Fractured Fates: The Other Sides

by DarkX_the_Dragon_Knight

Summary:

A collection of short stories featuring the other members of Class 80th and the ways they interact both with the killing game they've found themselves in and each other.

Chapter 1: Breaking Patterns

Notes:

It’s time…after all this time, I have arisen once again! And I still don’t know how to start introductions!!

Hello AO3 people! Wherever you came from, however you found this story, I welcome you! I’m DarkX the Dragon Knight, and today is a VERY special day for me. It was on this day seven years ago that I published the very first part of my Danganronpa fan project Fractured Fates on Fanfiction.net. While it didn’t completely change the course of my whole life, it did play a significant role in it regardless. It allowed me to really become a part of the Fanganronpa community, meet a ton of cool people and even become friends with some of them, and it and its remake were still the first big fan projects I was actually able to finish.

But as of late, I’ll admit- I haven’t actually done much else regarding Fanganronpa stuff in a while. I mean, part of that was due to my autism brain compelling me to focus on a ton of other things, like a screenshot Let's Play I’ve been doing over on Tumblr, and other fixations even before that. The other part was just…IRL stuff I’ve had going on. Graduating college, getting a job, being a GM for a TTRPG adventure for the first time…it’s been a lot.

Despite this, I did get kicked right back into my Danganronpa mood a little while ago, and I’ve been doing my best to maintain it since then. After all, Fractured Fates and the games that inspired it were special to me back in 2018, and they’re still important to me. But still, I thought it would be a little…difficult, borderline awkward, to just waltz back into the Fangan scene after so much inactivity on my end. Not that I was ever a huge player in the community, in fact both versions of FF aren’t that well-known in the grand scheme of things. Still…I dunno, I didn't want to just come back with nothing.

And then I realized FF’s seventh birthday was coming up…and I had a COMPLETELY different idea for what I could do to celebrate! Yeah, this project here was not actually my first idea; I was working on that initial project starting in May, but around when June started I got to thinking about these…other ideas of mine. Side interactions I had come up with back during the writing of the original FF and the remake. In general, they were ideas about moments between the other characters outside the view of our local POV character Hana Amari- and I’ve had such side stories marinating in my head for so long, you could say they crystallized to the point where I liked them more than my first idea. I felt like I could legitimately write them and make them canon to FF, and so I pivoted and here we are!

So as the title, summary, and tags imply, these are going to be a set of vignettes based on the perspective of one of the other fifteen members of Class 80th, taking place during particular moments across the killing game. These will not only depict events from a perspective besides Hana’s, but also provide more of an inner insight to each character that could only have been explored so much in the main story. Obviously, I’m going to be writing these stories and these notes under the assumption you’ve read Fractured Fates, so be mindful of the FF spoilers tag! Also, while I did have ideas for way more than just these specific stories, I figured part of writing is knowing when to have restraint, and I thought giving everyone a single story each would be the most fair anyways.

Now, not every story will focus on big plot moments- a lot of them will (like this first one here), but others will be a bit more…mundane, for lack of a better term? You’ll see what I mean when we get there. I was also somewhat struggling to figure out what order to put these in- chronological order, death order, intro order, some other option? Another factor I had to consider was, well…time. Given I committed to this project around the start of June, that left me with less than a month and a half to write, and even that was effectively halved due to working on TTRPG stuff every other week. So…yeah, I realized pretty quickly there was no way I was gonna get all fifteen stories done in that time. That’s why I’ve gone with that secret fourth option: write the stories focusing on the final survivors first and upload those in one big batch today, then write and upload the rest more steadily in death order (and then there will be the fifteenth and final one, but don’t worry about that right now).

Soooo, with all that preamble out of the way, let’s get into the very first story! Featuring our other major POV character, Akira! Seeing as how she already got a handful of moments in FF from her perspective, this won’t exactly be super new stuff, but I think one of the benefits (in hindsight) of doing the survivors first is her chapter gets done the fastest, leaving everyone else open to have their time in the spotlight sooner. So here we go, prosecutor time after so many years away!

Akira had grown accustomed to patterns. Having read about or personally worked on countless legal cases over the years, there were some traits that remained consistent across certain types of people and scenarios. Robberies are usually committed by those who are strangers to the victim, violence with evidence of strong emotion (rage, fear, vengeance) are often synonymous with crimes of passion, males are more likely to be victims and perpetrators of violent crimes than females- to list just a few examples. This castle and the killing game taking place within it were, thus far, no exception: Monokuma reveals a ‘motive’ of some kind, a murder happens within the next day or two, and an investigation precedes a class trial to find the killer.

Knowing these patterns, however, allowed one to more easily recognize when the pattern was broken. From the morning after the case of Kaneki Tenmaru and Itachi Kunata, Monokuma revealed a new motive straightaway- granted, he claimed this was because the motive was something more tangible, but even that fact was indicative of just how different this motivator was compared to the previous two. Even so, it was just one difference in the cycle of this game- Akira believed it would be the only difference. A belief that was not contradicted when Hana Amari failed to show up at all to the usual breakfast meeting…an unusual tardiness, even for her. Akira felt justified in suspecting the worst, and thus she sent out Hiroshi, Rumi, and Hinata to confirm or deny those suspicions. A potential continuation of the cycle of murder…

…At least, until Hinata ran back in to drag Shiori elsewhere. Then, several minutes later, the original trio returned to more properly explain what had happened: they had found Hana, but she was not yet dead, and Hinata had retrieved Shiori so the surgeon could provide emergency medical treatment. An attempted murder rather than a true kill…technically, Monokuma’s rules did not explain what the protocol would be in such a scenario (and Monokuma refused to explain himself). Akira could assume there simply would not be an official class trial, but a proper confirmation would still be nice…

And so, there Akira sat in the dining hall, Monokuma having just departed and the remaining students left in tense silence, questions and uncertainty undoubtedly weighing them down. 

Finally, Akira sighed, adjusted her glasses, and spoke up, “Okay, listen- I understand this is a jarring situation, but no one will get anywhere by just stewing in anxiety.”

“Akira has a point! We can’t all just stand here and do NOTHING! We should be doing SOMETHING!” Ryoto declared in his usual loudmouthed manner. Just as quickly, however, he deflated somewhat and asked, “...But what should we do? Shiori’s the one patching Hana up, none of us can help with that, so…”

“Well, I can’t speak for how the rest of you plan to approach what’s happened, but as for me…” Akira began, standing up from her chair. “I plan to thoroughly investigate this incident, as much as can be done right now.”

“Investigate? But did Monokuma not say he would be unable to confirm the necessity of a class trial until we could confirm whether or not Hana will survive her injuries?” Saku pointed out.

“Be that as it may, there’s still the possibility Amari won’t pull through, and thus we’ll be holding a class trial like before,” Akira argued. “For this reason, I’d rather get a headstart on gathering clues while the scene is still fresh.”

“W-Wait, don’t say that!” Rumi interjected; despite the forcefulness in her tone, there was an unmistakable waveringness that had been persistent ever since she and the others first discovered Hana. “Shiori’s a surgeon, the Ultimate Surgeon- Hana’s going to be fine, she has to be!”

Akira only scoffed and remarked, “Sauchi is still human, Hamasaki- and if Amari was left bleeding for as long as we deduced, her condition isn’t exactly ideal. Consider this more of a precaution either way- whether Amari lives or dies, someone in this building committed this crime, and they must be found no matter what.”

“...” Throughout this discussion, the one student who had yet to say anything at all was Hiroshi Ashi, their resident coroner. On one hand, this was not unusual for him; Akira had long since taken notice of his tendency to simply listen and observe the group in silence. However, he usually did so with some amount of calmness, almost serenity, like it was an act of meditation for him- an attitude that seemed inappropriate in these circumstances. However, presently he appeared far more tense, resting his chin on his hand as he stared off contemplatively.

“...In that case, I’d like to assist you,” Hiroshi finally spoke up, sitting up from his own chair and sending a direct, steely gaze at Akira. “Having two minds is better than one, after all.”

Akira narrowed her eyes in skepticism. Hiroshi was one of the smarter and more competent Ultimates in this class, that much she could admit. However, this was technically not a true investigation for a trial- there was no reason to collaborate right now. She trusted in her own mind and her deduction skills, so why should she involve any of the others, let alone one who- while intelligent- was as irritatingly sentimental as Hana herself?

Watching Akira’s hesitation, Hiroshi’s countenance calmed, and that insufferable smile of his returned as he insisted, “C’mon, Akira- my expertise can still be helpful in sorting out some of the crime scene details, even if there’s no specific corpse to examine. You’re smart, but you don’t have all the forensic knowledge, do you?”

“Unless you’re the one with something to hide?~” Hinata then claimed, leaning towards Akira with a sly smile. “I mean, you haven’t exactly been subtle about how much you don’t like Hana, I wouldn’t put it past you to finally snap and just smack her in the head.”

Sending a furious glare at the thief, Akira refuted, “Don’t be ridiculous, Yonade- I would never stoop to violence against someone I dislike, and I certainly have nothing to hide with regards to this incident.”

She punctuated that last claim by looking back to Hiroshi. “As proof of this, I will allow you, Ashi, to act as an assistant in my investigation.”

Addressing the group more directly, Akira went on, “But it will just be me and Ashi investigating the West Wing. In saying this, I must ask all of you to stay out of the West Wing for the duration of the investigation, so as to minimize possible contamination.”

“A bit…restrictive, but I suppose I can see your logic,” Saku conceded. “In that case, I could serve as a guard of sorts, as I usually do- even if this situation is somewhat different.”

“That could be helpful, especially since I’m fairly certain a lot of the evidence will be relegated to the second floor, so we won’t need to worry about another person needing to guard the ground floor,” Hiroshi responded with a nod. 

“In that case, I’ll try to look for Shiro and Asuna!” Ryoto declared, pumping a fist into the air. “They DESERVE to know what’s been going on! No reason to keep them locked outta the loop!”

“Then…maybe I should try and find Tadao, make sure he knows about something this big too…” Rumi muttered, her eyes directed towards the floor.

“...Guess I’ll just hang around,” Hinata added with a shrug after a moment. “Didn’t exactly get a chance to finish my breakfast anyways.”

“Then it’s settled,” Akira declared, nodding towards Hiroshi and Saku. “Ashi, Yamamoto- follow me.”

Thus, Akira strode out of the dining room, expecting the two young men in question to follow. Despite the lack of any dead bodies (which, depending on Shiori’s abilities, may or may not change), Akira was already focusing her mind on the task at hand, the same as she would with any other investigation.

Trial or no, someone clearly intended to try and escape this castle again, and if Amari lives, they could try again. For that reason, they must be found. Akira told herself. Right now, the one truth I can rely on is that I myself am not the culprit. From there, if I want to uncover any other truths…I’ll need to pay very close attention.

---

Akira and Hiroshi ultimately chose to have Saku stand in the second floor doorway leading to the West Wing’s own upper floor, so he could easily go back and forth between watching the hallway and looking down to see if anyone was entering the West Wing from the ballroom. From there…well, it wasn’t exactly difficult to find where Hana was initially found, or where she had been prior. Even without Hiroshi and the others’ testimony, the pool of blood in the South Wing accompanied by the trail of crimson connected to it would have been evidence enough.

Said trail led from the slowly drying puddle on the South Wing’s second floor back into the West Wing itself, being isolated to the same level. Akira watched over the streaks on the floor and the occasional smears left on the walls, taking care not to touch any of them. Hiroshi, who had donned a pair of latex gloves as usual, was slower to move, since he was taking a closer look at each of the stains at the same time.

“Hmm…these stains are still fresh, but based on how much they’ve begun to dry…they would’ve been left about more than half an hour ago…” Hiroshi observed. “That lines up with the time Rumi found her…”

As Hiroshi examined the bloodstains, Akira continued to follow the overall trail, soon finding herself in front of the wine room. As if the blood itself did not make it apparent, the door still being open and the light being left on were ironclad proof of this room being where the attack started, further confirming what Hana told Hiroshi and Rumi. Akira regarded the room as a whole for a moment, taking particular note of the larger pool of blood towards the middle of the room.

“Well…clearly, the attacker made no effort to clean up after themselves…” Akira remarked aloud as she fully stepped into the room. 

Hiroshi was quick to follow her inside moments later, making his way to the largest bloodstain. Kneeling down for a closer look, Hiroshi informed her, “Well, this bloodstain seems to have dried somewhat differently from the others. It looks a bit older- it must have initially formed…over two hours ago, maybe two and a half if I had to give an exact estimate.”

“Two and a half hours…so a few minutes past six in the morning, around when Amari claims to have been attacked,” Akira confirmed as she looked around the room. “So despite the head injury, it seems Amari’s testimony of when these events first happened was accurate.”

Then, another out-of-place spot of red caught Akira’s attention out of the corner of her eye. It was the wine room’s light switch- or rather, the smeared and bloody fingerprints upon it. Akira approached to examine it more closely, although there was not much more she needed to come to a conclusion about the scene.

Well, it’s not impossible for the assailant to have gotten blood all over this switch, but given the other bloodstains outside, I’m more inclined to believe these stains were Amari’s doing. Akira thought. With the door being open and the light being left on…it seems like Amari was lying here for a little while after being hit on the head, woke up, then made her way over to use this light switch.

Looking up at the room’s main light, Akira then pondered, And if she felt the need to turn on the lights at all, the room must have been dark when she awoke. That would make sense, since the lights in here are apparently faulty…so, perhaps it was also dark when she was attacked. That could mean the attacker used the darkness to their advantage, to ambush Amari…

The prosecutor softly scowled at the possibility. If that’s true, it’s possible Amari might not have seen her assailant at all. That would be an inconvenience to this case…

“Oh…? What have we here?” Hiroshi spoke up; having finished examining the bloodstains, he had apparently moved to investigating other parts of the room, and was now eyeing something in one of the room’s corners.

“Hm-? Found something, Ashi?” Akira inquired, crossing her arms as she approached. 

The coroner carefully held up a certain item- a bottle of some beverage, the glass being distinctly thick and red in color. However, the glass wasn’t the only source of red on the bottle, as there was a large splatter of blood marring one of its sides.

“Hmph! They didn’t even bother hiding such vital evidence properly- I suppose we should thank this culprit for their sloppiness,” Akira responded, eyeing the bottle with derisiveness.

“And I don’t think we need to look far to find where they got this from…” Hiroshi observed with a raised eyebrow. “Literally, it’s to your left.”

Akira glanced to the left side of the room- sure enough, there was one particular rack of wine bottles with an identical design to the one Hiroshi held. Equally as telling was the shelf having twelve slots, yet only eleven of them were occupied.

“Hm…a weapon from right here at the crime scene…” Akira pondered as she eyed the shelf. “So perhaps the perpetrator chose a weapon of convenience.”

“Not only that, but it looks like our weapon didn’t escape unscathed itself,” Hiroshi then pointed out, looking at the bloodstained portion more closely. “Look there- the glass is cracked.”

Akira leaned forward to examine the bottle herself, spotting the thin, branching crack in the glass rather quickly. “Well, I suppose it’s good to note such a detail- the glass being damaged, yet in such a superficial manner…”

So the culprit struck Amari hard enough to crack the glass, yet couldn’t apply enough force to damage the bottle beyond that… Akira deduced. I suppose this means Yamamoto is less likely- with his strength, he could have struck Amari hard enough to shatter the bottle. Likewise, Koichi and Izumi are unlikely, but because they seem too weak to cause any sort of damage with such a weapon, even something as superficial as this…

Shaking her head, Akira went on, “Regardless, this is probably the most significant clue so far, at least one of the attempted murder weapons.”

“‘At least one’…because Hana was slashed in the leg too, not just bludgeoned?” Hiroshi remarked. “And since this bottle isn’t actually broken, it certainly couldn’t have been used to make any stabbing or slashing wounds.”

“I don’t need you to finish my thoughts, Ashi,” Akira curtly responded, stepping around Hiroshi to investigate the other half of the room.

Despite her coldness, Hiroshi only chuckled as he set the bottle back where he found it. “Oh, don’t be like that, Akira, I’m sure you appreciate having someone to bounce ideas off of- it would be maddening to investigate by yourself all the time.”

“I do perfectly well working on my own, thank you,” Akira argued with a glare. “Because at least then, we wouldn’t be wasting our time with inane small talk and we could instead look for the second potential murder weapon.”

“I’m looking, don’t worry,” Hiroshi assured the prosecutor as he began to examine other parts of the room.

However, try as the pair did, no matter how many nooks and crannies they investigated, there were no signs of the second weapon. Akira could not determine which was worse- the fruitlessness of the search, or the incessant creaking of the wine room’s floorboards as she and Hiroshi walked.

So the culprit barely hid the bottle, but they clearly made more of an effort to hide whatever they used to injure Amari’s leg… Akira finally thought to herself after several minutes of searching. Could they have thought it was more important to conceal the latter weapon? Why would that be? Could it be a clue to their identity…?

Outwardly, Akira spoke up, “Well, this is annoying. It would appear we found very little of substance in here, besides the wine bottle.”

“Well, it’s still better than nothing,” Hiroshi pointed out. “And I have a few ideas myself of what this other weapon could have been-”

“You can keep those to yourself- I have some ideas of my own, which I have every intention of pursuing,” Akira interjected, adjusting her glasses. 

Indeed, the likeliest weapon of choice would be a blade from the kitchen. I’ll need to take a look for myself, and ask those who frequent the kitchen the most if they’ve noticed anything missing recently… Akira plotted for herself. And speaking of asking things of others…

With a long, irritated sigh, the prosecutor spoke up again, “It seems if I want to make progress learning more about the actual sequence of events, I’ll need to speak to Amari- she’s the only true ‘witness’ in this situation. And that means I’ll need to check in with Sauchi to see how her condition is progressing…”

“Why do you say that like it’s such a chore?” Hiroshi asked with a light chuckle. “Sure, Shiori’s got some bite, but she takes her job seriously.”

“Have you forgotten Sauchi’s been rather vocal about her thoughts about me and my leadership skills recently?” Akira reminded the coroner with a deep frown. “I don’t doubt she’s doing all she can to ensure Amari’s survival, but I do doubt how cooperative she’ll be with me and this investigation.”

“Well, don’t settle her so short before you’ve even talked to her,” Hiroshi advised Akira. “Hana’s her friend, and I’m sure she wants to know what happened as much as you and I do. For that reason, I’ll bet she’ll be willing to work with you, at least temporarily.”

“Spoken as if you know her on such a personal level…” Akira muttered, rolling her eyes. 

“I just think looking at things with a bit more optimism sets you up for better outcomes,” Hiroshi claimed with a shrug and a smile.

With a light scoff, Akira nonetheless went on, “But I will need to talk to Sauchi sooner or later, so I suppose I’ll see for myself how accurate your assessment is.”

As she began to walk towards where Hiroshi left the wine bottle, carefully picking it up herself so as to not disturb any of the bloodstains. “One more thing, Ashi…”

She then moved the bottle so it was far more out-of-sight, more difficult to find if one wasn’t actively searching for it. “The details of this scene, especially this wine bottle- you are to keep them between the two of us. Understood?”

“Hm…more restrictive than you usually are with these,” Hiroshi observed, raising an eyebrow. “But I guess this isn’t like the other investigations, since there’s no guarantee of a class trial this time. So…I’ll respect that- I’m sure you have your reasons beyond that, anyways.”

“Good- at least you understand that much,” Akira replied, turning away to make her exit.

If there was anything else that made Hiroshi more tolerable for Akira to interact with, it was his understanding of when she was doing something for the good of a case and, by extension, the class as a whole. Despite his infuriating mellowness and optimism, he at least knew how to put his emotions aside to solve a mystery. Even now, when someone he was friends with was the victim of a violent attack, he readily offered his assistance in spite of Akira’s own initial refusal. It was respectable, to be sure…yet, Akira felt she could respect him even more if only that objectivity was his default demeanor.

He already acts as though he knows more than he lets on anyways- I suppose I’ll have to rely on that secrecy to ensure Ashi keeps his word. Akira told herself. It’s a common tactic in law enforcement, after all: keep more intimate details about the crime under lock and key, and if someone comes forward with information that was never made public, you’ll know they were involved in some manner, or they learned it from someone who was. Certainly, Ashi must know this…

With this, Akira left the scene in the wine room behind, pondering the rest of what she would need to follow up on. Let’s see…I need to check the kitchen for the second weapon, talk to those who were in the kitchen recently for additional information on that front, talk to Sauchi to see how Amari’s condition is…and if Amari wakes up, I’ll need to question her about what happened too…

The prosecutor softly sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. And on top of this newest crisis…there’s still the matter of that motive Monokuma introduced. For as long as the crime scene needs to be preserved, we can’t exactly move freely around the West Wing, so that will put a delay on any further searching no matter what…

Akira then found herself wondering, out of sheer morbid curiosity if nothing else, And what will become of this scene? Monokuma has proven himself able to clean up the murder scenes after each trial, but what about that of an attempted murder? Will he still handle the cleaning, or will we be expected to handle that ourselves…? It wouldn’t be impossible, certainly, and yet…

Her earlier sigh became a low, annoyed groan; she felt fortunate no one was nearby to hear it. Akira knew she brought this on herself, she chose to put herself in charge of this ragtag class of Ultimates, she still believed she was among the best (certainly the most willing) candidates for such a role. Still, it was moments like this that made her acutely aware of how heavy the crown could sit at times. Still, putting the pieces of a crime together to uncover the truth was her job, even if it was for the sake of someone she personally detested. 

Akira supposed that was something else that did not change, despite all the other patterns that had been broken as of late: today was going to be a very, very long day.

Notes:

You know, I wasn’t sure how I’d be with writing these characters after two and a half years away…but honestly? After the first, like, half a paragraph, I found myself getting right back into the groove of Class 80th, ESPECIALLY once I got to the dialogue, like whoa, it was kinda scary. Maybe it’s because of how much time I spent around these characters back in the day, maybe it’s because I sometimes go back reread portions of FF:R when I’m really thinking back on a certain scene (because I also write stuff that appeals to myself personally, as all respectable fanfic writers should)- who knows. Whatever it is, I’m certainly grateful for it, this project would be way harder if I needed more time to readjust to writing these characters again.

But then again, I have written from Akira’s POV before, so maybe that also has something to do with it. Let’s just see if this high of mine will continue once we get into…literally everyone else, who I haven’t written from the perspective of before. Onto the next installment of this opening batch!

Chapter 2: Crossing the Line

Notes:

So next up is Hinata, since I’m going based on the introduction order with these four. I was actually a bit torn on what story to write for Hinata- like, I had two ideas, and while one of them was sufficiently heart-wrenching, this other one I felt was even more tearjerking! Of course, that wasn’t the only reason I went with this particular idea, but I’ll get into that a bit more in the end notes. For now, enjoy! Or, well, try to enjoy, because this isn’t exactly a happy one.

Bambambambambambambam-

“Hinata...! Hinata-!”

Hinata softly groaned as a loud banging and muffled voice forced him out of his slumber. “Guuuhhh…dammit, why…?”

Without windows, it was impossible to tell what time it was at a glance. The room was dark, and the bed was soft, and Hinata was as reluctant to get up as he usually was early in the morning. The thief would have tried to go back to sleep until he heard the morning announcement proper, but the violent knocking on his bedroom door coupled with the voice trying to call through it were indicative of some urgency. Thus, with a long-suffering sigh, Hinata dragged himself into a sitting position, rubbing his face to try and wake himself up.

-bambambamBAMBAMBAMBAMbam-

“Hinata-! Hinata!! HINATA!!”

With the banging growing in intensity and the voice becoming louder and clearer, Hinata practically scrambled to his feet and answered, “A-Alright, alright, I’m coming, geez!”

The only action Hinata took before approaching the door was to grab his e-Handbook off the bedside table to check the time: 12:37 AM. By now, he could discern who it was trying to wake him up, almost desperately so. Knowing who it was made Hinata at least somewhat less annoyed, but as for why that person was trying to contact him at such a late hour, however…he couldn’t begin to figure it out. Thus, with another breath, Hinata made his way over to turn on the room’s lights and open the door…

…And sure enough, one Rumi Hamasaki practically fell into the room, Hinata having to move quickly to catch her. The other student’s frantic entry alone was strange, but Hinata also found himself taken aback by Rumi appearing to be…crying?

“H-Hinata, I- you- I-I need-” Rumi began, as though she was barely taking time to catch her breath.

“Whoa, hey, Rumi, what’s going on? You alright?” Hinata asked as he used his free arm to close the door behind her. “It’s the middle of the night, why are you…”

As he looked down at Rumi, still sobbing so hysterically she could not speak, he quickly noticed something that made him freeze. There was a sudden wetness on his hands as he held onto Rumi’s arms, and he quickly realized this sensation was coming from stark, red bloodstains on the other student. The blood was not isolated to Rumi’s arms, existing in much larger smears on her jacket and her shirt. 

“I-It was- I- I didn’t- I tried- there was…there-” Rumi spluttered, her frame trembling terribly and her head lowered into Hinata’s chest. 

However, Hinata’s eyes were still locked on the bloodstains, his mouth agape for a moment before he found his words again. “What…What is this…th-the blood, where did…?”

As if physically pained by the question, Rumi’s sobs only intensified and she choked out, “It…It was…o-oh God, I can’t, I-I’m gonna be sick-!”

His eyes widening, Hinata interjected, “O-Okay okay okay okay, just- sit down, or…use the bathroom, or- or whatever you need to do, I don’t- uh-”

Though he still had a thousand and one questions, Hinata realized they could wait a few minutes. Thus, he helped Rumi first to the bathroom, then to sit down on his bed alongside him. 

Her breathing had mostly calmed by then, yet a few lingering tears fell down her cheeks and her shoulders were still slightly unsteady. Hinata tried to focus on Rumi more properly- her face, or her eyes- but despite his attempts, his gaze kept drifting to the bloodstains. By now, Hinata was no stranger to seeing his classmates splattered in blood for one reason or another; in this moment, however…

“...What…happened to you…?” Hinata finally asked, his voice almost a whisper. “Why…Why are you covered in blood? Where did that come from?”

“...” At first, Rumi could not meet Hinata’s eyes either, but finally she managed to look back up at him and answer just as quietly, “...Shiori, she’s…she’s dead.”

“Sh-Sh- Shiori!?” Hinata blurted, his eyes widening. “She’s- th-the hell do you mean she’s dead!?”

Even at that moment, Hinata recognized what a stupid question this was. There was no other meaning to what Rumi said, not in this castle, yet the words felt foreign both from her and from his own mouth.

Vaguely gesturing to the blood on Rumi’s clothes, Hinata then asked with just as much bewilderment, “I-Is that where all the- i-is that all-?”

“N-No! Well- not exactly, not- not entirely, it’s- it’s hers, but it’s also some of mine…” Rumi attempted to explain, ultimately trailing off.

“Yours!?” Hinata cried again. “So you’re- are you okay, should we-!?”

“I’m fine! I’m fine, and that’s…” Rumi replied, her voice becoming choked up again. “That’s…because of Shiori…”

“Shiori…and she’s actually…” Hinata began, feeling as though he hadn’t even been able to blink since this conversation began. “What- What the hell, what the actual hell happened, wha-!?”

“I-I know, this is a lot, I’m so sorry, I just…I-I didn’t know who else to go to, and…!” Rumi began again, taking another shaky breath. “Just…let me explain everything…”

What followed was nothing less than a confession. Rumi explained how Shiori had asked to meet with her in the East Wing at around midnight to discuss something deeply private. In reality, however, it had been a trap meant to allow Shiori to kill Rumi…or at least, that was the intent. However, a combination of Rumi accidentally causing the duo to fall through the unsteady second floor railing and Shiori’s own hesitations led to the surgeon’s plan collapsing. In the end, Shiori was able to treat Rumi’s injuries, but she herself ultimately succumbed to wounds sustained from being stabbed by the nearby glass statue during the fall.

“...Oh my God…” Hinata muttered, shocked and immobilized as though someone had just dumped a bucket of cold water on him.

“...Like I said, I’m…sorry to drop all of this on you, I just…” Rumi began. “I don’t know what to do, I…”

“...Wait, so…if Shiori died from being impaled by the statue…and she fell because the railing broke…” Hinata slowly spoke up, his heart beginning to beat faster as realization dawned on him. “Wouldn’t that mean…the blackened would be…!”

“...Yeah, I think- no, I am the blackened, I know that,” Rumi confirmed with a sigh. “Shiori’s dead because I…”

“No, hey, don’t start talking like that- it was an accident, you did not kill her!” Hinata swiftly insisted, carefully grasping Rumi’s arm. “If anything, this was all Shiori’s fault! What was she thinking, setting up a whole ambush for you like that!?”

Now, it was Rumi’s turn to fiercely interject, “I-It’s not like that! What she tried to do was terrible, yeah, but she’s also the reason I survived back there!”

“And she’s also the reason you’re in danger right now!” Hinata argued. “She didn’t think there wouldn’t be a class trial for her death, did she!? And who did she think would end up on the chopping block!?”

Every detail Rumi had told him was like one brick to the face after the other, but one of the aspects that left him the most dumbfounded was Shiori’s actions. Logically, he should not have been surprised Shiori would also succumb to the temptations of the killing game, it had been proven three times before now how anyone and everyone could be driven to kill one of their peers. Despite this, Hinata could not help but think back to all the times Shiori berated others for their poor decisions, berated him; for her of all people to try to murder someone herself, someone who considered her a true friend…it left Hinata especially frustrated.

“She did know! She knew exactly what was going to happen!” Rumi cried. “That was why she wanted me to live! It was the last thing she asked me to do!”

“...Huh?” Hinata began, taken aback. “What does that mean?”

“...She asked me…to try and win the class trial…” Rumi admitted, looking down again. “Because…she didn’t want me to die for what she tried to do.”

“...She didn’t want you dying…because of her mistake…” Hinata repeated to himself in a mutter. “Even if that meant…the rest of us would die…?”

“...” Rumi could only squeeze her eyes shut and lower her head further, her eyes becoming practically obscured by her bangs.

For as stunned as he was by this latest revelation, Hinata did not take his eyes off of Rumi this time. He did not consider himself much of a thinker- sure, he would plan out some of his more elaborate heists, but in most normal circumstances he preferred to go with the flow around him. Other times, his thoughts would become inundated with more…negativity; the sting of being accused of stealing someone’s prized belongings just because of his talent, or the sorrow of being the last person to see a certain Ultimate Poet minutes before his own murder. The horrific knowledge of the situation Rumi was in was yet another example, the most suffocating one of all, but gnawing even more intensely at the back of his mind was Shiori’s apparent dying wish. 

For Rumi to survive the trial…even if me and everyone else die…that’s selfish as all hell, isn’t it? Hinata asked himself in his stunned silence. I definitely don’t wanna die here! I wanna see the outside again! I wanna go back to my city and see the streets again, run around at night like I used to, visit the arcade just down the block and those food stalls they’ve got set up! I want my life to be normal again!

For all of his frustrated thoughts and wishes to return to the life he once knew, however…deep down, Hinata could not fathom what he himself would do if he was in Shiori’s situation. It was an impossible choice: use her skills to save herself and become blackened, or save Rumi at the cost of her own life and make Rumi the blackened. One dies, one lives; one victim, one killer.

…If someone was going to die no matter what…I guess I can agree with Shiori on one thing… Hinata realized. Rumi…she doesn’t deserve to die here period, let alone because of someone else’s screw-up. I know life can be unfair, but that…that’s just cruel…

“...I don’t…think I can do it…” Rumi finally spoke up, breaking Hinata out of his thoughts.

This brought Hinata back to reality, and he hesitantly asked, “Can’t do…what?”

“I can’t…let all of you die like that…!” Rumi admitted. “I don’t want to disrespect Shiori’s last wish, but- you, Hana, Asuna, everyone…I care about you guys, and I- I don’t want to get you all killed! It’s just…not fair!”

Rumi’s declaration should have been admirable, a selfless decision to save her classmates at the cost of her own life. However, upon hearing it, Hinata could feel his blood run cold and his eyes go wide in fright. 

Rumi anxiously shifted in her spot, looking away as she pondered aloud, “Maybe I should just…confess, during breakfast tomorrow, just get it out of the wa-”

Before he heard himself, Hinata grasped Rumi’s shoulders and blurted, “No! Don’t do that!”

Taken aback, Rumi questioned, “W-What…? What do you mean?”

“...” For a few moments, everything felt still, and Hinata was silent. 

What am I doing-? She’s not wrong, is she? Shiori was being selfish, so…maybe it would be better for her to just… Hinata thought…and yet, he found himself unable to continue, unable to think or say anything further.

There in the stillness of his room, on this bed, was the thief’s one chance to step away from the line he was standing in front of. There were numerous ways he could have continued his statement: ‘Wait until the trial to confess’, ‘Wait until everyone’s already eaten to confess’, ‘Take everyone to the body first and then confess’, ‘Just kidding, confess however you want!’

Instead, Hinata’s grip softened slightly as he took a deep breath. …No…Shiori wasn’t being selfish at all, was she? Things are the way they are right now because of what she wanted for Rumi, and that was…

“...Shiori was right,” Hinata finally spoke up. “Everything about this is unfair, but…you dying over something that you didn’t even have any say in? That’s the most unfair thing of all. So…if we’re picking between two evils or whatever, then…isn’t it better to try and make good on that request?”

“Hinata! If I- If I actually try to win the trial, you’ll die too! You have to know that, so why would you-!?” Rumi asked, her eyes going wide as she was momentarily stunned by his response.

“...Like I said, I think Shiori was right,” Hinata stated with a shrug. “That’s all there is to it, really. Are you that surprised?”

The more Hinata gazed at Rumi, the more that nagging sensation at the back of his thoughts subsided, and a certain clarity began to take hold. Despite all that had happened these past several minutes, the blood staining the scuba diver’s clothes and hands…Hinata could only see Rumi as she always was. Rumi, who showed compassion to all of her classmates even in the most dire circumstances, who saw the good in him despite his vices. A person like that should never have been forced into a killing game in the first place, let alone be put in a position where she could be executed.

If it were just me, I wouldn’t be hesitating at all- but it’s the others’ lives on the line too… Hinata thought. Was Shiori thinking like this too, at the end…? 

The young man subtly shook his head before he could ponder further. Dammit- I can’t keep thinking about it too much, it’s too late for that. Sometimes, you’ve just gotta play the cards you’re dealt, even if the hand is shitty.

Glancing back at his e-Handbook, Hinata then inquired, “Listen- have you watched your motive video yet?”

“My motive video? Ah- honestly, I kinda forgot about it after what happened with Shiori,” Rumi responded, furrowing her brow. “I’ve been avoiding it because I was afraid of what could be on there…”

“Well…why not watch it now? If you’re still not sure about trying to win the trial, maybe that’ll give you some extra push,” Hinata suggested. “I mean, it’s…not like you could be driven to legit kill someone because of it. Things can’t get worse than they already are, right?”

He then sighed and went on, “Just…think about what I said, and what Shiori said, yeah? She wanted you to live, I want you to live, so…shouldn’t that count for something?”

“...Maybe, I just…” Rumi replied, then shook her head. “...I guess I’ll think about it. And…check out my video too, maybe…that will help me make a real decision.”

“Good- and until then…” Hinata began, eyeing the bloodstains on Rumi’s clothes again. “...Gimme your jacket.”

“My jacket? Why?” Rumi asked. “Are you…gonna do something with it?”

“...I’ll hide it in here for now- not like anyone’ll be able to look around in my room anyways,” Hinata told Rumi, keeping his voice neutral. “You told me you don’t have any spares, and it’d be really bad if people saw you wearing a bloody jacket tomorrow.”

“...Right, yeah,” Rumi replied with a nod; there was one brief moment of hesitation, but ultimately she slipped the bloodstained jacket off and handed it to Hinata. 

With that, Rumi stood back up and said, “Okay, I’ll head back to my room for tonight. I’m…sorry again for getting you wrapped up in all of this, I just…I didn’t know who else to go to, I needed to tell someone what happened, and…”

“Don’t worry about it- I’m kinda flattered I was your first choice, all things considered,” Hinata replied with a half smile. “I’d try and tell you to get some good sleep, but uh…seems like that wouldn’t really be appropriate right now.”

“Well, I’ll still try anyways,” Rumi replied with a soft chuckle. “You should try to get some sleep too, you know- you deserve it, after I dropped all… that on you.”

“I’ll do my best, don’t worry about me- worry about yourself, first,” Hinata advised her. 

Though Rumi’s appreciative smile could not reach her eyes, she nonetheless nodded and turned to exit. “Well…goodnight, then.”

With the duo bidding goodnight to one another, Rumi first peeked out into the hallway to ensure no one else was wandering around at this hour, and only then fully left Hinata’s room. Once Rumi was gone, Hinata took a deep breath to try and settle his lingering nerves, then eyed the bloody jacket he had placed next to him on the bed.

“...Sorry Rumi, but I’m not gonna be sleeping just yet,” Hinata muttered to himself as he stood up. “There’s no way I can let you deal with this all by yourself…I’d never be able to forgive myself.”

He put on his shoes and threw on his hoodie over his pajama shirt, then picked up the jacket- he already knew where he himself would be heading. Maybe, initially, there was a part of him that truly did only want to hide the jacket, but deep down he knew that was not enough. Regardless of the lingering doubts he had, he had crossed a line already, and all he could do was continue walking.

---

Hinata almost did not want to go into the East Wing. Perhaps he thought if he just stayed in his room and went to sleep like Rumi believed he did, he would wake up tomorrow and realize the previous night had been one elaborate dream. If he didn’t see any crime scene, then maybe it simply wouldn’t be real, he wouldn’t have to acknowledge it.

He wouldn’t have to walk into the East Wing and see the glass Themis statue soaked in blood, her sword’s blade broken off. He wouldn’t have to notice the railing broken in the area Rumi described. He wouldn’t have to acknowledge the blood trailing in other places, such as leading into and out of the medical room. And he most certainly wouldn’t have to come face-to-face with Shiori’s closed eyes and her face pale with death, her body lying next to the damaged statue with the broken glass blade piercing through her chest. 

Hinata’s legs moved on their own, and in no time at all he found himself staring down at Shiori’s corpse. Even if the two of them hardly ever saw eye-to-eye, and even if Shiori was the one to strike first, Hinata could not deny a death like this seemed especially cruel. Or maybe it was simply karma, if one believed in such things. 

“...” As he gazed down at Shiori, Hinata took a deep breath and growled, “Just…why did you do any of this…? I just don’t get it…”

…This is stupid, of course she can’t answer me… Hinata chastised himself. Doesn’t mean I can’t still wonder about it. Her, of all people…did she watch her motive video? Or did something else happen that drove her over the edge?

He let out another sigh, running his hands through his hair. Shiori acted to save Rumi’s life, and I can appreciate that…but what good is trying to walk things back when Rumi could end up dying anyways? 

Then, he glanced back over his shoulder, acutely aware of the stop he’d made in the South Wing’s lounge prior to this, where Rumi’s jacket was currently burning in its fireplace.

…Not like I’m much better though, right? Hinata then concluded, turning back to the crime scene in front of him. Too late to walk this back, too.

“Sorry, guys…” Hinata softly spoke up, lowering his head slightly. “I wish the rest of you didn’t have to die for this. But even I can’t find a way around the game’s rules…and I can’t stand back and let Rumi get killed, either. Not after everything she’s done for me.”

He sighed, shaking his head. “But it’s not like I was ever a saint to begin with…”

Hinata then put a hand to his chin, pondering that last statement. Right…I’m the Ultimate Thief. I’m exactly the type of person who’d never make it through a killing game like this… 

Slowly, he looked back up in realization. I wonder…how easily would they believe I could become the blackened…?

With that, he scanned the main hall and the scene before him. Hinata was already forming a few ideas for how to go about this newest, craziest plan of his…all that was left for him to do was to get to work.

Notes:

So, when I was first planning out what each side story would be about, I ultimate chose to make Hinata's about the immediate aftermath of Shiori’s death, probably one of his darkest moments in the whole story. However, to contrast what I said in Akira’s chapter about “wow it was shockingly easy for me to get back into everyone’s voices”, this one was a bit more difficult to write. I think it’s because I’ve never written either Hinata or Rumi in such a deeply serious and tense situation- and the closest I’ve gotten (the Chapter 4 trial and parts of Chapter 5), not only were we in someone else’s POV, but the other cast members were around to react and bounce off of.

But then again, as I said before, the whole point of these short stories is to show the other students in various scenarios across FF, and thus show off other, lesser-seen aspects of them. Writing Hinata and Rumi in a more grim scenario might be a challenge for me, but it’ll be completely worth it to give you guys an interesting read! Well, I hope it was interesting, anyways, I suppose you all will be the true judges of that.

At any rate, the next story should be a little lighter- after all, it’ll be focusing on the himbo himself, Ryoto! I have plenty to say on that front, but I’ll save it for the notes on his chapter.

Chapter 3: Heart to Heart

Notes:

To be frank, Ryoto’s story was probably the most difficult one for me to figure out. For one, he’s arguably the most straightforward character in the FF cast- open, honest, and very loud about it. Any extra details about his mindset or his beliefs were already expanded on in his Free Time Events. Additionally, while he was involved in several big events in the story, writing about said events wouldn’t really…change or add anything further to that first point? There was also the matter of me wanting to keep the amount of stories taking place in each chapter (Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, etc.) at least mostly even- for my own sake rather than any practical reason.

Luckily, it was actually that second point that helped me out here! Chapter 5 only had one associated story with it once I checked the numbers (which you all will see much, MUCH later), so I decided to make a second one and give it to Ryoto! After all, there is something significant he plays a part in with regards to Chapter 5, and it seems especially fitting given this is being uploaded right after the Hinata chapter. So, my solution to everything ended up being to show some of the lead-up to that particular moment. Besides, seeing into Ryoto’s enigmatic mind ought to be interesting no matter what the context.

“...aaaaaAAAAAAARRGH!” a battle cry grew in volume as a certain someone approached the pair of imposing doors connecting the North Wing to the castle’s courtyard. Just as quickly-

BAM!

Those same doors were thrown open despite their heft, and Ryoto Miura strode in triumphantly. “HAHAHA! No doors are gonna keep Ryoto Miura from uncovering the secrets of this castle!!”

Granted, Ryoto was not alone in this venture. Having been literally picked up and carried from the dining room like a sack of flour, a frazzled Asuna spoke up, “But…the doors were intentionally unlocked for us, i-it wouldn’t have been difficult at all to just walk in...”

“...I’m still counting it as a victory!!” Ryoto declared, fully stepping into the North Wing.

The main chamber was grand, to be sure, but Ryoto was more interested in the places this chamber led to. Hallways on either side, landings and hallways on the second floor that probably led back to the West and East Wings, and another set of suspicious-looking doors at the top of the stairs.

“Hmmm…I don’t like how fancy those doors up top are!” Ryoto spoke up, pointing to the top of the stairwell.

“Huh…?” Asuna began, having to crane her neck somewhat to see that high up. “I…guess that is weird, yeah. If you want to investigate there first, I-I think that could be good.”

“THEN UP WE GO!!” Ryoto boastfully shouted, sprinting off once again. 

“Wait wait wait put me down first-!!” Asuna cried as she had to quickly reach up once again to make sure her fedora did not fly off her head due to Ryoto’s speed.

Within seconds, Ryoto breached another pair of already unlocked doors, coming face-to-face with a room to match the doors’ grandiosity. There was much gold coloring all over the place, an expensive-looking red carpet on the floor, expensive-looking chandelier on the ceiling, and seemingly the centerpiece of it all: an ornate and strangely familiar throne atop a small stage.

“Ooooh…yeah, this room has to be important!” Ryoto declared, finally setting Asuna back down on her own two feet. “It’s a throne room! We all know every castle’s gotta have a throne room!”

“I…guess, I haven’t exactly been inside many castles before all this…” Asuna replied, still appearing somewhat dizzy after all of Ryoto’s running.

Once she regained her bearings, Asuna gazed at the throne before her eyes widened slightly. “H-Hold on…I’ve seen that throne before. I-It’s the same as the one Monokuma sits on during the announcements- even the area behind the throne looks the same.”

“So then this is where he’s been filming all those announcements?” Ryoto concluded, walking over to the throne. 

“Maybe- though I would have expected to see more video equipment around…” Asuna observed, looking around the room with a frown.

Once in front of the throne proper, Ryoto tilted his head at it, walking around it to try and find anything of interest; however, it just looked like a normal throne. With a frown, he then grasped one side of the throne in an attempt to move it, but to his surprise, it appeared to be fixed into the floor- no matter how hard he pushed or pulled, it would not budge. 

“R-Ryoto, maybe you shouldn’t be pulling on it too hard!” Asuna interjected as she too approached the stage. “If you damage it, Monokuma probably won’t be happy!”

“Well I’m already not happy! SO I GUESS WE’D BE EVEN!” Ryoto argued, before just as quickly turning away from the throne and conceding, “But okay, messing with the throne wouldn’t change much, so I should look at something else.”

Actually… is there anything else in here? Ryoto asked himself, glancing around the room. The throne looks like it’s the only interesting-looking thing, and I don’t think we can reach the chandelier unless we stand on each others’ shoulders. The other places I saw when we came in, on the other hand…

He then confidently smiled to himself. Yeah…Asuna won’t need my help looking around this one little area, she’s smart in her own right! Divide and conquer, Ryoto!! That’s how that works!!

Indeed, given how there was…almost nothing in this throne room, it seemed much more advantageous for him to search a different room, especially if Hana, Hiroshi, and Akira would be joining them as well. Ideally, Hinata would also be out and about to help with investigating, but…even Ryoto could recognize that was unlikely, given the other Ultimate’s state during breakfast.

“Something else…like one of those hallways on the bottom floor!” Ryoto declared aloud. “Those have GOT to lead to other rooms! And Ryoto Miura’s gonna find out what they are, JUST WAIT!”

Just as he was about to speed off again, Asuna quickly yelped, “H-Hold on Ryoto! Before you go, I uh- I actually wanted to…ask you something.”

“Huh?? Me?? Right now??” Ryoto asked, turning right on his heel to face Asuna again. Well this is new- she doesn’t usually ask me, Ryoto Miura, for much of anything. This must be a special occasion! That’s exciting! No reason not to hear her out!

Thus, the initial confusion wore off and he replied more cheerfully, “Welp, Ryoto Miura can’t say no to one of his classmates, so- sure! Lay it on me!”

“W-Well…it’s about what you said back in the dining room,” Asuna began, glancing away for a moment with a worried frown. “You kind of…ran off with me before I could say anything, and…”

Asuna took a breath and continued, “Ryoto, I…understand that you’re upset about what happened with Shiori and Rumi, a-and why you’re upset about it, believe me, but…y-you’re not blaming yourself too much for what happened, are you…?”

“Huh…? That’s what this is about?” Ryoto asked, deflating in disappointment. “...That’s not special at all…”

Then, he fully registered what Asuna said and continued, “Wait…are you saying I’m not at some sorta fault for what happened?”

“M-more or less, yes!” Asuna answered almost immediately, as though surprised Ryoto would even suggest anything to the contrary. “I-I know how awful you must have felt, being framed for Shiori’s death a-and then finding out she was tricking you from the start, but…you weren’t the only one she was trying to deceive. She tried tricking Rumi too, remember…?”

When Ryoto rushed into the North Wing, he hadn’t been sure what to expect. Even still, one of his classmates attempting to engage him in some kind of heart-to-heart was certainly low on his list. While it was a sweet gesture from Asuna…the racer immediately felt the pressure of resistance in his mind in response to such words.

As a result, Ryoto almost instinctively argued, “Maybe so, but I had a responsibility to try and make sure no one else got murdered! I’ve been trying to do that for SO LONG now! So I should have figured out something was going on with Shiori and what she told me! I could have even seen her trying to sneak up on me with the syringe- imagine if I’d turned around for like a second!”

Asuna grimaced before replying, “W-Well…that’s really just hindsight. It’s easy to look at what happened before and think you could have or should have done something, b-but at that moment…you couldn’t have known what Shiori was planning to do. None of us…really did…”

Seeing Asuna’s growing sorrow the more Shiori and her actions were discussed, Ryoto tilted his head and asked, “Asuna, are you…mad at her? For everything?”

“N-Not…exactly…?” Asuna answered, shifting in her spot. “I don’t like what she did, obviously, a-and I’ll always wish she had opened up to us more about what she was dealing with before everything…escalated, but…”

She sighed, looking down as she seemed to be trying to keep her voice steady. “But she was still our friend, and…and knowing what Rumi told us, about her last moments, I just…can’t hate her. And it’s not just because of Rumi’s last request, I think I would…feel that way regardless…”

Hearing her response, Ryoto could not hide the smile that grew on his face, and he responded in earnest, “Well…that’s good! Because that’s pretty much how I feel too! And Rumi’s dying wish is only partially the reason!”

He elaborated, that smile fading just as quickly, “I wish things happened differently too- maybe I always will! Because like or not, there were things I could have done differently!”

Shaking his head, he went on, “But Shiori had her demons too! I couldn’t do anything about those, I know that! And besides, the real enemy is still Monokuma and whoever’s running this killing game!”

Kicking the throne (which still did not budge), Ryoto declared, “That’s why I wanna find whoever that is and shut this whole thing down! So we can FINALLY make sure no one else dies and walk outta here on our own two feet, together!!”

“Hah…I-I guess I should be glad you’re still motivated, no need to worry about that, it looks like…” Asuna observed with a small, relieved smile. However, her smile also dropped and she went on, “I just…wish Hinata was able to pull himself back up like you could…”

Upon hearing the Ultimate Thief’s name, Ryoto’s boasting came to an abrupt halt. He could not entirely identify why- did he feel angered hearing Hinata’s name? Sad, pitying, maybe even frightened? He tried to stop and think, to identify whatever feeling this was…and yet, while he could not say he was happy with the turn this conversation was taking, he did not feel upset either. 

As though sensing his conflict, Asuna hesitantly asked, “I-I know you’ve been able to forgive Shiori, clearly, but…what about Hinata…? The things he did were…uh…”

“...Can I forgive Hinata…?” Ryoto muttered to himself. “You’re asking some interesting questions, Asuna Izumi- are that worried I’ll hold a grudge or something?”

“N-No! It’s not like that, I just…I mean, you’re saying you still want all of us to escape, a-and most of the others seem like they feel the same way, but what Hinata did was a bit…extreme…” Asuna pointed out. “A-And you were affected pretty heavily by it, so I guess I just…want to know how you’re…dealing with all of that…?”

“...A bit extreme…” Ryoto repeated to himself again, crossing his arms.

Well, there’s no reason to blame her for being concerned, Ryoto. You’ve gotten mad at some of the others before- no one’s forgotten about Tadao, probably… Ryoto pondered. But this was different, wasn’t it? Rumi was just a victim of circumstance, she barely had anything to do with the crime! And Shiori…yeah, she started it, but she also went back and saved Rumi’s life in the end! Besides, Ryoto Miura’s never one to disrespect a dying wish, it still sucks that hers ended up falling through…

But Hinata…he was different, too. He didn’t have any stakes in what happened at first, but then he chose to get involved, to try and get all of us and himself killed so Rumi could win the game… Ryoto then thought, his shoulders growing tense as he crossed his arms. I can’t wrap my head around doing something so crazy! But again, he wanted to do what Shiori asked, and…it didn’t seem like he had anything against us. He just…really cared about Rumi! That’s why he’s so upset right now! But Rumi clearly didn’t want him to go as far as he did, even if Shiori wanted her to live too…

Ryoto was hardly ever one for introspection, and thinking about the circumstances as deeply as he was made him feel as though he was being pulled in two different directions. Truly, it was a maddening sensation. 

“...I’m gonna ask YOU about it again!” Ryoto then interjected, pointing to Asuna again. “You were friends with both Shiori and Rumi, so how are you feeling about Hinata, eh?”

“Th-This again?? Is this just your way of buying yourself time…?” Asuna asked with a wince.

“MAYBE! Or maybe not!” Ryoto yelled. “Can’t I also be concerned about how one of my classmates is dealing with the aftermath of two more of our peers dying??”

“O-Okay, okay, well…I haven’t really…fully sorted all of it out yet…” Asuna admitted with a sigh. “Yes, Shiori and Rumi were both my friends- even if I don’t hate them for it, I-I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that they…more or less killed each other. A-And Hinata…he could have killed all of us if his plan succeeded, w-we didn’t want that, and it seems like Rumi didn’t either…”

“So you’re more mad at him out of all three of them!” Ryoto emphatically guessed. “And that makes sense, doesn’t it?”

“N-No, hold on, I…don’t think I am…” Asuna then admitted, shaking her head. “Because what he did, he…did it because of his connection to Rumi. I…I understand that, even if I don’t agree with it.”

That statement caught Ryoto off-guard, and he furrowed his brow in confusion.“You understand it…? Really?” 

“To some extent,” Asuna answered. “Rumi was a good person, and Monokuma making her the blackened over an accident was unfair. If…uh…”

Now, the gardener was starting to look mildly uncomfortable as she went on, “If someone else I deeply cared about became blackened by complete accident, and I found out about it, like Hana or…maybe…”

Asuna reached up to grip the fedora atop her head, her already somber voice going completely quiet. Ryoto’s memory might not be perfect, but he could never forget the original owner of that hat, nor the connection Asuna herself shared with that same person. 

Taking another shaky breath, she concluded, “…I can’t say I would have made a better decision than Hinata, so…maybe that’s why I can’t be completely mad at him, either…”

“...And that means you haven’t totally given up on him, huh?” Ryoto surmised. 

“...I guess I haven’t,” Asuna answered, as though with a newfound understanding. “I…don’t want him to keep suffering the way he has been. I…want to help him, somehow…”

As he listened to Asuna, Ryoto found himself fully silent for a change. The situation at hand was still difficult to think about, and yet…he no longer felt his brain being pulled in two. It seemed so obvious in hindsight; looking back on his own feelings, for as betrayed and confused and devastated as he had been, he realized he felt no hate towards Shiori for what she did to him. In turn, Ryoto now understood what he had been feeling towards Hinata since this discussion began…or, rather, what he was not feeling. In realizing this, the young man knew exactly what he wanted to say, at long last.

“You know what? If you had to ask me, Ryoto Miura, for the first answer that would come to my head…” Ryoto spoke up, crossing his arms with a steadily growing smile. “I would say the same thing! I wanna help Hinata get back on his feet too!”

Nodding a few times, the racer went on, “Even after everything…I know Hinata’s not a bad person, we ALL know that! And if I’m feeling bad about what happened, then he’s probably feeling even MORE guilty! I’m not gonna go and make that worse, that won’t help anyone!”

“Do you mean that? Well, that’s- that’s even better!” Asuna responded with a hopeful tone. “If you out of all us can forgive him, then that’s already a step in the right direction! I think…I hope…!”

She then added as she began to trail off, “I just wish we had a more tangible plan…”

“There’s no need to come up with something concrete right this second!” Ryoto advised Asuna, walking over to her and giving her a resounding pat on the top of her head. “We’ve still got the North Wing to investigate, and then we’ll meet up with everyone! And then we can all figure out what to do! You, me, Hana, Hiroshi, and maybe Akira! We’ll sort it out together!”

Though she seemed momentarily dazed by Ryoto’s headpat, Asuna nonetheless looked back up at him with a small smile and replied, “Y-Yeah, together…maybe we can come up with something together. I-I’m glad you’re optimistic about it, at least…”

“Of course I am! I said earlier I wanna make sure no one else dies and we can all walk out of here together- AND HINATA IS A PART OF BOTH OF THOSE!” Ryoto declared. “I’m not about to go back on that now!!”

Thoroughly fired up once more, Ryoto turned to the throne room doors and mused, “And if the first step to any of those is to finish investigating here, then I’m gonna keep at it! There were other hallways on the first floor, I should look there, while you keep looking around here! DIVIDE AND CONQUER, YEAH!!”

“Ah-! Y-Yeah, that’s a good idea!” Asuna shakily agreed as Ryoto’s volume in such proximity to her ears caused her to jolt. “N-No worries, I won’t miss out on anything in here, I’ll make sure of it!”

“Then Ryoto Miura wishes you luck! Don’t wish me luck back, I WON’T NEED IT!” Ryoto yelled in response before speeding out of the room to begin his solo investigation.

Truthfully, Ryoto also had no inkling as to how he or the others would bring Hinata back to his senses. Still, thanks to Asuna, he at least had a better grasp of his own feelings on the matter. Such a heart-to-heart was a simple solution, but it made all the difference in putting everything into perspective, and Ryoto was grateful for that. However, he also began to consider…maybe that was all Hinata needed? His own face-to-face reckoning of emotions with a peer? Could it truly be that easy?

...Well, no need to settle on anything right now, just like you told Asuna! Especially not before talking to everyone else! Ryoto assured himself. Focus on the investigation right now, and think on everything while running around! Maybe come up with more ideas along the way! Multitasking! Great idea, Ryoto!

At the end of the day, however, there was one thing Ryoto knew for absolute certainty: despite whatever lingering regrets he may have, he was going to keep walking forward, and he would help his classmates and friends do the same, no matter what.

Notes:

You know, one thing I’ve come to realize regarding Ryoto and his role in all of this is the nature of his arc. I can't remember where I saw it, but somewhere I read or heard that sometimes, a character doesn't need to go through any significant changes to themselves or their ideals. Sometimes, a character's arc can be those ideals being challenged, but they ultimately come away still having those core beliefs, just with a deeper or more nuanced understanding of them.

I think that's what Ryoto represents- because, fundamentally, he doesn't really change much from the beginning to the end of FF, nor do his beliefs. He still has a lot of confidence in himself, he still puts a lot of belief in his friends, he still wants to bring down the killing game with everyone- for him, it’s just a matter of being able to get back up when the circumstances knock him down. And in doing so, he’s able to garner enough inner strength and compassion to not only forgive and stand by someone like Hinata (who briefly made him think he killed a lady), but to later do the same with Agent 44/Hana (who was responsible for the killing game as a whole). It’s not a lot, but since a lot of the other characters get more dynamic development, I think someone like Ryoto provides a nice bit of stability throughout all the madness (ironic, given…how he is).

On another note, another thing this side story provided was the chance to write Ryoto and Asuna interacting one-on-one, which I feel is a bit of an understated dynamic compared to other duos or groups of characters. But speaking of- well, I mentioned in Akira’s chapter how I was planning on doing this first batch, so I think you’re smart enough to figure out who’s next.

Chapter 4: Awakening

Notes:

And so here we are, the last of the initial batch! Funny that the Asuna chapter gets posted after the one where she and Ryoto have a whole big conversation- I dunno, like I said, I’m doing these four in introduction order, so these things just kinda work out like that. But if you think about it, the trio do kinda connect to one another, even if not chronologically- we had the Hinata chapter, then the Ryoto chapter where he’s talking about Hinata to Asuna, and now it’s the Asuna chapter. Neat!

Anyways, this one was actually one of the easiest to form in my head, since it was a scenario idea I've had for a long time, way before I committed to legitimately doing these short stories. So, as you can imagine, I’m especially looking forward to finally putting it down on (digital) paper! And I hope you guys will enjoy this one too, even if it’ll be a bit different from the previous three. You’ll see what I mean…right now!

“...”

“...”

“...Mmmuugh…” Asuna muttered as she slowly forced her eyes open; even then, they remained half-lidded, and she could focus on nothing.

Asuna could not remember the last time she felt so drained after what was supposed to be a proper night’s sleep. It was as though she had been asleep for years, and yet her eyelids and her body remained heavy, as if willing her to stay in bed all the more.

…Wait…my bed…? Asuna wondered to herself, the confusion of this realization waking her up more. When did I come back to my room…?  

Despite how foggy everything still felt, Asuna managed to roll over onto her back to stare up at the ceiling. Steadily, she began to recall the events of last night: she had gone out to the courtyard to be alone, Hana found her, the two had a heart-to-heart (a much-needed one, it would seem), and it led to Asuna…sobbing rather intensely, in such a way that she hadn’t since the day of that trial. 

Right…the last place I remember being was in the courtyard… Asuna thought. Don’t tell me- did I…cry myself to sleep? Right then and there? And if that’s true, then…

A pang of guilt shot through Asuna’s chest, and she cringed and buried her face in her pillow. Hana must have carried me back here- but she shouldn’t have had to do that, she’s still hurt! I hope she didn’t get re-injured trying to help me…I should apologize for that the next time I see…

The thought of seeing Hana- or anyone- again then brought another question to Asuna’s mind. She hadn’t been woken up by the morning announcement- in fact, she hadn’t heard it at all yet. Nor had she heard anyone knocking on her door, or any hints of activity in the hallway outside. With this in mind- what time was it? How long had she actually been asleep? 

Fortunately, Asuna’s e-Handbook had been left on the bedside table within arm’s reach. It was easier to quickly grab it now that she was more awake, and so she turned it on to check the time…

…And almost choked on her own shock when she saw it was almost one o’clock in the afternoon.

“W-Wha-!?” Asuna stammered aloud as she read the clock. I slept for that long!? I haven’t slept that much since I was much younger! I couldn’t have needed sleep that badly, could I-?

However…Asuna soon thought back to the last few nights after the last trial, the difficulties she’d been having trying to properly rest- and she then concluded with a sigh, No- no, I definitely needed the extra sleep…

Shaking her head, Asuna told herself, But still, it’s already so late in the day, I can’t just stay in here like this! I need to get up, I need to…to…

As she was getting out of bed, her eyes drifting towards the door, Asuna found herself freezing up. The mere thought of going back outside the room, of seeing her peers again after how she had been acting as of late, sent a pit of anxiety dropping into her gut.

…If nothing else, I at least need to take a shower and get dressed. Asuna then concluded, turning away from the door. I don’t need to rush things, and maybe…it’ll help me clear my head a bit more.

Thus, Asuna stepped into the bathroom to begin her usual morning (now afternoon) routine…and immediately, she found herself drawn to the mirror. She was, on some level, aware of how much she had been neglecting the usual acts of self-care since the trial. It was only now, however, that she was truly taking a moment to see for herself and take it all in. The messy hair, the disheveled uniform, the lack of glasses making her tired and red-tinged eyes all the more noticeable…

“...” 

Peeling her gaze away from the reflection, Asuna continued on with her tasks, spending the next several minutes cleaning herself up and getting dressed. Though she believed this would serve to help wake her up more and clear her mind, truthfully she was already decently awake by that point. Just as well, Asuna found herself with more clarity of thought than she’d had over the last three days, even when she initially woke up minutes ago. This wasn’t to say she had nothing on her mind, a fact that became painfully apparent once she was finished and she saw herself in the mirror again.

There she was, a sight that was more familiar to her eyes and those of her classmates. Her hair was brushed as she usually had it, her uniform was done up properly, she had put her glasses back on, and the traces of sleep deprivation and tears were (mostly) clean from her face and eyes. By all accounts, it looked like Asuna was well on her way to some manner of recovery…

…I look the same as I usually do, like I’m back to normal… Asuna thought as she gazed at her reflection somberly. But I still don’t feel like myself…

Asuna stepped back into the main bedroom; again, she eyed the door, believing she should maybe get something to eat at the very least. However, Asuna found she did not have much of an appetite, further complicated by her feet continuing to refuse to move forward. Instead, Asuna chose to make her way to the desk, where the majority of the flora she kept in this room were displayed. Flowers of varying colors and smaller potted plants were lined up on its surface, with several sun lamps set up. There was only a small amount of space left towards the front of the desk…and it was there that Asuna had placed something else. 

Sitting in front of the pots and lamps, as if framed by the plants, was an aged fedora. It wasn’t hers, of course, but the one who gave it to her felt Asuna would be the best candidate to hold on to it. After all, the hat’s original owner could no longer care for it herself, and given Asuna’s connection to that person…

“...” Asuna shook her head and somewhat hesitantly turned her attention to the plants. She lightly grimaced at the drying dirt and the slight yellowing some of the leaves were gaining, symptoms of the lack of water and general care they had been receiving. Visible damage, but nothing that couldn’t be recovered from, fortunately. 

Using the watering can and spray bottle she had been provided since the first day in this castle, Asuna spent several minutes giving the plants some much-needed attention. Acting in her element in such a quiet place, with no one and (almost) nothing to distract her, was the most soothing thing Asuna had experienced so far today. Satisfied with her work, Asuna set the tools back down and readjusted some of the pots so they were in the most ideal lighting conditions.

“There we go, isn’t that better?” Asuna asked aloud to the plants, despite knowing they could not speak back. “I guess I really have been out of it the last few days. To think I’d let any kind of neglect happen here…some gardener I am, huh…?”

Asuna sat down in the desk chair, leaning forward somewhat as she just took a breath. “I can’t even put into words how dark everything has been lately…so much that I’d ignore my own plants on top of everything else…”

For as long as she could remember, Asuna found more comfort in flowers and greenery than she did while socializing. Sure, she had her mother, but outside of that one outlier, plants were simply…easier to interact with than people. They listened, yet they did not respond. They did not ask questions, or put down your thoughts or interests, or mock your manner of speaking, or poke fun at your appearance or your habits or your worries or fears. All they needed was the right amount of water, the proper soil, and the correct lighting…and they could flourish. Asuna’s mother had often compared her to such things, saying she too would one day find the right environment to thrive in, and grow to be the most beautiful blossom of all. 

Despite this, Asuna often found herself questioning when that day would arrive, if it ever would. Being accepted into Hope’s Peak Academy and becoming an Ultimate did not seem to provide that environment, and especially not when her school life was hijacked into a killing game seemingly before it could even begin. 

At least…until she met her fellow classmates. Fellow Ultimates, fellow victims of this twisted situation. Until she met her.  

“...” Asuna found herself gazing at the fedora again. She began to reach for it…but then, after a moment of hesitation, she instead moved her hand to open one of the desk drawers and pull out a book.

It was a book she’d brought from home, one that catalogued various flora from outside of Japan. The last time Asuna had read this book was days, maybe almost a week ago- the night of the first murder, though she had no knowledge of anyone’s death at the time. Still, as scared as she had been because of Monokuma’s first motive, she hadn’t been alone, and that was thanks to…

…It doesn’t feel right, reading this by myself this time… Asuna pondered, looking at the fedora again. …It’s not the same, I know that, but maybe…maybe it’ll help, a little bit…?

The book in one hand and the hat in the other, Asuna walked to her bed, setting the fedora on the bedside table while laying down and opening the book. She did not keep track of how long she was reading, even after hours and hours drifted by. Admittedly, it was already easy for her to be engrossed in this type of encyclopedic text, and even more so when she had incentive to want to stay in her room for as long as she could justify. After a while, however…Asuna found herself unable to continue focusing on the text or the images, and she put the book down to stare up at the ceiling again.

…I’m just procrastinating…why am I still hesitating? Why is it so hard for me to go back out there and talk to everyone again? Asuna thought, frustrated at herself. Hana and Akira were right, I can’t keep being held back by this, I need to move forward- so what am I still doing here?

Setting the book fully aside and sitting back up, Asuna practically glared at her bedroom door and told herself, I have nothing to worry about…I’m feeling better than before, and I’m sure Hana and everyone will be willing to hear what I need to say, so there’s no reason to hesitate…! It’s easy, I just need to stand up and walk out that door! That’s all!

Asuna was successful at the first part, standing up from her bed and even being able to approach the door. When it came to walking close enough to open it, however…yet again she found herself stopping, her heart racing. Clenching her jaw, Asuna turned back around, yet again finding her eyes drawn to the hat she had left on the bedside table. Somehow, she felt as though it was staring back at her, as if waiting for something.

“...” With her frown growing more sorrowful and a familiar painful sting in her heart, Asuna sat back down on her bed, this time picking up the fedora back up and staring down at it. Eventually, she took a deep, shaky breath and held the item closer to her chest, almost like a last embrace. 

Hana told me I didn’t do anything wrong, I wasn’t at fault for anything. And maybe she was right, but still…whenever I think about the time I spent with Kaneki, the signs seem so obvious… Asuna thought, somber. The pain she was in, the pain she was trying to hide …I know what they say about hindsight, but still, I…

She gazed down at Kaneki’s hat again, gently rubbing a thumb over the fabric of the brim. Though she knew she would not receive an answer, Asuna quietly said aloud, “I wish things didn’t end the way they did. I wish I did know, s-so I could tell you it didn’t change anything for me, that I would s-still be your friend. Hana said you wouldn’t want me to keep blaming myself for what happened, a-and I think she’s right, but…”

Feeling herself growing choked up again, Asuna nonetheless continued, “But didn’t you know the rest of us wouldn’t have wanted you to keep suffering the way you were!? Th-That I wouldn’t have wanted that!? You deserved to move forward too! T-To find happiness in some way, not to…to die thinking we would all hate you if we knew about your past…!”

Wiping her eyes, Asuna stood up, still holding the hat but no longer looking directly at it as she slowly paced in front of her bed. “...What am I doing…? This isn’t helping anyone, I’m just…talking to no one, pretending that it’s some…some ghost. M-Maybe my head isn’t as clear as I thought it was…”

However, as Asuna contemplated this possibility, she quickly realized…no, her mind was still as clear as ever, a stark improvement from before her talk with Hana. So what was the purpose of this exercise, now? Why, after so many days, had she felt so compelled to speak to someone who could no longer speak back? Was this really going to further help her, and give her the courage to finally go and face the rest of her classmates?

…Maybe it’s not about that… Asuna pondered, stopping at last. I was following Akira’s advice all wrong. No matter how much it still hurts, I can’t let this grief control me- it would be a disservice to myself, to the friends I’ve lost to this game, and to everyone still alive. Eventually, I need to start moving past it…

Looking down at the hat again, Asuna felt her eyes sting with unshed tears. She dropped back onto her bed and held the item close once more, choking out, “I was told those things…but you needed to hear them more than I did, didn’t you…?”

For a moment, Asuna could not open her eyes again, overwhelmed by this realization. The past three days alone had been nothing but trying to swim through an inky darkness; she couldn’t fathom what it would be like to be trapped in that darkness for almost five years. Despite this, and while the sadness in her chest was still present…the more Asuna spoke, the more the pain was steadily being dulled, and the easier she found it to speak even further. 

“...What happened to your sister…was not your fault,” Asuna began. “It was an accident, and…you were just a child. Y-You…should never have had to feel like you had to go to such extremes to atone. You have nothing to atone for, at least…not to me.”

A part of Asuna felt this was silly, and it certainly wasn’t ideal. After all, Kaneki herself was no longer around to actually hear these words. However, a greater and more overpowering part of her felt continuing to leave them unsaid, now and forever, would simply be wrong.

“Blaming yourself for so long, hating yourself…I-I don’t want that for you, I don’t think our friends want that for you, and…” Asuna went on, her tone becoming more firm. “And I doubt Yuna would want that, either. Blaming yourself forever won’t…change what happened. So the…the best thing you could do now, for her, is try to move forward.”

With a small, bittersweet smile, Asuna concluded, “A-And it’s okay to let us help with that, and show your real feelings- I-I at least won’t judge you. Because keeping them buried…will not help you- at all.”

At last, Asuna laid the fedora back down in her lap. In the end, there was no guarantee what Asuna said would have actually helped the other Ultimate, and no way to find out for certain. But she spoke from her heart, and just as Hana had a gut feeling about how Kaneki’s friendship was genuine, Asuna had an intuition that the explorer would have appreciated it regardless. It was some level of closure, the closest Asuna would likely ever achieve, and even if the pain and the regret and the guilt might resurface later…right now, she finally felt at peace.

Realizing her eyes were still misty, Asuna stepped towards the bathroom to wash her face again. However, with the fedora still in her hand…she realized there was one more thing she could do to pay respects to her deceased friend. 

She was unsure how it would look, but wanting to at least try it, Asuna stood in front of the mirror and carefully placed the fedora atop her own head.

…It doesn’t…look too bad on me… Asuna admitted to herself, tilting her head slightly. It’s not the sort of thing I would normally wear, but…I don’t think Kaneki would mind. If anything, she might be glad the hat is still being used instead of being left to gather dust.

Soon, Asuna found herself with a small smile, thinking to herself, Kaneki…you told me I had a lot more strength than I gave myself credit for, so…I’ll try my best to find that strength, somehow. I’m here right now because of you, and even though I wish things turned out differently…that you were still here with all of us…I’m happy knowing you cared so much.

Putting a hand on the fedora one more time, Asuna concluded with a newfound sense of resolve, I’ll never forget about you…and I’ll try my best to make sure everything you did for me won’t be for nothing. I promise.

With the fedora still atop her head, Asuna found herself walking with more purpose. More importantly, her heart no longer began racing as she approached her bedroom door, and her legs continued to move her forward as normal. By this time, Asuna finally felt completely awake, in every sense of the word.

Asuna did not know how meeting with the others would go, or even where they were, given it was now almost evening. Still, she knew it was time to stop hiding in her room and make good on her newfound promise- and so, she turned the doorknob and stepped out into the hallway, determined to seek out her classmates.

Notes:

and then three guys died in the same day

Anyways, yeah! Probably the most lowkey of the quartet (and the shortest), since it’s Asuna on her own sorting through the remainder of her messy feelings and grief. Still, I hope it was a neat scene regardless, I definitely enjoyed finally being able to write it- not only because I just love Asuna, but I also enjoy putting characters through big emotional scenes! This will not be the last time, and that is both a promise and a threat!

But now that we’re at the end of the fourth story, this also marks the end of the starting batch of chapters. The rest will come in due time, nothing to worry about there, but I will say right now I am NOT planning on sticking to a set schedule like I did with FF:R. I have other stuff I wanna work on and catch up with, so while I will continue to work on the future chapters, I’ll definitely be pacing myself more on the slow-ish side. Rest assured, the other stories will come out when they’re each ready, but no sooner and no later.

If nothing else, I hope this was a worthy way to celebrate Fractured Fates’ seventh birthday- for me, it’s also been a nice way to get back into proper writing in general. I’ve been enjoying it, I’m happy doing Fangan stuff again, and I’m looking forward to keeping at it!

Anyways, that’ll be all for now, and I will see you all next time! Until then!!

Chapter 5: Tech Support

Notes:

Hello again, everyone! Here I am with the first non-batch update, and since we’re going in death order from here on, the focus today is on none other than Mikio Nakamura, the game’s first unfortunate victim.

So, remember how I mentioned that Ryoto’s chapter was arguably the hardest for me to come up with a scenario for? Both because of how straightforward he is as a character, and because the big story moments he played a part in wouldn’t be recontextualized much if they were shown from his own perspective? Well, the reason it’s debatable is because Mikio’s scenario was just as difficult to come up with, for largely the same reasons…but now, add in the fact that he was the very first death, so unlike Ryoto he doesn’t have a ton of major events he was central to by default (other than his own death).

But I was able to come up with something, and it was partially because of the one project I was working on before this. Still not gonna say what it was, but it did cause me to realize Mikio could have had (and partially did have) a particular dynamic with a certain cast member…so I’m gonna use this side story to double down on that! Read on to see what the heck I’m talking about!

The soft tapping on a keyboard and clicking of a mouse were familiar sounds to Mikio Nakamura. He could not count the hours and days he had spent in his bedroom at home, staring at a computer screen and pouring over the numerous lines of code making up his latest creations. Sometimes, he might put on music as background noise to help himself focus, but a majority of the time the sounds of the keyboard were enough companionship. Today, however, no amount of clicking across a screen could calm the swirling anxiety in Mikio’s head, and this time he didn’t have his phone or earbuds to put on any of his favorite songs. 

In the two hours since he had returned from the courtyard, he had been sifting through the PC that had been set up in this room, evidently having been there since before he first woke up yesterday. At first, he had been hoping to establish some kind of Internet connection, which would be a massive boon in escaping this so-called ‘killing game’ he and his classmates were stuck in. When that failed, he pivoted to investigating the PC’s operating system and other software, hoping to find something else as a link to the outside world- an email system, a browser, anything. 

Mikio leaned back in his desk’s chair, head tilted towards the ceiling as he rubbed his face in frustration. He thought to himself, This is ridiculous…there’s nothing on here besides software for game creation. Programming, modeling, composing music, I can do all of that…but that’s all I can use this for…

He sat back up properly after a moment, covering his mouth with one hand as he looked off to the side contemplatively. Why would whoever set this up go through the trouble of giving me an entire PC if all I can do on it is game development? Was it just because they wanted me to still use my talent, for some reason? Or is it just to mock the fact that we really are trapped in here…?

Mikio sighed and shook his head. No, maybe…maybe I still missed something. I mean, sure, I’ve already tried a lot of things, but maybe I just-

Suddenly, Mikio was brought back to reality by several knocks on his door; the sound was so jarring, the young man nearly jumped out of his seat.

“H-Hold on, hold on, I’m coming!” Mikio called out as he quickly stood up and made his way over to the door.

Upon opening it, he found himself just as surprised to come face-to-face with the piercing red eyes of Akira Rimutsu.

“Nakamura,” Akira greeted him. “Good on you for being quick to answer, I suppose.”

“Ah- Akira! Uh- hi?” Mikio began. “Wasn’t expecting you to pay me a visit right now, uh…did you need something?”

“More so I wanted to ask you something,” Akira explained, stepping around Mikio to fully enter his room.

Mikio, still confused about the prosecutor’s entrance but it being too late to ask further questions, could only awkwardly speak up, “...Come in, I guess?”

Despite the light confusion he felt at Akira’s sudden appearance, Mikio found himself unable to be surprised. In the less than twenty-four hours he had known her, Akira had shown herself to be as forceful as she was commanding. She could take control of a room with just a few words, as demonstrated the night prior when she calmed down everyone after the appearance of that maniacal bear. This presence of hers was impressive- almost overwhelmingly so, and thus Mikio found himself unable to object to Akira entering his room, despite his misgivings.

As he closed the door, Akira glanced around the surroundings before her attention centered on Mikio’s desk. She observed, “Ah, so you do have a PC in here.”

“Uh- yeah, it’s been there since we first got here,” Mikio replied with a nod. Then, he furrowed his brow and inquired, “Wait- why’d you think I had a computer?”

“Because one of the first things I noticed about my bedroom were certain law textbooks and supplies for keeping up one’s glasses,” Akira explained. “On a hunch, I spoke to some of the others after breakfast- namely Shimaru and Yamamoto- about what their own rooms look like.”

Looking back towards Mikio, she elaborated, “I can’t speak on the other, unlabeled bedrooms making up the rest of this hallway, but it seems like the contents of our rooms are tailored to our talents and interests. Thus, since you’re the Ultimate Game Designer, I thought you might have been given technology the rest of us weren’t.”

“Oh! I think I get what you’re looking for!” Mikio exclaimed in realization. “Were you thinking something in here could connect to the Internet, maybe communicate with the outside?”

“Hm- sounds like I don’t need to waste more time explaining, then,” Akira remarked, raising an eyebrow. “If you’ve figured that much out, am I correct to assume you’ve already been working on that?”

“You are! Well- that’s kinda the only good news, here…” Mikio sheepishly explained, rubbing the back of his neck.

“What do you mean? Have you not been able to find any connections?” Akira asked.

With a sigh, Mikio gestured for Akira to follow him over to the desk. There, he sat back down in the chair and placed his hand over the mouse once more.

“See, this PC is similar to the one I used back home- a bit of an older model, sure, but still perfectly good,” Mikio explained. “The first things I found were some applications that I could use for making video games- like you said, it’s tailored around what I do.”

“And the software works?” Akira inquired. “What about the rest of the computer, were there any files that had already been made?”

“No files- in fact, not much of anything else,” Mikio answered with a disappointed frown. “No other software besides the default, the operating system’s even more basic, no web browsers or search engines…”

“And you couldn’t connect to the Internet at all?” Akira surmised.

“I tried, but there were no connections available anywhere- even when I tried moving some of this around which was…not easy, it’s a bit bulky…” Mikio replied with a grimace. “And it’s not like we have ready access to anything that could create a viable connection either…”

“That much seems true from what I’ve investigated- I certainly didn’t find anything resembling a router or something of the like,” Akira admitted before shaking her head. “It figures- if they went through the trouble of locking us in here and taking away our phones, I doubt they’d allow us such easy access to the Internet itself.”

“I guess, but…I don’t know, it seems like a bit of a waste putting all of this in here when I can only use it for the bare minimum,” Mikio responded, leaning back in the chair with a sigh. “Guess I really won’t need to worry about getting bored, at least.”

It’s so weird, though…that Monokuma bear thing wants us to kill each other, right? So what’s with these rules and giving us these nice rooms with all these accommodations? Mikio asked himself. Doesn’t matter how nice we’re treated or how orderly they make everything, we’re still being forced to kill if we want to leave…

“What about the e-Handbooks?” Akira then inquired. “I’ve been looking through my own and haven’t been able to do much with it, but maybe you’ve been able to glean something I haven’t with your knowledge.”

“My knowledge? I mean…I’ve kinda looked through the Handbook myself, but…” Mikio began, uncertain. “It just looks like a normal tablet for school stuff. It’s got a lot of helpful apps, and it definitely looks like something branded by Hope’s Peak Academy- it’s got the insignia and everything. Not sure how that bear could have gotten ahold of these things, but…”

“But you can’t do anything further with them?” Akira asked with a frown. “Nothing at all? Have you even tried looking into your own Handbook more deeply?”

“I- I don’t know, what do you want me to do?” Mikio asked, flustered by Akira’s growing annoyance. “All I can really tell is these things seem pretty advanced, and I’m- y’know, I do programming, I just make stuff! If you wanted to tamper with something like this, I’m the wrong guy to ask, you’d need like…an expert hacker or something.”

Akira scoffed, glancing away for a moment. “Doesn’t sound like you’re using your skillset to its fullest potential…”

“I-I have been using my skills very well, actually!” Mikio argued. “Don’t forget, I just spent God knows how long slaving away on this computer trying to find stuff! It just…y’know, didn’t work out…”

He sighed and pointed out, “Besides, it hasn’t even been a full day since we’ve been here. I wanna get out of this castle as soon as possible too, but it’s not like we’re on an actual time limit. I think we’ll be fine if we don’t make huge amounts of progress right away, y’know?”

“Use your time as you wish, but I don’t intend to waste any of my own,” Akira replied. “The longer we’re in here, the more the Graduation Clause’s temptations will eat away at us- and by then, it actually will be a matter of time until someone breaks under the pressure.”

“The Graduation Clause…” Mikio muttered. “God, it- y’know, the more I think about it, it really can’t be as simple as ‘kill someone and don’t get caught’, right? Azami was right, it is weird how vague Monokuma made it, why- why would he do that, huh?”

“Who knows? All the more reason to escape as soon as possible, so we won’t need to worry about what else it could entail,” Akira curtly responded.

“I could definitely go the rest of my life never finding out what else it could entail…” Mikio remarked, putting a hand to his head with a grimace. 

Shaking her head, Akira turned to begin walking back towards the bedroom door. “Well, it doesn’t look like there’s anything else worth my time here. Do what else you must, Nakamura, until we meet again tonight.”

“Wha- hey! You’re just gonna leave? Just like that?” Mikio asked, scrambling to stand up from his chair. “You just come in here, ask about the Internet, and…that’s it?”

“Of course- anything else would take time away from investigating,” Akira responded matter-of-factly. “There are other places for me to check, ones that might have some actual leads, so there’s no reason for me to stay here.”

“Well- maybe, but…didn’t you wanna hang out a bit more?” Mikio suggested. “Sit down for a second, talk, just…take a break for a bit?”

“Oh, don’t tell me…” Akira began, rolling her eyes with an annoyed sigh. “Are you trying to get me to participate in what Ashi suggested at breakfast? Building bonds of friendship with everyone and such?”

“...Man, it really does sound lame when you say it like that…” Mikio muttered before speaking up more audibly, “But…yeah, kinda. I mean- I wasn’t thinking about it when you first came in, but now it’s like…I don’t know, since you’re here, I wouldn’t mind learning more about you.”

“Tch- I made my thoughts perfectly clear at breakfast,” Akira reminded him. “Why would I change my mind now, when I’m talking to you?”

“Well…think of it this way,” Mikio began. “You seem like you’re trying to be a leader for all of us, right? Wouldn’t it be easier to lead if you had a genuine connection with everyone instead of just being all…y’know, good at talking and giving orders?”

“That’s foolish,” Akira refuted without hesitation. “I don’t need to be friends with anyone here to provide an air of order against any chaos. My skills and competence can speak for themselves perfectly fine.”

“C’mon, that’s not true! You can’t say you feel nothing towards us!” Mikio then optimistically claimed. “I mean, you didn’t have a problem asking me to do stuff for you yesterday, or this morning.”

“Because you happened to be the most convenient person nearby, and if it turns out that way again in the future, I will choose you again,” Akira explained in a rather clinical tone. “Sure, you’ve proven you’re one of the more reliable ones in this group, but that doesn’t make you special to me in any way.”

“What about right now? You came right into my room without saying much of anything,” Mikio next argued, raising a finger as he made this point. “You didn’t seem concerned about whether I was planning to draw first blood or not- that’s gotta mean you trust me to some extent, yeah?”

“No, I just knew you wouldn’t be stupid enough to commit a murder right this moment,” Akira replied, pinching the bridge of her nose with a growl. “It’s the middle of the day, too many people are walking about for you to safely transport any evidence outside of this room, I’m fairly certain several people saw me walking in this direction, so if I were to go missing there would immediately be-”

“Okay, okay, point taken,” Mikio interjected. “But, just- look, Akira, I don’t know how much my opinion actually matters to you-”

“It might, if you have something of actual value to say,” Akira pointedly replied. “To make up for keeping me here longer than I would have liked…”

“But maybe talking to people here about stuff that isn’t about the killing game might do you some good? As much as it would help out everyone else too?” Mikio began, somewhat nervous that Akira would immediately shut him down again.

When she did not, Mikio felt compelled to continue, “I want Hiroshi to be right, because…focusing entirely on how abnormal all of this is will make everyone more stressed, and more stress will just make people want to get out of here more, and that could lead to…bad stuff. I get you want to use your talents to get us all out of here, and you’re super proud of those skills and that’s great, but…y’know…”

He gestured to the area around them. “We are still classmates, Ultimates or not. We don’t have to try and be hypercompetent all the time, we should be able to just…exist around each other. That shouldn’t be a disadvantage here, right?”

For a few moments, Mikio watched Akira’s expression, hoping it would shift to show she was taking some of his words into consideration. However, he was never the best at reading people, and the other student seemed to know how to put up a poker face when she deemed it necessary.

In the end, all Akira did was softly scoff and respond, “I won’t go out of my way to seek conversation with the others. If someone comes up to me first, I might hear them out as long as they don’t get in my way, but that’s as far as I plan to go. Contrary to what you seem to believe, my time is best spent putting my investigative skills to proper use.”

Crossing her arms, Akira inquired of Mikio, “Any other words of wisdom you wish to share, or can I actually leave now?”

“...Not right this second, no…” Mikio replied, his eyes going towards the floor.

With no further arguments, Akira turned away from Mikio once again and exited the bedroom properly this time. Left alone, Mikio sighed and put a hand on the back of his chair, leaning against it somewhat. 

Well, I tried…I already knew she could be pretty intimidating, but stubborn too? She probably needed a pretty tough backbone to get to where she is today… Mikio thought to himself, mildly disappointed. Guess the only thing I can ask is for that stubbornness to not screw her or anyone else over going forward…

He found himself staring down at the computer again, frowning. As for me…well, I’ve done all I can with this, at least. What to do with my time…? Akira sounds like she wants me to try using my talent to help us all out, but…what else can I really do here? There isn’t much more technology laying around, is there?

Mikio thought once more about the conversation he’d had with Hana after the breakfast meeting- how she connected Hiroshi’s logic about his bonding suggestion to her own reasons for wanting to attend Hope’s Peak Academy. It was an optimistic outlook, fitting for the impression she’d given Mikio in the few hours they’d known each other. At the time, he himself did not know how to word his own feelings on the matter, only able to express how he ‘hoped’ Hiroshi was right…as noncommittal as that response was.

I wanted to go to Hope’s Peak not just because it could help my future career goals, but also…because I wouldn’t be treated like I’m better than the people around me. Mikio pondered. In a place where everyone is ‘special’ in some way, it really means no one is truly above anyone else. We’re equals, and we can just…be ourselves, regardless of background or talent. 

He turned away from the desk and faced the bedroom door, finding more resolve as he told himself, In a screwed up situation like this, that applies even more if you think about it. No matter where we came from or what we’ve each accomplished, we’re all trapped in the same place together, our lives at equal risk. So…that’s even more reason to support one another through this- we’re stronger together, I’d bet money on that.

Mikio took a breath and walked over to the door- he could keep working on the computer later. Right now, it was time to put Hiroshi’s idea to the test, and make the most of his and his classmates’ unusual circumstances. 

I don’t think I was unpopular at home, but I never really took time to interact with people- I just spent as much time as I could working. Mom had to remind me so many times to spend more time outside… Mikio reminisced. I don’t like the idea of losing time I could be spending on development, but it’s not like I’ve got my actual project files here. If there was ever a time to become more social, it’s now.

As he approached the door to exit his room, Mikio decided to not focus on what the worst case scenario could be, instead focusing on how this could all play out in the best case. If the fifteen of them were rescued or escaped before things could escalate, this whole experience could become some crazy story they could reminisce upon years later- maybe even Akira would come around, too. They could all talk and laugh about it not only as classmates or Ultimates, but as fellow friends and survivors. For Mikio, it was a nice thought, and a future he hoped to be a part of.

Notes:

You know, I felt fine writing the four survivors’ stories, since…well, I knew they’d live through everything, I knew they’d pull through. And for the majority of Mikio’s story, I felt okay about it, felt a little proud of the moments of dramatic irony. But then I got to that last paragraph, and I realized…I’m gonna make myself sad with some of these, aren’t I? Literally, while I was writing that last paragraph, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking “oh…oh no, Mikio, oh…oooh nooo………” And it’s not gonna get any easier the further down the death order we get!

Anyways, to focus on the less depressing aspects of this one…I realized Mikio and Akira could have had a neat dynamic if Mikio had lived long enough for it to develop past “Akira spots him and tells him to do fetch quests”. After all, while he leans more into optimism like Hana and Hiroshi do, he's definitely more down-to-earth compared to a lot of the others, which would probably allow him to interact with Akira more easily. So, this story is my attempt at building that up a bit more- Mikio providing a bit of pushback on Akira's coldness, and Akira taking at least 1% of his advice. Maybe he could have been a good (or a more beneficial) influence in future chapters- I suppose we’ll never know, someone had to be the first to die after all.

Now then, speaking of death and dying, I think you guys can gather who the next chapter focus is going to be. Honestly, I’m somewhat of two minds about where I want to take that story- I had one idea that I‘d settled on before, but I’ve since come up with a different one that’s I think is pretty compelling too…I don’t know, obviously I’ll have decided on something by the time it gets uploaded, right now they’re just bouncing back and forth in my head like ping-pong. Until then, I hope you guys enjoyed this one! It was definitely more relaxed and lowkey compared to some of the previous (and future) ones, which I think is a nice change of pace. I’ll see you all in the next installment- bye for now!

Chapter 6: Punishment

Notes:

Well, I didn’t plan on this taking over three weeks to get done. You ever just have a few days where you just…don’t feel especially productive? That was basically what happened to me- work can definitely be a bit draining, and I only have so much time left in the day to do anything else. Thank goodness for Labor Day weekend, who knows where I’d be if I didn’t have that extra day off to get back in the swing of productivity.

Anywho, welcome to Azami’s chapter! I kinda went back-and-forth about how I wanted to go about this one. I knew generally what I wanted it to focus on (barring a few instances where I considered changing it to a whole different scene), I was a bit more stuck on the specifics. In the end, though, I’m pretty satisfied with how it came out! Azami’s a neat character and super fun to write, so I hope you’re interested in seeing her inner thoughts, even though they’re about to be in some…turmoil. You’ll see!

As soon as the meeting in the dining hall ended, Azami more or less sprinted to the library, using the rest of the class splitting up as her escape opportunity. She threw open the doors and closed them just as quickly, taking the moment to press her back against the cool wood as she tried to steady her breathing. Even so, she could not- her heart was racing, and she could feel her entire frame trembling. For the moment, it seemed no one had followed her to the library; still, Azami briskly made her way towards the back room, just for the extra layer of privacy.

Once inside the smaller space, Azami could only pace the room’s perimeter (avoiding the floor hatch leading to the secret room), pulling her hood down so she could run her hands through her hair. Neither of these eased her terror, and her breathing remained shaky and shallow.

Trial…they’re doing a mock trial…there’s more, there’s gonna be more, we’re supposed to have a whole discussion about the incident- Azami thought, fighting back a wave of nausea the more she thought about what Monokuma told all of them. The rules didn’t say anything about a trial! You were just supposed to get away with it, that was all it said, that was it, that was it-!

Granted, Azami hadn’t been thinking about the Graduation Clause last night, at least not right away. Looking back, she couldn’t quite remember what had been going through her mind in the moments of her…confrontation with Mikio Nakamura. Fear, that much was certain- fear for her own life, fear for her new friends’ lives, fear for what Monokuma’s threat could do to any of them, and fear of what the others would do if they found out an attempted murder took place. It was only afterwards, once Mikio was no longer moving and the scent of blood almost drove her to lose her dinner, that the words of the Graduation Clause resurfaced in her mind…

‘Anyone who kills will graduate unless they are discovered’, that was all it said…was that why it was so vague…? Azami asked herself, her frantic pacing slowing to a stop. To blindside us with this ‘class trial’ stuff? Like some kind of sick joke, and we’re all the punchline? I’m the punchline, because I didn’t know I’d have to do more than just…not be seen at the crime scene!?

As she thought back to the recent dining hall meeting, Azami’s breath hitched in her throat as she recalled something else. And…‘punishment’ for whoever loses…what does that mean…!? It couldn’t…It couldn’t mean-

Before she could come to any conclusions, a knock suddenly rang out from the other side of the door, as well as a certain gardener's voice calling out through it, “H-Hello…? Are you in here, Azami?”

Startled and furious at the silence being broken so soon, at being interrupted while collecting her scattered thoughts, Azami reflexively shouted back at the door, “WHAAAAAT!?”

“Eep! I-I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were busy!” she heard Asuna yelp. “I-I’ll search somewhere else, sorry again!”

Wracked with guilt over frightening her meeker classmate, Azami was quick to rush towards the door and respond, “W-Wait, don’t do that! It’s fine, I’m sorry!”

The illusionist put her hood back up and practically jumped back out into the main room of the library; Asuna stumbled back as she did, still somewhat startled. It wouldn’t take long for Azami to notice Asuna had not entered alone, as she then spotted Shiori examining the tables and chairs in the middle of the room, appearing to be checking if anything had been stashed underneath them.

Hearing the commotion, Shiori looked up and raised an eyebrow at Azami. “Hm- thought I saw you come in here. You’re not trying to hide from investigating, are you?”

“H-Hide!? Me!?” Azami indignantly blurted- she was momentarily indecisive about how to respond, until she invoked her other persona to mask that anxiety, “The- The Queen of the Dark Arts would never hide from matters either deathly or macabre! In fact, I AM the macabre!!”

As usual, her dramatic voice did not seem to spark confidence in either Shiori or Asuna; the latter, at least, tried to give her a reassuring smile and reply, “O-Oh, that’s…good to hear…?”

“Alright, well, if you weren’t hiding in there, did you happen to see anything weird?” Shiori inquired, crossing her arms as she approached the duo. “You seem like you know that room better than the rest of us, so I’m hoping you would have spotted something out of place…”

Immediately, Azami’s mind was drawn to the room hidden under the floor…and the bloodstained cloak she had haphazardly stashed down there the night prior. Still, as far as she knew, Hana was the only other person in this castle who knew about that room- neither Shiori nor Asuna had reason to suspect anything amiss in there.

“Aha…as if the shadows could hide anything from my mystical sight!” Azami boasted. “If even one page of one book in there had been creased ever so slightly, the shift in its energies would be felt by me in an instant!”

“O-Okay…still, do you think one of us should double-check…?” Asuna suggested, peeking around Azami to view the door to the back room. “F-Four eyes are better than two, and maybe-”

“No!” Azami blurted- again, without truly thinking. When Asuna stepped back in confusion, the illusionist elaborated in her usual voice, “It’s just…it’s a small room, smaller than the rest of the library, there aren’t a ton of places to hide stuff in there anyways. If someone had put something in there, I would have seen it, trust me.”

What am I doing, what am I doing, what am I doing- Azami frantically asked herself, trying her hardest to stop herself from hyperventilating. Why am I lying right now, I know there’s gonna be some kinda trial soon, they need the evidence- but if they see that cloak, I’ll be busted immediately- but would that really be a bad thing?? What about that punishment, I still don’t know what it means, what if-  

“Good point, shockingly- a lot of rooms to search, lots of places clues could be…if we’re gonna use our time the best, we need to prioritize,” Shiori remarked with a nod…which was soon punctuated with a yawn. “Sure, there aren’t…a ton of places to look, but still…”

“Shiori? Did you…not get a lot of sleep again…?” Asuna asked, frowning in concern. 

“What do you think…” Shiori muttered, rubbing her face to try and wake herself up more. “It’s fine, I’m fine, I can still investigate, it’s fine.”

“A-Are you sure…? This class trial…it sounds serious, s-so if even one of us is having health issues, it could…it could affect other aspects of an investigation, I-I think…” Asuna pointed out, becoming more fretful by the moment. “I don’t know, I-I’ve never done anything like this before, I don’t know what would or wouldn’t be important, I…”

“...” Azami glanced back at the other room for a moment, then back at a steadily panicking Asuna, then suggested, “Maybe I should handle looking around the library, so you two can have more time to do…whatever else you’d need. Divide and conquer, that sorta thing.”

“...” Shiori leaned on the nearby table, simply watching Azami; the latter wondered if the other was already suspecting her, but instead Shiori said, “That’s fine, but I still want to talk to you about something else.” 

“I-In that case, I’ll, uh…I’ll try…the courtyard, maybe…?” Asuna replied, uncertain. “I don’t know, none of this makes any sense, I’m…”

Unable to communicate her doubts further, Asuna gave the other two an apologetic look before scurrying out of the room. As she watched Asuna depart, Azami asked herself, Why am I trying to get them both out of the library…? I can end this right now, I can show them the cloak…but if I do that, I’ll be hit with that ‘punishment’...and then, no matter what it ends up being, the killing game will keep going…

“...I already know about where you went, by the way,” Shiori spoke up after a moment. “I talked to Rumi before I came in here, she told me.”

“YOU KNO- oh, ooh, when I…went to the library, right…” Azami replied, feeling a horrible jolt strike her heart in the moment before Shiori elaborated. “Sorry, last night was…a lot, it’s…tough to think about…”

Well, that wasn’t a lie, at least. At the time, giving Rumi the wrong time was a spur-of-the-moment decision, one she was half-expecting to quickly backfire due to how little thought she’d put into it. Still, it seemed like a logical next step towards avoiding being ‘discovered’ for Mikio’s death, as per the original wording of the Graduation Clause. Given the way Shiori spoke of it so casually, with no suspicion towards her or Rumi whatsoever, it seemed like it worked better than Azami expected. She didn’t know how to feel about such a fact anymore.

“Yeah? Well, if you’re bringing up the library on your own, guess that means Rumi was telling the truth,” Shiori deduced. “Good to know some of you guys have alibis…”

After a moment of silence, Shiori continued, “But the thing I actually wanted to say to you was…well, thanks for keeping your cool in front of Asuna, sort of.”

“What…? O-Of course I kept my cool!” Azami insisted. “I’m the master of darkness, the one who calls forth the arcane! My nerves are cast iron!”

“Azami, you’re paler than usual, and I could tell your hands were starting to shake towards the end there,” Shiori curtly pointed out.

“...I-I…don’t know what you mean…” Azami choked out; however, now that Shiori had opened the box, her shivers were starting to resurface once more. The more she tried to suppress them, the more violent they became.

“Well, like I said, I’m glad you kept it to yourself until now- the last thing we need is a bunch of people panicking over what’s going to happen…” Shiori remarked with a sigh. 

“...” Azami stared at Shiori, her thoughts threatening to engulf her, the pressure she felt enough to make a pipe burst. Finally, she mustered up the will to ask, “Shiori! I have something I need to ask you too!”

“Mm? What, are you curious about my alibi too?” Shiori guessed. “Because I didn’t leave the dining hall until after 9:20, so I couldn’t have done anything to Mikio.”

“N-Not about that! About the trial, about…the rules…” Azami explained, looking away for a moment in uncertainty. “The rules said if the blackened wins, they get to leave, and everyone else gets some sort of ‘punishment.’ What do you…think the punishment will be? I-I doubt it’d be anything good, but…i-it couldn’t be something horrible, right…?”

Though she spoke optimistically, deep in her gut Azami knew she was being naive; this was why she was hoping to hear Shiori’s thoughts on the matter. She was smart, and slightly less intimidating than Akira, so she was likely the one person Azami could trust to ask this. Besides- Shiori was also painfully blunt, so for better or worse, Azami could rely her to be completely reasonable and honest.

“...” Shiori could only gaze contemplatively at Azami again, as though attempting to discern her mindset with looks alone. Azami, on her end, felt no need to further hide her anxiety at the question- it was the truth, after all, even if it came from a different source than what Shiori might suspect.

Soon enough, Shiori sighed, putting a hand up to head. “...I don’t know. I don’t know what it could be, or why Monokuma’s not just being forthright about it. Maybe he’s just trying to mess with us some more.”

“Yeah, that’s…definitely weird…” Azami agreed with a slow nod. 

“The only guess I can make is…whoever loses probably won’t get out of it unscathed…” Shiori went on with a grimace. “I mean, remember when Monokuma almost blew up Hinata on the first day? Just for technically breaking the ‘don’t harm Monokuma’ rule?”

The more Shiori spoke, the more Azami’s legs grew unsteady- it was a miracle she was able to remain standing. Even so, she attempted to keep her voice hopeful as she argued, “But…y-yeah, people could get… hurt, but that’ll be it, right…? The spotless will still want to avoid that, but- but that’ll be it, won’t it?”

“...” Shiori glanced back at Azami with eyes that were far more skeptical. “That sounds too easy, especially for a situation as sadistic as this. Who knows how far Monokuma would go to punish the losers…”

Azami had to shakily gulp, suddenly feeling rather lightheaded. “So you…y-you really have no ideas, besides what…happened to Hinata…?”

Shiori’s uncertainty only bolstered Azami’s worst fears; as she sank into the nearest chair, eyes lowering towards the table’s surface, she thought, It could be worse, yeah…it could be death. Monokuma could have killed Hinata that day, so…couldn’t he do the same to whoever loses the trial? It makes sense, it makes too much sense for him- and that means…that means this trial could be-!

“Dammit- are you actually gonna be able to look around the rest of the library by yourself?” Shiori asked, sounding one half annoyed and another half…slightly concerned. “If you’re getting this worried about what could happen if the killer gets away, maybe-”

“I-I’ll be fine…! I just need a second, that’s it!” Azami insisted, shaking her head. “It’s all a hypothetical, anyways…w-we just need to find the truth, and then it’ll be over. Anything else…irrelevant! To be cast aside, as wood into a fireplace!”

Conversely, Shiori appeared far less optimistic, shaking her head and replying, “Whatever you need to tell yourself to be able to investigate.”

Thus, the surgeon turned away and said, “I’ll hold you to doing a proper examination of this place- if you miss anything, I’ll be pissed.”

“I-I’m not gonna miss any-!” Azami blurted, continuing after a moment of composure, “My dark powers allow me to see past the veil of reality itself! Nothing escapes my divine gaze!”

“Yeah yeah, whatever you say…” Shiori tiredly responded as she was already starting to walk towards the main doors. “If you need any help, you know where to find everyone.”

With a little nod of acknowledgement, Shiori departed at last, and Azami was left in solitude once more. The quiet was calming at first, but soon it allowed her anxious thoughts to claw their way back in full force. 

…It makes too much sense…it’d fit the way Monokuma’s been running things for the punishment to be something lethal… Azami surmised. But that’s…that’s still just a guess! I could be wrong, it could be…less severe…!

Despite telling herself this, her eyes burned with tears, and fearful chills crawled through her bones; still, she couldn’t allow herself to cry. If she did, then she’d have to go back down to the secret room to redo her makeup, and then…she’d be forced to see the bloodstained cloak once more, undeniable proof of the horrible act she had committed just hours earlier.

Azami sank into the chair further, fully lowering her head onto the table as more trembles racked her body. The chance to leave if she just avoided discovery, and thus the possibility of being able to retrieve help on the outside…it wasn’t what she initially planned that night, but it had allowed her to get some sleep afterwards. Though the sight of blood splattering the fitness room floor remained burned in her eyes, though the sounds of metal on bone and a young man’s last desperate cries still rang in her ears, Azami needed to believe avoiding discovery would ensure a chance for everyone else’s survival. 

Now, everything had been heaved up from beneath her feet once again. With the knowledge that simply avoiding being spotted at the scene was not enough, knowing survival meant continual deception against the very friends she had wanted to protect…what could she even do? 

This is wrong…this is all wrong! It wasn’t supposed to be like this… Azami told herself. I wanted my friends to be safe, and now they could still die if I don’t do something!? That’s not fair! I shouldn’t be letting this happen, I should just…tell the truth…

Azami sat up, and yet she made no further movements to stand from the chair or move towards the back room of the library. There she was, paralyzed in her seat, knowing what the ‘right’ choice was but remaining in place anyways. At first, she couldn’t discern why, but the more she thought about it…she recognized the feeling. It was the same primal terror that drove her to lash out at Mikio to begin with; fear for her friends’ lives, and an equal fear for her own life.

Feeling both her heart and mind torn in those two directions, Azami held her head in her hands and choked out, “I’m sorry…I’m sorry…I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…!”

Azami continued to whisper apologies, wishing she could scream and cry as much as she wanted to- as if any of that would improve her position. As if she didn’t throw herself into these circumstances by recklessly taking a classmate’s life when he himself was innocent of wrongdoing. Perhaps this agony- and the possibility of her own demise- was exactly what she deserved. Or, just maybe, a confession and an acceptance of whatever fate befell her afterwards was her last chance at salvation.

Azami remained in her seat, staring downwards, stewing in the choice before her. She didn’t have to decide right this second, there was evidently still time until the trial; hopefully, she’d be able to come to a decision before then.

Notes:

She did not come to a decision before the trial. Or, well, I suppose she did…it just wasn’t very ideal for everyone else.

But then again, nothing about Azami’s position was ideal- that’s why I’m pretty glad I chose to have the details of the trial/executions initially concealed in-story. The dramatic irony is fun, sure, but I also liked the idea of the inner conflict Azami, the first killer, would have been going through that morning upon learning her assumptions about how the game worked were completely, utterly wrong. And I wanted to explore that a bit more with this story- torn between the instinct of self-preservation, the care she feels for her newfound friends, and the regret of what she did, all while being thrown into an aspect of the killing game she wasn’t prepared for. I think it’s neat, I think it’s sad, maybe someday I’ll write her finding peace and happiness, but that day is not today.

Anyways, we’re not quite done with the stories that take place during Chapter 1. There’s one more I had planned…and you’ll get to see it next time, as we go back to the night before these particular horrors to focus on yet another member of the library gal group! I’ll go more into detail about that in the next notes section, so until then- I hope you enjoyed this installment, and I’ll see you all next time!