"

'No….it can't be….' Chihiro felt himself shaking once more, tears slowly coming out of his eyes. 'Don't….please don't say it. Please….'

"Yeah. Yeah…." Mondo softly admitted. "I did it….I killed him."

That what caused Chihiro to break. Grief, horror, and despair was displayed on his face and in his eyes, with waves of tears coming out. Hearing this, hearing Mondo's future self verbally admit to killing him….it shattered his denial.

His classmate, his friend, the person he admired the most….killed him. Mondo is the culprit that murdered him.

"Bro...what are you saying?" Taka asked, trying to wrap his head at what he heard. "Why would you say that?!"

"Because there's no use denying it." Mondo told him. "I'm the one who killed him. I….murdered Chihiro."

"No! It can't-"

"Think about it, bro!" Mondo stated, his eyes still closed. "Think back to everything you saw! If you just think about it, you know that you can't keep denying it!"

"I…." Reluctantly, Taka did so. Thought back to when he first got accused, the handbook conversation, the closing argument, and finally, Mondo's admittance. And as he thought about those things, horror and despair slowly entered his face. And soon, he had no choice but to admit….that Mondo is the blackened of the second trial.

"Bro? Bro….what are you saying?" Taka gasped in shock.

"I got no choice, man. After hearing all that, I gotta just….give up." Mondo said, his voice gruff. "Go ahead, Monokuma. Get it over with….ask for the god damned verdict…."

"Roger that!" Monokuma replied back.

'Here it comes….' Makoto thought gravely. 'Voting time….' He winced when he heard Chihiro beginning to let out sobs.

"W-Wait, hold on-!" Taka protested.

"No waiting! No holding on!" Monokuma stated in response. "Time for the moment we've all been waiting for! Grab your lever and give it a yank! Who will you elect as the blackened this time around? Will you make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one? What's it gonna be? What's it gonna beeee?!"

Dread began filling everyone's heart, knowing what will come next. 'I hate this….' Hina thought, the tears stinging her eyes.

'I'm loving this!' Junko thought giddily. This is better than the last trial!

After his question, the scene switched to the slot machine once again. The slot machine then began rolling before slowly stopping on Mondo. And once again, the lights flashed, cheers came out, and coins flew out of the machine.

The scene went back to the students, who got off their podiums and gathered around each other. "Uh-oh….this time it looks like….you got it right again!" Monokuma told everyone. "Yes, it is so. The blackened that killed Chihiro Fujisaki was….Mondo Owaaadaaaa!"

Once again, that statement hit nearly everyone hard. Harder than last time even. Where the first trial was at point that their future selves barely knew each other….this case was where a friend murdered another friend. A wave of cold depression and horror hammered everyone's spirits to the ground.

Chihiro's sobbed even louder, burying his face into his knees. Taka, meanwhile, was shell-shocked, his mind temporarily broke from all the news he had received.

And Mondo himself? He was silent, with any heat and anger he had in him snuffed out. What was left was remorse, guilt, and resignation. "So that's it then." He said softly, mainly to himself. "I'm the goddamned blackened this time."

"Why….?" Taka asked numbly. Slowly, his voice got more frantic. "Why….why would he kill Chihiro?!"

"I... don't know." Mondo admitted softly. But he have a few good guesses.

Mondo was silent at that, his head cast down. "In case you're wondering, the vote was NOT unanimous. Kiyotaka chose the wrooong answer!" Monokuma informed them. "You're treading very close to the danger zone, Mr. Ishimaru! You need to be more careful!"

Mondo gritted his teeth. Even with all the evidence, even with his own admittance….his bro was still adamant that he would never do something like that. That hurts, knowing he failed his best friend. No, he failed everyone by breaking their trust.

"I-I refuse to believe it…." Taka mumbled, shell-shocked and pale. "There's no way….no way he would kill someone!"

"Sorry…." Was what all Mondo could say.

"Wh-Why are you apologizing?!" Taka demanded. "Why?! Why, why, why, why, why?! WHYYY?! Wh….why?" And finally, Taka broke down from his denial. "Why did you do it?!" Once again, Mondo was silent, his eyes away from everyone.

"Being silent, are we?" Celeste pointed out with a raised eyebrow. "Not willing to share what caused you to kill?"

"Telling people why you killed somebody ain't exactly the easiest thing, you know. And it's not like I know either..." Mondo shot back, though no bite was in his words.

"Well, it looks like Mondo's taken a vow of silence, so allow me to explain on his behalf…." Monokuma spoke up. "The story of the murder this time….is the story of two men."

As he began telling the story, the screen faded black. "Anyway, there was once a young boy…." The bear began. "And his name was Chihiro Fujisaki." An image of Chihiro then appeared. "He had an extreme inferiority complex regarding his own lack of strength."

"You're so weak, even though you're a boy!" An image of a younger Chihiro was shown next. "He heard things like that as long as he could remember, and he couldn't overcome his weaknesses."

Monokuma's story caused Chihiro's eyes to widen shock, and for his head to shot up, revealing his tear stained face. He flinched when he heard the last part, remembering all the times he has been called weak as a child.

"On the contrary, he tried to hide and buried himself further and further into that weakness…." The next scene was Chihiro dressing up as a girl for the first time. "...to take on the form of a petite young girl. He had chosen that as his way out."

"Now nobody will be able to say anything about 'even though you're a boy'..." Chihiro murmured to himself.

The reveal of why Chihiro dressed as a girl shocked and upsetted the group. "Chihiro…." Sayaka called out softly to the programmer. "Is this true? That's why you…."

Chihiro nodded, keeping his eyes away from everyone. "It hurts…." Chihiro croaked quietly. "Hurts when people say that I'm weak. That even though I'm a guy, I'm not at all strong." The insults and cruel words hurt even more than actual pain.

"Chihiro…." Hina bit her lips at this, very upset that her friend had to go through that. That he had to become something he isn't in order to escape it. Beside her, Sakura looked down, anger boiling in her eyes. Her desire to find and punish those who verbally assaulted Chihiro was strong.

Leon also felt that same desire. He scowled and clenched his fist tightly, wishing he could beat the crap out of those guys.

"But no matter how tightly he wrapped himself up in that shell…." Monokuma continued. "...the inferiority complex had already taken root deep inside of him, and was not so easily weeded out." A scene of a depressed Chihiro was shown. "As it turned out, the shell was completely empty. Instead, it only grew stronger and stronger."

"I'm….weak…." Chihiro muttered depressingly. "Weak, weak, weak, weak, weak, weak, weak, weak….!"

Several of them felt their heart clench at this. How long was Chihiro was suffering like that? How long did he felt this way, felt so….depressed?

Makoto looked down, a deep, sorrowful frown on his face. He's glad he, Mondo, and Leon was able to help Chihiro, somewhat. But he knew that Chihiro still has that inferiority complex about him. And he can't help but feel a bit useless, knowing that his programmer friend is suffering like that.

A flashback where the entire class first met was shown next. "Once the killing game had begun here at the school, he had no choice but to accept this fact." The bear stated. "After all, this world is survival of the fittest. If you're not strong, you don't survive." The next flashback was Monokuma holding everyone's embarrassing secrets. "And then the lovely and hateful Monokuma announced the revealing of the embarrassing secrets. Which, of course, included Chihiro's embarrassing secret, which I was more than willing to divulge…."

A scene of Chihiro looking at his secret was shown, the letter saying, "Even though he dresses like a girl, Chihiro is actually a boy."

Predictably, Monokuma's words angered the group. "That fucking bear…." Leon growled, clenching his teeth. "He acts way too gleeful about revealing that!"

"Does the word 'personal privacy' mean anything to that psycho?" Hina angrily protested.

"Not if it get someone killing somebody." Celeste sighed.

"And that was something Chihiro couldn't let anyone find out, no matter the cost." Monokuma declared. "If that was revealed, it would be the end. The hardened shell would crack, the armor would fall away. Without a doubt, those around him would torture him more than ever before. Everyone figured being thrust into such a dilemma must have sent him spiraling into despair."

"And yet….!" A flashback of Chihiro saying that he doesn't want to reveal it yet, but wanted to reveal it later when he's stronger was shown. "Annoyingly, he used the threat of discovery to motivate himself to become stronger!"

A scene of a determine looking Chihiro was the next thing to be shown. "Now's my chance…." Chihiro said to himself. "I'm going to get stronger….and accept who I am….strong enough so that when someone says 'even though you're a boy' I'll be okay. I'll get better!"

That caused Chihiro's eyes to widen once again, shock filling his veins. Did he….hear that correctly? Was his future self….using the threat as motivation to become stronger?

The others were surprised by this as well. "Wow." Leon whistled. "Guess that explains why Chihiro wasn't breaking down at the reveal of our motives."

"Guess so." Junko remarked, also shocked by this. Inwardly, she is also incredibly annoyed! Chihiro wasn't supposed to be motivated by this! He was suppose to be breaking down! Instead of her motive bringing him despair, it brought him hope! It angered her that her plan had technically back-fired against her.

As the surprise wore off, a small smile entered Makoto's lips. "Instead of breaking down and letting despair take him, he used this as motivation. As a way to become stronger and more accepting of himself."

"It shows that Chihiro does indeed have courage inside him." Sakura said softly.

Chihiro stared at the TV. Does….he really have that kind of courage? Could he really be that brave?

"With that thought at the front of his mind, he resolved to take immediate action." Monokuma said. "And so…" A flashback of Chihiro and Celeste in the warehouse was shown. "That day, he made the commitment to begin exercising. He was prepared to train his mind and body. But sadly….that would be the first and last chance he would get at it!"

The TV finally reverted back to the courtroom. "When he'd decided to start exercising, he thought it would be good to ask for someone's help. But he wanted to tell that person his secret first, and then ask them to help him from there. And the person he went to…."

"Was Mondo." Kyoko concluded with a small grimace.

The biker, who was up quiet throughout the small story, clenched his teeth. 'And I ended up killing him in response.' Mondo thought to himself. 'He trusted me, and I spat on that trust!'

"It was me….!" Mondo stated bluntly.

"Yup, it sure was!" The bear said gleefully. "The biker gang fella had been painfully clear about how important his mainly promise were. So Chihiro probably figured that even if he confided in Mondo, his honor would make him make him keep the secret."

Mondo was silent to this. "Plus, Mr. Macho Mondo was the very symbol of a strong man that Chihiro had always aspired to." The bear added.

The scene switched to a flashback of Chihiro in his room. "Maybe talking to Mondo about it will help give me some courage…."

"So that's where it all began, huh?" Junko commented on. "When Makoto made that suggestion to Chihiro…."

"Junko!" Sayaka exclaimed, glaring at the fashionista. "Are you saying that it's Makoto fault?"

"Hey, that's not what I meant!" Junko said, holding her hands up in a surrender motion and feigning a defensive tone. "I'm just saying that how it started! I mean, we all saw that Chihiro didn't think about Mondo until our little luckster brought up the idea."

Makoto looked down, guilt entering his mind. 'I was the one who suggested it….' He thought to himself. 'Maybe if I hadn't, Chihiro would be….'

"Chihiro would've eventually come to that conclusion anyway, regardless of what Makoto said." Kyoko said, drawing the luckster out of his thoughts. "It couldn't be helped."

"And it was my choice." Chihiro spoke up softly. "So please, don't blame Makoto for what I decided to do."

"Alright, alright. Sorry." The fashionista mentally giggled. Her little comment should have nourished that seed of guilt in his mind. Oh boy, this was fun!

Sayaka, meanwhile, grabbed Makoto's hand, gaining his attention. "It's not your fault." Sayaka whispered. "You wouldn't have known that Mondo would do something like that. So please, don't blame yourself."

Makoto, after a moment, nodded in response and squeeze her hand back. Still, he can't but feel partly responsible for what had happened.

'But still...'

"So he went and asked Mondo to help him become strong!" Once again, the camera switched back to the trial room. "That was his aspiration…." Monokuma sighed in mock sadness. "And he thought that only with Mondo's support would he able to come close to that."

"So then, that must be why Mondo did what he did - to keep the promise he'd made to Chihiro." Kyoko realized.

It quickly clicked in Makoto's mind what Kyoko meant. "You're talking about why Mondo carried Chihiro's body into the girls locker room, right?"

Kyoko nodded. "Yes, that's most likely what I meant."

"That makes sense." Leon said softly. "Mondo would do his damn best to keep his promises." The biker himself didn't say anything.

"But….what makes you think it wasn't a way to cover up his crime?" Hifumi inquired.

"It's probably part of the reason," Makoto corrected. "But the main reason is to keep his promise. After all, a couple of us would've questioned Chihiro's true gender if he was found in the boys locker room."

"Especially when all the other possibilities isn't feasible." Kyoko added.

Confusion and distressed enter Chihiro's whirlwind of emotions. He doesn't doubt that Mondo would do this….but it doesn't explain why he would kill him. Why?!

"Huh? Did what he did?" Makoto asked in confusion. Then his eyes lit up in realization. "You mean….? That's why Mondo carried Chihiro from the boys locker room into the girls locker room?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean." Kyoko confirmed.

"Wasn't that to cover up what he'd done?" Hifumi asked.

"That could have been part of it, but I don't think it was the main reason." Kyoko said. "The real purpose was to keep his promise between men he'd made to Chihiro."

"But….how does moving the body keep his secret?" Hina asked, confuse.

"Because if everyone knew he'd been killed in the boys locker room, then everyone would have been arguing about how 'she' got into the boys locker room, right?" Kyoko explained. "Once that started up, at least a few of us would have immediately begun to suspect his identity. So he tried to protect Chihiro's secret by putting him in the girls locker room and stealing his handbook. See?"

"Then….Mondo did all that to keep the promise he'd made to Chihiro….who he'd also killed?" Makoto questioned, trying to his head around that.

"That is very a very big contradiction." Celeste stated. "Honoring someone's secret, yet ended up killing them."

Distress and confusion was evident in Taka's eyes and face, as well as Chihiro's. "The more I hear, the less I understand…." Taka exclaimed, holding his head. "Why would bro do this?! He and Chihiro are friends!"

"That answer will most likely come soon." Sakura sighed.

Again, Mondo was silent to this. "Why….would he….do that?" Taka asked once again, frustration and confusion evident in his voice. "The more I hear you talk, the more I don't understand! I mean, you guys trusted each other, right?! So why? Why did you….?"

Finally, Mondo spoke. "Because….no matter what, I didn't want anyone to know…."

What the future Mondo said triggered the present one. He clenched his teeth at his words. 'So I was right after all.' Mondo thought with gritted teeth. 'It's so I could keep that a secret. Damn it, damn it, damn it! Why am I so simple minded?'

'So the motive was the trigger after all.' Kyoko thought, her eyes closed. 'I thought as much.'

"So that's what triggered it, after all." Kyoko sighed. "The possibility of having your embarrassing memories and secrets exposed…."

Several eyes widen at this. "Bro…." Taka turned to his best friend. "Was the secret so bad that you had to kill somebody for it?! It couldn't be!"

"How many times do I have to say it?" Byakuya sighed in annoyance. "You cannot judge someone else's values based on your own outlook. It was clear that he thought differently."

"I hate to say this, but Byakuya's right." Sayaka said, biting her lips. "There are secrets that people will do anything to keep." Being in the music industry taught her that all too well.

"Th-That's impossible! Nothing could have been that bad!" Taka refuted. "Something he didn't want anyone to know, even if it meant killing someone….? It's impossible!"

"How many times must I repeat myself?" Byakuya sighed in annoyance. "To judge others by your own standard is the height of folly. Even if you can't comprehend it, he obviously can. That's all there is to it."

"But….Mondo, what is that secret?" Hina asked him, turning to the biker. "What is so bad that you have to kill Chihiro for it?" The gang leader stayed silent to that, unwilling to reveal that.

Chihiro turned to the biker as well, wanting to know the answer to that question as well. What secret did he have that would cause him to kill? What….what would cause Mondo to kill him?

"Well, while we're on the subject….why don't I tell you?" Monokuma offered. "That embarrassing memory, that secret he didn't want anyone to know….you know what Mondo did? He killed his own brother!" Mondo made a choking noise at the reveal of his secret.

Now THAT completely shocked the group. Eyes were popped wide open, jaws were hanging from their mouths, shock and disbelief had quickly filled the air around them.

"Whaaaaaat?!" Hifumi screamed in shock.

"He….killed his brother?!" Hina exclaimed, trying to process that information.

Both Chihiro and Taka turned to their biker, whose head is bowed and his body shaking. "Mondo….is this true?" Taka asked, his voice small. The biker remained quiet to this, shame completely pinning him down.

'Ooooh, this has gotten much more interesting!' Junko thought eagerly. Not that it wasn't interesting before, but this new information even more interesting.

The scene switched to Mondo riding on his bike, with several other gangsters behind and following him. "Mondo, the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader, makes all the hoodlums and riff-raff across the country tremble…." Monokuma began narrating once again. "But the only reason he had the chance to join a gang in the first place was because of a certain someone."

The next scene shown was of Mondo's older brother, Daiya, driving a motorcycle. "Mondo's older brother name was Daiya Owada. Mondo had nothing but respect for him. It was because of Daiya that Mondo ever got on a bicycle." The scene widen to show Mondo looking at his older brother. "Mondo's brother was his only family growing up. He was the only one Mondo could trust, and respect. He wanted to measure up to his big brother, so he imitated him in everything he did. Mondo was the epitome of the starry-eyed kid brother."

This wasn't new information for the group. They all knew that Mondo had loved and admired his older brother, and was a 'starry-eyed kid brother', as Monokuma put it. But with this information, they had to ask….could Mondo really have killed his brother?

'Something must've happened that caused Daiya's death.' Makoto thought to himself. 'Something that Mondo blame himself for.'

"Meanwhile, the charismatic older brother had put together a local motorcycle gang….." Monokuma continued. "...and before anyone knew it, it had grown into the biggest biker gang in the country. Daiya, the older brother, number one in the gang. And his number two, his younger brother, Mondo. In the beginning, everything was peach and gravy.

"But when Mondo started to think about how he would have to take over the gang from his brother someday….his brother's greatness, his reputation, began to gnaw on Mondo's very soul!" The scene switched Mondo being surrounded by silhouettes of other bikers, whispering around him. "Almost every day, Mondo heard the gossip and whispers of the other members of the gang. Which is why…."

The camera moved to the side of Mondo's face, showing frustration and desperation. "I gotta get stronger….stronger than Daiya." He said to himself. "Once….just one time….no matter what, I gotta win….I don't care what it takes, I gotta come out on top!"

As they watched, a sinking feeling was felt by some of them. They just knew something bad was about to happen.

Mondo, meanwhile, clenched his fist and teeth, tears swelling up in his eyes. He knew what's going to come next. A crime he considered the ultimate betrayal to himself. No amount of reparation would be able to absolve him from his crime.

"And on the night of his amazing brother's retirement ceremony, Mondo challenged him to a street race!" The next scene was switched to Mondo racing his brother. "But during the race, tragedy struck. The kid brother pushed ahead with reckless abandon, eager for victory, and dashed into incoming traffic." As the bear narrated, the TV displayed Mondo pushing ahead and ending up right in front of an incoming truck.

"But suddenly….!" Out of nowhere, Daiya pushed Mondo off the road, with the truck still driving in full speed. Right as the truck was about to hit the older brother, everything turned white as the sound of crashing entered the speakers. The white screen faded to show a crying Mondo holding his dying brother.

The sight of what had happened, along with Mondo holding his older brother and crying, filled with the room heartache. "So that's what happened…." Makoto said quietly, closing his eyes in respect for Daiya. "Daiya saved Mondo's life….at the cost of his own."

"He sacrificed himself to save his younger brother." Sakura stated, also closing her eyes in respect for Daiya.

The sight of his brother saving him, him dying while he was crying his eyes out, causing tears to slowly fall from his eyes. "Damn it…." He cursed, his voice strained. Why? Why did his brother save him from his own, stupid mistake? Why did he have to do that?

"Mondo…." Both Taka and Chihiro felt themselves crying for their biker friend. They could see how much grief he has over this. How much guilt he's carrying.

"Laying in his kid brother's arms, the older brother delivered his final words…."

"M-My bad kid….I fucked up, sorry." Daiya said weakly. "Hey, kid….the rest is up to you. No matter what, you gotta keep the gang together. Cuz it's the team….you and me put together. It's….a pr….a promise….between men…."

Several of them felt their heart ache for Mondo, especially those with siblings. Makoto, Hina, and Hifumi couldn't help but think about their siblings, wondering how they would feel if they saw them die. It wasn't something they wanted to think on long. Leon thought about his cousin, the closest thing he had to a sister (Despite her crush on him). Like the others, he didn't think on the thought of her dead long.

Mukuro herself also thought about how she would feel if Junko would've ever died. And surprisingly, despite what Junko did to her future self, and what the present Junko said to her, the thought of her dying made her heart clench in pain. Despite what she knows, what Junko thinks about her, she still cared for her twin sister. It was a maternal like feeling from sister to sister that she could never cover up, one of the few traits that reminded her that she was human underneath.

That screen then went black. "He decided to hide the truth of what happened from everyone else in the gang." The bear continued. "In order to keep the gang together, and keep his promise to his brother….he could never admit to anyone that it was his own weakness that had caused the accident! And as a result…." The screen then went back to Mondo riding in front of his gang. "...the team was made even stronger, under the banner of the kid who'd bested his big brother. 'Daiya was gonna lose to his kid brother, so he got stupid and got himself killed.' That became the explanation for what happened. Mondo's lie became the truth."

The TV switched to Mondo alone, various emotions etched onto his face. "He wanted to lead the team so bad, he was willing to tell all kinds of lies about his brother!"

"I'm….strong…." Mondo said to himself. "Strong, strong, strong, strong, strong, strong….!"

"So where one is convinced that he's weak," Mukuro said quietly. "The other tries to convince himself that he's strong." 'I suppose this is what people call pity...' She thought to herself.

"That sounds about right." Junko agreed. "Hoo boy, this is so pitiful I could laugh at this for hours!"

"And yet…." The next scene was the gathering of students, once again. "As soon as our killing game, he realized….no matter how tough he pretended to be, he was just another weakling that could die in an instant."

Next was Monokuma handing the remaining students their secrets. "And then the lovely, the hateful Monokuma announced the revealing of the embarrassing secrets. At this point, it was clear I would have no problem shedding light on his secret…." Mondo looked at his secret with obvious distress. "Mondo killed his own older brother."

Finally, it was back to the trial room once again. "N-No matter what….I couldn't let the other gang members find out." Mondo said, his eyes closed shut. "If that happened, everything would have been ruined….everything me and my brother had worked to create….woulda been destroyed. His death….all the guilt I'd been carrying around….it all woulda been for nothing. So that's why…." His eyes then shot open, with guilt and self-loathing filling them. "That's why I…I…!"

"Mondo…." Makoto spoke softly.

Mondo, after controlling his emotions somewhat, began explaining some more. "After I saw what Monokuma had on me, my head filled up with a kind of uneasiness, and just started swirlin' around. I'd never felt anything like it before…" He explained to them. "I…I didn't know what to do about it. I wasn't sure what to think or say. But after a while, that fuzzy uneasiness…turned itself into a rock-hard lump of anxiety, way down in my stomach…! And it was right around then…that Chihiro asked me to start working out with him. And right there, I…he told me the secret."

Everyone stiffened when they saw the TV transitioning to a flashback. "Oh no…are they going to show…" Hina covered her mouth, anguish clear in her voice.

"Are we going to actually see what happened?!" Hiro shouted, holding his porcupine head.

Mondo, Taka, and Chihiro especially went rigid, none of them wanting to see what transpired. But, despite their wished, the scene played.

"Seriously? Jesus…." Mondo gasped in shock.

"Y-Yeah….I'm sorry I lied to you." Chihiro said guiltily.

"But….why?" The biker questioned. "Why now? Why are you telling me this all of a sudden?"

"...Huh?" Was Chihiro's confused response.

"Cuz I mean…you've kept that secret all this time, right?" Mondo pointed out. "If anyone found out…you would…"

"Y-You're right, but…" A look of pure determination entered the boy's face. "I want to change. I wrapped myself in lies. I'm weak. I want to destroy that version of me forever!"

Chihiro's words, along with the determination in his voice and looks, startled everyone. Even Junko, who expected Chihiro to say something like that, did not expect the sheer determination in the boy's face. She immediately covered her mouth with a hand to stop herself from speaking up. Even though things may have gone as planned, there's no way that was supposed to be in the script. 'I may need to recalculate some things...' She thought to herself.

"Wow, Chihiro." Leon said in awe. "That was quite a statement."

"Yeah." Hina agreed. "I don't think I could do the same."

"Agreed. You're showing remarkable bravery and strength here." Sakura said, approval clear in her tone.

Chihiro looked at his future counterpart in awe. Could he really be that brave? Could he….really be that strong?

Mondo smiled bitterly at this. He've only seen it a couple of times, but he recognizes that inner strength Chihiro has. The courage that he both admired and envied.

"His words were like a knife in the gut…." Mondo told them as the camera moved to the shock looking biker. "I felt like he was exposing the lie I'd been living myself."

"I have to change. I don't want to be weak anymore." Chihiro then smiled at him. "You're so strong, it can't hurt you, right? Whatever secret Monokuma might tell us…"

Chihiro's words caused their hearts to sink a little. "Shit…" Leon cursed. "Chihiro couldn't have been more wrong."

"Now I see what happened." Kyoko said, now understanding the full situation. It was anxiety, mixed with jealousy, that caused Mondo to make a rash decision.

Chihiro felt stupid. How could he assume that the secret wouldn't bother him? That it had no effect on him? And now, because of his assumption, he's going to pay the price.

Mondo was silent at first. Then, he spoke lowly. "So, what? You're saying I should just say it?" He then glared at Chihiro. "You're saying if I really am strong, I should just be able to tell everyone my secret?"

"Huh….?" Chihiro said, startled by his words.

"I was….jealous. I was jealous of Chihiro's strength." Mondo explained. "He had the strength to face his own weakness, to try and overcome it…! It was the kind of strength I've never had…so I was jealous of him. And that jealousy…broke me."

"Are you making fun of me?" Mondo growled. "I'm strong? Are you fucking with me right now?"

His reaction is now scaring Chihiro. "I-I'm not making fun of you. You really are strong, Mondo…"

"I felt like I could hear something starting to…creak." The biker described. "Something…inside my head."

"What did he want me to do?" Mondo exclaimed. "What was I supposed to do? Was I supposed to just sit back, let my secret get revealed, and ruin everything…?"

"Wh…What's wrong?" Chihiro asked nervously.

"Why did you have to tell me all that? Are you trying to rub my failure in my face?" Mondo demanded.

"N-No, I just…really admire you." Chihiro told him, taking a few steps back. "I admire…your strength…"

The biker look down at that. "That's right…I am strong…strong…I'm strong!" A dumbbell then entered his sight. 'Strong, strong, strong, strong, strong, strong!' "Stronger than you!"

The biker then picked up the dumbbell. "And stronger than Daaaaiiiyaaaaa!" And with that roar, he attacked Chihiro. And the screen went black after.

The flashback…it was difficult for everyone to watch. Mondo's narration of his thoughts, his and Chihiro's interaction, Mondo rising anger…all to the point where he kills Chihiro. It was all so difficult to watch. A miserable feeling entered the room as the entire class helplessly watched the scene unfold.

Tears were streaming from Hina's and Sayaka's eyes. Hifumi and Hiro kept their eyes away from the biker in fear. Sakura growled to herself, her eyes closed. And the more stoic ones bitterly soldiered on.

Makoto eyes were wide with horror and anguish. Seeing another close friend die, seeing exactly how it went down…he doesn't know how to describe it. How many more does he have to see this? How many times does he have to see his friends turn on each other?

Taka was shaking, his eyes wide with disbelief. He wanted to refute that this was real. That Mondo would actually do something. He wanted to think that there was something in there that doesn't make any sort of sense. But in the end…it all does. From the motive to his friend's reaction, it all make so much sense.

Chihiro, meanwhile, felt himself curled himself into a ball once again. His eyes were wide with anxiety and anguish as it all played down. Seeing Mondo attacking him caused his mind to shut down once again, a wave of fresh tears leaving his eyes. There was no sign of the courage he just saw on the screen.

And Mondo himself felt various emotions. Shame, guilt, self-loathing, and more. He killed Chihiro, of all people, because he was jealous. Because he couldn't bear having his secret reveal. Because he couldn't control his damn temper. Because he's so god-damn weak! It frustrated him to no end, having broken his bond of trust over such a trivial issue.

"I don't remember anything after that…" The screen then went back to the trial room. "When I woke up again, he was laying at my feet…covered in blood. I had the dumbbell in my hand…and I was just staring at him…down on the ground…" Mondo then went silent for a moment.

"H-Hey…." Taka spoke up weakly, urging him to continue.

"I…killed him." Mondo stated, guilt laced in his voice. "I killed Chihiro. Even after all this time, I'm still just as weak as I've always been! And thanks to that, I did something I can never take back…!"

His tone, the look in his eyes…they can all tell that Mondo really felt guilty about what he did. That he never intended to kill Chihiro, which made it a whole lot worse.

'Ooooh, all this despair is filling up this room!' Junko thought as her eyes scanned the room. 'Mondo, the one Chihiro's admires most, kills him out of anger and jealousy! And then Byakuya makes it more exciting by altering the crime scene! I wonder how they are going to deal with him... Aaaaahhhh!'.

'Mondo…' Makoto thought as he stared at the guilty gang leader. 'He was normally so aggressive, so angry…he hid that weak side from everyone. That was his secret. A weakness like that lived in a heart like this…and it turned him cold-blooded…' Makoto closed his eyes and gritted his teeth at this. 'Godammit!'

Everyone thoughts was halted when Monokuma began laughing. "Look at him! You see? You're all just like him!" The bear accused. "For a secret from the past, for a memory…for that, he killed anothing living human in cold blood! He couldn't cut free of his regrets from the outside world. He doesn't know what true strength is. Do you see hope anywhere in there?! Cuz I sure don't!"

His words pissed off several of the students. "That son of a bitch!" Leon growled. "How about he come and say that to our faces!"

"He's the one who caused all this! The one who trapped us here, and give us those damn motives!" Makoto exclaimed in anger. What right does he have to say all that when he the one who caused it all?!"

"None. He has no right." Sakura said, an fierce look on her face. While he doesn't condone Mondo's action, she can see that Mondo feels guilty for it. Monokuma doesn't have any right of him killing in cold-blood.

Taka tear-filled eyes glared angrily at the mechanical bear. That….son of a bitch! How dare he accuse Mondo of killing in cold-blood? Does he think they missed the guilt in his tone? The remorse?

"You…bastard!" Taka cried out angrily. "Just shut up, you son of a bitch! Go ahead, say that again, I dare you!"

Everyone was then suddenly shocked by Taka's outburst. They looked over to the moral compass, seeing him just as ready to make an outburst of his own. His fingers dug into the armrests of his chair, and his knuckles were white from putting so much strength into doing so. Sayaka wanted to say something, but Kyoko stopped her, nodding over to his current volatile state.

'This isn't going to end well...' Makoto thought as he noticed everyone's worried eyes.

"Okay! I'll say it as many times as I want! …is what I want to say, but…" An sadistic gleam entered it's eyes. "...unfortunately, I can't do that right now! Because the time for punishing is fast approaching!"

Monokuma's statement caused everyone's blood to run cold. "Oh crap…the execution!" Hifumi blurted out in horror, no longer able to hold it in.

Monokuma's statement brought Chihiro out of his blank state. But it was quickly replaced with anguish and horror. "No…" Chihiro muttered, shaking in his curled up state. 'Don't, please! Don't kill Mondo!'

That caused blood to run cold. "P-Punishment…?" Makoto shakily repeated.

"You mean…execution…?!" Taka shouted in horror.

"That's what I promised you, right?" Monokuma reminded him. "The blackened that disturbs the peace will be punished."

Taka was feeling the same sentiment as Chihiro. He's white as a sheet, his fist clenched tightly over his knees. 'No! They can't do this!' His mind protested. They can't execute his best friend!

Mondo, however, was staring at the screen despondently. Waiting for the execution. 'This is what I get.' Mondo thought to himself. 'This is what I deserve.'

"H-Hold on!" Taka protested.

"Now then, I've prepared a very special punishment for Mondo Owada, the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader!" Monokuma announced, ignoring the moral compass.

"N-No, wait! Wait!" Taka continued protesting desperately.

But his protest fell on deaf ears. "Let's give it everything we've got! It's…PUNISHMENT TIIIME!"

"I SAID WAAAAAIIIITT!" Taka shouted out.

Through all this, Mondo was depressingly silent. But finally, he spoke his final words. "Sorry man. I couldn't keep the promise we made…from one man to another…" Monokuma then pulled out his gavel and slammed it onto the big red button in front of him.

*GAME OVER. MONDO OWADA HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY. COMMENCING EXECUTION.* As those words appeared, a pixelated Monokuma dragged a pixelated Mondo before the screen turned black.

As everyone was tense, pale, and/or shaking in fear as to what's about happened, brown bags suddenly appeared in front of everyone. That caused some of them to look at Spirit in confusion.

His response was this. "Don't ask. Just know you're going to need those. Oh, and just in case…" With the snap of his finger, the tables in the room were instantly cleared of all the food and drinks that were there in the morning. "I doubt you will want to see any of this." That did not made any of them feel better about this.

The screen slowly lit back up to show a spinning, black and white spiral. The spiral slowed down, and when it finally stopped, Mondo and Monokuma appeared on it. Both on a motorcycle, with the former tied up on the bike and latter at the front, ready to drive.

Camera moved to show Mondo tensed, but ready, and Monokuma with a wig similar to Mondo's hair. The screen then showed what they were facing, which was a cage sphere and a circus area around it. When the camera got in front of it, the cage slowly opened up.

THE CAGE OF DEATH

Monokuma began revving up the motorcycle, and once it was revved up, he began driving towards the cage. Once they were close enough, Monokuma quickly jumped off using the eject button. A second later, Mondo entered the cage, with the biker riding the bike all around it. As that was happening, Monokuma was dancing around, playing with a hool-a-hoop.

One moment later, four electric generators that were on top of the round cage activated, and enveloped the cage with electric volts. Mondo, who was getting dizzy from the spins, gets electrocuted. As the cage gets surrounded with more and more volts, Monokuma danced around, having the time of life. Finally, after gathering a lot of volts, the electricity exploded into a burst of light.

When the lights faded, it revealed a tired looking Monokuma, with the bike still spinning in the background. As the bike finally slowed down and stopped spinning, the camera moved towards the cage, revealing that Mondo disappeared. A nearby machine, which is connected to the cage, gave out three beeps before opening up. Inside was a tub of what appeared to be butter, with a photo of Mondo on it and the labelled "Mondo Butter". The picture was then switched to childlike drawing of Monokuma, sitting at a table in the outdoors, enjoying two large stacks of pancakes topped with melted butter.

At first, the group was confused to what happened in the end. But horror and nausea was set in place as they slowly realized what had happened.

"Did…did he just…" Hiro stuttered, unable to finish what he's thinking.

"...Melt into butter?!" Junko asked in 'disbelief'. Then, to mess with their minds more, she pointed out the next thing. "And the bear's eating it?!"

That was the last straw for some of the Ultimates. Immediately, Hiro and Hifumi took their bags and begin throwing up their breakfast. Hina joined them soon after, with Sakura rubbed her back to soothe her, while also looking extremely displeased herself.

Makoto, Sayaka, and Leon looked extremely green, but managed to hold in what they ate. Still, what they saw horrified them. Byakuya, Kyoko, and Celeste also looked ill at what they witnessed, as well as incredulous. "What the hell?!" Byakuya cursed. "What sane person would melt someone into butter and then eat it?!"

"I doubt it's actually butter but..." Kyoko commented.

"You're saying that like the mastermind is a sane person." Celeste pointed out, trying to hold down her own breakfast. "We can assure you, that they are not."

Mukuro herself also looked as nauseated as the others. Being a soldier for a couple of years has subjected her to many horrifying and nightmarish things. Death was a common thing she sees in her profession. But this execution…it was beyond what a soldier could condition themselves too, even the Ultimate Soldier. Is this something she would actually condemn her classmates to?

Chihiro, meanwhile, covered his mouth, his skin as white as a sheet and his stomach churning for various reasons. Despite what Mondo did, despite the biker killing his future self…he didn't want to see him die. Didn't want him to be executed by Monokuma. Especially not like that. There's not even anything left to remember him by. Grief, nausea, anguish, and despair hit him hard, causing a new wave of tears to come out of his red eyes.

A haunted look settled on Taka's face, his skin still as pale as it was before. Witnessing his best friend being killed, seeing that possible future…it felt too much too him. A part of him couldn't help but wonder if there was anything he could've done. Anything that would've stopped Mondo from killing Chihiro. That question couldn't leave his head. 'Mondo. My…brother…' Slowly, tears slipped from his eyes.

The only ones who weren't nauseated or horrified by the execution was Jill and Junko. Junko was feeling orgasmic pleasure at the despair of another execution, as well as complimenting her future self for her creativeness. Jill was also impressed with the creativeness of the killing, though she much prefered the straight up, face to face killing.

And the culprit himself? He stared dejectedly at the screen. As far as he was concerned, this is what he deserved. 'Every single bit of that.' Mondo thought. For killing his brother. For killing Chihiro. For being so weak. However, even he couldn't shake how disgusting the execution was, knowing that that was the fate that awaited him.

Hina, after she finally finished puking, dropped her bag on the table and wrapped her arms around herself. "Another one dead…" Hina said, shaken. "How…many more of us are we going to see die?" She turned to look for Spirit, but he had already disappeared, leaving the question hanging in the air.

That was a question no one could answer. One that echoed in every mind. How long will this continue? How many times are they going see murder and executions? How long are they going to see and feel this despair?

How long…until they can no longer take it?

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 41: Watching Chapter 2: Boys' Life of Despair Part 17 + Break

The screen then went back to the trial room, with everyone looking disgusted and horrified. Monokuma was the first to speak. "Laugh at death, and your soul will forever be at peace." The bear stated mockingly.

"It…can't be…" Taka muttered, completely pale. "My…brother…"

'Another murder…another execution…' Makoto thought numbly. 'I want to feel again…everyone's lives here are taken so lightly here…I feel like I'm might be going mad…maybe I'll just…let it happen…' He was broke out of his thoughts when Taka began crying out in anguish and grief. Tears poured out of his as he screamed and shouted.

Taka's grief filled screams resonated in everyone's ears. It was an agonizing scene, to see the usually composed and punctual Taka drowning in his own tears.

"Taka…" Hina choked out, staring at the shooked moral compass. "I can't even imagine what he's feeling."

Makoto shook his head at the unsightly moral compass, knowing all too well that feeling of betrayal.

"As Taka's screams invaded our skulls, we were forced to realize once again…" The narrator Makoto spoke up once again. "But he…of course he had to…"

"What a disappointment." Byakuya scoffed uncaringly. "This is the end of the game?"

His words snapped almost everyone out of their stupor. Just about everyone reflexively turned to Byakuya, speechless about how he was taking it. Even Genocide Jack was oddly quiet about this.

"What….what?" Leon slowly asked, anger slowly rising up in his voice.

"You...you..." Hina couldn't bring herself to speak, her eyes already flooded with tears and her voice couldn't hold out as well.

Byakuya could only stay silent in the eyes of his classmates. He felt like he was suffocating from their appalled reactions paralyzed that him and made him hate his past self even more. The frozen atmosphere was temporarily alleviated as a very emotional Hina spoke from the screen again.

"You're completely insane, you know that?" Hina growled, tears pooling from her eyes. "A game? One of our friends is dead! Do you realize that?!"

"Of course I do. Because this game is life or death." Byakuya responded back.

Kyoko lightly glare at Byakuya. "I don't have anything to say to you." She told him coldly. "I don't have a response, except that…I just don't understand why. Why did you go out of your way to disguise Mondo's crime?"

Everyone who wasn't lost in their emotions tensed up in anticipation of Byakuya's answer. The seconds in between Kyoko's question and Byakuya's response felt much longer than it really was.

"Why...?" Byakuya rhetorically repeated.

Makoto heard the sound of Leon clenching his fist next to him. Though Makoto has a feeling that he knows exactly what's going to be said, he can't help but share the same tension Leon is experiencing. Meanwhile, Byakuya clenched his teeth and tightened his grip on his sleeves in his typical crossed arm seating position.

"Isn't it obvious?"

Byakuya gripped his sleeves even harder. He knew this tone of speech all too well, that look on his face, that smirk.

"Because it made things interesting."

A drop of sweat rolled down the side of Makoto's face. Though he feels like he knows exactly what he's going to say, he still found himself extremely tense from the result of all of this. He looked around, very concerned about how everyone was going to react.

Beside him, both Leon and Sayaka were similarly very rigid like himself. Though he couldn't see Kyoko's face because of her hair, he could tell that disappointment and disapproval were just putting things very nicely judging by her aura.

Further down, Hiro haven't said anything for a while, and he's sitting there completely appalled, Hifumi sharing a similar reaction to his. Near them, Hina was visibly shaking as tears continued streaming down her eyes with Sakura holding her close, both a concerned and dangerous look on her face. Celeste looks oddly composed about this, but knowing from experience, that's not always a good thing.

Mukuro was... to put it lightly, very displeased while Junko's face was blank. Though it was very uncharacteristic for Junko to have a blank face, this might've been beyond what she was expecting.

Finally, Taka looked like he was about to burst, both of his arms gripping the arm rests of his chair tightly as if he was ready to spring up into action, while Mondo was conflicted on taking action or wallowing in self loathe. Chihiro though crying, found himself uncomfortably in between the two.

Before anyone could speak however, Byakuya continued on the screen.

"Last night, when the murder took place, I was in the library as usual."

"So you ignored the nighttime rule too…" Celeste sighed, displeased.

"That rule never mattered to me." Byakuya replied back. "I don't recall agreeing to it."

"Well, I don't particularly care. Please continue." The gambler told him.

"The night grew late, and I decide to return to my room. Which is when I stumbled upon him…" The heir continued. "I spotted Mondo coming out of the girls locker room. After he'd gone, I looked inside and saw the corpse."

"Wh-?! You mean you actually witnessed the murder?!" Hiro exclaimed in shock.

"He was such a fool. He didn't have the slightest idea that I'd seen him." Byakuya snickered.

"So…you're saying you knew who the culprit was from the very beginning?" Hifumi inquired nervously.

"Indeed." The heir confirmed. "But if that had been the end of it, how boring would that have been? I mean, what a waste of time to have the answer revealed right at the beginning. Which is why I decided to…lend a little helping hand. I thought it would liven things up."

Everyone stared at him in shock. "You did all that…to 'liven things up'?!" Makoto exclaimed incredulously.

Makoto's onscreen reaction was enough to wake everyone up from their stupor.

"YOU BASTARD!" Taka roared, finally able to launch himself up from his chair towards Byakuya. However, he only made managed to make three steps before Mondo grabbed his arm.

"Please move out of the way." Taka growled angrily, but Mondo shook his head.

"Look man, its not worth it." Mondo said, also very mad about his explanation.

"He needs to learn his lesson one way or another! This is just corporal punishment. I'll make sure to go 'easy' on him." Taka said threateningly, trying to twist away from Mondo's grip.

"Wasn't it you who said corporal punishment was unjustified?" Mondo gritted. Though Taka's build looked average, he was much stronger than his looks suggested due to his daily rigorous training.

"THIS CALLS FOR EXTREME MEASURES MONDO! JUST LET ME BEAT SOME SENSE INTO HIM!" Taka yelled, increasing his resistance.

"LOOK AT ME HERE!" Mondo roared, louder than Taka. "I've been trying to beat sense into people for a long time now and look at where it's got me!"

With that, Taka threw his fist at his chair, knocking it over before ceasing his resistance and fell silent. Mondo, seeing that he's calmed down a bit, let go of him and sat back down. The others could only watch in surprise as their roles were swapped for once. Gritting his teeth, Taka performed a half-bow, picked up his chair and sat back down in begrudging silence.

As Taka picked up his chair, Hina couldn't hold it in anymore and started bawling. "I can't... I just can't believe you! Just... how...how do you see the world like this?" She spurted out in between crying.

Of course, Byakuya had no reply to all of this. Contrary to his other self on the screen, there were no witty remarks to make, no arrogant replies, no condescending attitude to take. Had Spirit not been here, he's sure that under normal circumstances, Mondo would have killed him if he heard that elsewhere.

Junko meanwhile, tried her hardest to maintain her blank face. This was all so much more than she expected that she didn't know any other way to hide her true feelings to all of this. In fact, when she made eye contact with Makoto earlier, she thought she had been found out. But much to Junko's dismay, her half-assed blank face had convinced him otherwise. Even so... for things to turn out like this, it was really interesting in it's own way. No one saw the creepy smile slowly form on Junko's face as things on the screen got even better for her.

"So after hearing about Genocide Jack from Toko, you decided to use that…to create a fake murder scene?" Kyoko realized.

"But damn, man…if we hadn't figured out who'd really done it, you woulda been dead too, right?" Hiro pointed out.

"Well obviously I would have revealed the truth before it reached that point. Of course…" Byakuya turned and looked directly at Makoto, causing him to stiffen.

For once, Byakuya tensed up the moment he figured out why he had done everything. His eyes popped wide and he took an non-composed breath of air in his moment of realization. Of course, the things he done could not have only been for entertainment, everything he had done had a purpose. How could he have not realized it until now?

"Thanks to a certain remarkable someone, it never did. And I was able to perform an interesting experiment." The heir stated. "Once I do decide to become blackened, I now know who I'll have to watch out for."

"Wh-?!" Makoto took a step back at the implied threat.

Suddenly, Byakuya stood up and started walking away, startling everyone else as they were just about to turn to him again.

"Hey! Just where do you think you're going?" Leon asked angrily, causing Byakuya to stop on his way to his room. He visibly took a breath before replying.

"Its none of your business. I simply felt like going for a walk." Byakuya said, not turning around.

"W-Woah, didn't Spirit say we all had to watch this?" Hiro asked, speaking up for once.

"The most important part is over is it not? Besides, you can fill me in later." Byakuya retorted.

"But Byakuya.." Makoto said.

"Shut it. I don't need this from you. Not now." Byakuya shot back and walked away without giving someone a chance to speak.

Makoto turned to Spirit, who oddly enough, hadn't stopped him. Spirit simply shrugged.

"He is somewhat correct. You can fill him in afterwards." Spirit said.

"Welp, in that case, I'm going to take a walk too! Geez listening to all this nonsense is boring." Jack said.

"W-Wait, not you too!" Makoto cried.

"Shut it beansprout! Unless you want me to give you a special haircut? Or a head cut? Which do you prefer?" Jack shot back. When Makoto didn't reply, Jack laughed.

"Kyahahaha! Good boy! Good boy! Ja, I'll be in my room... sharpening my scissors..." Jack said to herself before walking away as well.

Makoto looked at everyone else, though no one else was leaving, their faces said it all: "Let's just get this over with." With that, Makoto nodded towards Spirit, who had paused the TV to continue.

"So that was your reason…" Kyoko sighed.

"Are you satisfied?" Byakuya inquired.

"Yes. We're done listening to your story. Moving on…" The lavender haired girl turned to Monokuma. "There's something I like to ask Monokuma."

"Oh?" The bear tilted his head. "I'm up next?"

"You like to perform these elaborate executions each time, correct?" Kyoko inquired. "My question is…why?"

That managed to temporarily suppress everyone's current emotions and pay attention. Now that Kyoko mentioned it, they want to know that too. Why does Monokuma perform these extreme and bizarre executions?

Monokuma let out a small laugh at that. "Do you like them?" He asked. "But you know, this punishment, this despair - it's not just for you. All this punishment, all this despair is my gift to mankind itself!"

"You're over exaggerating." Kyoko deadpanned.

"I am not over exaggerating!" Monokuma refuted. "These punishments are meant to transform all hope to despair!"

"What the hell is he talking about?" Leon asked with obvious confusion. "A gift to the whole world?"

"Transforming all hope to despair?" Kyoko added, furrowing her eyebrows. What are these hints Monokuma is giving…

"How is this a gift to the whole world?" Celeste questioned.

"...What do you mean?" Sakura inquired, confuse.

"Mean…?" Monokuma repeated. "Meeaaan…? Mean?" He begin sounding angrier. "Mean, mean, mean, mean, mean, mean, mean, mean, mean, mean!" That's when he exploded. "Good GRIEF! I don't understand why you have to pick apart every little stupid thing!"

'He's not going to elaborate.' Kyoko thought with a mental sigh. She kinda expected that.

Byakuya scoffed. "Whatever, it doesn't matter." He said. "In the end, I'm going to stand alone as the victor. And then everything will be revealed to me."

"Ahh, the noble son of a noble family…truly you understand me!" Monokuma gave his signature laughter. "I think this is the start of a terrifying friendship!"

For a moment, Makoto could feel the bitterness that everyone held against Byakuya return again.

"Shut up. I would never stoop to the level of a childish criminal like you." Byakuya said coldly. "Let me just say this…after I have achieved complete victory…you're up next. I'm going to find and kill you. Understand? In the name of the Togami family, for which victory is foregone conclusion…"

"Oooh, so cool!" Monokuma mockingly gushed. "It's like you're the main character of a video game or something! No trash mob for you!"

"I swear, whatever it takes…I will kill you!" Byakuya growled.

"Wow. Guess Byakuya still hates Monokuma as much as all of us do." Hiro said.

"Indeed. For someone so fixated on entertainment, I have to say this was unexpected." Celeste commented as well.

"Of course he would." Makoto said. While Byakuya looks like he's enjoying this, it still doesn't change the fact that the mastermind kidnapped him and put him in that situation against his will.

The bear merely laughed. "Temper, temper! Sounds like someone needs a nap!" Monokuma then continued laughing evilly.

The camera then slowly moved to each of the traumatized and shaken faces of the Ultimates. "Monokuma's laughter peeled across the courtroom, and the curtain closed on the case of Chihiro and Mondo." The narrator Makoto spoke up. "But I knew it wasn't the end. The killing game will still continue…because the mastermind wouldn't let it end. For those of us who were still alive, our worst fear and despair kept on multiplying…it was the kind of despair that felt like a blind puppy in hell had more of a future than us…all of our courage, our effort, our friendship…it felt like it amounted to nothing at all.

"...It was the worst kind of despair." With that last statement, the screen went black.

Makoto's narration sunk the atmosphere of the room again. The constant question of "How many more of them were going to die?" "How many more executions were there to watch?" "How many times are they going to watch themselves hang their heads in defeat at the hands of Monokuma?" circled around everyone's minds. With such heavy thoughts, everyone was ready to leave before stopping themselves as Spirit held up his hand, commanding them to stay. Weary and confused, they returned their attention to the screen, wondering what else was going to be shown.

The next scene was Monokuma in a monitor room, with a silhouette of a person facing him.

"W-What is this?" Makoto asked reflexively.

"T-This must be one of those scenes where the mastermind speaks to the traitor of the group!" Hifumi chimed in.

"As useless as your usual rants are... you might be spot on about this one..." Sayaka said, causing Hifumi's eyes to glint in excitement.

"But of course! As a man of art, this is just common knowledge!" Everyone ignored him on that comment.

"Well, anyway, like I saying…" The bear said. "This is a pretty good spot…yeah, a really good spot!"

"Anyway, isn't it amazing how that girl went and killed someone before things even had a chance to get boring? Once things really get moving, it'll be like a roller-coaster. There won't be any stopping it! Fear and despair charge forward at a speed nothing can hope to match."

Sayaka flinch in guilt at the reminder that she was the first to try and kill. By Monokuma's words, she caused this, she caused the killing game to begin. Every death that happened, and will happen, was because she succumbed to Monokuma's sick game first.

"But I must admit, I'm disappointed…" He continued. "I went to all the pain and effort of making you part of the group, and you couldn't play your part…you do remember you were supposed to make the first move, right?"

"W-What?" Leon gasped.

"N-No way..." Sayaka breathed out.

Mukuro also looked completely surprised. She was supposed to be the only mole in the game, who was this one? How many more were there? It made her mad that Junko didn't tell her because she wasn't supposed to live up to this point either.

The bear then shrugged. "Well, no biggie. Nothing we can do about it now. So just do your best to make things more exciting from now on, okay? After all, that's what everyone wants to see…"

"What the heck is he talking about?" Hina exclaimed in confusion and frustration. "And who on earth is he talking to?"

"Is one of us…actually working for the mastermind?" Celeste asked. Though she very much knew the answer, she still asked in the hopes of being refuted.

"Apparently so." Mukuro replied. Junko looked at her, displeased for helping the group, but Mukuro returned the look, displeased that Junko haven't told her who it was in the first place, on top of betraying her. "This person, is a mole for Monokuma it seems. Someone who was supposed to start the killing game."

Mukuro's reply shocked the entire group. "WHAAAAAT?!" Hifumi screamed in shock, despite his guess. "One of us is…an ally of Monokuma?!"

"A traitor?!" Hiro exclaimed in panic.

"But, that's impossible!" Hina denied, shaking her head. "Who would want to work with the bear?!"

"You're assuming it's of their own volition." Kyoko pointed out. "Keep in mind that the mastermind has a large amount of information on each of us."

"Which means that he can force any of us to be moles." Celeste concluded, her brows furrowed from the fact that she haven't ever considered this to be true. "Or to kill, judging by his words."

"That is…a possibility." Sakura conceded. "But which one of us is working with him?"

That cause of wave of distrust to form around the group. Which one of them is a spy for the mastermind? Which one of them is allying with him?

The silhouette was silent for a moment. Then, they spoke. "There's one thing I like to ask you…"

"Um, why is there subtitles here?" Hifumi asked with a frown. "And why can't we hear the person speaking?"

"Spirit probably made this, to keep the person anonymous for the time being." Kyoko answered, seeing as their host disappeared once again.

"But why?" Sakura questioned. "Why keep it hidden?"

"There's probably a point where it would be revealed to us in one of the other chapters." Mukuro guessed. "At the very least, in the next chapter."

"And so we'll find out which one of us is the traitor?" Hifumi inquired.

"Don't say that!" Makoto protested. "We don't know for sure if there's a traitor!" While Monokuma's words does bother him a bit, there's still a chance that it could be someone outside of their class. He isn't gonna doubt any of his friends until there's some evidence that one of them is with the mastermind.

"As long as you don't wanna know my measurements, fire away!" Monokuma complied.

"Who is it?" They asked. "The sixteenth high school student, I mean…"

That cause Monokuma to make a sound of surprise there.

That caught everyone's attention.

"Huh?"

"Sixteenth student?"

"Are they talking about Junko?"

Heads immediately turned to Junko. In response, Junko waved her arms in front of them. "Hey, don't look at me! I don't have a clue what the bear's talking about!" And she was actually telling the truth. But her analyst mind is working on figuring it out. 'Mukuro wasn't the only mole? Who else could I have possibly manipulated?'

More questions came into their head, with the more analytical ones analyzing the information given to them.

"My, my, you really took me by surprise there." Monokuma admitted. "I know I said you could ask anything, but…super denied! Ultra denied! Demonic denied! Because you see…that's my ace in the hole."

More than a few students were nervous at the claim. "A-Ace in the hole?" Hiro stuttered out nervously. "Please tell me he's exaggerating."

"I really hope so, dude." Leon replied back. "I really do."

With that little bit of info, the best conclusion Junko could come up with was that she planned to use Mukuro for something. But for what? That's where she get stuck in.

And that gets her excited! That unpredictable card! She's really eager to see how that card is played.

Mukuro noticed her sister's gleeful aura that only she can perceive. Immediately, she knew why. "So she doesn't know either... another spontaneous decision? Likely after I was removed since I wouldn't ask about the 16th student..."

"And nobody would be dumb enough to reveal that, right? No matter how close they were to their 'friends'..." He ended his statement with his signature laughter, while the silhouette merely remained silent. And with that, the screen went black.

"Chapter 2, Boys' Life of Despair. THE END." Once again, the red and yellow silhouettes of the entire was shown, with Mondo's and Chihiro's getting blacked out next.

As the video ended, the class went to process everything they saw once again. Grief, nausea, anger, curiosity, dread…all those emotions were being felt by the group.

Before anyone could say anything, Mondo got up from his seat and walked to the direction of their rooms, causing Taka and Chihiro to turn to him.

"M-Mondo?"

"B-Bro, wait!" Their voices stopped the biker in his tracks. After a moment, he spoke.

"Sorry, bro. I know your shocked and disappointed that I would do something like that." Mondo said softly, turning turning towards him. "I'm honestly pissed off with myself. After all this time, I'm still cowardly enough to kill someone like Chihiro. And Chihiro? ….I'm sorry. For what I did to you. And for not living up to your admiration." With that, the biker went upstairs.

The grief, turmoil, and anguish was clear on Taka's and Chihiro's faces. For Taka, knowing what Mondo's future self did, seeing his execution, left him in his current state. He honestly wanted to know if there was anything he couldn't done to stop it. Anything that would save his two friends.

For Chihiro, he felt betrayed, as well as deep sorrow when he found that Mondo was his killer. But when it was revealed on why he did what he did…a part of him felt responsible, as well as guilty. How could have just assumed that the motive wouldn't effect Mondo? That he didn't had anything bad in those letters?

After a moment of silence, Makoto hesitantly spoke up. "Um, let's go take a break. I think all of us needs one at this point."

"No kidding." Leon said under his breath, slowly releasing his tension. If chapter one was bad, this one was a lot worse. It really took all their energy.

"We'll re-converge here after our minds settle." Kyoko stated. "After that, we'll continue watching." A few of them flinched at that, but their silence conveyed their agreement that they will need to press on. As Hina and Taka silently got up and started leaving, Celeste asked a question.

"So, who's going to explain everything to Byakuya and Toko?"

The mention of Byakuya's name prompted a couple glares from Hina and Sayaka, but the gambler only sighed in response.

"As much as you hate him, they still need to be informed of this development. But I do share your sentiments, I would rather not speak to him as well." Celeste explained.

"I, I'll do it then." Makoto said.

"In that case, I will accompany you." Kyoko spoke up as well.

"Huh? I'm sure I can explain it to him myself." Makoto replied, not wanting to burden another person.

"Two brains are better than one is it not? I believe you said this to me multiple times." Kyoko shot back. "Besides, you're too prone to be emotional."

"Ah, I did say that. Alright then, we'll speak to them." Makoto said. "Ok everyone, make sure to get some rest, we'll meet here again tomorrow."

With that, everyone either returned to their own rooms or went to the recreation room to ease up their tension.

(Break Room)

Anger. Guilt. Sorrow. And several more emotions were swirling in Sayaka's heart.

The Ultimate Pop Sensation is at one of the tables in the cafe, though she doesn't have any food in front of her. After seeing Mondo's execution, she wasn't up to eating anything. She doubt anyone is up to it right now.

"Not eating anything?" Mukuro said from behind.

"Ah Mukuro?" Sayaka said surprised.

"Skipping a meal can lead to some detrimental effects on your health. Surely as an idol, that could impact you in some way." Mukuro said.

"Thanks, but no thanks. At least, not with that on my mind..." Sayaka said, feeling uncomfortable.

"Are you perhaps, referring to the execution?" Mukuro asked.

"Y-Yeah..." Sayaka said, looking away.

"If you're referring to the Monokuma, I doubt he was actually eating Mondo's remains." Mukuro said.

"W-What?" Sayaka reacted, surprised, causing Mukuro to sigh.

"I explained this to a couple others already, but as I said, that butter were not made with the fluids used from Mondo's execution. In fact, those fluids were not Mondo's remains at all." Mukuro explained.

"R-Really? How can you be so sure?" Sayaka asked.

"Well, I'd rather not get into the gruesome details, so I'll try to keep it simple. The cause of death for Mondo was likely either electrocution, heat, both of that, or being crushed by the forces he was subjected to. I've had my fair share of experiences in using fire based weapons, as well as witnessing electric weapons so I can say with certainty that when used on a person, it is impossible to only have that one liquid remain. As for the forces, the human body isn't meant to go at that kind of speed. Simply put, the faster one goes, the more pressure is put in one's internal organs. I'll leave it at that." Mukuro explained.

"So... Monokuma wasn't eating him after all?" Sayaka asked again, looking a little bit relieved.

"I guarantee it. Monokuma probably did this as a means of psychological warfare, or simply, to mess with our minds." Mukuro reassured her. Sayaka finally gave in, letting out a breath of relief as if something disturbing was lifted from her mind.

"If you're so confident about it, then I guess I'll trust your judgement on that. Thanks Mukuro." Sayaka said, letting out a small smile for the first time in a while.

"Don't worry about it." Mukuro brushed off in her usual tone while glancing behind her. "Although it seems like my presence is warding off a certain person right now." Though Mukuro spoke to herself, it made Leon audibly gulp from behind.

"It's alright Leon, I was just leaving anyways. I need to check up on my sister after all. I bid you two good night." Mukuro said before leaving.

"Ah, good night Mukuro." Sayaka said to the retreating soldier as Leon walked up and took her place. "Though she's usually quiet, she's awfully thoughtful isn't she?"

"I guess she is. That's definitely surprising considering the cold face she usually has on." Leon commented.

The two fell into a short silence next to each other as their feelings returned to them.

"Hey, you ok?" Leon suddenly asked, startling Sayaka.

"No... but yes." Sayaka replied uncertainly.

"I take it that you're still a bit pissed off?" Leon asked, to which Sayaka could only nod in confirmation.

Right now, her anger is overruling her other feeling. And the anger is pinpoint at one Ultimate Affluent Progeny.

First, he claimed that her death was somehow Makoto's fault. Next, he began acting worse than usual, saying that he plans to win this game and insulting everyone. Then he decided to string up Chihiro's corpse out of boredom. What pushed to pure fury was when he threatened Makoto.

Using Chihiro body like that was enough to push her over the edge. No one deserve to have their corpse defiled like that, especially not someone as cute as Chihiro. But threatening the sweet, lucky student? Byakuya was very lucky that she acknowledge that it was future self that did all that. Very lucky.

After a moment, her anger faded and the guilt she's feeling crept up. Like she had any reason to be protective of him. After all, she decided to kill somebody and pin the blame on him. And because of that choice, she ended started this killing game. A killing game that took Chihiro's and Mondo's lives in chapter 2.

Sorrow then mixed with her guilt. Neither of those two deserved their fate. Chihiro was just trying to be strong, trying to find the strength that was always been inside him, and tried to find someone that could support him. And Mondo? He made a mistake, a large one, one that he deeply regrets. Chihiro didn't deserve to get murdered and then used, while Mondo didn't deserve that brutal execution.

She couldn't help but think who's going to be next. Who else will be the victim? Who else will be the blackened? Who else will die because of her?

Shaking her head of those thoughts, she returned a question to the baseball prodigy.

"Anyways, what are you doing here?"

"Other than wanting to talk to my favorite idol?" Leon asked rhetorically with a smirk. But the smirk quickly fell. "Well, it's just that I felt like we need to talk. Are you up for it?"

Sayaka bit her lip nervously, but nodded. She knows that she needs to talk to Leon at some point, otherwise, things would just stay awkward between each other.

With her nod, Leon sat in front of her. The two was silent for a moment, neither one knowing what to say. For Leon, he doesn't really know what to actually say first, how to bring chapter 1's incident up. For Sayaka, she's trying to think up a good apology for Leon.

After a moment, Leon decided to speak first. "So, about the last chapter-"

"I'm sorry."

Sayaka's sudden apology took Leon by surprise. "Uh, what?"

"I'm sorry Leon." Sayaka repeated, guilt in her voice. "I know an apology isn't enough, but I can't think of anything else."

"Woah, woah, woah, hang on a moment." Leon backed up. "Why are you apologizing to me? I'm the one who killed you."

"Only because I attacked you first!" Sayaka shot back, her hands gripping her arms tightly. "If I didn't decide to attack you, you wouldn't have even thought about killing anybody! I caused you to become the blackened and get executed!"

"Sayaka…" Was all Leon could say, leaning back a little in surprise.

"And because of that, I want to apologize to you." The idol then stood up before bowing to him. "I'm so sorry, for trying to kill you. For causing you to be the blacken. And I hope you can still trust me."

The baseball player was silent for a moment, taking in her apology. Finally, he let out a sigh, scratching the back of his head. "Look, Sayaka, I'm as much to blame as you are." He told her. "I had plenty of chances to stop what I was doing, but I didn't. It's as much as my fault as it is yours. So how about we both forgive each other for what happen?"

"Does that mean…?" Sayaka looked up from her bowing position.

Leon gave her a reassuring smile. "Yea, I still trust you... as long as you still trust me."

Relief and happiness filled Sayaka's face as she sat back down. "Thank you, Leon." Sayaka said, unshed tears filling her eyes. "I won't break your trust like my future self did, I promise."

"And I promise not to come at you with a knife no matter what you do." Leon said jokingly, earning a small giggle from Sayaka. With that, the two began having a normal conversation once again, the tension between them gone.

(With Chihiro)

After chapter 2 ended, Chihiro went up to his room, not really wanting to go in the recreational room at the moment. He sat on his bed, curled up into a ball, various emotions mixed in his heart.

Sorrow. Anguish. Slight betrayal. That was Chihiro thought when he thought about his death. About how Mondo, the person he admires most, was the one to kill him.

'But…why?' Chihiro thought, burying his face into his legs. 'Why was he jealous of me? What's there to be jealous about?' Subconsciously, he knew why, after all, Mondo said it himself. But he just couldn't comprehend why. How could Mondo view him as strong? Of having strength? How could anyone, when all he did was hide by dressing as a girl?

'I want to change.' Those words of his future self echoed into Chihiro's mind. Words that held courage and determination. Did his other really felt that way? He really felt the courage to reveal who he is to everyone? But where did it come from? How was he able to gain it? It was something his self-loathing mind couldn't figure out.

He was knocked out of his thoughts when a knock entered the room. "Chihiro?" Makoto called out. "Can I come in? Come talk to you?"

"O-Okay." Getting up from his bed, the programmer moved towards the door and opened it to let Makoto in. Chihiro was surprised to see Kyoko outside as well, but she made no motion to enter the room.

"Um, you're not coming in?" Chihiro asked.

"Ah, I just happened to be going to my room. Don't worry about me." Kyoko said, before walking down the hall.

"Yeah, don't worry about it." Makoto said, giving Chihiro a soft smile. "Say Chihiro," He greeted softly. "How are you feeling?"

Chihiro looked down. "Not well." He said, his voice weak.

"Yeah, I can imagine that." The luckster then entered in the room, with Chihiro moving back onto the bed while Makoto sat beside him. "Want to talk about it?"

Chihiro curled up into a ball once again, silent. "...Why?" Chihiro finally asked, deciding to ask Makoto for answers. "Why was Mondo jealous? What reason for him to be jealous of me?"

Makoto sighed sadly at this. "It was because you were showing a strength he didn't have, Chihiro." Makoto said. "Combined with the stress of the situation, he just…reacted. Seeing that you were someone that he tried to become was just too much for him."

"But I'm not strong!" Chihiro protested, surprising Makoto. "I'm weak! Weak enough to get myself killed! To have to rely on others support! I couldn't even help anyone before I died!" Tears began leaking from his eyes as he started sobbing.. "I'm not strong. Not at all. I'm just a weak, little coward."

"No, that's wrong!" Makoto refuted strongly. Now it was Chihiro's turn to be shock, staring at the luckster with wide eyes. "You aren't weak, Chihiro. And you're certainly not a coward. You have a inner strength inside you, one that is larger than you think."

Chihiro's eyes widen even further at this. "B-But-"

"Chihiro, you had the courage to admit to me, Mondo, and Leon that you were a guy." Makoto pointed out, not letting him demeaned himself further. "You had to courage to face the reveal of your secret when we were watching the trial. And may I remind you that your future self had no memory of Hope's Peak, so that inner strength was always there. You just didn't know it."

Chihiro looked at Makoto, shock clear on his face. Is what Makoto saying really true? Does he really…have that kind of strength?

The luckster then smiled at him. "You are strong Chihiro. After all, you saw it for yourself didn't you? It might not have been the best circumstances, but all you really needed was just a little push. I'm sure you must have been feeling the same way."

The programmer was silent, taking in Makoto's words. It's true that he did need a push, but is he really as strong as Makoto says? He…always had that strength he was seeking? A part of his mind, the one that has always been told he was weak, was saying that he was still weak. But another part, one that's slowly growing, felt strengthened by Makoto's words of encouragement.

"I still don't know if I'm as strong as you say…" Chihiro said to himself, determination building with each word he spoke. "But I want to be. I want to have that strength, to rip off this layer of weakness and lies. I want to change!"

His words, the determination, brought a smile to Makoto's face. It was the look that Chihiro very rarely has. The same look his future counterpart had when he spoke to Mondo. One that revealed how brave he really is.

'You already are strong, Chihiro.' Makoto thought with admiration. 'You already have that courage. You just need to let it out.'

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 42: Break Chapter 2

The air around the group was tense after the last viewing. Finding out Mondo killed Chihiro, what Byakuya done, and the possibility of a traitor in their group…it caused the previously warm air to turn cold.

Instead of gathered with one another, the group was more spread out. Celeste and Hifumi are at the lounge, with a magazine and a manga in their hands, respectively. Hiro is restlessly pacing around the room, panicking. Sakura is comforting the currently shaken up Hina. And Junko is watching the entire scene from afar, enjoying every bit of the distrustful air.

'This is better than I thought! The distrust is slowly thickening the air!' Junko thought giddily as she looked at the group. 'Sakura so protective of Hina. Hiro running around in a panic. Celestia and Hifumi dig up into their books. And some of the others isolated in their rooms. This despair is so, so, delicious!'

Then her giddy smile turn into a small frown when she looked at Sayaka and Leon, who're talking with one another. 'Although, some of that tension is going away for some of them. Curse Makoto and his optimism!' She's tempted to go over there and break that newly form trust, but refrained herself. Right now, she has to keep herself off the radar, especially from the female Holmes.

'Mr. Positive is probably up there, trying to cheer everyone up.' Junko thought to herself unpleasantly. 'With him there, the air full of distrust and despair isn't going to last for long. I wonder, is there any way to break him? Anyway that I can turn that disgusting hope of is into sweet, sweet despair?'

Her thoughts were stopped when she saw Mukuro coming towards her. "Hey Junko." The soldier regarded her. "How are you feeling?"

"Feeling really good, Muku~!" Junko cheered, pumping her fist up. "Watching a murder, a despairful trial, with a more despairful execution! And now, we have such despairful tension with our classes! It's wonderful!"

Mukuro manage to withheld a sigh at this, or any other emotional actions. How could Junko enjoy all this? Watching the despair of others and feeling that despair herself? It wasn't the first time she thought about this, but now, that question is constantly in her head.

"The only problem is that our little dork of a lucky student is derailing that entertainment." Junko, getting into her cutesy persona, pouted. "Stupid meanie! Getting Sayaka and Leon to make up! Why can't you let me have my fun?"

"Do you plan to do something about it?" Mukuro asked, trying not to show any outward emotions about it. If Junko plans to try and get rid of Makoto, she doesn't know what she'll do. She still love and care for her sister, but her loyalty to her classmate, to Makoto, is slowly growing stronger.

Junko look at her sister curiously. "Why do you ask? Worried about your little crush?" At Mukuro's tenseness, the fashionista let out a laugh. "Oh, don't worry! I don't plan to kill him! I doubt that Spirit guy would let me anyway! No, I'm thinking of other ways to derail his ploys. But what should I do, what should I do…"

Junko put on a thinking face, tapping her finger on the table she's on. When she moved her eyes towards her sister, an idea clicked in her mind. A way to break Makoto. And slowly, an mischievous, evil grin entered her face.

That grin unsettled Mukuro greatly. "What are you planning?" The soldier asked cautiously.

"Oh, you'll see twin sister of mine." Junko said mischievously. "You'll see."

(With Hina and Sakura)

Hina is a very empathetic person. Out of all of her classmates, only Makoto is at least close to matching her heart. It's one of her strongest traits, and one that made her easily get along with others.

However, those traits are working against her now.

The young swimmer is at one the table, with sorrow and anguish clear on her face, and her body shaking with said emotions. Beside her is Sakura, who is giving her a comforting presence.

Finding out that their memories were wiped. Learning that they were forced into a killing game. Seeing five of her friends dead, either by each other's hands or Monokuma's. Byakuya's attitude about the entire thing. And now, the possibility that one of them is a traitor.

All of this felt too much for Hina. Seeing their future, seeing what could happen, it's making her scared. She's scared of what's going to happen in the next chapter. Scared of which one is going to kill or be killed. Will she become a victim, or even…a murderer? Would Sakura?

"This is affecting you a great deal, isn't it Hina?" That cause Hina to turn to her martial artist friend.

After a moment, she nodded. "I…I never thought any of us would kill Chihiro." Hina said, her voice wrapped in emotions. "I especially didn't think Mondo, of all people, would be the one to do it."

"I would have to agree. I did not think Mondo would stoop to that." Sakura sighed, a heavy frown on her face. "And neither did I think Sayaka would use Makoto's trust the way she did. Or that one of us would be a mole for Monokuma."

"And Byakuya. He's acting almost as sadistic as Monokuma." Hina added, anger being laced in her layers of feelings. "He's enjoying this game, enjoying us killing each other, and saying that he'll be the one to win it. How…how could he act like that? How could any of them act so differently?"

"When put into a situation such as this killing game, it tends to make those act irrationally." Sakura sighed. "Survival, desperation, fear, anger…those emotions take a hold of you, and cause you to do things you wouldn't even think of doing in any normal situation."

"Do you…do you think we'll act like that to?" Hina asked fearfully, wrapping her arms around herself. "Do you think either of us would be the next blacken? Or victims? Or…even the traitor in the last scene?"

Immediately, Sakura wrapped an arm around her friend. "You wouldn't, Hina. Your too kind, too compassionate, to even think about killing others." The martial artist assured her. "There's nothing that would make you take another life and you care so much about life that you wouldn't want to kill to escape. As for us being victims…I cannot say for certain. However, if it does happen, take heart that we'll be able to stop it from happening."

Though Sakura stopped talking, her mouth remained open as if she wasn't done. The words that hung from her mouth was that, the classmates she's with, the friends she's become familiar with, were apparently not the people that she had came to know. Sakura knew far too well that every person has another side to them, and when their control over this other side starts to thin, things get ugly. But looking down at her shaken friend who seemed to be contemplating what she had said, Sakura could not bring herself put any more pressure onto Hina.

Hina was silent for a moment. But slowly, she turned and wrapped the larger girl in a hug, one that Sakura softly returned. "I hope your right, Sakura." Hina croaked, clinging onto her friend tightly. For her, either of them being the victim or the blackened was terrifying.

But what's more terrifying…is the possibility that she would take Sakura's life.

(With Celeste)

Celestia Ludenberg sees herself as a very composed person.

After all, she had spent years learning to masking her emotions and the art of lying. Mastered it enough where she earned the title of the Ultimate Gambler, as well as the 'Queen of Liars'. With a name like that, it's obvious that she doesn't let her emotions show.

But while she does seem composed, calmly looking through the latest magazine as she ignored the panicked pacing and muttering of Hiro, the inner part of herself says otherwise. There was contempt for what had the future Byakuya had said and done. Disgust at the killing game itself, along with the murders that had happen in it. Disappointment at her classmates for breaking the nighttime rule that she had proposed. Anger that Monokuma trapped her future self inside there, away from her dream.

Oh yes, a significant amount of anger. When/if they found out who the mastermind really is, they will pay for what they plan to do to her. She will be certain that what they have planned does not come to fruition. She will not let them put her in that position. In that position…of weakness.

She then thought back to the chapters they have seen so far. Specifically, the murders and trials. From what she have seen so far, the much more stronger classmates had taken down the less active ones. Leon manage to overpower and killed Sayaka. Mondo wielded a dumbbell and murdered Chihiro with one, powerful strike.

She couldn't help but wonder what this meant. What will it mean for her? Will somebody else try to attack her? Will she…become a victim?

She suddenly grabbed her shaking hand, dropping her magazine in her lap. Why on Earth was she thinking such things? It's not a certainty that the stronger students will kill the weaker. Just because it happened twice doesn't mean a third time will be guaranteed. Why would she need to worry? As long as her future stays smart and careful, which she has no doubt she will, then everything will be fine.

So why was her hand shaking like that?

"Ms. Ludenberg?" The gambler looked up to see Hifumi, who looked up from his manga, staring at her worriedly. "Are you alright?"

Celeste gave him a polite smile. "I am fine, Hifumi. There's nothing to worry about."

"Are you sure? Cause I saw your hand shaking." Hifumi pointed out. That cause Celeste's smile to be slightly more strain.

"You are imagining things." Celeste said more forcefully, hoping that Hifumi doesn't say anything else. "I assure you, neither of my hands were shaking."

"Don't have to hide that you're scared, Ms. Ludenberg. Not even your high level persuasion can hide that-"

"I'M NOT SCARED!" Celeste suddenly shouted, losing her composure and her accent. Her angry shout caused Hifumi to recoil and shrivel up into his chair. Celeste then quickly turned her head towards Hiro, who froze in fear at her shout. "And Hiro you better stop that goddamn pacing and muttering! It's annoying me to hell!"

Hiro yelped and fell backwards upon the sudden outburst against him before rapidly backing away from the angry gambler. "Y-Yes ma'am! I'll be quiet!"

Celeste, seeing that she lost her composure once again, quickly got her mask on. After a few breaths, she smiled back towards Hifumi. "I am not scared, Hifumi. What you say, was simply part of your imagination."

"I-If you say so." While not fully believing her, Hifumi didn't pry anymore and went back to his manga. However, he knew that Ms. Ludenberg is feeling scared. He's not a complete fool. He knows that the shaking of her arm wasn't his imagination.

Meanwhile, Celeste went back to what she was reading as well. Her, scared? That is ludicrous. What does she have to fear? No one will kill her as long as she stayed vigilant. As long as she doesn't go along with someone, especially during the night, and kept to the rules Monokuma made, she will not die. There's nothing for her to be afraid of.

So why was her hand shaking?

(Before Makoto talked to Chihiro)

Makoto and Kyoko quickly made their way to Byakuya's room. Once there, Makoto gave the door a knock. "Byakuya? We finished."

"And there's a couple of things you need to you." Kyoko added. After a moment, Byakuya opened the door and met the two face to face.

"Come in. I'd rather not have the discussion out here." With that, he went back into his room. Kyoko and Makoto followed him in as the heir sat on his bed. "So, what is it?"

"For one, there's someone working with Monokuma." Makoto began with. "And there were some hints that says that the person is one of us."

Byakuya furrowed his brows. "A traitor?"

"Possibly." Kyoko answered. "But we can't say for certain. The other thing is that the accomplice had asked about a sixteenth student."

"Oh?" Byakuya's curiosity increased. "Are they talking about Junko?"

"We're not sure." Makoto answered for Kyoko. "But I doubt it. Monokuma said that this sixteenth student was his 'triumph card'."

That cause the heir to frown even further. "That is disconcerting." He murmured. "It seems that we are getting more questions than answers right now."

"That is true. Right now, we have little to no answers on what's happening." Kyoko mused with her usual thinking face. "Instead, each chapter is giving us more and more questions."

"When do you think we'll get some answers?" Makoto asked them.

"Not sure. All we can do is guess at this point." Kyoko conceded. "But let's not dwell on it for now. Eventually, we will get the answers we need. Otherwise, there would be no point in bringing us here."

"True enough." Byakuya agreed. "Anything else you want to tell me?"

"Just one more thing." Kyoko said. "After questioning your future self, I asked Monokuma about the executions he's been giving us. His answer was curious."

Byakuya's brow twitched at the mention of his questioning, but he made no effort to ask about that. 'Perhaps he's still hung up on it?' Makoto thought to himself.

"You mean how he said that the despair was a gift to the entire world, right?" Makoto inquired, frowning at the memory.

That cause Byakuya to raise an eyebrow. "A gift to the entire world? Surely that's just an exaggeration."

"My future self said that as well. But Monokuma was adamant that it wasn't." Kyoko told him. While she still thinks that he was exaggerating, to a degree, it made her wonder…how was it a gift?

"I see then. This will be something to think about." Byakuya said, appearing as if in thought. "If there's nothing more, then you can leave."

Kyoko nodded and made her way to the door, deciding not to make a remark about his attitude. Makoto hesitated for a moment before following Kyoko. Though he wanted to stay behind and talk, he had the feeling that Byakuya needed more time to himself before he talks to him.

After they went out, and closed the door, the two of them walked away. "I hope Byakuya is alright." The luckster sighed. "Can't really imagine how he's feeling."

"While Byakuya is a strong-willed person, witnessing what he would've done in a position like that would surely cause him some conflict of sorts." Kyoko told him. She then gave him a knowing look. "Of course, you'll be there to help him through it."

Makoto chuckled sheepishly at this. "That obvious, huh?"

"You're far too caring to your classmates, even Byakuya, to not do anything." Kyoko responded with a smirk.

That gain another chuckle from the luckster. "Yeah, I plan to visit him." He confirmed. "But later. I'm gonna go talk to Chihiro first. See if he's okay. Same with Mondo and Taka."

"Alright, then. I'll be in my room, looking at the new information given to us." The two then continued to walk in their usual comfortable silence, heading to their individual destinations.

(With Mondo)

Ever since he took control of the gang, he had always tried to convince himself that he's strong. He kept telling himself that he earned his spot, that he's enough to lead the gang, that he's as strong as Daiya. Every time he felt that he didn't deserve to lead, he kept telling himself otherwise.

But deep inside, he knew that he was weak. And even now, he's as weak as he was before.

The Ultimate Biker Gang Leader is sitting on his bed, hunched over with his hands together as if he was in deep thought. However, what went on inside his mind ran contrary to his outward appearance. Heavy amounts of guilt, self-loathing, anger, and frustration was swirling like a storm inside.

A part of him couldn't believe that he killed Chihiro. That part of him didn't want to believe it, that it wasn't real, that this was just a goddamn nightmare or a sick joke Hope's Peak decided to pull on them.

But he ain't stupid, at least, not that stupid, and he definitely didn't consider himself a coward. He knew everything they saw was their future, and that he would kill Chihiro out of blind anger from jealousy.

"You idiot…" Mondo said to himself, gritting his teeth. What on earth would his friends in the gang say to him if they saw that? What would his brother say if he saw that? What would they even think of him?

And he could only imagine what Chihiro and Taka is feeling right now. The two of them had so much faith him, believed that he wasn't the blackened of that shitty trial. But now, that faith was all for nothing. He grinded their expectations into the dirt. Though the weeks that followed Daiya's incident came close, Mondo has never felt more shitty in his entire life than he did now.

"You fucking idiot!" With that shout, he punched the wall close to him, causing a crack. "You! Goddamn! Good-For-Nothing... Idiot!" With each word he spat on himself, he punched the wall harder and harder, creating more cracks.

"Why am I so fucking weak?!" With one last roar, he punched a hole in the wall. Though just as fast as he made the hole, the wall quickly patched itself back up as if it had not received any damage at all. Mondo wore an angry scowl on his face as he stared at the wall that seemed to be taunting him, but managed to refrain himself from further letting loose.

When will he ever control this damn temper? He had been told time and time again that it would get him in trouble. Sakura even pointed it out yesterday that he needed to control his anger. And in the future, that temper was the death of a far better person than he is.

"Hey, Mondo?" At the sound of Makoto's voice, Mondo looked at the door. "Are you okay?"

"What the hell do you think, Makoto?" Was Mondo's gruff response. If he knew the luckster, he's probably wincing right now.

"Yeah, sorry. Bad question." He said guiltily. "Can I come in and talk?"

Mondo let out a sigh before sitting back down on the bed, completely dissatisfied that his attempts to cool off didn't work. "It's unlocked." He said, loud enough for his voice to carry through the door. As the luckster came in, he noticed the redness on Mondo's knuckles. He inwardly sighed, but wisely decided not to comment on it. That aside, it's obvious Mondo unleashed his emotion on the poor wall judging by the heat in the room already.

Mondo sat back on his bed while Makoto merely stood where he was at. There was a moment of awkward silence between the two before it got to Mondo.

"Look, take a seat alright? I'm not gonna - Just sit your ass down. You're making this difficult." The biker said in slight annoyance, pointing to the chair by his desk. Although normally Makoto might've been a bit intimidated by his harsh words, he calmly obliged and sat down facing the biker. After visually confirming that Mondo was willing to listen, Makoto started with a sigh.

"Umm...I'm not gonna justify what your future self did, Mondo." Makoto began, getting straight to the point. With Mondo, there's no need to beat around the bushes as he hates that sort of thing. "There's nothing to justify. But you can't let what you saw, let that guilt, consume you."

Mondo gritted his teeth. "I killed somebody, Makoto, in cold blood! I killed Chihiro, in cold blood! How the fuck can I just push that way, like it was nothing?!" Though both of his hands were on his thighs, the sight of Mondo clenching his fists still sent a small sense of fear towards Makoto. However, now wasn't the time to back down.

"You didn't kill him in cold blood!" Makoto refuted. "It was clear that you felt guilty about, both you and your future self! It was clear that you only reacted out of stress, anger, and jealousy! You didn't plan on killing Chihiro nor did you have the right state of mind to make that decision!"

"Does that even make it any less wrong?" Mondo shot back in a low angry voice. Flames of guilt were reflected in his narrowed eyes that he directed at Makoto, daring him to convince him that he was wrong.

"Well...No." Makoto admitted as he looked to the side, feeling a little defeated and upset that he can't justify what Mondo has done. Mondo, seeing this as a gesture of defeat, crossed his arms as if to say 'Then this discussion is over.'. However, just as he was about to voice his actual words, Makoto straightened himself up and kept going.

"It doesn't. But that's besides the point here. And I'm not just talking about Chihiro either. I'm also talking about Daiya."

Mondo visibly and angrily recoiled from that, not expecting his brother to be brought up. "What the hell do you mean?"

"I'm saying that Daiya's death wasn't your fault." Makoto answered, pressing on. "You didn't kill him."

Makoto's unexpected attack caused Mondo to waver for a second. Pain and guilt flickered across the biker's face for the briefest moment before he caught himself and maintained his posture. "I did." He croaked, his body slightly shaking but he managed to control his voice. "If I wasn't so strung up on winning, he wouldn't have to do that. I wouldn't have put myself in that stupid spot, and he wouldn't have needed to sacrifice himself for me. Can't you see that I fucking caused all this?" In the midst of his rebuttal, Mondo had stood up, unable to keep still while sitting down. The flames in his eyes flickered in conflict as he looked down onto Makoto.

"It was his choice to save you, Mondo." Makoto argued in response, neither retreating from the overwhelming aura of the biker or breaking eye contact from his visibly inferior position. "It was his choice to give his life for yours. That's what any older sibling would do." Makoto said the last part earnestly. Although Mondo's aura would have normally hammered him away by now, the fact that Makoto was still able to sit calmly and give his response reflected the truth and conviction behind those words. He knew that if Komaru was in any danger, he would give his life to get her out of it.

Mondo remained silent to Makoto's response. Though he appeared to be unmoved externally, he was internally bewildered for multiple reasons. First was the fact that any normal person would've crumbled into fear if they were in Makoto's position. Mondo was well aware of how he was presenting himself, and if his visual appearance wasn't intimidating enough, his aura around him that made him famous as the leader of the Crazy Diamonds sure was. Second reason was the words that Makoto had spoke in response to him. It seemed like a cheap shot since it completely disregarded his own actions, but at the same time, Mondo couldn't bring himself to deny it.

Finally, Mondo just couldn't bring himself to act. The look in Makoto's eyes carried a completely different kind of strength that Mondo himself lacked. Makoto may be physically overwhelmed, but in this unspoken tug-of-war between the biker and the luckster, Makoto clearly proved himself to be more than a match for the biker. As Mondo looked into his eyes, he couldn't help but think of the same look Chihiro had on screen just before his death. Was he doing this on purpose? He quickly searched for signs of an act or a mask put up by Makoto, but the earnest look that reflected back towards him said otherwise. In the end, Mondo could only wait for him to continue.

Seeing Mondo not refuting anything, Makoto pressed on. "You want to be as strong as Daiya, right? To be as strong as Chihiro? To be the person that Chihiro admires?" He asked, driving his point home.

Though these were things Mondo would never admit openly, he could only silently nod his head in this situation. "Then you have to move on. Accept what has happened and face the future." Makoto said. "You have no problems confronting problems physically, but you need to confront them mentally as well. Being strong isn't only in the sense of physical strength, and I'm sure you're well aware of that." As Makoto delivered his words, he was careful not to raise his voice to beat on Mondo's battered spirit, but kept enough of his feelings behind his words to pass the sincerity behind them.

"You still have time improve yourself, to avoid something like that from ever happening, and to be as strong as you want to be. You just need to keep moving forward."

Any sense of intimidation or presence of the overwhelming aura Mondo had possessed just a moment ago had all but disappeared when Makoto pointed out the source of his problems. Everything Makoto said had hit home so hard, he could only stand there in silence.

"I'll give you some time to think about this." With that, Makoto stood up and turned to leave. However, just as he reached the door, he turned back to Mondo to say one more thing. "By the way, find the time to talk to Chihiro about this. Don't try to avoid each other, please." With that, he left the room.

Even as Makoto left the room, Mondo still found himself in a daze as he stood facing the empty chair. For the second time in his life, Mondo had lost in spirit to another person, first losing to his own brother. He tried to make sense of what kind of strength Makoto had that kept him together. He tried to make sense of what kind of strength Chihiro had to overcome his obstacles. As Mondo kept his downward gaze towards the empty chair, he saw for the briefest moment, a flash of Chihiro smiling up towards him. As the image faded from his sight, the only sound that echoed in the room was the tightening of one's fists.

(With Makoto)

'I hope I could help out the two of them.' Makoto thought to himself as he walked down the hallway and towards the stairs leading to the lower floor. He really doesn't want any tension or awkwardness to continue between the two, like with Leon and Sayaka before. He winced at the thought of remembering the pains brought onto him from the previous chapter.

As he head downstairs to the recreational room, hoping to keep his mind off of chapter 2 for the time being, he found himself face to face with Mukuro who was ascending the stairs.

"Makoto." Mukuro said, slightly startled, before regaining her composure. "I was just looking for you."

"Do you need something?" Makoto asked with slight concern.

In response, Mukuro shook her head. "No, I'm alright. I was just performing a routine check on the mental welfare of everyone's mindset. The last chapter was quite provoking."

Makoto grimaced at the reminder. "Yeah, it was." He agreed. "But I'll be okay. I'm more worried about some of the others, like Mondo and Chihiro."

"I presume you have spoken with them already?" Mukuro guessed, to which the luckster nodded.

"I did. They were both pretty down when I first saw them." He sighed. "I hope my words helped them somehow. I don't want any tension or awkwardness between them."

"Knowing you, I'm sure your methods would be far more effective than mine. If you have spoken to them already, then there's no need for me to check up on them." Mukuro said, with a bit of confidence in her voice. She knew that Makoto had this ability to make anyone feel better and brighten their mood whenever they're down. It's one more thing she loves and admired about him.

Makoto smiled at the compliment, making Mukuro blush and just slightly, return a small smile. "Thanks, Mukuro. You should take it easy and get some rest as well. Don't neglect yourself ok?"

"Ah, I'll be sure to do that." Mukuro curtly replied. With that, they exchanged farewells for the night and Makoto continued on his way downstairs, leaving Mukuro to watch his retreating figure until Makoto disappeared around a corner.

As he left, Mukuro watched him with conflicted eyes. Another opportunity had just passed by her to confess her eventual crimes. Even though she had actively sought him out and worked up the resolve to do so, she couldn't bring it up when the moment happened. It was quite vexing to ultimately decide on something, but not being able to carry it out in the end.

'What should I do?' Mukuro thought to herself. 'Can I reveal who I really am?' The thought of revealing herself to Makoto terrified her. She doesn't know how he would react, how he would take it. How would he view her? And, most importantly, what would Junko do if she finds out Mukuro had confessed?

She sighed to herself as she walked up the stairs to her room, upset with herself that yet again, she couldn't bring herself to action. The only comforting thought that lingered in her mind was that this hesitation wasn't made on a battlefield, but even still, for some reason, she would prefer that hesitation to this one.

(With Taka)

After witnessing the events of chapter 2, Taka's legs had carried him to the recreational room, specifically, towards one of the tables isolated from the others. He sat there with both elbows on the table, and both hands connected to his forehead as if in a prayer. Though it was a rare occurrence for him to space out, that was exactly what he was doing. Unable to accept the reality of the events that occurred, nor able to face his closest friend that he called a brother, his fists slammed onto the table in empty disappointment and frustration.

Ever since their match in the sauna, the two of them had been the closest friends. He's been one of the first friends he had ever made, and since that day, their bond hasn't diminished in the slightest. It was at a point where Taka could even call him a brother. After witnessing the events that occurred however, Taka began to doubt the very chains of friendship that bound the two together. In addition to the question of character, watching Mondo's death right in front of him further drove Taka into the void as he struggled to come to terms with it.

However, being the person he is, Taka also didn't let himself leave his sight of righteousness. He has always been proactive when it came methods of prevention, so why did such things happen under his watch? If only he was there, he could've stopped Mondo from striking Chihiro. If only he paid more attention to the nature of the secrets, he could have devised a plan to safeguard everyone. If only he had been more proactive, Mondo and Chihiro could have lived.

Taka stared at the space between his two fists, his knuckles white from the strength he's put into it, and if he hadn't cut his nails, his palms would both be bleeding. A look of apathy that resulted from emotions exceeding his spiritual limit was reflected on the glossy finish of the table. Hollow eyes stared into each other as the myriad of conflicts stirred within him. Because of this, he failed to hear the foot steps of an approaching person nor the calls that were directed to him until said person was next to him.

"Taka?" The moral compass suddenly snapped out of his stupor and looked up to see Makoto staring at him in concern. "That was some heavy stuff wasn't it?"

It took a moment for the question to register as the bewilderment within Taka died down. After finally acknowledging the question, Taka could only look down at his reflection on the table. "Ah. You could say that." Taka said, his voice soft and holding little emotion. "Honestly, I can't feel anything right now. I'm not sure if I want to." He subconsciously continued.

Makoto took a quick look around the room before taking the seat opposite of Taka. The table they were at was also a booth designed for pairs to sit across from each other, or at most, four people at the table. Seeing that there's a division between the booths, he had no worries about other people interrupting.

"I'm all ears if you want to talk about it." Makoto offered as he sat down and patiently waited.

At first, Taka stayed silent, never lifting his gaze from his reflection. But after several seconds passed, he spoke. "Could…could have I done anything?" He asked Makoto, starting with the root of his concerns. Though he asked this question, Taka wasn't sure if he wanted an actual answer, or if he was looking for reassurance and sympathy. Regardless, he felt that he needed a response. "Could I have stopped Mondo from…doing what he did?"

In response, Makoto shook his head. "You couldn't have possibly known that would've happened, Taka." He told the moral compass. "There wasn't any way that any of us could predict that Mondo would killed somebody, let alone Chihiro."

"But, maybe if I had known what secret Mondo was holding, future me could've seen that he might murder." Taka persisted. Somewhere inside of him, he knew this was meaningless, but still, something compelled him to resist. "If I had just an inkling-"

"I doubt Mondo would have told you, even if you suspected how bad his secret was." Makoto gently argued back, careful not to break his spirit. "And even if you did know what his secret was at the time, it wasn't like Mondo was planning on murdering anybody. There wasn't anyway you could've stopped him Taka. Knowing you, you would abide by the nighttime rule as if it was any other rule in the school, so unless you had a good reason to visit the gym at night, it was beyond you."

Taka fell silent at Makoto's refutation. It was both a combination of that he had no response to it, and that Makoto was correct in every aspect of his words. The crime was committed during nighttime, and everyone had supposedly agreed not to leave their rooms at night. Though it only upset him more knowing that he could've done nothing about it, he couldn't refute the points even if he wanted to.

Mentally conceding that point, Taka looked up from his reflection and asked a different question. "Do…do you think Chihiro would hate Mondo for what he did?" For the first time since leaving the theatre room, Taka's look of apathy had been replaced with anxiety and concern. "Would he hate me for not stopping him?"

Makoto's eyes widened at the absurdity of the question before immediately answering. "No! Chihiro would never hate you for that reason." Makoto told him. "And he wouldn't blame you for what you couldn't control Taka, you know that! That' not the type of person he is! Hell, I'm sure that he hasn't even considered that!"

"I know, but…I just can't help but think that…" Taka grounded out through his teeth. His strong sense of responsibility couldn't let go of the vexing feeling of helplessly watching from the sidelines. It was frustrating that he can't help but feel that he needs to take responsibility for something, yet there was no fault that was his.

Makoto sighed as he noticed the conflict within Taka that was now written all over his face. "If you feel so strongly about it, the three of you should talk just talk it out then." He advised him. Since he was sure Mondo would talk to Chihiro soon, it'd be more productive if the three of them can reconcile together rather than the three of them individually.

"Are you sure that's the right course?" Taka asked, feeling hesitant about the idea. As one who has been both admired and scrutinized by his peers, he was no stranger to the notion of 'bad blood', but this may be the first time he had to confront it. "You sure it won't make the situation any worse?"

"I'm sure it won't, Taka." Makoto reassured him. "Beside, you're the Ultimate Moral Compass, right? Look at it objectively, what do you think is the best course of action when three friends are in discord with each other?"

Taka thought about the question. What would he think the best course of action would be? "It…it would be to reconcile together... like you said..." Taka answered, a little bit of confidence working into his tone. After all, the worst case scenario is avoidance and assuming the worst. If something can be worked out together, then that should be the best course of action.

"Yep. That's it, Taka." Makoto agreed. "So, will you talk to them?"

"When.. When I get the chance... I will." Taka confirmed. "Just, I would like some time to myself for now." Right now, he's far from his exuberant self right now. He'll need some of that confidence if he's going to talk to the two.

"I'm glad to hear, Taka." Makoto then got up from his seat. "Don't take this too hard."

"Ah. You too Makoto." Taka said, waving to the retreating figure of Makoto.

As the luckster left, Taka couldn't help but renew his sense of respect towards him. 'Has he been checking up on everyone else too?' Truly, Makoto had outdone him as the class representative. Just as Makoto had brought him out of his self loathing, he's sure that the lucky student had been doing the same to everyone else.

'In that case... I can't afford to be like this as well.'

Pressing his palm onto the table to push himself up, Taka made his way up the stairs with renewed determination.

(With Kyoko)

Kyoko sat in her dimly lit room at her desk recording everything relevant down into her notebook. Although the dim lights weren't too healthy for her eyesight, that was hardly the concern compared to the mysteries that currently occupied the detective's mind.

With the second chapter, they managed to get a couple of more pieces of the puzzle, but they were still far from the overall picture. Over a year's worth of memory, possibly two, was erased; her memories of being a detective was also wiped; the mastermind has a frightening amount of information on all of them; something is happening outside of the old school building; and now there's an sixteenth student somewhere..

But unfortunately, just like a puzzle with incomplete pieces, none of the information is brought her closer to finding the truth. In addition, the chapter only brought more questions than answers. What exactly is happening outside of Hope's Peak? How is there no help yet? How did the mastermind get all that information on them? What was her secret? Who's working for the mastermind?

Kyoko only rubbed her head in mild frustration as several more questions were brought up, and very few answers were given to them. This also didn't even touch on the fact that none of the information even hinted to figuring out who's the mastermind.

'At the very least, I can't call it a total loss. There were some gains, no matter how minor' Kyoko sighed. That's something, at least.

One of those gains was the strengthening on the theory that there were defenses outside of the old school building, and that there were people trying to break through to them. If Monokuma's words rang true, and what Hiro heard was an explosion, then that the theory is no longer groundless.

"That aside, there is something else I should give my attention to that's far more pressing..."

Kyoko then thought about the identity of the sixteenth student. Considering Monokuma's word, they could be a valuable ally or just a chess piece in Monokuma's sick game. Either way, it would be bad if he utilized the chess piece. In terms of names, the only one that comes to mind is "Junko Enoshima". After all, she's the only one who's not present in the killing game currently. Furthermore, not only is she a part of their class, but she knows all of them. Junko may seem very whimsical, but Kyoko can't deny that there is a very intellectual side to her.

But as with everything else, unless there's undeniable evidence that Junko is the 16th student, Kyoko couldn't say for sure due to several reasons. For one, she can't be sure that they all shared their personal information with each other in that timeline, and it also doesn't explain why Mukuro disguise herself as Junko. In addition, because the possibility of Junko being the 16th student is based on that she isn't there, Kyoko can say the same for any other person that Monokuma just happened to have unfortunately roped into his plans as well.

An even more immediate concern is whoever it was that spoke to Monokuma. Judging from the way they spoke, it must have been one of the remaining survivors, but given what they saw, she can only scratch Makoto and herself off the list of possible suspects. There was no way to tell how dangerous the traitor was, or in what way they would be aiding Monokuma, but the fact that she had to suspect one of her fellow classmates did not sit easy with her.

She sighed to herself, stopping all thought processes for the time being. Turning against her classmates now would only serve to bring more trouble than is necessary, and yet it is something that she must do eventually. Regardless, she needed more information before she could get to any kind of conclusion so her course of action was only to wait and watch.

But one thing's for certain: The absence of Junko Enoshima was definitely starting become more suspicious.

(With Makoto)

After talking with Taka, Makoto hung out with Leon and Sayaka, who've made up with one another about the events of chapter one. Makoto is glad the tension between them is gone, and he hoped the same will happen for Mondo, Chihiro, and Taka.

Sakura and Hina joined in soon after, though the latter was less energetic than usual. Though that warranted Makoto's concern, the swimmer eventually waved it off as something not too important.

During their gathering, the conversation started off light, but they inevitably asked about Chihiro, Mondo, and Taka, to which Makoto gave a brief summary of events. Seeing the relief amongst everyone, Sayaka and Leon decided to inform everyone what Mukuro told them: that the butter Monokuma was eating wasn't actually Mondo. The relief everyone had after that finally enabled them to enjoy a light dinner with each other.

After conversing a little bit more with them, Makoto decided to go to his room for the night, seeing that it was going to be late soon. As he walked to his room, he thought about Byakuya. He wondered when it would be the right time to talk to him. Should he try doing so at some point tonight or wait till the morning for the opportunity?

'It might be best to wait in the morning.' He decided. He guessed that Byakuya probably isn't in the mood to talk to anybody right now, so visiting him would only agitate him further. Hopefully in the morning, he would be more willing to listen.

He soon got to his room. When he stepped his foot inside, he heard and felt the crunch of a piece of paper. Looking down, he saw a piece of paper folded in half under his foot. 'A note?' Makoto thought in confusion. 'Who could it be from?' Curious, he took the note from under his foot, and looked inside.

His eyes slowly widened as he read every word on the note, and as he apprehended its meaning, his blood ran cold.

"Mukuro Ikusaba is a conspirator with the Mastermind."

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 43: Watching Chapter 3: A Next Generation Legend! Stand Tall, Galactic Hero! Part 1

It's been half an hour since Makoto read the note, and aside from sitting down on his bed, he has yet to move an inch. With a difficult expression on his face, he didn't know how to take this note. If Makoto was under any other normal circumstances, he probably would have put this aside as a sick joke. But with how heavy the current situation was, and no matter how much he didn't want to admit it, he couldn't simply brush this aside.

Makoto couldn't believe that Mukuro is conspiring with the mastermind. It simply didn't fit in his logic. It was as if someone was trying to convince him that "one plus one equals three"; it just wasn't possible. There were so many things about this that didn't make sense. If she was a conspirator, why did Monokuma kill her like that? Why would he get rid of an insider that could have very likely influenced the killing game? And he had no doubt that the future Mukuro was killed. As morbid as it was, there was no faking that kind of death.

In addition, she's of Makoto's closer friends. He understands that despite her cold and mechanical attitude to most people, she has good intentions. She proved that several times, including a few hours ago. She wouldn't wish for the deaths of her classmates.

But if that's the case, why did someone write and gave him this note? How did they come to this conclusion? More importantly, who? Makoto couldn't think of any of his friends that would write something like this as a joke, and his more serious friends, such as Kyoko or Byakuya, would tell him face to face rather than an ominous note. Going by process of elimination, does this mean that Spirit wrote it?

Makoto bit his lip, the anguish growing. If it was Spirit that wrote it…then it very much implies that everything in this letter is true. But did he? Spirit has made a case that he would only intervene if things got out of hand, but he also didn't mention anything about dropping hints to them. The biggest problem was that Makoto couldn't determine whether this note was real or fake, even though his intuition is telling him that its likely real.

'Why are you doubting her Makoto?' His mind shouted to himself. 'Mukuro is one of your closest friends! She wouldn't be involved in something like this!'

'You thought the same for Sayaka…' Another voice refuted the other in his head. 'You didn't even think that she would try to frame you for murder. But yet we saw it happen. What's to say Mukuro isn't the same way?'

Makoto let out a frustrated cry as he fell back onto his bed and rolled around in frustration. What should he do? What's the best option here? Should he just ignore the note? Tell somebody about it?

What should he do?

(With Taka)

After his talk with Makoto, the Ultimate Moral Compass had gone back up to his room. He had planned on talking with Chihiro and Mondo about the future events they had witnessed, and he wants to be mentally prepared for this. After all, if he's going to talk with them, he'll need as much of his confidence as he could muster.

Now, he's at Mondo door ready to talk to his friend. He proceeded to knock on the door, but paused just before his knuckles hit the wooden frame. Is this truly the right time? Shouldn't he wait for a good moment to talk to him about this?

Taka shook his head, shaking off that thought. No, they need to talk about this now. There isn't any good time to talk about this, and delaying it further would merely hurt him, Chihiro, and Mondo in the process. He could not delay any further.

With that firmly in his head, he knocked on the door. "Mondo?" Taka called out. "It's me - Taka." He then waited, putting on a serious expression and subconsciously held his breath awaiting his answer. After a moment of waiting, Taka released his breath as the door opened, revealing a worn out Mondo just behind it.

"Bro?" He said in slight surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk, Mondo." Taka told him, not beating around the bush. "About...that."

Mondo tensed up a little at this, but made no immediate reaction. He avoided eye contact as he turned his face to the side and came up with an excuse. "Makoto already talked with m-"

"But WE need to talk." Taka interrupted, not letting Mondo skip out of the this. "Chihiro as well. We can't postpone this any longer. Delaying will only cause us to assume the worse out of what we're thinking."

Again, Mondo remained silent for a moment as he gauged Taka's urge to talk. He's already tired from his own session of depression as well as mulling over what Makoto talked to him about, but remembering the last part of talking with Makoto and recognizing that Taka is right, Mondo sighed. "Alright. Have it your way, bro." He conceded. "So, are we going to get Chihiro?"

"Umm... I'm here." The two guys turned to see the programmer a few feet away from them, fidgeting slightly. "And uh.. if we're gonna talk, there's a private room Spirit introduce me to."

"He showed you a private room?" Taka asked curiously. "When?"

"After I got out of my own room. I asked him if there were any private rooms to talk and he said that was a good idea and he uh... made one." Chihiro answered. "So…how about we talk there?"

"That'll probably be smart." Mondo commented, looking at his room. Although by Mondo's standards it was acceptable, it was clearly still a mess. "These ain't fucking big enough for more than two people."

As Mondo turned back to look at his room, Taka was about to berate him for it until he reminded himself that that wasn't a priority. Mentally making a note of it, he turned to Chihiro instead. "Alright Chihiro, lead the way." With that, the moral compass and biker followed the programmer to the private room.

(A few minutes later)

It didn't take them too long to get there, but it still took a bit of time. The private room Chihiro was told about was located in the living room, away from the entrance to the recreational room. The room was large, large enough to fit sixteen or seventeen people inside. A long table was in the room, with several chairs around it, though there was still plenty of space inside. Although it was a private room, it clearly was tailored to be a large meeting room rather than a smaller private booth that they were all expecting. As they walked in, Chihiro made a mental note to himself to be more specific next time.

As they finally decided on a spot along the large table and sat down, they realized that none of them really knew how to start this conversation. Even Taka, who was determined to get this out of the way, had no idea what to say. How could he even began this conversation? How can he ask the questions that plague his mind?

Finally, it was Mondo, who was getting annoyed at the awkward, that forced himself to speak. Slamming his fist on the table, which helped alleviate the awkward tension as well as getting rid of his irritation, he began. "Look. Chihiro, Taka. I'm not gonna justify what I did. Not gonna make any shitty excuses, minimize what we saw, none of that shit. The only I can say…is that I'm sorry."

Mondo gritted his teeth and bowed his head, his signature hairstyle flopped onto the table as he did. "What I did to you was fucked up, Chihiro. I let petty jealousy and my goddamn temper get the best of me, and you ended up paying the price. An goddamn apology isn't good enough for it, but it's the best I could do right now."

"You don't have to apologize Mondo." Chihiro protested. "It was your future self that did it, not you. And it was partly my fault too. If I didn't provoke you-"

"Don't." Mondo interrupted sharply, drawing a scared flinch from Chihiro. The biker softened some at the site of flinch, mentally scolding himself for scaring the programmer like that. He spoke again, softer this time. "Don't blame yourself Chihiro. You did nothing wrong. It was my own delusions that led me to what happened. You trusted me, and I was the one to break that trust. You couldn't have known what I was feeling."

"Then.…why?" Chihiro asked him, moving onto the next point. With how resolute Mondo was in his answer, there was no reason to keep exchanging apologies and taking responsibility so he left it for now and moved onto the other thing Chihiro wanted to know. "Why would you be jealous of me? What's there to be jealous of?" Honestly, he knows the answer now as he saw it in the flashbacks and Makoto clearly told him. But he still asked because either that he still didn't believe it, or he wanted to hear it out of Mondo's mouth.

Mondo made a face as if someone asked him a really obvious question. "You're joking, right?" He asked the petite programmer. Although his expression would have easily came off as condescending for asking such an obvious question, his voice carried a completely different intention. "It's because your strong, Chihiro. Stronger than I could ever be. And I'm not talking about fucking muscles. I'm talking about actual bravery and courage."

"You…you really think that I'm strong?" Chihiro asked quietly, various emotions playing in his eyes.

Mondo made a small nod. "Look, its embarrassing for me to say it, but you get what I mean. If you weren't strong, you wouldn't have had the drive to come out like that." He answered in a flustered voice. It was hard to be completely direct so he left it as that.

"I agree with Mondo." Taka added in, in his completely serious voice that contrasted Mondo's flustered response just now. "And if you ask any of our classmates, they would agree as well. We all saw the strength you have, Chihiro. You've clearly saw it yourself. There's no doubt about it. You're clearly a strong-willed individual."

Chihiro was silent, taking in those words. Though he had trouble believing it earlier, hearing both Mondo and Taka personally deliver those words to him made Chihiro truly believe that he was strong. And in the end, his feelings haven't changed in the slightest. Chihiro still saw Mondo as strong, and Taka as righteous. If his two role models said that he was strong, then its quite hard to not believe it. Chihiro, feeling completely convinced, came to a conclusion on the spot.

"I-If the two of you really think I'm strong…then I'll try to be." He responded. Even though his voice was a little on the weak side, Chihiro's determined expression didn't betray his intent. "I'll be braver about revealing my secret. Even if people says I'm weak for a boy, I'll be okay. I'll be better!"

Taka and Mondo both smiled at Chihiro's resolution. Mondo, however, couldn't help but feel a bit envious of Chihiro. It's clear that the little guy has the strength he convinced himself he had and so desperately craved.

"And Mondo?" Chihiro continued, directing his attention to the biker. "Can you still help me get physically stronger?"

Mondo almost fell off his chair from reacting to those words. "The hell?" He cursed in shock as soon as he regained his footing. "You mean you still want me to help you out? Even after the shit we saw?"

Chihiro timidly nodded. "I can't really say that I have forgotten everything that had happened." The programmer bit his lip, memory of seeing the future Mondo killing his future self flashing in his mind. "It…it's still scary, thinking that you would kill me." Mondo winced at that.

"But…even so, I believe that I can trust you." Chihiro told him earnestly. "It's clear that you didn't plan on killing me. And you're aware of it too so it won't happen again right? Right! I can't keep growing like this so I'm not gonna let myself be afraid!"

Mondo was completely speechless at the display from Chihiro. It was already surprising enough that Chihiro still wanted to change himself, but he didn't expect himself to be forgiven like that either.

"I agree with Chihiro." Taka spoke up, causing the biker to snap his head towards his friend in surprise. "I can not say that I was not disappointed in what you have done in the future, but as of now, that's only a possibility. I'm sure if we take steps to avoid it, we can prevent that from happening. Therefore as a friend, you're going to have a lot of hard work coming at you." He finished with a smile.

Tears began forming in Mondo's eyes, feeling a bit overwhelmed at the loyalty his two friends are showing. But he stubbornly refused to let any of them fall. If there was any sense of pride left in him in this moment, he managed to preserve it by not crying. "Thank you." He told them, his voice full of sincerity. "I promise, I'll do my damn best not to let you down."

Taka smiled brightly at this. Mondo doesn't make promises lightly and when he does make them, he does his best to keep them. In addition to their already existing friendship, they saw it again in chapter 2, when Mondo tried to hide that Chihiro was a boy, even after he killed them.

However, a question that had plagued Taka entered his mind once more, making the positive mood he's feeling dim a little. So, knowing it won't go away if he doesn't ask now, he spoke once again. "And Chihiro, there's something I would like to ask you." He hesitantly turned to the smaller boy. "Do…do you blame me for what Mondo did?"

His unexpected question took the both of them off guard. "Wait, what?" Mondo asked in disbelief. "How could it be your fault?"

"I just…felt like my future self could have stopped you." Taka said, his anxiety rising back up. "Maybe if I had insisted on all of us revealing our secrets, or suspected how bad your secret really was-"

"Bro, stop it." Mondo interrupted firmly. "If I'm not gonna let Chihiro take the blame for what I did, I'm not gonna let you do it either. There was no way in hell you could've found what I was thinking, and there was no use trying to get everyone to reveal their secret. I know we talked about this, but even I think that's a bad idea."

"And I would never blame you, Taka!" Chihiro added in. "You haven't done anything that would cause this!"

"I know, but…" Taka clenched his fist, turning away from the both of them. "My lack of action should be considered negligence. I must have been able to do something!"

Chihiro bit his lip. He can see that this is affecting Taka, that seeing his future self experience this from the sidelines is frustrating for him. Taking a deep breath, he spoke. "We can't blame each other." Chihiro told him, gathering up his courage. "And can't blame ourselves either. Like Makoto said, the only person to blame for this is the mastermind. If it weren't for that, none of us would be here."

Taka looked at him, knowing that he was right. However, he remained silent because he couldn't find any words to continue his own point. "I know you feel useless after seeing the trial." The programmer continued. "But you have a chance to do something now. We all do."

"Chihiro right." Mondo agreed, crossing his arms. "We can find out how the hell we got in this mess, who the fucking mastermind is, and find out where the hell he's hiding, so we can kick his ass!"

"And we can all do it, together." Chihiro finished, staring right at Taka.

Taka look at both of his friends, taking in those words. Finally, a determine look entered his eyes. "You're right." He said, the passion in his voice finally coming back. "I can't keep holding on to what could possibly happen and what I could've done about it. We have this chance to stop this from ever happening." And he's gonna take that chance. There's no way he will let what they saw come to pass.

He will make sure Chihiro and Mondo survives. That his best friend doesn't become a murderer.

(Morning)

Yesterday passed fairly quickly for the group and morning soon came after. Some managed to get a good night rest while others remained restless.

Taka, Sayaka, and Sakura were the first ones up, and eating breakfast in the living room. Some of the others slowly trickled in while there were some exceptions who stayed upstairs.

One such person was Makoto. The lucky student was standing outside of Mukuro's room, fidgeting slightly. He knew she was an early riser so he had woken up exceptionally early for this, but not he found himself both a bit tired and unsure of what to do. Feeling the nervousness slowly take over him, he clenched his empty fist in an attempt to soothe it.

After much thinking last night, he decided it would be best to give her the note. While he doesn't plan to confront her about it right now, he feels that she needs to at least know the accusation made against her, regardless of whether or not it's true.

Plus, it'll let him see her initial reaction.

'Come on, Makoto, you need to do this.' He thought to himself, taking a deep breath. 'Don't back away from this now.'

Gathering up his courage, he knocked on the door. After a moment of waiting, the door opened with a surprised Mukuro. "Makoto?" The soldier said in curiosity. "Is there something you need?"

Makoto opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Seeing that his unusual hesitation as well as the difficult expression on his face, Mukuro decided to take the initiative. "What's wrong?"

"Someone gave me this note yesterday." Makoto finally said, extending his arm and offering the folded piece of paper. "They slid it into my room. And…it's about you."

Mukuro slightly tilted her head in confusion as she looked at the note. "What do you mean it's about me?" She asked slowly, not letting herself stutter.

"It would probably be better if you read yourself." Makoto said, which prompted Mukuto to slowly take the note from his hand.

Although the reaction lasted less than a second, Makoto didn't miss it. Mukuro was extremely adept at controlling her emotions so it took a while for Makoto to recognize the rare signs of emotional changes from her. This time, he did not miss the slight widening of the pupils, the barest twitch on the shoulders, and the split second silent gasp that Mukuro had. Makoto internally grimaced as her reaction had a high chance of confirming his thoughts last night.

On the other hand, Mukuro was completely caught off guard for a split second. Although she had a strong suspicion that it was her sister, she couldn't confirm it without confronting her about it. Furthermore, her spirit took a heavy hit because of all people this note went to, it was Makoto. She had intended for herself to approach him about this topic instead of the other way around. It also didn't help that she had to think of something to say to him as well, but no words managed to come to mind.

Before she could stammer anything out however, Makoto suddenly gave her a lifeline. "We'll talk about it later," He told her, snapping Mukuro out of her internal strife. "Like after the next chapter or something. I…don't think I'm ready to talk about it right now. But I thought you should see this." He deliberately left out the part where it was still a possibility that this was a sick joke because of her reaction earlier. His honest nature didn't allow him to simply leave that alone.

However, just before he turned to leave, he had one more thing to say. "However, I do believe in you. And I hope that this is wrong." He concluded. And with that, he went on his way to the living room.

Mukuro wanted to call out and stop him. She felt that she needed to do something right then and there, whether to tell him the truth or to lie, anything. But nothing came out of her mouth and she could only stand there to watch Makoto disappear around the corner. Looking down at the note again to confirm its contents and that she hadn't misread it earlier, she furrowed her brows as even more emotions welled up inside. After a moment, she stepped back into her room and closed the door, not wanting anyone to see her rattled. Just like Makoto, she wasn't ready to talk about this either.

Meanwhile, as Makoto walked away, he let out a breath. He wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do or the right time to do it, but at least he got that over with.

Just as he passed by Byakua's room however, the door opened and Byakuya came out. "Byakuya." Makoto said, slightly startled. He quickly shook off his surprise. "Um, good morning. How are you feeling?"

The heir crossed his arm. "Just fine." Was his short reply. "Let's not waste time with idle chit chat. We still have plenty of our future to see."

"Um, okay," Makoto replied back. A part of him want to talk to him about his future self, but honestly, what could he say? Byakuya isn't one to open up, and trying to make him do so would leave very little results. At the very least, he's still willing to go down and watch the rest with everyone so that's good enough for him.

In the end, Makoto stayed silent and walked behind Byakuya to the living room. As he did, he took a couple of deep breaths, trying push back any emotions he's feeling about his new knowledge. If Kyoko or Celeste saw him, they would try to interrogate as to what's wrong, and he would rather not reveal Mukuro's involvement. At least not yet.

As the two entered the living, Byakuya went over to his recliner while Makoto went over to the couch he usually sits at. There, he saw Kyoko, Leon, and Sayaka already sitting there. Sayaka, as usual, was the first to greet him. "Morning Makoto."

"What took you so long, dude?" Leon asked, raising an eyebrow.

In response, he chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry about that. Didn't have a good sleep." He replied honestly. While he didn't lie, he also didn't tell them everything either. It was true that he had to wake up extra early to talk to Mukuro alone so at the very least, his response was convincing. Seeing that they didn't question further, he went to grab some food for breakfast. The lack of people however, prompted Makoto to look around the room. He noticed that Byakuya, Kyoko, Sayaka, Leon, Junko, Sakura, and Taka are the only ones here. He guess the others are still getting ready, or sleeping in a little.

However, they didn't take long to get here,with Toko being the first. "W-What happened?" She asked nervously. "L-Last I remember, I-I-I saw…G-Genocide's Jack c-calling card."

As a few of the students explained to her what she missed, Celeste came in, looking tranquil as usual. Hina, Hiro, and Hifumi was next, the swimming pro still looking a bit tired, as well as anxious, while Hiro and Hifumi looked plain nervous.

Mukuro was the next one to come downstairs, grabbing some food before sitting on the recliner beside Junko per usual. However, her actions were a little bit less mechanical than usual. As she sat down, she looked over at Makoto trying to figure out what he was thinking. Mukuro didn't look too long however, as she wasn't sure how to approach the problem as well. In the end, she resigned to the current situation instead.

Mondo was the second to last to join them. "Morning dude," Leon greeted, with the others giving their greeting as well. "You ok?"

"No. It feels like shit," Mondo snorted. "Now I know how you felt."

"Yeah. Pretty shitty." Leon replied, remembering the feeling as well.

After the short exchange, Mondo moved to sit down with Taka. His best friend waved at him with slightly concerned eyes, but he waved him off. "So we're waiting for Chihiro, right?" He asked the others.

"Yeah." Hina frowned in concern. "I wonder what's taking him so long. He usually one of the people here early."

"Considering what we saw yesterday, I can't really blame him." Leon remarked. "Still, think we should go get him?"

"N-No need. I'm here."

At the sound of his voice, everyone turned to the stairs. And what they saw caught them all by surprise.

Instead of wearing a skirt they are used to seeing, Chihiro was wearing something different that was more fitting to his gender. It was a simple pair of blue jeans, sneakers, and a collared long sleeve on top. Those who met his father would clearly see the resemblance now. He fidgeted a little under the startled looks of his friends and classmates. "Um, g-good morning?"

The only one who doesn't look surprised was Spirit. "See you decided to wear some of boy's clothing I put in your room." He said non-chalantly.

"Y-Yeah, I did." The programmer confirmed. "Since everyone here already know that I'm a boy, I don't really need to wear girl's clothing. Besides…" He closed his eyes briefly before opening them in determination. "Th-This is a good start right?"

"But…" His look of determination quickly reverted back to shyness. "I don't think I'll be wearing this outside anytime soon... it still feels.. so weird..."

No one blamed him for such a reaction. Being able to change that much in a day is already more than an achievement for someone like Chihiro. "Don't worry too much about it, Chihiro." Makoto told him reassuringly. "Just move at your own pace."

"Yeah, man. Small steps for a small man." Leon said in agreement. "Still, you look good in pants."

"Yeah." Sayaka nodded, smiling at him. "I think you wear that nicely."

"Definitely! If only my brother can look like that too!" Hina chirped, causing Chihiro to blush heavily.

Mondo laughed at that. "Looks like when you show the world, you're gonna have some more fan girls Chihiro." The programmer couldn't find a response to such words and simply sat between Taka and Mondo, trying to hide his blush.

"Alright, then, now that we're all here…" Spirit summoned the remote before pointing it at the TV. "Ready to continue this?"

That caused some of the good mood to diminish. Some like Hina, Hiro, and Hifumi look very reluctant to continue while others like Makoto, Celeste, and Byakuya look resigned.

"There's no use delaying. Let's continue on with this large glimpse of our future." Byakuya spoke.

"Wait a minute, why is he here?" Mondo protested, remembering that they still haven't addressed Byakuya's transgression.

"What, am I not allowed to be here? I don't remember anything that prohibited me from being present." Byakuya retorted. Even though his words were only directed at Mondo, it was clear on several other people's expressions that they also didn't exactly welcome him back.

"Why you..!" Mondo held back the flurry of insults that were about to come out.

"Besides, I'm doing you a favor that you didn't need to come get me. I'm almost certain Spirit would have refused to move on without my presence." Byakuya said as he nodded towards Spirit. Although Mondo really wanted to say his piece back at him, he really wasn't in a position to do so. The biker could only begrudgingly sit back down and turned to face the screen. Seeing everyone finally settled down, Spirit resumed the video.

The first thing the TV showed was Hina in her room. The swimmer is laying on her bed, with her hair down, and nothing but her sleeveless t-shirt and underwear on. Tears were cascading from her eyes.

Starting with a half-naked Hina took the group by complete surprise, with some of them blushing madly at seeing her in that state. Hina herself is the worst, her face looking beet red and mortified.

"H-Hina?!" Sayaka exclaimed, clearly shock at seeing her friend half-naked.

"The hell!?" Mondo yelped in shock, a blush formed on his face.

"HYAAAH! STOP LOOKING! STOP! DON'T LOOK!" Hina cried out helplessly at everyone who got a glimpse at her vulnerable self.

Chihiro immediately covered his eyes with his hands well as trying to hiding his heavy blush. "Are we looking inside Hina's room?!"

"Apparently." Was all Byakuya could say as he pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, as if he had just read one of Toko's novels.

Taka stood up, a mix of anger and embarrassment on his face. "Why are we watching this?! This is inappropriate for a school setting!"

"Not to mention it's our friend." Sakura said, looking her face darkening. She glared at Hifumi, who is staring at the screen with his usual perverted look on his face.

However, even though Makoto, was blushing as bad as Chihiro and Hina, he noticed something on the screen. "Hey wait guys…is Hina crying?"

His words immediately liberated everyone from their own thoughts to focus on the current situation. "Yeah, she is crying." Leon agreed.

Sakura's anger quickly transformed into concern. "Is it because of the last trial?"

"Yeah…that's probably it." Hina said, biting her lip. She herself is not handling this well. She couldn't imagine how her future self is handling all of that.

The Ultimate let out a few sniffles, hugging a pillow close to her. "I know I shouldn't cry…" She said to herself. "But…"

She hugged the pillow closer to her, more tears cascading from her eyes. "I've had enough. I can't take it anymore." She continued, her voice slightly breaking. "Getting out of here…anytime soon…it's…impossible."

The fragile scene that was being played definitely took a huge morale on everyone watching, especially those who were still alive. With Hina like that, who knew if they themselves were thinking the same thing? Those who weren't there could only imagine themselves in the same situation.

"Again, I ask: Why are we watching this?" Taka questioned, turning to Spirit. "Is this really needed?"

Spirit nodded, his heads slightly turned away from the TV. "It leads up to a more important scene, one that affects the remaining survivors for most of this chapter."

"This 'scene' better be important, then." Sakura said, clearly not happy that her friend is being shown half-naked and crying on screen.

She closed her eyes tightly, yet the tears still fell from her eyes. "I can't let myself think about…how much I want to get out of here. If I keep thinking like that, I might decide to…"

Hina looked down and wrapped her arms around herself, shaking. It looks like her future self share the same fear as well. That she would kill one of her friends to get out.

Sakura, sensing her friend's worries and fear, place a hand reassuring hand on her shoulder. Hina gave a small smile in thanks before turning back to the screen.

Again, Hina went silent, just lay on her bed. Then suddenly, she shot up from her beds. "...Donuts." She said before shooting up. "I need to eat some donuts! That'll cheer me up!"

However, with the sudden change of mood, everyone was saved from the very gloomy atmosphere before. "O-Of course the first t-thing the i-idiot swimmer think of is donuts when s-sad."

"Yep, same old Hina." Sayaka said, shaking her head in amusement.

Said girl was blushing in embarrassments as more of the students agreed with Toko's statement. "Hey!" She whined with a pout. "It's not bad that donuts help you feel better!"

"No, it's not Hina." Makoto said, smiling. "But it's still amusing to see that donuts always help you feel better."

"Even more so when you have a stack of them on your plate." Leon pointed out with a grin. Hina could only pout with puffed out cheeks as she couldn't deny it while lightening the mood in the room even more.

As she put on her clothes, she began listing the different kinds of donuts. "Glazed donuts, twisty donuts, jelly donuts, cream-filled, donut holes, malasadas…!" After she got ready, she stood up straight from her bed. "O god of donuts! I'm praying for a wonderful encounter!"

Celeste let out an annoyed sigh. "And yet again, someone is breaking the night time rule."

"But it for a good cause." Leon said in defense for Hina "To forget about this damn game with a sugary snack."

"Besides, it's not like anything is going to happen." Hiro said. "This is beginning of the chapter. There's no way something like that will happen."

As she got out of her room, Hina sniffed a little before wiping her eyes. "I'm sorry…" She said to no one in particular. "Please, forgive me for breaking the nighttime rule…but right now, for me…donuts are absolutely necessary…!"

Before she could set her way to the warehouse, an electrical sound suddenly entered the area. "...Huh?" Was Hina's confuse response to it. Once again, the sound entered the area.

That cause the group stiffen a little."Um, what's that?" Taka asked nervously.

"I think that the sound of Mr. Hagakure jinxing us." Hifumi responded, just as nervous.

"N-No way! There's no way something would happen so soon!" Hiro protested, waving his hands around.

Once again, Sakura's face darkened and her hands clenched into fists. "I swear, if anything happens to Hina…"

"What's the sound?" She asked, looking creeped out. Again, the sound resonated in the hallway, causing her to turn to the source. "It sounds like it's coming from…the bathhouse…" Once again, the electrical sound was played, which scared her even more. "I'm super scared, but…" Biting her lip, she went over to the bathhouse.

"What are you doing?!" Hifumi squealed in terror. "Has horror movies taught you nothing?!"

"Even without watching those, it's common sense not to go a strange sound!" Leon exclaimed.

Hina is shaking in terror, wondering what's going to happen.

"I-Is…? Is someone there?" She nervously called out. As she got close to the bathhouse, she noticed that there was a green light in there. Still scared, she went up to the source of the light, which was one of the lockers. And when she got a good look inside, she gasped.

What she saw a glowing head of the now deceased Chihiro.

"KYAAAAAAAH!"

The sight of Chihiro's head caused several of the others to scream as well. "GHOST!" Hiro screamed in terror. "It's Chihiro's ghost!"

"Th-That's impossible!" Byakuya denied, clearly rattled. Such a thing clearly defies all logic. "There's no such thing as ghost!"

"Then how do you explain Chihiro's floating head?!" Sayaka exclaimed, clinging onto Makoto's arm in fear.

"It has to be something else!" The heir fervently denied.

"We also thought that teleportation and telekinesis is impossible." Junko retorted. "Yet our host did both." Byakuya had no retort for that.

Meanwhile, Chihiro stared at the screen, wide eyes. 'I-Is that…?' He thought to himself before shaking his head. 'N-No, it can't be! But…I can't think of anything else!' Was that really…his AI, Alter Ego?

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 44: Watching Chapter 3: A Next Generation Legend! Stand Tall, Galactic Hero! Part 2

(Chapter 3 - A Next Generation Legend! Stand Tall, Galactic Hero!)

"...The hell?" Mondo deadpanned. He, along with several of the others, were baffled at the title, as well as the image alongside it.

"Okaaay, can someone explain to me why the title is something Hifumi would come up with?" Leon asked, ignoring the indigenous squawk that came from the fanfic creator.

"Maybe it's suggest that the tone this chapter is more lighthearted?" Makoto suggested.

"I hope so." Sayaka sighed, hoping for a change of pace. "We need some more lighthearted moments after the last two chapters." No one disagreed with that statement.

After the picture disappeared, narrator Makoto spoke. "The morning after the conclusion of the second class trial…" The screen lit up to show Makoto entering the dining hall, with Kyoko, Celeste, Hiro, Sakura, Taka, and Hifumi were already inside. "Everyone met up in the dining hall, just like always. And I expected it to start like any other day. That what I expected, but…"

"Um, where's Miss Asahina?" Hifumi pointed out nervously.

The absence of the donut-loving girl got the others tense, especially the girl herself and Sakura. "Do you think the ghost got her?" Hiro questioned, looking ready to panic. "Maybe it killed her!"

"Let's not jump into conclusions yet." Kyoko advised. "We still don't know what Hina saw." And while it does look like a ghost, she wasn't one to start believing in the supernatural.

"Today's count kinda suck, right?" Hiro sighed miserably. "Toko and Byakuya still refuse to show up…"

"And I haven't seen Miss Asahina anywhere." Hifumi noted.

"She said her stomach was hurting, so she's taking it easy in her room for today." Sakura informed them.

Everyone relaxed a bit when they heard those words. "Phew. The ghost didn't get her." Hiro sighed in relief.

"Will you stop saying it's a ghost?" Byakuya asked in frustration.

"It's was a green, floating head! Chihiro's green, floating head!" Hiro exclaimed. "How can it not be a ghost?!"

'Because it could be a computer…' Chihiro thought to himself. He didn't tell the others since he couldn't be certain that it was Alter Ego. After all, it's still a classified project.

"That is rather unusual for her." Celeste mused. "Normally she is so full of energy."

"Which is exactly what makes me worry…" Sakura agreed.

"Can't blame her for staying in her room." Sayaka said in sympathy. "Anyone would after seeing what she saw."

"No argument there." Leon remarked with a frown.

"Awww you guys are all making it sound worse than it really is!" Hina complained and pouted.

"So it's just the seven of us, then?" Kyoko inquired.

"It looks that way…" Makoto answered as he looked around.

Hiro then turned to Taka's direction. "It's times like this where the committee chairman needs to get things going with a BANG!" He exclaimed.

Taka didn't say anything in response. The Ultimate Moral Compass looked paralyzed in his seat, trauma written all over his face, eyes heavy from lack of sleep, and his skin sickly pale. "Or not…?"

The state Taka's in caused many to wince, especially Mondo. "Looks like Taka is taking the last trial pretty hard." Junko noted.

"I'm not surprised." Taka said, looking a bit tense. "After all, I had a hard time dealing with watching the future event happening. I can't imagine what my future self is feeling." 'And I hope I never will.' He thought to himself.

Makoto and the others looked at the traumatized student. 'Taka hasn't said a word since everything that happened yesterday….' Makoto thought to himself. 'One look at his face showed he hadn't slept a wink last night. It must be because of Mondo…'

That caused Mondo to look down and clench his fists together, guilt churning in his stomach. He didn't think his death would affect his friend so badly. Though in hindsight, he's one of the few, and the first, that became such a close friend to Taka, so it would be obvious that his death would affect him badly.

'You really did fuck it up…' He thought to himself bitterly. But soon, determination filled him. 'But I won't this time.'

A flashback of Mondo's execution was shown. 'The two of them became so close, and then he finds out Mondo killed Chihiro…' He continued. 'And then…having to watch Mondo get…punished. And nothing he could do about it…'

Taka gripped his knees tightly at the last sentence. That's what frustrated the most about the last chapter. There was nothing he could've done. He couldn't get everyone's secrets revealed, stop Mondo from doing what he did, couldn't save Mondo from the execution…all he could do was watch.

'I won't be doing that next time.' Taka thought, determination also filling him. 'Next time, I'll be sure to stop this alongside everybody else!'

"So, I mean…what's gonna happen now?" Hifumi asked everyone. "We haven't found any way out, and we have no idea if help's ever gonna come." The fanfic then groaned, his head drooping. "Now I'm all depressed just thinking about it…"

"We simply have to make the best of things," Celeste advised them. "Do our best to get along and live here together in piece."

"She's still going on about living there?" Leon asked incredulously. "Okay, I think Mondo was on to something when he called her a loon!"

"Will you not call me a loon?" Celeste said, gritting her teeth a little at the insult.

"Well, you can't really blame him, can you?" Junko remarked. "Anyone insisting on living here are either crazy or living in a dream. It's almost as bad as Hiro."

Celeste nearly snapped at being compared to Hiro. She never want to be compared to the idiot! However, she manage to keep her composure. "I very much doubt that my future self is as bad as Hiro. At least it's a solution as to what to do instead of denying it altogether."

"When will you guys stop bringing that up?" Hiro whined.

"Forget about the outside world, and accept this new life. That is the only hope we have now."

Celeste mentally frowned at this, being sure to conceal her emotions. While her future self said similar several times already, those words seem more…forced, than usual. Her future self must be getting frustrated, due to the last two trials happening.

Makoto also noticed the slight change in wording and tone as well. It caused him to frown in concern. Is the situation really getting to her?

"What…?" Makoto said, looking at Celeste with slight disbelief. "To live here forever…?"

"Here we have every convenience. We have food, clothes, our every need is seen too. Why are you dissatisfied?" She asked them. "In fact, let me ask you this? What is it about the outside world that you long for?"

"Um, our family?" Leon began listing as it was obvious.

"Our friends?" Sayaka continued for him.

"The outdoors?" Hina added.

"Proper education?" Taka spoke up.

Junko snorted. "It seems that there's plenty of stuff the outside world has." And that exactly how she wants it.

Her voice then got a little colder. "Competition, discrimination, victimization, and violence…as society grows, so does its perversion. In which case, is our current situation is not-"

She was interrupted by Hifumi, who looked frustrated. "Demon Angel Pretty Pudgy Princess…"

"Hmm?" Was Celeste confused response, her cold demeanor replaced with confusion.

The group, who were getting chills from Celeste's speech, was confused at Hifumi's sudden statement. "Uh, what?" Junko spoke up for most of them.

"Meggy, the drill shop owner, the bunny-eared Amazon, Catgirl Dogboy, Robo Justice the Galactic King…" Hifumi listed off. "And…! And-!"

Toko let out an annoyed groan. "G-Great. H-He's talking about h-his manga and a-anime trash."

"It's absolutely not trash!"

"I-It is so! There's nothing good that comes from that!"

"Insulted 2-D one more time and…"

"Will you two stop this bickering?!" Taka shouted in frustration. "We do not have the time for it! We need to continue watching, else we'll be here for who knows how long!"

The two grumbled, but stayed quiet for the moment.

"What I mean is, there's no 2D here!" Hifumi roared.

"The mastermind puts such base desire to their advantage, bending you to their will…" Celeste said dismissively.

"Okay, well, anyway…" Hiro spoke up. "Since Taka's like, catatonic…as the oldest one here, I'm officially stepping up to take the lead!"

That had some in the group burst out laughing, those being Junko, Leon, Sayaka, Hina, and Mondo. The five were doubling over in laughter, the idea of Hiro being a leader so ridiculous it's hilarious.

"Hiro, leading a group?" Byakuya repeated, looking repulsed at the idea. "That's like gambling away your entire fortune."

"Y-Yeah! I sooner see my grunt of a sister take a leadership position than Hiro!" Junko giggled, ignoring the look that her sister is giving her.

As they laughed, Hiro hung his head down in depression while Makoto and Chihiro gave him sympathetic smiles. "You guys suck, you know that?"

"So! We're gonna work together and spend the rest of the day searching the school!"

"Searching…?" Makoto questioned in slight confusion.

"Well, I mean…since the class trial is over and all…" Hiro explained, trailing off.

"...there should be new places for us to investigate." Sakura finished for him.

Eyes lit up in remembrance at this. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that." Hina said, scratching the back of her head sheepishly. "Since the trial is over, another floor opened up."

"And that means the third floor is open." Celeste said, smiling a little. "Now they can have access to the recreational room, art room, and physic lab."

"We can also see if there's any clue the mastermind left." Kyoko mused.

Hiro quickly latched onto his future self's suggestion. "See? I can come up with good ideas!"

"That's actually surprising.." Mukuro commented on the side.

"Definitely unexpected." Hifumi added.

"Don't get too excited." Byakuya remarked with an eye roll. "Any fool with half a brain could suggest that."

"Yeah, that's the ticket! Maybe we'll find some kind of clue this time!" Hiro said with some excitement.

"Then once we're done eating, let's split up and begin looking around." Sakura advised. "Do you have any problems with that, Celeste?"

"Hmm…there may well be a discovery waiting for us which may further enrich our life here." Celeste stated.

That caused several of them to roll their eyes. "How much you want to bet that she doesn't bother looking for clues?" Leon asked.

In response, Mondo snorted. "No betting on a sure thing."

"Er, no…the point is to look for clues." Hifumi reminded her.

Suddenly, someone dashed into the dining hall and stood in front of the group. That person was none other than Genocide Jack. "You called for me, and so I appear! Genocide-!"

Hifumi screamed in fear at her appearance. "Nobody called for you!"

Her sudden appearance caused several of them to yelp or jump in surprise. But the most extreme reaction was Toko, who let out a shock and terrified scream at her alter ego. "G-G-Genocide J-Jack?!"

"Why the fuck is she still there?" Mondo asked incredulously.

Junko let out a sigh. "Guess it's one of those days where she stays for a while."

"So it would seem." Byakuya sighed with obvious annoyance. He wonder how his future self is fairing with Genocide Jack.

"What the…? How come it's Genocide Jill, and not Toko?" Hiro asked nervously.

"God, this place is just AMAZING! Finally a place I can just be my murderous self!" Jill stated, exuberant as ever. "Which is why I've decided to stop holding back and spread my wings! No more hiding in a cave for me!"

"G-Go back in the cave!" Toko shouted, curling up into a ball, her body shaking. "G-Go back in my m-mind!" Seeing her alternate personality, so full of life and crazy, made her even more scared of Jill.

Some of the others looked at Toko in concern. "Is Toko gonna be okay?" Hina asked, worried.

"This is Toko's first time actually seeing Genocide Jack." Kyoko sighed. "So it might take her some time to get use to seeing her other personality on the screen."

"Something tells me that Jill will have plenty of screen time for that." Sayaka mused.

"Plus, I have another battle to fight!" She added. "The whole 'killer with a split personality' thing is sooo overdone. I gotta destroy that stereotype! I'll fight all day and all night murder those totally sanderous cliches!"

"...Why does Jill say things that always give me a headache?" Leon groaned, facepalming and shaking his head. "She IS the cliche!"

"But…you are the killer with a split personality…" Hiro pointed out.

Hifumi groaned in frustration. "If she weren't here, my chances of survival would go up at least 10%!"

Despite her terrified state, Toko snorted. "Y-You say that as if s-s-she's your target. G-Genocide J-Jack only kill cute a-and adorable boys. Y-You aren't cute!"

"Maybe not in this form, but my ultra form is one that would have Miss Jill drooling!" Hifumi declared.

"...I'm not gonna bother commenting on that." Leon groaned even further.

"C'mon, you gotta back me up here! Even the biggest stars need the little people to hold them up!" Jill then ended that statement with her signature laugh.

Sakura let out an annoyed sigh. "Well, whatever else we do today, first we should eat. We can't do anything on an empty stomach."

"You're right." Makoto agreed. "Let's hurry up and eat so we can start our investigation…" Jill's continued laughter entered the group's ear once again.

"So they'll have to eat with Jack?" Hiro moaned in annoyance. "Aw man."

"That'll be an annoying meal." Leon sighed. Makes him sorta glad he's out of the picture.

"So we were forced to eat with a murderer." Narrator Makoto said as the TV showed the annoyed Ultimate eating alongside Jill. "And after a much needed but very annoying meal…" The TV then transition to Makoto walking into the third floor. "...we set to work looking around the school."

"The 3rd floor of the Hope's Peak Academy…" Makoto murmured to himself. "I wonder what we're gonna find this time…" With that, he began exploring.

The scene switched to Makoto entering the recreational room, with Celeste already inside. "Hmm…so this is…" Makoto trailed off.

"A recreational room." Celeste answered. "A place for students to come and relax…"

"I never would've imagined a school having a place like this…" Makoto commented on.

"It was definitely a nice surprise." Hifumi agreed. "But the recreational room in the new school building makes it look mediocre in comparison."

"Definitely." Celeste, Mondo, Leon, and Sayaka said in agreement. That recreational had much more variety than the old one.

"Well, no normal school would." Celeste pointed out as she looked around. "It has Othello, shogi, even a dart board and a pool table. And look at this…" Her eyes was then set on a collection of magazines near the wall. "They even had even provided us with a remarkable number of magazines. Those will certainly be helpful in keeping our boredom at bay."

"Indeed." Celeste agreed with her future self. "While not up to par with the current recreational room in the new building, it will still provide some entertainment."

"Yeah, cause that's what they fucking need right now…" Mondo remarked with an eye roll.

Suddenly, Monokuma popped up. "Ring, ring, ring! Hello there! Allow me to expound!" (At this point, there were a few jumps, but overall, no one was really surprised by his appearance.)

"We've got fashion, motorcycles, martial arts, video games, baseballs, science, all kinds of magazines!" The bear listed off. "Oh, but nothing dirty! This is a school, after all. If you need a quick fix, check out the swimsuit mags!"

"And will you be adding to our collection as the new issues come out?" Celeste inquired.

"Sorry, no can do." Monokuma answered. "Even if I wanted to, right now magazines are kinda…"

His words got the group's attention. "Kinda what?" Taka asked, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion and curiosity.

The bear quickly covered his mouth. "Oops!" He squeaked. "Nothing, never mind, no, no, no! Anyway, that's it for my expoundation. Bye-bye!" With that, the bear quickly left.

"Can he stop making us so curious?" Hina whined. "What did he mean by 'are kinda'?"

"Is it related to our lost memories?" Byakuya mused. "After all, a few of us would notice quite a few contradictions between the latest magazines and our memories."

"Maybe, but the wording doesn't match that well." Kyoko pointed out. "From what he said, it may be something else. Something both we and our future selves are unaware of."

"What would stop Monokuma from being able to get the latest magazines?" Sayaka questioned, worried.

"It could all just be a farce to get us thinking." Celeste said, thinking on the other possibility.

Celeste was silent for a moment, musing on what he said. "What he just said…" She murmured.

"I know, right? It bothers me, too…" Makoto agreed, frowning a little.

"Life here would be that much nicer if he could add some new issues once in a while." Celeste sighed in disappointment. "How disappointing."

"R-Really…?"

"Your priorities really needs some adjusting, Celeste." Byakuya sighed in slight annoyance. The gambler merely smiled in response.

The next scene was Makoto entering inside the physic lab, with a traumatized Taka still inside. 'This is….the physics lab.' Makoto thought to himself. 'It's less like a classroom and more like some kind of research institute…'

"A lot of the rooms seem more like research institutes than classrooms." Celeste noted. "Though considering that Hope's Peak holds the most talented people out there, it isn't that much of a surprise."

"Yeah, that's true." Makoto agreed. People like Chihiro and Kazuichi, the Ultimate Engineer, would need laboratory-like classes. "On another note, what's that giant machine in the middle of the room?"

"I've been wondering about that myself." Kyoko mused. "Perhap it's something that was created by an Ultimate or bought by Hope's Peak."

"Or something the mastermind brought in." Byakuya suggested.

Hina shuddered at that. "If it's that, then I really don't want to know what it would do."

He then turned to Taka. "Hey, Taka. Don't you think this place is like some kind of research institute?" He asked, attempting to get the moral compass to talk.

He was met with silence. 'Still no reaction…' Makoto sighed.

"I don't think you'll be able to get any reaction from him for a while." Mukuro noted with a sigh. "Watching someone whom you grew close to, despite it being only a few days, would render many people in this state for a long period of time."

"Personal experience talking again, sis?" Junko inquired. The soldier nodded.

"I saw civilians that were caught in battle suffering the same way, and there were a few in Fenrir that were like that." She informed them. They had to resign from the mercenary group because of it.

The luckster then turn his eyes to the machine in the middle of the room. "What's up with this ridiculously big machine…?" He mused out loud.

Suddenly, Monokuma popped right in front of Makoto. "Watch out!"

His sudden shout drew in a few more jumps and yelps this time. "Wh-What is it?!" Hina exclaimed nervously.

"Is this thing going to explode?!" Hifumi screamed in panic.

The luckster jumped at the sudden shout. "Wh-What-?"

"What, do you wanna do some quantum leaping?!" The bear exclaimed.

"Huh…?" Was Makoto's confused response.

"What the fuck is this bear talking about?" Mondo questioned, still looking a bit rattled. "Or is it more random shit?"

"I'm willing to bet on the latter." Byakuya sighed.

"That's a time machine!" Monokuma informed him. "Pretty awesome, right? It as designed by a student right here at Hope's Peak!"

"A time machine?!" Several of the students shouted in disbelief.

A giant glimmer of hope spread into Taka's eyes. "Then…maybe my future self could stop Mondo from commiting his crime." His voice steadily went higher. "Maybe we stop this entire killing-"

"Before you gets your hopes up too high, do remember who we're dealing with here." Celeste interjected. "A madman capable of creating the school into a prison and making us his prisoners. One who has effectively played with our emotions to get us killing one another. Would someone like that really leave such a powerful machine out in the open for us to use?"

"And that is without considering what he's saying is true." Byakuya added. "As far as we know, no one in Hope's Peak has created such a thing. And since in the future, Hope's Peak is closed for a year, I doubt anyone would have the sufficient time to create it."

Each good point diminished their hopes to the point where several have slump in disappointment. "But…but then why would Monokuma say that?" Chihiro asked.

"It's obvious why, Chihiro." Mukuro sighed. "It's too hurt Taka even more. Bring his hopes up only to crash it down."

That drew an angry growl from the biker. His bro was hurt enough with the last trial. Now he's going out of the way to hurt him even more?!

The Ultimate Physicist…although, they don't go here anymore. They died during The Tragedy!"

The last sentence caught the group's attention. "The Tragedy?" Hifumi repeated with obvious confusion. "What is he talking about?"

"Unsure. I've never heard of it before." Sakura said, frowning in puzzlement.

Kyoko looked down in thought. 'Is this another part of the future?' Kyoko thought to herself. 'And does it tie in with Hope's Peak?'

The only ones who weren't puzzled were the despair sisters themselves. 'So that's what it's called.' Mukuro thought with a small frown. 'The Tragedy.'

'Ooooh, so that's what it's gonna be called!' Junko squealed internally. 'I like it! Makes it sound much more catastrophic!'

That's when Taka finally spoke up. "A time machine…?" He said hoarsely. "Seriously…? So…it can go back in time…? Okay, then…let me get in here…"

Steadily, his voice started rising higher with desperation swimming in his eyes. Slowly, he walked towards the supposed time machine. "If I can go back to the past…then I can…" Finally, he began shouting. "This time I'll stop Mondo for sure-!"

"Look like your prediction is correct sis." Junko said with a fake grimace. Taka winced and clenched his fists while Mondo anger grew as he watched this scene.

"Oh, sorry, not possible." The bear quickly interjected. "This particular time machine can only go back one minute. It comes in handy when you, like…leave your pizza bagels in the microwave one minute too long."

That caused Taka freeze. "One minute…?"

"Hmm…you sound disappointed." Monokuma commented on.

"That. Fucking. Bear!" Mondo growled like a barely contained animal. "Isn't this damn game enough for the sick fucker?!"

"This is just cruel…" Chihiro whimpered, feeling empathy for his friend.

"But actually, I was lying about the whole thing anyway. There's no such things as time machines!"

"What…?" Was what Taka croaked out.

Several of them winced at how broken Taka sound, and felt their anger towards the mastermind increase. "Will that electronic teddy bear just shut up already?!" Leon exclaimed in anger. "Taka is already suffering enough!"

"The mastermind doesn't seem to get enough of our emotional pain." Celeste said, her voice and facial appearance emotionless.

"Honestly, it's just an air purifier." Monokuma informed them.

"Air purifier…?" Makoto said incredulously.

The others felt that disbelief as well, along with their anger. "You mean to tell you me that this machine just produce clean air?" Byakuya questioned with obvious annoyance and disbelief. "Why waste resources on that?"

"At this point, I stopped trying to figure out the logic behind the mastermind's actions." Celeste sighed.

"It can produce clean air no matter where you're at. With that thing, you could even live on Mars!" Monokuma continued. "But what with the discombobulating gravity and deadly low temperatures, you prolly don't wanna live on Mars. Anyway, this machine is the reason you guys have all this delicious air. So don't go messing with it! You break it, and it's your butt!" With that, he disappeared once more.

Makoto stared at the giant air purifier with disbelief. 'This huge thing is just…an air purifier? And more than that…' The luckster turned to Taka, who somehow looks worse than before. 'To go out of your way to say something you know will hurt someone who's already suffering…' "God damn you!" Makoto cursed in anger.

"Agreed, future me." Makoto muttered, looking angry himself. Beside him, he could hear Sayaka's grip on the arm rest tighten in anger.

Hina also look pissed, with angry tears swelling in her eyes. "Why? Why go out of your way to hurt us even more?" She cried out.

"Like Kyoko said a few days ago, the mastermind is a bully." Mukuro sighed, a small hint of disapproval in her voice. "A sadistic, childish bully."

Meanwhile, Mondo used every ounce of his self control to not go charging and punching the TV. When this chapter is over, he's definitely gonna ask Spirit for a punching bag. Specifically one with Monokuma's face on it.

As he went to leave, he spotted a camera on the table. 'Oh, this is…' He grabbed the camera and held it up. 'It's a digital camera. It's got some kind of weird anime style design on it…'

"Wait a minute…" Makoto said slowly in realization. "Isn't that your camera, Hifumi?"

The fanfic creator got a closer look at the camera. "You're right! It's mine!" He exclaimed in surprise. "But what's doing in the physic room?" A look of horror then crossed his face. "And why does it look so banged up?!"

"It probably has something to do with our lost memories." Byakuya mused. "As well as the fact most of our stuff was taken away from the beginning."

'It's kinda beat up, but it looks like it still turns on just fine…' He then turned it on to see if it works. 'Yup, it still works! I should show the others later.'

Hifumi moaned in disappointment. "It's supposed to be in mint condition! Now, it's useless! Might as well as be trash!"

"For someone who valued it so much, you're quick to throw it away Hifumi…" Makoto pointed out with a sweatdrop.

The switched to Makoto entering the art room, with Hifumi already inside. "Well, well. Look at all this equipment! It certainly scratches that artistic itch of mine…" The fanfic creator mused. "Art supplies, of course, but they've also collected all kinds of sculpting tools!"

"So, Hifumi…do you like sculptures and figurines and stuff?" Makoto asked him.

"Well normally, I limit myself to 2D. But figurines are like, borderline 2D, so it's okay." Hifumi answered.

"How the fuck is that borderline?" Mondo asked bluntly. "There's nothing 2D about it!"

"Figurines are based off 2D characters, and are not real life, 3D people!" Hifumi argued. "So that's makes it borderline 2D!"

"That's kinda a stretch, I think…" Sayaka replied with a sweatdrop.

Makoto sweatdropped. 'I don't know how that's 'borderline', but okay…'

"I'm a fan of Charanbo, Pumpkinhead, and I especially admire anything that Saburo Roppongi makes." Hifumi continued speaking. "Charanbo's ability to express the movement of muscles is exquisite, as seen in his Mama Cat series. Pumpkinhead is like a little fairy, representing this century's greatest quality! Saburo Ronpoggi, meanwhile, is known for his Mecha Musume series, which led to a worldwide tour. Truly they can be regarded as the Elite Four!"

Hifumi's lecture made the group…lost, to say the least. Hiro, Chihiro, and Hina had looks of pure confusion on their faces while Byakuya, Toko, and Leon have various forms of annoyance on theirs. The others' expressions varied.

"Who, and who, and who now?" Hina asked in utter befuddlement.

"There's the most well known manga artists out there." Makoto explained to them, hearing about them from Hifumi already.

"But, why four?" Hiro asked in confusion. "Aren't there just three of them?"

"Well, four sounds a lot cooler than three!" Hifumi exclaimed in defense. "Besides, I plan to get that empty seat myself!"

"G-Good grief, just s-shut up already." Toko grumbled.

"But…one of your elite is missing." Makoto pointed out.

"Well the Elite Three just sounds stupid, now doesn't it?!" Hifumi exclaimed in defense. "Besides, that empty seat rightly belongs to…me!" He then snickered evilly. "It begins…today begins my reign as the legendary ruler of the nex century!"

"Will he please stop babbling nonsense?" Byakuya groaned, facepalming. "This is an utter waste of time!"

"I beg to differ!" The fanfic creator himself refuted. "Ignorant folks such as you needs the knowledge of the world of mangas and fanfictions!"

"I rather stick to my knowledge of baseball, thanks." Leon deadpanned.

"I see…well, good luck with that." Makoto quickly left the fanfic creator be and went to the repository attached to the art room. Once inside, he looked around. 'This is the repository that's attached to the art room. It used to store different artsy things…'

As he looked around, he eventually spotted something on the floor. "Huh…what's this on the floor?" He moved to where the item is at and got a closer look. "A picture…?" As he went to pick up, he froze when he got a closer look at the content of the picture. "Huh…?"

Cause in that picture was Mondo, Leon, and Chihiro, smiling, and with the windows unbarred.

Everyone's eyes widen in surprise at seeing this, especially those in the pictures. "Hey, that's our picture!" Leon said to Mondo and Chihiro. "The one Makoto took when we were goofing around the class that one time!"

"Hell yeah, you're right!" Mondo agreed. "But what's the hell is doing laying around in the art room?"

"First Hifumi's camera, and now this picture?" Celeste mused. "This is getting curiouser and curiouser…"

'Agreed.' Kyoko thought to herself. Why and how were those items lying around like that in the 3rd floor? Were they left there accidently at some point? Did Monokuma place them there for clues?

"What is this…?" The luckster asked him, shocked at what he's seeing. 'Why is it just these three? What are they doing together? How come they're smiling like that?'

Question after question race through his head. 'When was it taken? Who took it? Where's the camera they used? How'd they get it developed?' He then looked at the background. 'And in the picture, the window in the classroom…' "There's no metal plate covering it!" He yelled out loud. "Which must mean, wherever this picture was taken…it…wasn't here at Hope's Peak?"

"Huh?" Hiro said, confused. "What does he mean that it wasn't there at Hope's Peak? It was, before it turned into a prison!"

"You forget that none of our future selves know this." Kyoko pointed out. "As far as they know, none of them went into Hope's Peak before. They never met each other until they entered Hope's Peak."

"Yeah…that's a fair point." Sayaka admitted, biting her lips at the reminder.

Before he could even think of any answers, Monokuma suddenly appeared. "That's mine! Give it back!" He then snatched the picture Makoto before he could blink.

"What the he-?" Mondo exclaimed in shock before his anger overrode it. "The hell it yours, asshole!"

"Yeah! Give that picture back!" Leon shouted in anger and agreement.

"You peeked, didn't you?! Well, they all had some pretty dazzling smiles, huh?" The bear asked. "They were definitely living their school life. It's like they ripped a page right outta the book of youth!"

"What's going on with that picture? Do you know…?" Makoto asked the bear.

"I'm not tellin' you nothin'!" With that, he disappeared.

"Why can't you give me a straight answer?!" Makoto shouted in frustration.

The others couldn't help but jumped at the anger Makoto's showing. "Damn, dude. You're pissed." Leon whistled, his own anger gone.

"Man... who wouldn't be?" The luckster himself deadpanned.

"That's true." Leon admitted. "I would've punched a wall in your shoes."

"I would've trashed the whole fucking room." Mondo sighed. "Seriously, can't the bear give us straight answers? Or just shut the fuck up?"

"Unfortunately, he won't do either." Byakuya sighed in annoyance.

"But hey, look at the bright side." Hina chirped.

"Th-There's a bright side?" Toko asked incredulously.

"There is!" She insisted. "Since Makoto founds a few things from our past, maybe our future selves can figure out that they lost their memories!"

Kyoko sighed. "I"m sorry Hina, but that's most likely not gonna happen." Kyoko refuted. "We ourselves had trouble thinking and accepting that our future selves memories were lost. Imagine how hard it would be for them."

That caused the swimmer to sag in disappointment. "Oh, yeah."

He let out a breath of annoyance. 'Nevermind…I don't even know why I bothered asking…' As he walked out of the room, he mused to himself. 'I discovered a lot of stuff. And it was all strange. But I dunno if any of it was an actual clue…I'm just getting more confused.'

"It appears that Kyoko is correct." Celeste pointed out. "The others would also probably right it off as forgery from Monokuma."

"Okay, okay, I get it…" Hina moaned.

Sakura placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder while Makoto gave her a comforting smile from his side. "Don't worry, Hina. I'm sure they'll be able to find out about their memories." Makoto reassured her. "Maybe Monokuma left more clues around the area, something that can lead them to their memories."

Hina brightened up at Sakura's comforting touch and Makoto's comforting words. "Yeah! They'll figure all this out soon!" She said in determination. "But hopefully without another murder!"

"Now that's getting your hopes too high." Byakuya remarked, drawing a glare from Hina.

As they spoke, Kyoko thought of the things they heard and the things they've found. Unable to get new magazines under some circumstances? The Tragedy? Hifumi's Camera? The picture?

Two main question came to mind. Why were those items lying around? And what exactly is going to happen in the future?

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 45: Watching Chapter 3: A Next Generation Legend! Stand Tall, Galactic Hero! Part 3

When Makoto got back to the dining hall, the first thing he saw was Hina in one of the tables, a plate of donuts in front of her. "Ah-!" She yelped in surprise, dropping the donut in her hand.

"Hina?!"

The group blinked in slight surprise at seeing the swimmer in the dining hall. "Well, looks like Miss Asahina is feeling better." Hifumi commented on.

"And eating her plate of diabetes as usual!" Junko commented on with a smirk.

"They're donuts." Makoto corrected with a sigh.

That caused the girl to blush a little in embarrassment.

Soon as Makoto yelled her name, the others rushed into the dining hall, especially Sakura. "Hina!"

"Huh? I thought she was sick or somethin'." Hiro pointed out in confusion. The group rushed past Makoto and surrounded the girl, making her feel very uncomfortable.

"Are you feeling better already?" Sakura asked in concern.

"Y-Yeah…I decided to eat a few donuts, which is really helping out a lot." Hina reassured them, taking a bite of said donut.

Celeste sighed. "Why even tell a lie if you're not going to keep up with it? Your future self did say that she wasn't feeling good, did she not?"

Hina couldn't help blush in embarrassment. "M-Maybe the others won't notice the slip up."

"With Kyoko and Celeste around?" Junko snorted. "Might as well suggest that Taka doesn't know the school rules well."

"You do love those donuts…" Makoto commented on with slight amusement.

"But…wasn't it your stomach that was hurting?" Celeste pointed out.

"Well, my stomach ache kinda made me hungry, so…you know…" Hina fumbled, trailing off her words. Then she gave a nervous laugh. "I guess my memory's kinda fuzzy lately…"

Celeste let out a sigh while bringing her hand to her forehead as if suffering from a headache. "Your attempt at lying is pitiful." Hina's cheek burned brighter at that. "You really shouldn't have bothered."

"What could she have done? Tell the truth?" Sayaka pointed out. "I doubt any of us would believe her if she did."

"She might as well lie." Leon agreed.

"H-Hey! At least I got my donuts!" Hina protested.

"They say that a goldfish will eat however much food you give it, even if it's about to burst." Hifumi informed them. "Miss Asahina's pretty much the same, it looks like."

The blush on Hina's cheek didn't let up due to Hifumi's comment, and her cheeks puffed up in anger. "You're the last person I want to hear that from, Hifumi!"

"At least she exercises, fatty." Leon added in. "You, however, look like a walrus."

"As I said before, this is only my mundane form! I have yet to release my true one!"

"How about you start working out? Hell, even Toko is probably more fit than you." Mondo pointed out with an eye roll.

"I-I don't take t-that as a compliment y-you know?!" Toko lashed back.

"Hey!" A blush formed on Hina's cheeks as they puffed out. "You of all people don't have room to talk!"

Sakura then interjected. "Anyway…I was worried about you."

"S-Sorry…" Hina said, sounding a bit guilty.

"Besides that, you-!" Jill cut in. But then stopped when her eyes were set on Hina's chest.

"Huh…?" Hina replied in confusion.

"Jeez, your knockers are HUGE!" Jill rudely and cheerfully pointed out. "What the heck, did you convince them to double up on milk production?!"

Hina blushed heavily and covered her chest. "C-Could she stop making those type of comments?!"

"It's Jill: You know the serial killer doesn't have a filter in her mouth." Sayaka sighed. "I feel your pain though." There was more than one time that the serial killer made those type of comments.

"That fiend better keep away from her…" Sakura growled. She too hated when Genocide Jill sexually harassed Hina with her words. The killer is lucky doesn't do so physically, else she would face the wrath of the Ultimate Martial Artist.

Toko could do little else but writhe in her seat every time Jill spoke on the screen.

"Stay away from her, fiend." Sakura growled, stepping between Jill and Hina.

"A-Anyway…" Hiro spoke up nervously. "First thing's first, we should talk about what we found. Right, Taka?"

Again, the moral compass was silent, simply sitting at his usual place. "...Right." The fortune teller sighed. Something then clicked in his mind. "Oh, I just remembered! I saw Byakuya a little while ago."

"What?!" That immediately gain Jill's attention. She turned to Hiro with murder in her eyes and scissors in her hands. "Where?! WHERE WAS HE?!"

Several of them jumped at this. "Why would you say that?" Hifumi cried out.

"I don't know! Jill is already stalking him!" Hiro said nervously.

"Just tell her!" Leon shouted at the screen. "Tell her and save yourself!"

"Shut it!" Byakuya glared at Leon before directing his glare at Hiro. "Your future self better not reveal where I'm at."

"Y-Yeah! K-Keep G-Genocide Jack a-away from M-Master!" Toko spoke up, still curled up and shaking from the sight of Jill.

"Y-You're kinda scarin' me…" Hiro said, stepping away from the scissor wielding psychopath.

"Where. Was. HE?!"

"He was in the locker room…" Hiro quickly told her. "He had a huge stack of books he musta got from the library."

Everyone in the class suddenly made their prayers to Hiro while Byakuya's glare turned even fiercer. At the sight of it, Hiro panicked. "It was future me, future me!" He shouted, hoping that the heir doesn't murder him.

"Tch. You're lucky there are reasons why I can't send you to hell right now." Byakuya threatened.

Hiro could only gulp at the threat made at him and nervously turn back to the TV.

"So THAT'S where he was hiding! I won't let him get away from me!" With her insane laughter, she ran out of the dining hall, leaving the remaining students by themselves.

"She just…ran off!" Hiro said.

"Is…is she okay?" Makoto asked in concern.

"We should not concern ourselves with her." Celeste told them. "There is one piece of good news. There just so happens to be a rec room up on the 3rd floor! I have no doubt that our student life here will be even more enjoyable because of it." She then let out a little giggle. "Will someone join me in a game of Othello sometime?"

Leon snorted. "And if everything but the clothes on our backs will be taken away? Yeah, no thanks."

"It can be a friendly game." Celeste told him.

That earned a scoff from Byakuya. "A friendly game with you Celeste? Don't make me laugh."

"Well.. I had a few friendly games with her before." Makoto interjected before getting shot with 15 looks that said "you're different."

Nobody dared to take that offer. Hifumi then spoke up. "There was an art room on the 3rd floor, and it had all kinds of gear." He informed the then let out a small, dramatic laugh. "Now I'll be able to recreate all my favorite anime characters!"

"Oh yeah!" Makoto spoke up, remembering something. "Speaking of anime, that reminds me…I found something while I was looking around!" He then pull out the digital camera he found from his pockets.

"Hm…a digital camera?" Sakura noted with curiosity.

"That's what it seems like…" Makoto confirmed.

"Does it still work?" Hiro inquired.

The luckster nodded. "Yeah, it seems fine."

"Well then, let's see it!" After Makoto laid it on the table, the group got a good look at it and immediately noted the odd design."What the heck? This thing is like a kid's toy! It looks like it can store like five pictures, maybe? It doesn't even have a timer or anything!"

"On top of that, its appearance seems…questionable." Celeste pointed out. "Is this some kind of anime character? Strange…"

Hifumi gritted his teeth in frustration. "You people are all rude!" He exclaimed. "None of you have true appreciation of anime!"

"That's because none of us are full on otakus, dude." Leon said with an eye roll.

"A-And that anime's a mistake." Toko muttered to herself.

"Rude!" Hifumi shouted in offense. "She's not strange! She's Princess Piggles, from Demon Angel Pretty Pudgy Princess!"

"Oh, you recognize this, Hifumi?" Makoto asked him.

"Of course I recognize it!" Hifumi answered, as if it was obvious. "It's a super rare prize that was given away at a bingo contest at a big anime convention…you have any idea how much I had to pay that guy to get my hands on it?!"

"Hopefully not as much as Hiro had to pay for that crystal ball." Celeste said.

"Of course not!" Hifumi immediately answered. "I wasn't that desperate to get the camera! But it still costed a hefty price!"

"Then why did you get it?" Chihiro asked curiously.

"Like future me said, it's such a rare item!" Hifumi explained. "Any huge anime fan would want to get their hands on it, especially fans of Demon Angel Pretty Pudgy Princess!"

"I don't think I'll ever understand you fucking otakus…" Mondo sighed, with those like Leon, Byakuya, and Toko nodding in agreement.

"Wait…that's my camera!" Hifumi screamed in realization and horror.

Makoto's eyes widen in shock. "What?!"

"Wh-Where did you find it?!" Hifumi demanded.

"In the physics lab…"

"It's my most prized possession. I brought it here with me, but I lost the first day, along with my cell phone." The fanfic creator explained.

"Why would it have reappeared in the physics lab…?" Celeste questioned.

'I'm wondering that myself.' Kyoko thought to herself. 'But without anymore information, all I could do is theorize.' She sighed to herself. 'Just like with everything else.' Hopefully there will be something that can connect these separate pieces.

"Agh, but look it! It got all messed up!" Hifumi groaned. "Like when someone steals a stick from your collection, or you buy a secondhand shirt…" He let out a forlorn sigh. "Well, that's it…"

"Huh? That's it?" Makoto asked in confusion.

"It's not in mint condition. I don't need it anymore…" Hifumi stated.

"But weren't you just saying how much it meant to you?" Makoto pointed out with a sweatdrop.

"That's why I'm so disappointed!" Hifumi cried out. "Since it's been messed with, it's not worth any value anymore! It became a secondhand, low purchase item!"

"I think it was already like that." Hina deadpanned.

"Then…may I have it?" Celeste requested. "I might be able to find some sort of use for it." She then took the camera from the table. "If any of you would like to borrow it, please feel free to ask."

"Well…I can't really imagine any of us are gonna need to take any pictures or whatever…" Hina mused.

"Yeah, true…" Makoto agreed.

"So why would you be interested in something like that?" Junko inquired towards Celeste.

In response, the gambler merely shrugged. "I don't speak for my future self, but perhaps it's in case another murder springs up, or a clue about the killing game is shown, and I would need to take a picture of it."

"Yeah, good point…" Makoto said, biting his lip. While he doesn't like the idea that a murder is inevitable, he can't deny that it will happen. Not after the last two trials.

Sakura was the next person to give out information. "I searched the entire 3rd floor, but…all the windows in the halls and the rooms were blocked off."

Hiro groaned at this. "I wish they'd give this a rest already, like seriously! Gimme back my bright blue skies!"

"For once, I agree with Hiro!" Hina groaned. "I mean, couldn't they have just used bullet proof windows or something?!"

"The mastermind wants to make sure no one gets in or out." Mukuro reminded with a sigh. "And from the looks of it, those windows might even withstand tank shells."

"Or a Sakura and Mondo powered punch." Leon added. "I doubt even a bulletproof window could endure something like that."

"Just forget about it." Celeste simply told him.

"You make it sound like I dropped a nickel or something!" Hiro groaned.

"Umm... I can't help but say this Celeste, but it seems as if you're enjoying the life there." Chihiro noted.

"I doubt that my future self is enjoying it." Celested responded calmly. It was a fair observation after all. "I think she probably just sees that it's pointless to think of the outside world, when all it would do is increase our desire to kill."

"Just to be sure, I went from one end to the other, testing each metal plate. None of them budged." Sakura informed them. "It would seem escape via the 3rd floor is as impossible as we feared…"

"I see…" Makoto sighed in disappointed and resignation.

"And there's only two floors left." Hina groaned. "Maybe there's a chance of hidden entrance there?"

"Doubtful." Byakuya said. "The mastermind sealed the place down to the last crack. From the looks it, the only way out is through the front door, with the remote control in hand."

"Which might mean they'll have to face and takedown the mastermind somehow…" Sakura sighed.

Kyoko was the next to speak. "There was a remarkable physics lab on the 3rd floor." She stated. "In the middle of the room, there was a machine bigger than anything I've ever seen before…"

"Oh yeah, apparently it's an air purifier." Makoto revealed to them.

That got the group's attention. "Huh? What's something like that doing here?" Hiro asked in confusion.

"Is the device really that big?" Sakura inquired.

"I…really don't get it." Hina said with obvious puzzlement.

"Why does the mastermind need an air purifier?" Chihiro asked, looking in thought.

"My best guess is so that we enough air." Taka answered. "Considering the way those windows are locked, they look like they're sealed airtight."

"That's plausible." Kyoko agreed, for the time being. However, it still feels like an incomplete answer.

The last one to speak up was Hina. "Um, I wasn't able to help much with the investigation," She admitted sheepishly. "But…I did make one discovery…"

"It didn't happen to be a donut-related discovery, did it?" Hiro inquired teasingly.

That got a pout from Hina. "What does that even mean?"

"It means your obsessed with the stuff." Leon said with a smirk.

The present Hina pouted as well. "I am not!"

"I'm sorry, but you are Hina." Sayaka agreed, also giving the girl a teasing smile. "You eat them whenever you get the chance."

That caused the swimmer to pout even more, as well as blush, while some of the others chuckled or smiled in amusement.

"Aahhhh! This isn't fair when everyone gangs up on you!" She cried.

"Never-mind…it's about the nurse's office! Remember? There's one on the first floor, right?"

"Oh yeah…" Makoto said in realization. "I forgot about the nurse's office."

"Can't see how, with the number of times you entered the nurse's room." Leon said with a smirk. That caused the luckster to blush in embarrassment while some of the others laugh.

Due to his luck, there was more than one time where he end up in the nurse's offices, to the point where there's a sign for him on one of the beds. He also ended up befriending the Ultimate Nurse, Mikan.

"I remember." Sakura confirmed. "But it's locked."

"Actually…not anymore." The swimmer revealed.

"Did you find any protein in there?" Sakura inquired. "Or even vitamin supplements would be fine."

Hina shook her head with a pout. "I did look, but no dice…just a bunch of headache medicine and over-the-counter stuff."

"I see…that's disappointing." The martial artist sighed.

"It is disappointing. Like the end of the world is already here…" Hina moaned in sadness.

"That's a big exaggeration there…" Sayaka said with a sweatdrop, with a few others nodding in agreement.

'I-I'm not sure it's that disappointing…' Makoto thought with a sweatdrop. Shaking the thought, his mind went onto another subject. 'Okay, I've heard what everyone else has to say. So now it's my turn…!'

"You plan on sharing the picture you saw with the others?" Mukuro asked curiously.

Makoto nodded. "It seems that way. Can't think of anything else my future self would want to say."

"I doubt anything fruitful would come from the attempt." Byakuya sighed, crossing the arms. "Most likely they'll write it off as manipulation from the bear."

"Maybe, but it couldn't hurt to inform them." Makoto argued slightly.

"Hey, um…can I tell you guys something?" The luckster spoke up. "If found something that's…kinda been bothering me."

The group stared at the lucky student. "What is it?" Kyoko inquired.

"I found this weird picture in the repository. Apparently Monokuma took it…" Makoto began explaining.

"A weird picture?" Hina repeated, her eyes widening a little. "You mean, like…dirty?!"

"No, not that kind of weird." Makoto quickly answered. "It was…a picture of Leon, Mondo, and Chihiro all together."

Several eyes widen at this. "Those three…?" Kyoko voiced out in puzzlement.

"And the three of them were…laughing." The luckster continued.

"It showed the three of them together, laughing?" Hiumi asked. "When could it have been taken?"

"And there's more…" Taking a small breath, he revealed the last bit of information. "In the picture, there weren't any metal sheets covering the windows."

The eyes widen even further. "Then…the picture wasn't taken here?" Sakura questioned.

"But I don't recall hearing anything about them knowing each other before coming to this school." Celeste mused in thought.

"You probably just imagined it!" Hifumi suggested. "Monokuma cast a spell on you!"

"No! I saw it, I'm telling you!" Makoto insisted.

"But if it wasn't taken before we got here, or after we got here…" Hina said, frowning in obvious confusion.

"I bet they're all still alive!" Hiro declared. "They left the school and then took that picture!"

Cue several facepalms from the group. "Are you even attempting to use that brain of yours, Hiro?" Byakuya growled. "It's very clear that they're all dead!"

"And even if, by some miracle, those deaths were all fake," Kyoko continued for Byakuya. "Have you not been paying attention to how the school is sealed up?"

Hiro couldn't think of any defense for his future self. So he simply hung his head in shame.

"That's impossible." Kyoko stated. "After all…" A flashback of Leon's execution was shown. "...we saw it with our own eyes." A flashback of Chihiro's corpse was next. "Either murdered or executed…" The third flashback was Mondo's execution.

The flashbacks had a heavy effect on the group, especially the victims themselves. Leon clenched his fist tightly once again, while Chihiro felt himself shaking, wrapping his arms around himself. Taka felt himself becoming pale while Mondo merely looked down, his hair covering his eyes.

The mood grew heavy at the reminders. 'And they're not the only ones…' Makoto thought. A flashback of Junko's death then appeared. 'Monokuma killed Junko. And then there's…' A flashback of Sayaka's corpse was the last to be showed. '...Sayaka.'

Mukuro bit her lips, slightly looking away from the flashbacks, while Sayaka clenched Makoto's hand tightly. Sayaka was kind of happy to know that Makoto still remembered her at that point, but it was a vexing thought nonetheless.

'That wasn't an illusion. It was real, I'm sure of it.' He thought in grim confidence. 'They all died. There's no way any of them are still alive.'

The mood around definitely got back to dark. Junko huffed. "Way to kill the mood, Hiro!"

"H-Hey! I was just giving a suggestion!"

"An idiotic suggestion." She retorted. "Seriously, saying they're all alive? Why not trying rubbing salt on the wound?" Mentally, however, she applauded how Hiro darkened the mood. All this despair is like ambrosia for her!

"So we have to figure out when that picture was taken…" Makoto said, after a moment of silence.

However, that idea was quickly rejected by Celeste. "Monokuma most likely forged it. I can't imagine any other possibility."

Makoto frowned at that. 'Forged…? Is that all there is to it?'

"Stay focused, man!" Hiro scolded him. "Don't let Monokuma's bullcrap sidetrack you!"

Hina let out a groan of annoyance. "I know we already discussed that they weren't gonna believe it, but it's still annoying that they're brushing it off like that!"

"I would have to agree as well," Celeste conceded with a sigh. "Especially since this is our future selves."

"But what's the purpose of that picture, anyway?" Makoto asked in slight confusion.

"Considering Monokuma's Modus Operandi, I find it highly unlikely that it accidentally left the picture there for someone to find." Kyoko thought to herself.

"Isn't it obvious that it's an attempt at sabotage?" Byakuya shot in from the side. "Whatever the reason, Monokuma knows that we all saw their deaths with our very own eyes, but to suddenly produce evidence that suggests otherwise, the worst case scenario is that we start having all sorts of doubts about our current situation."

"I... appreciate the insight but I feel like that's dangerous knowledge to have.." Leon jabbed at him.

"Yet, that is also how our enemy is working." Byakuya shot back.

"So then... I guess we're ok that we're brushing this aside in the future then?" Hina asked.

"As long as no one gets any weird ideas from this, I guess so." Leon said, particularly looking at Hiro.

"Hey! I didn't even get ideas yet!"

"He's right. But more importantly…" Celeste said, changing the subject. "There's something that has been bothering me. I would like to discuss that."

Makoto looked at the gambler curiously, forgetting about the picture for now. "What's bothering you, Celeste?"

"It's about Hina…"

The swimmer in question looked surprise at that. "What? Me?!"

"You said your stomach hurt, did you not?" Celeste rhetorically asked. "But I believe that was a lie. What really happened?"

A few eyes widen at this. "Hey, hey, whatever happened to not getting any weird ideas?" Mondo said.

"Hina is just a horrible liar." Celeste stated. "But the fact that she is lying means that she's most likely hiding something important. Honest people like Makoto and Hina tend to lie whenever the matter is important enough."

The two chuckled sheepishly at this, unable to deny that.

"Huh?" Hina's eyes widen at the accusation.

"It varies from person to person, but whenever someone lies, they tend to have a way of showing it." Celeste explained. "It is called a 'tell' -something that you can't hide, no matter how hard you try. Whenever Hina lies, the tip of her nose gets just a little bit longer."

"What?! For real?!" Hina's hands immediately went up to her nose, to feel if the tip got longer.

That earned some laughter from the group, while Hina pouted at being trick. "You always trick me like that, Celeste!"

"And you always fall for it." The gambler retorted. "It's not my fault you keep falling for the same tricks."

Celeste smiled at that. "Actually, no."

"Huh?"

"But your reaction just confirmed it - you were lying." Celeste said in confidence.

"Th-That's no fair!" Hina protested.

The gambler giggled at that. "There are no rules that says I can't trick you like that."

"Well, there should be!" Hina argued, pouting even more.

The gambler merely giggled. "If you are going to lie, at least try to lie convincingly."

"Hina…be honest. Were you lying about your stomachache?" Sakura asked her gently.

The girl was silent for a moment. After that moment, she hesitantly answered. "Y-Yes…"

"Why…?" Sakura asked. "Why would you lie about that?"

"Are you feeling guilty about something?!" Hifumi accused.

"No, that's not it at all!" Hina denied. "It just…I mean, I have a reason for it!" She sighed. "To be honest…I didn't have a stomachache. I did it cuz…even if I came and told you the truth, I thought you wouldn't believe me…"

"And considering what it was, we can't really blame you for thinking that." Taka said. "While I still think it's better to tell the truth, even I know people would believe a truth like that."

"True that." Leon agreed, along with some of the others. "I mean, we ourselves aren't sure of what we saw."

"The truth…?" Makoto repeated, tilting his head.

"...I saw it." She said.

"Saw what?"

"A ghost…"

"A ghost…?" Hifumi voiced out in shock. "You mean like, THAT ghost?!"

"What the hell kind of ghost are you talking about?" Mondo asked in confusion.

"P-Probably in s-some anime." Toko grumbled. "Or s-something in his p-perverted head."

"I resent that!"

"Is there more than one ghost…?" Kyoko questioned.

"B-But…I mean, ghosts are…" Makoto protested a little.

"See! I told you wouldn't believe me!" Hina exclaimed angrily.

"I-It's not that I don't believe you, but…"

"I'm just having a hard time with what's real and what's not." Makoto admitted. "After everything we've seen, my future self is probably trying to decide which is which."

"Yeah, I can't blame you there." Hina sighed.

"...I believe you." Sakura said in assurance. "No matter what anyone else will say, I will believe whatever you say, no matter what."

That statement earned more than a few smiles from the group, especially from Hina. "Thank you, Sakura." Hina said gratefully.

"It's no problem, Hina." The martial artist said softly. "I'll always stick by your side, no matter what."

Tears filled Taka's eyes. "Such beautiful friendship you two have! As strong as mine and Mondo's bond!"

"It's definitely a strong relationship." Sayaka agreed, a smile upon her own lip.

"True friendship..." Chihiro muttered to himself with a smile.

"So…can you tell us exactly what happened?"

"If you really mean that, Sakura…then okay. I'll tell you." Taking a deep breath, the swimmer began telling her story. "Umm, so…it happened last night. I was in bed, but I couldn't get to sleep. I just kept thinking about everything that's happened up till now. I ended up just getting more upset…" A flashback of Hina getting off of bed and getting ready was shown. "So to try and cheer myself up, I thought I'd go get some donuts."

"Donuts again?!" Hiro voiced out in slight disbelief.

"And you ignored the rule regarding nighttime…" Celeste said with slight reproached.

"I know, sorry." Hina apologized. "I feel really guilty about that…"

"Anyway, please continue." Sakura urged her.

"Well…so I left my room and headed for the warehouse…" The scene then cut to Hina in the hallway. "But then I started hearing a strange sound….it was coming from the direction of the bathhouse. So I headed that way…"

The flashback cut to Hina entering the bathhouse next. "The locker was halfway open, so I took a look inside…" The scene finally went to Hina looking at the bright green head of the late Chihiro. "And I saw a human shape, surrounded by a pale green light. There's no doubt who it was…it was Chihiro!"

"See?! It's a ghost! Chihiro's ghost!" Hiro shouted in terror, pointing at the screen.

"That's far from a clear view!" Byakuya retorted. "That doesn't prove that it was a ghost that we saw!"

"Then what was it then?!"

"D-Don't argue b-back with Master!" Toko hissed at Hiro. "He said gh-ghosts aren't real, s-so ghost aren't real!"

As they argued, Chihiro looked at the screen more closely. 'The sound Hina heard did seem like something a computer would make…and that brightness fits that of a screen…could it really be Alter Ego?'

Both Hifumi and Hiro screamed in terror. "N-No way…! A gh-gh-gh-ghost?!" Hiro screamed.

"It is simply not possible. You must be mistaken." Celeste dismissed quickly. "Just as in most case of 'paranormal' activity, it was born from your weakened mental state."

"Then all we have to do is go see for ourselves, right?" Sakura suggested. "Let's just go to the bathhouse and see what Hina saw."

"W-W-Wait! Your want to go see the gh-gh-ghost?!" Hiro screamed in disbelief. "Are you crazy?!"

"If it's just the head, I doubt anything will happen." Sakura replied calmly. "And besides, this ghost didn't appear to harm Hina."

"That doesn't mean it wouldn't put a curse on us next time!"

"Oh for the love of god shut up Hiro." Leon sighed in annoyance.

"It is a waste of time." Celeste scoffed.

"Maybe, but…there's no harm in it, right?" Makoto said to her. "If we don't find anything, that'll be the end of it."

"You're gonna go try and see a gh-gh-ghost…?" Hiro asked incredulously. "Is that really a good idea? It might put a curse on you!"

"You can wait here if you want." Hina told him.

"I don't want to be alone! Take me with you!" Hiro sobbed in fear.

"The gh-ghost might take me if I'm alone! Please, don't leave me by myself!" Hiro exclaimed, covering his head as if he could ward off any ghosts.

"What are you going to do, Celeste?" Kyoko inquired.

The gambler sighed. "I suppose I have no choice…." She said reluctantly.

"How about you, Mr. Ishimaru? Are you gonna wait here?" Hifumi asked the moral compass. His answer was silence. "...I guess that's a yes." With that, group went out of the dining hall and to the bathhouse.

"Please don't let the ghost curse us, please don't let the ghost curse us…!" Hiro prayed, his hands clasped together.

Leon clenched his teeth. "While I don't believe that it's a ghost, I just hope it ain't anything bad."

"You and me both, dude." Mondo agreed.

The next scene was the group inside the bathhouse. "I-It was right here…" Hina said nervously, pointing towards the opened locker. "I saw it right here in the dressing room!"

Hiro shivered a little. "I'm getting goosebumps."

"Ia! Ia! Cthulhu Fhtagn!"

"Shut up! What if he actually shows up?!" Hiro shouted at Hifumi.

"Yeah, I don't want Cthulhu to show up! So please shut up!" Hiro screamed, holding his head.

"Oh boy…" Sayaka sighed. "Hiro is really freaking out now."

"No argument there." Makoto replied with a sweatdrop.

"Hina…where is it you saw Chihiro's ghost?" Sakura asked her.

"Well, I heard a sound…" Hina began explaining. "And when I opened the locker…I saw a kind of…pale outline of Chihiro…"

The group glance at one another nervously, cold sweat building up on their forehead. They really hope this isn't anything bad. The killing game is already bad enough. They don't need the supernatural to deal with.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 46: Watching Chapter 3: A Next Generation Legend! Stand Tall, Galactic Hero! Part 4

The group gathered close to the opened up locker, with Makoto reluctantly at the front. He slowly walked to the locker and nervously looked inside.

"Huh?"  Confusion was littered on Makoto's face as he peered inside the locker.

There was nothing inside other than a laptop. "A laptop? What's something like that doing here?"

The nervousness the group was feeling was quickly turned to confusion for most. "A laptop in the bath house…?" Taka questioned in befuddlement.

"Like Makoto asked, what is it doing here?" Leon asked with a frown. "And how did it get there?"

"This is indeed an odd development!" Hifumi also commented to no one in particular.

Chihiro bit his lip to keep himself from blurting out something. It really was Alter Ego! Hina must've saw the AI on the laptop. Then that means the laptop must have came from...

"I remember seeing this…" Kyoko said in slight realization.

Makoto's eyes lit up in realization as well. 'Oh, that's right!' A flashback of Makoto looking at the laptop in the library was shown. 'I saw it in the library before.'

"Oh, so it was in the library." Makoto voiced out. "Guess we didn't notice the first time."

"But it's broken." Hiro moaned in disappointment. "Aw man. We could've used it to call for help."

"I doubt the mastermind would let us have an actual working computer." Byakuya remarked. "Besides, we would need access to the internet to be able to connect to the outside world."

"And something tells me that the bear isn't willing to share any wi-fi he has." Leon pointed out.

The scene then transitioned back to the present. "But how did the laptop get from the library…to here?"

"And… I guess it's in sleep mode, but… the power is definitely on." Kyoko noted.

That caused some eyes to widen in surprise. "But didn't that flashback mention that it was broken?" Taka questioned.

"Chihiro must've gotten his hands on it before…you know," Leon suggested. "If anybody could have fixed it, he would."

"No argument there." Mondo agreed. That got the programmer's cheek to flush a little.

"On another note," Junko spoke up. "Did Hina actually thought that the light on the screen was a ghost?" That caused the group to pause for a moment, with Hina freezing up in shock and embarrassment.

"Unbelievable." Byakuya sighed in annoyance while the others laugh. "Getting all worked up over a simple light."

"Makes me wonder how she got dressed properly." Celeste said, amusement dancing in her eyes.

"I-I didn't expect for a laptop to be in a locker!" Hina protested, her cheeks flaring up in embarrassment.

"To be fair, not many would Hina." Sakura tried to reassure her.

"Huh?" Makoto's eyes widen in slight surprise. "But I thought it was broken…"

"I would bet that Chihiro fixed it." Sakura deduced. "After all, he was known as the Ultimate Programmer…"

"More importantly…" Celeste interjected. "Hina, you said you saw a green light, yes? Surely you did not mistake the light of the monitor for a ghost?"

That caused Hina to freeze up, embarrassment filling up her body. "I am surprised you are able to dress yourself in the morning." The gambler deadpanned.

"Oh man." Hifumi chuckled. "If I had the 'loves clueless girls' attribute, I would've fallen in love big-time just now! I'm so glad I don't have it…"

"Well I didn't really expect to find a freaking laptop inside a freaking locker, okay?!" Hina argued with a fierce blush on her cheeks.

"It's okay. I mean, anyone can make a mistake like that." Hiro reassured. "As a matter of fact, one time I thought I'd spotted a Grey alien, but it turned out to be a tadpole!"

That earned several sweat drops from the viewers. "How the hell can you mistake an alien for a tadpole?" Leon remarked. "That's like thinking a baseball is a basketball!"

"Hey!" Hiro protested. "Anyone could make a mistake like that!"

"Only fools would have those delusions." Byakuya bluntly stated. "And you've already proven that you're a fool."

"Y-Yeah, that's r-right! N-no one would make t-that kind of mistake!" Toko also threw out, pointing her finger at Hiro in a very 'Toko-like' fashion.

Hiro hung his head at this. "Some friends you guys are. I try to help someone and y'all make me depressed…" He mumbled to himself.

"Don't compare what happened to me with one of your stupid delusions!" Hina protested.

"Don't be mean!" Hiro exclaimed in slight anger. "I was just trying to make you feel better! What if I get all depressed forever now?!"

"But listen, isn't this really strange?" Makoto cut in. "What's this laptop doing in here?"

"A good question." Celeste agreed. "Why in the bathhouse, of all places?"

"Perhaps Chihiro, or somebody else, was trying to hide it." Kyoko suggested. That got the other's attention.

"Hide it?" Hina asked in confusion. "Why would anyone want to hide it from us?"

"And if they did want to hide it from us, then keeping a locker opened isn't a good way to hide it." Leon pointed out.

Kyoko shook her head. "Not from us." She corrected. "But from Monokuma."

"Huh?" Was the response from several of them, confusion plastered on their faces.

"You'll see why I made that conclusion." Kyoko reassured them.

Junko, however, immediately knew what she was talking about. 'Guess she noticed the lack cameras around, huh? No surprise there.' Junko mentally pouted. 'Can't believe future me wasn't able to put cameras in there... maybe there's hidden microphones? Nah. That wouldn't be fair. Oh well!'

"Maybe someone hid it here." Kyoko suggested.

"If that's the case, we found it pretty easy…" Hiro pointed out.

Kyoko, however, shook her head. "Whoever put it there, I don't think they were trying to hide it from us."

"Huh…?" Makoto tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Haven't you noticed?" Kyoko asked them. "There's one big difference between this room and all the others."

'A difference…?' Makoto looked around the room, and quickly, he spotted the difference Kyoko was talking about.

When the camera moved around, the more perceptive of the group quickly noticed what was different. "There's no camera." Makoto spoke out loud.

"A perfect hiding spot from Monokuma." Byakuya said in realization.

"Exactly." Kyoko nodded. "With that information, it's clear that whoever put it here was trying to hide the laptop from Monokuma."

"More specifically, what the laptop holds inside." Mukuro mused.

The new information made Chihiro more and more sure that it was Alter Ego that's in the computer. However, he kept quiet, cause while he's sure that it is Alter Ego, there's still a chance that it may be something else, and he doesn't want to expose one of his secret project by mistake.

"There's…no surveillance camera…"

"Precisely." Kyoko nodded. "There's no camera in here. Which means, this it the one spot where the mastermind is blind."

"So you're saying someone put the laptop here so the mastermind wouldn't know about it?" Hifumi reasoned.

"And what Hina saw wasn't the ordinary glow of a computer screen." Kyoko deduced, looking at the computer. "It was…the figure of Chihiro, shining pale green."

"D-Did Chihiro possess the computer?" Hiro stuttered nervously, his ghost phobia coming up once again. "Is that how the computer is on?!"

That earned quite of few facepalms. "Um, it's not that Hiro…" Chihiro spoke up. "It's most likely that it's… a secret project that I've been working on."

That got the other's attention. "Ooh! Secret project? What is it?" Sayaka asked.

Chihiro shifted a little under the stares he's getting. "U-um... I technically can't say what it is to those who don't know what it is so maybe if it's revealed, I can talk about it."

"Ahh. Contracts are painful things aren't they?" Sayaka conceded with a sympathizing smile. She knew all too well how bad it feels to be restricted by a contract.

"I think it would be best if we investigated this laptop in a little more detail." With Kyoko's statement, everyone gathered around the computer, with her and Makoto side by side. "So first of all, we have to wake it up."

"Right…" Makoto then hit random buttons on the keyboard. Instantly, the screen began to glow pale green before displaying the desktop.

"There-" Kyoko pointed to one of the icons. "The icon on the far left."

"What is it…?" Makoto narrowed his eyes at the title. "It says…Alter Ego?"

The name reveal caused Chihiro's eyes to widen heavily. So he was right! It really is alter ego!

The look of shock was something everyone noticed. "You recognize the name, Chihiro?" Celeste required.

Before Chihiro could answer, Kyoko spoke up. "Alter Ego is the AI you've been working on, wasn't it?"

Chihiro's eyes widen at this, as did several others. "U-Um, y-yes. It is." Chihiro confirmed, a bit startled from Kyoko's deduction. "But.. How did you know?"

"I've seen it on your computer screen every now and then." Kyoko explained. "Besides, I have heard that you were working on some AI."

"So this is the AI Chihiro has been talking about beforehand?" Sakura questioned.

This time, Chihiro answered. "Yes, it is. It's one of them. While it doesn't have full self-awareness, it is self-learning as it does different tasks."

"Do you think it could be of any use to use?" Byakuya inquired.

The programmer looked a bit unsure. "M-Maybe."

"'Alter ego' literally means… 'another self', I believe." Celeste translated, looking in thought. "In the field of artificial intelligence, it it not uncommon to create different aspects of a personality. You can consider it something like… a pen name."

"Could you let me see it, Makoto?" Kyoko asked. The luckster nodded and moved aside to let Kyoko use it. She then moved the cursor to the Alter Ego icon, and when she doubled clicked it, the screen suddenly went dark.

A moment later, a voice spoke from the computer. "Master! You're here!" The screen then lit back up, with Chihiro's face taking up the digital green screen.

"N-N-Noooo!" Hiro screamed in terror. "I-It's a ghost!"

"No, it isn't Hiro!" Chihiro quickly reassured the clairvoyant, before anyone could snap at him. "It's just my AI!"

"But your head is floating in the computer!"

"It's called alter ego for a reason, fool." Celeste said tightly, summoning every ounce of patience she has to not snap at Hiro. "It's not impossible to have your face be an avatar."

"I-It's a ghost!" Hiro wailed in terror. "Buddha and sweet baby Jesus, save me!"

"Calm down. It's not a ghost." Kyoko told him firmly.

"Huh?"

"Then…what is it?" Hina asked nervously.

"I'm sure if we just talk to it, we'll find out." Kyoko then began to type, her hands a blur. She typed, 'What are you?'

"Hello, nice to meet you. Chihiro Fujisaki…" The computer greeted. It then gave a nervous giggle. "I always get so embarrassed introducing myself."

Makoto looked at the computer in amazement. "Th-That voice…the tone and everything…"

"It's…Chihiro." Sakura stated.

"Alter Ego…" Kyoko murmured to herself. "I've heard about this kind of AI program, but I've never seen one for myself."

"I remember Chihiro talking about an AI program he was working on…" Makoto murmured. "But not about Alter Ego. Can you tell me more about it, Kyoko?"

"It's how Chihiro got his title as the Ultimate Programmer." She explained to the luckster. "The AI lives in a computer, and by repeating different tasks, it gains knowledge and grows bit by bit. Apparently, Chihiro used a support vector machine and reinforcement learning to develop it. Eventually, he came up with a breakthrough in artificial intelligence design."

Kyoko's explanation confused some of the others. "Supporting vector machine? Reinforcement learning?" Leon repeated, clearly confused. "What the heck are those things?"

"They're basically learning mechanisms for computers." Makoto told Leon, as well as anyone else that's confused. That's the same explanation he got when Chihiro was explaining AIs and computers to him in previous conversations. Anything more and well... it'd cause a lot of headaches.

"Supporting vector machine…? Reinforcement learning…?" Makoto repeated in confusion.

"To put it simply, it's a learning mechanic for computers." Kyoko said simply.

Hifumi then spoke up. "If you wanna know more… just Google it, okay?!"

"...Did Hifumi just break the fourth wall?" Makoto slowly asked, shocked at what he just heard. Everyone else looked equally baffled.

Byakuya rubbed his head, a massive headache growing inside. "How much of this is going to defy logic? How much?"

"I get the feeling you're going to regret that question." Leon deadpanned.

"Are you idiots? If you don't know something, you Google it! Everyone knows that!" Hifumi shot back angrily. However, no one decided to entertain him and simply ignored him.

"But if this AI continues to grow, it will become more than just a piece of software to people." Kyoko continued, ignoring Hifumi's comment. "Some say that an AI like this might someday replace people."

"And that is why it is called Alter Ego? A fine choice then, I must say…" Celeste mused. "It can create memories, have thoughts, and 'grow up'. The process isn't much different from how humans work. If it were to raise your own AI that way, it would make perfect sense to refer to it as your alter ego."

"A second, perfect personality that can never forget or grow old. That's what Chihiro created…" Kyoko summed up. "That's… Alter Ego."

Leon let out a whistle of amazement. "Damn! That's incredible, Chihiro!"

"I agree." Taka said in awe. "You essentially created a person inside a software."

"You definitely earned the position of the Ultimate Programmer." Sayaka said, looking also amazed. "I want to see the AI myself!"

"Same!" Hina agreed with enthusiasm. The compliments from his friends caused said programmer to turn beet red in embarrassment.

"Kyoko…" Makoto looked a the lavender haired girl in confusion and curiosity. "How do you know so much about this?" At this, Kyoko was silent.

"She's being tight-lipped again." Junko pointed out. "Is it because she doesn't want to reveal how or she doesn't know how?"

"It's probably the former." Kyoko concluded easily. "I believe I must have seen Chihiro working on it somewhere."

"Yeah, that make sense." Makoto agreed.

"Saying just enough to be cooperative while keeping the rest to yourself. A smart choice considering those circumstances." Celeste praised.

Celeste decided to speak up. "Anyway, so he fixed the broken laptop and put his own program on there. That is what this means, yes?" She rhetorically asked. "Then he brought the machine to this dressing room, where the mastermind would not be able to see it."

"Hmm, but you know… all this about 'Master' and whatnot… yes, yes…" Hifumi murmured loudly to himself. "I… I believe I'm on fire…"

"..." The group stared at Hifumi blankly, a loss for words as to what to say. Chihiro curled up a little, feeling more than a bit uncomfortable, as well as a bit protective of his AI programming.

Hifumi felt himself sweating a little at the stares. "W-What?"

"...The fuck is wrong is you?" Mondo asked blankly. "Did you forget that it's a computer program?"

"And a male one at that dude." Leon added just as blankly.

The fanfic creator shifted a little at that. "Well, um…"

"I thought you were only into 2D…" Hiro pointed out.

"This is the most excellent 2D possible!" Hifumi declared passionately.

"But he's a guy! And also a computer program!" Hiro pointed out further, looking creeped out.

"Oh, that aspect is no problem." Hifumi dismissed.

The blanks stares then increased or turned into creeped out stares, with some of them moving away from Hifumi. Byakuya rubbed his forehead in disgust. "And I thought your hobbies couldn't be more revolting…"

"I'm really considering using a bat this time, Hifumi…" Leon warned him, causing the fanfic creator to sweat a little.

"I think I'm gonna keep Alter Ego away from Hifumi…" Chihiro muttered to himself, Mondo, and Taka. The two nodded in agreement with the programmer.

"That'll probably be for the best, little dude." Mondo agreed.

"Hey come on! I don't even know that yet!" Hifumi complained. This is his future self they're talking about!

"That…aspect?" Hiro repeated in bafflement.

"Anyway, let's talk to him a little more." Kyoko then typed away rhythmically. "How much do you know about what's going on?"

The AI quickly spoke up. "Master only gave me a general idea…" It stated. "But I do know things have become very grave. He found himself caught up in this without warning…"

Kyoko quickly typed in another question. 'Why are you here?'

"Are you asking what Master had planned for me?" Alter Ego inquired. "Well… he wanted me to analyze the massive number of files stored on his laptop."

The word 'files' grabbed everyone's attention, especially Kyoko's. Numerous different expectations circled around the various thoughts of Class 78 as they sat with anticipation to their questions.

"I believe the files are related to the school, but the protection on them is surprisingly strong. So it's taking a little longer than I thought."

"Files?"

"A number of them?"

"Possibly about that school?"

Questions quickly filled the room, a spark of hope and excitement entering their hearts. Could they actually get some concrete answers? Something that could figure out the mystery of the future Hope's Peak Academy?

"But here's what Master must have been thinking…" The AI continued. "The fact that the files are protected so tightly means they must contain some important secret. For example, perhaps… the secret of this school."

"Is this for real?" Hina cried out impatiently, already finding it hard to contain her curiosity and excitement. "Will we actually find out what happened to the school?"

"Among other things, perhaps." Byakuya mused. "This is the future we're watching, after all. We might find out what happened from now to the killing game."

"And maybe that could help them find a way out…" Makoto continued, hope building up in his voice and arousing murmurs of agreement amongst those around him.

Meanwhile, Junko frowned, her analytical mind trying to figure out how/why her future self possibly left such big information in there. But quickly, she concluded that she purposefully did so, knowing the content doesn't have anything too important. Nothing that would help get out, at least.

'Ooh, that'll definitely smack their feeling of hope right in the face!' Junko thought eagerly.

Alter Ego's reveal struck most of them silent. While they were trying to process what they heard, Kyoko pushed forward and asked the next question. 'How much long until everything's unlocked?'

"Umm… it's gonna be a while." Alter Ego answered. "But I'm definitely gonna do it, so you can just leave it to me!"

"So because of how long it would take, he designed Alter Ego to handle the workload." Kyoko deduced.

"Smart. It also means that the work remains uninterrupted, even after his death." Celeste added.

"Agreed." Byakuya said with a nod. "A contingency plans that remains uninterrupted even after his death."

"One that'll help all of us." Makoto sent a smile towards the programmer. "Looks like your skills are going to help after all."

That stunned Chihiro a little before a small smile slowly entered his lips. It was oddly reassuring that he was able to help out his friends even after his death. Although something still didn't exactly sit right with him, he was at least happy that his skills could help the remaining survivors!

Kyoko got back to typing. 'Keep it up. But be careful not to let the mastermind notice you.'

"Don't worry. I've got a secret plan all ready, just in case…" Alter Ego reassured her. "Actually, I can see what's going on using my built-in webcam, so if anyone suspicious shows up… I'll just scream for help real loud!"

"It's a pretty… basic plan, I have to say…" Makoto stated.

"That's… indeed a pretty basic plan." Junko said in slight disappointment. 'Come on! If you're going to have a secret thing against me, don't make it such a let down!'

"Well, it's not like there's much it could do." Leon remarked with a shrug. "Still, it's a decent plan."

"Though there's one flaw about it." Mukuro pointed out, gaining the others' attention.

"How so, Mukuro?" Hina asked in confusion.

"I think one of the others will point it out, soon."

"That is fine during the day, but night time is a concern…" Celeste pointed out.

"Huh?" Makoto turned to the gambler in confusion. "Why?"

"Have you forgotten? All our rooms are completely soundproof." Celeste reminded him. "Once we close our doors, he can scream as loud as he wants, but we won't hear a thing."

"Oh." Makoto frowned at that. "That's true."

"Then how about have each of us guard the bathhouse every night?" Sayaka suggested.

Mukuro shook her head. "No, that would only make the mastermind more suspicious and more likely to investigate the bathhouse."

"Then the whole plan is busted anyway." Mondo frowned. "Shit. Then what other options are there?"

Mukuro thought to herself that there was a plan that she could've stuck to, if she was still alive that is. Somewhat risky, but still a plan nonetheless. She looked over at Kyoko, expecting the same plan to out.

Makoto frown a little at that. "Okay, then how about once it's nighttime, we each take turns guarding the dressing room?" He suggested.

Kyoko shook her head at that. "There's a good chance the mastermind would notice us all going in and out of the dressing room like that." That caused Makoto to frown a bit further.

"Then… what can we do?" He asked her.

"Once nighttimes comes, I'll leave the door to my room open." Kyoko stated. That caused the group to look at her in shock.

The present class also looked at the detective girl in shock. "Are you crazy?!" Hifumi squealed. "You'll practically invite one of us to kill you!"

"Fatty's right!" Leon agreed. "If you leave the door open, one of us might see a chance to murder!"

"Are you sure about this Kyoko?" Hina asked, looking worried. "I mean, I don't want to doubt any of us, but it's very risky doing that."

The others are also looking at the detective with various amounts of worry, Makoto especially.

Kyoko sighed. "Don't worry about me too much." She told all of them. "If someone does try to do so, I'm not gonna be an easy target. The only ones that I probably couldn't fend off is Sakura and Genocide Jack, and I have doubts that the former would try to kill me while the latter only focuses on cute boys as her targets."

"I'm glad you have that much faith in me." Sakura said, a small smile on her face. Kyoko merely nodded to her in response.

"Then there's no way I can miss Alter Ego yelling."

"B-But… if you leave your door open all night, then…" Hiro pointed out nervously.

"There's a chance I may become a victim myself, I know." Kyoko admitted before determination entered her eyes. "But I'm not as weak as you may think. I wouldn't go down without a fight, I assure you."

Junko whistled. "Wow. A lot of confidence there."

"Can't say that it isn't well-earned." Taka stated. "Kyoko is a surprisingly tough individual, that's for certain."

"No argument there." Hina said, though she still looked concerned. "I'm still worried though."

"We all are." Sayaka stated, biting her lips. "But we'll have to trust that future Kyoko knows what she's doing."

Makoto, meanwhile, look at Kyoko with admiration. He has always admired the confidence Kyoko has, that self-assurance that she'll be alright or that she'll get the job done, but not to the point of arrogance like Byakuya.

'There's an undeniable strength in her voice when she said that.' Makoto thought in admiration. 'She's totally confident that she will be okay.'

The others could hear the admiration in his thoughts. Some of the girls frowned a little in jealousy while Kyoko wore a small smile, flattered of Makoto's admiration towards her. She knew that he did admire her, of course, but this was definitely new.

Meanwhile, Makoto was flushed and looking down, embarrassed at having his thoughts be read yet again. He would rather not have Kyoko, or the others, know what he thought about her.

'That confidence is somewhat similar to Byakuya's tone, but at the same time different.' He noted. 'Yeah, it had an entirely different feel, for sure. Like… someone who'd been dropped onto a battlefield, versus someone who'd been born on a battlefield. I feel that's the fundamental difference…'

The comparison caused Byakuya to frown a little. Especially when some of the others began speaking. "Yeah. You could definitely learn a thing or two from Kyoko." Leon remarked. "She could definitely teach you how not to be a jackass."

"And maybe get you off that game mindset." Hina huffed, glaring at him.

"Someone who'd been dropped onto a battlefield." Sayaka repeated with slight venom. "That's definitely describes you."

"Not to mention a few other fucking things to describe you." Mondo added, also glaring at him.

Before Byakuya could lash out at them, Makoto quickly spoke up. "Hey guys c'mon. He knows this already, no need to drive him mad."

The four of them sighed at Makoto's forgiving, but let it go for now. Byakuya didn't say anything to Makoto for that, merely turned his head back to the screen. But Makoto did see the heir wave his hand at him from his usual crossed-arms sitting position. That got a smile from the luckster.

His thoughts were interrupted when Alter Ego spoke up. "Umm… would you mind if I asked a few questions?" It inquired. "I haven't seen Master for a while. When you got here, I thought it was him, but… is master…?"

The group froze at the question. "Shit." Leon cursed.

"Indeed." Celeste sighed. That's definitely a fresh wound, both for themselves and their future counterparts.

Kyoko froze for a moment, looking unsure as to what to do for a brief second. But she recovered quickly, and began typing. 'Chihiro is dead. Mondo killed him.'

Mondo clenched his fist, his face twisting with guilt. Chihiro, seeing this, hesitantly put a hand on his shoulder, silently saying that it's alright. The biker slightly turn his head towards the programmer before relaxing, unclenching his fist.

The AI looked sadden at this. "I see…" It said sadly. "To be honest, I knew all along. I knew the chances that Master would survive this situation were very low. So… I was prepared for this moment…"

"Somehow I feel kinda… sorry for her…" Hifumi said, looking down.

"I can't even imagine how it must feel to lose your 'other self'..." Hina said sympathetically.

Byakuya rolled his eyes. "It's an AI. It doesn't have feelings."

"It has more feelings than you do!" Hina retorted. The heir narrowed his eyes at her for that remark.

Before he could say a retort for that, Toko spoke up. "S-Stop insulting m-my master!" Toko growled.

"Like hell we will!" Mondo growled. "He deserves it!"

"You haven't seen the chapter two trial Toko!" Sayaka interjected with a glare. "So don't go trying to defend him!"

"Don't bother wasting your breath with Toko. Like you said before Mondo, the dude can do no wrong in her eyes." Leon remarked.

"And what right do you have to judge me, when two of you have killed while one had planned to?" Byakuya retorted with slight anger.

The three flinched at that before getting even more angry. "Why you-!" Mondo growled.

Before they could come to blows, Makoto quickly spoke up. "Guys! Stop fighting with each other! We're not getting anywhere like this!"

"Makoto's correct! And while we're not in the killing game itself, we can't bicker amongst each other and drive each other apart!" Taka said in support of Makoto. "So let's calm down and resume this viewing!"

"Also, picking on him like this isn't fair. I'm sure he learned his lesson by now." Sakura added her voice of reason.

Mondo let out a growl, but with a pointed look from Taka, as well as a pleading one from Chihiro, he settled down. Hina, Sayaka, and Leon frowned, but kept quiet, while Toko merely let out some quiet grumbles. Byakuya merely faced the TV, his face stoic as ever.

Kyoko let out a sigh at this. She can tell that seeing what their future counterparts are doing are causing conflict and arguments amongst the group. If the animosity continues, then there's no telling what will happen.

Junko silently giggled to herself, unknowingly having similar thoughts to Kyoko. This keeps up, and the conflict will lead to the road of despair.

"It is a a simple computer program. It does not have feelings." Celeste pointed out coldly.

"Are you sure about that…?" Hifumi replied doubtfully.

"Anyway, that's enough for today." Kyoko interjected. "If we linger here too long, the mastermind will start to suspect something." Kyoko then typed one more sentence. 'I'll come back later.'

"Yes, please do! It's a promise, okay?" Alter Ego responded back. "Bye-bye!"

'The AI seems totally different from when we'd first arrived. He seems… upbeat' Makoto noted to himself. 'Was it because he was following his programming? Or… could he have actually been worried about us?'

Celeste let out a giggle. "It seems you're reading too much in Alter Ego's words, Makoto."

"Well, there's nothing wrong with that... I think?" Makoto replied with a slight blush. "Chihiro's AI just seems so… human. If anything, Chihiro deserves a praise!"

The programmer blush once again at the praise. "Th-Thanks."

Hiro hummed to himself, drawing the others' attention. "What's wrong, Hiro?" Makoto inquired, curiously.

"Oh nothing, I was just wondering if we might be able to get this laptop online." The fortune teller suggested. "Then we could call for help from the outside…"

"But this is just a dressing room. I don't think you can get online from here…" Hina pointed out.

"Well if we take it out and find somewhere that does have online access…!" Hiro persisted.

"Is he nuts?!" Leon asked incredulously. "The mastermind would sniff them out in a heartbeat!"

"Mr. Kuwata is correct! Way to risky there!" Hifumi exclaimed.

"And now isn't the time for unnecessary risks." Mukuro added in.

"Th-That's way too dangerous!" Hifumi nervously pointed out. "The mastermind would find out in no time!"

"Oh, yeah… true." Hiro replied sheepishly.

"This is no time to for taking needless risks. For now, I'll monitor the progress of the file analysis." Kyoko told them all. "I'm confident we'll uncover some kind of clue once it's finished."

"This feels like a detour more than anything else, but… I suppose it can't be helped." Celeste sighed.

Hina pouted. "You know, you could have a little more faith Celeste."

"Hina dear, we're not even sure what the files are about." Celeste replied back. "So it's understandable that my future self is doubtful about what it holds."

"For all we know, it could all be junk files!" Hifumi proclaimed.

"Well, for now all we can do is wait for Alter Ego to finish his work." Sakura stated.

"So, should we get going?" Hiro asked.

"Indeed." Kyoko nodded.

Hifumi then turned to the computer, an odd look in his eyes. "Goodbye! We'll be back, I promise!"

A small frown was etched on Chihiro's face, while some of the others sighed or rolled their eyes. Yes, he'll definitely need to keep Alter Ego away from Hifumi.

"C'mon Hifumi, let's go!" Hina sighed in exasperation, giving him a look.

"O-Okay…" With that, everyone left the dressing room.

As soon as they were out, Hina let out a joyful shout. "Isn't it awesome?! I ended up doing something totally awesome, right?!" She asked the others.

And suddenly, Monokuma popped up. "Dun da-da duuun! Hina has gained enough experience to level up!" The bear announced. "So… what was this awesome something?"

Many of the group jumped at his sudden appearance, then went pale at his question. "Oh crap!" Hiro exclaimed in fear. "This isn't good!"

"Don't say anything suspicious!" Hifumi yelled out at the screen.

"Hina, you fool!" Byakuya hissed. "You might as well reveal Alter Ego boxed and wrapped!"

"Sorry!" Hina wailed, looking extremely worried and guilty.

'M-Monokuma!' Makoto exclaimed to himself in worry.

"You guys seem in remarkably good spirit." The bear noted. "Did something happen?"

"N-No, nothing in particular…!" Makoto nervously lied.

But unfortunately, Monokuma could see through it. "Ooh, keeping secrets? No fair! I demand an exclusive interview!"

"Says the hypocrite who's keeping a ton of secrets!" Hina argued back. "Give yours out first!"

"Yeah! How about you give us some goddamn answers, huh?!" Mondo growled.

"Denied, denied, super denied!" Hifumi exclaimed at him.

"Y-Yeah, just because you demand something, doesn't mean we have to do it!" Hina quickly agreed with Hifumi.

The bear tilted his head at that. "Do it…?" He repeated. "You mean, like, do it do it?"

Several eyes widen at this. "Huh?" Hina said, a blush creeping up on her cheeks. "What does he mean by 'do it'?"

"I think you can guess, Miss Asahina." Hifumi responded, letting out a small, perverted chuckle. He ducked when Leon threw a baseball at him before turning towards the baseball player. "Hah! You missed Mr. Kuwa-" A moment, the baseball hit the back of his head. "Ow!"

"Yeah, I figured you were gonna dodge eventually." Leon remarked with a smirk. "That's why I made sure it can bounce back towards you when you dodge." The fanfic creator let out a grumble at that.

"Wait, what?" A blush crept up Hina's cheek. "What do you mean, 'do it' do it?"

"Eww gross! You said 'do it'!" Monokuma pointed out childishly.

"What?! You said it first!"

"Yeah! Don't make me out like the pervert here!" Hina reacted childishly before pouting. "Pervert."

"Makes me suspect that the mastermind is a guy…" Celeste remarked dryly.

'Wrong!' Junko remarked in her mind with a giggle. It's so fun, messing with their expectations like that, even if it's something minor like gender.

Celeste then spoke up. "We were just talking about going to the bathhouse. We have not had a chance to relax in some time." She lied smoothly.

"...Huh?"

"But unfortunately, the bathhouse is not divided into men and women sections." The gambler sighed. "So we decided to do rock-paper-scissors to decide which group would go first. Hina won the match for us, and that is why we are all pleased."

Despite knowing how talented Celeste is at lying, the group were still amazed at the lie she manage to create on the spot. "Wow. Good job Celeste." Chihiro said in awe.

"Yeah! You really saved us there!" Hina said with relief.

"Your skills seems to be helping us." Sakura added.

"I-Its about time..." Toko muttered.

Celeste merely smiled, her ego filling up a little from the praises.

"Y-Yeah, that's right!" Hina quickly agreed with. "Speaking of which…" She turned to Makoto, Hiro, and Hifumi. "Okay, boys! Why don't you head on back to the dining hall or something? We're gonna take a nice, long bath!"

"Ahhh, jeez, what're we gonna do, right?!" Hiro said, pretending to sound disappointed. "We lost, fair and square!"

"A good thing the rest of you manage to stick with the lie." Celeste replied. "Otherwise, we may have been in some trouble."

"No doubt there." Leon remarked.

"Well, ladies? Shall we go?" Celeste inquired towards the other girls. With that, the girls went back into the bathhouse.

'Wow.' Makoto thought in amazement as he watched the girls go. 'Celeste didn't hesitate on coming up with the ruse, and her poker face didn't even flinch.'

Celeste giggled at that. "I'm glad my lying abilities impressed you, Makoto."

"Hard not to be." Makoto replied with a sheepish shrug. 'Although... I'm not entirely sure if that's something to be proud of exactly...'

"U-Umm…" Hifumi stuttered, unsure as to what to say, before exclaiming, "Nuts and dammit! We totally lost! Another day without getting to take my very first bath here!"

"Y-Yeah, but… tomorrow for sure!" Hiro reassured Hifumi. "You'll definitely get that bath tomorrow!"

Celeste shook her head. "Are you trying to reveal the lie?" She sighed in slight annoyance and disappointment. "You are trying way too hard."

"Hopefully, the mastermind will not recognize that your acting." Sayaka replied with a small sweatdrop.

'Don't count on it!' Junko sang. She probably saw a mile away that they're lying. Not even the Ultimate Gambler could get pass her.

Makoto couldn't help but sweatdrop a bit at this. "Okay, so… should we head back to the dining hall now?"

Before either of them could say anything, Monokuma spoke up. "Hooooold on!" He exclaimed. "Something's strange here… VERY strange!"

"Huh?"

"What he's talking about?"

"Oh don't tell me we got figured out already!"

"Strange?" Makoto tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"What's strange is, this is the perfect the perfect chance for you to to sneak a peek!"

At first, the group was befuddled, processing the information. Then, when it was processed, they reacted.

"WHAT?!" Hina shouted, eyes wide with a massive blush. "He wants them to peep on us?!"

"THAT IS A DIRECT VIOLATION OF THE SCHOOL'S CODE OF CONDUCT!" Taka screamed, red in both embarrassment and anger.

"That is a violation of ANY code of conduct!" Leon corrected.

Both Makoto and Chihiro were silent, their eyes wide and their faces heavily flush at the suggestion.

Celeste sighed in slight aggravation, willing her cheeks not to flush. "This is going to be embarrassing."

"That is if they accept the suggestion." Sakura pointed out.

"It is Hifumi. He'll eagerly accept the suggestion."

"And Hiro will probably go with the flow." Kyoko added with a sigh.

"...Huh?" Was Makoto's response to the suggestion.

Hifumi let out a straining noise at that. "Th-That's…!" After struggling with his words, he exclaimed. "You're absolutely right!"

Immediately, Hifumi was pelted with not one, but five baseballs. "Oww! Five baseballs?!"

"You heard what your future self said! Don't try to deny it!" Leon retorted. "And it beats pissing off the girls even more than they already are!"

Sure enough, the girls looked angry at Hifumi's words. Hina, Junko, and Sayaka gave him angry glares while Sakura and Celeste have their own darkened looks on their faces. Both Kyoko and Mukuro have stony, neutral looks on their faces, and Toko hissed at him with disgust.

"...Future me?" He squealed out pitifully. That did not lessen the stares/glares at all.

"I thought you were all about the 2D…" Hiro reminded him with a sigh.

"All of you need to shut up, sit down, and listen to what I have to say…" Monokuma told them. "An opportunity like this doesn't come along very often… it's the ideal setting of a man's fantasy!"

"Or the ideal ingredient of men's worst nightmares." Byakuya remarked. "Are they seriously considering listening to Monokuma?"

"They should not!" Taka shouted, who's also glaring at the fanfic creator. "That is highly disrespectful to the ladies in the baths!"

"Damn straight!" Mondo agreed, his face firm and arms crossed. While they were many things he and his bro disagree with, there are also plenty of things they do agree with. Treating woman with respect is one of those things.

Makoto, who was listening to all of this, felt his eyes go wider and wider. "Wait a minute, guys. We shouldn't-"

"Come on, Mr. Naegi. We cannot let this chance pass!" Hifumi declared, grabbing his arms. "We must see our man's fantasy!"

"I admit, I want go in to." Hiro said, grabbing Makoto's other arm. "There's something I've always been wondering, and this will give my answer."

"Why are you dragging me into this?!"

"Yeah, why?!" Makoto exclaimed, a blush creeping up his cheeks.

Hina also felt her blushing, the thought of Makoto seeing her nude causing her to feel hot, while Kyoko and Celeste had to look away from everyone when they felt their own cheeks slightly heating up.

Byakuya sighed, shaking his head. "You seem to always be dragged into stuff like that."

"Yeah, dude. Still can't decide if it good luck or bad." Leon said, shaking his head.

Meanwhile, Sayaka and Mukuro felt a mix of relief and slight anger. Relief that they don't have to go through the embarrassment of their crush seeing their privates. And slight anger at the fact that he's going to other girls' privates, albeit unwillingly.

Monokuma let out his signature giggle as Hifumi and Hiro dragged Makoto towards the bathhouse. "Have fun in your man's fantasy…!" He told them. "Have a smashing good time!"

"Wait wait wait wait... YOU'RE ACTUALLY DRAGGING ME INTO THIS?" Makoto cried out helplessly. The other two guilty boys couldn't answer him with all the pressure coming from the girls.

Hiro peeked inside while Hifumi kept on holding Makoto, to see that the girls are already in the baths. Once he sure the close was clear, the three went inside. "So they really are taking a bath. Is this what Celeste meant about lying convincingly?"

"I definitely regret lying about this now." Celeste groaned.

"AHH! This is partially your fault too!" Hina cried.

"Hina... that's kind of unreasonable.." Sakura sighed next to her.

"Mr. Hagakure, please refrain from pointless whispering. We're deep in enemy territory here…" Hifumi whispered to him. "Just up ahead is the bathhouse. And there awaits… a great dazzling passion!"

"So, only into two 2D, huh?" Leon deadpanned.

Hifumi shifted a little at that. "Th-This is probably just inspiration for my 2D art!"

"Whatever the reason, none of them justifies peeping on the girls!" Taka scolded loudly. "Cease this operation at once!"

"Yeah! Stop this!" Makoto cried defensively.

"Even if they can hear you, you're probably just wasting your breath." Byakuya sighed.

All the girls glared at Hifumi and Hiro, who shrunk in their seats. "Wh-Why aren't you glaring at Makoto?" Hiro whined.

"You dragged him into this!" Sayaka pointed out fiercely, but still turned her head towards Makoto with scary eyes. "He wouldn't have done this willingly! Would you?"

"O-Of course not!" Makoto quickly gave his reply, both hands up in surrender.

"Oh but believe me. He's not entirely innocent either." Kyoko said while throwing Makoto a 'you're-going-to-get-it-later' look. "I'm sure he could have put up a much more convincing resistance."

"T-That's-!"

"That is indeed true. He has offered a stronger resistance to crimes less severe than this." Celeste added, also looking at Makoto.

"W-Wait a minute-"

"D-Don't tell me Makoto actually has the same kind of thoughts as... THEM?!" Hina asked incredulously, while giving him a look full of horror.

"C'mon! I'm telling you-"

"Makoto. I'm terribly disappointed in you."

"I'm afraid I have misjudged you quite a bit Makoto." Mukuro and Sakura said at the same time with heavy tones.

"L-Look, I'm s-sure we can talk this out!"

"Hoooh? And how are you going to talk your way out of that?" Junko asked, pointing at the screen.

"Mr. Naegi, your on point…!" With that statement, the fanfic creator pushed the poor boy into the door.

"Be careful, don't get us caught!" Hiro told him while he and Hifumi got right behind him. "If Ogre finds us, we'll be meeting up with Hades in no time…!"

"Ah." Was the only sound that came out of Makoto's mouth as he watched his future self press deeper into hell. There was no defense for this. He knew that he had every opportunity to back out. Hifumi and Hiro weren't that much stronger than Makoto, and even if they tried to physically force him, the girls would surely hear the ruckus outside. He could only sit in his chair mentally preparing himself for the aftermath of such a reckless thing. Even if he was roped into this, there was no way he was going to walk away with just a few scars.

Meanwhile,

"I think we'll be going there sooner…" Hiro whimpered, feeling the air in the room drop further and further.

"I fear you may be right, Mr. Hagakure." Hifumi gulped, wondering if he should curse or praise his future self for doing this.

Chihiro curled himself up and bury his head into his knees, while Taka and Byakuya closed their eyes and turned away from the screen, and Leon and Mondo merely turned their heads away. Whatever resolve they had prior to not look, it was a daunting task when it was shown on a huge TV right in front of you. Whether they each individually wanted to admit that however, was a different story.

Makoto, knowing he cannot escape, closed his eyes and slowly pushed the door open enough for them to peek inside. And once he did, the camera slowly turned white before cutting to the girls taking their baths, with only towels on them.

When the camera cut to the girls bathing, regardless of whether they wanted to look out of desire, or eventually fell to their curiosity, there was a moment of silence as everyone took in the view on the screen. To some, it was a treat. To others, it was a moment of embarrassment. However, that small silence was quickly replaced with chaos as the girls finally snapped out of it.

"AHHHHH! EVERYONE STOP LOOKING!" Hina cried out, launching herself straight out of her chair and running around in a panic trying to cover other people's eyes by waving her hands in front of them. She somehow subconsciously steered clear of Byakuya and Toko's corner though. However, considering how Toko isn't even trying to block Byakuya's view, but rather encouraging him to look at her, anyone would avoid them.

"H-Hina, calm down!" Sakura rose to go after her embarrassed friend, but was equally embarrassed at the scene.

"I-I didn't look! I swear!" Leon cried defensively as Hina changed from trying to block their vision to lightly beating people.

"L-Liar! You were totally looking at the screen!" Sayaka angrily yelled next to him while violently shaking him by the collar.

Meanwhile across the room, Celeste and Mukuro had somehow round up Taka, Hifumi, Hiro, and Mondo on the couch and was glaring down on them with a dark look.

"W-W-Woah! Hey! I-I'm not the culprit this time!" Mondo feebly tried to defend himself.

"Y-Yeah! I d-didn't look! E-Er.. I mean.. I did! BUT ONLY A LITTLE!" Taka rambled out, not knowing that he was also digging his own grave.

"Oh? Only a little? So you still saw it then." Celeste spoke back in an extremely passive aggressive tone while raising her clawed nails.

"WAAAHH! HAVE MERCY! I SWEAR ITS MONOKUMA'S FAULT!" Hifumi wailed on his knees.

"YEAH! IT'S ALL MONOKUMA'S FAULT! WE COULDN'T HELP IT!" Hiro cried with him.

"Regardless of who's fault it is, it's punishment time." Mukuro said in a creepily happy voice while cracking her knuckles. No one noticed that it somehow resembled Monokuma's speech.

"Wow…" Junko whistled while observing the chaos around her. "Makes me even more glad that I'm vetoed from this killing game." She glanced at Hifumi and Hiro, to which Mukuro was going to town on them. "Especially with those pervs looking." 'Heh, suckers!'

Kyoko, who had also decided not to partake in the chaos, turned to Spirit, who had wisely paused during the fading transition and turned off the screen. "Why show us this?" She asked in an irritated voice.

Spirit shrugged. "Couldn't find a way to pull it out." He said. "Plus, it serves as a good distraction for all the serious stuff."

"True." The detective conceded. It was a small price to pay to get their minds off of chapter two for the moment, as well as anything else in the beginning of chapter 3. However, even if it was a small price to pay, she was still disappointed that it had came to this. She looked over at the chaos. Hifumi, Hiro, Mondo, and Taka lay defeated scattered around the couch with Chihiro nervously poking them for signs of life. Byakuya had probably left to the privacy of his own room while she imagined Toko to be right outside his door. Leon looked as if he had been mauled to shreds as he looked almost unrecognizable on his chair.

When she turned to Makoto, he was still in one piece. However, he had wisely adopted a very formal sitting position while sweating out of fear for his life as the girls around him wondered what to do. Suddenly, he made eye contact with her, a silent plead for a lighter sentence. Though she felt sorry for him, Kyoko instead chose to wear a mischievous smile and pretend to have not noticed. She could practically picture Makoto's defeated face as she turned away. After all, he brought this upon himself... Sort of. Anyways, it could be considered a mercy that she didn't partake in punishing him since the other girls seemed more than happy to carry out her share.

As Kyoko watched from her seat with slight amusement as the others finally decided on a punishment, her heart reminded her that such a lively scene would not last long.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 47: Watching Chapter 3: A Next Generation Legend! Stand Tall, Galactic Hero! Part 5

Fifteen minutes later, Byakuya presumably ran out of patience and came down stairs with a very obedient Toko behind him. As they did, they saw everyone back in their usual seating arrangement, except that all the guys looked half dead. Byakuya blinked twice while taking in the scene before him, before proceeding onto his chair as usual.

As he passed by Spirit, Spirit spoke up: "Just in case you're wondering, while I had treated most of their wounds, they still feel some of the aches and pains."

"And I assume by the lack of groans, that Chihiro and Makoto were spared."

"Yeah... its not fair really." Leon answered, letting out a grumble. "Makoto always gets off easy." There were some grumbles of agreement from Hiro, Hifumi, and Mondo.

"Doesn't mean Makoto is not going to be punished." Sayaka added, giving her crush a mischievous smile. "We got a special punishment for him after this chapter."

The luckster, who haven't moved an inch in his formal sitting position, let out a shiver and a blush. Byakuya looked at him for a moment, as well as noted the glints in many of the girls' eyes, before letting out a sigh. 'Its not worth it.' He convinced himself before getting back on his recliner, with Toko doing the same thing. He then turned to Spirit. "Alright, lets continue."

Their host nodded before un-pausing the TV.

The next scene switched to Makoto, Hiro, and Hifumi gathered in the dining hall. Makoto was sitting at the table, his face blank, while Hifumi look very happy. Hiro merely looked astonished.

"I'm not sure how to put it, but… I always feel refreshed after a job well done!" Hifumi stated.

That earned several angry glares from the girls, causing the fanfic creator to wince. "O-Other me…?" He said weakly, though the glares didn't lessen.

"A 3D body isn't so bad in its nude state, I suppose."

"Tempted to throw a baseball at you right now." Leon grumbled. "And not just for that comment. Luckily for you, my throwing arm is still aching."

"But still… I just can't believe it." Hiro said, still looking astonished and puzzled. "Like, for serious… Ogre's a girl?!"

That caused the group to look at the fortune teller incredulously. "You still didn't think Sakura was a girl?!" Leon questioned incredulously.

"Why were you doubting Sakura?!" Hina asked angrily.

"I- well-, can you blame me?!" Hiro said defensively. "Look at Ogre!"

"Quit calling her that!"

"While Sakura's physique is unusual compared to most females, you could still see clearly that she is a girl." Byakuya stated, sighing in exasperation. "Even a monkey like Mondo or a dimwit like Hina could figure it out."

"Dimwit?!"

"Who are you calling a monkey, jackass?!" The heir ignored the pre-mentioned Ultimate's indignant squawks.

While the two were talking, Makoto was completely silent. 'We're going to hell for this, aren't we…?' He deadpanned in his own mind. He sighed. 'Oh well. At least I still had fun, and got an eyeful.'

'Shut up, future me!' Makoto winced at the disapproving looks he got from the girls, as well as the tightened grip Sayaka has on his sleeve. He didn't notice the light blushes from Kyoko, Celeste, and Hina, however.

"Why didn't you resist harder, anyway?" Celeste asked with a 'mask' already in place. "You resisted from more minor crimes than this. And you aren't as perverted as Hifumi nor have idiotice curiosity like Hiro."

Makoto rubbed the back of his head. "I think of an ideas as to why…"

'Better than having to think about all this…'

That got the attention of others. "Yeah, I thought so." Makoto sighed. "It's to get my mind off the killing game, at least for a little bit." He looked down. "Anything would be better than having to think about who else could possibly die, or those that died before. That's what my future self is thinking, I think…"

The girls' eyes softened some at that. Honestly, they couldn't blame him for that. While he does have strong willpower, there's only so much he could take. Still…

"You won't get off your punishment easily, Makoto." Celeste said with a smile. "I so do look forward to doing that."

"Yeah, I didn't think I would…" Makoto replied with a nervous chuckle and sweatdrop.

A moment later, the girls, who just finished their baths, came back in, smiles plastered on their faces.. "Ahh, man what a nice bath!" Hina sighed blissfully.

"Getting a chance to stretch out and relax after all this time was a true pleasure." Celeste stated.

"Indeed." Kyoko agreed.

Junko made a silent groan of boredom. They're being too happy right now. Too comfortable too quickly. Her future self needs to get the despair ball rolling soon!

Sakura was the next to speak. "Normally, after a long bath I like to make myself a protein shake, but…"

Just as she said, Monokuma popped up. "Sorry, no time for that!"

And just like that, their smiles faded away. "That's what I figured…" Sakura sighed.

The others also groaned. "Of course." Leon grumbled. "He's here to ruin the happy feels."

"Why can't he let us have some peace for a moment?" Hina whined.

"We're talking about a despair-loving monster, Hina." Taka said dryly, not yet recovered to his usual upstanding self. "Any sort of happiness is poison for him."

"Aand a clear sadistic one at that!" Hifumi added in.

"...Huh?" Monokuma tilted his head in confusion at that.

"We were just saying in the bath how it was about time for you to get up to something." Celeste revealed to him.

"After seeing how happy we were, an evil little monster like you would never let that last for long." Kyoko added.

Junko mentally pouted at that. Was she really getting that predictable? That's the last thing she wanted!

Monokuma hung his head in depression at that. "Y-You're all so terrible to me…" He sniffed. "Everyone's so cold and mean! Even after I got presents for you all!"

"...Presents?!" Makoto exclaimed in disbelief, with the others looking just as incredulous.

And just like their future counterparts, the others are incredulous. "Is the bear fucking joking?" Mondo asked bluntly.

"I doubt it." Byakuya mused. "Though I don't think it would be the gifts we would want."

"Most likely, it's another motive." Kyoko guessed.

Some of the others paled a little at that. "Th-That soon?!" Hina exclaimed.

"Like our future selves said Hina, the mastermind wouldn't let us be at peace for long." Kyoko told her softly. "And the motives are a clear way to ruin our happiness."

"I know, but…" The swimmer looked downcast. "I still remember the last trial. I don't want to see another motive, so soon…"

"Trust me, we know how you feel Hina." Makoto said sympathetically. "But you have to remember that watching this is for our own good."

"Makoto's right. We need to watch the events of our future so that we won't let it come to pass." Sakura stated, placing a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Hmmm? Oh, have I got your attention?" The bear said tauntingly. "Puhuhu. Then let's head to the gym, where your presents await! No questions, no dilly-dallying! Get a move on, and everything will become clear!" With that, he left, leaving the remaining students nervous as to what his 'gifts' are.

"W-What is it…?" Hifumi stuttered nervously. "What are you scheming this time?!"

"He's probably going to repeat the same thing again." Kyoko said. "Providing us with a motive to get things moving…"

"...Again?" Hina's face fell at this. "I don't want to… I don't want to do this anymore…"

"Me, neither. I'm, like, totally traumatized…" Hiro groaned.

"It's okay. We have Alter Ego." Kyoko reminded them. "I'm sure he'll find something that'll help us. So for now… we have to just endure it, come what may." With that, the group reluctantly left the dining hall.

The group feel themselves tensing up for what's to come. "Let's hope Alter Ego will be help to find something to help us." Taka said, gripping his knees.

"I'm sure it will." Makoto said, some of his optimism coming back up. "After all, the AI is made by Chihiro. Alter Ego won't let us down!"

Chihiro felt himself blush at the confidence Makoto has in him and his AI before determination build up in his eyes. This is his chance to help his classmates. Alter Ego won't let them down!

The scene changed to the group walking into the gym, with a still traumatized Taka along with them. When they got in, they saw Byakuya and Toko already waiting for them. "To be kept waiting by the likes of you." The heir scoffed in disdain. "Rest assured, if we had access to firearms, you'd all be dead."

Several of the students frowned at the sight of the future Byakuya. "Oh great. We gotta deal with him." Sayaka grumbled.

"Yippee." Junko drawled with little to no joy.

"Byakuya…?" Makoto looked at the heir curiously. "Did you get here early?"

"Did you forget how to walk? Is that why you're late?" Byakuya mocked, ignoring the luckster's question. "It's simple - right foot, left foot. Right foot…"

Suffice to say, that got the group rattled up real good. Leon huffed "Man... what a pain.."

"How does he act all arrogant, after what he have done and said?" Hina cried out angrily.

The heir stayed silent, not wishing to trade blows with his classmates right now. He hates seeing this, seeing how arrogant was before. And the angry comments from the others does not help.

Celeste giggled at that. "The same as always, I see. Her, on the other hand…" She, along with the rest of the group, turned to Toko, who was very still and silent.

"Look like Genocide Jack is gone for the moment." Sayaka noted while Toko sighed in relief. "Must've sneezed while off screen."

"And it seems like Miss Fukawa's a bit traumatized at the moment." Hifumi added.

"Oh, she's back to her Debbie Downer self, huh?" Hiro commented on in slight shock.

"I heard what sounds like a sneeze, and she was back to her old self." Byakuya informed them.

"So now she goes from manic to depressive whenever she sneezes?" Hifumi asked, a bit baffled. "Seems kinda late to add that into the mix…"

"Why does e-everyone keep making fun of me…?" Toko growled at them. "I hope you all win the l-lottery and get hit by a bus…"

"Okay, now she's back to the Toko we all know and keep away from." Leon remarked.

Toko glared at the baseball player. "I especially h-hope that you win and g-get hit."

"Fortune followed by misfortune." Junko mused. "Gotta admit, that's a good one."

"Say, wasn't that how you got into Hope's Peak Makoto?" Leon redirected the attention to him.

"Uhhh... let's not talk about that right now.." Makoto nervously replied back, both with the intention to keep things going as well as avoiding embarrassment.

"So when you wanna say something mean, then you can talk, huh?" Hina sighed in annoyance.

"Anyway, it looks like everyone's here." Sakura said, changing the subject.

"Which means…" As Kyoko said that, the scene changed.

Once again, the camera lowered from the ceiling to behind the remaining Ultimates. When the camera was right behind them, it zoomed in to the podium, and Monokuma jumped on it once again.

"It's look like everyone's here! So then, let's get started!" Monokuma stated, as lively as ever.

"Come on, out with it." Byakuya demanded. "What kind of motive have you prepared for us this time?"

"Whatever you subject to us, we will not break." Sakura stated in determination.

"Yeah, that's right!" Hina immediately agreed with. "We're not gonna lose to you ever again!"

They wanted to agree with the future counterparts. Want to say that they're not gonna let a motive influence them…but the last two chapters chipped away their belief.

Right now, all they could do is hope that another murder doesn't happens.

The bear merely giggled at that. "You don't have to get so defensive. Calm down!" He told them. "I've decided to change things up a bit this time."

"Change things up…?" Chihiro grew nervous at that. "What does he mean by that?"

"If it's a motive to kill, I doubt it's anything good." Taka stated with a frown.

"Up till now, I've been using the WOOSH of the North WInd to get you all moving. But sometimes you gotta use the Sun to light a fire under someone's bat!" He ended that statement with laughter.

"I'm not liking where this is heading…" Hina said nervously.

"Neither do I." Sakura agreed, tense. The others were just as nervous or tense, wondering what the mastermind got in store for them.

The bear then held his arms open wide. "So without further ado, I give you… THIS!" Suddenly large stacks of money falled in front of him, forming a large, neat pile. "Ten million dollars!"

Immediately, there nervousness and tenseness was replaced by pure shock. "Ten million dollars?!" Hiro shouted.

"He has that much money?!" Hifumi exclaimed, mouth wide open.

"I figured that the mastermind's finances are high considering the extra interior designs and elaborate executions," Celeste murmured loudly to herself. "But to able to throw away that much money at a chance for one of us to kill each other?"

"How much does the mastermind exactly have?" Byakuya questioned, trying to figure that out in his mind. While he doubt that it could match the Togami family's assets, it must be incredibly substantial.

"Something tells me we're better off not knowing." Junko remarked, rubbing her head nervously. "The mastermind is already scary as it is." Internally, she's congratulating herself for her superb fashionista job and countless contacts already willing to do her bidding.

"I've prepared this graduation present for whichever lucky student makes it out of here alive!" He announced. "Whaddya think? It's ten million bucks! Ten million smackaroos! It's like totally wowie wow wow, am I right?!"

As soon as that was revealed, eyes immediately turned to Hiro and/or Celeste. Something which the two noticed. "H-Hey, why are you looking at me for?!" Hiro said in panic.

"The two of you are easily the greediest people out of all of us." Byakuya stated bluntly. "Which makes you the easily susceptible to this motive."

"C-Come on, guys! Do you really think that bad of me?!"

"Yes." Several of them said blankly and simultaneously. Not even Makoto came up to defense, knowing full well how far his greed could take him.

Celeste merely smiled while Hiro hung his head. "Well, you do not have to worry about me." She told them. "My gambling gave me a very significant sum, so there's nothing you need to worry about."

Makoto frown, but quickly hid it from the others. He could tell that she's lying. The money she made, while large, is not enough for what she aims to do. Add to the fact that staying in the school means keeping her from that dream, and it's definitely worrying. Despite the dream itself being a bit shallow.

Celeste was having similar thoughts. She could see that her future self is getting quite frustrated with how the way things are going, due to her demeanor in the beginning of the chapter. The ten million dollars, which is more than enough for her plans, along with the chance to get out, is very tempting.

But she made no plan to reveal the others her thoughts. To her, it isn't too worrying. She is confident that her future self can resist that temptation without fell. She doesn't need to murder. She won't. Besides, she shouldn't worry him like this.

Makoto stared at the bear and the ten million dollars in front of him. 'So that's the motive you've prepared, is it?' He then spoke up outloud. "Ten million dollars is…"

"It's not nearly enough." Byakuya interrupted coldly.

The group was silent for a moment. Then, Kyoko spoke up. "When it comes to motives, money certainly is the gold standard, so to speak." She said. "Whether it's in a mystery novel, or the real world... "

"B-But…" Hina spoke up, looking determined. "There's no way we kill each other for money!"

"She's right. You can't simply purchase a person's life." Sakura stated firmly.

"You can say ten million or however much, I don't give a crap! For serious!" Hiro exclaimed.

"Yeah… they're all right…" Makoto said, his voice quiet at first. As he continued, his voice got louder. "Whether it's ten million, or any other amount of money… no," He shook his head. "Not even just money. From now on, no matter what you do… we won't kill our friends!"

Their future selves' resolves manage to bring up some of theirs. "They're right. This time, his plan is doomed!" Taka stated confidently. "None of us here would kill for money! I know I wouldn't!"

"Same here!" Hina immediately agreed. "There's no way I would kill any of my friends for cash, no matter how much!"

"Neither would I." Sakura said softly. "Like my future self said, you can't purchase someone's life."

"Look like this chapter might be the murder free one." Leon remarked with a grin.

Some of the others, however, have doubts. Some of those people being Byakuya and Kyoko. Neither of them forgot the lesson of judging others by your own standards. They knew a few would most likely kill for ten million dollars.

Junko, meanwhile, felt confident about the motive. Yeah, she knows most of them wouldn't kill for some quick cash, but this motive is for her most greediest classmates.

The bear wasn't dissuade at the least. "C'mon, stop trying to act tough." He taunted. "The most important thing is to live a pure and moral communal life!" With that, he left, leaving his words hanging in the air and the sum of money on the stage.

The group was silent for a moment. Finally, Hina spoke up. "Th-There's nothing to worry about, right?" Hina asked nervously. "Nobody would kill for money… right?"

Byakuya scoffed. "Have you so quickly forgotten the lesson from last time? You can't judge others by your own standard." He reminded her.

The group's confident is dimmed at the reminder of that lesson. "W-Well, this might be different this time!" Hina insisted. "After all, none of us here are willing to murder for money!"

"Have you forgotten about Celeste and Hiro?" Byakuya reminded her. "One is a gambler while the other is an embarrassment of a scammer."

"Hey! I resent that!" Hiro protested angrily. "What about Hifumi and Toko? Maybe they would want to get ten million dollars!"

Toko snorted. "E-Even if I wanted to, which I d-don't, I-I can't. Even a d-drop of blood makes me faint."

"And don't try to bring up Genocide Jack." Celeste said before Hiro could say anything. "Remember that she would only kill boys that she deems adorable. She doesn't kill to survive or for money."

"And I gain more than enough money thanks to my fanfictions!" Hifumi interjected, offended. "I don't need any of the money Monokuma offers!"

"Anyway, back to my previous point, we cannot rule out murder." Byakuya stated. "It's clear that there's gonna be a murder every chapter. There's no point trying to deny it. And you're clearly in denial or foolishly idealistic if you try."

"Not to mention, someone may still kill regardless of the motive." Mukuro decided to add. Although the chance was extremely low, the desire to get out can still get to them.

Several of the students couldn't help but flinch at that. They wanted to disagree, to argue against it… but they knew Byakuya and Mukuro is right. Not even Makoto could deny it, no matter how much he wants to.

"Y-Yeah, there might be someone here who's having m-money problem!" Toko quickly agreed with the Togami heir.

"Personally, I've earned over one million dollars from my gambling efforts." Celeste stated. "My life is… comfortable."

After hearing that, Toko decided to turn towards Hifumi. "H-Hifumi? What about y-you?!"

"I'm a super popular content creator!" Hifumi shouted in offense. "I don't have any problem making enough to buy my comics and DVDs!"

"Th-Th-Then…!"

"Just stop." Sakura interrupted firmly. "Pressing others about their personal finances is… ugly."

That caused the writing to prodigy to recoil in shock. "U-U-Ugly?!"

"H-How could you say that? Are you also calling me ugly?"

"No, I am not." Sakura denied calmly. "Only the act itself is unappealing, and no one has the right to do so."

Byakuya smirked. "Don't worry. Either way, whatever's going to happen will happen without warning." He assured them. "That is the nature of the game." With that, Byakuya left, with Toko quickly tagging along with him.

"And how is that not fucking worrying?" Mondo asked incredulously. "That would make make paranoid as hell!"

"You are really messed up in the head, Byakuya." Leon said, shaking his head.

"You know... he did say that he won't kill himself right guys..?" Makoto weakly said from his seat.

Before any of the students could comment, the school bells rang. And soon after, the nighttime announcements played. "It's that time already, huh…?" Hina sighed.

"Before we separate, let me remind you…" Kyoko turned her eyes towards everyone. "Starting tonight, I'll be leaving my room door open to make sure nothing happens to Alter Ego. But just because my door is open, don't assume that will make me an easy target." Her eyes then grew colder. "Or the predator may suddenly find itself the prey…"

Several in the group felt chills run up their spines. "Okay, that kinda scared me a bit." Leon admitted.

"Don't blame ya." Mondo snorted. "Kyoko is one of those chicks you just don't mess with."

"Understatement there." Hina said in agreement.

While the others were slightly intimidated, Mukuro couldn't help but find herself interested.

"Ehh? I didn't know detective training was so... physical." She commented.

"Don't worry about it too much. I'm very certain that there are very few detectives in the world this confident in their capabilities." Kyoko replied. Certainly, her special training had saved her in a few past cases.

The group couldn't help but feel a chill up their spines a bit. "Okay, okay, let's everyone just head back to our rooms!" Hiro quickly changed the subject. "And don't think about the money thing! Got it? Good! Then let's break!" He then turned to Taka. "...How was that? Pretty good, right Taka?"

Again, the Ultimate Moral Compass was dead silent. "...Right." Was all the fortune teller could respond to the silence. With that, the group disperse.

"Geez, is Taka gonna be like that the entire chapter?" Junko huffed. "Or even the entire future watching?" 'If he doesn't get killed off first. Puhuhuhu…'

"Jesus, I hope you won't." Mondo sighed, looking at his friend.

The moral compass took a deep breath. "As do I, bro. But I can't say for sure future me will recover from this." It'll probably take some help, that much he's certain of.

The scene switched to Makoto crawling onto bed and laying down. 'Money…' He thought to himself. 'There's no way that's gonna get anyone to kill anyone else…'

"I told myself that, but deep in my heart, I was still troubled." Narrator Makoto stated. "After all, I thought the same thing last time, about having our secrets revealed. Even if the reason for it seems completely nonsensical, a murder can still happen. That's the lesson we learned."

Makoto's narration hit the group hard. They want to believe that none of them kill for money, that this motive isn't gonna kill anybody… but like Makoto said, the last chapter taught them that they could kill for the most absurd things. And the fact that they have two greedy classmates in there, made it even more concerning.

'This time will be different. I'm sure of it.' The luckster continued encouraging himself. 'Because of the program Chihiro left behind- Alter Ego. We finally have some small hope to grasp onto.'

Those thoughts brought some of the spark back into the class, but not by much. Like Makoto said, it's a small amount of hope they're grasping onto.

'Hope.' Makoto thought to himself. The one thing they all desperately need right now, both present and future. Hope that their future selves can get out of the killing game. Hope that they can figure out who's behind all this, along with the mysteries surrounding the school and this game, in order to stop it.

And thanks to Chihiro, they have that hope.

'As long as we have that, then I'm sure…' With those lingering thoughts, Makoto slowly went to sleep.

A moment after the screen turned black, the bell was rung and the morning announcements was played. Slowly, Makoto got up from his bed with a small yawn. 'Well then… I guess I should head to the dining hall.' He thought to himself before heading out.

The scene switched to Makoto and remaining group gathered at the dining hall. "So, the people here today…" Hiro murmured out loud, looking around to see only himself, Makoto, Kyoko, Hina, Sakura, Celeste, and Hifumi. "...are just us seven."

The group frowned at this. "I didn't expect to see Toko or Byakuya anyway," Sayaka stated. "But Taka?"

"We shouldn't be surprise." Sakura sighed, closing her eyes. "We all saw how he is."

"No argument there," Mondo sighed, looking down.

"Byakuya and Toko are a lost cause," Sakura admitted. "But…"

"It looks like Taka's decided to stop coming for good, too…" Hifumi noted sadly.

"It's like he just… given up." Hiro sighed.

"For the people wound tight as he is, when you snap, you snap hard." Celeste stated factly.

Makoto looked down at the table. "I wish there was some way to make him better…"

"Same here, man." Mondo sighed, clenching his fist. More than likely, the future Taka is probably thinking is his fault. Thinking that Chihiro may hate the two of them, like his present bro did. If only he could snap some sense into him.

"On another topic…" Celeste turned towards Kyoko. "Kyoko, did everything go alright last night?"

"Yeah, I didn't have any problems." The lavender haired girl confirmed, her voice hush. "I went and checked on the laptop a little while ago, and there weren't any problems there, either. But…" She hesitated for a moment before letting out a sigh. "It's related to this case, so I suppose I should be blunt."

She then gave a firm stare towards everyone. "I have to make a new rule. Using Alter Ego without permission is prohibited." She stated firmly. "Someone going in and out of the dressing room would draw unwanted attention from the mastermind."

Junko raised an eyebrow. "That should be a no brainer." She remarked. "Why should they make a rule about it?"

"I think I have a guess." Kyoko said, staring straight at Hifumi. Several of them also looked at the fanfic creator, whiched caused him to sweat a little.

"I would have thought that would be obvious. Why do we need to make a rule about it?" Celeste questioned.

"That's a good question." Kyoko then stared straight at Hifumi. "Do you have any thoughts on that, Hifumi?"

That got almost everyone staring at Hifumi now, making him sweat even more. "W-What?"

"...What are you doing to Alter Ego?" Chihiro accused, his eyes both mad and suspicious.

"N-Nothing! I doubt future me is doing anything!"

"Tell that to Kyoko there, fatty." Leon remarked.

Hifumi sweated a little at that. "N-No…" He stuttered. "It's just like you said. We all need to be… very careful…" He let out a few nervous pants.

"...Huh?" Was Hiro's response to Hifumi's strange reaction, while the others took a few steps away from the fanfic creator.

"Whatever, let's just hurry up and eat!" Hifumi shouted in sudden anger. "We don't have time to stand around flappin' our lips!"

Byakuya rolled his eyes. "You definitely visited alter ego."

"What did you do?" Chihiro asked again, sounding more suspicious.

Hifumi pale little at the stare Chihiro is giving him. Like an protective mother, wanting to protect her child. "I-I'm sure it's nothing bad!"

Hiro yelped in shock at this. "Jeez! Why're you talkin' like a pissed-off drill sergeant all of a sudden?!"

The scene then fast forward to everyone at the table, eating their breakfast, though Hifumi made a note to keep far away from Kyoko. Makoto was in the middle of eating his own breakfast when he heard Celeste suddenly speak in front of him. "Celestia Ludenberg…" She sighed. "Celestia… Ludenberg…"

The repeat of her own caused some raised eyebrows. "Um, what's up with your obsession with your name?" Junko inquired.

"Oh, it's nothing much." Celestia reassured with a giggle. "It's something that my future self will explain soon."

Makoto looked up from his breakfast curiously. "What are you doing…?"

"No matter how many times I hear it, I never tire of hearing my own name." Celeste stated. "Isn't it so splendidly charming?"

That earned sighs and/or eye rolls from the group. The gambler can be really self absorbed sometimes.

"Oh yeah, I've been wondering about that. Why that name?" Makoto asked her curiously.

"...Why?"

"I mean, is it from something?" The luckster clarified. "Why'd you pick it?"

"Wait…?" Hina spoke up, looking confused. "Are we back on the topic on her name again? Cause I'm still wondering if Celeste is her real name or not?"

"Of course it's not, you dimwit." Byakuya sighed in annoyance. "Very rarely do Japanese parents give their kids names like that."

"Well, I'm one of the rare ones, because it is my name." Celeste said, her voice polite but tight. That merely made the heir rolled his eyes.

"When are you going to stop denying it? Very few of us are dumb enough to fall for the lie."

"It is not a lie. It's the truth, one that you cannot refute."

"I am so confused here…" Hina moaned, holding her head.

"Tell me about it." Hiro sighed.

"I did not pick it." Celeste denied. "My name was given to me by mother and father…"

"Come on, that can't be your real name, can it?" Makoto asked with obvious doubt.

"It is, indeed, my real name." Celeste stated with a straight face. "Make no mistakes about that."

Makoto sighed at that. "Okay, so your parents gave you that name?"

"That's right." Celeste confirmed. "My father is French nobility, and my mother is part of a German family of musicians."

'There's no way that's true…' Makoto deadpanned in his mind.

"You really that we would fall for the lie?" Byakuya asked with a raised eyebrow. "Anyone with a decent amount of intelligence would know that was a lie."

His comment caused Hina, Hiro, and Hifumi to look away, with one of them whistling.

"But okay, so were you born in France or Germany?"

"Tochigi." The gambler answered.

"And now some truths." Byakuya remarked. "Though they do remain inconsistent with your lies."

"I do not know what you mean." Celeste replied back, smiling. "Sure, I was born in Tochigi, but that only because my family moved there."

"And yet, it's clear that you're Japanese."

"And Junko and Mukuro are twins."

"Hey, don't drag us into this!" Junko exclaimed with a pout. "It's not our fault we look differently, and we ended with different last names!"

'Now we're getting somewhere…' Makoto thought with some exasperation.

"I was born in Utsunomiya, the capital of Tochigi, which is known for its delicious gyoza." Celeste explained in more detail. "You may be surprised to learn that I absolutely adore gyoza."

That took the group by surprise. "You actually like gyoza?" Leon asked with some disbelief. "I would've thought you would hate considering, considering your taste."

"While I do find it stinky and vulgar, I do enjoy it." Celeste stated. "It's one of my favorite meals."

"Wow. Guess there's always something new we can learn about each other." Sayaka commented out, also surprise by the reveal. "How come you didn't tell this before?"

"It's not really something I tell most people." The gambler stated. "Makoto is one of the few I could reveal that too." While she is a bit irked a bit of herself is revealed like that, she realize that something like this would be unavoidable. Hopefully, this won't reveal any information too personal.

"I love its stench, it's base vulgarity." A disappointed look then entered her face. "So, as you can imagine, I'm quite disappointed that I will never taste my hometown's gyoza again."

"Never say never, you know…?" Makoto told her. "Once we get out of here-"

"We will never get out of here." Makoto recoiled in shock at the cold tone she adopted. "How long will you continue this ridiculousness? You should give up. If you don't, it can only lead to murder…" With that, and a sip of her remaining tea, she left the dining hall.

The others also recoiled at her response. "Geez, what is up with her?" Leon remarked. "Does she really not believe we'll get out of here?"

"Don't you miss your family Celeste?" Hina asked her. "Or any of your other friends you have?"

While she doesn't looked affected by those words on the outside, inwardly is another story. The last thing she wants is to be trapped in the school forever, true, but seeing her family is not the primary reason. Though she is worried about her cat.

However, she doesn't revealed any of those things. "I don't have an answer as to why my future self is acting this way. Perhaps she'll change her mind in the future."

Makoto frowned a little. He also wondering why Celeste is acting this way. He knows that her relationship with her family is… less than stellar, but there is stuff she wants to do outside of the school. Did she really given up hope, despite the appearance of Alter Ego?

Makoto stood still as the gambler went away. 'The more I talk to her, the more I just don't understand her…'

"Tell me about it." Hina turned towards Makoto. "How are you able to understand her, Makoto?"

"A lot of patience." Was his answer, rubbing the back of his head.

"Something you have an abundance of." Kyoko added with a small smirk.

That drew a bashful smile from the luckster, but inwardly, he's still thinking about Celeste reaction. He can't but wonder, is the gambler still acting? Or has she really given up hope of escaping?

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 48: Watching Chapter 3: A Next Generation Legend! Stand Tall, Galactic Hero! Part 6

"Mwehehe… I see quality in you, Mr. Naegi. True quality!" Hifumi declared towards Makoto, letting out a sinister laugh. The two are at the hallway, around the dormitory. "And that's why I've decided present to you my lecture on the nature of fan fiction!"

Given how Makoto had talked to everyone else so far, this was by far one that induced the most cringe amongst the students, and pride in one. Hifumi looked at the screen with pride at his own entrance while Leon and Toko, the two aside from Celeste to have interacted with him the most (one out of necessity, the other out of conflict), sighed for the whole class.

"Oh, great." Leon grumbled. "I was really hoping we didn't have to see Makoto hang out with fatty."

"For once, I-I agree with you." Toko grumbled back. "He'll t-talk about h-his trashy c-comics."

"Not to mention that boring chuunibyou personality." Junko added.

"My future self is bestowing wisdom upon Mr. Naegi!" Hifumi exclaimed in response to their words. "You should be grateful that you will hear about the nature of fanfiction!"

That earned a snort from Leon. "Yeah. Sure."

"If we're going to be friends, you must be fully informed. I will permit no fanfic bigotry whatsoever!"

"I don't think I have any fanfic bigotry…" Makoto replied with a sweatdrop. "I mean, I don't really know anything about that kind of geeky stuff anyway…"

"See, there it is!" Hifumi exclaimed in frustration. "To you, fanfic equals geeky, right? But is that all that word is worth?"

"Huh?" Makoto tilted his head. "Did I say something wrong…?"

"But that's okay!" Hifumi continued, as if he didn't hear Makoto. "Because I take the word geek as a compliment! For you see, there is nobody on Earth so full of knowledge as a geek!"

"In a sense, a geek is like an expert. That's right, a total expert!" He stated. "A successful musician must necessarily be a music geek, a good movie director is a movie geek. You know? It those experts, those geeks who open up the world to others! So when you say that writing fanfic is 'geeky', you're recognizing us as true experts!"

His lecture earned looks of annoyance and befuddlement. "Isn't he taking it a little too seriously?" Sayaka asked with a sweatdrop.

"That's Hifumi for ya." Makoto replied with his own sweatdrop.

"You know, he's not wrong about it either." Mukuro offered her own neutral opinion.

Taka, meanwhile, merely raised an eyebrow. "But is that true? That geeks hold the most knowledge in the world?"

"Of course not." Byakuya answered with an eye roll. "Don't take the fool's rambling seriously."

"Y-Yeah." Toko quickly agreed with the Togami heir. "H-He's just trying to defend h-his trash."

"Your just saying that because you're a geek as well!" Hifumi declared. "Mr. Togami being a math geek and Miss Fukawa being a book geek!"

"What?!" Toko hissed, looking completely offended. "Don't c-compare with you!"

"Excuse me? I'm more than just a 'math geek' to the likes of you." Byakuya instinctively snapped back.

"So you do admit to being a geek!" Hifumi cried out, pouncing on Byakuya's mistake. Realizing his slip of tongue, he immediately turned around his seat in a disgusted manner.

While they were talking, Chihiro kept silent with a small blush on his face. With Hifumi's logic, that also made him a geek, since he enjoys computers.

Makoto sweatdropped at this. "Okay, so um… what exactly is fanfic, then?"

"Oof! Super direct question FTW!" Hifumi exclaimed in slight surprise. "Basically, we have all different kinds of stores and events, right? These are where groups of holy warriors sell their own stuff based on games, comics, anime, everything."

"And the stuff those people make… are fanfic?" Makoto asked.

"Comics are the most common creation, but it also include games, music, and even merchandise!" Hifumi explained to him. "Of course, that's common sense. I certainly hope you don't expect me to explain such common-sense topics every time!"

"Well, like I said… I don't know too much about this stuff." Makoto told him.

"This goes well beyond 'I don't know too much'!"

"It does?" Hina smiled sheepishly at this, scratching the back of her head. "Cause I didn't really know that much either."

"I think that goes for most of us, Hina." Sakura replied in reassurance.

"But I guess I can't blame you." Hifumi sighed. "The propaganda never touches on that. So as a fanfic ambassador, by the time I am done with you, you'll be itching to buy a premium pass to the next fanfic con! Right?!"

"Is this what he teaches you every time you hang out with him?" Junko remarked.

Makoto nodded. "Yeah, he does."

"It's quite fun, talking about my passion with Mr. Naegi!" Hifumi stated. "No one else would even bother to listen to me! Though I do wish he became more interested in fanfics!"

"None of us are going to be interested, dude." Leon deadpanned.

Makoto sweatdropped once again. 'Obviously he's excited, but…'

"Alright, that's it for the basic!" The fanfic creator continued. "This time, would you like to hear about one of my many legends?"

"Your legends…?"

"Naturally!" Hifumi said proudly. "You don't become the Ultimate Fanfic Creator without a few legends sprouting up around you! One such legend is how, in middle school, I was able to convince the school to create a fanfic club!"

Several eyes widen at this. "You manage to convince your school to have a club like that?" Mondo asked incredulously.

"I sure did!" Hifumi stated proudly, crossing his arms.

"But, how?" Taka asked, trying to wrap his head around it. From what he knew, Hifumi's comics aren't the most kid friendly. How could a school approve of such things entering school borders?

"And that is a great question! Indeed, how did I do it?" Hifumi rhetorically asked in a very stereotypical manner.

"And from that day, I exposed myself and my fanfic to the world at large! By the way, do you happen to know what all of my works are based on?"

Makoto shook his head. "Sorry, no idea…"

"Well, surely you've heard of the highly acclaimed anime Demon Angel Pretty Pudgy Princess!" Hifumi proudly answered.

Leon rolled his eyes. "If I had a dollar for every time you mentioned that anime…"

"It would probably be enough to pay for five school trips." Junko finished.

"Or maybe even fund the reserve course..." Chihiro commented to himself, counting on his fingers and doing math in his head.

"Now, you might think that sounds totally cliche, but you would be WRONG!" He continued. "I didn't simply copy the 'pretty girl' Princess Piggles style. I took a total meta sci-fi approach! My perspective was seen as quite odd, but if you really look at what I'm doing… my version of Princess Piggles was the total antithesis of the new-wave sci-fi movement. In fact, it was my response to J.G. Ballard's speculative fiction styling!"

Once again, several of the students were confused as to what Hifumi saying. "A what, what, and a what now?" Hina asked in confusion.

"Basically, he wrote his favorite anime in a futuristic setting, but different from the other sci-fi stuff. Apparently, that's also what skyrocketed his popularity." Makoto explained to her easily.

"Ah." Hina nodded in understanding, smiling sheepishly. "Glad you're able to speak Hifumi's geek language."

"Reading manga and watching anime with my sister gave me some experience." Makoto responded with a small, embarrassed laugh.

He then let out a small, creepy laugh before catching himself. "Ahh, my geekdom is leaking out again. I apologize!" After composing himself, he continued. "Anyway, unlike most fans, I never saw Princess Piggles as your typical moe anime."

"Yeah, I definitely got that impression…" Makoto replied back before approaching on a previous topic. "But I can't believe you were able to single-handedly persuade the school to let you make a club…"

"Oh, that's because I bribed them with a cut of my profits."

"Bribery?!" Taka shouted in outrage, startling some of the others. "And the teachers accepted it?! That is completely unacceptable!"

"Wow. Either the school was greedy or desperate to accept the bribe." Leon snorted.

"Geez. And I thought you actually persuaded them to accept that kind of club." Junko sighed in disappointment. "I should've known that you bribed them…"

'Profits…?' Makoto thought in disbelief.

"And I've only gotten better at it! I'm blowin' up!" Hifumi boasted. "Now then, up till now, I've always focused on taking part in Princess Piggles single-setting events."

"Single setting…?"

"It's when a circle gets together to come up with a project or event focused on only one show or series." The fanfic creator explained. "So a Princess Piggles single-setting event would only allow works involving Princess Piggles, see? On the flip-side, there's a free-for-all, where there's no restriction on the number of properties."

"There are actually plenty of free-for-all events every year, and yet…" An outrage look entered his face. "More and more slackers are showing up with no idea what fanfic really meant! It's so ANNOYING!"

"M-Make it stop!" Toko cried, covering her ears. "I c-can't take anymore of t-this talk about t-trash!"

"This is an absolute waste of time." Byakuya groaned in annoyance. "What's the point in this?"

"Like Spirit mentioned before, to keep everyone's energy up." Kyoko reminded him. "Most, if not all of us, would rather feel slight annoyance than utter dread, I would think."

"Hate to admit it, but Kyoko's right." Leon sighed. "Rather see Hifumi blab about his princess show than seeing who's getting murdered next."

"How dare you call Demon Angel Pretty Pudgy Princess a mere princess show!" Hifumi shouted in outrage. "It's one of the best magical school girl animes out there!"

"Yeah, yeah." Leon dismissed with a yawn.

"So in order to crush these peons with all my might, I'm going to start taking part in more free-for-alls!"

"Crush them…?" Makoto shrunk a little at this. "That doesn't sound very friendly…"

"Y-Yeah." Chihiro agreed, shaking a little. "Can't you just do a friendly competition?"

"These events are not for making friends!" Hifumi denied instantly. "It's to show your inner passion! And anyone who slacks off in the art of fanfics deserves to crushed!"

"Are all you fanfic nerds that fiery about the stuff?" Leon asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't participate in these events to make friends!" Hifumi countered in response. "And I cannot forgive those lazy bastards! And don't tell me to ignore them! If you let some little wimp survive, you'll regret it later! Play any RPG where the villain spares the hero when he's level 1, and what happens? Boom! Dead!"

Makoto sweatdropped at this. 'I… kinda get it.' He thought to himself. 'But I kinda don't…'

"Yeah, same here." Hiro admitted. "Except that I don't get it at all."

"Me too." Hina spoke up, rubbing her head.

"Yeah, most of us don't speak nerd." Mondo sighed.

"I just think he's exaggerating a tad too much." Junko said dryly.

Hifumi gritted his teeth in frustration. "Bigots, all of you!" Hifumi accused. "But don't worry! Once we have time, I'll teach you all about fanfiction!"

"We would rather not, Hifumi." Celeste replied, doing her best to keep her composure. Seeing Hifumi acting geeky to the max is annoying her to the brim. She really hopes that this will be over soon.

"It's a dog-eat-dog industry, where only the most brutal survive. Oh, but don't worry. I'm gonna start you off easy by getting you involved in some simple cosplay action!"

"Huh? I'm gonna get involved?" Makoto asked. Then his mind processed everything he said. "...Wait, did you say cosplay?!"

That earned some laughter from some of the guys while Makoto's cheeks burned in embarrassment. "Hifumi actually wants you to do that?" Leon asked with a smirk.

"Y-Yeah." Makoto admitted. "Been preparing a costume for me to wear ever since when he first mentioned it."

The girls, mainly those crushing on him, giggle at the thought of Makoto in a costume. It would be so cute to see.

Kyoko, despite her amusement at the thought, leaned towards Makoto and whispered, "Do you want me to help you get out of it?"

The luckster shook his head. "No, don't worry. I mean, it's not like Mondo offering to ride with him and his friends, so it shouldn't be bad." The blush on his face then deepened. "Besides, it's not like I can escape dressing up now with the punishment setting up for me."

"True." Kyoko conceded, her smile becoming a bit wider at the mention of Makoto's punishment. She'll be looking forward to seeing it.

If the next murder and trial doesn't cause too much calamity.

"You're a pretty good-looking guy. If your costume was decent enough, I might even let you work my booth!" Hifumi stated, before let out another creepy chuckle. "I bet you could even net yourself a magical girl harem!"

Makoto cheeks flared up even further while the smiles and giggles from the girls disappeared. Kyoko slightly frown at the thought of other girls getting attracted to Makoto, with Mukuro outright scowling. Hina also frowned while Celeste gritted her teeth. Sayaka grabbed Makoto's arms tightly, a scowl also on her face.

"Hifumi!" Taka shouted in outrage. "As I said before, polygamy is illegal! Don't encourage it!"

"Hey, I can't help if Mr. Naegi is able to attract females to him!" Hifumi said in defense.

"And I don't think that would happen, anyway!" Makoto quickly said before an argument could break out. "I'm still just a normal guy, after all. I don't think cosplaying would change that."

Although Makoto was oblivious himself as his eyes returned to the screen, literally everyone else in the room let out a sigh upon hearing his last words. He may be unexpectedly smart or insightful, but never did they guess that he was that dense as well.

"So with that in mind, let's change the world of fanfic together!"

"...What does that even mean?" Makoto sighed/whined as he waved farewell to Hifumi.

The scene switched to Makoto walking into the recreational room, where he spotted Hiro at. "Hey, Makoto!" Hiro greeted. "What's up, my brother and fellow mother-lover? Let's raise our semi-siblings up right, okay?!"

Immediately, faces turned sour at the mention of Hiro's fortune. "Can we stop bringing that up?" Hina whined. "I don't even want to think about that."

"Why not?" Hiro asked, looking confused. "It's a way for Makoto and I to grow closer!"

"I don't want to get close like that!" Makoto stated fiercely. He would definitely rather not share the same lover as Hiro, thank you very much!

Unknowing to him, the five of the girls shared a similar statement with him.

"S-Stop talking about that…" Makoto pleaded with him.

"So! Ready for the next round?!" Hiro asked him eagerly, talking about the fortunes.

"No!" A collective 15 voices rang out in response to the Hiro on the screen. They do not want to hear another fortune from Hiro!

"Never!" Makoto immediately shouted. But then paused for a moment. "...Actually, how do you do your fortune-telling, anyway?" He asked curiously while changing the subject. "I saw you doing palm readings and stuff, and you didn't use any tools or anything…"

Kyoko didn't know if he knowingly changed the subject in that manner or not, but seeing it happen was enough to get a small amused smile from her stoic face.

"Wow, I didn't know you knew about divination tools!" Hiro said, impressed. "Sounds like you know your way around the spirit world!"

Leon cocked an eyebrow at this. "Um, I'm pretty sure everyone knows at least that much about fortune telling."

"Is this the extent of clairvoyant knowledge?" Byakuya remarked condescendingly. "If so, I'm very disappointed. More so than usual when it comes to this nonsense."

"Hey! It is not as easy as you think, you know!" Hiro responded angrily, thought several of them doubt his words.

"Er, I'm not sure you need to know that much to know about those kinds of tools." Makoto responded back.

However, his words fell on deaf ears. "Now that I know you're an expert, I have a question for you! A correct answer gets you another discount!"

"No thanks…" Makoto deadpanned.

"You honestly expect Makoto to want to hear another of your fortunes?" Junko asked in disbelief.

"Of course." Hiro said, like it was obvious. "Why wouldn't he?"

"Maybe because your fortunes are a load of bull?" Mondo snorted. "And you con people all of their money for a clear glimpse of the future?"

"You guys are just haters! All of you!"

Once again, his words were on deaf ears. "There are 22 cards known as the Major Arcana, and 56 cards known as the Minor Arcana." Hiro began. "Generally, the cards from the Major Arcana are used for divination. Do you know what I'm talking about?!"

Letting out a sigh, Makoto thought about for a moment. When said moment pass, he figured it out. "Oh, I know! You're talking about tarot cards!"

"Ahh, gloriously correct!" Hiro said in amazement. "I will now tell you your fortune for a measly six hundred bones!"

That received blanks looks from the group. "Hey, c'mon! Don't make those faces!" Hiro exclaimed in response to these faces. "Six hundred is a very good price for my fortunes!"

"Yeah. Good price." Leon deadpanned. "I'd sooner believe that Hifumi isn't attracted to girls than believe that."

"Well... I'm not really into 3D girls..." Hifumi muttered to himself.

"Wow, really? ...Is something I'd never say!" Makoto declared. "I've had enough fortune-telling for one lifetime…"

"I see…" Hiro sighed in disappointment. "Well, if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me!"

'I wouldn't change my mind, even if it's free.' Makoto deadpanned in his mind.

"Sure thing. Anyway," Makoto said, getting back on topic. "Getting back to what I asked you about before, if you don't use any tools or whatever, how do you do your fortune-telling?"

"Well, don't be fooled. I have my own technique." Hiro told him fiercely. "For example, I employ numerology!"

"Numerology…?" Makoto tilted his head in confusion.

"It uses of mathematical formula to predict the future based on birth dates, lettering number, all that." Hiro explained.

Byakuya raised an eyebrow at that. "I'm surprised you're actually able to use mathematical formula."

"I'm surprised he knows the concept of numerology at all." Mukuro voiced her straightforward opinion.

"I'm not stupid!"

"Then you have fooled all of us." Celeste remarked dryly. "Cause you definitely didn't pronounce yourself as smart."

"But I didn't see you use numerology with Makoto's fortune." Chihiro pointed out.

"But… I didn't see you doing anything like that, either…" Makoto pointed out.

"Well, it's more of an inspirational type of fortune-telling!" Hiro stated. "Some kind of unknown power just acts through you, and suddenly, bam! You've got the info!"

Eyebrows rose in disbelief at this. "That's intuition!" Sayaka cried out. And she would know! It's her thing!

Byakuya sighed. "I told you his fortunes are foolish."

"It's not intuition! Like I said, it's an unknown power that comes through you!"

"Making it sound pretty doesn't take away that it's intuition." Junko said dryly.

"You're talking about intuition!"

"Don't try and describe it using such a cheesy word!" Hiro responded back.

"I'm sorry, what?" Sayaka slowly to turn Hiro with a cold look on her face. "Intuition is what now? Cheesy?"

Hiro paled. "I, uh, well… future me?" He offered up weakly.

"But if it's not intuition, then it's gotta be some kind of supernatural power…" Makoto said in slight musing.

"Don't compare my clairvoyance to some occult bullcrap!" Hiro denied angrily. "I hate the occult! Take that crap somewhere else!"

'You hate the occult…?' Makoto thought incredulously.

"Now here's some good news. Act now, and I'll throw in an extra bonus on your reading!" Hiro offered. "I used white magic to record a CD of spirit messages I received from the luxury suite of heaven! Five seconds of this baby, and you'll be witnessing miracles and communing with angels for days!"

"...Ow. Ow, my brain." Junko moaned, holding her head. "Ow. Ow."

"Can you please stop saying stuff like that?" Hina groaned, also holding her head. "I hate having a headache."

"And you said you… hate the occult…?" Makoto asked slowly.

"Hey, business is business!"

'The more I talk to him, the less I understand…' Makoto thought, walking away from the vibrant fortune teller.

"Why do you even bother talking with this fool?" Byakuya asked Makoto. "Just listening to him lowers your intelligence!"

"Yeah! It's like I can feel my brain cells committing suicide one by one!" Leon added.

"When will you guys stop being so mean?!"

"Perhaps when you properly convince us that there is merit to your fortune telling." Mukuro replied blankly. "So far, you have said nothing but contradicting phrases and ungrounded arguments."

"Mukuro has a point, Hiro. Your career and words just don't match up." Sakura agreed, speaking up after a long period of silence.

Hiro hung his head. "You guys just don't get it…"

The scene switched to Makoto sitting on the bed, idly thinking to himself. 'Getting close to nighttime.' He thought to himself. 'But I still got some time. What should I do until then?'

Before he could think on it more, the doorbell suddenly rang. "Huh?" Makoto looked at the door. "Sounds like someone's here." Without any preamble, Makoto walk up to the door. When he opened, he saw a still traumatized Taka at standing in front of it. "T-Taka!"

The sight of the Ultimate Moral Compass also surprised the others. "What's Mr. Ishimaru doing there?" Hifumi asked. "And why?"

"I'm wondering the same thing." Taka said, narrowing his eyes. As much as he hate to admit it, he thought that his future self would keep himself isolated, at least for a while.

The moral compass was silent, as usual. But after a beat or two of that silence, he finally spoke up. "...Is it true? Can I really… see Chihiro?"

That caused several of them to tense. "Is he talking about Alter Ego?" Hina cautiously asked.

"Most likely, yes." Sakura answered her friend. "He must've heard us talking at some point."

"And my future self wants to see him." Taka said, frowning. Now he understands why he's at Makoto's door. To ask him if he could get the chance to talk to Alter Ego, to ask him something.

"Huh?" Makoto was confused for a moment before his eyes lit up in realization. "You mean Alter Ego?"

"He's… still alive?" He asked, his voice weak.

"N-No… not quite…" Makoto hesitantly answered him.

"Let me see…" Taka continued, as if he didn't hear Makoto. "I want to… talk to him…"

"T-Taka…" Makoto bit his lip. 'The way he is now, there's no way I can explain what's going on with him…'

Mukuro nodded in agreement. "True. In his traumatized state, he could barely understand what is happening around him." Very few soldiers in Fenrir were like that, so she can easily see the signs.

"So what should Makoto do then?" Hiro asked.

"The best thing to do right now is do what he asked." The soldier answered.

"But aren't we forbidden from using Alter Ego?" Hina pointed out.

'Kyoko said we're not allowed to use Alter Ego.' Makoto frown in slight confliction. 'But… even so…'

"I'm sure my future self will understand." Kyoko reassured. "This isn't really for personal use. It's to help someone internally suffering." And at this rate, he's regressing more than progressing. It would be cruel to leave him like that.

"If you say so." Makoto said, though he looks a bit uncertain. It's not like he doesn't trust Kyoko's words, but the fact that his future self feels like he should sneak around makes him a bit concern.

He looked at his grief stricken friend. 'I can't just leave him like this.' He then spoke out loud. "Okay, why don't we get going…?"

Taka doesn't say anymore. Merely follows Makoto as he walks out the door.

The scene switched to Makoto and Taka gathered around the locker where Alter Ego is held. "Okay, so… there's a laptop inside the locker, understand?" Makoto explained to him. "And the laptop there's a program called Alter Ego."

"How do I… talk to him?" Taka slowly inquired.

"O-Oh, um…" Makoto moved towards the computer. "Well, you just tell me what you want to say, and I'll type it in for you."

Taka was silent for a moment. Then, he hesitantly spoke. "Do you… hate Mondo?" Taka asked, his small and weak voice filled with many emotions. "And since I couldn't stop him… do you hate me?"

Several eyes widen at the questions before turning to the moral compass. The only ones who weren't surprise by this question were Makoto, Chihiro, Mondo, and Taka, with the latter of the four looking down.

"Taka…" Hina spoke up hesitantly. "Are you thinking that?"

The honor student was silent at first. Then, he spoke. "I did, at first." He answered softly. "I thought I could do something. Maybe I could've stopped Mondo. Maybe I could've convinced everyone that we could share our secrets with one another. Something that could've stopped Chihiro's murder and Mondo's execution."

He took a deep breath before speaking once again. "But it doesn't matter now." He says firmly. "Makoto, Mondo, and Chihiro showed me that. The future has not happen yet. I can stop this from ever happening."

That brought soft smiles from the group. "That's good to hear. And you're correct." Sakura said in agreement. "We will stop this killing game from ever happening."

'If you're able to stomach everything!' Junko thought with a sing-song voice. 'And not rip each others throats out first.'

Makoto bit his lip once again. 'He's forcing himself to get the words out.' He realized. 'From his mouth, from the bottom of his heart… he's forced his weakened voice to make the sounds.'

"...Please."

Many winced at how broken he sounds, their hearts clenching at his voice. Mondo clenched his fist, the guilt filling his heart, while Taka looked at his mentally broken form.

"O-Okay…" Makoto then typed the question exactly like Taka asked them.

At first, Alter Ego was silent. Then, he spoke. "Do you hold yourself responsible…?" He asked Taka. "If Master could talk now, I think this is what he would say… please, live your life for the both of us. It's impossible for me now, but you can still survive and escape - all of you."

Chihiro nodded in agreement with his AI. "Yes. I think I would say that." He said, sounding slightly confident.

"I'm not surprise." Makoto said, smiling. "You're incredibly selfless Chihiro, as well as strong." The programmer flushed at the compliment.

Once again, Taka didn't say a word. "Hey, Taka…" Makoto hesitantly spoke up.

But before he could say more, Alter Ego spoke again. "The one asking those questions is… Taka, right?" The AI inquired. "Analyzing all available data, that's the only conclusion I can come to. Master told me how close Taka and Mondo had become. So that must be why he feels responsible…"

The screen suddenly went dark. And in an instant…

Was Mondo. "You're not letting yourself get crushed under the weight of that responsibility, are you?!"

That definitely startled the others. "M-Mondo?!" Sayaka exclaimed in shock.

"The hell?!" Mondo exclaimed, also shock. "Is it copying me?!"

"I see." Byakuya said in understanding. "Your AI can also imitate others, am I correct?"

Chihiro nodded. "With enough data, it can accurately predict what they say and also look like them."

"Very impressive." Celeste complimented.

That caused Taka to make a choking noise of shock. "A man's only worth as much as the load he can carry!" The AI continued. "You get it, right bro? Hell, what am I saying? Of course ya do!"

Taka could only stare at the laptop in shock while Makoto's own eyes widen. "Th-That's…!"

The laptop switched back to Alter Ego's original appearance. "I'm sorry if I startled you…" He apologized. "That was my attempt at a simulation, using the data Mondo that Master had given. I figured if Taka was depressed, that's the kind of thing Mondo would have said to him…"

The AI then switched back to Mondo. "So you're just gonna stand there, huh? Just wait for things to get better?" He rhetorically asked. "Just take your time and get all depressed, take the time indulge your regrets… you might even start walking again without realizing it. Sure, that kind of mediocre thinking might work for some people."

"Damn." Mondo said in amazement. "That would be something I would say."

"And all that from some data Alter Ego gathered?" Hina breathed out in awe. "That's so amazing!"

Chihiro's cheeks couldn't help but burn at the compliments.

The laptop once again switched back to Chihiro's appearance. "...What if I said it with that kind of condescending tone?!" He giggled.

Taka stayed silent, for a moment. Then, he began letting a noise, sounding like a laugh, drawing Makoto's attention. "Taka…?"

The noise he's making also drew the other's attention. "Is he… l-laughing?" Toko hesitantly asked.

A smile slowly entered his lip. "It's starting to sink in…" He murmured. "The way a bucketful of water sinks into a bone-dry sponge…"

Smiles slowly entered their lips. "Is he finally getting himself together?" Hina asked hopefully.

"Look like meeting Alter Ego is having a big effect on him." Kyoko mused.

"Huh…?" Makoto said in confusion.

"Those words… deep within my heart…!" He said to himself, a blue glow suddenly surrounding him. "They're inside of me!"

Their smiles slowly left them when they noticed the glow. "Is he… glowing…?" Leon asked, wondering if he's seeing things.

"What is going on?" Hiro asked nervously, looking as if ghosts might attack them.

And suddenly, Taka screamed with renewed energy, his hair turning white, his eyes blazing, and his skin back to his healthy color.

Immediately, the room exploded. "Taka?!" Chihiro exclaimed.

"What the hell?!" Leon shouted.

"His hair white!" Hina pointed out in shock.

"And his eyes are blazing!" Makoto added.

"The fuck happened to him?!" Mondo cried out.

"He went Super Saiyan!" Hifumi squealed.

Even Celeste and Kyoko couldn't hide the shock they're feeling. The latter had guessed that this would give Taka the energy he needs, but she didn't expect… that.

Taka looked at the screen with wide eyes. Did that speech really energized that much? To the point that his hair and eyes changed?

Junko merely blinked a little, merely a bit surprise by this. Honestly, she expected that pep talk to bring Taka back from the dead, but she didn't expect to go all super saiyan, as Hifumi stated. She mentally frown. Can't her classmates just stay in despair, like good little hostages?!

"T-Taka?!" Makoto exclaimed in shock, taking a step back.

"Who the fudge is Taka?!" Taka growled right back.

THAT shocked everyone. "Did… he just said what I think he just said…?" Junko slowly asked, looking really shocked.

"I think so." Sayaka confirmed slowly, as if trying to process it herself.

Taka's eyes were as wide as saucer. What just come out of his mouth?!

"Y-Your eyes…"

"Hey, don't worry about it!" Taka reassured. "Guess I caused kind of a scene, huh? Shoot, man…"

"And your voice…" Makoto's eyes were getting wider and wider.

"Did Mondo and Taka somehow merged?!" Hina exclaimed, looking as shocked as the others.

"Oh no! Not more g-ghost!" Hiro cried out. "Mondo has possessed Taka!"

For once, no one immediately disregard his statement. A few of them actually looked like they agreed.

"I'm… a new me…" He then let out a roar. "I'm totally stuffed with fighting spirit now! Ya dumbbutt!"

"O-Okay, Taka… just calm down." Makoto hesitantly told him.

"I AM calm!" Taka stated back. "And don't call me Taka! That's… that's not my name anymore… I'm… me!" He then began sprinting out the batthouse. "I! Am! Meeeeeee!"

"...What the hell did you just unleash, Makoto?" Leon questioned, wide eyes.

"Great. Taka turned from broken to unstable now." Byakuya sighed in annoyance. "That will be annoying to deal with."

"Well, at least he's feeling better now." Hina said weakly, her mind in the middle of processing what the heck just happened. "That's something, at least."

"True." Sakura agreed, musing to herself. Taka's transformation kinda reminded her of Nekamaru in a way, whom she spars with from time to time.

"H-Hey! Taka, hold on!" Makoto took after him…

But before he could get out of the room, Kyoko walked briskly inside, blocking the exit. "What do you think you're doing?"

"K-Kyoko!"

The appearance of the Ultimate Detective caused several to stiffen. "Oh crap! Kyoko!" Hiro said in horror.

"Welp, Mr. Naegi is dead." Hifumi said in sympathy.

However, Kyoko waved them off. "As I said before, don't worry. My future self will understand the situation."

The sight of the lavender haired girl made him nervous. "Oh, um… no, see… this is just-"

"Don't go around doing what you feel like." Kyoko said coldly.

Her words and cold tone caught everyone by surprise, especially the detective herself. "What?" Was all Hina could say, almost as if she didn't hear Kyoko.

"It causes problems. And not just for me. For everyone."

"Is she… scolding Makoto?" Mondo asked slowly, his anger slowly building up. "For fucking helping my bro out?"

"So it would seem." Sakura said, narrowing her eyes in slight befuddlement.

"Well, this is the 'old' Kyo- Kirigiri." Mukuro reminded everyone.

"Kyoko is fine. And yes, I can imagine myself behaving that way as well." Kyoko admitted.

Makoto looked away in shame. "S-Sorry…"

"If you're really sorry, you'll get out of here. Now." She ordered.

"O-Okay…" He then head out of the room, looking embarrassed and sullen.

The sight of Makoto's 'kicked puppy' look caused Kyoko to wince while Sayaka scowled in anger. "You're actually reprimanding Makoto for trying to help a friend?!"

"What was that about understanding what he's doing?" Celeste questioned, her voice slightly icy.

Kyoko looked away from the group, especially when she saw the hurt developed on the present Makoto's face. While the rational part of her mind can see why she's acting this way, she can't help but feel angry at her future self's cold nature towards Makoto.

"Honestly, I can understand why she did so." Byakuya said, crossing his arms. "Using Alter Ego continuously is too dangerous under the circumstances."

"Still, she didn't have to be so cold towards him!" Hina argued with a scowl. Then, as if realizing something, quickly turned towards Kyoko. "But we know that you're not like that Kyoko! We don't blame you or anything…"

"It's okay." The detective reassured the swimmer. "I understand why your angry. I disapprove of my own behaviour myself." In the past, she could see herself doing something like that. But now, she's different.

As Makoto laid on his bed, he thought about previous events. 'But still… what was with Taka's sudden freakout?' He thought to himself. 'I'm seriously worried about him…'

Before he could think on it, the school bell rang and the nighttime broadcast came on. 'It's nighttime already.' He sighed. 'I guess I'll have to wait till tomorrow to figure out Taka's whole… thing. For now, time to sleep…'

"Yeah, that'll be something to deal with." Junko sighed. "Hopefully, it'll do more good than bad." She really hopes that it'll cause more problems rather than fixing them.

The others nodded in agreement to Junko's words. Hopefully, Taka's… reawakening will help more than hinder.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 49: Watching Chapter 3: A Next Generation Legend! Stand Tall, Galactic Hero! Part 7

Notes:

Hello readers. So, I've been reading the comments here and I'm happy to see that pretty much all of you are enjoying what's been posted so far. Apologies for not responding to any comments before; was mainly focused on posting the chapters here.

But I am reading them, and I happy to hear the positive feed-back, as well as hear from those who've read this in fanfiction.net. Hope to hear from you guys more as I continue posting, cause I do enjoy reading these reviews (Especially the lengthy ones). Also give hits, kudos, and bookmarks if you haven't already.

"Yo. I've been waiting." Hiro said as Makoto entered the dining hall.

"Huh?" Makoto looked around, only to notice that Hiro was the only one present. "Are you the only one here? Where's everyone else?"

"Yeah, where is everybody else?" Sayaka asked in confusion.

"Did we all sleep in or something?" Hina asked, tilting her head.

Kyoko shook her head. "I doubt that."

"They went on ahead."

"Went on ahead… to where?" Makoto asked in confusion.

"We can talk about it later." Hiro told him. "For now, let's go take a bath."

As soon as he said that, eyes lit up in understanding. "Ooooh." Hina said in understanding. "Now I get it."

"I wonder what Kyoko what to talk about." Leon commented on. "Assuming it's her that set up the meeting."

"Can't imagine anyone else setting it up." Makoto admitted.

"I'm actually more surprised that Hiro can keep an act together for once." Chihiro thought out loud.

"Hey! You take that back!"

'Bath…?'

The scene switched to Hiro and Makoto walking into the bathhouse. As soon as they did, the first thing they saw was the Ultimate Fanfic Creator on his butt, screaming bloody murder. "Someone heeeeelllp!"

That definitely startled some of them. "The fuck you're screaming about?!" Mondo exclaimed.

"Is Monokuma attacking or something?!" Hiro asked, looking panicked.

Makoto's eyes widen at this. "Hifumi, what's going on?!"

"Makoto! Save me!" Hifumi begged, getting on his hands and knees. "I never asked you for anything, but I'm asking now!" The luckster took a step back at this.

"W-What's going on…?"

"S-She's trying to kill me…!" Hifumi exclaimed, pointing a finger at Kyoko. The girl merely stayed silent at the accusation.

"...What did you do?" Leon, Sayaka, Mondo, Celeste, and Byakuya asked Hifumi blankly.

"It must be something pretty bad if you got Kyoko mad!" Hina pointed out.

"And it must have to do with Alter Ego, considering they're in batthouse." Sakura added. That caused Chihiro to narrow his eyes at the fanfic creator, causing him to sweat a little.

'Huh?' Makoto looked at Kyoko in slight alarm and confusion. 'Kyoko's trying to kill you?'

"I never said I was going to kill him." Kyoko denied calmly. "I simply asked him a question. I'd like to know why he made the same mistake twice."

"Looks you're right, Sakura." Leon sighed, facepalming. "You were caught the first time, fatty. What makes you think you could get away with it the second time?"

"Well, um…" Hifumi fumbled around with an explanation for his future self.

"The same mistake…?" The luckster turned to the fanfic creator. "What did he do?"

"He snuck into the dressing room in the middle of the night and access Alter Ego without permission." Kyoko revealed. "And when I caught him last night… he was hugging the laptop and breathing strangely."

"..." The group stared at Hifumi with either blank looks or disturbed looks, which caused the author to sweat even more.

"W-What?"

"...The hell is wrong with you?" Mondo asked bluntly. "That was a goddamn computer you were holding!"

"With a MALE AI in it!" Hiro added in disbelief.

"W-What the heck were you doing with it?!" Hina exclaimed, looking disturbed.

Chihiro's narrowed gaze turned into a full on glare, which actually looked scary to the others. Especially Hifumi, who's the target of said glare. "M-Mr. Fujisaki?"

"You're not allowed to be neared Alter Ego." Chihiro stated simply, causing Hifumi's eyes to widen. "I'm definitely changing the code the next chance I get."

"B-B-But that was future me!"

"You're still the same person behaviourally."

"I-I wouldn't!"

"No."

Leon snorted as Hifumi tried to sputter out a defense. "Look like Chihiro is in mother hen mode."

"He deserves it." Sayaka said with a slight shudder. "I could just imagine Hifumi holding the laptop like that. And what else he was possibly doing with it."

"W-What were you doing?!" Hina exclaimed, looking disturbed.

Kyoko sighed, her eyes closed. "I thought I made myself clear yesterday, but since being subtle didn't work…" She gave Hifumi a firm, cold stare. "...I suppose I have to clarify myself further."

That caused Hifumi to squeal in terror. "She's going to kill me!" He screamed. "Or at least break my bones!"

"C-Calm down, Hifumi!" Makoto quickly spoke up for Kyoko. "She isn't going to kill you!"

"But you are going to get a good talking to." Junko remarked.

"There's also other legal things I can do." Kyoko spoke for herself.

Hifumi screamed in fear. "Please don't kill me!"

"I'm not going to kill you," She replied calmly. "Merely instruct you." That caused the fanfic creator to groan nervously.

Makoto turned his head towards Hifumi. "Um, Hifumi…" He hesitantly began. "Could you tell me what happened?"

"W-Well, I just… I was just talking!" Hifumi nervously stated.

"Just talking." Byakuya repeated as if he had just heard a bad joke. "Do you really expect us to believe that when Kyoko caught you hugging the laptop?"

"Not to mention the heavy breathing." Leon added.

"And even if that was true, it was still against the rules to talk to Alter Ego." Mukuro pointed out.

"Which was prohibited, was it not?" Kyoko reminded him, giving him a cold stare.

The fanfic creator paled even more at this. "I-I mean, you see…" He stuttered out. "Talking to her was just… so much fun! And I j-just…"

"Woah! Okay, time out!" Hiro interrupted, looking weirded out. "I can't believe I'm about to ask this, but… Hifumi… you're not gonna tell us you… fell in love or something, are you?"

"Love?" Hifumi laughed incredulously at that. "Why would I, the Ultimate Fanfic Creator, would fall in love with anything or anyone?"

"Are you really not gonna mention the fact that it's a computer program?" Leon deadpanned. "Talk about low expectations, dude."

"Silence, 3d lover!"

"And damn proud of it!"

'You're both creepy.' The girls all thought at their exchange.

Hifumi let out a laughing scoff at that. "That I, the cold-blooded killing machine of the underworld, would ever fall in love!? That's…" Horrified realization then entered his face. "Wait… no way! Is… is this love?!"

That earned more than a few blank looks while Hifumi's eyes widen in shock. "Now way! I actually fell in love with somebody?!"

"You fell in love with someTHING." Leon corrected. "Which is absolutely pathetic."

"And somehow, I'm not surprised by this." Celeste sighed. And judging by the looks on the others' faces, none of the others are either.

"But, I've seen other people fall in love with objects. Like ships... and cars... and guns..." Mukuro thought out loud.

"That's different." Makoto quickly replied.

"I happened to do a psychic reading for a certain CEO once…" Hiro mentioend. "And that guys was seriously head over heels for a mannequin. He had a wedding and everything! And you eyes just now… I saw the same look in HIS eyes!"

"Shut up! She's not a mannequin! She's an ANGEL!" Hifumi shouted indiginitly. "And don't bother telling me angels exist! What we have can't be defined by your petty 'words'!"

"Yep. Totally in love." Hina said blankly. "Did he actually forget that Chihiro is a guy?"

"Maybe. Or he could be ignoring that." Junko suggested. She then got into her teacher persona. "It could even be that our dear fanfic creator is having a crisis of sexual preference!"

"I DO NOT!"

"Yeah, you're totally in love…" Hina sighed.

"So… how did things end up like this?" Hiro questioned.

Hifumi looked away from the group. After a moment of silence, he reluctantly spoke up. "W-Well, at the beginning… I just wanted to hear her say 'Master' one more time. B-But then I was poking at her settings and stuff, and saw she was a well-designed program.

"And it was like… how can I say…?" After struggling for a moment, he found the words. "It was the first time I… I was ever able to talk like that… with a normal girl."

Taka raised an incredulous eyebrow at that. "In what country do you consider that a normal girl?"

"Alter Ego isn't even a girl, period." Leon pointed out. "Much less a normal one."

"I think you were spot on when you said that Hifumi forgot that he was a boy, Hina…" Sakura murmured to herself.

"But she's definitely not a normal girl…" Hina pointed out blankly.

"Even when all we did was talk about my hobbies and stuff… she wasn't annoyed or disgusted or anything." Hifumi continued, as if he didn't hear Hina.

A flashback of Hifumi talking to Alter Ego then appeared. "Your stories are so interesting, Hifumi! C'mon, tell me more…!" The AI eagerly requested. "I wanna learn everything you have to teach me."

Hifumi's eyes widen, as if he was struck by lightning. "She… she actually said that…?" He breathed in disbelief.

Leon groaned, facepalming. "Okay. Now I see how fatty ended up falling for a computer."

"Yeah. Alter Ego got way too curious, even for a computer." Junko snorted.

"Duly noted." Chihiro angrily said as he made another mental note for himself.

"That's the first time a girl's ever said anything like that to me. Besides my mom, I mean…" Hifumi said.

"Your mom says stuff like that to you?" Hiro asked in slight disbelief. "That's kinda amazing all by itself…"

"You know Hiro, you aren't in a position to say that either." Celeste said.

"S-Shut up!"

"That's why I was just… so happy. I was so much fun!" Hifumi stated. "And before I knew it, I found myself, y'know… liking her. Her face, her personality, her voice. Even her keyboard…"

"Okay, this is both sad and creepy." Sayaka said, looking weirded out. "Seriously, even the keyboard?"

"Yeah, that is messed up…" Hiro muttered.

Celeste let out a groan in annoyance. "Did he honestly forget that Alter Ego is an AI? Their entire existence is for learning."

"I'm sure future me knows that!" Hifumi protested. "But, still… a fact that a girl finally took interest in my hobbies is something incredible…"

"How many times do we have to say that the AI isn't a girl?" Byakuya sighed in exasperation.

"Even the keyboard…?" Hina questioned incredulously.

Celeste sighed at this. "I think you have misunderstood the situation, Hifumi." She told him. "Alter Ego was not interest in who you were. It was interested in what you knew. It is an artificial intelligence. It exists to learn. Of course it wanted to hear of things it did not know. You are an expert in many things Chihiro could not have taught it about, for what that is worth. Alter Ego wants that information - that is all."

"I-I know… I mean, I do know that. But still…" Hifumi sagged even more. "Are you saying it's totally hopeless? Er…"

"No, don't give up future me!" Hifumi cried, startling the others. "You will never find a woman like that! Don't give up on true love!"

"Are you serious?!" Several of them cried out.

Chihiro stared blankly at Hifumi before slowly turned to Mondo. "Mondo?"

"Yeah?"

"You want a job as a security guard?"

"Never been more motivated for work." The two ignored the protest from the fanfic creator.

Before anyone could say anything else, another voice cut in. "You gotta be freakin' kiddin' me!"

The new voice entering in caused a few groans. "This is going to get chaotic." Celeste sighed.

"Agreed." Sakura nodded.

The new Taka then ran inside. "Hey, you jerks! I'm sittin' here, listening to you guys jibber jabber on about whatever!" He exclaimed.

Taka's eyes couldn't help but twitch at this. How could his future self act so unprofessional so easily?! How could he have fallen like that?!

"Oh, Taka!" Hiro greeted in surprise and happiness. "Are you back?!"

"Who the hell's Taka?!"

"Um… you?"

"Listen up! I'm me!" Taka told him. "Got it?!"

"Huh…?" Now Hiro looks completely confused. "You're… who?"

"Yeah, that's what I'm thinking to." Hina admitted. "What the heck does he mean by 'me'?!"

"I'm sure he'll explain." Makoto reassured Hina before pausing. "...Maybe."

"Don't bullcrap me! Isn't it obvious?!" The moral compass stated. "I'm Kiyotaka and Mondo. So, like… Kiyondo, I guess…" Shaking his head, he exclaimed, "I'm gonna stick a banana up your tailpipe!"

"I was right! Ghost Mondo fused with Taka!" Hiro screamed in panic.

"I wouldn't go that far…" Makoto replied with a sweatdrop. "But yeah. It seems Taka is really combining Mondo's personality with his own."

"Definitely a way to live on for others, that's for certain…" Hina said awkwardly, not sure how to take the new change in the future Taka. Or "Kiyondo", as he introduced himself.

"Well, there's worse kinds of coping mechanisms out there." Kyoko offered, trying to alleviate the mood.

"What the…? What the heck kind of fusion is this?!" Hiro exclaimed in shock.

"What happened to you, Taka?" Hina asked, taken aback.

"A-Actually…" Makoto hesitantly spoke up, before explaining everything that had happened yesterday.

Sakura was the first to speak. "So, because of what Alter Ego said to him…"

"Are you sure it's Alter Ego fault?" Hina asked Makoto. "Maybe Mondo's ghost showed up and possessed him!"

"Gh-Gh-Ghost?!" Hiro went pale with fear. "No, th-th-th-there's no such thing!"

Leon groaned. "Oh please, do not get him started, Hina!"

"Hey!" The swimmer protested. "It's not like I'm the only thinking that!"

"What are y'all whining about?! C'MON!" Taka interjected loudly. "God, you're really cheesin' me off…!"

"HEY YOU STOP WITH THOSE OBSCENITIES!" Taka shouted, finally having enough of his words. "I understand you want to stay alive for Mondo, but that is not the way!"

"Well, you can't really blame him, Taka. He had to find some way to get out of the trama." Leon remarked. "Besides, you call that cursing? You've heard worse stuff from Mondo."

"That doesn't mean I want myself to say anything even remotely similar!"

The moral compass then turned to the fanfic creator. "Hey, Hifumi!"

Hifumi flinched when Taka's eyes turned to him. "Y-Yes…?"

"I dunno what you're thinkin', but…" Taka then pointed a finger at him. "...bro belongs to me!"

Several of the students blinked, slowly processing what Kiyomondo just said. "Please don't tell me it's what I think it is…" Leon groaned, not liking where this is going.

"Huh…?" Was all Hina could say as everyone stared at the moral compass in bewilderment.

"Alter Ego! He's an exact copy of the one who gave me my soul back!" Taka explained. "And I'm not gonna let anyone else have him ever again! Fudgin' idiot!"

"...It is." Leon deadpanned.

"Oh no…" Hina eyes went wide with disbelief. "Did Taka fall for Alter Ego as well?!"

"I don't think it's the same sense as Hifumi," Kyoko explained. "But he's definitely attached to the AI now."

Hifumi eyes were wide at first before slowly scowling in anger. How dare Mr. Ishimaru try to take his love away from him?!

At first, Hifumi was silent, looking down on the floor. Then, he spoke up. "I'm afraid… I can't allow that."

"What?!"

Hifumi glared at Taka. "I can't withdraw…" He stated with gathering courage. "Mr. Ishimaru… Since I have the opportunity, let me say this right now…" He pointed a finger at him. "Destiny has bound me and her together in the Gordian Knot of true love!"

"Well me and HIM have been melded together in the white-hot heat of FRIENDSHIP!" Taka argued back fiercely.

Makoto attempted to stop the two from arguing further. "H-Hey, come on, you guys…"

His attempt was ignored. "Moron! Talk down to me and I'll ram my fist right into all four of your vital points!"

"Well I punch at the speed of sound!" Hifumi retorted. "And I don't have any arm hair, so there's no drag!"

Most of the students stared blankly at this, not believing that this was actually happening. "They're fighting, over a computer." Celeste stated, her voice entirely blank.

"Hifumi, I can understand," Sayaka said, her own voice the same. "But Taka?"

"Bro, what's the matter with you?" Mondo sighed. Would this really happened if he ended up dead?

"I'm… not sure myself…" Taka said, unknowingly asking himself the same question Mondo is thinking.

"Again, it's just a coping mechanism. No need to beat yourself up over something like that." Kyoko said.

Hifumi turned his head towards the moral compass with a glare. "So, looks like we're rivals Mr. Ishimaru!" He declared. "But marks my word, I will win this battle and win this fair maiden hearts!"

Before he could deny Hifumi's statement, Chihiro spoke up. "You're not getting near Alter Ego," Chihiro told Hifumi once again, giving him a cute-but-deadly glare. "I'm not letting you touch him."

"B-But Mr. Fujisaki-"

"You're not touching him. Ever." Hifumi sagged under the resolute gaze from the programmer.

Kyoko voiced then cut in. "Knock it off, both of you." She stated. "This doesn't belong to any one person. Chihiro left him to all of us. We can use him to finally gain access to vital clues."

"Kyoko's right." Sakura said in agreement. "If anyone dares disturb our peace any further…" A dark look entered her face. "...they'll have to deal with me."

Several students felt chills going up their spine. "Well, they're not gonna get near Alter Ego now." Leon concluded.

"Yep." Sayaka agreed with a nod. Anyone that tries to pass Sakura is likely suicidal.

Both Hifumi and Taka paled under Sakura's dark gaze. Kyoko continued speaking. "Until Alter Ego has finished his work, don't do anything weird." She ordered them. "Have I made myself clear?"

"I can't hear you…" Sakura growled.

"Y-Yes!" Hifumi reluctantly agreed.

"G-Got it…" Taka added, just as reluctant.

"Okay then. Let's get out of here." The lavender haired out then turned towards the door. "We can't afford to linger too long."

"Are you sure it's okay to let them off with a warning?" Sakura inquired.

"Yes. I have a plan." Kyoko reassured. "It'll be fine…" With that, everyone began leaving the room, with Hifumi and Taka looking dejected.

"I kinda feel bad for them." Hiro said, rubbing his head. "Even if the whole thing is weird."

"I-I don't. T-That's a stupid thing to get w-worked up over a-anyways." Toko said.

"They should get over their odd crush." Mukuro said bluntly.

The scene switched to Makoto at the dining hall, sitting right at front of Sakura. As the two ate their meal, Sakura spoke up. "You know, Makoto…" Sakura spoke up. "There's something that's been concerning me."

"What…?" Makoto inquired, tilting his head.

"This school has all kinds of equipment, which is great…" The martial artist began. "But it still doesn't offer everything I need to complete my training."

"What about the old school building?" Celeste inquired. "Did it not offer any equipment that suited your needs?"

"No, it did... mostly." Sakura answered. "Anything they didn't have, I brought from my family dojo."

"I feel like I'm getting weaker by the day…" Her face then darkened. "Am I supposed to just accept that? Accept my atrophy? I… I can't do it…"

"Look like Sakura has reached her limit with the school as well." Mukuro noted.

"So it would seem." Byakuya agreed with a sigh. "Isn't it highly inconvenient that you... freaks can't calm yourselves down normally?"

"Hey!" Hina pouted. "I just can't stand being trapped in any building without sunlight!"

"And it's hard to let out any steam while stuck there." Mondo added in.

"If something doesn't change, I'll… I'll…!"

That made a few of the students nervous. "Please don't tell me Ogre isn't thinking about killing." Hiro whimpered.

Hina did not take that idea well. "Sakura would not do that!" She protested vehemently, glaring at Hiro. "Don't even think that!"

"T-That's impossible! Look! You see how she's acting!"

"It doesn't mean she'll kill anybody!" The possibility of Sakura killing somebody isn't even worth considering to her.

"I-It's okay, Sakura! Just hang in there!" Makoto quickly attempted to reassure her. "I know how impatient you must feel, but you can't rush these things…!"

Sakura was silent in response, though she calmed down a little. Makoto decided to continue. "You have to endure it! Enduring this kind of thing is part of being strong, isn't it?!"

"...Hm?" That gained Sakura's attention.

"...I think?"

The earned a couple of snorts and giggles. "Careful there, Makoto. You're sounding like your fellow class representative there." Leon remarked, earning a sheepish smile from the luckster.

"Say Makoto, you sure your title isn't actually the Ultimate Improviser or something like that?" Junko teased.

"Absolutely not." Makoto quickly replied, careful not to be caught up with her antics.

Again, Sakura was silent for a moment. Then, she spoke. "For now, I should focus on training my mind…" She decided. "Hmm… you've taught me something today, Makoto. The importance of endurance…"

"W-Well…" Makoto blushed a little under the praise. "I wouldn't call that teaching, per se."

Sakura chuckled at that. "You are far too modest, Makoto." The martial artist stated.

"I agree! You are an excellent teacher, Makoto! You should be proud of that!" Taka stated passionately.

Like his future counterpart, the luckster blushed. "C-C'mon guys, I just sort of came up with that on the spot... probably."

"Which goes to prove just what kind of person you are." Mukuro commented.

"Exactly." Kyoko agreed with a smirk. "Trust us, Makoto, you're a good teacher."

The luckster merely looked down, turning beet red, causing some of the girls to giggle.

"Sorry for making you listen to me complain…" Sakura apologized. "But I feel better now. I can handle this…" She then smiled. "I'm glad I talked to you. As a way to repay you… I suppose I can share this with you."

"Huh? Share what?" Makoto inquired curiously.

"The story of the man who is stronger than even me."

That gained everyone's (san Sakura, Hina, and Makoto) interest. "Are you we actually going to find out who this guy is?" Leon asked, both eager and apprehensive.

"It'll be interesting to hear who it is." Mukuro stated, looking curious and getting a bit excited herself. Anyone who's even stronger than Sakura must be noteworthy. And it made her wonder why the person isn't in Hope's Peak in place of Sakura.

"What…?" Makoto's eyes widen at this.

"I've never told anyone about this before… but I think I can tell you." The martial artist said with confidence. "The truth is… I have a lifelong rival. He only fights in underground tournaments, which is why nobody knows about him."

"Guess that explains why he isn't at Hope's Peak," Byakuya mused. "If your claims of him being stronger than you are true."

Sakura nodded. "It is." She stated like it's a fact.

'Or maybe... Kizakura has been slacking on the job again?' Kyoko absently thought with a disappointed face.

"But he is truly the strongest man on the planet. I've faced him in battle after battle… and lost every time."

That had eyes popping out in surprise. "Every time?!" Leon exclaimed in disbelief.

"He's that fucking strong?!" Mondo cried out.

"That's no man! That's a monster!" Hiro screamed in fear.

"Nope! Nope, nope, nope!" Hifumi covered his ears at this, in denial once more. "Not going to believe it! Not going to believe it!"

As the group freaked out in awe, Makoto and Hina shared an amused look, with the latter trying to stifle her giggles. While they were no different, they had to admit, seeing their class act like this was pretty funny.

Makoto's eyes widen even further at this. "H-He's that strong…?"

"These days, fighting has become its own science, in a way." Sakura explained. "People studied, it evolved, and eventually it was established as a formal sport. The idea of being invincible disappeared. Whoever develops the next great technique becomes the best."

"But even in this modern era, he never used that kind of scientific approach. His only teacher… was actual combat." Sakura continued. "He laughs in the face of combat sports. No one can come close to him. Martial arts relies on a certain amount of luck. A lucky punch or a missed step can decide who wins."

"But none of that matters to him. He never loses." A fond smile appeared on her lip. "There's no strategy that can beat him. Many have studied him. All have lost."

By now, all of the students felt at least a little intimidated at the strength this man possessed. Even the stoic students felt themselves unnerved by the description, though they didn't show it.

"Is this guy really human…?" Makoto breathed out in disbelief.

"Exactly!" Hiro exclaimed. "There's no way a regular human being can be this strong!"

"What I want to know is how on Earth someone this strong wasn't on Hope's Peak radar." Kyoko said in musing. "While Sakura did state that he fought in underground tournaments, the fact that even Sakura lost to him should've garnered some attention."

"That is true." Byakuya conceded before turning to Sakura. "And thinking about it, it's odd that you didn't tell Hope's Peak about him. You're not the type to hide something like that just to get into a school."

Sakura closed her eyes. "It will probably be explain here." She told them. "I… rather not to talk about."

"His name… is Kenshiro." Sakura revealed. "As he described it to me, he inherited what he called the ancient assassination art…"

'Assassination art…' Makoto thought to himself. 'He sounds super dangerous…'

"And the story doesn't end there…" She told him. "Will you hear what I have to say, and not laugh?"

That earned some raised eyebrows while Sakura tensed. "Laugh?" Celeste repeated. "What could you possibly say that it would make us laugh?"

Sakura looked away from the others. "I… rather not say."

"I-Is it s-some kind of embarrassing secret or something?" Toko snickered, earning a glare from Hina.

"You'll see, if my future self reveals it."

That confused Makoto. "L-Laugh…?" He repeated. "Why would I laugh…?"

Despite his question, Sakura tensed. "Just looking at your face, I can tell you'll laugh!"

"Huh?"

The martial artist then stood up from the table. "Please, give me some more time." She requested. "I need to gather my thoughts…"

"B-But…!" Before he could say anything, Sakura quickly left, leaving Makoto at the table. 'What on Earth would make me laugh…?'

"I'm surprised how insecure you are with this." Leon remarked. "To the point that you suspect Makoto, of all people, to laugh at any personal secrets you have."

"It's natural for any of us to feel that way!" Hina said in defense for Sakura. "Especially if what she wanted to say was personal!"

'And the secret is very personal.' Makoto thought to himself, making sure not to give it away. If his classmates were to find out, they should hear it from Sakura herself.

Shaking his head, he grabbed his now empty plate and head over to the kitchen to go wash it…

...Only to meet up with a depressed looking Hifumi. "Makoto…"

The state he's in got a few of them concerned. "Are you okay, Hifumi?" Hina asked in concern.

"Is he depressed about Alter Ego?" Leon questioned.

"Wh-What's wrong, Hifumi?" Makoto asked in concerned, placing his dish in the sink and walking towards him. 'Is he still upset about Alter Ego?'

"It's… hurts…!"

"What's hurts? Are you okay?!" Makoto exclaimed, getting more worried.

The only response he got pain-filled groans.

Now the group is starting to get a little concerned. "Okay, what's up with the dude?" Mondo asked. "Did he ended up getting punched or something on the way to the dining hall?"

"Heh.. h-he does look like he's dying." Toko commented happily.

"I don't see any physical injuries." Mukuro mused as she looked over the fanfic creator on the screen.

Hifumi, meanwhile, bit his lip, recognizing the signs. It seemed that he's finally past his limit…

"Y-You're really… uh, sweaty. I'll go get you some medicine!" The luckster was about to run off when a thought came to mind. "Er, wait! What kind of medicine do you need?!"

At first, Hifumi was silent. Then, he said, "Coke…"

The rising concern was quickly replaced with befuddlement. "What…?"

"Huh?"

"Coke! Diet Coke!" Hifumi shouted dramatically. Bring me some Diet Coke right nooooooowwww!"

Now several of the looks turned blank. "You gotta be fuckin' kidding me…" Mondo deadpanned.

"Coke? That's what got you so upset?" Leon facepalmed. "Seriously, fatty?"

"You say that because you don't recognize the wonder of Diet Coke!" Hifumi stated in defense for himself. He then grabbed a can of the drink from the table. "Diet Coke is a wonderful drink, one you can't just simply live without!"

"G-Good grief, enough already…" Toko grumbled.

Makoto's eyes couldn't help but widen at this. 'Whoa! He's just pulled a total 180!' He couldn't help but think before speaking outloud. "But… I don't think I've seen any Diet Coke here in the school."

"I-I know…" Hifumi agreed. "I've looked all over… and now I'm going through Diet Coke withdrawal!"

'Withdrawal…?' Makoto thought with slight disbelief.

Byakuya sighed in annoyance. "This is absolutely pathetic." He said. "Your freaking out over a drink, of all things, while being forced into a scenario where you have to kill somebody to escape."

"Do not act like all of you wouldn't act the same!" Hifumi shot back. "For example, I'm sure Miss Asashina would be freaking out if she wouldn't been able to get any donuts!"

"That's… probably true." Hina admitted. A world without donuts is an imagination she would never want to have.

"T-There's such thing as donut withdrawal?"

Hifumi gritted his teeth in frustration. "If only I'd mastered the hypno-eye technique…" He growled to himself. "Then I'd take over Monokuma's brain and use him to go get me some Diet Coke! But I never did learn that one… you got lucky this time, bear…"

"I'm pretty sure Monokuma is a ro- ah. Never mind." Leon stopped himself short as soon as he realized the futility of his efforts.

"So, uh…" After struggling for a moment, he then shouted, "I can't take it anymore! I would literally murder everyone in her for a can of Diet Coke!"

"Is he really treating death so lightly right now?!" Sayaka exclaimed in disbelief and anger. "Where we're in a life-and-death situation?!"

"So it would seem." Kyoko said with a sigh.

Sakura gave Hifumi a disapproving glance. "Your future self should not be so casual about saying statements like that."

"I-I know…" Hifumi said, sagging a little. Seeing from this perspective, he can see that it wasn't the right time to say something like that.

"D-Don't say stuff like that!" Makoto told him, alarmed. "You gotta get through this, man!"

"You can say that cuz you don't understand the glory and splendor of Diet Coke!" Hifumi said in retort. "Diet Coke is… a friend to all mankind… a single sip and your body melts like butter! It's the kind of high nothing can match. It clears my mind, and even the most boring conversation sounds like a cinematic masterpiece!"

He once again gritted his teeth. "I knew I was going through withdrawal…! Am I hallucinating now?!" He let out a screamed, startling Makoto. "Away, vile spirit! I cast thee out!"

"Jesus, dude!" Mondo exclaimed. "Calm the fuck down!"

"You aren't gonna die without your favorite drink." Hiro agreed.

"Hifumi, calm down!" Makoto told him.

The fanfic creator merely groaned. "Here come the auditory hallucinations. That voice…!" He then turned towards Makoto's direction with a strange look on his face. "Ah! Princess Piggles! It's you!"

"S-Snap out of it, man!"

But the fanfic creator was too far gone. "The princess told me to snap out of it…!" He drooled.

Okay, now the group was creeped out. "Makoto, you better run man." Leon warned the luckster. "The dude look like he want to do nasty shit to you."

Makoto couldn't help but shiver at that.

"You can't let Diet Coke beat you!"

"You're right, I won't lose… I'm a strong boy!" Hifumi declared in determination. "I can endure this! For you, my princess!" Suddenly, he began running out the kitchen. "Now let's play tag! Hooray! Tag, you're it!"

The group could only blink in befuddlement as the fanfic creator ran off to who knows where. "That was… interesting." Was what Taka could only say.

"Seriously dude," Hiro sighed, looking at Hifumi. "I doubt even Hina would act as bad as that when it comes to donuts."

"Well… maybe her love of donuts isn't strong enough!" Hifumi said in weak defense.

Unfortunately, that was the wrong thing to say. "Wait, what?" The swimmer slowly turned to Hifumi with a murderous aura and glare. "I don't like what enough?"

That caused Hifumi to squeal. "It's nothing! Forget I said anything!"

Makoto could only watch as Hifumi run out of the dining hall. "Umm… he's gonna be okay… right?" He asked himself.

'We're wondering the same thing.' Was the overall thought of the class. And they're not just thinking about Hifumi's hallucination.

Byakuya let out a huff in annoyance. "This is ridiculous." He griped. "Why are we watching interactions of Hifumi and Hiro, of all people? By now, I would even prefer seeing conversations with Genocide Jack." He directed that question to Spirit.

"Character development, as hard as it is to believe." The host replied with a shrug. "Showing Hifumi's 'Diet Coke withdrawal', as well Sakura's restless state, shows that you guys are getting a bit stir-crazy in the school."

"I see. I assume it's the same with Hina's, Taka's, and Mondo's previous conversations in chapter 2?" Celeste inquired.

Spirit nodded. "Exactly."

Kyoko frowned. "That could be bad." She mused. "The restlessness of being stuck in the building could help lead to more murders, alongside the motivations Monokuma gives us."

That caused to Makoto, along with several others, to frown in concern. Does being trapped in the school really increase that desire to kill? To get out of the school with that small possibility?

He would like to say that he has complete faith in classmates. That he doesn't believe any of them would murder, especially for the current motive, money. But with each chapter… that faith is wavering more and more.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 50: Watching Chapter 3: A Next Generation Legend! Stand Tall, Galactic Hero! Part 8

"This is getting serious man…" Hiro sighed, talking to Makoto. The two of them are at the third floor hallway, with Hiro slumping on the wall. "When are we gonna get outta here?! The world so big, so freakin' huge! And we've all been stuffed into this one tiny little corner…"

"Looks like Hiro is at his limit as well…" Makoto mused in concern.

"And like Kyoko said, this has the potential to be bad." Mukuro remarked with a frown.

'Eh, isn't he always at his limit?' Everyone else silently thought.

'I guess even Hiro is starting to get stressed out by all this.' Makoto noted in his head.

"Can we talk, man to man?" Hiro asked Makoto. "I haven't told anyone else, but I need to get this off my chest…"

"Huh?" Makoto tilted his head in curiosity. "What is it?"

"There's a big reason why I'm so anxious to get out of here." Hiro told him.

"A big reason…?"

That got the others a tad curious. "What reason do you have to want to get out?" Sakura asked Hiro.

The fortune teller thought about it for a moment before an idea came to his head. "Ahh...hahaha... I wonder..." He nervously replied.

"I doubt it's as important as your future self says." Celeste said dismissively. "It must be an exaggeration. Or something completely foolish."

"You don't know that! It might be a huge reason!" Hiro argued, though the gambler doesn't look convinced.

"I'm super worried, man!" Hiro exclaimed, anxiety filling his tone. "I'm afraid someone's gonna bust into my house and steal my collection!"

"What collection…?" Makoto inquired.

Then Hiro hit him with the reveal. "I've been surfing black markets and back channels to build a huge collection of OOParts!"

"..." Makoto could only stare at Hiro in befuddlement.

Those were the same looks several of the others were sporting, which Hiro didn't noticed for the moment. "Yeah, I thought that was it…" He said to himself, nodding in understanding.

"O..O-O parts?" Toko repeated, confused.

"Wait, you don't know?" He then noticed all the other blank and confuse looks. "Don't tell me none of you know what OOParts is!"

"No. We do not." Mukuro stated.

"Well, it's gonna be explained soon." Hiro sighed. "Makoto already knows…"

"No reaction?" Hiro noted in confusion. "Wait… don't tell me you don't know about OOParts! You know, OOParts! Out-of-Place Artifacts?! Stuff they find in the ruins of ancient civilizations, but with no explanation how it coulda got there! The crystal skulls, the golden airplanes of Columbia, the Baghdad Battery, just to name a few!"

"Wait a minute…" Leon spoke up, looking at Hiro with disbelief. "You're telling us that you got a collection of those things?"

"That's right!" Hiro stated proudly. "Took a while searching, but I've got an entire collection of OOParts!"

Nearly everyone simultaneously looked at Makoto, their faces asking, 'Are those fakes?'

The luckster could only nod, getting sighs and facepalms from all around. Hiro is one big sucker, that they can all agree on.

"Plenty of museum and research centers claim to have all those different OOPArts, but ya see…" The fortune teller pointed at himself proudly. "Here's the shocking truth! For all of 'em, the real deal is at my house! Did I shock ya? Did the truth slam into your soul like the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs?!"

"How can somebody be this fucking dumb?" Mondo whispered to Taka and Chihiro. "It ain't funny how goddamn stupid he is!"

"I'm… not sure bro." Taka sighed. He honestly can't come up with a good answer. Not even Chihiro could come up with a good defense for the clairvoyant.

"But… you have all that stuff at your house?" Makoto questioned with slight skepticism.

"Yup!" Hiro confirmed with a nod. "Got it mostly through the Internet! It's more valuable to me than anything!"

'He's gotta be the world's biggest sucker…' Makoto thought incredulously.

"Yeah."

"No argument there."

"N-No bigger sucker than t-this one."

"Hey! Why are you calling me a sucker?!" Hiro whined.

"Cause you actually believe all of those artifacts are actually real." Mondo sighed, a headache slowly growing. "When it's clear to a five year old that it's fake!"

"You guys are just jealous that I have all those wonderful artifacts!" Hiro accused. "They are real!"

"Yeah, as real as my natural red hair." Leon remarked dryly.

"ITS NOT?!"

"I've invested every penny I have into that collection!" Hiro sighed. "Which is why I'm so worried. If that stuff gets stolen while I'm gone… it'd just be the most tragic tragedy! You know what I've had to go through to get that stuff?! Why do you think I got held back, like… ya know… three or four years…?"

"Wait a second…" Taka said, looking airily calm. "Is he telling us, that the reason he's held back, is because he used all the money he had, money he could use to go to school, just to buy these so called OOPArts?!"

Hiro winced, looking more than a bit nervous. "U-Um… maybe." And maybe he used more than that as well…

At first, Taka was silent, processing this. But after a moment of silence...

"THAT IS EXTREMELY UNACCEPTABLE!" Taka screeched, standing up from his seat to face the fortune teller, a venomous glare entering his face. "AN EXTREME WASTE OF MONEY! HOW COULD YOUR PARENTS LET YOU DO SOMETHING EXTREMELY IRRESPONSIBLE?! WHAT MADE YOU THINK THAT IT WAS A SMART IDEA?! I HAVE NEVER-"

Mondo quickly grabbed Taka and covered his mouth, struggling to get his friend back into his seat. "Bro, calm down! You can rip him a new one later!" Mondo hissed at him, though the moral compass continued struggling. "We still need to finish this, and it will only take longer if you ridicule him now!"

After another moment of struggling, Taka finally settled down. As Mondo let go, he settled back into his seat, though gave Hiro a venomous glare that caused the clairvoyant to cringe in fear.

"For once, I agree with the hall monitor." Byakuya said, his eyes continuously twitching. "How much money did you actually waste all these years?"

"I don't think that's an answer we'll want to find out." Celeste stated, resisting the urge throttle Hiro.

"...Huh?"

"Oh, uh! Nothing!" Hiro quickly brushed off, realizing what he said. "Forget about the last part!"

"Okay…" Shaking his head, Makoto went back to the topic of those artifacts. "Anyway, everything I've read is that when you really do serious research on those artifacts, most of the time they end up finding out that there's a perfectly normal explanation for them."

"Don't be stupid!" Hiro rebutted. "You-stupid-Makoto!"

'Says the one who bought fake artifacts from the internet!' Was the overall thought of the group, san Hiro.

"It's a government cover up! They want to hide the ancient aliens and the secrets of the universe!"

"...So tell me again how much you hate the occult?" Makoto asked him.

"This isn't the occult! It's about aliens and ancient civilizations living together!" Hiro argued. "Yeah, that's possible!"

"...And Makoto's the stupid one?!" Hina exclaimed in disbelief.

"Hiro's conversations is torture on my brain." Junko groaned, rubbing her head. "How can anybody be this stupid?" 'It's not even fun picking on him if he's that dumb.'

"I assume his mother or father dropped him as a baby more than a few times." Celeste sighed.

"They must've been hard fucking falls." Mondo huffed.

Hiro slumped at the verbal beatings he's being given. "Did I mention that all of you guys suck?"

"More than once, man." Leon remarked dryly.

'I don't think there's anything I could say to change his mind…' Makoto sighed.

"Good. Leave this useless and idiotic conversation. Now." Byakuya said firmly. "I hope this is the last conversation with this fool."

"My intuition tells me that it won't be." Sayaka mused.

Makoto sighed, hoping that it won't be that conversation. He would rather not remember what Hiro had attempted to do to him.

The scene switched to Makoto walking in the first floor hallway before spotting Kyoko. "Hey Kyoko," Makoto said, getting beside her.

Kyoko inclined her head to him. "What's the matter?" She asked him. "Don't you have anything to do?"

"Not really." The luckster replied with a shrug. "Just would like to talk to you a bit, is all."

Kyoko shrugged in response. "There's no reason to decline. And I'm not the type to decline, anyway." When she spoke again, it was a whisper to herself. "Besides… I find myself more and more intrigue by someone like you."

That got the group's attention.

"Now, what is this?" Leon said, a grin on her face. "Is the Ultimate Detective gaining a crush on our lucky student?"

"Seems likely." Mondo remarked with a smirk. "And I think I see her blushing a bit."

Makoto couldn't help but share some of the embarrassment as he was sitting right next to her, but Kyoko, in her usual demeanor, replied completely unfazed to the nature of the jabs: "You're probably just seeing things. And besides, my future self is probably just intrigued by his trusting nature and optimistic outlook."

While that was partially true, Kyoko knows that there are some feelings developing under that interest. And from the piercing looks she's feeling from all angles, her 'rivals' certainly feel the same.

Luckily for her, Makoto didn't hear that last part. "So, I've been wondering…" He started out. "How do you stay so calm?"

"...Calm?" She looked at him with a perplexed expression.

"I mean, you never lose your cool. You never show emotion…" The luckster explained.

"You say that like I'm some kind of inhuman beast." She remarked with a raised eyebrow.

"N-No, I didn't mean it like that." He quickly reassured her.

"You seem too enjoy teasing Makoto a bit too much…" Celeste commented on.

"As if you're any different." Kyoko replied back. That caused the gambler to giggle softly.

"True."

"Well, I am human. I do have emotions." Kyoko continued. "I simply keep it to myself. I don't show it in my face or in my voice."

"You make that sound way easier than it is. Especially in these kinds of situations…" Makoto pointed out.

"Well, you should consider trying." She suggested. "Your naive honesty makes you an easy target."

"And you seem that you like to point out Makoto's honest nature." Byakuya spoke up. "While what your saying isn't false, what caused you to bring it up?"

"You can call it a friendly warning." Kyoko answered easily.

'She keeps saying things like that. It's kind of irritating…' Makoto thought in slight annoyance. 'Isn't there anything I can say to get a reaction out of her…?'

"That's something I would like to know too." Junko remarked. Then she began pouting in her cutesy persona. "It will be no fun when Halloween comes around."

"No argument there." Leon snorted. "We might even have to keep her from going in any scaring competitions."

"Protect against deception, and never allow others to read your emotion." The lavender haired girl continued. "And whoever stands before you, don't let them push you around. Remember that."

"And that's why you hide your own feelings?" Makoto inquired. "But… but that's such a - a waste!"

"...Hmm?" Kyoko raised an eyebrow at this.

"Your smile is just so cute!"

That sudden curveball from left-field froze the entire room. The contrast of such a pure and innocent remark and that of a serious detective had knocked everyone's brain-activity out cold. Makoto's face quickly flushed red at his own embarrassment while Kyoko quickly but subtly hid her own pink dusted cheeks.

Hina was the first to react. "W-What did Makoto just say?!"

"Her smile is… cute?!" Sayaka repeated, shock and jealousy in her tone.

"O-Out of the blue..." Leon said, completely shocked at what Makoto managed to say.

"T-To Kyoko no less... he's truly got balls." Mondo blurted out.

"Hiding it behind a mask is such a waste! A bright smile is way better!" The luckster stated.

This time, almost everyone had recovered their senses. Like a wake of vultures feeding on a meal, everyone immediately turned onto Makoto.

"Well, what do you know? First Sayaka, now Kyoko?" Leon remarked. "You becoming such a lady's man Makoto."

"Hooh, this must be the harem route that every doujin should have!" Hifumi squealed.

"You definitely got guts to call Kyoko cute." Mondo added.

Hiro let out a laugh. "Who knew our little luckster is a playboy?" Chihiro merely giggled while Sakura smiled in amusement.

Four of the girls, however, didn't act so calmly to this. Hina and Mukuro held deep frowns while Celeste and Sayaka gave out dark auras, the latter tightening her grip on Makoto's arm.

Kyoko, after gaining back control of her emotions, send Makoto a smile in amusement. The luckster, ignoring his blush and the discomfort in his arms, give a sheepish smile in response.

That seemingly took Kyoko by surprise a bit, a blush forming on her face. "W-What are you talking about…?" She stuttered out. "C-Cute? It's much too soon to be bringing up… things like that…!"

That got a smile out of Makoto. "Ah, looks like I got you to show a hint of emotion, didn't I?"

Kyoko's reaction, along with Makoto's response to it, caught the others by surprise. "So Makoto was just trying to get a reaction out of her…" Byakuya stated. "And Kyoko fell for it?"

"So it would seem." Sakura agreed.

Leon whistled in amazement. "Wow. You did a good job there, Makoto."

"A-Actually…" Makoto spoke up, looking embarrassed. "I didn't really succeed. Continue watching."

While everyone was too caught up with the surprises, no one noticed the huge smug grin that was plastered on Kyoko's face.

"...What?" Kyoko's eyes widen in shock. "You… Makoto, you…! Y-You deceived me?!"

'Huh?' Makoto was taken aback by her response. 'Wait…'

"I don't believe this…! To use the word 'cute' to deceive someone…!" She exclaimed in horror. "That's just… too cruel!"

Kyoko's reaction also caught the other by surprise. But a few manage to connect the dots quickly. "I see." Mukuro was the one to voice it out, while also removing her scowl. "So Makoto tried to trick a reaction out of Kyoko, and she used that to trick him."

"I believe this is a case of 'return to sender'?" Chihiro thought.

"Yep." Makoto confirmed, rubbing his head sheepishly. "In hindsight, I should've known that it wouldn't have been that easy."

"No kidding." Junko snorted in amusement.

Hina, Sayaka, and Celeste also settled down, with the pop idol loosening her grip on Makoto's arm.

"S-Sorry! I just got carried away!" Makoto hastily apologized to her. "B-But still… I did deceive you, but… it's not like it was a total lie!"

"...You see how easily you yourself is deceived?"

"...Huh?" The luckster blinked in bewilderment, noticing that Kyoko has her ironclad mask back on.

"You would never just come out and call someone cute like that. Completely out of character." Kyoko pointed out. "You thought I wouldn't pick up on such an obvious ploy?"

"What? You mean…" Makoto's eyes widen at this. 'I thought I'd tricked you, but I was the one getting tricked…?'

"Watch yourself, Makoto. You're honest to a fault." With that, the lavender haired girl left the area.

"Truer words have never been spoken." Byakuya stated, getting nods of agreement from several others. "He couldn't tell a lie, even if he tried."

"Hey!" Makoto exclaimed, pouting. "I kept Chihiro's secret for a long time, didn't I?"

Makoto merely stood where was, silent. 'The most formidable opponent…' He declared with respect.

The next scene showed Makoto walking down the hallway. However, he stopped when he saw Hina leaning on the wall, moaning. "Ahhh… so hungry…" She whined. When she saw Makoto in front of her, she grabbed the luckster by the shoulder. "Makoto, help me… I'm huuuunnngrryyy…!"

"Oh boy." Sayaka sighed, though she has a smile on her face. "There's goes bottomless pit Hina…"

"Hey!" Hina protested, pouting. "I'm not a bottomless pit!"

"You could match Owari in a food eating contest if you want to…" Leon pointed out dryly, getting a blush, as well as a deeper pout, from the swimmer.

"What am I supposed to do…?" Makoto asked in alarm, holding his hands up.

"I need food… anything…" Hina moaned. "I don't care if it's a stack of paper… need foooood…!"

"Why don't you just eat some more donuts?"

"I can't! That's my secret weapon! For emergencies only!" She whined, shaking the luckster. "If I kept gorging on something with that many calories, I'd get fat in no time!"

Byakuya raised an eyebrow. "So you do know restraint. For a while, I didn't think you knew that it existed."

"Of course I do!" Hina exclaimed. "I would've been way fat otherwise!"

"Possibly, if we don't consider the monstrous amount of exercise you do." Celeste pointed out blankly.

'So even she cares about that kind of thing.' Makoto thought to himself. 'Well, she is an athlete…'

"Taking care of one's body is something you need to do," Taka stated, nodding to himself. "Especially athletes."

"Besides, I don't want anything sugary." Hina said, calming down and letting go of Makoto. "Right now I want a salty snack…"

"Like potato chips?" The luckster suggested.

"Like ramen." The swimmer answered.

That earned some sighs and facepalms. "How is that a snack, Hina?" Sayaka asked her. "That's a small lunch, at least."

"The girl has a bottomless stomach. So ramen would be a snack for her." Celeste stated, drawing an angry pout and blush from the swimmer.

"How is that a snack…?" Makoto asked in befuddlement.

"Huh?" Hina looked at him in confusion. "How is it not? Speaking of which… what's your favorite kind of ramen?"

"Shoyu, without a doubt." The luckster answered immediately.

"Ah, good choice!" Hina said in approval. "Definitely the most refreshing option."

"What about you, Hina?" Makoto inquired. "You're worried about calories and all, so…"

"I'm a porktastic tonkotsu girl through and through!"

"Or you don't care about calories…" Makoto finished blankly.

Hina continued on, as if she didn't hear Makoto. "The key element of any tonkotsu ramen is the butter and the extra fat!"

"And I take back my words about restraint…" Byakuya sighed. "You're lucky that you're an exercise nut."

"Well, the amount of exercise she does probably goes hand to hand with her appetite." Mukuro pointed out.

"Maybe she has high metabolism as well." Chihiro added.

"So you're okay with all that oil…?" Makoto inquired.

Once again, the luckster was ignored. "Ugh, talking about it just made me even hungrier!" Hina groaned. "Maybe it's time… maybe I can make it… to the dining hall…"

"Are you sure? I mean, a bowl of ramen has way more calories than a donut." Makoto pointed out.

This time, Hina reacted to his words. "Who says stuff like that?!" She demanded, getting up close to him. "Are you a real man or aren't ya?!" She then jabbed her finger at his chest. "What, are you afraid? Afraid of ramen?!"

"Or he's not ignorant on how fattening a tonkotsu is." Celeste remarked dryly. "Unlike you."

"You all just need to toughen up!"

"How does eating ramen equal courage?" Chihiro asked in confusion.

"You're pathetic, Makoto! I'm ashamed to know you!"

"A-Are you still Hina…?" Makoto asked in slight fear.

"Shut up!" Was the girl's response. "Get outta my way! I'm gonna show you what a real man looks like! Or are you gonna stand in my way and suffer the fist-based consequences?"

"You always seem to be threatening somebody whenever you're getting hungry and in the middle of talking." Junko noted. "Not even Sakura is safe from your wrath."

The swimmer blushed and rubbed her head sheepishly at this. "Hey, I get over-excited."

"Understatement of the year." Leon said with an eye roll.

"No… I have no intention of getting in your way…" With that said, Makoto moved away from Hina's path.

"Then don't! If I don't do this now, when am I ever gonna get another chance…?!" Without waiting for a response, Hina cried out like a starving mad woman and ran to the dining hall.

"When it comes to food, Hina is… terrifying." Makoto said to himself.

That caused Hina's blush of embarrassment to worsen, especially when the others voiced their agreements on the statement. Is she really that bad?

"So it would seem." The luckster turned his head to seeing Celeste walking towards him.

"Oh. Hey Celeste." Makoto greeted.

"Greetings, Makoto." Celeste returned. "While you are here, there's something I would like to ask you." She stopped once she stood right beside him.

Sayaka and Mukuro narrowed their eyes while Kyoko merely raised an eyebrow. While it was very subtle, they saw that Celeste was enjoying herself by being very close to Makoto.

"Do you like mahjong?"

"Umm… I've never actually played." He answered the gambler.

"Is that so?" A disappointed look entered her face. "A pity. I was hoping we might play together."

"Are you good at it?"

"Good? No, I am not merely good." Celeste answered with confidence. "I once played a game of Russian roulette mahjong and won."

"Russian roulette…?"

"Wait, wait, wait," Leon spoke up, looking confessed. "What do you mean by russian roulette mahjong?"

"How the fuck the does that work?" Mondo asked bluntly. "Don't tell me you did actual russian roulette."

Celeste merely smile at that, which brought some chills down the other's spine. "You know what they say, that five out of six doctors agree that Russian Roulette is a perfectly safe game."

"FOR OBVIOUS REASONS!"

"It was a truly fierce contest, put on by a half-insane billionaire in the basement of his mansion." Celeste told him. "My opponent was a fierce old man and silver-haired boy who was said to have the devil's own luck." The two began walking towards the dining hall as the story continued. "We played with a modified rule set. I remember well the glass tiles we used…"

That earned a couple raised eyebrows from the smarter students of the class. They can't really tell how much of it is true and how much of the story she modified. 'Lying is as natural as breathing for her…' Byakuya thought with a sigh.

Makoto thought he heard something familiar there. "A silver-haired boy who has the devil's luck? Say... isn't that-"

"Now now Makoto. Now's not the time for distractions." Celeste lightly chided him, eager to let her other self boast about her victory.

"And you won…?"

"I defeated them both at once." Celeste stated with a smile. "I will never forget the angry, twisted looks on their faces. The crowd that had been invited to watch became positively riotous. Nobody could believe I had won." She giggled at the memory. "That is one of my fonder memories…"

Makoto was silent at this, more than a bit amazed at what he heard. 'I'm really glad I didn't agree to play mahjong with her…' He thought to himself.

"I'm surprised the gambling community didn't ban you from these games…" Chihiro murmured, though it was loud enough for Celeste to hear.

"I've learned how to look as if I can lose, to make sure none would be too intimidated to face me." Celeste revealed. "At least, those dumb enough or arrogant enough would be captured by the bait."

More than a couple of the students either frowned, looked away, or put on a sheepish mask at the statement. Yeah, they all learned by now not to play any game with the Ultimate Gambler.

The next scene was Makoto in his room, the school announcement playing once again. 'Nighttime already…' Makoto let out a yawn. 'I guess I'll go to bed for today. Pretty tired after the everything that happened, especially this morning.' With that, he got onto the bed.

The TV quickly transition to the dining hall, with Makoto, Sakura, Hina, Hifumi, Hiro, and Celeste at the main table. "Taka and Kyoko are not here today…" The gambler of the group noted.

"Kyoko's still on guard duty, probably." Hiro guessed.

"I have no idea about Taka…" Sakura stated.

"Should we be worried?" Chihiro asked, a bit concern. Mondo also looked a bit tense.

"Not right now." Kyoko reassured them. "There's no hint that anything happened so far. And it isn't the first time some of us didn't arrive in the dining hall."

"May as well just forget about that guy!" Hifumi growled.

The others jumped a bit at Hifumi's angry statement. "Guessing he didn't forget about his love rival." Hiro sighed.

"Of course I didn't forget!" The fanfic creator cried out in response. "And I will not rest until he is bowing down in defeat!"

"W-Will he just shut up?" Toko grumbled.

"You don't have to get so mad…" Hina said, a bit startled.

"They're rivals in love. What're ya gonna do…?" Hiro reminded Hina.

"Don't put me on the same level as that… that… virgin!" Hifumi exclaimed. "I might catch his virginity!"

"'Catch his virginity'?" Leon repeated blankly, turning to the fanfic creator. "Newsflash, dude. You already caught it."

"No, that's not how it works." Mondo sighed.

"And how is that an insult?" Taka questioned, confused. "Aren't all of us virgins to begin with?"

"Point to the moral compass there." Junko said in response.

"Nah, my guess is you're already infected…" Hiro sighed.

"Wait, can you really catch it?!" Hina gasped in shock.

Facepalms ensues. "Seriously?" Toko groaned. "How d-dumb are you?"

"Hey! It's a legitimate concern!" Hina tried to argue. "I don't want to catch any diseases!"

"Virginity is something we've all been with, simpleton." Byakuya bluntly stated. "Stop taking words so seriously."

"Soo... is anyone here not a virgin?" Hiro asked, only to be met with fifteen piercing glares and complete silence.

"Stop being vulgar." Celeste spoke in. "Let's eat breakfast."

As Makoto about to reach his food, a familiar laughter entered the room. "Huh?" Hina's head shot up at the sound. "That voice…"

The familiar laugh caused several of them to groan while Toko stiffen. "Oh great, she's back again…" Mondo sighed.

Suddenly, the dining hall door burst open, with Genocide Jill rushing in, cackling madly.

Once again, Toko shrieked in terror and curled into a ball. This time, it drew the attention of the others. "Is she going to keep doing that every time Jill appears?" Hiro asked.

"She'll probably get use to her appearance after a couple more showings." Mukuro guessed. She will have too.

"So it's you, Genocide Jack." Sakura said. "And…"

Right beside the serial killer was Byakuya. "Don't bother asking why we arrived at the same time." He said before anyone could ask. "The answer should be obvious."

"Great…" Mondo growled. "He's back again."

"And it was so nice not having the asshole on the TV." Leon sighed. The affluent progeny chose to ignore the complaints.

"I'll give you a hint…" A lecherous grin entered Jill's face. "I'm wearing red lingerie today!"

That caused some of the guys, such as Chihiro and Makoto, to blush, while several of the others have disturbed looks. Toko, meanwhile, look incredibly embarrassed. "W-Why did she reveal s-something like t-that?" The writer stuttered out.

"And what the hell does that got to do with why the two arrived at the same time?" Leon questioned.

Hifumi answered that. "Perhaps Miss Jill and Mr. Togami got in the room together, and…"

"Finish that thought and I will make sure your body will never be found, not even for vultures to pick off." Byakuya threatened. The fanfic creator quickly shut up at that.

"Umm… I don't think anyone wanted to know…" Hina said, looking creeped out.

The serial killer turned to Hina in response. "Hold on a second! You…!"

"H-Huh…?!"

"What's your top power level, 35-22-33?! You start out big on top to try and look thinner down south!" Jill exclaimed shamelessly. "Look at your melons! They're seriously gargantuan! Do you dunk'em in milk every night or something?!"

Once again, the swimmer blushed heavily before curling up and covering her chest. "W-Why does she always have to mention them?!"

"Jill likes to make all of us feel uncomfortable." Kyoko tapped her chin in thought. "And it may have to do with a bit of jealousy…"

"Still, that doesn't justify her harassing Hina!" Sakura stated fiercely, looking angry once more.

Hina scooted back from her chair, covering her chest. "Y-You're starting to freak me out…!"

Sakura glared fiercely at Jill. "If you lay a finger on Hina… I will show you no mercy!" She growled.

Toko shivered, a chill entering her spine. She REALLY hopes Jill won't push Sakura's buttons.

"So? What do you want?" Celeste asked Byakuya, getting back on track. "Surely you are not here to join us for breakfast." (That earned several snorts from the group.)

"Of course not." The heir confirmed. "I came to hear a story."

"A story…?" Makoto said in confusion.

"A story that nobody bothered to tell me yet." Byakuya clarified.

That caused the group to tense up once more. "Is he talking about…" Hiro trailed off nervously.

"I think so." Mukuro confirmed the unasked question. And depending on Byakuya's true goal, this might turn out badly.

That caused the group to tense up. 'Are you talking about… Alter Ego?' Makoto thought to himself.

"Sorry, but we can't talk about that right now." Sakura told him.

"Why not?" The heir questioned.

"Because of certain… circumstances." The martial artist subtly glanced at the camera at that.

"Up till now you haven't given a crap about anything, and now you're all concerned?" Hiro asked with obvious doubt. "I don't buy it."

That caused Byakuya to glare at the fortune teller. "I've just made a decision. When we get out of here, I'm going to feed your body to the vultures."

That caused Hiro to yelp and jump back. "What kind of messed up dictator are you?!" He exclaimed.

"Yeah, seriously!" Hiro agreed, looking as scared as his counterpart. "You shouldn't do that to anybody who just disagrees with you!"

"And why not?" Was the heir's response. "It seems like the perfect punishment for fools like you."

"I'm really worried about the future now…" Hina replied with a sweatdrop.

"But isn't this a democracy? Or would you exclude those who don't fit into your tyrannical majority?" Byakuya retorted.

"Th-That's not what we're doing…" Makoto protested.

"Well, whatever." The blonde said dismissively. "If nothing else, tell me what's going on with Taka. When I saw him yesterday, I happened to notice something seemed… off. So I was curious."

"Taka has become utterly useless." Was Celeste's ruthless statement.

"Celeste!"

"Damn, that's cold!"

"The fuck you say to my bro?!"

Celeste's mask didn't even budge an inch when faces turned towards her. "Well, you can't really deny the statement." The gambler replied. "As he is right now, he's in his own little world."

"But you don't have sound so cold about it!" Makoto protested.

"Celeste!" Makoto exclaimed in shock. "You don't have to say it like that!"

"Did his spirit collapse or something? Was he unable to withstand this environment?" Byakuya inquired. "Those men who clothe themselves in the cheap fabric of justice are often the first to fall…"

That earned a growl from Mondo. Togami is lucky that he can't attack him right now, otherwise, he would've fucked him up by now!

A smirk entered his face. "But perhaps that will make things all the more interesting…"

"Interesting…?" Makoto repeated in confusion.

"Let me leave you with a bit of advice." The heir directed his attention back to everyone. "Don't come to rely on false camaraderie… or you'll reap its bitter reward."

And, predictably, his words angered several people. "Is he asking for someone to kill him?" Leon asked in anger and disbelief. "Cause who would go out of there way to say shit like that?"

"Yeah! He should know that none of us would ever accept that so called 'advice'!" Hina growled.

"Those with no allies are doomed to fail." Sakura said with a sigh. "You should heed that in the future, Byakuya." The blonde heir ignored the words of his classmates, having nothing to say in his future self's defense.

His words earned several frowns. "That's why you came? To give us that amazing 'advice'?" Hina voiced out in anger.

"It seems I am unwelcome here." Byakuya noted, unperturbed. "Then I will grant your desire and remove myself…"

"Yeah, let's get outta here!" Jill quickly agreed.

"...You don't need to come with me." The heir told the serial killer.

"You don't have to play hard to get, Master!" Jill reassured him, smiling brightly. "You can just play hard!"

"That doesn't make any sense…" Slowly, Byakuya back out of the room before picking up speed and began sprinting out of the dining hall.

"He ran away…?" Jill questioned, tilting her head. "So now he's running hard to get… I see!" With a maniacal laugh, she ran after him. "Wait, wait, wait!" And with that, Jill was gone.

Several of the students couldn't help but burst out laughing at the entire thing. "Man, it's fun seeing Byakuya like that!" Leon wheezed out in laughter. While it was weird at first, it became entertainment for the group after a while.

"Serves him right for everything he's been saying and doing!" Hina giggled out, trying her best not to end up on the floor.

"No fucking argument there!" Mondo snickered out. "The asshole had it coming, that's for damn sure!"

Byakuya, meanwhile, looked very annoyed at all this. "If I could, I would execute all of you right now." The heir said with gritted teeth.

"Y-Yeah! T-This is no time for l-laughing!" Toko cried out, looking extremely worried. "G-Genocide J-J-Jack is after master!"

"And we are loving it." Junko sang.

The group was silent, not knowing what to say about the string of events. "S-So at the end there…" Hina hesitantly spoke up. "What was that all about?"

"Just now, Byakuya was like…" Hiro trailed off, looking baffled.

"Maybe he's like the mean guy who starts acting different or getting all flustered when things change!" Hifumi suggested.

"...Guess so." Hiro decided to go with it.

That caused the group to laugh louder. "Yep, that would describe Byakuya." Celeste said as she giggled.

"Definitely panic when things go his way!" Sayaka stated vindictively.

Kyoko, Mukuro, and Sakura held smirks of amusement while Makoto and Chihiro smiled sympathetically at the affluent progeny. He chose to ignore the increased laughter, focusing on the screen. They were very lucky he could not send them to their doom at this moment.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 51: Watching Chapter 3: A Next Generation Legend! Stand Tall, Galactic Hero! Part 9

"Hello, Makoto." Celeste greeted the moment she noticed Makoto enter the dining hall. "I must say, I am quite troubled…"

"Huh?" That got Makoto attention. "How come?"

"I would like you to teach me something." The gambler requested.

"What…?"

"I want you to teach me how to play shogi." She stated.

That earned a couple of raised eyebrows. "You don't know how to play shogi?" Byakuya questioned. "That is very odd. I thought you knew every game involving the life of gambling."

"Are there no gambling circuits involving shogi?" Sayaka inquired curiously.

In response, Celeste shook her head. "No, there are certainly circuits like that." Celeste confirmed. "Which is why I desire to learn."

"Oh, uh…" Makoto scratched his head sheepishly. "Sorry, I don't know how to play, either."

"I see…" Celeste huffed in disappointment. "You really are useless, are you?"

"You really don't hold back on your words huh." Leon deadpanned.

"And besides, Makoto isn't useless!" Hina argued. "Sure, he isn't the smartest… or the strongest… or have that big of a talent…"

"That's exactly what she's saying!" Junko chirped as Makoto head dropped in depression. Hina winced sheepishly at this.

"But he is able to prove himself reliable, with or without an official talent." Kyoko interjected, to spare Makoto from further verbal punches. "He was also the most helpful in the last two class trials."

Makoto could only smile in embarrassment as Kyoko's counterpoint swiftly ended the topic.

"Uh, okay… but I'm surprised you don't know how to play." Makoto said. "Is it because there's no, like, shogi gambling circuits?"

"Oh, there most certainly are." Celeste answered.

That surprised Makoto a bit. "What, really?"

"But it is all underground." The gambler continued. "It is rather shady, all things considered. I have tried my own hand at it, naturally."

"Wait, hang on a moment…" Leon interjected. "Didn't you just say you wanted to learn how to play?"

"I did." The gambler confirmed.

"And yet you entered a shogi tournament without knowing how to play the game?" Hiro continued for Leon blankly. If even Hiro can raise this point, it goes to say how appalling the idea was.

"It's why I want to learn now." Celeste answered. "So I won't go in blindly again."

"Wait, even though you don't how to play?" Makoto asked, his surprise growing. The two are now walking out of the dining hall, after putting away their dishes.

"That is why I wish to learn now." Celeste stated. "I placed my pieces without even thinking. What on Earth was I doing…?"

"And you still tried to win an underground shogi tournament?"

"Tried?" Celeste shook her head. "Oh, no. I did win."

"What?!" Was the overall reaction of the group. Mondo spoke for all of them. "The fuck do you mean you won?!"

"How could you win when you didn't know how to play?!" Byakuya questioned in disbelief.

"Who knows?" Celeste said with a shrug. "Perhaps it was beginner's luck?"

"I'm pretty sure beginner's luck doesn't work that way…" Taka pointed out.

"I can definitely agree with that..." Makoto agreed.

"You won?!" Makoto exclaimed in shock.

"I didn't really understand, but apparently my final opponent was infamously powerful." Celeste told him. "She was… rather odd... like a voluptuous woman who dressed as an exotic french maid."

"Like you're one to talk about being odd." Leon said blankly. "All you wear is gothic clothing."

"True." Celeste admitted. "But it was more of her personality that was odd."

"But… how did you win?" Makoto asked, getting back on topic.

"Beginner's luck, perhaps?" Was her innocent suggestion.

"I don't think beginner's luck work in shogi…" Makoto deadpanned.

"See? Makoto agrees with me."

"I also agree as well." Byakuya remarked, frowning. "Shogi isn't the type of game you can win with luck alone."

"You should know by now not to underestimate my luck." Celeste stated, smiling. "A certain amount of good or bad luck can go either way."

Celeste merely giggled at that. "Is that so?"

'Yep. The more I learn about Celeste, the less I understand her…' Makoto thought blankly.

"Are we even sure it's beginner luck?" Mukuro pointed out. "She could be lying again."

The group was silent at that. "...You may have a point." Makoto admitted. Sometimes, it's hard to tell when the gambler is lying or not.

Celeste gave a small pout. "Do you have to doubt me that much?"

"Yes." Was the blank, simultaneous answer of everyone else.

As the two walked out of the dining hall, Celeste let out another giggle. "Look how quickly we have become close friends, Makoto."

'Have we…?' Makoto thought with confusion and wariness.

"So let me share with you something…" The gambler continued. "I will tell you about the biggest crisis I ever faced in my gambling life."

That caught the group's attention. "You had a what now?" Leon questioned in surprise.

"A gambling crisis?" Sayaka repeated and sharing Leon's shock. "I though the term didn't even apply to you!"

"But of course." Celeste sighed. "Even I end up unlucky sometimes."

"So what exactly happened?" Sakura inquired, curious.

"You shall see."

Makoto, however, silently groaned, knowing what exactly the "crisis" was.

'Biggest…? You had a gambling crisis?' Makoto thought in shock. 'What happened…?'

"A shadowy organization was hosting a mysterious tournament…" Celeste began the story. "The game in which I participated was called King of Liars."

"King of Liars…?"

"It was quite a severe game. When you enter, they strip you of all your assets. Money, property, everything." The gambler stated. "You must use your wisdom, cunning, and luck to battle through challenge after challenge. For the final match, I had to face off with an odd duo… they called themselves the Honest Woman and the Liar Genius."

A few felt chills were sent up everyone's spines. "Wow, that sounds really scary," Hina said, wrapping her arms around herself. "I couldn't imagine entering something like that."

"Me neither." Sayaka said with a shake of her head. "I can't believe you entered into that Celeste."

"Assuming that it isn't another of her lies." Byakuya remarked. "This sounds far too fictional to be true."

"Well, you know what they say. Reality is stranger than fiction." Celeste shot back without missing a beat.

Makoto felt a slight chill go up his spine. "Wow, they sound pretty scary…"

"Oh, that part is not important." Celeste dismissed. "But during a break, I was careless and spilled some tea on my clothes." She began sounding more distressed. "I was terrified that the stain would never come out. That was a very difficult time in my life."

That caused the whole group to freeze for a moment. "...The fuck did she say just now?" Mondo asked bluntly.

"And there it is…" Makoto sighed, not surprise at the least.

"...Huh?"

"I was forced to win more quickly than I wanted, so that I could rush to the cleaners." Celeste continued. "I was able to get the stain out, but it was perilously close…" She let out a sigh. "If I had waited even another hour, I would have been forced to throw out my favorite dress."

Now everyone was sporting blank or disbelieving looks. "Are you serious right now?" Byakuya questioned in disbelief "Your 'gambling crisis' is tea being spilled on your dress?"

"That's a clothing crisis, not a gambling crisis!" Junko exclaimed.

"How could you call it a gambling crisis when you won the game?" Chihiro asked in confusion.

"The spill on my dress forced me to win sooner than expected." Celeste argued. "If it weren't for that, I would've spent that time humiliating my opponents."

"I think they got humiliated enough…" Leon deadpanned. The fact that she took her dress as her number one priority over a dangerous gambling tournament must've been insulting to the opponents.

Makoto was silent, utterly baffled at what he just heard. 'That was her 'crisis'? The biggest crisis she ever faced…?' He thought incredulously. 'I just… don't even know what to say.'

"Don't blame you there, dude." Mondo sighed, facepalming. Seriously, this is almost as stupid as one of Hiro's conversations.

But he didn't dare say that out loud for obvious reasons.

The next scene switched to Hifumi and Makoto at the art room. "Hey, Mr. Naegi?" Hifumi called the luckster.

"Yeah? What's up?" Makoto asked curiously.

"I feel like you're worthy of my trust, you know?" The fanfic creator said. "You're the only one… I can confess too." A serene smile entered his face. "I've reached my limit. I need to get out of here. Right now."

That calm confession definitely startled some of the students, as well as sent chills up some spines. "What's wrong now?!" Leon exclaimed.

"Y-Yeah! Don't say that with that smile!" Hina agreed with Leon.

"H-Hey, come on." Makoto quickly said, a chill up his spine. "Don't talk like that when you've got that creepy grin on your face…"

"I need to see her." Hifumi groaned in misery. "I need to get a TV. I need to see the real Princess Piggles."

"That's what you're fucking worried about?!" Mondo questioned in disbelief.

"And weren't you drooling over an AI just a day ago?" Junko pointed out.

"Even I can feel disappointed at your priorities." Mukuro commented.

"That doesn't mean I can no longer adore my favorite princess!" Hifumi responded back fiercely. "Princess Piggles will always be dear to my heart!"

"I can't believe he's serious…" Leon groaned, facepalming.

'What does he mean, 'real'?' Makoto thought in confusion. 'She's a cartoon character.'

Hifumi froze at that. "Just a cartoon character?" The fanfic creator repeated, as if he just heard something extremely insulting. "What do you mean, 'just a cartoon character'?!" He turned to Makoto with a fierce glare. "She's is not just a simple, common cartoon character! She's-"

He rant was interrupted with yet another baseball to the head. "Continue the damn thing!" Leon shouted to Spirit, who simply shrugged and played the TV once more.

'But now might be a bad time to bring that up…'

"No kidding…" Several muttered. They were glad Leon manage to shut Hifumi up before he could start.

"Listen, don't get so upset. I'm sure you'll see her again really soon!" Makoto tried to reassure the fanfic creator. Then, in hopes of changing his mindset, he said this. "But jeez, Hifumi… you really love that anime, huh?"

"Of course. She's my guiding angel. She opened my eyes to life." Hifumi stated. "Before her, I didn't have a single friend. I was just a mild-mannered boy who liked to draw. I hurt everything I touched. I was a model young lad who fell to the Dark Side…"

"For example! Sometimes a nicey-nice type girl would come try to talk to me, right?" He brought up. "You know, be nice to the weird, dorky kid. And I'd scream at her, 'You're such a hypocrite!' I'd just yell right at her face and make her cry. Man I loved doing that…"

That caused several to look at the fanfic creator in disbelief and slight anger. "You yelled at a girl who's nice to you?!" Leon questioned incredulously. "And enjoyed it?!"

Hifumi looked uncomfortable at the looks. "Yeah, so?"

That comment earned three baseballs to the face. "Ow!"

"Mild-mannered my ass!" Mondo exclaimed in anger. At least with him, he didn't try to yell at girls on purpose. "You don't just try to make a girl cry! You don't do that!"

"My bro is right! Upsetting those who are kind to you is unacceptable!" Taka exclaimed in agreement.

"Geez, and I thought Toko got some issues, man…" Hiro sighed, earning a dirty look from the book writer.

"C'mon! That girl was being nice out of pity!" Hifumi argued in defense for himself. "I wasn't about to accept!"

"Whether or not that's true, you shouldn't have rejected that kindness with harsh words." Sakura lectured firmly. "It probably led to you being friendless."

"Much less have a girlfriend…" Junko added in.

'That's awful… he probably traumatized that poor girl!' Makoto thought to himself.

"You're siding with them, Mr. Naegi?!"

"Sorry Hifumi, but that was wrong." Makoto said, his voice a bit firm. "You don't even know if she was just pitying you."

Celeste let out a giggle. "Seems like no one is going to defend you on this one, Hifumi."

The fanfic creator merely let out a 'hmph' and crossed his arms childishly, refusing to admit that he was in the wrong.

"But by total chance, I happened to catch an episode of Demon Angel Pretty Pudgy Princess one day." Hifumi said, getting back to the main subject. "At first, I felt nothing but contempt for it. I thought it was just another magical girl anime. However… after that, she came to me in my dreams."

"Your dreams…?" Makoto repeated.

"I dreamed that I went on date after lovely date with Princess Piggles." Hifumi said, his usual perverted look entering his eyes. "It was… so much fun. When I woke up and realized it was a dream, I got depressed. But I also realized… I was in love."

Facepalms, blank looks, and eye rolls ensued. "Wow, dude. Just… wow." Mondo said, shaking his head.

"You think you're in love with a drawing thanks to a dream?" Byakuya questioned with a bit of disbelief. "That's absolutely pathetic."

"Absolutely disgusting" Toko added.

"And didn't your future self say he was in love with Alter Ego?" Hina pointed out.

"My love for Princess Piggles and Alter Ego are different!" Hifumi argued. "For the Princess, it's an admiration type of love! Like a guy loving their favorite idol! For Alter Ego, it's true love! One that will last forever!"

"Or never." Chihiro muttered darkly.

"I wanted to experience that sensation again, so I started buying all the Princess Piggles stuff I could. Unfortunately, in the show itself, the princess never falls in love. So as much as I wanted to, I never got to see her face filled with love, the way I did in my dream." A depressed look entered his face. "The face she made when she was in love was the cutest thing I've ever seen…"

"So, filled to the brim with my overflowing affection for the princess, I decided to draw that face myself!" The fanfic creator stated. "I was consumed with passion, and I finished one Princess Piggles project after another. I was so happy with the results, I decided to put it up on my personal website, just to see what happened." A proud smile entered his lip. "And it was an instant success!"

"Ah!" Sayaka said in realization. "That's how you got into fanfics, Hifumi?"

"Sure did!" Hifumi stated with a proud nod. "Thanks to my love for Princess Piggles, I evolved, starting from just another writer, to the Ultimate Fanfic Creator!"

"All because of one dream…" Junko remarked. "Well, it could be worse. He probably would've continued screaming at girls that talks to him."

"Yeah, that would be bad…" Makoto replied with a sweatdrop.

"That was the moment I was reborn as a true fanfic creator!"

"So that's why, huh?" Makoto commented on.

"I was so happy…" Hifumi continued, smiling. "I had no idea there were other people on the planet who'd felt the same things I had. I can't thank her, I know that! So instead…" Once again, a perverted glint entered his eyes. "I'll ball up all my love and affection, and use it to do incredibly embarrassing things to her!"

That earned face-faults and facepalms. "That's not how you thank someone Hifumi!" Taka exclaimed, looking offended. "Regardless of whether they're real or not!"

"Be silence, my rival!" Hifumi stated, pointing a finger at the moral compass. "You know nothing of how to express true love! That is why you shall lose the fight for Alter Ego's heart!"

"I'm not into Alter Ego!"

"I won't fall for your tricks, heathen!"

'Can he just shut up already?' Celeste groaned in her head, trying not to snap. Hearing all this geeky stuff is getting on her nerves!

'I think he missed the mark… by a mile.' Makoto deadpanned. 'Well, at least I understand him a little better now…'

"She's still developing as a woman, you know! And I can keep developing her in all sorts of ways!" Hifumi said, drooling a little.

'...And maybe understanding him just a little better is good enough.' Makoto decided.

"Agreed." Was the overall statement of most of the students, ignoring the fanfic creator's squawk. Who knows what's going on in that perverted head of his?

The next scene switched to Makoto walking around the 3rd floor hall. As he was walking, he spotted Byakuya walking towards him. "Oh, Byakuya." Makoto said in slight surprise. "You manage to get away from Jill?"

"Fortunately, yes." Byakuya said with a annoyed sigh. "Unfortunately, it took a lot of my precious time. The damn serial killer was stubborn in her pursuit."

"Yeah, I can imagine…" Makoto replied with a sweatdrop.

Once again, that brought another bout of laughter from the group, causing a tick mark to appear on Byakuya's head. Immature children, all of them…

Shaking his head, the heir changed the subject. "Listen, Makoto. I wanted to ask you something."

'What could Byakuya want to talk to me about?' Makoto thought warily.

Byakuya's statement, and Makoto's thought, caused the laughter to stop. "Yeah, what does the asshole want to talk to Makoto about?" Mondo questioned, eyes narrowed.

"How much you want to bet it's something insulting?" Leon remarked.

That earned a snort from Junko. "Nobody's dumb enough to take that sucker's bet."

'I have a bad feeling about this…'

Both Sayaka and Hina frowned, while Mukuro slightly furrowed her brows. None of them are eager to hear what Byakuya have to ask Makoto…

Despite his feeling, Makoto spoke up. "Oh, umm… sure, what's up?"

"You know… only a few chosen, perhaps 1% of us, are able to succeed in life." The heir began. "For the other 99%, their dreams never come true. Some never even have a dream in the first place. Spending every waking hour toiling to scrap together a meager living, just barely getting by… I just don't understand. Is there any meaning to a life like that?"

Makoto resisted letting out a sigh, especially when he saw the growing looks of anger from several of his friends while Byakuya grew slightly tense. This is going to get ugly, he can tell…

"Why are you asking me…?"

"Because you're part of that 99%, of course." Byakuya answered. "Why did you even feel the need to ask?"

'I knew he was gonna insult me somehow…' Makoto mentally groaned.

"Up until now, I've never been around anyone like that. So I'm interested…" Byakuya continued. "So tell me, how does it feel to live a life without hope, without potential or ambition or dream?"

As Sayaka got up to go and slap Byakuya, Makoto quickly grabbed her arm. "Wait Sayaka, don't!"

"He deserves a slap!" Sayaka growled, struggling against Makoto's hold. "That jerk is treating you like you're a slave or a low-wage worker, working only to survive!"

"Damn straight!" Mondo agreed, fury filling his voice. The only reason he's not joining Sayaka cause Taka and Chihiro quickly placed their hands on his arms. "And not only that, he's also implying that most of us are like that!"

"That's the future Byakuya that's saying that!" Makoto argued, keeping a tight hold on Sayaka's arm. "Our Byakuya has changed! He doesn't believe that anymore!"

"As unpleasant as it may be, I must admit that." Byakuya spoke up for himself, ignoring the glares from the others. "Some time after this conversation, he managed to prove to me that you 99% are capable of having a 'satisfied' life. I had not realized you all use a different scale to measure satisfaction."

"How was that possible?" Celeste inquired.

"I'll let you all witness that yourselves."

Sayaka gave the heir one more venomous glare before settling back down on the couch. Makoto sighed in relief, and let go of his idol friend's arm. Was Sayaka always this protective?

"C-Come on!" Makoto protested fiercely. "I don't have ambition, or dreams? I've never felt that way about myself! I mean, sure, maybe I'll never be as rich as you or anything, but… do you have to go around saying that to everyone? Can you only be happy by being better than others?"

"Your complaints are as old and repetitive as a third-rate pop song from any generation…" Was the heir's mocking response. "And yet, those are the words of the 99%. That is how you find comfort in your tiny, cold little world."

"Can I whack him upside the head? Just once?" Leon asked, clenching his fist tightly in anger. "I don't care if this is the future Byakuya saying that, I want to punch him right in the face!"

"D-Don't threaten my master!" Toko hissed at him, glaring at the baseball star. The entire hostility got her nerves up and running. "He's more wise than you!"

"I don't want to hear that from his obsessive fan girl!"

"O-Obsessive? Why you-"

"Enough. There's no point arguing." Kyoko interrupted. "Let just continue on." Leon and Toko glared at one another before moving their eyes away from each other.

"S-Stop saying stuff like that!"

"Sorry, I can't not speak the truth." Byakuya denied. "No matter how much you push and struggle, people like you will never be in a position to change the world."

Taka had to hold back a growl that was coming up his throat. This is worst than the last time Makoto spoke to him! Is there no end to Byakuya's arrogance?! What makes him think that normal people aren't in a position to change the world?!

'How is someone this arrogant?' Mukuro thought, annoyance and slight anger creeping up her chest. Not even some of the few cocky soldiers in Fenrir was this bad.

"You could all disappear tomorrow, and nothing would change. Your existence is of no consequence."

Makoto couldn't help but scowl at this. "Whether that's true or not, it doesn't matter." He argued. "Even if you live a totally normal, unimportant life, you can still find happiness in that. If I can live a life that I'm satisfied with, that's all that matters. If I spent, all my time comparing my life to other people's, I'd never be happy."

His small speech brought cheers to the group. "Yeah, you tell him Makoto!" Hina exclaimed happily. "Show him that we're not robots!"

"Damn straight! We don't have to be goddamn rich to be happy!" Mondo remarked with a grin.

"Yet another moving speech, Makoto!" Taka stated, tears forming in his eyes. "No matter what life you have, if it brings you happiness, and as long as it doesn't hurt others, that's all that matter!"

"Sure, maybe you can do that. You were guaranteed success from the day you were born, so-"

"Hold it!" Byakuya interrupted sharply. "From the day I was born? You have no idea…" A angry scowl entered his face. "You don't have a clue what you're talking about!"

Byakuya's anger startled the group. "Did… Makoto hit a nerve there?" Hiro asked.

"It would appear so." Celeste agreed, looking slightly surprise. "My, my, looks like even Byakuya have sore spots."

Makoto couldn't help but wince at this, rubbing his head sheepishly. While he couldn't have known the process of becoming the heir of the Togami Empire, he still feel a bit guilty about making that assumption.

Makoto was taken aback at Byakuya's expression. "What…?"

"Those who are 'chosen' from birth have no concept of what that truly means." Byakuya hissed. "I have gone to battle and emerged victorious. That is why I am the chosen."

"W-What are you talking about…?"

"I'm wondering the same thing to," Hina said, looking at Byakuya with confusion and wariness. "I mean, weren't you born heir to your family?"

"Of course not." Byakuya hissed, scowling. "Like my future self said, I went into battle and earned my position as the Togami heir."

"W-What do you mean? What battle?" Chihiro asked hesitantly.

Byakuya merely let out a 'tsk' in response. "As if I would willingly tell any of you ignorant fools." Though he have a feeling at some point, it would be revealed on screen. However, that doesn't mean he had to say anything now.

"You're spoiled, all of you. Running away into a world of self-indulgence." Byakuya said, venom in his voice. "Battle, competition, rivalry - you run away from it all. That is why the 99% walk the path they do." The heir began walking away from Makoto. "Good god, your absolute lack of understanding makes me want to weep."

For once, nobody got angry at the insults Byakuya spat out. They were shocked at how much emotion the heir was showing. "Damn, I didn't know Byakuya could get that angry." Leon said in surprise.

"Neither did I." Kyoko looked at the heir with a raised eyebrow. "So it does seem like you do have a basis as to why you hold these beliefs."

"Of course. The philosophies of this world aren't simply formed from nothing." Byakuya scoffed.

Taka couldn't help but furrow his eyebrows. How else did Byakuya become the Ultimate Affluent Progeny without being born into the position? What did he mean by battle?

Makoto could only stare at his retreating back in shock. "What the heck got into him?" He wondered to himself. 'He was acting totally normal, until… until I said something about being guaranteed success from the day he was born…' He furrowed his eyebrows. "I wonder why that set him off…"

"Indeed. Anything that could set Mr. Togami off is an interesting topic to go into." Hifumi stated, adjusting his glasses. "And if I remember correctly, he also got angry when Taka called geniuses lazy sods."

"Yeah, definitely an interesting story there." Junko remarked, looking at the heir. She's very interested on his history now.

The scene switched to Makoto and Kyoko walking with one another in the hallway. The two of them were silent for a moment, before Kyoko chose to speak up. "Can we finish this already?"

"Huh?" Makoto looked at her in confusion. "Finish…?"

Immediately, the group had a guess as to what she means. "There goes the ice queen…" Leon joked, drawing a look from said 'ice queen'.

"If we truly want to trust each other, we must truly know each other." Kyoko repeated his words from before. "That's what you believe, isn't it?"

"Well… yeah, but…"

"I understand why you feel that way, but… when it comes to me, I think you should probably give up." Kyoko stated bluntly.

"What?" Makoto's eyes widen at this before stopping and turning towards the lavender haired girl. "Why?!"

"Because I don't have anything to talk to you about." Was her simple answer.

Celeste raised an eyebrow at this. "Is this your trust issues speaking, or is it due to your lost memories?"

"A mixture of both, probably." Kyoko answered.

"Does that mean… you don't trust me?" Makoto asked, sounding hurt.

Kyoko looked away, silent at first. After a moment, she spoke. "If you get too involved with someone, you're apt to lose any sense of good judgement." She then look back at the luckster. "I learned that lesson myself all too well. Personal experience is a ruthless teacher."

"Personal experience…?"

Kyoko held up one of her hands. "Surely by now you've noticed I always wear these gloves," She pointed out. "Simply put, there was a time when I grew attached to someone, and I made a bad decision. I was forced to learn a very powerful lesson, and these gloves are a daily reminder of that."

Makoto smiled a little to himself. While he still doesn't know the full story yet, Kyoko had told him some things. The fact she told him anything about her gloves and the story behind them makes him feel honoured.

"So on these gloves, I swore to never make the same mistake again."

"So something happened that caused her not to get close to others?" Hina questioned, frowning. "I can't imagine what that could be…"

"Though it seems that attitude did change some, Kyoko." Taka pointed out. "You seem to be more relaxed around us now."

"Especially Makoto." Leon added with a smirk.

Kyoko didn't rise to the bait, though it didn't stop the warmth of her feelings rushing to her cheeks. "Well, some of you are just extremely relentless when it comes to friendship." She gave a pointed look to Makoto and Hina, the former gaining a sheepish look while the latter merely grinned.

"S-Sorry, but… I'm not sure I completely understand." Makoto said honestly. "Can you tell me more about it? Maybe then I could…"

"I'm sorry, but I can't." Kyoko denied softly. "That's the end of it."

'The end…' Makoto looked down in sadness. 'So then, I never got to learn anything about her, about how she feels.'

The sight of a sad looking Makoto gave several of the girls the urge to embrace him like a hurt puppy. "I can't believe you were able deny a face like that." Sayaka said towards Kyoko. "You really have to be an Ice Queen to do that."

"Yeah." Hina agreed with a nod.

Kyoko merely crossed her arms and looked away, forcing herself to not be provoked. She didn't realize she was this difficult to talk to in the past, and admitting that would definitely be an embarrassment that she would rather not experience.

The two were silent for a moment. Then, Kyoko spoke up. "Anyway, don't get too depressed over all this." She told him. "The reason I'm not willing to talk about it isn't because I don't trust you. In fact, I do have faith in you. Which is why I decided to tell you what I have. I want you to understand why I can't tell you."

"That's pretty soft of you, Kyoko." Junko commented on. A mischievous smile entered her lip. "Did the sad puppy eyes Makoto sported affect you?"

The detective didn't move an inch from her posture, though as her internal embarrassment threatened to flush her cheeks, she couldn't rebuke it either.

"I can't show you myself, just like I can't show you what's beneath these gloves." She held up her gloves once again. "I can't remember the last person who saw what was beneath my gloves."

"That long…?"

"That's right." Kyoko nodded. "And I can't imagine a point where I would show them ever again. Only someone I could call family would be worthy."

"Family…?"

"Are you going to volunteer?" The lavender haired girl asked softly.

That got some teasing sounds from his male friends, with the luckster blushing. "So, are you going to propose Makoto?" Leon asked with a grin. "And if so, when's the wedding?"

"Make sure all of us gets invitations, dude." Hiro joined in the teasing.

Makoto ducked his head down in embarrassment, not noticing the dark frowns on four certain female students. "C'mon, guys!" Makoto whined. "Kyoko is teasing me!"

"And how do you know that?" Byakuya inquired.

Makoto blushed further. "Because… she did that to me some time ago…"

That got some laughter from his friends while Kyoko gave him a smug smirk.

The other girls could only internally pout as Kyoko earned the spotlight to herself again.

Makoto's eyes widen at this. "Huh?!" A blush quickly spread on his cheek.

"Got you again…" Kyoko teased. A small chuckle escaped her mouth. "You really are foolishly open." A small, soft, sincere smile entered her lips as she laughed.

Makoto slumped at this. 'She did get me again. And laughed at me again. But…' Makoto looked at the chuckling girl. 'I've never really heard her laugh out loud like that. I think that must be her natural laugh.'

"Yeah. Still weird to see her laugh sometimes." Leon remarked. "Like, she didn't even crack a smile the first month at Hope's Peak."

"However, thanks to Mr. Naegi maxed persuasion skill, he's able to melt through Miss Kirigiri's cold heart." Hifumi declared, drawing a look from the detective.

Chihiro let out a tiny giggle. "And it's nice, seeing her laugh sometimes."

"Yeah, it is." Hina agreed with a bright smile. Especially since it's so rare to see her like that.

'It is, right? That's wasn't fake.' Makoto smiled. 'So maybe in the end… she did show me some part of herself. Maybe she showed me her true feelings…'

"And the bond between the detective and luckster student grows deeper…" Junko declared dramatically. "Seriously, even in a killing game, the two of you seem to have a special bond."

"I guess we fit well together, despite any situation." Kyoko stated, discreetly giving a small smirk to the other girls, especially Sayaka.

The blue-haired idol gritted her teeth at that. Oh, she's using this chance to rub it in!

Kyoko spoke up once again. "I know I always tell you to be careful and protect yourself, but…" Her voice then got softer. "To be honest, I hope you don't change. I prefer you this way." She smiled at him. "This is… you."

The group could see the closeness between the two. They can tell, despite the few times they saw the future Makoto and Kyoko with each other, that they were growing incredibly close.

The present Makoto and Kyoko looked at one another before smiling, the luckster giving a bashful smile while the detective had a smaller one. It really does seem like they're growing close as they are now, despite the situation.

Sayaka, meanwhile, frowned to herself. While she doesn't doubt that she's close to Makoto, closer than the most of the class, Kyoko was equally close. Maybe even closer, after what they witnessed in chapter one. It made the detective a serious contender for her luckster's heart.

Mukuro also frowned, feeling envious of the bond Kyoko shares with Makoto. She wished she could be that close with him. But that seems to be a distant dream, especially with the knowledge he now possesses.

The luckster couldn't help but blush at this, but smiled. 'In the end, I never did really figure her out.' He thought to himself. 'But at least I got a little bit closer…'

'I'd say it's more than a little bit.' Kyoko thought to herself. While her future self is aloof, mainly due to her memory loss, she can tell the future self is starting to grow fond of Makoto just as she now is.

Hina pouted to herself, while Celeste twirled her hair around her finger in contempt. Like Mukuro, they wished they could be as close with Makoto as Kyoko was. And like Sayaka, they know that Kyoko is the biggest contender out of the five of them.

Shaking out of her jealous thoughts, a new thought crossed Hina's head. "We've been seeing more of these talks, haven't we?"

"We have." Mukuro confirmed with a nod. "The numbers have definitely increased since chapter two."

"Is it going to increase with each chapter?" Sakura questioned.

"I doubt it." Byakuya answered, shaking his head. "If it would, this viewing would be longer than necessary. Plus, its only natural since there are fewer and fewer people to talk to."

"That's a bleak way of seeing things…" Hiro said with a sweat-dropped.

"But one filled with the facts. We cannot escape that outcome."

"Well, let's just enjoy while it last…" Chihiro suggested, shifting a little. "I'm not really looking forward to seeing anymore of my classmates…" While he didn't finish his sentence, the unsaid words were clear.

That got a few gloomy looks. Yeah, most of them aren't looking forward to that.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 52: Watching Chapter 3: A Next Generation Legend! Stand Tall, Galactic Hero! Part 10

The next scene was Makoto entering one of the classrooms at the third floor, where Genocide Jill is residing. "Oh, hey Mahkyutie!"

The sight of the serial killer caused Toko to yelp and curl up in fear yet again, while some of the others tensed up a little.

"Mahkyutie?" Hiro asked, confused. "I thought she nicknamed you Big Mac last time."

"You know Jill has the tendency to change up her nicknames for us." Taka reminded him.

'Mahkyutie?' Makoto thought in confusion. 'Is that me…?'

"Hey, listen to me, okay?" The serial killer requested, getting close to the luckster. "Something's building up, ya know?! Mainly stress…!" And once again, she pulled her infamous scissors out. "It cuz I haven't gotten to kill anyone lately! So it's building up! It's packed in there tight!"

Her words, along with how close she is too Makoto, made the group more than a bit nervous. "Is she thinking about killing Mr. Naegi?" Hifumi questioned nervously.

"I think she's just complaining to him…" Taka replied, though unsure himself.

Mukuro was tensed, looking at Toko cautiously. Jill better not be targeting Makoto. Else she will have to deal with her.

"..." Makoto was silent at first, not sure what to say at that. After a moment, he hesitantly spoke up. "So… why do you…?"

"Yes?" Jill asked, tilting her head.

"Why do you… kill people?" Makoto asked nervously. "You should really stop. I mean, it's just meaningless bloodshed, isn't it?"

Several students shot the luckster incredulous looks, not believing what he asked and requested. "Are you seriously asking for the reason of why she's killing people?" Byakuya asked him in disbelief. "And not only that, but to request a serial killer, who had already killed hundreds, to stop it?"

"Um, yes?" Makoto replied meekly. "Who knows? Maybe I could've stopped more deaths from happening."

"I still can't tell if you're courageous or stupid." Byakuya groaned. "Or both."

"Probably the latter." Junko chimed in.

"Definitely a ballsy move there, dude." Mondo spoke up. "Seriously, who in their right mind would confront a serial killer about their killing?"

"Who indeed." Kyoko pondered as she casted a sideways glance at Makoto.

Jill frowned at that. "Meaningless…?" She then exploded. "I know that, stupid! I don't kill because it has meaning!"

"At least she admits it." Leon muttered. Unlike most serial killers out there.

"Then… why…?" Makoto asked, trying to comprehend it.

"Let me ask YOU something, Mr. Smartypants!" The killer responded back. "Why does a soccer player kick stuff?! Why does a bookstore manager sell books?! You'd never ask them, right? It's exactly the same with me!"

Once again, the room was filled with an air of disbelief. "Is she really comparing normal, regular day stuff with killing hundreds of people?!" Hina exclaimed incredulously. "Those things aren't the same at all!"

"I know her views are odd, considering she's a serial killer, but still…" Taka groaned, holding his head. Her words never fail to bring them all headaches.

"Th-That's not the same at all!" Makoto protested. "It's totally different!"

"Hmm…" Jill looked at the luckster with interest. "You got balls, trying to lecture the mighty morphin' murderous fiend…"

"To the point I sometimes wonder if his self preservation instincts are working." Junko remarked, looking at the luckster.

Makoto's face turned red from embarrassment. "Hey! I assure you they are working fine!"

"Your tendency get yourself in the middle of danger says otherwise." Byakuya remarked dryly, causing Makoto to become even more embarrassed as he couldn't deny it.

"He's right. You do have a horrible track record." Hiro added.

"I don't want to hear that from you.." Makoto grumbled.

"Well, here's my response." The murderous fiend then grinned wildly. "It's easier to kill than to try not to!" She then ended that with her usual round of laughter.

'I don't know why I even bothered trying to understand Jack…' Makoto deadpanned to himself.

"No kidding…" Leon sighed, looking at his friend blankly. "At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if you manage to befriend an assassin."

Once again, Makoto turned red from not being able to refute it. "I'm not that bad, am I?"

"Yes, you are." Was the simultaneous answer of the entire group.

The serial killer continued laughing until, suddenly, she sneezed. The sneeze caused her to revert back to Toko. "H-Huh?"

The sight of Jack reverting back to her future self caused Toko to relax a bit, although she was still jittery.

"Oh, hey Toko." Makoto greeted awkwardly. "Um, are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah…" The writer stuttered, looking away. The two stood there in awkward silence for several beats.

'I thought Toko totally hated me…' Makoto thought to himself. 'But it's not like she's going out of her way to avoid me. Still… we're not actually talking, either.' Hesitantly, he spoke up. "H-Hey, Toko…?"

"Wh-What?" Toko spoke, looking kinda eager. "You have a question? You have a question f-for your classmate…?!"

Makoto was slightly surprised by this. 'Huh? Is she… happy?'

The group noticed her eagerness as well. "Wow, you're looking pretty eager." Leon remarked. "More so than the last time you talked to Makoto."

"You must really want some friends." Hiro added, drawing an embarrassed glare from the writer.

"D-Don't act l-like you weren't as f-friendless as I am!"

"Hey! That's not true!" Hiro protested. "I've… got a few friends!"

"Oh, r-really?" Toko asked with obvious doubt. "T-Tell us their n-names, then."

"Um… well…" Hiro looked away at that. "They… are shamans who gave up their names, so I can't really tell now!"

Celeste snorted. "You need to come up with better lies. That's an absolutely pathetic one." The fortune teller slumped at that.

'I would normally be concerned that telling Hiro his lies are bad would actually encourage him to come up with more convincing lies but... since it's Hiro, I think I'll keep this to myself...' Makoto thought.

Shaking his head, he continued with his question. "So, I kinda asked before, but what do you like to do in your spare time?"

"I just write." Toko answered bluntly. "I'm serialized, so I'm a-always really busy! And when I'm not writing, I'm s-studying. I'm not an idiot l-like you…!"

"Seriously, Toko?" Hina spoke up, mouth agape. "Did you have to insult him like that?"

Toko flushed and looked away. "S-Sorry…"

"Seriously, it's like bitterness comes out of your mouth every time you speak." Hiro sighed, drawing a glare from the writer.

Her eyes then widen before groaning in frustration. "Agh, d-dammit…! I had to go and open my b-big mouth again. You must hate me for s-sure now, right?"

"No, it didn't really bother me…" Makoto reassured the girl. "But anyways… how do you get your ideas for what you write? Is it like, real-life experience, or…?"

That got several snorts from the group. "Yeah. Real life experience." Leon said dryly. "That as believable as Hiro being a ladies man."

"Hey!"

Toko scowled at the baseball player. "L-Like you're a-any better, skirt chaser."

"At least I'm not chasing after someone like Byakuya."

"W-Why you-"

"Guys, can we please not argue?" Makoto pleaded. The two Ultimates huffed and look away from each other, but complied with Makoto's request.

That triggered Toko. "Are you stupid?!"

"What…?" Makoto was taken by surprised at the outburst.

"I t-told you, didn't I? I write romance novels…!" Toko reminded him. "How could I use m-my real life experience for that…?!"

"Yeah, that would probably make for a really bad romance novel…" Hiro pointed out. "Or a depressing one…"

"Kinda make me shiver just thinking about it…" Hina shivered, wrapping her arms around herself.

Makoto sweatdropped at this. Maybe Toko should wait a while before publishing her latest work…

"It's all my from my i-imagination! It's just delusion!" She exclaimed. "Delusions let you fall in l-love as much as you want, even if you n-never do in real life! Or are you s-saying you can't write romance unless you already have lots of experience i-in love…?"

"N-No, not at all…" Makoto denied, holding his arms up.

"It's okay. I'm used to p-people making fun of me…" Toko stated, looking away. "B-But… someday, I'll show them! I'll get pretty s-someday and show them all…!" As she said that, she stormed out of the classroom.

"This time I'm sure she hates me…" Makoto groaned.

"Does she run away after every talk you guys have?" Junko asked, amused.

"Not every talk." Makoto protested. '...But most of them, yes.' He then admitted to himself. It still baffles him at him how he was able to become friends with Toko.

As he went out of the classroom, he was greeted by somebody in the hallway. "Makoto!" He turned to see Hiro jogging towards him.

This got a lot of groans. "I wish your intuitions weren't so accurate, Sayaka." Hina whined. "I don't want to see anymore of Hiro's conversations."

"Seriously, what's wrong with talking to me?!"

"Everything." Celeste stated with a straight face that was accompanied by several agreeing expressions by those around her.

"Hey Hiro," Makoto greeted, slightly wary.

"So," The fortune teller began, after stopping a few feet away from Makoto. "You ready for me to tell your fortune?!"

"I told you, I'm done with that!"

"Stop offering those damn fortunes already!" Mondo exclaimed in annoyance. "Once was fucking enough!"

"And no one sensible enough is willing to pay for your ludicrous price!" Byakuya stated firmly.

"Not even I would sell my best works for anywhere near that price!" Hifumi cried.

"Will you guys stop dissing my fortunes?" Hiro whined.

"How about a no?" Junko suggested innocently.

"C'mon, don't be like that!" Hiro pleaded. "This one's on me! Free of charge! No money down!"

That got the group's attention. "...What is he planning?" Hina asked suspiciously.

"What makes you think I'm planning something?!"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because you don't give free fortunes so willingly." Leon pointed out. "Not unless you want some sort of favor."

The others were also staring at Hiro with some suspicion. Makoto, however, had a bad feeling as to what exactly this conversation is going to be about.

'Oh no… please don't tell me it's what I think is…' The luckster thought with dread.

Makoto narrowed his eyes at this. 'That just makes me even more suspicious…'

"You too, Makoto?!"

The luckster looked away at this. "Sorry Hiro, but to be fair, you never really inspired trust." He admitted, trying to ignore Hiro hanging his head. Not even he can deny that.

"I'll be waiting for you in my room! Meet me as soon as you can!" With that, Hiro began walking out of the hallway and to the stairs.

'I'm super skeptical… but I can't just ignore him.' Letting out a sigh, he began going to the direction of the dorms. "I guess I'd better just go and get this over with…"

"I would just leave the fool hanging." Byakuya scoffed. "Why even bother hearing his fortune? Or listen to anything he says?"

"Well, I kinda figured that he'll just keep pestering me until I say yes…" Makoto replied, rubbing the back of his head. "I don't think he would leave me alone if I just ignore him…"

"A fair point," Celeste sighed. "You can't ignore a pesky bug if it continues to fly around you face."

"Don't call me a bug!"

'But I'll have to be on my guard. This could be another one of his traps…' He continued thinking to himself. 'Considering how he's been up till now, there's no way I can believe he'd do anything for free.'

"Which makes me more concerned about the third motive." Sakura admitted. "Though I can't say for sure Hiro would do anything for money…"

"Y-Yeah, that's true." Chihiro agreed. "Hiro may have questionable morals, but he isn't completely bad."

Makoto kept his eyes away from everyone, actually knowing how far Hiro will go. And if this is what he think this is, they'll know too…

The next scene switched to Makoto entering Hiro's room, which contained several fortune telling items. "Yo, Makoto! Welcome!" Hiro greeted happily.

"Th-Thanks…" Makoto greeted back warily.

"Listen, before we get to the reading, I have a little favor to ask…"

The suspicious looks grew. "What are you planning to ask Makoto?" Sayaka asked, narrowing her eyes at the fortune teller.

Hiro sweated a little at the idol's glare. "I-I"m sure it's nothing…"

Before Hiro could finish, Makoto interrupted. "I knew it!" Right after the shout, the luckster began walking out. "Forget it, I'm out of here! I was right to be skeptical-!"

"No man! I'm super serious this time!" Hiro pleaded, quickly blocking Makoto's path. "Er- I mean, I really am serious! I want to talk to you about a problem I'm having…"

"A problem?" Makoto looked less suspicious and ready to leave at that.

"I listen to everyone else's problems all day, right? But who do I have to talk, to?" Hiro began. "Friends? Nope. I mean I literally have zero friends…"

'Jeez…' Makoto thought in slight surprise. 'I figured he didn't have many friends, but none at all…?'

"Yeah, I agree," Chihiro said, also looking a bit surprised. "I would've think Hiro must've had at least one friend."

"Even I had a couple friends in Fenrir." Mukuro commented.

"You're assuming that there are people out there who have enough patience to deal with that idiot." Celeste remarked dryly. "Makoto is one of a kind."

"No argument there." Mondo snorted, with several others nodding. Makoto blushed at that, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"This is the first time I've felt like there was someone I could talk to, could share my problems with." Hiro told him.

Makoto looked shocked at that. "H-Hiro…" After hearing his words, the luckster let himself relax. "Okay. If you don't mind telling me, I don't mind listening."

A couple of the students felt their suspicions go away some. "Is Mr. Hagakure gonna show some actual character development?" Hifumi murmured. "It would be amazing to witness."

"No kidding," Hina agreed with a nod. "It's starting to look like he's not going to be saying something dumb."

"Don't get your hopes up…" Byakuya murmured. This probably is setting them up for disappointment.

"Thank…!" The fortune teller said gratefully. "So, you remember I told you how I got held back a few times, right?"

"Y-Yeah, you mentioned that." Makoto nodded.

"Well, there's kind of a serious reason for that." Hiro told him.

Makoto bit back a long groan at this. So it really is THAT conversation…

"Wait, so it isn't just because you wasted all your money on those artifacts?" Taka questioned. "What else could've possibly stopped you from having your education?"

Hiro looked away at this. "U-Um…"

"I'm guessing you know, Makoto?" Kyoko asked, noticing the look on the luckster's face.

Makoto ducked his head down at this. "Y-Yeah… you'll see…" Kyoko braced herself for the truth as it looked pretty grim.

"There is…?"

"Someone's after me." The fortune teller revealed.

That definitely caught the group by surprise.

"What?!"

"S-Someone's after you?!"

"Who the fuck is it?"

"What did you do, Hiro?!"

The fortune teller squawked indignantly at the last question. "Hey! Don't put the blame on me!" Why does everyone think he did something?!

Makoto's eyes widen at this. "Someone's after you? Who?! What did you do?!"

"No, I - what makes you think I did anything? I just got dragged into it." Hiro claimed.

"I very much doubt you got dragged into it." Byakuya said dryly. "Most likely, you've con'ed the wrong person."

As if to confirm that suspicion, Hiro clammed up after that remark.

"I had an appointment come in, the daughter of some rich upper management type guy." Hiro looked away when he said the next part. "Maaaybe I pressured her a little to pull out her entire life savings…" He let out a sheepish chuckle. "Well, when her dad found out, he went apepoop, and it turned into a whole legal thing…"

"..." Several of the students have deadpan or baffled looks on their faces, any concern on their faces completely washed away. In all honestly, they really shouldn't expect any sort of depth from Hiro, but still…

"And I was right…" Byakuya sighed, pinching the bridge of nose to stop the incoming headache. "Your stupidity and greed never ceases to amaze me."

"How was I supposed to know that was going to happen?!"

"You shouldn't have cheated the girl out of her money!" Taka scolded. "That is completely unacceptable!"

The concerned look on Makoto's was quickly replaced with a baffled stare. "And it turns out, this Mr. Richie Rich guy just so happened to have ties to the mob." Hiro groaned. "So then I had these super scary gangsters coming after me…!"

"You gotta be shitting me…" Mondo groaned, facepalming. "Which fucking gang did you piss off so badly…?"

Hiro gulped as he remembered the scary yakuzas. "I-I think they were called the Kuzuryuu clan…?"

"THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY RIGHT NOW?!" Mondo shouted, his head shooting right back up with wide eyes.

Celeste also looked shock. "You managed to anger the most powerful yakuza in the country?!"

The others also looked very shocked and panic at this. "Dude…" Leon whispered, stunned. "How the hell are you still breathing, and not six feet under?"

"Especially with the heir of the Kuzuryuu clan in Hope's Peak." Sayaka added.

Hiro shivered at the mention of the Ultimate Yakuza. "I-I had to hide from the for a couple of years. It's another reason why I was held back for three years… and being in Hope's Peak keeps me from being gutted."

"And you tried to run?" Makoto's word was more of a statement than a question.

"Yeah. But they caught up to me, of course." Hiro confirmed. "They tried to force me to pay them… well, more than I could afford. So I snuck my way into Hope's Peak…"

"The instant I leave this school, they're gonna come for my guts!" He then exclaimed, getting into a panic. "Black market organs are in huge demand! But I love my organs! I don't wanna give 'em to someone else!" He then got onto knees in a begging posture. "So, here's the deal. Sell me some of your organs on the cheap, and I can resell 'em at the marketplace!"

"WHAT?!" Sayaka shouted, looking extremely furious. "What did you just ask?!"

"You want to sell Makoto's organs?!" Hina exclaimed, looking aghast and angry.

Kyoko turned to the luckster himself, who have his head buried in his hands. "Did he really ask you to do that?"

Makoto could only nod. "Y-Yeah."

The others also has varying looks of shock, anger, and disgust. "The fuck is wrong with you?!" Mondo exclaimed.

"How could you ask that of Makoto?" Sakura asked in disgust.

Mukuro merely gave him a murderous look, resisting the urge to kill Hiro right here and now.

Hiro shrank under the looks and glares being given to him. "I-I was desperate!"

"Understatement of the year." Leon scoffed. "Way too desperate."

Makoto could only be silent, just staring at Hiro blankly. "Just one! That's all I need!" Hiro continued pleading. The luckster continued staying silent. "Okay, fine! Sell me your identity! Those are pretty valuable these days!"

"Do you have no shame, Hiro?!" Taka shouted, giving a furious glare towards the fortune teller. "How could even think about asking something so immoral to your friend?!"

"Not to mention illegal." Kyoko said, giving Hiro a cold glare.

Meanwhile, Mukuro suddenly realized something. 'Wait… so when Makoto was cornered by those yakuzas, Hiro tried to…' This explained everything.

Again, Makoto was silent, making Hiro groan in frustration. "You're so selfish!"

"HE'S the selfish one?!" Hina exclaimed, mouth agape. "You're the one asking him to sell his organs and identity!"

"Why can't you just give the money back?" Chihiro pointed out. "That would solve the problem."

Hiro looked away. "I… can't…"

It clicked several minds. "You used that money on those so called 'OOParts, didn't you?" Celeste deadpanned.

Hiro's eyes widen in shock. "H-How did you know?!"

His statement was met with several groans and growls of frustration. "Just when I think I have seen the height of his stupidity…" Byakuya muttered under his breath.

"Be honest, you used that money to buy those artifacts of yours, didn't you?" Makoto finally spoke, his voice blank.

Hiro yelped in shock at this. "H-How'd you know?!"

"It can't be that obvious, right?!"

"Yes, it is that obvious." Junko confirmed blankly. "Anyone with a quarter of a brain can figure it out after the last conversation."

"So maybe, instead of trying to sell Makoto's organ or identity, how about you sell those damned artifacts?" Sayaka growled. The urge to strangle Hiro has grown more and more with each meeting. "Those things aren't even real!"

"They are real! You guys are just in denial! Or jealous!"

Sayaka was about to rip his head off when Makoto grabbed her arms. "Don't bother. He's not gonna change his mind." The luckster deadpanned. "Trust me. I tried."

"I'm surprised to hear you say that." Byakuya remarked with a raised eyebrow.

"Even I know when to give up." The luckster stated. Plus, there was the other fact the others don't know yet…

"I remember you mentioning how expensive that stuff was. What else could it be?" Makoto pointed out.

"Wait!" Hiro suddenly took a step back from Makoto. "Y-You're not suggesting I sell my OOParts, are you?!"

"Why not? That makes the most sense, doesn't it?" The luckster rhetorically asked. "If you can't bear to do it yourself, I'll help you!"

"No! No, no, no!" Hiro denied vehemently. "No freakin' way! That collection is all I have in life! How could you even suggest such a terrible thing! You're a cruel man, Makoto Naegi!"

"Says the dude willing to ask for somebody's organ to save his own skin!" Leon retorted in frustration. "Seriously dude, get your priorities straight!"

"It is straight!" Hiro claimed. "I can't just sell my OOParts!"

"You can if you want to keep from being six feet under!" Mondo told him. "The Kuzuryuu clan aren't people to fuck with!

"I know! And if I can sell an organ in the black market, I can make enough money to be scotch free!"

"So you're willing to sell anyone's organs, even a friend," Sakura spoke, disgust in her tone. "Not only to save yourself, but to keep these artifacts?"

"You're even worse than some of the villains I come up with!" Hifumi cried out.

Hiro gulped, deciding to be silent is the best thing right now. He then went pale, remember the next part of this conversation…

"You can call it terrible, but-"

But Hiro didn't want to hear it. "That's enough! Forget I ever asked!" He interrupted. "No matter what it takes, I'm gonna get out of here! Even if it means demolishing my life savings!"

THAT caused everyone to freeze, as they slowly processed the clairvoyant's words. "What… what did you just say…" Sayaka hissed, her features darkening.

"You have life savings…?" Kyoko questioned, her features turning even more icy.

Makoto's eyes widen at this. "Wait, you have life savings?!"

"Tch. So now you know." Hiro groaned. "I figured if I sold your organs, I wouldn't have to dip into my retirement funds…"

That actually angered Makoto. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"What?!" Hiro look offended at Makoto's anger. "Okay, I've had it! If you're not gonna give me your organs OR your identity, you can just get out!"

"Gladly!" Makoto then left Hiro's room, all too glad to go.

"..." Even though there wasn't a single word said, Hiro could feel the oppressive air in the room, unspoken words of disgust being said about him thanks to his future self's words. Makoto didn't say anything, having already experienced all of that and more. While he had long came to terms and forgave Hiro for the entire mess, it didn't mean he was going to say a single word in the fortune teller's defense.

"H-Hey! Come one! Don't give those looks!" Hiro pleaded. "I worked hard to earn all that money! Is it really wrong that I didn't want to blow it all off on that stupid debt?!"

"Yasuhiro… I can now say with certainty that you are a disgusting and abhorrent individual." Sakura declared with obvious disgust.

Desperate, he turned to Byakuya. "Byakuya, help me out here! You know what I'm talking about, right?!"

"...Hiro, even as someone who values their money above most people, what your future self asked of Naegi was absolutely disgusting." The heir stated.

"And that's not the worst of it." Everyone turned to Mukuro, who has an absolutely murderous glare aimed at Hiro. "Earlier this year, Yasuhiro had tried to follow through on this. Tricked Makoto into meeting up with members of the Kuzuryuu clan and threw him to the dogs once they did. Isn't that correct, Makoto?"

Makoto nodded, knowing that Mukuro figured already. "If it wasn't Mukuro that day, I would probably be dead in a ditch somewhere." He isn't even gonna bother trying to defend Hiro's position. Normally, he would be optimistic and forgiving, but this future watching reminded how awful what Hiro tried to do him was and how lucky he was to get out of with little to no scratches.

In response, the guys, Toko, and Sakura have varying looks of shock and disgust, while Makoto's admirers gave the sweating and panicking fortune teller glares so intense, he swore they were heating up his skin.

"...Just when I think you can't get any worse, you somehow manage to find a way to lower the bar even further." Kyoko hissed coldly.

During all this, Junko had brought her hands up to her mouth, mainly to hide the ear-splitting grin that was growing on her face. 'He's sooo lucky he's not indebted to me!' She thought to herself as she just imagined over 50 different scenarios on how to torture him.

As he walked away from Hiro's room, he thought about the conversation. 'Well, in the end, I think I'm better off having talked to him about… all of this.' He mentally sighed. 'If nothing else, I got to know him a lot better. I learned to never let my guard down around him…'

"How did you manage to fall for his tricks in the first place?" Celeste questioned, her glare never leaving Hiro.

Makoto rubbed his head sheepishly. "I didn't think he would resort to tricking me like that…" While he was suspicious, it wasn't really in his nature to abandon his friends, even if he thought that they're leading him into some sort of trap. "Again, thanks for saving me back then, Mukuro."

"You don't have to thank me. I would have done it again, if needed." Mukuro responded back before glaring at Hiro once again. And if Hiro tries something like that again, he will regret it.

Unknown to her, her four rivals were in the same mindset.

His thoughts were stopped when a voice called out to him. "Makoto," The luckster turned to see Sakura walking towards him. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah… kinda." Makoto sighed. He shook his head and wave off the concern. "It's nothing to worry about. Is there something you need, Sakura?"

The martial was silent for a moment. After a moment, she asked this, "Have you decided?"

The luckster tilted his head at that. "Decided what…?"

"Decided not to laugh at my story." Sakura cleared up.

That got the group's attention, momentarily forgetting their anger at Hiro. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that conversation." Leon remarked. "Still no idea what could cause us to laugh."

"Looks like we're about to see." Mondo remarked. Sakura, meanwhile, tensed up, nervous on the group's reaction.

"Oh, you're talking about Kenshiro?" Makoto asked, remembering the last conversation they had. "I mean… I honestly don't know what there is to laugh at…"

"Then join me in my room, and I will continue my story." Sakura offered. "Just the two of us…"

'Just the two of us, in her room?' Makoto thought in confusion. As he thought that, Sakura dragged Makoto into her room.

"The two of you are going into a room by yourselves…?" A perverted glint entered Hifumi's eyes. "Are planning something Miss Oog-" A baseball hit his face before he could finish. "Ouch!"

"Dude, just stop." Leon said flatly. It was honestly for the Hifumi's sake more than simply stopping his obscenities. Who knows what Sakura or Hina would do if Hifumi finished that question?

The next scene switched to Makoto and Sakura in the latter's room, which is filled with several martial arts equipment. 'Yep… this is pretty much exactly how I would've imagined it.' The luckster thought to himself.

"You know, I'm starting to see a lot of snarky thoughts from Makoto…" Leon noted. "Especially dealing with people like Hifumi and Hiro."

"His 'snarkiness' definitely came into full force with the last conversation with Mr. Hagakure…" Hifumi stated.

"Um, can we please not bring that up?" Hiro gulped, feeling the glares being sent on him.

'But hanging out in a girl's room, just us… gettin' kinda nervous!' He continued. 'And it being Sakura makes me nervous for a whole other reason…'

"Oh?" Sayaka gave Makoto a teasing grin. "What kinda thoughts are running around in your head?"

"Um- I just- well…" Makoto turned beet red at this, especially when giggling entered his ears. "I'm sorry, Sakura!"

"Don't worry, it's fine Makoto." Sakura assured him, slight amusement in her tone. "I can see how a guy and a girl being in a room together could lead to those thoughts."

"Is there a reason you're glancing around?" Sakura asked him.

"Oh, s-sorry!" Makoto stuttered, stopping his look around the room.

"Anyway, I shall continue my story…"

"Oh yeah." Makoto paid full attention to that. "The one and only Kenshiro…"

"That's right." Sakura nodded. "My lifelong rival. And… my…" Taking a deep breath, she said the next word. "My first love."

That caught several in the group by surprise. "Say whaaaaaa?!" Hifumi gasped in shock. "First love?!"

"You're saying this Kenshiro guy is your boyfriend?" Leon asked, taken by surprise.

Sakura nodded, a small tint of pink entering her face. "Yes…"

"Okay. Didn't see that coming." Mondo admitted.

Suddenly, much to the shock and horror of everyone, someone laughed. And that someone was none other than Hiro.

"Good one, Sakura." Hiro laughed out. "That was a good joke."

His words and laughter caused Sakura to tense and clench her fist anxiously, while Hina grew a darkening look of anger. "You think it's a joke…?" Hina hissed.

"Yeah." Hiro nodded, not seeing the gestures from several other students to SHUT UP. "I mean, it's a joke, right? I can't imagine Ogre dating anybody. Or any guy wanting to date her…"

His words, along with the flinch from Sakura and memories of Hiro's conversation with Makoto, caused her to snap. "That's it!" Hina roared, standing up from her seat. As she raised fist and went to punch Hiro, Sakura quickly grab her arm. "Let me go Sakura! I'm gonna punch Hiro in the balls! Punch him again and again until he faints!"

That caused Hiro to squeal and cover his privates, while several of the other guys winced and subconsciously covered their own legs.

"Hina, please calm down," Sakura requested. "There's no need to hurt him."

"He deserves it!" Hina growled. "He insulted you, thought you were joking about having a boyfriend! And not only that, but he threw Makoto to a bunch of yakuzas weeks ago! He earned a good smackdown!"

That got the luckster to speak. "Hina, please! It's okay, it's over and done with now." Makoto told the girl. "Besides, you know that Spirit won't allow you to hurt Hiro. So please, calm down."

After a moment, the girl stopped struggling from Sakura's grip. She gave the fortune teller one last glare before settling back down in her seat.

Hiro gulped and shrunk in his seat, feeling the disgusted, disappointed, and angry looks sent at him. For once, he finally realized he needs to be quiet for a while.

That took Makoto by surprise. "First love…?"

"...Did you just laugh?" Sakura questioned, tensing up.

"N-No! I definitely didn't!" Makoto quickly reassured her. 'I mean, it's pretty surprising and all, but…'

Taking a breath, he continued. "You made the choice to tell me this story…" He stated, his voice firm. "So of course I'm not going to laugh. I would never…!"

His words, along with the conviction in his voice, brought smiles to the group's face. It especially brought Hina back from her darkened mood.

"This is a proper reaction to a secret reveal!" Taka said, pride in his voice. "I am proud of your honest and mature words, Makoto!"

"It definitely helps understand how you're able to make friends with all of us." Sayaka said, smiling.

"As well as become our class representative with no competition." Kyoko added, a smirk on her face.

Makoto could only blush, especially from the beaming smile of Hina, as well as the grateful smile of Sakura. "It's not a big deal, is it? I mean, it's obviously not right to laugh at someone's secret."

"Most people would make fun of Sakura for that." Hina remarked, frowning a little. But quickly, her frown disappeared. "So it is a big deal that you didn't laugh! And don't try to say otherwise, mister!"

Sakura was silent, taking in his words. Then, she looked down in shame. "I'm ashamed of myself. I underestimated you." She then bowed her head. "I beg your forgiveness, Makoto."

"N-No, that's totally not necessary…" Makoto nervously told her.

"I just… didn't want to be laughed at." Sakura sighed. "Can you imagine? A girl like me, using the word love? And being shy about it is even more girly, right? I creep myself out, to be honest…"

Hina frowned at that. "Sakura…" She couldn't but emphasize with her best friend. It's probably one of the reason why she so close to her. They both share the same insecurities.

"I never imagined that a woman like that would have such insecurities." Byakuya remarked, ignoring the glare from Hina. "Especially with the confidence you carry."

"There are always thing we aren't so confident about." Sakura told Byakuya. "Something we're unsure of or nervous about."

"But you are a girl." Makoto pointed out."You're allowed to have a feminine side."

"But my goal is to become the strongest warrior on the planet." Sakura argued.

"Maybe, but you don't have to be 'manly' to find that kind of strength." Makoto retorted.

Sakura couldn't help but smile. Makoto definitely share similarities with Kenshiro. 'While he isn't as physically capable as my love, he's just as wise and strong-willed. And we will need that strength as we progress through this…'

That caused Sakura to make a strangling noise, taking Makoto by surprise. "Huh? Are you okay?" He asked in concern.

"Y-Yes, I just… you made me remember something." Sakura confessed. "Kenshiro once said something very similiar. I'd forgotten about that… but there's no point to recalling his words now." She then let out a sigh. "I really am a girl… still dragging his words with me like a chain around my neck…"

Her wording quickly cause some conclusions to be made. "Wait a minute… is Kenshiro…" Taka voiced out the group's concern.

"That would be explain why Sakura was scouted instead of him…" Byakuya murmured in thought.

Hina and Makoto, however, held back laughs, knowing that it isn't what they're thinking.

'Huh? What do you mean…?' Makoto thought in concern. An answer then came up into his mind. 'He might be already gone.'

Sakura eyebrows rose a little at this, especially seeing the concern and sympathetic looks from the others. Did she really gave the implication that Kenshiro is dead to Hina and Makoto?

Hesitantly, he spoke. "Right now, Kenshiro is…"

"He's fighting." Sakura stated.

That caught the others by surprise. "Seriously? He's just fighting?" Leon questioned. "Geez, you had me thinking for a moment there!"

"We thought Kenshiro was dead for a moment, Sakura!" Taka chided the martial artist.

She gave everyone an apologetic look. "Apologies. I didn't mean to make you all think that he was dead."

"O-Oh!" Makoto exclaimed, a bit startled. "Jeez, I thought you were gonna say-"

"He's fighting an illness."

And once again, the full attention of the group was grabbed. "He's sick?" Sayaka asked in concern. "How bad?"

"My future self will probably explain," Sakura assured him, as well as kept everyone from bombarding her with questions. "But it's very bad."

Kyoko, however, quickly made a conclusion. This illness must've weakened him, to the point that Hope's Peak wouldn't have been able to consider him for scouting. Thus left Sakura as the next best candidate.

"...Huh?"

"When they found out, the doctors said he only had six months to live." Sakura said. "But six months has come and gone, and he's still fighting. That's just how he is. He would never let a disease beat him. He has to get better…"

The truth both shocked them and touched them emotionally. "Well, damn." Mondo cursed. "Didn't think it would get this heavy…"

"An illness that suppose to kill him in six months…" Taka murmured. "And yet, he's able to persevere through that allotted time…"

"Your boyfriend really does sound strong Sakura…" Chihiro said in slight admiration.

"An admirable character indeed." Hifumi added.

Sakura smiled at that. "He is."

"He's the strongest human alive. I admit that - no, I believe that." Sakura finished with conviction.

"S-Sakura…" Makoto stuttered out.

"My, my. Such strong conviction there." Celeste said in slight amazement. "You truly believe this Kenshiro will be able to survive this disease?"

"I do." Sakura stated with no hesitation. "He's been in worse situations. He won't let a disease take him."

"And if Sakura believes it, then it must be true!" Hina stated with absolute belief. "Kenshiro will beat that cold!"

"I think so as well." Makoto said, giving a soft smile. "If Kenshiro is even half as strong as Sakura says, then he won't die from the illness."

Sakura directed her smile towards Hina and Makoto. "Thank you both, for believing in me." She told them sincerely. "As well as Kenshiro. I cannot wait to introduce him to the both of you."

"And I can't wait to meet him!" Hina said eagerly, with Makoto nodding in agreement.

"I visited him once." She confessed, looking up at the ceiling. "He'd lost so much weight. He looked like an entirely different person. But do you know what he said? He told me that now I was the strongest human alive. That I had taken the title. He said he'd return someday to get his title back. He said I'd better not let anyone else take it."

Sakura then faced Makoto once again. "He didn't need to say the last part. I'll never give up that title, not until he gets better. And when that day comes…" A fierce look enter her gaze. "I will defeat Kenshiro and earn that title for real."

Her story had Sayaka, Chihiro, and Taka tearing up at the story. Celeste and Mondo felt themselves getting misty in the eyes and looked away from everyone, while some of the others had looks of respect or admiration.

"That's a really touching story, Sakura…" Sayaka said, wiping some of the tears away. "I really do hope he's get better."

"As do I!" Taka stated passionately. "And when the two of you faced each other, I wish you the best of luck Sakura!"

"I-I think I found inspiration for my next work!" Hifumi said, shedding a tear while Toko also took note for the same idea.

"If this Kenshiro manages to get back into his physical peak, then it will be an interesting fight to watch…" Byakuya said, a hint of respect in his voice. While he wouldn't admit this aloud, Sakura is one of the few people he respected, even before this. It's obvious that she worked her way up to her current position. And hearing this made his respect rise up a bit more.

"And that's why I have to get stronger…"

"I had no idea…" Was all Makoto could say.

"That's my biggest reason for becoming the strongest human alive." Sakura concluded. "I'm sorry for wasting your time with such a long winded story…"

"I don't think you need to apologize, Sakura." Makoto spoke up. "I'm sure my future self didn't mind. Especially after… the last conversation." That had several glaring at Hiro once more, causing him to wince once again.

"Then I'm glad my future self was able to relieve of any stress you felt." Sakura responded back.

"I'm… not even sure why I told you." She looked down in thought. "I think that somehow… you remind me of him."

"Huh?" Makoto pointed at himself in confusion. "Me?"

"Well, in certain ways." The martial artist corrected herself. "Your build is obviously different, but you both have a strong core."

"Strong core…?" A blush entered the luckster's face. "N-No, I…"

"You don't have to be modest. I know strength when I see it." Sakura said, a smile entering her face. "Okay?"

"O-Okay…" Still, Makoto couldn't help but look down bashfully.

"Yeah, you're definitely way too modest, Makoto." Hina scolded him. "If Sakura says you're strong, you have to be!"

"And she isn't the only one who thinks that. I also think you're strong." Chihiro spoke up, twiddling his thumb. "And I'm sure everyone else think so too."

"Chihiro is correct on that!" Taka stated. "While not physically capable as some of us here, you have an inner strength that few can match!"

"I have to agree with my bro and Chihiro hear." Mondo said, his voice soft. "You definitely got a lot of courage inside your heart."

Sayaka let out a giggle while Kyoko smirked, when Makoto's face turned beet red. "If everyone else says so, then it must be true." The blue haired grabbed a hold of his arm. "You have a big heart, one that's willing to face anything."

"And I'm sure that heart will help everyone in the killing game." Kyoko spoke up, grabbing Makoto's hand with her gloved one.

Makoto was able to croak a small, "Th-Thanks…". Then clamped up, not knowing what to say without embarrassing himself.

'I agree as well. Makoto really is strong…' Mukuro thought to herself, admiration in those thoughts. Anyone willing to help others, even when dealing with their own demons, had to have a large amount of inner strength. 'Unlike me, who can't decide who to side with now…'

Junko, meanwhile, had the resist the urge to fall asleep. This is boring to her. While their brief moments of interesting happenings, much of this was so boring to her! Why they can't they get to the most despairings part more quickly? Is that too much to ask?

Fortunately for her, and unfortunately for the others, her wish will come very soon…

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 53: Watching Chapter 3: A Next Generation Legend! Stand Tall, Galactic Hero! Part 11

The next showed Makoto sitting on his bed. 'I still have some time left. What else should I do…' Before he could decide that, however, he suddenly saw something slip under the door. "Huh?"

The others quickly noticed that as well. "Is that a note?" Chihiro voice out everyone's curiosity.

"I would assume so." Taka confirmed.

"Hooh~? How interesting.." Junko chimed.

Curious, he went over to the object, to see that it was a piece of paper. 'Someone must've slipped it under the table…' The luckster then picked the paper and read it's content. It said, 'Meet in the Dining Hall!'

As soon as they saw the small note, they all immediately knew who it came from. "Why do you want Makoto in the dining hall?" Sayaka questioned, suspicion and anger clear in her tone. "Are you gonna try to pressure him into donating his organs?"

"Or his identity?" Hina added. Several students were giving the clairvoyant suspicious and/or angry looks.

"I-I don't think it's that!" Hiro exclaimed nervously. He really hope it isn't about that.

"You should learn when to call it quits you idiot, if this is coming from me of all people, it truly means you're hopeless." Celeste said.

"I-I'm not hopeless!"

'The handing writing is… really good.' Makoto thought, impressed. 'But to want to meet up so suddenly… Who wrote it? And why? What's the point of calling me out like this?' A small, nervous frown Makoto's face. 'I'm kind of nervous, but… there's no way I can't check it out now.'

"Are you sure it's wise to follow the content of that letter?" Hifumi asked nervously. "I mean, it could be a trap, just like in chapter 1." He didn't notice the slight flinch Sayaka for that statement.

"I don't think it's anything like that…" Makoto argued slightly. "Besides, if it is, then why not pick somewhere more secluded, like one of the other dorm rooms or locker rooms?"

"Fair point…" Sakura nodded in agreement.

The next scene switched to Makoto entering the dining hall, to see Hiro the only one inside. "Oh, Makoto!" Hiro greeted.

"Hiro…?" Makoto turned his head back to the letter in his hand. "Then the letter I found in my room…"

"Yup, I wrote it." The fortune teller confirmed.

"Your handwriting is… really nice." Makoto commented on, surprise.

"Y-Yeah. It's r-really surprising." Toko stated. "I th-thought for sure that i-i-it would be messy."

"It's not like I'm a one-trick pony, you know!" Hiro responded back. "A have a few tricks up my sleeve!"

"You can't call exploits 'tricks'." Byakuya remarked, earning a squawk of protest from Hiro.

"Well, I was always taught that if you had bad penmanship, a ghost would come and haunt you." Hiro stated.

"And he learned it for the most ridiculous reasons…" Celeste sighed, shaking her head. "Where on Earth did you heard that?"

"From a couple of guys in some forums…"

"...And you wonder why we all think you're a hopeless sucker." Mondo deadpanned.

'...Who taught you that?' Makoto thought in slight disbelief. Shaking his head, he got back to the matter of hand. "And why did you want to meet with me?"

"Oh, I just did what Kyoko asked me." Hiro revealed.

"Kyoko…?"

At the mention of the detective's name, conclusions were quickly made. "This must be about Alter Ego, isn't it?" Mukuro said out loud. "Has any progress been made?"

"Or did two certain idiots attempt to see the AI privately?" Junko remarked, looking at Hifumi and Taka. The former shuffled awkwardly at this while the latter hung his head in shame.

"I'm just an errand boy on this." Hiro stated. "Anyway, whaddya say to a late-night bath session?"

"Huh…?" Before he could think of say anything else, his mind deduced what Kyoko wants. 'She all of us to meet in the bath house? Then… did Alter Ego finish his research…?'

"S-Sure, Hiro! Let's go take a dip together!" Makoto said loudly, quickly walking with the fortune teller.

His acting earned sighs, smirks, and giggles from the group. "You really are a bad liar, Makoto." Hina giggled.

"Especially when put on the spot." Leon snickered.

Sayaka covered her mouth as she giggled while Kyoko merely smirked at the blushing boy. "As I said before, foolishly open."

"Let us hope his honest nature doesn't tip off the mastermind." Byakuya remarked.

"ANYONE would've been tipped off by him" Junko deadpanned in her mind.

The next scene switched to Makoto and Hiro entering the dressing room of the bathhouse, where all of the other remaining students are waiting. As soon as they did, Taka angrily spoke up. "Hey! You! How long were you gonna keep us waiting?!" He pointed at his watch in irritation. "It's almost ten o'clock, you know that?! Bedtime for all good little boys and girls!"

"I-Is he's gonna be like this for the rest of this future watching?" Toko asked in annoyance. "He's really annoying. M-More annoying that the current Taka."

As everyone looked over at Taka, everyone could feel the aura of depression emanating from him. "Am I really that annoying…?" Mondo could only pat his friend's back in comfort, not being able to deny that he can be at times.

"Tch… shut up…" Hifumi growled.

"What'd you say?!" Taka turned to Hifumi fiercely. "You want me to make you cry, little girl?!"

"Little girl?!" Hifumi roared, glaring at Taka. "How dare you?!"

"It was my future self's words!" Despite this, Taka stood up and bow in apology. "Never the less, I apologize for insulting you!"

"As if I would accept an apology from my riv-"

"Hifumi." Sakura interrupted sharply. "Don't try to make an argument. Taka apologized, even when it isn't himself saying those words."

The fanfic creator grumble, but didn't say anything else.

"Taka…" Byakuya let out an amused snicker. "He seems to be even worse off than I'd heard. Well, maybe it's a good thing. Maybe he's finally starting to grow a personality."

That made Taka's mood plumet even further. And for Mondo's temper to rise up. "That's a lot of shit you're letting out, Togami!" Mondo growled. "Maybe a knuckle sandwich would taste better?!"

"That insult is as clever as a lie from Makoto." Byakuya said dryly.

"I'm not that bad!" The luckster protested.

"Does the phrase foolishly open mean anything to you?"

"I manage to keep some secrets, didn't I?!"

"What-?!" Now the moral compass faced the heir. "You got a lot of poop fallin' outta that mouth of yours, you know?!"

"How rude…" Toko hissed. "A maggot like you has no right to speak that way to our heaven-sent Master…!"

That got a lot of groans from the group, especially Byakuya. "Oh great. Here goes that master crap…" Leon grumbled. "Honestly, where did that come from?"

"You're asking the wrong fucking people." Mondo muttered. And it doesn't seem Toko is gonna inform them of that. "I'm still trying to figure how the fuck Toko fell in love with the asshole."

"Hm? Are you back to your normal gloomy self?" Celeste inquired. "I can hardly keep track at this point."

"Sh-Shut up…!" Was Toko's retort.

"Well anyway, everyone's here, right?!" Hiro quickly spoke up. "Then my messenger duty is done!"

"You wanted us all to meet here, right Kyoko? So, what are we doing here?" Sakura inquired.

"Isn't it obvious?" Hiro rhetorically asked. "It's gotta have something to do with Alter Ego, right?!"

"Yeah, totally!" Hina agreed eagerly. "Did he finally find a clue? What is it? A way out?! The mastermind's true identity?!"

Their eagerness was started to affect the present Ultimates. "I'm really hoping that its a way out!" Hina stated. "Maybe a hint!"

"A clue to the mastermind's identity can be just as good." Chihiro added, leaning forward slightly. "Something that'll give us an edge on them."

"And considering Taka or Hifumi aren't begging for forgiveness, doesn't seem like the two went for another rendezvous!" Leon remarked with a grin. "So hopefully, it's something good!"

Unfortunately, their eagerness was cut through by Byakuya. "I wouldn't get your hopes up…" The heir pointed at the future Kyoko. "Take a look at Kyoko."

"Huh?" Immediately, the group looked at the detective's future self. Most of them didn't see a noticeable different, however.

But the girl herself and Makoto did. "She looks troubled." Makoto pointed out, frowning. "She got a slight frown on her face, like something unexpected happened."

That concerned everyone. "What do I have a bad feeling suddenly…?" Junko asked nervously.

At first, the lavender haired girl was silent. But after a moment of silence, she softly spoke. "It's gone."

Blood run cold at that simple statement. "What… what did she say?" Hina squeaked.

"Gone…?"

"I came here a little earlier to check up on things, and that's when I discovered…" Kyoko moved her body to reveal the empty locker. "Alter Ego - the laptop - has disappeared…"

Immediately, faces went pale. "What?!" Sayaka exclaimed. "It's gone?!"

"Someone took Alter Ego?!" Makoto spoke up right after.

"Are you fucking serious?!" Mondo shouted.

"She's… she's kidding, right?" Hiro questioned, looking panicky. "Right?!"

Chihiro didn't say anything. Just stared a the screen with wide, horrified eyes.

Hifumi also had a similar, but far more potent. "She's...gone?!"

"Please don't tell that damn bear found the laptop!" Leon groaned.

"What?!" Makoto shouted in shock.

"You're kidding, right…?" Hina asked, turning pale. Silence was her answer.

"H-Huh…? What…?" Hifumi stuttered out, trying to process what he heard. "She's… gone?"

"You can't be fudgin' serious!" Taka growled. "What'd you do with him?!"

"Was it the mastermind? Did they finally notice what we were up to?" Celeste questioned.

"I'd told Alter Ego to yell if anyone he didn't recognized appeared." Kyoko told her. "If it was the mastermind, I'm sure he would have alerted us."

"Maybe we just… missed it?" Hina hesitantly suggested.

"I was in the laundry room right next door all day. There's no way I wouldn't have heard have it." Kyoko shot back.

That slightly relieved the group, but not completely. "But if it's not the mastermind," Celeste questioned. "Then who else… would…?"

Slowly, heads turn towards Hifumi and Taka. The two went pale under the looks, especially when Chihiro slowly gave them suspicious glares.

"Now, wait a moment!" Taka protested, waving his hands. "While I admit my future self is weirdly infatuated with Alter Ego, I doubt he would go as far as stealing! He should still have his moral values!"

"Don't you lie, vermin!" Hifumi growled, directing a glare at the moral compass. "I see what you're doing! Trying to redirect the blame at me to save your skin!"

"I wasn't even thinking anything remotely like that!"

Before Hifumi could argue any further, Kyoko interrupted them. "Enough. Now's not the time to point fingers." Kyoko stated, though her words are more directed at Hifumi. "We'll find out as we continue watching."

Hifumi grumbled but stayed silent, while Taka let out a sigh of relief.

"B-But…" Makoto stuttered nervously. "If it wasn't the mastermind, then…"

"The solution to this particular mystery is obvious! It could only have been…" He pointed directly at Taka. "Him! Mr. Ishimaru! You stole her, didn't you?!"

"What?!" Taka shouted in outrage. "I'm the Ultimate Moral Compass! I would never do something like that!"

"I don't think it counts when you say it about yourself like that…" Hina replied with a sweatdrop.

"Yeah, I agree with future me," Hina said in response to her future self. "Doesn't that, you know, ruin the image of the Ultimate Moral Compass?"

"It's merely stating a fact, Hina." Taka told her. "I am the Ultimate Moral Compass. I know and follow what's right and what's wrong, as well as do my best to make sure everyone around does the same. There's no need to be modest about something like that."

"Well, if you put it like that, I guess it makes sense…" Hina admitted, rubbing the back of her head.

Taka ignored Hina. "You're the suspicious one here!" He accused Hifumi. "You're nothin' but a big, jiggling sack of fat!"

"Shows what you know." Hifumi growled in indignation. "This isn't my true form! I still have three more transformations left!" A moment later, he fully processed the accusation made against him. "Er… wait, I mean - it wasn't me! Everyone knows YOU'RE the thief!"

"Wrong!" Taka denied. "It's you!"

"Well I'm sure it was one of you." Hiro spoke up. "So whoever did it, just hurry up and confess!"

"Which one of you did it?" Chihiro questioned, glaring at the two. "Which one of you took Alter Ego?"

"C-Chihiro, calm down!" Taka nervously told the programmer. "It's no time to make hasty accusations!"

"B-But if it isn't the m-mastermind, then it has to be one of you two!" Toko pointed out. "No one else is interested in the AI like you two."

Sakura sighed to herself as if watching children fight amongst themselves.

"No. There's no way either one of them did it." Kyoko rebuked.

"Huh?" Hiro, along with the others, looked at her in confusion. "Why not?!"

"I told Alter Ego to yell if either Taka or Hifumi came in the dressing room." The girl revealed.

That took Taka and Hifumi by surprise. "W-What?" Hifumi stuttered.

"I see. A precaution in case either of the two got any ideas." Mukuro mused.

Taka's head slumped at this, depressed. "Am I really that untrustworthy?"

"It's just a precaution, Taka. Don't take it too personally." Kyoko told him.

That shocked both Taka and Hifumi. "Wh… what…?" Taka stuttered.

"It was a countermeasure against the clear danger that one of them might come for it." Kyoko explained.

"But… I never heard any yell." Celeste pointed out.\

"Exactly. Which means it wasn't them." Kyoko stated.

"But… if it wasn't Hifumi or Tak, nor the mastermind, then who took Alter Ego?" Chihiro asked, frowning nervously. "I mean, I can't think of anyone else."

'I can.' Byakuya thought. And judging from the grim or nervous looks from some of his more smarter classmates, they can as well. 'The spy for the mastermind. The traitor.'

"Then… who was it?" Hiro asked, looking nervous.

"The fundamental circumstances are becoming clear…" Byakuya mused. "If it wasn't the mastermind, and it wasn't Taka or Hifumi… then quite simply, it was someone else. Makoto, Celeste, Sakura, Hina, Toko, or myself… one of us must be the thief."

"Why would any of US wanna steal Alter Ego?!" Hina exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Hina agreed with her future self. "None of us has a reason to take it for ourselves!"

"Did you honestly forgot the end of chapter 2?" Byakuya sighed. "And this is coming from one who hasn't seen it himself."

That caused several more minds to click. "You're… talking about the spy, aren't you?" Sakura asked, her voice grim.

The heir nodded. "The spy, the traitor, the one working for the mastermind; they may have took it."

Blood ran cold at the mention of the spy. "But… we don't know for sure if there's actually a traitor!" Hina argued. "For all we know, Monokuma talked to somebody outside of Hope's Peak!"

"But if it was somebody else, Alter Ego would've screamed anyway." Kyoko countered. "So it can't be anyone outside of the surviving group."

"So the only options are Makoto, Hina, Sakura, Byakuya, Celeste, Toko, and Hiro." Mukuro mused. "Though we can take Makoto out, since we're looking at this through his point of view."

"And that means one out of six of us is traitor." Byakuya concluded. "One of us is spying for the mastermind."

"Also remember, none of us knows the other very well with limited exceptions like maybe Hina and Sakura. 'We' may understand that there's no reason to take it but 'they' don't." Kyoko added.

Several of the students had sick or anxious looks on their faces. Makoto's especially. Is there really a spy among them? Someone… working for the mastermind? He couldn't stomach the thought that one of them was actually a spy.

"How about this for a reason?" The heir then dropped a bomb. "There is a traitor among us."

"...Huh?" Was the only response Makoto could give from that statement.

"One of us is working for the mastermind - a spy." Byakuya explained. "And that's the one who stole Alter Ego. Can you deny the possibility?"

"I-It can't be!" Makoto immediately denied.

The luckster was ignored. "I've actually been thinking for some time now that there might by a spy among us." Byakuya murmured. "The mastermind brought someone in to help keep things moving smoothly."

Makoto could only stand there, his mind numb. 'A spy for the mastermind? A… traitor?' He shook his head in denial. 'No… it's impossible. Something that horrible… t-there's no way!'

That's what several of them felt. That it was impossible for any of them to spy for the mastermind.

Yet… the evidence is there for them to see. First, the epilogue of chapter two. And now the missing Alter Ego, who hasn't been stolen by the mastermind, Hifumi, or Taka.

"Why do you not speak?" Byakuya questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Are you struck silent by your inability to comprehend such a possibility?"

"You're acting like your not a suspect!" Mondo growled, glaring at Byakuya. "Out of the people mentioned, you're the most likely to spy for the mastermind!"

Byakuya merely looked at him tensely. "While I'm not denying the possibility, my attitude during the entire thing does not include that I am a spy." He said stiffly. "And if your judgement is based on personality, you could easily look at Hiro and Celeste."

"Y-Yeah!" Toko agreed, glaring at Mondo. "T-Those two are g-greedy or cowardly enough to do it! So don't point fingers at Master!"

"Hey, don't throw me under the bus!" Hiro cried out. "Why do I have to be a suspect?!"

"DId you forget the last chapter, Hiro?" Sayaka growled. That got Hiro a bit sweaty.

"And please, don't drag me into this conflict." Celeste said, her smile becoming slight venomous. "Hina and Sakura are not abstained from being suspects."

"Sakura and I would never do that!" Hina denied, glaring at Celeste. "We wouldn't work for the mastermind, especially Sakura!"

"Do not use us to redirect the suspicion away from yourself. After all, we are all under suspicion." Sakura said tersely, giving the gambler a firm look.

Makoto and Kyoko gave each tense looks as the others continued arguing. They both knew that this was bad. If things continue on like this, this glimpse of the future could tear them apart.

"Enough!" Kyoko said sharply, effectively stopping the arguments. "This is no time to argue. We'll see whether or not there's a traitor as we continue."

"Kyoko's right." Makoto backed up the detective. "We can't spend our time arguing like this. That's what the mastermind wants."

That got the group to back down momentarily, though many are tense, and are giving each other hostile or nervous looks.

Junko held back a mad giggle. This is getting so deliciously tense! If this tension continues growing, then things will grow more and more interesting. They may not even be able to finish this watching.

"I don't care!" Hifumi suddenly shouted. "I don't care… who…" A depress look entered his face. "Someone, anyone… save her. Please, rescue her. I'm begging you. I just want to see her smiling face again…"

"Same here." Taka clenched his feet tightly. "How many times do they hafta kill bro before they're happy…?" His teeth grinded anxiously. "I'll beg, I'll scrape my head across the ground. Just please give him back…!"

"...This is both weird and sad." Leon groaned. "They're really attached to Alter Ego…"

"Yeah…" Hina agreed, giving a slight sympathetic look to the depress Hifumi. Now that she think about, Hifumi must be really lonely, to have fallen in love with an AI. Not to mention how the future Taka is feeling…

Chihiro also softened at the sight of Hifumi. While he still won't let the fanfic creator get anywhere near Alter Ego, he can't but feel sorry for his classmate.

"This is pretty messed up…" Hina said softly. "But still, I think I kinda get how they feel…"

"I think Alter Ego is most likely safe, for the moment at least." Kyoko mused. "

"If they wanted to destroy it, they wouldn't have taken it." Celeste agreed. "They would've done it right here."

"So you're saying whoever did it has something else in mind for him…" Sakura deduced.

"It's something, at least…" Makoto sighed. But, what do they have in mind for Alter Ego? That question rings in his, along with everyone else's, head.

'Something else…?' Makoto thought to himself.

"That doesn't matter." Taka gritted out. "Nothing… nothing else matters... " He then rose his voice. "No matter what it takes, I'm gonna get him back! That's my promise as a man!"

"I swear I'll save her! Using the power of love…!" Hifumi declared.

Before anything else could be done, the school bell rung. Seconds later, the nighttime announcement played as usual. "It's nighttime…" Hina said, frowning.

"It is unfortunate, but we will have to leave the search for tomorrow." Celeste stated. "For now, everyone get some sleep."

"How can you be so casual! We don't have time to wait around!" Hifumi growled.

"What good are you if you are too tired?" Celeste retorted. "You will be much more effective after a good night's sleep."

"Who gives a crap about 'effective'?!" Taka argued fiercely. "We're talkin' about our FEELINGS here!"

"Never thought I hear Taka say something like that…" Leon remarked.

"Same." Sayaka agreed. "Then again, this a combination of Mondo and Taka…"

"So does this actually count?" Junko asked.

"Anything we do at night brings a higher chance of the mastermind noticing us." Kyoko said in persuasion. "Celeste is right. We should begin our investigation tomorrow morning." She then turned to Makoto. "What do you think, Makoto?"

"I… agree with you." Makoto reluctantly said. "If we run around tonight in a panic, the mastermind is sure to notice, and we won't get anything done." He turned to Taka and Hifumi. "Taka, Hifumi… I know how you feel right now, but… it's best if, just for tonight… you can try to endure it."

Both boys let out noises of frustration. But neither tried to argue Makoto's point.

"I feel really bad for them…" Hina said softly, looking down. "This is really affecting them…"

"I feel the same, Hina." Sakura agreed. "But Makoto is right. They just have to endure it for one more night…"

"Okay, then let us part for today." Celeste declared. "We will begin our search for Alter Ego in the morning."

"And you should think about what I said - someone may very well be spying for the mastermind." Byakuya advised the group.

No one had anything to say to that. And slowly, the group trickled out of the locker room and towards their rooms. Makoto's voice began speaking over the clips. "Alter Ego… gone as quickly as he appeared…"

Shots of each character's faces were shown as the narrator spoke. "We'd finally discovered some small measure hope. But even that… was taken away from us. And we couldn't even put up a fight."

Looks of frustration, sadness, and anxiety entered several faces, especially those that had survived, as Makoto spoke. They had something. Something that could've given more of a clue to find out who they're dealing with, or possible even a way out! But, without any of them noticing, that vital clue was taken from them.

Chihiro bit his lip, worried and frustrated. Alter Ego was his only chance to help the others. But now, it's gone, possibly in the mastermind's hands. What are they planning to his AI? Will they try to track it? Erase it?

Kyoko, despite not looking it, felt as frustrated as the others, if not more so. Her future self finally had a clue, something to solve the mystery of the killing game. She did everything she could to keep the mastermind from taking it, yet it was taken all the same. She can't help but feel frustrated.

The scene then showed everyone slowly entering their rooms. "We were given hope, and then when that hope was taken away… despair." Narrator Makoto continued. "It's just like… just like what the mastermind is doing to us…"

Next shown was Makoto sitting on his bed. 'Could it really be true?' Makoto thought to himself. 'Whoever stole Alter Ego… could they really be working for the mastermind? If that's true…'

Suspicious looks were cast at one another. Specifically on those who survived. Which one is a spy for the mastermind? Which one is a traitor to the group? Those were things several of them were thinking.

Makoto gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. He hated it. He hated having to doubt his own friends. He wants to believe that none of them would take Alter Ego for nefarious purposes. None of them would work for the mastermind. But the evidence is plastered around.

And not only that, but his classmates are beginning to get tense around each other. Beginning to argue. Beginning to point fingers. Beginning to doubt each other. And that scares him more than anything.

"No! It can't be! There's no way!" Makoto shouted to himself, holding his head.

"The scary thing isn't the idea of someone spying on us." Narrator Makoto spoke up once again. "What's really scary is… the idea that we're starting to doubt each other again. That scares me more than anything."

"Dammit…!" With that last shout, the present Makoto huffed and fall back into his bed. Not long after, he fell into a restless sleep.

That made a crack in the tense. Some of the group begin looking awkward, as well as a bit guilty. They know they shouldn't be acting like this. That now isn't the time to doubt. But with each chapter, it's getting harder to believe the best in each other.

The scene switched to morning, with the school bell ringing and the morning announcement playing once again. Slowly, Makoto got up from his bed, determination entering his feature. 'Today… we have to look for Alter Ego.' He then spoke up to himself. "Okay, first thing first… to the dining hall!"

The scene switched to Makoto quickly entering to the dining, in surprisingly high spirit. But when he got there, his confidence turned to confusion when he saw that only Sakura, Hina, and Kyoko is here.

The present students mirrored Makoto's confusion. "There's only four in the dining hall?" Leon asked, raising an eyebrow. "Where are the others?"

"Why isn't my future self up and ready to save the fair lady?!" Hifumi demanded. While he was silent for the most part, due to being sadden, as well as his future self voicing his thoughts, he cannot be silent about this!

"Yeah. You would think Taka and Hifumi would be the first ones up to do this." Hina said, frowning a little.

"Is this it?" Sakura asked, looking around. "What happened to the others?"

"Aren't they coming…?" Hina questioned in slight concern.

Kyoko was silent, a slight frown on her face.

'Only three people in the dining hall…' Makoto thought to himself, looking at the three girls. 'Hina, Sakura, and Kyoko. So including me…' "Only… four people?" Makoto voiced out, confusion laced in that voice.

Kyoko, like her counterpart, had a slight frown on her face. Could this be…? Is another murder about to be unveiled? But why would…

'Of course… the motive.' Kyoko thought, not letting her thoughts show. 'I forgot that they showed it early on.' And it seems like yet again, someone took the bait.

"God! This is why hate people who take their sweet time with everything!" Hina pouted.

"Anyway, let's wait a little while longer for the others." Sakura advised.

So the small group of four sat down, waiting for the others. "So we decided to wait, in case anyone else showed up." Narrator Makoto spoke. "But no matter how long we waited…"

The scene slowly transitioned to Hina pacing in front of the table, Kyoko frowning in thought, and Sakura and Makoto looking concerned. "So… it's 8 o'clock. We've been waiting here a full hour…" Hina spoke, worried.

"A full hour?" Chihiro said, his voice full of concern. "Where are the others?"

"While Byakuya and Toko being absent isn't a surprise, the others should've came." Sakura said, frowning.

"Why haven't the others come?" Sakura asked, also concerned.

"Hiro and Celeste have never missed a day… till now." Hina pointed out. "And what I'm really worried about is… Hifumi and Taka."

"They were more eager than anyone to look for Alter Ego…" Makoto agreed. "And they're not here."

"Maybe they decided to go 'fuck it' and went searching themselves?" Mondo suggested.

"I don't think so." Mukuro voiced her own opinion. "I think they would only do that if it was clear that no one else was going to search."

"Then what's the heck going on?" Junko asked, crossing her arms. However, contrary to her question, she's got a good picture to what is possibly happening. And she can't wait for the chaos to be unveiled.

Finally, Kyoko spoke up. "Something must have happened."

"Huh…?" Makoto, along with Hina and Sakura, turned towards the lavender haired girl at that statement.

"I was careless. I was too distracted by Alter Ego…" Kyoko murmured loudly. "But Monokuma gave us a motive. There was no way something wouldn't happen eventually."

'Monokuma's motive…' A flashback of Monokuma offering ten million dollars for the one who gets out of Hope's Peak.

Blood ran cold at the implication. "Oh no, don't tell me…" Leon groaned.

"A-Another murder?!" Chihiro exclaimed, looking shaken up.

"B-But, it was money! Nobody should want to kill for money!" Hina protested, looking quite pale herself.

"And nobody should want to kill for secrets." Celeste retorted. "Yet we all saw what happened." Mondo gritted his teeth at that.

Makoto himself was shaking, scared of what is to come, but also angry that he has to accept it. He wanted to see that it wasn't possible, that no one would kill for money… but that would be a pointless endeavor. He knows what he's about to witness next.

After a moment of silence, Kyoko spoke up again. "We need to go look for the people who didn't showed up." She told the three.

"O-Okay. Let's go track them down…" Hina agreed, looking more than a bit scared. And with that, the four of them quickly left the dining hall.

"So the ones who're safe are Makoto, Kyoko, Hina, and Sakura." Mukuro listed off. "Which means Byakuya, Toko, Taka, Hifumi, Celeste, and Hiro are possible victims."

The six mentioned tensed up, some looking incredibly anxious. All six were hoping that they aren't the next victims.

As they got into the hallways, Kyoko begans making plans. "We can cover more ground if we split up." She stated. She then turned to Sakura. "Sakura, you go check the dorms. Make sure to check all of our rooms." Next, she turned to Makoto. "Makoto, you check the first floor of the school. Meanwhile, I'll check the 2nd floor."

"Okay, then I guess I'll check the 3rd floor." Hina said, a look of determination on her face.

"Don't take risks. If anything happens, call for help right away." Kyoko ordered them.

"I really hope nothing happens…" Hina said worriedly.

"So do I." Makoto agreed.

"Okay, let's go." With Sakura's statement, the four left to do their individual search.

The seriousness of the situation got some adrenaline running, several students tensing up. Like future Hina and Makoto, they hope nothing had happened. But, like the last two chapters, it's a futile hope.

Byakuya looked down in thought. Who would be the next murder victim? Hifumi? Taka? Celeste? Possibly even himself? It's hard to say at the moment. However, he grimaced to himself as he noticed that his adrenaline started flowing throughout his body at the excitement from the new developments. Old habits do die hard he noted to himself.

Hifumi and Hiro bit their nails nervously. Are they the next victim? Did somebody kill them? Fear gripped their hearts at the thought of seeing their own dead bodies.

Taka himself felt some anxiety. Is he the next one to die? Will he be denied the chance to have his bro live on through him? Will he die not being able to do anything? Or worse, be a murderer just like Mondo?

'No!' Taka though forcefully. 'I wouldn't stoop that low! I would not repeat Mondo's mistake!' With that thought, he can only pray that the worst won't happen.

Celeste felt herself clenching her fist tightly, to stop any shaking sensation. Why? Why is her body reacting like she's afraid? There's no way she's going to die. There's no need to be afraid. She isn't scared. She has no concern about dying. She should be used to taking risks all the time especially since she is infamous in the underground gambling world. So why is it so different now?

Everyone waited in anticipation as the future Makoto, Sakura, Kyoko, and Hina split up to search for the remaining survivors.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 54: Watching Chapter 3: A Next Generation Legend! Stand Tall, Galactic Hero! Part 12

"So, I searched all through the first floor, going from room to room." Narrator Makoto spoke as the TV showed the luckster going through each different rooms. "And just as I finished my search…"

"S-Someone! Come here!"

"What…!" Makoto's head shot up at sudden shout. 'That was Hina!'

Immediately, the whole class grew worried. "What the hell happened?!" Mondo exclaimed.

"Is she alright?" Sakura immediately asked.

"What did she find?" Byakuya asked right after.

'She's supposed to be checking…' "...the third floor!" Without thinking any further, Makoto ran for the stairs.

The next scene switched to Makoto flying up the stairs to the 3rd floor, to see a rattled Hina standing in the hallway. "M-Makoto!"

"Hina, what's wrong?!"

"I-It's awful…" She stuttered out. "The rec room door was open… a-and when I looked inside, I saw… I saw…!"

"AARRRGH! Finish your damn sentences!" Leon yelled out in frustration.

'What did you see?' Makoto thought with dread.

"I'd better get the others… right…?" Hina asked, still looking pale. Before Makoto could answer, she began running to the stairs. "I… I'm gonna go get 'em! You go on ahead, Makoto!" With that, she ran down the stairs.

"The rec room…?" Makoto looked at the direction of the rec room nervously. "What did she see in there…?"

"Please don't be another body, please don't be another body, please don't be another body…" Hiro muttered repeatedly, crossing his fingers.

Without thinking anymore on it, Makoto launched himself into the rec room. And the first thing he saw was Celeste, leaning on the wall with a bruised marked on her face.

"C-Celeste!" Makoto cried out in worry.

"What happened to her?!" Hina cried out with panic.

"Looks like she was attacked." Mukuro answered, easily working out what direction the blow came from and having a general idea on what kind of weapon it could have been.

Celeste, despite her looks, was also quite concerned. Did someone try to kill her? Who? And why? Lost in her though, she didn't realize her hands began shaking.

"C-Celeste!" Immediately, Makoto ran over and bent on one knee beside her. "What happened?!"

"I was… stupid." She groaned, her accent sounding rough. "I got… attacked."

"Look like you were correct, Mukuro." Makoto said, frowning.

"Who would attack the fair Miss Ludenberg?" Hifumi exclaimed in horror.

"Attacked?! By who?!"

"I am not sure." Celeste answered. "Some sort of… strange man."

"Strange man…?"

"What the hell do you mean by strange?" Mondo questioned. "Is it somebody we don't know?"

"But no one else is in the school other than us and the mastermind, right?" Taka questioned. "So could it be anybody else?"

"A suspicious person whose existence is so unusual, I can't help but call him strange…" Celeste explained. "Without a doubt, it was some sort of strange suspicious individual."

"Can you give us some details, here?" Leon groaned. "Cause that's not helping at all."

"Trust me, if I could control what my future self says, I would've done so some time ago." Celeste retorted. She herself wonders why future self is being so cryptic. Is it that hard to describe the person?

"And that man attacked me, with the hammer on the ground there…" She weakly pointed at the blue, small hammer a few feet away from her.

The design of the hammer caught the group's attention. "What the heck?" Leon spoke, frowning in befuddlement. "What's up with the design?"

"I'm… not sure." Kyoko said, narrowing her eyes in confusion. Where did it come from? Did someone made it?

"For the most part, it seems to be the right weapon." Mukuro commented, comparing her findings from earlier.

Hifumi also narrowed his eyes at the hammer. Why does the design for it seem so familiar…?

Makoto went over to where the hammer is at. 'What is this…?' He picked it up and examined it. 'It's some kind of… wooden hammer or something? Pretty strange design…' He then saw the name on it. 'There's some writing on the head…' "Justice… Hammer… 1?"

"That's the hammer he attacked me with." Celeste told him. "I barely managed to avoid the blow, but I stumbled and fell. I now curse my lack of daily exercise…"

Celeste bit her lip. Should she perhaps take some form of exercising in the near future? While the thought sounds abhorring to her, she can see now that her lack of strength could affect her negatively, as much as she hates to admit it.

She then finally noticed her hands shaking once again, and again, forced them to stop. She held back a growl of frustration. What is wrong with her? Why is her body refusing to keep in control?

'So you were attacked… with this?' Makoto thought, looking at the hammer once again. 'Justice Hammer 1…'

Before he could think on it further, a shout caught his attention. "Makoto! Celeste!" The two turned to see Hina and Sakura running in. "I found Sakura!"

"C-Celeste… what on Earth happened here?" Sakura asked, stunned.

"Apparently she was attacked by some kind of strange man…" Makoto revealed to them.

"A… strange man?" Sakura repeated, confused. She turned towards the down gambler. "Tell us everything you can remember, Celeste. Be as detailed as you can…"

Everyone leaned forward, anxious to hear what exactly happened.

"Well, it all happened earlier this morning…" Celeste began. "I woke up a little before 7 am. Nighttime was not yet over, but I knew it was about to end, so I decided it would be okay if I took a little stroll around the 1st floor." She winced as she touched the bruise on her face. "...I understand now that that was a mistake."

"Anyway, that's where I first saw the strange man. I was immediately wary of him…" She continued. "He was obviously suspicious, so I decided to follow after him in secret. As I followed, I saw him go into the rec room. I tried to get a peek through the gap in the door, which is when he noticed me, and…"

"And that's when you were attacked." Sakura concluded.

Celeste frowned. Waking a bit before 7 seemed reasonable. But following a strange man, willingly? That's something difficult to believe.

Perhaps she suspected that this man was the mastermind? Did she think it was worth the risk to find out?

Also, what's with the lack of details? Everything she said so far was pretty ambiguous.

"It happened after 7 a.m., just after nighttime had ended." Celeste stated.

"So if it happened just after 7 o'clock…" Makoto trailed off.

"...then that was just about an hour ago." Sakura finished. "Right when we were all meeting in the dining hall…"

"The attack caused me to lose consciousness." The gambler told them. "Which would mean, I was unconscious for about an hour."

"Well, I'm just glad you weren't hurt too badly…" Hina sighed.

"But why didn't he try to kill you while you were knocked out?" Leon asked, crossing his arms. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad nobody else has joined the dead club, but that's just strange."

"Perhaps killing isn't their real goal." Mukuro mused.

"Or they have a different target in mind." Byakuya added, giving a few chills down students' spines.

"That is because I begged and groveled for my life…" Celeste admitted.

That caused the three to look at her in slight surprise. "You did?" Sakura asked.

Slowly getting up, Celeste explained herself. "I told him I'd do anything if he spared me. I offered to lick his boots, whatever it took…"

That got more than a few raised eyebrows. "Damn." Leon whistled. "Your actually willing to throw your pride away just to survive?"

"So it would seem…" Celeste answered, keeping an aghast look from entering her face. While the thought of begging for anything appalled her, she can see sense of pleading for her life if possible.

Still, it must have been an absolute last resort or...

"So you were willing to throw away all your pride…" Sakura sighed.

"It is a necessary skill for survival." Celeste replied quickly in defense. "Anyway, the important thing now is that we go search for the suspicious individual. If we do not hurry, this could become a serious problem."

That caught the group's attention. "Celeste… what do you mean, a 'serious problem'?" Makoto asked cautiously.

"When I looked in the rec room, I saw that the suspicious man was not alone." Celeste explained. "He had with him… Hifumi."

"H-Hifumi?!" Makoto exclaimed in shock.

"ME?!" Hifumi gasped in horror.

"Oh crap!" Hiro stated nervously. "That isn't good!"

"Thanks for the input, Captain Obvious!" Mondo retorted, looking quite worried himself.

Celeste, meanwhile, felt her eyes widen before she could stop herself, a wave of panic slowly washing over her.

"H-Hifumi?!"

A distressed look entered her face. "After he attacked me, he dragged Hifumi away…"

"You mean… Hifumi was kidnapped?" Sakura questioned in shock.

This got everyone worried. "What is he planning to do to Hifumi…?" Hina asked, looking scared.

"D-Do they plan to t-t-torture before he dies?" Toko stuttered out, wrapping her arms around herself. "M-Make his death p-painful and g-g-gory?"

"You strangely sound happy about it..." Hiro commented.

"Please don't put such ideas into my head!" Hifumi pleaded, holding said head.

"Shouldn't we start looking for him, then…?" Hina asked in concern, looking ready to go searching immediately. "Listen, Celeste… did anything in particular stand out about this strange guy?"

"Did anything stand out? Well…" The gambler looked down at her side. "Rather than trying to explain it, it would probably be faster if I showed you."

That got the others confused. "What does she mean, show us?" Sayaka asked, confused. "How can she show us?"

"Show us…?" Makoto asked in confusion.

Celeste then revealed the camera she was hiding, holding it up in her hand. "This is Hifumi's hand-me-down. His digital camera…"

Makoto's eyes widen in realization. "You don't mean…!"

Several other eyes widen. "She managed to get a picture of the attacker…?" Chihiro gasped in shock.

"Without him realizing it?" Taka added.

"Wow! Nice one Celeste!" Hina cheered.

This gave the gambler a nice distraction, and had her smiling smugly. "But of course. I can't have this individual get a complete victory over me." It was strange feeling proud over another person's achievements, even if the person was another version of herself. This feeling isn't that bad.

"I was able to photograph the suspicious individual without him realizing it." She stated, her voice more confident.

"Seriously?!" Hina exclaimed, getting up close to Celeste. "Let's see it!"

Celeste held the camera for them to see. "I would tell you not to be shocked, but I fear it would do you no good."

"At this point, nothing could surprise us." Leon sighed. "I mean, we got a frickin robotic bear holding us hostage for a game of murder each other!"

"Oh boy, you got us jinxed bad…" Junko remarked.

With that, the group leaned over to see who the suspicious individual is…

… Who turned out to be a giant robot, holding Hifumi by the shoulders.

It took a couple of moments for the group to process what they're seeing. When they did…

"WHAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Hifumi screamed in shock.

"What the fuck…?" Leon breathed out, baffled at what he's saying.

"What the hell are we looking at… ?" Byakuya questioned in befuddlement.

"Is that… a robot costume?" Hina asked in pure confusion.

Even Kyoko, Celeste, and Mukuro looked utterly lost at what they're seeing.

"Guess that would explain why Celeste couldn't explain it properly…" Sayaka murmured, looking just as confused as the others.

"That, is indeed... a strange sighting." Kyoko reluctantly agreed, also let down by the fact that it could have been concrete evidence.

Makoto numbly nodded his head in agreement. "And it explains the title of this chapter too…"

"Huh…?" It took a few seconds for Makoto to fully process what he's seeing before reacting more strongly. "Whaaaaat?!"

'Well, you were definitely right about the "strange" part…' The luckster couldn't help but think. 'Their face is totally covered.'

"Is that a… robot costume?" Hina asked, still shocked from being bewildered.

Hifumi, after recovering from his shock, spoke. "Not just any costume!" He exclaimed. "That is Robo Justice!"

That got the attentions of the others. "The fuck are you going on about…?" Mondo bluntly asked.

Makoto was the one to answer. "It's one of the anime shows Hifumi watches." He explained to the group. "One of his favorites." He then turned to the fanfic creature. "You're sure that's Robo Justice?"

"Positive!" Hifumi stated, nodding. "I could recognize him from a mile away!"

"But… why would someone disguise themselves as a character from an anime?" Byakuya questioned, still trying to process what he saw. "And how would they know of it?"

"It's possible that someone other than Hifumi watched the show, right?" Chihiro suggested.

Kyoko narrowed her eyes in thought. That's possible, yes, but somehow, that felt too convenient. There was something strange about this whole ordeal so far, but she just can't put her finger on it yet.

"As I said, a very strange and suspicious individual, yes?" Celeste asked for confirmation.

"So this weird robot guy… dragged Hifumi away?" Makoto asked.

"And I took this right after being attacked." Celeste answered. "In other words, a full hour ago."

Blood ran cold at this. "Damn it…" Leon cursed. As much as he butt heads with Hifumi, he didn't want to see him dead. "They need to find him, fast!"

"I-It's been a f-full hour, already." Toko reminded him, shaking. "F-For all we know, h-he may be already d-d-d-dead!"

"But we don't know that for sure!" Hina countered, trying to retain any color, and any positivity, she still had. "We… we could still save him!"

Hifumi, was just as pale as the others, if not more so, closed his eyes and clasped his hands together. "Don't be too late, don't be too late, don't be too late…" He chanted.

"Which is why if we don't hurry, it could become a serious problem."

"I believe I understand what happened." Sakura was about to say more, before pausing and then shaking her head. "Well, no, there is much I don't understand. But…" She looked at the picture once more. "The point is, someone dressed like that dragged Hifumi away."

"And it happened over an hour ago…" Makoto repeated what Celeste said.

"This is bad! We have to hurry!" Hina said urgently.

Makoto, Hina, and Sakura quickly turned towards Celeste. "Celeste, do you know where this mysterious man went?" The luckster asked.

Celeste frowned in thought. "When they left the rec room, they headed left…" She said.

"If that's true, they were headed toward the stairs leading down to the 2nd floor!" Sakura deduced.

"Wait, isn't that where Kyoko…" Makoto's eyes slowly widen in fear. "Where's Kyoko?"

"Is she still in the 2nd floor?" Sakura questioned, her eyes narrowed. "If so, she's in possible danger."

"I don't think you have to worry too much." Kyoko assured them. "I doubt the suit is designed to overpower a person."

"Then he must be down there, right!?" Makoto stated.

"The 2nd floor…" Hina frowned at this. "That's where Kyoko was supposed to be…"

"Huh?" Makoto turned towards the swimmer. "Speaking of which, why isn't Kyoko here?"

"Sorry… I didn't have time to go look for her." Hina explained.

"This is bad." Sakura stated. "If the strange man did head to the 2nd floor, Kyoko might run into him…"

Immediately, a look of worry entered Makoto's face. "We have to hurry! Kyoko's in danger!" As soon as he said, they all rushed out of the room and to the second floor.

By now, everyone was tense with worry. Is Hifumi okay? Is Kyoko okay? Did she run into this 'Robo-Justice'? And who's in the costume in the first place?

Hifumi himself felt terrified for his other self. Is he gonna end up another corpse? Beat up and tortured? Tortured then killed? The possibilities in his head scared him even more.

Kyoko, meanwhile, narrowed her eyes in thought. Yes, something definitely seems off about this. Why didn't the disguised individual destroy the camera Celeste had? Did they not see it somehow when they knocked her out? Maybe the helmet didn't provide the best visibility?

Byakuya was having similar thoughts. He was also wondering where the costume came from. From what they've seen, Monokuma doesn't have costumes like that laying around, so someone had to have made it. The only one who he could think of making that contraption is Hifumi, but the fool was held hostage by the one wearing that disguise. Something doesn't add up.

The next scene switched to the back of Byakuya and Genocide Jack, the two of them walking in the 2nd floor. "Hey, you two…" The two turned to see Makoto, Hina, Sakura, and Celeste running up to them.

"So Byakuya and Toko are safe," Chihiro sighed in relief. "That's good."

"Kinda." Leon sarcastically added. His comment was ignored by the mentioned Ultimates.

"What's going on? What's all the fuss?" Byakuya inquired.

"Yeah! You guys playin' a game or something?!" Jill added in. (Toko flinched at the sight of Jack, but didn't make any distress noises this time)

"Does it freaking LOOK like we're playing a game?!" Hina exclaimed in response.

Before anything else could be said, Makoto interjected. "Listen, have either of you seen Kyoko or Hifumi?!"

"Nope, nope, sure haven't!" Jill answered.

"Are they on this floor? We just got here ourselves." Byakuya told them in his usual calm demeanor. "I heard some kind of uproar, so I came running."

"We came here together!" Jill stated, a blush on her face.

"No… you're just stalking me." Byakuya bluntly said, an annoyed look on his face.

Toko scowled at that. "S-Stop stalking master!"

"Like you're one to talk." Leon retorted. "What the heck do you call spying on him in the library?"

"I-I was admiring him!"

"Keep telling yourself that." Mondo said dryly. "Maybe someone will believe you."

"A-Anyway, can you guys help us look for them?" Makoto requested, getting back to the main topic.

"Why?" Byakuya raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What happened?"

"There's no time now. We'll explain later." Sakura told him.

"Well… fine." The heir accepted for now. "It sounds like something interesting is going on."

Junko snorted at that. "Understatement there."

"Yeah. A dude in a robot suit, dragging Hifumi around is definitely more than interesting." Leon agreed.

"HIFUMI! KYOKO!" Hina called out loudly. "If you can hear me, say something!"

Most of the students heard nothing. But one did. "Hm…?" The group turned towards Sakura, who was looking at a certain direction.

"Did you hear something?" Celeste asked.

"Maybe…" Sakura replied, focusing a little bit more before turning sharply towards her instincts. "I think it came from… the library!"

"The library?! Okay, let's go!" At Hina's declaration, the group started running to the library as fast as they could.

The next scene cut to the group barging into the library. And the first thing they saw was Hifumi, leaning on one of the shelves, blood dripping from his head and mouth. "It hurts… it hurts…!" Hifumi groaned painfully, looking dizzy.

Everyone's eyes widen at the sight of an injured Hifumi, especially the fanfic creator himself. "Hifumi!" Sayaka exclaimed in concern. "He's hurt!"

"Clearly." Celeste retorted, trying not to show too much concern. "But how badly?"

"Enough to give him swirls in his eyes, that's for sure…" Mondo remarked.

"But I'm still alive…" Hifumi sighed in slight relief. "That's a good thing. I haven't perished."

Several eyes widen in concern. "A-Are you okay?!" Makoto exclaimed in concern.

"I'm glad to see… you're still alive…" Hina said, though looked worried.

"It's super bad, though…" Hifumi groaned. "Look at all the blood…"

"How did you get hurt?" Byakuya inquired.

"That guy hit me…"

Makoto looked at him curiously. "What guy?"

"Robo Justice." Hifumi stated. After a moment of pause, he continued. "Er, that's what I decided to call him, just now…"

That earned a confused look from Byakuya. "What are you talking about…?"

"Th-That guy was… Robo Justice…" Hifumi repeated perilously.

"This 'Robo Justice' you are referring to is…" Celeste held up the camera for the group to see. "This, is it not?"

Byakuya, who looked at the picture for the first time, looked utterly befuddled. "W-What the hell am I looking at…?"

"We're asking the same question, dude." Leon stated as they gazed at the picture. "Second time around, and it doesn't look any less weird."

"This is the one that attacked Celeste and Hifumi." Makoto told him. "Isn't that right, Hifumi?"

"Yeah… that's him, I'm sure of it…" Hifumi confirmed with a dizzy nod. "Robo Justice…!"

"Robo Justice, huh…?" Byakuya mused, though still looked confused.

"This just keeps getting stranger…" Sakura murmured.

"Agreed." Mukuro said, nodding her head. "Why hasn't this 'Robo Justice' person, as Hifumi called it, killed anybody yet? He had the chance to kill both Hifumi and Celeste, yet didn't act on it."

"Well, I'm not complaining!" Hifumi spoke up with obvious relief.

"Neither am I." Celeste added. Though she herself wonders that. If the one in the suit is a fellow survivor, why didn't they take the chance to… finish, either one of them? While her future self said that she begged, she highly doubt someone desperate enough to escape would just spare her life. It's possible that they wore the costume in the first place, just to ensure that no one will recognize them as they perform their murder, but that doesn't explain what happened to Hifumi.

The only thing she could think is that it's someone outside of the surviving group, possibly the mastermind, but had doubts. Something is wrong with this, she can tell.

Meanwhile, Junko realized her mistake in setting up this whole killing game: She forgot to implement a kill limit! It would've been boring if one person decided to kill everyone else undetected and win by default. That's not enough despair!

As they talked, Makoto looked down to see another hammer lying around, with the same features as the first one. 'It's a hammer, just like the one Celeste was attacked with in the rec room. But this one is…' "Justice hammer 2…?" Makoto read outloud, picking up the hammer. 'And on top of that… this one is actually a little bigger than the last one!'

Eyes widened at that. "Holy shit man," Mondo gasped. "I surprised you can still move from a goddamned hit like that!"

"Y-Yeah, I'm surprised too…" Hifumi stuttered, looking at the hammer fearfully.

"This Robo Justice guy must not have a strong arm," Junko remarked, crossing her arms. "Cause that seriously should've made you unconscious at least."

"So not only is there somebody attacking people in a robot disguise," Chihiro murmured, looking concern. "But they're also having the hammers increase in size with each attack?"

"I wouldn't make that conclusion yet, but a bigger hammer is definitely a concern." Kyoko said.

That got a worried look from Makoto. "That doesn't good." He stated. "If they go after someone else with a even bigger hammer, that could seriously injure someone."

"Possibly even kill them, if given enough force." Mukuro added. That wiped away the bit of relief the group was feeling. But something didn't feel right to Mukuro. There was a lot more blood than expected from a hammer blow rather than bruising. And from Makoto's perspective, there was too much blood to get a proper look at his wound so Mukuro couldn't make any conclusions yet.

"He attacked me with that hammer. He bonked me right on the head with it…" Hifumi groaned.

"With all that blood, that's beyond 'bonking'..." Hiro frightfully commented.

"A hammer that big, I'm surprised you're still okay…" Hina said, looking at the hammer.

"I'm not okay…!" Hifumi retorted painfully. "Look at all this blood…"

"Protein help wounds, you know." Sakura advised. "Would you like some?"

"...I have never heard of such a thing." Celeste deadpanned. "Are you sure it isn't just you?"

"I'm still trying to figure out how she was able to gain a healing factor through that training of hers," Byakuya sighed, pinching the crease between his eyes. "But that's a mystery for another day. We still need to deal with this headache."

"And I have a feeling that this isn't the end of it." Junko sighed. Inwardly, however, she's giddy. Things are finally starting to get exciting now! No more of that boring friendship stuff going on earlier! Come on! Let's see what kind of show you've put on this time my participants!

Of course, she already figured out that both Celeste and Hifumi were acting, and that Hifumi probably made the robot suit as well since he's the only one with both the ability to do so and the knowledge of it. Those two were being so obvious to her that its that's a bit funny that very few of her classmates were following along. Ah, the complicated life of being the Ultimate Analyst. Also, if she knows herself, it's just about time for...

Suddenly, Monokuma came up with his usual maniacal laughter coming from his mouth.

As usual, it surprised the group, causing several screams and shrieks. "Seriously, him again?!" Leon groaned.

"Can he just get the fuck out of here?!" Mondo shouted in annoyance.

"This has got to be a joy for him to watch." Celeste sighed.

Several of the survivors jumped away in shock. "It's him!" Hina gasped.

The bear continued giggling. "A robot of justice, huh?! Now things are really starting to get exciting!" He exclaimed in glee. "What kind of special moves does it have? Can it fly? Can it COMBINE?!" With one more round of laughter, he disappeared.

Sayaka let out an annoyed groan at this. "What was the point of that?"

"I doubt it was nothing more than an annoyance right now." Kyoko sighed. "We should ignore him for the time being. We shouldn't give him anymore attention than needed."

"Good point." Taka agreed.

"Why… is he here?" Byakuya questioned, looking at where the bear disappeared from.

"Let us not concern ourselves with him…" Celeste quickly advised. "What we need to do now is get Hifumi to the nurse's office right away. Whatever else we do, he needs to be treated as soon as possible."

Byakuya raised an eyebrow at this. "You seem awfully concerned about your classmate."

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?" Celeste responded, her facial features betraying nothing.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because you've shown in the past that you could care less about Hifumi, at least in the beginning." The heir pointed out. "So it's odd for you to show such concern for him."

"The events of this morning probably rattled my future self enough to be concern for the welfare of my classmates." Celeste responded without hesitation. "Even that of Hifumi."

While she said that, however, she can't help but notice too. Byakuya does have a point. She rarely, if ever, showed that much concern to her fellow classmates. Especially since most, if not all, are D rank during the time (Though Hiro is lower than all of them).

"Perhaps what happened unveiled your tsundere side and you're now showing how much your care for me?" Hifumi suggested in a dream-like state.

That got facepalms from a few, while Celeste held back an annoyed groan. "Seriously, dude? Now's not the time." Leon groaned.

"You're right! Let's go!" Hina immediately agreed with.

"Ngh… thanks, everyone…" Hifumi groaned.

The next scene cut to the group in the nursing room, bandages wrapped around Hifumi's forehead. "How ya feelin', Hifumi?" Hina asked softly, right beside the fanfic creator. "You want me to take a look at ya?"

"I-I'm okay…" Hifumi stuttered a little, holding his head. "I think it stopped bleeding. I'm still kinda dizzy, though…"

"Perhaps you should rest here a while." Celeste suggested.

"Y-Yeah, good idea…"

"Looks like things are calm for the time being," Makoto spoke up. "Hopefully, they can find this attacker soon."

"I doubt finding a guy dressed in a giant robot suit would be hard to find." Leon stated.

"The rest of us should get back to looking for that mystery assailant…" Sakur advised.

"Indeed. Before another victim appeared…" Celeste said in agreement. "The Justice Hammers seem to be increasing in size; first 1 and now 2."

"If there is a Justice Hammer 3, we can only assume it is even bigger than the first two." Byakuya mused.

Hina's eyes widen in shock at this. "If you got hit with anything bigger than that, you'd be dead for sure!"

Byakuya directed his attention towards Hifumi. "Tell us what happened to you, Hifumi."

"Well… I woke up early this morning and started looking for Alter Ego ahead of everyone else…" Hifumi explained, whispering so the mastermind won't here. "I went to the 3rd floor, and that's where the strange costumed man attacked me…"

"That must be what I witnessed at around 7 this morning." Celeste spoke up.

"After that, he dragged me to the library and WHACK! Down came the hammer…" Hifumi concluded. "That must've been… 30 or 40 minutes ago."

"Around the time Makoto, Kyoko, Hina, and I were still at the dining hall." Sakura stated. "Which means this Robo Justice couldn't have been any of us."

"Which would leave Byakuya, Toko, Taka, and Hiro as suspects." Mukuro listed off.

"At around 7:30 in other words… we would've still been in the dining hall." Hina murmured loudly.

'Which means Hina, Sakura, and I were together, and Kyoko was still with us.' Makoto thought to himself. 'So we all have alibis…'

Makoto frowned. Where on earth is Kyoko? She didn't hear all the commotion that was happening in the second floor? Is she even there at all?

"I was in the laundry room, doing my laundry." Byakuya told the group.

"His black underwear is as black as the pitch-black darkness of the blackest night…" Jill added.

The heir turned towards the serial killer with a scowl. "Why do you know that…?"

An innocent smile entered Jill's lip, her tongue still out. "Isn't it obvious? Cuz I was peeking!"

Byakuya bit back a growl of annoyance. "If I knew she was as degenerate as Hifumi, I would've put a restraining order on the fiend."

"B-But master," Toko protested. "You might have to put a restraining order on me too!"

"For once, a decent suggestion." Mondo commented.

Makoto shook his head before getting back to his thoughts. 'Anyway, so that means Byakuya and Toko were together at the time. Meaning they also have alibis…'

"Which means the only ones who could have been able to wear the costume are…" Mukuro looked at the two remaining suspects. "Hiro and Taka."

The two mentioned students paled, especially the fortune teller.

'The the only ones who don't have alibis for when Celeste and Hifumi were attacked are… the only two we haven't seen yet - Hiro and Taka. That's it, right…?'

"How much do you want to bet that it was Hiro that did it?" Junko asked everyone.

That got a startled yelp from the fortune teller. "H-Hey! Why does it gotta be me?!"

"Maybe because you're willing to do anything and everything to survive and get your hands on money?" Hina retorted, glaring at him. "You clearly showed that with that last talk with Kyoko!"

"B-But, it could also could've been-"

"Finish that sentence and I'll punch your fucking lights out!" Mondo growled, getting another frightened yelp from Hiro. "My bro would never have done something like that!"

"You say that, but it's also been said that you wouldn't have killed Chihiro." Byakuya pointed out. "And also that Sayaka wouldn't have attempted a murder. Both turned out to be wrong."

"You actually think bro would kill somebody?!"

"Yeah! I would never stoop that low, especially not for money!" Taka protested. "I wouldn't repeat the same mistake as Mondo did!"

"I'm just saying it's a possibility, that's all." Byakuya responded back. "Hiro's the more likely suspect, of course, but that doesn't mean Taka should be written out."

"He's right." Kyoko agreed before any more arguments could break out. "In any case, the group should be looking for this Robo-Justice anyway, so, if successful, we'll find out soon."

"By the way, what happened to Kyoko?" Byakuya asked. "I haven't seen her anywhere…"

"Oh yeah. She was supposed to be checking the 2nd floor, but… I didn't see her up there at all." Hina explained.

"Where could she have disappeared to…?" Sakura questioned, frowning.

"I have to agree. Where could she have gone to?" Taka questioned, holding his chin in thought.

"I hope she's okay…" Makoto murmured, more than a bit worry for his friend.

"In any case, I'm somewhat confident in my physical abilities. I didn't go through detective training for nothing." Kyoko said, hoping to dispel some of the concern for her.

Like the others, Kyoko is trying to think of where she gone. Did she find something, or someplace, that held clues, or possibly answers? Or did something else happen while she was searching?

"She's disappeared, huh?" The heir asked rhetorically. "What a strange woman. She might be exactly as I suspected…"

"Huh?" Was the reaction of several of them. Chihiro was the first to speak. "W-What do you mean?"

"What is it you're accusing me of, Byakuya?" Kyoko questioned, eyes narrowed.

"Didn't he hear Hina when she said that she, Sakura, Makoto, and Kyoko was at the dining hall?" Sayaka pointed out.

"Yeah. There's no way Kyoko would be Robo-Justice." Makoto stated.

The heir, however, shook his head. "No, I don't think he's talking about that."

That got some confused look. "Then what he's talking about?"

" *sigh*... isn't it obvious?"

"H-Hold on!" Makoto protested. "Kyoko was with us in the dining hall when Celeste and Hifumi were attacked! So-"

"I'm not talking about who attacked them." Byakuya interrupted him.

"...Huh?" The luckster stared at the heir in confusion.

"I'm referring to what we talked about last night." Byakuya stated. "Who the mastermind's spy might be…"

Everyone was immediately surprised by the accusation. "Are you actually thinking that Kyoko is the spy?" Leon asked in disbelief.

Byakuya sighed. "Not me personally, at least not yet, but my future self does, yes."

"But… why would he think that?!" Makoto exclaimed.

"Yeah! That shouldn't be possible!" Hina agreed with Makoto.

That got everyone staring at Byakuya, with Makoto's eyes widening. "Are you saying… Kyoko's with the mastermind?" His next response was immediate. "Th-That's not possible!"

"Kyoko has been helping us with both trials, as well as looking for a way out from the school." Taka pointed out. "Why would somebody working with the mastermind do that much?"

"For the trials, it's to make sure she comes out alive." Byakuya explained easily. "After all, if the blackened is picked incorrectly, then everyone but the blackened would get executed. As for looking for a way out, who's to say she isn't hiding stuff from the rest of us while giving us only the smaller details?"

"You're only making baseless accusations now Byakuya." Kyoko interjected, finally speaking up for herself. "There's no proof that I'm doing something like that."

The heir shrugged. "I'm merely explaining why my future self could see that as a possibility. As long as its a possibility, there's room for doubt."

Kyoko reluctantly and silently agreed to his point. She couldn't exactly prove that she wasn't doing that either. But if she was the spy, what reason was there for it?

"Isn't it?" Byakuya retorted. "This woman, who seems almost eager to handle dead bodies, hasn't even revealed her true identity."

"And now her memory loss is coming back to bite her in the butt," Leon groaned. "Especially since she's being silent about it."

"I doubt all of us would believe her if she said that." Celeste mused. "We could easily think she's lying, so the point is moot."

"But we all did lose memories of our time at Hope's Peak..." Chihiro complained.

"Yet at the same time, all of us remembered who we were except for Kyoko." Byakuya replied.

"Save this discussion for later." Sakura interjected before it could escalate. "Right now we need to focus on finding the suspicious individual."

"Yeah! If we don't hurry, there's only gonna be more victims!" Hina agreed. "That might be why Kyoko and Taka and Hiro haven't shown up yet!"

"Sh-She's right. We have to do something about that mystery man first…" Makoto said, trying to calm himself down.

"Don't worry about me. I'll catch up with you guys after I rest a bit…" Hifumi reassured them.

"Don't stay by yourself!" Hifumi squealed in fear. "You'll be a prime target!"

"Relax, dude." Mondo groaned. "If the guy didn't go kill you before, why would he go kill you now?"

"Understood." Celeste nodded. "Take care of yourself."

"Okay, let's go." With Sakura's words, the group of six stepped out of the nurse office.

"So now they're on the hunt for a guy inside a giant robot suit." Junko said. Then, seeing that it's been a while since she's played another role, decided to get into her queen persona. "Let's see if you peasants will be able to capture the elusive Robo-Justice!"

"Is now really the time Junko?" Makoto scolded her before turning back to the screen. "But yeah. Hopefully we can get them before anyone else gets hurt."

'Unlikely.' Kyoko thought to herself. Sooner or later, this Robo-Justice will attack somebody else. And most likely kill them.

Still, this whole thing is bothering her. Something isn't right about all this. But right now, she can't point her finger as to what. For now, she just have to watch and see.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 55: Watching Chapter 3: A Next Generation Legend! Stand Tall, Galactic Hero! Part 13

"So, whoever that is running around, why are they wearing that weird costume?" Hina asked as the group gathered in a circle in the hallway.

"Don't bother looking for reason from a deviant." Byakuya scoffed.

"So? What're we gonna do?" Jill asked. "Split up and look around?"

"That would be too dangerous." Mukuro advised with a frown. "We don't know anything about that individual's capabilities. For all we know, they may be able to match Sakura in a fight."

"That is if they're not one of us." Byakuya pointed. "Cause the only survivors able to wear that bizarre costume are Hiro and Taka, and I very much doubt they would be able to take on Sakura, of all people."

"Agreed." Taka said with a nervous nod.

"I'd run away at the thought of fighting her." Hiro admitted without shame.

Sakura shook her head in response. "Our opponent is very dangerous." She said. "We don't know what they're capable of. Even here…"

Suddenly, Celeste stiffened and her eyes widened in alarm, something that the group noticed. "What's wrong?" Byakuya asked her.

"I saw a shadow!" Celeste pointed at the direction she was looking. "Something moving around at the top of the stairs!"

Her sudden proclamation has brought everyone to the edge of their seats again.

"The hell are they waiting for?!" Mondo exclaimed. "Chase that weird fucker!"

"C'mon future me, don't let them get away!" Hina yelled in encouragement.

The group immediately turned to look at Celeste's pointed direction. "Really?!" Hina gasped.

"Up to the 2nd floor, then?" Sakura asked, eyes hardening. "You bastard! You won't get away from me!"

"Get 'em Sakura, get 'em!" Hina continued cheering.

She was soon joined by the others. "Corner him!" Leon exclaimed.

"Don't let them hurt anyone else!" Taka stated passionately.

The group then shot up the stairs, with Sakura at the front. The scene switched to the group coming up the second floor. "He must be around here somewhere." Celeste said, looking around anxiously. "Let's split up and corner him!"

"But don't take any chances." Sakura interjected. "As soon as you find him, call out and I'll come running."

"Good plan." Mukuro nodded in approval. "Split up to cover more ground, then call out to the others before the assailant could try anything."

"Weren't you just against this though?" Chihiro asked.

"Not when everyone is closer together now." Mukuro replied.

"And with Sakura's speed, there's no way they can hit and run before she catches them." Hina added.

Sakura nodded, her gaze fierce. "My future self will ensure that no one gets hurt on her watch."

"Okay, but… what should we yell?" Celeste asked.

"Anything! It doesn't matter!" Hina responded, looking ready to go search any minute.

"Then… is 'haaah!' okay?"

"Haaah or dohyaah or whatever you want!" Hina said in slight aggravation. "Just yell loud enough so we can hear you!"

"Seriously, what's with the questions?" Leon asked incredulously. "Like Hina said, just scream loud enough for everyone to hear you."

"Why did you feel the need to choose a specific sound?" Byakuya inquired, raising an eyebrow at the oddity.

"I'm… not sure myself." Honestly, it was odd even to her. Why did her future self felt the need to choose a specific call?

That earned a giggle from Celeste. "Doyhaaah? I have never heard such a reaction…"

"Okay, whatever! Just hurry up and start looking! Okay? Let's go!" With that, she began running in search of the disguised culprit.

She was soon followed by Genocide Jack. "Hey Mister Robot! Where ya hidin'? If you don't come out, we're gonna decommission ya!"

Moments, the others split off on their search for Robo Justice. "We spread in every direction to track down the costumed suspect." Narrator Makoto spoke up. Clips of each student looking in different rooms was shown. "At first, we didn't see any sign of the mysterious person. But after a few minutes of searching…

The scene currently showed Makoto about to leave the classroom he was looking in when an ear-piercing scream was suddenly heard.

The scream startled a few people, but mostly alerted everyone. "Was that Celeste…?" Sayaka asked in slight astonishment.

"No one else would've made a piercing cry like that." Mukuro stated, narrowing her eyes.

"That was quite a scream..." Hiro commented, to which for some unknown reason, he immediately felt invisible daggers around his neck.

"It must mean she saw the disguised person." Chihiro said, looking worried.

"Then the others have to get to her quickly." Sakura stated, her eyes also narrowed.

The scream brought Makoto into a state of alert. "That strange cry-! That had to be Celeste!" He looked towards the direction of the third floor. "It came from the floor above… she's on the third 3rd floor!" With that, he began sprinting to the third floor.

"All the way from the third floor?" Junko whistled in amazement. "Wow. You sure got some lungs."

"Never thought I would hear you let out such an intense scream…" Byakuya remarked.

"I guess with desperate times, come desperate measures…" Celeste said in response, going with the flow.

The scene switched to everyone coming up to the third floor, to see a shaken looking Celeste. "Over here, everyone!" She called out.

"Celeste!" Hina was the first to get to her side. "What's wrong?!"

"That was a rather… intense scream for someone like you." Byakuya pointed out.

The gambler ignored the heir. "I saw him! The strange costumed man…! He ran off as soon as I screamed…" She pointed towards the empty hallway. "I was blocking the stairs, so he headed further into the hallway and disappeared…!"

"So he's trapped in the third floor…" Mondo grinned at this. "No fucking escape now!"

"This is their chance to capture the assailant and sees who's in the costume!" Taka agreed.

Everyone looked to where Celeste was pointing. "He must be down this hall! Come on, let's go!"

Before they could follow Makoto's order, Jill suddenly made a sound. "Haa… haa…"

"What is it now?!" Hina exclaimed in exasperation.

"Achoo!" With that one sneeze, Genocide Jill reverted back to Toko. "H-Huh?"

"Whoa!" Hina's eyes widen in shock. "It's really true!" She then shook her head. "But that doesn't matter right now!"

"Wow. You recovered quickly." Celeste said, slightly surprised.

"Of course I did! There's a mysterious weirdo that we need to catch!" Hina stated. "I can't let something like that surprise me!"

Before anyone could move, another scream of fear suddenly was heard. "Huh?!" Makoto whipped his head around in shock.

The scream also startled the present group, as well as filled them with dread. "W-What was that?" Chihiro stuttered fearfully.

"That… sounded like Hifumi." Taka said, looking pale. Said fanfic creator looked as white as a sheet.

"Wh-What was that?!" Hina questioned fearfully.

"That came from downstairs!" Celeste deduced, looking down the steps. "It must have been… Hifumi! He's in the nurse's office!"

"This isn't good! This is really not good!" Hiro exclaimed, holding his head. "Did that Robo Justice guy came back for him?"

"That's impossible!" Mondo responded back. "Celeste blocked the way downstairs! There's no chance in hell it could've gotten down there!"

"What is it, then?" Hifumi squealed fearfully. "What's happening to future me?" Did someone… kill him? Did he became another victim?

"Is somebody else taking the chance to attack Hifumi?" Mukuro mused, trying to figure out what is happening. "Or is he screaming about something else?"

"I suppose we shall see." Kyoko said, her eyes focused on the screen.

"This is bad!" Makoto moved towards the stairs. "Come on, we have to go back!"

"What about the suspect?" Byakuya interjected. "We've gone to all this trouble to capture him, right?"

"Then why don't we split into two groups?" Celeste suggested.

"I'll lead the hunting party." Byakuya volunteered. "That seems much more interesting."

"Very well, then Makoto and Hina, you come with me to the nurse's office." Celeste requested. "I will leave the capture of the suspicious individual to Toko, Sakura, and Byakuya."

Sakura nodded. "We'll handle it. Just go take care of Hifumi."

"Okay! You guys be careful!" Makoto told them before following Hina and Celeste. Sakura, Byakuya, and Toko went the opposite direction.

Everyone tensed up. They had a feeling they're about to see something bad. And very few are looking forward to it.

Toko, having an idea about what's going to happen, quickly covered her eyes. She is not going to faint this time!

The next scene switched to Hina, Makoto, and Celeste quickly coming down the stairs. "He's in the nurse's office! Let's go!" He then run full speed to the nurse office, with Makoto and Celeste right behind her.

The narrator Makoto spoke as the three got to the office. "We stormed into the nurse's office, and what greeted us was…" When the three burst inside, they all stopped, shock, and slowly horror, entering their faces. "...a world of dripping crimson."

In the middle of the nurse's office was Hifumi, blood splattered under him and dripping from his head, and large hammer right beside him. "Everything was covered in red." Narrator Makoto continued. "And in the center of all this read was…"

"H-Hifumi?" The actual Makoto stuttered out in shock.

Once again, a horrific tone filled the air. Yet again, another of their classmates was taken, this time being Hifumi. Someone their future selves just interacted with moments ago.

"I… I'm… I'm…" Hifumi tried to speak, but his throat was clogged up. His eyes were incredibly wide, and the color of his skin wasn't going to return anytime soon. When he heard his future self scream, he was prepared for the worst, but… it didn't prepare him to see his corpse.

"Hifumi's… dead?" Hina's eyes were wide with horror, not wanting to believe what she's seeing. Another classmate is dead. Another of her friends is dead. The urge to scream was building up in her throat, but the scream was kept lodged inside.

Celeste herself wasn't able to hide her emotions. The shock and horror was shown in her eyes, and her face was filled with anguish. Hifumi's… dead? But, why? Who? Unknowingly, tears slowly formed in her eyes.

"That's a lot of blood..." Mukuro commented quietly.

"Dammit!" Mondo growled, his head bowed. "How the hell?!"

"Who killed him?" Sakura questioned, clenching her fist. "And why?"

"That's is something we will need to find out." Byakuya said grimly. "In the next class trial."

All of them stiffened. Another trial. They all have to watch another trial! Watch someone else get executed!

Makoto was especially affected by this thought. Anguish, grief, shock, and frustration built up in his eyes. This is the third time this happened. The third murder. And a soon to be the third class trial. Is this gonna keep happening? His classmates are going to keep murdering each other until no one is left? Is that the fate they're watching?

Those thoughts were also festering Chihiro. The petite programmer hugged himself as he shook in distress. Despite seeing his own death, despite seeing Mondo executed for killing him, it still hurts so much to see another friend dead. Still hurts to know that they'll be another trial, another search for the killer, another execution they'll have to watch.

Junko stared at the supposed corpse before analyst mind quickly figured out that Hifumi is playing dead. She held back a giggle of excitement. Things have gotten very interesting indeed! These idiots didn't even realize that there's no body discovery announcement! Man, what does Celeste and Hifumi have planned next?

Hina let out a horrified scream, covering her mouth, while Celeste looked at all this in shock. "I-Its looks like something… very bad has happened…"

"'Something very bad has happened'?" Leon repeated, a look of disbelief. "Yeah, something really bad has definitely happened!"

"Are you even trying to take this seriously Celeste?!" Sayaka exclaimed, giving an incredulous look at the girl.

"I- I just- she-" For a moment, she honestly didn't know what to say. The shock of Hifumi's death, and the fact she felt so much in the first place, was getting to her. But after that moment passed, she took a deep breath, and spoke more calmly. "She probably didn't know what else to say. My intention wasn't to make light of it, I assure you."

Makoto turned to Celeste, as well as Hifumi, in concern. He can tell that the future Hifumi's death is affecting them badly. Celeste is trying to hide as best she could, but you wouldn't need to be Kyoko to know that seeing Hifumi dead is at least shocking to her.

"I certainly not expecting this." She continued as she gazed at the corpse. "I did not imagine Hifumi… would be murdered!"

Kyoko narrowed her eyes at the murder scene, looking at the hammer beside the now late Hifumi. It's no doubt that's another Justice Hammer, bigger than the last two. But how did Robo Justice get to the first floor? Celeste had claimed that she blocked the way. And that's not mention the speed needed to get there after Celeste called out to everyone. With all those factors, it should be impossible.

"M-Murdered?!" Hina exclaimed, her skin turning pale. "You're not serious, are you?! He's not really dead, is he?!"

As if to answer questions, the school bell rung and the school monitor turned on. "A body has been discovered!" Monokuma announced. "After a certain amount of time, which you may use however you like, the class trial will begin!" With that, the monitor turned off.

If there was any lingering doubts, it was washed away right there and then. Hifumi is yet another victim of the killing game. Skins were paled, heads were bowed, teeths were clenched in frustration.

Hifumi could looked down on the ground, his brain barely keeping up. He's dead. The third victim of this sick game. Honestly, deep down, he had a feeling that he was going to be killed at some point. After all, he could pointed out as an easier target. But he refuse to think of that possibility. Now… he has no choice but to face it.

Junko, however, blinked for a moment, her face blank as she process the new information. 'Did… someone else kill somebody while they were there? Or rather…' A wicked idea entered her head. 'Did Hifumi or Celeste kill someone before all of this happened?' If so, she wants it to be their personal hall monitor that went under. That would bring more despair than that stupid fortune teller. Whatever the case, it seems everything is already set in motion.

"What the…?" Hina looked at the monitor in shock.

"That was… the body discovery announcement." Celeste said gravely.

'The body discovery announcement…' Makoto could only stare at Hifumi's corpse. 'When three or more people discover a body after a murder, that's what plays. And since we just heard it, that means…'

"Someone killed him. One of us…" Celeste unknowingly finished Makoto's thoughts.

"One of… us?" Makoto repeated, his voice sounding numb.

"And look at that…" The gambler then pointed at something on the ground, to which Makoto turned towards.

The thing she was pointing was none other than another Justice Hammer, this time bigger and with a three on the middle of the hammer. 'Another hammer…' He then bent down towards the hammer. 'Justice Hammer 3. And it's even bigger than the other two…!'

The group could only stare in shock at the hammer. "But… that's impossible!" Sakura protested. "We had Robo Justice cornered! There was no way it could've escape!"

"And Celeste spotted him right before everyone else gone up to the third floor!" Taka added. "Even if it were to somehow pass the group, or find another way down, there's no way they could've done it so quickly. Especially since the disguise doesn't seem to be built for mobility."

"Something doesn't add up…" Leon muttered, confused as hell.

Kyoko and Celeste silently agreed, although neither of them could pinpoint what was bothering them. Mukuro was also skeptical, but for her own reasons rather than the turn of events. She was inexperienced with that kind of stuff, and it was much better to leave it to those who were more knowledgeable.

"Just as I suspected. One strike from that, and you are finished…" Celeste stated with conviction.

"Then the killer…"

The gambler nodded. "There can be no doubt. The culprit must be the suspicious individual. This Robo Justice." She declared. "Whoever's hiding in that costume is the one that killed Hifumi!"

"But who? And how?" Mukuro questioned, frowning in thought.

"I can't answer the how, but I have an idea on who." Byakuya spoke up. "Two ideas, actually. The only ones who either weren't in the dining hall beforehand, or was gathered during the search for this Robo Justice."

"...Taka and Hiro." Sakura said grimly. The two mentioned students had their eyes wide with shock and panic, especially when other eyes turned towards them.

Hifumi, who was snapping out of it stun state, turned to Taka with a growl. "You did it, didn't you Mr. Ishimaru?!"

"WHAT?!" Taka exclaimed. "What's with the accusation?!"

"Your future self is my future self's rival!" The fanfic creator stated angrily. "I bet he would stoop as low as to kill me to get Alter Ego for himself!"

"No! I wouldn't ever do something so heinous!"

"Don't go fucking accusing my bro of murder like that!" Mondo spat out angrily. "It could easily be Hiro!"

"Hey! Don't throw me under the bus like that!" Hiro protested. "I wouldn't kill anybody either!"

"Like hell you-"

"Enough." Kyoko spoke up sharply and clearly annoyed, stopping the argument. "Arguing and accusing each other is a waste of time. The only thing we can do is watch and gather evidence."'

That got them to quiet down, though Hifumi was glaring at Taka angrily and suspiciously. Mondo matched with his own glare, but for once, the fanfic creator wasn't fazed.

Taka looked down. Sure, his future self is a bit zealous about Alter Ego, but surely he wouldn't kill somebody for it. He wouldn't kill Hifumi just to have the computer to himself… right?

"But… wait…" Makoto looked at Celeste in confusion. "You saw him on the 3rd floor, right? Running back into the hall. So how did he end up in the nurse's office? You're not saying they, like, teleported or something, right?"

"Is there some sort of secret entrance they've find or know about?" Chihiro asked, trying to figure it out. "Another way down the first floor?"

"If there was, they would've found it by now." Byakuya retorted. "A more realistic possibility is that more than one person is doing this."

"That would be assuming that both Taka and Hiro are working together," Mukuro pointed out. "Or that Monokuma is helping one of them."

"But we don't have any concrete proof any of those things." Kyoko interjected, before the discussion could escalate into something else. "So we'll have to figure this out later, once we gain more information."

"Yeah… good point." Makoto agreed on.

"We can figure out that part later. Right now, we have to tell the others." Celeste stated.

"Y-You're right." Makoto shakily nodded.

"Then shall we go?"

Hina, however, didn't say or do anything. Just stood there, completely paralyzed, a petrified look on her face.

The expression on Hina's face caused many hearts to clench. "Looks like this entire game is getting to her." Sayaka murmured in worry.

"Yeah…" Hina said, biting her lip. "Honestly, I'm close to joining her." It's only because it's only a possible future, and not the real thing, that's keeping her grounded.

"Hina… snap out of it." The gambler told her.

"...Huh?" Was all the swimmer could say.

Makoto walked over to Hina in concern. "Are you okay, Hina?"

"S-Sorry… I'm not sure I can move right now…" She admitted, the look on her face not leaving. "I-I'm feeling kinda…" She covered her mouth, as if something was about to come up her throat.

"Hina…" Sakura murmured worriedly. Like Sayaka said, the events of the killing game were definitely getting to Hina. She wondered how much more she could take, or… if she would eventually break from all this. Hopefully, she won't have to find out.

Makoto, as well as Chihiro, was also staring at Hina, though theirs was of sympathetic understanding. Out of the whole class, all three of them are the most empathetic, so they can guess what's going through her head. Both the present and future Hina.

"This is a problem." Celeste mused, staring at Hina in concern. "We can't just leave Hina here alone."

"Okay, then I'll go get everyone." Makoto volunteered. "You stay here with Hina!"

Celeste was silent for a moment before sighing in agreement. "Very well. I leave it to you, then."

"Okay! I'll be back soon!" Trying to sound confident and upbeat, Makoto ran out of the nurse's office. As he ran out, the camera moved to show the luckster trembling.

Now stares of concern and sympathy, along with a bit of respect, was on Makoto. The luckster turned his eyes from everyone. "Man... It just seems to get worse and worse."

"You're doing better than me though." Hina told him, rubbing the back of her head. "I can't even move right now."

"She's right. You are doing better than expected." Kyoko told him. Despite seeing a third murder, Makoto was still moving. Still doing his best to help out. That is something to admire.

"Speaking of doing better than expected, anyone else noticed that Toko is still conscious?" Junko pointed out.

In a spur of curiosity, everyone turned around and sure enough, the writer was still standing, trembling and with both hands covering her eyes. "You can open your eyes, Toko. It's safe too." Makoto reassured the girl.

That got her to open her eyes with a sigh of relief. "G-Good. I'm s-still conscious."

As he got into the hallway, Makoto stopped for a moment and slapped his face with both hands a few times. 'Everyone else is on the 3rd floor. I have to hurry…!' With that, he began running up to the third floor.

Once he was up, he looked around to see where the others would be at. 'Okay. This is where everyone else started chasing the suspicious individual.' Makoto thought in remembrance. 'Where was he headed…?'

He thought back to when they first got up here, what Celeste had said. 'He ran off, going further down the hallway…' He looked towards the farther part of the hallway. 'Way into the back… of the hallway?'

"That would mean they're at the physics lab." Mukuro mused.

"Agreed." Byakuya nodded in agreement. "But if Robo Justice was somehow able to get down to the first floor, and kill Hifumi, what are they still doing there?"

"What do you mean?" Celeste asked, finally speaking up.

"The body announcement was played. And since there isn't anything holding them up, they would've went to the nurse office." Byakuya explained. "After all, they heard Hifumi screaming, so they would add those things together and figure out what had happened."

"Yeah, that's a good point." Taka agreed, frowning. "What are they doing?"

"Perhap they found something else? Something that's holding them up?" Sakura suggested.

"I think we're about to find out that answer soon." Junko told them, pointing at the TV. "Makoto is about to get into the physics lab." Inwardly, she was giddy with excitement. Their reactions are going to be good!

The scene cut to Makoto in the physics lab, looking around for anybody. 'As far as I can tell, there's nobody here.' He observed. 'But…' He then noticed the closet door at the back fully opened.

"The back room." Sakura narrowed her eyes at the room. "We must've missed something. Or someone."

"Maybe it was the person Celeste saw." Sayaka noted. "After all, we can't say for sure that it was Robo Justice. Maybe Celeste thought she saw him, and it was actually somebody else."

"Perhaps." Byakuya thought of the possibility. "We shall see soon enough."

'They gotta be in the back!' With that, Makoto ran towards the back.

As he did, narrator Makoto spoke. "I leapt through the doorway. And when I did, I found…" When Makoto was right in the closest, he froze in shock. "...another nightmare."

The camera expanded to reveal Taka, laying on the floor, a large amount of blood dripping from his head. "There, in a pool of his own blood… was Taka, dead." The screen then turned black.

It took a minute for everyone to process what they're seeing. To process that they're seeing a second murder in this chapter, minutes after the previous one. But when they did…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" This time, Hina's scream was not held back.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Leon shouted in shock.

"T-Taka!?" Chihiro exclaimed, covering his mouth in horror.

"T-Two?!" Hiro yelled in absolute panic. "Two murders?!"

This time, Toko did faint, unable to cover her eyes in time.

Makoto could only stare dumbly at the scene. Was this a trick? Some sick joke? Some sort of statement to say that his optimism in his friends is blind and stupid? A nightmare about two of his friends dead? Murdered?

Two people. Hifumi and Taka. One of whom was beginning to move on from Mondo's death. Why? Why did they deserve to die? Why did any of his friends deserve to die in this demented game?

Taka himself was staring at his corpse, shock, anguish, frustration, and sorrow swimming in his eyes. Not just one, but two people are dead. Worst of it is that it was his future self that's dead.

Just when he finally began to recover. Just when he was able to live on for his best friend. All that progress, and it was taken away by a blow to the head. 'Dammit…' Taka clenched his fists and closed his eyes, tears stinging in his eyes. 'Dammit!'

Mondo stared at the screen, his limbs limp and his eyes wide in pure shock. His mind was slowly processing that this was his best friend, his bro, on the floor, dead. "B-Bro…?"

Eyes slowly turned to the biker, some worried and others wary. They could tell that Mondo's in shock at the moment, but when he gets out of that shock, his temper is going to be unleashed.

(Chapter 3 - A Next Generation Legend! Stand Tall Galactic Hero! - Deadly Life)

The scene faded back into the nurse's office with Hifumi's body once again. "Hifum's body, in the nurse office…" Narrator Makoto said.

Then the scene quickly transitioned to Taka's body right after. "Taka's body, discovered in the equipment. I was born witness to two nightmares, one right after another."

"Who…?" Everyone's eyes turned to Mondo, who whispered that one word. "Who did it?"

The tone he used sent chills down several spine's. They were used to hearing Mondo angry, thanks to his trigger hair temper. None of them was used to this pure, venomous fury he's leaking out. But they all knew that it was only the beginning of his anger.

"M-Mondo-" Makoto spoke up, attempting to calm him down.

But the biker ignored him. "Who the fuck killed my bro?" He spoke, his voice slowly rising. "Who? Who decided to bash him in the head? Who fucking murder him?! WHICH ONE OF YOU FUCKERS ARE THE GODDAMN BLACKENED?!" By now, Mondo was standing up, glaring furiously at everyone.

"Mondo, wait!" Despite the fear he's feeling, Makoto stood up to face the biker. "You need to ca-"

"THE FUCK WITH THAT! SOMEONE KILLED MY BRO! SOMEONE FUCKING MURDERED HIM!" Mondo spat out. "WHOEVER DID IS GONNA WISH THEY-"

"MONDO, YOU'RE FRIGHTENING CHIHIRO!"

THAT gave the biker pause. Slowly, he turned Chihiro. And sure enough, the programmer was white as a sheet, curled into a ball, shaking, and tears of fear and anguish poured down eyes.

It didn't calm his anger, not enough at least. But guilt got mixed with the anger. Slowly, his arms went limp and he sat back down on the couch. The movement caused Chihiro to flinch, making Mondo feel guiltier. His arm twitched for a moment, wanting to put a reassuring on his shoulder, but he stopped himself.

Makoto sighed in relief and sat down, glad that he stopped a volcano from erupting momentarily. Though he has a feeling that's only momentarily. Hopefully, he's gets enough time to calm down.

"Wait, no…" The narrator redirected. "They weren't nightmares. It was… harsh reality. The reality I have to face every day."

Like always, Makoto's word struck a chord in several hearts. Chapter by chapter, they have to see worse and worse. First, an attempted murder and framing, only for it to backfire. Then, a surge of jealousy and anger, causing someone to murder a friend. Now, two murders, in one chapter.

'Why…?' Was the thought that came into Hina's mind. The girl was frozen in shock, looking as petrified as her future self. 'Why… are doing this? What did we do… to deserve this? Why us…?'

"Why…" The present Makoto went limp, falling on his knees. "Is this happening?" The two present and conscious, Sakura and Byakuya, were silent.

Makoto slowly looked around the room, only for his eyes to zoom on Toko, who's unconscious. "Toko!"

"Relax. She just passed out when she saw the blood." Byakuya informed him.

"The blood…?" 'Oh, that's right.' Makoto remembered. 'When Toko is, um, Toko… she has a fear of blood, huh?'

"We've tried everything to get her to wake up, but no luck." The heir continued. "Just leave her be for now."

Makoto absently nodded before turning to the next thing. 'Another hammer…' Slowly, he got up and walked over to that hammer. 'Now it's Justice Hammer 4, and it's even bigger than before…!'

That had several eyes widen in shock. "Did Robo Justice got Taka too?!" Junko asked.

"But, how?!" Sayaka exclaimed.

"Didn't they just murder Hifumi?" Leon pointed out. "So how and where did they get the time to kill Taka?!"

"Yeah! It should be impossible!" Hiro agreed.

"This… is getting more and more bizarre." Celeste murmured loudly.

Kyoko, however, didn't come to that conclusion. 'A slight manipulation of the crime…' Kyoko deduced. 'Making it look like Hifumi was killed first, then Taka.' She didn't voice that yet, however. She has a feeling more will come, so she will save her deductions for the trial.

'Is that 'suspicious individual' responsible for killing Taka, too…?!'

During all this, Hifumi was silent, merely staring at the screen with wide eyes. He was sure that Mr. Ishimaru was the one who killed him. That he did just to keep Alter Ego for himself. But, seeing this... it throws that accusation out the window.

"But… why is it Justice Hammer 4?" Sakura questioned.

"Huh?" Makoto turned to Sakura in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Some of the others also looked confuse before remembering that Sakura and Byakuya didn't see Hifumi. "They are in for quite a shock…" Byakuya sighed.

"Agreed." Sakura nodded.

"Celeste was attacked with Justice Hammer 1, then Hifumi was hit with Justice Hammer 2." Sakura explained. "But this time it was Justice Hammer 4. What happened to number 3?"

"Ah-!" Makoto's eyes lit up, remembering why he's here.

It was something Sakura and Byakuya noticed. "...What's the matter?" The latter asked.

"W-Well, when you mentioned Justice Hammer 3, you just reminded me…"

"Out with it." The heir ordered. "Do you know something?"

"Actually… Taka's not the only one that's been killed." Makoto revealed. "Hifumi's dead, too!"

"Wh…?!" Sakura's eyes widen in shock. "Hifumi's been killed?!"

"Y-Yeah…" Makoto confirmed with a nod.

"Which is why you came to get us…" Byakuya concluded. "Then we'd better go check it out."

"Of course!" Sakura agreed. "Come on!" With that, Makoto, Sakura, and Byakuya rushed out of the physic lab.

The next scene showed the three coming out. But as soon as they did, they were met with a surprised Celeste. "Ah-!"

"Celeste?" Eyebrows rose up in surprise as Makoto continued speaking. "I thought she was waiting with Hina."

"Indeed. What is doing up in the third floor?" Sakura questioned.

"Celeste?" Makoto looked at her in surprise. "Aren't you supposed to be waiting in the nurse's office?"

"S-Something has… come up." Celeste said, looking distressed.

"Now what?" Leon complained. "What, did the body disappear or something?"

"I doubt it's something that bizarre." Celeste shook her head.

"Yeah, I heard. Hifumi is dead, right?" Byakuya stated.

"Well… that is not all." The gambler said. "It is… gone."

Blood ran cold at that. "What's gone…?" Sayaka hesitantly asked.

"Oh, please don't tell me…" Leon trailed off.

"Huh? What's gone?" Makoto asked, confused.

"It has disappeared…"

"Disappeared…?"

"Hifumi's body has disappeared!"

Everyone was barely holding onto their seats right now. "WHAT?!" Hina shouted, out of her frozen state.

"I WAS KIDDING!" Leon yelled right after.

"My body is gone?!" Hifumi exclaimed, flabbergasted and fearful.

"Is she actually serious, right now?" Byakuya questioned, having a difficult time believing it.

"What…?" Was the only thing Makoto could say, staring at Celeste in shock.

"What are you talking about? It's disappeared?" Byakuya questioned, looking at her in bewilderment. "Don't be ridiculous." Celeste could only give him a serious look. "...Are you serious?"

"What the heck is happening here…?!" Sakura questioned, looking even more confused. "Everyone, back to the nurse's office!" She ordered, to which everyone was running once again.

The group could only watch as the future Makoto, Byakuya, Sakura, and Celeste ran back downstairs. One thing came to all of their heads. The same question Sakura just asked.

What the HELL is going on here?!

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 56: Watching Chapter 3: A Next Generation Legend! Stand Tall, Galactic Hero! Part 14

The next scene showed Makoto practically leaping down the stairs before running into the nurse's office, with Sakura, Byakuya, and Celeste right behind him. He froze as he pushed open the door.

He looked left and right and found that everything was still where it was, except for one thing:

Hifumi's body.

If any of them didn't believe Celeste's words before, there was no choice but to believe it now, especially since they're seeing it with their own eyes.

"What the hell?! What's going on here?" Byakuya cursed, starting to look a bit rattled.

"What… what did they do to my body?!" Hifumi shouted, his stomach churning very uncomfortably at the thoughts coming into his head.

"This shit's getting crazier by the second!" Leon cursed.

Hina just stared numbly at the screen as she shook from fear.

Not even Kyoko and Mukuro were immune to the surprise. The two of them were both bewildered at how fast Hifumi's body has disappeared. Makoto was gone for only a few minutes… so how was the culprit able to take the body without anyone noticing?

'But… Hifumi's body was there just a few minutes ago.' Makoto thought in shock before speaking out loud. "It just… disappeared?"

The camera moved to Hina, who was still in shock. Perhaps even more so. "Me and Celeste were in the bathroom…" Hina numbly explained. "But we were only gone for like a minute! And then, when we got back…"

"This must be the work of the culprit." Celeste declared. "They must have came and carried the body away."

"But how?!" Sayaka questioned shrilly, one step close to panicking. "It shouldn't be possible to carry a body out of the nurse office, without anyone noticing, in under a minute!"

"Especially one of Hifumi's weight." Celeste said, frowning.

"This is unnatural." Byakuya stated, a bewildered frown on his face. "Two murders, and then one of the bodies disappearing? All in the span of a few minutes?"

"Can this guy teleport or something, like Makoto said?!" Hiro questioned, holding his head as he tried process what he's seeing.

"Impossible. The only explanation is that someone moved the body." Kyoko replied. 'Unless...'

"They must really be enjoying this… enjoying the sight of us standing around, frightened and confused." Celeste clenched her fist, holding them to her chest. "We're all going to die here. We're going to die, just like those guys died…"

'Huh?' Kyoko perked up at this, staring at the screen with quickly concealed confusion and suspicion. Did she heard right?

Before she could think more on it, however, Hina got her attention. "We're gonna die… we're all gonna die…" The swimmer said, her voice sounding distant.

That got everyone's attention, and worry. "Hina…?" Sakura spoke softly, looking at her friend in concern.

But the girl didn't respond. "We're gonna die. We'll all be murdered. Executed. Slaughtered!" By now, everyone can tell she was panicking. She wrapped her arms around herself, breathing erratically. "This is our future! There's no escape for any of us!"

"Hina!" The swimmer was broken out of her panic filled trance by Sakura and Makoto, the latter having rush over and kneeled beside her. Both of them placed one of their hands on her shoulders. Makoto spoke up for the both of them. "Please, calm down. Breathe."

Slowly, the swimmer did as they wanted, and took some calming breaths. She's still rattled beyond relief, but she isn't going to go in another panic-filled rant.

Makoto looked at Sakura, silently asking if she can handle this. When the martial artist nodded, he hesitantly got up, giving Hina a comforting squeeze on the shoulder before getting back to his couch.

"I don't believe this." Byakuya said, bewildered. "I can't believe a body would just… disappear." He frowned in thought. "First there were two murders, and now one of the bodies has been taken? This is… unnatural."

"H-Hold on!" Hina spoke up, finally breaking out of her frozen state. "What do you mean, TWO murders?!"

More than a couple of eyes widen again at this. "Oh shit…" Leon cursed, grimacing. "She doesn't know."

"She isn't going to react well…" Makoto said, biting his lip in worry.

"Taka's been killed. We found him in the equipment room." Sakura said softly.

That caused Hina to turn pale. "I-It can't be! Taka, too?! It can't be… it can't be…" Suddenly, she screamed. "NooooooOOOOOOO!"

"Hina, calm down!" Sakura urged her friend.

But the swimmer didn't listen. "We're all gonna die… all of us… they're gonna kill all of us!" She panicked, breathing frantically.

Sayaka couldn't help but feel the same thing, and she felt disgusted at how weak she was. This entire thing is taking a toll on her mind, even with her death having come and gone. The second and third motives, the tension around everyone, the murder of Chihiro and execution of Mondo…

Now, it's the murder of both Hifumi AND Taka, with someone running around with hammers and a robot suit, and now Hifumi's missing body. And they haven't even gotten close to the trial yet. She almost started to think that she was lucky that her future self didn't have to go through this.

"Then who might the next target be?" Was the question that came from Byakuya's mouth. "Toko?"

"Huh…?" Makoto said, before his eyes widen in realization.

Several other eyes widen at this. "Fuck!" Leon cursed. "They completely forgot about Toko!"

"Damn it!" Sakura growled, angry with herself. How could she forget about her own classmate?!

"They need to get back there!" Hina exclaimed, panic and desperation etched into her voice. "The killer might come after her!"

"I completely forgot!" Sakura stated, eyes widening. "She's still unconscious in the equipment room!"

"You left her at the scene of the crime?!" Celeste questioned in shock.

"We didn't have a choice." Byakuya responded. "She passed out, and she refused to wake up."

"So she is still unconscious?" Celeste inquired.

Before Sakura could answer, a sudden realization struck her. "Wait, so you knew she was still up there, and said nothing?" Sakura turned towards the Togami heir. "Why…?!"

"Yeah, why?!" Sayaka turned towards Byakuya with a glare. "If you had just reminded her, she could've easily carried Toko with them!"

"I'll… let my future self answer." Byakuya sighed, having two good guesses as to why his future self did what he did.

"That annoying little insect that clings to me wherever I go…" Byakuya said cruelly, a smirk on his face. "We'd be better off without her."

Naturally, that angered several. "You son of a bitch!" Mondo growled, trying hard to keep his barely controlled anger at bay. "You want her to die?!"

"I get that she's annoying, but that's no reason to just leave her there!" Leon stated angrily.

"How could you be THIS cruel to Toko?!" Hina demanded, a fierce glare aimed at him. Sayaka held the same glare as Hina, with Makoto holding her hand in order to keep her from harming him.

Sakura's own features darken. "Byakuya…" She slightly growled. "Be grateful that I know you've changed, and that you're not your future self anymore. Otherwise…"

Byakuya gave no outward reaction towards the implied threat, but indeed, he is grateful that he had changed for the better. While he still thinks of Toko and Jack as an annoyance, he does not wish her death.

"Look, let's all calm down." Kyoko said, hoping to alleviate the situation.

"Y-You bastard!" Sakura growled, her features darkening.

"Calm down. You forgot about her too, didn't you?" Byakuya retorted calmly, not fazed by her anger. "You have no right to blame me."

"Everyone stop fighting!" Makoto shouted, getting everyone's attention. "Right now we need to hurry back!"

"I can't take this anymore… I don't want anyone else to die!" Hina said, looking and sounding traumatized.

"Byakuya…" Sakura growled at the heir fiercely. "If something's happened to Toko, I'll never forgive you!"

Her only reply was a disinterest "Hmph" before the group began running up the stairs.

The tense looks from some of his fellow classmates confused Byakuya. Did they forget about the new rule Monokuma, about two murders only being allowed?

Though not all of them seemed to have forgotten. Kyoko, Mukuro, and Celeste seem to have remembered.

The scene then switched to the five student group running into the physics lab and towards the equipment room. When they got there, Makoto immediately set his eyes to the still unconscious Toko. 'Toko!' Quickly, he knelt down and checked to see if she's okay. "Thank God you're okay." Makoto said as he let out a breath of relief.

Immediately, everyone loosened up as Makoto confirmed Toko's safety. "Look like they made it in time." Sayaka said, a small smile of relief.

However, that small bit of relief was soon taken at the next scene…

However, the look of relief turned confusion as he looked up. And quickly, it morphed into shock and horror once again.

Because once again, another body has disappeared, the one being Taka's.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Mondo shouted, rage and disbelief combined in his tone.

"They got Taka too?!" Makoto exclaimed, his eyes wide with shock.

"No way… no way this is happening…" Sayaka breathed incredulously.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Leon shouted.

Taka could only stare at the screen in shock, confusion, and trepidation. "What… what are they doing to my body?!" Taka questioned, trying to figure out why they would take his corpse.

"Th-This isn't possible…" Byakuya stuttered, looking a bit more rattled. "Like before, they were only gone for a mere few minutes! So how? And why?"

"This is bizarre indeed…" Kyoko murmured, frowning in thought. Something tells her that she would have to wait for the investigation before putting the puzzle pieces together.

The others also stared at the bloody puddle in shock, especially Byakuya and Sakura. "This can't be happening…" The heir murmured in disbelief.

"Are we hallucinating all this or something?" Sakura questioned, looking tenser than before.

"No…" Makoto shook his head at the claim. "It's not a hallucination." Makoto stared at the puddle of blood, where Taka's body was previously at. 'I know I saw it before. And what I'm seeing now… isn't what I saw before.'

Chihiro felt himself curl up once more, fear and confusion plain in his tear-filled eyes. Fear for his friends, the remaining survivors in this look of the future. And confusion for everything that's happening. Why? Why kill two people? Why take their bodies? What's the point in all this?

"I really wish this an illusion right now…" Hiro stated, looking panicked and confused. "Cause I don't know what's going on!"

"For sure man..." Leon muttered. This is getting way too confusing.

"Wh-What?!" Hina's exclaimed, staring at the puddle of blood. "Are you saying… Taka disappeared, too?!"

"Stop saying 'disappeared'." Byakuya slightly growled, forcing himself out of shock. "It didn't just vanish into thin air. Obviously whoever did this has hidden the body."

"But… why would they do that?" Makoto asked as he got up from the floor.

"I couldn't' even possibly begin to imagine." Byakuya said, his teeth clenched.

"What benefits do the killer get by moving the bodies?" The present heir asked, furrowing his eyebrows. "Are they trying to sow confusion? Remove some sort of evidence? Rattle us?"

"Right now, it's hard to say." Kyoko answered, looking in thought herself. "All we can do is wait till our future selves find the bodies, and begin the investigation."

"Anyway, our costumed suspect is clearly continuing his crime spree." Celeste interjected.

"We gotta hurry up and catch him, before he kills ALL of us!" Hina exclaimed in fear.

Byakuya, however, interjected at that. "Oh, I don't think you have to worry about that." He stated.

That earned several confused "Huh?" from several students as they turned to Byakuya. "What are you talking about?" Hina asked.

In response, Byakuya facepalmed. "Did you honestly forget the last rule Monokuma placed?" He grumbled, extremely annoyed. "God, I really am surrounded by imbeciles."

That some of the students angered. But some of the others, such as Makoto, Chihiro, and Sayaka, remembered what Byakuya was talking about.

"You're talking about the only two murder rule, right?" The luckster said, now remembering the rule.

The heir nodded. "Yes. I'm glad some of you decided to use your brain cells." He sighed. "The rule states that the killer could do two murders. And since two people are dead, that means no one else will die."

That had several relaxing, with some looking mildly embarrassed. "How the fuck did we forget about that…?" Mondo groaned.

"Guess we got too caught up with everything…" Leon said sheepishly.

"Huh…?" Hina said in response, looking at Byakuya in surprise and confusion.

"Think about it…" Byakuya continued. "Who could possibly be responsible for killing and hiding these dead bodies?"

"U-Umm…"

"When Hifumi's death cry went up, everyone here was together on the 3rd floor." Byakuya began.

"After that, we split up into two groups." Celeste spoke up.

"And now this time, you all came here as a group from the nurse's office." The heir then reveal his conclusion. "In other words, the only ones who could have done this are Hiro and Kyoko, who are still missing."

Slowly, eyes turned towards Hiro, who went pale at the looks (And growing glares) aimed at him. "W-Why are you looking at me?!" Hiro exclaimed. "Kyoko could've done it too!"

"But she has an alibi." Celeste pointed out, trying to push down the rising fury she's feeling. The fury at the possibly being Hiro that killed Hifumi. "She was in the dining hall when Hifumi and I were attacked with the first two justice hammers." The fortune teller gulped at that.

Meanwhile, Mondo felt his barely held back anger crack. Something that Makoto, Taka, and Chihiro sensed.

"H-Hold on a second!" Makoto protested. "Kyoko has an alibi for when Celeste and Hifumi were attacked! There's no question that she was in the dining hall with us!"

"Hmph." A smirk entered Byakuya's face. "You seem very adamant about defending her." The heir pointed out. "Perhaps you are… in love?"

That brought a blush from the luckster. "Th-That's not it at all!"

Despite the situation, Makoto couldn't help but bury his face into his hands and blush angrily. How could Byakuya go for this kind of a low blow in this situation? Has he no ability to read the situation? Makoto quickly remembered how Byakuya used to be like so he sent a quick glare at Byakuya to which the heir avoided the eye contact.

Sayaka subconsciously gripped Makoto's arm tightly, but pushed down the urge to glare at Kyoko. Hina, Mukuro, and Celeste also pushed down their jealousy. This isn't the time to feel that way.

"Well, anyway. Yes, I do accept Kyoko's alibi." Byakuya said in acceptance.

"Which means, the suspicious individual we're looking for can be none other than… Hiro." Celeste concluded.

"Hold on a moment!" Hiro protested, looking really scared. "There's gotta be some mistake! Some conspiracy here! I would never kill somebody!"

"I would like to believe that do, I really do…" Leon sighed with a grimace. "But out of all the survivors, not only are the only one able to do all that shit, but you had the motives to do it."

"M-Motive?!"

"You're greedy to a fault, Hiro!" Sayaka pointed out, scowling angrily at him. "You've clearly shown that when you ask Makoto to donate his organs to him, despite having other options available to you!"

"And even before that, you and Celeste were our top suspects." Byakuya added. "The evidence is clearly stacked up against you."

Before Hiro could muster up some sort of defense, he stiffened up as he felt a large amount of killing intent. Shakily, he turned to the source of it, which happened to be Mondo.

Said biker looked just as murderous, his tenth clenched, his eyes pooled with anger, and every muscle in his body tensed. His look and posture caused Taka to look at his friend cautiously, while Chihiro scooted away, fearful as to what Mondo would do.

He wanted to kill Hiro. Make him regret killing his bro. Everyone bone in his body is screaming at him to grab the fucking con artist and strangle him. But the knowledge that he won't be able, along with the Chihiro's fearful looks, was what keeping from launching himself at Hiro.

And he couldn't let his anger consume. Not again. Not when he saw the consequences of that anger with his own two eyes. So slowly, he suppressed that anger, kept himself from going over that edge. He's still not perfect calm, but it was enough as to not try and murder Hiro. "Hagakure, when this is done, we're going to have a good, long, fucking chat…" But that didn't stop him threatening.

The fortune teller couldn't help but shivered at this, unable to muster up any defense for himself at the absolute murderous look in Mondo's eyes.

"I... I think we should wait until they actually find the killer before we umm... you know..." Chihiro whimpered out, causing everyone to once again relax a little bit and return their focus to where it needs to be.

Hiro gave a silent thanks to Chihiro, to which he replied with a small smile. However, even though Mondo wasn't facing Hiro anymore, he could still feel the anger emanating from the biker.

"Which further means, there will be no more murders." Byakuya declared. "The regulations are very clear about that."

"Oh, that's right…!" Makoto's eyes widen in realization. "There's a rule that says you can only kill a maximum of two people…"

"As long as that rule is in place, there will not be a third murder. If they were to break that rule…" The heir trailed off.

Monokuma then popped up. "I'd mince ya! Mince ya without a second thought! Mince ya, grind ya, turn ya into pace!" The bear viciously stated. "By the way, did you know that fish paste can also refer to shellfish, like shrimp or crabs?!" With that, he disappeared once again.

"...Indeed." Was all what Byakuya could say to that.

Despite realizing it earlier, some couldn't help but sigh with a bit of relief. However, none of them think that they're out of the woods yet. They still need to find Hifumi's and Taka's body. And then there will be the trial itself…

Yeah. They're definitely not out yet.

"So, since two people have been killed, there is no possibility of any more." Celeste deduced.

"You knew that from the beginning, didn't you Byakuya?" Sakura realized, looking at the heir. "Which means you knew Toko was never in danger…"

Several eyes widen in realization at this. "So that's why you didn't mention us leaving Toko there sooner…" Makoto spoke up. "And why you didn't panic like the rest of us."

"Then what's with that comment of being better off without her?" Hina demanded.

"I still meant it when I said we'd be better off without her, though." Byakuya stated with no remorse.

"Well, that answers that question…" Junko deadpanned, with some annoyed sighs or grunts from the group. It was Byakuya being Byakuya.

"Anyway, with that in mind, we can now relax and search for the two missing dead bodies."

'Two missing bodies…' Makoto thought to himself. 'Two people have been killed, and their have bodies have been hidden. The only one without an alibi, the only one who could have done it… is Hiro.'

Hifumi flinched and shivered, while Taka clenched his fists and teeth tightly at the mention of their future selves' murders. Hiro also tensed at the mention of him being the only possibility, especially with the looks being given to him.

"Hiro… how could your future self do that?" The one who spoke up was Hina. The swimmer was glaring at him, looking ready to attack him. "How could you kill not one, but two of our friends?"

"It couldn't be me!" Hiro protested, sounding desperate. "I'm telling you, it gotta be some sort of conspiracy! Some fake Hiro running around hurting people!"

"Stop trying to deny it! The only one who could've done it is you!" Hina retorted. "So why? Why do it?"

"Hey hey... I still think it's too early to come to a conclusion..." Chihiro said.

"What do you mean? They just said he's the only one who could have done it!" Hina replied angrily.

As Hiro and Chihiro were trying to come up with some sort of defense, both Makoto and Kyoko were thinking to themselves. Both were doubting the possibility that Hiro was the killer.

For Kyoko, she felt that this was too convenient. Two murders where the only suspect possible is Hiro? Its almost like some sort of set up. And once the investigation starts, that set up can reveal itself.

For Makoto, he just couldn't believe Hiro would be willing to do that. Call it his naive belief in his friends, but while it's been made clear that Hiro would do almost anything for money, murder is one of the few lines he wouldn't cross. And if it was just simple greed, why bother killing two people? One would just be enough.

'But… is he really the killer?'

"Huh?" Several eyes turned to Makoto, who shrunk a bit under the stares.

Byakuya was the first to speak up. "What makes you think something like that?" He questioned. "Hiro is the only one who could've done it. Everyone was together at some point when the attacks and/or murders happened."

"I know, but… it just feels too quick to write off Hiro as the murder." The luckster explained. "Until we get more information, we can't just simply conclude that Hiro is the one who do it." His statement earned a hopeful look from Hiro and Chihiro.

"Makoto, I hate to say this, but I have to agree with Byakuya." Sayaka said with a frown. "You know how Hiro is. You experienced what he's willing to do to get money or save his own skin. How could you not think that he committed this?"

"Because I know what it's like to have evidence and fingers pointed against you." That sentence drew a lot of flinches, remembering chapter one. Especially since most of their future selves were the one accusing Makoto. Sayaka and Leon especially felt their guilt crop up at this… "Also, I'd like to wait until the very end before I conclude something... even if the chance is small, what if we're wrong?"

"You have a point." Sakura sighed. "Still, unless there is evidence saying otherwise, our only suspect is Hiro."

"Then we'll just have to watch and see if there any more evidence." Kyoko replied, supporting Makoto.

Hiro was practically crying from the mercy he was receiving.

'And what about Kyoko?' His thoughts then went back to the purple haired detective. 'If she's not involved with the case, then where did she go…?'

"Speaking of which, where did Kyoko go?" Taka asked, finally speaking up. "They haven't seen her in the first, second, or third floor…"

"I hope she's alright." Hina murmured worriedly. "I mean, I know she isn't dead or anything, but still…"

"Yeah, I'm worried too Hina." Makoto told her. He then turned to the detective herself. "Where do you think she's at?"

"Hard to say…" Kyoko answered. "But I'm sure that my future is okay, wherever she's at." Did she find something extremely interesting? Possibly bigger clues about the mastermind, or the school itself? That's the only reason she could think as to why she's out for this long.

"Hey, Makoto. What's the matter?" Byakuya questioned.

"Huh?" Makoto was brought out of his thinking at the question. "Oh, no… it's nothing."

"Whatever." The heir dismissed. "We need to find those bodies, or our little narrative here can't move forward."

"Very well. Then let us split up and begin searching." Celeste stated.

"B-But…" Hina started to protest.

But Celeste spoke up before she could finish. "There is no need to be afraid. No more murders will take place during the case." The gambler reassured her.

"I-I know that." Hina stuttered. "I mean, I think I do. But…"

"If you're still nervous, I'll come with you." Sakura offered.

"O-Okay, thank you…" Hina said gratefully, sagging in relief.

"Your future self must be really rattled, huh Hina?" Makoto asked sympathetically.

"Y-Yeah…" Hina rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment, but still shaking a little bit herself. "It's just… a lot is happening."

"I agree." Sayaka nodded empathetically. Her future self is already dead, and yet she still feel overwhelmed by what's happening to her friends.

"No need to thank me." Sakura waved off.

"Then let's get moving." Byakuya began walking out of the room. "Yell out if you find anything."

With that sentence, the others began walking out as well. "With that, we began our search for the two missing bodies in the third floor." Narrator Makoto spoke up. The scene switched to each characters looking in different rooms. "For a while, we haven't made any progress. And just as I was about to go to the second floor…"

"Makoto…!" Makoto, who was near the stairs, turn his head to the side to see Celeste and Byakuya quickly walking towards him.

"Why are you just standing there? We need to get to the repository." Byakuya told him, scowling.

"Huh?" Makoto's eyes widen in surprise. "You mean…?!"

"...I found them." Celeste confirmed. "Hifumi and Taka's bodies had both been hidden in the repository."

"I've already told Hina and Sakura. We'll go on ahead…" With that, Byakuya and Celeste went back to the repository. Makoto quickly followed them soon after.

The group grew tense at this. This is it. When they find the bodies, the investigation and trial will begin. Hifumi and Taka are especially tense. Neither of them are looking forward to seeing their dead bodies once again.

The scene switched to Makoto, Byakuya, and Celeste inside the art room. Celeste was the first one to enter, with Makoto and Byakuya following. "So we entered in. And when we did, I saw…"

The camera moved from Makoto's horrified face, to Byakuya's neutral look, before expanding to show Hifumi's and Taka's corpses lying on the ground of the repository. "The two missing bodies, right there on the floor."

'How…?' Was the question that weighed heavily in Makoto's mind. Confusion, distress, and slight frustration was gripping his mind. How on earth was Robo Justice able to get both Hifumi and Taka's body into the repository, without ANYONE noticing? Taka's is one thing, but Hifumi's was in the first floor. There's no easy way to carry someone of Hifumi's weight from the first to the third floor.

Kyoko, Mukuro, and Byakuya were of similar thoughts. They both knew that it would be physically impossible to carry both bodies in one room, without anyone seeing them. That's not including the blood the bodies would spill off.

Celeste also had those same thoughts. However, unlike Makoto, Kyoko, and Byakuya, she felt hesitant to think about it. As if the answers are front of her, and if she looked at them, she won't like what she sees. Why? What could the answer possibly be? She felt her stomach clenched when that question came to mind.

Even Hifumi asked himself this. As embarrassing as it is to admit, he knows that he wouldn't be an easy person to carry. The only one OP enough to carry him around is Sakura, and she was with the others. And she doesn't any sort of duplication abilities.

Several of the others, however, felt too riled to even attempt to think rationally. Chihiro, Sayaka, and Hina felt themselves too distraught at the sight of their dead classmates. Mondo was incredibly furious at seeing his bro dead once again. Taka had a sense of self-loathing for himself.

The only one who wasn't too confuse, distraught, or angry was Junko. 'Okay, now he's dead!' The model confirmed happily. Celeste must've snuck in the depository, and betray Hifumi there. Which she probably planned to do from the very beginning.

Still don't know all the details, but she'll probably figure it out once the investigation. Might end up a bit boring though, already knowing the culprit.

The camera moved to each of the four survivor faces, with Makoto and Hina looking horrified, while Sakura and Byakuya had neutral gazes. Before anything could be said, the school bell suddenly rang.

A moment later, the announcements played. "A body has been discovered!" Monokuma announced. "After a certain amount of time, which you may use however you like, the class trial will begin!"

Just as the announcements ended, Monokuma appeared. "And so here we are!" The bear declared. "Without further ado, let me give all the next Monokuma File! I was going to hand them out when you found the bodies the first time, but I thought something might happen. It was really hard to resist, but… turns out I was right!"

"That… damn…. bear!" Mondo growled, close to frothing at the mouth. "Will he stop sounding so goddamn gleeful?!"

"How can… anybody enjoy all this?!" Hina hissed, tears of anger and sorrow threatening to come out.

"I don't think that's a question any of us can answer, Hina." Makoto said softly. That's a question that would way on everyone's mind.

"Just hand it over already." Byakuya interjected, impatience in his voice.

Sure enough, the bear hand each of them a file. "Now, make sure to investigate with all of your mental might and prepare for the class trial! Okay, see ya later!" And with that, the bear disappeared.

"Well then, now that we've found the bodies, all that's left is to uncover the culprit." Byakuya said calmly, looking at the Monokuma file.

"Why… is your future self acting so calmly…?" The one who spoke up was Chihiro. The programmer was looking at Byakuya with unshed tears shining in his eyes. "How can you be so apathetic? Watching your classmates die, being forced to execute another person… and you can treat like it's a game?! Or a job you need to accomplish?!" By now, Chihiro was shouting. "That's horrible!"

No one else said anything to that, but the angry looks from Sayaka and Hina, as well as the tears in their eyes, tells everyone that they agree with the former crossdresser.

Byakuya sighed. "Would you rather me panic and scream like everyone else?" Byakuya replied, slightly irritated but ever so calm.

"But how could you-"

"Shut it. When did I explicitly say that I didn't feel anything from this?" Byakuya gritted back, interrupting Chihiro. Though it angered Mondo in the process, he also couldn't bring himself to say anything in response.

'Seeing a dead body is always a new experience...' Kyoko and Mukuro thought to themselves, silently agreeing with Byakuya.

"We all choose how we act depending on the circumstances, and even as I was before I came here, I'd rather face it head on than to act like that and do nothing." Byakuya said, pointing at the screen. Those were some cold words, but nevertheless, Byakuya still got his point across. Seeing no objections, he let out a big sigh before returning his attention to the screen.

"H-Hold on…" Hina spoke up, a scowl formed on her face. "How can you be so… so calm…? I mean, they're dead, ya know?!" Tears began swelling up in her eyes. "Dead! Gone forever! They're never coming back!" Tears began sliding down her cheeks. "Awful… this is just too awful!"

Suddenly, she bent down and clutched Hifumi's head near her lap. "Wh-Who would do this…?" The girl sniffled. "Why…? WHYYY?!" She then broke down crying, he tears falling on Hifumi's cheek.

As Hina broke down… several of them felt themselves crying. Sayaka, Hina, and Chihiro were the first to break down, clutching onto Makoto, Sakura, and Mondo respectively. All three of them felt overwhelmed at this, at everything that's happened. For Sayaka, is was the guilt she's carrying. For Chihiro and Hina, it was the grief they felt those who died in the future.

Makoto also let out a couple tears, but he quickly steeled himself to comfort Sayaka, who seemed to be going through much worse than him. His blue haired friend clutched to him tightly, sobbing on his shoulder. Seven of his friends are dead now. Nearly half the class. And it's going to officially become half soon, once they find the culprit. When will this end? When will there future selves stop killing each other?

Leon gritted, trying to hold back any tears he's feeling. This is fucked up. Way too fucked up. Seven of them are dead, he's one of the damn corpses, more death is going to happen, and there still isn't even a hint a way out. There's gotta be something, right? Something that would save all there asses… right? His gritted his teeth as tears leaked out his eyes.

Mondo was caught by surprise when Chihiro clinged to his arm. But seeing the state he's in caused his anger to fade some, and he patted his head to comfort the smaller boy. As he did, he finally started thinking.

Why? Why his bro, of all people? He just began recovering. Just started moving on from his future self's death. Why take that away for good? Just… why?

Taka felt his hand clench, and his shoulder shake. The self-loathing he felt grew much more. If he was only strong enough, more discipline enough… his friends wouldn't have to go through this grief. Mondo wouldn't have to be so angry.

But he wasn't. And because of that negligence, he ended up killed. Another victim of this sickening game. Tears slowly slid down his eyes as those thoughts went through his head.

Hifumi and Hiro also felt themselves crying, both of them out of terror. For Hifumi, it's the thought that he could be killed in the future. The thought scared him before, but now seeing that as a sure possibility… it scared him even further.

For Hiro, it's the possibility that he could be executed. He can't believe that his future self killed two people. Sure he tried selling Makoto's organs, but if it really came down to it, he'd never do it himself. But if he really did kill those two… then that mean he would be executed if found out. He'll have to experience that future. That thought terrified him to no end.

Like Makoto and Mondo, Sakura was also comforting her friend, holding her close. The martial artist herself was close to crying. Seeing her friend like this, breaking down over everything that happened, is weighing heavily in her heart. But she held on, focusing on comforting Hina.

Even Mukuro herself felt emotional. Though she didn't tear up, it still pained her on the inside. Would she really put her classmates through this? Put them through this despair that her sister loves so much? Why would she, when Junko would easily kill her at any given time, when given the chance? Why… would she willingly put Makoto through all this, when he valued her much more than Junko ever did?

The only ones who manage not to tear up at all were Kyoko, Byakuya, Celeste, Junko, and Toko, the last one still unconscious.

Despite not as emotional as his classmates, the Togami heir still felt himself incredibly frustrated. Three chapters in, and they have nothing on the mastermind. Little clues as to who the mastermind is, no clue on a way out, very little about what's happening… and what little they did gain only brought more and more questions. Questions they have yet to get answers to.

Celeste used every trick she knew to not show any emotions. And even then, she threatened to tear up at the sight of all this. But she can't show weakness like her classmates. Cannot be overwhelmed by her emotions. So she clung to her mask tightly.

Kyoko felt herself grimace, the only kind of emotion she was letting herself show. The murders, the trials, the executions… even she feels that this is becoming too much. It was bad enough with one murder for each chapter, but with two murders? And that's not to mention the confusion that was sown before, and after the murders.

The detective looked at Makoto, who was soothing a crying Sayaka. She could see the tears that were threatening to come out of his eyes. So for him, and admittedly, partly for herself, she grabbed one his hands and gave a small squeeze of reassurance. The luckster gave a small, grateful smile, something that she returned.

Junko, meanwhile, looked away from everyone, her body shaking. This was to cover the euphoric expression on her face, with the shivering being of pleasure. This is so good! The grief, the emotions, all this despair is like ambrosia for her! It's making it extremely difficult not to scream out in orgasmic pleasure before fainting. She really was lucky that her seat was behind everyone else's.

Everyone was silent as they let out their emotions. However, that silence will soon end at the next scene…

At first, nothing had happened as Hina crying, with Makoto, Sakura, Celeste, and Byakuya silently watching. But then, against all possibilities, Hifumi slowly opened his eyes. A groan came out of his mouth, shocking the entire group.

"He's alive again?!" Makoto exclaimed in pure shock.

THAT got everyone's full attention. "WHAT THE FUCK?!" Mondo exclaimed in shock.

"How?!" Leon shouted right after.

"That… shouldn't be possible!" Celeste stammered, the mask she wore breaking off.

"He was dead!" Byakuya pointed out. "He died in the nurse office, before being moved in the repository! There's no way he could be still be alive!"

Even Junko was shock at this. This was not something she saw coming. How could the fatso still be clinging on to life, with all the blood spilled from his head? 'If he manage to survive this, I'm going to be incredibly annoyed!'

"Does… does this mean Hifumi will live?" Chihiro asked hopefully.

Hifumi, who also felt shock at this seeing future self breathing once more, felt himself becoming hopeful. Could he actually survive this? Will he be alive?

That hope, however, was taken away by Mukuro. "I don't want to say this, but don't get your hopes up. He seems to be barely clinging to life. And with that amount of blood he lost, he might not stay awake for long." The soldier pointed out.

Her words seemed to take away any hope the group was feeling, with Junko giving her an approving smile.

"Where… am I?" Hifumi asked, his voice extremely weak. "Cold… so cold… is… winter coming?"

"H-Hifumi! Wake up!" Hina shouted tearfully, shaking his head slightly.

"...Huh?" Was all that the fanfic creator said. "Ahh… that's right… I remember now… Hope's Peak…"

"Come one!" Hina begged. "You gotta wake up!"

"I remember… everything…" Hifumi continued.

Everyone froze again, processing what he just said.

"Wait… did he actually gain back his lost memories?" Taka slowly asked. "Does he really remember 'everything'?"

"Does that mean they haven't completely lost their memories?" Makoto asked, sounding hopeful. "Can they still get them back?"

"That's possible." Kyoko mused, narrowing her eyes. "However, it took a large blow to the head for Hifumi to recover those memories. I doubt any of our future selves will want that to happen to them."

"Still, maybe future Hifumi could tell them what happened!" Sayaka said, sounding eager. "He could at least tell them that their memories are wiped!"

"I don't think that's possible." Byakuya interjected, his eyes narrowed. "As we can see, he can barely talk. I doubt he can give us anything of use…"

"Before… I'd met you… all… I'd met… you all…"

"His memories are blending together. He has nothing useful to offer us…" Byakuya sighed.

Several of the students' shoulders sagged at this. Some knew that it was a stretch, but still, they had hoped that Hifumi would be able to give the remaining survivors anything of use.

"Ahh… the light…" Hifumi moaned, reaching up with one of his arms. "It's… reaching out… to me… like… the tail… of a comet…"

Many tensed at this, some tearing up. They're about to lose their classmates, again. Despite seeing him wake up, seeing revived, the hope shown to them is about to be taken away.

Hifumi himself was crushed by this. Look like this is just going to be a fluke. A small miracle shown to them before being taken away.

"Hey, Hifumi! Who was it? Who attacked you?!" Hina asked, sounding desperate. "Who tried to kill you?!"

"Who… killed me…?" Hifumi repeated. "That's right… I remember… their name…"

The group was even tenser now, some biting their lips or gripping their knees. If they can get a name, get the culprit's name, this trial can end quickly. They won't have to figure it out.

'Don't be me, don't be me, don't be me, don't be me…' Hiro pleaded, his hands clap together in prayer.

"Y… Yasu…" Hifumi's voice got weaker and weaker. "...hi...ro…" With those final words, his arm went lip, and his eyes slowly closed.

A heavy silence engulfed the room. A silence with different range of emotions. Shock at the name revealed. Grief at seeing their friend die once again. And anger at the one presumably responsible for this.

Many who held doubt that Hiro was the culprit felt those doubts crushed at this. It's one thing if the suspect was the only suspect left. But it's another if the victim themselves reveal their attacker.

Hiro himself was in shock, repeating in his head what Hifumi said. Surely, he didn't hear that right, right? Hifumi didn't say that he was the killer… right?

That thought, however, when Hina slowly turned to him with angry tears. "So…. you really did do it…" Hina said in a near whisper. "You… actually killed Hifumi and Taka. Killed both of them."

"You… are the worst, Hiro." Sayaka hissed, her stare venomous. "Not only did you resort in killing one person… but two!"

"Why… why would your future do this?" Chihiro asked quietly, staring at Hiro with anguish and feeling ever so betrayed. "How could he even think about doing all this?"

"I- I didn't - It can't-" Hiro tried to get out a response. But his mind is far too jumbled up right now to give any appropriate answers, if there was any.

Mondo didn't say anything. But the bowed head, tensed muscles, and his still posture, clearly tell the emotional state he's in right now.

When Hiro name left Hifumi's lip, several of them gave Hiro glares or looks of severe disapproval. Hifumi, who was sitting next to the fortune teller, tried to scoot back away from him, while Taka kept himself from looking at him.

The only three, other than Junko, that didn't immediately assume that it was Hiro was Kyoko, Makoto, and Celeste.

For Kyoko, she just felt that it was something off about this. Despite Hifumi's words, she can't automatically rule that Hiro was the one who did it. Maybe it was her instincts as a detective, but unless all evidence points to Hiro being the culprit, she can't accept that he's the blackened.

Makoto, however, thought differently. As someone who befriended all of his classmates, he had that secret sense of pride of knowing what each of them are like. And he knows that Hifumi usually uses last names, not first. So why would he use Hiro's first name instead of his last? Why say…. Yasuhiro instead of…

'Wait… no way. It can't be…' Makoto's eyes widen slightly, realization hitting his mind. If he was right… then he might already know who the culprit is.

Celeste herself was staring at the screen in pure shock. There was no thoughts of Hifumi's second death. None on whether or not Hiro was the killer. The only thing that was on her mind was this.

'How… how does Hifumi know my last name?'

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 57: Watching Chapter 3: A Next Generation Legend! Stand Tall, Galactic Hero! Part 15

For a moment, everyone was silent as Hina broke into tears once more. Makoto, Sakura, and Celeste held somber looks as Hina cradled Hifumi's head.

However, the silence was quickly broken by Byakuya. "This isn't some stereotypical fantasy world. Tears can't restore a person's vitality." The heir stated callously.

Byakuya's statement caused several to stiffen up. Honestly, none of them knew if they should be used to it by now. But still, it was a painful reminder of the past every time they see it.

Celeste held a frown towards him. "You have no tears, do you?" She stated bluntly. "No blood in your veins, no calcium in your bones. At least you have your meat…"

"You're just angry." Byakuya scoffed. "Going out of his way to return, just to leave us with those unnecessary dying words. Now this game has become exceedingly boring."

Byakuya internally winced, grinding his teeth in frustration. Is his future self even self aware of the situation? Now wasn't the time spout off such nonsense!

Makoto winced in sympathy for the present Byakuya, while Kyoko, Mukuro, and Sakura had expressions of disapproval. The rest were definitely more upset.

"He said… Yasuhiro, right?" Sakura inquired.

"Yasuhiro Hagakure…" Celeste murmured loudly. "That is the only person he could have been referring to."

"And with that, the case is solved." Byakuya declared.

"No… no, it has to be a mistake…" Hiro, who finally managed to get his mind somewhat together, mumbled out. "It couldn't be me, could it? It can't be!"

"There's no use denying it." Byakuya sighed. "You're the only one we haven't seen, the only one without an alibi, and Hifumi said your name. There's no able way for you to deny it."

"But, it can't be me!" Hiro denied desperately. "It can't! I would never kill somebody!"

"Hiro, you were willing to sell someone else's organs." Sakura pointed out. "And that was not only to save yourself, but also to keep the money you have saved up."

"In other words, if you're willing to do that, it isn't far-fetched to think you would kill to get out with a million dollars." Leon concluded. That caused the fortune teller to try and stammer out a defense, but he couldn't find one.

Celeste, meanwhile, was caught up in her own thoughts. How… how did Hifumi know her name? When and where did he hear it from? And if he said her last name… does that mean she was the one that killed him and Taka?

No, that wasn't possible. Hifumi was killed when she was with the others. Taka later when she was with Hina. There's no way she could've killed either of them.

'Maybe, he meant Hiro.' Celeste thought to herself. 'It was probably coincidence that he said his first name, rather than his last. Yes, a coincidence…It must be...' However, despite her attempt to convince herself, she knew she was going against the odds.

'Assaulting people, and even killing Hifumi and Taka…' Makoto thought to himself. 'And then going so far as to hide their bodies. A criminal that hides his face behind a mask, and uses a bunch of giant wooden hammers. Is that what Hiro is…?'

Makoto frowned to himself. None of this makes any sense. All of the evidence points to Hiro, yet when thinking about it, the fortune teller being the culprit is confusing. Why hide in a costume? Why try to hide the bodies in the first place? And more importantly, why kill two people instead of just one? It just doesn't make sense.

'Is he even capable of coming up with this plan?' He thought at the back of his mind.

And despite what the others think of him now, he knew that Hiro wasn't a malicious person. He can be stupid, yes, as well as selfish and greedy, but not malicious enough to be willing to kill somebody for money, let alone two. And if Hifumi, somehow, knew Celeste's real name and was talking about her… then that makes it much more complicated.

Guess he'll have to find out during the investigation. Though he knew, either way, the outcome was going to be ugly.

"If it's true, I can't forgive him… no way can I ever forgive him!" Hina snarled, her tear stained face twisting into a scowl. "To kill two of our friends…!"

"Anyway, it's about time we tracked down the culprit in our little life-or-death game here." Byakuya cut in. "Although… this time it's not all that life-or-death. The trial will conclude without much trouble."

"Yes, it does look that way." Celeste agreed.

Hiro started sweating from fear. Did his future self really did it? Kill two people? It still doesn't seem possible! But if he did… then that mean he'll be killed! Executed! And doesn't want to see himself die!

Kyoko, meanwhile, felt that the trial won't end that easily. The amount of time to not only kill two people, but hide their bodies? It's physically impossible for most of them here to do. Something about this screams a fabrication of some sort.

Makoto was silent at this, looking down at the floor. 'It's… going to begin again.' He thought to himself. 'We have to go through this… one more time.' He let out a sigh of resignation. 'I have to accept it. I have no choice to but to go through with this. To make sure everyone survives… I just have to do it!'

Makoto clenched his fists tightly, keeping them on his legs. During this investigation, he'll need to look at everything carefully. Find out whether it was Hiro… or Celeste.

"Here goes another investigation, and another trial." Byakuya sighed. "Before we continue, someone wake Jill up."

"I got it." Leon volunteered, getting up from his seat. When he got down to his knees, he shook the unconscious bookworm/serial killer. "Yo, Jill. Time to stop playing dead."

After a couple more shakes, Jill's red eyes snapped wide open, causing the baseball player to yelp and jump back. "Gyahahahaha! Your famous serial killer is back once again!" She then flipped back up on her feet before stretching. "Man, I am loving this watching the future thing! I get to come out much more and be my loving murderous self!"

"Of course you would like all this." Hina grumbled, scowling in anger. Similar thoughts were shared by the Sayaka, Leon, and Mondo, judging by the angry looks on their own faces.

Jill happily ignored the swimmer. "So, what did I miss this time? Someone must've been off'ed yeah?"

"Hifumi and Taka." Mukuro answered, getting raised eyebrows from the serial killer. "Then there bodies were dragged and hidden in the dormitory. In the span of several minutes. All done by someone in a robot costume, which is most likely Hiro." She ignored the protesting shout of the fortune teller.

"Oh? Two deaths?" Jill cocked her head to the side, interest clear on her face. "Someone here is vicious enough to kill two people? Now I'm definitely interested!" She let out her signature laughter. "Each chapter is getting more and more interesting!"

She then plucked herself back into her seat. "Kyahahaha! Now, let's get it rolling!" Nobody chose to say anymore to the serial killer, knowing that it'd only incite her more and turned their attentions back to the screen.

Makoto lifted the Monokuma File up to his face. 'First I'd better check the Monokuma File…' He began reading the content of the file. "The victims were Hifumi Yamada and Kiyotaka Ishimaru. The cause of death for each was a blow to the head. It is thought that they were both killed with a similar weapon."

When Makoto tried to scroll down to read more, nothing else was revealed. "That's it?" Makoto said incredulously.

"What the-? That's way less information than before." Leon stated in disbelief.

"Must be because there isn't much to tell." Kyoko mused, holding her chin in thought. "Nothing that we can't figure out for ourselves, anyway."

"Probably." Mukuro agreed with the detective.

"Yeah, it's pretty strange." Byakuya agreed, narrowing his eyes. "We got way less information this time than before."

"That is no problem. After all, the events of this case unfolded before our very eyes." Celeste reminded them. "We should know more about what happened than the Monokuma File, anyway."

"Maybe…" Was Byakuya response to Celeste's statement.

'But why avoid revealing the time of death, and their location of their death?' Byakuya thought to himself. 'The file didn't avoid those details in the last two cases. Why now?'

Kyoko was also musing on the missing info. '...Omitting the information must mean they're important.' Kyoko mused to herself. 'Otherwise, Monokuma wouldn't actively try to keep that info to himself. But what reason is there to do, when it was clear when Taka and Hifumi died?'

As soon as she thought that, a thought dawn on Kyoko. 'Perhaps it is because the time of death isn't as clear as we think.' The detective guessed. She was right after all; this trial won't be as straightforward as it appears.

Unknown to her, Makoto had his eyes slightly towards her. 'She figured something out, hasn't she?' He shook his head with a small smile. 'Kyoko is way too amazing. She's able to get something out of that little info.' He then put on a thinking face. 'Which means what the file says, or what it's lacking, must be important.' It's something he'll need to keep in mind as the investigation progresses.

"There's something else that's bothering me…" Sakura spoke up. "Someone else has been missing for quite a while…"

The group immediately knew what the future Sakura was talking about. "Kyoko…" Sayaka murmured loudly in concern. "There's no sign of her ever since they split up this morning."

"Where could she be for so long that none of us would find her?" Makoto asked worriedly.

"I'm also concerned for her well-being." Sakura admitted. "While she isn't fragile, something still could've happened."

"The only thing we could do is continue watching and find out." Kyoko interjected. While she's confident that she wasn't dead, as Monokuma wouldn't allow a third murder to happen, she was curious, and a tad bit concerned about her well being as well. After all, being MIA for that long does spark some concern for most people. Did she discover something that took so much of her attention? Or did she got caught into a trap of some sort, set up by the mastermind? They would have to wait and see.

"Are you talking about Kyoko?" Makoto inquired.

"Without a doubt, she has an alibi for when Celeste and Hifumi were attacked." Sakura stated. "But what if the killer wasn't acting alone? What if they had… an accomplice?"

Those were some heavy words to take. "Sakura!" Makoto gasped in shock. "Why would your future self think that?!"

"You have to admit Makoto, that Kyoko's absence is suspicious." Sakura sighed, quickly understanding her own reasoning. "And with how confusing the case at the moment, we can't leave anything out."

"But there's no benefit for me to become an accomplice." Kyoko pointed out. "If I help them, then I will die anyway. So why would I be an accomplice for a murder?"

"True enough." Byakuya agreed. "I can't see you, in any scenario, assisting in a murder scheme."

The luckster's eyes widen at this. "An accomplice?!"

"An accomplice?!" Once again, Monokuma appeared.

"...What are you doing here?" Celeste sighed in annnoyance.

"Don't be rude!" The bear admonished the gambler. "I'm here to answer your question!"

"What question…?" Makoto inquired.

"You're talking about accomplices, right?" Monokuma rhetorically asked. "I'm pretty sure I explained it before, didn't I? During the first class trial! You can be an accomplice if you want, but there's no gratification in it!"

"So are you saying nobody worked together this time, either?" Sakura asked.

"Sorry, can't answer that!" Monokuma responded back. "It would obstruct the free exchange of information between you guys. I just want to make sure you don't forget - no matter how much you might assist in a murder, only one blackened can graduate. An accomplice gets NOTHING!"

"Then we only need to figure out who that one blackened is that did the killing, right? Just like normal?" Byakuya spoke up.

"Okay, okay, let me take this opportunity to clarify the whole shebang." The bear stated. "In this class trial, what you need to determine is… the one true blackened who devised the murder plot and put it into action!"

"...I'm so confused here." Hina moaned, rubbing her head. "Is there or is there not an accomplice? Answer clearly please!"

Junko snorted. "The day the bear gives us a clear answer is the day Mondo goes without cursing for a day."

'...Actually, his words seem plenty useful.' Kyoko thought to herself. 'The one true blackened who devised the murder plot and put it into action? That very much implies that the killer has an accomplice, or a partner of sorts.' And something tells her that finding out the accomplice will lead to the true culprit.

'The true blackened…?' Makoto thought in confusion. 'So just one person?'

"That's enough for explainifyin'!" Monokuma declared. "Now it's down to the final battle between all of you, and the blackened! Good luck to all the contestants!" Once again, the bear disappeared without offering a chance for any more questions.

'So there can only be one blackened. An accomplice wouldn't benefit…' Makoto thought.

"So Kyoko couldn't be a accomplice." Chihiro agreed with the luckster. "There's no benefit for being one, and she knows that."

"And she is way too smart to get manipulated into doing anything." Leon added.

"Still, the question as to where Kyoko is remains." Sakura reminded them.

The luckster then spoke out loud. "Then I can't see any way Kyoko would be connected to this case, after all."

"You may be right…" Byakuya conceded.

"If that's true, then… Kyoko, where are you?" Hina asked, clearly worried.

"The future Kyoko better have a good explanation ready…" Byakuya sighed. "Otherwise, she'll invite us to suspect her as the traitor."

Kyoko frowned at this, as did Makoto. They both knew that if the future Kyoko manages to find something, she won't be willing to reveal anything. And with some of the survivors' suspicions, it won't look good.

"As long as she's not connected to the case, it doesn't matter." Sakura sighed. "Let's get back to the investigation."

"I have absolutely no doubt that Hiro is responsible." Celeste stated. "But for the time being, I suppose it can't hurt to pursue further information."

"There's gotta be some sort of mistake!" Hiro exclaimed, holding his head in panic. "There has to be some sort of fake Hiro running around!"

"If that's the case, then who could've done that?" Leon remarked.

"Well, maybe Jack! She's a serial killer after all!"

"How rude!" Jill huffed. "Just because I'm a serial killer, I'm automatically suspected for every kill?" She then pointed at the two new victims. "Besides, I only kill cute boys! And while strict boy here might barely qualify, he's too 'RAAGH FOLLOW THE RULEZ' to be cute! And I don't even need to explain Huffy!"

"That's because you have no good taste…" Hifumi grumbled, though not as much as heat as he usually would have, while Taka just sulked, painfully aware of how he comes onto other people.

"You know…" Hina hesitantly spoke up. "Don't you think we should consider a certain someone a suspect, just in case?" When she saw the others looking at her, she continued. "I'm talking about the murderous fiend… Genocide Jack!"

"Wha-? I'm offended!" Jill, who was right next to Hina , exclaimed.

"Kyaah!?" Was Hina's response, jumping away from the serial killer.

The present students also screamed or yelped in shock. "How the hell does she do that?!" Leon exclaimed in shock. "We didn't even notice her!"

"But, of course! I wouldn't be the murderous fiend if I wasn't able to hide my presence!" Said murderous fiend stated proudly.

"Seeing as this is also from Makoto's perspective, his perception definitely needs some work." Mukuro absentmindedly commented.

"You…" Byakuya stared at her in shock, along with Celeste, Makoto, and Sakura. "When did you-?"

"I've been looking all over for you, Master! When I woke up, you were nowhere to be found!" Jill explained.

The Togami heir was silent at this, still stunned. While he was silent, Jill turned to Hina with an angry look. "Anyway! You there, milk sack swimmer girl!"

"Milk sack…?" Hina repeated, looking both confused and offended.

"Why do I gotta be a suspect?!" Jill continued, clearly outraged.

"I know, right?" Jill said in agreement with her future self, pouting. "They always suspect the serial killer…"

"Maybe it's because you're a SERIAL KILLER?!" Sayaka pointed out. "You're more likely than any of us to kill!"

"Yet I haven't even attempted to kill a single one of you yet!"

Her rebuttal was surprisingly met with an uncomfortable silence as she drove the point home. "...A point to the psychopath." Byakuya sighed. They're three chapters in, and the infamous serial killer has yet to even attempt a murder, while there were others who attempted or actually killed their fellow students.

"Well, I mean… you are a serial killer." Hina pointed out.

"So what, I'm like a special guest suspect every time?!" Jill said in retort. "I have an alibi, you know!"

"She's right about that…" Byakuya agreed reluctantly. "When we heard Hifumi scream, she was with me. And when the body disappeared, she was still lying unconscious in the living room. Plus, Taka's body aside, I can't imagine any way she would have been able to move Hifumi's body."

"So in other words, it's impossible for Genocide Jill to kill either one of them in any way." The present Byakuya concluded.

"Oh, master!" Jill sighed dreamily. "I love the way you defended me!"

"I'm just stating the facts. There's no deeper meaning to it." The heir stated flatly.

Meanwhile, Hiro still looked panic. "Then, maybe the mastermind did it?! And are trying to frame me for it?!"

"You seriously think the mastermind would waste time trying to a pin a crime on you?" Junko deadpanned. There are far more suitable candidates for her to frame, Makoto and Kyoko tying on the top. Why would she bother trying to have fingers at the useless fortune teller?

Besides, her future self doesn't really to do something like that. For one, it would ruin the whole point of the killing game. And two, they're doing a wonderful job killing each other off already. No need for any further interference.

"Besides, I calculate every move I make!" Jill added in. "I'm not gonna kill someone when everyone knows what I look like!" She lifted her scissors with an psychotic grin. "They don't call me the murderous fiend for nothing!"

"That's not the kind of thing you should be bragging about!" Hina exclaimed in anger.

"I agree with Hina." Taka spoke up, his voice soft but fierce. Despite the emotional turmoil he's feeling, he still felt the need to speak. "Being a murderer is not something to be proud about."

"Shaddap, you stiff!"

"On another topic," Celeste spoke up before an argument could break out. "Should we post a guard by the bodies like before? We can't have them disappearing again…"

"Hina and I can handle that." Sakura volunteered. "You don't mind, do you Hina?"

"Sure." Hina sighed. "I'd be totally useless on the investigation, anyway…"

"Then that's that. Let's begin." Byakuya stated.

Makoto frowned to himself. 'This whole thing is so strange…' He thought to himself. 'All but one of us has an alibi, so figuring out who did it should be obvious, right? But…' He turned towards the crime scene. 'Maybe it's just me, but I don't think it's going to be as straightforward as it seems.'

"And why would you think that?" Byakuya asked, raising an eyebrow. "All of us have some form of an alibi except for Hiro, Hifumi told us that he was the killer before dying. It leaves no room for any other possibility."

Makoto turned his head away at that. "I got that, but… even if accept that as fact, that still leaves some confusing questions." There's also the fact that Hifumi's last word could refer to Celeste's actual name. But for now, he's going leave that out.

"And what would those questions be?"

"I think the future Makoto is going to ask them." Kyoko interjected, seeing the luckster on screen going towards Byakuya. "But I agree. If we just assume that Hiro is the killer, then there are holes left unfilled."

Hiro couldn't but look at them in slight shock. They're still willing believe in him? Even after hearing all the evidence against him, and hearing what his future self asked Makoto previously?

"Byakuya… do you think Hiro really did it?" Makoto asked the Togami heir.

"I don't see how anyone could think otherwise." Byakuya answered. "When the attacks and murders and disappearance all happened, every one of us had an alibi. And the last thing Hifumi said when he died…"

"Yeah… he said Hiro's name." Makoto finished off.

"Then there is no room to suspect anyone else." Byakuya concluded.

The luckster let out a sigh at this. "Okay, but if he did do it… why would he hide his identity with that weird costume?"

"Maybe he thought that no matter what happened, he'd be safe as long as his face was covered." The heir guessed. "Because he's the fool of the century, you see."

'I mean, he is kinda dumb…' Makoto admitted to himself.

"No I'm not!"

"You bought a fake crystal ball for a million dollars, con'd a yakuza girl out of her money, and used that money to buy 'artifacts' …" Hina listed off blankly. "And you still don't believe they're fake!"

"They're not!"

"Oh for fuck sake…" Mondo growled angrily.

'But do you really think that's enough to explain it? I feel like there's a clue hiding in there somewhere…'

"The costume or the fact that he's stupid?" Mukuro asked, ignoring any indignant protest from the fortune teller.

"The costume… mostly." Makoto answered, giving Hiro an apologetic smile. "Don't know what yet, but I feel there's something more about that suit. And the hammers."

Of course, those that are adamant that it was Hiro didn't really get it, but there were a few that got thinking. Namely Byakuya, Chihiro, and Celeste.

"And that is it? That's all that bothers you about the case?" Byakuya inquired.

"Well, no… there are a few other things." Makoto answered. "Like, why did the killer try to hide the bodies?"

"They probably figured that if we couldn't find the bodies, we couldn't complete our investigation." Byakuya, once again, answered easily.

"But if that's the case, we found the bodies pretty easily, didn't we?" Makoto rebutted.

"Again, it comes back to the fact that the culprit was a moron." Byakuya's fired back.

"Can we really point to Hiro's lack of intelligence as evidence?" Kyoko pointed out. "If that's the case, we could've easily pointed to Byakuya or Jill thanks to their view of the situation and killing, respectively."

"That's… true enough." The Togami heir sighed. That was something he was unable to deny.

"Is that really all there is to it…?" Byakuya was silent at Makoto's question. "The other thing that bothers me is… why'd they bother killing two people?"

"...What?" That question gain the Togami heir's full attention.

"Because all the rule says is, if you can kill someone and get away with it, you graduate. Right?" Makoto reminded him. "So if you're the killer, your number one priority is not getting caught. But killing people means more clues, more chances you'll get found out."

"That… is actually a good point." Taka spoke up, frowning in thought. "It wouldn't make sense to kill two people, when you only need to kill one."

"Perhaps Hiro thought he could get more rewards with more kills?" Celeste suggested. "Like we said before, he is a fool."

"Okay, I admit, I'm stupid! But I'm not THAT dumb!" Hiro protested. "There's no way I would think that!"

"The fool has a point. Despite the lack of brain cells, he unfortunately does have a functioning brain." Byakuya sighed. "However minimal that may be…"

"So… does that mean Hiro probably didn't do it?" Chihiro hesitantly asked.

"There's still the alibis we all have, and Hiro's name being said by the horse's mouth." Junko pointed out. Truthfully, she's quite curious about that. She has no doubt that it was Celeste and Hifumi that caused all this glorious chaos, with Celeste as the mastermind, so why would Hifumi say that Hiro was the one…?

The model had to bite her tongue to keep her crazy grin from coming up. Ohhhh, so it's like that, huh? Guess that explained the hate she had for Hiro from day one.

"That is true." Sakura agreed, completely unaware of Junko's thought process. "We cannot ignore those things."

"Hold on. Perhaps…" Byakuya frowned in thought. "I see… so that's what that means."

That grabbed the group's attention. "Did future Byakuya figured out something?" Makoto asked curiously.

"Must be something important, if it gained his attention." Mukuro mused.

Byakuya, meanwhile, thought about his future self's reaction. What is he thinking about right now? Something about the entire chase? Something in the Monokuma file? Possibly something he was thinking on beforehand? Or maybe…? 'Is he thinking about Monokuma's words? About finding the one true blackened that orchestrated the entire murders. If so, then… does that mean the culprit somehow orchestrated the entire thing?'

He narrowed his eyes at the screen. 'Perhaps Kyoko and Makoto are correct. This trial looks to be more complicated than how it appears.'

"I-Is everything okay…?" Makoto inquired, a bit confused.

The Togami heir was silent for a moment. But after the moment passed, he gave Makoto a condescending look. "Don't talk to me as if we're friends."

"Huh?" Makoto's eyes widen at the sudden attitude. "What's with the attitude?"

"Yeah!" Hina agreed with a scowl. "He was just discussing something with you!"

"My master is just being tsundere, that's all!" Jill let out a content sigh. "He always act like that with me all the time!"

Byakuya could only respond with a most disgusted face, not even finding the words to express it.

"But… you have my appreciation." Byakuya said, walking out of the room with a smirk on his face. "Thanks to you, I might have some fun with this after all."

His words got people tense once again. "What is he planning?" Hiro asked nervously.

"Don't tell he plan to mess with the crime scene again…!" Leon groaned.

"I rather doubt it. There isn't a position to tamper with it." Byakuya retorted, hiding his annoyance. "No, it's more likely that he figured that this trial is more complicated than we realize."

"What? How can it be more complicated?" Hina questioned, mouth agape. "I mean, it's obvious that Hiro is the killer!"

"Perhaps he's not." Byakuya retorted. "Like Kyoko and Makoto said, there's too many questions held around the case. Until we're able get the answers those questions, along with more evidence, we can't say for certain."

"So… you believe in me too, Byakuya?!" Hiro asked hopefully, near tears.

The heir merely scoffed. "Hardly. I believe in what I'm seeing."

The short exchange got Chihiro thinking. If there's more to this trial… does that mean Hiro isn't really the killer? Is he actually innocent? Maybe he too, should learn to be more patient.

"He talked as if… he'd figure something out." Makoto said to himself. "But if he did, would it have killed him to tell me what it was?"

"Yeah, it would be good to have some info…!" Leon huffed, crossing his arms. "Cause seriously, this is becoming more confusing."

"Yeah." Hina groaned, rubbing her head. "I mean, if it isn't Hiro, who else could it be? There's nobody else that could've done all these things!"

"We'll figure that out during the trial, Hina." Makoto reassured the swimmer. "Once we get everything we need, the answers will come to us." Honestly, he had a feeling these answers will reveal themselves during the investigation. Because the more questions they ask, the more it feels like it's a partially complete puzzle with obvious holes around it.

Sighing, the luckster began his investigation. "I began the investigation right in the repository." Narrator Makoto began as the luckster kneeled towards Hifumi's body. "The first thing I did was look at the two bodies, starting with Hifumi's." As this was being said, Makoto focused his eyes on Hifumi's clean glasses.

"I looked at Taka's next, noticing the tarp lying under it." The scene switched to Makoto looking at Taka's body, laying a hand on the tarp. "Along with it, I noticed the dolly next to the body, with the wheels tracked with dried blood." A clip of the dolly, along with the blood stained wheels, was shown.

The group felt queasy at seeing the bodies up close, but not as bad as before. Whether it's because of the fact that the crime scene is not as grotesque as the last two, or they're getting used to seeing actual corpses on screen, they didn't know.

As the thought crossed Makoto's mind, he gripped his knees uncomfortably. Are they getting numb to all this? To the murders, the trials, the executions… is it something they're getting used to?

He shook his head. Now is not the time to think about it. He needs to focus on the investigation. 'So there's a tarp and a dolly, which probably means the killer used those things to carry Taka. Don't think they could've been able to do with Hifumi's, since it was on the first floor.'

'Speaking of Hifumi… his glasses weren't clean before, were they?' The luckster noticed the clean glasses on Hifumi's face. 'If so, why are they clean now? Why would the killer clean them?'

"The final thing before I left the repository was hearing Hina's account during the search for the bodies."

"Hey, um… Makoto?" The luckster turned towards the swimmer, who looked concern. "I've been thinking about something. It's about the repository…"

"Huh? What is it?" Makoto inquired curiously.

"After Hifumi and Taka's bodies disappeared, we split up to look around, right?" Hina asked, recapping the earlier events. "I was really scared, so me and Sakura stuck together. And we came right to the repository to, y'know, look around. But when we got here, the repository was locked. We couldn't get inside…"

"Locked?" Mukuro repeated, a frown on her face. "But it wasn't locked when Celeste found the bodies, was it?"

"No." Kyoko narrowed her eyes at the screen, her mind clicking away already. "It wasn't…"

"It was locked…?"

"And we came here as soon as the search started, so there's no way someone coulda beat us here…" Hina continued.

"So it couldn't have been anyone that was together during search." Makoto mused. "That would only leave Kyoko and Hiro…"

"But it would be extremely difficult, possibly near impossible, to get out unnoticed." Byakuya pointed out. "Those searching would've saw them."

"So how and why is it locked?" Sayaka asked the group. "It sounds impossible for it to happen."

"It sounds like most of the shit that happened is impossible…" Mondo grumbled.

Kyoko held her chin in thought. There seem to be a lot of impossible scenarios surrounding this case. But it's clear something was done to make it all possible, otherwise they wouldn't have happen. So what was it?

"So if that's true, then… who locked it? And why is it unlocked now?"

"I wonder the same thing…" Makoto agreed, frowning in thought. 'The door was locked when the search for the bodies began, but now it's wide open…'

'So the killer must've locked the door while dragging the bodies there, and when he was done, unlocked it and left.' Makoto theorized to himself. 'But still, the timeframe doesn't really quite fit. Yeah, they could've done so with Taka's body, but Hifumi's body was still at the first floor. There's no way they could've move his body so quickly.'

'Not only that, but if the killer got out of the depository, they would've been spotted by someone else.' Byakuya thought. 'All of us were searching around the entire building, it would be incredibly difficult for the killer to move around the area freely.'

'So how can you make all these impossible scenarios possible?' Kyoko asked herself. 'Who could've done all this in the time frame set? It couldn't have been anyone searching the school. Hiro and I aren't physically capable of moving the body, nor could we get out of the depository without anyone spotting us. So the only one who could do this is…'

'Eliminate all the alternatives and that really only leaves one conclusion...?! No way!' Makoto thought in shock. 'I mean, it would make sense, but… no. No, I just need to wait and see. I need more evidence before I come to that conclusion.' However, if he was right… then all these impossible situations makes much more sense. And with Celeste's real last name mentioned, she will look more suspicious in his eyes.

"Hmm… there's gotta be a clue around here somewhere." The luckster said to himself as he walked out of the depository. 'Maybe I should check somewhere else. There are some places I already know about. The nurse's office, where Hifumi was found; and the equipment room, where Taka was found…'

As the scene switched to the luckster being in the equipment room, narrator Makoto spoke. "So, I went to both the equipment room in the physic lab, and the nurse's office at the first floor." As he talked, the present Makoto kneeled towards the puddle of blood. "In the equipment room, I noticed tire marks made from the blood."

The next scene was Makoto grabbing a yellow glasses cleaning cloth, with a anime character on the front, from the trash can of the nurse's office. "And in the nurse's office, I found a glasses cleaning cloth."

Hifumi was surprised to see it in the trash. "What the-That's my glasses cleaning cloth!"

"What?" Everyone turned to the fanfic creator with confusion and a bit of alarm. Makoto was the one to speak. "That's yours Hifumi?"

"Yes!" Hifumi confirmed with a nod. "But it's all bloody…"

"So someone took it off your body to clean something?" Chihiro asked with a small frown. "But what? And why?"

Some immediately figured out why. 'Hifumi. He must've used it to clean off the glasses.' Makoto thought grimly. 'That would explain the clean glasses. And who else would benefit from cleaning them?'

'And if Hifumi was actually playing dead, he would've been in the best position to move the body to the equipment room.' Byakuya thought to himself. 'Which could mean…'

'...he was an accomplice in the murders, and was betrayed in the equipment room.' Kyoko finished. 'And there's one person I suspect the most of everyone…'

'...Celeste.' Makoto gritted his teeth at this. 'She's the only one I can think of.' Her last name being said by Hifumi was a large part of the reason why he think so. But he also remembered how strange her reaction to all this was, from the scared looks to the scream. Her being the first to say that Hifumi was dead, how adamant she was about Hiro being the killer, and how much more proactive she was in everything…

He clenched his fist tightly as these thoughts ran in his head, drawing a look of concern from Sayaka. "Makoto, are you okay?" The idol asked softly. "You look tense."

The luckster tried to give her a reassuring smile, though it came out as a grimace. "I'm just… thinking, right now." That's an understatement if there ever was one. He doesn't know what was worse right now. That Celeste could be willing to do all this… or that he's at a point where he manage to find a suspect before the trial even began. Sayaka, obviously able to tell that Makoto was onto something, didn't press the issue since if he wanted to talk about it, he would've simply told her. Whatever it was, he must be waiting for something definitive before telling.

As Makoto's gears kept spinning, he was once again brought out of his thoughts when he felt a hand laying on one of his clenched fists, causing him to turn towards the source of the contact. There was Kyoko, gave him a look of understanding and support, likely due to coming to a similar conclusion to him. In response, he gave her a small smile in thanks, unfolding his fists into Kyoko's gloved hand.

"After that, I ran into Byakuya…"

"So this is where you were. I've been looking for you." Makoto turned his head to see Byakuya at the door of the nurse's office.

"You have…?" Dropping the glasses cleaning cloth, the luckster walked towards the affluent progeny.

"I wanted to thank you for what you did." Byakuya stated. "Not that you meant to, but you ended up making this little game of ours very interesting indeed."

"I'm really start hate that word." Leon grumbled. "Cause interesting probably means deadly, horrible, or god damn confusing every time Byakuya says it."

"Or Monokuma." Hina added.

"U-Umm…"

"You should go to Hiro's room." Byakuya advised.

"What? Why my room?" Hiro questioned in confusion.

"Byakuya probably found a clue in there." Makoto guessed. "But shouldn't his room be locked?"

"Don't tell me that idiot forgot to lock his room…" Leon said blankly.

Hiro could only chuckled nervously at this. There were a lot of times where he forget to do things…

"Oh, and let me give you this." He handed Makoto a paper, which was the note made for everyone.

"This is the note Hiro wrote to get us all to meet up, right?" Makoto inquired.

The heir nodded. "You remember well."

"Well, the penmanship was pretty remarkable, so it left an impression…" Makoto explained.

"Anyway, this makes it clear, right?" Byakuya asked, getting back to the main subject. "This is a trap."

"A trap?" Hina asked in confusion. "What do you mean a trap?"

"Tsk. If you can't figure it out yourselves, just wait for the trials." Byakuya advised. "Everything will be explained then."

"How about you it explain to us now, asshole?!" Mondo retorted in anger.

"How about you wait?" Byakuya responded back. "I doubt you'll believe me if I tell you now, so just wait for all the pieces to come together."

"That's probably for the best. Unless you're able to figure it out yourself, it's best to wait until the trial is underway to get answers." Kyoko spoke up, crushing any arguments from forming.

Mondo sulked back into his chair thinking that he'll never understand people who use their brains that much. Fists were simply faster and more effective.

Makoto frowned at this. "What is…?"

Instead of answering, Byakuya let out a chuckle. "Things grow ever more exciting."

"Um… what are you talking about?" The luckster asked nervously.

"I've already repaid my debt. I don't owe you any more explanations." With that, the Togami heir turned and began walking away. "Goodbye…"

Makoto watched Byakuya left before looking at the note again. 'Um… so he said to go to Hiro's room, but… what's waiting for me there?'

Narrator Makoto spoke once more. "So, I decided to go there and take a look," The scene switched to Makoto inside Hiro's room, which contained some cardboard boxes on the floor. "There, I found some cardboard boxes lying in the middle of the road. And in those boxes…"

As Makoto opened the boxes, the camera angled upward to show the blueprint and material for the Robo-Justice suit. "Is this… Robo Justice?" The luckster asked himself, holding the blueprint. "And it's in Hiro's room…!"

The shock at the reveal rippled throughout the room, especially for Hiro himself. It didn't take long for glares to be aimed at him. "So you did make the Robo-Justice suit!" Hina growled. "There's more and more proof that you did it! You can't possibly deny that you did it!"

"I- this is- I can't-!" Once again, Hiro's mind was too jumbled up to say "I can't even draw that well if my life depended on it!".

"This appears to be very bad." Once again, Junko got into her teacher persona. "A lack of an alibi, Hifumi's dying word, blueprints for the Robo-Justice suit, all points to you being the killer."

"Just man the fuck up and admit it already!" Mondo growled.

As several of the students ganged up on Hiro, a few were thinking. 'This is far too convenient to be actual evidence…' Byakuya thought. 'Having the blueprints and materials inside his room, while it's unlocked? It's obvious that it's a ploy to frame the fool.' The fact that several of his classmates are falling for it made him want to shake his head. Imbeciles.

'But wait…' Makoto narrowed his eyes on the blueprints. "Hmm…"

'Not only is the evidence is way too convenient to be true, but the handwriting is too different to be Hiro's.' Kyoko mused to herself. 'This is probably would be something Hifumi would make, not Hiro. Especially with his abilities and interest in anime.'

Chihiro and Mukuro both also thought this was too convenient. Having evidence planted in his room, with his door unlocked, had them both questioning Hiro's guilt. 'Is… someone really trying to frame Hiro?' The programmer thought to himself. 'Does that mean he's innocent?'

Meanwhile Mukuro was more doubting the technicalities of the situation. 'Is Hiro even capable of making them?' She thought, examining the the material inside the boxes.

Makoto, however, was thinking differently. His eyes were turned towards a certain gambler. 'Cele- no… Taeko. What are you thinking right now?' He asked himself. 'You must have noticed something's wrong. Especially with your last name mentioned.'

Celeste, who was silent for much of this, was trying to reassure herself. 'There's no need to worry. There's no way Hifumi could have known my real name.' She thought. 'And all the evidence is pointing to Hiro. There's no need to worry.' As far as she's concerned, this trial will obviously end with Hiro ousted as the killer.

It doesn't matter what Kyoko is thinking. Doesn't matter what Byakuya is thinking. It doesn't even matter… what Makoto is thinking. This trial isn't as complicated as they say. Once it starts, and all the evidence presented, there will be no doubts that Hiro did it.

There isn't any other possibility. There isn't any chance… that she could have killed two of her classmates.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 58: Watching Chapter 3: A Next Generation Legend! Stand Tall, Galactic Hero! Part 16

"Makoto!" The luckster, who walked out of Hiro's room, turned towards the direction of the shout. He saw Hina ran over to him. "Big news! BIG NEWS!"

"...What's wrong?" Makoto asked with slight concern.

"We found Kyoko!"

Everyone jolted upright upon that announcement. "Finally, some good news!" Leon stated with some relief. "But where has she been this whole time?"

"Hopefully, we'll find out once Makoto and Hina meet with her." Byakuya said, crossing his arms. "She owes us an explanation for her disappearance."

"What!?" That got Makoto's full attention. "I-Is she okay? Where is she?!"

The group was slightly startled at the urgency in Makoto's voice, though not too much. Those who would usually tease the luckster about this either felt it wasn't the best time, or was too emotionally unstable to do so.

"Wait, I wasn't done. There's more big news!" Hina told him, a scowl showing on her face. "Robo Justice showed up, too!"

"Robo Justice?!"

Hina nodded. "It's Hiro wearing the costume!"

That took everyone by surprise. "They finally managed to find him?!" Hina exclaimed.

"Well, we seem to be having big strokes of luck in this chapter." Celeste mused. "First everyone having alibis for the murders, then finding material for the suit in Hiro's room, and then finally finding the culprit himself wearing the costume."

"Yes. We seem to be having good fortune." Sakura agreed.

Hiro, however, disagreed, judging by the rapidly paling skin.

"Anyway, c'mon! They're up on the second floor, in the pool area!" With that, Hina ran to the stairs. Makoto followed after her as quickly as he could.

The scene switched to Makoto and Hina running into the pool area, where everyone else was waiting. As they got closer, Makoto finally spotted the two people previously missing on the far side of the pool. "Kyoko!" He exclaimed, focusing his eyes on the stoic girl. His eyes then turned towards the other person. "And…!"

"Phew! Man, I have had the WORST day!" Sighed the other person in the area, Robo Justice.

At first, Makoto was silent, staring at the suit. After a moment, he spoke. "...Hiro?"

By now, all color was lost on Hiro's face. "Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-?"

"Want to deny it now, you fucker?!" Mondo growled in fury.

"This is it!" Hina declared, anger also in her voice. "Hiro is the one in the Robo Justice suit!"

Byakuya was getting a bigger and bigger migraine the more these people speak. 'To think I would have agree with these cretins…'

"I found Hiro." Kyoko revealed to him. "He was jammed into the pool room locker. It looked like he was fast asleep, so I kicked him and woke him up."

"I still can't believe you kicked me!" Hiro complained. "You coulda been a little more gentle about it. Like, I dunno, caress my face or somethin'!"

"...That's creepy." Kyoko deadpanned.

"Anyway…" Makoto focused his attention once again towards Kyoko. "Kyoko, where have you been all this time?"

"Million dollar question right there." Leon remarked with a frown. "She completely disappeared through most of this shit!"

"Like Byakuya said before, an explanation is needed." Sakura stated.

"You just disappeared all of a sudden, without a trace…"

"There was something I had to check up on." Kyoko answered vaguely.

Her statement drew a confused and worried frown from Makoto. "What do you mean…?"

"Never mind." Was her response.

"What?!"

"Oh hell no!"

"Fuck THAT!"

"You expect us to accept that answer?!"

Makoto resist the urge to let out a sigh. Honestly, he's not that surprised. And he kinda understood why she isn't saying anything. But he still wished that the past Kyoko wasn't so secretive, or at least so vague.

"I can't never mind…!"

"Never. Mind." Kyoko repeated more forcefully. She quickly moved to change the subject, looking away from Makoto. "More importantly…"

"Are you seriously going leave him with that half-assed explanation?!" Sayaka exclaimed in anger.

"Your future self does realize that it doesn't help her standing with the others, yes?" Byakuya pointed out to Kyoko. "I, and possibly a couple others, are even starting to suspect something…"

"Byakuya!?"

"Makoto, what else should we think? That nothing she's doing by herself warrants suspicion?" The heir responded back. "Not all of us are as naive as you are."

Kyoko merely stared at the TV, the only sign of emotions being her clenching fist. She realized that what her future self is hiding must be important, something that the mastermind can't find out. But at the same time, she can understand her classmate's frustration, and even feel them herself.

'She says that, but… does she have any idea?' Makoto clenched his fist anxiously. 'Does she know people think she might be spying for the mastermind?'

"She probably does." The detective sighed. "But trust issues aren't something to easily shake off."

"So she can't even trust Makoto with some information?" Hina said with a scowl. "I mean, both of your future selves have gotten so close! She had said that she had trust him some! So why can't she just give him something?"

Kyoko closed her eyes, unable to find an answer. In hindsight, it would be so easy to say that she can talk to him later, or that they'll speak once they were at a place that the mastermind wouldn't here. So she has to admit, her future self's stubbornness to keep her cards solely to her chest is getting ridiculous.

"First of all…" The lavender haired girl turned towards the fortune teller. "Hiro, you need to explain to us why you're dressed like that."

"Oh, uh, well… I mean… I have no idea." Hiro lamely said.

"..." A blank silence filled the room at Hiro's response, with several of them staring blankly at the TV. A fully deadpanned, "What?" from Leon voiced what they thought of Hiro's answer.

"One second I was asleep, don't even know how that happened, then I woke up, and then I was here…"

"Does he actually expect us to believe that horseshit?" Mondo asked, annoyance mixed in with his anger. "He couldn't even come up with a better fucking excuse?"

"Hey! What if future me is telling the truth?" Hiro protested.

"Yeah, right. He was somehow asleep, then woke up in a robot suit?" Leon pointed out. "Do you realize how stupid that sounds?"

'Maybe. But it wouldn't be as stupid if some drugs were involved.' Mukuro thought to herself. 'And it doesn't sound like he's lying, but the possibility is always there..'

"Whatever he says, I don't care." Byakuya sighed. "I just want him to get that ridiculous suit off. It's gives me a headache just looking at it."

"Hey! That's a work of art!" Hifumi protested.

"I don't care. Do something about that costume." Byakuya ordered. "It pains me just to look at you."

"Well, um…" Hiro stuttered a little. "I dunno what's up with this thing, but I can't actually get it off…! A little help?"

"Why would you make something that you can't take off by yourself?" Celeste scoffed.

"I didn't make this stupid friggin' thing!" Hiro declared in annoyance.

Kyoko moved towards the back of the suit. "There's a clasp on the back that's keeping you from getting it off. It looks pretty sturdy. I don't think you can get it off on your own." She grabbed onto the clasp. "We don't really have a choice. Let's help him…"

Byakuya narrowed his eyes at the clasp. 'This is obviously a way to keep him trap inside the suit. There's no way he could've put that on himself, fully.' The heir deduced. 'It's becoming more and more obvious that this is a plot to frame Hiro.'

'The more we see, the more holes are there in the idea that Hiro is the killer.' Kyoko thought. 'The attempt to frame him seems almost desperate.'

'Why is Celeste trying so hard?' Makoto thought with a frown. 'This isn't like her. She's more subtle whenever she's manipulating anybody. What she's doing now is making it way too obvious that it was her.'

The scene switched to the group putting down parts of the suit, with Hiro taking off the last bit of it. "Whew! Free at last!" Hiro sighed with obvious relief.

"Isn't it kind weird how perfectly the suit fits Hiro…?" Hina pointed out.

"More to the point, nobody but Hiro would be able to wear that costume." Celeste stated.

"More and more proof that Hiro is the culprit." The present Celeste said right after. "It's like you want to be caught."

"Well, how do you know that nobody else could wear it?!" Hiro exclaimed desperately. "It could still be possible for others to wear it, like Hina or Makoto."

"We shall see if that's true." Sakura stated. "Still, it doesn't change that we found you in that suit." The scared look on the fortune teller's face told them all that he briefly forgot that little fact.

"Wait, what?" A confused and nervous look entered Hiro's face. "H-Hold on a sec!"

"Don't bother trying to act innocent." Celeste interrupted coldly. "The blueprints were in your room, as well. In other words, it is obvious to everyone that you made the costume."

"That's true. I saw the blueprints myself." Byakuya confirmed.

"Yeah… me too…" Makoto also added.

"Then it's obvious… the one who put this costume on and went around attacking everyone…" A glare slowly went up on Hina's face. "...is Hiro!"

'It is obvious. Too obvious.' Chihiro thought to himself. 'It's look more and more like someone is trying to deliberately frame Hiro for the crime.' But if so… then who? And how? That was something he has yet to figure out.

"Shall we tie him up and gag him?" Celeste suggested.

"Good idea!" Hina readily agreed. "We wouldn't want him killing anyone else…"

"T-Tie me up?!" Hiro exclaimed in shock.

Makoto winced at the scene, and winced again when he saw the angry glares some of his classmates aimed at Hiro, who looked absolutely terrified and conflicted. "Hey guys, can you stop glaring at Hiro so much? For one, it's not for sure that Hiro is the killer yet."

He could see them about to argue, and quickly continued on. "And second, even if he did, our Hiro didn't. So let's not treat him like a criminal for what his future self did."

"Besides," Kyoko spoke up, giving a look towards Sayaka and Mondo. "Some of you have no room to judge him, considering your future selves' actions in the previous chapters."

That comment draw a flinch from Sayaka, while Mondo looked away, fist clenched. Hina and Celeste merely backed off, the former still angry, but understanding Makoto's words.

Hiro sagged with some relief, though there's still some terror and confliction in his eyes and expression.

"H-Hold on, guys." Makoto protested. "I think that's going a little far…"

"He may be a suspect, but he deserves fair treatment." Kyoko said in agreement.

"The two of you are too reasonable, you know that?" Sayaka sighed.

"Some of us need to be the voice of ration." Kyoko retorted. "Letting everyone act out of their anger and paranoia will lead to chaos."

"And besides, like Kyoko said, even though he's a suspect, he deserves to be treated fairly." Makoto added. 'Especially since it looks like he doesn't know what's going on at all.'

"Yeah!" Hiro quickly agreed. "I mean… attacking? Blueprints?" A confused look entered his face once more. "I have no idea what you guys are talking about!"

Mukuro narrowed her eyes at Hiro. From his tone, words, and look, he really doesn't seem like he knows anything that had happened. So either he's a good actor, or is genuinely confused. And she very much doubt that he was any good at acting.

"You can't talk you way out of this." Hina growled. "It's been decided… you killed them!"

"What? Killed who?!" Hiro questioned in shock, and slowly rising distressed. "I have no idea what you're talking about! There must be a fake Hiro running around!"

"You're the only one who can wear this costume." Hina retorted. "So who else could possibly be the costumed attacker?!"

"How do you know I'm the only one?!" Hiro pointed out angrily. "Maybe you should try it on yourself before you convict me!"

"Fine! If you're gonna be a jerk about it, I will!" Hina agreed in annoyance.

"Let's see if someone can wear the blasted thing." Byakuya said, crossing his arms.

"I doubt it will." Hifumi spoke, looking at the costume with a critical eye. "From the looks of it, the costume was designed to fit Hiro's height and width, exactly. It doesn't seem like it's made to adjust to any other person."

The others looked at Hifumi in slight surprise. "You could tell all that with just a glimpse?" Sayaka asked him.

"Yes, of course." The fanfic creator confirmed with a nod. "I've seen cosplay like this in events I've participated in, so it's easy to tell. I've made some too."

"You make them too?" Kyoko asked.

"Of course! What part of a doujin creator would I be if I didn't do that as well?" Hifumi proudly claimed. "Although I don't wear them, I sometimes get jobs to make them for other people."

"Yeah whatever. Thanks for letting us know." Leon sarcastically said, batting that aside.

However, Kyoko was definitely not letting go of that information, and so weren't Byakuya and Makoto. Meanwhile, Celeste can only sit there silently as she felt the pit in her stomach feel that much deeper.

Without missing a beat, Hina grabbed a few of the costume parts and put them on. When she did, it was clear to everyone that the costume was too loose for her to wear. "See, look! See how loose it is?" Hina stated, trying to keep herself from falling. "I mean, come on… I'm blind as a bat in here! Can't see my feet at all. I'm surprised you got anywhere in this thing!"

"I'm telling you, it wasn't me!" Hiro cried out.

"And not to mention-!" Hina grunted. "You totally can't bend at the waist! Seems like a pretty obvious oversight…"

'Extremely limited vision, unable to bend at the waist…' Kyoko listed off. 'Hiro wouldn't have been able to walk around the school like that, much less perform any of the actions that had happened.'

"That's not a very nice thing to say!" Hiro protested.

"...Hmm?" Celeste clearly caught his words.

"Er, I mean - it's not like I made it!" Hiro backtracked. "I just got caught up in the moment…"

Byakuya facepalmed. The fool. It's no wonder he was chosen as a suspect. Celeste probably didn't need to do so much in the first place to make him a suspect.

"Well, either way… now we know for sure, right?" Hina huffed, taking off the costume. "I mean, it seems pretty clear that nobody but Hiro coulda fit into this dumb costume!"

After taking off the costume, she turned towards Hiro with crossed arms. "Well? Now you're all out of excuses."

"N-No, see… it's cuz you're a girl!" Hiro weakly argued. "If it was another guy, then…"

"Makoto, go ahead." Byakuya commanded.

"Yeah, sure. Cause Makoto is much taller than Hina." Leon remarked dryly. "Why couldn't you do it?"

"Are you actually suggesting I wear the abominable thing?" Byakuya asked, disgust clear in his tone. "I'll pass, thank you."

"O-Okay…" Not putting up a fight, Makoto picked up an arm on the floor and tried putting them on. "It's no good… the arms are too long. There's no way I can wear this…"

"See?! I told you it was impossible!" Hina exclaimed.

"You are absolutely right." Celeste agreed. "It seems this costume was made to fit Hiro's body exactly."

"Th-Then… there's another costume!" Hiro suggested desperately. "They must have one that looks the same, but… but fits them!"

"If you insist on this line of defense, then show us some evidence." Celeste countered.

"Evidence…?"

"You claim there is another suit, yes? Then you must find it and show it to us." The gambler told him.

"C'mon, seriously?!" Hiro cried out. "Where is future me suppose to even look at?!"

"Doesn't matter." Hina spoke up with a small scowl. "He's still the only one without an alibi."

"Which means he's the only who could've done it." Junko added in 'agreement'.

"Wh-What the heck?!" Hiro cried out.

"Who cares?!" Hina exclaimed. "Hiro's the only one without an alibi during this whole thing anyway! Which is how we know it's him!"

"I mean… is this really true?" Hiro asked, looking absolutely confuse. "I have no idea what's been happening. Could someone, like… tell me? If you don't tell me what's going on, how am I supposed to understand?"

A look of dread entered his face. "I think I've figured it out… someone's been killed, right? Hey, Makoto… who is it?"

"W-Well…" Letting a sigh, the luckster answered Hiro's question. "Two people were killed. Taka and Hifumi…"

"What?!" Hiro eyes widen in shock and horror. "TWO people?!"

"Why is he freaking out?" Hina questioned. "He's the one who killed them."

Mondo let out a furious growl, clenching his fist. "He better stop this fucking act, cause it ain't funny."

"B-But, it doesn't sound like he's acting…" Chihiro spoke up nervously. "He's sounds really confused."

"Not to mention he hasn't said or did anything that reveals that he knows more than he let on." Mukuro added. "No slip ups of any kind, no lack of a reaction, nothing really."

Once again, Hiro was shocked, as well as near tears. More people believe in him? Even after everything they saw?

"Perhaps he's faking ignorance." Celeste suggested. "And faking it well."

The idea drew a snort from Byakuya. He very much doubted the fool could act. He can't even lie well enough. His failed attempts at getting people to buy his fortunes are enough evidence of that.

"Why are you freaking out? You did it." Hina stated angrily.

"I did not!" Hiro immediately denied. Before he could say anything further, a thought came to his mind. "Wait, hold on… If those two are the ones were killed… that's it! I know who did it!"

That drew surprised, curious, annoyed and aggravated looks. "What is the future Hiro thinking?" Makoto asked cautiously.

"We shall see soon." Was all Kyoko said. While there's enough evidence to say that it was Celeste instead of Hiro, it couldn't hurt to learn anything else.

"You may as well tell us, then." Kyoko spoke for everyone.

"Taka and Hifumi were fighting over Alter Ego, right?" Hiro rhetorically asked, whispering to the group. "Which means Alter Ego and/or Chihiro must have done it!"

Almost everyone was giving the screen blank looks, while the actual Hiro was actually considering the idea. "Yeah! The have to be it! After all, Chihiro is protective of Alter Ego!"

The silence in the room pretty much expressed how flabbergasted everyone was in ways that words cannot express.

Byakuya's face slowly met his palm once more. 'How stupid can one be?' The heir couldn't help but wonder. He would sooner entertain the idea of Hifumi and Taka killing one another, than even give thought of a dead person or computer killing somebody.

Kyoko merely sighed. The more time goes on, the lower her opinion of Hiro becomes.

"I see…" Kyoko sighed. "That's unfortunate."

"Huh? Unfortunate…?" Hiro asked in shock.

"But why?" Hiro cried out in shock. "It's clearly a solid idea!"

Slowly, Mondo got up from his seat with a fist raised. Before he could get too close, Taka quickly got up and grabbed Mondo by the raised arm. "Bro, wait!"

"Let me go, bro." Mondo requested far too calmly. His calm demeanor actually brought chills down people's spine. "Let me beat this idiot right now. I'm only gonna beat him to near death, I promise."

"That's still bad!"

Hiro yelped and held his arms out in defense. "What's so bad about my idea?"

"Chihiro. Is. Dead." Leon said through gritted teeth. "The AI he created missing, and stuck in a computer. There's no possible way EITHER of them could kill anybody."

"If Chihiro's a ghost, he could!"

Mondo walked forward again, this time dragging Taka. The moral compass tried in vain to stop him, but the biker became an unstoppable force. Thankfully, chains shot up around Mondo, tying him up and effectively stopping him. Everyone turned to Spirit in the back corner of the room.

"Didn't I say no excessive violence before?" Spirit reminded the group. "Beating a person near death counts as such. Settle down and get back on the couch."

The biker was silent, unmoving from his position. After a moment passed, he finally relaxed and the chains around him pulled back. Without only a small growl and a huge sigh of frustration, he walked back the couch and sat down, with Taka cautiously joining him.

"...Hiro, just, shut up." Leon groaned. "You aren't any help at all." The last thing they need is more of Hiro's stupid ideas.

"Stop trying to trick us!" Hina demanded angrily. "Just admit you did it, okay?!"

"I-I'm telling you, you got it all wrong!" Hiro insisted. And again, a thought came to mind. "Ah, I know! That note!"

Once again, the group was caught by surprise. "A note?" Taka said in confusion.

"Note…?" Makoto asked in confusion.

"Last night, someone slipped a weird note under my door." Hiro explained. "And here's what it said…"

"I found a hole we can use maybe we can use to escape. Monokuma can't find out, so don't tell anyone else for now. Let's meet in the rec room at 1 am." After repeating what he read, Hiro's head dropped. "But the last thing I remember is going to the rec room, then for some reason I fell asleep. The real killer probably drugged me or something!"

Hiro gained a hopeful look at that. Others, however, were much more doubtful.

"Does he honestly believe we're gonna fall for that shit?" Mondo asked bluntly. Hiro's previous idea had actually calm him down more, after he sat back on the couch. "No fucking chance."

"Hold on, Mondo." Makoto spoke up. "I saw chemicals like that whenever I go to the nurse's office, so his story is possible."

"Wait, seriously?" Leon asked in shock.

"Yeah." The luckster nodded. "Sleeping drugs whenever Mikan or other medical professionals have to perform more serious injuries."

"How do you know that?" Sayaka asked him curiously.

"You forget that our so called lucky student gets injured regularly." Byakuya remarked dryly. "He's probably familiar with all the medicine in that cabinet."

Said lucky student opened his mouth to protest, before closing it after a moment, knowing that he can't really deny that.

"...Not a chance." Hina stated bluntly.

"No, hold on." Kyoko spoke up. "He could be onto something. The nurse's office did have chemicals that could do that…"

"Wh…?" Hina looked surprise at this, the anger temporarily gone. "Really?"

"So future me might actually have an alibi!" Hiro said, sounding very hopeful. "Maybe someone is setting him up!"

'Assuming he still has the note.' Byakuya, Kyoko, and Mukuro thought. While it's likely that Hiro is telling the truth, the killer can just snatch it away while he's asleep, and destroy the evidence.

"I told you. Someone's try to set me up…" Hiro said, frowning. "A secret passage - a chance to escape… someone wrote all that to trick me!"

"Even if that's true, you must be one dumb fish to bite every piece of bait that floats in front of you." Hina sighed.

"Hina got a point there." Junko said in agreement. "Seriously, if it's way too good to be true, it's probably isn't. Or there's a catch alongside it."

"W-Well, they've been trapped in the school for a while." Hiro defended his future self. "I was probably desperate!"

"Well, after being trapped here so long, even if you know it's a lie, you still gotta check, right?" Hiro said in defense for himself. He then cried out in despair. "They used my desire to get out of here! They deceived me!"

"See?! They used my desperation to lure me in!"

"Whatever soothes what pride you have left." Byakuya said dryly.

"I still don't buy it…" Hina sighed.

"Well you SHOULD buy it!" Hiro responded back.

"Okay… then show us that note!" The swimmer demanded.

"With pleasure!" Hiro said happily, as he reached into his pockets. "I have it right here in my… um, pocket…" A look of confusion entered his face as continued digging through his pockets. "Looks like I lost it…"

Heads were slumped and looks of disappointment were sent at Hiro when his future self uttered that last sentence.

"Oh come on!" Hiro complained, the color draining from his face.

"Well, it's been nice knowing ya!" Jill said cheerfully, waving at Hiro. "I would suggest your future self enjoy life while he still can! Maybe a party!"

"But it can't be me! I'm not a killer!"

"Shut your mouth, murderer, and accept your fate!"

"Who are YOU calling a murderer, murderer?!"

"Yeah, sure…" Hina remarked dryly.

"P-P-Please, ya gotta believe me! I wouldn't hurt a fly!" Hiro pleaded.

"As I said before, if you want us to believe you, you must provide evidence. Can you show us the note?" Celeste requested. "I have no particular issue with what you claim, but if you want us to believe you, give us a reason."

"Wh-What the heck?! For serious!" Hiro groaned.

After a moment, Byakuya spoke up. "Now then, shall we resume the investigation?" He rhetorically asked. "There's no time to waste before the class trial begins."

"Why do we need to keep investigating?" Hina questioned. "We already know who did it…" She then gave Hiro an angry glare, tears forming in her eyes. "Why…? Why did you kill them? Tell us, Hiro…!"

"It's far too soon to say that Hiro is the killer." Byakuya stated. "After all, there's still several questions surrounding the case. Questions you halfwits are too blind to see." 'Some more willfully than others.' The heir thought to himself, ignoring the angry looks he's receiving and staring right at Celeste.

The gambler noticed the stare. 'What is that look for?' She thought to herself. 'Is he implying that I'm not seeing what's obvious? Willfully so?' She shook her head. 'Ridiculous. The answer is clear. The killer is Hiro.' She ignored any bad feeling she had in her stomach.

"No… it's like I said…!" Hiro tried to defend himself.

But Hina wasn't done. "Was it really the money Monokuma offered us?" She questioned. "Yeah, that must be it… you must be totally broke, and that's why…!"

"W-Wait! That's a false accusation!" Hiro protested helplessly. "Someone, help me!"

"Just be thankful we haven't bound and gagged you!" Hina retorted angrily.

Makoto couldn't help but wince at this, feeling sympathy for the fortune teller. The accusations Hiro was facing was much worse than what his future self had to go through.

Still, he couldn't really blame Hina either. With everything that had happen, and is happening, it's difficult to use your head, especially when evidence seems overwhelming.

"If you have time to yell and carry on, you have time to search for your evidence." Byakuya advised. "Right?"

"Ah! You right!" Hiro said in realization. "I need to look for the second suit and that note!" He then began running out of the pool in neck breaking speed. "Feet don't fail me now!"

"Go future me! Find that note and suit as soon as possible!" Hiro cried out to his future self.

Leon turned to Sayaka. "How much you want to bet that he won't find anything?"

"Nothing at all." Sayaka replied back with an eye roll. "Cause that will probably be the result."

"Well, who knows?" Makoto spoke up. "Maybe he can find something else." While he had doubts that Hiro will be able to find that note, or a second suit, maybe he could be lucky and stumble on a different thing.

"I guess I'd better get back to guard duty…" Hina sighed. "I was gonna ask Toko - er, Genocide Jack to switch with me. But if she and Sakura got into a fight, we'd have a catastrophe on our hands."

"Me? Get into a fight with that muscle weight?" Jill voiced the idea in curiosity. Then she laughed it off. "While that sounds like it would be fun, I don't get into duels with people! I'm the sneaky type, you know!"

"You certainly don't act like it." Hina grumbled.

"Well, bye…" With that, Hina went on her way back to the crime scene. Byakuya and Celeste also followed suit, leaving Makoto and Kyoko alone.

"So they're back to the investigation." Byakuya said, crossing his arms. "Though it probably won't be long before Monokuma calls for the trial."

"It is no problem." Celeste stated. "They've gathered enough evidence to pinpoint Hiro as the killer. His lack of an alibi, the materials and instructions found in his room, finding him in the suit himself…"

"But is that enough to conclude that Hiro is the killer?" Taka quietly spoke up. "After all, our future selves were close to voting for Makoto for Sayaka's murder, just because she was in his room." He has been listening to the conversations and arguments happening with his classmates for a while, and he has to admit, something does seem suspicious about his and Hifumi's deaths.

"Then who else could it be?" Hina cried out in frustration. "Everyone else has alibis, and none of the other survivors can fit in the suit! So who could it possibly be?"

'Celeste would be the primary suspect..' Makoto, Kyoko, and Byakuya thought in their head. With each piece of evidence revealing itself to them, the more sure they were that the Ultimate Gambler is the assailant.

Of course, the thought didn't sit well with Makoto. One way or another, this trial is going to get ugly. He just hope that, at the very least, it won't drive a deeper wedge between his classmates.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 59: Watching Chapter 3: A Next Generation Legend! Stand Tall, Galactic Hero! Part 17

"Makoto, do you have a second?" Kyoko inquired once everyone else left.

"Huh?"  The luckster reacted as he turned towards Kyoko in curiosity.

"I want you to help me with the investigation." The lavender haired girl requested. "It looks like I got a late start on this one, so I need to make up some ground."

"Oh, yeah. Kyoko disappeared for most of the investigation." Chihiro said in musing. "So she probably needs a summary of everything that happened."

"Though is it really wise to ask anybody for help?" Junko remarked. "For all she knows, she could be asking the killer and they can make anything up."

"That's why I'm asking Makoto for help." Kyoko said in response.

Makoto was silent for a moment, thinking on it, before speaking. "Sure, I don't mind helping. But can you promise me something?" He asked. "Later, when we have time… will you tell me why you disappeared?"

"No." Kyoko bluntly answered.

That brought a few winces, as well as angry scowls, due to how blunt the rejection was. "While I really shouldn't any less…" Makoto sighed. "I was still hoping she would've say yes."

"It would've been fair." Sayaka said with a scowl. "She wants help, but refuse to give any sort of answer for why she disappeared?"

Kyoko bit the inside of her lips to keep any frustration from showing. This is really getting ridiculous. Her future self could at least offer an good explanation as to why she isn't saying anything.

Makoto couldn't help but cringe a little. 'To reject me so simply…'

"Anyway, I need your help." Kyoko went back to the main subject. "You don't mind, do you?"

"...O-Okay." The luckster sighed in defeat.

"You need to grow a spine." Byakuya stated bluntly. "You gave up too easily there."

Before Makoto could respond or defend himself, Mondo let out a snort. "Like hell he did. He's just gonna wait till later to press." The biker retorted.

"Oh?" Byakuya raised an eyebrow at that. "And how did you figure that?"

"Cause I know Makoto is stronger than he fucking looks or act." The biker's last conversation with the guy, during the break, proved that to him. "He's got the courage to press the subject, but fucking mature enough not to do it now."

As they slowly thought over his words, Chihiro spoke up. "He's right." He said softly. "I think Makoto is brave enough to press Kyoko further, but patient enough to wait."

"I won't disagree on that," Byakuya sighed. Evidence has been shown that Makoto does contain both bravery and maturity. "But we shall see after the trial."

"Thanks." The lavender haired girl then moved to the exit. "Now then, shall we…?"

The scene switched to Makoto and Kyoko exiting the pool area. "So, Makoto… first I'd like to examine the corpses."

'Examine the corpses…' Makoto repeated in his mind blankly. 'I can't believe I'm hearing that from a girl the same age as me…'

"Yeah, tell me about it." Hina said with a small shudder. "I mean, I know you're the Ultimate Detective Kyoko, but still…"

"It's not something to get easily use to." Leon remarked before pointing a finger at Genocide Jill. "We're still not fully used to Jack either!"

His reply was a raspberry. "You guys just have no guts!"

Kyoko sighed herself. Just because she is more exposed to this stuff doesn't mean she likes it either.

"Dead bodies don't lie, you know." Kyoko continued. "They tell the truth far more easily than the living. Wouldn't you agree?"

"How am I supposed to answer…?" Was Makoto's response.

"Anyway, we have have to hurry. Before the class trial begins again…" Kyoko stated.

"Y-Yeah, you're right…" Makoto sighed in agreement.

"Okay then, show me where the bodies are."

Again, the camera switched, this time in the repository, where Hina and Sakura are guarding the bodies. "Hifumi… and Taka…" For a moment, Kyoko was rigid. But that moment quickly passed, and she relaxed. "Well then, let's get started."

Junko's eyes lit up with interest. "Wow. So it seems like even Kyoko is affected by the death of two classmates." The fashionista said softly.

"Of course. Kyoko hides her emotions well, but she's still human." Makoto said in response for the detective. Then a smile entered his face. "It's still pretty impressive that she only allowed herself to show that much emotion."

Kyoko had to suppress her embarrassment at the sudden compliment. So long as she could help it, Makoto will never find out how much his sincere compliments affected her…

Without hesitation, she crouched down towards Taka's and Hifumi's bodies, and began examining them. "The Monokuma file was right. They were killed using similar weapons." She continued prodding the bodies.

'Her movement is so smooth.' Makoto thought in amazement. 'She was so… calm. Comfortable.'

"Do you always narrate this stuff in your head?" Kyoko commented, tinges of pink flushed on her face. She was both equally embarrassed at how highly he always thought of her as well as being just as curious as to how he saw everyone around him.

"L-Look, I can't really help it ok?" Makoto said, just as embarrassed.

"Makoto. I found something." Kyoko announced, drawing the luckster's attention.

"You did…?"

"You remember the wristwatch Taka always wore on his left hand?" The lavender haired girl asked him.

Makoto cocked his head in confusion. "He did…?"

"Are you so oblivious to the people around you?" Kyoko sighed. "Do you dislike other people that much?"

That comment took people by surprise. "Damn!" Leon whistled. "I can't tell if she's serious or not!"

"Probably serious." Byakuya sighed. "She's admonishing him for not paying attention to details like that."

"But saying that he dislikes other people is a bit much!" Hina stated with a frown. "I mean, I don't notice stuff like that!"

"Well, it's something you should learn to notice." Kyoko advised. You never know when info like that can be useful.

"N-No, that's not it…" Makoto protested, flustered. Shaking his head, he went back to the main subject. "Anyway, so you said he had a watch?"

"Take a look…" Kyoko held up the wrist the contained Taka's watch. "It's broken. You can see the hands aren't moving, right? It's most likely broke when he had his encounter with his assailant. And if you notice, the hands are frozen at just past 6 o'clock."

"So what, does that mean it was broken around 6 or something?" Hiro asked,

"Though it has to be am, not pm." Makoto mused. "Because if I remember correctly, Taka was checking his watch the night before the murders. Right before nighttime."

"That's right." The present Taka spoke. "My future self wanted their meeting to go before nighttime starts."

"So it ended up busted when he got killed during the search." Leon guessed. "So what?"

'No. That's not possible.' Kyoko thought to herself. 'If it broke right around 6 o'clock, and it didn't break at night…'

'...That would it broke at 6 in the morning.' Byakuya unknowingly continued. 'This means that Taka actually died in that time, which would also means…'

'...That Taka was killed first. Before any of the survivors were even up.' Makoto thought in slight shock. 'That would mean the Justice Hammers were created to mislead us. To have us think…'

'...Every happenstance was during our little search.' Byakuya deduced with narrowed eyes. 'It would also explain why Monokuma decided to hide the info of when the murder take place. It's part of the Celeste's disguise.'

'Hifumi's fake death, disguising the time of death, Hiro's inability to take the suit off himself…' Kyoko listed off. 'All that, and more is used to try and lead us to only one conclusion. To try and fool into thinking Hiro is the killer.'

'All this planning, all this set up… it all so carefully constructed and masterfully plan.' Makoto thought, nausea slowly filling him. 'These murders were plan from the beginning. Celeste… just how long were thinking of doing this?'

"Oooohh kay...?" Leon gave a weird look at his 3 friends as they suddenly fell silent and looked deep in thought. However, figuring that he had nothing else to offer, he just returned his attention to the screen.

"So that would mean… the watch was broken sometime just after 6?" Makoto guessed.

"But last night, Taka's watch definitely wasn't broken…" Kyoko told him. "So if it worked at 10 last night, it couldn't have been broken at 6 p.m."

"Meaning it must have happened at 6 this morning." Makoto surmised.

"6 a.m…" Chihiro murmured to himself. Does that mean Taka was killed first?

'This means that the numbering of the Justice Hammers were made to mislead us…' Mukuro mused. That's definitely something to note.

"And that's not all. Look at Taka's left hand." She pointed at the thing gripped tightly in Taka's hand. "He appears to be gripping something…"

Makoto's eyes widen slightly at this. "You're right There's something… white in here."

"How did we not notice that before?" Byakuya asked with slight disbelief. "At least some of us should've done so."

"We had to deal with a lot." Sakura said in response. "The death of two of our friends, the search for their bodies when they went missing, and Hifumi's brief revival, would keep from seeing small details."

"Can you try and pry it out?" Kyoko requested.

"Me?!"

"Yeah, me?!" Makoto cried out alongside his future self. "Why me?!"

"Rigor mortis has already set in." Kyoko responded. "Boys are better suited to this kind of manual labor, right?"

"Seriously?" Leon questioned incredulously. "You, of all people, is saying THAT?"

"Apparently." Kyoko said, not looking his way. "But it doesn't make it any less true."

Makoto could only give the detective a blank look, to which she simply kept her head turned away.

"O-Okay…" Reluctantly, Makoto grabbed Taka's cold hand. Looking a bit pale, the luckster pried his fist until he's able to free the object in his hand. "A… piece of paper?"

That gain several looks of confusion. "That's all he had?" Hina asked, tilting her head.

"But why did I had that piece of paper in my hand?" Taka questioned. "To throw it away or something?"

'I don't think so…' Kyoko thought to herself. Something tells her that this piece of paper is part of a letter.

"Was that all he had in his hand?" Kyoko questioned.

"Yeah, that's it…" Makoto answered, holding the paper up. "Just a scrap of paper. Doesn't seem like much of a clue, does it?"

"I wonder about that…" Kyoko mused to herself. She then turned towards Hifumi. "Now, onto Hifumi's body."

"Did you find something?" Makoto inquired.

"I did." Kyoko confirmed. "More than I expected, to be honest. Look at this…"

"A… wad of paper?" Makoto asked in confusion.

Kyoko's eyes lit up at this. Could that be connected to the ripped piece Taka was holding?

"Hifumi had it hidden on him." Kyoko revealed.

"Hidden…?"

"He'd stuffed it in his pants." Kyoko stated. "So I can only assume he hid it on purpose, you see?"

"In his pants…? Wait," Makoto's eyes widen as he processed the implication. "So you-?!"

Like Makoto, it took everyone a bit to process what they just heard. But when they did…

"Say what…?!" Hina exclaimed, wide eyes.

"It was stuffed in his pants…?" Leon questioned incredulously.

"And she dug through them?" Hiro added in horror.

"The fuck?!" Mondo cursed in disbelief

"Ew!" Sayaka exclaimed loudly.

"That is extremely inappropriate!" Taka stated loudly in distaste.

Makoto could only sigh before turning towards Kyoko. "Do you even hesitate with these kinds of things?"

"I don't see what the big deal is about." Kyoko said, not understanding why her classmates are reacting so badly.

Junko had to cover her mouth to hold back her amusement, while Mukuro also tilted her head, sharing the same confusion. Jill merely let out her mad laughter.

Hifumi could only look at the screen with a bright red face and feeling nauseous. It was a combination of the fact that it was embarrassing, it was his dead body, and that it wasn't his ideal princess digging through his pants. But there's no way in hell he will every let anyone know about that last one.

"It was just his pants. Not like his socks or something…" Kyoko dismissed.

'I don't… know what you mean…' Makoto thought in befuddlement.

Many of the students were also befuddled. "How would his socks be worse?" Celeste questioned.

"The sweat would have ruined the evidence." Was Kyoko's response. "It's better that he hid in a place that would gather less sweat."

Several could only give her blank looks. Sometimes, she can be as bad as Taka in obliviousness.

"I... I don't know about that one..." Leon whispered to himself in terror.

"Kyoko... for your own good, remind me to talk to you in the next break..." Sayaka whispered to her in pity, to which Kyoko can only return a confused look of her own.

"Anyway, let's take a look at the paper." Kyoko held the paper towards Makoto. "Go ahead, Makoto. Open up."

At this, Makoto turned a bit green, with several of his friends giving him sympathetic looks. 'This better be important Hifumi!' The luckster screamed in his head, giving the fanfic creator a hard stare.

Hesitantly, Makoto grabbed the wad of paper, his face slightly green. 'It better be important, Hifumi, or I'll never forgive you for this!' The luckster thought as he opened up the paper.

Present Hifumi sweated at the words, as well as the glare from the luckster. "It was future me!" He squeaked.

When he completely unfolded the paper, he looked at what was on there. "...A note?!" Quickly, the luckster read the content. "I found a hole maybe we can use to escape. Monokuma can't find out, so don't tell anyone else for now. Let's meet in the equipment room at the physics lab at 6 a.m."

Hiro's eyes widen at this. "There it is! That's the note future me is talking about!" The fortune frantically stated.

The others were also surprised by this. "Huh. He's right." Leon agreed.

"So Hiro was telling the truth about that?" Sayaka asked.

"That sounds… very familiar." Kyoko noted.

"That's it! It's the same thing Hiro said!" Makoto gasped in realization. "Then he was telling the truth!"

"Yes!" Hiro exclaimed, relief evident in his tone. "Finally, proof that I didn't do it!"

"Hold on." Byakuya interrupted, repeating the words in his mind. "I don't think that's the note Hiro was talking about."

"Huh?" The fortune teller turned towards Byakuya in confusion. "Why not?"

"There's a couple of differences in the note," Kyoko pointed out. "And what your future self said."

"You mean the time and place, right?" Makoto deduced. "Cause I think Hiro said that the note asked to meet in the rec room at 1 a.m., not the equipment room in the physic lab."

Kyoko nodded. "Exactly."

"Although… it's not exactly the same, is it?" Kyoko pointed out.

That caused Makoto to read the note once more. "The time is different…" The luckster saw. "Hiro told us that his note said to meet at 1 a.m. But the note they wrote to Hifumi asked him to meet at 6 a.m."

"So, was Hiro lying about the note?" Hina questioned.

"I wouldn't say that." Kyoko rebuked. "After all, his words are nearly identical to what the note said. The only difference was the place and time."

"Does that mean Hiro and Hifumi received similar notes from someone?" Chihiro inquired.

Kyoko was about to answer before closing it. There's something more fundamental that should be considered first.

"Hold on." Kyoko spoke up. "Just because Hifumi had the note, doesn't mean it was meant for him."

"Huh…?"

Similar thoughts entered the students' head. "But it was in the dude's pants." Leon pointed out. "How could it not be from him?"

"Yeah, cause if Huffy is the one to have it, it must've been given to Huffy!" Jill added in.

"Just think about it." Kyoko told them. "The answer is there for you to see."

"Part of it has been torn off, right?" The lavender haired girl pointed at the torn off part. "I think there's likely some meaning there."

'There's some meaning to part of it being ripped…?' Makoto thought in slight confusion, looking at the torn part.

Makoto thought about it for a moment before an answer came to his mind. 'Hifumi got the note from Taka's body.' The luckster realized. 'Must've done so after he was killed, to erase any sort of evidence of the note.'

Mukuro and Chihiro were also making the same realization. 'Did… Hifumi take the note from Taka?' The programmer frowned at this. 'But that doesn't make any sense. If Hifumi saw Taka's corpse, he would've mentioned it at some point. Unless…' When another realization hit him, he covered his mouth in horror. 'Was he… was he involved in the murders?'

'That would explain much.' Mukuro mused to herself. 'Not only the mystery of the note, but also the making of the robo justice suit and hammers.' And when Hifumi was deemed useless, he was eliminated.

Before anything else could be said, the bell rung. A moment later, the monitor above them turned on. "Are you excited? Are you pumped?! It's time for the class trial to begin!" Monokuma announced. "Like the bright burst of fireworks, like the flash of a soul clashing with life and death! And so, without further ado… everyone please meet at the usual spot! Make your way to the red door on the first floor of the school!"

The bear then let out his signature laugh. "See you soon!" And with that, the monitor switched off.

Tension rose back with the group. Despite some think they know who the killer is, and their feelings within them, none of them are looking forward to the trial.

Hiro had his eyes closed and his fingers crossed tightly. Please, oh please, let his innocence be proven! He doesn't want to see himself die!

Kyoko sighed as Hina and Sakura slowly left the room. "It's unfortunate, but I suppose this is where our investigation comes to an end." She said. "You'll have to figure out the rest for yourself, and come to the proper conclusion."

Makoto again silently thought to himself: 'Why me?'

"Yeah… you're right…" Makoto reluctantly agreed, looking nervous.

"It shouldn't be too difficult." Byakuya spoke. "While Hina and Celeste seems adamant that Hiro is the killer, Makoto and I have enough sense to disprove their conclusion."

"I fail to see what other conclusions could there be." Celeste stated, once again ignoring the empty feeling in her stomach. "No matter how many dots we connect, it will connect to Hiro."

"Shall we bet on that?" The heir said in retort.

"With you? A waste of time." Celeste fired back.

Kyoko then faced towards the door. "Well, we better get going."

"O-Okay…" With that, the luckster and the mystery girl walked out of the repository.

The next scene switched to the entrance of the trial room, where everyone was gathered. And as soon as they were all gathered, Monokuma, or rather two Monokumas, appeared. "Hello! (Hello…! Hello…)"

That took a few people off guard. "He multiplied?!" Leon exclaimed surprisingly.

"But why?" Mukuro asked, perplex. "What's the purpose for it?"

"Most likely, it's one of the bear's so-called jokes." Byakuya sighed.

"He's multiplied?!" Makoto exclaimed in shock.

"Nope, not multiplication!" Monokuma corrected. "It just looks that way cuz of an illuu~~usion! I'm moving so fast it only LOOKS like I've multiplied!"

"And it seems I was correct." Byakuya shook his head in exasperation. "For someone so eager for these trials, he likes to waste time."

"I agree. We need to start the trial already." Kyoko stated, crossing her arms, disappointed at the bear.

Junko mentally pouted in her depress persona. 'Geez, tough crowd…'

The fast moving bear let out a snicker. "Can you guys tell… which one is the real Monokuma?!"

"Can we just get on the elevator already?" Kyoko sighed with slight impatience.

"You're not playing along! (Along…! Along…)" Monokuma exclaimed in disappointment.

"We're not here to play with you!" Byakuya stated, annoyance clear in his voice.

"Okay, okay fine!" Almost instantly, a Monokuma faded once the monochrome bear stopped. "Then if everyone's here and ready to go, please board the pain train! Er… elevator. I'll see you guys down there!" With that, the bear disappeared.

"Okay then, shall we?" Byakuya rhetorically asked.

"H-Hold on!" Hiro pleaded. "I'm not mentally prepared yet…!"

"You'll NEVER be mentally prepared!" Hina retorted. "You can't run away anymore, Hiro. You're gonna pay for your sins…"

"Yeah…" Mondo stated in agreement, anger still clear in his tone. "Once this trial is up and running, you're gonna pay for killing bro…"

"Don't just decide that I did it!" Hiro cried in anxiety and slight frustration. "There could be a contradiction somewhere in the evidence gathered against me!"

"We shall see in the trial." Sakura said. If Sakura had to pick a side, she would have to say she was neutral on this. While there appears to be evidence to suspect Hiro, Makoto, Kyoko, and Byakuya seem to think otherwise. And the last two trials taught her not to take everything in face value.

"I told you already, I didn't do it! For SERIOUS!" Hiro denied once more.

"That reminds me… did you ever find the other costume?" Celeste inquired. "Or the note?"

"Um, well… no," Hiro admitted reluctantly. "But-"

"How unfortunate." Celeste said, sounding not sympathetic at all. "Then it would seem we have our culprit." Hiro let out a loud groan of anxiety.

Hiro also let out his own groan, filled with fear and a bit of frustration. "Why are you guys so adamant that's it me? What did I do wrong?!"

"You're kidding, right?" Sayaka asked in angry disbelief. "You've shown that you're greedy and cowardly, Hiro! You con and run away with people's money with your fortunes! Instead of using your own money, you asked Makoto to donate his organs or identity to you for the black market!"

"And when he refused, you tried to go through with the deal anyway!" Hina voiced her own displeasure. "And with all the evidence against you… it's clear that it have to be you!"

"Come on, Zero!" Jill cheered, raising a scissor like it's a glass. "Accept your fate, and let yourself embrace the murder club, where killing intent if freely accepted!"

"But I don't want to join that kind of club!" Hiro cried, holding his head in terror. "It sounds terrifying!"

Once again, Makoto grimaced at the onslaught against Hiro. While it's true, Hiro is probably one of the most selfish and greedy person he ever come across, he still felt that the fortune teller didn't deserve the attacks on him. But unfortunately, he didn't really do himself any favors during this watching, both the present and future Hiro.

Hopefully, with all the evidence they gathered, they won't end up making the wrong choice.

"This isn't the place to talk about it." Kyoko interjected. "Save your accusations for when we get to the courtroom."

"She's right. Let's get down there first." Byakuya agreed. "Then the story can really begin…"

"Yeah, good idea." Makoto also voiced in agreement.

"We should do the same. Or at least something similar." Kyoko told everyone. "Save our verdicts for when all the pieces come together."

"Don't be so committed to Hiro becoming the culprit." Byakuya added. "Like in any situation, there are different possibilities…"

"At least be civil about it." Makoto spoke up in a pleading tone. "No need for any hate-filled words."

Sayaka and Hina let out sighs, while Mondo gave a gruff growl. "We'll try, Makoto…" Sayaka promised.

'That's right…' Makoto thought to himself. 'I have to… do it. I can't let whoever Hifumi and Taka get away with it… for everyone who's still alive… and for the two that lost their lives.'

Flashbacks of Hifumi's and Taka's body entered Makoto's mind. 'The one who killed Hifumi and Taka… the one who killed two of our friends…' Makoto looked at all the remaining students. 'The killer is… someone right here!'

Everyone grew tense once again at Makoto's monologue. Taka clenched his knees and gritted his teeth at the sight of his body, while Hifumi shook a little, looking terrified and sick. Celeste clenched her skirt tightly while Mondo felt his flame of anger rise more.

One by one, everyone entered into the elevator. Once they were all inside, the elevator door closed behind them and began moving.

Makoto's heart clenched when he saw how spacious the elevator looks now. "So many of us have died…"

"Yeah…" Hina agreed sadly. "Sayaka, Mukuro, Leon, Chihiro… practically half the class is dead…"

"And yet you're eager for one more to die with them." Byakuya mentioned, drawing a flinch from not only Hina, but also Sayaka. Mondo merely looked away, angry that he's right.

"I-I just want to see Taka's and Hifumi's killer pay for their crime!" Hina protested, though her voice was small. "I don't want to see him die…"

"But that is how they're going to pay for their crime," The heir retorted. "With Monokuma in control, once we find and vote for the killer, that is how it'll end. With death."

"Byakuya, that's enough!" Sakura spoke firmly but softly, seeing the guilty and conflicted look on Hina's face. "There's no need to say more. Let just continue."

"Tch. As you say." Was Byakuya's response. 'But my silence doesn't make it any less false.'

When they arrived to the trial room once more, the door opened, revealing a, once again, redecorated room, the color scheme being a light and royal blue. Monokuma, on his usual seat, let out a giggle. "When I see all of you gathered together like this… I realize just how few of you there are left! Your school life is slowly reaching its climax!"

"Kicking us while we're down huh." Leon muttered.

"There's only so few of us because of him!" Hina yelled in anger. "He's the one driving us to murder!"

'Geez, take responsibility for once, will ya?' Junko thought in mocked annoyance. 'All I'm doing is giving you nudges! You're the ones deciding to be murder happy!'

"Only cuz of you!" Hina growled.

"Why…?" Hiro moaned. "Why are you making us do such cruel things to each other?!"

"What what?!" The bear gasped. "Do you really hate me so much?! But I'm so cute!"

"Like we fucking care!" Mondo growled angrily. "Not when you locked us up and play with us like god damn toys!"

"Save your anger for now. It's wasted talking." Byakuya told him. "Use it for when you eventually meet face to face with the mastermind."

"Stop goofing around and begin the trial…!" Byakuya demanded.

"Don't rush me! Of course I'm gonna start!" Monokuma stated in irritation. "I would never be like, 'Stay tuned for the action-packed class trial after this commercial break!' I'd never hold out on you like that!" A moment passed after that statement before the bear spoke once more. "Okay, let's begin! Get to your assigned seats!"

Narrator Makoto spoke up once again. "And so, the curtain opened once again…" Slowly, the remaining students went to their podium. "A deadly judgement… A deadly deception… A deadly betrayal…" The scene cut to Hina glare at the sweating Hiro.

"A deadly riddle, a deadly defense, a deadly faith…" Next was Byakuya's, Kyoko's, Sakura's, and Celeste's neutral faces, as well as Jill's usual happy look.

"A deadly…" Finally, Makoto's determine look was shown. "Class trial…!"

Makoto looked at the entire group before him. From the looks of it, there seems to be two camps. The one that believes Hiro did; and the one that believes he's innocent.

Hina, Mondo, Sayaka, and Celeste appear to be firmly in that camp, whereas he, Kyoko, Byakuya, and Hiro himself are on the side of innocent. Junko appears to lean towards guilty while Chihiro, Mukuro, and Taka are leaning towards innocent. Everyone else is somewhat on the neutral aspect or indifferent like Jill.

Makoto's fidgeted nervously, an anxious frown on his face. He's not looking forward to his trial. What he dreaded isn't really the answer, as he pretty much figured it out… but the results of that answer.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 60: Watching Chapter 3: A Next Generation Legend! Stand Tall, Galactic Hero! Part 18

"Let's begin with a basic explanation of the class trial! So, your votes will determine the results." Monokuma explained on his throne. "If you can figure out 'whodunnit' then only they will receive punishment. But if you pick the wrong one, then I'll punish everyone besides the blackened, and the one that deceived everyone else will graduate! Now then, to begin with…"

"We already know who did it!" Hina interrupted angrily.

"Wuzzat…?" Was Monokuma's bewildered response.

"It was Hiro." Celeste stated simply. "He does not have an alibi for when the murders took place, and we found him in that suit."

"Don't try and deny it! You killed them!" Hina accused the fortune teller.

"Damn." Junko whistled. "The two of you didn't waste time going after Hiro."

"Of course not!" Hina said in response. "We aren't gonna waste any time with this!"

"There's no point beating around the bush when it's obvious who the culprit is." Celeste said, agreeing with Hina.

"How is it obvious?!" The accused himself cried out. "I'm telling you, this is all a coincidence! Some sort of conspiracy against me!"

Makoto couldn't help but wince at this. This was worse than Sayaka's trial, when he was similarly backed against a corner. He could only hope that the charges against Hiro will be quickly turned over.

"I didn't!" Said fortune teller denied the accusations anyway. "Someone knocked me out! I was asleep the whole time! I don't know anything about it!"

"Shut your murdering mouth, murderer!" Jill shouted at him.

"Who are YOU calling a murderer?!" Hiro retorted angrily.

"I am sorry to say Hiro, but we do have evidence…" Celeste told him, holding her e-Handbook to show the evidence. "Blueprints for the suit, parts we assume were used to build it, and all of it was found in your room. You have to admit, the evidence is quite compelling."

She lowered her handbook and put it back in her pocket before facing Hiro once more. "It points to you as having created the suit and wearing it while committing crime after crime…"

"How many times do I have to tell you?!" Hiro exclaimed with mixed anxiousness and aggravation. "I… I…" The fortune teller held his head in frustration. "I don't know, I don't know, I don't KNOW!"

Celeste clenched her fist. This is it. This is where Hiro will pay for his crime. "This trial won't be long." The gambler said confidently. "All the evidence is gathered, and is rather overwhelming."

"I wouldn't be so quick to think that." The heir rebutted. "After all, we have plenty of evidence to say otherwise."

"Oh?" The gambler raised an eyebrow at this. "And what would that be? All I saw was how Hiro was able to do all this."

"Yeah. There wasn't really anything that really proves Hiro's innocence." Hina agreed.

"Just continue watching, then." Was all Byakuya said, smirking confidently. "It's about to get real interesting."

'Is Hiro really the killer?' Makoto asked himself. 'Before anything else, we have to make that clear!'

Once again, the non-stop debate started up, the bullets being gathered before being placed in the revolver. Celeste was the first to speak. "Everything we found in your room, the blueprints, the suit parts, they are all proof enough that you are the culprit."

'No, that's wrong!' Makoto thought fiercely. The bullet was shot as the luckster spoke up. "Are we sure Hiro really made those blueprints?"

"What do you mean…?" Celeste questioned.

"Well, take a look at this…" Makoto held up his note from Hiro. "It's the note Hiro wrote asking everyone to meet up the night before. The handwriting's obviously different, wouldn't you say? When you compare it to the blueprints…"

"...There's no way you could think the same person made both of them." Kyoko finished for Makoto.

That caused the others to look at both the blueprints and the notes. "Yeah, they're right." Leon agreed. "Hiro's handwriting is much more neater than the blueprints."

Celeste subconsciously clenched her hands together. "It doesn't mean anything." The gambler stated. "Hiro could have made the point to disguise his hand-writing."

"I don't think so." Chihiro said, thinking about the blueprints and note. "There's too much of a difference to say that he did…"

"And if the fool was smart enough to disguise his handwriting, he would've been smart enough to place the blueprints and materials anywhere but his room." Byakuya added.

"Not to mention, are you even sure that Hiro is capable of crafting such things?" Mukuro added.

"That is indeed a good point. Hiro's artistic skills were never that great to begin with." Taka agreed.

At this, a small bit of relief washed over Hiro. Finally! Evidence against him being the culprit. He doesn't even mind being called dumb for it.

"Unless the person made it a point to disguise their handwriting…" Celeste retorted.

"No, the differences are larger than that, I think." Sakura pointed out.

"Come on, I'm not smart enough to think of trying to change my handwriting anyway!" Hiro readily admitted.

"Well, that isn't something we can argue with." Junko remarked. Then in one swift unexplainable motion, she changed into her punk persona, pointing a finger at the fortune teller. "But different looking words ain't gonna get you out of shit! You're still number one on our fucking list of suspects!"

"I agree that the blueprints and note alone won't be enough." Kyoko conceded. "But it makes the possibility of Hiro being the killer slightly more questionable."

"And that's not the only thing to be noted." Byakuya added. "There's much more to unveil."

"So Makoto, are you saying you don't think Hiro's the culprit?" Hina inquired.

"And he's not the only one. I think Hiro is innocent, as well." Byakuya spoke up.

"What…?" Makoto looked at Byakuya in surprise.

"Then who the hell was it?!" Mondo asked fiercely. He's been silently listening on, and while he can't argue with the blueprints, he still thinks that Hiro is the culprit.

"Was there another suit, like Hiro said?" Sayaka inquired.

"Then who was in that Robo Justice suit?!" Hina questioned. "Is it like Hiro said? Was there really someone running around in a second suit?"

"The suspicious individual hidden within the suit…" Byakuya then turned towards Makoto. "Go ahead, Makoto. Tell them who it was."

'...And of course he passes it off to me.' Makoto deadpanned in his mind.

"So? Who was in the Robo Justice suit?" Hina pressed.

Makoto frowned in thought. "Other than Hiro… I can't think of anyone else it could have been." He answered. "Obviously he was in that particular suit, and we never found any kind of second suit…"

"Then there can be no doubt - Hiro is the prime suspect." Byakuya declared.

"What the fu-? That doesn't make any fucking sense!" Mondo exclaimed in aggravation. "You just fucking said he wasn't the goddamn culprit!"

"It makes perfect sense." Byakuya retorted without missing a beat. "Hiro was the one in the costume, yet isn't the culprit for the murders! If you used that head of yours, you could've put two and two together."

"Are you calling me stupid, you-"

"So what you're saying is that the one wearing the Robo Justice doesn't have anything to do with the murders." Mukuro interrupted before a fight could break out. "More specifically, the one wearing the suit didn't murder Taka and Hifumi."

"Huh?!" Hina exclaimed in shock.

"Now that's a bold assumption!" Jill stated.

"Indeed! For a mere peasant to deduce such a thing is brave!" Junko exclaimed in her royal persona.

"And what makes you so sure of that?" Celeste asked, a bit biting.

The heir stared at the gambler for a moment before speaking. "I'm sure a explanation will be given soon."

"That doesn't make any sense!" Hina exclaimed in frustration. "You JUST said Hiro didn't do it!"

"It makes perfect." Byakuya responded back immediately. "Hiro was the suspicious individual in the suit, but he's not the culprit."

"So what you're saying is…" Sakura trailed off.

"That's right. The culprit in this case has nothing to do with being in the Robo Justice suit." Byakuya declared.

"What?!" Hina exclaimed in shock.

"Now that's a bold assumption!" Jill stated.

"And what reason do you have to make such a statement?" Celeste asked sharply. "You do have a reason, yes?"

"Of course." Byakuya confirmed. "But before we get into that, there's something else we need to clarify first. So let's get that out of the way."

"Hey, stop trying to boss us around!" Hina protested.

"All things have a proper order." Was Byakuya's cold response.

Hina scowled in annoyance at this. "I hate it when he does that!"

"I know. It's annoying." Sayaka agreed, a frown on her own face.

"But it's necessary." Byakuya rebuked their displeasure. "In order to understand everything, other aspects of the case must be cleared up first."

"So, what is it? What needs to be clarified?" Sakura questioned.

"We must clarify the method of transportation for Taka's lifeless body." Byakuya answered. "It would seem that his corpse was moved using certain particular items. Makoto? Can you tell us what they were?"

"What is he, your servant?" Leon remarked. "Why are you making him finish everything for you?"

"Because most of you would be able to accept the answers if it came from him." Byakuya answered. "As you know, my future self made no allies in the school. Using Makoto as a bridge is necessary to get a point across."

"I don't know how to feel about that…" Makoto said blankly.

Once again, Makoto thought about it for a moment. "They were… a dolly and a tarp, right?"

"...Tch." Byakuya voiced with obvious distaste.

"Ok, what did he do now that got you annoyed?" Sakura asked, irritation clear in her voice.

"Some of you here can't put two and two together." Byakuya answered with a sigh. "He needs to explain how they're used."

'What's with the attitude?' Makoto questioned to himself. Shaking it off, he continued speaking. "So, let's see if I can explain…" The luckster started off. "Taka's body disappeared from the equipment room, and then we rediscovered it in the repository, and when we found it the second time, it was wrapped in a blue tarp, right? It was the same tarp that up until then was stored in the equipment room."

"So the killer must have seen it there and decided to use it when they moved Taka's body." Makoto deduced. "That way, they wouldn't leave any bloodstains while they were moving it."

"Okay, that explains the tarp." Sakura accepted. "And the dolly?"

"Same thing…" Makoto answered. "I'm sure the dolly was in the equipment room when we first found Taka's body there. But when the body disappeared, so did the dolly. Later, when Taka's body reappeared in the repository, so did the dolly."

"So the dolly was used to move my body from equipment room to the repository, with my body wrapped in the tarp." Taka summarized. "Is that right?"

"Yes." Makoto nodded. "It would explain how the culprit was able to move Taka's body so quickly."

"In other words, you think they used the dolly to move the body, am I right?" Celeste summarized. "But are you sure you are not mistaken?"

"Huh…?" Was Makoto's response.

"Are you absolutely positive was in the equipment room when we found Taka's body?" Celeste pressed. "That dolly was made specifically for moving large objects between the repository and art room. It would be very strange to discover it had made its way to the equipment room. Is it not possible that it was in the repository all along, and you simply didn't realize it?"

Mukuro narrowed her eyes at this. "I don't see the necessity of arguing this point further." The soldier told the gambler. "The killer could have just grabbed the dolly beforehand and left it in the equipment room. You seem to be very defensive about this detail though."

"I'm sure she wants to ensure that we are not leading to the wrong conclusion." Celeste answered easily, not letting her poker face waver. "After all, one mistake can lead to our death. Its just due diligence."

Mukuro narrowed her eyes a bit further, but said nothing else. It was clearly suspicious on why Celeste was so hung up on such a small detail, but Mukuro didn't have any further cards to play.

"She's raised an objection. How do you respond?" Byakuya spoke up.

"There is no shame in being wrong. Nobody expects much from you anyway." Celeste politely mocked. "We have all accepted the fact that you rarely understand what is going on around you."

Her polite yet harsh words surprised everyone who weren't ready for it. "Oof!" Leon winced. "That is scary!"

"And it sounds so polite too!" Jill added, impressed.

"Why do you have to be so mean towards Makoto?" Sayaka asked, looking at Celeste. "It's not like his theory is strange or anything."

"I… don't know." Was all Celeste could say. She should be shocked about this, as she has no reason to be passive aggressive towards Makoto, but in all honesty, she wasn't.

'Wow… I've never had anyone sound so nice while being so mean.' Makoto thought. 'But maybe I can change her mind…'

"If you're asking for proof that the dolly moved, I have it right here…" The luckster held up his e-Handbook, which showed the wheels of the dolly. "When I found the dolly in the repository, one of the wheels had a bloodstain on it. There was a pool of blood in the equipment room with a tire mark in it that matched the dolly wheel's tread.

"The killer probably rolled the dolly through the blood on accident as they wheeled the body out of the room. And as the blood dried on the tire, they moved the body into the repository." Makoto then lowered his handbook after finishing his explanation. "So there's my proof that the dolly was used to move Taka's body!"

"Tch-!" Was all Celeste voiced in annoyance.

'Jeez, does Celeste really hate me that much…?' Makoto wondered.

"I'm starting to think so." Sayaka remarked with a small scowl. "Seriously, why is future Celeste acting this way towards Makoto? Did she not want to be shown up or something?"

'More like this little tidbit will help the trial move along things.' Byakuya thought to himself, staring at Celeste. 'And our dear blackened wouldn't want that.'

"Well, anyway. That was just something we had to get out of the way." Byakuya brushed off. "Let's get back to the main subject…"

"Yeah! The subject of how Robo Justice didn't do it!" Hina agreed. "Cuz if it's not a killer robot, then… what kind of robot is it?!"

"I'm not sure that really matters…" Sakura stated.

"I'd be happy to explain why the occupant of the suit couldn't possibly be the killer." Byakuya declared. "If you look back on how the body was transported, it will become immediately obvious."

Chihiro frowned in thought. "Are you talking about how the culprit used the dolly to move Taka's body?"

"Correct." Byakuya nodded.

"That's why you wanted to get the means of transportation out of the way." Sakura realized. "But how does this connect to the killer?"

"Cause the dolly doesn't have a handle." Makoto said, seeing where Byakuya was going. "That means you can't move it while standing up."

"Well, yeah," Hina accepted. "But you just have to bend over, right? If you do that, it's easier to grab the dolly and move it around."

"And that's why the occupant in the suit couldn't possibly move the body." Byakuya stated with confidence.

That did not help the students' confusion. "Huh?"

Byakuya could only sigh in disappointment. How bad were everyone's memories?

Once again, the non stop debate started once again, with Byakuya speaking first. "As we know, Taka was killed in the equipment room. And from there, the body was moved to the repository, correct?"

"Yeah, the culprit wrapped the body in a tarp, then loaded it onto the dolly and wheeled it off, right?" Hina continued.

"Now, keep in mind that the dolly doesn't have a handle." Byakuya pointed out.

"Well, yeah, but even without a handle…" Hina argued. "All you have to do is bend over."

'No, that's wrong!' The bullet was shot as Makoto spoke up. "You're absolutely right that you could push a dolly without a handle if you stoop down low." He agreed. "But if you were wearing that suit, do you think you could actually get into a position like that?"

"W-What do you mean…?" Hina inquired in confusion.

"Oh! The suit was not designed to bend at the waist!" Hifumi said as the memory came up. "And you couldn't see in it either! Miss Asahina stated so earlier!"

"Oh yeah, I remember that too." Chihiro said in realization. "When you put that into consideration, it really is impossible for Robo Justice to move the dolly."

"Yeah… that makes sense…" Hina admitted, feeling sheepish for her future self.

"Think back to what you said when we were all checking out the suit together. Remember?" Makoto advised. "When you were in that suit, not only can you not see your feet, but you can't even bend at the waist. Am I right about that?"

"Now that you mention it… yeah…" Hina admitted sheepishly.

"It seems it'd be awfully hard to push that doll if you couldn't even bend over…" Sakura mused.

"Well, what's to stop you from simply pushing the dolly with your feet?" Celeste suggested.

"When you can't even see your feet?" Makoto asked in retort. "You really think someone could kick the dolly all that way?"

"Yeah, it'd be totally impossible! Not that I can say for sure myself!" Jill agreed.

"On top of that, if you were wearing such a rigid, cumbersome suit, it's very unlikely you would have the dexterity to go about wrapping the body in a tarp."

"Agreed." Mukuro nodded. "If you can't even bend at the waist, you wouldn't be able to wrap the body in a tarp."

"Why not just take the suit off and do all that?" Sayaka suggested.

Mukuro shook her head. "Again, it would take too long to do so. The group was only gone for a few minutes. It's a insufficient amount of time to take the suit off, move the body, and then put it back on."

"And we haven't even gotten to the fact that you can't take the thing off in the first place." Byakuya added.

"Well I mean, isn't that just a matter of taking off the suit when you're ready to move the body?" Jill pointed out.

"I don't think taking off the suit was an option." Makoto disagreed. "If you remember, Hiro couldn't get out of the suit himself. There was a latch on the back of Hiro's suit that keeps him from doing so."

"That's true. It seems impossible to put the suit on or take it off without help." Sakura said in agreement.

"With the latch on Hiro's suit, taking off the suit and putting it back on to move the body is out of the question." Kyoko stated.

"So… Hiro wasn't making it up when he said that he couldn't take if off?" Hina asked, eyes slightly wide.

"Of course future me wasn't making it up!" Hiro exclaimed. "Why would I be in that stupid costume in the first place if I can take it off?"

"Well once again, the fool spouts a rare line of intelligence." Byakuya remarked, ignoring the indignant squawk from Hiro. "Anyway, he's correct. If he could've taken it off, we wouldn't have been wearing it when we found out."

"Which means Hiro wasn't wearing the suit, he was trapped in it." Mukuro said.

"Shit…" Mondo gritted his teeth at this. This is getting frustrating. Now that Hiro is likely not the prime suspect, then who is?

"Then… you really can't take it off by yourself?" Hina hesitantly asked. "Hiro wasn't just making it up?"

"O-Of course I wasn't making it up!" Hiro responded angrily.

"If he could have gotten it off by himself, I don't think he would have let us see him wearing it." Makoto pointed out. "Showing up in the suit was basically an invitation for everyone to suspect him."

"Y-Yeah, that's right!" Hiro quickly agreed.

"Okay. The more I hear, the more convinced I am that Hiro isn't the culprit." Leon said. "Thinking about all that makes it seems impossible…"

"That's true…" Hina agreed, frowning. "So it's actually true that Hiro couldn't have done all this?"

"He couldn't have made the blueprints, couldn't have wrapped the body, couldn't have moved the body…" Byakuya listed off. "He most likely couldn't move around the school as quickly as he could."

"S-See?! It wasn't me after all!" Hiro cried out, relief laced in his tone. Finally, he's getting a break!

Celeste, however, didn't share that relief. She clenched her hands together tightly once again, this time gritting her teeth. Is it really true? Is Hiro really innocent in all this? But then, who else could it be? Who else could've possibly killed two people?

The nagging feeling in her heart grew stronger and stronger.

"So… it's really, really, true that Robo Justice couldn't have moved the body…?" Hina asked once more.

"To be clear, whoever did move the body, it couldn't have been Hiro in the robot suit, correct?" Sakura clarified.

"No, wait just a second if you please." Celeste quicky spoke up. "Have you forgotten about the picture that I took?" Once again, Celeste showed them Hifumi's camera and the picture it holds. "You all got a good look at it, did you not? The image of Hifumi being dragged away by Robo Justice? If whoever was in the suit is not the culprit, how do you explain that?"

The gambler placed the camera down. "Besides, do you remember what the now deceased Hifumi said…?" She added. "How Robo Justice was the one who attacked him? So long as those facts exist, the proper conclusion is beyond question. The individual inside the suit and the culprit are one and the same. It was Hiro, without a doubt."

The more future Celeste spoke, the more some of students started leaning back towards the argument against Hiro. "Yeah… yeah, that's right!" Hina said, with more confidence. "I can't believe I forgot about those things!"

"With that evidence, the murderer is definitely Hiro!" Jill said in agreement.

Hearing these things caused Celeste herself to relax. "Yes. With those conclusions, we cannot doubt that is Hiro." The gambler said with a tone finality.

"Wait! H-Hold on!" Hiro spoke up in protest.

"Are you seriously forgetting the evidence supporting his innocence?" Byakuya reminded them, looking annoyed. "There's still the blueprints that are clearly not in his handwriting, and the fact that he can't push Taka's body in the repository, not while he's in that suit."

"Then perhaps he has an accomplice." Celeste shot back, frustration starting to seep out. "After all, Hiro isn't the only one without an alibi. Kyoko could've easily helped him with the blueprints, suit, and the wrapping of Taka's body."

"But what reason would she have to do so?" Mukuro pointed out. "Only the one that does the killing have the chance to leave the school. There's no benefit in assisting in a murder, and Kyoko being as suspicious as she is, has made fair contributions to previous trials as well as not showing any specific ill intent towards others. Hiro wouldn't have been able to trick her in helping."

"Well tell me, what other evidence is there?" Celeste asked with gritted teeth. "Cause so long as the picture and Hifumi's words are there, it is not possible for anything else to take place."

'Celeste…' Makoto could stare at her with a mix of anguish and worry. The future Celeste is trying so hard to pin the crime on Hiro, while the present one is in deep denial about the case. He wonders, once they figured it out… how hard is the gambler going to take this?

"Let's stop arguing about this." Kyoko cut in, stopping the argument. "It's still too early to decide who did it, and pointing fingers is not gonna help anything. For now, we should continue watching how this case unfolds."

"Fine. As you wish." Celeste conceded. "But I doubt anything will change the conclusion."

"I don't think so at all." Kyoko brushed off. "Remember what my future self said before? If we keep at it, something new will reveal itself."

"Besides, while it's true that the photo and Hifumi's words are still there, the same goes for the blueprints and flawed design of the suit." The detective reminded her. "So it is probably best to discuss this more."

Celeste clenched her teeth tighter at this, though kept it hidden. Why? Why are they trying so hard to defend Hiro? What's the point, when the evidence is clearly presented?

"Yeah…! Yeah, that's gotta be right!" Hina said with renewed confidence.

"H-Hold on a second!" Hiro protested.

"It's still far too early to reach that conclusion." Kyoko finally spoke up. "Besides, there's no hurry to decide who did it. Before we rush to a verdict, shouldn't we explore every single possibility? Instead of seizing on one viewpoint, the truth is uncovered by analyzing things from every angle."

As they heard this, both Hina and Mondo couldn't help but feel conflicted and confused about all of this.

The former bit her lip, a frown on her face. What should she think? Who's right? On one hand, with the evidence against Hiro and how the guy is, it seems obvious that Hiro did it… but on the other, Makoto, Byakuya, and Kyoko have shown that they know what they're doing. They're probably the smartest of the bunch. So what's right? And what's wrong?

Mondo, meanwhile, scowled and let out a hiss of frustration. Why does this have to be so complicated? There's evidence to say that Hiro did it, but there was evidence that says he didn't. Who the fuck was right? And who the fuck was wrong? He better get a straight answer soon, dammit!

"Perhaps, but where do we go from here?" Sakura inquired.

"Let's review this series of unfortunate events from the beginning." Kyoko suggested. "Maybe we'll uncover something new…"

"Pfhah! What a pain in the ass!" Jill complained.

"Can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Jill…" Leon sighed. "Seriously, this is confusing enough as it is. Now they need to recall all the confusing shit that had happened?"

"While it is confusing to think about, their lives are on the line." Chihiro reminded him. "They have to do everything they can to make sure to get the answer right."

"You have to understand the problem first before you can solve it." Sakura agreed.

"I don't disagree, but our lives are on the line. If this is what it takes, we have to do it." Sakura sighed.

"Plus, maybe we'll get to find out where the heck Kyoko was when everything went down…" Hina added.

Byakuya snorted. "Doubtful."

"I can't disagree with that." Makoto admitted. If Kyoko wasn't going to reveal it before, she won't do so now.

"All right, let's take another another look back at what happened. I suppose we could start with this morning…" With that, Sakura began recalling what had happened. "The four of us gathered in the dining hall - Makoto, Hina, Kyoko, and myself. We waited there for quite a while, but nobody else showed up. So we went looking for everyone. That was around 8 a.m."

"And as soon as we split up, Kyoko went missing." Hina added.

"Soon after that, Hina found Celeste in the rec room, and quickly came to get Makoto and me." Sakura continued.

"It seems I was unconscious for about an hour after I was attacked by my mysterious assailant." Celeste spoke up. "I know it was an hour because I remember being attacked a little after 7."

A flashback of the image being shown for the first time was played. "That was when we saw Celeste's picture and discovered that her assailant had been wearing a costume." Sakura stated. "As it turns out, it was Robo Justice. It also soon became clear that this same Robo Justice had abducted Hifumi."

The TV went back to the trial room. "We were soon joined in our search by Byakuya and Toko, and then went on to find Hifumi in the library. He was injured, so we took him to the nurse's office and resumed our search for the suspect. But not long after leaving the nurse's office…" A flashback of the beginning chase for Robo Justice started playing. "Celeste spotted a shadow of Robo Justice." The flashback ended right after.

"When Celeste told us that, we decided to split up and search the 2nd floor." Makoto continued. "And soon after that…"

"I saw someone moving around on the 3rd floor, and I yelled out to everyone as soon as I did." Celeste informed them.

Kyoko and Byakuya narrowed their eyes as they listened to narration, while Makoto frowned. All three of them realized something about the entire thing. And that's the fact that only Celeste actually saw Robo Justice, and lead the group to where it was supposedly at.

'She was stringing us along the entire time.' Byakuya thought. 'Making us think that these murders were happening during the chase.'

'The costumes, the hammers, leading everyone along to where she wants…' Kyoko mused. 'She had them thinking that Robo Justice was running around the building.'

'And now that I'm thinking about… didn't Celeste bring Hina out of the nurse's office and to a bathroom for a few minutes?' Makoto remembered. 'The perfect opportunity for Hifumi to leave and get to Taka's body.'

The more the three watched, the more they understood how everything played out the way it did. Not to mention more convinced that Celeste is the killer, the orchestrator of the entire crime.

"And then…" Makoto spoke up once more. A flashback of Hifumi screaming then played. "We heard Hifumi scream. At that point we decided to divide into two groups. Celeste, Hina, and I went back to the nurse's office while Byakuya, Sakura, and Toko chased after the suspect."

Another flashback was shown, this time being Hifumi dead at the nurse's office. "When we got back to the nurse's office, we found Hifumi… dead. And that's when we heard the body discovery announcement."

Mukuro narrowed her eyes at the picture. Now that she's getting a second look, she can confirm to herself that there's far too much blood for one person to bleed out from the head. And more than that… the state of the body looked different from when he was in the nurse's office.

The flashback then ended as Makoto continued. "I left Celeste and Hina there and headed back to the 3rd floor, to let the others know what had happened."

A flashback of Taka's body in the equipment room was shown. "Meanwhile, we had just discovered Taka's body, in the equipment room." Sakura spoke. "We must have found both bodies at almost exactly the same time, because we heard the same announcement not long after we'd discovered his body."

Once again, the flashback ended. "And that's when I told you guys about Hifumi." Makoto stated. "Then the three of us headed for the nurse's office. But right after we left the physic lab, we ran into Celeste, who'd arrived after us, and she told us something very surprising. That Hifumi's body disappeared." A flashback of Hifumi's body going missing was shown. "We rushed back to the nurse's office and saw that she was right."

"Then we remembered we'd left Toko passed out in the equipment room, so we hurried back again." As Sakura spoke, a flashback of Taka's body going missing was played. "But when we got there, we discovered that now Taka's body has also gone missing. Next thing we knew, we were searching the school for two missing dead bodies. And after some time…"

"Celeste informed us that she'd found the bodies, and we all headed to the repository…" As Byakuya spoke, a flashback of the two bodies was shown. "Which is where we rediscovered the corpses."

The flashback ended once again. "I think that about covers it." Makoto concluded.

Leon groaned, holding his head. "Just hearing the whole thing make my head hurts."

"Indeed. There are many mysteries around this case." Sakura agreed as she turned towards Kyoko. "So, do you think that's enough for your future self to figure things out?"

"Plenty." Kyoko said with confidence.

"I see… the whole thing sounds exceptionally complicated." Kyoko stated. "It certainly seems to me that these are not a simple series of connected events."

"Okay, well… if that's true, then what?" Makoto inquired.

"Rather than a single series of events, I think we have to consider each murder a separate situation." Kyoko concluded. "And from there, we can uncover the contradictions surrounding all of them."

"So in other words, break everything into separate pieces for us to solve, right?" Makoto summed up. He smiled. "That will definitely help everyone figure it out better."

"You think so, Makoto?" Hina asked, tilting her head. "I don't see how it could."

"Think about it. We're trying to figure out everything when we connected all the events." Makoto told her. "And that's not going anywhere. So instead, we put them into separate situations, and solve the mysteries of each of them. Doing so will help solve the smaller mysteries surrounding the case, so when we re-connect them, it would be more clear as to what happened."

Kyoko nodded, a small yet proud smile entering her face. "Exactly."

Hina thought about Makoto's word for a minute. "Ok, now I see what you mean." The swimmer looked at Makoto with slight amazement in her eyes. "You're really getting better at this Makoto."

That brought a blush and a bashful smile on the luckster's face. "You think so?"

"Yeah!" Hina confirmed with a rapid nod. "I'm willing to bet that you can match with Kyoko and Byakuya in brains!"

"I don't think I go that far." Makoto protested. "I'm sure those two are still leagues ahead of me."

'I'm not sure about that.' Kyoko thought to herself, the smile still on her lip. She's willing to bet that with time and effort, Makoto could match her and Togami in an intellectual spar.

Or rather… instead of becoming better at this, Makoto is showing more and more of the intellect hidden inside him.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 61: Watching Chapter 3: A Next Generation Legend! Stand Tall, Galactic Hero! Part 19

"Now then, let's get started beginning with what happened to Taka…" With those words, the non-stop debate start up once more, starting with Kyoko. "So, regarding Taka's death, I wonder if he died before Hifumi…" She began. "Or perhaps it was after?"

"We already know what order they were killed in!" Hina stated. "Taka came last!"

"What makes you say that?" Sakura inquired.

"Because of the numbering of the justice hammers!"

'No, that's wrong!' The bullet was shot as Makoto spoke up. "Hold on, there's no reason to assume that the hammers were used in the same order as their numbers!" The luckster reasoned. "If anything, that's just another way the killer tried to disguise their actions."

That caught some of the students by surprise. "What do you mean, disguise their action?" Hina questioned.

"My future self is saying that the culprit probably wants everyone to think that Hifumi and Taka were killed in that order," Makoto explained. "But in reality, the order of deaths was the other way around."

"And if you need proof, it's on Taka's wrist." Kyoko pointed out.

"So you're saying the culprit wanted us to think the hammers were used in order, but in reality Taka was killed before Hifumi?" Byakuya deduced. "Okay then, let's see the proof."

'Evidence that proves Taka was killed before Hifumi…' As Makoto closed his eyes in thought, the camera angled itself to the side of his body. Said body turned black, and flashbacks of the investigation began showing. 'It wasn't shown on the Monokuma file… and the numbering of the hammers aren't reliable, so maybe…'

"I've got it! Taka's wristwatch!" Quickly, Makoto took out his handbook and presented the wristwatch towards everyone. "See? Look. It broke with the hands pointing just past 6 o'clock."

"It must have broke when he was attacked by the killer." Kyoko concluded. "Because of last night, it was still working. So if it wasn't broken after 6 last night, then he must have been attacked around 6 this morning."

"And that would be his official time of death." Makoto stated in confidence.

"So I was killed way before any of the events happened…" Taka murmured in shock. "Taken out before anyone was even awake." He looked down at his watch. "But that doesn't make sense, what was I doing?"

"Yeah. Despite his change of personality, bro is still a stickler for rules." Mondo grunted.

"That'll probably be explained later." Kyoko stated. If she or anyone else tried to explain the note that was on Hifumi's, that'll bring more questions. Best they see that Hifumi was actually alive before entering the repository, before presenting the note he held.

"But if that's true, then he was killed well before Hifumi…" Sakura pointed out.

"And before Celeste was attacked this morning, which happened around 7." Makoto added.

"That's right. Taka was killed before any of the other incidents took place." Kyoko stated in confidence.

"That simple fact slipped past all of us." Makoto said softly. "We made the wrong assumptions about the order of events all because of those Justice Hammers."

"That's exactly why the culprit wrote the numbers on each hammer, and had them increase in size." Byakuya deduced. "That way, when we saw how they were used in each incident, we'd easily make that wrong assumption."

"I have to admit, what the culprit did is clever." Byakuya mused. "It's a simple tactic, but an effective one none the less. And none of us had the chance to think on it with the disappearance of the bodies."

"Indeed. This culprit does seem cunning in their deception." Sakura agreed. Which made her question what else is being hidden in this… as well as doubt the possibility Hiro being the killer more.

"Now, if Taka was killed around 6, then everyone's alibis for his murder go out the window." Kyoko declared. "Because when he was killed, we haven't met up in the dining hall yet."

"Yes!" Hiro cried out with joy. "Now none of you can say I did it because I have no alibi!"

"Do not forget Hifumi's murder." Celeste retorted. "While there's no alibi for Taka's now, everyone's alibi still holds for Hifumi's. All except you and Kyoko."

"Yep, yep, yep! We're all in the clear!" Jill bopped her head rapidly.

"That may be the case of Taka's murder…" Sakura accepted. "But all our alibis still hold true for Hifumi's death."

"That's right… with him at least, we're all safe…" Hina sighed. "When we heard Hifumi screaming, we were all together. Except for Hiro and Kyoko. Then we all ran down to the nurse's office, and that's where we found his body…"

"That's totally true! We're all in the clear!" Jill agreed.

"It's true for now." Byakuya conceded. "But are you sure those alibis will hold up later?"

"Right now, I'm not sure of anything." The baseball star groaned. "Nothing would surprise me at this point."

"Yeah. This whole double murder case is getting more and more complicated by the minute." Hina groaned, holding her head. "Is every trial gonna get more and more confusing?"

"I doubt that will happen, Hina." Sayaka assured the swimmer. Though hopefully, they won't have to worry about any more trials. Half the class is already dead. Sayaka shuddered a bit as she finished that thought.

"Oh, I know!" Hiro quickly spoke up. "They must've recorded him screaming on a tape or something, then played it later on!"

"If that's true, then where's the tape?" Hina asked.

"I dunno." Was the fortune teller's plain response.

Once again, palms were reunited with face. ""Hiro, dude, just shut up." Leon told him once more. "You're not helping your case at all…"

"Why?" Hiro looked confused at that. "It makes sense, doesn't it?"

"That kind of theory holds way to many questions and holes, Hiro…" Makoto sighed. "Not to mention we haven't even seen a tape."

"Don't just go makin' stuff up!" Hina exclaimed in annoyance.

"Anyway, we all have rock-solid alibis for when we heard Hifumi scream." Sakura stated, getting back on track. "Since all of us were together, clearly none of us could have killed him."

"And it does not stop there." Celeste spoke up. "There was also the moment when we discovered his body had disappeared. When his body vanished from the nurse's office, Hina and I were in the bathroom together, while everyone else was in the equipment room, correct? And then there's the disappearance of Taka's body from the equipment room. At that time, we were all gathered together in the nurse's office because of Hifumi going missing."

"Well, don't forget, I was passed out in the equipment room the whole time!" Jil mentioned.

"Wait, then what if Genocide Jill did it?!" Hiro quickly suggested. "She could've dragged Taka's body out of there right then!"

"Did we not just establish that she was passed out in the equipment room?" Byakuya deadpanned. "She wasn't in a position to carry either bodies."

"Yeah!" Jill agreed. "So don't go framing the serial killer!"

"Even if she could pull that off, there's no way she could have done the same with Hifumi's body." Byakuya refuted. "Because, as we established, she was passed out in the equipment room when his body disappeared."

"Besides, I didn't do either of 'em anyway!" Jill added needlessly.

"In other words, it is impossible that any of us could have killed Hifumi, or moved either of the bodies." Celeste stated. "On the other hand, Hiro and Kyoko had disappeared. So they most certainly could have done those things."

"Hmm… so what now, Kyoko?" Makoto inquired.

"For now, we can't get fixated on who did it, or we'll just keep going around in circles." Kyoko answered. "So instead of the 'who', I propose we start talking about the 'how'. In particular, I think we need to figure out how Hifumi's body got moved."

"Yes, because that's the most pressing question now." Taka agreed, holding his chin in thought. "No offense to Hifumi, but he isn't exactly light."

"And he doesn't have the benefit of a dolly rolling him up to the repository." Sayaka added.

Byakuya smirked, while Kyoko and Makoto glanced at one another. This is where the direction of the trial will be steered.

"That's true. We searched everywhere, but we couldn't figure out how to explain his body disappearing." Makoto said in agreement. "And according to what Celeste said, his body apparently disappeared in the one minute her and Hina took their eyes off it. But to carry that much weight from the 1st floor up to the 3rd, in that short amount of time…"

"...Oh man, yeah! There's no way! It'd be impossible!" Hiro exclaimed.

"The only one who could've carried him was Sakura." Mukuro mused. "But she was with Byakuya and Toko when the body disappeared. And neither Hiro or Kyoko would be able to carry that much weight."

"So how the fuck did it happen then?" Mondo questioned in aggravation. "Cause it goddamned happen!"

Junko had to bite back a grin. Oh, there reaction is gonna be good!

Mukuro, meanwhile, narrowed her eyes in thought. All possible scenarios out of the question… the only thing she could possibly think was the victim moving himself. Could that mean… that he was actually playing dead?

"Well, what if I told you there was a way to make the impossible possible?" Kyoko asked them.

"What?" Hina's eyes widen at this. "How?!"

"If the dead body… were to move itself." Kyoko declared.

At that, those who haven't figured out were completely shocked. "What?" Taka shouted.

"D-Did Kyoko just say, t-the body m-m-moved on it's own?!" Hina stuttered in fear.

"T-That shouldn't be possible!" Chihiro exclaimed, shaking.

"I did not expect you of all people to believe in the occult..." Sakura said.

"N-Nooo! Not more gh-gh-ghosts!" Hiro screamed in terror.

"That's more like a zombie dude!" Leon retorted, looking disturbed himself.

Varying degrees of shocked, disturbed, and fearful looks were displayed amongst the group. Sayaka instinctively clinged onto Makoto's arm tightly, while Mondo's anger was momentarily wiped away, shock overriding it instead.

The victim in question had his eyes as wide as dinner plates and skin as white as a sheet. "Are you saying I'm a zombie?!"

"No. It as nothing to do with the paranormal or necromancy." Byakuya answered. "Just keep watching, and you'll get your answer."

"Huh…?" Was all Makoto could say.

"Th-The dead body m-moved on its own?!" Hina stuttered in fear.

"N-N-N-No! Not another gh-gh-gh-ghooooooost!" Hiro screamed in terror.

"I don't think it has anything to do with the occult." Byakuya refuted. "I think what she's implying is, we thought Hifumi was dead, but perhaps in reality he was still alive."

"He was… alive?" Sayaka gasped, eyes wide. "Like actually alive?!"

"What. The. Fuck?" Was all Mondo could say.

"But… no!" Hina protested, her voice shaking. "They found his body! He was dead!"

"Perhaps he was just faking his death." Mukuro suggested. That would definitely explain the abnormal amount of blood at the nurse's office, as well as the changes with the corpse.

Hifumi could only look dumbfounded. His future self was alive? He was still breathing in the nurse's office?

"He was… alive?!" Hina gasped in disbelief.

"Are you saying Hifumi wasn't carried out of the nurse's office, but simply walked out on his own?" Sakura asked, disbelief also in her tone.

"But I mean… we found his body!" Hina shakily protested. "He was dead!"

"Perhaps he was simply playing dead." Byakuya said in response.

"No, that… that isn't possible!" Celeste, who was sitting in shock silence, spoke up. Some noticed a waver in her voice, as well as her facial expression. "He was dead! There's no doubt!"

That got more than a few worried looks. "Celeste…" Chihiro was the first to hesitantly speak. "Are you alright? You look… troubled."

Indeed. From her usual pleasant smile or poker face, Celeste actually looked a bit of rattled.

Hearing that, and feeling that her mask slipped, she put back on a smile. However, it was shaky. "I am fine. Just… a bit upset from this scenario."

"Is that so?" Byakuya inquired. He could see the cracks forming in Celeste's facade. "And what makes it so disbelieving?"

"Why would he fake his death? How could he fake his death?" Celeste listed off. "And we all heard the body discovery announcement. That all but confirms he's dead."

"Are you so sure about that?" Was Byakuya's response.

"That… it isn't possible…!" Celeste protested.

The non-stop debate started once more, with Sakura being the first to speak. "Are you saying that when we first found Hifumi in the nurse's office, there's a chance he was actually still alive?"

"No… it is impossible." Celeste refuted. "Hifumi was dead, without a doubt."

"And you know that how?" Kyoko asked.

"Surely you heard the body discovery announcement along with the rest of us…" Celeste pointed out. "Hifumi's dead body had been found, and that is why the announcement was made."

'No, that's wrong!' The bullet was shot as Makoto spoke up. "Was the body discovery announcement that was made really intended for Hifumi?"

"Of course it was." Celeste scoffed. "The announcement was played right after we discovered the body."

"Maybe, but that was also the same time that Taka's body was found." Makoto pointed out.

"That's true." Chihiro said, thinking about it. "Both groups managed to find both bodies at the same time."

"So it's a good chance that we've messed up whether the announcement was for Hifumi or Taka." Makoto stated.

"Can it be for both?" Leon asked. "Monokuma probaby just got lazy and just did one."

"Maybe. But I doubt it." Makoto replied back.

"That's right. It wasn't long after finding his body that we heard the announcement." Byakuya confirmed.

"So there's a good chance we've made a mistake in there somewhere." Makoto mused. "I think we've confused whether the announcement was for Hifumi or Taka."

"First of all, if two bodies had been found, there really should have been two announcements." Byakuya pointed out.

"Maybe Monokuma simply got lazy and rolled them into one…" Celeste quickly suggested.

"What do you say, Monokuma?" The heir asked the bear himself. "Any comment?"

"Well, it's a very sensitive issue, so I can't get into too much detail…" Monokuma began. "But what I can say about the body discovery announcement is that it's only broadcast when three or more people find a dead body for the first time!"

Mondo's eyes twitched in annoyance. "Well that told us goddamned nothing."

"Yeah. We want to know if he was a lazy bum." Hiro sighed.

"That didn't answer our question, man!" Hiro complained. "We're asking if you're a lazy bum!"

"No, actually, that was plenty." Byakuya cut in.

"Huh?" Was Hiro response.

Some of the students shared the same sentiment. "How is it enough?" Taka inquired. "That doesn't seem to tell us anything."

"Actually, it makes sense to me." Makoto admitted, causing heads to turn to him.

"Indeed. Monokuma's statement is helpful." Kyoko added, causing heads to swivel towards her now.

Hina's puffed her cheek out at this. "Can't you guys just act like you're just as confused?" She whined. "You're making me feel stupid!"

"Sorry Hina." Makoto replied sheepishly, while Kyoko and Byakuya gave no response.

Both Chihiro and Mukuro decided not to say anything. The former, because he didn't want to embarrass Hina more, and the latter, because she felt that she didn't need to say anything.

"He said it's only broadcast when a body is discovered 'for the first time'." Byakuya repeated. "Which means, even if we found the same body again later, he won't make the same announcement again. If that's true, then why was the announcement made again later on?"

More eyes finally lit up in realization. "Oh, yeah! The body discovery played again when they re-found Taka's and Hifumi's body." Sayaka realized. "I didn't think anything about it when it happened. Just thought it was to signal that the bodies has been found again."

"But now, it contradicts what Monokuma told us." Chihiro murmured loudly. "If the bodies were just being re-discovered, then that announcements wouldn't have played."

"So if Monokuma's words hold true…" Mukuro spoke up. "Then that would mean one of those bodies was being discovered for the first time."

"Exactly." Makoto nodded at this. "And we all know that Taka has already died. Which leaves Hifumi as the only option."

"Huh? Later on?!" Jill asked in confusion.

"Exactly. We heard the body discovery announcement twice." Makoto stated. "We heard it a second time in the repository when we rediscovered the two bodies. It didn't seem weird at the time… but it contradicts what Monokuma just told us, doesn't it?"

"Exactly." Byakuya voiced his agreement. "If we were actually rediscovering both bodies, the announcement shouldn't have played."

"Then in reality, when the two dead bodies were rediscovered… one of them was actually being discovered for the first time!" Makoto proclaimed.

"So when we found Hifumi the first time in the nurse's office, he wasn't actually dead yet…" Sakura mused. "Meaning he wasn't actually found dead until we came upon him in the repository."

"So… future me was alive in the nurse's office?" Hifumi questioned, shocked. "But… but, why? Why did he fake his death?"

"Hold a moment, Hifumi." Celeste stopped him, her words coming a bit too quick. "It's not for certain that he was faking his death. We don't have enough evidence."

Byakuya scoffed. "The body announcement alone is evidence enough." The heir replied. "But if that's not enough, there's plenty more."

"And that's just part of it…" Makoto said. "There's one other thing that leads me to believe he was still alive in the nurse's office…"

"Oh! Oh! I know! I know!" Jill exclaimed eagerly, raising a hand. "Because he was super good at playing dead! Badda-bing badda-boom!"

"That is the worst logic I've ever heard…" Celeste deadpanned. "But honestly, I do not think there's anything that can prove he was still alive."

"Ok then, let's take another look at the events surrounding the discovery of his body." Kyoko suggested. "Then it should become clear whether he was really alive or not."

"This whole thing is pointless…" Celeste sighed.

Mukuro focused her eyes on Celeste. She's been arguing against Makoto, Kyoko, and Byakuya from the start, fighting against any hypothesis they make. When more people start leaning to the idea that Hiro didn't do it, she was quick to bring up seemingly indisputable evidence.

It was quite uncharacteristic of her to fight a losing battle like this, and it only made Mukuro more suspicious.

The non-stop debate started up once again, with Hina speaking first. "Well here's one thing we do know…" She stated. "The first time we found Hifumi's body was in the nurse's office. And then, while me and Celeste were in the bathroom, his body disappeared!"

"And the next time we saw his body…" Byakuya continued. "It was in the repository."

"But when you compare his body before being moved, and his body after being moved…" Celeste spoke up. "Other than the change in how it was positioned, there was no notable difference."

"No, that's wrong!" The bullet was shot as eyes turned towards Makoto. "In fact, there was one clear difference between Hifumi in the nurse's office and the repository…" He stated. "His glasses. That fact alone proves he was only playing dead in the beginning."

"...Perhaps you like to fill the rest of us in?" Celeste asked in annoyance.

"Yeah, what about his glasses that is so important?" Hina asked.

"If you had paid close attention, you would've seen the difference." Byakuya remarked. "And the question would not have been needed."

Before Hina could retort angrily, Makoto quickly spoke up. "Everyone was pretty overwhelmed with what we're seeing." The luckster said in defense. "You can't blame Hina and some of the others for not noticing certain things."

Byakuya tsked, but didn't say anything else. A few grateful smiles were sent the luckster's way, to which he gave a modest one back.

"When we found Hifumi in the nurse's office, his glasses were covered in blood." Makoto explained. "But when we found him again later in the repository, they were spotless."

"And! I found the item he used to wipe them clean in the nurse's office trash can!" He pulled his e-Handbook up before showing everyone the evidence. "It was a glasses cleaning cloth featuring a certain anime mascot! One look at the bloodstain on the cloth should make things clear. This piece of cloth was used to wipe Hifumi's glasses clean.

"And the mascot on the cloth is the same one that's on the digital camera, right?" He then showed the camera, alongside the cloth, on the handbook. "And whose digital camera was it? Hifumi's, of course…"

"The character was… Princess Piggles, from Demon Angel Pretty Pudgy Princess I think…" Hina remembered.

"I highly doubt anyone but Hifumi would have brought something like this to school…" Makoto continued.

"That's true." Leon agreed. "The only other people with glasses are Byakuya and Toko, and I doubt either of them would use that thing."

"Definitely not."

"A few tissues is good enough for me!"

"I see your point." Sakura accepted. "And the only people here who wear glasses are…"

"I wouldn't be caught dead using a tacky piece of garbage like that." Byakuya stated in disgust.

"A few tissues is all I need to keep my glasses clean!" Jill stated nonchalantly.

Hifumi would've grumbled about neither Byakuya nor Toko having good sense of taste, if his mind wasn't too preoccupied to the growing possibility of his future self faking his dead. And wondering why on earth he would do that.

"...Then there's no question - it belonged to Hifumi." Makoto stated confidently.

"Mm, mm…" Hiro hummed. "So what you're saying is… what exactly?"

"What I'm saying is, the blood on his glasses was wiped away using his own glasses cleaning cloth." Makoto explained.

"Even if that is true, it does not mean he wiped the blood off himself." Celeste interjected.

"Uh, who else would clean his glasses?" Junko pointed out. "And why? They don't need them."

"That's true. The only one who would benefit from glasses are the owners." Makoto agreed.

"But who would benefit from a clean pair of glasses, other than the glasses' owner?" Makoto pointed out.

"That's a good point…" Sakura agreed.

"Then it must've him… right?" Hiro said unsurely.

"So let's assume that Hifumi was still alive in the nurse's office." Kyoko suggested. "He pretends to be dead, then when he's alone, he wipes his glasses clean so he can see, then he stands up and walks out on his own two feet. And with that, the impossible task of moving his copious corpse… becomes possible, wouldn't you say?"

"When they say all that, it does make sense." Sayaka admitted. "A lot of sense, really."

"But then, why did he fake his death in the first place?" Hina asked. "And what's up with all that blood?"

"Probably came from one of the blood transfusion packs in the fridge." Makoto answered. "Guess Monokuma kept some in there. As for why… well, it'll probably be explored in the trial."

Sayaka looked at Makoto with narrowed eyes. "You don't seem all that surprised by this." She turned eyes to Kyoko and Byakuya. "Neither of you three do. How much do you all know?"

"More than enough…" Byakuya answered. "To see where this trial is going." Both Makoto and Kyoko nodded.

"So do you know whether or not I didn't do it?" Hiro asked hopefully.

"Let's put it this way." Kyoko decided to answer. "With Hifumi still being alive in the nurse's office, and having died in the repository… it can lead to a variety of scenarios."

Hifumi himself was feeling a wide range of emotions. Even he couldn't figure out what exactly he was feeling from this. Was this how his dead classmates felt when they went through this?

And why did his future self played dead? Why was he killed in the repository? What was he even doing in the first place? The lack of an answer only made him more afraid to find out.

Chihiro, meanwhile, felt his mind coming back to the possibility… of Hifumi being a part of the murder. And the possibility is now growing stronger.

"But then, if he was pretending to be dead… what was with all that blood?" Hina asked hesitantly. "Was it paint or somethin'?"

"The fridge in the nurse's office contains packs of blood for emergencies. He probably used one of those." Kyoko deduced.

"He figured if he was gonna play dead, he should go all-out! So he just dumped it everywhere!" Jill stated wildly. "But he got crazy with it, and had to wipe his glasses off when he was done! God, what an idiot!"

"And if Hifumi was still alive at that point, the disappearance of Taka's body is explained." Kyoko stated. "It should be perfectly obvious who must have moved Taka's corpse…"

The pit in Hifumi's stomach grew deeper, while Celeste gripped her skirt tightly, teeths clenched insider her mouth. Realization slowly set in some of the student eyes as they process that.

"It could only have been Hifumi." Makoto answered for Kyoko.

Hifumi felt his blood turn cold. He knew what moving Taka's body meant, and it disturbed him to his core.

"How… can you be so sure about that?" Celeste asked, her voice higher than usual. "What would make sure that Hifumi is the one who moved Taka's body?"

"It's makes the most sense, Celeste." Makoto said softly. "Everything we know, what we talked about, leads to this conclusion."

"While we were all gathered in the nurse's office, he went to the equipment room and took Taka's body…" Byakuya said in agreement.

"That also explains how the door to the repository got locked." Makoto added.

"The door was locked?" Jill asked, tilting her head.

"Well, after the bodies disappeared, we all went looking for them, right?" Hina decided to explain. "So me and Sakura headed for the repository. But when we got there, the door was locked!"

"And the repository door can only be locked from the inside." Makoto pointed out."Which means, when Hina and Sakura got to the repository, someone was already inside."

"And it could only have been Hifumi, who'd just finished stashing Taka's body there." Byakuya stated.

"He convinced us all that he was dead, and when he saw his chance, he dragged Taka's body to the repository." Kyoko began to conclude. "So, Hifumi wasn't just another victim in this case - he was one of the assailants."

At first, many of them were stunned. But then horror and disbelief slowly set in. "You mean… he helped kill Taka?" Leon spat out in shock.

"He took part in this whole crime…?!" Sayaka questioned, eyes wide.

Makoto nodded, his eyes closed. "That's right.."

Chihiro covered his mouth in horror, while Taka merely clenched his fist, uncertain how to react right now. Mondo, however, didn't feel that uncertainty and instead, felt anger.

That fat bastard was an accomplice in his friend's murder? And he dared to accuse him of being the killer?!

"B-But…" Sakura stuttered. "That means he took part in the murders…!"

"I… I just can't believe it…" Hina whispered, a bit pale.

"Agreed, future me…" The present swimmer said in agreement, looking a bit pale herself. "I mean, why would he do that?" She turned to Hifumi, who looked to be in-shock. "Hifumi, do you know why?"

"I… I don't." Honestly, he couldn't even think as to why. After all, his future self should know that there's no benefit in working with anyone. So why would he assist in a murder?

"The answer is probably at end the end of the trial, if not during it." Byakuya surmised. "But if I had to guess, it probably had to do with Hifumi's and Taka's rivalry."

That drew a flinch from the fanfic creator. He didn't forget how he accused Taka of killing his future self, right before seeing the moral compass dead himself. Seeing this now… made him feel a bit of a hypocrite.

"If you're having trouble, would you like me to show you one more piece of evidence?" Kyoko suggested.

"Th-There's more?!" Hiro exclaimed in shock.

"Yeah! What else is there?" Leon questioned, baffled.

"Something my future self found before the trial." Kyoko hinted at.

Chihiro, Mukuro, Sayaka, and Sakura quickly connected the dots. 'The note.'

"Oh, absolutely." Kyoko stated confidently. "The single biggest fact pointing to his involvement has yet to be revealed." She then turned towards Makoto. "You know what I'm talking about, right Makoto? The item he took off of Taka's lifeless body?"

"You're talking about the note Hifumi had hidden away, aren't you?" Makoto deduced.

"A… hidden note?" Hina said in confusion.

"That's right." Makoto nodded. "We found it stuffed in his pants."

"What?!" Hina's eyes widen in shock. "In his…"

"...pants?!" Jill finished off.

"Not to mention Kyoko digging through his pants." Leon remarked with a grimace. "Still can't believe she did that."

"Without hesitation." Sayaka added with a shudder.

"I still don't see the problem." Kyoko said with a raised eyebrow. The evidence was there, so she needed to get it.

Byakuya snickered to himself. It's amusing, seeing Kyoko looking so confused to the simplicity of their classmates' thinking.

"Hrm. Yes. His pants…" Sakura said thoughtfully.

"Okay, well, let's forget about the pants for now." Makoto suggested. "Take a look at what the note says…" He pulled out the note and presented for everyone to see.

Once read, Hiro quickly spoke up. "Ah! That's the note I was telling you about! The one that told me where to go!" However, just as he said that, he processed what was written. "...Huh? Wait, this one's a little different. In my note, it said 'Monokuma can't find out, so don't tell anyone else for now. Let's meet in the rec room at 1 a.m.'"

"I see… then this note isn't the same one Hiro got." Makoto stated.

"It's… not the same?" Hiro asked in befuddlement.

"In other words, the killer got in touch with another besides Hiro." Makoto continued. "And that person could only have been Taka! The killer used this note to draw out Taka and murder him!"

"And if Hifumi was the one to take the note, then it's more than likely that he was the one to place the deathblow." Byakuya stated in musing.

That did not make Hifumi feel any better. "I… killed somebody?"

"H-Hold on!" Celeste spoke up, her voice hasty. "What makes you think the note belongs to Taka? It was in Hifumi's pants, wasn't it? It was probably meant for him." However, even as she said it, she knew that argument was weak.

"Yeah!" Jill agreed. "I mean, if Huffy had the note, it must've been for him! Not for Tick-Tock!"

"When Taka was the one to be killed in the equipment room, at six in the morning?" Kyoko pointed out. "That's too much of a coincidence to conclude that the note was meant for Hifumi."

"Plus, there was the scrap that Taka held." Makoto added. "That scrap must belong to that note, which had a piece missing on the bottom."

"Ooh yeeeaaaah." Jill said in remembrance. "I forgot about those bity details!"

Celeste couldn't argue with those reasons, and didn't try to attempt to. But a deep frown held on her face.

"Hello. Over here! Objection! Objection!" Jill protested. "I don't really understand what's going on, but… Hifumi had the letter, right? So whoever wrote it wasn't drawing out Tick-Tock! They were drawing out Huffy!"

"Umm… just to be clear, Tick Tock is Taka and Huffy is Hifumi… right?" Hina inquired hesitantly.

"Ugh, yes!" Jill confirmed in annoyance. "Why must you ruin it EVERY TIME?!"

"Ruin what?!" Hina exclaimed in confusion. "What am I ruining?!"

"You know what!"

"No! No I don't!"

The non-stop debate started up once again, with Jill being the first to speak. "Huffy had the note, right?" She asked rhetorically. "Then the person it was intended for must have been Huffy!"

"But remember what the note said." Kyoko pointed out. "What time did it say to meet?"

"6 a.m., I believe…" Sakura recalled.

"The time doesn't matter!" Jill retorted. "The note has nothing to do with Tick-Tock!"

'No, that's wrong!' The bullet was shot as Makoto spoke up. "No, there absolutely is a connection!" He stated in confidence.

"Wh-?! What the hell are you talking about?!" Jill demanded angrily.

"The note said to meet at 6 a.m., which is the same time Taka was murdered." Makoto pointed out. "We've already proven that with his wristwatch. But there's more - look where the note says to meet." He held up the note once again. "The equipment room, right?"

"Which is where Taka was killed." Sakura recalled. "I see…"

"So, Taka was murdered at both the time and place written in the note." Makoto stated. "I think that should be plenty to show that this note was definitely meant for Taka!"

"Hmm… well, when you put it like that…no further objections!" Jill ended that sentence with her usual insane laughter.

"So, I guess we can conclude that the note Hiro spoke about is real…" Mukuro mused. "And the culprit and Hifumi lured both him and Taka for their scheme."

"We can also conclude that Hifumi made the suit, along with the hammers." Byakuya continued. "He also moved Taka's body, once he fooled us into thinking he died in the nurse's office."

"The culprit and Hifumi placed the blueprints and materials in Hiro's room in order to frame him," Kyoko added. "Also ensured he couldn't escape from the suit, so everyone could see him in it."

"And if Hifumi died in the depository, then the alibis for the nurse's office are gone to." Chihiro spoke up softly.

"But there's still a few unanswered questions." Makoto stated. "And when those questions are answered… it'll be clear who the killer is." Before he could stop himself, Makoto sneaked a peek at Celeste.

The gambler have difficulty keeping up a poker face. A deep, anxious frown was set on her face, with her fist clenching over her skirt, and her body rigid. Her facial features was contorting a little, as if trying to keep hidden how much this trial is actually affecting her.

And if the luckster have to guess, then she was definitely having a hard time accepting this.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 62: Watching Chapter 3: A Next Generation Legend! Stand Tall, Galactic Hero! Part 20

"Then someone used that note to trick Taka, just the same as me…" Hiro realized. A small growl left his lip. "The culprit is really a cold-blooded monster! Telling people they'd found a way out…!"

"Yeah! How can they use people's hope like that?!" Hiro cried out. "That's something I thought only Monokuma could've done!"

"It's still pretty dumb to fall for it." Hina stated once again. "Seriously, that was an obvious bait. Even I wouldn't fall for that."

"Um, Hina?" When the swimmer looked at Makoto, the luckster pointed a finger towards Taka…

...Who looks all sorts of ashamed.

"O-Oh! I'm sorry Taka!" Hina stammered. "I-I didn't mean to call you dumb! It just, well, you have to be a certain state of mind to fall for something like that!" When the moral compass dropped his head further, Hina panicked even more. "T-That's not what I-"

"Hina," Sakura placed a calming hand on her friend's shoulder. "It's best that you stop now."

"...Yeah." Hina sighed morosely. "Sorry Taka."

"...It's alright." Taka sighed. Honestly, he's ashamed of himself for falling for such an obvious ploy.

"But if they gave the note to Taka… what was Hifumi doing with it?" Hina asked.

"Stuffed it down his pants, no less!" Jill added in amusement.

"Most likely, Hifumi stole it off Taka's corpse after he died." Makoto answered.

"Huh?" Hina's eyes widen in confusion. "He stole it…?"

"When I searched Taka's body, I saw that his lifeless hand was gripping a small scrap of paper." Makoto explained before holding out a small scrap of paper in other hand. "If I'm right about this, the sheet of paper this piece came from is…" The luckster aligned the small scrap with the letter in his other hand. "I knew it! It fits perfectly with the note we found hidden on Hifumi!"

"Then Taka's scrap and Hifumi's note…" Hina trailed off.

"Yup." Makoto confirmed the silent conclusion. "They're from the same piece of paper."

"And if Hifumi stole Taka's letter, it's most likely that he and the culprit took Hiro's letter as well…" Sakura mused. "Though I wonder, why they didn't went to expose Taka's letter?"

"I guess Hifumi was in a rush to hide it, and just stuffed it in his pants without thinking." Makoto guessed. "He was still planning on living, so he probably figured that no one would look inside his pants for evidence."

"Hifumi had the note meant for Taka, while Taka's corpse still grasped a small piece of that note…" Kyoko summarized. "There's only one way to explain it…"

"Taka died clutching the note. Hifumi tried to free it from his death grip…" Sakura continued for the lavender haired girl. "Leaving behind only one small scrap. Did I get all that right?"

"That means Hifumi knew the note was important…" Byakuya added.

"Exactly." Kyoko nodded. "Which proves that he was an accomplice for the murder."

"Whoa…!" Hiro gasped in shock. "Yeah, after seeing all this, Hifumi was super involved in this whole thing for sure! In fact…" He started getting more excited. "He was behind the whole thing! In FACT, he's still alive!"

"...Is there a limit to this fool's stupidity?" Byakuya asked blankly, as flat looks or facepalms were displayed. "How does he come up with these foolish conclusions?"

"I'm thinking that he doesn't process his ideas fully, and just says what comes to mind." Sayaka guessed, looking done with Hiro's stupidity herself.

"Hey! It's a perfectly valid idea!" Hiro protested. "I mean, we all did say that he was playing dead, wasn't he?"

"In the nurse's office, yes. But in the repository, he was truly dead." Makoto pointed out patiently. "The body discovery announcement was proof of that."

Hiro deflated at that. "Oh."

"Yeah. 'Oh'." Leon snarked.

"...Sorry, no." Makoto said, his voice a bit flat. "When we found him in the repository, Hifumi was truly and completely dead. "The second body discovery announcement proves that."

"So then… who killed Hifumi?" Hina asked softly.

"Whoever did is the mastermind… the true killer." Sakura declared.

"The one true blackened who devised the murder plot and put it into action…" Byakuya repeated what Monokuma told them in the very beginning of the trial. "That's who Monokuma wants us to find."

"Indeed." Kyoko agreed. "The one who planned the entire thing, persuaded Hifumi to have the plan come to fruition, and betrayed him once he lived up his usefulness."

"That mastermind of the entire case…" Makoto spoke softly.

"He was killed in the repository, so he must have been killed not long after transporting Taka's body." Kyoko mused.

"So he must have been killed after Taka's body vanished but before we found both bodies in the repository…" Sakura guessed.

"During that time, we'd all split up and were searching for Taka's missing body." Byakuya pointed out. "In other words, during that time… none of us have alibis."

"So we now can't conclude that Hiro is the killer based on alibis." Mukuro added. "And seeing this, it's more and more likely that someone set him up as the killer."

"See?! I was being set up! Being pointed as the bad guy!" Hiro quickly spoke up. An angry frown entered his face. "Oh, this no good dirty culprit got some explaining to do!"

Celeste gritted her teeth tightly, now trying to keep out any erratic breathing. "There's still the picture that was taken… and Hifumi's last words… those are still there! Those still points to him as guilty!"

"Why are you so hung up on those things?" Mukuro questioned, narrowing her eyes. "Especially when there's plenty of evidence stating that something more is going on."

"Cause those pieces of evidence lead to the conclusion that Hiro is the one to do it!" Celeste retorted, annoyance clear in her voice. "If he's innocent, then why was there a picture of Robo Justice dragging Hifumi? Why did Hifumi point to Hiro as the killer?"

"And a better question. Why would Hifumi work with anybody in the first place?" The gambler continued. "The rule has stated that only the one who did the killing is allowed to graduate. Did we not talk about this?"

Makoto winced at the tone of voice. Celeste, while mostly sounding annoyed and angered, there was also… desperation hidden in that tone. Fear. Dread.

"All will be revealed in time." Kyoko said, staring at Celeste. "But whatever is revealed, we need to accept it as the absolute truth." Celeste scowled even further, hearing some sort of implication in Kyoko's tone.

Mukuro, meanwhile, kept her eyes narrowed at the gambler. The idea that Celeste is the one who did this is looking more and more plausible, the more the gambler loses her cool. The more she fights against any other ideas.

"Wait," Hina protested. "But me and Sakura were together!"

"Stop trying to steal the spotlight, you stupid walrus!" Jill shouted at her.

"Who are you callin' a walrus?!" Hina yelled back angrily.

"Yeah!" Hina shouted in agreement, looking as angry as her future self. "I'm not fat!"

"Says your chest!"

"Will you leave my chest out of this?!"

"Anyway," Makoto spoke up, hoping to keep an argument from continuing. "This means Sakura and Hina have solid alibis with each other."

"There's also the fact that we're in Makoto's point of view, as well as Toko/Jill being unconscious during the search." Byakuya added. "Which means that leaves me, Kyoko, Hiro, and Celeste."

At this point, Mukuro had no doubt that Celeste was the culprit. Hiro's guilt is very questionable, probably doubtful, as of now. And Byakuya and Kyoko contributed much to the trial, making their guilt doubtful as well. That only left Celeste, who's been actively set on Hiro being the killer.

"Anyway, when they were killed bothers me too, but there's something that's been bothering me even more!" Hiro spoke up.

"And what might that be?" Celeste inquired.

"I swear, is this is another stupid ass thing, I'm punching this TV." Mondo said flatly. "Then Hiro."

"Why me?!"

"The weapon they used to kill Hifumi!" Hiro stated.

"The weapon…?" Sakura raised an eyebrow at this.

"Yeah, cuz I mean… according to the Monokuma File…" Hiro began explaining. "The way Taka and Hifumi was almost the same, with them having similar fractures and all. But Justice Hammer 3 and 4 were still laying around in the nurse's office and equipment room, right?"

"So if Hifumi was killed in the repository…" The fortune teller continued. "The culprit woulda had to grab one of the hammers, kill Hifumi… then put the hammer back where they found it. But wouldn't that be seriously risky for 'em?"

The group processed Hiro's rare lines of intelligence. "He's right." Chihiro realized. "That would've put too much of a risk for the culprit to do that."

"And judging by what we know so far, our culprit is careful with their manipulation." Mukuro pointed out.

"Finally. Something smart comes out of Hiro's mouth." Leon sighed in relief. "I was getting real tired of stupid coming out of it."

"Same here." Sayaka agreed.

"...I'm surprised." Byakuya remarked. "It seems there's some semblance of a brain knocking around that skull of yours, after all."

"Hell yeah, it's packed in there good and tight!" Hiro exclaimed proudly.

"He's right, though. I don't understand it, either." Sakura spoke up, getting back on the subject. "The Monokuma File makes it clear that they were killed using similar instruments. But if the hammers were already laying around those other rooms…"

"So the question is, how could the culprit have gotten their hands on either of the hammers?" Celeste asked. "Personally, I haven't a clue."

"So which hammer was used to attack Celeste? Number one or number two?!" Hina inquired.

"Those were accounted for in other rooms, too." Makoto interjected. "And I don't think either one is big enough to kill someone."

"Um… then, uhh…" Hina spoke, trying to figure out any other way.

"Man, this is hard." Hina groaned. "How could they be killed the same way, when all hammers were in their spots?"

"Perhaps they used a different weapon." Mukuro suggested.

"I don't think it is." Taka argued. "After all, they were killed with similar fractures."

"But that doesn't translate to the weapon being the Justice Hammers themselves." Mukuro pointed out.

That's when it clicked in several students' minds. 'The hammers in the repository.' Makoto realized. 'They can be used not only as one of the weapons, but as the base design of the Justice Hammers.'

"...Is it not possible they used a different weapon?" Byakuya suggested.

"I don't think it is possible!" Hiro argued. "They were both killed with the same kinda thing, right?"

"So then, what was used to kill Hifumi…?" Sakura questioned.

The non-stop debate began once more, with Sakura beginning it. "Was it Justice Hammer 3? Maybe Justice Hammer 4?" She asked.

"Well, whatever it was, there's one thing we have to figure out." Celeste stated. "How was the culprit able to move around so freely with the weapon? How did nobody witness them carrying it?

"Sounds like a Justice Hammer 5 is about to make its appearance!" Jill said excitingly. "Check out /hammertime for more info!"

"Well, one thing is pretty clear…" Hiro stated. "The murder weapon had to be one of the Justice Hammers!"

"No, that's wrong!" The bullet was shot as Makoto stated those words. "The murder weapon wasn't a Justice Hammer at all. No, it was something completely different."

"But… seriously? A different weapon?" Hiro questioned with skepticism.

"Specifically, a hammer from the repository." As Makoto pointed that out, a flashback of the luckster looking at the row of hammers was shown. "The killer could have easily used that to kill Hifumi."

"Oh yeah!" Sayaka gasped in realization. "There were hammers located in the repository."

"And thinking about, some of those hammers could also be used as a base for the Justice Hammers' designs." Hifumi mused. "They size and shape are exactly the same."

"But none of the hammers had blood on it." Hina pointed out.

"You don't think the culprit is smart enough to clean the hammer?" Byakuya retorted.

That gain a sheepish look from the swimmer. "Ok, yeah, good point…"

"Now, all the hammers in the repository were covered in flecks of grit and debris…" Makoto pointed out. "But for some reason, one of them had been scrubbed clean."

"Huh…?" Hina said in confusion.

"And the reason it has been scrubbed clean was most likely because it was used to commit murder." The luckster continued. "If the hammer got covered in Hifumi's blood, of course they'd have to clean it off. I also like to point out that the repository has all kinds of hammers - big ones, small one, and even some flat, mallet-like ones. I think whoever made the Justice Hammers used those as a base for their design."

"If that's true, that would explain the Monokuma File's note about the wounds being similar…" Sakura said.

"So Hifumi moved Taka's body to the repository, where someone used a hammer to kill him." Byakuya summarized.

"And whoever did that is the true killer - the one Hifumi was working with…" Hina stated, not looking well. "And the one who betrayed him…!"

Chihiro thought about the remaining suspects. Hina and Sakura are out, due to them being together. Jill is also out, due to being unconscious. Same with Makoto, since they're in his point of view. That left Hiro, Byakuya, Kyoko and Celeste. So out of those four…

The programmer cut that line of thinking. He rather not think on which one of them would've done it. But in his heart, he knew which one is the most likely to have done this.

"Hold on a moment. I still think it's strange to assume someone was working together with him." Celeste said in protest. "The way the 'graduation' rule works, there is no benefit to helping someone else carry out the murder. So the idea that anyone would work together like that is simply ludicrous. We talked about this, did we not?"

"And here's what our Celeste brought up before." Junko pointed out. She then got into her teacher persona, glasses on and clipboard in hand. "Let see how Makoto, Kyoko, and Byakuya untangle this argument."

"There is nothing to untangle." Celeste said through gritted teeth. "Because the idea. Is. Ludicrous. Even a buffoon like Hifumi would see that there's no benefit in acting as an accomplice."

Hifumi, still feeling vulnerable with all this new information, gave a flinch at this. Sayaka, at the same time, gazed at Celeste with concern, curiosity, and suspicion.

Why was Celeste so actively against anything Makoto, Kyoko, or Byakuya suggests? She's so set on Hiro being the killer, and reluctant to think of any other scenario. 'And thinking about it now, she's never been so pro-active in the previous trial.' The idol realized. 'Does that mean that Celeste…?'

Sayaka thought the lack of reactions from Makoto, Kyoko, and Byakuya, how each of them easily understood each part of the trial. Does that mean they know? Even before the trial?

The non-stop argument started once again, with Celeste continue to speak. "Based on the rules that have been laid out for us…" She began. "Even if more than one person is complicit in the murder, only the one who actually carried out the act can 'graduate' and survive. Assuming the rule holds true, it is simply impossible that two people worked together on this."

'No, that's wrong!' The bullet was shot as Makoto spoke up. "Since there were two murders, it's at least plausible that more than one person was involved." He stated.

"...What do you mean?" Sakura inquired.

"If there'd only been one murder, then yes, the idea of an accomplice isn't really worth considering." Kyoko spoke up. "Naturally, if only one person can be saved per murder, an accomplice has no risk versus reward benefit."

"Risk versus reward… benefit?" Makoto repeated, looking confused. (The look was mirrored by several other students.)

"The payoff for working together - the reward that balances out the risk of taking part in the scheme." Kyoko explained. "There's no point in being someone's accomplice if there's no benefit to you. However, if there were some potential reward for the risk, then cooperation becomes possible."

"But what reward is there?" Leon asked, not getting it at all. "It doesn't seem like there's any work around with the 'no accomplice' rule."

"How about this for a work around?" Byakuya spoke up. "The mastermind and Hifumi don't plan for just one murder, but two separate murders. That would be a work-around, wouldn't you say?"

Eyes widen when the idea came into their ears. "I didn't think of it that way." Junko mused. That would be something to chew on later, if doesn't get bored of thinking about it.

"You're saying that two people could act as each other's accomplices to commit two separate murders." Byakuya realized.

"I think that's what the true killer told Hifumi; they would have each have an accomplice for their crime." Kyoko confirmed. "And based on the case's events, Hifumi would have been the first to act, murdering Taka. They made him carry out the first murder so he couldn't back out of helping them later on."

"So… he was the one who murdered bro?" Mondo asked slowly. His slowly growing rage rose higher. "The one who fucking bashed him with that hammer?" Hifumi flinched at the sound and sight of the seething biker, as did a few others.

"I suggest you save your anger for the time being." Byakuya told him. "We still need to find the mastermind. The one who put Hifumi up to this, and had him targeted Taka in the first place."

"But… why would Hifumi agree to this?" Chihiro asked, trying to ignore his angry friend. "Why was he willing to kill someone?"

"Again, it probably has to do with his and Taka's rivalry." Byakuya repeated. "It's no coincidence that the two was involved in the first place."

"All this… over a computer?" Hina questioned in slight disbelief. Grief and anger soon followed. "Hifumi killed Taka because of a stupid machine?"

Again, the fanfic creator flinched. A part of him wanted to defend himself, saying that Alter Ego wasn't just a computer or machine. But even he knew that would be hollow.

Chihiro also flinched, and curled up into himself. If what Byakuya was saying is true… then it may have been his fault. He may have been the cause of Hifumi and Taka's death.

"So in this case, there wasn't one single person committing multiple murders." Makoto concluded. "Instead, each person killed someone, creating two separate incidents. And it only looked like one person because that's how the true killer designed it."

"A single suspicious individual, a similar weapon used in each crime, disappearing bodies…" The luckster listed off. "By creating one seamless set of circumstances, they made it look like one person was behind it all!"

"The mastermind picked their target and managed to convince him to go along with their plan." Byakuya spoke up. "And then, to avoid the 'no accomplices' rule, they simply… killed their accomplice. Which, if true, means that betraying Hifumi was part of the plan from the very beginning."

That revelation did not improved their mood. "So they were just using Hifumi from the start?" Chihiro questioned, looking sick.

"He was a tool from the start." Mukuro said with a grimace. "A pawn meant to be thrown away." Just like she was. Like she still is.

"That's… that's awful!" Hina shouted, sick to the stomach herself. "That's so cruel!"

"Just like what I did…" Sayaka murmured in guilt. Makoto, hearing that, grabbed her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.

'But it's a cunning plan.' Byakuya mused to himself. He had to admit, Celeste's plan was near brilliant. Unfortunately, there were too many cracks in the disguise she created. And once one was noticed, the others were easy to spot.

"Th-That's just… awful!" Hina gasped in horror. "How could anyone be so cruel?!"

"You think so? I can't help but admire its cunning." Byakuya countered. "Still, their choice of accomplice seems… odd."

The heir wasn't at all surprised when he received several looks from his classmates. "Of course you would admire that." Sakura spat out.

"How could you admire that?!" Hina asked incredulously. "What the culprit did was heartless!"

"It's also a clever way to deceive us all." Byakuya said in retort. "Regardless on the ethics of the plan, you have to respect how well thought their plan was. The only flaw is, like my future self mentioned, their choice of accomplice."

"True." Mukuro nodded in agreement. "Many of the mistakes made were mainly caused by Hifumi."

"I'm not sure how to feel about that." Hifumi said in response.

'The effort made to convince us the two murders were the same. That's the main characteristic this time.' Makoto turned his eyes towards Kyoko. 'Kyoko must have noticed that fact from the very beginning. Which is why she said not to look at this as a series of connected events, but entirely separate incidents.'

That caused heads to turn towards the detective. "Is that true, Kyoko?" Hina asked her. "You noticed that from the beginning?"

The lavender haired girl nodded in response. "My future self was probably suspicious when she heard the murders of Taka and Hifumi. Those suspicions were confirmed after a reiteration of the events."

"Wow…" Was the only thing Hina could say to that. Some of the others had looks of amazement as well, along with a few whistles.

'Kyoko is really amazing. Although…' An almost deadpan look entered his face. 'When you think about it, she's almost too amazing. Like, it's almost unnatural how good she is at this…'

That drew a snort from Leon. "Like you're one to talk, dude." The baseball star remarked. "You're able to keep up with Kyoko's monstrous level thinking…"

The luckster blushed a little at this. "I don't think it's-"

"Quit with the modesty act." Byakuya interrupted. "You have shown a remarkable level of intellect throughout the trials, both you and your future self. I bet you managed to figure out the culprit before the trials, haven't you?"

Makoto looked away at that, his red color fading from his cheeks. "Y-Yeah…"

"Wow, for real?" Jill spoke up. "You managed to figure out who planned all this?"

"Who is it?" Mondo demanded, looking ready to strangle somebody. "Who's the fucker that planned this entire shit?!"

"That will probably be revealed in just a few moments." Kyoko stated before staring down Mondo. "But refrain from trying to attack anybody. It'll be useless to even try, considering who's with us." The biker growled, but didn't try to argue with her.

Celeste, meanwhile, felt her stomach coiling painfully inside her body. Her eyes started to dilate, her skirt close to ripping from how tightly she's gripping it, and it took every ounce of willpower to keep her breathing under control. The sense of dread was creeping around her, no matter how hard she tries to keep it down.

'Why… why am I like this?' Celeste asked herself desperately. 'It can't be me. It couldn't have been. I have no reason to. I should know how risky it would be to become the blackened. It… can't have been me.' No matter how many times she repeated that in her head, those words felt far too hollow.

"I understand how an accomplice could be involved, but then who was the one pulling Hifumi's string?" Sakura questioned.

"That's problem numero uno right now!" Jill added.

'The true killer manipulated Hifumi to carry out a number of actions, and in the end… murdered him.' Makoto thought to himself. 'In the debate up till now, the way the case has unfolded… when you consider all that… there's really only one person who seems to fit.'

"It was Celeste…" Makoto stated out-loud.

At Makoto's statement, any sort of calm composure Celeste held was shattered. Her head was down, shadowing her wide eyes and dilated eyes, with her expression blank.

"Celeste?" Hina repeated, sounding shock. "She's the culprit?"

"Yes." Makoto said with a solemn nod. "As you're about to see, all evidence points to her."

"Honestly, thinking about it, it doesn't seem all that surprising." Leon remarked with a frown. "We know that Hifumi would do anything she asks, and Celeste would happily boss him around."

"True." Sayaka agreed softly. "And there's also how proactive and emotional she was being during the entire thing."

"She was also the most adamant on Hiro being the killer…" Sakura added, a frown on her face. "Not even Hina was so set on the idea of Hiro being the killer, yet she claimed she had no qualms on the idea of Hiro being innocent."

"So… she was the one who set me up?" Hiro asked, anger slowly rising up. "Trying to make me look like the bad guy in all of this?"

Hifumi was just staring at the TV, with wide, shocked eyes, slowly processing that it was Celeste that killed him. 'Miss… Miss Ludenberg…?' Hifumi thought dizzingly. 'She was the one too…?'

"Ah, so I'm the suspicious individual now, am I?" Celeste rhetorically asked. She then let out a chuckle. "I really do hate these kind of jokes…"

"A joke? I wonder…" Byakuya said in response, his eyes narrowed.

That caused Celeste to lose her smile. "So what are you saying, then, is that I specifically chose to work together with Hifumi." She interpreted. "The idea that I would choose to spend any amount of time interacting with him…" As she continued speaking, her tone got angrier, with her french accent being temporarily loss. "That I would go within ten feet of that shit-for-brains! That lazy, worthless goddamn idiot!"

Leon was tempted to point out that she always used Hifumi several times before, but decided against, not wanting the one to snap Celeste out of her blank state.

But just as she got angry, she immediately caught herself and brought her composure. "Ahem. Ah, pardonnez-moi."

"Just to be clear, there is evidence to support it." Byakuya told her.

"...Is that so?" Celeste asked back.

"It is." The Togami heir answered. "Throughout the investigation, there was certain behavior that was common only to the two of you. Considering what we've learned so far, it only further proves that the two of you were working together!"

"Certain behavior?" Sakura repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"It was during the search for Robo-Justice." Makoto explained. "Throughout the whole thing, only Hifumi and Celeste shared the same experience."

"The behavior they have in common has to do with the 'suspicious individual' in the suit, doesn't it?" Makoto spoke up. "The only ones who ever actually saw Robo Justice firsthand were Celeste and Hifumi."

"Shush." Byakuya demanded harshly. "The adults are talking now."

"S-Sorry…"

That brought more than a few scowls, but the other revelations had them biting their tongue for the time being. "Now that he mentioned it, only Celeste and Hifumi had claimed that they saw the suspicious individual." Sakura thought out loud.

"And if Hifumi was one of the culprits, then Celeste supposed claims are suspicious as well." Mukuro added with now.

That shocked Hina more, along with horrified her. "So everything they said was a lie…?"

"Apparently so..." Chihiro said with a small whimper.

"As he said, only Celeste and Hifumi ever laid eyes on the costumed individual." Byakuya repeated Makoto's deduction. "If we accept that Hifumi was one of the culprits, we can't help but suspect what Celeste has said, as well."

"Are you saying everything they told us was a lie…?" Hina asked, shocked and horrified.

"After taking Hifumi to the nurse's office, we all began our search for this individual, correct?" Byakuya reminded them. "And not too long after that, do you remember what Celeste said? 'I saw a shadow!'. We headed to the 2nd floor specifically because of what she claimed to have seen. Next, to draw us all to the physics lab, up on the 3rd floor…"

"...She let out a blood curdling scream." Sakura finished.

"And when we'd all come to see what was wrong, what was it she said?" Byakuya continued. "That she saw him. Once she'd done her job of getting us all up to the physics lab… it was time for partner to get to work."

A flashback of Hifumi's scream was played, before coming back to the present Hina. "It was to get us to divide us into groups… so that we would discover both bodies at the same time?!" She realized.

"In fact, Celeste was precisely the one who proposed that we split up." Byakuya added. "Well? If Celeste and Hifumi were working together, all those chance events suddenly become connected…"

The more Mondo heard, the more convinced that it was actually Celeste that did this. And as he listened, that vengeful anger was roaring for him to rip the head of the mastermind of this trial, along with Hifumi's head. However, his morals is screaming back not to hit a girl, no matter what. The conflict just made him even more frustrated.

Hifumi was feeling a growing sense of hurt and betrayal. Miss Ludenberg, the one he tries his best to serve and get along with, was the one to kill him. To trick him. In hindsight, it shouldn't be surprising, considering how many times she used him for her own purpose (And he willfully let her). But that didn't help the hurt he's feeling.

Through all of this, Celeste was silent.

"And a top of that… that piercing cry of yours early on…" Byakuya mentioned. "That was to signal Hifumi, wasn't it? It was your way of telling him, 'We're on the third floor, everything's going according to plan'. Why else would you let out a scream that could have carried across the sea?"

Again, the Ultimate Gambler was silent.

"I just realized another strange thing…" Makoto spoke up once more. "When we found Hifumi in the nurse's office, who we now know was only pretending to be dead…" The luckster turned towards the suspect. "Celeste… you were the first one to say he'd been murdered. You wanted to make sure we wouldn't have any doubt in our minds."

Every sentence, every point made, anything pointed out, was like a bullet piercing through her. It took Celeste everything she had to avoid an emotional break down.

Again, the gambler has yet to make any rebuttals or comments.

"I-I don't believe it…" Hina stuttered in shock and betrayal. "Everything… the whole thing was one big act!"

"We've been tricked, ever since the beginning!" Hina cried out, holding her head. "Been dancing to her tune since she showed us that picture!"

"Wowee! This is even more devious than what master did!" Jill whistled in amazement.

"If it wasn't Makoto and Kyoko, the majority of us would've immediately voted for Hiro." Sakura said with a grimace. "We would've played right into Celeste hands."

"It pains me to admit it, but I have to agree." Byakuya sighed. "If Makoto wasn't so skeptical on the idea that Hiro did it, they would've been executed."

The luckster himself was silent, his head slightly down. Despite figuring out it was Celeste during the investigation, the sting of hurt and betrayal was still growing. He didn't even need to ask why she did it. He had a good guess as to why, and thinking about only made the feeling grow…

"Hina. You were with Celeste when Hifumi's body disappeared, right?" Makoto asked her.

"Yeah… I was feeling sick, so Celeste took me to the bathroom…" Hina confirmed hesitantly. Realization quickly hit her. "...Wait! Then that was-?!"

"Another ploy to get me out of there?!" Hina voice incredulously.

"She probably didn't expect you to freeze up like you did, so she needed to think quickly and get you out of there." Mukuro mused. "Cause if you stayed there, the plan would've been ruined."

"This just keep looking worse and worse…" Leon remarked with a grimace.

"She wasn't worried about you. She just saw a chance to help Hifumi sneak out of the nurse's office." Makoto explained gravely.

"Each piece isn't much by itself, but start putting them together and the picture gets very ugly indeed." Byakuya stated confidently. "Wouldn't you agree, Celeste?"

"...I have no idea what you mean." Celeste finally spoke with an innocent look on her face.

That had several pair of eyes blinking, flabbergasted at Celeste's statement. "Does she really think that would work?" Leon asked, after a moment. "I mean, seriously? After all that?"

"She's probably gonna keep up the act for as long as she can." Byakuya stated. "But don't worry. There's still several mistakes that she has made, that had not been mentioned yet." 'Such as certain words she slipped-out…'

"Don't bother trying to deny it." Byakuya retorted. "You made one fatal mistake."

"...Oh did I?" Celeste remarked back.

"I didn't even catch it myself when you first said it," The heir admitted. "But looking back, I can say that that one little slip-up was your undoing."

"Wh-What are you talking about…?" Celeste inquired, actually stuttering a little.

"I'm talking about what you said after Hifumi's body disappeared and we returned to the nurse's office." Byakuya pointed out. A flashback of Celeste's words at the nurse's office was played.

When the flashback played, several students caught the mistake Byakuya was talking about. 'She said "those guys".' Makoto thought to himself. 'When she shouldn't have known that Taka had already died.' With that, there will be no doubt that Celeste was involved in the entire thing.

"I remember that too, but… I don't understand what's so strange about it." Sakura said.

"Then pay attention." Byakuya ordered. "Sakura, Toko, and I were first to discover Taka's body in the equipment room. Then Makoto showed up and told us Hifumi had been killed. So Sakura and I left with Makoto. Once we were in the hall, we ran into Celeste, and the four of us headed to the nurse's office. Now, the entire time we were together, none of us said anything about Taka being dead."

Makoto's eyes lit up in realization at this. "That's right… there's no reason Celeste should have said 'just like those guys died'..." He said. "When she said that, none of us had told her Taka was dead."

Celeste was silent at this.

"Exactly." Byakuya nodded. "And we didn't run into her until after we were out in the hall. So there was never any chance for her to have seen his body in the equipment room for herself."

"So how did you know, Celeste?" Makoto asked the girl. "How did you know more than one person had been killed? And how did you know they were both guys? Because Kyoko had also disappeared, right? So she could have been dead, too."

"Wow…" Sayaka breathed out. "So many holes, so many mistakes in this crime. So many things that don't make any sense…"

"And when you figure out one thing, it becomes more and more obvious as to who the killer is." Chihiro said softly.

Hina hesitantly turned towards the suspect herself. "Celeste… what are you thinking about all this?"

"Do you still think it's Hiro?" Byakuya remarked. "Or are you still in denial?"

At first, Celeste kept her head down and her mouth shut. But then, she spoke with a small murmur. "...the picture…"

The heir frowned. "Pardon?"

"There's still. The picture." Celeste spoke, louder this time. "There's still the picture, future me took, that proves Hiro is the culprit."

A scowl entered Hiro's face. "You're trying to frame me?" He cried out in anger. "Still trying to make me the bad guy?"

"How long are you gonna be in this state of denial?" Byakuya sighed exasperatedly. "No matter what you, it won't change-"

"SHUT UP!" The gambler shouted, flipping her head to form an angry, frantic glare. Her french accent was also completely gone. "Don't try to pin this on me! Robo-Justice was kidnapping Hifumi! He said Hiro's name! That all but proves he's the killer!"

Her frantic state got the others reeling back. None of them ever seen Celeste so rattled, so… emotional. Sure, there was the occasional emotional outbursts, but nothing of this scale. And because of that, she stunned the room into silence for a moment.

'Miss Ludenberg…' Hifumi doesn't know what to think right now. On one hand, the idea that she was the one to trick and kill him hurt, badly. But on the other… the frantic, almost desperate look on her face pains him as well.

Makoto also felt empathy for the gambler. Cause beneath that anger, he could see the desperation. The fear in her eyes. "Celeste…"

"I'm not the killer! I wouldn't do something so risky!" She would never take that kind of risk. She wouldn't put herself in that situation. "I'm not, I'm not, I'M NOT!"

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 63: Watching Chapter 3: A Next Generation Legend! Stand Tall, Galactic Hero! Part 21

Wary and concerned eyes were aimed at the Ultimate Gambler, after her outburst. But despite the worry they felt, the group turned their heads back towards the TV.

At first, Celeste was silent. But then suddenly, she started giggling, rather darkly. "You all have vivid imaginations, you know that?"

"Imaginations…?" Byakuya raised an eyebrow at this.

"You claim that I was lying when I told you about the suspicious person I saw…" Celeste stated. "Then what about the picture I took?" She held the picture of Hifumi being dragged away by Robo Justice. "How do you explain this picture of the costumed villain dragging Hifumi away?"

"That definitely conflicts with some of the stuff we know." Leon sighed.

"But, it's got to be some kind of set up, right?" Hiro spoke up, trying to think of what the set up. "Maybe, Celeste put a timer on the camera and… and put the costume on herself?"

"Did you already forget that that suit was designed for you and you alone?" Mukuro said in disagreement.

"And like hell I would do that!" Celeste growled before anyone could say anything.

"Plus, the camera doesn't have a timer." Hifumi softly added. "It's not that type of camera."

"I-It has to be some kind of setup, right?" Hiro said, thinking hard. "Celeste put the suit on herself, and then… and then she used the camera's timer to… set up the picture!"

"Have you so quickly forgotten? You are the only one who could have possibly fit into that suit." Celeste pointed out. "Plus, I happen to know that this particular camera does not have a timer. In other words, it is an unassailable fact that this a picture of Hifumi being dragged away. If everything I told you was a lie, how can this picture exist?"

"Exactly." Celeste agreed with herself, managing to get her accent and composure back somewhat. "That picture wouldn't be here if those words was a lie."

Both Byakuya and Kyoko was about to speak about to refute her words, but both caught Makoto shaking his head, telling them not to. The Togami heir rolled his eyes while the detective sighed, but they kept silent for the time being.

"Simple. Are we sure that's really a picture of the suspect dragging Hifumi away?" Kyoko asked.

"...What could you possibly mean by that?" Celeste slowly inquired.

"Surely there are other explanations than the one you offered up." Kyoko told her.

"No… there is no other explanation." Celeste denied.

'Other… explanation?' Makoto thought to himself. 'If it wasn't a picture of the suspect dragging Hifumi away… the only other possibility is…'

"It's not a picture of the suspect dragging Hifumi away…" Makoto declared. "I would say it's a picture of Hifumi dragging the suspect away!"

"Kh-!" Celeste scowled at this, gritting her teeth.

That reaction was immediately caught. "Look like we're on the right track." Byakuya remarked.

"She's losing ground." Mukuro commented.

"That's certainly within the realm of possibility." Kyoko agreed. "The one being dragged off in that picture isn't Hifumi, but the person in the robot suit. We've simply been led to believe that it's the other way around."

"And the strange costume might only exist to lead us astray even further." The lavender haired girl continued. "If you saw someone wearing something like that in this situation, of course you'd notice and be suspicious."

"Th-That's what happened!" Hiro quickly cried out angrily. "You put me to sleep and made me out to be the bad guy in all this!"

"You've been constantly pointing fingers at me! Trying to have everyone turn on me!" The present Hiro spoke up in anger. "You, Hifumi, the two of you have been setting me up!" Said fanfic creator winced at the reminder of his part in all this.

Whatever composure she managed to get back was lost after all this. "Why… why do you keep accusing me?" A mix of anger, fear, and desperation entered her features as she stared at her classmates. More specifically, Makoto. "Why are you so determined to see me outed as the culprit?!"

"I don't want to make you out as the culprit, Celeste!" Makoto argued, the look of hurt on his face. "I don't want to accuse any of us being killers! But I can't ignore the proof when it's there! Especially when everyone's lives are at stake! I mean, when you think about it, it's technically not you at the same time!"

"But that IS me too!" Once again, her accent was lost amongst her hysteria. "In fact, there's no proof that it was Hifumi who was dragging Hiro! That's only a speculation you're making!"

Celeste let out a dark, almost mad, giggle. "Such a thing… is utterly impossible." She declared. "Hifumi was dragging him away? Ridiculous."

"Is it?" Kyoko rebuked. "I don't think it's ridiculous at all."

"Then shut your mouth and allow me to educate you." Celeste responded viciously.

That had a few reeling back. "Damn, that was vicious." Junko remarked. "Think there might be a catfight?"

"Now isn't the time for jokes like that Junko." Taka cut in, his eyes focused on the screen. At the one who killed his future self.

The non-stop debate started once again, with Hiro being the first to speak. "You dressed me up in that suit after I passed out…" He said angrily. "Then you just draped me across Hifumi and had him carry my weight! You tried to make me look like the bad guy!"

"Like I said - ridiculous." Celeste repeated. "As you can see in the picture, the suspect is standing perfectly upright. If the person inside the suit was unconscious, there's no way they could stand up straight like that."

'No, that's wrong!' The bullet was shot as Makoto spoke up. "No, even if the person inside the suit were unconscious, they could still stand up like that." He explained. "Because that Robo Justice suit had a certain characteristic…"

"That's right!" Hina said in remembrance. "They totally made a mistake when they made it, so it couldn't bend at the waist!"

"I'm not so sure it was a mistake…" Kyoko said. "I think the suit was designed from the beginning to be used the way it was."

"Ngh…!" Now the gambler started to look frustrated, as well as nervous.

"Celeste and Hifumi took the suit they'd specially designed and stuffed Hiro into it…" Makoto explained. "That's how they were able to fake that whole thing. The point of it all was to make us believe whoever was in the suit was to blame!"

"Ngh-gh-gh!" Celeste looked even more rattled now.

More cracks were made in Celeste's mask of denial. The evidence being presented, as well as her future's self reaction, is making it more and more difficult to deny that she was the mastermind of all this.

"Well, look this whole mystery is solved." Junko remarked purposefully. "Everything seems to connect-"

"No!" Everyone jumped at the sudden shout Celeste made. They all turned to see the gambler's facial expression completely unhinged and furious, veins clearly visible in her eyes. "I'm not the guilty one! You're not gonna put me in your little guilty box!"

"Celeste, enough." Kyoko stated sharply, cold purple eyes staring down the frantic red ones. "All the evidence points towards you. Everything clearly connects with you as the culprit."

"Did you forget already?!" Celeste growled at her viciously. "Hifumi is told us the killer's name! Ya! Su! Hi! Ro! AS IN YASUHIRO HAGAKURE!" Her last sentence was screamed at the top of her lungs. "And there's no way in hell you can counter that!"

"Well then, I suppose this is checkmate…" Byakuya said with a smirk.

"Checkmate…?" Celeste repeated slowly. Then suddenly, she let out a dark chuckle. A similarly dark smile entered her lips as she continued laughing… before she snapped. "Don't make me laugh, you idiot! What do you mean, checkmate?!" She shouted, her accent gone and her face filled with rage.

"C-Celeste…?" Hina stuttered out, reeling back at Celeste's outburst.

"I-I never seen Celeste so… emotional before…" Hina whispered to Sakura, slightly scared of incurring the gambler's wrath.

"While she tries to act like it, Celeste isn't infallible." Sakura responded back softly. "Like anyone else, she can panic when backed into a corner."

"Clearly, you want to cram me into your little 'guilty' box. Well there's one little problem!" The gambler exclaimed. Her accent came back, mangled up, when she said the next words. "Have you already forgotten what Hifumi told us as he lay dying?!"

She gave a fake, pleasant smile as she recounted his last words. "When we asked him who had attacked him, his answer was quite clear, was it not? He said, and I quote, 'Yasuhiro'." Almost like it was an illusion, her smile was dropped and her look of rage was back. "In other words, Yasuhiro, Hagakureeeee!"

"W-Wait, but my name isn't Yasuhiro!" Hiro protested. "It's actually Taro!"

"BULLSHIT!"

The gambler's scream got several of them yelping, especially Hiro.

"Disregarding Celeste's outburst, lying isn't helping matters." Kyoko spoke up calmly. "It's only making things more confusing."

"W-Well, what am I supposed to do?!" Hiro cried out. "Hifumi said that I was the killer, and I have no idea why he did it."

"Honestly, was the fool still blindly loyal to Celeste, even after her murder attempt?" Byakuya remarked.

Hifumi frowned at bit at this. Would his future self really stay loyal like that, even after that betrayal?

"No." Kyoko shook her head at that. "I think it's something else. Something that our future selves will bring up."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Celeste growled. "What else could there be?"

'...You're biggest secret.' Makoto thought, looking down.

"Your confusing statements don't make any sense. You're only making things more complicated." Sakura told him.

"He did say Yasuhiro, but are we sure he was really pointing fingers at Hiro?" Kyoko asked.

"Huh?" Was the statement of several, with Leon asking the question on their mind. "Why else would he say Yasuhiro, even if ain't condemning Hiro as the culprit?"

Instead of Kyoko answering, Makoto did. "There's a certain characteristic that Hifumi has." He told them. "A way that he talks to us in the past."

Some were confused, or frustrated, but there were a few that understood what he meant. Hifumi was one of those people. 'Oh right! I don't call people by their first names!' The fanfic creator remembered.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Celeste growled menacingly. "I'll burn you alive!"

"Kyoko… what do you mean by that?" Makoto inquired.

"Think back to how Hifumi used to talk to us…" Kyoko advised. "How did he refer to each of us?"

Makoto frowned in thought before remembering. "...That's right! Our last names!" He exclaimed in remembrance. "He called us all by our last names!"

The furious glare on Celeste's face was replaced with wide, frightened eyes. "W-What?"

"Oh yeah!" Sayaka spoke up, also remembering. "He does refer to us by our family names whenever he's talking to us."

"An otaku to the core, that's for sure." Leon grumbled.

"Exactly." Kyoko nodded. "I know I heard him say 'Mr. Naegi' more than once, for example. So if Hifumi did mean to say Hiro's name, he would have said his last name - Hagakure."

Celeste's anger was replaced with panic at this. "I'm sure it was just incidental - by chance he just - his first name…!" She stuttered out in her panic.

"Indecent…?" Jill offered up.

"Don't talk." Byakuya ordered sharply.

"Random chance… now isn't that a convenient explanation?" Kyoko remarked. "No, there's no reason to think he would have said the name any different than normal. But he must have run out of energy before he could say anymore."

Celeste began breathing erratically now, on top of her frantic look and wide eyes. "No, no, no, no…" She repeated to herself, wrapping her arms around herself. 'It's impossible. Impossible. He couldn't have known. He can't have.'

"So Hifumi was trying to tell us the last name of whoever killed him…?" Makoto summed up.

"But the name he said doesn't apply to anyone here…" Sakura pointed out.

"Well, no, hold on…" Makoto disagreed. "There's one person it could apply to…" He then turned his eyes towards the gambler herself. "And that's Celeste. She never actually told us what her real name was…"

At this, something inside Celeste snapped. Whether it was her denial or sense of reality, she couldn't guess. Right now, all that she could hear was Makoto's words being repeated in her head. 'Her real name, her real name, my real name…' How… did he Hifumi knew her real name?

The others were also shocked at the reveal. "So she shared my name?" Hiro spoke up in surprise.

"Wow. I never would have thought that that was her last name." Sayaka said, wide eyes.

"I actually joked once that her name was Yasuhiro, thinking it's why she hated Hiro." Leon brought up. "Never really thought that I got the right answer."

"Well, you did." Makoto confirmed reluctantly. "Her last name is Yasuhiro."

Immediately, the group noticed that Makoto wasn't at all surprised by this. But before any of them could say anything, Celeste slowly spoke. "...H-How…?"

Eyes went towards her, some wary while some were nervous. But Celeste did not take notice of the attention. "How… does he know…?" She asked herself, a catatonic look on her face. "How does he know my name…?"

"C-Celeste…"

The gambler didn't react to Makoto's worried call. Instead, she continued her rambling. "How? How does he know? He shouldn't know!" Her voice started to louder and more frantic, as a manic expression entered her face. "It's impossible! Impossible! It has to be talking about Hiro! HE HAS TO-"

"CELESTE!" A shout and a jostle broke Celeste out of her unhinged state of mind. Wide, red eyes stared into pleading hazel ones as the luckster bent in front of her, holding her shoulder. "Just... think about it. Think about how you are now, and how you were before Hope's Peak."

The gambler could only stare at him, frozen, prompting him to continue. "Like I said before, our future selves aren't technically us, right? It's how we were in the past." He told her. "Try to be honest with yourself. Could you really say that it would be impossible for you to do this kind of thing, before any of this?"

At his words, her mask of denial finally shattered. Celeste thought about everything they saw, from the murders to the trial, letting the honest conclusion finally sink in. Defeat, dread, anger, and various other emotions swirled in her red eyes as she finally accepted that she did it. That she was the culprit. The blackened that's going to be executed.

When Makoto saw flux of emotions in Celeste's eyes, he knew that he managed to get through to her. He began to let go of her shoulder, planning to move back to the couch, but stopped when he felt a pair of hands gripped his wrist. He looked at Celeste, who had a resigned and defeated look. However, her eyes was pleading for him not to go. To stay beside her.

He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should, but he realized that his gambling friend was desperately trying to cling to her composure, to keep from breaking down. Plus, he couldn't say no to those pleading red eyes, so he moved to sit beside her, letting her grip one of his hands. He will play the part of the knight she wanted for now.

"Wh…? What did you just say?" The gambler looked taken aback, fear clear in her eyes. "To think you'd take your false accusations so far… I don't know whether to laugh or spit…"

And once again, she exploded in a fit of anger. "Come on! Enough with your idiotic blather! Yasuhiro is a loser's name! Do I look like a loser to you?! Well?! Dooooo I?!"

Leon breathed noisily at this. "Damn. She's completely losing it…" Leon muttered.

"I-It's worse than when Leon and Mondo were backed into corners…" Chihiro stuttered out, a bit fearful of future Celeste's reaction.

"What?!" The gambler noticed the startled and fearful looks of the remaining students. "I think I've earned the right to be a little on edge!"

"Ok, then fill us in…" Makoto demanded. "What's your real name?"

"Fine! Make sure your ear holes are wiiiiiiide open and listen up!" She demanded back. "My real name is Celestia Ludenberg! Could you PLEASE stop making me repeat myself over and over again?!"

'Stop it, future me…' Celeste thought to herself, utterly ashamed of how pathetic she looked. 'You lost. It's over.'

Byakuya let out a sigh. "She's not gonna stop this act." He stated as fact. "She'll need to be forced to accept it."

"Looks like Makoto will have to leave no room for argument…" Mukuro stated, looking at the screen neutrally.

Byakuya sighed. "How long do you plan to go on pretending…?"

"I'm not pretending. It's the truth!" The gambler insisted.

'Celeste isn't going to give up.' Makoto thought with resignation, as the camera angled towards the side of his face. 'So then…'

It then moved to the furious Celeste. "And since you have no way to contradict me…"

It moved back to Makoto. 'I have to make her accept it!'

And back to Celeste. "That's the only truth there is!"

Finally, it moved back to Makoto, with the luckster glaring at Celeste with determination. "No, that's wrong!"

The camera froze towards Celeste's furious expression, moving closer at different angles until the image cracked and shattered. "What?!"

"The handbook!" Makoto stated confidently. "Anytime you turn on your handbook on, it shows the owner's name when it boots up, right? Monokuma told us all about it before…" He pulled up his own handbook. "So all we have to do is check her handbook and that'll clear up everything. That's how we can find out Celeste's real name!"

Celeste recoiled at this. "Th-That's an invasion of privacy!" She argued in futality. "I-I refuse to cooperate!"

Byakuya scoffed at this. "She actually thought that would work?" He rhetorically asked. "We're far past the point of accepting that excuse."

"True enough." Sakura sighed. "It's basically all but admitting your guilt."

Makoto looked away sadly. It hurts to see Celeste like this, desperately trying to fight off the forming conclusion. Even though she killed two of his classmates, he still can't help but feel sympathetic.

Makoto merely closed his eyes, a melancholy look entering his face. "Celeste… can you please just tell us what happened?" He pleaded with her softly. "Please, just tell us…"

Celeste was silent for a moment, staring frantically at everyone. Then suddenly, she pulled back on an obviously fake smile as she spoke. "Even when I'm put in check, it's just in my nature not give in. Because…" Her smile became more strained as she continued speaking. "Because, because… because, because, because, because, because-!"

"Until the game's over, you never know what might happen!" She finally exclaimed, her smile gone once more.

Like Makoto, Hifumi was also pained at the desperation Celeste was showing. 'Miss Ludenberg…'

Makoto sighed before giving the gambler a look of resigned determination. "Fine, then. Let me settle it." He said, his voice still soft. "Let me go over the case again, from the beginning, and shed light on all your crimes. And that'll bring everything to an end!"

"The closing argument…" Taka said gravely, memories of the last chapter playing in his mind. "This finalize that Celeste was the one who did it."

So… Celeste, or whoever the fuck she's called, was the one who killed Taka. Who killed his best friend. His bro. Again, the part that wanted to strangle the culprit is roaring at Mondo to do so. But there was another… just wanted to know why. Why she did it.

Celeste, meanwhile, felt herself paralyzed. She gripped onto Makoto tightly, not wanting to see the closing argument. But something compelled her to look at the screen, to witness her crime being played out.

'Why?' Celeste asked herself. 'Why… did she do something so foolish? Why risk her life for this?' Despite asking herself this, however, she knew why. She knew the reason her future self did this.

The TV switched to the comic style closing argument, first showing Hifumi and the culprit talking in his room. "Before anything, the killer persuaded someone to help carry out the murder. And that person was…" It then showed the two shaking hands, as well as them holding evil grins at the bottom. "Hifumi. With an accomplice, the killer was able to execute a number of otherwise impossible schemes."

Act 2 was then displayed, showing a clock hitting one a.m. "First, they convinced someone to meet them in the rec room last night in one in the morning." It then showed Hiro entering the rec room, with the duo waiting for him. "That 'someone' they met with was Hiro. The murderous duo intended to pass Hiro off as the prime suspect. So when they met up with him…" A scene of Hiro being drugged, as well as a evil-looking silhouette of Hifumi was next. "...they drugged him, knocked him out, and stuffed him into the Robo Suit." Pictures of Hiro being stuffed into the suit was shown. "Next, Hifumi positioned himself to make it look like Robo Justice was attacking him, while the killer used a digital camera to take pictures of the 'assault'." The next scenes were the culprit holding the camera, and Hifumi positioning the fake crime scene. "They did all this just to create evidence that would put the suspicion on Hiro."

Hiro gritted his teeth as he listened to all of this. His future self got drugged, put into the suit, and framed for something he didn't do. Celeste still attempted to put the blame on him, both future and present. And several of his classmates were so quick to write him off as the killer! Do they really think of him that badly?

"When they were done with him, they shoved him, still unconscious, into the pool room locker." The showing then moved to Act 3, first displaying Taka's watch and then Taka looking at it while Hifumi lurked in the background. "And then finally, at 6 a.m., they moved into the 'murder' phase of their plan. They called Taka into the equipment room."

Pictures of a maniacal look on Hifumi, the Justice Hammer 4, and the fanfic creator readying the hammer was next, before moving to the next set of pictures. "And that's where Hifumi killed him, making the first scene of the murder." Those pictures were Hifumi swinging the hammer, Taka turning around in shock, the moral compass laying down while the fanfic creator stood above him with an evil smile, and the Justice Hammer with blood on it.

Taka flinched at the playing out of his murder. He gritted his teeth, wondering how his future self could've been so stupid as to fall for such a trap. Though a part of him wondered if he himself would have fell for it. Would he be so naive as to think someone actually found out?

Some of the others also flinched or looked away from the scene, especially Hifumi. He looked so evil, so… bloodthirsty. Like many of the insane anime villains and scientists. Did his future self really had that murderous intent?

Mondo, meanwhile, was shaking in rage, just like the last trial. Seeing his bro killed, and who killed him, lit that fiery anger even brighter. 'Why? What goddamn reason do you have for killing him?' The biker thought to himself. 'What fucking thing was worth taking his life?'

"I don't mean to interrupt but, that's exaggerated right?" Hiro asked quietly.

"Probably, I doubt Hifumi can ever look like that even if he tried." Leon replied before getting a 'shush' from Makoto.

"The murder weapon was Justice Hammer 4, which was left there in the equipment room. The reason hammer number 4 was used was to create confusion about the order of the crimes."

"So, next they falsified two more assault crimes." Act 4 was next, showing the culprit showing the camera to Makoto and the picture of the fake crime. "For these attacks, the killers pretended to be the victims, to solidify Robo Justice as the suspect. The first fake incident was the attack in the rec room. There, the killer wanted us to see Justice Hammer 1 and the Robo Justice picture they'd taken. They wanted to make sure we bought the 'surprise attacks' story."

"The second fake incident was at the library. This time, they planted Justice Hammer 2 and an 'injured' Hifumi to sell us the story." It then showed Makoto and co. opening the door to the library, the "injured" Hifumi, and Justice Hammer 2. "With these two incidents, the killers were able to create a certain perception in our mind. That the suspect was increasing the size of the hammers and attacking people in order as they did. We fell right into their trap and started looking for the suspect based on that, but…"

Act 5 then appeared, starting with Hifumi being left in the nurse's office and the others leaving. "...while we did that, we left Hifumi alone in the nurse's office. This is exactly what Hifumi was hoping for. He took a blood packet from the refrigerator and the hammer…" Pictures of Hifumi grabbing the blood packet, rubbing the blood on his head and face, the teen holding his arms out while the blood surrounded him, and Justice Hammer 3, bloodied. "...and turned the room into a crime scene, in which he himself had apparently been brutally murdered."

"He let out a scream to draw us back, and when we returned…" The next scene was Makoto, Hina, and the culprit looking at the created crime scene. "...that's what we found." It then showed Byakuya, Sakura, and Toko seeing the actual murder. "Meanwhile, the other group that had been out searching found Taka's body at the same time. So when we heard the body discovery announcement, we naturally assumed it was for Hifumi."

'Everything… all of it… was just one big act.' Hina thought, various emotions dancing inside her tear-filled eyes. 'And I fell for it! Fell for it hard! Acted like an idiot, while Makoto, Kyoko, and Byakuya managed to figure it all out!' Was she really that stupid, to believe those lies so easily? To not even think about the flaws on Hiro being the killer?

"We left that nurse's office, and Hifumi once again took advantage of the situation." Act 6 was next, with Hifumi getting up and looking around. "When we learned his body had disappeared, we all rushed back to the nurse's office. And once again, Hifumi had the chance he was waiting for. This time, he snuck into the equipment room…"

It then showed Hifumi wrapping the body, the body being placed on the tarp, the fanfic creator pushing it all the way towards the repository, and then unwrapping it. "He wrapped Taka's body in a tarp and used the dolly to move it all the way down to the repository."

"But even Hifumi didn't know what the true killer had in mind for their final act…" Scenes of Hifumi acting like an obedient dog in front of the culprit, and said culprit readying a hammer behind the happy Ultimate was shown. "Their plan all along was to kill Hifumi and get rid of the one person who could betray them. And they did it with an ordinary, everyday hammer from the repository." A splatter of blood, the culprit looking disdain, Hifumi's body lying right near Taka's, and the bloodied hammer were the last scenes.

Once more, there were flinches at the sight of Hifumi's murder, including the victim himself. The fanfic creator shrivelled up in his seat, his hands over his head as if to stop the hammer from ever coming near his head, while Celeste curled up beside Makoto.

He got tricked. Played with. Used as a tool, then discarded like one. Worst, it was the person he willfully let himself be used by. Does Celeste really think that low of them? Saw him as nothing other than a tool she could use?

The girl herself, however, had no such thought. Guilt, a feeling that she was familiar with, but have pushed down for so long, started to consume her. Almost felt herself choking on feeling as she watched her crime being played.

She was no stranger to manipulation. She has done it for a long time, lying and manipulating the playing field in her favor, with no remorse to what her opponents was left with. But this… was different. She manipulated Hifumi to kill one of her classmates, before killing him herself. Attempted to manipulate the entire class to vote for Hiro, knowing they will all die if they did so. Did all this, just so she could escape by herself. With a million dollars in hand.

"That should cover everything that happened in this case. And the villain behind it all is…"

Finally, it ended with the pictures of Makoto and the culprit, flower frames surrounding them. The two figures moved close, as if to kiss, before passing each other. As they did, the silhouette revealed itself to be Celestia Ludenberg. "Celeste! Sorry, you lose!"

"And with that, every contradiction is cleared up." Byakuya stated with finality.

Kyoko turned her eyes towards Celeste. "So, can you deny any of this, Celeste?"

Celeste took a deep breath, making sure she won't act emotionally, before speaking. "I… can't." She softly answered, not bothering to keep up her accent. "You heard Makoto. I lost. Checkmate."

"So now you admit it, rather than continue your pitiful state of denial." Byakuya remarked, ignoring the few disapproving stares given to him. "Question is, will your future self?"

"She will." The gambler answered, not sounding doubtful. "I don't like to be a sore loser, at the rare times I do lose."

The screen switched back to the trial room, with Celeste looking stunned. "I… lost?" She repeated, as if it's a foreign concept to her. "I lost…?!" She held onto the handles in front of her, looking faint. "When was the last time… I was forced to utter such words? They hang heavy around my neck…"

"Then you admit it?" Makoto asked. "You're the killer?"

"Hm. Heh…" She snorted out. "Listen to you, trying to take charge. As if you're my private instructor. I, Celestia Ludenberg - actually, no…" Her voice began going back to her natural accent. "Taeko Yasuhiro is fine…"

"Taeko…?" Makoto's eyes widen in surprise.

The others were also surprised by the name. "So Taeko is your actual name?" Sayaka asked the girl herself.

The gambler, now known as Taeko, nodded. "Yep. Taeko Yasuhiro." She repeated her name.

"I don't see a problem with the name." Leon remarked, crossing his arms. "It's a fairly normal name."

"That's why I hate it." Taeko grunted. It's normal. Boring. Unsuitable for an exotic girl, with an exciting lifestyle.

"So, you finally accepted it." Byakuya remarked.

"I'm that kind of person." Celeste, now known as Taeko, explained with a shrug. "Once I've lost, I don't like things to drag on."

"Interesting…" Was all Byakuya said on the matter.

Taeko let out a sigh before speaking. "Okay, Monokuma. I'm ready to begin. Or, no…" She looked down with a heavy frown, wrapping her arms around herself. "I suppose this is the end, isn't it?"

Everyone tense at this, quite familiar with what's gonna come next. Celeste herself was tense, gripping Makoto's arm like a lifeline. As if it will stop the fear she's feeling from spreading into her body.

"Hmm. Hmm." Monokuma hummed. "It is indeed the moment we've all been waiting for! Time to vote! Okay? Okay! If you would, please locate your lever and cast your vote! And when the votes are tallied… who will become the blackened?! Will you make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one? What's it gonna be? What's it gonna beeee?!"

Anxiety gripped Hifumi's heart. Not only is he gonna see someone who he considered a friend executed, but hear why she did it. Why she tricked him into killing Mr. Ishimaru… and then murdered him right after.

Once again, the screen switched right to a slot machine. It then rolled around before stopping on Celeste. That caused lights to flash, with cheers and coins flowing out of the machine.

The scene went back to the students, who were off their podiums and gathered around. "It's basically a formality at this point, but once again you're totally correct!" Monokuma announced. "The blackened this time… the true killer who devised the whole stinkin' scheme, was… Celestia Ludenberg! Or more precisely… Taeko Yasuhirooooo!"

And again, that was a statement that hit the group, though not as much as the previous two trials. None of them were overly shocked at who the killer was, and it didn't felt so heavy. Some didn't even know how to feel about Cele- Taeko's betrayal. But most of them do want to know why.

There were plenty of different reactions, however. The more stoic ones, Byakuya, Kyoko, Sakura, and Mukuro merely stared at the TV, waiting to see what Celeste/Taeko is going to say. Others had more conflicted expressions, especially Hina, Taka, Hifumi, and Mondo.

Taeko merely kept her eyes on the TV, trying not to show any emotions. Any type of weakness. She knows that this won't be pleasant. Her future self explaining her actions, and why she did what she did, will not draw any pleasant reactions from her classmates. Not even sympathetic. So the most she could do is control her own emotions, if barely.

"I lost… Well, that sucks." Taeko sighed. "I guess trying to work with someone else was a mistake, after all."

Her reaction, or lack thereof, caused some to stare at her incredulously. "That sucks?" Sayaka repeated in disbelief. "Thats all you have to say about being revealed as the killer?"

"How are treating this so… casually?" Hina questioned with equal amount of disbelief. "As if it's just a small mobile game you lost?"

Taeko couldn't help but looked away from all the incredulous stares. "What else am I supposed to do? Throw another tantrum? Express disbelief or regret that I got voted?" She rhetorically asked them. "I lost. I got voted for, despite all efforts. There is no use crying about it."

Makoto knew that Taeko is just putting up an act, so she wouldn't show how she truly felt. Still, he doesn't blame the others for feeling incredulous about how she's acting.

"Hifumi's ineptitude was beyond all my calculations."

"So you really did approach Hifumi with this plan?" Kyoko sighed, her question more of a statement. "But how did you get him to agree? I can't imagine he would happily agree to commit murder."

"I'm sure she relied on her speciality - lying." Byakuya suggested.

"My speciality?" Taeko snorted. "Don't make me laugh. I didn't have to lie to get him to agree."

Immediately, some manage to connect the dots. "Alter Ego." Makoto grimaced.

"So Celeste, or Taeko rather, took it." Kyoko said, crossing her arms. "And use it to have Hifumi comply."

"So it wasn't taken by Monokuma?" Hina asked, sounding a bit hopeful. "And not by anyone working with him either?"

"It appears that way." Byakuya stated.

"Then did you use… you know…?" Kyoko asked hesitantly.

"I knew you'd figure it out, Kyoko." Taeko sighed. "You're absolutely right. To get Hifumi to act as my accomplice… I used 'it'. The one thing both Hifumi and Taka were super into."

"He killed my bro… for a fucking computer…" Mondo repeated, in a raging numbness. His words got a flinch from not only Hifumi, but Chihiro as well.

"Mondo…?" Taka looked at his friend cautiously. With Celeste revealing the details of her plan… this might bode well for his friend's hair trigger temper.

Makoto immediately gain an idea as to what she's talking about. 'Does she mean… Alter Ego?'

"What?" Monokuma tilted his head in confusion. "What, what, what?! What are you talking about?!"

"Don't interrupt." Kyoko told him coldly. "We're in the middle of a very important conversation here."

That caused the monochrome bear to droop his head. "I'm totally out of the loop, as usual. How sad…"

"Then you're the one that stole it?" Kyoko asked, turning her attention back to Taeko.

"That's right." The gambler confirmed with a nod.

"And you used it to drag Hifumi into the plan you'd come up with."

"Right again." Taeko nodded once more. "Last night, after we had our meeting, I paid Hifumi a little visit."

A flashback began playing, with Celeste at the door of Hifumi's room, with the fanfic creator facing her inside. "Oh, um… what are you doing here?"

"I was hoping to talk to you. Alone." Celeste requested, coming inside the room. "It is about what was stolen. I know who did it…"

"What…?" Hifumi exclaimed in shock.

"It was Taka. He stole it."

"What?!" The fanfic creator exclaimed even louder.

"YOU FUCKING FRAMED MY BRO?!" Mondo roared. Taeko actually flinched and shrunk a little at Mondo's rage, while Makoto tensed up, ready to jump in front of Taeko if needed.

"W-What?" Taka stuttered, shocked at the fact he was being framed for something he didn't do.

"Not really surprising, when thinking about it." Byakuya remarked. "I have mentioned before Hifumi murdering Taka had something to do with their infatuation with Alter Ego."

"True, but I was thinking more of the lines of blackmail or bribery." Leon admitted. "Not straight lies and manipulation."

"And I have proof. Would you like to see it?"

"As it turned out, I'd found a use for the digital camera." Present Taeko said as flashback Celeste showed Hifumi a picture. "I'd taken 'it' to Taka's room earlier and took pictures of it there. I deleted the picture as soon as I'd shown it to Hifumi, of course."

'Huh?' Makoto caught was she said. 'She deleted it?' Why would she feel the need to do that?

The others, however, didn't caught that. "He left the door open for somebody to come in?" Leon questioned incredulously. "What is with our future selves and leaving our doors unlocked?"

"I-I'm guessing we're thinking that no one would come in if we weren't in there…" Chihiro suggested, looking nervously at the furious Mondo.

Hifumi let out a growl. "So it was HIM!" He cried out. "But how did he do it?! She was supposed to yell if either of us got close to her!"

"You are correct." Celeste nodded, looking down. "Which is why Taka forced me to steal it."

"Whaaaaat?!" Hifumi screamed in shock.

"Please forgive me. He… he threatened me." The gambler told him nervously, looking shameful.

Her words caused the group to go still, any warmth in the room being zapped away. "What…?" Mondo hissed with pure venom.

"H-He did…?"

"He came to my room unannounced, and then…" Celeste started shaking a little. "It's hard for me to even say. He… abused me…"

"What?!" Hifumi repeated once again, looking horrified.

"And he… he took pictures." She continued. "He said if I did not do as he asked, he would show them everyone. So I… I had no choice…"

Shocked, appalled, and horrified looks were spread around everywhere. Many of them couldn't believe what was being said, what lies Celeste/Taeko was spreading.

Taka was one of the most affected. His eyes were wide in horror, his body shaking, unable to comprehend being framed for such a thing. Does Celeste really think that people would see as such a monster? Would people actually believe he was capable of such dastardly deeds?

Next to Taka, Mondo was equally affected. His head was bowed, hiding his face from the group. But if anyone would have dared to look, they would've seen pure, feral wrath on the biker's expression. 'H-How dare she accuse him of such a cowardly crime! How dare she accuse him of ANY crime!'

Makoto looked sicken, keeping his eyes away from Taeko. Having his future self being tricked by Sayaka, and being accused as the killer, he could emphasize with both Hifumi and Taka. So seeing Taeko manipulate Hifumi like this was... difficult, to say the least. Especially since he's sitting with the girl herself.

"Th-That's a crime! An absolute crime!" Hifumi cried out in rage. "I mean, I knew he'd gone a little crazy, but…! I never imagined he would… he would go that far!"

The screen switched back to the present trial room. "It was amazing how completely he bought it." Celeste said with a giggle. "I can't express how enjoyable that was."

Her words sickened the group even more. "How… how could you enjoy that?!" Hina cried out, tears starting to fill her eyes. "How could anyone enjoy manipulating and lying like that to someone?! To anyone?!"

"That is just… sick…" Leon breathed out, looking ill.

Kyoko merely stared at the screen, her eyes turned ice cold. False allegations, especially those of abuse and rape, was always something of a pet peeve of hers. It makes it harder to believe the real allegations. So suffice to say, she is far from approving of what Celeste did.

"I… I…" Hifumi himself looked dazed, as if every emotion he could feel was taken away from him. Even the sense of betrayal was hardly felt. Seeing Miss Ludenberg manipulate him, lie to him, used his feelings for Alter Ego like she did.., and him eating all those lies up, like the idiot he was. It overwhelmed him.

Taeko flinched once again at the reactions around her, especially Makoto's sickened look and Hifumi's dazed looks. Despite her efforts, she cannot stop the feeling of guilt creeping into her heart and entering her face. She doesn't know at what point she had regained her conscience, but as of right now, it's hitting her hard.

The flashback was back once again, the camera focused on a angry Hifumi. "I'm about to say something I've never said before in my life…" Hifumi growled. "I'm going to kill him! I'm going to f… f… fucking kill him!"

That threat causing something inside Mondo to snap. For a moment, his body froze, as if trying to decide what it wanted to do. Immediately after, he burst from seat, pushing the couch back, and startling Taka and Chihiro.

Just as fast, Sakura and Mukuro jumped from their seats and grabbed the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader, chains wrapped around his legs, while Makoto and Celeste were startled at the sudden lunge. It was an impressive leap to say the least, with Mondo currently being held back quite literally in front of Makoto's face as he happened to be in front of Celeste.

"YOU BITCH!" Mondo roared, struggling from Mukuro's and Sakura's grip. "YOU FUCKING BITCH! FRAMING MY BRO! ACCUSING HIM OF COWARDLY SHIT HE WOULD NEVER DO! GETTING THAT FAT BASTARD AIMING TO FUCKING KILL HIM!"

He then snapped his head towards Hifumi, who yelped in shock and fear. "AND DON'T THINK YOU'RE FUCKING INNOCENT EITHER! HOW THE FUCK DID YOU EASILY BELIEVE THOSE GODDAMNS LIES?! HOW ON FUCKING EARTH DID IT COME TO MIND THAT TAKA COULD'VE DONE THOSE THINGS?! IS YOUR BRAIN A GODDAMN SHITFEST?! ARE YOU-"

"Wait Mondo!" Makoto cried out, doing his absolute best not to speak with a shaky voice. "Let's all calm-"

Before he could finish, Mondo suddenly broke free Mukuro's grip and threw a fist square into Makoto's face.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 64: Watching Chapter 3: A Next Generation Legend! Stand Tall, Galactic Hero! Part 22

Silence engulfed the room at what had just transpired. In a pure moment of shock, no one was able to act as the luckster simply fell the the ground..

Leon and Hiro were frozen half way up from their seats in shock. Hina and Sayaka shed tears of fear as they couldn't even bring themselves to move. Byakuya and Kyoko wore angry expressions as they capable of reacting in time. Jill also stayed oddly docile behind Byakuya.

Mukuro stood beside Mondo with her arms still on him, stunned at the fact that Mondo still broke through, while Sakura held him from the other side with only a grim look on her face. Said biker, however, also froze as he also registered what he just did. Taeko for once, was speechless as she watched Makoto slump to the ground before her.

As the moment of shock slowly fades, Makoto placed his hand on the floor and slowly pushed himself up with a pained groan. His balance was off and was clearly disoriented, but he still managed to stand up. Makoto raised a hand to the burning spot on his face, wincing as his fingers brushed his swollen cheeks. Shaking off the pain, he looked forward to face Mondo, finally able to gather his thoughts.

"So… are you okay now, Mondo…?" Makoto asked him softly, hoping his voice isn't wavering. "Have you calm down enough?"

Mondo could only stare at Makoto incredulously, as if he isn't believing what he's saying. "If not, then… you can punch me again." The luckster offered, tensing. "I think… I can maybe take another one. Just… don't do anything you will regret later, please."

Mondo couldn't say anything. The luckster continued facing him, though he was still swaying, he managed to stand his ground. Finally, after a tense moment, the biker finally caved in, causing the chains to let go of him. Sakura, sensing that he won't try to attack Celeste, let go of him, with the arm merely going limp.

Makoto sighed in relief before falling to the floor once more as his legs gave out. "MAKOTO!" Immediately, Hina and Sayaka immediately ran over to his side, while Taeko got off the recliner and kneeled towards him. Kyoko stood up, observing the scene, but ready to offer her hand if needed.

Mondo let out a mix of a sigh and a growl, drawing a fearful flinch from Taeko, before turning away. However, he was met with an absolute murderous gaze from Mukuro. Her eyes caused the biker to freeze for a second, especially when he now suddenly felt the glares from both Sayaka, Hina, and Kyoko around him as well.

Before anything could be done, however, Makoto weakly spoke up. "Please don't get into any fights…" He pleaded, sitting himself up and silently grabbing Taeko's hand. "Let's just… finish this up."

The girls wanted to protest, wanted to argue, but they fell silent at his pleading stare. All of them reluctantly agreed, though Mukuro kept her eyes on him just in case. Kyoko sat back down, while Sayaka, Hina, and Taeko helped Makoto up. When Mondo settled back down into his seat reluctantly, Sakura and Mukuro finally moved back to their own.

Mondo got between Taka and Chihiro once again, both of whom looked shaken. The latter fought hard not to flinch or move away from his friend, but he still couldn't help but feel frightened, and curled himself into a protective ball.

Once everyone was back in their seats, Makoto turned to Spirit. "Let's continue, Spirit." He said with a weak voice.

"Do you want me to heal your face, first?" Spirit offered, pointing at the large bruise. "That's a nasty looking bruise there."

"No, it's alright." Makoto dismissed, trying not to wince in pain for each word that passed through his lips. "It'll heal on its own. Besides, I've gotten worse."

"If you say so." With that, Spirit held the remote up and unpaused the TV.

"Wait, please!" Flashback Celeste quickly spoke up, before Hifumi could do anything. "If you go now, you will be playing right into his hands!"

"Huh…?" Was the befuddled response from Hifumi.

"Taka is planning to use her… to escape." Celeste 'revealed' to him. "And he made you his target…"

"Escape?" Now the fanfic creator looked nervous. "You don't mean…?"

"Taka is going to try to kill you."

"Wh-Whaaaaaaaaaaat?!" Hifumi exclaimed in shock and fear.

"And all so he can keep her to himself…" Celeste said solemnly.

"Th-That bastard!" Hifumi growled. "Bastard, bastard, bastard, BASTARD!"

With each other, each sentence, Mondo felt his barely held up patience be tugged. He let out a hiss of anger, drawing flinches from Chihiro, Hifumi, and Taeko, but kept from doing anything else.

'How… could somebody make such lies with no hesitation?' Taka thought to himself, still looking shakened. 'How could think anyone I would do that?' He's aware that their future self lost their memories, thus they just met each other for the first time, but still…

He built himself as someone who cares about order and principle. Someone that kept to his morals, as well as ensure everyone else does. He thought that people would know that about him after a few days. So why did Hifumi easily believe he would do that?

"Can we allow him to continue with these barbaric acts?" The gambler rhetorically asked.

"Absolutely not! How could I?!" Hifumi cried out in anger. "She… she… I have to save heeeeeeer!"

"Then… would you like to join up with me?" Celeste then put on a more sinister look, leaning towards the fanfic creator. "It just so happens, I have come up with a plan…"

"Huh…?" Hifumi looked at Celeste, confusion clear in his eyes.

"I have devised a way to reclaim what he has stolen, and escape this dreadful place." The gambler told him confidently. She then let out menacing laughter, one that would have anyone look at her warily.

The scene was then switched to the present trial room. "Hifumi agreed without a second thought." Taeko continued her tale. "The effect that item had on him was… remarkable. The power of love… even a love as twisted as that, can still drive people, it seems."

"You disgust me…" Hiro stated, looking a bit pale.

"Can't disagree with that one…" Leon muttered loudly. "This is much worse than what Sayaka tried to pull." The girl in question had to hold back a winced at the reminder of her other self's actions.

"And she doesn't look fazed at all." Junko pointed out. "Seriously, no guilt? Not even a little regret on that face?"

"Taeko has always been good at hiding her emotions." Makoto said with a bit of painful slurring. "So we can't know for sure what she's feeling."

"I have another question for you." Byakuya spoke up once more. "Was that strange costume Hifumi's creation?"

"Yeah." Taeko sighed with annoyance. "It was a real pain in the butt, too. All I asked him to do was make something to hide the face and general body size. I had no idea he'd make something like… that. But it's my fault for picking him in the first place."

"Like she had many other options in the first place." Byakuya scoffed. "Hifumi was the only person she could've manipulated into doing what she wanted. No one else would've done so, not even Hiro or Taka."

"That is true." Mukuro agreed, not taking her eyes off Mondo. "Hifumi was the only person she could actually manipulate into killing." The fanfic creator in question flinched once again.

"So… why'd you decide to make me the suspect?" Hiro asked her.

"Yeah," Hiro agreed with his future self. "Why me out of everyone?"

'Because you're stupid.' Nearly everyone thought to themselves.

"Because you're stupid." Was Taeko's simple response.

"That's it?!" Was Hiro's baffled response right back. (The same sentiment was voiced by the present fortune teller)

"And in that regard, I made the right choice." Taeko continued. "I'm so glad your stupidity surpassed my every expectation. Life must have been tough on your parents, though." She ended her last statement with a mocking smile.

"C'mon!" Hiro groaned. "You're gonna make me cry by saying stuff like that!"

"Yeah, that's a pretty low blow there." Leon muttered loudly. 'But it's not like she's completely wrong.' Pointing at Alter Ego as the killer was beyond stupid.

"I feel like I could cry…" Hiro groaned.

"But when you were explaining your plan to Hifumi, how did you explain the part about him playing dead?" Sakura inquired.

"What she's asking is, what was Hifumi supposed to do after that, assuming you had actually let him live?" Byakuya cleared up, seeing some of the confused faces.

"That's simple." Taeko began. "After he did his part and pretended to be dead, once someone showed up… I told him to say he'd been seriously wounded, he was on the verge of death, but he just barely held on."

"...Are you serious?" Leon said incredulously. "He actually bought that bull?"

"I doubt that it's all that Celeste told him." Kyoko mused, a neutral look on her face. "None of us here are foolish enough to believe that." She was careful not to point out certain individuals, mainly Hiro.

"And he really believed that?" Hina asked with some disbelief.

"Well of course, that wasn't all there is to it." Taeko clarified. "As I explained to Hifumi, the plan was that, while you were all questioning him about what he had happened to him, I was going to murder someone else. At that point, Hifumi would have an alibi, so nobody could doubt him. I told him that, and he believed it."

"That makes a bit more sense." Sayaka sighed. "But still… that seemed to corny for it to actually work. Way too simple to be a believable plan."

"But it's one that Hifumi would believe." Junko remarked, hiding her boredom with a comment to go with the flow.

"It all seems very… straightforward. Stereotypical." Byakuya remarked.

"I just matched the lie to the level of the opponent." Taeko explained. "In fact, Hifumi ate it up. He believed the lie wholeheartedly, right up until the moment of his death."

"So she really was planning to kill him from the very start. Played him for a fool." Sakura let out a sigh, eyes closed. "Not like I could talk. We've all been played for fools, and our future selves were nearly encased ourselves in her trap."

That caused some to flinch, or look away in shame at the reminder of how they acted.

"P-Please wait, I have a question." Chihiro softly interjected. "I w-wonder how Hifumi was able to learn Celeste's name at all."

Once again, silence engulfed the room as no one immediately had an answer. Junko, who had been bored with all the explaining going on, decided she'd toss a bone towards everyone else.

"Who knows? He was hit pretty hard in the head. They do say head trauma does all sorts of things" She nonchalantly said while giving a half-hearted shrug.

"That's certainly possible. I can't think of any other explanations that would explain it." Kyoko agreed.

"What if he caught a glimpse of Celeste's student handbook? That device displays our name when its turned on doesn't it?" Taka asked.

"Two reasons. One, Hifumi would not have been able to keep that a secret given his nature, and two, Celeste would undoubtedly never be that careless especially with her whole plan on the line." Byakuya quickly answered, a rare display of him being generous.

"That still doesn't explain how he got the knowledge before hand either though. Hifumi here didn't know until earlier." Leon commented.

"It would take a week for me to explain every possible reason for how Hifumi learned of her real name so I'll sum it so that your tiny head can process it. What we're watching is in the future. There's no telling what kind of bizarre event that could potentially happen where Hifumi would learn of her real name." Byakuya retorted.

"Jeez, you didn't have to put it that way." Leon muttered to himself.

"So you had planned to kill him all along!" Sakura exclaimed.

"...But of course." Taeko confirmed, not looking at all guilty. "There would have been no point to my plan if the one who pretended to be dead didn't end up dead himself."

"How can human life mean so little to you…?" Hina demanded angrily.

"That's a non-issue." Taeko replied non-apologetically. "I simply did everything in my power to win."

Again, a familiar wave of anger was brought up by the more emotional of the group. "W-Why is she treating this like a game?" Chihiro whimpered. "Like it's a gambling tournament?"

"No kidding." Sayaka spoke, a scowl on her face. "She's acting like we're just some meaningless pieces in a game she wants to win!"

"Seriously, this is the kind of shit Byakuya would say." Leon muttered in wonder.

Taeko, managing to gain back some control of feelings once again, replied in defense of her future. "No. Byakuya enjoys the thrill of it all. I just want to get out of that damn hell-hole."

"But, wait, didn't your future self say that she wanted to get out of here?" Hiro asked, confused.

Taeko sighed, pushing back a wave of annoyance as she waved him off with her hand, a signal to keep watching.

"Now you sound like Byakuya!" Hiro exclaimed angrily.

"No, he derives his pleasure from the thrill of the hunt." Taeko refuted. "In that aspect, we are nothing alike."

"Then… what made you take things this far?" Kyoko questioned her.

"Was it really… just for money?" Hina hesitantly brought into topic.

"Are you talking about the ten million dollars Monokuma offered us?" Taeko asked. "That is a lot of money, it's true. But that's not all there is to it." She took a deep breath, before explaining. "From the moment our new life began, my only thought has been escaping."

"B-But…" Hiro stuttered out, confused. "All along you've been saying how we have to accep-"

"That was obviously bullshit!" Taeko's outburst caused Hiro and Hina to yelp in shock/terror. (Something that was shared by their counterpart, as well Chihiro and Hifumi.) "I couldn't take it! I hated it from day one!" She continued ranting. "More than anyone, anyone, ANYONE else in here!" She yelled, getting louder with every word. "I wanted to get out! Every day was pure torture!"

Celeste/Taeko outburst was… shocking, to say the least. "She really hated it all that much?" Leon muttered out in shock. "And she hid that anger all this time?"

"Well duh." Taeko replied with an eyeroll. "I'm not called the Ultimate Gambler for nothing. I can put on a mask of pleasantry without any trouble."

"But why do you hate it so much?" Junko asked, curious to why she blew up. "I mean, I know all of us hate this killing game. But what caused you to despise it so much?"

"Again, you'll see." Taeko kept herself from visibly tensing. If/when her future self get to the part of her dream, she knew that she's going to receive ridicule from her classmates. Subconsciously, she grabbed Makoto's hand once again for comfort.

"And do you wanna know why? HUH?!" And in a flash, she got back to her Celestia Ludenberg persona. "Because… I had a dream. And accepting a life here would have meant nothing less than giving up on my dream forever. And there was no way… that I could ever do that."

"In the underground world of gambling, I risked my life to make a metaphorical killing." She continued her tale. "And it was all for that dream…"

"And what was that dream of yours…?" Makoto asked her.

Several subconsciously leaned, all of them desiring to know what it was. What was it that Celeste/Taeko was pursueing that she would resort to murder to get it?

'Why…?' Mondo thought, anger and sorrow mixing together. 'What in the fucking world were you dreaming of that you would kill my… brother?'

'What was it were you dreaming of…?' Taka thought, staring at the screen with an intense gaze. 'What was worth two lives?'

'Is has to be some major dream…' Hina thought to herself, almost begging for it to be. 'It has to. Otherwise, why kill two of our friends?'

All of them waited for the Ultimate Gambler to reveal that her dream was…

"To live in a European Castle."

And just like that, the tension was dropped like an anvil. 'Huh?' Was the overall thought of the class.

That statement earned stunned and baffled looks from the remaining survivors. "A c-castle?!" Makoto spoke in disbelief.

"And to gather handsome men from all over the world to serve as my butler/bodyguards." An image of Celeste's dream then appeared, with Celeste sitting an a black recliner, wearing different gothic clothing, various butlers with glowing red eyes surrounding her. "I was going to make them dress up like vampires and satisfy my every need. Once I obtained that, I would have created a perfectly aesthetic world of decadence."

"Living the rest of my life there was my only dream, my only goal." She continued without any remorse. "That's what life is all ABOUT!"

It took a lot of time for the group to process what they've been told. That the fact that Celeste's dream was so shallow, self-centered, and full of self-satisfaction… and took even more time to process the fact that she killed two people, manipulated one of them into the killing other, for that same dream.

Junko, however, had to bite back a large grin on her face. Oh, she knew that Celeste would be perfect for the killing game! She just knew it! All that display of greed, shallowness, and apathy, all the while hiding that despair that's eating her up inside! Junko also had to hold back her laughter at what a pitiful childish dream it was. Celeste's goal was definitely a dream in every sense of the word. As Junko held herself back, she couldn't wait for the dessert of this despairful meal. The execution!

"Combined with my own winnings, Monokuma's ten million dollars would have made that dream a reality." The scene switched to the courtroom, with Celeste still explaining her reason. "I got right to the edge, but… unfortunately, my dream has been scattered to the wind. Still, I don't have any regrets. I pursued my dream till the very end, so why would I?"

Her last sentence brought the group out of their stunned state. 'She had no regrets. No regrets. No regrets…' At that moment, something inside Sayaka snapped.

"YOU BITCH!" Sayaka shot forward and screamed in a fury that shattered her image of an idol. When she moved towards the gambler, Leon quickly grabbed her arms from behind to stop her, but that didn't stop Sayaka from verbally attacking Taeko. "You complete and utter bitch! How could you not regret anything you did?! Not even feel a shred of guilt from taking a life?!" Taeko looked away from girl, one hand clenched into a tight fist while the other clenched Makoto's hands tightly. "You manipulated Hifumi, framed both Taka and Hiro, got Hifumi to kill Taka before betraying him! ALL FOR A FUCKING CASTLE?!"

"Sayaka, calm down!" Leon grunted, keeping a tight hold on the idol.

"I can't, Leon!" Sayaka roared, her voice straining. "She had the nerve to say that she regrets nothing! The gall to look as if she did nothing wrong, that all that matters is pursuing her dream! ARE YOU SO APATHETIC TOWARDS PEOPLE THAT YOU DON'T EVEN FEEL A SHRED OF GUILT FOR WHAT YOU DID?!"

"What right do you have to judge me?" Tae- no, Celeste hissed, her red eyes glaring back at the furious blue. "Didn't your future self attempted the exact same thing? Kill and manipulation for the sake of your dream?" Sayaka flinched at that, but didn't waver from her glare. "Leon here decided to kill you back out of revenge, while Mondo murdered his dear friend out of fear for his secrets revealed. So what do any of you have to judge me?"

"Don't try to wiggle your way out of this!" Also angered, Hina also spoke up while standing from her seat. She gave the gambler a watery glare. "Sayaka's dream was her career, one she worked so hard to complete, with close friends at her side! Not some ridiculous and selfish thing like a castle and butlers!"

"And Mondo's secret wasn't ridiculous either! He had to carry the guilt of his brother being killed for so long, while keeping a secret from all his friends!" Hina continued her rant, the tears threatening to come out. "And he actually felt guilt! He regretted killing Chihiro, and wanted to own up for what he had done!"

"But you… you don't even show a shred of remorse!" The swimmer growled. "You laughed at the fact Hifumi believed what you said about Taka! You did everything for a shallow, worthless dream! YOU KILLED TWO PEOPLE FOR YOUR SELFISH DESIRES!" As she screamed her last statement, the tears finally fell from her eyes. "THAT'S SICK! UNFORGIVABLE!"

'I know.' Taeko thought, closing her eyes. 'I know that. I know all of it! So stop! Please, stop it!'

"Everyone, please calm down!" When someone shouted that, Taeko opened her eyes to see Makoto in front of her once again. "I understand why you're angry, I do! But screaming at Taeko isn't gonna change what we saw and heard!"

"How could you still defend her, Makoto?!" Hina shouted, the tears still streaming from her eyes. "All her actions are sickening! Her reason is absolutely selfish!"

"But those were done by the future Celeste, who lost all her memories along with memories of us!" Makoto countered, not letting himself waver. "You can't say that our Celeste, our Taeko, would do the same thing!"

"Makoto is right." Kyoko sighed, reluctantly deciding to help him out. "On another point, there's no point yelling at each other. If you don't remember, she's going to suffer the consequences for being discovered as the blackened."

Immediately, they knew what she was talking about. The execution. After a moment of tense silence, Leon hesitantly let go of Sayaka. The idol looked away from Makoto and Taeko, various emotions clear in her eyes, before sitting back down on the couch. Hina and Leon followed her lead, tears still falling from the former's eyes.

Makoto let out a sigh of relief before sitting down beside Taeko. Immediately, the gambler grabbed him like a lifeline, grateful that he didn't leave her to fend for herself. 'Thank you, thank you, thank you…'

"You sound so passionate, but… you were really able to kill your own friends for it?" Hina questioned, anger and grief clear on her face.

"Are you asking me to feel guilty? That's a pointless endeavor." Celeste replied apathetically. "I think nothing of sacrificing others for my own ends. I feel nothing. That's all there is to me. That's what makes me… complete."

'She… really feels nothing for me?' Hifumi thought to himself, sorrow gripping his heart. 'I was just a tool to her? Someone to use and abuse whenever she feels like?' Despite how she had treated him in the past, he always felt that there was some sort of bond between them. Now… he wasn't so sure on that.

'I was killed… for a castle…' Taka thought numbly. 'My life was worth the money to get the castle. Mine and Hifumi's.' How could Celeste think of her own desires at a time like this? How could anyone have such shallow thoughts in the situation they future selves were in?

"For a fucking castle… all, for a fucking castle…" Mondo muttered numbly, his brain shut down. He didn't know whether it was desperation to keep himself in check, or if his mind couldn't process it all, but right now, he was completely out of it.

She gave an unkind smile, giggling. "Isn't it terrifying how different our values are? There's simply no room for understanding."

'I don't understand it…' Chihiro thought helplessly, still curled in a ball. 'How could anyone feel that any object is worth killing? How could anyone feel that way?' He shut his eyes when he felt tears starting to gather up. 'That's horrible! That's a horrible way to look at the world! And also…'

'How can she so calm?' Hina unknowingly continued for Chihiro, clenching her fist and teeth as she tried to hold back her tears. 'She's about to die! About to experience a painful execution! She should be scared right now!'

"Th-That's what we should be saying. And plus… how can you be so calm?" Tears began sliding down on Hina's cheeks, with the girl shaking with grief. "Don't you realize you're about to die? Why aren't you scared…?"

"Now that she mentioned it, why aren't you scared?" Hiro inquired, turning towards her. "You look completely calm about this."

"Shaking in my boots isn't gonna change a thing." Taeko stated, her voice neutral. "My future self killed two people, and got herself caught. Nothing's gonna change that, except working to prevent that future."

"Still doesn't explain why your future self isn't afraid." Mukuro pointed out.

"She's gonna explain that too, don't worry."

Again, the gambler chuckled. "My ability to lie is unrivaled, and I take pride in that." She stated. "It's not just other people - I can even fool my own emotions. The conscious deceives the unconscious."

"And that's why you're not scared?" Makoto asked softly.

"Lying to your consciousness?" Leon repeated, frowning. "Is that stuff even possible?"

"It is. I know there were cases where criminals trick themselves into thinking they haven't done their crimes." Kyoko responded. However, she knew that Celeste was lying to herself. She could see through the facade she put up.

"That's right. I don't fear death." Celeste stated confidently. "Kill me however you like."

'No. You do fear death, Taeko. Probably terrified right now.' Makoto thought sadly, noticing how tense the gambler was. How tight her grip on his hand is. 'Like anyone else would be.'

"But you know, if I had the choice to be reincarnated… I think I would like to come back as Marie Antoinette."

"You'd just get executed again…" Hiro pointed out. However, Celeste merely laughed at that.

However, Makoto noticed something about her laugh. 'Her smile…' He thought to himself. 'It looks so forced. She said that she could lie to her own feelings…' The luckster looked down in sorrow. 'But that's a lie, isn't it? You're terrified.'

That had eyes immediately turned towards the gambler. Some were shocked, others not so much. However, all those stares affected Taeko equally. Penetrated her.

'I'm not scared! I'm not scared! I'm not!' She feebly tried to convince herself. She repeated that over and over, in the hopes that she would eventually tricked herself.

"You all done?" Monokuma spoke up, cutting into the conversation. "Okay, then let's get rollin'! The blackened disturbed the peace, and must pay the price!"

Everyone tensed up at this. Here it comes. The executions they've all been dreading. 'N-No. Another classmate is about to be killed.' The tears Hina desperately tried to hold back began spilling once again.

'I... I don't want to watch this.' Hifumi thought to himself in heartache. 'I don't want to see Miss Yasuhiro die.' Despite his conflicting feelings about her, the last thing he wanted was for her to die.

Celeste felt one hand grip her skirt tightly, her nails digging into them, while the other tightened its grip on Makoto's hand at a painful level. 'I'm not scared! I'm not scared! I'm not scared!'

"Now then, I've prepared a very special punishment for… her! The Ultimate Gambler!"

'Not scared, not scared, not scared, not scared!'

"Let's give it everything we've got! It's… PUNISHMENT TIIIME!"

'I can't be scared! There's nothing to be afraid! I'M NOT AFRAID!'

"I guess I'll let Kyoko hold on to this." Taeko then threw the key towards the lavender haired girl.

Once she caught, the girl instantly realized what it was. "This is…!"

"Will it really give you the hope you're looking for? I can't say I ever saw it that way. Which is why…" Shaking her head, Taeko left that statement be unfinished. "Actually, it's not important." Sighing, she turned and walked towards her execution. "Well then… take care, everyone. Perhaps we'll meet again, in another life."

As she walked, Monokuma pulled his gravel and hit it on the big red button that rose from the ground in front of him.

*GAME OVER. CELESTE HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY. TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT!* Those words were what appeared under the button as a pixelated Monokuma dragged a pixelated Celeste/Taeko before the screen turned black.

The screen slowly lit back up to show a close up of Celeste's face. The camera slowly moved back to show the gambler smiling, with her wrist and ankles tied up. As it moved back, a castle began forming around Celeste, with a wooden beam attached behind her, hay under her, and a mass group of monochrome bears in front of her.

THE BURNING OF THE VERSAILLES WITCH

A monochrome executioner then popped up in front of her, holding up a torch and slowly lowering it towards the hay. Once lit, the fire then began spreading upward until it reached Celeste's legs.

The screen transitioned towards the monochrome's point of view, as they watched the fire spread around the gambler. The camera then moved closer and closer to the fire before transitioning upward, showing a full view of Celeste being enveloped in the flames. As it moved closer to Celeste's face, you could see a smile on her face as the fire continued to spread. And just as the camera got close to her face, her eyes suddenly turned.

The camera moved to where she was looking, showing a firetruck popping out of nowhere and driving towards the scene. It then drove over the lamp and launched itself towards Celeste. The camera moved to the back of Celeste, the scene went it slow motion as the fire-truck got closer and closer. And then instantly, it went back to regular speed, running Celeste over and crashing into the castle.

Once again, the scene was transitioned to the outside, showing the truck stuck inside the ruins of the castle, with a firefighter Monokuma putting out the remaining fire with a hose.

Once again, it was dead silence as the group processed yet another execution. The third one they saw. Yet unlike the grief and terror they felt on the first one, as well as the horror and nausea on the other, there was a numbness to this execution. There was still grief, anguish, and despair, yet, but there was also a numbness to it all. To what they're seeing and feeling. Almost like they're getting used to it.

'Another execution…' Makoto thought numbly. 'Another death. But strangely… I don't feel as bad anymore.' Anguish appeared in his eyes as he thought about. 'Is it because of what Taeko did? Did that numb me down? Or is it… because I'm getting used to the executions? Getting used to see my friends die?'

He was brought out of his dark thoughts from a small sob beside him. He looked up to see Taeko, and nearly double backed when he saw that her mask absolutely dissolved. Terror, anguish, shock, and despair were all clear on her facial expressions, and tears were sliding down her face, and it looks as if she's trying to hold back from downright sobbing.

With no hesitation, he tugged the hand that he was holding and pulled the gambler into a hug. That caused the gambler to finally break down, sobbing in terror as she clung to Makoto. All the emotions she tried so hard to suppress was crashing down on her, to the point it completely overwhelmed her.

She wasn't the only one who was crying. Both Hina and Chihiro were crying, the former burying his face into his knees. They had to see another death, to see another of their classmates, their friends, die. Whatever they feel about Celeste, they still didn't want to watch her die. They don't want anyone else be killed or executed.

Sayaka also felt a few tears leak out. However, she didn't feel anything for Celeste's death. After hearing what she had to say, hearing that she didn't regret what she did, how could she? If anything, the tears were for the fact that she did the exact same thing. This was yet another reminder for her future self's sin.

Like Sayaka, Mondo felt nothing for Celeste's death. No grief, for very obvious reasons. Not even any sick sense of satisfaction that she paid for her crimes in the worst of ways. He felt absolutely apathetic to what had happened to her.

Taka gritted his teeth in frustration, his hands clenched to his knees. Three people are dead now, himself included. Three are dead, with only seven remaining. All because of greed.

Was there nothing he could've done to stop it? Was he doomed the moment his future self attained some form of hope? He shut his eyes as tears of frustration began leaking from them.

Hifumi also felt shaken by the execution, tears leaking from his eyes. He couldn't help but blame himself for this. It was because of his future self's infatuation with Alter Ego, something that he admittedly shared, that led to this. Celeste manipulated through the AI, and instantly, he fell right into her hand. Never before did he felt like such a fool.

Leon, Hiro, and Mukuro also felt similar frustrations and/or anguish, while Byakuya, Sakura, and Kyoko merely looked on with grim determination. Jill was just silent, merely observing everything. Junko, however, felt differently, as always.

'Wowee! Giving the gothic addict the hope of a regal execution, only to give her one of the most common deaths in the world?! You go future me!' Junko cheered on. 'And seeing her break down here is oh, so delicious! So satisfying! Makes me wonder how her future self looked when confronted with the fire truck!' While it doesn't match the other two executions, she could safely say that she very much enjoyed this despair. Especially since the pre-execution section brought a lot to the table.

No one bothered to say anything. Merely stayed silent as the screen transitioned back to the trial room.

'It's over…' Makoto thought numbly. 'The third execution… is over. Celeste's death is over. She killed our friends, so I can't pity her. But… I can't deny that, at one point, I consider her a friend, too.' He clenched his fist tightly. 'And for him to come along and-!'

"Isn't it just awful?" Monokuma sighed 'sadly'. "Someone couldn't cut free of their regrets from the outside world, and so more people had to die…" He then exclaimed to the group, "You guys are still young! You need to place more value on your lives!"

Again, anger filled Makoto's heart when the bear spoke. 'He's doing it again.' Makoto thought in anger. 'He's speaking as if he had nothing to do with it. Like all this was our own volition. Like we're to blame!'

"Jeez… and here I thought you guys were gonna pass the torch of hope to the next generation!"

"Wh-What do I care about hope?!" Hiro exclaimed fearfully. "I'll throw it in the trash if you just let me out of here!"

"You're all the embodiment of hope, whether you like it or not." Monokuma denied his plea mercilessly. "And it's my destiny to knock you down one by one!

"What… is he talking about?" Taka asked, confused by what he's saying. "How are we the embodiments of hope?"

"Is it because we're all students of Hope's Peak?" Sakura guessed, frowning. "I can't think of any other reasons to call us that."

'Does the mastermind have a grudge against Hope's Peak?' Kyoko mused to herself. 'Are they taking that grudge out on anyone associated with Hope's Peak?'

"It's sad, yes it is. But that reality just can't be avoided."

"Don't talk like you're not responsible…" Makoto gave the mastermind a fierce glare. "How long are you gonna make us keep going through this?! What do you want from us?!"

"God, I'm so sick of people asking me that! Give it a rest already!" Monokuma growled back. And instantly, his angry mood was gone. "So anyway… Kyoko, did I see you get some kind of key-type object from Celeste? So, uh… what's the deal with that?"

Everyone stiffened up at this. "Oh, right. The key Celeste gave to Kyoko." Leon remembered, grimacing. "That key must open the place that Celeste kept Alter Ego."

"Let's hope Monokuma isn't too curious." Makoto muttered.

The lavender haired girl was silent in response, a look of contemplation on her face. "Huh? What's the matter?" The bear asked, tilting his head.

"I'll answer your question, if you answer mine." Kyoko bargained. She then gave Monokuma a fierce stare. "What did you do? What did you… do to me?"

Her words immediately got the group's attention. Even Taeko, who had a complete breakdown, couldn't help but look up. "Huh?" Hiro voiced everyone's thoughts.

"...What?!" Monokuma exclaimed, looking taken aback.

"Answer me." Kyoko demanded. "What did you to my body?"

The rung alarms in everyone's head. "What is she talking about…?" Leon asked hesitantly, not sure if he wanted to know.

"Did Kyoko discovered something… strange about her body?" Sayaka questioned, just as uneased. The others began looking ill or shocked at the implications.

Kyoko, however, thought differently. "No, I don't think it's what all of you are thinking." She refuted. "I think… my future self is discovering that her memories are missing."

Eyes lit up in remembrance at this. "Yeah, that makes sense." Makoto mused, trying not to show any form of relief. "From what we've seen, there are obvious gaps in your memories. And it's probably something your future self would be alarmed about."

"And here we thought that Monokuma something extremely dishonourable to Kyoko…" Taka sighed, not bothering to hide his relief.

Taeko, meanwhile, separated herself from Makoto (Though still had one arm linked around his for support), keeping her head down to hide her unmasked emotions.

"Uwaaah!" The bear looked incredibly nervous now. "Oh man, oh jeez… oh man, oh jeez! What do you mean, what did I… do?! I-I have no idea…! I don't know anything about it…!"

"D-Do you think Monokuma have any idea that Kyoko is talking about her missing memories?" Chihiro asked softly. Both he and Hina manage to stop crying, around the time the future Kyoko asked her question.

"Possibly." Sakura answered the programmer. "Or it could be because of the wording of the question."

"That's true. My future self did say something that would… insinuate something worse." Kyoko admitted with a sigh.

'U-Um…' Makoto turned his eyes towards Kyoko, then Monokuma in confusion. 'What was that just now…? The mastermind did something to Kyoko's body… what does that mean?'

"Okay, things are getting kinda awkward. I think it's about time I got out of here…" Trying to drive the topic away, Monokuma addressed the whole group. "Meanwhile, you guys can go on enjoying your school life. If you get lonely, give me a shout! Not that I'll do anything about it, of course!" With his signature laughter, he hastily left the trial room.

For a moment, the room was silent, just protesting everything that had happened. But after a moment of silence, Makoto approached Kyoko. "Hey, Kyoko. Monokuma already mentioned, but…" He points at the key the girl was holding. "What's that key that Celeste gave you?"

"Most likely… it's the key to one of the dressing room lockers." Kyoko guessed, looking at the key herself.

Again, the group's attention was grabbed. And a sparkle of hope entered their hearts. "That means… she gave Kyoko the keys to Alter Ego?" Hina asked hopefully.

"Finally! Good news!" Hiro exclaimed in obvious relief.

"And it was the locker room the entire room." Byakuya stated, facepalming. "It was just was in another locker. Of course."

"Guess the most well hidden spot would be right under our noses…" Sakura mused.

"What?! Then that means…!" Hina exclaimed in realization.

"Celeste probably hid it there." Byakuya deduced.

"I suppose sometimes it's easiest to miss what's right beneath our noses." Sakura mused. "Well then, we'd better go check."

"Good idea." Kyoko agreed. And with that, the group quickly went to the elevator.

"At least there's a silver lining with all this mess…" Sayaka said, as relieved as everyone else. "They still have Alter Ego."

"Hopefully, this fiasco doesn't alert Monokuma to anything." Byakuya commented, narrowing his eyes.

Many of the hope held that similar hope, pushing memories of the trial in the back of their mind for the time being. Right now, Alter Ego is the only hope for their future selves. If the mastermind decides to investigate… then there's nothing that they could do to stop him.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 65: Watching Chapter 3: A Next Generation Legend! Stand Tall, Galactic Hero! Part 23

As the remaining survivors approached the bathhouse dressing room, Kyoko suddenly turned towards everyone. "I'm going to go alone from here." She told them all. "Everyone else head to the dining hall. I'll check in with you later."

Byakuya raised an eyebrow at that. "Does she honestly believe that we would do as she says?"

"Going inside all at once will make the mastermind suspicious." Kyoko pointed out. "We can't give them any more reasons to be."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it, Kirigiri." The Togami heir retorted.

"Why, exactly, are you going alone?" Byakuya questioned, narrowing his eyes.

"Do you even have to ask?" Kyoko glanced quickly at the surveillance camera as she said that.

"That's not what I mean." Byakuya retorted with a glare. "Why you? There's still the risk of a spy, you know."

Kyoko had to resist the urge to sigh in frustration. Again, she really wished her future self didn't do things to increase the group's, mainly Byakuya's, suspicion.

"Considering how secretive Kyoko's being, it's no surprise that suspicion is being placed on her." Sakura sighed. "Still, is it really the best time to bring up suspicion?"

"She's asking us to let her seeing Alter Ego by herself." Byakuya retorted. "Of course it's the best time."

"Why are you so concerned about it, anyway?" Hiro questioned. "Isn't your future self enjoying all this?"

"That means he wouldn't be interested in anything they can spring up on the mastermind? Or, if at all possible, find a way out of the school?" Byakuya retorted, then scoffed. "Please, I am not narrow minded."

Kyoko was silent at that. After a moment, Makoto spoke up. "Then I'll go, too."

Byakuya turned his narrowed eyes at the luckster at that. "You…?"

"Please, let me go!" Makoto pleaded to the heir, bowing to him.

For a moment, the heir just stared at the bowing luckster before speaking. "Standing here arguing is just going to draw more attention to us." Scoffing, he turned and began walking away, with Jill discreetly following him. "Do whatever you want."

"Thank you, Byakuya." Makoto sighed in relief.

"Well, that solves that." Hina also let out a sigh in relief. "I was afraid they were going to have an argument about this."

"Though I wonder, is there a reason Makoto want to go with Kyoko?" Mukuro inquired, before turning to Mondo. "Is this what you mean by waiting till later to press her?"

The biker was silent for a moment, causing concerned, wary, and fearful eyes to turn towards him. But after a moment, he grunted and shrugged. "Probably. But I can't say for sure."

"Are… you okay Mondo?" Makoto asked cautiously.

"Honestly? No, I'm fucking not." Was the blunt response given by Mondo. No words were said after that, the group focusing on the TV.

"Then it's decided now." Sakura was the next to leave.

"I'm going to the dining hall, okay?" Hiro then walked to his mentioned destination.

"Huh? So Makoto and Kyoko are gonna go… together?" Hina asked, a blush rushing up to cheek.

Her words, and her reaction, caused a blush to rise on Makoto's cheek. The blush rose even further when he saw different looks from a few of his friends.

"Huh. Maybe Mondo's wrong, and Makoto is planning something steamy." Leon commented with a smirk. "In that case, you go dude!"

"And in the bathhouse of all places! Didn't know you had that much guts!" Junko added, a grin of her own.

"It's not like that!" Makoto protested in embarrassment. "I'm sure it what's Mukuro had mentioned!"

"That's not what the swimmer is going to think!" Jill, speaking up after a long while, stated with a cackle.

An embarrassed blush entered Hina's own cheeks as she rubbed her head sheepishly. Kyoko, meanwhile, kept her composure, not an ounce of embarrassment evident on her face.

"Ahh! Does that mean what I think it means?!" Shaking off her blush, she began leaving with words of encouragement for Makoto. "Good luck, Makoto! Girls like her are total pushovers when you show a little backbone!"

"Excuse me?" Kyoko said flatly, giving the swimmer a look.

That caused Hina to blush further. "U-Um, well, it's just that… sorry Kyoko." She finally sighed in defeat.

"Who's the pushover again?" Junko remarked teasingly, getting a glare and a pout from the swimmer.

After that, both a slightly blushing Makoto and a still composed Kyoko were left by themselves. "Well? Shall we?" The latter asked.

"Yeah…" Shaking off his embarrassment, he and Kyoko entered inside the bathhouse locker room.

"How did you not react to a single thing Hina said?" Leon asked the detective. "You didn't even say anything about her last comment."

"I'm more focused on finding Alter Ego rather than any suggestive comments anyone makes." Kyoko answered smoothly. "Besides, I knew Makoto didn't have those kinds of thoughts."

Immediately, Kyoko moved to one of the lockers and unlocked it with the key. When it swung open, she and Makoto were immediately met with the laptop Alter Ego was residing in.

"Good morning." The AI greeted, giggling. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Immediately, there were sighs of relief across the room. "Thanks goodness." Hina said, sagging in the chair. "We haven't lost Alter Ego."

"It's good that the spy hasn't taken it." Byakuya commented on. "Though it begs the question: Why haven't they taken the opportunity?"

"Perhaps they intended to, and Celeste just beat them to it." Mukuro suggested. "That's a possibility."

"Or perhaps the spy isn't so loyal to Monokuma." Sakura added. "There's no indication that they are bound to the mastermind in any sense of loyalty."

"Perhaps." Was all Byakuya said.

"It's safe…" Kyoko said, sounding very relieved. "Thank goodness…"

'Wow. I've never heard Kyoko sound so relieved.' Makoto thought with amazement.

"Either she was more worried than she really showed… or it's a tell of how comfortable she is around Makoto." Junko remarked. "Cause seriously, I never seen her show that much emotion."

"Probably a mixture of both." Leon remarked. Said detective decided to not say anything in response

"I did just what Celeste asked! I didn't say a word. I stayed quiet the entire time!" The AI continued.

The slight reminder of what Celeste had done slightly dimmed the mood. Some frowned or clenched their fist in anger and frustrations, some flinched at the reminder, some were merely stony gazed, and the rest varied between those reactions.

"Oh, and… I think I might be able to open the last files soon. Maybe as early as tomorrow…"

And just like that, their mood was brightened again. "Alright!" Leon exclaimed with a grin. "We're finally gonna get some answers!"

"Hopefully it'll be something of use to us…" Mukuro said neutrally.

"Please, oh please, let there be hints about the way out of there!" Hina pleaded, clasping her hands together.

"It'll be more useful if it gave us hints about who's the mastermind." Byakuya remarked. "For us, at least."

"I'm doing my best, so please wait just a while longer…!"

Kyoko allowed herself a small smile. "So, now we can officially say the case is closed."

'As far as this incident is concerned, sure.' Makoto thought, before frowning. 'But…'

"Looks like you were correct, Mondo." Sakura commented as they watched the scene. "Makoto was waiting for the right time to press the issue."

"I really hope he get answers from Kyoko…" Sayaka murmured, gazing intently at the scene.

"Can we take a second?" The luckster asked out loud, drawing Kyoko's attention. "Since we have this opportunity, I want you to be honest with me…" The lavender haired girl was silent, her smile gone. "Kyoko, please tell me… what are you trying to do all on your own here at the school?"

"Is that why you wanted to come here with me?" Kyoko inquired. Then she let out a sigh. "Regardless, that's not something you need to know right now."

"Will she stop being so fucking secretive?!" Mondo grumbled out with a small growl. "Just give us some goddamn answers already!"

"Can't she tell how suspicious she's being right now?!" Sayaka shouted in aggravation.

"She can't just keep disappearing for long periods of time, without telling anyone where she goes." Byakuya stated with narrowed eyes. "We're not gonna keep letting it go."

"We all thought she was injured or worse before the last trial!" Hina exclaimed, also frustrated. "Give us something to reassure us!"

Makoto was silent through all this, but there was a frown on his face. He really hope his future self can convince Kyoko to trust him. He doesn't want her to keep doing this all by herself.

"I don't… need to know?" Makoto repeated slowly, as if processing the words. A mix of anguish and worry appeared on his face. "That just makes me even more worried!"

His words actually caused Kyoko to look at him in surprise. "Worried…?"

"Like what happened during the investigation this time. You disappeared, and we didn't you see again." Makoto continued. "Without warning, without explanation. When you do that…"

"...it's only natural that they think I'm the mastermind's spy, right?" Kyoko sighed resignedly, closing her eyes. "And you too…"

Her words actually caused Makoto to speak up. "I wish suspicion wouldn't be the first thing you thought about." He said softly, looking at the detective herself. "Can't someone just worried whenever a friend just disappears?"

Kyoko couldn't help but look away from the emotional gaze. "It can't be helped. With my disappearances, you must have had some suspicions."

"Even if I did, that doesn't mean I wouldn't be worried about you." Makoto continued. "We're friends. And even though our future selves think we just met, future me still think the same way."

His words, and the passion he put in them, caused the detective to flush a little. "Do you need to tell me this, Makoto?" She asked him, looking away. "I don't share my future self's thoughts."

"Well, it's just in case you held similar thoughts." Makoto said, smiling. "You can be stubborn when it comes to trusting others, Kyoko."

That caused the detective to flush even further. Why, oh why, does the luckster's words affect her so much?

There little moment was not missed by the group. Once again, they were witness to the bond the two of them shared. One that caused small, jealous frowns from Sayaka and Hina. Mukuro and Taeko merely looked down, feeling insecure about their bond with the lucky student.

"No!" The luckster's sudden shout caused her to look up in shock. "I… I believe in you."

"You believe… in me?" Kyoko repeated, as if she couldn't believe it.

"Isn't it obvious? People believe in their friends, right? That's why I want you to tell me!" Makoto continued, emotions laced in his voice. "And I want you… to believe in me too. Because we're friends."

For a moment, despite his words not directed at them, many couldn't help but feel affected at his little speech. Admiration, wonder, disbelief, guilt, it were some of the several emotions the group was feeling.

How can Makoto still have so much faith? Even after everything he experienced? To the point that his hope could affect others? Not even Hina and Chihiro had that level of optimism and trust.

Kyoko was especially affected by this. How can Makoto trust her? When she didn't do much to earn that trust? When she didn't trust him enough, trust anyone enough, to tell them what she's doing? Even though she's knows that it's in his nature, it's difficult for her to understand.

Mukuro was also affected by his words. To her, it almost felt like he was talking to her. Telling her to trust him. Thus, her mind brought back the memory of what happened this morning. Of what she had to talk to him about. Despite seeing this, worry still grasped her heart.

Junko, however, felt very different from the others. She was stiff, rigid, as if Makoto's words were a paralyze poison. How? How can someone so normal can sound so influential? How can his disgusting hope be spreading to others? It even dared to try to crack her heart full of despair!

The more she watched, the more they continue this… she more she feels like there's something about Makoto Naegi. Something dangerous to her plans.

Kyoko was silent, absorbing Makoto's words. Then, after a short yet long period of silence, she let out a sigh. "I understand." She said, a small smile gracing her lips once more. "Then… maybe I can believe in you… just a little bit more."

Makoto's eyes widen at this. "Then…!"

"Fine. I'll tell you." She conceded. "I'll tell you why I've been disappearing, and where I've been going."

"YES!"

"Finally!"

"Victory!"

Several students cheered loudly at Kyoko's words. Leon pumped a fist up in the air, while Sayaka and Hina let out loud squeals. Some even let out sighs of relief.

Kyoko looked away from them all, careful not to let any embarrassment be shown. She knew her future self was too secretive, but she wasn't that bad, was she?

"You see…"

"What I heard from Kyoko then was… well frankly, it kind of mind blowing." Narrator Makoto spoke up as the scene began switched to a dark hallway. "Right after I'd told Kyoko I believe in her, she told me a story that was, well… almost unbelievable."

'What is it?!' Was the overall thoughts of the more emotional of the group. Hina was leaning forward anxiously, while Leon and Sayaka had clenched fists.

"I decided I had to confirm what she'd told me with my own two eyes. So I waited for nighttime to come." The camera moved to show Makoto walking in the hallway, towards the boys bathroom of the second hall.

As he went inside, Kyoko's voice rang in his head. "The boys bathroom on the 2nd floor doesn't have a surveillance camera or monitor on it." She had told him in the bathhouse locker room. As he opened and went inside the storage closet, the audio memory continued. "And in the storage closet, way in the back…"

"She said it was way in the back of the storage closet…" Makoto murmured to himself. "But I mean, seriously…?" Without thinking, he pushed the wall of the back closet. And instantly, as if yanked inside, he fell through a wall, revealing it to be a revolving door.

"What the-?!"

"A trap door?"

"For reals?!"

"I thought those things only exist on TV!"

The group was shocked, to say the least. Who knew there would be a trap door in a bathroom, of all places? Kyoko, apparently. The fact that she went inside the boys bathroom to find it left their mind for the time being. Furthermore, that's in the old school building isn't it? For what purpose would there be a room there?

The clip switched to show Makoto falling on the ground with a loud crash. Groaning in pain, he got up from the floor before realizing where he's at. "Huh…?"

"...is a secret room." The audio memory finished as the camera moved to show the room. It was small, with a large desk at the front, as well as shelves of files behind it.

Eyes widen as the group took in the scene. "A secret room?!" Hina gasped.

"With tons of files…" Byakuya mused with narrowed eyes.

"So this is where Kyoko been disappearing too." Makoto said, still looking a bit surprised. "And why no one was able to find her."

"Not only was she was in a secret room, where no one would easily be able to find out," Mukuro spoke up. "But also in the boys' bathroom, the last place people would think to look for her."

"The fact that she went in the boys bathroom to find it in the first place should be surprising," Leon deadpanned. "But after she looked through Hifumi's pants, it really doesn't."

"She's dedicated to her profession, you can say that much." Makoto replied with a sweatdrop.

"So this is the secret room…" Makoto murmured to himself, walking towards the book shelf. 'There's a bunch of files here, and what look like volume after volume of yearbooks. All of them are covered in dust…'

One file in particular caught Makoto's eye. "Hope's Peak Academy Student Registry…?" He read. "This is the only thing in here not covered in dust."

"What is in there that got the future Kyoko so interested?" Byakuya questioned. "And why did she not share it with the rest of us?"

"Perhaps there wasn't anything of use for us." Sakura guessed. "From what I've seen, she only went there twice, so she couldn't have found much."

Makoto grabbed the file, but before he could read it, a piece of paper slid out from the file, and onto the floor, gaining the luckster's attention. "What's this…?" Picking it up, he read the content on the paper.

"You must not leave."

That earned befuddled looks from the group. "You must not leave…?" Taka repeated.

"That's… weird." Was all Hiro could say in comment. "Who wrote that?"

"And why?" Sayaka added, tilting her head in confusion.

"That's… kind of weird." He murmured to himself. "I could understand if it said, like, 'I can't leave'. But 'you must not leave'?"

Makoto was silent at first, trying to contemplate the meaning. But then, something happened. 'What is this?' Makoto mentally groaned, holding his head. 'My head feels… funny.'

Immediately, alarmed and concerned looks appeared on several faces. "Is Makoto okay?" Sayaka asked worriedly.

"W-What's happening?" Taeko murmured in concern, speaking up after a long while.

Kyoko narrowed her eyes, her brains rapidly coming up with ideas. Is it possible… that this note is triggering a blocked memory? If so, then could it be incredibly important?

'This strange sensation. It's like deja vu…' He placed one hand, as well as the files, on the table, while the other held his forehead. 'Those words… you must not leave… I've seen them… somewhere before…'

If anyone thought that the surprises were over, they were disappointed. "He's seen them before…?" Hina asked in confusion.

"Just as I thought." Kyoko spoke, drawing attention. "That note has triggered a lost memory."

"Seriously?!" Leon exclaimed in shock, with some sharing similar shock. "First Hifumi, now Makoto?!"

"Okay, what is up with this?!" Junko questioned in shock and confusion. "I thought all of our school memories were completely erased!"

"It seems like the perpetrator merely suppressed our memories, rather than erased." Kyoko mused. "Whether it's a mistake on their end, or just mere limitations on what they could do, I'm not sure."

"Getting back to the note, why does it appear in Makoto's memories?" Byakuya asked, getting back to the other subject. "Why does it exist?"

"That's a good question." Taka agreed. "It must be something important, if Makoto's memory is trying to come back because of it."

Junko has an idea as to why. And if she was right, then that means that Hope's Peak made things much more easier for her to do her killing game. Practically hand-wrapped the entire school for her!

"But…" The luckster spoke out-loud. "I can't quite remember…" 'What do I know?' He thought with slight frustration. 'What don't I know? I… I-'

Suddenly, a masked person with a white coat on appeared behind Makoto, a pipe in hand. And with one swift motion, bashed him over the head with it, just as the screen turned black.

"MAKOTO!" And just like that, thoughts about Makoto's memories and the note was squashed the moment they saw the future luckster getting attacked.

Hina and Sayaka jumped out of their seats, fear in their eyes, while Taeko gripped his arm tightly. Mukuro also leaped from her recliner, knife out and face twisted in anger.

"Who the hell was that?!" Leon exclaimed in shock, standing up from his seat.

"Was it the mastermind? The traitor?" Hiro asked fearfully, worried about a masked person walking around the school, as well as his friend. "Someone working with either?"

"Whoever they are, Makoto is at their mercy!" Taka exclaimed in concern. Needless to say, everyone was worried for their luckster, including the luckster himself.

The black screen slowly lit back up, showing a groaning Makoto gaining back consciousness. "Oww…" He groaned, holding his head in pain. As he got himself back up, his eyes slowly went towards the bookshelf…

Which was now completely empty.

"Shit/Fuck!" Was the curses coming from both Leon and Mondo, respectively. The others just looked just as frustrated.

"They took everything!" Byakuya griped in aggravation. "All that information, gone!"

"Miss Kirigiri is going to be extremely angry…" Hifumi murmured, causing Makoto to pale some.

"We were so close to figure something out!" Hiro moaned, dropping his head.

Taking a deep breath to assuage her own frustrations and worries, Kyoko spoke. "We still have Alter Ego. Plus, my future self probably had taken a look at at least one of the files. Hopefully, that will be enough."

"At least Makoto is okay…" Hina sighed in relief, drawing nods from several of the students, especially the girls. And slowly, everyone got back to their seats.

"Gone…" Makoto whispered in disbelief. "It's all gone!" An anxious frown entered his face. "What does this mean…?"

Suddenly, the luckster began getting all wobbly, causing him to hold on to the floor. "F-For now… I should go back to my room…" He groaned. "Get some rest…"

"You may have spoken too soon, Hina…" Junko said, drawing worried looks from the group.

"That sounds pretty bad." Mondo said softly, grimacing. "Must've been a pretty hard hit if your whole body is hurting."

"Or the mastermind could've kick him around while he was unconsciousness…" Hiro suggested. And that suggestion gain some angry looks from some of the girls, with Mukuro looking particularly murderous.

"Let's not think about how I got hurt…" Makoto said, looking uncomfortable. Whether it's because of theories, or Taeko's crushing hold on his arms, nobody knows. "At least I can walk to my room."

The scene switched to Makoto limping on the first floor, looking a bit pale. "The farther I walked, the more I felt…" He moaned in pain. He then collapsed on the floor, getting on one knee.

"Again, too soon…"

Jill suddenly let out a laughter. "I wonder if Big Mac will crash here!" She giggled. "That would be funny to see!"

"No it would not!" Hina shouted, glaring at the serial killer. Sayaka and Mukuro also joined in on the glares, with Kyoko and Taeko giving icy stares. "He's seriously hurt!"

"So? It his fault that he- ah, ah…" Suddenly, she stopped, her nose twitching. "Achoo!" And just like that, she switched to Toko. "H-Huh?"

"And Toko's back…" Leon sighed. "Who's going to explain everything to her now?"

"I'll do it." Chihiro volunteered, timidly raising a hand up. As the programmer began explaining to Toko everything that had happened, the group turned back to the TV.

Before he could pull himself together, or lose consciousness, he suddenly heard a thumping sound. "Hm…?"

Like Makoto, the group's attention was also gain. "What was that…?" Leon asked with concern.

Few more of that same sound was then heard from the distance. "That sound… it's coming from… the gym…?"

Shakily, he got up from the floor, and moved to where the sound was.

"Is it a good idea for Makoto to move towards the sound…?" Sayaka asked, worried. "He's hurt and vulnerable!"

"It's probably not. But all we can do is watch." Byakuya pointed out.

The next scene showed Makoto entering the gym, with the sound getting louder and louder. 'What's going on…?' The luckster thought to himself. 'It can't be nothing…'

Limping towards the door, Makoto made a crack in the entrance so he could see. The site he saw before him caused him to stiffen, eyes widening.

What he saw was Sakura and Monokuma, fighting. Each giving and blocking blow after blow. Soon after, the two landed opposite of each other, with Monokuma on a stool. Both were glaring at each other intensely, their eyes glowing.

"What the hell?!" Mondo exclaimed in shock.

"Sakura?!" Hina gasped.

"What is she doing?!" Leon shouted.

"Have she lost her mind?!" Hifumi squealed.

"Did Monokuma anger her or something?!" Hiro asked frantically.

Looks of shock was spread around everyone's face at the skeptical they witnessed. Even the more stoic ones were taken off guard what they're seeing. The girl was herself was surprised by her future self's action.

While clearly capable of fighting, the Ultimate Martial Artist had shown herself to be level-headed and calm in any situation. So what the heck caused her to attack Monokuma? Or did the bear attack first?

"Why you…! What do you think you're doing?" Monokuma growled.

Sakura was merely silent, continuing to glare at the bear.

"That's what we want to know…!" Hiro agreed, looking all kinds of frightened. "Did Ogre reach a tipping point or something?!"

"Did the third trial brought her to her limit?" Byakuya theorized, looking bewildered.

Hina looked at her friend with worry. "Sakura, what do you think is going on?"

"I'm… honestly not sure, Hina." And she meant that. The martial artist wasn't what would bring her to attack Monokuma. The need to rebel? To resist? But why would she need to show that?

"I asked you a question! What's the meaning of this?!" Monokuma roared. "How dare you to defy me…?"

At that, everyone froze, processing what they just heard. Is Monokuma implying what they think he's implying…?

As if to confirm, the dialogue continued.

"This wasn't part of the deal!"

As everyone took in what the bear revealed, looks of horror slowly entered several faces. Eyes were wide, skin went ashened, mouths went gaping. None of them couldn't even think to say anything as of yet.

Sakura… was the traitor? She was working with the mastermind?

'The deal…?' Makoto caught, confused at what he just heard.

"I've made a decision…" Sakura finally spoke. "I will no longer retreat, no longer compromise, no longer regret… I've made my decision! I'm going… to resist you!"

"Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-?" Leon stuttered, looking shell-shocked.

"Ogre's… the traitor?!" Hiro shouted, his face white as a sheet. "She's working with the mastermind?!"

"What the fuck…?" Mondo whispered, his jaws dropped on the ground.

"Th-This is certainly not expected…" Hifumi stuttered out, looking rattled. "Sakura was the honourable warrior type, so I couldn't imagine her doing something like this!"

"Which is exactly why Monokuma chose her…" Byakuya realized with gritted his teeth. "She's one of the least likely to suspect, as well as one of the few who don't lash out."

Sakura seemed to be the most affected. Her eyes were wide as they have ever been, with her body shaking. She… betrayed her friend? She was the one working with the mastermind?

She knew there was a chance that she could be a traitor. That she would be the one that was with Monokuma at the end of chapter 2. Still, that didn't prepare her to see it for herself. To hear that she was working with the one who put them in the monstrous situation.

Hina was even worse off. Eyes were the size of saucers, her skin lost her tan coloring, and her arms were wrapped around herself as she shook. Distress was clear on her face as she took in what she heard. Taking in one of her worst fears coming true.

"Hmm… okay." The bear said, his voice casual once again. "But… you do realize what will happen if you go through with this, right? You haven't forgotten, have you? What I'm holding hostage…?"

"...?!" The martial artist nearly recoiled at that.

All the while, Makoto was staring at this with shocked eyes. 'What am I looking at…?' Makoto thought to himself. 'What am I hearing…? A hostage? Then… could it be…? The mastermind's spy is…' With that, the screen went black.

"Chapter 3, A Next Generation Legend! Stand Tall, Galactic Hero!" Once again, the red and yellow silhouettes of the cast was shown, this time, Hifumi's, Taka's, and Celeste's silhouettes getting blackened.

No one paid attention to the fact that the video ended. All of them just sat shell-shocked as what's been shown to them played in their mind.

But once they realized that chapter 3 ended, students reacted. "Oh hell no!" Leon shouted in anger. "It did not just cliffhanger us!"

"Fuck that noise!" Mondo spat, glaring at their host.

Said host held his hands up in a defensive manner. "Hey, I didn't make the series. I only edit the amount of scenes in chapters." Before anything else could be said, Spirit continued speaking. "Besides, this is the best time to end it for you guys. It's obvious that this is a lot to take in."

"No kidding!" Junko snorted. "Not only is there's someone with a mask, running around the building, but we know that the guy isn't a traitor. Cause we saw that Sakura is the traitor!"

"Sakura…" Makoto turned towards the martial artist herself. "What do you think about all this?"

"I… am unsure." Sakura said, gritting her teeth. It's difficult for her to come to any conclusion as of this moment.

"This is bad, this is really bad!" Hiro panicked, grabbing his dreadlocks fearfully and pacing. By now, several of the students have stood up from their seats, now that the chapter was over. "We have a spy in our midst! That spy is Ogre, of all people!"

"C-Calm down, Hiro!" Makoto quickly told the fortune teller. "She's only a spy in the future, not our present."

"How do we know that?" Junko asked, wary eyes set on Sakura. "I don't want to play devil's advocate, but for all we know, Sakura could've worked with the mastermind for who knows how long. She could be working with him even now."

Truthfully, however, Junko wanted to stir the drama pot. She hasn't approached any of her classmates, other than her sister, about her plan to bring despair around the world, and don't plan to until needed. Still, she could stir the pot some, and bring about chaos amongst her class.

"Y-You're making baseless accusations, Junko!" Chihiro hastily spoke up. "We don't have any proof that links Sakura to the mastermind, other than what we saw. And that only proves the future Sakura is working with the mastermind unwillingly, not our Sakura."

"S-Still, she could b-betray us!." Toko pointed out, looking freaked out. "Still s-sell us out to the mastermind, or k-kill us herself in the future. S-She could manipulating us right now through that logic you given!"

"Toko, that's-"

Before Makoto could finish his sentence, a soft, yet shaky voice cut in. "Stop it…" The source of it was Hina, who still looked shaken. "Stop acting… like Sakura is the enemy."

Several eyes turned to her, many worried, a few incredulous. "But, she is the enemy!" Hiro exclaimed, as if it was obvious. "Ogre betrayed us, she said so herself!"

"NO SHE DIDN'T!"

Hiro yelped and fell on his butt at the sudden shout. The swimmer now stood, aiming a fierce glare at the cowering fortune teller. "She didn't betray us! She hasn't done anything that would hurt us!" She screamed at him. "She could've told the mastermind about Alter Ego! Could've taken the laptop herself! She could've killed anyone of us by now! But she didn't!"

"T-That because others beat her to the punch." Toko pointed out, still looking wary. "She still got the c-chance to do any of those things."

"That doesn't mean she will!"

"W-We all thought that with Sayaka, Mondo, and C-Celeste. And look-"

"SHUT UP!" Hina screamed back, causing the author yelp and recoil back. "Sakura would never do that! She's our friend, she cares about all of us! She even said that she's going to resist the mastermind!" A fresh wave of tears began gathering in her eyes once again. "THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL SAKURA WOULD EVER TRULY SIDE WITH MONOKUMA! SHE WOULDN'T!"

"Hina!" Sakura finally jump from her seat and placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Please, calm yourself!"

A sob escaped Hina's mouth, as the tears started falling down. She turned towards her best friend, looking absolutely terrified and angst-ridden. "You wouldn't willingly want to hurt us… you wouldn't…" The young girl clenched her fist as her head went downward. "Monokuma force you to… to do something so horrible…"

"Hina…" Wanting to comfort her in some way, Sakura brought her friend to a hug. Immediately, she clung to her, letting out heart wrenching sobs. Sobs that caused some students to tear up themselves, including the martial artist herself.

"Let's take the chance to relax, cool our heads." Kyoko sighed, deciding to speak up. "All of us are clearly rattled with everything that happened. We'll reconvene tomorrow once again, which should give everyone a chance to calm themselves."

No one disagreed. The first one to leave was Toko and Hiro, quickly scurrying out in fear of the swimmer and the martial artist; Byakuya, Mondo, and Taka was next, all three of them silent on their walks; Taeko, Hifumi, and Chihiro followed their lead soon after, all of them having timid or uneasy postures; and the rest slowly made their way out of the living room, with some giving concerned and sympathetic gazes towards the still hugging best friends.

Makoto was one of the students giving the two those gazes, though it was mixed with anxiety as well. Three chapters in, and they finally got some semblance of hope. Of the possibility of much needed answers. But hope that was quickly overshadowed by the murders of two of their future selves; the revelation of who did it; of how and why she did it; her execution; and finally, the reveal of Sakura being the traitor.

The third chapter of their future probably gave them the most hope; but at the same time, it gave them the most despair.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 66: Break Chapter 3

The air of distrust became even thicker amongst the group.

If the group felt divided before, it was nothing compared to the current atmosphere. It felt like a bomb could go off at anytime, and it was only a matter of time until it does.

Many of the students locked themselves in their room, or went to other areas of the building. The rec room was practically empty, with only Hifumi, who's in the lounge once again, as well as Makoto, Leon, and Sayaka, who were sharing a table, inside the rec room.

"Looks like most of us decided to stay in our rooms for the time being." Makoto noted softly, looking around the rec room. "This place looks so empty now."

"Not surprising, considering what we saw." Leon sighed, folding his arms together on the table. "Three more dead, you blindsided by a masked dude, and on top of all that, Sakura of all people being the traitor. The only good thing that came out of this chapter was Alter Ego, and even then, I have bad vibes about that."

"True." Sayaka agreed sadly. "A lot of our friends must be hurting right now."

"Mondo, Chihiro, Taka, Hina…" Leon listed off morosely. "This is so not cool."

The idol looked down at the table, guilt gripping her heart once again. "I can't help but feel this is my fault…"

That got the attention of the luckster and baseball star. "Sayaka…" Makoto spoke up first. "You can't keep blaming yourself for this."

"I was the first one to attempt a murder, Makoto!" Sayaka argued back. "My action caused paranoia to be fueled up! My action caused the others to do the same thing!" Tears began filling up her eyes. "Leon, Chihiro, Mondo, Taka… no one would've killed or been murdered if I wasn't so desperate."

A fist suddenly hit the table, causing Sayaka to jump in surprise. The one who did was none other than Leon. "Don't start putting the blame all on yourself, Sayaka!" He snapped at her. "What happened to me in the future was because of my damn choice! I was the one who chose to come after you and kill you! Not you, me!"

"But if I didn't plan to kill you-"

"That doesn't change that I still did it!" Leon interrupted sharply. "I have several different chances to cool my head and stop! I didn't, and I paid the price for it! It's the same thing with Mondo, Hifumi, and Celeste! All of them had a choice, and they all chose badly! We're all at fault here!"

After that, there was silence, with Sayaka staring at Leon with wide eyes. "Leon's right…" Makoto spoke up, after that moment of silence. "Your actions may have set up for all those things to happen, but the choices are still our own. And those who murdered chose to do so."

"And even then, it's not completely their fault or yours." Makoto continued, his voice becoming slightly more fierce. "Our situation, the memory lost, the motives… they were all caused by Monokuma and the one controlling him. So if anyone is to blame, it's the mastermind. Not you, not Leon, none of us."

Sayaka was silent, taking their words in. After a moment, she took a couple of deep breaths, before speaking. "I'll… try not to blame myself so much." She gave a smile towards her two friends. "Thanks, you two."

Makoto smiled in response while Leon grinned. "Not a problem." The latter stated. "You would do the same if I took the whole blame for the first trial."

"I... well... yes I would." She would never let Leon take the blame for her own actions.

Makoto smiled, then winced and touch the still swollen cheek, something that Sayaka and Leon noticed. "Still hurting, huh?" The latter remarked with slight concern.

"Y-Yeah." Makoto confirmed, careful not to press on the wound too much. "I'm surprised I didn't knock out, but man Mondo really packs a punch."

"You should probably go and rest for a while, if you won't let Spirit heal that." Sayaka said, not hiding her worried look.

"I will, but later." Makoto reassured her. "I want to check up on some people."

His words caused Sayaka to frown. "Are one of those people Celeste?"

Makoto picked up the venom from her question, and sighed. "Sayaka, I understand why you feel the way do about Celeste right now. Honestly, a part of me is hesitant about checking on her." He replied honestly. "But like all of us, she's still a victim to this sick game."

"But, Makoto… everything she did, what she attempted to accomplish, was all for a castle! Some dumb dream!" Sayaka argued, her anger coming back. "She manipulated Taka and Hifumi, killed both of them, framed Hiro for it, and tried to fool everyone. She planned and executed the murders with no remorse, no hesitation, and no regrets. All for such a shallow dream!"

Tears began pooling her eyes once again. "I know it's hypocritical of me to be so angry about it, but I can't be silent about it, especially when you're putting your own health below her! When her main motivation is just pure greed, pure self-satisfaction! Its sick, horrible to even think about!"

"And I don't disagree with that." Makoto replied back, not raising his voice. "What Celeste did was completely wrong. There's no justification or understanding to her motive and reasoning. But that's not our Celeste. She's changed from who she was before."

"Do you really believe that?" Sayaka asked him. "What makes you so sure she changed from who she was before?"

"Because of she acted today." Was Makoto's sure answer. He stared at Sayaka with determined eyes. The same eyes she and the others seen in the trial. "If she really was the same person, she would've acted just like her future self. She would've been ok with everything that was happening. She wouldn't have broken down as hard as she did." His voice went softer at the last note. "So I can't say that hasn't changed, not with how she acted today."

Makoto then got up from his seat. "Anyways I'm gonna start checking up on everybody. I'll see you guys later." With that, he left the table, leaving Sayaka and Leon by themselves.

"We should trust Makoto on this," Leon spoke up, after a moment of silence. "If there's anybody that's got a good read on people, it's him. I don't know how he does it though."

Sayaka could do nothing but nod in agreement. "Yeah. He's special." She said softly.

"So let's trust that Makoto can sift through that mountain of lies Celeste buried herself in, alright?"

"I'll try, Leon." But it wasn't Makoto she doesn't trust. It was Celeste.

(With Hifumi)

Being the Ultimate Fanfic Creator, Hifumi have scene of variety of story and character scenarios, even wrote some himself.

A character getting framed for a crime they did not do, others easily believing that lie, and eventually, that lie was brought to light by others, mainly the main character of the story. It was a scenario in mangas that were at dabbing in mystery.

He never thought he would be in the scenario himself, where he's the one easily believing that the innocent character is guilty. Not just once, but twice. And the second time cost him his life.

The doujin author was at the lounge, where several of his favorite mangas where displayed on the table and shelf. However, he had no motivation to read any of them at the moment. There was just too much on his mind to do so.

He felt like such a fool. He easily believed what Miss Ludenberg, or rather, Miss Yasuhiro, told him. From what she said about Taka, to the murder scheme, he ate it all up, as she had said.

And he couldn't even claim that his only his past self would do this. Right when he saw his death, he immediately accused Taka of killing him. Quickly thought that he would murder him for Alter Ego… for a AI who didn't held any romantic feelings towards him.

As for his friendship with Miss Yasuhiro… is there one in the first place? Does she care about him at all, or does she just see him as a tool? Am I just that easy of a person to manipulate? It was like he was in a nightmare that he would never wake up from.

"Hey Hifumi," The fanfic creator looked up to see Makoto right behind him. "Mind if I join you? It looks like you got a lot on your mind."

After a moment, Hifumi nodded. "Sure, Mr. Naegi. There's actually something I wanted to ask you."

After hearing and seeing confirmation, Makoto went to one of the recliners, one that was previously held by Celeste on the last break. "So, what did you want to ask me?"

"It's… about the first chapter." Hifumi hesitantly approached the topic. He doesn't know how fresh the wound is for Mr. Naegi, but he wished for answers. "How did you feel when you found out that Sayaka betrayed you?"

When Makoto frowned and looked away, the writer felt that he broached a still sensitive topic. But before he could apologize, the luckster softly spoke. "It… hurt. It hurt badly. It's like someone is grabbing at your heart, and there's no way to grab the hand that's doing it."

"After, it was hard for me to trust Sayaka." He continued, gripping his knees. "I couldn't help but wonder if our bond was real. And even if it is, if she would easily discard it when faced with the option. No matter how much I wanted them gone, those thoughts could not leave my head." He faced Hifumi once again. "Is that anyway similar to how you're feeling?"

"Yes… very close, in fact." Hifumi confirmed with a nod. "And… how did you manage to deal with such feelings?"

Makoto sighed. "I accepted that those feelings are gonna stay, probably for a long time. But I wasn't gonna let it affect the bond I have with her now." His eyes glinted with resolve. "I won't let that possibility, these 'what-if' scenarios, destroy the friendship we have now."

He made it sound so easy...so simple..and yet..

"Does Miss Luden- sorry, I mean Miss Yasuhiro and I have a real friendship?" Hifumi couldn't help but ask. "Does she sees as more than a servant for her? Or was it just on my side?"

"You don't have to call her that. I bet she still prefers to be called Celeste." Makoto told him. "As for your questions… that's something you and Celeste need to discuss. I think, even if she doesn't admit it to yourself, the two of you have some sort of bond. And even if you don't…" He gives an optimistic smile. "Well, there's a first for everything I guess."

"I'm thinking... am I really the person I think I am?" Hifumi said, letting out his thoughts. "That maybe, I'm not the hero I think I am. Maybe I can't do the things I think I can do especially after... after that. I keep thinking what if I was being played by everyone? What if I'm just that easy of a character to manipulate? Am I just a NPC?"

Makoto stayed silent for a bit, gathering his thoughts and just soaking in Hifumi's troubles. "I don't think so Hifumi. You're definitely not just a NPC. The 'you' that you've established through your works are proof of that. And maybe you're an NPC to some people, but if you think about it, I think everyone's their own protagonist. Don't most characters in games and such start off as NPCs before becoming allies and party members? I remember from one of those RPGs you recommended me that they can become allies if I put in the work, and I think it's the same in life."

Those words struck Hifumi like lightning, and had him thinking. "I.. I see." Hifumi replied, falling silent and beginning to lose himself in thought once more.

Seeing him thinking, and knowing he needs time to think on it, Makoto quietly got up from his seat. But before he left, he asked one more thing. "By the way, are you planning to talk to Taka?"

Breaking out of his thoughts, the doujin author nodded. "I am. I… owe him an apology." He admitted. "And I'm not gonna be the character type that refuses to admit he's wrong."

"Glad to hear." With another smile, Makoto left Hifumi to his thoughts. Hopefully, he and Taka can make peace with each other. There's enough tension between everyone already.

(With Hina and Sakura)

Despite everyone having left the living room, both Hina and Sakura stayed where they were at. Eventually, they sat back at one of the couches, but that was it. The swimmer couldn't move at the moment, while the martial artist didn't want to leave her friend.

While the two were silent, Sakura thought about her future self's actions. How she was a spy for a mastermind, her fighting and actively resisting him, when Monokuma revealed that he's holding someone hostage.

Or most likely, something. Sakura could think of two possibilities of who/what the bear captured, in order to blackmail her. One was Kenshiro, her love and rival. Another was her family and/or their family dojo. It could even be both.

Either way, she knew that any of those scenarios would get her to comply. And now, seeing that, seeing her own weakness, frustrates her. Even if her dojo was at stake, something she swore her life to protect, she shouldn't have let this control her.

However, she knew that hindsight was 20-20, and she was glad that, at the very least, her future self realize this now.

"I can't believe it…" Hina finally spoke, her voice soft and shaky. It gained Sakura's attention. "It's still so hard to believe that… that you would betray us. That you would work with the mastermind."

"Hina…"

"Who would want to side with that monster? Who would want to kill for him?" Hina continued, fresh tears shining her eyes. "The only person I could imagine Byakuya. But you, you would never. You care about everyone, about all your friends. So… I can't…" The tears slid down her eyes, unable to finish her sentence.

Sakura closed her eyes, cursing her future self for making Hina feel this way. "I'm sorry, Hina." The martial artist said softly. "I wish it wasn't true, either. No matter what the reason, nothing can justify being a mole for the mastermind."

Her words caused Hina to look up. Immediately, she saw the regret and self-loathing on Sakura's face. And that made the swimmer feel guilty. 'Sakura's probably struggling with this info even more than I am.' She thought bitterly. 'And here I am, crying my eyes out, when she needs to be comforted.'

Trying to push her own grief, Hina placed a comforting hand on Sakura's arm. "It's not like you want to work for him." The swimmer stated. "He forced you. Threatened you with something you care about."

"But that does not condone my betrayal of the group."

"You didn't betray anyone, not really!" Hina argued earnestly. "You openly resisted him, fought him! You could've just continued to be a mole for him, but you didn't! And you never did anything to sabotage the group! So please, don't look down on yourself." She ended her request with a pleading look.

Sakura was silent, mulling on Hina's words. After a moment, she nodded. "I'll try, Hina." She brought her friend into a hug, one that she easily recuperated. "Still, I'm sorry that this had hurt you."

"You don't have to be sorry." Hina said in response. "Let just make sure this future never happens."

(With Makoto)

The luckster, who just happened by luck to be passing by quietly, smiled sadly at the two athletic friends before continuing on his way. It was nice to see that they were working things out on their own.

As he walked up the stairs and in the hallway, he thought about who else to talk to. Hiro and Toko probably barricaded themselves in their rooms, even literally so. Byakuya seems to be okay right now, so he shouldn't try to get him to open up. Chihiro doesn't seem to bad, other than the few scares he had from Mondo. Most likely the results of the second chapter.

That left Mondo, who's probably still pissed. Taka, who's probably frustrated with himself. Taeko, who's most likely trying to maintain some sort of control with her emotions. And Mukuro… who's most likely working for the mastermind.

'Don't. Don't think about it now, Makoto.' The luckster thought, shaking his head. 'Just focus on the first three right now.' Pushing thoughts of Mukuro at the back of his head for the time being, he thought about who to talk to.

Before he could think on it further, he heard a door open from behind him. Turning around in curiosity, he was met with a timid Chihiro poking his head out the door. "Chihiro?"

"Hello Makoto." The programmer greeted, coming out of his room. "What are you doing up there?"

"I planned to check up on Mondo, Taka, and Celeste." The luckster answered. He let out a sigh. "This mess took a big toll on those three, as well as Hifumi. I already talked with Hifumi a bit, and I want to help the other three if I can."

"Could I… could I help you then?" Chihiro offered, though his head was lowered towards the ground. "I could talk to Mondo and Taka, while you talk to Celeste."

That caused Makoto to look at the programmer with slight surprised. "Are you sure, Chihiro?" Makoto asked him. "I know that Mondo frightened you a few times. No one would blame you if you want to let him cool off for a bit."

Chihiro flinched a little at the reminder, but held firm. "I… I know. And to be honest, I'm still a bit scared." He admitted. He then looked up to face Makoto. "But… he's still my friend. I want to help him; him and Taka. And I get this feeling that it has to be me. I can't explain it because it doesn't make sense to me but it's there."

Makoto couldn't help but let out a small smile at how fast Chihiro was growing out of his shell. It's moments like these that made Makoto baffled as to how Chihiro came to the conclusion that he's weak. "Alright. Make sure Mondo and Taka are okay fine then, alright?"

Chihiro nodded, determination clear on his face. And with that, the two headed towards their intended destinations.

(With Taka)

Rarely did Taka felt as useless as he does now. The last time he did, it was when he was old enough to understand what had crippled his family. He thought, after committing himself to breaking through that debt with hard work alone, that the feeling of uselessness would leave him.

Yet here he was now, having witnessed the future, where several of classmates died on his watch. Where he himself also died.

The Ultimate Moral Compass was sitting at the edge of his bed. His fists were clenched together, posture stuff, and face twisted with frustration.

Three murders had happened and he had been able to do nothing to prevent them. In fact, even afterwards, he had been able to do nothing but get killed himself.

He had no way of stopping Sayaka from her attempt of murder. No way to convince everyone to share their secret. No chance of stopping Mondo from his crime. The only thing he could've prevented was his own death, but like a fool he was, he walked into it. In fact, it was due to his fascination with Alter Ego that caused his own death.

'Why?' Taka thought, gritting his teeth. 'Why am I so useless? Why wasn't there anything I could've done to stop this? Why am I such a naive fool?' He shut his eyes as tears of frustration started forming.

His self-loathing thoughts were stopped when he heard a knock on the door. Before he could ask who it was, the knocker spoke up. "Taka, its Chihiro." Was the meek voice of Chihiro. "Could I come in for a moment?"

Taka didn't think too long on it before going to the door. Despite wondering whether he wants any company or not, he didn't want to be rude by refusing, or taking too long to answer. So he opened the door, revealing the timid programmer he and Mondo became friends with.

"Is there's something you need, Chihiro?" Taka inquired curiously.

In response, Chihiro shook his head. "I just… wanted to check up on you." He explained. "Seeing your own death must've hit you badly. I should know."

Taka winced at that. "Yes, you would know," He said softly, looking away. "I'm sorry that you have to share that experience."

Chihiro's eyes widen at this. "Taka, we already discussed this. There was nothing you could've-"

"That's why I'm apologizing!" Taka interrupted, drawing a surprised flinch from the programmer. He softened a little at the timid look. "There's nothing I could've done to stop the murders from happening. Not in any of the cases we've witnessed."

"Each time death happened at the end, and there was no way for me to stop it. No way to figure out that a murder was going to happen." He continued, frustration cleared in his voice as he walked back further into his room as to not disturb the others. Chihiro meekly followed suit and closed the door behind him as he listened to Taka rant. "In the third chapter, I walked willingly into Hifumi and Celeste's trap. I can't even say for sure if I could avoid it, if I didn't fall for the trap."

"That's why… I am sorry. I'm sorry for being so useless." He ended that with a low blow, closing his eyes once again to keep the tears from escaping.

For a moment, Chihiro didn't say anything. During that time, Taka kept bowing to him. After that moment, the programmer softly spoke up. "I don't… think you're the only one who feels that way." He told him. "I think there are several of us who feels just as you do. Maybe worse."

Chihiro's words caused Taka to look up. The programmer was looking down, a sad look on his face. "I know I do. I was ready to reveal my secret, ready to change into someone better. And when I went someone to help get a little more courage, I got killed."

But then he faced Taka when determination. "But like I said before, we have a chance to do something now." He stated. "I think we can be better, do better. We've seen the future so we can definitely learn from this and be the people our future selves wanted to be."

Taka took a deep breath, taking in Chihiro's words. Then he nodded in response. "Tha.. That is a very interesting perspective on things Chihiro. Thank you."

"Glad I could help in some way." The programmer responded back, giving a sheepish smile. "I'm not as good as speaking like Makoto. But I wanted to help you and Mondo."

"You've spoken to Mondo?"

"Not yet." Chihiro shook his head. "I went to his room, but he wasn't there. I was going to try to find him."

"Okay, then. I wish you luck." He wanted to join Chihiro, to find and check on Mondo. But he isn't in the best emotional state at the moment, and knows it. So he could only hope for the best between his two friends.

(With Celeste/Taeko)

As soon as she got into her room, Celeste worked on getting back control of her emotions.

The first thing she did was ripping the Monokuma dolls apart. Even stabbed some through the walls.

Next, she got on her bed and performed some calming techniques. Deep breathing, picturing herself calm, questioning her emotions, etc. Eventually, she manages to gather back some element of control, though it was barely. However, she couldn't block out every thought that entered her mind.

She felt like such a hypocrite. Her future self have judged others for giving in to the temptation of escape, yet she did the same thing. Admonish Leon for not stopping when he could, yet planned out not one, but two murders. How could her future self do that? Did she really think that she could win that gamble? Couldn't she have been more patient?

She could hardly understand her future self's reasoning. Yes, she said it was to escape and get her dream castle, but she doubted that it was the whole truth. But she couldn't figure out why else she would do this. It couldn't have been out of desperation. Not due to fear, definitely not.

So why did those thoughts feel so hollow?

She was driven out of her thoughts when she heard a knock on the door. Having a good guess as to who it is, Celeste walked towards the door. When she opened, she was met with the very lucky student she guessed was at the door.

"Hey Celeste," Makoto greeted, deciding to use her preferred name for the time being. "Do you mind if we talk?"

"You want to make sure I'm alright, correct?" Celeste smiled at him. "There's no need. I'm aware that this is only our future. That we're able to keep it from happening, so long as-"

"Celeste, you are the most impressive liar I know," Makoto interrupted, a sad smile on his face. "You're good at masking your emotions, make any convincing expressions…"

"But right now, even I can see through that fake smile of yours."

That last statement wiped the smile right off the gambler's face, and for a moment, Makoto could see what she was really feeling. The stress, frustration, anxiety, and fear. But that moment quickly passed, and the gambler placed her mask on, though it was more neutral now.

She gestured for Makoto to come in, and the luckster followed her in her room. As he closed the door, the gambler sat back down on her bed. "Makoto…" Celeste sighed. "What exactly do you want? My future self's actions isn't justifiable, nor pitiable. My own morals isn't something you could agree with. Do you really think something will come out of us talking?"

"We won't know until we try." Makoto replied, looking serious. "Please Celeste, at least just answer this… do you really think future you tried to escape for your dream?"

Celeste looked away, her fist clenched. "You heard her, didn't you?" She rhetorically asked. "I hated it there. Wanted to escape more than anyone. Staying in the school was in the way of my dream. And I would've done anything to get out, with no remorse."

"I don't believe that." Makoto stated firmly. "She may have hated being there, but not because of what you said. In all honesty, when I think about it, it's hard to believe anyone that acted the way you did would do it out of greed."

"What do you mean, how I acted?" Celeste questioned.

The lucky student tensed, knowing that his gambler is not going to react well. "You saw it for yourself. She was desperate. Frantic. Scared."

For a moment, Celeste frozen. The fragile mask she hold broke once more, and again, Makoto saw those varied emotions. "No… no I wasn't." The gambler denied, her accent shaky. "What was there to be afraid of? What would cause me to act out of desperation?"

"You were afraid of being killed. That someone would come after, and you wouldn't be able to fight back." Makoto answered softly. "Just like how Leon overpowered Sayaka. Like how Mondo took down Chihiro."

"As long as she's smart and careful, there's no need to fear for her life!" Celeste argued. "There's no need to worry about becoming murder!"

"And it easier if our classmates listen to what you have to say, right?" Makoto added, having guessed her line of thinking. "But no one did. Our classmates continued leaving their rooms at night. No one wanted to adapt to their current life, no one listened to you."

It was something he thought about after the chapter ended. He thought about the things Celeste has been doing throughout the chapters, thought about certain reactions she had, thought of certain things she has said. And it led him to this conclusion.

"You wanted control of the situation, but didn't have it. You wanted people to listen to you, but they wouldn't. You attempted to convince yourself that you were safe, but wasn't able to fully believe that." The more Makoto talked, the more tense and emotional Celeste appeared. "Even with Alter Ego, you weren't convinced that everyone could escape. So, seeing no hope and a chance to escape, you chose this seemingly last chance to get out. To survive."

After that, there was silence. The lucky student gave Celeste a forlorn look, while the gambler herself was staring at the floor, eyes wide and body shaking.

"Sorry." Makoto sighed, looking away from her. "This is probably the last thing you want to hear." But he felt like it needed to be said. He turned towards the door. "I'll leave you to your thoughts now. Just… Taeko, stop trying to lie to yourself. Stop wrapping yourself in these lies. It's not gonna change what happen, nor will it help you in the future. And I have a feeling you know that." With that, he opened the door and left the room.

Even when alone, Celeste, or rather, Taeko, felt paralyzed. It's difficult to shut out what Makoto had said. While she wanted to deny it, much of what he said was correct. Probably all of it. She was scared, she wanted to control, and she, out of desperation, committed murder. As much she wanted to say he was wrong, deep in her heart, he knew that he was right.

And it's frustrating to think about.

(With Kyoko)

Once again, Kyoko was in her room, recording everything she had gathered from chapter 3. She briefly thought about going to the rec room for this, but didn't want to risk getting interrupted from her own thoughts.

Like with the previous chapters, very little information was gained. Most of it were little hints from Monokuma and even that could hardly be considered evidence. It frustrates her to no end, gaining so little from these chapters in terms of answers.

'How many more chapters do we have left?' Kyoko mused to herself. 'Will we be able to get enough answers from any of them?' This is something she would have to ask Spirit. Hopefully, he'll answer.

Pushing back her frustration for the time being, she thought about the pieces she did gain. And all of them leads to what's happening in the outside world. Unable to get new magazines. A note, saying 'You must not leave'. Something called The Tragedy.

All of those were hints as to what's happening in the outside world. And those hints, along with the other clues in the previous chapters… doesn't paint a pretty picture. Not at all.

Why was that note written? What is happening in the outside world? What happened within that two year memory gap?

(With Makoto)

The luckster let out a sigh as he walked away from Taeko's room. He's not sure saying all that is going to help. If it's going to affect her in any way. But, he felt that it needed to be said.

He knew that Taeko was going to just wrapped herself in the persona of Celestia Ludenberg. Probably as a reflex, than anything else. But she needs to accept that she was scared. That she was afraid of dying, and was desperate. That… she gave in to the despair of the situation, rather than accept any of the hope given to them.

'I hope my words will help her in some way.' Makoto thought. 'Now, the last person I need to talk to… is Mukuro.'

Unconsciously, he began tensing. He stills remember her reaction to the note he showed her. That reaction most likely confirmed what was said in that note. A part of him still hopes that he was wrong, that he was overthinking things, that it was just her being taken by surprise.

But he has a feeling that it isn't. That note wasn't guesswork from anyone. The person who wrote it was sure that Mukuro is working for the mastermind. And again, he couldn't ignore the brief reaction she gave.

So he had to this. He needs to confront her about it, regardless of what answer she gives. He needs to find out the truth.

(With Junko)

In most cases, Junko would probably be downstairs, enjoying the despair filled air. After all, not only the victims and the culprit are a mess, but Mondo, Hina, and Sakura are as well. Chihiro looks so fearful of Mondo, with Toko and Hiro being very distrustful are the muscle-weight traitor.

However, she didn't. For two reasons. One, most of her classmates locked themselves in their room, so the rec room is probably empty right now, or at least close to it. And two, she needed to think. About everyone's favorite lucky student.

With each chapter they watch, Junko was starting to see just how dangerous Makoto really is to her plan. Despite his plain look, there's something inside him that makes other trusting of him. That would have other let their guards down around them. That fills them with that disgusting hope.

And seeing such a normal boy becoming a major threat, both annoyed her… and excited her. Made her much more eager to break him, to fill him with nothing but despair.

'But what should I do next? What should I do next?' Junko mused to herself, tapping her chin with a finger. She already played a big hand, revealing to him that Mukuro works for her. And it would be boring to do the same thing again. But what else can she do to push him into the arms of despair?

'Perhaps I can sow more of the guilt he carries.' Junko thought, grinning at the thought. Seeing him struggle with the idea that he was the cause of each murder sounds really pleasant in the fashionista's mind. He couldn't stop Sayaka from trying to commit murder. Gave Chihiro an idea that led to his death. Sparked the rivalry between Taka and Hifumi, which Celeste quickly used for her own gain. 'He would be in so much pain!'

Despite the idea sounding pleasant, she decided to think of more ways to break Makoto. She has plenty of time to think.

(With Mukuro)

Ever since the third chapter ended, Mukuro has been wrestling with whether or not to tell Makoto of her involvement with Junko's plan.

However, she couldn't shake of that fear and anxiety that comes with the thought. How would he react? Would be angry with her? Disgusted? Fearful? The thought of the luckster having any of those reactions, especially the last one, twisted her stomach.

How would Junko react if she finds out? Would she do something drastic? Would she try to harm Makoto? The soldier didn't know what she would do if her sister would try to hurt Makoto.

All these 'what-if' thoughts only serve to further made her anxious. Even when she trying telling herself that Makoto isn't like that, and that Junko wouldn't do anything with Spirit and their classmates around, it didn't let up the unease sinking in her gut.

'Could I… could I really do this?' Mukuro thought pessimistically, staring at her Fenrir tattoo once again. 'Can I really reveal the truth to Makoto?'

She couldn't help but curse her indecisiveness and fear. Even now, when she knew that Makoto will confront her about this, she's still so terrified of his reaction. How could she call herself a soldier, when thoughts like these petrified her?

However, all thoughts left her mind when she heard a sound that filled her with absolute dread. The sound of someone knocking.

'Is that… Makoto? Is he here to talk?' Slowly, she got herself off the bed and mechanically walked to the door. A part of her hoped that it wasn't Makoto. That it was one of her classmates, or possibly Spirit. Even Junko would be better than facing the luckster right now.

However, no such luck was with her, and when she opened the door, she was face to face with the lucky student. "Hey Mukuro," Makoto greeted, giving a small smile. "Mind if we talk?"

She wanted to say yes. She wanted to push it off as far off as possible. But the rational part, the one that knew she can't keep running away, kept her from doing that. "About the note?"

"About the note." The luckster confirmed with a nod.

Taking a deep breath, Mukuro nodded and opened the door further. "Come inside. I… would rather not have anyone else hear this."

"I would imagine." When Makoto entered inside, the soldier closed the door and went back to her bed. Slowly, the luckster went towards the bed as well, and sat a few feet beside her.

For a moment, there was just awkward, tense silence between the two. Mukuro still couldn't bring herself to breach the topic any further, while Makoto was trying to figure out what to say. After a moment, the latter of the two finally decided to ask, "Is it true?"

His question caused Mukuro to tense. When she didn't answer, Makoto turned to face her. "Are you… conspiring with the Mastermind? Do you work for them?"

Again, the soldier said nothing. Seeing her clamped up made Makoto frown. "Mukuro, please talk to me."

'I… can't.' Mukuro thought to herself. She tried moving her lips, tried to say something, anything. But her entire body felt frozen and she bit her lip instead. 'I'm too scared.'

"Can you say something? Anything?" Makoto pleaded with her. "Mukuro, please. I just want the truth."

"Do… do you believe it?" She managed to ask him. "Do you believe that I'm working for them?" Although her intent wasn't to look threatening, being put on the spot has made her unconsciously slip back into what was most comfortable for her: looking like she's ready to kill.

'Why am I such a coward right now?' She cursed herself once again, unaware that her death stare was only intensifying. 'Why can't I admit to my crimes? He deserves the truth.' But she couldn't bring herself to do it. She's too scared of his reaction, afraid that he would stay away from her out of fear, just afraid, afraid, afraid-

"I… can't ignore the growing possibility that it's true." Makoto admitted, looking away. "Your reaction to the note, and your reaction now, just all but confirms that your working alongside them."

That caused a flinch from the soldier. But before she could spiral into pessimism, Makoto continued. "But even so… I want to believe in you."

Those words finally caused Mukuro's gaze to relax and focus. Light blue eyes pleading for help opposite of the determined hazel ones.

"Whether or not you're with them, I still believe you're a good person at heart! You've shown to care about others, including yesterday. You've shown to be more than just a soldier who follows orders."

"You're my friend! And like future me said, friends believe in each other!" Makoto said, flashing an all too familiar smile. "So please… tell me the truth. Believe in me."

Mukuro couldn't help but stare at him in shock and awe. Despite the evidence, despite her silent reaction, he's still think that she's a good person. He still view her as a friend. 'I don't deserve your friendship.' She thought. 'Nor the belief you have in me.'

Despite those thoughts, she gathered up her courage… and began telling him the truth.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 67: Break Chapter 3 Part 2

"What you saw on that note is true. I am working for the mastermind."

Mukuro's admittance caused Makoto to take a deep breath, before exhaling. He's not surprised. Not at all. After seeing the various reactions Mukuro had, it was clear that she was at least involved with the schemes. In fact, he's happy that Mukuro is telling him the truth, rather than try to lie.

Still, that didn't stop the hurt. The sense of betrayal he felt, similar to what he felt with Sayaka. "How long?" Was his next question.

"Right before I entered Hope's Peak." Mukuro answered, looking away from him. "Around the time I left Fenrir, and got back to Japan."

"Just…. why?"

"Cause I owe them." Was all Mukuro could say. "I owe them a debt that I can never repay."

Another shaky breath left Makoto's lip. "And… why does the mastermind want us dead? Why do they want us to kill each other?" The look in his eyes made it clear that he's desperate for answers. "Why us, of all people?"

Mukuro took a deep breath herself, knowing these questions aren't at all simple to answer. "There's two reasons for that." She started. "The mastermind wants despair to spread all across the world. And not only that, but they want Hope's Peak, the beacon of hope, to be the origin of that despair.

"Bringing any dark secrets to light, bringing the students down to their lowest, having some even join their side…" The soldier listed off. "Whatever they can do to bring despair through Hope's Peak, they'll do it. Having students of Hope's Peak, the young and brightest, kill each other could do just that."

Throughout her explanation, Makoto was getting more and more horrified. His face was ghostly white, eyes filled with terror, and his body shaking.

"As for why Class 78th specifically… I'm not sure." Was the lie that came out of Mukuro's mouth. "Could be just chance. Maybe our class was the easiest to grasp. Probably because they have the most information about you all… thanks to me."

'What am I doing?' The soldier thought to herself. 'Why am I still lying to him? Why am I hiding Junko's involvements?'

Thankfully, Makoto didn't take any notice of that particular inner conflict. "I see… so we're just unlucky." Letting out a shaky breath, he asked the next thing. "Who are they? Who is the mastermind?"

At this, Mukuro clammed up. Despite ousting herself as a spy, despite what the future Junko, and the current one, did and say… she couldn't bring herself to do it. She can't bring herself to betray her sister.

When he saw her being tight lipped again, he frowned. "Mukuro, please, don't be silent now. Who's the one controlling the mastermind?"

Again, silence was his answer. "Are you really still loyal to them?" The lucky student asked, anguish in his voice. "Even after seeing what they did? After seeing them kill you?"

Again, he was met with silence, but this time, the soldier looked away. Confliction and shame was written on her face.

"I… I see." She winced when she saw a flash of hurt on his face, but quickly, it was replaced with resigned understanding. "Look like it's more than just a debt then." A sad smile entered his face. "You don't open up to just anyone, but when you do, you give them your loyalty. That's one of the good things about you."

Taking another deep breath, the luckster stood up from his spot on the bed. "But, if everything you say is true… then you put your loyalty to the wrong person." Makoto faced her with a serious expression. "You know that the mastermind's goal is evil, no matter how you look at it. And you saw what they did to you, saw how they treated that loyalty. They don't deserve it."

His words earned a look of anguish from the soldier. If only it was that simple. If only she could just say that Junko doesn't deserve any loyalty.

"I meant what I said before; you're more than just a soldier that follows orders, that only fights till they die." Makoto continued. "You're a classmate, a sister, a friend; so please, don't stay loyal to that bastard. Not when they merely see you as a tool, that they can easily throw away." With that said, Makoto slowly walked away and head to the door.

However, right as he grabbed the knob, he stopped. "I won't tell the others. Not yet, at least." He promised her. "I'll let you have the chance to tell them yourself, if the future doesn't reveal that. But either way, I'll stand by your side if I have to." With that, he opened the door and left, leaving Mukuro to her thoughts.

And those thoughts weren't pretty. 'I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.' She thought repeatedly to the person who expanded her small world. 'BUt I can't. I can't betray her. Not after abandoning her once already.' Despite Junko's betrayal, despite knowing that it's probably the very thing her sister would want from her, she couldn't bring herself to dissolve all loyalty towards her. And she hates herself for it.

(With Chihiro)

After checking on Taka, Chihiro went to the rec room to see if he was in there. When he only saw Sayaka, Leon, and Hifumi, he was prepared to check upstairs again, maybe thinking he wasn't answering his door, when he noticed another door at the far corner of the room. One that doesn't lead to the bathroom.

Curious, he walked over there and opened to look inside. What he was met with was a gym, a fairly large one with various high quality workout equipment. As the programmer looked around, he quickly conclude that Spirit probably created. Whether he did it now, or beforehand, and the class just didn't notice it, he can't say for sure.

He was brought out of his thoughts when the sound of hard punching entered his ears. He saw Mondo, around the middle of the room, punching a punching bag of Monokuma. Even from a distance, he could see the rage emanating off the biker's entire body.

That made the programmer nervous to get near him. But he pushed back that nervousness and slowly walked towards his biker friends.

With each step, the punches got louder and louder, making Chihiro more and more tense. He stopped when he was around six to eight feet away from him, unable to someone the courage to get closer. Thankfully, by the time he got close, Mondo stopped to take a heavy breather.

"You're here to check on me?" Chihiro jolted a little at the fact Mondo addressed, having thought he was too focused on the punching bag to noticed him. Despite his surprise, he nodded. "Huh. Would've thought Makoto would be alongside you, at least."

"H-He's checking on some of the others." The programmer replied back, fidgeting a little. "I figured I could help. And I just wanted to make sure you and Taka is okay."

"How is bro?" Mondo inquired.

"He's pretty frustrated with what's happening." Chihiro replied, looking down sadly. "That he couldn't do anything to stop us from killing or getting killed."

The biker sighed. "That's just like bro to gripe over shit he can't control." He said softly. "He shouldn't blame himself. We made our choices. Some even made up their mind about it." The biker clenched his fist tightly. "And there's no way he could've predicted what that bitch would've done. Who the fuck would think that any of us would kill somebody for money?!"

Chihiro flinched at the angry aura Mondo was emitting. He didn't forget about what happened at chapter two, far from it. It was still very fresh in his mind. But he's not gonna abandon Mondo, not when he promised Makoto that he will help him.

So, steeling himself as much as possible, he spoke up once again. "Um, I understand why you're angry." He started off. "What Celeste did was wrong. And Hifumi shouldn't have easily believed her. But… you can't let that anger get the best of you."

Mondo gritted his teeth at that. "Should I forget what they did then?" He asked in retort. "Forget that fat bastard easily believe that Taka is scum? That the bitch was the one to frame him and set him up to die? Should I forget forget about all of that?!"

"N-No!" Chihiro stuttered out, shaking his head in denial. "You shouldn't forget anything we saw, and will see. But… you should forgive them." His last sentence caused Mondo to freeze. "You… should talk to them, work things out. The murders hasn't happened yet, and-"

"I should… forgive them?" This time, the programmer froze, hearing the sheer venom in the biker's icy tone. "Forgive them for framing my friend? For killing my brother?"

For a moment, Mondo just stood there, unresponsive. Then, right as that moment passed, he punched the floor under him; Forming a loud smash, as well as a large crack. "FUCK THAT!" He yelled in fury. "Fuck forgiveness! Fuck that bitch, and the loyal lapdog following her! She did something that she won't ever take back, for money! For a fucking castle! For a goddamn, empty dream! How the hell are you supposed to forgive shit like that?! I CAN'T EVEN FULLY FORGIVE MYSELF FOR WHAT MY FUTURE SELF HAD DONE!"

He then stopped, taking in deep, angry breaths. His eyes were bloodshot, and veins were popping out around them. When he heard nothing from Chihiro, he slowly turned. What he saw knocked him out of his angry state.

The petite boy was as white as a sheet, his eyes wide with terror. He was on his butt, with his arms propping himself up. The terrified eyes was staring directly at the formerly angry biker.

Guilt was then set into Mondo. He inwardly cursed himself for losing it. He saw the consequences of his anger, saw what it led to, even fucking punch Makoto when lost it, and this is what he does? But he couldn't help it. The thought of his bro death, of the ones that killed him, caused his unbridled fury to come up.

Slowly, he got up, drawing a flinch from Chihiro at the movement. He looked away from his small friend guiltily. "Just… go, Chihiro." He said softly, sounding defeated. "I just need some… time to myself."

At first, the programmer didn't do anything. Then, he slowly got up from the floor, his eyes not leaving Mondo. Before he left, however, he shakily said one more thing. "Forgiving those two… it's not for them." He told him. "It's… for you."

He flinched when the biker turned towards him, but forced himself to press on. "You can't let that anger, for them and for yourself, continue to grow." He said. "You need… to let it go. Or else, you'll be doing what the mastermind wants."

Saying what he wanted, he turned and quickly left. He would've stayed longer, to see Mondo's reaction to his word, but he couldn't stay around him any longer. Flashbacks of chapter two just kept showing up, whenever he sees Mondo's fury. He wished it didn't, he wished he could overcome it, but no matter what he does… he still gets terrified when he saw his friend so angry.

(With Makoto)

After his talk with Mukuro, he spent time in his room, lying on his bed, just… thinking.

He can't imagine why Mukuro would be so loyal to the mastermind. From what she said, and from what they saw of Monokuma, this guy is a bloodthirsty maniac, hellbent on burning down the world around them. How could anyone stay side-by-side with someone like that? Only someone with the same mindset would partner up with them.

And he very much doubt that Mukuro is like that. Call him naive, but while she is a soldier, she isn't someone that enjoys killing. None of her traits even indicates that she's the malicious type.

She's not a coward either. She wouldn't be the Ultimate Soldier if she was. She's probably one of the strongest girls he knew, alongside Sakura and Kyoko.

The only thing he could think of is that debt she mentioned. If it is, it's definitely not just a simple debt. Otherwise, Mukuro wouldn't be so reluctant to reveal the mastermind. So does it have something to do with Fenrir? Or with her and Junko? Perhaps both?

And speaking of Junko… 'I guess that explains why Junko wasn't in the killing game.' The lucky student thought. Most likely Mukuro asked the mastermind to keep Junko out of this. If her sister was in there, he couldn't imagine Mukuro sticking to the killing game. If there's something he's confident in, is that the soldier is devoted to her twin first and foremost.

Despite these thoughts, however, the conclusion he's coming to doesn't feel right. It's like trying to complete a puzzle with the wrong pieces. But if it isn't the debt, what else is there? Why would Mukuro align herself with Monokuma? As the luckster continued thinking, a gnawing feeling entered his stomach, one that was growing ever so slowly…

Thankfully for him, his train of thought stopped when he heard a knock on the door. He looked at the door curiously, jumping off the bed and walking over, thinking about who could it be. Is Sayaka or Leon checking up on him? Maybe Mukuro wanted to tell him something else?

But it wasn't any of those guesses. When he opened the door, he was face to face with Taeko, who not only had her pigtails unclipped from her hair, but is also wearing a black nightgown.

The sight of the nightgown surprised the luckster. 'How long have been just thinking?'

"Do you mind if I come in?" Taeko asked, her accent absent from her voice.

"Um, sure. I don't mind." Makoto moved to the side and let the gambler come in his room. "Is there something wrong? Do you need to talk about something?"

"I just… want to talk." Taeko sighed, taking a seat on Makoto's bed. Hesitantly, the luckster went over and sat beside her.

For a moment, there was just silence between the two. Taeko had a morose look on her face, while Makoto was nervous yet curious, wondering what she wanted to say. "You're right." Was the first thing she said. "About wanting control, wanting that sense of safety, my whole motivation…"

"I mean, who wouldn't want control when you're put in a situation like that?" She asked rhetorically. "Knowing that people would follow meant that I could sleep soundly at night. I didn't have to worry about anything. Is it really so much to ask for a sense of safety?"

It took Makoto a moment to realize that Taeko was coming back to their previous conversation. Despite the realization, he stayed silent, not wanting to disturb her train of thought.

"Its… its hard, Makoto." Taeko whispered in admittance, her voice low. "When you, who were so used to having everything under control, so used to being able to read the situation at any given moment, suddenly put into a scenario where you don't know anything anymore. When everyone just keeps doing their own thing. It felt like I was blind and deaf, and I didn't know what to do."

"No one's blaming you for that, Taeko." Makoto said, sympathizing with her. "We all felt the same."

"But it's different for me, ok?" The gambler retorted. "I can't say for sure how exactly I felt in there, but I can imagine that I was constantly thinking that I could become the next victim. People would do anything when they're desperate, and the money... when I saw the money, I couldn't help myself. I had to do something."

Once again, Makoto fell silent, to which Taeko continued on.

"I'm not fond with what my future self did. But I definitely understand why she did it." She sighed. "Even as I watched her, I felt more relieved that I had some control of the situation. The lies, the manipulation, the false accusations… all of it probably gave some sense of control. Something I desperately needed. Being in the dark, not knowing what could happen next… that was something I didn't want to put up with anymore. And everything was going perfectly. I had that control… at least until Hifumi coughed up my name. Then it all went wrong."

"Shit hit the fan and everything from there went south. All because I wanted some form of control. Even up to my execution." Taeko finished bitterly.

"Y-You're execution?"

"Yeah. After the trial was over, future me probably knew that things would be it for me." Taeko reasoned. "So I did the one thing I could, to at least be comfortable. Slipped back into being Celeste, and accepted my fate, burning at the stake. But even then, the fucking bear to ruin even that by throwing a firetruck at me!"

"I.. I think I understand what you're getting at..." Makoto said, not needing an explanation to an execution.

"Yeah. Just when you thought things were ending one way, he decides to give me a fuck you on the way out." She mumbled out angrily, landing on the bed with a huff. "That's all I wanted to tell you. I just needed all that off my chest."

"O-Oh. Glad I could help, I guess." Makoto responded, not sure if that helped or not. "But are you su-"

"I am." Taeko turned her head to give Makoto a fake smile. Her Celestia Ludenberg persona was placed back on. "No need to worry so much anymore."

Again, Makoto could see through that fake smile. But he can tell that Taeko, or rather Celeste now, probably isn't gonna budge, so he didn't call it out. He just hoped the gambler will be able to move past this.

He hopes everyone can move past all this.

(Morning)

Almost no one was able to get a good night's rest. Whether it's trying to figure out the mystery around Danganronpa, or just anxiety eating them from the inside, no one could sleep. Because of that, it took awhile for everyone to come downstairs for the next chapter.

The first students to come were Makoto, Sayaka, Leon, Taka, and Kyoko, with the first four looking weary or nervous. Chihiro, Sakura, and Hina came down soon after, with the martial artist being the only one with any sort of composure.

The eight were silent as they wait for the others. It was an uncomfortable silence, one that had the Ultimates squirming uncomfortably in their seats, and moving their eyes around the area.

Finally, unable to take it anymore, Leon spoke up, "Hey girls, I was wondering," He began, drawing the group's attention. "What was the punishment you made for Makoto? I was too busy nursing my bruises to hear anything."

For a moment, a few owlish looks was his answer, before Makoto blushed while Sayaka giggled. Hina also let out a giggle while Kyoko smirked a little. "We were planning to make him our maid." The idol blinked.

Now Leon was the one blinking owlishly. A few seconds later, he burst out laughing. "No way! Seriously?"

"Yep. And he would either have to wear a regular maid costume, or my pop idol outfit." Sayaka continued as Makoto's face got redder.

That got Leon to laugh even harder. "Blackmail material, right there!" After calming himself down, he asked, "So you plan on doing it now?"

At this, the smile on Sayaka face fell and shook her head. "No, I don't think so. Or at least I think we shouldn't" She said. "It wouldn't be appropriate, considering everything we've seen."

"But it could relieve some tension." Makoto spoke up in surprising support of the idea. "I'm willing to do it, just so the air won't be so tense."

That brought a small smile back on Sayaka's face. "That sweet of you Makoto, really." She told him. "But I think you suffered more than enough punishment."

"I would have to agree with Sayaka." Kyoko voiced her own opinion. "Your future was put through the ringer quite a few times; one of those times being from me."

"Same here." Hina spoke up. "I mean, you got punched by Mondo just because you were trying to calm him down. I would feel guilty if I put you through another punishment."

Makoto rubbed the back of his head, not knowing what to say or feel about it. Though a small part is relieved that he didn't have to be in a skirt. "Th-Thanks." He decided to say.

Before anything else could be said, another person came down the stairs. That person was none other than Celeste, dressed in her gothic lolita outfit as per usual.

The slightly warm air went cold and tense as the eight regarded the gambler. Leon and Chihiro turned away uncomfortably, Kyoko, Taka and Sakura regarded her with caution or stoicism, and Hina and Sayaka just gave her slight glares.

Only Makoto was able to treat her with any sort of friendliness. "Hey Celeste," He greeted, trying to ignore the tension between everyone. "Had a good sleep?"

"I slept fine, thank you." The gambler then sat back into her recliner, stiff as a board. Again, the room was filled with tense and awkward silence.

Hifumi came next, and when he did, his and Celeste's eyes met for a moment. Quickly, they both turned away, both of them uncomfortable, though the gambler hid any awkwardness. Then the fanfic creator turned towards Taka, gazing at him briefly, before quickly getting back into his seat.

Makoto grimaced at the thin air around the room. From the looks of it, Hifumi hasn't talked to Taka or Celeste yet, and like he suspected, Celeste isn't completely okay yet. The others are either awkward, stiff, or hostile towards the gambler.

Speaking of those hostile to her, Mondo was the next to come down, looking pretty grumpy. When he saw Celeste, his already irritant look got even worse. However, he didn't say anything to her, and merely passed by her quickly before sitting down with Taka and Chihiro. The latter flinched when Mondo got near, but stopped himself from moving away.

Hiro and Toko was the next to come down. When they glanced at Sakura and Hina's couch nervously, the latter responded with a fierce glare. That brought a flinch from both and they quickly went to their seats. Right after, Mukuro came down, and went to her own recliner. When she glanced at Makoto, the lucky student responded with a small smile back.

Byakuya was the second to last to come down. Many eyed him with same awkwardness, stoicism, or aggravation as they did with Celeste, but he ignored them and sat down. Finally, Junko was the last to come down, looking like the only one who had a decent amount of sleep.

"Well, this looks awkward." Was the blunt of comment of the Ultimate Fashionista. "Everyone looks like a bomb is about to go off any minuted."

"Th-That an understatement." Toko grumbled bitterly. "You're lucky that your future s-self isn't in this k-killing game."

"Yeah, I guess I am." Junko then got onto her usual recliner next to Mukuro. "So, ready to start the next chapter?"

"Before we do, there's a few questions I want to ask…" Kyoko spoke up, turning her attention to their host.

In response, he shrugged. "Sure, ask away. No guarantee I'll fully answer them all."

"How many chapters do we have left?"

"Counting this one? Three more." Spirit answered. "Plus an epilogue."

That caused blood to run cold among the students. "B-But, there's only seven of us left." Chihiro pointed out fearfully. "Even if it's just one person, and one blackened for each chapter… at the end of it, there will only be one person left."

"Are… are all of us really gonna get killed?" Hina questioned, shaking as she wrapped her arms around herself. "Are we going to keep killing each other until only one of us is left?"

The thought terrified the group, especially those who are left. Even Byakuya felt himself tense at the thought.

Kyoko, however, kept her feelings hidden easily. "And are you sure this watching will give us enough information on the future?"

"Plenty." Was the immediate answer of their host. "I'm not gonna go into specifics. But these chapters will give you more than enough to work with to prevent this future."

"I see." Kyoko inclined her head gratefully at this. "Then let's continue."

"Wait! Are we really gonna continue this?" Hiro cried out, holding his head. "We just heard that only one of us will survive! The rest of us will be murdered or executed! I don't wanna see myself die!"

"If we don't, then that very thing will happen fool." Byakuya retorted sharply. "You will have to live out that very scenario!"

"W-We know, but…" Chihiro clenched his knees tightly, a very conflicted look on his face. "Do we have to watch nearly all of us die? See us kill each other until only one of us is left?"

"The other option is our death." Sakura said quietly. "We may have gain some information, but not enough to defend ourselves from whatever the future may hold. We need to know all that we can, to keep the very thing from happening."

Everyone was quiet at that. None of them could find an argument to that, as they all know that what she said is true. Still, there were looks on several faces that says that they would rather not go through anymore of this.

This time, Makoto felt the need to speak up. "We can't give up now." He began, drawing the group's attention. "I know this is scary. Watching what our future selves do, seeing us being brought to our lowest points, seeing our own deaths… it just scary to even think about."

"And it's hard to hold on to the hope that things will get better for the survivors. That we'll get the information needed to stop all this from happening, and especially the hope that no one else would kill or be killed." Taking a deep breath, the luckster continued. "But just because we have three chapters left, doesn't mean death is gonna be the end result!"

"Can we really go through this with that naive viewpoint, Makoto?" Byakuya questioned, ignoring any glares given to him. "The first three chapters ended with a murder, trial, and execution. What makes you think this won't end the same way, especially with Sakura's questioned loyalty?"

"You think Sakura is a traitor too?!" Hina glared at the heir fiercely.

But he was unperturbed. "What I'm saying is that we've seen classmates, even the seemingly loyal ones, turn on each other." He said crisply.

"I agree, Byakuya. The last three trials did ended that way." Makoto reluctantly conceded. "And it's a likely chance that the others will as well. Still… I want to believe that the remainder of our future selves learned from others' mistakes."

"I know I would never kill anybody, no matter what is presented to me." The more he speaks, the more passion that was put to his voice. "Kyoko wouldn't either. Hina is one of the kindest people in our class, and despite what any of us think about Hiro, we all know he isn't the malicious type. Toko faints at the site of one drop of blood, while Jack only kills cute males. Sakura openly resisted the mastermind, despite aligning with him at the start! And Byakuya… while your future self openly supported the killing game, I know you're smart enough not to kill anyone. You would be the first to be suspected out of all of us at this point!

"So I believe, at this point, it's only getting harder and harder for the mastermind to get us killing each other!" The luckster concluded his reasoning. "But at the chance it does happen… that should only give us the incentive to stop this future; to stop the mastermind before they can even create their plan; to stop this killing game from ever happening!"

By the end of his speech, many of the students felt somewhat rejuvenated. They weren't as high spirited as they were in the beginning, but their eyes and faces held glints of determination to get through this.

At the same time, the group were once again amazed at their lucky student's never ending amount of optimism. They all can't help but wonder, how could anyone be this optimistic? Still have so much courage to move forward, despite what they saw? Be this… hopeful?

Junko is wondering the same thing. And once again, she was reminded of how dangerous Makoto is looking to be her plans of despair. 'No one can be filled with that much disgusting hope.' The fashionista thought to herself. 'Let see how long you can hold on to it… just a few pushes should lead you to the path of despair.'

As Makoto relaxed back into the couch, Kyoko gave a small, proud smile. 'That optimism of his never ceases to amaze me. Still though…' She gazed around the room, to see while everyone looks ready to continue, there was still some tension or nervous looks. 'I don't his speech manage to get rid of all the tension. There's still a lot of unspoken words between several of us.'

"So, are you all ready now?" Spirit asked them all. When he got nods all around the room, he played the TV. "Alright, then. Here is chapter four."

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 68: Watching Chapter 4: All Star Apologies Part 1

As the screen slowly lit up, the first thing shown was a flashback of Sayaka's death. "Leon killed Sayaka…"

The sight of her corpse caused Sayaka to flinch and instinctively wrap her arms around Makoto's, while Leon gritted his teeth with his hands balled up into fists, a scowl on his face. The anguish from the painful memory also caused Makoto to look away.

Then it showed a flashback of Junko's death. "Monokuma killed Junko…"

This time, Junko 'flinched' while Mukuro clenched her legs tightly.

Next was Leon's execution. "Then Leon got executed…"

Color was lost on the baseball player's skin, as he shut his eyes tightly, with Sayaka flinching again in guilt.

Then Chihiro's murder. "Then Mondo killed Chihiro…"

Chihiro whimpered and curled up once again, while Mondo flinched, his head bowed.

Then Mondo's execution. "And then he got executed…"

Taka flinched and looked away from the scene, while his biker friend hardly reacted to it. Chihiro shut his eyes tight as tears build up in his eyes.

Then Hifumi and Taka's murders. "Hifumi killed Taka… then Celeste killed Hifumi…"

It was Hifumi's turn to flinch, while Taka merely closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. Mondo let out an angry growl, while Celeste schooled her features, not showing any reaction.

And finally, Celeste's execution. "Then she got executed…"

Again, the gambler kept her gaze neutral, though she looked away. If her skin wasn't already white, some would've noticed her blood running cold.

The screen then turned black. "And that brings us up to now…" The screen then lit back up, to show Sakura, Hina, Hiro, Kyoko, and Makoto, sitting in the dining hall together. "The next morning, in the dining hall… the day after Celeste's case…"

"Only five of us remaining…" Taka spoke solemnly. "Only five that survived and remained together… with two others separated from the group…"

The determination they managed to build was close to breaking now. Memories of the murders and executions played in everyone's head, especially the victims and culprits themselves.

"So now there's only five of us here…" Hina said sadly, looking close to crying.

"Only a third of the number of people we started with…" Hiro moaned, also looking miserable.

"Loneliness has become commonplace." Kyoko said.

"That's true…" Sakura sighed in agreement.

Makoto was silent, meanwhile, his gaze on Sakura. 'Still…' He thought to himself. 'What did I see yesterday?' A flashback of Sakura's and Monokuma's staredown was shown. 'I don't understand… Sakura is the mastermind's spy? Can that really be true?'

Now the tension built up at the reminder. While only Hiro and Toko were suspicious of Sakura, it was enough to make Hina tense and protective of Sakura. Byakuya also held some suspicion, his eyes narrowed at the screen.

Sakura, who saw the lucky student lost in thought, asked, "Makoto, are you okay?"

"Ah-!" Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he quickly answered. "N-No, I'm fine…!"

'I can't bring it up in front of the others.' Makoto thought to himself. 'If I did that… it would just confuse everyone that much more.' He was unaware of Kyoko's lavender coloured eyes aimed at him.

"That's a good point." Taka agreed with a small nod. "Considering our reactions here, it probably wouldn't be the best idea to bring it up so soon."

"Still, it isn't something he should be hiding." Byakuya argued. "Wasn't Makoto the one speaking about trust and believing in each other not too long ago?"

"It's not that I don't trust the others." Makoto protested. "I do. But I also believe in Sakura as well. That's why my future self wants to talk to her first before saying anything else to the others."

"I'm glad that you still have some faith in me, Makoto…" Sakura said, a small smile of gratitude.

The luckster returned the smile with his own. "Your my friend, Sakura, and you're the strongest and most honourable person here. Of course I would still trust you…" That caused the martial artist's smile to go a bit wider, with her best friend also beaming gratefully.

"He might not be able to hide it for long." Junko commented on, drawing the attention of the others. "Kyoko there has him in her sight…"

"Oh. Yeah, should've seen that coming." Leon remarked. "Makoto was never good at lying."

"Y-Yeah…" The luckster rubbed his head sheepishly, unable to deny that. He can keep secrets if needed, but an outright lie is hard for him to do.

"Okay!" Slapping her cheeks a couple of times, Hina got herself out of her down mood. "In that case, let's eat till we pass out!"

"Whaddya mean, 'in that case'?" Hiro asked in confusion.

"Well, cuz look how scary everyone looks!" Hina pointed out. "It's gotta be cuz you're all fighting on empty stomachs, right? If you fill your belly, I'm sure you'll all cheer up! So, let's eat!" An eager smile then entered her lip. "Let's fry up some fish and donuts, and eat till we can't stand up!"

"That's like a Deep Impact style, meteor impact, extinction level event combination of foods…!" Hiro exclaimed.

"What?!" Hina tilted her head in confusion at his reaction. "Those are both breakfast top sellers!"

Slowly, the mood began lifting somewhat as they watch Hina get pump for breakfast. "There's our Hina." Sayaka giggled as she held Makoto's arm for comfort. "Always thinking with her stomach when sad."

"Hey!" Hina protested, pouting. "I don't always eat when sad! I do it when I'm happy and celebrating too!"

"Doesn't help your case, Hina…" Makoto pointed out with his chuckle. That caused the swimmer to pout even more, especially when others sent amused looks towards her.

"Still, the 'till we can't stand up' part is a problem." Kyoko pointed out, though she had a small smile on her face. "After we're done, we need to go explore."

"That's right." Sakura nodded in remembrance. "Since the class trial is over, new areas should have opened up…"

"Plus, we still have Alter Ego." Kyoko added. "We don't have to give in to despair just yet."

"Oh right." Chihiro said in realization. "Alter Ego did say that the files should open soon. As early as tomorrow, he said."

"A trip to the next floor, and some major info about the school." Hiro listed off. "That should lift our spirits up."

"Ignoring the fact that the floor only opened up because one of our classmates decided to murder…"

"Junko!" Makoto exclaimed, turning towards the fashionista. "You didn't have to say that!"

"Sorry, sorry!" She held up her hands in defense. "I was just saying, that's all."

Kyoko's narrowed her eyes towards Junko. That girl has been making a lot of unnecessary remarks. Is there a reason? Or does not realize what she's saying?

"She's right…" Makoto spoke up in agreement. "We have to plan ahead and think about the future!"

"Yeah, yeah! Think happy thoughts! Not deathly thoughts!" Hina chirped.

"Like when we're gonna get outta here, right?" Hiro brought up. "When this is all over… I think I wanna get reborn for serious. Er - I mean, reborn AS someone serious…"

"Didn't Miss Asahina say no deathly thoughts?" Hifumi pointed out. "Rebirth is along the lines of deathly thoughts."

"Um, are you okay Hiro?" Chihiro asked, worried. "You're not thinking about suicide, are you? If it's about us making fun of you, or our accusations from before…"

"I didn't mean it like that!" Hiro protested before the programmer could continue. "I just meant, I wanted to become a more serious and mature person."

"Like that will be possible." Byakuya snarked. "You'll need to gain intelligence to have any sort of growth."

The fortune teller hung his head at that. "You suck, Byakuya. For real…"

"Hey, are you okay?" Hina asked, looking startled and concerned. "That sounds like something someone who's about to die would say…"

"I'm totally okay! I'm not gonna die!" Hiro declared happily. "Why? Cuz there ain't gonna be any more murders!"

"Huh? What makes you so sure?" Hina asked him.

"I predicted last night! Since it revealed itself to me from the ether, there's no doubt about it!" Hiro explained.

"...I know this may sound stupid, but for once, I'm hoping Hiro's right about this." Leon said with a sigh.

"That doesn't sound stupid, Leon." Sayaka reassured him. "I hoping for the same."

"Agreed."

"Same here."

"I really hope so."

"For once, let one of his predictions be right."

"...How accurate is your fortune telling, anyway?" Sakura inquired.

"I can usually hit twenty or thirty percent on a good day!" The fortune teller said proudly.

"That seems… really low." Hina pointed out.

"Well, yeah! It's not like it's ESP or whatever. Of course I'm only gonna get it right sometimes!" Hiro explained.

"Still, for someone called the Ultimate Clairvoyance, we've expected a success rate much higher." Mukuro pointed out. "Fifty percent, at the very least."

"There's no way any fortune teller could be that accurate!"

"Why Hope's Peak saw any value in this waste of a skill, I'll never guess…" The Togami heir huffed.

"I told you, my fortune telling isn't like some occult thing!"

"Fortune-telling… isn't occult?" Hina repeated in befuddlement.

"Of course not! Clairvoyance is clairvoyance!" Hiro stated angrily. "Don't put it in the same category as cattle mutilation!"

"Cattle… what?" Hina asked, looking even more confused.

The future Hina wasn't the only one looking befuddled. "What the hell is Hiro talking about now?" Leon asked.

"I think Kyoko is about to explain." Makoto said, pointing at the screen.

"He's referring to the urban legend where aliens abduct cows and dissect them as part of their research." Kyoko told the group.

For a moment, there were looks of understanding, before the group looked even more confused. "How the hell does that connect to the occult?" Mondo questioned. "That sounds more like sci-fi to me."

"It is sci-fi." Hifumi confirmed, looking just as confused.

"And another question: How did Kyoko manage to get that from what he said?" Leon asked, looking at the detective incredulously.

She merely shrugged in response. "It's the only logical conclusion, considering his beliefs and personality."

"True enough." Makoto nodded in agreement. Hiro is pretty gullible, and believe in some out of this world stuff.

"No…! You're calling it an urban legend?!" He exclaimed. "As a matter of fact, it's true… as a matter of fact, it's happened to me!"

'...Huh?' Was the overall blank and incredulous thought of the whole class.

Hiro spoke up to confirm his future self's words. "Yeah, it really did happen! A few months before I entered Hope's Peak, I think."

"It all happened one day when I went to go get a hamburger…"

A flashback of Hiro's supposed alien abduction began playing. "It was a place I'd never been before. They claimed their patties were 100% all beef. So I got a burger and headed home. And before long…" As the past Hiro was walking on the street, a light was beamed above him. "...the sky was filled with a mysterious blinding light!"

The light then supposedly grabbed the burger Hiro was holding in his bag. "Some crazy beam came out of nowhere and locked on to my hamburger! And as soon as the beam touched it, the burger started floating in mid-air…! And then, still floating there, the entire burger started coming apart! One part of it just vanished, while the rest fell back into my hand!" A clip of the rest of the burger falling back into his hand was then shown. "Do you realize what that means?"

"It means, the burger wasn't 100% beef! It must've had some pork or something mixed in. Something like seventy percent pork and thirty percent beef, would be my guess." The screen then went back to the dining hall, showing Hiro still telling the story. "So I stormed back into the burger place and got up in the manager's grill. And they totally admitted it. It WASN'T 100% beef! They totally mixed in ground pork with it! Now do you see?! THAT is cattle mutilation!"

"..." There were no words to describe how baffled and how done the group was with Hiro's story. Some had lost looks on their faces, some had blank stares, and others had eyes twitching in pure irritation.

"Huh? What's wrong, you guys?" Hiro asked, noticing the stunned silence. "Amazed that aliens do exist?"

"...Hiro, be honest: Are you smoking something?" Was Leon's blunt question. The fortune teller recoiled at that question.

"S-Smoking?!"

"Do you honestly expect us to believe that excuse of a story?" Byakuya was the one to ask next, annoyance clear as day on his face.

"Aliens coming along to steal the beef out of your burger?" Junko summarized the story up. "Are you sure that wasn't a very bright street lamp you saw?"

"I'm telling you, it was aliens!" Hiro insisted. "They came on the Earth to mutilate all the cows!"

"Do you hear how dumb you sound right now Hiro?" Sayaka asked him. An array of emotions played on her face, from bafflement to exasperation. "All of what you said makes little to no sense."

"I… pretty much got lost halfway into his tale…" Makoto admitted, rubbing the back of his head.

"Same." Chihiro meekly nodded in agreement.

"Is it for or against the occult?" Taka asked, looking just as confused. "I can't tell."

"Honestly Hiro, you're constantly reeking of stupidity…" Hina sighed.

"When will guys not gang up on me?!" Hiro cried out.

"When you decide to actually get smarter." Celester remarked.

"I… kinda got lost halfway through…" Makoto admitted, looking beyond confused.

"I can't tell if you're for the occult or not." Hina sighed in exasperation. "You stink of stupidity…"

"I stink of-?! How dare you?!" Hiro exclaimed in outrage.

"Well, you do stink, though." Hina pointed out.

"That's fine!" Was the fortune teller's immediate reply.

"That's fine?!" Was the swimmer's exclamation right back.

"That's fine?!" Several students repeated future Hina's statement.

"How the fuck is that fine?!" Mondo questioned, looking at Hiro incredulously.

Celeste let out a growl. "And this is why I detest the fool…"

"U-Umm… anyway…" Makoto hesitantly interrupted. "I hope your prediction turns out to be true…"

'We all do…' Was the thought of many in the group.

"Well, at the very least, I won't murder anyone!" Hiro declared with a big grin on his face.

"Me either! I mean, I would never!" Hina agreed with a firm nod.

"Me either…" Sakura voiced her own agreement.

"Nor I." Kyoko spoke up next.

"That goes for me too, of course." Makoto was the final one to say it. "I could never kill any of my friends!"

Those words from their future selves brought some hope in the students' hearts, momentarily forgetting the tension build amongst each other. "Looks like your words from before holds true, Makoto." Taka commented, his tone a bit more chipper.

Makoto nodded with a small smile on his face. For once, negativity and distrust wasn't surrounding the survivors. They're starting to unite together, face against whatever the mastermind has cooked up for them.

Despite the positive feelings, some like Byakuya and Junko aren't blind to this show of unity. They knew that eventually, they won't be so united. Especially since not all the students are coming together.

"I felt like those words of encouragement were helping us come together as one." Narrator Makoto spoke up. "After so much sacrifice and hardship… we'd finally become united. But…"

"To be honest, I wish Byakuya and Toko were here for this, too." Sakura sighed.

"But… they're so hard to deal with." Hina pointed out sadly. "They only think about themselves."

"Yeah, we're better off without 'em, I say…" Hiro sighed.

And again, that hope was dashed away. Many of them practically deflated, with some giving dirty looks to both Toko and Byakuya.

For once, Toko looked away, shame actually creeping up in her heart. Slowly, she's starting to understand that her actions are not doing her any good, and that she's segregating herself from her classmates.

Byakuya, meanwhile, merely kept eyes on the TV with his a stony look. There's no point griping about his future self's actions; It won't change anything. Still, the constant hostility from his classmates was grating on his nerves.

The camera then focused on Makoto, who looked saddened. "That was enough to prove… that we're united for the time being, but within that bond hid weakness and fragility." With the last of narrator Makoto's words, the screen darkened.

'Truer words have never been spoken.' Was the simultaneous thought of both Makoto and Junko, one grim while the other is gleeful.

(Chapter 4 - All Star Apologies - Daily Life)

"That doesn't sound like a good chapter." Leon remarked with a grimace. "The image doesn't help either."

"Looks like the chapter will deal with Alter Ego and Hina." Celeste noted. "And in extension - Sakura."

"Most likely her role as a spy is going to come into play here." Byakuya added, narrowing his eyes. "There's no way it wouldn't."

That earned a fierce glare from Hina. "What are you-" She stopped when she felt Sakura place a hand on the shoulder, silently telling her to calm herself. The swimmer bit her lip, but did as her friend wanted.

When the screen lit up, it showed Makoto going up to the fourth floor of the building. 'So now we have access to the 4th floor of Hope's Peak Academy…' He thought to himself. Then he sounds out loud, "Maybe this time, we'll find some kind of clue…"

"Now we got access to the music room, the staff room, the data lab, chemistry lab, and the headmaster's office." Taka listed off. "Do you think we could find major clues in any of these places?"

"If there is, it's probably in the principal's office." Celeste mused. "With luck, we should find plenty of information."

'Doubtful.' Kyoko thought mentally. Most likely, it will be either locked or empty. The mastermind isn't one to leave out heavy amount of information for them to grab.

The lucky student then shook his head, determination clear on his face. "No! This time I HAVE to find it!"

"Do you ever get discouraged?" Byakuya remarked with a raised eyebrow. "I don't think I've seen you once given up in this."

Makoto blushed a little at this, rubbing his head sheepishly. "Well, like I said at the beginning: My one unique about me is how positive I can be." He said with a shrug.

'An understatement there.' Several students thought to themselves.

The first scene of the fourth floor was Makoto entering into a chemical lab, with Hina and Sakura already looking through the cabinets inside. 'So this is the chem lab…' Makoto thought to himself, holding his nose for a moment. 'I hope inhaling all this stuff doesn't do permanent damage…'

"So if they have access to the chem lab, then that means…" Hina's eyes brightened with realization and excitement. "The supplements! We can get all kinds of high quality vitamins, minerals, and proteins!"

That brought a smile from Sakura, though it was small. "Indeed. My future self doesn't have to make due with the lower quality proteins in the warehouse."

He then turned his eyes towards the shelf. 'It's a remarkably big shelf. And it's stocked with all kinds of medicine…'

"Ah!" Hina exclaimed, noticing Makoto. "Listen, Makoto! Listen! Just take a deep breath, and calm down, and LISTEN TO ME!"

That earned more than a few yelps in shock. "Who's telling who to calm down again?" Leon remarked, blinking. "You're the one bouncing off the walls there!"

Hina flushed in embarrassment at that. "I'm excited, okay?" She said in defense for herself.

"O-Okay, Hina… just chill out…" Makoto said, looking a tad shaken.

"There's all kinds of stuff we didn't have before!" Hina explained in excitement, looking through the cabinet once more. "Vitamins, minerals, amino acids, creatine, and-!" She froze, her eyes widening in shock. "WHAT?! They even have Proteinzyme-X!"

"Wh-What's that…?"

This time, it was Sakura who explained. "A high quality protein drink! It's nothing like that cheap swill in the warehouse. It's connoisseur level!"

"O-Oh, yeah…?" Was the only thing the luckster could think of saying.

"This is amazing! It's a gold mine!" Hina cheered. "Ahh, my prayers have finally been answered! Time to load up more prayers, then!"

"I can never understand you girls' love for those supplements." Leon remarked with a shake of his head. "Especially you, Sakura. You're buff as it is!"

"It's never hurts to have proteins and other supplements to sustain your strength." Sakura responded back. "Even when you do exercise."

"Totally!" Hina nodded rapidly in agreement. "Proteins, vitamins, and minerals are essential for any fitness buff. You should try it yourself, Leon!"

"I think I'm good." Leon quickly waved off the offer. "I'll probably just spit out one of those shakes Sakura drinks."

'A gold mine, huh…?' Makoto watched silently as the swimmer and martial artist talked to one another. 'I need to find out what's going on with Sakura and the mastermind, but I can't while she's with Hina…'

Both of them noticed Makoto's staring. "What is it, Makoto?" Sakura inquired.

"You need somethin'?" Hina asked right after.

"N-No, it's nothing…" Makoto replied to the both of them.

"It's good that you didn't put Sakura on the spot like that." Taka stated with approval. "It would be cowardly to do so."

"But are you really going to talk to Ogre alone?" Hiro cried out incredulously. "She could take that time to kill you once you reveal what you know!"

And just like that, Hina's good mood evaporated. "She would never do that!" She cried out furiously. "Why are so quick to write her off as a killer?!"

"You did the same to me!" Hiro retorted, sounding a tad angry. "When it looked like I was the one who did it, you were quick to think I was the culprit!" The swimmer gritted her teeth in frustration, knowing that she couldn't deny that.

"You bring up a good point, Hiro." Kyoko interjected, before this gets too heated. "However, knowing this, you should see that you can't make assumptions based on small amounts of information."

"Are you serious?! Are you on their side, Kyoko?!"

"I'm on no one's side." Kyoko answered, her voice taking a slight edge. "I'm merely pointing out that we shouldn't judge or accuse one another so quickly. Now I suggest that the two of you keep from arguing."

Hiro grumbled a bit, but backed down from the cold stare Kyoko was giving him. Hina gave him a venomous glare, which got him cowering a bit, until Sakura once again silently requested for her to calm down. And again, she did so for her friend.

The next scene was Makoto in front of a large, wooden entrance. 'The nameplate on the door says "Headmaster's Room".'

The sight caused everyone to sit up straighter. "What are we gonna find in their?" Celeste questioned, narrowing her eyes. "Information on the outside world?"

"Maybe stuff about Hope's Peak?" Sayaka suggested.

"The Headmaster's skeletons?" Leon added in. The last one earned a deadly glare from Kyoko, causing the baseball player flinch back. "Bad joke, bad joke!"

"We just have to wait until Makoto goes inside." Byakuya stated, his own gaze focused.

"The headmaster's room…" Slowly, Makoto grabbed both knobs of the door. "There must be something worthwhile in there…"

However, when he attempted to open in, the door didn't budge a bit.

"What?!"

"Oh come on!"

"Are you fucking joking?!"

"The bear's mocking us! He's got to be!"

Makoto wilted at that. "We should've expected that…" He moaned. "It would've been too easy…" He glanced at Kyoko, to see that she was unaffected. "You could've informed us that something like that would happen."

"I figured it was obvious." Kyoko said with a shrug.

'Huh? The door's locked…' Makoto gritted his teeth in frustration. 'Dammit…!'

"Why bother locking the Headmaster's office?" Chihiro asked. "Why not just empty out the room?"

"That would've been more bearable than a locked door…" Leon huffed.

"You just said the exact reason why Monokuma would lock it." Junko remarked dryly.

The next scene was Makoto inside the music room, with Kyoko already. 'This is… the music room.' He thought to himself as examined the piano here. 'It's hardly even a classroom. It's more like an actual concert hall…'

He was brought out of his thoughts when Kyoko spoke up. "You know, you haven't told me what you thought yet."

Makoto looked up with a confused expression on his face. "What I think…?"

"About the secret room in the boys bathroom…"

That got some of the students stiffening. "Shit…" Was Leon's statement on the matter.

"Kyoko is gonna be pissed…" Hiro murmured worriedly.

"...Ah!" The luckster jolted as memories of that room came back, before he grimaced. "W-Well, um… I did find the secret room, but… as soon as I started looking around, I was attacked…"

"Attacked?" Kyoko looked slightly surprised by this. "By who?"

"Well… they came from behind, and I didn't have any time to react. So I didn't see who it was…" Makoto explained. "And when I came to, the mountain of files and documents… were all gone."

"..." Kyoko was silent on that for a moment, nothing in her expression giving any of her thoughts or emotions.

The others were silent as well, stiffly waiting for Kyoko's response on the matter.

"I'm sorry. I know how important those were." Makoto said, sincere regret on his face.

"...It's okay. I already saw what I needed to in there." Kyoko assured him.

And just like that, the tension was gone. "For a moment, I thought she was gonna let him have it." Hina said with relief.

"I'm not unreasonable, Hina." Kyoko remarked. "I wouldn't blame him for this. Besides, it was my choice to inform him of the area."

"And I half suspected the mastermind might come after you."

And immediately after, they were all stunned by Kyoko's next statement. "What?" Was Leon's response, mouth dropped.

"Did she say what I think she just said?" Mondo asked, equally baffled.

Kyoko herself was processing her future self's words, though the only hint of emotion was her blinking.

That caused Makoto to freeze for a moment. "What…?"

"When I discovered the room, the mastermind must have seen me on the surveillance camera in the hallway." The lavender haired girl explained. "They must have seen me go into the bathroom, and not come out again."

"She knew the mastermind would come after anyone that comes inside the second bathroom." Byakuya stated, his eyes narrowed. "She knew that they had knowledge of the secret room. Or at least suspected it."

"She knew?!" Hina exclaimed incredulously. Then turned to Kyoko. "You knew that would happen, and let Makoto walk into a trap?!"

"Your future self didn't even warn Makoto of the danger?" Taka questioned the detective. "But why, when you at least suspected it?"

Kyoko was silent at this, gripping her knees. She has an idea as to why her future self kept that bit of information to herself. And it's one that's leaving a bitter taste in her mouth.

Sayaka was also silent, slowly taking that Kyoko let Makoto walked into a trap, without even warning him. Meanwhile, Mukuro and Celeste's expressions darkened, already figuring out why Kyoko didn't tell him.

"Still, I wanted you to go and see it… I wanted to see how the mastermind would react."

"You used him as bait!" Sayaka shouted, shock and anger clear on her face.

"You used him as bait?!" Hina repeated Sayaka's words in shock.

Makoto was also stunned, blankly staring at the screen. "You used me as bait…" He couldn't keep the hint of betrayal out of his tone, even if he tried.

Kyoko kept her eyes away from everyone, especially Makoto. "So it would seem." Was all she could say.

"Essentially, I wanted to find out if the mastermind actually knew about that room." She then frowned in thought. "But to attack you, and steal everything in the room… that must mean there was some unknown clue in there that could reveal the mastermind's identity."

'She did that… just so she could find out that small piece of information?' Mukuro thought to herself, looking murderous. 'She thought it was worth risking Makoto's life, without him knowing?'

"Then… you knew I was gonna get attacked?" Makoto asked with a hint of disbelief.

"You can handle that kind of thing though, right?" Was Kyoko's response to the question. "After all, you're a boy."

"The hell kind of response is that?!" Leon questioned incredulously. "Just cause he's a dude, he could handle any hits?"

"While Makoto isn't frail, he's far from the strength to take on any attack, especially an ambush." Sakura stated, disapproval clear in her voice and tone. "For all we know, the mastermind could've been as strong as I or Mondo. Perhaps stronger."

"That was pretty underhanded of you Kyoko…" Junko commented, making it sound like she's surprised.

Slowly, Sayaka turned towards with a ferocious glare. "He'd gotten hurt… he could've been killed!" She growled. "And that's all you have to say?!"

Kyoko couldn't formulate any response to that at the moment. In the past, she probably would have agreed with her future's self tactics. But that past self didn't spent time with her classmates. She didn't learn the importance of cooperation. Didn't bond with Makoto.

'What does she think a boy is…?' Makoto thought incredulously. Then he sighed. "Fine… I understand."

"Are you seriously just gonna let this go, Makoto?!" Sayaka cried out, anger clear on her face.

"You're a doormat. I hope you realize that" Byakuya deadpanned. "She used you as bait for the mastermind, and that's all you have to say?"

"I would've chewed her out if she did that to me." Leon agreed with the Togami heir.

Makoto looked down at his lap. "Well, there was no point arguing about it with her. It already happened, so there's no point in getting angry."

'You are far too kind, Makoto.' Mukuro thought in aggravation. While his kindness and forgiving nature is the very thing that made her fall for him, it leads him to be constantly put in the fire.

"Then let me ask you something else. Do you know about the note that was in there? The note that said, 'You must not leave'..."

"We… shouldn't talk about that. Not here." Kyoko quickly glance at the security camera when she said that. "I'm looking into it. If I find out anything, I'll let you know. Is that okay?" The tone, along with the look she gave him, made it clear he didn't have a choice on the matter.

"W-Why bother asking him?" Toko remarked. "I-It definitely doesn't s-sounds like he got much of a c-choice."

"Why can't you treat him as a partner, instead of a lackey?" Hina cried out, looking angered. "It's not like he would've disagreed with you Kyoko! And if he knew about the possibility of being attacked, he could've prepared for it at least!"

"Didn't… didn't your future self say that she would trust him?" Chihiro asked the detective softly. "Why did she need to use him as unknowing bait? Why keep that from him?"

Kyoko crossed her arms, clenching them together in order to keep her emotions in check. "Like I said before, trust issues do not go away easily." She finally spoke. "And I have been taught to use everything to my advantage in search of the truth. It doesn't excuse my actions, but there it is."

Seeing the detective being affected by this, Makoto wanted to defend her. But he couldn't shake off that sense of betrayal, so he ended up staying silent.

When he nodded, Kyoko went to another subject. "So, now it's your turn. Let's hear your secret."

"...Huh?" Once again, Makoto was taken aback by her words.

Immediately, the group knew what the detective was talking about. "Knew it." Junko sang.

"No one disagreed with you Junko." Taka responded back.

"Did you think I wouldn't notice? You're hiding something." Kyoko pointed out. "...Am I wrong?"

"Th-That's-!" Makoto flinched, memories of Sakura and Monokuma's fight playing in his mind.

"What's the matter?" The girl asked, noticing his odd reaction. "If you're worried about the camera, why not just write it down?"

"U-Um… well…" Makoto looked away, hesitant to say anything.

Kyoko narrowed her eyes at this. "Are you not going to tell me?" She asked sharply, a tad offended. "Do not trust me enough with that information?"

"N-No! That's not it!" Makoto denied, waving his hands in front of him. "I do trust you! But I also trust Sakura, and telling anybody else without confronting her first about it… well, it feels like a breach of trust."

"I will admit, I would rather Makoto talk to me first than spread information around." Sakura admitted. "This is something my future self needs to confess herself."

Hearing this, Kyoko took a deep breath and calm herself down. "I see." The detective looked away in slight embarrassment. "Apologies for my reaction."

"I-It's alright, Kyoko." Makoto reassured her.

Sayaka, however, wasn't that forgiving, if her narrowed eyes was any indication. Is Kyoko really gonna get upset about this, when she's been hiding who knows how many secrets from the group? When she used Makoto as unaware bait?

For a moment, Kyoko was silent, waiting to hear a response. Then, she said this. "We're friends, so you should be able to trust me. Isn't that what you said before?"

That got more than a couple of winces. "Wow. Throwing his words back against him." Leon said.

"Something tells me Miss Kirigiri is going to take this personally…" Hifumi murmured worriedly.

Again, the detective kept her eyes away from the group. Hifumi wasn't wrong with his prediction. Considering how she acted, and her low tolerance being kept from her…

'You're right that there shouldn't be any secrets between friends, but…' Makoto thought, looking down guiltily. 'There's nothing worse than expressing doubt about your friend when you don't have evidence for it…'

Sakura took a deep breath. "My apologies, Makoto." She said, getting the luckster's attention. "Because of me, I put you in this position."

"N-No! Don't blame yourself Sakura!" Makoto hastily told her. "I was the one who went to the gym and saw what happened! Your future self doesn't even know I saw that! It was purely by chance that it happened!" Taking a deep breath, he spoke more calmly. "Besides, it's my choice to stay silent about it. And I chose to find more evidence before I point any fingers at you."

"Thanks, Makoto." Hina spoke for Sakura, gratefulness clear in her tone. "I'm glad that you and your future self trust Sakura so much."

"S-Sorry…" Taking a deep breath, Makoto faced Kyoko and continued. "Not yet…"

Again, Kyoko was silent for a moment. "So… that's your answer." The look in her eyes then got colder. "But do you think that's fair? You were happy to hear what I had to say, but now you're unwilling to share?"

The group was reeling back at her sharp words. "What the heck?!" Hina cried out.

"Damn." Was Leon's own response. "Kyoko took Makoto's refusal personally."

"No kidding…" Mondo agreed, looking just as shocked as Leon.

Meanwhile, Makoto winced while Kyoko clenched her gloved hands tightly, neither of them looking forward to the next exchange of dialogue.

"I'm sorry. I really am…" Makoto told her sincerely, looking away in guilt.

Kyoko merely stared him down before turning away. "It's fine." She said coldly. "Goodbye." With that, she left the music room.

Hiro winced. "Yep. She's definitely angry."

"Are. You. Serious?!" Sayaka exclaimed, grinding her teeth together. "She's been holding so many secrets from everyone else, including the one where she used Makoto as BAIT, but when he does it to her, she gets angry at him?!"

"Kyoko, care to explain this uncharacteristically childish behavior of yours?" Celeste inquired, a hint of venom in her voice. "It isn't like you to take this so personally."

The detective kept her eyes away from everyone as she explained herself. "I don't like having secrets kept from me." She stated. "Especially by those I trust, or coming to trust."

"You used Makoto as bait!" Mukuro hissed coldly, not liking Kyoko's reaction herself. "You have no ground to get angry at him! And it's not like he plans to keep it from you continuously!"

"Yeah! He said, 'not yet'!" Hina pointed out, looking angry herself.

"I know." Kyoko admitted with a sigh. "And I admit, my future self may be… overreacting a bit."

Leon snorted. "Understatement there." That earned him a glare, though it lost some of the ice it usually has.

Meanwhile, Makoto had a hurt and guilty look on his face. While he understands why Kyoko is angry at him, it still hurts that she acts cold towards him when he refused to say anything. Especially after revealing that she knew the mastermind would likely come after him, and didn't say anything.

'I think I made her mad at me…' Was all Makoto could think.

'Understatement there.' Was the thought of several in the group, emotions varying.

Kyoko herself was embarrassed of her future self's emotional reaction. Despite being the most composed of the class, she can be pretty emotional. And it looks like that emotional side is reaping its ugly head.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 69: Watching Chapter 4: All Star Apologies Part 2

The next scene was Makoto walking into the staff room. 'This is… the staff room.' He thought to himself. 'But of course there's no hint of any teachers that we'd normally be able to rely on…'

"Like a teacher could do jack shit about the situation we're watching!" Junko, in her rockstar persona, exclaimed. "They could barely handle our awesome selves!"

"They could keep order to the situation." Taka argued. "And Junko, you should respect our teachers, not insult them!"

"You know that's not true!" The fashionista retorted in response, still in her persona. "Most of them would end up fainting when we go all out of control! There's no way they can handle that crazy ass bear!"

"She may have a point." Byakuya remarked, arms crossed. "It's more than likely that the teachers would fail in keeping order. At worst, they may fall into the same fate Headmaster Kirigiri did." Kyoko had to hold back a wince at the mention of her father's demise.

"Changing the subject, anyone else is wondering why there's fresh flowers in the staff room?" Leon asked, drawing the group's attention to the screen.

As everyone noticed the flowers, there were various expressions of confusion. It's obvious that Monokuma must've placed them there, but… no one could think of a good reason why.

As Makoto looked around the room, he spotted something on the floor. 'Huh? There's a picture on the floor!' Quickly, he walked over and picked it up. 'This picture…'

The picture was none other than Sayaka, Celeste, and Hifumi. "What?!"

The picture of course, shocked everyone in the room. "Another picture?!" Makoto exclaimed.

"This time it's Celeste, Hifumi, and me." Sayaka said right after, looking very shocked. "But I don't remember taking that picture."

"Neither do I." Celeste spoke up, actually looking shocked herself. And not just because of the picture itself, but also because of her… interaction with Hifumi.

"It must've been taken at some point near our future." Kyoko theorized. "Between now and the killing game."

'Celeste, Hifumi… and Sayaka?!' Makoto thought in shock. 'The smiling faces of three currently dead people… a classroom without metal plates over the windows…'

"It's… exactly the same!" He said out loud.

The picture of Leon, Mondo, and Chihiro was shown as a flashback. 'It's just like that picture I saw before! There's no way this isn't important somehow…'

"And here's yet another clue for our future selves…" Byakuya stated, narrowing his eyes. "If this trend continues, it could go in two ways: either they begin figuring out their loss of memories, or it only serves to increase the confusion amongst us. Possibly even distrust."

"That is if they believe any of the pictures are real." Mukuro pointed out.

The screen then went back to the picture of Sayaka, Celeste, and Hifumi. 'They're smiling the way you'd expect any normal teenager to smile. Just a normal group of high schoolers, living a normal school life…' He continued thinking. 'I can't possibly believe they were able to smile like that in a world of despair like this.'

Celeste and Hifumi paid the most attention to the picture. This scene… it's nothing like the relationship they have now, or how their future selves ended up.

For Celeste, she's shocked at how emotional she's acting around Hifumi and Sayaka. She isn't furious with him or anything, but embarrassed.

Hifumi, meanwhile, was surprised that his future isn't scared of what's happening. He's acting like it's no big deal, having fun embarrassing Miss Ludenberg.

They glanced at one another for a moment, before looking away. Do they really get close in the future? Is that really possible to form an actual friendship with one another?

'So does this mean this picture was taken before they ever came to Hope's Peak?' The luckster attempted to theorize. 'Which would mean… everyone in the picture knew each other before they got here? Including Sayaka…?'

"A logical conclusion to make." Taka stated. "Considering the memory loss."

"But flawed, considering that none of us seemed to recognize each other in the beginning." Byakuya pointed out. "The only ones who knew each other before Hope's Peak were Makoto and Sayaka, and those were just glimpses of one another."

"That is true." Sakura agreed, turning towards Byakuya. "So Byakuya, do you think that our future selves would be able to figure it out?"

"It's possible. Depending on what else they find." The heir answered. "The pictures themselves won't be enough proof for them."

"No!" Makoto shook his head out of those thoughts. "There's no way! Monokuma did it! It must be fake!"

As if called up, Monokuma popped up in the open, laughing. "YOU'RE fake!" He then snatched the photo from Makoto's hands. "A forgery plot? What are you, a middle schooler? You think the moon landing was faked, too? Come on!"

"Then… you're saying this picture is… real?" Makoto asked, having trouble processing it.

"If there were such a thing as the Nobel Truth Prize, I'd take first, second, AND fourth place!" The bear declared. "Actually, that's probably not true!"

"I asked you a question!" Makoto shouted back, sounding both frantic and angry. "Is the picture real, or is it fake?!"

"Oh, Makoto. You're so eager to split things in half, aren't you?" Monokuma remarked. "But it's not use. It's just no use… if you try to split something that can't be split, you'll end up feeling like YOU'RE the one being split."

"Can. That. Bear. Just. Shut. Up?" Mondo asked through grinding teething. "I feel like punching the TV just from listening to him!"

"Can't imagine how Makoto is feeling right now." Leon remarked, feeling equally annoyed.

"The picture is real." Was the bear's blunt answer. "No more, no less." Then, with his signature laugh, he left the room.

"So the picture… is real?" Makoto asked himself, looking ever so confused. 'It's really real? If that's true, if that's the case…' He thought to himself as he started to walk away.

"It looks like Makoto is thinking about the picture." Chihiro pointed out. "Maybe he'll be able to figure out?"

"I doubt it." The luckster himself answered. "I would need a lot more hints to piece things together; probably even Kyoko's help. And even then, it would be something hard to swallow."

"True." Kyoko nodded in agreement. "However, the fact that you're thinking about, and not dismissing outright, is a step in the right direction."

The next scene showed the remaining survivors except Byakuya and Toko in the dining hall all sitting around a table. "So, is this everyone?" Hiro inquired.

When everyone nodded, Sakura spoke up. "Okay, let's discuss what we all discovered."

"Yeah, good idea…" Hina agreed.

"Not much information will be exchanged." Byakuya remarked. "The only thing of interest was the locked headmaster room and the picture."

"What about the data center?" Taka pointed out. "How come we haven't seen that?"

"Most likely because it's locked as well." Celeste guessed. "Otherwise, we would've seen Makoto enter the room."

Sakura was the first to share information. "Metal sheets had been attached to all the windows on the 4th floor. None of them budged an inch…"

"Just like everywhere else…" Kyoko sighed.

"Escape from the 4th floor seems unlikely." The martial artist declared. "That was to be expected, though."

"Why are they even bothering with that?" Leon sighed. "At this point, it's expected they every window in the school is sealed up tight."

"Well, you never know!" Hina argued optimistically. "Maybe he forgot a window, or some screws are loose enough to break it down."

"I think that's being way too optimistic Hina…" Sayaka replied back with a small sweatdrop.

Hina was the next to speak. "There was a big shelf in the chem lab on the 4th floor, and it had all kinds of chemicals and stuff. And there was an all-star cast of nutrient additives and supplements!" She revealed. "You should at least go take a peek. I highly recommend it!"

"I think you and Ogre are probably the only ones interested in stuff like that…" Hiro pointed out.

"Oh, but… it's not all good stuff, though." Hina continued, sounding concerned. "There was medicine and health stuff, but on top of that… there was also, um… a bunch of different poisons."

"P-Poison?!" Makoto exclaimed in shock.

That got some winces from the group. "Oh yeah. I forgot that the lab got poisons there…" Hina groaned.

"Another item to be easily utilized for killing…" Taka said with a grimace.

"They were all labeled clearly, though." Sakura added in. "So it would be hard to grab one by mistake…"

"Still, we'd better make sure we're careful around there." Kyoko advised.

"And… we probably shouldn't tell Byakuya or Toko about the poison, right?" Hina said hesitantly.

"Do you actually think I won't be able to find the poison myself?" The heir stated flatly. "I probably explored the area before the lot of you did."

"That's a good point." Makoto spoke up before anyone could lash out at the heir.

"What do you mean…?" Hiro asked in confusion.

"Well, just in case…" The swimmer trailed off, still hesitant. "You know what I'm trying to say."

"J-Just in case…" Hiro turned a bit pale in realization. "Yeah, I think you're right."

"It's Byakuya. It won't be long before he's discovered it for himself." Kyoko sighed.

"Like I said before, we shouldn't have to worry." Makoto said optimistically. "And Byakuya would be the first one suspected of killing anybody; so he wouldn't do that."

"I agree with Makoto on this one." Kyoko spoke up with a nod. "While the future Byakuya is arrogant, he's far from dumb. Most likely, he'll just wait out this killing game and if he serious, push others into killing."

"What if he targets either of you?" Junko pointed out. "If he eliminates one of you mystery solvers, then not being found out would be easier."

This time, Byakuya spoke up. "I doubt that he would." He stated. "It's clear that I wouldn't kill Kyoko easily, if at all, and while I do consider Makoto a credible threat, my future self will still have to deal with Kyoko. The risk isn't worth the gain."

"Not to mention that we're looking at this through Mr. Naegi's point of view." Hifumi added. "Since he's the protagonist, he has the plot armor to survive."

'But to put something as dangerous as poison right out in the open…' Makoto thought grimly. 'That's absolutely the work of the mastermind.'

"At the very least, there were some locks in place to keep people from just grabbing it accidently." Taka said, looking down. "But it seems Monokuma got rid of them completely."

"A tempting option for anyone who want to be more discreet." Mukuro murmured.

Hiro is the last to speak up. "I found a couple rooms on the 4th floor, but they were locked!" He informed them. "The data center and the headmaster's room!"

"And that confirms it." Celeste nodded to herself. "The data center is also locked."

"Um, does this mean that the mastermind could be in either of those rooms?" Chihiro asked, drawing attention from the others. "I mean, so far we haven't seen any other place that he could be in. Plus, the data center is the most likely place where he could monitor us."

"Assuming that the mastermind isn't somewhere else altogether," Kyoko pointed out. "But yes, right now if there's any place that the mastermind is hiding, it's those two areas."

"The headmaster room?!" Hina gasped in excitement. "That sounds like exactly the kinda place we'd find something!"

"If they could somehow pick the lock or something, then they could find out what's in there." Chihiro murmured.

"Or Sakura could just kick the door down!" Hina brought up. "It should be no problem for her!"

"That's true." Leon nodded in agreement. "One kick should be enough to break that door altogether."

"If we can somehow unlock the door and get inside…" Makoto mused.

"Who cares about a stupid lock!" Hiro waved off. "It should be no problem for the world's strongest missing link to knock down one measly door!"

As soon as he said that, Monokuma appeared. "...What was that?"

His appearance caused a lot of blood to run cold. "Shit!" Leon cursed.

"Fuck!" Mondo cursed right after.

"Hiro, why?!" Taka cried out.

"You idiot!" Byakuya growled. "Did have to say that outloud?!"

Hiro yelped and ducked at the appearance of Monokuma. "I'm sorry!"

"Uwah!" Hiro backed away from the monobear.

"No, please. Continue." Then, as if he wasn't acting angry, striked a pose. "Did you say I've got the nicest butt on the block? The curviest hips in the town? Is that what you said?!"

"Hell no I didn't!" Was the fortune teller's retort.

"Then what DID you say?" The bear asked, looking menacing once more. "Cuz I KNOW you weren't talking about tearing down the door to the headmaster's room."

"Ng-!" Hiro froze and clammed up.

"Knocking down your headmaster's door? What kind of war on education are you trying to start here?!" Monokuma demanded. "That's MY room, ya know? It is now, anyway… and you're thinking of busting it down?"

He then showed off his claws aggressively. "You seriously don't want to piss me off. You have any idea how much bacteria lives on a single bear claw?"

Hiro yelped in fear at that. "He's going to kill me!"

"It's alright, Hiro." Makoto quickly reassured him. "You haven't done anything, and there isn't a rule that says that you can't break down the headmaster's door. So he won't kill you."

"But he'll probably make that a rule immediately because of the fool." Celeste hissed in irritation.

"N-No, I was just kiddin'!" The fortune teller backtracked hastily. "Please don't get mad!"

"I'm not mad!" The bear roared.

"You're totally mad!" Was Hiro's fearful statement, ducking under the table.

"I was hoping I wouldn't have to add a rule for this, but if you're gonna go around having those thoughts…" Monokuma grumbled. "I have no choice but to add this to the school regulations!"

"Seriously…?" Makoto groaned.

Instantly, Monokuma pulled out his handbook and typed away on it. "Breaking a locked door is prohibited! There, that's a rule now, ya jerks!" And with that, the bear disappeared.

His words and actions caused several sighs, groans, and curse. "Son of a bitch…" Mondo spatted out. "The fucking bear had to do that."

"For real…" Leon groaned out.

"I wonder why he didn't have that as a rule to begin with." Kyoko mused out loud. "Did he honestly think that we wouldn't have thoughts of breaking down locked doors?"

"I doubt it." Mukuro shook her head. "Either he waited until they came to the fourth floor, or just wanted to take away that hope as soon as they got it."

"I-Is he gone…?" Hiro stuttered out nervously, peeking out from his hiding spot. When he saw no sign of the bear, he sighed in relief and got out from under the table. "Man, I was so scared for my life! I was sure he was going to kill me, for serious!"

"But if he would go out of his way to make up a rule like that…" Sakura mused. "There's no doubt that something important must be hidden in the headmaster's room."

"But… now that it's a rule, there's nothing we can do." Makoto sighed morosely.

Byakuya hissed under his breath. "You had to say something, didn't you fool? Couldn't have waited to mention in it the bath house or something?"

Hiro wilted at that. "I said I was sorry, okay?"

"Now, now," Makoto spoke up in a placating form. "To be fair, any of us could've made that mistake. It just so happens that Hiro was the one to do it. So we shouldn't be too hard on him."

"That's a good point." Chihiro agreed softly. "And besides, he probably would've stopped us if we attempted to anyway."

There were a few grumbles here and there, but no one argued against the two cinnamon rolls' points. Hiro gave a relieved and grateful smile towards them both, something they returned with more sheepish looks.

After that, there was a small bout of silence between everyone. "So… has everyone said what they need to say?" Hiro asked, calming down now.

"I think so…" Hina said.

"But it looks like nobody found any clues at all, let alone a way out of here." The fortune teller then groaned in despair. "I haven't been this depressed since my house burned to the ground! Someone, do something to cheer me up!"

'Yes, feel that despair! Bask in it! Take it all in, in all of its glory!' Junko cackled in her head.

"Do I want to know how your house got burned down?" Sayaka asked hesitantly, looking at Hiro.

"My dad was smoking in bed." Hiro stated. "He got the bed on fire, and then the house!"

"...I'm guessing that's where you get the lack of intelligence from." Celeste deadpanned, causing the fortune teller to sputter out in protest.

"Um… can I say something?" Makoto requested, meekly raising his hand up.

But Hiro wasn't listening. "It's cuz my dad was smoking in bed!"

"That's… no…" Makoto shook his head at that. "I have something I'd like to report."

"Looks like Makoto is going to tell them again." Mukuro commented on. "Perhaps it will get some of them thinking?"

"Maybe." Byakuya said in response. "Perhaps Kyoko and Sakura will have their minds on this. But Hiro and Hina? I'm more doubtful about."

Instead of pouting this time, Hina gave a more annoyed glance, while Hiro merely wilted in response.

Taking a deep breath, he began reporting what he saw. "So… you guys all remember, right? You remember when I found that picture up on the 3rd floor the other day?"

"You mean the one that showed Mondo, Chihiro, and Leon all together, right?" Sakura asked for clarification.

"Yeah, I remember." Hina confirmed with a nod. "What about it?"

"Well, I found another one." The luckster revealed. "Another picture, almost just like that one."

"Another one…?" Hina repeated, surprised.

"But this time, the picture was of Celeste, Hifumi and Sayaka." As he said that, a flashback of the picture was shown on the screen.

"Huh…?" Was Hiro's response to that.

"And they were all smiling…" The luckster continued. "And the classroom in the picture didn't have any metal covering the windows."

Sakura spoke up this time. "So the picture of Mondo, Chihiro and Leon wasn't the only one. Now you found one that had Celeste, Hifumi, and Sayaka?"

"But… how can that…?" Hina said, looking very confused.

"Monokuma must have faked it!" Hiro declared.

"And it looks as if my predictions are correct."

"Is there a day where you guys don't make fun of me…?" Hiro moaned.

"But… if the picture is real…" Makoto said in response, looking down. "Then everyone who was in it… there would have to be some kind of hidden connection, don't you think? Some deeper truth… that we just don't understand…"

"You're right, Chihiro; Makoto is starting to think more on these pictures." Mukuro pointed out, narrowing her eyes.

"And he's getting close to making those connections…" Kyoko added, a small yet proud smile entering her lips.

"So is it actually possible that Makoto can figure out that they lost years worth of memories?" Taka inquired.

"It seems possible." Sayaka said, before sending a smile towards the luckster next to her. "His intuition seems as good as my own." That earned a small blush from the boy.

"If Monokuma keep leaving out hints like that, it's possible." Byakuya theorized. "With Kyoko's assistance, it turns to probable."

"Maybe Makoto could figure it out now." Hina suggested, excitement starting to bubble up.

"Can't be! It's a fake!" Hiro protested.

"But Monokuma said it was real." Makoto countered. "I know we could just write that off as a lie, but…"

"Then you trust Monokuma's words over the people who have died?"

"Huh…?" Makoto turned towards Kyoko's direction when she asked that.

For a moment, the group was stunned over what the detective asked. But as they process the question said by her, Sayaka and Mukuro's face darkened. "What?" The two asked.

"That's what your saying, isn't it?" She accused coldly.

"No, that's no it…" Makoto denied.

"I'm shocked." Kyoko said in a mocking tone. "You told everyone how we should believe in our friends, but you refuse to do the same."

"Th-That's not-!"

When they managed to process what's going on, the whole group reacted. "Kyoko!" Taka cried out in shock. "This is extremely immature of you!"

"Are you seriously putting words in his mouth?" Leon exclaimed in disbelief.

"He didn't mean any of these things!" Hina shouted, a scowl marred on her face. "He's just trying to figure out this mystery!"

"Something that is delayed now." Celeste quipped. However, the cold look in her eyes says that it's the last thing on her mind right now. "For someone of your maturity, you are being extremely petty."

Mukuro didn't say anything. However, the furious look she's sporting says a lot about her position on this.

Kyoko stubbornly kept her eyes away from everyone else, unable to say anything right now. Not only could she not argue with them without sounding like her future self, but she even agrees with what they're saying.

'What's going on, Kyoko?' The luckster couldn't help but think. 'Why are you getting so emotional…?'

"I would like to know that as well." Byakuya spoke up, looking a tad displeased. He turned towards Kyoko. "This is very unnatural, especially for you, Kyoko."

"I don't like having secrets kept from me." Was the only thing Kyoko could say. And the fact that it's Makoto, who her future self is beginning to trust and become fond of, makes it worse, probably.

Of course, the answer she gave didn't fly with the others. "You've been hiding things from everyone since the beginning!" Sayaka shouted in anger. "You hid that you don't remember your talent, refuse to say where you found the map of Hope's Peak, been hiding what you've been doing throughout this psychotic school life… all you've been doing is hiding stuff! AND YOU HAVE THE AUDACITY TO GET ANGRY WHEN SOMEONE REFUSE TO SAY ANYTHING?!"

"Sayaka, please-" Makoto attempted to interrupt, hoping to appease the angry girl.

But the idol wasn't backing down. "No, Makoto! I'm not gonna be silent about it!" She stated fiercely. "You are the most trusting and forgiving person I've ever met, someone willing to give anyone a second chance! You even gave me one, even when you saw my future self's attempt to frame you!"

Her scowl then became fiercer. "And Kyoko attacks your character; even mock it out of spite! How can you not feel hurt over what she said? Insulted even?!"

Makoto couldn't help but become wordless at that. Couldn't help but look away, cause indeed, he felt hurt over what Kyoko had said. How couldn't he, when she slighted his honor in front of everyone, when he was trying to figure out the mystery to the pictures?

The varying emotions were clear for everyone to see, causing tension and anger to get higher. Kyoko herself couldn't help but wince in guilt, easily seeing what Makoto was thinking.

'I don't understand why she's so angry…'

"I don't either." Leon agreed, looking both baffled and a tad aggravated. "I mean, I heard what you said Kyoko, but your future self is taking this way too personally."

"I would never think that she would act so petty." Mukuro hissed, glaring disapprovingly at the detective.

Said detective was gripping her sleeves, trying to keep her emotions in check. Lashing out is not gonna help matters, especially when her classmates are justified in their outrage.

"C'mon guys, stop fighting, or all your good luck is gonna float away!" Hiro said, trying to break the tension. "Anway, Makoto… you're thinking about it too much. There's no way Monokuma didn't fake that picture."

"He's just trying to confuse us. You shouldn't listen to anything Monokuma has to say." Sakura advised.

"Fuck. Ing. Hell!" Mondo gritted out, looking frustrated beyond belief. "They're just brushing it off again!"

"And just when Makoto was heading towards the right line of thinking." Byakuya sighed in agitation.

"While I do understand why they make this conclusion, this is still difficult to watch." Taka added somberly.

"And Kyoko was no help at all." Junko remarked, taking a jab at the detective. Mentally smirking, she added, "She even delayed the solving a mystery just because of a personal grudge. Isn't that the thing your family frowns upon?"

Seeing the detective visibly affected by this, Chihiro decided to speak up. "G-Guys, please stop ganging up on her." The programmer pleaded. "She knows that her future self is in the wrong; we don't need to remind her so harshly."

"Chihiro's right." Makoto agreed, taking a deep breath. "We can't keep attacking each other like this. Otherwise, we'll just end up divided."

Again, the group reluctantly conceded to the two cinnamon rolls, and stop their verbal onslaught towards the detective. However, several still looked aggravated.

It was something that the lucky student was clearly aware of. 'Should I have told Kyoko about Sakura?' Makoto thought, looking down in guilt. 'Maybe if my future self did, this wouldn't…' But he doubted that he could bring himself to do that. Unlike what future Kyoko claimed, he does trust his friends, and telling such a secret without confronting Sakura first is such a breach of trust.

"Y-You might be right, but still…" Makoto responded back, looking conflicted.

"Are you still so conflicted?"

Nearly everyone stiffened at the sound of the next voice. "Shit." Both Mondo and Leon cursed, voicing everyone's thoughts.

The question came from none other than Byakuya, who's now standing in front of their table. "It looks like you guys have stopped playing nice."

"Byakuya!" Makoto gasped in shock.

"Why is he here?" Leon practically whined. "Things are already shitty as it is!"

"We will have to see." Sakura stated, her voice softer than usual.

"You all have the same sunken look on your faces." The heir remarked coldly. "You were all so ugly before. You shouldn't let them sink any lower. When I look at you, it makes me think of a frog sinking into a pile of manure."

"Bro stop!"

"Sayaka, calm down!"

"Hina, settle down!"

Taka did his best to hold back Mondo from pummeling Byakuya; Makoto was holding Sayaka by the waist as she attempted to claw at the Togami heir; and Sakura held Hina back with one hand as the girl struggled to go and strangle the blonde.

'Tension is ridiculously high right now.' Junko thought, holding back a mad giggle. 'I wonder, what's the breaking point for my dear classmates?'

Eventually, the three angry students settled down. Mondo was sitting stiffly in his seat, a scowl etched onto his face; Sayaka was letting out angry breathes, with Makoto rubbing her back in an attempt to calm her down; and Hina was glaring at the floor, arms crossed.

"Sorry…" Hiro apologized.

"Don't apologize!" Several students exclaimed incredulously.

"Why are you apologizing dude?!" Leon asked in disbelief, looking at the fortune teller.

Hiro looked away in embarrassment. "W-Well, he makes it sound like we're at fault…"

"He's insulting us!" Hina shouted, her angry glare directed at Hiro now. "Belittling us! We got nothing to apologize for!"

"Why are you apologizing?!" Hina exclaimed incredulously. Then she focused an angry glare towards Byakuya. "Leave us alone! You're not a part of this!"

"That's true enough." The heir agreed. "Your problems aren't mine. We are, and always will be, completely separate. So whatever's causing your faces to turn so ugly has absolutely nothing to do with me."

Growls were coming out of Mondo, Sayaka, and Hina's mouths, with those close to them trying to their best keep them from launching from their seats. All the while, Byakuya stonily ignored the hostile looks, clearly not bothered in the slightest.

"And if I happened to discover a vital clue, it wouldn't concern you in the slightest."

That put everyone's mind in a grinding halt.

"What?"

"Did he just say…?"

"A vital clue?"

"He's saying something not insulting for once?"

That got the full attention of everyone. "Huh…?" Was the response from Makoto.

"Did he finally say something useful?" Hina asked dubiously.

"...Byakuya. What have you been up to?" Kyoko questioned him.

"I don't mind telling you." The heir shrugged. "Perhaps forcing your lazy brains to get to work might do you some good."

For once, no one was angry about the insult. All of them were too focused on the supposed vital clue the heir mentioned.

"I was in the bath. What else would you like to know? Today's lottery number?"

'...A bath?' Was the blank thought of around half the students.

However, the smarter students quickly figure out what he's talking about. "Alter Ego." Makoto stated out loud, drawing attention to him. "He was in the bathhouse, talking to Alter Ego."

Several more eyes lit up at that. "Then that must mean…" Taka said in realization.

"Alter Ego must've finished opening all those files!" Hina said, looking excited once again.

"So the asshole did say something useful." Leon sighed in relief. "Finally."

"T-That's master for you." Toko sighed dreamily. "Always one step ahead…"

The heir didn't bother commenting on the last two statements, save for a disgusted look directed at Toko.

'He was… taking a bath?' Makoto thought in confusion, before his eyes lit up in realization. 'Is he saying he's been talking to Alter Ego? Did he tell him something…?'

"Maybe we should all take a bath." Kyoko suggested, emphasizing 'all'.

"Ah… good idea." Sakura nodded in agreement.

"A mixed bath…?" Hiro asked.

"A mixed bath…!" Hina confirmed with an energetic nod.

Hifumi giggled perversely at that. "A mixed bath…" A second later, yet another baseball hit his noggin. "Ow!"

"Will you ever learn dude?" Leon sighed, tossing a baseball up and down.

'If Alter Ego really did tell him something… I wonder what it could have been.' The luckster wondered to himself.

"With luck? Answers." Byakuya stated, earning nods of agreement all around.

They need answers, badly. Clues to a way out, info on the outside world, hints to who the mastermind is - they all hope those files contain at least some of those things.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 70: Watching Chapter 4: All Star Apologies Part 3

When the group of five entered the bathhouse, the first thing they saw was Toko sitting in front of the laptop. "...Toko." Makoto greeted awkwardly. "Did you decide to come hear what Alter Ego has to say, too?"

"I-I already heard it… with M-Master…" Toko informed them. Then she giggled perversely. "With Master!"

"We don't envy you." Leon deadpanned.

"Don't envy who?" Junko asked. "Toko or Byakuya?"

"Both."

That earned annoyed glances from both the heir and the writer.

"You don't have to keep saying it…" Hina sighed. "Anyway, so what are you doing right now?"

"Shut up. Stop b-bothering me." Toko responded back.

"Get out of the way." Hiro spoke up bluntly. "We have to talk to Alter Ego."

"N-No." Toko shook her head in refusal. "I made Master a p-promise."

"A promise?" Sakura repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"Master told me to w-wait here, so that's what I'm d-doing." The writer explained.

"What are you, his dog?!" Hina exclaimed incredulously.

"She might as well be at this point." Celeste snarked, getting a nasty glare from the writer. "All she needs is a leash and a collar."

"You're assuming I want to keep it." Byakuya deadpanned. "I assure you, this dog is a stray that follows me around."

"Master!" Toko whined pitifully.

"If it's wh-what Master wants, I'd do anything h-he asks." Toko said shyly.

"You just love being mistreated…" Hiro sighed.

"Yep."

"No doubt there."

"Not healthy, but true."

"I think it became her kink now."

"It's n-not abuse!" Toko protested.

"W-Well fine, if you really want me gone, by a-all means…" Before Toko could finish, however, she suddenly sneezed. And instantly, Genocide Jill appeared. "Hey guys! What's goin' on?!"

"Um… we'd like you to move." Hiro said, looking stunned for a moment.

"Sure thing! Just kneel before me and beg!" The serial killer demanded.

"First a mega masochist, now a super sadist!" Hiro cried out.

The appearance of Jill got groans from nearly everyone, with Toko dropping her glare and shrivelling up at the site of her. "Why?" Leon complained. "Why did she have to show up now?"

"I doubt there's ever a good time for Jill to appear." Sakura sighed.

"But it's definitely a worse time to do so." Celeste said with an eye twitch. "This is going to delay our talk with Alter Ego."

"Agreed." Byakuya and Kyoko simultaneously stated.

Quickly, the fortune teller turned towards Makoto. "Come on, Makoto! Give her the ol' one-two combo! One - drop your knees! Two - beseech!"

"Why are you acting like you're not part of this…?" The luckster groaned.

"Why don't any of you guys ever do these kinds of things?" Makoto asked with a blank look on his face. "Can't any of you lose your dignity for once?"

His response was several of his friends turning away, with some even whistling. 'Some friends I have…' Was the sarcastic thought of the lucky student.

With a sigh, Makoto kneeled in front of Jill and said, "Please, I'm begging you… will you please let us use the laptop?"

That brought gleeful laughter from the psychopath.

"Thanks, Makoto!"

"You're the best!"

"What would we do without you?"

Their response was a flat look from the lucky student, which clearly says that he's far from amused.

"Such an ultra miraculous feeling of happiness! All my pent-up anger at Master for abusing me is evaporating!"

"So even *you* realize it's abuse…" Hina sighed.

"I-It's not abuse!"

"Yes it is." Nearly everyone said simultaneously.

"That should be enough, right?" Kyoko spoke up. "Hurry up and let us talk to Alter Ego."

"O-kaaaaaaay!" With that, the serial killer moved aside, letting everyone get a view of the AI.

At this, the group tense, with some leaning in closely. This is it. They are hopefully gonna get some more answers with this.

"Everyone, come closer!" Alter Ego requested happily. Once everyone did, with Makoto squatting right in front of the laptop, the AI continued. "I already told Byakuya, but… I was finally able to crack open all the files that were on this laptop! Sorry to have kept you all waiting!"

"YES!" Leon, Hina, and Sayaka cheered, with the former two pumping their fist.

"We're finally getting some answers!" Mondo cheered as well.

"Thank goodness for your AI, Chihiro!" Taka praised.

"It may actually save our bacon!" Junko played along.

Chihiro could beam in happiness, red tint on his cheeks.

The quieter ones, such as Kyoko and Byakuya, merely watched on eagerly, hoping for valuable information.

"Just what I thought…" Kyoko mused.

"Finally… the time has come…" Sakura spoke right after.

"Nng… I'm starting to get kinda nervous…" Hiro groaned.

'Same.' Was the thoughts of several students. As the tone got more serious, everyone got tense and quiet, waiting for the information to be revealed.

Makoto placed his hands on the keyboard, his hands slightly shaking. But before he could type anything, Kyoko sharply ordered, "Move." Flinching, Makoto moved over, and let Kyoko get in front of the laptop. "Here we go…"

Immediately, glares and disapproving glances were thrown Kyoko's way, with Sayaka even letting out an irritated growl. Makoto had to clasp their hands together to keep her from attacking the detective.

Said detective had to swallow an irritated and embarrassed groan. Can't her future self push back her grudge at a time like this?

Kyoko then typed out, "Can you tell us what you found out?"

"Sure. I analyzed the files and extracted all the useful information I could find." Alter Ego nodded it's floating head. "And one particularly important fact I discovered was that a certain plan had been put into effect here. 'To isolate the students of Hope's Peak Academy and create a communal life for them'."

That definitely got everyone's attention. "Isn't that what Monokuma called this crazy situation?" HIro asked, scratching his head. "A communal life or whatever…?"

"Yes, that's what the bear had been spewing out…" Byakuya mused, his eyes narrowed. "Are these documents of the mastermind's plan?"

"We shall find out soon." Sakura said, just as focused on the TV.

"That was the stated goal of the plan. But it was meant to be more than just a normal school life. The students were intended to live out the rest of their lives here."

Makoto's eyes widened. "Th-That's…!"

"It's… exactly the situation we've found ourselves in." Sakura spoke out everyone's thoughts.

"It's quite unthinkable, isn't it?" The AI continued. "And what's more, the one who came up with the plan was… none other than the administrators of Hope's Peak themselves."

Now several eyes were shot wide open. "WHAT?!" Taka shouted.

"The administrators are doing this?" Hiro exclaimed in disbelief.

"But that doesn't make any sense!" Byakuya stated, immediately analyzing the info given to him. "The staff in Hope's Peak are all about culminating our talents to its fullest potential. Why would they want to get rid of the students they invested in?"

"Perhaps it's like some sort of sick test?" Hifumi suggested. "Maybe they're using this as a way to test our abilities and will."

"I don't know, Hifumi; that's a bit of a stretch." Makoto argued. "I mean, the only thing that this would assess us on is our willpower and mystery solving skills, the latter of which is only Kyoko's talent." Not to mention, Mukuro already told him the real reason. So unless the mastermind infiltrated the administrations, it doesn't make for the administrators to want to bring down Hope's Peak.

"Let's continue watching; I doubt that's everything Alter Ego has to say." Kyoko spoke up, getting attention back to the screen.

"What?! Wait, hold on!" Hina exclaimed incredulously. "Then the reason we've been imprisoned here… it wasn't the work of some psycho freak or criminal organization or whatever. It was… the school itself?"

"That doesn't make any sense! Why would they do that?!" Hiro questioned in disbelief.

"I don't think Alter is finished." Kyoko pointed out. "Perhaps we should hear the rest…"

"It seems that the reason they devised the plan was because of what happened one year ago." The AI continued further. "This is how they described the event. They said it was the 'biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history'."

The AI's words caused more than a few stomachs to churn. "That… doesn't sound good…" Leon gulped.

"You think?" Mondo remarked, though there wasn't any heat in his words.

"What does that mean…?" Hina asked, looking both concerned and confused.

"Yeah, what kind of name is that for something?!" Hiro exclaimed.

Kyoko herself was silent, an unreadable expression on her face.

"Otherwise known as the Tragedy, it was apparently some sort of devastating occurrence." Alter Ego explained. "Because of the Tragedy… Hope's Peak was forced to discontinue its role as a school and close down."

That got minds to start putting more of the puzzle pieces together. "I see." Byakuya mused in thought. "So that's why Hope's Peak needed to close down. Because of this Tragedy…"

"If I remember correctly, Monokuma had mentioned the Tragedy in the beginning of the third chapter." Taka stated. "And that a student died during that time."

"So is it something that happened in Hope's Peak?" Celeste inquired. "Or is it a wider scale calamity?"

'That's the question, isn't it?' Kyoko thought, her eyes narrowed. With every piece of info, it seems that something happened, or is happening, in the outside world. A catasphrophic level event, from how it's sounding.

"I see. Things are starting to finally make sense…" Kyoko said, mainly to herself. "What this means is, one year ago, this thing - this Tragedy - took place. "And whatever it is, it forced Hope's Peak to shut down. From there, they decided to use the school as a kind of staging ground. They planned to sequester the students here, where they would live out the rest of their lives."

"So that's everything they manage to gather?" Sayaka asked rhetorically, frowning. "Still, it doesn't seem like the full picture…"

"Yeah, I mean, why would the administrators want to shut us into the school?" Hina asked.

"And what is the Tragedy?" Taka questioned right after.

"Was it the administrators' idea to have this killing game in the first place?" Celeste added.

"I have a theory or two for those questions." Kyoko informed them. "But first, let's see what else Alter Ego knows."

"But… why would the Hope Peak's administrators want to shut everyone in like that?" Hina asked.

"And what could this 'tragic event' have possibly been?" Sakura added.

Quickly, Kyoko typed in those questions. However… "Sorry… I don't know." The AI said sadly. "If that information was ever on this computer, it's gone now. I'm totally useless… I'm sorry."

"So is that everything Alter Ego found?" Leon asked, not looking satisfied about the information given. "No way out? No clues about the mastermind? Nothing else?"

"So it would seem…" Kyoto said, sounding disappointed as well.

"Then… is this really the end?" Hiro questioned worriedly. "We get halfway through the answer, and that's it?"

"It would appear so. Disappointing…" Kyoko sighed.

"Oh, wait! There's one other thing I forgot to mention." Alter Ego suddenly announced. "There's one other thing I forgot to mention. I think it might be important. I believe it has to do with the mastermind…"

That immediately gained the attention of everyone. "The mastermind?!" Several students shouted in shock.

"Look like we're getting that clue Leon!" Hina said eagerly.

"And it couldn't have said so sooner?" Byakuya asked in irritation.

"Who cares?" Leon retorted. "Let's just see what he knows!"

Several eyes widened in shock. "The mastermind?!" Makoto gasped.

In a flash, Kyoko typed down, "Did you figure out the mastermind's identity?"

"No… that I still don't know." The AI admitted. "But I did find a clue, I think. The one leading the Hope's Peak staff, the one who finalized the plan to isolate you… was the Hope's Peak Headmaster."

Once again, several eyes popped wide open. "WHAT?!" Was the scream of several students.

"So that same person may very well be the mastermind who planned all this out."

"But that's impossible!" Byakuya refuted. "At the start of this... viewing, we saw the headmaster get killed!"

"Maybe the mastermind did that as a trick or something?" Hiro offered up.

"Who was he trying to fool? Certainly not us." Celeste retorted. "None of our future selves were there to see his death. And how would he know that we, ourselves, would be watching this from the future?"

"Besides that point, we already established that it wasn't a trick." Mukuro spoke up. "Those bones looked far too real to be fake."

"Indeed, it doesn't look like the headmaster is the mastermind." Junko stated in her teacher persona. "However, that doesn't mean that he didn't lead the plans to isolate us in the school."

That got the group to pause and think on that for a moment. "But why would the headmaster and the staff do this?" Taka asked. "Why isolate us from the rest of the world?"

It was Makoto who answered that. "From everything we've gathered… it's probably to protect us from this Tragedy." The luckster then turned to the detective next to him. "That was one of the theories you were talking about, right Kyoko?"

Kyoko nodded in confirmation. "Indeed. Right now, it's likely that the Tragedy is a global pandemic. One that Hope's Peak wants to protect us from."

Several students felt their stomachs drop, and began getting pale, at the implications. There's something so bad out there, that the staff felt the need to keep the students in the school? And what of the people out there? What happened to the other students? Their family?

Not wanting to think about it any longer, the group shook those thoughts away and focused on the screen.

"And according to the files, the headmaster is a man in his late thirties. It seems possible, even likely, that he's somewhere in the school right now."

Kyoko's eyes actually widened in shock. "The headmaster… is here in the school?!"

"Then that's gotta be the mastermind!" Hina concluded. "I mean, Monokuma's been calling himself the headmaster, right?"

"Which makes the real headmaster that much more suspicious…" Sakura mused.

"But if we break down the door to his room, we're dead, right?" Hiro pointed out. "So what are we supposed to do?"

"I'll find a way…"

"Huh?" Hiro spoke in confusion, with him and the others turning to the source of the menacing statement.

The one who spoke was Kyoko, who held a surprisingly violent look on her face. "No matter what it takes… I will find the headmaster." She growled. "No matter the cost…"

The sight of an angry looking Kyoko brought chills along some spines. "Is Kyoko okay…?" Hina asked worriedly.

"She must be pissed that her old man is involved in this…" Leon remarked. "Almost forgot that their relationship isn't the best."

"But why is she reacting this badly?" Byakuya questioned. "Disregarding how surprising it is to see this much emotion from her, her memories of anything involving her talents was erased. She shouldn't even remember her father."

Kyoko herself frowned at this. Most likely, while the memories are mostly erased, or suppressed, her feelings about her father are still there. Just like her skills as a detective. Still, the fact that the possibility of her father's involvement brought such strong emotions…

"Kyoko? What's going on…?" Hina asked in concern.

The lavender haired girl managed to school her features. "I can't explain why. I just… know that I have to find him."

'She "has" to?' Makoto thought, also worried for Kyoko. 'Kyoko… what's going on with you? When we heard about the headmaster, your reaction was almost… violent.'

"This must be confusing for future Kyoko…" Makoto mused in concern. "Having a portion of her memory gones, as well as having these feelings spring up."

"Probably so…" The detective sighed. A part of her actually hopes that the memories come back to ease that confusion, but as of right now, it seems unlikely.

"...We should see if Alter Ego has any more information." Kyoko said, changing the subject. She then started typing again before anyone could ask her anything. "Did you learn anything else?"

"I'm sorry… that's everything I found." The AI stated sadly. "All the information seems to be pretty old, so that's all I can do from here. I'm really sorry…"

"Okay, now it looks like that's everything it knows…" Junko huffed in fake disappointment.

"Shit…" Mondo cursed, clenching his fist. "That ain't nearly enough to figure out what the hell is going on."

"Does this mean it's the end for us…?" Hiro moaned worriedly.

'I don't know about that…' Kyoko thought to herself, looking at her notes. While there's no clue as to how to get out of here, or who the mastermind is… it does strengthen a theory that's been growing since chapter two.

"Then… it's really all over." Hiro groaned helplessly.

"Wait. Alter Ego seems to have more to say." Kyoko suddenly spoke up.

Sure enough, the AI had something else in it's mind, "Well, um…. It's kind of a different topic, but… I was wondering about something." Alter Ego started. "I haven't seen Celeste, Hifumi, or Taka since yesterday…"

Once again, a heavy silence filled the room. A stony look entered Celeste's face, while Hifumi and Taka looked down in dejection and regret.

Silence entered the bathhouse, with Makoto and Hina sporting sorrowful looks. The only sound was the flat, precise clicks as Kyoko typed, "They're all dead."

"...What?!" Alter Ego gasped in shock. "I see… certainly I knew that was a possibility, but… it really happened." A tearful look entered the AI's face as it went silent for a moment.

However, it quickly shook off it's depression and said, "Oh, sorry… there's no point in getting depressed over things I can't do anything about…"

"Um, does anyone else feel sad for Alter Ego…?" Hifumi asked hesitantly.

Makoto, Hina, and Chihiro didn't hesitate to shoot their hands up, with the latter looking as sad as its AI creation. Leon, Sayaka, and Taka did the same after a moment of hesitation. "Oh, good. Glad I'm not alone." The fanfic creator sighed in relief.

"Well then, I guess that's it." Kyoko said simply. Finally, she typed in, "You've done your job. Thank you."

"I'm done?" The AI asked, almost like it couldn't believe it. "I guess I am, huh?" I lowered it head sadly. "Then… maybe I'll take a little rest. I'm kinda tired. Goodbye, everyone. See you later…" With that, the laptop went black, entering sleep mode.

After it shut down, the group began speaking with one another. "So Alter Ego did everything he could…" Sakura sighed.

"We won't have to talk to him that much anymore." Kyoko stated.

"But… I feel kinda sorry for him." Hina admitted.

"You feel sorry…?" Hiro asked in confusion. "But 'he's' just a computer program, right?"

"Once again, I'm in surprise agreement with the fool." Byakuya sighed. "Why feel bad for something that can't even properly feel emotions in the first place?"

Hina flushed angrily at that. "Well, I mean, it did everything it could to help us!" The swimmer stated. "And he's sad that he couldn't do enough, so of course I would feel bad for him!"

"He's only simulating emotions." Celeste pointed out. "And it was merely fulfilling its programming. Nothing more, nothing less."

"That doesn't mean I have to act like you two and treat it coldly!" Hina cried out angrily. "And like the two of you are any better!"

That earned angry, narrowed eyes from the gambler and Togami heir. "Oh? Just because we refuse to cry over the deaths of our classmates means we're unfeeling?" Byakuya retorted. "Not all of us are so willing to show our feelings like you. Don't think all of us have to be as emotional as you!"

"You-"

"Guys, calm down!" Makoto spoke up, holding his hands out in a placating manner. "We all have different views on this, and neither of you are really wrong. But we don't have the time for this!"

Hina and Byakuya glared at one another before huffing and looking away. Makoto couldn't help but let out a tired sigh. Is he gonna have to do this through the rest of the showing?

"I know, but still… he did everything he could for us, ya know?" Hina said in slight defense.

"I mean, yeah, it did. But that's what a computer program is designed to do." The fortune teller pointed out. "You don't tell a computer 'good job' every time you shut it down, do you?"

Chihiro flushed at that. "Um, well, I do that with Alter Ego." The programmer admitted weakly, getting eyes attracted to him. "Is it really a bad thing?"

"No, Chihiro, it isn't." Sayaka quickly reassured him. "It's different when the programming responds back to you like a regular person."

"Yeah, little dude." Mondo said in agreement. "It's like talking to your pet. You can't help but talk to it normally sometimes when they respond back to you."

"But, it's still a computer program." Hiro pointed out, tilting his head in confusion. "It isn't a pet dog."

"It's a program that communicates with you like a normal person, Hiro. Excuse us if we decide to say 'thank you' from time to time." Leon retorted. The redhead then gave Chihiro a grin. "You don't have to worry so much, Chihiro. It's not really weird as you think."

"Yeah." Hina nodded in agreement. "It's just Hiro being rude and insensitive."

"Hey!"

The reassurances from his friends, even Mondo, brought a small smile from the programmer's face. "Okay. Thank you, everyone…" He said bashfully.

"Well, no…" Hina admitted. "But when we talked to Alter Ego, I guess I just… didn't see it that way."

"I know what you mean. I feel that same way." Makoto agreed.

"Hey, come on! It's just a program!" Hiro sighed. "You can tell the difference between a program and a friend, right?"

"But you know… what's the difference between us and that program, really?" Makoto asked in response.

"Huh…?" Hiro tilted his head in confusion at that.

"I started thinking about how you would differentiate a person and an AI." The luckster began explaining. "Alter Ego isn't human, I know that. It's just a program running on a computer. But at the same time, I couldn't help but think of him as our friend."

"Yeah! He's no different from us!" Hina agreed readily. "He's still our friend!"

That earned an eye roll from Byakuya. "The two of you really are sentimental fools, you know that?"

His response gained a sheepish chuckle from Makoto, while Hina merely gave him a small glare, to which the blonde heir ignored.

"Still, I can get Makoto's and Hina's perspective." Taka said softly. "Even if Alter Ego isn't actually alive, I would still consider him a friend."

"Same." Sayaka nodded in agreement. "He's just too life-like to just consider a mere programming."

"I'm pretty sure at least half of us here would think of Alter Ego as our friend." Leon remarked with a grin.

As a few more students added their voice of agreement, with Hiro even coming around, Kyoko couldn't help but roll her eyes as well. "I have to agree with Byakuya; you really are sentimental." She said, giving Makoto a small smirk of amusement.

The luckster could only blush a little, rubbing the back of his head as he smiled back. "Yeah, well, I stick with what my future self says." He stated. "If I ever meet Alter Ego, I would easily befriend the AI."

"I think… maybe I understand where you're coming from…" Hiro murmured loudly, smiling. "Then there's no problem calling him a friend! After all, the more friends the merrier, right?!"

"Check this out!" The fortune teller continued. "Friendship has no survival value. Instead, it gives value to survival."

"So anyway…" Kyoko interrupted."

"Don't 'so anyway' that!" Hiro protested. "It's a totally smart and cool thing I quoted from I don't remember where!"

"Anyway, there's nothing more Alter Ego can do to help us." Kyoko continued. "As such, his role in this is over. Am I wrong about that?"

Her words got a few recoiling. "Wow, that's cold. Even for you, Kyoko." Junko stated, looking 'surprised'. "Couldn't you just let them be happy for a bit?"

The detective could only look away as a response, not having any suitable answers in response.

"No, but…" Makoto started.

But he was interrupted by the lavender haired girl. "And frankly, I question the ease with which you decide who is and isn't your friend." She said coldly.

Just as Sayaka was going to slap Kyoko, Makoto quickly pushed her back while Leon grabbed her from behind. "Sayaka, calm down will ya?!" Leon grunted, keeping a firm grip on Sayaka. "Since when did you become so temperamental?!"

"The same time people keep insulting and using Makoto!" Sayaka growled back, glaring at the detective.

In response, Kyoko gave her a cold stare. "Oh? Like how you used him during chapter 1?"

That drew a flinch from Sayaka, but it also caused her glare to grow harsher. But before any insults can be hurled, Makoto quickly spoke up. "Sayaka, Kyoko, please don't get into a fight now." The luckster pleaded with them. "Especially when it's about me."

"I agree. This is far from the time for conflict." Taka spoke up in support. Sayaka gave another glare before settling back on the couch, latching onto Makoto's arm, while Kyoko said nothing, merely turning her gaze back to the screen.

'Do you really mean that…?' Makoto thought sadly.

'She probably feels that way…' Kyoko thought shamefully. Seeing how she's acting now… it's making her think of, and re-evaluate, the times she felt that irrational anger.

"How can Kyoko think that?!" Hina cried out angrily. "Makoto hasn't done anything like that!"

"I think we've established by now that the detective is acting unnaturally petty…" Byakuya sighed.

"We are getting off track." Sakura pointed out. "We should go over what Alter Ego said one more time." (The caused the students to straighten up, and focus on the screen.)

"Yeah, good idea!" Hiro agreed with a nod. "What was the Hope's Peak staff thinking…? Why are they making us kill each other?!"

"Alter Ego said that what happened one year ago is what started everything." Sakura said.

"Yeah, he said it was the biggest, most awful, most hopeless event in human history, right?" Hina asked, repeating the title of said event.

"An incredibly tragic event that happened a year ago…" Taka said with a frown. "Or in our case, will happen months from now. And because of that event, the Hope's Peak administrators saw fit to have us lock in the school for our protection?"

"But, if that theory is true…" Chihiro spoke, a realization coming up. "Then does that mean… we all agreed to stay in the school for the rest of our lives?"

That caused several eyes to widen, with some of the eyes flashing in realization as well. "Now that you mention it… there was the note that said 'You must not leave'." Makoto said in remembrance. "Was it meant to remind us? To… give us a warning or something?"

"No way!" Hiro shook his head in denial. "Is things really that bad out there that we actually agree to stay in the school?!"

"It might be that bad." Mukuro stated, a frown on her face. "If the massive air purifier is any indication of the state of the world, not to mention all the security in the building." Once again, faces went white at the implications made.

"It must have been a huge incident, whatever it is…" Makoto mused. "But did something like that really happen a year ago?"

"I don't remember anything happening that could be described that way. What about you guys?" Hiro inquired.

"I don't really watch the news, so…" Hina replied sheepishly.

"Sorry, nothing comes to mind." Sakura shook her head.

"And here's the amnesia problem reaping its ugly head again…" Junko remarked with a fake grimace. "Do you think they'll find out that they lost their memories soon?"

"They'll need to." Byakuya stated, arms crossed. "Otherwise, they won't ever solve the mysteries of Hope's Peak and the outside world."

"That event led to the closing of Hope's Peak." Kyoko stated. "If nothing else, it must have had some kind of connection to this school."

"Maybe all the students here were killed or something!" Hiro guessed.

"That kind of catastrophe would have been all over the news. At least one of us would remember that…" Sakura pointed out.

"Then… maybe they covered it up!" Hina suggested. "That would explain why none of us knew that the school had been shut down!"

"To be able to cover up something that massive, that it's been givin the name the Tragedy?" Celeste said, doubt clear in her voice. "That is a stretch to say the least."

"So… do you guys think that what Hiro suggested is what happened?" Makoto asked, looking sick at that very idea. "Do you think all the other students were… killed?"

"Right now? Anything is possible." Kyoko answered. "The mass murder of the student body, the destruction of whole cities, riots at an unimaginable scale… any of those is possible. Problem is, we have no indication of what the Tragedy could actually be."

'How about all the above?!' Junko suggested mentally. If what she has planned went to full fruition in the future they're watching, then the entire world is suffering all that and more.

"Totally covering up something like that… I suppose it's not totally impossible." Sakura conceded.

"What's wrong with our government?!" Hiro exclaimed angrily. "Our taxes pay their salaries, they should be handling stuff like that!"

"Maybe. But right now there's only one path open to us…" Kyoko declared. "We have to find the headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy. We have to find him, and make him tell us everything." Her face darkens as she said, "As long as we can get our hands on him, I think…"

'Kyoko…' Makoto thought worriedly.

"Wow." Leon whistled. "Even with your memories gone, your daddy issues are still in full view."

That earned a glare from Kyoko. "I do not have 'daddy issues', mind your words."

"I don't know, that seems like some deep issues to me." The baseball star remarked, unperturbed by the glare.

"But even that is a problem not so easily solved." Sakura sighed.

"You're… your right…" Hina said sadly.

"Well, our business is done here, so for now we should get out of here." Kyoko said, concluding the discussion.

"Oh yeah, good idea." Hiro agreed.

"Then I…" Jill suddenly spoke up. But before she could finish… "Ah… achoo!" Immediately, she changed back to Toko. "Huh…?"

That sudden scene got a few of them blinking. "Miss Jill was still in the room?" Hifumi asked in slight befuddlement.

"I guess she was listening in, the same as us." Hiro said with a small shrug.

"Is it really that dusty…?" Hina wondered. "Wait, I mean…!"

"O-Oh no! I'm not w-waiting anymore!" Toko stuttered worriedly. But the worried look was quickly replaced with a perverse smile. "I'm n-not guarding it… Byakuya's gonna b-be so mad at me…!"

That earned looks of disbelief, exasperation, and disgust. Byakuya especially aimed a look of pure revulsion that caused Toko to quiver.

"...It's no wonder she doesn't have a boyfriend." Leon said blankly.

"And it's a wonder how the hell she made those books of hers." Mondo added, just as disturbed.

"Let's avoid getting involved any further." Kyoko advised.

"Good call…" Hiro agreed easily.

With that, the group quickly left the bathhouse and got away from Toko. However, just as they got out of the room…

They were face to face with an angry looking Monokuma. "My heart is pound-pound-pounding away…" He growled. "It's pounding… with anger!"

"Y-You're not still mad about that whole 'breaking into the headmaster's room' thing, are you…?"

"Hiro, shut up!" Some of the students cried out.

"Do you want to die dude?" Leon exclaimed incredulously. "Why remind him of that?"

"I- well- future me is nervous okay?!" Hiro responded in defense for himself. "Monokuma looks pretty angry!"

"M-Maybe he's jealous that t-they were all in the b-bathhouse together?" Toko suggested. "T-They did say that they w-were having a m-m-mix bath…"

"Oh, that little matter doesn't matter even a little." The bear waved off. "And I'm a little jealous of you guys enjoying an incident mixed bath, but that doesn't matter, either." Monokuma then made sounds of heavy breathing. "It's building… I feel it building…" He then roared. "My head's about to boil with rage!"

"D-Don't get so angry." Hiro pleaded. "Here, let me help center your chakra…"

"What the hell got him so pissed off?" Mondo remarked. "There doesn't seem to be anything else."

"Maybe he's just messing with us…?" Sayaka suggested, a tad uncertain.

"Etch this on the walls of your brain, okay? When you do something to me, I do it right back…" Monokuma warned them. "An eye for an eye, a fang for a fang…" With that, the bear disappeared once more.

The last line caused more than a few to stiffen up. "Wait… is he talking about…" Makoto trailed off.

"Oh no! He chanted the incantation of devastation!" Hiro suddenly cried out, earning flat and disbelieving looks.

"That ain't what it was, you goddamn idiot!" Mondo stated in annoyance. "He's talking about fucking revenge!"

"Fang for a… fang?" Hiro repeated nervously. "B-Be careful! He just chanted the incantation of devastation!"

"No… it's just a saying." Sakura corrected him.

"Oh, I see…" Hiro sighed in relief.

"But what's he talking about?" Makoto asked in confusion. His answer was met with silence, with the camera focused on Sakura.

Makoto grimaced at that. "He must be talking about what happened between him and Sakura…"

That earned several anxious and worried looks, especially from Hina. "You think he wants payback for her betrayal?" Leon asked.

"It is likely…" Sakura herself sighed. "It's the question of what he's going to do."

Junko hummed in thought at that. 'Most likely… I would reveal that she's the traitor to everyone. Use that as a motive.' The muscle-bound freak double-crossed her. So she'll just double-cross her back.

After a moment, the school bell rang before the nighttime announcement played. After it was done, Kyoko spoke up. "So, it's nighttime. What does everyone want to do?" She inquired. "Celeste was the one who suggested our nighttime rule, but she's gone now…"

"I think we should still avoid being out at nighttime." Hina suggested. "I know it'll make me feel better that way…"

"I agree." Hiro nodded.

"Very well then." Was all Kyoko said. "In that case, time for bed."

With that, the group separated and headed to their rooms. The scene then switched to Makoto laying on his bed, an anxious look on his face. 'The administrators of Hope's Peak had planned all of this…' He thought to himself. 'They did it because of "The Tragedy" which had happened a year before. And apparently the headmaster is the one behind it all - the mastermind.'

"It seems as though we're closely getting the answers we need…" Byakuya said, holding his chin in thought. "But it's still not enough. And there's still no clue about who exactly the mastermind is."

"And the remaining survivors are even farther from the truth than we are, thanks to the lost memories." Celeste added.

"Still… what they're finding out is making me really nervous." Hina gulped. "I mean, what could be so bad that Hope's Peak felt the need to lock us in the school for our protection?"

"And why only us for that matter?" Taka asked, a worried frown on his own face. "What happened to the other Ultimate students? Why weren't they placed in the protection of Hope's Peak?"

"If I remember correctly, Monokuma did say that a student died during the Tragedy…" Sakura said in remembrance. "So, it's likely that…"

The implication did not set well with the group. "Ngh…" Hiro groaned fearfully. "Do we even want to know what happened? This sounds really scary."

"We have to." Kyoko stated, her tone leaving no argument. "It will be even scarier to experience it first-hand, without the knowledge to combat this Tragedy."

'She's right.' Makoto thought in agreement. Scary or not, they need to keep pushing forward. Watch the mystery unfold so they can learn all they can.

'All these mysteries make me worried. But I still have to try and unravel them, bit by bit.' Determination glinted in his eyes. 'I'm sure the road will be long, and tough, but I don't have any other choice.'

Seeing future Makoto's determination caused everyone else to harden their resolve. He's right. They don't have any other choice but to continue. Any other option results in death.

Still, despite their determination to continue, many of them are fearful of what's going to be revealed. What's going to happen months from now? What is this Tragedy? What makes it so terrible that the principal felt that they need to stay isolated in the school? And what of the other students? What are their fates?

They're getting closer to actual answers… but those possible answers are making the group fearful of finding out more.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 71: Watching Chapter 4: All Star Apologies Part 4

The next morning, Makoto entered the dining hall as usual. There, he saw Sakura, Hina, Hiro, and Toko. The sight of Toko stopped him in his tracks as he was surprised that she was there at all.

The present students were also surprised by the sighting of the writing prodigy. "Um, am I seeing things, or is Toko actually in the dining hall?" Hiro asked in shock.

"Nope, I'm seeing the same thing dude." Leon replied, rubbing his eyes just to make sure.

"What are you s-staring at…?" Toko asked defensively

"Oh, Toko…?" Makoto replied, voicing his surprise.

"What, you think y-your eyes will rot just by l-looking at me?" The writer questioned, shrinking. "Fine, then DON'T l-look at me!"

"I think he's surprised to see you at the breakfast meeting, is all…" Hiro pointed out with a sigh.

"What is Miss Fukawa doing there?" Hifumi inquired curiously. "I doubt she had any off-screen character development during the night."

"20 bucks that it has something to do with Byakuya." Junko deduced.

"But Byakuya isn't here." Taka pointed out.

"Doesn't mean it doesn't have anything to do with him."

"Indeed." Sakura nodded in agreement. "It's been quite a while since you joined us."

"Yeah, what made you change your mind?" Hina inquired.

"Byakuya said he… l-likes a girl to have some meat on her bones, so…" Toko giggled.

"Called it." Junko chimed.

"Did he really say something like that, though?" Hiro wondered. "Or did he just insult her weight or something?"

"I'm placing a bet on the latter, if it is not one of Toko's messed up fantasies." Leon remarked. "Really doubt Byakuya would give her advice like that."

"No, I would not." The heir himself agreed.

"I'm g-gonna start eating! I'm gonna force it d-down into my stomach! I'm gonna eat till I d-drop!"

"I refuse to l-lose!" Hina exclaimed in response.

That got some snorts and eye rolls from the students. "For someone who gets embarrassed at being called a big eater, you sure do live up to the title." Junko teased, getting a blush and pout from Hina.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you…" Sakura advised.

"Well, other than that…" Makoto spoke up, changing the subject. "It looks like Kyoko isn't here."

That earned the attention of everyone. "Wha- Makoto's right." Hina said, now noticing the absent detective. "Where is she?"

"Oh, she said she'd come by later." Hiro informed him.

"Later…?" The luckster turned to the fortune teller in confusion.

"Yeah. After you leave."

Slowly, everyone processed what Hiro had just said. Then, they slowly turned towards Kyoko with blank looks or baffled ones. The detective herself looked away from everyone, her cheeks actually burning in embarrassment.

"You're avoiding him?" Leon asked incredulously. "You're seriously avoiding him? Just straight out shunning him?"

"Are you fucking serious right now?" Mondo asked blankly.

"I… that's…" Hina stammered out, struggling to find the words how shocked and upset she's feeling right now.

"But…" Hiro spoke up, confused. "Isn't Kyoko supposed to be the mature one here?"

"That's what I thought too…" Hifumi murmured, also confused.

And just like that, Makoto's head dropped down in depression. 'She's not even trying to hide it anymore…' He groaned.

"No kidding…" Junko snorted, amused by Kyoko's childish actions. "She's really taking Makoto's refusal personally."

"And this is the girl who admonished Makoto for being so emotionally open…" Byakuya remarked, honestly disappointed by the detective's action. Kyoko is one of the few people that gain some modicum of respect from him, yet she's doing the exact same thing his future self is doing, for such petty reasons.

"Why… is your future self treating him so harshly?" That question came from Mukuro, who looked positively frustrated. Her hands clenched tightly on her knees, while her eyes dilated in anger. "He trusts you, sees you as an ally and friend, only feels worried about you, and only wants your trust back. Yet the one time he kept something to himself, the only time he refused to be open, you act like he's been using you the entire time?!"

How could her classmates treat Makoto like this? Sayaka tried to frame him, future and present Mondo punched him out of anger, both Hiros tried to sell his organ… and now Kyoko, whose bond with the luckster makes her envious, is unjustly giving him the cold shoulder. Over something that she has done multiple times.

Why do they take someone like Makoto for granted? Why can't they treat him better?

Kyoko, who managed to recover her neutral look out of sheer will, could only look forward under the questions or looks. Honestly, she couldn't answer any of the questions without revealing her emotions. It's just taking this much to keep up her cool facade.

"I know I said she wanted you to show some backbone, but you didn't need to show her THAT much!" Hina admonished Makoto. "You're dirty, Makoto! Dirty! President Dirty of Dirtlandia!"

Hina's words earned several blank looks and facepalms. "Why am I not surprised?" Byakuya groaned.

"I honestly forgot about Hina's assumption after the trial…" Celeste sighed in annoyance.

The mentioned swimmer could only blush in embarrassment, feeling slightly guilty for what her future self is assuming.

"You don't understand…!" Makoto protested.

"You're the type who takes the stairs of love three steps at a time, aren't you?!" Hina accused him of.

"I'm telling you, it's not like that!"

"Seriously, Hina…" Leon groaned, rubbing his hands over his face. "I know you have no clue about the situation between them, but still…"

"I know!" The swimmer groaned, covering her face in embarrassment. "Sorry, Makoto!"

"It's fine, Hina…" The lucky student waved off with a small smile. "Like Leon said, you don't know the story."

"J-Just shut up already, Hina…!" Toko hissed at her. "You've been running your f-filthy mouth like that all m-morning…"

"Filthy? ME?!" Hina exclaimed in shock.

Toko's words caused several eyes to widen, especially Hina's. "Toko!" Taka shouted in shock and admonishment. "That's extremely rude of you!"

"Should we really be surprised?" Mondo retorted, despite looking surprised himself. "I mean, this is Toko we're talking about here, man."

"G-Guess it's been a while since we've heard an insult from her…" Chihiro replied with a slight stutter.

Meanwhile, Sakura's upper face started darkening slightly.

"Don't m-make me repeat m-myself…" The writer grumbled.

"I'm not filthy!"

"It's n-no use denying it." Toko snickered, an incorrigible grin crawling up her face. "We can all s-see how disgusting you are…"

"Sh-Shut up…!" Hina stuttered, a massive blush crawling up her face.

"You and that lusty body of yours…" Toko breathed out. "Night after night, you go out for your illicit c-club meetings…"

Like with poor future Hina, several classmates began blushing at Toko's words. Chihiro, Makoto, Sayaka, and Taka are the worst off, all four of them heavily blushing, while Mondo and Leon have light blushes.

Celeste, Mukuro, and Kyoko have blank looks on their faces, while a disgusted look enters Byakuya's face. Hifumi is having the time of his life, whereas Hiro just looked uncomfortable. Junko herself also had to hold back from giggling.

And Hina herself? She has a blush as bad as her future self, with her body shaking from embarrassment. Toko was also shaking, but it was out of fear rather than embarrassment, seeing the ever growing dark look from Sakura.

"I don't wanna hear it. I don't wanna hear it. I don't wanna hear it!" She repeated to herself in agony.

"H-Hey, knock it off." The swimmer pleaded weakly. "I can't deal with dirty stuff like that…"

"Your m-midnight sextracurricular activities only put us in e-even more danger…!" The writer giggled out, a blush covering her own face.

"S-Stop it…" Hina continued pleading, looking ready to either crawl in a hole or pass out.

"I-I agree." Taka stuttered out, looking extremely embarrassed for Hina. "This is sexual harassment at this point. Shouldn't somebody stop Toko by now?"

"I'm pretty sure everyone's just stunned by what Toko is saying…" Leon said, looking away from the screen. "Otherwise, I'm pretty sure Sakura would've said something by now."

"I would…" The martial artist herself growled, causing the writer to shake even more.

"I-I hope she does s-soon…" Hina stuttered out, wrapping her arms around herself tightly as she shook. "I really can't handle dirty stuff…"

"I don't b-blame you Hina…" Sayaka replied, burying herself in Makoto's arm. Dirty comments like that is something she probably won't get used to, especially ones from Toko.

"You'd like me to s-stop, wouldn't you? Your sweaty h-hands gripping the big, fat chalk t-tight…" At this point, the writing prodigy was leaning towards the swimmer from within her chair breathing heavily. "Going for all that e-extra credit… your screams are like the s-screech of a violated blackboard!"

"Oh my…" Hifumi said, mouth open and almost drooling. "Miss Fukawa's fantasy is really intense."

"P-P-Poor Hina…" Chihiro whimpered. He couldn't imagine how he would react if he was in her shoes.

"And…! And!" She then leaned back, as if she pushed or shoved. "Ah! I-It's amazing! Indecent ideas are c-coming to me one after another!"

Hina let out her own whimper, her face beet red at this point. This is almost as bad as when she first met Teruteru at the dining hall! Thank goodness Sakura was there, or she probably would've fainted in pure embarrassment.

Said martial artist let a growl of protective anger. "Toko…"

"Future me! F-F-Future me!" Toko immediately cried out. "Please don't kill me!"

Slowly, Sakura calmed herself. However, she still had a fierce look in her eyes. "Make sure that you don't make the same mistake your future self is making…" The book writer nodded her head rapidly at that.

A slam was then heard from the table. "So, would you rather have your black eye on the left or the right?" Sakura growled, standing up from her seat.

"Hyeeeh!" Toko screamed in fear, quickly losing her aroused look. "S-Sorry, sorry, sorry!"

"Let's leave Toko alone." Hiro advised. "She's gone a little… funny from all her pent-up frustration."

"That's an understatement." Leon snorted, trying to shake off the second-hand embarrassment. "Seriously, do I need to start throwing baseballs at you now Toko?"

That earned a glare from the girl. "Y-You wouldn't d-dare!"

In response, the redhead raised an eyebrow and slowly lifted a ball…

"O-Okay! You would!" Toko immediately backtracked. "S-Sorry, sorry, sorry!"

"Anyway, you and Kyoko need to make up already, ya know?"

"Y-Yeah, I know…" Makoto sighed. 'I mean, of course I want things to get better as soon as possible.'

"But that's easier said than done." Celeste remarked, sounding cold yet dry at the same time. "After all, Kyoko is being the childish one here."

"I really hope that she can make up with him soon." Chihiro said, looking down sadly. "I don't like seeing them so distant."

"It's Kyoko that needs to take those steps and let go of this grudge." Taka stated, disapproval coloring his tone. "After all, it's her that's refusing to mend bridges with Makoto."

It's the testament to the detective's will power that she kept on her iron-clad mask for the most part. Inwardly however, she is very upset. She hates it. Hates how obviously petty and emotional she's behaving; hates how she's letting those emotions cloud her judgement; hates how she's treating Makoto through all this.

All of this is really gnawing at her heart, and straining the mask she spent years developing.

'But with everything that's been going on, I haven't had a chance to talk to her about what I saw…' He turned his eyes towards Sakura. 'Before anything, I need to talk to Sakura about it.'

The martial artist in question, after calming down, could only look down guiltily, her hands clenched tightly on her lap. She knows that the others said that it isn't her fault, and logically, that knows that it's at least partially true.

However, it is thanks to her future's self decision that led Makoto in this tough spot. That led to the rift between him and Kyoko. Hopefully, once Makoto talks to her future self, she can take it upon herself to solve the issue between them.

"U-Um… Sakura?" Makoto called out nervously, getting the martial artist's attention.

"What is it?" She inquired simply.

"Can you make some time later?" The luckster requested. "I was hoping I could talk to you."

"So you're finally gonna talk with her about what you witnessed?" Byakuya mused, eyes narrowed. "It should be interesting, to say the least."

"Hopefully, things will get resolved once Makoto talks with Sakura." Chihiro said, looking nervous yet hopeful. "Maybe he can tell Kyoko what he saw and make up with her."

"That is if the amnesiac detective doesn't decide to continue acting petty and ignore him." Celeste remarked, her red eyes narrowed at Kyoko. "That's still a possibility."

At this point, said detective had to close her eyes and take a deep breath in order to keep herself calm. Still, she can't deny the idea that that will happen. In fact, that probably would happen.

"If she does, I'm sure my future self will step in and help them reconcile." Sakura cut in, her voice firm. "I won't let their bond be severed due to a mistake of my own."

"Ah!" Hina's eyes widen, the fading blush now returning. "Now that Kyoko's dumped him, Makoto's trying to win Sakura's heart!"

"Are you in h-heat, Makoto?" Toko accused the luckster of. "Don't care who they a-are as long as they've g-got the right equipment?"

"Watch out, Sakura! Makoto's transformed into a wild beast!" Hina warned her friend. "Prime Minister Wild Beast of Beastopia!"

The statements earned several groans, eye rolls, and even a few irritated growls, with both Hina and Makoto beet red in embarrassment.

"Damn it, Hina…" Mondo growled out in irritation. "How the hell did you jump to that conclusion?"

"Miss Oogami would probably just snap him in half if he tried." Hifumi pointed out.

"Girl, you got your mind way into the gutters…" Junko sighed, trying not to giggle.

"Both her and Toko…" Hiro stated, sighing himself.

"It would probably be funny if the situation isn't so annoying…" Leon huffed.

"Uggh... I'm SO embarrassed!" Hina cried while shrinking into her chair.

"Why is this happening to me…?" The luckster couldn't help but moan.

"I'm so sorry, Makoto!"

"I-It's fine, Hina! Really!" Makoto waved off once more, trying to shake off his own blush. "I know you don't mean any harm!"

"Can our talk wait till tomorrow?" Sakura requested, getting the attention of the others. "I'd like to get some rest today. For some reason, I've been feeling worn down these last few days."

Immediately, some of the students were concerned for the martial artist. "You think it's because of the fight she has with Monokuma?" Leon inquired.

"Probably." Celeste answered, her eyes narrowed. "I'm amazed that she was able to leave that fight without any sort of punishment. The bear had made it clear that he won't allow any sort of rule-breaking multiple times already."

"Guess it really shows how strong Sakura really is." Makoto stated, though a frown was on his face. "Monokuma must've got some hits in though if she's still feeling bad…"

"Yeah." Hina agreed, biting her lips nervously. "You really shouldn't do stuff like that, Sakura. I know you're strong, but still…"

"I know, Hina." Sakura said, giving an apologetic look. "I'm sorry for worrying you. For worrying all of you." She said the last statement to the rest of her concerned classmates.

"It's fine, Sakura." Taka spoke for the group. "Let just hope your future self will be more careful from now on."

"We can only hope."

"Huh?" Immediately, a concerned look entered Hina's face. "Are you sick? Did you get hurt?"

"No, nothing serious." Sakura waved off the concern. "I've just had some minor aches and pains."

'Huh?' Makoto thought curiously. 'Is that from…?' A flashback of the stare-down between Monokuma and Sakura was briefly shown. 'It must be because of that battle…'

"Exactly how powerful is Monokuma?" Taka mused. "Did he fight Sakura through the use of various traps and weapons around the school? Or was it pure physical combat?"

"Maybe it was both." Sayaka suggested. "We did see them exchange blows after all."

"And Monokuma did say that his controls are much more complex than that of NASA…" Chihiro hummed in thought. "So it isn't too far-fetched."

"But it must be pretty bad if you have to go rest." Hina remarked, still concerned. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm sure a protein shake and some sleep will get me back on my feet." Sakura assured her friend.

That got the swimmer nodding. "That's true, protein is good for all kinds of stuff!"

"You guys, like, worship protein." Hiro sighed. "It's like your god or something…"

"No kidding…" Mondo snorted, with some nodding or making different sounds of agreement. That got a pout from Hina while Sakura paid no mind to the comments.

"Makoto!" Quickly, the swimmer turned towards the luckster. "I dunno what it is you wanna talk to Sakura about, but save it for tomorrow! She's in pain!"

"Y-Yeah, I got it…" Makoto stated, holding his hands up in surrender.

"Sorry…" Sakura apologized.

"Well, for now… let's eat!" Hiro said, changing the subject.

"E-Eat? I'm kinda n-nervous…" Toko said, shifting in her chair.

"Huh? How come?" The fortune teller inquired.

"Cuz… I don't usually… e-eat in front of other p-people." Toko stated. "Ever since I w-was a kid, I'd… eat b-by myself."

"What about your family?"

"Oh, well y-yeah." The writer merely shrugged. "I used to live with my d-dad, my mom, and my m-mom."

"...Your dad, your mom, and your… what now?" Leon asked blankly.

"L-Like future me s-said, I live with my dad and both my moms." Toko replied with a shrug.

That earned her several blank, baffled, or concerned looks before slowly, everyone turned back to the screen. They do NOT need to know the details!

"You had… two moms?" Hiro repeated, baffled.

"What? That's just how th-things were…" Toko replied defensively.

"That's, like, a serious issue!" The clairvoyant cried out.

"Just let it go." Hina advised. "You're asking for trouble getting involved with her more than you have to."

"Definitely." Stated several students across the room. That earned a withered glare from the writer herself.

"A-And what's that s-supposed to mean?!"

"It means you got a messed up childhood that none of us want the details to." Leon deadpanned. Toko's glare was then solely directed at the baseball star.

"No one asked you!"

"You kinda did. Just now"

"Sh-Shut up!"

"How d-dare you speak to me with that d-digusting mouth of yours…" Toko retorted back.

"S-Stop saying stuff like that!" Hina stammered out, her blush returning.

"Toko…"

"Future me! Future me!" Toko cried out once more, curling up into a ball. "I have no control over what my future self is saying!"

"You better not say similar things to Hina in the future." The martial warned. "Whether or not I'm here. Otherwise…" She left the threat hanging, making the writer gulp and shiver in fear.

"A-Anyway…" Makoto spoke up, before an argument could happen. "I'm gonna go ahead and eat. If I don't, Kyoko will never show up."

"Pretty miserable situation, man." Hiro sighed in sympathy. The luckster could laugh awkwardly.

The reminder of Makoto's and Kyoko's current situation caused the mood to dim once more. "Kyoko better stop with this shit and make up with Makoto!" Mondo growled in annoyance.

"No kidding." Leon huffed. "Seriously, this whole thing is stupid! It's not like Makoto outright refused her like she did. Multiple times."

Sayaka hasn't said anything about Kyoko avoiding Makoto. But the darkened, along with the tightened grip on the luckster's arm, said a lot.

How can Kyoko, the same person who admonished her for betraying Makoto, act like such a… such a CHILD?!

She can't fathom a guess, at least not while she's furious. But one thing's for sure; she, like everyone, hopes that it will end soon.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 72: Watching Chapter 4: All Star Apologies Part 5

"Hey…!" Makoto turned toward the direction of the call to see Toko staring at him in the staff room. "I want to t-talk to you."

Once again, future Toko caught the group by surprise. "First she willingly went into the dining hall…" Leon started, eyebrows raised, "Now she's wanting to talk to Makoto?"

"But she was eager to talk to him before," Taka pointed out.

"Yeah, but she was never this direct," the baseball star remarked, "Usually it's Makoto who has to start out the conversation."

'Huh?' Makoto couldn't help but think. 'That's strange. Toko never wants to talk to me. I thought she hated my guts.'

"Are you l-listening to me?"

"Oh, sorry!" Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Makoto went inside the staff room with Toko. "Yeah, I'm listening!"

"I just w-wanted to clear something up. I mean, I h-have to clear it up," the writer began, "What I said before… I d-don't want you to get the wrong idea, o-okay?"

"Huh? What did you say?" the luckster asked.

"About not having any love in r-real life," Toko reminded him. "I don't want you thinking I-I don't have any experience a-at all!"

"Wait a minute… are you saying that you actually dated somebody Miss Fukuwa?!" Hifumi cried out in shock.

"Don't get too excited," Junko cut in, "Ten bucks says that it's a depressing story."

"Suckers bet there," Leon snorted, ignoring the bitter glare aimed at him.

"Even someone likes m-me has… gone on a date."

"Oh…" was all the luckster could say.

"It's true! I'm not lying!" Toko insisted, "I'll tell you all about it if y-you really wanna hear!"

"Don't do it, man!" Hiro cried out, "You'll get sucked into a vortex of depression and anxiety!"

"S-shut up!" Toko shouted back, "L-Like your past is a-any better!"

"Um, no, it's okay…" Makoto quickly declined.

"I was in junior h-high, and out of nowhere this g-guy from another class just asked me out."

'Okay, I guess I'm hearing it anyway…' Makoto couldn't but think a bit dryly.

"He asked m-me to make plans for the date," Toko continued, "I stayed up all n-night for three days planning it. And what I came up with w-was a movie. Pretty cool, right? You go w-watch it, then afterward talk about it all p-personally. In other words, it's i-ideal first-date material."

"...It took you three fucking days to think of that?" Mondo asked blankly. "Even I could come up with something like that in an hour, at least."

That got Toko flushing before aiming a glare at the biker. "I-I was nervous, okay?! Don't j-judge me!"

'You stayed up for three days, and that's what you came up with…?' Makoto couldn't help but think in disbelief.

"T-That's what you were thinking when I told y-you that?!"

Makoto could only chuckle sheepishly. "Sorry Toko, but to be fair, it usually doesn't take someone that long to think of a date."

"So you heard this story before Makoto?" Sayaka inquired.

"I did…" the luckster sighed, rubbing the back of his head, "So, I've got a fairly good idea on where this will go."

"Next I had d-decided what to go see," the writer continued, "Since we were in junior h-high, we couldn't go see some kid's m-movie, right? I wanted something really a-action packed."

"Yeah, a guy would definitely like that kinda thing," Makoto agreed with a nod, "And it could get you both pumped up!"

"That does sound like an ideal date…" Sayaka mused. "An activity both parties will enjoy, a genre that your date would like, and it's something that would get the two of you pumped up and talking about it."

"Does that mean the date went well?" Taka inquired.

His response was Toko turning her head away. "W-Well…"

"So we d-decided to check out a Seijun Suzuki t-triple feature," Toko then revealed, "'Tokyo Drifter', 'Fighting Elegy', and 'Branded to Kill.' I-Irresistible for any guy, right?"

"...What, what, and what now?" Hina asked, with question marks around her head. "I've never heard of those movies."

"Me neither," Leon agreed, looking just as confused. "I've never heard of this Seijun Suzuki guy."

"Do none of you know who Seijun S-Suzuki is?!" Toko griped, "H-He's widely known for his unique blend of colors in his f-films! His one-of-a-kind aesthetics! How did you n-not hear about him?"

"I'm thinking that most people never heard of those movies or the film-maker," Junko pointed out.

"So, we can probably guess how this date is gonna turn out," Celeste sighed.

"Umm… and those are all…?" Makoto asked, looking confused.

"You don't know who S-Seijun Suzuki is?!" Toko exclaimed, "He's world-famous for h-his one-of-a-kind aesthetic, his u-unique blending of color!"

"S-Sorry…"

"The killer's the main character, and he gets r-riled up by the smell of cooking rice," Toko rambled on, "A murder masterpiece!"

"Honestly, I think there's probably not a lot of guys my age who have any idea who he is…" the luckster pointed out.

Toko groaned at that, biting her lips. "You're right… I learned that f-fact the hard way," she admitted. "He musta h-hated it, cuz he disappeared right i-in the middle of the first movie!"

Hina's eyes widened at that. "Are you serious?!"

"He just left you there?!" Taka exclaimed in disapproval.

"Ouch. Running off in the middle of the first date?" Leon winced, "That's low."

"Definitely," Mondo nodded in agreement with his own winces, "Could've at least manned up and said that he wasn't enjoying the date before leaving."

"What?!" Makoto's eyes widened at that, "He just left?! And after you'd put all that effort into planning everything out? That's awful…"

"W-Well, it is what it is," the writer replied with a shrug, "Besides, I found out i-it was just a dare, anyway…"

"A dare…?" Makoto couldn't help but gape at that.

"Yeah. He lost a b-bet with his friends, so he had to go o-out on a date with me…" Toko grumbled, "And there I was, s-spending three days to come up with something for us to d-do…"

Hina also gaped at that. "Again, seriously…?"

"Double ouch." Leon winced once more.

"That's extremely rude of those boys!" Taka shouted in disapproval.

"I know that Toko is… Toko, but still…" Hiro said, shaking his head.

"That's really terrible of them to do that!" Sayaka huffed.

Meanwhile, Toko was slightly stunned at the responses being given. Do they really care about what had happened? Even Leon and Hiro?

She then cried out in frustration. "This is all y-your fault! You made me remember that terrible t-trauma!"

That line put the group through a shocking mood whiplash. "What the-? No he didn't!" Sayaka refuted.

"Yeah! You were the one who went to him and told him," Hina argued.

"He even tried to stop you from telling him!" Leon added.

"Don't start blaming others for your decision!" Taka scolded her.

That got Toko out of her stunned state, as well as making her turn away from the group with bitterness and embarrassment. Makoto, meanwhile, sweat dropped at this. They sure did switch quickly from sympathizing with Toko to scolding her for her actions…

"My fault?!" The luckster exclaimed in shock.

"Do you like h-humiliating me that much? Is th-that how you get your kicks?" Toko ranted, accusation in her voice, "I've finally seen the r-real you…"

"N-No, I…!"

"I c-can't be around you and your perverted f-fetish anymore…!" The writer then marched out of the staff room, glaring at Makoto with hatred. "I'm l-l-leaving!"

"...Are you fucking serious?" Mondo deadpanned, "He didn't do shit!"

"And just when I was feeling bad for you Toko!" Hina groaned. "How could you accuse him of anything when he didn't do anything?"

"Definitely need to work on that paranoia girl…" Junko remarked.

The writer's cheeks burned at that, unable to deny it. Seeing herself from someone else's point of view really did put a lot of things in perspective…

After she left the room, Makoto let out a sigh. "Okay, seriously. Now she's gotta hate me…" Shaking his head morosely, he left the room.

The next scene showed the luckster about to walk past the music room. However, he stopped when he heard a sad sigh, and turned his head to see a depressed looking Hina in one of the chairs.

"Ugh… this sucks…" the swimmer sighed.

The future Hina's depressed state caught the group's attention. "Wow. Hina sure does look depressed," Junko noted, "Even more so than she previously looked."

"I wonder what's got her so down…" Sayaka commented with slight concern.

"Yeah…" Makoto nodded in agreement, a frown on his face, "Doesn't look like anything too serious though…"

"I hope it isn't," Hina groaned worriedly, biting her lip. Sakura also looked concern, but not too much.

'Huh? What happened to her?' Makoto thought in slight concern. 'She seems way more depressed than usual.'

"Hey Hina?" The luckster spoke up, walking towards the girl, "What's wrong?"

"Oh…" The swimmer jolted a bit when she noticed Makoto. "Well… I try to convince myself I was imagining it, but I totally wasn't imagining it…"

"Imagining what?"

"I… I got fat," Hina moaned sadly.

"WHAT?!" Hina shouted, causing several of her classmates to jump in surprise. The girl looked horrified, as if told that she only had a week to live. "I gained weight?!"

"...Are you really that surprised?" Celeste deadpanned, "Considering your ghastly meal plan, it's a wonder that you haven't gained weight already."

"Hey!" The girl protested, blushing, "I'm not that bad!"

"We did mention how much of a glutton you are previously, did we not?" Byakuya remarked dryly, provoking a deeper blush from the swimmer.

'I figured…' Makoto deadpanned.

"Makoto!"

The luckster winced, holding his hand up in surrender. "Sorry Hina. But to be fair, you do eat fattening stuff like Tonkotsu ramen a lot of the time. You're bound to end up gaining a little weight eventually."

Hina couldn't help but pout, the red tint on her cheeks not letting up.

"I'm so fat! Fat from every angle!" The swimmer cried out in anguish. "I hate this… hate it! I may as well just accept it and embrace my new fat fatty attitude…"

"But what if I just keep getting fatter and fatter and it never stops?!" Hina said, continuing to panic, "I just get disgustingly, morbidly obese, and then nobody wants to marry me! Which makes me depressed, and I get even fatter." The more she talked, the more gloomy she became. "Eventually I can't even stand up on my own… and then I die, sad and alone. Nobody notices. I finally lose weight when my body starts to rot…"

The group was… taken aback by Hina's depressing rant, to say the least. Even Hina was surprised by her own self-deprecating speech. She never noticed it before, but does she really get this… emotional?

"And I thought only Toko could make a rant this depressing…" Hiro couldn't help but murmur.

"U-Um… I think your future self is taking this a little bit too seriously, Hina," Chihiro pointed out with concern, "I don't think it's as bad as she claims it to be."

"Yeah," Leon nodded in agreement, "You look pretty much the same." He would say that she looks as hot as ever… but he'd rather not get throttled by Sakura.

"Y-Yeah…" The swimmer could only agree, rubbing the back of her head. "Guess future me is overreacting, huh?"

"Don't worry about it too much, Hina," Sayaka reassured the girl, "I think most of us are bound to react like that at least once or twice."

"I-I think maybe you're worrying a little too much…" Makoto told her. "Besides, as far as I can tell, you look exactly the same."

"You're just saying that," Hina argued, "I'm a total chub monster! I'm a perfect circle…"

"No, seriously. I'm not just saying that," the luckster insisted.

"Then… I'm still hot?"

Makoto, who was taking a sip of his drink, couldn't help but choke on it once he heard what Hina said. "H-Hina?!"

"Did you really just say that?" Leon gawked.

"Oh my…" Celeste lightly covered her mouth in shock.

"Never thought you would say something like that," Mondo said in surprise.

"Such a remarkable amount of self-awareness," Hifumi remarked in astonishment.

"Have to agree with Hifumi there." Even Junko was taken by slight surprise, something which made her inwardly giddy. "Never thought you would say that about yourself."

"Well, yeah, I know I'm good looking," Hina huffed, crossing her arms, "I may be a bit airheaded, but I'm aware of how hot I am."

"T-Then why did you act so i-innocent when Makoto mentioned t-that people talk about you?" Toko questioned bitterly.

The swimmer blushed. "W-Well, I didn't think that people would talk openly about my figure, okay? It just took me off guard!"

"W-Well, I mean uh… yeah…" Makoto replied, looking away with a blush.

"Really?! Then I might still make it out alive?!" Hina replied eagerly.

"Uh, yeah…" This time, the luckster replied in confusion. "I'm sure you'll make it out alive."

"Thank god…" The swimmer sighed in relief. "Seriously, thank GOD!" She then shook her head, getting a focused look. "But I can't relax now! I'm making an official statement! As of right now, Aoi Asahina is on a diet!"

Leon couldn't help but snort at that. "Yeeeaaahhh, I'm betting she breaks that in the next five minutes."

"I'm betting she only lasts one minute," Mondo deadpanned.

"Thirty seconds or less," Celeste chimed in.

"Hey!" Hina protested, pouting once again, "I can diet!"

"A diet…?"

"Just you watch!" Hina stated with determination, "I'm gonna get so thin it'll scare the crap outta you!"

"W-Well… don't overdo it, okay?" the luckster advised.

"Don't try and stop me! I've made up my mind, and my willpower is rock hard!" the girl continued on, "And now my resolve is even MORE rock hard! But before all that…" The girl began running out the room. "Time to get stuffed on donuts!"

The last line got the group laughing, chuckling, or giggling in amusement, with the more stoic students merely smirking. Hina pouted even more from the laughter at her expense.

"Looks like I won the bet," Celeste stated, with a pleasant smile on her face, "Oh, how I love it when I'm correct."

"I'm not sure if dieting is really in Hina's skillset…" Makoto said to himself.

"Just you wait! One day I'll prove to you guys that I can stick to a diet!" the swimmer declared, "You won't be laughing at me then!"

"Whatever you say, Hina," Leon remarked with an amused grin.

The next scene was in one of the classrooms, with Byakuya and Makoto just looking around. A nearly tense silence was between the two, with one being stoic and the other nervous.

Finally, Byakuya spoke up. "How do you still not understand?"

"...Understand what?" Makoto asked cautiously.

"I've been sacrificing all this valuable time of mine for your sake," the heir stated, "But it all amounted to nothing."

The levity that came from Hina's conversation with Makoto vanished at Byakuya's statement. "Seriously dude?" Leon remarked in annoyance, "You act like just talking to you is the best reward someone could offer."

"Is it not?" the Togami heir asked in retort.

That brought several sighs or groans from the students. Only Byakuya could be this arrogant.

"We simply have nothing to talk about. We could talk forever and a day, and I would gain nothing from it."

"B-But, the more we come to understand each other-" Makoto tried to argue.

But Byakuya wasn't having it. "You and I will never understand each other," he declared, "We live in different worlds. Our ways of life, our ways of thinking are totally incompatible. You're a loser. So go ahead and live your life, make a bunch of loser friends. Then together, you can lick each other's loser wounds."

Once again, Byakuya's insults towards Makoto sparked a fiery anger inside Sayaka. "He's not a loser!" she shouted in anger, glaring at the heir, "He's the kindest, most strong-willed, most adorkable boy you could ever have the pleasure of meeting!"

"Yeah!" Hina agreed, an angry glare across her own face, "Just because most of us aren't heirs of some oh-so massive corporation doesn't mean we're losers!"

"Why must you look down on others just for not being on your level?" Taka questioned in frustration, "How could you view people with such narrow lenses?"

"I really want to whack Byakuya upside the head…" Leon muttered.

"Join the club," Mondo grunted in kind.

The heir himself ignored the comments and questions thrown at him, resisting the urge to let out an annoyed huff. While he could easily rebuke them, and usually did so, they will waste time if he retorts to every single comment his classmates have about his past behavior.

"You don't have to keep saying loser…" Makoto said quietly.

"Whether your self-indulgence is a lie or not, it doesn't matter," the Togami heir continued, "Whatever happens, I'm going to keep on fighting, and I'm going to keep on winning. That's the one thing that will never change."

Kyoko shook her head, speaking up after her long period of silence. "No one can win forever," the detective stated, "Failure is something that's bound to happen to all of us. You should've known this, Byakuya."

"I… suppose." The look on Byakuya's face made it seem like he was eating something revolting.

"But having to win all the time… doesn't that make your life kinda hard?" Makoto questioned in response.

"Such is the fate of the chosen," Byakuya stated simply.

'The chosen…' Makoto repeated in his head, before speaking out loud. "Listen, I've been meaning to ask you…" he began, "You keep talking about 'the chosen'... what does that mean, exactly? The way you say it, it seems a lot heavier than how I'd normally think of it…"

Byakuya was silent for a moment, his face neutral. After a moment, he said, "Fine. If I'm going to waste my time with you anyway, I may as well explain this one last thing. I'll tell you how I became known as the Ultimate Affluent Progeny…"

That got a few of the students blinking. "There's actually a story behind that?" Leon remarked.

"Does this have to with his previous comment about going into battle…?" Celeste wondered.

That had several straightening up, curiosity dancing in their eyes. Are they actually gonna find out what he meant by that rant? How'd he actually become the Togami heir, if not by birthright?

The heir himself tensed in his usual arms crossed position. Honestly, he knew that this would happen, that it was a possibility that the Togami family's inheritance system would be revealed by his future self, but that didn't mean it was an easy pill to swallow, seeing his family secret be revealed without his consent.

'There's a story behind that…?' Makoto wondered to himself.

"It has to do with the secret to the Togami family's prosperity," the Togami heir continued, "Our success comes from our family's rather… peculiar inheritance system."

"Peculiar inheritance - what do you mean?" Makoto asked, head tilted.

"You see, our family head never takes a wife," Byakuya revealed, "Rather, he couples with exceptional women the world over, in order to bear as many children as possible."

At that, eyes bulged in shock. "Say WHAT?!" Hina exclaimed.

"Your pops slept with several women?!" Leon shouted.

"And he went over the fucking world to do that?!" Mondo added, jaw agape.

"But… why?" Chihiro questioned, turning towards Byakuya, "Why do something like that?"

"Polygamous relationships are illegal!" Taka added right after, "Your father shouldn't even be doing something like that!"

Byakuya merely rolled his eyes. "It isn't polygamous. My father didn't take any of them as his wife," he explained, "He merely bedded those women for children. Nothing more, nothing less."

"That… is repulsive," Celeste stated, disgust clear despite her polite tone.

"Definitely a messed up way to get kids…" Hiro muttered.

"Says the one that was okay with sharing the same love with Makoto," the heir retorted.

"That doesn't answer the why part of the question," Kyoko pointed out, "Why have several different children all across the world?" Despite her question, however, she had already gotten an inkling as to why the practice is done.

Instead of answering, Byakuya merely nodded his head towards the TV, silently telling the others to keep watching.

Unknown to the group, Toko's mind had shut down when she heard the reveal. The Togami head has to sleep with several women? And bear a large number of children? Does that mean her master will have to…?

Soon enough, Toko was lost in her own "little" fantasy.

'All over the world…?' Makoto thought in surprise.

"They then make the children compete, and only one can come out on top," the heir continued, "And whoever it is… earns the right to become the next head of the family."

The luckster's eyes widened in shock. "You mean… you have to fight your own brothers and sisters?!"

A very loud silence then settled upon the group as they digested what they heard. Not only does the Togami head sleep with multiple women around the world... but he also forces his offspring to face each other?!

"...What?" Mondo muttered, stunned.

"You… faced off against your brothers and sisters?" Chihiro questioned in horror, covering his mouth.

"Your own father pitted you and your siblings against each other?" Sayaka exclaimed softly, feeling revolted.

"That's… that's…" Leon stammered, his mind still scrambling with this news.

Makoto grimaced, understanding everyone's shock. Definitely a difficult pill to swallow, knowing that the Togami family does something like that.

Meanwhile, Kyoko maintained her neutral mask, despite the shocking revelation. Looks like her inkling was correct, though she didn't imagine outright battle. A test, or several tests, yes, but not pitting children against one another for the title. 'How were they able to hide such a tradition…?'

"For my battle, there were fifteen of us in total," Byakuya stated, "When all was said and done, only one was still standing - the youngest brother. Me." He smirked to himself. "In the entire history of the Togami family, the youngest male had never won."

'Jeez, that sounds brutal,' Makoto thought to himself, 'I can't even imagine something like that…'

"Indeed," Sakura nodded, her eyes closed, "It must've been a difficult situation." While the Togami's practice for inheritance disgusted her, the fact that Byakuya went through such a situation and persevered, thrived even, warranted her respect.

"Sounds like something straight out of a manga…" Hifumi couldn't help but murmur. No one attempted to refute that, with a few even agreeing with the claim.

"Well, the old saying is that truth is stranger than fiction…" Celeste said, masking her own shock at what she had heard. It was definitely not something that she could've come up with on her own, that was for certain.

"And now you see that I wasn't born into greatness. Far from it," Byakuya stated, getting the attention of his classmates, "I fought tooth and nail to get to where I am now. I earned my position."

No one was able to deny it or form any sort of arguments at the moment. It's very clear now that Byakuya had earned the title of the Ultimate Affluent Progeny. Still though, the Togami's way of inheritance is not something that settled well with the students. Far from it, in fact.

"So, now do you understand?" Byakuya asked, getting Makoto's attention again, "I won my title in open combat. That is how I became the Ultimate Affluent Progeny. I was not born into greatness. I had to earn it. I put my life on the line, and I earned the right to be called the chosen."

"You put your life on the line…?" The luckster caught that wording. "Then… what about your siblings?"

"Dead."

Once again, eyes enlarged and faces went white. "Dead?!" Chihiro exclaimed.

"They all got killed?!" Hina shouted shrilly.

"You murdered your own family?!" Mondo spat out in shock and anger.

"Or did your father kill them for failing?!" Sayaka asked, sounding as high-pitched as Hina.

Byakuya merely rolled his eyes. "Relax, imbeciles. I didn't mean it literally."

"D-Dead?!"

"I don't mean that literally, of course," Byakuya amended casually, "They become dead to the family, unfit for the name of Togami."

That caused many to relax, color returning to the students' skin. However the last statement still didn't sit well with the students.

"How… how can your family treat each other so cruelly?" Hina questioned emotionally, her fists clenching, "Throwing most of your children away, just because they didn't become number one? Just because they're not heir to your family? That's just… that's awful."

"It's immoral, in every conceivable way," Taka said in agreement, his face expressing a variety of negative emotions, "Even if it isn't illegal, it's extremely unethical to use women and your own children for such a thing."

"Of course, for them it really is like death. They're forced to become one of the 99%. One of you."

"But it must've been really hard, right?" Makoto inquired.

"You can't even imagine," was the heir's answer to his question, "Which is why the survivor is recognized as the chosen. When you take over as the head of the family, all the weight of that family comes to rest on your shoulders." He then stared directly at the lucky student. "That is how dedicated I am. I am forever dedicated to keep on winning. And so I shall. Otherwise, I would feel only pity for those I'd already defeated."

"Wait a minute… does that mean you don't feel pity for your siblings?" Sayaka asked carefully, turning towards the Togami heir.

Byakuya shook his head. "No. If anything, I respect each and every one of my brothers and sisters for at least trying to compete for the title of Togami heir. To be more than the 99%, rather than settle for mediocrity."

That shocked the group, none of them expecting Byakuya to say something like that. About anyone.

Makoto was silent at that, as he processed what had been told to him. After a moment, Byakuya spoke up. "All I say at this point, is that I'm going to win this game, too," he declared, "It's been a long time since I've had so much fun. I need to get as much enjoyment out of it as possible."

And just like that, anger and frustration fueled the students' passions once again. "I still can't understand how he sees this as fun," Hina hissed out.

"Yeah," Leon nodded with a huff, "Even though your family had a competition like that, this shit is too much."

"Like my future self said before, the idea of losing doesn't exist for Byakuya," Celeste stated, "As we heard, he was raised to succeed from the day he was born. And because of that, he sees victory as his destiny, and defeat as an impossibility."

"So it's difficult, perhaps nearly impossible, for him to view this killing game as a threat to himself," Mukuro concluded.

The gambler nodded. "Exactly."

"And in the end, I will stand victorious. I won't lose to the mastermind or you or anyone else. Even as the rest of you fall one by one, I will live, and I will win. As long as my name is Byakuya Togami."

Each word, each sentence, caused the Ultimate Idol an untold amount of frustration. "Is it bad that I want to see Byakuya lose so badly?" Sayaka hissed quietly to her couchmates, Makoto, Leon, and Kyoko, "That I want to see him fall on his butt so badly? To see him get that heavy dose of reality, to just shut up and realize that whole world doesn't fucking revolve around him?"

"You're not the only one, Sayaka," Leon remarked, looking around the room. Indeed, there were others that looked frustrated with Byakuya's arrogance as well, with Hina literally shaking in anger, while Mondo was clenching an armrest so hard he swore he heard a crack. "Pretty sure everyone wants Byakuya to get a reality check."

"I'm surprise that you're affected this badly," Kyoko noted curiously, "Usually, the most you get with Byakuya is annoyed."

"Yeah, well, I didn't have to deal with him enjoying a killing game!" Sayaka retorted with some heat, "Or mutilating a corpse for his own entertainment! Or constantly insulting Makoto every time he chats with him!"

That got a snort from Leon. "You've gotten pretty overprotective of our luckster, haven't you?" He raised up his hands when Sayaka glared at him.

Makoto could only chuckle uneasily, unsure of what to say. Honestly, while he understood the others' frustrations with Byakuya, in some way he respects the heir's commitment to victory. It's sort of admirable how the heir is determined to see constant success, after fighting tooth and nail to become the successor of the Togami family.

He didn't say that out loud though. No need to draw any attention to himself again.

Byakuya then turned away from Makoto. "Now let me by crystal clear - we no longer have anything to talk about. Do not come to me like this again. Goodbye, loser." With that, he walked away, leaving the luckster alone in the classroom.

The class was then quiet, unsure of what to say. It's clear from several faces that this event was not a pleasant one; some were frustrated, some were angry, and a few were a bit conflicted.

Honestly, some of the Ultimates didn't know how to feel about their current Byakuya. While it's clear, at least somewhat, that he's changed and isn't like his future self with past memories… the fact that he could've been like that months, maybe even only weeks ago, bothered them. Plus, even if it was his future self, it was still Byakuya, the most arrogant jerk any of them had ever come across.

They know that they can't just look at the current Byakuya as if he's his future self… but it's just so hard not to. So hard to differentiate between the current one and the future one.

Junko, meanwhile, was amused by this. Who knew that Byakuya's past would bring this much entertainment? The tension gathered in the air is just oh-so fantastic, that she could just bask in it all day long. 'And the best part? All that effort the Togami's put in probably sunk in the drain, thanks to me. Puhuhuhuhuhu.'

The heir himself had some conflicted feelings. He always carried himself with confidence, with an assurance that he'll always win, and that had hardly changed during his time at Hope's Peak, though it was honed away from becoming merely blind arrogance.

But is this really a game he should aim to win? Does his future self not realize that he's playing into the mastermind's hand? That, perhaps, if he tried to win the game… he could lose everything in the end?

Would he really become this blind to the dangers of the killing game?

Suddenly, the tension was broken with a loud, perverse giggle. And ever so slowly, the group turned to see Toko, with a dopey yet creepy smile, muttering things that probably shouldn't be said aloud.

Slowly, Leon grabbed a baseball, stretched his arm back… and threw a curve back right at Toko's forehead, causing the girl to yelp and grab her forehead in pain, finally broken out of her fantasies.

"W-What was that for?!"

"...Did you hear any of the dialogue on the screen Toko?" Taka asked cautiously.

Toko blushed at that. "W-Well, I heard that the T-Togami head needs to s-sleep with many girls and… I k-kinda phased out after that." That perverse smile on her face, as well as the giggle, told them exactly what she was fantasizing about.

"...Ignore her, and let's continue this," Byakuya groaned. It's official; once they graduate, he's going to place a restraining order on this disgusting being they call a woman.

No one argued and quickly put their focus back on the screen.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 73: Watching Chapter 4: All Star Apologies Part 6

The sound of the school bell echoed once more followed by Monokuma showing up on the monitors again. "Attention! Attention!" The bear exclaimed. "Please gather in the gym as soon as you possibly can! Quickly, quickly, quickly, quickly!"

Recognizing the common pattern of events, the students sulked at what it was to come. "A motive…" Byakuya murmured just audibly enough for everyone to hear. It wasn't a question.

No one refuted Byakuya's words. At this point, they knew that Monokuma was going to give a motive. So all they can do is just watch, see what it is, and see what happens.

The scene switched to Makoto's room, where the lucky student was laid on his bed. 'He made a special announcement… to ask us to come to the gym?' He thought worriedly. 'And he sounded pretty serious, too…'

After the usual cinematic sequence of the students assembling in the gym, Monokuma hopped right on the podium.

"Okay, let's get this show on the road!" The bear announced excitedly.

"You're about to give us the motive presentation, aren't you?" Byakuya questioned bluntly.

Monokuma tilted his head in response. "Hmm?"

"You got us all together to present another motive, right?" The heir repeated, annoyance in his tone.

"Why play dumb now?" Byakuya remarked, his eyes narrowed and slight annoyance also showed in his voice. "There's no use doing so. He never called us together at the gym without telling us something important."

"What about the beginning of chapter two, with the whole exercising thing?" Hifumi pointed out.

"It still informed us of something important right after." Byakuya responded back, eyes still on the screen. "So there's no way that this isn't a motive."

"I-Is he right…?" Toko asked fearfully.

"We have to go through this again…?" Hina inquired uneasily, her face pale.

"Ugh… no! Not again!" Hiro protested, also blue in the face. "I can't take it anymore!"

"Why are you all surprised?" Byakuya asked, with slight disbelief and now visibly annoyed. "Your future selves should have seen this coming at this point."

"W-Well, it's not like I want to get used to this!" Hina argued heatedly. "We don't have a heart of stone like you do!"

"That's hardly an excuse for not knowing the obvious." Byakuya retorted. "You've seen as much already."

That had caused Hina to turn red, both in embarrassment and anger. But before she could lash out at him, Sakura got her attention by grabbing her arm and then shook her head. The swimmer pouted angrily and reluctantly held herself back.

"I'm impressed by your level of dismay." Byakuya remarked snidely. "You finally see just how low on the totem pole of life you really are."

Before anymore could be said, the bear spoke up. "No… no, no, no…" He stated repeatedly, shaking his head with each 'no'. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO!"

His head then shot straight back up. "That's not it at all. We're not here to talk about motive. The reason I gathered you all here is so that I could get rid of my grudge."

"Huh?" Was the response of some of the students.

Kyoko, however, narrowed her eyes. 'Just like I thought.'

'Your… grudge?' Makoto thought in confusion.

"We have a grudge against you, of course, but I don't recall you having a grudge against us." Kyoko remarked in slight confusion.

"I told you yesterday, didn't I? An eye for an eye, a fang for a fang." Monokuma reminded them.

While the bear's cryptic words stiffened the majority of the class, the smarter students quickly caught onto what Monokuma was insinuating. One such student was Makoto. 'Wait… don't tell me he's going to…'

"Stop beating around the bush! Just tell us what you're talking about!" Byakuya demanded irritably.

The bear snickered in response. "Well, Byakuya. You've already told everyone how one of you might be working as a spy for me, right?"

"Yeah, so, what about it?" The heir shot back.

"Well today I'd like to tell you about the spy." Monokuma announced.

At that point, everyone now realized what the bear was about to do.

"Oh, crap!"

"He's not actually planning to…!"

Makoto's eyes widened at that. "What…?"

"So guess what. The spy is actually Sakura Ogami!"

"...Shit." Leon cursed.

"Fuck." Mondo followed right after.

"This… is not good." Sayaka gulped fearfully. "This is very bad."

"Indeed." Celeste agreed with a nod. "Monokuma just released a decisive trump card."

"How?" Hiro asked, not understanding the significance of the revelation. "Having Sakura be revealed as a spy isn't a bad thing, is it?"

"If it came from her, no." Kyoko said, eyes narrowed. "But our future selves got this information from Monokuma."

"Which means you're less likely to trust her." Byakuya stated, a frown also on his face. "And as we've seen, that distrust eventually leads to..."

Murder. No one could refute Byakuya's unsaid word, and could only acknowledge it.

Hina, meanwhile, could only stay silent and watch, dread building up in her gut.

That stunned the whole group to silence, as they processed what Monokuma had said. 'He said it so openly, it made it sound like it wasn't that big of a deal…' Makoto thought numbly. '...even though he'd just revealed a huge secret.'

"What…? What did you say?" Hiro questioned in shock, eyes wide as a saucer.

"He said the spy is Sakura." Byakuya repeated, a scowl clear on his face.

"Wh-What are you talking about?" Hina spoke up, a surprise look on her face. A look of anger then came after. "There's… there's no way Sakura is a spy! Right, Sakura?" The martial artist was silent, unable to grace the survivors with an answer. "Sakura…?"

"And I might just make Sakura fulfill the promise she made sometime soon…" Monokuma continued. "And if she doesn't… I can't be responsible for what might happen to that hostage of mine…"

"Aaaannnd, he just added extra fuel to the flames." Junko remarked with a 'wince'. "That just went from bad, to really bad."

"B-But, Monokuma just said that he got hostages!" Hina protested. "Can't that convince them that Sakura isn't the enemy?"

"Do you think we will care?" Byakuya shot back, arms crossed. "I won't. If anything, that's all the more reason to doubt Sakura."

"That'll definitely be your future self's line of thought." Celeste agreed. The heir reluctantly grunted in silent acknowledgement. "As for Hiro, the fool will be too frightened to think rationally-"

"Can you blame me?!"

"-and Toko will follow Byakuya's line of thought, not to mention her natural distrust of everyone around her." Celeste added. "So yes, it's accurate to say that Monokuma's words are rather volatile."

The swimmer couldn't help but scowl, gritting her teeth. Are they really going to see Sakura as the enemy? Not even hear what she has to say?!

The martial artist herself could only stay silent, as she witnessed the consequences of her unknown actions.

"Anyway, that's all I wanted to say. What you guys choose to do with that information is up to you. Roast her, boil her. Kill her, don't kill her. Whatever!" The bear then let out his signature, sinister laugh. "Either way, I can't wait…!" And with that, he disappeared in classic Monokuma fashion.

"U-Um…" Hiro hesitantly spoke up. "So… what does this mean? I-Is it true? Has Ogre really been spying on us for the mastermind?!"

"What are you saying?! There's no way!" Hina protested fiercely.

"But that is wh-what the stuffed animal said, r-right?" Toko pointed out.

"Well he's wrong!" Hina argued back. "There's just… no way!"

Hina's protest caused Sakura to clench her fist tightly, closing her eyes in shame. Is this what Mondo had felt during the end of the second trial? When Taka has so much faith in him, yet it goes unrewarded?

"Well, Sakura? If he's wrong, all you have to do is tell us." Kyoko called out to the martial artist.

At first, Sakura was silent. Then, softly, she spoke. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier…"

"What…?" At that, Hina went pale.

'I should've told her sooner. Told anyone sooner. Perhaps if my future self had accepted Makoto's offer to talk, instead of pushing it to the next day…' Sakura thought as she watched the consequences unfold. 'Perhaps I was too much of an idiot myself.'

"Then he was being serious, for serious?!" Hiro exclaimed fearfully. "Ogre's been working for the mastermind?!"

"I'm sorry…" Is what all Sakura could say.

"So you've b-been lying to us all this t-time?" Toko hissed.

"I-It's not true…!" Hina protested, looking shakened. "Sakura was probably… being controlled! There's gotta be some reason… some reason! She didn't have a choice, she was just… forced to do it!"

"Yeah, I'm sure Hina's right." Makoto spoke up. "The mastermind probably threatened her somehow, and Sakura had no choice but to do what she was told."

"Wh-What…?" Toko looked at him suspiciously. "You're talking like y-you know that for a f-fact!"

"Because… I do know it for a fact." Makoto admitted. "Because I saw it!"

"Yes, yes! Tell them Makoto!" Hina pleaded, hoping that his story will at least change some minds. "Get them to understand!" The other students can only give her looks of pity knowing that the chances of that happening are rather low given what they had seen.

A flashback of the battle between Sakura and Monokuma was then shown. "I saw Sakura and Monokuma… fighting… And that's where I heard it…" The luckster explained. "Monokuma mentioned a 'hostage' a second ago, right? And during that fight, I heard Sakura say… that she'd decided to fight against the mastermind."

The screen then went back to the gym. "You… saw all that?" Sakura inquired, looking away.

"The mastermind took a hostage, so you were forced to swear loyalty to them, right?" Makoto asked rhetorically, turning towards Sakura. "But in the end… you made up your mind to 'betray' the mastermind."

"Which means Sakura isn't our enemy. She's a friend who we can trust without question. Is that it?" Byakuya asked mockingly. He then scoffed. "Ridiculous. Do you live in some sort of alternate reality fairy tale? She was the mastermind's tool. You absolutely cannot trust someone like that."

"H-He's right! We can't just believe whatever she says now!" Hiro stated, backing up the Togami heir.

"Are you kidding me?!" Hina shouted in rage. "How can you have such a black and white view?!"

"How can you be so trusting of someone who could potentially could be a spy?" Byakuya retorted coldly. "Let me be clear; I don't share my future self's views now. But I do understand him. What if this was all according to plan? She could kill any one of us when our guards are down."

"That's a heavily paranoid line of thinking, Byakuya!" Taka pointed out

"Is it really?" The Togami heir asked back. "In a life and death situation where you can die in any given moment, you wouldn't have any doubts at all? How naive."

"B-Byakuya!" Makoto cried, upset at his choice of words.

"Tch." Byakuya clicked his tongue in annoyance. "In any case, I still think my thinking is quite justified in this situation."

"That's true." Mukuro grimly chimed in. "It's quite easy to think like that when friends and enemies are constantly changing."

"How can we even be sure she really did betray the mastermind?" Byakuya continued. "Maybe this is a double-take, and she's still doing what the mastermind wants."

"Who the hell was she trying to fool?!" Leon questioned with some disbelief. "Sakura and that damn bear didn't know shit about Makoto watching them."

"Leon's right; neither of them would have known that Makoto would be able to hear them fighting and see it for himself." Kyoko spoke up, before turning towards Byakuya. "As Taka said, your future self has an extremely paranoid thought process."

Byakuya was silent at this, merely stonily watching the future events unfold. Watching himself fall further into the mastermind's web.

"Sakura would never do that!" Hina shouted in retort.

"Okay, then Sakura… if you really cut ties with the mastermind, tell us who they really are." Byakuya demanded, facing the martial artist.

"Well…" Sakura faced away from the heir, looking down at the floor. "Sorry, I can't. Even I don't know that."

"Does he honestly expect for her to know that?" Junko remarked with a raised eyebrow. "That the mastermind would actually tell her that big a secret?"

"No commander would give out vital information so freely." Mukuro agreed with her sister. "Not unless there are strings attached like a bait."

"He's really being unfair to Sakura…" Chihiro said softly, a sad look on his face.

"You don't know? That just makes you all the more suspicious." Byakuya stated.

"She's telling the truth!" Hina insisted. "You have to believe her!"

"Shut up. I'm not finished questioning her." The heir retorted coldly. "Next question. What's this about a 'promise'? What did the mastermind order you to do?"

At first, Sakura was silent. But after a moment, she spoke up. "I was told…" An anguish look entered her face. "...to kill one of my friends."

Despite knowing what happened and despite seeing Sakura resisting Monokuma… everyone couldn't help but feel chills go up their spines. The confirmation of the untold truth caused the room to go cold.

For a moment, everyone went silent as the room dropped twenty degrees. But after a moment of cold, loud silence… "I see." Byakuya said, eyes narrowed. "So even now, you've taken aim on our lives."

"You're wrong, I'm telling you! Sakura would never do that!" Hina protested.

"Y-you don't have to yell, we can h-hear you just f-fine." Toko hissed. "Don't you have an i-inside voice…?"

"It's because you're not LISTENING to me!" The swimmer shouted back angrily.

"Honestly, would they?" Mondo snorted. "We're talking the most paranoid of the bunch here; Byakuya, Toko, and Hiro. The moment they heard Sakura was the traitor was the moment they stopped listening thanks to fear."

"Hey!"

"I-I don't need c-criticism from you!"

"Hmph."

"Please, stop." Sakura interrupted, placing a hand on Hina's shoulder. "You don't need to defend me anymore. I have to take full responsibility for this…"

"How do you intend to do that?" Kyoko inquired.

"By destroying the mastermind."

That threw everyone out for a loop.

"What?!"

"Is she crazy?!"

"Have you lost your fucking mind?!"

"That's way too dangerous!"

"You'll get yourself killed!"

"Sakura!" Hina turned towards her friend in shock and fear. "Why?!"

The martial artist was silent, merely gazing at the screen with narrowed eyes.

Makoto's eyes widened. "What…?"

"I'm going to challenge them." Sakura explained. "Even if it means we both go down, I will defeat them. That is how I intend to take responsibility."

"WHY?!" Hina repeated, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. "Why put yourself in such a dangerous situation?! Why risk getting yourself killed?!"

"...It's the only way to atone." Sakura sighed, her body feeling heavier. "Hina… I've committed a grave sin by allying myself with the mastermind; resisting him does not change that. The only way I can prove commitment to you and the others… is by bringing down the mastermind. The person I've supposedly previously aligned with."

"Sakura…" Tears slowly slid down from Hina's eyes, unable to handle the thought of Sakura dying.

'You shouldn't have to do that.' Makoto thought, a remorseful look on his face. 'Everyone made mistakes of their own. It's why we're in this position in the first place. If only I was able to talk to you sooner…'

Was that possible? Could he have found a way to talk to Sakura sooner? Solve the situation before Monokuma could interfere?

"H-Hold on!" Hina spoke up hysterically, looking at Sakura in panic. "What do you mean, if you both go down?!"

Instead of answering, Sakura said, "Hina… I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this."

"What…?" Was all the swimmer could say at the moment.

"I didn't know what to do. I went back and forth about confiding in you again and again…" As she spoke, the martial artists gripped her fists tightly. "But I was scared. I thought if I told you, you might think less of me."

Mukuro couldn't help but empathize with Sakura. It was something she had grappled with Makoto for these past few days; something she's still in conflict about, considering that she hasn't revealed everything to him.

"Did she really think I would?!" Hina exclaimed, her face still being stained with tears. "Would you actually think that I would look down on you if you told me? If you just talked to me about it?" This time, her question was directed at the current Sakura, who couldn't help but look away slightly.

However, before she could say anything, Mondo spoke. "It's normal." He sighed, looking down on the ground. "When you fuck up real bad, when you do shit that you can't take back… it's pretty fucking hard to admit it to anyone. Especially to people you're close to."

Hina was quiet in thought, thinking over Mondo's words. Meanwhile, both Chihiro and Taka glanced at their biker friend, in both sadness and sympathy.

"S-Sakura!"

"I'm sorry…" With that, Sakura turned away from everyone and left the gym.

"...So she really is planning on taking out the mastermind." Leon remarked, grimacing. "Even willing to take him down with her if that is what it takes."

"If anyone could do it, Miss Oogami would be the top contender." Hifumi said, before looking down. "But…"

"Is it truly worth it?" Taka finished the unspoken question, a frown on his face. "Is this really the only way of atonement?"

"There's no feasible way to get out of the school through force or other means." Mukuro mused. "And if there was any info worth sharing, I'm sure Sakura would've given it at this point. So no, I doubt there's anything else she could do, that they haven't already done."

"She shouldn't have to do anything!" Hina argued, an angry scowl etched onto her face. "We could've just convinced Byakuya, Toko, and Hiro that she isn't an enemy! That we can trust her!"

"It's not that simple, Hina." Sayaka stated, a soft frown on her own face. "We may know her enough to say that she can be trusted, and your future self may know her well enough too… but they don't."

"Plus, with all the killing and betrayals that have happened, it would be even harder to trust anyone with even questionable loyalties." Kyoko added. "And like Mondo said, we're dealing with three of our most distrustful classmates. So convincing them Sakura is someone to be trusted is a difficult task, near impossible."

Before anything else could be said or done, the school bell rang. Right after the nighttime announcement played, Byakuya spoke. "Well, it's nighttime. We should all go to bed."

"Hold on!" Hina protested. "This whole thing with Sakura is-!"

"Over. She's our enemy. There's nothing more to discuss." Byakuya interrupted curtly.

That caused several to frown or grimace. "It looks as though you're correct, Kyoko." Taka stated, a frown on his own face. "Even before his clear enjoyment of this game, Byakuya has always been distrustful. So I can't really say that his stance is surprising."

"Yeah, you're right. Frustrating, but not surprising." Leon sighed in agreement, rubbing the back of his head. Though a part of him had to wonder… would he have been as distrusting as Byakuya and Hiro if he was in their shoes? Would he be scared shitless of what Sakura could do? He still remembered the chill he felt when Sakura stated that she was ordered to…

'Nope!' The baseball player shook his head roughly, pushing out the thought. 'Stopping thinking about it Leon. Don't get Hiro level paranoid.' Still, despite the frustration and disbelief he shares with the others… a part of him couldn't help but understand the distrustful trio just a bit.

"No! Sakura is NOT our enemy!" Hina shouted back. A sad, almost depressed look entered her face. "Why… why doesn't anyone understand her…?"

"What is it you think you understand?" Byakuya retorted. "You didn't even know who she really was."

"Th-That's-!"

"Let it go for now, Hina." Kyoko advised, interrupting Hina. "Talking about it isn't going to help anything."

"B-But…!" Hina tried to argue.

"Go to your room, cool down, and we can continue this discussion tomorrow." The lavender haired girl continued, unabashed. Hina was silent at that, a few frustrated tears falling from her face.

'Why? Why don't they understand her?' Hina thought in frustration. 'Why are they so determined to see her as nothing but an enemy? She hasn't done anything to deserve it!'

"Good idea." Celeste nodded in approval. "Hina is too fired up at the moment, and the others will not listen at the moment. Talking it out tomorrow is the best choice."

"Doubt it will lead too much though." Junko snorted. "If anything, it'll just be the same scenario."

"It was the worst…" Narrator Makoto stated, as the remaining students left the gym and went to their rooms. "The mood at the end of the night was just the worst… being in such an awful mood… we were honestly glad the day was over."

"So this is what the mastermind has intended." Celeste mused loudly, eyes narrowed. "Not only has he made Sakura a target for distrust… but also created dissent at the same time."

"And over half the class is taking the bait." Kyoko sighed, not surprised yet still disappointed. "Byakuya, Toko, Hiro… even Hina is playing into the mastermind's hand."

"What?!" Hina twirled towards Kyoko in shock. "How am I doing that?!"

"Hina, while your defense for Sakura is admirable… it's only creating more conflict between you and the other three." Sayaka told the girl gently. "If you keep trying to blindly defend Sakura, tension will rise and…"

"Someone might do something they'll probably regret." Taka finished gravely. "I've seen it before; heated arguments happening between two or more people, right before they come to blows."

'And because of this, a killing is bound to happen' Byakuya thought to himself. 'Whether it's through the actions of Hiro, Toko, or… myself, wanting to take down Sakura first; conflict between the three of us and Hina; or even Sakura herself, due to fear for the hostage.' One way or another, this will end with murder.

Hina couldn't say anything to this; she could only look down in shock and frustration. Are they right? Is her future self only adding fuel to the fire? Making another murder, another class trial, invetitable? But even if they're right…

'What else am I supposed to do?!' The swimmer practically screamed in her head. 'I want them to trust Sakura! How else can I do that?!'

The scene then cuts to Makoto's room, with the luckster sitting in his bed. 'Sakura… is the spy.' He thought to himself. 'She's the traitor…' The lucky student leaned back onto his bed. 'Byakuya said Sakura is the enemy. But he's wrong… she's not the enemy.'

A determined look entered his face. 'She's my friend, without a doubt!'

Many couldn't help but turn towards the lucky student once more. "Wow, dude; even with all that happens, you still have faith in Sakura?" Leon remarked, in both wonder and exasperation.

Makoto merely shuffled uncomfortably at the attention. "Of course. Future me saw that she was resisting the mastermind; we all know how earnest she is. I know that future me only knew her for a short time… but he does see her as a friend. And I can't help but place my trust in them."

Before he knew it, he was smothered by something, startling him for a moment. Before he could freak out, however, he quickly noticed the ponytail in front of him, as well as how soft and warm the something was.

"Thank you, Makoto." Hina whispered tightly, a few tears slipping down onto the luckster's jacket. "I know that I already said that, but still… thank you. I'm really glad I'm not the only one who trusts her."

A tint of red spread through the luckster's cheek. However, he ignored his embarrassment and hugged the girl back. "Like I said, trusting my friends is the only thing I can do. I'm just not built to be suspicious of others."

'It's why you're so wonderful Makoto.' Sayaka thought fondly. 'Even when we give you all the reasons not to, you still try to see the very best in others.'

'A naive ideal; most wouldn't be so foolish.' Byakuya thought, looking away. 'Still, out of all the plebians... maybe...'

'I can't say this is a great mindset given the circumstances...' Kyoko thought in slight exasperation. 'Some caution is definitely necessary but... at the same time, that is what makes you Makoto Naegi.'

Many of the students held similar thoughts, from fondness to bewilderment to exasperation. All of them can't help but admire the trust Makoto manages to hold for others; and some wonder… what would it take for that trust to be broken?

'But… what can I do?' Was the next thought in Makoto's head. 'What can I do to make everyone believe in Sakura? How…?'

"I doubt there's anything you could do Makoto, to convince the others of my allegiance." Sakura stated, looking towards him. "Still… I must thank you again for the trust you place in it. My future self may not have earned it… but I will strive to ensure that yours or Hina's faith is not misplaced."

"I don't doubt that for a second Sakura." Makoto responded back, while still locked in a hug with Hina. "As for what you said before… yeah, I doubt there's much I could do." He looked down sadly at this. "Even I can see that there's no changing their minds."

"That's right." Kyoko nodded, eyes focused on the screen. "At this point, there's no stopping the coming conflict. We can only hope for the best."

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 74: Watching Chapter 4: All Star Apologies Part 7

The next scene was Makoto entering the dining hall. The moment he did, Hiro spoke up. "Ah, Makoto! Are you okay?" Hiro asked in concern.

"Huh?" The luckster frowned in confusion at that. "What do you mean?"

"You were late, s-so… we were worried a-about you…" Toko explained.

"What a dullard…" Byakuya scoffed uncaringly.

It took a moment for the class to process who's there. "What th-? Byakuya's at the dining hall?" Leon questioned incredulously.

"Toko's one thing, but Byakuya? Now that's definitely surprising." Junko 'agreed' with the baseball star. "What are they doing there?"

"And why were Hiro and Toko worried about Makoto, exactly?" Hina growled dangerously. After calming down some, she went back to her seat with Sakura, though it's clear that she ain't at all happy at the moment.

At that, Byakuya let out a sigh. "The answer to both questions is obvious, isn't it? Sakura."

"Toko? Byakuya?" Makoto stared at the two in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

"They're 'taking refuge' here." Hina growled angrily.

That caused the luckster to frown. "Refuge…?"

"Don't make that stupid face," Byakuya told him insultingly, "We have to protect ourselves from the mastermind's tool."

That caused Hina to let out a second growl, frustration and anger growing inside her by the minute. 'How can I be silent when they talk about her like that?! What else am I supposed to do but defend Sakura?!'

"The mastermind's…? Are you talking about Sakura?!" Makoto exclaimed in shock. That's when he noticed that the only one who wasn't in the dining hall was the martial artist herself. "Huh…? Where is Sakura?"

The mention of the fighter's absence got the group's attention. "Now that he mentioned it, where is she?" Leon asked, trying to see any signs of Sakura.

"Did she decide to isolate herself from the group?" Taka mused, frowning in concern, "Or perhaps preparing for her fight with the mastermind?"

Several of the students turned to the girl herself for answers. "I cannot say for certain what my future self is thinking," Sakura sighed, "But both scenarios are likely."

"All I know is, if she was here, I wouldn't be," The Togami heir bluntly stated, "The only reason I went out of my way to join the rest of you was as a safeguard against that threat."

"Th-Threat…?!"

"Oh, so NOW you are worried for your life?" Sayaka remarked with an eye-roll. "Where'd that idea that you're invincible go?"

In response, Byakuya gave her a flat look. "I am no imbecile," he stated, "While my future self is confident that he won't die in the killing game, he'll take the precautions needed to ensure that. Why do you think I refused to eat breakfast with you lots during the second chapter?"

"A fair point…" Taka conceded, a frown marring his face, "Still, to think of Sakura as a threat now, after all this time…"

"She was a self-admitting tool of the mastermind, a powerful one at that," Byakuya stated bluntly, "And she stated that her task was to murder one of us. So yes, there are reasons why my future self sees her as a threat."

"Why…?" Hina questioned, glaring angrily at the heir. "Why do you hate her so much?"

That earned a scowl from Byakuya. "Isn't it obvious? Because this makes things unfair."

"Unfair…?" Makoto repeated, a tad disturbed.

"The game should be fair to all players. The existence of a spy for the mastermind upsets that balance," Byakuya explained coldly.

Naturally, that got angry scowls and even growls from the more emotional students. "Is he actually viewing Sakura as a cheater in this sick life-or-death game?" Sayaka snapped. "Does every thought revolve around this so-called game?!"

"That is such a stupid reason!" Hina growled. "A very, very, stupid reason to hate her!"

"Seriously, when is he gonna stop thinking that this is a damn game?!" Leon cried out in frustration.

While the calmer students didn't react as badly, some still held disapproving frowns. Byakuya himself was scowling, frustrated at the fact that his future self is playing into the mastermind's hands like this.

"That's a stupid reason!" Hina shouted fiercely.

"Stupid?" Now the Togami heir faced the swimmer, his fierce scowl aimed at her. "This is a life-or-death game, is it not?"

"It IS stupid! You're a stupid idiot!" Hina insisted, glaring right back.

"This is getting troubling," Celeste said, a small frown on her face, "If they continue like this, it's a certainty the two will come to blows."

"I'm certain that my future self or Makoto will stop them before it comes to that," Kyoko assured the gambler, "Still, it's proving that Monokuma's motive is effective."

"Yeah…" Makoto nodded sadly, watching all this with a forlorn look.

"Before you get too far into your argument, maybe you should stop and think things through," Kyoko interjected, bringing attention to her. "Why did the mastermind reveal that Sakura was the spy to us?"

"They were getting revenge on her, right?" Hina answered, still looking upset, "Like Monokuma said, 'An eye for an eye'."

In response, the lavender haired girl shook her head. "That may be part of it, but it's not the whole reason," she started explaining.,"Revealing the fact was also meant to serve as the next motive the mastermind wanted to give us. The chaos and confusion born from suspicion… the hatred…"

"In other words, this right here - the fighting, the bickering - is the trap the mastermind laid for us," Kyoko concluded, staring down the other survivors, "Knowing that, will you stand there and argue like children?"

That got a whistle from Junko. "You really know where to hit, huh Kyoko?"

"It's necessary," the detective stated, crossing her arms, "Continuously playing into the mastermind's hands will only end with our numbers dwindling. It needs to be pushed into everyone's mind that infighting will lead to our downfall."

"Then… then what am I supposed to do?!" Hina cried out in frustration, staring straight at Kyoko, "What else can I do to convince everyone that Sakura isn't the enemy?! How else can I get them to believe in her?!"

"There's nothing you can do, Hina," Kyoko sighed, "If they refuse to listen to anything you say, then shouting at them in anger will do little to sway them."

That answer did not sit well with Hina. But before she could say anything else, Sakura spoke up. "Kyoko's right, Hina," she said, looking resigned, "At the moment, their minds are set. Trying to change them forcefully will only make matters worse than they are."

That caused the swimmer to look down, tear gathering in her eyes once more. But… there must be something she could do. She can't just stand there and do nothing, while Sakura gets isolated from the others.

In response, Hina quickly shook her head. "Th-That's not what I'm trying to do. It's just…" Tears started forming in the corner of her eyes. "I mean… how can I get you guys to believe in Sakura again?"

"If she really can beat the mastermind like she said, that'd go a long way in my mind…" Hiro suggested.

That caused Hina to explode. "You bastard!" She screamed, glaring directly at Hiro, "You want to put her life at risk like that?!"

The fortune teller shriveled at the wrathful glare from the swimmer. "I mean… well… it makes sense, doesn't it?" Hiro said in a weak defense for himself. "If she can beat the mastermind, it proves she isn't a spy. And it would give us the chance to escape."

"But she can get seriously hurt! Or worse, killed!" Hina retorted fiercely. "That's no way worth trying to fight the mastermind!"

"H-Hina's right," Chihiro softly spoke up. "She shouldn't sacrifice herself like that in order to prove that she's loyal. That… is in no way acceptable!"

At that, Hiro stayed silent. Not because he agreed with them or anything, but because even he knew saying otherwise would bring Hina's wrath down upon him.

"Idiot!" Hina quickly berated him, "You'd really ask her to do something so dangerous? What if something terrible happens to her?!"

At that, Byakuya spoke up. "It wouldn't matter."

"...What?" The swimmer stared at the Togami heir in shock.

The Togamis heir's statement caused the air around the students to suddenly get cold. Is Byakuya really saying what they…?

"If Sakura were to die, that's one less person for the mastermind to control. I have no problem with that."

Yes. Yes, he is. The students could only stare at the screen in shock, with some having difficulties processing the future Byakuya's words.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of it.

"H-Hold on!" Makoto twisted towards Byakuya in shock. "Byakuya-!"

"In fact, if she did die, that would settle this entire issue, wouldn't it?" The heir continued further.

"Byakuya…" Makoto whispered, looking distraught at what he heard. "Did he really just…" Quickly, the lucky student took stock of the reaction of his friends.

Both Leon and Mondo had clear, barely restrained rage growing inside them, evident by their shaking bodies and looks of fury. Taka seemed to have close to the same amount of anger, while Sayaka's head was down, her hair hiding her emotions beneath her eyes.

Kyoko held a disappointed look on her face, with Mukuro and Celeste maintaining more stoic looks. Chihiro looked absolutely horrified by the statements made, and Byakuya himself sat rigidly in his seat, refusing to look at anyone.

And Hina… Hina looked the worst off. The girl was shaking madly, quick yet heavy breaths coming out of her, and eyes slightly dilating with rage. It is clear to everyone paying attention that the girl will burst in pure rage within mere moments.

And soon enough, that moment came right after the next scene.

"It would put the whole problem to rest!"

And at that, a loud slap was heard across the dining hall.

And at that, Hina's remaining self control shattered. "YOU MONSTER!" She shrieked, leaping out of her seat to give a similar slap to the present Byakuya. Quickly, Sakura grabbed her by both her arms, restraining her. That didn't stop her from struggling, or shouting further. "You sick, twisted piece of SHIT! How could you say something like that?! Wish for something like that on anybody?!"

"Hina-!" Sakura spoke, wanting to plead for Hina to calm down.

But the swimmer wasn't having it. "No, Sakura! That bastard is asking you to die! He's saying that your death will be CONVENIENT for him!" she told her fiercely, turning towards her friend with angry tears running down her cheeks, "There's no way I can be silent! No way I can let this bastard get away with what he said!"

"I didn't say those words." Byakuya finally spoke, getting up from his seat. He aimed a stern glare at Hina. "My other self did. I have no control of what he does or says. How many times must I say this?"

"YOU'RE STILL THE SAME FUCKING PERSON!" Hina shouted right back, aiming a tear-filled glare right at him, "That MONSTER on the screen is you MONTHS ago! You would've said those HORRIBLE words at the beginning of our year! WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU WOULDN'T SAY THEM NOW?!"

That earned a fierce scowl from the Togami heir. "Oh? That could apply for a number of our classmates," he stated fiercely, "Sayaka could still murder someone and place the blame on someone else; Mondo's rash actions can still get someone killed; Celeste might still manipulate any one of for her own gain." His eyes narrowed as he made his last point. "And Sakura could always play spy for the mastermind if she feels the need to."

"H-Hold on, guys!" Makoto hastily spoke up, getting up from his seat. He can see that things are getting too heated. "Let's calm down-"

"Quiet, Naegi!" Byakuya stated sharply, not taking his eyes off of Hina's now completely furious glare. "If I'm capable of saying these words, as you say, are any of our guilty classmates absolved from the future selves' actions? Can you say for certain that Sakura wouldn't do the same thing as her future self?"

At that point, Hina doesn't want to merely slap the Togami heir. She wanted to pummel him to the ground, break his teeth so he can swallow them and be unable to speak!

"Well? I'm waiting for an answer," the heir continued speaking, his tone close to mocking, "Are you that willing to condemn my actions, yet turn a blind eye to the others? Are you that desperate to defend your dear friend?"

"Byakuya, please!" Makoto pleaded, as Mondo and Leon started slowly getting up from their seats, "Don't make this wo-!"

SLAP

That hard sound of flesh meeting flesh caused everyone to freeze, many of them caught by surprise. All of them saw Byakuya a few steps away from his previous position, his hand holding a reddened cheek, his head down, and a look of shock entering his face.

And the slapper was none other than Sayaka, her hand still up from her slap and her hair still covering her eyes.

"I know you aren't the same person. I know this is the memories of past you acting," Sayaka said, her voice quiet and soft, "I'm not blind to that fact. But… I can't ignore that you would've said those things months ago."

The bluenette then looked up to give Byakuya a fierce, fury-filled glare. "I can't keep turning away at the fact that you were this horrible human being at the beginning of our school year. Just like I can't ignore that I would be desperate enough to betray the kindest boy that I've ever met."

The tension was now thick in the room. Quite a few students were giving Sayaka approving looks, while a few others were more disheartened at the conflict happening. The more physically capable look ready to restrain the idol if needed, while the more cowardly were nervous at all the tension that had come up.

Byakuya finally looked up, his shocked look gone and a more angry look settling on his face. "Oh? And what exactly do you plan on doing about it?" He asked angrily, "I cannot change how I was before. And regretting previous behavior, or my future self's actions, is pointless."

"Right now? A slap is good," Sayaka responded back easily, "I doubt I'll be able to do anything else." Not without being restrained by her classmates or the chains underneath the floor.

With that, the blue-haired idol went back to her seat. Soon after, those that had stood up went back in their own seats, although the atmosphere is still considerably tense. Byakuya held a colder than usual look, while Hina, having been let go by Sakura, still had a furious glare on her and tears running down her cheeks.

No one said anything as the screen continued on.

"What the hell…?" Byakuya cursed in shock, holding a reddening cheek. In front of him was a clearly furious Hina, with Toko watching in distress from the far side of the room.

"You disgust me!" Hina spat out in fury, "You're… you're a monster! To say something like that… it should've been you. You should've been the one to die!" The swimmer's last statement was shouted in pure hatred.

Several of the students couldn't help but flinch at how much loathing Hina put in her words. While anger isn't a foreign thing from the girl, seeing her show such hatred for someone, even Byakuya, was something they've never seen before.

At the same time though, they do understand why she's feeling this way. Heck, some of them even agreed with her. The Byakuya they're seeing on the screen… is vile. A selfish monster who's unfeeling to the suffering of others, who doesn't care who lives or dies so long as he remains on top.

And they were in class with such a monster mere months ago. With everything they've been seeing, the fact that he at least somewhat changed felt hollow now.

Byakuya slowly turned towards her. "I should've died…?" he repeated in barely contained anger, "Interesting. Then are you planning to take care of that yourself?" He then straightened himself up, giving her a scornful look. "Go ahead, if you dare. That's how it works here, after all."

"You think I can't do it?" Hina growled, looking ready to strangle him right here and now.

Now that got the others alarmed. "Oh hell, is she actually planning on doing it?" Mondo asked worriedly. "I mean, I hate the bastard as much as she does, but does Hina actually want to kill him?"

"N-No! If she does that, she'll end up being a culprit!" Chihiro exclaimed in fear. "They'll end up in a class trial, with Hina getting executed!"

"Forget a class trial; she'll end up blasted the moment she guts Byakuya!" Leon retorted, looking just as worried.

Sakura clenched her fist, in both frustration and guilt. "Hina…" she spoke softly, anxiousness clear in her tone, "You know this isn't what I wanted. This conflict is the exact thing Monokuma wants. So why?" The swimmer could only look away from her dear friend, an influx of emotions flashing on her face.

"H-Hina! Calm down!" Makoto pleaded, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"This is exactly what the mastermind wants. And it's exactly what Sakura doesn't want," Kyoko supported Makoto.

Hina could only be silent, staring at Byakuya with tears falling down her face. "What's wrong? Lost your nerve?" the heir asked mockingly.

"Fuck off!" Leon and Mondo shouted at the screen, with the former even giving it the finger.

"Byakuya is not helping matters," Taka growled, feeling frustrated himself, "He's consciously aggravating Hina like this."

"What do you expect? He's actively supporting this game," Sayaka stated sourly, "He doesn't care that he's doing exactly what Monokuma wants; he's blindly focused on the game."

"Stop i-insulting master!" Toko finally spoke up, glaring angrily at Sayaka. While she was silent for most of the conflict, silently distressing that her dear master was hurt, a vicious ball of anger had grown in her heart. "And how dare you slap him! I-I hope you-"

"Your master just wished for the death of one of our friends on screen!" the idol retorted fiercely. "He's doing exactly what the mastermind wants by goading Hina! How can you still defend him, after seeing all this?!"

"M-Master isn't s-saying anything wrong!" Toko argued, "S-Sakura is a spy. It probably would be better if-"

"Don't you dare!" Hina growled, looking ready to stand back up and strangle Toko. "Don't even finish that sentence, Toko!"

Makoto could only look on anxiously. Things are really escalating, both on screen and here. What can he do to stop it? How else can he keep his friends from being divided?

Hina continued remaining silent. After a moment, she spoke. "I'm leaving…" Slowly, she walked out of the cafeteria, her figure trembling with anger. "I'll be in my room."

It's clear to everyone that the girl is still holding in a lot of hot-boiling fury. And again, many of them couldn't blame her for this; still, it's worrying and disheartening to see their most bubbly classmate like this.

"Hina…" Chihiro murmured worriedly, "Will she be okay?"

"I'm not sure Chihiro." Taka said softly. "It's clear that her emotions are running high. While I don't think she would do anything drastic…"

"A fucking powder keg is growing inside her," Mondo stated bluntly. He, out of everyone, can see the signs. "The only question is when it's gonna blow."

Sakura clenched her fists anxiously. "Hina…" she spoke softly, "You can't continue trying to defend me like this. I've accepted the hatred from our comrades; trying to argue with them is only bringing conflict." And that conflict can easily lead to murder. The last thing she would want.

"But, Sakura… future me can't just sit there and do nothing!" Hina said fiercely, giving her friend an angst-filled glare, "Not when they go and treat you like you're a killer! When you plan to sacrifice yourself!" A new wave of tears fell from her face. "How can I just let all this happen?! What would you do in my place?!"

"..." Sakura was struck silent at this, her thoughts on what she would've done if Hina was deemed the traitor. And the answer came immediately; she would defend her. She would not let anyone speak ill of her friend, would punish the one who dared do so.

The martial artist understood that she would likely be no better if she switched roles with Hina.

"That s-stupid cow…! How dare she…?" Toko growled in anger, "She should d-die a thousand deaths. No, a million…!"

"So, she was just another hysterical girl. Hardly worth my attention…" Byakuya scoffed arrogantly.

The affluent progeny ignored the curses and insults aimed at him. Listening would merely add to his frustrations, aimed at his future self. He doesn't regret his own words; if his classmates are so eager to demonize him, they should find the time to look at themselves, and the actions of their future selves.

However, he's not blind to how… arrogant, his future self is being. Since the start, he's been playing to the mastermind's tune; willfully playing the game set up for them, with a glee that's close to matching Genocide Jack's blood-lust. When will he wake up? How long will he stay a tool for the mastermind?

Cause that's what he is right now. For all his future self's talk about Sakura being a tool, he's the one acting exactly how the mastermind wants.

"It's what other people call having 'feelings', Byakuya. And all you can do is mock them for it." Kyoko told him coldly.

"What's wrong with that?" Byakuya responded back, unperturbed.

"A friendly word of warning - someday that attitude is going to come back and bite you," Kyoko warned him, in a not-so friendly way, "Hard."

"And I will happily elude its attempts," the heir countered easily.

'How… how can somebody be this arrogant?!' Sayaka thought in pure aggravation, 'Even after getting slapped on the cheek, he thinks himself invincible! Unable to be harmed or killed!'

'Did Byakuya honestly think the consequences don't hold him?' Taka thought, disbelief and frustration in equal measure, 'Does he honestly think that everything will go the way he wants it to?'

'I want to punch him!' Mondo mentally growled, 'I want to pummel his face into the table so fucking bad! Show him personally that he ain't untouchable!'

'I hate him!' Hina thought maliciously, a furious look clear on her face, 'I hate him, I hate him, I hate him! I hate him so much right now!'

No one bothered to say anything. It's already been made clear how much several of the students despise the Byakuya on screen.

"S-So um, ya know…" Hiro hesitantly spoke up, looking very uncomfortable. "How about we, uh… eat?" Once the words passed his lips, the fortune teller shook his head. "Er… maybe now's not a good time…" He then ended that with an awkward chuckle.

The students could only watch with mixed emotions as the remaining survivors left the dining hall. "This… is troubling…" Celeste sighed, "Hina is unable to keep from arguing with the others about Sakura, while Byakuya is determined to treat everyone as the enemy. Toko remains obsessively loyal to him, and Hiro is likely still afraid of Sakura."

"The only ones with good heads on their shoulders are Makoto, Kyoko, and Sakura," Junko remarked, "And even they can't stop the fights from happening. Heck, we got our own fights here."

'This feels even worse than the previous chapters…' Makoto thought sadly, 'I don't think even the first chapter got so bad as this…'

"I-It's the idiot swimmer fault," Toko grumbled accusingly, "If she would stop being so emotion-"

"Shut. Up. Toko," Leon interrupted the writer, looking so very done with her, "I couldn't care less that you're a pathetic little lap-dog for Byakuya, but you and the asshole are just as guilty. Probably more so."

That earned a wrathful glare from the writer. "Y-You don't-"

"Quiet, you," Byakuya cut off Toko sharply, "I don't need you defending me."

"But m-m-master-"

"Quiet!" The Togami heir's words were even sharper, prompting Toko to dutifully keep quiet. "I've acknowledged my shortcomings, if only to myself; I'm aware that my future self is being arrogantly stupid." A very hard and bitter pill to swallow for him, but ignoring the obvious would make him no better than the person on the screen. "I don't need anyone to defend my actions."

"Byakuya…" The lucky student couldn't help but feel sympathy for the Togami heir. All this time, he's been receiving the anger of his classmates thanks to his future self's words. That could take a toll on anyone, even Byakuya.

"I don't need your pity, Makoto," Byakuya stated, though his words weren't as sharp as they were before, "I can handle myself just fine." His classmates' anger towards him is nothing he couldn't handle.

"Regardless, we shouldn't let this continue," Kyoko sighed, "You aren't responsible for your actions in the future, and all of us need to acknowledge that fact." She aimed her words at the more volatile students, along with a stern cold glare at them.

Said classmates stayed silent, keeping their eyes away from Kyoko. Even Hina felt affected by Kyoko's stone-cold words, a mix of guilt and aggravation reflected on her face.

The next scene was Makoto sitting in his room, with the nighttime announcement playing. 'Nighttime already…' The luckster thought to himself. 'Tonight somehow feels… uneasy. We still haven't settled things with Sakura. Everyone's in a terrible mood. I just hope nothing happens tonight…'

"I don't think the situation will be settled peacefully." Mukuro said softly, one of the more neutral students of this conflict. "Sides have already been picked; there isn't anything that can be said that'll solve the conflict made. If this continues… it would only get worse from here. And I'm not just talking about a murder."

That made everyone tense, some wondering what else could be worse while others figured what she meant. Once a murder happens, the friction will merely grow. And if that happens, there's no stopping the killing game from continuing till it ends.

Until the very last person is left standing, one way or another.

'No… I cannot allow that to happen.' Sakura thought with frustration. 'I can't let a murder happen thanks to my own actions. My future self must do something to stop this.' No matter what anyone else said, this all is happening because of her own decisions. Her own hesitance.

The Ultimate Martial Artist must find a way to halt this divide; lest she have blood stains on her own hands.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 75: Watching Chapter 4: All Star Apologies Part 8

The next scene showed Makoto getting up from bed, the morning announcement playing in the background. 'I need to do something about Sakura…' He thought to himself, "I'd better go to the dining hall and talk to the others about it one more time."

"Doubt anything will come of it." Celeste sighed, "As mentioned before, Hiro, Toko, and Byakuya are remarkably stubborn. Getting them to trust Sakura at this point, this far into the killing game, is near impossible."

"It wouldn't hurt to try, would it?" Makoto argued, "Like Mukuro said, leaving all this alone will only let this conflict get worse."

"But sis also said that there's no changing anyone's minds," Junko countered, with a fake grimace.,"Sooner or later, somebody's gonna die. And it'll just get worse from there."

As Makoto got ready and left his room… "UWAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

The sudden scream caused several to jump in shock. "What the-?!" Mondo exclaimed.

"That sounded like Hiro!" Taka stated in alarm.

"Wh-What happened?" Chihiro stuttered in fear.

"Is future me okay?!" Hiro shouted frantically.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" Leon muttered loudly.

"Huh?!" Makoto turned towards the dining hall in alarm. 'Was that someone screaming?!'

Frantically, the lucky student ran up to the dining hall. And when he was at the entrance of the hall, he was met with a panicked Hiro. "Ah, Makoto! We got a big problem, man!"

"Wh-What's wrong?!" Makoto questioned, worried.

"L-Look!" Shakily, Hiro pointed towards the source of his panic. And that source…

Was a clearly injured Hina, kneeling on the ground. Standing above her was Genocide Jack, scissors in both hands.

That caused several students' eyes to pop wide open.

"H-Hina!"

"The fuck is this?!"

"It got worse! It got ten billion percent worse!"

"What the hell did Jill do?!"

"And how did she appear?!"

Kyoko, Mukuro, and Celeste narrowed their eyes. The situation got worse.

Hina herself had an alarmed look at seeing her future self injured, while Toko yelped in both shock and fear at seeing Jill's position.

Sakura, meanwhile, looked stunned as she processed what exactly she was seeing. That stunned look then slowly turned to pure, unadulterated rage, her body shaking and her face darkening.

"H-Hina!?"

The girl could only groan in pain, holding her arm.

"Are you okay?!" Makoto exclaimed in concern. "What happened?!"

"Sh-She killed her…" Hiro stuttered out fearfully. "Genocide Jill kill Hina!"

"What is… the meaning of this?" Sakura growled, her tone sending chills down most of the students' spines. "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!"

Seeing her sharply stand up, muscles bulging, hair flying, and fury shining in her eyes, caused both Hiro and Hifumi to fearfully scream before jumping behind their couch. Chihiro went white with fear, shrinking as far as he could in his couch, while Mondo took a near automatic defensive form.

Toko let out a shout of fright and curled up defensively, her face pastier than usual. "Idon'tknow, Idon'tknow, Idon'tknow!" The writer rambled repeatedly, not stuttering for once. "Jill did it, not me! Jill did it, not me!"

"Sakura!" Seeing how enraged her friend is, Hina frantically got up and grabbed her arm. "It's okay! I'm okay. Future me isn't dead. She's alive."

Sakura stood motionless, her muscles still tensed. Seeing this, Hina rambled on. "I know that it looks bad, and if Genocide Jack did that to you, I would be super mad, and-"

"I'm alright, Hina." Sakura's statement stopped Hina's ramble. However, despite her words, her voice sounded tight. "I won't do anything. I'm just… angry."

Slowly, Sakura settled back on the couch, though it was clear to all that she was far from calm. Hina sat back down alongside her, worry-filled eyes still aimed at the martial artist.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Jill denied, shaking her head. "She's not dead! Open your eyes! No way she's dead!"

"Wh-Why…? What happened?" Makoto hesitantly asked.

Hiro took it upon himself to explain. "Well, Toko and Hina… just all of a sudden, they were yelling, and then… they knocked the pepper off the table."

Leon bit back a groan at that. "Shit. That explains why Jill is out, and attacking Hina."

"And how much do you want to bet the argument was about yesterday?" Junko groaned.

That caused Sakura to clench her teeth tightly, guilt slowly seeping in. There was little doubt that it was about what Hina did to Byakuya, in defense of herself. Because of that, Hina had gotten hurt.

"And that led to a sneeze…?" Makoto guessed.

"Her giant balloons are a little too perfect, aren't they?! I might be flat, but at least mine are real!" Jill ranted, before grabbing her shoulders in a lewd fashion. "And look at my shapely collarbone! Doesn't it totally set you on fire?!"

"Is she treating this situation lightly?!" Sakura growled in fury, looking ready to punch the TV straight through, "Is she not taking her own actions seriously?!"

"This is Genocide Jack we are talking about. She takes every situation lightly," Taka stated, looking tense and serious, "This kind of situation should be no different for her."

She then faced Makoto and Hiro directly. "Anyway, you totally non-adorable boys just get her outta my sight, okay? Or else…" She lifted her scissors menacingly. "I'll start cutting. And cutting, and cutting, and indulging myself for who knows how long…"

'SHE WILL NOT LAY A FINGER ON HINA!' Sakura roared in her mind, though she kept herself in check. She reminded herself that this is merely the future she's watching, not an event that had taken place. She can't let her emotions take control, else she would do something she would regret.

"O-Okay then, let's get Hina to the nurse's office." Quickly, Makoto went over to Hina and grabbed her by one arm. "C'mon, Hiro. Help me!"

"S-Sure thing!" Nodding rapidly, Hiro went over to Hina as well.

"Weeeoooo, weeeoooo!" Jill trilled out, right before giving out her usual insane laughter.

At this point, some of the other students started feeling anger towards Jill. Sure, her behavior was far from unusual at this point for all of them… but that doesn't mean they agreed with how she's acting.

"Really want to see that psycho get her lights punched out," Leon said angrily, his fist tightening on a baseball he grabbed.

"Same," Sayaka replied shortly, a cold look entering her face.

The scene changed to show Makoto, Hina, and Hiro at the nurse's office. The swimmer was sitting on one of the beds, jacket off, while Makoto was wrapping her wounds. Just as he finished…

"Th-Thank you…" Hina said softly, still slightly shaken from the experience.

"Are you sure you're feeling better?" The lucky student asked in concern.

"Yeah…" Hina reassured him, "It really was just a scratch."

"You're fortunate it wasn't anything worse," Mukuro mused, "Genocide Jack could've probably given you more extensive and torturous wounds if she had wanted."

"Not helping Mukuro!" Makoto stated to the soldier nervously, his eyes towards the furious martial artist.

"But still, that was super close!" Hiro stated in a jovial tone, "If I hadn't yelled out, you'd be dead right now! It's all thanks to me, ya know!"

That earned a look of annoyance from Hina. "Yes, well, a thousand thanks to you, sir," she angrily, and sarcastically, retorted.

"So sarcastic!" The fortune teller cried out, reeling back, "That just makes you sound even MORE hostile!"

Hiro's comment earned sighs and groans from the students. "Hiro, dude, you really need to learn a thing called tact." Leon groaned.

"What? What did future me say wrong?" Hiro asked, looking around in confusion. No one bothered to answer him.

Ignoring Hiro, Makoto kept his face towards Hina. "Hey, Hina… what the heck happened?"

"Oh, um… we just got into a fight. And I lost my temper, and flew off the handle…" Hina explained meekly.

"Let me guess… the fight was because of Sakura?" The luckster deduced.

The girl nodded. "At first, I tried to ignore it. If you let jerk buttholes get to you all the time, you'll never have time left to live your life. But she wouldn't let it go. So, I just…" Her hands then clenched into fists, shaking in anger. "Without thinking about it, I felt like I just wanted to punch her like a dozen times!"

"So Toko was the one who started this…" Taka said, clear disapproval in both tone and posture.

"Should we even be surprised?" Leon deadpanned, once again looking done with the writer, "Toko made it clear that she worships the ground Byakuya walks on; that means she's pathetic enough to harass anyone that speaks against him."

Toko couldn't help but shrink under the judgmental and disapproving feeling from the group, as well as flinch at the insult from Leon. It was the second time he called her pathetic; while she believed that everyone felt that way about her, hearing her classmate say it… hurt in a way she couldn't describe.

"A dozen punches isn't really 'without thinking'..." Hiro pointed out.

"And when things got out of hand, Genocide Jack got let loose. Right?" Makoto concluded once more.

"It's my own fault," Hina admitted shamefully, "But I just… couldn't take it anymore. Because… because…!" A distraught look entered her face, with tears forming into her eyes. "Because she was saying all those terrible things about my friend, ya know?!"

Many felt their hearts clench at seeing the distraught look from the usually energetic and happy-going swimmer. Sakura, in particular, felt agony over the distress she's causing her friend.

"You know? You really are pathetic, Toko," Sayaka stated, her voice flat as she addressed the writer, "You claim we see you as disgusting, yet you insult all of us; you think none of us care about you, yet you show the most apathy. You believe we're bullies, who're just waiting for the chance to bring you down. Yet you and Jill are bigger bullies than anyone here, on screen. That really is pathetic!"

The idol's dressing down of the writer caused several students to reel in shock or stare in stunned silence, none of them expecting Sayaka to do that. Toko, especially, was affected badly, the prodigy feeling herself shaking in distress.

That hurt feeling in her chest grew exponentially. Being called pathetic wasn't the thing that hurt her, as others (and even herself) had called her the worst sort of things. No, it was the reasons Sayaka listed as to why she was called pathetic that were affecting her the most. Because, while she could deny it all she wanted… she knew that the pop idol was telling the truth.

'Sayaka…' A mix of emotions swirled in Makoto's heart as he looked at his friend. On one hand, he couldn't condone her actions, be it slapping Byakuya or verbally smacking Toko. On the other hand, with everything they're seeing… he more than understood why she's doing and saying these things.

Just seeing Hina's tear-filled eyes was enough to make his heart clinch painfully…

Just as the tears began falling down, the door of the nurse's office violently burst open. And the culprit was none other than Sakura. "...Hina?"

"Sakura!" Hina exclaimed in surprise.

Seeing the Ultimate Martial Artist in the nurse's office, several of the students either tensed up or downright turned white. "Oh, shit," Leon summed up.

"This… is gonna end badly…" Junko added right after.

"You're hurt…" The martial artist voiced, shock clear in her tone. "What happened?"

"Oh! N-Nothing, it's not a big deal…!" Hina tried to wave off.

Sakura, having none of it, turned towards Makoto and Hiro furiously. "Makoto! Hiro! What's the meaning of this?!"

"I-It wasn't me!" Hiro quickly denied, stepping back in fear. "It was Genocide Jill! It's all that demented murderous fiend's fault!"

"Y-Y-You sellout!"

"Would you try to keep your mouth zipped in front of that?!" Hiro retorted, pointing at the screen,"If I was in your place?!"

That shut Toko up, as she knew quite well that she would sell him out without any remorse.

That earned an angry, almost ferocious, growl from Sakura, her face darkening in fury. "To hurt Hina… damn you…!" She stated in her growl. "To leave me alone, but hurt her… what is this… what isssss thiiiiiissss?!" The last part, which came out in a primal roar, had Hiro crying out in shock and terror.

"I-I'm okay, really!" Hina said nervously, attempting to calm her friend. "It's just a scratch…!"

But the martial artist could growl with fury. "Unforgivable… I can't forgive them!"

Seeing Sakura's angered state again rattled the group once more. Chihiro, in particular, was white as a sheet and curled up like a shaking ball, Sakura's fury reminding him of Mondo's own anger.

"HYAAAAAAHH!" Hiro screamed out in terror.

"Hiro… if you want to hate someone, hate me." Sakura stated towards the fortune teller. "If you want to hurt someone, hurt ME!"

"I-I-I don't… hate you, exactly…" Hiro stuttered out.

"WHHHHYYYYYY!"

"S-S-S-S-S-S-!" The next moment, Hiro burst out of the nurse's office, shrieking in sheer terror. "Somebody save meeeeee!"

"...Okay, for once, I don't blame you for what you did, Hiro," Leon stated, looking pretty tense and pale himself, "Might've done the same in your shoes."

"Th-That was terrifying," Hifumi stuttered in terror. Both he and Hiro were shaking behind the couch, paralyzed at seeing Sakura's righteous fury. "I've never seen such p-primal rage in a person before…"

"Not even bro showed that level of anger…" Taka said quietly, as if speaking any louder would awaken a sleeping beast.

"S-Sakura…" Rather than with fear like several of her classmates, Hina instead looked at her friend with worry.

"You shouldn't have lost control like that," Kyoko sighed, her arms crossed, "Even if you haven't intended on changing the minds of others, showing that level of anger would just make them more wary of you."

"Hiro will most definitely be more fearful of you in the future…" Celeste said, maintaining an extremely neutral look.

The martial artist could only stay silent, shame mixed with her anger. She knows that her actions are unbecoming of her; still, she could not stay silent, not when she saw that Hina had gotten hurt because of her.

A second later, Kyoko walked into the room. "What's going on?" She questioned, looking around, "What's all this noise about? I gathered that something happened?"

"K-Kyoko! Please, you have to stop Sakura!" Makoto pleaded, looking very alarmed.

"You don't need to stop me…" Sakura spoke up, her voice somewhat calmer. "I'm okay. I'm not going to do anything. I just…" A firm look then entered her face. "I'm drawing a line, right here and now."

'Drawing a line…?' Makoto thought in both confusion and worry.

Her words got the others worried as well. "W-What does she mean by, 'drawing a line'?" Chihiro inquired softly, slowly uncurling himself.

"No idea," Mondo said, his eyes narrowed, "But I don't know if I like the sound of it."

Mukuro also had her eyes narrowed, recognizing the tone and look. It was that of one who planned to make a decisive… and possibly even fatal, decision.

"...Goodbye." Sakura then walked out of the nurse's office, her back towards everyone.

"Wait! Sakura!" Hina soon chased after her, worry clear in her face.

"S-Sakura…" Hina called out softly, her eyes towards her friend. "What are you planning to do?"

"...I cannot say for sure," was all Sakura could say. What she does know, however, is that her future self will not put up with this conflict and division any further… no matter what needed to be done.

That left Kyoko and Makoto alone in the room, an awkward silence radiating in the air. "U-Umm… Kyoko…?" Makoto hesitantly spoke up.

"..."

The sight of the two alone together got the group recalling previous tensions, causing some to grimace and others to frown. "Oh. Right. Kyoko was giving Makoto the silent treatment earlier," Leon said with his own grimace.

"W-Well, the secret is already out," Chihiro said, trying to sound optimistic, "Maybe Kyoko will forgive him now?"

"There shouldn't be anything to forgive," Sayaka grumbled, bitterness over Kyoko's childish attitude coming back up.

Kyoko ignored the bluenette, her eyes focused on the future Makoto and her future self.

"Are you… still mad?"

"..."

"Yeah, I figured," the luckster sighed.

"Please do not fucking tell me she's still holding a grudge…" Mondo groaned, face-palming.

"If she is, then this is getting ridiculous," Celeste sighed, irritation showing, "One can only hold a grudge for so long."

Makoto was silent during this, disappointment clear on his face. Kyoko continued focusing on the screen, waiting to see if her future self would just let go of her grudge and make up with the lucky student.

She really, really hoped that she would.

"It's… fine."

At those two words, everyone's head flipped up towards the screen in a flash. Makoto, especially, was staring at the TV with hope shining in his eyes.

"Huh…?" Makoto looked at the lavender-haired girl, wondering if he heard right.

"About that issue we discussed earlier… it doesn't matter anymore," Kyoko told him.

"YES!"

"Finally!"

"About damn time!"

"She finally forgave him!"

Kyoko, who had nearly sagged in relief at her statement, could only look blankly at the students around her cheering. "Is this gonna be a thing every time my future self acts difficult?"

"Maybe…" Leon remarked with a grin, "You gotta admit, you're a pretty stubborn girl Kyoko."

In response, the detective gave the baseball star a flat look, while Makoto merely chuckled between the two, feeling lighter than he had felt previously.

Seeing this, Sayaka also felt herself get lighter. Oh, she's still angry at Kyoko over her assumptions and childish actions. But seeing Makoto act a bit more cheerful take away some of the fury she's been feeling.

"Then… do you forgive me for not being able to talk about it…?" Makoto asked, hope clear in his voice.

"You could have told me about Sakura and Monokuma fighting, but you stayed quiet." Kyoko stated. "You were only thinking of Sakura, and that's why you didn't tell me, right? You didn't want to confuse everyone until you could talk to her and be sure of what you saw. That's what you were thinking, and that's why you didn't tell me. Right?"

"Wow," Was all Hina could say to all that, "She hit that nail right in the head…"

"For real…" Hiro agreed.

"You forget that Makoto is an open book," Byakuya remarked dryly, "Once Sakura's secret was revealed, all she had to do was put the pieces together."

Sayaka let out a giggle at his statement. "I can't argue with that."

"Hey…" Makoto whined, though he was laughing along with his friend.

"Y-Yeah…" Makoto could nod in confirmation at the deduction.

"To think like that… I wouldn't have expected such arrogance from you."

And just like that, the moment levity was gone.

"Say what?!"

"Arrogance?!"

"I- but tha- how- wha-"

"In what way is that arrogance?!"

"You have got to be kidding."

Much like how the levity was taken away, Sayaka's fury was reignited in fuel. "Are. you. SERIOUS?!" The idol screamed the last part in pure frustration. "What kind of twisted viewpoint do you have Kyoko, to think THAT is being arrogant?!"

"And this is why we cheer…" Leon grumbled from beside Sayaka.

The detective felt her cheeks close to burning in embarrassment, as she kept her eyes away from the baffled looking lucky student.

"What?!" Makoto exclaimed in shock.

"Because ultimately, that means you don't trust me." She declared.

"That's not it!" Taka cried out, sounding done himself, "It's because he trusts Sakura that he wants to talk to her first before anyone else!"

"Seriously? This is what you think at the end?" Hina asked angrily, clenching her fist, "Can't Sakura tell her side of the story before Makoto could tell anyone else?!"

"Girl, you're still taking this way too personally…" Junko muttered, shaking her head in mock disappointment.

'...Don't. Stab. Don't. Stab.' Mukuro had to actively tell herself not to grab her knife and fling it towards Kyoko.

"N-No, that's not it…" Makoto denied, before letting out a sigh. "But if that's how you feel, I can't really change your mind. I'm sorry…"

"You. Have. Nothing. To apologize for," Mukuro growled out, clenching her hands together to resist the growing urge, "If anything, it's Kyoko who should apologize."

"Door. Mat," Byakuya repeated what had called Makoto hours ago, "It's even a wonder how Kyoko can even make the conclusion that you can be arrogant, when your confidence is barely even there."

"Like I said, I can't really change her mind if she feels that way," Makoto sighed, "And trying to do so would just create another argument…"

That earned some dark grumbling from the idol beside him, to which he responded by wrapping a hand around hers to calm her. It helped soften her somewhat, but she was still upset.

"It's fine. I've already forgotten about it." Kyoko waved off once again. "Besides… I may have… overreacted."

THAT got the attention of everyone. "Hold the phone here…" Leon spoke up, a grin slowly coming up, "Is Kyoko… blushing?"

"Is she actually embarrassed?" Junko said right after, a grin of her own matching the baseball player.

"Is it really a surprise? She was being childish for about a couple of days…" Celeste said, a pleasant looking smile across her face.

"Now the usually composed detective has to admit to acting childish…" Byakuya stated, actually smirking himself in enjoyment.

Kyoko stubbornly kept her face away from everyone else's, her face redder than it ever has been. Meanwhile, both Hina and Chihiro actually started giggling, with Sakura developing a small smile of amusement across her own face.

"Very mature of you, Kyoko, to admit your faults!" Taka said, voicing his own thoughts, not helping the detective's embarrassment, "While I don't approve of your previous claims, I'm glad you're trying to make amends!"

"Definitely agree with bro here. It's a real good thing to admit to being immature…" Mondo added, a shit-eating grin telling everyone what he truly thought.

"Huh…?" Makoto blinked for a moment, wondering if he saw what he just saw.

"Anyway, it's over and done with," The mystery girl quickly said, gaining a firmer look, "Like I said, let's just forget about it."

"O-Okay. Thank you…"

Rather than feeling angry or annoyed by what she said, many of the students felt themselves grinning or laughing over Kyoko clearly trying to brush the topic off.

"Who knew that our Kyoko here, our ever so composed Ultimate Detective, could get so embarrassed?" Hina giggled, covering her mouth. While a part of her is still worried about Sakura, she can't help but take the opportunity to tease her friend. Especially since her future self was being an idiot.

"Does that humble pie taste nice, Kyoko?" Sayaka asked sweetly, VERY much enjoying this, "Maybe you can try a bigger bite next time."

Makoto had to resist the urge to laugh, though there was a small smile across his face. He couldn't help it; Kyoko is acting really cute right now, all red-faced and embarrassed.

"Okay guys, I think Kyoko's had enough," Makoto called out to everyone, though a smile was still on his face, "Pretty sure that her actions in the future are embarrassing enough."

"Awww," Junko pouted, crossing her arms, "But it's so much fun teasing her."

Nevertheless, the other students backed off from the detective, though there were still giggles and smiles sent her away. Kyoko took that time to recompose herself, giving Makoto a grateful look. The luckster merely smiled back, glad that at least some of the tension is gone now.

And he could only hope that it doesn't come back in full force.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 76: Watching Chapter 4: All Star Apologies Part 9

"That issue we discussed doesn't matter anymore. I want to talk to you about something else." Kyoko requested.

Makoto tilted his head in response. "What is it you want to talk to me about?"

"Actually… I'd like you to come somewhere with me." The lavender haired girl told him. "I have business there…"

"Where…?"

"Just come with me, and you'll find out." She repeated.

Her requests got the group curious. "What does she need to talk about, I wonder…?" Celeste mused.

"It's Kyoko; I doubt it's anything frivolous." Byakuya stated, also interested.

"It better not be!" Taka added enthusiastically.

The lucky student gave a small, confused frown. 'I-I guess, but…'

"Well then, shall we get going?" Without waiting for any other response, Kyoko turned and walked out of the nurse's office.

"Ah! Kyoko…!" And quickly, Makoto hurried to catch up to her, right before the screen turned black.

"She walked ahead in silence…" Narrator Makoto spoke. "And in silence, I chased her. And eventually, we arrived…"

The screen then lit back up, to show Kyoko and Makoto in… "The dressing room…?!" The latter exclaimed, quickly realizing why the former needed to talk to him. "So the 'something else' you mentioned…!"

"That's right." Kyoko nodded. "It has to do with Alter Ego."

Knowing the importance of Alter Ego, the mention of the AI piqued everyone's interests. "Wait, hold on, didn't Kyoko say we didn't need him anymore?" Hiro asked in confusion.

"No, I said that Alter Ego has done his job." Kyoko corrected him. "Not that it was unneeded."

"But… you said we didn't need Alter Ego anymore." Makoto pointed out.

"I didn't say we didn't need him. I just said that he had done his job." Kyoko corrected him. "Besides, it's not us that needs Alter Ego. *He* has business with *us*."

"Huh…?"

"Alter Ego asked me to bring the others to come see him." Kyoko explained. "Apparently he has something he wants to ask us."

That got the group even more curious. "What could the AI possibly want with them?" Celeste questioned, curiosity glinting in her eyes.

"And why hasn't Kyoko brought everyone for this?" Taka questioned loudly. "This should be something for all the survivors to hear, if he wants everyone to come!"

"I don't think the others are in a state to listen to anything, Taka." Sayaka told him. "I doubt Kyoko would be able to bring them together, even if she tried."

"That's… fair enough." The moral compass sighed, realizing the truth of her words.

Mondo, meanwhile, just narrowed his eyes. He got a feeling as to what Alter Ego wants.

Makoto turned towards the computer, laying on the bench. 'Alter Ego… wants to ask us something?'

When both survivors bent over towards the laptop, the screen flared up, revealing Alter Ego. "...Hello." He greeted the two. "Oh, um… so it's just the two of you? Kyoko and Makoto?"

Quickly, Kyoko typed, "Is two not enough?"

"No, it's okay! Two should be plenty." Alter Ego assured.

"But what is it he wants to ask us?" Makoto inquired.

"Let's find out, shall we?" With that, Kyoko typed in the question, "What did you want to ask us?"

"Oh yeah, so…" Taking a deep breath, the AI answered. "I'd like you to take me somewhere where you can connect me to the school network."

Suffice to say, that took the group completely off guard.

"Huh?!"

"Does he know what he's asking?"

"Isn't that way too dangerous?!"

"Is that even possible…?"

Mondo merely grunted. "Knew it."

"...What?" Kyoko gasped. She and Makoto glanced at one another quickly, before the former typed out, "Why?"

"Well, um… you said my job was done, right?" Alter Ego began. "But… to just stop here… saying I've finished my work… I don't want that!"

A determined look was etched onto the digital face. "I want to keep being helpful to everyone. I want to work as hard as everyone else so that we can all get out of here! That's… what Master would want, too. So… to help everyone else… to solve the mystery of this school…"

"The only way I can help is if you can connect me to this school's network!"

"But that's suicide!" Hifumi cried out. "If they try to enter the school network…!"

"Monokuma will find out." Celeste finished, a serious look across her face. "And I doubt they will let them do as they will once they do."

"There's little to no chance that Alter Ego will gain anything substantial before it's spotted." Mukuro added bitterly, knowing full well Junko's capabilities. "Going into the network is basically a one way trip."

"There's no way they can let Alter Ego do this!" Sayaka stated, worried for the AI.

"B-But… if you did that… that's basically suicide." Makoto pointed out in protest. "I'm positive the mastermind would find out about it. They'd find you, and they'd…" He turned towards the detective. "You agree, right Kyoko?"

"..." Kyoko, however, was silent.

"Wait, are you actually considering this?!" Sayaka questioned in shock, turning towards the detective. Several others also did the same.

Said detective looked as contemplative as her older and amnesiac counterpart. "So it would seem."

"But Kyoko…!" Makoto protested. "There's no way that this can work out! Once Alter Ego is connected, the mastermind will find out in no time!"

"This is all assuming there's an accessible way to connect to the network." Byakuya pointed out to everyone, looking at the screen neutrally.

"Let's… just continue watching." Kyoko sighed. "And see what Alter Ego, and my future counterpart, has to say."

"I realize how dangerous it could be." Alter Ego stated. "But still… I have to do this. I'm scared, but… I can handle it. I… don't really understand why, but… when I think about everyone else, my courage starts to grow…! You might think I'm just some inhuman AI, but it's true! So… it's okay. If it's for the sake of everyone else, I won't be afraid!"

Many couldn't help but be in awe of the AI's earnest desire to help; with a voice and face so similar to it's creator. Chihiro, in particular, was shocked at how proactive his creation was…

"Alter Ego is really like you, Chihiro…" The programmer turned towards Mondo, who held a forlorn look on his face. "Don't have all of your baggage, sure, but… that spark of courage in his eyes is just like yours."

"Mondo…" Again, Chihiro found it hard to accept the idea of already being strong. Even with several of his friends assuring him of this, it was still an incredulous thought.

"Still… it still doesn't change that it's…very dangerous.." Hina murmured, clearly worried for the AI.

"Yeah. Like Mukuro said, there's no way Alter Ego will get anything before it's spotted…" Leon stated, looking tense. "I admire the little guy's bravery, but can he really evade Monokuma long enough to get answers?"

'Obviously not.' Junko sarcastically thought to herself. How dare they even start to doubt her capabilities?

For a moment, Makoto was silent. Too lost in the voice, the familiar voice. Then, Kyoko spoke up. "You remember what you asked before, Makoto?" She asked. "You asked what the difference is between a person and a program, right?"

"Y-Yeah…"

"When I talk to Alter Ego, I don't know…" Kyoko admitted. "I have no idea how to answer that question. I think maybe that's a question even the program's creator can't answer. But I can say this…"

"There's no question that Alter Ego is our friend."

"Kyoko…"/"Kyoko…" Makoto couldn't help but stare at the girl in shock.

"So you actually do think that Alter Ego is our friend?" Hina asked, looking surprised herself. "Then why did you brush off Makoto earlier?"

The detective turned away from everyone. "I was angry; and... it was... misplaced." She admitted reluctantly. "In that anger, I would do or say things I likely didn't mean. That doesn't mean I view Alter Ego as a simple AI, at least not now."

"Still, to hold such idealistic viewpoints…" Byakuya remarked. "Didn't expect for you to be so sentimental."

"Alter Ego is simply too life-like to brush off as a mere program. Chihiro really outdone himself." Kyoko countered easily, not letting Byakuya's remark get to her.

"To be honest, I didn't want Alter Ego to push himself anymore." Kyoko said. "Because if we take any more risks, the mastermind will really notice it. But…"

For a moment, she contemplated in silence. After that moment passed, she turned towards Makoto. "Let's do it, Makoto. Let's connect Alter Ego to the network."

"What?!" Almost half the class screamed out.

"Are you serious, Kyoko?!" Leon asked incredulously.

"This plan is reckless! Extremely reckless!" Taka protested.

"If Alter Ego does this, Monokuma will find and kill him for sure!" Hina cried out.

Rather than reacting dramatically as his classmates, Byakuya merely narrowed his eyes at Kyoko. "What is your endgame, Kyoko? Do you honestly think this plan will bear any fruit?"

"Are there any other options out there?" Kyoko retorted. "Any other way to progress at this point?"

That struck the group silent; all of them knowing that the future survivors have very little options to begin with.

"B-But…!"

"He's our friend, so I want to take his feelings into consideration." Kyoko argued calmly. "And he says that he wants to fight alongside his friends. If you were in his place, could you just sit by and do nothing in this situation? If you saw everyone else fighting and doing their best, could you just look the other way? Or would you stand up? Stand up tall next to everyone else and tell them you're their friend?"

"..." Makoto couldn't help but be silent at this, knowing full well what his answer would be.

The future Kyoko's words struck several of the students further, with many of the more emotional ones looking conflicted.

"I… I wouldn't." Chihiro voiced out, gaining the attention of his classmates. "I wouldn't… want to just stand there, as everyone works to find a way out. That… I couldn't bear the thought of doing nothing, just because I did what I've been asked. So I understand Alter Ego's desire to help."

That got a snort from Mondo. "Of course you do. You're the one who created it."

"Hey, are you guys… fighting?" Alter Ego interjected in concern. "If it's about me, please don't. I… I want to believe in myself. I want to be able to say, 'I know I can do this'."

A determined once again entered it's digital face. "So please… let me try!"

And once again, the students were struck with how similar the AI was to it's creator. "Wow… it really feels like we're looking at Chihiro, doesn't it?" Sayaka commented, her voice light.

"Like they're talking to him in a video chat." Leon nodded in agreement.

"It really does seem like a mirror of the original." Hifumi added softly.

"You really outdone yourself huh." Mukuro commented, impressed at the programmer's handiwork.

Said programmer couldn't help but duck his head, his cheeks burning in embarrassment. His classmates… really thought of him as courageous? Do they really see that bravery Alter Ego is showing inside himself?

Again, Makoto was silent, unable to come up with any response. Kyoko took that opportunity to talk further. "And besides… there's one place where the mastermind might not notice…"

"One place…?"

"Remember? There's another place besides here where there's no surveillance camera." Kyoko reminded him.

At that, Makoto's eyes lit up in remembrance. "That's it! The secret room you told me about…!" He stated. "I definitely remember there was no surveillance camera in there."

"And I do believe you can connect to the network from there." Kyoko added. "I remember seeing an ethernet port on the wall."

"Still a flimsy plan, at best." Byakuya sighed. "This is all based on the hope that the mastermind won't notice what's happening, long enough to obtain whatever information is out there."

"But… it's just like Kyoko said, there aren't any options remaining." Sakura stated. "They need to act, otherwise they will remain stagnant as the mastermind continues to push us into self-annihilation."

"However, just because there's no camera there, doesn't mean there's no danger." She continued. "There's no way to be sure the mastermind isn't monitoring the network somehow. We'll also have to move Alter Ego, and the mastermind may spot us going into the secret room. If they pick up on any of this, then… it's all over."

"You're right…" Makoto agreed, looking conflicted.

"But despite all that, I still think we need to try." Kyoko stated. "Because that's our best chance of finding any new clues."

Celeste let out her own sigh. "That is true enough." She admitted. "While it is a miniscule chance, it is also the greatest chance they have to find out more."

Many of the students looked as if they felt similarly. Whether it's concern for the AI, or merely doubt that this idea will actually work, the students all thought that plugging Alter Ego into the network doesn't feel worth it.

At the same time, however… they do recognize that this is probably the best opportunity the future survivors have.

"Kyoko…" At first, Makoto was silent, the conflicted feeling still across his face. Then, after a moment of that silence, he spoke up. "In that case… will you let me carry him?" He requested. "There's no way you could hide him with what you're wearing, right? So let me do it."

"Okay then, I'll leave it to you." Kyoko said in agreement. "...Thank you." She then bent back down towards the laptop. "It's gonna be a little cramped for you, Alter Ego. Bear with us, okay?"

The two of them then started packing Alter Ego, closing the laptop and placing it inside Makoto's jacket. As he was stuffed, the AI giggled. "I-It tickles!"

"Shh!" Makoto shushed the computer. "You can't talk right now! We're going to move you to another room. Until we get there, you have to be absolutely silent, okay?"

"Understood. Your command has been implemented."

"G-Good…"

"In the secret room, there are a bunch of different cables in one of the desk drawers." Kyoko told the lucky student.

"So there might be a network cable in there?"

"Assuming the mastermind hasn't taken it already…"

Makoto sighed at that. "Well, all we can do is go and check for ourselves."

"Agreed." Kyoko nodded. "Let's head to the secret room…"

"I really, really, really hope this'll work." Hina muttered, crossing her fingers together.

"Me too." Sayaka nodded in agreement, looking tense. "If they can manage to pull this off, it could be game changing."

"Please work, please work, please work…" Hifumi chanted, his hands clasped together.

While many of the students hoped for something amazing to be pulled off, some of the more rational students did not let their hopes go up.

And Junko herself? Mainly bored out of her mind, though slightly amused. As if anything they do can get past her analytic eyes; it's almost cute that they even try.

The scene then switched to Makoto and Kyoko heading to the boy's bathroom on the second floor. Once they were at the door, Kyoko suddenly spoke. "Hey, Makoto…" She began. "Are you sure all the documents are gone? I refuse to believe you! Go and check again!"

Kyoko's sudden mood switch gave the group quite a bit of a shock.

"Huh?"

"What?"

"Where did that come from?!"

As the students quickly started to doubt Kyoko due to the sudden change, Celeste quickly intervened. "Calm yourself. She's lying right now, acting as if she's angry at Makoto to keep the mastermind oblivious. She's not being truly angry or distrustful of Makoto."

The detective nodded in agreement. "I agree. Just want to give the mastermind a reason as to why we're at the boy's bathroom."

That got the students relaxing, with some even looking slightly embarrassed at their own reactions.

"Though I must say your acting could use some work." Celeste commented with a tiny smug smile. Kyoko can only let out a breath of annoyance in response.

Makoto did a double take on that. "What…?"

"Just hurry up and go!" The girl ordered. "And to make sure you don't run off, I'm gonna wait right here!"

The luckster's look of shock turned into one of realization. 'Oh, I get it - she's acting…' He deduced. 'She was so forceful, I thought I'd made her mad again somehow…'

"So did we, honestly." Hina chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. "Sorry, Kyoko…"

"It's fine. I understand why you were on edge." Kyoko waved off.

"Why are you just standing there? Hurry up and go!" Kyoko forcefully ordered once more.

"O-Okay, okay, I'm going…"

"And be thorough." She added. "I'm counting on you."

Some couldn't help but chuckle or giggle. "Real forceful there, huh Kyoko?" Leon remarked with a grin. "Makes me wonder how you guys be behind closed ro-"

"Leon!" Makoto squeaked, covering his beet red face. Kyoko, on the other hand, merely gave the baseball star a flat, unamused stare.

Four certain girls were as unamused as Kyoko, each of them giving Leon varying looks. Sayaka, in particular, was giving her friend a particularly haunting look that the red-head is trying real hard to ignore.

Makoto then entered the bathroom, then into the secret room. 'Okay! First we have to find a network cable…' Quickly, he went to the drawers. 'According to Kyoko, there should be a bunch of cables in this drawer. Hmm…'

"Found it!" The lucky student pulled out a fairly long cable. "This is a network cable, right? Now we just have to connect Alter Ego!"

Makoto pulled out the laptop from his jacket and placed it on the desk; he then connected it with the cable before connecting it to the ethernet port. "And that should do it…!"

"Umm…" For a moment, Alter Ego looked as if he was searching through something, before nodding in self-confirmation. "Yeah! I think it worked!"

The AI then faced Makoto. "Just leave the rest to me! I swear I'll find something! I might even be able to connect to the outside world. If I can, I'll see if I can call for help!"

"It would be really amazing if he can pull it off…" Sayaka stated, looking hopeful. "If he can call for help, then they'll have a much better chance at getting out!"

"Even if he isn't able to, just knowing more about our situation will be plentiful." Taka said, a serious look across his face. "Let's hope that this gamble will pay off."

'Something tells me that this won't…' Celeste thought to herself, eyes narrowed. Years of gambling experience gave her an instinctual feel on good or bad gambles.

And those same instincts are telling her that this gamble isn't going to end in their favor.

'Ufufu... these idiots really think I won't notice this? My god I'm so looking forward to when I crush their endeavors here' Junko thought to herself, completely amused by the turn of events.

"So please just wait a little while longer… just hold tight and put your faith in me!"

As Makoto was about to turn and leave, he stopped. He then bent down towards the laptop and typed…

"No matter what, we're gonna get out of here! You and all the rest of us, as friends!"

That surprised the AI. "Friends…?" He repeated. "Even… me?" Once the surprise wore off, he gave a soft, heart-felt smile. "Thank you. Thank you, Makoto…"

"Makoto…" Touched by what he left for Alter Ego, Sayaka wrapped her arms around his once again. "That was so sweet of you."

"That should definitely motivate Alter Ego now…" Mondo said, a small grin slowly shaping.

A smile entered Chihiro's lip as well, one similar to the one Alter Ego gave. "Thank you, Makoto. I'm really glad you see him as a friend…" The programmer said sincerely.

The luckster could only blush; a small, bashful smile across his face. "With how life-like Alter Ego acts, it's hard not to see him as one. Especially with what he's trying to do for us."

Kyoko merely shook her head at the scene. "Foolishly open…" She muttered fondly to herself.

'Plebeians and their emotions…' Byakuya thought with an eye roll. Despite what his classmates feel, Alter Ego is still an AI, merely doing what it's programmed to do. To think that commoners would get worked over a simple program…

The scene then switched to Makoto exiting the bathroom, coming face to face with Kyoko. "How'd it go?" She asked simply.

"Well…" The luckster started off awkwardly. "It went… okay. But all the, um, documents were gone. Just like I told you…"

Celeste couldn't help but giggle. "You really are a clumsy liar, Makoto. Maybe I should give lessons at some point."

"I think I'm good…" Makoto replied with a sweat-drop. He wasn't sure whether or not he should learn to lie better, honestly.

"I see…" Kyoko nodded in satisfaction. "Then there's nothing left for us here. Goodbye." With that, she started curtly walking away.

"Really?" Hina's jaw dropped a little at that. "Are you really just gonna split from him, just like that?"

"And here goes Ice Queen Kyoko, yet again." Leon remarked dryly, getting an annoyed glance from said 'Ice Queen'.

"Ah- Kyoko!" Makoto quickly called out.

The lavender haired girl turned to him. "Yes?"

"Um… so we're just going to split up?" He questioned.

"Of course. I have no reason to stay with you at this point." Kyoko stated bluntly.

That got more than a few reasons. "Ouch." Was all Mondo said.

"Really wished you learned some more tact, Kyoko…" Sayaka sighed tiredly.

"Yeah. Real cold there." Junko added sarcastically.

Feeling her cheeks burning once more, Kyoko couldn't help but let out a small huff. Can't they give her a break about her social skills?

"Well… maybe, but… isn't that a little too… direct?" Makoto pointed out awkwardly.

That earned a sigh from the girl. "Should I hesitate and fumble for something to say? You're so high-maintenance…"

"Says the girl who can't think of a better goodbye than that…" Leon deadpanned. "Seriously, you could warm up a little to Makoto after all of that."

"A whole lot more…" Junko chimed in.

"I think my lack of social skills has already been confirmed." Kyoko interjected, trying not to look so embarrassed with herself.

"Ahhh this must be the whole 'kuudere' tro..p..e..." Hifumi started before trailing off due to feeling Kyoko's cold eyes glaring into him.

"T-That's not what I meant…" The luckster corrected. "I just… had more I wanted to talk to you about. Like, what are you going to do about Sakura?"

The mention of Sakura and her situation quickly sobered the group up, the atmosphere getting slightly heavy once again. Sakura herself was quiet, yet tense, while Hina gripped the fabric of the couch tightly, also tense.

"Well… something has to be done, it's true." Kyoko agreed. "But the way things are right now, there's no way to persuade anyone. They don't have the mind to listen."

"Then what should we…?"

"If we can find some new clues, that would likely change the situation. That's all we can hope for right now." The lavender haired girl sighed.

"That'll depend on if Alter Ego can find anything before anything can happen." Celeste pointed out.

"And with how quick things are heating up…" Sayaka trailed off.

"It's hard to tell what will happen first." Taka concluded.

'Which is why Alter Ego…' Makoto realized.

"All we can do is wait, and believe in our friends." Kyoko concluded.

'You're right…' Makoto grimly accepted. 'That's our only option.'

That earned several frowns and grimaces. While some desperately wanted to hope that the survivors can keep from coming to blows, long enough for Alter Ego to find something…

Much of what they've seen was not inspiring hope; with a few even accepting the large possibility of death.

The scene then switched to Makoto in his room, looking worned out. "I'm kinda… tired…" With not much fanfare, the lucky student got onto bed. As he dozed off, the screen turned black.

However, it wasn't too long before the sound of a doorbell rang through the black screen. The screen then lit back up, to show a drowsy looking Makoto. "Hunh…?"

More of the ringing doorbell shook Makoto out of his daze, before he went to the door. When he opened the door, he was met with a serious looking Kyoko. "Makoto, get out here."

Seeing Kyoko once more got the group's alarm. "K-Kyoko?" Chihiro stuttered. "Why is she at Makoto's door?"

"Judging by the look, it's not good notes…" Junko noted, intentionally causing the tension to rise.

"Kyoko…?" Makoto spoke, looking slightly alarmed. "What's going on?"

"Hina just came to see me, and she was white as a ghost."

And just like that, dread began enveloping many of them. "That… is a very bad sign…" Hifumi gulped.

"There are a lot of things that would cause Hina to be like that, but the most likely reason is…" Mukuro trailed off, letting her words be unsaid.

The swimmer herself was starting to look just as her counterpart has been described. 'No… no, no, no…'

"It sounds like something happened…"

As soon as she was finished, Makoto found himself fully awake. "What…?"

"She said for us to come to the rec room." Kyoko told him.

"The rec room…?" Shaking his head, he gained a determined look. "Okay! Let's hurry!"

'No, no, no, no! It can't be it, no way!'

"It's starting…" Byakuya murmured lowly, arms crossed and eyes focused.

Toko, hearing her Master's words, took no time to cover her eyes. This time, she's going to keep them close to any hint of blood or a dead body coming their way!

The scene then transitioned to Kyoko and Makoto running to the direction of the rec room, with Hina standing near the door of the room. "Makoto! Kyoko!" The girl called out with clear panic.

'Maybe it someone else! Maybe they just got injured! Just because future me is panicking, doesn't mean…!'

"Hina, what's wrong?!" Makoto exclaimed, looking very worried.

"S-Something's not right…" Hina stuttered. "In the rec room…!"

"What's inside?" Quickly, the lucky student went over to get a look inside the room. And there, sitting in one of the chairs, immobile, was… "Sakura…?"

Now lumps were formed in students' throats, faces were becoming pale, and eyes were widening with increasing dread. "S-S-Sakura…?" Chihiro spoke, both his voice and body shaking.

"What's… happened to her…?" Sayaka questioned, her mind refusing to form the obvious truth.

A truth that Kyoko, Byakuya, Mukuro, and Sakura herself have deduced, and accepted. 'So… this is how it ends…' The martial artist grimly thought to herself.

A truth that even Makoto is beginning to accept. 'No… it can't… Sakura…' The luckster thought, tears forming around his eyes.

Mukuro, however, grimaced at the sight. Even if the details weren't clear, she quickly pieced together the cause. However, as everyone was on edge at the new developments, she couldn't bring herself to bring it up.

'Is she… unconscious…?' Makoto wondered to himself. 'She's sitting up in the chair, like she's… bowing her head.'

Kyoko, who also went to take a look, spoke up. "What's going on? Did something happen to her?"

"I was just walking past, and I happened to notice her through the window…" Hina explained, still looking very pale. "But I couldn't get the door open…"

The swimmer then faced the window alongside Makoto and Kyoko. "I tried knocking, I tried calling her name… but she wouldn't respond…"

'She's probably hurt! Probably just unconscious!' Hina continued denying to herself. 'They need to get in there! Check on her, help her!'

"S-So what should we do? What are we gonna do?!" Her last questions came out with clear panic in her tone.

"First of all, we need to get into that room." Kyoko stated, taking charge for the moment.

"But the door's locked, right? And if we break in, we'll be violating regulations…" Makoto pointed out.

"We're going to force our way in." Was Kyoko's next statement.

"I just said-!"

"The door isn't locked." The girl cut off, explaining herself. "It's not locked because the rec room door doesn't have a lock."

"Huh?" Now the lucky student was confused. "Then why…?"

"It feels like the door is pressing up against something inside the room." Kyoko observed, looking at the door. "Is it… the chair?"

Hearing this, the more emotionally stable students, Kyoko and Byakuya, took note of those details for later. The rest were too tense and fearful of what's currently going on to pay too much attention.

"Chair…?"

"Either way, this door isn't locked. Which means, as far as I can tell, the rule doesn't apply." The lavender haired girl concluded.

Then… there's no problem if we break in?!" Makoto exclaimed.

"Let's smash the window." Kyoko advised. "That should be the fastest way…"

"Okay, I'll get something to break it with!" Hina quickly volunteered, running off. "Wait right here…!"

'Hurry, hurry, hurry! Get the door open, help her, get her up!' Hina pleaded in her head as she sat completely frozen in her chair, her complexity also turning white.

As Hina went to get any sort of window breaker, Makoto looked at the unmoving Sakura forebodingly. 'She's just unconscious… right?'

'Of course she is! She has to be!' Hina shouted in her mind. 'There's no way she's… anything else! No way…!'

"Is she… okay?" Makoto asked worryingly. "I mean, it's Sakura, so I'm sure…"

"..." Kyoko was silent at this.

"No way… there's no way that she's dead…" Leon spoke up, looking as stiff as everyone else. "There's no way anyone there can kill a girl like that…"

"Yeah! There's no way any of us are capable of killing Ogre!" Hiro agreed, close to panicking himself. "That isn't possible!"

'Not in physical combat, no…' Byakuya thought to himself. 'But there are other means to take out a formidable opponent like her...'

"Here!" The silence didn't last long, however, as an out-of-breath Hina came back, a broom in hand. "...I found a broom! ...In the classroom! ...Use it!"

"You can handle this, right Makoto?" Kyoko proposed.

"C'mon! Please, hurry!" Hina begged, holding out the broom.

"Okay!" Grabbing the broom, he prepared to smash the window. "You two, stand back!"

Once the two were at a safe distance, Makoto swung the broom with all that he had; one solid hit was enough to break it. Immediately, he stuck his hand through the open space, and reached for the chair blocking the door. "The chair's pretty heavy… but if I can just…!"

He pushed the chair with all his strength, finally freeing the door and giving him the chance to burst inside. "Sakura!"

'It can't be! It can't be! It can't, can't, CAN'T!'

"I ran up to her as fast as I could." As the scene played out, Narrator Makoto spoke. "But the moment I laid my hand on her…"

The screen then went black, before lighting back up to show Sakura's corpse from bottom to top, a light shining on top of the girl. It then expanded to show the entire body of the martial artist. "...all I felt was cold death." The narrator stated. "I could feel only the last lingering warmth of a living body. Life had abandoned Sakura's body. And then…"

The school bell then rang and Monokuma's voice entered through the school yet again. "A body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time, which you may use however you like, the class trial will begin!"

(Chapter 4 - All Star Apologies - Deadly life)

And just like that, Hina felt her heart stop. All thoughts, all denials, were brought silent as she processed the cold confirmation that Sakura, her best friend, was dead. Her eyes were wide and hollow, her complexity completely pale, and her entire body frozen stiff…

"No way… no fucking way…" Leon breathed out, looking both shocked and horrified. "She's dead…? Someone managed to kill Sakura?!"

"Someone managed to kill such an overpowered character?!" Hifumi exclaimed in horror.

'It doesn't look as if she was in any sort of fight, nor are there any obvious signs of an ambush.' Mukuro mused to herself. 'It is definitely poison of some kind, but the question isn't the cause of death but rather...'

Several of the others were silent, as they processed the death of the Ultimate Martial Artist. Sayaka felt herself in tears once again, burying her face into Makoto's shoulder. "Again…" She tearfully said. "A friend of ours is killed again…!"

"Sayaka…" Trying to hold back his own tears, the lucky student hugged the distraught idol.

"How many more have to die for it to end…?!" She cried out, clinging onto the luckster tightly. "How many of us has to be sacrificed before we find a way out…?!"

Sayaka wasn't the only one in tears. Chihiro, once again, curled up in a tight ball, his tears staining the knees of his pants. "When will this end…?" He murmured desperately. "When will it end? When, when, when, when…?"

"Chihiro…" Hesitantly, Mondo placed a hand over the programmer's head. Whether it's due to grief or something else, Chihiro didn't flinch; merely accepted the light comfort as he cried his heart out. The biker, in the meantime, felt frustrated alongside his bro; as this was a death they saw coming.

Oh, for sure, they didn't see that it would be Sakura that would die; but they knew that *a* death was gonna happen. Knowing this, and knowing that there's nothing that could've been done, left both Mondo and Taka gritting their teeth in frustration at this helpless situation.

Kyoko, Celeste, and Byakuya continued with varying degrees of stoicism, while Toko firmly kept her eyes shut and covered, shivering. And Sakura…

Sakura looked upon her death with a stoicism that surprised even herself. However, her eyes reflected several emotions bottled up inside her. 'So I'm the next victim of this sickening game…' She thought. 'The ninth victim of all those who died…'

A part of her accepted this; better her to die than anyone else, especially with the sins her future self's carry. However, a part of her still held a sense of self-loathing; at not only leaving Hina by herself, but also being unable to keep to her word and destroy the mastermind.

"N-No… it can't be…"

Immediately, eyes turned towards the direction of the absolutely distraught voice; those eyes were met with a still frozen Hina, who had empty tears slowly streaming down her eyes. "Sakura's… dead. She's dead and…" She muttered, her voice hollow.

"Hina…!" The self-loathing in Sakura's developed even further, seeing what state her friend is in.

"Why…?" As if she didn't hear the martial artist, Hina continued speaking to herself. "Why are you dead…? Why did you die? Why?" Slowly, the empty expression seemed to contort into one of anguish. "What did you do? What have you done to get killed? How did they manage to kill you? Just… why? Why? Why?!"

"HINA!"

Hearing her name being shouted, and feeling her body jostled, Hina found herself staring wide-eyed at the same girl who had died on screen. One who had a look of clear anguish and guilt.

And just like that… seeing the face of the friend who is fated to die brought upon a wave of sorrow. The most cheerful girl of the class let out a wail of pure grief, collapsing on the floor. Sakura didn't hesitate to kneel down, and hug her friend in the hopes of comforting. "Why?!" She shouted, her voice choking. "Why did you have to die?! Why did somebody have to kill you so badly?! Did they hate you that much?! WERE THEY SO AFRAID THAT YOU WOULD KILL THEM?!"

The students could only watch as Hina collapse and let out tear-filled wails. Some sympathetically, some with tears of their own, some with neutral looks…

And one with the nastiest grin on her beautiful face. One that was eerily similar to a certain monochrome bear.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 77: Watching Chapter 4: All Star Apologies Part 10

"Huh…?" Was the absolutely stunned voice of Hina. "Sakura's…"

The screen lit back up to show Makoto and Kyoko in front of Sakura, with a frozen Hina at the doorway. "Sakura's… dead? She's… really dead?"

"..." Makoto didn't say anything. Just merely looked at Sakura's corpse.

'Oh Hina… Makoto…' Sayaka thought tearfully, still clinging tightly onto the lucky student. 'I'm sorry… I'm so sorry that the two of you have to go through this…'

"We didn't make it in time." Kyoko murmured, gently checking over the body. "It's happened again…"

"..." Hina was still frozen at the door, a petrified look across her face. "I have to go get them…" With shaky legs, she walked out of the room. "I have to get… the others…"

The screen moved back to the equally petrified Makoto. "Why…?" He asked himself. "Why… did this have to happen?" He repeated that question over and over again, unable to say anything else.

Mukuro was unable to look at the screen any longer, her guilt growing at the dazed look of her crush. 'I'm pathetic…' The soldier couldn't help but curse herself. 'You can't stand the thought of Makoto getting hurt, of him suffering through this… yet I can't even bring myself to break off from my sister and her plans…'

When will she just soldier up and be fully honest with the lucky student? How much of this does she have to take in order to tell everything?

"I need to examine Sakura's body…" Kyoko stated, mostly to herself.

As the girl examined Sakura's corpse, narrator Makoto spoke up once more. "I just stood there motionless behind her, while she checked Sakura's corpse." He stated. "Time passed. While I stood there, unable to do a thing, time just… passed. And after I don't know how long…"

'Sayaka… Leon… Mukuro… Chihiro…' Makoto couldn't help but think sorrowfully, a few tears slipping from his eyes, 'Mondo, Taka, Taeko, Hifumi… and now Sakura. Who else is next? Who else is gonna be taken from this sick game? Will it be Hiro? Toko? Will Hina be next? Possibly… Kyo-?'

The lucky student was unable to finish that line of thought; the ideas being too painful to think about for too long.

"I got everyone…" Hina announced dispassionately, dazedly walking into the room.

And sure enough, Hiro, Byakuya, and Genocide Jill were in the rec room. "Uwah! O-Ogre?!" Hiro yelped in shock.

"Oh. So she's dead, huh?" Jill commented nonchalantly.

"Sakura's been killed? I see…" Byakuya mused.

As soon as they arrived, Kyoko spoke up. "You heard the announcement just now, right? So you know what this means."

"Sakura was murdered," Byakuya bluntly stated, "And by someone in this very room…"

Despite knowing the song and dance their future selves were going through, that very statement caused several of the students to tense up. Once again, one of their own had murdered another. Once again, there will be another class trial. And once again, someone is going to be executed.

'This feels so… routine now…' Makoto couldn't help but note, feeling very uncomfortable with how all this is unfolding. 'Like it's a part of our daily life.' A part of him recognized that there's no point in dilly-dallying, that they couldn't just let themselves be fully shocked with every death, not with how the mastermind set it all up.

However, the other part of him couldn't help but protest against all this. Couldn't help but say that this is all wrong!

Meanwhile, Hina finally managed to calm herself; however, upon hearing Byakuya's statement, her grief was accompanied by a growing fury. One that had shown itself during the reveal of Sakura's involvement with Monokuma.

"Is that what you were going to say?"

"...No." The stunned Hina spoke up. "Whoever killed her… it's not just 'someone in this room'." Her look slowly turned into a wrathful, tear-filled glare, aimed at three certain students. "It was one of you… Hiro, Toko, Byakuya - one of you killed Sakura!"

"Wh- Wh-?!" Hiro was startled by the accusation.

"I'm being accused again?!" Hiro exclaimed in alarm, holding his head.

"N-No way, it couldn't be me!" Toko denied, shaking her head. "It's i-impossible!"

Before anyone could refute or support their claims, one voice spoke up. "No… it was one of you. It has to be!" Slowly, Hina aimed a particularly venomous glare at the suspected parties.

"Hina…" Seeing what her friend is about to do, Sakura pleaded for her friend to calm down. "Please, don't…"

The swimmer ignored her, however. "You all hated Sakura… couldn't stand the sight of her!" She growled. "You all were afraid of her, doubted and questioned her! None of you even gave Sakura a chance; ALL THREE OF YOU JUST PUSHED HER AWAY AT THE START!"

By now, the girl has gotten out of Sakura's grasp, looking ready to strangle all three suspects herself. Her furious demeanor caused both Hiro and Toko to curl up, cowering away from the swimmer. Byakuya, however, was far from scared, and merely looked at the furious swimmer stoically.

"IT WAS ONE OF YOU! I KNOW IT!" Hina continued screaming at the three suspects. "ONE OF YOU KILLED SAKURA! AND ALL BECAUSE YOU-"

"HINA!" Before she could continue on though, the shouts of her best friend and her crush interrupted her vicious rant. The martial artist held Hina by one shoulder from behind, while the lucky student placed himself in front of her. Makoto continued speaking for both of them. "I understand why you're furious, and I can see how those three are suspect! But you have to calm down; we can't be at each other's throat!"

Hina could only look at him with an angry glare, more tears threatening to come out. "How can I stay calm Makoto?!" She protested, swinging her arms out. "How can I, when one of those three killed her out of hatred?!"

Sakura then spoke up. "Because the three that are with us now have done no such crime," she reminded her friend earnestly, "I'm still here - still alive, Hina. So please, calm yourself; you know that this isn't what my future self or I would want."

Hina, for a moment, stayed silent; only heavy, angry breaths coming out of the girl. However, once that moment had passed, she nodded stiffly. Sighing in relief, Makoto moved away, letting Sakura guide Hina back to their couch. Once they were settled, the luckster headed back to his own couch.

"You're accusing us before we've even begun the investigation?" Byakuya questioned, eyes narrowed.

"I don't need to investigate anything…" Hina retorted, "Because you hated her. You hated the sight of her! One of you did it, I know it!"

"Yeah, when you think about it, those three are really the only options," Leon remarked with a sigh, "Makoto is out for obvious reasons, I don't see Kyoko killing Sakura, and I definitely don't see Hina doing it."

"So, the only options are Byakuya, Toko, and Hiro," Sayaka spoke in agreement.

Hiro, however, didn't appreciate the analysis. "Oh c'mon! Am I really gonna get accused again?" He whined, tugging tendrils of his hair, "I thought that was done and over with in the last trial!"

"I-I have hemophobia!" Toko spoke up in her own protest, "H-How can I kill s-someone if I can't stand the sight of b-b-b-blood?" Processing her own words, she yelped and covered her eyes once more.

Meanwhile, Byakuya was merely watching silently. Something a few noticed. "Nothing to say in your defense, Byakuya?" Celeste asked curiously.

"What is there to say? I can see why the three of us are the highest suspects," The Togami heir retorted, "And while I don't believe my future self is foolish enough to kill Sakura, the only thing to do is look at the evidence and see."

Hina desperately wanted to spit back at those three; to refute their claims that they aren't the killer. But with Sakura silently urging her to calm herself, the swimmer bit her tongue.

"You… know it?" Suddenly Monokuma popped up in the middle of the room. "Jeez, I didn't know your power level would increase by that much just by getting mad!"

Hina redirected her glare at the bear. "What are you doing here…?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm here to hand out my little murder flyer," Monokuma answered, "That's right! It's the next Monokuma File! And don't get so mad, miss Asahina, or you're going to ruin that lewd face of yours!"

Unfortunately, it was Sakura's turn to be forced to stay calm. The martial artist immediately had to wrestle down the urge to get up and go break the TV in front of her. Not only would she be stopped, but it will not help Hina keep calm.

"Now then! With that, I-"

"Hold on…" Makoto interjected, staring directly at the bear, "There's something I want to ask you…"

"Huh?" Monokuma tilted his head in response.

"It was you, wasn't it?" Makoto accused, "You killed Sakura?"

Byakuya raised an eyebrow. "You're accusing the bear again?"

"Didn't think you would revert back to that old accusation." Junko said in musing.

The lucky student shook his head. "I don't think it's an emotional claim or anything," He said in defense of his future self, "Remember when Sakura stated that she wanted to challenge the mastermind?"

A few of the students saw his line of thought. "Your future self is thinking that Sakura died fighting against Monokuma," Kyoko deduced.

Makoto nodded. "Yeah, that's right."

"Not a completely baseless idea," Kyoko mused in acceptance, "However, it's doubtful that's the case." Monokuma would've likely announced it to everyone and put her corpse on a pedestal if he had done so. Or, at least, she thought he would.

"Huh huh?"

"Sakura wanted to challenge the mastermind to a duel," Makoto continued with his reasoning, "Maybe you and her fought, and then…"

"Then I killed her?" Monokuma finished off. Then he shook his head. "Sorry, not quite! Actually, not even close. That whole thing is totally irrelevant now! Sakura came to a most regrettable end without even getting the chance to finish things with me…"

The reminder that she was unable to keep to her promise and face the mastermind stung the martial artist a little. A part of wished that she had died having fought the mastermind; it would've made her death a little less painful, knowing that she fought and resisted the entire time.

But no; her death was the result of one of her classmates. One she would have to see executed soon.

He then let out a breath of relief. "Which, thank God for that! It saved me the trouble of having to go through with our little fight. Cuz even for someone like me, it would've been no mean feat to take down a behemoth like that!"

"No kidding," Leon snorted, "Which makes the fact that she died by someone else's hand even more unbelievable!"

"None of the other survivors are physically capable of matching her, true," Taka nodded in musing, "Not even Hina, who's the most physically fit out of all of them."

"That means there's only two ways the killer was able to get the best of Sakura," Mukuro spoke up, "Either by a surprise attack, one that Sakura would've been unable to see coming, or by poison."

And considering the chem lab has just been opened… yeah, several of the students can see where this was possibly going.

"I gotta tell ya, I was actually pretty worried!" The bear admitted. "I mean, she'd violated a rule by attacking me in the first place, but I wasn't able to punish her! So I dunno who it was, but whoever the blackened is this time… I owe you one!"

That's when Hina spoke up once again. "I HATE him!" she shouted vehemently, glaring daggers at the screen, "I hate that bear so much!"

"He OWES them?!" Sayaka exclaimed, aghast.

"Did he have to say that in front of Hina?!" Taka questioned, just as disgusted. "That was uncalled for!"

"That damn bear is one sadistic little troll," Leon grumbled angrily.

"Y-You owe them one?!" Hina exclaimed in outrage.

"Oopsie!" Monokuma covered his mouth in feigned embarrassment. "Before you get all pissy-potty at me, you better figure out who did it first! Cuz I mean… your lives are all on the line, right?" He then ended that with his signature laugh, before disappearing.

"What the hell…? He owes them one?" Hina growled in fury. "I hate him! I hate this whole thing!"

"Well I, for one, am glad it was Sakura," Byakuya stated, smirking, "She was working with the mastermind, after all."

Everyone knew what was coming the moment Byakuya let that statement leave his mouth. In an instant, Sakura grabbed the arm of her friend, just as Hina got up from her seat.

For a moment, the girl stopped, her body shaking in equal amounts of fury and grief. 'You're the worst, Togami,' she thought viciously, 'Saying stuff like that, being glad that someone else is dead… I really wished it was you who died. Not Sayaka, not Chihiro, not Mondo, or Taka, or Leon. But you!'

She so desperately wanted to say that; to spit those things directly at Byakuya, with a punch for good measure. The only thing holding her back was Sakura, and not just physically. She knows that her friend is likely blaming herself for what's happening; having her worry more for her than she already is will not help. So, slowly, she sat back down, struggling to contain her fury.

She wasn't the only one. Mondo was looking as pissed as ever for the disrespect shown for Sakura, while Leon looked like he wanted to throw quite a few baseballs at Byakuya. Taka had a clearly appalled look, and Sayaka had a tight grip around Makoto's arm, resisting the urge to slap the Togami heir once again.

"H-How can you say that now…?!" Makoto exclaimed incredulously.

"Sorry, I don't have time for your squabbling. The next game has already begun…" Byakuya dismissed him. "If you want to be angry at someone, be angry at whoever killed Sakura."

"Fuck! Off! Byakuya!" Leon spat at the future Togami, "If you don't have time for any shit, then how about you stop starting some?!"

"Damn straight!" Mondo growled out in agreement, "The fucker knows that the shit he says would piss people off, and he got the fucking balls to say that?!"

'...Why him?' was the poisonous thought Sayaka couldn't help but think, 'Out of everyone who survived, why is he one of them? Why couldn't he have died instead of one of the others?!' It was a sickening thought, and the idol knew it. But the thought came anyway.

"...I hate him," Hina unconsciously slipped from her mouth, "I hate him. I hate him, I hate him, I hate him…"

A mix of guilt, anguish, and frustration entered Sakura's face as she heard the venomous words of her friend. She was unsure of how she could calm her, uncertain of what else she could to comfort her. The only thing she can do is stay beside her, give her reassurance that she's still here.

Hina was silent, merely glaring angrily at him through her tears. Kyoko then spoke up. "Right now, our top priority needs to be uncovering Sakura's killer," she stated, "If we can't do that, we're all dead."

"Then let's decide who will stand guard this time," Byakuya advised.

"...I'll do it," Hina volunteered, her voice cracking with emotion.

"Hina…?" Makoto turned towards the girl in concern.

"I'm okay…" The swimmer reassured him, "Just let me handle it…! Besides, I…" A few tears slipped from her eyes. "I want to be here… with Sakura."

"Hina…" Makoto said softly, looking at both the future and present swimmer in sympathy. "Yeah, I definitely don't see Hina leaving Sakura right now, for any reason…"

"Agreed," Taka nodded solemnly, "She will likely stay alongside her friend, up until the trial happens."

Hina didn't say anything, still too distraught and angry over the entire thing to have the proper words. But she nodded resolutely, knowing that she would do the same as her future self.

"Okay, then Hina is guard number one. But we need one more," Byakuya said, uncaring of Hina's state of mind. He then turned to one other girl. "Kyoko, that's you."

That threw the students in a loop. "Kyoko?" Hiro repeated, "Why her?"

"Wouldn't it be best for her to investigate and find the clues alongside everyone?" Taka pointed out, "Even without knowing she's the Ultimate Detective, her skills in solving mysteries have been made clear."

Byakuya, however, quickly figured out his future self's motivation; and had to bite back a groan of annoyance over said motivation.

"...Me?" Kyoko questioned, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"You've always been a thorn in my side. This time just stand by and watch quietly," Byakuya demanded, "Consider that an order."

"An o-order?!" Makoto spoke up in disbelief.

"Why, that resentful, childish, high-handed…!" Sayaka spoke in both incredulity and outrage, "He's trying to force Kyoko out of the investigation?!"

"Just to get the glory for himself?!" Leon exclaimed, just as disbelieving.

"Byakuya…" Makoto was honestly uncertain whether he should be surprised or not. Considering Byakuya's personality, he probably shouldn't be; the Togami heir isn't the type to share the spot-light with anyone.

"..." Kyoko merely sighed, not all that concerned with Byakuya's demands.

"Fine. I'll stay behind," Kyoko conceded, not bothering to argue.

"You're seriously going along with this?!" was the scream of some of the students.

"Why are you even bothering with listening to him?" Leon questioned, looking at Kyoko in disbelief, "You could just brush the asshole off!"

The detective still didn't look all that surprised. "I doubt staying in one area will affect that much," she stated, "Much can be found from the murder area itself. Plus, Makoto is there to assist, so he can look where I can't."

"True enough," Celeste mused, "The two of you have worked together in previous trials, and worked together well."

That got the more emotional students to concede, though they didn't look happy about it.

"Then it's settled," Byakuya nodded in satisfaction, "Let's begin, shall we?"

Before anyone could move, however, Hina interjected. "...Hold on!" She spoke up. "Before that, there's something I want to say."

"Which is…?" Byakuya inquired.

"Hiro, Byakuya, Toko - none of you are allowed to step foot in the crime scene," Hina declared.

That caused several eyes to widen. "She's barring half of the survivors from the crime scene?" Mukuro questioned, eyes narrowed, "Is that really such a good idea?"

Hina then spoke up. "Of course I would!" she said fiercely, finally looking up at her classmates, "One of those three killed Sakura! Murdered her in cold blood! There's no way I would let them get anywhere near her body!"

"Hina…" Makoto bit his lip, understanding Hina's feelings but knowing that this will not help them.

"Hiro and Toko are of little concern, since they provide nothing to the trial," Celeste stated, "But keeping Byakuya from investigating could prove to be detrimental to solving the murder."

"I don't think future Hina will care though…" Junko pointed out.

"What…?" Was all Hiro could say.

"One of you killed Sakura!" the swimmer accused, "I won't let someone like that come anywhere near her!"

"Don't be stupid," Byakuya said, scowling, "Our lives are in just as much danger as yours! We have every right to investigate."

"I don't care what you say. I'm not letting the one who killed Sakura anywhere near her," Hina said stubbornly, "Even if it means I have to use force, you're not getting in here…!"

"See?"

"Can you really blame Hina?" Chihiro asked, his voice small, "She lost her best friend, and it was right after she faced accusations of being a traitor…"

"True enough. However, her hostility will make things difficult, and not just in the trials," Celeste stated, "It can create a further divide post-trial if it keeps up."

"You're one of the LAST people I need to hear it from!" Hina spat back. The gambler maintained her stoic look in response to the hostility shown to her.

Byakuya tsked. "Well, it appears further discussion would be a waste of time. How about a compromise?" he suggested, "I won't ask you to let all of us in. Just let me."

"What?!" Hiro gasped.

"Why bar the two of us from the crime scene?!"

"Because the two of you are next-to-useless for these things," was Byakuya's brutal reply, "Can you honestly say that you can assist in the investigation in any capacity?"

"I- well- yeah, I guess you got a point," Hiro sighed in acceptance and defeat. Thinking about it, why was he protesting this anyways? It isn't like he would look at the body like Kyoko would.

"I-I wouldn't, no." And Toko doubted Genocide Jack would care enough to help much.

"You don't really care, do you?" the heir pointed out, "You're both useless, anyways."

Genocide Jill shrugged. "Nope, don't really caaaare!" she stated nonchalantly, "I'd rather spend my time coming up with another splendid fantasy involving Master anyway!"

"And you, Hiro?" Byakuya turned his attention towards the fortune teller, "Do you really object?"

"I-If you're gonna go that far, what can I do?" Hiro said, rubbing his head nervously, "I mean, I don't have anything to hide, so why should I care?"

His response piqued a few interests. 'He knows something~' Junko sang in her head.

'What is the fool hiding?' Celeste thought, immediately detecting the lie.

'That was… strange,' Makoto thought to himself, noting how awkward the response was.

Byakuya nodded. "So, it's decided."

"Nothing's decided!" Hina interjected.

"Did you think that I would let that slide?!"

The Togami heir let out a huff of annoyance. "And did you honestly think that I would just let you bar me from investigating the crime?" he shot back, "Say whatever you like about me, but I'm not one to give up. I aim to complete my goals, one way or another."

Hina growled, every muscle in her body urging her to strangle Byakuya right here and now. However, Sakura's grip on her shoulder silently urged her to keep calm.

Kyoko then interjected. "I know how you feel, Hina, but you should agree to his request."

"B-But-!"

"We have to find out who killed Sakura," the lavender haired girl reminded the brunette, "For those of us still alive, and to honor Sakura's memory…"

Hina was silent for a moment, a few tears running down her face. Then, slowly, she nodded. "Fine. I guess that's okay," she said. "But no matter what, Byakuya, you absolutely aren't allowed to touch her…!"

"Naturally," Byakuya agreed easily, "Who would want to touch a filthy dead body?"

Before anything could be said, a bowl of miso soup was suddenly launched at Byakuya. However, the bowl and its contents stopped midair, just as it was about to hit the Togami heir. Said heir stared at the floating miso blankly.

As the group stared at the bowl in surprise, Spirit shook his head. "Really? You're resorting to throwing things now?" Their host sighed as he moved the food back to its original spot. "Baseballs are one thing. But a big, hot bowl of soup is another…"

Hina turned towards Spirit, her glare now aimed at him. Before she could give him a piece of her mind, Sakura interjected. "Hina!" the martial artist said sharply, "Please…"

Hearing the firm, yet pleading tone, Hina bowed her head. "I'm sorry, Sakura…" she said guiltily, "It's just… just so difficult to stay calm, knowing that you died in the future. And hearing Byakuya continue to insult you, to hear him say that you deserved it…"

A fresh wave of tears poured from her eyes. "I couldn't stand it! How could I just sit there while that bastard just keeps saying these things?!"

Again, Sakura couldn't find the words to help her friend. Especially since she knows that if their roles were reversed, she likely would have not acted any better. She would probably react even worse.

"Right now, you can assure yourself of the fact that the killer will be found," Kyoko stated, gaining the attention of the others, "While it may be cold comfort at the end, it will help to know that Sakura's murderer won't be able to get away with this, that Sakura's memory will be honored in that way."

Hina was silent, taking in Kyoko's words. "I'll try…" was all she could promise. She then sat back on her seat, still clearly emotional, but calmer than before. At least for the moment.

Before Hina could say a thing or two about his comment, Kyoko intervened once more. "That's enough fighting," she said firmly, "We need to focus on the investigation from here on out. Everyone, keep this in mind. If we can't uncover Sakura's killer… all of us face execution."

'Finding out who killed Sakura…' Makoto thought to himself, 'It's not a matter of hoping we can do it… if we want to survive, we have to do it.'

The hazel brown eyes dimmed at the thought. 'It's a kind of… hopeless hope. We have no choice but to just do it…!'

Several flinched at the thought of Makoto's. A hopeless hope; that's an accurate way to describe the trials.

Having to find out who the killer is, with the obvious hope of surviving, while knowing that yet another student will get executed. Going through the same process over, and over, and over again, seeing each other die one after another…

Some eyes found themselves as dimmed as the future Makoto's. A hopeless hope indeed.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 78: Watching Chapter 4: All Star Apologies Part 11

Makoto then pulled up the Monokuma File. 'I'd better check the Monokuma File before anything else…' He thought to himself. 'The victim was Sakura Oogami. The time of death is estimated to be around 12 noon. The body was discovered in the rec room, on the 3rd floor of the school. There is evidence of a strong blow to the victim's head. No other injuries were noted. However, it seems that at some point, the victim suffered from violent vomiting of blood.'

"There's much more details this time," Mukuro noted, "However, there's no exact specifications on what exactly caused her death."

"Of course not," Junko huffed in fake annoyance, "That would be too easy."

"So, one of the things we need to figure out is the cause of death," Kyoko said musingly, "That'll be key in figuring out the mystery."

"I think the case this time might be… a challenge," Kyoko admitted.

Makoto looked at the girl curiously. "Why's that…?"

"The only way into the rec room is the door we just came through," she pointed out, "And that door had been jammed shut with the chair from inside the rec room. Which means the killer would have had to escape somehow, after barring the door."

That caught the students' attention. "That is a challenge," Taka mused, his eyebrows furrowing in thought, "To be able to bar the door, yet be able to escape at the same time? That seems impossible."

"Maybe they didn't escape, and just hid until the door was open?" Hiro suggested.

"Or they could've used some sort of trick to bar the door from the outside," Leon also offered as his two cents.

Kyoko decided to answer. "Hiding is a possibility, though not a strong one," she began, "The other suggestion is even more doubtful, as there's nothing to indicate that any sort of contraption has been used."

"Then how the hell else did the door get jammed?" Mondo questioned, scowling in confusion, "Cause I don't see any other way of doing that."

"It's something we'll have to figure out as we watch," the Detective answered.

"So, if the door was blocked from the inside, and there was no way in or out till we broke this window…" Makoto said, furrowing his eyebrows, "There's like… zero escape, right?"

"In other words, this is a classic locked room murder," Kyoko stated.

"L-Locked room murder…?" Makoto repeated nervously, "But then, how were they able to pull something like that off…?"

"That's a good question. Answering that should be our primary focus during the trial," she stated.

"This really feels like a mystery book sometimes, doesn't it?" Hifumi murmured, "Or a mystery game, considering some of the game-like mechanics on the screen. A locked door murder is a classic in the mystery genre."

"Really shows you that just because it's fiction, does not mean it isn't possible," Junko, in her teacher persona, stated factually, "So long as it's held in the laws of physics, there's plenty of things in pieces of entertainment that can be done."

"But right now… I can't really say."

"I see…" Makoto frowned in thought. 'The way the killer set up the locked room… until I figure that out, the truth behind Sakura's death will stay hidden.'

"I can already tell that this'll be a bitch to figure out," Mondo grumbled, crossing his arms.

"I'm with you there, Mondo," Leon snorted.

'It's definitely a tough mystery… I need to concentrate and investigate as much as I can. For Sakura, if nothing else…'

"The first thing I did was look at the body," Narrator spoke, as Makoto moved towards Sakura, "There, I saw obvious evidence of the blow to the head, as well as blood that dripped from her mouth…"

"A blow to the head and vomited blood …" Taka mused loudly, "Does this mean that Sakura threw up the blood after getting hit from behind?"

"No," Kyoko answered bluntly, "Head trauma can lead to vomiting, yes, but not of blood."

"Then… something else caused Sakura to vomit blood?" Chihiro inquired.

"Likely poison," Mukuro answered, "That's the best possible answer at the moment."

"So, she got hit in the head and poisoned too?" Leon questioned, looking confused, "How does that work?"

'...Most likely those incidents are separate,' Byakuya concluded. It could be that the killer poisoned Sakura, and then attacked her when the poison didn't take immediate effect, but that series of events doesn't flow very well. Not with the caliber of Sakura's skills.

As Makoto was examining the body, his eyes landed on something on the ground. "As I was looking at Sakura's body, I noticed a wrapper on the ground, beside her," the narrator continued.

As Makoto picked it up, Hina quickly took notice of it, her eyes flashing in recognition. "Ah, that's-!"

"Do you recognize it, Hina?" The lucky student inquired.

"Well yeah," The swimmer nodded in confirmation, "I mean, I gave it to her. That's a candy wrapper."

"Sakura got super upset when she found out Genocide Jack had attacked me, right?" Hina continued, "So after we left the nurse's office, I gave it to her. I thought it might help her calm down a bit…"

"That was nice of you, Hina," Sayaka said, giving a small smile.

The swimmer felt herself calm down some more at hearing the story. "That would be something I would do, yeah," Hina nodded in agreement, also smiling.

Sakura herself gave a small smile at her friend's thoughtfulness, as well as the fact that she's calming down some.

"So, you gave that candy to Sakura…"

"I found a big box of it in the warehouse. I… really like 'em…" Hina said, looking down in sadness, "Actually, as soon as we could get into the warehouse, I took the entire box back into my room. I made sure nobody else could get their hands on 'em."

Leon snorted. "That also sounds like something you do," he remarked teasingly, "That one time Sonia brought those sweets from her home, you were so quick to snag them, most of us didn't get a chance to taste any."

Hina couldn't help but give a small pout at this. "Are you ever gonna let that go?"

"After you try to bite me when I tried to reach for one? Nope."

Some chuckled at the interaction between the smirking baseball star and pouting swimmer, glad for some form of levity.

"You really like them that much?" Makoto inquired.

"But I wanted Sakura to get a chance to try one for herself. That's why I gave it to her…" Slowly, tears once again slid onto Hina's face. "But now… they've lost all their flavor."

And just like that, that moment of levity was wiped away, being replaced with the somber mood once more. Hina felt her eyes sting with tears once again, cursing Monokuma and the killer for ruining the sweets with her friend's death.

The sorrowful look slowly turned into one of anger. "Byakuya, Toko, Hiro - one of them has to be the killer! You agree with me, don't you Makoto?!"

"U-Um, well…" Makoto looked away from the girl uncomfortably. "I don't want to say anything for sure without finding out more."

The present lucky student looked away when Hina gave him a betrayed look. "Who else could it be, Makoto?!" she protested, a bit of venom in her tone, "Those three are the only ones who would've wanted to kill Sakura!"

"I'm not disagreeing, but Hina…" Makoto said softly, his head still turned from her, "We still need to find out more about this case before we can accuse someone. Otherwise, we risk picking the wrong person."

"We've seen time and time again how dangerous it is to make assumptions and conclusions, how different the results are compared to what's previously suspected," Kyoko backed up Makoto with her argument, "A full investigation is needed, to make the proper conclusion."

Hina looked frustrated at that, adamant that it was one of the three that hated Sakura, but she found it hard to argue with those two.

"They're right, Hina," Sakura told her softly, "They cannot afford to get the culprit wrong. Otherwise, all lives but the killer's will be lost." While she does not seek vengeance for her own death, they all know the cost of not finding the blackened. And she doesn't want Hina to pay that price.

Hina took a deep breath, understanding their points and trying to calm down. She's still adamant that one of those three was the killer, but she understands that they need to do their investigation to find the true culprit.

"..." At first, Hina was silent. After a moment of that silence, she spoke. "Then let me help you find more," she declared, "You see, Sakura asked all three of them to meet with her. You know where? Right here in the rec room."

Eyes popped open at that.

"What?!"

"Is she serious?!"

"All three of them?"

"In the exact room she died in?"

Hina could only stare at the screen in shock, processing the fact that her friend invited those three in the rec room.

Makoto's eyes widened. "What?!"

"After I went to the nurse's office this morning, Sakura and I both left together, right?" Hina began recounting, "Well, eventually she went off on her own. But when I saw her again after that, she told me… she said she'd left a note for each of them. She asked them to meet her in the rec room by noon."

Suffice to say, the new info took several in for a loop. "Damn. It's looking more and more like it could be one of those three," Leon stated.

"That's way too much of a coincidence to be disregarded," Mukuro said.

Hiro, meanwhile, felt himself sweating. "I-It could still be a coincidence. Who knows, maybe none of us went to see her!"

"Not a single one of you went to see her, when she had died at the rec room, around the very same time of the assigned meeting?" Celeste summarized with a delicate brow raised, "Very doubtful."

Byakuya merely narrowed his eyes at this. While he would admit that this paints a damning picture, he doubts that his future self had accepted the invitation. He would obviously expect a trap of some kind and wouldn't allow himself to be caught in it, not even for the chance to direct that trap towards the martial artist.

Sakura herself was not too surprised by this reveal. She could see what her future self was trying to do, and it's something that she could see herself doing. Make peace with those who distrust and fear her.

'By noon… the Monokuma File said she'd died right around then…' Makoto thought in shock.

"I'm telling you the truth. I heard it right from the mouth," Hina insisted, "And… I tried to stop her. But she wouldn't listen. She said not to worry, that she just wanted to talk with them. And this is what happened…"

'I… could've stopped her,' Hina thought numbly, the idea being very painful for her heart, 'I tried to stop her. But I failed, and…' The tears that were stinging her eyes felt themselves trailing down once more.

More tears slipped from her eyes, a look of guilt entering her face. "If I'd stopped her, by force even, this never would have happened…"

"Hina…!" Seeing the guilt-ridden look of both the future Hina and present Hina, Sakura brought it upon herself to refute that notion. "You cannot blame yourself for this. The decision to invite them was my decision, and mine alone."

"B-But, Sakura…" The swimmer slowly turned towards her friend, the tears still pouring from her eyes. "I could've stopped you… I could've saved you! If I just stood my ground-"

Sakura clasped her hands on Hina's shoulder in a firm grip. "Hina, you couldn't have stopped me," She said firmly, "Not even by force. Conflict was growing, and it was my responsibility to try and stop it, to try and talk with Byakuya, Toko, and Hiro. After seeing that you were harmed… I couldn't just stand by and do nothing."

The two friends stared at one another, one gaze resolute, the other tear-stained.

'It's hard not to have any regrets…' Makoto thought sadly, 'To think of what you could've possibly done to stop this…'

Already, several of his friends are filled with regrets and questions of 'what-ifs,' so Hina could hardly be blamed for gaining some herself…

"H-Hina…" A sorrowful look entered Makoto's own face. 'It's impossible not to have regrets, I know…'

'But the fact that she had asked those three to meet with her…' The look on his face then turned thoughtful. 'And she asked them to come to the rec room at noon - the same time and place she ended up dying… it might be good to confirm what I just heard with the three of them directly.'

Junko snorted. "Doubt any of them would tell the truth," she stated, "And that's assuming that none of them didn't just throw those notes in the trash."

"At least one of them went to the meeting," Celeste agreed, "The time of death, and the time of the meeting, correlates too much for the possibility to be written off."

The screen then switched several instances of Makoto finding other pieces of evidence. "The next thing I found was a puddle of blood near the magazine shelf," Narrator Makoto stated, as the lucky student looked over said puddle.

"An opened locker with hand-prints inside…" Makoto was seen gazing at the prints.

"A broken red bottle, along with some sort of Monokuma figure nearby…" The scene then showed the broken bottle, as well as the toy, behind Sakura's chair.

"And finally, a protein can in the middle of the broken glass of the door…" Cue the can, surrounded by the clear glass of the door window.

Several of the students did all they could to soak up the information given to them. "I'm assuming that the bottle was used to attack Sakura from behind?" Celeste deduced, "The placement of that broken bottle seems to indicate so."

"And it looks as if the culprit was hiding in the locker, before ambushing Sakura," Mukuro gave her own guess, "That would explain the fingerprints."

"But then… why is there blood near the magazine shelf?" Sayaka pointed out with a frown, "If that's what happened, then there shouldn't be a puddle there."

"There shouldn't be a puddle, period," Byakuya corrected with his own frown, "It's clear Sakura died on that chair, so there shouldn't be any blood other than where the body is at."

"This is already getting confusing…" Hiro moaned, holding his head.

'...There's also the protein can that has glass directly under it,' Kyoko mused to herself, 'Which doesn't make any sense; all the glass should be around it, not under it.' Unless someone moved it around before-hand, this shows that someone placed the can there, to throw off the case in some way.

"After finding whatever clues there are in the room, I decided to talk to Byakuya."

The scene switched to Makoto approaching the Togami heir. "What do you want? You're bothering me," the heir bluntly stated.

"Um, there's something I'd like to talk to you about," Makoto began, slightly nervous.

"Make it quick."

So the luckster went straight to the question. "Is it true that Sakura asked you to meet her in the rec room?"

"So, you found out," Byakuya smirked to himself, "Interesting."

"Then it's true?"

"I did receive a note to that effect, yes," the Togami heir nodded, "But what fool would do what it said, and risk being killed by that monster?"

The insult, of course, earned a near animalistic growl from Hina. However, she kept control of herself this time, retaining a calm enough not to try a futile attack.

"How do we know you're not lying?" Sayaka questioned, clearly not convinced, "For all we know, you could've used the opportunity to kill her yourself."

"And risk falling into the net of someone of Sakura's strength?" the heir retorted, "I'm no fool; that's not a risk worth taking, not even to win this so-called game."

"So you didn't go see her?" Makoto asked for clarification.

"Of course not," was the blunt reply given, "I ripped the note to shreds and threw it away. I haven't seen Sakura today at all."

"Honestly, I can see Byakuya doing something like that," Leon sighed, scratching the back of his head, "He's not the type to do what anyone says, and smart enough not to try anything against Sakura."

No one could really disagree with this. While there are several that are very pissed with the affluent progeny, they're not blind to the fact that Byakuya is intelligent, and not the type to take gambles like that.

A few were still skeptical, of course, but they couldn't really press this without causing another argument.

'Byakuya says he didn't go see her. Is that the truth…?' Makoto asked himself, 'Well, until I can prove otherwise, I have no choice but to accept it as fact.'

"If you're all finished, please remove yourself from my sight," Byakuya demanded.

"O-Okay, thanks…"

Gripping Makoto's hand tightly, Sayaka resisted the incredibly strong urge to flip the bird at the screen, or at Byakuya himself. Oh, how she wished the bowl of miso had been able to hit Byakuya…

Once Makoto walked away from the affluent progeny, Kyoko approached him. "Well, Makoto? Have you finished with your general investigation?" she inquired.

"Yeah, I think so… for the most part," Makoto confirmed.

"Then you should probably go talk with people now. I'm on guard duty, so I can't leave," Kyoko advised, "Which is why I've decided you'll go in my place."

And now Sayaka's anger transferred to Kyoko. "You've 'decided'?!" the idol repeated incredulously.

"Is she fucking serious right now?" Mondo asked blankly.

"How come you're being so forceful?" Chihiro questioned, confused and sympathetic for Makoto, "He wouldn't say no in helping."

Kyoko stubbornly kept her eyes on the screen, not facing anyone. "She may still have lingering… feelings about their previous conflict."

"The one where you admitted that you overreacted?" Junko pointed out. The detective made no visible change to her posture, but the fashionista easily saw through the facade, grinning.

'She's decided…?' was Makoto's blank thought, 'She's gotten a lot more pushy since we had our… issue.'

"No kidding," Mondo snorted, "Almost as bad as Togami."

"Having to deal with Byakuya AND a pushy Kyoko?" Leon patted the lucky student's shoulder in sympathy, "I pity you man, I really do." Makoto could only chuckle awkwardly in response, while Kyoko gave the baseball star a completely unamused look.

'But she's right. I do have to go talk to the others. Sakura wanted to meet with two other people. I need to hear what they have to say…'

The scene switched to Makoto at Toko's door. A few seconds after he pressed the doorbell, the door opened a crack. "Huh? Wh-Who's there?"

Almost everyone started gagging and choking once Toko's door was opened. "Looks like Miss Fukawa is b-back to normal," Hifumi managed to choke out.

"Seriously, what's with this aura?" Leon gagged, "Is it the room, or Toko that's leaking that?"

"I assume her naturally depressed aura is stored up within her room, thus gaining a visible effect," Celeste deduced.

Toko would've taken offense to those comments, if she hadn't been so busy keeping her eyes covered.

Makoto had to take a moment not to gag at the aura coming from the room. 'Agh, the most negative aura I've ever felt…' the luckster thought to himself, 'An aura of total decay…'

"Well? What do y-you want?" Toko questioned impatiently.

"So, you're back to normal," Makoto noted, "Genocide Jack isn't around anymore…"

The writer flinched. "D-Don't even say her name… it makes me s-sick to my stomach…"

"And now the s-sight of her will h-haunt my dreams…" Toko whimpered through her covered eyes.

Something that the students noted. "Um, Toko, I think it's safe to open your eyes now," Makoto told the girl softly, "Pretty sure there won't be a second victim this time."

The writing prodigy wasn't having it, however. "I'm not taking any c-c-chances!"

"I was in such a g-good mood, too…!"

Eyebrows were shot up at this. "You can be in a good mood?" Leon asked with obvious disbelief.

"Why would she make such an obvious lie?" Celeste asked, no one being able to tell whether she's sincere or not with her question, "No one would believe it."

"Toko and good moods do not combine," Hifumi shook his head, "It's closer to an oxymoron."

This time, Toko heard the negative comments about her. "Y-You all can just g-go and get t-trampled by a-an elephant!"

'She didn't look like she was in a good mood…' Makoto thought blankly.

"You c-can get trampled over t-too, Makoto!"

That earned another bout of sheepish laughs from the lucky student.

Shaking his head, he continued with his objective. "Hey, I was… hoping to talk to you about something. Is now a bad time?"

At first, Toko was silent. After a moment of that silence, the writer slowly slithered out of her room and into the hall. "W-What do you want?"

"I wanted to talk about the fact that Sakura had asked to meet with you," Makoto explained bluntly.

"Wh-?!" Toko flinched in shock at that. "I-I-I don't know what you're t-talk about!"

"Yeeeeaaahhh, who smells bullshit?" Leon deadpanned. Several hands were raised. "Yeah, thought so."

"Byakuya already told me she had asked to meet with him," the lucky student continued on.

"What…? She w-wanted to meet with Master, too?" Toko looked even more surprised at this. Then realization flashed in her face. "Ah! I just s-said 'too', didn't I…?"

"Yes. Yes, you did," Celeste confirmed, shaking her head in disappointment, "Sometimes, it pains me to see several of you lie so pitifully."

"The fact that she did try to lie makes her look all the more suspicious," Sayaka added, eyes narrowed.

Hina also narrowed her eyes at the screen, an array of negative emotions swimming in her eyes.

She growled in annoyance. "I guess now it's t-totally obvious, huh?"

"Y-Yeah, pretty much…" Makoto couldn't help but agree, "So, can you tell me about it?"

"I a-admit, I did get the note…" Toko confessed, "B-But I didn't go see her! I was s-scared, so… I couldn't bring m-myself to go!"

'Hmm… Toko claims she didn't go see her, but… can I really believe her?' Makoto mused, 'Well, until I can prove otherwise, I have no choice but to accept it as fact.'

"That's about all you really can do with the three," Mukuro stated, frowning, "Even if one of them went to see Sakura, they're not going to admit it. That would just give us reasons to suspect them."

"That's true…" Makoto sighed in agreement.

"Is that g-good enough? Then I'm going back to m-my room…" With that, Toko quickly retreated back into her room.

The next scene switched to Makoto ringing the doorbell of Hiro's room. After a few seconds, the fortune teller opened up the door and came out. "What's up, Makoto? Did you need something?"

"Yeah, actually… I just wanted to check something," Makoto started on, "It's about how Sakura wanted to meet with you…"

Hiro reeled back in shock at that. "H-H-How'd you know about that?!" he exclaimed. He then made a noise of realization. "Did you maybe… gaze into my soul? Have your special abilities awakened in you?!"

"...Hiro, dude, just how do you form these conclusions?" Leon couldn't help but ask, looking baffled.

"You would think the first thought would be that Makoto overheard it somewhere," Mondo stated, nodding in agreement to Leon's question, "Not that he fucking gazed into your soul."

"Hiro, you are… something." Sayaka said, staring blankly at the screen.

Hiro hung his head down. "My guess isn't that bad…" he muttered petulantly.

"Now, now…" Hifumi said in a placating manner, "The question isn't that far-fetched. There's always a possibility of a special power lurking beneath Mr. Naegi's soul, just waiting to burst out!"

"See?" Hiro pointed at Hifumi happily, "He gets it!"

"Imbeciles. All of you," Byakuya groaned.

"B-But! I'm not the only one she wanted to meet with!" Hiro then quickly offered up, "Ogre told me herself that she asked Byakuya and Toko to come, too!"

"What?" That caught Makoto's attention. "When did Sakura tell you that?"

"Yeah, when did Sakura tell him that?" Sayaka asked in realization, narrowing her eyes, "Because Byakuya and Toko didn't know that. Did they?"

"No, no they didn't," Mukuro confirmed the idol's words, "Earlier conversations proved that Toko was unaware of this, while Byakuya gave no indication that he knew about the others."

Now Hina's narrowed eyes were aimed at a now nervous Hiro.

"Oh-! W-Well…!" Hiro stammered, realizing his slip up, "When she asked me to meet with her, of course!"

"But… didn't she write you a note?" Makoto pointed out.

"Yeah, uh… a note… she uh…" Hiro stammered even further, "She gave it to me in person! And she happened to mention the others, like, in passing!"

"Yeeeaahhh, I don't buy it," was Leon's blunt statement, "Not with that whole nervous act."

"Yeah, that statement doesn't sound right…" Chihiro murmured in agreement.

"It's clear the fool is lying," Celeste deadpanned, "Quite pitifully too, if I might add."

Hina's narrowed gaze turned even fiercer.

'I gotta be honest, this is super suspicious…' Makoto thought plainly. He then asked aloud, "So then you went and met with Sakura?"

"N-No way, I totally didn't!" Hiro denied vehemently, "Why would I ever do that?!"

'Yeah… definitely suspicious.'

"And this is Makoto thinking this…" Junko pointed out, already looking done with Hiro's stupidity, "If Mr. Believe-the-best-in-everyone is this suspicious, there's no way he didn't go there."

"B-B-But, why would I ever want to go to a meeting with Ogre?!" Hiro argued nervously, "I would be too frightened about what she would do!"

"But you would be foolish enough to not think about that until after you're in the meeting," Byakuya countered, "So I'm willing to believe that you went there, regardless of your fear and suspicions."

"The last time I saw Ogre was when Hina got hurt and I took her to the nurse's office!" the fortune teller stated, "I haven't seen her since then!"

"But, wait… didn't he say that Sakura gave him the note personally?" Chihiro asked, frowning in confusion.

"Yes. Yes he did," Celeste confirmed, her face completely wooden, "The fool already contradicted himself and proved that he met with Sakura."

"Dude is digging his own fucking grave…" Mondo deadpanned.

Hiro was starting to sweat, both at the piling evidence and the fierce stare from a certain swimmer.

Makoto decided to ignore the contradiction for the time being. "While I'm here, could you show me the note she gave you?"

"Oh, um… do I still have it…? Let's see…" Hiro murmured to himself, digging through his pockets, "Ah, sorry! Looks like I don't have it anymore!"

With a goofy smile, he pulled out both his pockets. As he did, however, a candy wrapper fell out from those pockets and fluttered to the ground. A very familiar candy wrapper. "Huh…?"

Immediately, several of the students recognized the candy wrapper. "Isn't that…?" Sayaka asked with clear recognition.

"The red polka-dotted wrapper we saw in the rec room," Taka finished, "Or at least another wrapper of the same candy-type."

"But… didn't Miss Asahina say that she grabbed the entire box of candy…?" Hifumi pointed out, slightly nervous.

"Yes. Yes she did," The girl herself growled, now full on glaring at the now pale Hiro.

"Ah… Aahhh-!" With clear panic, Hiro snatched the wrapper and stuffed it back into his pocket. "Ehehe. Sorry, just a bit of trash I forgot to throw out…"

"Trash…?"

"A-Anyway! I can't deny that Ogre asked to meet with me, but I never went…" Hiro stated, quickly changing the subject, "So, well, if you excuse me…!"

With that, the fortune teller slipped back into his room. 'Hiro said that was just trash, but…' Makoto mused to himself. '...there's no way that's all there was to it.'

"Well, I think it's safe to say that Hiro has met up with Sakura in the rec room," Sayaka stated, looking done with Hiro.

"Indeed," Taka nodded in agreement, "But now it's the question of whether or not he's actually the killer."

"It couldn't be me!" Hiro shouted, waving his hands around in panic, "There's no way I could kill Ogre! No way!"

"Regardless of your possible capabilities, it's clear that you met up with Sakura in the rec room," Mukuro pointed out, "And how you went to hide that fact makes you a viable suspect, Hiro."

"But… but…!"

"Hiro…" The fortune teller stiffened at the growl of his name. Slowly, he turned towards the source, to see a positively enraged Hina. "I swear, if it was you who killed Sakura… if you were the one to do it…!"

The swimmer left that note hanging, seemingly unable to finish without blowing up in rage. Hiro could only whimper at the threat given to him.

'I am so glad that Hiro isn't the killer…' Junko thought in boredom, 'The trial would be reeeaaal boring if he was.'

Having figured out some of the events that transpired, the analyst quickly concluded that Hiro isn't the killer. Oh, he likely attacked her, but he wasn't the one who dealt the killing blow. That honor is for the one who poisoned her.

And she already has a good guess on who actually did that, just from the locked door alone…

Makoto then walked away from Hiro's room, losing himself in thought. 'Okay, so I've heard from Toko and Hiro. Umm… what's next?' the luckster asked himself, 'I'll definitely have to look at the actual crime scene again, but on top of that… maybe I should find out more about the protein can we found on the floor of the rec room. I'm sure it must have come from the chem lab…'

'So, Makoto is heading to the chem lab now…' Kyoko mused to herself, 'That's good. There's sure to be more evidence there.'

So far, there's the cuts on the head, the vomited blood, and the puddle of blood near the bookshelf; there's also the broken Monokuma bottle, the protein can that was placed at the entrance, the hand-prints in the locker, and, of course, the locked door set up.

Hina also revealed that Sakura asked Byakuya, Toko, and Hiro to meet up in the rec room, around the time that she had died, and it's clear that at least Hiro took up the offer. However, she held off from making any conclusions about his innocence or guilt. There are just too many variables unchecked to form any clear hypothesis, let alone make that conclusion.

So as always, she waited until more evidence was given, to form the proper conclusion.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 79: Watching Chapter 4: All Star Apologies Part 12

The scene switched to Makoto entering inside the chem lab. However, it was made clear that he wasn't the only one who had the idea to come here. "Makoto… did you have your eye on the chem lab, too?" Byakuya inquired, "Just make sure you don't get in my way."

The sour faces of several of the students made it clear that Byakuya's appearance was not welcome. "Of course he would be there," Sayaka grumbled.

"Wish we didn't have to deal with the asshole until the fucking trial…" Mondo also groused.

"Yeah, I got it," Makoto merely sighed.

"I think what you meant to say was, 'Yes, sir. I understand'."

"..." For once, the lucky student ignored Byakuya and focused on finding clues. And immediately, he spotted something. 'What's that powder spilled in front of the shelf?'

Makoto kneeled down towards the spill and the broken bottle in front of the shelf. 'Is this where all the powder came from…?' He mused, focusing on the bottle, 'It looks like the bottle had a label on it - CHEM C-4…'

As soon as the spilled bottle was shown, some of the students quickly formed conclusions. "Well, there's no question that poison was used now," Junko remarked.

"Indeed," Celeste nodded in agreement, "While the poison could be a red herring, it's very doubtful with previous information."

"Would you like to hear something interesting?" Byakuya asked rhetorically, "I was on the 4th floor this morning, checking things out, and at that point… this room wasn't like this."

"Then… this must have been spilled…"

"That's right. It could only have been around the time of the incident," the Togami heir finished.

"And here's further proof that poison is involved."

"Only if we can trust Byakuya at his word," Mukuro refuted, "While he's probably the most trustworthy out of the three main suspects, we shouldn't rule out the idea of him lying to divert the trial."

"That's true," Sayaka agreed, a dark frown entering her face, "The second trial definitely proved that."

Some of the students tensed at the mention of the second trial, especially the victim of said trial.

'If that really is when it happened, it must be related to the case somehow,' Makoto thought. His eyes then moved to the other side of the spill. 'These are… footprints? And they're only in front of the shelf…'

'That's… strange,' Kyoko thought, frowning, 'It's clear that someone went into section C for the poison, yet there are footprints going directly straight to section A?'

That tells her either one of two things: one, the killer disguised their movement to alter the crime scene; or two, different people entered inside the chem lab, likely at different times.

"How do these footprints relate to the scene as a whole?" Byakuya mused, mostly to himself, "We may need to sketch out the floor plan…"

"By 'we'... do you mean me?" Makoto guessed flatly.

That earned a smirk from the Togami heir. "How kind of you to offer." Still smirking, he handed over a piece of paper and a pen. "Well? Let's go, chop chop!"

"...You walked into that one, dude," Leon told his friend.

"I did," Makoto could only nod, looking blank.

"O-Okay…" Makoto then got to work, and before long, had drawn up a decent enough sketch of the room to work with. "Um, so… how's this?"

"Not bad," Byakuya offered, "For you, I mean."

'For me…?'

"Can't you give a compliment without sounding insulting at the same time, Byakuya?" Taka groaned.

"I think you know the answer to that, bro," Mondo grunted beside him.

"So, when you look at it like this… interesting…" Byakuya murmured to himself, "It would appear that whoever left these footprints only had business at the leftmost shelf. They came in, went straight to that shelf, did whatever they had to do, and left. That's what the footprints tell me."

"These footprints must be…" Byakuya turned his eyes towards Makoto. "Makoto, are they yours?"

That caused Sayaka to immediately shoot up from her seat. "Are you accusing him AGAIN?!" the idol shouted in outrage.

"What makes you think he would be the one to kill Sakura?!" Hina also spoke up, indignant at the idea of someone accusing Makoto for Sakura's murder.

Mukuro didn't say anything; however, the growing dark look across her face told the others her thoughts on Byakuya's accusation.

"No!"

"Okay. Then let me see your shoes and I'll confirm their size for myself," the Togami heir commanded.

Finding no reason not to do so, the lucky student quietly complied with the demands. "I see… your feet do appear to be too big," Byakuya confirmed, sounding almost disappointed, "Unfortunately, I must admit these are not your footprints."

"Unfortunately…?!" Sayaka repeated through gritted teeth.

Mukuro's dark gaze started turning murderous.

"I assume you must've really wanted to be rid of a potential obstacle in your bid to win the game, huh Byakuya?" Celeste remarked, her voice thin and tone dark.

As always, the Togami heir refused to look at anyone. "It would've been ideal for my future self if Makoto was the blackened, I will admit."

"Well, too bad for you, huh?" Hina spat.

Makoto himself didn't say anything. Merely let out a sigh of exhaustion.

"Unfortunately…?"

"But with how clear these prints are, it should be quite easy to determine who they do belong to," Byakuya continued, ignoring Makoto's question.

"Really?" Leon questioned, squinting at the screen, "Don't really see anything that tells me who the footprints belong to."

'I do,' Kyoko thought to herself. Alongside Byakuya's sudden scrutiny of Makoto's shoeprints, it's clear what type of shoes would make these footprints. And only three people have those types of shoes.

Byakuya also made the connections as well, and started forming his own conclusions. 'With Makoto being taken out of the equation, only Sakura and Hina could make those types of footprints. Adding the protein can in the rec room, the dropped bottle of poison on the floor, and the clear fact that Sakura was poisoned…'

It paints a very disturbing picture, one of betrayal and malicious intent. However, he refrained from saying anything, seeing that there are still dots to be connected and knowing that his hypothesis will not be received well by his classmates.

'Then these prints are a really valuable clue,' Makoto thought in realization.

"After that, I went back to the rec room, to see if Kyoko found something." The scene showed the lucky student walking back into the rec room as Narrator Makoto spoke. "I also told her what Hiro and Toko told me."

"I see… so along with Byakuya, they're both claiming they didn't go see her," Kyoko mused loudly, "But it's all too convenient. Someone must be lying…"

"Well, we know that Hiro was lying," Mukuro said, ignoring the protest from the fortune teller, "But what about Byakuya and Toko?"

"I can say that Byakuya is the least likely to have gone," Kyoko admitted, holding her chin in thought, "Toko, however, is uncertain at the moment. Could go either way."

"I-I wouldn't!" Toko protested, "Like f-future me s-said, I would be t-too scared to go!"

'Maybe. But that fear could go in either direction,' the detective countered in her head, 'You would either be too scared to go to the meeting, or too frightened at the consequences if you don't.'

'Someone's… lying…' Makoto thought, frowning.

"Well, I've made some progress of my own," Kyoko stated, changing the subject, "Sakura's body, the shelf of magazines, and the Monokuma bottles. These three things have revealed new clues. You'd do well to look them over one more time."

Her comments drew snorts from quite a few of the students. "Of course she did," Leon remarked dryly, "Even when tied to one room, she can find three different clues from the same spots."

"Like I said before, staying in one area wouldn't affect me much," Kyoko said in retort, a hint of smugness in her tone.

Taking her advice, the first place Makoto looked was the magazine rack, sifting through the magazines. "Hmm… clue… clue…" he mumbled to himself. That's when he spotted it. '...Huh? This magazine is upside down. Did someone put it back that way by accident?'

Getting a nagging feeling in the back of his head, Makoto grabbed the magazine and flipped through the pages. When he got to a certain page, his eyes widened in alarm. "Th-This is…!"

What alarmed him was the one word in the center of the page, written in blood: Toko. "...a dying message?!"

Like Makoto, several eyes widened in the size of saucers.

"No way!"

"Toko?!"

"Another dying message!"

"Why was it in the magazine shelf of all places?"

Toko, who still has her eyes covered, was of course confused. "Wh-What is it?"

"There's a dying message with your name written all over it," Junko stated bluntly.

"What?!" And just like that, Toko uncovered her eyes to see such damning evidence. However, as soon as she saw that it was written in blood, she squeaked and covered them back up. Though she still felt faint over the bloody sight. "Wh-Why is my name written on there?!"

"Isn't it obvious? To implicate you as the killer." Byakuya was also blunt in his statement. "The question is whether that dying message is genuine or fabricated."

Hina had a look of frustration mixing in with her fury. 'Who did it?!' she raged in her mind, 'Which one of them killed Sakura?! For once, can there be a clear-cut answer?!'

"Then it would appear you found it," Kyoko said, moving next to Makoto.

Makoto looked at the girl in shock. "Kyoko… is this…?"

"It is indeed a dying message," she confirmed, "Someone used their finger to write it."

'A dying message…'

"But just to be clear, I'm not the one who put it back upside down," Kyoko told the lucky student, "It was already like that when I found it a little while ago. I made sure to put it back exactly as I found it, for the benefit of others who might come looking."

"That explains how Kyoko took notice of it," Taka stated, "But why was it on the magazine shelf? Why make the dying message that much harder to find in the first place?"

"Maybe so that the killer wouldn't notice it?" Hiro suggested, almost eagerly, "And if Sakura wrote the message, then that means Toko did it!"

"Don't start p-pointing fingers at me!"

"H-Hey… is that…?" Hina, who went to Makoto's other side, hesitantly spoke up, "That says… Toko, right?"

"Y-Yeah, it looks like it," The lucky student nodded in confirmation.

"Then… she's the killer! Right?!" Hina immediately deduced.

"W-Well, it hasn't been confirmed yet…"

But the swimmer wasn't listening. "It's settled! She's the killer for sure!" she stated, "That's conclusive evidence, right?! We can use it to corner the killer!"

"Whoa, down girl," Junko said with a convincing look of surprise, "Just because Toko's name is written on there, doesn't mean she's the killer."

"Agreed. Hina has become eager to find the culprit for Sakura's murder," Celeste noted with narrowed eyes, "And quick to point fingers at anyone with the slightest amount of evidence attached to them."

"This will be another obstacle in the class trials…" Mukuro observed neutrally.

"Hina…" Sayaka and Chihiro murmured, concern clear in their voices. Sakura was also concerned, judging by the small, anxious frown across her face.

The swimmer herself felt her frustration growing inside her, teeth grinding and hands clenched tightly. 'Am I really that much of a nuisance?!' Hina exclaimed in her head, 'Do I really cause this much trouble for everyone?!'

Just… how can she expected to stay perfectly calm when her best friend has been murdered? How can she be rational when everyone just keeps dying and dying and dying…?!

'I can see why you would think that, but…' Makoto looked at the magazine with a frown on his face, 'It just seems too easy. If anything, it makes me that much more suspicious…'

"Yeah, that does seem too straightforward," Hifumi agreed with a nod, "It's a clear framing plot if there ever was one…"

"But again, it doesn't make sense since the magazine was on the shelf," Taka argued, "Why not put it somewhere obvious to ensure someone sees it?"

'...Perhaps they did. But someone else put it back,' Kyoko realized, her eyes turned to the shivering book writer, 'Someone who clearly wouldn't like what was written.'

The next place Makoto went to look was Sakura's body. However, instead of examining it immediately, he merely stood around the corpse, an unpleasant look across his face. "Just staring off into space isn't going to help you figure out anything," Kyoko pointed out.

"W-Well, yeah, I know," Makoto said, looking away, "But…"

"Don't you think you might need to actually examine the body?" Kyoko urged.

"..."

The lavender-haired girl sighed at the lack of response. "There's no getting around it."

"It can't be that easy, Kyoko," Taka chided softly, an unpleasant frown across his own face, "Most of us here have not been around dead bodies for a long period of time. Even with the fact that this is the fourth case…"

"It's still unsettling to be around the corpse of a classmate," Sayaka finished, snuggling into Makoto's shoulder for comfort, "Even if they've known each other for only a short period of time."

The detective sighed. "I'm aware. But time is of the essence, and Makoto needs to see the evidence for himself."

"We know, but… we wish that your future self could be less cold with her approach," Chihiro offered his own input meekly, "More understanding that this type of thing isn't normal."

"I do understand that," Kyoko sighed once more, her head turned away slightly. "But... I'll try to take that into consideration more."

Makoto couldn't help but look at Kyoko with a bit of bafflement. "I can't believe how calm you are. No matter how many times I see a dead body, I can't get used to it…"

"That's totally normal," Kyoko assured him.

"Then… how can you…?"

"I imagine it's because I've had plenty of opportunities to touch dead bodies in the past," the girl mused.

"What…?" was all Makoto could say to that, looking more baffled.

"And note the phrasing of her statement," Celeste mused with interest, "A reminder of her deeper memory having been wiped."

"It must unsettle your future self, huh Kyoko?" Makoto asked with concern, turning towards the detective, "Considering that being a detective really defined much of your life…"

A small frown settled on Kyoko's face. "It probably is," she admitted. It's… difficult to imagine having those memories erased from her mind.

"Sorry, never mind," Kyoko quickly brushed away the topic, "More importantly, look here…"

Her finger pointed at Sakura's sneakers, one of which contained a bit of yellow powder. "Her… shoes?" Makoto voiced in confusion.

"You see that yellow powder on her instep?" Kyoko pointed out.

The luckster nodded. "Yeah, it really stands out…"

"The powder is clue number one."

"So that's the powder from the poison…?" Leon guessed, "Did the killer or Sakura spill some of it when putting it in the protein can?"

"That's a possibility…" Celeste said in musing, "Though that doesn't seem right…"

"Next is the wound to her head. Look carefully…" Kyoko paused for a moment, before shaking her head. "Actually, even telling you that, it's incredibly difficult to spot. So let me just explain…"

She moved Sakura's hair to show her scalp and the head wound. "It would appear that she didn't suffer a single blow… but instead, received two blows to the head."

"Two blows…?"

"Two attacks, was it?" Celeste said in musing, holding her chin, "I wonder… did those two attacks, as well as the poisoning of Sakura, happen at the same time? Or were there two or three separate attempts on her life?"

"Two or three separate attacks?" Chihiro looked at her in confusion, along with several others. "What makes you say that?"

"It's merely a theory at the moment, but it's hard to imagine one killer being capable of attacking Sakura twice," the gambler explained, "One surprise attack is plausible, sure, even one after she drank the poison, and the effect was happening slowly. But two attacks AND poison, by one killer? A sizable stretch, to be sure."

"You… raise a good point," Byakuya conceded, looking thoughtful, "It would make much more sense if these attacks happened by separate people. And there isn't anything that would disprove that hypothesis."

"And knowing that Sakura invited Hiro, Toko, and Byakuya to the rec room…" Makoto added grimly, "That theory is looking even stronger."

"So… more than just one person attacked Sakura?" Hina growled venomously, "Hiro, Toko, AND Byakuya tried to kill her?!"

Before any more could be said, Sakura placed a calming hand on the swimmer's shoulder. "Let's wait until the trial comes, Hina," Sakura urged her friend, "Being quick to make conclusions will not help us." Hearing her, Hina once again took some deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself down.

"Interesting, wouldn't you say? And there's one more thing…" She pointed to the fingers of the corpse. "Both of her hands were spotless. There's absolutely no trace of her blood on either one."

That definitely caught the group's attention. "Okay, that definitely proves that the dying message was forged!" Junko declared.

"Agreed," Celeste nodded, "If both hands were spotless, that clearly means that Sakura wasn't the one to write the dying message."

"But then… why was it on the magazine shelf?" Chihiro questioned, frowning in confusion, "Like Taka said, they should've placed it in a place where everyone could see it."

"Most likely, it was put up by someone else," Mukuro deduced easily, "Which further proves Celeste's hypothesis on there being multiple attackers." And it's clear to some who would benefit from the dying message being hidden.

"So, that's what I learned from examining her body in detail."

'I can't believe she was able to learn all that just by looking at her body…' Makoto thought with some disbelief, 'I don't think anyone but Kyoko could have pulled that off.'

Despite the serious situation, a few of the students couldn't help but give teasing looks at the lucky student, namely, Leon and Mondo. The student in question buried his face in his free hand, his cheeks burning red.

'Why?' was all Makoto could think. Why must it be his thoughts that are revealed?

From one side of him, Kyoko also felt her cheeks turn a darker shade, though she turned her head away before anyone could see it. On the other side, a smile was plastered across Sayaka's face, though it's clear from the dark aura that she was far from happy.

Finally, Makoto went to the shelf containing the Monokuma bottles. 'Something new… something new…' the luckster thought to himself, 'Hmm…'

"Um, I don't really see anything new," Leon said, his eyes squinting at the screen, "Seems like the same bottles to me."

"Ditto," Mondo agreed with a nod, already looking frustrated with this small puzzle.

'...The chess pieces,' Byakuya, Kyoko, Celeste, and (surprisingly) Hifumi managed to catch. The rook, bishop, pawn, and king are all there, with the knight being a part of the broken bottle. But the queen was missing.

"So? Did you figure it out?" Kyoko inquired, "There's a hidden correlation between all the bottles. Pay careful attention and you're sure to find it."

'A correlation… umm…' Eventually, Makoto just sighed in defeat. "Hey, Kyoko… can't you just tell me what it is?"

"I don't mind guiding you toward clues, but giving you my conclusion isn't a good idea," the lavender haired girl explained, "Each person needs to come to their own conclusions, so that everyone can have confidence in the outcome."

"And it's not just because you don't trust me… right?" Makoto questioned.

"..."

"No answer?!"

"Are you serious?!" several students cried out.

"Oh, she better be fucking joking!" Mondo growled, now clearly frustrated, "Cause this shit is getting old!"

"Agreed," Sayaka spoke through gritted teeth.

"I do trust you, to a degree," Kyoko assured him, "Otherwise, I wouldn't have told you anything to begin with."

'Only to a degree…?' Makoto couldn't help but think.

"Well… that's something, at least," Junko shrugged, "Don't think anyone else got that far with Kyoko."

"Still pretty annoying though…" Leon groaned, facepalming.

Kyoko, pulling a Byakuya, stubbornly ignored the comments made about her, while Makoto smiled sympathetically at her.

"Actually, there's one other thing about the Monokuma Bottles that's bothering me…" Kyoko suddenly stated, looking in thought, "I'd like to do an experiment to confirm it. You don't mind helping me, right?"

"An experiment…?"

"Can you gather up all the pieces of the broken Monokuma Bottle?" the girl requested, "Try to get the smaller pieces too."

"Huh? Are you sure it's okay to mess with the crime scene like that…?" Makoto asked in return.

"I've already done a thorough investigation, so it's fine," Kyoko reassured him, "And that obnoxious Byakuya's not here, so…"

Her comments about Byakuya did not fail to catch the students off-guard. However, a moment of surprise turned into a moment of snorts and laughter at the expense of the Togami heir.

"Anyway, I need to get something from the chem lab." She then proceeded to walk towards the exit of the rec room. "While I'm gone, try to gather up all the glass."

"First she insulted the guy, now she's disregarding his 'order' to stay in the rec room?" Leon laughed, holding his stomach in mirth, "The second part I would expect! Not the first one though, at least not from Kyoko!"

"Kyoko, I take back all instances of annoyance with you during this whole investigation," Sayaka giggled out, desperately holding back full blown laughter, "This more than makes up for it."

Mondo, Hiro, Junko, and Hifumi were laughing and snorting loudly, while Taka, Chihiro, and Makoto were attempting to hold back their laughter. Celeste let out melodic giggles, whereas Kyoko had a full blown smirk across her face. Mukuro and even Sakura had amused smiles, while Hina found it in herself to let out a few giggles.

The only ones who weren't amused were Byakuya and Toko, the latter of whom held an appalled look at the insult towards her 'Master'.

With that, she left the room, leaving Makoto and Hina by themselves. "I really don't know what this is about, but…" With a shrug, he bent over and proceeded to gather up the glass. "...what choice do I have? I'd better just do it."

The scene transitioned to the lucky student putting the last of the pieces in a plastic bag. "Sorry to keep you waiting." Makoto looked up to see Kyoko back in the room, with a scale in hand. "Is everything ready? Then let's get to work."

"So… what kind of experiment are we doing?" Makoto asked curiously.

"I got a scale from the chem lab," Kyoko said, placing the scale on a table, "We're going to use it to compare weights."

"Compare the weights… of what?"

"The pieces of glass you collected, and one of the Monokuma Bottles that's still intact," the lavender haired girl answered.

"Uh… I don't get it." Hiro said, looking completely confused, "What's measuring the weights of the bottles gonna tell us?"

"If my thoughts are aligned with my future self's line of thinking, quite a lot," the detective answered, already understanding her own thought process.

And judging by the narrowed eyes of Celeste and Byakuya, as well as the widened eyes of Makoto and Chihiro, they also see what the future Kyoko is thinking.

"So we did," Narrator Makoto spoke up, showing Kyoko and Makoto making the comparisons, "First, we compared the weight of two regular Monokuma bottles, which showed that they both weighed about the same. Then, we weighed one bottle with the broken one, and that comparison…"

"Huh…?" The actual Makoto gazed dumbfoundedly, seeing that the broken bottle weighs more than the actual bottle. "The broken pieces are… heavier?!"

Eyes widen in shock, confusion, and in some cases, realization. "What the fuck…?!" Mondo exclaimed, mouth agape.

"This further proves my hypothesis, then," Celeste nodded in satisfaction, "There were two attacks."

"So, this is what you wanted my future self to see, wasn't it?" Makoto deduced, turning towards Kyoko, "There were six Monokuma Bottles, rather than just five that we see."

"Correct," Kyoko nodded, "You wouldn't be able to tell at first glance, even with the open spaces. But with the chess pieces, it's clear that one other bottle is missing from the scene."

"The queen," Hifumi spoke up, "There's clearly the rook, bishop, pawn, and king at the shelf, with the knight being a part of the broken bottle. But the queen is nowhere to be found."

"So, someone clearly was trying to hide the evidence of that missing bottle," Byakuya stated, arms crossed, "Trying to hide the fact that there were two attacks."

"This is almost as confusing as the last trial…" Hiro muttered to himself.

"H-How is that possible…?"

"Just as I thought…" Kyoko nodded in satisfaction.

"What?" Makoto turned towards the lavender haired girl with visible confusion.

"The results of our experiment, and the correlation between each of the bottles - put it all together…" Kyoko smirked at Makoto, "...and I believe you will arrive at one very persuasive conclusion."

Before any more could be said between the two, the school bell rang and, as per usual, the monitor turned on. "...Oops! Ya caught me sleeping. Your investigation was just so boring, I couldn't stay awake!" Monokuma stated, "Should I do it? Is it okay? Can I? Can I, can I, can I?

"Okay, then let's begin the class trial! You know where to meet, right? Please go through the red door on the first floor of the school! Puhuhu. See you soon!" With that, the monitor shut off.

As like with the previous trial, the students found themselves tensing up. Hina, especially, found herself wound up for this trial, almost eager to find out who's the blackened. To find the one that killed Sakura.

Sakura herself, who was silent throughout all of this, was merely staring stoically. She's unsure what will transpire, but she hopes that through this, both the future and present Hina will have their souls soothed. The last thing she would want is for her friend to be left in this continued state of fury.

'It's already time…?!'  Makoto thought in alarm,  'But the mystery of the locked room is still only half-solved… at this point, whatever happens will have to happen at the class trial…!'

"Oh right, there's still that whole locked door mystery!" Hiro said in recollection, "How are they going to figure that whole thing out?!"

'That will be the toughest mystery to figure out…' Kyoko acknowledged. As it stands, there seems to be no actual way for a locked room to happen.

It's clear that multiple attacks have happened; that two people had attacked Sakura with the Monokuma Bottles, one of them likely hidden in the locker. The martial artist was also poisoned by another party before the locked room murder was created.

So then how, throughout this whole scenario, did the locked room murder get created? What way did the killer manage to jam the door shut, without being trapped in themselves? Because, unless she, Makoto, and Hina were incredibly hyper-focused on Sakura, there's no actual spot for the killer to hide in the ro-

'...'

'...'

'Sakura… you didn't.'

The scene then switched to the entrance of the trial room, the remaining six students gathered inside. The moment they were gathered, Monokuma popped in. "The ultimate martial artist ^_^," The bear exclaimed excitedly, "A locked room murder mystery! ;)"

"Wha-...?"

"How…?"

"Why?"

"The fuck?"

"What the…?" Kyoko spoke with obvious confusion.

"Oh, I've just recently discovered the power… of emoticons!" Monokuma declared. "Like, no matter how awful something is, if you toss in a smiley face, it turns positive! For example… you're at a picnic and you find a dead body! XD"

"This is… rather disturbing," Taka voiced, looking completely weirded out by this event.

"I am with you there, bro," Mondo nodded in agreement, unsure of how to react.

"This is just plain creepy…" Hiro groaned.

"And how about the reverse? No matter how great something is, if you put in a sad face, it makes it look super negative!" Monokuma said in response, "For example… do you have a hundred friends? T_T"

"He's right!" Hiro gasped, "That does make it seem sad!"

"Don't encourage him!"

"Hiro, dude, shut up!"

"I'm sorry!" the fortune teller cried out.

"Now then, please get on the elevator! o_O" Monokuma requested, "I'll see you all down there! (*-*) ^(*-*)^ (*-*)." With that, he dropped down to the trial room.

"Wh-What the hell was that…?" Toko stuttered, creeped out.

"Monokuma just being… Monokuma," Leon stated, looking rather done with all this, "That's all I can really say at this point."

"For a psychopathic mastermind, he creates far too many jokes," Byakuya deadpanned, "Though this is definitely one of the more bizarre ones."

"I don't get it…" Hiro sighed.

"I don't get you guys!" Hina spoke up, glaring straight at them, "How can you act so casual after murdering someone?!"

"I-I… don't think I'm acting casual," the fortune teller protested, "Er, I mean…! I didn't murder anyone!"

"Yeah, I'm c-completely innocent… how d-dare you call me a murderer?!" Toko also spoke in denial.

"Whatever…" Hina dismissed their protests.

"Either way, the truth will be revealed soon enough," Byakuya cut in, "Because there can be no doubt, one of us is the culprit."

'Truly?' Kyoko mused to herself. Because if her epiphany rang true… then none of them are the culprit.

However, is her deduction true? While it seems the most likely outcome, she could still be missing something, and it would be easy to think that no one would have to be executed. So, she'll have to wait, see if there's anything else that will reveal the mystery of the locked room.

'The killer… the one who killed Sakura…' Makoto thought grimly. A flashback of Sakura's body was shown. 'She was stronger than anyone I know… and yet, someone killed her.' The lucky student looked at all the remaining students. 'And that person is here…? That person… is one of us…?'

'They'll pay… they will pay for what they did…!' Hina thought venomously, 'Hiro, Toko, Byakuya… one of you is gonna pay for killing Sakura!'

At this point, she doesn't even care if they get executed. If that's the only way for them to pay for their crimes, so be it. She won't allow them to get away with killing her best friend!

One by one, the six remaining students entered the elevator. Once they were all in, the elevator closed up and started descending. As usual, the students were lowered to the trial room in complete silence, until the elevator stopped. The door opened to reveal an Egyptian style trial room.

"Hmm… just the six of you, huh? Really…" Monokuma spoke in mock depression, "That's so few! You must be so lonely!"

Of course, the bear's words caused some fury to rise up in several of the students. But guilt also started meshing into the anger, more specifically with those who had murdered (Or, attempted to, in Sayaka's case), feeling at least some responsibility for the low numbers.

Sayaka especially, felt her heart grip at the mention that there's only six of them left. Soon to be five. And she's the one who started all this.

"You say that like it's not YOUR fault we're all that's left!" Makoto retorted angrily.

"I wonder, will the class trial end with one less classmate again?" the bear mused, ignoring Makoto's angry statement, "Or… will your school life come to an end completely? Now then, are we ready to begin? You know the drill! Find your assigned seat!"

Slowly, the six remaining students went up to their podiums. "And so, the curtain opened for the fourth time…" the narrator spoke, "A deadly judgment… A deadly deception… a deadly betrayal…" The scene showed a nervous Hiro, a shaking Toko, and a composed Byakuya.

"A deadly riddle, a deadly defense, a deadly faith…" Then the angry Hina and stoic Kyoko were shown next.

"A deadly…" finally, a weary but still determined Makoto was brought on screen, "Class trial…!"

'From everything gathered, it's clear that Hiro is one of the attackers,' Makoto mused to himself, 'Toko might be the other one. But who would have poisoned Sakura? Was it one of those two? Possibly even Byakuya?'

However, in all honesty, he couldn't see a scenario where Byakuya would be able to give Sakura that poison. At least not any with all the evidence given. And he definitely can't see Kyoko or Hina doing it.

Plus, it still feels like something is missing. Something that would put all the pieces, put the multiple attacks, the poison, the locked room, in one, cohesive closing argument.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 80: Watching Chapter 4: All Star Apologies Part 13

"Let's begin with the basic explanation of the class trial! So, your votes will determine the results." Monokuma, once again, explained the rules. "If you can figure out 'whodunnit' then only they will receive punishment. But if you pick the wrong one, then I'll punish everyone besides the blackened, and the one that deceived everyone else will graduate! Now then… where to begin…?"

"We already know who did it…!" Hina interrupted angrily.

"Whoa! Deja vu!" Monokuma gasped.

"The one who killed Sakura… is one of the people that hated her!" Hina declared. "Byakuya, Toko, or Hiro! It was one of you!"

"And once again, Hina is not wasting any time…"

"It's different this time!" The swimmer argued. "This time, it's clear that one of those three are the ones who killed Sakura! They're the only options out of all six of us!"

'Not with the evidence found in the chem lab.' Byakuya remarked to himself. In addition with how quick Hina was to condemn one of them… he felt his theory was growing more solid.

"Hmph. Idiot." Byakuya merely snorted.

"I-I had nothing to d-do with it…" Toko protested.

"Y-Yeah! I'd never kill someone, no way!" Hiro also denied.

"I don't wanna hear your stupid excuses!" Hina retorted back to all of them.

"It's a really good thing the two of you have survived so far, Makoto. Kyoko." Taka said honestly. "Without the both of you, it would have been near impossible to have any rational discourse."

"I'm just glad I can be of some help." Makoto replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. Kyoko merely nodded in recognition of Taka's words, her eyes focused on the screen.

Once more, the non-stop debate started up, with the bullets loaded up in the revolver. Of course, Hina was the first to speak. "It was one of you…" She accused the three suspects. "One of you killed Sakura!"

"And what reason do you have for saying so?" Byakuya asked in return.

"Because you all had a motive!" Hina declared. "You hated her!"

"Is that it? That doesn't make any sense…" Byakuya told her.

"That's the only reason you have for accusing us?"

'No, that's wrong!' The bullet was shot as Makoto spoke up. "Another reason you suspect them is because Sakura wanted to meet with them, right?"

"Yeah! And that was right before she died!" Hina confirmed confidently. "So there's no doubt about it! One of those three killed her!"

"A damn good reason to suspect one of them." Mondo grunted. "And it's fucking clear that at least one of them went to the meeting."

'And there won't be any difficulty picking out who did it…' Mukuro thought, her eyes shifting towards Hiro.

Non-stop debate started up once again, with Hina being the first to speak again. "The fact that Sakura wanted to meet with all three of them…" She began. "There's no way that's not suspicious! One of you is absolutely guilty!"

"I don't deny that she wanted to meet with us, but…" Byakuya admitted to. "I never went to see her."

"I-I didn't either…" Toko also stated.

"Yeah, same here!" Hiro added. "I never saw her…"

'No, that's wrong!' The bullet was shot as Makoto interjected. "Hiro… when we were talking before, you dropped a small piece of paper, remember?" He reminded the fortune teller. "It was white with red polka dots…"

"Wh-What's that got to do with anything?!" Hiro exclaimed nervously.

"It has to do with the fact that no one but Sakura and I should have that candy!" Hina growled, fists clenched.

"The fact that he tried to hide it does not help prove his innocence…" Celeste added.

The suspect in question is starting to turn white once again, dreading the outcome of this.

"Red polka dots…?" Hina said with clear recognition. "That's gotta be the wrapper from the candy I gave to Sakura!"

"N-No, it's… um…" Hiro mumbled in a feeble attempt of denial.

"Ever since we got into the warehouse, I totally monopolized that entire box of candy." Hina continued on further. "So there's no way a single one of them was left in the warehouse!"

"In that case, Hiro… where did you get that piece of candy?" Makoto asked the fortune teller.

"From Sakura!" The swimmer interjected. "That's the only explanation!"

"U-Umm…" Hiro stuttered. "W-Well, I mean… yeah, sure I got it from her, but… but she gave it to me forever ago! It doesn't have anything to do with what happened to her!"

"Yeah, that's bull." Leon bluntly stated. "How can she give candy she didn't have, until Hina gave it to her?"

"B-But, couldn't she have given the candy right before the meeting?" Hiro tried to argue.

"Not with the testimony you yourself has given." Mukuro stated. "The attempt to claim that you haven't seen Sakura since the nurse's office disproved that."

"And thus, the fool is about to dig his grave deeper…" Byakuya sighed, shaking his head.

"When? When did she give it to you?" Hina asked in return.

"The last time you saw Sakura was… when Hina had to go to the nurse's office, right?" Makoto recalled Hiro's testimony.

"Y-Yeah, so I must have got it… some time before then." Hiro claimed.

Makoto frowned at that. "I'm not sure about that, Hiro…" He stated. "Hina didn't actually give Sakura the candy till after she left the nurse's office. So if that was the last time you saw her, there's no reason you should've had that candy!"

"Dammit!" Was Hiro's panicked response. One he quickly tried to back-track from. "Er, I meant… what I meant was, uh…"

Several facepalms ensued after that. "Hiro, dude, you're making this way too easy…" Leon groaned.

"It's difficult for me to be mad at you right now…" Sayaka groaned, her hands covering her face.

"..." For a moment, Hiro stood silent. Then, the fortune teller started speaking aggressively. "Oh, that's right! I DID meet up with her in the rec room! You got a problem with that?!"

"Oh, it's too late to back-track now!" Hina exclaimed, glaring at the fortune teller on screen.

"Imbecile…" Byakuya groaned, his head dipped further into his hand.

"M-Moron…" Toko also grumbled.

"Why the s-sudden hostility…?" Toko stuttered out, surprised.

"But we just talked, that's all!" Hiro insisted to the group. "I didn't do anything! You gotta believe me!"

"After the lie you try to pull off?" Junko snorted, arms crossed. "They don't gotta believe anything."

"Being so vague does not help either." Taka spoke in agreement, shaking his head. "If he wants them to believe what he says, then he needs to give better details on what he did."

"Yeah. Saying 'We just talk, that's all' doesn't inspire much confidence." Leon remarked dryly.

"H-Hang on! Don't decide just yet that future me did it!" Hiro frantically stated. "There's still the dying message!"

"Y-You're acting incredibly s-suspicious…" Toko pointed out, her eyes narrowed.

"YOU'RE acting incredibly suspicious!" Hiro fired back, aggressive once again.

"More h-hostility…" The writer hissed.

"It's not just normal hostility! You're the real culprit!" Hiro declared. "I even have proof!"

"Huh? P-Proof?" Toko said, surprised. "What are y-you talking about?"

"I'm talking about her shining message!"

"...Shining what-now?"

"Was he… trying to say 'dying message'?" Chihiro asked, unsure.

"I think he was… but just botched up the words…" Mukuro said, her head tilted with clear confusion.

'What would a shining message even be…?' Makoto thought blankly.

"At the scene of the crime, she had written 'Toko' in her own blood, right?" Hiro pointed out. "It was her 'dying message'! Just like what you guys were talking about with Sayaka!"

"A-Are you trying to p-p-pin this on m-me?!"

"Well, the dying message has your name on it!" Hiro said in defense of himself.

But before anything more could be said, Sayaka spoke up. "Wait, hold on a moment…" The idol narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "How would future Hiro know about the dying message?"

"Heh?" Was Hiro's confused response.

"You bring up a good point, Sayaka." Kyoko said, her eyes also narrowed at the screen. "When did he see that dying message?"

"That's true, I saw it for myself!" Hina confirmed.

"See? See?! Toko did it!" Hiro stated eagerly.

"Wh-Wh-What are you saying?! No w-way!" Toko protested. "I didn't d-do it!"

"You just don't know when you're beat, do ya?!"

"Hiro, hold on…" Kyoko then spoke up. "When did you see that dying message of hers?"

"Huh…?" Was Hiro's confused response. "W-Well, when we found Ogre's body. Duh…"

"But… that doesn't add up." Makoto said, his eyebrows furrowed. "Hiro was barred from the crime scene before the investigation started, and the dying message was hidden in the magazine shelf. There's no way he would've seen it then."

"Gak!" The fortune teller couldn't help but choke at this.

"And the grave just got even deeper…" Celeste said, her face wooden and her tone thin.

"This is almost painful to watch…" The Togami heir growled to himself.

"But if you recall, Hina was very adamant about keeping you away from the scene of the crime." Kyoko reminded him. "So it's hard to believe that's when you actually saw the message for yourself."

'Huh? Hold on…' Makoto mused to himself in recollection. "Kyoko, you found the magazine on the magazine shelf, right?"

"That's right." Kyoko nodded. "Looking through the shelf, I found the magazine with the dying message on it. I found it right there at the scene of the crime, after we'd started on the investigation."

"If that's true, then what Hiro just said doesn't really make sense, does it?" The lucky student concluded.

"D-Doesn't make sense…?" Hiro repeated nervously. "What doesn't make sense?! Everything I said makes perfect sense!"

Makoto, however, shook his head. "When Sakura's body was found, that magazine was sitting on the shelf nearby." He repeated what Kyoko confirmed. "That's where Kyoko found it, after we'd begun the investigation. And you weren't at the murder scene, so there's no way you could have seen it then!"

"Gah-hah!" Was Hiro's choked response.

"You're right, Byakuya; this is almost painful to watch…" Junko groaned, unable to hide a portion of her boredom. "He might as well tell us he's the killer at this point."

"Wha- What makes you say I'm the killer?!"

"The fact you knew about the dying message clearly shows that you saw it before the discovery of Sakura's body…" Mukuro told him. "The fact that you knew about it, as well as the attempt to call Toko the culprit, tells us that you had a hand in creating the message."

The more Hina hears the evidence piling on Hiro, the more she looked as if she wanted to strangle the cowardly clairvoyant.

"Tell us the truth, Hiro. When did you see the message?" Makoto questioned the fortune teller.

"H-Hold on, you're focusing on the wrong part! Why does it matter where I saw it?!" Hiro protested, attempting to redirect the subject. "All you gotta do is read the vienna sausage Ogre left us and we know who it is - Toko!"

"..." None of the students decided to comment on any of what Hiro just said.

"I don't even know where to begin with that one!" Was all Hina could say.

"He's just t-trying to confuse us…!" Toko hissed.

"Actually, can we even be sure Sakura wrote that message in the first place?" Kyoko questioned.

"Um, yeah…?" Hiro spoke as if it was obvious. "I think we can all agree that Ogre wrote that message! One hundred percent without a doubt she wrote it! And this is me talking, so you know it's true!"

That last statement earned snorts from several students. "If it's you talking, then we have all the reasons to doubt it." Celeste retorted.

"Yep."

"Indeed."

"No doubt there."

"He lacks both integrity and intelligence to be a credible source."

"Am I really that untrustworthy?!" Hiro exclaimed incredulously.

His responses were blank looks, with almost everyone silently asking, "Do we really need to answer that?"

'Without a doubt…?' Makoto repeated in his mind. 'No, I absolutely do doubt it. There's no way Sakura wrote that message!'

"I'm completely unconvinced that Sakura wrote that dying message." The lucky student said aloud. "Because if you look at it, the message was almost certainly written using a finger, but… both of her hands were completely free of blood."

"Say wh-?!"

"Then… who did write it…?" Hina asked, eyes narrowed.

"Hiro could very well have written it himself." Kyoko declared. "That would explain how he knew about the message in the first place."

"N-ngh… grr!" Eventually, after a moment of groaning in desperation, the fortune teller finally sagged his shoulder in defeat. "Yeah… yeah, that's exactly what happened."

If Hiro's blood hasn't run cold already, it definitely did now with his future self's admission.

"Ah! He admits it!" Hina exclaimed.

"I figured as much." Kyoko shrugged.

"I think anyone with half a brain could figure that one out…" Leon deadpanned, facepalming. "Hiro made himself way too suspicious to pass him off."

"And I think we can all guess by now why he did it…" Junko stated, getting close to slumping down in boredom.

"But… why would you write something like that?" The lucky student inquired.

"B-Because…" Hiro began. Then, he exclaimed guiltily. "Because I killed her!"

Despite everyone at least suspecting his involvement, his sudden admission took the group by surprise. "W-What?" Hiro practically squeaked, both shock and fear quickly fueling his mind.

"He… did it?" Hina hissed, her fury peaking.

"He's… confessing to being the culprit?" Hifumi spoke in shock.

"This… seems way too easy." Leon said, eyes narrowed.

Makoto's eyes widened in shock at this. 'You're… admitting to killing her?'

"Please, just let me explain what happened…" Hiro pleaded. "I got Ogre's note, and so I headed to the rec room right before noon, just like it said…"

"You just did exactly as the note asked?" Byakuya questioned with some disbelief. "What a fool…"

"So the fool really was stupid enough to do exactly what the note instructed…" Byakuya groaned even further. "Despite his suspicions and fears…"

"Honestly? It isn't surprising at this point…" Celeste sighed, resisting the urge to drag a hand across her face.

"And when I got there…"

A flashback of Sakura and Hiro meeting up was then shown. "Sorry, but do you mind waiting? I asked a couple of other people to meet, as well."

"O-Okay…" Hiro agreed nervously.

"Would you like a piece of candy?" Sakura offered, holding a piece out. "It might help give you some energy…"

"O-Oh, sure… thanks."

"And that's all she said. After that, we just stood around in awkward silence…" The present Hiro spoke. "Suddenly, I heard her mutter something…"

"This is it…" The martial artist muttered to herself. "I'm going to end it today… I'm going to end… everything."

Sakura's words caused alarm in some of the students. "What is she talking about…?" Sayaka asked wearily. "Is this the same thing she was talking about when she said that she was 'drawing a line'?"

"You're guess is as good as mine, Sayaka…" Leon told her, also confused by her words.

'Sakura…' Makoto looked at the martial artist in worry. 'What exactly were you going to end? And how do you plan to end it?' He had a feeling on what exactly the martial artist was trying to put a stop to. As to how… he's not sure he wanted to think about how.

'So I see…' Kyoko simply closed her eyes solemnly at this. This all but confirms her hypothesis.

"..." Sakura merely narrowed her eyes, picking up the… subtle resolution in her tone. Did she do what was being implied through her voice? Or was she simply misunderstanding it?

"Sakura…?" Hina, momentarily broken out of her angered state, looked at her friend worryingly. "What was your future self talking about?"

"...It's probably best if we just continue and see." Was all the martial artist could say.

"As soon as I heard that, I just knew… I knew she was gonna try and kill me!" Hiro stated, as the flashback showed the nervous fortune teller turning fearful. "She was gonna kill me and make her escape!"

The scene then switched back to the trial room. "So of course I freaked out, and then…"

An image of Hiro grabbing a Monokuma bottle and smashing it across Sakura's head was then shown. "I saw my only chance. I grabbed a Monokuma bottle from the shelf, and smashed it across her head!" The clairvoyant revealed. "I… I hit her from behind, before she had any idea what was happening!"

And just like that, the room suddenly turned cold. Any emotions Hina was feeling was brought to a freezing halt, as she processed what she just heard.

Hiro himself was as white as a sheet at this point, shock, fear, and even guilt crossing his face. So… he actually killed Sakura? Actually committed such a crime?

"Then she just… went limp. I didn't see her move again after that." The scene switched back to the trial room once again. "Once it was over, I pulled myself together. I realized if I didn't do something, I'd be caught and executed. So I wrote Toko's name in blood across a magazine on the table, and… I ran away."

"Y-You loathsome excuse of a fortune teller!" Toko hissed, now removing her hands from her eyes to glare bitterly at Hiro. "I h-hope your execution is a painful one! C-Can't believe you would frame me!"

"I… I…" Hiro was unable to say anything in response, his mind completely shut-down at the moment.

"You… you…" Slowly, Hina turned towards the fortune teller, her facial expression momentarily blank. "You're the one… who killed…"

"Hold on a moment, Hina. Before you say anything more, remember that three attempts happened." Kyoko reminded the swimmer, halting her from speaking at the moment. "And according to Celeste's hypothesis, those attacks are separate. Hiro's testimony states that he only hit her once, which collaborates with that hypothesis."

"Yep. Like I said, too easy…" Leon muttered, mainly to himself.

"But he still… try to kill Sakura!" Slowly, the expressionless look turned into one of fury. "He attacked her, thinking that she was gonna kill him! THAT BASTARD WAS AIMING FOR HER LIFE!"

"And you have every reason to be upset about that, Hina!" Makoto spoke up, placating the girl once again. "But we can talk about it later. We still need to continue this, and the true culprit still needs to be found."

"Makoto's right." Sakura said, gaining her friend's attention. "The culprit has yet to be found, as well as the possibility of a second attacker. We must find both before rendering judgment."

Hina was silent, taking in her words. But in the midst of that silence, Hiro decided it was a good time to speak up. "So… does that mean future me didn't kill Sakura?" He asked, his tone turning more hopeful. "Does that mean I won't get executed?"

"That's what you care about right now?!" And of course, any calmness Hina was able to gain was wiped away.

Makoto couldn't help but sigh, while a few others glared at Hiro for his insensitive words. "Let… just continue."

"I-I can't believe you! You're the worst! I hope you d-die!" Toko exclaimed angrily.

"Well, that's what happened." Hiro sighed morosely. "Go ahead, roast me, boil me, do whatever you want…"

"You're not gonna get off that easily." Hina growled. "It's death… death for the one who killed Sakura!"

"Hina…" Makoto couldn't help but notice how… blood-thirsty the swimmer is becoming. Both the present and future versions. And on noticing that, he worries.

He wasn't the only one. Some like Sayaka and Leon couldn't blame her at all; others like Chihiro and Sakura worry for the swimmer. However, no one dared to open that can of worms at the moment.

"We're ready to vote now, right?! We know who did it!"

"No, I think there's more to Hiro's story…" Kyoko interjected.

"What are you talking about? What else could there be?!" Hina exclaimed.

"There's one thing that Hiro's story just now doesn't explain." The lavender haired girl explained. "And until we figure that part out, we can't consider the case closed."

"She's talking about the two head wounds, correct?" Taka guessed.

Kyoko, however, shook her head. "I don't think so." She answered verbally. "It may be brought up later on, but there's something else that is left out from Hiro's story."

"That's true." Makoto spoke in agreement, looking in thought. "Everything you just said… it doesn't explain why the magazine was hidden, does it?"

"Huh…?" Hiro jolted at that, in both surprise and confusion.

A few eyes widened in realization at this. "Oh, that's right." Chihiro said, looking down in thought. "We were focused on the fact that Hiro knew about the dying message in the first place, that we forgot that it was strange for the message to be placed there…"

"And it would explain why Hiro didn't think about the fact that the dying message was hidden in the magazine shelf…" Mukuro mused. "It's likely because he never put it there in the first place."

Hiro is looking more hopeful now.

"By the time the body was discovered, the magazine had been picked up and put up on the shelf…" Makoto stated. "Why would you take the time to write that message, then stick it somewhere where we might not find it?"

"Oh. Well, uh… I didn't hide it." Hiro said in easy admission. "I'm sure I just left it sitting there on the table."

"...Really?" Makoto said in surprise.

"H-He's lying! He's g-gotta be lying!" Toko cried out.

"I don't see any reason why he would lie now, after already confessing to the crime…" Kyoko refuted.

"Not to mention he doesn't show any signs of lying." Mukuro added. "No stuttering, no changing of subjects, no mixing of his testimonies…"

"I agree." Celeste said, also noticing a lack of tells from Hiro. "And considering that we all know that he's a pathetic liar at this point…"

No one disagreed with the gambler; and once again, Hiro did not mind being called an idiot for this.

"Then… he's not lying?" Hina asked skeptically.

"Assuming he's telling the truth, someone else must have put the magazine on the shelf." Byakuya mused. "In other words, at least one other person was in the rec room before and after the incident."

"So then… does that mean that the other person was hiding in the locker the entire meeting?" Sayaka realized, remembering the hand-prints.

"Exactly." Kyoko nodded in confirmation. "And I think at least some of us can guess as to who was hiding."

In a completely unrelated note, Toko felt her stomach starting to drop, having an idea as to who the person was.

"I don't think there's any question about that." Kyoko said in agreement.

"Th-Then… who was it?" Hina asked.

"If they went to the trouble of hiding the magazine…" Kyoko mused. "They must not have liked what was written on it."

'Someone who wouldn't like what had been written. There's only one choice…' Makoto thought with some confidence. "It had to be Toko, right?"

"Wh-?" Toko flinched at the mention of her name.

"What?" The writer squeaked just like her counterpart.

"Looks like the pieces are slowly coming together." Celeste stated. "And my hypothesis is looking more and more correct."

"H-H-Hold it! This d-doesn't mean-"

"Quit it with your denial." Byakuya cut off uncaringly. "It's clear that Sakura was attacked more than once, and it's clear that you were hiding throughout the entire meeting. No point in wasting time by denying reality."

Like an obedient puppy, Toko stayed silent. But it was clear by her shaking that she's not liking the outcome that's coming.

"Who else would want to hide the magazine other than the person whose name was written on it?" Makoto pointed out.

"Is he right, Toko?" Hina questioned the girl, eyes narrowed at her now. "Did you really go to the rec room…?"

"Wh-Why would I have…? Wait, b-but more important…!" Toko spoke in protest. "That doesn't even m-matter! We already know who d-did it, right?! Hiro just a-admitted it!"

"Does she really think that would work?" Leon remarked. "The fact that she tried to deflect attention to Hiro made her look even more suspicious."

"True enough." Taka nodded in agreement. "Avoiding the question itself is not a sign of innocence."

"That's right. I killed her." Hiro sighed guilty.

Makoto, however, disagreed. "No, you didn't."

"Wh-Who asked you?!" Toko hissed.

"Um, you did? Just now?" Junko pointed out, tilting her head 'innocently'.

"And w-who asked you?!"

"Again, you." The fashionista continued her little fun. "Maybe not to me directly, but still…"

"Argh!"

Makoto couldn't help but sweat-drop at this. 'Aren't we… a tad too relaxed about this?' He couldn't help but think.

"I don't doubt Hiro attacked Sakura with the bottle." Makoto revised his statement some. "But that's not where this case ends."

"What do you mean…?" Hina asked in confusion.

"What he means is that Hiro isn't the killer." Kyoko stated confidently.

"Does that mean… I won't be executed?" Hiro repeated again.

With another sigh, Makoto decided to appease the fortune teller. "No, Hiro; you're not gonna get executed." In all honesty, while his words are a tad insensitive, he can't really blame the guy for the relief. The lucky student knows that he wouldn't want to see his own death or execution.

And uncaring as to who's watching, Hiro sagged in his seat in his relief; relief from guilt and fear.

"You can't be s-serious! That's just… I don't b-believe it!" Toko protested.

Kyoko, however, redirected her focus towards Hiro. "Hiro, tell us what happened one more time." Kyoko requested. "If we go through it once more, it should become clear he's not Sakura's killer."

"Um, so… what do you want me to do?" Hiro asked nervously.

"Just tell us what happened one more time, when you attacked Sakura." The lavender haired girl answered.

Uncertain to where this would go, Hiro merely shrugged in acceptance. "I don't really see why, but… okay!"

"You know, the more this trial goes on, the easier it is to figure out what happened." Sayaka mused, only talking loud enough for her couch-mates to hear her.

"Really?" Leon asked, raising an eyebrow. "How do you figure?"

"Well, it's clear how Sakura gained the first head wound." The idol pointed out. "And it's obvious at this point that Toko was the second one to attack her, probably near the magazine shelf where the puddle of blood is at."

Both Makoto and Kyoko nodded in agreement to this, both having made those same connections. "And since Sakura wasn't near the magazine shelf when she actually died, that means she must've died from poison after she got back from her seat." Sayaka continued. "Not terribly obvious looking back, but with the testimony from Hiro, it's more clear as to what happened."

"Huh. I guess so, yeah." Leon replied with a shrug. "So if Hiro or Toko wasn't the one to kill Sakura, does that mean Byakuya was the one to trick her into drinking poison?"

This time Makoto spoke up. "I'm not exactly sure. While he's probably the most likely option at this point… it still doesn't seem right." The lucky student stated, frowning in thought. "I mean, how would he be able to do so? While Sakura wants to patch things up with him, Hiro, and Toko, I don't think she trusts him enough to accept anything he offers." While she isn't as closed off as Kyoko, she isn't as 'foolishly open' like he was.

"Well, who else could it be?" Leon pointed out. "You're obviously out of the suspect list, same with Hina; and I don't see Kyoko doing something like this. The only possibility is Togami, isn't it?"

'I wouldn't be so sure. The actual answer will likely surprise you.' Kyoko thought to herself. Like her future self, she wants her classmate to come to conclusions themselves, so it would be an answer they can accept. So like the previous times, she stayed silent about the true culprit.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 81: Watching Chapter 4: All Star Apologies Part 14

Once again, non-stop debate started up, with Hiro being the one to speak. "I didn't want to, but… I did it," he said sadly, "I grabbed a Monokuma Bottle from the shelf nearby… and I hit her from behind before she could do anything!"

"You hit her from behind…" Kyoko repeated, "And you only hit her once, is that right?"

"Yeah, just once…" Hiro nodded.

'No, that's wrong!' The bullet was shot as Makoto spoke up. "If Sakura died from Hiro's single blow, that doesn't explain why she had two head wounds."

"Huh?" Hiro voiced in confusion, "Two…?"

"Now the two head wounds are being brought into focus…"

Kyoko nodded. "Both the location of the dying message, as well as the two head wounds, prove that Hiro didn't do it," she stated confidently.

"That's right," Kyoko confirmed, "She had two separate head wounds on her head."

"And remember, this girl examines dead bodies as a hobby," Byakuya added, "Personally, I'm inclined to believe her."

And, of course, the mentioned detective looked unamused at Byakuya's statement. "And I suppose you know another way to investigate murders, Byakuya?"

"My other self has no knowledge of your profession, Kyoko," The Togami heir retorted, "Pardon me for noticing an odd detail about you, with little to no context behind it."

"But… I only hit her once. How could she have two wounds?" Hiro questioned.

"Two wounds means she was struck twice," Kyoko stated, "What's more, both attacks must have come from a Monokuma bottle."

"H-Hold on! How can you know that j-just from some cuts on her head?" Toko spoke up in protest, "She was a-attacked twice? With two M-Monokuma bottles?"

"It's not just because of her head wounds. It's also because of the Monokuma bottles themselves," Kyoko explained further, "There's something very suspicious about those bottles… Once you understand that point, you'll understand why two separate Monokuma bottles must have been used."

A flashback of the bottles was then shown. "Think back… after the incident. There were 4 Monokuma bottles left on the shelf, right?" The broken bottle was shown next. "And we found pieces of a bottle on the ground, along with the chess piece it had inside."

"That was the bottle Hiro hit with Sakura, right?" Makoto asked rhetorically.

The screen then went back to the trial room. "For now, just note that there were four intact bottles, and one broken bottle," Kyoko advised, "But originally, there were six bottles in total. Meaning one has gone missing."

"But h-how can you know for sure there were s-six bottles…?" Toko questioned.

"That's easy," Kyoko stated confidently, "If you look at what the bottles all have in common, it should become clear."

'The correlation between the Monokuma bottles…' Makoto mused to himself, the camera angling to the luckster's side. The side of the body then turned black, and flashbacks of the bottle were shown. 'Each Monokuma bottle had a piece for some sort of the game… and the game in question…'

"That's it! The chess pieces!" Makoto exclaimed confidently, "Inside each bottle there was a Monokuma figure holding a different chess piece."

"King, rook, bishop, pawn… I definitely remember seeing each of those," Byakuya listed off.

"And the piece that was inside the broken bottle we found was the knight, if I remember," Makoto added.

"So? What's that m-matter?" Toko questioned, seemingly waving off the evidence.

"Does Miss Fukawa truly not know about chess?" Hifumi inquired, tilting his head, "Or is she merely playing ignorant?"

"I'm surprised you knew about chess," Leon retorted, "Thought you would stick to videogames."

"My interest can lean into varying board games," Hifumi stated, pushing his glasses up, "Besides, chess is a popular symbol in anime, especially those involving war and tactics."

"I guess you don't know too much about chess, do you? Then let me explain…" Kyoko offered, "In chess, there are six different pieces - the king, the queen, the rook, knight, bishop, and pawn. What was left intact at the crime scene were the king, rook, bishop, and pawn… just those four. And on the ground was the knight."

"...Oh! So the queen is missing!" Hina realized.

"So we only have evidence for five bottles at the scene, while one apparently went missing," Makoto summarized.

"What does ch-chess have to do with anything?!" Toko protested.

"Yeah! Shogi is way better!" Hiro spoke right after. (And cue facepalms and groans.)

"Yeah …Wait, n-no! That's not what I mean!" Toko grumbled in annoyance, "So, let's say a b-bottle did go missing… there's still no evidence that h-has anything to do w-with this case! That bottle c-could have disappeared anytime b-before the murder!"

"A monokuma bottle just so happens to disappear just before this very case?" Celeste summarized with a raised eyebrow, "Possible. But unlikely."

"A good thing that this flimsy argument will be shut down quickly," Byakuya surmised.

"No, it's clear that the missing bottle is connected to this case," Kyoko stated confidently.

"H-How is it clear?!" Toko exclaimed angrily.

"Because there was evidence at the scene that supports it," Makoto then spoke up.

"Huh?" Hina said in confusion.

"That's right," Makoto continued, "We found evidence that shows there was more than just one broken bottle at the scene."

"A-And what is this e-evidence?!"

"Earlier, Kyoko and I did a little experiment," The luckster began explaining, "We compared the weight of the broken bottle pieces at the scene to one of the unbroken bottles. And what we found was that the collection of pieces was heavier. And the reason for that is there was more than one bottle's worth of shattered glass."

"Wh-?!" Toko's eyes widened in alarm at that.

'Soooo duuuullll…' Junko whined pathetically, 'Get to the more interesting parts already~!'

"It's almost laughable how quick it is to reveal Hiro's and Toko's part in this…" Byakuya groaned, resisting the urge to bang his head on the couch, "They can at least have the decency to lie better…"

"M-Master!" Toko cried out, "I-It isn't my fault that I got f-figured out quickly! B-Besides, at least I d-didn't put my foot in m-my mouth…!"

"I wasn't even planning to murder, so don't fault me for it!" Hiro protested.

"Um, you guys realize you're talking about hiding Sakura's murder better, right…?" Chihiro reminded them meekly.

That got Hiro and Toko to shut up, especially when they saw the dark glare coming from Hina.

'They can still have the decency to put up a better defense…' The Togami heir snarked to himself. But he had enough decency not to continue this, especially with how volatile the Ultimate Swimmer currently is.

"So, from this, we can surmise that two bottles were actually broken at the scene of the crime," Kyoko concluded, "But someone did their best to clean up the pieces of one of the bottles, along with the figure inside. But when they did, they must have left behind a few too many pieces. Which is only natural. They certainly had no way to measure the exact right number of pieces to remove."

"But… why would they have to try and get rid of it like that, anyway?" Hina questioned.

"Because of what it would reveal about the case…" Makoto answered, "The bottle that was removed from the scene was used the second time Sakura was attacked."

"The second wound on Sakura's head came from that second bottle," Kyoko continued, "Given all the evidence, this is the only possible conclusion."

"The killer wanted to make it look like there was only one attack, so they had to get rid of their evidence," Makoto spoke right after.

"From there, we can conclude that it wasn't Hiro who delivered that second blow," Kyoko finished, "Wouldn't you agree, Toko?"

"Wh-?!" The writer looked more and more fearful of their deductions.

"Damn," Leon couldn't help but whistle at this, "Gotta admit, the two of you really look like a deadly pair, Makoto, Kyoko."

"Indeed. The two of you have developed quite a natural level of teamwork," Hifumi analyzed, nodding in approval.

Of course, that got a blush from the lucky student. "I-I wouldn't go that far," he protested, "Kyoko's is doing most of the work. I'm just backing her up."

"C'mon now, don't be so modest Makoto," Sayaka scolded him, pinching his cheeks with a pout, "You and Kyoko are clearly working well as a team."

"And you're helping out just as much," Chihiro added softly, "Where Kyoko is looking for the clues no one else would think to look, you're talking to the others and gathering their accounts, even inadvertently finding clues in the process."

"And as mentioned before, the fact that you're capable of keeping up with Kyoko's thinking is remarkable enough," Mukuro put in her own two cents, "You even add your own observations whenever needed."

"So, like Leon said: The two of you make a deadly team," Mondo finished up with a smirk.

The response from the lucky student? To turn beet red from embarrassment, something that brought chuckles and giggles from his friends.

"And there's the matter of the magazine. You must have been in the rec room when the incident took place," Kyoko added.

"W-W-W-Wait!" Toko interrupted frantically, "I admit, maybe there was a s-second attack, but… but there's n-no evidence I had anything t-to do with it!"

"No way! You killed her, I'm sure of it!" Hiro quickly accused her.

"Sh-Shut up!" the writer retorted, "Until two seconds ago, y-you were claiming you k-killed her!"

"I'm not afraid to admit when I'm wrong! That's just the kinda guy I am!" Hiro stated confidently.

That earned snorts from the students. "It probably helps that it means that you won't get executed, right?" Leon remarked dryly.

Hiro could only laugh awkwardly, unable to deny the claim.

"Plus, I just remembered something that proves it!"

"Okay, fine, let's hear it…" Byakuya sighed.

"It was right after I got Ogre's note…" Hiro began retelling. "I was kinda nervous about it, so I went to the rec room early. Y'know, to stake it out or whatever. So I was waitin' there, and that's when I saw her… I saw Toko go into the rec room!"

'You did…?' Makoto thought with some surprise.

"Pretty soon, Ogre showed up and she went into the rec room!" Hiro continued, "I assumed Toko was still in there, so I figured everything would be okay. That's why I headed in. But when I got inside, Ogre was all alone! Toko had disappeared!"

"He's only bringing this up now…?" several students voiced in disbelief.

"Why didn't he mention it before?" Mukuro asked, befuddled, "It would've helped his case, if only to throw off suspicion from him."

"Yeah, why didn't I?" Hiro also voiced his confusion.

"And you just now decided to share that with us…?" Byakuya asked incredulously.

"After the shock of thinking I'd killed someone, I forgot all about it!" Hiro replied honestly.

"Could someone tighten the screws on his brain? I think they've come loose…" the heir stated with irritation.

And no one disagreed with him, judging by the palms that were meeting faces once more, with some even having the urge to bang their head on something. "Moron…" Celeste growled, her accent slipping.

"Honestly? We shouldn't be surprised…" Leon deadpanned.

"I'm thinking that the so-called brain is being held by glue, duck-tape, and that patch of hair of his…" Junko offered her own thoughts.

The fortune teller could only hang his head in shame. "Some friends I have…" he couldn't help but mutter.

"Well, on a brighter note, this'll explain the hand-prints in the locker." Sayaka sighed, "Toko must've been hiding there during Hiro and Sakura's interaction…"

"So, Toko! Where the heck did you disappear to?!" Hiro questioned fiercely, ignoring Byakuya's comment.

"You d-don't know what you're talking about." Toko continued her denial, "I never went to the r-rec room!"

That's when Kyoko spoke up once more. "I'm sure she didn't disappear, but maybe she found somewhere to hide…"

"What?!" Toko gasped fearfully, "Hiding i-in the rec room? Don't be r-r-ridiculous! Wh-Wh-Wh-Why are you all ganging up on me! You're all nothing but v-v-vermin!"

"You know, I don't know why, but Toko's attempt at denial just seems… pitiful." Junko mused, tilting her head, "All she's doing is just denying everything…"

"W-Well, what else should f-future me do?" Toko spoke up in slight defense for herself, "Just g-go and a-admit everything she did?"

"Maybe not. But you could come up with something better than just denying everything."

'No, it's not ridiculous at all,' Makoto thought to himself, 'I need proof that shows Toko was hiding in the rec room. And I have it. She left it there for anyone to find…!'

"Did you know someone left a handprint behind on the inside of the locker?" Makoto rhetorically asked, "They must have been hiding in there and put their hand on the wall without thinking. Does this handprint look familiar, Toko?"

"N-No, it doesn't!" Toko denied.

"Okay then, let's just compare it to your hand, shall we?" Kyoko suggested to her, using her handbook to show the enlarged handprints, "That'll clear everything up, right?"

That got a few blinking. "You can do that?" Leon couldn't help but ask.

"That… doesn't sound like that would gain an exact measurement." Taka said unsurely.

Kyoko shrugged. "Our hands are different enough where I can get at least a semi-accurate comparison."

Toko was silent at first. Then… "KYAAAAAAAAH!"

"This is getting ridiculous…" Byakuya groaned, "She better stop wasting time and confess already."

"I admit, I would like this over with as well," Celeste said in agreement, "Having already guessed the actual killing blow makes this entire thing far more tedious…"

Of course, Toko took that as well as anyone expected she would. "I-I'm sorry, Master!" she cried out shamefully, "I'm sure she'll confess soon!"

"Stop wasting my time," Byakuya all but demanded, "Just tell us the truth."

"...Okay. It's my handprints," Toko finally sighed in defeat.

"Dang, she just straight up admitted it!" Hiro noted with surprise.

"...Hold a minute, you're saying we could've had her confessing if Togami told her to?" Mondo questioned incredulously, "Why the hell no one suggested doing that?"

Everyone stood silent as they processed what Mondo asked. "...Guess we just needed to figure out for sure if there was a second attacker," was the only thing Makoto could say, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Then you killed Sakura!" Hina accused.

"N-No!" Toko quickly denied, "I swear, there's no w-way!"

"Out with it," Byakuya ordered.

"I… I p-probably did kill her," the writer was now quick to admit.

"Straight-up again!" Hiro exclaimed in shock.

"Honestly? I'm more surprised she put up a fight in the first place if she was just going to confess on Byakuya's say-so," Leon deadpanned, "Seriously, didn't she realize that Byakuya would die if she was blackened, and she managed to fool everyone?"

Judging by the horrified look on her face, the present Toko at least didn't consider that scenario.

"Judging by how she said 'she probably killed her,' I'm guessing the attack wasn't intentional," Celeste mused, eyes narrowed, "So she was in a panic, and didn't consider that scenario."

"Wait… what do you mean, 'probably'?" Hina questioned, catching that part of her admittance.

"Give us the details, Toko," Kyoko requested, "What happened between you and Sakura?"

"..." At first, the writer was silent. But then…

"Talk," Byakuya ordered coldly, "Now."

"After I read S-Sakura's note… I decided to go there early. So I w-went into the rec room…" Toko began confessing once more, "I didn't know wh-what she might do if I didn't g-go, but I was too scared to f-face her head on. So, I f-figured I'd just sneak in first, and h-hide in the locker…"

"Hmph. A smarter plan than just Hiro following the letter exactly…" Byakuya snarked. The back-handed compliment, of course, had Toko perk up happily.

Hiro, of course, wasn't happy. "Hey! I didn't just go in there without hesitation!" he protested, "Like future me said, I scoped it and saw Toko go in! That's why I thought it was safe!"

Hina, meanwhile, felt her fists clenched and shaking in anger. 'How little did they trust her? Why did they think she was such a threat?' the swimmer cried out in her mind.

"Then… did you see what happened?" Hiro asked hesitantly, "Did you see me hit her?"

"Yes. And I s-saw you write my name," Toko hissed hatefully, "I saw you f-forge her dying message!"

"Well… that's awkward," Hiro could only let out an uncomfortable chuckle.

That earned a few snorts from the group. "You'd better be glad you weren't the culprit, Hiro," Junko said dryly, "If you were, you would've been exposed right then and there."

"Yeah… I gather that…" Hiro replied meekly, shivering a little at the thought.

"So after he left, I j-jumped out of the locker… and p-put the magazine back on the sh-shelf," Toko continued.

"But when you did, you put it back upside down," Makoto pointed out.

I didn't mean to… I was in a h-hurry!" the writer defended herself slightly.

"Imbeciles, all of you," Byakuya scoffed distastefully.

"Forget all that. Why did you attack Sakura…?" Hina questioned fiercely.

"A-After I put the magazine back, I heard a s-sound behind me, like a - like a monster g-growling…" Toko revealed.

Having an idea about what's to come, Makoto turned towards Toko. "Uh, you might want to cover your eyes again, Toko…"

The writing prodigy didn't hesitate to take the suggestion, already figuring what's about to come.

"And when I t-turned around…" The scene turned black before a flash of blue appeared, before revealing a bloody Sakura with glowing blue eyes. "...there was S-Sakura, covered in b-blood… and staring r-right at me!"

The sight of a bloody Sakura caused Hina to go pale, whimpering, "S-Sakura…"

The martial artist herself merely grimaced, the sight of her injured being slightly disconcerting.

Others also grimaced, covered their mouths, or gritted their teeth at the sight of Sakura's first injury. Hiro, in particular, felt a strong pang of guilt at the sight of his future self's action…

"Ah. So that's why she said 'probably,'" Celeste said in realization, "Looks like we're going to be seeing Genocide Jack once again."

Suffice to say, Toko was surprised. 'It was.. her? But why?!' she asked herself. 'I thought you only kill boys! Why did you go after Sakura?!'

The scene then went back to the trial, with a clearly shaken Toko still talking. "When I saw all that b-blood, I fainted… right there in f-front of the magazines. I don't remember what h-happened after that. If you want to know m-more, you'll have to ask… her."

'Her?' Makoto repeated in his head, surprised, 'You mean…'

"Achoo!"

And, in an instant, Genocide Jack was there. "Ha-ha! Guess who's back!"

"It WAS your fault, after all!" Hiro cried out.

"My fault, Master's fault! When our faults combine, they soar to even greater heights!" was Jill's nonchalant reply.

"Just answer the question. Did you kill Sakura?" Byakuya asked her.

"Well, to be honest, Miss Morose and I don't actually share our memories! So I can't really say what was going on," Jill revealed with a shrug, "But I was just minding my own business, sleeping peacefully, when someone shook me awake! Was it a prince paying me a visit, I wondered. So I opened my eyes to see…"

Once again, an image of the bloody Sakura was shown. "...splatter everywhere! I was not prepared for that! And, well… I guess it took me by surprise!"

The screen switched back to the trial room once more, with Jill continuing her side of the story. "I got so startled, I smacked her with the first thing I could find. Which I guess was a bottle!"

And of course, Hina could not stay silent at this. "That scissor-happy maniac!" she shouted furiously, "Sakura was just worried about it, and she just…!"

"Poor Sakura…" Sayaka sighed, looking down sadly.

"Damn," was all Mondo could say, "You've really been through a lot of punishment, huh…?"

The words were aimed at Sakura herself, of course, and the martial artist could not disagree with those words. 'But it was what I have brought upon myself…' she thought, unable to think none of this was undeserving.

'So it was completely accidental...' That makes a lot more sense to Toko. However, the fact that Jack harmed somebody, accident or no, caused a very familiar churn in her stomach.

"Sakura was just worried about you, and you…! You're terrible!" Hina cried out angrily.

"No, SHE'S terrible!" Jill accused back, "Thanks to her, I murdered someone who wasn't an adorable boy for the first time ever!"

"And when it was all over, you collected the pieces of the bottle to get rid of the evidence, didn't you?" Kyoko summarized.

"I wasn't about to die for some woman!" Jill stated, "If I'm gonna go down, I want it to be for killing Master!"

The look across Byakuya's face clearly tells how he felt about that. "I said it before, and I'll say it again: as if I'll let those scissors get anywhere near me. She can go die a meaningless death alone."

"D-Don't worry, Master! I won't let J-Jack get n-near you with those scissors!" Toko attempted to assure her crush.

"On another note, how did Jill manage to pull a hit off anyway?" Leon inquired, raising an eyebrow, "A direct attack like that is something Sakura should've dodged with no trouble."

"Probably because of the attack from Hiro," Mukuro answered, "Despite her strength and skills, she wouldn't have been able to recover from a blow to the head so quickly. Thus, her reaction would have shrunk significantly."

"True enough," Sakura stated, making no disagreements. She's strong, but not invincible, something she had long ago accepted.

Meanwhile, Hiro couldn't help but shrink a little at this while Hina was practically vibrating with fury.

"Just go away and die your meaningless death alone," Byakuya snapped at her, "Don't drag me into it."

"But I just can't catch a break, ya know? Fate's got it out for me!" Jill remarked, "Cuz normally, Sakura should've been able to dodge my attack no problem!"

"Even as strong as she is, she must have still been reeling from Hiro's attack," Kyoko answered.

"Hey, come on. That's, y'know…" Hiro replied somewhat sheepishly, "But anyway, I'm not the one that killed Ogre! So that's good!"

'Oh no…' Was several students' thoughts, as Hina slowly turned towards the fortune teller. Said fortune teller shrunk further into his seat, realizing quickly that his future self had screwed up.

"That's… good?" Hina spat, loathing clear in just her two words.

"...Future me?" Hiro managed to squeak out.

But Hina wasn't having it. "You thoughtless, cowardly, pathetic excuse of-!" she started, but then bit back, trying to rein in her anger somewhat, "You assaulted Sakura, caused her to get struck twice, and that's all you have to say?! That it's good that you weren't the one to kill her?!"

Hiro couldn't really come up with a good defense for that, and he knew that trying to do so would just put his foot into his mouth even further, being self-aware for once, so he kept quiet.

HIna looked as if she wanted to rip into him further, but a strong hand on her shoulder, along with a silent look from Sakura, kept her from continuing. Only heavy, angry breaths left her mouth.

'"So that's good"?' Makoto thought in exasperation and disbelief, 'Keep talking like that and Hina's gonna-'

"Well then, that's that!" Hina declared. "Let's start the vote!"

It took a moment for the students to process what was said. "Wait… she's not saying anything to Hiro?" Sayaka inquired, confused.

"Wouldn't she have a few words to say to him about that?" Leon blinked, a tad befuddled.

Hina herself was found confused at this, her anger simmering down some more.

'Huh?' The statement caught the luckster by surprise. 'I thought for sure you'd have some words for Hiro on that one…'

"That's what we're thinking," Mondo voiced in agreement, scratching the back of his head, "So why the hell isn't she saying anything?"

"Perhaps she's just eager to get into the voting?" Hifumi suggested.

'Maybe… but I don't know. Still doesn't seem right,' Makoto thought, a frown marred across his face, 'I know Hina well enough that she wouldn't overlook a comment like that. Even if she's focused on bringing the killer to justice, she's not just gonna turn away from anyone else who hurt Sakura.'

Kyoko also found herself befuddled at this behavior. 'This doesn't seem like natural behavior for Hina,' she mused, holding her chin in thought, 'Even accounting for her desire for justice wouldn't explain this. Is… is she trying to rush this?'

Byakuya, however, didn't seem confused or surprised by this. 'The fact that she's trying to rush this… it's all the more proving my theory. There's no other explanation why she would be so eager to start the voting.'

"What's wrong?" Hina looked at the group in confusion. "Come on, everyone! We're ready to vote, right? Let's do this!"

'Hina… this doesn't seem like you.' And of course, Sakura picked up this unnatural behavior. From the start, the martial artist understood her friend's grief and righteous anger. It's why she didn't constantly rebuke or stop Hina from showing it, only speaking when it started going too far. Despite feeling anguish over her friend's emotional state, as Hina has pointed out, would she not feel the same if the situation were reversed?

Now, however… this doesn't feel right. And thinking about it, Hina has been pushing to vote as soon as anyone confessed to killing her. Just… what is causing this rush to start voting?

'That's… it? You don't plan on saying anything to either of them?' Hina thought, clearly confused by her future self's behavior, 'Are you planning to after the trial? But why wait? Come on future me, let them have it!'

Angry as she is, even the Ultimate Swimmer noticed how off… her future self is behaving.

"No, not quite yet…" Byakuya spoke up.

'Huh?!' both Leon and Sayaka thought in shock, unprepared for Byakuya to speak up.

"Huh?" Hina was taken off guard by that. "Not yet? Why not yet?"

"Don't you think there was something odd about Toko's story?" Byakuya asked rhetorically, "I mean, you had to have noticed…"

"Wait, why's Byakuya the one speaking up?" Leon whispered to his couch mates, "If there was a third attacker, shouldn't he be it? So why would he point out any oddities?"

"Yeah, that's… strange," Sayaka agreed, frowning, "If anything, he would want to let Hina rush the voting, rather than continue and risk getting himself exposed."

Makoto furrowed his eyebrows even further. 'This… is looking even stranger.' He turned towards Kyoko. "Any thoughts on this, Kyoko?"

"...You'll just need to continue watching," was all the detective could say. "The more this mystery is unraveled, the more sense this all will make."

"Odd? Huh?" Hiro spoke in clear confusion.

"Hiro's attack, and then Toko's… but that still wasn't the end of it," the Togami heir declared.

'It wasn't…?' Makoto thought in surprise.

"Hold up, hold up, something's off here," Mondo interjected, shaking his head in confusion, "It wasn't Hiro, and it wasn't Toko. But Togami is the one pointing it out?"

"And why shouldn't I?" Byakuya questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Cause you, Toko, and Hiro are the only options out there!" Leon answered, as if it was obvious, "One of you three has to be the one to have killed Sakura!"

"And if Toko wasn't the one to kill Sakura, then that means you killed her," Sayaka continued, "So why would you continue the trial, and risk getting yourself exposed?"

"The answer is obvious, isn't it? It means I'm likely not the culprit," the affluent progeny answered easily, "And like he said, this isn't the end of this trial."

"But who else could it be?" Taka countered, a confused frown across his own face, "While the previous trials have taught us the dangers of making quick conclusions, I don't see any other available avenues other than the three of you."

"That's because you're refusing to look," Byakuya stated coldly, "Continue watching this trial, and you'll see the other avenues."

"Tell your story one more time. Tell us what happened after you fainted," Byakuya ordered Jill, "Then even this gaggle of idiots should understand what I'm talking about."

"Your wish is my command, darling!" Jill exclaimed eagerly, ending with an air blown kiss.

Nonstop debate started up once again, with Jill being the first to speak. "I was just sleeping peacefully, and all of a sudden, Sakura was right in front of me!" she began retelling, "I remember waking up right in front of the magazine shelf!"

"And you were taken by surprise when you saw Ogre covered in blood…" Hiro continued, "So you smashed her head in with the Monokuma Bottle?!"

"You got it!" Jill confirmed, "I smashed her good!"

"And where did the attack take place?" Byakuya inquired.

"Right where I woke up!" the killer answered, "I killed her there in front of the shelf!"

'No, that's wrong!' The bullet was shot as Makoto spoke up. "We found Sakura sitting upright in a chair…" he pointed out, "If the blow by the shelf was the cause of death, there's no explanation why she was in that chair…"

"So there's proof that Toko/Jill wasn't the one to kill Sakura…" Sayaka said quietly. Slowly, a sinking feeling started to settle in her gut. "But then… who else could it have been?"

"But wait, couldn't Jack have picked up Sakura and moved her on the seat?" Hiro pointed out, "Just so it would look like only I attacked her!"

"You think the girl could lift that up?" Junko retorted, pointing at Sakura herself, "That's all muscle right there, while Toko is all bones!"

"I-I'm not all bones!" Toko cried out indignantly, "B-But yeah, I w-wouldn't be able to carry Sakura."

"So, you finally noticed," Byakuya said in a slightly mocking tone.

"That's just another lie from a bloodthirsty serial killer!" Hina argued.

"Are you sure you didn't attack her while she was sitting in the chair?" Hiro questioned Genocide Jack.

"No, I'm sure she's telling the truth," Byakuya answered instead, "Anyone who saw the murder scene should think the same way."

"Sakura was definitely attacked in front of the shelf," Makoto spoke in agreement, "The bloodstain by the magazines is proof of that."

"Then she must have moved the body after she killed her, right?" Hiro suggested, "All to make it look like I did it! Cuz when I hit her, she was sitting in the chair!"

"Hey, come on now. Look at me. I can't carry anything heavier than my own scissors!" Jill pointed out, "There's no way I could move a muscle-bound heavyweight like that!"

"Then… then what's the deal?" Hiro questioned confusingly.

"Well? Are you convinced the case has come to an end?" Byakuya asked rhetorically.

"For once, I agree with Hiro: what's the deal here?" Leon questioned with a confused glare, "Even with everything we figured out, this trial is still confusing."

"Just what are we missing…?" Taka murmured loudly. Byakuya's words, in particular, were stuck in his mind. "Just what are we missing here?"

"Maybe… maybe Togami is just trying to lead them to a wrong conclusion?" Mondo suggested, his brows creasing together, "Trying to act all helpful and shit, and put out false evidence?"

While some of the students seemed to be considering that, Byakuya merely rolled his eyes. They're adamant that he, Hiro, or Toko would be the only options are they?

"B-But…!" Hina still spoke up in protest.

"Plus, the biggest mystery of all - the locked room - still has yet to be explained," Kyoko added, "Until we take care of that, we can't say this case has been properly settled."

"Oh, that's party easy!" Hina stated confidently, "After she killed Sakura, Toko just hid in the locker again!"

"Huh!" Hiro seemed to accept that answer. "So she just hid in there till everyone showed up and opened the door?! And while everything was all confused and hectic, she just snuck out of the locker into the group!"

"No, I don't think that's possible," Makoto denied, "Even before we opened the door to the rec room, Hina and I both got a look inside. And at that point, the locker was already open. So obviously Toko couldn't have been hiding in there."

"Hmm, could the killer hide anywhere else?" Hifumi suggested, "While it seems unlikely now that Miss Fukawa or Miss Jill had dealt the killing blow, staying out of sight is a possibility."

"Maybe, but doubtful," Kyoko offered up, shaking her head, "Unless Hina, Makoto, and I were hyper-focused on Sakura, there's no way any of us wouldn't have spotted them."

"But will solving the locked room murder really help anything?" Mukuro mused, "I don't see any clues from it that would point to the possible killer."

"True enough. But that doesn't mean it isn't important," the detective argued, "Until all the pieces are fitted together, nothing can be concluded. Overlooking one single thing can end our future selves' lives."

"Hrmm… okay then, where was she hiding?" Hiro mused.

"I dunno!" Jill shrugged. "What's this whole 'locked room' thing about, anyway?"

"How do you not know?! You killed her!" Hiro exclaimed incredulously.

"I think the fact that I don't know proves I DIDN'T kill her, thank you very much!" Jill retorted, smiling.

"Y-You're lying!" Hina accused her.

"No, she's not," Byakuya said confidently, "I've been saying all along, there's still more to this case."

Slowly, more and more students started noticing the odd behavior of the Ultimate Swimmer. 'Strange… she seemed to be strangely adamant that Genocide Jill is the killer…' Celeste mused to herself, 'Even for her thirst for vengeance, this seems particularly bull-headed, even for Hina.'

'While Hina isn't the most cool-headed person in the class, I've never seen her that stubborn about a culprit,' Sayaka thought in concern, 'There was no point in any trial where she THIS determined that someone was the killer. It kinda reminds me… of when Celeste was trying to…' That sinking feeling in her stomach grew even more.

'What's going on here?' Junko thought with interest, 'First the fact that she didn't chew out Hiro, now she pushed to deem Jill as the killer? This isn't usual behavior for our beloved swimmer…' Not even Sakura's death would explain these oddities. In fact, that only made them stranger.

"But if Genocide Jill didn't do it, that means Ogre didn't die from the shot to the head…" Hiro pointed out.

"And?" Byakuya pressed further.

"W-Well, I can't imagine what else could have killed her…" Hina retorted.

"That's because you're overlooking vital information," Byakuya stated.

"And now we're getting into the poison…" Byakuya declared, eyes narrowed, "The pieces are starting to slowly come together."

By now, most of the class was tense, all wondering what the results were going to be. Many had thought that the culprit would be between Hiro, Toko, and Byakuya. Now though… some felt uncertain and concerned.

'Hina… are you hiding something?' was Makoto's worried thought. By now, it was clear to the luckster that Hina's actions were becoming more and more suspicious. And thinking back, the oddities didn't start at the trial; it was when the swimmer LEFT the rec room to get the others.

The Hina he knew wouldn't leave Sakura's body for any reason.

So, if she's hiding something, what exactly was it? That's the question that settled uncomfortably in Makoto's mind, one that wasn't sure… that he wanted to know the answer to.

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 82: Watching Chapter 4: All Star Apologies Part 15

'Could we really be missing something so important…?' Makoto mused to himself, 'If there's another possibility, maybe it's…'

"According to the Monokuma file, Sakura had vomited blood," the lucky student spoke aloud, "I think we can assume there's a chance this was related to her cause of death. In fact, there was even a trace of blood left around her mouth."

"Well, I mean… maybe when she got hit with the bottles, she cut the inside of her mouth…" Hina argued.

"If that's all it was, the file wouldn't have specified 'vomited blood'," Kyoko pointed out, "Not to mention, I didn't find any cuts inside her mouth."

No one was surprised at this information at this point. "Seriously girl, is there any part of the body you won't check?" Junko remarked.

"If it's related to the crime? No," Kyoko answered easily, "In order to solve a case, you must examine every minor detail. Many times, you'll have to look in uncomfortable areas to find the truth."

"One of those places being in people's pants…" Leon said dryly. The detective ignored him.

"I still need to talk to her about that…" Sayaka muttered to herself.

"You even checked in there?!" Jill asked incredulously, "God, you really ARE into dead bodies!"

"No, I'm not 'into' dead bodies. What I'm 'into' is solving mysteries," the lavender-haired girl retorted.

"You know, I have to wonder…" Makoto spoke, looking at Kyoko curiously, "Do you think your future self will figure out that she's a detective? If she hasn't already, I mean."

"It's likely a guess in her mind," Kyoko mused, "But it will be among other guesses. There are other occupations and titles that would require some level of investigation skills, so I can't consider detective being the only option."

"And being the Ultimate Detective, at this point, would feel pretty cliché," Hifumi added. His comment earned a few weird looks, but no one said anything about it.

"But if there wasn't a cut or anything, then what made her vomit blood?" Hiro questioned.

"Some sort of reaction within her body. Most likely… Sakura was poisoned," the Togami heir concluded.

"Poisoned…?" Hiro repeated with some surprise.

"That's right! This is the conclusion I've arrived at, and so there can be no mistake," Byakuya stated arrogantly.

Of course, his declaration caused a lot of groans and eye rolls. "Really wish the asshole could be wrong for once…" Mondo grumbled bitterly.

"You're not the only one," Sayaka muttered, just as unhappy.

Toko, of course, was the opposite of everyone else. 'Master is so dreamy…' she thought, smiling dreamily.

"Ahh! You're making me go all weak in the knees!" Jill moaned, wrapping her arms around herself.

"She was poisoned…? It isn't possible!" Hina denied.

"Is it really so hard to believe?" Byakuya rhetorically asked, "Then let me explain exactly how the culprit was able to poison her."

"You can… explain it?" Hina asked with some disbelief.

"Okay, I have to ask: what's up with Hina?" Junko questioned, getting the attention of the others, "She's been acting really weird in this trial."

"I… noticed it as well," Sayaka agreed, frowning worriedly, "Hina doesn't seem like herself here."

"Well, this is a trial about the murder of Sakura. Wouldn't it be natural that she isn't really herself?" Taka pointed out.

But Sayaka shook her head. "Even with that detail, she seems to be acting strangely," she argued, "This doesn't feel like it's just being upset from Sakura's death."

"I… also agree." Makoto turned towards the swimmer herself. "Hina, you noticed it too, didn't you; how strange your future self is acting?"

The girl in question held a look of unease, one that sprouted once her classmates pointed out her future self's oddities. "...Yeah."

"Why is she acting weird, though?" Chihiro asked the obvious question, looking pensive. "What's causing this behavior?"

Byakuya sighed. "No point speculating on this," he stated bluntly, "It'll likely be revealed in the viewing, so let's continue this rather than give a half-baked hypothesis."

While several did not take kindly to the wording (as well as who said it), they all saw Byakuya's point. So, eyes moved back towards the screen, albeit with a few guts twisting in dread.

"Of course," Byakuya nodded, "If you don't mind…"

"Everyone, quiet!" Jill ordered viciously, "Shut up and listen to Master!"

"But you're the only one talking…" Hiro pointed out.

Ignoring the two, Byakuya continued. "The key to unlocking this mystery was hiding in the chem lab, up on the 4th floor."

"Huh?! Not in the rec room?!" Hiro gasped in shock, "Then I could've found it all along!"

Despite previous unease, that earned a few snorts. "When the fool gave up on the search the moment he got barred from the room?" Celeste remarked dryly, "Not likely."

"Not to mention thinking he was the one that killed Sakura…" Leon added his own remark, "No way he would think to look for evidence while thinking that."

Hiro could only chuckle sheepishly for his future self. "Yeah… true…"

"You never would have, since you gave up on the search the moment you were barred from the crime scene," Byakuya rebuked.

"Well… yeah, good point…" Hiro conceded sheepishly.

"There's a big shelving unit in the chem lab that houses a variety of mixtures and chemicals," the Togami heir continued on, "And that's where I found… this." He then lifted up a bottle labeled C-9.

A few eyebrows shot up at this. "One of the poisons from section C," Taka immediately deduced, "But why has that particular bottle taken Byakuya's notice?"

"Yeah, any one of those poisons could've killed Sakura," Mondo nodded in agreement, "No way Togami would have been able to pick which was used."

"Perhaps some of it was used up, and it took Mr. Togami's notice?" Hifumi offered.

Mukuro, however, shook her head. "If I remember correctly, that particular brand of poison isn't particularly strong," the soldier stated, "For it to have a fatal effect, especially for someone of Sakura's stature, a whole bottle would've had to have been drunk up."

"So why did Byakuya grab that bottle?" Sayaka asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

The Togami heir himself had his eyes narrowed at the screen. Why indeed.

"I-Is that… the poison?!" Hiro exclaimed nervously.

"It's not an especially powerful poison, but it'll still kill you if you drink an entire bottle," Byakuya explained, "But the specific properties don't matter. What does matter, is where I found it."

"Where you… found it?" Hiro repeated, scratching his head in confusion, "Wasn't it in section C with all the other poisons?"

Byakuya's eyes lit up, as did some of the other students'. "Perhaps not," he stated, "Perhaps it was somewhere else."

"Where'd you find it…?" Hiro inquired.

"The shelf is divided up into three sections - A, B, and C," Byakuya continued further, "In section A, dietary supplements; in B, reagents; and in C… a variety of lethal chemicals."

"But the poison was actually in section A, wasn't it?" Makoto then spoke up, a flashback of him looking through the chem shelf.

Now the whole class saw why Byakuya took notice of that bottle. "So, the killer has gotten sloppy, and misplaced the poisonous bottle…" Celeste mused, "Must've been in a hurry."

"But didn't Mukuro say that an entire bottle is needed to kill someone?" Sayaka pointed out, "How can there be a full bottle left to be misplaced?"

"That's… a good question," Chihiro voiced in agreement, looking thoughtful.

"Huh?" Hiro looked confused at the revelation, "But you just said that section A was for supplements or whatever…"

"Strange, isn't it? Why would there be a bottle of poison mixed in with all those nutritional additives?" Byakuya rhetorically asked.

"Yeah, so… why?" the fortune teller asked, still confused.

"Because the culprit switched it out, that's why," Byakuya finally answered.

"W-What do you mean?" Hina hesitantly asked.

"I mean… this." And, in front of the whole room… Byakuya drank the bottle of poison.

Eyes widened in disbelief as they witnessed the future Byakuya drink the poison… and that was soon followed by equally incredulous exclamations.

"What's Byakuya-?"

"Is he actually drinking-?!"

"What the actual fu-?!"

"Master!"

None of the shocked students were quiet about what the Togami heir was doing. Even the heir himself found himself taken aback by his future self's action… before realization quickly hit him.

"I couldn't believe my eyes…" Narrator Makoto spoke, as the present Makoto stared in shock, "Byakuya put the bottle of poison to his lips and…"

"Huh? Master…!" Genocide Jill cried out.

"We were so shocked at what we were seeing, all we could do was stand there and watch." As the narrator spoke, the camera showed the shocked looks of the students' faces. "But as if it were the most natural thing in the world, Byakuya was as calm as ever…"

Finally, the Togami heir put the bottle down, a disgusted look across his face. "Ugh, that tastes awful."

"That's all you have to say after drinking poison?!" Leon exclaimed incredulously, "Just that it tastes awful?!"

"Has Togami lost his goddamn mind?!" Mondo spoke right after.

"He needs to spit it out!" Hiro cried out in panic, "Someone needs to get him to spit it out!"

"Don't die Maaasssterrr…!" Toko shouted in terror, sounding slightly deranged.

Before more panic could be expressed, Byakuya spoke up firmly. "Relax," he stated, "My future self is fine."

"Huh?" Was what several of the students voiced, their panic shifting to confusion.

"Oh no! Master's in real trouble!" Jill cried out in worry, "You have to drink some water! You can't just swallow powder; it'll stick to your throat!"

"Idiot! He just swallowed poison!" Hiro exclaimed back, "We need to make him spit it out!"

"The flavor makes me want to spit it out," Byakuya snorted, "What's so 'high quality' about this stuff…?"

As that statement confused the students some more, quite a few eyes started lighting up in realization. "Protein powder…" Makoto voiced out.

His words got the attention of the others. "Huh? Protein powder?" Sayaka asked in confusion, "Are you saying that bottle is actually protein?"

"It must be," Celeste said, supporting Makoto's words, "Recall Sakura and Hina talking about the high quality protein in the chem shelf. Do that, and Byakuya's statement makes much more sense in context."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" was Hiro's confused question.

"I'm talking about the protein, of course," Byakuya answered.

"Protein…?" Makoto voiced with some surprise.

"So, the bottle of poison… is actually protein?" Taka summarized with slight shock.

"Which would mean that rather than the bottles being switched from one shelf to the other… it was the content in those bottles," Mukuro said in musing, "Or at least, the labels of those bottles."

"But then… why was the bottle in Section A, rather than section C?" Sayaka asked with a confused frown, "Wouldn't it make more sense to move the bottle to ensure the disguise?"

"As I mentioned before, they must've been in a hurry," Celeste deduced, "And they may have assumed that no one would actually drink the bottle labeled as poison, or look through the shelf itself."

"Can I see that bottle for a second?" Kyoko requested.

"Ah, sure," the Togami heir shrugged, "Do whatever you like." With that, he passed along the bottle to the lavender-haired girl. As soon as she grabbed it, she scraped a bit of the content with one finger and placed it across her tongue.

"This is… it's protein powder," Kyoko stated, surprise evident in her voice.

"Huh?" was all the lucky student could say.

"Correct," Byakuya nodded in confirmation, "That wasn't poison in the bottle, but harmless protein powder. Which makes one wonder… the poison that should have been in that bottle… where did it go?"

'The bottle of "poison" was actually filled with protein powder,' Makoto thought to himself, the camera shifting the side. Once again, flashbacks were shown of both the chem lab and areas of the crime scene. 'Which would mean that conversely, the poison must have been in… could it be…?!'

"The poison… must have been poured into the protein can," the luckster voiced, "If the protein's in the poison bottle, it seems only logical to assume the reverse is true, right?"

Eyes lit up in remembrance as the protein can was brought up. "Oh yeah, there was a protein can laying around," Hiro voiced out, scratching the side of his head, "That means the killer tricked Sakura by giving her that drink?"

"Exactly," Byakuya confirmed, "Someone gave her the can filled with poison, and thinking it was a protein shake, she willfully drank the whole can."

"When you say that, it's easy to see how Sakura was poisoned," Makoto mused. However, there was a frown across his face. 'But again… would Sakura really accept the drink without question?'

Sakura held the very same question, judging by her own frown. While protein shakes are one of her favorite things, she's not obsessed to the point of disregarding logic or caution. To accept a drink like that, it would have to be from someone she trusts completely. Someone she knows wouldn't backstab her.

"Absolutely. The contents of each container were switched," Byakuya confirmed confidently, "So the protein was in the bottle of poison, and the poison was in the protein can… once you accept that, it becomes obvious how the culprit was able to get Sakura to drink the poison."

"Alright, now they've figured out how exactly Sakura was given the poison," Taka stated, watching with rapt attention, "Now all they need to do is figure out who the exact culprit is."

"But… who could've done it?" Chihiro asked softly, his face scrunched in thought, "Because from everything being gathered, all that has been discussed… there doesn't seem to be anyone that would be able to do so."

"You don't think Byakuya is the one?" Leon asked the programmer, raising an eyebrow.

Chihiro shook his head. "At this point, it wouldn't make sense," he explained, "Not only is he giving out this information, none of which seems false at the moment, but the scenario would've required the drink to be from someone she absolutely trusted. I don't think she would accept it from just anyone, even if she's one of the less distrusting survivors."

"I… would have to agree," Sakura herself spoke up, "While I'm not as guarded as Kyoko or Byakuya, I wouldn't do such things without any suspicion."

'But that's the thing; you do have someone you trust,' Byakuya thought to himself, 'Someone you have full confidence in that you would accept anything offered from her.'

"Holy crap!" Hiro gasped.

"All they had to do was hand her something there at the scene, and she was happy to drink the poison herself," Byakuya declared, "A protein drink which actually contained a deadly poison…"

"...What?!" Hina exclaimed incredulously.

"That's all it took to kill Sakura. That is the true cause of death!" the Togami heir concluded confidently.

'I wouldn't be too sure, Byakuya,' Kyoko thought to herself. Oh, for sure, she agrees that poison was the thing that killed Sakura; the how, however, was what she disagrees with.

'Although…' there were pieces of evidence that seemed to conflict with her deduction. The protein can on the floor, the footprints aimed towards Section A, the bottles and labels being switched out. All of these point to the idea that someone poisoned Sakura themselves. Almost as if-

'...Someone was deliberately falsifying the evidence. Trying to lead us to the wrong conclusion,' the detective realized. And, judging from everything gathered… there's only one person who could've possibly done all of that.

"Y'know… I do remember Ogre saying that protein stuff was good for all kinds of aches and pains!" Hiro brought up, "So maybe she took it to try and help with the whole bleeding-head-wound thing!"

"But what was offered to her instead was a bottle full of poison," Byakuya stated, "And I already know exactly who swapped the mixture!"

Once again, Byakuya took the class off guard.

"Seriously?!"

"He figured it out?"

"How?!"

"Who is it?!"

"Is he even telling the truth?"

As her classmates were throwing question after question, Junko had to fight an evil grin that was threatening to grow. 'So interesting!' the fashionista thought with glee, 'So many curve balls are being thrown here! Hina's odd behavior, conflicting evidence… such an interesting trial!'

"For real?!" Hiro exclaimed in shock, "Who was it?!"

"Evidence revealing who replaced the two materials was left in the chem lab for anyone to see," Byakuya told them all.

"The footprints left behind in front of the shelf…" Makoto was the one to reveal it. "That's the evidence you're talking about, isn't it?"

"I visited the chem lab this morning, and there were definitely no footprints there at that point," Byakuya explained, "They must have appeared around the time of the murder, which leaves no doubt that they're connected."

"Again, should we really trust him on his word?" Sayaka asked the group, "We said before that he could be lying, and like Mondo mentioned, he could be trying to put out false evidence."

"At this point, it's doubtful," Celeste refuted, "There's no way to create fake evidence like footprints with no access to other shoes. And, if it were his own footprints, why would he bring attention to them? No, it's best to conclude that he isn't lying."

"Then… who did it?" Hina demanded, confusion and frustration clear in her voice, "Is it Hiro, after all? Is it Toko? Who poisoned Sakura?!"

"I think we're about to find out," Mukuro said, eyes narrowed, "After all, with footprints, they can check each other's shoes and see which fits."

"What's more, the footprints were in front of section A, where I found the bottle meant for the poison. The culprit must have gone to section A to swap the poison and protein, leaving their footprints behind," Byakuya continued, "And given how clear the prints were, figuring out who they belong to will pose no problem. All we have to do is check everyone's footprints right now! Then we'll see who-"

Byakuya was interrupted by a soft, resigned sounding voice. "...It was me."

And just like that… the room went cold by those three simple words. But no, it wasn't just the words themselves that caused the drop of temperature; it was the person who said those words.

"W-Wha-..." Hiro stuttered, gobsmacked.

"Huh…?" Leon breathed in disbelief.

"I… this…" Sayaka looked white, the dreadful feeling making much more sense.

"No way… no fucking way…" Mondo shook his head, completely stunned.

A growing horrified look was across Makoto's face. 'But this… doesn't make sense…!'

Sakura shared a similar petrified look, unable to comprehend who said those words, who made this admission of guilt. 'This is… not possible! This cannot be possible!'

As for Hina? The girl's angry expression turned into one of shock, and of disbelief. 'Wha-... Why is…?'

The camera moved to show a resigned looking Hina. "The footprints… they're mine."

"Why… Why is she saying that?" Hina asked numbly, having difficulty processing what's being said. "Why would she say something like that…?"

Byakuya sighed, a rare look of sympathy coming across his face. "I think this should be obvious at this point," was all he said.

But the swimmer was too stunned to snap at him in any form. "No… this can't be true… IT CAN'T!" She began looking desperate, almost manic in her denial.

"H-Hina…?" Makoto gasped, looking shocked.

"..." At first, she was silent. Then Hina began speaking. "If you're all gonna find out anyway…"

'No… no, don't say it!' Hina demanded in her head, her body shaking, 'Don't you dare say it!'

"I'd rather you hear it straight from me, ya know?"

'Don't you dare say those words! DON'T YOU DARE TELL THAT LIE!' At this point, tears started swelling up in her eyes, as the swimmer wrapped her arms around her shaking body. 'Please… please, don't say it… please…'

"Then… Ogre's killer was-!" Hiro exclaimed in shock.

"Yup…"

"Don't… please, don't…" Hina started muttering, looking completely terrified at this point, "Please, it can't be true… it can't…"

"I did it! I killed Sakura!" Hina declared to the whole room.

And with that statement… Hina found herself going limp. Tears slipped down her eyes once again, her expression practically hollow, as what her future self said repeated in head. 'I killed her… I killed her… I killed her…' Her greatest fear, the scenario that she thought impossible, was being played right in front of her.

She wasn't the only one in shock. Nearly everyone was staring at the TV in disbelief, almost as if it was playing a terrible joke. Sayaka and Chihiro both had their mouths covered, eyes dilated and tear-filled; Leon and Mondo had their jaws dropped, staring at the TV numbly; Hiro and Hifumi were stunned beyond reality; even Celeste and Mukuro looked openly shocked, near unbelieving at the words said.

Makoto looked nearly as bad as Hina, his body entirely stiff and his eyes staring hauntingly at the table in front of them. There was part of his mind that was rebelling, practically screaming against the idea, against that small possibility. To him, to the one that befriended everyone here and believed in the best in all of them, the thought of Hina being Sakura's killer was such an unthinkable scenario that it was almost laughable.

'But then… wouldn't that explain how weird Hina was acting?' the luckster numbly thought. Not staying with Sakura, rushing the vote, even fighting the idea that Sakura was poisoned… wouldn't her being the blackened explain all of this? But, even with these logical explanations…

'No!' Makoto gripped the sides of his head, anguish now clear in his expression, 'This still doesn't feel right! I can't imagine any scenario where Hina kills Sakura!'

As for Sakura, the martial artist's mind went blank at Hina's confession. She could only stare vacantly at the screen, unable to process, unable to accept, what was being shown on screen. The idea, the thought, that Hina would be her killer, would be anyone's killer… that was something that Sakura wasn't able to comprehend as fact.

Byakuya was one of the few that didn't look shocked. 'Look like I was correct, after all,' he thought to himself, 'With all the evidence gathered, it was the only logical conclusion.' He took no satisfaction in this. Knowing that Hina, of all people, would be capable of such a devious scheme was not something to relish. He could only watch and wait to see just what pushed Hina to do this.

Kyoko also wasn't surprised by this, closing her eyes in resignation. However, her conclusion was different from Byakuya's; this confirms that Hina was the one who tampered with the evidence. That she's doing all she can to lead everyone to the wrong conclusion. Which would mean… 'She knows.'

Junko had to slap both hands across her mouth, to stop any insane giggles that would've bubbled from her mouth, had to curl up her body so no one could notice it shaking, and she had to look down so no one could see her eyes practically glowing with maddening glee. 'Such despair~!' She wanted to shout to the rooftop.

It's now clear to her what Hina is doing, what their bubbly little swimmer is trying to achieve. And this revelation fills her heart with such despair-ridden joy!

"Just as I expected," Byakuya said confidently, "The footprints were made by a pair of sneakers - there was no mistaking it. And the only people here who wear sneakers are…"

"Me and Hina," Makoto finished reluctantly, "Oh, so Byakuya… that explains why you…"

A flashback of Byakuya interrogating Makoto about the footprints was shown, before moving back to the current Byakuya. "If the footprints didn't belong to Makoto, that left only one other possibility."

"Just Hina…" Hiro answered, still stunned by this.

"Plus, Hina's been acting strange ever since the trial began," Byakuya pointed out, "You were in an awful rush to get to the vote, weren't you? This whole time, you've been focused on pinning the crime on someone else, haven't you?"

"..." Hina was silent, neither confirming or denying the accusation.

"I… I can't believe it," Makoto said, looking at Hina with disbelief and sadness.

"What about it can't you believe it?" Byakuya asked in response.

"...Is Byakuya really asking that?" Sayaka finally spoke up. Her voice was quiet, almost like a whisper, an array of emotions across her face. "Does he really think that this isn't something hard to believe? Refusing to consider the fact that those two… those two are so close?"

"...It probably doesn't register to the fucker that friends don't turn like that," Mondo stated, his head bowed. Like Sayaka, his voice was unusually quiet, much of the heat constrained within that volume. "He doesn't care that those two are practically sisters to each other; he just sees another killer to take down. For the sake of winning this goddamn game!"

No one else could say anything to that. Byakuya himself took it all in stride, knowing that this reveal and his other self's mannerism is going to make the others volatile.

"Well, it's just… the two of them were so close," Makoto pointed out.

"That's likely exactly why it turned out this way," the Togami heir stated, "Because they were so close, Sakura didn't think twice about it when Hina handed her the concoction. Hina used that trust to kill her! She deceived the victim, and she tried to deceive all of us. I have to say, Hina… coming from you, this was a particularly nasty little scheme."

"Look like you were right, Mondo," Leon let out a dry, sardonic laugh, looking done with all this, "The asshole is using their closeness as a reason why Sakura was able to be killed."

"As… unpleasant as the future Byakuya's words are, I admit that he has a point," Mukuro spoke up, "The fact that it's Hina who did this is… shocking."

"Indeed," Celeste nodded in agreement, her eyes narrowed at the screen, "The idea that Hina would kill someone is already jarring enough. But her target, and the way she went about it, makes it almost unbelievable."

"...Yet it did happen," Byakuya finally spoke up. He ignored any glares sent to him and continued. "As much as no one wants to believe it, Hina is the only one who could make those footprints and one of the few that has Sakura's trust. Out of all of us, she is the only one that is capable of doing this scheme."

"But… why?" Makoto was the one to ask this, his voice weak. A simple question, but one that carried a lot of weight. The boy had his eyes on the screen, those eyes conveying an array of thoughts. "Why would Hina do this? Why… would she kill Sakura?"

And that was an answer no one could give. But it was one that resounded in almost everyone's mind. Most especially Hina's, who managed to catch that question in her inanimate state. That question got her to slowly look up at the TV.

"..." Again, the swimmer was silent.

"Hina… is it true?" Makoto asked the swimmer herself, "Did you really… kill Sakura? And if you did… why?! Why did you do that?!" At his last questions, more intensity was held with his tone.

'Why…?' was the thought echoing in Hina's head, 'Why? Why? Why? Why? Why…?!'

'Why would you do it?! Why did you kill Sakura?!' Those questions were practically screamed in her mind, distress now added to her tear-streaked face. 'What reason was there to even have that thought cross your mind?!'

"..." At first, Hina continued to be silent. Then, slowly, she spoke. "I found her, there in the rec room… she was hurt. She asked me to bring her that protein drink. But… when I went to get the powder from the chem lab, it just… occurred to me all of a sudden."

"'Now's my chance to kill her.' That's what you thought, right?" Byakuya finished for her, "That's when you switched out the protein powder, and that's when you gave her the poison mixture."

"...No…" Hina muttered, shaking her head in denial, "No. No, there's way that kind of thought would go in my head! There's no way I would suddenly feel that desire to kill!" The girl held her head in her distress, her breaths coming out faster. "I wouldn't do that just to escape! And out of everyone, I wouldn't target Sakura! NOT HER!"

Hearts clenched at the sight of the distraught, hyperventilating swimmer. Leon, Sayaka, Mondo, Chihiro, and Taka all felt empathy for her, each of them being in the scenario Hina was experiencing. And despite what's being revealed… none of the more sympathetic students could argue with what's being said.

"...I… I have to agree," Makoto spoke up, his voice wavering. Anguish was clear in his voice and posture, but resolution was slowly mixing in. "Hina… she's not that malicious! She's never been that desperate to escape! And she was Sakura's most staunch defender! Why would she go and kill her friend when she was so adamant on defending her all this time?!"

He wasn't sure what it was that was pushing him to speak. He's not sure whether it's denial that something like this would ever happen, or if there's some logic deep within that's pressing the lucky student. Regardless of the reason… "It makes no sense!" he shouted, standing up from his seat, "Nothing about this makes sense!"

Byakuya let out another sigh. "Perhaps she was holding in some resentment." he theorized, "Or the stress of the killing game finally got to her, and caused her to snap. Any of those things could…"

"...No." A very dangerous sounding growl cut off any more of what the Togami heir would say. That growl came from none other than Sakura, whose posture and expression screamed of a growing rage. "Hina… Hina would never do this! She would never deliberately kill someone!"

"As much as we want to believe that," Celeste spoke up, supporting Byakuya this time, "Hina herself admitted this. We can't keep-"

"SILENCE!" That roar silenced anything else Celeste had to say, the gambler flinching back in shock and fear. The martial artist was now standing up, now in a state of furious disbelief. "Say what you will, make any justification you desire! It does not change Hina's nature! It does not change the friendship we share! Hina would not stoop so low as to use that very friendship to kill me and escape!"

Hina stared at her best friend, her breathing momentarily in control now. "Sakura…" A fresh wave of tears couldn't help but escape the girl's eyes, happiness and guilt swirling in her heart.

While Celeste found herself backing off from an enraged martial artist, Byakuya wasn't so easily cowed. He merely looked at her with growing irritation. "And do you suppose we just disregard what's being shown? Just write it off as false or mere coincidence?" he questioned back, "Your belief in your friends does not change the evidence shown, does not change the facts being presented. So long as everything presented points to Hina, then-"

"Then that just means evidence that conflicts with your conclusion would have to show up, correct?"

That question had all eyes turn towards the source. That source was none other than Kyoko, who looked as composed as ever.

Byakuya narrowed his eyes. "What are you getting at, Kyoko?" he asked, "There is no other evidence. Everything has been prese-"

"I wouldn't be so sure, Byakuya," Kyoko cut off, "I'm sure that if we continue this, something new will present itself. Sakura…" The detective then addressed the still volatile martial artist, "For now, calm yourself. This trial isn't over yet. There are still quite a few things that need to be discussed, so keep a level head and let's continue this."

For a moment, Sakura remained standing, her figure quite imposing. Then, slowly, she sat back down, her hair shadowing her upper face.

"Sakura…" Hina repeated her friend's name, her gaze never leaving the martial artist.

"You didn't do it," was what Sakura stated, her stance firm on this, "I do not know why your future self would claim this, but… I know you well enough to say that you don't have the heart to do this, that no reason sufficient enough was given for this claim to be true."

Hearing her say that… made Hina hope that this is indeed true, that her future self doesn't fail that belief Sakura has in her. But, if it wasn't her…

'Why… why would I lie about that?'

"Kyoko…" Meanwhile, Makoto placed his eyes towards the detective. The fact that she's questioning this… it instills in him more confidence that something is up with this trial. That something isn't right. Still, what else have they yet to-?

'The locked door,' the luckster realized. They still have yet to figure out the locked door mystery! And if Hina was the one to kill Sakura… just how was she able to get out of that room?

Not denying it, Hina continued, "and then… she downed it, all at once. And… and then…"

"Hold it!" Kyoko cut in, "I'm not convinced…"

"If both Kyoko's aren't convinced of this…" Leon spoke, eyebrows rising up, "Then doesn't that guarantee that Hina isn't the killer?"

With that question, several of the students dared to feel some hope rise within. The hope that Hina, of all people, wasn't the killer.

"But… if Hina wasn't the one who killed Sakura…" Taka began asking his own question, starting to look a little lost, "Then who did? And more importantly… why would Hina lie?"

Once again, there was a question that stumped the group. After all, Hina herself said that she was the one to kill Sakura. So, if she wasn't the killer… does that mean she's lying to them?

"You're not about to claim she wouldn't kill a close friend, are you?" Byakuya sardonically asked, "You still don't get it, do you? The game we're playing here isn't so kind. Honeyed words like friendship don't matter here. What matters is outwitting the opponent, defeating them…"

"Not a person alive would sacrifice themselves for another. In the end, we're all in it for ourselves. Just like how this girl sacrificed Sakura… to save herself," the Togami heir concluded.

"..." Once again, the girl in question was silent.

"Does… does he truly think that?" Again, Byakuya's words sparked an anger that has been simmering ever since chapter 2. One of the students who was angered was Taka, who felt himself shaking from that aggravation. "Does friendship and comradery truly mean nothing to him? Not even when others clearly show such things?"

Mondo let out a snort, his head bowed to hide the rage radiating in his eyes. "Isn't it obvious at this point, bro? There's not a single nice bone in Togami," he stated viciously, "So of course stuff like that wouldn't mean shit to the bastard!"

"But… to think that every one of us would be willing to kill everyone else to escape…" Chihiro whimpered, more tears slipping from his eyes, "To believe so easily that Hina is capable of doing that… of killing Sakura…"

"The bastard knows nothing about us," Sayaka spoke up this time, her voice icy cold. Like Mondo, her head was bowed, hiding how angry she truly was. "Not a single thing about Makoto, about Hina, about Chihiro, Taka, Mondo, Kyoko. He's only judging us based on his own, sick worldview. He doesn't know a single, little thing about the class!"

No one could disagree with her words. Even Makoto, who held no hatred for their present Byakuya, felt discomfort at what the future Byakuya was saying. It was something he definitely did not agree with.

And the Togami heir himself remained silent, not bothering to argue with his classmates. While he firmly believes that Hina is the killer, even he sees that several of his classmates don't hold that kind of heart. Unlike his future self, he's not blind to their characters. So, he doesn't see this worth arguing.

"You say that, but I'm still not convinced," Kyoko stated firmly.

Byakuya let out an annoyed sigh. "How many times do you plan to repeat yourself?"

"Don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying it because of some misguided sentimentalism," Kyoko corrected him, "But there's still that one unsolved mystery, and I'm not convinced."

"Are you talking about the locked room problem?" Makoto inquired.

Eyes lit up at this, the storm of emotions being held at bay for the moment. "I keep forgetting about the locked room!" Hiro exclaimed, palming the side of his head, "With all these bombshells thrown around, it's hard to remember that the room's still a thing!"

"But that's still a big mystery. One that hasn't been solved yet," Makoto stated, his confidence rising, "Because if Hina's the killer… then she should tell us how she created that room."

"That's true… Hina should be able to reveal how it happened!" Chihiro said in agreement, feeling more and more hopeful, "And since she was outside with Makoto and Kyoko when they first saw the body, she can't say that she was in the room the whole time!"

"But this all depends on what she has to say…" Mukuro pointed out.

"Hina… if you really are the killer, explain it," Kyoko requested, "How did you create the locked room?"

Hina's eyes widened at that, taken off guard by the question. "W-Well…" For a moment, she couldn't say anything. Then she scowled, getting defensive. "Th-That doesn't matter! Just cuz I'm guilty, that means I have to tell you everything?!"

"No, it doesn't," Kyoko conceded, "But the fact that you won't tell us concerns me."

"...Well, this confirms it. Hina really isn't the killer," Celeste stated, her eyes narrowed at the screen, "This also confirms that she is hiding something."

Seeing the swimmer unable to answer how the locked room was created… it changed the atmosphere of the room. Much of the anguish began to evaporate, leaving a heavy amount of confusion and concern.

Byakuya, however, took this with some level of surprise. But then he scowled in clear confusion. "What is this?" he questioned sharply, "How could Hina confess to being the killer, but then be unable to explain the locked room?"

"I told you; the mystery isn't over yet, Byakuya," Kyoko stated, arms crossed confidently, "There's still plenty more to be revealed."

"Surely you're not - do you honestly think Hina didn't actually kill her?" Byakuya questioned, baffled.

"And if I do?" Kyoko asked back in retort.

"Impossible," Byakuya stated stubbornly, "She switched out the mixtures. She's the culprit. There's no way you can doubt this."

"Are you sure about that?" Makoto spoke up, "Even ignoring the fact that I don't want to believe it… it just doesn't fit."

"What doesn't fit?" Byakuya demanded.

"I mean… why would someone leave such a clear clue like a footprint?" Makoto pointed out, "It's too… obvious. Too easy."

"He's right," Kyoko agreed, "It makes it look like you wanted people to suspect you."

"That's a good point, actually," Taka said, looking down in thought, "Why would you leave footprints behind like that? Why leave such easy clues?"

"Yeah. Even with how ditzy she is, I don't think Hina would leave something that obvious," Junko pretended to muse.

"Does that mean… Hina wants the others to suspect her?" Sayaka cautiously asked, "She wanted to be pointed out as the culprit?"

"I would go as far to say that she would rather have anyone be picked as the culprit," Mukuro theorized, "So long as they chose the wrong suspect, she doesn't care who was picked. It would explain why she was rushing the vote."

Mukuro's theory made quite a few stomachs drop. Because, that would imply that Hina was purposefully trying to have everyone but the blackened killed. Including herself.

'But… why would she do that?' Makoto now found himself asking, 'Why would she sacrifice everyone, even herself, like that? She has to realize that she won't survive this, right? The only person that would get out of this is the blackened them… selves…'

And just like that… it hit him like a brick. 'There's… there's no blackened is there?' the luckster realized, his eyes growing with horror, 'Or rather… the blackened is already dead. That would mean…'

He couldn't believe it. He doesn't want to believe it. But with everything they've seen… this is the only conclusion that makes complete and total sense.

"Th-That was…" Hina stuttered, "I was just… nervous! So I-I didn't notice I'd left a footprint!"

"...You didn't notice?" Kyoko repeated flatly.

"Y-Yeah! That's just how it was," Hina replied with a nervous shrug, "What can I do?"

"And this is supporting that theory," Mukuro continued on, "If Hina truly was the killer, why would she attempt to refute things that would help her innocence? Even better, why would she immediately admit to being the killer in the first place, instead of trying to make any case for herself?"

At this point, a new wave of confusion and fear hit the group. Now, all were wondering if Hina was trying to get people to suspect her… and if so, why.

Hina herself was the most confused out of everyone. 'What… what are you doing, other me?' she asked in her head, 'What are you trying to do? Why are you doing this?'

'Hina…' Sakura also felt that same confusion and anguish, unable to discern why the future Hina is doing this. 'What are you attempting to accomplish? What is your goal?'

"..." For a moment, Kyoko was silent. Then, she made another request. "Listen, Hina… could you go into a bit more detail? Tell us more about when you switched the poison and the protein."

"H-How come! That doesn't matter!" Hina protested.

"Hina… please, I'd like to know, too," Makoto pleaded softly.

The plea caught the swimmer silent, before reluctantly agreeing. "F-Fine…"

'We're getting closer to the end…' Kyoko thought, gazing stoically at the screen, 'Soon, everything will be revealed.'

'Oh, this is so exciting…' Junko covered her mouth once again to hide her giggles, 'Getting closer and closer to the reveal, and soon… soon there will be despair!'

'Hina… how much are you hurting right now?' Makoto couldn't help but wonder, his hands clasped tightly on his knees, 'How much pain would our Hina, as well as Sakura, be feeling?'

And just… what had pushed Sakura to choose suicide?

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 83: Watching Chapter 4: All Star Apologies Part 16

"...Waste your time if you like. It's clear that Hina is the culprit," Byakuya huffed in annoyance, "There's nobody else to suspect. Nobody else could have possibly done it…"

"Does he not see how odd Hina is still acting?" Taka voiced incredulously, "Is he not even considering that he may be wrong? That something is wrong?"

"Said it himself, didn't he? 'This is the conclusion I've arrived at, and so there can be no mistake,'" Leon quoted the future Byakuya mockingly, "The dude's unable to see past his own damn verdict."

"He has a point, however," Celeste interjected, "If not Hina, who else could've done it? There's no one who could really have done it. Even Byakuya wouldn't make any sense."

"None of this makes sense…" Hiro groaned, holding his head, "I mean, Hina trying to trick us? The locked room mystery thingy? This whole trial is giving me a headache!"

No one disagreed with him. For several, this whole trial is becoming more and more bizarre.

Kyoko ignored Byakuya, however. "Go ahead, Hina. Start from the moment you arrive at the chem lab."

"W-Well…" Hesitantly, the swimmer began her tale. "Right away I went to section C and got the poison."

"And is that when you spilled the powder in front of that part of the shelf?" Kyoko inquired.

"Y-Yeah… when I opened the bottle, I dropped it like an idiot," Hina confirmed.

"I see." Kyoko nodded to this. "Okay then, go on."

"So, then I moved to section A and got the protein powder, and that's where I switched them," Hina continued, "Once I was done with that… I took the protein can that had the poison in it and left the room. But I accidently put the bottle filled with protein powder back on the wrong shelf. And because of that, everything I did got found out. And… that's it."

"..." For a moment, Makoto was in silent contemplation. Then, he said, "That story you just told… first you went to section C to get the poison, then moved to section A to get the protein, right? Meaning you went from section C to section A. Do I have that correct?"

"Y-Yeah…" Hina confirmed, though hesitantly.

With that recounting of the story… some of the students caught the error. 'But… if she actually went straight from section C to section A…' Sayaka thought in realization.

'...she would've walked through the powder. There would've been footprints between the two shelves,' Chihiro considered, 'But there's only footprints straight towards section A. Not anywhere around section C.'

'Of course, you could chalk it up to Hina disguising her movements,' Celeste mused, 'She could easily just walk around it before going to section A. The issue with that, however…'

'...is that Hina said before that she wasn't thinking when she was grabbing the bottle. That she didn't notice,' Mukuro finished, eyes narrowed, 'If she had, then she would've made it where there were no footprints to recognize. Definite proof that she's lying.'

'But if that's true…' Seeing the error with that testimony, Makoto asked again, "Can you repeat that series of events one more time?"

"What's wrong with you, Big Mac?! You're being awfully pushfully!" Jill pointed out.

"It's the same thing no matter how many times you hear it. How long until you're satisfied…?" Byakuya questioned harshly.

'How long…?' Makoto repeated in his head, 'Until we figure it out! Until I uncover the full truth of this case!'

Despite the confusion, despite the turmoil the group was feeling… many couldn't help but feel pumped at Makoto's mental declaration.

"Yeah!"

You tell him, Makoto!"

"This trial ain't over yet!"

"Prove him wrong!"

A small, proud smile couldn't help but creep onto Kyoko's face. While this is merely future events, it's pleasant to see Makoto come into his own as a mystery solver, as someone who searches for the whole truth.

Non-stop debate started up once more, with Hina being the first to speak. "First I went to section C…" she retold her story once again, "That's when I grabbed the poison."

"And you spilled some of the powder on the ground in front of the shelf," Kyoko recounted.

"Yeah," Hina confirmed, "When I grabbed the bottle, I dropped it…"

"Okay. And then?"

"I moved from section C to section A…"

'No, that's wrong!' The bullet was shot as Makoto spoke up. "You said you went to get the poison from section C, and that's where you spilled the powder, right?"

"Yeah… what about it?" Hina inquired cautiously.

"And after that, you said you moved from section C to section A to get the protein…" Makoto continued, "But the footprints left at the scene were not moving from section C to section A. That contradicts what you just said."

"Wh-?!" Hina's eyes widened fearfully at this.

With that, there were more flashes of realization and remembrances from the eyes of the students. "That's true," Taka said, his eyes slightly widened, "The footprints head straight to section A. There were no such prints near section C."

"A clear and purposeful lie," Celeste stated, "One to make us think that she was the one to grab the poison."

"Looks like you were right, Mukuro," Sayaka said worryingly, biting her lips, "Hina is trying to get everyone to pick the wrong culprit.

Byakuya, who had been silent the whole time, looked on with obvious confusion and frustration. What's going on here? Why would Hina lie about this? Why lead to a conclusion that gets everyone killed, including herself? What is the girl hiding?

"Then… maybe she moved in some weird direction on purpose to disguise her movements….?" Hiro suggested.

"No, that can't be it," Makoto refuted, "Remember what Hina just said?"

A flashback of Hina stating she was nervous and didn't notice the footprints was shown, before cutting back to the now panicking swimmer. "Ah-!"

"What the-?" Now Byakuya looked completely baffled. "Hina, what's the meaning of this?!"

"Looks like Byakuya is finally getting a clue that something is up," Leon stated with an eye roll, "About time."

"Fucking finally," Mondo grunted in agreement.

"I would've screamed in frustration if he kept insisting that Hina was still the culprit…" Sayaka muttered.

"U-Um, well…" Hina attempted to stutter out an excuse.

"You lied to us, plain and simple," Kyoko stated bluntly, staring down at the swimmer, "If you look at the footprints, your movements in the chem lab are obvious. The powder had already been spilled when you came in, and you went straight to section A. So you never went to section C. Whatever you did there, it only involved section A."

"W-Well, you see…" Hina still attempted to find a good explanation. But none came to her. "..."

"Wh-What the…?" For the first time, the Ultimate Affluent Progeny went pale. "What the hell? What's going on here?!"

Byakuya's reaction, suffice to say, startled the group. "Is Byakuya… panicking?" Hiro couldn't help but ask, "Or is it just me seeing things?"

"No, I'm seeing the same thing as you," Leon confirmed, a tad dumbly, "Byakuya's looking blue in the face."

"Is he really that used to being correct all the time…?" Taka asked.

It was the Togami heir who answered. "It's because there is no other person to suspect. There's nothing that points to anyone else being the culprit," he stated, not turning his eyes towards anyone, "So of course my future self is confused as to what's happening."

At any other moment, some of the students would've taken notice at how stiffly the Togami heir was reacting, noticed how quick he was to get to his future self's defense. But for right now, their primary focus was on what the hell was happening in that trial.

Kyoko, however, took notice of Byakuya's actions and posture, and had to keep down a smirk in response.

"And the footprints aren't the only problem with her account," Kyoko continued confidently.

"What…?" The Togami heir's attention was focused on Kyoko now.

"Before I explain that part, I'd like to submit some new evidence," the lavender haired girl announced.

"New evidence?!" Several students voiced both incredulity and exasperation.

"Like I said, three different clues from the same spot!" Leon exclaimed dryly, throwing his arms up, "I wouldn't be surprised if she grabbed them from thin air at this point."

"New evidence?!" Byakuya voiced incredulously, "Impossible! There can't be!"

"...Are you sure?" Kyoko asked in retort, "After all, you're the one that gave it to me."

"I… did?" The Togami heir could only voice that question in pure confusion.

"Or from Byakuya's hands, that works too…"

"Mr. Togami really lost his grip on the conversation, hasn't he…?" Hifumi couldn't help but comment.

"That he has." A wicked smile couldn't help but appear from Sayaka's face, seeing Byakuya so flustered.

"It was hidden inside the bottle of poison you gave me." Kyoko held said bottle for everyone to see, a smirk across her face. "I'm amazed you, of all people, would miss such a vital clue. A truly grave oversight…"

"Dang, Kyoko. Savage." Junko covered her mouth to hold back her giggles. "Didn't think you could roast Byakuya so well…"

At this point, quite a few students were taking pleasure in seeing the flustered Byakuya. Mondo and Leon had grins they were trying to cover up, while Celeste let out her usual, melodic giggle. Kyoko now had an unhidden smirk across her face, whereas Taka did all he could to hide any satisfaction he's taking from this. Even Hina, despite all the conflicting emotions warring inside her heart, couldn't help but feel some gratification over how the Togami heir is acting.

"Stop making f-fun of Master!" Toko spoke up, feeling defensive for Byakuya, "T-This trial is c-confusing for all of us, isn't it?"

"Yes, but none of us were so certain that Hina was the culprit," Sayaka retorted, her smile getting wider, "None of us were so confident that we found the culprit. Ain't that right, Byakuya?"

The affluent progeny in question was refusing to look anyone in the eye, his posture more visibly stiff than it had been, and his expression close to being actual stone, something that the group is now noticing.

"..." Of course, that struck a nerve with Byakuya, his anger quickly flaring. "Just say it, already! What is it you think you found?!"

"I found this." With that, the lavender haired girl held up…

'Huh? A piece of glass…?' Makoto thought with confusion.

"It had sunk to the bottom of the bottle," Kyoko explained, "And the hidden clue was exposed thanks to you ingesting the powder. I couldn't have solved the mystery without you. So, thank you for that."

Eyes lit up in recognition at the piece of glass. "Isn't that glass from the rec room window?" Chihiro inquired.

"That's the only thing that's been broken that would match the color of that piece," Mukuro mused, "So it has to be."

"But… doesn't that mean the bottle of poison was still in the rec room while it was locked?" Taka pointed out, puzzlement across his face, "That would mean the bottle has been put in Section A after they broke the mirror and entered the room."

"And Hina's testimony stated that she put up the bottle before then," Celeste added in, "It is yet another of Hina's deceptions."

Of course, her statement caused confusion and distress to swell further in the swimmer's heart. Something that is clearly visible across the girl's face.

"B-But… what is it?" Byakuya questioned hesitantly.

"Oh, you still don't realize?"

"Damn! You're so sassy now, Kyoko!" Leon couldn't help but laugh at that, "You're enjoying this way too much!"

"I have no idea what you mean," Kyoko denied, though the smirk gave her thoughts away, "I'm simply explaining the mystery, that's all."

More students let out laughter, snickers, and giggles, finding enjoyment in this despite the serious trial.

"Well then…" Kyoko then turned towards Makoto, "Makoto, why don't you explain it?"

"Huh? Me?!" the lucky student exclaimed, startled.

"Yeah, me?!" Makoto pointed at himself, as startled as his future version. "Why me?!"

"Should you be surprised at this point?" Junko retorted, "Kyoko and Byakuya always refer to you at this point."

"Yeah."

"That's true."

"They always pass it on to you."

"It's pretty much one of those things in these trials."

The lucky student blushed, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. They probably had a point on this…

Again, Byakuya was silent. But quickly, he spoke up. "F-Fine! If you really do know, explain the meaning of that shard of glass!"

Shaking off his surprise, Makoto reluctantly got to thinking. 'I think I remember now,' he thought to himself, 'I broke something this same shade of blue…'

"It's… part of the window from the rec room door, right?" the lucky student deduced.

"The window…?" Byakuya repeated with confusion.

"The window we broke to get in was light blue, just like that," Makoto explained, pointing to the shard Kyoko was holding, "So I think that must be it."

"You're right, it must be," Kyoko said in agreement, "Of course, that leads to another question… how did a shard of glass from the window get inside the bottle of poison?"

"What's so strange about that?!" Jill questioned casually.

"What's strange is that… according to what Hina told us, the bottle of poison was left on the shelf in the chem lab," Makoto reminded the group, "That is what you said, right Hina?"

"Um… umm…" At that point, the girl was tongue-tied, unable to come up with any argument.

'Why… why would I lie like that?' Hina thought distressingly, staring up at her counterpart, 'Why would you lie about killing Sakura? Killing our dear friend? Why?!'

"And yet, somehow a piece of glass from the rec room window made its way into the bottle…" Makoto pressed on.

"Then everything Hina told us was a lie?!" Hiro exclaimed in shock.

"This… this is just like Chihiro's trial…" Taka said, looking down with confusion and some frustration, "The more I hear, the less I understand. If Hina isn't the killer… why would she lie about it? Why consciously create such a deception in the first place?"

Of course, the moment of levity was brought down by this question. "That is the question, isn't it?" Celeste mused, a frown across her own face, "It makes no sense for her to lie about this in the first place."

"Hina…" Hesitantly, Sayaka turned towards the swimmer herself. "Do you know? Do you have any ide-"

"No," was the girl's quick answer. A distressed glare entered the girl's face, though it wasn't directed at anyone in particular. "No, I don't know why future me would do this! It makes as much sense to me as being Sakura's killer!"

The room was silent at this, with no one questioning her further on the subject. Sakura wrapped an arm around her once more in an effort to comfort her. Hina soaked in the comfort as much as she could, though that didn't stop the swirling emotions in her heart.

"In reality, that bottle of poison most definitely found its way into the rec room," Makoto deduced, "It was there at least until the window got broken. In other words, when the locked room was unlocked. There's no other way to explain the presence of that glass in that bottle."

"And then, once the room was opened, the bottle somehow got moved back to the shelf in the chem lab," Kyoko continued for the lucky student, "Meanwhile, the protein can we found at the crime scene was planted there. That had to be after the locked room was opened. In other words, after Sakura died."

"Wait, hold on… you're moving too fast!" Byakuya hastily cut in, "I'll grant you, the bottle of poison may well have been in the rec room when it was locked… but how can you say the protein can was put there after the room was locked?! We already know she was given the protein can with the poison inside, right? If that can wasn't there when she died, how did she get poisoned?!"

"For once… I actually agree with the asshole," Mondo admitted, though it looked to be a sour pill to swallow, "If that can wasn't used, how the hell did Sakura get poisoned?"

"Yeah. There's no way Ogre would accept a bottle of poison," Hiro stated.

And just like that, a few more minds clicked. 'Could it be…?' Celeste's eyes widened slightly in realization.

'Impossible… did she actually…?' Comprehension also graced Byakuya's expression, mixed with some disbelief.

'This… would connect everything.' Mukuro thought, eyes narrowed.

"You're right. We do need to explain that," Kyoko conceded, "But before we do, there's something I'd like to confirm with everyone here."

"Huh…?" was Hiro's confused response.

"It has to do with the protein can," Kyoko explained, "After Sakura's body was discovered, did anyone move it or trip over it or anything like that?"

"Huh? Why does that matter?" Hiro's confusion mirrored his future counterpart, the fortune teller cocking his head sideways.

"It'll reaffirm the conclusion my future self has come to," Kyoko told the fortune teller, "Cause if no one moved it, then that would prove that the protein can was placed around the glass."

"But… how?"

"You'll see."

"What are you talking about? Is this some kind of loaded question?" Byakuya questioned frustratedly.

"Not at all. Just answer to the best of your ability," the lavender haired girl assured him.

"...Well, no. Not that I remember," the Togami heir conceded.

"Yeah, me either," Makoto spoke up right after.

"Not me." Hiro was next.

"Same here!" Jill answered casually.

"Y-Yeah, me either…" Hina was the last person to answer, more hesitant than the rest.

"Okay then, that settles it." Kyoko nodded in satisfaction. "That proves that the protein can found its way to the murder scene after the room was opened."

"Oh come on! How can you say that?!" Byakuya exclaimed in aggravation, "How can you know what I don't know?!"

"Byakuya is completely losing it!" Leon couldn't help but point, laughing at this point, "He's getting completely blindsided by Kyoko, Hina, and Makoto!"

"And the bastard was so damn confident before-hand…!" Mondo also found himself laughing, leaning on knees.

"This is… too much…!" Sayaka was the next to fall into vindictive laughter, very much taking pleasure in seeing the Ultimate Affluent Progeny's breakdown.

Once again, despite the nature of this trial, several couldn't help but take joy in this. Even Chihiro had to hold back giggles, while Taka did all he could to keep from laughing at the Togami heir. After seeing how arrogant, callous, and downright cruel the future Byakuya has been acting, there was no way any of them couldn't take satisfaction in seeing him be brought down like this.

Sakura herself also had a small smile across her face, not minding the group laughing in the midst of her trial. She could not blame them, after all. Her smile went a tad wider when she heard a few giggles coming from Hina's mouth.

Once again, nonstop debate started up once more, with Kyoko being the first to speak. "When it comes to that protein can…" she started off, "...there's not a doubt in my mind. Until the locked room was unlocked, it absolutely was not in there!"

"So you're saying…" Hiro spoke up, "...someone planted it there after we got the door open?"

"No… no, that's impossible… i-it had to have been in there the whole time!" Byakuya insisted, near hysterically so, "It had to be! It was there before the rec room was unlocked!"

'No, that's wrong!' The bullet was shot as Makoto spoke up. "You remember how there was broken glass scattered all around the room, right?"

"Of course! It came from the window you broke to get in. What about it?" Byakuya questioned impatiently.

"Well, those pieces weren't just scattered around the protein can…" the luckster pointed out, "We also found pieces underneath the can."

"Wh-What?!" Byakuya's eyes shot wide open in shock, mouth agape.

"And this proves it…" Makoto continued, "It shows that the can must have been put down on the floor after the window was broken. So, it had to be after we got into the room!"

With that, all the students now understood why Kyoko concluded why the can was placed after they had entered the room. "I see," Celeste nodded in understanding, "And asking if anyone moved it was used to eliminate that possibility right off the bat."

"Exactly," Kyoko nodded, "It would be one thing if anyone moved it or tripped over it. But since that didn't happen…"

"It's clear that someone planted the protein can in the rec room," Mukuro finished off.

"But… what would happen if someone had moved it around?" Taka inquired.

"It would probably make the trial a tad harder to solve," Kyoko admitted, "But I don't think it would change much. Besides, chances were slim that someone would do so?"

"Even with Hiro around?"

"...Even with Hiro around." A squawk from the aforementioned fortune teller went ignored.

"Kh-!" Once he processed this, Byakuya forced himself to calm down some. "I-I see… so that's your explanation. Kyoko… earlier, when you asked if anyone had moved the can, or tripped over it…"

"If that were the case, that would explain the can being on top of the glass," Kyoko answered the silent question.

"So, you asked everyone about it to eliminate that possibility right out of the gate…" Makoto deduced.

"And that's made everything clear, hasn't it?" Kyoko rhetorically asked, "As long as it was a 'locked room', it only contained the bottle of poison, and not the protein can."

'Wait… the room only… contained the bottle of poison…' As Sayaka repeated this in her mind, any gratification she felt was replaced with that built up dread, along with growing realization. 'But… that would mean…!'

'If Sakura wasn't given a protein shake disguised as poison… wouldn't that mean…?' Chihiro's eyes grew in comprehending horror, tears already swelling up. 'Did… did she really…?'

"But once the room was opened up, they were switched. And as a result… the protein can wound up in the rec room, and the bottle of poison returned to the chem lab."

"..." Hina found herself completely silent, unable to do anything but give a numb stare.

"If that's all true, then… why did Sakura drink the poison?" Byakuya questioned in frustrated confusion, "I thought we all agreed she was tricked into drinking it because of the protein can…"

At this point, around half the class had figured out how Sakura drank the poison, who the "blackened" really is in this trial. All traces of levity were gone once again as they waited for the verdict to come to pass. And one more joined in the realization of what truly happened.

'There's nothing that would show I drank the poison in another form… no indication that I was easily fooled into doing so…' A look of compressed shock entered the Ultimate Martial Artist's face. 'So then… that would mean…!'

It's the only thing that makes sense, the only way to explain the locked room, as well as why she would drink poison. But to think that her future self had taken that route…!

"No… that's not why…" Makoto stated, almost solemnly, "The only explanation is… she drank it from its original bottle, knowing exactly what it was."

"...Hold a fucking minute." Mondo interjected, processing what Makoto had said, "He's saying that Sakura purposefully drank the poison? Knowing it was goddamn poison?"

"But… that doesn't make sense!" Hiro exclaimed, shaking his head in confusion, "Why would she accept and drink poison if she knew what it was? That would mean…!"

"She killed herself," Celeste cut in, her voice a tad softer, "At this point, it should be obvious what happened. Sakura… ingested the poison out of her own free will. Committed suicide, in other words."

Once again, the room found itself cold at the revelation, or for some, the unspoken realization. Mondo and Hiro stared at the gothic gambler in dumbfounded disbelief. Leon, Taka, Toko, and Hifumi also joined them, varying degrees of shock clear across their faces.

Both Sayaka and Chihiro had their mouths covered, tears beginning to fall from both pairs of eyes. Makoto also felt his eyes stinging with tears, before they were shut closed, along with his teeth clenching in anguish.

As for Hina? She was staring numbly at the screen, having trouble comprehending what had been said. "Sakura… killed herself?" she mumbled dazedly, "She actually… drank the poison on purpose?"

She was uncertain how to react now. Sakura died, and the only possible suspects were Byakuya, Toko, and Hiro. But they were proven to be innocent, then her future self stated she killed Sakura, then it was shown that she was lying…!

And now to hear that her best friend, one of the strongest people she knew, committed suicide? It was all too much for her to ingest.

"Precisely. She was alone in a locked room. All she had was the poison," Kyoko outlined the scenario, "What other possibility is there?"

"You're saying she drank it… knowing what it was?" Byakuya summed up, his face displaying clear, pale bewilderment, "Such a ridiculous fiction is…"

"...exactly what happened," Kyoko finished firmly.

For a moment, Byakuya was silent, processing this. "Then tell us already…!" he demanded… before backtracking in his tone, "Er, sorry. Please, tell us."

It spoke to how shocking the thought of Sakura's suicide was to the students, that almost none of them took notice the uncharacteristic change of tone and words Byakuya had used.

"Before we get to that, we need to clarify one other thing…" Kyoko told the group, "We need to establish who exactly got the poison from the chem lab and took it to the rec room."

"...It was Hina, right? She took it and gave it to Ogre," Hiro said, though sounded somewhat uncertain.

"What do you think, Makoto?" Kyoko inquired towards the lucky student.

"I think… it was Sakura herself," Makoto answered.

"Huh? So Sakura, who was apparently murdered, just… poisoned herself?" Jill summarized confusedly.

"That's… I can't believe it," Taka said, still stunned by the revelation, "Sakura, of all people, just… committing suicide?"

"Yeah. I mean… it's Ogre!" Hiro flung his hands towards the direction of Sakura to emphasize his points. "That's one of the last people you think would do that!"

"She's one of the strongest chicks out there," Mondo spoke in agreement, his hands clenched around his knees, "Has just as strong a will to boot. There's no way…"

"This feels almost as unbelievable as Miss Asahina killing Miss Ogami…" Hifumi added.

Makoto wanted to agree. He doesn't want to believe that Sakura would kill herself, would purposefully drink the bottle of poison. But…

"It's the truth," the lucky student said solemnly, "As much as I don't want to believe it… that's the only thing that explains everything, including the locked room."

Kyoko nodded in agreement. "Neither head wound had killed her, the poison was not given in the form of any drink or food, and, as my future self stated, she was alone with only that bottle of poison," she outlined the situation, "The only thing that would frame someone as the culprit is if someone gave her the poison."

"But that would be flimsy, as Sakura would know what the content was," Mukuro added, "She could've been force-fed, but there's no indication that she was held down and forced to drink it. At the end, it was fully her choice to drink it."

The martial artist herself was silent, merely staring at the screen with narrowed, answer-demanding eyes. She accepted that suicide is the most likely event, that her future self taking her own life was the only option that would make sense.

Now, she just wanted to know why. What pushed her enough to take that route.

"W-What are you talking about?! There's no way!" Hina exclaimed in denial.

"On the contrary. We know for a fact she went to the chem lab, right to the section full of poisons," Kyoko rebutted.

"You're lying… stop lying!" Hina demanded angrily, "Why?! Why would you lie like that?!"

"What is-… is Hina in denial that Sakura committed suicide?" Taka questioned, beyond baffled as to what's happening.

"This… doesn't seem like denial, dude," Leon said, a perturbed look across his face, "With the stunt she was trying to pull by pinning the crime on herself… it just doesn't feel like someone refusing to believe something."

"Rather than someone trying to deny reality… these are the actions and words of someone trying to hide reality," Celeste stated. However, rather than her usual composed look whenever she speaks, there were traces of bafflement across her face. "In other words, trying to hide the truth of the case."

"But… that would mean…" Sayaka spoke in horrified shock, quickly understanding the implication.

"Hina knew," Makoto finished, sorrow clear in his voice, "She knew this whole time."

Once again, the Ultimate Swimmer found herself staring at the TV in shock. 'I… I knew…?' she questioned in her mind, 'But, if I knew… then why… why am I saying…?'

'No, it's not a lie.' As Makoto thought this, the camera angled closer to Makoto's face. 'Sakura definitely went to section C.'

"You're a liar!" The camera then moved back to the angry and insistent Hina. "I'm telling you, I did it!"

The camera moved back to Makoto. 'Kyoko already showed me the evidence I need…'

And back to Hina. "Do you even have any proof Sakura took the poison?!"

Finally, it moved back to Makoto, stopping there. 'Now I have to hit Hina with it… I have to make her accept it!'

"Hina… did you know that Sakura's foot had a certain yellow powder stuck to it?" Makoto asked the girl gently.

"..." At first, the girl was silent. But slowly, she asked, "...It did?"

"It did. The same yellow powder that had been spilled by the shelf in the chem lab." Makoto confirmed with a nod. "That powder was yellow, wasn't it? So the powder we found on Sakura… what else could it be but the powder from the chem lab?"

At that moment, the camera froze towards Hina's angry expression, moving closer at different angles until the image cracked and shattered; revealing a more shocked and panicked looking Hina. "Ah-!"

"So, when the powder was spilled on the ground, it wasn't Hina or anyone else that spilled it…" Mukuro deduced what has yet to be said, "It was Sakura, who was grabbing the bottle of poison."

"Which further proves that Sakura grabbed the poison out of her own volition…" Byakuya stated, a clear frown across his face.

"Wait, wait, wait…" Hiro quickly cut in, "So what was that powder doing on Ogre's foot?"

"And it was only on her instep, right?!" Jill added.

"Sakura must have been standing right there where the powder was spilled," Makoto explained, "So the person who spilled the powder on the shelf wasn't Hina, but Sakura!"

"Ah…!" Another noise of panic came out of Hina.

"And when Sakura dropped the bottle, she dropped it away from where she was actually standing," Makoto continued, "Which is how she was able to avoid getting it all over herself. But the powder still got scattered around, and some of it must have wound up on her instep. Is there any problem with my thinking?"

"But why did Sakura pay a visit to section C in the first place?" Kyoko asked rhetorically, "The only explanation is that she was looking for poison. After all, that's all the section contained.

"N-No! It was me! I-! The poison-!" Hina stammered in panic, "Because… because…! Because I killed her!" At this point, tears were building up in her eyes.

"Why… why am I lying about this?" Slowly, a look of distress morphed across Hina's face as she continued to hear her future self's denial. "Why am I trying to hide this?! Why am I telling this horrible lie?!"

No one could really answer her. Several of the students were as confused as her, with some also feeling her anguish. Sakura, especially, felt her friend's distress, the martial artist's face twisting slightly in that anguish.

'Despair, my dear girl! It's because you're in despair!' Junko sang happily in her mind, 'And in that despair, you decided that you need to take down everyone! Including yourself!' The only thing that would've made this better is if she actually convinced the survivors that she did. Now THAT would've been a plot twist!

"No… you didn't kill her," was Makoto's calm refutation, "The one who killed Sakura… was Sakura herself."

"Gah…!" The swimmer, once again found herself choking her words.

"Wh-What…?" Byakuya held a disheveled look of shock. "The killer was… Sakura?"

"Wait, so you're saying… it was suicide?!" Hiro exclaimed incredulously.

"I-I don't believe it! I don't believe it any more than I believe I can fly!" Jill expressed her own disbelief.

"I can't believe it, either. Or rather, I don't want to believe it," Makoto said solemnly. "But when you really think about it, everything matches up. Sakura went and got the poison. She barricaded herself in a room, and she drank it… all so she can end her own life."

"And that explains why we couldn't solve the mystery of the locked room," the lucky student continued, "...the locked room mystery was created by Sakura."

"I'm sure she locked herself in so nobody could stop her from doing what she did," Kyoko explained, "She sat there, drank the poison, and breathed her last breath…"

"When it's all explained like that… it feels real simple," Mondo breathed out, "Way too goddamned simple to figure out…"

"Yeah. Honestly, why did most of us not think that Sakura killed herself?" Leon found himself asking, "I mean, the locked room alone should've given us at least a hint, right? But even Byakuya, both versions, didn't…"

"It's because we weren't looking," Mukuro sighed, "Throughout the three trials, it has always been one of us killing another. It didn't occur to anyone that a suicide would be counted as a murder."

"There were also the head wounds, along with Hina's attempt to cover it up," Kyoko added in, "Those kept the mystery from being completely obvious. In order to figure out Sakura's suicide, those needed to be addressed first."

"Not to mention… none of us wanted to believe it," Makoto was the next to speak up, his voice still soft, "No one wanted to believe that Sakura was capable of doing that, of taking her own life."

None could refute that. Even the more pragmatic students couldn't see anyone taking their own lives, Sakura especially.

"And the empty bottle of poison rolled around the locked room, until we came and opened it," Kyoko continued, "At that point, someone grabbed the bottle and snuck it out of the room. And that was you, wasn't it Hina?"

"Ng… gaah…" The girl gave an angry, tear-filled glare.

"Why am I doing this?!" the swimmer kept asking, holding her head, "Why am I trying so hard to hide Sakura's suicide?! Why?! Why?! Why?!"

Sakura squeezed her friend gently in her hug, in an attempt to calm her. But Hina barely registered it, her mind wrapped in distress and confusion.

"You did it to throw off the investigation, didn't you?" Kyoko continued, unperturbed, "When we found her body, you stayed right there near the door. Because you already knew Sakura was dead… and because the bottle of poison had rolled near the doorway."

"That's when you picked up the bottle, right?" Makoto guessed, "I was too shocked to notice anything, and Kyoko was busy checking the body…"

"And the more I think about it, the more I realize how unusual your actions were," Kyoko mused. A flashback of Hina walking from the crime scene, in order to get the others, was shown. "You said you were going to get everyone else… but your real intention was to go to the chem lab and switch out the containers, wasn't it?"

"Once you were at the chem lab, you headed straight to the section where the protein powder was kept," the lavender haired girl continued, "There, you took the powder and poured it into the bottle of poison you'd grabbed from the rec room. When you left the lab, all you had was the empty protein can. Thinking about it like that, the footprints make perfect sense."

"When you were done, you gathered everyone together, and once you were back in the rec room…" Makoto picked up for Kyoko, "While everyone else was focused on Sakura, you quietly placed the can on the ground."

"..." The swimmer could not say a thing, unable to deny or confirm what's being said.

"Honestly, I should have noticed…" Makoto sighed, looking away regretfully, "You should have been the first one to run up to Sakura's lifeless body. The Hina I know never would have left her side in a situation like that…"

"That's… that's true…" Sayaka found herself agreeing, "If Hina didn't know about Sakura's death in the first place… she would be first to be by Sakura's side, wouldn't believe it until she confirmed it for herself. And after… she wouldn't leave for any reason. ANY reason."

"But Sakura's death kept us from noticing that," Taka stated, looking down solemnly, "It's only during the trial, once heads were cooled, where we noticed these unusual behaviors."

"..." Again, the swimmer said nothing, merely holding a distressed look.

"So, Sakura committed suicide," Kyoko stated, "In order to hide this fact, Hina undertook a series of actions to undermine the investigation. As long as you could disguise the truth, you didn't care if we blamed you for her death. That's why you didn't bother to get rid of such obvious evidence, right?"

"The footprints in the powder, and the bottle of poison," the lavender haired girl listed off, "Vital pieces of evidence, and yet…"

"So, you're saying Hina consciously deceived us to make it look like she killed Sakura?" Byakuya summarized, still quite pale.

"...N-No…" At this point, the tears she was holding started sliding down Hina's eyes. "No! No, no, no, no, no! I killed her! I did it!"

"Stop saying that!" Hina found herself shouting, her eyes now closed shut, "It's over! They figured you out! SO STOP SAYING THAT LIE!"

"Hina…!" Sakura closed her own eyes, cursing herself for doing this to Hina. To both versions. 'Why… why would you put your dear friend through this torment?'

"Hina…" Makoto, Sayaka, Chihiro, and Taka found their hearts reaching out to the poor girl, all of them giving sympathetic looks. Leon and Mondo also looked upset for the girl, understanding her distress at least somewhat.

"That's enough, Hina. It's over," Makoto told her gently.

"It's not!" Hina shouted desperately, "Nothing's over!"

"It is!" Makoto shouted back… before calming down, "Actually, no… you're right. We have to end this properly…!"

"The closing argument…" Makoto said softly. If there was any doubt in anyone's mind, it was erased with this.

But rather than the dread they have been feeling from the three other trials, there was… acceptance. A solemn acceptance of what had happened. Of Sakura's suicide.

But on top of that acceptance, there was a question; one that had grown during the later parts of the trial. That question being… why Hina would try to hide this fact from the survivors?

Notes:

TV Trope Page

Chapter 84: Watching Chapter 4: All Star Apologies Part 17

The screen switched to the comic style closing argument, showing Sakura placing a letter beneath Hiro's door. "This case began when Sakura asked a number of people to meet her in the rec room." It then showed Hiro, Toko, and Byakuya receiving their letters. "Specifically, those people were Hiro, Toko, and Byakuya."

"But one of them headed out a bit earlier than the others - Toko." Act 2 then began, with Toko being shown in the rec room. "She got there one step ahead of everyone else and looked around for a good hiding spot. And she found it. She crawled into the locker to get out of sight." Pictures of Toko going in, and hiding inside, the locker, were shown next, as well as a picture of Sakura entering the rec room. "Then, from inside the locker, she saw Sakura enter the room."

Act 3 was then shown, the first picture being Hiro entering the room. "Next to arrive was Hiro." The act then showed Sakura giving him candy, which the fortune teller received nervously. Then it showed Hiro backing up nervously, into the shelf of Monokuma bottles. "When he got there, he mistakenly thought Sakura was going to try to kill him, so he panicked."

Act 4 featured Hiro attacking Sakura from behind with the Monokuma bottle, a limp Sakura and the fortune teller in a panic. "Without thinking, he grabbed a nearby Monokuma bottle and attacked Sakura with it. Thinking he killed her, he hastily began covering up his crime." The scene then showed Hiro's eyes turning towards a magazine and using it to write 'Toko' with Sakura's blood. "He took a magazine from the table and forged a dying message from Sakura."

Seeing this played out, slivers of guilt began seeping into Hiro's heart. The fortune teller felt himself shrinking once again, an uncomfortable look of shame coming across his face.

'Well… what was I supposed to think? How could I think that she was thinking something else?' Hiro tried justifying in his head. 'There's no way anyone could've figured Ogre was planning to kill herself! No way at all!'

"Toko… by writing her name, he was hoping to pin the murder on her." Next was Hiro running away and a still hidden Toko. "But, of course, Toko had witnessed the whole thing. So as soon as the coast was clear…" Pictures of Toko getting out of the locker room, and then grabbing the forged message, were next. "...she jumped out of the locker room and hid the magazine on the shelf with all the others. But in her rush, she made one little mistake…" The next two panels were the writer putting the magazine on its shelf, upside down. "She put the magazine upside down."

"Soon after, she watched as Sakura slowly opened her eyes…" The screen then showed an awakened, bloody Sakura, and a shocked looking Toko. It also showed the writer fainting, with Sakura catching her. "She also saw the blood dripping off Sakura's head and fainted. This caused her personality to switch back over to Genocide Jack." The next panel was an awakened Jill. "When she woke back up, her second personality also saw the blood-soaked Sakura… and she freaked out."

Panels of the serial killer grabbing a Monokuma bottle and attacking Sakura with it were the next to be shown. "And, just like Hiro, she grabbed another Monokuma Bottle and attacked her. This explains why there were two wounds on Sakura's head."

Now it was Toko's turn to look uncomfortable, shifting in her seat while keeping her eyes covered. While it was Jill who committed the act… it didn't stop the feeling the guilt, slightly aware that she accidently set herself up to faint like that in the first place.

'They could've talked to her… could've worked things out! If they weren't so afraid, none of this would've happened!'' Hina ranted, an angry glare forming from her tear-filled eyes, 'Why?! Why couldn't they just trust her for a bit?!'

"Assuming Sakura really was dead this time, she set about disposing of the evidence." The next two panels were Jill gathering up shards and chess piece, and her running away. "She gathered up the broken Monokuma Bottle shards, and the queen chess piece."

"And that explains how Sakura was attacked twice with the same type of weapon." Act 5 was next, the first panels being Sakura getting up and holding her bloody head. "But even after those two blows, she was still alive… so then, what was Sakura's actual cause of death?" The bottle of poison was then shown. "It was the poison that Sakura herself got from the chem lab. She turned the rec room into a true 'locked room' scenario and then drank the deadly mixture." Pictures of the bloodied Sakura looking up, and then drinking the poison were next. "And there, she took her final breath…"

At the sight of Sakura drinking the poison, Hina let out a choked sob. Others also held sorrowful looks across their faces, with Chihiro tearing up alongside Hina.

Sakura, however, held a more angry look across her face, frustration forming alongside her sorrow. 'Why?' she repeated to herself, 'Why would you commit this crime on ourselves? Why even think of giving up on life… of leaving my friends like this…?'

Could her heart really be that weak? Would something like this killing game really push her to a breaking point?

Finally, there was Act 6, the first panels featuring Makoto, Kyoko, and the culprit finding the now dead Sakura. "Later on, the rest of us discovered that her body was in there… we had to smash the door's window to get inside." Panels of Makoto breaking inside, the luckster and Kyoko gathering around Sakura's body, and the culprit at the back were next. "But someone already knew what had happened, knew that she had committed suicide…"

The next scenes were the culprit spotting the bottle, snatching it, and quickly walking from the scene. "And that same someone quietly snatched the bottle of poison from off the ground…" Finally, the screen showed the culprit looking from the background while the others were gathered, pulling out the protein can, and placing it around the broken glass. "...and while nobody was looking, replaced it with an empty protein can. They did all this to place all the suspicion on themselves, in an attempt to guide the trial to a false conclusion."

'But… why?' Hina found herself asking for the dozenth time, her tears still dripping, 'Why… would I do this? I would've sent my classmates to their deaths… sent myself… sent Makoto…'

"And the one who went to all that effort…"

The closing argument then ended with the picture of Makoto and the culprit, the former looking up sorrowfully and the latter looking down with tears sliding down their cheeks. The silhouette then revealed itself to be Hina. "...was you, Hina."

"And with that, all the contradictions have been cleared up." Kyoko faced the room with a resolute gaze. "I assume everyone has accepted the results of this trial."

No one went to refute her statement. "But… why?" Chihiro asked, his eyebrows furrowed in both confusion and anxiety, "Why would she do this?"

"Maybe she was trying to hide it?" Sayaka guessed, biting her lips, "Something similar to what Mondo did with Chihiro? She could've tried to hide that Sakura killed herself to preserve her memory."

"Perhaps it was revenge?" Celeste suggested, looking down in thought, "Could she have blamed Byakuya, Toko, and Hiro for this? And with that blame, try to make them pay for their crimes?"

"But they won't be the only ones affected," Taka argued, "Makoto and Kyoko would be executed as well. Hina herself would also be executed. She can't have forgotten that fact, no matter how much grief or rage she must be feeling."

'...I don't think she has forgotten,' Kyoko thought, eyes narrowed, 'But she went and did it anyway. Cause she found that an acceptable trade off to take down the others.'

The screen switched back to the trial room, first showing a solemn Makoto. "That's the full truth of the case…"

Hina could let out sobs now, her tears still falling freely down her cheeks.

"Sakura… took her own life," Makoto declared softly, "And you claimed to be the killer to hide the fact, isn't that right?"

"..." The girl was silent, no longer able to deny anything, but refusing to confirm what he had said.

"That's… what happened?" Byakuya questioned in pure disbelief, "But… Makoto, how did you-? How did you manage to-?"

Seeing the distressed Byakuya got the students to perk up, if only slightly and temporarily.

The Togami heir looked at the lucky student with astonishment. "How were you able to uncover the truth… that even I couldn't discern?!"

"Huh?" The luckster looked a bit startled at the question. "Oh, well, I mean…"

"Oh, maybe because he isn't an arrogant douche?" Leon suggested mildly, "Maybe that has something to do with it?"

"Because he doesn't see himself as infallible?" Taka added firmly, "Perhaps his modesty is why he was able to figure out the mystery?"

"Because he actually values friendship and kindness?" Sayaka pointed out dryly, "He doesn't think that we're all so capable of throwing our bonds away at the drop of a hat?"

"There's definitely a good number of reasons why Makoto figured out and you didn't…" Junko stated, visibly holding back a giggle.

"You still haven't realized?" Kyoko was the one to speak up and answer. "We don't all act according to calculations and cost-benefit diagrams. That's what makes us so complicated. That's what you don't understand, and that's why you couldn't solve this case."

"Gh-!"

"See? Didn't I tell you?" A smirk entered Kyoko's face. "When you dismiss other people's feelings, it'll always come back to bite you in the end."

"..." The Togami heir could only be silent, unable to make any refute or retort at the detective's words.

Seeing the Togami heir's disheveled look gained some more smirks, chuckles, and giggles from the students. "Wow, Kyoko. You did not let up when it came to Byakuya," Leon whistled, a smirk across his face, "He's looking like he got shot in the chest or something."

"Not feeling invincible now, are you asshole?" Mondo taunted, a grin across his face, "Togami definitely got taken down a peg with this one!"

"Not only by Makoto and Kyoko… but by Hina, of all people," Celeste added, an amused smile clear across her lips, "If it weren't for the first two, Byakuya would've been fooled by someone who's known to be rather scatterbrained. And I'm sure you know this Byakuya…" The gambler turned towards the Togami heir, her smile getting slightly wider. "That's why you haven't been saying anything this entire time, hasn't it?"

Byakuya didn't dignify the gothic-wearing gambler with a response, or even a look. But that reaction alone was enough to confirm it to the students, and for their laughter to increase slightly.

"Okay, Okay. I think we can all agree you made your point," Monokuma interrupted impatiently, "Did you guys forget already?! You still haven't voted yet!"

The students blinked, processing what Monokuma had said.

"Oh…"

"That's right…"

"There's still the voting…"

"Almost forgot about it, really…"

"Is there even a need…?"

"Oh yeah… that's right…" Kyoko said, rather absentmindedly.

"You seriously forgot?!" Monokuma exclaimed incredulously. The bear's head then dropped depressingly. "Urrg… I can feel my energy draining outta me…"

"With the killing itself being a suicide… there's really no one to be executed," Taka realized. However, that realization came with some mixed feelings, evident by the look on his face. "While I wish that Sakura didn't die at all… much less by suicide… the fact that there won't be an execution… but is it really-"

"It's okay, Taka," Sakura reassured the moral compass, stopping his moral conflict, "I wouldn't blame you if you feel relieved that no one else would be executed. It's not something I would wish upon anyone, even with my death."

"It's a slight moral dilemma," Kyoko sighed, "But we'll need to find the silver linings where we can, especially with these cases."

No one could really disagree with that. Even Hina, heartbroken as she is, couldn't find it in her to protest this.

"Well, whatever. You don't really have a choice, anyway. You just gotta do it!" the bear then said, a weak attempt to regain that dread, "Maybe you don't want to, but please grab your lever and cast your vote! So, who will be chosen as the blackened…? Will you make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one…? What's it gonna be? What it's gonna beeee…?"

For once, there wasn't that feeling of dread that came from Monokuma's words. A few even snorted at the bear's attempt to bring up that dread.

However, the desire for answers was still there, many wondering just why Hina would do this. The swimmer herself wanted those answers, was almost desperate for them.

Once again, the screen switched to the slot machine. The slots rolled around before landing on a grayed out Sakura. Lights flashed out once more, with cheers and coins flowing out of the machine.

The scene went back to the students, all six of them off of their podiums and gathered around one another. "Yeah, that's right. The one who killed Sakura was Sakura herself," Monokuma announced with a lot less fanfare. He then turned away, preparing to leave. "...Okay, we're done here."

Once again, a few students found themselves snorting. "Someone sounds disappointed," Leon remarked dryly.

"Of course. Bastard doesn't have anyone to kill; why wouldn't he be disappointed?" Mondo scoffed, "He was probably hoping that everyone would get the wrong answer."

"I wouldn't put it past them…" Mukuro muttered, looking at Junko from the corner of her eyes.

The fashionista herself almost pouted, missing the usual dread that came from these trials. But she quickly cheered up, knowing that the info about to be revealed will more than make up for it.

"So that's the whole truth, huh? I see…" Byakuya mused, still shaken up by all the reveals, "But there's still one thing I don't understand. Hina…"

The Togami heir turned towards the tear-stained girl with a bewildered, angry glare. "...why did you cover up what happened?" he questioned, "If the truth hadn't come to light, you would have died along with the rest of us. And yet you…! Why did you do that?!"

"Yeah! We almost died there!" Hiro joined in, scolding her angrily.

"And here's the last, pressing question to this entire case…" Byakuya declared, his eyes narrowed at the screen.

The others found themselves just as tense, almost eager for answers. The tension felt eerily similar to when Celeste had confessed to her reason for killing…

"Because…" Hina began, unbothered by the angry looks being given to her, "That's exactly what I wanted!"

However, the way the tension dropped couldn't have been any more different.

For the dozenth time, the air went frigid as the body temperatures of several went cold. Eyes went wide with shock, horror even, as Hina's reason for doing this passed through their heads several times.

From absolute horror, like Sayaka and Chihiro, to mere incredulity, such as Byakuya and Celeste; from the pale faced Hiro, to the gawking Hifumi. Almost no one was immune to the effect this reveal gave.

One exception was Kyoko, who merely closed her eyes in solemn silence. 'Looks like I was correct,' she thought to herself, 'She wanted to take them down, even though it meant killing herself. Even though it meant killing me and Makoto.'

'...I can't imagine the grief you're feeling, Hina,' Makoto thought empathetically, 'Not only did you lose your dear friend, but it was also by suicide. That couldn't have been easy to go through. But still…'

The lucky student felt his fists and teeth clench, the hurt that he's been suppressing bubbling up. 'You would really sacrifice me… Kyoko… yourself, even… just for the sake of revenge?'

Junko now had to suppress a grin, the reactions being exactly how she envisioned them. 'Yes! This is despair, people! This is what happens when you fall into despair!' she shouted maniacally in her mind, 'Despair drives us to do so many unpredictable things, makes you think things you never otherwise would've thought! Makes you want to share that feeling with everyone else, to make themfeel that same hurt you're feeling! It's such an amazing, wonderful feeling!'

Sakura… Sakura was stunned by this, shaken, even. "Hina…" The idea that her dear friend would kill someone, anyone, was unfathomable to her. It wasn't in the realm of possibility in her mind.

So, to hear that Hina would do this, attempt to kill everyone, even Makoto and Kyoko, to avenge her death… it hurt the martial artist to an almost choking degree. It filled her with shame and guilt for choosing the cowardly route.

And finally, Hina… the girl found herself broken once more. She found her body going limp as she stared numbly at the screen, almost unbelieving at what came out of her own mouth. She was… she'd really planned on killing everyone, didn't she? Have all of them, herself even, Makoto even, executed?

It was one thing to want Hiro, Byakuya, and Toko dead… to have them pay for their crimes, if any of them was the killer. But to actually act on it… to drag Makoto and Kyoko along… she couldn't have ever imagined being capable of that.

Makoto's eyes widened in shock. "What…?"

"I mean, the reason Sakura died… is cuz all of you pushed her into a corner," Hina declared, "You… you all killed her… so that's why… I couldn't let her be the only one that died!"

"Wh-Wha-...?" Chihiro stuttered in distress, mouth covered.

"She… really was trying to take revenge?" Taka breathed out in horror, "Even if it took down Makoto and Kyoko? Even if it ended with her own death?"

"I mean… should we really be surprised?" Mondo pointed out, despite looking flabbergasted himself, "I said before that a powder keg was being built up; it just needed to be lit. Is it surprising that Sakura's death was the thing that did? A suicide at that?"

"But… but she was gonna kill Makoto and Kyoko! Kill herself for this!" Sayaka exclaimed, various emotions playing within her heart, "Was she really gonna sacrifice herself, drag in two innocent people, just for revenge?!

Junko decided to answer this one, taking note of something else she just picked up on. "From her words… it seems like Hina also blamed Makoto and Kyoko for Sakura's death."

"..."

Once again, a profound silence hit the group, as several of the students gave disbelieving looks. Surely she didn't…?

"You d-don't mean…" Genocide Jill stuttered, taken aback, "You were gonna t-take us all with you?!"

"We have to atone for our sins," Hina repeated unwaveringly, despite the tears still leaking from her eyes, "Because everyone… even me… we all killed her."

"She actually… blamed them for Sakura's death…?" Sayaka asked, her voice shaky, "She thinks Makoto and Kyoko… are just as responsible…?"

"But… how does that make any sense?" Leon exclaimed incredulously, "Makoto and Kyoko didn't say a damn thing about Sakura! The most they did was keep the peace. So how are they responsible?"

"And it's not just that… Hina also blames herself as well," Chihiro spoke through his covered mouth, "She thinks she also killed Sakura."

"Hina…" This time, Makoto was unable to suppress the hurt he was feeling, this little revelation being too much for him. It was clear on his face that the lucky student felt upset at the blame being placed on him and Kyoko. That Hina blamed herself for this.

Hina found her stomach dropping even further, almost shattering like glass. The girl had her mouth covered, nausea starting to fill her. 'Why… why would I blame Makoto for this?! Blame Kyoko?!' she screamed in her head, 'They did nothing! Nothing to hurt Sakura… nothing to…!'

"We all have to pay for our crimes…"

"F-For serious?!" Hiro exclaimed, stepping back fearfully, "That's-!"

"You still don't understand? Then let me explain…" Slowly, the girl took out a piece of paper from her pocket. "Do you realize just how much despair Sakura was carrying with her when she died?! Look at this…"

She then showed them the letter in her hand. It read, "Such brutality has made me desperate. So instead of waiting to be killed, I'll do it by my own hand."

Several eyes widened at the sight of that note. "A suicide note…!" Hifumi gasped audibly.

"So that's how Hina found out about Sakura's death…" Taka grimaced in displeasure.

"And now we know why she decided to off herself…" Mondo growled, his fist clenched, "She was driven into a fuckin corner!"

Hina could only stare, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks once more. All this information was becoming too much for the young swimmer.

Makoto looked at the screen with an agape mouth, unbelieving at what had just been read. 'I… I can't believe it.' the lucky student couldn't help but think, 'This… this doesn't sound like Sakura at all. Not at all like that strong-willed martial artist we've come to know!'

There was no denying that Sakura killed herself; it's pretty much clear that suicide was the route taken. Regardless, Makoto refused to believe that his incredibly strong-willed classmate and friend would give in to despair!

Sakura found herself close to growling, self-hatred fueling her heart. How could she be so weak? So lacking in will that she would so easily give in to her own despair?!

'You knew this would happen! It should be no surprise that our classmates would react like this!' the martial artist raged in her head, 'This shouldn't have been enough to break you! You should've been strong enough to persevere!'

"Th-That's…!" Makoto gasped in shock.

"I found it on the ground, in front of the rec room," Hina explained, "It's… Sakura's suicide note."

"Suicide note…?"

"Thinking back, I should have seen it coming…" the swimmer said dejectedly, "It was right after Genocide Jack attacked me. Sakura got mad and stormed out of the nurse's office…"

A flashback was then shown, of Hina running after a moody Sakura. "I ran after her, and…"

"Sakura, calm down!" Hina pleaded with her, "You don't have to worry about me, I'm fine!"

"I… can't calm down…" Sakura growled, her fists clenched, "I don't care if I suffer for this. It's my fault, after all. But now you're suffering because of me… you tried to protect me, but because of me… my closest friend got hurt!"

"S-Sakura…"

"Because of me…" the martial artist repeated to herself, "...my friends are all going to kill each other. This is all… my responsibility."

"Sakura…" A look of sympathy entered Makoto's face, mixed with some anguish. How much guilt did the martial artist hold in her heart? How much blame did she place on herself?

Some of the others also held sympathetic looks, especially Sayaka and Mondo. The two couldn't help but think back to their future selves' mistakes, to what could've happened if they hadn't murdered or attempted to murder.

The screen then cuts back to the trial room. "Sakura… thought she was responsible," Hina continued on, "She thought everything was her fault. Which is why… she wanted to find some way to get everyone to forgive her. So, she asked to meet with… them."

If Hiro could get any whiter, he did now. Toko, who's been shaking ever since the post-trial reveal, started looking pastier than usual. Byakuya merely bowed his head, his expression unreadable.

The scene went back to the flashback, showing a shocked and worried looking Hina. "You asked to meet with those three?" she repeated what she's been told, "You can't! Don't you see how dangerous that is?!"

"Don't worry. I just want to talk to them," Sakura assured her.

"Talk about… what?" Hina hesitantly asked. The only response she got was silence. "Listen, don't do it. If they all gang up on you at once, even you…"

"Hina…" Sakura spoke up, cutting her friend off, "Please, don't think of things like that. They're not my enemy. They're… friends."

"S-Sakura…"

If any of them thought the surprises were done, they would be wrong. Most of the students were caught off guard by Sakura's statement. "She… actually thinks that?" Leon voiced incredulously. He turned to the martial artist herself. "You would actually think that?"

"Even with all this shit, you still want to call them friends?" Mondo voiced his own disbelief.

Sakura was silent for a moment, taking a deep breath to compose herself. After that moment passed, she nodded. "Yes. I would no doubt still see them as friends," she confirmed.

"But… they hated you! Feared you! Wanted nothing to do with you!" Hina pointed out fiercely, unable to stay silent at this, "Byakuya saw us as nothing but enemies, and Toko followed right after him! Maybe you could argue a case for Hiro, but he clearly showed that he doesn't value that friendship! How can you see any of them as friends after that?!"

"We are still those that survived the killing game," Was Sakura's calm retort, "Those of us that manage to persevere despite the betrayals and murders. They may not feel the same way… but that doesn't change that I view them as friends. At least, that's my guess as to what my future self's thoughts are."

The others could only stare at the martial artist in shock. A look of guilt started growing on Hiro's face, slowly starting to acknowledge how wrong his future self's actions were. Toko held a similar look, Sayaka's speech from earlier playing in her mind; the writer honestly couldn't feel more pathetic than she did now.

Makoto, however, wasn't surprised by this. To be able to call those that hate her as friends, to still look at them with any sort of camaraderie, is something he expected from the strong-willed, Ultimate Martial Artist. Which… 'It makes that note so much more unbelievable.' he thought to himself, 'I can't imagine Sakura ever giving up like that! Not in any scenario!'

"She clearly believed…" The scene went back to the trial room, with Hina still speaking. "She… completely believed… in all of us. If you'd just talked to her, you would've understood. She was a friend to all of us… and yet… and yet…!"

Flashes of Hiro's attack, Jill's attack, and Sakura's own self-poisoning were briefly shown before heading back to the trial room. "You trampled all over her feelings. And then you did the unthinkable…"

Both Hiro and Toko found themselves flinching, before shrinking further in their seats.

'I… really am pathetic, aren't I?' Toko couldn't help but think. Here she was, thinking that no one cared for her and that everyone is out to get her… yet there are those in her class that would see her as a friend.

"N-No, that was just a… a misunderstanding!" Hiro attempted to explain himself.

"Don't stand there and call it a misunderstanding!" Hina shouted back, having none of it, "She believed in you… and you wouldn't even listen to what she had to say. Without asking a single question, you tried to kill her… do you have any idea how desperate she was, seeing you act like that?!"

She held out the suicide note once again. "That's what her suicide note means…" she said tearfully, "'So instead of just waiting to be killed, I'll do it by my own hand.' That's how far you pushed her…"

'How… how I was supposed to know that she just wanted to talk?' Hiro attempted to argue with himself once more, 'How could I know that she wasn't planning to kill me? Kill anybody? She was Monokuma's spy! One of the strongest of the class! I couldn't help but misunderstand!'

That was what the fortune teller tried to tell himself. Unfortunately, his own thoughts felt weak.

Yet another flashback was shown, displaying a horrified Hina. "Sakura! What happened to you?!"

"H-Hina… you came…" the martial artist managed to say, blood dripping from her head wounds.

"Wait right here! I'll help you out!"

Before the swimmer could move or do anything, Sakura spoke up once more. "H-Hina…"

"Huh…?"

"I… I'm so glad I got to meet you…" Sakura confessed.

"W-What's wrong, Sakura?" Hina stuttered, her worry spiking, "Why are you talking like that…?"

Instead of answering, the martial artist said, "I… have a favor to ask."

"A favor…?"

"I'd like… some protein," Sakura requested, "Could I ask you to…?"

"Y-Yeah, you got it! Just hang on, I'll be right back!" With that, the swimmer ran out of the rec room at a frantic pace.

The screen then turned black. "That was… the last conversation I had with her."

Hina covered her mouth once again, this time to hold back the gut-wrenching sobs. While it muffled her voice, it didn't stop the tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Damn…" was what all Mondo could say, eyes turned away from the screen, "Just… damn."

"It's no wonder Hina reacted the way she did," Taka said in agreement, holding his knees in a tight grip, "It's still shocking to see what she would resort to, but… I can see just how it would be too much for her to take in."

Hearing her friend's cries once more made the martial artist want to comfort her. But she felt inadequate, knowing that she was the direct cause of Hina's anguish. So, in her inadequacy, she instead turned to Makoto.

The lucky student caught her gaze and, after a moment of silent communication between the two, nodded his head. He got up from his seat, and quickly went to where Sakura and Hina were sitting. Hesitantly, he sat down at Hina's other side. He didn't let himself hesitate when he wrapped his arms around Hina.

Hina, recognizing Makoto's presence, immediately latched onto him, her sobs coming out more freely. The lucky student continued to hold her, doing his best to provide any comfort.

The screen lit backup to show tears streaming from the girl's eyes once more. "I went to the chem lab to get the protein she'd asked for. When I got there, I saw the powder. And that's when I realized… I saw that someone had taken something from the poison shelf. Sakura… so I ran back to the rec room as fast as I could. But by the time I got there, it was already too late…"

The next flashback was the grief-stricken Hina looking through the rec room door. "Sakura!" she shouted desperately, "Let me in! Please, open the door!"

In her desperation, she banged on the door, hoping to get her attention. But there was no reaction from the martial artist. "Why…?" the swimmer asked herself, tears beginning to leak, "Why?! Why did she have to die!"

'Could… could I have stopped this?' Hina couldn't help but think through her tears, 'Could I have kept her from doing this? If I had just been more adamant about her not meeting with them… if I just convinced the others she wasn't a threat…!'

Makoto, as if hearing her thoughts, squeezed her tighter, silently telling her not to blame herself.

Once again, the screen went back to the trial room. "She had weaknesses, just like any other person. If she got cut, she bled. If someone hurt her, she felt it. That's weakness… that's normal…! And yet…"

Hina gave the group a withering glare. "You all blamed her… I tried to protect her and I suffered for it. And that just added to the weight she had to carry…! And I didn't even realize it…"

"Hina…" was all Makoto could say.

"We all killed her… all of us." Hina declared firmly, "We pushed her into a corner… and murdered her. People like us shouldn't be allowed to live!"

"And that's why you tried to lead us astray," Byakuya growled, anger forming across his face, "You did your best to make us arrive at the wrong conclusion during the class trial."

"In your grief and anger, you decided to take revenge on us," the Togami heir followed after his counterpart, his head still bowed, "In your path to revenge, you decided to forfeit your own life, to drag Makoto and Kyoko down in the process, to justify it by saying that we all killed her, including yourself and them." He then clicked his tongue in disgust. "How despicable."

Hina found herself flinching at the Togami heir's words, with some of the students taking offense. "You better watch it, Togami!" Mondo warned, standing up, "You're asking for-"

"For what? A pummeling? A slap on the cheek? To be hated by you plebeians?" Byakuya interrupted, undeterred in the slightest, "Funny. Weren't you already doing that due to the actions of my future self?"

That piercing question caused a number of them to flinch, momentarily struck silent by Byakuya. The Togami heir continued on. "You all were willing to demonize me thanks to my counterpart's actions; a few even tried to attack me over it. Yet when it's a dear friend that commits such a horrendous action, you're willing to overlook it? Even when she targets two people that have nothing to do with these events?"

No one could offer any retort to what he said. Both Taka and Mondo looked away, remembering their desires to teach Byakuya a lesson. Leon bowed his head, also aware that he isn't guiltless of this, while Chihiro had a clear guilty look across his face.

Makoto and Kyoko decided not to say anything, knowing that the affluent progeny is correct in his words. While his counterpart was vile, the present Byakuya had done nothing. Yet their classmates were willing to push their anger, hatred even, on him.

"...It's the fact that you had that potential months ago that gets us." Sayaka was the one to speak, her voice subdued. At first glance, the idol even looked composed, but it was clear with a much better look that she was anything but. "Like I said before, Byakuya, I can't keep ignoring how you were at the beginning of the year. It's also the same with Celeste, with myself, and now… Hina too…"

The idol looked at the swimmer with a furious, almost betrayed glare. "Hina… I get that you were grieving… that Sakura's suicide and the note accompanying it, were such a shock… but to blame Makoto and Kyoko? To even think that they were at fault for this? To say those things about yourself?! TO SAY THAT NONE OF YOU DESERVED TO LIVE?!"

By this point, the Ultimate Swimmer found herself shaking, heavy guilt now swimming with her sorrow. Even if she agreed that Hiro, Toko, and Byakuya deserved it… that she herself deserved to die… how could she have placed the blame on Makoto or Kyoko? Was it because they didn't do anything to help? To say something in support of Sakura?

But… it was trying to defend Sakura that pushed her to the edge, wasn't it? And didn't Makoto reveal to everyone what he saw to help Sakura? So then why should… what made her think…?!

"I think that's enough," Makoto looked at Sayaka with a firm, yet gentle, glance, "I understand why you're angry, Sayaka… and there are some things that I would like to say. But let's save it for later." He spared the girl in his arms a sympathetic look. "This whole trial has taken a toll on her as it is."

Sayaka's glare softened, unable to refute Makoto's words. After all, she was in the same position as Hina was, wasn't she? Faced with her crimes, unable to do anything but to take in the guilt, the self-loathing…

Silently, she sat back down. She's still angry at Hina, for multiple reasons, but she won't let that anger blind her to how affected the swimmer is by this.

"Sakura died hating all of us. I wanted to free her of her regrets." A fresh wave of tears left Hina's eyes. "But even that got found out. In the end, I wasn't able to do anything for her… I could never face her after this…"

"That isn't true…!" Sakura, who stood silent in the midst of that brief conflict, couldn't help but growl, "Hina… I would never hate you! No matter what weakness my future self had felt, I would not die with resentment in my heart! Especially not for you!"

Of that, she's confident in. Even if she had felt desperate, even if defeat and cowardice had taken over her heart… she would not resort to blaming her classmates. No, the blame would be solely on her.

"Sakura…" Hina looked at her friend, a new pool of tears swelling in her eyes. A feeling of gratefulness and relief swelled in her heart, but at the same time, the guilt grew even more. Guilt at the fact she even considered the idea that Sakura died hating her.

Suddenly, Monokuma popped back up. "I'm sorry to interrupt right when you're about to deliver the final tearjerker, but…" he began. "...it's just taking so long, long, long, LONG! I'm about to fall asleep over here!"

"SHUT UP!" practically half the class shouted.

"Do you think we give a fuck about what you feel?!" Mondo growled.

"None of us are there to entertain you, you damn sicko!" Leon shouted right after.

"Perhaps they should've joined them physically from the start. Mondo and Sakura could've provided plenty of entertainment…" Celeste said 'sweetly', a dark aura emanating from her.

"Go crawl back into whatever hole you keep hopping from, you sick monster!" Sayaka exclaimed viciously.

"I mean, do you really think you have any idea what Sakura was actually thinking when she died?"

And just like that, the heat that was gathered up so quickly evaporated just as quickly, leaving confusion and suspicion from the group.

"Huh?"

"What did he just…?"

"What's he trying to…?"

Is he implying he knows better than…?"

"What did you say…?" Now Hina directed her glare at the monochrome bear.

"Everything you just said is nothing but your interpretation, right?" Monokuma continued, unperturbed, "Your own opinion on what her suicide note meant?"

"O-Of course I know what she was thinking!" Hina stated defensively, "Cuz her and me-!"

"Well, what I'm really trying to say is…" Monokuma interrupted, "...don't you think the entire foundation is shaky? What if it was really… like this?" The bear then holds a folded letter, titled 'Last Testament, Sakura Ogami'.

At the sight of that letter… more than a few pairs of eyes widened. "That… that son of a…" Makoto stuttered, fury starting to bubble in heart, "He swapped Sakura's suicide note!"

That caused several more eyes to widen, as well as a few mouths to drop. "You mean to say that the note Hina had found wasn't from Sakura, but fabricated by Monokuma?" Taka summarized in shock.

"Then… that would mean that all the actions Hina had taken…!" Chihiro realized.

"Was thanks to the fucking! Bear!" Mondo growled in unbridled fury.

Sakura looked at the scene with shocked, widened eyes… before wrath began twisting across her face and encompassed her entire body.

"What… is that?" Hiro asked nervously.

"Isn't it obvious?" Monokuma said in retort, "A suicide note. Sakura's suicide note."

"Wh-What?" Makoto exclaimed in shock, "But Hina already…"

"Oh, I wrote that one. It was all me, baby," the bear admitted easily, "This is the one Sakura addressed to Hina and put in her room!"

"Wha-...?" Hina found herself staring at the screen, mouth ajar and expression paralyzed. It seemed almost as if her brain stopped working.

"I… I knew that the note seemed off," Makoto muttered loudly, mostly to himself, "Sakura… she's one of the strongest people I know. Someone willing to see those who hate her as friends, willing to face down Monokuma and resist him. I couldn't imagine that she would kill herself out of desperation, of all things. But…"

He directed his eyes towards the screen with a furious, almost scary-looking, glare. 'I didn't think that a fake suicide note would be made! Didn't think that the Mastermind was this rotten!' Guess it showed what he knew.

"What? Then…" Hina looked at the note in her hand in petrified shock, and then turned her eyes back to Monokuma. "You… lied to me?"

"Oh, don't say 'lie'! It makes it sound so dirty!" the bear refuted, "I just thought I'd liven things up a bit! I can't help it if you totally took my little scribbles at face value. It didn't even have Sakura's signature on it!"

Those words struck Hina like nothing else had, her skin turning more ashen. 'I fell for it… like an idiot, I took his bait and thought it was Sakura's,' she thought dazedly, 'Just like I did during the last trial… and future me was going on about how she knew Sakura's feelings… yet I took that note and took it at face value!'

Was she this stupid? Was she this blind? How much does she really understand Sakura, when she would easily believe that she died full of despair and hatred?

"You filthy little…!" Makoto cried out angrily.

"I'm not filthy! I didn't do anything," Monokuma interrupted with his own anger, "Did I falsify evidence? Did I affect the outcome of the class trial? The case played out between you and you alone. You were the ones jerking each other around."

"YOU FABRICATED A DYING WILL, YOU SCUM!" Makoto finally lost it, standing up from the couch he was on. Looked at the bear with complete hatred. "You messed with Hina's feelings and pushed her onto that path! She went and falsified evidence thanks to YOUR note! LIKE HELL YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!"

Many students looked at the lucky student with shock. While they have seen this righteous anger before, it was days ago and it was something they still aren't used to.

Junko, however, merely pouted. 'I did squat!' she whined in her head, 'The results would've been the same with or without that note! Not my fault Hina fell for the note like an idiot!'

Sakura, meanwhile, is in agreement with Makoto's anger. "That dishonorable fiend… how dare he try to pin this on Hina!" she snarled in rage, "How dare he try to shred any sense of responsibility!? His actions moved Hina to do these despicable things! With that fabricated note, we can only guess as to how she would've reacted without it!"

"And he knew. He knew that Hina would have this sort of reaction," Kyoko stated coldly, arms crossed, "Likely hoping that Hina would succeed in killing all of us, have that sudden twist to make this more enjoyable for him."

'...That sounds like Junko,' Mukuro mentally agreed with the detective. Her sister probably revealed the note to break Hina's spirit even more, and to get the class to turn on her for trying to kill them all over a fake note.

If there was one thing the soldier was confident in, it was how under-handed Junko can get.

"Heck, even if the will had factored in, it still woulda been between you guys. So what's the problem?! This is all part of the production process! Okay, and… scene! Cut!"

"So then, what did she write in her real suicide note?" Kyoko cut in.

"I'm glad you asked! For your benefit, I shall read it using my melodic, angelic, harmonic narrator voice!" Monokuma declared.

At this, several students tensed up, all ears focused on what's going to be read.

"But you know… haven't you ever been curious about the whole 'suicide note' thing? Who come came up with the idea of leaving a note when you kill yourself in the first place?"

"And isn't it just so unfortunate? Killing yourself is just so final, ya know? You can never hear the rest of their story. The truth is lost in darkness. Gives me the willies…!"

"Just get on with it!"

"Shut up and read the note!"

"No one cares about your rambling!"

"Could you get on with it, please?" Kyoko interjected once again.

"Okay, okay, jeez! Talk about a buzzkill…" the bear complained, "Alright, here we go."

'We figured out the mystery of who killed Sakura…' Kyoko mused.

'We found out why exactly Hina tried to cover up her suicide…' Celeste unknowingly continued.

'The only left now is…' Sayaka thought anxiously, gripping her skirt.

'...why? Why did she do it?' Makoto unknowingly finished, as tense as his other classmates.

Notes:

So, this version is finally caught up with FF version. I hope you guys enjoyed what you've read so far, and are looking forward what comes next. Now that we are caught up to where I last updated this fic, the publishing of chapters will take much longer; hope you aren't too disappointed in that. Chapter 85 should be coming soon, however, just need to be beta-read and edited.

Anyways, leave reviews, kudos, bookmarks, and hits. I'll see you later.

TV Trope Page

Chapter 85: Watching Chapter 4: All Star Apologies Part 18

With a clearing of his throat, Monokuma began reading. "My good friend Hina. There's something I wish to tell you." He read. "I hate to do it like this, but you need to know. This is… my final wish."

The scene faded into black, before lighting up to show Sakura writing the note. "As you know, I've been giving information to the one who's imprisoned you here. It was our first night in this strange school that the mastermind came to see me…" She wrote. "You see, the mastermind took control of my family's dojo, and demanded I become their tool."

At that, eyebrows shot up in disbelief. "A dojo?" Leon repeated dubiously. "That was the hostage that the mastermind took?"

"My family's dojo." Sakura corrected, looking unsurprised by this. "One that has been watched over for centuries."

"You might not see the importance of a dojo, but my family has watched over it for over 300 years. I couldn't let it be destroyed under my watch. So even if it meant my own life, I had to protect it. That's how I saw things…"

"Still though… is this dojo truly worth being a spy for the enemy trying to kill us?" Taka pointed out in disbelief and even somewhat disappointed in what he's hearing. "Is it worth the life of others, including yourself?"

"Isn't that the same thing Celeste was doing…?" Hiro asked, scratching his head.

At that, Hina's head shot up with a glare. But before she could say anything, Sayaka spoke up. "It's not. It's more similar to my motive." She corrected the fortune teller calmly, yet softly. "This dojo is something that's a part of her family, something that holds value to her dream and people close to her. When you're confronted with the idea of losing that dream, losing everything you worked hard for… you can make mistakes. Horrible mistakes."

At her words, no one pushed further on this topic, putting their focus back on the TV and Sakura's will. The martial artist herself nodded gratefully towards the idol, thankful that she understood why the decision was so difficult.

"However, that was my greatest weakness." She admitted. "And because of that, I made the mistake of giving in to the mastermind. And what the mastermind wanted from me was nothing less… than murder. They were probably worried that until the first murder had happened, nothing would move forward. But what neither the mastermind nor I expected… was the incident involving Sayaka."

At that, the idol flinched, her guilt becoming more pronounced across her face. Meanwhile, Kyoko took the time to speak up. "So if no one decided to kill anyone, the mastermind would've forced Sakura to kill someone." The detective summarized, a neutral look still across her face. "He wanted to ensure that the killing would start and things would move forward."

"So the mastermind wasn't completely confident that any of us would kill out of our own volition." Byakuya mused. "Even with the motives, he feared a stalemate would happen; and once the first murder was committed, he kept Sakura as his trump card…"

"In case the game gets boring for them." Mukuro finished, her tone neutral. "But unfortunately, Sakura was clearly unneeded from much of what we've seen."

Mondo bowed his head in anger and regret, while Celeste attained a very stiff and neutral expression.

"At that point, the plan changed. The mastermind told me to hold off - to wait until we reached another stalemate." She continued. "However, as I lived here with all of you… as I lived here with Hina… my resolve began to weaken. Watching everyone fight against such despair, trying so desperately to stay alive… I saw the weakness in my own heart, the mistake of succumbing to the mastermind. And more than anything… I cannot betray those who would call me their friend. That's how I came to feel."

Despite already seeing this for themselves, the group couldn't help but look at this with some amazement. "And that is why you physically fought against the mastermind, wasn't it?" Celeste deduced. "To show your resolve."

"You have a strong will, Sakura." Sayaka said, smiling sadly. 'Stronger than mine…'

"Definitely…" Mondo spoke softly, holding some admiration and envy. It was something he couldn't do; see things as clearly as Sakura did.

The screen transitioned back to the trial room. "So that's why Sakura…" Makoto spoke with slight realization. A flashback of Sakura resisting Monokuma was then shown.

"Of course, because of that I decided to reveal her secret, which made everyone else hate her." Monokuma gloated. "Her decision to stay true to all of you led directly to all of you hating her for it… ironic, isn't it?! Or maybe oxymoronic? Or just moronic…?"

While some of the students glared at the bear hatefully, Hiro and Toko couldn't help but flinch at this. More and more, both are seeing how much they were playing into the mastermind's hands…

The screen went back to Sakura writing the note. "Of course, I understand if you all hate me. All of this is because of my own weakness…" She stated in her note. "I'm perfectly willing to accept whatever attack you may want to make on me. So this is my atonement for betraying you. That's what I had in mind… but unfortunately, that's not enough. This won't end with just me accepting your hatred."

Flashbacks of the conflicts between the group then started showing. "My own situation has started having an effect on more people than just me… which is exactly what the mastermind wanted when they revealed my betrayal." From Hina's and Byakuya's confrontation, to Jill's attack on the swimmer. "My betrayal brought suspicion, disharmony… the mastermind knew that eventually it would escalate into someone murdering someone else."

"It was like Kyoko said…" Taka said, gritting his teeth. "The reveal was the motive. It created conflict, confusion, suspicion, all of which was continuously rising…"

Both Hiro and Toko looked even guiltier, while Hina found herself flinching, now acknowledging how she played a part in the disharmony. How much of what she did caused Sakura to worry…? What did her friend think of her, when she was butting heads with the others…?

"And Sakura saw that. She saw the tension was gonna end with someone murdered. With another class trial and another execution." Makoto said morosely. "So then… what did she…?"

The lucky student's eyes widened, now realizing Sakura's true motive. He was quickly joined by Kyoko and Byakuya, both of whom connected the dots.

"Of course, I'm still responsible for that, as well." Sakura stated. "I have an obligation to get this situation under control. And to fulfill that obligation, I've decided to do as the mastermind has commanded. I will do as I was told, and commit murder. But I've decided… the one I'm going to kill is… myself."

Her words shocked the room into silence. Sayaka covered her mouth once again, tears glistening her eyes once more, while Taka stared at the TV dumbly. Chihiro's reaction was similar to Sayaka's, with tears already sliding down, and Mukuro's own eyes expanded by a few inches.

As for Sakura… her own eyes widened in realization, before relaxing. Relief then encompassed her expression, now seeing what her future self was trying to do. That she didn't take her life due to mere cowardice.

"If the mastermind demands that I kill someone, then that someone will be me. Then my dojo will be safe, and above all else, none of you will have to kill anyone. When I die, the source of conflict among you all dies with me. For that, I'm willing to give up my life. If it can save you, then sacrificing my own life could have no greater meaning. Whatever you think of me, please know that you are all my most treasured friends… I've never had people like you in my life…"

"S-Sakura…"

"Damn…"

"She really…"

"Wow…"

If the students were amazed at Sakura's willingness to not betray the survivors, her sacrifice definitely left them stunned. It would've been one thing to take on the hatred of the others without complaint… but to sacrifice herself for them? To take their own life just so a murder wouldn't happen?

It was close to impossible for many to comprehend such strong a will.

"I see…" Makoto, however, was not one of those students. Rather than stunned, the lucky student looked down with a melancholic smile. A smile that was also filled with relief, and even acceptance. "That really explains everything…"

"The decision wasn't made out of weakness…" Kyoko added solemnly. "But out of courage. Remarkable courage at that."

"No kidding…" Was Leon's remark, as he turned towards the martial artist. "I mean, no offense, but Sakura… you have to be bat-shit insane to pull something like that off…"

"No offense to be taken." Sakura assured him, keeping her eyes on the screen. "Normal means could not be taken to fix the mess my future self had created." And she was more than content that her future self took this route above all others, no matter how insane it may appear.

"..." Hina couldn't say anything. She could merely stare dumbly at the screen, skin ashened and eyes dilated. The girl was slowly comprehending how much her future self screwed up… what exactly she would've done if her plan had actually succeeded…

The transition to the trial room happened once more, with the focus now on a pale skinned Hina. "Then… Sakura…" The girl muttered, comprehension and horror clear in her voice. "...didn't feel cornered. She didn't die hating us. She wanted to… stop us from fighting? To protect us?"

"She didn't end her own life because she was weak. Quite the opposite, in fact…" Kyoko stated confidently. "She was strong. Too strong. That's why she killed herself. She chose death for herself in order to protect the rest of us. To sacrifice so much… no normal person could do that. It was only her limitless strength that made it possible."

"..." Hina was unable to say anything else; merely stood there, stunned.

How could she not notice that the note was fake? How could she have thought that Sakura was weak, when everything she knew about her said otherwise? Those were questions that were pressing onto the Ultimate Swimmer's mind, the girl wrapping her arms around herself to keep from shaking.

Junko, meanwhile, had to make an effort to withhold any looks of annoyance, resulting in another blank looking expression. 'First pixie boy, now the walking mass of muscles?' She whined in her head. 'Where does this large boost of hope come from? It's soooo aggravating!'

Once again, the flashback of Sakura writing her will was shown. "Finally… Hina, I want to apologize to you especially." She wrote. "The reason I didn't tell you any of this is because I knew you would try to stop me. I'm really, truly sorry. But please don't be sad. If I can thwart the mastermind's plan, if I can keep you from killing each other… that's enough for me. This is the path that I have chosen. This is the only way I have left to distinguish myself."

"And you can use this note to bring the class trial to a quick end. I'm so sorry to ask you to do something so unpleasant, but I have to leave the rest to you." The martial artist requested. "Please talk to Byakuya, Toko, and Hiro on my behalf. I can't tell anyone about my plan while I'm alive, but I wanted you to understand why I'm doing this. In the end, though, I hope to show myself through actions and not words. Hopefully then they'll see…"

"I never saw you as my enemy. You were only ever my friend, who I wanted to help as much as possible…" She stated confidently in her texts. "Hina…. Whatever it takes, survive. Survive along with everyone else. No matter what… just survive."

Once again… Hina found herself broken. Rivers of tears slid from her eyes as Sakura's final request to her future self repeated in her mind.

'Idiot.' She thought to herself. 'Idiot. Idiot. Idiot. You didn't know about Sakura at all. Didn't understand how she felt one bit!' As her thoughts continued, the swimmer found herself hyperventilating. 'It was clear as day! So obvious! She didn't do anything to hide it, and you didn't have a single, goddamn clue as to what her true thoughts…!'

Suddenly, the girl found herself being pulled into another hug, none other than by Makoto. The lucky student's embrace opened the floodgates for the sorrowful, guilt-ridden sobs to come out; her body shaking and her arms clinging onto her source of comfort.

'This trial… this must hurt a lot, doesn't it?' Makoto thought, his heart going out to the girl in his arms. 'This entire chapter must be devastating for you, Hina…' It's clear that he'll need to talk to her later. Ensure that no negative thoughts stay ingrained in her mind.

'Hina… I'm so sorry…' Was Sakura's remorseful thoughts. While she no longer holds any protest for what her future self has done, she still regrets that it hurt her friend this way.

'I… really am a big idiot, aren't I?' Was the defeated thought of Yasuhiro Hagukure, a look of guilt now clear across his face. Even when he distrusted Sakura, even while he was frightened of her… she still saw him as a friend. Sacrificed herself even. And his future self ended up trying to kill her.

'Pathetic… pathetic… pathetic…' Was the thought that repeated in Toko's mind. The writer was now curled into a complete ball, her head tucked into her arms and knees, shaking with self-loathing.

The screen went back to the trial, focusing on Hina once more. "Th-This is…!" She sobbed, tears slipping from her eyes. "I… I didn't understand how she felt… not at all… I thought we were close, and still…!"

"But in the end, all her meddling was like, totally pointless!" Monokuma bragged. "She died so you guys wouldn't try to kill each other, but you almost ended up doing it anyway! Thanks to you, her death had no purpose at all!" The bear let out a mocking laugh. "In fact, it was BECAUSE of her stupid meddling that the rest of you nearly hit the big one!"

Suddenly, one of the tables filled with food was thrown at the TV. Thankfully, it was stopped before it could make impact, and it merely levitated in front of it; that didn't deter the thrower from speaking. "GO FUCK YOURSELF!" Mondo roared in fury, as the table and its content floated back downwards. "YOU WERE THE ONE WHO GODDAMN MEDDLED! NOT SAKURA!"

"If you didn't take it upon yourself to steal the note and replace it with another, none of this would've happened!" Taka shouted in fury, getting up alongside his best friend. "Your interference is what caused this to happen, not Sakura's sacrifice to save everyone!"

"He's acting all high and mighty, but the bastard had to use a fake note to get that started in the first place!" Leon snarled, fists clenched tightly. "Like Kyoko said, he probably knew things would get resolved if that fake note wasn't there! So he had to butt in!"

"If he didn't steal the real note and replaced it with the fake, his words probably would've had some merit." Sayaka muttered. However, a vicious glare aimed at the TV. "As it is, his words hold no weight. He gave no reason to believe that her sacrifice wouldn't have worked!"

Almost the entire group felt united in their hatred against the monochrome bear. Even the more timid ones, such as Hiro and Chihiro, could not help but have appalled looks over the mastermind's manipulation.

"...He's a coward." Makoto summed up plainly. He aimed his own hate-filled glare at the TV, while still holding onto the devastated swimmer. "A petty, rotten, gaslighting coward. He wouldn't have done this if he wasn't."

There was no disagreement with the lucky student - except for one Junko Enoshima, who gave an unreadable look towards Makoto.

"She deserves all the blame! Everyone, blame her! Go ahead, she deserves it! Puhuhu… now then, the next victim has been decided!"

"What do you mean, next victim?!" Makoto then interjected fiercely. "Nobody here blames anyone…!"

"Hrmm?" Was the bear's confused response.

"First of all, you're in the wrong for tricking Hina with that fake suicide note!" The lucky student pointed out. "And plus… Sakura's death wasn't a waste!"

"Hurrrmmm?"

"Because she made us remember…" Makoto continued. "We're not enemies that hate each other. We're friends, who need to work together!"

"Damn straight." Hiro spoke in agreement, looking a tad remorseful. "This is all because of our misplaced hatred. I don't blame her! I CAN'T blame her! And nobody can blame Hina, either!"

Monokuma let out a cry of shock and panic.

"Whether or not there was a spy never really mattered. Because the one we need to destroy…" Makoto directed an angry glare towards the bear. "...is you! Nobody else!"

"Did he really think that this was going to divide us? That all of us would go and blame Sakura or Hina for this?" Makoto asked rhetorically, his glare turning less hateful and more determined. "Well, I'm sorry to disappoint; but like I said before, I'm just not built for that!"

"I wouldn't either." Kyoko stated, gazing coldly at the screen. "I'm more than confident that my future self can see through the mastermind's intent. There's no chance that I would fall for this obvious play."

"And you heard future me, didn't you? I don't plan on hating Sakura or Hina!" Hiro spoke up, trying to pump himself. "He can see that it was partly his fault this all happened… and I see it too! I'm not gonna put any blame on Sakura OR Hina!"

The words of three of the survivors' present counterparts got spirits rising, pumping up the group even further. A few were even hopeful that this would actually unite the group, rather than cause further division.

Junko, on the other hand, was the opposite. The more this continued, the harder it was to keep any annoyance from showing. 'This is actually uniting them?! Seriously?!' She exclaimed. 'No way! Even if they don't see Sakura as an enemy, there's no way they forgive Hina just like that!'

"What the heck?! That's not how this is supposed to go!" Monokuma protested fiercely. "But anyway, are you sure about that? This killing game is a competition between all of you, remember? Your enemy… is each other."

"He's absolutely right about that." Byakuya spoke up in agreement and irritation.

"Oh, you have got to be shitting me…!"

"Almost forgot about this asshole…!"

Leon and Mondo let this displeasure known, while several of the students held looks of displeasure.

"I understand why you were angry with us before, Byakuya…" Taka conceded, gripping his knees. "But still, to see you like this…"

"Is he still gonna act like this? Despite everything that happened?" Sayaka questioned with anger and some disbelief.

The Togami heir said nothing, as held annoyance for his future self as well. 'Stop being a fool…!' He practically commanded. 'Stop being manipulated! Get out of the mastermind's tune!'

"Ah, lovely Byakuya!" Monokuma turned towards the affluent progeny happily. "You understand, don't you?!"

"This is a life-or-death elimination match. The only way to survive… is to win." Byakuya stated factually. "There can be no doubt that those are the rules of the game."

Byakuya's words caused Junko's annoyance to abate, with the girl having to hold back giggles now. 'Look like Sakura's sacrifice will be pointless, after all.' The fashionista sang. 'So long as one person is divided from the rest, there's always room for distrust and conflict!'

Somewhat similar thoughts were held the other students, though the emotions were opposite of Junko's. Some couldn't help but feel frustrated that the Togami is still…!

"Which is why… I am bowing out of the game."

And just like that… all negative thoughts were halted. With every single pair of eyes staring at the screen in shock.

"Huh?!"

"What?!"

"Did he just say-?!"

"Is he actually implying-?!"

"What the actual f-?!"

"Byakuya…!" Makoto stared at the Togami heir in shock, and was met with a similar look of surprise from said heir.

Not even Junko was immune, with the girl dropping her jaws dumbly.

"Huh…?" Was Monokuma's reply to that.

"Sakura and Hina were both willing to sacrifice their own lives to deny the reality of the game." Byakuya continued. "Thanks to them, it would appear the others have cast aside their fear for the game. There's no point in participating in a game which has lost that sense of excitement. Which is why I will no longer be participating in it."

"He's actually… giving up on participating in Monokuma's game?" Taka questioned in shock.

Byakuya's surprised look quickly turned into a vicious smirk. "They miscalculated." He stated confidently. "In their attempt to make things more interesting… I was given enough to wake up. A combination of Sakura's sacrifice, Hina's revenge scheme, and the mastermind's hand in it showed my future self to be shaken from their manipulation."

That shook the students out of their shock… and for their spirits to soar even higher. Some were even grinning alongside the progeny.

"Wh-What's going on here?!" Monokuma cried out in anger.

"Now I have only one thing to look forward to." The Togami heir aimed a fierce glare at the monochrome bear. "And that is to heap the harshest possible punishment onto the one who thinks they can control me!"

"For once, you actually sound like a badass!" Leon cheered, pumping a fist up with a grin. "Finally, future you isn't being an asshole!"

"Damn straight!" Mondo cried out in agreement, gaining a similar grin. "The mastermind fucked up there!"

"And if Byakuya joins them, that means Toko would follow right after!" Hiro added happily. "Can't see her doing anything else!"

"Their open attempt at manipulation cost them." Celeste stated, merriment dancing in her red eyes. "Now they lost one of their best cards."

"Oh Master~!" Toko exclaimed, looking at her love with a dreamy expression.

For once, the entire class felt united. Chihiro was smiling happily, Hifumi shook giddily in excitement, Kyoko was smirking, and even Sayaka felt a surprised elation towards Byakuya's change of heart.

Makoto was one of the happiest of the group, smiling wide at the show of unison both here and on screen. He looked towards Byakuya, his expression screaming "I knew future you would come around!". The Togami heir merely rolled his eyes, though he didn't lose his smirk.

'You didn't see that coming, did you Junko?' Mukuro mused with some shock, looking towards her still stunned sister. 'Otherwise, you wouldn't have read that note to them.' Never in her life did she witness her sister making a mistake like that. Did that craving for despair get the better of her or something?

"B-Byakuya!" Makoto looked at the Togami heir in shock. "Does this mean…?"

"Don't misunderstand. I haven't been moved by some thoughtless sentimentalism, if that's what you're thinking." Byakuya rebuked.

"Okay, he's still a bit of an asshole." Leon retracted, though still looking pretty happy.

"Like Hina said though: He may be a jerk, but he's our jerk now!" Hiro stated in a cheerful tone.

"And the lot of you are still a bunch of annoyances." Byakuya snarked back in kind.

"Wherever Master goes, I go!" Genocide Jill cheered. "And if the mastermind turns out to be a guy, maybe I can catch on fire!"

"And the survivors are now officially united!" Hifumi cheered.

"But will Toko remember anything from this?" Taka asked in concern. "I remember one of them saying that they don't share the same memories."

It was the writer herself who answered. "We don't… but w-while we don't share memories, we do share emotions." She said, hints of confidence in her voice. "So while I may not know anything, I'll hold the same sentiment as J-J-Jack. And regardless, I'll go wherever Master goes!"

Sakura looked upon this with a content smile, happy that their future selves will honor her dying will. She would have to thank the mastermind for helping unite them even better than they would've before; cause now, she can say confidently no other murder will happen.

"E-Everyone…!" Makoto cried out happily.

"Well?" Kyoko spoke up, smirking at Monokuma. "Now can you say that Sakura's death had no meaning?"

'Oh, go **************************!' Was the annoyed, angered thought of Junko Enoshima. The fashionista settled on her blank, almost bored looking expression, finding all this incredibly annoying.

Some of the others, meanwhile, couldn't help but find humor in this, with some already laughing. "You are a savage in this trial, Kyoko!" Leon remarked, holding his stomach in his laughter. "The mastermind has got to be steaming after that one!"

"It's no less than they deserved, after how arrogant they were." Kyoko remarked, looking as smug as her future self. She would even go as far as to say that they helped unite the group, rather than divide them like planned.

"Hmph. How boring." The bear said flatly. "But nothing good can come of this. I'm still gonna be the one having the fun time!"

"The fun… time?" Hiro inquired nervously.

"Anyways, let's forget about that good-for-nothing backstabber and get back on track!" Monokuma growled. "It's the moment you've all been waiting for! Punishment time!"

Immediately, all laughter and good spirit stopped, with the students looking at the screen in alarm. "E-Execution?!" Hifumi exclaimed.

"But, there's no one to execute!" Taka protested confusingly. "Even if we would call Sakura herself the killer, she's already deceased!"

"Who the hell is he gonna punish? The bottle of poison?" Leon voiced his own confusion.

"...Oh no… oh, please don't tell me…" Several students turned their heads to a fearful looking Makoto.

"No… no, he wouldn't dare…!" Sakura looked just as worried, halfway up from her seat.

"...M-Me?" Spoke a frightened Hina, who finally managed to turn her attention on the screen.

That's when it clicked for several students. And that confusion quickly turned to fear.

"Wait, but… Sakura was technically the killer, right?" Jill pointed out in confusion. "And she's dead!"

Makoto's eyes widened. "Y-You're not gonna…!"

"I-Is it me…?" Hina asked fearfully.

"NO!" Sakura roared, rage quickly joining her worry. "He will not lay a hand on Hina!"

"That's bullshit!" Mondo raged alongside the martial artist. "Just because she tried to hide that Sakura killed herself, doesn't give him the fucking go-ahead to kill her!"

"Does he honestly think that killing Hina would break the spirits of the others?" Taka questioned angrily and incredulously. "No, it would merely unite them even further against him!"

"Indeed. This sort of action would merely lose him more credibility for his killing game…" Byakuya mused, eyes narrowed. "Even he should be aware of that. So would he really…?"

"Oh heavens, no!" Monokuma assured quickly. "Just cuz the blackened is dead doesn't mean I can just sub in whatever ol' student I want!"

That rage, worry, and fear now quickly shifted back into confusion, with several voicing out befuddled "Eh?"s.

"Didin't I tell you?! I'm very particular about the 'Bear-Times-One' rule!"

"As I thought." Byakuya nodded his head to this. "The bear has clearly shown to be very firm on the rules he has created. It would be odd for him to blatantly break them now."

"True. The mastermind has made it clear at this point that they want our spirits to break, not just simply kill us off." Kyoko spoke in agreement with the Togami heir. "Setting up these rules for this killing game, and having us be the one to stain our hands, is part of that process. Breaking their own rules would give us more justification in our hearts to unite against Monokuma, and they know it."

"Then… who the hell is he gonna kill?" Mondo questioned, completely befuddled at this point.

"But I spent so much time preparing my special punishment, it'd be a shame to let it go to waste! So, for my special special punishment… I've prepared a special guest!"

"A special guest…?" Was Makoto's wary question.

"Who the hell is it?!"

"Yeah, who?!"

"Could it be Sakura's hostage?"

"But Sakura did as he requested!"

"Maybe he won't count suicide as a murder…"

Junko narrowed her eyes in thought, wondering who exactly she got as a special… the fashionista grinned. She didn't have to wonder long.

Kyoko also managed to connect the pieces, not long after Junko. 'Please don't tell me they already…'

"Let's give it everything we've got!" Monokuma announced eagerly. "It's… PUNISHMENT TIME!"

With that, the screen went black. But it soon lit back up, like a computer screen, to reveal a smiling Alter Ego.

At the sight of Alter Ego, the group went deathly silent. Eyes were widened, jaws dropped, and faces went pale at the sight of the AI.

All of them knew what seeing Alter Ego meant. And Leon summarized their feelings with an eloquent, "Shit."

For a moment, nothing happened, with the AI merely blinking in confusion. But then a rumbling was heard, causing him to move his eyes around. As the rumbling continued, the screen expanded, revealing the laptop to be in a construction site. A fake one, which was quickly revealed when a bulldozer ran over the props. It stopped right behind the AI.

"No…" Chihiro said shakily, his mouth covered and eyes dilated. "No, no, no… no!"

'Knew it…' Was the unanimous thought of Celeste, Byakuya, and Mukuro.

A cute little song then started playing, with the screen showing a different angle of the bulldozer. It then showed Monokuma inside, pulling down a lever, which caused the dig machine to lift up.

EXCAVATOR DESTROYER

There was but a moment of silence before the machine slammed onto the laptop. It continued doing so in rapid speed, turning the laptop into mere pieces. It did not stop, however, and continued to pummel it with unnatural movements, Monokuma shaking inside from the vibrations. It then, somehow, formed the pieces into a metal ball. It finished it off by placing Monokuma's muzzle and evil red eye on it, before the excavator moved back.

"NO!"

"Alter Ego!"

"It got turned into scrap metal!"

"Fuck!"

It was clear over half the class felt equal parts shock, dismay, and anger over what happened. Despite not knowing the AI personally, despite it being a program… it was still distressing to see him being destroyed. Not as much as the previous executions, but distressing nonetheless.

Chihiro, of course, was the most affected. The young programmer looked devastated, white as a sheet and tears streaming from his eyes. He honestly felt a bit pathetic, crying over a program of all things. But it was his creation. An AI he had made, and seen developed in this viewing. One that was supposed to help his friends figure out the mysteries of Hope's Peak, possibly even find a way out!

And Monokuma smashed it into tiny pieces.

The scene transitioned back to the trial room, with most of the students in clear shock. "Y-You…!" Makoto stuttered out.

"You suck, man! You turned him into a mangled hunk of junk!" Hiro exclaimed in dismay.

"Whew, that really took it outta me! Maybe I'll go grill up a plate of chicken!" Monokuma playfully mused. "After all, they say for post-workout grub, chicken's where it's at! And I'm all about the grilled goodness! Fried? Broiled? Gimme a break! The color, the smell, the succulence… grilled is where it's at!" He ended his random chatter with his evil, mocking laughter.

"Mother… fucker…!" It took everything within Mondo not to throw the table at the TV once again, though he couldn't contain his growl. When his eyes fell on the devastated Chihiro, however, he worked double time to suppress his anger.. With a sigh, he patted the programmer's head, in hopes of comforting him.

He didn't expect the smaller dude clinging onto him from his side. The biker looked startled for a moment, but when he felt Chihiro shaking and his tears dripping on his coat, his eyes softened. He once again patted the programmer's head, continuing his attempt to comfort him.

Meanwhile, Makoto could only look on in disbelief, still holding onto an equally shocked Hina. He knew that this was likely to happen… that connecting Alter Ego to the network was likely gonna be a one way trip, with no guarantee to bear any fruit… but still…

'No matter what, we're gonna get out of here! You and all the rest of us, as friends!' Those words that his future self has typed could not help but repeat in his head.

Junko, of course, was enjoying every minute of this. 'Ah, nothing like smashing someone's hope into tiny bits to bring my mood up!' The fashionista thought fondly. 'Might even go for some chicken myself! Have to fry or broil it though… don't want to look more suspicious than I might already be! Ah, how despairful~!'

A flashback of Alter Ego's determination to enter the school's network was then shown.  "I realize how dangerous it could be. But still… I have to do this. I'm scared, but… I can handle it. I… don't really understand why, but… when I think about everyone else, my courage starts to grow…! You might think I'm just some inhuman AI, but it's true! So… it's okay. If it's for the sake of everyone else, I won't be afraid!"

The previous words of Alter Ego pierced the group even sharper. Tears were slipping from Sayaka's eyes once again, while Hina buried her head into Makoto's shoulder. Leon and Taka gritted their teeth in frustration, whereas Hifumi looked devastated, despite having mostly gotten over his infatuation with the AI. Sakura bowed her head in respect, and even Hiro and Toko were saddened over the AI's death.

And Makoto… he began to feel fury bubble up once again. 'He wanted to help!' He shouted in his head. 'He wanted to be brave; to do whatever he could to solve the mysteries of Hope's Peak! And this is how his bravery is repaid?!' It honestly made him want to scream out in frustration.

When the viewing went back to the trial room, it showed Makoto's expression of disbelief slowly morph into one of pure fury. And unable to stop himself, he shouted. "How dare you…? That was my friend! How dare you kill him?!"

"Huh? You were friends with a laptop? That's pretty pathetic." Monokuma mocked casually. "What's next, friends with a basketball?!"

More stuff was thrown at the TV, from baseballs to plates of food. All of it was caught in a telekinetic field before even a smear could be made.

"Fuck off!" Leon and Mondo shouted furiously.

"He has no right to mock who we deem as friends!" Sayaka growled right after.

"Alter Ego has proven he wasn't just a laptop or AI!" Taka spoke with angry passion. "He was someone who we can deem as a friend! Someone who was willing to risk everything for his fellow friends!"

"He is far from just a laptop." Sakura spoke in agreement.

"Shut the hell up!" Was Makoto's furious retort. "He wasn't just a laptop. He was my friend! And you killed him!"

"Is this what you call animism? Where souls dwell within all things? Even, like… laptops?" The bear playfully mused. "Well, you can call it whatever you want. Bottom line is, it got in my way. It was trying to find things out, all sneaky sneaky."

"So… you finally noticed him." Kyoko sighed.

"I knew it would be a fruitless endeavor…" Byakuya sighed irritatingly.

"It was a gamble. A bad one at that." Celeste spoke in agreement.

"Finally? No, no, no, I knew about it from the very beginning!" Monokuma corrected.

"Huh?" The number of surprises seemed endless today, as once again, the class was stumped.

"I knew Chihiro was doing something with the laptop. And I knew you were using it to analyze data. I knew exactly how it was gonna play out from the start!"

"What…?" Makoto said numbly, as he processed this info.

"He knew?!" Leon voiced incredulously. "He knew, and still let them look into that data?!"

"Likely because the information in there would be useless to them." Mukuro mused. "With their memories wiped, it would likely merely lead them to the wrong conclusion."

"And the mastermind has said before that he wouldn't interfere with us investigating the school…" Kyoko added, looking in thought. "Guess that would mean old data lying around."

"You knew, and you were still cocky enough to let us take the plunge…?" Byakuya questioned incredulously.

"Well, I mean… the data in that laptop? It was… I guess you could call it a gift from me to you." The bear stated with a shrug. "Or maybe more like a reward, in honor of you being able to unlock something so difficult. So of course I didn't care if you got access to that. But sneaking into the network was just too personal! So I had to do a little, ya know, reformatting!"

Another flashback of Alter Ego was shown. "I want to keep being helpful to everyone. I want to work as hard as everyone else so that we can all get out of here!"

'Alter Ego wanted to fight for us…' Makoto thought in frustration. 'He wanted to help, at the risk of his own life… and for that… he was killed.'

'Will this happen every time I try to be brave…?' Chihiro thought, tears still running and body still shaking. 'Will this be the result every time I take that first step forward? Does… does the world really want me to stay weak?'

"Puhuhu… yeah, the punishment time has made me feel a billion times better!" Monokuma stated happily. "Experiencing a meaningless death is so soothing! It makes me remember that every low can get even lower!"

"No… his death wasn't meaningless, either." Makoto refuted. He looked at the bear with a determined glare. "Everybody who's died so far… the deaths of each and every one of our friends… they all make us stronger! I swear to God… someday, you WILL pay for this!"

"Makoto…" Of course, the counterparts of the dead students were touched by this. They all knew that Makoto was talking about each and every one of them, both the victims and the killers. So they all can't help but be moved by his words, even Celeste.

"You're still carrying our deaths, aren't you Makoto…?" Sakura voiced out. She turned her head towards the lucky student, who in turn faced her. "Carrying our memories. Holding them to your heart."

Makoto ducked his head at that. "Well… I would like to think so." He replied modestly. "I can't tell you for certain what my future self's thoughts are; but I would like to think I'm still doing that."

"You really have such an incredible will, Makoto." Taka said, pure respect oozing from his voice. "With so much death, so much betrayal… even I wasn't able to handle it efficiently."

"You definitely had a lot of us beat." Mondo remarked wryly. "You, Sakura, Chihiro… we could learn something from you three."

"Definitely selling to us as a grade A protagonist, Mr. Naegi!" Hifumi voiced his own admiration. "You even have the potential to be something of a chad!"

"While I'm not gonna pretend I understand any of what Hifumi just said…" Leon said dryly, before giving his friend a smirk. "You're definitely sounding cooler by the day."

"I… have to agree." Mukuro spoke up, a blush adorning her face as she said this. "You really do… sound cool."

"You're just as strong-willed as Sakura…" Sayaka added, smiling softly at her crush. "With such a caring heart too…"

The compliments showered over the luckster caused him to get redder and redder, his face closing in to matching that of a tomato. 'Is all this really warranted…?' He couldn't but whine a little.

"...You're so incredible, Makoto." Hina couldn't help but whisper, still clinging onto him. Of course he heard it, which caused his blush to grow stronger. "You really are wonderful… for holding our classmates to your heart…" Unlike her, who would've thrown away Sakura's last wish. Who claims to know Sakura best, yet would do the opposite of what her friend would want.

'...Makoto could do it.' Chihiro thought to himself, slowly calming himself. That inner courage he has such a hard time recognizing started sprouting. 'If he could step forward despite all this hopelessness… then shouldn't I?'

And Junko… she aimed a discreet, annoyed glance at the luckster. 'You keep ruining my fun!' She whined childishly. 'Just you wait, lucky boy! I'll figure out something to crush that disgusting hope of yours!'

'...He really is the type of person that can overcome this, isn't he?' Kyoko mused her counterpart's words to Makoto at the end of the first chapter. Like her future self, she can see - that he's the type that can keep moving forward.

Notes:

Told you it should come out soon, didn't I? I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please leave reviews, kudos, bookmarks, and hits, and I will see you later.

 TV Trope Page

Chapter 86: Watching Chapter 4: All Star Apologies Part 19

Notes:

Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. We're now finally wrapping up the casts' reactions to Chapter 4 of the game. You'll see bouts of anger, frustration, levity, and shock within the group of Ultimates. I hope you enjoy.

"Holy moly!" Monokuma gasped dramatically, "You're super mad! Like, just unreasonably upset!"

That earned angry scoffs, middle fingers, and scathing glares. "Oh, sure. She's unreasonably upset!" Sayaka remarked both dryly and angrily, "Not like no one else would get emotional after seeing their friends die one by one!"

"Fucking bear really know what to say to get under our damn skin!" Mondo growled with clear irritation.

"Okay, time to bring this to a close! Oh, but before that-!" The bear lifted up Sakura's will. "I need to read the postscript!"

If there was ever a point the class would be used to the surprise, it wasn't known. More than a few eyes widened at this.

"Postscript?"

"The bear was holding back more of Sakura's words?!"

"Post script…?" Kyoko repeated in surprise.

"Yeah, there's still a bit more left of Sakura's note," Monokuma answered.

"Huh…?" That had the tearful Hina's attention.

"Why didn't he read all of it in the first place?" Taka voiced in befuddlement, "What was the point in holding back?"

"Monokuma made it clear that he was a dramatic individual, from his lively personality to the trial rooms," Celeste pointed out, "It's likely that he wanted Sakura's true motive to sink into the group, and the postscript, as he called it, would shift the subject."

"But… what else does Sakura have left to say?" Leon questioned, scratching the side of his head.

"We shall hear soon enough," Kyoko stated, putting focus back on the screen.

"Puhuhu… do I have your attention? Okay then, here we go… prepare your ears for the dulcet tones of yours truly!" With that, the bear started reading once again. "...One other thing, Hina. There's something I'd like you to tell the others. Hopefully it will act as a clue to help you unravel the mystery of this school."

'What? A clue…?'Makoto thought with confusion and interest.

That caught the students' interests even further. "She managed to find a clue?" Leon voiced out with some surprise.

"Must've been during the times she was the mastermind's spy…" Celeste mused, placing her knuckles over her chin, "While their mastermind is smart enough not to disclose sensitive information, they must've shared some things with her."

The scene shifted to the flashback of Sakura writing her note. "I've spoken with the mastermind off and on the whole time I've been here, and so I've learned one thing…" she stated in her note, "Which is… the mastermind has done something to us. I think what they've done is-"

Suddenly, the screen went back to the trial room, with Monokuma cutting himself off. "Oopsie daisy! That was a close one! Another word and we would've been hip deep in spoiler territory!"

At this, several more eyes widened, realizing what exactly Sakura had figured out.

"She knew!?" Hifumi gasped, holding his cheeks, "She figured out that our memories got wiped!?"

"That's what it sounds like!" Mondo confirmed, looking just as shocked, "Didn't think she would know that much!"

"But… why didn't she share that info before?!" Hiro exclaimed, looking lost, "Wouldn't that have been good to share?!"

"There wasn't a chance to, fool," Byakuya answered bluntly, "Half of us didn't trust Sakura, let alone anything she said. Would we really believe the idea that our memories were wiped, when the source is from a spy of the mastermind?"

"It's likely that Sakura only pieced together the information recently, right before committing herself to suicide," Kyoko added, "So she didn't have much time to reveal this. And even if she found out before being ousted as a spy, she was still a spy. One who was concerned about the hostage the mastermind has."

"Besides… it's not like she didn't attempt to tell us in the first place," Makoto pointed out, a frown marring his face, "That note was for Hina to read. She didn't expect it to be taken by Monokuma."

That group went silent at this, minds now registering that Monokuma still got the note. And that he cut himself before the survivors could find out about the memory loss.

It's a revelation they didn't take well.

"NOOO!"

"MOTHERFUCKER!"

"Screw that noise!"

"He can't just decide what portion to read and what not to!"

"Yeah, that's Sakura's note, not his!"

"Okay, I don't wanna ruin the surprise, so book club is dismissed for today!"

"Screw! That!" Leon repeated through gritted teeth, "Argh! Why the hell does this keep happening?!"

"No fair…!" Hiro moaned, slumped on the couch, "That's not fair at all, man!"

"It's like every time they get close to figuring out what happened to their memories, something blocks them…" Taka stated, also looking frustrated, "At this point, it's getting incredibly infuriating."

"How do we know that Sakura is talking about their collective memory loss, though?" Mukuro asked, looking a tad pensive, "For all we could know, she could've made a completely different guess, and misled the group."

"Oh, Sakura knew, dear sister of mine," Junko said with assuredness, pretending to gripe with her classmates, "Why else would dear old Monokuma hide it from us in the first place?"

"What?! You can't just stop at the most important bit!" Hiro protested loudly.

"It makes your brain rumble and tumble, huh? It makes you so mad you don't even friggin' know, huh?!" Monokuma questioned cheerfully, "That's the whole point, STUPID! It's to get back at all of you for hardening your resolve!"

"Booo!"

"Get over yourself!"

"Such a sore loser!"

"Don't pout just because we didn't act the way you wanted!"

'Ugh. So childish…'Kyoko groaned in her mind, closing her eyes to hide her irritation. Do all insane and sadistic individuals have such an immature streak to their names?

"Fine, but at least… Sakura's note…" Hina requested tearfully.

"Like I'd ever let any of you greaseballs have it!" Monokuma denied ruthlessly in return.

"B-But…"

"Heh-heh-heh. Sucks for you, loser!" The bear gloated.

"Bastard…!" Sakura growled viciously, every muscle in her body tensed in her fury, "How dare he withhold the note from Hina?!"

"And he claims that he isn't filthy?!" Makoto exclaimed in both anger and disbelief, "If he had an ounce of credibility, he wouldn't be afraid of us having Sakura's will!"

"Honestly? I would be surprised if the damn bear gave the note to Hina…" Leon huffed in irritation, "Still doesn't change that it was a low blow."

"Fucker likes to kick us while we're down…" Mondo grunted angrily, recalling what the bear did to his bro while first looking through the physics lab.

Then something caught the bear's eyes. "...Wait, what's this?"

"What is it now…?" Kyoko questioned warily.

"There's one last line in the note!" Monokuma revealed.

One last flashback of Sakura writing her will was shown. "And let me just say this to the mastermind," she wrote, "I'm not going to lay down and die. I will fight you, you bastard. No matter what."

"...And that's seriously it!" Monokuma concluded, the scene shifting back to the trial room, "Huh. Wow, what a stubborn loser, huh?!"

Her words… sent more than a few jolts down students' spines. "What did she do…?" Hiro asked nervously.

"Uncertain. Her words are extremely vague, so it could be anything," Mukuro mused, frowning in thought.

'Maybe she was just being a sore loser!'Junko suggested idly. Couldn't stand the idea of her suicide being mocked, so she had to throw out some empty words! After all, anything she did couldn't have been missed by her, right?

'She won't lie down and die? She'll fight you…?'Makoto repeated pensively in his mind.

"Well, whatever," Monokuma shrugged non-caringly, "Who cares what some dead musclehead has to say?"

'Something tells me he's going to regret those words…'Kyoko mused with narrowed eyes. She knows Sakura well enough to understand that she doesn't make idle threats such as those. If she said that she's going to fight the mastermind, it's likely that she did something to hurt them in some fashion. The question is, how?

"Okay, I'm outta here! You guys should try to get some rest, ya know? And maybe take some time to reconsider how you approach this school life of yours…" the bear advised, his voice turning more menacing, "Are you sure you don't want to graduate? Can you really cut free from the regrets from the outside world? Puhuhu… think about that. Think long, think hard…" With those parting words, he disappeared once again.

Rather than feeling any trepidation or worry for the future survivors, Makoto actually felt some confidence. "His words aren't gonna work this time…" he said assuredly, "Now that we're actually united, there's much less of a chance any of us would even think of killing somebody."

"And don't forget future me's prediction!" Hiro added, "He said that there would be no more murders, and nobody has murder anybody so far since then!"

"There's… some amount of truth to what he said," Celeste mused, "Technically, Sakura's suicide isn't classified as a murder."

"Wait… does this mean we're gonna see one of Hiro's fortunes actually come true?" Leon asked with a good amount of disbelief.

"It would probably be a pleasant surprise if it would…" Sayaka said, her hope for no murders rising a bit more.

At this, Hiro couldn't help but brag. "Hah! I told you guys my fortunes were the real deal!" he exclaimed jovially, arms crossed, "You're witnessing the power of the Ultimate Clairvoyant! The Supernova!"

"Dear lord, he's never gonna shut up about this, is he…?" Byakuya muttered loudly in irritation. The sentiment was shared by Celeste, whose expression became particularly stony.

'What was that all about…?'Makoto began wondering to himself,'Sakura's final message, her last clue to help us solve the mystery of this school… the mastermind… did something to us?'

'Kyoko said something like that before, didn't she? It was after Celeste's trial was over…'the luckster then recalled. A flashback of Kyoko's questioning of Monokuma was then shown.'The mastermind did something… to our bodies… what are they saying the mastermind did…? What did the mastermind do to us?'

'I mean… did the mastermind plant a bomb in us or something?'A more anxious look entered Makoto's face.'And if we try to leave the school, a sensor goes off… and the bomb explodes?! I've seen stuff like that in movies and comics and stuff, so it's not totally unheard of…'

He then visibly shook those thoughts out.'No…! I feel awful just thinking about it!' he exclaimed in his mind,'I can't afford to acknowledge thoughts like that…'

"He still isn't figuring out that our memories got erased?" Mondo voiced incredulity, "Why the hell not?"

"Like I said, it's not something I can easily believe," Makoto reminded the biker, "Even with all the hints given to me, I can't connect it together without my suspension of belief stretching some."

"Plus, some of the hints that were gathered were dismissed as false," Kyoko added. The fact that her future self had helped in that regard was left unsaid. "It's impossible to use evidence when you dismiss that evidence as false to begin with."

"In other words… they still have some ways to go before they can figure anything out," Leon sighed in resignation.

"Relatively," The detective confirmed with a nod.

"So the class trial is over and Monokuma's gone…" Hiro hesitantly spoke up, "So… now what do we do?"

"What else is there, other than to head back up?" Byakuya asked in return.

"Oh, yeah! Okay, let's get out of here," Hiro agreed easily.

"B-But…" Hina finally spoke up, a guilty look clear across her face, "I, um…" She went silent, unable to think of what to say.

'Hina must still feel responsible…'Makoto mused softly, looking at the swimmer.

"Hina…" Some of the students couldn't help but look towards the swimmer.

While not the crying mess she was before, it's clear that the viewing has affected her deeply. Red, puffy eyes, tear-stained cheeks, and a look of guilt that was worse than her counterpart's.

But none of them really knew what to say. Even Makoto and Sakura struggled to find the proper words to comfort the girl. Saying that it wasn't her fault just doesn't feel enough for either of them.

"Hmph. Dial back that ego a bit, girl," Byakuya scoffed dismissively, "The kind of mystery someone like you could pose is absolutely no threat. I would never have lost to that kind of challenge."

That statement from Byakuya earned several snorts. "Are you serious right now, dude?" Leon asked with some amusement, "You were dead-set on the idea that Hina did it."

"Yeah, it was Kyoko and Makoto that figured it out," Hiro nodded in agreement, "You were looking as confused as I was."

"I would say he looked more panicked than confused, dear Hiro," Celeste corrected slightly, a smile across her lips.

And once again, Byakuya was back to ignoring everyone, his eyes focused on the screen.

"What are you talking about? Kyoko and Makoto are the ones that figured everything out," Hiro pointed out.

"Shut up…" Byakuya growled at the fortune teller.

Even more laughter and giggles from the group. "Embarrassed now, aren't we?" Sayaka asked with mirth, "Mr. I-can-make-no-mistake."

"Really can't take the fact that Kyoko and Makoto figured it out without ya, huh asshole?" Mondo remarked with a grin of his own.

"I think it's the fact that it was Hina, of all people, that nearly tricked him that burns him up the most," Junko joined in on the teasing, for the heck of it. A cheshire-cat-like grin was plastered across her face. "The idea that one of our dumber classmates was so close to killing him is something he can't stand."

"'And I'll happily elude its attempts,'" Leon quoted the Togami heir mockingly, "'Not a person alive would sacrifice themselves for another.'"

"Shut it. All of you!" Byakuya growled in irritation. Unfortunately for him, that merely prompted more laughter from his classmates.

Their bonds may be mending, but that doesn't mean the class won't take enjoyment from the affluent progeny getting severely humbled.

"...Seriously… I'm sorry…" Hina apologized.

"How many times do you plan to apologize?" Byakuya sighed, "How about you make that the last one? I haven't reached a point where I need someone apologizing to me more than once…"

"O-Okay, I see what you mean…" the swimmer conceded, "Th-Then… I'll… try…"

"H… u… h…?" Jill's eyes widened at the interaction, "Th-That totally wasn't normal, right?! Did she just c-capture his flag…?"

She gritted her teeth angrily. "No! No, no, no! I cannot suffer the existence of someone who would disturb the romance between me and Master!"

"WHAT?!" That definitely snapped Hina out of her funk, the swimmer sitting up straight with wide eyed incredulity.

"N-No way! Impossible!" Toko denied furiously, "There's n-no way that idiot swimmer c-c-caught Master's interest!"

And of course, the laughter from the group became even stronger. Leon, Junko, and Mondo fell onto the floor, laughing hysterically, while Sayaka and Chihiro were giggling non-stop. Makoto and Taka found themselves trying to hold back their chuckles, whereas Kyoko and Celeste were clearly amused.

"No! Not happening!" Hina denied passionately, waving her arms around in her denial, "There's no way something would happen between me and Byakuya!"

"Oh? But who knows, Miss Jill may be on to something here…" Hifumi piped up, eyes gleaming in interest, "After all, that previous interaction is a common fla-"

"NO!"

Byakuya, meanwhile, looked positively offended at the thought of being paired with the Ultimate Swimmer. As if he would form a relationship with such a dunce of a girl!

"Wh-What are you talking about?!" Hina exclaimed, eyes wide with bewilderment, "That's absolutely NOT what's happening here! Why would I ever go for a sleazeball like him!"

"Sleaze… ball?" Byakuya repeated incredulously.

"That's right! I called you a sleazeball!" Hina stated firmly, not backing down, "Cuz you are! Sleazeball!"

"HAHAHA! Stop! You're killing me here, Hina!" Leon pleaded through his laughter, now holding stomach.

"C-Comedy gold! Right here!" Junko managed to cheer out, "You tell him, girl!"

"You can definitely do better than Byakuya, Hina. That's for certain," Sayaka said in agreement, an amused smile clear across her face.

"And I can do better than that dimwit," Byakuya shot back.

Hina couldn't help but pout angrily at that. "I definitely stand by future me's words! You are a sleazeball! The sleaziest of all sleazeballs!"

Toko huffed at that. 'They don't know what they're talking about! Master is the best there is!'It's not his fault they have such bad taste.

"Apparently you still have a death wish," Byakuya growled angrily.

"Ohh, more biting sarcasm?" Hina remarked with a sigh, "No wonder you don't have any friends!"

"Hey! Stop fighting with Master! You're making me jealous!" Jill cut in with clear jealousy, "I want the abuse give-and-take! ME!"

Makoto couldn't help but sweatdrop over this.'I guess it's not so easy for everyone to act like friends…'he thought wryly,'Well, that's just how it is for now…'

'Still, it's better than the previous tension before-hand,'Makoto continued for his counterpart, a happy smile across his lips. For sure, there's still lingering issues with several of his friends; but for now, they can actually enjoy a moment of levity.

This felt like an actual win. Even with Sakura's death, as well as the execution of Alter Ego, he felt that hope was rising up.

Sakura shared a similar feeling with the lucky student. An amused, yet content smile was sent upon her lip, turning her gaze slightly at her best friend. This makes her all the more certain that her future self did the right thing; the remaining survivors can now solve the mysteries of this school and escape.

'And we can use their knowledge to stop this future from ever happening,'Sakura thought firmly.

"And so, Sakura's class trial came to an end, and we returned to the world of Hope's Peak Academy," narrator Makoto stated, as the screen turned black, "But the story wasn't even close to over. Time kept marching on. We all went back to our rooms, and before long, night snuck up on us…"

"Nighttime descended, and pulled me down with it, down into sleep. I couldn't remember the last time I'd fallen into such a deep sleep."

"I can imagine…" Taka said softly. The group had eventually calmed down, with the previously laughing students now back in their seats. "With so much death, failure, tension, grief… it must've been difficult for any of the survivors to sleep."

"True that…" Leon nodded in agreement, "We're just watching the damn game, and it's still difficult for me to sleep." The fact that it's due to him being one of the dead students was left unsaid…

"Even so… doesn't that make this even better?" Chihiro suggested timidly, "Because of Sakura's sacrifice… Makoto can sleep better. The others too." His eyes then widened, registering what he said. "I-I'm not saying that it was good Sakura died! I-I just-"

"It's fine, Chihiro. I think we get it," Makoto cut in with a smile, reassuring the petite programmer, "While I wished we didn't need something this drastic… I'm glad a trial ended with more hope than despair. And you feel that way too, right Sakura?"

When he turned to the martial artist, Sakura didn't hesitate to nod. "If I had to die, I'm happy that my death served in helping my friends." Rather than driving further wedges into the group.

"But the night still wasn't over for me."

"...wa…"

That muffled voice caused several to sit up straight, tension rising. "Didn't Mr. Naegi say that he was asleep…?" Hifumi asked in concern.

"He did," Leon confirmed with a worried look.

"That means… someone is in his room while he's asleep," Sayaka spoke the obvious, biting her lips.

"But how?" Taka questioned, confusion and concern laced together, "Shouldn't the door be locked?"

"It should be," Mondo answered his friend, his knuckles tightening.

Hina found herself tightening her hold on Makoto's arm, while the boy himself was noticeably tense.

"...ke… up…"

"...wake up…"

"...Huh?" The screen then lit back up to show Makoto in bed. And standing above him was… "Kyoko…?"

Suffice to say, the reveal shocked the group.

"What?!"

"Kyoko?!"

"She's in his room?"

"But, how?!"

"The door's supposed to be locked, like Taka said!"

"I think the more important question should be why…"

Makoto could only stare with a clearly surprised look on his face. Kyoko, however, remained impassive; merely raising an eyebrow at this particular scene.

"Yes, it's me," the girl confirmed.

"Huh…? Kyoko?" The luckster repeated groggily.

"I said yes…" Kyoko said once again.

"So Kyoko's here…" For a moment, Makoto was about to close his eyes again. But then his mind registered the information. "Wait, what?!"

Despite the confusion, some couldn't help but laugh, much of the previous tension now being released. "Having trouble processing a pretty girl in your room, dude?" Leon teased his friend.

Of course, that brought a blush from the lucky student. "Lay off…" Makoto grumbled. How else was he supposed to react to someone being in his room? One that's supposed to be locked at that.

Makoto then shot up from his bed, wide awake. "Wh-What are you doing here?!"

"I'm here to wake you up," Kyoko answered.

"Oh, I see…" the luckster said lamely. But he then remembered an important fact. "Wait, but my door-!"

"It was unlocked," the girl revealed, "You're unbelievably careless."

"You left it unlocked?" Byakuya questioned in disbelief.

"I left it unlocked?!" Makoto himself questioned in shock.

"Wow. That is reckless," Junko remarked with a raised eyebrow, "The kind of stupid thing Hiro would do."

"HEY!"

"I assume that exhaustion is what caused him to forget…" Celeste deduced, "Assuming he didn't make the same mistake multiple times already."

"I'm sure he didn't!" the lucky student defended his future self. He wouldn't forget to lock his own door, even with how trusting he is towards his classmates… right?

"It was unlocked?!" Makoto exclaimed incredulously, "Are you serious?!"

"Always," was Kyoko's response, "And you don't have to overreact like that every time you're surprised."

"Yeah dude, be more cool when a chick invites herself into your room…" Leon teased his friend, "You don't want to overreact to every little thing she does, right…?"

"Stop making it sound more dirty than it actually is!" Makoto shouted in embarrassment, red in the face. That only prompted the baseball star to laugh harder, with Mondo and Hiro joining in.

Kyoko, of course, was not amused by the jokes. Four other girls were similarly unamused, with Hina subconsciously tightening her grip on Makoto.

"Wh-What time is it…?"

"3 o'clock," Kyoko answered, "In the morning, of course."

"3 a.m.?!" several repeated incredulously.

"Why the hell is she up that fucking early?!" Mondo asked the question on everyone's mind, "Did she even sleep at all?!"

"I'm sure that I did," the girl herself answered, "As to my own guess? I would say it's due to Sakura's last line on her will."

That had the students straightening up, all of them clearly remembering what the martial artist had declared.

'It's 3 a.m.?!'Makoto thought incredulously,'Why was Kyoko waking me up at this hour…?'

"I-It's so late… What happened…?" the lucky student asked hesitantly.

"I have a favor I need to ask…" Kyoko told him.

"What's your favor…?"

"Remember what Sakura said at the end of her note?" Kyoko asked him, "I'm not going to just lay down and die. I will fight you… I want to find out what she meant by that."

"Looks like you're correct, Kyoko," Celeste mused.

"But what could Sakura have done that Monokuma didn't notice?" Mukuro pointed out, "From what I can see, the mastermind is hyper vigilant over anything happening. It's doubtful that there was anything that went past them."

"True enough - and I'm sure Sakura knows that," Kyoko replied back, "So I'm certain she wouldn't have made that declaration if the mastermind could've spotted what she was doing; that they would be too arrogant to think she did something crippling."

That had Junko's thoughts pausing for a moment, considering the detective's words. Could the walking mass of muscles have done something that she wouldn't have seen? That would actually get past her eyes? The thought of it gave her a slight twinge of annoyance… as well as a twinge of excitement.

"Okay, but… how do you plan to do that?" Makoto inquired curiously.

In response, Kyoko leaned over and placed her lips over Makoto's ears, before whispering, "The data center on the 4th floor."

"...What?"

"I'll meet you there." And, without another word, the lavender haired girl swiftly left the room, leaving the bewildered lucky student.

"What the…?" Makoto couldn't help but mutter to himself,'The data center…? But I thought it was locked…'

"Did Sakura break the lock there…?" Taka asked, clearly interested, "Is that what she meant by fighting the mastermind?"

"If so, why the data center?" Celeste questioned, eyes narrowed, "Wouldn't more substantial information be found in the headmaster's office?"

"Maybe she chose randomly?" Hiro suggested unsurely.

"No," Byakuya stated flatly, "If she wanted to make a blow at the mastermind, she wouldn't play the fool and chose a random door."

The scene changed to Makoto on the fourth floor, around the door of the data center. "Kyoko's… not here," he said with confusion, "That's weird. She said she'd meet me."

Of course, that set alarm bells in the student's mind. "Please don't tell me she's using Makoto as bait again…" Leon groaned.

"If she is, I swear…!" Sayaka growled, clenching her skirt tightly.

Kyoko chose not to react, merely waited to see what happened. Makoto was similar, albeit with a worried frown across his face.

"Is she maybe inside already…?" the lucky student put his hand on the knob, and attempted to open the door. But, like last time, it was locked. After another wiggle, he stopped. "It must be locked."

'What was it Kyoko said?'Makoto mused to himself,'The data center on the 4th floor…'

"Oho!" Suddenly, Monokuma popped up. "What are you doing up, mister?!"

"Ahh!" Several students couldn't help but jump in surprise at Monokuma's sudden appearance.

"Damn!" Leon cursed, holding his heart, "I thought we were done with the jumpscares from that!"

"Guess it's been a while since that last happened…" Sayaka guessed with a sigh.

"Gah!" Makoto couldn't help but jump back in shock.

"Breaking into a locked room is incredibly prohibited, don'tcha know?" Monokuma growled angrily.

"Oh, well, I just…" the lucky student stammered, not knowing what to say.

"You're trying to tell me you didn't actually bust in yet, right? But… I can see that, ya dolt!" the bear roared, "Don't waste my time telling me crap I can see for myself! It looked like you might break in any second, so I just thought I'd give you a friendly reminder. Or… are you gonna try and tell me you were sleepwalking or something…?"

"N-No, nothing like that…" Makoto assured him.

"It's 3 o'clock in the morning, for crying out loud! Even I get tired, ya know?!" Monokuma pointed out irritatingly, "Stop being weird and go back to bed!"

"Why is he being so pushy?" Hina questioned with an irritated frown, "It's not like he actually made a curfew for us! We did that!"

"He probably wants to keep tabs on us at all times…" Byakuya mused, "Even when it's nighttime, the mastermind would want to make sure we're not breaking the rules he set up. Or keep an eye out for any murders happening."

"But the mastermind can't stay awake forever. As stated by Monokuma, even they need to sleep," Kyoko continued, a flash of understanding hitting her eyes. 'Is that why…'

"...What's wrong, now?" Suddenly, Kyoko entered the hallway, looking as composed as ever. "Why are you out here making a racket?"

"K-Kyoko?!" Makoto exclaimed in shock.

"And now Kyoko showed up all of a sudden…" Leon said, looking befuddled, "Anybody else wondering what she's doing?"

More than a few hands shot up, namely Mondo, Hina, Hiro, and Hifumi. "Ok. Glad I'm not alone," the baseball star nodded in satisfaction.

Monokuma growled in irritation. "Now you, too?!" he exclaimed, "Whatever! The two of you, just get back to bed! I'm positively exhausted from the class trial!"

"...Sure, you got it," Kyoko complied with ease, "Come on, Makoto. Let's head back."

"What…?" The luckster could only stare in confusion.

"Didn't you hear me? We're leaving," Kyoko repeated more forcefully.

"I have no idea what's going on anymore…" Makoto groaned.

"Don't worry about it," Kyoko assured him, turning to the direction of the stairs, "Let's just go."

"O-Okay…"

"Alright, what's the hell going on here?!" Mondo questioned with clear irritation, "None of this is making any goddamn sense!"

"First she wants to meet up at the data center, then she doesn't show up, and when she does show up, she then decides that they should leave?" HIna listed off, confusion and annoyance showing in equal measures, "I need an explanation for what's going on!"

It was Kyoko herself who answered. "It's likely that my future self… used Makoto as a diversion," she admitted hesitantly, "While Monokuma was focused on him, I went somewhere else while there weren't eyes on me."

That caused Sayaka to turn towards her with a furious glare. "Again? You're using him as bait, again?!"

"A diversion. It wasn't as though he would be in any danger by standing around the data center," Kyoko said in defense of herself, "It's already established that Monokuma wouldn't kill outside the rules he placed. So, Makoto wouldn't have been in any real danger."

Sayaka looked ready to make a biting response, as did Mukuro. But before either could, Makoto spoke up. "It's alright. I wasn't put in any actual danger this time," he said softly, "So let's not argue over this." Tension had only just gone down; he'd rather not have it rise back up because of him.

Neither the idol nor the soldier looked happy. However, they complied with their luckster's wish and held back any hostile words for the detective.

"Yeah! YEAH! Go on, get outta here! Shoo! Shoo!" Monokuma pushed loudly, as the two had back to the first floor.

The scene changed to Kyoko and Makoto at the first floor, with the former continuing to walk to her room. "So. Goodbye."

"Oh, no, no, no!"

"You do not just leave like that!"

"This is still way too confusing here!"

"An explanation is needed!"

Despite the explanation that what happened was a diversion, they still don't know exactly WHY that diversion was needed.

"H-Hold on!" Makoto cried out, causing the girl to stop her tracks. "Listen, what was all that about just now?"

'She woke me up, made me go to the data center - which just so happened to be locked…!'the lucky student thought in aggravation,'And then she shows up late, and we leave without checking a single thing! What was the point of all that?'

"That's what I'm saying!" Hina cried out, throwing her arms up, "We need an explanation here! What was she trying to do?"

"...Don't worry about it," was Kyoko's response.

Of course, her response caused several frustrated groans, palms meeting faces, and even a few banging their heads across the table.

"I thought we were done with this shit…!" Leon groaned, being one of the few banging his head across the table.

"She's very lucky Makoto is such a patient person…" Sayaka hissed, already losing whatever patience she had managed to gather, "Most, if not all of us, wouldn't had the patience to do so."

"Or the backbone to keep reaching out to the girl…" Mondo grunted in admittance.

Makoto chuckled sheepishly, unsure how to respond, while Kyoko kept from reacting to her classmate's words.

Narrator Makoto then spoke up. "I figured that would be the end of our conversation, just like always, but…"

"Well then… goodnight." was again said, as the lavender haired girl turned to head to her room.

"S-Sure…"

As Makoto turned to leave, the narrator version of him continued. "But as I turned to leave…"

"Mukuro Ikusaba."

And just like that, any sense of annoyance, frustration, and anger was dropped. All that left was confusion.

"Wait, wha-...?" Hina couldn't help but say dumbly.

"Mukuro?" Leon repeated in befuddlement, "What does she have to-? Hold on, how does Kyoko even-?"

"What…?" Makoto gasped in surprise. Right behind him was Kyoko, whispering into his hears once again.

"Mukuro Ikusuba…" Kyoko repeated once again, "The sixteenth student, lying hidden somewhere in this school. The one they call the Ultimate Despair…"

"Watch out for her." With that warning, the screen turned black.

"Chapter 4, All Star Apologies." Once again, the red and yellow silhouettes of the cast was shown, with only Sakura's silhouette blackening.

Silence was, once again, the only thing filling the room. Every single student was deathly silent as they processed the shocking, confusing, practically unbelievable, downright contradictory information given to them.

That Mukuro was alive. That she's somewhere within the school. That she's called the Ultimate Despair.

The entire class stood in this long, numbing silence, not even paying attention to the fact that the video ended. But once they manage to regain their senses…

"WHAT THE ACTUAL FU-?!"

"Did I just hear that ri-?!"

"But that's impos-!"

"Everyone, please ca-!"

"GHOOOOOSTS!"

Chaos ensued.

Notes:

And that's the end. Hope you guys liked this chapter. While I could've continued and made it longer… I couldn't help myself. This just felt like the perfect way to end this chapter. Next up will be the post-chapter break, along with the class making sense of what future Kyoko said. I'll see you all later.

 TV Trope Page

Chapter 87: Break Chapter 4

Notes:

Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So, a question for everyone. What should I do to write more quickly?

As you can probably guess, I'm having trouble writing on a more consistent basis. However, I do want to put out more chapters quickly, at the very least at a weekly or bi-weekly rate. But I can't figure out what's making it difficult to write, compared to how I was in the beginning (Where I was updating weekly/bi-weekly).

Do I need to take a break for a bit? Focus on other stories? Let my muse take me where it wants for a bit? Or should I just power through, and write until that spark comes back? Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Now, with that out of the way, I hope you enjoy.

"How can Mukuro be hidden in the school?!" Hina exclaimed, holding her head, "Mukuro's dead! We saw her die!"

"Girl got impaled! Multiple times!" Leon spoke in agreement, "No way in hell anyone could survive that! Or even fake that!"

"Ghost! Mukuro has become a ghost!" Hiro panicked, pacing around his seat, "She's haunting the school in revenge for her death! She's gonna take us all with her!"

"Did Miss Ikusaba gain some sort of revival item?!" Hifumi questioned, looking frantic, "Was it used when no one was looking?!"

"What! The! Actual! FU-?!"

It was pure pandemonium as the group attempted to figure out the name drop of their classmate, Mukuro Ikusaba, attempting to put together the idea that the clearly dead soldier is somehow still alive and is lurking around the school. The fact that Kyoko called her the Ultimate Despair had become an afterthought for the moment.

Makoto's eyes were wide as a saucer, completely taken aback by this reveal. Of course, he knows about Mukuro's involvement with the mastermind, that the girl was serving as a spy, up until her betrayal and death.

But that was the thing! It was undeniable that she died in chapter one! She was impaled by multiple spears, and his future self had checked to see if she died! There was no way that could've been faked; there was no possible means to make such a trick!

And then there's the whole Ultimate Despair issue. The lucky student doesn't know what the heck's going on there, but he knows for certain Mukuro isn't the Ultimate Despair. Not just because she's Ultimate Soldier and has proven her skills as such, but because of the girl's character, and that character not matching what such title implied. If anything, such a title would match Monokuma, and whoever's controlling him.

Shaking his head, he launched a more concerned gaze towards the Ultimate Soldier herself. He knew, the moment things started calming down, Mukuro is gonna be the target of some hard questions.

Said soldier was as stiff as a board, with her eyes slightly widened. Shock was the most prevalent emotion at the moment; any panic was being suppressed, knowing that showing any outward negative emotions would only place more suspicion on herself.

Mukuro quickly deduced that Kyoko found the information somewhere in the principal's office. It's clear now that Sakura must have broken the locked door discreetly, leaving it for anyone to take advantage of after her death. And Junko, in her arrogance, didn't see that before or after the fourth trial.

'Is Junko actually getting sloppy…?'Mukuro couldn't help but wonder. This was yet another blatant error made by her sister. Has Sakura's sacrifice really thrown her off her game? Was her boredom actually making her sloppy? Or did she do so on purpose, giving Kyoko information that doesn't have all the context to?

Junko… Junko was a tad stunned. It didn't take her long at all to deduce that Kyoko had gotten that information from the principal's office. The lock was broken by Sakura, and while her focus was on Makoto, that nosy little detective snuck in and grabbed whatever she could, including information about her grunt of a sister.

What had her surprised was that she didn't see that coming. She's the Ultimate Analyst for crying out loud! She should've been able to see that without having to take a second glance! Yet she was blind-sided by that muscle-bound heavyweight!

"Enough!" Byakuya ordered loudly and sharply, effectively cutting through the chaos, "Screeching at the roof like buffoons will get us nowhere! We need to discuss this like civilized beings, not absolute baboons."

His words actually managed to quiet the group, although a few seemed to take offense to his wording. Seeing sense in his words, however, they didn't kick up any fuss.

"Well, that's easy to say, but how the hell are we supposed to make sense of this?" Leon pointed out, pointing at the screen, "Mukuro's dead; that's a fact! We all saw her body get impaled by a dozen spears! So why the hell is Kyoko out there saying that she's running around the school?!"

"It's because she didn't see Mukuro die," Byakuya stated in retort, "She, along with our future selves, saw Junko Enoshima die. No one was aware of Ikusaba's existence until that point."

That had the group pausing in thought, considering the Togami heir's words. Several of them could see his point. If Kyoko wasn't aware that Mukuro was Junko, and found info about Mukuro, then they could see how she could form some of the conclusions she did. But…

"How did Kyoko find out about Mukuro's existence in the first place then?" Taka then inquired, "Adding to that, where did she get the idea that she's the Ultimate Despair? Mukuro is the Ultimate Soldier, not Despair!"

Kyoko took the chance to answer. "Likely, I found that information in the principal's office," she stated confidently, "That's one of the few places we had yet to check, and considering Makoto was in front of the data center, the office would be the only other place I would look."

"So, Sakura actually managed to break that lock?" Mondo questioned, arms crossed, "Without the bear gettin' a clue?"

"Most likely, yes," the detective nodded.

"That could be an extreme advantage for the remaining survivors," Celeste mused, "If enough information was left there, significant progress could be made in figuring out the school's mysteries."

"Let's put a lid on that for the time being. We won't know how advantageous it will be for us until the next chapter," Byakuya cut in, "For now, let's focus on the point of confusion: The Ultimate Despair. And to get an answer for that question…"

The heir then finally turned towards the Ultimate Soldier. "Why not ask the girl herself? After all, she's been strangely quiet this whole time."

Mukuro met Byakuya's suspicion with a stoic glance, not letting his words visibly affect her. While she's not at the level of her sister when it comes to putting on a mask, she can hide things when necessary. Comes with the territory of plotting to take down the world.

"It's clear you're suspicious of me," Mukuro stated bluntly, "But I died. Killed by Monokuma. So, it would be impossible for me to be the mastermind."

"I never said you were the mastermind," Byakuya countered, "I merely point out that you're being titled the Ultimate Despair."

"Who else would have such a title but the mastermind of this killing game?" Mukuro argued back, "Why would I, someone who was with everyone else in the killing game and died by their hands, be called Ultimate Despair?"

"It's clearly not an official title. There's no recorded information on anyone from Hope's Peak being awarded the title Ultimate Despair," Byakuya answered easily, "So while the mastermind could make up such a title for themselves… it can also be easily used to swear allegiance."

"Let me repeat myself: I died."

"That changes nothing," Byakuya retorted, unperturbed, "We've been shown time after time that the mastermind is an unstable individual. Would it really be a surprise that they would betray an ally, just so a point could be proven?"

Before this argument could ensue further, someone else spoke up. "H-Hold on, Byakuya!" Hina cut in, looking a tad distressed, "Are you actually considering that Mukuro is working with the mastermind?"

"And why shouldn't I?" Byakuya questioned, with a raised eyebrow, "Especially when there's cause for suspicion?"

"But… Mukuro did die! She was killed by Monokuma himself!" Chihiro also started protesting, "Why would they betray their own ally like that?"

"Yeah, dude! The bear's is bat-shit crazy, sure, but killing your own spy seems like a stupid move," Leon remarked, looking befuddled.

Celeste was the one to answer this. "As Byakuya said, the mastermind is clearly unstable," the Gambler stated, "While they have proven themselves intelligent, they've also shown that they were blood-thirsty. They would likely take any chance to satiate that blood-lust, regardless of allegiance."

"And now that I'm thinking more about it… Ikusuba's actions moments before her death were strange," Celeste now started musing, fingers now under chin, "Not only did she act openly against the mastermind, but she did something blatantly stupid by attacking Monokuma. Those are not the actions someone like the Ultimate Soldier would take…"

"...unless they were certain that no harm would happen to them," Kyoko finished for the gambler, looking at Mukuro with a stoic glare. "If someone was sure they would end up in a prison, as Monokuma had said, then the actions that were taken would make a lot more sense. More so if that someone was a spy."

"H-Hold a minute!" Taka was the next to cut in, looking as rattled as some of the others, "Are we seriously going to condemn a classmate and friend based on unconfirmed information? For all we know, this could all be false!"

"Possibly. But why have false information in a place that he placed under lock and key?" Kyoko retorted in kind, "And much of what has been revealed to us hasn't been proven false; even Monokuma's statements have merely been vague, not outright lies."

"That doesn't mean we should take every piece of information with blind confidence!"

"Enough!" Byakuya, once again, ordered, "This is getting us nowhere. Let us hear from the girl herself. If there's any suitable defense, I'm happy to hear them."

And with that, focus was turned towards the Ultimate Soldier herself. From the looks of suspicion from the likes of Byakuya and Kyoko, to pleading expressions from those of Chihiro and Hina, everyone wanted to hear what Mukuro Ikusaba had to say.

And the girl herself… she was conflicted. There was one part of her that was considering revealing everything, a part that had been growing ever since the witnessing of her own death. Junko's declaration that she would happily kill her in the name of her own despair. Makoto's comforting words when she was lost in her own grief.

But the other part… the one that still holds her sister dear to heart, is screaming against this. Telling her not to leave Junko again. That she would be doing the exact same thing she did in France. That part was still fiercely dormant in her mind, battling against her growing relationships with her classmates. With Makoto.

"Sis… you got an answer for them, right?" And just like a poisonous knife, Junko herself cut into the tension. The fashionista even had the audacity to look innocent, giving her sister a convincingly pleading, desperate look across her face. "There's no way you're waking up for that psycho, right? Please, please speak up! Tell them!"

It actually took every bit of willpower not to turn around and glare at her sister. Instead, she merely clasped her hands on her knees, eyes on the ground as desperately tried to keep control of her emotions. Of course she would enjoy this. Of course she wouldn't do anything to help, to get the suspicion off of her. It honestly shouldn't be a surprise, given her nature… but still caused her heart to crack just a little more.

What should she do? Should she try to deny everything? Reveal everything? Reveal enough? Give some sort of lie? What should she do? What can she do? What-?!

"Let's leave this alone for now." And once again, it was Makoto who was giving her a lifeline. The lucky student was standing up from his seat, facing everyone that he could with a firm expression. "Right now, all of this is merely speculation, with the only thing we know being that Kyoko thinks she's the Ultimate Despair. Let's wait and see if the next two chapters will tell us more."

Some of the students seemed attentive towards the idea, mainly those who are against the idea of Mukuro being involved with the mastermind. Others, however, seemed reluctant to let this go so easily, namely Byakuya and Kyoko.

"Are you suggesting we move on as though nothing happened?" Byakuya questioned the lucky student, "Just ignore this suspicious piece of information?"

"I'm not." was Makoto's immediate answer, "I'm aware of how suspicious this makes Mukuro look, and it's stuff that we can't throw away just yet. But we can't look at her with constant distrust and suspicion either, or even argue over this. We all saw what happened when we did so with Sakura."

That statement caused flinches from Hiro, Toko, and Hina, with even some of the other students looking abashed. Byakuya merely stared at Makoto, with the luckster matching his look with an unwavering one. After a brief stand-off between the two, the Togami heir let out a small huff.

"Continuing to argue about this now will get us nowhere." With that, Byakuya stood up from his seat. "I won't waste my time with this. We shall see if the next two chapters will give us the answers we need." With that, he went up to his room.

That seemed to signal everyone else to leave the living room. A good portion of students headed towards the rec room, while a few others headed up to their rooms. Makoto was going to head to the rec room, likely to get something to eat, when he felt someone tug on the back of his clothes.

"Huh?" The luckster turned his head to see Mukuro behind him, head bowed. "Mukuro? What's- aghguk?!"

His concerned question turned to unintelligible noises when the Ultimate Soldier suddenly hugged him from behind, snuggling her head into his shoulder. A bright blush entered Makoto's face, understandably flustered at the intimate contact.

"M-Mukuro?!" he stuttered, unable to get out of her strong grip. "Wh-Wh-Why are y-y-?!"

"Thank you…" Her soft, quiet words of gratitude stopped any flustered questions from the lucky student. "I don't deserve your kindness. I don't deserve your friendship. But… thank you."

Hearing her words wiped any feelings of embarrassment from this embrace. Any flustered look was replaced with a sad smile, with Makoto placing a hand over where the soldier was gripping him.

"I really wished you would value yourself more," he said softly, "You're a wonderful girl, Mukuro, more than just the soldier you were made to be. I just wish you could see that yourself."

In response, her grip on him was a tad tighter, with the girl burying her face deeper into his shoulder. It was to hide the blush that was forming across her cheeks… and the tears that were gathering in her eyes.

The two stayed like this for a significant amount of time… unaware of a pair of analytical blue eyes staring at the two from atop the stairs. A pair that, if one looked closely, had a massed pool of madness swirling within.

(With Hina)

"Byakuya, Toko, Hiro… even Hina is playing into the mastermind's hand."

"This is exactly what the masterminds want. And it's exactly what Sakura doesn't want."

How could she have been so stupid?

"The decision wasn't made out of weakness… but of courage. Remarkable courage at that."

"I couldn't imagine that she would kill herself out of desperation, of all things."

How could she have been so blind?

"I… I'm so glad I got to meet you…"

"They're not my enemies. They're… friends."

It was so clear. So obvious as to why Sakura did what she did! And yet…!

"No matter what… just survive."

She almost threw away Sakura's last wish! She wanted her to survive; to live with everyone else! AND SHE ALMOST GOT EVERYONE KILLED!

"Hina…"

"Huh? Oh, Sakura." Hina was jolted out of her thoughts by the sound of her friend's voice. The swimmer saw that she was standing in front of her room, with Sakura a few feet away from her, a concerned look across her face. "You… followed me up here?"

"I'm worried about you," was Sakura's blunt statement, "I know this chapter was a lot for you, and I don't want to leave you with any dark thoughts."

"O-Oh…" In response, Hina looked away, in an attempt to hide the look of guilt and anguish across her face. "I-I'll be fine. Yeah, that was… a lot, sure. But I just need some time, that's all."

"...Are you certain?" Sakura pressed further, concern still clear across her face, "You don't need to hide your pain."

"Y-Yeah, I'm sure." The swimmer gave her friend a reassuring smile. But it was clear to anyone looking that it was fake. "After all, everything is resolved. Even though you… future you, died, things are still looking brighter. The survivors are united now. Things are actually looking up!"

And besides… she's now aware of how stupid she was being, both before and during the trial. If she had just stopped butting heads with Byakuya, Toko, and Hiro, Sakura wouldn't have needed to sacrifice herself. If it wasn't for Makoto and Kyoko, she would've gotten everyone killed for a lie.

"-but to blame Makoto and Kyoko? To even think that they were at fault for this? To say those things about yourself?! TO SAY THAT NONE OF YOU DESERVED TO LIVE?!"

"In your grief and anger, you decided to take revenge on us. In your path to revenge, you decided to forfeit your own life, to drag Makoto and Kyoko down in the process, to justify it by saying that we all killed her, including yourself and them. How despicable."

Yeah… she's clearly aware of how much of a dunce she is now. How, at her worst, she's no better than Byakuya. Thanks to her own stupidity.

Sakura, however, saw through her front. She could see her friend was hurting, could see that the chapter had taken quite a toll on her, despite the Swimmer trying to play it off. But she was uncertain as to what to say. She was hesitant about pushing too hard, as she was unsure how Hina would react.

So, she did the only thing she could think of. She gave her friend a comforting hug, using one arm to wrap Hina in that hug while the other was used to pat her head. "I'll leave you be, if that's what you wish," Sakura told her, "But if you want to talk, my door is always open for you Hina. As I said before, you don't need to hide your pain."

"...Thank you, Sakura." Hina looked up at her friend, to give her that fake smile. "But I'm fine, really. Just… just need a little rest, that's all."

Seeing that she had done all that she could for the time being, Sakura let go of Hina and headed to her room, to meditate for a bit. In her walk, however, she stopped. There was one last thing she wanted to say. "I do not regret what my future self has done. If I was in my future self's place, and I had to do the exact same thing, I would not hesitate to do so."

Sakura turned her head to face her friend. "But for what is worth… I am sorry Hina. I'm sorry that my death has hurt you in this way." With that, she finally headed to her room.

For a moment, Hina just stood at her door. Then, with shaky fingers, she opened her door and went in. Once she was inside, she closed the door, before leaning her back on it. She just stood there, staring down at the ground for an indiscernible amount of time. Then her body started shaking, tears started pouring down her cheeks once again, and choked gasps were coming through her teeth.

'Why… why are you apologizing?!'Hina shouted in her mind, covering her mouth to hold her sobs, 'You did nothing wrong! You did everything you could to get us working together! To help us survive!'

The swimmer found herself sliding on the door, her legs feeling weak, before collapsing. She quickly curled up, her other hand being used to wrap her legs. 'I was the one who was being stupid! I was the reckless, hot-tempered moron that got nearly everyone killed! That was feeding into this sick game!'

Makoto and Kyoko managed to keep a level-head. Sakura managed to see things for how they were. Yet she couldn't. By trying to defend Sakura, she left her no choice but to kill herself in order to save everyone. And even then, that sacrifice was nearly wasted! All because she fell for a note that didn't even have Sakura's signature!

She remembered what she said to Byakuya, how she called him a monster. But honestly… is she any better?

Notes:

And that's the end. I hope you guys liked this chapter. Yeah, I know it's pretty short, at least compared to previous chapters. But I couldn't think of what else to write without it feeling clunky, so this felt like a good stopping point. Next one should be much longer (If I don't end up writing shorter chapters again), since there's a lot of interactions to be done.

Which interactions are you interested in seeing the most? Makoto consoling Hina? Mukuro confronting Junko? Hifumi and Celeste making up? Mondo possibly confronting Celeste? Let me know in the comments (Along with your strategies on quicker updates). I'll see you all later.

Chapter 88: Break Chapter 4 Part 2

Notes:

Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So, apologies for the longer than usual wait. With things in my personal life taking up residence in my mind, I decided to take one of the suggestions made in the comments, and take a break. That was probably one of the issues I've been dealing with, and what caused me to lack the motivation/focus to write. Stress. Hopefully, by the time of me posting this, many of the things stressing me out will be done and over with, or at least close to done.

Speaking of the suggestions, I thank you guys for giving me ideas on what to do for writing. It's very much appreciated. Hopefully, at least a few of them will help me write at a quicker pace, and I can avoid taking until 2030 to finish. Now then, onto the chapter. Here, we're gonna continue the break, with several class interactions. I hope you enjoy.

P.S. Random question. What could a fanfic writer do with a twitter account? Don't have any concrete plans to make one at the moment, just idly curious.

"I believe I owe you an apology, Mr. Ishimaru."

Those were Hifumi's first words, as soon as he got to the table consisting of Taka, Chihiro, and Mondo. The former two looked at the fanfic creator with slight surprise, while the latter merely stared at him with an unreadable frown.

"Hifumi…?"

"Not just for my future self's actions, but also for what I had said to you myself," Hifumi continued, trying not to shift awkwardly. "I shouldn't have let my infatuation with Alter Ego get the better of me. Future me should not have believed Miss Ludenberg's words so easily. I hope you'll be able to forgive my foolishness, and we can move past what we have seen."

When the fanfic creator had told Makoto that he would apologize to Taka, and not be the character type that refuses to admit he's wrong, he had meant it. Still, that doesn't change that this felt a little awkward, as he wasn't sure what exactly was appropriate to say. Hopefully, this apology conveyed enough of his sincerity.

"Apology accepted, Hifumi!"

And that hope was answered rather quickly.

While Hifumi started blinking in slight surprise, Mondo merely sighed. "Bro, are you really gonna accept that apology that quickly?" the biker questioned his friend.

"I see no reason to delay any acceptance on my part, bro!" Taka responded back, "Hifumi expressed clear remorse for his actions, as well as the actions of his future. Plus, as stated, these conflicts have yet to happen; there's no cause not to accept it and move on!"

In response, Mondo merely shook his head in exasperation. "Well, can't really say I'm surprised," he remarked, before getting up from his seat with a sigh. "If bro is willing to forgive, then I can try and move past this too. Can't stay too mad when you own up to your mistakes, right?"

"Th-Thank you, Mr. Ishimaru. Mr. Oowada…" Hifumi said, still somewhat surprised yet grateful for the forgiveness given to him, "I promise, I will endeavor not to let any confrontation like our future selves have come to fruition."

"I will do the same, Hifumi!" Taka declared, standing to properly face the fanfic creator, "Let's do our best to ensure the future we have witnessed does not come to fruition!"

"Yeah, sure. Still, before I forgive ya fully…" A hand on his shoulder, along with an eyes-closed smile from Mondo, was the only warning Hifumi got. "One thing I gotta do."

"Hurk!" One moment later, the fanfic creator found himself on the ground, arms around his stomach as he tried to hold back the tears of pain. Mondo then stepped back, unclenching the fist he had used to punch Hifumi.

"There, now we're good!" Mondo said cheerfully.

"Mondo!" Taka exclaimed, aghast.

"Hey, I gotta let some steam out!"

"It's fine… Mr. Ishimaru…" With a groan, Hifumi unsteadily got up from the ground. "It was… just a punch…"

"It looks like more than just a punch!"

As Taka helped Hifumi get on his feet, another voice cut in. "Guessing you guys are making up?" All eyes turned to see Leon walking towards, a tray of food in hand. He waved a hand towards them. "Yo."

"Hey, man. And yeah, you can say that," Mondo confirmed, leaning on the table, "Where's Makoto and Sayaka?"

Sitting down in one of the empty seats, Leon pointed to where his friends were. "Makoto went to talk with Hiro…" His finger aimed at one of the booths, where the lucky student was talking to a guilty looking Hiro. "And Sayaka dragged Kyoko to the other side of the room, probably discussing the whole digging into someone's pants thing." He then pointed at the idol having a fervent looking discussion with the slightly bemused detective.

"It's pleasing to hear that Sayaka is discussing the indecency of doing such a thing," Taka stated, getting back to his own seat, "While her commitment to being a detective is admirable, and has saved our remaining future selves' lives, that kind of behavior is not acceptable in any other environment!"

"Do you ever talk like a normal person?" Leon couldn't help but ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Is this not how some people speak?!"

"That answers that then…" With a sigh, the baseball player turned towards Hifumi. "So fatty, have you talked with Celeste yet?"

"Not yet. But I plan to immediately," Hifumi answered him, ignoring the insulting nickname as usual. "I… want to clear the air between me and Miss Ludenberg. Obtain a friendly relationship with her once more."

"You want to befriend her after that whole bullshit?" Mondo asked with some disbelief, eyes narrowed, "Forgiving is one thing, but I don't see why you would want to be friends with her. Especially when it's clear that she sees you as nothing but a pest."

"I know, but…" Hifumi spoke hesitantly, shifting in uncertainty, "Despite what we saw… I still think there's someone worth befriending in Miss Ludenberg. The second picture that Mr. Naegi had found proves that we could become friends. That she isn't without a heart."

Mondo was silent, his eyes still narrowed at Hifumi. The fanfic creator continued shuffling nervously, while Taka, Leon, and Chihiro stared at their friend with some concern and caution. After a slightly tense moment between the group…

"I'm gonna talk to her first," Mondo declared bluntly, to the surprise of the rest of the boys, "You can come right after."

"Bro…!" Taka stood up from his seat once again in alarm.

"Mondo…?" Chihiro also looked worried.

"Relax. I won't harm the chick," The biker stated flatly, getting up from his seat, "Just gonna probe her a bit. See what kind of chick she really is."

(With Mukuro and Junko)

"I can't believe it! How could I be so arrogant?! So blind?! Get outmaneuvered by these amateurs?!"

Mukuro could only stare neutrally as her sister ranted and paced around the room. As soon as she and Makoto separated, Junko decided to drag her into her room. Why? So she could have someone to rave to.

"I'm the Ultimate Analyst! Nothing should get past my eyes, no options should get by me!" Junko continued her rant, "Yet, despite that, I got blindsided by a musclehead and an amnesiac detective! The shame! The humiliation! The indignity!"

Mukuro stayed silent, merely sitting on her sister's bed as she waited for Junko to finish her rant.

"The fact that they manage to pass me, manage to get info I wasn't ready to show is so… annoying!" The fashionista shouted, throwing her hands up, "On the other hand, though, seeing them get closer to figuring everything out, their chances of beating me are getting just a little bit better… it's strangely exciting!"

'And there it is…'Mukuro thought rather blandly, seeing her sister's face twist from annoyance to strange, excited smile. A blush was even across the blonde's face.

"Just the thought of my plans getting ruined, that my dear classmates are able to pull uno reverse moves like that… ooh, I could feel the shivers already!" The fashionista hugged herself as she shook slightly, twisting her upper body around.

Honestly, at times like these, Mukuro finds it even more difficult to understand her sister. One moment, she's ranting about how annoying it is seeing those like Makoto or Kyoko putting wrenches in her plans, the next, shuddering in delight at the thought of those plans being ruined.

Is life really that boring for her that despair and shocking situations are the only things that could stimulate her?

She could only guess.

"Though I'm especially envious of you, Muku~!" Junko's attention was now on her sister, the excited smile still across her lips. "With that unexpected revelation, eyes are turned to you now! Kyoko, Byakuya, and Celeste are especially suspicious of you now, with the others feeling pretty conflicted!"

Mukuro stood silently, willing herself not to show any outright negative emotions.

"But then lucky boy came in and saved you…" The fashionista then gave her sister a cute pout. "Was there something you didn't tell me, Muku~? Did something happen between you and that herbivore man?"

"...He confronted me about the note you gave him," Mukuro admitted, looking away, "I told him about my involvement in your plans; however, he doesn't know that you are the mastermind."

"I see! So he had time to come to terms that you're an Ultimate Despair…" Junko pouted even further at that, getting into her cutesy persona. "I would've liked it if that note drove a wedge of distrust in him! Stupid herbivore man!"

Mukuro stayed silent, a small debate raging in her mind. After a moment, she spoke. "...Why do you call me Ultimate Despair…?"

That earned Junko's attention, the girl tilting her head confusingly. "Hmm?"

"You obviously don't see me as an equal to you," Mukuro pointed out, a small frown across her face, "So why refer to me as such? Why make such a trick when you didn't plan for anyone to enter the principal's office?"

That's what bothered the Ultimate Soldier the most. She doesn't blame Junko for that reveal at the end of the viewing; it was clear her sister, both versions, didn't plan for anyone to break in to that room.

But, if she didn't plan for anyone to enter that room… why was she referred to as the Ultimate Despair? Why make such a trick?

Junko blinked a few times, as if she was processing what Mukuro was asking. Then, the fashionista started letting out a few giggles. Those giggles turned into small laughter, as if she heard a funny joke.

"Silly Muku…" And to the shock of the soldier, Junko pulled her sister upwards… and wrapped her in a hug. "Did you forget? We're in this together. You may be a mere pawn in my plans, but we're still both Ultimate Despairs. The Despair twins. Two sisters bound together in despair."

The affection, the soft words coming from Junko's words, shook Mukuro to her core. The rational part of her mind, of course, is telling her not to fall for this, that this is a honey trap her sister set up for her…

But the other half could not help but cling to this act of affection, to that love and approval she so desperately craved from her. So, hesitantly, she lifted up her arms to recipricate the hug…

And before she could do so, she was met with a knee to the stomach.

"Gak!" With a choked cry of pain, Mukuro fell on her knees, one arm holding her up while the other was holding her stomach.

"And for my future self to use your name? To make you the sixteenth student, even after your death? That must mean she feels similarly," Junko continued on, as if she hadn't just kneed her sister in the gut, "Must've felt that there was still some worth in her useless sister."

Suddenly, she kicked the down Mukuro in the arm, making the soldier fall on her side with a pained gasp. "Treating you like this, insulting you over and over…" She then stomped on her sister's side, causing more choked cries. "Do you think I feel nothing about it? That I don't feel anything over what I do to you? It tears me apart!"

As she talked, Junko continued stomping and kicking Mukuro's abdomen, careful not to leave any lasting scars or bruises, her smile still plastered across her face as her eyes shined in both glee and grief. "Insulting you, hurting you, making you feel pain, killing you… it hurts me in ways most people can't imagine! It's a pain I know you feel as well, my dear sister of Despair!"

Finally, the girl stopped the assault on her sister. Slowly, she got down on her knees, before getting Mukuro back up on her own knees. The soldier's eyes were downcast, an array of dark emotions playing around them.

"I know you enjoy that feeling of despair as well," Junko repeated what she had just said, caressing her sister's cheek, "It's why you cling to Makoto, don't you? Despite knowing what will happen to him if my plans come to fruition."

Mukuro couldn't but tense at this, fear now encompassing her feelings. "I-I-"

"Shhhh…" Junko shushed the soldier gently, putting a finger over her lips, "No need to explain anything. I understand how close you are to our little luckster. That it tears you apart, acting against him."

The fashionista then hugged her sister once again, whispering softly in her ear, "It'll hurt even more… when you watch as I head out to break him. To crush that disgusting hope of his, and making him feel nothing but despair."

(With Celeste)

"Well… I'm not sure if I should be surprised you came to speak to me or not."

"Thought I would just ignore ya for the rest of all this?"

"It's a fair conclusion. After all, you made your anger clear for me."

On the outside, Celeste looked fairly composed, staring into the eyes of the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader. And, while usually she wouldn't fear Mondo, despite his title… she'll admit to feeling guarded around him, unsure of what he'll do. The fact that he refused to hurt women in the past is of little comfort for her.

"Yeah, that's why I'm here," the biker said bluntly, doing little to ease Celeste's concern, "To deal with that anger."

"As I recall, you are not one to hit women…" Celeste reminded him, hoping that the reminder of his chivalry will keep him at bay, "And it should be Hifumi and Taka that should be having such talks with me, not you. Are you certain it is wise to let go of your honor for this?"

"Uh-huh. Keep it up. You might make me consider another attempt to smack ya…" Unflinching, Mondo leaned forward towards Celeste, arms folding on top of the table. "But, no. It's not worth becoming scum just to give you a bruise. I'm just here to talk."

Okay. Very rarely did Celeste felt unnerved by anyone confronting her, be it in gambling or anything outside of it. But this composed biker was starting to get under her skin. It made it more difficult to predict what he'd do, or what the best course of action would be for this.

It was why she stayed rooted in her seat, not brushing him off or leaving him.

"I'm pissed at ya," Mondo stated, his usual heat not ther- no. It was there, just contained. "Still am. It may not have happened, but it could've. If not for this, you would've framed my bro and gotten him killed."

Celeste neither confirmed nor denied what he said, but merely stared at him stoically, hiding any nervousness.

"Honestly, there's a part of me that wants to punch you, to let go of that last bit of self-control and make you feel pain," the biker continued calmly, "But instead… I want to know. Why do you think it was worth killing my bro and Hifumi? What pushed you to do that?"

Celeste blinked at that, rather flummoxed by the question. "You heard my future self, did you not? It was to gain the money from the third motive, and gain my own cas-"

"Bullshit," Mondo cut her off bluntly, giving her a flat stare, "I may have believed it before, and hell, the castle shit may be true. But now that I had plenty of time to cool my head, I know that ain't the reason you decided to kill."

"Oh?" Celeste raised an eyebrow at this, "And I suppose you know me well enough to say that confidently? To know my supposed true reason for my decision?"

"Maybe not. But I think I can make a good enough guess, Yasuhiro."

The mention of her true name caused the gambler to stiffen, the air around the two to become slightly colder. Her fists clenched slightly, her posture became more rigid, and her eyes narrowed into a small glare.

"I suggest not mentioning that name again, dear Mondo," Celeste warned him calmly, though with clear venom laced in her tone, "I very much prefer to go by the name Celestia Ludenberg. Understood?"

"Does it look like I'm someone who gives a damn?" Mondo retorted, unphased by the gambler's anger, "I'm here to figure you out, not play to your tune. Be lucky I ain't calling you Hiro."

Celeste had to catch herself from downright scowling, merely continuing her narrowed glare. "And what makes you think I would concede to what you want?" she hissed, "I don't owe anything to you, or even Taka and Hifumi. What we have witnessed was in the future, and since they have yet to come to fruition-"

"Yeah, you don't have to say shit," Mondo interrupted, conceding to her point, "But I can take a few stabs at your motives. One of the things I can guess is that you hate your actual name with a strange fucking passion."

"Mondo dear, what be the point of-"

"You also love to stick tightly with the whole gothic fashion shit," Mondo continued, undeterred, "Acting all fancy, speaking fancy, and making up a whole fancy life for yourself. But, that whole shit is a lie, isn't it? Something you made up when taking up gambling."

"If you're trying to get under my ski-"

"In fact, your life, your past… It must've been pretty normal, wasn't it? Up until the gambling thing," Mondo mused, seemingly to himself, "Half the stories you've told us aren't even real. But you want them to be. You want to feel special. Feel unique. And Taeko Yasuhiro is just a plain old, normal girl."

"Mondo, I suggest you be quiet before-"

"And this fucking killing game brought out the normal girl you've been trying to push down," The biker pushed further, "Being in a place where you can get easily killed, get overpowered by someone like me, or Sakura, or Leon… it must've frightened you, huh? Made you feel so, so weak. So normal."

"Mondo, shut up…!" Celeste growled. At this point, all composure had left the gambler, and a fierce scowl replaced her glare, along with gritted teeth. "Shut up, right now…!"

"And when people started dying, despite trying to set things up to prevent that, you had to do something," Mondo began to conclude, "And the money, Alter Ego, Hifumi and bro's obsession with it… it gave you the opportunity to do something. So, in one desperate act to survive, to prove you're special, you set up an elaborate double murder. All because Taeko Yasuhiro was a scared, normal girl and Celestia fucking Ludenberg hated that."

"SHUT UP!" With an enraged scream, Taeko jumped from her seat and swung at the biker. Mondo, with a surprising amount of composure, merely caught the slap, effectively holding the gambler in place.

It was a mildly surprising twist of events. Celestia, often one of the more composed students, holding a searing look of rage that would kill someone if possible; Mondo, the most quick-tempered of the class, remaining calm and unphased throughout their entire conversation.

"What the hell do you know…?!" Taeko growled, both her composure and her persona completely lost, "You're just a dumb biker with a hot-temper! Someone too weak to admit what he did to anyone! Who the hell are you to judge me?!"

"A weakling who can't own up to his own mistake!" Mondo repeated, mirroring her words without missing a beat, "Someone hiding behind a lie himself. So, when I actually use my fucking head for once, it's obvious when someone else is doing the exact same goddamn thing. It's like looking in a fucking mirror!"

The two students went completely silent at that, both merely staring each other down. Taeko continued shaking in anger, eyes dilated and teeth clenched tightly; Mondo continued holding the hand that was aiming to slap him, not moving an inch from his position. However, before either of them could break the tense silence between them…

"Um, guys?" The two turned their heads to the side, to see Makoto looking at the two worriedly. "Is everything… okay?"

It was Mondo who spoke first. "Thought you were talking with Hiro."

"I was. We had just finished talking when I heard yelling from here," Makoto answered, his eyes moving between the biker and the gambler. "Can you… tell me what's going on here?"

Mondo snorted. "Just a little chat, is all." With that dry remark, he then pushed Celeste back to her seat with little effort, before standing up. Taeko, despite her anger, found herself shrinking, couldn't help but feel small at the sight of the biker towering over her, as well as the aura emanating from him. And with the fear mixing with her anger, she was hard-pressed to gain back control of her emotions.

For a moment, Mondo merely stared her down, pressing his aura on the gambler. Finally, he spoke. "I'm gonna forgive ya," he declared, "Not because you asked for it, but for my own sake. But, I ain't about to forget what could've happened. Not for a while. You got me?"

Taeko could only nod. There was little else she could do, and she wasn't sure if it was a good idea to say anything back.

"Good." With that, Mondo released his aura. "See ya, Ludenberg." He then walked away from the table and headed back out of the room

That left both Makoto and Taeko by themselves. The luckster was shifting awkwardly, uncertain of what to do next, while the gambler continued shaking in an influx of emotions, a scowl across her face.

Finally, it was Makoto who spoke up first. "Are you okay, Cel- Wah!"

Suddenly, the luckster was pulled from where he was standing and into the booth beside Taeko. The girl wrapped her arms around the arm she grabbed, her look appearing more petulant than anything.

"C-Celeste?!" Makoto stuttered, a blush forming across his face. First Mukuro, now Celeste? What's with his female friends grabbing him out of the blue?

"Just shut up and let me have this," was Taeko's response, the grip on his arm tightening. "Who the hell does that stupid biker think he is? Coming over and thinking he's got me all figured out…"

At her grumbling complaints, Makoto couldn't help but sweatdrop and chuckle awkwardly. "Are you upset that Mondo managed to make accurate guesses about you…?"

That earned a glare from the gambler. "What makes you think any of what he said was accurate?"

"Taeko…" The luckster couldn't help but give her something of a flat look. "Would you really react like this if all of what Mondo said didn't hit close to home?"

"..."

The girl could only bury her head in Makoto's shoulder in response, a rather adorable pout forming across her face. That got Makoto to drop his flat look, in his effort to hold back his bubbling laughter. A small smile did form though at Taeko's rather cute reaction, similar to Kyoko's embarrassment earlier on.

"Excuse me. Miss Ludenberg, Mr. Naegi…" The lucky student looked up from his new seat, to see Hifumi standing in front of the booth they're in. "Would this be a bad time to speak?"

Makoto's smile turned awkward at that. "Maybe…" He shrugged, turning back towards Taeko. "Celeste is kinda upset right now, so I don't know…"

"I don't think I've ever seen a pouty Ludenberg before…" Hifumi couldn't help but muse.

That's when Taeko interjected. "I'm NOT pouty…" she denied, rather petulantly too. She lifted her head to give Hifumi a not-so-threatening glare. "What do you want, Hifumi?"

The fanfic creator wondered if he should feel nervous or be charmed by Celeste's demeanor. In the end, he pushed back the inner debate, to get to the reason he was here. "I wish to talk about what transpired in the third chapter."

At that, Taeko couldn't help but groan, slamming her head on the table, her Celestia Ludenberg persona still far out of reach. "Look, I get it, okay? Future me did something stupid, cruel, and selfish. You don't have to worry about me pulling a stunt like that, alright?"

"Mr. Oowada really did a number on you, didn't he…?" was Hifumi's next musing.

That earned a growl from the gambler. "When the stupid biker decided to use that brain of his, is beyond me…"

That earned laughter from both the lucky student and the fanfic creator, neither of them able to help themselves. Hearing the two, Taeko turned her head to give them both glares.

Feeling the nervousness fade away, Hifumi found the confidence to say the next thing. "With all that being said then, can we reconcile with one another and continue our friendship?"

That turned Taeko's glare into an incredulous look. "Friends? Are you kidding me?" she voiced in disbelief, "After seeing me crack your head in the future, you still want to have anything to do with me?" Not to mention treating him like shit, both in the future and the present.

"You've admitted your faults and aim not to do them in the future. That is enough for me," Hifumi stated, pounding his chest with a fist, "Besides, we've also seen that we developed an even closer bond with the pictures. That tells me that it's worth retaining our friendship."

The gambler still couldn't help but continue staring at Hifumi incredulously. After a moment, she just groaned again and slammed her head on the table. "You know what? Fine. I'll take the olive branch." she groaned from where she's laying, "Are you happy now?"

"Very much so," Hifumi said proudly, unaffected by the lack-luster response, "I'll leave you alone for now, Miss Ludenberg. Enjoy your quality time with Mr. Naegi."

With that, the fanfic creator walked away from both Makoto and Taeko. The gambler continued to lay her head on the table, letting out groans and grumbles, while the luckster rubbed her back in comfort, an amused smile now on his lips.

(With Mondo)

Makoto wasn't the only one who'd noticed the interaction between Taeko and Mondo. Taka, Hifumi, Leon, and Chihiro all observed the interaction between their biker friend and the gambler, with a mix of curiosity and worry. While they were confident that Mondo wouldn't intentionally hurt a girl, they all knew how volatile the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader was. So, they expected a shouting match at best; blows to be thrown at the very worst.

What they didn't expect was Mondo to be the composed one while Celeste completely lost it.

While Hifumi went to speak to Celeste himself, Leon, Taka, and Chihiro spoke with their friend about the interaction between him and Celeste.

"Dude, I don't think I've ever seen you that calm before!" Leon exclaimed in disbelief, "You barely raised your voice through the whole thing! Where the hell did that self-control come from?"

Mondo sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Look, I'm aware that I'm not the most cool-headed guy, alright?" he admitted, "But you don't get to lead a gang like mine without keeping your head together sometimes. Just took what I've learned with the Diamonds and applied it with Ludenberg."

"Incredible, bro! Seems as though you really did develop some helpful skills as the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader!" Taka praised his best friend, "Should you not apply those skills during your day-to-day life?"

That earned a snort from the biker. "Like I said before, I'm not the most cool-headed dude," Mondo remarked dryly, "Takes a lot of effort to keep calm; and it's merely focusing my anger, not suppressing it. No way I could do that forever."

While Taka hung his head in disappointment, Chihiro looked at Mondo tentatively. The programmer looked as though he wanted to say something, but was hesitating, unsure as to how.

It was something Mondo picked up on. "I forgave her," he stated bluntly, his attention now focused on his petite friend, "I'm taking your advice, and letting go of my anger. I won't forget for a while what she's capable of doing… but I ain't gonna let anger blind me like that. Not like future me."

At his words, a bright smile entered Chihiro's lips, the tension slipping from his body. In response, Mondo nodded back, a smirk forming across his own face.

(Later)

Makoto let out a tired sigh as he headed out of the rec room, and to the second floor of their bedrooms. A bit after Hifumi left him and Celeste alone, Sayaka (in her talk with Kyoko) had come to notice the two were so close together.

That resulted in narrowed eyes and pouty pop sensation coming to the table, scooching up to Makoto's other side. Throughout that time, the lucky student had to play peacemaker between Sayaka and Celeste, some of that tension coming from the former's ire with the latter.

Suffice to say, that was exhausting. Especially with the added fact that two of female friends, both of whom he considered very pretty, were clinging on to him, resulting in him getting very flustered.

However, despite his slight exhaustion, a smile couldn't help but enter his lip. Things are looking better. Lighter. Hopeful. More and more of his friends are coming to terms with what they have seen, with more of them making up and forgiving each other, to the point where more friendly interactions are there than before. There's some tensions that remain, most likely, but steps are being taken to move forward.

However, there's still those that have unresolved feelings. There's Hiro, whom he had talked to, who's dealing with some guilt. Toko is likely dealing with a similar guilt, albeit worse (it's Toko, after all). Byakuya could be holding some resentment for the heat he's been getting. And of course, there's Sakura and Hina…

"Hey, Makoto!"

The lucky student was jolted out of his thoughts by the sound of his name being called. Looking forward, he saw Junko walking down the stairs of their guest rooms, a grin across her face.

"Oh, Junko," Makoto responded back, waving back at the fashionista, "You're heading to the rec room?"

"Yep!" Junko bobbed her head in confirmation, hopping down the last few steps, "Didn't eat much during the last viewing, so I'm gonna get something there. What about you? Heading up to talk with some of our classmates?"

That got a sheepish laugh from Makoto. "That obvious, huh?"

"Like the sun rising up!" was the confirmed answer, her grin now amused, "Wouldn't be our optimistic lucky boy if you weren't checking on our depressed classmates."

Again, the lucky student could laugh sheepishly, unable to deny it. Still, it wasn't something to be ashamed about nor was he. If his classmates need help with something, or an ear to listen to them, then he'll do whatever he can.

"Still, it's impressive that you still got that head held so high, Makoto," Junko mused, walking over to Makoto, "Even with the whole Sayaka situation, none of the optimism left ya."

A somber look entered Makoto's face at the reminder of what transpired in the first chapter. "To be honest, I did waver a bit," he admitted, rubbing the back of his head, "For a moment, I wondered whether I should trust Sayaka or not. But… I didn't want a potential future to ruin our friendship now. That's what I feel."

Junko let out a mocked, exasperated sigh. "I wonder, is there a distrustful bone in your body?" she asked him, "I mean, with all the stuff our classmates did to you, I figured you would at least have SOME reservations."

Her words caused Makoto to blink a little in bemusement. "What do you mean?"

"Both versions of Mondo punched you; Celeste tried to manipulate and kill everyone for a castle; Byakuya was being a complete douche, more than usual…" Junko started listing off, counting by her fingers, "And Kyoko's over there, using you as bait and getting mad when you decide to keep a secret for once. If I was in your shoes, I wouldn't have taken half the crap sent your way."

"Well, that's…" Makoto frowned at the reminder of the other stuff that happened to him personally. "I can't really hold a grudge for something that hasn't happened yet. This is all just a possible future, one we can stop from happening now."

"But still, not a shred of resentment? Not a few grievances? Not even feeling hurt about anything that happened?" Junko purposely pressed on.

And just like she planned, the luckster was looking pretty conflicted. As if a debate between his forgiving nature and whatever negative emotions that were lying dormant was raging.

Seeing this, she blinked a few times, as if just realizing what she's doing, then backed down, an abashed look now across her face. "Sorry. Probably shouldn't be trying to dig up any resentful feelings. You probably have enough issues with being involved with every murder case in some capacity."

Her last statement caused the look of distress from Makoto to grow further. That made it clear that the luckster had figured that part out himself, if only subconsciously.

Seeing the seeds being planted, Junko faked a flinch. "I… should shut up now," she muttered guiltily. Quickly, she walked past him in a clearly guilty fashion. Before she went to the rec room, she turned her head towards him and said this. "Please don't take what I said seriously. It's just me rambling and pressing the wrong buttons. No one blames you for anything, and it's good that you're so forgiving." With that, she completely turned away from Makoto, hiding her sinister, ear to ear grin.

The seeds were now firmly planted. Now, to see how they'll sprout.

Meanwhile, Makoto continued standing there, wrestling with the string of emotions Junko had brought out of him. The feelings of betrayal and hurt he felt from his friends' actions; the feeling of guilt from his involvement with each of the murder cases. Those were the things that sprouted during the viewings, things that he fought from festering further. After all, none of them would help with everyone else feeling worse than him.

Still… it's difficult to completely shake off these emotions bubbling within him.

Unknown to him, Mukuro was up at the second floor, listening as her sister manipulated her ever-growing crush. Her back was pressed against the wall, near the stairs, unable to act against what Junko was doing. All she could was listen… as tears silently trailed from her eyes.

Notes:

And that's the end. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and that the quality is still up to snuff after the small break I took. Pretty uncertain with some of the interactions I wrote out in this chapter, but I felt like this was the best direction for each of them. Hope none of them feel out-of-character.

Anyways, I'm hoping this'll be the beginning of the end of this long writer's block. Not only is much of the stuff in my personal life dealt with, but I think I've pin-pointed the source of the block (*Look at a can of Coca-cola suspiciously*). We'll see if this'll be the beginning of a faster rate of updates. I'll see you all later.

Chapter 89: Break Chapter 4 Part 3

Notes:

Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So, first off, I'm happy that my previous chapter was so well-received. While I am confident with what I've written, there's always a small nugget of worry in the back of my head, especially when I'm doing something off-script. Always glad to see that worry was unfounded.

I have two questions for you guys. First, as I asked previously, what would a fanfic writer/writer in general do with a twitter account? No concrete plans of getting one as of right now, just a burning feeling of curiosity.

Second, what would be the best way to go about getting into original writing and growing a fanbase? While I plan to stick with fanfic writing (don't worry) I do want to make my own original stuff. And while I am working on my own book, I'm still uncertain as to the best way to go about getting it out there (or anything else I come up with). So, if you have any suggestions, I'm willing to hear them.

Well, that's all I have for right now. Here, we'll be ending the fourth chapter break. I hope you enjoy.

As soon as Sayaka headed towards where Makoto and Celeste were sitting, Kyoko quickly slipped back to her room to gather her findings. She would've done so immediately, but the idol was insistent on discussing her digging into Hifumi's pants. Now that she was distracted by jealousy, the detective can go and figure out the mysteries of the future.

This time, the gain was somewhat more substantial. With the information Alter Ego has given them, the theory that had been growing in her mind had become even stronger.

'So, something really did happen in the outside world. Something catastrophic enough to be known as, The Tragedy,' Kyoko mused with a frown, 'And because of that Tragedy, Hope's Peak was forced to shut down. Then it was reshaped to hold us in and have us live the rest of our lives there.'

This would imply that, rather than a prison, Hope's Peak was meant to be… a shelter. A place to shield the class from the rest of the world. It would also mean that the mastermind somehow hijacked the plan… and reshaped the shelter into the prison they now saw. Into the killing game they're witnessing.

'But in order to manage it, it would likely have to be an inside job,' Kyoko continued theorizing, looking at the notes she jotted down, 'Right now, doing so by force is doubtful. Unmitigated time is needed to set up Hope's Peak the way it is in the future, and openly taking over Hope's Peak would draw too much immediate attention. So, the mastermind must've been hiding within the administration. Or the staff. Possibly even the student body.'

And considering the mastermind's involvement in hijacking Hope's Peak communal life plan… yeah, there's no way that the mastermind wasn't involved with the Tragedy in some capacity. There's too much of a connection for it to be coincidence.

As for who exactly the mastermind would be… the name drop at the end of the fourth chapter warrants suspicion towards certain classmates of hers.

In the beginning of this watching, Kyoko had considered Mukuro's actions odd. Disguising herself as her sister, as well as provoking Monokuma into killing her, were things the detective couldn't add up. However, with the idea of her being the mastermind's spy now in mind, those actions start to make more sense, and cast an even more suspicious eye on Junko.

Disguising Mukuro Ikusaba as Junko Enoshima and making it as though Mukuro was the mystery sixteenth student would hide the fact that Junko was alive. And the only reason to hide such a fact… is if the girl was involved in the killing game herself…

But, can she really make such a conclusion? After all, this is all just suppositions based on the things that were given to them. Suppositions that are stronger with each chapter, but suppositions nonetheless. Can she really conclude that her classmate is the mastermind based on the surrounding oddities of Mukuro, and her absence in the killing game?

'Great, I really am becoming soft…'Kyoko thought wryly, leaning back on her bed. Makoto's influence really has affected her.

But, more than that, could someone like Junko pull something like this off? While she has no doubt about the intellectual side hidden within the girl, and she holds a high level of influence as the Ultimate Fashionista, are those two really enough for her to take over the school and set it up into her personal game-board?

That's not to mention the possibility of being involved with the events of the Tragedy itself…

Could one girl really pull off the things that they are currently witnessing?

(With Makoto)

It took a bit before Makoto could shake off the emotions that had flared up, brought out by Junko's words. Honestly, while he doesn't believe in holding grudges, the stuff his classmates have done to him did hurt. It was something he couldn't deny, even if he wanted to.

And then there was how he ended up involved with each murder. Chapter one, he tried to convince Sayaka not to do anything drastic, yet failed; chapter two, he inadvertently led Chihiro to his demise; in three, he caused Taka to become rather… fixated with Alter Ego, resulting in a rivalry between him and Hifumi; and in the last chapter, he had a chance to talk to Sakura about her being a spy, yet failed to do so in time.

He'd either had a chance to stop something happening and failed in it, or he'd led the victims to their demise without knowing it. It wasn't a thought he could just set aside.

Still, he pushed those thoughts away. This was not a time for him to wallow in self-pity; he needed to be there for his friends, for whatever help he could provide. Especially when several of them likely feel worse than he does.

So, he headed up the second floor, with the plan to talk to those who have yet to come to the rec room for food…

Which was what led to him seeing Sakura sitting seiza style, at the door of his room. "Sakura?" he called tentatively.

"Makoto…" Immediately, the martial artist's eyes were set towards the lucky student. "I ask for your assistance."

Any look of surprise was replaced with an immediate look of understanding. "Hina isn't doing well, is she…?"

Sakura looked down slightly, a grimace forming across her face. "I tried to speak to her myself, but… she pushed me away. Insisted that she was fine. But I can tell. She isn't."

Makoto sighed. "Considering what we saw, I'm not surprised. Your death alone is devastating enough…"

"That's why I ask for your help," Sakura stated, "To comfort her, to make sure she doesn't hold her feelings within, and not take any blame for what happened. It's something I would like to do myself, but…"

"Hina would just push you away again, right…?" Makoto concluded. Sakura nodded. "You don't need to convince me, Sakura. I'll do what I can to help her." Even if Sakura felt up to comforting Hina, the lucky student still would've done his part in raising the girl's spirit back up. Even if it's just checking on her.

Relief encompassed Sakura's face. "Thank you." She then performed a small bow towards him, from her sitting position. "I'm grateful for your friendship with both myself and Hina…"

"Y-You don't need to bow like that!" Makoto replied, flustered and waving his hands around. "Like you said, Hina's my friend also! I would've checked on her anyways!"

"Regardless, that still gives me cause to give thanks." Sakura raised up her head before moving to get back up on her feet. "You've been a good friend, Makoto; even when some of us give you cause not to be. I feel that needs to be appreciated."

The luckster couldn't help but blush at the praise given to him. Again, he can't help but wonder if it was warranted. All he was doing was trying to be a good friend to his classmates and being his usual optimistic self. Is it really that big of a deal?

He stubbornly ignored the "give you cause not to be" part of Sakura's statement that was refusing to leave his head…

"I'll leave Hina to you then." Sakura then proceeded to head to the direction of her room. "I trust that you'll be able to bring her spirits back up…"

Just as the martial artist got a few feet away, Makoto quickly called out to her. "Hey, Sakura!" The girl stopped, turning towards the direction of the lucky student. "What about you? Are you… doing okay?"

For a moment, Sakura was silent, simply pondering Makoto's question. "I am at peace with what we have witnessed, Makoto," she finally stated reassuringly, "The actions my future self has taken were regrettable, but the steps to amend that mistake make up for it. I feel no regret for the things I could've done."

It was clear to Makoto that she meant it. He saw no regrets, no guilt or shame in her eyes nor her posture, just someone who's at peace with what could've been, with her will being as unwavering as ever.

So, the lucky student couldn't help but give a relieved smile. "I'm glad to hear…" he said earnestly, "You're really such a strong person, Sakura."

That earned him a small smile from Sakura. "It honors me to hear such praise from you."

(With Hina)

Honestly, the lucky student wasn't sure what he could do to help Hina. If the swimmer was pushing away Sakura, how would he be able to get her to open up? It's likely that she would do the same thing to him.

However, despite the uncertainty, he refused to abandon his friend. Whether she wants it or not, he's gonna help her get past this. Which led him to face the red, puffy-eyed swimmer at her door.

"M-Makoto…"

"Hey Hina…" Makoto greeted softly, giving her a small smile, "Do you mind if we talk for a bit?"

As he partially expected, the girl put on a forced smile. "I-If you're here to check on me, don't worry. I-I'm okay. Just need to get some rest, and-"

"Hina…" the lucky student interjected, a frown across his face, "We both know that you're not that good at lying…"

The girl flinched at that, not expecting to be called out so bluntly. "W-What do you mean? Why would I lie?"

"It's something I want to ask myself," Makoto responded in kind, though his tone remained soft, "Why insist to Sakura that you're fine, when it's clear that you're not? When Sakura's worried about you?"

Once again, Hina flinched, her head lowering sadly. For once, she wished she was good at lying like Celeste was. Then she wouldn't have to make Sakura worry, or have Makoto visiting her like he did others in the class.

Why should she receive comfort from one of her closest friends when she was the one trying to kill everyone else? Why should she get comfort when her future self is still walking, still able to act normally with the others?

Not wanting anyone else to see her like this, especially Sakura, Hina quickly pulled the lucky student inside her room. Once the door was closed, she turned away from him, attempting to hide her shaky expression. "I-I'll be okay, Makoto. Really. Things are looking up. Thanks to Sakura, our future selves are gonna work together and-"

"That doesn't change that you saw your best friend die," Makoto interjected once again, "That you saw yourself at your lowest, thanks to that fake suicide note. Just because things ended well, doesn't mean you shouldn't feel devastated."

Hina clenched her fist. "...What right do I have to feel devastated?" she asked in retort. She kept her eyes firmly closed shut, in order to hold back any more tears. "Because of me, Sakura's sacrifice was almost for nothing! She killed herself so we don't end up murdering each other, so we could work together! She wanted to save us because she saw everyone as her friend! AND I SPAT ON THAT SACRIFICE!"

"You were tricked by Monokuma!" Makoto argued, "He led you believe that Sakura died in desperation, not-"

"THAT DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT THAT I FELL FOR IT LIKE AN IDIOT!" This time, Hina was the one to interrupt. "It was one note, one single, damn note, that led me to believe that Sakura was at all weak, that she died hating us! How could I have believed that when everything about her says otherwise?! I DIDN'T HAVE A DAMN CLUE AS TO WHAT HER TRUE THOUGHTS WERE!"

A silence immediately fell between them, with Hina letting out heavy breaths. The swimmer worked desperately to wrestle back her emotions, to not let Makoto see anymore of her emotional side.

She couldn't stop the few tears that slipped through though. 'I'm pathetic…' She couldn't help but think to herself, 'Can't even hold it together when being questioned like this. Get it together, Hina; don't let Makoto waste any more time than he already did.'

"...Please, just go, Makoto. I'll be- WHA?!" Just as Hina requested the lucky student to leave, she suddenly found herself being pulled from behind.

Next thing she knew, she was on her bed, Makoto's arms wrapped around her, her head placed on his chest, and their legs intertwined together. Despite the sorrow she was feeling, a heavy blush formed across her face. "Wha-Wha-Wha-?!"

"Sorry…" Makoto apologized, red tinting his own cheeks as well, "You can hit me later if you want. Just… it's something I do with Komaru. Whenever she gets upset, and she has a hard time talking about it, I comfort her like this. Hug her until she lets out all her feelings."

For a moment, Hina had trouble saying anything, embarrassment fueling her momentarily. Since when has Makoto done something this bold? This is the same guy who would turn red at simple hand-holding (not that she's any better, mind you).

The lucky student himself was surprised by his own actions. However, there weren't any regrets or second thoughts. He could see that his words alone weren't going do anything. Hina was racked with guilt, and stubbornly clinging onto it. Because she doesn't want to burden anyone with those feelings, Sakura especially, she's attempting to keep them to herself.

So, he did the only thing he could think of: comfort her the way he would comfort his little sister.

"S-Seriously Makoto, you don't need to do this," Hina replied, more flustered than guilt-ridden at the moment, "I'll be fine. Just let me go."

"No," Makoto refused, shaking his head, "I'm not gonna let you go. I'm gonna hug you till you let out all your feelings."

Hina couldn't help but giggle a little. "What kind of threat is that? Hugging me until I confess?"

"You'd be surprised how effective that threat can be," Makoto joked back, smiling a little, "You can ask Komaru if you want proof."

"What, do you threaten her with a hugging session whenever she comes home moody?" Hina continued playing along.

"Sometimes pats and kisses on the head whenever she's really defiant," Makoto answered, his smile turning playfully evil, "She breaks within the first few minutes."

That caused the swimmer to giggle even more, a genuine smile now on her lips. Seeing that lifted the lucky student's spirit up, seeing that she's not completely closed off.

But he knew he couldn't continue like this forever. So, with a more somber smile, he continued. "You don't have to hide your sorrow. Your guilt," Makoto told her, "You have a right to feel devastated, to cry until you feel better, just like everyone else here. But we want to help you. Give you that shoulder to cry on."

His words wiped the smile from Hina's face. However, she didn't say anything this time, merely snuggling further into Makoto.

"And I understand why you feel guilt, why you feel like such a fool," Makoto continued soothingly, "But Sakura doesn't blame you for what happened. Neither do I."

"...Maybe you should," Hina finally replied, her voice barely audible. She clung tightly to Makoto as she spoke. "Makoto, I… I tried to kill you. Kill everyone for revenge, revenge that Sakura didn't even want. How could… how could you forgive me for that? For blaming you when you did nothing to Sakura?"

In response, Makoto's grip tightened slightly, echoes of Junko's words hitting his head. He ignored them as best he could as he addressed Hina, "None of this has happened yet; it won't happen ever if we have a say," he said softly, "And both you and your future self feel clear regret for what happened. How can I hold a grudge when you feel guilty enough as it is?"

Hina let out a whimper, a few tears slipping down her cheeks. "I'm such an idiot…" she sobbed out, "Falling for that note… falling for Celeste's scheme… thinking you were the killer… I'm such a big idiot…"

"You're a normal girl pushed into a stressful situation…" Makoto countered firmly, yet softly, "Someone who saw our classmates die again, and again, and again. Most people would not be able to think rationally…"

"You were able to…" Hina argued tearfully, "Kyoko was able to… heck, even Byakuya had more sense than I did…!"

"Hiro didn't. Toko didn't," the lucky student pointed out, "Their reactions were probably even worse than yours. And Byakuya, smart as he is… he was also fueling the killing game as much as half of our classmates…"

"...Am I really any better than them?" Hina finally asked, "I called Byakuya a monster, when he said that he would be okay with Sakura dying… but if he's a monster… what does that make me?"

Hearing that caused Makoto to lift Hina's head up, meeting her tear-filled eyes with a firm glare. "You're a girl who saw her best friend die!" Makoto repeated his earlier words, "Someone who saw over half her classmates die! Who was tricked by a mad-man at her most vulnerable! Of course you reacted the way you did; you were pushed into that despair!"

His passionate words stunned the Ultimate Swimmer. All she could was stare as her mind processed what he had said.

Makoto smiled at her sadly. "I'm not justifying what you did, nor condoning it," he told her, "But you're not a monster for acting out of grief. After all… what monster would cry about what she'd done, what she'd almost done?"

For a moment, Hina continued to just stare at him. Then, a new wave of tears started streaming from her eyes, as sobs left her lips. The Ultimate Swimmer ended up slamming her face into his chest as she cried her heart out.

"I'm sorry…!" she bawled out, "I'm so sorry…!"

"There's nothing to apologize for…" Makoto said soothingly, patting the girl's head.

Yet the girl continued to give apology after apology, all while letting out her buckets worth of tears. The lucky student could only continue to hug her, providing as much comfort as he could.

(Later)

Eventually, Hina ended up crying herself to sleep; by that time, it was close to nighttime. Once he saw that the girl was asleep, Makoto saw himself out of her room to let her rest.

'I hope that helped Hina enough…' Makoto sighed, leaning on the wall beside Hina's door, 'She really did have it rough these past couple of viewings…'

While it's not like everyone else isn't going through it, he knows that Hina is especially affected. Comes with the territory of wearing your heart on your sleeve, something that the lucky student himself can attest to.

'I should probably go to sleep soon…' Makoto mused as he checked the time, 'Don't want to end up half-tired like yesterday…'

However, just as he was about to head to his room, he spotted someone from the corner of his eyes. Turning his head, he saw that it was the Ultimate Affluent Progeny. "Byakuya…"

The Togami heir faced him at the call of his name. "Makoto…" he greeted him neutrally.

"Did you just come from the rec room?" the lucky student asked curiously.

Byakuya nodded. "I decided to get a small meal before it got too late," he stated, before redirecting the conversation, "I assume you were with Hina?"

"Yeah…" Makoto turned towards Hina's door slightly, a sad smile across his face. "She hasn't taken the whole thing well…"

"Obviously," Byakuya remarked, arms crossing, "Seeing yourself at your very worst tends not to bring out positive feelings."

"...Yeah," was all Makoto could say, a frown across his face. "Byakuya… do you hold a grudge against our classmates?"

That resulted in a tense silence between the two, with Byakuya giving an unreadable stare towards the lucky student. Makoto, in response, felt himself needing to shift under the stare, but he stayed firm, wanting to talk this out with Byakuya.

"We both know our classmates' thoughts on my future self's actions and words," the Togami heir finally spoke, "Those thoughts went to the point of holding resentment for me. They judged, held hatred, even attempted to attack me for things I myself haven't done. Would it not be strange to hold resentment for such treatment?"

"...It wouldn't, no," Makoto conceded. While he understood why several of his friends reacted the way they did, in the end, the Byakuya with them wasn't responsible for those actions or words. However, before he could say anything else in response…

"However… it would be a waste of time to hold such resentment," Byakuya huffed, acting as though this was all beneath him, "Their anger is nothing new. Why bother holding a grudge for their childish antics?"

"Byakuya…" At this, Makoto let out a relieved sigh, a bright smile now forming across his face. "I'm glad…"

"Don't start thinking that I'm doing this for their sake, or your request," Byakuya warned him, "I'm simply avoiding needless drama, as well as keeping from falling to their childish levels."

"Right…" The lucky student could only chuckle awkwardly, quite used to the heir's antics.

"If that's all you want to say, I'll be heading to my room now." With that, Byakuya headed into his room, with no fanfare whatsoever.

Despite the brisk conversation, Makoto felt content with the results. He knew Byakuya well enough to see that it was his way of showing he's alright. So, there's no need for any other words.

With that, he finally headed to his room, feeling lighter than he had these past few days.

The seed of doubt planted in him was forgotten about for the time being…

(Morning)

It took little time for the students to gather together for the next viewing. Because the last chapter ended on a somewhat more hopeful note (even if it also left quite a few questions), many of them were able to get enough sleep. The previous chapter had also resulted in a warmer atmosphere; while they weren't exactly cheerful, there was less trepidation and gloom within the class.

However, tension still remained between certain students. Tension that needed to be solved.

"I'm sorry!"

The first step for that to happen was taken by none other than Hiro, who was in dogeza form in front of Sakura, who took her place in her usual seat. The martial artist raised an eyebrow at this, but stayed silent, waiting to see if Hiro would explain himself.

"Future me… and even me, me, screwed up!" Hiro continued, keeping his head bowed, "You were trying to help us, make up with us… and I treated you like an enemy, ended up trying to kill you for it! But even after that, future you sacrificed herself for us! So… I'm sorry!"

That took the other students by surprise. While they wouldn't call Hiro someone that wouldn't apologize, the fortune teller has a very hard time recognizing when he's in the wrong (be it due to stupidity or selfishness was anyone's guess). So, seeing him earnestly apologize like this… it was a surprise, at the very least.

"I-I'm… sorry, too." Eyes now shifted towards Toko, who was curled up in her seat. The writer kept her eyes away from everyone. "I-I… acted horribly. B-Been acting h-horribly. You wanted to be my f-friend… c-considered me one… yet I didn't do the same. M-My future self d-distrusted you, was afraid of y-you, d-did horrible things because of it. A-And I-I… stood by those feelings. That same d-distrust that I've always felt. T-That's why… I'm sorry."

And once again, the class felt themselves shocked. First Hiro, now Toko? Was Byakuya gonna make any apologies next? A few of them even turned their eyes towards the heir in question.

The result was a scoff from the Togami heir. "Don't expect me to grovel like those two," Byakuya said dryly, "I stand by my statement that I'm not responsible for any actions I've yet to take. And, unlike those fools, I didn't share nor spoke of the same sentiment as my future self."

Said fools flinched at the direct jabs given to them, yet said nothing.

Meanwhile, Sakura remained silent, waiting to see if any more would be said from either of them. When it was clear that they had said all that they wanted, she spoke. "There's no need to apologize for the actions of your future counterparts," she told both of them, "As Byakuya has stated, you are not responsible for any actions you have yet to take. It would be unfair of me to hold such actions against you, especially when my counterpart also did regretful things."

"As for the distrust you held yourselves… I will not hold that against you either," she continued, "I do not blame you for holding such distrust, nor begrudge you for it. I only ask that both of you aim to be better, and to not repeat the same mistakes."

At her words, Hiro finally raised his head up. "I'll… I'll try my best," he promised, getting up from the floor.

"M-Me too…" Toko also promised. The guilt wasn't completely gone from those two, far from it. But they both felt significantly lighter compared to last time.

Meanwhile, Leon leaned towards Makoto, to whisper, "I'm guessing you had something with the two apologizing?"

"A part in it, at least…" Makoto admitted with a nod. He'd talked with Hiro in the rec room, then with Toko at the door of her room (right before talking with Hina).

In truth, he hadn't needed to say much to them. Both recognized how wrong their future selves were, and both started recognizing their own flaws. All he needed to do was push for them to make amends and improve themselves.

"Honestly, I'm surprised you were able to convince them to own up to their actions…" Sayaka muttered.

Makoto sweatdropped at that. "They aren't completely heartless, Sayaka," he chided his idol friend, "They're both able to recognize when they did something wrong… just… have a hard time doing so."

That earned a snort from Leon. "Pretty much have to slap reality in their faces…"

"Leon, come on…" the lucky student found himself sighing.

"Hey everyone…"

Eyes turned towards the direction of the stairs, where the weak greeting was heard. The source was none other than Hina, one of the two students who have yet to come downstairs. The other student was Mukuro.

"Hina…" Concern was clear across Sakura's face, the moment her eyes were set on her friend. "Are you… alright?"

In response, the swimmer gave her friend a reassuring smile. "Yeah… yeah, I am. Feeling better than yesterday, at least. Sorry for making you worry yesterday."

The smile was small, rather weak as well when compared to its usual brightness. But it was sincere enough to ease a lot of Sakura's worries, with the martial artist giving Makoto a grateful look. The lucky student gave a bashful one in response, rubbing the back of his head.

The bashful look turned into an alarmed one, however, when he saw Sayaka stand up from her seat. The idol then walked over towards the swimmer, a neutral look set across her face. This was met with a more nervous look from Hina.

"S-Sayaka…" Hina stuttered, uncertain of what she should say, "Is… are you-"

She found herself being cut off, when the Ultimate Pop Sensation moved forward… and wrapped her in a hug. The move startled the swimmer, having not seen that coming. "Sayaka…?"

"I'm still a bit angry with you…" Sayaka admitted, "There's a lot of things I want to say. But, just… don't ever think such stupid thoughts. Understand?"

Her words struck Hina like a break; and once again, the girl finding herself tearing up. "You… would have to be more specific…" she joked back hesitantly, returning the hug, "I had a lot of stupid thoughts…"

That got a giggle from the idol. Right as she disengaged from the hug, she said in a serious tone, "Don't repeat your future self's mistakes. Don't ever put blame on anyone that didn't deserve it. That includes yourself."

Was she being a hypocrite? Maybe. The guilt over what she did, at being the first domino to fall, still gnaws at her. But that's exactly why she told Hina this; she knows what that guilt feels like. She doesn't want her friend to carry that same weight.

A few tears slipped from Hina's eyes. "I-I'll do my best…" she swore, pumping her fists up for good measure, "I promise."

Giving a soft smile in return, Sayaka went back to her seat. As she sat down, the idol was met with a proud smile from her favorite fan. The smile caused her to blush, ducking her head down. A snicker came from her other side, causing her to jab the amused baseball star with her elbow.

Hina, meanwhile, quickly went to sit with Sakura once again, grabbing more than a few donuts in the process. As she got onto her seat, she quickly latched onto her friend's hand. The martial artist paid it no mind, squeezing her hand reassuringly in return.

Finally, Mukuro came down the stairs. There were two main reactions from her appearance: One portion of students regarded her with some level of awkwardness, uncertain of how to act around her or if they should say anything at all. The other portion held suspicious looks, not hiding their current distrust. It's clear that the last part of yesterday's viewing was still on everyone's mind.

Makoto was one of the few who didn't look at her with either awkwardness or suspicion; rather, he held a worried look. The soldier's posture was stiffer than usual, and she seemed to be actively keeping from looking at anyone. Has the reveal from before, and their classmates' reaction to it, affected her this much? Or was it something else…?

"So, everyone is now gathered. Ready to begin the next chapter?" The voice of their host, Spirit, brought Makoto out of his concerned musing. He looked up to see the African man holding up the remote towards the TV.

This time, the question was not met with a foreboding or fearful silence. Instead, grim determination fueled the group, with many of them holding firm looks or composed demeanors.

"We've come this far already!" Taka stated with his usual passion, "I see no reason for us not to finish this!"

"Damn straight," Mondo nodded in agreement with his brother, "If we stop now, what would be the point of going through all that shit?"

"If we do not finish this, we won't have a good chance to stop what's coming," Celeste spoke, her accent back in full, "We have no choice but to continue, if any of us want to survive."

"Indeed. To grow our chance in our survival, we must know all that can be given to us," Sakura stated strongly, "We can't allow ourselves to merely settle."

"Yeah… I don't want any of this to happen," Hina said, gripping her friend's hand tightly, "I don't want to be in a future where Sakura would die. Where any of my friends would die! So, we need to do this!"

One by one, the students expressed their desire to continue this, to figure out all the mysteries surrounding the future. All the while, Junko had to hold back from showing a growing annoyance.

'That last portion of the future really seemed to raise their spirits up…' Junko thought with annoyance, 'That stupid meat-head! Gorilla girl! Ogre! You're making things boring!'

However, though she was extremely annoyed with the growing hope that's spreading with her classmates… there was also that excitement of having everything be revealed. It's so close to the end now. So, the thought, the very idea that she's gonna be exposed very soon, that her very plans will be unraveled for her classmates, her friends, to see…!

Now the fashionista had to keep herself from openly drooling.

"I think it's to say that we're all ready, Spirit…" In the end, Makoto ended up the spokesperson for the class, the lucky student giving their host a resolute gaze. "So, let's continue."

In response, Spirit nodded, a ghost of a smile cracking his features for a moment. "Alright." The host then played the TV. "Let's begin the fifth chapter."

Notes:

And that's the end. I hope you guys liked this chapter. Apologies if any of you were looking forward to Makoto conversing with Hiro or Toko, but I felt as though I didn't need to make any interactions with them. Of course, Makoto would check on them, but the two recognize their wrong-doings (And in Toko's case at least, realize how horrible she was in general); so there's no need for any big talks with those two (Same with Sakura and Byakuya, which is why their talks were kept short).

Next up, we'll be finally getting into Chapter 5. I'm hoping that with all the complicated stuff settled for the time being, the reactions will be easier. We shall see. Anyways, let me know what you think of the chapter, what a fanfic writer can do with a twitter account, and what I should do to dip into original writing (Right now, I'm looking at a site called Royal Road). Leave comments, kudos, bookmarks, and hits, and I will see you later.

Chapter 90: Watching Chapter 5: 100 Miles; Pain of a Junk Food Junkie Part 1

Notes:

Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So, first off, thanks to those who answered my question about twitter, as well as those who answered my questions regarding original writing. My curiosity is sated for now with the former, and the latter helped me some with making a decision.

Speaking of which, I've decided to start writing on the site Royal Road, and posted the first chapter for the book "The Silver Wings" there (Now named "The Silver Wings: Goliaths"). Like here and at fanfiction.net, I'm going by the name Spirit Soldier, so if any of you are interested, come check me out there. Hope to find you guys there.

Anyway, that's all I want to say for right now. Now, let's start the long-awaited viewing of the fifth chapter. I hope you guys enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

"Mukuro Ikusaba."

The screen lit up to show the same scene from before, Kyoko whispering in Makoto's ear. "What…?"

"Mukuro Ikusaba…" Kyoko repeated, "The sixteenth student, lying hidden somewhere in this school. The one they call the Ultimate Despair. Watch out for her."

The small recap of what's been revealed caused several heads to turn to the named girl, some discreetly, others not so much. Said girl retained her stiff look, keeping her focus on the screen.

"Kyoko told me to watch for her… Mukuro Ikusaba…" narrator Makoto spoke, right after the screen turned black, "That was three days before… the next incident."

That caused heads to swivel back towards the screen, eyes widening in alarm and growing fear.

And then several felt their stomachs drop at the next sentence…

"Three days before we would be faced with another murder."

"Another murder?!" Hiro exclaimed fearfully, holding his porcupine hair, "There's gonna be another murder?!"

"Are you shitting me?!" Leon exclaimed in frustration, "After seeing the survivors unite for once…?!"

"No… no, it can't be!" Hina shook her head in denial, a frantic look now across her face, "Sakura sacrificed herself in order to stop this! She took her own life so we would stop seeing each other as enemies…!"

"What would be the cause for murder this time?!" Taka questioned, looking quite anxious, "What other motive is there for one of us to break?!"

"I think the more important question is who…" Byakuya stated, eyes narrowed, "Who's the next student to fall… and who's the murderer?"

The group fell silent at that question, a question nobody wanted to even guess at, especially those who were a part of the six remaining survivors.

However, that fear and dread found itself being wiped away…

The screen then lit up once more to show the masked figure from the third chapter, a knife deep into their chest. "Three days before the worst thing so far could reveal itself…"

…And replaced with shock and bafflement at the scene displayed to them.

"What the- isn't that the masked dude we saw before?!" Leon exclaimed incredulously.

"Why the hell are they dead?!" Mondo questioned next, a baffled look across his face.

"This is such a sudden reveal of events!" Hifumi stated in clear confusion, "To say a murder is going to happen, and then show who the victim is?"

"And why is it so bad that they're dead?" Hiro pointed out, his fear now replaced with the same felt befuddlement, "Isn't that a good thing?"

"A murder is never a good thing, Hiro!" Taka refuted automatically, focusing on the fortune teller's words for the moment, "We should never celebrate the death of a human being!"

"Regardless of morality, I don't think it's solely the death of this individual that Makoto is referring to…" Byakuya cut in, eyes still on the screen, "After all, someone had to kill the masked individual for them to be dead."

The group caught the implications of the Togami heir's words, and immediately a good portion of the class went pale once again.

'Interesting~...'Junko thought with some glee. Honestly, she thought the masked figure was herself, but with that figure now dead? That sent her analytical mind running even more theories.

(Chaper 5 - 100 Mile Dash; Pain of a Junk Food Junkie - Daily Life)

"...Huh?" Was all Leon could say, rather dumbly at that. It was clear that the shifting of emotions was getting to him, as well as several of his classmates.

"I thought we were finished with these stupid titles…" Byakuya said with clear annoyance.

"Maybe there's some special meaning behind that title…?" Sayaka suggested, tilting her head and scratching her cheek a tad, "Can't say what it is though…"

"There likely is," Hifumi spoke up, straightening his glasses in his usual fashion, "The other chapter titles, as I now think about it, were clearly foreshadowing the events of those viewings. The second chapter, for example, was referring to the relationship between Mr. Fujisaki, Mr. Ishimaru, and Mr. Oowada, and how it ended in tragedy. My own chapter is reference to myself, and the investigation surrounding Robo-Justice."

"The fourth chapter likely refers to Sakura, and her sacrifice, an apology to the remaining survivors," Toko surprisingly joined in, "And the first chapter likely points to Sayaka's willingness to do whatever it took to escape; survive, as it were. It could also refer to Leon's actions possibly, or even the entire game itself and its starting of it."

"So, in other words, there's likely a hidden meaning within this title," Hifumi continued on, "It's also very likely that Miss Kirigiri is involved, just from the picture itself. But we'll need to watch in order to figure out what exactly that meaning is."

Their response… was befuddled stares from the group. Hearing those two talk about their literature/anime knowledge was one thing; the two actually speaking in tandem was very much another. It's very rare to see those two be on the same wavelength…

"There's not much use theorizing what's going to happen…" Kyoko was the one to break the silence, looking as nonplussed as usual, "We just need to watch, and see what could transpire."

"Kyoko…" Makoto looked at his detective friend with concern, "You're not worried about being featured here…?"

"As I recall, you were also featured in one of these titles," Kyoko reminded him, "As was Hina. Yet both of you are still alive as of this current viewing. So, I won't worry over mere possibilities."

"Okay. If you say so…" the lucky student conceded, recognizing those good points.

"In the meantime, the day after Sakura's class trial…" narrator Makoto stated, "That morning, in the dining hall…"

The screen lit back up, to show the six remaining survivors gathered in the dining hall. "So, let's begin the usual post-trial investigation," Byakuya declared.

"Hey, you didn't make small talk or anything!" Hiro protested, "We never just get straight to the point like that!"

"If you want to keep up with me, you must refrain from pointless small talk," the Togami heir said in rebuke.

Seeing this caused several sighs and eye rolls from several of the students. "And we're back with our regular schedule douche, folks…" Leon announced dryly.

"Probably should've seen this coming…" Sayaka sighed, shaking her head, "Guess Byakuya will always be Byakuya…"

"What? Did I say anything untrue?" the Togami heir questioned in response, raising an eyebrow at his classmates, "Small talk is a pointless waste of time if we're moving to defeat the mastermind. I won't bother with it, so you shouldn't as well if you want to keep at my pace."

"That ego of his is unreal, seriously…" Hina muttered to herself.

"Jeez, how high is that horse of yours?" Hina sighed.

"He just acts like that to hide his own insecurities. That's what I like to think, anyway…" Hiro guessed.

"Excuse me, imbecile?" Byakuya spoke towards Hiro, sounding absolutely offended at the claim, "What nonsense about insecurities are you speaking about?"

"Well, maybe you feel insecure as the heir to your family's name, or whatever," Hiro explained defensively, holding his hands up, "Or maybe that you're the youngest, and doing that. I mean, anyone would feel at least a little insecure about all that."

The Togami heir stared at the fortune teller blankly for a moment, before shaking his head and directing his time back at the screen. He won't bother wasting time with this.

"Regardless, if you want to defeat the mastermind, you need to follow my lead," Byakuya stated in his usual arrogant fashion, while ignoring Hiro, "They creep around the school like a mouse, but the mastermind's pride is as bloated as a cow's udder. And no matter what it takes, I will rid this world of them…"

"Oh, Master~...!" Toko sighed dreamily, "You sound so cool~..."

"Ugh…" Hina, on the other hand, groaned in annoyance, "How can anybody have THAT big of an ego?"

"And after the humbling the asshole received before…" Mondo grumbled, arms crossed.

"As Sayaka had said, Byakuya will not let go of his hubris easily," Taka sighed, "At the very least, we should be grateful he's no longer participating in the killing game."

"..." Toko looked as if she wanted to say something but kept quiet.

"Hey, Toko… you've been pretty quiet," Hiro pointed out, having taken notice of her silence.

"..."

"Man, you're so boring now!" Hiro laughed, "You just sit there, like a mushroom. Gonna start calling you Miss Mushroom!"

"E-Excuse me?" Toko glared at the fortune teller for that. "How a-about I call you M-Mr. Porcupine then?"

"Hey, leave my hair out of this!" Hiro protested, holding said hair, "Besides, it was future me who said that!"

"And y-you wouldn't s-say the same thing now?"

That got Hiro quiet, knowing very well that he would have.

"..." The writer gritted her teeth, but otherwise, kept quiet.

"Okaaaaay, what's the strange silence?" Leon questioned with a raised eyebrow, "Usually Toko would have a word or two with Hiro from that comment."

"Totally," Hina nodded in agreement, also tilting her head in confusion.

"...Wait a minute," Sayaka spoke up, suspicion clear in her face, "Did he…?"

"She didn't snap back at you…" Hina remarked in surprise, now paying attention as well.

"Her talking makes things difficult. So, I told her not to open her mouth without permission," Byakuya explained casually.

"...He did," Sayaka deadpanned, not at all surprised. And, judging by the looks of some of her classmates, they were just as unsurprised as she was.

"Seriously?!" Hina exclaimed, mouth agape, "But what about when she needs to eat? Or drink water?"

"It's Byakuya. I very much doubt he would care," Celeste pointed out.

"Very true. I wouldn't," Byakuya himself said, no shame whatsoever.

"And Toko's okay with that?" Hiro spoke up, disbelief in his own tone, "For real?"

"It's Toko, dude," Leon pointed out blankly, "Dude could ask her to walk on hot coals, and she would do it happily."

"..." Toko stayed silent, unwilling to confirm or deny such claims.

"What?!" Hina exclaimed incredulously, "But if she can't open her mouth, she can't eat! Or drink water!"

"I don't care," was Byakuya's uncaring response.

"And you're okay with that Toko?!" Hiro questioned the writer.

"..." The response he got was silence.

"Jeez, how low is that rock you're hiding under…?" the fortune teller sighed.

"Deep underground, probably," Junko remarked with slight amusement.

"Just what does she see in the asshole…?" Mondo grumbled, mostly to himself, "I just don't fucking get it…"

"I'm honestly as lost as you bro…" Taka stated, shaking his head.

"I just hope she'll be able to eat or drink at some point…" Chihiro murmured worriedly.

"Do you have to treat her so badly, Byakuya?" Sayaka asked the heir exasperatedly, "I'm not even asking you to be nice to her, just not mean."

"She'll follow me around no matter what I say or do," Byakuya said in retort, "I might as well make use of that, and make sure she's less annoying."

"O-Oh, Master…" Toko giggled, daintily covering her mouth, "Always treating me so nicely, yet roughly…"

"...I'm not gonna even bother saying anything to that," Leon said flatly in response to Toko's words.

"I believe this is the small talk Byakuya warned us against," Kyoko pointed out.

"And yet… I let myself get involved," the heir sighed in admittance, "But now it is finished. I will never allow you to drag me down to your level again."

That earned a few snorts and giggles from the students. "Not so above it all, are ya Byakuya?" Leon remarked teasingly, grinning under the glare of the Togami heir.

"What do you expect? He likes to hear himself talk so much, there's no way he could avoid making small talk," Sayaka stated, giggling.

"Yet I initially moved to start the investigation immediately," Byakuya retorted back, "It would've happened if the dunces hadn't decided to protest."

"Who are you calling a dunce?!"

"Can you not be so mean?!"

Byakuya ignored the cries of outrage from Hina and Hiro.

Byakuya then started walking out of the dining hall. "We're going to begin our search. Stop running your mouths and start moving your legs."

The group looked at one another before following Byakuya's lead. The scene switched to Makoto, now on the fifth floor of the building.'So, here I am on the 5th floor of Hope's Peak Academy…'Makoto mused to himself,'And it's totally different from all the floors we've seen up till now.'

"For some reason it feels… unpleasant," the luckster murmured to himself.

"Now we're at the fifth and final floor…" Byakuya mused, a hand over his chin, "The biology lab, the dojo, and the greenhouse are now accessible to us."

"The final floor…" Taka repeated to himself, looking tentative, "Do you think the fifth floor will provide us with enough clues? Be it for the survivors or for us?"

"I don't think we can rely on these floors to provide us with all the answers we need," Kyoko stated, eyes narrowed. At this point, it's becoming clear: one way or another, their future selves will need to confront the mastermind themselves.

Changing the subject somewhat, what does Mr. Naegi mean when he said the floor felt unpleasant?" Hifumi inquired curiously, "Hasn't the entire school felt ominous from the start?"

"I think my future self meant that the fifth floor has a different atmosphere compared to the rest," Makoto said, taking a guess at his own feelings, "We probably wouldn't know unless we were there ourselves…"

"..." The scene switched to Makoto inside a botanical garden, the lucky student staring dumbly at a giant flower-looking plant in the middle of the garden. Once he processed what he was seeing…

"Uwah!" he screamed out in shock, "Wh-What is this…?"

"That monster of a plant is still around?" Leon remarked with a bit of surprise, "Thought it would've died off by now…"

"It was planted by the Ultimate Botanist…" Sayaka pointed out, "So it was probably made to where it would have a lot of longevity, even without water."

"That doesn't make it less freaky," Leon said in response.

'This thing is super weird, super creepy!'Makoto freaked out in his head,'Flowers aren't supposed to get this big…!' He then muttered to himself, "Is this thing… real?"

As he took a step closer to the flower…

"WATCH OUT!"

"Wh-?!" Makoto jumped back at the sudden appearance of Monokuma.

Once again, the bear's appearance caused some of the students to jump in shock. "Every time!" Leon exclaimed frustratedly, "Why does that always take us by surprise?!"

"I think it's because even though we know he does that by now, it's still something that happens with no warning or hint," Makoto told his friend, letting out a tense breath of his own, "Like, even if we watch a horror movie and know jump scares are gonna happen, it doesn't make us less jumpy."

"That's a Monokuma Flower. I came up with the name myself," the bear claimed, "Try and touch it, and you're in for some real excitement! Your heart's all like whoa! and the plant's like snap! and your flesh is all like bluuurgh I'm dead!"

'In other words… it's a monstrosity,'Makoto concluded, sounding dead serious in his head.

The serious sounding tone earned a few giggles. "My, my. Overdramatic, aren't you Makoto?" Celeste teased slightly.

Her response was a blank look from the luckster. "You can see the flower for yourself, don't you?"

"Fair enough, I suppose," the gambler said, still giggling.

"It's pretty frickin' amazing, if I do say so myself!" Monokuma said in praise for the plant, "A student at Hope's Peak added improvement after improvement, and created this miracle creature! The Ultimate Botanist… Although, they don't go here anymore. They died during the Tragedy!"

The students perked up at this. "Another student dying during the Tragedy…?" Celeste mused, fist over her mouth, "That is becoming quite the pattern…"

"Does this mean a lot of our fellow students died because of this Tragedy?" Taka asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"It definitely seems that way…" Sayaka mused in agreement, a frown across her own face, "But was it just the result of the Tragedy happening? Or because… Hope's Peak is directly involved with it somehow?"

"We would have to watch more before we can make any conclusions…" Byakuya interjected, looking thoughtful himself, "But yes, more and more it does seem to be like Hope's Peak could end up heavily involved in this event."

"By the way, despite how it looks, that flower is super practical!" the bear added, "It can eat paper, plastic, even people! So it's totally good for the environment!"

"Of course the psycho would dig that monster of a plant…" Mondo grumbled, arms crossed.

"Such an eco-friendly creation is vital for the future growth of a healthy society! Not that I'd know anything about that myself!" Monokuma then let out his evil laugh, before disappearing.

Shaking his head in annoyance, Makoto aimed his eyes back on the giant flower. "Whatever it is, I'd better keep my distance."

"No doubt," Taka stated with a firm nod, "I still remember when Hiro got much too close to it."

"Don't remind me…" Hiro shuddered, recalling the near-death experience.

The next thing the luckster checked out was a large, wooden cage.'Is this… a chicken coop?'Makoto thought curiously,'What's a chicken coop doing here?'

Taking a look inside, he saw that indeed, there actually were chickens in there.'This place even has chickens, huh?'

"Chickens!" Hina exclaimed happily, her eyes lighting up, "Oh, I love chickens! They can fatten them up, fry them up, and enjoy nice plates of fresh fried chicken!"

"Wouldn't that mean… killing them though?" Chihiro pointed out, physically wilting at the thought.

"Oh, they won't be killed for nothing, Chihiro!" Hina attempted to reassure the programmer, "They'll be dying for a cause. To fill up our bellies!"

That didn't make the programmer feel any better. While he isn't really a vegan, the thought of killing a living thing doesn't sit well with him. It can make eating meat difficult at times.

'They're… just regular chickens, right?'the luckster though nervously,'Like, they don't eat people, or lay bombs instead of eggs, or something crazy like that…?'

Makoto narrowed his eyes on the chickens. After a moment of staring, he broke off the stare. "It seems safe…"

Of course, the lucky student's suspicion towards the chicken caused the group to laugh, while said lucky student turned red in embarrassment.

"You sure they're safe, dude?" Leon asked in mock seriousness, with a clear grin across his face, "Sure they're not bio-enhanced? That they don't breathe fire? Maybe it has a second form?"

"Maybe those chickens aren't alive. You could be looking at zombie chickens…" Junko joined in, her grin matching Leon's, "You might have to wait for them to lay eggs to see if they have bombs…"

"Lay off…!" Makoto groaned, covering his red face, "Future me saw a lot of crazy stuff already, okay? Excuse me for expecting crazier!"

"Such an active imagination…" Sayaka cooed teasingly, ruffling her crush's hair, "Don't worry. Those chickens are completely normal and safe to be around…"

"Sayaka…!" Makoto whined. His embarrassment didn't lessen when he heard giggles from both Hina and Celeste. Even Kyoko and Mukuro had amused smiles across their faces.

As he broke away from the chicken coop, Hiro went up to him. "Oh, you like chickens too, Makoto!?" the fortune teller asked him, "Yeah, I love these little guys. They're seriously cute, right?! And there's exactly five of them!"

"Exactly…?"

"Five! You know, the number that comes after four and before six? At least, in terms of natural numbers…" Hiro began explaining himself, "Anyway, whenever the number five pops up, that's a good omen! It contains the mysteries of the cosmos. It's a number of power! A refreshing number on par with hand-squeezed, all-natural lemonade!"

'He never lets me get a word in edgewise…'Makoto sighed to himself.

"Do I even want to know where he got this stuff from…?" Leon whispered to his couchmates.

"I vote no, unless you want to risk a headache," Sayaka answered, shaking her head.

"Anyways…" the fortune teller then looked up to what appeared to be the sky, "At first I thought I saw blue skies, but turns out they just painted the walls and the ceiling!"

"Not a surprise, considering that any source of light is blocked everywhere else…" Taka sighed, with a small slump of his shoulders.

"Though why bother painting the fucking ceilings?" Mondo questioned, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "What's the point in that?"

"Perhaps to give the greenhouse an authentic feeling…?" Hifumi suggested.

"Or to remind us of what has been taken from us…" Celeste offered as a more negative point of view.

"Oh, but the plants are real. It's been a while since I've smelled vegetation. It helps me relax," Hiro claimed… before completely changing his tune, "...That's not what you're thinking, is it?!"

"Huh…?" The lucky student could only blink in confusion. "Why, is that bad?"

"Don't you get it?! Don't you realize… the true horror of plant life?!" Hiro exclaimed to him.

"..."

"..."

"...What?" was the flat question of one Leon Kuwata, voicing nearly everyone's thoughts.

"It's there, just beneath the surface. Beneath their calm exterior, they're always watching, and waiting…" the fortune teller stated, "And when they decide they can't leave us in charge of Earth anymore… they'll put their plan for global human extinction into action!"

"..."

"I'm serious!" Hiro insisted.

"..." The lucky student decided to just walk away and go somewhere else.

The future Makoto's feelings were shared amongst the class, expressions ranging from confused to just blank.

"Yeah, what future me said is true!" Hiro spoke up in defense of himself, "It's obvious once you look beneath the calm exterior, especially at the more carnivorous plants! First chance they get, they'll reveal their true selves! Count on it!"

"..." No words can describe the feeling they all felt at the utter stupidity they had just heard, even when some feel they should be used to Hiro's… tales at this point…

"No one speak. Don't bother entertaining a word for the fool," Byakuya ordered, looking absolutely done with the fortune teller, "Just ignore… that, and continue."

"Wha-?!"

"One word, and I'll find time to castrate you."

That shut Hiro's mouth with a click, the fortune teller unwilling to test that threat. The others didn't make any form of protest to the Togami heir's order and just silently put their attention back on the screen.

The next scene showed Makoto looking around the toolshed.'This place seems totally disorganized,'he mused to himself,'From a lawnmower to fertilizer, flowerpots to farm tools…'

'And against the back wall… is that a pickaxe?'Curious, the luckster went over and picked up the pickaxe.'Huh? There's something carved into the handle of this pickaxe…'

"Crazy… Diamond…?" Makoto read aloud.

That caught the attention of the group. "Crazy Diamonds…?" Taka repeated what Makoto had said, turning towards his friend, "Bro, is that your pickaxe?"

"Hell if I know," was Mondo's reply, looking as confused as the others, "I don't remember owning a pickaxe."

"That probably means that it's something your future self bought at some point," Makoto mused, "Another thing that hasn't happened yet, just like with the second picture."

"But… why did he get a pickaxe?" Leon asked, raising an eyebrow, "Plan to use it as a weapon or something?"

"Like I said, hell if I know." This time, the biker averted his eyes away from the others, unable to look anyone in the eyes, something that Makoto noticed, and caused him to bite back a chuckle.

He guessed it's still embarrassing for Mondo to admit that he plans to be a carpenter.

The next scene showed Makoto, along with Kyoko, at a dojo.'Even though this room is totally enclosed, there's a cherry tree planted here,'Makoto thought with some surprise, looking at the sakura trees,'And it's in full bloom.'

"I still question how the school was capable of maintaining sakura trees in such enclosed spaces…" Taka muttered loudly to himself.

"It's best not to question it, dude," Mondo replied back, shaking his head, "A lot of crazy shit happens at Hope's Peak."

"It's quite elegant," Kyoko mused, her gaze on the sakura trees.

Makoto turned towards her, curious. "This is what you consider elegant…?"

"I lived overseas for a long time, so this kind of Japanese-style scenery is refreshing," Kyoko explained.

'But considering our situation, isn't it kinda… out of place?'Makoto thought to himself.

As the lucky student looked around the dojo, he occasionally glanced back at the lavender haired girl, the events of yesterday playing in his head.'What Kyoko told me yesterday…'Makoto mused,'What the heck did it mean…?'

A flashback of Kyoko's warning to Makoto was then shown.

'I wonder… will this chapter give us more information regarding Mukuro? Possibly Junko as well?'Kyoko wondered. It's clear that Mukuro's identity holds a lot of importance, at least as of right now. And it makes the theory of her and Junko being a part of this more and more plausible…

"Um, Kyoko…?" the luckster finally decided to speak up.

He was met with a quick answer. "I'm not going to say anything."

"...Huh?"

"Before anyone says anything, remember that there are still cameras around the school." Kyoko interjected, just before any outrage could be formed or spoken. "We can't talk about information that we've gained, information that the mastermind doesn't want us to know, while they're listening in."

That curtailed any of the questions and feelings of frustrations from the group, all of them seeing Kyoko's point. Sayaka, in particular, took a breath, her rising anger diminishing now.

"I can't say anything…" Kyoko narrowed her eyes, darting them towards the surveillance cameras. "...You understand why, right?"

Makoto's eyes lit in understanding.'She was trying to tell me that whatever it was, it's important. The mastermind can't find out. But how did Kyoko get her hands on information that could be that important…?'

"I mean… is the information obtained truly that important…?" Taka questioned, an uncomfortable churn of his stomach being felt, "After all, it's about a class that's already deceased. How can…?"

"Don't play ignorant. The title that Kyoko spoke of tells us there's more to Mukuro than we thought," Byakuya answered coldly, "And as I stated before, we may have known that Mukuro had died, but they don't. So, Kyoko would obviously find this information important."

"You still think that Mukuro is working with the mastermind?" Hina questioned, getting a tad angry, "Why are you so quick to accuse her? To believe anything from Monokuma?"

"It's information that was under lock-and-key, information the mastermind clearly did not intend for us to obtain," Byakuya said in retort, "It's not something we can just disregard as false."

"I think the point Byakuya is trying to make is that the information could lead to more being revealed to us," Kyoko interjected, before a fight could break out, "That's especially true for our future selves, whose memories were wiped and who have no knowledge of Mukuro before-hand. So, they'll act on what's been found, which could result in finding more."

That settled the class down, with them focusing back on the TV. Mukuro, meanwhile, let out a small breath, relieved that no one attempted to question her again.

'I won't be safe forever,'Mukuro thought grimly, 'Sooner or later, this viewing is gonna reveal Junko and I.'Which means that she'll need to make a decision soon: whether to stand alongside her classmates, if they'll still have her… or continue to stand by Junko, no matter what.

And the answer doesn't feel any easier than it was before…

"We're finished here," Kyoko said curtly, ending the conversation.

"Ice Queen~"

"Will you ever get tired of calling me that?" Kyoko asked the baseball star flatly.

"Nope," was Leon's immediate response, ending the word with a pop.

'And just like usual, I didn't understand anything any better than before…'Makoto sighed to himself.

"Yeah, that's our story for the past few days…" Sayaka herself sighed, "We're over halfway into this viewing at this point and there's not even a hint as to who the mastermind is…"

"Yeah, no shit…" Mondo groaned, "Can't we just get a name so I know who to beat the shit out of?!"

"Perhaps all will be revealed near the end," Hifumi offered, "And like with every proper mystery, it'll connect all the disconnected clues that have been gathered as of right now…"

"That… would seem to be the case," Celeste mused, "If the viewing of this future is as beneficial as our host says, and we look at this as a mystery show, we'll likely obtain the biggest pieces of this puzzle at the end of this."

"Exactly, Miss Ludenberg!" the fanfic creator exclaimed happily, pushing his glasses up, "What we're watching is a mystery show that our future selves are experiencing. And our missing memories, the event that is the Tragedy, and the mastermind's identity will all be revealed at the end, connecting the dots that have been kept separate!"

"I still think it's messed up to think of this as a fucking show…" Mondo grumbled. Nonetheless, spirits were up as the group felt hopeful that they'll get answers at some point.

Shaking his head, the luckster turned around and headed out the dojo.'Alright, I got a few more classrooms left to visit, and then I'll be-'

The scene cut to show Makoto looking absolutely horrified, face completely pale and eyes dilated. The thing that horrified him? A wrecked, bloodied classroom filled with slash marks and bullet holes.

And just like that, lifted spirits were replaced with the feeling of horrified shock. Bodies froze, skins went ashen, and pupils dilated as they took the familiar look of death.

And, just like that, the questions they all held doubled in length.

Notes:

And that's the end. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. As I mentioned before, I'm gonna be aiming for quicker updates, as I do want to get this story done soon. Wish me the best in that regard. And again, if you're interested, check out my original writing at Royal Road; I would like to get readers over there. Leave comments, kudos, bookmarks, and hits, and I will see you later.

Chapter 91: Watching Chapter 5: 100 Miles; Pain of a Junk Food Junkie Part 2

Notes:

Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So, there's been a few negative reviews trickling over at fanfiction.net. Won't give them too much attention, just noting that it took a while for any negative reviews to show up; uncertain if it says a lot about the Danganronpa fandom or the quality of my writing.

Regardless, thanks for the overwhelming positive ratings you guys given this fic over the years (And even the critics that remained constructive, not mean-spirited). As I probably mentioned before, that helped me continue writing this, if only partly.

Anyways, here's the next chapter. In this, we're gonna continue with their reaction to the bloody classroom. I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

"W-What the hell is this….?!" Makoto exclaimed in horrified shock.

Makoto's shout jolted everyone out of their petrified silence. Once they did, they began to properly react to the scene before them.

"What the fuck…?" Leon spoke in a near whisper, his face white as a sheet. His voice got louder as he repeated that statement. "What the fuck? What the fuck?! What the FUCK?!"

"The fucking hell is this?!" Mondo shouted right after, the biker looking very shakened. "What fucked up shit are we seeing here?!"

"Who… who are… are they…?" Hina, pale-faced and visibly shaking, attempted to formulate a question. However, the sight of this left her stumbling on her words, nausea and terror lodging up her throat.

"..." Chihiro was worse off, as he was unable to formulate any kind of response. He could only stare, eyes dilated, body curled up, shaking like a leaf, the young programmer looking the most traumatized out of the students.

"Uwah… eeaur…" Hifumi could only make unintelligible noises, a look of terror across his face and his body breaking out in cold sweat.

Toko fainted from her seat, completely unprepared for the bloody room.

Even Celeste found herself shakened by this, the gambler having to clasp her hands tightly together and bite the inside of her lips to keep any composure.

"Just… what the hell…?!" Makoto repeated his future self's words, looking as rattled as his counterpart. Beside him, Sayaka was just as blue in the face, with the idol burying her head into the luckster's shoulder. "What is this?!"

"I think we're now staring at one of the results of the Tragedy…" Byakuya stated, eyes narrowed.

Out of the whole class, only Byakuya, Kyoko, and Mukuro remained unaffected by this grotesque scene. All three have seen this kind of blood-shed before, one way or another, so it didn't have the same effect as the bizarre executions of their classmates.

Right after he said this, the luckster found himself covering nose and mouth, the smell overwhelming him. "It smells awful, doesn't it?" Byakuya remarked.

"I-It's…"

"It must be at least vaguely familiar to you." The heir pointed out. "After all, you've been around your fair share of corpses."

"Are you saying…?"

"It's the smell of death." Byakuya stated bluntly. "Their flesh and fat and blood…"

"How are you so calm?!" Hina exclaimed, near hysterical. She looked at the Togami heir in disbelief. "You're in the middle of a BLOODY classroom!"

"I've seen grisly scenes like this from cold criminal cases several times already…" Byakuya replied back calmly. "While I've never seen them personally, the pictures were enough to desensitize me from the sight of blood and flesh."

"Is… that a good or a bad thing?" Hiro couldn't but ask, despite looking like he was holding back from puking.

"It is what it is. No need to agonize about the morality of it." The heir said simply.

"But the smell here is strong, condensed." The heir continued in musing. "It's the smell of a battlefield."

"Monokuma must have-"

That's when the bear popped up again. "What, my fault AGAIN?!" He exclaimed in aggravation. "Stop trying to blame everything on me!"

'Says the one who created this sick game!' Was the overall thought of the students. However, many felt too overwhelmed to say anything at the moment, so silence remained.

"I-If you hadn't done what you did, this never would have happened!" Makoto retorted.

"No, no, no. It's quite the opposite!" Monokuma denied fiercely.

"The opposite…?"

"Yup! Let me give you an itty bitty eegie squeegee little hint." The bear offered. "As far as this room goes, I don't know a thing! I just left it exactly how I found it."

"...What?" Was all Taka could ask, looking as blue in the face as several of his peers. "Is he…?"

"Are we supposed to believe that shit…?!" Mondo questioned disbelievingly, the heat that usually accompanies his voice gone. "Are we supposed to believe… that he had nothing…?"

Junko, meanwhile, had her mouth covered the entire time to hide a wide grin and hold back her mad giggles. Just as things get boring, such interesting curveballs get thrown out there! Oh, how she both loves and hates this viewing!

"What…?" Makoto could only look dumbly at the monochrome bear.

"How's that for a hint?! Better than those stupid 'hints' you get from NPCs in those mean old RPGs!" Monokuma bragged. "But it's pretty scary, huh? Blood all over the walls and junk… of course, even in the outside world, people die bloody, gruesome deaths all day!"

"So it's not really a big deal! Just keep your chin up and keep on livin', soldier!" With that cheerful sounding note, the bear bounced off once again.

'What's he talking about…?' Makoto asked himself, looking around the room numbly. 'He just left it the way he found it? What's the meaning of all this…?'

"If what he said is true… then what is the meaning of this carnage?" Sakura questioned. While not looking as overwhelmed as her classmates, the martial artist was noticeably tense. "Who are the victims? What caused this?"

"It's likely students of Hope's Peak that were killed; as for specific students, I cannot say." Kyoko said in musing. "As for what… as Byakuya had said, it may have to do with the Tragedy."

"Do you think it was a part of it?" The heir himself inquired, staring at the detective. "Or is it merely one of the results?"

"Don't have enough info to make a definitive answer." Kyoko answered, shaking her head. "Could be either. Could be both."

"Um, Byakuya?" The lucky student found himself turning towards the Togami heir. "About what Monokuma just told us…"

"..." Byakuya remained silent, giving no indication that he'll answer.

'It's like I'm not even here. He must be lost in thought.' Makoto mused. 'Is he really thinking that hard? Or is he just flat-out ignoring me…?'

"It's Byakuya. It's probably both." Leon, his voice rather weak, managed to joke. His joke managed to earn a chuckle/giggles and nods.

Makoto then decided to put his attention on the room itself. 'There are white chalk outlines drawn all over the floor. How many bodies were there…?'

"Too many…" Sakura stated solemnly, yet firmly. Her words got weak nods from some of the other students.

"From the looks of it, it was a whole class…" Taka deduced, a shudder going through his body.

His eyes then moved to the blood across the floor. 'And there's blood all over the place. I want to shut my eyes forever against such a ghastly sight…'

"It appears all the bloodstains are dry." Byakuya pointed out. "And their color has changed, as well. I think it's safe to assume these stains are considerably old."

"This is all… really blood?" Makoto found himself asking weakly.

"Of course. It wouldn't find it interesting otherwise." The heir answered, a smirk adorning his face.

That got another reaction from Hina. "What's wrong with you?!" She shouted hysterically, staring at the Togami heir. "How can… why would you find any of this interesting?!"

Byakuya merely sighed. "It's been made clear that my past self had an undesirable mindset." He said flatly. "One trial will not completely wipe away that mindset, no matter how influential it is."

"But still… future you looks like he's enjoying this shit!" Mondo growled in disbelief. "Practically giddy! What the fuck caused this to be fun for you?!"

"You already know the practice in choosing an heir for the Togami throne…" Byakuya replied coolly. "You can make your own guesses from there."

It was clear from his tone that the affluent progeny wasn't gonna say more on the matter. So the students reluctantly paid their attention back on the TV.

"And it is interesting, I assure you. What on Earth happened in this classroom…?"

'He seems like he's enjoying himself.' Makoto thought queasily. 'No way I can "keep up" with someone like that…'

"I would have to agree…" Taka nodded in agreement, an unpleasant look across his own face. "That is not a mindset I can find myself following."

"Still, as… unpleasant as his line of thinking, he raises a good point." Celeste brought up, narrowing her eyes in thought. "What exactly happened in that classroom?"

"It's clear that whatever happened, it wasn't uniformed or organized." Mukuro deduced, analyzing the room. "But that's really all I can tell at the moment. There's just too many unknowns to figure out what transpired."

"...Do you think… that this is the Tragedy?" Chihiro finally managed to speak up. Looking at his classmate with trepidation. "Maybe… this is the event that… that forced Hope's Peak to close?"

"...I can't deny the possibility that this event caused the closing of Hope's Peak." Kyoko answered, after some thinking. "But I don't think that whatever happened in the room was the Tragedy."

"But… why?" Hiro asked, a confused look across his pale face. "Whatever happened there is clearly messed up!"

"Worse things across history have happened, fool." Byakuya answered coldly. "World War II alone has enough tragedies to eclipse what transpired in the classroom, even if it did involve Ultimate students."

Kyoko nodded in agreement. "While this scene tells of a gruesome event, unfortunately, worse had undoubtedly happened over the course of the world's history." She continued off. "This room alone shouldn't be enough to be declared as 'the biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history', even as hyperbole…"

"...Maybe it wasn't just the bloody classroom that happened in Hope's Peak." Makoto was the one to speak up, dread filling his tone. He turned to look at the detective with that same dread in his eyes. "After all… we have no idea what happened at the other buildings, do we?"

"...Let's stop for now, and just continue." Kyoko decided with a sigh. "At this point, we're just making speculation after speculation. We NEED to find out more before we attempt to figure anything out."

No could disagree with the detective, and their attention went back on the screen. However, the feelings brought up from seeing the bloody classroom and the discussion that came with that was unable to leave students' minds.

The scene then changed to show the six remaining survivors gathered together at the dining hall. "It would appear everyone has returned." Byakuya commented.

"But still… it's just the six of us. That's barely enough for a decent volleyball team…" Hiro groaned morosely.

"Hey! Don't be a sourpuss! We gotta think positive!" Hina exclaimed. "Besides, even if one more person dies, we can still field a basketball team!"

"That's like… reverse positive thinking…" Hiro pointed out.

"Anyway, there's no time to be depressed." Makoto said, redirecting the conversation. "For the sake of everyone we've lost, we have to do our best."

Seeing the future survivors bring themselves up lightened the hearts of several students. "Leave it to Hina to have a weird way of thinking…" Leon chuckled.

"H-Hey…!" Hina spoke in protest, pouting. "What does that mean?"

"As Hiro said, your line of thought isn't exactly positive…" Taka took to explaining things. "The goal is to strive for less death, not really thinking positively of potential deaths…"

"I… well… okay, yeah, you got me there…" Hina groaned, drawing more chuckles and giggles. She pouted once again at the increased laughter. "But you know what future me meant, right?! We gotta think positive!"

"Sure, Hina dear. But your phrasing needs more work." Celeste said with a giggle of her own.

"Can we stop all this group hug nonsense?" Byakuya cut in rudely. "We need to find out what everyone discovered."

Of course, that got the usual eye-rolls. "Kill-joy…!" Leon called out.

"We're wasting time with all this feel-good commentary." Byakuya replied back with an eye roll. "Results are needed."

"Well, do you really have to say it like that…?" Hiro muttered.

Makoto then spoke up. "Um, before we continue…" He turned his head towards the unconscious Toko. "Shouldn't we wake her up?"

"Nothing important will happen while she's unconscious." Byakuya replied dismissively. "You can just let her wake up on her own."

"Sure…" Sayaka replied back, lifting her head back up to give an unconvinced stare. "And it has nothing to do with not wanting Jill to wake up, right?"

The Togami heir didn't acknowledge her claim with a response.

After a moment of silence, Hiro was the first to speak. "Well… there's a big garden up on the 5th floor. And I found more than one thing to be worried about…" He began revealing. "First is a stupidly large plant…"

"Monokuma said that it was called a… Monokuma Flower." Makoto added in. "Even touching it seems dangerous, so we have to be careful."

"It's totally a man-eating plant! I'm pretty sure it's different from the one that lives in the pipes, though." Hiro said confidently. "Anyway, that thing must benefit from the sprinkler system as much as anything else in there…"

"Oh yeah." Makoto said in remembrance, a flashback of him talking with Monokuma shown. "Apparently the sprinklers come on every morning at 7:30 on the dot."

"Yeah, remember that! You don't wanna get drenched and catch a cold!" Hiro advised.

"Well, you don't have to worry." Hina reassured him. "They say idiots never catch colds, ya know."

"Of course not! Cuz idiots never get wet!" Hiro laughed.

"...Imbecile." Byakuya groaned, facepalming. A few others joined him in face-palming.

"What?" Hiro looked at his classmates in confusion. "What did I say?"

"Hiro… I think you're referring to ducks." Makoto told him, tone slightly flat. "Water rolls down ducks' backs, not… idiots…"

"...Oh."

"Dude, I worry about you sometimes. I really do." Leon stated bluntly.

"Um… I think you're thinking of ducks." Makoto pointed out hesitantly.

"I'm starting to worry about you, Hiro." Hina said with some concern. "Can you tell me what ten plus ten is?"

"Hey, come on! You don't ALWAYS have to call me dumb!" Hiro exclaimed angrily. "I may have been held back three times, but that doesn't make me stupid! But if it makes you happy, I'll answer your dumb question! So! Um… what was the question again?"

"Don't worry. You just answered it…" Hina sighed.

Several joined the future Hina in sighing or groaning. "What a way to say your stupid without saying your stupid…" Mondo deadpanned.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Hiro protested. "Future me got angry! He got too riled up to remember and answer the question!"

"The way your future self answered the way that he did tells us all we need to know…" Byakuya remarked, rolling his eyes.

"...Okay, well… another thing I noticed is a chicken coop…" Hiro continued on.

"There were a bunch of chickens in the chicken coop, right?" Makoto commented.

"Yep. Perfectly safe, perfectly normal chickens…" Junko piped in, a sly grin clear across her face. "So there's nothing to worry about, kay…?"

"You guys will never let this go, will you…?" Makoto groaned, covering his face with his palms in embarrassment.

"Nope." Leon laughed in response.

"That's right!" Hiro confirmed. "Five! Five chickens!"

That brightened Hina up. "I love chickens!" She chirped happily. "Let's raise 'em up big and fat. Then we can make fried chicken! Oh, or barbeque! Decisions, decisions… Oh! Oh! Or how about raw! Cuz there's nothing fresher than raw, right?!"

That gained a few disgusted faces, sighs and eye rolls, and amused looks from the group. "Really Hina? Raw?" Sayaka asked, sounding both exasperated and amused. "I hope you never actually tried that…"

"I-I didn't, no…" Hina denied, before pouting. "But what's wrong with eating it raw? It would be as fresh as sushi, right?"

"Fresh fish is actually safe to consume; raw chicken is not!" Taka lectured the swimmer. "Any pathogens on fish are killed through freezing, which happens shortly after being caught! Chicken, however, maintains plenty of pathogens that can lead to food poisoning, and maybe even death! That's why it's inadvisable to eat chicken raw, without being thoroughly cooked!"

"Yeah, what he said…" Leon remarked, laughing.

Hina could only continue pouting, crossing her arms, drawing more laughter from her friends.

"I'm pretty sure that'd kill you…" Hiro pointed out, before continuing with the final thing. "Finally, there's - I know what you're gonna say, but… a toolshed!"

"You noticed it too, huh?" Makoto inquired with the fortune teller. "That pickaxe…"

"Huh?" That got Byakuya's attention. "What about the pickaxe?"

"Well, there was a pickaxe in the toolshed." Makoto explained, a flashback of him examining the pickaxe being shown. "And the words Crazy Diamond had been carved into the handle. Haven't we seen that phrase somewhere before…?"

"Crazy Diamond? Hmm…" Hina let out a hum in thought. "Yeah, that does sound kinda familiar, I think…"

"I just don't think, I know. We've definitely seen that phrase before." Kyoko confirmed.

That caused Hina to turn towards Kyoko. "Huh? Where?!"

"Ah, that's it! I remember…" Makoto suddenly gasped. "It was on Mondo's uniform! On the back of his jacket… His jacket said the same thing, right? Crazy Diamond!"

"You're absolutely right…" Byakuya nodded in agreement.

"Looks like they gained another clue of their lost memories…" Mukuro observed.

"A clue that will be ignored…" Byakuya sighed. "We know this routine by now. They won't connect the dots without crucial information."

"Maybe. But the more contradictions they find, the more suspicious they'll get, right?" Makoto offered up. "After all, they're getting a lot of information that doesn't line up with what they remember. Someone is bound to make a good guess as to what's happening sooner or later, right…?"

Byakuya merely rolled his eyes in response. "As overly optimistic as ever…"

"Well, that is the one unique trait about me…" Makoto replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

'And it's a trait that makes you so wonderful…!' Both Sayaka and Mukuro thought defensively for their luckster.

"But why would that be on the pickaxe in the garden?" Hina mused.

"Mondo must've snuck in there and done it, right?" Hiro suggested.

"But we didn't have access to the garden until today." Byakuya pointed out.

"Then… maybe Mondo brought it with him when he first came here, and Monokuma confiscated it?" Hina deduced.

"Whatever the reason, that's what stuck out to me in the toolshed - the pickaxe connected to Mondo." Makoto concluded.

"Well, what stuck out to me wasn't the pickaxe at all!" Hiro stated.

"Huh?" The lucky student looked at the fortune teller in confusion. "Then… what did?"

"What I noticed was the lawnmower!" Hiro answered. "I'm thinking maybe we can use it to call for help…"

"...The fuck?" Mondo voiced incredulously, his look of disbelief matching everyone else.

"How can you call for help with a lawnmower…?!" Hina questioned in disbelief. "That makes no sense!"

"I don't know…!" Hiro said defensively, raising his hands up. "I'm sure future me will explain!"

"How are you gonna call for help with a lawnmower?!" Hina asked incredulously.

"I dunno! Maybe I can use it to make crop circles or something!" Hiro replied defensively and angrily. "Yeah, that's it! I'm gonna make crop circles! And we can use those to call for help!"

"What… how would… why…?" Taka stammered out, trying to make sense of what's been said.

"That makes no sense…!" Sayaka repeated what Hina said. "None!"

"How the hell does these things get into his head…?!" Leon exclaimed incredulously. "Where does he get the idea that a lawnmower, of all things, can be used to call somebody?!"

"Idiot… idiot… idiot…" Celeste took to banging her head across the table, her persona being taken over by absolute irritation. There's only so much of Hiro's idiocy that she could take…

"At this point, I feel like I should be used to this…" Junko said, just looking completely done. "But I'm not. My brain cells just continue to die, one by one…"

Throughout all of this, Hiro could only hang his head in shame at the comments being thrown at him. "...The idea isn't that bad…" He muttered to himself.

"What the heck happened to you…?" Hina sighed in dismay. "You weren't like this in the beginning, you know."

"Well back then my personality hadn't quite solidified yet…!" Hiro told her.

"I didn't think it was possible, but I'm more disappointed in you than I've ever been…" Hina sighed once again.

"It's baffling how the fool is able to make comments that sound dumber than the last…" Byakuya muttered, shaking his head. "Almost impressive, really…"

"I would have to agree…" Kyoko sighed, shaking her head in disappointment at the lack of thought displayed.

WIth a final shake to the head, Hina decided to reveal what she found. "I checked all the windows on the 5th floor, front to back. That used to kinda be Sakura's job, but…" A morose look passed before her face, before shaking her head once again and continuing. "Anyways, no dice. There were metal plates on all the windows, just like everywhere else."

The brief pause from the future Hina earned several sympathetic looks from the class. "Sakura's death is probably still pretty fresh, huh…?" Leon remarked, rubbing the back of his head. "Honestly, it's impressive that Hina is still keeping up her high energy…"

"Of course…!" Hina exclaimed, pumping both her fists up to show her determination. "Sakura… she sacrificed herself so no one has to die… so that we'll be able to keep moving forward… there's no way future me would waste that by moping around!"

Especially when her future self already attempted to waste that sacrifice. After that, the swimmer couldn't see herself doing anything else other than honoring it as best she could.

Of course, her words granted a smile from Sakura. 'I am glad that my death would no longer impact Hina negatively…' The martial artist thought, before a determined look entered her own face. 'However, I will strive to make it to where such a sacrifice is unnecessary. I will not let Hina, nor any of my friends, experience such pain.'

"Which means no chance of escape on the 5th floor, either…" Kyoko sighed.

"But when I was looking around, I realized something about the layout of the school…" Hina then added.

"What exactly did you notice about the layout of the school…?" Makoto asked curiously.

Before Hina could answer, Kyoko cut in. "You took a good look around the 5th floor yourself, didn't you Makoto?" She asked.

"Huh?" The luckster stared at the lavender-haired girl in confusion. "Why do you ask?"\

"Because if you did, you must have noticed. The 5th floor is lacking something every other floor has." Kyoko replied back.

Makoto frowned in thought. 'Something on all the other floors… but not on the 5th floor…?'

"Are you talking about… stairs?" The luckster guessed hesitantly. "There aren't any stairs leading up from the 5th floor. That's what you're talking about, right?"

That earned a raised eyebrow from Byakuya. "So they didn't know about the number of floors that are in the building?"

"It shouldn't be of much shock. I doubt most of us, if any, thought about the number of floors there are at the beginning." Celeste said with a shrug. "We had other concerns throughout the school life that was set up, even when the floors started opening up."

"True enough…" The Togami heir conceded.

"Does that mean… the 5th floor is the end?!" Hiro exclaimed in shock.

"We're finally starting to get a clear picture of this school." Kyoko stated confidently.

"All that's left now is to solve the underlying mystery." Byakuya continued off.

"You know, that got me thinking…" Junko spoke, putting on a pensive look. "Would the group have gotten close to figuring out… anything, if no one died in the beginning? After all, each floor opened up after a murder and a trial…"

Her words got the desired effect she wanted. Uncomfortable, even ill looks were being passed around the group, as that thought floated around their heads. The fashionista had to hold back a delighted giggle at the tense air.

"Let's not dwell on that thought…" Kyoko advised with a sigh. "No point thinking of what-ifs when the events have already transpired."

"I agree…" Makoto said softly, nodding his head. "Besides, with the information we're getting now, we'll make it to where we don't end up trapped like that. And we'll be able to face the mastermind, whoever it is, on our terms! Not theirs!"

Makoto's words were able to bring everyone's spirit back up, determine looks and confident smiles being shared amongst the students. It also a discreet, annoyed look from the fashionista who was previously enjoying the tensed air.

"But that's the hardest part…" Hiro groaned.

"Even if it's hard, we still gotta do it!" Hina stated firmly in response.

"Yeah, Hina's right!" Makoto spoke in agreement, determination filling his eyes. "Everything will be okay. As long as we work together, I'm sure we'll make it out of this…!"

'No, not "I'm sure"...' The luckster then corrected himself. 'We absolutely WILL make it out, no matter what it takes!'

'Just how the hell are you still this positive? Eleven deaths in and not a hint that you're falling in despair?' Junko thought with some irritation. 'Just WHAT will it take for that disgusting hope to turn into sweet, sweet despair?'

It'll be something she'll have to figure out with the present luckster. Hopefully, the seed of betrayal or the seed of guilt will be enough to lead him to despair.

Kyoko was the next one to report her findings. "My concern is with the bio lab." She revealed. "That was the only place on the 5th floor that we couldn't access."

Once again, that caught the attention of everyone. "Another room that they're unable to access?" Sakura questioned, eyebrows furrowed in thought. "And it's the bio lab?"

"Do I even want to know what's being hidden there…?" Leon asked, looking a bit concerned.

"I don't know dude…" Mondo grunted, also a tad uneasy. "Knowing the bear, it's probably something sick…"

'But it could also hold valuable information for our future selves…' Kyoko mused to herself, not disregarding the room. Each room is locked for a reason; each of them could hold valuable clues for the survivors to utilize.

"The bio lab, huh? I wonder what's in there…" Hina mused.

"If this were like, a cliche horror game, it'd be some kind of creature." Hiro suggested. "The final boss, or Tryant, or-!"

"We're… not in a horror game, though…" Hina pointed out.

"I would say this is more mystery than horror, Mr. Hagakure…" Hifumi mused, straightening out of his glasses. "Perhap some horror elements, but with the way those elements are displayed-"

"This isn't a game, period." Leon cut off. "So how about we not talk about that crap?"

The fanfic creator huffed in response. "One day, Mr. Kuwata, you will appreciate my expertise. You and everyone else!"

"Yeah, sure dude." The baseball star snorted in response.

"Either way, we don't need to worry about it at the moment." Byakuya interjected. "Don't bother thinking about something that can't be understood no matter how much you think about it. Your tiny brains can only do so much, so focus on utilizing them efficiently."

"I don't really like how you said it, but what you said is probably right." Hina groaned.

"No, how I said it is right, too." Byakuya affirmed snidely.

Of course, his words had several students rolling their eyes; but no one bothered to say anything to that, used to hearing worse from the Togami heir at this point.

"..." Meanwhile, Toko looked like she wanted to say something, but stayed silent. Something that Makoto noticed.

"Hey, Byakuya…" The luckster addressed the Togami heir. "It seems like Toko wants to say something."

"So? Why are you telling me?" Byakuya asked, unconcerned.

"Cause you were the one who told her to keep quiet…?" Leon pointed out with a raised eyebrow. "What, did you forget or…?"

"Well… cuz you told her to zip it or whatever…" Hiro pointed out.

"Ah. I'd forgotten about that." Was all the heir said about it.

"...The bastard actually forgot." Mondo deadpanned. A look shared by several other classmates.

"Seriously, dude! I knew Toko is… Toko, but come on!" Hiro exclaimed, mouth agape.

"If not for the fact that she chose to obey him, I'd feel bad for her…" Sayaka sighed.

"Byakuya made it very clear that he held no interest towards her…" Celeste remarked. "At this point, any abuse levied towards her is her own fault."

"Jesus, man!" Hiro exclaimed in shock. "I know you like torturing her, but come on!"

"Well, Toko. If you want to envelope us all in your putrid breath, I won't stop you." Byakuya permitted the writing prodigy.

"Y-You honor me, Master…" Toko giggled, a blush across her cheeks. "And d-don't worry… I took care of the o-odor problem…"

"Hahaha, seriously?! You're just gonna take it?" Hiro laughed.

"Sh-Shut up!" Toko hissed in response. "And don't interrupt me when M-Master and I are talking!"

"Harsh!" Hiro cringed at the verbal lash his future self got. "She didn't have to be so mean about it!"

"...Yeah, I have to agree with you here Celeste." Leon said blankly. "Hard to feel sympathy when she's willingly taking it; hell, even enjoying it."

"As has been stated before, Miss Fukuwa has developed deep level masochism…" Hifumi pointed out.

"...Okay, so, what did you want to tell us?" Hina cut in.

"Well, I was in the c-classroom on the 5th floor, and s-something caught my attention…" Toko revealed. She then held out the thing that caught her attention. "It was… th-this."

"A knife?!" Makoto exclaimed in shock, his eyes aimed at the serrated blade.

The sight of the knife caused several eyes to flicker in recognition. "Wait… is that your knife Mukuro?" Makoto questioned, turning towards the soldier.

"At the very least, a blade similar to mine." Mukuro answered, taking out her knife and examining it.

"I say they look exactly the same, sis." Junko remarked, pretending to be slightly surprised. "And if it isn't yours, then that's one hell of a coincidence."

"Does that mean Mukuro's knife was taken from her as well…?" Taka surmised, frowning in thought.

"Yet another personal object of ours lying around the school…" Celeste said. "However, I doubt any of the survivors will recognize it as such."

"So it's pointless to think about that knife then…" Byakuya huffed. "Let's just continue, and get through this already."

"Whoa, that thing is huge! It's like, Rambo size!" Hina shouted right after, just as startled.

"A survival knife of some type…" Byakuya observed.

"But… what was it doing in a classroom?" Makoto questioned.

"How would I kn-know…?" Toko responded back.

"What're you gonna use that knife for…?" Hiro asked nervously. "What're you planning to do to us?!"

"Hiro! That's extremely rude of you!" Taka immediately chided the fortune teller. "What makes you think that Toko was gonna do anything with it?!"

Hiro raised his hands defensively at that. "Well… I mean… she's a serial-killer, isn't she?" He pointed out. "Of course future me would be worried."

"How rude!"

"Gah!" A majority of the class jumped in shock at the sudden exclamation from the now-awake Genocide Jill.

"When did you-?!" Leon began asking.

Jill answered before he could finish. "Oh, around the time the bio lab was mentioned." She revealed, before her attention was aimed at the fortune teller. "As for you! Porcupine head!"

"Eeep!" Hiro ducked when the serial-killer pointed one of her scissors at him.

"How dare you compare me to my other personality?!" Jill exclaimed angrily. "No way my gloomy side would have the guts to use that knife; and there's no way I would be caught dead using anything other than my scissors, got it?!"

"Y-Y-Yes ma'am! Sorry ma'am!" Hiro squealed, still cowering from the angry serial-killer.

"I'm not g-gonna do anything!" Toko protested. I j-just picked it up! I didn't wanna leave a k-knife just laying around…"

"I'd rather have it laying around than in the hands of a serial killer!" Hiro retorted.

"D-Don't compare me to… her! I'm n-nothing like her!" Toko hissed angrily.

"Exactly!" Jill huffed, crossing her arms. "She and I are both completely different people! I am the lively, lovable serial-killer who's unafraid of getting what she wants; and she is the mopey book-writer who only fantasizes what she wants! We're nothing alike!"

"...There's also the fact that if she wanted to actually use the knife, she wouldn't have presented it to us in the first place." Celeste sighed. "Why reveal such a weapon if you plan on actually using it? That would be far from the smartest decision."

"In other words? You didn't have anything to worry about." Junko remarked with an eye-roll.

"I'm honestly not surprised the fool forgot about the split personalities…" Byakuya huffed.

Hiro hung his head at the criticism given to him. "Future me was just worried, okay…?" He muttered defensively.

"Listen, more important…" Hina spoke up. "Now that we have the knife, what are we gonna do with it?"

"We can't let Toko keep it, that's for sure." Hiro stated. "We dunno what she might do…"

"What did I just say about comparing us, Porcupine?!"

"It was future me! Future me!" Hiro cried out, reflexively covering his head once again.

"I don't w-want it anyways! It's too dangerous…" Toko hissed.

"Hmm… so what to do…?" Makoto hummed in thought.

"Why don't you hang on to it, Makoto?" Kyoko suggested.

"Huh?" The luckster looked at the lavender-haired girl in shock. "Me?!"

"Yeah, me?!" Makoto agreed with his future self, pointing at himself. "Why should I keep it?!"

Literally everyone gave him a blank or incredulous look, as if he asked a particularly dumb question. The luckster couldn't help but shrink at the looks. "Wh-What?"

"Dude… you're one of the most trust-worthy people in this class." Leon pointed out bluntly. "Out of everyone here, I'm fine with you or Chihiro holding the knife."

"I agree!" Taka nodded firmly with the baseball star. "Anyone that knows you well enough knows that you wouldn't use such a weapon for nefarious purposes!"

"B-But what about Hina? Or Kyoko?" Makoto stammered out. "Can't we trust them with it?"

"Maybe, but out of the survivors, you're still the most trust-worthy." Byakuya retorted. "We've seen how rash Hina can act, and Kyoko is still a mystery to our future, amnesiac counterparts. So that makes you the top-contender."

Beside him, Sayaka giggled. "I don't think this is an argument you can win, Makoto…" She advised, squeezing the arm she's still holding. "As your assistant, I recommend accepting you as one of our most trustworthy classmates~" The luckster blushed at this, turning away from the smiling idol.

"I agree." On his other side, Kyoko grabbed his free hand, giving it a squeeze. It prompted Makoto's blush to grow slightly bigger. "There's a reason why my future counterpart suggested you; it's because everyone here trusts you. There's nothing wrong with that trust."

"Oh yeah, I totally trust Makoto to take care of it!" Hiro agreed happily.

"Then that's that!" Hina also bopped her head in agreement.

"H-Hold on!" Makoto protested. "Don't I get a say?!"

"It just shows how much they trust you." Byakuya pointed out. "You should do as they ask."

'Are you sure it's trust? I feel like they're just using me…' Makoto thought a tad pessimistically.

"No we aren't!" Hina protested, pouting. "Is it really that hard to believe that we all trust you?"

"I-It's not that, it's just…" Makoto stammered, trying to find an explanation for the thought that ran through his future self's head.

"Do you need reminders of how amazing you really are, Makoto…?" Sayaka asked with a pout. "If we have to, we can tell you everyday the good qualities that you have until you accept."

"Yeah, I agree!" Hina nodded her head rapidly to this. "Get it in your head just how wonderful you are!"

"Please don't…" Makoto pleaded, his face beet red. "I might just die in embarrassment if you do…"

"Then you better accept the compliments given to you, mister!" Sayaka ordered, poking the lucky student's cheek.

"I-I'll try…" Was all Makoto could say.

"Okay, s-so here you go, Makoto…" Toko then held out the knife to the lucky student.

'They're acting like I already said, yes…' Makoto sighed. "F-Fine…"

As he took the knife, he thought to himself, 'I guess there's nothing I can do. I'll just… keep it in my desk drawer for now.'

'So… Makoto is the one holding my knife.' Mukuro thought to herself, a light blush across her cheeks. While the knife itself doesn't really have that much sentimental value, knowing that her crush will be the one keeping it with him… it brought feelings she didn't think she would feel from this.

'I wonder… will that knife come into play at some point?' Junko mused to herself. 'Hard to imagine with lucky boy holding on to it, but… if it were to somehow end up through his chest… wonder how Muku would feel about it?' The thought nearly made her giggle once again.

"Oh! Oh, oh, oh!" Jill suddenly cried out, raising her hand like a kindergartener. "Where's the whole investigation thingy? Isn't a new class trial gonna start? What did I miss?"

"...Oh right, you weren't there during the whole thing." Leon spoke in realization. He then turned to the rest of his classmates. "Who's gonna bring Jill up to speed this time?"

"I'll do so." Taka volunteered, raising up his hand. He then turned his attention towards the serial-killer. "So the things that transpired in the fourth chapter of this viewing…"

Notes:

And that's the end. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. It was pretty tough to write, considering there wasn't that much interesting stuff for them to react to yet. Hope it won't be too much of a slog before getting to the good stuff. Also, if you noticed a dip in grammar quality, it's because I didn't have this beta-read. Gonna go back to releasing chapters immediately unless it's a chapter I really want checked out, for a better chance at faster uploads. Hope you guys don't mind. Leave comments, kudos, bookmarks, and hits, and I will see you later.

Chapter 92: Watching Chapter 5: 100 Miles; Pain of a Junk Food Junkie Part 3

Notes:

Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. Here, the class will see the future survivors wrap up their investigation and summary of the fifth floor. I hope you enjoy.

"So Sakura was the spy, she killed herself so no one else would murder, and swimmer girl tried to hide that to try and kill all of us…" Jill began summarizing. "We figured it out anyway, we ended up uniting for once, and Cherry's laptop got turned to scrap. Also, soldier girl apparently got mentioned at the end. Missed anything?"

"No. That's pretty much all of the major events of the previous trial." Taka confirmed.

Jill let out a hum. "Wow. Didn't think the swimmer had it in her to pull something like that." She commented. "I'm kinda shocked… and a little impressed."

Hina looked down, guilt flashing in her eyes. Seeing this, Sakura took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. That cause the swimmer to look up and give her friend a grateful smile, something that the martial artist returned.

"Anyways, that's everything that has transpired." Taka concluded. "Now, we're watching the survivors report their findings on the 5th floor."

"So we're at the boring parts? Phooey!" Jill pouted at that, crossing her arms. "I hope that something interesting happens, at least…!"

"Is this like a TV show to the psycho or something…?" Leon couldn't help but ask, a sweatdrop across his forehead.

With not much else being said, everyone turned their attention back on the screen.

"Anyway, th-that's all I wanted to say…" Toko concluded.

"Hey, Toko." Byakuya spoke up.

"Ah! D-Do I still have bad b-breath?!" Toko stammered in panic. "Sorry, sorry, sorry! I'm sorry it stinks! I'm sorry it stinks! I'm sorry-!"

"You made a valuable discovery. Good job." Was the heir's statement.

"...Did I just here Byakuya praise Toko just now?" Leon asked, stunned.

"Yes. Yes, you did." Sayaka confirmed, looking just as surprised. At least half the class were gobsmacked at the sudden, almost uncharacteristic praise that the Ultimate Affluent Progeny gave to his clearly unwanted admirer.

Byakuya himself merely raised an eyebrow over this, but made no fuss. It was indeed a good discovery, at least for their future selves'.

That very statement stunned Toko. "Huh…?" She replied dumbly. Then repeated. "Huh…?" And repeated again. "Huh…?" Finally, she asked, "Did Master just… p-praise me?"

"Even Toko is shocked by this!" Hiro exclaimed, pointing a finger at the screen.

"Where's the bastard that pisses us off and who the hell is this imposter?" Mondo asked, almost sounding serious.

"Wha-Wha-What?! Master, why are you giving her praise and not meeee?!" Jill whined childishly. The heir elected to ignore her, even as she proceeded to shake him by the shoulder.

"Hey, good for you!" Hina congratulated her, a smile across her face.

"And Toko's missing this!" Hina cried out in pity. Luckily for her, Jill was too focused trying to get attention from Byakuya to listen. "Now I feel bad for her…!"

"Hopefully, Byakuya will praise her again at some point when she's awake…" Chihiro suggested, also feeling sympathetic for the writer.

"Ng…! NgaaAAahh!" Toko let out guttural sounds of disbelief. "I-I'm dreaming… I must b-be dreaming! Ahh… that I would ever e-experience such a dream…"

The writer started letting out happy, almost deranged giggles, wrapping her arms around herself. "I feel… s-strange…!" She practically moaned out. "Ahaha… so strange…! R-Really strange! Oh no…! Aha… hyah… hyeehahaehea!"

"...Still feel bad for her now?" Mondo remarked, looking weirded out by this.

"...Yeah, just… in a different way now." Hina replied, also creeped out.

"I can't help but feel sad for Toko sometimes, man…" Hiro sighed, his head hung low. "It's just sad…"

"Well… she could be acting worse…" Was all Taka could say, a sweatdrop across his brow.

"I don't see how, but I won't argue…" Leon replied back, shaking his head. "I definitely don't want to see what worse would look like…"

"Whenever I look at Toko these days, it makes me feel… sad." Hiro sighed in pity.

Finally, Byakuya revealed his findings. "By the way, did any of you find it?" He asked the group. "The other strange room on the 5th floor. Well, no… 'strange' is a massive understatement."

At the mention of the 'strange room', many tensed up, with the warm atmosphere turning slightly. Most of them knew what room Byakuya was talking about.

The only one who doesn't was Genocide Jill, who was looking around in confusion. "What room? What's Master talking about?"

"You'll… you'll see Jill…" Was the only thing Makoto could say, already looking a tad blue in the face.

A flashback of the room was then shown. "The smell of flesh and fat and blood…" The heir described. "The white outlines of countless corpses… It was more dreadful than anything I've encountered so far…"

As soon as the flashbacks appeared, eyes immediately turned away from the sight. That didn't stop the students looking pale, and somewhat ill.

"Ooooh! So that's what got the other me to pass out?" Jill remarked, looking interested at the carnage before her. A moment later, she waved her hand. "Meh, too messy for me. I like my murders to be professional! Art! Something you can put on a display! This is just something for the janitor to clean up."

"Well, glad that you have standards, you psycho…!" Leon replied back with biting sarcasm.

"Wh-What the hell are you talking about?!" Hiro shouted in shock.

"The smell itself was horrific. Far beyond any normal murder scene." Byakuya continued. "Everybody's smell, concentrated…"

"God, I'm glad that I didn't see it… I feel like I'm gonna barf just from hearing you describe it." Hina said, looking a tad queasy.

"I envy you, future me…" Hina moaned, her skin losing some color once again.

"Well, at least we can't physically enter that room, or smell it…" Sayaka offered, though she still looked unwell herself. "We would probably lose our breakfast if we did."

"But I mean… what the hell happened in that room?" Hiro asked, looking a tad pale himself.

"The only thing I could tell… is that a large group of people died right there in that room." Byakuya stated.

"A bunch of people were… killed in there?" The fortune teller repeated fearfully.

"Stop, seriously… I'm gonna throw up…" Hina whimpered, now covering her mouth.

"Perhaps that's what was meant by… the biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history." Kyoko theorized grimly.

"Huh? But…" Hiro turned towards Kyoko in confusion. "Didn't you say that this wasn't the Tragedy?"

Kyoko nodded. "I did."

"Then… why-"

"Don't forget that our future selves are working with lost memories." The detective explained, before the question could be finished. "As far as they know, there hasn't been any nation-wide or worldly events that has been named 'The Tragedy', so they can only make deductions based on what they know."

Junko let out a giggle of amusement. "Feeling defensive there, Kyoko?" She teased. Kyoko did not give any response to that, amusing the fashionista further.

"...Huh?" Makoto turned towards Kyoko in confusion.

"You're thinking the same thing, then." Byakuya nodded in agreement. "My theory is… the mass murder that took place in that room is the incident said to have happened one year ago."

'The awful scene in that room…' Makoto thought to himself, thinking back to that room. 'That was "The Tragedy" that happened a year ago?'

"The Tragedy is another name for the genocide of the student body of Hope's Peak Academy." The heir continued. "If that's true… that would explain why Hope's Peak was forced to close its doors."

"I mean, I guess that all makes sense, but… it's all just… so awful." Hiro groaned, looking down at the floor.

"Not just awful… super awfully awful!" Hina exclaimed.

Once again, future Hina unintentionally lightened up the room, with some of the students chuckling or giggling. "When you put it that way, there's no way I can argue…" Leon remarked with a grin.

"Super awfully awful indeed…" Sayaka giggled, covering her mouth slightly with her fingers.

And once again, Hina angrily pouted at the group. "Can you guys stop making fun of me?" She whined, waving her arms around. "It's like you're treating me like a child!"

"You're implying that you actually grew up some…" Celeste remarked. She merely smiled when the swimmer glared at her, fuming childishly.

'They're right - it's beyond awful.' Makoto agreed grimly. 'It's terrible, tragic… hopeless. But still…'

Confusion was then written across the luckster's face. 'How is it not one of us ever heard about something like this happening?' He asked himself. 'Does that mean they really did cover it up…?'

"This memory loss crap is getting more and more annoying to watch…" Mondo sighed/growled. "Wish they could just fucking figure it out already."

"We must practice patience, bro." Taka consoled his friend, patting his shoulder. "With all of the clues given to them, it's only a matter of time before they find out about their last memories."

"Assuming that they do, there's still the matter of believing it." Byakuya countered. "The idea of taking away someone's memories is already far-fetched. But all fifteen of us losing two years worth of memories? A near impossible pill to swallow."

"I wouldn't say it's near impossible." Kyoko disagreed. "Given enough evidence, inarguable evidence, the survivors would have no choice but to accept it as truth."

"But that's the thing, isn't it? The evidence has to be ironclad, or at least numerous enough, to be proven and accepted." Celeste mused.

That was something no one could disagree with.

"Well, I think that's all the new information we have for now." Byakuya concluded for everyone.

"So? Now what do we do?" Hiro asked.

"Well…" Byakuya hummed in thought. "Starting today, you're all under my command. But before we proceed, I need to figure something out."

"You serious, dude?" Leon remarked, a flat look across his face. "You're drafting them now?"

"Is there a problem?" Byakuya retorted back, raising an eyebrow.

"Just that your ego is the size of Hope's Peak…" Hina sighed, shaking her head.

"Can you not just work alongside everyone like an equal, Byakuya?" Taka griped, palming his face with both hands.

"That's making the assumption that you're all equal to me." The Togami heir stated haughtily. "Rest assured, while many do possess some level of skill, very few of you could even attempt to argue that you are on an equal level with me. Trying to argue otherwise is an effort in futility."

"Unreal ego man…" Hiro sighed, crossing his arms.

"Don't worry, Master! I'll follow you wherever you go!" Jill exclaimed eagerly, raising a scissor held hand. "And if there's any cute boys you want dead, I'll go snip-snip-snipping! Of course, anyone other than cute boys, I'll just snip until crippled!"

Of course, the Togami Heir ignored the psychopathic serial killer, as did everyone else. Just silently put their attention back on the screen.

"Jeez, how cocky can you be?!" Hiro laughed a little. "You're gonna bust through the ceiling if your head gets any bigger!"

"So… what is it you wanna figure out?" Hina asked, deciding to ignore the "all under my command" part herself.

"Kyoko's identity…" Byakuya answered.

This caused the students to start blinking in confusion, before realization started settling in some of the smarter ones. 'Oh no…' Makoto thought with some dread, while Byakuya and Kyoko closed their eyes in resignation.

"...Huh?" Makoto responded in confusion.

"..." Kyoko, meanwhile, stayed silent.

"Kyoko's identity?" Hina repeated, also confused. "But Kyoko is… Kyoko… right?"

"Yes, but who *is* she?" Byakuya emphasized. "The rest of us have a clear, definable reason for having been selected to attend Hope's Peak Academy. Hina's the Ultimate Swimming Pro, Hiro's the Ultimate Clairvoyant, even Makoto is the Ultimate Lucky Student."

'More unlucky than lucky these days, but…' The luckster deadpanned to himself.

"You diss yourself a lot dude, don't ya?" Leon remarked with a small laugh.

In response, the luckster shrugged sheepishly. "It's not like I'm wrong. I tend to have more bad luck than good." Makoto replied back, rubbing the back of his head.

"So what about Kyoko? Can anyone tell me what *she* is?" The Togami heir asked everyone.

That's when it clicked to everyone what's going on. "Ah shit…!" Mondo cursed.

"Probably should've seen this coming…" Junko sighed.

"This… isn't gonna end well…" Sayaka stated worriedly.

"Now that you mention it… she's never told us." Hiro admitted.

"Well, Kyoko doesn't really like talking about herself anyway, right?" HIna pointed out.

"It's not a matter of what she likes or doesn't like. This is a matter of trust." Byakuya rebuked firmly. "Can you trust someone who's unwilling to reveal their true identity?"

"Being so tight-lipped is coming to bite you in the butt, Kyoko…" Leon groaned, facepalming.

"It's not like I could've shared my talent, even if I wanted to." Kyoko said with a slight huff. "Besides, I doubt everyone would believe me if I said that I couldn't remember my talent. That would've placed suspicion on me from the start."

"Maybe. But keeping it a secret for so long, as well as your secretive ventures throughout this killing game, makes that suspicion even worse." Celeste pointed out. "Cause now you're forced to reveal something you have no knowledge of, less you earn even more distrust."

"You're sure you should be the one saying that Celeste?" Junko snorted, raising an eyebrow at the gambler.

Celeste merely smiled in response. "I may be a liar, but even I know that in a situation like the one we're seeing, keeping all the cards to yourself will merely sow distrust."

"My future self is aware of this. But there's not much that could've been done either way." Kyoko sighed.

The heir then turned to the girl herself. "We need to avoid raising any more unnecessary suspicion. So Kyoko, it's time you told us…"

"..." For the moment, Kyoko was silent. Then, after that moment, she said, "I can't."

"What?! Wh-Why won't you tell us?!" Toko exclaimed in outrage.

"I didn't say I 'won't'." Kyoko corrected. "I said I can't."

"W-What do you mean…?" Hiro asked nervously.

"Because… I don't remember." The lavender-haired girl revealed.

Makoto's eyes widened in shock. "What…?"

"I have no memory of what I am." Kyoko continued.

"You have no memory…?" The luckster repeated, still shocked. "You mean…"

"Amnesia…?" Hina finished, looking just as shocked. Once again, Kyoko chose to be silent.

Byakuya, however, looked annoyed. "If I thought you had a sense of humor, I'd say you were joking. But if this is a joke, I'm not laughing."

"Y-You can't be serious right, c-can you?" Toko questioned, seeming just as doubtful.

"And this is exactly what my future self predicted." Kyoko stated, stretching a hand towards the screen.

"I'll admit, I would have had a hard time believing such a thing." Byakuya conceded. "But hiding it was hardly any better. At the very least, I wouldn't be this unbelieving of it if you shared your lack of knowledge at some point."

"Maybe. But we can hardly say at this point." The detective retorted.

"I knew you wouldn't believe me. That's why I didn't say anything." Kyoko sighed. "But it doesn't matter. Either way, the truth will make itself clear before we're done."

"So you have no intention of telling us? Then I can no longer stand by and do nothing…" Byakuya declared.

That had several students tensing up, concerned over what could happen. "Just what exactly are you planning, Mr. Togami?" Hifumi asked wearily.

The Togami heir hummed in thought. "I could probably make a few guesses as to my future self's thought process."

"What are you going to do? Torture me?" Kyoko challenged back.

"Nothing as barbaric as that." The heir dismissed with a shake of his head. "I will simply… limit your options. I can't allow you to engage in any further suspicious activity."

"Limit my options…?" Kyoko said wearily.

"Give me the key to your room." Byakuya ordered, going as far as to hold his hand out.

"WHAT?!" Several students shouted out in shock.

'That would be suicidal!" Taka objected, standing from his seat. "If she isn't allowed access to her room, there will be nowhere for her to sleep!"

"And she can't stay up forever! Sooner or later, she's gonna fall flat on her face!" Mondo followed up right after his bro. "And the bear'll axe her as soon as she does!"

"Is Byakuya trying to get her killed or something?!" Hiro exclaimed worryingly, holding his head.

Byakuya then spoke up. "No, I'm not." He said, shaking his head. "My future self is merely trying to push her into a corner, that's all."

Makoto turned towards the heir in shock and worry. "But… if she gives you her room key…!"

"She can't go to sleep in her room! She'll be breaking a school regulation!" Hina exclaimed, also worried.

"And if she doesn't want that, she'll talk." Byakuya said in response. "It's easy, all she has to do is tell us about herself."

"Unfortunately for your future self, that threat will not work for his benefit." Celeste sighed. "Since she truly does have amnesia."

"Yeah. She's just gonna rebuff his demand and things will get even more tense." Leon remarked, looking fairly concerned.

"And Byakuya isn't gonna take no for an answer…" Sayaka added, a frown across her own face.

"Just hold on…!" Makoto protested. "A threat like that…"

"...Fine. I understand." Kyoko cut in, merely sighing in acceptance.

"Good, you're finally in the mood for conversation." Byakuya smirked in triumph, crossing his arms.

That smirk was wiped off when Kyoko walked silently up to him… and held out her key.

Now eyes practically popped out of the students' sockets. "The fuck…?!" Mondo exclaimed incredulously.

"She's actually giving away her key?!" Leon spoke in disbelief right after.

"Why?! Why would she do that?" Sayaka questioned, befuddled.

"Does she actually think she'll be able to stay up the entire time…?!" Hina cried out in both shock and worry.

Even Junko was taken aback, if only just a little, judging by how both her eyebrows shot up. 'Now what the heck is Miss Junior Detective doing here…?'

"Kyoko…" Makoto looked at the lavender-haired detective with concern.

"I can't say for certain what my future self's thought process is…" Kyoko admitted, her eyes narrowed on the screen. "But if I'm giving my key away, it must mean there's a way for me to be without it and not break school regulations."

"Let us hope so…" Celeste stated, her eyes also narrowed. "Cause this places her in a very dangerous situation."

"You damn fool…" Byakuya uttered out in shock. "Why do you refuse to talk…?!"

"Whether I want to or not, I can't." Kyoko repeated, handing him her key. "All I can do is keep telling you that."

"M-Maybe she really did lose her memory…" Hina hesitantly suggested.

"If you really think about it, it doesn't sound totally impossible." Hiro voiced his own agreement. "This is the worst school ever, where only the worst stuff happens, right? Amnesia would fit right in."

That caused Hina to brighten up. "Some of us are starting to believe!" She pointed out eagerly.

"It won't be enough to dissuade Byakyuya." Celeste stated, shaking her head. "At this point in time, he won't take any sort of excuse regarding her mysterious background. He won't easily believe she's suffering from amnesia."

"She speaks the truth…" Byakuya himself admitted. "The idea that she lost her memories is not something I'll easily believe, even with the handing of her key."

"So you're going to just leave her at risk to get executed?" Hina said incredulously, a scowl entering her face. "What's the point if she still won't say anything?"

"As has been stated before, it's to limit her options." Byakuya answered back, unperturbed. "While it isn't the desired outcome, this'll still put a limit to the amount of suspicious activities she does."

"Still… this just seems cruel towards her." Chihiro spoke up, clearly uncomfortable with this. "Cornering her for information she says she doesn't remember."

The heir merely sighed. "Maybe. But there's hardly anything I could do about it."

"The worst school, where only the worst things happen?" Kyoko repeated, sounding skeptical. "Do you really mean that?"

"...Huh?" Several of the students perked up at this, confusion and suspicion filling them.

"What is she…?" Makoto trailed off, having a feeling what the future amnesiac detective is implying.

"Huh…?" Was the only response Hiro could give.

"Can you really be sure that life here has been filled with only the worst things?" The girl prodded further.

"Wh-What do you mean…?" Makoto asked, looking befuddled.

"..." At that question, Kyoko went silent once again. "Perhaps I've said too much." With that, she turned and began walking away from the group.

"...She knows, doesn't she?" Sayaka questioned, eyes widening in shock. "She knows that they lost their memories."

"At the very least, she's coming towards that conclusion." Mukuro corrected slightly, eyes narrowing. "It's clear that she has knowledge of something."

"And this is why my future self is so suspicious." Byakuya remarked, feeling slightly annoyed himself. "It's obvious that Kyoko is hiding a lot; and not just her past."

"Where do you think you're going?" Byakuya called out angrily.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to do anything to harm any of you." Kyoko reassured him, not stopping in her tracks. She then exited the dining hall. Leaving only momentarily silence between the remaining five.

"Hate to admit, but the asshole is right…" Leon grabbed, rubbing the top of his head. "This doesn't really paint an innocent picture here."

"This tension will definitely come into play later on…" Hifumi murmured, also concerned.

'Kyoko…' Makoto couldn't help but bite his lip in worry. Not only was she kept out of her room, but also had the suspicions of at least a few of the remaining survivors. Neither of those things were good.

And just as they united together for once. Why aren't they able to just stay united? Why is there always something that causes a rift? The luckster couldn't help but find it frustrating, especially since there's almost nothing he could do about it.

"Wh-What's her deal…?" Hiro asked with confusion.

"I think you went too far, taking her room key like that…" Hina told the Togami heir, a concerned frown across her face.

"F-For her, that wasn't far e-enough…!" Toko rebuked with a slightly creepy grin. "Or m-maybe she gets off on the attention. I can't believe her, e-enjoying getting yelled at…"

"You're getting noisy again, Toko." Byakuya cut her off angrily. That got the writer to immediately be silent, though with a sulky look. "Sorry, I can still hear you. The sound of you breathing, of your heart beating… it grates on me."

That caused some of the students to reel back in surprise. "Wow man, you are pissed." Leon whistled.

"And poor Toko is taking the brink of it…" Hiro commented.

"Likely because he wasn't able to gain what he wanted…" Celeste mused, tapping her chin. "As he said before, he wanted Kyoko to share her background, not give away her key."

"So the dude's pissy that Kyoko didn't do what he demanded…" Mondo remarked with an eye roll. "No surprise there."

"As if you have the right to speak about losing one's temper?" Byakuya shot back without pause. The biker growled at that, but conceded at what he said.

"Now Master's throwing verbal abuse at her?! No fair, I want that!" Jill whined childishly. Everyone merely ignored her.

"Are you telling her to die…?" Hiro asked in bewilderment. "I mean, I know how you feel but…!"

'But what's Kyoko gonna do now…?' Makoto wondered in concern. 'Plus, this situation… it's just like before…' He clenched his fist in frustration. 'It's no different from when everyone started accusing Sakura!'

Several flinched at the reminder of the last chapter, especially Hina. Makoto could only grimace at the thoughts of his future self.

"That is true…" Taka hesitantly admitted, grimacing himself. "Kyoko's separation from the group is parallel to Sakura's own isolation…"

"Only difference is that there's no one vehemently defending her." Junko remarked, arms crossed. "I mean, we know Hina, Hiro, and Makoto aren't on board with this, but…"

"It isn't on the same level as Hina's defense of Sakura." Sayaka acknowledged with a nod, a small frown across her face. And it could be said that it's a good thing, considering the resulting conflict that came with that defense.

That was something several silently acknowledged, including a guilty looking Hina and a frustrated Makoto.

'And I… I'm no different, either.' The frustration he felt was now leaking onto his face. 'I still can't stop anyone…'

"Makoto…" Several of the students found themselves towards the lucky student with worry. Sayaka was the one to ask, "You don't blame yourself for any of this… do you?"

Makoto couldn't help but curse the thoughts being revealed to his friends. It wasn't something he wanted to reveal, the guilt that he's been trying to push down. It was something he wanted to keep to himself. Why did this viewing have to reveal everything that's going through his head?

"It's just… difficult, knowing that there's nothing I could do about all this, that's all." The lucky student said, keeping his eyes away from everyone. "It can be frustrating… wanting to do something about all this, yet can't."

It wasn't the entire truth, and some of the students can tell. Byakuya and Kyoko, for example, stared at the luckster with narrowed eyes, seeing through the half-truths.

"There's not much anyone could've done about that situation dude. You know that, right?" Leon asked his friend pointedly. "If anyone could have convinced Kyoko to open up, or Byakuya to stop being an ass, that would've happened from the start. It's THEIR own choices that got them into this mess."

"I agree. Kyoko was the one who decided to be secretive, while Byakuya decided to escalate things." Sayaka comforted the luckser, giving his arm a squeeze. "None of us could've stopped either of them, even if we tried."

"It probably would make things worse if you tried, like me with Sakura…" Hina spoke up, looking down slightly. But she then looked back up with her usual determination. "So it's good that you didn't force anything with those two blockheads!"

"I understand your frustration all too well, Makoto…" Taka said in understanding. "But as I'm trying to learn, you cannot take responsibility for others' actions. While Kyoko did well by revealing her lost memories in the end, Byakuya should've accepted her answer for what it is!"

The two repeatedly mentioned Ultimates stubbornly ignored the calling out of their actions, with both of them frigidly turning their attention back on the screen.

Meanwhile, Makoto sweatdropped at the dissing towards Byakuya and Kyoko, an awkward chuckle leaving his lips. "Don't worry. I'm fine guys, really…" He reassured his friends. "It's probably just a moment of frustration, is all."

"KYAAAH!"

The sudden scream from Hina caused several students to jump and yelp, worries over Makoto momentarily forgotten for the time being. "H-Hina…?!" Sayaka stammered in concern.

"What's with the scream?!" Leon followed up right after.

"Hina…!" Sakura looked the most worried out of everyone, the martial artist partially standing from her seat.

The girl herself could only stare at the screen, not knowing what her future self is yelling about.

"Uwah!" Hiro yelped at the scream Hina emitted. "Wh-What the hell?! Why're you yelling all of a sudden?!"

"Cuz…! Cuz!" Hina shakily pointed her finger at the source of her fright. "Look!"

And standing a few feet away from them was a rather angry looking Monokuma.

"WHERE DID HE COME FROM?!" Was the shouting of half the class.

"Was he standing there the entire time?!" Taka questioned alarmingly.

"How the hell did no one notice him?!" Leon exclaimed in confusion.

"And what the hell got him so pissed off?" Mondo pointed out.

"I-It's you… how long have you been standing there?!" Hiro exclaimed in shock and fear.

"I'm very… very…" The bear growled, showing his claws. "AAAAAAANNNGGGRRRYYYYY!"

"Seriously, what got him so pissed off this time?" Mondo repeated his question, furrowed eyebrows.

"I-I don't know, but it's making me nervous…!" Hiro shivered.

"Same…" Hina agreed, biting her lips nervously.

"Angry at what…?" Hina asked fearfully.

"At the thief! Yes, that's right. I'm very sad to have to tell you, there's a thief in your midst!" Monokuma declared.

"What?!" Hiro exclaimed, more surprised than fearful this time.

It was silent for a moment. Then, slowly, the class turned their heads to a certain lavender-haired detective.

"It seems my future self managed to take something of importance from the mastermind." Was all Kyoko said in response to the stares. Anyone paying attention would've seen the ghost of a smirk from her lips. "Though I can't say for certain."

"Myyy PRECIOUSSS!" Monokuma practically hissed. "They stole it!"

"...Your precious?" Makoto repeated flatly.

"Your teacher had such faith in you… and this is how you repay me? With betrayal?" The bear growled in outrage. "Reality is filled with so much hardship, isn't it? No wonder people run away into their fantasies…"

That wiped any trace of nervousness from Hina. "Don't act like we have reasons to be loyal to you!" She shouted out her own outrage, scowling. "Not with everything you've done!"

"Fucking bear gets a kick out of acting like the victim…!" Mondo growled viciously. "As if he didn't do anything wrong!"

"Don't like it when your prisoners bite back, huh asshole…?" Leon snarked bitingly, arms crossed.

"But… what the heck is your 'precious'?" Hina inquired.

"Shut up!" Was the bear's angry response. "I hope all of you get stuck in a hiring freeze and die penniless in the street!" With that, he disappeared.

"In other words, he doesn't want them to know about it…" Sakura said flatly.

"Then why bother whining to us if you aren't gonna say what it is?" Hina griped, throwing her hands up in frustration. "Gosh, I don't think I ever found myself this annoyed by anyone else!"

"He really does have qualities that make you want to strangle him…" Sayaka grumbled in agreement. "For more reasons than one."

"And he's gone…" Hiro remarked. "What the heck was that all about?"

"He said something about his 'precious' getting stolen." Hina commented. "Does anyone have any idea what that might mean?"

"It likely has something to do with Kyoko." Byakuya deduced.

"...Huh?" Makoto responded in confusion.

"Who else other than her would be willing and able to steal something from Monokuma?" The heir pointed out.

"Looks as though the survivors are coming to the same conclusion as us." Celeste commented.

"It's an obvious one to make. Like my future self stated, she's one of the few capable of doing this." Byakuya remarked.

'Did Kyoko really steal something from Monokuma?' Makoto mused to himself. 'But if that's true, what was it? And why would she do that?'

"Either it's information about the school, something that'll lead to more information, or the most unlikely, something that'll lead to a way out." Mukuro listed off the possible reasons. "At the very least, it's something that would be an advantage over the mastermind."

"Must be. Else, I don't think the mastermind would be making such a huge fuss over it." Celeste mused in agreement.

"Think it'll be revealed what Monokuma's 'precious' is?" Junko asked, making air quotes for the "precious" part.

"I doubt it will be anytime soon…" Sayaka answered, shaking her head. "Monokuma isn't inclined to share and we all know how Kyoko is. But if it's Makoto…"

The idol then gave her luckster an impish smile, prompting a blush from him. "I'm sure he'll get Kyoko to open up at some point."

"A-Aren't you a bit too confident in me…?" Makoto stuttered out, looking away.

"Nope~" Sayaka then proceeded to poke the luckster by the cheek, drawing a small whine from him. "We all know that you have a way with people. I'm just pointing out the obvious~"

As she was teasing him, the four other contenders of Makoto's heart stared at the idol with either pouts or narrowed eyes.

Suddenly, the school bell rung once again and the nighttime announcement played through the hall. "Uh-oh. We need to get out of here…" Hina said worriedly.

"We can talk about this more tomorrow. And Kyoko…" Hiro trailed off.

"However, after what just happened with Monokuma, and Kyoko, I feel like there's… something in the air." Byakuya mused in thought. "I would suggest you take extra precautions tonight. Stay in your rooms, don't go wandering around…"

"Not like we need you to tell us that…" Hina remarked with slight annoyance.

"Well then, let's disperse." Ignoring the swimmer's words, Byakuya headed out the dining hall. "I'll see you all tomorrow."

"So… no one is in danger of being murdered, right…?" Chihiro inquired nervously. After the tension with Kyoko and the rest of the survivors, it's making him nervous about whether or not the remaining six…

"With the reveal from the beginning? I would say we have little to worry about at the moment." Byakuya answered, looking in thought. "Unless the masked individual is somehow one of us, it'll be the one who assaulted Makoto that'll be murdered."

"The only thing we will have to worry about is who exactly was murdered…" Kyoko continued, narrowing her eyes. "And if it'll result in a class trial."

The group went silent at that, aside from a few nervous gulps. None of them were really sure what to expect from this chapter of the viewing; all they can do is hope that a good outcome comes at the end.

Notes:

And that's the end. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Not much I want to say this time, other than this chapter being another slog. Will likely just need to power through much of the daily life portion of this chapter in order to get to the more interesting stuff, and not think too heavily on the reactions. Leave comments, kudos, bookmarks, and hits, and I will see you later.

Chapter 93: Watching Chapter 5: 100 Miles; Pain of a Junk Food Junkie Part 4

Notes:

Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. Sorry for taking longer than usual. Things were going on in my life that I was trying to figure out, so I had put my energy on those things for the time being. Head's clearer now, at least for the time being, so I manage to get back into writing. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

The scene transitioned to Makoto entering his room. "Ah, that's right," he spoke in remembrance, before pulling the knife from his pocket, "I need to put away the knife that I got from Toko…"

After looking around for a moment, he headed towards his desk. "I think the safest place for it will be my desk drawer."

At that, the present luckster received a few disbelieving looks from his friends. "Really? Of all the places to put it, you're keeping it in your drawer?" Mondo deadpanned, "Why not hide the thing?"

"Where could I hide it?" Makoto replied defensively, raising his hands up, "There's practically cameras all around the building, with the sauna and the hidden room at the second floor bathroom being the only places without them. And even if I hid the knife in either place, it would be easy for anyone to search for it. Might as well keep it in my room."

"True enough…" Kyoko nodded in acceptance. As Makoto explained, there weren't that many options to begin with.

Once he put the knife away, Makoto flopped down on his bed. 'But, anyway… is Kyoko really gonna be okay?' H e mused in concern, 'She can't get into her room. What's she gonna do…? Isn't there something I can do…? Something I can…'

Celeste shook her head. "As with Sakura, I have doubts that there's much you can do in this situation," she stated, "You would merely have to wait and see it all play out."

"And you shouldn't worry about me too much," Kyoko herself spoke up, "As I've stated before, there's probably a way for me to survive without access to my room. So, the concern of collapsing is minimal."

"Maybe. Still… hard not to worry when you don't even know that for sure," Makoto said, rubbing his head sheepishly, "Doubly so for my future self."

The scene then faded into pitch blackness, no sound made for the duration of that darkness. Then a sound of a doorbell rang through, prompting the screen to light back up, revealing a sleeping Makoto, who slowly woke up from the sound. "...Nng?"

Rubbing his eyes from drowsiness, he turned towards the door. "Did I hear… the doorbell…?" The lucky student headed towards the door, curiosity mixed with his drowsy look. When he opened the door, he was face to face with none other than Kyoko. "K-Kyoko…?"

"I'll be waiting for you in the dressing room…" was what she immediately said, before turning around and walking away, "See you there…"

"H-Hey, wait! Kyoko!" Makoto spoke in protest, now wide awake. But the lavender-haired girl simply disappeared in the hallway, not acknowledging him.

Suffice to say, that got more than a few raised eyebrows from the group. "That was… abrupt," was all Sayaka could say.

"Should we be surprised by this?" Celeste remarked in response.

"Fair enough…"

"At least our unfortunate lucky student seemed to have locked his door this time…" Byakuya snarked. That got giggles and chuckles from his classmates, with the luckster in question blushing and groaning in embarrassment.

A pensive look then entered the luckster's face.'I know we're not supposed to go out during nighttime, but…'

"I can't just not go…"

"Again, there's not much to worry about, considering the circumstances…" Mukuro mused, "Even without the knowledge of the next murder, it's difficult to see any of the survivors planning to kill at this point."

"Still, to go and disregard my order like that…" Byakuya sighed in slight annoyance, "You truly are an overly trusting fool, aren't you?"

"You know, you don't have to include the fool part every time…" Makoto groaned out with a sweatdrop.

"Master~, can't you give that abuse to me! I'm jealo- achoo!" Jill's whining was cut off by a sneeze from her, immediately bringing back Toko. "H-Huh?"

"And she's back!" Junko announced, a tad dramatically, "Who's turn is it to catch her up?"

"I'll do it," Sayaka volunteered, raising a hand.

While the idol explained to Toko what she missed, Hiro spoke up. "Anyways, does anyone have any idea what Kyoko wants to talk about…?" he asked, scratching the side of his head.

Sakura was the one to answer. "It most likely has to do with what she found… and what she revealed…"

That caused several to stiffen up, or straighten up, the air becoming noticeably tense. Mukuro, in particular, looked more rigid than usual once again.

The scene transitioned to Makoto entering the bathhouse, with Kyoko waiting for him. "Sorry for asking you to meet with me so late," the girl apologized.

"It's okay. I'm used to it," Makoto sighed.

"...Indeed," was all Kyoko could say.

Of course, that little interaction got several snorts across the room. "Feeling a bit sheepish there, Kyoko…?" Junko asked wryly, smirking.

"Probably realized how much she pulls Makoto around thoughtlessly…" Celeste giggled, daintily covering her mouth.

And once again, the detective deigned not to give a response to anyone, keeping her eyes away from her classmates.

"Well then, let me get straight to the point."

"It's something you can't talk about in front of the surveillance cameras, right?" Makoto guessed, "So does that mean…? Does this have to do with whatever it is you stole from Monokuma?"

"..."

"Monokuma told us earlier that someone had stolen something from him," the luckster informed her, "Was it you…?"

"..." For a moment, Kyoko continued to be silent. Then… "That's right."

"As I said before, an obvious conclusion."

"One that no one disagreed with, Byakuya dear…" Celeste replied back in response, "And it seems that we'll be finding what exactly she took."

"Unless she decides to be stubborn again…" Mondo remarked with some annoyance.

"Considering that she reached out to Makoto in the first place, I don't see that happening bro," Taka assured his friend.

"So, I was right…" Makoto murmured, somewhat to himself, "But what did you steal?"

"I stole this…" Kyoko then held up a key, an old fashioned looking one with a Monokuma shaped end.

Immediately, everyone took interest in the key in Kyoko's hand. "A… Monokuma key…?" Hina voiced, naming the unique looking key.

"One that's likely to access vital things, considering Monokuma's reaction…" Celeste mused with interest.

"A… key?" Makoto looked at the key with confusion and interest. "Where did you get this…?"

"From the headmaster's room," Kyoko answered.

"What?!" Makoto's eyes widened at this. "You snuck into the headmaster's room?! But… wasn't it locked?"

"The lock was broken."

"What…?" was Makoto's dumbfounded response.

"It was Sakura. She did it for us…" Kyoko explained.

"And yet another prediction coming true…" Hifumi noted the obvious, adjusting his glasses, "Obvious to be sure, but nice to have actual confirmation."

"Heh. No wonder the damn bear was so pissed…" Mondo stated, smirking, "He got completely blindsided by the 'sore loser' he waved off…"

The martial artist in question also smiled in satisfaction, more than content that she went down fighting in ways the mastermind never suspected. It made the sacrifice her future self had had to make all the sweeter.

Junko, on the other hand, found herself pouting. Does she have to be reminded of the humiliation the musclehead brought to her? It filled her with an embarrassment she's both hating and kinda sorta enjoying!

"She did…?"

"Remember what she said in her note?" the mystery Ultimate reminded him, "'I'm not going to just lay down and die. I will fight you…'"

"So… Sakura broke into the headmaster's room for us?" Makoto concluded, slightly astonished.

"That's right," Kyoko affirmed with a nod, "So that we could uncover whatever secrets might lay hidden within…"

"She did it… for us…" Makoto repeated once again, mostly to himself, 'She violated the school regulations to help us. She already decided to die, so her last act was to defy the rules of this place…'

"Sakura…" Hina, meanwhile, found herself with mixed emotions. On one hand, the fact that her friend had to die to stop Monokuma still hurt her at her core, and she wished it wasn't necessary; on the other hand… she was proud that Sakura was able to do this, that she was able to stick it to the mastermind with her final breaths, and go out with a smile.

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, the swimmer turned towards Sakura, her friend silently asking if she was alright with a concerned look. In response, Hina gave her a reassuring smile, in silent support of her friend's decision. That wiped away the look of concern, with a small smile replacing it.

"I noticed the room was open after the class trial was over yesterday," Kyoko continued, "But if I'd just strolled into the room, Monokuma would have noticed right away. Which is why… I used you as a decoy."

At the reminder, Sayaka scowled. "I still don't like that she used you as a decoy without your consent…" she grumbled under her breath.

"It's fine, Sayaka. I wasn't in any real danger, so it's not a big issue…" Makoto whispered to her softly.

"If so, she could've just asked you to act as a decoy," Sayaka hissed back, not letting it go, "It wouldn't be too much to just take you to the bathhouse and inform you of her plan there."

"She probably wanted to check before the mastermind had a chance to notice, so she didn't want to waste time trying to bring me up to speed," the luckster explained, having an idea of what the detective's thought process was, "If Monokuma had an inkling that she was planning something, then she may have not been able to get into the headmaster's office. Using me as an unknowing decoy was probably the best choice."

The idol still had a frown across her face, but she couldn't refute the luckster's points.

"So you asked me to meet you at the data center in order to…" Makoto spoke with slight realization.

"Correct," Kyoko nodded to his silent deduction, "I wanted you to draw Monokuma's attention."

"I took that opportunity to sneak into the headmaster's room. And as a result… I found this key."

"Wow…" was the only thing the luckster could say at the moment. Then he recalled something. "Then… what you told me about yesterday - did that come from the headmaster's room, too?"

And once again, the tension rose back up, the topic of the day now being addressed. Those like Hina and Taka held varied worried looks, while those like Byakuya and Celeste merely held their focus.

Mukuro herself was also concerned, though she did not show it. How much did Kyoko actually find out about her? How much of her involvement was revealed from what the detective found?

A flashback of Kyoko's revelation was shown before going back to the present. "Did you find out about this Mukuro Ikusaba while you were there?"

"I did find a file in the headmaster's room that talked about her, yes," the lavender-haired girl confirmed, "I don't know all the details yet, but… one thing I do know, is that Mukuro Ikusaba is dangerous."

Leon snorted a little at that. "Yeah, I would say that's an understatement," he said with some humor, "Don't need any top secret files to tell me that."

"You don't get to be called the Ultimate Soldier by being cuddly…" Mondo remarked in agreement. The light humor with the two did little to ease the tension in the room.

"D-Dangerous…?"

"She may very well be the mastermind," Kyoko stated bluntly.

"HUH?!" And just like that, half the class was taken by surprise by this declaration.

"Impossible," Byakuya said flatly, cutting down that idea instantly, "With Mukuro's clear death, there's no way that she would be the mastermind."

"Still, to say something like that… what did Kyoko find to warrant such a conclusion?" Celeste questioned with suspicion.

Sakura then decided to speak up. "Perhaps it was files about her time in the mercenary company Fenrir…" she offered, "After all, information such as that could alarm anyone that knew nothing of Mukuro or her existence."

"Perhaps… but I'm not quite certain of that," Celeste said, the explanation clearly not satisfactory, "It feels like there's something more than that."

"Does the Ultimate Soldier herself have anything to offer?" Byakuya called out the girl in question.

"..." However, he was met with silence, with Mukuro not offering him a gaze.

"Byakuya, please…" the lucky student pleaded with the Togami heir.

Byakuya let out a "tsk", but said nothing more, prompting a small sigh of relief from Makoto.

"M-Mastermind?!" Makoto exclaimed in shock, "But didn't Alter Ego say that the headmaster was probably the mastermind?"

"No… the headmaster isn't the mastermind, I'm sure of that," Kyoko refuted.

"What…?"

"I don't have proof yet, but I have no doubt I'm right," the girl insisted.

"...Ok, this is becoming really strange," Sayaka noted, her eyebrows crinkled in confusion, "Kyoko making a statement without proof? And being so confident about it?"

"Yeah, that doesn't sound like the Kyoko we know…" Leon said in agreement, eyes turned slightly towards the detective.

Said detective had a pensive look across her face, acknowledging that her counterpart's statement is not natural. Did… what does her future self know? How much does she know? Does she remember?

'To make such a strong statement without proof… that's not like Kyoko at all,'Makoto thought, surprised by the girl's words.

"Yeah…" Mondo nodded in agreement, "I mean, we all know that the headmaster isn't the mastermind, but they know shit."

"Do you think… could she be remembering her past?" Chihiro asked, looking around for anyone to have an answer.

"Maybe. But I don't think any of us can say that with any amount of certainty," Byakuya responded, eyes narrowed in suspicion, "All we can do is watch and see what more will be revealed."

'But… if it isn't the headmaster… does that mean Mukuro Ikusaba really could be the mastermind?'

"Anyway, this key is the one big opportunity we've been waiting to get our hands on," Kyoko stated, directing back the conversation to the key in her hand, "Now that we've grasped it, we can't let it go, can we?"

"Sure, but I mean… what does this key even unlock?" Makoto asked the obvious question.

"And there's the next question out of several…" Taka said, frowning in thought, "What door does it open? Does it even open any door?"

"...I think this is the main reason why Kyoko came to me," Makoto said, eyes widening in realization, "To figure that out."

"I don't know yet," Kyoko admitted, "Which is why… I need you to draw Monokuma's attention again, while I go and find out."

And now several more students joined in the realization of what she's planning.

"So, she plans on going back into the headmaster's room?" Leon questioned, eyes widening.

"But… that's way too risky, isn't it? Would it even work the second time?" Hina spoke in slight protest, "The mastermind could just ignore Makoto and see what Kyoko's doing!"

"We don't even know if the mastermind is just one person! There could be multiple people watching…" Taka added in.

"Wait, so you're planning on sneaking back in again?" the luckster deduced, eyes widening, "You can't! That's way too dangerous! And you want me to draw his attention, but we don't actually know that there's just one mastermind, right? If there's more than one person watching us…"

"But they didn't catch on last night, right?" Kyoko pointed out.

"That… is true." Sayaka recognized, "That mastermind had absolutely no idea that Kyoko snuck in, from the looks of it."

"You don't think that was just a fluke…?" Junko asked with a raised eyebrow, "Just lucky boy's luck kicking in this time?"

"Maybe. But the other possibility is that the mastermind can't do two things at the same time," Kyoko herself offered, looking to be deep in thought, "It hasn't been tested before, but it could be that they can't monitor us and control Monokuma at the same time. By controlling Monokuma, they take their eyes off the cameras watching us."

"...And your future self wants to test that, figure out if the mastermind is limited in that capacity," Byakuya deduced. Kyoko nodded.

"Exactly."

"Maybe we just got lucky…"

"Or maybe the mastermind can't monitor us and control Monokuma at the same time," Kyoko offered another conclusion.

"...Huh?"

"Like I said, we didn't get caught last night. But as you said, maybe it was just pure luck," Kyoko conceded somewhat, "Which is why we're going to run the experiment one more time. And if we're successful again… then what may have just been a lucky guess will be proven true."

"That… would be a magnificent tool if proven true," Celeste stated with clear interest, "If they need to do anything without the mastermind monitoring them, they can have one or two distract Monokuma while others go and gather what they can out of the mastermind's sight. They would be able to completely blind side them if used properly…"

"But it would have to be used sparingly. The mastermind could easily catch on to that kind of tactic, depending on the number of times it gets used, as well as space in between those times…" Sakura analyzed herself.

"And depending on what exactly that key unlocked… this could be a game-changer!" Sayaka said, her eyes lighting up at this.

"But… this'll all depend on if Kyoko's hypothesis is true or not," Taka noted with a frown, "And would it be worth the risk?"

"If it's true that the mastermind can't watch us and control Monokuma at the same time…" Kyoko continued. "...then there would have to be a period of time where the mastermind is vulnerable. What we need to do is find out for sure if that's actually true, and if we can exploit it."

"Maybe, but…" Makoto spoke up, still looking reluctant, "No matter what the reward, the risk is just too high. When I think about what might happen if we fail…"

"I don't think you need to worry all that much. After all…" a flashback of rule four of the school regulation was then shown, "No restrictions have been placed on our efforts to solve the mystery, am I wrong?"

"That is also true. Even the bear himself made it clear that he'll let us explore around the school…" Byakuya recalled, memories of the first chapter coming to mind, "So long as our travel remains within the boundaries of the school rules."

"But… didn't Kyoko grabbing the key-"

"No. Even when taking the key, Kyoko still held to the rules," Celeste quickly answered the question, "No rooms are prohibited from being entered; merely the act of breaking through locked doors is forbidden."

"And it was I who broke that lock, not Kyoko. And I'm already dead," Sakura continued for the gambler, "So it is true that no rule is actually being broken."

"And the diversion will keep Monokuma from taking the key back, or changing up the rule to suit his needs…" Mukuro added her own musing.

"Even when I took the key, I didn't break any rules as far as I can tell."

"But if the mastermind decides to do something, all the rules in the world won't matter," the lucky student argued back, "He could just kill us all without a second thought!"

"Makoto is correct. What is to stop the mastermind from disregarding their own rules and killing everyone on the spot?" Taka spoke in agreement with the future luckster, "It's already clear as day that the one behind this gives no value to human life, nor do they have any sort of honor."

"Yeah. If things get too sweaty for them, even with the boundaries of those rules, they can just go 'fuck it' and slaughter the survivors…" Mondo grunted, "Nothing can stop them from doing that."

"It really feels like playing with fire here…" Hiro sighed nervously, scratching the side of his head.

"I see…" Kyoko seemed to take that into consideration, "In that case, even if the plan fails, we'll still be able to prove or disprove that hypothesis."

"What…?"

"In a moment of crisis, will the mastermind break their own rules, or adhere to them no matter what?" the girl asked rhetorically, "In other words, we gain something whether we succeed or not. Now there's no reason not to do it, right?"

"...Your future self thought about this thoroughly, hasn't she?" Makoto realized, turning towards the detective, "Already weighed the pros and cons. The… risk vs reward benefit, that she mentioned before."

Kyoko nodded. "She most likely has, yes."

"You're really set on poking the bear like that…?" Leon asked incredulously, "You're seriously not worried about losing your life like that?!"

"This feels way too dangerous!" Hina spoke in agreement, biting her lip nervously, "Like a really big gamble! Too big of a gamble!"

"And we already tried such a gamble with Alter Ego, with no fruit gained!" Taka added as his own protest, "While the risk is negligible compared to previously, it's still too prominent not to be disregarded!"

As protest and reluctance of this plan continued to be voiced, and memories of what happened with Alter Ego fresh in students' minds, Byakuya spoke up. "Then tell me… what other choices do we have currently?" he asked the group, his tone severe, "All floors have been opened, and all avenues of escape blocked. The few rooms that are left unexplored are barred from us, with only one now available thanks to Sakura."

"Tell me, are there any options that don't involve confronting the mastermind at some level?"

The whole class went silent at the Togami heir's poignant question. Silently, many of them were seeing the point Byakuya was making. There was no safe way to get out of the school or find out more about it. No more secret passages for escape, no rooms opened with the information they need, nothing that they can get use from without any risk.

They were seeing that, in order for the survivors to escape or figure more things out, they needed to make some incredibly risky moves.

"B-But-!"

"If you spend all your time trying to avoid danger, you'll never move forward." Makoto was struck silent by Kyoko's statement. "We know the danger. But if that risk means solving the mystery, we have no choice." A smile then graced the girl's lips. "Am I wrong?"

"..."

"..."

"It's scary, I know, to confront someone with all the cards and power against you, to have to face such clear danger," Kyoko spoke up amidst the silence, "But it has to be done. The hope of escape will never be realized otherwise."

Several of the students took in Kyoko's words, both the future and their present version; with none able to refute what either were saying.

Makoto remained silent, staring at Kyoko in shock. "At that moment, I finally realized… I had never seen the slightest hint of fear or despair in Kyoko's eyes," Narrator Makoto spoke, "Her gaze was firmly fixed on the mystery ahead, the enemy standing before us. And with that in view… she just smiled."

"...You really are amazing, you know that Kyoko?" the lucky student couldn't help but say honestly. It got the attention of his classmates, but he continued. "Many of our friends have died, so little info was found, all the odds are stacked against us… yet you still focus on what's ahead. With no fear or doubt."

Makoto then graced Kyoko with a smile full of admiration. "That really is amazing."

The detective found herself flushing slightly, with her turning away from the luckster beside her. Honestly, if she had any less control of her emotions, she would've become an embarrassed mess at the words and smiles of admiration sent her way, more so because of how sincere it felt.

'Sometimes I wish he wasn't so foolishly open…' Kyoko thought to herself, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach.

"...Have to agree with Makoto there. Pretty damn impressive that you aren't the least bit scared," Mondo then spoke up. A small, jealous frown entered his face. "Doubt I would've been able to muster up that kinda courage…"

"Your spine got some metal laced into it, Kyoko," Leon remarked with a small whistle, "That's all I can say…"

"It's clear how you were able to gain the title of the Ultimate Detective…" Sakura said, nodding towards the detective in respect, "Your pursuit towards mysteries is unyielding…"

While not having the same effect as her favorite luckster, Kyoko took the compliments with an appreciative nod, regaining her composed look once more.

Meanwhile, Sayaka, Mukuro, Celeste, and Hina all held heavy pouts or jealous frowns across their faces, none of them liking the clear admiration their crush spoke for Kyoko. While they do get it on some level, it doesn't mean any of them had to like it.

"I can't change how I feel, and wouldn't if I could," the lavender-haired girl admitted. She then dug through her pocket before pulling out an envelope and handing it to Makoto.

"Huh?" Makoto looked at the envelope with confusion, "What's this?"

"Consider it a symbol of my determination," Kyoko answered vaguely, "Don't open it yet. Only open it… if something ever happens to me."

"I-If something happens?!"

"What?!" Kyoko's words caused Hina to drop her pout, replaced with widened eyes. "No, no, no! Don't drop those kinds of death flags Kyoko!"

"Yes! That almost always means that you'll end up dying at some point or another!" Hifumi squealed.

"A-At the very l-least, you're doing something that'll likely k-kill you…" Toko added, biting a nail nervously.

"Kyoko…" Now the luckster's gaze turned into one of concern.

Before the panic could have a chance to spread, Kyoko spoke up. "Relax. I doubt my future self is gonna do anything too dangerous," she reassured the group, "This is just a precaution, as there's always a chance of dying."

"I'm not planning on dying. But there's always a chance of it, and a death without meaning is… unappealing." Kyoko explained, "Please, I want you to hold on to it for me."

"Fine. I'll hold on to it, just because you asked me to," Makoto complied with her request, a tad reluctantly. Then he held a look of determination. "But I'm gonna give it back at some point, you can be sure of that!"

The words from the future Makoto brought fond sighs and chuckles from the students. "Ever the optimist, huh dude?" Leon said, grinning at his friend.

"Do you expect anything else at this point…?" Makoto replied back, chuckling sheepishly.

"Nope…!" Sayaka answered with a pop, smiling sweetly at him, "No, we don't."

"A Makoto without optimism means armageddon…" Hiro added in, laughing.

'That just means I have to work twice as hard to break him…!' Junko thought firmly, mentally shaking a fist in comedic determination.

"Yes… of course," Kyoko merely nodded to his statement, "Oh, and one more thing." She then held a slightly more stern look. "You can't tell anyone else what I've discovered."

"Sure, because then there's a chance the mastermind might find out, right?" Makoto agreed easily.

"Well… there's that, too," was what Kyoko said, her eyes diverting.

"...What do you mean, 'there's that, too'?" Byakuya asked with suspicion, eyes narrowed.

"W-What other r-reason is there not to tell us?" Toko spoke her own suspicious question.

Hina and Hiro, meanwhile, held confused looks, also wondering why else Kyoko wouldn't want them to know.

"Huh…?" Now a look of confusion and concern entered the luckster's face. "You mean… is there something else?"

"It's nothing. Forget I said anything," Kyoko waved his question off.

"No, no, no! You can't just say something like that and expect us to forget!" Hina protested, waving her arms around. She then let out a fry of frustration. "Kyoko's mystery act can be really frustrating sometimes!"

"No kidding…" Sayaka, Leon, Mondo, and Byakuya all mumbled.

"Any idea what future you is hiding there, Kyoko?" Junko asked, raising an eyebrow.

"...I can't say for certain at the moment what else my counterpart is thinking," was all the detective said, eyes diverting like her future self's. But she had a few ideas.

So did Makoto, judging by the small sigh he let out.

'I-I can't just forget that easily…'Makoto thought with some worry.

"Okay then, shall we begin?" Kyoko asked, directing the subject back to their goal, "I'm counting on you, Makoto."

"I just have to get Monokuma's attention, right? I'll give it my best shot…" Makoto told her determinedly.

"The two of you really have formed a strong partnership…" Taka observed in approval, "As Junko mentioned before, the two of you really have something of a special bond with one another."

"And now the two of you are working together, properly…" Chihiro spoke up, smiling, "I'm glad that you're working like an actual team."

"So am I, Chihiro…" Makoto told the programmer, a proud smile entering his lips. He's really happy that Kyoko's future self was relying on his future self, that she's trusting him to watch her back.

"Indeed…" Kyoko, likewise, was also satisfied with her counterpart placing her trust in Makoto. No manipulation, no bossing him around, none of the unpleasant traits that she's seen about herself.

And of course, Hina, Mukuro, Sayaka, and Celeste all found themselves jealous of the close bond Kyoko shares with Makoto. Not only jealous, but also… insecure, about their own bonds with their lucky student. Insecurities that stemmed from the actions their future selves had taken.

Sayaka clenched her fists together, recalling the reveal of her attempting to kill Leon and pin the crime on Makoto; Mukuro looked down morosely as her torn loyalty pressed against her mind; Celeste clenched her hands around her skirt, remembering her own attempt to escape, regardless of who she had to sacrifice; and Hina shook slightly as memories of her attempt to kill everyone, kill herself, kill Makoto, play fresh in her mind.

However, they quickly shook off the negative thoughts, knowing they can't stew on them. However, they still can't help but feel a bit jealous and just a tad bit insecure.

"I'm going on ahead. The rest is up to you…" With her curt goodbye, she left the room at her usual pace.

A worried look entered Makoto's face as he watched her go, a knot entering his stomach. But he quickly shook off that feeling. "No… everything's gonna be fine, I know it…!" he told himself. "Because it's Kyoko…"

"Always worried about her, always defending her…" Leon remarked teasingly, "You really do have it bad for her, huh dude?"

And, of course, that got the luckster beet red. "I-It's not like that…!" Makoto protested loudly, "I'm just worrying about her like I would any friend!"

"I don't know. This doesn't seem like the concern you would have for just anybody…" Byakuya remarked with a smirk, "It seems… different between you and Kyoko."

"It's not…!" Makoto whined, burying his embarrassed face into his hands. Kyoko, as usual, acted nonplussed about all the teasing, and of course, Sayaka, Mukuro, Celeste, and Hina all felt pouty or emanated dark auras.

The scene then showed Makoto walking out of the bathhouse and into the hallway.'Okay…! Let's do this!'

"Let's hope this works…" Hina muttered nervously, dropping her pout once again, and clasping her hands together. Several other students nodded in agreement, showing varied levels of nervousness.

"Hey, Monokuma! You can see me, right?!" Makoto shouted at the ceiling, "Get out here! I've got a bone to pick with you!"

It was quiet for a few seconds. Then… "Well, well, this is a surprise! You being the one to call me out…" Monokuma appeared in front of Makoto. "Hey, by the way!"

"H-Huh?"

"What were you and Kyoko up to? Going to the bathhouse? Just the two of you? In the middle of the night?" the bear questioned, looking all hot and bothered, "Definitely a hot and steamy moment, wouldn't you say?! So warm and wet, so wet and warm… I bet you guys-"

The things Monokuma said… it brought about flushed faces in many of the students. Hina, Chihiro, and Sayaka were some of the worst off, all three of them cherry red and covering their faces. Leon and Mondo weren't too far off, whereas those like Byakuya and Celeste merely held blank looks.

And Makoto… his head was literally steaming as the bear described, in detail, what he thought went on in there. Or what he imagined happened.

"-all over her, didn't you?!"

"...Wh-Wha… I just… huh… uh…" Hina felt her head sway dizzily as she attempted to make any sort of response to things said.

"And he calls himself a headmaster?!" Taka shouted in outrage, face as red as the others and one arm chopping rapidly, "No headmaster would say even a fraction of the things Monokuma described!"

"And I thought Toko had an imagination…" Leon shuddered, keeping his eyes away from Kyoko and Makoto.

"Indeed, Mr. Kuwata…" Hifumi, on the other hand, seemed to have enjoyed the vivid description given, judging by the drool across his lips.

"Muuu…" was the only sounds Sayaka could make, thoughts of Makoto doing those things to her unwillingly being played in her mind.

"..." Makoto could only continue to cover his face as he attempted to battle against his imagination. Trying extremely hard not to think of any of the things the mastermind claimed he and Kyoko were doing.

"..." Kyoko, on the other hand, kept her emotions in check and no embarrassment showed across her face. However, she kept her eyes away from Makoto, aware that any of the descriptions could cross her mind at any time if she looked at the lucky student.

"..." For once, Makoto refused to give the bear any sort of response.

"Not gonna talk, huh? Sure, I get it…" Monakuma sighed morosely, "Well, whatever. Unlike you, I have absolutely no interest in late-night bath scenes. Because I like to maintain a healthy life of observation, far away from X-rated X-ploits!"

"LIES!"

"BULLSHIT!"

"After laying out your fantasies like that?!"

"Like hell we would believe you!"

As the students cry out in indignation and disbelief, Junko mentally pouted. 'I don't, really!' She denied it in her head, 'I just like messing with you all, that's all!'

"Oh, is that why there's no surveillance cameras in the bathhouse?" Makoto asked, arms crossed.

"Bull's-eye!" Monokuma confirmed.

"Or is it maybe cuz the lens gets all fogged up, and you can't see anything anyway?"

"..." That got the bear completely silent, no retort or denial coming out.

"Sounds like that's the bull's-eye to me…" the luckster deadpanned.

For a moment, the group was taken aback by that interaction between Makoto and the bear. But after that moment passed, the group dissolved into laughter.

"Oh man, that was a good one dude!" Leon laughed, wiping away a tear, "Think that's the first time the bear got struck silent!"

"That burn was fucking good!" Mondo praised, leaning forward as he laughed himself.

"If the mastermind was capable of putting cameras there, it would be more than likely that they would've…" Celeste stated, giggling, "For practical reasons, if nothing else."

"No kidding…" Hina giggled out herself, "Too bad for him. No chance for pervy cameras!"

As the group took amusement from the bear's reaction, quickly getting past the embarrassment Monokuma had put them through, Junko actually started pouting. 'Make fun of me all you want! I'll get the last laugh in the end…!' She swore to herself.

"Anyway!" Monokuma growled, quickly changing the subject, "You went to all that trouble to get me out here, now whaddya want?!"

"Oh, well… umm…" Makoto stammered, "There's just something I wanted to confirm with you."

"Whether I'm a mademoiselle or a dudefella?" the bear guessed, "But in the bear kingdom, there IS no male or female!"

"Um… actually, there is…" the luckster deadpanned.

"Seriously?!" Monokuma gasped in mock shock, "Th-Then… what am I? My entire existence…"

"A monster?"

"An abomination?"

"A horror?"

"Psychopath?"

"Abnormality?"

Several listed off different insults of what Monokuma is. None of them held back in tearing apart the mascot used to torment them in the future.

"It's a good thing Monokuam loves to talk a lot…" Kyoko mused amidst the flinging of insults at the TV, "It makes it easier to keep him distracted."

"Yeah…" Makoto nodded in agreement, the blush across his face starting to fade now.

"That's enough! I'll get stuck if I think about it too much. So, what did you really wanna ask me?"

"Oh, well… you told us earlier that your precious had been stolen," Makoto recalled to him, "What's this 'precious' of yours?"

"..." Monokuma went silent at this, seeming almost in disbelief at what's being asked.

And just like the bear, the class was silent. And then slowly, they all turned towards the present lucky student, blank and disbelieving looks being leveled at him. Said luckster found himself shrinking under the stars, the blush that was fading slowly coming back in full force.

"...Are you serious?" Junko asked blankly, ''You're asked to distract the mastermind, buy time for Kyoko to do her search… and that's your best option?"

"...I was put on the spot?" The argument sounded weak to even Makoto himself.

As a result, laughter started bubbling up from the group, from subdued chuckles to full on laughing. The disbelief had quickly turned into amusement of Makoto's attempt at distraction.

"Listen… I'm sure this is a silly question, no way it's possible and all, but… is that seriously what you dragged me out here to ask me?"

"..." Now Makoto was silent, his posture now stiff and awkward.

"Even the fucking bear is in disbelief…" Mondo cackled, holding onto his stomach.

"When you annoy the guy who's the annoying one of the group, that's when you know you goofed…" Leon remarked, grinning.

"At least he's doing the job given to him…" Celeste sighed, disappointed at her luckster's acting.

The lucky student wished he could curl up in embarrassment, desiring the floor below him to swallow him whole. Sayaka's giggle from one side, as well as Kyoko's amused smirk from the other, did not help his embarrassment in the least.

Junko, on the other hand, had to keep herself from visibly fuming. 'Seriously?! Out of all things he could've said to distract me, to keep my attention, that's ALL he had?! Couldn't he think of anything even remotely clever?! Something with more meat in it?!'

She honestly feels insulted. More so because there's a likely a chance that it will work. She's an analyst, not a seer; she can't predict squat if there's nothing there TO predict.

"You got be kiddin' me! You gotta be 100-megaton freakin' KIDDING me!" Monokuma growled in pure irritation, "You're not gonna ask something useful, like how to get the best honey, or ursine breeding tips?"

"..."

"This is just crazy… are all pubescent teen boys as nutty as you?!" the bear exclaimed, "God, you're so annoying! Fine, I'll tell you! It was a key and ******! That's it!"

"...Uh, wha-...?"

"What did he…?"

"Did anyone…?"

"That second part…?"

"Huh?"

Makoto blinked. "What was that second thing…?"

"It's a blank, stupid! A secret! Fill it in yourself!" Monokuma retorted, "Making me trudge all the way out here for that… I'd like to see what's going on in that brain of yours! And the next time you summon me for something so stupid, I'll open up your skull and find out!" And, letting out more than a few swear words, Monokuma stormed off.

"...Well, he's pissed off," was all Leon could say, deciding to move past that supposedly blank second thing.

"After all the times he gets us annoyed or angered, I only consider it karma…" Sayaka huffed, not sympathizing at all with the monochrome bear.

"Damn straight," Mondo snorted, "About time someone gets under his skin."

"Hear, hear…!" Hina cheered, pumping a fist, "Three cheers for Makoto for annoying him enough…!"

"Guys, come on…!" Makoto whined pitifully, burying his face into his knees.

That earned another bout of chuckles and giggles. "Okay, okay, we'll stop…" Sayaka giggled out, ruffling her crush's hair affectionately.

"Whew…" Makoto let out a breath of relief, 'I hope I kept him distracted long enough…'

' Now all I can do is wait and hope Kyoko makes it out okay.'  A look of worry entered his face, before he shook it off. 'No, she'll be fine. It's Kyoko, after all. I'm sure she's fine… right?'

For a moment, more than a few students found some teasing words at the top of their tongues. However, they all refrained, feeling that the luckster had enough to deal with for right now, and the one who wouldn't care about Makoto's embarrassed state was too busy mentally raging over the lame distraction.

"So, is anyone feeling confident that this plan of Kyoko's is gonna work?" Mondo asked, looking around the room for confirmation.

"There are better odds than the previous one with Alter Ego, at least," Byakuya answered, "And even with the worst case scenario, there's something to be gained."

"But the worst case scenario is the death of the remaining survivors…" Hifumi moaned.

"As Kyoko said, we can't move forward by fearing the risks!" Taka lectured the fanfic creator, "They must press on for any hope of victory against the mastermind!"

"Besides that, we're likely overthinking this," Celeste spoke up, "Do remember that another death will happen, three days after the fourth trial. At the very least, none of the worst case scenarios will happen in the midst of those three days."

"...Oh. Right. Forgot about that." Hiro said sheepishly. And, judging by the others' sheepish or embarrassed looks, they saw just how caught up they were in that whole section.

"Speaking of which… the first day has passed," Sakura stated, now noticing that little fact, "And we'll soon be on the second day."

That announcement got everyone tense, their attentions now back on the screen. At this point, almost none of them can predict what's to come. With the reveal at the beginning of this chapter, as well as Kyoko's plan laid out to them, many felt that anything could happen.

None would have predicted the things that would leave them horrified, angered… and guilt-ridden.

Notes:

And that's the end. I hope you guys liked this chapter. Getting closer to the good stuff. Will probably just need to power through one or two more chapters (Maybe even skipping the FTEs if need be) to get there. Leave comments, kudos, bookmarks, and hits, and I will see you later.

Chapter 94: Watching Chapter 5: 100 Miles; Pain of a Junk Food Junkie Part 5

Notes:

Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So, I decided to skip the remaining FTEs. Apologies for those who want to see more, but I really wanted to get to the meat of the chapter; and the remaining ones were either not that important, or don't really fit with the characters' progression within the main story (Mainly Toko). So yeah, we're heading directly to the climax now (Though there is a little something I added here. Hope that'll make up for it, if only just a bit). Anyways, onto the chapter. I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

The next scene showed Makoto waking up from his bed, looking pretty out of it. 'My body feels so heavy this morning…' The luckster groaned. 'It must be because I was up so late last night.'

And of course, that got some concerned looks from the group. "You think future Makoto's okay?" Hina asked worriedly.

"Let's not worry just yet. Like he said, it may be just because he was up later at night." Kyoko interjected.

"Y-Yeah…" Makoto nodded in agreement with the detective. "I probably just need the chance to wake up more."

It then transitioned to the lucky student entering the dining hall; and being met with an irritated Byakuya. "You're one minute late, Makoto. How do you explain this?"

"Seriously, dude?" Leon, along with a few others, gave Byakuya incredulous looks. "You're pulling a Taka?"

"And what's wrong with Byakuya's statement?" Taka, of course, had no issue with the comparison. "It's important to stay punctual, especially during events like these! I'm more surprised Byakuya would feel similarly, considering his past lateness!"

Leon stared at the moral compass for a moment, before looking back at the Togami heir with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't compare me with the walking rule-book." Was all Byakuya said, crossing his arms defensively. "It is only when it comes to important events and tasks that I require punctuality."

"Meaning… anything you deem important?" Sayaka deadpanned.

"I fail to see how that's any different from what I just said."

"S-Sorry. I'm not feeling so great today." Makoto explained, still looking rather weak.

"You r-really think a tired excuse like that i-is gonna work?" Toko retorted irritatingly.

"Huh?" Hiro looked at the writer in confusion. "Are you allowed to talk again?"

"I don't recall giving you permission…" Byakuya spoke in agreement.

"Oof!" Junko voiced out with a snicker. "She just got snitched on…!"

In response, Toko aimed a bitter glare at Hiro, who raised his hands up defensively. "Hey, I was just saying! Thought you would follow that order until he says otherwise…!"

"Given her obsessed devotion to him, it's not a far-fetched thought, honestly…" Celeste remarked mockingly. Toko growled a little at that, but stayed silent, again not wanting to confirm or deny such claims.

"Huh…?" Toko looked shocked at that. "I-I just thought… I mean, since a d-day had passed, it had maybe r-reset…"

The writer then began quivering and groveling. "S-S-S-Sorry! Please don't hate me! Whatever my p-punishment is, I'll accept it! I'll hang a s-sign from my neck that says 'Bad Girl'! I'll clean your bathroom w-with my toothbrush…!"

"And this is why my future self moved to keep that mouth shut…" Byakuya stated, revulsion once again clear across his face. "Disgusting words such as that come out of it."

"...True. And it's not though you encourage such thoughts and words to come about." Celeste stated, nodding in agreement.

"I-I-I-I'm sorry, Master! I promise to not say such dirty words!" Toko began groveling to the Togami heir. "I'll c-clean my mouth t-t-thoroughly to make sure! I s-swear!"

"If you stop making disgusting comments like that, *maybe* I can forgive you." Byakuya responded with clear disgust.

"Th-Thank you! I won't make any more d-disgusting comments, I promise…! If I do, you can stuff m-my mouth full of trash…" A blush then appeared across Toko's face, with heavy breaths following. "As long as i-it's you and no one else, I d-don't mind…!"

"..."

"..."

"It's no use, dude. Gross stuff is coming out of her mouth no matter what…" Leon remarked with a sigh, shaking his head. "Might as well tell Mondo to stop cursing for an hour. You'll have a better chance there."

That earned a snort from the biker himself, making no comment to the claim.

"Just… how can someone enjoy that kind of abuse?" Hina asked, scratching her head in confusion. "I don't get it."

"It's probably best that we don't get it, Hina…" Sakura said with a sigh.

"It's no use. She's disgusting to the bone…" Hiro sighed.

"Anyway, where's Kyoko? I haven't seen her this morning…" Hina inquired. (That caused the students to perk up some more, eyes more focused on the screen)

"Not cool!" Hiro then exclaimed. "This is worse than being late for lunch, for a date, for your wedding, for anything!"

"Maybe she's mad about what happened yesterday, and she's not gonna show up anymore…" Hina suggested with some concern.

"..." A pensive look entered Makoto's face as the group talked about Kyoko's whereabouts. 'I can't tell the others why Kyoko might not be here… the best thing to do right now is just keep quiet.'

"...Think she found out what that key opened up?" Leon inquired, eyebrows furrowed.

"It could be. However, it wasn't the first time Kyoko disappeared, so we can't say for certain yet." Celeste mused.

"True." Sakura nodded in agreement. "It's best we wait until we get more confirmation."

"Whatever her reason, I'm curious to know what she *is* doing." Byakuya stated. "I know she's not in her room, so…"

"Oh yeah, you still have her key, right?" Hiro inquired.

And then suddenly, Monokuma popped up. "Ah, are you looking for Miss Kirigiri?"

"Wgah!" The fortune teller jumped back in shock. "What do you want now?!"

"I'm right, right? You're wondering where Miss Kirigiri is, right?" The bear pestered further.

That got the group tensing up. "W-Why is he asking…?" Hiro asked nervously.

"Does he know, or…?" Hina followed up, just as nervous.

"D-Do you know where she is…?" Makoto asked nervously.

"Hmm… well, it's hard to say…" Monokuma replied nervously.

"Huh?" Hiro looked at the bear in shock. "You don't know, either?!"

"He doesn't know." Byakuya confirmed for the fortune teller, his eyes narrowed. "That's why he's here - to try and prod us for information."

"...And there's our confirmation." The present Byakuya declared, eyes narrowed. "She definitely found out what that key opens."

"And now she's at a place where the mastermind can't see her." Celeste surmised, her eyes also sharpening. "So they're trying to find any sort of clue that would lead them to her."

"It also means… that Kyoko's theory was right." Sayaka added in, recalling what the future detective said earlier. "That the mastermind is limited between watching the monitors and controlling Monokuma."

"Hey, don'tcha hate it when you ask someone what their favorite movie is, and they name some indie bullcrap?" The bear then suddenly spouted off. "

"I feel like I'm g-getting whiplash, the way he changes s-subjects like that…" Toko hissed.

'Thank goodness. It looks like Monokuma really didn't notice…' Makoto thought with relief. 'So I guess our plan went off just fine last night. Which could mean…' A flashback of Kyoko's hypothesis was then shown. 'Could she have been right about that?'

"So… does that mean we one up the mastermind for once?" Hina asked, more eager than nervous this time. "Kyoko and Makoto actually blindsided the bastard?"

"Looks that way, Hina." Sayaka said, a smile entering her lips. "It really looks that way."

"And from the sounds of it, there are places that don't have cameras monitoring our every move." Leon pointed out, now grinning. "Which means Kyoko can do whatever she wants without them knowing!"

"Hell yeah!" Mondo pumped his fist with a grin. "Finally got the fucker in the dark!"

Makoto couldn't help but have an excited smile. Ever since the end of Sakura's trial, the tide has been turning. Their future selves are no longer dancing to the mastermind's tune. Now, the remaining survivors are moving to solve the mystery, defeat the mastermind, and get out of the school; and in turn, this'll give them the knowledge they need to stop this bad future from ever happening.

Junko, however, was much less excited, and had her eyes narrowed at the screen. This definitely wasn't something her future self accounted for. If the amnesiac detective can access places that were barred from her classmates, then it's likely she'll find stuff she isn't meant to find.

How will this shake up the killing game? And what will future Junko do now with these shake-ups happening left and right?

For once, these boring sections of the viewing got her interest.

"So? I was right? You're looking for Miss Kirigiri!" Monkuma continued pushing. "Any idea where she might have gone…?"

"Like we would tell you!"

"Does he think that's something we would inform him on?"

"Even if we had an idea, he would be the LAST person I share it with!"

"I wouldn't even give him any consideration!"

"Go fuck off somewhere else, you glorified teddy bear!"

"...We have no idea." Byakuya answered.

"And even if we did know, we wouldn't tell you!" Hina added fiercely.

"For serious!" Hiro exclaimed in agreement.

"Hmm… I see…" The bear then turned away from them pettily. "Well, fine. Whatever! I don't even care anymore! Sayonara, suckers!"

That merely earned scoffs and middle fingers from the students. "Did he actually think the survivors would reveal anything to him?" Celeste remarked, shaking her head. "Even Hiro would know to keep his mouth shut."

"Can you cut it with the pot shots at me, already?!"

"Probably felt that it was worth a try." Mukuro said with a shrug. "People can do mindless things at times, and not think of the consequences until later."

"Fair enough, I suppose." Celeste conceded.

He then disappeared once again, leaving the group of five to glance around at each other. "So… what was that just now?" Hina asked hesitantly. "Does that mean Monokuma doesn't know where she is, either?"

"It would seem that way…" Byakuya mused thoughtfully.

"Where the heck could she have gone…?" Hiro questioned, frowning.

"Don't you think we should all go look for her?" Hina suggested.

"And how would you suggest we approach that task?" Byakuya retorted. "Even Monokuma can't seem to locate her…"

"Yeah… how can he not know where she is?" Hiro wondered.

"So strange…" Hina hummed herself.

"..." And once again, Makoto was completely silent on this. 'Kyoko must have used that key to sneak into some unknown part of the school…' He thought to himself. 'But somewhere even Monokuma wouldn't notice? Where could it be…?'

"Considering how big the school is? A LOT of places." Leon remarked.

"Totally." Hina bobbed her head in agreement. While not as massive as the new school building, the old one was still pretty spacey.

Meanwhile, Kyoko was silent, merely taking in all the information and excitement. She won't let this get to her head just yet; there's still the chance the mastermind might pull something, and stop her future self's chances at solving the mystery.

But this was a step in the right direction. And with the knowledge this viewing WILL give them all that they need, it gives her confidence this'll lead to something worthwhile.

The scene then shifted Makoto and the others leaving the dining hall, with the luckster not looking any better from this morning. 'Breakfast didn't help me feel any more upbeat, that's for sure.' He thought to himself, letting out a breath. 'I feel like this is more than just me staying up late last night…' The screen then slowly faded to blackness.

And just like that, concern for the lucky student has returned. "Is it a good time to worry now…?" Junko asked, feigning concern over Makoto.

"Yeah, that definitely sounds like more than just late night sleepiness…" Leon remarked with a frown.

Sayaka gave her luckster a worried look. "Hey… do you think you got sick somehow?"

Makoto rubbed the back of his head. "Probably…" He answered sheepishly. "I… do get sick rather easily."

Hina let out a frustrated groan. "I told you before that you're soft! You need to get more training! Stop letting these colds beat you!"

"Um… I don't think it's that simple, Hina…" Chihiro voiced hesitantly.

Hina ignored him, however. "You definitely need to go do my towel massage remedy! That'll make sure you never catch another cold!"

'Would it really…?' Makoto thought with a sweatdrop, wondering how effective her remedy really is. A blush then came soon after, recalling what exactly the swimmer does in her routine.

When the screen lit back up, it showed Makoto walking into his room, looking worse than better. A groan let his lips, as he wrapped his arms around himself. "I'm getting the chills…"

'I feel kinda… dizzy…'

The concern grew further amongst the students, eyes even shifting back and forth from the screen, to the present lucky student.

"Makoto…" Sayaka murmured worriedly, grabbing her crush's arm.

"This illness sounds more and more worrying…" Kyoko stated, eyes narrowed. Silently, she grabbed Makoto's other hand, squeezing it for comfort.

"How did he get an illness this bad…?" Taka couldn't help but ask, eyebrows furrowed.

"Knowing the lucky student, it could be in a variety of ways." Byakuya pointed out, though much of his usual dryness was left from his tone.

The luckster himself couldn't refute that, knowing how bad and unpredictable his luck can be. He could only look at the screen with a frown of his own, hoping that it won't lead to anything worse.

For a moment, Makoto was silent. Then… "I can't help it… I need sleep…"

'Nighttime wasn't for a while, but… I felt like my body had reached its limit…'

"It looks like we'll be skipping those… events, as they are called…" Celeste mused, who appeared to be rather calm. A closer look will tell you that she's anything but, the girl being rather tensed, a hand slightly clenching her skirt, and the underside of her lips being bitten slightly.

"With how bad Makoto looks, I can see why he didn't talk with anyone…" Hina, however, did not bother hiding her worry, and was clearly anxious.

"..." Again, Mukuro didn't speak. Merely clenched her hands together nervously, with her face scrunched up in anxiousness.

With that thought, Makoto dropped onto his bed in a heap. As his head hit the pillow, the screen immediately went black.

Slowly, the screen lit back up to show Makoto's restless sleep, before fading into darkness once more. It did so again and again, showing the luckster shifting in bed, in his fit of restlessness and sickness.

"What the hell kind of bug did the dude catch…?" Mondo questioned, eyebrows scrunched up in worry.

"I don't know, man. But it doesn't look good." Leon remarked, eyeing his friend in concern.

None of the students liked seeing the future Makoto suffer like this. It may not be that serious of a sickness, sure, but it still looked pretty bad nonetheless. So seeing their class representative, their favorite lucky student, out like this is more than a bit unpleasant.

Well, almost none of the students enjoyed this. Junko herself was taking a bit of amusement from this scene. 'Random events always happen with Lucky boy. It can be fun to watch sometimes.' Of course, she had to hold back any giggles bubbling up from her lips.

As the screen faded to blackness once again, a voice spoke through it. "I under…" It started. "Understand…"

'That voice… it's so familiar…' Makoto thought to himself. 'Ah-! It's…'

"I… understand…"

'It's… me…'

That earned a few blinks from a few students. "Is he… dreaming?" Chihiro asked uncertainty.

"It would appear so, Mr. Fujisaki…" Hifumi confirmed, looking curious. "A fever dream, of some sort?"

"But why show this?" Byakuya questioned, crossing his arms. "What importance would such a dream have?"

"We're about to see…" Kyoko was the one to respond to the Togami heir, eyeing the screen with some level of focus.

Slowly, a… version of Makoto appeared in the midst of the darkness. "I… understand…" He repeated once again. "I should… understand everything."

"W-What is he t-talking about?" Toko questioned, a frown of confusion marred on her face. "U-Understand what?"

"Is this some cosmic level warning of some sorts…?" Hiro asked himself, a hand over his chin. "Some sort of glimpse into the future or pasts that'll give him pieces to the mystery of things…"

"Aren't you supposed to be the clairvoyant here, not Makoto?" Leon replied with a sweatdrop.

"Hey, it doesn't mean that others can't tap into the power of clairvoyance from time to time!"

"My goal isn't to get out of here… it's… to stay here."

'...Huh?'

"...What?"

"Huh…?"

"What is he…?"

"Why would…?"

'What am I trying to say…?'

"Hope… this is all… for hope. And that's why… I have to stay…"

And that moment… it began to click in several minds as to what's going on. "Is he… is this a memory of some kind?" Sayaka gasped.

"Rather than just a memory… this feels like this is a Makoto who remembers everything." Kyoko theorized, looking in thought. "The fever he is experiencing… it must be bringing his memories back, at least in some capacity. And we're seeing a lucid realization, or remembrance, from the sick Makoto."

Suffice to say, the group was somewhat stunned by this. "Dude… that luck is yours is something." Leon remarked to his friend. "Can't say what, but it's… something."

"Tell me about it…" Was all Makoto could say, looking pretty resigned to the randomness his lucky status brings him in life.

"So in regards to what he's saying, about 'staying here'..." Taka spoke up, looking pensive. "Is he… talking about Hope's Peak?"

"I can't think of anywhere else he would be talking about." Kyoko answered.

"I have… to stay here."

"Just… what's going on here?" Hina cried out anxiously; confusion, fear, and frustration mixed within her. "What's gonna happen in the future?!"

"Just how horrifying is this Tragedy…?!" Taka questioned right after, looking just as anxious. "Just how bad are these events that require such drastic measures?!"

"Are… Are things outside that bad? To the point a Makoto with his memories would still prefer staying within the building?" Sayaka asked fearfully, the question mainly to herself.

Confusion, anxiety, frustration, these were all feelings felt by the class as a whole. All of them wanted answers, to know what's going outside the walls of Hope's Peak, why Makoto would feel like he needs to stay here. At the same time though… many feared what that answer was. They know that things are bad; they just don't know how bad.

'Is… Is this really all for hope? Truly?' Makoto asked himself, staring at his counterpart pensively. 'If the mastermind didn't do this… if the killing game wasn't brought into the building… if our memories weren't taken… would this have been something that would've brought us hope?'

Finally, the screen flashed back to Makoto in his bed, the boy still looking pretty ill. As the camera got a close-up at his face, the lucky student slowly opened his eyes. "Ah-grh!" He groaned. "My dream just now… what…? So strange…"

His eyes suddenly caught something. "Huh…?" When he got a better look at that something, his eyes popped wide open.

Cause hovering over his bed, was the masked man, with a knife in hand. "Gh-! Gwaaaaah!"

"MAKOTO!" Shrieks practically leapt out of Sayaka's and Hina's mouth.

"NO!" Mukuro stood up from her seat, eyes dilating in fear and skin white as a sheet.

"FUCK!" Both Leon and Mondo cursed out, also standing from their seats.

"T-The masked man!" Chihiro stuttered out, shrinking in terror for his friend.

"Makoto…!" Even Kyoko and Celeste lost their composure, both girls looking fearful for their luckster.

The boy could only stare with wide, fearful eyes, fearful of what might happen to him.

The screen then went black once again, the only thing there being sounds of a struggle and footsteps.

"What's going on?! What's happening?! What are they doing to Makoto?!" Question after question left Hina's lips, the swimmer looking to be on the verge of a panic attack once again.

"He's gonna die! The masked man is gonna kill him!" Hiro shrieked, hands holding his porcupine head. "He's sick, and has nowhere to run! He's done for!"

"S-Stop spreading unnecessary fear like that, Hiro!" Taka quickly chastised the teen, though his voice was wavering some. "We cannot let ourselves devolve into panic!"

"Agreed. We cannot let fear override our thoughts." Sakura spoke in agreement, one of her arms wrapped around the panicked Hina. "After all, the masked assailant was shown to us as a corpse in the beginning."

"But how the hell did that happen? Who killed them?" Leon asked, sounding somewhat frantic. "Cause I know for sure Makoto ain't able to do something like that right now!"

'...He'll be okay… he'll be okay… he'll be okay…' Sayaka repeated in her head, eyes closed shut and small whimpers leaving her mouth. The grip she had on his arm was now iron-tight, to the point where it could easily stop blood circulation.

Kyoko narrowed her eyes in a fierce glare, her mind already going through theories as to the who and the why. Considering the events that has taken place before… It painted a very obvious picture.

Junko, meanwhile, looked at the scene with interest. She immediately knew that it was her doing this, and got a good guess as to why. That amnesiac detective was getting too close to figuring things out, to ruining her plans for despair… so she needed to be taken out. Her, and lucky boy. 'So this is future me's reaction, huh?'

After a moment of struggling, the screen went silent. Then the sound of panting came through, likely from Makoto. Slowly, the screen lit back up, to now show Kyoko in the spot of where the masked man was at. "Nn…?"

"K-Kyoko…?" Chihiro stuttered out.

"Did… did she scare off the masked guy?" Hina asked hesitantly, fearful yet hopeful at the same time.

"Did she know that Makoto was gonna get targeted…?" Hiro wondered, still looking a bit rattled. "Is that why she's here?"

"It could've been just a coincidence…" Byakuya guessed. "Events that we have not seen may have placed her close to Makoto's room…"

"Either way, I'm glad she's there…" Sayaka said with clear relief. Despite that relief, however, she maintained a tight grip on Makoto's arm.

Kyoko, likewise, had a tight grip on Makoto's hand from his other side. Both things the luckster couldn't help but notice, their grips getting close to being painful. All he could do was squeeze back Kyoko's hand for comfort, despite his own fears; the same thing with Sayaka's as well, once he was able to lock fingers together within her grip.

"Kyoko…?"

"..." The girl herself remained silent.

"What the…? What did you…?" Makoto spoke tiredly, still not fully lucid.

"..."

"What did you… say?"

"..."

And once again, the screen slowly went dark.

"What the hell is going on?" Mondo questioned in confused irritation. "The hell are they saying to each other?"

"I guess that Makoto's still too delirious to fully comprehend everything going on…" Sakura mused. "And with this being in his point of view for the most part, we won't be able to comprehend it either."

"Does that mean we won't know what Kyoko or Makoto said to each other, ever…?" Hina asked her friend, now having calmed down some.

"It would appear, so." Celeste answered, also gaining back her composure.

The sound of the bell then entered the speakers, with the screen lighting up to show the usual morning announcement. As soon as the announcement was made, the scene transitioned to show Makoto slowly waking up from his sleep.

A sigh left the lucky student's lips, before he fully got himself up from bed, a drench of sweat being shown across his skin.

Seeing the future lucky student alive and well, if not exhausted looking, caused several to sag in relief. Both Hina and Sayaka let out heavy, relieved breaths, with the idol snuggling closer to Makoto; Mukuro noticeably deflated, a hand placed over her heart as she let out calming breaths; even Kyoko and Celeste had noticeably softened, small sighs leaving their lips.

"Damn. You look like shit, dude." Leon noted to the luckster. "Not that I can blame you, though."

"With both that severe sickness and the assassination attempt, it would be surprising if he didn't look bad…" Taka stated.

"Y-Yeah…" With the danger to his life mostly out of the way now (Which prompted a sigh of relief from himself), some of the focus was now directed to the idol cuddling up to him once again. And as usual, it brought blush to his face; however, he did his best to ignore it, knowing that Sayaka likely needs that comfort.

"...the dream I'd caught." Makoto murmured to himself. 'What the hell was that…? I mean… was it even really a dream?'

"Is he talking about the dream of himself saying he had to stay… or does he think that he dreamt of the attack sequence during the night?" Hifumi inquired.

"With how lethargic he was, it likely be either. Or both." Kyoko answered. "It'll depend on how much he remembers that night."

"Yeah, that's true." Hina bopped her head in agreement. "He really was pretty out of iiiiii-…"

Hina found herself tongue-tied when she got a glimpse of the next scene. Similarly, everyone else was taken aback by what was shown next, more than a few eyes widening. Why? Because…

The screen shifted to Makoto in the shower, the boy looking deep in thought as the water cascaded around his skin.

Suffice to say, that little scene got several reactions.

Mondo bursted out laughing, steadying himself by holding his knees. "We're watching the dude shower now?!"

"Nope!" Leon turned away from the screen, almost instantly. "Nope! Nu-uh! That's an image I don't need in my head!"

"What is with these explicit scenes?!" Taka shouted in outrage, standing up and chopping his hands rapidly. "This kind of material is not welcome in a school environment!"

"..." Byakuya merely had an unamused look across his face.

"Is this a fanservice scene for our female audience, I wonder?" Hifumi mused, turning his attention towards the females in question.

Said female audience, specifically those crushes on the naked boy on screen… found themselves a tad overwhelmed. Both Hina and Sayaka found themselves beet red once again; Mukuro also had an atomic blush, her stoic look completely vanishing; even Kyoko and Celeste lost their composure, eyes opened in shock and small blushes coming across their own cheeks.

'Huh. Looks like our little herbivore man is more carnivorous than previously thought.' Junko thought, mildly caught off guard by the luckster's physique.

And as for the unfortunate lucky student… he was beet red. Steaming. Completely mortified by the viewing… exposing him for his classmates to see.

'That's right. I remember last night…' Makoto recalled to himself. '...I came down with a fever, and couldn't quite get to sleep. And I… I heard a voice… I didn't really understand… and then, all of sudden, I was awake.'

"It… seems as though Makoto doesn't remember… what's been said…" Kyoko said with a small cough, trying to take her mind (And eyes) off the shower scene. Keyword, try. "Or just… understand what was meant…"

"Not surprising, with the amnesia and all…" Celeste, meanwhile, made no attempt to move her eyes away from the screen. She gladly took in the very pleasing view.

"A-Are you really that buff Makoto…?" Hina didn't even bother to focus on Makoto's thoughts. Her focus was currently on covering her eyes (Though there was a small gap that made such covering pointless). "Sakura… didn't you say that he was average in build?"

"I did…" Sakura admitted with a nod, scrutinizing the showering future Makoto. For reasons different from the majority of her female classmates. "My guess is that his hoodie hides his physique, even with physical inspection…"

"Don't forget his small size…" Junko added with a giggle.

"..." The Ultimate Soldier was unable to say anything, feeling overwhelmed by the sight of a naked Makoto.

"So he really is strong!" Chihiro said eagerly, smiling widely. "I knew you were strong, Makoto! I just knew it!"

"Yeah, he really does look… strong…" Sayaka gulped, finding herself unable to look away from the scene; the very pleasing scene. In her ogling, her hold on Makoto's arm slackened significantly.

"..." Once again, Makoto buried his face into his hand, embarrassed beyond words. "Why me…?"

"Well, you did peep on us girls in the third chapter…" Kyoko reminded Makoto, deciding to use the chance to mask her flusteredness with amusement. "Consider this your overdue punishment for your misdeed…" The luckster could only groan in response, prompting a giggle from the detective.

Toko, meanwhile, looked just as unamused as Byakuya; the writer grumbling about wanting to see her master showering instead.

'And there was a strange person standing next to my bed, wearing a… mask.' A flashback of the night was then shown. 'And… they were holding a knife.'

The flashback sobered up the group, with some even flinching a bit at the reminder of what happened.

"Wait…" Hiro spoke up, eyes now focused on the knife in the assailant's hand. "Is that… is that Mukuro's knife?"

Eyes turned sharply at the knife in question, Mukuro's especially. More than a few widened at the very similar looking knife. "It… does look pretty similar to Mukuro's knife…" Hina said hesitantly.

"It could just be coincidence, and it's actually just another survival the masked individual had on them." Byakuya offered. The narrowed look in his eyes tells the class it wasn't a theory he's fully placing his chips on. "However…"

"We will need proof before we can say either way." Kyoko stated. And it will be pretty easy to find that proof…

The screen then went back to the shower. 'I want to say I fought them off, but… I don't actually remember. I felt like my mind had been detached from my body, burning up with fever.'

The return to the shower brought back flush faces to the five obvious girls; however, they did their best to put their focus on Makoto's thoughts this time.

"Could he have fought them off? The dude was really out of it there…" Mondo pointed out with a frown.

"Perhaps not fully, but I would say he would still be capable of putting up some sort of fight." Sakura answered. "And we did hear something of a struggle happening…"

"We did, true…" Celeste nodded in remembrance, recalling the sounds that came from the blackened screen, after the appearance of the masked man.

'I was far away, watching my body move on its own. And because of that… I don't really remember what happened.' Makoto continued with his thoughts. 'But still… I feel like I resisted them desperately, feverishly… after that, things go black again. The next thing I remember…'

'...Kyoko was there.' The next flashback showed Kyoko standing over Makoto. 'But… what would she have been doing in my room?'

"He doesn't think she was protecting him…?" Taka asked with slight confusion.

"A lot of what was going on was pretty hazy, at least Makoto's point of view…" Sayaka pointed out. "It would be difficult to put everything together, when you could hardly recollect everything that happened."

"That's true. Fair enough…" Taka nodded in acceptance to that.

The scene showed Makoto stepping out of the bathroom, now fully clothed. "What a strange dream." He muttered, shaking his head. 'No… was it really a dream? How can I possibly find out either way…?' His eyes then went to the direction of his desk.

At this, several students tensed up, seeing that they're about to find out whether or not the knife in question was Mukuro's.

'If the knife isn't in the drawer, which would mean the masked assailant grabbed it, that would mean…' Kyoko mused to herself, eyes narrowed.

He moved over to his desk, and opened the drawer where he kept the knife… only to find it empty. "Huh…?"

And with that, the question was answered. "So the fucker did steal Makoto's knife…!" Mondo growled.

"Which would mean… they knew where it was at. They knew where he was hiding it." Byakuya spoke in realization. "But that would mean…"

"They saw for themselves that Makoto stored it there." Kyoko stated confidently. "As far as we know, he didn't tell anyone where he stored the knife. So no one would know where to look… except for the one who's capable of seeing what he's doing."

At that moment, most, if not all the students, realized the more than likely culprit. "The mastermind…" Makoto breathed out.

Kyoko nodded firmly. "All signs point to the mastermind being the masked individual, both now and when the files were taken."

"But… didn't they say they wouldn't interfere with the killing game?" Taka spoke in slight protest. "Why would they go and attempt to break the rules they've done their best to uphold?"

"Isn't it obvious? It's because we're getting too close to solving the mystery." Byakuya answered briskly. "We were actually becoming a threat. So the mastermind had to put a stop to this."

"But… isn't Kyoko the one who stole the key? And was missing that entire day?" Hiro pointed out in confusion. "Why attack Makoto?"

Byakuya let out a long suffering sigh. "Think about it, fool. You want the game you created to continue, yet your prisoners are doing things to undermine that… what will you do to stop them, without resorting to openly killing anyone outside of the rules set?"

While his words confused some, others got to thinking. After a moment, it started clicking. "Were they… were they planning to kill Makoto? And frame someone else for the killing?" Sayaka guessed, her skin paling in horror.

The Togami heir nodded firmly. "Most likely, Kyoko, considering her involvement in things." He guessed. "If your players refuse to continue the game you set, what better way is there than to go in there yourself and start it back up again?"

Not only did it horrified the group… it also incredibly pissed them off. "That motherfucker…!" Mondo nearly roared, standing from his seat yet again. "Now that they aren't dancing to his tune, he decided to fucking CHEAT?!"

"Should we be surprised? Ain't the first time the fucker did something underhanded…!" Despite Leon's dry tone, his voice held a heavy lace of clear anger.

"He talks about valuing his precious rules so much, but goes and does this…!" Hina growled hatefully. "That bastard has NO leg to stand on now! He can only crawl places now!"

"If Kyoko wasn't there, they would've killed Makoto…" Chihiro muttered shakily, wrapping his arms around himself. "She would've been framed, and… there only would've been four left…"

As for Makoto… he was shakened. Pale. Cold sweat went across his skin as he understood how close he was with death. Like Chihiro said… Kyoko wasn't there…

Before he could dwell on that further, he was brought out of his thoughts by Sayaka crashing into him in a hug. "You're okay…" She whispered in his ear. "You're okay… you're okay… you're okay…"

He honestly wasn't sure if she was saying this for his sake, or for herself. Nevertheless, he returned the hug with just as much fervor. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay…" He whispered back, his eyes closed.

Meanwhile… Mukuro was far from calm. The soldier looked as if she was suffering from PTSD, with her skin completely ashened yet again, eyes dilating and shining with guilt, and body shaking heavily. Even if she wanted to, the soldier doubted she could gain back control of her body.

Makoto was gonna get killed. He was gonna get killed with her knife. That knife was held by her sister.

Just the thought of Junko being successful in her attempt… it left her with a nausea she rarely ever felt. It also told her how much her heart opened to the luckster in her life, to the point that his brush of death left her this affected.

Meanwhile, once Sayaka and Makoto finished their hug, the latter turned towards the detective beside him. "Kyoko… thank you…" Makoto said sincerely, pouring as much gratitude in his voice as possible. "You saved my life… if you didn't show up like you did…"

In response, Kyoko grabbed his head once again, giving it a squeeze. "You don't have to thank me for that." She told him honestly. "I'm just glad I was there when I needed to be…"

"Yeah…" Makoto let out a shaky breath, still a bit rattled by realization of what would've happened to his future self.

'It's empty. There's nothing inside…' He thought, before mumbling, "That's… strange."

'Because it definitely wasn't before. I'm positive I put the knife I got from Toko in here…'

"Wait, that means…" Makoto recalled the night before once again. 'The knife they told me to keep safe…! I knew it… I just had a feeling… it wasn't a dream, after all!'

'But if that's true, this all makes even less sense…' The luckster held his head in confusion. 'Why would someone have wanted to attack me? And who was behind the mask? And why was Kyoko…?'

"What the hell is going on…?" Makoto found himself asking. After a moment of silence, he shook his head before going to the door. "I should head to the dining hall. Then I can talk to everyone else about it…"

"...Wait, I just realized…" Hifumi spoke up, eyes glinting in realization. "This is the third day. The day where the murder will happen."

That got a jolt from the group. "Wait, does that mean… that the mastermind is dead?" Leon questioned, surprise etched in his features. "They're the one that kicked the bucket?"

"No… no, that seems too easy…" Byakuya denied, suspicion clear in his eyes. "Especially with Makoto deeming it as the worst possible thing…"

"Are we even absolutely positive that this guy is the mastermind…?" Hiro asked, scratching his head. "It could be just some rando, or something…"

"It could've been a possibility to consider, if not for the fact that the mastermind showed themselves limited in regards to monitoring us and controlling Monokuma…" Celeste pointed out. "The knowledge of their limitations makes it highly unlikely. Near impossible, even…"

"So, then… what's going on here?!" HIna cried out, holding her head. "What is happening here…?!"

It's a question none of them could answer. All they could do was make guesses, make deductions, and just continue this, in order to find those answers.

Notes:

And that's the end. I hope you guys liked this chapter. More and more, we're getting close to the end folks. While I've enjoyed writing this fic, I'm eager to see it done (And I bet at least some of you feel similarly). Also, hope you guys liked the shower scene I added in here. I know quite a few of you were clamoring for it, and I did look for a good spot to place a reaction for it in. I found it.

Anyways, next up the class will witness what four of the survivors have been doing overnight, just before the next deadly life begins. Leave comments, kudos, bookmarks, and hits, and I will see you later.

Chapter 95: Watching Chapter 5: 100 Miles; Pain of a Junk Food Junkie Part 6

Notes:

Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So, this chapter felt… weird, to write. Thanks to the early reveal of chapter 5, it made the second half of this chapter kinda difficult; kinda awkward. Hopefully, that doesn’t mean it feels weird to read for you guys; but if it does, well, you were forewarned. Anyways, onto the chapter, where the class witnessed the third day of the fifth chapter starting. I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

The next scene showed Makoto entering the dining hall. Inside was just Hina, with two trays of food on the table. "Ah, Makoto!" The swimmer exclaimed happily. "Yup, that's Makoto, sure as the sky!"

"Hey, Hina…" Makoto waved at her tiredly.

A concerned frown then entered Hina's face. "You really had me worried, ya know? What happened to you last night?"

"Worried…?" The luckster turned to her questionably at that.

The group also held curious looks at that. "Why would she have been worried?" Taka asked in bemusement. "Could she have tried to contact Makoto during his sickness?"

"Probably. That would explain it…" Sayaka said in agreement.

"Yeah, right after nighttime hit, we all went to get you." Hina revealed. "We were hammering away at your doorbell, but you never answered."

"...And apparently, she wasn't alone." Junko added, blinking.

"So Hina, Hiro, Toko, and Byakuya gathered together to get Makoto?" Celeste summarized, also looking bemused.

"Hey, you forgot Kyoko." Hiro pointed out.

"I have not." Celeste denied it easily. "I'm discounting her since she was there when the masked assassin made their attempt. If she was with the group, Hina would've already known what happened and would've shown a more exponential amount of worry."

"We thought maybe you'd been… you know…" She then quickly added, "I mean, not that'd actually happen! I mean, nobody here would wanna - you know!"

"And this proves further that she was unaware of either the assassination attempt, or of Makoto's sickness."

"Alright. Kyoko wasn't with the group." Leon acknowledged with a nod. "Still doesn't explain shit about why they were knocking on Makoto's door."

"It wasn't meant too, Leon dear. I'm just simply adding context to what we are hearing and seeing." Celeste stated, with one of her 'sweet' smiles. The baseball star shuddered a bit at that hidden venom beneath that smile, and kept his eyes away from the gambler.

"So anyways… what were you doing?"

"I didn't feel good, so I went right to bed. I had no idea you guys even showed up…" Makoto explained, a tad sheepish. "But why did you come to get me? Did something happen?"

"Umm… well, lots of stuff, actually. I'm not sure I can really explain…" Hina said, looking in thought. "Let's go meet up with everyone else, then they can tell you about it!"

"So… is everyone waiting somewhere else or something?"

"Oh, yeah! We all stayed up the whole night!" Hina explained.

"They stayed up the whole night…?" Mondo raised an eyebrow at that. "What the hell were they doing?"

"Something important if they took an entire night for this…" Byakuya surmised, eyes narrowed.

Makoto's eyes widened in shock. "The whole night…?!"

"I lost at rock-paper-scissors so I had to come get breakfast everyone…" The swimmer continued, rubbing the back of her head. Then she perked up. "So you got here just in time! C'mon, help me carry it."

"O-Okay, sure…" Was all Makoto could say, moving towards one of the trays of food.

Hina then headed to the exit, the other tray already in hand. "Everyone's in the gym. Hurry up, I'll meet you there!"

'The gym…? Why's everyone in the gym?' Makoto thought with confusion. "And… the entire night?"

"I already have a lot of questions, and I'm just getting more…" Hiro couldn't help but say, looking lost.

"Well, at least this question will be answered pretty soon." Leon pointed out. "So don't worry about getting a headache there, dude."

The next clip showed Makoto entering the gym this time, the tray of food in his hands. "Ah, there he is!" Hina called out, drawing the attention of Hiro, Toko, and Byakuya.

"This is worse than being late for your wedding, the birth of your son, and your own funeral, all at once!" Hiro exclaimed.

"Jeez. To show up now, like it's no big deal…" Byakuya scoffed in displeasure.

"You made us s-stay up all night, while you slept like a b-baby in your bed…?" Toko hissed.

Some of them would've mentioned how rude they were being. That Makoto was not, in fact, sleeping like a baby, and was pretty much writhing in agony.

But such comments died on their lips when they noticed what the group was surrounding. With the item in question taking everyone off guard.

"Huh…?"

"What are…?"

"How the…?!"

"Why…?!"

Before Makoto could say anything, he noticed the four circling around something. And that something… "What the-?!"

Was the remains of a Monokuma.

"What the hell?!" Mondo exclaimed loudly in shock.

"What are they doing?!" Hifumi squealed alarmingly.

"How did- what the- why on-?" Taka stammered, trying to wrap his mind around this stunning development.

"Why are they tearing apart Monokuma?!" Hiro asked fearfully.

"And how are they not dead?!" Leon voiced incredulously

Those like Makoto and Sayaka could only look at the screen with wide eyes, stun; while those like Byakuya and Kyoko analyzed the scene with narrowed eyes, trying to figure out what led to this.

Even Junko was taken aback a bit by this sudden development; though her analytical mind quickly deduced that she had been absent, and so four of her remaining classmates took the chance to dismantle Monokuma. She probably even left the bear for them to dismantle, so they could be properly distracted, leaving a dead Makoto and a Kyoko with no alibi.

"Wh-What are you doing?" Makoto cried out in shock.

"What does it look like? We're dismantling it to see what makes it tick." Hiro said casually, the main one deep into dismantling the robot.

"Dismantling?!" The luckster repeated incredulously. "But I mean… that's Monokuma you're messing with, right?!"

"Yeah, that's right." Hina nodded, her eyes focused on the remains.

"She's not even fazed…!" Makoto mumbled numbly.

"Can we get some context here? Cause it looks like those four are begging the bear to drop a bomb on them!" Leon stated, completely stupefied.

"You spoke too soon on the headache, man...!" Hiro cried out, holding his head in a panic.

"Clearly, they must've known that the mastermind wouldn't retaliate, at least not immediately." Byakuya theorized, looking down in thought. "They likely found the machine inactive, and decided to take the opportunity to look through its hardware."

"And it being inactive would imply that the mastermind is absent." Kyoko followed up. "With their absence, there would be no worry about being attacked. Thus, our future selves are currently free to do whatever they can."

That… made some sense to the students. Still, many couldn't help but feel alarmed at what's being shown, considering what happened the last time one of them put a scratch on the mechanical bear.

"Relax. There's no danger." Byakuya assured him.

"You say that, but…" Makoto voiced skeptically, still in disbelief. 'What is this?! What are you guys doing?!'

"I'll explain what's going on, Makoto. Cuz that's how much I like ya!" Hiro volunteered. "Byakuya found this fella layin' around, then we tore it apart!"

"That explains shit!"

"We already guessed THAT!"

"Yeah, that doesn't tell us anything!"

"Details! We need details here!"

"That doesn't explain anything…" The luckster said numbly.

"Just before we went to bed last night, I came to the gym to try and talk to Monokuma. I wanted to see if he had any new information about Kyoko's disappearance." Byakuya interjected with a clearer explanation. "And I found him here, just like normal. However… when I found him, he was no more than a regular toy. He didn't react, didn't say a word."

"You're saying… he wasn't moving at all?" Makoto repeated hesitantly.

"I waited until nighttime officially began, but still Monokuma laid here regardless." The Togami heir continued. "I gathered everyone up as quickly as possible so they could take a look. Even then, he still didn't make a move. So I immediately initiated the disassembly process."

"It was Master's s-stroke of genius. A chance to find out what m-made Monokuma tick…" Toko giggled out in praise for Byakuya.

"One thing we discovered is that he's quite a sophisticated machine." Byakuya revealed. "It's leagues beyond any normal remote-control toy. Who has enough free time to invest in something like that, anyway…?"

"B-But besides that, what I'm wondering is… why did he stop moving all of a sudden?" Makoto inquired.

"I thought maybe he'd malfunction, but we didn't find any cause as we were taking him apart." Byakuya stated.

"So if he didn't break down…"

"Then maybe something happened to his puppeteer, the mastermind. Something unexpected." The Togami heir finished Makoto's unspoken conclusion. "I can't imagine any other possibility."

Hearing the more detailed explanation from Byakuya settled the more alarmed students further. "So, if the mastermind isn't controlling Monokuma right now…" Hina trailed off.

"Could it be that they actually are dead?" Taka finished, looking down in thought. "Is the murder we saw in the beginning of this chapter really the mastermind?"

"More importantly, it seemed the mastermind left Monokuma unattended right before nighttime." Byakuya interjected. "And considering Makoto was attacked in the midst of his restless sleep…"

"It gives further credence to the mastermind being the one to attack Makoto." Sakura concluded, acknowledging the Togami heir's thought process.

"And the fact that they left Monokuma unattended… perhaps it was on purpose?" Byakuya further theorized. "They knew the remaining survivors would've taken the opportunity to investigate the machine further… they knew Kyoko was nowhere to be found, even for the others… they must've seen that Makoto was suffering from an illness…"

"So they left Monokuma there… to distract us?!" Hina exclaimed in horror, white as a sheet. "While our future selves were distracted, they would've killed Makoto?!"

"It may have also been to ensure the only person the survivors would point to was Kyoko." Celeste added, eyebrows creased together. "After all, what other options would be, if all remaining survivors were together for an entire night?"

None of the students took the building credibility of the mastermind's involvement too well. Some looked sick, others pissed. What kept them relatively calm, however, was the fact that the mastermind's plan clearly failed.

"Something… unexpected?"

"They were probably so s-scared of Master, they ran away in t-terror…" Toko snickered.

Toko's words shook the group out of their stupor, with more than a few eye-rolling. "Yeaaaaahh, I'm gonna make a hunch and say no…" Leon deadpanned.

"Will never fucking understand the chick's obsession with the asshole…" Mondo grumbled for the umpteenth time.

"Or maybe they got sick or something?" Hina suggested.

"But Monokuma made his announcement this morning, right? Who was that, if not the mastermind?" Makoto pointed out.

"Oh, I'm sure that's a recording." Byakuya deduced easily. "It's set to a timer, and plays as necessary."

"That's true." Hina nodded in agreement. "He says the exact same thing every day, right?"

"Hey, guys? I don't think now's a good time for light conversation…" Hiro spoke up, holding something up from his spot around Monokuma. "I just found something. What is it…?"

When the group got a good look at what Hiro was holding, several eyes widened in alarm.

"A bomb…?!"

"A bomb!"

"A bomb!"

"BOMB!"

Makoto's eyes widened. "I-It's…!"

"It's what?" Hiro asked, completely oblivious.

"He doesn't know what he's holding?!" Sayaka, Leon, Hina, and Hifumi exclaimed simultaneously.

"How the fuck do you not realize that's a bomb?!" Mondo followed up incredulously.

"I- well- I don't know!" Hiro stammered, unable to come up with a half-decent excuse. Mostly due to fear for his future self.

"A bomb." Byakuya revealed casually. "There's one installed in every Monokuma robot, I'm sure."

"A b-b-bomb?!" Hiro exclaimed fearfully, now extremely tense.

"That's super bad! We need to get rid of it!" Hina cried out.

"R-Roger that!"

Before Hiro could make a move, however, Byakuya spoke up. "It appears the bomb has a motion sensor. Any sudden movements, it's sure to go off."

"Why did you have to say that?!" Hiro cried out, looking more panicked for his future self.

"Would you rather have blown yourself up?" Was Byakuya's dry remark, a smirk across his face. "If so, be my guest. There's no one stopping you."

"How come aren't you panicking?!" Hina exclaimed in disbelief. "You're a few feet away from the bomb!"

"Perhaps it's because I have better control of my emotions than you plebeians?" Byakuya said in retort, keeping to himself the real reason for his lack of panic.

"Motion sensor?! For serious?!" Hiro cried out, sounding even more fearful. "Agh… I'm starting to get all shaky…!"

"Hey! Get it together!" Hina scolded him. "You're a man, aren't ya?!"

"I-I'm fine! I'm totally fine! Ah, ah, ah!" Despite his words, it's clear that the fortune teller was incredibly shaky.

"You're so NOT fine! You're all 'ah ah ah'!" Hina retorted in alarm.

"C'mon, man the fuck up!"

"I agree with bro, you need to display a strong will!"

"Yeah dude, grow a spine before the rest of your bones go boom!"

"Can you not gang up on me?!" Hiro wailed, holding his head anxiously. "I don't respond well to peer pressure!"

"Oh, I probably should have mentioned. The motion sensor is off right now." Byakuya spoke casually yet again.

And immediately, tension deflated at that revelation. "You almost gave me and future me heart attacks, geez…" Hiro sighed in relief.

"You enjoyed messing with the fool, didn't you…?" Celeste commented lightly.

"If they would panic over nothing, I might as well find some entertainment over it." Was the heir's response, completely unapologetic.

That got Hiro to deflate, the fortune teller laughing in relief. "Jeez, don't scare me like that!"

"God, you're like the world's most spineless worm of the century!" Hina huffed.

"Preach, sister." Leon and Mondo huffed right after.

"Hiro is in much need of self-discipline and courage." Taka also shook his head in disappointment.

"Can he even call himself a man after that…? Seriously…" Hina sighed in agreement.

"His cowardness can provide some good entertainment at that very least…" Byakuya snickered.

As for Hiro himself? The fortune teller could hang his head while his classmates railed at him for his lack of courage. Makoto and Chihiro could only offer him sympathetic smiles, with Hifumi even patting him on the back sympathetically.

"Hey, come on! The century's just getting started!" Hiro protested. "Don't call the race already…"

"Whatever… just h-hurry up and put the bomb down. Hanging onto it's not g-gonna do anyone any good…" Toko told him.

"Oh yeah, good call." Quickly, the fortune teller dropped the bomb near the disassembled Monokuma. "Okay, it's down! Everything's all good!"

Meanwhile, Makoto's eyes glued onto the remains of Monokuma. 'He'd just stopped moving all of a sudden.' He thought to himself. 'Was it really because something had happened to the mastermind that they weren't expecting…? But what could that have been?'

A flashback of the night before, of the masked man, was shown before going back to the gym.

"It seems more and more likely that it's the mastermind who'll be dead…" Sayaka murmured loudly, a frown across her face. "But if so… does that mean…?"

"That I killed them?" Kyoko finished, still having her usual stoic look. "Assuming that is the mastermind, with the others having stayed together the whole night, and Makoto being as sick as he is, that would be the most likely conclusion."

"I would argue that it's the only conclusion to form." Celeste pointed out.

"So if the mastermind is… is dead… does that mean that survivors can find a way out?" Chihiro asked, sounding both hopeful and conflicted. "They can go and look through wherever to find what they need?"

"This is all assuming that the mastermind is dead." Byakuya stated, eyes narrowed. "And like I said: This seems far too easy."

'Agreed.' Mukuro thought to herself. Despite conflicting feelings, she can still say that she knows her sister better than anyone; so she definitely knows that she isn't so easy to kill.

That fact kept her from jumping to the conclusion that her sister was dead; and kept any negative feelings that would arise from that idea.

"Hey, uh… Makoto?"

"Huh?" Shaking out of his thoughts, he turned to Hina, the one who called him.

"Don't 'huh' us! Did you hear a thing we just said?!" Hiro questioned him.

"...Huh?"

"Wow. You were that lost in thought, dude?" Leon remarked, looking towards his friend.

The luckster could only rub the back of his head sheepishly, a blush across his cheeks. "Well… with the topic in question, can you blame me…?"

"You were definitely ambushed with such a sudden development, true." Hifumi spoke up in thoughtful agreement.

"So that's a n-no. What are you, some k-kind of brain-dead farm animal…?" Toko grumbled.

"S-Sorry…" Makoto responded back sheepishly.`

"We were saying, since we're done dismantling Monokuma, what should we do now?" Hina repeated.

"And we've decided to continue our offensive assault." Byakuya continued off unflinchingly.

And again, the group found themselves alarmed.

"What is he…?"

"Is he suggesting…?"

"To try and uncover the mastermind's true identity, we're going to break into the headmaster's room."

"...Alright, now they're begging for the bear to come and off them!" Leon declared in disbelief.

"Seriously? They're going to just go and break through the headmaster's room?" Hiro cried out, more than a bit nervous.

"With the mastermind absent, it would be the best chance to find out more about the mastermind and/or the school." Byakuya retorted. "Is that really something that we should ignore?"

"True enough, I suppose. This seems like a golden opportunity for them to take…" Celeste hummed in thought.

"Still seems pretty risky though…" Junko remarked with a grimace. "The mastermind can catch them in the act, and rip them to shreds then and there…"

Honestly, the fashionista wasn't really that worried about the group attempting to break into the headmaster's room. With the reveal of the dead body at the beginning, it's easy to deduce that they'll end up distracted and won't get too far in their investigation.

"As I mentioned before, these are risks that'll have to be taken." Byakuya stated with certainty. "With all avenues checked or blocked, moves like this have to be made. A golden opportunity like this cannot be wasted."

Makoto's eyes widened at this. "R-Really…?" He asked incredulously.

"Since the mastermind's appear to have stopped all activity, now's our chance. Wouldn't you agree?" Byakuya reasoned.

"B-But… if the mastermind comes back while we're in there…" Makoto said in slight protest.

"If you're scared, you're welcome to stay here by yourself." Was the Togami heir's retort.

"Or go l-live in the chicken coop, with all the o-other chickens. You can be chicken number s-six…" Toko added her own scathing words.

Immediately, Sayaka scowled at the screen. "He's just pointing out the risk…!" The idol said in defense of the luckster. "You don't need to insult or pressure him like that!"

"With time being limited, in addition to the time spent dismantling Monokuma during the night, my future self likely felt that there's no time for any sort of debate." Byakuya said in response.

"In other words, you're just cranky and in a rush?" Leon remarked with a raised eyebrow.

"Do not put words in my mouth, fool."

Meanwhile, Toko remained silent. A defense for her master, which would've held scathing words, was bubbling from her lips. However, she managed to swallow those words for once, seeing that her future self's own comments were unwarranted.

"This is a battle, a fight to the death between us and the mastermind. We don't have time to deliberate." Byakuya continued further.

"Yeah." Hina nodded in agreement. "I mean, I don't wanna hafta kill each other, or anyone else. But we have a chance now…"

"So? What are you going to do?" Byakuya asked Makoto. "Are you going to run away, or are you going to fight?"

"..." For a moment, Makoto was silent. Then… "You're right. I'll go with you."

"So they're actually gonna break into the headmaster's room…" Chihiro said pensively, biting his lips.

"Aw man, I'm not in this and this already feels nerve-wracking…!" Hiro exclaimed, still looking nervous.

"But Byakuya's right… this is a battle." Taka spoke in agreement with both versions of the Togami heir. "And in order to achieve victory, risk has to be made to move forward!"

"Very true…" Sakura nodded firmly. "It is as Kyoko said; we cannot spend all our time avoiding danger. Doing so will keep us from moving forward."

"So there's no other choice but to do this…" Makoto concluded softly, yet firmly.

Byakuya nodded in satisfaction. "Okay then. We're going to break into the headmaster's room. Everything comes down to this moment. Anything can happen, so prepare yourselves."

"I'll follow you a-anywhere, Master! To all the ends of the E-Earth!" Toko declared dreamily.

"Sakura… if you can hear me, lend me your strength…" Hina said to herself, clenching her fist determinedly.

"I can do this… I'm a man, and I can do this!" Hiro pumped himself up. "I got the will of the entire universe on my side!"

"It feels as though we're gonna be reaching the climax…" Hifumi mused, adjusting his glasses. "However, I get the sense that their investigation will be put to a halt…"

"And why would you have such a sense?" Celeste inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Cause there's still the matter of the masked individual, and their body being discovered."

"..." Silence reigned as tension rose up, many now very uncertain what to expect. Will the group manage to break into the headmaster's room before the issue with the masked assailant comes? Or will that derail the investigation?

The scene switched to Makoto, Byakuya, Hiro, Hina, and Toko all gathered at the headmaster's door, with the luckster attempting to open the door. Suffice to say, the attempt failed. "It's locked. As expected." Byakuya voiced the obvious.

"Looks like Monokuma got the door fixed up…" Junko commented idly.

"Of course. Would've been way too fucking easy otherwise…" Mondo grumbled with a sigh.

"That merely means that they'll have to break it down while the mastermind isn't looking." Byakuya waved off.

"So… what are you gonna do?" Makoto inquired.

"Isn't it obvious? We're going to tear this door off its hinges." Byakuya declared.

"Wait, but… the rules say-" Hina protested.

"We've seen that the mastermind isn't watching us." The heir interjected. "Those don't matter anymore."

"But like Makoto said… if the mastermind did show up while we were in there…" Hiro pointed out nervously.

"Then we'll just have to finish our business before that can happen." Was Byakuya's response.

"Oh, sure. That sounds like a piece of cake…" Leon remarked sarcastically. "Not like they don't know where to look, or how long it'll be before the mastermind possibly gets back…"

"With the five of us searching one room, it shouldn't take any considerable amount of time." Byakuya rebuffed. "We can get in and out before the mastermind even notices we were there…"

"What about the broken door…?" Chihiro pointed out hesitantly.

"It doesn't need to be completely destroyed." The heir stated. "The lock just needs to be broken, and a broken lock is more easily hidden."

"Okay, sure… but…"

"We've come this far, we can't back down now." Byakuya said firmly. "We agreed this is what we have to do. So we have to do it."

"S-So beautiful…!" Toko exclaimed dreamily.

"For serious…?" Was all Hiro could say at the moment.

"We don't have any choice… we're desperate!" Hina pointed out, pumping herself up. "Let's do it! Let's rip this door down!"

"Okay, but… how are we gonna do that?" Hiro questioned, looking at the door. "This thing looks pretty sturdy…"

"Then we'll need something sturdy of our own." Byakuya surmised, looking in thought.

"Oh… what about that one thing?" Makoto spoke in remembrance. "The… pickaxe in the toolshed…"

"Oh yeah! The pickaxe!" Hiro exclaimed, also recollecting the tool.

Makoto blinked… and then his eyes widened, now remembering exactly where the body was located.

"Makoto?" Sayaka, noticing the shock look, turned towards the luckster in concern. "What is it?"

"...Do any of you know where the body was when we first saw it?" Makoto asked the group hesitantly.

For a moment, he merely got looks of confusion from the group. Then a few of his more intelligent classmates had flashes of realization.

"The greenhouse…" Kyoko spoke, getting attention on her now. "The body is in the greenhouse…"

"Wait, for real?!" Hiro cried out in shock.

"How the fuck do you know it's there?!" Mondo followed up right after. "Did you actually manage to catch that?"

Makoto nodded. "It was brief, but I saw a glimpse of the area before it focused on the body." The luckster revealed. "Plus, the floor the body was laying on matched the greenhouse; it doesn't match any of the other rooms."

"...Are you sure you're just an ultra normal guy, dude?" Leon deadpanned. "Cause some scary observation skills there."

That got a blush from Makoto. "A-Anyways, if the survivors are planning to go to the greenhouse to get the pickaxe…"

"...That means that they will encounter the body." Sakura finished, now seeing what's about to take place.

It's a realization the others also made. And the only thing they could do was watch as it all plays out.

"Interesting. That could very well be exactly what we need." Byakuya nodded in satisfaction. He then turned towards Toko. "Now then… Toko, what time is it?"

"W-Well, when we left the gym, it was j-just before 9 o'clock. So it's probably 9 on the dot now…" Toko recalled.

"Okay. Go get the pickaxe and be back here by 9:01." The heir ordered.

"...Seriously?!" More than a few students cried out, baffled and/or exasperated.

"Do you honestly expect such an unreasonable request to be fulfilled?!" Taka scolded, one hand chopping the air. "Such a request is unacceptable in a school environment!"

"Do you ever get tired of bullying her, man…?" Hiro sighed, shaking his head.

"M-Master isn't bullying m-me!" Toko, as usual, was quick to defend her master (Even despite her own reservation about the task given to her future self). "He's j-just showing me a h-high level of trust!"

"Sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night." Leon deadpanned.

"That's straight-up unreasonable!" Hiro cried out incredulously.

"I-I-I…! By m-myself…?" Toko stuttered, also looking shocked.

"Surely you like to have your me-time once in a while, right?" Byakuya offered.

"...Q-Q-Quality time with master?!" Toko squeaked out, a mix of shock and delight within her tone.

"Seriously, where's the bastard that we all know gone to?" Mondo asked dubiously, staring at the Togami heir. "Last I checked, you would never give Toko the time of day."

"Don't misunderstand my generosity, numb-skull." Byakuya said with an eye-roll. "I'm merely making sure things are done in a quick fashion. No more, no less."

"W-Well…" Toko then looked bashful, pushing her index fingers together. "If it's me-and-you time, Master, then y-yeah…"

"You know how much time it took you to say that? Ten seconds." Byakuya pointed out, now sounding more scornful. "Take too long, and I'll erase your existence from my consciousness."

"UnacceptabbbbbblllllLLLLLLEEEEEEE!" And with that, the writing prodigy ran towards the fifth floor, screaming like a banshee.

"...Okay, there's the douche we all know." Leon said dryly.

"And Toko will definitely get that pickaxe in record time now." Junko followed up, just as dry.

"...Wait… if Toko goes to the greenhouse…" Chihiro slowly spoke in realization. "Won't she be the first to see the body?" All was silent as the group processed that simple fact; and what the results will be regarding that fact…

"...Looks like we'll be seeing Genocide Jack soon." Was all Makoto could say to that.

"For serious, though… are we just gonna knock this door down?" Hiro regained his previous hesitancy.

"No problem is solved by running away. Find your stones and be a man." Byakuya told him.

"Definitely!" Hina huffed out in agreement. "Makoto's showing more back-bone than you, and he was against it at first!"

"Not to mention having been out of the loop…" Leon added in.

'He's right…' Makoto thought in acceptance. 'You can't move forward by always avoiding danger…'

A flashback of Kyoko's words was then shown, before moving back to the present, with the luckster clenching his fist in determination. 'Even if it's dangerous, we have to overcome the challenges in front of us…!'

"See? Much more back-bone!"

"Give me a break already…!" Hiro whined, slumping forward. "It's not easy to build up courage like that!"

Meanwhile, Kyoko turned her attention to Makoto, a small smile across her face. "I'm glad to see your future self is taking my words to heart."

"It's not too big a deal…" Makoto shrugged modestly, scratching the side of his head. "You were right, after all. Avoiding danger all the time will keep us from moving forward."

"Still, there are those who would forever remain paralyzed in events like this…" The detective stated. "So to be able to take the step forward, even with the push of others, is commendable."

The lucky student blushed a little at her words, but didn't deny them. "Th-Thanks…"

"Maybe, b-but I'm still super stressed…" Hiro stuttered out. "I'm so tense, I can hardly talk… I'm all flubbust- no… I'm totally flabbag- flapstaf-"

"Fapsauce?!" Genocide Jill, out of nowhere, guessed.

The sudden appearance of the murderous fiend caused several to jump and/or yelp, with Toko letting out her usual shout of fright when it came to her counterpart.

"Shit! Where on Earth does Jill come from?!" Leon gasped, holding his chest.

"The little psycho really can hide her presence…" Mondo remarked, looking just as startled.

"Considering her title, it's not much of a surprise…" Mukuro mused.

"And fapsauce? Huh?" Sayaka repeated the killer's words, wrinkling her nose cutely. "Do I want to know what that means?"

"Likely not, Sayaka dear." Celeste answered, also looking slightly disgusted.

"Gross! Where'd that come from!" Hiro cringed… before his eyes shot open in shock. "Wait, Genocide Jill? Where'd YOU come from?"

"Hello hello! It's the wondiferous, murdiferous fiend, here to greet you with a razor-sharp smile!" Jill declared with her tongue-smile… before ending it with her usual laughter.

"What about the pickaxe? Where is it?" Byakuya questioned, scowling.

"I was supposed to pick up an axe…?" Jill asked back in response.

"No, you seeping imbecile." Byakuya growled. "The pickaxe…"

"S-Seeping imbecile?! Oh, Master! You wound me with your executive-level barbs!" The murderous fiend squealed. "Bushwah! Here comes the bloody nose!"

"Serious, though… did you really forget the pickaxe?" Hina inquired.

"Omega-3 fatty acids, that's what you need! Great for the ol' memory factory!" Hiro suggested.

"Wasn't it already stated that Toko and Jill don't share the same memories with each other…?" Taka asked with some confusion.

"I think so, but it was brief. During the trial of the fourth chapter, I think…" Makoto said in recollection. "So it probably just passed their heads…"

"That seems likely…" Kyoko agreed with the luckster's deduction.

"But I think we already established that their memory doesn't carry over when they switch…" Makoto recalled.

"This is a level of uselessness I find difficult to tolerate…" Byakuya scoffed.

Of course, Toko did not take that well. "I'm sorry, Master! F-Future me didn't mean to faint!" She groveled, curling up into a ball. "It is thanks to whoever put that corpse there! It's their fault! All their-"

"Relax. Doubt my future self will stay angry once they figure out there's a body in the greenhouse." Byakuya said curtly. "Now stay quiet, and let us continue this."

And of course, the writing prodigy went silent like the dutiful dog she made herself be.

"Ah! The lightbulb just went on!" Jill then announced. "That's why I went to their garden, right?! I was supposed to get the pickaxe! Alright, we've solved one mystery! That means they're just one more mystery left!"

"One more mystery…?" Makoto spoke in confusion.

"Yup!" Jill bobbed her head vigorously. "Now we need to figure out the identity of Object X!"

"Now what are you talking about…?" Hina asked, also sounding confused.

"Did you already forget what we were talking about?" Hiro sighed. "You're like, missing out on life…"

"I'm not missing out on life!" Jill denied angrily. "In fact, I found one in the garden!"

"What…?" That statement changed Makoto's confusion to alertness. "What did you find?"

"Kuh… oar… puss…" Jill whispered something unintelligible… before shouting. "Didja hear me?! I said corpse!"

"A corpse…?!" Makoto exclaimed in shock and fear.

And just like that, tension rose back up. Not the tension that came with the previous discovery of the body, no. But a different sort, with more questions and confusion than dread and grief.

"So it begins…" Sakura voiced the unspoken thoughts.

Once again, Toko covered her eyes, preparing for the TV showing the corpse.

"This is gonna be one confusing ride…" Leon muttered. No one could find themselves disagreeing with that.

'Wonder what excitement this'll bring…' Junko thought with interest and a bit of excitement. This is the most blind she found herself throughout the viewing, and it brings all sorts of tingles. Just what type of despair will this bring? She honestly couldn't wait to see!

"That's right! I found a corpse in the garden!" Jill repeated her finding.

'You found a corpse… in the garden…?' The luckster thought with dread.

"Well then." Byakuya spoke up, also looking alarmed. "Before we enter the headmaster's room, it appears we have something else to look into. We're going to the garden."

"O-Okay…!" With that, the group then headed to the fifth floor and the greenhouse.

The scene then switched to the five heading into the greenhouse. "As soon as we entered the garden…" Narrator Makoto spoke. "...I saw it. I didn't want to, but…"

And in the middle of that greenhouse, was the masked individual, flat on their back and a knife pierced through their stomach. "...I saw someone laying on the ground, with a mask covering their face… and there was a knife… buried in their stomach, up to the hilt."

For a moment, there was silence… and then eyes widened in recognition. "Ah- that's Mukuro's knife!" Hina gasped.

"And it's buried in the masked fucker!" Mondo followed up.

"But - weren't they the one that took the knife?!" Hiro pointed out, looking completely bewildered.

"They did - and that would mean someone took it from them, and used it." Byakuya answered, eyes narrowed. The question was, who?

"Wh-What…?!" The present lucky student gasped. "A-Are they really dead?!"

"For sure. But…" Hiro was next to speak up.

"Who… is it?" Byakuya finished the question on their minds.

'Question of the day.' Was the thought of several. Who is, or was, the person behind the mask? Was it the mastermind like many suspected? Or was it someone completely different? Was Kyoko the one to kill them? Did she chase after the masked assailant and fight them?

Those were the questions that were pressing on everyone's mind. And hopefully, they'll get those answers soon.

Notes:

And that’s the end. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Hope that it wasn’t too weird or lackluster. The next one should pick up with more speed, reaction wise I mean. Next up, the beginning of Chapter 5’s deadly life. Leave comments, kudos, and bookmarks, and I will see you later.

P.S. Just recently figured out that hits meant the number of views the fic got. That was kinda embarrassing to realize.

Chapter 96: Watching Chapter 5: 100 Miles; Pain of a Junk Food Junkie Part 7

Notes:

Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. Again, another weird chapter to work with, with much of the excitement around the first half. Here, the class will begin Chapter 5's deadly life. I hope you enjoy.

(Chapter 5 - 100 Mile Dash; Pain of a Junk Food Junkie - Deadly Life)

"Just to make things clear…" Makoto thought to himself. A flashback of the attempted assassination was shown. "Last night, I was attacked by someone wearing a mask. And whoever that was - now they're…"

Then the scene transitioned back to the present, showing the corpse. 'I don't know why, but now they're laying dead in front of me…' He thought in a daze.

"The situation must look insane to your future self, huh man…" Leon noted, turning his head towards his friend.

Makoto nodded. "My head would probably be spinning at that moment…" He admitted, earning a few sympathetic looks from his friends.

He was broken out of his thoughts by the mad laughter from Jill. "I told ya, there's a corpse hangin' out here!"

"Are they really… dead?" Hina asked, looking pale. "Is this really a dead body…?"

"You need to begin looking around right away. However…" Byakuya looked across the room with narrowed eyes. "Be ever so careful. There's no telling what you might find."

"Does he think that the attacker is still in the area?" Taka inquired curiously.

"It's a possibility to keep in mind, at least for our future selves." Byakuya answered, eyes narrowed at the screen. "Can't immediately be disregarded."

Slowly, the group gathered around the corpse. As they were examining it, Byakuya continued speaking. "Their heart isn't beating, they're not breathing, all signs of life have come to a complete stop…" He noted. "Thanks to the knife that's been driven into their stomach, their clothes are stained a bright red."

"It appears the bleeding has stopped, but the blood that's there is still wet." The heir continued examining. "Be careful you don't touch it and get some on you…"

"Hmm… that would imply that this happened recently…" Kyoko mused. "If it happened at night, the blood would've dried up already."

"Does that mean that the masked person was killed… while the survivors were at the gym?" Chihiro guessed, looking nervous about the whole thing.

"That would be the implication, yes." Was all Kyoko said.

"How can you be so calm at a time like this?" Hiro asked shakily. "Who is it?! Their face and body are all hidden, so I don't have a clue…"

"I'm pretty sure it's a girl at least…" Hina guessed.

"Huh?" Hiro turned towards Hina in confusion. "How can you tell?"

"Well… I think I see the outline of her chest. And just the general shape of the body…" Hina said, pointing at the spots she's talking about. "Yeah, the more I look, the more I'm sure it's a girl."

"That means our mystery guy is a girl…?" Junko commented, more of a statement than a question. "Does that mean the mastermind is a girl too…?"

"Assuming that this is the mastermind…" Celeste stated, her eyes also focused on the screen. "Then yes."

"I would be surprised that a girl would be this psycho and evil…" Hiro said nervously, scratching the side of his head. "But after Jill, I'm not surprised at all."

"Ditto." Several other students voiced in unison.

'Really?' Makoto thought with some surprise. 'Then it could be-!'

Again, he was broken out of his thoughts by Jill's laughter. "Okay then!" She then reached over to the mask. "Let's just tear the mask clean off!"

"Wait, she shouldn't-" Kyoko spoke up.

"They don't know-" Byakuya also tried to speak.

"It could be a-" Hifumi started.

"They should be-" Celeste attempted to say.

"Wait, don't-!" Byakuya protested. However, Jill already grabbed onto the mask by the time he did. And instantly…

*BOOM*

An explosion filled the area, throwing Jill far back and causing the others to cover their eyes.

All veined warnings died on the students' lips at the sight and sound of the explosion. Eyes widened with shock, skin went pale, and jaws dropped as they processed what they just witnessed. A moment after…

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

"Did it just-?!"

"It blew up! It suddenly just blew up!"

"How did-?! Why did-?! Wha-!"

"IT'S A TRAP!"

"TOKO!"

Suffice to say, all of the students were thrown completely off guard by the explosion. Even

'The body… it blew up.' Makoto thought dazedly, stumbling from the explosion. 'It blew up, it blew up, it blew up, it blew up, it blew up, it blew up, it blew up, it blew up!'

"Why the fuck did it blew up…?!" Mondo questioned in disbelief. "How the fuck did it blew up…?! What in the actual FUCK is going on?!"

"The hell if I know, man!" Hiro cried out, holding his head with both hands. "I'm still wrapping my head around the fact that an explosion just happened!"

"This entire chapter is batshit insane!" Leon shouted, looking at though he's about to rip his hair out.

"And what happened to Toko?! Is she okay?! Is she still alive?!" Hina asked frantically, worried for the book writer. "She took the full impact of that explosion!"

"T-Toko…!" Chihiro also looked scared of the writing prodigy.

Toko herself had a look of confusion and fear, having missed the explosion due to covering her eyes. 'What happened?! They said I, or uh, Jack, got hit with the explosion?! What happened to me?!'

For a moment, it looked as though the lucky student would pass out any moment. But before he could, a bucket of water was suddenly thrust into his hand. "Hurry up, put out the fire." He heard Byakuya say. "Come on, dump the water on it."

His voice brought Makoto back to reality, his eyes on the burning corpse. "O-Okay!" And with that, he took aim and tossed the water on top of the body. Thankfully, that was enough to douse the flame.

"I-I guess that took care of it…" Makoto said shakily, dropping the bucket.

"But what the hell, man?" Hiro cried out anxiously.

"It… exploded?" Hina questioned incredulously.

"I… had a bad feeling about that body. But I never imagined it would explode…" Byakuya said, also stunned.

'Neither did I…' Kyoko, Celeste, and the present Byakuya thought to themselves. They knew that they shouldn't just recklessly mess with the body, but for it to explode…?

Junko herself was also caught off guard by this sudden development. Now what brought this forward…? What is her future self trying to hide? Cause unless the junior detective managed to find something she shouldn't, this was caused by her.

"And now the body…"

The camera then shifted to show the now burnt and blackened corpse.

"Fuck…!" Both Mondo and Leon cursed out.

"The body is completely charred…" Celeste said with a small grimace. "Which means they can no longer tell who it is now."

"Oh come on…!" Hina whined.

'...I wonder… is that intentional?' Kyoko asked herself. Was somebody trying to hide the identity of the corpse? And if so, was it the victim themself or the attacker that placed a bomb within the mask?

"It's burnt to a crisp! That's beyond well done, man!" Hiro cried out.

"Don't compare it to a steak!" Hina protested. "I'll never be able to eat steak again…"

"What future me said…!" The swimmer exclaimed in vehement agreement. "I want to be able to eat a prime cut in the future, thank you!"

"But now that the body's charred, I really have no idea…" Makoto stated, staring at the corpse. "How are we gonna find out who it was…?"

The response he got was a question from the Togami heir. "Who isn't here right now?"

"...Huh?" The lucky student stared at Byakuya with numbed confusion.

It took a moment for the group to understand the implication the heir was giving. "Wait… they don't think that…?" Leon trailed off, eyebrows shooting up.

"If we consider who's not here, that will quickly narrow down who it must be." Byakuya explained.

"...It seems that they do, Mr. Kuwata." Hifumi answered the unasked question.

"There's only one person missing…" Hina pointed out nervously.

"It's… Kyoko." Hiro stated dreadfully.

"K-Kyoko?!"

"But - we saw Kyoko! And she wasn't wearing the mask!" Hina protested, waving her arms frantically. "There's no way that that could be her! No way!"

Before anymore could be said or added to that, Byakuya himself spoke up. "Don't get into a panic. My future self didn't say Kyoko." He told the group. "I'm certain he's talking about the other missing person. The one we suspect is dead."

That got the group silent, with more than a few minds clicking as to who he's talking about. "You think your future self is referring to the mastermind?" Celeste inquired.

"Yes." Byakuya bluntly confirmed.

Makoto turned back to the dead body, eyes wide. 'Then that dead body…' He thought fearfully. '...is Kyoko?'

The thought of Kyoko dying… it caused the lucky student's stomach to clench painfully. She's alive. Both the future version and present version. Makoto knew that. But the thought of that body being her, having to see another friend dead… for it to be Kyoko's corpse…

Almost subconsciously, he grabbed Kyoko's hand. That caught the detective's attention, causing her to look in his direction. When she saw the distressed look across Makoto's face, her eyes softened before squeezing his hand back in silent reassurance.

The lucky student shook his head, anguish across his face. 'No! That can't be right!'

"Calm down. I didn't say it was Kyoko." Byakuya stated curtly.

"But, I mean… who else…?" Hiro pointed out.

"There is one other person." Byakuya said confidently, a smirk across his face. "The mastermind…"

"So your future self really does suspect this…" Taka said, a frown across his face. "But what made him come to such a conclusion? After all, he doesn't have the information we all do, or even the future Makoto does."

"He doesn't, no. But there's the fact that Monokuma is hardly moving." Byakuya pointed out. "That alone gives reason for him to believe they may be dead."

That had the other three's eyes widening. "What?!" Hina exclaimed in disbelief.

"Th-The mastermind?!" Hiro followed right after. "Come on, there's no way! The MASTERMIND got char-broiled?! Get serious!"

"I agree, normally the idea wouldn't be worth considering." The Togami heir conceded. "But I have reason to believe it may be true."

A flashback of the survivors tearing apart Monokuma was then shown. "The mastermind being dead would explain that other matter, wouldn't it? Monokuma can hardly move around if its master is dead right?"

"The more this goes on, the more hopeful I feel that the mastermind is actually dead…" Junko said, sounding 'hopeful'. "And I don't know if I should be scared of that or not…"

"Yeah like… I really want the psycho to be dead, but…" Leon said, scratching the back of his head. "Like Byakuya said, that feels way too damn easy…"

"I would go with the term anticlimactic, myself…" Hifumi remarked.

"And there's the title change at the start… the shift from 'daily life' to 'deadly life'..." Celeste also pointed out. "That tells me the events within the school are far from over…"

"Not to mention… we still don't know who the mastermind is…" Sayaka added, biting her lips.

Suffice to say, there's a level of trepidation with the group. A hope that the mastermind actually is dead, but that feeling that isn't actually so.

"B-But… that corpse is a girl, right? It doesn't make any sense!" Hiro protested. "I mean, remember what Alter Ego said?"

A flashback of Alter Ego giving info about the headmaster was then shown, before going back to the present. "He said the mastermind is some middle-aged dude, right? Which the corpse obviously isn't!"

"Then could that mean… the mastermind isn't the headmaster…?" Makoto guessed, mostly to himself. "Is it the teenage girl Kyoko told me about? The Ultimate Despair…?"

"Huh…?" Hiro turned to Makoto in confusion.

"Mukuro Ikusaba… the sixteenth student at Hope's Peak…" Makoto recited what Kyoko told him.

"Now it looks like the others are gonna know of Mukuro's existence…" Celeste noted.

"And in turn, be led to the wrong conclusion that it's Mukuro that's the mastermind…" Byakuya sighed. "And that it's her corpse that they're looking at…"

Now he got the attention of Hina and Byakuya. "...What are you talking about?" The heir questioned.

"The other day, Kyoko confided in me…" Makoto began revealing to them. "She said there was a sixteenth student here in the school."

"I think you'd better tell us everything you know." Byakuya stated firmly.

"W-Well, all Kyoko told me was…" A flashback of the words Kyoko whispered was then shown. "It sounded like Kyoko thinks Mukuro Ikusaba is the mastermind." A flashback of Makoto and Kyoko's talk in the locker room was next.

It then clipped back to the present. "There's another student here, and it's a female?" Byakuya summarized. "That would match the body's characteristics…"

"And the phrase, the Ultimate Despair - it sounds super mastermind-y, doesn't it?" Hina added.

"Okay, so… the mastermind is this girl Mukuro? And she's a student here? And she's the Ultimate Despair?" Hiro asked question after question. "But if she's been hiding here in the school like some teenage Bigfoot…"

Eyes then turned back to the corpse in front of them. "...how'd she wind up burnt to a crisp?!" The fortune teller exclaimed. "None of this makes any sense! To just suddenly show up and then die?!"

"None of this making any fucking sense…!" Mondo groaned, his palm meeting his face. "We even know more shit than they do, and I still got more questions than goddamn answers!"

"It honestly feels so surreal - hearing the conclusions and questions our counterparts are making…" Taka stated, shaking his head. "The loss of our memories, the headmaster's death, Mukuro's disguise… those are the only things we know about that our counterparts don't, and yet it's enough to form completely different deductions."

"To be fair, the things you listed are pretty major Taka…" Makoto pointed out, a frown across his face. "But yeah, I see what you're saying. Knowing one or all of those things is enough to completely change our thought process."

"That's why it's important to get all the information before coming to a conclusion…" Kyoko advised. "And even then, be open for new information to appear and change the assessment. You never know what you will come across, and how significant that new information would be."

No one could deny that; especially having gone through four trials, along with the ongoing mystery throughout the school life they're watching. So the group remained silent to Kyoko's words.

"I think we'd better take a closer look at the body." Byakuya suggested. "There may be some clues to help us figure out exactly who it is."

"You think you can find out shit with half the body turned to char?" Mondo asked incredulously.

"Exactly. Only half the body is destroyed. There's still parts that remain intact." Byakuya retorted. "We could still gain something from investigating what remains."

"Ah! Hey, wait!" Hina suddenly spoke up, getting a bit pale.

"...What?" Byakuya asked in irritation.

"A-Aren't we forgetting something? You know… Toko?" Hina pointed out worriedly.

You could practically hear mental clocks ticking as the group went silent. Then, after a moment of that silence…

"WE FORGOT ABOUT TOKO!" Hina wailed, holding her head.

"Oh crap! Is she okay?! She's not dead, is she?!" Hiro exclaimed worriedly. "Cause I don't see her anywhere!"

"She took a bomb to the face, dude!" Leon stated incredulously. "I'll be surprised if she's actually conscious!"

"H-How could you forget about me?!" Toko, who still had her eyes covered, cried out.

"S-Sorry…!" Chihiro apologized, flinching in guilt. "We didn't mean to!"

"A lot of shit got thrown at us, okay?! Cut us some slack!" Mondo, on the other hand, replied defensively.

"Oh yeah! She got totally blown up, huh?!" Hiro exclaimed in realization.

"Forget about her. I'm sure the explosion vapourized her." Byakuya said dismissively.

"So cold!"

"You expect me to care?" The Togami heir merely raised an eyebrow in response. "How naive of you to think my heart softened that much."

The writing prodigy couldn't help but giggle at that. "You're s-sharp words never fail to f-flutter my heart, master…"

"...And she got on our case about forgetting her…?" Leon grumbled, crossing his arms. Sayaka let out a sigh of exasperated agreement, while Makoto let out an awkward chuckle.

As if summoned by the group, the writing prodigy rose up from a bush, looking completely dazed. "Nn… gh…!"

Seeing the dazed writer gave several relieved sighs. "She's okay…" Hina proclaimed, visibly relieved.

"And she doesn't look hurt…" Chihiro looked just as relieved.

"It looked like the explosion knocked out Miss Jill, and awakened Miss Fukawa…" Hifumi noted.

"Guess that's one benefit of getting an explosion to the face…" Leon joked slightly.

Toko wasn't sure if she could fully agree with that, having no desire to face an explosion herself; however, she held a relieved look beneath her hands, both at hearing her future self is okay and that she's back in full control.

"Oh! She survived!" Hina gasped happily.

"Oh… she survived…" Byakuya tsked in annoyance.

"...Someone sounds disappointed…" Leon deadpanned.

"Do you actually want Toko dead or something…?" Hina asked in exasperation, turning towards Byakuya.

"I could care less what her fate would be." Was the heir's response, shrugging. "Her being gone from my life is what I would be satisfied with."

"Master…!" Toko cried out in protest.

'...Can't blame him, honestly.' Practically half the students conceded. Toko's infatuation/obsession with the Togami heir was not something any of them considered attractive, by any sense.

"Huh? What just h-happened…?" Getting out of her daze, Toko looked around in confusion. "Master…?"

"You declare for the whole world to hear that you would never again inhale a single molecule of oxygen." Byakuya declared to the writer.

"Oh. Then… I don't mind b-breathing in the carbon dioxide you exhale." Toko giggled, pushing her index fingers together. "That's enough for m-me to live…"

"This is the strangest back-and-forth I've ever seen…" Hiro stated, looking completely weirded out.

"Like watching someone stab somebody, and the dude taking it like it's a hug…" Leon muttered, his words within earshot of his couchmates.

"That's… accurate." Makoto admitted with a nod.

"An apt description of their dynamic…" Kyoko also hummed.

"I would say they're even critical hits…" Sayaka added with a thoughtful tap to her chin.

Ignoring the banter for a moment, Makoto bent down towards the body. Seeing this, Hina spoke up. "Watch yourself, Makoto. She may be dead, but she's still a girl…"

"D-Don't worry. I don't plan on touching the body all that much." Makoto assured her. 'I'm not Kyoko, after all…'

"There's no shame in a physical examination of the body…" Kyoko chided. "To have the best chance of figuring out the mystery, you need to make a thorough inspection of the corpse, regardless of gender."

"M-Maybe, but… she's still a girl!" Hina responded in protest, waving an arm at the TV. "A guy can't just touch a girl's body like that, dead or not!"

"Didn't your counterpart push for one of the guys to examine Chihiro instead of Sakura before?"

"T-Those are completely different circumstances!"

Before he could notice anything on the body itself, he spotted something beside it. 'Hold on… there's something on the ground there. It's…' Curious, he reached a hand towards the object, before holding it up; the item in question being a black and blue key. 'It's… a key?'

Of course, that immediately got the group's attention. "Is that… the key to the data center?" Chihiro asked in recognition.

"Looks like it. Can't see it being anything else." Leon remarked.

"So now they'll have access to the data center." Celeste mused. "I wonder what they will find there."

"Considering it's locked, it has to be very important." Hina stated confidently. "Something that gives us clues about the mastermind!"

"We shall see, Hina…" Sakura responded to her friend. "Hopefully, that'll be the case."

'Is it what Kyoko took from Monokuma? Wait, no…' A flashback was then shown of Kyoko showing off the key before going back to the present. 'That's right. The key she stole was shaped like Monokuma. This isn't anything like that.'

"Then this key is…?" The lucky student spoke aloud.

His words got the group's attention. "What is it? Did you find something?" Byakuya inquired.

"Yeah…" Makoto held the key out for the others to see. "This was on the ground near the body."

"I've never seen this key before. What could it possibly go to…?" Byakuya mused to himself.

"So even you don't know, then?"

"Makoto… I'm going to give you a very important task." The Togami heir suddenly declared.

"Huh…?" The lucky student spoke in confusion and wariness.

"...The asshole is gonna ask him to look through the locked doors, isn't he?" Leon said blankly.

"I think that answer is obvious…" Junko responded back.

"That key might give you access to certain areas we thought were locked." Byakuya surmised.

"You mean…?"

"The bio lab, the data center, the headmaster's room, and the dorm rooms on the 2nd floor…" Byakuya listed off. "It's in your hands."

'So I'm your errand boy now…?' Makoto thought with slight disbelief.

"Gotta ask; why always ask or go to Makoto for stuff?" Junko asked with a raised eyebrow. "I mean, Toko's there. She's willing to do anything and everything you ask."

"Obviously, because I trust him for the more important task." Byakuya answered with an eye roll. "He proved that he isn't without skill, so why wouldn't I use him?"

"Yep. He's making your errand boy, dude…" Leon told his friend, patting his back sympathetically.

"I kinda gathered…" Makoto sighed, resigned to that fate for the time being. Beside him, Sayaka also gave him a look of sympathy.

Meanwhile, Toko gave a jealous glare at the lucky student behind her hands. 'How could he gain Master's trust so easily?!' She cried in her head.

"So, I went to the bio lab, the headmaster's room, and the data center to see which door the key unlocks…" Narrator Makoto spoke, as the present luckster tried the key at the bio lab and headmaster's room. "And the door it unlocked was…"

A clip of Makoto in front of the data center was then shown, with the luckster inserting the key into the keyhole. When he turned, a clear *click* was heard. "It fits!" He gasped. "I managed to unlock the data center…!"

The clear excitement from the luckster caused fits of giggles from more than a few of the girls. "You look like a kid there, Makoto…" Hina giggled out, covering her mouth.

The lucky student blushed. "C-Can you blame me? I was able to access a place that we couldn't before!" Makoto huffed defensively. "And you wouldn't be any better, Hina!"

"True. But you look particularly childlike…" Celeste said, melodic giggles leaving her mouth. "Rather endearing, in a way."

"So cute…" Sayaka cooed, ruffling his hair once again.

"Please stop treating me like a child…!" Makoto whined through the ruffling, his cheeks getting redder.

Even Kyoko and Mukuro were visibly amused by Makoto's childlike reaction, the detective hiding a smile behind her hand while Mukuro quietly giggled.

The scene switched to Makoto returning to the greenhouse. "So, you're back. How'd it go?" Byakuya inquired.

"I found out which room the key goes to." Makoto told them. "It's the data center, down on the 4th floor."

"Then we can get into the data center now?!" Hiro exclaimed.

"Interesting…" Byakuya hummed. "But why did the now deceased have that key on them? I suppose we'll just have to go to the data center and find out."

"Yeah, I think you're right…" Makoto nodded in agreement.

The present Byakuya furrowed his eyebrows in thought. "Chihiro, you mentioned that the data center could be a place where the mastermind could monitor us, correct?" He recalled.

"O-Oh, um, yes. Yes, I did say that." Chihiro confirmed, nodding. "That, or the headmaster's office, are the most likely places that the mastermind could be hiding; and the data center would be the best place to set up a monitoring room."

The heir nodded in silent thanks. "Then that would be my likely guess as to what we're about to see." If so… then that would make for a stronger case of the corpse being the mastermind.

The scene then switched to the group gathered at the data center. "Here we are." The Togami heir declared.

"Looks like the door is still unlocked…" Makoto observed, getting close.

"Hey, so… when you open that door, there's not gonna be another huge KABOOM like before, right?" Hina asked nervously.

"You're asking that question *now*?" Hiro asked incredulously.

"Don't worry. We have Makoto." Byakuya assured them.

"What does he mean 'We have Makoto'...?!" The lucky student in question exclaimed, both in disbelief and exasperation.

"Are you actually asking him to face a potential bomb head on…?" Mukuro asked dangerously, a dark look across her face.

"Relax. I doubt that my future self thinks that it was actually hijacked." Byakuya reassured with an eye-roll. "I'm merely messing with their heads."

"You got a sick sense of humor, you know that Togami?" Mondo remarked with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course a fool wouldn't understand the amusement of watching other fools squirm and flail, like eels on the surface."

"One of these days Togami, I swear, I'm wringing that fucking neck of yours…!"

"What…?" The lucky student looked at the heir incredulously.

"It's in your hands…" Byakuya continued, unfettered.

"Again…?"

"It means I trust you."

'That's an absolute lie.' Makoto thought indignantly. 'I'm just being used…'

"And like Junko said, we have a Toko here more than willing to tank a bomb…!"

"N-No, I wouldn't!" Toko protested Leon's claim, now removing her hands from her face.

"Oh?" Junko raised an eyebrow at that, a mischievous smirk across her face. "Want to tell that to Byakuya then?"

Immediately, the writing prodigy found herself clammed up; especially when saw the Ultimate in question raising an eyebrow at her. "I-I-I… if Master wants me to, t-then…"

"I rest my case." Both Junko and Leon nodded in satisfaction, the two even leaning over their seats to bump fists.

With a sigh of resignation, Makoto walked over and placed his hand on the knob. He slowly opened the door, eyes closed and body tense, taking a few steps into the room. After a moment of silence… 'Nothing… happened.'

Slowly, he opened his eyes…

And what he was met with was a darkened room filled with various monitors and computers.

"...Looks like Chihiro's hypothesis was correct." Celeste stated, eyes narrowed. "The data center really was transformed into a monitoring room for the mastermind."

None of the students were surprised by this, honestly. It made the most sense for the monitoring room to be there, where it could be more easily modified. At most, the only thing the group felt was a slight chill at the atmosphere that room was giving.

"Hey, that's-!" Hiro gasped from beside him, the rest of the group having entered right behind him.

Just as Hiro trembling hand pointed at the monitors, the scene switched to various monitors, all of them showing different parts of the school.

"Th-This is…!" Makoto gasped in shock.

"It's the direct feed from every single surveillance camera…!" Byakuya exclaimed, looking around the room. "All the cameras in the school feed back into this room… and they're displayed here on these monitors. So the sole purpose of this room… is to watch us."

"To… w-watch us?!" Hiro exclaimed nervously.

"Then this room is…!" Hina spoke in realization.

"The mastermind's private room, without a doubt." Byakuya stated confidently.

"So, since this is the mastermind's main room, and the key to it was on the body…" Sayaka mused, looking pensive. "Does that actually mean… that the mastermind is actually dead? That the corpse is theirs?"

"For real?!" Hiro exclaimed, looking incredulous. "The mastermind is dead?! Like, really dead?!"

"That's what it's looking like…" Leon said, though a frown was across his face. "But I don't know…"

None of them knew if it was due to something of an "outsider looking inward" type of situation, or the ominous words the narrator version of their lucky student gave, or even the fact that there's still one more chapter after this one…

But none of them could feel entirely sure that the mastermind is actually dead. Something about it all felt off.

'The mastermind's room…' Makoto thought to himself, his eyes focused on the monitors. 'I guess that makes sense. So the mastermind was here… watching us.'

"Then I think this settles it." Byakuya continued, smirking.

"Huh…?" Hina, in response, looked at him in confusion.

"The body in the garden…" The heir explained. "If they had the key to this room, it can mean only one thing. That body was Mukuro Ikusaba, and she was the mastermind."

"...Kinda weird seeing them think that Mukuro is that corpse." Hina admitted, rubbing the back of her head. "And that she is even the mastermind!"

"No kidding…" Junko snorted with a fake grimace. "Not fun hearing future versions of your classmates talking about your dead sister being the evil boss…"

That brought a few winces, and sympathetic looks to the fashionista. "Sorry, Junko. Mukuro." Hina apologized. "I-"

"Nah, don't worry. It's not really anyone's fault what's going on there." Junko waved off the apology.

"It's what happens when you're working with minimal information." Kyoko stated with a sigh. "You come to a conclusion that is different than if you have all the pieces. Even one missing piece of info can immediately shift the narrative into something else."

"Yeah, clearly." Makoto agreed, before turning his head towards the soldier in question. "What about you, Mukuro? Does this feel weird to you?"

"...Somewhat." Mukuro admitted. Seeing the survivors coming to the conclusion that she's the mastermind, and that the corpse was her, caused a surreal feeling for herself.

Hina's eyes widened at this. "Then the mastermind is dead? Like really really dead?!"

"It would seem so." Byakuya confirmed with a nod.

"F-For serious?!" Hiro exclaimed in shock.

"It's too bad they had to g-go and die… before Master could k-kill them himself!" Toko snickered. (Of course, that gained the usual sighs and eye-rolls from the group.)

'The mastermind… is dead?' Makoto thought, slightly stunned. 'Could that really be true? Does that mean… it's all over? Because, I mean… that body…'

A flashback of the body then happened. 'Whatever happened, they obviously didn't die a natural death. So who was it that…?'

"It would have to have been Miss Kirigiri, wouldn't it?" Hifumi guessed hesitantly. "After all, Mr. Naegi was in no state to do anything, and the others were together dismantling Monokuma."

"You're assuming that the four stayed together the entire time…" Celeste pointed out. "We don't know that for certain. They could've split away from one another at any point during the night, be it for a bathroom break or something else."

"If any of them were behind this murder, I'm pretty sure the culprit would've said something; especially if they believe that was the mastermind they were killing." Byakuya said in retort.

"As always, we'll need to continue watching. Speculation will get us nowhere at the moment." Kyoko stated, eyes focus on the screen.

The luckster was brought out of his thoughts by Hiro speaking. "B-But… if the mastermind really is dead…" He said hesitantly… before cheering. "That means we can finally get outta this hellhole! We gotta hurry and find the exit! C'mon!"

Before the fortune teller could move, however, Byakuya halted him. "No. We have to check this area thoroughly first."

"Huh?!" Hiro looked at the heir in confusion. "But what about the exit?!"

"If the mastermind truly is dead, we can leave whenever we decide to." Byakuya pointed out to him. "But right now… we need to find out why the mastermind set up this life-or-death game in the first place."

Byakuya nodded in agreement with his future self. "Regardless of any speculation or suspicion on our parts regarding the mastermind's status, it would be a waste to simply just go and leave without finding out more."

"That's right. It's important to find out who exactly the mastermind is, and why exactly this killing game was created in the first place." Kyoko also spoke in favor of continuing the investigation. "This could lead to something bigger than we initially see, or linked to others who had a hand in this."

"So even if the mastermind is dead, they're still gonna find out who she is…?" Sayaka asked.

"That'll help us a lot…" Leon sighed. "Either way, we can still find out who the psycho that made this sicko game is."

"And I'm bothered by the fact that the mastermind was obviously murdered."

"M-Murdered?!" Hiro exclaimed fearfully.

"So you think so too, huh?" Makoto asked, turning towards the heir.

Byakuya nodded. "Naturally. The state of the corpse makes it plain as day. There is absolutely no doubt… the mastermind was murdered."

"So they're gonna dig for who killed the mastermind…?!" Hina inquired with clear interest. "If so, maybe that's why it still shifted from Daily Life to Deadly Life!"

"You think that the mastermind is actually dead, Hina…?" Makoto asked her curiously.

"Well, I mean… it's kinda hard not to hope…" The swimmer admitted, turning away slightly. "I mean, I don't want people to die obviously, but if the mastermind's dead… that means the survivors are free to get out! Look through the school before that!"

"We understand, Hina." Sakura assured her, patting her friend's shoulder. "Still… we must be careful not to let our hope rise. This doesn't feel like the end by any means."

"...Yeah. True." Hina moaned, unable to deny that. Even she felt that silent foreboding that she just can't shake off!

"Wh-Why's it gotta be that way?!" Hiro protested. "I mean, who could've even done it?!"

"That's exactly why I said we need to investigate the purpose and identity of the mastermind." Byakuya stated in response.

"Now do you u-understand, you useless insect?!" Toko hissed at Hiro. "You're banned from t-talking to Master ever again!"

"Hey! You can't just me ban from talking to anyone!" Hiro protested, waving his arms.

"Y-You've wasted Master's t-time. You d-don't deserve to utter a sentence to him." The writer replied back viciously.

"Harshness!"

'The mastermind's purpose… and why they were killed…' Makoto thought pensively. 'This room may very well hold the answers to those questions…'

"...Hey Kyoko…" Makoto whispered to the detective, looking concerned. "Do you think that… you could've been the one that did it…?"

"...Can't say that it's not a possibility." Kyoko admitted with a sigh. "Assuming that I chased after the masked figure, they could've forced my hand… but I wouldn't go after them with the intent to kill, no."

"I see…" The lucky student let out his own sigh, conflicting thoughts on the matter swirling. "And… do you think that the body is the mastermind…? All signs seem to be pointing to that idea…"

"It does, yes. But it feels as though pieces are missing…" Kyoko answered, furrowing her eyebrows. One thing that bothered her the most is the bomb.

If the masked figure was the mastermind, why place a bomb on themselves? Did they want to hide their identity that much, to the point of making that kind of failsafe on the chance they're killed or immobilized? Or was this an attempt to hide something else? What, exactly, was the motivation?

The luckster looked around the room once again.  After all, the mastermind must have spent who knows how much time here…'

"Okay then, let us begin our search. It's time to uncover the identity of the mastermind." Byakuya declared.

'Here we go…' Was the thought of several, some eager while others were nervous. What will the five survivors manage to find? Will it be something that'll uncover the identity of the mastermind? Will they find anything at all?

Junko, however, was watching the entire thing with nothing but amusement; a contrast to the unsettling atmosphere around the room. She knew that she wasn't dead. No way there's anyone within the surviving group that even had a chance to take her down. So her future self is setting something up to make things exciting.

Still, she wondered… who exactly is the corpse? With how the shots were set up on screen, there wasn't anything that she could see to figure out the identity. Heck, it could be someone outside of her class!

She doesn't know yet; and it made things so much more exciting!

Notes:

And that's the end. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and that the class's feelings towards the whole thing is more or less accurate. I thought about having them believe, as their future counterparts, that the mastermind was dead; but that felt… off. So I took the "outside looking in" approach, with them having that TV sort of view without them recognizing that; at least not fully. After all, for the main villain to have died off screen? No regular TV watcher would buy it. Hope that was the better approach. Leave comments, kudos, and bookmarks and I will see you later.

Chapter 97: Watching Chapter 5: 100 Miles; Pain of a Junk Food Junkie Part 8

Notes:

Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. This one felt much easier to write than the previous two. Finally getting out of the weird section of the chapter (At least for me. I'm the one having to write it, after all), and getting back into the more exciting reactions. Some of which are gonna be in this chapter. I hope you enjoy.

"So we looked through the data center, in search of any clues regarding the mastermind." Narrator Makoto spoke, as clips of Hiro fiddling with a TV antenna on top of TV, and one of Makoto and Toko looking at the monitors, were shown. "For a bit of time, there wasn't much we could find. The PCs were locked, along with the Monokuma door."

Clips of Byakuya looking through the PCs, and Hina trying to open the Monokuma door were next.

"So we got locked computers and another locked door…" Taka noted with interest. "Would it be possible to access either?"

"The door? Probably, if only with enough physical force." Byakuya stated. "Not the PCs, however; we would need someone like Chihiro or Alter Ego to access it."

"So? We can just use our fighting spirit to bust our way in, right?" Hina argued. "Nothing can beat physical force!"

"W-We told you before, you dolt, that it d-doesn't work like that…" Toko grumbled.

Chihiro lowered his head, saddened that his future self, or even his AI creation, wasn't alive to help his classmates. If only he was able to survive long enough… if only Alter Ego would have waited a little longer to do something… could they have-?

"Hey…" Chihiro was broken out of his thoughts by a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head to see Mondo smiling at him sadly. "I'm probably the last person that should tell you this, but don't worry about what-ifs. Besides, it ain't over yet. They may be able to pull something without our help."

In response, the programmer looked back down. "I know, it's just… hard not to think about…" He admitted meekly.

"Yeah. I get that." Mondo nodded in acknowledgement. "Still, it ain't gonna do us any good. Especially when none of it happened yet; and it won't ever happen."

That sparked a determined glint across Chihiro's eyes. He's right. None of this happened yet; and that means they could do something to stop it.

"But finally…"

"Hrm… hrm hrm hrmmm…" Hiro hummed to himself as worked on the TV. Then… "Oh…! Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!"

"...What's wrong?" Makoto asked cautiously, walking away from the Monokuma door.

"Good news for all you Saturday morning kiddies out there! I think I got the TV working!" Hiro announced happily.

"Really?!" Hina exclaimed eagerly.

That got the group perking up in interest. "The TV is on?!" Hina gasped eagerly. "That means we can see the news! See what people are saying and what's going on!"

"It's a good thing that Hiro picked up some technological skills…!" Sayaka remarked, looking a tad excited for any useful info. "First with dismantling Monokuma, now setting up the antenna…!"

"Good job using one of your more useful skills, dude!" Leon cheered, pumping a fist up.

"What do you mean? All of my skills are useful!" Hiro replied, confused by the baseball star's implication.

"Your definition of useful and everyone else's are a tad apart, dear Hiro…" Celeste stated, a tad dryly.

"Well, regardless, I'm glad for your help Hiro." Makoto aimed a grateful smile at Hiro. "Your technological skill is coming in handy now…"

"Yeah, I agree. Especially with me gone…" Chihiro added, also grateful for the fortune teller's other skill.

Said fortune teller felt surprisingly pleased by the gratitude given to him, with him grinning and scratching the back of his head. "Hehe, no problem. I'm just glad our future selves can finally watch some news."

"Yeah, totally!"

"You rock for once Hiro!"

"You'll finally be useful for once!"

Cheers were made for the fortune teller's future self. Of course, that got him to feel fairly good about himself, happy he picked a few things back at home.

"Now all we gotta do is… switch it on!"

"...Then do it." Was Byakuya's plain response to the fortune teller.

"Friggin' idiot mastermind! All 'you guys need to cut free from your regrets of the outside world'..." Hiro grumbled to himself. "And they were sitting here watching TV the whole time! They really thought they could get away with it…?"

Subconsciously, several of the students leaned forward, curiosity, focus, excitement, and even a bit of fear being shared among the class. "This could be big…!" Hina said with clear excitement. "With this, we could see what's going on over a year from now! Find out how much has changed!"

"With how much Monokuma tried to hold back any information regarding the outside world, the change must be substantial enough for plentiful clues to be given…" Celeste mused, a knuckle over her chin.

"It could also give our future selves enough evidence to realize that their memories have been taken…!" Taka added optimistically. "With this, questions are bound to appear within the minds of the survivors!"

"It's questionable whether that would be good or not…" Byakuya retorted. "But regardless, this'll give some benefits for ourselves." At the very least, some theories and hypotheses could either become more concrete, or be eliminated.

Everyone watched the screen with an influx of emotions bubbling around the room…

With that bit of grumbling, the fortune teller switched on the TV. And what the group saw was…

Themselves. In the data center. "Hm…?"

And just like that, all sense of excitement, fear, or curiosity was wiped; to be replaced momentarily by pure confusion. 'Huh…?'

"Huh…? This is…" Makoto spoke in confusion.

"It's the feed coming from… the surveillance camera monitoring this room, wasn't it?" Hina questioned dubiously.

"...The fuck…?" Was all Mondo could say, dumbfounded.

"Hiro…" The Togami heir slowly turned to the fortune teller with a particularly irritated and deadly glare. "If your future self doesn't have an adequate solution upon his lips…"

"H-H-Hey! Hold on, now!" Hiro raised his hands defensively, attempting to cover his face and body with them. "Don't blame future me for this!"

"He's the o-one that was fiddling with the TV…!" Toko hissed in support of her master. "There's n-no one to blame, b-but you!"

"I must agree! What is the meaning of this, Hiro?!"

"Isn't this supposed to be one of your good points coming to display?!"

"Seriously dude, the one time you could've done something…!"

"You're the worst, Hiro! Giving us hope like that…!"

And of course, several of the students bombarded Hiro with boos and jeers, with the fortune teller feebly trying to defend himself. Sakura, Makoto, and Chihiro could only give him looks of sympathy as he got admonished by the class.

Meanwhile, Kyoko remained silent and focused on the screen, with her eyes narrowed suspiciously. She has a strong feeling there's more to this. After all… the only thing she saw connected was the antenna.

"Huh? That's weird…" Hiro said with his own confusion.

Byakuya turned to the fortune teller with irritation. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"That's really weird. Hmm…" Hiro said to himself, looking at the antenna.

"Y-YOU'RE weird…! Weird in every way p-possible. And not j-just weird… super weird!" Toko retorted.

"But… this TV isn't hooked up to anything but the antenna…" Hiro pointed out nervously.

That got the group to fall silent, confusion becoming prevalent yet again. "Is he actually serious right now…?" Leon asked, mouth agape.

"But… that doesn't make any sense!" Sayaka stated, shaking her head rapidly. "If only the antenna is connected, then whatever is coming through the satellite should appear! Or just static!"

"See? Told ya it wasn't future me's fault!" Hiro exclaimed flusteredly, pointing at the screen. "Something weird is definitely going on!"

"Indeed. This does seem strange…" Sakura stated, narrowing her eyes.

"So how is it showing the camera feed?"

"Did you try changing the channel?" Hina suggested.

"Oh, good idea." Hiro nodded in agreement to that idea. "Let's give it a try."

And so, Hiro went through the channel one by one. But every channel just showed the survivors, in the same live feed.

"Okay, what the actual fuck is going on…?" Mondo questioned, confusion and irritation mixing together. "Is this some shit the mastermind decided to pull?"

"Why would they pull anything in regards to the data center, if they never intended for us to come inside?" Celeste argued.

"Plus, I don't think it's possible to pull that sort of trickery with current day technology…" Chihiro added, looking in thought. "As Hiro said, only the antenna is connected. They would need to send television waves in order to do so, and that would give others outside the school to see this, something I doubt the mastermind would want."

His words caused something to click in Kyoko's mind. And her eyes widened slightly as the idea ran through her mind, shock, even horror, briefly showing her features. 'No… no, it can't… is it even…?'

"Kyoko…?" Schooling her features, the detective turned towards the worried looking Makoto, who definitely caught the slip of her mask. "Do you… What did you figure out?"

"...It's probably best if you see for yourself. If I'm correct." Was all Kyoko could say, her mind still reeling at the possibility. Because if what she's thinking is the truth… then this is a clear showcase of how much power the mastermind wields. Could wield. And Monokuma's words from previously make a whole lot more sense.

"All this punishment, all this despair is my gift to mankind itself!" Can someone… Could anyone be able to pull something this massive?

She wasn't the only one who managed to piece together. Ever since the TV got turned on by the survivors, Junko had to duck her head and cover lips, even biting those lips, to keep back the mad giggles that threatened to bubble up. 'I really did manage to control the whole network~!' She thought with clear glee. 'I really am showing the whole entire world despair for all their hopeful eyes to see!'

And the best part? The overwhelming feeling of shock and horror that is about to come! As the group, both future and present, realize what exactly they're seeing! That their killing game school life is being broadcasted for the entire world to see!

"What the heck…?" Hiro spoke in pure befuddlement.

"Is it broken or something?" Hina questioned, frowning.

"No… there must be some kind of trick to it, some weird setup…" Hiro stated, trying to find anything else around the TV.

"A trick? What kind of trick?!" Monokuma inquired eagerly.

"I'm not sure, but…" Hiro started… but then stop, registering who exactly spoke up. All heads slowly turned towards the source.

It took a moment for the group to process that Monokuma just appeared. Casually. As if he was part of the group all along. But once they did…

"M-Monokuma!?" Makoto and Taka shouted incredulously.

"W-Where did he come from?!" Sayaka and Toko yelped in startled shock.

"The bastard is alive!?" Mondo and Leon cried out in pure frustration.

"Knew it." Byakuya and Celeste said simultaneously, their tone flat yet disappointed.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Hina, Hifumi, and Hiro wailed out in dismay.

A combination of surprise, disappointment, and frustration filled the room. While most, if not all of them suspected that something was off with all that, there was still that underlying hope that the mastermind was actually dead. That someone, be it Kyoko or someone else, had killed them after their assassination attempt and the group would've been free to explore the remainder of the school without interference. Unfortunately, that hope came crashing down on them.

"...Huh?" Toko uttered incredulously.

"...Huh?" Monokuma repeated.

"Wh…?" Hina's eyes slowly widened in shock.

"Wh…?" Monokuma repeated.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTT?!" Hiro finally screamed in shock and fear.

This time, the bear laughed at all their baffled faces. "Been a while, ya friggin' bastards!"

"Not long enough, you fucking psycho…!" Mondo growled hatefully.

"Can't you just go back into hibernation and stay hibernated…?!" Hiro cried out in frustration. "It hasn't even been a full day!"

"...I should've known not to get my hopes… I knew, but still…" Hina muttered pitifully, drawing sympathetic pats from Sakura.

"The bastard loves to mess with us…!" Leon exclaimed angrily, fists clenching.

'You bet~!' Junko cheered in her head, still hiding her mad giggles. It's fun, messing with people's expectations like that, only for those expectations to come crashing down.

"M-Monokuma?!" Makoto exclaimed incredulously.

"How…? You're supposed to be d-dead!" Toko cried out fearfully.

In response, the bear maniacally laughed yet again. "Me, dead?! Don't be freakin' stupid!"

"Hey, you're actin' kinda strange! Something seems… different." Hiro pointed shakily.

"Of course I'm different! Evolution is perfectly natural!" Monokuma said in a casual response. "After all, I've been hibernating for two years…"

"Not even! It's been like half a day at MOST!" Hiro retorted back.

"See? That's what I'm saying!"

"Was all this just to mess with us?" Byakuya questioned, irritation swelling into his body. "His silence made sense considering the mastermind's scheme to kill Makoto. But to continue to remain silent? Even leave out the key to their monitoring station?"

"That's… at least part of it…" Was what all Kyoko managed to get out, amidst her inner turmoil. While there's no doubt that the mastermind stayed silent to bring their hopes up, just so they could bring it down… there's likely other reasons for it. Something that had to do with the corpse… and why they allowed the survivors to enter into the monitoring room.

"How are you alive again?!" Hina exclaimed, now pale.

"Oh yeah, that's it. Puhuhu…" Monokuma giggled. "The look on your faces right now is sublime! That's what I wanted to see - the moment you went from hope to despair…"

"Don't tell me you pretended to be dead, all for this moment…?" Byakuya growled, scowling.

"Why would a bear pretend to be dead? You're the ones who should pretend to be dead when you see a bear!" The bear said in retort. "I mean, that's totally laughable! It makes me laugh! I'm gonna laugh now! A-ha-ha-ha!"

"I'm sick of the shit-head playing dumb!" Leon growled in irritation. "That shit ain't cute at all! Just irritating!"

"I'm certain he knows this, Leon. Which is why he does it." Sakura stated, just as unamused.

"And that's that." The bear suddenly went for a more calm, almost sinister demeanor. "Well, it's almost time to cut off your past so full of hope, and begin to despair at the future ahead of you! I want you to all have way more fun in this killing game!"

"You have to be kidding… we have to keep going?" Hina questioned dreadfully, more to herself than anyone else.

"N-No… we were supposed to get out of here…!" Hiro wailed pitifully.

"Get out of here? Are you still obsessed with getting out of here?" Monokuma asked rhetorically. "How do you not get it?! There IS no getting out of here! And besides… this life isn't all bad ya know! I mean, there's stuff you won't like about life no matter where you are!"

That got something within Sayaka to snap. "He can go to hell…!" The idol shouted out angrily, a scowl clear across her face. "He doesn't get to justify anything about his makeshift prison! Especially when HE fuels our desire to get out!"

"Yeah! He says that we don't get it?! That we're obsessed with getting out?!" Hina growled right alongside the idol. "As if he did anything to make us give up!"

Makoto looked at the two girls sympathetically, understanding their anger all too well at this point. Silently, he wrapped an arm around Sayaka's own arm, giving a silent gesture of comfort. The idol, in response, snuggled up to him yet again, in an attempt to cool her boiling blood.

"Are you s-serious?" Toko remarked incredulously. "This place is the w-worst…!"

"If it's the worst, does that mean you're in… despair?" Monakuma asked eagerly. He then let out his usual, gleeful laughter for a bit, before stopping. "Whew. I'm pooped from all that laughing! I guess I'll just get to the point now."

"The point…?" Makoto asked wearily.

Like the luckster, the group was also tense and weary. "So there's more to it than just playing around…" Byakuya stated, eyes narrowed.

"It would seem so." Celeste nodded in agreement. "However, I am uncertain whether we'll like the point he is about to make…"

"Is there anything that came from the bear that we liked?" Leon deadpanned.

The gambler let out a small hum at that. "Fair enough…"

"You guys really struck gold when you found that TV." Monokuma claimed. "Yes, indeed! That TV is an essential part of your school life here."

"Bullshit!"

"All it's showing is the live feed!"

"That ain't gold!"

"Even when changing the channel, it only shows that!"

"It's a one channel TV, and that channel sucks!"

"I knew it was hiding a secret of some kind…" Byakuya stated, his scowl remaining.

"But I connected the antenna, so why's it just showing us the surveillance feed?" Hiro questioned.

"Puhuhu… Look how attentive they are now!" The bear giggled. "Well then, I'm gonna let you in on a blood-gushing secret and tell you about it!"

"That TV is absolutely, without a doubt, displaying the signal coming in on the antenna."

"...What is he… what does that mean?" Hina spoke in pure confusion. "How can…?"

"It's just the survivors standing there…" Sayaka protested. "It can't be displaying any sort of signal!"

Kyoko remained quiet, fervently trying to keep her composure. She couldn't stop the slight clenching of hands onto her skirt, the slight dilation from her eyes, or wipe the tension coming from across her face, as Monokuma's words confirmed the rather… frightening conclusion she came to.

And she wasn't the only one who connected the dots. "...Wait… Wait, does he mean…?" Chihiro muttered, blood rapidly leaving his cheeks, and leaving him white as a sheet.

It was something the others noticed almost immediately. But before any could ask what was wrong, the scene in front of them answered that question.

"Huh?" Hina couldn't help but look lost at his words. "But… what does that mean?"

"It's displaying th-the signal…? But it's just us, standing h-here…" Toko pointed out.

"Ugh, you're so stupid! Don't you get it?! Fine, I'll just tell you…" Monokuma growled in irritation. "This killing game is being broadcast to the entire world. It's the most popular thing on TV!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

None in the class knew how to react. Dumb, wide eyed, incredulous stares were aimed right at the TV as the group digested the unbelievable statement Monokuma had just made. Even those like Celeste and Byakuya lost any of their composure, eyes shot open and jaws hanging.

"What…?" Makoto breathed out, stunned.

"The killing game is being broadcast live to the entire world. It's the most popular thing on TV!" The bear repeated.

"..." The luckster could only give the bear a numb looking stare. 'It doesn't matter how many times he says it, I don't know what it's supposed to mean. I mean, even if I understood the words, I'm not sure I'd understand the deeper meaning…'

"...Is he serious?" Leon finally asked, absolutely blue in the face. "Is he actually serious? Is he actually, fucking serious?! IS THAT ASSHOLE ACTUALLY SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?!"

"That's… no! NO!" Sayaka shouted in near hysterical denial. "There's no way that is possible! They shouldn't be able to broadcast this to the whole world!"

"He… he has to be lying, right…?" Taka asked, almost as if he was trying to convince himself. A short, rather unhinged laugh left his mouth as he clamped his hands around his temples. "He has to be deceiving us. Trying to make himself more powerful than he actually is! Right?!"

"...The whole fucking world was watching us…" Mondo whispered catatonically. The biker was limp, with him staring down at the table with glazed eyes. "...They were watching everything we were doing… they heard my secret… my gang could've…"

"...The whole world knows that I'm a boy." Chihiro was not any better, having come to the same conclusion as his biker friend. But rather than catatonic, the little programmer looked close to having a panic attack. "People know that I dress as a girl… they even heard why I did it… they… everyone…!"

"They would have to control all of the airwaves to do this…!" Hifumi screamed, as pale as everyone else. "Is that even possible?! What kind of special stats would the mastermind even have for that?!"

"No way! There's no way!" Hiro screeched, holding his head fearfully. "It's impossible! There's no way they are able to do that!"

"...This… this has to be a bad joke…!" Like Taka, Hina also got into the denial phase, all color leaving the girl's face. "Some sick, twisted joke to get us panicking… have us scared beyond belief…!"

Makoto… he was dumbstruck. Speechless. Almost unable to comprehend what Monokuma had just told the survivors. The world. The whole world. Whoever is controlling that sick bear was, or will be, able to broadcast this insane killing game on LIVE TV!

Slowly, almost robotically, he turned towards Kyoko. A glance was enough to tell him that the detective, even despite figuring it out before most, was just as affected by the revelation. Not obvious to most, but Makoto was physically close enough (And knew her well enough) to notice the subtle signs.

"Wh-What? Broadcast live… to the entire world?" Hina repeated to herself, now pale. "What kind of bad joke is this…?"

"It can't be… have they taken over the airwaves somehow…?!" Byakuya exclaimed incredulously, looking absolutely disheveled.

"The camera feed is being broadcast…? Now way, that's impossible!" Hiro shouted, shaking his head fearfully.

"That kind of overconfidence is a major weakness in your crisis management system, you know that?" Monokuma remarked lightly. "All you need is one weird trick that I found, and hijacking the airwaves is Easy Mode!"

"BULLSHIT!" Cel- or rather, Taeko, shouted in angry disbelief; her mask completely wiped at the moment. "No way in hell taking over airwaves is that easy!"

"Is it still playing with us? Still messing with our heads?" Byakuya questioned, looking completely lost and quite pale. "What kind of resources does he have to broadcast the killing game across countries? Is there even any technological trick to have that type of control…?"

"..." Toko remained silent, looking pastier than usual and curled up to a shaking ball. Not only does she feel fearful of the power the mastermind could possibly wield… but she also realized that the entire world knows that she's Genocide Jack.

"Just… how much power does that mastermind truly wields?" Sakura questioned, trying to wrap her head around the possible power and resources required for such a task. "Do they have that much power already?"

Now that was a frightening thought. The mastermind, the one behind this entire game, already having the resources needed to make this come to fruition; that was thought none of them wanted to ponder on for too long.

"A-Are you being serious right now…?" Makoto asked incredulously, his voice shaky.

"Of course!" Was the bear's straight answer.

"I heard a kind of… creaking." Narrator Makoto spoke, as the camera focused on the shakened looking luckster. "But the sound was coming from my own mind. Like a boat tossing in the ocean, my mind had begun to creak and groan."

Junko… she was enjoying this. Very much enjoying this. To the point where she had to curl up into a ball to hide her demented grin, the mad giggles that were slipping out. The shock! The horror! The despair! It's all so palpable in the room! She can practically taste it, and it tastes so divine!

Mukuro, however, was the most composed out of everyone in the room. She knew that Junko wanted to show the entire world despair, and hacking into the airwaves would certainly do that, so it wasn't that much of a surprise for her. The soldier knew that her sister, with plenty of time, could do amazing things. Things no one else would that possible.

The only thing she really felt, however, was worry of how that info was affecting Makoto; and the pangs of guilt for her part in his reaction.

"Everything has a meaning, you know…" Monokuma continued. "All those hints I gave you, all those tantalizing tidbits about the school's mysteries… even me luring you here right now… why would I do any of that without a reason? It was all for my captive audience - to show them true despair like they'd never seen it before!"

His words hit many of the students harder than they would've liked. All those hints they found, clues and evidence they gathered, what progress their future selves have made… many suspected that the mastermind simply didn't care what they found…

But for those clues to be left out purposefully? To give a show for who knows how many people? How were they supposed to react to that? How were they supposed to feel about that?

"I became the director of a despair-based production!" The bear then laughed. "This is the ultimate reality show! The best in despair entertainment!"

"You're lying!" Hina denied vehemently. "If this was on TV, the police and everyone else would be going crazy!"

"Y-Yeah… there's no way they wouldn't have tried to come and rescue us!" Hiro shakily agreed with the swimmer.

And immediately, students latched onto that piece of logic and common sense. "Th-That's right…" Take spoke in hesitant agreement. "If it was broadcast across the world, law enforcement would not remain idle! They would deploy any measures needed to rescue us!"

"Y-Yeah! No way they could be able to ignore us…!" Hiro also spoke up. "They would break into the school, guns at the ready!"

"What if… they already did?" Was Monokuma's question in return.

"..."

"..."

"...You mentioned before that the outside of the school could also have defenses." Makoto shakily recalled, his head slowly turning back towards Kyoko. "That people are likely already trying to break through the school. Right?"

Kyoko gave a small nod. "And Monokuma's words… it all but confirms that previous hypothesis." She stated, fully composing herself now. "If the school is truly being broadcast to the whole world, there's no doubt that law enforcement would make any and all attempts to break us out. And if they haven't yet, then that would mean…"

"...There are defenses in place to keep them out. Very effective ones." Byakuya finished, still looking very rattled. "They made certain that no one could interrupt the game that they have created."

That left many feeling sick, fearful, or even in a daze. The power that the mastermind holds, or potentially can hold, was striking them harder and harder. And none of them knew whether or not this unknown individual holds even a fraction of those resources, as of right now. How can they fight someone who seems to hold all the cards?

"...How many died trying to save us?" Chihiro whimpered, tightening further into his ball. "How many lives were taken… while our future selves were unaware?"

No one moved to answer that, none of them wanting to even touch that thought process.

"...Huh?" Was all Makoto could say at the moment, his brain clearly fried.

"But then again… it's not really any of their business, right?" The bear then claimed. "Sure, some people might yell at their TV to try and warn you. But who would actually come here to help? Don't you think that's possible? I don't really know personally though, so whatever!"

"But to take control of all communications like that, you'd need an astronomical amount of resources." Byakuya pointed out shakily.

"Exactly. This is not something anyone can do on a whim…" Byakuya spoke in agreement with his future self. "So how? How on earth did they manage such astronomical feet?!"

"And if they could do… why do this for a death game for fifteen people?" Taeko asked, as she attempted to regain some of her composure. "They would go through all the trouble, spend that much time, accumulate that much power, just to show the world fifteen students turning on one another?"

"...You heard what he said. What he wants is despair." Sakura stated, her hands clenching her knees. "And he wants the world to see that despair."

"BUT THAT STILL DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE!" Yet again, her mask cracked, with the gambler shouting out in distress. "We're talking about airwaves! Taking control of every damn TV across the whole damn world! You're telling me that someone would do that, just to show off the sicko game he created for us?! Set the whole damn game up to show people, what, despair?! JUST WHAT THE FUCK ARE WE MISSING HERE?!"

Taeko then fell silent, taking deep heavy breaths; hair slightly frizzled, hands over her head, and a slightly unhinged look across her eyes. No one attempted to say anything as the gambler tried to calm herself down.

'...I think the answers both to how and why lies within the Tragedy that has been spoken about.' Kyoko thought to herself. If her thinking is correct, then the event that has been spoken about several times likely helped the mastermind's take-over of both the school and the airwaves.

And that would be the best case scenario. Worst case… this showing is being used in service of this "Tragedy".

"Yup!" Monokuma confirmed, not denying that fact. "So, how could things have come this far? Well… that's a secret! There's something you all need to do first, remember?"

"What…?"

"Yeah, duh! There's the little business of…" Right as Monokuma spoke, a familiar bell rang across the room.

Eyes immediately shot forward at the unfortunately familiar sound. If there was any color coming back to students' faces, it was rushing right back down as they heard the next line.

The school monitor then turned on. "A body has been discovered!" The bear announced. "After a certain amount of time, which you may use however you like, the class trial will begin!"

"...Fuck!" Leon practically spat.

"...We're… we're doing another investigation?" Hina nearly whimpered, mouth covered. "Another class trial?"

"The body… since the mastermind is clearly alive…!" Taka spoke in realization.

"But… if it ain't the mastermind… then who the hell died?!" Hiro shouted, gripping his head. "Can something make sense already?!"

"..." Byakuya merely gritted his teeth. Unless the masked individual was a complete and total outsider to this death game, there was only one option left.

"Huh…?" Was Makoto's response to that announcement.

"C-Class trial?!" Hina stuttered fearfully. "Do you mean…?!"

"Puhu… puhuhuhuhu…!" Monokuma let out his signature laugh. For about a minute, he laughed sinisterly to himself, before pulling out the Monokuma file. "I'll leave the Monokuma File right here. Everyone give it all you got, okay?!"

Leaving the file on one of the desks, the bear continued. "Okay! Things are gonna get pretty crazy from here on out! You're in for a heck of a ride…! I can't wait…! I can't wait!" And with that, he left the room. Leaving the students frozen in their spots.

For a moment, none of them spoke. Merely stood around with stunned faces. Then, Hiro spoke. "I don't understand any of this… what's 'Despair entertainment'? And… how is he still alive?!" He shouted distressingly.

"I thought that finally… *finally* we could get out of here…" Hina said, sniffing a little.

"...He really wants to keep us down." Makoto spoke softly, his fists clenched. "Do anything possible to put us in despair…"

"It would've been foolish to believe that he would've left the survivors alone after they united. That the mastermind wouldn't pull any more tricks…" Sakura growled a little, head bowed. "Still…"

"It's so damn frustrating, seeing him mess with us like that!" Leon exclaimed, a scowl formed across his face.

"I'm still digesting the apparent fact that our future selves are being filmed live on television…" Hifumi admitted, holding his head. "All over the world, no less…"

"...At this point, we need to push aside that knowledge for later." Kyoko sighed. "Dwelling on it now won't do much of anything, other than delay this viewing. If we want answers, we're gonna have to continue."

As usual, none could argue the detective's point. So the students composed themselves best they could, pushed back that revelation as far into their mind as possible, and turned their attention back to the screen.

"A-And plus… what did he s-say about a class trial?!" Toko exclaimed in her own distress.

"Well that part's obvious. The class trial is the class trial." Byakuya stated bluntly, frustration clear across his face. "What it means is that at this point, we have to figure out who the culprit is…"

"Figure out… who killed Kyoko."

And of course, that last statement served to shake up several in the class once again. "Wh-Wha-..." Hina stuttered, still blue in the face. "What is he…?"

"The mastermind is alive. The other five are clearly alive. The chance of an additional person within the school is slim." Byakuya explained flatly. "And Kyoko is nowhere to be found. You can guess what conclusion is to be formed."

"..."

"What…?" Slowly, Makoto turned to the Togami heir with dilated eyes.

"Wh-What are you talking about? I thought Mukuro Ikusaba was the one who died…" Hiro protested slightly.

"The victim was female, right? Kyoko certainly fulfills that condition." Byakuya retorted. "And if Monokuma is still alive and active… that means that the mastermind, Mukuro Ikusaba, isn't dead."

And there's still the matter of the survivors thinking Mukuro is the mastermind. However, no one gave that tidbit too much focus, either unconcerned with it for the time being and/or still reeling over the idea of Kyoko being dead.

"So naturally that body can't belong to her. So it must be Kyoko." The heir concluded. "There is no other possibility."

'The body is… Kyoko's?' Makoto thought in disbelief. 'Kyoko's been murdered…?

The present Makoto did not take that idea well. The lucky student looked quite pale, his stomach twisting more painful than before. A part of him, a large part, even rejects the idea that she's dead. He wasn't certain if it's due to being unable to identify the body, or if he couldn't accept another close friend's death so easily… but right now, it was too much to accept.

Kyoko, however… was fairly calm. Only the furrow of an eyebrow gave any hints to any of what she's feeling. She knew she wasn't dead. That the corpse was not hers. What made her certain… was the certain article of clothing lacking on the body. Before and after the explosion.

The luckster shook his head in denial. 'No! It's not possible!' He exclaimed to himself. 'Because… Because I don't know anything about her yet…! I don't even know who she really is. To have it end like this…'

"I don't believe it…!" Makoto spoke aloud, fists and teeth clenched. "I refuse to believe it!"

"...I… I don't want to believe it either!" Hina admitted, her voice shaky yet strong. "I don't want another friend to be dead! Not when we united together! Not after Sakura's sacrifice!"

"I can't either. Because that would mean that one of the survivors killed her." Sayaka stated, desperation almost laced into her voice. "Hina, Hiro… even Byakuya and Toko… I just can't believe that any of them would want to kill her! That they have any reason to at this point!"

"While all avenues currently point to that idea… it's still difficult to accept." Taka said softly, gripping his knees. "Unless there's definitive proof that Kyoko is indeed dead, it cannot be accepted so easily. Especially when there's no clear motive for someone to do so."

Suffice to say, Makoto's words struck a chord with many of them. With so many of them already dead, the group couldn't believe that the body was Kyoko, even if it's the only viable option. They need more proof than what's presented to swallow that idea.

Byakuya merely sighed. But before he could say anything, Kyoko herself spoke up. "No need to be anxious about my death." She told everyone. "I'm positive that the corpse isn't mine."

Immediately, eyes were drawn to her. Looks of confusion and rising hope were shared across the room. "And what makes you say that?" The Togami heir asked, eyebrows furrowed. "There's no other option but you."

"Maybe. But there's one thing that counters the idea that the body is mine." Kyoko argued, holding a hand up. "A pair of clothing that you always see on me."

"...Your gloves." Makoto muttered out-loud, eyes lighting up in remembrance. He then spoke more loudly. "I completely forgot, the body didn't have any gloves on! Before or after the explosion!"

More eyes lit up at this, the important factoid now out for consideration. "Duh! Completely forgot about that tidbit!" Leon slapped his forehead in annoyance. "That's definitely proof that the body and Kyoko aren't the same."

"What makes you think you haven't taken them off? Or that whoever killed you didn't take them?" Celeste pointed out.

"These gloves aren't just for fashion. I use these to hide the state of my hands." Kyoko answered. "If they were taken off, I would've recognized that they were my hands."

Makoto understood what she meant. If it was her, then those hands would've had the scars Kyoko had been hiding. And while the lucky student never saw those scars for themselves, he remembered those hands on the body being unblemished (At least before the explosion).

"So that means… that means that Kyoko isn't dead!" Hina exclaimed happily, color finally returning to her skin. "That she is still alive somewhere!"

"So it would seem…" Sakura said with a small nod, also pleased with that outcome.

"So we got ourselves worked up for nothing…" Leon laughed, his body sagging.

"It looks more and more like my fortune is coming to fruition!" Hiro cheered, pumping a fist.

Several of the students found themselves soaking in the relief of one of their classmates likely being alive. Makoto, especially, felt his whole body sagging in pure relief, a tearful smile entering his lips.

"...Then who the hell is that corpse?!" Byakuya growled, frustration showing across his face. "It's not Kyoko, it's not the mastermind, it's clearly not the other five… has there been a sixteenth person hidden in the school? A 'student', or an ally of the mastermind?"

That got the group to pause for a moment, as they considered Byakuya's question.

"Whether you believe it or not doesn't matter. The truth is the truth!" Byakuya responded back harshly. "If you refuse to believe, it's your responsibility to uncover the truth for yourself."

"Myself…?"

"...Anyway, we'd better again." The heir then declared.

"B-But… if we're gonna have a class trial…" Hina spoke fearfully. "...then that means the killer…"

"Correct. It must be someone participating in our school life." Byakuya finished for her.

"Wait, so you're saying one of us killed Kyoko?!" Hiro exclaimed incredulously.

"Well… that's not precisely what I'm saying, no." Byakuya corrected slightly.

"Huh?" Hiro looked at the heir in confusion. "But you just said-"

"I don't have time to explain now. There is a veritable mountain of issues I need to confirm." Byakuya cut the fortune teller off. "So I'm going to begin my search. If you value your lives, you'll put everything you have into this. That is how the game works, after all…"

Those exchanges sombered up the group, their relief shifting into confusion. There was question after question that piled up amongst the minds of the students, most of which revolved around the corpse itself (The revelation about the killing game being broadcasted continued to be put on hold).

The body doesn't belong to the mastermind, it doesn't belong to any of the survivors, and it doesn't belong to Kyoko. So if none of the current survivors, or their captive, died… then who did?

Notes:

And that's the end. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Had to rewrite the bottom half a couple of times, in my attempt to account for all the knowledge the characters have compared to their future counterparts. Hopefully, I didn't miss anything. Next up, the investigation; and as I'm sure many of you can guess, the reactors will find out for themselves who exactly the corpse is. Leave comments, kudos, and bookmarks and I will see you later.

Chapter 98: Watching Chapter 5: 100 Miles; Pain of a Junk Food Junkie Part 9

Notes:

Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. Apologies for taking longer than usual with this chapter. Had stuff in my personal life that was giving me some level of writer's block (Interview anxiety is a pain in the butt!), and I had some difficulty nailing the reactions to the investigation. Wanted to be sure that this is how these characters would react to the events they're seeing, especially when they figure out who the corpse belongs too…

So anyways, let's get to the reactions. Here, the group will be reacting to the fifth investigation; and they're gonna figure out certain things real quick. I hope you enjoy.

'Well… I'd better start by checking out the Monokuma File…' Makoto thought, looking through said file. 'Due to the explosion, the victim's identity is unknown. They were, however, dead before the blast. The victim had been stabbed a single time with a knife, which went completely through the body. They had also been struck in the head with an object about as thick as a metal pipe. The body was covered with other wounds, but these were at least several days old.'

"So even the Monokuma File doesn't tell us who the victim actually was…" the lucky student mused to himself.

"They're gonna keep the victim a mystery…?" Taka questioned, furrowing his eyebrows. "But why?"

"...Likely because we will be able to figure that out for ourselves," Kyoko deduced, after a bit of thinking, "Or it's irrelevant to finding the blackened that killed the unknown person. Possibly a mix of both."

"How the hell are they supposed to figure out who the guy is…?" Leon asked incredulously, "With everyone else alive, and the mastermind alive, there's no one else to point at! We just have a complete rando lying around the garden!"

Again, there was a heavy amount of confusion lying dormant amongst the student body, with some even exchanging looks amongst themselves. With every single known option eliminated, who died?!

"...We will have to wait and see," the detective said, a small, frustrated sigh leaving her mouth, "But if the mastermind decided to leave their names out, then it must mean that we have the ability to figure it out."

"Assuming that the investigation and trial plays out like normally…" Celeste huffed, a trace of annoyance across her face, "As it is, none of this feels normal compared to previous chapters."

'The unidentified body… could it really be Kyoko…? Or…?' The screen briefly flashed back to the body before coming back to the present. 'I have no choice… I have to investigate. I have to uncover the truth for myself…'

He then moved to get out of the monitor room. 'N o matter what, I have to find out what happened. Or we're all dead…!'

The scene then switched to the survivors all gathered in the garden, around the body. "The first thing I did was look around the area for any clues…"

"What I found was a tarp, one side wet and dirty, while the other was completely dry…" The scene showed Makoto in the shed, holding up a used tarp.

"A familiar looking fragment near the body…" Next was the luckster grabbing a black and red fragment piece.

"A chicken missing from the pens…" The screen then shifted to Makoto looking into the pen, which indeed held four chickens rather than five.

"Huh? A chicken is missing?" Hiro noted in confusion. That confusion quickly turned to fear. "Oh no! That's a bad omen there!"

"Dude. Shut up," Leon deadpanned, before directing his attention back to the clues, "Still, it's weird that a chicken is missing."

"There's also the tarp that suddenly appeared," Sayaka added, frowning, "There aren't any tarps in the shed, were there?"

"Not that I remember," Makoto answered with his own furrowed eyebrows, "Someone likely took it from the equipment room and used it. Can't say how though."

'...Likely to stop something from getting wet,' Kyoko deduced, holding her chin in thought, 'As for what, I can't say for certain. Perhaps the body? But if it was covered, then the other side would've shown bloo- wait… could they have used chicken's blood as camouflage? That would explain why there's a missing chicken.'

But why though? Perhaps… is the killer trying to disguise the time of death? Make it look as though the victim was killed *after* the sprinklers were turned on?

"There's also the fragment as well…" Taka pointed out, frowning in thought, "Where did that come from? And what importance does it hold?"

"...From the looks of it, the color and design matched the bomb found in Monokuma," Celeste deduced, narrowing her eyes, "So that likely means it's part of the bomb that blew up the body."

"Huh? So that's how the body blew up?" Hiro spoke in surprise, "Someone strapped a bomb onto the body?"

"But… where would somebody get that bomb?" Sakura questioned, furrowing her eyebrows, "If it is indeed the same kind of bomb we saw come out of Monokuma, then the culprit would've had to get it from one of the machines."

"...Or perhaps they already had one in hand," Byakuya suggested, adjusting his glasses. His words got the attention of the group.

"M-Master? Did you f-figure something out, a-already?" Toko inquired, looking eager to hear from him.

"Merely a theory at the moment. One that leads to two conclusions," Byakuya answered curtly, "Either the victim had a dead-man switch place on them in case someone tried to open their mask… or the mastermind strapped the bomb on the corpse themselves."

"Either way, they did so in order to keep their victim's identity hidden, correct?" Celeste added to his conclusion, "But… why do such a thing? What would be the point of hiding the identity if our future selves wouldn't know who it was?"

"...Perhaps we would know," Kyoko suddenly suggested, "Perhaps we would've figured out the identify of the masked figure quickly, if not immediately, if we had a glimpse at their face."

Suffice to say, that confused several of the students. "But - who would it be?" Hina exclaimed, waving her arms, "All six survivors are alive, the mastermind is alive, our future selves' memories were wiped… so how can they recognize anyone else?"

"We will have to continue watching to get that answer…" was Kyoko's response, her attention back on the screen, "But right now, I can't think of any other reason the bomb would be strapped onto the corpse."

"Neither can I," Byakuya spoke in agreement. Not even the idea that it was to lead them to the data center seemed right.

"Finally, there was the knife that was wedged in the body…" The scene showed Makoto picking up the blackened knife.

"Ah. The knife!" Hina gasped with remembrance, "Wasn't it sticking through the body?"

"The e-explosion m-must've knocked it out…" Toko guessed, keeping her eyes away from the screen, "I-It was certainly s-strong enough to do that…"

"And seeing it now, it further confirms that it's Mukuro's knife…" Sakura stated, analyzing the scorched weapon.

'The force of the explosion must have thrown it over here…' Makoto deduced, 'The Monokuma File said the knife went all the way through the body, from front to back. Does that mean this knife is what caused the fatal injury…?'

"I would say, duh, obviously…" Leon remarked… before letting out a sigh, "But at this point, I know it ain't that simple."

"It never is…" Hifumi nodded in agreement.

A thoughtful frown hit his face as the thought passed through. 'Either way, this knife… it looks really familiar…' As he got a closer look at it, his eyes widened. 'Wait, is this…?!'

A flashback of last night's attack was then shown. ' That's it! It's the knife that person was holding…!'  The scene then went back to the present, showing a more befuddled luckster. ' This is getting really weird… there are just too many strange coincidences.'

"Tell me about it…" Hina grumbled, arms crossed, "And I don't know if it's weirder for us or for them!"

"It's probably much weirder for them, Hina…" Taka mused, "Makoto, specifically."

"I don't know… all this still seems pretty crazy from here," Hiro remarked, scratching the side of his head, "Cause, I mean… if the corpse isn't the mastermind… then who the heck attacked Makoto? Was it the mastermind? Or the person lying on the ground?"

"..."

"Ugh, this is too much for me…" Hina groaned, rubbing the sides of her head, "Too many questions. Way too many…"

None could really disagree with her. Still, Hiro's questions had a few of the smarter students thinking. Kyoko, especially, was pondering that little mystery.

'We're missing something here. Something that would connect all the events that transpired…' The detective decided, eyebrows furrowed, 'But what? Is it merely the identity of the victim? Or something else?'

It's clear that the mastermind was involved with the attack on Makoto. They were able to break into his room (Which was indeed locked this time), find the knife, and the timing of a Monokuma lying around the gym was way too suspect to be coincidence. But was it the mastermind? Or the victim themselves?

' Whoever the person in the mask was that attacked me last night… they were holding that knife… and that same knife was used to stab that same masked attacker we found here… so… maybe this masked person got stabbed because…!'

As they heard Makoto's thought process, several of the students stiffened up. "Makoto…" Sayaka looked at the luckster beside with worry. "Does… does he actually think…?"

"..." Makoto was silent, eyebrows creased in uncertainty.

' When they attacked, I was in a kind of trance. Maybe I reacted by grabbing the knife… and maybe then I… I…!'

"But that's impossible…!" Hina cried out worriedly, "You were sick beyond belief! No way you could've killed them!"

"...I know, but… it's not an idea my future self can just throw away entirely," Makoto explained, "After all, there's barely any memories of last night, and what I do remember is pretty foggy. So, anything could've happened while future me was out of it…"

"Fair point…" Kyoko nodded in agreement with the luckster's assessment. But, before anything could be said in protest, the detective continued. "However, I don't think we have to worry about you being the killer, Makoto. The fact that the body is in the greenhouse alone disproves that…"

"True. Even if you could've managed to kill the masked victim in your delirious fever, I can't see you being capable of heading over to the fifth floor by yourself…" Byakuya mused. And that wasn't even getting into the bomb, the other wound the victim suffered, and whatever else they discover in the investigation…

The luckster's gaze turned conflicted as he continued looking at the knife. 'And if this really is Kyoko… it would mean Kyoko is the one that attacked me. But why the mask…?' His thoughts went silent for a moment before holding his head with a groan. 'I just don't know. I don't remember anything clearly from last night…'

He shook his head to himself as he placed down the knife. 'No… no, it can't be. There's no way…!'

Celeste let out a small hum, one filled with more concern than usual. "This… could be troubling."

"What would be…?" Chihiro asked, a small frown across his face.

"You do remember that knife was supposed to be in Makoto's care, correct?" Celeste reminded the group, "Once they recognize the knife as the one they found…"

"...Oh, shit!" Leon cursed out, eyes widening. Around him, several more eyes widened as they realized the same thing, "Fingers are gonna be pointed at Makoto!"

"Makoto. I want to talk to you," Byakuya called out, catching the luckster's attention.

"What do you want to talk about…?" Makoto asked curiously.

"I'd like to hear your alibi."

"A-Alibi?!" Makoto exclaimed in surprise.

"Correct," Byakuya nodded firmly, "I'd love to hear where you were after nighttime began last night."

And just like that, the dread for their lucky student grew even more. "Byakuya already suspects Makoto…?" Hina exclaimed incredulously.

"Does he already know that the knife is the same they found…?" Taka questioned.

Byakuya himself was the one to answer. "No… I think he's merely narrowing down suspects," he said, eyes narrowed, "And believes that the murder happened during the night…"

"But… who does know that for certain?" Hiro asked in confusion, "Future us found it in the morning, sure, but-"

"I believe he'll explain his reasoning," Byakuya cut off in his usual, curt manner.

"U-Umm… well I was sick, so I was asleep all night…" Makoto explained before a frown crossed his face, "But why are you asking about that now? And what's 'nighttime' got to do with it…?"

"Isn't it obvious? This murder took place after nighttime," the heir answered.

"H-How can you know that for sure?"

"Because just after nighttime began, I came to the garden," Byakuya explained, "I was going around looking for everyone so I could tell them about Monokuma. Hiro's been spending most of his time in the garden the last few days, so I figured he'd be here. And I can confirm that when I arrived last night, there was no body there. So, the murder could only have taken place at some point during nighttime, after we left the garden!"

"...Okay, yeah, that's solid evidence for the murder happening during the night," Leon sighed, scratching the back of his head, "But that doesn't explain-"

"However… Toko, Hiro, Hina, and I were in the gym together the entire night last night."

"...Fuck," Mondo cursed, gritting his teeth, "I fucking forgot about that!"

"That definitely explains why Byakuya is suspicious of Makoto…" Taka said, eyes wide with realization.

"Assuming that the four stayed tightly together the entire night, they would have air-tight alibis…" Celeste said in musing, eyebrows knitted together, "And with all four of them out, that only leaves…"

"...Kyoko, and me," Makoto said, the dread he's feeling increasing.

"And with Kyoko being assumed dead…" Sakura continued gravely, "That only leaves Makoto without an alibi."

Makoto's eyes widened at this. "What…?"

"Once I found Hiro in the garden, we immediately went to Toko and Hina's rooms to get them," the Togami heir continued, "At that point, we all went to the gym and began dismantling Monokuma. As a precaution, we made sure not to go anywhere alone. We even went to the bathroom in pairs. In other words, all four of us have air-tight alibis."

"And that's our confirmation that the four didn't head off anywhere by themselves…"

"Then… that means Makoto's gonna be accused, again?!" Sayaka exclaimed, frustration clear in her tone.

"So it would seem. At least for now," Byakuya stated simply, "But don't forget… Kyoko is still around."

Everyone went silent at that little tidbit.

"The only ones who don't have alibis…"

"...are me and Kyoko." Makoto finished the unsaid conclusion nervously.

"And if the victim really is Kyoko…"

"...then I'm the only one without an alibi…!" Makoto finished yet again in fearful realization.

"So… what's gonna happen when Miss Kirigiri is revealed to be alive?" Hifumi asked nervously, biting his fingernails.

"I think the more important question is… whether Kyoko is the killer or not," Celeste countered, "Cause, since Hina, Toko, Hiro, and Byakuya all have air-tight alibis, and we all know that Makoto isn't the killer…"

"...Then Kyoko… is the only option left?" Makoto concluded with dread, his eyes aimed at the detective questioningly. In fact, several of the students stared at Kyoko with shock and or worry.

"..." Said detective was silent, looking to be in thought.

"But… why would she do that?" Hina questioned in protest, "She doesn't have a reason to kill anyone, does she?"

"Actually, she does," Byakuya corrected, looking neutral about this, "Kyoko believed that Mukuro was hiding in the school. That there was a sixteenth student called the Ultimate Despair, and heavily suspected that she was the mastermind. So, with that knowledge, what do you think she would do?"

"...She would fight her. And, if pushed, kill her," Sakura answered, seeing Byakuya's point.

The Togami heir nodded. "And we saw Kyoko at Makoto's room, likely having protected him from the masked figure," he continued, "It gives more credence to the possibility that she went after the individual… and killed them."

"So… that means Kyoko is the killer…?!" Hiro exclaimed incredulously.

Makoto found himself blue in the face. If that's true, and right now everything is pointing to be the case… then does that mean Kyoko killed someone to protect him? Will… will she be executed because of him?

"Don't blame yourself…" As if being the psychic she often jokes about, Sayaka gave the lucky student a firm look. "You have no control over any of that. If… if you would've died, then the mastermind would've framed Kyoko and had her executed anyways."

"Agreed…" Kyoko herself spoke up, getting out of her thoughts for the moment. She faced Makoto with her own resolute stare. "It was my choice to protect you, and in turn possibly kill your assailant. If I'm the killer, then it was because of my actions alone."

Her words caused the lucky student to turn to her. "You don't think you're the killer…?" he hesitantly asked.

"Directions are pointing to that possibility. But, a lot of things have already changed…" was the detective's response, turning back to the screen, "Let's just wait and see how this plays out, before we jump to conclusions."

Makoto stared at her for a moment before taking a deep breath and focusing on the TV once more. She's right. A lot is going on, with the narrative changing over and over. They can't be sure of anything until more concrete evidence comes to light.

"Also, when we went to go get Hina and Toko, we stopped by your room as well," Byakuya then informed him, "But you never came to the door. So… where, precisely, were you?"

"I'm telling the truth, I was in my room. But I was already dead asleep," the luckster insisted, "I had a fever, so…"

"That's hardly an alibi," was Byakuya's cold retort.

"I know…" Makoto groaned in response.

"That fucking fever keeps coming back to haunt him…!" Mondo growled in annoyance, hand over his forehead.

"I can't blame Byakuya for his suspicion regarding Makoto, considering the circumstances…" Taka conceded reluctantly, "Still…"

"It's always so frustrating when Makoto gets blamed…!" Hina cried out in frustration.

'Frustrating, indeed.' Sayaka agreed, grumbling internally. While she fully understood why suspicion was falling on her luckster, it doesn't make it any less irksome seeing Makoto getting accused, again.

"So? What now? You seem to be quite at the disadvantage here…" the Togami heir inquired, a slight smirk across his face.

'I'm the only one without an alibi. That's… really bad, isn't it?' Makoto thought with dread.

Leon snorted. "That's an understatement there…"

"And there's also Muku's knife, which was supposed to be in Makoto's room…" Junko groaned out, suppressing any gleeful giggles threatening to come out.,"That, with the lack of a good alibi…"

"...Mr. Naegi is going to have a tougher time clearing his innocence," Hifumi grimaced.

"However… it seems that Byakuya's not a hundred percent convinced that Makoto's the culprit…" Sakura hummed, catching the choice of words the Togami heir gave.

"Really?" Hina turned to her friend with slight surprise, with other students joining her in facing the martial artist.

"Hmm… thinking about it, his wording does imply that he's not certain of Makoto's supposed guilt…" Celeste mused as she thought about it, "Why is that, though?"

"Perhaps it had to do with what he was saying in the data center…?" Mukuro suggested neutrally. Like some of the others, she was annoyed with suspicion falling on Makoto. However, she pushed it down, understanding that right now, he seemed like the only viable option. "He mentioned that he wasn't saying that any of the survivors killed Kyoko…"

"You're right. I did say that," the Togami heir confirmed with a nod, eyes narrowed in thought, "Perhaps my future self suspects that the mastermind themselves are the culprit…"

"Huh? The mastermind?" Hiro spoke up in confusion, "What makes you think that?"

"Likely due to the process of elimination," Byakuya answered with a shrug, "The only other suspect that could've done it, based on what our future selves know, is Makoto, and even my future self understands the type of person our lucky student is at this point."

"Fair enough."

"Yeah…"

"When you put it like that…"

"The mastermind's cheating does sound more believable…"

Makoto looked around the room, befuddlement and embarrassment gracing his features. He's honestly not sure whether to be touched or confused by the silent implications his classmates were making…

"Finally, I checked the body itself…"

The scene showed the lucky student kneeling over the body itself.'If I check the body more thoroughly…' Makoto mused to himself, '...maybe then I'll find out for sure if it's Kyoko or not.'

That got the group to straighten up, many of them focusing on this part of the investigation. While there may not be much from this, at least initially, perhaps investigating the body will get some sort of clue as to who the random figure was.

Even Junko found herself interested in the identity of the masked figure. It wasn't the survivors, it wasn't her, and there's not even a hint as to who else would be in the killing game. So, who was it that got taken down? Who was this "trump card" that her future self held?

"There wasn't much to notice. The top half was burnt and wet, while the bottom was completely dry," Narrator Makoto stated as the camera gave a close up look at the body, "The thing that got my attention the most though, was her hand, which had fake nails and a tattoo of a wolf…"

"..."

"..."

"..."

Fake nails? Wolf tattoo? But… doesn't that…?

The present Makoto lifted up the exposed hand, showing the fake nails and tattoo.

"...Wait… wait, that's Mukuro's tattoo, right…?" Hina asked slowly, befuddlement clear in her face and tone, "Why does… who is…huh?"

"But… Mukuro's dead! That can't be her, right?" Sayaka exclaimed, just as confused.

"Hold on for a moment! Perhaps it's mere coincidence?" Taka suggested, trying to form a conclusion that made sense, "The individual may just happen to have a design similar to Mukuro's?"

"That's one hell of a coincidence dude…!" Leon pointed out, "The design looks exactly the same!"

"It could be that the victim is also a member of Fenrir…" Sakura suggested, more calmly than the rest of her class. She then turned to the soldier in question. "Mukuro, do you know…?"

The martial artist trailed off when she noticed the state of the Ultimate Soldier. A look of shock, disbelief even, entered her face before she lowered her head, shadowing her eyes.

Beside her, Junko reached a similar realization. And, instantly, she knew what her future self had done. What she had planned out for her surviving classmates.

Kyoko, Celeste, and Byakuya also managed to make the same connection. Realization and shock were clear across their expressions as they processed the identity of the body. And, slowly, they began to figure out the scheme the mastermind had made.

Finally… there was Makoto. "...That… that… he… Mukuro…" the lucky stuttered, eyes dilating and skin going white. Fast, heavy breaths left his mouth as that rage slowly bubbled up in the pit of his stomach.

It was something none of the students failed to notice. "Makoto…?" Sayaka looked at her crush with clear worry, having not seen him like this before.

"Dude, are you alright…?" Leon asked, also concerned for his friend, "What got you-?"

"THAT SON OF A BITCH IS USING MUKURO'S CORPSE!"

Nearly everyone jumped at the shout of rage that came from the usually mellow luckster. Said luckster was now up from his seat, with a searing look of rage that all of the students would say doesn't fit him.

It took a moment for the group to process what he said, shocked by his outburst. But, once they did, more of them joined Makoto and Mukuro in losing color in their skin.

"...W-What…?" Taka stuttered, disbelief coloring his features, "Wha-What are you… what are you say-...?"

"The wolf tattoo! The fake nails! Both of those belong to Mukuro! Her disguise included those nails, and the tattoo is on her right hand! It can't be a coincidence!" Makoto growled, his hatred for the one controlling the bear growing further, "Not only that… but the file stated that she's covered in wounds that are several days old! That matches the time Mukuro died, and the way she died! THAT MONSTER DESECRATED HER BODY TO STAGE A CLASS TRIAL!"

None… none of them could deny or refute any of Makoto's reasoning. As much as several of them wanted to, as much as they wanted to argue against any of the evidence…

"He's right," Kyoko spoke up in support of the luckster, her voice softer than her usual tone would be, "The fake nails, the wolf tattoo, the several days old wounds… all these match Mukuro on the day she got killed. It'd be one thing if it was one coincidence. But three different coincidences? All coinciding with one another?"

"And that would explain why they had the body blown up…" Byakuya also spoke, eyebrows furrowed and eyes aimed downward, "It was to hide that very identity, to ensure no one would be able to identify her as 'Junko.' Since they failed to kill Makoto, they needed to do something else to continue the killing game. And, what better way to do that than to introduce the sixteenth student hidden in the school and then promptly kill them off?"

"In other words… rather than give up, they changed their plan," Celeste concluded, an ominous look across her face, "They created the murder of Mukuro Ikusaba, in order to frame either Makoto or Kyoko."

A combination of horror, disgust, and rage encompassed the group. Not only had one of their own had their corpse messed with to such an extent, but the culprit had done so in order to continue to stage a class trial?!

If any of them thought they couldn't be more disgusted with the mastermind, they were sorely mistaken.

Meanwhile, Junko found herself covering her mouth, body hunched over and eyes dilating. But, of course, it wasn't in horror or disgust with what she had done. No, it was to conceal the mad grin and euphoric giggles bubbling up yet again.

She used her sister's corpse to stage a trial! Out of clear panic, she decided to make a trial for her Mukuro Ikusaba to take down Kyoko! She hit her useless sister's corpse in the head, stabbed it with her very own knife, and blew half of it up to cover her own ass! That made her feel so… so… gooooood!

Mukuro, however, was much more composed. Even internally, her reaction wasn't strong. Like before, when the idea of respecting the bodies of the dead came up, she was conflicted. She understood the idea, but never had strong feelings about it. To her, burials and ceremonies were merely a set of rules to follow for the sake of it. Even realizing that it was her own corpse didn't change much of it (though her own death by her sister's hands hurt far worse).

The only thing it did was add salt to the wound. It was merely a reminder of how little her sister cared about her. Or was this the way of Junko showing that cared so much? Mukuro could hardly say.

"Mukuro…? Junko…?" The soldier was brought out of her thoughts by the concerned voice of Hina. She turned her head to see the swimmer giving the two of them a worried look. "Are you… are you two… I-I mean… how do you feel?"

For a moment, neither said anything. Junko was the first to speak, or rather, make the attempt; but a gurgling noise coming from her mouth caused her to slap her hands back on it. So, the fashionista merely shook her head, looking convincingly shaken.

"...I don't know," Mukuro finally said. And, she honestly doesn't know how to feel.

The sound of footsteps caused her to shift her head to the source, just in time to see Makoto heading towards her. "Mako-?"

Mukuro ended up losing her voice when the lucky student bent over and brought her into a hug. That caused her eyes to widen noticeably, a blush already forming across her cheeks. She tried to say something, anything, about the abrupt hug; but no noise left her lips.

"You deserve better…" Makoto whispered, stopping any attempts from the soldier to speak, "Using your corpse like that… no one deserves that. You deserve better. You deserve to be treated better."

His words… it affected more than she would've thought. Normally, she would've kept her composure, kept much of her emotions in check in front of her classmates. But Makoto's earnest words, along with the heavy guilt that gnawed at her, caused tears to form at the corner of her eyes.

She almost lost it when Makoto moved back to give a smile with so much kindness. So much compassion. Those smiles he gives her… she doesn't think she'll ever get tired of them.

The luckster then moved back to his seat, giving the soldier time to compose herself, both of them ignoring the looks being given towards them, some of sympathy and some of suspicion. Once Makoto was back at his seat, and Mukuro had gained back some level of composure, the viewing continued.

The scene then changed to show Makoto looking around the greenhouse. "I think I've checked everything I need to in this area," he murmured to himself, 'But I'm not done yet… there are other areas I need to check. Specifically, that fragment I found before. There's somewhere I need to go to confirm my suspicion…'

'And I still need to find out more about Kyoko,' The lucky student's eyes drifted to the corpse once again, 'Is that corpse really Kyoko? If that's true…'

A flashback of last night's attack was shown yet again. '...was that also Kyoko who attacked me last night?' The scene then went back to the present. 'If I can find out more about her, maybe I can answer that question. Kyoko was never the kind of person to talk about herself all that much. Maybe if I can get into her room, I'll be able to find out more…'

'But the key to her room…'A flashback of Byakuya taking Kyoko's key was shown as the luckster aimed his eyes towards the affluent progeny. 'I don't have a choice. I have to see if he'll let me borrow her room key…'

With the revelations that had been made, hardly any of the students could focus on Makoto's thoughts and musings. Instead, their focus was mainly on those revelations, and what they meant for the investigation, as well as the class trial coming up.

"So, let me see if I have this correct…" Taka spoke up, rather blue in the face, "The mastermind distracted most of the survivors by placing a Monokuma robot at the gym for them to fiddle with, during which time, they took the opportunity to kill Makoto in order to frame Kyoko for a class trial. But, when they failed, they switched tactics… and took the body of Mukuro, placing her at the greenhouse for everyone to discover. And now, they're using that body to create a class trial, in order to frame Makoto or Kyoko?"

"And with Makoto having encountered the mastermind when they were masked, he will think they and the body are one and the same," Byakuya added to the summary, arms crossed, "Further solidifying that Mukuro has been hidden within the school before her 'death'."

"So then… Makoto and Kyoko are gonna get framed for a murder…" Hina said shakily, disturbed by these events, "They're gonna be accused of something the mastermind did!"

"Mother… fucking… bastard…!" Mondo was practically shaking in his seat from rage, snarling like an animal, "First they cheat! Now they continue that shit and USE A GIRL'S BODY FOR THAT SHIT?!"

"Where the hell did they store the body anyway?!" Hiro cried out incredulously, "Are they just keeping the dead stored up somewhere?!"

'...The bio lab,' Kyoko deduced quickly. Out of all the known rooms, that's the only one likely to have the capabilities to store the bodies of the dead. If their future selves could just access that room…

"Hopefully, the group will be able to see through the mastermind's scheme…" Celeste sighed, concealing whatever feelings she has over this, "They will need to. If not…"

Everyone understood the silent implication, causing tension across the room. Sayaka ended up latching onto Makoto's arm like a lifeline yet again, now feeling very worried for the luckster.

Said luckster started feeling just as concerned, assuaging his rage for a moment. Will they be able to figure out the mastermind's trap? Will they at least see how strange all of this is? Will there be any clue that would contradict anything that the mastermind has set up?

He hopes so. There has to be. Because he doesn't want to imagine a scenario where the mastermind would succeed in their trick.

Notes:

And that's the end. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Shorter than the last one, but I felt that this was a good place to stop. Next chapter will likely finish up the investigation, before getting into the trial itself (That'll be a doozy). Leave comments, kudos, and bookmarks and I will see you later.

Chapter 99: Watching Chapter 5: 100 Miles; Pain of a Junk Food Junkie Part 10

Notes:

Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. Honestly not sure if it's due to this being the investigation part, or the fact I've done close to a hundred chapters at this point, but this honestly felt like a slog to go through. Made harder with the fact that I have to keep up with what the present class knows compared to their future amnesiac counterparts.

Hoping it'll get easier later on with the juicier bits, but at this point, I'll probably be looking at a few more slogs down the road. Won't stop me from finishing (Way too close to the end to stop now), but future reactions might end up more repetitive (If they haven't been already. Like I said, close to a hundred chapters). Regardless, I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

"Hey, um… Byakuya?"

"If you do come up with an alibi, I'd be happy to hear it. Later. At the class trial."

"Oh no, it's not about that." Makoto waved his hand in denial. "You have the key to Kyoko's room, right? I was hoping I could borrow it…"

"..." Byakuya was silent for a moment. Then he said, "I'm afraid I can't take that risk. You're the prime suspect, after all. Of course, if I were to go with you, that would be a different story."

"Then… *will* you go with me?" Makoto then asked warily.

"Sorry, I have my own agenda to take care of. Find me again later and we'll see." Was the heir's answer, before heading to the exit of the greenhouse. "Depending on my mood, I may go with you. Or I may not."

"Hmm, it really does seem as though Mr. Togami is skeptical of Mr. Naegi being the killer…" Hifumi mused in observation. "Though he isn't throwing the possibility away."

"Of course not. Regardless of any skepticism, it's still a fact that Makoto is the only student left without an alibi, at least until Kyoko rears her head." Byakuya stated crisply. "While I won't be quick to point fingers at our lucky student, I can't dismiss the idea either."

"At least our classmates aren't automatically believing that you are guilty…" Sayaka grumbled, snuggling into the luckster's side. Her words would've caused the luckster to awkwardly chuckle, had it not been for the swirling emotions still raging in his chest.

'Come back later, huh?' Makoto remarked to himself. 'Okay, then in the meantime I should look around somewhere else.'

The next scene showed the luckster at the gym, where the dismantled Monokuma still layed. However… "I figured it wouldn't be here." Makoto sighed, noticing immediately what was missing.

Immediately, several of the students noticed what was missing. "So the mastermind took the bomb while we weren't looking…" Byakuya noted with narrowed eyes. "Is it to hide his possible involvement? Or make it to where the mystery isn't that easy to solve in the trial?"

"Maybe the bear didn't want something that could blow a wall in the school lying around…" Leon pointed out.

"Maybe. But the mastermind probably deactivated so that wouldn't happen, before leaving the bear for the others to dismantle." Celeste argued. "So while it could be the case, it's more likely to have to do with the case itself."

'That bomb went missing…' Makoto thought to himself. 'There's no doubt about that. The fragments I found in the garden…'

"After, I linked back with Byakuya once again; and fortunately, he was more willing to go to Kyoko's room with me…" The narrator Makoto spoke. "That's where we found our next couple of clues…"

The next scene showed Makoto and Byakuya inside Kyoko's room. 'So… this is Kyoko's room.' The luckster thought to himself, looking around.

"You wanted to come here, right?" Byakuya spoke, drawing the luckster's attention. "So what is it you're looking for?"

"Nothing in particular. I just thought we might find some kind of clue here…" Makoto explained. "A clue that might… help us understand Kyoko."

That earned a look of irritation from the Togami heir. "You can't be serious. That's why you made me take time out of my search to come here?"

"S-Sorry…"

"Hey! What's wrong with finding out more about Kyoko?" Hina spoke in protest, angrily pouting. "It's not like he's doing it just because! Didn't he say he wanted to figure out whether or not Kyoko was the masked guy?"

"Actually, he didn't say it. Merely thought about it." Celeste corrected the swimmer. "Future Byakuya does not know Makoto's full motivation for looking into Kyoko's room."

"Wait… why isn't he saying anything about the masked guy?" Hiro asked, scratching his head in confusion. "Why isn't he telling anybody about the dude that attacked him?"

"...Cause he's not certain of what happened that night. Future me doesn't have a clear memory of what transpired." Makoto himself was the one to answer, speaking softly. "Add to that, I could've been the one to kill the masked individual. So it's difficult to say anything when you don't know yourself what happened…"

"...Yeah, I can see why you would keep quiet about it." Leon remarked with a small grimace. "Hard to say anything when you barely know what the hell happened…"

"Regardless, if you plan on poking around at random, you're doomed no matter how much time you take." Byakuya then advised him. "Surely you have something more concrete. Something to give us some sort of direction here."

'More concrete…' The lucky student furrowed his eyebrows in thought. Then his eyes lit up in remembrance. "Oh! I know!" He then dug into his pockets for a moment before pulling out an envelope. "Found it!"

"What's in the envelope?" Byakuya inquired curiously.

"Kyoko gave it to me. She said if something ever happened, I should open it." Makoto explained.

"Well, something has certainly happened." The Togami heir remarked dryly. "So open it."

"O-Okay…"

Despite the revelations, or maybe even because of it, Kyoko couldn't help but give Makoto an amused look. "So, you're gonna give it back at some point, huh?"

The luckster blushed a little. "Well, you're still alive, right…?" He grumbled defensively, prompting a giggle from Sayaka beside him. "I can still give it back to you…"

"Of course…" Was the only thing Kyoko said, chuckling softly.

Makoto then opened up the envelope and looked inside; and inside was a single sheet of paper that read, "Under the sheets…?" The luckster spoke in bemusement.

"...You hid something under your bed-sheets." Several students all concluded at once.

"I get the feeling that you enjoy being a mystery girl…" Sayaka spoke with some exasperation. Kyoko made no move to deny or acknowledge such accusations.

"Could it be the blank Monokuma was speaking about…?" Hifumi wondered, recalling the bear's angry answer to Makoto.

"Possibly. We shall see…" Sakura answered the fanfic creator.

"That's all that was in there…?" Byakuya spoke, irritation slightly coming back.

"Yeah, it looks like it…" Makoto confirmed with a nod, furrowing his eyebrows. 'Under the sheets…' His eyes then drifted towards the bed-sheets. 'Could something be…?'

When he lifted up the sheets, he was met with a crumpled up piece of paper. "What's this…?" The luckster then grabbed it and began reading its content. 'Class #78 Student Registry…? Mukuro… Ikusaba…?'

Eyes widened at the reveal of the content. "So Kyoko did manage to find files about Mukuro…!" Taka remarked.

"Is that the thing that made Kyoko suspicious about Mukuro? Her student registry?" Hina questioned, eyebrows furrowing.

"At the very least, it made her aware of Mukuro's existence." Celeste stated, placing her knuckles over her chin in thought. "Let's see if the registry reveals anything alarming."

The Ultimate Soldier in question felt herself tense. If the files weren't altered or added in anyway, it would reveal much of her childhood. But that was the question: Were there any additions made?

Byakuya then spoke up. "It appears to be Mukuro Ikusuba's profile."

"Yeah, looks like it…" Makoto nodded in agreement. 'That's probably the other thing Kyoko stole when she snuck into the headmaster's room, along with the key.'

A flashback of Monokuma's reveal to Makoto was then shown. 'This must be the "blank" that Monokuma was talking about…' The luckster deduced. 'Kyoko said a death without meaning was "unappealing". And this is what she left behind…'

"I don't have time for your sentimental indulgences. Hurry up and finish your search." Byakuya ordered tersely.

"O-Okay…"

"Spoilsport!"

"Read the mood, will ya?"

"You really are a soulless machine!"

Byakuya merely rolled his eyes at his classmates, keeping his attention on the screen.

"That's when I found out more about Mukuro Ikusaba." Narrator Makoto spoke as the present luckster read through the file. "The Ultimate Soldier. How she was trained with every weapon type imaginable. How she found an interest in it in childhood and was completely absorbed in it. How she won a survival game tournament in elementary school and wrote for military magazines. And that before entering middle school, while on vacation in Europe with her family… she disappeared."

"However, three years later she returned to Japan, alone and unannounced. She revealed that she'd joined a mercenary group called Fenrir for those years, and insisted that she wasn't kidnapped. That she received training of her own volition. However, she never revealed why she decided to return home when she did."

The information wasn't much of a surprise for the students. While none of them don't really know the specifics, they knew Mukuro had joined Fenrir some time ago, during her and Junko's trip to France. The fashionista wasn't shy about speaking of her sister's departure, and Mukuro made no move to deny it.

However, the telling of background made Byakuya narrow his eyes suspiciously. To join the Fenrir mercenary group for three years, only to return to Japan by her lonesome… while he may be reading off it too much, considering she was scouted as the Ultimate Soldier, the information from before made her return more suspicious. Especially with the disappearance of Fenrir.

Mukuro, meanwhile, found herself gripping her knees at the reminder of her abandonment. That in her hyper-focus interest of the military lifestyle, she left Junko without much of a thought for three years. It's one of the things that's keeping her from completely dissolving any loyalty.

Present Makoto went silent for a moment, as he processed what he had read. "The Ultimate Soldier… a mercenary group…" He muttered in disbelief.

'This doesn't feel real. The world I grew up in, it's like a completely different dimension…' The luckster thought dizzyingly. 'It's like one's non-fiction and the other is sci-fi. There's no way to even compare the two…'

"...Is my past really that much of a shock?" Mukuro asked with some uncertainty. "It's not that fantastical, is it?"

"With Makoto's bland life, it may as well be…" Junko remarked with a snort.

"I… yeah, I can't deny that…" The luckster in question merely sighed. "Stuff like that isn't something I hear about growing up…"

"Surprising you're still able to function, considering the many times your worldview has been shaken…" Byakuya noted in musing. "Rather impressive, really."

'The mark of a strong-will…' Both Sakura and Kyoko thought to themselves. Many of these events have shown how much inner-strength their lucky student really has.

"I never imagined I would hear the name Fenrir in a place like this…" Byakuya muttered to himself, breaking Makoto of his thoughts.

"Huh?" The luckster looked at the Togami heir in shock. "You recognize it?"

"The Fenrir Mercenary Corps is a collection of battle-crazed warmongers." Byakuya explained. "But they do have their uses, and they always get the job done. That's worth remembering…"

Despite not feeling particularly close to any members of Fenrir, Mukuro felt a tad defensive for her former comrades and spoke tersely. "I wouldn't call them warmongers, or battle-crazed. Merely passionate."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Ikusaba…" Byakuya snarked back.

"This is all part of a world totally removed from the one I live in…" Makoto groaned out.

"I have to say, I'm intrigued." Byakuya continued on to himself, looking down in thought. "Every rumor I've heard says that Fenrir has already…"

Right before he could finish his thoughts, Monokuma popped up. "Whoa! I feel like our hero is becoming a bit player and a bit player is becoming our hero!"

At the appearance of Monokuma, glares were immediately set on the monochrome bear. Makoto, in particular, had a seering look of rage that was almost uncharacteristic of him.

"Ah!" Makoto jolted in surprise. "It's you!"

"Hmm? What have you got in your pretty little hand there?" Immediately, the bear turned his attention to the file in the luckster's hand. "Uh-oh! You found her profile?!"

"...Oh crap!" Hiro exclaimed fearfully, holding his head in panic. "He found out about one of the things Kyoko stole!"

"Relax, Hiro dear. It's doubtful Monokuma would harm either one of them for reading the registry…" Celeste told the fortune teller calmly. "And it's far too late to snatch it away."

"S-So what if we did…?"

"Don't freak out on me! I'm not gonna hold it against you or anything." The bear reassured him. "And in case you're wondering, I don't hold it against Kyoko, either. Even though she stole it and hid it! After all, there's no rule against stealing, is there?"

"See?" Celeste smiled at the confirmation of her deduction. "Since neither reading the info nor stealing it was within the rule, Monokuma will not bother to strike."

"He sure as hell didn't care about those fucking rules when it came to Mukuro…!" Mondo growled, looking ready to rip the bear to shreds.

"But who I can't forgive is Miss Ogami, who broke the rules and busted into the headmaster's room…!" Monokuma then growled angrily. "Maybe I'll drag her corpse out here and slice it up and devour it! Bears are omnivorous, ya know…"

"DON'T YOU DARE LAY A FINGER ON SAKURA, YOU PIECE OF-"

Sakura had to push Hina back to her seat, and calm down her fit of rage. However, she wasn't the only outrage.

"That salty that you got out-played by one of your hostages, huh?!" Leon snapped angrily. "Well you can go fuck right off!"

"Don't act petty just because Sakura herself beat you to the punch…!" Sayaka growled. "You're the one who waved off the 'stubborn loser' when she stated that she's still gonna fight you!"

"The mastermind does not even have an ounce of moral standing to be outraged…!" Taka exclaimed in righteous anger. "Not when they bypassed the rules themselves!"

Makoto was silent; merely glaring heatedly at the bear. Monokuma could grand-stand all he wants, but when it comes down to it, the mastermind was nothing but a coward and a hypocrite. This trial wouldn't be taking place if they still felt that they had the upper hand, or if the survivors continued killing each other off. But once Kyoko went beyond what they were comfortable with, they decided to cheat and stage a class trial.

And he has no doubt that the mastermind's main target was Kyoko. She's being the biggest threat to their plan, after all.

"Are rule violations really so unforgivable? You're quite adamant about those regulations of yours…" Byakuya noted with some interest.

"Of course I am! A proper school life is built on dedication to organization and order!" Monokuma declared. "Which is why even I, as the school headmaster, have to follow the regulations myself!"

'Bullshit!' Was the raging thought of practically half the class, their looks of outrage matching their thoughts.

Others, however, began thinking about the bear's words; and how it lined up with the mastermind's actions.

"Oh?" The Togami heir raised an eyebrow at that. "So you're saying you have to follow your own rules, as well?"

"Absolutely! I can't have you complaining about how unfair it all is, now can I?" Monokuma nodded his head in confirmation.

'I wonder… is this why they're creating this fake trial?' Kyoko mused to herself. 'Rather than deal with me directly, they're trying to eliminate me while keeping any defiance or unity from growing?'

"In fact, on the subject of fairness, would you like to know something interesting?"

"Interesting…?" Makoto asked wearily.

"It's about the one writing all the rules." The bear began revealing. "They're actually… one of the participants in this killing game."

"...Huh?"

"What is he…?"

"I don't think I ever actually told you how many participants there actually were, did I? I was thinking, I should probably clarify that!"

A flashback of the class first coming together at the main hall was then shown. "When you all first got together in the main hall way back when, there were fifteen people there, right? I think that first meeting may have led to a little misunderstanding among you all."

"A… misunderstanding?" Makoto spoke slowly, looking shocked. "Are you saying…?"

"That's right! There weren't actually fifteen of you…" The bear confirmed. "The total number of students taking part in this killing game was actually sixteen!"

"...What the hell?" Leon exclaimed, a tad gobsmacked. "What's with the sudden narrative change here?"

"Saying that there's sixteen students is one thing. But now they're claiming that the one writing the rules is the sixteenth student?" Sayaka questioned, just as confused. "Is he trying to imply that Mukuro was the one writing the rules?"

"But… she died! Even if you could argue that she could've written them prior to the first class trial, there's no way she could've after!" Taka pointed out.

"Are they actually trying to paint Mukuro as the mastermind?" Celeste wondered, humming in thought. "Or merely paint the idea that she's assisting them?"

"...The bear's motives are unclear at the moment. The only thing we can do is watch, and piece it together." Byakuya stated. "But one thing is clear - it has to do with the fake trial that they have set up, and their efforts to redirect the killing game."

'Sixteen!? Then…!' A flashback of Kyoko's warning of Mukuro Ikusuba was then played. 'The sixteenth student… Mukuro Ikusaba… she's part of the school life… so the one making the regulations is…!'

"..." Meaning, Byakuya was giving Monokuma an angry, bewildered stare. "Why…?"

"Hm?" Monokuma turned towards the Togami heir curiously. "Did you say something?"

"Why are you telling us this?" Byakuya growled.

"Oh, well because… like I told you, this killing game is desperately popular! You wouldn't believe the ratings!" The bear explained. "And since we've got so many viewers now, I wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page. I don't want to wake up to a hurricane of complaints and hate mail, ya know? Make sense?"

"...Is it possible… that he wants to keep a level of… credibility for the killing game?" Kyoko mused out loud. "Is that why they're staging a class trial in the first place? Why they're not blatantly disregarding their own rules?"

Her musing caught the attention of the others. "What's on your mind, Kyoko?" Makoto asked the detective.

"Just thinking… there's a reason why the mastermind has these rules established in the first place, and why he's so adamant on following them…" Kyoko explained slowly. "And perhaps that reason… is due to the killing game being broadcasted."

"...You're saying that they want to legitimize the killings that's been happening between our future selves. And that getting directly involved, outside the bounds of the rules they've set up, would tear apart that legitimization." Byakuya concluded, looking down in thought. "They're showing this to the whole world, making a show out of this, for a reason… and breaking their own rules would tear apart that reason."

Kyoko nodded. "It's clear, despite how nonsensical everything seems to be, all of Monokuma's actions have been done for a reason. And it has to do with the game itself being broadcasted for the world to see."

Several students looked uncomfortable at the reminder of the "school life" being shown on TV. While they're pushing past it for the time being, the fact that all this is being shown for the whole world to see still unsettled the group as a whole, to say the least.

"..." Byakuya was silent, merely narrowing his eyes at the bear.

"Okay, that's all you get for now!" The bear then declared. "Oh, actually! I do have some revenge to get, so I have an extra bonus for you!"

"Revenge…?"

That brought back the attention of the students, with some tensing up at the mention of revenge. "So far, I don't like it when he talks about revenge…" Hiro gulped.

"It shouldn't be a thing you should like, period, Hiro." Taka pointed out, looking stiff himself.

"I want to get back at that sneaky Miss Kirigiri, so I'm gonna share a little secret with ya!" The bear snickered.

"S-Seriously?!" Makoto exclaimed incredulously.

"Yeah, seriously?! Like, that's just super petty!" Hina protested with a scowl. "Just because she found a way around your rules, means you have to get back at her like that?!"

"T-The mastermind really is l-like a c-child…" Toko stuttered, biting her thumb.

Kyoko, meanwhile, raised an eyebrow. What would he reveal that can be used as re-?

"You know how she wears those stupid gloves day in, day out, all the time?" Monokuma reminded them.

At the mention of those gloves, Makoto's eyes widened while the detective herself stiffened up beside him. 'He's not going to…?!'

"Well, don't tell anyone I told you, but… she wears them to cover a bunch of hideous scars that she doesn't want anyone to see!"

"...What?"

"Puhuhu." The bear let out some more snickers. "Okay, NOW that's all you get!" And with one round of full-on laughter, Monokuma left.

"..."

"K-Kyoko…?" Hesitantly, eyes slowly turned towards the detective, with Hina being the one to speak. "Do you really…?"

The question died on her lips as they all bore witness to the wrathful look that encompassed the usually composed girl's face; a look similar to her counterpart at the mention of the headmaster during the fourth chapter. It sent chills down several spines, with Hiro and Hifumi even letting out small yelps of fear.

Makoto, however, was one of the few that weren't startled by this change of demeanor. He knew how self-conscious Kyoko secretly was about her scars, how she didn't want anyone to know about them. So in response, he wrapped a free hand around Kyoko's glove-covered hand, in a gesture of silent support.

That jolted the detective at her rage, with her turning towards Makoto. Said luckster had a slight blush across his face, but gave her a look of support to match the gesture. That was enough to calm Kyoko down; not eliminate her rage completely, but made it where she gained back her composure. She gave a squeeze of her hand in gratitude.

"Kyoko wears those gloves to cover up a bunch of scars…?" Makoto muttered to himself. "Wait… so on the back of her hand…"

The screen flashbacked to the corpse's hand, before going back to the present. 'Wait, but no… Monokuma specifically said they were scars, right?' The luckster quickly recalled. 'And that's why Kyoko wears those gloves, to hide the scars. Which means…'

"Are you thinking about Kyoko again?" Byakuya suddenly asked, jolting Makoto out of his thoughts.

"...Huh?"

Byakuya's words took minds off the revelation of Kyoko's scars, with more than a few taking amusement out of it. "You make it sound like the dude thinks about her 24/7…" Mondo snickered out.

"Is he wrong? A lot of his thoughts do seem to be around Kyoko the further we go…" Leon pointed out, grinning teasingly. "Gotta make you wonder…"

Despite all the swirling emotions in his heart, the luckster couldn't help but blush at the implications. "I-It's not like that…!" He couldn't help but whine, drawing more laughter from his friends.

And of course, it drew pouts and jealous auras from his not-so-secrets admirers, with Sayaka tightening the grip on his arm slightly.

"Forget about her. What matters right now is uncovering Monokuma's trap." The Togami heir stated.

"His… trap?" Makoto repeated in confusion.

"God must have really hated you, to make you so dull." Byakuya snarked.

"Well, sorry he can't understand what you're saying immediately…!" Hina spoke in defense for the luckster, her pout growing bigger. "What does he even mean by trap?"

"He deduced that Monokuma gave them the information about Mukuro in order to leave them in a trap." Celeste was the one to answer. "And he's trying to figure out what that trap is."

"Y-Yeah, idiot swimmer. Keep up…" Toko grumbled.

Hina merely crossed her arms and grumbled to herself about how not everyone is that smart.

"Don't you remember what Monokuma just told us?"

"He said there were sixteen students, right?" Makoto immediately recalled. "Which means Mukuro was a student here…"

"Obviously, Monokuma was trying to tell us that Mukuro is the one creating the rules to the game." Byakuya pointed out. "But why would he tell us that? And why now?"

"He said he wanted to make things clear so there wouldn't be any complaints later…"

"But the mere fact that he said that proves that Mukuro is connected to the case." The Togami heir argued. "That's why Monokuma revealed the existence of a sixteenth student. He needs to make our investigation fair."

"Mukuro is related to the case…?" Makoto repeated with a small frown.

"Perhap she's the one who killed Kyoko."

The luckster's eyes widened at this. "What?!"

"That would explain why we would have to have a class trial, wouldn't it?" Byakuya stated. "If she's a student, and she killed someone, that would make her part of the school killing game."

'Mukuro… is the killer?' Makoto thought to himself. 'She killed Kyoko…?'

"So your future self really does suspect the mastermind as the killer…" Taka noted thoughtfully.

"He does. Although, after what Monokuma revealed, I suspect that will change very quickly…" The Togami heir hummed. "After all, in his eyes, what the mastermind did seemed nonsensical if they're a contestant of the killing game and killed Kyoko…"

"So, what, is he gonna think that Makoto is the killer then…?" Hiro asked with both confusion and hesitance.

"He'll remain the prime suspect, but in the end, no…" Byakuya declared, narrowing his eyes. "Not after Kyoko reveals herself."

That got several of the students stiffening up, quickly understanding the implication.

"Anyone should be able to come to that conclusion, don't you think?" Byakuya rhetorically asked. "In fact, that's exactly what I thought when the investigation first began. But… based on what Monokuma just told us, I've changed my mind. Mukuro Ikusuba isn't the culprit!"

"Huh?" The luckster could only give him a look of confusion. "What makes you say that?"

"We thought Mukuro, the Ultimate Despair, was the mastermind's true identity." The Togami heir explained. "But if that's true, Monokuma's behavior makes no sense. Why would the mastermind go out of their way to reveal themselves to us?"

"That's a good point…" Makoto conceded.

"Mukuro giving us information that would raise questions about her would be bold, to say the least." Byakuya remarked. "It makes more sense, then, to assume that Mukuro isn't the culprit."

"So that's the trap…" Makoto said in understanding. "They want us to suspect Mukuro, and come to the wrong conclusion…"

Byakuya nodded. "That's what makes sense to me."

"Right now, Mr. Togami seems to be going on the path of right for the wrong reasons…" Hifumi observed, adjusting his glasses. "It's true that Miss Ikusaba isn't the culprit; but she isn't the mastermind either, and is the 'victim' of this case."

"This trial is gonna be fucking hard to keep up with…" Mondo grumbled. "All because we know more than they do!"

"The n-narrative is gonna keep shifting with each n-new thing…" Toko stated. "They have to figure out the i-identity of the body, when and h-how that person died, and who the actual k-killer is. T-That… that won't be easy."

'Especially with the mastermind holding all the cards…' Kyoko conceded. This trial… it'll be tough to solve, especially with it being a fake trial created by the mastermind themselves.

'The way you say it, it definitely does seem possible. But if that's really true…' Makoto thought to himself, frowning in thought. 'If Mukuro isn't the killer… then who is?'

As he was musing, his eyes caught something on the coffee table. 'It's… a woodblock decoration.' The luckster recognized, picking up the piece of wood.

The wood also caught the attention of the others. "Is that a key from one of the dojo lockers…?" Sayaka recognized immediately. "But what's it doing in Kyoko's room?"

"Did she have it for some reason?" Taka questioned with a frown. "Is she attempting to keep something in one of the lockers?"

"Guess we know what Makoto's next stop's gonna be…" Leon remarked.

"What's that?" Byakuya asked, also noticing the wood. "What purpose does it serve?"

"I think it's probably… a key." Makoto deduced. "The lockers at those really traditional public bathhouses use them for their lockers."

"I wouldn't know. I've never gone to a public bathhouse." The Togami heir shrugged.

'That doesn't surprise me. It's hard to picture Byakuya doing something like that…' The luckster remarked to himself.

"Yeah, same…"

"True."

"Definitely hard to imagine."

"Would be surprised if he actually went in one…"

And of course, Byakuya took the comments towards him like small bursts of gusts; nothing to concern himself with.

"But if it is a key, I think I might know what it unlocks."

"Really?" Makoto looked at the heir with curiosity. "What?"

"Unless I'm mistaken… I'm pretty sure I saw something in the dojo that this might go to." Byakuya recalled.

'The dojo…?'

A frown of confusion entered Hiro's face. "You know… I'm confused about something."

"And what would you be confused about, Hiro dear…?" Celeste questioned with a sigh.

"I mean… the dojo is on the fifth floor, right?"

"It is…" Taka confirmed with a nod.

"And the fifth floor opened only a few days ago for them, right?"

"As repeated with every class trial…" Byakuya confirmed with an eye-roll.

"But then… Kyoko got her key taken from her on that same day, didn't she?" Hiro pointed out. "So where would she have the chance to put the key in there?"

"..."

"..."

"...Fuck." Was the resounding feeling spouted out by the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader.

"Well then, I believe our work here is finished." Byakuya declared. "Let's move on. I'm sure there are other places in need of investigation."

"I should find out if the key and the dojo really are connected…" Makoto said, looking at the block of wood in his hand.

With that, the Togami heir began leaving. "Well? Are you coming?"

The scene then switched to Makoto and Byakuya at the dojo, with Makoto in front of the wooden lockers. The lucky student inserted the key into the only locker without one, unlocking it and getting it to open. And inside, was a cluster of metal arrows.

"They look like they're made of titanium, which means they're quite strong despite how thin they are." Byakuya noted. "Of course, without a bow they're nothing but strong little sticks."

'Strong… sticks…' Makoto repeated to himself. Then his eyes drifted something under those arrows. 'Oh, there's something else inside the locker…'

Looking down completely, he saw a big ball of duct tape. 'It's a wadded ball of duct tape. I wonder what this was used for…' He then noticed what was stained on it. 'Is that… a bloodstain?'

"...It's clear now. The mastermind is aiming for Kyoko." Sakura stated strongly, a fierce glare across her face. "Trying to frame her for Mukuro Ikusaba's death."

"Indeed. If I can recall correctly, the Monokuma File has stated that the head of the body was struck…" Celeste spoke in agreement. "Thick as a metal pipe, I believe. The titanium arrows, in conjunction with the bloody duct tape, would fit the premise."

"And with the key being in Kyoko's room…" Hina trailed off, clearly not liking where this was going.

"As well as Byakuya likely to suspect her once they know she's alive…" Sayaka added with similar trepidation.

"Fuck!" Mondo spat out yet again.

"The mastermind did indeed lay out a trap." Byakuya acknowledged his future self's deduction, gritting his teeth slightly. "Unfortunately, they seem incapable of evading that trap."

Makoto couldn't help but form another angry scowl, glaring at the floor. What the mastermind was doing on screen was making his blood boil to no end! Every chapter the one controlling the bear sinks to a new low! What else will they do in order to keep up their sick game? To keep the survivors from continuing to fight back?

Kyoko, meanwhile, stayed silent; merely observing the entire investigation. So far, nothing has fully come up to point to the mastermind's clear guilt. Whatever is there, is linked to Mukuro's disguise as Junko, something that the survivors are hard pressed to figure out at this point.

If nothing comes up that can clear her of her guilt… then the mastermind will get what they want. Something that had her subconsciously clenched her hands, one around her skirt and the other around a certain luckster's hand.

"..." For a moment, Byakuya looked deep in thought, something Makoto noticed.

"Is something wrong?"

"It's very odd, don't you think?" The Togami heir asked rhetorically. "The locker was hiding items that were clearly related to the case. But how did the key to the locker wind up in the victim's room…? Or… perhaps…" Again, Byakuya went silent.

"...What is your future self thinking, Byakuya?" Makoto inquired, letting go of his scowl to turn to the heir.

"I don't know for certainty. It could be a number of things, really…" Byakuya admitted. "We'll just have to see as the investigation finishes up, and the trial begins."

"Byakuya?" The lucky student stared at the heir in confusion.

"Forget it." Byakuya then said dismissively. "Come on. We need to continue on to the next location."

"Huh?" Spoke several of the students in confusion.

"Um, what else is there to look at?" Leon asked in confusion. "Didn't they check all the places they could, related to the case?"

"Did Mr. Togami discovered another piece of vital evidence while we weren't looking…?" Hifumi inquired, clear question marks over his head.

"Huh?" Makoto looked even more confused. "What next location?"

"There's still something we need to look into." Byakuya insisted. "We need to do more research on Fenrir."

"...Ah. That makes sense." Sayaka nodded in understanding. "Considering Mukuro's involvement, it makes sense to learn everything about Fenrir."

"And with the archive being available to the survivors, it'll be easy to find more information about them…" Chihiro added.

"Fenrir…? You mean the mercenary group that Mukuro was a part of?" Makoto remembered. "But… how are we supposed to find out about that?"

"It isn't it obvious? Where in this school would you go to do research on something?" Byakuya hinted out.

'Research…' After thinking for a moment, the luckster then recalled the area. "Are you talking about… the archive? That's right… the archive has all kinds of info that the general public doesn't have access to."

"We only have so much time before the trial begins. Let's hurry." With those words, the Togami heir headed off yet again.

"The survivors are finding out a lot. More than what I suspect they would…" Sakura stated neutrally. "However… it still isn't enough to get to the actual truth of the case."

"I honestly don't think they'll find enough for this…" Junko remarked with a fake, worried frown. "The sicko kept sis' identity hidden with that bomb, and said crap about it. If they can't find that out…"

Then they'll be stuck. Or rather… the survivors will have little option but to suspect Kyoko out of the six. That was the grimm conclusion many of them were seeing.

Notes:

And that's the end. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Again, apologies if the reactions seem lackluster or repetitive, but my aim is to finish this. Hopefully, once we get to the more exciting stuff, there'll be much more spice. Leave comments, kudos, and bookmarks and I will see you later.

Chapter 100: Watching Chapter 5: 100 Miles; Pain of a Junk Food Junkie Part 11

Notes:

Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. Gonna be wrapping up the investigation, and heading into the trial itself. I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

The scene switched to Byakuya and Makoto at the archive, with the former looking through one of the shelves. "I believe there was a file related to Fenrir somewhere over here…" He mumbled to himself as he shifted through the files. "Ah, here we go."

"You know… it's kinda disturbing how familiar he is with the archive room…" Sayaka remarked with a sweat-drop. "How often was he reading in there?"

"Probably everyday, from the moment he found the room…" Hifumi guessed.

Grabbing the file from the shelf, he walked back to Makoto. "Take a look at this."

The luckster grabbed the file from him and opened it up… only to be met with an unfamiliar language. "Umm… I have no idea what it says." He stated plainly. "What language is this?"

While many of the students were as confused as future Makoto, a few managed to recognize the language. "French…?" Kyoko spoke in recognition.

"The file about Fenrir is in French…?" Chihiro spoke with a little surprise.

"Not surprising, considering the organization is located primarily in Europe…" Celeste mused. "It makes sense that it would be France that would make a file about them."

"And Byakuya can read it…?" Hina spoke with some surprise.

"Of course I can, dolt. I'm surprised half of you could've gone through high-school without learning at least a single word of it…" Byakuya replied snarkily.

"...Dude, most of us high-schoolers are too busy trying to grasp English…" Leon deadpanned. "Let alone French."

"That's pretty much for those rich, elite schools to teach…" Hiro added.

The Togami heir merely rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"How did you make it all the way to high school without learning a single word of French?" The Togami heir admonished him.

"Uh… I'm pretty sure most high schoolers can't speak French…" Makoto deadpanned.

"Well, whatever." Byakuya merely rolled his eyes at that. "I'll read it for you, but I expect you to repay your debt a hundred times over."

'A hundred times…? Isn't that kind of extreme?' Makoto thought with slight disbelief.

"The hell do you expect for him to pay you back with…?" Mondo asked with a raised eyebrow. "Bedtime stories, or some shit?"

"Spare me the childish suggestions…" Byakuya responded back with his usual sharp tongue. "There are plenty of ways for Makoto to pay back the favor I gave him."

"But a million times…?" Sayaka spoke with some exasperation.

"I fail to see how that's in any way unreasonable."

'Of course you don't…' Was the blank thought of around half the students.

With that, Byakuya began reading. "Fenrir is an elite fighting unit based out of the Middle East. Unlike military contractors, they are a fierce group of soldiers who engage in direct combat. They claim that a single member is equivalent to an entire company or regular soldiers. Just like Fenrir, the Wolf of Ragnarok, their mere presence is enough to strike fear into any enemy. They have been involved in countless military battles and operations, most of which are highly classified."

"However, some time ago, they completely ceased all activity." The heir continued. "At present, their continued existence cannot be confirmed. There are unconfirmed reports that the key members of the group were all neutralized. Rumors indicate they were killed to keep them from revealing the many state secrets they'd acquired. Some, however, believe there was mounting internal tension within the group, and they simply imploded."

"...Okay, the more I hear about these Fenrir guys, the more I'm understanding how Makoto's feeling there…" Leon stated, looking more than a tad stun. "That shit sounds crazy."

"Definitely something you would find in science fiction…" Hifumi murmured in agreement.

"I-I would go a-along the lines of modern military drama…" Toko offered.

"But it isn't fiction. They are part of our reality, the one we have." Byakuya interjected, arms crossed. "There are many events across the world that would seem unimaginable, unpredictable, to any common plebeian. Fenrir is just one of many of those events."

"..." The lucky student was silent, clearly digesting all that had been read to him.

It was a silence that Byakuya picked up. "...What is it?"

"This all just sounds like some kind of… alternate reality." Makoto said dazedly.

"Well, it isn't. This is our reality, the only reality. These people are part of our world." Byakuya refuted ruthlessly. "Their battlefields aren't much different from our lives here. An unpredictable, unimaginable world… that's what makes it all so exciting."

'"Exciting" definitely isn't the word I would use…' Makoto thought blankly to himself.

"Scary would be a better word, I say…" Hina said with a small shudder.

"For reals…" Hiro also found himself shivering at the thought of being in that kind of world.

"..." Celeste, in contrast, couldn't help but find some relation with the future Byakuya's words. Despite any claims otherwise in the second chapter, the two of them really are alike. Not only in the pursuit to win, but… also in the pursuit of the more interesting and exciting things in life.

"You want to feel special. Feel unique. And Taeko Yasuhiro is just a plain old, normal girl."

The gambler pushed out the words as quickly as they came, her hands clenching together. There's no need to think about it. Not now. Or ever, rather.

"So, did anything jump out at you?" Byakuya then inquired. "This may be your last opportunity to learn about Fenrir."

'Now that you mention it…' Makoto thought in recollection. "The report said something about where the name Fenrir comes from, right…?"

"That's right. It said Fenrir is… the Wolf of Ragnarok." Byakuya confirmed with a nod. "Speaking of which, would you like to know something interesting related to that? To show that they're a member of the team, each soldier that joins the squad… would get a tattoo representing Fenrir somewhere on their body."

"What…?" Makoto's eyes widened at that piece of info. 'They got a tattoo… of Fenrir…? Could that mean…?!'

"It seems as though they will figure out that the body is Mukuro…" Sakura mused with narrowed eyes. "That should be more than sufficient information to make such connections."

"Not to mention Kyoko, you know, being alive…" Junko pointed out, her voice a tad dry.

"And considering that they all thought that Mukuro was the mastermind…" Sayaka trailed off, the unfinished statement ringing for everyone to hear.

The statement being, that it'll be a very confusing trial for the future survivors.

He was broken out of his thoughts by the ringing of the school bell. And as per usual, the school monitor turned on. "Time is utterly silent, and yet it constantly assaults us - organisms, the earth, natural phenomena…" Monokuma spoke. "It damages us little by little, until the end. You should really think about that."

"Anyways! It's time to begin the class trial! So, please meet up in the usual spot! Puhuhu… See ya later!" With that, the monitor shut off.

With that announcement, tension arose once again within the room, one somewhat different from previous times. Not exactly dreading who among them will be killed, or at least not just that… but whether or not their future selves can figure out the scheme being played.

"Then the time has come…" Byakuya stated.

"All we can do now is try to uncover the truth during the class trial…" Makoto spoke in agreement.

"It would seem that way. Let's go."

'Please… let there be something that'll prove Kyoko's innocence.' Makoto pleaded to himself, nervousness and anger swirling in his heart. 'Don't let that bastard get away with this fake trial!'

'...What can they do to figure out the trap? What can my future self do to stop from being painted as the blackened?' Kyoko thought, and thought hard; her eyebrows scrunching up tightly together in figuring out this puzzle. 'Can they? Will they?'

'Wonder how Miss Junior Detective is gonna try to wiggle out of this one…' Junko thought with some amusement. 'Not that it matters. I have all the cards in my hands, so there's nothing she can do to point at me.'

The scene then switches to Makoto and Byakuya entering into the elevator room, with Hiro, Toko, and Hina waiting for them. "Whoa, Byakuya and Makoto showed up together!" Hiro noted with some surprise.

"Where the heck have you two been?! You just disappeared without a word!" Hina questioned with exasperation.

"We were investigating, of course. How could you not figure that out by this point?" Byakuya retorted back.

"M-Makoto's ranked high enough for you guys to go off t-together… just the two of y-you…?" Toko hissed jealousy.

"...The hell are you jealous about?" Leon questioned, giving the writer a weird look.

"M-Makoto had Master's full a-attention! T-T-Trust even!" Toko exclaimed, both defensively and enviously. "Enough for them to be… a-a-alone with e-each other!"

"Toko. Stop. Please realize how that sounds…" Makoto pleaded, his face green at the thought. Byakuya merely held a disgusted look, and refused to look at the book writer.

That earned a bewildered stare from Hina. "What, are you jealous?"

"Or… are you making up some kind of creepy fantasy for yourself?" Hiro guessed warily.

"Honestly? I vote fucking both…" Mondo deadpanned. "Wouldn't put it past her."

"S-Shut up, you dumb b-biker…!" Toko growled back. "No one asks y-you!"

Hifumi suddenly perked up, recalling something during the viewing of the second chapter. "See? I knew Miss Fukuwa was imaging- Ow!"

"And I'm gonna say it again; keep that shit to yourself." Leon interjected verbally, tossing a baseball in hand.

"Stop talking and brace yourselves. He'll be here any second." Byakuya pointed out to the group.

That got the survivors silent, and waiting tensely. 'Any second…' Makoto thought to himself. 'He could show up at any time…'

"We stood there for five full minutes, waiting for something weird to happen." Narrator Makoto spoke as the camera showed the group waiting antsily. "And then five minutes became ten…"

For a moment, the students were confused as to what's going on. But then it quickly clicked for several of them. "...Is he waiting for Kyoko to get there?" Sayaka slowly deduced.

"Speaking of… where is Kyoko, anyway?" Hiro questioned, scratching the side of his head. "She still isn't appearing yet?"

"Did… did she hear any of the announcements?" Chihiro wondered, furrowing his eyebrows in concern. "Does she know about the murder and the class trial? Any of it?"

"That's… a good question." Was all Makoto could say, his mind now occupied on that idea. If Kyoko is at a place where she doesn't hear the body discovery or class trial announcement, what will happen? Will the trial go one without her? Will they try to find her? Will Monokuma even let them know that Kyoko is alive?

"What's going on here? Why hasn't Monokuma shown up yet?" Byakuya questioned in confusion.

"Maybe he died again…?" Hiro suggested.

"What should we do?" Hina asked the group. "Should we keep waiting here, or…?"

That's when Monokuma popped up. "Or what?!"

That caused several of the students to jump in shock. "Dang it! Can I not be surprised by that for once…?!" Hina complained to herself.

"And now he shows himself…" Celeste narrowed her eyes at the screen. "With Kyoko still absent, what will his next move be?"

"Jesus!" Hiro yelped out.

The bear laughed at the jump. "Did I scare you?"

"I demand an explanation!" Byakuya exclaimed with a clear scowl. "Why did you waste my time and make me wait like that?!"

"What? I made you wait?" Was Monokuma's response, tilting his head. "You've got it all backwards. You're the ones making me wait!"

"...Huh?" Makoto said in confusion.

"I'm waiting for everyone to arrive! We can't start till everyone's here, now can we?" Monokuma explained further.

"And that's confirmation that he's waiting on Kyoko…" Taka nodded his head slightly at that.

"But why wait? Why not search for Miss Kirigiri, and drag her to the elevator room himself?" Hifumi mused curiously. "That's what he did with Miss Fukawa, didn't he…?"

"D-Don't remind me of t-that…!" Toko stuttered out angrily.

"You forget, the mastermind has been unaware of where Kyoko was for the past few days." Celeste pointed out. "You cannot physically drag someone you don't know the location of."

"Yeah, that's true…" Hina hummed in agreement.

"What are you t-talking about…?" Toko asked, sounding just as confused. "Everyone is here. We've all been w-waiting for you."

"Puhuhu… sorry, but you're wrong." The bear refuted. "But I've been waiting ten minutes, so it's okay if I punish the one making us all wait, right?"

That caused several of them to stiffen up. "He… he's not gonna just go and kill Kyoko just like that, is he…?" Hiro asked nervously.

"With how much the mastermind wants her dead? I would imagine they wouldn't pass up the opportunity." Byakuya's answer did not make anyone feel better.

"Miss Kirigiri should probably make her last minute appearance soon then…" Hifumi said nervously.

"If we all agree it's a violation, I'll arrange a punishment right now-!"

"If it's me you're waiting for… I'm here."

And just like that, the group deflated in relief. "Right in the nick of time…" Mondo huffed out in relief.

"You really got to stop playing with our hearts like that, Kyoko…!" Hina whined, though she sounded just as relieved.

"You're really testing the limits of what you can get away with, huh…?" Junko remarked.

"It's not like I can control what my future self has done…" The detective responded back. "Merely observe what I could've done."

Everyone turned their heads to the direction of the doorway… to see Kyoko. "I'm here, and no rule's been broken."

Her arrival caused Makoto's eyes to widen dramatically. "K-Kyoko!"

"Kyoko?! You're still alive?!" Hina exclaimed with both shock and joy.

"N-No…! That's a gh-gh-gh-ghost!" Hiro shrieked in terror.

And just like that, nearly everyone groaned near simultaneously. "Not the ghost shit again…!" Mondo growled to himself.

"Hiro, dude, just shut up…" Leon stated as he face-palmed.

"H-Hey! It's a perfectly valid conclusion…!" Hiro replied defensively, holding his hands up. "I mean, we all thought Kyoko was dead before, didn't we?!"

There were several different ways the group would have responded to that defense; they all chose none of them, and merely silently put their attention back to the screen.

"Stop t-talking…" Toko told the fortune teller flatly.

"If you wanna fight, do it at the class trial! You need to save some of the fun for later, right?" Monokuma interjected.

"But is it okay that there's no particular penalty for being late?" Byakuya questioned with a frown.

"Byakuya…!" Makoto, along with a few others, looked at the Togami heir in shock. "Are you really suggesting that Kyoko get hurt by Monokuma?"

"While being punctual is indeed needed, Monokuma's brand of punishment is not one I would be pushing…!" Taka spoke of his own protest.

Byakuya merely sighed. "Perhaps it's irritation with the girl herself. Or suspicion in regards to her talking. I'm not sure what my motive is." He admitted to. "But I doubt the bear would've killed her outright. My future self was merely suggesting some sort of penalty, not an outright execution."

"I made it here just fine. What school regulations did I violate?" Kyoko argued back calmly. "Am I wrong?"

"You're so selfish… so spoiled!" The bear grouched in response. "You're right. There's no penalty, officially. But I bet you'll be sorry later…" His eyes then took a menacing gleam. "No, I'll make sure you're sorry later…!"

His words got varied emotions from the group; from anxious and worried looks, to angry scowls and glares. "The mastermind is determined to put a stop to Kyoko's pursuit…" Celeste said, her tone neutral.

"To the point the fucker will cheat his way to do so…!" Leon growled, fist clenching.

"There has to be something that can prove Kyoko's innocence…" Taka spoke with a worried frown across his face. "Something that proves that it wasn't her, is there?"

"I'm really hoping there is…" Hina said, biting her lips nervously.

"Anyway, hustle your butts onto the elevator! I'll be just one step ahead of ya!" And with that, the bear disappeared once again.

Once he was gone, the five survivors rushed up to where Kyoko was at. "Kyoko…!" Makoto spoke in pure relief.

"So you really didn't die!?" Hina followed up with her own relief.

"Of course I didn't die…" Kyoko stated in response, smiling slightly.

"Thank God!" The swimmer beamed at the lavender-haired girl. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Perhaps, but that's not necessarily a good thing for us." Byakuya interjected.

"And Mr. Togami seems to be immediately suspecting Miss Kirigiri now…"

"It's something we already suspected would happen…" Sakura sighed. "The only thing we can do is hope they come to the right conclusion…"

"The trial itself will likely not be short…" Mukuro spoke in musing. "I doubt Kyoko will just stand and have all suspicions fall directly at her…"

"I wouldn't." The detective herself spoke up assuredly. "It's likely why I took so long. So I can have my own investigation before the trial."

"That would make sense, since you knew to get to the elevator room…" Chihiro hummed.

His words caused Makoto, along with Hina, to look at him in confusion. "Huh…?"

"He's right! Now we've gotta deal with a gh-gh-ghost!" Hiro shrieked once again.

"I told you, stop t-talking…!" Toko growled at him.

"What she said…" Leon jabbed a thumb at the book writer, a flat look now across his face.

"The fool better not waste time pushing this ghost nonsense, I swear…" Celeste grumbled to herself.

Hiro slumped down at the words jabbed at him. Is it really that hard to believe that Kyoko could've been a ghost?

"Come on, let's just go. Whatever we need to discuss, we can do it during the trial." With that, Byakuya headed to the elevator, having not looked directly at Kyoko at any point.

"Master! W-Wait for meeee…!" Toko, of course, followed right after him in quick fashion.

"Good call. Who knows what might happen to us if we take too long…?" With that acknowledgement, Hiro was the next to head to the elevator.

"I'll be happy when this trial is all over…" Hina sighed as she followed the others.

That left Makoto and Kyoko in the room as everyone else piled up in the elevator. The former of the remaining two turned to the latter with an anxious look. "Listen, before we get started, I have to ask you…"

"..." Silently, Kyoko placed her attention on the lucky student.

"Where have you been this whole time?" He asked her. "You used that key of yours to go somewhere, didn't you? So…"

"Is now really a good time to ask about that…?" Hina asked with a small frown. "Monokuma could pop back up if we take too long."

"I know, and I'm sure future me knows, but… with how long Kyoko was gone, I couldn't just leave it for later." Makoto replied sheepishly. "Not after wondering if she's dead or not."

"Fair. Can't imagine keeping shit to myself in your shoes…" Mondo acknowledged, with others nodding in agreement/sympathy.

"I went to investigate the 2nd floor of the dorms." Kyoko revealed.

"The… 2nd floor?"

"There aren't any monitors or cameras there, so I was able to avoid Monokuma completely." The lavender haired girl explained. "Of course, I also missed his announcement because of that. I had no idea a body had been discovered."

"And that answers whether or not Kyoko heard anything…"

"So how did she know to come to the elevator room?" Leon questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Did she hear the announcement about the class trial, or something?"

"Likely so." Sakura was the one to answer. "She may have come out from the 2nd floor dorms, just in time to hear the class trial announcement. Then took the time to look at the body, and gather what evidence she can."

"I can imagine that…" Byakuya hummed. "Kyoko isn't one to go into a trial or mystery with nothing…"

"I'm not, no." The detective herself spoke up in acknowledgement.

"Then… when did you find out?" Makoto asked curiously.

"Just now. I finished my search and came back down, just in time to hear the class trial announcement." Kyoko answered. "I took some time to go over the crime scene first. I can't go to a trial completely uninformed, can I?"

"You must've been in quite the rush, considering the body was on the fifth floor…" Celeste commented.

"Likely so." Kyoko acknowledged with no trouble. Even with around ten minutes of time, she doubted her future self took the time to gather evidence at a slow pace.

"So that's why you were late…"

"I'm sorry I kept you all waiting." The girl apologized.

"But… if you were on the 2nd floor of the dorms…" The luckster then spoke in musing. "...then that's what the key you found goes to?"

"Actually, to be precise… not quite." Kyoko corrected him somewhat. "I used Monokuma's secret tool, which can open any lock in the school."

That caused practically half the class to widen their eyes dramatically. "ANY LOCK IN THE SCHOOL?!" Hina, Hiro, Leon, and Junko all screamed.

"The fucker got a key that can access anywhere?!" Mondo shouted in disbelief.

"No wonder he called it his precious…!" Sayaka exclaimed. "Kyoko managed to steal a very useful tool!"

"And it makes Monokuma's actions even more understandable…" Byakuya stated in musing. "With Kyoko's disappearance, and with her hand on a key that could access any door in the school, the mastermind couldn't just sit back and let her do what she will."

"The key was likely a game changer. One that the mastermind couldn't let her fully utilize…" Celeste concluded.

Makoto's eyes widened dramatically at this. "What…?!"

"Hey! What are you two doing?!" Hina suddenly shouted from the elevator. "Hurry up, before we get in trouble with Monokuma!"

Both students turned their heads towards the elevator before putting attention back on one another. "We can go over all the details after we get through the trial, okay Makoto?" Kyoko assured him. "Right now I just want to focus on surviving our current situation. Because this is probably the single most crucial moment so far for me."

"...What the heck is up with her wording?" Junko asked with a raised eyebrow. "The most crucial moment for her?"

"Is… she already aware that Monokuma is targeting her?" Makoto deduced with some surprise. He turned to the detective herself. "Kyoko, do you think?"

Kyoko looked down in thought. "With what happened during the night, and seeing the body for herself, I wouldn't be surprised if she suspects something." She stated.

'For… her?' Makoto repeated to himself, confusion clear across his face. 'That's a strange way to put it… the class trial is important for everyone, right? So why would she say it's a crucial moment for her?'

"Well, if that's all…" With that, Kyoko headed to the elevator.

'I'm just… overthinking what she said, right…?' With that uncertain thought, Makoto became the last to step into the elevator.

"With Kyoko? No, you're definitely not." Leon deadpanned.

"Do you say these things on purpose, Kyoko…?" Hina moaned, both palms in her face.

"Yep, definitely enjoying her mystery act…" Sayaka muttered.

And again, Kyoko made no moves to acknowledge such claims or deny them.

Once they were all in, the elevator closed up and started descending. As usual, the students were lowered to the trial room in complete silence. "We just stood there, silent and still." Narrator Makoto spoke. "After an immeasurable period of time, the doors opened without warning…"

The scene the elevator stopped, and the door opening, light shining on the faces of the six remaining survivors. "A dazzling light penetrated every depth of my eyes." The narrator continued. "But it wasn't the illuminating light of hope…"

"It was the blinding light of despair."

Some couldn't help but feel chills going down their spines over the commentary. "Dude, do you have to sound like an ominous bastard…?" Leon said with a small shiver.

"S-Sorry…" Makoto replied sheepishly, despite not being the one narrating. Would he really be sounding like that if he was retelling this killing game?

"Still… it leaves me with a bad feeling…" Sayaka couldn't help but say. Something inside her is screaming that she isn't gonna like this trial. Not one bit.

And her intuition never failed her before. So she can't help but dread what's gonna come.

The screen then showed a bright, purple and green room. "Ahh, I've been waiting for this! I feel like it's been forever since we got together like this…" Monokuma spoke eagerly. "The time for pointless jokes and jabs has passed. Let's get on with the show!"

Slowly, the six remaining students took their places on the podium. "And so, the curtain opened up for the fifth time…" Narrator Makoto spoke. "A deadly judgment… a deadly perception… a deadly betrayal…" The scene showed Hina, Hiro, and Toko, all of them looking tense.

"A deadly riddle, a deadly defense, a deadly faith…" Then the suspicious Byakuya and composed Kyoko were next.

"A deadly…" Finally, it showed a nervous yet determined Makoto on screen. "Class trial…!"

There were various different feelings the class were feeling.

Some like Hina, Chihiro, and Taka just feel nervous over the possible outcomes.

Others like Sayaka and Hiro felt this unexplainable dread.

Those like Sakura, Makoto, and Mondo wanted nothing more than the trial to blow up in the mastermind's face.

The more composed students, such as Byakuya and Kyoko, were analyzing any possible means of solving the true mystery.

And Junko… Junko felt giddy with anticipation. Wondering what despair-inducing outcome is gonna be reached.

Cause one way or another, there will be despair. She can feel it.

Notes:

And that's the end. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter; the shortest one I've made in a while, I'm pretty sure. But with the actual trial coming up, I felt it best to save the start of it for the next chapter, so I hope none of you mind. Now we're heading the trial itself, the spiciest part of the fifth chapter. Leave comments, kudos, and bookmarks and I will see you later.

Chapter 101: Watching Chapter 5: 100 Miles; Pain of a Junk Food Junkie Part 12

Notes:

Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So, this came earlier than expected. Don't know if it's because things in my life are finally settling, finally getting the juiciest part of the fifth chapter, or just keeping myself from overthinking. But whatever it is, I hope it keeps up.

Before we begin, I want to thank you guys once again for all the positive reviews that you've given this fic for the past several years. It's flattering, to read how much you all have enjoyed it, either having been reading since the start or discovering it later on; to know how well I've been writing these characters, and the little developments I've done for them. It keeps me motivated, knowing that I'm doing something right to keep older readers and attract newer ones.

Anyways, we're now at the fifth trial, and the reactions to it. I hope you enjoy.

"Let's begin with the basic explanation of the class trial! So, your votes will determine the results." Monokuma, yet again, explained the rules from his throne. "If you can figure out 'whodunnit' then only they will receive punishment. But if you pick the wrong one, then I'll punish everyone besides the blackened, and the one that deceived everyone else will graduate! …Okay, well! I'll leave the rest up to you!"

"Well then, let's discuss the specifics of the victim." Byakuya decided for the group. "First, we need to clarify who exactly the unidentified victim is."

"It's Kyoko! There's no other explanation!" Hiro interjected.

"...What?" Hina spoke in pure confusion. "But… she's standing in the trial room, isn't she?"

"She is…" Byakuya confirmed, with his tone and expression as flat as a board.

"Oh, do not tell me…" Celeste began groaning to herself, realizing where this was going.

"But Kyoko's standing right there…!" Toko pointed out blankly, pointing at the lavender-haired girl.

"No! That's a ghost!" The fortune teller exclaimed.

"..." The 'ghost' herself was notably silent, eyes closed in exasperation.

"...You're seriously gonna continue pushing that ghost shit?!" Mondo exclaimed in irritated disbelief; something that's being shared amongst the class, judging by the various incredulous and/or annoyed looks.

"Honestly… this shouldn't be much of a surprise at this point…" Mukuro said flatly, pretty much accepting what's about to happen.

"She doesn't even look remotely ghostly…!" Hifumi pointed out.

"Yeah! Has legs, and everything!" Hina spoke in baffled agreement.

"But… she has legs and stuff." Hina pointed out in befuddlement.

"Well that's just because… she's like the latest evolution in ghost technology!" Hiro explained insistently.

And like that, nearly the entire student body in the room face-palmed. Only Chihiro and Makoto, the nicest of the bunch, refrained from doing so; but even they couldn't help but let out exasperated sighs over the sheer stupidity that is Yasuhiro Hagakure.

"Imbecile…" Was all Byakuya could say through his palm.

"Dimwit…" Celeste growled out herself.

"Blockhead…" Toko added in her insult.

"There's a limit to how much ridiculousness I can tolerate…" Byakuya stated flatly.

"Agreed…"

"No kidding…"

"Can he just shut up for once…?"

"Like, 'ghost technology'? Is he actually being serious…?"

"Hiro, just, you have to think. Just think about the things you say…"

"C'mon! It's perfectly valid that future me thinks that Kyoko's a ghost…!" Hiro whined to the class. In desperation, he turned to Makoto. "Makoto, back me up here! You can see why future me thinks this way, right?!"

"Um…" The lucky student couldn't help but look away, unable (And unwilling) to defend Hiro on this. Cause this was just way too ridiculous to defend.

"Um, okay… so I just have to prove that the corpse isn't Kyoko, right?" Makoto said awkwardly. "Then let's compare Kyoko's traits to the traits of the dead body."

"Are we seriously wasting time proving that a clearly alive person is alive…?" Junko questioned, looking as done as everyone else. "Why not just ignore Hiro or something?"

"The fool won't let us move forward until we prove that the dead body is, in fact, not Kyoko…" Byakuya groaned out in irritation. "And will continue to loudly insist that she's dead and a ghost. So, unfortunately, we have to entertain the fool's delusion and prove that it's just that. A delusion."

"Can't believe that this have to be an actual, fucking thing…!" Mondo growled to himself, facepalming.

"And that it's being treated with any modicum of seriousness…" Celeste followed up with her clear annoyance.

"Let's… just get through this section of the trial, and move on…" Sakura sighed, having resigned herself to this.

"Her traits…?" Hina repeated, tilting her head in confusion.

"I'm talking about her gloves." Makoto answered. "They'll give us some insight into the mystery, I'm sure of it."

"In that case, I think it would be helpful if someone explained why she actually wears those gloves." Byakuya prodded intently.

"And would you happen to know the answer?" Kyoko fired back.

"In fact, Monokuma told me." Byakuya answered smugly. "Apparently you have scars on your hands you don't want anyone to see."

"..." Kyoko said nothing more in response.

"I'm… kinda surprised you aren't reacting badly to that…" Leon hesitantly pointed out. "Thought that it would've at least earned a glare, or something."

"Our future selves have more pressing matters at that moment. I'm not gonna bother expressing any anger when it's already out in the open." Kyoko sighed.

"Oh! You know, now that I think about it… the corpse wasn't wearing any gloves, right?!" Hina recalled.

"They probably just got burnt up in the explosion!" Hiro argued. "I'm not convinced! The ghost is just trying to fool us all!"

"For what possible purpose?!" Taka exclaimed in both disbelief and frustration. "What reason would she have to try and trick the survivors?!"

"And… I don't see how the gloves could end up being completely burnt off…" Chihiro pointed out. "They would've been caught in the explosion, yes, but there still would've been remnants left."

"Are we seriously making actual arguments about this shit…?" Leon questioned incredulously, a dumbfounded look on his face. "When we know for a fact Kyoko's not a goddamn ghost?"

"Brain-cells. Dying. One - by - one." Junko groaned dramatically, sinking downward from her seat.

"I'm honestly feeling dumber just listening to the asinine discussion…" Byakuya groaned, fingers across his forehead to suppress the oncoming headache.

'There's no way that corpse was Kyoko…' Makoto thought to himself. 'But if I can't prove why, we're gonna be stuck here and the case won't move forward. So I don't have any choice but to…'

"How about just gagging the fool…?" Celeste growled, her persona slowly slipping. "That could help the case move forward."

"Tempting, I must admit; and I'm sure Monokuma wouldn't mind…" Byakuya honestly mused at the suggestion.

'...Probably not, no.' The mastermind herself agreed in her head. Honestly, she would have half the mind to gag the empty-headed fortune teller herself.

"I can't believe that we have to give the idiot the time of day…" Toko grumbled, her stutter temporarily gone.

"You guys are so mean…!" Hiro cried out, slumping in his chair. "We all thought Kyoko was dead…!"

"Yeah! But you're the only one who thinks that Kyoko's a ghost…!" Hina pointed out, with clear exasperation. "So that says a lot! A whole lot!"

Once again, the non-stop debate started up, with the truth bullets loaded in the revolver. The first to speak was Hiro. "That 'Kyoko' there is just a ghost!" Hiro continued to insist.

"I-Impossible…" Toko denied, rather flatly.

"Okay, then prove it! Prove she's not a ghost!" Hiro challenged.

"The dead body wasn't wearing gloves!" Hina pointed once again.

"They got burnt up in the explosion!" The fortune teller argued once again.

"Then… she was wearing gloves before the explosion…?" Toko then asked.

"Well, yeah!" Hiro answered. "She must've been wearing gloves!"

'No, that's wrong!' The bullet was shot as Makoto spoke up. "No, there's no way the corpse was wearing gloves. Whoever it was, they were wearing fake nails, remember? I imagine trying to wear gloves over nails like that would have been a pretty big pain."

"Besides, Kyoko wears gloves to hide her hands, right?" The lucky student then added. "It'd be pretty weird for someone who's self-conscious about their hands to wear fake nails, don't you think?"

"Jeez man, you don't know women, huh?" Hiro said in response. "They're complicated like that!"

Almost immediately, all eight female students fixed Hiro with varying blank looks. The fortune teller couldn't help but shrink at those looks. "W-What?"

"YOU'RE the one who doesn't know women, Hiro…!"

"For once, I agree with the idiot swimmer…"

"A fool should not speak about understanding women, when he clearly does not."

"You don't even understand what's real and what isn't…"

"I can't imagine any women wearing gloves AND fake nails at the same time. Much too impractical…"

"We aren't so complicated as to do such a peculiar thing."

"My gloves aren't even the size to hide nails like that…"

"You really should just shut up, Hiro; and know when you're digging yourself into a hole…"

Hiro curled up further in his seat as the girls chastised him, an intense pressure coming from their words and stares. The guys, meanwhile, could only watch as the fortune teller got lambasted by their female classmates. They almost felt sorry for him; but he brought it on himself, and any pity was washed away with what his future self put all of them through.

'Better to remain quiet and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt…' Makoto quoted to himself. 'Can't remember where I heard that quote, but it fits here.'

"If anyone doesn't know women, it's you!" Hina threw back at him in annoyance.

"Well, Kyoko? Any thoughts?" Byakuya spoke in exasperation.

"These gloves were custom-made to the size of my hands to make sure they don't interfere with my daily life." Kyoko disclosed. "If I wore fake nails, the gloves wouldn't fit properly."

"Then that's that. The dead body doesn't belong to Kyoko." Makoto declared.

"Which should have been obvious, since she's standing right there…" The Togami heir stated, his irritation still present.

"For real…!" Both Leon and Mondo exclaimed in frustration, throwing their hands up.

"But it seems like it's over. Finally…" Sayaka breathed out in relief.

"I was close to throwing something if the fool continued…" Celeste admitted to.

"At what?" Byakuya asked with a raised eyebrow. "The TV? Or Hiro?"

"Yes."

"Fair enough."

"Okay, so then… who's the real victim?" Hiro then asked. "First we need to figure that out!"

"Oh hell no!"

"Don't go taking the lead after all that!"

"That's what they were trying to do!"

"You've been dragging the survivors in circles!"

"That's the first thing I said. You're the one who's been dragging us around in circles…" Byakuya retorted in response.

"Exactly!" Hina huffed, crossing her arms. "Everyone else knew Kyoko was alive, standing right along with the rest of the survivors! He was the only one insisting that she was dead; and a ghost!"

"Hard. Fucking. Falls!" Mondo stated, his tone both blank yet angry at the same time. "He had some hard fucking falls as a kid…!"

At this point, the only thing Hiro could do was just keep quiet, knowing that any defense he tries to make will not have any effects on his classmate's thoughts on him. Or his future self, rather.

Non-stop debate once again, with Hiro speaking first once more. "If Kyoko really is still alive…" He began. "...then who died?!"

"There's gotta be some way to figure it out." Hina said in thought.

"I-I don't think so… the face was scorched beyond recognition…" Toko pointed out. "And there wasn't any description in the Monokuma File."

"Well if we can't identify the body…" Hina trailed off.

'No, that's wrong!' A bullet was shot as Makoto spoke up. "There was one clue left behind that we can use to identify the body."

"What? For real?!" The swimmer exclaimed in surprise.

"If you're l-lying, you'll die a cruel and unusual d-death…!" Toko hissed.

"A cruel and unusual death?! This I gotta see!" Hiro spoke eagerly.

"She's just being stupid! Ignore them, Makoto." Hina spoke in assurance. "Tell us what you're talking about!"

"The key to figuring out who it was…" The luckster lifted his handbook to show the body's right hand. "...is the tattoo on the back of her hand."

"So now the trial truly begins…" Byakuya declared, regaining his composure. "Should be rather easy to conclude that the body belongs to Mukuro."

"Though it will likely confuse some of the survivors, considering they have believed Mukuro is the mastermind." Sakura noted.

"Won't be too much of an issue." Celeste said in assurance. "With the evidence they have gained, Makoto and/or Byakuya can quickly make the conclusion that Mukuro isn't the mastermind."

"Oh, yeah. The design's pretty strange, huh?" Hina noted as she looked over the tattoo. "Is this… a dog?"

"Her master m-must've have made her get it…" Toko suggested, rather perversely. "To be like, 'You're my b-bitch'."

And just like that, over half the class sent silent prayers to the writing prodigy, as Mukuro slowly turned towards with a very unreadable look. However, what could be read was the dark intent that was slowly growing and surrounding her.

"...F-F-Fu… F-Future… m-m-me…" Toko managed to squeak out, looking pastier than usual and shaking like a leaf.

The Ultimate Soldier continued to give that unreadable, rather haunting stare, before slowly turning her eyes back on the screen. The writer nearly collapsed in relief in response.

"Seriously?! They really did something that humiliating?!" Hiro exclaimed in shock.

"No, that's not it." Byakuya refuted curtly. "The identity of the victim is hidden within that tattoo."

"Whoa, really?!" Hina exclaimed.

"The Fenrir Mercenary Corps. That's the name of the military group Mukuro Ikusaba belongs to…" Makoto revealed.

"Okay, so…?" Hiro prodded, looking lost.

"To show that they're a member of the team, each soldier that joins the squad would get a tattoo representing Fenrir somewhere on their body." Byakuya explained further.

"Fenrir…?" Hina repeated in confusion.

Toko then spoke up. "Fenrir, the Wolf of Ragnorak. It's from Norse mythology. A huge, world-ending wolf beast. He's the ch-child of the trickster god, Loki, and a female giant."

"Man! After all this time, we finally got a glimpse of the literacy all-star!" Hiro observed with some surprise.

"You see that side of her once in a blue moon…" Leon remarked jokingly.

"Sh-Shut it…!" Toko gave the baseball star a side-eyed glare. "It's not t-that easy to be o-open with people. Especially w-with a-an inferiority complex."

"At least you are aware of your issues…" Sayaka said with a sweatdropped.

"A wolf tattoo… then that means-!" Hina slowly realized.

"Exactly. The body we found had a tattoo of a wolf." Makoto confirmed. "Which means that person must have once belonged to Fenrir. So it must have been Mukuro."

"What?!" Hiro shouted out incredulously.

"H-Hold on… isn't she the one that was behind the whole thing?" Hina pointed out, looking just as surprised.

"Ah-ha-ha-ha! You sound so surprised! But you're absolutely right!" Monokuma laughed. "Yes, indeed! The trial this time is to solve the murder of Mukuro Ikusuba!"

"Wh-What?" Toko stuttered out in shock and confusion. "Are you saying the m-mastermind is dead… and now we have to have a c-class trial?"

"No. It means we were wrong in thinking that Mukuro was the mastermind at all." Byakuya deduced.

"But, I mean… being the Ultimate Despair seems like a pretty mastermind-y title to me…" Hina argued.

"Maybe we shouldn't have been thinking of her as the Ultimate Despair in the first place." The Togami heir suggested. "After all, looking at her profile, I didn't see anything that would fit such a description. All it said was that she was the Ultimate Soldier."

"If I remember correctly, that other information came from…" Byakuya's eyes then shifted towards Kyoko. "Kyoko, that's what you told Makoto, right?"

"..." The lavender haired girl was silent at that.

"Again… where did she get the idea that Mukuro is the Ultimate Despair?" Celeste spoke, narrowing her eyes. "That can't have been from her profile."

"At the very least, it's not something that was pulled from nothing…" Sakura stated neutrally. "Kyoko isn't one to just say things without concrete evidence or reasoning."

At the topic, some took glances at Mukuro; some subtle, others not so much. The soldier did her best to ignore those looks.

"So that means… Kyoko got it wrong?" Hiro gaped in surprise.

"Then… who was she? Who was Mukuro Ikusuba?" Hina then asked. "She's been gone this whole time, and when she finally turns up, she gets killed!"

"Usually, when there's a s-scene where an important character dies, it has a lot m-more detail…" Toko said with a small frown.

"Not unless the details are part of the mystery…" Hifumi openly mused. "Then it makes sense to hide what exactly happened, to make the scene more shocking."

"S-So if it continues like any mystery, then the survivors s-should figure out the true circumstances of Mukuro's death…" Toko murmured, her creative side taking over yet again. "And find out that Mukuro, rather than Junko, has been with them since the beginning."

At their words, Kyoko took a subtle glance at Junko. Taking the words of Hifumi and Toko, if one would look at it as a mystery show, or novel… would the true circumstances of Mukuro's death be the only mystery solved? Or is there another hidden within it?

"So you're saying she wasn't an important character?" Byakuya asked rhetorically. "Which would mean she was the same as us - just another participant."

"Then who's the real mastermind?" Hiro questioned.

"It must have been th-the Hope's Peak Academy headmaster, a-after all…!" Toko concluded.

"No, the headmaster has nothing to do with it." Kyoko refuted.

"But how can we trust that?" Byakuya argued. "We already know your information about Mukuro was wrong."

"My information was not wrong…" Was the lavender haired girl's fierce statement.

"She… really does sound certain about it…" Makoto noted with a frown.

"And with the file about Mukuro being from her room… this doesn't seem like a case of getting wrong info…" Sayaka added, looking as concerned as the lucky student beside her.

"..." The detective looked down in thought. There had to have been something else that made her future self so certain. Something that would give Mukuro the title of Ultimate Despair. But does her future self have it? Or has it remained in the principal's office?

"Okay, okay! We're in the middle of a trial right now! Figuring out who killed Mukuro is first and foremost!" Monokuma interjected. "Please limit all future prattle, chatter, and chit-chat as much as possible!"

The bear's interruption caused several groans from the students. "C'mon! I wanted to hear what Kyoko had to say…!" Leon griped.

"Doubt she would've said much; at least not while the mastermind has us in their sight." Byakuya huffed. "So whatever information she has will have to be revealed later. If there's a later, that is…"

His last statement caused a bit of tension to rise back up, awareness of Monokuma's true intention back on their minds. "Did you have to add the if?" Hina whined, biting her lips nervously.

"...Fine. Uncovering the identity of the mastermind will have to wait. But remember this…" Byakuya aimed a fierce stare at the monochrome bear. "No matter what happens, we will find out who you really are. I stake my family name on it!"

The response in return? "I have officially decided to completely ignore all such attempts at provocation!" Monokuma declared. "Now then, just so nobody's confused, let me state this one more time for the record… The reason we're having a class trial is because a murder among the students has taken place! Hammer that point straight into your big ol' brain!"

"Yeeeaaah, I call bull-shit…!" Leon remarked with an angry scowl. "A fake trial is going on for a murder that you did, you piece of shit!"

"The mastermind wants to make certain none of the students can draw the conclusion that this is a trap…" Celeste deduced, pursuing her lips. "And keep any attempts of drawing the dots towards them."

"And considering four trials has happened, three of them with murders and another with a suicide…" Byakuya recalled grimly. "That, unfortunately, gives credibility to his statements."

Several of the students couldn't help but look and/or feel ill at that fact. The would-be murderers, especially, didn't like the idea that they made the mastermind's words credible. Sayaka and Celeste found themselves keeping their eyes away from anyone, while Mondo and Leon had their heads bowed, angry scowls aimed at their laps.

"What you're saying is that both the victim and the culprit are part of the student body?" Byakuya asked for clarification.

"Then… one of us killed Mukuro?" Hina then asked hesitantly.

"Wait, no! There's a chance that there's some mystery 17th person who's been hiding all along!" Hiro quickly suggested.

But Monokuma immediately discarded that idea. "Nope! There are only 16 students in total that have been taking part in these events!"

"Seriously?!" Hiro exclaimed in shock. "Then… one of us killed Mukuro?!"

"Who d-did it?! Who's the killer th-this time?!" Toko spoke in demand.

"Get a hold of yourself. We've already narrowed down the list of possible suspects." Byakuya told the group.

"Huh…?" Hina looked at Byakuya in confusion.

"I'm sure you realize who I'm talking about, right Makoto?" Byakuya prodded the luckster. "Who the evidence points to?"

And with that, the tension became thicker, with the air becoming colder. 'Here comes the difficult part of the trial already…' Makoto thought grimly. 'Proving mine and Kyoko's innocence…'

"You've narrowed it down to… Kyoko, and me. Right?" Makoto answered hesitantly.

"...Why do you say that?" Kyoko inquired.

"Allow me to explain…" Byakuya stepped in. "Just after nighttime last night, I went to the garden. So I can confirm that at that point, there was no dead body there. So, the murder must have taken place after I left the garden. However… Hiro, Toko, Hina, and I were in the gym the entire time."

"The gym…?" Kyoko's eyes widened slightly at that.

"That's right. The four of us were there trying to dismantle Monokuma." The Togami heir explained. "The whole time we were very careful not to go anywhere alone. We even went to the bathroom in pairs. All of which is to say… the four of us all have alibis. The only ones without alibis…"

"...are me and Makoto." Kyoko concluded in understanding. "That's why you're able to narrow down the list of suspects."

"Exactly so." Byakuya confirmed haughtily.

"Well, if she's already suspected something, then she definitely knows she's being targeted now…" Leon remarked, crossing her arms.

"Unfortunately, with her brisk investigation, there is information that she clearly lacks…" Sakura noted, catching the surprise reaction from the detective. "It'll make it all the more likely she gets cornered by circumstantial evidence…"

"And Makoto has to prove his innocence too…!" Hina added, biting her lips. "Since he still has no alibi…!"

"He'll likely have an easier time proving his innocence, however, since he had a more thorough investigation compared to Kyoko…" Mukuro spoke in musing. "And know pretty much all the events that transpired."

'So the only suspects now are me and Kyoko. Dammit…! I can't let this stand. Somehow I have to clear my name…' Makoto thought to himself, before speaking up. "Um, I have something I'd like to say regarding the whole alibi thing…"

"...Are you thinking of raising an objection?" Byakuya questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, before that, I just want to try and get a better idea of what time the murder took place." Makoto explained. "Doing that might reveal some kind of clue…"

"Whatever you want. Somebody go ahead and help him out." Was all the Togami heir said.

"So… it seems as though future Makoto, rather than try to immediately object or disprove any guilt, is fishing for anything that would prove he couldn't have done it." Celeste spoke in musing. "By figuring out the mysteries behind the murder, it would give a clearer picture of who did or didn't do it."

"That would be the smartest to do in his position." Byakuya said with a small nod of approval.

"Maybe if they figure out the surrounding mysteries, they'll find something that can point to the mastermind…" Chihiro hummed in thought, being a bit optimistic. "Something that is off about the murder and trial."

'Doubt it~' Junko sang to herself. There's nothing that can directly point to her, at least not anything she could see. Unless Kyoko ends up pulling something from those scar-covering gloves, there's no way for any of them to figure out the actual truth.

It makes the trial kinda boring, thinking about it. But hey, the despair that Kyoko's death would inspire would more than make up for it.

"Me and Byakuya can both confirm that the body wasn't in the garden at…" Hiro spoke up in thought. "Well, it was after nighttime for sure. I'd say it must have been around 10'clock. So the murder musta happened after 10 pm."

"Then I guess we can say the time for the murder was between then and when we found the body…?" Hina guessed. "Oh, but… what time did we find the body?"

"The one who saw the body first was Toko, right? When she went to go get the pickaxe…" Hiro recalled.

"Then the body must have been discovered at 9 a.m., since that's when Toko went to get the pickaxe…" Makoto deduced. A flashback of Byakuya ordering Toko to go get the pickaxe was then shown.

Toko then spoke up to confirm it. "H-He's right, it had to be around th-then."

"So we can be totally sure the murder happened sometime between 10 at night and 9 in the morning." Hiro concluded.

"For me, I was already asleep before nighttime hit. So I don't have an alibi after 10 o'clock…" The lucky student admitted to. "But I'm sure I met up with everyone else before 9 this morning."

"We ran into each other in the dining hall, right? That was around…" Hina spoke in recollection. "Oh yeah! Right around 7:30! I remember checking right before I went in, so I'm totally sure of it."

"Which means from 10 p.m. to 7:30 a.m., you don't have an alibi." Hiro stated.

'The murder happened between 10 p.m. and 7:30 a.m. And I don't have an alibi from 10 p.m. till 7:30 a.m.' Makoto summarized to himself. 'Okay then, it looks like the game has begun. If I can't provide an alibi for that period… then I just have to prove the murder didn't happen during the time I don't have an alibi!'

"So it seems that Mr. Naegi will be working more independently this time around…" Hifumi noted, adjusting his glasses.

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Hina asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"In previous trials, Mr. Naegi had guidance either from Mr. Togami or Miss Kirigiri…" The fanfic creator explained. "While those three have been the main ones solving trials and putting together the mystery, Mr. Naegi had help, more often than not, from those two…"

"So it'll be the first time that he'll have to connect the pieces by himself…" Chihiro said in understanding. "Since Kyoko has very little evidence to work with, and Byakuya sees him as one of the suspects."

"Indeed, Mr. Fujisaki." Hifumi nodded in confirmation.

"I don't think it'll be too tough for him…" Sayaka stated, confident in her luckster. "We saw how he was able to keep up with Byakuya's and Kyoko's thinking. He'll be able to figure things out himself."

The vote of confidence got a blush from said luckster, who could only duck his head and rub the back of his head sheepishly. Were the previous trials, the parts he played in them, really that big of a deal?

The non-stop debate started up once again, with Byakuya speaking first. "We've established a timeframe for the murder." He began. "It took place between 10 o'clock at night and 9 o'clock in the morning.

'No, that's wrong!' The bullet was shot as Makoto spoke up. "Actually, the murder couldn't have happened anywhere near 10 o'clock. It had to have taken place way later!"

"And what makes you say that?" The Togami heir questioned.

"Because of the sprinklers in the garden." Makoto answered. "The sprinklers are set to go off at 7:30 every morning, right? So if the body had been in the garden before 7:30… then it should have been completely soaked!"

Eyes lit up in remembrance of that little fact. "Oh yeah! I totally forgot about the sprinklers!" Hina spoke in realization. "Makoto's right! The body should've been way soaked if it was there before 7:30!"

"Alright! It's looking like he's gonna have a solid alibi for himself…!" Hiro cheered.

"H-Hold on! I remember this part p-perfectly!" Toko protested. A flashback of the body was then shown. "The body w-was wet! Dripping wet, in fact…"

The scene then went back to Makoto. "Sorry Toko, but you're wrong."

"I'm wrong? H-How?" The writer questioned. A scowl then entered her feature. "Are you saying o-only the mouth down south was wet? How dare you spew s-such indecent words?!"

"...The fuck?" Mondo, along with several other students, gave the writing prodigy weird looks. "Where the fuck you draw that fucked up conclusion?"

"Toko, just… no. Just no." Was all Sayaka could say, shaking her head.

The writing prodigy could only stay silent, curled up and cheeks burning for reasons different from the usual ones.

"No…" Makoto denied, giving Toko a weird and baffled look. "I'm saying that the body was wet, but not because of the sprinklers."

"What do you m-mean…?" A look of confusion entered Toko's face before her scowl returned. "By d-denying the sprinklers… are you trying to deny my e-entire existence?!"

"Man! You're totally wacko!" Was all Hiro could say to that.

"Seriously…" Leon found himself nodding along with future Hiro's words. "Like… every part of that sentence is wrong and messed up!"

"Where did she even come to such a conclusion…?!" Taka questioned, question marks practically floating across his head.

"You need help, Toko. Like, major help…" Hina told the writer, who could only remain curled up.

"If you r-really think it wasn't the sprinkler… y-you'd better tell us why!" Toko shouted in demand.

Makoto had an easy enough explanation. "Just remember what the body was like after the explosion and you'll see why it wasn't the sprinklers." He advised the survivors. "The top half of the body was wet, yes, but the bottom half was completely dry. If the sprinklers got the body wet, shouldn't the whole body have been wet?"

"S-So the only got the top wet? The bottom was c-completely dry?!" Toko whimpered. "What a brutal m-maniac!"

"I'm so sick of her…" Was all Hina could say to that.

"Agreed…" Was the unanimous statement from nearly half the class.

"Just… get the fuck out of whatever fantasy playing in your head…!" Mondo stated, shaking his head. "We don't want to hear any of that shit!"

"Like Hina said; we really should probably find you some mental help…" Sayaka sighed. They even have an Ultimate Therapist at Hope's Peak, don't they?

"Let's just… move on…" Makoto suggested awkwardly. "The reason only the top half was wet was because, while the body was still on fire, I doused it with water. But the only part on fire - the top half."

"O-Oh…" Toko said, calming down. "Then I guess the sprinklers r-really didn't do it…"

"She was there, wasn't she?" Leon asked with a raised eyebrow. "How did she not remember that…?"

"Actually… technically, she couldn't have noticed." Makoto spoke up in defense of the writer. "She was controlled by Genocide Jack, remember? And she got blown away after, so neither could have seen me douse the body with water…"

"Oh. Yeah. That makes sense." The baseball star nodded in acceptance to that.

That got Toko to lift up her head slightly, to give Makoto an embarrassed yet thankful look. The luckster smiled in reassurance in response.

"So if the sprinklers didn't get the body wet, then the murder must have taken place…" Makoto began concluding. "...sometime after the sprinklers turned on at 7:30 in the morning!"

"Which means she must have been killed sometime between then and when the body was discovered at 9." Hiro deduced.

"But Makoto's alibi was only missing from 10 o'clock last night to 7:30 this morning, right?" Hina recalled.

"So there's no way Makoto could have done it!" The fortune teller then realized. "I guess you had an alibi, after all. Good for you!"

"Woohoo…! Great job, Makoto!" Hina cheered, pumping her fist up. "You were able to prove that you couldn't have done it!"

"I knew you would be able to prove your innocence…" Sayaka stated, smiling at the lucky student. "You really did good there, Makoto."

Again, the luckster couldn't help but blush at the praise. However, he didn't let himself focus on his future self securing an alibi for too long… cause now…

"In which case, the only one left without an alibi… is Kyoko." Byakuya declared.

"..." And the girl in question was silent at that.

At that, any good cheer was wiped, the group now being confronted with the fact that Kyoko is the only suspect left. "This will likely be much tougher now…" Celeste stated, a fist over her chin.

"H-Hey! It's still pretty early in the trial, and Makoto was able to prove that he didn't do it…!" Hina said optimistically, in an attempt to not get incredibly nervous. "Maybe Kyoko got something up her sleeve!"

"With the girl having done a last minute investigation? Doubtful…" Byakuya snorted, no trace of humor in her tone. "Kyoko's good. But like all of us, she remains human."

Makoto cast a worried look towards the detective. "Kyoko…"

Any worry she may feel was perfectly hidden behind her stoic mask. "It's still fairly early in the trial…" Kyoko assured him. "And plenty of things to touch on. So I wouldn't worry too much yet."

Yet despite her words… the lucky student couldn't help but notice the tight grip she had on his hand. Something that did little to alleviate his own concerns.

'Kyoko's the only one without an alibi… which would mean that Mukuro's killer is…' The lucky student shook his head in denial, an anxious frown across his face. 'No, I refuse to believe it…! Kyoko murdered someone? That's…'

"...I'd just like to say one thing." Kyoko suddenly spoke up. "If you vote for me, and I die here, the mystery of this school will stay hidden forever. Which is why… I can't let that happen!"

Her statement caught several of the students by surprise. None of them were sure what they were expecting, be it the detective showing evidence against her guilt, or requesting time to look at the case more… but they didn't expect something this direct.

"...Does that mean she has something to prove her innocence?" Chihiro asked tentatively, a bit of hope in his face.

"If she did, I would assume she would reveal it at this point…" Mukuro debunked, a small frown across her face. "I don't think the first she would do is make a statement like that."

"I must agree. No… this seems like a statement against a trial she knows is rigged." Byakuya surmised. "But with little to prove otherwise."

The detective herself, beneath her stoic demeanor, was in turmoil. No matter how much she looked, she couldn't figure out a way that her future self could get out of this. The only thing she could do is protest this, to attempt to convince the others that this is actually a trap.

But could she do it? Is it possible to convince the other survivors that at this point? With so little evidence to actually point to that? In her heart… that small pit of fear found itself growing.

'Huh…?' Makoto had a look of surprise by that statement.

"So are you saying… you're not the culprit?" Byakuya inquired.

"Of course I'm not. I have no reason to kill anyone." Kyoko stated. "This is a trap the mastermind laid for us."

"A trap…?" Hina repeated in confusion.

"To say that so bluntly…" Sayaka bit her lip in trepidation. It really does look like she has little in the way of evidence.

"Perhaps… Perhaps she can convince the others of this!" Taka spoke optimistically. "Prove to them that this is indeed a trap!"

"It'll be a tough sell…" Leon remarked with a frown. Hina and Makoto, he could see listening; but Byakuya, Toko, and Hiro? They're probably already dead set on believing Kyoko's the killer.

That earned a laugh from Monokuma. "We're this far into the game, and now you decide to blame me?" The bear mocked. "Stop wasting time! Stop wasting energy! You really think your little trick is gonna work?!"

And of course, hearing the bear himself got several of the students scowling and glaring. "Says the fucker who made this fucking sham of a trial…!" Mondo growled hatefully.

"Get off your high horse, you cheating bastard!" Hina shouted angrily.

"A lying little hypocrite, is what they are…!" Sayaka hissed.

Makoto said nothing; merely aimed a dark, hateful glare at the monochrome bear. Honestly… he never thought he could feel so much anger, hate even, for one person; especially one he has yet to meet. But seeing what the mastermind would do to his friends, each low bar they would reach, how they even treated those loyal to him…

Honestly, it would be more of a surprise if he didn't end up detesting the one hiding behind the damn bear.

"Shut up, you!" Byakuya interjected sharply.

"You got it, boss! Shutting up now!" The bear accepted happily.

"Anyway…" The Togami heir sighed, calming down. "Kyoko, you actually did have a reason to kill her."

"Huh? She did?" Makoto spoke in surprise.

"She thought Mukuro was the Ultimate Despair. In other words, the mastermind behind everything…" Byakuya explained. "So she killed her to try and put a stop to this. Isn't that right, Kyoko? But you made one catastrophic mistake - Mukuro wasn't the mastermind at all. And as a result, we were forced into another trial, something I'm sure you weren't at all expecting."

"So th-that was her motive…?" Toko questioned, biting her thumb.

"If she had a motive, and no alibi, well then… I think it's pretty clear Kyoko's gotta be the culprit…" Hiro nodded to this.

"They're not listening…!" Hina cried out in frustration, pulling the sides of her hair. "Can't they just bother to hear the other side out for once?!"

"Byakuya… have your future self learned nothing from past events?" Taka spoke in admonishment. "Doesn't he remember the last time he nearly jumped to conclusions?"

"Of course he does…" The Togami heir sighed. "But he and the others lack information we have. The idea that the mastermind would cheat like this is beyond us at this point. And with the lack of trust Kyoko has developed with the other survivors… we will not be convinced easily that this is actually a trap laid out for us…"

"In other words… she got everything working against her…" Leon sighed in frustration, rubbing the side of his head.

"...Let's… Let's not give up yet…!" Makoto said, attempting to keep up confidence. "Like we said, it's still early in the trial! No doubt future me won't easily believe Kyoko has killed Mukuro! If they can put their heads together, then maybe-!"

"I'm not the only one without an alibi. Makoto's explanation is still insufficient."

…Huh?

Slowly, all sixteen pairs of eyes directed themselves towards the screen; with their brains being even slower to catch up to what they just heard.

"...Wha-?" Hina stared at the screen dumbfoundedly.

"Huh…?" Leon's jaw dropped in pure shock.

"Wha- What did she just…?" Sayaka stuttered in disbelief.

"..." Even Kyoko found herself visibly reacting to the words coming out of her own mouth, her eyes completely shot open.

"..." But the one most in shock was one Makoto Naegi, who could only stare blankly at the girl currently on screen.

They… They didn't hear that right, did they?

Notes:

And that's the end! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter; and the little cliffhanger at the end (Insert evil laugh). Like I said, hopefully the speed in which I'm writing currently keeps up. Next chapter, we're continuing the investigation; with the class finally coming to witness Kyoko Kirigiri's betrayal of Makoto Naegi. Leave comments, kudos, and bookmarks, and I will see you later.

Chapter 102: Watching Chapter 5: 100 Miles; Pain of a Junk Food Junkie Part 13

Notes:

Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So, a lot of excitement for this part of the trial. Excitement I can't blame anyone for. Will just have to do my best to meet that excitement. Here we go, with the continuation of the fifth trial and the class witnessing Kyoko's betrayal. I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

"..." For a moment, Kyoko was silent. Then… "I'm not the only one without an alibi. Makoto's explanation is still insufficient."

…Huh?

Slowly, all sixteen pairs of eyes directed themselves towards the screen; with their brains being even slower to catch up to what they just heard.

"...Wha-?" Hina stared at the screen dumbfoundedly.

"Huh…?" Leon's jaw dropped in pure shock.

"Wha- What did she just…?" Sayaka stuttered in disbelief.

"..." Even Kyoko found herself visibly reacting to the words coming out of her own mouth, her eyes completely shot open.

"..." But the one most in shock was one Makoto Naegi, who could only stare numbly at the girl currently on screen.

They… They didn't hear that right, did they?

"Huh…?" Makoto's eyes widened at Kyoko's words.

"The sprinklers didn't get the body wet, but that doesn't mean the murder happened when he said it did." Kyoko stated.

"Wh-What are you-?!" Makoto stuttered.

"Because you see, there is a way the body could have avoided getting wet." Kyoko continued, unperturbed.

"...Interesting. I'm listening." Byakuya said with genuine interest.

No. No, they are hearing correctly. "What is- Why- What is Kyoko saying…?!" Hina stuttered out incredulously.

"Is… Is she trying to imply Makoto did it?!" Chihiro questioned, eyes the size of dinner plates.

"H-Hold on… perhaps… perhaps she's attempting to solve aspects of the case!" Taka hastily rationalized. "Point out that she couldn't have done it!"

"No. She's clearly trying to remove Makoto's alibi, and implicate him as the killer." Byakuya stated clearly, eyes narrowed into a glare. "There's no mistaking that."

Sayaka's look of disbelief slowly shifted into one of pure, adulterated fury. Mukuro was the same, a more murderous look already across her own face.

And Junko? Junko's interest peaked. 'Now what's this~?' A wide, cheshire grin entered the fashionista's lips at the sight of the amnesiac detective turning against the lucky student.

"All it would take is covering the body with the tarp to keep it from getting wet." Kyoko explained. "In fact, that's exactly what the killer did. The dirt pattern on the tarp can attest to that. Only one side of the tarp got dirty, because that's the side that got covered in water. The side that faced down over the body, meanwhile, kept perfectly clean. This proves that the killer used the tarp to keep the body from getting soaked."

"But why would they go to all that effort just to keep the body from getting wet?" Byakuya inquired.

"Most likely so they could cloud the issue of when the murder actually took place." Kyoko surmised. "In other words, to create an excuse exactly like the one Makoto just gave us…"

"..." The lucky student in question could only stare at the lavender-haired girl in shock.

"What the fuck, Kyoko…?!" Leon exclaimed, looking as incredulous as everyone else. "What's with the dirty move to point the finger?!"

"...Is… Is she doing this to save her own skin?" Sayaka hissed darkly, her face practically darkening. "Is she trying to throw Makoto under the bus, just so she doesn't get executed?!"

"..." Slowly, Makoto turned his head towards the present detective beside him, the shocked look still across his face. "K-Kyoko…?"

"..." Said detective found herself keeping her eyes away from the luckster; along with anyone else. Her features were schooled once more, very little betraying what she's feeling or thinking right now.

'Why would Kyoko say that…?' Was the question pressing onto Makoto's mind. 'Why would she want to make me look like the killer?'

'...No, I can't think about that right now.' The luckster shook himself out of his stunned state. 'That tarp… if it was used the way Kyoko said, the tarp must have touched the body, right? But the body…'

"Wait… something's not right." He then said aloud.

"And what might that be?" Kyoko questioned in response.

'I can't worry about Kyoko's motivations.' Makoto conceded to himself, a conflicted gaze aimed towards the girl. 'If I don't do something, everyone's gonna think I'm the killer! I have to refute what Kyoko said…!'

"Are the two of them actually fighting each other now?!" Hiro cried out incredulously. "After seeing them work together all this time…?!"

"It's more like Makoto is forced to defend himself against an unprovoked attack…" Mukuro growled, murder intent practically laced into each and every word.

During all this, Celeste was silent. But the narrowing of her eyes, as well as the grip on her skirt, gave a small hint as to her mood for all this.

"...Kyoko… why?!" Hina turned towards Kyoko with a confused, betrayed look. "You know Makoto didn't do it! It's a trap from the mastermind, you said it yourself! So why would your future self try to accuse him as the culprit?!"

"..." Kyoko continued to remain silent. She knew why. It was obvious to many why her future self is doing what she's doing. But she couldn't bring herself to openly say it.

"What's strange is that the underside of the tarp… it was totally spotless, right?" Makoto pointed out.

"Cuz that side was protected from water, wasn't it?" Hiro reasoned. "Since it was facing down toward the body, of course it didn't get dirty."

"But… the blood wasn't dry before the body got blown up, right?" The luckster then argued. "Byakuya said it himself - not to touch it or you might get some on you. If you put a tarp on a body in that state, it absolutely would have gotten blood on it."

"Well… maybe the culprit washed it, so nobody would know they'd use it." Hiro suggested.

"If they had, they would've washed both sides." Byakuya countered. "Just washing the one side wouldn't hide anything."

"Oh… yeah, true." The fortune teller admitted.

"More than that, what if the very blood we saw on the body was meant as a kind of camouflage?" Kyoko suggested.

'Huh…?' Makoto thought in surprise. 'The blood was… camouflage?'

"What if, after the killer used the tarp to avoid the sprinklers… they then covered the body in blood that didn't belong to the victim?" The lavender-haired girl continued her theory.

'I wonder… what's with the extra work the mastermind put in the crime scene?' Byakuya mused, putting aside Kyoko's sudden betrayal at the side for now. 'To frame Kyoko, simply the blow to the head, hiding evidence of that in the dojo, and putting the locker key in her room would do. Were they hoping to completely corner Kyoko through this?'

If so, it was nothing Kyoko couldn't see through. Maybe they had hoped Kyoko wouldn't have been able to have time to investigate… or thought that the detective would focus on trying to convince everyone of the trap. Not pin the crime on Makoto.

"Y-You mean… someone else's b-blood? Where would they get something l-like that?" Toko asked nervously.

"I know! They coulda grabbed some of the blood packs from the nurse's office!" Hiro suggested eagerly. "That's what Hifumi did, right? When he pretended to be dead?"

"No, that's not what happened this time." Kyoko refuted. "The killer got the blood from right there in the garden."

Makoto answered hesitantly. "Are you talking about… chicken blood?"

"What?! Chicken blood?!" Hina exclaimed in shock.

"W-Wait… does that mean the mastermind k-killed a chicken?" Chihiro stuttered out, looking ill. "Just for camouflage?"

"For real?! That's messed up!" Hiro cried out with some disgust.

"But it's a clever way to disguise the time of death, without resorting to running to the first floor and not risk getting spotted." Byakuya remarked. "What I'm wondering is what reason the mastermind would have to do this, if they simply wanted to frame Kyoko."

"Perhaps it's to further corner Kyoko, Byakuya dear?" Celeste suggested.

"I thought so too. But as we can see, while it's clever, it's nothing Kyoko couldn't see through."

A flashback of the chicken coop before the investigation was then shown. "When I checked the chicken before the murder, there were five chickens." The lucky student explained, before a flashback of the coop during the investigation was shown next. "But after the murder, there were only four…"

"Dude, why are you helping with the mystery?!" Leon asked Makoto incredulously. "You do remember that Kyoko is trying to corner you, right?"

Leon's questioning snapped the lucky student out of his stun state, with him stumbling in his answer. "I-I… Future me doesn't know the full story himself. Besides, Kyoko pretty much already figured it out." He explained, best he could. "I'm just… I'm just connecting the dots myself."

"Makoto…?" Sayaka's angry gaze shifted to one of worry, seeing the state her luckster was in.

But said luckster didn't acknowledge the worried look and call of his name; too rattled by the sudden turn of future Kyoko. The detective herself had to hold back a wince, seeing the state Makoto was in.

"S-So you're saying… someone killed a chicken and then covered the body with its blood?!" Hiro exclaimed with disgust. "Man, that's messed up!"

"Killing a living thing just to do something like that is awful! They should have at least eaten it!" Hina said angrily.

Normally, Hina would readily and verbally agree with her future self. But the current main events of the trial kept her silent, confusion and disbelief rattling her heart.

"I wonder if the killer had to get the blood from the scene so they wouldn't be spotted walking around…" Kyoko mused, mainly to herself. "Anyway, there's no denying that a chicken went missing, which provides a basis for my theory."

"Perhaps, but even so… there's one thing that still doesn't make sense." Byakuya pointed out. "You said the culprit used the tarp to avoid the water, and then covered the body in blood, right? But if that's the case, then the blood should have soaked into the ground around the body."

A flashback of the body was then shown. "But that's not what we saw. Only the victim's clothing had blood on it. The ground was completely clean."

"I have to agree, that certainly is strange…" Kyoko conceded. "Maybe they didn't apply the blood on the scene. Maybe they covered the coat in blood beforehand."

"They covered it… beforehand?" Makoto repeated with slight confusion.

"When you discovered the body, was it wearing the coat like you normally would?" Kyoko inquired.

"Um… I think you…" The lucky student said in musing. "Wait, no… the head was through the neck hole, but the arms weren't in the sleeves."

"Hmm… it seems that you're correct in that this is something Kyoko couldn't see through…" Celeste said to the Togami heir, as a means to distract her from her anger. "Which makes me wonder what the point of doing that is."

"...Perhaps it's another form of camouflage." Sakura suggested, getting some attention from the others. "Rather than trying to disguise the time of death, in reality, they were really trying to hide the state of the body."

Byakuya hummed at the idea. "That has some merit to it…" He accepted. "After all, Mukuro's corpse had definitely lost plenty of blood during her death. They would still be disguising the time of death; but not in the way our future selves are thinking."

And he had to admit, if they're line of thought falls correctly, then this was a very cunning plan indeed. And to have made it in the short amount of time that they had… was another display of how intelligent the mastermind truly is. How dangerous they could be.

"...Does that matter? Does any of that matter right now?!" Sayaka stated, close to shouting in anger and frustration. "We're watching Kyoko use that camouflage to frame Makoto! Implicating him just so she doesn't get executed!"

"...We are very much aware of what's happening, Sayaka dear." Celeste assured her, a dark edge in the gambler's tone. "Trust me… I have not forgotten what Kyoko is attempting to do."

"But it's still important to analyze the mastermind's thought process." Byakuya added in, looking more composed. "This is an enemy we have to face in the future. It's best to figure out, not only how powerful they are or will be; but how they tick. Their intelligence and cunning."

"Then that settles it." Kyoko declared.

"...Sorry, I'm having a hard time keeping up." Hina admitted to. "What settles what…?"

"Here's what happened - the murder took place before the sprinklers went off." Kyoko explained. "But the body didn't get wet, because the killer covered it with the tarp. Then, later, at the same time the killer was gathering up the tarp… they pulled the coat over the body. The coat they'd already covered in blood. This series of cover-ups was meant to disguise the actual time the murder occurred. They wanted us to think the murder happened sometime after the sprinklers had gone off, at 7:30."

"..." Makoto was silent, giving Kyoko a conflicted look.

"Is… Is Kyoko really gonna frame Makoto for this?" Hina questioned, looking very conflicted. "Make it look like he did all that to make an alibi for himself?"

"You heard what she said at the start…" Mukuro said darkly, her murderous gaze not fading at the slightest. "She made a very clear implication that he was the killer."

"..." Like his future counterpart, the lucky student was just as quiet. Conflict and hurt edging across his face. 'Would she… would you really do that Kyoko, when pushed to a corner?' He asked himself. 'Are you really trying to sacrifice my life for yours?'

But then… would he have done the same in her shoes? Point the finger despite knowing that the person he's targeting isn't the killer? That something else is wrong with the trial? Immediately, the thought was no… but he wasn't the one being targeted by the mastermind, was he?

"If that's actually what took place, it certainly becomes possible that the murder happened earlier…" Byakuya accepted.

"But… to pull all that off… wouldn't they have had to go back to the garden after the sprinklers turned off?" Hina pointed out.

"That actually wouldn't have been all that difficult." Kyoko said assuredly.

"Huh…?" Was Makoto's confused response.

"They already had the coat already. So they just had to grab the tarp and pull the coat over the body." The lavender-haired girl explained. "They'd be done in no time."

"Maybe, but still…" Makoto spoke up in slight protest.

"Hina. After you met up with Makoto in the dining hall, did you two stay together from that point on?" Kyoko inquired.

"Oh, no." Hina shook her head. "I headed off to the gym, and Makoto didn't show up till later."

"Then he had plenty of time to spare, wouldn't you say?"

Despite knowing what she was doing, hearing her implied Makoto's supposed guilt already… it was a shock to several students' systems to hear such blatant accusations. Eyes were wide, jaws were dropped, confusion was clear across many different faces… as well as furious and murderous ones.

"Th-That's not-!" Makoto protested.

But Kyoko cut him off. "Don't bother saying it's not possible."

"Ng…!" The luckster could only let out a strangled noise of shock at this point.

"I… I didn't think Kyoko would do something this under-handed…" Junko said with a convincing amount of shock. "I mean, what the hell, girl?"

"This is… I can't…" Hina found herself unable to finish any proper sentence, shock, as well as betrayal and anger for the lucky student she cares for, lodging her throat considerably.

"Kyoko… what was it you said to me before…?" Sayaka spoke rather softly, looking at the detective with an eye-closed smile. However, anyone with a working pair of eyes can see the absolute dark aura of rage that was emitting through that smile. "Something about not tolerating betraying someone's trust? Especially if it's someone like Makoto too?"

"Oh?" Celeste turned towards the idol and the detective with clear interest, a similar yet smaller smile across her own face. While the fury wasn't as potent as Sayaka's, it was close and considerable. "She has said something like that, has she?"

"..." Again, Kyoko remained silent. Unable to say… anything. No defense for her future actions. No explanation. Nothing that would appease her shocked, confused, and enraged classmates (If there were any such words to begin with).

She was not immune to the shock of what her future self has done. Like the others, it took completely out of left field. But there was no confusion, as she knew well that this was to save her own life. To ensure she lives, so that she can continue to solve the mysteries of the school.

But… was this really the low she really would take if cornered like that? Implicate an innocent boy, someone who's been on her side almost since the start, just so the others wouldn't immediately vote for her? Did… she feel that the mastermind would solely focus on getting rid of her?

"K-Kyo-... Kyoko…" The detective found herself unable to hold back a wince this time, at the call of her name beside her. But, cowardly it may be, she didn't dare look at the source. She honestly doesn't know if her heart can handle it.

Fortunately, the lucky student wasn't staring at her directly. The look of pure hurt and betrayal was aimed purely at the screen. Tears were even stinging in the corner of his eyes. 'I… I can't believe it…' He thought to himself. 'I can't believe Kyoko would do something like that. Just… why? Why entrap me like this?'

He couldn't believe that it was to save her own life. That idea, even if he understood it, was something he was just unable to swallow. To throw someone else in the fire just so you don't get burned… was that something Kyoko truly capable of?

"I wouldn't let you get framed for something you didn't do, Makoto. No matter the situation." Her words from the first trial played in his mind like a taunt.

"I must admit, Kyoko's reasoning is sound." Byakuya conceded with a sigh. "Makoto's alibi is… inadequate."

"And there back to square-fucking-one…!" Mondo growled. Like the others, he was shocked at what Kyoko had done. But that shock quickly shifted to his ever-present anger. "Fan-fucking-tastic!"

"Nothing about this situation is good…" Taka stated, his fists clenched tightly. "But to betray an ally, a friend, like that… that's completely unacceptable!"

"This damn trial is just getting more and more complicated…" Leon grumbled under his breath.

"..." Makoto fell silent to this. 'And the suspicion falls back on me again…'

'But why? Why is Kyoko trying to entrap me?' He looked towards the ever-composed girl, who had her eyes turned away from him. 'I don't understand…'

It took all of Mukuro's will-power not to go and gut Kyoko with her knife. She used him as bait, acted like a petulant child when he refused to say anything about Sakura, dragged him around with little to no explanation… and now she does this? Point the finger at him just so the heat would be off her?

"I… I don't get it either…" Chihiro admitted, tears forming around the corners of his eyes. "I mean, I heard why, but… Kyoko, would you really do this? Sacrifice Makoto, any of us, just so you don't die?"

"...I don't think my future self is trying to sacrifice him." Kyoko finally spoke. "She may just be directing the fingers away from her, so that there's more time to figure out the true mystery."

The justification sounded weak, even out of her own mouth. But there was little else she could say.

And of course, none were happy with that explanation. "You purposefully worded it as though Makoto was the one who set things up for that alibi!" Sayaka retorted with a dark hiss. "Purposefully directed the suspicion onto him! And even if what you said is in any way remotely the truth, that still puts Makoto in the firing line!"

"And using him as a human shield…" Mukuro added just as darkly.

None of those things Kyoko could deny. So she could only go back to being silent, her eyes remaining away from everyone else.

"...Let us just continue. Keep our focus on the trial itself." Sakura advised, a rather stony look across her face. "It's far from over. So let's see what the outcome will be, before casting any judgment."

Some like Sayaka and Mukuro looked as though they didn't want to let this go. But, knowing that the martial artist's right about the trial not being done yet, they held back their fury and focused on the screen.

"Well then, it looks like we're back to square one." Byakuya sighed. "Makoto's alibi is no good, so once again our suspects are him and Kyoko."

"For serious, man… which one of 'em did it?" Hiro grumbled, before brightening up. "Hey, why don't we let luck decide? Let's flip a coin! Fifty-fifty odds!"

"...Goddamn stupid." Leon and Mondo deadpanned together, facepalming. They were joined by a few others.

"Eh, knowing what we know, it would probably work either way…" Junko remarked with a shrug.

"Oh-!" Hina gasped in remembrance.

"See? Pretty good idea, right?" Hiro bragged, grinning.

"No, not that!" Hina refuted, shaking her head. "I just remembered something super serious!"

"Well, don't just stand there. Out with it." Byakuya demanded.

"You know that knife we found all black and burnt?" Hina mentioned.

"...Shit!" Leon's curse pretty much summarized the group's feelings on this.

"Fuck!" Mondo followed right after in empathize.

"Aaaaand this'll cement the suspicion on Mr. Naegi…" Hifumi remarked nervously, biting his nails.

"The one we found stuck in the body before it exploded, right?" Hiro recalled. "According to the Monokuma File, the knife went all the way through, from front to back. So? What about it?"

"I'm pretty sure I'd seen that knife somewhere before…" The swimmer explained. "That's what I thought when I first saw it. I just remembered!"

A flashback of the group handing the knife to Makoto was then played, before shifting back to the trial room. "I-It's… the knife we g-gave to Makoto?!" Toko gasped in shock.

Celeste sighed. "We should've known that the group would figure that out at some point…" She stated, a frown across her face. "But with the implication Kyoko has made, this'll make it much worse."

"Not to mention keeping the realization about the knife to himself…" Junko pointed out, a finger aimed at the screen.

"..." The lucky student in question was quiet at this.

Byakuya noticed the lack of reaction. "You don't seem surprised. You must have noticed earlier…" He pointed out.

"Y-Yeah…" Makoto hesitantly confirmed.

"Then why did you hide that fact?" The Togami heir then questioned.

Grimaces and gritted teeth were shared as they witnessed that little scene. "This… definitely doesn't high-light any innocence on Makoto's part…" Taka reluctantly agreed.

"Like I said, I don't blame him for not mentioning… anything, about the attack." Leon sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Still…"

"You d-don't hide that type of s-stuff if you're innocent." Toko spoke, biting her thumb.

Makoto himself barely had any reaction to this; his head still swimming from the accusation Kyoko made towards his future self. He could only look on silently for the time being as he visibly wrestled with his emotions.

"It's not that I hid it." Makoto denied. "It's just…"

A flashback of last night's attack was then played. 'I couldn't be sure of what actually happened last night.' He thought to himself. 'I thought maybe… I really did kill her…'

The scene went back to the trial, with Hiro speaking up. "Suspicious… very suspicious indeed!" He remarked. "The knife we found stuck in the body came from Makoto! Now I'm totally convinced he did it! Twelve thousand percent convinced!"

The fury Sayaka had shown before quelled into feelings of frustration, a scowl and gritted teeth aimed at the floor. Why? Why him? Why does he have to be suspected of murder, again? Why does he have to be targeted? Why is being betrayed for the second time?

Her look of frustration then shifted into one of worry as she gazed at her favorite fan. It was clear he was still out of it from the accusation from future Kyoko. So in hopes of giving him some comfort, she wrapped her arms around his sides and snuggled into his shoulder. When Makoto turned towards her in response, she gave him the best comforting look she could.

Thankfully, that was able to snap him out of his daze, his body relaxing some and a blush adorning his cheeks. Still, it was clear his mind wasn't completely out of the entrapment Kyoko pulled.

The lucky student shook out of his nervous state, taking a more determined look. 'Considering everything up till now, I should be able to make it clear…' Makoto thought to himself. 'I have to prove that I didn't murder anyone! I'm NOT the killer!'

'He… He's really coming into his own in these trials, is he?' Was Kyoko's proud, yet melancholic thought. She was glad to see Makoto showing off more and more of his intelligence, something that she took note of about him.

Yet it's only because she herself pushed him into a corner, in order to get out of her own corner, that has to do this. He had to defend himself, just because the mastermind was targeting her, and she dragged him into the mess. She wondered… could this have been avoided? Could she have gotten out of this without implicating Makoto as the killer? Or was this the only way to avoid dying?

Kyoko clenched her fists. The thought of sacrificing Makoto, risking his life like that to spare her own… it sickened her. Made her stomach clench in ways that it hasn't for a long time. Was this due to the bond she shared with her luckster, along with her fellow classmates? How different was she during the beginning of the school year?

Those were gonna be thoughts that'll eat her up later on, she could tell.

The non-stop debate started up once again, with Hina speaking first. "The knife we found lodged in the dead body…" She spoke.

"I-It's the same one we g-gave to Makoto!" Toko finished with her usual stutter.

"It really is, isn't it?" Hina sighed sadly. "I was afraid of that…"

"If he did have that knife before, then… that seals it! Makoto did it!" Hiro declared confidently.

"Just because I had the knife once… that automatically makes me the killer?" Makoto questioned back in response.

"Well, getting stabbed is what killed her, right?"

'No, that's wrong!' The bullet was shot as Makoto spoke to refute that. "Wait, hold on. The stab isn't what killed her. That should be clear from the description of the cover-up we just heard!"

"Lies!" Was Hiro's loud protest. "We never talked about what killed her!"

"No, don't you remember?" Makoto insisted. "The killer covered the dead body with the tarp, and then put the bloody coat on it, right? In other words, the victim never wore that bloodstain until after they were dead."

"So yet another part of the camouflage…" Celeste noted. "Or is it part of the attempt to frame Kyoko, rather?"

"Likely the latter. After all, if we assume that Mukuro was killed by one of the survivors, why else would the knife be used like this other than to frame Makoto?" Byakuya answered. "And the only one who would want to frame is the only one without an alibi. Kyoko."

"Man, this back-and-forth is so tense…!" Hiro groaned, grabbing the sides of his head. No one could disagree with him there.

"Okay, fine!" Hiro groaned in frustration. "So what?!"

"So, when we discovered the body… the knife had been thrust through the coat along with the body." The luckster reminded them. "Meaning, if she wasn't stabbed until the coat was put on, and she was already dead at that point… obviously the stab wound isn't what killed her!"

"So the blood-stained coat, along with the knife through my body, will be turned back towards Kyoko now…" Mukuro observed with a neutral tone.

"I have to admit, the mastermind is indeed cunning with their deceit…" Byakuya stated openly. "They not only concealed the state of the body, but also made it look as though Kyoko was attempting to frame Makoto for the crime."

"And since Kyoko has indeed pointed fingers at Makoto…" Celeste added, still in clear disapproval over that action.

"It'll only cement that idea in the survivors' heads." Sakura finished solemnly.

'Kyoko…' Makoto looked at the detective worriedly. Despite whatever shock or confusion he felt, whatever betrayal he felt, he still doesn't want Kyoko to be voted for and executed. Still remembers that this trial is a fake created by the mastermind.

"M-Maybe you stabbed her twice! Once to kill her, and once to cover it up!" Hiro argued.

"Hiiiroooo…" Slowly, Sayaka turned towards the fortune teller with her dark smile back in place. "Is there a reason you're so adamant about Makoto being the killer?"

"...I-I'm an idiot?" Was all Hiro could whimpered, pale and shivering at the furious stare aimed at him.

"Just as long as you understand that…" Nodding in satisfaction, went back to snuggling the lucky student. Some couldn't help but sweat-drop at that little interaction, including the student currently being snuggled.

But Makoto shook his head. "The Monokuma File clearly states that there was only one stab wound."

"Oh yeah, it sure did!" The fortune teller realized in remembrance. "I totally forgot about that!"

"You really are a fool…" Celeste remarked with an eye-roll.

"A forgetful fool at that…" Byakuya added with his own eye-roll.

The fortune teller could only hang his head in shame. "Some friends I got…" He muttered to himself.

"Then the knife…" Hina spoke in realization.

"..was just another piece of camouflage set up by the true killer." Makoto finished for her.

A flashback of the body was shown yet again, along with the explosion after. "They probably stabbed her to draw attention away from what actually killed her." The lucky student theorized. "Exploding the body afterward was probably meant to do the same thing. The explosion severely damaged the body, making it impossible to know what really killed her. It was all the killer's attempt to destroy all evidence of their crime!"

"So they wanted us to notice the stab wound, and then detonated the body afterward…" Byakuya summarized. "They meant for us to latch onto the knife as the cause of death, then destroy any evidence proving otherwise."

"Oh, hey, I have a question! It kinda goes back to the beginning, but…" Hina spoke up. "What's the deal with that explosion, anyway? Why'd the body just blow up all of a sudden like that?"

"If you bothered to put that lump of gray matter between your ears to use, you'd know the answer…" Byakuya snarked.

"Hey…!" Hina protested with an angry pout. "How am I supposed to immediately know that it was that Monokuma bomb, or whatever?"

"As my future self said, use that clump of brain cells to figure it out."

"I- you- agh!" The swimmer cried out in frustration, close to pulling hairs.

"Well if you're so smart, just tell me!" Hina sniped back.

"I'll tell ya!" Hiro spoke eagerly. "I bet some unknown quantum particle caused an atomic-level spontaneous combustion!"

"..."

"..."

"...Hiro…" Taka couldn't help but turn towards the fortune teller, a dumbfounded look across his face. "Do you… be honest, do you actually hear the things you say? Do you?"

"What?" As clueless as ever, Hiro turned towards his classmate in his confusion. "What did future me say wrong this time? It's a perfectly valid idea, isn't it?"

"The answer is no. No, he does not." Celeste deadpanned. Or he does, but whatever brain cells he has can't process the utter stupidity.

"I might be dumb, but even I'm not dumb enough to believe that!" Was Hina's response to that suggestion.

"I like to believe most people in the world aren't dumb enough to believe something like that…" Sayaka sighed from Makoto's shoulder. "Much less think it up as a possible reality."

"And don't berate yourself like that, Hina." Sakura admonished her friend, shaking her head. "You aren't dumb. We're merely among much more intelligent classmates."

"Hehe. Thanks, Sakura…" Hina told her friend gratefully, rubbing the back of her head. But even so, she's self-aware of her own intelligence; and to say that she's far from the likes of Celeste, Kyoko, and even Makoto would be an understatement.

"Go ahead, Makoto." Byakuya urged the lucky student. "Tell her, or we won't make any headway on this."

That got Hina to blow a raspberry at the Togami heir. "What? Can't explain it yourself?"

"Can't be bothered to…" Byakuya corrected with an eye-roll, unperturbed. "I don't need to waste my breath on the obvious."

"Yeah, sure. I toooootally believe you…" The swimmer responded back, clearly unbelieving.

"After the explosion, we found a tiny fragment of something on the ground near the body, right?" Makoto began, showing a picture of said fragment. "That fragment reveals the cause of the explosion."

"Huh?" Hina perked up at the site of the piece of evidence. "You know, I feel like I've seen something like it somewhere before…"

"That's only natural. Because, of course…" A flashback of the group dismantling Monokuma was shown as Makoto spoke. "We saw the same thing when we dismantled Monokuma. It's part of a bomb."

The screen then went back to the trial, with Hina speaking. "Oh! Then the explosion was cuz of the Monokuma bomb!"

"Anyway, the culprit's motive is becoming more and more obvious by the minute." Byakuya back-tracked to the main topic at hand. "They wanted the knife wound to look like the fatal injury so that we'd suspect Makoto. And the only one who would benefit from that…"

The Togami heir turned his eyes towards the only other suspect. "...is the only other possible suspect. You, Kyoko."

"..." And yet again, the lavender-haired girl went silent.

"And they're back to suspecting Kyoko now…" Junko remarked with fake concern.

And of course, this raised back the tension and unease among the group. Whatever their feelings on what the future Kyoko did to deflect suspicion away from her, they all still remember that this trial is a sham. None of them wanted Kyoko to die for this sham.

"Hold on a second, Byakuya…" Makoto quickly spoke up.

"...What's the problem?" The Togami heir inquired.

"Well, I just feel like… we need to think this through." The lucky student stated. "We still don't know what actually killed the victim."

"...Dude, are you… are you actually trying to cover for Kyoko there?" Leon asked dubiously, turning towards his friend with a raised eyebrow. "Even after the bull she pulled?"

"...I can't say I know what my future is thinking right now." Makoto admitted to. "It may, at least, be a part of it. He could also see something about this trial that's off. Strange. Or he just wants to get all the facts before anything is fully set in stone."

That got a hum from Sakura. "A wise thing to do. To get as many facts close before coming to a definitive close." She stated. "Still, it's impressive that you aren't letting yourself be pressured to corner Kyoko alongside the others."

Rather than responding with his usual bashfulness, the lucky student merely looked down in somberness. "Yeah…" Was all he could say, something that had several of the students looking at him in concern. Sayaka, in particular, was looking at him worryingly from where she was leaning on him.

Kyoko herself remained silent through it all. She honestly doesn't know what to think at the moment. What to expect. The hope was that their future selves could discover the oddities of the trial, figure out that this was fake… but it doesn't seem like it would be the case.

Right now, it just seems like a battle between her and Makoto. One instigated by herself.

"That's true! It's definitely bugging me." Hina agreed readily. "What really killed her…?"

"...Fine. I have no problem with that. Let us continue the debate." Byakuya shrugged. "It won't change the facts of the case, regardless."

"..." Again, Kyoko was silent through it all.

"It seems as though Byakuya's fully convinced that Kyoko did it…" Sakura observed.

"Not surprising. Ever since the start of this 'chapter', Byakuya made it clear that he held suspicion for her." Celeste reminded them all. "So of course he would suspect the girl that constantly disappears is the one who killed Mukuro, rather than the boy who has been open with everyone."

"That's the main advantage a lucky boy has, isn't it?" Junko commented idly. "He pretty much earned everyone's trust throughout the school life, or whatever. Kyoko didn't."

That was something the detective herself couldn't deny. Her future self's lack of trust in any of the others, which resulted in her doing things in secret, hasn't led to any credibility on her part. Is… this why she felt the need to implicate Makoto? Cause she knew that the others wouldn't listen to a thing she said? Or is it that she still doesn't trust everyone fully?

Suddenly, she felt a hand cover her glove-covered one, jolting her out of her thoughts. She turned to the source… to see that it was Makoto's hand. When had they let go? Was it during the point she pointed accusations towards him?

However, she found herself wincing when she took note of the somber, lost look across his face, and quickly turned away. He wasn't even looking directly at her… yet he still went to give some type of comfort.

For the first time in a while, if ever… she felt shame over what her path as a detective led her to become.

Notes:

And that's the end. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, along with the reactions to Kyoko's sudden turn. Tried to balance the class's reaction to Kyoko's implication, make it so that they don't overreact or underreact. Really want to save the overall reactions for when the verdict is reached, and the things that happen after the verdict. Next chapter, we'll likely be finishing up the trial; or at least got closer to finishing. Leave comments, kudos, and bookmarks, and I will see you later.

Chapter 103: Watching Chapter 5: 100 Miles; Pain of a Junk Food Junkie Part 14

Notes:

Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. Here, we're gonna be continuing the fifth trial, with the class witnessing future Makoto grapple with a certain piece of evidence he's aware of. I hope you enjoy.

P.S. Do any of you find modern entertainment lacking these days? For me personally, I find myself liking to write more than I do watching, reading, or playing many of the things recently made. It's to the point that I want to create my own original stuff, something I've mentioned in the past, along with sticking to older content for the most part.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

"First things first. According to the Monokuma File, there was evidence she was hit on the back of her head." Makoto laid out. "So she must've died because of the blow she suffered!"

"What about the wounds all over the rest of her body?" Hiro pointed out. "They didn't have anything to do with it?"

"The Monokuma File makes it clear that those weren't fresh wounds." The luckster countered.

"Oh yeah, good point. If they were old, I guess they don't really matter…" Hiro shrugged.

There were several grimaces at that clearly ironic statement. "If only they knew…" Leon muttered loudly.

"The fool is wrong once again. But for once, he cannot be blamed for getting it wrong…" Celeste sighed, mainly to herself.

"Okay, then we're safe in assuming the blow to the back of her is what killed her." Byakuya concluded.

"But then… what was the murder weapon?" Hina asked.

"The M-Monokuma File says she was hit with a b-blunt object, about as thick as a m-metal pipe…" Toko recalled.

"...Oh! I bet it was the pickaxe!" Hiro suggested.

"...And we're back to the fool just being a fool." Celeste deadpanned as several students facepalmed.

"What? The pickaxe is as thick as a metal pipe, isn't it?" Hiro argued slightly.

"But it ain't blunt, you fucking moron! One hit from that will cave your goddamn skull in!" Mondo groaned, one of several who facepalmed.

"Well… maybe they-"

"No one would flip a pickaxe and use the wooden end to attack someone Hiro." Sayaka deadpanned, already knowing what he's about to say. "Besides, the wooden end doesn't have the same density as a metal pipe."

"And you w-wouldn't be able to hit anyone with any s-sort of power. Not with t-the balance being o-off…" Toko added, with a flat look also across her face.

"...Okay. I'll shut up now." Hiro groaned, slumping in defeat.

"Good. He's learning." Junko nodded in mock approval. "Very, very slowly, but still learning."

"H-How is that even possible?!" Toko stuttered out in disbelief. "If you hit someone w-with that, it'd cave their s-skull in completely!"

"Well… maybe they held it the other way, and hit her with the handle!" Hiro then said insistently.

"No w-way. The balance would be all off. Y-You wouldn't be able to swing it with a-any kind of power…" The writing prodigy countered. She then gave him a rather dark grin. "I w-wouldn't mind testing on y-you if you want…!"

"N-No thanks." Hiro denied quickly. "I bet you'd just hit me with the metal end and call it an accident…"

"I wouldn't be surprised…"

"Me neither…"

"Even keeping in mind her phobia with blood…"

Makoto found himself sweat dropping at the muttering of his classmates. Was this a testament as to how much Toko despises Hiro, or the class' feeling on Hiro as a whole? He honestly couldn't tell.

"I'd love to s-scoop out that nasty brain of yours, throw it on the g-ground, and spit on it!" Toko continued further, far from denying that allegation.

But the fortune teller merely laughed it off. "Hahahaha! I feel the same way! Looks like we're on the same page this time!"

"Seriously…?" Hina sighed.

"...Is he talking about himself, or that he wants to do the same to her?" Taka questioned, question marks appearing over his head yet again. "I mean, I disapprove either way, but…"

"Just… don't think too much about it, and ignore it dude." Leon advised with a sigh. "Save yourself the headache…"

"...Very well." The moral compass conceded to.

"We want to figure out what killed her, right? It just so happens we already know." Byakuya declared.

"W-We already know?!" Toko gasped with clear admiration. "I knew we could count on you, M-Master!"

And of course, that got the usual eye-rolls. "Is there ever a point where she isn't kissing the fucking ground he walks on…?" Mondo sighed/growled.

"Not that I can remember…" Junko said dryly. "I'll let you know if that ever happens."

"Sh-Shut it! Master is p-perfect in every way!" Toko hissed at her classmate. "It's only n-natural that he gets praised!"

"Sure, Toko. Sure…" Sayaka sighed.

"So what is it?" Hiro inquired.

"Go ahead and tell them, Makoto." Byakuya urged the lucky student. "Surely you've deduced the real murder weapon?"

"..." Kyoko, again, remained silent to all of this.

'Kyoko… what are you thinking right now?' Makoto thought to himself pensively. What is going through her mind while this trial is going on? As the conclusion is being set that she's the killer? Nothing good, he suspects.

"Mukuro was hit in the back of the head with something, and that's what killed her." Makoto recited. "And that something was… the titanium arrows we found in the locker of the dojo."

"An arrow… that's what the culprit attacked Mukuro with?" Hiro said with surprise.

"Indeed, there's no doubt about it." Byakuya confirmed confidently.

"Are you sure?" Hina, however, questioned that. "That sounds… kinda weird."

"H-Hey! How dare you back-talk Master?!" Toko hissed at the swimmer. "You have n-no right…!"

"I'm not back-talking anyone! I'm just saying what I think!" Hina responded back defensively.

"Yeah! As if we should accept everything he says as gospel!"

"M-Master's never wrong! An idiot l-like you don't need to question him!"

That earned a fake cough of "Trial four…" from Leon, with him holding a fist over his mouth for emphasis. The writing prodigy ignored him.

The non-stop debate started once again, with Byakuya speaking. "The titanium arrow…" He began. "It was in the dojo locker, right? I have no doubt that was the murder weapon."

"Are you sure…?" Hina questioned once again.

"You don't sound convinced. What's the problem?" Hiro inquired in return.

"Well, cuz in the Monokuma File… it said the weapon must've been about as thick as a metal pipe, right?" Hina reminded them. "It seems like an arrow would just be too thin."

'No, that's wrong!' The bullet was shot as Makoto spoke up. "You're right. Just one arrow would've been too weak. That's why the killer used another weapon."

"Another weapon…?" Hina repeated in confusion.

"Inside the dojo-locker, we also found a balled-up wad of duct tape." Makoto revealed a brief flashback of the duct tape being shown. "The killer probably used the duct-tape to bind multiple arrows together. Bundling them together using the duct tape would easily create a single weapon as thick as a pipe. And that's exactly what the killer did!"

"It's similar to Aesop's fable about the bundle of sticks…" Toko began reciting. "One stick is weak, but put them together, and they become strong. It's meant to teach cooperation."

"I would go as far to say that it's exactly that…" Taka commented on it. "Only rather than wooden sticks, it's titanium arrows that are put together to become strong."

Toko, in a rare display of casualness, merely shrugged. "You're probably right. Still, the fable applies all the same."

"Damn, that's harsh…" Hiro remarked.

"How is it harsh? Were you even listening?" Toko deadpanned in annoyance.

Several agreed with the future Toko, judging by the weird or exasperated looks given to the present fortune teller. However, for their sanity's sake, none of them moved to touch the topic.

"Anyways, that explains the murder weapon." Byakuya interjected. "As for who the culprit is that stashed the weapon in the dojo locker…" Once again, his eyes were aimed at a certain lavender-haired girl. "It was you, Kyoko!"

"...I've never been to the dojo." Kyoko denied simply.

"...Is she saying that she never went to the dojo, period; or that she didn't go there at any point after investigating the first time?" Leon asked with some bemusement. "Cause one is a bold-faced lie there."

"I… am honestly not sure." Celeste hummed, looking up in thought for a moment. Then she shook her head. "Regardless, the semantics don't really matter at this point."

"Why's that…?" Hina asked curiously.

Sakura took to answering grimly. "Cause there's already 'proof' that she entered into the dojo…"

Yet again, the mood turned rather tense, seeing the discussion getting boomeranged back to the suspicion on Kyoko.

"Oh no, you absolutely have." Byakuya insisted.

"How can you say that with such confidence?" Hina asked.

"Because we have proof, of course." The Togami heir answered. "Don't we, Makoto?"

"O-Oh, um…" The lucky student in question stuttered for a moment. But then he fell silent.

"Even now, he's hesitant to accuse Kyoko in any capacity…" Sayaka murmured sadly, snuggling further into her luckster's shoulder.

"In normal circumstances, I would admonish him for hesitating on showing clear evidence of the crime…" Byakuya sighed. "But as we can all see, these aren't normal circumstances."

"Tell us about it…" Leon, Mondo, and Hina all muttered together.

"We all know at this point luck boy ain't someone that so easily turns on someone else…" Junko remarked with an eye-roll. "Even with Kyoko reflecting suspicion on him, that won't be enough for him to just immediately turn his back on her…"

No one disagreed with Junko's assessment. They are all aware, at this point, how deep Makoto's kindness and forgiveness is ingrained into his very core. Or at the very least, they're seeing how deep that core goes.

"Hm? What's the matter? Surely you don't intend to protect a murderer… " Byakuya inquired, immediately noting the hesitance. "You know what will happen if you do, don't you? If you cover for the culprit, there's only one thing that can lead to… the death of us all. Remember?"

"O-Of course I remember…!" Makoto assured him.

"Then show us!" The Togami heir demanded. "Show everyone the evidence that proves Kyoko went to the dojo!"

"..." Yet again, Kyoko was notably silent.

"Unfortunately, the consequences of voting incorrectly are continuing to hover over their heads…" Sakura said with a grimace, with a few others following along.

"All this shit is messed up…" Mondo growled, clenching his fist. "They're going through a trial where there's no actual, fucking culprit!"

"Or rather, the actual culprit is watching through their mechanical bear…" Celeste corrected slightly, her gaze neutral.

"It's not fair…" Chihiro said with a small whimper, curling up yet again. "Voting for someone to die… a trial where no else actually died… just…"

"Like Mondo said. All this shit is messed up…" Leon sighed angrily, his own fists clenched.

Reluctantly, Makoto spoke up. "The one thing that proves Kyoko was in the dojo is…" He then lifted up the dojo locker key. "...right here. The key to the dojo locker."

"And how does that prove anything?" Kyoko inquired back.

"Because… I found it in your room." The luckster student answered softly.

"It was… in my room?" Kyoko spoke with audible confusion.

"Don't bother trying to play dumb." Byakuya interjected coldly. "That key is just the final piece of the puzzle. Your non-existent alibi, your clear motive, your attempts to frame Makoto for the crime… this all proves that you are the true culprit. You can't explain this away, so just give up."

"...He forgot." Makoto spoke in realization. Something that got the attention of his classmates.

"Huh? What did he forget?" Hina asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"How d-dare you, Makoto? S-Sullying Master's memory!" Toko growled at the lucky student. "He would n-never-"

"No, he's right. I did forget." Byakuya deadpanned, also realizing. He took no mind of the eyes turning to him. "To think such an obvious fact would slip my mind…"

"What? What the hell did you forget?" Mondo growled in irritation.

"...I'm unable to access my room." Kyoko was the one to answer, after having been silent for a noticeable portion of time. "Byakuya took my future self's key. So as far as they should be aware, there's no possible way for me to put the locker key in my room."

That got several pairs of eyes lighting up. "Oh yeah! I completely forgot about that!" Hina gasped. "That would definitely prove that Kyoko didn't do it! Cause there's no way for her to get into her room!"

"...Normally, yes. But you are forgetting something else." Celeste began pointing out. "She holds access to a key that unlocks any door in the school. That would definitely dissolve such an alibi…"

"But survivors are unaware that she attained such a tool." Sakura countered. "The only one who knows this… is Makoto…"

Immediately, several were seeing where this is gonna lead to. That includes the lucky student himself, who became noticeably tense; something that Sayaka felt, and caused her to look at her crush with worry.

"...Hold on a second." Makoto interjected once again.

"Not this again." Byakuya sighed. "You really are dead-set on defending her, aren't you?"

"No… it's not that I want to defend her. It's just…" Makoto explained himself. "There's one more thing I need to ask her."

"..." That got Kyoko's attention on the luckster.

"Kyoko, I want you to tell me something." Makoto addressed the lavender-haired girl. "Last night… you were in my room, weren't you? Why? What were you doing there? That's what I need to know."

"..." For a moment, Kyoko remained silent. Then… "I was just… protecting you."

That took the lucky student by surprise. "What…?"

'You were protecting him… yet you were ready to throw him in the fire.' Sayaka thought angrily, squeezing Makoto's arm. 'I get that it's a different situation, that your life is on the line, I GET it, but…'

She absolutely couldn't approve of it. It doesn't change the fact that Kyoko threw away the bond and trust she created with Makoto, that she'd set up a potential fall for the one boy who had her back. All because she seemed unable to answer the distrust she earned with something else. Anything else.

'She was protecting me…?' Makoto repeated to himself. 'Then does that mean she…?'

The screen flash-backed to the last-night attack. 'She knew I was being attacked… and she came to my rescue. Could that be when…?!'

'I wonder… was it coincidence, or did she know somehow?' Mukuro wondered to herself, looking down. 'Was she suspicious of the mastermind pulling something like this? Or did she come across that assassination plan? Most…?'

The soldier clenched her fist tightly, close to making her knuckles go white. 'Was it truly to protect him? Or just to ensure she doesn't get framed for his murder?' It was hard to say; at least for her, who hardly knew even half her classmates.

The scene then went back to the trial room. 'Which would mean that Kyoko… she killed someone… for me…?'

"Wait. Is Makoto starting to think that Kyoko did it?" Hina asked, alarmed.

"Not surprising. However optimistic Makoto may be, there's a limit to such naivety." Celeste stated, maintaining a neutral tone. "He witnessed several murders throughout our future selves time in the school. He cannot deny the idea of anyone else murdering somebody, when the evidence presents itself."

"And circumstances are painting her as the culprit." Byakuya added with a frown. "The dojo locker key, the lack of alibi, and the setup of the murder is one thing… but her implication of Makoto's guilt, along with her appearance during that attack, paints a very ugly picture."

"..." Like her future counterpart has been doing, the detective went silent. Kept her warring emotions to herself, and continued to watch. Wait for the outcome. The verdict.

"That's enough." Byakuya cut in. "The time for idle chatter is over. A verdict is close at hand…"

"Wait." Kyoko then interjected herself. "I'm warning you, don't make this mistake. I'm not the killer."

"I know you were stubborn, but this is just getting ridiculous." The Togami heir scoffed.

"Really? But you should know better than anyone that I didn't do it." Kyoko claimed. "Can you tell me I'm wrong?"

Said claim took Byakuya by clear surprise. "I… should know?"

Despite the seriousness of it all, Leon couldn't help but snort. "You aren't gonna ever get used to getting put on the back-foot, are ya asshole?"

"Silence…" Was the response he got from the Togami heir, focusing squarely at the screen. That got a snicker from Leon, with Hina, Mondo, and Junko joining him in laughter.

'What…?' Her words also took Makoto by surprise. 'Byakuya should know better than anyone…? What does that mean?'

The non-stop debate started once again, with Byakuya continuing to speak. "Those words you just spoke… What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said. I'm not the killer." Kyoko answered firmly. "You should understand that more than anyone here."

"Byakuya, what are you hiding?!" Hiro questioned accusingly.

"Master would n-never hide something from me!" Toko protested.

"There's proof that you aren't the culprit…" Byakuya guessed.

'Now I remember!' The bullet was shot as Makoto spoke up. "If I'm right, Kyoko wouldn't have been able to get inside her room." He stated.

"Huh?" Hina looked at the lucky student in confusion. "Why not?"

"Because she had given her room key to Byakuya." Makoto answered.

"I see. So that's what you meant…" Was all the Togami heir himself could say. "And if I had the key in your room…"

"...then obviously I had no way of getting in." Kyoko finished for him. "Without my room key, I couldn't have possibly put the locker key in there myself. Am I wrong?"

"It… would appear not." Byakuya reluctantly conceded.

"Then you're finally starting to understand." Kyoko stated confidently.

"...Is Kyoko trying to lead them to the idea that the mastermind set it all up?" Chihiro asked nervously, eyebrows knitted together with worry and confusion. "That… none of them are the killer; that something is wrong with this trial?"

"It wouldn't be a surprise. She has stated beforehand that this was a trap of the masterminds." Sakura recalled in musing.

"And with this, this could hint to the fact that something is off with this trial…" Celeste hummed in thought. "After all, with Byakuya having the key, and him having a solid alibi alongside Hina, Hiro, and Toko, no one could've realistically got into Kyoko's room and placed the key in there. However…"

"...It all depends on whether or not Makoto reveals the key to everyone else." Byakuya stated grimly.

"..." Makoto, however, was silent. 'No… that's not actually true. There was a clear contradiction in what Kyoko just said. An obvious lie…'

Byakuya's words, along with Makoto's thoughts, thickened the tension in the air significantly. More and more students looked worried, with the even more stoic ones looking noticeably tense.

Kyoko herself was only visibly tense, the only hint to her thoughts and emotions to this trial. Makoto, of course, was the opposite and showed clear anxiousness over the possible results.

Cause they all knew, even instinctively, that if the key gets revealed to the others… then Kyoko is done for. There will be no other way to wiggle herself out of this.

'But this… This just isn't like her!' A confused and conflicted look entered the luckster's face. 'To try and save herself with such a desperate lie…'

He gazed at the lavender-haired girl, who kept her eyes away from him. 'Does she really feel that threatened? Because… she's the killer? Or is it something else…? Was there some deeper meaning hidden in what Kyoko said earlier?'

A flashback of Kyoko's words during the trial, about what would happen if she died here and it being a trap, was played before heading back to the present. 'The mastermind's trap…' Makoto contemplated. 'The mastermind is trying to… trap Kyoko?'

'But… What if that's not really true?' The luckster looked down, confliction clear across his face. 'What can I do? What… should I do? What should I…?'

"...What the hell is he gonna do here?" Leon managed to ask through the tension. He then turned to the lucky student himself. "Makoto, dude… do you have any idea what future you is gonna decide?"

"...I don't know." He truly doesn't. The lucky student would like to say that he knows himself fairly well. That he has a good grasp on what his own actions will be, future or not, memory or not.

But… this is a bizarre situation. One where their future selves don't know the full truth. Where his future self isn't as close with Kyoko as he is now. A situation where…

"He either has to stick to his ideals, believe that Kyoko isn't the killer and let that lie go… or pursue the truth, give the evidence that he does have, as has been encouraged since the start." Sakura unknowingly finished for him. "Two paths with no clear right answer."

"...Honestly? I wouldn't blame him." Mondo admitted, looking down. "If he exposed Kyoko like that… I can't say that I wouldn't see that coming."

"Mondo!" Hina looked at the biker in shock. "Did you forget that if he does that, then Kyoko will get executed?! That the others will vote for her and she gets framed as the killer?!"

"I haven't." Was Mondo's short grunt. "But we've already said it; they know next to shit. And Kyoko ain't exactly been acting innocent. So if Makoto decides to reveal that lie for what it is… then who the hell are we to blame him? Especially when Kyoko didn't hesitate to turn her back on him."

His words caught the room sent, pensive and conflicted looks as they pondered on the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader's words. If Makoto were to reveal Kyoko's lie, condemn her to death via execution… could he really be blamed? Especially with the situation placed on the six survivors? When over half the class have done much worse in this future they're watching?

The area around Makoto darkened as he grappled with this. 'The mastermind's… trap?'

'The victim was Mukuro…? And Kyoko killed her…?'

'For once, the monkey has a valid point.' Byakuya thought to himself, gazing at the scene stoically. 'If Makoto would pursue the lie, then it would be Kyoko's fault. The mastermind's manipulation notwithstanding.'

'Kyoko set herself up for this. Made herself a target, refusing to share anything with most of the class…' Celeste thought, keeping her usual composure. 'It's only due to Makoto's stubbornness that he managed to get her to share some of what she knew. She should've been prepared for consequences like this.'

'What does Kyoko really know…?'

'What am I… supposed to do?'

'Honestly… I wouldn't keep my mouth shut in his shoes.' Hiro admitted to himself. 'There's no way I could just believe someone just like that…!'

'Is it really wrong to distrust someone in this scenario?' Toko asked herself, staring intently at the screen. 'I mean, it may just be my paranoia here, but… there's nothing here that would say to trust Kyoko. Can… Can Makoto give that kind of trust? That blind trust?'

'This would be the climax for the main character. Whether to trust their mysterious ally to the fullest, or not.' Hifumi mused in observation. 'The obvious answer would be to trust them… but not all stories end with that trust happily. In other cases, it proves to be a disastrous and stupid choice. And while the answer is obvious to us…'

'Kyoko's lie…'

'I'm the only one… who knows it's a lie…'

'I'm the only one… who can expose it…'

'That kind of pressure…' Hina found herself biting her lips anxiously. 'I don't know if I could handle it. I mean, it's obvious that the right answer is to trust Kyoko! But they don't know that! Can… Can Makoto give his full trust to Kyoko again? Should he? I just… I don't know!'

'What would be the responsible choice? What should Makoto choose, based on what they know?' Taka wondered, eyebrows knitted tightly together. 'Would it be to believe in his allies, no matter what the evidence presents itself as? Or to pursue the truth that it's out there? Refuse to let this blatant lie go?'

'...I know it looks bad. That Kyoko did some dishonest things.' Chihiro whimpered silently, curling up. 'But… I want Makoto to trust her! Believe in her! Cause I know that belief will be rewarded! It has to! …Right?'

'...Makoto. How tough it has to be… to have that kind of pressure.' Sayaka's thoughts were full of sympathy for her luckster, with her snuggling into him as much as she could from her position. 'To make that kind of decision… and not really know what the right answer is…'

'But who… can I trust…?'

'What am I… supposed to do…?'

'...You're gonna reveal that lie to everyone.' Junko thought rather confidently to herself, eyes narrowed. 'No way that you plan on keeping it yourself… after getting stabbed in the back by Kyoko… lucky boy can't be that naive, right…?'

'...What are you going to do, Makoto?' Mukuro found herself wondering, staring at her growing crush. 'Will be true to yourself? Stay quiet, and believe in someone who may not have earned it? Or will you choose the more obvious course? Pursue the truth out in the open and reveal that lie?'

'The mastermind's… trap…'

A flashback of Kyoko's words in the bathhouse played out, of how you can't always be trying to avoid danger, before going back to the present. 'What do I do…?!' He shouted in his mind, eyes closed shut in distress.

'...I haven't done anything to deserve your trust.' Was Kyoko's quiet admittance to herself. She clasped her hands together as thought about her deeds. 'I refused to reveal anything for much of the time. Led you to get ambushed by the mastermind. Continue to keep cards to myself, only letting you know certain things. So if you decide to pursue the lie… my future self may see it as affirmation that she couldn't trust anyone. But how different would things be if I had tried to show even a bit more trust to everyone?'

'...It's tough, I know. I can't imagine being in that place, future me. I don't want to ever be in that place.' Makoto mentally spoke to his future self, sounding just as distressed. 'However… even if you didn't know her for as long as I did… even if you don't have the knowledge that we do… you know in your heart that she's not the killer!'

Kyoko, regardless of what her future self has done, is still one of his closest friends. Someone he can say that he can rely on for anything. Who he managed to get close with, despite all odds. He doesn't want to get her executed as a false blackened!

'...I've made my decision.'

If there were students that weren't tense before, they definitely stiffened up now. What has the future Makoto decided? Will he pursue the truth to the fullest, and refuse to let Kyoko get away with that lie? Or will he…?

'I have to believe in Kyoko.' When the lucky student opened his eyes, they glinted with clear determination. 'There's no way she would kill someone!'

"...Son of a bitch." Was all Mondo could really say to that mental declaration. A short, almost light laugh left his mouth as he and the others processed that declaration of belief.

I honestly don't know if this should be a shock or not, really, I don't…" Leon shook his head, a grin forming on his lips. "But damn. I didn't think he would keep quiet!"

"Even after all that, even with Kyoko accusing you of being the killer…" Hiro spoke in clear surprise. "You're still willing to give her the benefit of the doubt like that?"

"More than that, Hiro. He's keeping quiet for her. Refusing to reveal evidence that would condemn her death." Taka stated, conflicted pride in his tone. "A move that… I'm honestly having a difficult time figuring if it's admirable or not."

Suffice to say, the future lucky student's decision caught the group off guard in ways they didn't really expect. They all knew his nature, his optimism and hope, the belief he has in everyone's better nature. Yet still…

"His foolish optimism… it never ceases to amaze me." Byakuya's statement echoed many of the thoughts here. Yet despite his words, a smirk was across the Togami heir's face. Sakura and Celeste found themselves joining him in smiling, the former's more proud while the latter's was more fond.

Those like Hina and Chihiro couldn't help but beam widely. "I knew he would believe in her…!" Chihiro exclaimed happily. "Cause Makoto… he's strong like that! Strong enough to believe in anyone, even when told to do otherwise!"

"Yeah! Makoto… he really seems so cool here!" Hina gushed. "Figuring out all these trials, holding those who died in his heart, and now… covering for Kyoko, in this stupid sham trial! That's really cool! Cooler than I thought it would be!"

"Definitely the showing of main character material here…" Hifumi murmured in amazement.

As for the luckster himself… he was relieved. Immensely relieved that his future self didn't make a choice he would come to regret. To the point he found himself sagging in his seat for a moment, feeling relaxed for the first time since the investigation and trial started.

"...I knew you would do it." Was the soft whisper of one Sayaka Maizono. A whisper that got Makoto turning towards… to be met with an adoring smile from the idol. "Even with all that would happen, even when you had all the rights not to trust Kyoko and pursue the truth that was out there… I also knew you would believe in her in the end."

"...Don't you have a little too much faith in me?" The luckster couldn't help but mutter, his cheeks growing red.

Sayaka giggled. "Nope~" She then gave him a kiss on the cheek, something that got the luckster's cheeks an even brighter red. "You forgiven me, after all. And your future self continues to carry our memories, no matter what our crimes were. So you would be perfectly capable of putting your trust in Kyoko like that."

The luckster turned his head away, in a vain attempt to cover at least some of embarrassment. And in doing so he got a look at Kyoko, and her reaction.

The detective in question… to say she was affected would be an understatement. She was stunned at the declaration Makoto made to himself, to the point it was visible across her face; and honestly… felt warmth at the trust placed towards her future self. Having seen this from an outsider perspective, she can perfectly see why the other survivors were wary of her. How her actions throughout the entire viewing came across.

And due to this, she quietly came to recognize her approach… may not have been the best way to go about it. Perhaps there were still some things that needed to be kept hidden, but if she had opened herself even a little bit more to her classmates… perhaps this trial would've been avoided? Or at the very least, they would've been more open in hearing her out?

But despite all that, Makoto decided to put his belief in her once again. To believe wholeheartedly that she isn't the killer. It stunned, filled her with a strange yet familiar warmth, it was something she could hardly fathom… and it left her with a growing guilt.

And she wasn't the only one who could hardly understand it. 'I don't understand… how can you trust somebody that easily?' Toko couldn't help but think, finding herself curling up in her seat. A wave of bitterness and confliction warred in her mind as processed Makoto's decision. 'You can so easily get stabbed in the back. Have your heart wrenched out by letting someone inside it like that.

'So how… how are you able to believe in someone like that, Makoto Naegi?' How was he able to give that blinding trust, even after going through the events of this 'killing school life'? Something… Something that could have never given out herself?

'...You really are so different. Different from so many others. Different from my sister.' Mukuro found herself thinking, her heart beating in ways that she has yet to grow used to. 'No matter what is presented to you, you don't ever seem to let go… let go of that light of yours. That light that is so… so warm.' She couldn't grasp it. Couldn't understand how someone is able to give that level of trust, in a situation where doing so could get you, potentially even others, killed. But like with his smile… she was drawn to it. In ways that almost scared her.

As for her sister… the secret Ultimate Despair was stunned. Flabbergasted. And growing to be very, VERY irate. 'Are. You. KIDDING ME?!' Junko screamed out in her head. If she had spoken, irritation would've been clear in every syllable. 'You CANNOT have that much trust in someone! Not in this life-or-death situation! There's no way you could believe Kyoko isn't the killer, when you have nothing that would prove otherwise! You know she could enter her room! You know she told a bold faced lie! She even tried to accuse you of being the killer! All that?! Signs that she's a killer! DO THE OBVIOUS ROUTE AND VOTE HER ASS INTO THE EXECUTION CHAMBER!'

It took every bit of self-control to not let even a little of her irritation leak out for the others to bear witness. How can this flat-out, fully average kid have this level of optimism?! What reason does he have to believe in a girl who refused to show most of her cards?! Her analytical brain is working overtime to figure out the route that would lead to such a thing, but she was drawing blanks! There's no rational reason, not even a despairful one, that would lead to such a conclusion! Just flat-out, hopeful naivety!

In the end, Junko practically forced herself to calm down. Makoto will pay for this disgusting, hopeful belief of his. That she's sure of. Because without knowledge of the key Kyoko holds… there's only one other person the survivors could point to as being the killer.

'There has to be some secret here, something that has to do with the mastermind's trap that Kyoko mentioned.'

"Does this mean… that they could be in the process of figuring this is all fake?" Hina asked, clearly hopeful in her words. "How odd this entire sham trial really is?"

"We can only hope, Hina." Sakura replied to her friend. "After all, with Kyoko not having her key, the others being together for the entire night, and Byakuya having held onto the key the entire time… there's no one that could've feasibly killed Mukuro in the time she supposedly died. That is where the direction will lead to."

"But, wait… couldn't Byakuya have entered the room himself and put the key in there?" Hiro pointed out.

That brought Toko out of her conflicted thoughts and had her glaring at the fortune teller. "H-Hey! What are y-you implying there, moron?!"

"Nothing! Nothing!" Hiro raised his hand in quick surrender. "I'm just saying that they would point that out!"

"But again, Byakuya has an alibi in which he couldn't have killed Mukuro at any point in the time range they've figured out…" Celeste sighed. "So there's nothing to worry about there."

"Then that means… they might be able to find out that something is actually wrong with this trial!" Taka spoke, sound more optimistic now. "They're actually on the verge of seeing the actual mystery!"

'...I'm not so sure.' Byakuya thought, his eyes narrowed. The others may have forgotten, but… there was one more scenario that could lead to pointing towards a killer. And unless Makoto's willing to reveal the existence of the key after… there would be no room to refute it.

"Well? Does no one have a rebuttal?" Byakuya asked everyone, looking around. "Have you decided to accept her dissertation as fact?"

"..." Makoto remained silent, a tense look across his face.

"I see. So you still refuse to accept it." The Togami heir sighed, mostly to himself. "I suppose we have to admit that Kyoko didn't put the locker key in her room, that it was someone else."

"...He knows Makoto is hiding something, doesn't he?" Celeste quickly deduced.

"As Kyoko stated several times before. Foolishly open." Byakuya remarked, crossing his arms together. "I can see through Makoto's attempt to keep quiet."

"Will… that be an issue?" Chihiro asked nervously, poking his index fingers together.

"The dude seems like he's letting it go, so maybe not…" Leon mused, though sounding a bit concerned himself.

'...No, I don't think my future self is simply letting it go.' Rather than that… he's gonna make another approach on getting the info out of Makoto.

"But… who else could it have been?" Hina questioned, frowning in befuddlement.

"I mean, Byakuya had her room key, right?" Hiro pointed out.

"Y-You!" And that immediately earned a hiss from Toko. "What are you t-trying to imply?!"

"But of course I had an alibi. From nighttime on, I was with you guys the entire time…" Byakuya countered. "I couldn't possibly have killed anyone, or put the key in Kyoko's room."

"Well someone had to put the key in there…" Hiro said with some exasperation.

"They looked to be in a deadlock now…" Sayaka remarked, looking as hopeful as the others. "Maybe that dojo key would be the thing that unravels the actual mystery…"

"If it is, then the mastermind made a stupid mistake trying to frame Kyoko!" Leon pumped his fist with a grin. "Trying to frame Kyoko is gonna backfire on them!"

'...This could be it. This could be where the tables turn, and they actually see the trap!' Makoto thought, feeling more and more optimistic. In fact, several of the students were feeling their confidence rise up in the potential outcome.

Unfortunately… with this rising hope…

"There's only one other possibility I can think of…" Byakuya declared. "Someone could have had the key on them, then once they arrived at the scene, pretended to 'find' it there."

…it made the crash all the more devastating. Several pairs of eyes widened, with students' skin becoming ashened, as they recognized the implication.

No…

"What…?" Makoto's eyes widened in shock at this.

"I-It had to be Makoto… right?" Hina concluded dreadfully.

"No… no, no, no. No…!" Both Hina and Chihiro shook their heads rapidly, panic clear in their eyes.

"Oh fuck…!" Both Leon and Mondo cursed with similar dread.

'...Knew it.' Was the resigned thought of Byakuya Togami.

"..." Makoto himself was silent, color slowly draining out of his face.

"...I don't see any other option." Was Byakuya's statement.

"...Son of a BITCH!" That loud, furious curse came from none other than Sayaka Maizono. The now irate-looking idol pulled away from Makoto some, as she gnashed her teeth together in her fury. "He just- That was- The crime is now being pinned on Makoto again?!"

"...We completely forgot that both Byakuya and Makoto went into the room together." Taka looked ready to pummel himself for that lack of memory, the moral compass' fists clenching tightly. "And even with Byakuya's suspicion, we shouldn't have expected him to keep his eyes firmly on Makoto while they were looking through the room!"

"Honestly, though… does the future Byakuya truly believe what he is saying?" Celeste turned towards the Togami heir himself, eyes narrowed. "Or is it something else?"

"...My future self is likely trying to pressure Makoto into revealing what he actually knows." Byakuya admitted/deduced his future self's thought process. "In his eyes, he sees that Makoto knows something, but refuses to say anything out of a misguided trust or closeness with Kyoko. So he needs to be pushed to reveal what he knows, else be doomed for death."

"You're pressuring him to turn his back on Kyoko like that?!" Hina cried out incredulously.

"In his eyes, Kyoko's a killer. One where they have no choice but to vote for if they're to survive."

"...He won't do it." The present lucky student stated, his voice weak and complexion white. He ignored the eyes drawn towards him, worried or otherwise, and continued. "At this point… I put my full trust in Kyoko. I'm not cowardly enough to turn my back on her like that. Even with the suspicion falling on me… I wouldn't reveal the key just to save my own skin."

While he didn't mean to, his words were like knife wounds to Kyoko. The detective had to bite her lips to keep out how much those words actually affected her.

Meanwhile, Junko had to hold back a very vindictive grin. 'Payback, lucky boy! See how that hope of yours gets rewarded!'

"W-Wait a second! You've got it all wrong!" Makoto protested panickedly. "Let's think about it one more time! There's got to be a hidden side to this case!"

"Huh? A hidden side…?" Hiro spoke in confusion.

"First of all, there's something off about the entire trial! You all see it, don't you?" Makoto inquired to everyone, almost desperately.

"So Makoto is now addressing the trap Kyoko has mentioned?" Taka guessed, gripping his knees anxiously. "Addressing the whole trial itself?"

"He'll have to, if he's unwilling to point the finger at Kyoko…" Celeste stated, the tension across her face the only indication of her feelings. "There's very little to touch upon at the moment. Nothing else that can counter Byakuya's hypothesis."

"They should be talking about the sham trial here!" Hina stated spiritedly. "I mean, it may be just us knowing more than them, but they got to see how weird this whole thing is! This whole trial got to feel off to them!"

"I'm sure it does, Hina…" Sakura agreed with her friend, though as tense as everyone else. "However, convincing them to follow their instincts will be the challenge to hurdle through."

"...Makoto…" Sayaka's anger quickly shifted into worry, her grip on the luckster's arm tightening back some.

"..." Silently, Kyoko placed her hand into Makoto's free one, a mixture of anxiety and guilt within that grip.

Makoto paid little heed to both the grips of his two closest female friends as he watched the trial continue to play out. However, he did answer those grips with a squeeze of both his hands; whether it be for their comfort or his own, he hardly had the mind to figure that out.

"..." The camera shifted to Monokuma for a moment, the bear silently watching.

'...No.' Immediately, Mukuro realized what was about to happen. The girl's already pale skin got even milkier as she figured out what her sister was about to do. 'No, please… no!'

'Yeeeaaah, no.' Junko thought rather smugly. 'Nice try, herbivore man. But ain't no way I'm gonna stay silent and let you go past the script.'

"Mukuro, who we didn't even know existed, suddenly shows up dead, and then we're thrown into a class trial…!" Makoto pointed out. "And Kyoko even said, it's a trap the mastermind set for us!"

"C'mon, everyone, listen to him…!" Hina pleaded to the survivors. "Especially you, future me!"

"They have to see all of this as strange, right? They can't think that Makoto's actually the killer…" Chihiro asked fearfully, hope and fear battling in his heart.

"Don't give in to fear. Do not fall for the mastermind's trap…" Taka urged the survivors, as though they could hear him.

"Makoto's actually trustworthy here. If you're gonna listen to someone, listen to him at least!" Leon spoke with growing anxiousness.

Several of the students urged the survivors, be it verbally or mentally, to listen and see the trap laid out for them. Clinging onto the hope that the six remaining students can see through the rigged trial…

"So that's why… this has to be-!"

"Okaaay! Time's up!"

And just like that, all that tension was swept by that sudden announcement.

"...Wha-...?"

"Huh…?"

"Time's…?"

"What…?"

For a moment, the entire room was stunned, as they processed the announcement made by the mechanical bear. For a moment, there were only dumbfounded looks and agape mouths. Those two little words repeated in their minds over and over.

Time's… up?

Notes:

And that's the end. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Apologies for those who really wanted to see the bad ending, but I have mentioned in the past that I wasn't gonna do it (At least in ff dot net). It would've just… wiped a lot of the tension this trial was going for, and would've made the true ending feel… off-putting to write. More than likely to read as well.

Speaking of which, I also hope that I nailed the tension throughout this whole chapter (And with another little cliffhanger to boot. Do I enjoy those a bit too much? I don't think so). Had to write and rewrite certain scenes until I found those sweet spots that I liked; so definitely one of the tougher chapters I've written. Leave comments, kudos, and bookmarks, and I will see you guys later.

Chapter 104: Watching Chapter 5: 100 Miles; Pain of a Junk Food Junkie Part 15

Notes:

Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. Here we are, with one of the last few things you've all been waiting for; the class witnessing the fifth trial's verdict, and Makoto's execution. I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

"...Huh?" Was the only thing Makoto could say, processing Monokuma's announcement.

"Time's up! Class trial's all over!" The mechanical bear declared. "Everyone can stop talking now!"

And that moment quickly switched into disbelief and outrage.

"NO!"

"FUCK THAT!"

"TIME'S UP?! There's no 'times up'!"

"Since when was there a time up?!"

"Show us the damn timer you two-faced shitty space-junk!"

"What?" Makoto's dumbfounded look quickly turned into one of dread. "Time's up?"

"What do you mean time's up? There's no 'time's up'." Kyoko protested. "Since when have we-?"

"It's because you were late! So we had to push back the start time!" Monokuma cut in and explained.

"BULLSHIT!" Mondo and Leon both shouted out in rage.

"You're just making stuff up on the spot!" Hina followed up just as angrily.

"Never once have you mentioned a start and end time! This is a clear and blatant attempt to shut down the discussion!" Taka cried out in the height of his moral outrage.

"YOU COWARDLY PIECE OF SHIT!" Sayaka downright screeched in fury. "Now that the discussion isn't going in the direction you wanted, you decide to stop it?! With some BULL about time being up?!"

"It would be more of a surprise if they didn't interject at some point…" Byakuya remarked, his tone frosty. "Cowardly it may be, but they've set up this fake trial in the first place. Little point of it if those you're trying to deceive manage to figure it out."

"So then, it's time for voting time, okay? Everyone, please vote using the lever in front of you!"

"Voting time…?" Makoto repeated, beginning to look blue in the face.

Now fear began mixing with their anger. "Shit…!" Leon exclaimed worriedly. "They're gonna vote now? When the suspicion is still on Makoto?"

"No… No, they can't be voting for Makoto!" Hina shook her head in denial, distress mixing with her anger. "They know him! They know Makoto wouldn't do something like that!"

"The only other option is Kyoko. And in their eyes, it's not possible for the girl to commit the crime, not without access to her own room." Celeste pointed out, hiding the dreadful feeling building up within her. "What… What else can they do right now…?"

"...No. No, no, no…" Mukuro started openly muttering, shaking and even closing to whimpering.

"Now, who will be chosen as the blackened? Will you make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one?"

"Hey, hold on!" Makoto protested fearfully.

But the bear quickly continued on without pause. "What's it gonna be? What's it gonna beeee?!"

The present lucky student found himself shaking. "Am I… Am I gonna be…?"

"No…" Sayaka's fury quickly shifted back to worry and fear, pushing herself close to Makoto. "No, they can't! They know you! They can't think that you would…"

At Makoto's other side, Kyoko's grip was practically iron-clad. 'They're gonna… will they really…?' She thought dreadfully. 'Did… Did future me condemn Makoto to…?'

Once again, the screen switched to the slot machine. The slots spinned around for a moment of time…

The class awaited the verdict with bated, dreadful breaths. They've done this already four times before. Saw verdicts of four of their classmates. But this felt different. Felt longer. Felt more suspenseful.

However, some of them knew what the verdict would be. Be it consciously or subconsciously, they knew who would be voted for. They want to be wrong. Want it to be something, anything, that would go against their conclusions…

Before landing on Makoto. Lights flashed out yet again, with cheers and coins flowing out of the machine.

But when has this viewing ever shown them what they wanted?

More students began losing color across their faces. Some began breaking out in cold sweat. Some covered their mouths in horror. A few, looked angry… yet resigned at the same time.

A feeling of disbelief and despair washed over the entire class as they processed the fact that remaining survivors voted for their Ultimate Lucky Student, their class representative, their friend, Makoto Naegi.

The scene went back to the trial room, with the students off their podiums and gathered together. "What…?" Makoto spoke in numbing disbelief; looking at all the survivors. "You think *I'm* the killer…?"

Makoto's incredulous, horrified question snapped the group out of their stunned state. "You… You all…" Sayaka found herself unable to say anything, a rising fury causing her voice to fail her. A feeling of fury that burned brighter than in any of the past trials.

"They… he…" In contrast, Chihiro felt devastating disbelief clogging up his throat, the programmer covering his mouth in horror. Tears already began to slide his face at the verdict, knowing what's going to happen.

"..." Mukuro was silent. Looking paler than she has ever been before, a glazed look across her eyes, her expression almost a different kind of unreadable. No trace of her usual composure was there; only a hollow, numbed look.

"Did… Did all of them vote for Makoto?" Taka finally asked the question on everyone's mind, looking as shocked and blue as everyone else.

The students in question, those whose counterparts survived and have voted for Makoto… disbelief, horror, guilt, anger, all of those were showing clear across their face, Taka's question echoing in their mind.

Unfortunately, they soon got their answer…

In response, Hiro looked away in shame. "Sorry, man…"

Hina did the same, looking down at the floor. "Yeah, s-sorry…"

Even Toko looked uncertain. "It's all your f-fault…!"

Byakuya, however, merely looked frustrated. "..."

For a moment, Sayaka looked ready to verbally tear them apart. Maybe even physically so. She twisted her head around, a good set of words ready to leave her lips. But then the idol saw how the present counterparts of the four survivors reacted, causing those words to die on her lips.

Cause it's clear the words she would've said to them were things they're already telling themselves.

"...You idiot. You absolute IDIOT!" Hina screeched at herself, looking both furious and anguished at the same time. "That's all you have to say?! That's all that you can possibly do?! Vote for a guy you KNOW wouldn't do it?! You couldn't do something, ANYTHING, to defend him?! Couldn't even say any other damn thing?!"

Instantly, Sakura put her arms around her friend to comfort her. But that hardly stopped the swimmer from railing at her counterpart… at her own self. Tears running down her face as she hurled claims of being an idiot at herself.

'...That's all that you're gonna do? Just throw all the blame on everyone else? Just like you always do?' Toko's face twisted into a look of anger and bitterness. But rather than that expression being aimed on anyone around her, it was aimed purely at herself. 'You just gonna throw blame at Makoto, as if he could've done something? As if he forced you to vote for him? Not even give a half-assed apology?! How pathetic are you?! How pathetic… am I…?'

"..." Hiro couldn't say anything. Could hardly think of anything. All he could do was look down numbly, feel that guilt gnawing at him, eating at his inside like an alien parasite. But… what could he have done? What could any of them have done? Defy Monokuma? Refuse to vote? 'But if we do that… we would all just get killed!'

As for Byakuya… Byakuya just felt resigned. An angry resignation over the results of the trial. 'In the end, you continue to be the mastermind's puppet…' He scoffed to himself. 'Even when you declare to defy the mastermind, get out of their game, you continue to play it. Took the bait to suspect Kyoko, and did all you could to corner her. Leading… to this.'

"I say again… what choice did they have?" Despite Celeste's words, the gambler looked far from resigned. No, she looked visibly distressed, as if it was taking everything not to burst. "What other option… what else could they have believed or chosen at this point?"

"This is… this is just bullshit…!" Leon declared, his shocking slowly shifting into anger. "All of this is bullshit! Every bit of this damn, fucking trial is absolute BULL!"

And for Makoto himself, the one whose counterpart got voted for… anyone looking at him would be able to tell what he was feeling. A look of disbelief, his eyes shining with hurt and betrayal, his face devoid of any healthy color… it was clear that he felt the knife-wrenching gut of betrayal; and it was cutting deep.

"Everyone… you're wrong…!" Makoto protested desperately. "You've got it all wrong! I didn't do it!"

"Good job, everyone!" Monokuma exclaimed cheerfully.

Makoto slowly turned towards the bear in clear terror. "G-Good job…?"

"Yeah. They got it right!"

"Liar!" Hina practically screeched, her eyes closed shut in a fruitless attempt to stop the stream of tears. "Liar, liar, liar, LIAR! We didn't get it right! There isn't a right answer! This whole trial is just a sham! A FAKE!"

"That fucking bear…" Mondo growled in pure, animalistic rage. "That. Fucking. Bear. That goddamn, motherfucking bear and THE FUCKER CONTROLLING IT!"

"All of it… everything has gone according to their plan…!" Taka exclaimed in pure frustration, fists clenched tightly and body shaking with emotion. "They were able to stage a class trial, and pin the crime on one of the survivors!"

"Not everything, Mr. Ishimaru…" Hifumi spoke, though much of his usual energy was practically gone now. The fanfic creator looked positively stupefied at the results of this trial. "They're target, after all… was Miss Kirigiri. They just… change strategies. The moment Mr. Naegi went off script."

'...The mastermind is a despicable monster. A fiend not worthy of any respect!' Sakura growled to herself in righteous fury, her arms still wrapped around the emotional Hina. 'I will not stop. I will not rest. I will not even pause until we find the person that would do this, and ensure they never get the chance!'

"N-No, I know that's not true…" Makoto shook his head in frantic denial. "None of this makes any sense… this whole trial doesn't make any sense!"

"It makes perfect seeeeEEEENNNSSSSSEEE!" Monokuma insisted forcefully. "It's the same as always! It's just like all the other class trials! And I'm gonna end it the same way!"

The last statement nearly wiped the anger out from the entire class, fear for their luckster filling hearts. However… one couldn't let go of her rage.

"No… No it isn't! IT'S NOT THE SAME, YOU DECEPTIVE LITTLE MONSTER!" Sayaka screamed. At this point, she was standing up from her seat, her rage keeping her from sitting still. "It's nothing like the other class trials! There's no one else that was murdered! No one that chose to murder! No one else decided to continue your sick little game! This is just you, CHEATING, to get your way! Using the corpse of someone YOU murdered! Lying to continue getting your FUCKING, SADISTIC, FIX!"

While she chose not to direct this fury at Hiro, Hina, Byakuya, or Toko, that did not mean it was completely gone. No, it just meant that fury is directed somewhere else. Right now? The one who set this whole thing up in the first place.

"It's time for your heart pounding, positively thrilling punishment!"

"No… no, no, no, no…" Hina continuously shook her head, eyes now wide open and tears still sliding down.

'...Dead, dead, dead, dead, they're dead…' Was the dark, rage-filled thought of Celestia Ludenberg/Taeko Yasuhiro. Rather than let grief overtake, her heart and mind began filling with an abundance of fury. Once they find the mastermind, she will make sure that she'll get her own chance on making whatever sadist hiding behind the bear suffer.

'...This would be the future I help create.' The ever-present guilt filled Mukuro's heart, already unable to stomach what's about to happen. Tears began forming from her numbed expression. 'This moment… I would play a hand at getting Makoto killed. My corpse is being used to have him executed…'

"W-Wait!" Makoto continued to protest in terror. "Why do I-?!"

Desperately, he turned to Kyoko; with the girl herself looking displeased with all of this. "Kyoko-!"

Near instantly, attention was turned towards the amnesiac version of the detective. They've nearly forgotten about Kyoko's involvement in this. How she pinned the crime on Makoto when eyes narrowed down at her at the start. And it wasn't lost on anyone that the detective likely voted with everyone else against the luckster.

Sayaka, in particular, found herself slowly turning towards the present Kyoko. The lavender-haired girl question was notably stiff, her hair shadowing her eyes and hiding any emotions she may be showing.

What was said next…

"I don't expect you to forgive me. I know this is all my fault…"

Did next to nothing to sooth the hearts of the riled up class.

"...You set him up…" Was the soft, yet furious whisper of Sayaka Maizono. The idol was still standing from her seat, so it gave everyone a good look of her reaction. And she looked… calm. Deceptively calm. With her hair shadowing her eyes.

No one was fooled by that calm demeanor.

"You set him up to be voted for…" Sayaka whispered yet again. "Implicated him as the killer… You are leaving him… LEAVING HIM TO DIE!"

The idol's head shot up, revealing a scalding glare that would put any of Mondo's to shame, aimed directly at the detective. "Just so you can save your own skin, so you don't get voted for and executed, you condemn the one boy who supported you! Who trusted you! Who, even now, believed full-heartedly in you! Did you even think of any other way to get out of this?! WERE YOU ONLY THINKING ABOUT SAVING YOUR OWN LIFE?!"

Kyoko said nothing. Did nothing. Made no attempt to excuse, justify, or explain her future's self actions. She could say that didn't expect Monokuma to cut the trial short. Say that she didn't know Byakuya would make that claim, could make that claim. That she, as the Ultimate Detective, was the best chance for them to solve the mystery of the school…

But she couldn't bring herself to say any of that. She may be cold, yes; but she's far from heartless. And seeing what her future self has done, has wrought, was reminding her of that painful heart.

Her silence did not calm the idol down. In fact, she looked ready to tear into the detective further. But before she could, someone jumped in and grabbed Sayaka by the shoulder, taking her attention away from Kyoko. That someone was none other than Makoto; and the look across his face snapped Sayaka completely out of her rage.

It was a look of utter devastation. Sorrow, hurt, confliction, fear, it was all clear for everyone to see. Written across the luckster's face and in his eyes. Yet, within that devastating look, was a silent plea. A plea for Sayaka not to continue this.

That look, all of it, hurt Sayaka's very core. It hurt everyone who was able to witness it. It took everything for Hina and Chihiro not to burst into even more tears; Hiro and Toko were practically shrinking with shame; Sakura and Celeste had their teeth grit tightly together; and even Byakuya couldn't help but look away, his chest twisting in a way that was extremely rare.

But none took it worse than Kyoko. For the first time in a long time, her emotions were out for anyone to see. A mixture of anger and guilt twisted her expression, one no doubt similar to the one her counterpart held. Only the bowing of her head kept her emotions hidden, at least somewhat.

Almost instantly, Sayaka's angry look fell and a look of sorrow, mixed with fear, overtook her. The blue-haired idol then launched herself at Makoto, clinging onto him tightly. The luckster could only respond by clinging back in kind, one hand on her back and the other stroking her hair.

'... You don't deserve this…' Sayaka thought to herself, as the two collapsed back onto the couch. Guilt, anger, and fear swirled in her heart, mixing into some kind of gut-pulling creation. 'You don't deserve any of this…'

Her words caused Makoto to fall silent for a moment. "Kyoko…?"

"Let's give it everything we've got! It's… PUNISHMENT TIIIME!"

Whatever grievance, whatever anger, any other feelings the students had for Kyoko was pushed back the moment those infamous words. All that was left was fear and dread for what's to come.

Only one student was devoid of any such dread. It took every ounce of effort for Junko not to show any clear giddiness over all that's transpiring and what's gonna transpire. But she couldn't shake the clear glee that was shining across her eyes. 'This is what you get, lucky boy, for not following the script and exposing the nosy detective!' She bragged to herself once again. 'You put your hope in her and this is how that nasty little hope gets rewarded! All that is left is the despair of being punished for a crime you didn't do! An execution that was meant for someone else! Take in that despair! See how devoid of hope you really are!'

She was overjoyed. She was heartbroken. She was gratified. She was in anguish. She felt great pleasure. She felt plentiful despair.

And this is what she wants to share with her classmates. With her sister. With her frustratingly, optimistic luckster. She wants them to feel that despair.

Monokuma then pulled out his gavel and slammed it onto the big red button in front of him.

*GAME OVER. MAKOTO HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY. TIME FOR PUNISHMENT* Those words were what appeared under the button as a pixelated Monokuma dragged a pixelated Makoto before the screen turned black.

The screen slowly lit back up to show a close up of a pale face Makoto. As the camera slowly moved back, a slamming down was heard and shook the screen. The cause of that slamming was revealed to be a trash compactor, slamming every few seconds, with a screen showing Monokuma's moving head on top. Makoto was sitting in a classroom desk, which was being moved on a conveyor belt, directly towards the trash compactor.

'No!' Hina wanted to scream. To shout. To demand, plead, beg for this not to happen. But her throat was too clogged up, and she found herself close to hyperventilating as tears yet again streamed down her eyes. Not even Sakura's comforting hug was enough to calm her. 'No! Please, no! Don't do it! Not him! Not after Sakura! Not when my future self voted for his death!'

Chihiro was crying just as much, his hands clamped around his mouth once more to stop any pitiful sounds from coming out. 'Why…? Why him?!' He screamed in his mind. 'Why… Why when someone tries to be strong, try to have more courage… we're always punished for it?! WHY?!'

Both Hiro and Toko felt the dread that was likely piling from this execution. They could practically feel the vibration from each slam of the trash compactor. While the fortune teller was looking at this with a blue face and wide-eyed regret, the writing prodigy had her eyes firmly shut, unable to bear watching the execution beyond the obvious reasons.

'He's right here… he's right here… he's right here…' Sayaka constantly reminded herself that their Makoto is there with them. Still breathing. Still in her arms. Not being rolled forward in a trash compactor. A fruitless effort, however, as whimpers left her mouth and tears stinged her eyes.

As he was being moved, Monokuma suddenly appeared in front of him, with a teacher's stand and a chalk-board, teaching a lesson on the board. The screen then quickly flashes to the TV on top of the compactor, before sliding down towards the compactor itself. As it got closer and closer, the title of the execution flashed at the next bang.

AFTER SCHOOL LESSON

Byakuya felt himself rigid in his seat, his grips on his sleeves and his face stone-like. 'So… is this how your optimism, your trust will be awarded? I wonder… do you think it's worth it now? How do you feel, knowing that your decision to keep quiet led to this?'

'Makoto… I'm sorry this is what you've been given as the result of your choice.' Sakura watched stoically as she held onto her devastated best friend, unwilling to look away from the luckster's execution. 'You do not deserve this. You shouldn't be punished for the scheme of a madman… as well as the actions of someone you trust…'

With each slam of the compactor, Mukuro's numbed expression twisted into something else. Guilt, dread, grief, anger, all of it was piling together and showing across her face; leaving a devastated young girl, rather than the hardened soldier people knew her as.

'Why… Why stay with Junko…?!' The soldier exclaimed to herself, her teeth and fists clenching tightly together. 'Why continue to remain loyal?! Why, when… when she would kill you at the first opportunity! When she would use your corpse to stage a class trial! WHEN THAT TRIAL IS BEING USED TO KILL MAKOTO!'

The camera moved to Makoto's feet before slowly moving upward, showing the stiff and sweating lucky student. For a moment, he was looking down at his lap before looking back up at the board in front of him; his face continuing to lose more color and turn bluer.

The screen then showed what Monokuma was teaching… which looked be sex education.

"...Oh, that son of a-!" Leon had to bite his lips to keep from continuing, looking even more pissed than before. He knew exactly what the bastard was implying, and that was not okay!

Mondo looked just as pissed, veins popping out everywhere. 'Fucker just had to try and rub in salt, does he? Be the biggest piece of shit as possible!'

And there was Taka, whose knuckles were clenched till they were white, feeling more righteous anger than ever before. 'He's toying with him! Drawing this entire mockery of justice for the sick thrill of fear!'

The screen switched to a close of Makoto's, as he got closer and closer to the compactor. With each second that passed, the luckster's face got bluer and bluer, his body shaking.

Celeste/Taeko decided that she detest the feeling of fear. First, it was the fear of seeing herself die, of the thought of dying; now it was the fear for her luckster, for the only person she could see going above C-Rank. Her body was shaking, her eyes dilated, her teeth gritting to suppress anymore show of that fear.

'I hate this! I hate absolutely all of this!' Taeko exclaimed to herself, anger and fear warring with each other. Tears even began to form yet again, tears she's desperately fighting back. 'Damn that bear! Damn the one controlling that bear! Damn this fucking killing game! DAMN ALL OF IT!'

Hifumi… he was merely in disbelief. Still processing this happening. Makoto was the protagonist. They're watching their future almost fully through his eyes. Very rarely was there another point of view. Yet… 'He's about to die? Is this the plot twist that no one saw coming?'

For a second, Makoto turned his eyes behind him. They instantly went back forward the moment the compactor slammed onto the belt.

This was killing her. Every slam of the compactor, Makoto's clear fear, the knowledge that this was supposed to be her punishment… all of it was gnawing at Kyoko like it never has before. To the point where she couldn't hide the anger at herself, the building guilt, and the absolute trepidation she felt at seeing the execution. It was taking everything she had to look at the screen and not look away.

This wasn't actually happening. This was merely a look into their future. Makoto is still there, he isn't about to be executed, none of this has happened yet. So why… why was this affecting her so much?

The lucky student himself was as tense and blue-faced as his counterpart. Every slam of the compactor, every show of how close he is to death, caused his chest to tighten further and further. He could feel his blood running cold, his heart beating rapidly, and his mouth running dry.

Despite his fear, despite the dread he felt at seeing his execution… he recognized the scene. 'The opening… it actually showed my execution…' Makoto realized. 'It foreshadowed my own death…'

A part of him wanted to scream. To laugh. Cry even. To have some sort of reaction to all this. But the screen in front of him is leaving him paralyzed. Unable to do anything but watch his own punishment.

On the other side, with each slam of the compactor, Junko felt it harder and harder to keep herself contained. To keep off the cheshire grin that would run across her face. The gleeful cackles that were begging to leave her lips. That cheers, the cries of euphoria, that were bubbling in her chest.

It was hard, so hard to contain herself, that she had to curl up and cling onto her stomach in order to maintain any form of control. However, she couldn't keep out the darkening, swirling eyes of madness and despair that were eclipsing her sockets.

At the next slam, he closed his eyes.

'Makoto…!' At that moment, Sayaka couldn't bear to watch. Her tears now slipping, she turned away from the screen; and seeing Makoto's own reaction, she was ready to pull his head away.

'No…!' Mukuro closed her own eyes, uncaring of the tears now running down under her eye-lids; a heavy layer of guilt and self-hatred encompassing her face.

'...I'm sorry…' Following both the idol and the soldier, Kyoko twisted her head sideways. She cursed herself for acting like such a coward. For not being just to face the screen and watch what her future self had wrought. But she couldn't. She couldn't watch the death of one of the few people she cared most for in the world. Couldn't watch the one who stood by her side take the punishment laid for her.

Couldn't let anyone see the tears that were stinging her eyes.

The camera then switched back to the TV up top of the compactor. And near immediately, the face of Monokuma was suddenly replaced… with the face of Chihiro.

And just like that, the fear, the anger, the grief, the despair… was shifted into one of pure confusion. "Is tha- Chihiro?" Leon spoke in bafflement.

"No, that's… that's Alter Ego! Isn't it?" Hifumi gasped, hands clamping around his cheeks.

Their words got those who were facing away from the screen twist their heads in surprise and confusion.

After a moment, that face disappeared. And immediately after, the compactor was put to a screeching halt.

And the confusion immediately turned into pure shock. "Did he… Did he just…?" Taka stuttered out.

"...What the fuck?" Mondo whispered, stunned.

The camera switched back to Makoto, who, after waiting for a moment, shot open his eyes and looked up in confusion.

Soon after, the door behind him opened up as the conveyor belt continued to move, revealing a deep hole under it. Makoto and the desk he was in then fell into the hole, as Monokuma looked on in panic. The screen then showed Makoto falling downward, in that same fearful posture.

The moment the screen turned dark… everyone reacted.

"WHAT THE FU-?!"

"How did-?!"

"But wasn't he-?!"

"How in the-?!"

"WHAAAAAA-?!"

Once again, pure pandemonium surrounded the class, as they tried to wrestle with what just happened. None of them thought Makoto would survive this. They didn't think there was anyone capable of saving him from his execution. They were all prepared, whether they wanted to or not, for the death of their favorite lucky student.

None of them thought that Alter Ego, of all people (Or machine, rather?), would save him.

Makoto himself was stunned. Frozen. It was taking him time to process that his future self, from the looks of it, survived his execution. That his life was saved by Alter Ego.

Like everyone else, he fully expected to see himself die. To see himself get crushed by the compactor, turned into a bloody red paste. So the sudden turn made it difficult to shake off the dread.

Junko was in a similar state. The eyes of despair wiped completely into confusion when she saw Alter Ego. Like the others, that confusion turned to shock when she saw her own execution get snubbed by an overblown software that was supposed to be a metal ball of junk! Like, how?! When?! Why?! Just… what the hell?!

Yet again, she found herself stumped. Processing too much to even think about enjoying the shock of it all.

And in the midst of this pandemonium, it was Byakuya once again that brought an end to it. "Enough!" He shouted out sharply, putting the yelling to a halt. "We need to continue. Our answers will be in the viewing itself."

It took a moment for everyone to properly contain themselves. But slowly, they were all able to put their focus back on the screen, in order to get a better understanding of what just happened.

The screen transitioned back to the trial room, with everyone looking shocked and confused. "Huh? Huuuuh?!" Monokuma spoke, sounding as surprised as the students. That tone quickly shifts to irritation. "What's this? What's going on?!"

"Hey, was that…?!" Hina spoke bafflingly.

"Ah! Yeah, it had to be!" Hiro confirmed, eyes wide.

"Alter Ego…!" Byakuya stated in clear shock.

"So, it really was Alter Ego?" Leon spoke up, sounding more composed than before. However, that wasn't saying much, considering the clear shock in his tone. "But… how? Wasn't he smashed to smithereens?"

"Did… Did he manage to transfer a part of himself into the network before getting pulled off?" Taka theorized, trying to wrap his head around it all. "Like some sort of copy?"

"I… would go along the lines of a malware…" Hifumi revised hesitantly. "While I wouldn't compare Alter Ego to such a thing, it feels more like a virus in the system…"

"...Alter Ego?!" Monokuma growled in anger. "Is this some stupid virus from that stupid guy?!"

Suffice to say, Mukuro was as stunned as everyone else. Yet again, Junko got caught unaware. But this time, it wasn't a mistake of her own making; at least not completely. No, this was something that completely caught off of left field.

One look at her sister told the soldier how she felt. She was completely stunned. In total shock. She was even trying to fake it or hide it! However, she knew that Junko's shock would soon shift into complete irritation and possibly even anger over this.

And soon, as Mukuro processed what just happened, that shock slowly shifted into relief. Relief that Makoto didn't get crushed by that compactor. Relief that the lucky student was now living up to his title. Relief that she didn't see her light die on screen.

"He must have planted it when he invaded my network…! Damn it all to hell! I don't believe this!"

"...Son of a bitch…!" Mondo began laughing, a hand over his forehead. "Alter Ego pulled a fast one on the fucker!"

Slowly, the students digested the fact that Alter Ego managed to plant a part of himself within the network. That he made something of a virus/malware, and used that malware to save Makoto's life. And slowly, their surprise and confusion turned into relief, happiness, and sweet, sweet, vindication.

"Take that, you teddy bear reject…!" Leon whooped, pumping a fist up. "You got shown up for a second time!"

"And it was by someone who you claimed had a pointless death!" Taka spoke passionately, smiling widely. "This shows that that was far from the case!"

"This is the power of plot armor people…!" Hifumi laughed jubilantly. "As well as the power of a most wonderful angel!"

"It… It would seem that the previous gamble has paid off." Celeste stated. The gambler in question looked positively relieved, breaths openly leaving her mouth and a few tears even leaving her eyes. "In ways none of us expected."

She wasn't the only girl openly relieved. Both Hina and Sayaka were crying yet again; but instead of sorrow, it was of joy. The swimmer had a wide, open smile on her face as tears streamed down her eyes; the idol, meanwhile, took to giving the luckster beside her a full body hug yet again, something that the boy slowly returned back.

As for Chihiro, the creator of Alter Ego himself… he was still in shock. The programmer was one of the few that had trouble processing what had happened. Something that, as Celeste had stated, no one saw coming.

Alter Ego saved Makoto. It managed to place a malware of itself within the school, and stopped the execution from finishing. His own creation, which he thought was destroyed without accomplishing anything, saved his classmate. His friend.

"It seems you finally made a miscalculation." Kyoko declared. "No… you miscalculated from the very beginning."

It was only due to the mass amount of euphoria that no one thought or moved to call out the future detective for her role in Makoto almost getting executed. Any thoughts about that were pushed aside in favor of celebrating this small victory.

"I would agree." Byakuya nodded in agreement, a vindictive smirk across his face. "He let us have access to that laptop, believing it to be of little use to us. Yet even when he prevented it from getting into the network fully, it was able to leave that little surprise."

"It was his own arrogance of the control he had that caused this mistake…" Sakura spoke in agreement, her arms still wrapped around her tearful friend. "And in turn, saved Makoto's life."

Slowly but surely, Makoto was getting out of his frozen state. Yet his emotions were still in a spiral. Relief. Happiness. Vindication. Nervousness. Those were some of several things he was feeling. It was those feelings that caused him to cling onto Sayaka tighter, something the idol didn't mind; she was too busy keeping a tight grip on him.

Kyoko herself was also visibly relieved, the usually stoic detective taking several deep breaths to calm herself. She swiftly wiped away the tears before anyone could notice them, and did her best to gain back some level of composure. Yet, it was clear that this trial has shaken her immensely.

'It's not over yet…' The detective managed to recognize. Despite the execution being halted somewhat, despite Makoto being saved from being crushed by that compactor… he still fell down into a likely garbage chute.

"...What was that?" Monokuma growled.

"What I'm saying is, you shouldn't have underestimated us." The lavender-haired girl said fearlessly.

Finally, Junko was able to shake off her stun state. And it took everything within the Ultimate Despair not to scream out in absolute fury. She even had to bite her lips hard enough to draw blood.

'What. The. Absolute. Fucking. HELL?!' Was what she wanted to scream from the top of her lungs. 'What was THAT?! How in the… what the… WHAT?!'

She was furious that the absolutely despairful execution was put to a halt. Frustrated that a program she thought was completely destroyed pulled a surprise attack like that. Frustrated beyond belief that Makoto's ABSOLUTELY UNPREDICTABLE LUCK saved his ass!

Oddly enjoying the shock factor of it all. A frustrating sexual tension that left her squirming a bit.

"Hmph! Why are you talking like you've already won?!" Monokuma spoke in retort. "I barely felt a thing! It was a pinch, an itch! The stupid virus is gone now, got it?! And so is Makoto… maybe I didn't get to smash him flat, but you're never gonna see him again!"

That wiped away all the cheer from the class, smiles dropping and voices quieting down; the students recognizing the clear fact that Makoto still fell into a garbage pit. Likely with no way of getting out.

"...Shit…" Leon cursed, yet again voicing nearly everyone's feelings on the matter.

Junko, meanwhile, took this as a chance to calm herself down. Her future self is right. There's no way that this hopeful fool, even with all his luck, will be able to get out of that pit he fell into. Everything with Alter Ego? A fluke. A hope spot, only for despair to remain supreme! This was not a win for her classmates!

Yet, even as she told herself that… she couldn't shake off this pit that has grown in her stomach.

"To waste away in a garbage-strewn pit… in way, that's an even BETTER special punishment!"

"..." Kyoko was silent at that.

"Makoto…" Hina whimpered, fear and guilt swimming back in her head.

"We were celebrating too soon…" Byakuya sighed in admittance. "Alter Ego's interference hasn't changed much. While he got saved from a gruesome death, Makoto is now trapped."

"Maybe he can escape through the pit…?" Hiro spoke hopefully.

"Doubtful. Can't imagine for there to be any openings to wherever all our trash is being thrown to."

Suffice to say, there was renewed concern for the lucky student, many of them wondering how he'll get out of this. If he can get out of this.

It was something the luckster himself was wondering. Can he get out of this? Will he be able to? Is there some sort of opening, despite what Byakuya said? Honestly, he wasn't sure what to think anymore. He should've died. But it was Alter Ego, likely even his own luck, that saved him. So what should he expect? What should he even hope for?

"You're gonna get out of this… you're gonna…" Hearing the whisper beside him, he turned to Sayaka. The two had ended their rib-crushing; however, the idol refused to let go of him and snuggled back into his shoulder. "This isn't the end… it can't be…"

"..." Makoto took a moment to digest her words. Then… "Yeah… Yeah, this isn't the end… there's gotta be a way out…"

This wasn't over yet. So long as his future self was still breathing, there had to be a way for him to escape. To survive. So he can't give up just yet.

"Puhu… puhuhu…!" Monokuma continued to laugh. "But it's still not enough… I'm still not satisfied! I'm still gonna bring despair to the rest of you - bring despair to the entire world…!" So, with his signature laugh leaving his mouth, the bear bounced away.

"...He's insane." Was all Taka could say, pale in the face.

"Thanks for stating the obvious dude…" Leon snarked; though he had chills himself. Indeed, several students were either shivering or losing what color they managed to regain. "Seriously, though… what the hell?"

"Just… again, I must ask… what exactly is the mastermind's goal?" Celeste questioned, attempting to suppress her own shivers. Still, she couldn't keep out the wavering of her voice. "What does he intend with this game? What does he intend to achieve through this?"

No one could answer that. The mastermind had clearly stated it was for despair, to bring despair to the entire world… and the fact that he's showing this live across all TV somehow cements that. But would their deaths really do that? Would the world seeing them turn on each other like rabid dogs really bring society into this despair the maniac so desperately craves?

None of the students, aside from the secret Ultimate Despairs, knew the answer to that. And many of them were growing to fear the possible answer.

"..." For a moment, things were quiet, with the camera focusing on the tensed-looking Kyoko.

"Is he… gone?" Hiro finally asked nervously.

"Hey, Kyoko." Immediately after, Byakuya turned towards Kyoko angrily. "What's the meaning of all this? Just what the hell is going on?"

The focus on the detective brought about a different type of tension. While some kept their eyes on the screen, others turned towards the present girl.

"It's okay. We're not the ones being trapped this time." Kyoko assured the Togami heir.

"Huh…?" Was Hina's confused response.

"Now it's the mastermind that's ensnared…"

"...I'm so confused." Hiro moaned, holding his head. "The entire chapter is so confusing man…"

"For once, I agree with you dude…" Leon sighed, holding his own head. "Kyoko, just… can you give people a straight enough answer for once? For once?!"

"Especially in regards to all that had happened in this trial…" Sakura stated, arms crossed.

Kyoko was silent, ignoring the stares coming from her classmates. She got a feeling on what her counterpart intends to do. A feeling that she desperately hopes is correct.

"What are you talking about…?" Was Byakuya's bewildered question.

"You'll understand soon enough." Again, the lavender-haired girl assured him. "Very soon indeed…"

"...Just what do you have planned, Kyoko?" The present Togami heir questioned, a look of clear suspicion across his face. "What possible ace do you have up your sleeve?"

"...I believe that ace is inside the garbage pit."

THAT got the attention of everyone. "You… Future you is going to save Makoto?!" Hina asked, the hope clear and loud in her voice.

"I believe so, yes…" The detective nodded.

"...Are you certain about that?" While Celeste would like nothing more for her luckster to get out of there, and survive… she was skeptical. For a multitude of reasons. One of which… "You were ready to abandon him to a fate intended for you, to save your own life. And I very much doubt you knew of Alter Ego's malware within the school system; so you had expected for him to die. Would you really risk your life to save him, when you were ready to see him executed before?"

What followed was a tense silence. The detective was stiff as a board, while the gambler narrowed her eyes accusingly at her. Several of the students looked nervous, others; conflicted. A few even felt their previous fury slowly coming back towards the detective.

However, the one who broke the silence… was Makoto. The future victim himself. "I believe she will." He stated. "Kyoko… she has something planned. We can see that she does. She didn't know about Alter Ego, true… but that just means she's thinking of a way to take advantage of this."

"...You still t-trust Kyoko that much?" Toko couldn't help but ask skeptically. "Even after… w-well…"

"It's not that." Makoto shook his head. "I just… know her well enough to say this. Kyoko isn't a coward. When she feels the risk is worth the reward, she'll take it. And… she probably saw something in my rescue to do it. A way to fully counter the mastermind."

That was when the students noticed. The tone Makoto was taking, it wasn't his usual hope-filled optimism he takes whenever he talked about stuff like this. It was more… subdued. Hesitant. Somber.

It got many of them worried. Had some of them flinching. But none of them knew what to say. How to handle it. With all that had happened, all the twists and turns in not only this trial, but the chapter as a whole… many of them had trouble digesting it all themselves.

The most they can do is just continue watching for now; and see what happens next.

Notes:

And that's the end. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I'm aware that you guys were expecting a few things to happen here, such as everyone congratulating Chihiro or Mukuro attempting to kill Kyoko. However, I felt that with how confusing the entire trial looked, I felt that emotional whiplashes and waves of confusion were the best way to go. Rest assured, no one will forget who was the one that ultimately saved Makoto in the end; or forget how the luckster ended up in that position in the first place. Next chapter will wrap up the fifth chapter of the game. Review, favorite, and follow and I will see you later.

Chapter 105: Watching Chapter 5: 100 Miles; Pain of a Junk Food Junkie Part 16

Notes:

Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So… this chapter felt weird/difficult to write. Mainly in the second half. One part was due to the rather long exposition dump given by Kyoko (Had forgotten how long this info dump really was); another was trying to figure out the class's feelings regarding Kyoko's betrayal, then sudden rescue. Suffice to say, those feelings would be complicated, and not so easily defined; and writing that out was an effort and a half.

But I did it! Granted, I'll likely have to split the info dump into two chapters, but I'm getting it done. Hoping the break, where the class can confront these issues fully, will be much easier to write out. Anyways, I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

"The massive high school towers over all the other buildings in this bustling urban area. It's like the school stands at the center of the entire world." As Makoto spoke, the screen lit back up to show a screenshot of Hope's Peak. "Hope's Peak Academy…"

Suffice to say, this brought a new wave of confusion to the students.

"Huh?"

"What is…?"

"Is that…?"

"It brings in top students from every field imaginable. A government-funded school of privilege…" Makoto continued. "They say that if you come here and manage to graduate, you'll be set for life. With hundreds of years of tradition, it sends the cream of the crop into the workforce every year."

"Are we… back at the start?" Taka asked in befuddlement. "I feel that this was addressed from the very start of this viewing…"

"It was…" Chihiro confirmed, looking just as confused.

"Is this… a dream…?" Celeste guessed, her eyes narrowed. "Are we seeing another of Makoto's dreams…?"

"I would say it's more of a recollection…" Hifumi corrected slightly.

"It was built to raise hope in the nation's future. Which makes 'Hope's Peak' a pretty fitting name." The image then got close to the front of the school. "There are two things you need to attend this school. One, you have to already be attending high school. Two, you have to be the very best at what you do. No ordinary student could enroll here. The only way in is if you're scouted by the school itself."

"And standing there at the gate of the ultimate school filled with ultimate students…" The scene then scrolled to show Makoto standing in front of the school. "...was me."

The present Makoto found himself clenching a knee with his free hand. Really? Now was the time to bring up his insecurities? Sure, it's indirect, but…

The screen then suddenly turned black, with everything silent for a long moment. Then a sleepy "...Nng?" entered into the speakers. The screen lit back up to show a familiar scene of Makoto waking up in a classroom. "W-What…? Where am I?"

"Yep. This definitely seems like a dream here…" Leon remarked, crossing his arms. "I'm just wondering why we're seeing it…"

"M-Maybe it's to show how everything seemed n-normal at the start…" Toko suggested, grimacing. "And transition t-that… to Makoto's s-situation now."

Her words got the whole room tense yet again. Looks of guilt, worried faces, frowns of displeasure were spread all across the student body at the idea of compare-and-contrast.

'It wouldn't be weird for me to zonk off in the middle of some boring class or whatever, but… what was I doing asleep here just now?'  Makoto wondered to himself.  'It wasn't any classroom I'd ever been in before.'

"What the heck is going on…?"

Yet again, the screen went black. And yet again, it slowly lit itself up, to now show an unconscious Makoto lying on the ground. "Gh…!" Slowly, the lucky student opened his eyes, bringing himself back into consciousness.

'I'm… awake.' Makoto thought to himself, slowly sitting himself up. 'Or…' As he lifted himself up, the camera expanded… to show the garbage pit the luckster was now in. 'Was this another dream?'

"...Holy. Hell." Was all Leon could say, mouth agape. "Is this… does the old school building actually have that big of a pit?!"

"How the hell are we supposed to know…?!" Mondo exclaimed back, looking just as shocked. "None of us went jumping into the fucking garbage chute to check!"

"And… is that a plane I see?!" Sayaka noted, eyes wide as the saucer.

"And the rocket from the beginning…?!" Hifumi added, holding his cheeks in shock.

"And TANKS?!" Hiro shouted fearfully.

Immediately, analytical minds took note of these extreme oddities. Even Kyoko pushed back her guilt for right now to analyze what they're being shown. There were already theories made that there were those attempting to break them out of the school; that defenses were set up to keep that from happening. The presence of those militaristic vehicles further solidifies that very idea.

However… tanks? Planes? Just what kind of defenses were set up? What was being thrown at them to try and break them up? Why throw this much?

'A dream… inside a hopeless nightmare.'

"...I think Miss Fukawa was accurate in regards to the transitioning of where he started, to where he is now." Hifumi gulped.

"A dream inside a hopeless nightmare…" Celeste quoted with a grimace. "If only that was the case."

"But no. This is just one continuous, seemingly unending nightmare…" Taka finished, also holding an unpleasant frown.

Makoto then gagged and held up his nose. "No… this isn't a dream." He spoke nasally. "What an awful smell…"

Slowly getting up, he looked around at the piles of junk. "This must be some kind of… underground garbage pit." He mused to himself. 'A heck of a situation to find myself in.'

Despite themselves, some couldn't help but snort. "No shit…" Mondo grumbled dryly.

"Doubt any of us would imagine the day you went through…" Leon remarked, looking at the present luckster.

Makoto could only nod, this scene, along with everything else, leaving him unable to respond much. "Y-Yeah…"

"I'm rather focused on the military vehicles within the pit, admittedly…" Byakuya stated, eyes narrowed. "I can't say for certain, but… they likely came from the outside. Remnants of whatever attack that took place outside Hope's Peak's walls."

His words got looks of shock from those who didn't make similar conclusions. "Are you… do you actually think that military grade equipment and vehicles are being sent to break into Hope's Peak?!" Taka voiced incredulously. "And that they failed in doing so?!"

"Wait, wait, hold on! Couldn't… Couldn't these just be props or something?" Hina hastily suggested, looking rattled. "Something to trick us into thinking that way?"

"Trick whom? The mastermind clearly has not intended for any of us to be thrown in the garbage disposal." Celeste countered, despite feeling just as unnerved. "And we all know that the rocket is very much real."

Sakura reluctantly nodded in agreement. "As disturbing this may be, we have to conclude that these are real." She stated. "And they're likely the remains of attempts to break us out."

"But… why? Why are they using equipment like that?" Sayaka questioned, a mixture of befuddlement and anxiety mixing in her tone. "How strong are Hope's Peak's defenses that they have to use stuff like that? And why… why go this far for us?"

While no one wanted to say it aloud, sixteen students trapped in a school didn't sound like it was worth tanks and planes. It was overkill even! So why? And how was the mastermind able to set up defenses that can counter such things?!

"We're missing something here…" Byakuya said, an irritated scowl forming across his face. "Something that'll connect the pieces in front of us. A reason that would explain everything our future selves discovered…"

That was something no one could disagree with. What piece are they missing, exactly, that would connect all of this? Was it something already seen, discovered, or hinted at? Or is there more, beyond the identity of the mastermind, that they need to get?

'And it's just the start of my problems…' An anxious look entered the luckster's face. 'Am I going to be stuck here till I waste away and die?'

"No, I can't let that happen…!" Makoto shouted out. "Not after what my good friend went through to save me!"

The scene flash-back to the appearance of Alter Ego. 'Alter Ego… saved me.' Makoto stated to himself. 'And he used up the last little bit of his strength to do it…'

It then transitioned back to the present situation. "So I can't give up now! For myself, and for my friend!"

Makoto's words and thoughts jolted the group out of their pondering/worries. "Even when faced with the hopeless, you have yet to give up…" Sakura noted with clear approval.

"...Of course…" Makoto nodded softly to this. "After all… Alter Ego used what part of himself to hide in the network to save me… so giving in despair would spit at that sacrifice…"

Despite his optimism, he could see that his future self's situation is pretty hopeless. Stuck in a pit, likely with no way out of there, any food and water in there spoiled and toxic… it would be pretty easy to just give up. Maybe even… find a quick way to end it.

But he couldn't imagine himself doing that. Especially not after being saved by Alter Ego, someone his future self considered a friend. Someone who they all thought they wouldn't see again. Who got immediately erased by the mastermind after revealing himself.

And speaking of the AI…

"Chihiro…" The lucky student turned towards the creator of the AI, to give him a smile filled to the brim with gratitude. His eyes were even shining with some unshed tears. "Your programming skills… it REALLY did help… I'm really grateful that you brought Alter Ego into the school. That you did all you could so that we could get out, and figure out the mystery of the school! Thank you, Chihiro…"

The words of gratitude stunned Chihiro for a moment, with the boy finally taking in what his creation did. Once he finally processed this… he returned Makoto's smile with a massive one of his own. With his own tears, tears of happiness this time, stinging his eyes. "I'm glad… I'm glad I was able to help in the end. That Alter Ego was able to save you! I'm… I'm happy that none of our efforts are a waste!"

The saving of Makoto's life… it brought about a big weight lifted off the little programmer. For much of this viewing, he felt that he contributed to very little in stopping this killing game. Alter Ego would have proven to be a big contributor, but he was destroyed the moment he did something of any importance.

Seeing his own creation interfere with an execution, one from a false trial at that, and knowing that Makoto will be saved by Kyoko in the end, made it feel as though contributed majorly in the end.

"You definitely got the last laugh in, little dude…!" Suddenly, Mondo wrapped an arm around the smaller boy and brought him in a one-arm hug, a wide grin across his face. "Betcha the mastermind never thought that you would've been the one to watch out for!"

"Agreed! You did very well in bringing Alter Ego for the survivors to use!" Taka exclaimed with his usual passion, pumping a fist over his chest. "It may not have been able to do what was originally intended, but his bravery gave the chance for a classmate to be saved! I find that more than satisfactory!"

"Even long after you're gone, you were able to give the mastermind a middle finger…!" Leon, having headed over to the couch Chihiro was one, ruffled the boy's hair with a wide grin. "Nice one, man! Nice on!"

"Three cheers for Chihiro…!" Hina whooped, pumping a fist exuberantly. She was soon joined by Hiro, Hifumi, and Junko.

All the while, Chihiro could only laugh as his more exuberant classmates celebrated his creation's interference, and Mondo and Leon continued their brotherly affection. A few tears slipped down his eyes, as he felt light; much lighter than he has been since the start of all this. For the first time, it felt as though the moments of strength and bravery were being paid off, rather than being punished.

As half the class was celebrating, Makoto looked on silently with a smaller smile now in place. He meant what he said before. He was grateful for what Alter Ego did, and in turn, was grateful for Chihiro for creating him and bringing him into the school. And he was glad to see his classmates celebrating this victory, his survival, and Chihiro's victory over the mastermind.

However… the luckster himself still couldn't help but feel heavy. Still felt a sorrow, a hurt that he just couldn't shake off. At least not right now.

"I managed to find a stairway to a door in the pit." Narrator Makoto spoke as the present luckster got to the large door. "However…"

'It's locked…' Makoto thought grimly as he wrestled with the knob. He tried pushing, pulling, and kicking at it with all his might, but the door didn't budge. "Getting out of here isn't gonna be that easy…"

'Well, if I'm not getting out of here anytime soon…' Makoto thought decisively, heading back down.

"I decided to look around for some food." Narrator Makoto stated. "But…"

"There's plenty of food here, but it's all rotten…" The luckster groaned, holding a rotten piece of food.

"Next I searched for some water." Narrator Makoto continued. "And again…"

Present Makoto looks at all the liquid with an uncertain look. "How can I be sure which liquids I can drink, and which ones are an all-around bad idea…?"

Seeing the struggle the future luckster was going through tempered the celebration, with several of the students feeling unease. "Yeah, things really do seem bad there…" Junko said with a fake grimace.

"Honestly, if I didn't know Kyoko would come to rescue him, I would be more worried…" Hina admitted, biting her lips nervously none-the-less.

"He would still need to survive until she's able to come get him…" Byakuya reminded her, a small scowl across his face. "Something which is made difficult without any viable food or water."

"I really do hope Kyoko comes soon then…" Sayaka said with an anxious frown, her grip on Makoto tight once more.

The detective felt the same, silently urging her counterpart to be as quick as possible in saving Makoto.

"I feel like I'm blocked in on all sides." Makoto sighed. 'But that's still not enough reason to give up. Because…!'

"Because I'm still alive!" The luckster then shouted up at the roof. "As long as I'm alive, I'll never give up!"

"...Damn, dude." Leon couldn't help but remark, shaking his head in slight disbelief. "Even when you're in the literal gutter, with no way out, you're not even a little discouraged."

The others were just as surprised and amazed by their lucky student's resilience. Despite being trapped in a garbage pit, with no food, no water, and a door that's unable to be broken (At least not by him)... he's still trying to move forward. Still keeping his spirit, not collapsing in anguish or in sort of despair.

"It's truly impressive…" Taka spoke in admiration and amazement. "To stand stall despite the odds… to hold such an indomitable will…"

"Makoto really is strong…" Chihiro muttered once again, a wide smile across his face. "I knew he was! He's definitely not in the bottom rung…!"

"He got a bit of muscle on him, sure…" Mondo remarked, crossing his arms with furrowed eyebrows. "But it's that goddamn heart of his where the guy is really showing strength."

"While it doesn't seem like much… this truly does feel impressive." Celeste admitted, keeping her bafflement and amazement hidden.

Makoto himself was one of the few that wasn't surprised by this. After all, being the optimist that he is was the only notable thing about him. He couldn't imagine himself just giving up that easily, even in that dire situation. 'Though is it really that impressive, when I can't do a thing with it…?' The luckster couldn't help but think.

'It's easier to keep moving forward when there's a way out…' Kyoko mused to herself. 'Even a miniscule chance can keep one from wavering. But to persevere, even when there's no discernable way to get out of the mess you're in… how many could actually do that?'

'...He lacks the physical capabilities required to be a soldier…' Mukuro thought to herself once gain. 'Yet not only does he have a heart to protect and help others… he has an inner strength, a will, that outclass many other soldiers. Even those in Fenrir… would find it difficult to match that kind of will…'

Even Junko found herself taken aback by this never give up attitude; unnerved, even. Here he is, stuck in an actual dump, with spoiled garbage and sewage water as food sources, unable to break down the door right above him… yet this nobody lucky student still declares that he ain't giving up. When there's no one else to hear him or judge him.

She could easily class it as false bravado. As someone desperately clinging to hope before they fall deep into despair. Yet… those thoughts could not stop the rapid heart-beats. The tightening of her chest. The small shake of her hands that she couldn't seem to stop naturally. 'What is this… what the hell are you making me feel, Makoto Naegi?'

"After making that proud declaration, the next thing I decided to do was…" As Narrator Makoto spoke, the present luckster gathered a makeshift blanket and pillow before… "...go to sleep."

"..." It took a moment for the group to process that decision the future luckster decided to make. But once they did, snorts and brief laughs couldn't help but leave several of the students.

"Sorry dude, but… screaming to the roof you ain't gonna give up, that's your game plan?" Mondo snickered, covering his mouth. "Just call it a day and hit the bed?"

Despite his mood, Makoto found his cheeks turning red. The giggles coming from Sayaka did little to alleviate his embarrassment. Even Kyoko found herself smiling in slight amusement.

"To be fair, that's probably the best move he could make at the moment…" Celeste stated, giggling herself none-the-less. "Having his body get into a relaxed state of sleep will slow his hunger and thirst significantly."

"Which should give Kyoko the time she needs to get there…" Sakura stated. That brought back down the moment of levity, the air getting more serious and the smiles/laughter fading for the moment.

"My sleep was deep and uninterrupted. That was the only way to preserve what little strength I had left, after not being able to eat or drink. I can't be sure, but I think at least a full day had to have passed. And all I did was sleep and sleep… It was like I was waiting for some kind of sign to come falling out of the sky."

"C'mon, Kyoko, get there already…" Hina murmured, crossing her fingers and biting her lips once again.

Similar thoughts and murmurs ran throughout the room as they watched what seemed to be snippets of Makoto just sleeping through a full day. Some were anxious, others more composed.

Then finally…

"However… rather than a sign…"

A loud crunching sound entered into the pit, startling the lucky student awake. "What the-?!" Makoto exclaimed, looking around. His eyes then fell onto a new pile of garbage that formed into an odd shape.

Immediately, that got the student body's interest, eyes lighting up with growing hope. Could it be…?

"Did something fall down over there…?" The lucky student wondered, getting up from his make-shift. Curiously, he went over to the odd-shaped trash pile. "Did a giant piece of trash just fall down here…?" He stretched his hand towards the pile slowly before…

"A giant piece of trash? Rude." Makoto's eyes widened at the very familiar voice, just as the source in question emerged from the trash. With a cup of ramen stuck to her head. "This place smells awful."

"YES!" Half the class shouted to the roof-top. Students shot up from their seats as they cheered on the appearance of Kyoko.

"Kyoko's is finally here to rescue Makoto…!" Hina whooped excitedly, both fists pumped towards the roof.

"Looks like the two of you were right…!" Leon exclaimed with a grin, referring to the luckster and the detective. "Kyoko jumped down into the pit for a rescue mission!"

"A sign really did fall out of the sky, in the form of Kyoko…!" Hiro declared, pumping a fist forward at the TV.

"And with the master key that she has obtained, that'll make such rescue incredibly easier…!" Hifumi stated, adjusting his glasses yet again.

"Looks like the giant fucking middle finger is gonna continue to hold up at the damn bear…!" Mondo held a both happy and vindictive grin.

As her fellow classmates celebrated, Sayaka let out a sigh of relief before a more focused expression was aimed at the screen. Yes, she's more than happy that Kyoko's there to rescue Makoto. That her luckster wouldn't suffer a fate of starving to death surrounded by garbage. However… she didn't forget that Kyoko herself put Makoto in that position in the first place. And she wants to hear what the detective counterpart's will have to say for herself.

Byakuya was another student that wasn't yet celebrating. He knew that even if Kyoko pulled Makoto out of the garbage pit, Monokuma would not let this slide. So, he was waiting. Waiting to see… 'Just what exactly is your ace in the hole, Kyoko?'

"K-Kyoko?!"

"You look like you're doing better than I expected…" The lavender-haired girl noted.

"Wh-What are you doing here?" Makoto asked, still stunned.

"Isn't it obvious?" Kyoko asked rhetorically. "I'm here to help you."

Kyoko also let out a small sigh of relief. While she was confident that her future self would come to Makoto's rescue, it's good to see that come to fruition; keeping those expectations from being subverted. But like Byakuya, she knew it wasn't over yet. Getting Makoto out would be the first step; ensuring that he doesn't be put in another execution is the second.

Like all of his classmates, Makoto was glad to see that the future Kyoko was here to help his future self. Even if it was just for the chance to one-up the mastermind, he's not gonna scoff at getting out with all body parts attached. Though… 'How do you plan on stopping the mastermind from trying another execution, Kyoko…?'

That got a smile from the lucky student. "I'm glad to hear that, Kyoko…" His eyes then moved to what's stuck on her hair. "Umm… you've got a bit of garbage in your hair…"

That got a startled, embarrassed look from the girl, finally taking notice of the cup ramen. She made a quick, sharp shake to get rid of it.

Yet again, bouts of laughter left the students' lips, this time aimed at Kyoko's expense. "Can't believe I didn't notice the ramen sitting on her head…!" Leon laughed, holding his stomach.

"Kyoko looked so embarrassed for a moment…!" Hina giggled, covering her mouth.

The detective herself turned away from everyone, willing for her cheeks not to burn in embarrassment. The slight of chuckle from the luckster beside her made that particular battle tougher; though her heart felt a bit lighter, hearing Makoto let out those chuckles.

Kyoko then faced Makoto again. "First, I have something for you." Reaching into her jacket, she took out two rolls of bread and a bottle of water. "Go ahead and eat it. We can talk once you're finished."

Makoto's eyes immediately lit up at the sight of the food. "Th-Thank you!" He snatched the food and drink from her hands, and devoured it within seconds. He let out a satisfying breath. "Whew, that really hit the spot! Now I've got all the energy I need to keep going!"

"All he needed was a pick-me-up, and the little dude gets ready to roll…!" Mondo remarked, shaking his head in slight disbelief.

"Is it really much of a shock? We've witnessed his never-give-up mindset be pushed within this pit." Byakuya responded with a raised eyebrow. "And you could hardly call it bravado, when there's no one to try and convince of your endurance."

"Maybe. However, it's still surprising who resilient one can be when placed in such positions…" Taka admitted to. Even his counterpart was brought to his limit, and had to be pulled out by the persona of his bro Alter Ego had taken.

"So you still haven't given up, then." Kyoko noted, a small smile coming across her face.

"Of course not!" Makoto shook his head. "After all, the fact that I can keep going forward is about all I'm good at…"

"Well, that's not such a bad thing to be good at." The girl offered, still smiling.

"Definitely…"

"No question about it…"

"There really are worse things to be good at…"

"And it's not like it's the only thing he's good at either…"

Yet again, Makoto found his cheeks burning at his classmates' words. Really, was his optimism that big a deal to others?

"But Kyoko…" Makoto then spoke with a small frown across his face. "Why'd you come to rescue me?"

"To pay a debt." The girl answered. "Or, no… to atone."

"Atone…?"

And just like that, the room grew quiet and serious; everyone recognizing that they're about to approach the more tense topic. Any embarrassment Makoto felt vanished, replaced with an anxious tension; Kyoko looked downward, hair shadowing her upper face yet again; and several students either held tense looks, neutral ones, or nervous expressions.

"During the trial, even though you knew I was lying, you didn't say anything." Kyoko pointed out.

"So… you knew that I knew…" Was the luckster's response.

"But even though I knew, I did nothing to help you." Kyoko then admitted. "I… abandoned you."

"Don't say that!" Makoto immediately protested. "You didn't abandon me!"

But the lavender-haired girl refuted his words. "No, that's exactly what I did. I abandoned you in order to save my own life. You were trying to save me, and I couldn't bring myself to do the same for you."

Her words, her admittance, caused the room to grow colder. It was one thing to connect the dots, and figure out what Kyoko was doing. It was another to get confirmation of her own actions.

Some such as Sakura and Byakuya felt inclined to forgive. While they're far from approving of Kyoko's actions before-hand, they still recognize this as merely a possible future, not something that actually happened. And with the girl herself jumping down to save the very person she left to die initially, she's working her way to redemption.

Others such as Hina and Chihiro were more conflicted. On one hand, the future Kyoko is at the pit now, ready to get Makoto out and give him food to regain his energy. On the other hand… the sting of betrayal they felt for their luckster has not lessened one bit, and they couldn't just easily let go of what she did before. Not when the results would've been way different without Alter Ego's interference.

And there are those like Sayaka and Mukuro… who found themselves slowly growing furious. Yes, they can see that the detective has come to rescue the lucky student; but that didn't change that she brought him in that situation in the first place. Without Alter Ego coming in to stop the execution, Kyoko would've just left him to die. It was only thanks to that heavy dose of luck that she was able to do this rescue in the first place.

And Makoto himself… he was on the conflicted side. Grateful that Kyoko came to his rescue; yet knowing that it was only due to Alter Ego that she was able to do so. Feeling that same hurt, that same distress, that he felt days ago with Sayaka; yet wondering if he should let this go, considering the results. He felt as though a war was going through his war heart, and it caused his face to contort with that clear distress. With that conflict.

"But listen, not that I'm trying to make excuses, but… there was a reason that I had to survive no matter the cost."

"...Are you actually serious?" Sayaka spoke softly, incredulity and anger mixing within her tone. "You say that you're not trying to excuse yourself, but that… it sounds exactly like that! Like you're trying to justify your actions!"

"I'm not." Kyoko's voice was just as soft, though more curt and controlled compared to the idol's disbelieving rage. "My counterpart is merely explaining herself. Makoto deserves that much, at the minimum, and there's little that would make it not sound like an excuse."

"True enough…" Celeste spoke up in acknowledgement, sounding rather monotone yet again. "And no explanation will change the very fact that she abandoned him. Left him to die while prioritizing herself."

"...Let's continue to listen, and see what the future Kyoko has to say." Sakura advised. Silently, the group heeded the martial artist's suggestion and focused on the screen once again.

"Why did you have to survive?" Makoto asked her.

"I'll tell you. I'll tell you everything…" Kyoko promised him. "The reason I have to survive… is so that I can do what I came to this school to do."

"What…?"

"I made up my mind to come to Hope's Peak Academy for one very important reason." Kyoko revealed. "Or at least, I did, once."

"Once…?" Makoto spoke, sounding more confused.

"Until recently… I'd forgotten what it was."

The luckster's eyes widened at this. 'You forgot? But that's…!' His mind then flashbacked to what Kyoko revealed to the group about her talent, and her lack of memory of it. 'Then… is it really true? You lost your memory?'

"...Are we getting into a long exposition dump?" Hifumi couldn't help but ask. "It feels as though we are…"

"Kyoko has been hiding a l-lot of things…" Toko spoke, surprisingly with minimal stutter. "And she may have regained/found more of her memories. So it is l-likely that the explanation will be long…"

'And in turn, really, really boring…' Junko bemoaned, resisting the urge to slump. Having calmed down from the weird feeling she felt with Makoto, this was becoming more and more mind numbing for her. The only thing that kept her awake is wondering what the detective got planned to keep lucky boy from getting executed.

Cause the moment the two come up from the garbage pit, her counterpart won't hesitate in axing him for good!

"Exposition or not, this is still providing us with information…" Byakuya stated, eyes narrowly focused on the screen. "And now Kyoko is finally sharing all that she knows."

"Finally…" Leon sighed, rustling his hair in annoyance. "And it took Makoto nearly getting axed, twice, to get her coming clean…"

No one commented on what he said. None of them wanted to touch on it, not now at least. But there was clear tension within the class, one of confliction and silent fury.

"Do you remember, Makoto? Do you remember the first thing that happened to each of us as soon as we arrived at this school?" Kyoko asked him.

'The first thing…?' After a moment of thinking, Makoto spoke. "You're talking about when we fainted, right? I fainted, and when I woke up… I was trapped here."

"I fainted too. And when I woke up… I noticed a strange feeling of… separation within myself. A disconnect." Kyoko revealed. "Thinking back on it now, at that point my memory was gone."

"So that's what it felt like…?" Chihiro murmured, concern and sympathy across his voice. "Not having her memory as a detective? Of anything related to that…?"

"It makes sense. It is the core of who Kyoko is. What her life revolved around." Sakura stated. "To take that away… it's like taking a piece of one-self. Like knowing that a piece is missing, yet unable to figure out what it is."

"...I can't imagine how that would feel…" Makoto spoke softly. "I mean, all our future selves lost two years worth our memories… but nothing that would make us the core of who we are."

Yet again, Kyoko found herself caught off guard by the kindness Makoto was showing. While she was certain that he wouldn't spit out in vitriol or fury, she didn't think he would speak up like that. Show any level of sympathy for her plight.

'Then again… this was the same boy who empathized with the one who tried to frame him in the very first trial, wasn't it?' Kyoko remembered, and acknowledged. And the more he showed that empathy… the more she felt her future counterpart made the wrong choice. Regardless of how that choice resulted in the end.

Sayaka, however, was not surprised. 'That's just like you, Makoto, to show sympathy like that…' The idol thought sadly. 'Even to people who may not deserve it…'

'...You're too kind…' Was Mukuro's thought, her fist clenching. While at this point, she wouldn't trade Makoto's altruism for anything, she feels as though it places him in constant danger. That his kindness goes little in being rewarded.

Honestly, a part of her was surprised she wasn't making any attempts to gut Kyoko. But the soldier guessed that her warring emotions, and the constant twists and turns, kept her seated and in control. After all… the detective was not the only one guilty of leading Makoto into the execution chamber.

"At that time… I'd forgotten. I couldn't remember why I'd come to this school, and I couldn't remember what my 'ultimate' ability was."

"But… what would make you forget all that?" Makoto asked with a frown.

"Strange, isn't it?" Kyoko spoke in agreement. "It's hard to imagine it happened by chance. It seems much too convenient."

"Are you saying you think you lost memory because…?"

"I don't think. I'm positive it was the work of the mastermind. They stole my memory…" The lavender-haired girl stated certainly.

"B-But… why would they want to do that?" The luckster questioned.

"There's only one reason I can come up with." Kyoko stated. "Because of my purpose, and my ability. Somehow, they would interfere with the mastermind's plans."

'So the mastermind just… stole them from you?' Makoto thought, sounding unable to wrap his head around that.

"And it could also mean…" Kyoko continued. "...somehow, my memories may be connected to the mystery of this school, and the mastermind. Which is why I have to get them back."

Byakuya snorted. "Considering what they know, that isn't a bad guess." He remarked. "But I think she underestimated the importance of those specific memories. As I stated days before, it's likely to get rid of her abilities as a detective. To keep the game fair in their eyes."

"Like you said, with what they know, it was a good deduction." Kyoko shot back, unwilling to take that lying down. Though her words lacked some of the bite she usually would have.

"That's why I've been investigating things by myself this whole time."

"But if what you say is true, why didn't you ask the rest of us to help you?"

"If I did that, and we all worked as one, the mastermind would have noticed right away." Kyoko answered. "Plus… there's always the chance that the mastermind is actually one of us…"

At that last statement, several eyes widened. "Wait… you actually suspected that one of us would've been the mastermind…?" Hina asked, dumbfounded.

"Wait… was that why she didn't want Makoto to tell anyone else about the key…?" Taka exclaimed in recollection, remembering the key reveal. "Cause she suspected that one of the survivors was the mastermind…?"

Kyoko sighed. "...It's not something that could be easily brushed off." She said, defending her counterpart's position on this. "Previously, there was a spy among the group. The mastermind being a part of the class wouldn't be that much of a stretch, wouldn't it?"

"She has a point…" Byakuya hummed. "And our future selves were suspicious of her in return, so it's not like it was one-sided…"

"...All this suspicion was why we ended up in the place we did!" Hina spoke up yet again, anger and frustration in her tone. "All the side-looks we give each other, not saying anything to anyone… it's why over half of us died; why Makoto almost ended up being crushed to death!"

That got a snort from Toko. "So, w-what? Do you t-think that trusting each o-other from the get-go would h-help?" She said bitterly. "Please. E-Even if we did, that b-bear wouldn't let that stand. This c-chapter proves that, doesn't it?"

"And if the mastermind was within the group itself, that would make it easier to derail any sort of camaraderie between the class…" Celeste spoke grimly. "With all the risk that comes with it, that possibility could not be ignored."

Still, those answers did not satisfy Hina, judging by the frustrated scowl. So Sakura decided to speak up, placing a hand over her friend's shoulder. "There was no clear answer as to what to do…" The martial artist said softly. "None of the options given to us made an obvious path forward. Whether we had worked together fully, or branched off by ourselves… we cannot say that either option wouldn't have led to deaths that have happened."

"..." Reluctantly, the swimming pro settled back down in her seat. However, it was clear that she was still rather unhappy.

Makoto's eyes widened at this. "What…?"

"Well, don't make too big a deal of it. It's just a possibility." The lavender-haired girl assured him. "But since it is a possibility, we can't ignore it, right?"

'The mastermind… one of us…' The luckster repeated to himself. 'If she believed that, then of course she couldn't trust anyone around her. In which case, it only makes sense that she would look into her missing memory by herself.'

"...Honestly? I can also see why Kyoko said shit to anyone." Leon admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "Sure, I still think she should've said something, anything, at some point… but could she really say anything about her memories at the start? Especially, in her eyes, the mastermind could've been one of us?"

"In that same vein, the idea of invisible treachery was what kept us apart, Leon…" Sayaka argued. "If we had tried to find a way to actually work together, then we maybe would've had a better chance. Could've stopped the killing game before it even began."

"...Like Sakura said. There's no clear answer." Makoto said softly, looking down. "I don't think there was a correct one to begin with. Obviously, I would've liked it if all of us could've worked together… but was that possible? Could we have? I just…"

"Makoto…" More and more, Sayaka found herself worried for the luckster. It feels as though that optimism of his, the move forward attitude that really defined him… was dimming. Not by much, but it was noticeable enough to be concerning. 'How much… how much of this is affecting you…?'

"That being said, there was a limit to what I could do by myself." Kyoko then admitted. "Which is why I asked you to help me."

"But… why me?"

"Because among everyone, you were least likely to be the mastermind." Kyoko stated with a slight chuckle. "That was just intuition, but…"

"Yep…"

"That tracks…"

"Makes sense…"

"Out of all of us…"

And for the umpteenth time, the lucky student found his cheeks turning red at the nods and verbal agreements of his classmates. Seriously, what's with these silent implications regarding him?!

"I-I see…" Was Makoto's awkward response. "Your intuition was right, though. There's no way an ordinary kid like me could've been the mastermind."

"Why did you have to say it like that…?" Hina inquired with a frown. "It's not because you're 'ordinary', or whatever. It's because, you're… you!"

"To add context to Hina's rather abstract statement, you're someone who can be easily trusted by all of us." Celeste spoke, her voice softening by a noticeable margin. "Even the more weary members of our class could eventually see your honesty."

"As stated several times before, you're open to the point of foolishness." Byakuya remarked. "And while I find it a disadvantage for any person to have… it's something you make work for your benefit."

"You… have a strength that the mastermind wouldn't have." Chihiro spoke earnestly, fists clenched. "You're able to hold your head up, no matter what. That's not something that could be faked."

"In other words, someone who's trustworthy. Who's very open with everyone. Who's kind and very optimistic." Sayaka added, her voice taking an earnest, almost pleading tone. "So… don't take yourself for granted. Don't think that we think of you as just this normal high-school boy. To us, you're more than that…"

The lucky student was silent, uncertain on what to say to that. His cheeks weren't going to cool down anytime soon, he knew that; and Sayaka's, and everyone else's words were effectively combating this melancholy, this hurt, that was attempting to encompass his heart.

Suddenly, flashes of the dream he had, one where he "understood" entered his mind. "Gh…!" The luckster choked, holding his head. 'It's just like the dream I had before, but… Why did that just happen…?'

Of course, that little tidbit caught the attention of the others. "Makoto's memories…!" Hiro gasped in shock. "It's trying to come back up again…!"

"It really does seem as though our memories were suppressed, rather than erased…" Sakura observed.

"And those lost memories could be the focal point that they need to figure out the major mystery…!" Taka spoke in musing, his eyebrows furrowed. "Which would mean they need to regain those memories, or even just figure out that they lost those memories."

"Easier said than done. But then again, these flashes do improve those odds…" Celeste hummed.

Meanwhile, Byakuya looked down in thought. 'We only have one chapter left, along with an epilogue…' He recalled. 'Which would mean that if our future selves are to solve all the mysteries of the school, it will be in that last chapter. But how will… Is this what the future Kyoko intends? To exploit this failed execution? The fake trial even? To take this hole, and further open it up as much as possible?'

'...All the answers will have to be in the last chapter.' Kyoko concluded, clenching her fist. 'One way or another, they'll be confronting the mastermind directly. Monokuma won't overlook Makoto's survival. So in order to save his life… my future self will have to push the fact that the trial was fake from the start. That it has no legitimacy. And with the knowledge of the killing game being broadcasted across all airwaves…'

"Are you okay…?" Kyoko inquired, eyebrows furrowed.

"O-Oh, yeah… it's nothing." Makoto attempted to assure her, lifting his head up. 'It is nothing, right…?'

"Nope. It's not nothing." Hifumi stated, shaking his head. "It's definitely not nothing."

"It really feels as though they're being led to figure out that their memories are missing…" Chihiro hummed. "I mean, there's the pictures, our stuff scattered around, the moments of recollection we have…"

"Hard to keep dismissing all this shit as fake or nothing serious when they keep fucking happening…" Mondo grunted.

After a moment, Kyoko continued. "Even now, I still trust you, you know. It's just… I'm not used to relying on others." She admitted. "I know I never asked you for help right away, so I understand if you're not convinced…"

'Honestly, I was convinced.' Makoto thought to himself. 'I think… that's just her personality.'

That last thought caused the group to start laughing yet again. "And yet another mental diss from our lucky student/class rep…!" Leon exclaimed with a grin.

"Seriously, who knew you had that snarky side hiding in ya little dude…?" Mondo remarked, wiping a tear from his laughter.

"And I'm happy to hear how self-aware Kyoko is…!" Hina giggled through her covered mouth.

Makoto kept his eyes away from everyone, yet again feeling sheepish for the thoughts of his future self. As he did, his eyes met Kyoko, who also took to blocking her own sight in embarrassment.

For a moment, the two stared at one another. It was a rather long moment, at least it felt that way for the detective and the luckster, before Makoto looked away; unable to say anything, and uncertain on what to say. Kyoko, in response, instinctively reached out to his free hand before stopping, hesitation clear in her movements. Eventually, she pulled away, both her glove-covered hands gripping her sleeves as she turned away.

Makoto knew that his future self holds no grudge over what Kyoko had done. That he still fully trusts the detective, even with what had happened. So… why? Why was he unable to feel that same trust? Unable to let go of that hurt, that feeling of betrayal?

Notes:

And that's the end. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Like I said, complicated feelings all around. Combined with Kyoko doing an exposition dump, and you got a chapter that's rather difficult to write. Apologies if this is a more lack-luster chapter, but I did all that I could to spice it up here and there.

Just one more chapter until I'm done with the reaction of the fifth chapter. Then it'll be another break chapter (Or chapters, rather) before heading into the reactions of the final arc of the visual novel (Whoo Wee, that'll be a doozy. I'll say that). Leave comments, kudos, and bookmarks, and I will see you later.

Chapter 106: Watching Chapter 5: 100 Miles; Pain of a Junk Food Junkie Part 17

Notes:

Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So, for those unaware, there's a piece of fanart floating in my X account, created by one of you readers (Veractivon). Took some mods, put them together, and showed it to me on X. It makes me smile, thinking that this fic is good enough for someone to take the time to make a fan-art of it.

"Fun isn't something one considers when trying to make the best fanfic. But this… does put a smile on my face."

Attempted to post it here on one of the chapters for this fic; unfortunately, seems as though the site can't pop in images from sites like X. So if you want to get a look, you can go on my X account to do (Will post the link at the end of this chapter, as well as in the summary).

With that out of the way, let's get back to the viewing. Here, the class will finally wrap up Chapter 5. I hope you enjoy.

P.S. For those who are aware of Tigerwoman188, just want to let you know that I've finally decided to block that reviewer. At this point, it was pretty clear that the constant reviews sent was trolling, not really giving any constructive criticism; so my patients eventually ran out. Probably should've done it sooner, but hey, better late than never.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

"You said you had a reason for doing all that investigating on your own…" Makoto then inquired, the two now sitting down; Kyoko on a used couch while Makoto was on the ground. "So… how'd that turn out? Were you able to remember anything?"

"I think there's still a lot I don't remember. But at the very least…" Kyoko began answering. "...I was finally able to recall my purpose, and my ability."

That got eyebrows to shoot up in surprise. "So… Kyoko was actually able to regain her memories?" Hina asked in slight shock.

"Only bits and pieces, from the sounds of it." Mukuro noted. "Memories related to her being a detective."

"This feels like a big reveal moment, where we find out more about the mystery character…" Hifumi couldn't help but note. "Only that we got spoiled of that moment, so it feels less exciting."

"Are you ever gonna stop comparing this to an anime…?" Leon deadpanned in slight annoyance.

"Well, to be fair… everything about this viewing has the hallmark of a mystery anime…" Makoto pointed out hesitantly. "Or maybe a visual novel…"

"It's d-difficult not to view it as some sort of s-story with the way it's all f-framed…" Toko added.

"My ability - what everyone should have known me for… I'm the Ultimate Detective."

'The Ultimate… Detective?' Makoto repeated to himself, with some amazement.

"And the reason I came to Hope's Peak Academy…" The newly dubbed Ultimate Detective continued. "Was to find someone here in the school. Whatever it took, I had to find them."

"You had to find someone…?" Makoto repeated, tilting his head curiously. "Who?"

"Well…" After a moment of hesitation, Kyoko answered. "It was the headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy."

"...Hold a sec." Leon spoke up in bewilderment, his mind catching up to what was said. His confusion was shared by several more of his classmates. "You're telling me you went to Hope's Peak… just so you can see your old man?"

On the outside, that doesn't seem too strange. To want to meet your estranged family member, your parents especially, is a common thing for those who grew up without them.

But Kyoko has made it clear from the start she held no connection towards her father. The whole class knew that the detective didn't view the headmaster as family. So… why go out of her way to meet him?

Kyoko herself, unwilling to explain her actions, merely sighed and said, "I have my reasons. Reasons that'll likely be revealed in this viewing. So be patient."

While the class knew about the estrangement between her and her father, Kyoko never explained to her classmates exactly why they were estranged. Only Makoto knew the full story, and she wasn't planning on telling her past to more people.

However, knowing that most of her classmates' pasts had been aired already, she had no choice but to be resigned to what's coming. So she made no fuss about it.

"The headmaster?!" The luckster exclaimed in surprise. "Why did you want to find the headmaster?!"

"Because he's my father."

If it was possible, Makoto's eyes got even wider. "What?!"

"I was separated from him as a child. As it turns out, he became the headmaster of Hope's Peak." Kyoko explained.

'Kyoko's dad… is Hope's Peak's headmaster…?!' Makoto thought to himself in shock. "Then that explains…"

A flashback of Kyoko's reaction when she heard from Alter Ego of the headmaster's supposed involvement was played, before going back to the present. "My memory hadn't come back at that point. But when he said that, I felt… strange." Kyoko said. "It makes perfect sense now, of course, since my whole purpose for coming here was to find him."

"It sounds like more than just bits and pieces of her memories…" Makoto noted. "It sounds as though she gained enough back to feel… whole again."

"So it would seem…" Sakura nodded in agreement.

"That's good, isn't it…?" Chihiro spoke optimistically, a small smile across his face. "That she was able to gain back a piece of herself…"

"It is…" The lucky student said in agreement. Regardless of any complicated feelings, he's glad that Kyoko's future self was able to regain a piece of her lost memories.

Now if only all remaining six survivors can get ALL their memories back…

"That makes sense…" Makoto nodded in agreement.

"But listen, Makoto. I want to make this perfectly clear, so there's no misunderstanding…" Kyoko then stated. "I said the headmaster wasn't the mastermind, but I didn't say that to protect him."

"And there's the daddy issues showing…" Leon murmured dryly.

It was a murmur that Kyoko still heard, prompting the detective to narrow her eyes slightly at the baseball star. Said baseball star merely whistled innocently in response.

"I only said what I felt based on what I'd seen when I snuck into the headmaster's room."

"Then… what did you see in there?" Makoto inquired.

"The room had been ransacked. The shelves were a mess, the desk drawers dumped on the floor…" Kyoko described. "The only conclusion is that someone who didn't know where anything was had been in there."

The detective's words took the group by surprise, slightly. "What could they have been looking for, I wonder…?" Celeste mused.

"Couldn't they just have been collecting everything within the headmaster's office…?" Taka suggested.

"Then w-why make the mess that t-they did?" Toko retorted. "T-They could've been more o-organized, or something."

"The speculation is pointless unless there's something in that office of actual importance to us…" Byakuya sighed in clear annoyance. "Let's continue, and put our attention on what's actually valuable."

Yet again, there was grumbling at Byakuya's sharp tongue. Never-the-less, the class put their attention back on the screen.

"You mean… the mastermind, right?" Makoto guessed hesitantly.

"That was my assumption, yes. And to confirm my suspicion…" Kyoko held up the Monokuma key still in her grasp. "...I decided to investigate the 2nd floor of the dorms using the key I'd found."

"But… why there?"

"Because I also found this in the headmaster's room." The detective then held out a small bundle of paper.

"This is… some kind of map?" Makoto wondered, looking at the sketches.

"It's the layout of the entirety of Hope's Peak Academy." Kyoko answered. "I found it in the headmaster's room, aligned with Mukuro's profile and that key. The map showed that the 2nd floor was home to a number of rooms meant for faculty use. Some of the staff must have had to stay overnight from time to time. And I figured the headmaster would have some kind of private room there…"

"I assumed that if that were true, that room would likely hold more clues. So I went to check…" The detective continued. "And that's when I finally remembered. I remembered that my purpose was to find the owner of that room."

"So was the private room that she was looking for the trigger for her memories…?" Taka mused, his knuckles across his chin. "Or was it something else?"

"Hard to say, Mr. Ishimaru. Could've been anything. Could've been completely random…" Hifumi answered thoughtfully. "Difficult to say without more information…"

"Honestly, the whole regaining memories thing is so confusing…" Hina moaned, holding her head. "First Hifumi getting them back after getting hit in the head? Makoto's sick dream? Kyoko remembering being a detective after visiting the Headmaster's private room? Can't there be a simple, and obvious way for them to get their memories back?"

"Trust me Hina, all of us wish for simpler solutions…" Sayaka sighed.

"So you went there to see if the headmaster really did have a private room here…" The lucky student summarized.

"But once I got there, I noticed that the 2nd floor of the dorms didn't have any cameras or monitors." Kyoko then revealed.

"So… what was it like?" Makoto inquired curiously. "That part of the school, I mean…"

"It's hard to describe. All I can say is…" Kyoko hummed, looking in thought. "The moment I saw it, I realized… whatever's going on in this school is more horrific than we ever imagined."

And of course, those ominous words brought about chills across the students' spines. "Does that… are there more dead students…?" Hina gulped, getting a bit pale.

"If there was, I'm sure Kyoko would've said so…" Sakura assured her friend; along with all those who shared that same fear. "No, it's likely something more complicated if Kyoko can't put it into words."

"Kyoko, did you have to take a page out of Makoto's book, and sound so damn ominous…?" Leon groaned. Yet again, the detective's response was silence.

"W-What do you mean…?"

"I can't explain it. You need to see it for yourself." Kyoko told the luckster. "And I'm sure you'll get your chance soon enough…"

'It sounds like it must be important.' Makoto mused nervously. 'And really ominous…'

"...Just what do you have planned, Kyoko?" Sayaka asked suspiciously, her eyebrows furrowed. "You intend to get Makoto out of there alive, but… how? And what else do you have in mind?"

"...I believe that my future self intends to confront the mastermind directly about the last trial." Kyoko answered, keeping her eyes leveled on the screen. "Challenge the legitimacy of their verdict, and essentially get a retrial; with them officially as another possible suspect."

That got several of the students to look at the detective in shock. "Are you serious…?" Hina spoke, mouth agape. "You're seriously gonna face up against the mastermind like that?"

"I know you got a tough spine on you, Kyoko, but seriously…" Leon followed up, sounding just as flabbergasted. "You think that actually gonna work with the bear?"

This time, it was Byakuya who spoke up. "Before this chapter, I doubt such a plan would've actually worked." He stated, looking down in thought. "However, there is one thing that would give Kyoko a significant advantage."

Now eyes were turned towards the Togami heir. "The hell are you on about, Togami?" Mondo barked with some annoyance. "What advantage does Kyoko have against the damn bear?"

"Did you all seriously forget?" Byakuya sighed in annoyance. Before he could be met with any annoyance or anger back, he continued with, "This killing game is being broadcasted to the entire world."

"..." That brought about a deafening silence, the room getting cold at the reminder of that disturbing fact. Several of the students looked more than uncomfortable, with some even losing color across their cheeks.

"...Are you saying that because he's broadcasting the game for everyone to see, Monokuma would have no choice but to do that retrial?" Celeste concluded, pushing back the uncomfortable feeling in her chest. "But… why would he care?"

"We've talked about this before; it's clear that he's been making this killing game something legitimate." The Togami heir explained. "Have even stated before to my counterpart that he's also beholden to the rules. Clearly, he's been trying to hide the fact that the trial is fake. Why go through all that effort, if not to convince the audience of this game's legitimacy?"

"...The mastermind has been doing all this for a reason. Been trying to break our future selves in this fashion for several chapters." Makoto then spoke up grimly, hands clenched around his knees. "And… they made it clear that it wasn't for us. At least not just for us. It's for the whole world to see. So… there's a message that he wants to send to the rest of the world."

"But that message wouldn't be poignant with something like this. The killings have to be amongst us, otherwise, the mastermind wouldn't have the effect they would want. So if the fifth trial was brought into question as fake…" The lucky student then faced Kyoko, keeping himself from looking away. "Then they would have to do a retrial, or else lose the effect that they want. Is that right?"

The detective nodded, meeting the luckster's gaze with her own. "If they really want to send a message, spread this… despair, as they claim, then they can't let such accusations go unanswered. And that'll give us the prime opportunity to defeat the mastermind; with their own rules."

The class took a moment to digest all of what's being predicted, shock and amazement being felt all around. "Damn, Kyoko…" Mondo couldn't help but whistle. "You future self came up with that in, what, a day? Less?"

"Likely the moment Makoto's execution failed…" Celeste stated; a frown still across her face. "Still… this is quite the gamble your future self is placing. We can't be certain if it'll gain any fruit."

"Oh, there's no doubt that it's a gamble…" Kyoko agreed, not disputing the claim. "But the odds are good; and the rewards are bountiful. Plus… it's the best, probably the only way, to save Makoto's life."

That got the students very quiet yet again, the reminder of Makoto's dangerous situation back in the forefront. Some noticeably tense, others merely bit their lips or frowned anxiously.

Mukuro was one of the students who was tense. Honestly, she wasn't sure what would happen. It could go either way with Junko, either her sister dismissing the claims entirely or accepting a re-trial. It'll likely depend on which will lead to the most despair, be it for herself, the survivors, or both.

And what'll happen if she does accept a re-trial? Made it to where she would be a suspect herself? Would that mean… she would be at risk for execution? Would Junko really do that?

She honestly doesn't know. But these thoughts alone were enough to twist her stomach into extremely uncomfortable knots.

"Anyways, because there were no cameras or monitors, I had no idea what was going on in the rest of the building." Kyoko directed the topic backwards a bit.

"It has to do with Mukuro Ikusaba, doesn't it?" Makoto deduced.

Just like that, the air thickened even further. Eyes shifted towards the mentioned Ultimate Soldier, who steadily ignored the gazes on her. But for now, none said anything. Either feeling no need, or not wanting to open the can of worms themselves.

'So… are we gonna find out more of what Kyoko knows about Mukuro?' Byakuya asked himself, his eyes narrowed. 'Find out why she's certain about her being the Ultimate Despair?'

"Just to be perfectly clear, I didn't kill her." Kyoko stated firmly. "And I know it wasn't you, either."

"I know you're right. But that just means…" Makoto spoke, frowning. "Everyone but you and me had an alibi. So then who did kill her…?"

"What I can say for sure is that the mastermind is directly involved." The detective answered somewhat. "To begin with, the point of the class trial of Mukuro Ikusaba… was to get me killed."

"...They still think that Mukuro died the night before the fifth trial, don't they?" Celeste suddenly spoke in recollection. Her words caused the others to light up their eyes in similar remembrance.

"Of course." Sakura answered. "If the re-trial were to happen, that is part of the mystery they would need to solve."

"I still don't see how they're gonna figure that out…" Leon remarked with some concern. "I mean, that's a big leap of logic there. How are they gonna connect the dots when those dots are so far apart?"

"I don't know, Leon…" Sayaka murmured loudly, looking similarly worried. "But I hope they can. I really hope they can."

It was a sentiment shared by several of the students. They all hope there's something else that the survivors can find to put the pieces together. To figure out the true cause of the future Mukuro's death.

Makoto's eyes widened at that. "Get you killed…?"

"I stole that key and disappeared, and in retaliation they wanted to draw me out and eliminate me." Kyoko explained further. "That was the point of the class trial."

"It was…?"

"The mastermind knew they couldn't interfere directly." Kyoko then stated.

"You mean… because of the school regulation?" Makoto guessed.

Kyoko nodded. "Exactly." As she spoke, a flashback of one of the rules was shown. "The mastermind is adamant about following the rules, and with that rule in place, they couldn't step in. Since they couldn't kill me themselves, they tried to use the class trial to do it."

'The mastermind couldn't step in because of the rules?' Makoto thought with slight confusion. ' That makes  it sound like… the mastermind themselves is somehow bound by the school regulations.'

"...Honestly, the more I hear them talk, the more convinced that Kyoko can corner the mastermind." Taka admitted to. "If they're this adamant about following their own rules, to the point that they have to hide their own breaking of those rules… then they would be unable to dismiss Kyoko's claims out of hand."

"They'll be pushed into a corner, alright…" Mondo nodded in agreement with his friend. "Still… will the bastard cave? Or do something else out of desperation?"

"It's hard to say, Mr. Oowada…" Hifumi said, biting his nails nervously. "The predictable event would be such a caving… but our foe has to be unpredictable…"

'Aw. Such flattery will get you nowhere with me…' Junko thought coyly. As for what she'll think her future self will do… well, she can't risk the killing game getting undermined by doubts of its legitimacy. People all across the world need to understand how powerful despair really is, after all.

So not only would her future self accept the retrial… but would likely step up the stakes. And use this opportunity to bring the despairful truths to the remaining six…

After all, words hit the hardest when they're true, don't they?

"There's one other thing I'd like to point out about the murder of Mukuro Ikusaba…" Kyoko suddenly said.

Her words got a curious look from the luckster. "What's that…?"

"There was a point where Mukuro may not have become the victim…" The detective stated, a small frown across her face. "It could have been you, Makoto…!"

That caused the lucky student to stiffen up. "I could have become the victim…?"

"You know what I'm talking about, right?"

"Do you mean…?" A flashback of the masked figure hovering over Makoto was shown. 'During the night…?'

The moment the two went to the topic of Makoto's first possible death, Mukuro found herself tense. She felt every muscle in her body tightening further at the flashback being shown.

'If I stay with Junko, something like this will happen…' The soldier thought with dread and guilt, in equal measures. 'Especially now, her eyes will be on Makoto. By helping her… I'm gonna assist with whatever torment she would place on him. And at this point… just the thought…'

She knew she had to make a choice soon. To make her allegiance either to her sister, or to her classmates… to Makoto. And, deep in her heart… she knew where her loyalties were realigning themselves towards.

The scene went back to the present as Kyoko spoke. "I can hear them, you know." She said, her eyes closed. "The footsteps of the god of death."

"What…?" Was the only thing the luckster could say.

"I can hear the god of death as he moves." Kyoko continued. "This ability naturally draws me into cases, just like this. Which is exactly what happened with you."

"...That actually a thing?" Mondo questioned dubiously, giving Kyoko an incredulous stare. "You… know when a fucking killing is about to happen?"

"Not know, per say. Just… these moments of dread I can't quite put into words. Something that I've developed during my training as a detective." Kyoko explained, her eyes closed. "I can hear death moving through the wind, but I can't quite pinpoint where it will happen. So while it doesn't help in stopping death and killings from happening, it can lead me to solving cases of such events."

"But then… it led the future you in stopping the mastermind from killing Makoto, didn't it?" Hina pointed out, frowning in befuddlement. "So… how did that work?"

It was Celeste who answered. "It was likely Makoto's luck that made it to where Kyoko could pinpoint where the attempted murder was about to happen." The gambler theorized. "Kyoko's natural senses as a detective, alongside Makoto's rather unpredictable luck, created a scenario where Kyoko was able to intervene this time."

"I was in the dorms, and I had a sudden sense of dread. I looked down the stairwell… and I saw a white shadow cross the corridor. I gave chase right away. As I followed it, I saw the shadow go into your room…"

Yet again, the flashback played, this time showing Kyoko witnessing the scene. "I ran into your room, and I saw what was happening. I intervened immediately, of course."

"And this further proves my hypothesis." Celeste nodded assuredly.

"First the memory sequence of his, then the last minute save from Alter Ego…" Junko listed off with genuine disbelief in her voice. "And now we're figuring out that the save from Kyoko was also from damn near pure luck? Like… wow, that luck of yours is pretty much plot armor at this point…"

"That's not to mention the other events." Hifumi pointed out. "The locked door situation, Mr. Oowada and Mr. Ishimaru's competition, the encounter of Miss Oogami and Monokuma's fight…"

"You are definitely earning the title of Ultimate Lucky Student at this point…" Byakuya remarked dryly.

"..." That very lucky student wasn't sure if he should be proud or anything for what his luck had him avoid or encounter. It wasn't like he's able to actively use that luck in any capacity. He just ends up in these odd situations that somehow help him in the end!

"You're definitely more than your lucky status…" Sayaka whispered beside him, squeezing his arm for his comfort; as well as her own. "But I'm happy that you have that luck. Not only did it let us meet again… but it would also save your life in this future."

"…Yeah." He'll just let himself continue to be relieved that his luck saved his life. Twice. That's probably for the best.

It then went back to the present, with the detective continuing her tale. "That wasn't the end of things, of course. I stopped them, but that led to…" A flashback of the 'murdered' assailant was then shown. "Whoever the masked assailant was, they ended up dead."

"And their murder was disguised, and the dojo key wound up in my room…" Kyoko began to conclude. "It all has to be the work of the mastermind, in an attempt to use the class trial to eliminate me…"

'Knowing that the mastermind was targeting Kyoko… I'm still glad that future me didn't tell the truth about the key…' Makoto thought, looking down. 'If I did that… I can't say for certain if Kyoko would be saved like I did…'

While he was grateful for Alter Ego's intervention, it was clear that the last minute save was clear luck. His own luck that made it to where Alter Ego was able to get a part of himself inside the system, that Monokuma never noticed up until the AI made himself known, and was able to stop the execution for a moment before getting wiped clean.

If Kyoko was in that same execution… would she be saved? Would Alter Ego have been able to intervene in time? He didn't know. Not for certain. So no matter what else he felt about the whole thing, he could say for certain that he doesn't regret his future self's decision.

"So all this would mean that whoever killed Mukuro is also the mastermind, right?" Makoto deduced.

"I don't have conclusive evidence, but that's what I think." Kyoko answered.

"But that's really bad if true. It means the mastermind can kill whoever they want if they feel like it." The luckster then developed a frown of confusion. "Wait, but doesn't that create another contradiction? The mastermind wanted to use the class trial to try and kill you cuz they couldn't interfere, right?"

"You're right. That is a contradiction." Kyoko confirmed with a nod. "And it's not just Mukuro. They needed the class trial to kill me, but seemed ready to kill you in your room. Everything they did is a contradiction."

"So… what does it all mean?" Makoto then asked.

"It means that the mastermind is the one who's been cornered." The detective stated; a smirk now across her face.

Slowly but surely, the class felt themselves getting pumped up with Kyoko's words. "I really think Kyoko's plan is gonna work…"! Hina stated; hope and eagerness clear in her tone. "I mean, we can all see that the mastermind is cornered, right? That they're doing this because Kyoko was locking in on them!"

"And as Byakuya said, this killing game is being broadcasted to the world." Sakura followed up, her gaze fierce as she continued facing the screen. "And they're doing all they can to make it all legitimate. To ignore Kyoko's accusations… would risk losing the effect that they would want. Cause outrage, rather than the despair they so crave."

"They'll s-still have to find evidence…" Toko pointed out. "And f-figure out that M-Mukuro was 'Junko' at the start."

"...If anyone can do it, Kyoko can…" Makoto spoke up; his voice soft, yet confidence still coming across his voice. "After all, we've seen what she could do during all these trials, right? Even when she forgot about being a detective, those skills didn't leave her. So…"

"True that. We saw her pull out evidence from thin air before…" Leon snorted, conceding to Makoto's point. "With actual time, who is to say she wouldn't find more stuff?"

"And thinking about it, she still does have Monokuma's master key…" Hifumi spoke up in thought. "With it, she can reach secret places the mastermind clearly never intends anyone to go to."

"Man, I'm really getting more and more pumped up the more I hear…!" Hiro said excitedly, clenching a fist. "We actually got a chance at winning!"

Confidence swelled as the class pondered on their chances of getting a retrial. At cornering the mastermind and forcing them to play in their own rules. Even those that see it as a gamble, could see the good odds that they have with it.

The dread that they have felt before and during the trial, was now being completely replaced with excitement and hope.

"Huh…?"

"Just a little more… a little more, and I should be able to figure out the mastermind's identity." Kyoko spoke with soft yet clear determination. "The identity of… the other Ultimate Despair."

"...What-?"

"Other-...?"

"What is she-?"

"The other Ultimate Despair…?" Makoto repeated in befuddlement.

"There's no doubt that Mukuro was the Ultimate Despair, and that she's dead." Kyoko stated firmly. "But I don't think the Ultimate Despair is just one."

"It's not…?"

"If you think about it, 'the Ultimate Despair' seems to implicate whoever caused this event." The detective pointed out.

"You're talking about…" Makoto spoke in remembrance.

"...what happened a year ago - the biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history." Kyoko finished.

"...Wait, wait, wait, time-out." Leon exclaimed in befuddlement, clearly trying to wrap his head around this. "Kyoko's think there's more Ultimate Despair? And that… they were involved with the Tragedy?"

"Not only that… but she's still quite certain that Mukuro is the Ultimate Despair." Celeste stated; her eyes narrowed. "Or is part of a larger group, rather…"

"But… that's just… wha-...?" Hina stuttered unintelligibly, trying to make sense of everything currently being told.

"What in the hell…?" Was all Mondo could think to say.

Suffice to say, Kyoko's new revelations put the class in a loop. Unfortunately, they wouldn't get the time to properly grasp it.

'The Tragedy… whoever's responsible for that…' The luckster thought to himself. 'They're the Ultimate Despair?'

"That despicable group whose only purpose and motivation comes from despair…" Kyoko declared grimly.

"Then they're…"

"Make no mistake. They're the root of all the evil that has forced us to go through this." As the detective spoke, the screen went black. "*That* is the Ultimate Despair. And that is our real enemy."

"Chapter 5: 100 Mile Dash; Pain of a Junk Food Junkie." Once again, the red and yellow silhouettes of the cast were shown. This time though, none of the remaining silhouettes blackened.

The entire room was silent, distress and confusion coming in waves as the class digested what they just heard. The possibility of being more than just one Ultimate Despair, the reminder of Mukuro possibly being one of them, the Ultimate Despair also being involved in this mysterious Tragedy…

It was a lot to take in for several students. For others, however, it was a moment of pondering. And after that moment passed, one student stood up; jolting the rest out of their thoughts.

"I've seen enough." Byakuya declared firmly, his eyes narrowed into a glare. "Waited long enough. It's time we get more answers." The Togami heir aimed his glare at the Ultimate Soldier, whose eyes were away from everyone.

"This is your last chance, Ikusaba. Speak. Now."

Notes:

And that's the end. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Shorter than usual, I know, but I felt that this was a good place to end it. Besides, I know several of you were chewing at the bits for me to get this chapter posted, lol.

The viewing of the fifth chapter has now officially ended. Next up will be the break, which'll likely be just one or two chapters, before finally getting to the final chapter of the game. We're at the Endgame now people. Strap on to your seats. Leave comments, kudos, and bookmarks and I will see you later.

Spirit_Soldier X Account

Chapter 107: Break Chapter 5

Notes:

Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So, I took to rereading some of the past reviews of different chapters I've written over the years. Because of this, I just want to give my thanks out yet again; not just for all the positive reviews, but also for the patience you guys had for this fic to be done. I know there are a lot of people that would like for fics to be done faster (Not just for this one, but for fanfics in general), so knowing many of you are willing to wait for as long as needed for chapters to be finished is… uplifting, to say the least.

Really grateful that many of you have been very patient throughout the seven to eight years since this fic has been started. And I hope that each chapter continues to be worth the wait.

Anyways, to the chapter! Here, we'll be continuing forward with Byakuya's demand for answers. Will he be stopped? Or get the answers he wants? I hope you enjoy.

The silence in the room was filled with tension, as the class looked between the Ultimate Soldier and the standing Ultimate Affluent Progeny. Some were still stunned, others anxious, as Byakuya's demand for answers brought the suspicion on Mukuro back to the forefront.

As for the girl herself, her head was kept turned away from everyone; remaining silent to the Togami heir's demand for answers. If anyone would get a good look at her face, they wouldn't be able to tell what she was thinking. They wouldn't find any indication of her guilt or innocence.

"Hold a minute, Byakuya!" However, before Mukuro could elect to speak, it was Taka who decided to speak in protest. Standing from his seat, he continued. "Didn't we agree to wait until the viewing is ove-"

"I made no such agreement. I merely said that we shall see if the next two chapters will reveal more to us." Byakuya cut off coldly. "And this one certainly reveals enough to warrant continued suspicion on Mukuro Ikusaba. So if she wants to prove her innocence, say anything, now is the time."

More of the students looked ready to protest. Ready to speak in defense of Mukuro, or stop the demand for answers before it could spiral to something bigger. But before any more could say anything else, do anything else…

"It's true."

Mukuro finally took it upon herself to speak.

And those two small words were enough to cause the entire room to go silent. Slowly, all fifteen pairs of eyes were turned towards the Ultimate Soldier; now a self-admitting Ultimate Despair. Looks of pure disbelief, as well as more narrowed eyes with growing wariness, being shared among the 78th class of Hope's Peak.

"S-Sis…?" Junko spoke, the bewildered tone in her voice being genuine.

"What… What are you saying…?!" Hina cried out incredulously, slowly growing pale. "What are you-?!"

"I am working for the mastermind. Been an ally of theirs even before coming to Hope's Peak." Mukuro continued, leaving no room for misunderstanding or denial. She stood up from her seat, facing all her classmates with her usual, stoic gaze. "And as a result, I am an Ultimate Despair."

That wiped any warmth left in the room, left with a chilliness the class was all too familiar with. Those like Hina and Chihiro looked completely devastated, betrayal clearly across their face. Those like Hiro and Hifumi were white as a sheet, looking incredibly fearful. Those like Celeste and Byakuya found their wariness shift nearly to hostility, now alert for any movement from the Ultimate Soldier.

The only one not sharing this feeling of betrayal, fear, or vigilance was Makoto Naegi. Instead, the lucky student retained his look of shock, having not expected Mukuro to reveal herself just like that. And while he's glad that the soldier was confessing herself, he had to wonder where it came from. And was… nervous at how his classmates would respond.

"Mukuro…" It was Sakura who broke the silence this time. While the martial artist did not look full blown aggressive, there still was a clear, intimidating aura as she stood and stared down Mukuro. "Explain yourself, further."

The soldier took a deep breath before speaking. "There's not much to explain. Before coming to Hope's Peak, I align myself with the mastermind. I know of their plans, and their goals; not just for Hope's Peak, but for the world. And I know of the killing game before we ended up here. It is not fully planned as we see it now, but there are budding plans."

"So… all this time… you were planning to have us killed?" Hina choked out in horror, now completely blue. "All the time you spent with us was just… fake?!"

"..." At that, Mukuro went quiet. Not out of unwillingness, but out of uncertainty as to what to say.

"I, I-I don't… I can't believe it…!" Chihiro muttered, in full-blown denial at the moment. Despite his words, the devastated look upon his face showed the programmer's acceptance of this confession. "I can't believe… that you… any of us…!"

"J-Junko…?" Slowly, Sayaka turned towards Junko, her own distress clear in her tone and features. "Did you-?"

"N-No!" The fashionista stuttered out, using her own shock to play a convincing act. "I didn't-! Muku never-! Sis… why?!"

Mukuro resisted any desire to turn towards her twin sister. To respond. She doesn't know what she would say, what she would do, if she directed any attention towards Junko. Doesn't want to find out the hard way.

"That would explain why Junko was not a part of the killing game." Celeste noted, her gaze remaining fierce. "However, the question on my mind right now… is why wait until now to reveal yourself?"

"A good question." Byakuya spoke in agreement; his eyes filled with a similar distrust his counterpart had for Sakura. "You saw, just like the rest of us, what the mastermind did to you. You saw your own death at your ally's hands. Why keep quiet until now? What got you to reveal yourself to us, when you kept it secret before?"

Mukuro met the gazes of distrust with no fear as she explained. "Partly because I knew all of you wouldn't take the news of my alignment positively, regardless of when or how it's revealed." She admitted. "But as for the main reason… it is complicated."

"We have time." The Togami heir shot back.

"It's not something I could so easily explain without revealing more of what I know." Mukuro argued calmly. "To be more blunt, it is linked to the mastermind's identity."

Her last sentence definitely got the group's attention. "So… you know who the bastard is…?" Mondo growled; not at her, but at their unknown, would-be jailer. The biker himself would be held back by his own chivalry from showing any full-blown hostility towards the self-admitting Ultimate Despair. "The one behind the damn bear?"

"Yes." Mukuro answered bluntly. And before anyone could demand a name, she continued quickly. "However… it's best that you all find out for yourself, rather than hear it from me."

"Why not reveal it yourself?!" Leon exclaimed, looking angrily at the soldier. "Or are you still partnered with the bastard?!"

That got Mukuro to clench her fist, stopping any conflict from showing across her face. "...It's not a matter of my alignment with the mastermind." She said, avoiding the second question altogether. "It's as Kyoko said during the first trial for Sayaka; as well as the investigation in Sakura's death. You have to see the mystery be unraveled yourselves. If I tell you now, it'll just sow more confusion and leave everyone dissatisfied."

And she was being completely honest on that front. Even if she wanted to reveal her sister right here and now, the soldier knows that it'll merely cause a lot of chaos; and her class will be left in disbelief, unable or unwilling to accept the truth. They need to figure it out, or see the mystery themselves, in order to become fully convinced.

And if, for one reason or another, the last chapter doesn't reveal Junko… then she'll do so herself and brace herself for such chaos. Possibly to Makoto first, before anyone else.

"And who is your allegiance to now?" This time, it was Kyoko who spoke up. Like Byakuya, Celeste, and Sakura, her gaze and posture was fully alert, staring coldly at the Ultimate Soldier. "Do you plan to stand against the mastermind, now that you saw how expendable you are to them?"

"..." Yet again, Mukuro went silent. The answer should be easy. Now that she revealed herself to her classmates, she should be able to say that she stands with them. At the very least, say that the mastermind's eventual betrayal leaves her little choice in the matter.

However… she couldn't muster the will to say any of these answers. Not now. Not with Junko gaze still aimed at her.

"H-Hey! Did you not h-hear the q-question?" Despite her fear, despite shaking like a leaf, Toko hissed at the soldier. "Hurry up. T-Tell us if you're going to s-stand against them. It's e-easy, isn't it?"

"..."

"...You're not actually still loyal to them, are you?" Sayaka spoke slowly in horror; giving Mukuro an incomprehensible stare. "After what you saw… seeing what they would do to you… why would you still work for that monster?!"

"..."

With every passing moment, the fear, hostility, and sense of betrayal increased among the class. Some looked ready to restrain the Ultimate Soldier, others were ready to speak their own disbelief and horror, and a few looked ready to run or cower.

But, yet again, at the height of this rising tension, of this air of fear and betrayal… Makoto cut through it.

"We still have one chapter left." The Ultimate Lucky Student stated, standing up from his seat. He looked at his classmates with a composure that was surprising even to himself. "If things go as well as we hope it does… then our future selves will have the opportunity to figure out all the mysteries. That includes the mastermind's identity. So let's wait for that… and then ask Mukuro where she stands with us."

Now all eyes were on Makoto, looks of bewilderment, suspicion, and consideration being shared amongst those gazes. Seeing how composed he was led to more than a few of them forming quick conclusions.

"You knew." Byakuya stated, not asked, flatly.

"I did." Makoto, in return, didn't deny it. Merely nodded in confirmation.

"How long?"

"The night before we watched the third chapter."

"And you didn't bother to inform us of this…?" Byakuya questioned, sounding more annoyed than angered or suspicious.

"All I had was a note that said that Mukuro was working with the mastermind. Didn't know for sure if I should believe it or not." Still showing a remarkable amount of calmness, Makoto merely shrugged at that. "And when Mukuro told me herself, I decided to keep quiet. Give her the chance to tell all of you herself."

"Wait… you were given a note that told you that Mukuro was working for the mastermind, and you decided to confront the Ultimate Soldier by yourself?!" Hifumi exclaimed incredulously. It was a disbelief slowly being shared by several of the students. "That's…!"

"Suicidal!" Hiro finished, sounding both baffled and fearful. "You could've gotten gutted, man!"

"Not likely. Remember, Spirit is here, so he would've stopped that from happening." Makoto pointed out, reclining his head towards their host. "Besides… despite the note, I still wanted to trust Mukuro. You can call me naive, or arrogant, or whatever, but that's how I felt at the time."

It wasn't an intentional dig at the future Kyoko's words about him being arrogant; still, the present detective had to stop herself from flinching.

"The note, you mention… who gave it to you?" Celeste questioned that little piece of information gaining her attention.

Once again, Makoto shrugged. "No idea. It was anonymous. Slid into my door that night with no clue as to who wrote it or gave it to me."

Of course, that earned a lot of suspicion from several of the more intelligent students. Of course, it was not aimed at the lucky student himself; but at who gave him that note. Cause the only ones who were in this… area? Dimension?... were just this class, plus their very host. As far as they knew, at least.

"I'm not telling you guys to trust Mukuro. Or to let any of this go." The luckster continued on. "Just that we have one more chapter left to get more information. Mukuro already revealed the truth about herself to us. Let's give her the chance to figure out who she'll stand with."

"...You still trust her, Makoto?" Hina asked, her voice soft and filled several different conflicting emotions. "After knowing that she works for the mastermind… you still see her as our classmate? Our friend?"

Makoto took a deep breath before saying, "...I do. She could've lied to us. Could've denied it all. Say that she doesn't know, that this was all in the future. But she didn't. She may not have told us everything, but she's being honest now. That's enough for me to give her another chance."

None of them knew what to say to that. Many of them were still reeling, still processing the sudden confession from Mukuro. But seeing their class representative, their lucky student, vouch for the soldier kept anyone from saying or doing anything rash.

And through this silence, some of the more observant took note of Makoto's posture and tone. It… lacked the awkward, yet optimistic aura that they came to know the luckster for. As if he was zapped of any sort of his usual energy.

"I'm willing to let this go for the time being. However, there is one question I would like to ask before I do." Sakura spoke up. Her focus was then put back on Mukuro. "What is the mastermind's ultimate goal? What are they attempting to achieve?"

"...It's as they stated several times before. They want to bring despair to the entire world." The soldier took a deep breath before explaining further. "If you're asking if there's a motive beyond that, then no. It isn't about gaining power, or control, or wealth. Not about any sort of revenge, or leading a revolution. The mastermind isn't looking to gain anything substantial, or reasonable."

"They, in simpler terms, just want chaos. And want the whole world to feel that very same chaos. To prove that despair triumphs over hope."

And once again, silence reigned over the room, as the class slowly digested what she said in horror. As Mukuro said, they all heard Monokuma say similar stuff in the previous viewings. But to have it confirm that, yes, it was indeed more than just mad or aggravating rambling… it was almost too much to take in.

"...Why would you work for someone like that?" It was Sayaka who asked that question, the idol looking at the soldier with an indiscernible expression. "You already knew that this mastermind is a monster… you know they want nothing but destruction… so why?"

"...Cause I owe them a debt." Mukuro stated; giving the same answer she gave to Makoto. "One I felt I could never repay."

It seemed as though silence would continue to reign dominant, with the tense and cold air remaining with it. Some of the students still looked disbelieving or devastated; others wary or in musing. Regardless, there were little to no positive feelings aimed towards the Ultimate Soldier of their class.

As well as growing suspicion a few were feeling towards another member of their class…

"I'm gonna head to my room." For the first time since this viewing started, Makoto was the first to start leaving the room. "We still have one chapter left. Hopefully… that'll give us the answers we need to defeat the mastermind."

"Makoto-!"

"Wait, Makoto-!"

But the luckster paid no mind to his friends' calling out to him. He needed to think. Needed to process… everything that had happened in this chapter. Needed to put a bit of distance from his classmates for a bit.

Needed to step away from the detective he'd grown close with for a little while.

The class watched with varying emotions as their lucky student headed up to the second floor of their rooms. Worry and guilt were the most prevalent of eyes, all of them having guesses on what was going through Makoto's head right now.

"...One more thing I want to say." Mukuro spoke up, gaining the attention back on her.. "I admit, in regards to the mastermind, I'm still unsure on what to do. Uncertain if I should fully stand against them. And because of this, I'm uncertain if I have any right to say this."

"But one thing is clear to me. Makoto Naegi is someone I want to protect. And from this point on, I plan to do so."

Her words caused several eyes to widen in surprise at that. But Mukuro wasn't done. "For me, none of the time with you all was fake. Despite my allegiance, I saw all of you as classmates… as friends." She stated strongly. "But Makoto was the first to open my heart. Showed me a light I've not seen before. And that light is something I'm willing to protect. Whether it be from hostile strangers, the mastermind themselves… or anyone within this class."

Her not-so-subtle threat brought chills down the spin of several in said class. But none was able to say anything, as the Ultimate Soldier swiftly left the room and headed upstairs.

'...So you really loved Makoto, huh Mukuro?' Sayaka thought softly to herself. As a contender for Makoto's heart, she obviously knew of her rivals in the class. Mukuro, despite her stoicism most of the time, is someone she clearly saw as someone who gained a hard crush on their luckster. And her words moments ago erased all doubt of the soldier's sincere, and not-so-hidden affection. Still…

'If so… If Makoto means that much to you… if you consider us all friends…' Why continue to align herself with the madman that would wish for their death? Who would, in the future, kill the soldier herself?

"...Let us disperse. Give ourselves time to think, and rest, once again." Sakura advised the remainder of the class. "When tomorrow comes, we will finish this viewing, and find out all that we need to know. Once it is finished… that's when we will decide on what to do."

None of the students disagreed with the martial artist. Slowly, they all began leaving the living room, either heading upstairs or in the recreational room. Some continued to worry for Makoto; others had guilt alongside that worry. Some were focused on Mukuro's confession and what that entails…

And a few were beginning to connect dots as to the identity of the mastermind.

(WIth Makoto)

It took some time for the lucky student to process everything he watched.

Though honestly, he wasn't sure why it was difficult to think. Much of what he saw and heard at the end was things he either already knew about, or have some knowledge on. The only thing that was difficult was… Kyoko's actions.

"I wouldn't let you get framed for something you didn't do, Makoto. No matter the situation."

Again, those words came to haunt him. Taunt him. Like some sort of ghost mocking his own belief in his classmates.

Again, the luckster was not blind to the fact that in the end, Kyoko went down to the garbage chute to save him. He also wasn't deaf to her confession and apology to his future self. And he was grateful, very much grateful, that the detective made the decision to rescue him.

However… that didn't change that she abandoned him in the first place, as she had admitted herself. That she outright implicated him as the killer when she had to prove her own innocence. That if it wasn't for Alter Ego, and his intervention of the execution, that there wouldn't have been any opportunity for Kyoko to save him. She would've just stood by and watched him get crushed.

And that hurt. Hurt very much. No matter how many times he tried to remind himself that this was the future, that their future selves were amnesiac and didn't know each other as well as they do now, that her own life was in danger… it didn't lessen the twist in his stomach. It was to the point he had to curl up in his own bed to try and ease that pain.

And it wasn't just Kyoko either. Hina, Toko, Hiro, Byakuya… none of them hesitated to vote for him as the blackened. He got that there were very few options; that defying the mastermind would've meant death. And if it wasn't him they voted for, they would've voted for Kyoko. Still… couldn't there have been anything that they have done? Something to stand alongside him?

When the chips are all down, when all his friends simply just abandon him? Abandon each other at the face of death? At the chance to escape? To keep their secrets? For revenge?

'No!' He shouted in his head, holding said head tightly in anguish. 'You shouldn't think like that! This is all because of the mastermind! You know this! They are the ones manipulating us to kill and turn against each other!'

They wiped their memories in the first place just so there's a greater chance of the class turning against each other. If they have their full memories of their time during Hope's Peak, of the things that possibly happened to the world, of each other, there wouldn't have been any chance that they would kill each other. It's only thanks to the memory wipes, along with the mastermind constantly pushing them into corners, that things happened the way they did.

And when they finally did unite together, when Kyoko herself was cornering the mastermind, the bastard took to cheating. That was the result of him almost getting executed. At the end, the fault lay at the hand of the one controlling the sadistic little machine.

'You know this! You know that the one we should be focusing on is the mastermind…!' Makoto continued to tell himself, tearing up. 'So why… why can't I just let this go?'

"Makoto…"

The luckster twirled his head in surprise towards the door, to see Mukuro standing in front of it. The soldier looked uncertain, a rarity in Makoto's experience with the girl, but didn't look ready to leave or anything like that.

"...I forgot to lock my door, didn't I?" Makoto deduced rather blankly, already putting the pieces together.

Mukuro nodded. "You should really learn to be more careful, Makoto." She chided softly. "Still… I'm glad the door was unlocked this time. It gives us the opportunity to speak."

In response, Makoto looked away morosely. "I just need some time, Mukuro." He reassured her. "A lot of what we saw… it's hard to process it all. I just need to think, that's all."

Mukuro could see that it wasn't the whole truth. While she's far from the greatest from understanding human emotions, Makoto is still someone who wears his heart to his sleeves, so even she can see the anguish her light is attempting to hide. And it was anguish she desperately wanted to get rid of.

But she wasn't sure what to say to get rid of it. Wasn't sure if she was the right one to do it. So she didn't press.

"Of course…" Instead, she simply nodded to his request. "But before that… there's something I want to say. Something that I've already told the class, at least in part."

When the luckster looked at her curiously, Mukuro took a few more steps inside, closing the door behind her. Straightening herself up, she continued. "I'm uncertain as to what I'll do once the mastermind is revealed." She admitted once again. "While I can no longer bring myself to stand with them in their plan for worldly despair, I don't know if I could bring myself to fully fight against them. You're right in that… that it's more than just a debt."

Her words didn't surprise Makoto, not after Mukuro's confession in their break after chapter three. If anything, he felt some relief, along with a bit of happiness, that the Ultimate Soldier was working her way to breaking away from the mastermind's hold on her.

What did surprise him was her next words.

"However… no matter where I stand with the mastermind, I will support and protect you."

Mukuro paid no mind to the luckster's widening eyes, and continued. "Out of all my classmates, it's you I consider the closest with. You were the first to open up my little world, to present to me something different from the mastermind's world of despair." Despite her monotone voice, there was a strength to words that was also reflected in her eyes. "To give me a light, show me hope, even when you didn't mean to do so. And even now, when you know that I'm an Ultimate Soldier, you continue to show me kindness. You stood beside me when you had every reason not to."

"So that's why… from this point, my loyalty will be with you. So long as you're within my sight, I won't let anyone else lay a finger on you, Makoto."

To say Makoto was stunned was an understatement. He definitely wasn't expecting a declaration of protection from the Ultimate Soldier. He wanted her to stand beside him and his class, definitely; but to say that she planned to specifically protect him? That caught him out of left field.

Yet… it filled him with a warmness that countered the darkening feeling in his heart. He was touched, deeply touched, that Mukuro would go out of her way to make this declaration. And while he hoped there won't ever be moments where she would have to protect him, it was proof that whatever bond they shared was undoubtedly real.

Some may call him naive for easily believing Mukuro's words, the words of someone who was an ally of a despair-hungry maniac. But for whatever wariness he may have had, he just couldn't see nor hear any lies from the soldier. Just a sincere, earnest desire to protect and stand beside him.

"Thank you, Mukuro…" And with such an honest, heartfelt declaration, all the hopeful boy could do was smile at her with as much sincerity as he could possibly muster.

Said smile caused blood to rush the girl's cheeks, warmth filling her from the emotions behind that smile. Still, she did her best not to lose her composure. After all, it would be embarrassing to flounder after making such a serious affirmation.

And so, she turned herself around, intending to leave and give Makoto some time to herself. But just as she was opening the door, Makoto spoke.

"You know, I don't know if I could ever forgive the mastermind. None of what we saw has happened yet, but knowing that they planned for it to happen…" He trailed off softly. "However… if we are given the chance… maybe we can show them hope."

His words caused Mukuro to stiffen up in pure disbelief. Was he actually serious? After all they saw, what she had told him about Junko, would he really…?

"You said before… that they want to prove that despair is greater than hope, right?" Makoto continued further, his voice still soft. "So maybe… instead of just stopping them, we can show the mastermind something greater than despair. Give them a hope that they cannot possibly deny. I think, in that way… that would be the best way to defeat the mastermind. This Ultimate Despair."

For a moment, Mukuro just stood there, unable to move or say anything. Then, rather robotically, she stepped out of the room and closed the door. She then began heading into her own room, giving herself a moment to rest before heading downstairs to eat.

Give herself time to stop this pounding heart of hers, and wipe away whatever face she may be making.

'Makoto…' She knew, right then and there, that she made the right decision. Despite everything he saw, despite the anger and hatred he had shown for the mastermind, and in the midst of his own anguish… he had the idea to show her sister hope. To him, the mastermind was nothing but a stranger, yet he desires to beat them through sheer kindness.

The pragmatic soldier in her saw this as something foolish, she will admit, offering mercy to an enemy who likely will never take it. But the girl who loved her sister, even with all that she has seen? The girl who found herself developing friendships with her classmates? As someone who had developed ever-so rising feelings for the luckster she pledged herself to?

She couldn't help but find hope in his words.

She then started wondering; if Junko considered herself the Ultimate Despair…

Then could Makoto, in return, be considered the Ultimate Hope?

Notes:

And that's the end. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. The confession part of this chapter became much longer than I had expected. Then again, in hindsight, such a big reveal to the entire class would warrant a long discussion. Again, hope you guys enjoyed all the tension. And apologies for those looking forward to the confrontation on Kyoko's abandonment of Makoto. But with how the fifth chapter of Danganronpa ended, Mukuro's allegiance would end up at the forefront.

Will there be students that confront the detective on what her future self did in the next chapter? Will Kyoko find time to talk with Makoto about it? Will Junko find time to cause more shenanigans, or will Mukuro's sudden confession leave her too bewildered to do anything? We shall see, won't we? Review, favorite, and follow and I will see you later.

Chapter 108: Break Chapter 5 Part 2

Notes:

Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So, I'll say straight up, this chapter was tough to nail down. Not a new experience, but it was difficult to find the right alignment of emotions. Didn't want to get too up in melodrama, but didn't want to make it all bland either. Hopefully, I was able to get the right frequency with this chapter. So, saying that, I hope you all enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

If Hina were to say she was feeling better than before… it wouldn't be a lie. But it wouldn't be the whole truth either.

She thought she saw the worst of it with Sakura's death, the discovery of it being a suicide, her future self attempt to kill everyone, and finding out that she was tricked by Monokuma into doing it. She thought that after that chapter, things would look better for the remaining survivors.

But it didn't. Makoto was nearly murdered by the mastermind. After, Kyoko got framed for Mukuro's murder. Then in the trial, Kyoko framed Makoto, to save her butt. Then Hina's future self, along with everyone else, voted for Makoto. Again, Makoto nearly died, thanks to those votes. And now… now it was confirmed that Mukuro really is working for the mastermind.

And it wasn't a "would be working for them in the future" type thing. She's actually aligned with the bastard that would put them in that sick game at this very moment.

"So… are we gonna talk about how the freaking Ultimate Soldier is on the mastermind's payroll?" Leon was the first to speak up in this tense silence.

Over half the class was gathered around the middle of the recreational/lunch room, some having their meals while others had yet to get anything. The ones who weren't in this gathering were Byakuya, Sayaka, Kyoko, Junko, Makoto, and Mukuro (The very topic of their discussion).

"What is there to discuss, Leon dear?" Celeste sighed, before taking a sip of her milk tea. "Mukuro made it clear where her stance is. There's not much to discuss."

"But… shouldn't we, I dunno, do something about it?" Hiro proposed, one of the more unnerved of the students. "Tie her up? Restrain her? Make sure she can't do anything?"

"Oh? And I suppose you're willing to lead the charge against her?" Celeste pointedly inquired. When Hiro went pale at the suggestion, she continued. "See? Out of all of us, only Sakura has the best of subduing her. Chances are higher with Mondo and Genocide Jill, maybe, but she is the Ultimate Soldier for a reason. It's just as likely that she bests all three of them as it is they all subdue her."

"...Ain't gonna argue with that." Mondo grunted, looking away. Even if he was willing to fight a girl, he'd rather not find out what she could do with that knife of hers, if he could help it.

"In other words, it would be foolhardy to try and restrain her now." Sakura concluded, also making no disagreements with her chances. "Especially with our host being likely to stop any conflict between us."

"T-Then… what s-should we do?" Toko asked nervously, wringing her hands together. "Cause i-it's not like we can just leave her alone. E-Especially once we're b-back home…"

"...Why can't we?" At Chihiro's hesitant question, eyes turned towards him. Those eyes caused the programmer to shrink; however, he continued. "I mean… Makoto said that we should wait until the end of this viewing to decide what to do. For Mukuro to figure out where she stands."

"That is true…" Taka nodded to this, being the first to concede to that point. "And it would be dishonorable to ignore our class representative like that."

Chihiro nodded back in return. "And beside, I… I want to trust her." He admitted. "She says that she considers us friends. That none of the time with us was fake. I… want to believe what she says is the truth."

'...I do too.' Hina thought to herself, clenching her fists anxiously. Despite whatever betrayal she felt at Mukuro's admittance, she wanted to believe that the soldier was a friend. That none of the time spent together was fake.

"She also stated that she plans to protect Mr. Naegi…" Hifumi then brought up; a line of sweat across his forehead. "From anyone. And considering how many of us would potentially wrong him in the future…"

That brought more than a few flinches, a couple of shivers, and some tenseness overall. Hina herself flinched and looked down, guilt swelling her heart.

It wasn't just the fact that her future self voted for him, despite likely knowing that he was innocent (She hoped that she did. Or she really was an idiot). It was also her attempt at killing everyone, Makoto included, for Sakura's death. She couldn't help but feel as though she was a bad friend, when Makoto did nothing but support everyone.

"I wonder what Makoto's feeling right now…" Hina said softly. She paid no mind to the attention on her as she spoke. "After seeing all that… getting framed by Kyoko, being voted for, nearly seeing himself dying for that fake trial…"

"Doubt the dude feeling good…" Leon remarked morosely, his arms folded on the table. "Probably feeling worse than after the first trial. With all the shit that happened, we could've at least fell back on the fact we barely knew each other; with the memory wipe and all. Now though…?"

"Even if it wasn't for as long as us, the survivors probably got some sort of bond going." Mondo spoke in agreement. "Surviving together can do that for people."

The group went silent, all of them wondering what they could do. Throughout this entire thing, Makoto did everything he could to help them. To bring them up at their low points, after witnessing themselves kill and betray each other. Now… it seems as though it's their turn to help him.

But what could they do? What could they say that would help him?

"...Hopefully Kyoko and Makoto can speak with one another." Taka remarked. "A discussion between the two should help with what they've witnessed."

"Or make it worse…" Leon muttered loudly. "Remember, this is our Ice Queen we're dealing with…"

'...Hard to argue with that.' Hina admitted to herself. A part of her instinctively wanted to defend her friend, to say that she's able to make up with Makoto. However, she knew Kyoko wasn't the most… social of people.

And she still felt conflicted over what the future version of the detective did to Makoto…

"Speaking of that Ice Queen…" Mondo then spoke, his eyes on another side of the room. "I see her and Sayaka at one of the booths."

That got heads to swivel where the biker was looking at; and sure enough, the blue-haired idol and the lavender-haired detective were sitting across from each other, staring each other down.

"...Who wants to bet that hands are gonna fly?"

"We're relying on you to get between them if need be Sakura…"

All that was felt was dread over the confrontation that was about to happen.

(With Sayaka and Kyoko)

Things were silent as the two girls sat across from each other in one of the booths. They paid no mind to any attention that was on them, and merely stared each other down; neither giving anything to the other in their gazes.

It was Sayaka who spoke first. "...You betrayed him."

Kyoko said nothing in response. Merely stayed silent, as her hands involuntarily clenched into fists.

"You set him up to be implicated as the killer." Sayaka continued flatly. "And you knew, knew that he was protecting you. That he kept quiet for your sake. Yet you did nothing in return."

"If I recall, my future self went down to the garbage chute to-"

"Only AFTER he was saved by Alter Ego! And I very much doubt she knew that that would happen!" Sayaka cut off sharply. "Your future self was expecting him to DIE by an execution made for her! There's no twisting that!"

Kyoko fell silent at that. The idol took a deep breath before continuing. "What I'm getting at is that you're a damn hypocrite, Kyoko!" She stated bluntly. "You speak about betraying others' trust, about being arrogant, about stepping into danger… yet when it comes down to it, you are not any better than any of us."

"From the start, you've kept almost everything from the class. Not bothering to find and trust SOMEBODY until Makoto forced his way into your heart." Sayaka began listing off. "You gave the others no reason to trust you, practically made it to where the mastermind could easily frame you. Yet when faced with that, you almost immediately directed suspicion on the person you KNEW didn't do it. A boy who trusted you, who was your SOLE ally, and who was more than willing to help figure out the actual truth!"

"In other words, you took one of the most cowardly ways out! That tells me that YOU were the arrogant one! That you're unable to face the danger when the odds aren't stacked in your favor! That you have no trouble stabbing people in the back for your own survival!"

Sayaka then went quiet, taking a few calming breaths to ease her temper once more. Kyoko, meanwhile, continued to be deathly silent; the only indication of her emotions was the slight bow of her head, hiding her eyes from view.

"...And what would you have had me do? What could my future self do in that situation?" Despite the sharp sounding words, the detective's voice was soft; indicating the effects the idol's words had on her. "You saw what happened. Monokuma ended the trial before we could reach the actual truth. What could I have said to save both my life, and Makoto's?"

"...I don't know. I honestly don't know what would've been the right option" The idol conceded quietly. But she then gave another sharp look to Kyoko. "But if you were unwilling to face the consequences of the distrust you gathered, you should've been more open. Been more willing to find allies amongst our class, rather than do everything yourself. You EARNED all the suspicion from the others. You should've expected, prepared even, for something like that trial to happen."

"Easy to say. However, your future self proved no better than m-"

A loud and heavy slam of the table stopped Kyoko's words to a halt, the source coming from Sayaka. The idol was standing from her seat, a dark glare now aimed at the lavender-haired Ultimate.

"Don't. Kyoko." Sayaka hissed darkly. "Don't you dare use my mistakes, my own shortcomings, to hide behind yours. I'm aware of my guilt. I KNOW what I need to change about myself. Question is… do you?"

"..." Kyoko honestly didn't know what she could say to that. Does she? Does she know her own shortcomings? Her own flaws; what she needs to improve on?

She likes to say yes. That she has a decent grasp on herself, of what she's capable of, of what she may need to improve herself on. But this viewing… it's making her question that.

"Makoto will forgive you…" Sayaka said with a soft, almost melancholic sigh. "Even if it isn't immediately, he won't hold this against you. That's one of the many great things about him; he just isn't able to hold grudges like that. However… that isn't something you should take for granted."

"You saw it for yourself; what your future self did hurt him. Left a crack in his heart." The idol's words actually got a flinch from Kyoko. "Again, you spoke about not standing betrayal; but when backed to the wall, you stabbed him in the back. Used him as a human shield. Abandoned him, when he had protected you. That'll be something that sticks with him, even after he forgives you. Makoto… I'm worried that all this will impact him in a bad way."

Honestly, that was a concern for Kyoko as well. How much was this affecting Makoto? How much of his feelings was he attempting to keep to himself? Or suppress, rather. "What is your point, Sayaka?"

The Ultimate Pop Sensation then gave a determined, almost scary glare. "The first point is that you need to get a good look at yourself, Kyoko." She said firmly. "Figure out why others may not be able to trust you. Why would you be capable of betraying the one person who continued to have your back. Figure out that, so that you don't end up making the same mistake your future self did."

"And my second point… I'm giving the same warning you gave to me." The idol's gaze then became fiercer. "If you betray Makoto like that again, try to use him like your future self did several times… I won't stay quiet. You'll be hearing from me; and I suggest you don't take me lightly, Kyoko."

"...I understand." While the detective was not at all frightened by Sayaka, she doesn't plan on taking the threat lightly. She was aware that the idol can use her resources in dark, advantageous ways.

After staring her down for a moment, Sayaka nodded assuredly and made to leave. However, after taking a few steps, she stopped. "...One more thing. Take down that wall of yours." She said softly. "It may help you with plenty of things, but that ironclad mask you hold onto proudly can make things hard on you. Especially when you need allies. Friends."

"You don't have to be on guard all the time. You don't always need to be the Ultimate Detective. Learn to just take off the mask sometimes. Learn to be more honest around others. And yourself."

With that, the idol left the detective to herself. With thoughts and feelings that the lavender-haired girl has little experience in.

There were plenty of things she felt she should be pondering on right now. Connecting more of the pieces on what happened in the future. The amount of power and influence the mastermind has, or will have. The very identity of the mastermind; an identity she felt more and more confident in deducing.

However… all she could think of was the boy who was able to get through her guarded heart. The boy whom her future self turned her back on. The boy that got her eyes stinging with unshed tears.

(With Sayaka)

Sayaka had to take some more deep breaths to calm herself. Her talk with Kyoko had caused a lot of the anger she had held come up in a wave, and it took everything in her not to resort to anything physical. ESPECIALLY when Kyoko attempted to deflect her actions with the idol's own mistakes.

Honestly, she wasn't exactly sure what brought her to say those last words. But despite all the anger she felt at the detective, she still considered her a friend. She may not be as close with her as she is with Makoto, or Hina, or even Leon; but she was a friend nonetheless.

And that friend needed to know that the wall placed around herself can hurt her, if she continued to hold it up high.

'Makoto…' Heading up the stairs to her room, the idol's thoughts drifted towards her favorite fan. Worry swelled deep in her heart as she thought about Makoto's current state.

This viewing was taking a toll on him. It wasn't so noticeable before, due to everyone else's reaction; but it's clear now that a lot of what they've seen is affecting him.

The murders and executions alone were traumatizing enough, for everyone. No doubt he blamed himself for many of them, if not all of them. There was also him seeing the worst side of many of their classmates, herself included.

And those worse sides ended up targeting him half the time.

'What does he think about all of this…?' Sayaka thought anxiously, her hands clenched together with mixed emotions. 'About all of us…?'

She wasn't lying when she told Kyoko that Makoto would forgive her. She truly believed that, as she saw the luckster's near endless capacity for hope and forgiveness. But how much can one take? How many times does someone have to be let down by those they trust before they can no longer forgive?

How close were they to that breaking point? And was there anything they could all do to make it right? To show that they don't take his friendship for granted? Something she could do to show how much she cares for him?

(With Junko)

Throughout the week they've spent in this mysterious place, Junko was met with various surprises from this viewing.

Being able to actually see their future was a definite and obvious shock. No matter her analytical skills, there was nothing that would've let her predict that. Then there were the actions her classmates took in despair, that was a joy to see.

There were also surprising moments where those same classmates were able to cling onto hope, somehow. Now those moments were much less pleasant. And of course, there were the moments of Makoto's luck kicking in, something she had no way of predicting.

But now? What happened at the end of chapter 5 felt like the biggest shock. Mukuro all but outright betrayed her. Revealed herself as the Ultimate Despair. Made a declaration of protection to that stupid herbivore man. Had thoughts about turning against her period!

It was such a shock to her system that she didn't have the mind to confront her useless grunt of a sister. Or even observe her classmates in any capacity. She merely headed up to her room to analyze the whole situation.

'I still can't believe it. This was the closest Muku ever went to outright betraying me!' Junko thought to herself. 'I honestly thought there was a traitorous bone in her body for a time! And I don't know if I should be angry or proud!'

Angry for the obvious reason of betrayal and all. Proud because that's exactly what she wanted from her sister! For her to turn her back on her, completely and utterly… even going the sneaky route and quite literally stab her…!

Just the despair of that thought left her squirming in her bed.

Which makes her go back to angry again because her dear, useless, ugly sister didn't have the courtesy to go all the way in her betrayal! She's being a line straggler!

'So… what pushed her to actually confess outright?' Junko mused to herself. It couldn't have been Muku's own death. If that was the breaking point, she would've told the others right before the second chapter. Or at the end of chapter 4, when she got outed as the Ultimate Despair.

'Maybe when it's revealed that her corpse got played with and blown up…?' The fashionista then thought. No, that didn't sound right either. She never pegged Muku as the type to care for dead bodies, even her own.

'Which would mean… lucky boy was Muku's breaking point.' Junko finally concluded. That's the only thing that made sense. Especially with her sister's cute, little declaration.

But for him to be able to turn her sister like that… have her practically choose his hope over her despair… just the thought of that made her bite her lips hard enough to nearly draw blood.

'Makoto Naegi…' That naive, weak, dorky, pathetically normal twerp… so many times he defied despair. Showed a strong will that someone as average as him has no right to have. Out of all her beloved classmates, he kept continuing to shine brighter and brighter with that disgusting hope.

To the point that she found herself shaking… shaking with fear…

'Just you wait, lucky boy…' Junko vowed to herself; ignoring what shake she felt in her hands. 'I'll show you. Show you that your hope is pathetic when faced with despair.'

(With Makoto)

He doesn't know how long it's been since he confined himself in his room.

It could've been an hour or two. Could've been thirty minutes. Could be the rest of the day. It could be midnight by now. But for the lucky student, all that time passed by without him as much as blinking about it.

All his mind was filled with was the future they had witnessed. The killing game that they would've entered into (Or maybe still could). The deaths of his classmates and friends… the betrayals and hostility that came with all those deaths.

The betrayal he had suffered…

He doesn't blame Hina, Hiro, Toko, or Byakuya. It hurts, yes, that they would think that he was the killer, when there were no definitive options. But he couldn't find it in him to cast blame onto any of them for what had happened; not when Monokuma forced all their hands.

And that's what has been happening. The psychopath hiding behind the bear has been forcing everyone's hands, in some shape or level. Wiping their memories for one, so they have no knowledge of what happened in the outside world. No awareness of the bond they all forged with each other, one that likely got stronger over the course of the next year or so.

And to push them to start killing, he presented them these "motives". Showing them glimpses as to what happened to their loved ones. Threaten to reveal their deepest, darkest secrets. Actively made the survivors more hostile to each other. Keeping out any access to the outside world, made them more and more claustrophobic.

All the deaths, all the betrayals, all the conflict… all of it can be pointed to the mastermind. That included Kyoko's own actions. Cornering him during the trial, and her inaction during the results… it was all due to the fake trial the mastermind had set up.

He kept telling himself that; and he honestly did believe that, from the bottom of his heart.

So… why? Why does thinking about it all hurt so much?

Why does he find it so hard to get over events that haven't even happened yet?

'C'mon Makoto, get a grip…' The lucky student told himself in frustration, his grip around his knees growing tighter. 'We still have one chapter left. We need to finish it! I can't start getting cold feet now! Otherwise, all this… it WILL happen!'

There was no turning back. He can't afford to have second thoughts on continuing. He got to let this go. Stop these feelings from turning into something worse. Something ugly.

"I wouldn't let you get framed for something you didn't do, Makoto. No matter the situation."

So why was it so hard to let it go?

Suddenly, a knock on the door echoed in the room, jolting Makoto from his spiralling thoughts. He found himself tensing up when a very familiar voice came after.

"Makoto? It's me, Kyoko. Can we… Can we talk?"

(With Kyoko)

Growing up, the life of a detective was pretty much all that she was raised on. There were one or two friends, sure, and she had at least a decent relationship with her grandfather; but she wasn't allowed to think beyond the cold, logical life of being a Kirigiri detective.

That left things such as emotions and empathy… rather difficult to grasp. She doesn't dismiss those feelings; as she had told Byakuya, people simply didn't run in cold logic and diagrams. Emotions, after all, are what drive people to commit many of the crimes out there. But she found it hard to connect with others at a deeper level, not helped by the wall she placed around herself.

It was not something she thought about often, as she had become certain of her path. She would become a detective, take the path her father ran away from, and confront her father in order to sever all ties with him completely. She never wavered from any of that, not even when she first entered Hope's Peak.

However… Makoto managed to enter into the wall she so carefully placed around her. His foolish openness was able to penetrate her defenses, resulting in him becoming Kyoko's first friend in Hope's Peak.

That, in turn, led to her steadily becoming closer with the class. Close enough to when they found out about Toko's DID persona, Genocide Jack, she was willing to agree to keep it a secret. Something that her grandfather would venomously disapprove of. That would've had her past self glare coldly at anyone who would suggest hiding a crime.

And now… this viewing, this glimpse into the future… it had her questioning things more often than she was comfortable with. Had her actually wondered if the Kirigiri way of being a detective had flaws.

Got her constantly thinking of the things her father said; moments before this "trip" happened.

"I do wish that I could've gotten you away from your grandfather. That I never accepted his invitation back into the family. You may not believe, or even see it all as a good thing in the end… but I truly am sorry for leaving you, Kyoko."

Kyoko did her best to ignore that memory, that talk between her and her father. To push it back for a later date. For now… she needs to focus on talking to Makoto. Give as sincere an apology as she could. So, pushing back these conflicting emotions, Kyoko knocked on the door of the lucky student's room.

"Makoto? It's me, Kyoko. Can we… Can we talk?"

(Present)

There was a tense, awkward silence as the two Ultimates sat across each other on the bed. Both looked as though they were trying to find the right words, with Makoto's open anxiety while Kyoko had a more subtle, yet noticeable look of guilt and uncertainty.

Finally, it was Kyoko who spoke first. "...I'm sorry." She stated, trying to sound as sincere as possible. "What my future self did… it was a horrible thing to do. I shouldn't have abandoned you. Shouldn't have implicated you in the first place. You supported me, and yet…"

"Kyoko." Cutting her off, Makoto placed a hand over one of her glove-covered ones. His sudden touch made the girl tense, yet she didn't do anything to go against it. "You don't have to say anymore, I… I understand why your future self did what she did. We were all stuck between a rock and a hard place. Monokuma didn't give us any choice in what we could do."

"...You say that, yet… your future self kept quiet for me." Kyoko found herself arguing. A slight crease between her brow formed as she spoke. "You had all the reason to reveal the key, and tear apart my alibi. Yet you didn't… even when eyes started getting aimed at you. So… can I really say that there was no other choice? That…?"

That was something she was grappling with ever since their break started. What could her future self have done? What third option was there to save both of them? Was the choice only between her and Makoto? And if so… should she have been willing to sacrifice herself for Makoto? Be more willing to defend him, even if it puts herself more at risk?

Even now, what her future self chose to do felt like the wrong choice. So was there really no other option out there?

"I can't expect you to risk your life for me, even if I did that for you…" Makoto responded back softly. "You wanted to live. I understand that. I may not condone you implicating me, implicating anyone, for something you know they didn't do… but I'm not gonna condemn you for making a different choice. Especially when your future self went down to save me after."

"I guess, what I'm trying to get is… I forgive you. I don't hold anything your future self has done for you."

…It felt wrong. Being forgiven so easily. Kyoko didn't feel that was the type for the whole "I'm unworthy of this or that" melodrama… but letting herself be forgiven just like that just didn't sit right with her. So she looked up at him, trying to find the right words to convey her feelings.

And that's when the detective got a proper look of Makoto's expression.

On the surface, he seemed… at peace. Calm. Like he made peace with all that had happened. However, Kyoko was easily able to see through that… and saw the turmoil the lucky student was feeling. The sadness, the hurt, that was being reflected in his eyes.

That was enough to get Kyoko to move.

Makoto thought nothing of the shuffling sounds he heard beside him. The hug from behind, however, definitely caught his attention. He immediately stiffened up in surprise, his eyes widening and blush forming across his cheeks at the sudden act of affection. His surprise only grew when he felt coarse, rough skin across his stomach. When he looked down, it confirmed his suspicion immediately.

"K-Kyo-?!"

"Sshh. Don't worry about it." Kyoko said softly, ignoring the blush across her own cheeks. "I just… I just needed to show that I care for you. And felt that this was the best way to do so."

Quickly getting flustered, Makoto tried to protest this. "Y-You don't need to that-"

"I do." But Kyoko wasn't having it, and firmly insisted. "I'm…. I'm not the best when it comes to expressing myself. This viewing made that abundantly clear. But I can't… can't just walk away when I know how much all this is affecting you."

Her words caused Makoto to flinch, with the lucky student looking down. "It's… I'll be alright, Kyoko. It's not as-"

"Don't lie. I can tell that you're hurt by all this. By the trial. Maybe even the previous chapters." Kyoko cut off softly. "So… you should be allowed to vent. To let it all out. Everything you've felt and gone through."

The luckster felt both his fists and teeth clenched. "All of it was in the future… with our memories taken… I can't hold it…"

"Makoto… it isn't healthy to bottle all this up." Kyoko told him, keeping her voice gentle. "One way or another, these feelings will burst. So just… vent. For tonight… let yourself any grievance you have with us. Any of us."

"I can't just… it's not fair to…"

Finally… something broke. If asked, Makoto wouldn't be able to state exactly what. But like a crack in a dam, a leak slowly started to take place.

"...It hurts." He finally admitted. Pain echoed across his voice as he spoke. "It hurts so much… to think that everyone would vote for me. Would choose me as the killer."

Slowly, tears started trickling down the luckster's eyes. "I know that there was hardly any other option. That it was between me and you. But… damn it! Why me?! Why would they think I'm the killer?! Why couldn't they have done something else?! Anything else?!"

Kyoko gave no answer to his question. Merely tightened her hug, as she attempted to ignore the stinging she was unfortunately becoming familiar with in her eyes.

"And it wasn't just that trial either!" Makoto continued in anguish. "Sayaka is trying to pin the crime on me… everything thinking I killed her… Celeste's motive for trying to escape… Hina's attempt to kill everyone, including herself! I can't help but feel like I've been stabbed, multiple times! Feel as though that if it comes down to it, all of you are willing to throw me into the fire!"

A part of him wished that he didn't sound so pathetic right now. That he could at least stop the tears trickling down. But at this point, he felt too tired to control himself. All he could do was just rant at this moment.

"And Kyoko…" Finally, attention was given to the detective behind him. "I trusted you! I supported you! Future me did all that he could to get you to believe in him! But in return for that… you left me to die! If it wasn't for Alter Ego, I would've been crushed by the compactor! You didn't even trust me enough to try and work with me to prove your innocence!"

"Just… why?! Why couldn't you bring yourself to trust me?!"

"I'm sorry."

"Even at the end of the third trial, when you said you could try trusting me a little, you just used me as bait! Just to see how the mastermind would react!"

"I'm sorry."

"And when faced with that fake trial, you threw suspicion at me! Straight up implicated me as the killer when damn well know I didn't do it! You did it not to solve the mystery; but to save yourself! To get the heat off of you!"

"I'm sorry."

"I know all this is in the future… that none of it happened… that a lot of it couldn't be helped… but I can't help but feel let down. As if my belief, my hope, in everyone is being mocked at every turn…" At this point, the luckster's voice turned slightly rough. Softer, weaker than it was before, as if energy was zapped out of him.

"And what makes it worse is… is that I still have trust in everyone here…" Makoto then confessed. "Even now, I still think of everyone here as friends. I still want to believe in all of our better nature… and it hurts so much when that belief keeps getting thrown away…"

Kyoko couldn't say anything else. Merely apologized further as she snuggled further into him… attempting to hide the tears that finally trickled down her face. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"

It was at this moment… that Kyoko promised herself that she won't make the same mistakes her future self has made. That she'll take a good look at herself. Be sure that she's someone who can better trust others, and gain that trust in return. Even if that means she had to question a lot of the Kirigiri traditions.

She'll do all that she can to become a more trustworthy detective; and a better friend. Especially for the luckster wrapped tightly around her arms.

Notes:

And that's the end. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Again, it was tough to write this all down. I knew I wanted a confrontation between Sayaka and Kyoko, and a talk between Kyoko and Makoto was a given. Just wasn't completely certain how either would look. Hope both met your expectations, at least on some levels.

Honestly, there were several different ways I'd imagined the Chapter Five break playing out, with several different characters talking with one another/Makoto. In the end, I really couldn't implement all of them, at least not now; otherwise, it would've likely looked convoluted. So yeah, this is what I've settled with. Anyways, the next chapter will likely start the reaction of the sixth chapter, with a few things wrapped up beforehand. Leave comments, kudos, and bookmarks and I will see you later.

Chapter 109: Watching Chapter 6: Ultimate Pain, Ultimate Suffering, Ultimate Despair, Ultimate Execution, Ultimate Death Part 1

Notes:

Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So, apologies if I took a bit with this chapter. Had a cold that was kicking my butt for around a week. Didn't have much energy to do much of anything during that time-span. Had another sore throat for another week. So… yeah, fun times.

But I'm here now. With a new chapter for the new year. Here, the class will be starting the final chapter. We're at the beginning of the end, folks. I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

By the time he was finished venting, Makoto ended up crying himself to sleep. When he woke up, it was morning and Kyoko was absent from the room.

The lucky student, honestly, didn't feel a hundred percent better. He still felt morose over all that had happened, the actions his classmates and friends took against him or each other. But he felt… lighter. Better than he did yesterday.

So with that lighter heart, Makoto headed downstairs to the living room, looking better than he did yesterday. However, just as he got to the floor of the living room, he was met with a body colliding and latching onto him.

"Wh-Wha-?!" For a moment, the lucky student felt startled. But he quickly realized who was hugging him. "Hina?"

"I'm sorry!" Was the first thing that came out of the girl's mouth. Her grip on him grew tight as she continued, eyes shut in guilt. "I'm sorry for what future me did! She was stupid, she was cowardly, I… I…!"

"Hina, please! Breathe!" Makoto urged the girl, more concerned for the girl herself over her apology; along with the tight grip she had around him.

Fortunately, the swimmer heard him and did her best to calm herself down; taking deep (Yet still somewhat fast) breaths.

"I'm sorry too…!" Hiro spoke up, causing Makoto to look in his direction. The fortune teller was yet again performing a dogeza bow, facing in the direction of the lucky student. "It really screwed up what happened in the last trial! That my future self and the others voted for you! I really wish we could've found another way, I really do…!"

"I-I don't blame you if y-you think any l-less of us…" Toko was next to offer her own apologies, the writer curled up in her seat. "If y-you're angry with us… a-and I'm sorry too. For acting so… p-pathetic…"

Around half of those who were present in the living room turned towards Byakuya, half-expecting him to offer his own apology. The heir merely raised an eyebrow in response, as if to silently say, 'You expect to grovel like those plebeians are doing?'

"Guys, I…" Taking a deep breath himself, Makoto took a moment to formulate his thoughts and words. "I won't lie… seeing you guys vote for me hurts. It hurted a lot."

That got a flinch from Hina, Hiro, and Toko. And unfortunately, Makoto wasn't done. "It just… I trust you guys a lot. Believe in all of you. And I still do. Yet when it came down to it, when our future selves were forced to vote… you chose me? I know that we didn't have a lot of options, I KNOW that… still…"

"...They were puppets to the mastermind's game." Byakuya spoke in acknowledgement, arms crossed and head faced away from anyone. "Ever since the start of the investigations, perhaps even the dismantling of Monokuma, we have been playing to their tune. Could we have figured out anything sooner? I don't know. But it doesn't change that we were puppets."

Again, more flinches came about, this time from more of the class. More than a few couldn't help but think of moments where they were playing to the mastermind's tune, continuing the killing game until there were only six of them left…

Makoto spoke up once again, gaining his classmates' attention. "Despite that… despite whatever I may feel… I won't let what happened affect my friendship with everyone." He declared strongly, giving his classmates a resolute gaze and giving the girl in his arms a reassuring squeeze. "This is the future. None of this has happened yet. We all have a chance to change before we can ever cross each other."

The memories of his classmates' actions, the betrayal he felt or is feeling, his own guilt even… all of it still swirled around his heart. The luckster doubted it'll all go away anytime soon.

But he refused to let those feelings, those memories, eat him alive. Kept them from being in the forefront, ruling over him. Cause while it hurts to think that his classmates were capable of doing all the things they've watched… he still wanted to believe in them all. Believe in their better nature. The hope that's in everyone.

"...You really are strong, Makoto." Sakura declared with admiration, giving the luckster an approving gaze. "Very few would be willing to maintain the bonds that have the clear potential to break. So do not ever doubt that strength."

"Yeah. I think so too, Makoto!" Chihiro nodded his head rapidly to Sakura's words, beaming. "You are strong. Strong enough to believe in anyone… to still cherish our friendships, even with what we've seen… no one who's weak can do that!"

"I'm truly honored to have you as our class representative…!" Taka then spoke up, looking practically in tears. "You clearly are the most exceptional Ultimate among us! Your intelligence, your strong-will, the sheer amount of faith and optimism… very few can match it all!"

No one in the class could find it in them to disagree with the three. Yet again, they were met with the walking mass of optimism, faith, and forgiveness that was Makoto Naegi. And they all couldn't help but be stunned by it. Reel back from it even.

Yet at the same time… they were relieved to see that this viewing didn't affect their luckster too much. That their own actions didn't change him for the worse. And it seems as though that the melancholy aura around Makoto faded. Some were still worried, but for now, they let themselves feel relief.

"Y-You don't have to praise me like that, you know…" Makoto protested, blushing from the praise from Sakura, Taka, and Chihiro. Really, he was just forgiving everyone, if you could even call it forgiveness.

His eyes then caught Sayaka, who was approaching him and Hina. "Sayaka…?"

Before he could ask or guess what she was gonna, the idol shuffled into the hug between him and Hina, wrapping her own arms around him. That was enough to increase his blush, the luckster turning beet red.

"I know you forgave me before, but… I'm sorry too." Sayaka whispered to his ears. "This might not be much, or even enough, but… just know that we care about you. We really do. None of us here… we're not trying to take your friendship for granted. I hope you know that."

'And if you don't… then I'll do all that I can to show you.' The idol vowed to herself. Once this is finished, once they head back to Hope's Peak… she's gonna dedicate a good portion of her time to shower as much affection to the luckster as possible. She's gonna make sure her luckster doesn't ever feel unappreciated.

"..." All Makoto could do was return the hug. He couldn't say that he did know that, at least not fully. But he did hope that classmates valued the friendship with him as much as he did them, to some extent at least.

Moments like these answered that hope; and put his worries to rest.

"Are you ready, Makoto?" Kyoko, who has been silent up till now, made her presence known; gaining the attention of the luckster, Hina, and Sayaka. "Ready to finish this?"

The two girls that were latched onto Makoto ended their hug, with Hina giving a rather awkward look while Sayaka gave a more neutral gaze. The lucky student, however, looked down in contemplation.

Was he ready? Ready for the next chapter of their future? There wasn't a choice, he knew that much. They have to watch this, or this'll be their future, regardless. But as for whether he was actually ready for it or not…

He looked up to Kyoko with the most determined gaze he could muster. "Yes." He nodded in further affirmation. "I'm ready."

That earned a smile from the detective, with Kyoko offering a hand. Smiling in return, Maoto took the offered hand.

It was a scene that Sayaka gazed at neutrally. 'So the two of them made up…'

She was still upset with Kyoko for what they witnessed; for how she treated their luckster since the third chapter. But… she was glad that they were able to make amends. And hopes that whatever they said to each other, helped both of them in some way.

Soon, the class took their seats, all of them looking determined to see the next chapter through. Even the likes of Chihiro and Toko steeled themselves best they could, keeping their individual anxiety from taking center stage.

And yes, that included Junko. However, the future mastermind laid her determination elsewhere, her eyes narrowed at the currently black screen. 'This'll be the last chapter…' She mused to herself. 'And this is where the survivors will end up confronting I, the Ultimate Despair.'

Let's see what it'll result in. What the remaining class was made of in the future. What the lucky student is made of.

As the group settled into their seats, the gazes of Kyoko and Byakuya met one another. They narrowed their eyes at each other, recalling what they had discussed last night.

(Flashback)

"I assume you're done reconciling with Makoto…?"

As soon as Kyoko closed the door to Makoto's room, she was met face to face with the Togami heir. "Byakuya." The detective addressed curtly. "Do you need something?"

In response, Byakuya jerked his head to the direction of his room. "Not here." He explained verbally. "Don't want unwanted ears hearing our discussion."

With a sigh, Kyoko accepted the answer and followed him to his room. Soon, the two were settled inside, with Byakuya taking his bed while Kyoko opted to remain standing.

"So, what is it you don't want the others to hear?" Kyoko asked, getting straight to the point.

Byakuya paid back the bluntness in kind. "I suspect that you have a guess as to who the mastermind really is?"

Kyoko narrowed her eyes at that. "And why would you assume so?"

"Obviously because I have my own guess." The Togami heir stated, nonplussed. "And you, as the Ultimate Detective, should be able to reach a similar conclusion. Especially after the reveal of Mukuro's allegiance to the mastermind."

Said Ultimate Detective paid little heed to the subtle dig; merely sighed, and conceded to answering. "Yes, I have my hypothesis as to who the mastermind is. But I can't say for a hundred percent certainty whether she's the correct one."

"And why can't you?" Byakuya shot back. "She's the only one not in the killing game, her sister is aligned with the mastermind, there's more than one Ultimate Despair, and Makoto was given a note regarding Mukuro within these very walls…"

"So, tell me, on what basis can we not conclude that Junko Enoshima is the mastermind?"

A tense silence filled the room as the name of their suspect dropped. Byakuya waited patiently for his answer, both his arms and legs crossed; while Kyoko took the time to formulate the most proper response, maintaining a stoic gaze.

"...If you think I'm having doubts based on sentimentality, then put those fears to rest." Kyoko began. "I may value the bonds we formed with our classmates, but I'm not blind to the idea of one or more of them having masks. It's merely the idea of a mere fashionista being capable of not only shaping the killing game we're watching, but also possibly bringing the entire world to ruin. Can you honestly swallow the idea of one, single girl being capable of that much?"

"...Fair enough." The Togami heir conceded. "But who's to say she was alone in that endeavor?"

"Exactly. We don't have all the information to make a clear conclusion." Kyoko argued. "Every mystery, every unanswered question, needs to be answered before reaching an answer. If we don't, we risk making the wrong one."

Now it was Byakuya's turn to let out a sigh. "Fair enough…" Was all he said. "However, as of right now, there's little to disprove Junko's innocence. There's too many coincidences and evidence to ignore her."

"Oh, trust me; my eyes are on her." The detective spoke in agreement, her eyes narrowed. "But until it's a hundred percent confirmed that it's Junko, we need to refrain from doing or saying anything."

However, at this time, any thoughts Kyoko had of Junko's innocence were fading. Too much was adding up to say she's absolved of guilt. She may be a classmate, she may have even seen her as a friend…

But she was the Ultimate Detective. And she will not ignore a possible mastermind sitting among them.

(End Flashback)

Suffice to say, there were at least two students who were suspicious of Junko Enoshima. And eyes will be on the fashionista during the final chapter of their future.

"You might already be aware, but this'll be the final chapter." Spirit announced, holding up the remote once more. "Other than a prologue, this'll be the end of this part of your future. Are you all ready to dive in, and finish it?"

The answers given were instant.

"Hell yeah!"

"Affirmative!"

"We've come this far already…!"

"Yeah! No chickening out now!"

"Just play the damn thing already!"

Hearing the streams of affirmations, Spirit nodded in consent. "Understood." With that, he pressed play. "Let us end this then."

"The Ultimate Despair…" Narrator Makoto spoke. "A group of people who caused the Tragedy one year ago. Those same people put together this killing game and began broadcasting it around the world. The most desperately awful group of people ever… that is the mastermind's true identity. Our enemy has finally been revealed…"

The screen lit up to show Makoto and Kyoko in the garbage pit. "But right now…"

"Right now we have to get out of this horrible place." Kyoko unknowingly finished for the narrator. "Figuring out the rest of the story can come after."

"Yeah, you're right…" Makoto nodded in agreement. "Kyoko, do you still have that one thing? Monokuma's 'secret tool' that you got from the headmaster's room?"

"Of course I do." In response, the detective held up the Monokuma key. "It's an absolutely vital part of ensnaring the mastermind. I would never part with it."

"That's good…" Hina breathed out a sigh of relief. "Imagine if Kyoko decided not to bring it or something. Or if Monokuma managed to get it back somehow."

"Kyoko isn't a dimwit like you…" Byakuya remarked with an eye-roll, ignoring the indignant squawk from the swimmer. "She wouldn't so easily part with a key tool like that."

"And it can open any door in the school, right?"

"That's right." Kyoko nodded.

Makoto then turned his head towards the door above them. "Then we can use that key of yours to open this door, right?"

"Let's find out." With that, the two headed up the stairs and got directly in front of the door. Kyoko then slid the key inside and with it a twist, it clicked open.

"Yes!" Makoto cheered happily. "It opened!"

"And now we can get out of here." Kyoko stated. "Let's go."

"Sounds good."

The screen then turned dark, as Makoto and Kyoko walked out of the pit. "Finally." Narrator Makoto spoke. "We were finally free. But there wasn't even time to take a sigh of relief. Because the real fight had just begun…"

"Indeed." Byakuya nodded in agreement. "Now is far from the time to relax. Once they reach the top, they'll have to immediately confront the mastermind."

Needless to say, the whole class was fairly tense for the confrontation to come. Many of them could only guess as to what the outcome will; but they hoped for it to be a good one.

(Chapter 6 - Ultimate Pain, Ultimate Suffering, Ultimate Despair, Ultimate Execution, Ultimate Death)

"...Way to amp up those bad feelings, title screen." Leon groaned, holding his face in his palm.

"Well, on the bright side… this tells that all six of the survivors will be able to face the mastermind together." Taka said, attempting to be optimistic. "That is something, at least."

"Doesn't mean that the conclusion to that confrontation will be positive…" Celeste retorted, being more pessimistic herself. "Pain, suffering, death… none of those paints a positive conclusion."

"Don't forget despair…" Juno chimed in, careful not to sing that part.

"Yo Hifumi, Toko…" Mondo called out the fanfic creator and writing prodigy. "Any idea about what this title is hinting at?"

The two writers were silent for a moment, both looking in thought. "I wouldn't say the title hints to a bad ending for our remaining future selves…" Hifumi was the first to speak up. "It could be that the likely trial will bring about that for the mastermind themselves."

"Agreed…" Toko nodded her head, in her 'literature mode' once again. "It's very clear that the mastermind has a thing for dramatics. So for this retrial, he'll likely make it to where no matter the results, the execution will be the most fantastical out of them all."

Mukuro had to clench her knees and bite her lips to keep herself from reacting to the idea of Junko's death. There was no doubt that her sister would make her own death fantastical if she had to choose, so she saw little faults in Hifumi and Toko's reasoning.

When the screen lit back up, it showed Makoto and Kyoko climbing up a metal ladder; with Makoto up front while Kyoko was below. "I had no idea we were so far down…" The luckster commented as they climbed.

"That… definitely looks like a far drop." Hina said in agreement, looking plenty worried.

"The garbage pit is that deep…?" Leon remarked in slight surprise. "Not saying I wish they didn't, but how the hell did Makoto and Kyoko survive the drop down?"

"Kyoko likely threw away a bag of garbage and jumped inside immediately after…" Taka theorized. "As for Makoto… well…"

"It's the dude's luck kicking in again." Mondo finished for his friend.

The luckster himself could only sweatdrop at the fact that his luck was the only rational explanation.

"Don't lose your footing. If you slip, I won't be able to catch you…" Kyoko warned.

"Y-Yeah, I'll be careful…"

"Why would you say that?!" Hifumi cried out in horror. "That will only get him thinking about it!"

"Yeah! Saying something like that would make me even more nervous, and more likely to slip!" Hina spoke in anxious agreement.

"Would you rather him slip without me giving him a warning…?" Kyoko said with a slight huff. "He needs to be careful."

"Especially since his luck won't save him if he falls there…" Byakuya remarked dryly.

Some students felt like that could be argued. However, none of them really wanted that tested out, so they remained quiet on it.

'But now that you said that, I'm getting kind of nervous…' Makoto whined to himself.

"..."

'Maybe talking will help keep my mind off of it…'

"Um, so Kyoko… there's something I wanted to ask you." Makoto requested. "You said you're the Ultimate Detective, right? So how long have you been doing detective work?"

"How long…?" Kyoko repeated, looking in thought. "Ever since I can remember."

At this, Kyoko tensed up. It looks as though her backstory is about to be revealed. But again, all she could do was watch and prepare for what's to be revealed. So she remained silent, keeping her gaze steady on the screen.

"I come from a long line of detectives. Detective work is in my blood. There was a time when being a detective was considered a sacred duty. My family's always seen it that way."

"Then… is your family famous?" The luckster asked curiously.

"Quite the opposite, actually." Kyoko answered. "Even among actual detectives, many people haven't heard of us."

"...What, wha?" Hina couldn't help but say dumbly. "But… didn't you say you're from a long line of detectives?"

"And if not that many people heard of you guys, how did you get into Hope's Peak…?" Leon questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Kyoko withheld a sigh. "All of it will likely be explained by my future self, so be patient."

"Huh?" That turned Makoto's curiosity into confusion. "But… how come? It's like your family tradition, right?"

"Because we take pride in it." Was the next answer given.

'Pride…?'

"A detective is neither light nor shadow." The detective explained further. "We represent neither justice nor evil. That is how we can uncover the absolute truth. We stand neutral in all things. And to do that, we have to stand separate from the rest of society. Which is why we've made a conscious effort to conceal our existence."

"A conscious effort…?" Makoto picked up on.

"It's kind of old-fashioned, and I can't say it's entirely rational…" Kyoko admitted. "But it's our family creed, and we do what we must to protect it. Because, like I said, it's our source of pride."

"That's… rather extreme…" Sayaka commented, looking a tad unsettled.

"I'd say that's more than a little…" Junko argued with a raised eyebrow. "Making an active effort to hide from society? I don't think you need to go THAT far."

"As my future self said, it isn't entirely rational." The detective made the same admittance as her counterpart. "But it's difficult to be rid of tradition like that, especially when you hold pride in it."

"Still… to go so far and still hold tightly to such traditions…" Celeste spoke in musing. "I imagine that many in your family would have to be rather extreme or radical to be able to do so for so long."

In the past, Kyoko would've made an argument against that. Say that none of her family were really radical with their traditions. But after the events they've witnessed, and the thoughts that were running through her head, she remained silent.

'Pride…' Makoto mused to himself. 'So that explains…'

A flashback of Makoto looking up the Ultimates was shown. 'Before I came here, when I was looking up info about the school online, I never saw anything about her. Because she hid herself on purpose, to protect the pride of her family…'

The scene then went back to the present as Kyoko spoke up. "And yet…" She said softly. "I… gave up some of that pride."

"Huh…?"

"In order to enter Hope's Peak, I had to reveal myself to the school." Kyoko pointed out. "I did it knowing it was something a true Kirigiri detective would never do."

"Wait… you actively revealed yourself to the public, just to enter Hope's Peak?" Leon summarized in bafflement. "Just so you could see the headmaster?"

"But… you said you didn't see Headmaster Kirigiri as family, right?" Chihiro asked hesitantly. He, along with the others, knew that this was a sensitive topic for the detective. "So, why…?"

This time, it was Makoto speaking. "Like Kyoko, her future self will answer." He assured his classmates. "I doubt future me will just leave that alone; especially since he knows that she wants to see the headmaster."

That got the group to turn their attention to screen, their curiosity and confusion focused on what's coming next.

'But the reason you gave up that pride…' Makoto recalled. 'The reason you would go so far to enter Hope's Peak…'

"It was because that's how much you wanted to reconnect with your dad, right? There's no shame in that." The luckster argued.

The future luckster's words got more than a few snorting. "Oh Makoto; you sweet, naive. summer child…" Junko said, shaking her head in amusement.

"It's definitely not to reconnect…" Mondo spoke dryly.

While most of them don't know much, they all knew that Kyoko had no desire to form any connections with her estranged father. She doesn't speak about it much, but what she does say more than hints to her 'daddy issues'.

"..." For a moment, Kyoko was silent. Then, she said, "Reconnect…? I had absolutely no desire to reconnect with my father."

"Huh…?" Once again, Makoto found himself confused. "B-But… you'd be reuniting after all those years, right? You would've had so much to talk about…"

"There's nothing I want to talk to my father about." Kyoko spoke coldly. "There is something I want to say to him, though."

"What…?" Makoto inquired hesitantly.

"No matter what it takes, I have to find him and tell him, face to face…"

"Wh-What is it…?"

"I want to sever all ties with him." Kyoko revealed.

"..."

In all honesty, this shouldn't be surprising as it was for many of the students. As stated before, Kyoko made no secret how she felt about her father. Still…

"You went out of your way to get into Hope's Peak… just so you can verbally sever ties with the headmaster?" Taka spoke with slight disbelief.

"And giving up some of that pride your family holds onto or something to do that…" Mondo added, sounding just as surprised.

"Kyoko…" Hina couldn't help but look at her detective friend in concern. "Do you really hate your father that much…?"

The detective closed her eyes. "Hate? …No. I don't feel that strongly enough to hate him." She confessed softly. "It's just… something I felt like I had to do."

More than a few pairs of eyes stared at Kyoko in concern. However, knowing that they had a better chance of getting answers from the viewing, they turned their attention to the screen once again.

Makoto's eyes widened at this. 'Sever…?'

"The last time I saw him… I was still very young." Kyoko further revealed. "So I don't remember myself, but apparently he was extremely intelligent. He was in line to become the next head of the Kirigiri family. He was talented, he had a promising future."

"But he had no interest in detective work. So he cut himself off from the family. Not long after that, my mother died, and he simply… ran away. He went to my grandfather, and they had a huge argument. And young as I was… he left me behind."

Hina's eyes widened. "Seriously…?" She stated, mouth agape. "Headmaster Kirigiri did that?"

"Ok, that was an asshole move…" Leon said with furrowed eyebrows. "Not wanting to do the family career? Sure, I get that. But leaving your daughter like that? I mean…"

"What happened during that argument that caused him to leave you…?" Sayaka questioned.

"...I'm not sure. As I've said, I was very young when it happened." Kyoko admitted. "And my grandfather never said anything about it. If I inquired about it, all he did was evade the question and had me focus on my studies."

"That's… kinda sketch…" Mondo couldn't help but say with a frown.

'I agree…' Makoto thought to himself. While he likes to think the best of others, hence why he didn't immediately condemn Headmaster Kirigiri for what he did, he can't help but feel Kyoko's grandfather's actions are at least a tad sketchy. Especially knowing how… devoted Kyoko and her family are to the detective tradition.

However, he never said anything about it, knowing that it was a sensitive topic and that he didn't know much. He couldn't really make any judgement without getting the full picture, or maybe meeting the man himself.

"I-I'm sure there was a reason for that." Makoto spoke in defense for the headmaster. "I'm sure your dad wanted to take you with him."

"If that's true, then I need to thank him." Was the detective's response.

And once again, Kyoko's words caught the group off guard.

"Wha…?"

"Thank him?"

"Are you serious…?"

"Thank him for leaving me…"

"...And you say you don't have daddy issues?" Leon deadpanned.

In response, Kyoko huffed and glared at him. "Wanting nothing to do with your blood family does not equate to any sort of issues."

"Yeah. Sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night, Kyoko…" The baseball star said dryly, not buying it one bit.

"Because unlike him, I take pride in the work I do. I take pride in my family name. So every last part of me is happy he didn't take me with him. If I'd gone with him, I never would have had the chance to become a detective."

"I was above Kyoko on the ladder, so I wasn't able to see her expression." Narrator Makoto spoke. "So I couldn't tell. I couldn't see how she looked when she said that, what she might have been feeling. All I could tell was that compared to her usual self… she was more talkative. And more emotional."

That had the Togami heir raising an eyebrow. "For once, I agree with the red-headed fool…" Byakuya remarked, ignoring the casual middle finger aimed at him from said fool. "For someone who is happy to grow up to be a detective, you're showing more heat than usual."

Now the detective's glare was aimed at Byakuya. "And I suppose you know my exact feelings about my father?"

"I know that the connection between you and him is more than non-existent." The heir shot back. "That you feel more about him than you let on; both you and your future self."

The two intelligent students stared each other down, neither one backing down from the other. Eventually, they both turned away from one another, Kyoko looking a tad annoyed while Byakuya was as nonchalant as usual.

"I don't blame him, you know. He had his own life to live." Kyoko spoke. "That's what anyone in my position might say, right? But it's not true. But there's one thing… one thing I can never forgive."

"Really…?" Makoto asked hesitantly.

"The way everyone looked at me." The detective revealed. "I was never sad about being left behind. Like I said, I think it was a good thing. But when the rest of my family looked at me, they saw something different. They only saw me as the little girl that was abandoned by her father. That's how they see me even to this day."

"His shadow has been following me my entire life. I'm sick of it." A hint of bitterness leaked out of Kyoko's voice. "I need him out of my life. I need to step out of his shadow. That's why I have to find him, and tell him we're no longer family. In order to settle the past… in order to remove him from my life forever… I have no doubt he forgot about me years ago."

"...Yeah, I'm also gonna agree and say that's some pretty deep daddy issues…" Junko remarked, knowingly and purposefully irking the detective further. "And I don't think it'll work like that."

"That kind of shadow will always remain; especially if you had no intention of reconnecting with Headmaster Kirigiri." Celeste spoke in agreement. "Seeking him out, meeting him face to face in order to verbally sever ties, that's merely personal gratification. It'll do nothing to smother the looks; the whispers."

Kyoko clenched her glove-covered fist, keeping from reacting or lashing out. She shouldn't let their words affect her so much. Shouldn't let them get to her. Her thoughts were enough of a mess as it is; she doesn't need to let the others hinder them.

"B-But… your family." Makoto protested weakly. "To just cut him out like that…"

"Our connection is through blood, nothing more." Kyoko replied coldly. "Are we connected by heart and soul? No. Is blood really enough to call someone family?"

'Only connected by blood, not by heart or soul…' Makoto repeated to himself, feeling slightly stunned.

"I was so shocked to hear her say something like that. I didn't know how to respond." Narrator Makoto spoke. "So instead… I said nothing."

"It's… probably good that he didn't…" Sayaka said with a sigh. "It's clearly a sensitive topic. One that shouldn't be probed on."

"Yo, Makoto…" Leon turned his attention to the present luckster. "I'm guessing you already knew about all this?"

Makoto nodded. "Kyoko told me some time ago."

"And how do you feel about the family drama?"

"I… it's hard for me to say what I feel…" Makoto spoke hesitantly, glancing at the agitated detective. In an effort to calm her down, he placed a hand over one of her clenched ones. For a moment, the detective tense, before relaxing and opening up that clenched hand. "We don't have the full story, after all…"

"I just kept climbing the ladder in complete silence. And after I don't know how long… we finally reached the top."

"Look like this is it." Makoto spoke, looking at the hatch above them.

"On the other side of this door… Hope's Peak is waiting for us." Kyoko agreed.

That got everyone's attention back to the events at hand. "They're finally getting out of the pit…!" Hina spoke, eagerness rising in her tone.

"And soon, they'll be confronting Monokuma…" Sakura said right after, more tense herself.

"We're… back." Was all the luckster could say, relief in his words.

"Remember that hatch on the ground near the trash room?" Kyoko spoke in recollection. "I'm fairly certain that's where we'll come out. I unlocked it earlier, so it should open without much trouble."

"Well, here goes nothin'..." With that, Makoto reached out and pushed against the hatch. Once it was fully opened, the luckster and the detective climbed out of the pit, and into the room. "Looks like we're back…"

"But I can't believe how long that ladder was. I'm exhausted…" Kyoko huffed in said exhaustion.

"I'm glad neither of you fell during that climb…" Chihiro sighed in relief.

"I-Imagine how a-anti-climatic that would be. Surviving a-an execution, lasting in that pit, o-only for it to end b-by slipping…" Toko remarked.

"I would honestly throw a fit if that was the ending…" Leon deadpanned.

'So would I…' Sayaka, Hina, Mukuro, Celeste, and even Kyoko thought to themselves. For Makoto to survive all that he did, only for his luck to fail him like that? That would definitely be feeling a certain way.

'I can't exactly say we're safe and sound, but… at least we're out of there.' Makoto thought to himself. 'Now we're back in Hope's Peak Academy…'

"Kyoko… thank you." The luckster then spoke sincerely. "I never would've gotten out of there without you."

"No thanks necessary. I was just returning the favor." Kyoko waved off.

"And I'd say that it's one returned in full." Leon remarked.

"Not yet, it isn't." Sayaka denied, facing Kyoko, with the detective responding in kind. "After all… she has to make sure Monokuma doesn't try again."

For a moment, the idol and the detective stared each other down, before Kyoko turned her attention back to the screen. "I'm certain my future self can stop the mastermind cold." She stated confidently. "As she said… now they are the ones ensnared."

Sayaka turned back to the TV herself in response. "Let's see. I hope you are right."

"Um… anyone sensing some tension here?" Hiro asked quietly, looking at the two girls uneasily. "Cause it's looking like there's some."

"No shit." Was Mondo's sarcastic response, also looking wary.

"I guess with all that has happened, tension is bound to remain at certain points…" Taka said nervously. "Let just hope it doesn't turn into something hostile."

"So… now what do we do?" Makoto then asked. "I'm glad I didn't die, of course, but if the mastermind finds out… and I'm worried about you, too. You helped me, so they might…"

"You're worried?" Kyoko inquired.

"Y-Yeah, of course."

"Then let's just get a concrete answer." Was the detective's response.

Her response, of course, got the luckster confused. "Huh…?"

"Let's ask Monokuma if there's a problem with you escaping."

"...If we didn't talk about your plan beforehand, I would've called that batshit insane, Kyoko." Leon stated, shaking his head. "Hell, I still think that spine of yours got laced with something extra."

"I don't know if I could do the same thing you're doing…" Hina said in agreement, shuddering.

"W-Wait, that's-!" Makoto exclaimed in panicked protest.

"If we try to hide, it's only a matter of time till we're found out." Kyoko pointed out. "And it's not like we can run away." She then pointed at a nearby surveillance camera.

"She has a point…" Celeste nodded her head in acceptance. "Hiding is pointless. Running is not optional. The only thing they can do is confront our potential warden face to face."

"Maybe… still doesn't make Kyoko's plan sound any less suicidal…" Mondo remarked.

"As I said before, it's a gamble." The gamble nodded in agreement. "But these ones have good odds. So it's better to confront the mastermind with their own rules, rather than attempt to evade them in their own territory."

"So you're saying rather than stressing out over getting caught, we should just give up now?" Makoto deduced a tad grimly.

"Don't worry. What you think is going to happen, isn't." Kyoko assured the luckster. "Because the mastermind is the one that's ensnared."

'The mastermind is ensnared…' Makoto repeated to himself, his eyebrows furrowed. "You said something like that before. What does it mean…?"

"The mastermind stood exposed during the investigation into Mukuro's death." Kyoko began explaining. "There was a moment where the mastermind let their guard down."

"There was…?"

"There was…?" Hina repeated in confusion. "What moment was that?"

"I'm wondering the same myself…." Taka admitted.

"Me three…" Hiro raised a hand eyebrow.

"I'm pretty sure at least half of us are racking our heads about this…" With that statement, Leon turned to Kyoko. "Any idea what future you is talking about?"

"...I have a few ideas." Was the detective's answer. "Let's just continue to watch, and see if that moment is shown to us."

"If we can talk to Monokuma, we can confirm it." Kyoko stated. "And it'll be better for us if we go to him directly before he tracks us down. That should help with our negotiations…"

'...' Despite her words, Makoto still looked a bit unsettled. 'I'm still a little - no, super uneasy about this.'

"But… we don't really have a choice, do we?" The luckster said in resignation.

Rather than answering, Kyoko started walking to the exit. "Monokuma should be in the gym. Let's get going."

Despite whatever confidence the class had beforehand, many of them started to feel their nerves being racked. With Makoto and Kyoko back in Hope's Peak, now they have to directly confront Monokuma. It either ends with another retrial for Mukuro, or…

They'll end up seeing another execution.

The group as a whole were fairly confident that the latter wouldn't happen. That Kyoko will be able to pull off this gamble. Still… several of the students couldn't help but feel anxious.

Notes:

And that's the end. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. And would you look at that? I managed to update the day I published the first chapter for this fic! Great timing on my end! Kinda poetic as well, considering this is the first part of the reactions to the final chapter for Danganronpa. Let's see if I can finish this before the year ends. Next up, the group will watch as Kyoko and Makoto confront Monokuma. Leave comments, kudos, and bookmarks and I will see you later.

Chapter 110: Watching Chapter 6: Ultimate Pain, Ultimate Suffering, Ultimate Despair, Ultimate Execution, Ultimate Death Part 2

Notes:

Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So, for those of you who don't know, one of the readers on AO3 (SlimGrim360) created a fic called "Class 78th Watches… Uhm… Something?"; basically the class reacting to a small parody of Danganronpa. First off, it's a direct inspiration of this fic, and I'm flattered that I was able to inspire you to make it, SlimGrim. Glad you found the time and confidence to do so. Second, if any of you want to check it out, go do so.

I probably won't read the fic myself, since I'm not really a fan of parodies in general (The most I'll likely do is skim through it). But for anyone that does like them, or don't mind too much, go give it a try.

That's all I wanted to say. Hope you enjoy the chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, HEY!"

The moment Kyoko and Makoto entered the gym, Monokuma appeared. "Kyoko I don't mind so much." The bear started off angrily. "But Makoto's supposed to be dead! What's HE doing here?!"

Despite the seriousness of the situation, some couldn't help but snicker or laugh. "What? Pissed that your execution actually failed?" Leon mocked the bear.

"Fucking bear now got shown up for a third time…!" Mondo barked in laughter.

"You keep underestimating us; and in turn, the rug keeps being pulled from under you." Sayaka mocked with a vindictive smirk.

'That's exactly how I thought he'd react…' Makoto thought, still feeling rather anxious. 'Are we really gonna be okay…?'

"You were supposed to be punished! Did Kyoko help you?!"

"So what if I did?" Was the detective's response. "What will you do?"

"Honestly, do you get scared Kyoko…?" Leon couldn't help but ask, shaking his head. "Or do you carry around a steel-laced spine 24/7?"

"Of course I get scared. I'm not without fear, after all…" The detective answered smoothly. "But I don't show my fear. Nor do I let it fuel my actions most times."

"If the guilty party is exposed during the class trial, they alone will be executed." Monokuma reiterated. "It's unfortunate, but that is the rule. So now I gotta punish you again! And this time I won't leave anything to chance!"

That wiped away any mirth the class felt, with that amusement being replaced with fear and worry. "Um, whatever Kyoko got planned, she better do it fast…!" Hiro exclaimed worriedly.

'Agreed…' Sayaka, Hina, Mukuro, and Celeste all thought in unison, biting their lips or clenching their fists anxiously.

"K-Kyoko…!" The lucky student turned towards Kyoko fearfully.

"Do whatever you feel you have to."

"WHAT?!"

"THE FUCK?!"

"KYOKO…!?"

Makoto wasn't able to say anything; merely stared at the screen with an agape mouth.

"What?!" Makoto exclaimed in shock.

"Did you seriously bring Makoto all the way back from the pit, just to get executed?!" Hiro exclaimed in bafflement, holding his curly-afro head.

Sayaka slowly turned towards the detective, a darkening aura surrounding her. "Kyoko…"

"Relax." Not at all fearful of the stares given to her, Kyoko kept her gaze steady. "Do recall that my future self has a plan. Do you really think I would do all that work to rescue him, only to let him get executed?"

"And that's the only reason I'm not coming over to strangle you…" Was the idol's chilling warning.

Shaking off his shock, Makoto placed a hand around Sayaka's, in an effort to calm her down. As per usual, the idol upgraded that hand-holding to cuddling, which got the luckster blushing yet again.

"But before you do, let me just say one thing." Kyoko continued on, unperturbed. "If you execute Makoto, that means you lose. Not that that matters to you, right?"

"Huh? I… lose?" Was the bear's confused response. "You! Explain yourself! What do you mean by that?!"

"Well you set up the latest class trial yourself, right?" Kyoko accused. "I was getting in your way, so you wanted an excuse to kill me. I was supposed to be chosen as the blackened and then executed, right?"

Future Kyoko's words got the students to calm down, seeing that she wasn't throwing Makoto to the wolves. "Here we go…" Leon murmured concernedly.

"Let us see if this gamble pays off…" Celeste spoke softly.

"H-Hey, what are you talking about?" Monokuma stuttered angrily.

"But when Makoto chose to overlook my lie, your plan came crashing down." Kyoko pushed further. "The results of the trial weren't at all what you were expecting. Because you never imagined that in that position, one person would protect another like that."

"A recurring theme when it comes to the mastermind…" Taka noted with a hum. "They seemed to only see the flaws in people. Their weaknesses, their fears, their vulnerabilities. They almost completely disregard our virtues and strengths."

"Not only that, but they have a difficult time seeing us overcome those very flaws." Sakura added. "They cannot imagine that we would strive to become better, even in the midst of a life-or-death situation. And this blinds them when we act upon our better nature."

"Sayaka's desperation; Mondo's rage; Celeste's greed; Byakuya's arrogance…" Mukuro listed off. "All of those are easily exploitable. But Makoto, Chihiro, Sakura… either they don't have flaws that can be exploited, or they are able to overcome those very flaws."

"The mastermind… they constantly underestimate hope. The ability for people to move forward." Makoto spoke strongly, eyes flashing with that hope. "And because they do, they always get caught off guard."

"And in response to that unexpected development… you reacted by proclaiming Makoto the blackened and trying to execute him." The detective continued. "You made the choice out of desperation. No, more than that… you must have realized that Makoto, who refused to be manipulated, was a threat to you, as well."

"Huh?" That wiped Makoto's determined look, with his eyes widening in surprise at Kyoko's statement. "The mastermind… saw me as threatening?"

That earned him blank looks at his classmates, similar to the looks he received when he asked why he of all people was entrusted with the knife. The luckster shrank at the looks. "W-What?"

"Dude, you said it yourself, didn't ya?" Mondo spoke flatly. "The fucking mastermind keep underestimating that hope of yours. When they saw that you were one of the few that can't be broken, why wouldn't they see you as a threat?"

"You're not the most physically imposing, sure; nor have any skills in combat, or any societal influence." Mukuro spoke up, a soft look entering her eyes. "But you have such an incredible will. The ability to see the best in others… even when we don't deserve it."

"You said it before; the most abnormal thing about you is your optimism." Byakuya remarked with a tad of dryness. "You refuse to be brought into despair, to make any choices out of fear or desperation. And it's clear that's something the mastermind cannot comprehend."

"You're strong, Makoto. Stronger than people give you credit for." Chihiro spoke passionately, giving the luckster a determined look. "You're able to resist whatever schemes the masterminds throw at us. To believe in others no matter what. That makes you more than capable of facing the mastermind."

"Yeah, I totally agree!" Hina nodded her head rapidly in agreement. "You're really incredible, Makoto! It's no wonder the stupid bear saw you as an enemy!"

Their words got the luckster's cheeks burning yet again, yet he still looked uncertain. That unsure look got Kyoko to speak. "My future self said it before, didn't she? You're the type to overcome this." The detective reminded him. "The type that is able to continue moving forward. Even when you're carrying the deaths of our classmates, our friends… you were still able to remain optimistic. Hopeful."

"That's what the mastermind was able to see in that trial. And that ability to retain that hope made you a threat to their plans."

"..." Makoto found himself unable to say anything. Unsure of what he could say.

"She's right, you know…" Sayaka joined in, squeezing the luckster's arm with hers. "I don't like that it placed you in harm's way, but… you kept showing such incredible strength. Continue believing in those around you. And held onto hope no matter how far we got into this sick game. Just as Kyoko was able to help solve the mysteries surrounding this future… you could've put a halt to Monokuma's plan just by being… you."

"..." In the end, all the lucky students did was accept their words. Because even if he wasn't sure about his own threat level himself, it's clear that his classmates, his friends, saw otherwise. So there must be some level of truth to them.

"..." Monokuma's only response was silence.

"But then there was another expected development waiting for you." Kyoko then began adding. "An entity that would throw a wrench, so to speak, in your precious execution machinery."

"Alter Ego…" Makoto spoke in realization.

"You never imagined the possibility of a being that could come to our aid even after you'd 'killed' it." Kyoko stated with a smirk.

"As stated several times before… they kept underestimating us." Sakura stated firmly. "Underestimated Chihiro, underestimated Kyoko, myself, Makoto…"

"And they keep getting put on the backfoot in response." Leon finished, a smirk growing across his face.

"What was it that he said before… something about only feeling an itch?" Celeste hummed in feigned memory lapse, tapping her chin. "I do wonder if he's feeling more than just an itch right now…"

"Oh, no doubt he's feeling more of Alter Ego's actions." Byakuya stated confidently, a smirk of his own forming. "And it's only gonna grow from here…"

"Now, here's the absolute truth. Makoto didn't kill Mukuro. You did."

"..." Monokuma continued to remain silent.

"So executing Makoto for it would surely be a violation of your rules, which I know you love so much." Kyoko said mockingly. "If the blackened is exposed, they alone will be executed. That's what you told us, right?"

"Hmph. And that means I lose?" The bear questioned back. "You talk a big game. You're saying the blackened is me and not Maoto? And you can prove this, right?"

"No, I can't." Kyoko admitted freely.

"HEY!"

"DON'T JUST FLAT OUT ADMIT IT!"

"We were getting pumped up here, Kyoko!"

"Why admit that so casually?!"

'Don't just say it like that!' Makoto protested in his mind.

"What is this, a comedy routine?" Monokuma growled out. "To make such bold claims without a shred of evidence…"

"I don't have any right now, but with a little more time I guarantee I'll find some." Kyoko assured them. "Because no matter how deeply you try to bury it, there is only ever one absolute truth."

"And now you're trying to talk like some kind of famous detective type?" Monokuma said in irritation.

"...He doesn't know that Kyoko now knows that she's the Ultimate Detective, does he?" Celeste realized.

"More than likely, no." Byakuya answered. "From what we've seen, Kyoko only told Makoto; and we all know that there's no cameras in the garbage pit."

"Oh, boy…" Leon whistled. "I wonder how surprised and angry he'll be once that's revealed…"

"D-Doubt Kyoko will u-use that to her benefit in any way…" Toko grumbled. "Just a l-little thing in the end."

"If Makoto really was the killer, he never would have come to you willingly like this." Kyoko pointed out. "He would have feared for his life, feared another execution. He would have tried to run and hide. He would have been gripped by the despair you so love to inspire."

"That's very true…" Leon nodded his head in agreement. "I know I would've; if I somehow survived my execution."

"But he isn't." Sayaka stated, smiling. Instead…

"But here we are - confronting you with nothing but hope in our hearts."

Junko had to hold back any snarls, any scowls, even keep out any looks of annoyance; especially when she knew the nosy detective and the snobby progeny had eyes on her.

It should've been so simple for her future self! Take out Kyoko and eliminate a threat to her plans, while sinking the others further into despair! But no! Lucky boy had to cling onto that disgusting hope! The damn AI just had to show up at the right time! And the detective was now using her own broadcast against her!

"And that's supposed to be enough to convince me in the absence of evidence?" Monokuma growled.

"It's not you I'm trying to convince." Kyoko countered. "If you were to execute Makoto now, everyone out there watching this would be extremely displeased."

"And here it is…" Byakuya smirked. "Kyoko's trump card."

"This is gonna be good…" Mondo remarked with a grin; with that grin being shared by several more students, along with smirks.

"Huh…?" Makoto turned towards the detective in confusion.

"Imagine what everyone out there would think if you killed Makoto…" Kyoko continued forth. "They would assume that you killed him because what we said is exactly right. Despair can never kill hope."

"Grh-!" That earned another growl from the monochrome bear.

"Of course, you can say we're just making this all up. You're welcome to prove us wrong." The detective goaded with a smirk. "No, you have no choice but to prove it. Because if you kill Makoto without proving your own innocence, you'll be accepting your own defeat."

"Gh-grg-grah!" More primal, frustrated growls left the bear's lips.

"And now Kyoko's goading the bear again…!" Leon couldn't help but laugh. "Like, damn, Kyoko!"

"You love bringing down arrogant douche, don't ya…?" Mondo joined the baseball star in laughing.

Kyoko shrugged. "It isn't my fault some people feel so secure in their position." She said casually, resisting the urge to smirk. "If they wish not to be humiliated, then they shouldn't be so assured in their own victory."

"Too true…" Sayaka giggled in agreement.

"If you want to earn our despair 'fair and square'… then I suggest you take my advice."

"..." For a moment, Monokuma was silent. After the moment passed, he spoke. "So? What's this 'advice' of yours?"

"To do Mukuro's trial over again." Kyoko answered confidently. "Only this time, you follow the school regulations to ensure a fair trial. It's time for one last showdown - one final battle between hope… and despair!"

With each word leaving Kyoko's lips, the class felt themselves getting more and more confident and excited. To them, it's looking more and more likely that this retrial will happen. That the remaining survivors will be able to investigate, find more things about the so-called 'murder', and expose the mastermind as the liar and cheater they are.

After sitting through five chapters of their future, they'll finally get the most important key in stopping it. The mastermind's identity.

"Well? That would make for a proper climax, wouldn't you say?"

'A fair trial… one last showdown… in other words…' A determined look entered Makoto's face. 'This would be our chance to expose the true identity of Mukuro's killer - of the mastermind themselves!'

"So… this is where it's all gonna end." Hifumi declared, pushing up his glasses. "And this class trial enters the same pattern as most of the previous trials…"

"Then they're gonna find out who the mastermind is!" Taka stated excitedly. "And expose them for the world to see!"

"And the bastard will have no choice but to enter his own, damn execution…!" Mondo cheered, looking and feeling very vindictive at the moment.

'But… what reason would the mastermind have to accept the challenge?'  The luckster then thought doubtfully, and nervously.  'They'll probably just execute me without another word…'

"At this point… I found that doubtful." Celeste admitted to, shaking her head. "True, if the mastermind goes along with this, there's a more than likely chance that the survivors will find out everything. But if they execute Makoto on the spot…"

"They'll be validating Kyoko's claims. And the killing game would risk being for nothing." Taka finished for the gambler. "Bring about hope and outrage, rather than the despair they so desire!"

"Meaning they got themselves trapped between a rock and a hard place." Leon remarked. "Will killing Makoto cause everything to crash down? Or will they have to off themselves in their own damn trial?"

"In the end, it all depends on what the mastermind finds the more acceptable risk." Sakura summarized, her eyes narrowed. "And what they value more."

"..." Once again, the bear was silent for a moment. But then… "Kehehe… interesting. Beary interesting indeed!"

"...Beary?" Makoto couldn't help but deadpan.

For a minute, the class could only blink at the sudden change in tone. But then…

"Oh dear. How unfortunate…" Celeste couldn't help but say. "He's going back to bear puns."

"Seriously…?" Hina groaned, holding her head. "I thought he got rid of that from the very beginning!"

"Well, he seems to have come back in doing more…" Sakura merely sighed in response.

"Oh, I was getting bored, so I decided to change things up a little. So, time for bear jokes!" Monokuma explained. "Now, what you've suggested might be pawsible. It would certainly make for one honey of a climax!"

"Does that mean you accept?" Kyoko inquired.

"If we do things your way, that'll be enough to convince you and the viewers, right?" Monokuma summarized. "And it would cause you unbearable despair, right? Then I'm prebeared to agree to your terms! Will your hope win out? Or will my desbear claim victory…? Let's have one final grizzly showdown!"

"HE AGREED!"

"YES!"

"We got one more showdown with the assholes!"

"Now stop it with the bear puns! Please!"

'He agreed…!'  Makoto thought in both shock and relief.  'Then we still have a shot at this…!'

"But this is the long-awaited climax, right? Just guessing the killer is bearly a fitting end." Monokuma added. "So for this final face-off, you'll have to unearth all the mysteries that have been bearied underneath!"

And that instantly turned that feeling of victory into one of bafflement.

"...Huh?"

"What…?"

"What did he just…?"

"All the…?"

Makoto's eyes widened at this. "All the mysteries…?"

"That's right. Every last mystery that's pawing around the school." Monokuma confirmed. "If you can do that… then that'll be enough to koalafy as a victory for you!"

"...One hand one, potentially good for us. We can finally figure the what the hell is going on in that future." Leon said, looking a bit troubled. "On the other hand…"

"Can they solve all the mysteries…?" Sayaka finished for him, biting her lips concernedly.

"That's what we've been trying to do all along…" Kyoko stated, having no problem with that prospect.

"Okay, well, good!" Was all the bear could say. "Then let's bear it all! If you can claw your way to the truth of Mukuro's death, AND solve the mysteries of the school… then you win! But if you can't do all of that…"

"We'll all face execution. Right?" Kyoko concluded.

"...I wonder how the other survivors will react to this." Hifumi mused. "Considering they were not informed about this…"

That got some of the students, realizing that the four other surviving counterparts are still in the dark. "...I guess we'll have to see." Was all Sayaka could say.

"Kehehehe… I can bearly contain my excitement…" Monokuma laughed eagerly. "When you learn the whole truth… what kind of despair will you show me?"

"We're as excited as you are, I'm sure." Kyoko shot back in response. "When we've uncovered every last truth, how will the Ultimate Despair reveal their own despair…?"

'Oh…?' Junko raised an eyebrow at that. 'You think YOU can make me feel despair? Win it all, and have me face my own defeat?'

The fashionista had to hold back a deranged giggle. 'Bring it, Junior Detective! Let see you have what it takes to have me plunge into the darkest pits of despair… and avoid plunging in yourself…!'

'I honestly can't believe how this has all turned out…' Makoto mused to himself.

"But before we get started, I want to clarify one more thing." Kyoko then spoke. "Do you remember the rule? When one student kills another, that's when a class trial is held."

"I remember that, fur sure." Monokuma confirmed. "So what?"

"I just want to confirm, that is what you said, right? And it's a true statement?" The detective questioned.

That got a laugh from the bear. "You don't have to be so suspicious. I've said it before, but it bears repeating…"

"Everything is based on the school regulations. And having a trial for Mukuro is no exception to that."

"..."

"..."

"..."

An eerie silence entered the room as the class took in Kyoko's question, and Monokuma's response. And as they did, knitted eyebrows of confusion, disbelieving looks, and narrowed eyes of suspicion slowly started forming across the students' faces.

"Huh…?" Was Makoto's confused response. 'Mukuro's trial is no exception? Then… it's part of the regulations? Which would have to mean that whoever killed Mukuro…'

"Kehehe… It's very polarizing, I know, but - okay, enough puns." The bear then quit it with the puns.

None of them were at a state where they could even sigh in relief at the fact that there'll be no more puns. All were too focused on the implications being given.

"Anyway, here's a hint…" He then offered. "I'm sure I told you this already, but… this killing game began with sixteen student participants, all of them high school students. And the only people to take a single step in Hope's Peak since the killing game began… are those sixteen students."

"...The fuck is this damn bear trying to say?" Mondo questioned, dread filling his gut.

It was a dread several in the class began feeling, especially the smarter students that were able to connect the dots.

"I think it's obvious, monkey." Byakuya spoke, his eyes narrowed into a glare. "He's implying that a student, one of the sixteen that are in the school, killed Mukuro. And considering what we know…"

"That means the mastermind is a student of Hope's Peak." Kyoko finished, closing her eyes. "If he's telling the truth, the one who killed Mukuro and is the mastermind of this killing game, is an Ultimate."

Stunned, disbelieving looks were shared amongst. Someone from Hope's Peak is the mastermind? A student, no less? But how? Who? Why?

Kyoko and Byakuya, however, found this to be even more confirmation to their suspicions. While it could be any of the hundreds of Ultimates that reside in the school… wouldn't it make the most sense if the one missing from their roster is the culprit? The one girl absent from their class of sixteen?

"What…?"

"Are you telling the truth?" Kyoko asked.

"..." Rather than answer, Monokuma went quiet. "..."

"Why'd did he go quiet all of a sudden…?" Makoto inquired in confusion.

"...Puhu… Puhuhu…" But then the bear started laughing, right before… "I'm done talking! I got nothin' left to say to you! So get lost, would ya?!"

"Why so mad?!" Was the luckster's next, startled response.

And of course, the bear's sudden anger snapped the class out of their uneasy thoughts.

"Yeah, what the hell?!"

"What's up with that?!"

"S-Sudden h-hostilities!"

"What got him so pissed?!"

"He seems… emotionally unstable." Kyoko guessed with a sigh.

"Leave me alone! Get outta here!" Was Monokuma's angry response.

"O-Okay, I'm going. I just…" Makoto said nervously, taking a few steps back. "You're really gonna let me go?"

"Makoto!"

"Don't go questioning a good detail!"

"Especially one concerning your life!"

"I get it! I'm sorry…!" Makoto cried out, holding his hands in surrender.

"..." Once again, Monokuma went silent before saying, "Hmph. I don't even care anymore. You're all gonna get your punishment later anyway."

That earned several sighs of relief. "My heart can't take much more of this…" Hina sighed, holding a hand over her chest.

"Unfortunately, we still have one more investigation and trial to go through, Hina…" Sayaka reminded the swimmer.

Said swimmer could only huff at that. "Great…"

"I need to start getting it ready. A super duper extra special punishment, overflowing with despair…" The bear began laughing to himself, streams of "Puhuhu" leaving his mouth.

"Come on, Makoto. Let's go." Kyoko advised, grabbing the luckster's attention.

"Okay…"

"Puhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhu…"

"Yeah. Get away from that thing. Far away." Leon urged the future Makoto and Kyoko, looking disturbed. "Seriously, how can an animatronic bear be annoying, creepy, and menacing all at the same damn time…?"

"I'll give you an answer when I find it, dude…" Mondo quipped, rather creeped out himself.

"The mastermind definitely cemented themselves as one of the more unsettling and disturbing antagonists…" Hifumi declared with an air of seriousness. "Even with the cutesy and humorous aura he surrounds himself with…"

"I would say that cutesy and humorous aura makes Monokuma even more unsettling…" Sayaka pointed out with a small shudder.

The next scene showed Makoto and Kyoko standing outside the gym, with the luckster turning towards the detective. "Kyoko… thank you." He spoke sincerely, a relieved smile upon his lips. "Everything I have right now is because of you."

'Agreed…' Makoto nodded in agreement to his counterpart. Regardless of how he ended up nearly executed, it doesn't change that Kyoko managed to save him. He couldn't not be grateful for that.

"Like my future self said; she was paying back the debt created." Kyoko whispered, squeezing the luckster's hands. "She dragged you into that mess to begin with. It only made sense to save you."

"Maybe, but… that won't stop me from being grateful." Makoto argued softly. "And I can still give my thanks for repaying whatever debt we had between us, so…"

Kyoko remained silent in response, quietly accepting the lucky student's words.

"Don't thank me just yet. The real battle is still ahead of us." Kyoko reminded him.

"Yeah, true…" Makoto admitted.

"But still, I'm glad it worked out." Kyoko then said with a hint of relief. "I wasn't sure if the enemy would accept my proposal."

"B-But honestly, why would the mastermind agree to that?" Makoto asked, confusion now being shown. "I mean, they don't stand to gain anything from a final showdown, do they?"

"They had no choice but to accept." Was the detective's answer.

"Huh…?"

"It's all because of that one moment that the mastermind let down their guard, like I said." Kyoko explained.

"Oh right. Kyoko mentioned that before!" Hina spoke in remembrance. "We're finally gonna hear what that moment is?"

"You mean you haven't figured it out, Hina dear?" Celeste asked with a raised eyebrow, before shaking her head. "What am I even asking, of course you didn't…"

"Hey!" Hina turned towards the gambler with a pout. "Well if you're so smart, then how about you tell me?"

"It's about to be revealed anyway, so just be patient…" Celeste smoothly replied, not rising to the bait. Which caused Hina to pout further.

"So when was it that the mastermind let their guard down…?" Makoto inquired curiously.

"I wasn't there to hear it myself, but do you remember what the mastermind said?" Kyoko reminded the luckster. "They said they had hijacked the airwaves to broadcast our school life to the outside world, right?"

The mention of the broadcast immediately caused minds to click. "...Oh. Right." Leon didn't know whether to rub his head sheepishly or shudder at the reminder. "The bear told us the entire thing is being broadcasted."

"And revealing that information to us turned out to be a major weakness for them…" Byakuya stated confidently. "Along with a major advantage for us."

"In their arrogance, the mastermind allowed themselves to let their guard down and reveal such vital info." Celeste added. "They believed everything was in their favor. So they found no harm in doing so."

"Y-Yeah, they definitely said that…" Makoto confirmed with a small shudder.

"And what did you think when you heard that? Pretty hard to believe, right?" The detective then asked rhetorically.

"Well…" The luckster stuttered, trying to find the right words. "I mean, the idea of actually taking over the airwaves seems so… unbelievable."

"You don't exactly read about something like that happening very often, so it's hard to imagine." Kyoko spoke in agreement. "In other words, that kind of thing is extremely difficult to pull off. And yet… the mastermind was able to do it."

"But think of it another way - there must have been some reason they had to do something that difficult."

"A reason…?" Makoto repeated in confusion.

"They had to show the world something, no matter the cost - us killing each other." Kyoko stated.

"They wanted to show the world…?"

"The mastermind has been very adamant about not killing us directly, but forcing us to kill each other." The detective pointed out. "And all the rules and regulations were designed to encourage that."

"Yeah, that makes sense." Makoto, starting to follow Kyoko's words, nodded in agreement. "If those stupid regulations didn't exist, nobody would've killed anybody…"

"So the mastermind's ultimate goal was to make us kill each other, and show that off to the world." Kyoko concluded.

"But… why?" Makoto then asked, still rather lost.

'The question of the week…' Was the thoughts of several students, all of them desiring the answer to that question. They know that the mastermind was doing all this for a reason. That there's a message, an effect, that they want to spread across the world.

But what is that message? What are they trying to tell the world?

"To prove a point, most likely." The detective answered.

"Prove… a point?"

"The outside world has a name for the students of Hope's Peak, right? A certain concept…" Kyoko pointed out.

"You're talking about 'hope', right?" Makoto guessed.

"And for those of us who represent hope to kill each other and sink into despair…" Kyoko continued. "The mastermind wants the world to see that, to try and prove that despair is better than hope. That's their goal, as the Ultimate Despair."

"...Is that it?" Taka couldn't help but ask, sounding as baffled as everyone else likely is. "Is that truly the sole reason? Their true goal?"

"The mastermind wants us to kill each other… just to prove that despair is better?" Sayaka spoke in incredulous anger. "They took our memories… made us so desperate to escape… had us betray each other…"

"...just to prove such a ridiculous, downright childish notion?!" Celeste finished for the idol, her accent starting to slip yet again. "That's… that's absurd! Insane!"

Byakuya looked towards the gambler with a raised eyebrow. "You speak as though the sanity of their goals is important." He spoke bluntly. "It's insane because the mastermind is insane. At this point, that much is clear."

"He's right…" Kyoko agreed, closing her eyes. "This is an individual who wants nothing more than to watch the world fall into chaos. Into despair. There's nothing rational about them, nothing logical. There's only a pure, deranged desire to show the world chaos, and all that it entails."

"...What?"

'They want to prove that despair… is better than hope?' Makoto thought dumbfoundedly. "But that… that's ridiculous!"

"You're right. It is ridiculous, completely irrational." Kyoko agreed with a nod. "It's the kind of thing that nobody but those who call themselves the Ultimate Despair would devise. That group whose only purpose and motivation comes from despair…"

"B-But-! Is that really their only reason for making the rest of us suffer?!" The luckster student exclaimed in protest.

"It's just… so damn hard to swallow and believe!" Leon exclaimed, holding and shaking his head. "That type of shitty villain is something you only see in movies! Why the hell anyone would spent that much time, that much effort, just to prove that fucking point?"

"More to the point… how would this benefit them?" Sakura questioned, sounding calmer than several of her classmates. "What does proving despair's supremacy over hope gain them? Is it merely self-satisfaction? Or is it something more?"

"Exactly!" Celeste exclaimed, quickly latching onto Sakura's words. "There's gotta be a reason other than some damn bragging points to be doing this! Locking us up and making this some fancy gladiator match is one thing! But they hacked every damn broadcast out there to get everyone watching! The hell are they trying to gain by doing all that?"

None of the students had an answer to that. Even the more intelligent students were at a loss as to what the mastermind's end-game truly is. All they could do was watch, and hope for more answers. More hints.

"I know how angry it must make you." Kyoko said understandingly. "And yet… that same motivation is what led to the mastermind revealing their weaknesses."

"What…?"

"Because their goal is to broadcast this killing game to the entire world…" Kyoko began explaining. "...the mastermind has had to be more particular than is reasonable about their own regulations. If the mastermind simply ignored their rules, this wouldn't have been a 'game', but a one-sided slaughter."

Her words caused some of the students to shudder fearfully. "Honestly, the fact that they decided to host us killing each other is something of a mixed fortune." Byakuya admitted to. "As stated before, they could've easily slaughtered us all at any point in time. Whether that's right before losing our memories, after, during our sleep, they both have the means and the time to… wipe us all out."

It was a difficult thing to admit for the Ultimate Affluent Progeny. As someone who thought himself untouchable, to realize how vulnerable his future counterpart truly was… it was an incredibly hard pill to swallow. But he wasn't stupid; nor was he as bullheaded as he was in the past. He can see that his life could've ended at any point in time, by the hands of a psychopath hiding behind an animatronic bear.

"I… honestly not sure how to feel about that…" Hina confessed, looking pretty queasy herself. She sure as hell doesn't feel grateful to the bear or anything, but… was it really better that this happened rather than their life getting snuffed out in an instant? The swimmer couldn't find an answer to that.

"Let's… just stop thinking about it, and move on." Makoto quickly suggested, not wanting to ponder more on the subjects. Several of the students rapidly bobbed their heads in agreement to this.

"At least, that's how those who are watching this would have seen this."

"And that's why the mastermind couldn't kill any of us themselves?" Makoto concluded.

Kyoko nodded. "That is precisely the reason. No matter how much they may hate what I'm doing, I haven't violated a single one of their regulations."

A flashback of Junko's death was shown. "Junko broke the rules, so she was punished. But in my case, they couldn't lay a finger on me."

Several flinched at the sight of Mukuro, disguised as Junko, getting speared. While the soldier herself merely looked down, Makoto gritted his teeth angrily, a glare being aimed at the floor.

"I still don't understand… how you can still be loyal to the bastard…" Sayaka spoke up, turning her attention towards the Ultimate Soldier. "After seeing them kill you, why would you want to stand beside them?"

"...The answer will be clear… once the future survivors figure out all the mysteries." Was the only answer Mukuro was willing to give. "Once everything is revealed, you'll understand."

Of course, there were some students that weren't satisfied with just that. However, knowing that Mukuro would likely not budge on this, they placed their attention back to the screen.

The screen then went back to the present. "So instead, they tried to use the class trial, following all their proper rules, to get me killed. They began a trial that didn't have a right answer, then made me out to be the killer."

"But even that didn't work…" The luckster stated.

"Yes, thanks to you." Kyoko nodded. "And due to that failure, the mastermind took yet another risk. They attempted to kill you instead, who also was not the killer."

"And when that fact was exposed on live TV to the entire outside world…" Makoto's eyes lit up in understanding. "...the mastermind had to accept your suggestion?"

"To prove to the world that despair is better than hope, they have to defeat us in perfect form…" The detective answered. "It would only do the mastermind harm to have it shown they'd violated their own regulations."

"But all of that was a hunch, right?" Makoto pointed out. "And you were still able to get the mastermind to accept your challenge…"

"Well, it's only thanks to you that we got the chance." Kyoko responded back. "Because you believed in me, another path opened up."

"Still, I can't believe how much of the mastermind's thoughts and plans you were able to figure out." The luckster spoke in slight amazement. "I didn't have the slightest clue…"

"In the end, though, I couldn't prove any of it." Kyoko then admitted. "It was just my reasoning. Essentially, I was making a bet. But it looks like I got it right. This time, at least, I won the best."

A quick sigh then left her mouth. "To be honest, I haven't been that nervous in a long time."

"You were nervous…?" Hina spoke with slight disbelief. "You could've fooled me!"

"Yeah! You looked totally calm that entire time!" Hiro spoke in agreement.

"The only s-sign of that n-nervousness was that sigh of yours…" Toko pointed out.

"Of course. I couldn't come towards the mastermind looking nervous and uncertain, could I?" Kyoko responded back to the disbelief. "A strong and confident demeanor was needed in order to ensure they accepted the challenge."

"Very true…" Celeste nodded empathetically to this, having calmed down from her previous hysterics. "When gambling, making any sort of bet, a confident mask is essential so that your opponent is unable to play around you."

"That goes for business dealings as well…" Byakuya added in. "To have the best chance of a good deal, a strong front is what's needed. Fear and uncertainty have no place in the art of business."

"I totally couldn't tell you were nervous at all…" Makoto noted. "You seem totally confident from the moment we decided to go talk to him."

"Well, presenting a strong demeanor is a fundamental part of negotiation and persuasion, wouldn't you say?" Kyoko remarked with a small smirk. "Plus, if I'd shown my uneasiness, that would have just made you that much more uneasy."

"She raised a good point…" Taka mused with a small frown. "If Kyoko showed any signs that she was nervous or uncertain about something…"

"Most of us would be freaking out like nobody's business." Leon admitted to flatly. "Kyoko freaking out means that we're dead, and nothing we do would change that."

"Amen…" Hina, Hiro, Hifumi, Mondo, and even Toko nodded in agreement to this.

"And that is why my future self kept up a strong front." The detective herself stated, not reacting to her classmates' words. "To keep Makoto from getting anxious."

The luckster could only rub the back of his head, chuckling awkwardly.

'Yeah, you're probably right.' The luckster admitted to himself, slumping. 'How pathetic…'

"Like Leon said, most of us would react the exact same way…" Sayaka reassured the lucky student, in a slight scolding tone. "There's no need to be ashamed of something most others would've done."

"I guess…" Was the only thing Makoto could say, looking away.

"No. No self-deprecation, mister." Sayaka stated with a pout, poking the luckster's cheek. "You would've had a perfectly normal reaction, and that's that. Don't go feeling bad over something you have no control."

"Okay, okay, I get it...!" Makoto relented with a small whine.

"Anyway, we can't relax just yet." Kyoko then warned him. "All we've done is earn another chance to fight. We have to win this time. Or everything we've gone through will have been for nothing…"

"You're right…" Makoto agreed, a look of determination across his face. 'If we can't defeat the mastermind, it'll cost us our lives…! There is no option except to win!'

The thoughts and words caused determined looks to be set across the student body. This is it. This is where the survivors figure out all the mysteries within the school. How it ended up the way it did, figure out the lost memories, what exactly happened in the outside world…

And most importantly, find out the very identity of the one who'll plan all this for them. Their future selves have to succeed, in order to stop this future from ever happening!

"But before we begin the final battle, we have to tell the others what's going on." Kyoko advised.

"True, but now we know who our real enemy is." Makoto spoke a tad eagerly. "All we have to do now is work together with everyone to destroy the mastermind…!"

"Work together with everyone…" Kyoko repeated, sounding more skeptical than Makoto. "Is that really possible?"

And just like that, the determined looks shared amongst the students were replaced with confused, dumbfounded, and flat ones.

"...Oh please don't tell me she's still suspicious of the others…!" Leon groaned, facepalming.

"Seriously? Just what do we have to do to prove ourselves to you Kyoko?" Hina cried out in exasperation, throwing her hands up.

"This really is getting fucking old…" Mondo grumbled out in irritation.

"...Huh?"

"Anyway, right now we have to go find the others." Kyoko said, quickly changing the subjects. "They're probably in the dorms somewhere. Shall we go?"

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no!"

"You are NOT pulling the mystery act again!"

"What is it THIS time?!"

"Come on, Kyoko…!"

As the class groaned and cried out in aggravation, Kyoko could only turn away from the class, willfully keeping out the blood from rushing to her cheeks. She couldn't stop the small that left her lips.

So her future self may still be a little bit suspicious of the others. Is that really so bad to warrant these reactions?

Notes:

And that's the end. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Next up will be the class seeing Makoto reunited with the others right before the investigation starts. Leave comments, kudos, and bookmarks, and I will see you later.

Chapter 111: Watching Chapter 6: Ultimate Pain, Ultimate Suffering, Ultimate Despair, Ultimate Execution, Ultimate Death Part 3

Notes:

Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. Here, the class will be viewing the reunion between the remaining survivors and Makoto before he and Kyoko inform them of the upcoming class trial. One more chapter before the investigation officially starts. I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

The next scene was Makoto and Kyoko walking into the dining hall. But the moment they did…

"Skrgh yaGfew, anji! fzzlbRff#[]"

They were met with gibberish from Monokuma.

"Hu-...?"

"What the…?"

"What is he…?"

"Did he…?"

"You again…" Makoto sighed in annoyance.

"Hrskzzzz_dat.; EgspllER"

"Is he… broken?" The luckster can't help but then ask.

"I say broken is an understatement…" Leon commented in bafflement. "Damn bear sounds like he's malfunctioning…"

"Did the previous confrontation rattled him that much…?" Celeste wondered in musing.

"Either that - the bear is simply messing with them." Byakuya huffed, nonplussed by this. "I wouldn't put it past him…"

"I suppose his emotional instability reached his limit." Kyoko guessed.

"aG^3. 4sum=(SEN|akt~_61!" And with that, the bear disappeared.

"Honestly? I doubt this is Monokuma messing with them." Taka said with a small frown. "That just seemed very… sporadic. Even for our future selves' host."

"So getting put on the back foot really messed them up, huh…?" Mondo remarked, scratching the back of his head. "Don't really know what ta say to that."

"Let's… just move on…" Makoto suggested with a sigh. "I doubt we'll get anything concrete from that."

No one disagreed with the lucky student, and put their focus back on the screen.

"Jeez… what the heck?" Makoto let out a more baffled sigh.

"I wonder what that was all about…" Kyoko mused.

A new voice then entered into the air, gaining the attention of the pair. "Ah-!"

The familiar voice got students to straighten up. Four students, in particular, had varying degrees of focus as they stared at the screen.

The scene switched to show Hina, Byakuya, Toko, and Hiro, all of them staring at Makoto in shock. "Is that… Makoto?" Hina spoke in disbelief.

"Y-You guys!" Makoto exclaimed in happiness.

"It is! There's no two ways about it, that's Makoto!" Hina confirmed in both shock and joy.

"Huh? You s-survived?" Toko stuttered incredulously.

"Jeez… you're like a stubborn little cockroach, you know that?" Byakuya remarked in bafflement.

"I'm just asking to make sure, but… you're not a ghost, right?" Hiro asked nervously.

"Woohoo!" Hiro cheered, pumping up a fist. "The gang's back together again!"

"I wonder what everyone is feeling right now…" Chihiro spoke, a small smile across his lips. "I mean, this is the first time they saw someone survive an execution, right? So they have to be really happy to see him!"

"We can accurately guess what the fool thinks right now…" Celeste deadpanned. "Honestly, for someone who claims to hate the occult…"

"I think we can give the idiot a pass on this one, Ludenberg." Mondo remarked, though he found himself rolling his eyes. "After all, none of them expected him to get out of that pit, right?"

The gambler sighed in response. "I suppose so…"

"Everyone was there. All my friends who had struggled together… and survived…" Narrator Makoto spoke. As he did, tears formed across the present Makoto's eyes. "As soon as I saw their faces, I couldn't help myself. I started to tear up."

"...T-To be so happy to s-see us…" Toko muttered loudly, gripping her hands together. "Despite v-voting for his death…"

"Y-Yeah. I mean… doesn't he feel a little bit angry?" Hina spoke hesitantly. "A little bitter for what we did?"

Despite their words… both girls felt themselves relieved that the future luckster didn't seem to hold any resentment for them. A wobbly smile entered the swimmer's lip, while the writer was left wondering how he could recover so effortlessly from that betrayal.

"You do recall our overly optimistic fool instantly forgave Kyoko, did he not?" Byakuya remarked dryly. "If he could do that, not even hold any blame against her at all, then holding any resentment for our votes is beneath him."

"Indeed." Sakura nodded in agreement, placing a hand on Hina's shoulder. "Do not forget his strong-will. He was purely relieved and joyful at Kyoko's rescue; there's no doubt he would be glad to see all of you."

The luckster himself didn't deny their words. However, he couldn't help but duck his head down with an embarrassed blush, seeing his future self crying like that. Dang it, why does he have to look so uncool?

"You're not being uncool at all." And Sayaka, being the psychic that she is, saw into Makoto's embarrassment. "You're reuniting with your friends, after surviving death. Who would blame you for crying a little?"

"I… I guess…" Makoto muttered, still looking plenty embarrassed. And of course, that got a giggle from the idol.

However, as the group enjoyed the little heartwarming moment…

"Wait… what's that smell?" Byakuya questioned, holding his nose.

"Yeah man, that seriously stinks!" Hiro gagged a little.

"It's Makoto!" Hina gasped in realization. "He smells like a wet dog!"

"G-Get away! Shoo! Shoo!" Toko hissed.

"..."

"And in a flash, my tears dried up." Narrator Makoto said flatly.

And just like his counterpart, any embarrassment was wiped from the luckster's face; with Makoto slowly turning towards the four surviving counterparts with the flattest expression he could muster.

"Um… sorry?" Hina said meekly, rubbing the back of her head with an awkward smile.

"W-What? They couldn't help but notice the smell, could they?" Hiro exclaimed defensively.

"Y-You came the g-garbage! Of c-course we w-would notice it!" Toko hissed just as defensively.

"You should've gone and taken a shower first if you didn't want to embarrass yourself…" Was Byakuya's unapologetic response.

Makoto continued to give his four friends a deadpan look, ignoring the laughter and giggles that bursted around him. 'With friends like this, who needs enemies…'

"There's no time to indulge in an extended happy reunion." Kyoko interjected, gaining the attention of everyone. "We need to explain to everyone what happened with Monokuma."

"Explain…?" Byakuya raised an eyebrow at the detective's words. "Explain what?"

"But is it okay that you're here? What if the mastermind catches you?" Hiro pointed out in concern.

"That's related to what I have to tell you." Kyoko answered the fortune teller.

Makoto then took it upon himself to speak up. "I need to tell you all about… the last class trial."

"The last class trial…?" Hina repeated in confusion.

"We're going to redo Mukuro's trial." Kyoko stated simply.

"What?!" Hina's eyes widened at that. "Seriously?!"

"What's the point of redoing it?" Hiro questioned. "Makoto killed her, right?"

"Hiro!" Many of the students shouted.

"I'm sorry…!" Hiro shouted back, raising his hands in surrender. "Future me said that! Not me me!"

"Did he actually think that Makoto did it…?" Chihiro questioned sorrowfully, tears pricking his eyes. "All of them actually thought that?"

"Honestly, what else were they supposed to think after the trial?" Leon pointed out, rubbing the back of his head. "We know the shitty rules. Vote right, the killer gets offed; but vote wrong, then everyone's dead. And since Makoto was on the chopping block…"

"Then yeah, it would make sense they still think Makoto did it." Mondo sighed, finishing that conclusion.

Hina bit her lips at that. "Maybe, but still…" She said weakly. "I… I would like to believe… that future me had some doubts… that she would believe Makoto…"

"It's fine, Hina." The luckster himself reassured the swimmer. "Things are going to be cleared up now. So no need to stress about it."

"No, I didn't do it!" The boy in question exclaimed in protest. "Like I keep telling you…"

"Makoto isn't the killer. And of course it's not me or any of you." Kyoko told them.

"T-Then… who is it?" Toko asked hesitantly.

"What she's saying is, it was all the work of the mastermind." Byakuya surmised.

"What?!" Now it was Hiro who had his eyes widening. "You're saying the mastermind killed Mukuro?!"

"That's right. It was all an elaborate trap contrived by the mastermind." Kyoko confirmed. "Makoto spotted the trap in time, and did what he had to to stop it. But his decision meant that he would be the one to die."

"You spotted the trap, did you Makoto?" Byakuya asked with slight shock.

'You make it sound like it was easy.' Makoto thought dryly to himself. 'I just, ya know…'

"But executing Makoto, who wasn't the blackened, is a clear violation of the school regulations." The detective continued. "The rules state that only the blackened is to be executed. The mastermind broke their own rules. Which is why I went and negotiated with them to have the trial one more time."

"Less negotiated, more blackmailed…" Leon remarked a tad dryly. "Not that I pity the bear or anything, but still…"

"A little blackmail was needed in order for the mastermind to agree with our terms…" Kyoko responded back.

"Indeed." Byakuya nodded in agreement. "When dealing with stubborn individuals, it helps to have something in your back pockets to push negotiations in your direction…"

"The business world sounds scarier and scarier the more I hear about it from you…" Hina said with a small shudder.

"And the mastermind agreed?!" Hina spoke in bafflement. "Does that mean they really did break the rules…?"

"They had no choice but to agree. You used the TV broadcast to gain the leverage you needed, didn't you?" Byakuya deduced.

"Very observant of you." Kyoko responded in confirmation.

"I recall what you said at the end of the last trial…" Byakuya brought up. "When you said, 'Now it's the mastermind that's ensnared,' that's what you were referring to."

"Hey! I'm totally in the dark here!" Hiro spoke up in protest.

"For anyone who doesn't understand, you can ask Kyoko to explain it again. Later." Was the Togami heir's response.

"Honestly, it's astounding how some of you are unable to keep up with the conversation…" Byakuya remarked dryly.

"Hey!" Hina, knowing that she was one of the ones being talked about, pouted angrily at the Togami heir. "Not all of us have such a snooty education like you did!"

"Yet Makoto is able to keep up, and he's as average as average can be for most things."

The average student in question could only form a sweatdrop, uncertain whether that was a compliment or not.

"So, knowing all th-this… what do we do now?" Toko asked.

"It's about who killed Mukuro, right? So our job is to expose the mastermind…?" Hina guessed.

"But there's more to it than that, correct?" Byakuya inquired.

"Um, yeah…" Makoto hesitantly confirmed.

"Oh…"

"That's right…"

"They don't know about that part yet…"

"Well, this is gonna be a shock for them."

"Betcha they won't take it that well…"

"For us to win this time, we have to solve every last mystery surrounding the school."

"Every last mystery…?" Hina asked nervously. "But we've been looking around all this time, and we still don't know anything, right?"

"You've probably guessed this already, but if we lose this time… everyone dies." Kyoko informed them all.

"E-Everyone?!" Hiro shouted in shock and fear.

"H-Hey! Who said you could agree to those t-terms without talking to the rest of u-us?!" Toko protested angrily. "I'm fine with things the w-way they are! I'm fine living here forever with M-Master!"

"Yep. Definitely not taking it well…" Junko remarked, enjoying the bits of panic a little.

"Are you for real, Toko?" Hina looked at the writer with slight disbelief. "You want to stay in that school forever? Didn't our future selves unite to take down the mastermind?"

"I-I- it's not l-like I a-actually joined in u-uniting with everyone." Toko spoke defensively. "And a-anywhere is fine as l-long as I'm w-with Master…"

"And I'd rather be somewhere where you aren't at…" Byakuya snarked in disgust.

"Didn't you say before that you feel the same emotions that Jill does?" Leon pointed out, arms crossed. "That you would feel the same sentiment that she did?"

"Sh-Sh-Shut up…!" Was the writer's retort, looking away.

"I, meanwhile, want to get out of here as soon as humanly possible." Byakuya said in disgusted retort.

"Anyway, at this point the only way for us to survive is to unravel the truth." Kyoko stated, keeping the topic focused.

"In other words, one decisive final battle." Byakuya summarized, a small smirk across his face. "A rather interesting development, I'd say."

"Of course Byakuya is excited about it…" Sayaka sighed in exasperation.

"Yeah. This type of stuff is right up his alley." Leon spoke in agreement.

"Should be glad that I'm more than willing to take on challenges such as this." The heir himself shot back at the two. "At least I won't quake and balk under the pressure like others would."

"But figuring out who the mastermind is, AND how they killed Mukuro, AND all the school's mysteries…" Hina listed off, sounding somewhat disheartened.

"It's a pretty tall friggin' order…" Hiro groaned miserably.

"Case in point…"

"A-All of our future selves have been working hard to find a way out, and solve all the mysteries…!" Hina protested with a pout. "And we found very little! How else are we supposed to react?!"

"Yeah, man! It's hard not to feel overwhelmed after trying so hard before…!" Hiro spoke in outraged agreement.

"Maybe, but this time the trial is different. We know who our enemy is now." Makoto spoke in encouragement. "So if we work together and search as hard as we can, I'm sure we'll solve all those mysteries!"

"And here goes our endless well of optimism, that is Makoto Naegi…" Junko remarked with a teasing grin.

Her remark got the luckster smiling sheepishly. "Well, he isn't wrong, is he?" He said in response. "This time, they know it's the mastermind that killed Mukuro, not any of us. And that means none of us have to be suspicious of each other. So, as long as they work together, I'm certain they can figure out the mystery!"

His words got several of his classmates pumped up, the luckster's optimism being infectious. He was right. With the culprit being the mastermind, their suspicions don't have to be aimed at one another. They'll be able to work more freely with each other. To many of them, that'll give a significant advantage.

But of course…

"I'm not so sure about that." Kyoko interjected.

Her interjection caused the lucky student to turn to her in confusion. "...Huh?"

"I can't agree with the idea of working together with everyone." Kyoko confessed.

It was never that simple.

"...Unfortunately, future Kyoko doesn't think the same." Leon groaned in exasperation.

"Right. Forgot about that…" Mondo grumbled under his breath.

"Are we finally gonna hear why she's so skeptical of that idea…?" Sayaka asked with equal exasperation.

"You… can't agree?" Makoto spoke in bafflement. "Why not? I mean, working together with everyone seems like the most obvious way to solve all the mysteries…"

"That's what I thought, too… at first." The detective said grimly. "Until Monokuma gave us that little hint of his…"

'Hint…?'

A flashback of Monokuma's hint, informing them that only sixteen students entered the school, then showed; before going back to the present.

And immediately, the answer clicked for the more intelligent students.

"...That bastard…" Makoto whispered in shocked realization and frustration. "That hint… he knew. He knew what conclusion Kyoko would reach!"

His words got the attention of the others. "What do you mean?" Taka asked with furrowed eyebrows. "What conclusion did Kyoko form? What did Monokuma know would happen?"

"Think carefully, simpleton." Byakuya took it to answer himself, his eyes narrowed. "As far as they knew, only fifteen of us entered the school. That turned to sixteen when Mukuro, their mysterious sixteenth student, got revealed. So, if Monokuma claimed only sixteen entered the school, and the survivors supposedly have knowledge of all sixteen of themselves…"

It took a moment for the remainder of the class to figure out what Byakuya was hinting at. But once it clicked, eyes started widening, jaws started dropping, and faces started going slightly pale.

"Monokuma said that, didn't he?" Byakuya said in musing. "Then Kyoko's opinion is perfectly reasonable."

"Huh? But why…?" Hina asked in confusion.

"If the mastermind really is the one who killed Mukuro, as Kyoko says…" The heir began explaining. "...then the mastermind would have had to set foot in this school, right? Monokuma could probably murder Mukuro, but there's no way he could have disguised the scene like that."

"But according to Monokuma, the only people who have set foot in Hope's Peak… are the sixteen students who have been taking part in the killing game."

"Then… the m-mastermind is…!" Toko stuttered fearfully. A flashback of the students gathering together was then shown. "There were fifteen of us in the m-main hall at the very beginning. Add in M-Mukuro, and you get sixteen…"

The scene then went back to the present, as Toko continued speaking. "So the mastermind w-would have to be… one of them?"

"And of those sixteen people we started out with, the only ones still alive…" As Byakuya spoke, the camera angled itself to show off all six remaining students. "...are the people standing right here. Need I continue, or do you get it now?"

"...Son of a BITCH!" Leon and Mondo cursed together.

"The bear outright implicated that the mastermind is one of the survivors!" Sayaka exclaimed in rage. "He set them up to make that conclusion!"

"I have to admit; that was very clever on the mastermind's part." Celeste said begrudgingly. "If what he claimed is the full truth, then Monokuma wasn't truly lying. He merely left out important context that would change the conclusion they made."

"And because of his hint, the survivors will now look upon each other with renewed suspicion." Sakura concluded grimly, gritting her teeth slightly. "They will not desire to work with one another if they believe the mastermind is one of them."

Makoto also clenched his teeth, along with his free fist. That bastard! That underhanded little weasel! He knew that with those words, Kyoko would think that the others might be the mastermind! Was counting on it!

And because of this, the survivors aren't likely to all work together to defeat the mastermind!

"You're saying the mastermind is one of us?!" Hiro shouted in horror.

"Y-You can't be serious!" Hina exclaimed incredulously.

"W-Wait! We can't say for sure that's true yet!" Makoto quickly spoke up in protest. "Monokuma might have just said all that to confuse us…!"

"It's certainly a possibility. But only one among many…" Kyoko argued. "The mastermind being one of us is also a possibility."

"And that's a possibility we can't ignore." Byakuya said in agreement.

"Fucking hell…!" Mondo cursed yet again, looking positively frustrated. "Can't we get a goddamn break for once?! Just for fucking once?!"

"Just when we were able to not feel suspicious with each other…!" Hina practically whined.

"Honestly, we should've expected the bear wouldn't do something underhanded to give himself the upper-hand…" Celeste sighed. "They just simply have to see through the deception."

"If they manage to do so, the hint itself may still prove useful in figuring out the mystery…" Kyoko suggested, her gaze as focused as usual. "It'll depend on what they are able to find."

"Yeah! I mean, they're an u-ultimate, right?" Toko pointed out. "The Ultimate Despair. So they m-must be a high schooler! You can't say it's not p-possible…!"

"But if one of us was the mastermind, they'd have to be controlling Monokuma somehow, right?" Makoto countered. "But did you see anyone acting suspicious anytime Monokume was active?"

"A good argument." Taka nodded his head in approval. "If any of us were the mastermind, we would have to be physically operating Monokuma."

"Perhaps they could do so with neural implants and the like…" Hifumi offered up.

"I'm… about ninety percent positive that that doesn't exist." Chihiro retorted softly and hesitantly. "And even then, it would take visible effort to mentally control Monokuma like that."

"Maybe they s-snuck off and controlled him i-in secret…" Toko suggested.

"I don't care how sneaky you are, we would've noticed someone sneaking off that many times." Hina retorted.

"Then maybe Monokuma was on autopilot! Maybe they loaded up all the dialogue and actions beforehand!" Hiro offered up.

"In that case, there's no way he could have had all those back-and-forth conversations with us." Makoto argued.

"Well… it wouldn't be entirely impossible, if they directed the flow of the conversation." Byakuya mused.

"Impossible? Maybe not. But it would be incredibly difficult to direct that flow with fifteen of us." Sayaka pointed out. "I don't think any of us are capable of that kind of manipulation or discernment."

"It's still a possibility that the others won't be able to discard…" Byakuya stated neutrally. "No matter how miniscule that possibility may be."

"As Celeste has stated; they'll need to see through the deception, and prove that none of them are the mastermind." Sakura declared.

"W-Well, maybe…" The luckster hesitantly conceded. "...but still!"

Their conversation got interrupted by the sound of the school bell. And as usual, the school monitor turned on. "Ahh, this is a school announcement." Monokuma stated the obvious. "You've all probably figured this out by now, but… at this point, the killing game has now entered 'True Ending' mode. So, in the name of fairness, I will unlock every room in the school!"

"Look wherever you want! Solve the mystery in whatever way you see fit! Puhuhu… Then we can all meet up at the class trial, okay? Gahaha! Ahahaha…!" With that, the monitor shut off.

"...Well that makes things a hell of a lot easier." Leon remarked, blinking a few times.

"Indeed." Celeste nodded in agreement, eyes lighting up. "Now they don't have to rely on Kyoko's key to get to any place restricted from them."

"And now we get to see just what the mastermind was hiding in those rooms!" Hina spoke eagerly.

"Assuming they didn't clean up whatever they didn't want found…" Mukuro pointed out.

"How very magnanimous of him to unlock all the rooms." Kyoko remarked.

"The time for talk is done. Now we need to begin our investigation." Byakuya declared.

"B-But…!"

"I was planning on working alone from the beginning anyway." The Togami heir interrupted Makoto. "At this point, I can rely only on myself, on the Togami blood flowing through my veins."

And of course, the heir's words got groans and eye-rolls all across the room. "I'm not even surprised at this point…" Hina grumbled, crossing her arms.

"The more things change, the more things stay the same…" Sayaka sighed. And Byakuya will always head off arrogantly on his own.

"I have no time to worry about the rest of you. Each of you must uphold your responsibility." With that, he began walking out of the dining hall. "Well then…"

"Gaah! M-Master!" Toko cried out to the leaving Togami heir. "He didn't take me w-with him…!"

"Do ya blame him?" Hiro retorted.

"I don't."

"Seriously…"

"Why would he take her?"

"I'd be surprised if he DID…"

"Without Master, the r-rest of you are like… coffee with cream w-without the cream!" Toko hissed insultingly. "Or the coffee! You're totally useless! S-So… bye!" Toko was the next one to trudge out of the hall.

"And there goes Toko too…" Hina moaned, slumping her shoulder.

"As you said, it shouldn't be a surprise, Hina dear." Celeste pointed out. "As Byakuya heads off on his own, so will Toko always follow his lead…"

"W-Well, like future m-me said, the rest of y-you are totally useless without M-Master!" Toko hissed. "Why should I s-stay with a bunch of u-useless people? H-Have coffee w-without cream… or the coffee!"

"That's just basically nothing at that point…" Hifumi pointed out with a sweatdrop.

"And now she's gone…" Hiro sighed. "And you're gonna go off by yourself, right Kyoko?"

"That's right." Kyoko confirmed.

"Which just leaves Makoto, Hina, and me…" The fortune teller groaned. For a moment, he got quiet, before… "In that case, I'm gonna go by myself, too!"

"Wait, how come?!" Hina exclaimed in protest.

"Just wait and see! I'm gonna use my totally awesome spirit power to figure out the mastermind's identity!" Hiro declared.

"...Who wants to bet that Hiro will practically be dead-weight for the whole class trial?" Junko deadpanned. Her response was nearly the entire class raising up their hands. "Yep. Thought so."

"Hey! You guys are way too mean!" Hiro cried out in dismay. "What makes you think my spirit powers won't pinpoint the mastermind's identity?"

For a moment, several of the students looked at one another. "Should we even try to discuss this with him…?" Sayaka asked blankly.

"I vote no, and save us the fucking headache…" Was Mondo's blunt statement.

"I second that vote…" Leon added, raising his hand yet again.

"Harsh as it is to say, it will be a pointless debate…" Even Taka joined in the roasting of Yasuhiro Hagakure.

"Okay, then." The idol nodded in response, and leaned onto Makoto's shoulder. The luckster in question could only smile awkwardly and sympathetically for the fortune teller who was not taken seriously.

"Hahahaha!" And with loud laughter, Hiro was the third one to leave the dining hall.

"Everyone's really gonna go off by themselves…?" Hina sighed miserably.

"What about you, Hina?" Makoto asked the swimmer.

"Umm… I guess I'll do the same thing." Hina decided on. "I mean, it's not that I don't trust everyone, ya know? But… up till now, I haven't really been all that useful. I just depended on Sakura, and everyone else."

"Hina…" Makoto, along with a few others, looked at the swimmer. "Do you feel that way too?"

"Um… er… I guess…" Hina stuttered, looking down and rubbing the back of her head. "I mean… it's true, isn't it? It's mainly been you Makoto, along with Kyoko and Byakuya, that's been doing the heavy lifting. Future me only relied on Sakura for help, and when she… she died… you saw what happened."

In response, Sakura grabbed her friend's hand. "None of us blamed you for what your future self did. Nor do we blame your counterpart." The martial artist assured Hina firmly. "And you weren't useless. I'm certain there were moments that you have been of major help."

"I agree." Makoto nodded his head rapidly to Sakura's words. "You weren't useless. After all… future me would've died without you."

"Huh?" Hina stared at the luckster in confusion at that.

"You're not useless!" Makoto protested. "If you hadn't been there, I woulda died!"

"Remember the beginning of the third chapter? It was you who found Alter Ego, wasn't it?" Makoto reminded the girl. "If it weren't for that… things would've played out very differently. I'm certain I would've died without Alter Ego's help. So you saved me, as much as Kyoko and Chihiro did!"

"M-Makoto…!" Hina couldn't but blush and place a fist over her heart, touched by the lucky student's words. "Th-Thanks… it means a lot to hear you say that…"

"It's no problem… I just didn't want you to think that you were useless…" The luckster said, smiling.

That got Hina's eyes to widen in surprise. "Makoto…!" She then gave a bashful smile. "Nng… that's really nice of you to say…! But still, I know I've mostly been totally useless. So I figured, at least here in the end, maybe I can find something that'll help us all get out of here. So I'm gonna go off and do it all on my own!"

Hina then jogged out of the dining hall, feeling pumped up. "Okay, see ya later!"

And that left just Kyoko and Makoto once again. "...it's just us two." The luckster stated the obvious.

"Indeed." Kyoko nodded.

"So everyone is gonna separate and do their investigation…" Chihiro muttered sadly. "Instead of working together…"

"Don't fret over it, little dude." Mondo sighed, patting the programmer's head. "You heard Togami; he was planning on heading by himself. Toko was gonna do the same thing he does no matter what. Same results probably would've happened, regardless if Kyoko said anything."

"Indeed." The detective herself nodded to this. "This'll be just something the survivors will have to consider as they do their search…"

For a moment, there was an awkward silence between the two, before Makoto spoke, "So… you're gonna go off on your own too, right Kyoko?"

"Well, don't misunderstand. Just because we're going to do our searches separately doesn't mean we can't still work together." Kyoko assured the luckster. "That goes for all of us."

'I think I see what you mean…'  Makoto thought to himself.  'Doing our own investigation doesn't mean we can't work together in the end. I should just see it as us splitting up to cover more ground. And then we can get back together and share what we found.'

"Exactly as future Makoto states." Kyoko nodded her head, smirking. "Once we all gather what we could, we can share our findings with one another. Even if they don't trust each other, any suspicion will be cleared up with the evidence we obtain."

Her words, along with the future Makoto's thoughts, did work to re-invigorate the class. "All is not lost then…" Taka stated passionately. "They may hold some suspicion now, but that doesn't mean the survivors can't come together later! They can still have a greater chance of figuring out all the mysteries than before!"

"The mastermind may have thrown a stumbling block. But it's not one that'll stop them completely on their track." Sakura spoke confidently. "I trust that Makoto, Hina, Kyoko, and everyone else can find all that they need, and come together."

"The mastermind can pull all the dirty tricks they can. But it'll be nothing that myself and the others can't see through in the end." Byakuya remarked, sounding just as confident. "In the end, their mask will be uncovered; and we'll have a target to exact our vengeance."

"And if they are indeed an Ultimate… that'll make them much easier to find." Celeste stated, a 'sweet' smile upon her lips. "We'll be able to stop them on their tracks before they can even do a thing."

"Well, I'd better get going. I have an endless list of things I need to check." Kyoko said, preparing to leave. "Monokuma said all the doors in the school had been unlocked, am I right? So we should be able to investigate every nook and cranny in the school."

"Again, it's assuming that they don't cover up what they were hiding in the locked rooms…"

"If they want things to be as fair as they claim it is, then they won't." Kyoko responded back to Mukuro's words. "And even if they try, there's only so many places that they could hide evidence. I'm confident my future self can find enough to draw the proper conclusions."

"At this point, it would be dumb to bet against you Kyoko…!" Hina bobbed her head in complete agreement and confidence.

"We can visit all the places we couldn't go before…" Makoto muttered loudly, partly to himself.

Kyoko then began walking off. "Makoto… no matter what it takes, we have to uncover the truth. By any means necessary…"

With that, the detective left the dining hall; leaving the lucky student by himself in the dining hall. "I don't have time to waste, either." Makoto said to himself. "I have to begin my search…"

'I still can't believe the mastermind might be one of us.'  Makoto thought in concern.  'So that's what I have to prove… I'll prove that the mastermind ISN'T one of us!'

The thoughts of the luckster's future counterpart, of course, got smiles all around. "Like Junko said…" Sayaka cooed sweetly. "An endless well of optimism…"

"I'm really glad that you still have that much faith in us, Makoto…" Hina spoke softly and happily. "Even with everything that happened…"

Once again, the luckster could only smile awkwardly, with a blush accompanying his smile. "Well, I can't let everything the mastermind says get to me…" Makoto stated. "Being optimistic is my strongest trait after all."

"And it has proven time and again to be your most effective weapon against the mastermind…" Kyoko said, smiling.

'I'll expose the mastermind's true identity, and solve the mystery of the school…' He then said out loud, "...and then we can all escape together!"

That was enough to bring back full confidence with the 78th Class of Hope's Peak. Excited grins and smiles, determined looks, and focused glints were shared amongst the students, as they eagerly waited for the investigation to start.

This is it. This is where the survivors finally figure out all the mysteries of the school, the world outside, and the very identity of the mastermind. With this, the class will have all that they need to put a stop to this killing game, to whatever the Tragedy is, before it ever comes to pass!

For once, the entire class felt eager for the class trial to start!

Notes:

And that's the end. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Next up will be the start of the investigation. Do you guys think Kyoko and Byakuya will find enough to cement the idea that the mastermind is Junko? Will Makoto find it in him to be suspicious of the fashionista? Do you think others find themselves turning their eyes towards the secret Ultimate Despair? Let me know in the comment/review section. Leave comments, kudos, and bookmarks, and I will see you later.

Chapter 112: Watching Chapter 6: Ultimate Pain, Ultimate Suffering, Ultimate Despair, Ultimate Execution, Ultimate Death Part 4

Notes:

Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. Here, the investigation for the final trial finally begins, with the class watching what the survivors discover. I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

‘I guess I’ll start by taking another look at Mukuro’s Monokuma File…’ Pulling up the file in question, Makoto began reading. ‘Due to the explosion, the victim's identity is unknown. They were, however, dead before the blast. The victim had been stabbed a single time with a knife, which went completely through the body. They had also been struck in the head with an object about as thick as a metal pipe. The body was covered with other wounds, but these were at least several days old.'

 

“So it seems nothing has changed within the files themselves…” Celeste spoke in musing. “They’ll be working with the same information given to them as before…”

 

“Will it help any?” Hiro inquired, scratching his head in confusion. “I mean, all that info is from Monokuma messing with Mukuro’s body, right? So do they really need it?”

 

“Any info and evidence can prove useful, even if it’s merely to eliminate potential possibilities.” Kyoko answered the fortune teller. “And I believe the Monokuma File can still provide substantial worth to solving the mystery…”

 

Specifically, the last sentence of the file. Now that they’re all aware of the identity of the body, the detective now knows that the several days old wounds, alongside Mukuro’s student file, will be critical for their future counterparts.

 

“Once we find out who killed Mukuro Ikusaba…” Makoto said to himself. “...then we’ll know who the mastermind is.”

 

‘So, where should I start my investigation to figure out who killed her…?’ After a moment of thinking, the luckster stated, “I guess I should start with the rooms that were locked up until now.”

 

“So we’re finally gonna see all the locked areas…” Hina said, excitement and nervousness mixed in her tone. “I wonder what they’ll find.”

 

“I’m willing to bet that we’ll be seeing some crazy shit…” Leon remarked, looking a tad tense.

 

‘The headmaster’s room, the bio lab, and the door in the data center with Monokuma’s face on it…’ Makoto listed off in his head. ‘Oh, and the 2nd floor of the dorms where the gate was down before… that should be open now, right?’

“After all that, I’ll have to double-check the areas that are connected to the murder…”

 

The scene then cuts to Makoto standing in front of the stairs of the 2nd floor dorms. ‘The gate’s open…’ He observed nervously. ‘We can finally check out the 2nd floor of the dorms. Which means…’

 

“...I have to do it.” The luckster murmured to himself, before hesitantly walking up the stairs. The moment he got to the second floor dorms…

 

He was met with a destroyed and desolate hallway.

 

“...This is probably getting old, but WHAT THE HELL?!” Leon shouted in shock.

 

“The place looks like a goddamn warzone passed through…!” Mondo exclaimed in equal bewilderment.

 

“A-And… i-is that… b-blood?” Hina stuttered fearfully, pointing at the small puddles littered across the hallway.

 

That was a signal for Toko to immediately cover up her eyes, keeping herself from getting a better look at the puddles.

 

“Who was it that said that there were no dead students…?” Junko inquired with a convincing level of horror. “Cause you might want to re-examine that statement.”

 

“Just… what on Earth happened to the school?!” Taka exclaimed horrifingly.

 

Suffice to say, the class was more than taken aback by the wrecked floor of the dorms. What caused this? When did this happen? Why did this happen? How?

 

“This is the 2nd floor of the dorms…?!” Makoto exclaimed incredulously.

 

‘It looks like some ancient ruins…’ The luckster compared. ‘Or no… it’s more like a battlefield. Like a bomb blew up here or something…’

 

“I would go with multiple bombs blowing up…” Hifumi revised slightly, looking as pale as everyone else.

 

“What manner of conflict went on within the school?” Byakuya questioned, clearly baffled. “And is it linked to the Tragedy? Perhaps even the other bloodied classroom?”

 

“Likely so, considering they happened within the same building.” Kyoko said in musing, one of the few seemingly collected students. But if so, the question is why the two events happened in two separate parts of the school? Were these conflicts reacting in tandem with one another? Or were they happening at the same time?

 

It seems that, even near the end of it, there are more questions the further they go into this viewing. Questions that the detective desperately wants answered.

 

The next scene showed Makoto entering into a more adult-like room. “This room doesn’t really feel like a student’s room.” He noted to himself. “It has a more… adult atmosphere.”

 

Quickly, several of the students recognized the room. “Is that… the headmaster’s private room?” Sayaka inquired.

 

“I honestly forgot that the headmaster has his own private quarters in the 2nd floor dorms…” Byakuya admitted to looking intrigued. “And I have no doubt that Kyoko explored this room from top to bottom…”

 

“I’m pretty sure all of us could guess that, Byakuya dear…” Celeste commented.

 

“Do you think… Kyoko found something useful inside?” Makoto asked, trying to keep his mind off of the torn apart 2nd floor dorms.

 

“If she did, now would be the time to reveal it.” Was Byakuya’s response.

 

“It’s the headmaster’s private room.” Kyoko revealed, both the identity of the room and her own presence.

 

“Kyoko!” Makoto exclaimed in surprise.

 

“I’ve been through this room several times already, but I still have one little regret.” The detective continued. “So I decided to check it out one more time.”

 

‘Huh? A regret…?’

 

“...And that at least partially answers our question.” Celeste remarked, her eyes narrowed. “There’s at least something there that Kyoko is unable to access, or figure out.”

 

“And considering it’s Kyoko we’re talking about…” Mondo stated, crossing his arms.

 

“It must be quite a complex puzzle.” Hifumi finished, adjusting his glasses.

 

Makoto’s attention was then placed on the PC on top of a desk. ‘There’s a PC on the desk. It must have belonged to the headmaster…’

 

“Whoever used this last, it looks like they were very interested in the Ultimate Despair.” Kyoko revealed. “The PC still has some search results left on it…”

 

“Then we might be able to get some info on the Ultimate Despair?!” Makoto spoke eagerly.

 

Kyoko shook her head in response. “There’s not much, though. Nothing we don’t already know.” She stated. “The Ultimate Despair isn’t one individual, but instead points to some kind of group. That group is responsible for the Tragedy, which happened one year ago. They’re the worst sorts of people, whose driving force comes from despair…”

 

“And that’s all there is. Not much to it, is there?” The detective then concluded.

 

“...” Slowly, Byakuya turned his head towards Mukuro, his eyes narrowed. “Speak, Ikusaba. Do you know how large the group known as the Ultimate Despair are?” He demanded.

 

The Ultimate Soldier took the aggression like it was a small breeze. “As of right now, it’s just us two.” She answered calmly. “Along with one or two allies. Though I’m not sure if they can be considered Ultimate Despairs as of yet.”

 

“And are you aware of their identities?”

 

“I am.” The soldier nodded. “And that can be discussed later on once the viewing is done.”

 

That seemed to appease the Togami heir, who turned his attention back on screen. “So the headmaster has been looking into this group as well…”

 

“Not surprising, considering this group supposedly brought about this Tragedy…” Taka pointed out. “And it clearly affected Hope’s Peak as well…”

 

“But unfortunately, it seems as though the headmaster had faced similar roadblocks to our counterparts…” Sakura sighed. “Even with his memories intact.”

 

“But I guess that’s the best he could do as a complete Kirigiri failure…”

 

Some couldn’t help but reel block at the shots fired from Kyoko. “Wow. A low blow there, Kyoko…” Junko whistled. “You sure you don’t feel anything for the headmaster? Cause that’s a lot of heat your packing for a dad you feel nothing for…”

 

“And hypocritical as well, considering how far you have gotten in solving the mystery…” Byakuya remarked dryly.

 

Again, Kyoko had to keep herself from showing how irked she may have felt from their comments. “Unlike him, I had the disadvantage of lost memories…” She argued. “He has no such excuse.”

 

“Possibly. But who's to say you would’ve gotten farther than he has with your full memories, or without being trapped in the school?” Byakuya retorted back. “After all, our future selves got stuck in this mess, didn't they?”

 

That earned a brief, small glare from the detective before she put her attention back on the screen. And of course, the Togami heir paid little heed to the hostility.

 

“B-But… any information about the mastermind is helpful, right?” Makoto argued hesitantly. “I appreciate whatever info we can get our hands on.”

 

“I see.” Was Kyoko’s response. “That’s a good outlook to have.”

 

“It is.”

“Definitely.”

“That’s our luckster…!”

 

“Always looking to the bright side…”

 

Yet again, the luckster in question felt his face flushed at the compliments from his classmates. Seriously, was this going to happen every time he tries to be optimistic?

 

The next thing that got the lucky student’s attention was the wall near the laptop. ‘Huh? There’s a strange gap in the wall…’ He noted in confusion and curiosity. ‘Is it some kind of design mistake, or a construction defect or something?’

 

“...A trap door.” Hifumi concluded.

 

“A trap door…” Toko nodded in an agreement.

 

“Trap door~” Junko also chimed in.

 

“Likely a trap door…” Mukuro also nodded her head.

 

“Yeah… kinda obvious, when you think about it…” Makoto admitted, the luckster now feeling embarrassed for a different reason.

 

“There’s a gap here, but not just any normal gap… I can feel a breeze coming out.” Kyoko discovered, also getting close to the wall.

 

“A breeze…?”

 

“There’s likely an open space on the other side of this wall.” The detective deduced.

 

‘Open space? Does that mean…?’ Makoto then spoke aloud. “You mean, like… a hidden room?!”

 

“I wonder… does that room exist now, or was it built in the future?” Taka wondered, placing his fist on his chin in thought. “Regardless, this could potentially have more information that we need.”

 

“With its existence, there’s bound to be something of note.” Byakuya remarked. “Couldn’t imagine why it was created otherwise.”

 

“I think I might know how to open it.” Kyoko then revealed.

 

“You know how to open it?” Makoto repeated curiously. “Did you figure out some kind of trick or something?”

 

“A very easy trick, yes. So easy, I’m not sure you can even call it a trick…” Kyoko directed her eyes towards the nearby PC. “I saw a program on that PC that I think controls it. Enter the right password, and the door should open right up. But I don’t have a clue what that password might be.”

 

“Ah. So that’s the regret you spoke about…” Celeste nodded in understanding.

 

“So there’s not any clues as to what his password could be?” Hina asked with a small frown. “He didn’t write it down or anything?”

 

“Doubt it. This is a Kirigiri we’re talking about here.” Byakuya snorted. “One who exiled himself, but a Kirigiri none-the-less. I doubt he would leave out anything that someone could easily deduce as the password.”

 

‘...True. But maybe… it’s one that only those who know him well would know.’ Makoto mused to himself. ‘A password that… Kyoko, even with how smart she is, wouldn’t be able to guess…’

 

“All we know is it’s probably made up of letters and/or numbers. We can’t really go from there…”

 

“You’re right, that’s not nearly enough to go on…” The luckster sighed in disappointment.

 

“I looked through all his paperwork, all the files on the PC, everything I could think of.” The detective listed. “I learned more about him than I had any desire to, but nothing that might have been his password. When I think of how much time I wasted on this…”

 

“Wow. This is the most emotional I’ve seen of Kyoko…” Hina murmured in concern. “Does she really hate her dad that much?”

 

“I would say it's more resentment than hate, HIna…” Sakura answered her friend, careful to keep her voice low. “Despite her claims, it seems as though his abandonment has affected Kyoko more than she would like. In ways that she has difficulties accepting…”

 

Hina bit her lips at that. “And… do you think Headmaster Kirigiri actually did that? Just straight up abandon Kyoko?”

 

“...Likely, the answer is more complicated than that.” Was the next answer given by Sakura. “As Mondo has stated before, the events Kyoko spoke of are suspicious…”

 

The martial artist wasn’t one to meddle with other’s personal affairs, especially of the familial type. But she could tell that it was more than just a father abandoning her daughter. 

 

‘Jeez…’ Makoto couldn’t help but think awkwardly; before putting his attention back on the room. ‘So there’s a hidden room she couldn’t get into. That’s what she meant by regret…’

 

‘I think we can assume that there must be some kind of clue waiting in there. But maybe for her, there’s more to it than that…’ The luckster wondered. ‘Anyway, if we want to get in there, we need to figure out the password. And if Kyoko can’t figure it out, no way do I stand a chance…’

 

‘...No, wait.’ That’s when an idea clicked. ‘There might be a chance… the password could be… something Kyoko wouldn’t have thought of. Or something she didn’t want to think of…’

 

“...Kyoko?” Sayaka deduced after a moment

 

“Kyoko.” Byakuya nodded his head in agreement

 

“Definitely Kyoko…” Leon also nodded in agreement.

 

“An obvious guess, to be sure…” Celeste remarked. 

 

“But way too obvious not to try it.” Mondo snorted.

 

As for the very girl herself, she remained completely silent at her classmates’ deduction. However, Makoto could see how tense his detective friend was, from the clenching of hands to the stiff shoulder.

 

‘For example…’

 

“What about your name?” Makoto suggested hesitantly.

 

“Huh?” Kyoko looked at the luckster in confusion.

 

“Oh, sorry. I was just trying to think of what the password might be.”

 

“...” The detective went silent at that, her expression becoming stony.

 

“Is it really so hard to believe that your old man would use your name as a password?” Mondo asked, raising an eyebrow at the detective. “You're that deadset that he forgot about you or some shit?”

 

Kyoko continued to keep her head turned from her classmates. “You heard what my future self has said. Why should I believe that he would remember me enough, care for me enough, to do that?”

 

“Maybe because… he hasn’t forgotten about you, like you say…” Sayaka suggested, staring at the detective pointedly. “That he didn’t willingly leave you with your grandfather… you’re just not considering that idea. At least, not your future self…”

 

“...” Again, Kyoko found herself unable to say anything. Not without getting too emotional, at least.

 

‘I’m sure she hasn’t tried it. I mean, it’s totally understandable…’ Makoto thought in understanding. ‘After the way she talked about her dad, the idea that he would use her name as his password. Knowing how she is, I bet the idea never even occurred to her.’

 

The detective couldn’t help but grit her teeth slightly. She was sure the luckster didn’t mean it, but that felt like a jab at herself in some way. At her pride? At her family’s pride? Their stance on neutrality, and how hypocritical she seemingly appears? She doesn’t know.

 

“Ummm… do you mind if I try it, just to be sure?” Makoto asked meekly.

 

“...” For a moment, Kyoko continued to remain silent, her head turned away from the luckster. “It’s not like you need my permission. If you want to try it, try it. Do whatever you want.”

 

“O-Okay…”

 

“You say that, but… it looks like you don’t want him to…” Hiro trailed off, only to clam up when Kyoko directed to him one of her cold glares. “Right… shutting up.”

 

‘Smart choice…’ A few couldn’t help but think with some snorts. Still, none of them could disagree with Hiro on what he said. Kyoko definitely looks as though she’s swallowing a lemon.

 

Makoto then moved to the computer. ‘You know, I’m glad I thought of trying Kyoko’s name.’ He thought, his hands on the keyboard. ‘But if that’s not it, that might just hurt Kyoko even more…’

 

‘Would it?’ Leon wondered to himself, arms crossed. ‘If anything, I bet Kyoko wants nothing more than for the password not to be her. Prove that the headmaster forgot all about her and all that…’

 

‘She seems to fully believe that Headmaster Kirigiri completely forgot about her…’ Sayaka observed, looking at Kyoko from the corner of her eyes. ‘What would be worse? The password not being her name? Or the password being her name?’

 

“...”

 

“If you worried about me, Makoto, don’t be.” Kyoko spoke up, reassuring Makoto. “I already know that your guess is wrong.”

 

“Does she… really believe that…?” Chihiro murmured sadly, wringing his hands together. While he hasn’t said much in regards to Kyoko’s… tense relationship with her father, the programmer felt similarly to Makoto; in that they were family, and that it couldn’t be that easy to cut someone out of your life like that.

 

“More like you want it to be wrong…” Byakuya snorted, keeping his voice low. Honestly, it was a tad amusing; to see the seemingly indomitable detective be so… emotional, due to her complicated familial relationship.

 

“I wonder… how will you feel if you get proven wrong, Kyoko…?” Junko murmured to herself, also amused. How much of that resentment will boil over if the password was indeed, Kyoko Kirigiri?

 

“Okay…” The luckster said hesitantly. “In that case, here goes nothin’...”

 

Collecting himself, he then finally typed in the password. “Lemme just… type the password here…” And once he finished typing it.

 

*Beep* … *Krnnnnn*

 

Both survivors twist their head to turn, to see it open. “What…?” Makoto spoke in shock. “That did it!?”

 

He then turned towards Kyoko in excitement. “Kyoko! It worked!”

 

“...” Kyoko, however, didn’t look at all happy or excited or even interested. But instead… “...Why?”

 

“K-Kyoko…?”

 

“...” The detective said nothing else. Merely walked into the room with a dark, cloudy look.

 

“...”

 

To say that the air in the room was awkward would be an understatement. None of them were sure what Kyoko’s mood would be after the password; a few, however, hoped that the detective took it positively. But it’s clear that the Ultimate Detective did not like that her father had her name as the password.

 

And none of them really knew what to say. Even Makoto, who knew about this complicated relationship beforehand, found himself as quiet as his future self during the climb out of the garbage pit.

“Kyoko…” With a look of concern, Makoto walked into the hidden room.

 

As for the detective herself… she remained stoic. Stone-faced. However, there was noticeable tension in her posture, tension that more of the students could see. As if she was willing herself to become a statue.

 

‘Just what’s on your mind right now, Kyoko…?’ Hina thought in concern.

 

‘Are you really that angry with your father…?’ Chihiro wondered, biting his lips.

 

‘What do you really feel about the headmaster, Kyoko…?’ Sayaka asked herself.

 

‘...I hope Kyoko can reconcile with her father…’ Was Makoto’s thought, yet again placing a hand over one of Kyoko’s clenched ones. ‘For her sake, at least.’

 

When the luckster got inside, he was met with Kyoko staring at a picture of some sort. “H-Hey, Kyoko…?”

 

“...” The detective remained quiet, her eyes fixated on the picture.

 

But before Makoto could ask about it, he spotted something in the middle of the room. ‘A present…?’

 

“...Why do I have a bad feeling about that present?” Hina gulped.

 

“Cause we know there’s nothing nice in that box…?” Leon answered, a tad tense. “Not in that shitty school…”

 

“Maybe, they could, y’know… not open it?” Hiro suggested nervously.

 

“That’s an option…” Sayaka nodded her head; however, she looked resigned. “Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s one that’ll be picked…”

 

Makoto walked over to the present with a cautious look across his face. ‘Should we open it? I’m getting kind of a bad vibe from it…’ The luckster thought nervously. ‘But I mean, we can’t not open it.’

 

“O-Okay!” 

But before he could open it, Kyoko spoke up. “Be careful, Makoto…”

 

“Why, you think it’s dangerous?!” Makoto immediately asked worriedly.

 

“No, not dangerous.” Kyoko denied, shaking her head. “But… surprising, probably.”

 

“Huh…?”

 

“...She already knows what’s in there?” Mondo asked with slight disbelief.

 

“Did Kyoko already look inside…?” Taka wondered.

 

“From the sounds of it, she’s merely making a deduction…” Celeste mused. “But what is her guess, I wonder?”

 

“...” Without thinking, Kyoko unclenched one of her hands and wrapped it around Makoto’s. That got the luckster looking at her in concern; however, she kept her eyes away from him.

 

“If it is what I think it is… at the very least, it’s not something you’ll be happy to see.” Kyoko warned him.

 

“Wait, so… you know what’s in there?” Makoto then asked.

 

“Just don’t scream or anything, okay?”

 

‘Well, that’ll surely calm him down…’ Was the sarcastic thoughts of some of the students. Just what is inside that box that would make Makoto scream?

 

‘A-Are you saying… it’s something that’ll make me want to scream?’ Makoto concluded, feeling more and more nervous.

 

“...” For a moment, the luckster could only stare at the box, before… “O-Okay. I’m just gonna open it!” With a deep breath, he took a hold of the lid, and slowly lift it up. And what he saw…

 

“Gh… Guwaaaahhh!”

 

Was bones. Real life human bones.

 

It didn’t long for several students to join Makoto in screaming. “A-Are those bones?!” Hiro screamed in terror.

 

“H-H-Human bones…?!” Hina stuttered fearfully, becoming quite pale yet again.

 

“Did the mastermind place those bones inside?!” Hifumi screamed out, also quite blue in the face.

 

“Who else would put fucking bones in a box…?!” Mondo responded, though looking quite rattled.

 

Throughout this viewing, they saw a lot of messed up events. Murders of their future selves, brutally creative executions, bloodied hallways and classroom… yet many of the students could not bring themselves to get used to any of it.

 

“...I-Is that… are t-those…?” Makoto stuttered in dreadful realization, drawing the attention of the others.

 

“What…? What is it, Makoto?” Sayaka asked her crush, looking as rattled as most of the others.

 

“...The headmaster’s bones…” It was Sakura who answered, with the martial artist looking quite grim.

 

If any of them could get any paler, it would be now; with eyes lighting up in realization as many recalled the very first scene of their own personal horror show. “W-Wait, so… that’s where the headmaster’s remains were taken to?!” Taka exclaimed in horror. “In his own personal room?!”

 

“I! WAS! KIDDING!” Was Leon’s aggravated shout.

 

“That’s seriously messed up…!” Hiro shouted next.

 

Throughout the screaming, Toko kept her eyes firmly covered. She hasn’t removed her hands from them ever since the glimpse of the 2nd floor dorms, and she sure isn't gonna open her eyes now.

 

“...” Once again, Kyoko couldn’t bring herself to look at the screen. The detective found herself feeling sick to the stomach at whatever glimpse she had gotten of her father’s remains. But why? Why does she feel that way? How could she, when she felt nothing about her father?

 

Or at least… she was supposed to feel nothing. Yet this viewing is slowly making her question her own personal feelings in regards to the man that conceived her.

 

“Just as I thought.” Kyoko sighed.

 

“What…?” Makoto stared at the detective incredulously. “Just as you thought…? How could you have known that?”

 

“What he said…!” Leon spoke incredulously. “How the hell you could have known that a fucking skeleton was in the box?!”

 

“I mean, we knew something messed up was gonna be in that box. But not that messed up!” Hiro added with a shudder.

 

“...My future self likely didn’t specifically think that human bones would be in the box.” Kyoko managed to say, her hair shadowing her eyes. “But she likely guessed that… the headmaster was dead somewhere. And guessed that he would be in the box.”

 

That had the group pausing, the fact that it’s also Kyoko’s father they’re looking at coming to the forefront. Many couldn’t help but look at the detective, some with growing tears, some with sympathy, others with curiosity on how she was taking it.

 

Kyoko had made it very clear that she held no lost love towards her father. But some wonder, how true was that? Is it possible that she still held at least a little affection towards her estranged family? And if so, how much of this was affecting her?

 

“I mean… there were bones in there! Human bones!”

 

“Well, it’s not that I was thinking of the bones specifically.” Kyoko clarified. “I just… had a feeling it would be his body.”

“Th-That’s pretty much the same thing! A dead guy in a box!” Makoto retorted.

 

“My father…”

 

“Huh?” Her words got Makoto out of disbelieving hysteria for a moment, confused. “What about him?”

 

“What you found in the box…” The detective began to reveal, her eyes away from the box. “Those bones… that… body… that’s my father. Or at least… what’s left of him.”

 

“The mastermind really got a fucking sick sense of humor…” Mondo grumbled angrily. What sicko would happily put the remains of someone’s body into a fucking present ?

 

“But, wait… why would he even do that?” Taka asked, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. “The mastermind wasn’t expecting anyone to come into the 2nd floor, let alone the headmaster’s private room, did they? So why placed it within the hidden room?”

 

“...A good question.” Celeste nodded in agreement, a frown now across her own brow. “But now, I have an even better one. How is it that the mastermind was able to figure out that the password was none other than Kyoko?”

 

That got the room silent, as minds processed the questions of both Taka and Celeste. Why indeed did the mastermind place the present of human bones into the headmaster’s own hidden room? Was it just for their own amusement? Or did they actually expect for one of the survivors to find him? Was that box placed in there recently, or right after they killed Jin Kirigiri?

 

Not only that, but how were they able to guess that the headmaster used Kyoko as his own password? Did they simply know of Kyoko’s existence, brought two and two together in terms of their familial connection, and made a lucky guess? Or was there something more? Something that made them confident that this would be the password the headmaster would use?

 

Once again, Byakua and Kyoko found themselves staring at Junko from the corner of their eyes. While the affluent progeny narrowed his own eyes, the detective had to hold herself back, yet she outright glared at the fashionista. 

 

“A-Are you serious?!” Makoto spoke incredulously, becoming pale. ‘This is… Kyoko’s dad?! The same man she’s been searching for…?’

 

“H-Hold on! How can you know that for sure?!” The luckster then protested. “How do you know… that’s him?”

 

“Given all the information we have already, that’s the only possible answer.” Kyoko explained. Flashbacks of Alter Ego’s revelation about the headmaster, along with Monokuma’s previous hint, then played before going back to the present. “Alter Ego said that the headmaster was probably here in the school… but the only ones who were alive at the start of the killing game were us sixteen students.”

 

“When you put those two ideas together, it doesn’t take much to assume… that most likely, my father was in this school, but he was also dead. That’s my assumption, anyway.”

 

‘She seems completely calm about this…’ Makoto noted in concern. ‘She said it was just as she thought. So she knew it was a possibility. But I have to believe that at some point, she wanted to be proven wrong. Which is why she never looked in the box herself, even though she had plenty of chances’

 

“...Has anyone ever told you that you’re far too observant?” Kyoko couldn’t help but say, feeling more and more uncomfortable the longer this goes on. “And again, you narrate far too much in your own mind…”

 

Makoto took the comment with some stride, aware that all this was pressing very personal topics for his lavender-haired friend. And seeing her father’s corpse likely wasn’t helping matters…

 

Sayaka, however, didn’t ignore the comments towards the luckster. “And you can be a hypocrite, Kyoko. Don’t go knocking on someone for observing you…” The idol deadpanned. While she may feel sympathy for the detective, that doesn’t mean that she’s just gonna let any passive-aggressive comments go.

 

‘I know Kyoko said she wanted to see her father so she could cut off all ties. But was that all there was to it?’ A flashback of Kyoko’s speaking on giving up some of her Kirigiri pride played before heading back to the present. ‘Would she really give up her pride just for that?’

 

“...” Once again, heads were directed towards the Ultimate Detective, wondering what she would say or do…

 

“...” However, she remained silent, eyes away from everyone and her hand around Makoto’s clasped in an iron grip. Even the most dense of them could see how stiff Kyoko was.

 

‘For someone seemingly so rational, you’re not good with being honest with yourself, are you?’ Byakuya noted with a raised eyebrow. It’s clear to the Togami heir that the detective feels more than just cold detachment, or even resentment, for the headmaster.

 

‘I really do hope that the two of you can talk this out…’ Makoto thought once again, paying no mind to the tight grip and squeezing back. He really doesn’t want Kyoko like this, in denial of her own feelings. And from what he has seen of Jin Kirigiri, the headmaster is a good man. He couldn’t imagine someone like that simply abandoning his own daughter.

 

“Remember to be honest with yourself, Kyoko…” He whispered to the detective. “Don’t try to convince yourself you feel one thing. And be willing to hear him out. Hear his side.”

 

“Learn to just take off the mask sometimes. Learn to be more honest around others. And yourself.”

 

“...”

 

Drawing his eyes away from the present, he put his attention on something else. ‘The headmaster’s desk…’ Makoto thought to himself. ‘It’s probably hiding some kind of clue, so I really want to check it out, but… I really don’t want to touch Kyoko’s dad’s desk without her permission.’

 

That drew a snort from Byakuya. “A sentimental fool till the end…” He remarked in amusement.

 

“W-Well, I mean… it would be rude to rummage through the things of someone’s dead family member.” Makoto said defensively, blushing a tad. “I wouldn’t want to just thoughtlessly do that…”

 

“An excellent stance to have, regardless of the situation…” Taka nodded firmly in agreement.

 

That’s when Kyoko spoke up. “Don’t worry about me. Feel free to look around as much as you like.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Never let anything get in the way of the investigation. I don’t.” Was the detective’s answer.

 

‘Says the one who couldn’t figure out your own father’s password in the end…’ Junko thought in dry amusement. I mean, it was so obvious that the password was none other than his own daughter. Yet that very daughter couldn’t figure it out? Almost laughable, really.

 

“O-Okay, then… if you don’t mind…” With some hesitation, the luckster started opening the drawers. Most of them were filled with just random documents, but in the last one… “Huh? Is this…?”

 

‘It’s… an e-Handbook, right?’ Makoto thought, holding up said handbook. ‘And it has a label on it that says “in case of emergency”...!’

 

Eyes lit up at the sight of that e-Handbook. “That handbook… isn’t that the headmaster’s personal one…?” Chihiro spoke in interest. “The one that has access to anything in the school…?”

 

‘That has to be…” Celeste confirmed, her eyes gleaming with her own interest. “Which would mean…”

 

“They now have access to everything requiring an e-Handbook…” Sayaka finished, her eyes lighting up. “Like with the Monokuma key. 

 

“This could potentially prove useful for the investigation…” Byakuya mused.

 

“A handbook with no limitations, given to the school’s ultimate authority, the headmaster…” Kyoko revealed. “I’m assuming that’s what it is.”

 

“I think you’re probably right.” Makoto nodded in agreement.

 

“It might prove useful as we continue our investigation.” The detective stated. “Why don’t you hold on to it?”

 

“Huh?” Makoto blinked in befuddlement in the suggestion. “But Kyoko…”

 

‘I don’t need it. If you don’t want it, go ahead and leave it there.” Kyoko said, turning away.

 

“...What happened to not letting anything get in the way of an investigation?” Byakuya deadpanned. 

 

Kyoko stubbornly refrained from giving the Togami heir any looks. “Makoto can make use of it. There’s no need for me to hold on to it with him around.”

 

“Whatever helps you keep your pride, Kirigiri…” Was Byakuya’s dry remark.

 

Junko had to cover her mouth to hold back any giggles threatening to bubble out.

 

“Th-Then… I guess I’ll take it.” Hesitantly, Makoto put it his pocket, with Kyoko remaining silent. ‘Is it… really okay?’

 

“The next place I checked was the filing cabinet.” As Narrator Makoto spoke, the present luckster rummaged through the cabinets. “And as I was looking through them…”

 

‘Huh? This picture…’ Curious, the luckster got a closer look at the picture up top of the cabinet; a picture of a little girl being held up by a grown man. ‘It’s all faded. It must be pretty old.’

 

“...”

 

“...”

 

“Hey, isn’t that-...” Hifumi had to cover Hiro’s mouth before the fortune teller could say anything.

 

“I advise keeping quiet at the moment, Mr. Hagakure.” The fanfic creator suggested quietly. “Before you step on a landmine.”

 

Suffice to say, everyone recognized the little girl as Kyoko. And there’s no doubt that the man holding her up was Jin Kirigiri. Without context, this just seems like any regular photo that a father would cherish. But knowing the context of the complicated Kirigiri family relationship…

 

“...” The detective so desperately wished that all of this could be skipped. That they could move on to more important aspects of the investigation. However, knowing that she’ll likely be rejected if she requested it, Kyoko remained stiffly silent. 

 

“Damn, this entire thing is hella awkward…” Leon hissed quietly, pulling on the collar of his jacket. “Isn’t there a way to… I dunno, break the ice or something?”

 

“Probably not. At least not right now…” Sayaka shook her head. “We just have to endure it for the time being.”

 

“Yeah…” Makoto nodded his head, giving another reassuring squeeze from his and Kyoko’s interlocked hands.

 

‘Wait, is this a picture of…?!’

 

“H-Hey, Kyoko…!” Makoto quickly called out to the detective.

 

“...!” Immediately, Kyoko’s eyes widened once she got sight of the picture; before it narrowed into a nasty glare. “Well, this is annoying. I came here to cut myself free of the past. And yet…”

 

A close up of the picture was then shown. “To now find something like this…” The detective practically hissed. “So what do you expect me to do now…?”

 

‘Then I was right.’ Makoto thought to himself. ‘It’s a picture of Kyoko when she was a little girl. Knowing the headmaster had this picture all this time… he must have really cared about her…’

 

‘He must’ve…’ Hina and Chihiro thought in earnest agreement. If the headmaster really was heartless enough to just straight up abandon Kyoko, why have that picture? Why make his own daughter his password? That doesn’t make sense. So he must’ve cared! Cared a lot!

 

Which brings the question: Why did he leave her? Could he have gotten her? What stopped him? 

 

“Why? What…?” The detective found herself shaking, complicated emotions playing across her face. “I wanted to face him and tell him myself. To cut him out of my life for abandoning me… that’s the whole reason I came here.”

 

“And now he’s abandoned me again. And this time, he even stole the only opportunity I had to move on. Has there ever been a worse father…?”

 

‘Kyoko…’

 

“...”

 

“Look, I’m gonna just come out, and say it… there’s probably more than just him leaving you straight up.” Mondo huffed, getting tired of the awkward air. “The story you told sounds sketch. And knowing that your grand-pops held a lot of that Kirigiri pride and shit…”

 

That earned a sharp glare from the Kirigiri detective. “What are you suggesting?”

 

“That your grandfather probably wasn’t as honest with you as he should’ve been.” The biker said bluntly, suppressing whatever shivers he felt from the lavender-eyed glare. “And that your pops clearly ain’t this cold-hearted bastard who couldn’t care less about you.”

 

“Yet another fool that speaks sense. Today must be special…” Byakuya snicked, ignoring any profanity thrown at him from said fool. “Anyway, I’m not one to dabble in other’s personal business, but anyone with eyes can see that’s more to it than just simple abandonment. You’re just too blinded by your resentment and your own pride to see for yourself.”

 

At this point, Kyoko had to hold herself back from growling; directing her glare at the table in front of her. What did they know about her life? What did they know about any of her family members? They didn’t have to deal with looks of pity for years on end. The work that she had to put into becoming a detective, to make up for her father leaving that life.

 

However… could she really deny any of their claims? Can she really say that her grandfather has been completely honest with her? That her father willingly abandoned her? She couldn’t even say that he doesn’t care for her, not with the evidence staring at her face. 

 

More and more, she found herself confronted with her own worldview. With the ways of being a Kirigiri detective. And it’s leaving her more uncomfortable than she likes to admit.

Notes:

And that’s the end. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. This was a tough one to write. Knew going in that Kyoko’s past was going to be difficult in terms of reactions, but that didn’t make it any easier. Hope that everyone has remained in character, especially Kyoko. Leave comments, kudos, and bookmarks, and I will see you later.

Chapter 113: Watching Chapter 6: Ultimate Pain, Ultimate Suffering, Ultimate Despair, Ultimate Execution, Ultimate Death Part 5

Notes:

Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So, random talk: Took to reading a manga, 100 Girlfriends Who Really X5 Love You. Very fun to read, but a turn off your brain type series; and one where I read chapters at random. But because of it, another fanfic idea came to me; a crossover between Danganronpa and 100 Girlfriends.

It wouldn't be a serious fanfic; just random moments of the Rentarou Family and Hope's Peak's Ultimates spending time with one another, going through various shenanigans. I feel that would create many different interactions between the casts.

What do you guys think of the idea? A read or a pass? Don't plan on doing it immediately, it's not that stuck on my brain yet. Just an idea I wanted to throw out there, if anyone's interested in reading that (Possibly make their own attempt at such a crossover).

Anyways, back to the fic. Here, investigation will continue, with the 2nd floor dorm search-through concluding, and with the class watching Hina and Makoto go into the Monokuma control panel. I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

"..." For a moment, Kyoko was silent. Then… "Listen, Makoto… can I ask you a favor?" She requested. "I know it's completely unreasonable to ask you this. And I know it'll only inconvenience you that much more. But… could you leave?"

No one was surprised by the request Kyoko had made. Even with how composed the Ultimate Detective usually is, they can tell that even something like this would be too much for her. It would've been more concerning if she brushed it all off like it was nothing.

"Huh?" The luckster looked at Kyoko in concern.

"Just for a little while. I'd just… like to be alone for a bit." The detective explained softly.

"K-Kyoko…"

"Don't worry, I'm fine." She assured him. "I just need to calm down a little… I need to… get my emotions in order."

"I would say that's an understatement…" Leon snorted, his tone carrying an underlay of concern. "This has been the most emotional we've seen of you, Kyoko…"

"She has been bombarded with a lot of new information…" Sakura sighed. "Evidence that her father may have cared for her more than she had thought, his own death… and the knowledge that she won't be able to fully settle the issues she had with her father…"

That brought about more than a few winces. While none of them know whether or not Kyoko's relationship with her father is resolved or worsened in the future, they can safely say that with her memories wiped of the last few years, there's definitely no chance of resolving that matter.

And of course, the girl herself was the most affected, though she did her best to conceal that. If they never were brought here, to watch this future… then the mastermind would've robbed her of the chance of settling matters with her own father. Regardless of how she may feel now, she would've had no chance to confront the headmaster of Hope's Peak.

Or rather, any memories of any confrontations, of what might've happened between them, would've been stolen. And that had the detective's already complicated feelings be stirred even further.

"..." Now it was Makoto who was quiet for a moment, looking hesitant on what to say. "You know, Kyoko…" He began. "You told me before about the relationship you had with your dad. How you're only connected by blood, not by heart and soul. But…"

"Maybe that picture motivated him, maybe he hoped to see me again someday." Kyoko finished for the luckster. "Is that what you were going to say?"

"..."

"If so, it's just a theory." The detective dismissed. "And this isn't an issue that can be settled with theories. That picture doesn't change the facts of what happened, what I went through. That problem can't be solved so easily."

"You're right… I'm sorry." Makoto apologized, looking down.

"Once I've got myself under control, I'll return to the investigation immediately." Kyoko assured him. "So please, just give me some time to myself."

"O-Okay, I understand." Hesitantly, the luckster started walking to the exit. "Then… I'll see you later."

"..." This time, Kyoko didn't say anything. Merely stared at the picture her father had.

"..."

"..."

"Let's move on…" Kyoko spoke, before anyone else could think to say anything. "Talking about… my relationship with my father… anything in the past or the future, won't change anything. We should focus on seeing all the mysteries being unravelled."

Anyone with half-a-brain could tell that the detective was merely trying to direct attention away from her complicated familial situation. Especially since she refused to look anyone in the eye. Never-the-less, they all silently adhered to her request; especially with the underlying pleading tone within her words.

The next scene showed Makoto walking into the locker room of the 2nd floor dorms. "The next place I went through was the locker room…" Narrator Makoto spoke. "With the emergency e-Handbook, I was able to access the lockers. Most of them were mainly filled with junk. However…"

A clip of Makoto picking a notebook was shown, the notebook coming from a stuffed locker filled with textbooks and fortune stuff. "One contained a lot of fortune telling stuff Hiro would use… along with a notebook that had Hiro's name on it… and his handwriting…"

That was enough to get any remaining attention off of Kyoko. "Looks like Mr. Naegi is now getting some use out of the emergency e-Handbook…" Hifumi commented.

"And found evidence that Hiro used this locker room…" Celeste added in musing. "Which means further evidence of their memories being wiped…"

Eyes lit up at that realization. "Does that mean they'll find more things to prove that their memories got wiped…?!" Hina asked eagerly. "Finally figured out that they're missing two years worth of memories?!"

"At this point, it's a strong possibility that they'll find more items from past events." Sakura answered. "The issue still remains to make the leap of logic needed to figure that out."

"Yeah, it won't be an easy pill to swallow, no matter what…" Leon sighed in agreement. The idea that all of them lost two years of memories of attending Hope's Peak is way too bizarre to just believe it, even with the evidence to back it up.

"And the other…"

'A pocketbook…?' Curious, the luckster picked up the small book. 'I don't see a name written on it, so I can't say for sure whose it is. But there's some writing inside. It could be important.'

"I don't like violating the owner's privacy, but I'd better take a look." Makoto murmured to himself, opening up the book.

That drew a few, exasperated sighs from the group, along with some giggles. "Honestly Makoto, why do you worry about such things in this type of situation…?" Celeste inquired, partly-amused and partly-curious.

"I-I just… it's just a habit, okay…?" Was all the luckster could say, yet again blushing in embarrassment. He's aware that it's a tad ridiculous, but come on! It's been ingrained in him to mess with other people's things.

'It looks like a girl's handwriting…'  Makoto noted, flipping through the pages.  'And all the letters are spaced out evenly, like whoever wrote them was measuring them. Whoever wrote this must have been really meticulous.'

"..." Almost in unison, eyes started turning towards Kyoko.

"...It seems as though Makoto found my journal." Was all the detective could say. She, more than anyone, can definitely recognize her own handwriting. "This'll likely contain more evidence of our missing memories."

"Think Makoto will find more of our belongings within these lockers…?" Taka inquired curiously.

"With how trashed the other lockers are…? Probably not, bro…" Mondo answered, pointing at said wrecked lockers surrounding Makoto.

"Huh…?" When he got to a certain section of the book, he froze; seeing familiar words inside. "There's a plan to turn Hope's Peak into a shelter, and isolate the students here in a communal life. I decided to talk to the one who came up with the plan directly. It just so happens to be the headmaster - and my father. He was willing to give me some more details regarding the plan. Here's what he said…"

"The point is to keep our student prodigies safe, to keep them as our hope for the future. Only their genius can overcome disaster, and only their hope can overcome despair. For the future of our country, our world, it's not an exaggeration to call this our final hope. We must isolate our superior youth from the corrupted world, to serve as the foundation for a new era. This is the only hope we have. I hope that you'll be willing to go along with the plan…"

"..."

"..."

"W-What the… What in… What?" Leon stuttered, trying to process all that info.

"Overcome a… s-serve as… huh?" Sayaka stammered, her head also spinning.

"So we were kept in the school… in order to serve as beacons for the future?" Taka summarized, pale in the face. "This was created, in order to protect the sixteen of us?"

Suffice to say, the class as a whole was rattled. They knew that Hope's Peak officials were the ones who initially created this plan to isolate them from the outside world. They knew it was to shield them from the tragedy. But… they were supposed to be the final hope for society? Serve as the foundation for another era?

Was the headmaster actually asking them to rebuild the country?! The world?!

"Hope… this is all… for hope." Makoto remembered what his future self dreamt. "And that's why… I have to stay… I have… to stay here."

"You must not leave." As for Kyoko, she recalled the small note Makoto discovered. At that time, the conclusion was that the note hinted to something horrific happening outside. And while that is very likely to still be true… was there more to it than that? More to the self-isolation their future selves have been put into?

Did her father actually expect sixteen high schoolers to rebuild society from the ground up? Just sixteen out of the entirety of Hope's Peak's Ultimates?

"So that's what my father had to say to me. As usual, he made a selfish decision without consulting anyone else. I can't imagine a worse father."

At any other point, some of the students would be feeling awkward or exasperated over Kyoko's daddy issues still apparently being strong in the future. As it is, their minds were too preoccupied with why this "communal life" got created for them in the first place.

"This… can't be true, can it?" Makoto spoke shakily. "But if this belongs to Kyoko…"

'...what was it doing in this locker?' He asked himself mentally. 'And what she wrote here completely contradicts what she already told me. She said she hasn't seen her dad since he left when she was little.'

"What does this all mean…?!"

"Th-This is… this is just… insane!" Sayaka finally shouted out, her eyes wide and dilated. "This all sounds just so insane!"

"Yeah, just… what the heck?!" Hina exclaimed just as loudly, looking as blue as several other students. "We're supposed to be the final hope for the world?! How are we the final hope?!"

"The headmaster honestly can't expect a single class of Ultimates to rebuild society, does he…?" Taeko questioned, her persona once again replaced with a rattled teenaged girl. "Are we actually supposed to serve as leaders for a broken world?"

"What in the actual FUCK is going on here?!" Mondo practically screeched.

As the class freaked out, Byakuya silently recalled a few moments during the previous chapters. Moments where Monokuma mentioned he wanted to transform hope into despair, that the class served as the beacons of hope. Comments that, initially, one would not take with any amount of seriousness.

But now, with this new information… and knowing the mastermind's intent… it added things up, didn't it? If the class was chosen to become this beacon for the world, the ones to bring out society from disaster, then that essentially made them a target, didn't it? For the one who wanted nothing more than despair.

The one who likely had a hand in this very Tragedy…

"And so, I quickly scanned the remaining pages of the notebook, hoping to find something that would prove me wrong about this whole thing." Narrator Makoto spoke, as the present luckster quickly flipped through page after page. "But when I reached the last page…"

"Despair walks among us, And so, we survive… There's a second 'despair'..."

And that single sentence caused all the panic and hysterics to freeze; as the class silently addressed yet another bombshell.

"...What the hell is Kyoko talking about…?" Hina asked in a small voice, practically shaking in her seat.

"D-Despair… w-walks among us…? A s-second… d-despair…?" Toko stuttered, also unable to keep it still.

"Th-That would imply that… the Ultimate Despairs are…?" Taka started to say; however, the moral compass was unable to finish the conclusion that would be made.

"...We already know that Mukuro is one of the Ultimate Despairs…" Byakuya spoke, his eyes narrowed into a sharp glare. "If we take what Kyoko has written as it being about us… then we have another Ultimate Despair-"

"H-Hold on! Wait!" Makoto cut in, waving his hands around frantically. "We don't know for sure that Kyoko is talking about us, specifically! This is just… way too obscure…!"

"H-He's right! There's just no way!" Chihiro spoke in frantic agreement, looking similarly distressed. "I-It could be talking about anyone! Other students, the faculty… it can't just be from our class!"

All was then quiet, an air of fear, distress, and suspicion filling up the room. Several of the students had a difficult time thinking on what to think. Them being the final hope for the world? A second despair being amongst them (Or maybe Hope's Peak in general)? More and more, they all couldn't help but dread the future they're witnessing and unraveling.

Well, all except one. And of course, Junko is taking in the atmosphere like a plant in the sun. It took everything for the fashionista to not start giggling madly, or have a crazed-filled grin. So much fear! So much suspicion! So much despair! Just as things were starting to get too annoying for her, a healthy heap of despair came down on her plate! Wonderful, just wonderful!

"What is this…?" Makoto asked himself, utterly confused and a tad shaken. "What does it mean? I have no idea… how could this possibly make any sense?"

'That's what I want to know…' Was the resounding thought of over half the class. How is all of this gonna make sense in the end? How is this gonna be tied into one, cohesive explanation?

And… the more fearful parts of the students' minds were wondering… do they even want to know?

'...Wait a second.' A thought suddenly came to Sayaka, confusion now mixing with her emotions. 'If our whole class was supposed to rebuild society…?'

'...If we were chosen for this "communal life", to be the foundation for a new era…' Celeste unknowingly continued, her eyes narrowing.

'...If all of us were supposed to be the final hope for the world, our class…?' Makoto thought in complete befuddlement.

'''...then where is Junko at?'''

The next scene was Makoto entering the data center, with his narrator-self speaking, "The next place I went to was the data center. There, I ran into Hina…"

"Ah, Makoto! Are you here to look around, too?" Hina asked chipperly.

"Is that what you're doing here?" The luckster asked in return.

"Yeah. I can't help but wonder about that Monokuma door…" Hina confirmed. "So I figured… if all the doors in school had been unlocked, that one should be open too, right?!

"Although… I couldn't bring myself to open it." The swimmer then admitted sheepishly. "Cuz it might explode, right?! And that'd really suck. So… you open it!"

And that snapped the group out of their thinking, questions and confusion being pushed back for later. "Hina!" Sayaka exclaimed in both outrage and bafflement. "Are you seriously saying you're okay with *Makoto* getting blown up?!"

"N-No! I didn't-! I'm sure she-!" Hina sputtered, trying to explain for her future self. "She didn't mean it that way! She was just… really nervous! That's all!"

"Clearly…" Celeste said dryly, rolling her eyes. "To the point you ask someone else to take the brunt of it…" Not that she would be any better mind you. Difference would be that she would drag Hifumi to do it; not Makoto.

'I'm sure she didn't mean it, but she made it sound like she was okay with me getting blown up…' Makoto thought with a sweatdrop. Never-the-less, he went over the door with some resignation. "Okay, so… I guess I'll open it."

"Ah, wait! Lemme take cover first! I don't wanna get exploded!" She then rushed over to one of the desks, and hid behind it. "Okay! Go ahead!"

"..."

"And your future self is continuing to make your case worse…"

That got Hina stammering even more attempted explanations for herself. It was to a point Sakura had to place a hand over her shoulder to stop her from speaking.

"You really turned into the guinea pig of the group, huh dude…?" Leon remarked, turning towards his friend.

"Y-Yeah…" And Makoto could only sigh in response, feeling more exasperated than baffled by Hina's… request.

'Everything will be okay… right?' With a small gulp, the lucky student braced himself. "Alright, here goes nothin'...!"

With a small push, he threw the door open. And what he was met with was what looked to be a control room.

"Whoa!" Hina gasped in wonder. "This place is totally sci-fi!"

"...Yeah, I was kinda thinking the same thing." Makoto spoke in agreement, slightly stunned.

"This place looks like a serious gaming room…!" Hiro exclaimed in wonder.

"A very advanced gaming room at that…!" Hifumi added, looking very interested. "Something I think that the Ultimate Gamer would build if she could."

"Oh, definitely…" Makoto nodded in total agreement, knowing his fellow class rep's love for gaming all too well. However, his thoughts were more focused on the exact purpose for this room. 'Could this be…?'

'...where the mastermind is controlling Monokuma?' Kyoko unknowingly concluded.

The luckster then got up closer to the keyboards and monitors. 'What is this device?' He wondered. 'It looks like some kind of… control panel. It's really over the top, though. Like some kind of military installation or something…'

"...Could it be… is this where the mastermind controls Monokuma?" Chihiro spoke in musing.

Said musing caught the attention of the others. "Wait… you're saying that the purpose of the room is to utilize any Monokumas within the school?" Taka questioned with slightly widened eyes.

"Honestly, it's not that hard to figure out…" Byakuya remarked with an eye-roll. "There had to be somewhere for the mastermind to control the mechanical bears."

"And the d-door alone screams 'This is where I c-control my stuffed b-bears'..." Toko pointed out the Monokuma painted door.

"Yeah, it kinda looks like a mech-cockpit, right?" Hina mused. "Hifumi'd probably freak out if he saw it!"

The fanfic creator in question pushed his glasses up in response. "I wouldn't mind exploring such a state of the art facility myself… figuring out the purpose of such a place, and perhaps replicating something… similar…"

"Psst. Fatty. We can see the drool going down your lips." Leon whispered not so quietly, eliciting giggles and chuckles from some of the students. Hifumi, of course, steadily ignored the jab from the baseball star.

"Cockpit…?" Makoto repeated, eyes lighting up in realization. 'Then could that mean…?'

"Looks like Makoto figured it out…"

"But if this place really is where the mastermind controls Monokuma… then where's the mastermind?" Sayaka then asked. "Aren't they supposed to be there to do it?"

That got the group pausing, now registering that the mastermind is indeed not inside. And if they are not in the cockpit, then where *are* they?

"Alright! Let's start poking at it or whatever!" Hina exclaimed, going over to the keyboards. "I'm gonna start pushing buttons!"

"Say wha?!"

"H-Hold on…!"

"Don't just randomly press buttons!"

"Weren't you scared of getting blown up?!"

"Uh- I- I'm sorry…!" Was all Hina could cry out, ducking her head and holding her hands up in surrender.

"H-Hold on! You can't just 'or whatever' something like this!" Makoto protested.

However, his protest proved fruitless, as Hina already began to push various different buttons. And when she did…

"...Did anyone else hear that sound?" Hiro asked, picking up that noise.

"I did, too." Taka nodded in confirmation, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "It sounded like…"

"Like the bear has popped up somewhere." Mondo finished for his bro.

"Huh?" Hina shot her head up and looked around in confusion. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, I think it came from the other room." Makoto deduced, looking at the exit. "Hina… what did you push?"

"I-I'm not totally sure, but…" Hesitantly, she pointed at one of the buttons. "...I think it was that one. The button that says 'Data Center'."

"Data Center…?" That had Makoto go looking at the control panel; and not only was the word Data Center on there, but there were also other names of the various rooms.

That's when students started connecting the dots. "Did Hina… summoned Monokuma in the Data Center?" Sayaka guessed.

"Likely so. I can't remember anything else that makes a sound like the Monokuma machines does." Kyoko stated. "Which further confirms that this is the control center for those machines."

His head then turned towards the exit of the room. "I'd probably better go check it out…"

"Yes please!" Hina responded fervently. "I'm kinda scared out of my mind right now, so I'll just… cheer you on from over here!"

At this point, some couldn't help but snort, snicker, or giggle. "Wow. Herbivore man is showing more guts than you are right now, girl…" Junko giggled out.

"Aren't you the one that shouts about having guts…?" Leon remarked with a smirk. "Where's your courage at, Hina?"

"H-Hey…!" Hina whined, her cheeks getting red. "Why are you guys making fun of me now?! Of course future me would be scared…!"

"Perhaps. But it's still amusing to see you take several steps back and push Makoto forward…" Celeste said, giggling herself.

"True…" Even Sayaka couldn't help but giggle at her friend's behavior, more amused than outrage like she was initially.

The scene cuts to Makoto exiting the room and going back to the Data Center. 'Did I just hear what I think I heard…?' Once he was fully inside, he was met with Monokuma. 'Is that… Monokuma?'

"..."

"H-Hey!" Makoto hesitantly called out to the bear.

"Graar!"

That got startled yelps and jumps from some of the students. "What the- he's responding?!" Hiro exclaimed in alarm.

"But… how? The mastermind isn't controlling Monokuma, are they?" Taka questioned bewilderedly.

"Grooar! Gimme all yer donuts!"

"...And suddenly, that answered all our questions." Leon said in deadpan amusement. "It's Hina…"

"It's Hina…" Byakuya nodded in agreement.

"Definitely Hina…" Sayaka spoke, her body now shaking in silent laughter.

"Our favorite donut girl~" Junko chimed in with a grin.

The girl in question now had an even deeper blush, with an addition of a pout across her face. Beside her, Sakura could only pat her friend's shoulder in sympathy, albeit with a small smile across her own lips.

"..." Now it was Makoto who was silent, before he asked, "Is that… you, Hina?"

"What?! Aw man, busted!" Monokuma, or Hina rather, groaned. "How did you know?"

"...Did the chick really just ask that?" Mondo remarked with a raised eyebrow. "The donut bit was a dead giveaway…"

"Now now, Mondo dear. We know by now that our dear Hina is a bit of an airhead…" Celeste giggled. "Of course she wouldn't realise that she gave herself away like that."

"I-Idiot swimmer…" Toko grumbled, though there was a fond exasperation to her tone.

"Muuuh~ you guys suck!" Hina whined further, waving her arms. Of course, that merely increased the amusement and laughter from the rest of the class.

"Anyway, what is this? Some kinda remote-control camera setup?"

"You don't even know what you're controlling…?" Makoto asked with slight disbelief.

"Well I mean, I can't really see anything from in here." Hina revealed. "Ah, guess what I found! A self-destruct button!"

"Don't push it!"

"Keep your hands away from there!"

"You'll hit Makoto!"

"Pause the poking right now…!"

"Whatever you do, don't push it!" Makoto quickly cried out panickedly.

"Aww maaan!" The Hina-controlled bear moaned.

"...Were you seriously gonna push it?" The luckster asked incredulously.

"What he said…" Was all Leon could say, looking exasperated once again. "Were you actually gonna press the self-destruct button with Makoto a few feet away…?"

"I- well-uh…" At this point, the swimmer's face was beet red, unable to look anyone in the eye.

"Oh Hina…" Sayaka sighed in exasperation, glad that Makoto spoke up before the swimmer did anything regretful.

It was something the luckster himself also felt, if the small sigh of relief was any indication.

'A-Anyway… I guess that settles it.'  Makoto began concluding to himself, walking back to the control room.  'The room with the Monokuma drawing on it, and the control panel inside…'

"Whoa! Hey Makoto, what the heck was that just now?!" Hina asked the moment the luckster walked in.

"Monokuma."

"Huh?" The swimmer tilted her head at that. "What do you mean?"

"What you were controlling just now." Makoto clarified. "It was Monokuma."

"Monokuma…?" It took a moment for Hina to process that, before eyes widened dramatically. "What?! For real?!

"Yep. It looks like that panel definitely controls Monokuma." Makoto confirmed, now looking at said panel. "Which means… the mastermind has been controlling Monokuma from this room."

"This is proof that the mastermind is within the very school…" Kyoko stated confidently. "Not only that, but this will also help prove that none of six survivors are the mastermind."

That got the attention of the others. "What makes you say that?" Hina asked, a layer of hope within her question.

It was Celeste who answered. "Because it's physically impossible for any of us to operate Monokuma, and be around the rest of the class, am I correct?" The gambler deducted.

Kyoko nodded in confirmation. "It's clear they need to be in this very room to control the bear; and there's no indication it can be placed in autopilot. So how can the mastermind be any of the survivors, when they need to be in this very cockpit to operate Monokuma?"

"So… this can actually help prove that none of us is the mastermind!" Chihiro voiced optimistically, a hopeful smile across his face. "That none of the survivors could've possibly done this!"

"...Indeed." Was all Kyoko could say. While it's true that none of the current six survivors couldn't have done this; that doesn't mean none in their class wasn't able to do this.

In fact, if only looking at just the sixteen of them, only one of them was able to operate Monokuma. The girl that Kyoko was becoming more and more certain of being the mastermind…

'Yeah… they were definitely in here.'  The luckster thought confidently.  'And this control room is totally separate from the data center area with all the monitors. In other words…'

A flashback of Kyoko's theory about Monokuma and the cameras was then shown before going back to the present.  'Kyoko's theory was right…'

"But… if the mastermind's been controlling Monokuma from here…" Hina spoke in nervousness and befuddlement. "...that means they've been inside the school this whole time, right?"

"I guess that would have to be true." Makoto spoke in agreement. 'But if that is true… then the mastermind, Monokuma's puppeteer, really is the sixteenth student…?'

"..." An anxious look entered Makoto's face. 'No, it can't be… there's no way… right?'

Makoto's thoughts alarmed the students a little. "No way… is Makoto starting to suspect the others?" Hina voiced worriedly.

"It makes sense. The future version of Makoto doesn't have the outsider knowledge that we have." Byakuya pointed out with a sigh. "They'll still need to figure out that Mukuro Ikusuba and the 'Junko' they saw at the start are one and the same."

"Yeah…" Makoto admitted with his own sigh. Still, getting into that room will make big headways into solving the mystery. And there should be some evidence that points to Mukuro being disguised as Junko in the beginning!

"What's wrong, Makoto? I don't like that face you're making…" Hina pointed out in concern.

"Oh, no… it's nothing." The luckster assured her, shaking off said look.

"O-Oh, okay…" Was all the swimmer could say, not looking convinced. A concerned look then entered her face. "..."

"What about you?" Makoto then asked. "Is everything okay?"

"Oh, well, it's just…" Hina stammered, trying to find the right words. "This is where the mastermind's been hiding, right? Who knows if they set up traps or something…?"

"...I want to say that Hina is being ridiculous here… but…" Leon remarked, looking a tad nervous himself.

"The fucking psycho put bombs all their stuffed bears…" Mondo stated, uncomfortably recalling his future self nearly getting blown up. "And plenty of other crazy traps too…"

"Then… maybe they should get out of there…" Sayaka suggested, looking worried for her friend and her crush.

'I can't say it isn't possible…'  Makoto mused, now feeling a tad concerned himself.  'But I really hope it's not true.'

"So, like… you wanna leave soon?" Hina asked meekly. "There's still lots of other places to check out."

"Yeah, good point." Makoto nodded in agreement. "We can't waste all our time standing around here."

The scene then switched to Makoto and Hina walking out of the Data Center. However, as soon as they closed the door to the room, a clicking sound was heard; prompting the two to turn towards the door. "What was that…?"

"Ah! The door! It just locked on its own!" Hina cried out panickedly.

"What?!"

"Huh?!"

"What the-...?!"

"How?!"

"Did it just… do it on its own?!"

"Ghost?!"

Immediately, Makoto moved to open the door. But no matter how much he twisted it, it didn't budge. "You're right, it's locked. But… why?"

That was the moment Monokuma now popped up. "Of course it's locked! Because the data center is now restricted!"

"M-Monokuma?!"

Yelps were heard across the room from the bear's sudden appearance. Then outrage quickly mixed with their shock. "The fuck do you mean you locked it, you overpriced teddy bear?!" Mondo roared furiously.

"He can't just do that!" Hina protested just as angrily. "He said that all the doors are unlocked for us to explore! Don't go restricting places whenever you want!"

"Is the damn bear cheating, again?!" Leon growled in frustration.

"Hey, no fair!" Hina protested angrily. "You can't just go around restricting whatever you feel like!"

"It's for YOUR benefit!" The bear argued. "Cuz if that room stays open, I won't be able to move around. Imagine how depressed everyone would get if the school mascot just up and stopped moving!"

"Bullshit!"

"Like hell we'd be depressed!"

"That sounds amazing to all of us!"

"Go back to whatever corner you were at, you damn psycho!"

"Then… that room…"

"As you may have guessed, that's where my controls are!" Monokuma confirmed the luckster's unspoken deduction.

"So… right now, you're being operated by someone in that room?" Hina inquired hesitantly.

"Correctamundo!" The bear bopped his head.

"But that doesn't make any sense!" Hina exclaimed in angered confusion. "We were just in there, and we didn't see anyone!"

"Yeah! No one should've gotten in without us noticing!" Hina spoke in agreement with her future self. "So how?! Did they teleport?!"

Some of the others attempted to recall anywhere that the mastermind could've popped out of. And when they began recalling seeing a certain hatch in the control room, it clicked; and it took all that they could to bite back loud groans or shouts of frustrations.

"Oh you didn't, did you?" Monokuma let out his signature laugh. "Are you sure you were as thorough as you could have been?"

A flashback of the room was then shown. "Did you happen to check… a certain suspicious hatch?"

There was three seconds of silence that came after Monokuma's statement. Three long loud silence as they all took in that piece of info. And once they did…

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"

"NOOOOO!"

"FUCK THAT! FUCK ALL OF THAT!"

"THIS COULD'VE ENDED RIGHT THEN AND THERE!"

"HOW THE HELL DID WE MISS THAT?!"

Suffice to say, nearly the entire class was beyond frustrated that the chance was missed to corner the mastermind.

"N-No way…!" Makoto stuttered in disbelief. "The hatch on the floor?!"

"Puhuhu, too bad! That was your one big chance, and ya blew it!" The bear laughed mockingly at them. "Of course, that hatch can't be opened from the outside anyway. So whatever!"

"Fuck! You!" Mondo and Leon shouted viciously at the screen. "Fuck you!"

"We should've guessed the mastermind would've prepared something like that…" Byakuya sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. "We really, really should've. And yet…"

"Like Monokuma said, the hatch wouldn't have opened from the outside. So there was no way to oust the mastermind from there." Kyoko reminded them with a sigh of her own. "And before anyone says he could be lying, I doubt it. He would've rubbed salt in the wound by letting us know the hatch could be opened."

"That's… is likely, yeah…" Makoto spoke in reluctant agreement; yet still a tad frustrated that his future self missed his chance to expose the mastermind right then and there.

It was a frustration Hina shared, with the swimmer biting her lips angrily. Her big, stupid mouth! She just had to get all nervous and get out of the room! Now their chance to corner the mastermind without a trial is gone for good!

Meanwhile, Junko was very much the opposite, and was enjoying the wave of frustration with smug satisfaction. The fashionista had to hide her mad giggles from behind her hands, ducking her head for good measure. 'Too bad, so sad~!' She sang to herself. 'No easy win for any of you~!'

"Now then, this room is officially restricted. So no more investigating! I'll be relying on you guys to tell the others." More of his signature laughter was then released. "Peace!" And with that, he disappeared.

"He's gone. But… was he telling the truth? The mastermind was hiding in there?" Hina asked hesitantly.

"In fact, if you think back to when we got locked out of the control room, that proves it for sure." Makoto answered.

"Then… when I said we should leave…" Hina spoke in guilt-filled realization.

"Well, that hatch couldn't be opened from the outside anyway, right?" The luckster cut in in reassurance. "So it's not your fault."

"What future me said." Makoto stated, pushing back his own frustration. He gave the swimmer a reassuring look. "If it would've been that easy to expose the mastermind, we would've done so long before. So we shouldn't blame ourselves."

"M-Maybe. But… still…" The swimmer protested weakly, still not looking that good.

"Hey. Don't beat yourself up about it. Most of us probably would've done the same thing you did." Leon assured her, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "And… don't get hung up about us ragging on you being scared. We were just teasing, is all. There was nothing serious about it."

"He's right. Sorry if it really does bother you…" Sayaka told the swimmer softly, not wanting her to feel bad.

Immediately, Hina waved her hands frantically at everyone. "No, no, no, it's fine! I know you guys didn't mean anything bad or something!" She assured them all. "I'm just… a little frustrated, is all…"

"We understand, Hina." Sakura said softly, giving her friend a small side hug. "But do not worry. It's not over yet. They still have a chance to solve every mystery and defeat the mastermind for good."

At the martial artist's words, Hina managed to get her funk. "Yeah… yeah, you're right…!" The swimmer said, pumping up her fists. "They just need to keep moving! And if there's anything I'm good at, it's moving!"

"O-Okay…"

"Anyway, we don't have to let it get to us." Makoto told her. "We have to stay positive and make the most of the time we have left!"

"You're right…" Hina nodded in agreement, trying to lift her spirit. "If there's one thing I'm good at, it's keeping my body moving…!"

Finally, the swimmer was able to rejuvenate herself. "Okay! I'm gonna go run around and tell everyone what we found here!" She declared. "Nice! You've got me all motivated again!"

"And both Miss Asahinas are back to full energy…!" Hifumi declared happily.

"You dang right I am!" Hina exclaimed in response, raising up a fist. "Nothing can keep me down for long!"

That gots smiles from Makoto and Sakura; along with others like Sayaka, Leon, and Chihiro. Nothing can keep her down indeed.

"Okay, I'm out! See ya later!" With that, she sprinted through the hallways to find the others.

"And I have to do what I can, too…!" The lucky student then said to himself. 'That's the only way forward!'

"Yeah!"

"That's the spirit!"

"Keeping moving forward, everyone!"

"Solve this mystery so we can stop all this from ever happening!"

Suffice to say, the encouragement Makoto gave to Hina and himself sparked motivation through the whole class. Once again, they felt themselves eager to have everything solved, and the mastermind beaten.

To the point that most of those who were wondering about Junko's absence have forgotten about it for now…

Notes:

And that's the end. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I wonder what's more difficult; writing a whole mystery from scratch? Or having a cast react to that mystery with knowledge their counterparts don't have? On one hand, doing anything from scratch will always be inherently difficult; on the other, you have to keep track of what the characters know and what they don't. Or are they around the same level?

Anyways, the next chapter will of course continue the investigation, maybe get to the point where Monokuma gives out another "clue". Leave comments, kudos, and bookmarks, and I will see you later.

Chapter 114: Watching Chapter 6: Ultimate Pain, Ultimate Suffering, Ultimate Despair, Ultimate Execution, Ultimate Death Part 6

Notes:

Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So, a lot of you seemed pretty keen on the idea of a crossover between 100 Girlfriends and Danganronpa, which is nice to hear. For those worried about me doing too much, don't be; like I said in the previous chapter, I don't plan on doing it immediately, as it's not that stuck on my mind yet. My plan, if the fic idea still lingers in my head, would be to start it after finishing this fic.

And we're getting closer and closer to doing so. Just one or two chapters left of investigation after this chapter, before getting to the final platter; the sixth trial. But before that part, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

The next scene showed Makoto entering into the headmaster's office, with the lucky student looking around curiously. 'This is the headmaster's room…' He mused to himself. 'I've heard an awful lot about it, but this'll be my first time seeing it for myself…'

Immediately, eyes caught on to all the papers thrown about the room. "Looks like Kyoko wasn't exaggerating about the mess made…" Sayaka commented.

"I still wonder what exactly the mastermind was looking for…" Celeste hummed. "And if they actually manage to find it."

"If I had to take a guess, it would likely be more than one thing the mastermind would look for…" Hifumi mused himself. "Likely stuff related to our class, and would help with this killing game and running the school."

"Ah, Makoto. It's you…" Byakuya spoke from the desk he was standing at, making his presence known.

"Oh, Byakuya."

"Well, you came to the right place this time." The heir declared with a smirk. "Would you like to see something interesting?"

"What do you mean, something interesting?" Makoto asked, tilting his head.

"Take a look at this…" Byakuya then held up what looked to be a roster. "It was on top of that pathetically ostentatious desk."

At the sight of the roster, minds immediately recognized what it was. "Our student registry…?" Chihiro voiced.

"That must be where Kyoko got Mukuro's registry file…" Taka concluded. "And perhaps, at least one of the things the mastermind was looking for, and found."

"But what's so interesting about those files that Byakuya wants Makoto to see…?" Junko asked, a tad interested. Is there anything in there that the headmaster managed to dig up?

"Class 78th… Student Registry…?"

"It contains profiles for all of us… and Mukuro." Byakuya revealed. "Apparently class #78… refers to us."

"Wait, when we found Mukuro's profile in Kyoko's room…" Makoto began recalling.

A flashback of Mukuro's file was then shown. "That's right. It also mentioned class #78." Byakuya confirmed. "This must be where Kyoko got that page."

The screen then went back to the present as the heir continued speaking. "And since the rest of our profiles are listed in there along with hers… there can be no doubt. Mukuro was a student here at Hope's Peak Academy, just like the rest of us."

'Mukuro Ikusaba… the sixteenth student…'  Makoto thought to himself.  'That must be how Kyoko learned about it….'

"But it seems that Kyoko was in a hurry…" Byakuya mused.

"Huh?" That had the luckster looking at Byakuya in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I'm talk about when she stole it." The Togami heir clarified. "The uneven tearing, the way the paper had been crumpled, she must have been in a hurry."

"Considering she had to sneak in to get it, I bet that she was in a hurry." Leon remarked, crossing his arms. "Damn bear could've caught on to her at any moment."

"But what's the point in mentioning that?" Sayaka questioned, furrowing her eyebrows. "Any of us could've guessed that she was in a rush, even without noticing the state of the papers."

"Well, since she snuck in to get it, I'm sure she wanted to get out as fast as possible." Makoto pointed out. "But what's your point?"

"She was in so much of a hurry… that she only got the first page."

"...And now we see his point." Was all Celeste could say, looking more interested now than before.

And it was a look shared moderately by the cast, curiosity and trepidation being felt. If the page Kyoko took was merely the first page, what else has the headmaster written about Mukuro?

'It likely contains information that gave my future self the conclusion that she's the Ultimate Despair…' Kyoko herself concluded. 'And that there's more than one despair.'

That caused the luckster's eyebrows to shoot up. "The… first page?"

"Correct. Mukuro's profile actually contains *two* pages." Byakuya revealed. "In other words, when it comes to this profile… there was more information about Mukuro that we still didn't have."

"What kind of information is it…?" Makoto inquired.

In response, the heir handed the registry to Makoto. "Why do you ask me to explain every little thing? You can read, can't you?" He retorted. "It seems to be some sort of detailed report put together by the headmaster himself. I don't know what kind of man he was, but I'm glad he left us such an interesting clue…"

As Byakuya was talking, Makoto was skimming through the reports. "Mukuro reappeared suddenly, and in the background an entity floats, close but just out of reach. The entity known as… the Ultimate Despair. Right now, I can't be sure if this is a single person, or some kind of group. Whatever it is, Mukuro definitely has some sort of connection to it."

"And now it all makes sense as to why Kyoko was adamant that Mukuro was an Ultimate Despair…" Byakuya stated, narrowing his eyes.

"And that the Ultimate Despair is a group, rather than just one person…" Celeste added.

"But… how the hell does the headmaster know about this group?" Leon questioned in bafflement, sweat building across his forehead. "Has he been investigating this shit? Is he investigating now?"

"We'll have to discuss this with the headmaster himself once this is all over…" Byakuya remarked. "We'd likely have to discuss all this with him anyway, considering he's aware of this future."

"Yeah, true…" Several students couldn't help but grimace, the knowledge that Jin Kirigiri likely saw his own death at the beginning of all this being now at the forefront of their minds.

A knowledge that more than half of the students have with their own counterparts…

"I have a bad feeling about all this. I need to push forward with my research into the Ultimate Despair. And I need to pay attention to Mukuro's behavior, too. This is just my gut feeling, but I think she's dangerous. Despite the countless battles she must have gone through as a member of Fenrir… when she entered Hope's Peak Academy, she didn't display any signs of battle wounds or scars. That fact alone proves her tremendous skill in battle."

"So the headmaster has been keeping an eye on Mukuro. Though it's uncertain if it started before or after this…" Celeste hummed, before turning her attention to the very silent soldier. "Are you aware of any eyes on you?"

At that question, Mukuro shook her head. "Nothing that really concerned me." She admitted. "If the headmaster is indeed keeping an eye on me… the mastermind would likely know. They're more perceptive than I am when it comes to these things."

"Hmm…" The gambler merely gave another hum, looking away as her eyes narrowed. Another thought occurred to her. Since the headmaster made it a point to keep an eye on Mukuro… does that also include Junko as well?

The question of where the Ultimate Fashionista is returned…

"Naturally, I want to believe in her. She's one of my precious students, after all. But if I decide she's a danger to the other students… I will be forced to take all reasonable measures."

At this, Byakuya couldn't help but snort. "For a Kirigiri, that seems awfully trusting. Almost in the line of our overly trusting fool…"

Said 'overly trusting fool' could only sweatdrop and chuckle awkwardly, not sure how to take the comment/insult.

"The headmaster has always been someone who cares deeply for all his students…" Sakura noted thoughtfully. "Even for the most troublesome of students, from what I've heard."

"Is that perhaps why the headmaster wasn't able to find the mastermind in the end…?" Celeste inquired/theorized, tapping her chin. "Because of his care for his students, and the strong possibility that the mastermind is a student?"

"It likely at least had some effect on his perspective…" Byakuya answered, crossing his arms.

'Mukuro… was a part of the Ultimate Despair. I don't think there can be any doubt about it now.'  Makoto thought to himself.  'But… wouldn't that mean Mukuro and the mastermind were allies? So why…? Why would they kill Mukuro?'

That brought about a tense atmosphere, with eyes cautiously turning towards the soldier in question. Said soldier was stiff noticeably stiff as a board, her eyes kept away from everyone else.

'Plus, even the headmaster seemed to be afraid of what Mukuro was capable of. They would've had to take her completely by surprise to kill her like that…'  The luckster continued, his eyebrows now creased together in confusion and contemplation.  'Or… maybe it means the mastermind is even stronger than Mukuro was…'

"Yeah, no. That's a thought I don't want in my head…" Leon said with a shudder, that shiver being shared by several. Someone even more powerful than Mukuro, the Ultimate Soldier that never got so much as a scratch? Terrifying would be an understatement.

"It's a mixed fortune that we are aware that the mastermind took her by surprise…" Celeste stated, suppressing any shivers she may have. "It wipes the idea that they are any stronger than her."

"Actually…" Yet again, Byakuya turned his attention to Mukuro. "How strong is the mastermind? Are they as physically capable as you are, if not more so?"

In response, Mukuro shook her head. "Physically, no, they are not as strong or skilled as I am in combat."

"However…?" Byakuya prompted, sensing that there was more than that.

"...Their strength lies more in their intellect." The soldier then admitted. "Whereas I am the muscle, they are the brain of the Ultimate Despair. They are capable of analyzing and predicting every action you take, every move you make, at an astonishing rate. To the point that it makes up for any lack of physical prowess."

"That's… sounds terrifying." Sayaka gulped, looking a tad pale. Someone capable of predicting and analyzing your every move? That definitely sounded Ultimate level intimidating.

"What's wrong, Makoto?" Byakuya inquired, noticing the look on the luckster's face.

"Huh…?"

"You seem to be lost in thought." The heir pointed out. "But I should probably point out one other thing."

"Wh-What is it?" Makoto asked hesitantly.

"Did you notice the picture in there? A picture of a girl perhaps you've never seen before?" Byakuya then pointed to said picture. "A girl who seems to be included as part of our class #78. That should be enough for you to figure out who the girl is."

"...The hell is the asshole trying to say?" Mondo asked in befuddlement.

"Are you… thinking that the body may not be Mukuro?" Chihiro asked the Togami heir hesitantly.

"Possibly…" Was Byakuya's answer, as the heir looked down in thought. "If so, it's likely just looking through all possibilities. Nothing serious."

"And further information about that girl is included in the file." He continued. "5 foot 7 inches, 97 pounds. And it even lists her vitals… 31-22-32. Well? What do you think?"

"What do I think? Are you asking me, like… if she has a nice body?" Makoto guessed hesitantly.

Immediately, Mukuro dropped her tense yet stoic look, and adopted a much more flustered one; the soldier blushing madly at what her crush said. Makoto quickly joined her, embarrassed by what his future self said.

The luckster's counterpart's question also brought about laughter from some of the students, mainly Leon, Mondo, and Junko. Byakuya, however, merely facepalm; muttering "Slow simpleton…" to himself.

"Well, does she do? Does Mukuro have a nice bod?" Leon asked teasingly, jabbing the flustered luckster with his elbow.

"I'm sure Muku really wants to know too…" Junko joined in on the teasing, leaning over to the red-faced soldier, who was now covering her face. "Don't you? Don't you, Muku~?"

"Guys, come on…!" Makoto whined, which only elicited further laughter from his friends. A groan left his lip soon after. Why did his future self have to say that?

Meanwhile, both Sayaka and Hina had big pouts across their faces, with the swimmer crossing her arms while the idol tightened her hold on the luckster's arm. 'My body is better…' Were the two girls' petty thoughts.

Celeste, on the other hand, had a close-eyed smile and a slightly dark aura, with a few giggles leaving her lips. Kyoko merely had an impassive gaze, concealing her emotions much better than the other girls.

"You hopeless idiot." Was the flat response given by Byakuya. "What I'm trying to tell you, is maybe you'll want to keep that in mind for later. Maybe you'll make your way back to the corpse, and maybe you'll think, 'Oh, could that mean…?'"

'What… is he trying to say?'  Makoto wondered in total confusion.  'There's a chance the body isn't actually Mukuro? Is that what he's trying to say?'

"Personally, what I'm thinking seems all but impossible. But it wouldn't hurt to confirm, right?" The heir clarified. "That's all what I was trying to say. What you do with that information is your business."

'So I'm back to being Byakuya's errand boy…' Was Makoto's exasperated thought.

'Not surprising…' Was the exasperated thought of some of the students. Any of them could've seen this coming from a mile away. Even Toko, who grumbled about Makoto having "Master's" trust once again.

"Oh, and one last thing…" Byakuya spoke up, just as the luckster was prepared to leave. "You seem to be getting along with Kyoko quite well."

At that, teasing looks were once again directed at the lucky student. Said lucky student found his fading blush return, with him turning away from everyone and grumbling to himself a little.

"It's not that we're getting along. She's just done a lot to help me…" Makoto explained.

"Well, don't put too much faith in her." The heir advised.

"Huh?"

"The cost of that faith might be more than you can afford."

The last statement caused whatever warmth that was being built to halt, with several tensing up and/or looking at Byakuya's future counterpart in confusion.

Makoto and Kyoko, in particular, found themselves very stiff. The lucky student looked at the screen with a mix of confusion and wariness, while the detective found her eyes turned away from everybody and her hand clenched tightly around Makoto's.

"Wh-What are you saying…?"

"Just what I think. Call it a hunch." Byakuya said with a shrug.

"A hunch…" Makoto repeated with some concern.

"But my hunches tend to be proven right." Byakuya remarked. "The advice is free this time. Take it or don't, as you will."

"I-I'll keep it in mind. Thanks…" The luckster expressed hesitantly.

"..." Byakuya then remained silent after. So seeing that he had nothing left to say, Makoto left the office.

"Does… Does he think Kyoko is gonna betray Makoto again…?" Hina asked hesitantly, not desiring to bring back this particular topic.

"Considering how the last trial ended up, his warning is hardly unwarranted…" Celeste sighed, a neutral gaze within her eyes. "It makes sense that Byakuya still doesn't trust Kyoko, at least not fully…"

"So… any of you guys think that Kyoko might end up pulling the rug on Makoto again?" Junko asked, tilting her head. "Think that our lucky boy should be more wary of her…?"

None in the class really had an answer to that. For the less trusting of the students, it's obvious to them that Kyoko shouldn't be fully trusted to have Makoto's back, especially after the events of chapter 5. The more trusting ones, on the other hand, wanted to have more faith in Kyoko, especially when she had rescued Makoto; yet still felt hesitant, considering she placed him in a position to be rescued in the first place.

"...Debating about it won't bring us anything." Byakuya spoke up, drawing attention to himself. "As my future self said, take my advice or don't. It matters little in the end. All we can do is watch, and draw as much as we can from the future."

None really had an argument to that. So silently, the class placed their attention back to the screen.

Narrator Makoto once again spoke as the present luckster entered into the bio lab. "I then went to the bio lab, and there…"

"It's so cold…!" The present Makoto exclaimed, wrapping his arms around himself. 'It's like… abnormally cold. I feel like I'm in a giant refrigerator. Seriously, why is it so cold?!'

Thankfully, the full introduction of the bio lab drew their full attention. "The fucker the made into a goddamn freezer…!" Was Mondo's blunt observation.

"But… why? And for what purpose?" Celeste inquired with furrowed eyebrows. Why would the mastermind need the bio lab to become a room size freezer…?

And suddenly, it clicked for the gambler. The same realization was made by the detective and the affluent progeny. But before they could say anything, the screen continued.

"There, I discovered three things. A stack of tarps…" A clip of Makoto lifting one of the tarps slightly was shown. "Fridges designed for storing dead bodies…" The scene then cut to the luckster looking at said fridges. "And an instruction manual for those very fridges…" The last clip was him picking up a booklet on the table.

"...It's a morgue." Sayaka whispered, eyes wide and dilated with horrified realization. "The entire room… the bio lab has been turned into a makeshift morgue."

"But… that would mean…" Chihiro spoke, eyes also dilating and face going pale. "That inside the fridges are…"

"...Our bodies." Leon finished, looking down in nausea and anger. "The fucker been keeping our bodies like toys in the damn bio lab."

"Well, looking around, I think I get…" Makoto murmured to himself. "It seems clear to me now… it's some kind of makeshift morgue."

'And about those lights by each slot…' He then thought to himself, taking note of said lights. 'It looks like it's set up so that when a slot is occupied, the blue lights come on. Which would mean, inside each slot lit up in blue… another one of the victims is…'

Suffice to say, the realization left much of the class in anguish and/or nausea. Both Mondo and Taka looked down angrily, while Celeste found herself as still as a statue, her expression just as stony. An anguish look appeared across Hina's face, whereas Sakura merely comforted the swimmer as best she could. Both Hifumi and Hiro looked to be nauseated, especially Hifumi, while Toko immediately took to covering her eyes (In the case of Makoto opening one of the fridges).

The only ones who managed to keep their composure were, of course, Byakuya and Kyoko; the two merely looking on stoically at the bio lab turned morgue. Mukuro also seemed to keep herself calm, though there was slight tension across her body. Junko, on the other hand, looked to be as horrified as most of the others; but in reality, an amused grin was hidden beneath the hand covering her mouth.

And for Makoto… he was about as anguished as many of his fellow classmates. Clenching tightly to both Sayaka's hand and Kyoko's hand. His teeth gritted and his face twisting in sorrow.

"..." Makoto couldn't help but close his eyes in anguish. 'I can't let my emotions take control right now… there's only one thing I can do for everyone who's died. And that's… defeat the mastermind!'

"And to do that, I have to continue my investigation." He said to himself, clenching his fist in determination. "I don't have any other option."

"...It's a good thing you're able to keep your emotions from overwhelming you." Kyoko praised the luckster, squeezing his hand in comfort. "Most would've been broken long before the point you're at."

"I guess…" Was all the luckster could say, turning his head away slightly. "But it's not like there was much choice. The only thing I could do is move forward."

"And most people are unable to do that in a situation like this…" Sayaka whispered, snuggling into the luckster's shoulder. "Trust us, Makoto; you're more special than you give yourself credit for. That resilience… not many of us 'Ultimates' can match it."

"..." Yet again, the lucky student was brought silent by the praise, his cheeks burning.

"Finally, I checked back in the garden, as Byakuya suggested. However…"

"Huh?" For a moment, the present luckster stared around the area in confusion. Finally, his mind registered what was missing. 'It's gone… Mukuro's body…'

"It's… not here?"

"...It's in the bio lab, isn't it?" Celeste sighed.

"Likely so, Miss Ludenberg…" Hifumi nodded his head, trying to push through the queasiness he felt. "I would be surprised if it isn't…"

"Speaking of which… anyone else noticed the number of lights that were on?" Byakuya asked, getting the attention of the others.

"Um… there were nine, correct?" Taka recalled after a moment. "And the lights indicate that the fridges are… filled, so it makes sense, does it not?"

"Indeed it does." The Togami heir nodded in agreement. "Nine lights on, meaning nine bodies. But how many bodies do our counterparts think there should be?"

"..."

"Oh, we are SO solving this trial…!" Hina exclaimed excitedly. An excitement that was slowly being felt by the entire class.

'We still have the entire mystery of the school to solve…' Kyoko thought to herself, not joining in the elation. 'However… we are getting closer and closer in doing so…'

Eventually, his eyes landed on the tool shed. 'Maybe the body is inside the tool shed…' He thought to himself. "I'd better check, just to be sure."

The scene then switched to Makoto inside the tool shed, with no body to be found. 'There's nothing even close to a dead body…' He thought in slight disappointment. "But if it's not here, then it must be… could it be… in the bio lab?"

'But corpses aren't the only thing I need to check in here. There's one other thing…' He then turned towards the tarp on the ground. 'That tarp.'

Grabbing the tarp, he picked it up to get a better look at it. 'The killer used the tarp to keep the sprinklers from getting the body wet. Which means the killer might have left some clue behind here…'

"Huh…?" Eventually, the lucky student spotted a small stamp on the tarp. One that read 'Bio Lab'. "It says… bio lab?"

"...How the hell did we not notice that?!" Leon exclaimed, baffled. Then he turned towards an equally stunned Makoto. "How the hell did future you not notice that?!"

"I… he… I don't…" Makoto stuttered, trying to figure out how his future self missed that.

Once again, Byakuya facepalmed. " .les. The whole lot of you."

"To be fair, Makoto was likely not looking for such a label." Sakura interjected, in a calm defense for the lucky student. "As far as we all knew, there were only tarps in the equipment room."

"Yeah… fair enough…" Leon accepted with a sigh.

"Still though… this was yet another miscalculation on the mastermind's part…" Celeste mused with a smile. "Cause this is further proof that they grabbed Mukuro's body from the bio lab. And since everyone was barred from said lab…"

"Oh yeah. They are definitely screwed…" Mondo reasserted with a blood-thirsty grin.

This time, Junko had to hide an embarrassed and annoyed pout that crawled to her lips. 'Give me a break, would ya~? Future me was working with limited time…' She whined to herself.

But yeah, she can see that she's pretty much screwed when it comes to her identity being found out. However, that was something she figured would happen since the start of this, so it didn't really bug her all that much. What interested her now… is their attempts to figure out the entire mystery.

And oh, the despair that would come from solving everything…

'Then… this originally came from the bio lab?'

Before he could think anymore about it, the sound of the school bell rang across the garden. And yet again, the school monitor turned on. "Um, this is a school announcement…" Monokuma declared. "Is everyone working hard? Is your investigation coming along nicely? Well then. Since you're all giving it your best, your generous headmaster will give you a little hint!"

"Puhuhu… for those of you who are interested, please make your way to the gym ASAPossible!" And with that, the monitor turned off.

"..." Worldlessly, the students looked at each other, suspicion towards the bear reflected in their eyes.

"What is he planning…?"

"This has got to be a trap…"

"Got to be? Try definitely."

"Why give us a hint now…?"

It was clear as day that none of the students were excited about this little hint the mastermind was offering.

'What…? Now he wants to give us a hint?' Makoto thought warily. "It's suspicious, there's no doubt about that… this could be a trap…"

'But even knowing that…'

"..."

'He said to go to the gym, right…?'

"You're walking right into the trap…?!" Hifumi exclaimed incredulously, holding his head.

"A trap it may be, but it's not one we can really ignore…" Byakuya sighed, knowing his future self will likely see what the hint was. "The hint still may be beneficial, trap or no…"

"Future me would probably go to the gym without much thought…" Hina admitted, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

"Honeslty, most of us probably would've…" Mondo stated with a huff. "We'd be way too fucking curious…"

"Curiosity kills the cat, as the old saying goes…" Celeste sighed.

The next scene showed Makoto walking into the trophy room. There, he was met with a distressed looking Hiro. "..."

The look across Hiro's face immediately gave cause for concern and further wariness. "The fool got Monokuma's hint, didn't he…?" Celeste deduced, eyes narrowed.

"If it isn't that, then I would wonder what else could've possibly distressed him…" Kyoko remarked.

"I mean… it's Hiro, sooo…" Hina pointed out a tad awkwardly.

"What does that mean?!" Hiro cried out indignantly, before focusing back on his future self. "And what did Monokuma tell you, future me?!"

"We will soon find out…" Sakura stated, remaining composed.

"Oh, hey Hiro!" Makoto greeted the fortune teller.

"Uwah!" In response, Hiro yelped and jumped back. "Makoto!?"

"Why'd you act so surprised…?"

"O-Oh, no reason!" Hiro stuttered out.

"You heard Monokuma's announcement, right?" The luckster inquired. "Are you here to find out what he has to say?"

"I…I… I just did, actually." Hiro informed him hesitantly. "I'm on my way out…"

That caused Makoto's eyebrows to shoot up. "You already talked to him? What'd he say?!"

"..." For a moment, Hiro didn't say anything, his nervous look increasing. Then… "Listen, sorry, b-but I…! I gotta go!"

"Hiro, wait!"

He shot out of the trophy room like a frightened animal.

"...Okay, what the hell did the bear tell or show him?" Leon asked, a tad gobsmacked. "Cause that ain't normal. Even for Hiro."

The fortune teller would've taken offense to that as well, if he wasn't worrying over his future self's reaction at the moment.

"I don't know. But like Sakura said, we're gonna find out soon…" Sayaka said, biting her lips in concern.

"H-Hiro…?" Makoto spoke in bewilderment. 'It was like he was trying to avoid me. I was hoping to talk to him about the notebook I found in the locker…'

"Has he been hiding something this whole time?"

Some couldn't help but snort at that idea. "As if the fool is capable of hiding anything like that…" Celeste remarked dryly.

"I don't know, Miss Ludernberg. Mr. Hagakure was capable of scamming others with his fortunes…" Hifumi pointed out.

"There's a difference between his scams, and outright lies, Hifumi dear." The gambler argued calmly. "The fool at least believes in his fortune telling abilities, no matter how lacking they are."

"Who are you calling lacking?!" Hiro squawked in outrage, the insult drawing him out of his worries. "My fortunes have a 33% chance of success! That's more than any other fortune teller can say…!"

The cinematic of the students gathered at the gym then played, this time with Makoto being alone. As usual, the scene zoomed forward to Monokuma popping up at the podium.

"Hello, welcome! Welcome, hello!" Monokuma greeted Makoto energetically. "Are you ready for your final hint?! Well, it just so happens to be in the envelope on the ground in front of you!"

'The envelope…?' Looking down, the luckster saw the exact envelope Monokuma was talking about.

"Puhuhu… and just so you know, I won't be answering any questions about what you find inside!" The bear informed him.

"Way to increase the bad vibes…!" Hina groaned, biting her lips.

"To be fair, we probably should've expected that…" Junko snorted, shaking her head. "Wouldn't be just a hint if the bear answered any questions we may have about it."

"That… fair…" Sayaka admitted with a reluctant sigh. However, that didn't lessen the tension and wariness the class felt over this possible hint the mastermind has for the survivors.

"Wh-What…?"

"Don't worry, just get on with it!" Monokuma urged the luckster.

With a look of wariness, Makoto picked up the envelope and opened it up. When he lifted up the content of that envelope…

It took a moment for the class to register what they were being shown. But once they did, eyes started widening in recognition, shock and confusion was shared among faces… along with flashes of realization of what the bear was planning.

…he was met with a photograph. A photograph of all his classmates, dead and alive; together and in uniform.

"...Our class picture?!" Several exclaimed in bafflement.

"Wait, hold on… I think this is one Makoto took of us just last week!" Hina recognized, recalling that very same photo.

"Okay, what the hell?! Why does the mastermind practically have our entire school photo album…?!" Leon exclaimed, throwing his hands up. "Are they some kind of stalker for our class or something?!"

"A stalker without a crush…" Hifumi murmured to himself.

"T-The mastermind did c-collect all our belongings…" Toko reminded the baseball star. "I'd i-imagine that it would include all o-our photos from H-Hope's Peak…"

"So… is he using the class photos as hints for the survivors…?" Sayaka guessed, furrowing her eyebrows. "Is he giving them a clearer clue to their missing memories…?"

Makoto frowned at that. That could hardly be called a clearer clue, if he's being honest. If anything, it would confuse his future self even further, especially since he wasn't in the-

"...That bastard…" The lucky student whispered in stunned realization; now understanding just exactly what Monokuma was doing.

'...So that's your trap.' Kyoko and Byakuya thought unanimously, having caught on much quicker to the mastermind's goal with this.

'It's… everyone…' Makoto realized in shock. 'Everyone who'd come to Hope's Peak at the same time as me.'

"Wait, but… there's someone behind Sayaka… she's the only one I don't recognize…!" He then started murmuring to himself, focusing on the unfamiliar girl. "Wait, that's not true. I do recognize her! That's right… when Byakuya and I were in the headmaster's room, and we looked at the file… then this girl is… Mukuro Ikusaba?"

The luckster then lowered the picture, looking stunned beyond belief. "What…? Why…?" He continued mumbling. "Why is Mukuro here with everyone else? And even more than that…"

He focused his attention on the photo again. 'Just having everyone here posed like this is weird enough by itself. And we're all wearing matching uniforms. I don't remember anything like this… AND now that I'm looking at it… it's not even everyone. I'm… not in the picture. '

And just like that, more of the students began realizing the trap that has been sprung. Even the less intelligent students were slowly understanding the conclusion Makoto was edging towards…

"Oh no…" Sayaka spoke in soft dread.

"So this is how the mastermind intends to split the survivors…" Celeste deduced with narrowed eyes.

"Makoto… is he gonna think we all know each other before school?" Hina guessed nervously. "Is he thinking that we were keeping him in the dark or something?!"

"He won't be the only one…" Byakuya stated, a sharp glare aimed at the screen. "If the fool's reaction is any indication, ALL of them received similar photos. Photos of the whole class… except for the one taking the picture…"

And with that, it clicked to everyone what the mastermind's trap was. What they were attempting to do to derail the trial.

'I'm the only one not there…'  Was Makoto's next observation.  'The picture has all fifteen other students… but not me. But I guess that makes sense. After all, I don't remember ever taking a picture like this… I went to junior high with Sayaka, but the first time I met everyone else… was when I arrived here at Hope's Peak Academy.'

'So it's natural for me not to be in this picture. But what's definitely unnatural… is that everyone else is in the picture. I thought everyone was like me, and didn't know each other till they got here. But if this picture is real…' The luckster then murmured loudly, "Everyone else…? And just me…? Everyone here except me is…?"

"That. Bastard…" Makoto repeated once again, sounding more angry. "He's trying to pit us against each other, again! Trying to make it look as though everyone but the one receiving the photo knew each other, and hid that!"

"Once more, he's sowing the seeds of distrust…" Sakura spoke, a fierce glare entering her face. "Confusing the survivors in order to get some sort of foot-hold in this battle."

"As stated before, we should've seen this coming…" Byakuya admitted. "The mastermind isn't just gonna lie down and let us figure out everything. Tricks like this should be expected."

"Do you think everyone will see through Monokuma's trap…?" Chihiro asked hesitantly, yet hopefully. "Figure out what he's trying to do?"

"Not immediately, no. But if they actually present the proof presented to them, dots should connect." The Togami heir mused. "Which makes me wonder… did the mastermind actually think this would work? Or is this merely a distraction for something else?"

"I don't think any of us can say for certain. The mastermind's tactics are very difficult to pinpoint and figure out…" Celeste said with a sigh.

"Either way, this shit is still irritating…!" Leon growled, clenching his fists. "Even now, it feels as though we're dancing in the bastard's tune…!"

It does seem to feel that way, Kyoko mused to herself. But that arrogance can lead to the mastermind's downfall in the end. Because regardless of intentions, this was still further proof of their future selves' lost memories. The survivors just need to figure that out, and accept the very truth for what it is.

And could also be proof of the mastermind's identity; if what she noted regarding Junko was any indication…

Laughter from Monokuma brought Makoto out of his thoughts. "How long are you gonna keep up this rambling soliloquy of yours, Hamlet? You're kinda gettin' in the way standing there, ya know? So… I mean… get out!"

"B-But-!"

"I told you, I'm not fielding any questions!" Monokuma cut off angrily. "What kind of mystery would this be if I gave you all the answers? That'd be totally out of left field! dugretTt/r 2e!-brRRrqffqZZzzkkKk3"

"And he's short circuiting yet again…" Celeste deadpanned.

"Is that gonna be a thing with him from now on…?" Hina asked with slight bafflement.

"If it is, it probably won't happen too many times…" Junko remarked with a shrug. That would just be way too boring for her future self to do.

'I guess that means he's done talking.' Was Makoto's rather flat thought, before clenching his fists in frustration. "Dammit…!"

As the screen turned black, Narrator Makoto spoke. "So in the end, all I found in the gym… was even more confusion."

'Hey, you were the one who decided to head into the gym for the hint, despite suspecting it was a trap…' Junko snorted secretly to herself. 'Did you honestly expect me to spell out the answer for you? Nope! You still have to earn it, lucky boy!'

"So they have yet another obstacle…" Sakura stated grimly. "Seeing through the clear deception the mastermind created."

"More than that, it's clear the mastermind is gonna do all that they can to stack the deck in their favor." Byakuya stated bluntly. "Whatever they can do without blatant cheating."

It makes him, along with a few others, wonder; what else does the mastermind got planned? Was this their final ace up their sleeves to try and win the trial? Or do they have more for the very trial ahead?

What else could the mastermind try to pull in order to become the victor in the end?

Notes:

And that's the end. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. The next one will hopefully wrap up the investigation, then we'll be on our way to the final trial of DR1. Leave comments, kudos, and bookmarks and I will see you later.

Chapter 115: Watching Chapter 6: Ultimate Pain, Ultimate Suffering, Ultimate Despair, Ultimate Execution, Ultimate Death Part 7

Notes:

Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So, this chapter won't be the one to wrap up the entire investigation. Turns out, a lot of time was spent in the Bio Lab, much of it being Makoto and Kyoko talking. Who would've guessed?

Happy that the reactions to the investigation aren't boring for any of you, from what I've read from the reviews. At least not the overall reactions. If it is, apologies, but bear with it. Hard to write interesting reactions when much of the meat will be at the trial itself (And the class having already figured out some core aspects of the mystery). Hope you all enjoy this one.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

The next scene was Makoto walking out of the gym, a frustrated expression across his face. "How does that count as a hint? It just made me even more confused…!"

"As Miss Enoshima stated before, it wouldn't be a proper hint if it easily led to the answer…" Hifumi spoke in acknowledgement. "It would've been more surprising if the mastermind actually gave something they could easily figure out."

"Honestly? That would make it much more suspicious than anything…" Sayaka said with a small frown.

'Is that what Monokuma was going for? Did he put together a fake photo just to confuse me…?'  The luckster wondered.  'But it looked so real, so full of life. How could anyone fake that…?'

"Future Makoto is on the right track. Just not completely…" Celeste observed. "He's right that it's a diversion tactic. But the genius in that tactic is that it truly is a clue; just not one they can immediately decipher without more evidence…"

"And a big leap of logic…" Leon snorted. Celeste nodded in acknowledgement.

"That too."

'Which would mean… everyone but me…'  For a moment, Makoto stood silent, a look of contemplation now on his face.  'Maybe I should just ask everyone directly. That should clear all this up.'

"No… I HAVE to clear all this up!"

"A sound idea…!" Taka nodded his head fervently in clear approval. "That should be able to stop all misunderstandings!"

"Yeah! If we all share our hints, then we can see what's going on…!" Hina also spoke happily, looking hopeful for that outcome.

That brought about a sigh from Mondo. "Sorry bro, Hina, but I don't think it's gonna be as simple as all that…" The biker stated bluntly. "You saw how Hiro acted right?"

That stilled many of the more hopeful students, recalling how the fortune teller rushed out of the trophy room like a bat out of a cave. "W-Well… it's Hiro! He always makes dumb moves…!" HIna argued weakly. "I'm sure the others won't immediately run or something!"

Others, however, didn't seem as optimistic. Toko bit her lips nervously, wondering what her future self's reaction would be, while Byakuya looked on stonily.

"However, when I attempted to do just that…"

"M-Makoto?!" Hina yelped fearfully when the luckster walked up to her in the dining hall. A petrified look was plastered across her face. "S-Sorry! Gotta go!"

"What…?" Makoto looked on in bewilderment as Hina ran out of the dining hall. "Hina…"

Hina felt her stomach drop when she saw her future self run away from Makoto. "Wha-? No! Don't run away!" She shouted fruitlessly at the screen. "You're falling into Monokuma's trap!"

"It's no use, Hina…" Sakura sighed, patting her friend's back in comfort. "She's clearly too rattled to listen to anyone."

The swimmer could only groan in response, holding her head as she sank further into the couch.

'Why…?'  He thought to himself in worry.  'Why won't you talk to me?'

The next person Makoto confronted was Byakuya, in the archive. "Oh! Byakuya!"

But the Togami heir merely responded with an angry scowl.

"Listen, do you think we could talk?" Makoto requested hopefully.

"..." However, Byakuya remained silent.

"Byakuya…?"

Finally, Byakuya responded. "I have nothing to talk to you about." He said coolly, before walking away. "Don't talk to me as if we're friends."

"H-Hey, Byakuya! Wait!"

But of course, the heir didn't even pause, and continued walking out of the room.

"It looks like Byakuya also got one of the pictures…" Sayaka said with a grimace.

"Seriously? Thought he would at least be smart enough to see through the trap…!" Leon groaned, throwing his hands up.

"As Makoto said, the photos are clearly authentic, and we all know that they're real." Mukuro said in a neutral response. "Just because you know you'll be ambushed, doesn't mean you'll be able to fully defend from it."

Byakuya himself couldn't help but blow a breath out of his nose. Yet again, he fell for one of the mastermind's traps. Yet again, he was playing to their tune. However, he tempered his frustration, knowing that this was unavoidable; and the trap in question was indeed a clever one.

But it's one that will be unraveled in due time.

"What the…?" The lucky student spoke with further bewilderment. "Why was he acting like that? Like he was purposely trying to avoid me…"

Then, he confronted Hiro once again, this time in the garden. "Hey, Hiro!"

The fortune teller let out a yelp in response. "M-M-Makoto!"

"What's going on with you? Every time I see you, you freak out like that." Makoto pointed in confusion and concern.

"N-No, I…" For a moment, Hiro attempted to act normally. Then… "No! Sorry, but I'm in a big hurry!"

Yet again, he rushed out of the room like a terrified rabbit.

"Hiro… what's wrong?" Was all Makoto could think to say.

"So… everyone is gonna just avoid each other until the trial?" Chihiro questioned with a soft whimper. "They aren't gonna even try to talk, and figure out what's going on?"

"How can they, Chihiro dear? In their eyes, everyone hid the fact that they knew each other from the recipient of each photo." Celeste pointed out with a sigh. "For all each of them know, everyone is the mastermind and has been conspiring against that single survivor."

"But… that doesn't make any sense!" Taka protested incredulously. "Knowingly kill each other just to get to that one person? That's insanity!"

"It is. From our point of view, especially." The gambler replied calmly. "But in their point of view, when they're in such an insane situation already? It's not that far of a stretch with the hint given to them."

"Because of that, it seems like only Makoto is the only one willing to talk…" Mondo sighed.

Worried looks were spread all across the room as the class looked at one another. Hopefully, the survivors will be able to quickly figure this out; and more than that, figure out that their memories were wiped with this.

"All of them avoided me." Narrator Makoto finished, as the scene changed. "So after… I decided to visit the bio lab one more time. And the first thing I saw when I got there…"

A clip of Toko, passed out in the Bio Lab, was then shown. "...was her, passed out. Again."

For a moment, several in the class were alarmed. However, when they processed the location, students quickly deduced what happened. "She opened up one of the fridges, didn't she?" Sayaka spoke out with a small grimace.

The present Toko took to covering her eyes yet again, with full knowledge on what's likely about to happen.

"Why did she even open it in the first place…?" Leon questioned with a raised eyebrow. "She didn't figure out that the lab turned into a morgue?"

"It wouldn't be a surprise…" Byakuya sighed in clear disappointment. "Half of you likely wouldn't take the time to introspect the room, much less figure out its purpose."

"Hey!"

"Watch it, Togami!"

"We could've figured out what the room is without opening the fridges!"

The Togami heir, of course, ignored the complaints of his classmates; not believing their words.

"Huh? Toko…?" Makoto spoke in confusion. That confusion quickly turned into alarm. "T-Toko! Are you okay?!"

But just as he got close to her, the writing prodigy… or rather, murderous fiend, shot up. "Kyeeeeehahahaha!"

"Uwah!"

Several joined the future Makoto in yelping in shock. "Dammit, Jill!" Leon cursed. "Can't that psycho give some sort of warning before jumping up like that?"

"Even if she could, I doubt she would care to do so…" Celeste commented.

"I don't know how my heart can take all these surprises…!" Hina moaned, a hand over her chest. "It always feels like my heart is gonna burst out of my mouth or something!"

"It's cold… it's super cold! It's so cold, I think I might catch a cold!" Jill growled in complaint.

"If you keep taking naps in places like this, I'm sure you will…" Makoto replied awkwardly, trying to get over his surprise.

"What, I was asleep?" Jill questioned in confusion, before it clicked for her. "Ahh, I musta fainted again! I bet you were standing there, staring at me, getting all excited! Weren't you?!"

"W-What does she take me for…?!" Makoto stuttered with a blush on his cheeks.

"No way he would do that…!" Sayaka exclaimed with a pout, squeezing the luckster's arm.

"Yeah, that's definitely not a Makoto thing!" Leon spoke in support of his friend. "But that's definitely a Hifumi thing!"

"I keep telling you, I'm only interested in 2D!"

"And I will continue to call bullshit on that; especially with what we've seen in this shitty future!"

"No… I wasn't…" Makoto denied a tad blankly.

"Oh, then what? Hot and bothered? Straight-up horny?!" The serial-killer pushed.

The luckster decided to ignore her words. "Um, okay, so… why did you pass out?"

"I dunno!" Was Jill's immediate answer. "Last thing I remember was me waking up just now! What'd you do to Miss Morose?!"

"Oh, that's right. Your memory stops and starts each time you switch…" Makoto recalled.

"Bingo bazinga! We share some basic knowledge, but our memories are very much separate!" Jill nodded her head in confirmation. "And don't say it like it's a bad thing! It's a blessing as far as I'm concerned! Cuz even if she forgets something, I totally remember! So it's like double the memory!"

'Uh, no… it's more like half.' The luckster deadpanned to himself.

One certain bit of information got a few heads perking up. "Hey, Toko…" Makoto addressed the eye-covering writing prodigy. "Does that actually work that way?"

"H-Huh?" Was Toko's slightly startled and confused reply.

"Your memories, I mean. If one forgets something, the other can still remember…"

"O-Oh, um… yeah, t-technically." Toko confirmed with a nod, still not removing her hands from her eyes. "If e-either of us forget something, it d-doesn't really affect the other p-personality. I can f-forget something, while J-J-Jack completely remembers. And v-vice versa."

"How the hell does that work?" Leon asked dubiously.

"D-Don't ask me! I don't understand a-anymore than you do!"

While the bickering between the two was happening, looks were shared between Makoto, Kyoko, and Byakuya. If what Toko and Genocide Jill were saying accurate… does that mean Jill has memories of the Tragedy? Of the last two years spent in Hope's Peak?

"But all I wanna know right now is, where's my little darling?!" Jill questioned/demanded. "Tell me now, or I slit your throat!"

The threat to his life immediately zapped Makoto out of his musing, with the luckster letting out a fearful yelp. Sayaka tightened her grip around Makoto, a protective glare across her face, while Mukuro immediately looked ready to shank a serial killer. Celeste, Hina, and Kyoko also didn't look happy to the threat on the luckster's life, the latter's hand gripping tightly on Makoto's.

Toko couldn't help but shiver, not seeing any of the glaring eyes, but feeling the killing intent from several of her fellow females.

Makoto stepped back a little at the threat. "I-I don't know. I'm sure Byakuya's around somewhere, doing his own investigating."

"By himself?!"

"I assume so…" Makoto nodded.

"I knew it! I totally knew it! I'm a total pro when it comes to all things Master!" The serial killer giggled, wrapping her arms around herself. "Anyway, I gotta hurry! I can't even imagine how lonely he must be right now!" With that, she shot out of the room, her insane laugh echoing in her wake.

That earned a few snorts. "Yeeaaah, I'm sure the douche can manage by himself…" Leon remarked dryly. "Especially with the whole photo trick the mastermind's pulling…"

"Even without it, I doubt the bastard ever feels lonely…" Mondo snorted. "Not enough to want the psycho's company, at least…"

Byakuya himself scoffed at the idea. He would sooner consider the dimwit, the fool, or the monkey's company before he ever even think about Genocide Jack's.

"Ah, I totally forgot to ask her about the picture…" Makoto suddenly remembered. 'Well, there's no point asking Genocide Jack anyway.'

"Do you think Toko got her photo before entering into the Bio Lab? Or did she enter there before going to the gym?" Taka inquired curiously.

"We'll find out once the trial actually begins…" Celeste said with a small shrug. "Regardless, I doubt Toko would contribute much either way."

"H-Hey!" Toko briefly removed her hands to give a bitter glare towards the gambler, before quickly covering them again.

'Besides, I have more important things to do right now.'  A pondering look then entered his face.  'Why did Toko faint? There's gotta be some reason for it…'

It didn't take him long to find that reason. With the turn of his head, his sights immediately went to an opened fridge. 'The fridge - it's open!' The luckster exclaimed to himself. "But I'm sure they were all shut tight last time I was here…"

"That must be why she passed out." Makoto quickly turned to the source of that statement, to see none other than Kyoko. "She faints so easily…"

"Kyoko…!" Several of the students cried out.

"Looks like she's back in the investigation…!" Hiro said happily.

"Is she… okay though?" Hina asked with slight worry. She turned to the present girl in question. "Do you think future you is okay?"

The detective nodded. "If my counterpart is continuing the investigation, then there's no need for concern, Hina. My emotions should be back in order."

"Okay… if you say so…" Was all Hina could say, partly relieved and partly still worried.

It was a worry Makoto shared, knowing how deep-seated Kyoko's issue with her father is. However, he knew not to press her on it, and decided to trust that her counterpart gave herself enough time to… calm down. So he merely squeezed Kyoko's hand, silently letting her know that he's there for her.

"K-Kyoko!" The luckster exclaimed in surprise and relief.

"It's getting late, isn't it?" Kyoko noted, walking over to the fridges.

"Are you… okay?" Makoto inquired hesitantly.

"I'm sorry if I made you worry." The detective apologized.

However, Makoto shook his head. "N-No, you don't have to apologize."

"She's also talking to him normally…!" Hifumi pointed out in pleasant surprise. "Not walking away, or avoiding Mr. Naegi!"

"Which would mean either she has yet to receive the hint, or is not letting the photo get to her head…" Sakura concluded.

'Likely abstained from obtaining that hint…' Kyoko concluded. Assuming that she got out of the 2nd floor in time to hear Monokuma's offer, she's confident that her future self decided not to take such a bait. There was no need for it, after all; and it's rather obvious that it was a trap to confuse them all.

Makes it rather disappointing that the others took such a bait.

"Well, that's definitely good news…!" Hina spoke happily, pumping her fists. "That means she and Makoto can work together to knock some sense into everyone else!"

"Including yourself, Hina dear…?" Celeste asked innocently, raising an eyebrow.

"Especially myself!" Hina exclaimed, not missing a beat.

"But listen, about this room…" Kyoko continued, switching the subject.

"Oh yeah, it's…"

"It's a morgue." Kyoko finished for the luckster.

"Y-Yeah…"

"I suspected as much." The detective hummed, looking down in thought. "And Toko must have looked inside the fridge, seen what was in there, and… well, there you have it."

"You knew she'd fainted?" Makoto asked curiously.

"I was on my way here, when Genocide Jack came running past me." Kyoko explained. "I assumed she must have sneezed, but once I got inside, the real reason became clear. I imagine she came here to investigate, and when she opened the slot there…"

"That's when she saw the body inside and dropped like a bag of rocks…" Makoto finished with a small sigh. 'Why's everything gotta be so difficult with her?'

"W-What's that s-supposed to mean?!" Toko cried out in outrage, glaring bitterly at Makoto between her fingers.

"Er…" The luckster could only look away, unsure of what to say.

"He means you're more deadweight than an actual help when it comes to investigations…" Byakuya spoke dryly, ruthless as always with his words.

And of course… "I-I'm sorry Master!" Toko flinched at the heir's words. "I'll d-do better! I p-p-promise! I'll stop b-being deadweight!"

"Double standards, thy name is Toko…" Leon muttered dully, rolling his eyes. A sentiment some students couldn't help but share.

"Anyway, we should close it up. Don't want to leave it hanging open like that…" Kyoko advised.

"Yeah, good idea."

The detective then moved to push the corpse back inside. "Give me a hand with this." However, just as she reached her hand over to the body… she stopped.

The detective's pause caught the attention of the others. "Um, why did she stop all of a sudden?" Hiro asked in confusion.

"Is something wrong…?" Hina asked in concern.

Something that Makoto noticed. "What's wrong?"

"Maybe we should wait a second before closing it." Kyoko suddenly suggested.

"Huh?" That got the luckster looking at her in confusion. "How come…?"

"Because Mukuro's body is in here."

And THAT got several students tensing up, eyes widening. "Mukuro's body…?!" Hina gasped.

"Out of all the fridges she could've opened, Miss Fukuwa managed to pick the one they might need to look over…?" Hifumi stated, a tad flabbergasted. "Did she accidentally gain Mr. Naegi's luck stats for a moment?"

"Or maybe it was Makoto's luck making it that Toko opened that fridge, while he was looking for everyone…" Hiro suggested. Hifumi let out a hum at that.

"It could be, Mr. Hagakure."

That had Makoto's eyes widening. "Mukuro's corpse…?" His eyes turned back towards the opened fridge. "Mukuro's body is inside the fridge?!"

"Just like every other time, the mastermind probably brought it up here while we were in the class trial." The detective surmised.

"The mastermind did it…?" Makoto remarked in slight musing. "Because they assumed we wouldn't be doing the class trial over again, I guess…"

Kyoko nodded in agreement. "You may be right…" She stated. "Either way, now I can finally get a good look at the body."

That had a few knitting their eyebrows in confusion. "Didn't Kyoko investigate the body beforehand…?" Taka inquired in slight befuddlement.

"She merely investigated the crime scene. She never said she had a look at the body itself." Celeste corrected the moral compass. "I doubt she had a chance to do her usual examination of the body."

"So now she has a chance to do a full examination then…" Sayaka spoke in realization.

Kyoko herself nodded to this. "Indeed. And with it, she can find things the others may have overlooked." She declared a sharp glint in her purple eyes.

'Oh, that's right. Kyoko didn't get a chance to check the body during the investigation.' Makoto recalled.

"I need to do my own examination of the corpse as soon as possible." The detective declared, her eyes aimed at the body. "I'm going to find a clue this time, and I'm going to grab the mastermind by the tail…"

A few couldn't help but gulp at her words, and the sharp glint they saw in her eyes, similar to their present Kyoko. "Like a shark out for blood…" Mondo muttered, mostly to himself.

"Why do I get the feeling she took that trial personally…?" Leon asked rhetorically.

"Why wouldn't she?" Byakuya asked in retort. "It was a trial meant for her, one she was forced to come in with mere scraps of information, resulting in having to abandon Makoto to survive. I would be surprised if that didn't hurt her pride to some extent."

Kyoko chose to remain silent at that; unable to deny that she indeed took that trial personally.

Junko, meanwhile, had to hide her smugness and laughter at the detective's vindictiveness. 'You can try. But once you reach the truth, how long will you keep up the act~?' She cooed tauntingly in her head.

"Okay, so… what should I do?" The lucky student asked awkwardly, pointing to himself.

"Why don't you just… wait over there?" Kyoko suggested, sounding a tad awkward herself. "I'll let you know as soon as I'm finished."

'Just… wait over there? That's it?' Makoto thought flatly to himself.

And now, some couldn't help but snicker at this. "Yeah, I agree. Like, that's all you want him doing?" Leon remarked, though snickering himself.

"It's like a mother telling her kid to stay put while she's doing her errands…" Junko giggled, using this opportunity to let out her hidden laughter in the open.

Makoto couldn't say anything, a mixture of exasperation and embarrassment showing across his face. Kyoko, as usual, was nonplussed about the teasing from her classmates.

"As other me said, it'll be finished in short order. No need to send Makoto off anywhere." The detective defended her future self's decision. "Plus, they'll likely have other things to talk about."

"And so I did. While Kyoko was analyzing the body, I took note of the lights on the fridges, along with tarps that had the Bio Lab logos once again." Narrator Makoto spoke, as clips of Kyoko examining Mukuro's corpse and Makoto looking around the lab were shown. "I also asked her about the hint, to which she responded…"

"I didn't take him up on the offer." Kyoko revealed casually, her eyes not leaving Mukuro's charred corpse.

"Huh?" Was Makoto's confused response. "Why not?"

"The only reason he'd give us a 'hint' at this point would be to confuse us, to cloud our judgement." The detective pointed out. "I can solve this mystery on my own, without whatever hints he may have to offer."

"...Yeah, that's a good point." Makoto spoke in admittance, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "And future me knew it was some sort of trap, yet…"

He wasn't the only one feeling embarrassed. Hina buried her face in her hands in greater embarrassment, Hiro hung his head down in shame, and Byakuya pointedly refused to look at anybody.

"Like I said, most of us would've taken those fucking hints." Mondo huffed, attempting to reassure the present counterparts of the survivors. "Kyoko's just one of those exceptions."

"That's… a good point." The luckster couldn't help but admit. 'I wish I could go back and do the same thing, but what's done is done, I guess…'

"It can also still work in our favour…" Kyoko spoke up in support. "With the other pieces of evidence in regards to our missing memories, they can more easily figure out that their memories have been erased. Once the initial confusion is passed, they have a greater chance in solving the mystery."

"True…" Byakuya nodded his head in agreement, though his eyebrows were creased together. "Which, again, makes me wonder why the mastermind would give such a hint? Do they truly count on the confusion of it to completely derail the trial? Or do they have something else in mind?"

"Perhaps they are unconcerned with the survivors figuring out that they lost their memories…?" Sakura suggested. "After all, that's merely a smaller piece of a greater whole in regards to the mystery of the school, alongside what's happening outside…"

That earned a hum of contemplation from the Togami heir. "Could be…"

"Thankfully, as Kyoko stated before, it really didn't take long…"

"Okay, Makoto. I'm done." The detective announced, moving away from the body.

"Already?" Makoto spoke in surprise. "Jeez, that was fast!"

"Anyone can do good work if they go slow." Kyoko said in response. "In that spirit, I'll make my report brief. I paid careful attention to the wounds and the traces of blood. And it seems highly likely that… the stomach wound and blow to the back of the head were inflicted after death."

"Really…?"

"The burnt tissue made things a little difficult, but I'm completely confident in my findings." The detective spoke confidently.

'So that means neither of those were the fatal injury, right?' The luckster deduced, knitting his eyebrows together. "Then what was the fatal injury…? The only other option is those 'other wounds', but the file said they were old."

"Where does it say they're old?" Was Kyoko's response/question.

"...Huh?"

"I second that. Huh?" Leon spoke in confusion, scratching the side of his head. "Cause… didn't it say that it is several days old? Right there, in the file?"

"It did…" Makoto confirmed with a nod, looking as confused as his future self.

"My future self will likely explain. But there's a difference between several days old, and 'old'." Kyoko stated. "An immense one that will help in solving the murder."

"All the Monokuma File says is that they were inflicted at least several days ago." Kyoko pointed out.

"I… guess I don't see the difference." Makoto said in admittance.

"Well the difference is immense, considering the impression they give." The detective declared. "You seem to equate 'several days old' with simply 'old'. But that doesn't quite follow logically. 'Old wounds', it makes it sound like they've been there forever, like they're not related to the murder."

"...Hmm. Quite the clever word-play on the mastermind's part, then." Celeste hummed, holding her chin in thought. "The files clearly stated that they were at least several days old, so it wasn't lying. But it was framed as though they were much older, making them seemingly irrelevant."

"They really did put much thought into the fifth trial…" Byakuya mused himself. "I wonder what would've happened if they gave themselves more time to fully set up their scheme…?"

"I… rather not think about it…" Sayaka replied to the heir, looking rather uneasy at that.

It was definitely a good thing that the mastermind was basically doing a rush job, a thought shared by several students.

"Are you saying… they are?" Makoto asked unsurely. "But we all got the Monokuma File right after she was killed, right? So if the wounds were at least a few days old, there's no way they could've had anything to do with it."

"But what if Mukuro herself wasn't killed within the last few days?" Kyoko then proposed.

Makoto's eyes widened at that. "What?!"

"...Did she seriously shoot past all the clues and figured it out?!" Hina exclaimed, gobsmacked.

"No, Hina. My counterpart is simply thinking of one of many possibilities." Kyoko told the swimmer, though a small smirk was across her face. "Though it's clear as to why I would make that connection. The knife wasn't the killing blow, nor was the blow to the head, according to the examination made. What else is there to look at other than the wounds that were inflicted several days ago?"

"And if it was those wounds… then it would make sense that crime happened several days before." Makoto spoke up, seeing Kyoko's point. "Probably the only thing that makes sense. How can those body wounds be the cause, when they only showed up several days ago? By the victim being killed at that time."

"It's quite similar to the third trial, really…" Byakuya mused, narrowing his eyes in thought. "Both with Hifumi's body supposedly being moved, as well as Taka supposedly being killed around the same time as Hifumi. When we considered other possibilities, Taka's death being much earlier and Hifumi playing dead, everything began clicking into place."

"Huh... and I thought it would be too difficult to figure out that the murder happened days ago..." Leon remarked, looking a tad dumbfounded himself. "But as usual, Kyoko is making it look too damn easy."

"Which makes me think that if Kyoko had the time needed to investigate... she likely would've found enough to point at the mastermind..." Sayaka surmised with a small frown. "That whole trial could've ended up very differently..."

Within their interlocked arms, Makoto squeezed Sayaka's hand in comfort. "It's fine, Sayaka..." He said softly to the idol. "They have another chance to corner the mastermind. And they even gain a better chance to solve all the mysteries, figure everything that's been going on. It... all worked out in the end."

Sayaka looked up at the lucky student for a moment before snuggling back into his shoulder; squeezing his arm in silent acknowledgement of his words.

"Certainly you can allow it as one of the many possibilities, can't you?" Kyoko asked rhetorically.

"One of… many?" The luckster repeated, completely perplexed.

"A detective doesn't have supernatural powers. There's no way to predict the answer from the beginning." Kyoko explained. "Instead, the ideal detective begins by imagining as many possible scenarios as they can. They envision these possibilities without prejudice, without bias, using only their logic and common sense."

"Then, as they investigate, they test what they find against each of these possibilities. Of course, me telling you this doesn't mean you'll be any good at detective work" The detective started concluding, with a small smirk. "But beyond using that to solve this particular mystery, you should keep it in mind for the future."

Slowly, the class absorbed Kyoko's little lesson for Makoto. "You make it all sound so simple." Sayaka remarked, her eyes towards Kyoko. "But I don't know if I could have that level of clarity, or imagination."

"For real. I mean, a lot of what we've seen has been so hard to imagine…" Hina spoke in agreement with Sayaka; looking a tad overwhelmed by the idea of thinking of various different scenarios.

"I understand. Like my future self, detective work isn't for everyone." Kyoko assured her classmates. "Even ignoring the more grisly side of the career, it requires much thought and imagination. The ability to see things without bias clouding you. I know not everyone is able to get to that level."

"So, if there's anything you'd like to know about the condition of the body, now's the time."

That seemed to jolt a memory into Makoto. "Come to think of it, there was one thing…" He began. "Earlier, when I was looking at Mukuro's profile, it listed her height and weight…"

"5 foot 7 inches, 97 pounds. Vitals were… 31-22-32." Kyoko summarized. "Did I get all that right?"

"You remembered all that…?" Makoto asked with slight bafflement.

The detective ignored the question, focusing on the main subject. "They are indeed consistent with the corpse." She confirmed. "And don't forget about the Fenrir tattoo. There's absolutely no mistake… our victim in this case is, without a doubt, Mukuro Ikusaba…!"

"Well, at least they have that all cleared up…" Was all Junko could think to say, getting a tad bored once again. "No wasting time on figuring out whether it's my sister or not…"

"That would've been kinda annoying…" Leon nodded his head in agreement. "Not the 'Kyoko ghost' shit level annoying, but still…"

"You guys aren't gonna let me live that down, are you…?" Hiro moaned, slumping his head.

"Don't worry, Hiro dear. I'm sure you'll provide plenty of other material to ridicule you for." Celeste 'reassured' the fortune teller with a serene smile. Said fortune teller could only slump further in response.

"Is that all you wanted to ask?"

"Y-Yeah, I think so…" Makoto stuttered out a tad awkwardly.

"Then it looks like we have no further business with Mukuro's body." Kyoko concluded, stepping away from the fridges. "Let's get going. It's kind of chilly here…"

"W-Wait…" Chihiro spoke up, looking a tad alarmed. "Are they… going to leave Mukuro's body like that…?"

The programmer's question got the attention of the others. "It's not surprising. As far as they are aware, Mukuro is an enemy and nothing more…" Byakuya huffed, narrowing his eyes at the soldier yet again. "They don't have the memories we do to bring about complicated feelings…"

"M-Maybe, but still… it doesn't feel right…" Chihiro protested, wringing his hands together. "She's much a victim as many of us are…"

"I agree with Chihiro…" Makoto spoke in support, also looking rather empathetic for the soldier. Others, such as Hina and Taka, had looks that said they were also in agreement. "I don't think… they should leave her like that, with or without the memories we share with her…"

Mukuro herself was quiet, uncertain as to how to feel. A part of her was of course touched that a few of her classmates, one of them her crush, felt that strongly about giving her corpse respect. But could she blame Makoto, the future Makoto, if he left her there?

"Obviously, that's your bias talking…" Byakuya remarked with an eye-roll. "However… knowing you…"

"Oh, wait, are we not gonna put the body back?" Makoto inquired, looking back at Mukuro's corpse. "Don't you think it's kinda… sad, leaving it out like this?"

"...Of course he would care enough to give Mukuro's body respect." Sayaka finished for Byakuya, flashing a smile that was part-smug and part-fond. "Memories or not."

"Indeed…" The heir sighed, his head turned away from the smug idol.

Yet again, Mukuro felt her heart beat strongly, in ways that almost hurt. 'You… You don't have any memories of me. To you, I'm merely a member of the Ultimate Despair…'

"Sad…?" Kyoko repeated, clearly perplexed. "Did you forget? She was our enemy once. A part of the Ultimate Despair."

'I helped in creating this killing game. As far as you know, I was just a willing partner for your torment…'

"B-But she still got killed. She's still a victim…" Makoto argued, looking conflicted.

'Many would argue that I deserved what I got. That it was karmic justice, and that I should receive no pity. Especially if they knew all that I have done… could've done…'

"Have you ever heard the phrase 'you reap what you sow'?" Was Kyoko's rhetorical question/response.

'Yet despite that… despite having no memories of me… despite only being able to know me as your enemy…'

"W-Well, yeah, but still…" The lucky student insisted weakly, looking down.

'...You would give me that kind of respect? See me as another victim of my sister's hunger for despair?'

"..." For a moment, Kyoko was quiet. Then… "You really are naive, you know that? It's really quite appalling…"

"An insufferably naive fool…" Byakuya sighed, shaking his head.

"Indeed…" Celeste nodded in agreement, closing her eyes in exasperation.

"His naivety is definitely made clear here…" Kyoko remarked with her own sigh.

Yet, the three couldn't help but think, as much of a insufferably naive fool he can be… he was their insufferably naive fool. And they wouldn't change that for anything, even if they could.

Despite her words, the detective went over and helped Makoto push the body back into the fridge. 'Yet you decided to help me… when you could've just left…' The luckster noted himself. 'So for someone like that, what does it mean to be "naive"?'

"I have to agree with Makoto here…" Sayaka remarked, looking at Kyoko with a raised eyebrow and growing smirk. "This seems like another part of hypocrisy for you here, Kyoko…"

"...His earnest nature is just infectious, is all." Was the detective's response. Words that Sayaka didn't buy one bit, considering Kyoko wasn't looking her in the eyes.

"Try blinding…" Toko muttered, very much aware of how blazing Makoto's sincerity can be.

Meanwhile, Chihiro turned towards Makoto with a relieved smile. "I'm glad that future you didn't leave Mukuro's body like that. I… know that she's part of the Ultimate Despair, but…"

"Yeah. I get it, Chihiro." Makoto assured his programmer friend. His attention then turned to Mukuro, planning to ask how she felt about all this. But the moment he got a look at her, the question died on his lips.

The soldier herself was completely still, her head bowed and her hands gripping the edges of her skirt. She was as still as a statue, with no obvious indication of what she may be feeling.

It was something that slowly caught the attention of everyone else. And it caused concern for some of them. "Mukuro… are you… okay?" Hina asked tentatively.

Mukuro didn't respond to the question. Refused to lift her head up. Cause if she did… everyone would see the tears rolling down her cheeks. A thin line trailing down from her eyes that absolutely refused to stop.

'Why…?' She couldn't help but think. Why did the way Makoto treated her corpse affected her this much? She shouldn't feel this strongly about it. After all, her corpse meant little to her. Meant as much as all the other bodies she has seen. Yet… seeing the amnesiac Makoto show compassion for her, compassion for an enemy, compassion that was unearned…

She felt a hand placed over one of her knees, causing her to instinctively look up. And in front of her was the very boy who made her this way, his face showing clear concern yet sympathy; and his eyes gleaming with that very same compassion he showed on screen.

She couldn't help it. With a small lurch, she launched herself at Makoto and wrapped him in a tight hug. The luckster quickly returned that hug, pushing back any embarrassment he may have felt.

'I love you…' Was the thought that ran through Mukuro Ikusaba. 'I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you so much.'

If she hadn't declared her loyalty towards the lucky student beforehand, she would've done so at this very moment. It's clearer and clearer to her that Makoto Naegi was her light. Her hope. And she will not let anyone extinguish her hope.

Not even her sister.

Notes:

And that's the end. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Honestly, I wasn't planning on making the end of this chapter this emotional (Have Mukuro affected by future Makoto's compassion, sure; but not to this extent). But I have no regrets. The next chapter should definitely be the end of the investigation. If not, I'm eating my laptop. Leave comments, kudos, and bookmarks and I will see you later.

Chapter 116: Watching Chapter 6: Ultimate Pain, Ultimate Suffering, Ultimate Despair, Ultimate Execution, Ultimate Death Part 8

Notes:

Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So, first thing, apologies for taking longer than usual with this chapter. Just got stuck with the final part of the investigation; and got hit with inspiration for another fic along the way. But I manage to muster the time and focus to finish this; with the reaction to the final investigation for DR1 coming to an end in this chapter. I hope you all enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

It took a bit for Mukuro to compose herself, with half the class freaking out over the usually composed soldier being so emotional. But eventually, things settled and the Ultimate Soldier was able to let go of Makoto. A part of her wanted him to stay by her side, still felt that bit of vulnerability. However, she managed to refrain herself as the luckster headed back to his seat.

A few students still aimed some concerned looks at Mukuro. A look from the soldier gave them a message that she was fine, and wanted to move on. So, all focus was put back on the TV.

Once the fridge was closed, Kyoko stepped back from it. "I think we've done all we can do here. Back to our separate investigations, yes?"

"Ah, hold on!" Makoto quickly spoke up, his eyes flashing in recollection. "I did have one last thing… I know I shouldn't, but I feel like I have to ask…"

"...What is the dude planning on asking…?" Mondo asked warily.

"It likely has to do with the notebook he found…" Byakuya quickly surmised. "Though I don't know why he thinks he shouldn't ask about it…"

"Go ahead, then. Out with it." Kyoko urged him.

With a deep breath, Makoto asked, "Have you really not seen your dad even once since you got here?"

"...And that's why." Leon summed up, sounding both exasperated and nervous. "Makoto, dude, wasn't there any other way you could've approached the topic?"

The luckster looked similarly nervous. "Maybe? Probably? I don't know…" Was his awkward response, rubbing the back of his head. "I mean, could I have really come out immediately with the knowledge about the journal?"

"Perhaps not. But approaching such a sensitive topic with Miss Kirigiri would not have been my first choice." Hifumi pointed out with a shiver.

"Yeah, that's asking for pain there…" Hiro agreed with his own shudder.

That took the detective by surprise. "What…?" She then held a more guarded look. "What do you mean?"

"Well… you know all those lockers on the 2nd floor of the dorms?" Makoto inquired.

"I do, yes." Kyoko nodded. "But to get into any of the lockers, you'd need the handbook of whoever the lockers belong to."

"Actually… I managed to get them open using that emergency handbook." The luckster revealed, holding up said handbook in question.

"The one you found in the headmaster's hidden room…" Kyoko hummed in thought. "So? Did you find anything worthwhile in the lockers?"

"I found… a pocketbook." Makoto answered. "And after looking through it… I think it must be your pocketbook."

"..." All he got was silence for a moment, as the detective frowned. "What makes you say that…? Like I said, only the locker's owner should be able to get into it, right? I can't imagine those lockers belonged to any of us. After all, we only got access to that area just recently."

"What I'm saying is, there's no way I could've had access to any of those lockers." She then concluded. "And if I did have a pocketbook, why would I bother putting it in a locker?"

Makoto nodded to all that had been said. "Everything you just said makes perfect sense. But there was something written inside…" He revealed further. "It was about the headmaster - about your father."

"...?!" That got a major reaction from the stoic girl, with her eyes widening in shock. "Could that mean…? That video… is real, too…?"

"...What video?" Sayaka, Celeste, and Hina all asked; with varying degrees of confusion/suspicion.

"And what exactly did that video contain…?" Sakura asked with her own suspicion.

"I think all of us can guess what it is…" Junko remarked, crossing her arms.

"Video?" Makoto repeated, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

"Makoto… I think everything is finally starting to fit together to reveal a cohesive picture." Kyoko declared, schooling her features once more. "Although… I'm afraid that picture might be worse than anything we could have imagined."

"...And it's official." Was all Leon could think to say. "Kyoko definitely figured out that they're missing their memories."

"Which means… the video she's talking about is something before our future selves lost their memories." Makoto deduced, eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Before the killing game started…"

"Yosh!" Hina cheered, pumping her fist up. "Progress! Actual progress! One of us figured it out, without dying!"

That brought some excitement within the class, with some smiling and a few even joining Hina in cheering. After seeing their future selves unable to figure out their memories were missing for most of this viewing, it felt close to cathartic to seeing the puzzle pieces actually being put into place. However…

"But… what exactly does that video contain?" Taka questioned, furrowing his own eyebrows. "What is shown that would cause that kind of reaction from Kyoko?"

That brought down the excitement some, with a few students looking concerned over that very question. "That's probably gonna be something we're gonna find out soon, bro…" Mondo remarked, grimacing.

"W-What are you talking about…?"

"I need to investigate those lockers, right now." Rather than answering, Kyoko took a few steps forward towards the exit. "I need to confirm what you just said with my own two eyes."

"Oh, let me give you the headmaster's handbook." Makoto offered, reaching to pull out the handbook once again. "That way you can-"

"That won't be necessary." Kyoko cut in, stopping the luckster. "If I'm right about this, I shouldn't have any problem opening the locker with my own handbook. After all, it would seem that it's my locker."

"I'm surprised how quickly she's accepting this…" Sayaka spoke with slight bewilderment. "I mean, I know it's Kyoko and all, but…"

"Well, she did lose her memories of being a detective; and not only did she figure that out, but also managed to get them back." Makoto pointed out. "If any of our future selves would be in the position to accept the idea, it would be Kyoko."

"Indeed. Precedence likely helped me be more accepting of the idea of amnesia." Kyoko herself nodded in agreement.

"Your locker…?"

"If you watch this, it'll all make sense." The detective then pulled out a DVD case.

'A DVD…?' Makoto thought in confusion, slowly taking the disc-filled case. His eyes then widened when he read the title on it. 'And it says… "Class #78: Urgent Interviews"?!'

Confusion and alarm started spreading amongst the class. "Urgent interview? What urgent interview?" Hina questioned nervously. "Why is it urgent? When does it happen? What-?"

"Hina. Hina!" Makoto quickly cut in the swimmer's panicked ramble. "I think we're gonna see those interviews soon enough. You don't need to panic."

"Makoto's right, Hina. Please, calm yourself." Sakura also urged her friend.

At the encouragement of her best friend and her crush, Hina took some deep breaths to calm herself down. "Right. Right. Sorry…"

"It's fine. We all understand why you would feel anxious." The martial artist said assuringly, patting her friend's back.

"I found it in that hidden room, after you left." Kyoko revealed. "I don't have time to explain exactly what I think it means, so just watch it and see for yourself. I think you'll realize exactly what it means… you'll understand why you found my pocketbook in a place none of us have ever seen before."

'None of this makes sense right now…'  The lucky student thought in bewilderment, looking at the disc.  'But I guess there's some important clue on this DVD…'

"My guess is that the disc contains information regarding the Tragedy…" Byakuya deduced with narrowed eyes. "Or the school life that has been planned by the headmaster and the administrators…"

"How would you know…?" Hiro asked in confusion, scratching the side of his head.

"What else would the interview be about, Hiro dear…?" Celeste was the one to answer the fortune teller, sighing. "Much of the info related to the headmaster has also been linked to either the Tragedy, the school, or the Ultimate Despair. I cannot imagine these urgent interviews relating to anything else…"

"Well… yeah, good point…"

"Oh, and now it's my turn." The detective continued. "Do you have a second to listen to me ramble…?"

That got Makoto to look up from the disc in his hand. "Ramble…?"

"Ramble…?" The detective's words got a few eyebrows raised, with Junko continuing her words. "Since when do you ramble?"

"There's a lot that can be said. But at times, much of it can't be condensed and get straight to the point." Was Kyoko's response, not batting an eye as per usual. However, she did wonder what her counterpart had to say this time.

"So as it turns out… the arrangements I'd made… didn't stick." Kyoko began in admittance. "What I mean is, I'm less and less sure of everything. Even my own feelings…"

'You're talking about your dad, right?' Makoto guessed.

"I can never find the answers to the questions I wanted to ask." Kyoko sighed forlornly. "For the rest of my life…"

A few couldn't help but grimace at that, feeling sympathetic to at least the future Kyoko. Some students glanced at the present detective, hesitantly curious as to her reaction; however, she retained her stoic, not giving any hint as to what her feelings may be.

'And all because of the mastermind…'

"But there's one thing I am sure of." The detective's tone then gained a hardened edge, along with a glint in her eyes. "When it comes to the mastermind, there's no room in my heart for forgiveness. I swore to destroy the mastermind. This is just one more reason to follow through on that."

Yet again, students couldn't help but gain chills from Kyoko's tone and look. "Yep, Miss Kirigiri is pissed…" Hifumi stated the obvious.

"No shit." And of course, both Leon and Mondo responded in kind with bluntness.

"Can hardly blame her though…" Sayaka remarked with a small, dark frown. "And definitely support her taking out the mastermind."

"Agreed…" Celeste and Byakuya spoke in flat agreement.

'You can try~!' Junko taunted her mind. The fashionista wondered, what kind of act should she put up if they manage to connect the dots? Should she act oblivious, confused? Put up a nervous play, one that makes her more guilty? Or go all silent, get her class demanding answers from her?

Oh, so many options! So many ways to amp up the despair!

'Kyoko's eyes are burning with determination…'  Makoto noted to himself.  'The determination to defeat the mastermind…'

"It's strange… to be confronted with his death, and suddenly feel this way." Kyoko admitted, looking away. "I couldn't care less if my father had found happiness. So why is it…? Why does it bother me so much to know how he suffered…?"

"..." Students couldn't help but look at Kyoko once again. Some with sympathy, others with hesitancy, a few with curiosity. Of course, the detective stubbornly refused to look at anyone.

'That's the familial bond you coldly brushed off before, Kyoko…' Sayaka thought to herself. 'No matter how much you want to, you can't completely bury what love you have for your father. Especially when it's clear he cares for you.'

'I wonder… is this denial? Or genuine confusion on Kyoko's part?' Byakuya can't help but mused. 'It's clear, even to my eyes, that the detective clearly still cares for her father. So how is it that she can't discern her own feelings?'

'Your daddy issues are absolutely adorable to witness~!' Junko thought mockingly. 'The despair of losing your family… of not getting the closure you want… oh, I can just imagine the swirling emotions in that closed up heart of yours!'

"It's ridiculous. There's just no understanding it, I guess…" A small laugh, one with clear sorrow, left her lips.

"...Of course not. When it comes to familial love, there's no understanding sometimes." Makoto muttered softly to Kyoko. He took the detective's hand once again as he continued. "I said it before; it's clear that you still care for your father. Still love him, at least to some extent. You wouldn't be so affected otherwise."

The luckster wasn't sure what got him talking. If it was to help Kyoko, or because of his own view regarding family, or some other force that got him speaking up. But right now, he found himself unable to stay quiet.

"And that love, that connection between blood… you can't just define it." He continued. " Can't just make a simple deduction as to why you feel the way you do. Sometimes… it's just a feeling you have to accept."

"..." The detective remained quiet. However, a squeeze from their interlocked hand told Makoto that she heard him. And that she wasn't dismissing his words.

"So, that's it for my rambling." Kyoko concluded, recomposing herself. "There's still much to do before I can consider my task complete."

"Yeah, you're right." Makoto nodded in agreement, looking at the disc in hand once again.

"But keep this in mind…" The detective then spoke. "There is only ever one absolute truth. Whether that truth serves justice or suffering… whether it's the greatest truth, or the worst…"

"...She's prepping him up for the whole memory loss shit, ain't she?" Mondo concluded.

"It would seem so, bro…" Taka nodded in agreement, grimacing. "No matter how they obtain that information, knowing that any amount of time or knowledge has been erased from your mind…"

"It's a shattering revelation." Sakura spoke in summation.

'And unfortunately, it won't be the only one…' Kyoko thought grimly to herself. Not only is there the state of the outside world, the mystery of how bad things actually are in the future; but also the growing probability that the mastermind is one of their own.

"What do you mean…?" The luckster inquired, looking back at Kyoko.

"Even if the truth you uncover is filled with hopelessness… you still can't give up hope." Kyoko urged him.

And of course… "A-Absolutely not!" Makoto spoke strongly. "Because… because all I can do is keep moving forward. That's pretty much all I'm good at, ya know?"

"...It's not the only thing." Sayaka spoke softly to the luckster. "You're strong, in ways that people don't usually see. You're smart, smarter than you give yourself credit for. You can be really brave, you're incredibly patient, so forgiving and compassionate towards people…"

The compliments the idol was washing over Makoto caused the luckster to turn redder and redder. "S-Sayaka!"

"Sorry. It's just… it's difficult to see you put yourself down like that." Sayaka admitted, laying her head onto his shoulder. "Not when we went through several videos seeing just how incredible you really are…"

"I- well- it's not like future me was being self-deprecating…" Makoto stammered, trying to find the right words. "It's just… it's the only thing I can do in a situation like that. The only… action that I'm good at doing. Moving forward."

"Maybe. But it's still not the only good thing about you." The idol continued without missing a beat, her voice still soft. "I just want to make sure you know that. That you're not just an average person who's more positive than others…"

The lucky student opened and closed his mouth a few times, unsure of how he could respond to that. In the end, he could only look away, embarrassment clear across his face.

"Indeed…" Kyoko nodded, a small smile across her face. "Sorry if that was… strange. Anyway, I need to get going. I'll see you at the class trial…" And with that, the detective left the bio lab.

"I'd better get going myself." Makoto spoke to himself, his attention back on the disc. 'This DVD from Kyoko… I should head to the A/V room to check it out.'

"I'm really getting bad vibes from that disc…" Leon remarked, a tad tense. "I want to think that there ain't anything too bad on there, but…"

"When has that been a thing for us?" Mondo finished flatly. None of the students could deny that.

'Kyoko said something about hopeless truth…' Makoto clenched his free hand in determination. 'But no matter what happens, I won't lose hope.'

Once again, Junko felt a tight constriction around her chest; a slightly clammy feeling around her hands, a slight chill that brushed past her. But she did her best to ignore it all. 'Are you gonna keep saying that when you see the outside world razed to hell, lucky boy…?'

'Even if it's the worst truth in the world… I can't afford to lose!'

The next scene showed Makoto inside the A/V room, slotting in the disc in one of the monitors. "Well then, I'd better take a look…"

For a moment, there was only darkness, despite the screen saying it was playing. Then, an image suddenly appeared… showing Sayaka, and a man talking to her. "S-Sayaka?!"

A few couldn't help but jump a little in surprise. "It's Sayaka… and Headmaster Kirigiri…!" Taka immediately noted.

"Yes, thank you for pointing out the obvious…" Byakuya couldn't help but snark. Considering it was an interview for the entire class, it should've come to no surprise that the headmaster was holding it.

Especially for the possible subject the interview was about…

"Huh. Kinda feels surreal, seeing your face on screen after so long…" Leon commented, though rather hesitantly. "Kinda wonder how I'll feel if I see my own face…"

"Y-Yeah…" Was the only thing Sayaka could say. While she's glad it wasn't a flashback of her death for once, like Leon said, it felt… surreal, seeing herself on screen. So long after her future counterpart died.

Kyoko, on the other hand, was focused on the man showing his back on screen. 'Father…'

"Okay then, are you ready to begin?" The man spoke. "I do apologize, but I hope you don't mind if I record our conversation. I'm a little slow, you know. I never really got the hang of taking notes while having a conversation."

"..." Sayaka remained silent, tension clear across her face.

"You look… so tense…" Makoto said softly to the idol snuggled up to him. "So nervous…"

"...If Byakuya's right about this interview, then I'm not surprised." Sayaka replied back, snuggling further onto the luckster's side. She wondered… what is her future self thinking right now? How, exactly, is she feeling?

"So, this video is meant to serve as a kind of contract substitute." The man continued. "It's not that I don't trust you guys. It's more like… insurance. So please don't worry too much."

"..."

"I wonder, are all you Kirigiris inept in social skills on some levels?" Celeste remarked a tad wryly. "Cause it seems you and your father share similarities in that aspect."

Of course, that earned a dirty look from Kyoko; whether it's because of the comparison or remark on her social skills (Perhaps even both), no one knew for sure. The gambler paid no mind to the look.

"Now then, let me get straight to the point. There is a chance that you may have to spend the rest of your life here in the school." The man stated bluntly. "Can you accept that?"

"..."

"..."

They knew this was coming. Several of them, to at least some extent, had an idea that this would be the topic of discussion in these interviews. Still…

"Th-The headmaster… r-really ask that?" Chihiro stuttered, clearly rattled by the question given.

"It's one thing to merely hear about the headmaster's plans. But to hear him inquire about it to one of us…" Taka muttered loudly, mostly to himself.

"It's confirmation that this wasn't forced upon us. At least not completely…" Byakuya concluded, eyes narrowed. "And with the whole class being inside the school…"

The unsaid implication was clear; and none of the students felt good about it. Sayaka, especially, looked to be the most shaken by this; her features pale and her grip tightening around Makoto.

"Y-You want me to accept that…?" Sayaka spoke tensely.

'Sayaka is at a total loss.'  Makoto noted to himself.  'I mean, it made sense. Who would agree to spending the rest of your life in this school?'

"I… accept."

'...What?'

Sayaka felt her heart stop at her future self's words. It almost felt as though time stopped around her. She should've known. Already guessed that this would be the answer, just from previous evidence regarding their missing memories and the outside world…

Yet she still found herself dumbstruck. In disbelief. She accepted? She agreed to spend the rest of her life in the school?

'But… why?!' The idol shouted in her mind, her eyes glazed and dilated. 'Why would I accept that?! Why would I even consider it?! I'd lose my career! Be separated from my team! From my dad! I'd lose everything I worked so hard for! WHY WOULD I GIVE UP MY DREAM?!'

Did… Did she already lose everything? Is that why she's so accepting of this? Would her career, her idol team, fall apart in the future? Are things so bad that her idol career means SO LITTLE-?!

"Sayaka! Sayaka! SAYAKA, PLEASE!"

The pop sensation was jolted out of her thoughts by a shout and a shake. Refocusing her sight, she was met with a clearly worried Makoto, who had his free hand on her shoulder.

"Take… take some deep breaths, please." Makoto requested softly. "In. Out. In. Out."

Slowly, Sayaka did what the luckster requested, and took those deep breaths to calm herself. As she got calmer, she couldn't help but feel some shame. Why was she still like this? Why does the thought of losing her idol career still drive her up the wall? She had learned that she shouldn't put her dream above everyone else. That those around her are far more important. The boy soothing her is far more important.

So why does the mere possibility of losing it all put her in a panic attack?

"I'm sorry…" She couldn't help but apologize, looking away shamefully. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Leon and a few others looking at her with similar concern.

Sayaka felt Makoto pull his arm away gently from hers, causing her to tense. But before she could assume the worst, she was enveloped in a hug by the lucky student. Immediately, it was affection she drank up; clinging back to him.

"No need to apologize. I understand why you reacted that way." Makoto murmured in understanding. "And this is a future we won't let happen. You'll remain the pop sensation everyone adores for a long time to come. So… try to keep calm, alright?"

"...I'll try." That's all she could really promise. Cause she's very much aware that this isn't over yet. Far from it.

"Thank you. And I'm sorry about all this…" The man spoke as sincerely as he could. "Well, I can promise you that I will do everything in my power to keep you safe. As the headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, I give you my word." And with that, the video cut.

A wave of bitter amusement, very bitter amusement, couldn't help but hit the class. Some found themselves snorting sardonically; others let out flat chuckles; and some merely looked down or at their sides forlornly.

Yeah… that promise they just heard… they'd all seen how that would work out.

"..." Makoto could only stare at the dark screen blankly. 'There's a lot I hadn't understood up till now. But this… only this…'

"I simply can't comprehend what I've heard." He muttered to himself. 'Because I know how much Sayaka wanted to get out of here. I know how much she wanted to escape and pursue her dreams with her friends again.'

"She wanted that so bad… she tried to frame me for murder."

That got a flinch, from not only Sayaka, but also Leon. While Leon did his best to remain nonchalant, the idol snuggled further into Makoto; wrapping her arms around his waist, rather than his arm. "Never again…" She whispered.

"Never will…" Makoto corrected softly; an arm wrapped around Sayaka's shoulder. Whether her words were directed at him or herself, it doesn't matter. It hasn't happened yet; and it won't ever happen. Not if they can do anything about it.

"So… why?" The luckster asked aloud. "Why would she say yes to living here for the rest of her life?"

"Question of the fucking year there…" Mondo huffed, frustration and anxiety held within his words.

"The identity of the mastermind still remains the top contender, Mondo dear…" Celeste retorted, doing her best to keep calm. "But yes… yes, the reason we would want to live in the school is up there…"

Just as he asked that, the monitor flashed back on, causing Makoto to look back at the screen. And the video in question…

"...Huh?"

This time had him being interviewed.

Seeing himself in one of the urgent interviews had the lucky student straighten up; or as much as he could, considering Sayaka still had a tight grip on him.

"...Well, this is definitely got to be a mindfuck for ya…" Leon remarked to his friend. "I mean, this is the first time future you seen a picture or video involving Hope's Peak, isn't it?"

"It is…" Kyoko answered for Makoto; her eyes not leaving the screen.

"So, Makoto. Before we begin, I should let you know that I'll be recording our conversation." The headmaster stated yet again.

"Yes…"

'The headmaster and I… we're having a normal conversation.'  Makoto thought numbly to himself.  'But I, the I in the here and now… have absolutely no memory of it. I have no memory of even meeting the headmaster, much less sitting down to talk to him like this.'

"Now, shall we get straight to the point?" The headmaster then asked rhetorically. "Makoto… there's a chance you may have to spend the rest of your life here in the school. Can you accept that?"

"..." For a moment, Makoto was silent. Then… "Yes…"

Thankfully, the lucky student's reaction wasn't nearly as bad as Sayaka's. However, he couldn't help but gape at hearing himself saying he would willingly stay in the school forever. Further lining up the fever dream his future self had.

'But, mom… dad… Komaru… would I really leave them like that? Would I really accept not seeing them again?' Makoto couldn't help but ask, his eyes darting downward. 'Do they know? Do they support it? Or…?'

So many questions. So little answers. It was headache inducing!

The Makoto watching the video could only stare in shock. 'This can't be real…' He thought in pure disbelief. 'I… said yes?'

"I'm sorry I'm putting you through all this."

"Well, I mean… we don't have much of a choice, do we?" Was the luckster's response in the video.

"But I promise that as long as you're in the school, I will do everything I can to protect you." The headmaster promised yet again. "As the headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, that's the very least I can do for you."

With each passing second, various students felt their stomachs drop into pits. More and more, the interviews they're seeing were not painting a pretty picture; and adding to the already dreadful one being made.

"From there, they repeated the same scene again and again with the others." As Narrator Makoto spoke, clips of similar videos played. "Byakuya… Toko… Hina… Everyone… they all said that they agreed to live in this school… forever."

And with each word leaving the narrator's lip, the more distressed the class felt and the colder the air felt. To hear that the school planned this communal life was one thing, even with them having massively different intentions from the mastermind… but to see confirmation that the entire class all agreed on this? All of them?

'What about my gang? My brother's and I team?!' Mondo thought in anger-filled distress. 'Why would I abandon them like that?! When I worked so goddamn hard to keep the Diamonds together!'

'No… No, I wouldn't want to stay in the school forever! I wouldn't want to close myself off from the world like that!' Taeko thought hysterically, gripping tightly to her composure. 'I still have my dreams! I still have my goals! Everything I did would've been for NOTHING!'

'...My destiny is to take over the Togami lineage. I was meant to take the seat that has control over the world.' Byakuya stated to himself, a clear scowl across his face. 'You mean to tell me that I would forsake that destiny? That living within the school is somehow more preferable?'

Yet again, the question pressed in the student's minds… just how bad are things outside in the future? How bad is the world that they would prefer to stay in the school, rather than be out there?

And… what happened to their friends? Their family? To the other Ultimates? What is being hidden from them?!

"And then…" The interview disc then showed Kyoko an interview with her father. "Kyoko… her interview with him had been recorded just as clearly. Without a doubt, she had met him. She'd sat down with the headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy - her father…"

Kyoko was starting to dislike the myriad of feelings these viewings gave her when it comes to her father. Before this, she was certain that she felt nothing for her father. She wanted to cut off all ties with him, get out of his shadows for good. That she was grateful for being left with her grandfather.

But now… now she's questioning her own feelings. Questioning how much her grandfather had told her. Going through several different emotions at the sight of her father; of seeing her future self and him sitting together.

'Has there ever been a worse father…?' She couldn't help but think, her teeth gritting slightly.

"And when he asked her his question, she answered the same as everyone else. She accepted a life within the school. Just as Kyoko's interview was wrapping up…"

The video then abruptly shut off. "...the monitor suddenly went black."

And that abrupt shutting off of the monitor, the dvd player as a whole, knocked the class out of their confused distress. And into just pure confusion.

"Huh…?"

"Wha-...?"

"Why did…?"

"What?"

"Huh…?" Was the luckster's response, befuddlement clear as day on his face. "Wh-What the heck just happened…?"

Immediately after, Monokuma popped up. "Oopsie! Looks like it broke! Out of service!"

At the sight of the monochrome bear, several of the students immediately deduced what happened. And they weren't happy about it.

"Is that so…?" Celeste drawled with clear sarcasm. "It just so happened to break? During a time where Makoto was looking at evidence?"

"Does he honestly believe that excuse would fly…?" Byakuya stated flatly, unimpressed. "Not even the dumbest of us would fall for such a pathetic lie."

"The question is, why even bother…?" Sakura inquired, narrowing her eyes. "What is the mastermind trying to hide?"

"What?" Makoto's look of confusion then turned into skepticism. "It just so happened to break just now…?"

"Now, when, then, doesn't matter! Failure can strike anywhere, anytime!" Monokuma responded dismissively. "That's what failure IS, right?!" And with that, the bear left.

"Yeah, right!"

"You're just talking right out of your ass!"

"That was DEFINITELY on purpose!"

"Liar, liar, pants on fire!"

"Failure my ass!" Makoto shouted in annoyance. "You cut the power on purpose!"

'Well, whatever…' The luckster then huffed. "Even if I watched the whole thing, it'd just be more of the same…"

'...Would it really?' Kyoko mused to herself. 'The content itself would be the same, sure. But I wonder… did Makoto see Mukuro and Junko…?'

'If he did, he likely would've made some mention of them…' Byakuya continued unknowingly in musing. 'So if the monitor is indeed cut off before showing either sisters… it would mean the mastermind is hiding what they look like. And I can think of a few reasons as to why they would want to keep that hidden…'

At this point, the Kirigiri detective and the Togami family heir were all but convinced the Junko was the mastermind. All the connections were there, evidence is leading to that idea, and there's nothing that contradicts that idea. The only left to do was wait for the evidence to connect themselves.

"He'd ask them the question, and they'd all say yes…" A loud, exasperated sigh left Makoto's lips, right before a flashback played. One when he and Kyoko were at the garbage pit, and the detective talked about when she lost her memories as a detective.

'A convenient outcome…'  The lucky student repeated Kyoko's words from back then.  'Something that seemed to obviously work in favor of the mastermind… so does that mean…'

"...I've lost my memory, too?"

For a moment, the class was completely silent, processing what Makoto just said… before the class broke into full on cheers.

"WOOHOO! He figured it out! Makoto figured it out!" Hina cheered happily, hopping in her seat. "It's happening! Our future selves are going to figure their memories are lost!"

"Finally! After five chapters of this shit, fucking finally!" Leon whooped, pumping a fist up. "Can't believe it took this long for the survivors to figure it out!"

"First Kyoko, now Makoto…" Taka spoke in clear excitement. "With the two of them discovering what they lost, they should be able to convince the others!"

"Especially with the pictures given…" Sayaka spoke, having gone back to just clinging onto Makoto's arm, rather than his waist. While not as excited as her classmate, the progress shown helped alleviate some distress. "Like Kyoko said; having those pictures will help speed up the process."

"BOOM! Take that, you fucking teddy bear reject!" Mondo shouted loudly, a wide grin across his face.

For now, it seemed as though the distressing news of what their counterparts had agreed to was pushed to the back-burner. The class overall focused on basking in the progress the amnesiac Makoto had made.

'What about the others?'  Makoto's thoughts then went to his classmates; both alive and dead.  'Have we *all* forgotten? Or…'

Before he could think on it further, the school bell rang once again. And for likely the final time, the school monitor turned on. "For anything that has a start, there has to be an end." Monokuma declared. "And if the end comes, then that means it's time for a fresh start."

"There is no night that doesn't have a dawn… although that dawn is totally pitch-black! There is no storm that won't eventually end… of course, then that leads to drought! But as I said, every end is the promise of a new beginning. Which is why I'm sure we'll get to meet again. Because the end is only the beginning!"

"Anyways, let's get started! The beginning of the end of the class trial! Everyone gather once again at you know where!" The announcement then ended with the bear letting out his signature laughter before shutting off.

Just like with all the other announcements, the class fell silent, their excitement sombering some. However, rather than the dread and tension that accompanied the previous announcements… there was determination. The hope that the survivors can figure everything out; and unmask the mastermind.

'Rather than dreading the results, we're now hopeful for victory…' Makoto noted, somewhat happily. 'And it isn't this hopeless hope either… it's pure determination. The hope to actually defeat the mastermind!'

'Yeah, keep up that hope… raise it up to its highest peak…' Junko thought mockingly, suppressing any smirk or grin that may form. 'See if you keep up that attitude when faced with what actually happened to the world. What I have planned for everyone.'

'It's about to begin again…' Makoto thought to himself. 'The class trial… is about to start. The final class trial… the last time all our lives will be on the line… the last time hope and despair are on the line…'

"I don't have a choice. I have to do this…" The lucky student said to himself. A determined look entered his face. 'Okay, then! This is the end…!'

The scene then switched to Makoto entering into the elevator room. 'I guess I'm the first one this time…' The luckster thought absentmindedly.

"Huh. That's a first… ignore that pun." Leon quickly requested, realizing what he just said. "I would ask how that happened, but…"

"We can make a guess." Byakuya spoke flatly; not looking forward to what's coming.

With the various emotions the class has been going through, they'd almost forgotten that three out of six of the survivors were… currently distrustful, to say the least. But now, it's looking like they're getting that reminder.

"You're early, Makoto." The luckster turned around to see Kyoko behind him. "Does that mean you feel prepared?"

"Yeah… for now, at least." Makoto answered, a tad hesitantly. "But where's everyone else? Why aren't they here yet?"

"Don't worry, I'm sure they'll be here soon." Kyoko assured him.

"And sure enough…"

The next to show up was Byakuya, who silently walked in with a neutral look. "..."

"Byakuya!"

"..." Rather than addressing Makoto verbally, the heir merely scowled at him.

"B-Byakuya…?"

The Togami heir looked at his counterpart with gritted teeth, his arms crossed and gripped together to calm himself. Again, he reminded himself that this trap was unavoidable. That it'll be quickly unraveled in due time. Yet the reminder didn't do much to completely alleviate the frustration.

Next was Hiro and Hina, both of whom had similar states of shock. "Hina…?" Makoto hesitantly addressed. When the swimmer didn't say anything, he turned to the fortune teller. "Hiro?"

"..." Both remained silent.

Hina couldn't help but look down in embarrassment. Can't she stop being an idiot for once? See that this was a trap from Monokuma, and NOT fall for it?! She knows that the others said it was pretty much unavoidable; heck, even BYAKUYA fell for it! But she still felt embarrassed…

Hiro felt similarly embarrassed. Yet, he was able to take it in more stride than Hina and Byakuya. After all, it was a sneaky trap by the mastermind, right? Of course he would fall for it!

Finally, Genocide Jill appeared. "Aaaahhhl'mlaaaattteeee!"

Toko, who decided to finally uncover her eyes, let out a loud yelp at the sight of Jill. No matter how many times she appears, she'll never get used to seeing Genocide Jack.

"..." The group remained silent.

"Ahh, strong silent Master is so wonderful!" Jill gushed. "So cool, so hot, my loins are ablaze!"

"..." Byakuya could only aim a disgusted look at the screen.

"It's… good to see the atmosphere has no effect on Jill." Taka said hesitantly, a sweatdrop across his brow.

"Is there ever a time the psycho takes things seriously?" Leon asked; half-joking, half-actually curious.

"Not to my knowledge, no…" Celeste hummed, tapping her chin.

"Now listen, everything'll be just fine if you leave it to me! With my scissors in hand, I'll stab and gouge and shiv the master of evil…!"

"But, I thought you couldn't kill anyone but adorable little boys…" Makoto pointed out, rather awkwardly.

"If it's what Master wants, it can be boy, girl, or anything in between! I can handle it… achoo!" Immediately after, Jill reverted to Toko. "N… nng… where a-am I?"

"..." Makoto could only remain as silent as Byakuya, Hiro, and Hina.

"No human language can describe the disappointment I'm feeling right now." Kyoko said flatly.

"Agreed." Byakuya voiced curtly, his disgusted look not leaving.

"I-I'm sorry, Masteeeeeer…!" And of course, Toko took the insult straight in the heart; groveling yet again.

Monokuma then took the opportunity to pop up. "Puhuhu. Is everyone here? Ooh, and wearing our Gloomy Gus faces, I see!"

As per usual, the bear's mocking gained the usual tic marks from the class. "You gave us those gloomy faces!" Hina cried out angrily.

"He's quite aware, Hina dear; and is very much enjoying them…" Celeste remarked, one of the calmer of the students.

"Yeah, laugh it up now, you psycho…!" Leon growled, clenching his fists. "You won't be laughing in the end!"

"Okay, well then… let's begin! This final class trial is gonna be slathered in pitch-black despair! Climaxium sorrow!"

"You're right. This is the final class trial. And this time, it'll be fair." Kyoko shot back.

"Whaddya mean, THIS time?! Stop with all the slander! I'm a bear in good standing, ya know!" Monokuma growled.

"Buuuullshiiitt!"

"Yeah, stop with that lie!"

"No one's buying it anymore!"

"If there was a Mr. Fair Guy Universe contest, I'd take home the tiara every year! I'm gonna win this game super fair and square! And I'll make sure everyone watching at home knows… that despair is mightier den de hope."

Some couldn't help but feel chills at the bear's last words. And again, the question rang in their minds; the mastermind really doing all this just to prove that point? To prove that despair is better than hope?

Makoto, however, didn't feel those chills for once; and narrowed his eyes into a glare. "No… it'll be the other way around." He spoke in determination. "We're gonna show that hope is greater than any despair. We'll be the one obtaining victory."

"Indeed." Kyoko nodded in agreement to this, giving a small look of approval. "And the survivors have all the cards for that victory. All they need to do is lay them out."

"Enough of your tedious drivel. Begin the trial already." Byakuya demanded coldly.

"Sure, sure. Let's begin the trial already!" The bear responded back casually. "I'll be waiting for you down below. So don't try and run away…" And with a round of loud laughter, he disappeared.

"Hmph. Whatever." With a dismissive scoff, Byakuya walked to the elevator. "This will be over in no time."

"..." Hina and Hiro silently followed after him; same with Toko, who let out a little nervous noise.

"I… really hope this'll get resolved quickly…" Sayaka said nervously, biting her lips. "That they're all willing to listen…"

"D-Do you think they won't…?" Chihiro asked, sounding just as nervous.

"With how paranoid everyone's acting, it's hard to say…" The idol answered. "We've seen each other act stubborn before, Chihiro. I can't really say with confidence it won't be the same here…"

"Maybe. But in the end, we were able to convince each other of the truth." This time, it was Makoto who spoke up; his words filled with confidence and trust. "We were able to unite together before. Even if it takes longer than we think, there's no doubt they can figure out the trap Monokuma laid out; and focus on taking down the mastermind."

Sayaka stared at her crush for a moment before snuggling back into his shoulder. "That's another thing good about you…" She whispered softly, with clear warmth. "The confidence, the trust, you're able to place on others; and to see past their flaws…"

Her warm words took whatever confidence the luckster was showing, and replaced it with flustered embarrassment. Still… he couldn't help but feel warmth in the idol's words.

"They're all acting… odd." Kyoko noted warily. "Like they're paranoid, suspicious of each other… but you know why that is, don't you?"

"Y-Yeah, I think so…" Makoto answered with a hesitant nod.

"Well, you can tell us all about it soon. At the class trial…"

"Yeah, you're right." This time, the lucky student gave a more confident nod. "I'm ready…"

"Ready to win, right?" Kyoko questioned, smirking.

"Of course…"

"I'm glad to hear you say that." And with that, the detective headed into the elevator.

"As am I…" As Kyoko spoke, she took Makoto's hands into her own yet again. "Cause I have no doubt you'll be instrumental to solving the full mystery of the school; and defeating the mastermind for good."

That got Makoto's cheeks to turn redder; yet he did his best to match Kyoko's confidence with his own. "Like I said… we'll show the mastermind that hope is much better than whatever despair they offer."

The detective smiled. "That we will…"

Finally, Makoto started walking up to the elevator. For a moment, he seemed unsteady, anxious, his movements shaky. But with a few breaths, he stopped whatever shakes were there; and entered the elevator with more steady legs.

The subtle movements, in which the monitor focused on, was not lost on the class. And some couldn't help but feel their admiration for their lucky student, their class rep, rise up some more.

'He really came into his own…' Mukuro thought with both admiration and guilt. 'Despite the memory loss, the deaths, the betrayal and near-death experience… he's able to push past what fear he feels. Swallow it, and move forward.'

'He really is so cool…!' Hina thought in gushing amazement. 'I don't see how he can be average! Not when he's able to move forward like that! Brush off whatever the mastermind throws at him!'

'To be able to push that fear down… without even manipulating your own feelings.' Celeste… or rather Taeko mused, feeling slightly envious. 'You really are like a knight. How I wished my counterpart was able to share that confidence… to have that hope…'

Yet again, the elevator descended, with the six survivors in complete silence. As it did, Makoto closed his eyes; seemingly blocking out everything. When the elevator let out its ding, he slowly opened them…

And was met with a rather industrial looking trial room. "This… is the final trial site?"

"Whaddya think? Isn't it just the perfect background for deciding a person's fate?!" Monokuma remarked eagerly. "It's the long awaited last stage! The always-exciting final boss battle!

"Puhuhu…" And without warning, the bear hopped in one of the vacant seats. "And I'm gonna sit in on this one! I'll just sit right here in the vacant sixteenth seat!"

'So you're the one to fill that vacant seat, huh?' Kyoko remarked, narrowing her eyes. 'Rather fitting, considering who you are behind the bear.'

In all honesty, Kyoko wasn't looking forward to the reveal that much. While she was never particularly close to the fashionista, she still considered her a classmate. Perhaps even a friend. And she knows others whose she's far closer to consider the girl a friend.

However, when it is revealed that Junko is the mastermind (And at this point, there's very little that points to otherwise), she's ready to confront her. Confront the one who would trap herself and her classmates. Pushed them all into killing each other. Kill her father. Lay a trap for her to get executed. Spring that trap on Makoto instead.

A number of reasons have been given to not to forgive the mastermind. And even if that very mastermind is one of their classmates, Kyoko intends not to show any mercy.

"Well then! Let's… BEGIIIIIIIIINNN!"

'This is it… the final trial…' A number of students thought to himself. From the determined Makoto, to the nervous Chihiro, to the analytical Byakuya; they were all bracing themselves for what's to come. A mix of hope and anxiety that filled the room like a thick mist.

The hope, of course, was for the survivors to win the class trial for once. For the mastermind to be exposed and defeated, for the survivors to finally get out of the purgatory the school could turn into.

However… there's a hidden anxiety that has grown on what those answers possibly are. On who exactly controls the bear, as well as the state of the world in the future.

While there's no doubt that they need answers to both, that they can't turn back now… some couldn't help but wonder if they'll be able to handle the revelations.

Notes:

And that's the end. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Whew. Not a hundred percent certain, but it may have been a while since I've done a chapter this long. Also, apologies for any Makoto glazing that went on. I know there's at least a few of you who aren't a fan of it, but I couldn't help it. I quite like writing the class appreciating their class rep/lucky student, whenever the chance presents itself.

Also, if you're wondering there isn't more suspicion placed on Junko, it's mainly because the class as a whole is dealing with all this different information. If given the time to think, a few more of them would find Junko's absence more suspicious; but seeing things such as their future counterparts agreeing to stay in the school forever scattered their thoughts for a bit.

Anyways, that's it for the investigation. Now we're getting to the final steak; the final class trial for DR 1! The reactions are gonna be so fun to write. Leave comments, kudos, and bookmarks, and I will see you later.

Chapter 117: Watching Chapter 6: Ultimate Pain, Ultimate Suffering, Ultimate Despair, Ultimate Execution, Ultimate Death Part 9

Notes:

Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So, I heard that not only will DR 2 be re-released in 2026, but also that there'll be an alternate storyline, where the murders and culprits will be far different. Definitely interested in seeing that alt storyline, and I could see this providing extra motivation for me to do the sequel of this fic.

However, for those asking/wondering if I'll be doing reactions for the alt side, I'll probably won't. Might change my mind, depending on what the alt side shows, but at most, I'll likely just do omakes for that second route. Hope you aren't too disappointed.

Anyways, let's get to the chapter. Here, the class will finally start witnessing the final trial of Danganronpa. They're gonna be shocked. They're gonna be pissed. They're gonna be horrified. They're gonna feel… bamboozled! I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

"Since this will be the final class trial, I've come up with a special rule! So listen up!" Monokuma announced. "If you can figure out Mukuro's killer, and go on to solve the mystery of this school… you guys win! But if you can't… then I win! And of course, waiting for the loser is the super exciting, super heartpounding punishment!"

Almost immediately, Mukuro felt herself tense up. She had to stop herself from reacting in any negative way, less she draws attention to herself and reopen conversations on her fealty.

"So he'll actually execute themselves if they lose…?" Sayaka questioned, with reasonable skepticism. "Just like that? With no hesitation? No attempt to get out of it?"

"So it would seem." Celeste remarked, looking similarly doubtful. "Though I don't blame you for being skeptical of such claims."

"The survivors will just have to do all they can to hold the mastermind accountable." Kyoko stated. "Leave them no room to back out of their own verdict."

"Are you saying that if you lose, you'll execute yourself?" Kyoko inquired pointedly.

"Yup, sure will!" Monokuma nodded affirmatively.

"...And that's final?" The detective pressed further. "No loopholes? No wiggling out of it later?"

"Of course not! Bears never go back on their word!" The bear declared shamelessly.

Leon scoffed. "Hard to believe any words coming out of the bastard's mechanical mouth."

"While the cameras and broadcast will do much to keep them relatively honest, it's difficult to say what they'll do once pushed to a corner." Sakura stated neutrally.

'But if they do… should we… really hope for the mastermind's death? For them to keep their word?' Chihiro thought, feeling a tad sick at the thought. While he held no care or sympathy for the one that imprisoned their future selves, it didn't feel right for the programmer to wish for somebody's death.

But he didn't voice that thought. Not yet at least. He wasn't sure if he could handle the reactions to his question.

'Junko…' Mukuro, meanwhile, was completely against the mastermind executing themselves. She wasn't lying when she said that her loyalty is now with Makoto. And she wasn't wavering from her declaration, nor from her desire to protect him from even her sister…

But she did not want Junko to die. No matter how much their relationship will likely change, no matter her current allegiance, she absolutely did not wish to see her twin get killed. Not even by her own hands.

"Nevermind all that. I just have one question for you…" Hiro cut in, his tone gravely serious.

"Ohh, you're taking this serious, huh?" Monokuma noted. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Is the mastermind… only one person?" The fortune teller asked.

Hiro's question brought forth some of the tension felt. "Oh, here we go…" Leon muttered under his breath.

"This will be… chaotic…" Hifumi said nervously.

"...Hmm?" Was the bear's response.

"Don't bother. I already know the answer." With a deep breath… Hiro began accusing angrily. "You're all the mastermind, aren't you?! You're all out to get me!"

The sudden declaration caused some of the students to jump. "Accusations already…?" Taka exclaimed with slight surprise.

"It makes sense. Hiro is not the type to slowly breach a topic." Celeste remarked, not at all surprised by the outburst. "Hina is much the same; and while Byakuya wouldn't be as crass, he's usually quick to get to the subject at hand."

"Why do I feel like you're calling me dumb…?" Hina found herself asking, pouting a little.

"It is you who said it, Hina dear; not I." Was the gambler's reply, smiling back. That earned an ever bigger pout from the swimmer.

"I'm right, aren't I?! I knew it!" With Hiro's declaration, the non-stop debate sprung forward. Once the bullets were gathered, Hiro continued. "You guys have all been working together, haven't you?! I have evidence, so I know I'm right!"

"Hey! You stole my line!" Hina protested angrily. "You're all out to get me, I'm sure of it! I have evidence of my own!"

"What a coincidence, I too have evidence to present." Byakuya interjected coolly. "Evidence that proves everyone other than me has been working together…"

"Wh-What…? Wait, hold on…" Hiro spoke up again, in confusion rather than anger this time. "This doesn't make any sense… How can the three of us each have that kind of evidence?!"

'No, that's wrong!' The bullet was shot as Makoto spoke up. "It's not just you three. I have evidence, too."

"What?! You too?!" Hiro exclaimed in shock.

"Honestly, with everyone screaming about proof that everyone's the fucking mastermind… that's gotta turn some heads." Mondo remarked, crossing his arms. "Make them suspicious about the proof they got from the goddamn bear…"

"You're probably right, Mondo…" Makoto nodded in agreement. "It looks like they shouldn't hold their suspicion for long."

"The evidence you're all referring to is this group photo, right?" The lucky student then held up the photo he received of the whole class, excluding himself.

"W-Well, yeah…" Hina stuttered, clearly on the back-foot. "...Huh? Wait, but mine's different! With the picture you have… I'm in it!"

"But that can't be right! Cuz in my picture…" The swimmer then pulled out her picture, showing the whole class once again. This time, however, they looked to be in physical education; with Hina absent from the picture. "See? I'm the only one not in it!"

And here's definitive proof of what the mastermind was scheming. Not that any of them needed further evidence, but it was nice to see that their theory was on the dot.

"I remember this picture…" Sayaka spoke in recollection. "It's during one of our first PE classes, I think."

"Yep! I was able to get a picture of Sakura running that day!" Hina jumped in. "It's SO hard to get a good picture like that!"

"Considering she runs like a freight train? Yeah, I can imagine…" Leon snorted, also remembering that particular PE class. It was not fun.

'...Wait a minute…' Immediately, Kyoko noted something about the picture; something that shared the same similarity to Makoto's. 'Is the mastermind trying to…?'

'I figured as much. In which case…' Makoto mused to himself before speaking. "Hiro, you have a picture too, right? Let's see it!"

"O-Okay, but be careful with it. It's pretty important evidence…" Hiro requested nervously. The picture he showed was the students in class yet again, this time with some of them eating boxes of donuts.

'...She is.' Kyoko concluded, her eyes narrowed into a glare. It's clear to the detective what the mastermind, Junko, is trying to do. Trying to hide.

'Hmm?' It was something Byakuya was starting to catch as well, with the heir raising an eyebrow. 'She really is trying to hide her own identity. And making rather blatant attempts at that…'

"And here's my picture…!" Hiro spoke up, unaware of the detective's and Togami heir's thoughts. "And I remember the day I took it! The one where Kizakura-sensei bought us all some doughnuts!"

"In other words? The day Hina's squeal shook the entire school…" Mondo snorted, recalling being woken up briefly by said squeal.

"H-Hey!" Hina protested with a pout. "I wasn't that loud!"

"Hina dear… a pack of excited puppies were quieter than you were…" Celeste retorted, an amused smile upon her lips. That got the swimmer pouting even more, red tinting her cheeks.

'This one, too…! It's just like I thought!' With that thought, Makoto spoke up. "So the secret in these pictures has been revealed…"

"Secret or whatever, I don't care!" Hiro spoke angrily. "You guys are all in on this together! That's why I'm the only one missing!"

"But you're in my picture!" Hina protested herself. "You're the ones trying to trick me!"

Byakuya facepalmed while Celeste shook her head in exasperations. "Imbeciles." The Togami heir groused.

"Oh, don't go acting all high and mighty…!" Hina swiftly turned towards Byakuya to give him an annoyed glare. "You were accusing everyone else of being the mastermind, just like Hiro and I!"

"But do you hear me continue to make such accusations after seeing everyone else's proof? No, you don't." Byakuya deadpanned. "You should've realized something was off with your 'proof' when everyone else held similar evidence."

Hina could only look away with a more annoyed pout, though her cheeks did get redder.

"So the whole purpose behind these photos was to get us questioning and fighting with each other…" Makoto deduced. "The mastermind laid a trap to make us each think everyone else was working against us!"

"Huh? I laid a trap?" Monokuma spoke in fake confusion, tilting his head. "A trap?! How rude! What grounds do you have for such audacious accusations?!"

That got Hina to place her annoyance towards the mechanical bear. "Oh, maybe because you've been playing dirty tricks on us this whole time?!"

"That, and the fact that the trap in question is so clearly obvious…" Celeste added in, far more composed. "Now that the pictures are laid out in the open…"

"In each case, the only one not in the picture is the person who received it." Makoto stated strongly. As he spoke, the three pictures appeared on screen, one by one. "So, in the picture I got, I'm the only one missing. In the picture Hina got, she's the only one missing. And in the picture Hiro got, he's the only one missing."

Byakuya then spoke up. "As long as we're talking about it, I suppose I should show you my photo, as well." He then showed off that very photo, which was the class hanging out and swimming in the school pool.

"...I'm gonna assume that picture happened in the future" Leon deadpanned, his eyes on the giant fish. "Think I would remember the giant fish in the pool."

"Or that we all went to the pool together in the first place." Mondo added his own flat remark.

"And big ole Hifumi flying in the air…" Junko snickered; the mentioned fanfic creator in question balking at seeing himself flailing in the air.

Sayaka, meanwhile, was focused on a certain something about the picture. "Is there a reason you're staring in Kyoko's and my direction?" The idol asked Makoto, giving an impish smile.

And of course, the lucky student went full red. "Wh-What? N-No, I-!" Makoto stammered, trying to keep quiet while finding an excuse. "I'm sure he- I- the camera-!"

His flustered state got Sayaka giggling, glad for the chance to tease her luckster. "It's okay. I don't mind the stares." Leaning closer to his ears, she whispered, "Maybe I can show off one of my personal swimsuits. A personal showing, maybe…"

At this point, Makoto was steaming. If he could, he would be covering his face right now; alas, all he could do was keep his mouth clamped shut, in fear of letting out any unmanly sounds.

On his other side, Kyoko gave Sayaka a look that showed clear displeasure. The idol directed a smug look back in response, clearly not apologetic.

"In other words, Monokuma gave each of us a group photo in which that person wasn't included." Makoto concluded.

"And when we each saw our picture, we just assumed everyone else was the enemy…?" Hiro pieced together in shock.

"Puhuhu… figured it out, huh?" Monokuma laughed.

"And this confirms that the mastermind wasn't banking on this working for long." Byakuya declared, his eyes narrowed. "So what were they attempting to gain from this?"

"Could this perhaps be another deranged joke from Monokuma?" Taka proposed with a small frown.

"Possibly. But I can't help but wonder if there's something more to it…" Especially since they risked having their identity exposed through these pictures, hidden faces or not.

"Yeah, I thought that must be it." Kyoko spoke up. "But how was that a hint?"

"..." At Kyoko's question, Makoto looked down in thought. 'But you know… there might be more to this than just Monokuma trying to confuse us… there's something else that bothers me about everyone's pictures…'

'What is it? What's digging at me…?' In an effort to find that out, Makoto spoke up. "Listen, can I see everyone's group photo one more time? It's not directly connected to what we're talking about, but I'd like to double-check something…"

Future Makoto's thoughts and requests got the attention of the students. "What's bothering the dude…?" Mondo asked with furrowed eyebrows. "Does it have something to do with our memories?"

"I d-don't think so. There's nothing indicating that it's about t-that." Toko answered, also looking confused. "B-Besides, he already figured out that our counterparts lost our memories…"

"Makoto? Do you have any idea?" Sayaka asked the present lucky student.

Shaking off his previous embarrassment, Makoto shook his head. "No, I don't. Could be anything."

Kyoko and Byakuya, however, have an idea on what was bothering him. 'It looks like he noticed what was being hidden…' Both thought at the same time.

"Sure, no problem." Hiro agreed easily.

"Yeah, I don't mind." Hina also nodded her head.

Byakuya's picture, Hina's picture, Hiro's picture, and Makoto's picture were then shown, one by one.

With each picture being shown side by side, more students started catching the oddity. 'Hold a moment…' Celeste thought to herself, frowning. 'Why is each picture… is Junko's face being deliberately hidden?'

'Huh? But… how is Junko's face being hidden by all of us?' Sayaka asked herself, slightly bewildered. 'Is that just some big coincidence or something? Maybe…?'

'...Wait. Junko's face… it's not shown in each of the pictures.' Makoto noted in surprise. 'Is that to hide the fact that Mukuro was disguised as Junko? That would make sense, but…'

Something about that small detail nagged in the brains of each of the students, those that managed to catch said oddity. Something that led to small twists in their stomachs, or thoughts of suspicions in their minds.

Once they were all shown, the screen cut back to the trial room. 'There's something strange about all of them. Something I can't quite pin down…' Makoto mused with a frown. 'Something…'

"Can you just forget about the photo already?" Hiro cut in with some annoyance. "Grr… trying to trick me with such an obviously fake photo… I'm still pissed about that!"

"And on top of that, they went to all that trouble to make it look like we were wearing matching uniforms!" Hina added angrily.

That got attention away from the photos, and onto the survivors. "Wait! No, no, no, no! It's not fake, future me!" Hina spoke in clear panic. "I mean, yeah, it was a trick! But those photos are really real!"

"Yeah! Don't throw those pictures away!" Hiro exclaimed, equally panicked.

"And here's the next phase they have to complete. Figuring out they lost their memories…" Hifumi murmured loudly.

"Hmm? So you think they're fake?" Monokuma rhetorically inquired. "No, no, no, I assure you, they're quite real."

"...He's being surprisingly frank about these photos." Celeste noted, frowning in confusion. "And now that I think about it, he confirmed before that other photos were real, did he not?"

"He did…" Makoto answered with a nod, also furrowing his eyebrows. "But… why? Why tell us straight up that they're real? Does he not care that we find out about our missing memories?"

"Did he even care at all from the start…?" Sakura spoke her own musing. "While he refused to tell us anything about those photos, or anything related to our missing memories, he never outright stopped us from finding that out. The only time he did so was with my will…"

"And that was done as a petty attempt to get back at the survivors." Kyoko finished. So it would be safe to say that, no, Monokuma did not care whether or not the survivors figured that part of the mystery. Perhaps even… were they counting on the idea that they would find that out? Encouraging it even?

"Wh-What are you talking about?! There's no way!" Hina denied, scowling.

"Yeah! I don't remember ever taking a picture like that!" Hiro agreed just as angrily. "So it's gotta be a fake! I'm sure of it!"

"But you know… can we really be so sure?" Makoto questioned thoughtfully.

"...Huh?" Was Hiro's confused response.

"Don't get me wrong. I don't remember taking this picture, either." The luckster clarified. "But… is that really enough to be absolutely positive they're fake?"

Kyoko nodded in approval at the question. "It's a good thing you're open-minded about these things, Makoto…" She praised the luckster. "Not many could swallow that very idea, or even consider it…"

"Yeah, well… a lot of crazy stuff has been happening around our counterparts." Makoto remarked, blushing a little. "And I've been given a lot of clues because of it. I think it would be hard not to consider that idea."

"Perhaps. Still, many would still think that's too far-fetched…" Kyoko responded back. "So it is impressive you're able to think upon what's seemingly unbelievable. To consider every possibility, even when they don't make sense initially."

"Wh-What do you mean…?" Toko asked nervously.

'The reason I don't remember this picture isn't necessarily because it's fake…' As he mused to himself, the camera angled over to his side yet again. Flashbacks began playing as his body shaded into black. 'There might be… some other reason… an unbelievable but entirely horrifying reason…'

"Let's say that somehow… we'd all lost our memories." Makoto proposed softly and hesitantly. "That could explain it, couldn't it?"

"Oh, I get it! So we all just lost our memories at the same time and forgot about the photo. Makes sense!" Hiro said in clearly fake understanding… which then turned to clear incredulity. "...As if! You expect me to believe such an unbelievable occult-type story?!"

"Y-Yeah! We all lost our memories? That's just… crazy!" Hina also expressed her disbelief.

"Looks like they're reacting as expected…" Sayaka said with a small grimace. "Can't say that I blame them though…"

"Indeed." Sakura nodded her head in agreement. "No matter how much evidence is presented, it will remain an earth-shattering reveal."

No one in the class disagreed. Despite past frustrations with their future selves dismissing, overlooking, or misunderstanding evidence of their lost memories, they could all understand Hina's and Hiro's reaction to the idea. Many of them found it hard to believe at the very beginning of this viewing.

'It's only natural that they wouldn't believe it…' Makoto thought empathetically. 'But no matter how much they refuse, if that's the absolute truth, they have no choice…! We can't move forward until they accept it!'

Non-stop debate started once again, with Hiro being the first to speak. "You're saying we all got spontaneous amnesia?" Hiro summarized in disbelief. "Since when did this turn into some kind of sci-fi fantasy?!"

"I promise you I haven't lost my memory!" Hina assured Makoto. "Ever since I got to this school… I remember everything that happened!"

'No, that's wrong!' The bullet was shot as Makoto spoke up. "Those photos aren't the only things that point to the possibility of memory loss. This DVD does the same thing."

"You're not g-gonna show us something indecent, are you?!" Toko hissed warily.

"...Why the hell do you always expect people to do or show something dirty?" Mondo questioned in both disbelief and exasperation.

"What do you think, dude? Cause her mind is as freaky as she thinks everyone else is…" Leon remarked with an eye-roll. "Honestly, she's as bad as fatty…"

"H-Hey!" As per usual, the book writer glared at the baseball prodigy. "Don't c-compare me with that l-lump of trash!"

"Then stop projecting every damn dirty thought you have on everyone else…"

"...N-No, it's nothing like that!" Makoto protested awkwardly. "It's a video of all of us, being interviewed by the Hope's Peak Academy headmaster."

"When you say 'all of us' you mean…" Hina inquired hesitantly.

"I mean all of us." The luckster asserted strongly. "Including you."

"You lie! I never did any kind of interview!" The swimmer immediately protested.

"No, it's not a lie. Just watch the DVD and you'll see for yourself." Kyoko interjected. A clip of Hina being interviewed was then played as the detective continued. "The headmaster did, in fact, interview you."

"..." The screen then went back to the trial room, showing a distressed looking Hina. "What are you saying?!"

Junko had to hold herself back from giggling in amusement. Seeing how distressed some of the survivors are becoming, as they slowly unraveled the horrible truths… the stuff that helps make up for the boring moments in this viewing!

And it's merely a taste for what's to come. For there's more to be revealed, for both her present classmates and their future surviving counterparts!

"I didn't imagine you would remember." Makoto remarked, unsurprised.

"It's not about whether or not I remember…!" Hina argued in her distress. "You expect me to believe all this? That I… lost my memory somehow…?!"

"Well, we don't have any way to refute it, so we have no choice but to accept it as reality." Byakuya interjected calmly.

"How can you say that?!" Hiro exclaimed incredulously. "We're talking about living, breathing amnesia here!"

"Disregarding Hiro's… word choice, he brings up a fair point." Taka spoke up, his eyebrows creased together. "How is Byakuya able to accept it so easily, when Hiro and Hina are clearly struggling with the idea?"

"It's not just him, bro. Makoto and Kyoko also accepted the idea fairly easily." Mondo pointed out. "So it probably has to do with just having smarts."

"It seems like less intelligence and more mental resilence…" Mukuro interjected with her suggestion; ignoring any looks given to her, nervous or otherwise. "Of course, intelligence helps with piecing such revelations together. But in order to accept such ideas, you need to have a will strong enough to accept it." Something that only around a handful of the class has, from her personal observation.

"To be honest, I have something else on my mind right now." Byakuya admitted.

"Something else…?" Was the fortune teller's confused response.

"You said the DVD contains recordings of us being interviewed by the headmaster, right?" The Togami heir recalled. "What were the interviews about?"

That question brought back tension amongst the class. "And now we're back to this topic…" Leon said in a loud yet hushed tone.

"If they find the memory loss shit hard to believe, then the interviews is gonna be a fucking fantasy…" Mondo grumbled, clearly tense with a scowl on him.

"The headmaster sat each of us down, one at a time, and asked us the same question…" Makoto began answering. "He asked us if we could accept the idea of spending the rest of our lives in this school."

"What kind of qu-question is that…?" Toko voiced in shock.

"And? How did we answer?" Byakuya continued further.

"We'd say no, obviously!" Hiro cut in angrily.

"If only…" Sayaka muttered, trying not to end up a shivering wreck. She cuddled up closer to Makoto, in an attempt to calm herself.

'If only…' Was the agreeing thought of several in the class, many of them either grimacing or shuddering.

"Actually…" Makoto spoke hesitantly, looking away. "We all… said we could." A flashback of Makoto's interview was shown. "Even me… I heard myself say yes, I could spend the rest of my life at this school."

When the screen switched back to the trial, it focused on a bewildered Toko. "Wh-Why?! Why would you say yes to s-something like that?!"

"I don't know! I don't remember a thing!" Makoto exclaimed in response.

"The same goes for everyone else? Nobody remembers…?" Kyoko inquired. "You don't remember choosing to live here forever. Or even talking to the headmaster about it at all…"

"It doesn't matter if I remember or not." Hiro continued to protest. "Even if I bought the whole amnesia thing, the idea that I would want to live here forever… that's just insane! How can I believe that?!"

"No kidding, future me!" Hiro bobbed his head multiple times in agreement. "I can hardly believe that myself…!"

"And that's with the knowledge of something happening in the outside world…" Taka added grimly. "Knowledge that we still don't have the full picture of…"

"Insane or not, we can't move forward until you accept it." Kyoko's eyes were then directed towards Monokuma. "Am I right?"

"You sure are! Cuz it's all true!" The bear confirmed happily.

"Whaaaaaat?!" Hiro exclaimed in pure shock.

"So he really was expecting us to figure out our own memory loss…" Kyoko spoke with a thoughtful frown. "Possibly even counting on it."

"But again, why? What does the mastermind have to gain from this?" Celeste questioned, confused and slightly frustrated. "Why allow us to figure out such vital things?"

"Likely as part of the 'game' that they have set up." Sakura guessed, still rather calm. "Remember, the mastermind is still broadcasting this killing game for the world to see. And they want this to be a fair game, to have the effect they desire."

'That's true…' Makoto thought in agreement. Still… it feels as though there's some other reason. A reason why, from the start, Monokuma and the one controlling him have allowed the class to figure out the mysteries surrounding the school.

"I know it sounds absurd, but… if it's the truth, there's nothing we can do about it." Kyoko said solemnly.

"Indeed. We only have one path in front of us." Byakuya spoke in agreement.

"Th-Then… we really…?" Toko stuttered dreadfully.

"Yup! You all totally lost your memory at the same time!" Monokuma confirmed once again

"This is all… making my head hurt…" Hina moaned, holding said head.

"I'm so glad we figured out the whole memory thing so long ago…" Hina moaned with her future self, slumping. "Otherwise, I would be joining future me with the headache."

"Something tells me that we shouldn't speak too soon, Miss Asahina…" Hifumi advised, biting his nails nervously. "There's still plenty of things to solve in this trial, after all."

"And this isn't like some normal kind of memory loss." Makoto noted, narrowing his eyes at the bear. "You stole those specific memories from us, didn't you?"

"Oopsie! You figured that part out too, huh?" Monokuma spoke in feigned nervousness.

"Of course. There's no way we would all just happen to get amnesia at the same time." Kyoko pointed out.

"B-But… how could someone just s-steal our memories?" Toko asked timidly.

That got several students perking up, indeed curious about how that happened. How exactly did the mastermind manage to steal two years worth of memories from fourteen students?

"How…?" Monokuma repeated, tilting his head. Then he laughed. "Come, come, come, that hardly matters right now!"

"Like hell it doesn't!"

"Yeah, it matters to us!"

"Don't go avoiding the question!"

"If I said it was hypnotism, would you believe me? Or we opened up your skulls and messed with your brains?" The bear asked rhetorically. "Would you really believe anything I said? How it happened doesn't matter right now!"

"...Hate to admit, but the damn bear got a point." Leon said with an aggravated sigh. "I don't know if I would believe shit that comes out of that mechanical mouth."

"For now, all we can go on is our own hypothesis…" Byakuya let out his own aggravated sigh. That, and interrogating the mastermind about their plans and current allies.

"What matters is figuring out what memories you took from us. That's what you're trying to say, right?" Byakuya concluded.

"Puhuhu!" Monokuma giggled back in response. "I knew I could count on you!"

"The interview with the headmaster, taking that group photo… these can't be the only memories we lost." The Togami heir continued deducing. "There must have been a purpose to it all. A reason for taking away our memories…"

"Yeah. To make sure there's nothing stopping us from killing each other…" Sayaka spoke with a scowl. "Their precious killing game would've been a bust if we had them."

Makoto was in silent agreement, sporting a glare of his own towards the screen. After all, how likely was it that the mastermind could convince them to kill each other without the memory wipe? The fact that it happened felt like an answer enough.

"Of course there was a purpose! It all has to do with the original motive!" Monokuma confirmed.

"You mean the 'motive' you came up with to try and get us to all kill each other?" Makoto guessed.

"That has something to do with the memories you stole from us?" Kyoko also inquired.

Once again, the bear let out his signature laugh. "It sure does! But that part's still a secret…!" Monokuma spoke in a hushed whisper. "Anyway, I'm sure it's not easy, but let's all focus on the class trial for the murder of Mukuro Ikusaba!"

"Monokuma seems to be controlling the flow of the debate…" Sakura commented with slight concern. "Even when we got him backed into a corner…"

"Perhaps. But I wouldn't worry right now." Kyoko said assuredly. "It's to be expected that they would try to keep control of the situation. There's still plenty of time to wrestle that control from their grasp."

'And plenty of time for me to bring you all down into despair…' Junko retorted back in her mind. Sure, the junior detective can feel cocky all she wants. But can she actually handle the truth she's desperately searching for? Or will it be too much for her?

"Okay, so you want us to figure out who killed her before we do anything else…" Byakuya summarized.

'So until we do that… well either way, we have to explain every last remaining mystery.' Makoto concluded to himself. 'So… the one who killed Mukuro - the true mastermind… that's what we need to expose!'

"And now the real trial begins…" Byakuya declared, crossing his arms and leaning back in his seat. "To find out the true identity of the mastermind."

"Fucking finally…" Mondo grumbled under his breath, eager to finally see the mastermind unmasked.

It was an eagerness shared by several of the students. Once the survivors find out who the mastermind is, they'll have the critical piece needed to stop this future from happening. They can take down the creator of this killing game before they can even think of making it.

Still… a few couldn't help but have pit feelings in their stomachs. A feeling of dread over which Hope's Peak student is the one that would control Monokuma in the future.

Notes:

And that's the end. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Another few-page short one, but this felt like a good stopping point. I did the best I could do with this one, considering the class was reacting to info they already knew about. Hope that best was enough. The next chapter will get into the retrial of Mukuro's murder. Leave comments, kudos, and bookmarks and I will see you later.