The Harmony of Murders

by Dani_iz_no1

Summary:

The new season of Danganronpa has finally started to air on the waves. It has it all; Hope, Despair, Love, Betrayal and Murder.

Let's start our journey through this new season of Killing Game together and see what this new cast selected by Team Danganronpa can accomplish!!

Oh and there is one more thing to add....

......there are two masterminds this time on.

Chapter 1: Ultimate Revival

Summary:

And here we have the introduction of every cast member of this season of Danganronpa!

Brought to you by our Masterminds; Shuichi Saihara and Kaede Akamatsu!!

Oh this season is going to be downright despairful!!

"This is me." spoke a feminine voice. "I'm the protagonist of this crazy story."

Kaede stepped out of the locker but she stumbled and couldn't brace herself for impact as she fell onto the ground. 

Groaning she got back up and dusted herself off and turned around just as the locker next to hers also started rumbling.

Hearing this noise, she let out a small shriek and jumped back a little.

When the rumbling stopped, the locker opened and out came a boy.

He was dressed in all black clothing decorated with white vertical stripes. His eyes were hazel coloured with such pretty eyelashes bounding them. His hair looked navy blue under the lightning and he also sported an ahoge on top of his hair.

"Need a hand?" Kaede crouched down and offered a hand to him to help him get back on his feet. "Geez you are such a klutz Shuichi." she giggled.

"Hmm?" he hummed standing up straight. "Then what was that loud thud that I heard before coming out of that locker?" he smirked.

"U-umm." she stammered trying to think of something. "I just placed my hand on a chair for support and it toppled over! I didn't fall on the floor at all!!" she insisted.

"Yeah....riiight. Let's go with that." he nodded.

 

"Let's get on with the introductions of our characters Shuichi!" she spoke. "Even though we don't really need it." she giggled.

"Alright!" he pumped himself up. "Let's do it!"

 

"My name is Kaede Akamatsu, I'm the Ultimate Pianist, nice to meet you."

"I'm Shuichi Saihara, they call me the Ultimate Detective."

 

"How was that Shuichi?!" she asked him. "Was that good?"

"Yep!" he nodded. "You'll fit into your made up personality like a glove!!"

"Aww." she cooed as she gave him a peck on the cheek. "Same can said about you~"

With slightly rosy cheeks Shuichi ushered them both to go and explore the academy together. Even though they both knew the layout of it by heart even before coming here.

They went outside together and came across a very plain looking blue haired girl.

They both ran upto her and introduced themselves.

"Oh, you two can't be the only ones to do that." she chuckled.

 

"Oh, my name is Tsumugi Shirogane, I'm the Ultimate Cosplayer."

 

"Oh so you are a cosplayer?" Shuichi inquired. "What kind of cosplay do you perform?"

"Oh! Do I have a fellow weaboo in this academy!?" she smiled as she started drooling. "Now I can finally die peacefully!!"

"Personal space miss." Shuichi spoke and she backed up and apologized.

"Well, I cosplay all sort of famous characters from many popular anime and shows!! All my cosplay is crafted with love and care!"

"Can you name one of the shows or anime that you take inspiration from?"

"Yes!" she chirped. "There is this kids show called Doraemon that has so many cute characters to choose from!"

"Wait!" Kaede jumped in enthusiastically. "You watch that show too!?"

"Yeah I used to watch it all the time as a kid!"

"Me too, my favourite Doraemon episode is #53. The one with security cameras and target practice." Kaede jumped up like a schoolgirl with glee.

"Uh Kaede, calm down a little?" Shuichi suggested. "Let's explore a little more of this academy."

"Okay." she nodded. "See you later." she said goodbye to Tsumugi and went off with Shuichi.

 

They walked together through the halls and reached the public bathrooms.

They both took a quick glance at each other and smirked and then wordlessly entered their respective restrooms.

Kaede went inside the female bathroom and Shuichi entered the male bathroom.

She went inside the utility closet and pressed the wall at the far back of the closet. The wall receded and a hidden entrance that was hiding a pathway was revealed.

Stepping inside she ran into Shuichi who also entered from the hidden entrance inside the Men's bathroom.

Together they reached the Mastermind's room or in other words...

....their Room.

Deciding not to spend too much time inside here for now, they both returned and came back out of the secret entrance using the same method they used to get in.

They both exited via the bathroom and met back up outside in the hallway.

 

Going a little ways down the path, they ran into a boy with a green hair who also had much jewellery equipped.

"Hey there you two." he called out to them. "Where are you both off to?"

"Oh, we are just exploring this academy and meeting the rest of the ultimates." Kaede answered.

"That's good." he exhaled a breath. 

"Hmm?" Shuichi stepped forward. "Is something the matter, mister?"

"Just being cautious." He turned to his his side as his aura darkened, "Wouldn't really want you two to start doing something sinister now do we~?"

"................"

"But don't worry about all that." he chuckled lightly. "It's not all that surprising to be a little paranoid in this situation."

"That's right!" she nodded. "I mean, we all have amnesia after being kidnapped and placed inside this huge academy. Of course there will be some paranoia."

"Yeah, but my case of amnesia is a little different than the others." he sighed and looked down.

"What do you mean?" Shuichi asked.

"How should I put this?" he crossed his arms in a quizzical look. "How I got here isn't the only thing that I don't remember. I....also forgot my talent."

"You forgot your talent.....Mr.?"

"Oh right, you don't know my name yet!" he flinched slightly.

 

"My name is Rantaro Amami, I can't remember my Ultimate Talent at the moment. But I promise, I'm not a bad guy."

 

"But anyways that doesn't bother me at all." he spoke calmly. "I look forward to finding out what my ultimate talent might be."

"Well, more power to you on that adventure." Kaede commented.

"Let's hope you are a survivor in that quest." Shuichi added.

"Well you two go on ahead." Rantaro spoke. "I'll be on my way then." he waved as he walked away down the hall.

 

Moving on from that, they came across the warehouse and entered it. Inside they saw a blonde haired girl rummaging through the shelves.

Kaede moved closer to her and patted her on the shoulder to get her attention. To which the other blonde jumped and turned around quickly.

"Don't sneak up on me bitch!" she shouted in her face.

"Well, her execution is going to be extra painful now." thought both the masterminds.

"Just who are you and what are you doing here?" Shuichi grabbed her attention.

"Hey crotchrot! You staring at my tits!?" she announced vulgarly.

"..............."

"H-Hey d-don't glare at me with those.....cold and sexy eyes~" she moaned out. 

"Intent to murder rising!!" Kaede's mind boiled with rage.

"Just tell us who you are so we both can leave and attend to some more important business." Kaede spoke clearly impatient.

"You that eager to give him a tit-job using those flat pancakes on your chest or something huh!?" she bit back. "Can't you fucking see!? I am clearing talking with this big hunk of sexy meat right now!!"

"I have yet to say one word back to you." Shuichi deadpanned.

"Ahh~ Such a blunt answer~" 

"Introduce yourself. Now." Shuichi ordered.

"Y-yes Master~" 

 

"I'm the gorgeous girl genius whose good looks and golden brain will go down in history! I'm the one, the only, the legendary Ultimate Inventor herself, Miu Iruma!"

 

"Time for us to leave." Shuichi hummed.

"Indeed." Kaede nodded.

"Hey! Don't you leave me as well." Miu whined.

 

After that soul draining encounter with Miu, Shuichi and Kaede entered the dining hall and spotted two girls inside.

Shuichi walked over to the small red headed girl that was wearing a witch's hat and Kaede walked over to the other girl that was performing martial art moves.

Kaede spoke first, "Hey who are you, and why are you doing martial art moves in the dining hall?"

"Is this an introduction, if so then I will introduce myself to a fair maiden like you!"

 

"Oh yes, I'm Tenko Chabashira, HIIYAH, I'm the Ultimate Aikido Master."

 

"Ooh Aikido." Kaede hummed. "I have heard about it, it is soft form of MA, mostly used for self defense."

"Yeah!" Tenko made a pose. "But the Aikido I use is completely unique, it has been crafted by me and my master. I call it Neo-Aikido!!"

"Neo-Aikido huh?" Kaede nodded. "Shall I ask that guy what his opinion is on your Aikido methods!?"

"No!" she immediately denied. "I refuse to listen to advice from a degenerate male!! If I do that, then my powers of Neo-Aikido will dwindle and fade away!"

"Umm....okay.....? I'm gonna go now." she backed out of that conversation.

 

"Hey, who are you?" Shuichi asked the small redhead.

"Nyeh?" she mumbled and grumbled. "Introductions are a pain."

"what....?" he muttered. "What did you just say?"

She sighed and spoke, "I guess I can use some recovery magic to gain back my MP after this conversation."

".....excuse me?"

 

"Prepare to be amazed, fall to your knees, for I am Himiko Yumeno, the Ultimate Mage.....but I'm officially called the Ultimate Magician."

 

"...there." she mumbled. "That was my introduction, now I need some time alone to recover some on my lost MP."

"Alright, I'll leave you alone now." Shuichi spoke and walked away slowly.

"Man, Autism diagnosed patients really need to be looked after more carefully." he thought to himself walking away.

 

Outside the dining hall Shuichi and Kaede met up and continued on their exploration journey.

They reached the stairs that led down to the basement of the academy and started their descent.

But on their way, they both heard a loud ruckus happening inside the classroom at the top of the stairs. 

They both turned around and entered the room and saw a small purple haired boy chasing after a boy that looked like a robot.

 

"Hey! Come on! Let me touch your body a little!" the smaller boy whined. "Come on, just for a second!"

"No, I won't let you do that!" the robot shouted back.

"Awww man, now I'm bored." he sighed and pouted. "You don't even have any cool abilities like a rocket punch or shooting laser out of your eyes."

"I'm not some kind of science fiction machine! I'm a living breathing high schooler like you." the robot bit back.

"Living!? Breathing!?" he gasped and put a hand to his mouth. "If so, can I ask you a question!?" his eyes glowed with excitement.

"What is it?"

 

"Do Robots have dicks?"

 

"That's our cue to step in." Shuichi spoke quickly to get both of their attention. "Who are the both of you, and why is one of you a robot?"

"Oh, who are you two?" the small boy muttered while bringing a finger to his lips. "Were you two spying on us~?"

"We heard some kind of commotion happening from inside and decided to observe what it was about." Kaede answered.

"Or, in other words...you were definitely spying on us~" he slyly spoke.

"Well, I am the Ultimate Detective, so it is my job to analyze and examine a scenario that is playing out in front of me without interfering much by myself." he spoke confidently. "And before you make a comment on Kaede, she is just following me right now, that's all."

"..........." the small boy had an unreadable expression on his face for a few seconds.

"Alright then detective!" he chirped equipping a happy expression. "It looks like you are definitely telling the truth right now."

"Hmm...? Pardon?"

"Oh hush!" he shooed harshly. "This is the perfect time for our introduction to each other!!" 

 

"I'm Kokichi Oma, the Ultimate Supreme Leader."

 

"I think that I should introduce myself as well." the robot spoke up.

 

"I am K1-B0, the Ultimate Robot. But please, address me as Keebo."

 

"Ultimate Supreme Leader? Elaborate." Shuichi spoke gazing Kokichi's expressions intently.

"Geez detective, you just met me and you have already started an interrogation." he whined playfully.

"............" Shuichi didn't budge an inch.

"Alright fine." he scoffed and sighed.

"I am just the supreme leader of an evil secret organization. That's all." he spoke interlocking his hands behind his head.

Shuichi stared at Kokichi for a few seconds. It seemed like he was examining the attire that Kokichi wore.

"Umm what is he doing?" Keebo asked Kaede.

"No idea." she replied.

After a while, Shuichi closed his eyes and nodded his head a few times and hummed, "It all makes sense now."

"Hmm?" Kokichi hummed tilting his head. "What makes sense now detective?"

"The truth behind your entire organization. I know all about it." Shuichi smiled and turned around.

"Oh?" Kokichi showed interest in his comment. "What, did you use the luck of the draw to find out the truth behind it?"

Shuichi placed his hand on the door then tilted his head back and smirked, "Luck becomes irrelevant when you master the throw of the DICE."

 

After muttering his reply, Shuichi walked out of the room.

Followed by a pretty bewildered Kaede.

Meanwhile, Keebo's contribution to that conversation was somewhere within the cosmos.

And to say that Kokichi was caught completely off guard would be a severe understatement. He did not expect anybody to be able to uncover his big secret just like that. There was definitely something more to this detective than it meets the eye.

"Alright Mr. Detective, you have got yourself a worthy rival now." he mumbled to himself.

 

Continuing back down the stairs, they came across the basement of the academy and walked inside the game room.

Inside was a dwarf man with a very deep and gruff voice and in one hand he also held a candy cigarette. 

"Don't just walk upto a killer like me." he warned. "I may be pretty dangerous for all you know."

"Huh?" Kaede inquired. "You're a....killer?"

 

"Ryoma Hoshi, the man called the Ultimate Tennis pro, no longer exists.....I'm nothing more than his empty shell."

 

"Ryoma....Hoshi." Shuichi stated. "Or more famously known as the Tennis Mafia killer. The man who single handedly took down an entire mafia using only a tennis racket and some steel balls."

"Wait!!" Kaede flinched in surprise. "You took down an entire mafia by yourself!?"

"So you already know that much." he scoffed and twirled his cigarette around his hand. "Guess that gives you enough of a reason for you to stay away from me." he spoke as he exited the room.

"Well." Kaede sighed. "That was a quick one."

"He didn't seem like he was in the mood to talk one bit." Shuichi noted.

"We should just leave him alone for now."

 

Coming out of the game room, they went across the hallway and entered the library.

When the both of them entered, their eyes first gravitated towards the moving bookcase that had a hidden entrance behind it.

Shifting their attention to other areas of the room, they spotted a girl with long black-haired twintails.

"Umm.." Kaede prodded. "Who might you be?"

"............." she didn't answer.

"Uh....?....Hello?"

 

"Maki Harukawa.....Ultimate Child Caregiver."

 

"Ultimate.....Child Caregiver....?" Kaede parroted. "Are they running out of Ultimate ideas!?"

"Wait, that title wasn't in the list of the Ultimates that would be participating in this killing game!" thought both Kaede and Shuichi.

"I grew up in an orphanage....from there I gained the talent of taking care of many young children." she spoke sharply.

"Oh....I see." Shuichi spoke softly. "So SHE is the Ultimate Assassin. I get it now."

"I don't need your pity." she huffed out.

"Well Maki, anything more you know that you want to share with us?" Kaede asked.

"Nope." she said and then turned to Shuichi. "Hey boy detective! You must have this mystery completely figured out already. So what is it?"

"I am a detective, not a god." he bit back. "I need to properly investigate this place if I want to unearth the truth hidden in this academy."

"Well then, get on with it already! This kind of facility must be really hidden away if rescue still hasn't arrived." Maki scoffed.

"Yeah, that much is true though." he nodded as he formed a small smirk. "We can't really expect some Holy Salvation Society to come and rescue us from here."

 

Maki's entire body went into complete murder mode but she held herself back barely.

But that didn't stop her from sending him a death that had no effect on him.

Just WHO is this guy?! How does he know about the name of her Assassin Cult!?

 

"Should we move on Shuichi?" Kaede asked him and he nodded as they left the library taking one small glance back at the secret entrance. 

Not finding any more people inside this wing of the academy, they decided to start heading over to the 'exit' gates of the academy.

Kaede reached for the handles of the door but just before she grabbed a hold of it, a voice called out from behind her.

"Hold on just a moment please." called out someone with a smooth tone of voice. "Just wait one second, I have something to tell you before you open that door."

"What is it?" she turned around a saw a tall, slim man wearing a zipper mask across his face.

"These doors are not booby trapped if you are worried about that." he stated. "But if you wish to find hope outside these doors, you will be sorely disappointed."

"Just what is outside these doors!?" she spoke pointing to the door. "And just what is your unique way of dialogue?!"

"Ah, forgive my rudeness." he apologized. "I have yet to introduce myself."

 

"My name is Korekiyo Shinguji, I am called the Ultimate Anthropologist."

 

"Anthropologist?" she hummed. "So you study human culture and customs?"

"Please refer to me as Kiyo." he insisted. "And indeed, those are some integral aspects of anthropology, but there are so many more ways the beauty of humanity can be depicted." he said as he hugged himself.

"Beauty of ...humanity?" 

"Humanity is made up of many many pieces of such an immense puzzle, I merely peruse these tiny pieces, no matter how insignificant they may be. I find all aspects of humanity, even the vile and ugly ones, full of so much beauty~" he chuckled softly.

"Yeah, I'll see what is behind this door right now!" she said as she grabbed the handle and turned it.

 

Outside the door there was fresh air, green grass, clear skies....and a huge cage surrounding the entire academy.

"Hey you chumps!" roared a small blue bear. "How do you like this End Wall that we erected for your capture!?"

"I think I may be forgetting something." chirped a small red bear. "But, have I seen these two guys before?"

"..............."  the green bear remained silent.

"Now that you mention it, Monotaro." hummed the pink bear. "These two do look identical to someone I met before."

"Are you all serious!?" Kaede shouted.

"Monokuma is definitely going to hear about this." Shuichi threatened.

 

"Youse bastards!" Monosuke pointed at his siblings. "How could you all forget who our bosses are!!?"

"WE-APOLOGIZE-WE-NO-THEY-HAD-A-LAPSE-IN-MEMORY. SO-PLEASE-FORGIVE-US." Monodam spoke.

"Yeah we're really sorry!" Monophanie cried. "We won't make the same mistake twice!"

"That's muuuch better." Kaede smiled and walked away with Shuichi. 

 

Standing near the benches they saw a tall purple haired main wearing that same colored jacket, gazing up at the sky.

"Hey, some new faces!" he cheered. "Are you two also checking out this academy?"

"Yeah, we are." Shuichi replied. "Have you found a way to help us escape from here?"

"Uh, no." he muttered. "But look, any moment I will find us a solution to break out of here and become the hero that will rescue everyone!!" he roared.

"Someone turned your dial all the way upto eleven." Kaede commented.

He chuckled and spoke," Yup, that's definitely me."

 

"I'm Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars! Even crying children adore the Ultimate Astronaut!"

 

"Oh, so you are an astronaut huh?" Shuichi noted. "Have you actually been to space yet?"

"No, not really. I have just given the astronaut exam and nothing more."

"But...don't you need to have a college degree to be able to even sit in those type of exams!?" Shuichi yelped.

"Oh I had someone forge some papers for me." he spoke nonchalantly.

"................." Shuichi's mouth was left open as he digested what Kaito just said.

"Your story gets more and more bizarre the more it unravels." Kaede commented.

"And....you just told that to someone who works with the government...AKA me." Shuichi deadpanned and started walking. "You really are an idiot."

"Don't call me an idiot!" Kaito shouted. "That hurts my feelings."

 

Walking further along in the courtyard, they descended the stairs and arrived at an area of lower elevation than the rest of the courtyard.

"Hey! Where you at?" called out a voice from nearby. "Stop hiding. Show yourself!"

"Excuse...me...?" Kaede spoke but was struck silent spotting the figure standing before her.

He was a giant with fully developed muscles over his entire body and he had some kind of glass cage strapped from his shoulder.

"Oh sorry." he apologized quickly. "Did Gonta scare you? Sorry, it not gentlemanly to scare a lady."

"Can you introduce yourself first Gonta?" she requested politely. "Aww, he is such a sweetheart.....too bad he is most likely going to get murdered with that attitude."

 

"Uh, Gonta's name is Gonta Gokuhara, Gonta's talent is Ultimate Entomologist. But Gonta just wants to become gentleman. Becoming true gentleman Gonta's goal."

 

"If I may ask, what were you looking for earlier, Gonta?" Shuichi spoke.

"OH that!" Gonta looked down and sighed. "Gonta thought he saw tiny bug move across his eye, that's all. So Gonta was calling out to find the bug."

"That must have just been a trick of the eye." Shuichi chuckled. "I have yet to see a single bug in all this grass." "There is no way he can see nanokumas, so there is no need to worry about that."

"Yeah most likely case." Gonta adopted a sullen look and walked away. "Anyway, Gonta will check other areas for bugs!"

"More power to you....I guess?"

 

Spotting a small birdcage like room with a red door on it, they both smirked and walked inside together.

Inside was like a small greenhouse adorned with flowers of many colours of the rainbow.

In the middle of the room was a fountain whose structure was defined by the statue of a buff Monokuma pouring down water through a chalice held up by his hands.

There was also a tan girl standing in the room adoring the statue. By feeling it's abs!?.

She then took out her brush and started taking measurements of the statue by closing one eye and extending her arm outward.

"Uh... " Kaede clearly bewildered by the girl's actions called out. "What exactly are you doing?" 

"Oh somebody has arrived!" she chirped and turned her head towards them. "Atua and I were just admiring the craftsmanship of this here statue."

"Atua....? and I?" Kaede hummed out. "What exactly do you mean?"

"Oh yes, I haven't properly introduced myself yet." she jumped and clasped her hands together.

 

"My name is Angie Yonaga, I am the Ultimate Artist."

 

"Well that explains why you were admiring that statue." Shuichi spoke. "But who is this Atua person?"

"He is not a person silly." she waggled her finger. "Atua is a god from my home island. And I am the oracle of that island."

"I see." he hummed. "So you are the oracle of your island huh? But what does your god have to do with art?"

"Oh I'm merely the vessel through which he creates his art." she smiled.

"....pardon?" 

"When I start creating my art, Atua takes possession of me, and through me, he creates all his creations of art." she clasped her hands behind her back. "Isn't my God great?"

"....yeah." he mumbled. "Just how eccentric are the personalities this time around!?"

"I think that we both should get out of here quickly." Kaede whispered to Shuichi to which he nodded.

"Hey stop!" Angie called out. "I haven't told you two about the blood donations yet!!"

 

Dodging a bullet right there, they both went back out into the courtyard and spotted a large blue and round building with the words Dormitory written on it.

Entering the small building, they noticed it's interior was drafted using circular walls that circumscribed the dorms.

It consisted of two floors that you could reach the upper portion of using a set of stairs. The boys and girls room were all opposite to each other and everyone had an avatar of their own above their room.

"May I help you?" called out a calm and stoic voice. Turning around Kaede and Shuichi saw a woman dressed in a maid uniform.

"Greetings." Shuichi greeted politely. "What might be your name?"

 

"I am Kirumi Tojo, the Ultimate Maid. Please let me know if you require my service."

 

"You're a maid?" Kaede examined her form. "Wait! I think I have heard about you before."

"That's not a surprise." Shuichi commented. "Given who Kirumi Tojo is, she is renowned all throughout Japan for her excellent abilities to fulfill any request given to her."

"Oh you flatter me so." Kirumi blushed. "But I won't fulfill almost any request bequeathed upon myself. For example, I refused to fulfill the request to annihilate a rival nation."

"Don't sell yourself short." he insisted. "Just even being asked to perform a task such as that, is an honour in and of itself."

"Thank you for your kind words." she thanked him. "But I must get back to checking out the layout of these dormitories." she spoke as she walked away.

 

"Wait Shuichi." Kaede grabbed his hand. "Wasn't that...?"

 He nodded and spoke," The sixteenth.....yes-"

 

*Ding*Dong*Dong*Ding*

Everyone! Please gather at the Gym!

 

"It begins." they both spoke in unison.

Notes:

OOH and it begins alright.

Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this prologue filled with many many juicy details about this story.

This is just like any standard re-write for V3, except that there are two Masterminds; Kaede and Shuichi (oh and they just might or might *not* be in love with each other :)

As far as how much I have thought up how this story goes and progress? Well, I have already thought up all the victims and killers and so forth. And have already thought up the ending lol.

Only the motives and actual structuring of the murders and trials needs to be thought up. Excluding chapter 1, I have thought up how to start up this killing game.

Chapter 2: Their Headmaster

Summary:

A new and sinister voice has called all these ultimates over to assemble in the gym.

Who could this be? And just what is about to happen when they get there.

I am sure that all of you know the answer to that question : )

Notes:

So this chapter marks the beginning of the prologue of this fic and we delve into the first chapter in the next part!!

Anyways be sure to leave your replies and thoughts in the comments.

"Shall we go?" Kaede ushered Shuichi to walk with her towards the gym.

He nodded his head and started walking, but not before running into Kaito and Kirumi on their way over.

"Just what the hell was that?" Kaito spoke up. "Why do they want us to appear in the gym of all places?"

"Maybe they will have us do exercises." Shuichi sarcastically spoke.

"I dunno about that." he scratched the back of his head. "Maybe they will finally tell us what exactly is going on here."

"Maybe, just maybe." Kaede muttered. "Oh you have no idea how correct you are, Kaito."

"Excuse me a moment." Kirumi spoke. "But that voice on the announcement, it was a completely different voice wasn't it?"

Shuichi nodded, "I was just about to comment on that. The voice we heard on the speaker did not belong to any of those small robotic bears."

"Maybe the person that voice belongs to, is the one who captured us all?" she put forth while holding her chin.

"For what we have seen and heard so far, that theory is seeming more and more likely to hold water." Shuichi agreed.

"Someone studied up hard on their vocabulary." Kaede nudged him on the shoulder to which he just chuckled.

 

Entering the gym, they noticed that all of the ultimates that they encountered previously were all gathered inside.

"Oh heyyyy!!" Kokichi called out putting his hands around his mouth. "My beloved detective has arrived!"

Shuichi walked upto him and stared him down clearly taking advantage of the height difference.

"I did not give you any permission to call me that." he whispered softly. "Also, I have name that is used to address me."

"Yeah, and it's prince charming~" Kokichi cooed tilting his head.

Shuichi adopted a neutral expression on his face and spoke," Good line, but save it for someone else."

"Aww." Kokichi pouted. "I just got rejected!"

"Need some cheese with that vintage whine!?" Shuichi growled. "Look, there are more important matters discuss here in this gym than our quarrel. So please drop it."

"Alright then detective!" he turned on his heel. "See you later!"

 

Just as they found themselves standing around, not doing anything, some loud machine whirring noises started happening in the background.

Eventually they deduced that the voice kept getting louder and louder until it was just on top of them.

And in the blink of an eye, five gigantic mechs burst inside the gym and completely surrounded the ultimates.

 

"Yoo hoo!! Rise and Shine Ursine!!" they all bellowed at the same time. 

"W-W-WHAAAAATT!!!" Tenko screamed in terror. "WHAT JUST HAPPENED!?"

"Where did these mechas even come from!?" Tsumugi shouted completely scared. "Go back to whichever gaming franchise you came from!!"

"Now now." Rantaro reassured her. "If they wanted to kill us, they would have done it by now."

Shuichi stepped forward and stood in front of the red exisal, "Out with it already, what do you guys want?"

"Well aren't you a wiseguy?" the blue exisal roared. "Why don't we turn you into mush and then give the answer to your pasty body!?"

"Now now." the orange one suggested. "We should not get too hot headed here."

"We don't have all day." Shuichi spoke clearly getting impatient.

"Yeah, just why the fuck are we all trapped in here like a buncha prisoners!?" Miu shouted.

"I dunno, this prison is much nicer than the one I was trapped in." Ryoma commented.

"No time for smartass jokes!!"

"That wasn't a joke." he sighed.

 

"Oh there is only a single reason for you all being trapped here." the red exisal spoke.

"And you all have to participate in the activity that we are about to tell you!" the pink exisal added.

"And the activity that youse all have to perform is...." the orange exisal trailed off.

"OH! I am getting so damn excited!!" the blue exisal bellowed. "It is a-"

 

"KILLING-GAME." the green exisal stated.

"Monodam! How dare you upstage me!?"

"..............."

"What...?" Shuichi parroted. "What did you just say?"

"ITS-A-KILLING-GAME." Monodam answered. "YOU-ALL-HAVE-TO-PARTICIPATE-IN-A-KILLING-GAME."

 

"No way in hell are we going to participate in whatever you have planned for us!!" Kaede jumped in with fury.

"Give the girl an Oscar." Shuichi praised in his thoughts. 

"Just what exactly is this killing game?" Kokichi spoke up. "And how exactly can I play and win it!?" he smiled putting his hands behind his head.

 

Just then, a new voice reverberated throughout the entire gymnasium.

"Simmer down! Simmer down everyone!!"

"Oh that voice!" Monophanie jumped up.

"Father!!" Monotaro cheered.

"Pops is here!!" Monosuke laughed.

 

A ray of light shone from the heavens upon the small stage set-up inside the gym and then....

....a figure descended down gracefully, wearing angel wings on his sides, and seated himself down comfortably upon the podium of the stage.

 

"I am the god of this world! And the headmaster, of the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles!!"

 

"I am Monokuma!!!!"

 

"Mono.....kuma?" Tsumugi muttered. "Hey somebody pinch my cheek, I need to wake up!"

"What the fuck is a build a bear reject doing here?" Miu wondered out loud.

"That thing!" Kiyo snarled. "I can sense the despair and madness swirling around it."

"Ugh! Kids these days!!" Monokuma growled. "They can be so goddamn annoying!!"

"Daddy!?....Father!!.....Papa Kuma!?"

"Anyway." he sighed. "Where was I? Oh yeah, I need to tell you all about my killing game!!"

"You talk as if you have rehearsed this speech many times." Rantaro commented with a darkened aura.

"Puhuhuhuh." he giggled. "If only you knew~"

 

"The Killing Game is simple, you kill someone from within the academy, you undergo a test of might and mettle and then you get to graduate outta here!!" he laughed while holding his belly.

"And just what exactly is this test you might ask~?" he spoke as his eyes glowed red.

"It's a one on one death battle against your fellow classmates in a class trial!!"

"The one who killed somebody becomes the blackened and the rest of the classmates remain spotless!! If the spotless are unable to find out the identity of the blackened during the class trial, then the blackened gets to graduate and leave this academy!"

"But, in the case that the spotless do get the correct person, only the blackened gets punished and the rest of the ultimates get to live and spend out their time still trapped inside the academy!"

"Oh and the punishment received is nothing to sneeze at. It is just as it is stated, if you commit a crime and are caught, then you have to undergo a punishment."

"And in the world of Monokuma, the justice is held up by an iron fist!! The loser is immediately and promptly executed!!!"

"Any method used in murdering someone is acceptable."

"If you are feeling bold, crack open someone's skull!! Don't want to get your hands dirty, just drown 'em. Feeling slightly sicko, then stab the back of their necks! Strangulation! Poisoning! Crushing!! Anything goes in this killing game of Death and Despair!!

 

Monokuma finished his speech and started cackling like a madman upon his podium.

But just as his words died out, a new feeling of dread and paranoia transfixed itself into the very being of the ultimates.

 

The Killing Game had officially begun.

 

Notes:

Chapter 1: Our Class Trials - Daily Life, Begin.

Chapter 3: Our Class Trials - Daily Life I

Summary:

The official commencement of the Killing Game has been achieved and now we have entered the first chapter of this despair filled entertainment show!!

Let's see what is in for us for tonight's rendition.

"The Killing Game had officially begun"

 

Shuichi and Kaede after hearing the final confirmation were beyond overjoyed in their hearts, but they didn't show an ounce of it on their facial expressions.

Their remained as stoic and emotionless as ever not showing their true colours.

And the final message that they needed to receive, was the notification about all the rules of the killing game.

Shuichi pulled out his monopad and scrolled over to the rules section of the monopad.

 

• Rule #1: Students must live at the Ultimate Academy for the remainder of their foreseeable future.
• Rule #2: Once a murder takes place, all surviving students must participate in a class trial.
• Rule #3: If the blackened is exposed during the class trial, they alone will be executed.
• Rule #4: If the blackened is not exposed, all remaining students will be executed.
• Rule #5: If the blackened survives the class trial, they will graduate and re-enter the outside world.
• Rule #6: The killing game and class trials will continue until only three surviving students remain.
• Rule #7: "Nighttime" is from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. The dining hall and gymnasium are off-limits at night to enter.
• Rule #8: Violence toward Monokuma, the headmaster of the Ultimate Academy, is strictly prohibited.
• Rule #9: Monokuma will never directly commit a murder.
• Rule #10: Your Monopads are very important items. Please do not damage them.
• Rule #11: The "Body Discovery Announcement" will play when three or more students discover a body.
• Rule #12: With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore the campus at your discretion.
• Rule #13: Students who violate these rules will be immediately exterminated by the Exisals.
• Rule #14: Further, there may be new additions to the school rules according to the convenience of the headmaster.

 

"To hell with this!!" roared Kaito and swung his Monopad high up into the air. "I won't participate at all in this bullshit!"

"I wouldn't do that If I were you." Shuichi interrupted him harshly. "Rule 10 says that we can't damage these monopads."

Gritting his teeth, Kaito lowered the monopad without dropping it. 

"Sooo..." Kokichi spoke bringing a finger to his lips. "What are everyone's plans for this fine evening?"

"Fine?" Himiko hummed out.

"Oh shush you." he cooed. "Anyway what is everybody going to do? Kill someone or go to sleep?"

"Hey don't be insensitive towards Himiko, you degenerate!!" Tenko scolded. "But there is no way am I going to kill someone!!"

"Yes, I do not have even a single desire to take part in this Killing Game." Kirumi stated.

"That may be the best course of action we all can partake in." Kiyo chuckled. "It would wise for us all to go to sleep and pray to god that we wake up."

"Don't say stupid stuff like that!" Kaito shouted. "No way is someone among us going to kill to get out of here! We can all find a way to escape from here together."

Monokuma jumped into the conversation," Oh, I like that defiant attitude of yours. It is quite welcome in this killing game, as it is just soo full of despair when it gets shattered into a million pieces!!"

 

"So should we all leave or keep listening to the ramblings of this mad bear?" Kaede pointed out. "After the events of today, I am beyond tired and exhausted."

"They have provided us with dorms to help out in our residence." Ryoma commented.

"But sleeping in those rooms, okay?" Gonta muttered. "What if bear kill us while we sleep?"

"Oh for crying out loud!!" Monokuma growled unsheathing his claws. "I won't directly take part in a murder!! It says that in the rules! So you can all sleep soundly knowing that at least I won't kill you."

"And that makes it sooo much better." Rantaro spoke sarcastically. 

"If anyone else doesn't want to go. Then I'll just go on ahead." Maki spoke and left the gym.

"Atua and I are both tired, so he wants to take a nap!" Angie chirped and left as well.

Soon enough the entirety of the gym was left emptied and everyone moved on into the dorms.

They inspected their rooms and they were all nice and cozy consisting of a double bed which was blue for males and pinkish-red for females. The same coloring was also used for the interior walls of their dorm rooms.

 

---

 

"Hmm what's this?" muttered Rantaro as he inspected an item that was placed on the coffee table of his room.

It looked just like the monopad that he had on his person. But why would there be another monopad here?

"Did Monokuma make a duplicate and just placed it here?" he mumbled as he reached for it and turned it on.

On the screen several words in pink lettering appeared.

 

The Mastermind behind the Killing Game hide somewhere within the academy. Your best chance of exposing them is when Monokuma needs a spare. At that time, they will go to the library's hidden room.

 

To prove that this hint is accurate, I will predict something. The first thing that you will remember is the Ultimate Hunt.

 

Only share this information with people you know that you can trust. How you determine that will mean your life or your death.

 

-Rantaro Amami

 

 

"WHAT THE HELL!?" Rantaro shrieked and almost dropped the monopad. "What....is this!?"

 

*Ding Dong* *Ding Dong*

 

"The door..?" he mumbled. "Someone's at the door...... I need to hide this fast!!"

Rantaro quickly shuffled through his wardrobe and stuffed the monopad below his boxers and closed his closet tightly.

 

*Ding Dong* *Ding Dong*

"Coming!" Rantaro called out and opened the door gently.

"Hey there Rantaro." Shuichi replied standing on the other side and waving politely.

"What's up Shuichi!" Rantaro composed himself and waved back while standing in his doorway. "What brings you here?"

"Can I come in?" he requested.

Rantaro was a little shaken up by the discovery of the monopad, but he decided that he should just humor Shuichi and listen to him for this moment. What could possibly go wrong?

"So what brings you to my room Shuichi?" Rantaro showed him courtesy as he sat down on the sofa.

"Oh, I was just checking out my room, and then I heard a loud sound through my room's wall." he spoke calmly. "And as you and I are neighbors that share the same wall, I concluded that the loud sound emanated from within your room." he held his chin and smiled. "Is everything okay in here?"

Everything has gone wrong!!

"O-Oh i-it was just....I tripped a fell coming out of the bathroom hehe." he chuckled.

"........." Shuichi stared at him with a blank face and spoke," Is that so?"

"Y-Yeah." he spoke nervously. "T-that's why it took me so long to open the door for you, I was just changing back into my clothing."

"Are you running a fever? Why are you so nervous, just relax Rantaro." Shuichi suggested while smiling and tilting his head to the side.

 

"Or....is it that you are hiding something from me?" whispered Shuichi.

"What!?" yelped Rantaro. "What do you mean Shuichi!?"

"I mean, as soon as I stepped in, you became really jumpy and are constantly keeping your eye on me and not looking anywhere else." he elaborated.

Rantaro's aura darkened," You just came here inside my room, after that announcement was made by Monokuma and are talking very suspiciously, tell me why I shouldn't be alarmed from your sudden appearance." 

"Oh I see." Shuichi nodded his head and spoke. "You think I'm here to kill you?"

"What else does this sudden visit in the evening supposed to signify?!" Rantaro went on the aggressive.

"Woah!" Shuichi screeched putting up his hands. "Tone down on the aggression there, I am just here for a friendly chat."

"Hmph." he scoffed. "Alright, just what exactly do you need right now? Because I am currently, really exhausted after all the events of tonight and would greatly appreciate some time alone to myself."

"As you wish." Shuichi answered and got up. "I'll leave you by yourself Rantaro." 

~X~

After Shuichi left the room, Rantaro exhaled a breath he didn't that he was holding and dropped down on the sofa completely exhausted.

Gathering up his courage and strength, he opened up his closet, shuffled his clothes around and pulled out his second Monopad.

"Just what the hell is this?" he mumbled holding it in his hands. "And what does this even mean?"

 

---

 

"Well that was an eventful encounter." Shuichi groaned and laid down on his bed. "Rantaro would be a great antagonist for this season, I think."

"I mean, the Ultimate adventurer from V2, now the Ultimate survivor of V3. Let's see where and how far he goes this season."

He chuckled. "It would be pretty lame if he dies first though."

 

*Ding Dong* *Ding Dong*

 

"My my." Shuichi mumbled glancing at his door. "Look how the turn tables."

Getting up from his bed, Shuichi walked over to his door and opened it quickly.

 

*SHINNG*

A knife flew right by Shuichi's ear and jammed itself into his wall.

A cloaked figure slid past Shuichi in the dark and dislodged the knife from the wall and retrieved it.

Then said knife was quickly forced against his jugular.

 

Meanwhile Shuichi had yet to break a single sweat. 

"How are you doing Maki?" he asked the figure wearing the cloaked attire.

"So you know who I am?" called out the person whose face was obscured by the hood.

"Or should I call you The Red Rose?" he smirked.

She growled and pressed the knife farther against his throat. "How do you know my assassin name!?"

"I have my ways." he clearly dodged the question.

"No truth can be hidden from this Ultimate detective~" he whispered darkly.

"Should I just kill you and ask the answer from your corpse?!" she threatened.

"Now now Maki, relax." he placed a hand on her shoulder. "If you wanted to kill me, then would you have placed the dull side of the blade on my neck? No, you are just here to intimidate me and pry some kind of answer out of me."

"........." she just glared at him coldly.

"Or was that a mistake, did you actually mean to place the sharp side against my neck?" he titled his head and the dull side of the blade slid against his trachea. "Or is it that you are losing your touch as the Ultimate Assassin?"

Maki turned over the blade and now pressed the sharp side against his throat.

"Now talk asshole." she spat out.

"Geez, someone sure is antsy." he mumbled. "Okay, you wanna know how I know about Holy Salvation Society, right?"

"Keep talking." 

"That red and white rose." he spoke glancing at the ornament on her chest. "That was also found on the corpse of an orphan who died in a car crash."

Maki froze up instantly after hearing that.

"H-How does that tie m-me to her!?"

"Her?" Shuichi smirked. "I never specified a gender, Maki."

"............."

"Anyway." he continued. "There was an investigation that occurred into the background of the orphanage that she belonged to. Long story short, I found out that the orphanage had deep connections to the infamous Assassin Cult that I was tracking." 

"But alas, the story was covered up by people with a higher rank than mine. So that truth remained forever buried." he finished and placed his hands in pockets.

She spoke up after retracting the blade," You won't tell anyone else about this story and my true identity that I am actually the Ultimate Assassin. Got it!?"

"Got it." Shuichi pulled out his hands and nodded.

 

He then looked behind her and shouted a single order, "Hit the deck!!"

Maki not questioning one bit, complied and immediately lied down on the floor face down.

*Pew* *Pew*

Several shots of bullets went over their heads.

Maki moving quickly crawled over to the shooter and disarmed them by yanking away their footing and they fell on the ground with a thud and she nabbed the pistol away from them.

~X~

"Oww." they groaned rubbing their sore spots. "Why the heck did you do that!? I was only a few more kills away from calling in an airstrike on this place and blowing it to kingdom come!!"

"Kokichi!?" Maki hummed. "The fuck are you doing here!?"

Shuichi walked over and inspected the 'bullets' that Kokichi had shot at them. And as he suspected they were BB bullets.

And when Maki inspected the pistol she was holding, it was an extremely realistic looking airsoft gun.

"Me?!" he hummed. "What is little ol' me doing here?.... I dunno, I was just messing around with Keebo until he pulled out an invisibility cloak and just vanished into thin air."

"I asked about why you fired BB rounds at us." Maki grumbled.

"Oh thaaat?" he inspected his fingers nonchalantly and spoke. "I was just bored and wanted to do some crazy shit."

"Oh I'll show you crazy shit." Maki barked and reached out her hand to strangle him, but Shuichi's iron grip on her arm stopped her.

 

"Let me handle this." he spoke and stepped in front of Kokichi. "I know that you lockpicked my door to get in here and listened in on our conversation, Kokichi."

"Well, you don't like to waste time it seems, detective. Just straight to the point and no BS~" Kokichi smiled and brought a finger to his lips. "I like that, I really really do."

"So you listened in on our conversation!?" Maki shouted as her blood started to boil. "Tell me one reason why I shouldn't kill you right now!!"

"Uhh, you would get executed by Monokuma in the class trial?" he spoke pointing at Shuichi. "See, witness standing right there."

"But anyway getting back on track." Kokichi continued. "Me, spying on you both could have been just a lie for all you know. I mean I could have just came out of my room hoping to prank someone by just shooting an airsoft gun at them."

"You lied!?" Shuichi gritted his teeth as his expressions turned sharp.

"Woo. Detective. Calm it there!" Kokichi appeared stunned. "I just told an itty bitty lie right there, cuz I am a liar after all. I don't even know if what I am saying right is a truth or a white lie."

Exhaling a breath, Shuichi calmed himself and spoke," So, Kokichi, it seems that you are my arch enemy." Shuichi turned as his entire aura was consumed by darkness. "For you see, I hate liars with a burning passion."

"As a detective, the truth is above all else for me." he continued. "So people like you, who strive to live their lives completely shrouded within a dark web of lies, I absolutely detest them with every fibre of my being!!" 

"So if you want to continue to live inside your own fantasy world crafted by your false hopes, then be my guest. But know this, I will haunt your every waking moment if you try to preach your cowardly ideology to others."

 

"..........." nothing, absolute pin drop silence.

"Goodbye." Kokichi turned around closed the door behind him.

"Umm." Maki mumbled. "I will leave as well. I need to think about Kokichi for a little bit." she left and Shuichi closed the door after her.

He plopped down upon the and bed and sighed. "Wow, we are off to an amazing start just with the first fucking day!!"

 

---

 

Kaede sat upon the comfy sofa inside the Mastermind's hidden room.

"Woo." she giggled. "These cushions are made from good quality material! They are so soft!"

"You betcha miss." Motherkuma answered from within her pod.

"Yep. Team Danganronpa went all out for this season it seems." she inspected the room for a second time. "Though the heart designs on the wall might be a bit cliche and they might get degrading quickly."

"Well, you can't win 'em all."

 

"Hnrghhh." Kaede groaned. "Just where the heck is Shuichi!? He should have been here by now!"

"Don't tell me! He stood me up!?" Kaede pouted. "Next time, I'll give him an earful of my words. Mark them!"

"Mark what?" Motherkuma asked.

"My words!!" Kaede clarified. "Get it? Like mark the words that he will get an earful of?"

Motherkuma groaned out loud.

To save the entire audience from second hand embarrassment, the back door of the hidden room opened and in came Shuichi.

"Sorry I'm late!" he called out.

"I got caught in a situation." he said as his thoughts lead him back to that encounter with Maki and Kokichi.

"Shuichi!" Kaede shouted and wrapped him in a hug that he reciprocated. "Don't be late next time. Got it?"

He nodded and walked over to the sofas and sat down. "So, we are finally here. Inside our own killing game and controlling it."

"Seems kinda unreal doesn't it?" she spoke. "I mean the series that we both adored, we are finally a part of it! And now we get to broadcast the next season of it live!"

"Well you two should get used to it quickly." Motherkuma joined in. "Most masterminds take a little bit of pre-prep to help them get on their feet, but as there are two of you this time, this should go smoothly."

"Yeah, this was just the first day and things are already seeming to be off to an amazing start." Kaede spoke. "I mean, all of their personalities are soo different from their ones from their audition tapes!!"

"Team Danganronpa really created some eccentric personalities this time around." Shuichi noted. "My original personality was a bit meh, so I decided to make a cool new twist to it."

"Hmm what kind of twist?" she asked.

"Well, originally I was supposed to be completely afraid of the truth and hid from it, and you helped me overcome that fear." he replied as she blushed. "But, what I want to do is make my character the complete opposite of that. In the way that he absolutely loves the truth and will do anything to uncover it and bring it out into the light and also he hates lies a whole bunch as a side product of that."

"You call that a twist?" she muttered. "That's an entire re-write."

"Potato potato." he parroted.

 

"Okay." Shuichi stated. "We can keep conversating like this some other time, but right now? We have urgent business to discuss."

"Oh yeah!" Kaede chirped. "I totally forgot about the entire reason for this meeting!"

"Monokuma!" Shuichi clapped his hands to call out the ursine.

"You called?" he popped up out of the ground. "What do my precious overlords want from me~?"

Kaede giggled and picked him up, "Aww, you are so freaking cute!"

"Hey don't noogie the bear!!" Monokuma yelped as he thrashed around in her lap.

Shuichi chuckled seeing their antics, "Alright Kaede, put him down."

"But I don't wanna!" she whined. "He is so cute and fluffy!"

"I am not a cuddle bear!!" he groaned.

"Fine." she huffed out and put him back down on the ground. "There you go."

 

"Geez, don't use those out of nowhere cuddles on me again." Monokuma grumbled. "Now is there a reason you actually called me out here?"

"Yep there is." Kaede nodded.

"And it's about our next big action." Shuichi added.

"Oh is this what I think it is!?" Monokuma showed excitement on his face.

"It's time for the first motive of V3!!" they both announced in unison.

"Puhuhuhuhuh." he giggled. "Now you two are talking my talk."

"For this time, I shall present the motive that we should use for the first murder." Shuichi put forth. "And for the second murder, Kaede can provide the motive idea!"

"Oooh I like that!" she agreed.

"Well, looks like it's decided." Monokuma grinned. "So detective, what is the first motive."

"Something special." he grinned as he continued.

"It's time to bring back a fan favorite."

Notes:

That's the first part of this daily life done!!

How did you guys like this version of Shuichi huh!? I thought that a Shuichi who does not fear the truth at all and does all he can to uncover it would be perfect for a Mastermind Shuichi AU.

You get a shoutout in the end notes if you can correctly guess this motive! Only the first person who commented the correct answer will get the shoutout.

Chapter 4: Our Class Trials - Daily Life II

Summary:

Oh what time is it folks!?

That's right, it's FIRST MOTIVE TIME!!

And this one is a fan favourite!! SO enjoy today's edition whole heartedly!!

"Rise and Shine Ursine!!"

 

Kaede woke up on her bed the next morning to a new jingle of the Monokubs signaling the end of nighttime. Groaning, she got out of bed and took a quick shower and readied herself for this morning to meet everyone in the dining hall.

Walking outside, she ran into Ryoma who was also just coming out of the dorms. 

She walked upto him, "Hey Ryoma! Where are you off to?" she asked.

"Hmph." he scoffed. "If you really want to know so badly, then I am headed to the dining hall."

"Oh yeah, I am heading there as well." she replied. "Want to walk there together?"

"Sure, why not?" he hummed and started walking at a brisk pace just slightly ahead of her.

 

A little ways into their walk together, she noticed his posture and spoke up," Hey Ryoma, it seems to me that....., you don't really seem happy with yourself."

"What gave you that impression?" he asked pulling his beanie over his eyes and looking down.

"It's just that.....you seem to be constantly burdened by your past, and that seems to be haunting your every move going forward."

"Is there even a forward path left for me anymore?" he sighed.

"Don't say stuff like that!" she shouted. "Sorry for shouting, but that kind of negativity can be really harmful for you. I know that you have a deeply traumatizing past and I have no idea what it is about."

"Yes." he nodded. "You have no idea regarding my past and my failures."

"So, are you going to let those mistakes haunt you forever?" She took in a breath and continued. "But, we are not our failures. How you choose to move forward and having an idea about where to focus on your next destination where your life might go, is sometimes the best method to cure some really deep wounds."

"Geez." he chuckled. "If I knew beforehand that this walk will turn into a counselling session, I might have declined your offer."

"But do you regret it?" she asked him.

"Regret what?"

"Regret having this talk?"

".........no." he answered as he pushed open the door and entered the dining hall.

 

Inside, Shuichi was sitting on the dining table besides Rantaro enjoying some miso soup, sushi with soy sauce and a cinnamon roll.

All of the delectable cuisine was of course prepared by Kirumi, who was currently serving everyone who had sat down on the table and helping the one's who had just arrived.

"This is really delicious, Kirumi." Shuichi complemented her from his position sitting down. "I mean, this sushi has the perfect texture and spiciness to it! And I haven't even said anything about this miso soup yet!!"

"Indeed." Kiyo appraised with taking a bite out of the Takoyaki, "This meal is truly to die for!"

"Hey let us ladies talk as well!!" Tenko shouted as she took a bite of her portion of the hot pot stew, "This chicken stew is just so freaking good!!"

"I know right!" Tsumugi chimed in," I don't even like eating veggies but this! This has so many vegetables alongside this chicken, and I'm just gobbling them up like I'm Kirby!"

Miu shouted at the top of her lungs, "THIS DANGO TASTES EVEN BETTER THAN A BOY'S DANGO BENEATH HIS PANTS!!"

Everyone collectively blushed, groaned, glared, made similar comments in retort to that statement.

 

"Kirumi! Be my mom!!" Kokichi demanded as he finished his rice balls. "You make such nice meals!!"

"Please." she chuckled. "I am the same age as you Kokichi, so please refrain from calling me your mother."

"But Kirumi's cooking is really good." Gonta complimented. 

"Sit down Kirumi." Rantaro offered. "You made this meal for everyone, you should enjoy it as well."

"There is no need for that." she politely declined his kind offer. "If I sit down to enjoy it, then how would I be able to serve you all?"

"Alright." Shuichi spoke as finished his meal. "I have finished eating, so you can now sit down Kirumi, I can help out in serving whoever needs it."

"U-um." she flinched slightly. "There is no need for that Shuichi. As a maid, I should be the one who serves you all."

"Kirumi!" Kaede called out. "You are our friend, not our personal maid! Take some time off, please!"

Kaito added in, "Yeah Kirumi, even though you made a killer meal for all of us, you should enjoy it too."

"I can help out Shuichi in serving the others." Maki muttered after getting up and collecting the dishes.

"Are you sure Maki?" Shuichi asked her. "Your help would be appreciated, but I think I can handle this alone."

"I always helped out in setting up the dinner table back in the orphanage." she answered. "So yes, I want to help out a little."

"Alright." he chuckled as he picked up a few dirty dishes and placed them in the sink.

 

This first morning trapped inside the ultimate academy was going smoothly for all the ultimates so far as they were all trying to mingle amongst each other in the best way possible that their current situation allowed.

But, in the  back of their minds, there was a thought that was ever-present. They were all currently trapped inside this academy without a great means to escape back outside.

And then there was the whole issue regarding their headmas-

"Hey did someone call for me!?" talk of the devil, he popped up out of the ground.

"No." Rantaro spoke a single word.

"Well, I am that type who invites himself to any party that is currently happening in his apartment block." he chuckled. 

"Oh you are the worst." grumbled Himiko. "Seriously, the worst."

"Stop bothering us and leave us all alone." growled Ryoma as he chewed on his candied cigarette.

"Oh? How can I leave all the participants of my vicious killing game all alone by themselves~?" he cooed.

"Nobody among us is willing to partake in your killing game, Monokuma." Keebo added.

"Yeah, so quit bothering us and go hibernate into a hole you dug in the ground!" Kokichi whined.

 

"Oh for the love of!" he growled. "Alright fine! This might be a little pre-mature, but you all asked for it!"

The kubs suddenly made their appearance and as quick as lightning, they zoomed around the entire room going from person to person in the blink of an eye.

All the while clutching something black and white in their hands.

"What?" Kaito mumbled. "Hey what the hell!?"

He winced as a sudden pain shot through his wrist and when he looked down upon it....

.......he saw a bracelet with Monokuma's face, clutching his wrist.

"What?" Angie spoke up inspecting the bracelet currently bound on her wrist. "What in Atua's name is this?"

"This....oh this." he cackled like a madman. 

 

"This is your first motive!!"

 

"M-Motive!?" Kaede jumped and pointed at the bear. "Just what the heck are these things!? And what the hell is a motive!?"

"Simple." he replied. "The motive means, that it is a motivation for you all to kill each other!"

".............."

Shuichi spoke up, "So, you are insistent on us going through with this sick and twisted game that you have laid out for us."

"Yuppers detective!!"

"Then can you at least tell us what these are?" Rantaro glared menacingly. "If you really want us all to kill each other this badly."

"Yeah yeah!!" Kokichi jumped up. "I wanna know what these boring and cheap friendship bands do."

"Okay! At least some of you are enthusiastic!" Monokuma jumped up as he pulled out another copy of himself. 

"There's two of them!!??" Tenko yelped.

"Oh don't worry this one is a duplicate that I created using some advanced and hidden technology." he winked and tied another bracelet around his hand (paw?).

"Ooh ooh some important loredrop!" Kokichi spoke up.

"What I'm more interested is what he intends to do with it." Kiyo commented.

"Atua thinks that as well." Angie nodded in agreement.

"There!" Monokuma shouted suddenly as he picked up his duplicate and plopped it down on top of the dinner table.

"What are you trying to do?" Kaede asked.

"I think he is placing it there so that we can all look at it clearly." Shuichi theorised.

 

"At last!" Monokuma shouted to get everyone's attention. "These little bracelets that I have strapped to your and this duplicate's wrists are clearly your very first motives."

"So it is just as I thought." Rantaro hummed as he flicked his wrist. "These bands are somehow related to your motive."

"Oh and what do you mean by our first motive?" Angie whispered darkly.

"No need to worry about all that." the bear clearly avoided the question. "And now let's all see what these bracelets are actually capable of doing!"

He pressed a red switch and the light on the bracelet of the duplicate bear's wrist suddenly turned on and started displaying some characters.

And just as quickly, the bear instantly became purple and plopped down onto the table and started frothing from the mouth.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHH" cackled their captor. "I call these babies.....

 

".....The Forbidden Actions!"

Notes:

Sorry if this chapter was a bit shorter, but now I am starting to work on drafting the deadly life.

But don't hold your breath for a murder juuuust yet, we will still have a few more chapters of the daily (only with the added benefit of the motive being active) while we go through this daily life!!

Chapter 5: Our Class Trials - Daily Life III

Summary:

And now here we have it folks!!

The motive has been revealed, and it is the oh so beloved Forbidden Actions!!

Let's witness the fallout of the announcement!!

...."The Forbidden Actions."

 

 

The bear cackled as his left eye glowed crimson. "These little puppies strapped to your wrists contain some highly toxic and lethal poison that will knock all of you out and send you over to the big man upstairs in a single poke! As so.....elaborately demonstrated by my clone." he pointed to the now completely pale Monokuma robot who had stopped frothing and had gone completely immobile.

"Gah!!" screamed Tenko as she clawed at the metal bracelet. "Get this thing off me!!!"

"Nuh uh uh." mocked Monokuma. "I wouldn't do that If I were you~. See, these things might or might not, just go off instantly if you try taking them off your wrists by force."

"Monokuma." Shuichi spoke to get the ursine's attention. "What exactly do you mean by 'Forbidden Actions'." he demanded. "Because according to your explanations of these things just now, they are just fancy poison vials."

"Yes." Rantaro nodded. "These things don't have any relations with performing any action so far it seems."

"Geez!" Monokid roared. "You buncha smartasses are sure as hell impatient aren'tcha!?"

"If youse guys would just let pops explain, then we could get somewhere!!" Monosuke growled.

"Well then tell him to get on with it before we die of old age!" Kokichi scoffed.

 

"Alright everybody!" the bear brought out a second switch and pressed it. "Now take a look at your shiny new death traps!" he cackled.

And then, the occupants of the room glanced at their band to notice that a new screen had popped up and a few words were being displayed on them.

There were many expressions of shock, surprise and confusion plastered on their faces as they read the words popping up on the screen in their minds.

"Just what exactly are these characters supposed to mean?" Kiyo asked before anyone else.

"Puhuhuhu, these words....or rather actions currently being displayed on your screen, are from henceforth completely forbidden for you to perform!!" Monokuma giggled. "If you perform the action currently being displayed on your band, then you will, to put it mildly..... die."

 

"WHAT!!!"

"E-excuse....m-me?"

"Are you serious!?"

The whole room went into an uproar as Monokuma's announcement sounded out. 

Kirumi spoke up amidst the chaos," Just to make this clear....if I perform what task is currently being shown on my wrist....I will die?"

"Yep!" the bear nodded and twirled around on his toes. "If any of you do perform your forbidden action, even by accident....then you'll die!"

"B-but." Keebo stammered. "W-what about me? Since I-"

"Instead of being poisoned, you will receive a really large and lethal dose of electricity that will fry your insides instantly." the bear interrupted. "Don't think that you are immune from this motive~"

 

"Aaanyway!" Monokuma cooed. "It's time for me to bid farewell to you all~ Have fun killing each other!!" he chirped as he vanished alongside all his kubs.

"Hmm." Kokichi hummed placing his palms on the dinner table. "Now, this is surely a predicament we have found ourselves in."

"Talk about putting it mildly." Ryoma scoffed. "Now I am starting to have some flashbacks of prison seeing this shackled to my arm."

"What can we do to get this.....brace-let off?" Gonta asked quizzically. 

"Just how do these things even work?" Kaito spoke out loud. "I mean, are these things even real or was he just lying about these being able to kill us."

"Ummm." Kaede murmured. "Didn't that one Monokuma 'die' due to being poisoned by that thing?"

"B-but-"

"I think we have a much more important matter regarding these bracelets that we need to discuss. Don't we?" Angie butted in with a low tone.

"It's everybody's forbidden action." Shuichi demanded turning to face everyone. "What actually is it?"

"E-erm....I...." Tsumugi trembled and covered her wrist with her palm.

 "Oh what is it Tsumugi?" Kokichi jumped up on his seat. "What is your forbidden action!?"

"I don't wanna say it!" she shouted and ran into the courtyard.

"And off she goes it seems." Rantaro sighed. "And I don't think that she will be coming back here with us anytime soon. Will someone go check on her?"

Gonta nodded and went outside to check up on her without saying a word.

"Dear me, it looks like the seed of doubt has started to take hold in her psyche." Kiyo chuckled. "What will this development lead to, I wonder?"

"She is not the only one who is tense after that news. Just take a look at everyone in the room." Maki muttered.

And it was clearly evident in all their expressions that all the joy of their souls had been sucked out of it. 

"Hey cheer up everyone!" Kaede cheered. "Don't be so glum, there has to be a way that we can overcome this!"

"Oh?" Kokichi perked up. "And what does little miss pianist have to add to this conversation?"

"We should take caution to avoid performing our forbidden actions to the best of our abilities and stick together." she announced. "That way, no murder can actually happen in this academy."

"Yeah!" Kaito pumped his fist into his open palm. "We all will find a way to escape out of here together and before that, we will find a way to take off these stupid bands!!"

"Is it really going to be that easy?" Rantaro turned to his side and held his chin. "Both of your idealistic views can only take you so far."

"There is a difference between idealistic and optimistic!" Kaede retorted. 

"And we all know that she is the optimistic one in our group." Shuichi smirked.

"That sort of optimism is greatly appreciated in our current situation." Kirumi perked up. "We definitely needed those words of encouragement in this dire situation."

"Yep yep! Angie is in a much better mood after hearing Kaede's little speech!" the artist jumped up and clasped her hands together.

Keebo nodded and spoke," Indeed, those words have truly resonated with me and I have newfound determination to get out of here together with everyone."

 

"Maaaaaaaan!" Kokichi whined slamming his palms against the table. "I didn't know that you all were this gullible!!!"

"What!?" Tenko yelped and pointed at him accusingly. "What do you mean you degenerate!!?"

"Just why exactly do you enjoy messing with us kid?" Ryoma sighed and fiddled with his beanie. "We are all already in enough of a stressful situation as is."

"Don't you all get it?" he said bringing a finger to his lips and whispered. "You are all being too nice, cozy and buddy buddy with each other. And stuck in this situation, that sort of casual attitude is akin to a deathtrap prepared using your own hands."

"And just why exactly do you think that Kokichi?" Rantaro turned to him and asked him.

"See these things attached to our wrists." he pointed at the band. "These are proof that whenever we will try to cooperate with each other, our captor will force us apart using necessary force. And all of that is before one of our own stabs us behind our back."

"Why are you so sure that one of us will do that Kokichi?" Shuichi stepped forward. "Why do you think that one of us will betray us and start this killing game?"

"Mr. Paragon of Justice." he annunciated every syllable. "You should know much better than anyone else here what goes on inside the mind of a criminal. So, you should know how easily a person can flip from being a completely law abiding citizen into a mass murdering psychopath." he hummed. "And in our current situation that switch flip is but a feather's touch away."

"Who actually wronged you Kokichi!?" Keebo yelped while trembling. "Why are you so distrusting of others!?"

"It clearly looks like he is suspicious of everyone here." Maki spoke. "Well that is no wonder given our current predicament."

"........" Miu silently shook with fear.

"Well well well. It seems that you are someone really interesting Kokichi." Rantaro chuckled and turned away. "But you do need to turn your dial down a little, no murder has happened here and we all will take caution so that it doesn't occur."

"Yeah! No murder is going to happen inside this academy!" Kaito boisterously announced.

 

"Shouldn't we all get back to what we were going to do after breakfast?" Ryoma asked everyone. "I think I need a moment to digest everything about what happened right now."

"You are right." Maki nodded. "I think I should head back to the dorms and....take a....rest."

"Why did you say it like that Maki? Is something the matter?" Kiyo inquired.

"No, nothing is wrong." she denied quickly and started walking away.

"Wait!" Shuichi put his hands in front of her to stop her. "Aren't you going to tell us your forbidden action, Maki?" he smirked deviously.

"Just what exactly will you knowing my forbidden action even accomplish?" she pointed out. "It doesn't matter whether you know about it or not."

"Is that really the reason Maki?" Shuichi whispered as his bangs obscured his dark aura. "Or are you actually......afraid of something?"

"Do you wanna die?" she whispered lowly so only he heard her death threat. "Get out of my way."

"Very well then." he nodded and retracted his hand. "You can leave and run away from your problems if you want to."

She didn't bother giving him a response and walked out of the dining hall.

"Does anybody else have anything to say? Or is it finally time for for Angie to take her leave?" she requested looking towards the group.

"I think I need some time to think to myself and help out Himiko wherever I can!" Tenko cheered. "Also Himiko.....why haven't you said anything at all!?"

"Wait, now that I think about it....." Kokichi gasped. "Has Himiko been killed!? So that's the reason she has splayed her upper body across the dining table!?"

"WHAT!!!" Tenko screamed and reached out to shake Himiko.....but stopped just an inch away and retracted her hand.

"Nyeh?" Himiko mumbled while yawning. "W-what's.....going on?" 

"Himiko?" Tenko spoke completely confused. "You were....asleep?"

"Just how in lord's name did you manage to sleep through the entirety of the motive announcement!?" Kiyo asked genuinely shocked.

"Oh I already heard her snoring." Kokichi giggled. "That's why I knew that she wasn't dead! She was just sleeping that's all."

"So your earlier remark of her being dead was...." Keebo spoke.

 

"A lie!!" he shouted. "Yup, I lied! I really really like pranking others and...." he turned to Shuichi. "...pissing them off."

"You are a goddamn child, Kokichi." Kaito scoffed. "Why the hell do you like messing with others so much!?"

"No specific reason." he ignored him. "I just like doing it is all. Well, I am going to leave now and not show any of you my forbidden action since that will most likely lead to me getting killed by one of you."

"Why do you say that so casually like you don't even value your own life?!" Kirumi scolded.

"Oh nevermind that, no one will cry at my funeral." he giggled and put his hand on the door. "That's all folks I'm-"

Shuichi grabbed his hand and yanked it back so that he stumbled back into the room. "You are not leaving just yet Kokichi." he growled.

"What the hell!? I am not showing you my forbidden action!" Kokichi barked at him as he rubbed his hand. 

"If you say that no one will cry at your funeral, then why are you scared of this measly toy around your wrist!?" Shuichi bit back. "Are you really that afraid of the truth!?"

"Am I the only one in this room who is afraid of the truth?" Kokichi breathed out as he formed a cheshire smirk. "Look around you and see for yourself....detective."

"...what?" muttered Shuichi and turned to the others.

"I think it would be best if we don't indulge in the forbidden action of others and keep ours a secret." Kiyo stated as he fiddled with silver chain.

"Yup yup!" Angie cheered in her usual preppy tone. "I don't think that we should tell the others what our own forbidden action is, so it doesn't harm us in the long run."

"I still got a ways to go." Ryoma sighed. "So, no, I won't be saying what my forbidden action is."

"Maybe, not telling what our actions are.....is the right thing." Kaito turned away and mumbled.

"And I don't have any plans to go revealing my forbidden action any time soon." Rantaro smirked slightly.

 

Shuichi stared at them wide-eyed for a few moments and then closed his eyes tightly. He took in a deep breath and exhaled.

"Cowards." he spat with words full of venom. "Absolute and utter cowards who hide from the truth and are scared of it!!"

"...Shuichi...?" Kaede mumbled nervously.

He then lifted his hand high up in the air, in clear view of everyone and pressed down upon the screen.

And a line of wording in red appeared across his screen in bold lettering for everyone's eyes.

 

 

Shuichi Saihara's Forbidden Action

 

Being more than 3 metres away from Kaede Akamatsu

Chapter 6: Our Class Trials - Daily Life IV

Summary:

A great discourse has happened among the class as Shuichi has gone ahead and revealed his forbidden action just like that!!

What will be the consequences!? Time to find out!

Shuichi Saihara's Forbidden Action

 

Being more than 3 metres away from Kaede Akamatsu

 

 

"There." Shuichi spoke and lowered his wrist back down. "Now you all know my forbidden action, try and use it against me if one of you wants to kill me."

"............." everybody was stunned and speechless at the bold declaration of his own forbidden action just like that!

Rantaro was the first one to gain his composure and then spoke, "Umm....what the actual hell is wrong with you!? Are you not afraid for your own life!?"

"Y-Yeah!" Kaito shivered. "Just why did you reveal your action out of the blue like that!?"

"If you all are that afraid of cooperation that you refuse to reveal your action, then I guessed that I needed to use some brute force to pry out the truth." Shuichi smirked. "Such hypocrites all of you." he sighed and shook his head. "You talk the talk, but don't walk the walk."

"Now what the hell does that mean you degenerate!?" Tenko pointed at him accusingly.

He continued, "On one hand, you all want to cooperate with each other and survive, but on the other hand, you refuse to reveal what your own forbidden action might be. If we all know what the forbidden action of everyone is, then we can easily cooperate with each other, don't you all get it!?"

"See kid." Ryoma grumbled and looked him in the eyes. "There is some truth and foundation to your theory, that I'll admit. But what if someone uses that information to...... kill someone else?"

The already tense atmosphere of the room went up several notches just then.

"What?" Kokichi turned his neck to look at everyone's faces. "Hey! Why does the clock on all your faces say twelve? Has the K-word been banned or something!?"

"Don't just shout it out like that so nonchalantly!" Kaede grumbled. "Take this seriously! We are all currently trapped inside this academy with a death trap strapped to our wrist!"

"But what Ryoma said is completely true." Rantaro spoke crossing his hands. "Anyone can use the information that our motives provide against us and use them for murder, that's why I refuse to reveal what my forbidden action is." he turned to Shuichi and spoke, "And that is my final stance, I shall not budge, even if you use force."

 

"Tsumugi's here guys." Gonta announced entering the dining hall again. "She was just a bit scared that's all. So that why she ran away."

"S-sorry guys." She apologized entering the room behind Gonta. "I got a little s-scared is all when the motive was announced."

"Is that all there is to it?" Kiyo questioned further.

"Y-yes." she sighed. "Also, I might have had some urgent business that I needed attending to." she blushed as she looked away.

"What do y- nevermind that." he quickly backed off. "Let's just leave that one be shall we?"

"Yeah you degenerate!" Tenko struck a pose as she warned. "Keep your perverted thoughts away from the ladies!! Especially Himiko!"

"Nyeh?" she mumbled. "What are we even talking about? Talking is such a pain."

"We appeared to have gotten sidetracked amidst our debate." Kirumi reminded. "The original topic is whether or not we should reveal or own forbidden actions to others."

 

"I think that we should reveal them." Kaede voiced her opinion aloud. "It's just as Shuichi said, maybe knowing what actions we should avoid doing will help us in cooperating better."

"Thank you Kaede." he smiled and nodded at her.

"That's a no from me!" Kokichi put his arms behind his head and giggled. "No way am I going to let all you wannabe murderers in on my secret."

"Well screw you then!" Kaito shouted balling his fists. "I believe in Shuichi, so I shall stand by him and reveal mine!"

"This is so stupid." Maki spoke entering the room. "You all are a bunch of idiots."

"Now where did you come from Maki?" Angie cooed tilting her head. "Angie thought that you had left the dining hall."

"I never left. I was just standing outside the doorway listening in on you all." she replied with a dull tone.

"Oh and that does not arouse any sort of suspicious now does it?" Kiyo chuckled to which he received a death glare from her.

"Anyway." Maki sighed. "I have no intention of revealing my forbidden action. So I won't be doing it no matter what."

"I don't want to reveal mine either." Tsumugi mumbled. "Sorry everyone."

"Aww look Shuichi!" Kokichi mocked. "You only have two people on your side."

"Now wait just a moment Kokichi." Kirumi interrupted him. "I however hold the opinion that we should reveal them, even if my opinion doesn't matter as I am but a humbled maid, revealing our actions should help us out in the long run."

"Yeah." Ryoma nodded as well. "Even if revealing them may be risky, but we need to take that kind of risk stuck in this kind of situation."

"Yes." Keebo spoke his thoughts. "My inner voice is also guiding me to reveal what my forbidden action is to others."

"The audience agrees with us huh." hummed both Kaede and Shuichi in their minds.

 

"H-HUH!?" Kokichi yelped throwing his hands. "W-what the heck!? Do you all have a death wish or something?!"

"Don't worry." Kiyo reassured placing his hand on his cheek. "I also, am against revealing my action. You shouldn't just unearth the private secrets of someone, cuz who knows what lurks beneath one's mask~?" he giggled creepily.

"No no. We should say it, Angie actually wants to say her action to everyone!" she announced. "Shuichi's little theory might be the correct option!"

"This isn't a game show Angie!" Tsumugi pointed at her.

"Nyeh it's a pain to want to say it out loud." Himiko sighed.

"Wait!" Tenko shouted. "Then I won't say it either!! I shall follow you into the depths of hell Himiko!" she finished as she started drooling. 

"Gross." she mumbled pulling her witch hat over her eyes.

"............." Miu had yet to speak a single word. But she shook her head in denial.

"But Gentleman want to reveal to action to others." Gonta brought a finger to his chin. 

"Hmmm." Shuichi hummed and brought a finger to his chin. "Our opinion seems to be rather split on thi-"

 

DID SOMEBODY SAY SPLIT!?

 

The bear jumped out through the ceiling and shouted out loud at the top of his lungs.

"Did you just say that your opinion was split!?" he jumped up and down in glee. "Did you!? Did you!?"

"Daddy calm down!" Monophanie shouted to calm him down. "Or else you are going to pop a vein!"

"Does he even have veins?" Monosuke held his chin. "Eh, doesn't matter."

"Why are you so worked up?" Shuichi asked their headmaster. "What an attention hog."

"I am just very exited for something that is coming up in the future!" he giggled and snapped his fingers. "Think of this as a trailer for it!!" 

Suddenly two signboards labeled 'Reveal your action' and 'Don't Reveal your action' wheeled in behind the classmates.

"Now what the heck is this!?" Kaede spoke aloud. "Don't tell me he....."

"Simple, when the opinion of the entire class gets split into two, we must make two different groups and make them argue against each other to decide which one is correct!" 

"Oh so it means that if you do not want to show. Go and stand in front of that board. Got it!" Kokichi nodded his head.

"But why have this be so theatrical?" Kirumi questioned the bear.

"Just go with the bit!" he growled. "This mechanic is really popular among the fandom!"

"What?"

"What?"

 

"Alright!" Kaede cheered. "Let's just get on with it already! Everybody take your positions!"

"How about this." Rantaro stepped in as they took their positions. "To end this really long debate that we have been having. If you go over to that side, you are forced to reveal yours and we aren't. And that is the finale of this discussion." 

"Fine, I agree to your terms Rantaro." Shuichi nodded in agreement.

"Wait! So there won't be a debate in this scrum debate?!" Monokuma yelped in disappointment.

"NO!" shouted many.

 

Split Opinion

Scrum (Non) Debate

 

Should we Reveal our Forbidden Action?

 

Reveal your action.

Shuichi

Kaede

Kaito

Kirumi

Keebo

Gonta

Ryoma

Angie

 

Don't Reveal your action.

Rantaro

Kokichi

Korekiyo

Tsumugi

Miu

Maki

Tenko

Himiko

 

 

"Is this the final decision of everyone?" Kaede asked for confirmation to which everyone nodded.

"So I guess that this is it." Kaito hummed. "We all have to show our actions now."

"And don't you dare back out you degenerate!" Tenko warned.

"Who is going to start?" Angie asked her group. "I shall do it after someone else reveals theirs."

"Oh don't be indecisive now." Kokichi giggled. "Or are you getting cold feet?"

Suddenly Kaede lifted her wrist high into the air and pressed down upon the screen of her band.

 

Kaede Akamatsu's Forbidden Action

 

Having Shuichi Saihara die

 

"There." she lowered her hand and sighed. "I did it."

"Huh?" Shuichi stared with his mouth slightly agape.

"You two are connected with your actions it seems." Kokichi chuckled. "Interesting."

"Hey I didn't make these!" she shouted back. "Shuichi made them!!"

"So if Kaede is not in the immediate vicinity of Shuichi, then he perishes." Kiyo hummed pressing a finger to his lips. "And as a result of that, Kaede also succumbs to the embrace of death."

"What a twisted game this bear has set up for all of us." Rantaro smiled darkly.

"I will take that as a compliment!" the bear laughed holding his belly.

"Talking of immediate vicinity..." Shuichi fake gulped. "How large are the dorm and the dorm rooms?"

"Umm..." the bear thought holding his chin. "The actual dorm building is around 25 by 35 metres across. And the rooms are I think 5 by 8 metres in size. But don't quote me on that!"

"Uh oh." Kaede became wide eyed. "That is not good at all."

"Yep!" The bear giggled with complete glee. "Even if you two sleep in the same room, the risk of you both dying is high!"

"That is quite a conundrum, since they are only allowed to be 3 metres apart." Kirumi spoke holding a chin. "And the couch is also too far from the bed in order for one of them to sleep on if the other decides to take the bed."

"HAH! Guess they both are going to get it on tonight on the same bed." Miu spoke smugly while holding her hips.

"Wait!" Kokichi stumbled as he turned to look at her. "You can fucking speak!?"

"Yeah." she replied. "You think I couldn't?"

"Then why have you been quiet all this time!? I thought that your forbidden action was that you weren't allowed to speak." he sighed and rubbed his temple. "And there goes the peace I thought I would have received, not having to listen to you talk that is."

"Can't the couch be moved though?" Tenko asked touching her fingertips together. "Cause I'm not letting Kaede sleep with a deg-"

"Oh and I shall be bolting down those couches in their rooms." Monokuma interrupted harshly. 

"EH!?" Tenko yelped. "B-but Kaede..."

"I'll think of something Tenko. Don't you worry." she reassured. "Just move on and let me sleep next to him!!"

"So who is next?" Shuichi asked his group members.

"I'll go next!" Kaito announced as he revealed his band to everyone.

 

Kaito Momota's Forbidden Action

 

Punching someone else with your fists

 

"That one is so easy to avoid!" Kokichi whined throwing a tantrum. "Why couldn't you have gotten one that you weren't allowed to go the bathroom!"

"You little!" Kaito gritted his teeth at him.

"Wait a second." Maki interrupted. "Why does it specify someone else?"

"Uhhh." Kaito shrugged. "I don't know."

"You punch your own open palm as a second habit Kaito." Shuichi pointed out. "That's why if it didn't specify someone else, you would have most likely killed yourself by punching your palm."

"WHAT!?" he shouted out. "Are you serious!?"

"Once again, that's a complement to me!!" the bear cackled.

"Shall I go next?" Kirumi asked and showed off her wrist.

 

Kirumi Tojo's Forbidden Action

 

Performing Maid duties

 

"I suppose this should have been obvious." she sighed and held her maid dress softly. "Now I won't be allowed to serve any of you using my abilities."

"Aghh." Tenko groaned. "But I really really liked Kirumi's cooking. Now what will I do!?"

"It seems that someone else will have to cook food for our appetite then." Rantaro bemoaned. "Well, can't have everything I guess."

"I should be able to help a little with the cooking." Maki stepped forward. "Well, it doesn't compare to hers but we can take what we can."

"This is quite unbefitting of a maid such as me to be unable to fulfill the needs and wants of others." Kirumi sighed and looked down. "Have I failed in my duties as the ultimate maid?"

"Hey no need to be so down!" Kaede shouted. "It's just temporary, right?"

"Very well. I shall be taking a temporary leave of rest while this band is active on my wrist." she nodded.

"I shall be doing mine next." Keebo spoke.

 

K1-B0's Forbidden Action

 

Running or Sprinting inside the halls

 

"Excuse me?" Rantaro gawked as he chuckled. "Is Monokuma a hall monitor now?"

"AHAHAHA!" Kokichi laughed clutching his stomach.

"Who in their right mind came up with these?" Shuichi looked around trying for an answer and as he saw Kaede glaring at him, he looked away quickly.

"Don't ridicule my forbidden action!" Keebo grumbled. "It is still very dangerous if not dealt with properly!"

"Hmph." Ryoma scoffed. "I don't know which is worse, yours or mine."

"What is yours Ryoma?"

 

Ryoma Hoshi's Forbidden Action

 

Opening a door

 

"See, I can't actually leave this room without one of you guys' help." he sighed. "Effectively, I am trapped in this room as if it is a prison."

"So someone needs to be by Ryoma's side it seems." Kaede held her chin and added. 

"Who wants to take up that responsibility?" Angie asked everyone. "C'mon someone speak up."

"Would it be okay if I help you out Ryoma?" Kirumi asked. "When I wake up, I shall open the door of your room so that you are not locked inside."

"That would be greatly appreciated Kirumi." he replied. 

"It would be my pleasure as well, since I am effectively a stray maid at the moment." 

"Wow this little show and tell is turning into quite the watching experience!" Tsumugi cooed. "It's like I'm actually playing out the scenes of a famous high school slice of life anime!!"

"What part of this is slice of life?" Tenko mumbled glancing at her.

"Ooh Ooh can Angie go next!?" she cheered to get everyone's attention. "Okay, here goes."

 

Angie Yonaga's Forbidden Action

 

Mentioning the God Atua

 

"See now Angie has completed her task!" she chirped and sat back down on a chair.

"So that's why you stopped mentioning Atua." Kiyo chuckled. "Well that does make a whole lot of sense now."

"It does make Angie said that he she can't talk and spread the word of her god for now. But that will only be a temporary problem!" she smiled.

"So you aren't the only one whose action is linked to talking or speaking." Miu hummed to herself.

"Why did you say that Miu?" Shuichi smirked and probed further. "How do you know that there are multiple people with speaking impairment actions? Since Angie is the first one yet whose action was related to that."

"Could it be that....." Rantaro caught the baton that Shuichi passed. "Hers is also related to talking?" 

"Talk about a slip of the tongue." Himiko giggled.

"Fu- Frick!!" Miu yelped. "I-I didn't mean to say that out loud!!"

"Aaand that last statement sealed the deal." Shuichi mocked her. "You aren't allowed to curse Miu."

"You might as well confirm it Miu." Kaede sighed. "You couldn't have messed up more than that."

"Craaaaaaaaaaaap!!!!!" she shouted and showed her wrist in defeat. 

 

Miu Iruma's Forbidden Action

 

Swearing

 

"N-now do you all get why I was silent all this freaking time!?" she pointed accusingly at them. "This is really difficult for me!!"

"Yeah, you can definitely give a drunk sailor a run for their money in a swearing competition." Tsumugi sighed and rubbed her temple.

"At least our ears can rest a little easier now." Kaito mumbled. 

 

"This little bitchlet really needs a punishment like this to better her attitude." Kokichi scoffed and looked away.

Miu moaned out, "Bi-bit-" Kaede slammed her palm against her mouth.

"What the hell is wrong with you Kokichi!!?" she shouted at him. "You almost killed her right then and there!!!"

"I did not expect that kind of childish behavior from you Kokichi." Rantaro scowled at him. "Now you have become a liability for us it seems."

"Hey cut me some slack!" he retorted. "I didn't know that she would actually get off on being called that!"

"It is quite fortunate that Kaede acted quickly." Shuichi spoke crossing his arms behind his back. "Or else this killing game would have started up right then."

"All it takes is just one single decision." Ryoma looked away. "And your entire life changes, for better....or for worse."

Miu regained her composure and spoke glaring at Kokichi, "I will deal with you my own way!" then she turned away and sat back down on the dining table.

"Awww." Monokuma groaned looking sad. "Kaede just denied me a fresh corpse."

"Cry about it!" she chuckled in her thoughts.

 

"If I remember correctly." Keebo spoke up. "Then only Gonta is left who has yet to show his forbidden action, right?"

"Yes." Kaede nodded. "Just he is the last person who is obligated to tell us his action. Though if anyone else wants to tell us theirs, they are more than welcome to do so."

"Shuichi?" Gonta called out to him and pointed to his band. "Need help reading this." 

"Alright Gonta, I can help you out." he replied and walked over to him. Gonta lowered his wrist and crouched down to compensate for their height difference and showed off his band to him.

Shuichi reached out and touched the screen and the words appeared on the screen. Shuichi faked a reaction by widening his eyes slightly.

"Can Shuichi tell Gon-" Shuichi slammed his palm against his mouth to keep him from talking.

"STOP!" he shouted. "You can't say that Gonta!"

"Can't say what!?" Tsumugi asked with concern in her tone. "He can't say what Shuichi!?"

"This." he showed off his band to everyone.

 

Gonta Gokuhara's Forbidden Action

 

Referring to himself in third person

 

"That's sadistic beyond belief!" Kiyo snarled at the bear. "How could you do that to him!?"

"I can do whatever the damn hell I want!!" the bear retorted unsheathing his claws. "This is my academy and you all are the participants of my killing game!"

"Nope!" Kaito denied immediately. "Not going to participate one bit!"

"I think the first thing we need to focus on, is to find a solution to Gonta's action." Angie suggested. "Or else he might die you know?"

"Yeah, I also think we should focus our efforts on that." Tsumugi agreed. 

"Gonta, you need to start using 'I and we' to refer to yourself from now on." Keebo gestured. "Can you try and do that?"

"Ummm.....Uhhhhh." Gonta stammered trying to find his words. "This really hard.....for....me."

"There you go." Shuichi lightly praised. "Now just try and practice doing that a bit more."

"Ahhhh.... I....am a gentleman.....I want to become .......true gentleman." he spoke slowly thinking over every syllable.

"That's much better." Rantaro smiled and suggested. "Try to speak slowly and think over the syllables before you speak and you should be fine."

"Thank you..... Shuichi and Rantaro." he pulled both of them into a bear hug.

"Nghh...." Shuichi groaned out being squished by his hulking physique. "I....appreciate the gesture.......but you are..... squishing us Gonta!"

"Yeah.....he's right." Rantaro coughed out. "We are both.....skinny enough as is!"

"Sorry!" he quickly let both of them go. "G- Me!! Me so sorry!"

 

Shuichi and Rantaro both inhaled and exhaled long breaths as they maintained their footing on the ground. 

"Is that all?" Rantaro huffed out. "Cuz I'm leaving now. I desperately need some alone time to myself now."

"Y-yeah." Shuichi caught his breath and spoke. "It's time we left this dining hall already."

"Don't forget me!" Kaede called out. "We have to stick together at all times from now on!!"

"I haven't forgotten!" he defended. "I was just coming over to get you is all."

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's just go already." she spoke.

Shuichi reached for the handle of the dining hall and pushed open the door. He exited the dining hall followed closely by Kaede behind him as they went on a journey as they had a little bit of free time to themselves.

 

Free Time Start!

Notes:

If you guys want to suggest some free time events that you want to appear in this fic, feel free to leave them in the comments. I'll try to get them added in this fic (not a guarantee though). It could be anything, from one person to many. Just make sure that either Shuichi or Kaede or both of them are involved.

Chapter 7: Our Class Trials - Daily Life V

Summary:

Let's see what these two lovebirds are getting upto now that they are allowed to have some free time to spend with the other students!

Notes:

THIS FIC IS ALREADY AT 1K HITS!?? WHAAAT!!

So, it was now finally the time for both the orchestrators of this grand show to enjoy the experience of a killing game that aired live on television. And these two lovebirds had been 'stuck together' due to the motive provided by Monokuma.

Which in reality was all planned out in the background by a cunning and calculating boy who never leaves a future scenario upto chance. He has the prowess to observe a person just once and instantly find out what they might be planning next and what exactly they are trying to hide between their lines.

If you even think that you can hide secrets from him, you are sorely mistaken. He is capable of unearthing the truth and lies even if they may be hidden several meters below the ground.

The truth is incapable of hiding from this man.

No wonder he received the fictional title of the Ultimate Detective.

 

On the other end of the spectrum, we have a cute and bubbly girl whose good looks and positive personality can influence anyone and help bring them over to her side. While in reality, this girl doesn't harbor any faith in humanity.

I mean, why should she? People steal, kill and terrorize others for what..? Pleasure? Self-gain? Petty revenge? 

Whenever someone is being possibly mugged or raped in the back alley of a city, what do the bystanders do? They just bury themselves in their phones and keep walking down their path a little quicker than they were doing before and try to drown out the screams of someone asking for help.

People close to her recommend her to have a more positive outlook on life. 

What is her answer? Just turn on and look at your televisions.

Danganronpa. The most popular fictional show currently airing. Every season, 16 teenagers are selected as volunteers to participate in a 'fictional' killing game orchestrated for the entertainment of the masses. Thrown into a prison alongside several strangers and forced to kill each other to survive. 

What a sick fucking joke.

 

Fate played such a cruel trick uniting these two together. Two lives split apart from each other, but at the same time, they were inseparable according to destiny's writing.

They still remember the times they shared with each other before coming to this academy, the laughter and smiles they wore together when they were with each other. 

In fact, look at the irony, the boy who was obsessed with deception and mysteries, ended up being the first source of true joy and happiness in her life. And the boy who was forever garnering for the truth, found the unsolvable mystery of his own heart.

Yes, they loved each other deeply.

 

---

 

"Hey Kaede." Shuichi spoke up as they walked together in the hallway. "Should we hold hands?"

"Huh!?" she turned around quickly. 

"I mean....we can't be far apart from each other. So, why not be as close as possible?" he smirked and held out his palm.

"S-sure!" she replied while blushing and held onto his own using hers and started walking ahead. "Get a grip on yourself woman!"

Shuichi just giggled being a witness to her antics. "Someone sure is a little embarrassed holding my hand." he teased.

"I swear to god Shuichi." she warned puffing out her cheeks. "I will kill you."

"No you wont." he grinned batting his eyelashes at her.

"Hngggggh." she groaned and he chuckled. "Let's just go!" she announced as they both left the academy building and went into the courtyard.

 

"Hey Hey! Shuichi and Kaede!!" called out someone sitting cross-legged on the ground. "Come, look at Angie's art!" called out the artist.

"Yes please come and witness my beauty!" announced Keebo as he struck a model pose. 

"What....is going on here?" Kaede asked bewildered. "And why is Keebo doing photoshoot poses when Angie is drawing?"

"Yeah." Shuichi parroted. "What are you two even doing here sitting on the grass?"

"U-um." Keebo touched his fingers together and spoke. "I actually ran into Angie coming out of the dorms.....and got dragged into this." he looked down.

"Yup!" she chirped. "Angie had an inspiration suddenly and wanted to draw a portrait of someone without the help of..... anyway!" she quickly recovered. "Keebo looked like a good enough volunteer for one of Angie's works, so she decided to paint one for him!"

"Can we see it?" Kaede requested and Angie turned her handheld drawing board and showed off her piece. It was certainly.....unique.

"Uhhhhh." Shuichi blinked several times. "What is that...blob....of blue supposed to be?" he asked pointing out to a specific area of the figure.

"Oh that!?" she answered. "Those are actually Keebo's chest and shoulders. And those are his arms and those are his legs!" she quickly named each of his body parts.

"Now I know that I am not a roboticist." Kaede stated looking over at Keebo then back at the painting. "But I'm pretty sure his legs are supposed to be below his waist, not to the side of his waist."

"Whaaaaat?" Angie shouted dramatically while pressing both her hands into her cheeks. "But this is a portrait made by Angie without the help of....., so it can't actually be that bad. I mean it doesn't compare at all to..... but, Angie still has some talent!"

"I-it's just Modern art!" Keebo stepped in. "It can be quite abstract at times, so it makes sense that Kaede didn't see the beauty in it."

"Now what's that supposed to mean?" Kaede narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you trying to say that I-"

"Hey Keebo!" Shuichi interrupted hastily. "I get why Angie wanted to make a portrait of someone. But why you specifically?"

"Oh it's just." he rubbed his palms against the grass. "I wanted to feel a little more.....human."

"I'm sorry?..... What?"

"I...I want to experience what it is like being a human. What sort of emotions and feelings they are able to convey. Things like that." he said as he reached for the painting. "If I could see what the others think who I am like.....maybe I can start to feel some emotions and be able to understand you all better." he closed his eyes. "That is why I wanted to have this painting made for myself."

"That is so heartwarming Keebo." Kaede smiled. "Of course we see you as one of our own. You are capable of rational thought, right?"

"Indeed. Using my logic given to me by my professor. I can compute rational thought just as a human." he answered.

"Well then you should get along with us just fine." Shuichi nodded as he got ready to walk away. "By they way, are you going to keep that painting?"

"Yes, I plan to hang it up on the wall of my dorm room." 

"Oh and where are you two off to hmm?" Angie hummed twirling her brush against her cheek. "While holding hands as well~" she teased.

"It's just a precautionary measure against the motive." Shuichi replied. "T-that's all."

"Sure sure." she giggled. "Be off you two!"

 

Friendships Fragments Obtained!

 

---

 

Kaede and Shuichi kept on walking, they walked across the dorm building and down the stairs leading to the lower courtyard. 

They then spotted a second blonde who wears pink, going inside a small lab of sorts.

"Are we really doing this?" Kaede groaned. "Miu can be so annoying at times."

He nodded, "That's true, but we need to kill some time. Also remember, she can't swear, so she should be a lot more bearable."

"Okay." Kaede sighed. "Let's go in." she pulled him by his hands and entered the room alongside him.

"Hey you two!" Miu called out loudly to them. "Why are you here!? Can't you see that this gorgeous girl genius is admiring her lab!"

"We are just here to check it out as well." Kaede waved with her hand and greeted. "There isn't any other reason to it."

"Admit it! You and your flat chest are here alongside your little boytoy to admire my beauty!" she cackled holding her hips. "Well what else could your reason be?!"

"How dare you call him that!!" Kaede shouted back. "Take it back this instant!"

"I see you have a found a way to not be able to swear and be annoying as all hell." Shuichi commented. "Still as rude and crass as ever. Also Miu, if Kaede is flat, then you are no bigger than a pancake."

"P-pancake!!?" she moaned out holding her hands over her chest.

"I think that we both should take our leave." Kaede turned to him and suggested. "It seems that someone doesn't know the proper way to speak to someone."

"W-wait!" she desperately called out to both of them. "Just wait a sec you two!"

"What is it?" Shuichi groaned growing impatient. "It better be quick."

"I-i just wanted to test out a new invention I just made." she mumbled out clearly shaken up by both of them. "I-is that so much to ask for?"

"Alright." Kaede agreed to her proposal. "Just what exactly is your invention, Miu?"

"Just wait one second and you two will be completely floored by my genius in an instant!" she announced as she started rummaging through many devices which were all thrown across her table.

"Argh! Where is it!?" she groaned trying to look for it among a metallic mountain.

"Maybe you should actually organize your belongings so that you can find your inventions easier?" Kaede suggested.

"Shut up!"

"I guess that's a no from her." Kaede sighed.

"Found it!!" Miu suddenly shouted pulling out one of her inventions. "Now you two stand next to each other for a little bit." she ordered.

"What is that?" Shuichi asked taking a glance at her hand. "Is that a....scanner?"

 

*Beep* *Beep*

 

Suddenly two beeps went off as Miu pointed the scanner once at Shuichi then at Kaede. 

"What did you do Miu!?" shrieked both of them.

"I call this baby, The Hookup Counter!" she twirled the device around her hand. "It tells you how many times you've fu-.. slept with someone or how many times someone has slept with you."

There was a quick shuffling noise inside the lab.

"Now let's see here." Miu touched the screen and inspected it. "Wow I'm never calling you two virgins ever in the future." she wolf whistled looking at the number. "Huh, that's weird?"

She glanced up from the device to look at Kaede and Shuichi.

"Why do you two have the same number?" 

But saw that nobody was standing there anymore.

"Wait! When did the both of them leave!?" she whined as mushrooms grew on her head.

 

Friendship Fragment Obtained!

 

---

 

"I don't think I can show my face to Miu ever again!" Kaede huffed out as she closed the dorm room door behind her back.

"Me neither." Shuichi spoke through deep breaths as he braced himself against his room's wall. "Maybe....I'm not sure. She might not catch the meaning behind it."

"It's Miu." Kaede deadpanned. "She would immediately figure out the meaning behind us having the same number."

Shuichi sunk down to the ground. "Well, guess we'll just have to wait and see."

 

*Ding Dong* *Dong Ding*

It is now 10pm. As such, nighttime has officially begun.

 

"I really really need a shower to clean myself off before going to bed." Kaede took a glance around his room then suddenly her gaze snapped back to him. "Wait how exactly are we supposed to take a shower....or use the bathroom for that matter?"

"Uh..." he held his mouth open searching for an answer. "I didn't think that one through when I created the actions did I?"

"No you didn't." Kaede sighed sagging her shoulders.

Then a mischievous smirk grew across her face.

"We just have to do it, together~" she whispered seductively as she made a come hither gesture with her finger.

"Ha. Alright, I'm down." he chuckled and got up from the ground.

 

 

Walking together hand in hand, they entered the bathroom and she bolted the lock of the door closed behind her just as she reached for the hem of her vest. She quickly pulled on it and titled her head to the side to help rid herself of the clothing.

Shuichi shrugged off his vest and threw it onto the bathroom floor with a clear hurry and impatience coming forth from within him.  And his need was evident in the way he just snapped his shirt off his chest undoing each button at the seam instantly.

She just wanted to rip off her shirt just like he did, but her buttons came off much quicker than his did using her nimble fingers. She didn't waste a moment and discarded it onto the ever growing clothing pile.

Last pieces of clothing to come off from each of them were his pants and her skirt as they were subsequently removed with speed. They now stared at each other standing still in their undergarments all the while completely crimson red and heaving breaths huskily.

It didn't require another second for him to press their bodies together with each other desperately craving each other's heat, it was as if they were denied it for even a second longer, they both would die from hypothermia immediately.

Their lips and mouths met each other next and were joined together in a messy tango of lust. Theirs hands found perch among each others backs and waist as they soothed, rubbed and kneaded the skin to draw out more pleasure from the other.

"S-Shuichi..." she breathed out after separating. "L-let's actually enter the...shower." she reminded him.

"As you wish, Sweetheart." he agreed as he knelt down and carried her in a bridal carry within his arms and entered the shower to actually clean themselves a little bit.

But they both knew what kind of passion awaited them inside the glassy enclosure.

Notes:

How did you guys like that ending;)

I might or might not just continue where these two left off in the next chapter. I still want to decided whether or not I want to write smut for this fic.

I mean, there aren't many good shower smut fics out there.

Anyway I'll see what happens.

Also, don't worry about the deadly life. Just think of it as a sort of slow burn for the murder happening.

Chapter 8: A Night to Remember (Smut!)

Notes:

HOLY ATUA DID I GET CARRIED AWAY WRITING THIS!!

SMUT WARNING!! THIS CHAPTER IS COMPLETELY SMUT AND NOTHING ELSE!! AND HOLY FUCK IS IT KINKY!!

No big overall plot relevant development happens in this, so you are allowed to just skip this chapter if you want to.

 

Now, the tags for the smut, I shall be writing below if you want to prepare yourself.

#Shower Sex #Rough Play #Consensual Rough sex #Dom/Sub Roleplay #Dom!Shuichi #Sub!Kaede #Maledom/Femsub #Body Worship #Noise play/Audiophilia #Vaginal Fingering #Orgasm Delay/Denial #Oral Sex #Paizuri/Titjob #Vaginal Sex #Aftercare

Carefully balancing his lover in his carry, Shuichi entered the shower glass and pushed it open using his leg. Then quickly and without stumbling, he closed it behind him and settled her down on the tile on her feet.

Shaking, she steadied herself against the ground and gazed up at him through half-lidded eyes. Even if he was just a little taller than her, his sleek and toned build really brought forth a striking look for him as he looked down at her.

He reached for the shower knob and turned it on so that the water would start gushing down their bodies as they stood together admiring each other's beauty. They didn't care that they had yet to take off their underwear as they could easily be washed afterwards separately.

When the first few droplets of the water touched their bodies, they jolted slightly. It was slightly warm and soothing as it poured down upon them with the intensity of a delicate rain. The sudden shift in the temperature of the room also caused the glass to get covered with a thin layer of fog to keep the world outside their current encasement completely unaware.

And so at last, after much anticipation and wait, their waltz commenced. 

Shuichi reached out and cupped her chin in his hand as he raised it to smash their lips together. Kaede got pushed backwards as her bare back was forced to be pressed up against the wall due to the intensity of their love. She reached out and entangled her fingers into the back of his head as she reciprocated the connection with just as much ferocity.

He used one of his hands to unclip her hair and it cascaded down her back beautifully in a waterfall of blonde. Leaning forward, he started to leave a trail of butterfly kisses on her cheek, then her neck and her collarbone. Arching her back slightly, she pressed herself more against his form dripping with water and lust.

"M-more..." she whined as he kept on attacking her collar. 

Chuckling slightly, he descended downwards, kissing her breastbone and down her stomach and upto her navel. He used a hand to gently massage the side of her waist as he worshipped every inch of her body intently.

Standing back up, he palmed one of her breast using his hand and massaged it through the bra slowly. She brought the back of her hand to her mouth as a moan threatened to erupt from her lips. The nipple underneath perked up instantly from his touch and made an indent into the bra. Taking advantage of this, he ran his thumb over the indent teasingly and she shuddered.

"Someone sure is aroused." he teased as he palmed her other breast as well. "You might alert someone outside if you keep making those noises~"

"I....I don't care." she responded through deep breaths. "I love you.... and I don't care if they find out about it. Also...these rooms are completely soundproof."

He was greatly amazed right then as she rarely showed this kind of affection and was even more so shocked when she quickly extended her arms backwards and unstrapped her bra to toss it aside.

She wordlessly begged him as she stared into his irises about her want. And the gentleman that he is, he complied immediately and mouthed her nipple. He circled slowly around her nub using his tongue, licking and sucking thoroughly. 

Her face scrunched up in ecstasy and she goaded him further by pushing out her chest, but he didn't need any guidance as he knew just how to draw out moans from her with expertise. One of his hands went over to her other bigger than average bosom and kneaded it tightly.

The resulting shout from her was almost as loud as a roar and he was glad that the dorms were 100 percent soundproof. Fearing he might have overstepped, he titled up from her bosom to look at her face, even though some water dripping from her messy bangs got into his eyes, he confirmed that she did enjoy when he did that.

"D-do...that again." she ordered pulling his head back. "And don't worry....I liked it.." she blushed as she looked away.

"Oh?" he smirked and loomed over her. "So you are one of those....no problem, there is no shame in that at all." he reassured as he patted her shoulder. What she didn't notice, was that his smirk was way more devious than the ones that he had ever shown before.

She massaged slowly over his chest and stomach going over his small abs and muscles adorning his slightly toned figure. She looked down and confirmed that he was in fact also, very aroused as well. His boxers were heavily stretched out due to his penis trying to break free from its prison. Not only were they completely soaked from the water, but she could easily make out a small spot of pre just at the tip of the tent.

Well, she couldn't also deny the fact that the inside of her thighs were on fire and were just as badly craving for attention. Her arousal had now deeply stuck onto her panties and she was practically throbbing with desire down there.

As if telepathically sensing it, Shuichi took her nipple back into his mouth and two of his fingers glided over her entire skin starting from her neck going over her stomach and towards her outer thighs. Wherever they went, they left a trail of heat and fire that slowly spread throughout her core as she shivered. 

At last his fingers arrived at the waistband of her panties and easily peeled them off. They say easily, but it required some precision as it had became quit damp due to the mixture of her sweat, arousal and the water. Now, she stood completely naked in the shower in front of him.

His digits slid downwards and gently slid over her lower lips, a moan escaped her and she balled her hands into fists and braced against the wall. She knew her knees would have given out if she wasn't being supported currently by the wall.

"A-ah!" she cried out as he started to trace slow and methodical circles around her, all the while teasing her nipples. The familiar feeling of a knot tightening in her lower body began as her moans grew in volume.

He pushed inwards with ease as his digits started to explore the insides of her vagina. Her folds parted immediately welcoming the intrusion of his fingers and just as quickly, tightened around them, not allowing them to leave. He pushed as far as his knuckles and held her there, patiently, not moving an inch.

Kaede wiggled her hips trying to buck against his palm and whined, "W-why did... why did you stop!?" 

He had a shit-eating grin as he whispered huskily in her ear.

"Beg for it."

"H-huh!?" she grew wide-eyed and shivered. "I-I......"

"C'mon sweetheart." he cooed lowly as he pumped his finger in and out once. "You can do it."

"S-Shuichi....please!" she wiggled and whined desperately trying to find a second way for him to comply.

"Well..." he sighed hiding a smirk, as he started to pull out his fingers slowly. "I guess that this is where our session ends." 

"Wait!!" she grabbed onto his arm quickly. "I....I want you...to.... fuck me." she admitted completely crimson faced.

"Is that all?" he tilted his head to the side. "You can do better than that, Kaede."

'Hrnghhh!" she groaned bucking against his hand.

After closing her eyes, she said, "I....want you.....to use your dick.....and make me completely yours.....I don't belong to...anyone else other than you." 

"Sweetheart!" he shuddered slightly almost breaking the immersion. He coughed once and regained his composure, "That's good. That is what I wanted to hear after all."

He was a man of his words, so he immediately started to pump his fingers in and out of her at a slowly rising pace. He explored crevices and bumps with ease as he curled his fingers inside of her, causing her to more or less start writhing against his fingers. Using his thumb, he massaged her clit which brought out a whole new set of symphonies from her.

And when he located her g-spot, he gave it extra attention and brought her to the edge of climax in mere moments. He slowly pinched that area between his fingers, careful to only cause pleasure and no pain. He knew her body like the back of his hand.

"You know." he spoke up and growled in the middle of his service. "You might be a pianist, but I can play and command your body better than you ever could."

"Y-yes!" she quickly nodded through her arousal. 

"So do as I say." he ordered. "Cum for me, Kaede."

Being ordered so harshly by him instantly threw her over the edge of climax as she came on his hand. He ran soothing circles over her back using his other arm and eased her through it. Her climax swept over her entire body as she started to tremble and shake, but Shuichi held her in place and supported her to not allow her to fall.

"Good girl." he growled against her neck as he pulled out his fingers. He stared into her eyes as he brought his hand completely covered with her arousal, near his mouth. He parted his lips and started to suckle on his digits and rolled his tongue in between them,  mimicking the action of eating her out using his own fingers as an alternative. Her flavor tasted absolutely divine to him. Sweet and sour with the smallest hint of bitterness.

The sight was really really arousing for her as she looked down and saw that her juices had already started to flow, it was a little only a few minutes after climaxing. And looking ahead, his poor dick had been absolutely throbbing, just aching to receive some pleasure.

So, she dropped to her knees in front of his crotch and yanked off his boxers, making him release a deep sigh above her. 

His dick bobbed out and stood proudly in front of her face as she stared at it. The musk and pheromones emanating from him had completely dominated her smell and senses as she took a deep breath and inhaled. 

"You really are a freak huh?" Shuichi commented looking down at her.

She didn't pay him any mind as she reached ahead and grabbed ahold of him around her palm. He fit snuggly into her palm and she started moving her hand up and down the shaft slowly. As she reached the top, she rolled her thumb over it to collect some moisture to help her out better. She didn't need to be able to see his face to be able to discern what kind of expression he might have had on his face.

She stopped and parted her lips to take him inside her mouth. She puffed out her cheeks as the tip pushed through her mouth and stretched it outwards a little. 

Shuichi scrunched up his face and placed his palm sharply against her forehead and disheveled her bangs. The groans he was making were music to Kaede's ears. As she, with a slow pace started to bob her head back and forth along his shaft. She twirled her tongue around it as she reached the top and planted kisses there, all the while still keeping her pace.

Growing impatient to her slow pace, Shuichi bucked and set his own rhythm as he started to face-fuck her by thrusting his hips. She grabbed onto the side of his waist for support as she deepthroated him. The gulps and gags she moaned out as he used her mouth as a cock sleeve were absolutely breathtaking. It was as if lightning had travelled through him hearing her noises. He swears that he is addicted to her moans, a true audiophile.

But suddenly, he pulled himself off of her and his dick remained still in the air as he heaved some deep breaths. Before she could raise an objection, he ordered growling.

"Paizuri!" he grumbled holding her chin. "Give me a titjob!"

It was as if he had her trained on a leash as she immediately grabbed her breasts and implanted his scalding shaft among them and started rubbing him against them. The soft and plump marshmallow like skin of her tits completely encapsulated his girth. He had to brace one hand against the wall of the shower or else his knees would have given out from under him from the sheer pleasure he was receiving.

She bounced his dick up and down her chest quickly as she had figured out from the noises that he had started to make above her, that he was close to climaxing. So she just opened her mouth at the last moment just before he reached climax. His sperm shot out and landed all over her, on her face, inside her mouth, on her chest, she was completely covered in his stuff.

His legs did give out from under him as he sunk down onto the wet floor. The flooring itself was sinful, consisting of a mix of the water and both of their juices. Inhaling and exhaling deep breaths he calmed his composure and came back down from cloud nine.

"Kae-" he started but his breath was caught in his throat as he saw the sight of Kaede completely drowning in his juices. It was a sight which immediately made him aroused as his cock started to rise back up slowly. Smirking, Kaede reached out after cleaning her face with her hand and started to massage it to bring it back to life, and the effect was almost immediate and he became rock hard yet again.

Groaning, Shuichi batted away her hand and stood back up from the ground and ordered her to do the same. "Turn around and brace your arms against the wall!" he barked and she complied nodding and whimpering.

As soon as he did that, she felt him walk upto her from behind and pressing his toned chest against her entire back. She turned her head to look at him and he immediately seized her lips with his own shoving his tongue down her throat.

He covered the back of her hands which were bracing against the wall, using his own. Using his feet he surrounded her in a leg-lock. She was completely trapped between Shuichi and the wall. And to be honest, she couldn't be happier!

Not long after, he angled his hips such that his cock were in line with her cunt. But instead of just pushing inside, he grinded their crotches against each other all while growling from deep within his throat straight into her ear. "Beg for it! Again!!"

"Shuichi!!" she writhed against both him and the wall. "Keep pinning me against this wall and completely destroy me!! I want nothing more than your cock to completely fill me up!!"

Not wasting a nanosecond more, he pushed himself completely inside of her pussy. They both cried out from the intrusion of his member into her as he felt the familiar ridges of her velvety walls against his shaft. No time was wasted as he thrusted deep inside of her without any care in the world.

All manner of speech had eluded both of them and all they could do at this point was either moan or groan. And they were not being shy with their voice in the slightest.

Shuichi knew that he wasn't going to last much longer and judging from her volume, she was the same as him. So as a last dash before he reached the finish line, he let go of her hands and grabbed her waist and started using them as support as he fucked her from behind.

Grabbing a handful of her breasts, he squeezed roughly to push her over the edge right alongside him. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as she clenched tightly around him in a vice grip. Her inner walls trying to milk him dry as she came. Due to her reaching her climax and the vice grip on his cock, he reached his limit as well as he shot his entire load deep inside of her. 

After what felt like an entire minute long of an orgasm, he pulled out and grabbed her in a hug that she reciprocated. They both gazed at each other with pure love in their eyes. 

"Let's.....clean off.....then I'll carry you to bed." he spoke completely out of stamina and exhausted.

"T-thank you." she tried walking, but that was an impossible task.

After cleaning off their bodies with all the sweat and sperm, they both hurriedly stumbled back into the room, not having a care for dressing up. 

Kaede jumped onto the bed and Shuichi sidled up right behind her as he snuggled her from behind.

"I love you." he spoke.

"I love you too." she replied.

Notes:

Sooooooooooooo, how was that?

Did you like it? Any thoughts you want to convey down in the comments?

Would a single one of you believe me if I say that this was my first time writing smut....No?....okay then.

Okay would you believe me if I say that my favourite smut category is Maledom?.....yeah, thought so.

Anyway..... let's see what happens in the chapter of the daily life shall we?

Chapter 9: Our Class Trials - Daily Life VI

Shuffling around her weight, Kaede stifled a yawn. bubbling up from her mouth. Rubbing her eyes with the back of her palm, she whisked the sleep out of them. Her body ached slightly as she shifted upon the mattress, but nothing that would cause major discomfort in the long run.

But one look down at herself reminded her of her 'encounter' inside the shower last night and then another look behind her as she saw Shuichi snoring lightly, brought back all the memories as clear as ever.

Her cheeks started to blush slightly, "God, I really am gone." she thought to herself chuckling.

Sitting upright on the bed, she stretched her body by arching her frame and threw off the covers. But just before she stepped off, she remembered that she couldn't actually get up without him due to the motive being strapped to her wrist. 

She didn't want to wake him up while he was still in the middle of sleeping. And NO, it was totally not because of the reason that he looked really adorable while snoring. Definitely. Not. The. Reason.

But alas, it seems that she would have to appreciate his facial features later. Now it was the time to wake him up.

Hesitantly, crawling over to his side of the bed, she shook his body in an attempt to wake him up. He groaned and gently batted her arm away.

"Five moe mints." he grumbled smushing his face against the pillow. "Thn il gt up."

"Shu!" she whined smacking his waist. "I can't get up without you! Remember the three metre rule!?"

"Eh!?" he mumbled turning over and squinting an eye open. "What d yu mean?"

"Just look at your damn wrist!" she pointed out.

Rubbing his eyes, he glanced at his arm and immediately became wide awake, "Oh yeh!" his body jolted and he sat up sharply. "We need to stick together everywhere don't we!?"

"Yeah so quit being a baby who refuses to get up from the bed to go to school in the morning!" she scolded puffing out her cheeks. 

"Since when did you become my mom?" he chuckled as he roughly disentangled his bedhead using his hand. She just looked away and pouted. "Alright...let's get ready for today." 

 

 

Shuichi and Kaede pushed open the doors of the academy building to head over to the dining hall. Steadily walking together matching steps, as to not accidentally wander too far off from the other.

But along the way, inside the hallway, they saw two figures talking to each other. Well.... talking is a generous term, it seemed like that one was shouting at the other and making frantic gestures with their hand and body to hurry the second figure along.

"Hey you Degenerate!" called out the frantic one as she spotted Shuichi. "Where had you taken Kaede!? She wasn't in her room and had been missing last night!!" declared Tenko as she struck a pose ready to throw him if need be.

"Uh what?" Shuichi blurted out confused. "I kidnapped you? When did that happen?" he turned to Kaede and asked her.

She just glared at him knowing full well that he knew the answer and was just being coy with her. "No, Tenko." she spoke as she turned to her. "I just spent the last night in his room. That's all."

"Oh and that doesn't raise any implications now does it?" Angie giggled as she stepped forth. "Tenko here had been dying to find you... and just you, not Shuichi." she not so subtly motioned to him. "Since you two are the last ones who had yet to arrive to the dining hall."

"W-w-w-w-w-h-h-h-atttttt!!!?" Tenko shouted as she stared in disbelief and sweat started to bead on her forehead. "Y-Y-Y-oouu s-s-slept with a degenerate!?" she stammered out completely crimson faced.

"Yeah." Kaede nodded nonchalantly without a care. "What about it?" 

"WHHAAAATTTT!!!!??????" 

"Wow this girl sure is bold." Angie blinked out as she absorbed Kaede's words. "And also, I think that Tenko might be getting the wrong idea here." she mumbled quietly.

"Eh!!??" she flinched and jumped away.

"You can say that again." Shuichi nodded as well as he gestured to the dining hall. "Should we get going? My stomach is calling, and the telephone is in there."

The group made a silent agreement and started moseying on over to the hall, Tenko keeping a fair distance from the others. Angie was just humming along a song from some famous media to herself. And Kaede seemed to have something currently occupying her mind.

So, Shuichi quietly whispered so that only the both of them could hear their conversation, "Something on your mind? You seem a bit pre-occupied."

"Uh, no. It's nothing Shuichi." she reassured him and he made an expression that he wasn't really satisfied with her answer, but he decided to drop it and kept walking ahead.

"Ladies first." Shuichi curtseyed as he opened the door for the females. Tenko just scoffed mumbling some sort of insult and walked inside. Angie was much more polite and thanked him properly. Meanwhile Kaede just walked inside without making any comment. 

"But she didn't get the wrong idea though!?" Kaede wrestled to herself in her thoughts as those were the worries currently occupying her mind. Ever the dork. 

 

 

 

"It seems that everyone has finally arrived." Kirumi spoke up from the dining chair as she spotted the duo entering the room. "We were all waiting for you two."

"Yeah why the heck did you two take so long to come here?" Kaito asked in the middle of chewing his food. "Also great food by the way Maki!" he complimented taking a sip of the chicken soup. "Can I get some more of this?"

"Don't talk while you are chewing, you idiot." she scolded as she poured some more of the soup into his bowl. 

"Heheh." Miu smirked wide and giggled. "We all know why it took both of them so long to get here. Don't think we don't know where you both slept." her grin was as wide as it could have gotten and the meaning behind her words was crystal clear. "Have trouble getting out of bed? Or was it the putting on of the clothes? Or was it-"

Many of the occupants of the dining table groaned in the middle of their eating and then promptly told her to shut up. "Why O Why does your mind always take residence inside the gutter?" Kiyo sighed rubbing his forehead tightly. 

"Nobody has an answer to that question it seems." Angie spoke up. "Miu's mind is in a league of it's own, much different from anybody else's."

Kokichi clanged his utensils against the table making a show, "If you both took any longer to get here, I would have thought that you both accidently went too far apart from each other and died!" he finished his theatrical outburst by gasping loudly. "Alas.....that didn't happen..." he frowned slouching his shoulders.

"Don't even joke about that, kid." Ryoma warned as he glared at him. "That is not funny in any way at all."

"Well we shouldn't pry into their matters if they don't want to reveal their reasoning." Rantaro suggested to ease up the discussion. "Just let them eat their breakfast in peace, no?"

"It's alright that you all were concerned for us." Shuichi smiled as he reached for his food.

"Anyway, the reason we took so long to get here was actually due to the......shower." he answered burying his face into his rice bowl.

Several eyes and ears perked up because of his reply as various thoughts started swirling around everybody's head. Most of them all, Miu's.

Himiko spoke up raising an eyebrow, "It was because you two took too long in the shower taking turns after each other....right?"

"Yeaaaaaah." they both answered together chewing their food.

 

After that small discussion, the morning breakfast went on smoothly as everyone enjoyed the food made by Maki. Though it not being as divine as Kirumi's, it still held great love and care into it's craft.

Many small conversations were happening among the various occupants of the dining table. Either about what they wanted to do afterwards, or figuring out a plan to escape from here, things like that.

Shuichi and Tsumugi had been occupied in a low back and forth to themselves. Kaito boisterously announced standing up, that he would find a way to take off these motive bracelets and free them all. To which he received a harsh slap on the back of the head from Maki, ordering him to sit back down. Miu cackled that her lab had opened up and to not have anybody come and bother her and her golden brain in her precious hours inside there. Kokichi was pestering Rantaro since last night to hand him some of the 'Nectar' that he had won from the prize store, the long lost grape panta.

Topics like these were being thrown across the table and it seemed like everything right now was as normal as it could be. Their circumstances of being trapped inside this academy alongside several other high schoolers seemed really desperate. But in the middle of it all, they had apparently found a good ground to stand alongside each other and help the other out, even if some might have been apprehensive to it in the beginning, their situation seemed to be getting better just a tad bit.

 

Oh if only they knew the storm that would appear the next day.

Notes:

Sorry if this chapter was a bit smaller than the others....but just know this.....the Deadly Life is near.

Chapter 10: Our Class Trials - Daily Life VII

"It seems that we have some free time." Kaede mused to herself and Shuichi as they finished eating their breakfast. 

"Uh, no." Shuichi denied her proposition. "I actually have something to talk to Miu about." he admitted as they both exited out into the courtyard.

"What? Whyyyyy" she bemoaned while frowning. "Why do we have to go to her? Is it something urgent?" 

"I need some sort of invention made from her." Shuichi admitted briskly walking ahead. "Sorry...inventions, it's multiple." he corrected himself.

"Eh!?" she flinched rubbing her arm. "Well...whatever." she sighed keeping up her step with him. "I just hope she doesn't bring up the invention that she used on us."

Shuichi froze slightly," Yeah.... it'll be impossible to explain her hookup counter having a plus one since last time." he admitted with rosy cheeks. "God why am I doing this?" he groaned burying his hands into his palms.

"Shuichi stop!" Kaede tried to warn him for up ahead but it was too late.

Shuichi wasn't really looking where he was walking with his face buried in his hands and ended up bumping head first into someone. "Owww." they groaned as they rubbed the front of their forehead. "Look where you are walking will ya?"

Coming out his small daze, Shuichi noticed that the person who he bumped into was Kaito Momota (Luminary of the Stars!) . "Oh hey there Kaito." he winced out as he massaged the small bump on his head. 

"Are you okay?" Kaede asked worriedly as she came over to his side. 

"I'm perfectly fine." he replied back and then turned to face Kaito, "Are you okay?" he asked him as well.

"The luminary of the Stars is in perfect shape as always!" he boisterously announced punching his open palm. "You two look like you are in a hurry though." he added taking glances at both of them.

"Yeah." Kaede answered for them both. "We are actually heading over to Miu's research lab to get her help with something."

"Hmm?" he quizzed. "Is something the matter?"

"No nothing." she giggled nervously. "Just wanted to talk to her for a little bit."

"Ooookay." he mouthed and starting moving his legs. "I'm gonna be around if any of you need my help with something."

As he walked away with steady footsteps, both Shuichi and Kaede huffed out a breath and groaned aloud. "That conversation couldn't have gone any more awkward than it did." he commented and she just shrugged and kept up her steps.

"What even is it that you are trying to get her to make, Shuichi?" she quipped as they almost reached the door of her research lab.

Shuichi turned to her slowly to face her. His grin bordered maniacal.

He reached into his pockets and pulled out some cameras from the warehouse.

"Something to help us in this upcoming class trial."

 

"Alright. That's that." Shuichi spoke mostly to himself as both of them exited Miu's lab. "Now, I think we have some free time to ourselves." he admitted gesturing to her with his palm.

"Well...." she uttered holding out the syllable. "Why don't we chat up with someone that we find on the way?" she suggested.

"That sounds great." he agreed with a nod. "Let's go then."

 

Free Time Start!

 

Entering the academy, they saw that the front entrance was completely devoid of life as no one was currently occupying it. Walking further ahead, they approached the gym and heard some noises coming from inside the courtyard. 

Pushing open the doors, they noticed Kirumi and Tenko doing some exercises to themselves and Kiyo sitting by himself over by the bleachers observing them both.

"Ah greetings!" Kiyo showed his manners as he noticed Shuichi and Kaede entering the gym. "You also heard the sound of their exercising and wished to observe it, correct?" 

"That's right." Kaede nodded her head and followed his gaze over to the girls. "What are they actually doing in here?"

"We are mostly doing some soft warmups to ourselves." Kirumi curtly replied as she finished stretching her forearm. "These are mostly light exercises like stretching to help relax the muscles."

"Yeah!" Tenko announced loudly as she moved onto the next regimen. "This sort of workout is essential for a neo-aikido practitioner like me!"

Shuichi held his chin and spoke, "It makes sense for Tenko to be doing these exercises...." he then faced Kirumi and continued, "..but what about you Kirumi? Why are you performing them?"

"You degenerate!" Tenko interjected rudely. "A lady is allowed to do any exercise she requires in order to keep those degenerate males like you away!"

He sighed, "Why does your entire vocabulary consist only of misandry?" 

"I apologize on her behalf." Kirumi stepped in. "For as to why I am doing these exercise right now? The reasoning is simple, it helps me perform my maid duties better such as carrying or moving heavy object when need be. Or when I am required to take out armed personnel without any blood being spilt."

All four other occupants of the room turned their faces sharply in her direction as a low chill went down their spines.

"Never underestimate the ability of the Ultimate Maid." she smirked.

"G-got it." they all agreed in unison.

"Ah your beauty is such a marvel to witness for my eyes Kirumi!" Kiyo announced as he chuckled creepily. "Yes! You would be an excellent friend for sister."

"Now what the heck is this talk about a sister?" Kaede turned her head to him. "And why would Kirumi be a good friend for her for that matter?"

"Oh, ever since coming here, I have been evaluating all the girls here to figure out whom among them would be the best friend for my sister when they leave this academy." he answered holding his form between his palms, almost as if he was hugging himself.

"What the heck!?" Tenko shouted alarmed. "Why do you say it like that you degenerate weirdo!! That's really creepy!!"

"Do you have some sort of weird sister complex?" Kaede commented.

"Well if we are already on this topic." Kiyo continued ignoring their remarks. "You two, Kaede and Tenko, would also be excellent friends for sister." he giggled.

Shuichi dropped his gaze and his pupils became sharper than icicles.

"Kiyo." he whispered coldly speaking slowly and properly enunciating every syllable. "If you make your sister too many friends without her consent, then you might have to..... apologize to her." 

"H-Huh!?" he mumbled as his entire body started to tremble. "W-what?!"

"Sweet Korekiyo~ Cmon...Apologize~ Apologize Apologize Apologize Apologize!!"

"Are you okay?" asked Kirumi as he looked very visibly shaken. "Do you require some rest?"

"I-I.." he muttered barely above a whisper. "I shall be taking my leave!" he spoke as he quickly dashed out of his seat.

"Seriously what the heck is wrong with him?" Tenko spoke to the others as he exited the gym. "That was definitely not normal, right?"

"I don't know..." mumbled Kaede as she saw the doors closing behind him. "But I think that we should be leaving right about now." she called out turning to Shuichi.

He firmly nodded and exited the gym alongside her. And when they both were a far ways away from anybody else, Kaede spoke up.

"I know that his whole incestous sister trauma plot that they have created for him is shitty, but you didn't have to quite literally, trigger him!" 

"Even though he kinda admitted to try and killing you?" he spoke raising a brow.

"Whatever." she rolled her eyes. "At least he could go back into his room, be alone and take off his mas- oh no." Kaede slowly turned to him to see his devilish smile. "No, you didn't."

"Yep, I sure did." Shuichi pulled out his monopad and tapped a button. 

 

Korekiyo Shinguji's Forbidden Action

 

Taking off his mask

 

"You are so fucking sadistic." she answered with her mouth agape.

 

Friendship Fragments Obtained!

 

---

 

Meanwhile, inside the library during nighttime.

"Will this be enough to catch and stop the mastermind?" spoke one voice to the other.

"I don't know." replied the other. "We can only hope."

"....okay." the first one sighed.

"And get down from that ladder!" called out the second. "Just why the heck are you taking so long rearranging books up there anyway?"

"Coming!" they replied and quickly descended the ladder.

"Let's hope that this plan can help catch the mastermind." the second one spoke.

"Or it kills them." thought the first.

Notes:

The next chapter is the final daily life chapter, just a heads up.

So now, it's theorizing time! Who do you think is going to be the victim and the killer!?

Chapter 11: Our Class Trials - Daily Life VIII (End)

Summary:

It's finally time for that Ding Dong Dong Ding everybody!!

A new day dawned on the Ultimate Academy for gifted juveniles as they all got up one by one to get ready for the morning, cleaning, taking a shower, the usual. 

Meeting everyone else in the dining hall, Shuichi and Kaede enjoyed their breakfast alongside them. It seemed like that everyone was starting to get accustomed to staying here for the time being. Maybe they had a chance to work together and get out of their prison along with the others. 

"Hey all you lazy bastards!"

Jinxed it.

Their captor, the di-tonic bear exclaimed as he popped out of the ground. "When are you going to kill someone!?" he shouted, seething red and sporting unsheathed claws. "A killing game is completely boring without the killings! I mean, it's in the name for goodness sakes!!"

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Ryoma mumbled in the middle of drinking some water.

"How many times do we have to say it to you?" Tenko spoke up pointing a fork at him. "No one among us is going to kill!"

"We'll see about that." the bear giggled.

"Dude." Kokichi muttered glancing at Monokuma. "You should just call off this season already, it is seeming to be a flop as no one has actually came up with a plan to kill anyone yet.... right?" he unsubtly looked at all the occupants of the table one by one.

"Hey, what are you trying to say!?" Miu retorted back. "If you got something to say, then say it!"

"Well, if you want to know so badly." he sighed shrugging his shoulders. "While you all are living in your world of sunshine and rainbows trapped in this hell, one or more, of us have most likely already created a plan to backstab and kill someone behind our backs." he spoke bringing a finger to his lips.

"W-What!?" Gonta flinched and started panicking. "W-why would Kokichi think that?! Friends wouldn't do that!"

"Y-yeah Gonta's right." Tsumugi fearfully agreed. "No one among us is going to backstab us!"

Kokichi groaned and mumbled, "God! This place should have been called 'Ultimate Academy for Gifted Gullibles ' instead." he feigned a headache by rubbing his temples.

"I think you need to calm down a little." Kaede suggested. "Here take this, your profile says that you like these." she said as she passed him three bottles of his beloved carbonated Panta.

"Ooooh thanks Kaede!" he chirped as he gulped one down instantly. "Now, onto less important matters." he turned to the others after wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "Who among us is going to kill someone? Cmon speak up!"

"Just why do you intend to make our already hellish lives even more miserable?" Maki muttered glaring at him. "Stop it already and quit bothering us."

"Okay then, it seems that I'm not wanted here." he sighed and got up. "See you all later, or never." he mocked as he closed the door behind him as he left.

"That kid is sure to bring up trouble, for us, and for himself, during our time trapped here in this prison." Ryoma sighed. "He just doesn't want to believe or listen to anyone else."

"Indeed." Kiyo hummed. "One wonders what circumstances went down during his childhood to have lead to his current behaviour. I am quite curious to find out, if he cares to indulge."

 Rantaro spoke, frowning. "Something tells me, that's not happening."

 

After finishing their breakfast, both Shuichi and Kaede ventured off together towards the library. But before they could reach the door, they spotted someone standing nearby, at the door of the game room.

Tsumugi had been standing near the game room looking over at the two of them as they had descended the basement stairs. Kaede approached her and decided to start up a conversation.

"Hi there Tsumugi!" she said. "What are you doing here in the afternoon?"

"Oh, nothing." she replied shrugging. "I just wanted to spend some time browsing my favourite manga and anime down here. But right now? I'm not really in the mood."

"Something on your mind?" Shuichi asked her seeing her expression. 

"Yeah." she sighed and held her palms together. "This whole killing game has put me kind of on edge. It has completely drained my moe energy." she admitted.

"Can't really blame you." he replied solemnly.

"Hey I have an idea!" Kaede said cheerfully. "Aren't you the Ultimate Cosplayer Tsumugi?" she asked her with giddy.

"Yeah I am." she replied turning in her direction as she had piqued her interest. "What exactly do you have in mind?"

"I have here this nail polish and makeup set!" she pulled out the items and showed them off to her. "Why don't we try them out in the game room!?" she proposed as she jumped up and down in glee.

Her face instantly lit up and she replied, "That's an excellent idea!" she grabbed both of them by the hand. "Let's go!"

 

Special Event- Nail Painting and Eyelashes

 

Inside the game room, Tsumugi pulled out short bar stools from the corner of the room to use as a temporary set-up for her makeup. She had both Kaede and Shuichi sit down on one stool each and placed the makeup set on another separate stool while making doubly sure that it wouldn't fall on it's own and ruin everything.

"I guess I got dragged along for the ride." Shuichi admitted shrugging his shoulders. "I can just sit here and watch peacefully without making a noise."

"Oh no." Kaede denied, wagging her finger at him. "You mister!" she then pointed that finger at him dramatically. "Are going to get those majestic eyelashes done! Got it!?" she demanded in a tone that made it clear that 'no' wasn't an answer she would take.

"W-woah!" he yelped slightly from her tone. "F-fine, I'll get them done if you want it that badly." he replied, using a much calmer tone. "Also, I don't think that my eyelashes are that good... I mean majestic? Seriously!?"

"Excuse me!?" shouted both the girls at the same time and then Tsumugi continued. "A western model would literally die of jealousy if she saw those!" she pointed at him holding the nail paint in her palm. "Seriously!? What the heck is your secret behind those perfect eyes!?" she demanded.

Suddenly, the door to the game room opened and a figure stepped inside with worry being clearly evident on their face.

"What's going on?" Rantaro spoke quickly but his expression quickly dropped once he saw them all sitting in the room. "Huh?"

"Talking about eyelashes." Tsumugi mumbled as she turned to him and held her chin. "Another enigma with majestic eyes has entered the room it seems."

"Eyelashes?" he muttered clearly confused by her words, but then his gaze landed on the makeup box and then Shuichi and Kaede sitting on the chairs, and suddenly, everything made sense to him. "Oh I see. You are performing makeup on them." he chuckled rubbing the back of his. "Sorry, I heard shouting from in here and got worried."

"Well, sorry about that I guess...?" Kaede mumbled apologetically. "Anyway, come join us since you are already here!" she demanded.

"Yeah." Shuichi agreed as well, gesturing to a seat next to him he said, "Come sit with us." he patted it down to beckon him over.

"No, I actually have a different thing in mind." he said as he walked over to the makeup box and pulled out some black mascara and eyeliner and knelt down in front of Shuichi. "I think I shall actually enhance your look Shuichi, if you don't have problem with it." he asked as pulled the top off the eyeliner.

"O-of course Rantaro." he replied slightly shocked and....blushing? 

"Very well." he smiled and gently twisted the eyeliner and slowly brought it over to his right eye and started to trace the outside of it with perfect precision. He clearly had great practice doing this as he did not smudge it for even a millimeter and he was finished in mere moments.

Somewhere in the middle of it all, Tsumugi had popped off the nail paint's cap and started applying it to Kaede's nails. Jealousy and annoyance were clearly being shown in her expressions. 

Also, Kaede had zero interest in her nails being painted as she had her eyes glued to Shuichi and Rantaro the entire time. And just as he was done with his right eye, Rantaro quickly shifted over to his left and applied the eyeliner with expert precision.

"Wow." Shuichi wowed with rosy cheeks as Rantaro retracted the nub. "You were excellent Rantaro. Where did you learn to apply makeup like that?"

"It's just that I have many sisters who like makeup." he giggled as if reminiscing. "So over the time, I learned how to apply it with expertise." he finished with a wink.

"Your other hand Kaede." Tsumugi spoke up as she finished on one hand.

"O-oh!?" she got startled being called out as she had her complete attention over at the boys. "Y-you're done with this one? Here, just leave the other one as is." she said as she placed her palms against her skirt and went back to watching both of them.

"I-I see." she sighed and closed the cap of the nail paint.

"Now, it's time for the lashes." said Rantaro as he prepared the mascara and brought it down on his lashes gently. He stroked a few times slowly and evenly to get a good coating done. After completing the upper lash, he moved onto the lower one and repeating the process. 

After he was finished with one eye, Shuichi gently blinked to get some dryness out his eyes and saw his reflection in the makeup box's mirror. "This looks amazing!" he exclaimed as he examined Rantaro's handiwork. 

"Let's move onto the next eye and finish it, shall we?" he gestured and Shuichi complied. And it was over just as soon as it began. If Shuichi's eyes had been enchanting before, they were downright hypnotic now. Who knew just a little bit of makeup could enhance someone that significantly.

"OH MY GOD!!" Kaede shrieked as she finally saw Shuichi's eyes adorned with makeup. "YOU LOOK SO FREAKING GOOD SHUICHI!!!"

"It's my pleasure." Rantaro took a dramatic bow as he placed the makeup articles back inside the box.

"I think you might be the Ultimate Beautician, Rantaro." Shuichi mused as he examine his eyes again. "My eyes look amazing now."

"Thank you. Thank you." he rubbed the back of his neck again and then turned to Tsumugi. "What do yo- Oh."

"Goddamn normie." she grumbled clearly peeved off by him. "Go backflip on a landmine and die." 

"Ah sorry about taking up your spotlight there." he apologized putting up his hands. 

"Whatever." she scoffed. "I guess that you did do a good job in the end. So I can't be too mad at you." she spoke as she packed up the makeup box and got ready to leave. "Goodbye, I enjoyed this little distraction."

"So did I." Shuichi replied and then turned to Kaede, who had yet to take her eyes off of his, "Will you stop staring at my eyes?" he grumbled.

"No." she denied shaking her head.

 

"Ugh I shouldn't have drank all that Panta in one gulp." Kokichi groaned to himself as he emptied his entire bladder in the bathroom stall. "But, who can deny the taste of that ambrosia for even a single day!?" 

"You are going to get diabetes one day." he talked to himself in a chiding tone. "I don't really care." he replied back scoffing. 

"Yup I'm talking to myself." he nodded his head exiting the stall. "Definitely going to get admitted in a psych ward now."

As he started walking, his foot got caught in a small puddle of water and he slipped. Luckily, he grabbed onto the door of a nearby stall and prevented himself from falling down on the ground. 

"Gah! When did this get here!?" he shouted to nobody. "That could have seriously hurt!"

After steadying his footing, he sighed. "I should probably clean this up before anyone else falls and can't get back up due to a broken back or something." he turned his head to the supply closet.

He opened it's door and looked for a mop, he saw it leaning against the back wall of the closet and went to pick it up.

But as he touched it, the back wall receded and a hidden opening made itself known to him.

"Oh?" his complete attention was now devoted to the hidden pathway as he stepped inside the closet. "A secret passage? Inside a killing game? Now this I gotta check out." he brushed the mop aside and entered the secret passage. As soon as he stepped in, the hidden door closed behind him quickly.

"Fancy setup." he whistled as he examined the door. "Well, I don't have too much time to be dilly dallying around." he turned on his heels and started walking down the path.

Continuing on ahead down the path, he noticed a thick metal door affixed to the wall at the end of the hallway. The door looked quite sturdy, as if it was being used to protect a bunker or a secret lair.

Steeling his determination, Kokichi pushed open the door and examined the surroundings of the secret room on the other side. It consisted of gaudy pink coloring and heart shaped designs all around the perimeter of the room. There was a large curtain drawn on something over the entire left wall and there were some couches placed in the middle of the room.

A figure was sitting on the couch with their back to him.

 

~ Let's Start the Killing Game ~

 

As soon as Kokichi stepped inside, the door closed shut behind him and some extremely loud music started blaring from the speakers all around the academy.

"Come here Kokichi." the figure sitting on the couch called out. "Take a seat." they gestured to the couch directly across from them. 

Kokichi knew that he had been caught in a trap. 

He knew that he wasn't leaving this room alive anymore.

"Well it seems that I have been caught in your trap." he admitted in a mono tone. "And this killing game set out by you is going to start right now, with my death."

"My my aren't you a smart one." they giggled dryly. Their voice was difficult to discern due to the loud background music. So, Kokichi decided to face his fears and stepped closer to the figure and stood in front of them.

"Kaede." he muttered in a voice with no emotion as he saw her sitting on the couch.

"Yep it's me." she chuckled throwing out her hands. "I am the one who is behind this killing game!"

"I shoulda known, all your emotions, reassurances and hope was a facade." he spat bitterly.

"Oh there is no need for that." she frowned glumly. "Cmon sit, let's talk over your final words patiently." she smiled as she placed here head in her palms. 

Seeing no point in resisting, he complied. If nothing else, he might be able to discover some truth behind this killing game from her words. So, it's best for her to keep talking and for him to listen.

"Now then." she spoke as he had sat down. "I think you have realised already that you did not come here accidently and were actually lured in here." she spoke nonchalantly without showing any sort of remorse.

"Yeah." he replied flatly.

 

"I think you need to calm down a little." Kaede suggested. "Here take this, your profile says that you like these." she said as she passed him three bottles of his beloved carbonated Panta.

 

"You giving me those drinks during breakfast." he spoke up. "Those were for luring me to the bathroom, weren't they?" 

"Right on the money." she smiled darkly. "And then you checking out the utility closet and 'accidentally' discovering the hidden entrance? Yeah all that was pre-planned."

"......." Kokichi just closed his eyes and remained silent.

"I will say one thing though." she admitted checking her nails and turning to her side. "You dying will be kind of a bummer. Your character was really interesting and would have been great for this killing game." she frowned as she finished.

"What do you mean by my 'character'?" he asked.

"Oops." she covered her mouth with her palm. "Don't mind that." she giggled nervously.

"How do you intend to kill me?" he moved onto the next question. "Cause after telling me all this, you are most likely going to kill me. Or maybe, take away my memories."

"What!?" she gasped dramatically. "Me!? Kill!? You can't be serious here Kokichi!?" she turned to him sporting a serious expression. "I am not going to be the one who will kill you."

"Elaborate." he demanded.

"Look at your own wrist." she hummed tilting her head.

Everything clicked in his mind at once as he pressed the screen of his motive.

 

Kokichi Oma's Forbidden Action

 

Defending himself from an incoming attack

 

"Anything else you want to ask?" she gestured for him to speak up.

"How much more time do I have left?" he said.

"Ha! Funny you mention that." she laughed as she lowered the sleeve of her wrist as if mimicking checking the time on a wristwatch.

And when she lowered it, her bracelet appeared with it's forbidden action lit up.

 

Kaede Akamatsu's Forbidden Action

 

Having Shuichi Saihara die

 

Shuichi Saihara.

His Forbidden Action.

 

Shuichi Saihara's Forbidden Action

 

Being more than 3 metres away from Kaede Akamatsu

 

 

Shuichi was..... in this room.....the entire time. 

 

Shuichi was also...... a mastermind.

 

"Cuz unfortunately for you Kokichi...." Kaede said grinning, as her gaze was with affixed with someone standing right behind him.

 

"....your time is up." called out someone from behind him.

 

 

 

*Ding Dong Dong Ding* 

 

A body has been discovered!

 

Everyone! Please gather at the Library!

 

 

Inside the Library, laid the body of Kokichi Oma, with his skull bashed in and a bloody shot put ball laying nearby.

Notes:

Our Class Trials - Deadly Life Begin

Chapter 12: Departure of the Boy who cried Wolf

Summary:

Ohoho what is this!?

Kokichi Oma is the first victim!??

Impossible!!!

Let's get into this prelude to the investigation of his murder!

Just who could it be the one who murdered this liar?

Notes:

P.S.
If you have read "A Viral Despair" (my first murder mystery fic), you might get some deva ju and see this whole deadly life in a new light.

~New Classmates of the Dead~

 

It was chaos, confusion and turmoil.

Everyone had been gathered inside the library upon the discovery of Kokichi's dead body.

As soon as Shuichi and Kaede entered the library through the front entrance, they spotted an entire crowd gathered around his body, completely shocked and petrified to the core.

"W-what the hell happened!!??" Kaede shrieked just as soon as she crossed the doorway. "T-there was a-a body announce.....ment.....?" she trailed off as she spotted the boy lying dead on the ground.  "K-Kokichi!? H-how did he die!?"

"I-I don't know! I don't know!" Tsumugi frantically babbled while trying to (unsuccessfully) remain calm. "When I got here, he was already dead!!"

"Which one of you degenerates did this!?" Tenko accusingly pointed at every male currently present in the room. "Who killed Kokichi!?" she demanded angrily.

"W-why would s-someone do this!?" cried Gonta as he knelt down beside his corpse. "Why would s-someone m-murder!?"

"The meaning behind this murder is simple, and it is the one and only undeniable truth." Rantaro spoke with a dark aura. "This killing game.....has started."

"Someone among us decided to take someone else's life to escape this academy on their own." Kiyo hugged himself tightly. "Such a magnificent display of the cruelness of humanity!"

"Come out and show yourself whoever killed Kokichi!!" Kaito shouted with pure agony. "I will punch you straight into orbit!!"

"I don't think that this fact is necessary to iterate." Shuichi spoke flatly as he crouched down next to Kokichi's body. "That the individual who killed him, won't come forward on their own."

"Tch." he scoffed. "Then what do you intend to do, smartass!?"

"Investigate and find out his killer on our own." he replied without looking up. "Our hands are tied in this matter, we have to undergo Monokuma's class trial to find out the identity of the culprit."

"But can we really trust each other? Now that one of us has decided to go ahead and commit murder behind our back, does that really inspire faith?" Ryoma spoke looking away. "I don't think cooperation within us will be achievable now."

 

~Moon on the Water~

 

"No, we can still believe in each other." Kaede declared with determination as everyone's eyes turned to her. "If we don't, then we will all end up tearing each other apart! What we need to do right now, is to have faith in the others and investigate Kokichi's murder in order to find the culprit's identity. So that afterwards, we can face this tragedy together!"

Everyone just stared at her in awe as she started to blush from all the attention that she was suddenly receiving. "W-what? I didn't say something...bad did I?" she mumbled out.

"That was quite an excellent speech, Kaede." Shuichi complimented her standing back up on his feet. "It seems that the others were moved by it."

She turned on her heels and examined the expressions of the others and they were all clearly touched by her kind and inspiring words.

"Very well." Kirumi spoke curtly. "I shall help cooperate with the investigation to find out the identity of Kokichi's culprit to the best of my abilities."

"With my magic, I can find out who killed Kokichi in no time." Himiko chirped lifting a finger. "I....just need to restore some of my MP before I get started." she looked down and sighed.

"Yep YEP!!" Tenko jumped up and down in glee. "Himiko's magic can help us find out the culprit in no time!!" she spoke as she blushed.

"Alright." Keebo nodded punching his chest with determination. "I shall provide my utmost support during this investigation."

"Well I guess I can help out in this investi-bation of yours." Miu cackled grabbing her hips. "We need to find out who offed him in order to live after all!!"

"You meant investigation, right Miu?" Keebo turned to her and asked.

"I said what I said." she deadpanned.

 

~Living In a Lazy Parallel World~

 

"I think we are all forgetting something important." Angie commented gathering everyone's attention.

"Yeah." Shuichi nodded and continued. "Our forbidden actions,....they are still active." he announced as he showed off his wrist, confirming that their motive bands were still turned on.

"What the heck!?" Rantaro grumbled and confirmed his action on his wrist, and saw that it was still active. "Weren't these motives for us to kill? Then why are they still active when a murder has occurred!?"

"It seems that the sadistic bear trapping us, still has intentions to torture us further." Ryoma growled and gripped his wrist. 

"Why can't friends take things off?" Gonta shouted with anger. "Why does Monokuma have these things still going!?"

"I think that our motives will only be turned off after his so called class trial is over." Maki mused holding her chin. 

"That theory does make sense!" Kaito cheered as he gave her a thumbs up. "Good going Maki!"

"But is that really true though?" Angie raised her brow. "Who knows if Monokuma won't just leave these on us for the rest of the time we are stuck here?" she whispered coldly.

"E-EH!?" Tenko yelped as her body contorted uncomfortably around itself. "T-That can't be true!"

 

~Mr. Monokuma's Lesson V3~

 

"Hey guys!" chirped the ursine bear as he appeared out of the ceiling. "Oh and it seems like a murder finally happened!! It looks like somebody turned this grape into grape wine by squishing it!!" he cackled holding his stomach as he jumped up and down on Kokichi's body. "Geez you guys took long enough to kill!" 

"Great, now he's here too." Tsumugi grumbled crossing her arms. "Nobody wants you here!" she shouted to which she received many affirmations.

"And you have no right to ridicule the dead either!" Kirumi glowered as she readied her arms into a fighting stance. "Even if he may have caused us a great inconvenience with his eccentric personality, he didn't deserve to die!"

"Man." he frowned as he shook his head. "And all I wanted, was to give you guys this important piece of evidence for this investigation. It seems that nobody here actually appreciates me." 

"I wonder why." Miu mumbled sarcastically showing him the finger.

"An important piece of evidence?" Kiyo parroted crossing his palms together. "What could you possibly be talking about?"

"I don't think I want to show it to you guys now." he pulled out some sort of file. "You guys are all meanies!" he whined like a baby and threw a tantrum.

"Oh just fucking give it here, we don't have time for your bullshit." Shuichi spoke as he snatched it from him forcefully. "I know you are the mascot of this series, but sometimes you are so goddamn annoying."

"Great job." Rantaro chimed in to compliment him. "That oughta shut him up."

"Hmph." the bear huffed out. "Well then before I leave, I will confirm to all you rude bastards that, yes, your motives will remain active until the class trial is over! So you have to wear them till then!!" he announced as he spun out of existence.

 

~Rise of the Ultimates~

 

"So when are we going to begin our investigation?" Kaede stepped forth and spoke. "I think the best time to start this investigation is right now." 

"Yes." Kaito nodded. "We should all split into groups to cover better ground and help out in our own ways. Also, someone needs to be a lookout for the body ready so that no-one tampers with the evidence behind our back." he suggested.

"That should be for the best as one of us is the culprit after all." Kiyo chuckled. "Now who shall take that responsibility?" he turned and spoke to the group.

"I can do it." Gonta spoke slowly as to not trigger his forbidden action. "Looking over body should be.....easy, just no one tam-per with evidence." he spoke taking place standing next to his body.

"I shall also help Gonta in keeping a lookout over the body." Keebo also stepped forward. 

"Alright, now that that's done, it's time for the investigation to begin." Shuichi nodded and pulled out the Monokuma file.

~Beautiful Lie~

"Can I investigate with you, Shuichi?" asked Kaede facing him.

"Of course." he replied with a slight smile. "Also, you have to stay within three meters from me until this trial is over, remember?" he pointed out.

"Oh yeah." she stuck out her tongue almost as if she had forgotten that detail.

"Let get-"

"Can I investigate with you two as well?" interrupted a voice from behind them.

They both turned around to face whoever had interrupted them. When they turned their faces, they saw that it was Rantaro who had spoke up.

"I...I want to investigate Kokichi's death alongside you two." Rantaro spoke sighing and crossing his hands. "I'm sorry if this is too much to ask for, but I want to have the most information available to me before going inside the class trial and I shall receive that only by investigation besides you Shuichi." he spoke turning to him. "So....will you two let me investigate with you?" he asked with anticipation.

Shuichi and Kaede looked at each other with an emotionless expression. It was as if they were communicating telepathically. 

Then after a few moments of waiting, Shuichi spoke up, "Sure Rantaro, you can investigate with us."

"Thank you." he showed his appreciation by smiling. "I promise I won't be too much of a third wheel here." he spoke chuckling.

"Now what the heck is that supposed to mean?" Kaede spoke raising her eyebrows.

"Nothing." he merely chuckled in his reply. 

 

"Alright you two!" Kaede announced to the boys. "It's time for the investigation behind Kokichi's murder to begin!"

 

~Despair Searching~

 

Investigation Start!

Chapter 13: Our Class Trials - Deadly Life I {Investigation}

Summary:

And here we have the investigation of the first murder inside the ultimate academy!

But oh it seems that the first victim was the supreme leader Kokichi Oma! Many thought that he would survive till the end, but alas, despair is truly unpredictable as stated by the Ultimate Fashionista.

Will the investigating trio consisting of Kaede, Shuichi and Rantaro be able to figure out the truth behind this mystery!?

Tune in to find out!

~Despair Searching~

 

Investigation Start!

 

"Alright, let's get started on this investigation right away." Rantaro spoke with composure and equal parts determination. "We need to catch the culprit behind this incident." 

"Yes we should." Shuichi nodded and pulled out the Monokuma file and read it aloud for Kaede and Rantaro to hear.

 

The victim of the incident is Kokichi Oma, the Ultimate Supreme Leader. 

The body was discovered inside the Library at 8pm. The time of death is approximately 7:55 pm.

There is a skull fracture to the side of his head, which lead to intercranial hemorrhaging and brain damage, and is thus the cause of death.

There are no other injuries or damages to be found on the body.

 

[Monokuma File #1]> has been added as a Truth Bullet! 

 

"Well, that is at least a little reassuring." Rantaro muttered crossing his arms together. "This file does convey truthful information if we compare it to the condition of Kokichi's body."

"Yeah, that does seem to be the case." Kaede hummed reading over the file again. "It says here, that his cause of death was due to a fracture to the side of his skull. So, he must have been hit or attacked with some sort of blunt object." she concluded pointing a finger at the ceiling.

"A quick examination over his body does not turn over any new clues unfortunately." Shuichi stated as he finished patting down Kokichi's corpse to look for any clues that he could find. "Though the examination does indeed confirm that his cause of death was blunt force trauma to the side of his head." he spoke dusting himself off  on the ground.

"Was his death at least instantaneous?" Rantaro asked turning to him.

"Yes." Shuichi confirmed closing his eyes. "His death was most likely, instantaneous." 

"That....is a little reassuring." Kaede added solemnly.

"But." Shuichi spoke up to get their attention. "There is one thing about Kokichi's body that we definitely need to check out as soon as possible."

"Hmm?" Rantaro raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"His Forbidden Action." 

"Ah!" Rantaro's body jerked slightly as if moving on it's own. "Yeah, we definitely need to check that!" he spoke as he knelt down to inspect his forbidden action.

After parting his sleeve quickly, Rantaro exposed his motive band and touched on the screen. Immediately, his forbidden action lit up.

 

Kokichi Oma's Forbidden Action

 

Defending himself from an incoming attack

 

"That's absolutely morbid!" Kaede shrieked as she gazed at his wrist. "Who would do such a thing!?"

"Could he have been killed as a consequence of his forbidden action?" Rantaro inquired facing Shuichi. "I mean, even if it may not be the cause of death, it could have played a role in the murder, right?."

"We should definitely keep this in mind for the class trial." he replied back.

 

[Kokichi's Forbidden Action]> has been added as a Truth Bullet!

 

"We should investigate around the entire library." Kaede suggested and turned her sights towards the bookshelves. "Like....what...?" she trailed off.

"Kaede." Rantaro called out. "What are you staring at?" he asked as he noticed her glaring at something from behind a bookshelf.

"That." she replied pointing at something on the ground. "What the heck is that!? It looks...bloody!"

"What?" Shuichi spoke as he followed her gaze and saw a small round object lying close by, all bloodied up. He walked over at picked it up in his hands.

"That's a shot put ball." Rantaro spoke as he peered from over Shuichi's shoulders. "What is it doing here?"

"I think the important question that we need to ask is....why the heck is it bloody!?" Kaede shouted as if stating the obvious.

"That too."

"Hmm." Shuichi hummed. "Our murder weapon is most likely a blunt object...and we found this bloody shot put ball almost right next to his body...."

"Ah!" Kaede jumped as if she solved a huge mystery. "This is-"

"This is most likely the murder weapon." Rantaro interrupted her as he stated his opinion.

"Hey, that was my line you jerk!!" she hissed at him.

He put his hands on his hips and tilted his head to the side, "Well I said it first, missy." 

"Will you two stop acting like children?!" Shuichi groaned and held his face in his palms. "This is an investigation, not a family outing!"

 

[Bloody Shot Put]> has been added as a Truth Bullet!

 

"Before we go any further." Shuichi spoke turning to Rantaro and Kaede. "We need to get our alibies for the murder sorted."

"Oh yeah!" Kaede perked up. "That's a great idea Shuichi."

"So, I guess I'll start with mine." Rantaro spoke up and held his chin. "Around his time of death, I was inside a classroom with Keebo and Tsumugi, up until the discovery of the body."

"You were with Keebo and Tsumugi?.....Why?" asked Kaede.

"Well, Keebo needed some help understanding human emotions more thoroughly and he roped me and Tsumugi into it, whether we wanted to comply or not." he finished as he rolled his eyes.

"Aww geez." she huffed out. "He can be quite bothersome at times, but in the end, he is just a robot who is trying to blend in with a group of highschoolers, so I guess he would be a little antsy at times."

"You know." Rantaro said raising his brow. "If he heard you, he would have called you a robophobe after what you said just now."

"I don't really care." she scoffed.

"Wait Rantaro." Shuichi stepped in. "You said you were in a classroom right?" 

"Yes." he nodded. "What about it?"

"Were you in the classroom which has a vent inside of it?" he prodded.

"Ummm." he closed his eyes as he hummed in thought. "No, I wasn't in classroom A. I was actually in classroom C." he spoke, opening his eyes.

"Oh, one of the ones that's near my lab?" Kaede inquired.

"Precisely." he replied. "I was actually sitting on a desk near the door, so I was able to hear some music emanating from the piano lab."

"That information could be invaluable for this case Rantaro." Shuichi hummed. "Thank you."

 

[Rantaro's Account]> has been added as a Truth Bullet!

 

"Now you two." Rantaro inquired himself. "Where were you during the time of Kokichi's murder?"

"We had both gone to the bathroom together as a break to relieve ourselves!" Kaede replied quickly.

Shuichi just subtly turned his head to look at her, and one glance at her told him that she had completely overlooked the subtext of that sentence. Or it could be that she was deliberate with her forward wording, who knows?

Rantaro being caught off guard by her reply, stuttered out, "I-I see....you both are quite....brave."

"Huh?" she rolled her eyes. "What is that supposed to mean?" 

After heaving a deep sigh, Shuichi spoke up, "Whatever you are thinking of Rantaro, didn't actually occur. We simply went into the men and women sections separately and exited the bathrooms the same way."

"Okay...I'm sort of- nevermind let's just continue on with the investigation." he nodded, clearly not wanting to remain on that particular subject.

 

[Shuichi's Account]> has been added as a Truth Bullet!

 

"Hey Shuichi why did you ask me specifically if my room was the one that contained a vent and not the location of the class?" asked Rantaro.

"Why does that matter?" he spoke raising a brow.

"It's just that....you emphasized the importance of the vent more so than the importance of the location by phrasing it like that."

"Great job Rantaro, you are great at picking up on the subtext within a sentence." he praised. 

"But why does that vent inside the classroom matter?" Kaede spoke up. 

"That's because, look over there." Shuichi said as he pointed up at the top of the bookshelves towards a steel vent embedded into the wall. "That vent connects to the vent up in classroom A."

"I see." Rantaro said as he clicked his tongue. "But that still doesn't give  us any evidence as to how it may be connected to this case."

"Okay." Shuichi sighed as he equipped a more refined posture. "Let's put it like this."

"Someone from inside classroom A, dropped a shot put down it's vent and rolled it such that it would come out inside the library, roll along the top of the bookshelves and finally, drop and crush Kokichi's skull."

"W-what!?" Kaede shouted covering her mouth. "Is that even possible!? I-I mean who would even create a murder plan like that?!"

"Your theory has many holes in it Shuichi." Rantaro calmly shot back. "First, it would require some extreme dose of luck for it to even occur and kill someone. Second, the ball could very easily be heard or it could fall off track. And even if all those variables are met, it could always miss it's recipient."

"As I said, it's just a theory for the time being." he replied. "But to confirm whether or not it could happen, we need to check the top of the bookshelves for ourselves."

"Alright." Rantaro bemused his hypothesis. "I guess I'll bring the ladder over."

"I can go and check out the top of the bookshelves." Kaede stepped forward as the ladder was placed in front of the bookshelf, but she noticed the way Shuichi was staring deadpanned at her. "I can climb the ladder and-.....nevermind, someone else go up there!" she quickly denied with reddened cheeks.

"That's probably for the best." sighed Rantaro.

"Don't worry Kaede." Shuichi smiled and grabbed the leg of the ladder. "I'll go and check it out. You just stand at the foot of the ladder so that we aren't too far apart."

"Got it!" she chirped and stood where she was told to.

"So, detective." called out Rantaro from the foot of the ladder. "See anything up there?"

"Well." he hummed as he pressed his palm gently against the vent grate. "My theory regarding the 'vent-shot put rube goldberg killing trap thingy' (patent pending) is impossible as this vent is actually closed." he peered below him to reply, "So yeah, that theory is a bust."

"Okay then, are there really no clues up there?" asked Kaede.

"Nope." he answered as he pulled out and showed off a hollow cylindrical device. "I found this stuck up among the books, carefully hidden might I add."

"What the heck is that?" said Rantaro as Shuichi passed it down onto him, "It just looks like a normal everyday metallic pipe tubing."

"It has to be some sort of clue if it was hidden among the books, right?" put forth Kaede.

"Most likely, yes." 

 

[Cylindrical Metallic Device]> has been added as a Truth Bullet!

 

"Hey wait Rantaro!" Kaede shouted pointing behind him. "What's that hiding among the books!?"

"Huh?" he said turning around as he indeed spotted an object hiding among the various books and manuscripts.

Pushing aside the books and grabbing the object, he pulled it out and inspected it. One glance confirmed that it was some sort of modified digital camera .

"What is this doing here?" he muttered turning it over and inspecting it from every angle.

"We should definitely keep this is mind for the class trial." suggested Kaede.

 

[Modified Camera]> has been added as a Truth Bullet!

 

"Did you guys find a camera?" called out Shuichi from the top. "Check whether or not it contains some footage."

"Great idea." Kaede replied.

"Hmm." Rantaro said after opening it's back cover. "It's footage is in the form of a film, so it would need to be developed before we can actually see it."

"Who here can actually develop a film?" Kaede hummed holding her chin. "We can't ask Kirumi because of her forbidden action....so wh-"

"Leave it to me!!" chirped Monophanie as she jumped out of the ground. "I can develop these films for you by the time that the class trial rolls around!"

"Gah!!" yelped Kaede. "Where did suddenly pop up from!! You almost gave me a heart attack!!"

"Sorry about that." she apologized as she quickly snatched the camera away from Rantaro's grasp. "Now I'll be off then!" she announced as she spun off into the ether.

"Hey wait- Goddamit!" cursed Rantaro as she disappeared. "Well, guess we'll have to wait for the results of those films."

"Did something happen?" asked Shuichi bringing his gaze to them.

"It will be sorted out till the class trial, don't worry...hopefully." reassured Kaede. "Is there anything else you can see from up there, Shuichi?"

"Yeah, I see something pretty interesting from up here." Shuichi announced pointing at a bookshelf in the opposing wall of the room. "That bookshelf over there has  no books atop it."

"Hmm?" Kaede followed his gaze to the masterminds' hidden door and continued, "Yeah now that you mention it, that particular bookshelf has it's top completely empty."

"Also, I'm pretty sure those are skid marks on the ground alongside it." Rantaro bemused to himself. "I think we found something big here."

"I'm coming down now." said Shuichi as he started descending. "There wasn't anything else up there."

"Let's go then." announced Kaede as their group made their way over to the hidden door and stood in front of it. "Now what?" she asked the others.

"Now we just-Oh!" the bookshelf instantly gave way to reveal a hidden door as soon as Shuichi interacted with it. "That was....simple."

"What the heck!?"

"Eh! What's this!?" 

"There is a hidden door here?" 

Muttered the many residents of the library as the hidden door was revealed. 

"What could it's existence even mean?" Kiyo mused inspecting the door. "Such hidden doors are created for the purpose of concealing a deep truth."

"Hmph." scoffed Ryoma. "It could only mean a single thing."

Shuichi spoke up before anyone else, "There is a secret room behind this door. And such a room could only be created for hiding the existence of a person controlling this game."

"And the presence of this door in a location where everyone could access it, can only mean one thing." Rantaro spoke darkly.

 

"The mastermind behind this killing game is hiding among us." 

 

"W-wha- you can't be serious!!" shivered Tenko. "No way is that true!"

"Yeah there has to be a second, more rational explanation for this, right?" spoke Kaede hesitantly.

"Like what?" Shuichi prodded.

"Don't ask me that!"

"Well what should we do now?" Shuichi turned to the group and asked. "Now that we know the existence of a mastermind within our ranks, where do we go from here?"

"Umm." hummed Keebo. "I think our first priority should still be investigating Kokichi's murder, we can debate over the mastermind discussion later on."

"Very well, I agree with that methodology." nodded Kirumi.

"Hey!" cheered Tsumugi. "Isn't it possible that the mastermind killed Kokichi?!"

Several eyes were raised from her bold declaration and Kaede was first one to speak up, "We can only find that out in the class trail, but first we need to make sure we  actually win it."

"I Agree." Shuichi stepped forward. "We still need to investigate for this class trial, the mastermind talk could be done after we have secured our survival."

 

[Hidden Room Door]> has been added as a Truth Bullet!

 

After closing the hidden room door, the room reverted back to it's original state and the occupants of the room went back to their original position of checking various crevices or keeping watch over the body.

The investigating trio silently nodded to each other and started walking over to their friends in order to gather some testimony and alibi for the murder.

As Gonta and Keebo were the closest to them when they began, they decided to begin their testimony gathering from the duo.

"Keebo." muttered Kaede as she approached. "Do you have any useful information about the murder you can provide?"

"Umm." he voiced his thoughts, "Not really, I haven't been able to search for clues as I am guarding Kokichi's.... body. And I'm sure that you already have my alibi for the time of the murder from Rantaro." he replied as he sheepishly rubbed his neck.

"I have given them our alibis Keebo." smiled Rantaro. "Don't worry."

"And you Gonta?" Shuichi spoke turning to him, but upon seeing his expression, he grimaced slightly.

"W-Why?...Why somebody kill...Kokichi?" cried the gentle giant. "W-w-why they start the..... killing game?"

"Don't worry Gonta, we'll definitely find the killer inside the class trial." reassured Keebo by patting him on the shoulder.

"O-o-okay." he replied.

 

"May I talk with you for a moment?" said Kirumi as she strode over to Shuichi. 

"What is it Kirumi?" he gestured for her to continue.

"I wish to discuss our alibi for the time before Kokichi's murder." she replied.

"Oh yes!" cheered Kaede. "That is exactly what we wanted to talk to you about!"

Kirumi then pointed up at the ceiling and replied. "If I recall.... around fifteen minutes before Kokichi's demise; Kiyo, Tenko, Gonta, Shuichi, Kaede and I were inside the dining hall eating our meal."

"Wait a second-" Rantaro cut forth but Shuichi interrupted his interruption.

"If you are going to point out the fact that during the time of death, me and Kaede were in the bathroom...not the dining hall is a lie, then let Kirumi finish."

"Oh yes." Kirumi muttered. "My apologies, Shuichi and Kaede had both left the dining hall after finishing their meal in order to use the bathroom. That was around ten minutes before the murder."

"Thanks Kirumi." Kaede obliged. 

Rantaro subtly narrowed his gaze over Shuichi and Kaede, clearly going over some theories in his mind.

This action didn't go unnoticed by Shuichi as he spoke up, "Something on your mind Rantaro?"

"Uh no, nothing." he clearly lied, not wanting to show his cards just yet.

"Very well."

 

[Kirumi's Account]> has been added as a Truth Bullet!

 

The group then came across Miu tinkering with some sort of device in her hand, it was clear that she was having a little trouble tinkering it to start working.

All the while cursing in such a manner that her forbidden action wouldn't trigger.

The design of her invention was just like that of an average cell phone, but one glance made it clear that it was way more advanced and high tech than any regular cell.

"Ahh heck!! Why won't this piece of crap just start already!?" she bellowed, her face smeared with sweat.

"Umm what is it that you are doing?" asked Rantaro. "Why are you just creating an invention in the middle of the investigation?"

"Shut it Avocado!" she glared pointing a screwdriver at him. "I'm busy creating the key to our lock here."

"Excuse me?" he gawked. "What do you mean exactly?" 

"Like heck I'll let you!" it was obvious she wouldn't budge on this matter, so she just went back to her tinkering.

"Argh!!" she groaned and she violently put the screwdriver down on the table and shouted, "You won't work huh!? SO I guess It's Punishment Time!!" she raised her arm into the air, balled it into a fist and smacked it against the screen on the device.

Instantly the device turned on with a vibrant blue light.

"Here you go." she spoke handing the device over to Shuichi.

"Thank you." he thanked her as he pocketed it and started walking away.

"What the hell just happened?" mumbled Rantaro completely gobsmacked.

 

[Miu's Invention]> has been added as a Truth Bullet!

 

"I think that's everything finished inside the library." spoke Shuichi as he took one final glance over everything inside the room.

"Where to now?" asked Kaede. "Where should we go next?"

"I say we head on over to the game room and the AV room since they are the closest rooms to the library." Rantaro answered. 

"Exactly my thought." nodded Shuichi. "Let's investigate there next."

As the group quickly made their way to the game room, they noticed the presence of Maki and Ryoma inside, the latter of which wasn't in the mood to talk nor had any info to give. 

So Shuichi spoke approaching Maki, "Hey there, do you have any information for us?" he asked with a tiny smirk on his face.

She scowled at him and spoke, "Yeah, I am the one who discovered his body first."

"Oh?" Rantaro spoke raising his eyebrow.

"I had been inside this room around 7:30 pm alongside several others. After a while, I decided to take some fresh air and entered the library, and that's when I noticed Kokichi's dead body and notified the others."

"Why were you in the game room Maki?" asked Rantaro.

"Some idiot, I won't name who, had called me, himself, Himiko, Angie, Miu and Ryoma to a meeting here in this room around the time of the murder." she continued. 

"Some idiot?" parroted Kaede. "Who might you be referring to?"

"It's Kaito." she groaned. "He had apparently called us here to discuss a method to remove these motives strapped to our wrists."

"That's...." Rantaro hummed. "Actually pretty clever of him."

"Anything else that we need to know?" Shuichi tilted his head to the side and muttered.

"Ryoma didn't participate in the meeting, he was inside the AV room, almost the entire time." she finished. "Now is that all for my interrogation, or do you still have more?!"

"No no, we are finished here Maki." he politely bowed. 

"It seems that your talent is coming in real handy now, you are in your zone when it comes to a murder investigation." she quipped as he had turned around.

Immediately turning back he mumbled, "You better pray that I don't use my talent after you have used yours."

That caused her to instantly purse her lips and throw a death glare in his direction. 

Meanwhile, Kaede and Rantaro were speechless throughout their entire back and forth.

 

[Maki's Account]> has been added as a Truth Bullet!

 

"Yoohoo!" chirped Angie as she exited the AV room and entered the game room. "What is going on here?"

"We are gathering alibis and clues from everyone for the class trial, Angie." replied Kaede.

"Ooh then you should have this!" she spoke as she pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Shuichi.

"What's that?" asked Rantaro as he peeked at the small sheet in Shuichi's hands.

"It's everyone's forbidden actions." answered the artist. "Angie asked everyone who was willing to tell her their forbidden actions and noted it down on this piece of paper."

"That's really helpful Angie." praised Shuichi as he read over the list. "Wait there are some new names here as well." 

"Yeah." Kaede clicked her tongue and spoke, "This also has Tenko and Himiko's forbidden action, did they tell you what theirs was...or is, I should say."

"Yep." she clapped her hands together and giggled. "Poor Himiko can't enter the gym and Tenko can't touch or be touched by girls!"

"I think the adjective 'poor' is used for the wrong person here." commented Rantaro rolling his eyes.

"Aaaanyway, I keep this evidence in your hands now Shuichi!" she chuckled as she walked away with a spring in her steps.

"She is....certainly something." mumbled Kaede as she watched her skip away.

 

[The Forbidden Actions]> has been added as a Truth Bullet!

 

Stepping inside the AV room, the group noticed the presence of Kaito and Himiko inside, the astronaut was sifting through various movie cd cartridges trying to find some sort of clue and meanwhile the magician was trying to 'concentrate' on getting her MP back as she had explained to Rantaro.

Shuichi started over by walking to the side door of the AV room which opened across to the side door of the library and began inspecting it. 

Deciding to help Kaito in his search, Kaede decided to also shuffle through the shelves on the opposite wall just in the off chance that she could help find a clue from in there.

When she pulled out a cartridge and turned it over to check the cover......

.....she saw various naked male and females lining the image.

She had pulled out a porno.

"Is something wrong Kaede?" Shuichi called out placing a hand on her shoulder. 

Her heart damn near leaped out of her chest. She was sure that her face was crimson red right then, and if Shuichi saw this in her hands...he won't stop teasing her till he dies.

"Your face is completely red." he stated turning his gaze to her. "Also what are you holdi-"

"I-it's just a bunch of moobies!! I-I MEAN MOVIES!!!" she shouted as she instantly shoved the cd inside the shelf, most likely breaking it inside the cartridge.

Shuichi had a mischievous look on his face as he slowly reached inside the shelf and pulled out the same cd she shoved in. Pulling it out, his eyes instantly widened with a deep blush adorning his cheeks.

But the shit-eating grin that he had on his face told her everything.

"Wow." he wolf whistled and then whispered. "I didn't know that you were into this Kaede, I guess I'll have to keep this in mind for later." he winked.

"Oh I'll fucking kill you Shuichi." she grumbled, absolutely seething with rage and embarrassment. "Just. Drop. It."

"Will I?" he raised a brow. "This golden opportunity just dropped into my lap, and I don't intend to let it go."

"Hey you two." Rantaro called out as he started approaching. "Himiko didn't really have any new info for us."

Shuichi quickly and quietly placed the cd back in it's proper place and turned to face him. 

"SO!" he quickly took charge. "I guess that leaves Kaito then? Leave him to me." 

"Yeah go." mumbled Kaede averting her gaze. 

"Something happen?" asked Rantaro with concern.

"Goddammit not you too!"

 

"Hey Kaito." Shuichi said grasping his shoulder. "I have something to ask you."

"Sure man what is it?" he replied properly facing him.

"Maki said that you were holding a meeting in the game room around the time of the murder, is that true?" he inquired.

"It's 100 percent true!" he announced boisterously. "I, Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars, held a meeting in there with many others to think up a way to get our forbidden actions deactivated."

"And how did that go?" 

"Well, a little ways into the meeting, some very loud and very obnoxious music started blaring everywhere round the entire academy." he recalled scratching the back of his neck. "So, our meeting had to be put on pause momentarily, and later on, Maki discovered Kokichi's dead body in the library."

"Oh yeah, there was that loud music blaring everywhere, I also heard it from inside the classroom." Rantaro added crossing his arms.

"But why was such loud music playing right before Kokichi's murder?" Kaede thought out loud. "It doesn't make any sense."

"I think we are done here at last." Shuichi spoke closing his eyes.

 

[Loud Music]> has been added as a Truth Bullet!

 

"Now only a single piece of evidence is missing." stated Shuichi as he impatiently tapped his foot against the flooring. 

"What evidence are we missing Shuichi?" sighed Rantaro.

"Sorry Sooooorry I'm late!!" Monophanie shouted as she climbed out of the ground holding something in her paw. "Here take it!" she passed the object onto Shuichi.

"Oh yeah the developed camera photo!" chirped Kaede.

Shuichi turned over the photo within his fingers and inspected it. 

As he stared at it, his grin slowly crept up and formed into something sinister.

He muttered only a single sentence, "Interesting."

He then promptly pocketed the photo without showing it off to the others.

 

[Camera Photo]> has been added as a Truth Bullet!

 

"Hey Shuichi at least-" tried Rantaro before he was interrupted.

 

*Ding Dong Dong Ding*

 

The monitors all around the academy turned on and their headmaster, Monokuma appeared on the screen sitting on a comfy swivel chair and holding a glass of champagne in his paw.

 

"Ahem! Is the investigation over or are we going to die of old age at this rate!? I mean for goodness sakes, can you all be any slower!?"

"We have had too much nice and fluffy enjoyment up till this point! Now, it's time for that sweet sweet despair to take back it's place as the centre of attention!"

"Ah yes this is finally making all the hair in my body stand up and I just can't hold back this excitement! It feels like all my white stuffing is going to come gushing out any moment!"

"So before I burst, hurry up and move your asses over to the Shrine of Judgement inside the courtyard!!"

 

Notes:

And that's the end of the investigation everybody!

Hopefully the culprit isn't too obvious, because if you have been paying attention throughout the fic, you might be able to identify them.

Anyway hope to receive your kudos and comments for this one!!

Chapter 14: Our Class Trials - Deadly Life II

"So before I burst, hurry up and move your asses over to the Shrine of Judgement inside the courtyard!!"

 

~Living In a Lazy Parallel World~

 

"Well, I think that marks the end of our little investigation." sighed Rantaro. "Hopefully we three were able to gather enough clues to catch the culprit behind this murder."

"I'm positive that if we all work together we can definitely make it through this." reassured Kaede. 

"Yeah!" cheered Kaito. "There is no way in hell that the culprit can get out of our grasp!"

"Let's all make haste to the courtyard then." Shuichi suggested. "Since that's where the class trial is going to be held according to Monokuma's announcement."

"Alright, let's do this." Rantaro spoke with determination in his eyes. "We won't let whoever did this get away with their murder."

 

~Exisal Tribe~

 

And one by one, all the ultimates within the academy started their journey towards the Shrine of Judgement where their battle for survival would be taking place. 

It was clear to everyone present that one of their own had murdered Kokichi Oma, the Ultimate Supreme Leader. And they had no intention of revealing their crime to the others.

Also, there was the whole issue of the mastermi-

"Hey Shuichi!" Kaede whispered in his ear as they were walking down the hallway. 

"What is it?" he hushed back.

"Have you seen the Nanokubs footage yet?" her voice was so low that he could barely make it out himself.

"What footage?"

"You know, of Kokichi's murder!?" she spoke as if his response annoyed her.

"No I didn't watch it Kaede." he replied keeping up his steps.

"Why?!"

"Because that would be considered cheating Kaede." he spoke glaring at her. "And I intend to solve each and every case on my own, not by relying on some cheap cheat code."

"You're that ballsy huh?" she smirked. "Well, could be the reason why I fell for you~"

"Also..." he grinned. "I don't think that we needed to watch this particular footage if you know what I mean."

"Oh I know." she giggled covering her mouth.

"Hey Shuichi and Kaede!" called out Kaito from up ahead. "Why are you two falling behind so much!?"

"Coming!" shouted Kaede as she hurried her steps and Shuichi matched hers.

 

~Nightmare in the Locker~

 

"So I guess this is it huh." huffed Ryoma as he noticed the surroundings of the Shrine. "This area looks somewhat....serene."

"Yeah well except for that thing." Tenko muttered glaring at the buff statue of Monokuma. "That thing is absolutely hideous."

"I wholeheartedly agree with you there."  whispered Kiyo. 

"Ummm...so now what?" Angie held up her hands gesturing to the others. "All of us are here, then how do we start the class trial?"

"You certainly seem eager." commented Maki.

"But she does have a point." Keebo spoke. "How exactly do we start this class trial?"

Suddenly, the ground beneath them started shaking and the statue in the middle of the room came to life, which caused quite a few members of the class to shriek out loud (including Kaito).

The statue stretched out his arms, then with a great forced crushed the chalice in his palms and at last it retreated into the ground.

"Fancy trick...I mean magic." Himiko mumbled scratching an ear. 

"Oh look over there!" Keebo pointed to the newly opened passageway behind the waterfall. "There is an elevator behind the waterfall."

"Should we trust that?" Tsumugi grumbled. "I don't think that we should trust that even if there may be some legendary loot hidden there."

"We aren't in some sort of RPG game Tsumugi." commented Tenko.

 

~Real/Fiction~

 

"There is no use waiting out here is there?" Rantaro pointed out as he stepped onto the passage. "It's time for us all to go."

"We can't run away from this truth." Shuichi also stepped up. "It is now the moment for all the lies behind this case to be dispelled."

There were many murmurs and hesitant nods from the class as they stepped inside the elevator one after the other.

It was truly the point of no return now. 

15 people would step inside the elevator for the first time but only 14 would step on it for a second time.

After everyone had taken their position inside, Kirumi reached out and hesitantly pressed the switch which would start their descent towards the trial grounds.

Almost instantly, their dive began as the elevator came to life with a loud clink. The sounds of the old metallic elevator scraping against the walls of the shaft kept everyone on a nervous edge throughout their journey, either praying it to be over already, or wanting to remain here for eternity.

Paranoia, anxiety and fear had taken a hold over all their hearts and forced them into a tense form of quietude without any calm. 

Nobody dared to utter a single word on their journey.

Calming his nerves, Shuichi pulled out his monopad and scrolled over to the Truth Bullet section to take one final look at the evidence.

 

~Our Class Trial~

 

• [Monokuma File #1]>  

  The victim of the incident is Kokichi Oma, the Ultimate Supreme Leader.

  The body was discovered inside the Library at 8pm. The time of death is approximately 7:55 pm.

  There is a skull fracture to the side of his head, which lead to intercranial hemorrhaging and brain damage, and is thus the cause of death.

  There are no other injuries or damages to be found on the body.

 

• [Shuichi's Account]> 

  Around the time of Kokichi's murder, Shuichi and Kaede were inside the bathroom on the first floor by themselves.

  According to Shuichi, he was in the male restroom and Kaede was in the female restroom.

 

• [Bloody Shot Put]> 

  There was a bloodied shot put ball found lying near Kokichi's dead body beneath a bookshelf.

 

• [Rantaro's Account]> 

  Rantaro, Tsumugi and Keebo were all inside Classroom C around the time of the murder teaching Keebo about various aspects of humanity.

  Rantaro had sat down close the door of the classroom and could hear faint music emanating from the Piano Lab.

 

• [Kokichi's Forbidden Action]> 

  Kokichi Oma's Forbidden action prohibited him from defending himself. Hence, he would have been unable to defend himself from an oncoming attack.

 

• [Modified Camera]> 

  There was a digital camera stuck up between the books of the lower shelves of a bookcase inside the library.

  The camera appears to be clearly modified from just a single glance, though the exact modification done to it is currently unknown.

  The camera took a picture in the form of a film which was produced manually by Monophanie and handed over to Shuichi.

 

• [Hidden Room Door]> 

  The Hidden Room door of the Mastermind's lair was found on the wall opposite to the front entrance.

  The hidden door room's shelf did not contain any books stacked up on the top of it.

  The door when opened, rotated in the direction of the side door of the library.

 

• [Kirumi's Account]>

  Around fifteen minutes before Kokichi's demise, the following were inside the dining hall: Kiyo, Tenko, Gonta, Shuichi, Kaede and Kirumi.

  Around ten minutes before the murder, Kaede and Shuichi had left together to go to the bathroom.

 

• [Cylindrical Metallic Device]>

  A hollow metallic device in the shape of a cylinder was found hidden among some books stacked up on top of the bookshelf.

  It's appearance is just like that of a metallic tubing, although it is clearly a digital device.

  It's functionality is currently unknown.

 

• [Miu's Invention]> 

  During the investigation, Miu handed Shuichi an invention. The design of which looked like an upgraded version of a normal cell phone.

 

• [The Forbidden Actions]>

  The current motive presented by Monokuma doesn't allow the students to perform certain actions. If said actions are carried out, their host immediately dies due to being poisoned by their wristband. The followings are the forbidden actions of the individuals that Angie acquired and wrote down on a note.

   

  Shuichi can't be more than 3 metres away from Kaede Akamatsu.

  Kaede can't let Shuichi Saihara die.

  Miu can't curse or swear.

  Keebo can't run or sprint inside the halls.

  Kaito can't punch someone else.

  Ryoma can't open doors on his own.

  Kirumi can't perform maid duties.

  Angie can't mention her god.

  Gonta can't refer to himself in third person.

  Himiko can't enter the gym.

  Tenko can't touch or be touched by females.

 

• [Maki's Account]> 

  In order to come up with a plan to remove the bracelets, Kaito had gathered a small group to hold a meeting inside the game room of the basement. The group consisted of Kaito, Maki, Himiko, Miu, Ryoma and Angie.

  Ryoma had no intention in participating and thus had gone inside the AV room during the meeting and didn't participate for the majority of it.

  In the middle of the meeting, Maki had gone outside to catch some fresh air and found Kokichi's dead body inside the library.

 

• [Loud Music]>

  Loud music had started blaring from all the speakers located throughout the academy minutes before Kokichi's murder.

 

• [Camera Photo]>

  The modified camera hidden among the books had captured a single photo which was produced by Monophanie. The photo was pocketed by Shuichi when she brought it out and the image on it is currently unknown.

 

And that was the end of the summary of all the evidence procured by Shuichi, Kaede and Rantaro.

 

After finishing the reading of the evidence, Shuichi quietly tucked his monopad back into his pocket and assumed a neutral pose.

But soon enough, the doors to the elevator opened and indeed on the other side of the opening were the trial grounds.

16 podiums stood next to each other in a circle with one podium adorning the crossed out portrait of Kokichi Oma. 

And the headmaster sat upon his velvet throne just across them, overseeing the entire class trial about to take place.

 

~New World Order V3~

 

"So this it huh?" thought Shuichi as he inhaled a breath. "This is the moment it all comes down to."

"Fifteen of us have stepped foot inside this trial room."

"But among those fifteen, hides the perpetrator who killed Kokichi Oma and started this killing game."

"Kokichi may have been someone that nobody trusted due to his brash demeanor, his constant lies, or his disdain for others. But still, he was someone who could survive on his own as a lone wolf."

"But alas, even the greatest predators can get caught in mighty traps and perish."

"Now it's upto the remaining survivors to find out the truth about who killed him and started up this death game."

"Will they be able to grasp what lies beyond the truth? Or will they reach the truth that we want them to reach?"

"It's time to begin this class trial imbued with truth and lies!!"

Notes:

And thus all the prep work for the class trial has been finished!! Now from next chapter onwards we finally get into the unique theme which defines Danganronpa as a whole.

Get ready to be filled to be filled to the brim with both hope and despair in this multi part class trial!! Which will always end on a cliffhanger more vicious than the last one.

I hope that the culprit isn't too obvious this time around and you all can still craft many theories regarding who they might be. And yeah, going through these class trials knowing the fact of who the mastermind is going to be a completely new experience I bet.

Anyway, don't forget to voice those theories in the comments!

Chapter 15: Our Class Trials - Deadly Life III

Summary:

And here was have FINALLY arrived at the class trial for the murder of our resident gremlin. Well, this gremlin won't need to worry about midnight anymore....amirite? (That was terrible)

Class Trial

Begin!!

 

~Class Trial: Dawn~

 

"Now then!" Monokuma cheered his speech from up upon his throne. "Let's begin with a basic explanation of the class trial. During the class trial, you will present arguments and decide on whodunnit."

"After the debate is finished, you all will vote for whoever you think the culprit is. If you manage to pick the blackened correctly, then only the blackened will be punished."

"But if you pick the wrong one, then I'll punish everyone besides the blackened!! And the blackened will then get to graduate from this academy!"

"Oh and if you don't actually vote for someone, then you will automatically be punished. So you better not abstain from voting time got it!!?"

"So at last, let this class trial...commence!!" he shouted throwing his paw into the air.

 

"It's already the time huh?" Rantaro hummed crossing his arms. "Alright everybody let's...do this." 

"Yes, all of our cooperation will be essential for solving this case." Kirumi curtly added and pointed up at the ceiling. "Every single one of us shall be acting as the appointee to the role of a judge, defender and a prosecutor in this scenario."

"Then we shall give it our all!" Tenko cheered striking a pose. "We won't lose this in any chance!"

"Yeah, she is right! There is no way that we will ever lose." Kaito announced to boost up the group's morale.

"You are way too loud." muttered Maki. 

"I don't like being supported or commented on by degenerate males." Tenko replied scrunching up her face.

"Geez tough crowd." yelped Kaito.

 

~Living In a Lazy Parallel World~

 

"Is this meaningless chatter going to cease so that we can actually begin the class trial?" hummed Shuichi fixing his stance. 

"There is no need for that Shuichi." Kaede spoke softly. "They are all just a little nervous so they are talking it out in this manner."

"Well I and a few others wish to make some actual progress with this discussion on the topic of Kokichi's murder." 

On the mention of the grim topic, the temperature of the room dipped greatly. The crossed out portrait currently occupying Kokichi's podium reminded all of them why exactly and for what purpose they were standing in these grounds.

"If we wish to proceed with this class trial." Kiyo spoke outstretching his arms outward. "Then I believe the first topic of discussion should be the cause of death, should it not?" 

"Well then all you not hotshots, what you got on that one?" asked Miu.

"What did you even say?" Keebo gawked at Miu rubbing his chin. "I couldn't comprehend any of that."

"Don't bother Keebo." warned Ryoma. "It's not worth it in the slightest."

"So the first topic that we need to discuss is Kokichi's cause of death?" Angie tilted her head and cooed. "Let's get to it guys!"

 

"The first debate is starting at last. I, Kaede, will stand my ground and not lose my determination and I WILL reach out to the truth!"

 

~Argument: Break~

 

Non-Stop Debate

Begin!

 

[Shuichi's Account]>

[Loud Music]>

[Monokuma File #1]>

[Modified Camera]>

 

Kiyo: How exactly did our victim, Kokichi, meet his demise?     {Oh it's starting yeah?}

Maki: His body was found inside the library at approximately 8pm.     {Yes Miu, it has started already}

Tenko: But what kind of weapon was that degenerate actually attacked with?     {Oi Pooichi! Less of that sass!}

Ryoma: Was he killed by his forbidden action? I mean, the possibility of the happening is likely.     {What...did you just call me?}

Himiko: Maybe he just tripped and had a great fall?     {Heeeeee!!}

Tsumugi: Ooh was he sitting on a great wall beforehand!?     {What the heck is going on over on that side?}

Maki: I don't think such childish fantasy stories should even be mentioned in this discussion.     {But aren't you a child caregiver?}

 

"There is only one statement to deny there."

 

[Monokuma File #1]> (killed by his forbidden action?)    (No that's wrong!)

 

Break!!

 

~Class Trial: Dawn~

 

"No Ryoma." Kaede spoke interjecting his statement. "Kokichi couldn't have been killed by his forbidden action."

"Hmm, how so?" he raised a brow. "What proof do you have behind that?"

"It's in the Monokuma File." she asserted as she brought out the device. "It states here that his cause of death was due to some kind of blunt force trauma."

"That may be true Kaede." hummed Maki as she held her chin. "But can you really truly believe in something drafted by the captor forcing us to kill each other?"

"Aptly put." nodded Kiyo as he rested his face in his palm. "I for one am skeptical of the validity of that report written by Monokuma." 

"Hey! You jerks!" sneered the ursine unsheathing his claws. "The Monokuma File always states the truth!! So it's more reliable than Wikipedia as a source! I-" 

"The Monokuma file does not contain any lies." stated Rantaro cutting off the bear. "We cross checked it's contents against the state of Kokichi's dead body and confirmed that it does state only the facts."

"I'm still not convinced." grumbled Himiko. "Show us some clue as to how Kokichi couldn't have been killed by the bracelet."

"Yes that should be good." nodded Gonta. "Um clue like that should help us."

"Okay. The clue is in how the bracelets carry out the kill of their host." chimed in Shuichi.

"In how they kill?" parroted Tsumugi. "I don't get it."

"Looks like I'll have to clarify." sighed Shuichi.

 

-{The Bracelets explode}-

-{The Bracelets inject lethal poison}-

-{The Bracelets restrict the blood flow}-

 

-{The Bracelets inject lethal poison}-    (This is it!)

 

~Class Trial: Space~

 

"The bracelets inject lethal poison into their host in order to kill them swiftly when their forbidden action is violated." he stated bracing one hand on the podium. 

"Angie definitely remembers that bear writhing in pain on the dining table the other day when he was injected with the poison." the artist called out smiling.

"What the actual heck is up with her!" shivered Miu. "Damn s-sadistic freak!"

"Anyway." Keebo spoke up. "If the actions end up poisoning their host to end their life, then it's almost a fact that Kokichi couldn't have been killed by his forbidden action."

"Yeah." Kaito spoke scratching his head. "One look at him shoulda made it obvious that he wasn't poisoned." 

"There were no blue hues across his face nor was there any frothing from his mouth." pointed out Kirumi. "So we can at last rule out the possibility of the motive being actively involved in the murder."

"So then a new question is raised." Shuichi tilted his head and stated. "What actually did him in huh?"

"If he was killed with blunt force trauma....then the weapon should also be something blunt!" announced Miu excitedly. "Aren't I a genius!?"

"Miu.." deadpanned Kaede. "That was obvious."

"H-Huuuhhh!?" she yelped.

"A blunt weapon inside the library." Ryoma hummed in thought. "Was there something like that?"

"Yes there was." replied Kaede as she reached into her bag.

 

[Bloody Shot Put]>    (This is it!)

 

~Rise of the Ultimates~

 

"This bloody shot put ball that we found near Kokichi's dead body is most likely the murder weapon that we are looking for." she spoke presenting it to the group.

"That would very easily bash anyone's skull!" Kaito stated smacking his fist on his podium. "A shot put is really dense and heavy you know!"

"Wait so, killer use the metal ball to kill Kokichi?" hummed Gonta pursing his lips.

"Yes, most definitely this shot put is our murder weapon." nodded Rantaro patting the giant's shoulder.

"One thing though." Tsumugi perked up raising a brow. "Why did you store a bloody shot put inside your backpack Kaede? That could easily damage the insides of your backpack!"

"Don't worry Tsumugi." she just smiled at her. "I had this shot put wrapped around my spare sweater vest beforehand so that it couldn't damage the inside of my bag and I can just clean off my vest later." 

"You are going to wear a vest that was stained with Kokichi's blood?!" Keebo trembled with horror.

"Nevermind then. Yeah this vest is getting burnt first thing first after I get outta here." she hummed dryly.

 

~Class Trial: Dawn~

 

"So we appear to have figured out the primary cause of death and the identity of the murder weapon." mumbled Kiyo adjusting his mask. "What next?" he chuckled.

"Mmhhhmm." prayed Angie clasping her hands. "I think that we should start accusing whoever we think is the culprit!"

"EH!?" Tsumugi shouted pointing at her. "That is a horrible idea Angie!"

"Blindly accusing someone would surely only lead to chaos." sighed Rantaro crossing his arms. "We need to keep this discussion as civil as possible."

"Does anybody have a good idea or a topic that we can start our discuss ion on?" Keebo asked turning to face everyone one by one.

 

~Mr. Monokuma's After Class V3~

 

"Alibis." stated Shuichi bracing against his stand.

"Hmm?" Kaede raised a brow. "What was that Shuichi?"

"Our alibis for the time of Kokichi's murder." he reiterated gazing in her eyes. "Going over the alibi of everybody involved is the first action a detective does while questioning a suspect." 

"That is an excellent suggestion." Kirumi praised turning to him. 

"So we are going to discuss where everyone was right before Kokichi died?" Tenko perked up striking a pose.

"Precisely." Kiyo hummed in affirmation.

"I didn't ask for the opinion of a degenerate!" she glared.

"Ugh just drop it Tenko." groaned Himiko covering her ears with her hat. 

"So the discussion on the alibis yeah?" Rantaro spoke to bring the attention back to the main topic. "Let's begin."

"Yeah...let's begin." smirked the detective.

 

"Something tells me that this trial is about to take a turn for the....interesting."

 

~Argument: Heat Up~

 

Non-Stop Debate

Begin!

 

[Rantaro's Account]>

[Shuichi's Account]>

[Maki's Account]>

[Kirumi's Account]>

 

Kirumi: All of our alibis for the time of the murder should provide a crucial clue in determining identity of the culprit.     {Now where was I at?}

Tenko: Let's see....the time of death....that was around 8 pm!     {Wait I thought it was at 9?}

Angie: So, around that time, where was everybody at? C'mon don't be shy everybody, this sort of information should be open to everyone!     {Heh bet it's not as open as my vag-}

Kaito: Well...me, Maki, Himiko, Angie, Ryoma and Miu were inside the game room. So none of us coulda killed him in the library.     {Are you okay, Miu?}

Rantaro: Even though your group was the closest to the crime scene?     {Y-yeah that  metallic palm over my mouth was...nice}

Miu: Hey ultimate amnesiac! I wasn't the one who killed that walking rat! And what 'bout your own alibi huh?!     {She changes personalities on a dime}

Keebo:  Rantaro, Tsumugi and I were in classroom C around the time of the murder.     {Keebo....remembered someone as plain as me!?}

Kirumi: As for our group... Shuichi, Kaede, Gonta, Tenko, Kiyo and myself were inside the dining hall.     {So that's where I was!}

Kaede: See? No one from our group could have killed Kokichi.     {...wait a second}

Tsumugi: I think the ones inside the basement should be suspicious as they were the closest to the dead body.     {Hey watch it you plain jane!} 

 

"Oh Kaede....such a bad lie won't work at all. Even though you know more than anyone else how much I absolutely despise lies."

 

[Kirumi's Account]> (No one from our group)    (That's wrong!)

 

Break!!

 

~REAL/FICTION~

 

"Hold it right there Kaede." Shuichi interjected raising a finger.

"Huh?" she mumbled facing him. But when their eyes met, she noticed that he had a dark aura currently engulfing his face. 

She knew what was coming.

"You and me don't have an alibi for Kokichi's murder."

Notes:

SO how did you guys like the first part of the class trial? I decided to add a new mechanic that wasn't in my other fic, the White Noise!! Oh I'm gonna have so much fun with this!!

Oh yeah, what the heck is Shuichi doing? Trying to implicate himself!? The heck!?

Anyways don't forget to voice your comments and theories!!

Chapter 16: Our Class Trials - Deadly Life IV

Notes:

Warning: This chapter contains spoilers for A Viral Despair, so if you don't wanna get spoiled, I suggest you read that first.

"You and me don't have an alibi for Kokichi's murder."

 

~REAL/FICTION~

 

"E-excuse me...?" muttered Kaede appearing completely dumbfounded by his statement. "What...did you just say Shuichi...?"

He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, and after exhaling he spoke up, "Around the time of Kokichi's murder, we were not inside the dining hall. Hence, that cannot count as our alibi." 

"O-Oh...I see." she frowned and looked away.

"Hmm?" Angie chirped and twirled a brush against her cheek. "Why O why is Shuichi trying to make himself look suspicious?" 

"Not only that." Maki hummed. "He is taking Kaede down with him while he sinks."

"Hey you vile scummed degenerate!" Tenko shouted glaring at Shuichi. "Why are you trying to get a fair maiden like Kaede proved guilty!?"

"Such drama queens." scoffed Kiyo. "A simple lack of alibi does not pronounce them guilty instantly."

"Hmm...Kiyo is correct." Gonta nodded holding his chin.

"But I have a question for Shuichi at this very moment." spoke Kirumi leaning over her podium in his direction. "Why would you voluntarily put yourself on the spot and thus garner suspicion on your person? This seems slightly....idiotic."

Miu snorted slightly and giggled to herself, "Ha....idiot."

After glaring at Miu and shutting her up, Shuichi turned to the whole group to answer.

 

~Rise of the Ultimates~

 

"The core purpose of this class trial is to figure out the identity of the culprit and reach the truth behind this mystery. And in order to accomplish that, we need to start questioning the actions of everyone involved who could have committed this crime."

"And if we don't have the conviction for it, then we wont reach a conclusion and will promptly be executed."

"Gah stop saying that dark and depressing shit!" grimaced Kaito. "We will find the one who committed this crime, no takebacks allowed!"

"Ah Shuichi, so you carry the resolve to bring this case's journey to it's conclusion then? Even if the path you intend walk is adorned with burning charcoals." chuckled Kiyo. "Interesting....very very interesting."

"It's always the quiet and reserved ones everytime isn't it?" frowned Tsumugi looking gloomy. "They are always hiding something big behind their words that they don't speak."

"Okay!" shouted Monokuma from his seat. "Can we stop with this play of Shakespeare from the outback and get on with this class trial already!? We don't have all day you know!!"

"What ...the heck does that even mean?" Kaede deadpanned.

"Right." scoffed Ryoma at the bear. "Anyhow, Shuichi stated that he and Kaede weren't inside the dining hall hence their alibi is void, if so, then where were they?" he mumbled chewing his candy cig. 

"They had to be together the whole time due to their forbidden actions, if I am remembering correctly." Kirumi spoke holding her chin.

 

~Finding Peace Party~

 

"Yeah!" cackled Miu grasping her hips and spoke seductively. "Bet they  were really close and tight with each other this whole time~. Even in the bed if you know what I mean~. " she finished as she started poking Shuichi's shoulder with a finger.

"Wait...yeah they had to sleep together too didn't they!?" Kaito shouted as if he had received a revelation from the gods. "Did these two share a bed?!"

"Ooh is a ship among our friends cannon!?!" shrieked Tsumugi with stars in her eyes. "I...I have been waiting my whole life for this moment!"

"Why are we discussing this?" Rantaro deadpanned with his mouth open.

"Shuichi Saihara." Tenko stated with no emotion behind her tone. "Meet me outside after this class trial."

"Wow I didn't know that you were into this emo as well Miss Andry?!" Miu cooed winking at her.

"Just. Stop. It." Kaede narrowed her pupils with rage. "This discussion is about our alibi isn't it?"

"I think that it would be best if you state both yours and Shuichi's alibi right now, Kaede." nodded Keebo.

But before either Shuichi could warn her to be careful about her wording in her state of anger, she started speaking.

"After leaving the dining hall, me and Shuichi entered the bathroom stalls together to relieve ourselves together!!"

Commence chaos.

"I...W-WHAT!!??"

"AHAAHHAAHA YOU TWO FUC- FRICKED DIDN'T YOU!! AND INSIDE THE PUBLIC BATHROOM AS WELL!!??"

"MY NEW OTP!!!"

"This new killing game is utterly hopeless!!"

"And that is why phrasing a sentence matters immensely."

 

~Wonderful Story~

 

"Enough!" shouted Shuichi through bone gritted teeth. "What kind of joke are you all trying to convey here!?"

"H-hey...it's nothing, no hard feelin-" Miu cowered and braced herself from his anger by putting her hands up.

"Shut up!" he barked cutting her off. "Enough of this mindless chatter without any good conscience."

"Hey kid. Chill." Ryoma gritted glaring daggers at him. 

"But is his anger not justified!? He absolutely hates gossip!" Kaede jumped in still keeping remnants of that earlier aggression.

"How do you know that he hates gossip?" Rantaro raised a brow at her.

"It's on his profile on the monopad." she replied.

Heaving a deep breath and clearing his throat Shuichi spoke, "I think I need to clear up the misunderstanding behind mine and Kaede's alibi."

"That would be for the best." Angie spoke tilting her head (a little too much) to the side.

"Yes it's true that me and Kaede went inside the bathroom after we left the dining hall, but, we did not enter the same washroom to 'relieve' ourselves as some of my might be thinking." 

"In other words I entered the women's restroom while he entered the men's!" grumbled Kaede glaring at the gossipers.

 

~Living In a Lazy Parallel World~

 

"So to summarize." hummed Keebo holding his chin. "Both of them left the dining hall a few minutes prior to Kokichi's murder and presumably, went to the bathroom during that time."

"What do you mean presumably?" Kaede raised her brows. 

"Suspicion is not completely lifted from both your shoulders." Angie mumbled while holding her hands in a prayer. "But don't worry, if you can prove your alibi to be airtight, then we shall be all golden!"

"Nyeh? How would that happen?" Himiko muttered. "They didn't run into anyone did they?"

"But weren't they together the whole time?" Kaito spoke scratching his chin. 

"Yes." Kirumi raised a finger. "If they both had to be together for the entire time, then one of them couldn't have committed murder without the other knowing about it's occurrence."

"Oh Kirumi my dear friend." chuckled Kiyo as he was claimed by a white glow. "You are forgetting one key aspect of humanity here, when faced with a great strife, love has the ability to stand above all conflict and break down all barriers of logic!"

"Uh, plain Japanese please?" mumbled Tenko.

"What I mean to say." he stated as he fixed his mask. "There is still a possibility that one of them is covering for the other at the cost of their own life."

"That's just stupid." spoke Maki not believing it in the slightest.

 

"Hey guys what if the both of them together killed Kokichi!?!" Tsumugi suddenly shouted to the group.

"EH!?" yelped Kaede at her bold announcement. "What the heck do you mean both of us killed him!?"

"Is that a thing even possible?!" Shuichi narrowed his eyes at her.

 

~Mr. Monokuma's Lesson V3~

 

"Nah that didn't happen Tsumugi." sighed Monokuma from his seat. "Don't worry about that one."

"Daddy!?" Monophanie gasped. "Why are you giving them such an important hint just like that!?"

"Yeah father what the heck!!?" Monotaro shouted holding his head.

"Oh don't you worry my cute little cubs." he cooed holding his paws over his chest.

"Hey Monokuma." Rantaro turned to the side and held his chin. "What did you mean by your earlier statement."

"Oh the author has already written a fic where Shuichi and Kaede together killed off Kokichi, thus it would be fucking boring to reuse that plot here in this fic." he nonchalantly replied checking his claws.

"P-pops!!" jumped Monosuke dropping his wad of cash. "Why did you spoil the ending of one of author's fic!!??"

"Eh just because." he shrugged not caring in the slightest.

"Well that settles that doesn't it?" Shuichi answered gesturing to the bear. "According to him, no double murder happened in this case."

 

~Class Trial: Dawn~

 

Rantaro cleared his throat loudly to get the attention of everybody and stated, "We are clearly in a deadlock with both Shuichi and Kaede's alibi's before the murder occurred. Is there any way to clear it so that we can proceed with this trial?"

"The only way to do that is if somebody ran into them isn't it?" hummed the artist. 

"And I don't think anyone will conveniently raise their hand now and say that they saw Shuichi and Kaede after they left the bathroom." scoffed Maki.

"But what we do then? How to continue debate?" Gonta spoke looking sad.

"You all may think that." thought the pianist hiding her smirk beneath her palm. "But I have a way to turn this debate into mine and Shuichi's favour."

"That's right...I need to lie!"

 

~V3 Argument: Perjury~

 

Non-Stop Debate

Begin!

 

[Loud Music]>

[Shuichi's Account]>

[Camera Photo]>

[The Forbidden Actions]>

 

Kaito: So, can anybody actually vouch for these two's alibis?     {No can do.}

Tenko: Any sort of input would be greatly appreciated, but not from the degenerates' side!!"     {Ah would you stop your blatant misogyny!?}

Ryoma: That is if any sort of input is possible from our side.     {The word you are looking for is misandrist, not misogynist}

Keebo: Did anybody spot either of them as they exited the bathroom?     {That's not going to work buddy}

Kirumi: Perhaps somebody heard them nearby as they approached their destination?     {How in the flying frick would that help us!?}

Maki: Did anybody catch Shuichi bashing Kokichi's head in inside the library?     {You are a sly one aren'tcha?}

Rantaro: This doesn't seem to be going anywhere.     {Yeah, maybe this was a waste of time}

 

"Here goes nothing!"  

 

[Shuichi's Account]> => [Kaede's Account]>  (heard them nearby)    (I'll turn this lie, into the truth!)
             

 

Break!!

 

~New Classmates of the Dead~

 

"Yes Kirumi, someone most likely heard us when we had left the bathroom and went on our way." she nodded turning to the maid.

"Oh? How so?" she gestured for her to continue.

"After we had left the bathroom." Kaede tilted her head at Shuichi and spoke. "Me and him had climbed over to the second floor and entered the piano lab together so that I could show him a performance."

Shuichi visibly tightened his grip on his arm but did not make it known to the others. 

Such a bold lie could either save both of them, or put them both in grave danger.

And oh boy did he love that danger.

"You were both in the piano lab around the time of the murder?" parroted Kaito. 

"Hey tiny tits!" Miu shouted vulgarly holding her hips. "Why did you sit on that piece of info for so long!?"

"Till this point in time, I saw no need to reveal it." she smiled crossing her hands behind her back.

"I personally find this new bit of alibi, suspicious." hummed Kiyo inspecting his palm. 

"Nyeh, just leave them alone if they are saying that they were inside the lab." sighed Himiko.

"Leaving behind the matter of whether they both were in the lab or not." stated Ryoma pulling on his beanie. "How does that suddenly strengthen their alibi?" 

"I shall answer that one." Shuichi spoke raising an arm. 

 

[Rantaro's Account]>    (This is it!)

 

~Living In a Lazy Parallel World~

 

"Rantaro." Shuichi uttered in a monotone voice. 

"W-what!?" the amnesiac shook slightly from his used tone.

"You stated during the investigation that you heard music coming from the piano lab, correct?" he gazed deeply into his eyes and spoke.

"Y-yeah, I did say that." he nodded quickly.

"But then what does that prove?" chirped Angie pressing her palms against her cheeks.

"Do I really have to spell that out for you!?" groaned out the detective  while facepalming.

 

-{This confirms our presence inside the lab}-

-{This confirms our presence inside the bathroom}-

-{This confirms our presence inside the library}- 

 

-{This confirms our presence inside the lab}-    (This is it!)

 

~Class Trial: Space~

 

"The music emanating from the lab that Rantaro heard, proves our presence inside the lab." the detective finished his explanation. "And thus, proves that we were nowhere near the library at the time of the murder."

"Are we finally finished here!?" groaned Kaede rubbing her temple. "Can we suspect somebody else other than me and Shuichi now!?"

"Why did we have to go such a roundabout way to confirm both your alibi's." Kaito sighed rubbing his forehead as well.

"So Shuichi and Kaede are really innocent." smiled Gonta as he showed his gratitude.

"Well, a fruitful outcome of our debate is that we did confirm both Shuichi and Kaede's alibis." Kirumi stated holding her chin.

 

~Wonderful Story~

 

"No we did not!" interjected Tsumugi harshly. 

"Ah what now!?" whined Kaede throwing out her hands. "What is your problem?!"

"Someone is surely getting increasingly agitated." commented Kiyo inspecting his pocket-watch.

"Me, Keebo and Rantaro were all in the classroom across the piano lab right?" the cosplayer spoke pushing up her glasses. "But I didn't hear your footsteps as you two supposedly went by our room."

"Now that you mention it Tsumugi." hummed Keebo holding his chin. "I also didn't hear footsteps as they went by."

"Things are seeming more and more dire." sighed Shuichi. "But I can fix this."

"There is an easy explanation for that." he spoke glaring at the cosplayer. "You two were further inside the room, that's why you didn't hear us."

"So you tryna say that the half brain heard you two go by?" spoke Miu raising her brows.

Rantaro opened his mouth to say something but Shuichi cut him off gazing into his eyes with an oddly passionate expression. 

"Rantaro, you definitely heard both of us go by, right? " he spoke with a honey suckled tone dripping with partial venom as he smirked and tilted his head at him. 

Rantaro closed his eyes and after a few moments of dead silence, he opened his mouth. 

"Yes. Yes I did hear both of them go by."

Chapter 17: Our Class Trials - Deadly Life V

"Yes. Yes I did hear both of them go by."

 

~Class Trial: Revival~

 

"See Tsumugi?!" shouted Kaede pointing at Tsumugi with a shit eating grin. 

"Hey calm it there Kaediot don't turn into me." Miu grinned widely.

"Well...I guess I was wrong." Tsumugi apologized sheepishly averting her gaze from the others.

It seemed that Rantaro wanted to voice his opinion on the matter, but instead, he just shook his head and maintained his silence.

"Is it finally done?" murmured Kaito turning to his side. "Or will someone else butt in at the last second again?"

But no one decided to speak up to interject this time.

"So are we ready to proceed onto discussing other possible suspects for this case?" Shuichi spoke calmly but there was a hint of impatience in his tone. 

"Yes." chuckled Kiyo dryly. "As we have cleared Shuichi and Kaede from all manner of suspicion, it is now the time for us to set our sights on the other members of the class."

"But isn't that just like shooting a bolt in the dark?" Maki spoke raising her question. "We will be suspecting the others without any basis to go off of."

"You seem to talk a lot about weapons Maki, despite being just a child caregiver." grinned Shuichi tilting his head.

"Well then mister detective, how do you suppose we continue?" she shot back with spite. 

"I myself shall say that we should question the alibi of the group that was inside the game room during the time of the murder." he chuckled. "And that includes you too."

"That's what I said too!" Tsumugi exclaimed suddenly.

"But we were all together the entire time." Himiko mumbled. "How could one of us have killed Kokichi then?"

"Were all of you together the whole time?" Kirumi raised her brow.

"I-I mean....I-I dunno."

"It would take not but mere moments for someone to exit the game room, kill Kokichi in the library and then swiftly return." Kiyo extrapolated his theory. "Hence, it is imperative that we take all your alibis into question."

 

~Rise of the Ultimates~

 

"Well, if we wish to go down this line of questioning..." Rantaro spoke crossing his arms over his chest. "...We first need to clarify who all were actually present inside the game room in the first place."

Kaede jumped up," That easy! They were..."

 

-{Kirumi, Kaito, Maki, Himiko, Miu, Angie}-

-{Maki, Himiko, Angie, Keebo, Ryoma, Miu}-

-{Kaito, Maki, Ryoma, Himiko, Miu, Angie}-

 

-{Kaito, Maki, Ryoma, Himiko, Miu, Angie}-    (This is it!)

 

"The ones that participated in the meeting were Kaito, Maki, Ryoma, Himiko, Angie and Miu." answered Kaede.

"So we just need to question all their alibis correct?" inquired Keebo tapping his fingers together.

"I don't mind it." Ryoma grumbled and looked away. "It makes total sense why you guys would be suspicious about me."

"Well I do!" shouted Miu. "Why the heck is someone like me getting suspected now!?"

"But Miu after everyone's alibi has been made concrete, than there will be no reason to suspect us." Kaito gave her a few words of encouragement.

"That's just naive thinking." huffed Maki.

"Hey Miu." Shuichi spoke turning to face Miu directly while crossing his arms. "If I remember correctly, you said something to Kokichi while he was still alive didn't you?"

 

---

Miu regained her composure and spoke glaring at Kokichi, "I will deal with you my own way!" then she turned away and sat back down on the dining table.

---

 

"I will deal with you my own way." elaborated Shuichi. "You said that after Kokichi almost made you trigger your forbidden action. And now judging by the fact that we are standing here in this class trial, it seems to me that you definitely dealt with him." he smirked.

"SHUT UP YOU TWA- I DID NOT KILL HIM!!" she screamed going red. 

"But isn't it really suspicious that you threatened him like that Miu?" Tsumugi frowned.

"Shut it you plain jane! I-I bet that you killed Kokichi didn't you!!"

"W-what?!"

"Hey Miu calm down we need to get our alibi's sorted." Kaito interjected.

"Guess they've still got a ways to go huh?" muttered Ryoma.

"Didn't Maki leave in the middle of the meeting?" Himiko mumbled bringing a finger to her lips.

"I was the one who found the body if you so need to know." Maki groaned growing impatient.

"Angie thinks that she should go first!" the artist chirped.

 

{Kaito} Our meeting took place inside the game room the whole time.

{Himiko} Talking is such a pain, and it is such a greater pain when you aren't even the killer.

{Miu} If anyone wants to suspect me, they'll become the first first non-volunteering volunteer for my next invention!

 

{Kaito} We're not culprits!   {Angie} Yeah, I'm not the culprit.   {Miu} I'm not the goddamn culprit!!

 

"Oh no everybody has started talking over each other, I need to listen to each and every statement carefully now."

 

~V3 Argument: Panic~

 

Mass Panic Debate

Begin!!

 

[The Forbidden Actions]>

[Monokuma File #1]>

[Maki's Account]>

[Modified Camera]>

 

{Maki} I may have left in the middle of the meeting, but I am the one who found him dead in the library by doing so.   {Angie} Angie thinks that she and her friends who went to the meeting are all innocent.   {Miu} I-I didn't do anything, I-I was just standing in the corner of the room the whole meeting!

 

{Kiyo} Couldn't you have just claimed that you found Kokichi's dead body after killing him yourself Maki?   {Keebo} Just why exactly is that the case Angie?   {Rantaro} Is that all Miu, or are you trying to hide something?

 

{Kaito} That's hearsay and you know it! There is no proof that she killed him.  {Angie} That is because Angie kept an eye on the door at all times and nobody except Maki left the game room.   {Miu} Hunh!? You tryna start something here you blockhead!?

 

{Keebo} Calm down Kaito, Maki's innocence shall be proven in due time.   {Himiko} Nyeh, you are so cool Angie.   {Shuichi} Miu....behave.

 

{Kaito} Well my point anyway is that no one from within our group coulda killed him.   {Tenko} ...H-Himiko...?   {Rantaro} That worked...surprisingly well, she turned real quiet.

 

"I have listened to every statement, though it may have been chaotic, now I just need to pick out one."

 

[Maki's Account]> (nobody except Maki left the game room)   (I hear it!)

 

Break!!

 

 

~New Classmates of the Dead~

 

"Wait a minute there Angie." interrupted Kaede as she stopped her speech. "Maki wasn't the only one who left in the middle of the meeting." she asserted.

"Oh?" she hummed in confusion. "But Angie didn't see anyone exit through the door, so how come anyone leave without her noticing."

"Are you saying that they left through the door to the AV room?" Tenko tilted her head and spoke.

"Yeah." Kaede nodded. "And the person who left in the middle of the meeting was none other than Ryoma."

"Oh. I see my name has been brought up." he hummed deeply. "Yes, I did leave in the middle of the meeting via the AV room and stayed in there."

"Also, if my memory doesn't fail me." Kiyo chuckled creepily. "Isn't the side door of the AV room right across from the library's side door? The object quite near which Kokichi's dead body was found."

"But that door in the AV room doesn't open completely." Kaito interjected. "I found that out during the investigation."

"Look at his size." pointed out Miu. "He coulda easily squeezed through the small gap."

"That statement is so not okay Miu." sighed Tsumugi.

"No there wasn't even enough room to do that." Kaede spoke up pulling out her monopad. "The most even Ryoma could do was squeeze an arm through the small opening."

"Heh, small opening." smiled Miu.

"So he could have in theory thrown the ball across from the AV room into the library and use that method to kill Kokichi." Kiyo voiced fixing his bandages.

"It's looking more and more like lights out for you Ryoma." Himiko mumbled.

 

~Heaven of Almost Hell~

 

"Once again the noose is tightening around my neck huh?" Ryoma spoke wistfully looking off into the side.

"Lay off of Ryoma guys." a voice made itself known in his defense. "He is completely innocent."

Slowly turning his head, Ryoma sought for the identity of whoever had decided to come to his rescue.

"....Shuichi?" 

"Yeah." he nodded at him with a smile. "I shall clear all suspicion from you, don't worry."

"Why are you trying to bother with someone pathetic like me?" Ryoma asked lowering his beanie.

"Guess I am just a stubborn asshole who won't take no for an answer." he laughed as his answer. "Alright everybody, it's time to start the debate."

 

~V3 Argument: Break~

 

Non-Stop Debate

Begin!

 

[Hidden Room Door]>

[Cylindrical Metallic Device]>

[Bloody Shot Put]>

[Monokuma File #1]>

 

Tsumugi: I see now, Ryoma could have thrown that ball across the hallway.     {Isn't that how he took down the mafia?}

Miu: Which would make him Kokichi's killer. Ha finally caught ya!!     {That might be too soon to say}

Kirumi: All of you might be making a lapse in your judgement. There is a still the possibility of an obstacle being present in the path of the ball.     {Really...is that possible?}

Kaito: Hey, was the side door to the library even open? It might have  been closed after all.     {But I thought it was open the whole time}

Maki: During the investigation, the side door to the library was completely open. I confirmed it myself.     {O-Ohh}

Gonta: That's because....I entered through...side door after body announcement.     {That's okay Gonta}

Kaede: Ryoma, just hang in there.     {......}

 

"I just need to agree with that person's statement here."

 

[Hidden Room Door]> (obstacle being present in the path)   (I agree!)

 

Break!

 

~Living In a Lazy Parallel World~

 

"Kirumi is correct." nodded Shuichi. "There was an obstacle in the path of the shot put if thrown from the AV room. The hidden door itself."

A few participants of the trial inhaled sharp gasps. Himiko was the one who spoke up first, " How come is it possible for the hidden door to be an obstacle?" 

"It's because, when the hidden door opens, it opens in the direction facing the side door." he answered. "Hence in this scenario, Kokichi would have been shielded from a ball coming from the AV room by the hidden door."

"I haven't heard this much door talk since the S.E.E.S' adventure in the abyss of time." Tsumugi mumbled to herself.

"Or in other words." Kaito jumped in. "Ryoma couldn't have killed Kokichi since his ball wouldn't have landed."

"Hey Shuichi I have a question for yo-" Rantaro called out but was interrupted.

 

"My Magic isn't tricks!!"

 

~Class Trial: Revival~

 

Himiko had harshly interrupted Rantaro and started interrogating the detective on her own.

 

"Shuichi, there is a flaw in that logic."

"My magic has revealed the identity of which."

 

"A flaw in my logic?...Do tell."

 

"Right let me just charge up my mana."

"...... Here goes!"

 

"Oh she thinks that she can defeat me in a battle of wits."

 

~V3 Argument: Blade Lock~

 

Rebuttal Showdown

  Begin!

 

Himiko | Shuichi

 

[The Forbidden Actions]====

[Camera Photo]====

[Rantaro's Account]====

[Miu's Invention]====

 

 

"Nyeh the hidden door being open doesn't matter in the end."

"There is still a chance for Kokichi to get hit by that ball."

"Of course, my magic could have also done it."

 

"How is it actually possible for a ball to pass through a bookshelf?"

"Or are you going to say that Ryoma used magic !?"

 

Advance!

 

"Hey! Don't ridicule my magic!!"

"I am saying that Ryoma is a tennis pro isn't he?"

"Couldn't he have curved the ball round the shelf?"

"He opened the door, then threw the ball in such a way that it would still hit Kokichi."

"So, he still could have killed Kokichi."

"Nyeh, now I'm tired."

 

"Such a silly mistake Himiko."

 

====[The Forbidden Actions]  (opened the door)  (I'll cut through your words!)

 

Break!!

 

~Finding Peace Party~

 

"That was so great Himiko." Tenko congratulated the mage as she started jumping up and down. "The way you cut do-"

"Himiko's entire argument is wrong." Shuichi stated without any mercy.

"Dude." huffed Kaito rubbing his scalp. "Way to be blunt."

"NYEH!?" the mage yelped back in shock.

"Take that back this instant you degenerate." Tenko shouted at him with eyes burning crimson.

"Just let him talk Tenko." Kaede stepped forward trying to calm down the martial artist. "Shuichi how exactly is Himiko wrong?"

"She stated that Ryoma opened a door, which he can't actually do due to his forbidden action." he elaborated with pursed lips.

"Oh yeah." Angie clicked her fingers. "Ryoma can't actually open doors, so it's obvious that he couldn't have thrown that shot put across the hallway."

"Is that true?" mumbled Himiko sheepishly turning away.

"Yes." Ryoma stated as he showed off his forbidden action. "I can't open doors by myself, hence why I have been asking for Kirumi's help with them all this time."

"Then how come you entered the AV room if you couldn't actually open the door?" asked Kiyo.

"I asked Miu for opening that door." 

"Oh yeah." the inventor perked up in the middle of checking her nails. "I did do that, didn't I?"

"I guess that proves that Ryoma is truly innocent." Kiyo spoke rolling his eyes.

 

~REAL/FICTION~

 

"Now before I was so rudely interrupted." Rantaro cleared his throat loudly. "I was about to ask Shuichi a question."

"What is it Rantaro?" he gestured for him to continue.

"You stated that the hidden door was a obstacle for the murder."  

"I don't get your point." the detective tilted his head.

"You stated that it was an obstacle, not that it could have been a obstacle." Rantaro clarified gazing into his eyes. "Why is that?"

"I don't think such a small detail like that in his wording matters." Tsumugi showed her doubt.

"Not with this guy no. Every word he speaks he thinks on before mouthing it." he denied vehemently shaking his head.

Shuichi just grinned widely and reached a hand into his pocket.

"I guess it's time to reveal my ace."

And he pulled out...

 

[Camera Photo]>

 

The camera photo that had been captured by the hidden camera. 

And it showed.....

 

 

Kokichi running out of the Mastermind Room.

 

 

Class Trial

Intermission!

Notes:

WHAAAAA?!

Bet that last line threw you all for all loop didn't it?

Anyway, Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated.

Chapter 18: Monokuma & Kubs Theatre I

Notes:

Here is a small intermission chapter in between the class trial.

~Mr. Monokuma's Lesson V3~

 

Monokuma & Kubs Theatre

 

Velvet curtains parted slowly and with grace to reveal the headmaster of the academy standing upon a stage alongside his 5 kubs. 

With Monokuma occupying the centre stage and his kubs standing atop tree stumps right behind him. The stage was decorated with a single banner hung above their heads with the writing "Monokuma and Kubs Theatre". 

Such a bizarre spectacle.

 

"This is the Monokuma and Kubs theatre." announced their headmaster pumping up a paw towards their audience. "Are you kiddos enjoying this killing game so far?"

"Pops, you referring to us?" Monosuke asked raising a brow.

"No!" Monokuma sneered turning his back. "I am talking about the people currently enjoying this show from behind their screens!"

"Ah." Monotaro giggled against his paw. "Those depraved souls must be eating up this show like butter. I mean, why else would this series be so famous?"

"God what season are we even on at this point?" Monophanie frowned looking gloomy.

"I'll give you 53 reasons to get the fuck outta here!" Monokid roared as he tore his guitar in two over his head.

 

"Now that's enough of that." Monokuma signaled his kubs to shut up with a raised paw. "Don't interrupt daddy now."

"You all must be thinking tirelessly who could the blackened for this case be? Who actually turned that little grape into grape juice? And why do I keep recycling shitty gags like these?" he continued turning to face the audience once more.

"But that's just the way the killing game rolls guys and gals! Entrapment, betrayal, backstab, methods like that are the most efficient way to kill someone out there and get away with it!"

"And you wanna know what the best part about this is!? The truth is always always just an inch away from your grasp, but your eyes get blinded by the lies spun by someone and you can never quite reach it!"

"Also, there is quite the detriment in knowing too much of a truth." Monokuma giggled holding his stomach. "It can make you tunnel visioned and you just focus on that one fact. And just like that, you have been blinded by the truth spat from someone's mouth. puhuhuhu."

"Truth and lies, such a fascinating thing aren't they these two? One can simply exist without the other in their own realm yet only divided by a thin line, but bend the wording just the right way and the thin line separating them fades away and you are left with something vague and ambiguous."

"Pops what kinda philosophical shit are you spewing now?" Monosuke chimed in.

 

"Take one example of a truth that is tunnel visioning you all." the ursine ignored his kub and kept talking to the audience.

"Rantaro Amami is the Ultimate Survivor and Shuichi and Kaede are the ones that are running this killing game as it's masterminds." he stated nonchalantly.

"Daddy!" yelped Monophanie. "You can't just say spoilers like that so easily!"

"Spoilers? What spoilers? The people enjoying this show know full well these facts that I just stated." Monokuma retorted as he shrugged his shoulders.

"And just knowing this simple truth is making them blind to all the lies currently entrapping them!!" the bear cackled like a madman as he rolled around on the ground clutching his stomach.

"AND-THAT-CONCLUDES-THIS-THEATRE-SEGMENT." Monodam nodded as the curtains rolled back and covered the bears back up.

Chapter 19: Our Class Trials - Deadly Life VI

The camera photo that had been captured by the hidden camera. 

And it showed.....

 

 

Kokichi running out of the Mastermind Room.

 

 

Class Trial

Resume

 

 

 

~Rise of the Ultimates~

 

A long drawn out pin drop silence descended upon the trial grounds. Nobody wanted to speak even a single word. They all had their eyes transfixed to the picture currently sat face up upon Shuichi's podium.

Few heads like that of Tenko's and Gonta's shakingly looked up from the picture and turned their gaze around the staging to gauge the reaction of others. But their effort proved to be in vain as they saw the rest sporting more or less the same reaction as theirs.

Stunned silence.

After a mere minute of the suffocating silence, which felt like it went for hours, the ultimate detective chuckled into his palm and spoke softly with a knowing smirk plastered on his face. 

"What...? Cat got all your tongues?"

"I got a question." Miu stated turning to face Shuichi after placing one hand on her hip and the other as support on her podium.

"Hmm?" he craned his head and motioned for her to continue with a raising of his chin.

 

"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!?" she roared. 

"Yeah what she said." Tsumugi nodded her head and shivered, "Why the heck was Kokichi inside the mastermind room!?"

"....." Rantaro was too taken aback to form a proper statement. He could be seen clutching his t-shirt over his heart with his mouth hung open and his eyes as wide as dinner plates.

"That...does explain why Shuichi was so sure that the hidden door would have blocked my shot." Ryoma mumbled rubbing the butt of his candy cig against his chest. "The hidden door is clearly blocking the side door in that picture."

"It seems that the matter concerning whether or not Ryoma could have killed Kokichi has been settled with this pic that Shuichi has brought out." Keebo hummed holding his chin. "But the question is, how did he even obtain this picture?"

 

"How did we obtain the picture?" thought Kaede holding her chin.

 

[Modified Camera]>   (This is it!)

 

"There was a hidden camera installed into a shelf in the library." Kaede answered in place of him. "My eyes landed on it during the investigation and I asked Rantaro pull out the camera in order to inspect it more closely."

"I can attest to that." Rantaro added finally breaking his silence. "Though the picture inside the camera was in the form of a film that needed to be developed....and the one who developed it, was that pink bear over there." he pointed to the pink bear standing among her siblings.

"Happy to be of help." Monophanie cheered back.

 

~Living in a Lazy Parallel World~

 

"What Angie wishes to know is, why has Shuichi kept this picture hidden from us this entire time?" Angie tilted her head to the side and asked.

"......." he merely smiled wide.

"Go on dude, why aren't you answering her question?" pressured Kaito.

"I plead the fifth."  he replied maintaining his creepy stoic persona once again by crossing his arms together over his chest.

"Are you serious?" cringed Himiko. "Why are you being quiet about this?"

"You wish to plead the fifth at this very moment?" frowned Kirumi. "You do know that you risk endangering all our lives by performing such an action, correct?"

"Don't try to bug him." scoffed Maki with a turn of her head. "People like him don't come clear using normal methods."

"I pray that we have more pressing matters to discuss here." mumbled Kiyo tightening the zipper over his mouth. "Such as, the existence of Kokichi inside the mastermind room."

That got Shuichi's attention as he sharply turned his head in his direction. "Repeat that last sentence for me Kiyo." he ordered with a point of his index finger.

"The existence of Kokichi inside the mastermind room." he repeated his words though they now held a feeling of animosity because of the undignified order they fulfilled.

"Those words have a very simple meaning if you think about it." the detective leaned closer and over his podium as if he was physically trying to implant his words in the head of the others. 

"And what would that be?" Tenko raised her brows.

"Figure it out by yourself." he giggled looking down between his feet, then back up. "Why do I have to answer every question that gets raised here?"

"Why was Kokichi inside the mastermind room?" parroted Kaede holding her chin in thought.

 

"I mean, the answer is pretty obvious isn't it ;)"

 

-{Kokichi stumbled in there by accident}-

-{Kokichi lived inside of there}-

-{Kokichi was the mastermind}-

 

-{Kokichi was the mastermind}-    (....)

 

~Class Trial: Revival~

 

Kaede let out a sharp gasp and her footing on the ground trembled. "Kokichi..." she choked out. "Kokichi....he..." she trailed off as she tried to use the podium in front of her as an anchor for her unsteady footing.

"Kaede!" Gonta yelped and held the back of the pianist in order to steady her with a firm (and gentle) hand. 

"What's wrong Kaede...!" cried Tsumugi. "And what the heck did you mumble about Kokichi!?"

"He..." she spoke with a shaky breath. 

 

"He was the mastermind behind this killing game."

 

"THE SHIT!?"

"HUH!!?"

"YOU SERIOUS!?"

 

"Wait....you think Kokichi was the mastermind!?" Rantaro physically leaned his entire body in her direction by putting one hand on Gonta's chest and other on the gentleman's podium and locked gazes with the pianist. "That's impossible!!" he shouted.

"Then name a different reasoning for his presence inside that room, Rantaro." jabbed Shuichi holding a burning anger in his tone. "Why else would Kokichi be caught running outside of there if he wasn't the mastermind!?"

"I....you see..." the amnesiac turned his head and tried to grasp at an answer.

"Well. Go on." gritted the detective, impatience clearly evident in the way he barked out his reply.

"Shuichi! Please calm down." Keebo called out trying to level Shuichi's sudden bout of fury. 

 

"How DARE he shout at her!? At my beloved!! No one and I mean no one is allowed to do that!!" seethed the detective in his mind. As a few seconds passed, he sighed deeply and shook his head. "Even though Rantaro....nevermind. Just let it go Shuichi."

"I don't...have a valid enough reasoning." Rantaro looked away and answered after retreating back to his original placing.

"I told you Rantaro, didn't I? Nothing else besides that makes any sense." Shuichi spoke in a softer tone.

"Guess so." droned Kaito. "Nothing else is seeming to fit the bill on just why exactly he could have been in there."

"Was Kokichi really the mastermind behind this killing game?" Ryoma asked, though it was more a statement rather than a question.

"Then that raises another question doesn't it?" quipped Kirumi.

"Why is this killing game still continuing!?" Tsumugi pointed out gripping her hair tightly.

 

~Mr. Monokuma's After Class V3~

 

"I think that guy over there has our answers." Shuichi called out and pointed to the bear sitting atop the throne.

Said bear perked up from idly checking his nails on his paw and looked down amidst the staging. "You guys called?" he raised an eyebrow.

"If a mastermind dies, then does the killing game end?" Kaede asked their headmaster now having recovered from her previous (totally not dramatic) act.

And those poor souls failed to question her on why she specifically used 'a mastermind' instead of 'the mastermind'.

"Ahem." the bear loudly cleared his throat. "If a mastermind of the killing game dies, then this killing game does not end." he announced standing up in his chair. "So no, this killing game isn't over yet."

"Killing the mastermind doesn't end the game?" Kirumi clenched her fist atop her podium and glared at the ursine. "How can that be possible? If the person controlling you perishes, then you should also cease functioning."

"Ever heard of Smart AIs before?" he jabbed back throwing a thumb unsubtly in Keebo's direction.

Kirumi merely gritted her teeth and bit her tongue in regards to her reply. Turning to the group she spoke, "We now know just why exactly Kokichi was killed inside the library. He was exiting the secret room and someone intercepted him during his exit."

"Yeah!" jumped up Angie. "If Angie saw someone exit from a hidden compartment inside this killing room, they would easily climb on top of her most suspicious person list." 

"You have one those things?" Tenko turned to her and grimaced. "Why!?"

"Hmm." hummed the gentle giant holding his chin. 

"Gonta....?" Ryoma titled his head up (a lot) to meet gaze with him. "Something you want to say? You have been holding your chin like that for quite a while."

"Oh no it probably nothing." he chuckled rubbing the back of his neck. "Probably worried over nothing."

"If you want to say something, then you shouldn't hesitate Gonta." Kaede reassured patting him on the shoulder. "Anything could prove useful here."

"Well...it has to do with Miu." 

 

~Finding Peace Party~

 

"The fuck!? What the actual shit do you have with me you big burly cu-!?" Miu started spewing all manner of obscenities. She craned her neck to face all the others but she found them all staring back at her with their mouths hung open. "Whatcha all looking at? I mean, my body is nothing less than that of a diva and all of you want a piece of it, I know. But you all can fuck off!" 

Shuichi leered down at her and decided to ask the million dollar question.

"How can you swear? Your forbidden action didn't allow you to do that, so how?"

"EH!?" Monokuma shrieked and pointed an outstretched claw at the inventor. "You better not have tinkered with those bracelets Miu Iruma or so help me GOD!!"

"Wait, it worked?" Miu blinked her eyes together again and again. "Fuck. Shit. Cunt. Bitch. Asshole. Motherfucker. I... I CAN SWEAR!!!" she cheered throwing her whole body into it. 

"Wanna switch places with me? I don't wanna stand next to her." Shuichi turned to Kaito and whispered in his ear. 

"Nope." he firmly denied with a shake of his head.

"That was what you wanted to say Gonta?" Kaede mumbled, her mouth formed into a thin line and her hands pressed into the perch upon her ears.

"Yes." poor boy was now traumatized. "Earlier, when Shuichi reveal picture, Miu swore."

 

---

"I got a question." Miu stated turning to face Shuichi after placing one hand on her hip and the other as support on her podium.

"Hmm?" he craned his head and motioned for her to continue with a raising of his chin.

 

"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!?" she roared.

---

 

"Oh yeah." mumbled Shuichi still glaring daggers at Miu. "She did swear back then."

"Question is how!?" Tsumugi howled. "How did she bypass her forbidden action?!"

"With this!" Miu announced and snaked her hand down Shuichi's pants and into his pockets. 

 

[Miu's Invention]>  (...)

 

"It's with this!" she announced pulling out the cell phone looking device from his pockets and showing it off to everyone with a tilt of her hand. "You do this..." she pressed a prompt on it's screen and two small pronged spikes jutted out of the top of it's metal frame.

"What manner of torture device is that cell?" gasped Kiyo placing his hand on his chest.

"Oh your gimpy ass worries too much!" she mocked with a hearty laugh. "Anyway, now you stick these prongs against your bracelet." she demonstrated bringing the prongs of the cell phone to the surface of the device and touched it. "And that's how you disable your motive. I already disabled mine before handing it to Shuichi, I just had to make a few adjustments after using it on myself." 

"Then why were you saying frick all this time?" Himiko asked stifling a yawn. 

"I didn't wanna risk it!"

 

~Nightmare in the Locker~

 

"Gimme." Shuichi stated yoinking the device back. Using the same technique that Miu used, the detective brought the invention to his wrist and jammed it against the motive device with such an intensity that a few sparks of electricity flew away from the contact and the sheer force of it caused one of the metallic prongs to get detached from it's casing. 

"Whoops." he chuckled looking at the now broken stub where the prong used to be attached. "I guess I was too rough with the insertion. Anyhow, the motive device is disabled now." he showed off the powered down screen to everyone. 

"Too r-rough with the.... i-insertion....!?" moaned Miu holding her hands over chest and thighs. "Mhhhhmm."

"Why the hell did you do that Shuichi!?" yowled Tsumugi. "We all could have taken off our motives right here!!"

"I didn't do it on purpose." he replied frowning, though his reply was definitely a lie. "And I didn't know that it would be that fragile." he made small talk and quietly pocketed the device behind his back.

"Monokuma has said that these devices shall deactivate after this class trial has concluded." reminded Keebo. "So we should all hold out until then, I reckon."

"Is that device that Miu made just for disabling the motives?" Kaede prompted. "Or do they have some other function that we don't know about?"

"Yeah they have!" announced the inventor boisterously and then jabbed the back of her thumb in the detective's chest. "This guy....told me to install some sort of program into the device that would hack into the bracelet's internal systems and extract all the available data from it. I mean, no challenging feat for this golden goddess of beauty." she accentuated her words with a wink. 

"In other words....." Shuichi spoke with a clandestine tone.

 

~REAL/FICTION~

 

".....I know all your forbidden actions."

"Excuse me?" Kiyo took in a sharp breath. "What do you mean you know our forbidden actions!? We didn't reveal them!"

"Could it perhaps be from the device that Miu made?" Kirumi hummed holding her chin. "The device, in theory, hacked into the bracelets and extracted all the data from them."

"Does that data include the motive actions that everyone is forbidden to do too?" Kaito asked Miu. 

"Huh, now that I think about it, yeah it should." nodded the inventor then turned to Shuichi. "Hey, was that the reason you had that device made?!"

"Maybe." he batted his eyelashes.

"Shuichi." Kaede spoke up and centered her gaze on him. "You know what the forbidden action of everyone is. But why does knowing that information help you here?"

"Hmm...?" he raised his eyebrows at her.

 

 

"Now I have the evidence I need to indict the culprit."

 

 

She had to do a double take. What did he just say?

"W-what?" she blinked, appearing completely flabbergasted.

"What the hell do you mean by indict the culprit?!" Rantaro vociferously asked, his hands shaking within the grip of his podium's. "Do you know who they are!?"

His reply was the most nonchalant ever, deciding that checking the state of his nails was more important than his feedback.

"Yeah, I do."

"Then tell us the identity of them already!" Rantaro was visibly shaking now. 

"....do you want me to?" it was a challenge. 

Closing his eyes shut tightly, Rantaro voiced quietly a single word, "Yes."

The detective placed his elbow on his podium and rested his face in the palm of his hand and whispered.

 

 

 

 

 

".....Tsumugi Shirogane....."

Chapter 20: Our Class Trials - Deadly Life VII

Notes:

This chapter was initially going to be the end of the class trial, but it ended up going on for so much longer. So, I decided to split it up into two chapters. I promise that the next chapter will be the last chapter for the class trial!!

Then there will only be the post trial and the epilogue chapters left.

"...Tsumugi Shirogane..."

 

~New Classmates of the Dead~

 

"W-WHat!?" shrieked the cosplayer going completely pale upon hearing his accusation. "M-me!? You think I killed Kokichi!?" she tipped forward over her podium and pointed a stiff finger to herself. It was as if she had been mistaken about what she heard previously. 

She stood still completely immobile on her footing and nervously searched for the expressions of the others around her. Going one by one she noticed that they were all looking at her through a visage of uncertainty and distrust. Her blood ran cold.

"Y-you all seriously believe that I am the blackened?!" she threw out her accusation, her previous fear giving way to fury. "You believe in something that he just muttered!? "

Tenko was the first one to speak up, "Tsumugi was with Keebo and Rantaro the whole time inside the classroom." she pointed out quite sternly as she glared at the detective. "SO how could she have killed Kokichi, whose body was found inside the library, while she was on a completely different floor from him?"

"Was someone selling this girl brain cells during this class trial?" Miu gawked. "How did she suddenly gain that much head?"

"Ew!"

"There is no available means for Tsumugi for to have found enough of a time frame within her alibi. Is I think what she is trying to convey." Kiyo brought the conversation back.

"Yes, I have to agree with them there." Keebo held his chin and spoke. "Tsumugi didn't actually go outside the classroom and I can personally attest to that."

"See Shuichi?" challenged Tsumugi. "Now take back your accusation!"

 

~REAL/FICTION~

 

"Ah." sighed Shuichi craning his head towards the ceiling. "How did I not see this earlier?" he let out a low crow and brought his head back down and continued. "It's funny isn't it? Something I said earlier to help us all, has ended up leading us all astray." 

"What?" Gonta titled his head and mumbled. 

"Translation?" asked Himiko.

"Something you said....lead us astray..?" parroted Rantaro deep in thought. 

"Wouldn't it be easier if you just reveal it yourself Shuichi?" Kirumi prompted.

He shrugged, "My jaw hurts from talking too much and my back also hurts from carrying you all upon it ever since this trial started two hours ago."

"Narcissistic much?" grimaced Kaito. "Also are you forgetting the fact that according to you it was your own words that fooled us, whatever they might be?"

"You proved my point further." he turned to him and spoke. "You blindly followed behind me and now you all have been faced with a wall of logic and coincidence."

"How?"

 

"What statement of Shuichi turned out to be problematic?" mused Kaede closing her eyes. "I shall have to mine through my own mind to find out that answer!"

 

 

Mind Mine

Begin!

 

 

[T%e @ra&(l@t! p@$s)% (h#!r h)^t]          [$e s*$#ld fo^#s )n o#r !l&(is]          [R)@t^#o @e)$d &e a)d #a)de (o b#]

 

 

[The @ra&elets po$s)n th#ir h)st]          [$e s*ould foc#s )n our al&bis]          [R)nt^ro @er$d &e and Ka)de go b#]

 

 

[The Bracelets poison their host]          [We should focus on our alibis]          [Rantaro heard me and Kaede go by]

 

 

[The Bracelets poison their host]          [We should focus on our alibis]          [Rantaro heard me and Kaede go by]

 

 

[We should focus on our alibis]   (This is it!) 

 

Break!

 

~Class Trial: Space~

 

"Our alibis!" exclaimed Kaede. "They-"

"Ah!" Rantaro flinched as if a shock ran through him. "Our alibis have to be it."

"This is the second time you have interrupted me today Rantaro."

"Just think about it everyone." he completely ignored her and carried on. "Aren't our alibis almost too....perfect? "

"How so?" raised Miu.

"Okay let's do it like this. Anyone who was with someone when Kokichi died, raise your hand." suggested Kaede.

In succession, 14 hands rose up into the air from their prior positioning. The only one whose hand remained down was that of Ryoma's.

"Huh." he snorted. "Lucky coincidence indeed."

"But our past actions already proved Ryoma's innocence." hummed Kiyo. "Hence his lack of alibi is inconsequential."

"Wait a second. Weren't you alone too Maki?" Keebo questioned turning to face her.

"I was only out of the library for a minute. His body was found five minutes after death, Hence, he died when I was still inside the game room." she sharply replied.

"All of us...have alibi? Then who is culprit?!" Gonta cried.

 

~Rise of the Ultimates~

 

"I already gave the answer to that one Gonta." groaned Shuichi rubbing his temple.

"This again!?" Tsumugi screeched growing increasingly impatient. "Didn't I already say that my alibi- .....wait."

"What alibi Tsumugi?" Shuichi smiled from ear to ear as he threw out his hands to his sides. "All our alibis are useless in this case since everybody has one."

"Was that your plan Shuichi?!"

"Who knows? Also..." he titled his head to the side at narrowed his eyes at her. "...funny thing that now you mention planning something. Ain't that right?"

"AHH!" she shrieked curling in on herself.

"What is happening here!?" Kaito interjected. "What is it that you are not telling us!?"

"The denouement of this masquerade is fast approaching." Shuichi whispered bringing a finger to his lips to mimic a shushing order. "Now let us all don our masks and witness it's imminent climax."

"And let's let the final act.....

.....begin!!"

 

~V3 Argument: Hope vs Despair~

 

Non-Stop Debate

Begin!

 

[Modified Camera]>

[Cylindrical Metallic Device]>

[Kokichi's Forbidden Action]>

[Loud Music]>

 

Shuichi: It's time to lay out the whole truth of this case.     {STOP!!!}

Shuichi: What we all have been focused on is, whether or not someone killed Kokichi by bashing his head in.     {What are you trying to get at dude?}

Shuichi: Instead, in truth, there is a completely different method which was used to kill Kokichi.     {A...different method...?}

Shuichi: Since all of us have near perfect alibis, then that proves that some separate method was used here.     {Get to the fucking point already!}

Shuichi: Or in this case....A trap was erected.     {A trap?}  {Miu don't you dare...}  {E-erected?!}

Shuichi: And the one who set up this trap was.....     {DON'T YOU DARE!}

Shuichi: ....Tsumugi.     {......}

 

[Cylindrical Metallic Device]> (A trap was erected)    (I agree with that!)

 

Break!

 

~Class Trial: Revival~

 

"Is this the trap you are talking about Shuichi?" Kaede inquired bringing out the metallic device.

"You are siding with him?!" sneered Tsumugi.

"Why are you blowing your fuse?" Rantaro glared at her with his eyes going darker.

"Hey that's my launcher!" Miu shouted pointed at the device currently seated in Kaede's hands. "What is that doing in your hands!?"

"Launcher?" Angie raised her brow. 

"Yeah, I can use it to launch small spherical objects far away."

"Wait." Kaito cut through the conversation harshly. "Like a shot put?"

"And prey tell us, where did you find this Kaede?" Kirumi asked with anticipation.

It seemed many of them were finally catching onto the true mystery behind the murder of Kokichi......or were they?

"Well...Shuichi was the one who found it. It was actually atop one of the bookshelves hidden among some books." she replied pointing one end of the device in his direction. The man in question was off in his own world whistling to himself and drumming his fingers across his podium.

"SO." he loudly gathered everyone's attention with his announcement. "A launcher capable of launching this shot put was found atop the bookshelf. Oh and mind you, it was pointed in the direction of Kokichi's dead body." 

"Kokichi was killed using this thing then." Maki summarized. "But how would it know when to shoot it's shot?"

"Oh this thing reacts to any nearby electrical signal if you link it to it beforehand." Miu explained reaching for the device and pressing some buttons on it's side panel. "Let's see here, the last thing this was calibrated to was....that modified camera...?"

"It's linked to the camera?" Himiko scratched her ear and grumbled. "So that means-"

"The camera sends a signal to the launcher when it takes a picture, correct?" Kiyo spoke cutting her off. "Ah the beauty behind this case has become perfectly clear to me now!" he giggled creepily and hugged his form tightly.

Upon noticing still a few confused faces in the courtroom, Kaede sighed and spoke, "I will make it clear so that everyone can understand it." 

 

~Living In a Lazy Parallel World~

 

A sketch depicting the top down view of the library appeared on the screen of everyone's podium. All the bookshelves lining the walls, the two bookshelves that protruded outward and created a small seperate sectioning in the room were displayed. The two doors leading outside and the hidden door of the mastermind room were specifically highlighted in the sketch.

"This here is a diagram of the library and according to all the clues that we have found, it was like this at the time of the murder."

Then two objects; a modified camera which was placed in the sectioned area, and a launcher which was pointed at the hidden door was placed upon the bookshelves near the vent, were shown in the diagram. And next, a blue figure with the name K.O. engraved onto it was shown running out from the opened mastermind room. 

"Just before he was killed, Kokichi, the mastermind, ran out of the hidden room and stepped across the path of the motion detecting camera. This led to the camera taking a picture and sending a signal to the launcher placed near the vents. Said launcher most likely also contained a shot put ball inside of it."

The sketch changed and a shot put ball was seen careening towards the blue figure leaving behind trials of wind as it soared through the air.

"As the signal reached the launcher, it launched the shot put ball in the direction from where Kokichi was running from."

The final sketch depicted the figure splayed out on the ground in pool of blood with the now bloody shot put ball rolling a little ways away from it.

"And that is how it impacted with Kokichi on the side of his head and kille-"

 

 

Fiction can never become the Truth!

 

~Wonderful Story~

 

Tsumugi bellowed cutting off the pianist. Her iron grip on her podium caused her knuckles to become white and she panted like she just finished running a sprint. Her hair behind her now a tangled mess and the glow of her blue eyes became more pronounced.

"What is it Tsumugi?" Kaede asked with a neutral tone.

"You think you have won!? You think that you two.." she pointed to Shuichi then at her. "..have done something here?!"

"Just what is going on between you three that you are keeping from us?!" Rantaro demanded.

"Do. Not. Interrupt." warned Shuichi lowering his voice. "I will say this only once." The others did well to heed his warning.

"You two think that you are going to get away like this by stabbing me in the back?!" Tsumugi barked out. 

"Stabbing you in the back?" Kaede scoffed and slapped her fist against her podium. "I have never seen a bigger hypocrite than you!"

 

 

~V3 Argument: Blade Lock~

 

Rebuttal Showdown 

Begin!

 

Tsumugi | Kaede

 

[Loud Music]====

[Modified Camera]====

[Kokichi's Forbidden Action]====

[Bloody Shot Put]====

 

 

"Everything that you have said till now is fiction!"

"You and Shuichi have been steering this class trial in whichever way you two want!"

"But now it is past the breaking point and I won't stand for it anymore!"

"This ends here and now!"

 

"Me and Shuichi have been steering this trial towards the truth, not towards lies!!"

 

Advance!

 

"Oh you are steering us towards the truth huh!?"

"Then why haven't you still talked about why you knew so much about this case before hand?"

"Why haven't you talked about the impossibility of this murder, huh!?"

"Would the shot put flying like that even hit Kokichi?"

"Wouldn't he be able to hear it launch?"

"Wouldn't he be able to dodge out of it's way since it was ahead of him!?"

"Aren't these contradictions shaking the foundation of the case you two have built up?"

 

"I can point out not one, but two flaws in your argument."

"Huh!?"

 

====[Loud Music] (hear it launch)

 

====[Kokichi's Forbidden Action] (dodge out of it's way)

 

(I'll cut your words!)

 

Break!

 

~New Classmates of the Dead~

 

"Kokichi wouldn't have been able to hear the launch due to the loud music blaring all throughout the academy." stated Kaede as she rubbed the truth in her face.

Then Shuichi picked up the baton, "And dodging out of the way of the incoming projectile would have led to his forbidden action getting violated."

"Kh-" Tsumugi screeched as she got shot down. 

Kaede started speaking to keep applying pressure, "And since everyone has a rock solid alibi..."

Shuichi dealt the finishing blow," ....only a trap could have killed Kokichi!"

"Argh!!"

"Okay." sighed Rantaro and threw out his hands. "We get that a trap killed Kokichi, but how does it make Tsumugi the culprit behind the murder?"

"Exactly!" exclaimed Kaito. "Why are you two tag teaming on her?"

"Because we were there with her when she had placed the launcher up on the bookshelves!" Kaede shouted.

Chapter 21: Our Class Trials - Deadly Life VIII

~Exisal Tribe~

 

"Because we were there with her when she had placed the launcher up on the bookshelves!" Kaede shouted.

"Excuse me?" Maki stared dumbfounded. 

"Yes, it's true." Shuichi nodded his head.

---

Meanwhile, inside the library during nighttime.

"Will this be enough to catch and stop the mastermind?" spoke one voice to the other.

"I don't know." replied the other. "We can only hope."

"....okay." the first one sighed.

"And get down from that ladder!" called out the second. "Just why the heck are you taking so long rearranging books up there anyway?"

"Coming!" they replied and quickly descended the ladder.

"Let's hope that this plan can help catch the mastermind." the second one spoke.

 

"Why did you take so long up there anyway Tsumugi?" asked Kaede as the cosplayer descended from the ladder. 

"Ah no nothing." mumbled Tsumugi nervously as she tucked a hair behind her face. "Hope that the mastermind gets scared by the noise that this launcher thing makes and we can catch them in the camera."

"I hope so too." agreed Kaede. She crossed her arms and turned on her heel to face the third party in the room. "And you mister, when are you going to get your face out of that book?"

"Hmm?" Shuichi peeked over from the cover and met her gaze. "What do you want? The Sign of the Four is an amazing novel. I can't believe it's in here as well."

"Did you contribute anything to this effort of catching the mastermind, Shuichi?" groaned Kaede.

"I mean, I got the modified camera and the launcher from Miu alongside you didn't I?" he retorted as he buried his nose back in the novel.

"Can you two stop flirting?" deadpanned Tsumugi. "The mastermind could be listening in on us talking."

"Yeah. Right." hummed Kaede with a tilt of her head. "Let's leave this library for now."

 

---

 

"I...I can't believe this." Tenko trembled in disbelief. "All this was happening behind our backs?!"

"You hid all of that from us?" Kaito spoke befuddled. "You three created the trap killed Kokichi!?"

"I didn't know that she would go behind our backs and use our plan for murder." denied Kaede with a shake of her head. 

"This...this so wrong." cried Gonta and grabbed his podium. "Why did they do this?"

"And this is the truth you three hid from us." frowned Keebo looking down. "You created a trap in order to catch the mastermind. But in the end, it ended up killing them."

"And that didn't even end this killing game. This killing was just... a waste." grumbled Ryoma. "A waste of a life."

 

~REAL/FICTION~

 

"Are you two done throwing out your lies?" growled Tsumugi. "Because from what I remember, Kaede was the one who climbed the ladder and placed the launcher while Shuichi wasn't looking and was reading his novel standing away from us."

"Are you serious!?" seethed Kaede starting to lose her composure. "You're blaming me now!?"

"Can't you tell that you have lost the battle Tsumugi?" Shuichi facepalmed and mumbled into his hand.

"Monokuma." sighed Rantaro and looked up at the bear. "In this scenario, who would actually be the blackened that we need to vote for?"

"In this specific scenario." he chirped twirling a silver key around his paw. "The person who placed the armed launcher on the bookshelf would be the blackened."

"That definitely clears things up."

"You two have only given false information up till now." Tsumugi retorted. 

"Is it false though?" Ryoma quipped. 

"To hell with this!" Tenko roared. "Shuichi's word of mouth doesn't make it one hundred percent sure that Tsumugi is the culprit!"

"Yes." Gonta frowned. "It kinda unfair to treat Tsumugi like this."

"So you all think I am the culprit then!?" Kaede interjected harshly. "Cause that is what that bit- girl is saying!"

"That..." Tenko mumbled looking away and not saying anything else. 

"What has gotten into you all?" Kirumi questioned completely dumbfounded. "It is obvious from Tsumugi's actions that she is the culprit."

Keebo sighed and rubbed his arm. "It seems that our opinion is split-"

 

HOLD ON THERE BUCKAROOS!!

 

~Debate Scrum~

 

Monokuma shouted clutching the silver key tightly in his paw and cutting everyone off. "Did you just tell me that your opinion is split? " 

"At times like these. The Ultimate Academy is proud to present!" 

"It's very own morphenomenal trial grounds!!" all six bears announced in unison.

"The trial grounds are going to morph?" Kaito raised his eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Just watch your screens everybody!" shouted the headmaster and inserted his key into a keyhole that popped out of his throne and turned it. "Also, don't forget to hold on tight." he winked as his seat started ascending into the air. 

One by one starting from Shuichi, the podiums started floating into the air in an upwards spiral. During their ascent their screens lit up with the following words.

 

Split Opinion 

Choose a Side

 

Who is the culprit?

Kaede | [Tsumugi]

 

 

Scrum Debate

Begin!

 

 

[Kaede is the culprit]>

{Tsumugi}

{Kaito}

{Tenko}

{Angie}

{Himiko}

{Gonta}

{Maki}

{Korekiyo}

 

<[Tsumugi is the culprit]

{Kaede}

{Shuichi}

{Rantaro}

{Kirumi}

{Ryoma}

{Miu}

{Keebo}

{Kokichi}

 

 

 

[Angie]> 

Kaede had disappeared alongside Shuichi when Kokichi was murdered.

<[Kirumi]

The alibis for this case are irrelevant as the culprit had prepared a trap.

 

 

[Himiko]>

But, where they both were at the time of the murder is still not clear.

<[Ryoma]

Rantaro confirmed the fact that Shuichi and Kaede were inside the piano lab.

 

 

[Korekiyo]>

Tsumugi and Kaede are merely passing the blame onto each other at this moment. 

<[Rantaro]

We have Shuichi backing up Kaede. So it is not a one on one back and forth.

 

 

[Tenko]>

But can we really trust a degenerate like him who agrees with Kaede's every word?

<[Miu]

If he wants to get under her pants, then let him. Why is your rag in a twist?

 

 

[Kaito]> 

What evidence is there that proves that Tsumugi is the one who placed the launcher?

<[Shuichi]

There are two testimonies claiming that Tsumugi placed the launcher against only her own word of mouth.

 

 

[Tsumugi]>

Is there any evidence disproving the claim that Kaede climbed the ladder!?

<[Kaede]

There is, Tsumugi. And you were the one who provided it to us with your own words.

 

 

Crouch Bind!

[Kaede is the culprit]>!!<[Tsumugi is the culprit]

 

 

!!<[Tsumugi is the culprit]!!

Full Counter!

 

 

{Kaede, Shuichi, Rantaro, Kirumi, Ryoma, Miu, Keebo}

(This is our answer!!)

 

Break!

 

 

~Class Trial: Revival~

 

"You have evidence that disproves Tsumugi's claim?" Angie raised her brow and tilted her head in the pianist's direction and chirped. "Do tell!"

"Yeah, it's something that she said so herself." nodded Shuichi.

"I am NOT hearing this!!" the cosplayer exclaimed and pressed her hands against her ears tightly.

"Kukuku." chuckled Kiyo as a beam of light radiated his complete form. "There is such beauty in trying to fight against the truth."

"NOT LISTENING!!"

"She seems to be losing her composure rapidly now that we all are on the same side." Kirumi clenched her gloves in a fist and sighed.

"I DON'T CARE!!"

"Get a hold of yourself." Rantaro glowered down at her.

"SHUT UP!!" she shouted throwing out her hands and slapping Rantaro against his chest accidentally.

"Hrkh-" he wheezed out a sharp breath and clutched the side of his chest tightly.

"Rantaro!" yelled Gonta and held the green haired boy in a gentle embrace. "You okay?!"

"I-I'm fine." he straightened himself up and thanked him. "I'm completel-" his eyes roamed over to Shuichi.

 

~Rise of the Ultimates~

 

Never before had Rantaro seen such unfettered malice in someone's eyes. 

The way Shuichi was looking at Tsumugi conveyed to him one single message.

Shuichi wanted her dead.

 

"Tsumugi." the way he ushered her name in a quiet and low tone sent a silent call around the room. It was as if his tongue was glazed with permafrost when he spoke. His eyes narrowed into a single miniscule point and peeked through the bangs covering his now darkened face.

"WHAT!?" she gritted her teeth at him.

"Start counting the time you have left." Kaede mumbled in a way similar to Shuichi's. In the middle of his fixation on Shuichi, Rantaro had yet to even look at the pianist who had now sported the same character as the detective.

"LIKE HELL AM I GOING TO LISTEN TO YOU TWO!!"

"Then bring it on." Kaede tilted her head and challenged.

 

 

~Argument Armament~

 

Argument Armament!

 

Tsumugi Shirogane

 

Begin!

 

Tsumugi appeared in front of Kaede dressed in a stereotypical sports anime costume that one would wear at a cosplaying event. She wore a short red top which reached upto her hips and a low red with white stripes skirt along her bottom half. A white headband was wrapped around her forehead and a similar band was tied around her wrists. She held a shot put ball in her right hand with the intent of throwing it. The background behind her consisted of a small set consisting of red velvet curtains parting to show the backstage and low hanging ceiling lights.

 

 

I DIDN'T KILL KOKICHI!!

 

I WAS NOWHERE NEAR THE LIBRARY!!

 

I HAVE AN AIRTIGHT ALIBI!

 

I DIDN'T KILL KOKICHI!!

 

I HAVE AN AIRTIGHT ALIBI!!

 

The backstage behind her crumbled away leaving torn curtains and shattered ceiling lights strewn across the floor.

 

 

YOU ARE THE CULPRIT KAEDE!!

 

YOU COULD HAVE EASILY PLACED THE LAUNCHER!!

 

STOP TRYING TO PIN IT ON ME!!

 

YOU HAVE BEEN MANIPULATING US ALL IN THIS TRIAL!

 

YOU ARE THE CULPRIT KAEDE!!

 

 

Her headband and wristband were left in tatters and she was being backed into a tight spot.

 

 

 I SAW YOU CLIMB THE LADDER!

 

SHUICHI IS JUST FOLLOWING YOU AROUND!!

 

YOU PLACED THE LAUNCHER WHEN HE WASN'T LOOKING!

 

THERE IS NO PROOF THAT I WAS THE ONE WHO CLIMBED!!

 

SO STOP LYING TO US ALL ALREADY!!

 

 

 

Tsumugi was finally trapped into a corner by Kaede.

 

Final Blow!!

 

There isn't any evidence that proves that you didn't climb the ladder, Kaede!

 

 

For-

 

 

-bidden                    Shuichi's

 

 

Action

 

 

{Shuichi's Forbidden Action}

 

(It ends here!!)

 

Break!!

 

 

~New World Order V3~

 

"W-what?" shrinked Tsumugi. "Shuichi's forbidden action..?"

"Remember what you said Tsumugi?" smirked Shuichi placing his head in his palms.

---

"Because from what I remember, Kaede was the one who climbed the ladder and placed the launcher while Shuichi wasn't looking and was reading his novel standing away from us."

---

"How could I have been standing away from Kaede as she climbed?" he rubbed the salt in her wound. "We couldn't be more than 3 metres apart."

"During the investigation, Kaede had to stand at the leg of the ladder when Shuichi climbed it." Rantaro added in as support. "So he couldn't have been on the other side of the room with his nose in a book while Kaede climbed."

"Ah!" Tsumugi winced and curled in on herself.

"Or in other words." Kaede stated with a smile. "You lied about the fact that you saw me climbing the ladder."

 

"And that means..." started Rantaro.

...you..." Kaede added. 

"....Tsumugi Shirogane," next was Shuichi.

 

"Are the true culprit behind this murder!!" all three announced in unison.

 

 

"Ha." she blithely chuckled. "Aha. It's over isn't it?" she had a far off look on her face.

"Do you admit your guilt?" Kirumi asked.

".....Yeah." she nodded wistly. "I...I-m the culprit."

"And at last we have arrived at our destination." hummed Kiyo. 

"I still can't believe this." Kaito sighed and looked away. "Like, how could someone just make a decision to end a life like that!"

"Kaito." Maki turned to face the astronaut.  "Just shut up."

"You kids are done?" Monokuma chimed in and raised his paw to the middle of the courtroom. 

"There is just one last step left before we end it." Shuichi sighed and clenched his fists. "I'm going to look back on the entirety of the case to end it, once and for all."

"Fucking end this nightmare." Miu whined next to him.

"Alright." he gathered his determination and closed his eyes. Then opening them back up, he shouted.

 

~Climatic Re-enactment V3~

 

(This is the truth of the case!!)

Closing Argument!

 

Act I

 

A cartoon drawing like that of a manga's popped up as he began his recap. The first page depicted all sixteen of them standing in the dining hall as their forbidden action motive was introduced. Everyone standing in the room had a shocked and astonished expression on their face as they looked between the others' faces and their own forbidden actions.

"This crime began when our motives were distributed to us in the dining hall. All of us were pretty shaken up already by our circumstances of being trapped in this academy. On top of that, now we had to deal with a death trap being strapped to our wrists. And thus, that fear and encasement, lead to murder."

The page turned and now it showed a greyed out person looking down at their wrist in absolute terror. The only noticeable feature on them, were the thick round glasses they wore over their eyes. And on the same, the next picture showed them dashing out of the dining hall alone with Gonta giving them chase.

"That fear when it came to surface led to someone running away from us all and hiding by themselves into the hole they had been plunged into. Even when they had returned to us, that unease had been implanted in their brain."

The last scene of the act depicted all of them enjoying their breakfast on the dining which was prepared by Maki as she went around serving everyone. Everyone was  seen laughing and intermingling with each other as they chowed down their food. Though, two occupants; Shuichi and the greyed out person were depicted talking to each other in a hushed whisper.

"Everything was going so well with all of us intermingling with each other and enjoying ourselves and this new quiet peace that we had. Though that was soon about to be shattered."

 

Act II

 

The second act showed the blackened standing in the library with two people standing besides them. Shuichi and Kaede. They were in some sort of deep conversation as Shuichi stared at them holding his chin in focus and Kaede had her palm over her mouth in shock.

"They confided in me and Kaede and we three decided to come up with a plan to stop this killing game by trying to expose the person behind it."

Shuichi and Kaede pushed open the door of the Ultimate Inventor's lab and stepped inside. Shuichi reached for a launcher sitting on her table while Kaede borrowed the modified camera they had requested from her. Though, in these depictions, both of their faces were hidden beneath their bangs.

"Our plan needed the help of some advanced devices to catch the mastermind. And so, we borrowed a launcher and the modified camera from Miu. Not knowing, how they were going to be used in the end."

The three of them reunited inside the library and the greyed out person carefully placed the camera in it's specified position. Afterwards, they climbed the ladder and shifted a few books atop the bookshelf and placed the launcher snugly among them. 

"We reunited with them inside the library and the final part of our plan to lay a trap to catch the mastermind was put into place. They placed the camera among the bookshelves and climbed the ladder to place the launcher atop the bookshelf. Our original plan was to distract the mastermind with the launcher's noise so that they would turn and we would get a clear picture of them as they tried to enter or exit the hidden room."

The final art was of the blackened secretly bringing out a shot put ball from their upon personage. They quickly and quietly placed it inside the launcher and hurriedly climbed back down the ladder.

"But it seemed like they had other plans as they went behind our backs and used our plan in their own way and created a murder in their wake."

 

 

Act III

 

The final act started with Kokichi running out of the mastermind room with a wild expression on his face.

"Kokichi, the mastermind, ran out of the hidden room, though he could never have imagined what lay in wait for him."

A bright flash illuminated the library and Kokichi briefly turned his head to look at it. Not noticing the shot put hurling towards his face.

"The camera's flash went off and in the brief distraction that it provided, the shot put ball got launched and came barelling towards the side of Kokichi's head."

A sea of pink and a loud crunch engulfed the image. 

"The impact....instantly killed him."

Everyone gathered inside the library after the body discovery announcement resounded. The look of despair clearly visible on everyone. Though one person, the blackened, had an expression that could not be described.

"And that, is all that happened in this case."

 

Two figures appeared in the concluding image.

Shuichi was seen with his back to the blackened. The look on his face completely shrouded in mystery.

And the blackened looking down on the ground with tears streaming down their cheeks.

Their blackened figure faded away, and in it's place Tsumugi Shirogane could be seen crying.

 

 

"The truth is, Tsumugi Shirogane the Ultimate Cosplayer, you...are the culprit behind this murder."

 

Break!

 

 

~REAL/FICTION~

 

"I-It's...over." Shuichi croaked out. 

The cosplayer was clutching onto her podium tightly with tears streaming down her face non stop.

No one dared to say anything.

"Sheesh." huffed Monokuma. "It took you guys forever to come to this conclusion."

"Anywho it's finally the time!" he shrugged and equipped a more excited posture on his seat and rubbed his paws together. 

"The heart racing excitement as the blackened and the spotless finally face off..."

 

"IT'S VOTING TIME!!"

 

Kaede     Rantaro     Miu     Kokichi 

    Keebo     Gonta     Shuichi     {Tsumugi}   

Korekiyo     Tenko     Kirumi     Maki 

Ryoma     Kaito     Himiko     Angie 

 

{Tsumugi Shirogane}

 

"It seems that the voting has finished. Let's see the results."

 

{Tsumugi Shirogane} |||||||||||||||

 

"Who will be chosen as the blackened!? Will you make the right choice or the dreadfully wrong one!?"

 

 

Verdict

An arcade sporting the faces of everyone on it's screen appeared. 

A blinking dial spun around in a circle going over everyone one by one.

It slowed down as it reached Ryoma.

Crawling over Maki, then Angie, then Kiyo.

And at last it stopped.

On Tsumugi.

 

The words 'Shirogane' appeared at it's crest.

Followed by a mountain of coins erupting from it's centre.

Notes:

The class trial is finally finished!!

How did you all like that murder mystery? If you have any comments, feel free to leave them in the comments.

Chapter 22: The consequences of our Actions

Notes:

Warning: Graphic depictions of Violence, Gore

"Looks like you guys got it right on the money!!" cheered Monokuma as the arcade machine retreated from the trial screen. 

"The blackened who killed Kokichi Oma, the Ultimate Supreme Leader is Tsumugi Shirogane, the Ultimate Cosplayer!" 

"Excellent job everyone!" he congratulated and threw out his hands.

 

"We...we got it right?" Gonta swallowed and shook. "So...Tsumugi is killer..?"

"That is what this outcome entails, yes." Kiyo whispered.

"I..I still can't believe this!" cried Tenko as she pointed an accusatory finger at the cosplayer. "Why did you do it!?" 

Tsumugi had yet to stop sobbing. She stood still at her spot and kept rubbing away her tears with the back of her palms. 

"Say something dammit!" Kaito gritted his teeth and clenched his fist tightly.

"....*whine*....." The only sound leaving her lips were her broken sobs.

"We aren't going to get anywhere like this." Ryoma looked down and shook his head.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Miu grabbed the hairs on her head and pulled.

 

A low chuckle sounded across the room.

 

Rantaro whipped his head around and met his gaze with those same hazel eyes. 

"...Shuichi..?"

He reached a hand into his pocket. "Sometimes..." and pulled out the motive disabling device that Miu had made. "...the truth can be quite stubborn."

"What are you doing now?" Angie perked an eyebrow. 

"It's way past time I did this." he growled and turned on the device. It lit up with a bright blue glow and illuminated his face and upper body.

"Are you going to reveal everyone's forbidden actions?" Kirumi spoke forth pinching her chin between her fingers. 

"Yes." he replied without looking up.

"S-stop." Tsumugi choked out at last. 

"Stop? Why should I stop?" he pressed the screen against his chest to hide the data on it away from the eyes of others. "The truth doesn't stop for anyone Tsumugi." 

 

"Now." Shuichi announced and brought the device close to his face. "The ones whose forbidden actions are yet to be revealed, who are they?"

"U-um.: stammered Keebo. "If I remember correctly. It's Kiyo, Maki, Tsumugi...and Rantaro."

"But what point is there in revealing these actions?" Himiko mumbled. 

"It's completely stupid." Maki scoffed. "We got the culprit so why are we still here?"

"Can you all please just let him talk?" Kaede interrupted. 

"So. At first, Kiyo's forbidden action." stated Shuichi and swiped his finger across the screen and a slide showcasing his image and action appeared. "He can't actually take off his mask." 

"Buh that's fucking easy!!" Miu shrieked. 

"I didn't ask for the supposition of a harlot." Kiyo glowered at the inventor.

"H-harlot!?" moaned Miu.

 

"So." Angie clasped her hands together and chirped. "Next we have Maki!"

"Right." Shuichi huffed and opened the next window. Upon opening it, his face quirked a broad smile. "Oh this one is real interesting."

"What do you mean?" Kaito raised an eyebrow. 

"Letting someone else find out her real identity." Shuichi answered. 

"The fuck!?" screeched Kaito looking over at Maki. "Her real identity!?"

"......" the 'caregiver' spoke nothing from her mouth but instead glared daggers at Shuichi's face.

"Also." Shuichi raised a finger to gain the attention of everybody. "There is a 'footnote' here that specifies that the people who knew about her identity before the bracelet was put on her wrist, don't trigger her action."

"Or in other words." Rantaro turned on his side and smiled creepily. "If someone 'else' learned about her secret identity."

"Now this quite interesting." Angie hummed darkly. "What secrets are you keeping Maki?"

"Don't plan on telling." she replied in a monotone voice.

"We have to keep a close eye on her." suggested Kirumi maintaining a sideways view on her at all times.

 

"Next we have Rantaro." Keebo recalled. "What is his forbidden action Shuichi?"

"No nevermind him." shrugged Shuichi and swatted the screen. 

"Wait?" Ryoma tilted his face at him. "You aren't going to reveal Rantaro's forbidden action?"

"There is no need for it." he dodged the question. 

"......." the amnesiac stared at the detective with his arms crossed over his chest and his mouth agape.

"Now for Tsumugi." Kaede hurriedly directed the centre of attention away from Rantaro.

 

 

"Don't do this Shu-" Tsumugi cried out but....

 

"Surviving the first Class Trial without being the Blackened."

 

Shuichi's voice drowned hers out.

"......."

"........."

"............"

"E-excuse me?" Keebo recovered from the shock of the announcement. "D-did I hear that correctly?"

"N-no." Kirumi brought a gloved hand over her mouth to still her jolt.

"Dear god." Kiyo gasped.

"Shit!" Tsumugi screeched clutching onto her hair with shaking hands.

"The fuck is this bullshit Monokuma!?" bellowed Kaito with an unrelenting fury in his eyes. "If she wasn't the blackened, she would die no matter what!!?"

"You can make up rules to toy with us however you like huh?" Angie glared darkly at the ursine.

Rantaro threw out his hands and his complete facial features darkened, "What makes you say that your killing game is fair? This is absolutely the farthest truth from any sort of fairness."

"Why are we even trapped in here if you think...you can pull something like this on us?" Kaede challenged the bear bunching her skirt in her fists. "Let us out this instant!"

The bear heeded them no attention.

Shuichi stepped forward and stood across from Tsumugi. "So. Will you talk now ?"

 

"Because we won't be able to hear the truth from your corpse as it dangles from the end of a noose."

 

Her hands fell to her sides and with the speed of a cheetah, she lunged for Shuichi's throat with her hands clenched into claws. An inhuman shriek erupted from her throat as her feet carried her across the floor.

But, mere moments before her hands could create contact. She stopped.

Or rather, she came to an abrupt halt.

Kaede's clenched fist gripped into her hair from behind and violently yanked her back.

"I won't let you lay a finger on him." she whispered in her ear pulling her back far enough from Shuichi. 

"LET GO OF ME!!" Tsumugi shouted thrashing around in her iron grasp.

"Kaede, what are you doing!?" Keebo shouted. 

"Are you blind?" Rantaro glared menacingly at the robot. "Did you not see what Tsumugi was trying to do?"

"This....this isn't right." cried Himiko. "This kind of violence is never okay."

"Still we should-" Ryoma started speaking but was interrupted.

 

"This is getting really boring." groaned Monokuma from upon his throne. "My patience is running thin."

"Uh oh that is a really bad sign." Monophanie feared. 

"When father gets impatient, really bad things happen." Monotaro nodded crossing his arms.

"N-no." shivered Tsumugi in Kaede's hold. "D-don't do this."

"Then talk." ordered Monokuma bearing his claws at her. The glow of his red eye could have illuminated the void right then and there, "Then we'll see."

"I-I WILL TALK!!" she shouted desperately and Kaede let go of her hair at last.

 

She inhaled a deep breath as she stood back up and spoke, "It all started when the forbidden actions were passed out."

---

"It's everybody's forbidden action." Shuichi demanded turning to face everyone. "What actually is it?"

"E-erm....I...." Tsumugi trembled and covered her wrist with her palm.

 "Oh what is it Tsumugi?" Kokichi jumped up on his seat. "What is your forbidden action!?"

"I don't wanna say it!" she shouted and ran into the courtyard.

---

 

"After seeing my forbidden action, I was extremely on edge the whole time. The slightest noise sounded way too loud to me."

"Is that the reason for why you ran away from us back then?" prodded Kiyo.

"Yeah." she admitted looking down at her feet. "So, I decided to confide in a certain someone."

 

---

Many small conversations were happening among the various occupants of the dining table. Either about what they wanted to do afterwards, or figuring out a plan to escape from here, things like that.

Shuichi and Tsumugi had been occupied in a low back and forth to themselves. Kaito boisterously announced standing up, that he would find a way to take off these motive bracelets and free them all. To which he received a harsh slap on the back of the head from Maki, ordering him to sit back down. Miu cackled that her lab had opened up and to not have anybody come and bother her and her golden brain in her precious hours inside there. Kokichi was pestering Rantaro since last night to hand him some of the 'Nectar' that he had won from the prize store, the long lost grape panta.

---

 

"I told Shuichi about my forbidden action. Then he must have told Kaede about it too since she was also in on it when we met up in the library that evening."

 

---

"You can't survive the first class trial without being a blackened, right?" Kaede inquired from the cosplayer as she shifted uncomfortably against the library bookshelf. 

"How do we fix this issue?!" Tsumugi trembled in her spot. "I don't wanna die!"

"If no murders actually go down here, then there will be no need for you to worry." reassured Shuichi.

"O-okay." she reluctantly backed down.

"Wait I have an idea!" Kaede shouted drawing the attention the attention of the other two in the library.

"What if we expose the person behind this killing game with a trap?!"

---

 

"You all know how that trap ended up working out." she chuckled with an emotionless tone.

"Dammit!" Kaito gritted his teeth.

"As Shuichi put it in his recap of the case." Kiyo hummed lifting a finger. "The fear of someone else committing a murder clouded your judgement."

"In the case of somebody else ending up dead, Tsumugi would have became another sacrifice no matter the outcome of the class trial." frowned Kirumi and clutched her gloves  hands together tightly over her skirt.

Rantaro continued after closing his eyes, "And in the midst of you trying to prevent a murder, you ended up doing quite the opposite and caused a murder to occur as a result of that unchecked fear."

"You all see now?" Tsumugi cried as her knees threatened to collapse. "I was on your guys' side this whole time! I was trying to defeat the mastermind, but I ended up straying far from my path." 

"Yes, we see that." Tenko nodded with tear filled eyes. 

"Yeah! We definitely on your side!!" Gonta announced with determination. 

"Definitely girl!" Kaito stepped forward. "No one here doubts you."

 

"Yep this has gone on long enough." Monokuma sighed and brought out his gavel. 

"Huh?" Tsumugi blinked. 

"It's time for the part that everyone waits for." 

"NO!!"

"We'll protect you Tsumugi don't you worry!" Tenko shouted as she took a defensive stance in front of the cosplayer. The astronaut and the entomologist also blanched her and protected Tsumugi from the bear.

"Oh no that won't do at all." sighed Monokuma and looked down at his kubs. "Kiddos, time to bring out the exisals."

In a blink of an eye, five exisals dropped down from the ceiling of the trial grounds. Many of the ultimates took a step back away from the mechs as a jolt of electricity ran up their spine.

"PROTECT ME!" shouted Tsumugi desperately looking over at everyone's faces. "PLEASE!!"

"Well." shrugged Monokuma. "Anyone who interferes in this will end up joining her."

 

 

"Now then, I've prepared a Special Punishment."

"HELP ME PLEASE!!"

"For Tsumugi Shirogane, the Ultimate Cosplayer."

"SOMEBODY!!!!"

"Let's give it everything we've got."

"PLEASE!!!!!!"

 

"It's Punishment Tim-"

 

 

*Clap* *Clap* *Clap*

 

 

"Who dares interrupt my speech!?" shouted Monokuma absolutely seething with rage. He pointed the gavel among the podiums in search of the perpetrator who interrupted him by clapping their hands loudly.

He went over the figures of everyone one after the other till he found the culprit.

"You!" he seethed locking his eyes with...

 

Shuichi.

 

"Just wait one second Monokuma." he called out to the bear as he ceased his slow clap. "This is important. Then you are allowed to continue."

"What is it Shuichi?" Tsumugi turned to face.

He found her gaze and veered into it with his own . 

"Quite a performance you have put on for us Tsumugi." he chuckled lightly and stepped forward. "Really, I am impressed beyond words."

"What are you talking about? Did you not understand what I sai-"

"I don't understand the language of bullshit." 

He interrupted as his expression turned deadly serious.

"H-Huh?!" she flinched. "What are you talking about?!"

"All the little justifications you said up till now in your defense for your actions. Are nothing but lies ."

"Fear?!" he continued now slowly walking forward step by step and causing her back to press up against a trial podium. "Was it truly fear, or a desire to escape from here that caused you to place that ball in that launcher? Only you know that answer."

"....." her eyes went wide.

"Were you truly righteous when you finished setting up that trap? Was there a time limit over your head putting you under a crunch? Was the idea of coming up with murder, conscientious?"

"I..." words failed her under his assault.

"Did you try, even once, to confess by yourself during the trial so that we may all be saved by the danger of the execution? If you say that you were on our side this whole time, then why didn't you confess? Why did you try to win by yourself and tried get us all killed in the process?"

"Now, I don't say that fighting for your life is a bad thing, no it's not. You should try to fight for your survival till the end. But you claim to be a descendant of Joan of Arc with you trying to do a noble sacrifice for us all, while in reality, you are nothing but a wolf in sheep's clothing trying to manipulate us all with your lies."

"That is all. I'm finished." he concluded and backed away from her. "You can begin Monokuma."

 

Tsumugi noticed two things just as Monokuma's gavel made it's contact with a red button. 

Kaito, Tenko and Gonta had all moved far far away from her.

And the sound of all the forbidden action bracelets powering down.

Seconds later, a collar descended from the ceiling and latched itself around her neck.

 

 

Tsumugi has been found guilty.

Time for the Punishment!

 

The Death of Fiction

Warning: Extreme Gore

 

Tsumugi found herself taken away to the middle of a gigantic filming set adorned with black and white colour themed decorations. Her collar dangled her from the height of the ceiling lights and dropped her unceremoniously on the rough staging 8 feet below her. 

The curtains ahead of the stage parted and revealed the presence of almost hundreds of Monokumas sitting in the audience of the set. So this was an amalgamation of a filming set and a concert theatre blended together.

Upon a trolley, several dresses and cosplays from various cosplaying conventions wheeled ahead of her. She stood still in her  place still greatly sore from her previous fall. Though that was precisely the moment when the audience started hurling rocks at her. Many of them made contact with her skin and left bruises and cuts all over her body. The entire audience was booing her and was chanting in unison to order her to dress up. 

Moving her severely aching body over to the trolley, she picked up a white straightjacket with purple hued buttons and a chessboard pattern scarf. Putting on the cosplay, she felt her skin itch slightly due to all the cuts and bruises. Though it wasn't too bad. After a moment of respite from the hurling, it started back up as she stood by too idly in her cosplay costume.

Onto the second costume. It was a deep blue t-shirt with black horizontal stripes and a green haired wig. After equipping these clothes, she immediately felt a familiar irritation rise up in every inch of her body. Her cospox, which forbade her from cosplaying as non-fictional characters had started to act up. She quickly disrobed her clothing but the Monokumas threw many more rocks at once at her for taking off her cosplay too quickly.

Her blood started to stain deep into her clothes now and she could feel the exposure of various muscle tissues all over her exposed skin. And on top of all that, the zits and rashes brought forth by her horrible disease of cospox made her every living moment ten times more torturous. Parts of her skin had become so damaged that they started to rip away to fall off from it's previous connections to her body.

But the audience wouldn't stop. 

Her next cosplay was a black jacket with white horizontal stripes and a baseball cap of the same black color. The same phenomenon occurred again. Her cospox attacked her with an unrelenting fury and she bit her tongue to keep herself from screaming out. These clothes hurt so much more than the previous ones. She scratched everywhere over her body to help relieve herself from her itch. But it only served to make it so much worse. Her face was now unrecognizable as almost half of it had fallen off and rested on the floor.

Then came the fourth and final dress. A pink sweater accompanied with metallic musical hair pins. Her body reacted extremely violently as she finished putting on the vest and placed the pin inside of her hair. She slipped on her own pool of blood and crashed down on the floor covered in blood, grime, sweat and fallen off skin. 

At last, one Monokuma threw a rock at the supporting pillar of the stage and brought the whole thing crashing down to her body and finally putting her out of her misery.

 

 

 

 

---

 

Rantaro pushed open the door to his dorm room and quickly closed it shut behind him using his body. 

He, along with everyone else, had not spoken even a single word to any other as they ascended back up the elevator. Each one of them was too stunned by what they had seen to even be able to speak.

He plopped down on his bed and climbed into his bedsheets. Resting his against the backboard, he sighed.

All the exhaustion from today's trial catching upto him and leaving him utterly drained.

Reaching a hand into his pocket he retrieved the now turned off bracelet and ran a thumb over its digital surface. Its screen now a dull remnant of its previous glow.

He huffed out a deep breath, "Why did Shuichi keep my forbidden action a secret? Only he and I know what is on here."

"And why did I get such a weird forbidden action that even I don't understand what it means after all this time!?" he shouted to nobody and clenched the bracelet tightly in his fist.

The screen glew between the palm of his hand one last time.

 

Rantaro Amami's Forbidden Action

 

Losing sight of Himself

 

"Just what the hell does this mean!? What aspect of myself can I not lose the sight of!?" he growled.

"And just what is Shuichi trying to hide?"

---

 

The detective twisted and turned in his bed. Now for this night he was all alone in his room since Kaede had gone back to her own dorm room. 

He finally threw away the covers and sat back up on the bed and opened his eyes.

Though he didn't recognize the room he was in at all.

Shuichi rubbed his eyes firmly with his knuckles and looked back down at himself. 

Only to find that he was now strapped to a chair and not at all occupying his bed like he was doing so previously.

"Ah you are finally here." A voice called out across from him.

At first, Shuichi thought that he had gazed into a mirror. 

The figure sitting behind the desk on an office chair across from him looked exactly like him.

The same hair color, the same facial features, the same cowlick, the same sitting posture. 

"Welcome, Shuichi..."

Though the figure he noticed was wearing a black blazer with a blue tie as apposed to his black with white striped jacket. 

But a difference in clothing wasn't the biggest contrast between them. 

It was the crimson carmine eyes that the person across from him possessed that scared Shuichi the most.

"...to your own personal hell."

 

Notes:

The class trial of chapter 1 is officially over.

Now we have only the epilogue chapter with this mysterious stranger left.

Just be ready for something special.

Chapter 23: The True Self {Our Class Trials- End}

"...to your own personal hell." 

his doppelganger finished with a flirt of his hand. 

Shuichi had zero idea what was going on or how he had even arrived here. The last thing he remembered was him laying down on his mattress after the class trial's conclusion.

Now, he found himself sitting atop a chair in a completely unknown location. Everywhere he looked, he saw nothing. Completely surrounded by an abyssal darkness and a hazy gray fog made it absolutely impossible for him to figure out where he was currently.

The only things he could lay his eyes on were the two chairs and a large wooden desk hoisting many small stationery items in between them. Shuichi was sitting on the chair across the front of the desk and was face to face with the person behind the desk.

Just who was this guy who had the same look as him but with different eyes. Also, the attire he wore...

"Gonna say anything?" the man behind the desk prodded with curiousity and a hint of impatience.

"...." try as he might, Shuichi couldn't form proper sentences at the moment. He clutched the arms of his chair tightly between his fingers.

"Cat got your tongue or something?" the figure leered forward bracing his palms atop the desk.

Taking a deep breath he spoke, "W-who are you?" he hated how his voice broke as he spoke. 

"Who am I?" he tilted his head a tad bit equanimly. "I am you and you are me." he answered as he sat back down.

"..." Shuichi narrowed his gaze.

"Okay okay." he brought his hands up in defense. "Don't gimme that look geez." he sighed. "I guess you can call me...Saihara." 

"Saihara...? But that's my name?" Shuichi gawked and pointed at himself.

"Didn't I just say that I am you !" huffed Saihara. 

"Whatever." scoffed Shuichi. "So, Saihara... what the hell do you want? And where the hell am I?"

"You want to know the answer to every question of your life don't you?" smirked the red eyed boy.

"Huh?"

"You want to have the control over the lives of the others around you, don't you?" 

"How can you say that?" challenged Shuichi. He couldn't show any weakness here. He knew that wholeheartedly.

"I guess.." he hummed pinching his lips. "I know all your thoughts and ideas. That's all."

"That's impossible!" Shuichi slammed his closed fist against the desk.

Saihara fluttered his fingers across the table and one by one small and miniature figurines started coming into existence beneath his palm atop the table.

"Inconceivable" a shot put ball. "Hardly possible" a lone pair of handcuffs. "Preposterous" a katana and a sickle. "Absurd" toilet paper? "Unimaginable" a hydraulic press. 

"These are all synonyms of impossibility." he continued now pushing these figurines to the side. "You wouldn't think that they would be possible one bit, right? But the truth of the matter is when your reality warps, anything is possible."

"SO, in short, me knowing what you are thinking, is it really that far fetched?" presented Saihara.

"I...I guess." Shuichi relented crashing back down in his chair. "But...what you said..."

"About you trying to control everyone around you?" smirked the red eyed boy. "You know that it's true isn't it?"

"Control might be a bit much." winced Shuichi. "...Overprotective is more like it."

"Potato Potahto." droned Saihara and bobbed his head. "Like how.." he spread two different polaroid photos facing downwards across the table. "..you are so overprotective of these two."

He pinched the photos between his fingers and turned them over to reveal their image.

Shuichi's blood ran cold.

They were portraits of Kaede and Rantaro. The left being the former's and the right one of the latter's.

"What the hell?!" gritted Shuichi as he glared daggers at the boy across from him. "Leave both of them outta this!"

"You are just proving my point Shuichi." Saihara chuckled darkly. "You are so overprotective over them!"

"They are my and mine responsibility alone!" 

"Objectifying them are you now?"

"That's not my intention and is besides the point!!" 

"Oh really?" Saihara tilted his and questioned. "Then explain these."

He pulled out three forbidden action bands from within a side drawer and threw them over the desk. Shuichi reached for them and confirmed that they were his, Kaede's and Rantaro's.

"You came up with what was on these right?" Saihara prodded. "And what a colorful imagination you have."

"Letting your girlfriend stray too far from you and not letting you die, seriously?" Saihara hung his head in shame. "Dude, you can't even deny my allegations. There is so much evidence against you!"

"....Fine!" Shuichi barked after a few silent seconds of contemplation. "I like to control the lives of others around me! What does that change huh?" he challenged. "I am still the mastermind controlling everything behind the scenes." 

"That right?" grinned Saihara. "Cuz, last I checked, TDR hasn't employed you yet."

"Fuck those motherfucking cunts." 

"Language!" fake yelped Saihara and covered a hand over his chest dramatically.

"Now." sighed Saihara wiping away his previous shocked expression. "The last and most interesting action. Rantaro's."

"Losing sight of himself." intoned Shuichi.

"That wording is a bit wrong isn't it?" Saihara held his chin in his fingers and spoke. "I think 'Not being a complete bitch who follows every action that Shuichi and Kaede do' would have been much better."

Shuichi grabbed the scissors from inside the pencil stand and slammed the tip of them between the fingers of Saihara's open palm.

"Try saying that again asshole." he whispered as his bangs hid his darkened face. 

"'Not being a complete bitch who follows every action that Shuichi and Kaede do'"

Shuichi pulled the pair of scissors out from the desk and slammed them into the back of Saihara's palm sharply. 

There was no reaction from him.  

"Neither of us can feel any pain here." Saihara intoned looking at him square in the eyes. "Your psyche has become too desensitized to it."

"Tch." Shuichi scoffed and backed away and released his grip. Saihara promptly pulled the scissors out and placed them back in the stand. 

"Gonna say what those words in that band mean?" the red eyed boy asked pointing at the specified object.

Shuichi looked away and mumbled, "What I thought of when I wrote them was..."

"Was...?"

".....can't say it." 

"Seriously!?" shouted Saihara with annoyance.

"You can read my mind right?" smirked Shuichi with a cocky grin. "So you should already know the answer to that shouldn't you?"

"Shit." Saihara cursed clenching his fist. "Don't get cocky with me dude."

"You are not the boss of me." challenged the detective leaning forward. "I have and I will walk my own path in life. I will live unburdened from the lies spun by others." 

"Oh?" the red eyed boy spat. "Says the boy who refuses to open his eyes to the biggest truth of his life!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" 

"Team Danganronpa and their sins." specified Saihara leaning back against his chair.

"....."

"Hit the nail on the head." he spoke with a deranged giggle. 

Shuichi's pupils had widened enough to entirely encompass his irises. Bile rose up in his throat forcing him to choke down his own words of retortion. But, Shuichi knew  deep down that he didn't have any actual words that could retort what his doppelganger had brought up.

"You know the truth behind the success and popularity of this series right?" questioned the red eyed boy now leaning on his desk. "All the interconnected roots of this fucked up series can be traced back to a single word...".

"Hope."

Shuichi whispered the word with such venom that Saihara actually flinched and dropped his hands from the desk. Quickly composing himself by coughing into his fist he spoke.

"The hope cycle." he uttered finding Shuichi's gaze. "The biggest ace up TDR's sleeve that cashes new and fresh participants to their killing games every season. Can you believe the naivety of these fools who willingly volunteer for this fucked up shit?"

"They signed away their lives with their own blood the moment they stepped inside the audition booths." commented Shuichi with a far off look in his eyes.  

"Want to take a look at an example of this cycle?" presented Saihara. A trolley carrying a tv monitor rolled out and settled besides the desk. He brought out a remote from his drawer and affixed the monitor so that it would face both of them at the same time. 

"And what if I said no?" Shuichi knew that the man across from him wouldn't listen to him. But the stubborn bastard that he is, he decided to voice his opinion anyway.

"...." Saihara stared blankly and scrunched his nose in Shuichi's direction and press the button on the remote.

 

 

 

The television turned on instantly and on it's screen was the familiar layout of a Danganronpa Class Trial. There was the everpresent series' mascot Monokuma sitting atop his throne and overlooking the proceedings down below among the student soapboxes. Among the trial podiums, there were 12 death portraits and only 4 survivors were left standing as a result of the aftermath of their killing game. 

 

Shuichi trembled in his seat clutching his arms together around his form to ground himself.

It wasn't working out as he felt like he was drowning while being out of water.

 

"No, you can't be the mastermind." a boy trembles.

"But you were our friend this entire time!" a girl shouts.

"Ha, your friend. Junko ain't the friend of no one bitch!!" the mastermind bellows.

"It's really true." a second boy frowns deeply.

 

"Man this footage is really interesting." Saihara giggled and skipped the recording a few minutes ahead.

"M-make it stop." Shuichi choked out. "P-please."

 

"I shall choose hope!" the first boy shouts drowning out the mastermind.

"Bleh." scoffs the mastermind. "Hope is so overrated."

"I will also join him." cried the second and taller boy with determination. "I shall sacrifice myself."

 

"STOOOPP!!"

"No. As you have said Shuichi, the truth doesn't stop for anyone."

 

"Why are you leaving me all alone!?" screamed the girl at the shorter boy with tears coming out of her eyes. "I...I LOVE YOU!! AND I WON'T LEAVE YOU!!"

"HUH!?" he jumped in his podium. "DON'T DO THIS!! YOU HAVE TO LIVE!"

"I shall sacrifice myself for hope as well." she didn't listen.

 

"Let's skip to the meat of the matter shall we?" the boy with red eyes spoke.

"....."

 

"Take that! Our hope won against your despair!" shouted the girl with glee.

"Despair can never overcome hope." the shorter boy announced.

"We all defeated you together. We shall die together and get reunited with our friends." the taller boy stated.

 

"Death is not a mercy you three shall receive." the mastermind spoke darkly. "A fate so much worse than death awaits you."

 

 

"Welcome to Danganronpa V3."

"Kaede, Shuichi, Rantaro."

 

 

"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!!" Shuichi bellowed and leaped out of his seat aiming for his doppelganger's throat.

But an unknown force tied him firmly to the seat of his chair. "I WILL TEAR YOU APART FOR MAKING ME LIVE THROUGH THAT AGAIN!!!"

"Aww, is my favourite V2 participant angry?" cooed Saihara in an affectionate tone. 

 

"What do you mean welcome to Danganronpa V3?" asked the shorter boy (Shuichi).

"We ended our season,V2, right?" nodded the girl (Kaede) with confusion. "Even though no one will survive in the end."

"All this blood and carnage finally came to a conclusion with this trial that revealed your identity." the taller boy (Rantaro) glared at the mastermind.

"You all chose hope during the voting time right?" asked the mastermind.

 

"TURN THIS SHIT OFF!!!"

 

"So you three will be punished as a result."

"We know that already." sighed Rantaro.

"But what is your punishment you may ask?" giggled the mastermind.

"...what?" Shuichi asked hesitantly.

 

"You three will have to participate in the next killing game."

 

"....."

 

"....." 

"....."

"....."

"And I have a plotline already thought up!"

"How about this?"

"The two lovebirds Shuichi and Kaede who finalized their love at the precipice of hope are forced to become the symbols of despair as the new masterminds of V3!!"

"And their best friend, Rantaro Amami, the one who they spent the entirety of V2 with, loses all of his memories of their time together!"

"Such a despairful outcome of a hope filled ending!!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

 

*End of Footage*

 

"So, got any words?" Saihara crouched his head and mumbled. "Mr. 'Forced to become the mastermind as a result of my belief in hope'?"

"....."

"Well, I guess that I have to leave you off right here." he sighed and pulled out a thick and heavy novel and placed it atop the desk. The title of it laid out bare.

 

 

Danganronpa V3: The Harmony of Murders

 

 

Saihara licked his finger with his tongue and opened up on a page.

 

Chapter 1: Our Class Trials 

End

 

Surviving Members : 14

 

To be continued.....

 

He took a sneak glance at the next page and looked at the upcoming titles.

 

 

Chapter 2: Lost Forever in the Darkness

 

Begin

 

 

-----

 

Shuichi blinked as he sat up on his bed with a jolt.

Opening his eyes, he realised that he was back inside the darkness of his dorm room.

He just had a nightmare. 

A nightmare that he will never forget. A nightmare that he knew was real. 

Looking back down at his hands he spoke. 

 

"Hope will never, ever triumph over despair."

Notes:

HOW BOUT THAT PLOT TWIST HUH!??
SHUICHI AND KAEDE ARE FORCED TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS KILLING GAME AS THE MASTERMINDS!!

*Deep Breaths* Anyways, your comments are what has kept this fic alive. So much so that I have a really important shoutout to make.

For CharXLatte:

First off, thank you so FUCKING much for all the comments that you posted throughout the later half of the deadly life. It gave me so much inspiration and joy when I posted a chapter and an hour later you would post a lengthy comment telling me in detail about all your thoughts. It was a straight up boost of oxytocin for me whenever I opened my inbox on my phone.

Second, goddamn you and your theories regarding this major plot twist of the chapter. You got SO CLOSE!! You figured out that Rantaro had a deep hidden connection with our masterminds and that there is something non-consensual happening behind the intent of the masterminds (like how they were controlled by flashback lights). I would say your final theory was 85% correct. You just didn't connect that Shuichi and Kaede could have participated in V2.

Third, those fucking memes that you sent as youtube links had me howling. Your shorts signifying the bullshit happening behind everything was such gold.

And how can I forget me casually fucking leaking future chapter lines in your replies. And your reaction....oh your reactions....

 

"Nahhh... AUTHOR YOU CAN'T BE DOING THIS TO ME!! I'M ALREADY ACTING LIKE A FLY EXPOSED TO RAID!!!!!"

 

WHAT THE FUCK DOES THIS EVEN MEAN!?

Seriously CharXLatte, it was because of you that this chapter got out this early. Because with my previous lack of motivation, this chapter would have most likely not been finished till Feb.

And as my last for words, once again. Thank you so so much for your comments.

Chapter 24: Lost Forever in the Darkness - Daily Life I

Notes:

A special thanks to CharXLatte for betaing this chapter! Your help is greatly appreciated!!

 

-{Morally Grey Person}-

 

“~Someone who does too much bad to be a good person, but does too much good to be a bad person~”

~~~~~

 

Shuichi wasn't able to get any sleep that night. He sat up straight in the center of his bed’s mattress the entire night with his back facing the headrest of his bed. He had draped his blankets across his hunched down form from over his knees and legs as he stayed up all night in silence.

Paranoia, fear, anger, betrayal all these ever present emotions were swirling around in the confines of his mind ever since he awoke from his nightmare.

 

---

"I shall choose hope!" the first boy shouts, drowning out the mastermind.

 

"Why are you leaving me all alone!?" screamed the girl at the shorter boy with tears coming out of her eyes. "I...I LOVE YOU!! AND I WON'T LEAVE YOU!!"

 

"We all defeated you together. We shall die together and get reunited with our friends." the taller boy stated.

 

Welcome to Danganronpa V3."

"Kaede, Shuichi, Rantaro."

 

---

 

He felt the presence of the grim reaper crouched on his knees behind him as he pressed his scythe against Shuichi's neck and breathed down each of these feelings down his ear.

He didn't see any point in lying back down on his mattress. Not only that, but he didn't want to risk being cut up by the reaper, lest he decided to move.

 

Being awake was okay. Yes.

 

Being awake would always lead to something one way or the other. That was one of the lessons that life taught him as it brought him to this phase of his life. Trapped against his will and against his mind inside this academy of death and despair alongside 13…no, 11 strangers and 2 very close acquaintances.

Maybe he can think of a way to get out of here as he sits here completely restless? Can’t he? He must be capable of doing something to lessen the anguish of everyone whoever comes into contact with him!

Alas, try as he might, even he is utterly enslaved by the will of the outside world. There was no escape possible in his sight from his damnation. This horrible cycle that he found himself in is now trying to consume him whole. And the best part of all this? He is the one whose hands are grasping and leading the thorny and blood covered helm of their voyage.

 

Though, Shuichi’s hands are not lonely. Holding his hands in a gentle embrace, Kaede stands next to him with a sweet smile on her face. He loves that smile more than anything else in this universe. It brings about a warm and pleasant flutter in his heart as his mind conjures that smile in front of him.

Yes, he is not lonely; his hands are intertwined with hers as he steers his destiny. Wherever he goes, she will follow him as she stands shoulder to shoulder with him and the same is true vice versa.

The thorns adorning the helm may be cutting open their palms, but the hurt of the blood the both of them shed from their hands doesn’t inflict pain. And the reasoning behind this is simple. It’s because his hand is covering hers. The feeling behind that gesture is able to heal the damage he sustains.

 

Shuichi has a small, true and genuine smile upon his face as he occupies the bed. The presence he felt of the grim reaper at his back is now gone. There is no more dread lingering in his mind anymore. And he knows that he can rest peacefully in his sleep now.

He adjusts his body and turns to lie back down on the mattress so that his side lies against the bedding. He reaches down and pulls the covers back over his form from where they previously laid at his knees. Shutting his eyes close, he enters an undisturbed and serene slumber for the rest of the night.

He can enjoy this momentary quiet and tranquil moment. He should enjoy these moments of placidity and peace that he can find. Shuichi completely knows that. He knows.…that.

 

Because, the unchangeable truth he knows is that once a killing game starts….

 

…there is no way for it to stop.

 

 

---

*Ding Dong* *Ding Dong*

 

Shuichi woke up to the sound of someone ringing the doorbell of his dorm room.

“Mwuh?” he stifled a yawn with the back of his palm and rubbed his eyes awake with the knuckles of his other hand. “Who’s…here?”

Craning his neck, he glanced at the bedside table and laid his eyes on the digital clock sitting atop it. He confirmed that the current timing was just past 7AM. Roughly an hour earlier than the wake-up chime from the kubs.

“This early?” he mumbled to himself, holding his chin. “The morning announcement hasn’t even happened. Who is it that wants to talk to me at this hour?”

There was another singular ding of the doorbell on the door. Shuichi decided that he should not let whoever it is that is standing on the other side of his door wait any longer lest they walk away. He threw over the covers and fixed his bedhead quickly with the palm of his hand and hurriedly got out of his bed.

 

Shuichi steeled his nerves and equipped his neutral and stoic persona. He constructed this persona from the face and identity he usually presented to others outside the four walls of his room.

He reached for his doorknob and gave it a quick twist and the lock became undone. And at last with a gentle tug, the door to his room opened. And to greet him on the other side…

 

“Hey there, Shuichi.” waved a familiar, very close acquaintance.

 

“…Rantaro..?”

 

Shuichi crossed his arms and leaned his shoulder and head against the doorframe and met eyes with the green-haired boy. From what Shuichi could make out of his attire that he wore was that he had gone to sleep just wearing his normal blue t-shirt that was provided in his closet. The shirt showed creases and wrinkles where it touched his body.

And the last thing he could also make out was the presence of clear dark circles beneath Rantaro’s lashes, signifying that he also didn’t get much sleep last night.

 

Truthfully, who could get some sleep after the events of last night?

 

“You need something?” spoke Shuichi in his usual neutral tone that hid the true meaning behind his words.

“Do you require some help or reassurance?” was what he wanted to say.

“Ah, no.” he chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. “Was just wanting to check up on you is all. You being my next-door neighbour and all, I decided that I would try speaking to you as the first thing after waking up in the morning.”

“First thing after waking up, huh? Tell that to your dark circles.” he decided not to voice his thoughts.

Shuichi stood up straight in his doorway and started speaking after he noticed that Rantaro was still waiting for his reply. “Alright then, where do you wish to go, Rantaro?” he gestured with his palm on his hip.

“How about an early morning walk in the grass of the courtyard?” Rantaro suggested as he backed away a step and pointed to the open courtyard beyond the doors of the dormitory.

“Lead the way then, Rantaro.” Shuichi spoke with a trusting tone as he stepped out of his room and closed the door behind him. Though Shuichi decided to have some fun with the amnesiac. He pushed open the glass doors of the dormitory with one arm and used the other as a gesture for him to go through it first. “You first.”

 

The affectionate wink of the eye was the most important step.

 

“I-I see,” Rantaro lost his usual calm and collected composure from the flirt, and a small but warm blush spread across his cheeks. “But, you said ‘lead the way’ then held the door open for me.” he pointed out to the detective as he stepped onto the cobbled pathway of the courtyard. Also, his tone was definitely grumpy. Shuichi’s plan worked just as intended.

The both of them walked side by side in relative silence as they properly reached the courtyard grass. The only sound they could hear was their faint but firm footsteps; first on the crunchy and gravelly pathway, and then on the soft and fine leaves of the grass as they crossed the boundary.

Looking around his immediate vicinity, Shuichi noticed that he and Rantaro were the only ones present inside the courtyard at this point in time. Everyone else were either sleeping or was off somewhere else in some other place and point inside the academy.

 

Normally, in an environment like this and at this time of the hour, you would hear the melodious chirping of birds and the constant hum of bugs and critters in the grass. The sun, just coming up from the horizon, would be welcoming its arrival as it greeted you with its rejuvenating rays. You would be able to look up to the ever-expansive sky and reach out to the clouds hovering above you as you laid against the grass. It would be a place where one could say that they have achieved their repose.

None of that is possible here. All of it is a lie. The sun, the clouds, the sky; everything is an undeniable lie.

 

But aren’t some lies…beautiful? Aren’t some white lies like these that help provide a sense of comfort and warmth…good?

 

Although, what happens when these white lies get exposed? Does the warmth provided by the lie outweigh the hurt that is felt after knowing that what you were facing was always deceitful? Would someone still appreciate this beautiful sky were it to fall and unveil its true self?

 

Shuichi….doesn’t know the answer to that. That is why he always fights for the truth. There is always only a singular and absolute truth that exists for everything. The truth does not lie to him. The truth, though it may hurt, is never deceitful. And most important of all, the truth cannot backstab him, unlike the lies that have brought him here.

 

“Shuichi, you there?”

The detective shook out of his stupor and looked up to see Rantaro waving his palm in front of his face, trying to get his attention. They both had stopped walking almost a minute prior and were now standing atop the raised platform that housed the small wooden arbor. Rantaro was seen leaning against the railings of the courtyard wall that overlooked the bottom part of the galleria and was staring at the detective intently.

“You lost in your thoughts or something?” Rantaro furrowed his brows in confusion and stared at the detective with a concerning expression.

Shuichi, having finally decided to use his tongue, spoke softly after clearing his throat, “Something like that, yeah.” He drew his vision away from the amnesiac and focused it on the scenery surrounding them.

“I feel you,” Rantaro sighed dejectedly and looked down at his feet. “I am also being carried in the same boat as you.” He admitted as he crushed a small weed beneath the heel of his shoe.

A cold wind blew past them both. A low chill went down Shuichi’s spine and made him tremble slightly in his spot due to the brisk.

“I think we should both sit down.” Shuichi gestured with his eyes towards the small wooden bench sheltered beneath the canopy of the arbor. He didn't exactly wait for a confirmation himself though and with swift footing, sat down on the seat.

Rantaro joined him upon the seating as well mere moments later. Resting his back against the wooden rest he sat down next to Shuichi. The distance between their bodies may have been small, but it wasn’t suffocating in the least for either of them. If either of them wanted, they would be able to easily reach out and make physical contact with the other. He kept his gaze trained ahead of him at the doors of the academy building and clenched his fist around the elbow of his other arm.

 

“....”

“....”

 

An unnerving silence fell between both participants. Each of them shifted their bodies atop the bench, antsy and absolutely refused to make eye contact with the other.

“Uuh Shuichi-”

 

“This is about the last class trial, isn't it?”

 

The detective’s cold declaration shattered the silence into a million glass shard-like pieces.

 

“....!” Rantaro turned his head sharply in Shuichi’s direction. When they both met gazes, Rantaro noticed that Shuichi’s facial features had darkened greatly. Just like in the class trial, his bangs were hiding the true expression of his face.

“I-I mean,” the amnesiac scrunched up his face and lamely denied the allegation. “I…”

“Just spit it out.” ordered Shuichi coldly as his iris gleamed sharply from among the follicles of his hair.

“It’s true…yeah,” Rantaro admitted huskily as he locked his eyes onto his tightly clenched fists that rested in his lap. “There is so much there to unpack and at the same time, discussing even a single detail of it seems akin to opening Pandora’s box.”

“....”

“It seems like my mind is still waiting for me to wake up from this horrible nightmare. That at any moment, it will be revealed that this killing game is just a lie that my psyche is trying to implant onto me during its slumber.”

“But this isn’t a dream, is it?” Shuichi chuckled, lacking any true form of emotion. “Whatever happened last night, whatever has been happening ever since we found ourselves here in this academy, is all real, isn’t it? All of it is…the truth, isn’t it?”

“I can still envision them, you know.” Rantaro stared ahead with a blank expression on his face.

“....?” Shuichi made a confused hum and tilted his head to the side.

“...their dead bodies,” even speaking up on the specified topic was taking a physical toll on the green-haired boy’s body. “Kokichi lying face down on the library’s floor. Tsumugi all bloodied up and writhing in agony. It…it was-” he shook his head firmly and sealed his lips in a small smile.

“I shouldn’t even be discussing this. Sorry for giving you trouble.” the green-haired boy suddenly diverted the topic away.

 

Rantaro straightened his posture and motioned himself into getting up from the seat. Equipping his aloof and distant persona was second nature to him. Rantaro was always this cool, reserved, and laid-back guy that got along with others but mostly stuck to himself. He always kept everyone at arm’s length in their need of help so that the others who surrounded him would always be safe and sound.

Rantaro knew that he wasn’t ready to have this conversation with anybody else. Least of all Shuichi. If he distances himself from others and holds onto this emotional burden alone, they all shall remain ever secure.

He turned to Shuichi and gave him a small but gentle smile, “I’ll see you later Shui-”

 

The detective threw his arms around the amnesiac and pulled him into a tight hug.

 

Shuichi reached both his arms behind Rantaro’s back and clutched onto the fabric of his t-shirt tightly between his enclosed fists. Resting his chin on Rantaro’s shoulder, Shuichi nuzzled his face against him.

“A-ah!” Rantaro was beyond startled by these very obviously emotional actions from the normally reserved, stoic, and emotionless boy. The palms of his own hands unconsciously drifted up to pull in Shuichi. But, they lingered in the air, completely still, as they shivered with the feeling of weightlessness of them.

 

Rantaro really really wanted to reach out to Shuichi. To hold him in his arms and hug him back and keep him close forever. But that reclusive nature of his kept him closed off and had protected him throughout his life. Even if Rantaro would remain forever alone, he….he wouldn’t have to feel any sort of feeling of pain or sadness from their loss. That is the same reason for why he kept the people who interested him, far far away.

 

And that included Shuichi, the Ultimate Detective, who interested Rantaro so damn much. Those same personality traits of his that Rantaro really admired. Shuichi, like Rantaro, was also a boy with a cool, aloof and, dare he say, edgy touch to him.

 

Rantaro didn’t realize it till before the events of last night. After witnessing the outcome of the class trial that all of them went through, how Shuichi had fought tooth and nail to save the lives of everyone by uncovering the truth behind Kokichi’s murder. He was almost certain after that.

 

But now, after feeling the warmth of his chest pressing against his own. Rantaro knew without any shred of doubt.

 

 

He knew that he had started developing feelings for Shuichi Saihara.

Chapter 25: Lost Forever in the Darkness - Daily Life II

Kaede pushed open the doors of the dining hall and stepped inside. She woke up some hours after dawn by the regular morning chime of the Monokubs at the allotted 8 AM timestamp. It took her a time of not less than 40 minutes to get prepared for this morning.

But, as she took only a single hesitant step inside the dining room, she stopped right in the doorway.

Kaede couldn’t lie to herself. She didn’t think she was prepared even one bit to greet the others after the events of the last class trial.

The pianist knew that it was going to be really hard to meet the faces of the others as she sat alongside them at the dining table. There were definitely going to be glances, glares and scowls thrown in her direction from across the table as she would move to sit down.

 

It was absolutely impossible to deal with these frightened fools.

 

Doesn’t matter, let them glare if they so want to. She decided. She can deal with the others head on.

Also, Shuichi would also be there right alongside her. He would always be readily available at once when it came to protecting her.

 

Ah, Shuichi.

 

Her hero.

 

Her partner…

 

Her… lover….

 

Her... or more aptly, … hers

 

 

Shuichi is hers and only hers

 

Shuichi loves her and only her. And she loves him and only him.

No one, absolutely no one except her, can have him anywhere near himself. No one except her is allowed to hold him in an embrace. NO one except her can…

 

“Hey there Kaede!”

The pianist shook out of her psychotic stupor upon hearing her name being called from the dining table. She blinked her eyes rapidly and realized that Tenko had been calling out to her from in between the bites of her meal.

“Oh, has Kaede arrived?” Kirumi hummed quietly and turned around as she finished pouring out some broth into Miu’s soup bowl. “Please have a seat.” she gestured to the standing pianist as she pulled out a chair for her to sit down upon.

“U-um..” Kaede stammered and blushed a bit as she noticed the stares of almost everyone set on her.

She didn’t think that this would be their reaction towards her. Hospitality? Forgiveness?

Kaede thought that all of them would have shown at least some layer of disdain towards her and/or Shuichi.

But…. they were just forgiving the both of them, … just like that? No, this couldn’t be it. There was definitely something else under the skin at play here.

As she thought about it for a few more seconds, the answer became crystal clear to her. Their actions were all trying to create a sense of false peace. A lie, if she were to think of it in different terms.

Or to put it more accurately and in simpler terms, their reactions were hinged only on one factor.

 

Denial. Pure, unadulterated denial of their current situation.

 

 

“Come on Kaede, sit down.” Shuichi looked up at her from upon his seat and smiled at her warmly. He patted down the seat that was directly to his right and motioned for her to sit down next to him.

Damn that smile. She could never say no to that smile.

“R-right.” she nodded shyly and slowly walked over to him. Moving past Rantaro, who was sitting to Shuichi’s left, she arrived to Shuichi’s right and sat down on the chair to his right and pushed in her seat to get comfortable upon the dining table.

 

Breakfast went on about as usual for Kaede as it had gone the previous times. Kaito’s boisterous shouts could be heard whenever he was engaged in any conversation. Gonta’s insistent cheering and encouragement were helping to lift the spirits of others to a more positive outlook. Angie’s creepy, though realistic, comments that had managed to gain the rapture of the mage Himiko and had her hooked on tightly.

 

It all made Kaede absolutely sick to her stomach. This atmosphere of naïve happiness was starting to suffocate the life out of her lungs.

 

“Himiko!” Tenko gummed as she blushed madly in the middle of eating her food. “You look so freaking cute when you chew!”

“Hrm!” the magician groaned as she finished chewing the rice in her mouth. “Let me eat in peace, Tenko.”

“But your face is way too adorable!” gushed the aikido practitioner as she tapped her fingers together.

“Please maintain some notion of silence while I am trying to eat.” sighed Kiyo and rubbed his temples.

 

Every single one of them. They all are in utter denial. Absolutely refusing to acknowledge the truth.

 

“Hey Maki!” Kaito called out to the caregiver after turning around in his seat as she went past the astronaut’s seat to serve some more sushi to Kiyo’s platter.

“What is it?” she turned on her heel and scowled impatiently at the boy.

“This is Maki sushi, right?” he giggled and pointed his plate out to her.

“....your point?”

“It’s a Maki Roll!!” he announced with such force behind his words that many a heads turned away from their previously concerned conversations and sharply looked at the astronaut and caregiver duo.

“Do you wanna-….what the hell is your problem?” Maki mumbled out, turning to the side to avoid his stare. Though, Kaito had noticed the faint blush adorning her cheeks before she was fully out of his line of sight.

“Isn’t it a good nickname for you,” Kaito smirked knowingly after leaning more forwards towards her. “...Makiroll?”

“No, it isn’t.” Maki denied and walked away from him, trying to suppress a small smirk from forming on her lips. “Don’t call me that ever again.”

“Better luck next time buddy.” Ryoma patted Kaito’s thigh as his own small gesture of encouragement.

“I am sure that you will be successful in your further attempts.” Keebo also helped to cheer up the astronaut by coming up from behind him. Since the robot was unable to eat any form of food, he had been denied to the sidelines. He was just silently watching everyone enjoy their meals and was minding his own business.

“What does getting help from a robot like you even do for me?” Kaito sighed and dipped his sushi in the soy sauce that Kiyo passed.

“That’s robophobic!” yelped Keebo and pointed accusatively at the astronaut as puffs of smoke were released from his orifices.

“You’ll get your dick wet in due time, don’t worry.” no points in guessing who commented this from across the table.

The commenter was promptly ignored by Kaito and the others.

“Thanks Ryoma for the encouragement.” The astronaut turned to the tennis pro and gave him a small smile.

“Are you just going to ignore me, Kaito!? That’s even more robophobic!!”

 

Absolute and utter fools. This false sense of security they are trying to foster by intermingling with each other like this is no doubt going to stab them all in the backs.

She can’t wait till they all end up dying one after the other, betrayed by that oh so deceitful phrasing known as ‘trust’.

 

 

“So, when are we going to start the discussion about the class trial?”

Ah, her hero.

He knows exactly just when to drop his verbal bomb on the others.

 

“Could you repeat that, Shuichi?” Angie chirped and tilted her head to the side. She was the first one who broke the minute-long deafening silence that arrived after his proclamation.

“I believe that I won’t be in the minority if I say that I don’t want Shuichi to repeat his sentence.” commented Ryoma. A few hesitant nods of silent affirmation were thrown across the table in support of his comment.

Kiyo cleared his throat against his enclosed fist and spoke, “If I may raise the voice of my opinion, I have something important to ask first and foremost.”

“And what might that be?” Kirumi spoke as she straightened her posture and stood at the far end of the table, away from the majority of the class.

“My question is directed at that individual sitting over there,”

“Here it comes.” thought the pianist, as she suppressed a deep sigh.

“...at Shuichi.” the anthropologist finished with a slithery swipe of his tongue over his lips beneath his mask.

 

Time to equip her bubbly and hopeful persona.

 

“Huh? Him?” Kaede spoke with a tone that mimicked confusion as she pointed at the detective who was sitting beside her. “What do you want with him?”

“Yeah,” Kaito scratched his chin in thought. “What could you possibly want from Shuichi, Kiyo?”

“If you haven’t been living under a fucking rock, as you keep jerking yourself off constantly,” Miu spoke crassly. “Then you might still remember the events of the last goddamn night.”

“No.” Gonta cried. “Gonta doesn’t want to remember that.”

“Can we cease the white noise, please?” Kiyo snarled, clearly impatient. His tone made it clear to everyone that he didn’t want to be interrupted twice. “I believe I had requested the attention of our detective all to myself.”

Shuichi had been silent both verbally and visibly this whole time after making his statement. He had been sitting back in his seat with his hands behind his head and was quietly spectating the events that were unfolding before him.

Now, Shuichi had moved and adjusted his body to better suit his posture upon his seat. He pushed his seat in and placed his elbows on top of the table. His plate could be found right in the middle of the contact where his elbows met the table.

Resting his chin upon his knuckles, he spoke at last, “So, Kiyo,” he droned the last syllable and met gazes with the anthropologist. “What is it that you wanted to ask me?”

“Yeah, tell us.” added the pianist as well in the support of the detective.

 

‘Are you…satisfied, with this verdict?”

The detective titled his head downwards and knitted his brows together. “Your question is too vague, Kiyo.” he complained as he made a small frown.

The anthropologist’s facial expression formed a slight scowl as his eye twitched. He now spoke in an irritated tone of voice, “Now you see here-”

“I think he wants you to specify whether or not you see Monokuma’s actions as just.” Rantaro interrupted Kiyo by placing a hand on Shuichi’s shoulder and speaking before the anthropologist could finish.

“Why you-!!” Kiyo turned to sharply glare at Rantaro.

 

“Monokuma’s actions are, of course, just.”

Shuichi declared making the room fall into a pin drop silence that lasted agonizingly long. After a few seconds of the drowning quietude, the silence was shattered into a million pieces.

 

“HUH!?”

“WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY!?”

“E-excuse me!?”

 

“Shuichi!?” Kaede stared at the detective as if he had grown two heads.

“Yeah, man!” Kaito shouted, slamming his fist against the table. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“That ursine is the embodiment of all our hatred,” snarled Kirumi, as she clutched the end of the table tightly in between her knuckles. “SO how can you side with him!?”

“Man and I here thought that you were the only one whose pecker had been applied correctly.” Miu sighed. “Guess I was fucking wrong.”

“Now hold on guys,” Rantaro tried in vain to calm the rapidly boiling situation down. “Let Shuichi explain himself.”

“Y-yes.” Keebo nervously added. “L-let Shuichi at least explain his wording.”

“What is there to explain!? He is the biggest degenerate male out there!” scowled Tenko with hatred seeping from her eyes.

 

Maki joined in the conversation from her previous position of standing against the back wall. “Shuichi, you say that in Tsumugi’s face last night just as she is about to be executed.”

---

"Was it truly fear, or a desire to escape from here that caused you to place that ball in that launcher? Only you know that answer."

 

"Were you truly righteous when you finished setting up that trap? Was there a time limit over your head putting you under a crunch? Was the idea of coming up with murder, conscientious?"

 

"Did you try, even once, to confess by yourself during the trial so that we may all be saved by the danger of the execution? If you say that you were on our side this whole time, then why didn't you confess? Why did you try to win by yourself and tried to get us all killed in the process?"

---

“And now, you say that the actions of our captors are just?” scowled the caregiver bitterly. “You are the biggest goddamn hypocrite I have seen.”

Shuichi let out a deep breath and sighed. “Wow.” he droned, dragging out the vowel. “Talk about ganging up on someone.” he shook his head side to side. “I am disappointed in you.”

 

Why did his gaze lock onto Kaede as he said that?

 

“Ganging up on you?!” Tenko screeched, standing up from her seat. “You are siding with Monokuma of all people!? Of course, we will gang up on you!!”

“When did I say that I was on Monokuma’s side?” Shuichi dropped his head in his palms and sighed again. “I never once said that I was on that asshole’s side.”

“Shuichi’s precise wording was ‘Monokuma’s actions were just’” Rantaro elaborated, taking the side of the detective. “Though his words may throw suspicion at him at first glance, there is a deep, hidden meaning behind them when you focus.”

“And what secret is there in his wording that is attracting your lanky ass?” Miu cooed seductively.

“T-that, what Monokuma thought up as a punishment for Tsumugi, was appropriate.”

“Ah, that bitch.” Miu clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “Yeah, what she got were her just deserts. That cunt is now resting in hell where it belongs.”

“A-are you serious, Miu?” Kaito gagged.

“Speaking ill of the dead is no good, Miu.” scolded Gonta. “She should apologize.”

“Precisely so,” smirked Kiyo and chuckled creepily against the back of his palm. “What Miu said…is exactly what I believe too,” then he backtracked quickly, “Though negating all the crude languaging she used.”

“But she used only crude languaging though.” deadpanned Himiko.

“So, you all are saying Tsumugi deserved what she got?” Kaede spoke with amazement evident in her tone. “How can you all say that?!”

“Kaede is right!” Keebo jumped into the conversation. “Murder is always wrong!”

“Two wrongs never make a right!” she hated these words that were leaving her lips. They tasted like absolute poison upon her tongue.

 

“Two wrongs never make a right?” Shuichi parroted, fixing his gaze on the pianist and then towards the rest. “Is that so? Murder is always wrong? No matter what the circumstance behind it may be?”

“What are you trying to say now, you degenerate!?” Tenko scowled angrily and scrunched up her face.

“What about assassinations that are carried out to help out in the greater good of the world?” Shuichi spoke as he threw a fleeting at Maki. “Or when there is a question about enacting vengeance.” Shuichi didn’t need to look at Ryoma’s face to catch his expression. “Or when there is the question of national security in play?” he heard Kirumi’s breath hitch slightly. “Tell me, is murder always unjustifiable?”

“Things in life aren’t always black and white as you walk this world,” Ryoma spoke with a far off look plastered on his face. “Some questions that life asks you… can never have an answer.”

“Still,” Kaito interrupted and spoke with determination. “Even if we might not know those answers to these questions that life asks us, we still need to search for them with our full determination! Knowing or not knowing them be damned! I shall search them with all my might non-stop!!”

“Geez, the idiot’s talking again.” sighed Maki.

“H-hey!! I am NOT an idiot!”

The table erupted in a small outburst of laughter and joy at the flustered exclamations of the astronaut as he tried (in vain) to prove to the others that he was, in fact, not an idiot. ‘Tried’, being the key word.

 

“I think that this was enough for me,” Rantaro smiled and pushed his chair outwards. “I believe that I will be going now.”

“Let me collect your dishes.” Kirumi spoke politely and came up from the side of the table and started collecting all his used up utensils as Rantaro moved to stand up.

Shuichi sighed and pinched his chin between his thumb and index finger. “We can keep discussing the morality behind murder all night at this rate. But frankly, I am not the Ultimate Lawyer, and I am not fit to properly discuss on this matter for hours.”

“HA!” Miu cackled obnoxiously and loudly and slammed both her wrists against the dining table. She struck the table with such great force that she made the dishes resting upon it rattle.

“Bet if you made Piano milkers pop one out, then that sucker would definitely turn out to be an Ultimate Lawyer.”

Both the masterminds promptly went crimson all across their faces and froze up like ice on their spots.

The other occupants of the room who were either sitting on the table, or the ones who had stood up and were surrounding it; also joined the playful bandwagon. Be it thorough snickering silently to themselves or by throwing out a few wordings of their own out to tease. Everyone seemed to be in a much better mood and had a joyous expression plastered on their faces.

 

Though, the kind of expression Rantaro was making was hidden beneath his bangs.

 

He had already moved away from the group hastily and was pushing open the doors of the dining hall that lead outward into the hallway of the academy. Upon fully pushing open the doors, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

But, right as he was about to take a step outside after opening his eyes, he was stopped dead in his tracks as he focused his vision downwards.

 

“... Monokuma…?”

Chapter 26: Lost Forever in the Darkness - Daily Life III

“...Monokuma…?”

 

Rantaro mumbled with pointed eyebrows and a deep frown across stitched across his lips as his gaze fell upon the wretched ursine.

 

“Well, Good Morning to you too!!” the ursine cackled with his usual annoying cadence. The bear blanched past the green-haired boy and waddled into the dining hall with his arms crossed behind his back. “Heyyyy guys!” he cheered and addressed everyone else with an overdramatic wave of his paw.

“This…this was all that was left to ruin this morning even more.” Himiko sighed dreamily and smacked her head against the table. “Such a pain, nyeh.”

“Gonta won’t let Monokuma hurt his friends!” shouted the entomologist at the bear, with anger and rage bubbling beneath his words.

“What the hell do you want from us, Monokuma!?” Kaito shouted as he slammed his fist against the palm of his hand. “Cuz, whatever it is, we are never going to do it!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Monokuma dismissed the astronaut with a shrug of his shoulders. “Keep all that naive optimism to yourself, spaceboy. We all know first hand how that cookie crumbles into a million little itty-bitty pieces in the end.”

“I mean…” he continued after unsheathing his claws out from his paw. “You all saw the result of all your undying cooperation and unflinching friendliness towards each other last night, didn’t you?”

“That…” Kaede gritted her teeth in frustration. “Tsumugi was backed into a corner, and you know it!”

“Ugh.” the ursine groaned aloud and hung his head low. “I ain’t here to have this discussion with you lot.”

“Then what are you doing here?” Keebo questioned.

“I am here to congratulate you all!” Monokuma jumped up and down in glee and finished with a twirl of his body on his heels. “For surviving the first class trial!” The jazz hands in the end were definitely there for comedic relief.

“....yeah, that was cringy as fuck.” commented Miu by scrunching up her face in disgust.

“Shut up! If you want to see something cringy, go stand in front of a mirror!” he retorted sharply by sending a glare in the direction of the inventor.

“So, do we get some sort of prize for surviving through the class trial?” Angie hummed and spoke up. “If so, then what is the nature of said prize? Cuz, Atua and I really, really want to see it!”

“Coming right up!!”

 

“.....”

 

“.....”

 

“I said… coming right up.”

“Well, this is awkward.” Tenko pursed her lips together.

“WHERE ARE THOSE DAMN IDIOTS!!” screamed the bear at the top of his lungs towards the heavens.

 

“Rise and Shine Ursine!”

 

In a shout of their catchphrase, all the five kubs of Monokuma appeared right out of thin air. They were all seen (quite obviously) clutching a few items in their tiny paws.

“There they are,” said Maki and turned to glare at the ‘father’ ursine. “It’s clear that these five kids of yours are just for the sake of humor and comedy relief, and nothing else.”

“And they do a really terrible job at that.” Ryoma chuckled a laugh without any joy. “It’s like they don’t even exist.”

“Hey!” shouted Monotaro after clutching some small object in his paws and hiding it behind his back. “Stop badmouthing me and my siblings!”

“Yeah, cuz you chumps are not going to like the end result of our anger one fuckin’ bit!” Monokid bellowed after breaking one of his guitars against his knee.

Shuichi rolled his eyes and made a faux, mock talking gesture with his hand, “Keep. Yapping. Some. More.”

“You little-”

“AHEM!” Monokuma’s very intense clearing of throat quietened Monosuke instantaneously.

“WE-ARE-SORRY-FATHER.” Monodam apologized on behalf of his siblings. ”WE-SHALL-NOT-DISSAPOINT-YOU-ANY-LONGER.”

“LET-US-AT-LAST-DISTRIBUTE-THE-AREA-PRIZES.” spoke the green bear after turning to face his siblings one last time.

“Area prizes…?” hummed Rantaro in confusion and intrigue just as the Monokubs jumped up and down and started presenting their items in a very overdramatic sense of fashion.

“First off!” Monotaro started off as he showed off some sort of small shiny red marble that twinkled in front of his iris. “This red sphere!”

“And then,” Monosuke pulled out a metallic lever and placed it flat on the table. “This crank from some kinda zombie game. Don’t ask me which one it’s from, though.”

“AND-THIS-HERE-IS-AN-ANCIENT-PASSPORT.” Monodam called out as he revealed the aforementioned object and showed it off to the students.

“I present to you!” Monophanie giggled and brought out some sort of musical instrument. “This ocarina! Though this one is definitely not going to be linked to someone special. But it will require a great grasp on time to master it.”

“Boooo.” Kaede pouted her lips and droned out in shame of the kub.

 

“This…this is all just junk.” Kirumi furrowed her brows deeply and spoke. “What use do we have for this trash?”

“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Monosuke spoke, showing off his wad of cash. “Figure out the use of this stuff by you’se own self.”

“So, all these items…have a use?” Kaede asked the kubs after she finished gathering up all the prizes and held them in the open palm of her hands.

“But where do these things even fit?” Tenko touched the tips of her fingers together and pouted.

“Tenko, what Angie thinks you are saying in other words is that,” Angie twirled a brush against her cheek and chirped. “You are too stupid to figure it out.”

“Hey!’

“Why don’t we let Shuichi hold onto them and figure out where they go?” Rantaro suggested as he brought the conversation towards the direction of the detective. “I am sure that he can easily figure out where each and every one of them might go.” he said as he smiled after veering to take a look at Shuichi.

“U-um..?” The detective’s cheeks flushed a light pink as he pointed using a single finger at himself. “M-me? You think that I should hold onto these prizes?”

“Yeah, I-” Rantaro started speaking before getting interrupted.

“Definitely!” Kaede spoke way louder than she should have as she now stood directly in between the sight of the detective and the amnesiac. “You would be excellent at figuring out what these things do and where they go!”

The blush of the detective deepened greatly. “Y-you both think so?”

“I know so.” Kaede smiled and titled her head affectionately at him.

“A-alright.” Shuichi nodded and held out his hand to her. “I can hold onto these.”

She reached out and held onto his hand for way longer than it was required. The warmth of their touch sending a warm tingle down both of their spines.

“Here you go.” she said with a smile after handing off all the area prizes to the detective one by one and letting go of their brief contact.

“They are not one bit sneaky.” Kaito whistled after pursing his lips together.

“That was all of them.” Kaede stepped back after he held all four items in the palm of his hand. She turned to speak to everyone else. “Let’s go see where they all fit!”

 

 

“Hold it right there.” Monokuma interrupted the students just as they were all about to leave the dining hall.

“You?” Himiko groaned tilting her witch hat over her eyes. “You are still here?”

“What is it, Monokuma?” Shuichi questioned after stepping forward towards the bear and standing ahead of him.

 

“There is one more prize, just for you, Shuichi.”

 

“...just, for me…?”

Shuichi spoke hesitantly after he absorbed the words that the ursine whispered coyly. He shifted his eyes up and down the form of the bear in an attempt to root out whatever secret Monokuma was trying to hide behind his expression.

Truth be told, the detective had absolutely no clue as to what kind of reward Monokuma was talking about currently. And the fact that said reward was reserved for him specifically had Shuichi greatly intrigued… and perturbed.

 

Just what was Monokuma up to?

 

“Hold out your hand for me, Mister Detective.” ordered Monokuma, with a blank expression etched on his face.

Shuichi complied wordlessly and crouched down to the ground on the level of the bear. He held out his hand in front of him and opened his palm gently and gingerly spread his fingers outwards. Exhaling a breath, Shuichi pushed his arm forward and tucked it against the belly of the bear.

“Here you go!” chirped the bear and dropped some sort of small metallic object from his paw onto the palm of the detective.

“What is-” Shuichi looked up from his open palm to ask their headmaster, but he had already disappeared into the air in the blink of an eye. “Huh, he’s already gone.” Shuichi hummed after standing back up on his feet and starting to inspect his unique prize.

“What is it Shuichi? What did you get?” Angie strolled upto the detective from behind and spoke by peeking over his elbow. She swiftly reached an arm out, trying to nab the item from Shuichi’s hand.

But Shuichi was too quick for her. His own reflexes kicked in, and he instantly clenched his hand into a tight fist, preventing her from nabbing it.

“It’s…a key.” he spoke, now turning to face everyone in the room. “A rusted key, to be precise.”

“Why did Monokuma give you a rusted key?” Maki crossed her arms over her chest and mumbled.

“Yeah, what does that bear want with that degenerate?” Tenko shook her head from side to side. “Why did he give him a special prize? Just why!?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Rantaro turned to his side and held his chin between his thumb and index finger.

 

“It’s an award for an amazing performance.”

 

He whispered after his eyes were lost against the darkness of his face.

“Eh!?”

“It’s because of the class trial.” Rantaro elaborated further, his voice an octave lower. “All because of Shuichi’s deductions, we were able to reach the truth behind yesterday’s harrowing case. Exposing Tsumugi Shirogane’s lies, the true nature of Kokichi Oma, and every single one of the truths hidden deeply within the darkness were all revealed by him.”

“Can you stop stroking his dick already and get to the point!?” Miu scowled irritatingly.

 

“Shuichi is Monokuma’s favorite student here in this academy”

 

“....no…” Kaito breathed out in a hushed tone after a moment of tense silence. “That can’t be right…can it?” He walked forward towards the detective and placed a heavy palm on his shoulder and grasped it firmly. “You…are Monokuma’s favorite?”

“I knew it,” gritted Tenko and scrunched up her face in disgust towards Shuichi. “A degenerate like him would obviously be the one that Monokuma likes the most!”

“Are we hating him now for doing his job correctly?” Kaede titled her head to the side and spoke softly with a cold tone. “I mean, if it weren’t for him…”

 

“...we all would have been hanging from the end of a noose, wouldn’t we?”

 

A cold shiver travelled throughout the still air in the hall, going down the spine of everyone who was present to hear Kaede’s truthful declaration. Even the normally calm and stoic students, namely Maki and Kiyo, visibly tensed up in slight shock after the threat reached their ears.

Shuichi spoke up, highly proud and amused in his thoughts, “I appreciate you two,” he nodded at Kaede and Rantaro, “... trying to help me out. I really, really do appreciate both your support. But I think that it is way pastime that we finished up with the dining hall.” he chuckled lightly.

“Yes.” nodded Ryoma and pulled his beanie down over his brows. “I think I have had enough interaction for this morning. No offense to anyone present here.”

“None taken.” Keebo answered with a faltering smile.

Angie marched forwards towards the door that lead to the courtyard patio and turned to face the others, “Yoohoo, I think that we all have something important that we need to do right?” she twirled her brush around her finger and pointed it towards the prize items that Shuichi was holding his palm. “We need to figure out where those things go!”

“Are we going on an adventure around this academy?” groaned Himiko, not the least bit enthusiastic about this prospect. “This is going to be a huge pain.”

“If your legs hurt, then I can carry you, Himiko!” gushed Tenko like an excited puppy.

“No.” she denied immediately.

“I am super strong! I can carry you on my back the whole day and through the whole night if you want me to Himiko!!”

“No means no Tenko.”

 

One after the other, everyone finally decided to exit the dining hall through one of its two doorways. Filled with vigor and determination to find out the truth hidden in this academy, they went their separate ways to explore each and every corner of the academy. And who knows, if there was a possibility of them finding out an exit route that was hidden from them previously, then that would be the best-case scenario, wouldn’t it?

Shame such a thing doesn’t exist though.

Still, it’s the thought that counts, right? The hope that these ideas can bring out is all that matters in the end. Even false hope can prove beneficial in a dire enough of a situation.

 

“Join us, Rantaro.” someone grabbed onto the arm of the green-haired boy just as he was about to exit out onto the patio of the courtyard.

He would have recognized that voice if he had heard it in the middle of a storm.

“... Shuichi?” Rantaro turned around and saw the ultimate detective with his palm enclosed around the amnesiac’s wrist…alongside Kaede. Said pianist had been holding onto the palm of the detective’s other hand. They both were standing side to side, eyeing the green-haired boy with their fingers intertwined against each other.

The sight of it made Rantaro wince internally.

“... u-uh what did you want to say to me Shuichi?” prodded Rantaro, wanting to quickly and quietly back off from this interaction.

“He was wanting to ask for your help, Rantaro,” Kaede spoke up before Shuichi could have done so. “You had helped him out greatly while we were inside of there a moment ago and Shuichi thought that you would be a great ally in trying to uncover the mystery behind these prize items.”

“Yeah. That.” Shuichi confirmed with a nod of his head. What Kaede spoke wasn’t technically a lie in the overall scheme of things.

“Ah, r-really?” Rantaro smiled bashfully and rubbed the back of his neck. “Y-you really think so, Shuichi?”

“I mean, it’s not like I already confirmed it or anything.” shrugged Shuichi, looking off to the side.

Kaede found the best moment of opportunity to strike while the iron was hot as she spoke with a devilish grin.

“You are such a cute Tsundere, aren’t you Shuichi? You fit the trope so perfectly well!”

“.... Kaede…” Shuichi turned to her slowly and mumbled only her name in a husky tone. “What the hell did you call me?” Oh! He was beyond flustered on the inside. He could hide his emotions really well, but he couldn’t hide his ginormous blush.

“You are absolutely right, Kaede,” this time it was Rantaro who spoke up in a coy tone after placing a hand on Kaede’s shoulder in support. “Shuichi is totally a Tsundere archetype. He even said the iconic ‘not like I’ line as well.”

“Have fun by yourselves, you two,” deadpanned Shuichi, and stomped away from both of them. He quickened the pace of his feet and grumbled angrily to himself. “I-idiots, absolute idiots, the both of you!”

“I think you meant to say ‘B-baka!!” Kaede shouted out over the railing, purely overjoyed with glee and amusement.

“We should probably go after him, shouldn’t we?” suggested Rantaro with a raise of his brow towards Kaede.

“Yeh, we should.” she nodded her head up and down once.

Notes:

So, initially this chapter was going to be much longer, buuut due to many restrictions, I decided to split it into two seperate chapters. This here is the first one, enjoy!
And as always; Kudos, comments and theories are always GREATLY appreciated!!

Chapter 27: Lost Forever in the Darkness - Daily Life IV

 

God, Shuichi loves both of these idiots so much. It’s like the both of them share two brain-cells among each other at times like these. And the cherry on top is that both of those brain-cells are constantly trying to fight for third place in a competition against each other.

Shuichi huffs out a breath and leans his back against the giant wall that surrounds either side of the giant wooden door of the courtyard. He knows that the metallic crank that he got from Monosuke goes here, though he doesn’t know what is actually hiding behind this giant door.

Team Danganronpa had told them jack shit before they threw both him and Kaede into this academy head first. They just know the general layout from their time here in V2 and about the hidden pathways inside the first floor bathrooms. All the ultimate labs and extra rooms are completely new to both Shuichi and Kaede…and well, it would be brand new to Rantaro too in that sense, even though he wouldn’t actually remember all the time he had spent here.

So, in that sense, Shuichi has almost no prior prerequisite knowledge that would give him an advantage here in this academy-wide treasure search. He is on level ground with the rest of the students trapped in here.

Shuichi dragged himself out of his own thoughts as he noticed the approach of Kaede and Rantaro drawing near. Step in step, they both strode together alongside each other and had both decidedly stopped when they were just a few feet apart from the detective.

Kaede stood across from him, facing him intently, and crossed her arms beneath her breast and puffed out her chest. This girl will never ever change in a million years as long as Shuichi is alive. Rantaro on the other hand, had joined Shuichi in leaning against the giant wall for support much in the same posture as the detective. A smug and coy smile plastered on his face, arms crossed over his chest, and holding his chin between his fingers, the same old same old expression and mannerisms of his that Shuichi knew so damn well.

“So…” Kaede spoke up after poking Shuichi in the stomach once with a finger.

“Uwah!!” the detective yelped, throwing out his hands. “What the heck swee- Kaede?!”

Rantaro titled his head to the side and eyed Shuichi sharply. He didn’t say anything,... just eyed him intently.

Kaede, sensing the growing tension, hastily took hold of the current conversation, “What are we doing here? Is there a place for one of these items here?!” she nervously looked at Shuichi and threw him a silent signal with her eyes.

“Yeah, this crank!” he produced the item from his pocket and presented it to Rantaro and handed it to him. “I think that it is used right here to open up this giant gate beside us.”

“The…crank?” hummed the amnesiac and took the item from the detective. “Where exactly does it go here? I don’t exactly see a place where this could fit.”

“You can’t see it cuz you’re leaning against the hole to which it fits into,” deadpanned Shuichi as he pointed to the open crank slot that was hidden behind Rantaro’s back. “It’s right behind you, Rantaro. Just turn around and see for yourself.”

“... oh.”

“Alright Rantaro!” cheered Kaede pointing excitedly at the green-haired boy. “You are given the duty of opening this door all by yourself!”

“... uh, why?” he raised a brow in confusion. “Why can’t Shuichi- hey don’t shamble away quietly from us!” Rantaro shouted as he caught Shuichi trying to tiptoe away from the door while humming a low whistle to himself.

“I mean…” the detective stammered as he got caught in the midst of his daring escape, “You are holding the lever right now and Kaede has also ordered you and not me to open the door.” he smirked smugly and rested his head against his palm. “Sooo, get going, Rantaro.”

“Huh!?”

“Crank. That. Lever!” Kaede boisterously announced, striking a cheerleader pose by holding her hip and throwing a fist into the air. “Crank. That. Lever. Rantaro!!”

“I guess this is my life now?” Rantaro sighed in dejection and defeat as he pushed the crank into the allotted slot of the wall. Grasping onto the handle tightly, he gave it a firm twirl with his wrist, and it spun around its axis once, then twice, and then thrice. With each consequent turn of the crank around in a complete circle, more and more of the wooden door opened and started to reveal the scenery previously impervious to the knowledge of the ultimates.

Stepping back after finishing his task, Rantaro eyed the inside of the walled off area and took a hesitant step inside. The first thing he noticed was that there were blinding neon strobe lights stuck in every corner of this area. There were two massive buildings with vibrant and gaudy coloring situated inside the large area, the sight of those was not unlike one of a structure that one would find inside some red-light district.

Safe to say, this area was highly illegal for these teenagers to step their feet inside of.

Buuuut, there wasn’t actually anyone stopping them here, was there? They could indulge themselves in a place like this without any kind of interruption.

 

“You degenerate male! What are you doing in a place like…this…”

 

Or not.

 

“Uh, wow! What exactly is this place?” Kaito also revealed his presence as he stepped out into the limelight from the courtyard. “Is that… a casino!?” he sized up the building closest to him and pointed to it with an excited grin.

“It seems…so.” mouthed Kaede after stepping inside besides Kaito and Shuichi.

“Hey, I'm not finished here!!” shouted Tenko and grabbed onto Kaede's wrist tightly and started leading her out. “Kaede! An angel like you shouldn't be allowed in a place like this! Only the worst of the worst degenerates come here!!”

“Yah!!” the pianist yelped and flailed her other arm out towards the boys as she was being dragged away. “Tenko, stop!!” she shouted after freeing herself from Tenko’s grasp.

“Huh? Why do you want to stay here, Kaede?” Tenko furrowed her brows. “Don't tell me you're…”

“Hey, if she wants to stay, then let her,” Shuichi titled his head to the side and voiced. “Who are you to try and stop her from having fun?”

“You…are having fun here?” she asked, turning to face the pianist slowly and waited earnestly for her answer.

“Yes Tenko.” came the reply of the short blonde.

“I…Kaede…” Tenko mumbled, seemingly on the verge of tears, “I… apologize!!!” she bowed dramatically, almost crouching down to her knees with her bow. “I must atone for my actions right now!!!!”

Kaede looked left, then right at the boys and finally at the girl kneeling in front of her and deadpanned as she locked her gaze to the back of the martial artist, “This girl has too many emotions.”

 

---

 

“Why did I agree to come here?” griped Tenko.

“This place is quite…elegant,” hummed Rantaro, inspecting the bar stools intently. “Though, that is to be expected when you enter a casino of this grandeur.”

“Is there, like, actual alcohol in those bottles?” Kaito questioned after pointing to the elegant and pristine looking glass bottles stacked behind the bar’s counter. He swiveled a bar stool around to face it at himself and took a seat upon it. Turning back to the counter, he mumbled to nobody in particular, “Cuz if so…then I might just wanna…try some. Only a little bit though!!”

“Who are you afraid of, Kaito?” Shuichi perked an eyebrow as he took a seat next to the astronaut. “I mean, there aren’t actually any parents or guardians here to stop us.”

“Degenerate male pervert!” Tenko shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at him from behind.

“Now where did your mind wander off to?” Shuichi pushed against the counter and swiveled his chair around to face the Aikido master.

“I don't think that these actually contain any alcohol,” answered Kaede, inspecting the label of one of the bottles sitting on the shelf. She placed it back from where she found it after she finished her reading. “So, these are perfectly fit for our consumption.”

Apparently, in the eyes of the outside world, murder is acceptable, but underage drinking is considered highly inappropriate? Kaede could never understand those killing game fanatics in a million years.

“Well,” Shuichi spoke smoothly to the blonde after leaning forwards against the bar’s counter. “Why don't you prepare something for us then, miss?” he finished with a single tap of his fingernail against one of the glass tumblers that resulted in a shrill echo.

Ignoring Tenko’s low growling and Kaito’s eye roll, all in all, that was a pretty valid flirt attempt. The detective saw a prime opportunity with Kaede standing behind the counter and promptly shot his shot.

“Smooth.” Rantaro patted him on his back as his own gesture of reassurance.

Colour had risen and had spread across Kaede’s cheeks, and she awkwardly coughed into the fist of her hand to force it away. “Alright… what would you all like to order?” she smiled and produced a cocktail shaker and a few decorating additives from the counter’s drawer.

“Why don't you pick yourself, Kaede?” Tenko called out after taking a seat of her own. “Don't let these degenerates decide.” she scowled bitterly.

Rantaro raised his hand, “Aren't we supposed to be investigating?” he voiced, then pointed to Kaede’s backpack. “I mean, the prize items are all on us.”

“Dude, what's the harm in taking a little break from time to time?” Kaito laughed warmly. “Just five minutes at most!”

“... Alright fine.” Rantaro relented and joined in to sit down as well. “I’ll take mine on the rocks please,” he requested the pianist-cum-bartender.

And hence Kaede, the bartender, went down the aisle and prepared the drinks that she thought would be liked by each of the occupants of her bar. Moving with grace, she picked out various bottles that were adorning the shelf behind her and slid them down the glass aisle with a flourish of her wrist. All four ultimates sitting upon the stools were taken in complete rapture by her performance and skill.

Most of all Shuichi, who was staring at her with his mouth stretched almost as wide as would be possible for it to physically get. When the hell had she learned all these barmaid skills!?

Taking the cocktail shaker in between her palms; and pouring a generous amount of liquid and adding a few of the garnishes, such as lime juice and mint, she closed the lid and shut it tight with a smack of her open palm against its cap.

She hollowed out her hands and held the shaker in the middle of the grip of both her hands…, though, that was quite an interesting way to grip something which was shaped like that. Palms grasping firmly around the main and thick body of the shaker and her thumbs resting against the small…nubbed…..head….

 

OH!!!

 

The realization hit Shuichi like a goddamn truck, and he jolted upright in his seat. An electrifying bolt of lightning shooting up from the soles of his feet, all the way up to the tip of his ahoge atop his head. The detective damn near had a nosebleed when he noticed the sultry look that she was giving him with the bite of her bottom lip and the very non-subtle wink of her eye as she worked her hands up and down the shaf- length of the bottle.

Shuichi just needed to learn this small little detail. If he thinks that only he can make his partner flustered with his actions and the inverse is impossible… then he is absolutely the most foolish fool that has ever graced this earth.

And just as Shuichi blinked his eyes, he found that she was finished as soon as she started. Shuichi was today years old when he found out that the mixing of cocktails takes much less time than he previously thought.

“Here you go!” chirped the pianist, setting down the drinks for each ultimate one by one against the counter just in front of their seats. “Enjoy!” Though she definitely leaned in a little closer than what was required when she moved to hand over the drink she had prepared for Shuichi. “And you too, pretty boy~” she cooed affectionately, running a hand through his silky smooth locks.

 

It’s safe to say that Shuichi was extremely distracted after that encounter in the casino. He definitely heard Kaito murmur something along the lines of ‘Even though this drink doesn’t contain any alcohol, I still have a great urge to puke.’ and Tenko’s murmuring of, ‘Why does she even like that degenerate!? I don’t understand.’ as they both downed their drinks.

Their little party had decided to depart from the casino after that whole fiasco after they found out no real clue inside there. The only place of value (according to Kaito) was a big arcade gambling room in the basement of the casino. Shuichi and Rantaro both instantly vetoed the idea of gambling right then and there, just as Kaito brought it up. The astronaut grumbled himself into climbing the stairs back up to the main lobby of the casino.

 

“Hotel…Kuma…sutra…” Rantaro regretted reading the sign to the other building out aloud.

“What… did you just say?” Tenko crowed as she equipped a stance to throw Rantaro fifteen feet ahead. “I repeat, what did you say just right now, Rantaro?!”

“Those words didn’t word right, Tenko.” Shuichi commented with a point of his finger.

“H-Hey!!” he sputtered, turning around and putting his hands up defensively. “I-I just read the name of that building out aloud!” he tried to plead for his case.

“Why do we even have a building like…like that in here!?” Kaede whined, “We are all teens!”

“This is seriously messed up.” Kaito hung his head and mumbled.

Shuichi raised his hand high up in the air, “All in favor of not going anywhere near that place?” his suggestion received a unanimous vote of acceptance from the rest of his search/investigation/messing-around-and-not-treasure-hunting party.

And hence they all made the very wise decision to never ever set foot inside that forbidden place besides the casino.

 

---

 

Oh, who were they kidding!? Shuichi and Kaede would most likely spend the rest of their nights inside of those rose velvet rooms, those horny psychopaths. Makes one wonder, just how did they both survive before they met each other in V2?

And after they had their once in a lifetime meeting in the blood-soaked field of the previous killing game, they became forever inseparable from the other. Like silver clings to gold, a bond stronger than if they were conjoined at the ionic level.

Or is it more apt to say that their bond was made inseparable? The fallen angels of this fictional world, carrying on this unholy crusade against their own fellow sufferers. All the while, their corrupted souls cling on to each to provide some false sense of comfort to its companion. Such a dark thought, isn’t it?

 

Is this love or is this hatred? Call it Cupid’s cruelty to reserve a poisoned arrow for their bond.

 

---

 

“So, where to next?” questioned Kaede, leaning against one of the perimeter railings of the courtyard gardens. “Tenko and Kaito have decided to go on their own, it seems,” she tilted her head in the direction of both of their retreating figures. “That just leaves us three!”

Shuichi pushed up his palm against the railing and vaulted over it. He landed firmly on his feet on the courtyard’s grass and stood shoulder to shoulder with the pianist as he rested both his forehands against the guardrail. “We have the whole academy building left to inspect,” he called out, meeting gazes with Kaede. “Also, there might be more areas in the courtyard that are left to explore.”

Rantaro crossed his arms and smirked down at the pianist, “What, are you already tired, sis? We have only used up one of our four items yet,” he reminded with a smug expression plastered on his face.

“Since when am I your sis!?” Kaede grumbled.

“You know,” Shuichi piped up from his hunched over position, “I do see you two having that sibling rivalry dynamic all the time.”

“Eh?” “Huh?”

“What?” Shuichi stood up straight, “Anybody can tell you two fight and tease each other like a big brother and small sister would.”

“Hmm,” hummed Rantaro, holding his chin in thought. “I think I might have found a thirteenth sister after setting foot in this killing game.”

“Thirteenth!?” yelped Kaede and almost lost her balance against the metal railing. “What the heck, Rantaro!?”

“Most of them are step-siblings if you two are getting the wrong idea.” chuckled the amnesiac and rubbed the back of his head.

“I need to meet your father someday.” Shuichi commented with an amused expression. Why did saying that sentence out aloud made Rantaro blush?

“A-alright, if you say so Shuichi.”

“So are we going to move- AHHH!!” Shuichi shrieked as his foot got caught in something, and he tripped and face-planted into the courtyard grass.

“Shuichi!” shouted both Kaede and Rantaro as they witness his fall. Rantaro bolted over the railing and went to pick up the detective in a hurry and urgency that he didn’t even know he could possess.

“Are you okay, Shuichi!?” he quickly picked him up and rested his head in his lap and checked him for any injuries.

“I-I’m fine..!” Shuichi coughed out his reply, looking up at the amnesiac’s worried face. “I just tripped is all.”

“What did you even trip on!?” Kaede came over to crouch next to him and demanded.

“It was some kind of…rock, I think..?”

“Some kind of…rock…” Kaede followed her gaze to where Shuichi was pointing and soon was stunned into silence when she noticed what he actually tripped on.

 

s

 n

  a

   k

    e

 

     a

 

On the piece of rock that Shuichi tripped on, the words “snake a” were written in clear and concise writing.

 

---

 

“This is where the ocarina goes, I am guessing.” Rantaro commented after he inspected the musical carvings on the rock formation next to the vine covered alcove of the academy building.

“Based on my logical calculations and inference,” Keebo held his chin between his metallic fingers, “I have arrived at the same conclusion as you, Rantaro.”

“Well then, get on with it already.” Maki spat and tapped her foot impatiently against the stone pathway entrance of the alcove. “We haven’t got all day to be standing around here like headless chickens.”

“Someone sure is impatient.” Shuichi smirked, not at all subtle in his wording. “Is there something you are trying to avoid, Maki? Or…are you on the lookout for something in actuality?”

“I have no mind or business to talk with you,” she replied, sharply throwing a death glare at him.

“Rantaro, step aside,” Kaede instructed as she held the ocarina in one closed palm. She leaned in close (Shuichi thought she was trying to absorb the musical notation in her soul), and read the lyrical composition going from left to right, intently. “Aha! I got it!”

“What musical piece is it?” inquired Rantaro.

“It’s the opening notes to requiem in D minor by Mozart.” she answered, bringing the ocarina close to her lips. “The original composition is done on an organ accompanied by a choir, but I’m pretty sure this ocarina will suffice.”

Soon enough, a low, enchanting and melancholic melody began to encompass the rock formation, and it began to rattle and retreat. With it, the vines cutting off their pathway inside also withered away and disappeared into the ether.

“Why that particular song, though?” Shuichi hummed, holding his chin in contemplation.

“Apparently,” Keebo perked up. “It was composed by Mozart himself for his funeral in 1791.”

“Excuse me?” Kaede stopped Keebo dead in her tracks by standing in front of him and blocking his path. “Mozart was one of the composer of Requiem Mass! And also, it didn’t just play at his funeral. It played at both Beethoven’s and Chopin’s funerals as well!!” She then turned to face Shuichi, “Also, mister, what do you mean, ‘song’ !? It’s a musical piece!!”

“G-got it!”

 

“This pool is actually not that deep,” Rantaro commented, looking from over the edge of the handrails. “Well no,” he shook his head side to side, “The pool is deep, but the water level here isn’t, it’s pretty low and shallow right now.”

“Why is there a pool here, if it isn’t even filled up?” Keebo questioned nobody.

“The storage area just has swimwear and beach accessories.” Kaede spoke with a frown after exiting the storage closet for the pool. “There isn’t anything worth of note in there as well.”

“But, why does this academy have such a large pool area?” Maki tapped her foot against the ground impatiently. “What good would swimming in such an environment even entail?”

“If nothing else,” Rantaro sat down on the edge with his feet dangling inside the nearly empty swimming pool. “This area can turn out to be a safety hazard for us if we aren’t careful.”

“Exactly!” exclaimed Monokuma, appearing from out of nowhere.

“Oh great,” sighed Shuichi, rubbing his temples, “Just what we needed.”

“Monokuma, you aren’t required here,” Keebo groaned out aloud, “So please, just leave us all alone.”

“Hey tin can!” he grumbled as his iris glowed red, “You might wanna shut your mouth if you don’t want to find out the answer to the age-old question of ‘who exactly lives in a pineapple under the sea?’.”

“Of all the things to reference.” mouthed Kaede dumbly.

“Now for the reason why I actually appeared in the first place,” the ursine jumped up and down in a show of theatrics, “A new rule is being introduced to the Student Handbook!”

Suddenly, and without any prior warning, all the monopads present in the room let out a shrill beep. Some sort of notification had been pinged to them all at the same time.

 

• Rule #15: It is prohibited to swim in the swimming pool during nighttime.

 

“Just why exactly is this deemed so important that it has its own new rule now?” Maki raised her brow and glared at the bear.

“Simple.” the bear replied, “You guys are supposed to die to each other, not by some accident in the night where you couldn’t see and as a result, drowned in the pool.”

“We won’t be forced into a murder scenario again!” Keebo spoke in indignation. “So this pool rule won’t be used in any sort of mystery solving whatsoever!”

“In this biz my boy, we call that line, foreshadowing.” the ursine winked and disappeared in a puff of rainbow smoke.

“Let’s move on.” suggested Shuichi to bring everyone’s focus away from the bear’s ominous statement. “We have yet to even step foot inside the academy after all, we have only really explored the courtyard till now.”

“Agreed.” Rantaro stood up and dusted himself off. “Let us proceed to other adventures, shall we?”

“I’ll go on ahead, I won’t wait around for others.” Maki called out as she left with firm but quick steps.

“I shall investigate this area a little more, if you guys don’t mind.” Keebo commented, “Shuichi, you should explore with Kaede and Rantaro. It seems that you three have a deal of synergy with each other. Well, that is what my inner voice tells me so.”

Oh, if only Keebo was able to acknowledge the heavy truth hidden beneath his statement.

 

---

 

Rantaro stopped in the middle of his walk. He craned his neck towards his left and motioned for Shuichi and Kaede to cease their walk as well.

“Hey guys,” he rubbed the back awkwardly, “I have somewhere I need to be, so could you two go on ahead? I can join you both when we meet up later on.”

Both the detective and the pianist took one look at the amnesiac and gave assent. With the former’s shrug, and the latter’s hum of affirmation.

“Cool,” he showed them a thumbs up and they both went on ahead in the journey without him.

 

Placing his hand on the blue frame of the Men’s Restroom, he entered the bathroom. As soon as he entered, he noticed a dried up puddle in front of the closet door at his first glance that wasn’t previously there before the class trial. Rantaro, deciding to clean up the mess, figured he needed a mop from the cleaning closet.

So, reaching for the doorknob of the closet, Rantaro gently opened the door.

Notes:

Man I do love me some absolutely dreadful cliffhanger endings to my chapters!!

Anywho, Kudos and Comments are both greatly appreciated!! Keep up the support for this fic! Seriously, how is it already at 6k hits!? We have barely started chapter 2!

Chapter 28: Lost Forever in the Darkness - Daily Life V

Reaching for the doorknob of the closet, Rantaro gently opened the door.

But, right as he was about to make contact, he stopped. A sense of unease washed over his entire body and made all the bones inside his skeleton lock up. It felt as if he was sent crashing down face-first into a tsunami of dread.

Why…was he scared to open this simple door? He looked away from the doorknob and focused his gaze properly on the frame of the closet.

 

And that is when he noticed the red eyes of the reaper staring back at him.

 

A shadow was looming over him from behind his back. A sharp and pronounced field of absolute darkness that didn't let any light pass through it. Someone shrouded in this complete darkness was standing right behind him.

Rantaro’s body refused to cooperate with him, and he was hopelessly paralyzed with fear. Try as he might, he was unable to even attempt to move a single muscle attached to his body.

 

The red eyes that stared back at him from the darkness kept him frozen in place with an unknown sense of dread. A sea of crimson took hold of his mind like thorny vines ebbing forth and trying to grasp him in a chokehold and refusing to let go.

Then he blinked once, and they disappeared. The red eyes full of crimson were gone. Leaving behind only a shadow without an identity.

 

Rantaro finally broke free from his stupor when the mysterious person behind him acted at last. They didn't speak even a single word from their mouth.

They merely placed their hand upon his shoulder and held it in a firm grasp.

Craning his neck, Rantaro noticed the familiar black sleeved wrist of the Ultimate Detective.

 

---

 

“Let me get this straight,” Kaede mumbled, as she held her chin in contemplation and gazed around the room. “These are all your magic trick props, Himiko?”

“It’s real magic!” the mage grumbled throwing out her hands in irritation with her face glowing red. “It’s not tricks! All the magic I perform is done by using real magic!”

“Yeah, Himiko is one percent correct!” Tenko defended by going up next to the magical girl. “Her magic is done without using any sort of fake props or anything of that nature!!”

“Nyeh,” Himiko huffed out a breath and calmed down a little, “Also, Tenko,” she turned and looked up at the aikido master, “I think you meant to say ‘one hundred percent’.” She spoke as she poked her own ear.

The poor aikido master promptly froze in her spot and went as still as a deer caught in headlights. Her lips had been formed into a thin straight line, with her fingers twitching in the air, trying in vain to either open or close into a fist.

“You okay, Tenko?” Kaede walked upto the still statue that was Tenko Chabashira and poked her on the cheek. “Still with us?”

“Mnhghauh!?!” came the reply as she jolted upright and jumped back. The aikido master, after being shaken out of her panic like that so suddenly and without warning by Kaede, went to grab onto the wrist of the pianist instinctively to flip her over.

But alas, the blonde was too quick for her and sidestepped out of the way of her reach. As a result, Tenko’s grip instead made contact with the iron bars of the gigantic dove cage that was present in Himiko’s lab.

“Ouch.” Tenko winced as she rubbed her palm, which now sported a reddened spot in the area which had made contact with the thick iron bars. It didn’t look like it would cause any bruising, but still looked quite painful.

“Why did you even try to do that?!” Kaede spat with annoyance seeping through her tone. “You could have- …” she sighed away her frustration and smiled softly, “Are you okay, Tenko?”

“It’s nothing… don’t worry about it, Kaede.” Tenko chuckled in embarrassment and rubbed her sore spot intently. “I am o- huh?!”

“Hold still.” Himiko took a hold of Tenko’s hand in her own and clutched still. “With my magic, your pain will go away instantly, Tenko.” the mage mumbled and spoke a few unintelligible words of magic and softly blew a puff of breath on the sore spot. With a touch of her magical wand to Tenko’s open palm, Himiko let go of the aikido master’s hand with a flourish, “There! It’s going to be all good now, Tenko!”

“U-u-u-h….T-t-thank you Himiko!!” Tenko announced with an unrestrained glee. Her face flushed completely crimson. “T-thank you so much!! I feel completely fine now… your magic healed me fully!!”

“No need for thanks, I just like seeing smiles on everybody’s faces,” the magician chirped happily with a forming blush. She turned to face the pianist, but noticed that she had already paced her steps and was exiting the lab without saying goodbye.

 

Lingering inside the narrow hallway outside, Kaede had not a single thought in her mind, just a small, ever-faltering frown.

 

---

 

“This is the last item I have,” Kaede inspected the red marble between her fingers. “And I think that it goes in here.” She bent down and inspected the eye socket of the medieval dragon statue that was situated on the second floor of the academy.

“Well,” Kirumi held her chin in between her fingers and hummed in agreement, “The statue does appear to be missing an eye and the missing eye looks exactly like the one that Kaede is currently holding.”

“Then Gonta believes that there is no time like the present!” cheered the entomologist happily.

“Woah!” Ryoma cleared his throat with a rumble, “Calm it there, big guy. While people around here do need your enthusiasm, try to save it for when I am not around to bring down the mood”

“You have quite a dispirited outlook towards the world,” Kiyo inspected his silver locket in between his slender fingers, “While I do say that all aspects of humanity are beautiful, the truth also seeps through that many aspects are decorated with an ugly beauty.”

“Then why don’t you just rip out those ugly aspects?” Maki rolled her eyes and groaned, “If humans are so faulty and corrupted in the first place, then why do you bother trying to research them at all?”

Korekiyo focused his complete attention on the caregiver. With a tone that bordered a scowl, he spoke, “Listen, the beauty of humans lies not in their faces,” he exhaled a breath and continued, “The true beauty of humanity lies inside its core; it can only be found within its flaws, its imperfections.”

“Is this kooky bastard okay?!” Miu mumbled to herself, getting more and more creeped out by each passing second.

Kiyo ignored her and kept mumbling in a smooth and creepy tone,“And I, Korekiyo, intend to witness that beauty all to myself! I wonder what will happen if witness the greatest beauty of them all!”

“Tch. Weirdo.” scoffed Maki, turning away from him.

“Someone definitely needs some guidance from Atua,” Angie pursed her lips and frowned.

 

“Well, that's all some pointless chatter.” Kaede reminisced as she finally inserted the marble into the eye socket.

 

---

 

“This appears to be my ultimate lab,” Kirumi pondered as she walked around the large dining table sitting in the middle of her lab. “It perfectly captures the ambience of an old Victorian household.”

 

“Gonta’s lab looks amazing! All these bug friends are so great!!” The entomologist beamed and frantically examined each and every bug enclosure with glee. “Gonta will take good care of all his friends!”

 

“I threw away my past,” Ryoma sighed as he played with a tennis ball by tossing and catching it in the palm of his hand. “I won’t have any need for this place. You all can investigate it, I have no further intention of staying here any longer.”

 

“Don’t even think about coming in here.” Maki turned them away the first chance she got and forbade them all from entering the Ultimate Child Caregiver lab.

 

---

 

“All of it…pointless!” Kaede gritted her teeth as she made her way towards the steps leading out of this floor. “None of it matters. If… he isn’t-”

“Oya Kaediot.”

Absolutely fantastic. One of the last person she wanted to run into.

“Hey wait up!” Miu ran up to the pianist. “Where the fuck you off to in such a hurry?!”

The pianist turned to face the inventor and rolled her eyes, “I am investigating Miu, can’t you see?” all that sarcasm in her tone was completely justified in her eyes.

“Less of that sass, got it?” scowled Miu, then her face grew a slightly mischievous smirk, “So, I have been meaning to ask something….”

“...which is?” Kaede tilted her head.

“..Where the hell are your boytoys? Haven’t seen them around at all, usually they are…or at least one of them is always stuck on your ass.”

Kaede’s annoyed groan couldn’t have any more audible, “Ah geez Miu!” she shouted, scrunching up her face in disgust.

“What?” the inventor raised her brow, her thoughts bemused in some other topic. “Don’t you dare fucking deny it!”

“Deny what?”

“Is your brain as loose as your vagina or something?” Miu growled, getting rather tired of the pianist’s shit.

 

It took every ounce, …down to the very essence of Kaede’s patience to not slap Miu across the face right then and there. Swallowing down her seething rage, she spoke with a breathy whisper.

“What…do you want Miu?”

“Heeeee!!” shrieked the inventor just from the tone of the pianist, and she almost tripped over her own feet.

“......” the pianist merely glared angrily at her without saying anything else.

Huffing a breath, Miu regained her composure and stood up straight, “Fine I’ll be up front with you Kaediot.” it was total whiplash for Kaede to see the inventor go from a completely meek girl to a sassy teenage blonde. “You seem kinda out of it on this floor’s investigation, since that black-haired emo isn’t around with you, filling your hole up to its max.”

“You are asking where Shuichi is right now?” Kaede ignored the sultry remarks and continued after Miu’s nod of approval. “Well, he said that he had something important that he needed taking care of.”

 

---

 

Craning his neck, Rantaro noticed the familiar black sleeved wrist of the Ultimate Detective.

An indescribable chill ran through Rantaro, starting from his neck, and ending up all the way down to his knees.

“What are you doing here… Rantaro?” the detective spoke in a hushed tone inside the amnesiac’s ear.

“U-umm…” he stammered as he finally gained his ability of speech. “I-I w-was just..”

“...was just..?” parroted Shuichi. His tone as smooth and alluring as ever. A siren call trying to attract Rantaro towards torrentuous waters.

“I was just looking for a mop.” He answered at last, after turning around and facing the detective.

Shuichi didn’t look any different to Rantaro. That same attire, those same hazel eyes, those exact same eyelashes. Nothing physically was different about him as compared to when they met each other right before the morning announcement today.

“A mop, what for?” he tilted his head and muttered.

“To clean that stain beneath your feet, Shuichi?” Rantaro questioned rhetorically and pointed to the dirty stain that was on the tiling of the bathroom floor.

… only to find it completely missing. The part of the floor where he thought that the stain resided, was now as clean as the area surrounding it. It was as if the spill he saw was a hallucination of his own mind.

“There is no stain beneath my feet, Rantaro,” Shuichi looked down in between his legs and spoke with a bemused tone.

The green-haired boy merely chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck, “Maybe I just imagined it. I was going to clean it up, but I see that it never existed in the first place.”

The detective narrowed his eyes at him, “If you say so,” Shrugging his shoulders, the detective entered one of the bathroom stalls and locked it shut behind him.

Rantaro then came across one of the biggest fears of an introvert. An occupied public bathroom.

Swallowing his hesitation, Rantaro entered a bathroom stall (the one at the very end of the room) and locked it shut behind him.

When the amnesiac exited his stall, he noticed that Shuichi had already finished up his business and was cleaning his hands under the flowing water of the sink.

Deciding to not disturb him, Rantaro stood in front of another tap and washed his hands as well. Looking into the mirror, Rantaro washed his face a few times with the water and dried himself off with his handkerchief. He was feeling much more refreshed now after this.

Without saying another word, he turned to leave the bathroom. But was stopped dead in his tracks as he saw Shuichi sitting up on the sink, giving him a death glare.

“We aren’t done here, Rantaro,” Shuichi jumped down and resumed his harsh glare at him. “We- no, you still have much left to say.” He spoke in a soft but monotone voice.

Rantaro sweat dropped. He really didn’t want to have this conversation with Shuichi. He knew where this discussion was going to end up.

And Rantaro was not ready for that conclusion that he had in mind.

“... What is there left to say, Shuichi?” he spoke carefully and crossed his arms over his chest.

“You know what it is, Rantaro, don’t make me say it with my own mouth.” He advanced forward with slow steps.

“I really don’t-”

“Don’t bullshit me, Rantaro!!” shouted Shuichi as he slammed his fist against the sink of the bathroom.

Rantaro froze on the spot. He hadn’t heard that kind of tone from him before. A voice that hid rage and unfettered malice beneath its surface. And he didn’t know if he was losing his mind or what. But Rantaro thought for a second that Shuichi’s eyes were crimson in the reflection of the mirror.

“Alright!” the amnesiac growled and shoved the detective backwards. “I’ll talk!”

“Good,” he smiled and patted his jacket with the back of his wrist.

“What specific topic do you want to talk about?”

“Oh, nothing,” Shuichi giggled disturbingly as his bangs covered his darkened face.

 

“...just wanna talk about the fact as to how you are the one truly responsible for Tsumugi’s murder.”

 

---

 

“Gah! Don’t end it there! It was just getting better!? You can’t leave me off at that cliffhanger!!”

Miu growled as she finished listening to Kaede’s story as to how she and Shuichi spent their time together when they couldn’t be more than three metres apart.

“That is all I will say, Miu.” groaned Kaede.

“So you're telling me, that you two did share a bed after all!?” shrieked the inventor with glee. “Girl, tell me, how many times were you able to get under his pants?!”

“I plead the fifth.” She smirked knowingly at her. It was a grin that had no other interpretation to it except the obvious one.

“OH MY GOD!!” Miu almost fell over, “You managed to secure that hotshot!? The one who is as edgy as a kitchen knife?! Girl, what is your secret?! Is it those flat pancakes on your chest, or what else is it?!”

“There is a certain,” Kaede twirled a lock of her hair around her finger and winked, “...charm that I possess.”

Miu suddenly looked sheepish. She had a blush on her face as she looked up at the pianist and spoke, “D-do you think ...I-I can get in on a threesome with you two?”

“....”

“....”

“.... maybe.”

Notes:

I just can't resist ending my chapter without at least some form of a cliffhanger, can't I? Get prepared though, because this is just the beginning.

As always, kudos and comments are greatly appreciated.

Chapter 29: Lost Forever in the Darkness - Daily Life VI

Notes:

What is this? Me, uploading two chapters in the span of a single day?! IMPOSSIBLE!!

Spring break does that to you when you are in college. (Same exact scenario applies to my beta-reader as well)

Welp, anyhow, kudos and comments are greatly appreciated. And most of all, your many many juicy theories keep me on my toes at all times!! So keep on giving me them!

“... just wanna talk about the fact as to how you are the one truly responsible for Tsumugi’s murder.”

Rantaro sharply inhaled a gasp. His eyes, as wide as they possibly could be, with his pupils dilated in the middle of his iris. He clenched his fist closed tightly against the fabric of his shirt and made the cloth crease madly.

“Looks like my bluff was right on the money!” Shuichi laughed creepily, trying to suppress his joy against the palm of his hand but failing miserably.

“You…!” seethed Rantaro, now teeming with rage. He was easily manipulated by Shuichi’s little lie and subconsciously gave the detective his answer with just his body language.

“Oh, you should always keep your mouth and body language in check when you are going up against an ultimate detective!” He spoke with a sneering chuckle.

“How did you…”

“How did I know?” Shuichi tilted his head to the side, cutting off the amnesiac. “Simple really, you see, there was a mystery that everyone overlooked in the last class trial.”

“A mystery…?” Even though Rantaro knew what Shuichi was referring to, he decided to humor him in his endeavours anyway.

“Yeah,” the detective nodded his head and parted his bangs with fingers, the piercing glare of his iris met Rantaro. “A mystery. Such an important part of the truth that everyone decided to ignore, or they were inherently ignorant, just because I didn’t speak up on it.”

“...”

The detective let out a groaning sigh after being met with the amnesiac’s silence, “Why do I gotta do everything around here…”

“Okay dude, just tell me.” Shuichi stood up straight and walked right up to Rantaro. His tone signified that he was finally done messing around with him.

 

“Why did you tell Tsumugi about the existence of the hidden room in the library?”

 

---

Rantaro stood in the middle of the library with his own student monopad clutched in his palm.

It was around nighttime of the day that the first motive was announced. He was stuck in a bizarre situation with his own forbidden action being so vague.

So, he decided to take some action. He knew about the existence of a hidden room behind a bookshelf inside the library with the help of his pad. Hence, when night rolled around, he went out to investigate on his own.

It didn’t take long for him to notice the specific bookshelf which had the hidden door behind it. Walking upto it slowly, he grasped onto its corner and pulled.

The shelf swung open with a rumble and a bichrome black and white door appeared into Rantaro’s vision with a card reader affixed to its outer frame.

Leaning forward, Rantaro examined the card reader and the door, and came to the conclusion that he couldn’t actually open this door at the moment without the proper authentication.

Closing the door behind him, he noticed the existence of someone standing in the room with him, who had been observing him silently all this time.

Tsumugi Shirogane.

---

 

“And that is the whole story of how she came to know about the existence of the hidden door,” sighed Rantaro as he finished his short story.

“Wow,” whistled Shuichi with a pout of his lips, “That’s… quite a story, Rantaro.”

“Tell me about it,” he scoffed, looking down at his feet. “But, how did you figure out that it was me who -unintentionally told Tsumugi about the existence of the hidden door?”

“It was when you and I had that talk in the courtyard before the morning announcement today,”

 

---

“Just spit it out.” ordered Shuichi coldly as his iris gleamed sharply from among the follicles of his hair.

“It’s true…yeah,” Rantaro admitted huskily as he locked his eyes onto his tightly clenched fists that rested in his lap. “There is so much there to unpack and at the same time, discussing even a single detail of it seems akin to opening Pandora’s box.”

---

 

“When you mentioned that analogy, I knew that there was a truth hidden deep beneath your words, Rantaro,” Shuichi smirked knowingly. “You knew about something from the class trial that the rest of us didn’t. And, there was that whole detail I brought up on how Tsumugi couldn’t have known about the hidden door on her own.”

“So, combining two and two together, I reached the conclusion that you held some truth behind Tsumugi’s murder, within the palm of your hands. And all it took was a small bluff from my part…and the entire kingdom of lies came crashing down to the ground.”

 

“Ahaha,” Rantaro chuckled, holding his palm against his forehead. “Aha, Ahahaha,”

“Hmm?” Shuichi raised his brow inquisitively.

“You Shuichi… are truly something else…aren’t you?” the amnesiac smiled as he leaned his head backwards. “What am I going to do with you? Ahaha.”

“It takes talent to know the value of true talent in this kill or be killed world.” the detective softened his expression and smiled jovially.

“You have shown your true face to me at last, Shuichi,” the amnesiac looked back down and locked his gaze with the detective. Rantaro’s eyes held a different look now. It was as if there was an entity hidden deep within him that was trying to drape a shadow over his vision and make him blind.

The detective raised his brow and stayed quiet.

“You didn’t come here just for this chat, Shuichi. I know it,” Rantaro whispered huskily as his face darkened significantly, “Your true intention to follow me inside of here, and cornering me, is something else.”

“So go on, tell me. Why exactly are you here?”

The detective spoke, “I want to express a proposal to you, Rantaro.”

Now this had captured Rantaro’s complete attention, “... go on.”

“I think it's pretty clear to us both regarding just who exactly has the brains within this ragtag group of teenagers that they have chosen for this killing game.” Shuichi looked around the room as if trying to mock the others who weren’t present in the room. “Well, all but a few, anyway.” His mind wandered off to his two closest confidants.

“That it is,” Rantaro nodded in his affirmation. His expression still had that sardonic smile that could send a chill down anyone’s spine. Anyone who wasn’t Shuichi or Kaede.

“So, to survive in this kill or be killed world…” Shuichi spoke and brought forth his right hand.

 

“...how ‘bout we make a team, partner?”

Without hesitation, Rantaro grasped onto it firmly and shook it, “Gladly, partner.”

 

Two souls; one lost and one found, thus in a soul contract together, they are bound. They cannot stray apart from the other, they cannot become one with the other. They are thus. Always lost. Always found. Always together. Always apart. Always separate. Always bound.

 

---

 

“You are finally here, Shuichi!” chirped Kaede as the secret door to the mastermind’s room opened and the detective entered. “Took you long enough.”

“Hehe,” Shuichi chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “Got caught in some important business this time,” he elaborated and sat down next to her on the velvet couch, throwing an arm around her shoulder.

She nuzzled his collar and looked up into his soft hazel eyes, “So, you manage to recruit Rantaro yet?”

He leaned down and gave her a peck on her lips, “Of course I did, sweetheart.”

She climbed up into his lap and returned his kiss with equal fervor from her own side. Soon their kiss grew much more passionate and Kaede started to reach for the top button of his blazer.

“Hold it!!”

Goddammit.

“Fuck off, Monokuma!” scowled Kaede as she turned around and gave the ursine a death glare. “Why are you trying to interrupt us?”

“Oh believe me,” the bear cooed as a few drops of drools dripped down his chin, “I would so love to watch and observe as his club scores a hole in one. But I gotta run a killing game ‘round here.”

Shuichi sighed aloud audibly, “Cockblocks exist everywhere I see,” he spoke as he glared angrily at the bear. He patted Kaede on the shoulder once, “I think he is here for the new motive. If I remember correctly, you were in charge of coming up with it this time, Kaede.”

“Yup! That I was!” she replied jovially and slid off him. Reaching into her pockets, she pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Shuichi. “Here you go, I wrote down the outline of the new motive here.”

Shuichi grasped the folded up piece of paper and started reading after unfolding it. He peered out from above the sheet of paper, and locked gazes with the pianist.

“Kaede, sweetheart, I love you.” Oh, no. That look he gave her was one which signified him being greatly unamused by something that she did.

“... but you are way too damn horny.”

“What!?” shrieked the pianist as if she was stabbed in her back. In actuality, she was being a drama queen, like always. “My motive, it’s really great, you just don’t see the creative art that went behind it.” She put her hands on her hips and pouted at him.

“What even is it?” Monokuma raised a brow and tried to peek a sight at the piece of paper clutched in Shuichi’s hands.

Shuichi ignored him and focused his full attention on Kaede, “That isn’t what I meant, and you know it,” he narrowed his eyes and she giggled. “Thought so. Anywho, yeah, it doesn’t change the fact that you are really perverted.”

Kaede had that cheshire grin on her face, “Our sexuality isn’t the only thing in the closet you know?”

Shuichi let out a deep bellow and held his stomach. Meanwhile, Monokuma stared in utter disbelief at the pianist, “Fuckin’ female Shakespeare over here, strutting her stuff.”

Calming down after a minute, Shuichi spoke after shaking his head, “Anyhow, we can’t use the Love Hotel for this motive, Kaede.”

“The WHAT!?” shouted Monokuma.

“Why not?!” whined Kaede, “If not the love hotel, then what else are we going to use for this motive?!”

“The…dorms…?” Shuichi raised his eyebrows in a way as if he brought forth the most obvious solution ever. “You know, the place where we sleep regularly. You know that, right?’

“Oh, yeah….” she droned, then bit back, “Also, stop mocking me!”

“Okay.” Monokuma had enough of this shit and walked right on upto Shuichi and snatched the paper away from him. “I gotta read this for myself now.”

 

The ursine spoke aloud just the title written on the heading of the sheet.

 

“Bed Roulette”

Notes:

Uh oh, Rantaro is turning to the dark side. Shuichi and Kaede are getting it on in the mastermind room, before being cockblocked by Monokuma. What new thing is there left to say?

Also..."Bed Roulette" the fuck kind of motive might that be?

Only me and Charlie know :) Aand yeah, if this fic didn't have enough fanservicing before....then yeah, get ready.

Chapter 30: Lost Forever in the Darkness - Daily Life VII

Notes:

I promise one day I will get to the deadly life of this chapter.

*Ding Dong Dong Ding*

 

It is now 10 PM. As such, nighttime has officially begun.

Sleep well, and rest well. Cause you don’t know if you’ll wake up to see tomorrow.

 

Oh, but wait, there is a big surprise in store for you all tonight’s night ;)

 

 

 

Kaede watched the nighttime announcement from inside the courtyard. She was sitting down on the pathway’s bench and looking up at the large monitor affixed to the head of the dormitory building. Huffing out a breath, she stood up and patted down her clothing and readied herself for what was about to go down inside.

Entering the dorm building, she noticed a few things. First, Tenko was shouting crazily, trying to break down the door of the own dorm room by pulling off the handle from its position. Keebo was trying in vain to calm her down so that she wouldn’t incur the wrath of one of the exisals by accident. On the other side of the dorms, to the side which belonged to the boys, there was quite the similar spectacle happening. Just replace Tenko with Kaito and Keebo with Gonta.

 

“What is all this commotion?” Kirumi scolded as she stepped foot through the glass doors. “Why are we being quite so loud at this time of night?!”

That got everyone to quiet down instantly. One scolding from Kirumi mom was enough to cower each and every one of them down to their pacified state.

Kiyo was the one who spoke through the silence, “Kirumi, it seems that someone has locked up all the rooms inside the dormitory. Hence, we have nowhere left to sleep for the night.” He elaborated, motioning towards each of the locked doors with his hands.

Kirumi took a few seconds to absorb the information. Then spoke with a frown, “Who among us has dared to play such a prank?”

“We have no clue as to who might be responsible for this!” Angie chirped as she tried to size up the new dealer’s table that appeared in the middle of the dorm.

….

The what?

“What is that doing there?” Himiko raised her brow and pointed to the new object that suddenly appeared inside the dorm without any sort of prior warning.

“Hell yeah!” cheered Kaito, running up to inspect it closely. “We are finally going gambling!”

“Typical degenerate male behavior!” scowled Tenko, and scrunched up her face in disgust. “Always thinking of wasting your hard-earned savings by gambling it all away.”

“Well fuck you, and I’m in.” Miu shouted and ran up to sit at the gambling table. Who was that insult even aimed at?

“Argh…” Tenko gritted her teeth together, “Whatever, I have to see this too!”

Soon enough, a near complete circle of students was formed around the table, surrounding it almost entirely.

“Umm…” Rantaro was the last one to enter the dorm building. He was just as confused as one would expect him to be after being a witness to this weird scenario. Angie was the one who filled him in and informed him about the context he severely lacked in this situation.

“Why are the rooms-”

 

“Everybody, look over here!”

 

Everyone turned their heads to look up at the large dormitory screen. Only to find it empty and turned off.

 

“Not up there! Down here, you idiots!!”

 

There, standing on the ground, was Monokuma. He was dressed in a fabulous four piece black and white tuxedo, covered from head to toe in makeup. A lonely rose lay tucked away in his breast pocket.

 

 

“.... what..?” Shuichi summarized everyone’s reactions within a single word.

“Aren’t I looking… as they say, c’est magnifique?” the bear did a low twirl on the heel of his paws, “Beauty like this can’t even be found in Korekiyo’s wildest fantasies!”

“I will tear out your nerves!” Kiyo hissed out with fury.

“Why are you even wearing that?” Ryoma questioned, raising his brow in annoyance. “What event here even calls out for a tuxedo?”

“Maybe,” Angie twirled a brush against her cheek, “It’s his wedding today, that is why he has dressed up this fancily!” she cheered.

“Something tells me that isn’t the case,” Keebo mumbled.

“Or maybe he finally got laid,” Miu added perversely, running a finger down her neck. “Maybe some annoyed robot chick got tired of him pestering her over and over, and she decided to give him a minute of her life!”

“A minute..?” Monokuma droned, putting a paw over his mouth.

“Yes, and I do mean only a minute, ‘cuz that’s how long you would have lasted! You throw away toy of a rejected abortion!!”

The entire class erupted into shouts of unrestrained glee and quiet giggles amongst each other. Apparently, there was a sadistic joy to be had within the students of the ultimate academy to see their captors get roasted to oblivion.

Which… is completely justifiable. And also, that was a pretty savage insult.

 

 

“Alright, I have had it with you lot!” Monokuma seethed, his body going pure crimson with rage. “You guys are such huge jackasses, you know that!?”

“Says the guy who has us imprisoned against our will,” Maki glared.

“Tell ‘em Makiroll!” cheered Kaito, throwing his hands up in the air.

She huffed, “The idiot is talking again.”

Ignoring the idle chatter of the classmates, Monokuma climbed up onto the fancy dealers’ table that was sitting in the middle of the crowd. He turned around and faced the majority of the students who were now in front of him.

“Listen, as you can probably guess, this thing,” he stomped his paw on the table twice in order to emphasize what he was referring to, “is not here just for show.”

“So, what is it here for?” Kaede asked. As if she needed to, she is the one who orchestrated this whole thing… with a little help from Shuichi’s side of course.

“This table here, as you can see and observe, is a gambling table. It is taken straight from the basement of the casino, if you were wondering where it came from, by the way,” Monokuma rambled. “And this!” he snapped his fingers… and nothing happened.

“Ummm…” Tenko tapped her fingers together.

“I said, and this!!” he repeated the same action, only louder and more forcefully this time.

The trio of Monotaro, Monosuke and Monokid appeared and dropped off a large red arcade machine right next to the table.

“Pops,” Monosuke wiped sweat off his brow, “Are we going to get some screen time in this fic or not?”

“No.”

“... Great.” The three ursine spun in a circle and dissipated into the ether.

“Now that everything is here at last!” Monokuma cheered and sat down on the edge of the gambling table and scratched a claw down the side of the arcade machine.

 

 

“It’s time to present your guys’ newest motive!!”

“Of course,” Rantaro sighed and turned to his side, holding his chin in between his fingers, he spoke, “I should have expected this from the beginning that you weren’t going to stop at just a single motive and killing.”

Kaito enclosed his palms into fists, “We aren’t going to-!”

Shuichi interrupted him by grabbing onto the astronaut’s shoulder, “Let him finish first, then we see where he is taking this,” he suggested.

“May I raise a question first?” Kirumi spoke up from the group.

“You may,” Monokuma replied after turning to her, “But only one!”

“Does this motive have something to do with our dorm rooms?” she gestured to the now locked rooms circumscribing them. “As these rooms have never been locked previously before. And I suspect that this new motive has something to do with their closure.”

“Right on the money Kirumi!”

“This newest motive that you all have been given is called…”

 

“... The Bed Roulette.”

 

“The… the what?” Gonta, who had previously been trying to find a pesky bug, spoke up.

“You all heard me correctly,” the ursine cleared his throat loudly. “Let me explain how this motive works.”

He walked on over to the arcade machine and turned it on.

Everyone took in a gasp of surprise. It was the same arcade that had appeared at the end of the class trial when the voting phase had concluded and the results were tallied. The even grimmer reminder of the past was that now the faces of Kokichi and Tsumugi also appeared on its screen, though having been crossed out completely by a red cross across their avatars.

“This bad boy should be familiar to you all,” Monokuma continued as he patted the side of the machine, “We will be using this guy here to figure how you lucky bastards are going to be paired up together.”

“Paired up together…?” Himiko parroted.

“Yep, lucky you! You all are going to have to pair up with one of your classmates. And what exactly do I mean by pairing up, you ask?”

“Simple, the two who have been paired up are going to have to become roommates with each other for an entire night!”

“No! NO NOOO!!” shouted Tenko as she started scratching up her hair, “I can’t do this! Not in a million years!!”

“Calm down, Tenko,” Keebo spoke softly.

“But I can’t! I can never sleep in the same room that a degenerate male has stepped inside of!”

Kaito then spoke up, “How is this thing going to make us pair up exactly? Is it male to male, female to female, or what?”

“Lucky chance buddy,” shrugged Monokuma, “You can get to sleep with anybody who is present in this room. All your sexual fantasies can now finally come true!”

“That is disgusting.” Rantaro grimaced.

Monokuma was outright drooling now, “You can have all your fanfics come true now! Be it yaoi or yuri or heck, even straight people are gonna have a fun time with this motive!!”

“NOOOOOOO!” both Tenko and Kaito shouted at the top of their lungs.

“BOOYAAAAHHH!!” shouted Miu. “This motive is fucking awesome!” she jumped up and down in joy.

“You… like this?” Kaede blinked dumbly. “Are you that lonely or something?”

“Shut up, you and your flat tits ain’t got nothing on this gorgeous goddess!”

“Jeez, just stop it with those insults already!”

 

 

Shuichi slammed his open palm against the border of the table to get a hold of the situation. “Guys, quiet down for a second, will ya?”

“Thank you so much,” Maki sighed and rubbed her forehead and then turned to face Monokuma, “So, let me get this straight, we are being forced into being roommates with each other?”

“Yes.” came his simple reply.

“Where is the catch?”

“Hmmm?” The ursine raised his paws in the air, as if feigning surrender. “Hey, Missy, not everything has to be deadly in its face value.”

“... Right”

“Well then,“ the bear jumped up. “I shall now assign you all your roommates for this night!”

“Are you all ready?!”

There was a cheer of both ‘yes’ and ‘no’ among the crowd.

 

 

“First one to be picked here is coming up,” Monokuma called out, “Oh, and one more thing,” he interrupted himself with his paw resting in the air, “Whoever is the one who is picked first in a pair, is the one whose rooms will be occupied by the pairing. Got it? Well, let’s spin that wheel!”

Monokuma pulled a lever which was attached to the side. A lone yellow light flickered on in the middle of the screen and spun in a quick circle and stopped at one of the students.

 

“Himiko!” the screen lit up with the name of the magician and her avatar appeared in the front and center of the arcade, signifying that she was picked.

“Nyeh? Me?” the girl numbly pointed a finger at herself, “I am the one who has been picked first?”

“Oh, what’s wrong my dear Himiko?” Angie came up to her and asked the mage.

“It’s just that,” Himiko frowned, “I have never been picked first for anything in my life before.”

“Don’t worry Himiko!” Tenko stepped forward, “You won’t be bullied anymore in your life, I will keep you safe as long as I’m the one who gets picked here!”

 

“And the one who Himiko will be pairing up with tonight is….” the bear announced as the arcade wheel spun for a second time, and the one whose avatar lit up… was…

 

“..Kaito!”

“Oh, oh no…” the astronaut felt a chill run down his spine as he stared at the display with horror.

“Come here, you degenerate male!! I’ll kill you!!” Tenko seethed with fury and stomped upto the astronaut, rolling up her sleeves as well in the process.

“HOW IS IT MY FAULT!? IT’S COMPLETELY RANDOM!!” Kaito held up his hands in protest.

 

“So wait,” Rantaro spoke up after observing the results, “Does this mean that Kaito has to sleep in Himiko’s room?”

“Yes.” Monokuma answered swiftly.

“I am so dead by the next morning,” the astronaut drooped after Tenko decided to back away from him, “Guess I’ll be on the couch tonight.” he sighed.

“You better be,” groaned Himiko, “My bed is too comfy, I ain’t giving it up.”

 

“Next!” the wheel spun again and this time it landed on…

“Kiyo!” the face of the anthropologist was the one that the pointer landed on.

“Let’s see here who shall be a witness to sister’s beauty.” Kiyo whispered with anticipation dripping from his voice.

“What?”

“What?”

 

“It’s… Keebo.” The wheel picked the robot as the roommate for Korekiyo.

“I suppose this is.. acceptable.” Kiyo frowned. His tone implied that he may have been slightly disappointed with this outcome.

“Indeed, I can help learn many aspects of humanity from Kiyo like this!” The robot on the other hand was ecstatic with this conclusion.

 

“Let’s get going, guys!”

“The next one is… oh god Miu!” the bear gasped loudly and gripped his forehead in his paws.

“Alright, who is the lucky bastard spending the night with me!?” Miu boisterously grabbed onto her hips and showed off her body curves to the others.

“More like unlucky,” Shuichi quipped.

“Shut up!”

 

“And the one who has to survive Miu is…. Kirumi!”

“Mom!? I have to sleep with mom?” Miu gaped, taken off guard by the result.

“Very well, I guess I will have to teach Miu some discipline this night by myself.” Kirumi spoke curtly.

“... p-please do..” Miu moaned out aloud, drooling from her mouth.

“... and not in that way.” Kirumi death-glazed the inventor.

 

“Who is left who hasn’t been paired up yet?” Kaito called out to the others.

“Umm..” Keebo held his chin in his hand, “Shuichi, Kaede, Ryoma, Rantaro, Gonta, Angie…and that’s it.”

“You forgot some,” Maki spoke up, “Me and Tenko as well haven’t been picked yet.”

“Oh right, sorry about that.”

 

“Next one on the docket is…” the light spun around with a great intensity.

“ ohoho, Shuichi..” It stopped on the detective. There was a sharp intake of breath from within the crowd as Shuichi’s avatar appeared in the middle of the arcade.

“Now, this is quite interesting; both Kaede and Rantaro haven’t been picked yet, correct?” Kiyo hummed to himself.

“And what does that mean?” spoke both of them in unison.

“Nothing, carry on Monokuma.”

 

“And the one who will go to Shuichi’s room will be….” The wheel spun yet again.

It kept on going around the circle. Going over each and every avatar at least thrice, it finally started to slow down in speed.

Slowing down at Kaito, it went past Kirumi, then Ryoma, and finally stopped at…

 

“... Maki…?” Rantaro murmured as he witnessed the now glowing avatar of the caregiver.

“Now that is an interesting pairing if I do say so myself,” Monokuma himself commented, “Not one I expected, though.”

“Huh?” Kaede blinked at the screen several times in succession. “It’s not… me..? I mean, yeah, let’s continue!” she quickly retracted and backed up several steps, mumbling something unintelligible to herself.

“You are as subtle as a brick to the face, you know that girl?” Ryoma commented with a chuckle as he looked up at the pianist.

“Indeed you are,” Kirumi backed him up.

 

“Rapid fire round!” Monokuma pulled his lever twice in quick succession. And this time, two lights lit up on the screen at the same time. They danced around the screen until stopping on…

 

“Tenko and Angie.”

Both the girls blinked rapidly and turned to look at each other. Then rapidly turned away.

“Wait, who was first in that?” Kaede asked the bear, “You pulled them both at the same time!”

“Tenko came before,” Monokuma answered, “So Angie will go to her room.”

“Atua denies this outcome.” Angie grumbled.

“Can Atua deny this neo-aikido?!” Tenko griped.

“They both will surely get along.” Kaito mumbled to himself.

 

“Last two pairings left,” Monokuma reminded, “And here we have… the one and only yandere Akamatsu.. I mean Kaede!”

“The what?” The pianist raised an eyebrow.

“You know what I said,”

Shuichi had been perplexed this whole time. Ever since he received Maki as his roommate, he knew that something was up. There was no way that Kaede had made this motive fair. She would have, without a doubt, structured this motive so that they both would be together all the time.

Sure, that would have been suspicious as hell, but it could have always been chalked down to luck at the end of the day, right? Had Monokuma intentionally messed with their motive to make it fair for everyone?

 

“And our resident pianist is going to be accompanied by… ohoho, Rantaro,” The bear chuckled and held his chin in his paw, observing the result intently.

“So, I am going to be accompanying my little sister tonight?” Rantaro smiled, “That’s completely fine to me.”

“... sister?” Kiyo raised his brow.

“Don’t you dare start up, Kiyo.” warned Kaede as she sent him a glare, “Normal, familial sibling relations exist!”

“... what do you think I was implying here?!” the anthropologist flinched and backed away a foot.

“Oh, like we don’t all know about your weird sister complex!” Kaede bit back.

“Can we please move on from this?” Rantaro sighed.

“Wait, every single person has now been accounted for, right?” Keebo turned and asked the group. “Since Ryoma and Gonta are the only two left, they must be together for this night.”

“Gonta will gladly accompany Ryoma to his room tonight!” the gentle giant smiled widely.

“Appreciate it, big guy,” Ryoma replied to him and grinned.

 

 

“And that…” the bear wiped sweat off his forehead, “is the pairings done and dusted with for this night.”

“A little recap on what they all are?” Kaede requested.

“Fine,” groaned the ursine.

“The magical loli and the egotistic astro boy, god’s answer to horniness with 2B, the lesbians, the quiet and the dangerous ones, the outer two rings of a threesome, the literal definition of size difference and finally robocon with sis-con.”

“Happy?”

“That was way too fast!” Tenko flinched.

“Yeah, there were way too many jokes and references in there!” Miu whined, throwing out her hands,“And I am the one that’s gotta catch ‘em all!”.

 

“So,” Rantaro crossed his arms, “When are you going to reveal the secret that you are purposefully hiding from us, Monokuma?”

“Me?” he pointed to himself and made puppy dog-eyes, “Hide something from you guys…? I dunno what you’re all talking ‘bout.”

“No no,” Angie wagged her finger to and fro at the bear, “Lying is a sin, don’t you know? All liars deserve punishment, you see.”

“Why do you think that Monokuma is hiding something from us?” Keebo questioned.

“Keebo,” Shuichi perked up, “This whole… show that Monokuma has performed for us right now is for our most recent motive, correct?”

“...Yes.” the robot nodded hesitantly.

“And so far, he has just paired us up together to become roommates with someone else for only a single night,”

“I see where you are coming from, kid,” Ryoma nodded, “Something fishy is definitely going on here.”

“Us being roomed together shouldn’t lead to us wanting to murder each other,” Kaito rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke.

“Quite so opposite, in fact,” Kiyo raised his finger, “If your roommate is murdered, you will be the prime suspect in the class trial. It should deter you from murder as a consequence.”

“Geez!” Monokuma grumbled, “Got quite the apprehensive bundle in here, didn’t we?! Always suspecting everything I do!”

“Just skip the pointless chatter already,” Rantaro groaned.

“Fine!”

 

The bear made a theatrical show of his hands and plopped down on his ass in the middle of his table. He reached into… something and pulled out a suit of premium looking tarot cards. And with a flourish; he spread them out, facing up onto the table, just like how a fortune-teller would have.

“So, this is the second part of your motive,” he placed a paw on one of the right side up tarot card, “These are the 14 cards of the ‘Cup Suit’ Minor Arcana. If you wanna know what all that fancy jargon means, then ask Korekiyo about it later, I guess.”

“I can explain it right now if you don’t mind,” Kiyo cleared his throat and began his explanation. “Within the Tarot Minor Arcana, there exist four different suits of cards which the tarot readings obey. The Suit of Pentacles, the Suit of Swords, the Suit of Wands, and, for our specific case, The Suit of Cups.”

“This Suit represents one’s; feelings, relationships, and close emotional bonds with others. With such a great poignant response from this suit, it is often seen as an analog to the Suit of Hearts from the French-suite. It contains the usual 4 special cards; King, Queen, Knight and Page. Though, opposed to the normal deck of cards that have 9 numbered cards, the tarot contains a complete 10 numbered card range. And that was my brief explanation.”

“Though I do have one question to ask you, Monokuma,” Korekiyo straightened himself up, “Why O why, are you spreading out a deck of tarot cards… on a gambler’s table, instead of… you know, a fortune table?”

“Uhhhh…” came the ursine’s response to his last query, “Anyway!” Monokuma ignored Kiyo’s question and continued, “I am going to give each and every one of you one of these 14 cards. Now, when you flip these over and see their other side, you won’t actually see a blank side. No, these contain some very special writing on their backs!” the bear winked suggestively.

“So, time to deal ‘em out!” the bear clapped his paws together, and the tarots appeared in the hands of all the ultimates one by one. Nobody knows how it happened, just that they all felt a sudden gust of wind blow across their faces.

“Before you all look at the backs of your cards,” the bear interrupted, “Let’s see which four of you received the four special cards, cuz why not?”

“I got the Page one,” Miu raised her hand.

“I have the Knight in my hand,” Rantaro raised his brow at the bear.

“The Queen is right here,” Kaede chirped and winked an eye.

“And I have the King right here,” Shuichi spoke up and twirled the card in between his fingers.

“Now you can all look at what is written behind your cards,” the bear gestured.

 

“WHAT THE HELL!?”

“HOW?!”

“IMPOSSIBLE!”

“HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW THIS?!”

 

A cacophony of rage and shouts rang throughout the dormitory.

“Monokuma, what the hell is this?!” Kaito demanded, “How do you know about this?!”

“This isn’t true one fuckin’ bit!” Miu shouted, “Of course I’m-”

“I will tear out your nerves if you do not reveal the method as to how you received this information!” Kiyo shot the bear with a death-glare.

“Puhuhuhu!” the bear giggled creepily, “This! This is your true motive for murder!”

“On the back of each of these cards; there exists one of the deepest, darkest, most foul secrets that you have hidden from the others by donning a mask of lies!” the bear explained after unsheathing his claws. “A truth of yours that you would like to keep hidden beneath your lies forever at all costs. But alas,” he shook his head and grinned, “I have them all right here!”

“But, we can burn all these cards, right?” Kaede perked up and turned to the others, “Then there will be no-”

“Nah ah ah,” the bear stopped her, “I have a digital copy of all your secrets on me. So even if you destroy those cards, it won’t matter to me in the slightest.”

“Y-you have a digital copy of these too?!” Keebo shivered.

“Sure do bucko!”

“And this is where the big anime plot twist comes in,” Monokuma rubbed his paws together, mimicking a comic villain with his mannerisms.

 

“If a murder does not occur before nighttime ends, your roommate will receive the digital copy of your secret on their monopad by the time morning arrives.”

 

“W-what…?” gasped Kirumi, shook by the announcement from the bear.

“That… that’s not fair!” Gonta cried and shook his head.

“I see now,” Rantaro’s face hid behind a shadow, “This was your plan from the very beginning. This is how you intend to force us to murder each other now.”

Ryoma stepped forward, “Everyone here has secrets that they want to protect at all costs. So this is quite a genius method to try and pin us against each other.”

“The truth, however sour it may be, always comes back to haunt us.” Angie hummed darkly.

“Oh and if you think that you will be safe if you just sleep outside…” Monokuma pressed a claw to his lips, “Then according to the rules, your roommate will still receive your secret. It doesn’t actually matter if you sleep, or don’t sleep in the same room as them. This whole ‘sharing a room’ is just for show theatrics.”

 

“How do we… stop this?” Kaito spoke after a momentous silence. “I mean, there has to be a way to defeat this motive, we all just have to find it.”

“Does anyone have any ideas, cuz I’m all ears right now,” Miu perked up.

“There is a pretty simple solution to this motive,” Shuichi declared, leaning against the table. He planted his card down on its surface facing up.

“How about we all reveal our secrets. Right here, right now.” he grinned as he pinched the corner of the card, ready to upturn it. “That way, we all are impartial to the truth and thus, are in no way whatsoever trapped by this motive.”

“B-but…” Keebo stammered helplessly, “Can we really do that? T-this is after all, a motive that is created by Monokuma. We can’t trust anything he says!”

“Anything that he says,” Kaede raised a brow, “Or anything that anyone else might see?”

“And just what is your ruler rack trying to say?” Miu intervened hastily. “Reveal your own secret before you raise brows at others!”

“Umm,” Kaito nervously fidgeted on his spot, “Guys, I don’t think we should reveal our secrets right now. Let’s just stay this night, and see where we go from here.”

“But I don’t think I can do that!” Tenko retorted, “I don’t want my roommate to know my deepest secrets!”

“Bravo Monokuma,” Rantaro glowered and clasped his hands together, “You have once again managed to create an environment of doubt and mistrust within our group.”

And looking around, it was clearly evident that an environment perfectly fit for betrayal, mistrust and backstabbing had once again been crafted. No one, absolutely no one was willing to step forward to reveal their secret.

Their pride and their hubris would be their downfall in only a matter of days.

“It seems that no one is going to reveal their secrets,” Shuichi rolled his eyes, “This was what I feared, oh well,” he huffed out a sigh, “We’ll all deal with the consequences tomorrow. It’s not like we don’t know what happens when someone around here keeps a truth hidden to themselves, don’t we? So don’t cosplay the lies, and be ready to face the truth tomorrow morning.”

Monokuma vanished soon enough afterwards without saying a word. All the students also started dispersing after the departure of the bear. Not knowing what to do, trapped inside this hellhole for who knows how long, not having the slightest idea what tomorrow might bring. What other choice do they have instead of just… going to sleep and hoping for the best?

Well, at least they won’t be sleeping alone for the night, that can be seen as a plus. No one would want to murder you when you are together with someone else throughout the night, right?

Little bouts of hope and reassurances should be taken whenever they appear. Like a shining light in the tunnel, there is joy to be found hidden in deep clutches of anguish, if you persevere enough to search it out.

 

“Hey Shuichi?” Kaede walked up to the detective before he was about to enter his room, and grasped onto his hand, “I actually borrowed a card game when I was down in the game room,” she spoke, “I wanted you to join us, there is a table here in the middle of the building and everything!”

“Okay,” the detective agreed quickly and smiled, “Who else is going to be joining us in this?”

“Rantaro, obviously,” she answered as she waved at the amnesiac who was already sitting down on the gambler’s table. He smiled in return and waved back.

“And…?”

“Hey Miu!” Kaede shouted at the inventor, getting her attention in the process.

“What?” she asked after turning around. After Miu approached and saw the scene before her with the two piles of cards stacked high on the table, she spoke, “The fuck did call me out for?”

“Wanna join me, Rantaro and Shuichi in a card game?” the pianist gestured to the table and sat down. “It’ll be fun I promise!”

“Gah!” grimaced the inventor as she crossed her arms. “Who is interested in some pissy card game!? Get something real and exciting out for me, then I might consider giving you a time out of my grand schedule.”

“So, you don’t wanna play Cards Against Humanity with us, Miu?” Kaede spoke with a cheshire grin.

The inventor hadn’t moved to sit down quite so quickly ever in her life before. “QUICKLY MAKE ROOM FOR ME BITCHES!!”

Notes:

And this here is our second motive for this fic! Yeah, this one is a doozy ain't it? Also, those are some interesting pairings aren't they?
One more thing, if you want to leave some suggestions for the cards against humanity game that will be taking place next chapter, feel free to do so in the comments! I'll try and incorporate them into this story if I find that they are good enough!!
Lastly, kudos, comments and theories are all greatly appreciated!

Chapter 31: Lost Forever in the Darkness - Daily Life VIII

Notes:

Sorry for the month long wait for this chapter... Life just kept on coming at me from all directions!
Anyway, here is a longer than usual chapter for compensation!

Free Time Event!

Start!

“Alright, let’s start it up!” Miu called out to the small group of herself, Kaede, Shuichi and Rantaro. It was late in the night, and they had decided to play Cards Against Humanity whilst sitting out in the middle of the dorm building.

Not the absolute worst way to be spending their time, one supposes.

“Who wants to be the czar for the first round?” asked Kaede, looking around at the participants at the table for a volunteer.

“I’ll do it,” Rantaro raised his hand and reached for the black cards’ stack. “Let’s see here,” he shuffled the deck thoroughly and picked out a card by random.

“___ has been on their knees more times than a monk.” he read the card with a minor blush.

“Starting off strong, aren’t we?” Kaede wolf whistled as she ruffled through her cards and picked one of them. “Religious right off the bat with the first one.”

“Oh, this is just the beginning,” Shuichi smirked, “Let’s see if this card can please Rantaro’s sense of humor,” he answered as he placed down his card.

“I am winning this one,” called out Miu as she looked between Rantaro, Kaede and Shuichi. “You two are better off throwing this round!” she barked when she gazed at Kaede and Shuichi.

When everyone was finished laying down their card, Rantaro reached for the one closest to him and upturned it, “My neighbour’s dog…” he read the card and grimaced. “Nice try, Shuichi, but you aren’t winning this one. Also, a bestiality joke? Seriously, dude?”

“How can you say that it was me?” the detective smiled with his poker face.

“Next one…” he shook his head and picked the second card, “A lady from the streets has been on their knees more times than a monk.” He read the prompt, “Okay, that is a good one, I’ll admit,” the amnesiac chuckled.

“It’s a creative one, isn’t it?” Miu nodded her head. Rantaro raised his brows at her, but didn’t say anything. Casting a wayward glance at Kaede, who was sitting to his left, he reached for the last card.

“The person to my left has been on their knees… more times than… a monk…” he had trouble reading the card out aloud because he started laughing uncontrollably in the middle of his sentence.

Shuichi and Miu both joined him quickly in his fit of uncontrollable laughter. Meanwhile, Kaede…

Oh, she was furious.

Burying her crimson face into her hands, she shouted, “Who picked that card!!”

“Whoever did…” Rantaro giggled and raised his head up from the table, “Is the winner…”

“It wasn’t me!” Kaede grumbled as she glared at Rantaro, “That’s for damn sure!”

“It was me!” Miu shouted as she punched the table repeatedly, “That delivery and reaction made it so much fucking better!”

“Oh, you deserve that point,” Shuichi laughed as he winked at Kaede knowingly, “Isn’t that right?”

“I’ll get you back for that one, Miu!” Kaede growled angrily at the inventor, “You better believe it!”

“Ah hah,” Rantaro controlled his laughter and pushed the black card pile in front of Kaede, “Here, you are next.”

Though it might have seemed like Kaede was furious on the outside. But Shuichi knew that she had enjoyed that joke as much as they did. She was just beyond flustered and was really caught off guard in the very first round of the game. He likes that about her, she knows how not to take a joke to heart.

But… looking back, Shuichi thinks that line might be much closer to the truth than it is to a joke.

“Ahem!” Kaede picked a card and cleared her throat, “If I invited ___ to a threesome with us, what would you do?”

The three ultimates placed down their cards one by one. Giving each other the ‘shifty eyes’, they silently challenged each other to an intense bout of duel. The atmosphere was tense and electrified between the ultimates as they concentrated with their full attention. If one would concentrate their senses, they might have been able to hear the western cowboy guitar riff in the background.

Kaede reached for the cards. It was now or never. It was finally the time for them to d-d-d-d-duel!!.... Wait, wrong card game… and a complete genre switch in tone…

“Geez,” Kaede huffed, “This is just a friendly game. Why are we treating it as if we are playing a life or death match?”

“Showdown time is now, sis.” Rantaro shifted his gaze to her. “There is no more time to dilly-dally.”

“Deal ‘em out,” Shuichi ordered, hiding his remaining cards behind by laying them facing down on the table.

“The End of the line has arrived,” Miu growled out, “Let’s see who shall be the one to prevail!”

Kaede decided to just go with the flow. With a dramatic flick, she picked up the first card and held it right in front of her eyes.

“A dinosaur from the Paleozoic era!” she shouted with valor. Keeping up her momentum, she moved onto the next card.

“Sans Undertale!!” even though the corner of her mouth twitched by her attempt to stifle her giggle, she still managed to nail the delivery.

“...Adolf Hitler!” she shouldn’t have shouted that name out aloud with such gusto.

Kiyo, who had come out of his room to take a breath of fresh air, took one look at the scene before him and promptly went back inside without uttering even a single sentence.

“Okay, who picked Hitler?” Kaede perked up, now back down to her normal tone of voice, “And second of all… why?”

“Dunno who did, but they must've had a reason for it, wouldn’t they?” Shuichi raised an eyebrow.

“This game doesn’t have any rules or reason for it!” Rantaro slammed his fist on the table and glowered at the detective. “It is just a simple game of trying to figure out who is the most racist, offensive, and the most inhuman person on earth!”

Miu rested her chin on her palm, “Or in other words, who is the best candidate to become America’s president?”

“....”

“....”

“....”

“All in favor that Miu wins this game?” Shuichi raised his hand high in the air.

 

Friendship Fragments Obtained!

 

---

 

“So, Rantaro,” Kaede perked up as she sat down on the couch of her dorm room. “How do we suppose you will spend this night here as my roommate for the night?”

“I don’t really have any idea in particular,” he hummed and held his chin in thought. He parroted as he sat down on the bed across from her. “I have rarely been called over for slumber parties in my childhood.”

“Well, I am in the same boat as you in that regard,” she affirmed with a nod of her head, “Me and my friends weren’t really allowed to stay out of homes late at night.”

“Speaking of boats actually,” Rantaro grinned, “I do remember spending a lot of my time adventuring around the world.” he spoke as a small smile formed on his face, “That and spending a lot of my childhood exploring the world with my sisters.”

“You called me your thirteenth sister,” Kaede raised her brow inquisitively. “Where are your other twelve sisters then, Rantaro?”

At that statement, a sad and forlorn expression crossed his features, and he slowly looked away from her and locked his gaze with the floor.

Kaede flinched away, thinking that she said something that she shouldn’t have. She spoke to apologize, “I… I shouldn’t have said that, should I?”

He spoke nothing and merely looked back up at her. Regret and remorse clearly visible in his expression.

Kaede hummed softly, “All of us must miss our loved ones so dearly. I can’t imagine what the people close to me in my life are feeling right now after my sudden disappearance.”

“Just imagine that scenario but in-” Rantaro started speaking, but he interrupted himself into silence. “Nevermind, I am not comfortable to start up on this topic.”

“I understand,” she smiled at him in a form of reassurance. “So! Let’s talk about something else!” Kaede chirped and clasped her hands together.

“Okay,” Rantaro showed some growing interest, “What do you want to talk about then?”

“The thing that every friend talks about at sleepovers and slumber parties! Gossip!!” she rubbed her hands together like a comical villain and grinned.

“Oh god!”

“Yup, the very thing that he hates with a passion!” Kaede chuckled warmly.

“...he?” Rantaro questioned, confused about who she was referring to specifically.

“Shuichi! Duh!” Kaede answered with a pout.

“He.. hates gossip?” Rantaro muttered, caught in slight disbelief. “The Ultimate Detective… hates gossip?!”

“It’s one-hundred percent the truth, my dear boy!” she giggled. “That man just cannot stand the whispers being thrown about in corners around him.”

Rantaro stood up and walked over to the pianist and sat on the couch adjacent to hers, “You know a lot about him, huh?” he smirked teasingly and elbowed her in the shoulder playfully.

“Hey!” she yelped at the tease, “Stop that!”

“Hmm? I didn’t hear a no in that statement.” Rantaro grinned.

“Well, spending almost three whole days being strapped to him would do that to you,” she answered jovially.

“So, in short,” Rantaro grinned and leaned closer to her, “You are the Shuichi expert around here.”

“You could say that,” she replied bashfully, looking down at her lap and blushing.

“What sort of…” Rantaro started, now really engaged in this conversation, “...gifts would he like?”

At that, Kaede stared at him dumly. She sat in a quiet, contemplative silence for a few seconds on the couch.

“I personally think that he would love something dark and mysterious as a gift,” she answered, pinching her chin in thought.

“You are going to have to be more specific there, sis,” Rantaro grumbled, crossing his arms in disapproval. “I can’t just go off of ‘something dark and mysterious’ here.”

She paused for a few seconds as she eyed him up and down, “Like a… Monkey’s Paw…”

“...Really?”

“Or, maybe a Commemorative Medal Set…? Yeah, he would definitely like that!” Kaede jumped up cheerfully.

“Well, I was thinking of giving him some cufflinks, would he like those?”

“HE LOVES THEM!!”

“I’ll keep that in mind then,” Rantaro chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.

 

“Now, why are you trying to inquire about Shuichi? Is there something that I am missing here?” Kaede spoke, now adorning a serious expression.

Sweat accumulated on Rantaro’s brow, “I merely plan on giving him a gift as he is the closest to me inside of this academy, is there anything wrong with that?”

“...”

“...Kaede..?”

“No, no, that is perfectly fine,” she replied hastily as she blinked rapidly a few times.

Rantaro sighed in relief as he shifted uncomfortably against the couch’s armrest, “That is good to hear,”

“But there is one thing I would like you to know, Rantaro,” Kaede whispered as she smiled sweetly. It was such a smile that conveyed both too much, and also too little emotions at the same time.

 

“Shuichi is mine, and mine alone.”

 

---

 

“I will be taking the couch tonight, you can sleep on the bed, Shuichi,”

Maki called out as she gathered up her pillow and blanket and plopped them down on the couch of Shuichi’s dorm room.

“No!” he vehemently denied as he crossed his hands over his chest, “I will gladly take the couch for the night, I know that I have slept so many times on my desk chair that it won’t bother me a bit.”

“If we are comparing sleeping conditions then, I have slept curled up on concrete flooring without a pillow and with only a torn apart banner as a body cover before.” Maki replied in her usual brutal and blunt manner. “This single couch would be a king’s abode when compared to that.”

Shuichi couldn’t say anything to that for an entire minute. He tried to open his mouth and speak many a time, but was unable to come up with anything.

“If you are feeling sorry for my past, then don’t.” She harshly glared at him, “I don’t need an ounce of yours or anyone else’s pity. I chose this life of mine when I gave up my soul to the assassin organization that day.”

Shuichi gritted his teeth together, “It’s just…” he growled as he formed an enclosed fist and punched the mattress of the bed he was sitting on.

“Also, don’t bother trying to apologize for your previous comment,” she groaned as she lied down on the couch and closed her eyes.

“Why are you still trying to hide from the truth, Maki!?” Shuichi shouted in anger as he glowered down at her. “Why are you being such a coward, Maki?!”

She sat back up her elbows and scowled at him, “What did you just say?”

“It’s the truth, and you know it!” he was visibly shaking atop the bed now. “Why don’t you come clean already and tell everyone about who you are?!”

“Do you wanna die?” Maki threw off the blankets from her body and walked up to him in two quick strides.

“You’re scared, aren’t you?” Shuichi spoke softly as he looked away from her. “You are not a coward, I’m sorry. You’re…you’re just scared…”

“... Huh?” she stared down at him dumbfounded.

“Don’t worry, Maki,” he looked up at her, “Many people are. They are so, so afraid to reveal the truth at times. They think that it is just the better option to enjoy the temporary warmth that lies can provide.”

She noticed that as he spoke, his bottom trembled ever so slightly. It was such a minimal twitch that if she wasn’t the Ultimate Assassin, she most definitely wouldn’t have picked up on it.

“You don’t want the others to become scared of you, don’t you?” Shuichi continued as he spoke with a forlorn tone, “You are just afraid that they will all shun you away just because you are the Ultimate Assassin, isn’t that it? Maki, you don’t want to face the truth and reveal your real identity, knowing that it will only cause you and the other’s pain.”

Maki was too stunned to form a proper sentence. Her eyes started feeling heavy as she felt some moisture forming on the edge of her iris.

“H-how… How can you say that?! Y-you know absolutely nothing about me!” she shouted, wiping her eyes with the back of her sleeve.

“I don’t know everything, that’s true,” he sighed and finally looked up at her, “But I know enough. I know that whenever I see you, beneath that mask of cold toughness, lies a girl with a heart of gold.”

Maki grasped onto his shirt’s collar and pulled him up onto his feet, “Shut up already, you asshole! Within all of my time trapped here in this academy, you have been nothing but an absolute nightmare to my life! Blocking my path, teasing me about my past, threatening to reveal my secret identity to the others. And now…? Now, you are…are trying to sympathize with me?!” she scoffed bitterly and threw him back down on the covers harshly.

Shuichi winced as his body hit the mattress, “I guess I am not,” he chuckled nervously as he sat back up.

“...”

“Or, I think it would be more apt to say that I am not trying to sympathize with you.”

“... you…” Maki mumbled to herself as she absorbed his words thoroughly, “You haven’t been talking to me, have you?”

“... It’s just…” Shuichi groaned loudly and stood up to become face to face with the assassin, “I see a lot of myself in you, Maki,”

“... I see. Then why have you been harassing me for this past week?” Maki questioned, “Is it because you feel guilty about your past actions or something?”

“Why do you think I am telling you all of this?” Shuichi grinned widely. He lowered his head as his bangs hid his darkened face. “There must be a rhyme or reason to my actions.”

“... You want the true answer?” Maki rolled her eyes, “I have zero clue as to what your reasoning behind everything is. Shuichi, you hide your true feelings and emotions behind a mask that is etched onto your face completely.” She took a step back and continued, “It feels like, if you take off that mask at any time…

 

“... an endless abyss would be awaiting on the other side.”

 

“That was a lot, Maki,” Shuichi laughed as his bangs parted and his soft eyes met hers. “Way to get dramatic there!”

Maki blinked and stared at him, stunned silent once again. She huffed out a breath and scowled, “It was a waste of my time trying to talk some sense with you.”

“Wait, before you go!” Shuichi called out just as she was about to put the covers back over herself. “Take a look at this,” he reached into his pocket and pulled out his motive card and handed it to her. “Even if you will learn what it says tomorrow morning; I believe the quicker a truth gets revealed, the less damage it is able to inflict in the future.”

She looked at his outstretched hand, which was holding the card out to her for a moment. Then, without speaking a word, she took it from him and read the writing that was written on it.

“It’s Kaede, isn’t it?” she spoke as she put the card down on her lap.

“... No comment.” Shuichi smirked and took his card back from her, “That truth is for you to find out.”

“Wait, or is it Rantaro?” Maki contemplated to herself deeply and answered, “It could be Rantaro too as much as it could be Kaede,” she paused with a dramatic look and locked gaze with him.

“Or is it the both of them?” she spoke as she twirled the card in between her fingers.

Shuichi seemed to be caught off guard by her statement. He stammered huskily, “H-hey what do you think you are implying here, Maki?!”

“Don’t read too much into that,” Maki replied back as she noticed his worried expression.

Shuichi sighed with relief, “Okay. Also, as I showed you my card, how about you-”

“Take it,” she interrupted him and placed her own card on the table in front of him, “And I'm going to sleep now. Don’t bother trying to wake me up if you don’t want to accidentally have a knife stuck in your throat.”

“Got it,” he called back and picked up her card with two of his fingers.

He read it over carefully and murmured as he noticed the peaceful sleeping expression of Maki and then looked back down at the card.

“This isn’t truthful at all.”

Friendship Fragments Obtained!

 

---

 

“Hey, when is this thing going to turn on?!” Monokuma hissed as he pushed down his white skirt that was flowing in the wind against a huge current. “Cosplaying old classical movies for this bit isn’t easy, you know?!”

“Daddy,” Monophanie sighed, “You’re live right now.”

“Oh shit, Ahem!” the ursine turned to face the screen as he cleared his throat.

“Welcome everybody to the first broadcast of this season’s Monokuma Theatre!”

 

Monokuma Theatre!

Begin!

 

“The killing game participants are weird, aren’t they?” Monokuma began, “They all talk at length about hope this, hope that; cooperation, friendship, and all of that sweet and sickly optimistic

talk.”

“Then, when the day turns; they have either been stabbed in the back, or they are the ones holding a knife in their own hands.”

“So, the moral of the story is that if you want to survive a killing game; either be a huge pessimist, or be the one who stabs someone in the back first.” the bear giggled creepily, “But you better do it quick, lest that someone else decided to gouge your eyes out with a sickle!”

And with a twirl on his heels with his hiked up skirt, Monokuma vanished and the curtains drooped on the Monokuma Theatre.

 

---

 

The next morning came sooner than expected. Everyone was sitting at the dining table enjoying the exquisite meal once again prepared by Kirumi and Maki.

Though, there were definitely some eyes darting around the table as everyone either avoided their last night’s roommate or there was the complete where they were chatting up a storm with the other party.

“So, Himiko, when do you want to join me on my great seas expedition?” Kaito grinned and pointed a thumbs up at her.

“Gah, let me eat in peace. You already ate my ear off last night,” the magician groaned as she bit into her rice ball.

“Did he?!” Tenko yelped in shock, “I swear, I will make that degenerate pay for ever hurting your ear, Himiko!”

“Nyeh, settle down Tenko.”

“O-okay!” the martial smiled bashfully and went back to eating her food.

“Makiroll!” Kaito called out as the caregiver walked past him, “Can I get another one of you?”

“Woah, woah, woah!!” Miu shot up from when she was previously occupied in a conversation with Shuichi. “What the fuck did you just say, dick cheese?!”

“Dick cheese?!” Kaito yelped and almost fell out from his seat, “I just asked for her to give me another Makiroll!”

“Here you go,” Maki huffed as she placed the roll onto his plate. “Also, can you stop calling me that name already?”

“Oh, my mind went somewhere in a completely different place,” the inventor cackled and went back to her private conversation with the detective.

“Keep trying, Kaito,” Kaede encouraged the astronaut, “One day you might succeed!”

“Is that sarcastic or not?” Shuichi turned to Rantaro and whispered.

“I honestly can’t tell,” Rantaro replied as he finished drinking his boba tea.

 

“Listen up, all of you cocksuckers!” Miu slammed her glass on the table and gathered the attention of everybody on the table.

“What is it, Miu?” Angie perked up and smiled her usual creepy smile.

“Me and Shuichi have decided that there is going to be a gambling tournament held inside of the casino this evening!”

“Anyone is allowed to enter if they wish to,” Shuichi elaborated farther, “Though, the money you will be using for gambling will be your own monocoins. There isn’t a special currency both of us will come up with, so you will have to use your own money for this game.”

“So, if you decided to get too rowdy this evening,” Miu giggled as a bit of drool dripped from her mouth, “Don’t think that you will be going out with your clothing tonight!”

Before it could get to a point that everyone would decline coming to the game, Shuichi decided to salvage the situation, “No one will be losing any sort of clothing tonight, or doing anything that isn’t PG tonight.” he then turned to glare at the inventor, “Isn’t that right?”

“Y-yes!” she melted instantly under his glare.

“Count me in!” Kaito instantly nodded in affirmation, “The Luminary of the Stars never says no to a competitive tournament!”

“I’ll come too!” Kaede cheered, “I always wanted to check out the casino’s basement after all.”

“All right,” Shuichi clicked his tongue, “Whosoever wants to join is allowed to join. They can show up at the casino’s basement with their monocoins.”

“Who will be the dealer for the game?” Rantaro asked, counting his coin balance with his offhand. “I’m down for this.”

Tenko gritted her teeth together, “Gambling is a spoil sport that only degenerates play!” she grumbled to herself under her breath. “But… still…”

“Wanna join?” Kaede placed a palm on her shoulder and squeezed, “Just one time won’t really make a difference, Tenko! Live a little!”

“Urngh!” she groaned, her face scrunched up in self-annoyance, “Fine!” she screeched, “I will join to keep the ladies safe for the night.”

“Would you be willing to become the table dealer, Kirumi?” Shuichi stood up and requested the services of the Ultimate Maid. “You must have the necessary knowledge for such a task.”

“I would be greatly honoured,” she smiled and bowed politely. “I have a great knowledge about the rules of the games that might be played tonight.”

“Much appreciated,”

“Speaking of the games,” Ryoma walked over to the group, “I am interested in joining as well. So, what kind of deals will we be making this evening?”

Miu leaned back in her chair and announced, “Right now, only poker is on the table. Call it basic, but you can’t deny that it fucking kick ass better than a dominatrix!”

“Very well, we shall meet up together in the evening,” Kirumi spoke and started picking up the dirty dishes, “I shall be ready and set up the dealer’s table as soon as I am ready.”

 

---

 

Special Event!

Gambling Tournament!

 

 

Time waiting for the event to start came and went. It was evening before anyone knew it and thus the tournament was just on the cusp of commencing. There was a sizable participation from the side of the ultimates as the room soon became crowded with the teens.

Among the participants, there were Shuichi, Kaede, Miu, Rantaro, Kaito, Tenko, Ryoma, Kiyo (who had appeared anonymously) and Kirumi, who was acting as the dealer for the tournament.

Many of the ultimates took their seat on the half-circular gambling table, and Kirumi took her place across from them at the dealer’s station opposite to them. Some of them; namely Kaede, Rantaro and Ryoma, decided to just spectate the game and see the proceedings for the first round.

The orientation was as follows. Shuichi, Kaito, Kiyo, Tenko then Miu for the first game. After Miu, the order looped back onto Shuichi. And the game chosen was poker, with its standard rules of gambling.

When everyone was seated properly and ready, Kirumi started the play.

“I’ll start the game with shuffling the deck properly,” She reached for the pristine deck of cards which looked brand new. “I hope everyone is seated comfortably in their seats.” she smiled as she shuffled the deck evenly and thoroughly.

“We are seated comfortably in our seats,” Kiyo answered, “Please, hand us our cards.”

“Very well, please be wise in your bets,” Kirumi advised before she started handing out the cards. “As per the rules of poker, two cards will be handed out to each player, going in turn order.”

“Now,” the maid spoke sternly, “Place an initial bet of 20 monocoins each to begin the game,”

Rantaro, who had been leaning against an arcade machine, poked Kaede in the shoulder. “You think that Shuichi is going to win this?” he whispered to her in a hushed tone.

The pianist whispered back, “He’s a smart guy, I’m sure that he can pull out a big money grab here.”

Each of them complied as per the rules and put down 20 monocoins each from their pockets.

Soon, all five of the players held their two cards in their hands. They each took a discreet look at their own cards and adorned the ever so famous poker face that the game was so well known for.

“I will be ever the wisest with my bets here. You all will see this Luminary of the Stars take home the crown of this tournament all to myself!”

Well, some of them at least tried to be subtle about their ambitions.

Ryoma grinned from upon his small spectator podium, “That’s what they all say in the beginning.”

Tenko pointed an accusatory finger at the astronaut, “You seem like the type of person that gets a band hand and bluffs throughout the entire round. You will just keep on raising the bet till everyone else folds!” she accused.

“M-ME!?” Kaito flinched, seemingly hurt by the remark, “Bluff?!”

Shuichi sighed out aloud, “The cards have been dealt,” he raised his hand, “I rai-”

“AHAHAA!” Miu cackled and interrupted Shuichi, “Bet he bluffs way more than he can deal out. Both his heads are the same in that regard!”

“I said!” Shuichi growled, “I raise to a bid of 50 monocoins as a start,” he spoke as he placed his monocoins into the money pot.

Kaito slammed down his coins right atop Shuichi’s and knocked over the neatly stacked chip tower that the detective had created. “I raise the bid to 75!”

“Oh, a raise I see,” Kiyo whispered, “Very well. I match it. Call,” he answered as called the bet.

Miu jumped in, “Call from me as well!” she then bit her bottom lip against her teeth, “Just like how I called your mom last night,” she cooed seductively.

“Hey!” Tenko shouted, “That was my turn Miu, you jumped the gun early!” she sighed wistfully, “Jumping the gun with such a gross joke like that? Whatever, I call the raise. But 75 is high this early on!” she complained, regardless.

“How much money is even in that pot right now?” Rantaro commented offhandedly.

“Don’t try the math, kid,” Ryoma suggested as he looked up at the amnesiac, “Just watch and enjoy the game. The results are always tallied in the end.”

 

“That concludes the first round of betting,” Kirumi picked up the cards and put away the top ‘burn’ card in the dummy pile. “Now, it's time for the community cards to be revealed.”

“The first community card is… the Ace of Spades.”

“Ooh!” Kaede chirped.

“Interesting,” Kiyo rubbed his chin and mumbled.

“Hmm,” Kaito mumbled, “I think I’m winning,”

“I ‘think’ he says,” Rantaro mocked in amusement.

“His bluffing is unmatched,” Kaede backed him up, “What are the chances that he’s not?”

 

“The next community card,” Kirumi spoke as she turned the second card over, “... the Jack of Hearts.”

“That’s not good,” Miu grumbled.

“I think I got something here,” Tenko scratched her head.

“Too early to tell,” Ryoma closed his eyes and voiced his thoughts.

 

“And the last community card,” the third community card was turned over, “... Jack of Spades.”

Shuichi sharply looked up from his lap, “Oh?”

“Ohoho!” Kaito giggled happily, “That’s freaking amazing!”

“Hold on now,” Ryoma grinned sharply. “This might be interesting,”

Kirumi looked down at the three shared on the table, “This is quite intriguing. Both Ace and Jack of Spades are on the table. Very well, now we continue into the most crucial betting phase.”

 

The turn was on Shuichi now, “I check,” he said and tapped the table once.

“Uh,” Kaede raised a brow, “What does checking mean?”

“Basically, he passed his turn without betting any money,” Ryoma answered her, “You usually do that when you have a weak hand, or you are not confident in your victory.”

“Oh.” The pianist frowned.

“Don’t be saddened girl,” Ryoma danced his cigarette between his fingers, “See, there is this little thing called lying. He could also be making himself appear weak by checking when he has a great hand.”

“Oh?”

“Such an interesting little tidbit, ain’t it? A tiny little lie can create such a great impact on the overall outcome of the game,” Ryoma answered and went back to spectating.

“I raise the bet to 100!” Kaito announced and slammed down his money on the table in a grandiose show.

“Eh?!” Miu flinched and almost fell off from her seat.

“Are you actually being serious here?” Kiyo turned to him and glared. His expression perfectly conveyed his spoken words. “You have raised the bet twice here, Kaito.”

“He doesn’t know jack shit about this game,” Rantaro hummed to himself.

“I’m starting to think I was right about this degen… He has to be bluffing…” Tenko blinked.

“I opt out of this madness,” Kiyo growled. “I fold,” he threw away his cards onto the discard pile.

“Just what the hell is Kaito’s game plan?” Ryoma wondered, “He doesn’t seem like he knows how the game is played. So, what’s going on in that brain of his?!”

“Bold choice Kaito,” Kirumi commented on the play-style of the astronaut, “I hope the stakes you’re setting are worth it.”

“Don’t worry about it Kirumi,” he replied and flashed her a thumbs up, “I got this!”

Shuichi (who had been holding his forehead ever since Kaito’s raise) mumbled, “Tenko… will you match to 100? Or are you folding?”

The martial artist sweat dropped, “Umm…call…”

“Interesting,” Shuichi nodded in thought and turned to the inventor, “Miu?”

The inventor shivered under his gaze, “Heeee!” she then mumbled out, “F-f-fold!”

“You sure, Miu?” Kirumi verified the inventor’s play.

“Y-yeah!”

“Okay, Time to pay attention everyone,” Shuichi announced as he tapped the table with an irregular rhytm, “Check!”

 

Kirumi smiled in appreciation, “A full round has been completed without a raise,” then she eyed Kaito, “Though I’m sure that won’t last if this turn passes on.”

“Hey!” Kaito grumbled indignantly.

“Now,” the maid continued, “It’s time for the fourth community card, which is…

“....10 of Spades…”

All hell broke loose instantly.

“THE FUCK!?”

“AHH!!!”

“LET HER COOK!!”

“Why did I fold?!” Kiyo screeched as he held his head in his hands.

“I AM IN THE SAME BOAT AS YOU, GIMP GUY!” Miu shouted at the anthropologist. She then turned her attention to the astronaut, “YOU KEPT FUCKING RAISING THE BET, SO THEN I FOLDED FROM YOUR FAULT!”

“How is that my fault?!” Kaito retorted sharply. “You folded on your own!”

“This…” Kaede held her stomach in her arms as she laughed, “This is too much!”

Rantaro lurched forward and peered out his head from in between Shuichi and Kaito’s shoulders, and death glared at the cards on the table. He turned left to face Shuichi. He looked down at his hand which was still tapping away incessantly, then peered back up at his face, “You seeing this shit?!” Then he craned his neck to the right to face Kaito, “Can you even understand this shit?!”

Ryoma; who had previously been sitting in his seat, climbed up and sat onto Kirumi’s shoulders and inspected the cards from there up on high. Shockingly, the maid didn’t even flinch and even helped him climb up her back. Now there was a thought there.

“If the last card is a spade, then I am jumping out of a window,” Rantaro declared, focusing his gaze like a hawk on the table.

“Hey, I’ll be joining you with that, Rantaro,” Kaede came on the other side of Shuichi and mimicked all of Rantaro’s actions .

“Please… give way to me,” Shuichi pleaded, looking in between Rantaro and Kaede as his knuckle kept fidgeting.

“A jack of Hearts, A jack of Spades, An Ace of Spades and a 10 of spades…” Ryoma blinked as he rubbed at his eyes to clear his vision, “You know it's a good game when the dealer almost has a flush.”

“Looking at the possibilities,” Kiyo hummed as he leaned over the table, “There is a chance of a Full House, Four of a Kind, Straight Flush AND a Royal Flush!?”

“Tenko,” Shuichi looked at the martial artist with desperate eyes, “For all that is holy, don’t let Kaito win by bluffing.”

“I am NOT bluffing!” Kaito grunted as he shook his enclosed fist at Shuichi, “I know what I am doing here!”

“Yeah right,” Miu scoffed, “Bet you’re all just talk, and when it comes to showing your stuff, you’re just a limpdick down there!”

“Who says I’m letting Kaito win, you degenerate?!” Tenko scowled at Shuichi, “I’m not letting either of you win!”

 

Meanwhile, hiding behind an arcade machine, a certain black and white ursine chuckled to himself, “Fuck the Killing Game! This is way more entertaining!”

 

Kirumi finally spoke and broke through the ensuing chaos, “Uh, I think we should finally continue now. The stakes for this game have been stacked sky-high.”

“I will rai-” Kaito started, but then was quietened instantly by the collective death glare of the entire tournament party. “I-I’ll check!”

Shuichi then spoke with a completely calm and stoic tone, “Raise to 200.”

“THE FUCK SHUICHI?!” Kaito slammed his fist down onto the table loudly and rattled all the monocoins wildly.

“I knew it!” Miu cackled heartily at Kaito, “You were bluffing out of your ass this whole time! Now you are starting to sweat when someone else raised!!”

“Oh, this game is getting quite hectic now,” Kiyo parroted as he absorbed the ensuing chaos.

“You were just checking this whole time?!” Tenko griped as she scowled at the detective, “SO then WHY are you raising now?!”

Shuichi just shrugged at Tenko and didn’t give an answer to her question.

“I don’t think I can wait for any longer now,” Kaede shuddered, “At the same time, I don’t wanna see what is on the other side of the fifth card.”

“I swear if that last card is another spade!” Miu slammed her forehead against the table and groaned.

“Did nobody notice that Shuichi jumped in when it was Tenko’s turn?” Kirumi raised a brow at the players and sneered.

“Oh…”

“... Oh…”

“Oh…?”

“Tenko, the tension is through the roof now. Please just continue,” Kiyo advised.

“Re-raise to 250!” the martial artist cried and raised the bet.

“Goddammit!” Kaito shook his head in dismay. “This single game round is never going to end!”

“Do all these motherfuckers have flushes?!” Miu demanded the three players that were still in the play. “Why are they making the pile this big?!”

“Can you three just check this time?” Kiyo begged, “I can’t take this suspense anymore. I need this game to reach its conclusion already!”

“The Luminary of the Stars never backs down from a challenge!” Kaito boisterously declared, “Re-raise to 300!!”

“That didn’t work out, did it?” Kiyo stared blankly at the astronaut. “He just re-raised once again.”

“Just how much cash is in that money pile now?” Ryoma scratched his chin and mumbled.

“Shuichi..” Kaede turned to the detective… “Please don’t-”

“Raise to 500!!”

“... I shouldn’t even be surprised at this point,” the pianist mumbled dejectedly.

“How to lose all of your life savings 101,” Miu muttered dreamily.

“Mind you, this was just a single round of poker,” Rantaro commented.

“Call!” Tenko called the 500 bet and added her own amount into the pot.

“Thank you,” Rantaro huffed out, “Thank you for not raising it.”

“Shut it! I am concentrating here, you degenerate!” Tenko warned him as she shot him a glare.

Now it was Kaito’s turn to act. If he chooses to either check or call, the last card gets revealed, and the game reaches its conclusion.

The anticipation was through the roof, and everyone was waiting with bated breath for Kaito’s response.

“I call,” Kaito closed his eyes and answered.

This was it. It was finally the time for the showdown to see who won the game. Kaito, Tenko or Shuichi. Who would be taking home the cash prize?

Tune in next time to-

 

 

“Kirumi,” Shuichi shuddered and raised his hand, “Please reveal the last card.”

“I fucking swear if this fifth card is a spade…” Miu cursed, now leaning against the table with her palms for support.

In fact; everyone who had been spectating or had either folded their cards, all gathered together and huddled around the table in a circle and watched the overturning of the final card with a steely eyed gaze.

“And the fifth and final community card is…” Kirumi pinched the card in between her fingers. Shuichi could detect easily that she was sweating nervously, and her palm was trembling as she held the card.

It was the moment of truth..

 

 

“... The Queen of Spades…”

“Yep, time to jump out of a window!”

“I will be right behind you, Rantaro!”

“Can I come too?”

“Before you three form your suicide pact,” Shuichi grunted at Miu who started getting up. “Let’s see the end of this game, shall we?”

“Y-yes,” Kirumi stammered and cleared her throat, “Now that the betting has been finished, and the final community card has been revealed, it is time for all the remaining players to show their hands to see who the winner of the round is,”

Ryoma sighed anxiously, “A dealer’s hand with a Jack of Hearts; and a 10, Ace, Jack and Queen of Spades is just… wow. I think I still haven’t woken up from this dream.”

“Tenko,” the maid turned to the Aikido master, “We shall start with you. Reveal both of your cards, please.”

 

“An Ace of Clubs and a Jack of Diamonds!” Tenko exclaimed loudly as she flipped over her cards.

“Dear god,” Kiyo gasped and covered his mouth.

“She was hiding a goldmine!” Miu blinked rapidly.

“See? I know how this game goes!” the aikido master stood up and struck a fighting stance, “Never underestimate the power of Neo-Aikido!”

“An ace of clubs and a jack of diamonds…” Kirumi noted and looked back down at the community cards, “... combines with the Ace of Spades, Jack of Spades and Jack of Hearts to create… A Full House…”

“A Full house?!” Kaede flinched, “Tenko got a FULL HOUSE?!”

“How can you two beat that, huh?” Tenko mocked Kaito and Shuichi, “I can’t see you degenerates trying to win against-”

 

“A Straight Flush!” Kaito shouted and flipped over his 2 and 9 of Spades.

“... EH?!”

“Excuse me?” Kiyo leaned forward to take a look at his cards, “I didn’t quite catch that… Did you say that you got a flush?!”

"A straight flush, mind you!" Kaito corrected him with a grin. 

“WAIT!” Kaede jumped in surprise, “KAITO WASN’T BLUFFING?!”

“YOU ARE FUCKING LYING AND I KNOW IT!” Miu slammed her fist on the table, “SHOW ME YOUR CARDS RIGHT NOW!”

“Kaito was bluffing the whole game! How come he got a flush?!” Rantaro demanded. “You played like you didn’t even know the rules of the game and just sat down for the shits and giggles!”

“... Hold on…” Kirumi spoke as she picked up Kaito’s cards and brought them up to her face.

“9 of Spades combines with the 10, Jack, Queen and Ace… that does indeed make it a straight flush…”

“And a straight flush beats a full house,” Ryoma cleared his throat, “So Tenko lost in the end.”

“Noooooooo!” cried Tenko, as she sank down in her seat. “H-how… how could this happen to me…”

“Eat it!” Kaito celebrated as he threw his arms around the money pile, “I told you all that the Luminary of the Stars would be taking home this victory!”

 

But before he started sliding the cash prize over to him, Shuichi stopped him dead by grabbing onto his hand tightly.

“Don’t celebrate too early, Kaito,” the detective advised with a smile.

“Yeah, Shuichi could still show up with something better than Kaito,” Kaede reminded the astronaut.

“That would be an absolute miracle if it happened,” Rantaro commented as he tried taking a glance at Shuichi’s cards.

“Yeah!” Kaito barked at the detective, “Because the only hand that can beat a Straight Flush is-”

 

“A Royal Flush.”

 

Absolute pin drop silence followed after Shuichi’s exclamation. After many seconds of the tense silence, and an intense back and forth staring contest between the detective and the astronaut, Kiyo spoke up through the suffocating quiet.

“Can you… reveal your cards, Shuichi?”

“Ace of Hearts and King of Spades,” Shuichi answered with the most shit-eating grin plastered on his face.

“....”

“....”

“....”

“That… that is a Royal Flush… beating out a Straight Flush…” Ryoma mumbled, “I have seen everything. I can die peacefully now.”

“King, Queen, Jack, Ace and 10 of Spades…” Kiyo cooed, “We call that one a Royal Flush, my friends.”

“... I… just unbelievable…” Kirumi was too dumbfounded to even respond straight.

“What the fuck are you packing under your belt huh to pull out a move like that?!” Miu snickered after recovering from the shock.

“Shuichi, you did it!” Kaede cheered and threw her arms around the detective and hugged him tightly. “I knew you would win this game!”

“Congratulations,” Rantaro celebrated the victory of the detective in the game. “How much did you win, anyway?” he asked.

Shuichi batted away the hand of the astronaut who was still in complete despair due to his loss and had yet to start animating again. Shuichi threw his arms around the money pile and dragged it all over to himself.

“I think I’m going to lie down, and never wake up ever again,” Kaito droned, now wallowing in his despair.

Shuichi counted his earnings one by one and answered the question of the amnesiac, “3000 Monocoins, or 300,000 Casino Points as 1 Monocoin equals 100 casino points at the exchange counter,”

“Yep,” Kaito nodded, “Never going to wake up ever again!”

“Don’t worry yourself Kaito,” Miu patted him on the back to reassure him, ”There is always another time for you to lose all your livesavings on.”

 

 

Friendship Fragments Obtained!!

 

---

 

-{Later that same night}-

 

“So, you came too huh?”

“...of course. I understood the hidden message right away.”

“But, you are also in a killing game like me…, so then why are you willingly staying here by your lone self?”

“I know that you’re not going to kill me, so I decide to place my trust in you and am staying here of my own volition… all alone during nighttime.”

"You are certainly bold and cunning. Though I guess you needed those traits in order for you to be worthy." 

"Worthy...? Of what...?"

“....”

“Why did you suddenly go silent…? Speak up K-”

“Look out behind you!”

 

Notes:

Uh oh spagettios! There aren't many daily life chapters left!

Or...if I were to be more specific, there are only... 2 daily chapters left after this one. Keep up the predictions on who is going to kick the bucket this time!

Also... believe me when I say that the "American President" joke was written before the tariffs started happening... so yeah, that line aged really really poorly.... or it aged like fine wine, whatever you prefer.

One last thing, that whole casino event was actually an hour long RP between me and my beta on discord! It was so much fun to write that whole thing and we kinda got a bit carried away, so the cast might be a bit OOC here. BUT, the outcome of the RP was absolutely hilarious as seen in this chapter!

P.S. Can you find out the Undertale Yellow easter egg I hid somewhere in this chapter.

P.P.S. Can you find the hidden message I tried to hide in this chapter =)

Chapter 32: Lost Forever in the Darkness - Daily Life IX

Notes:

Just... one more chapter after this...

I know, I know that this daily life went on really long... but, it had to be this long for the purpose of this fic. Just like in cannon V3, chapter 2 daily life was the longest and if you take into account all of the setup and ship foundation and character building I did in this fic's chapter 2, yeah the length of this daily life is definitely justified.
SO, it's almost time to give the full throttle and start the deadly life of this chapter.

“Don’t worry yourself Kaito,” Miu patted him on the back to reassure him, ”There is always another time in life for you to lose all your lifesavings.”

“Please don’t encourage him,” Ryoma advised firmly.

“So,” Kaede perked up, “I think that marks the end of the game. What now?”

“Now, I think we-’ Rantaro started before getting interrupted.

“Wow!” Monokuma exclaimed as he jumped out from behind the arcade machine that he was hiding by. “Way to give your audience a show guys! This casino game of yours was absolutely thrilling to experience firsthand!”

“Well,” Tenko scowled bitterly, “We didn’t host it for the likes of you or your children!”

The others were unable to see the small, sullen smile etched on the faces of the pianist and the detective.

“Anyway,” the bear continued, “You all have been at this game for way longer than you think!”

“How long has it actually been?” Ryoma asked.

“It has been-”

 

*Ding Dong* *Dong Ding*

 

It is now 10PM. As such, nighttime has officially begun.

 

“Well, that answers your question quite nicely now doesn’t it?” the ursine chuckled in amusement.

“It’s nighttime already?!” Kaito screeched as he blinked at the monitor. “We couldn’t have been in here for that long, could we?!”

“Time really flew by when we all started having our fun,” Kiyo cooed and hugged himself, “Ah! I always get carried away when I am immersed in the seduction offered by humanity!”

“I swear, this gimp is more perverted than me!” Miu sneered.

“Geez, cut it out!” Kaede made a disgusted face at the anthropologist.

“Monokuma,” Rantaro perked up and called out to the bear, “If it’s already this late out, then have our roommates for this night already been decided?”

“That’s a good point,” Kirumi raised a finger, “Last night, it was around this time that our partners were picked. Right around the time of the nighttime announcement.”

“Yep, all the selections have already been done by me,” Monokuma answered curtly and with a bow. “And I have them all right here.” he answered after pulling out a scrap of paper.

“I’ll just tell you all who you have been paired up with, that good?” Monokuma continued. “Kiyo, you are with Gonta.” he pointed to the humanity lover and addressed.

“Good grace,” the anthropologist sighed, “I can’t seem to find good candidates for Sister during these nights.”

“Do I even want to know the context?” Shuichi frowned at him.

“Sister really doesn’t like it when someone disobeys her,” Kiyo chuckled darkly, “That’s about all I can tell you for now, my friend.”

“...Why did I open my mouth..?” lamented the detective.

“Moving on!” Monokuma jumped in, “Ryoma, you are with Angie. And Kirumi is with Rantaro.”

“I see…”

“Very well,”

“Awesome.”

Came the very short and curt replies from the three present in the room.

“Kaito!” the bear shouted, “You’ll be rooming with the robot!”

“Eh?” confusion was etched onto the face of the astronaut plainly.

“I’m talking about Keebo, numbnuts!”

“Don’t you dare call me an idiot!” Kaito roared back.

“Now, Shuichi,” Monokuma clasped his paws together beneath his chin. It seemed like he was trying to create an atmosphere of intrigue and suspense with his words.

 

“You got a big-boobed blonde that wears pink clothing with an ahoge on top of her head and lusts after you non-stop, as your roommate.”

Kaede was beyond elated that she was the one who got picked to sleep with Shuichi for this night! So for tonight she can-

“Congrats Shuichi! You got MIU!!”

“...No…”

“NO!!!”

“YES!!!!”

“Oh and one last thing,” the bear spoke his concluding line, “Kaede and Tenko are together too. Now, be safe and don’t forget to use protection!”

And just like that, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

“Shuichi! CMERE!!” Miu screamed and pulled the detective into a bone crushing hug. “Finally, you will be able to get a taste of some real material tonight if you get what I mean~”

“GET OFF!” the detective shouted back in vain and tried to push the inventor away from him.

“Hehe~” she cooed affectionately, “You feeling these mountains against your chest now~? Unlike before where you had to put up with those measly mosquito bites from her!”

Everybody knew who Miu was trying to throw shade at with that provocation.

And in that room, it was only Tenko’s strength and determination that prevented a body discovery announcement right then and there when she held back Kaede with all her vigor.

 

---

 

“Mnnghh?! Shuichi!!” Miu moaned as Shuichi tightened the rope around her wrists. She tried to struggle against the bonds restraining her body against the couch of Shuichi’s room.

“Sit still!” the detective growled down at her. He took one of the leather straps and tied it tightly around her wrist which prevented any type of movement from the joint.

Sufficiently cowed by his warning, the inventor let out a submissive yelp and groaned loudly.

“Bondage play huh?” Miu cooed after a minute as Shuichi finished up with his task. “Guess you’ve also got some secrets that only come out when you are on top of the bed eh?”

“Now,” Shuichi spoke, turning to fully face the inventor. He knelt down in front of her such that they were both face to face with each other.

Miu’s eyes widened instantly. She was just joking when she said those taunts to annoy him, but…, she didn’t think that they would actually end up holding a vial of truth to them in reality.

The way he moved… the way he uttered that single word. His mannerisms fully exuded the type of aura of someone who had done this type of thing many many times before.

But before her mind could fully process what was happening in front of her…, Shuichi cupped her jaw with all five of his fingers and tilted her head up forcefully.

The sudden pain brought on from his smooth but firm fingers sent a jolt of arousal straight to her core. If he wasn’t keeping her mouth closed shut with his cupping; Miu was sure that she would have moaned aloud with an ear-piercing exhale.

“You will learn your place in my life,” Shuichi sneered at her darkly. “Scum like you, have absolutely no right to think that they can even be considered a speck of dust underneath my boot.”

A stray tear rolled down Miu’s cheek as a result from his mental and physical assault on her.

His words, his gaze, his hands they were all extremely cruel in their treatment towards her. He was being a ghastly sadist with his actions and mannerisms.

But, she was an extreme masochist, wasn’t she? So… she enjoyed this humiliation to the fullest.

“Someone like you who exhibits herself to others like a common whore.” he practically growled that last word. “Someone like that, has no part to play in my life.”

“...huh..?” Miu blinked through teary eyes and looked up at him. His voice hid genuine hate beneath it, all according to her.

“Yeah,” Shuichi grinned as he reached into his pocket. With a flick of his finger, he pulled out his motive card and presented it in front of her eyes. “There is this little thing that I have to account for as well.” he chuckled creepily.

Her eyes widened as she read the wording. It was so obvious what his secret was. How could she haven’t seen it sooner?

But Miu didn’t care about all of that one bit right now. She was finally fully wailing her cries now as he let go of her jaw at last.

“FUCK YOU, YOU MOTHERFUCKER!!” she seethed in fury. “I HOPE YOU LIVE HAPPILY WITH THAT CUNT!” she tried to struggle, but his restraints on her body made it absolutely impossible for her to move up from the couch.

“YOU CAN DI-UMPH!”

Shuichi took the ball gag and forcefully made her quiet.

“That’s enough talk from your dirty mouth,” he smiled sweetly at her. “I wouldn’t have done this to you, you know?” he frowned as he backed away.

“But,” Shuichi sighed and shook his head from side to side, “You made me embarrassed in front of her, you also openly insulted her in front of me. So, you needed to be punished for that. Severely.”

“This was all a part of your punishment Miu,” he cooed at her tears. “You were such a good girl up till now, Miu. Well, that’s too bad.” Shuichi made a tsk sound and turned his back to her, “I’ll give you one last good piece of advice, Miu.”

“You should really look for someone who isn’t as messed up as me.” he finished before walking out the door; leaving her alone in the room to cry by herself.

 

Friendship Fragment Obtained!

 

---

 

“Hey guys!” Monokuma cheered as he appeared dressed up in a red and blue costume which had a huge white spider pattern etched over its middle. The ursine could be seen in the middle of a swing between two skyscrapers really high up from the ground.

 

Monokuma Theatre!

Begin!

 

“Are you all completely tired of waiting for a murder to occur as well?” the bear scowled, “I mean seriously, which slowpoke is running this show so slowly for it to be taking this long for each chapter to come out?! Tell them to hurry it up already, I have waited long enough!”

“I mean, take a moment of this seriously. Who the hell even cares for the Daily Life section in these things? All the hits, the Kudos, and the comments come in during the Deadly Life section!”

“So hurry on with it and get to the juiciest part already! Let us have our carnage and backstabbings already!” he screeched high up to the heavens. “Someone just drop dead already!!”

 

---

 

Another morning came and all the ultimates gathered together in the cafeteria. Though, there was a small commotion happening inside of the dining hall this morning.

“Tenko,” whined Himiko as she clutched the side of the Aikido’s hakama. “Please, I wanna join too!”

“B-but dear Himiko!” Tenko gasped as her face grew red, “A-all these degenerates here will be able to see you naked if you do that!”

“Are you saying that you wouldn’t like to see that sight for yourself?” Angie smirked and raised a brow at the Aikido master, “Eh Tenko?”

“W-what!!” Tenko’s blush was so fierce that it seemed like all of the blood in her body had rushed up into her face in an instant.

“Excuse me..” Keebo spoke up at once, “Just, what are you all talking about?”

“Yeah,” Gonta scratched his chin in thought, “Gonta wants to know too!”

“Nuh uh!” Angie tutted with a wag of her finger, “This conversation is only between us girls. Boys like you aren’t allowed to butt in. It’s not very gentlemanly to do that, you know?”

“Gonta sorry!”

“Well I can fuckin ask, can’t I?” Miu scowled, “What the fuck are you three traffic lights upto?!”

“Traffic lights..?” Kaito hummed in confusion.

“I think she means the coloring of their clothes,” Maki answered, “Himiko wears red, Angie yellow, and Tenko has green clothing on.”

“Wow!” Kaito cheered jovially, “Great job Makiroll!”

“Anyway,” Himiko shook her head, “Tenko wants to hold a pool party today, and is inviting all the girls. But, she has refused to invite me!”

“That’s not very nice, is it Tenko?” Rantaro accused, “Let the poor girl have her fun.”

“Back up you degenerate male!” Tenko scowled bitterly at him, “I won’t let any degenerate lay their ugly gazes on a naked Himiko!”

“But I want to join too!” Himiko whined as she threw out her hands in protest.

“You should let her join, Tenko,” Kaede pleaded with her, “I promise it won’t be that bad, these boys here aren’t perverts like that.”

… Yeah… right…

“No means no!”

Shuichi knew that he had to step in and twist the knife here. He cracked his fingers and got ready to dish out some raw and bitter truth.

“Himiko,” he spoke up with a smile and turned to face the magician, “I think that it’s best for you to drop this topic for now.”

“W-why..!” Himiko had been holding back her tears, and they were finally starting to run down her cheeks now.

“I mean, it’s pretty clear that Tenko is being really possessive and controlling of you right now. She isn’t even seeing you as your own person right now. Not to mention how perverted she acts towards you.”

“T-that….that’s not true!” cried Tenko, pointing accusatively at the detective.

Shuichi ignored her cries and kept talking, “Tenko ignores each and every one of your concerns all the time, and only focuses on seeing your life the way that she wants to see it as,”

It was finally time to put the nail in the coffin. He turned to Tenko and declared.

“For someone who wears green, you sure have a lot of red flags, Tenko.”

There was a long, painful silence after Shuichi’s declaration. The only sound that shattered it was Himiko dashing out of the dining room crying her eys out.

“I think that it is best that you leave Himiko alone for a while,” Kaede was the one who spoke up first. She advised the martial artist and gave her some much-needed talk, “Though his words sting, Shuichi is only telling the truth here.”

“A-alright...” Tenko answered, letting out a shaky sigh and dabbing her eyes with the back of her sleeve.

“Aha!” Angie chirped and clasped a hand on the martial artist’s shoulder, “But don’t worry, I will convince Himiko to join the party. She was really looking forward to it, so Atua thinks that it won’t take too long to bring her back around!”

“Please… please bring back Himiko, Angie..” Tenko requested the artist with a hint of desperation in her tone. “I don’t want to see her all sad because of something I did… or from something that I have been doing all this time.”

“You finally starting to realise your mistakes?” Ryoma smiled in appreciation. “Good, keep it up.”

“Now if only you would stop calling all us guys, ‘degenerate males’..” Rantaro whistled to himself.

“That would be nice, wouldn’t it?” Keebo perked up as well.

“Degenerates will always remain degenerates!” she scowled and struck a defensive pose.

“Was worth a shot.” Rantaro shrugged his shoulders.

“Perhaps you should at least thank him, Tenko.” Kirumi walked up and stood next to the detective, “I’m in no place to say this as a maid; even so, Shuichi deserves to be thanked for making you see the error in your ways. Even if his method to do so may have been a little…, unorthodox.”

“Shuichi...” Tenko started.

“I don’t need her thanks, I was just stating the truth is all.” Shuichi shrugged and dismissed her outright.

“Why you!” she seethed at him for his interjection.

“Man, you are such a hardass aren’t you?” Kaito groaned as he scratched the back of his neck. “Cmon, we’ll need to do something about that and make you more sociable with us!”

“Excuse me?” Shuichi raised an eyebrow at him in a judging manner.

“What do you have going on in that mind of yours, Kaito?” Rantaro also joined in.

“See, you too!” the astronaut grinned at the amnesiac. “You both are way too pissy and gloomy all the time! You both need to start having a little more positivity in your lives!”

“And how do you suppose we’ll get more ‘positive’ as you put it?” Shuichi intoned.

“Let’s have a tennis match today!” Kaito shouted out.

“A… tennis match..?” Ryoma tilted his head.

“Yeah, and we’ll use your lab for it Ryoma,” he elaborated, “Anyone from the boys’ side is free to join in if they so want to!”

“Why just the boys?” Maki questioned, glaring at the astronaut.

“Aren’t you girls going to be busy having your little pool party?” Kaito bit back with a smirk. “If so, then us boys aren’t going to sit back all willy nilly and waste our time!”

“Oh, is there some sort of rivalry brewing between the sexes here?” Kiyo looked up from his novel.

“You bet there is!” Miu shot up from her seat. “Those cunts over there can go suck dicks for all I care!”

“Miu calm down!” Keebo yelped and held down the inventor.

“Hee!!”

“Are you upset over something?” he asked as he adopted a caring tone, “If so, then I am willing to listen to you.”

“Y-you will..?” there was a hint of longing and vulnerability in Miu’s eyes as she spoke.

“Yes, I will.” he softly smiled at her.

“T-thanks…” she stuttered as her cheeks turned rosy pink.

“Umm….” Kaede parroted left to right, dumbfounded at the display between the robot and the inventor, “...wha…?”

“Talk about a rebound.” Shuichi was equally as astonished as his girlfriend.

 

---

 

“Rantaro!” Shuichi called out as the ball wizzed past him in a blur. He had raised his racket to try and punt the ball back to the other side of the court, but he was too late to reach it in time.

“There!” Rantaro shouted as he struck the ball with his own racket. The ball made contact and let out a loud and shrill squeak against the netting, and rebounded back over to the other side.

Ryoma flicked his wrist nonchalantly and the ball was thrown back out from his side of the court.

The Tennis Pro was standing completely alone on his side by the way, he didn’t need a single teammate according to him. Thus, he was taking on both Rantaro and Shuichi, completely solo.

And the skill of the tennis pro was clearly being put on a silver display in front of the boys as he was barely making an effort in his plays; while Shuichi and Rantaro were absolutely exhausted and drenched in sweat as they tried to keep up with the skill of an ultimate.

It all happened in an instant. There was a flash of green as the ball flew past Shuichi and made touchdown against the ground just ahead of Rantaro.

“Game-Love!” Kaito shouted as yet another point went to the tennis pro. And as it was the fourth point that the tennis pro had made, it was now game-over.

“Dammit!” Shuichi gritted in frustration as he pressed the racket net against his skull.

“We had that one!” Rantaro clutched his racket tightly and sneered.

“Shuichi and Rantaro,” Keebo frowned from upon the bleachers, “You both were unable to make even a single point.”

“Keebo!” Gonta scolded the robot, “That’s not nice to say! Shuichi and Rantaro try their hardest to win!”

“Dont sweat it,” Ryoma chuckled from upon the pitch, “The fact that these two had been winning every round till now, just goes to show their skill and teamwork.” he praised.

“Indeed,” Kiyo hummed, “They were able to beat both Gonta and I working together, and Kaito alongside with Keebo in our two-vs-two matches thus far.”

“But now they went up against Ryoma and lost.” Kaito drawled as he let out a chuckle. “Serves them both right for all that trash talk they did against me and Keebo!”

“It’s not like you weren’t also dishing out disses towards us!” Rantaro barked at the astronaut.

“Is ok to have a little competitive spirit in matches like this!” Gonta cheered from the sidelines. “Helps everyone in getting along in the long run!”

“If making rivalries gets people along in the end,” Kaito grinned widely, “Then I’m the one with the most connections!”

“God, that was so corny,” Shuichi gagged and hid his face in his hands.

“Hey! It’s you who lost!”

“Won against you though.”

“You little!”

“Whatever,” Shuichi sighed, “I’m going to go wash my face. Eugh! I’m so sweaty now!” he revolted back as soon as he smelled himself.

“It did feel good to finally let it all out with that much sweat and action, right Shuichi?” Kaito thumbed the detective a smile.

But, the detective turned around on his heels and spoke with a cheshire smirk, “... Phrasing, my dear Kaito~” he cooed and winked at him.

Then, with a florish of his hands, the detective disappeared behind the shower room’s bulk door and left the poor Kaito questioning his heterosexuality.

 

---

 

“Let me just wash up real quick.” Shuichi hummed to himself as he approached the sink and washed his dirty and sweating face. He would definitely need to take a complete shower to get rid of the smell later on though. Well, that was a problem for future Shuichi to deal wi-

“You are looking gorgeous in that swimsuit!”

HUH?!

Shuichi’s thoughts came to a sudden halt as he heard the sound of someone closeby. But, he was sure that they weren’t here in the room with him currently. It almost sounded like it was-

“Oh thank you!”

“Hey! Her rack is nowhere near as filled out as mine!”

Ah, it was coming from over by that window.

If Shuichi recalls the layout of the academy then…

“That’s the pool beneath there isn’t there?” he remembered as his thoughts combined. “And also, the girls are supposed to be having a party there right now, aren’t they?”

He thinks for a fleeting second as he stands in the shower room; that he is right in between both the groups of the boys and the girls at the moment. The boys are beyond the bulk door behind him, and girls can be heard right outside the window in front of him.

“Can you please leave my chest alone already?!”

“HeeEEE!!!”

“A pool party… one in which there will only be girls…” a dark voice came forth from the back of his mind. “Girls… who will be wearing nothing but swimsuits…”

Though for some weird reason, Shuichi thought that this voice belonged to someone who looked exactly like him; but that person just had red eyes on him, as compared to his hazel ones.

Weird.

“Cmon Shuichi,… take a peek through that window…” it whispered directly into his being, “You’re a Danganronpa protag aren’t you..? You have yet to have your peeping pervert event…”

 

Shuichi’s resolve hardened instantly. It was do or die here!

He will step towards that window and claim his right!!

 

 

Special Event!

A Man’s Fantasy!!

 

 

It was as if Shuichi had walked into Paradise.

The silky smooth and unblemished skin. The wide and plumpy thighs. The curved and outstretched hips. The filled-out hourglass shaped waist.

All of it.

All of it, simply… breathtaking.

Those luscious blonde locks that rested atop her collar-bones. Those purples pupils that adorned her irises. Those puffy lips that encompass her mouth.

All of it.

His…

 

…alone…

 

Ah, Kaede Akamatsu. His undoing. His weakness. His poison.

He would gladly murder someone in this academy if they were to even try and touch her. If they even try to get their hands on her. And if they did, well…, they wouldn’t have their hands for much longer.

And, he would face his execution with open arms as a result.

As if she wouldn’t rig the execution to make him survive it! She would do that for him without a doubt!!

Oh, she laughed as she jumped into the pool with a splash. A small smile plastered on her face as she emerged from the surface of the water.

Shuichi would commit any crime imaginable just so that he would be able to see that smile for even a second longer.

He is so damn lucky that he is the one dating her. Because if not, then whichever sorry face decides to go anywhere even near her…, well their fate can be left up for the imagination, correct?

And the best part in all of this? Shuichi knows indisputably... that all of these wonderful thoughts of his…, are shared by her as well.

Kaede would gladly kill for him. She would gladly face her own death for him. (He wouldn’t let her!) She would be willing to do unspeakable things to anyone who would try and make any serious moves on him.

 

….is this what you call, love?

 

---

 

Shuichi blinks once and he is back out from his headspace. He realizes immediately that he has been staring nonstop at his girlfriend for the past five minutes or so.

The others girls down there don’t interest him in the slightest, by the way. He is just that enamored with her.

Kaede is now back outside the pool, wearing her skimpy two piece swimsuit that hugs her curves and makes her aura practically exude her self-confidence. She is lounging on the edge of top atop the sun chairs, enjoying a tropical cocktail as she lies down.

 

She looks up and winks at him.

 

His heart starts to thunder in his chest wildly. He raises his hand and leans out of the window to wave and wink at-

 

 

All the lights around him go out in an instant and a blackout envelops the entirety of the Academy.

 

 

Notes:

A blackout in the middle of a killing game..? And Shuichi is conveniently at a place in the middle of both the groups?!
Yeah, get the Body Discovery Announcement ready Monokuma.
Final call for the victim theories!! Who will be the one kicking the bucket next chapter?!

Chapter 33: Lost Forever in the Darkness - Daily Life X

She looks up and winks at him.

 

His heart starts to thunder in his chest wildly. He raises his hand and leans out of the window to wave and wink at-

 

 

All the lights around him go out in an instant and a blackout envelops the entirety of the Academy.

 

“GAHHH!!”

“IT’S SO DARK!!”

“I CAN’T SEE ANYTHING!”

“DEGENERATES!!”

“WHO TURNED THE FUCKING LIGHTS OFF?!”

 

A cacophony of wails and shouts erupts all around Shuichi. Whether it be from the pool party or from the tennis match, they are all screaming and fumbling in hysteria.

But Shuichi doesn’t spare any mind for their cries at the moment. Right now, he is teetering on the edge of a panic attack.

He is leaning out of a window on the third floor of the academy; it will be roughly a ten-meter long free-fall if he were to slip here and now. Most likely resulting in his death as an outcome.

And worst of all, he is shrouded in complete darkness as far as he could see. Shuichi is only barely able to make out the vague silhouette of his hand as it comes up only a few centimeters away from his face.

This darkness is absolutely stifling and repressive. Shrouding and concealing any truth trying to reveal itself.

It is just at that moment then, a foreboding thought forms in his mind.

He is in the middle of a blackout in a killing game. Somebody right around him is most likely going to be using this voidout as an opportunity to kill. Or the more grim truth to face is, someone has caused this blackout to try to kill someone.

 

…. Kaede is down there, all alone in the darkness…

 

His body moved on its own. He didn’t even have to will it to react. Shuichi needed to go down there in the pool-room at this instant. He turned around on his heel, his back to the window, and his face motioned towards the bulk door that he couldn’t see in the dark. His feet skid across the wet and slippery flooring of the shower room.

A stray puddle on the tiled floor caused him to slip and lose his footing.

Shuichi was falling.

His lower back made a harsh contact against the bottom part of the metal frame of the window, making him heave out the air in his lungs. His head crashed against the horizontal divider that spanned across the middle of the frame, making him dizzy and nearly making him lose consciousness.

Nearly the whole of his upper body was out the window in an instant. In mere seconds, he was going to fall off the third floor of this academy. A fall that was most likely going to hurt him severely if he was lucky. Worst-case scenario, he would end up breaking his neck upon impact with the pool’s flooring and die from the harsh contact.

What… what should he do?!

 

---

Compassion makes people trust you. If you offer them your hand, they’ll reach for it…

The world needs more detectives like you. So… I hope that you’ll stay a detective forever.

---

 

A memory. A memory from his time from before. Back before all of this madness had overtaken his life.

At a time when both he and she were trying to live in quiet harmony in this academy. In the previous season, when they were living their peaceful life, away from the others right here in the four walls of this same academy. They were both so… happy back then.

“... I hope you’ll stay a detective forever”

He has to honor her wish. He has to fight for the truth relentlessly. He has to dispel all the lies! He will uphold the title of the Ultimate Detective and wear it with pride!!

He won’t ever give up now!!!

A surge of pure adrenaline shot through his entire body from head to toe. His sense sharper than they had ever been before. He threw out his hand to grasp something solid and to pull himself back up from impending doom.

Shuichi’s efforts proved fruitful as he latched onto something firm and solid.

A human hand.

“Shuichi!” Rantaro screeched in full-blown panic as he pulled Shuichi back up with all his might.

It took Shuichi less than a second to feel his feet back on solid ground. As soon as he was on steady ground again, Shuichi felt himself being pulled into a warm embrace.

“A-are you okay, Shuichi?!” Rantaro shivered as he grasped onto the back of Shuichi’s head tightly.

“I-I…” Shuichi finally found his voice. Though, when it left his lips, it was nothing but a shaky and dissociated whisper. All the adrenaline finally seeping away from his body had ghosted him away from his strength.

“You don’t need to say anything!” Rantaro held him closer and whispered in his ear. “Just..! Just relax, okay Shuichi..?” He reassured as he patted him on the head. It was then that Rantaro noticed a warmth coating his palm from where he had it clutched to the detective’s skull.

“Shuichi..?” he rasped, “Why are you… bleeding from your head..!?”

“Ah,” Shuichi winced as Rantaro soothed the spot with his palm, “I hit my head against the frame when I slipped,” he rasped as a sudden dizzy spell came over him. “This… this must be the effect of an oncoming concussion.”

“Uh…” Rantaro looked left and right in a panic, then realized that such an attempt resulted in absolutely nothing, as he was practically blind here in the darkness. So he blurted the first thing that came to his mind, “Crouch down to the floor with me!” he asserted as he knelt down to the ground, holding Shuichi in his embrace.

“SHUICHI!!” There was a shout from down below.

Both the detective and the amnesiac blinked and focused on the yell that was coming from the down in the pool area.

“Shuichi, what happened?!” That was definitely Kaede’s voice calling out to him from the darkness. “Answer me already!!”

With shaky footing and an unsteady balance, Shuichi stood back up. Turning his head, he shouted out into the black void, “I’m okay!! I just… got a concussion is all!!”

“HOW?!”

“It’s a long story, Kaede!”

“Is everyone okay?!” Keebo’s voice boomed inside the shower room as he busted inside. “I heard shouting from in here!”

“We’re fine,” Rantaro replied, turning his head in the general direction from where Keebo’s voice was coming from.

“The fuck’s going on?!” Miu’s scream sounded out, “Who the fuck turned off the lights?!”

“Gahh!” Tenko’s shout was heard as well, “Someone turn them back on already!”

“This is definitely the doing of someone who is down bad and just wants to have their way with me in the dark!” Miu squealed sharply.

“W-what..! I won’t let any degener-”

“At least turn the lights back on and do it in front of everyone else! If you want to fuck me while others around, then come out and do it already like a real man!!”

“... EH?!”

“Is everyone here?!” Kaito’s' voice came from the entrance of the shower room. “I can’t see anyone in this blackout!”

It was just then that an idea came into Shuichi’s head. “Everyone!” he shouted, pressing his hands to the side of his mouth, “Shout out your names if you can hear me!”

“And why would we do that, you degenerate!?” Tenko called back.

“Humor me and just do it!”

“Fine..! Tenko!”

“Kaede!”

“Gorgeous Girl Genius!”

“Keebo!”

“... Maki.”

“Rantaro!”

“Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars!!”

“Angie Yonaga!”

“Korekiyo.”

“Shuichi!”

"...." 

“... Wait..!” Kaede cried in alarm, “That’s it?! Where’s the others?!”

“Everyone was here, were they not?!” Shuichi shouted.

“Yeah..!” Kaede called back, “All the girls were here, I saw all of them with my own eyes!”

“Then,” Maki hummed, “Where did the others go in the dark?”

“Himiko!” Tenko bawled in the darkness, “Where are you?! Where did you go!?”

“Who else is missing?” Rantaro asked, “Let’s see if we can identify them.”

“Umm,” Keebo droned, “If we negate the ones who called then…, the ones missing are Himiko, Kirumi, Gonta, and Ryoma.”

“That many?!” Kaito flinched, “Where could they have gone off into the dark-”

 

 

It happened so suddenly.

Their world was completely overtaken by a blinding flash of light emanating from everywhere around in their surrounding. It was so sudden that it left many students stunned, still in place, rooted to their spot. The experience of it felt like a flashbang going off right in front of their eyes.

All the lights inside the academy came back on in an instant.

“Gah!” “My eyes!” “I’ve gone blind!” many wails sounded out as they were temporarily blinded by the sudden presence of bright light after such long and arduous minutes of nothing but pure and suffocating darkness.

Shuichi rubbed his eyes to forcefully acclimate himself to the brightness.

“Himiko, where are you!?” Tenko wailed, trying to search for the magician.

“Seriously, where did dear Himiko go?” Angie hummed with a fleeting smile.

“H-help..!” a cry sounded out from somewhere in the pool area.

“HIMIKO!” Tenko shouted, running towards the location of the cry.

“I’m stuck..!” Himiko cried, stuck underneath one of the folding chairs. “I tried to use my magic and hide here during the dark, but I ran outta MP and got stuck under here!”

“GAH!” Miu screamed and jumped, “Why the fuck are you hiding underneath my chair?! If you wanna take a look at the goods in secret, then just ask politely!”

“I was s-scared in the darkness, and so I hid under the first thing I felt...” Himiko answered as she shivered in fear.

“Those are some good survival instincts there,” Maki noted. “... for someone so frail and timid.”

“What a backhanded compliment,” Kaede chuckled nervously.

“Well,” Maki sighed, “We found Himiko; now where did Kirumi end up? She shouldn’t be able to hide underneath something here, unlike Himiko.”

“Ooh yeah!” Angie cheered, “Kirumi is also missing, isn’t she? Where O where could she have gone?”

“Hey Shuichi!” Kaede shouted up, calling out to the detective, “Is there anyone on your side who is missing?”

“Yeah, Gonta and Ryoma,” he replied back.

“Who is missing?” Kirumi spoke, exiting the storage room of the pool.

“Yeah, who ended up disappearing?” Ryoma inquired as he re-entered his lab.

“Well,” Kiyo cooed, “It seems that all but one of us are accounted for. Makes one wonder where they ended up disappearing to during the blackout…”

“It’s obvious,” Ryoma frowned and turned to his side, “I went out to look for a breaker to deal with the blackout.”

“I, too, was looking for a means to fix the blackout, and I thought that there would be a breaker present inside the storeroom,” Kirumi bowed and answered.

“Well,” Tenko sighed in relief, “It seems all the fair maidens are okay in the end.”

“There will come a day when you will stop acting like a misandrist preacher,” Maki scoffed in a sarcastic tone.

“Wait!” Keebo spoke in alarm after a whole minute had passed by, “We are still missing Gonta! He has yet to come back!”

“We all have to go and look for him!” Kaito shouted and ran out in a hurry.

“Just wait a second to calm your nerves,” Kiyo advised as he moved to stop the astronaut in his tracks. “Why are you being so quick to rush to the worst possible scenario here? Isn’t it possible that he is just busy by himself and left earlier than intended?”

Rantaro sighed, “Kiyo… may be right. Maybe Gonta had something private that he needed to do and left without telling us. We shouldn’t be so jumpy and paranoid about our actions here.”

“That guy isn’t like that!” Kaito retorted with a bark. “He puts others before himself each and every time! SO there is no way in hell that Gonta would have left without telling at least one of us if it wasn’t anything serious!’

“It’s better safe than sorry, as they say!” Angie chirped, “We all should start a search for the big guy, sooner rather than later!”

“Indeed,” Kirumi spoke up amidst the girls, “We should also change out of our swimsuits and begin looking for Gonta as early as possible.”

“Yeah,” Tenko frowned, “This pool party is as good as over now.”

“Tenko, I-” Himiko started to talk, but stopped mid-sentence and decided to stay her tongue, “... Nevermind…”

 

“It has gotten so late already!” Kaede huffed as she sat down from exhaustion, “We have been looking for Gonta for hours!”

“Where could he have ended up?!” Tenko winced in worry. “He is the least degenerate out of all of them! If something were to happen to…”

“Don’t say stuff like that!” Kaito interrupted her harshly. “He is obviously just hanging out by himself somewhere in the academy!”

“Let’s hope so,” Himiko yawned, “My mana is low right now, so I can’t actually find him with my magic.”

“Sure let’s…” Ryoma winced, “Go with that.”

“Perhaps we should be splitting up in our search?” Angie suggested as an afterthought. “It should help us in covering more ground, would it not?”

“It would have been wise to do that since the very beginning,” Kirumi sighed, “Very well, I too think that searching for Gonta individually would be a better idea.”

“If anyone finds him,” Keebo addressed the group, “Then they should take him to the courtyard, and inform us that they found him. Is that agreed upon?”

“Bah fine!” Miu groaned, “IF someone actually ends up finding that trunk pecker, then that brawling hunk of meat with no brains is their own business to deal with. Don’t get me involved with him.”

“Why? You aren’t going to help out in the search anymore?” Maki raised a brow.

“Nah bitch,” Miu spat, “I’m outta here cuz I gotta work on a bomb ass project in my lab. And I don’t wanna worry about which corner Gonta might be sitting in as he strokes his little insect maker!”

“Do you not have a filter? Like at all?!” Rantaro yelped.

“Let’s just let Miu leave,” Kaede sighed and massaged her temples, “And yeah, we should split up to look for Gonta. I, too, think that we can find him quickly if we do that.”

“We should split up posthaste,” Kiyo cooed as he checked his silver-watch, “It’s getting close to nighttime now.”

“Someone should go and check out the gym first,” Maki advised, “I don’t think anyone has set foot in there yet.”

“Wait, no don’t go ther-” Himiko started before she was interrupted.

“I’ll be there right away in an instant!” Shuichi called out as he ran off in a sprint in the direction of the gym.

 

---

 

His heart couldn’t stop beating erratically. Ever since the blackout occurred during the party, Shuichi’s mind hadn’t decelerated from its heightened state it had entered.

There was a grim feeling taking a hold deep inside his heart, trying to make him drown in despair.

But why is he so scared?

Isn’t he the mastermind of this game? Isn’t he the one behind this whole show of backstabbings and betrayals?

So then… why…?

These were the thoughts that were spinning around in his mind as he grasped onto the gym’s door handle firmly.

He opened the door gently and looked inside.

 

*Ding Dong Dong Ding*

 

It happened in an instant.

Shuichi’s body went fully frigid.

It felt like someone decided to drag permafrost icing down his back as he heard the announcement blare out all around him.

 

A body had been discovered.

That was the only thought left in his mind as the announcement continued.

 

*It is now 10PM. And as such, nighttime has officially begun!*

 

All the tension coiled in his body, released in an instant.

It was just the nighttime announcement. NOT the body discovery announcement.

 

*Come to the dormitory already to get your roommates for the night!*

*Don’t make me wait!*

 

Throwing up his hands as a result of a sudden oncoming bout of frustration, Shuichi stormed out into the direction of the dormitories.

“So, what did you find inside the gym, Shuichi?” Kaede inquired as the detective stepped inside the dorm building.

“I couldn’t find anything,” he sighed as he answered, “By the time I reached the gym, it already became nighttime. And because we can’t enter the gym at night, I wasn’t able to investigate it.”

“That’s too bad,” Keebo frowned, “Hopefully Gonta can show up during the night and reunite with us.”

“Yeah, let’s hope,” Kaito nodded in assent.

“Let’s hope so too!” Monokuma cheered as he appeared. “Don’t want him to end up dying to soon!”

“Go disappear inside a witch hex somewhere!” Himiko groaned at the bear.

“Where is Gonta at currently?” Kiyo questioned the bear. “You most likely have a twenty-four hour surveillance of the entire academy.”

“So, you should definitely know where Gonta is hiding, shouldn’t you?” Angie finished.

“Don’t worry my dear students,” the ursine cooed. “Wherever Gonta might be right now; he is absolutely, without a doubt; alive!... for now.” he giggled his usual sinister laugh.

“That’s not ominous at all,” Shuichi quipped.

“You are most definitely trying to make us paranoid,” Kirumi glared at the bear. “Gonta is safe wherever he may be!”

“I’ve still got a ways to go,” Ryoma groaned, “I won’t be fooled by your lies.”

“Anyway enough distractions,” Monokuma waved the others off with a shrug, “Let’s get on with the pairings already!”

 

---

 

“Angie is paired up with… Korekiyo!”

“Ooh, Atua deems this one…, interesting.”

“... Fascinating,”

 

“Miu is pairing up with Keebo!”

“... oh…”

“OH?!!”

 

“Ryoma shall be paired up with Kirumi!”

“... Interesting,”

“... Interesting,”

“You two gave the exact same response?!”

“... yes,”

“... yes,”

 

“Gonta will be rooming with Kaede… if he actually shows up..”

“...”

“Guess I’m all alone for the night,”

 

“Kaito will be paired up with… MAKI?!”

“YEEEEEEESSSSSS!!!!!”

“No..!”

 

“Wait a second!” Rantaro spoke up with intrigue and wonder lacing his tone, “There is only pairing left. And both me and Shuichi haven’t been picked yet!”

“Don’t tell me…” Shuichi groaned, looking high up into the heavens.

 

“Yup! Shuichi and Rantaro, you both are sleeping together for the night!”

---

 

“Wake up dude,” Rantaro shook the body of a dozing off Shuichi. “Why are you already trying to fall sleep?”

“Lemme schleep!” he mumbled groggily, burying his face farther against the couch’s pillow.

“What are you, TEN?!” Rantaro grunted and shook him even more aggressively, “Who falls asleep this soon during a sleepover?!”

“...” Shuichi didn’t answer and simply rolled over to his side.

“Wake up already! We have to discuss about-” Rantaro started but was muffled by Shuichi’s palm pressing against his lips roughly.

“Don’t.” Shuichi hissed, now sitting up straight, and wide awake with not a hint of sleep in his eyes.

You could have heard a pin drop in the ensuing silence. Rantaro could have sworn that he heard the sound of his heartbeat as Shuichi’s hazel eyes bore into his grassy ones.

“Whatever happened last night, stays hidden… correct?” Shuichi spoke in a leveled tone. It sounded like he was trying really hard to hold back all his incoming frustration and fury. “Only me, you, and Kaede know about what happened inside of there. No one else needs to know what happened between us three.”

“Okay,” Rantaro nodded after Shuichi removed his hand away. “I won’t speak up on it here.”

“Good,” Shuichi sighed in relief. “The walls can have ears too, you can never be too sure about what you speak out loud and who might be listening in, in secret.”

“Agreed,” Rantaro gave his assent, “Well then, you should be the one to hold onto this from now on.”

Rantaro said as he brought out the rusted key and dropped it into Shuichi’s open palm.

 

---

 

“There is one more prize, just for you, Shuichi.”

 

“Here you go!” chirped the bear and dropped some sort of small metallic object from his paw onto the palm of the detective.

 

“It’s…a key.” Shuichi spoke, now turning to face everyone in the room. “A rusted key, to be precise.”

 

---

 

“Oh, thank you for returning this! Thanks for giving me back the key to the-” Shuichi tried to assert before he was interrupted.

 

#ALERT ALERT#

 

!!*THIS IS AN ACADEMY WIDE BROADCAST*!!

!!*RULE 15 HAS BEEN VIOLATED BY A STUDENT*!!

!!*IT IS PROHIBITED TO SWIM IN THE POOL DURING NIGHTTIME*!!

 

#={NOW PREPARE TO BE RIPPED APART BY THE EXISALS}=#

 

Notes:

After edging the body discovery announcement in the middle of the chapter.... I write a cliffhanger ending like that... I am so evil, I'm sorry!!

Someone has finally bit the dust, but who actually is it?! Well, we'll know cuz up is the first deadly life chapter!!

Chapter 34: Lost Forever in the Darkness - Deadly Life I

Notes:

Lost Forever in the Darkness

Deadly Life

Begin

#ALERT ALERT#

 

!!*THIS IS AN ACADEMY WIDE BROADCAST*!!

!!*RULE 15 HAS BEEN VIOLATED BY A STUDENT*!!

!!*IT IS PROHIBITED TO SWIM IN THE POOL DURING NIGHTTIME*!!

 

#={NOW PREPARE TO BE RIPPED APART BY THE EXISALS}=#

 

 

 

~New Classmates of the Dead~

 

 

Shuichi ripped off all the covers from his body in a flash.

His legs carried him forward as he slammed open the door to his room with his shoulder. There was a sickening ear-piercing screech as the door’s hinges were ripped off from the frame supporting them. But he didn’t pay the broken door any mind.

He needed to get to the pool as quickly as possible.

Shuichi soon felt a presence close behind him as he exited the room. Without turning around, he came to the quick conclusion that Rantaro had started running after him towards the pool and was also sprinting up close behind him rapidly.

“WHAT HAPPENED?!” Shuichi turned briefly mid-dash to see Kaito vaulting over the upper balcony of the dorm building. “WHO FELL INTO THE POOL?!” he shouted as he braced the landing down to the ground-floor of the dorms, and started running as soon as he got up.

“We don’t know!” Rantaro shouted back as he flung open the glass doors of the dorm building. “Just keep running! We’ll figure the rest out later!”

After running out into the courtyard; Shuichi noticed with a fleeting glance, Miu and Keebo climbing up the stairs in a hurry. They were seen climbing up the stairs that lead down to the bottom part of the courtyard which housed Miu’s ultimate lab.

“This information will definitely come into play when the class trial begins.” that was the flash thought that passed through Shuichi’s mind as he witnessed them coming up.

Shuichi wasn’t naive. He knew after listening to an announcement like that, that there was absolutely going to be a class trial taking place in only a matter of a few hours. He needed to gather as many clues as possible before even reaching the pool.

Shuichi heard the march of many more feet as he kept up in crossing the courtyard. Without stopping, he listened to the frantic shouts and huffs of Kaito, Rantaro, Miu, Keebo and Kaede; trying to catch upto him.

Apparently, the pianist had also joined into the fray as she sprinted towards the pool in tow with the others.

“We need to get to the pool as soon as possible!” she barked as she caught up. “Don’t worry about where the others might be! They can catch up with us later!”

 

Shuichi’s lungs burned from sprinting across the entire courtyard. His legs seemed like they were right on the verge of falling off due to the amount of sheer exhaustion and ache he felt in them. His body screamed at him to take a rest every time he tried to move them even a little.

But he couldn’t stop. Sheer adrenaline was pushing down all the ache and burn in his body and was keeping him afloat.

And after running for what felt like an eternity; but in reality, his sprint could only have been like two minutes at most, he reached the pool area at last.

The first he noticed upon the reaching the pool entrance… were the loud explosion noises coming from inside the room. He was already too late. The exisals were already inside.

The second thing he noticed was…

 

~Living In a Lazy Parallel World~

 

“Why is this door locked?!”

 

Shuichi crowed, turning to the others.

“It’s locked?!” Kaito growled as he kicked the door with all his might. “Who could have locked this door?!”

“We don’t have time to worry about that!” Rantaro jabbed impatiently.

“We have to break down this door!” Shuichi ordered bracing against the pool door. “We can sort out the other shit later!’

“Agreed!” the other two quickly nodded in unison and braced with their shoulders against the door.

“On the count of three!” Kaito started as he focused all his might into breaking down the door.

“One…!”

“Two…!”

“Three!!!”

 

All three ultimates tackled the door using all their absolute strength, and the door buckled under their combined force instantly.

“Agh!” Kaito winced as he felt a sharp pain shoot through his shoulder as a result of the rough impact against the frame.

Rantaro noticed the astronaut’s pain and stopped in his tracks momentarily to inspect his injuries. “Are you okay, Kaito?” he asked, turning to face the spike-haired boy.

 

But Shuichi didn’t flinch to look at the astronaut.

 

His gaze landed directly onto something that was lying down on the side of the pool.

 

~Wonderful Story~

 

It landed onto the still body of Tenko Chabashira. Lying on her side on the side of the side of the pool. Perfectly unmoving and motionless.

He rushed over to her in an instant. Not caring a lick about the exisal standing mere meters away from him.

Shuichi didn’t waste any second and pressed two of his fingers against the pulse point on her neck.

And he counted his blessings when he noticed the presence of a steady pulse.

 

Tenko wasn’t dead. She was merely out cold and was left unconscious on the poolside.

 

Though when Shuichi followed Tenko’s unconscious line of sight…

 

 

~Body Discovery B~

 

 

He saw a pool nearly overflowing with blood. And only a few moments later…

 

*Ding Dong Dong Ding*

 

*A body has been discovered!*

 

*Everyone! Please gather at the Pool!*

 

 

The Body Discovery announcement rang out.

Looking closely at the pool though, almost no trace of the body could be found. Only an intact skeletal structure of the deceased, which had sunk down to the bottom and wasn’t able to stay afloat was visible.

Just one singular object could be seen barely staying afloat above the bloodied waters.

 

A red&black mage hat.

Notes:

For all you that managed to guess that Himiko would be the victim. YOU GOT IT RIGHT!!

Also, RIP Tenmiko. The Doomed Yuri.

Chapter 35: Lost Forever in the Darkness - Deadly Life II

Just one singular object could be seen barely staying afloat above the bloodied waters.

 

A red&black mage hat.

 

 

~Wonderful Story~

 

 

“H-Himiko…?” Shuichi rasped as he witnessed the scenery lying in front of him.

The boney skeletal structure of the Ultimate Magician sinking down to the bottom of the pool, and her frail hat barely staying afloat above the translucent bloody waters.

Shuichi heard some hurried footsteps come up close behind him a moment later.

“W-wha…!” Kaito was left dumbfounded as his feet screeched to a halt at the edge of the pool.

“H-how did this h-happen?!” Rantaro gritted with clenched fists.

“W-why H-Himiko…!?” Keebo cried. “This… this is horrible!”

“Miss itty-bitty titties got turned into purée!” Miu balked. “Who the fuck did this!?”

“I-is she…” Kaede trembled, “Is Himiko… dead…?”

“And what the hell happened to Tenko?!” Kaito screeched as he inspected the unconscious body of the girl.

“She is just knocked out, she isn’t dead,” Shuichi informed them about the current state of the martial artist. “But it seems that Himiko…” he trailed off, unable to continue.

“Dammit!” Kaito gritted his teeth in agony.

Soon enough, the rest of the ultimates gathered in the pool area as a result of the body discovery announcement. There were all the expected faces of shock and anguish present on their persons as they witnessed Himiko’s dead body floating in the pool.

“Dear God!” Kirumi gasped in horror as her eyes widened.

“What the hell happened in here?” Ryoma was shaken up by the scene in front of him.

Almost everyone had the exact same reaction to the body discovery… except Angie.

“Ooh?” she titled her head to the side and smiled, “Whatever happened to our dear Himiko?”

“Are you fuckin’ blind?!” Miu spat, “She’s dead!”

“Whaaat?” Angie droned in mock-shock as she squished her cheeks together. Her seemingly ever-joyous expression coming upfront and making the encounter feel even creepier than it needed be. “What do you mean Himiko is deaaad?”

But that wasn’t what the others had their focus on. They were staring with raised brows at a drenched Gonta Gokuhara barreling through the pool doors.

“What happened!?” demanded the gentle giant as he stopped right in front of them. He spoke as bucket loads of water kept on dripping from his form and down onto his feet.

“Where the hell have you been, Gonta?!” Kaito bellowed, “We all have been worried sick about you ever since the blackout happened!”

“We don’t even remember how long we kept searching for you, Gonta!” Keebo asserted.

“Gonta… sorry,” the entomologist apologized as tears further soaked his sullen face. “Gonta didn’t know that friends were looking for him.”

“Well then, where were you actually at?” Kaede asked softly. “Uh,” Gonta scratched his chin in thought, “Gonta… doesn’t actually remember…” he confessed as he looked down at his feet.

“... are you serious?”

“Gonta only remembers waking up from the sound of Monokuma’s alarm! Honest!” he cried.

“Gonta, that is mighty suspicious in the eyes of Atua!” Angie cheered, then her features darkened greatly as she whispered, “You best confess your sins right here and now, Gonta. Hopefully Atua can deem to forgive you.”

“You don’t actually believe all that crap, do you?” Maki finally spoke up after her long silence. “Your God is just a phoney illusion that you have set up from your imagination.”

“Gonta didn’t do anything!” the entomologist kept asserting, “Gentleman wouldn’t hurt anybody!” he cried.

“We can’t really take your word as is you know?” Kiyo hummed creepily, “Especially now that somebody has gone ahead and killed Himiko.”

The utterance of those words. ‘Killed Himiko.’ It was what finally shook everyone out of their stupor and shattered the fragile peace that had formed into a million little pieces.

Someone, who was currently standing besides them in that room, had gone ahead and killed Himiko Yumeno, the self-proclaimed Ultimate Mage. The little magical girl who, despite her antics, was still merely a gentle soul at heart and her only wish in life was to help bring a smile to everyone’s faces.

This truth was unavoidable-

 

 

~Living In a Lazy Parallel World~

 

 

“Hey,” Rataro perked up suddenly. He turned to the group and addressed, “What if… there is no culprit for this incident at all?”

He claimed as his facial features darkened.

“Huh?” Kaede flinched in shock from the wild suggestion.

“It’s not a given that this case is a homicide, you know?” the amnesiac put forth the possibility.

“How do you propose that there isn’t a blackened for this case?” Maki gritted as she glared at the amnesiac.

“Yes,” Keebo nodded hesitantly. “How would there even be a murder in this killing game without a blackened, Rantaro?”

“Simple,” he chuckled as he answered, “This isn’t a murder case. Instead, this is a case where the victim killed themselves on their own terms.”

“So wait,” Ryoma spoke up. He looked up and stated firmly, “You are trying to say that this was just a freak accident?”

“Precisely,” he replied coolly after crossing his arms. “The announcement clearly stated that somebody entered the pool when they weren’t supposed to. So it is entirely possible that Himiko entered the pool of her own accord.”

“What the fuck got stuck up your ass?!” Miu screeched at Rantaro. “Are you saying that she went skinny dipping during the nighttime to satisfy her weekly exhibitionist quota?!”

“I… wouldn’t put it quite like that..” he stuttered.

“But Himiko is still wearing her clothes, no?” Angie tilted her head to the side. “Even though they exploded into tiny smithereens, her clothes are still stuck to her body.”

“Should we really be focusing on that detail?” Kirumi frowned at the pair.

“Anyway,” Kaede steered to the topic at hand, “You think that there might not be a blackened for this case Rantaro?”

“I am just putting the possibly out there,” he answered as he put up his hands. “That’s all.”

“And what do you think Shuichi?” Kaito turned to the detective wanting to find his opinion on this matter.

“Yes, what does the all high and mighty Ultimate Detective think happened here?” mocked Maki as she stood in the detective’s field of view.

 

 

For the past five minutes, Shuichi had just been observing everything going on around him. He hadn’t spoken a word of his mind to anybody yet.

He just silently observed. How each person stood, their idle body language, their spoken words; he observed it all.

The boy inspected the room’s layout inch-by-inch, he stared at the outside windows with deep concentration and focus. He leaned into the bloodied pool with a blank look stuck on his face.

“Are you perhaps going to answer us, Shuichi?” Kiyo sneered, “If so, then doing it today would be most appreciated, thank you very much.”

Shuichi proceeded to let out a deep sigh as he closed his eyes shut.

“...”

After a few moments of an awkward silence that seemingly went on for far too long, he finally spoke up.

…and in doing so, he continued with dropping a bombshell.

 

 

~REAL/FICTION~

 

 

“I know who the blackened behind Himiko’s murder is.”

 

 

The Ultimates had to take a few seconds of quietude in order to recover from the ensuing shock they experienced. The way he declared those words sent an absolute chill down to the very core of whomever had heard them get uttered.

“Sorry, was I too direct?” Shuichi smirked, equipping the persona of a true Ultimate Detective. His deranged smile widened even farther as he continued acclaiming.

“Himiko was most definitely murdered by someone currently standing here in this room,” he chuckled deeply and then let out a bellow. “Oh this class trial is going to be a most interesting experience!”

“And the result?!” he cackled upto the skies, “I can’t wait to see the look on everyone’s faces when the despairing truth is all revealed!!”

“What the hell is wrong with you!?” Maki was visibly shook as she shouted, “You fucking psychopath!”

“Do you want me to knock some sense into you!?” Kaito roared as he reached for Shuichi’s collar. “Is all of our misery just a sick and funny game to you, asshole!?”

“Hehe, leave all that fire to use inside the class trial, Kaito.” Shuichi chuckled as he dodged the astronaut’s grab.

“He is right you know,” Monokuma announced as he appeared out of thin air, Monokuma File in hand. “All this passion and tension is best reserved for during the class trial!”

“Why is Monokuma here?” asked Gonta. “Also, why Monokuma taking Shuichi’s side?”

“He is just stating the truth,” Rantaro sneered at the entomologist. “Which is necessary if we want to find out the truth behind this case!”

“And here comes the dickrider!” Miu shook her head from side to side. “Openly agreeing with everything that Mr. Sherlock says!”

“We need to stop this argument at once!” Kirumi commanded with a shout. “We all need to pitch in for the investigation, else all our lives will be forfeit!”

“Someone should wake up this girl too,” Angie suggested as she pointed a finger at the unconscious Tenko. “She needs to up for this investigation as well.”

“Leave it to me,” Keebo spoke up, “I’ll wake up and look after Tenko during the investigation. Don’t worry about her.”

“This case is going to be really hard for the poor girl,” Ryoma lamented, “Tenko was really close to Himiko after all.”

“Indeed,” Kiyo nodded, “Sometimes, I wonder at the amazement of just how fragile a human life can be. It was just this morning that they had their fight inside the cafeteria. And look at the aftermath now.”

“Wait yeah,” Kaito had a pale expression on his face, “Tenko and Himiko were in the middle of a fight too… man that sucks.”

“Well, sucks to suck ain’t it?” Miu barked. “If you are just one pump too late, then your partner is already finished and you don’t get the satisfaction of climax as you just lay their sulking.”

“.... what..?”

“Guys, focus!” Kaede spoke up, “Even if these words may be hard to stomach, in the end we do need to grin and bear this investigation and the incoming class trial if we want to survive to see another day rise.”

“Tch. Whatever.” Maki scoffed bitterly and turned away.

“So, without wasting any more time…” Shuichi started as he accepted the Monokuma File.

 

 

“Let’s Begin this Investigation.”

 

~Despair Searching~

 

-{ Investigation Start! }-

 

Notes:

If you all thought that Shuichi wasn't going to be absolutely OP with his ultimate ability, then you would've been dead wrong lol!
He already figured out the culprit even before the investigation began.
Now, can you guys figure it out?

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of The Harmony of Murders