#“FUJISAKI IS DEAD?!?? SHES RIGHT HERE?”

[beehiveofblorbos]

Well, let’s think on this.

The general theme for Pyro is creativity and passion, I’d say (unspecific, I know). I would put Touko+Syo here; Touko fits the way Diluc does, where she has this understated but intense side to her, and Syo for obvious reasons. In DR2, leaving Owari aside, Koizumi would be a great pick. And Kaede would be a fun pick for Pyro as well.

As for Hydro, it’s this idea of an official role you have to play, contrasted with a more relaxed/natural side (who you’d like to live as?). So I absolutely agree with Nevermind being placed here, and similarly I would place Sayaka here. Tsumugi would suit as well. Here, I’ll put in a man too. Honestly, Hydro Kokichi could also work. Ishimaru too I think, the way Xingqiu works.

For Anemo, I’ll go along with contemplative/investigative/curious (with a dead friend). Immediate contender is Kirigiri Kyouko, but I think a couple other good fits would be Angie and yeah I’ll agree on Komaeda (though I def would like Venti to keep his Gnosis haha).

Cryo is a hypocritical life, I think? I don’t know if I’ve put that correctly. Your ideals swing one way, but the way you live your life is very very different. Perhaps an internal conflict would be better summarizing it. I think Hiyoko would fit well here, actually (my Eula fan is showing I know I know). I could also see Kokichi, the way Kaeya is Cryo. Mikan’s also here no questions asked. Iruma would suit this too and she’d just throw it away it’s not useful to her lol. Uhh maybe Sakura would be an interesting pick as Cryo. What do y’all think lol

Dendro is hard to pin down because it released so late, but I’d say in common is this sense of comfort with the world and a degree of insightfulness? For this reason I’d place Makoto here for sure, but I agree he gets his Vision right after defeating Enoshima or something. I’d also place DR2 Nanami here (she could have a summon!! Like Mehrak or Cuilein-Anbar). I kinda wanna go with Dendro Tenko, I think she’d be super fun (I just love her though lol).

Geo is… oh, my Noelle fan is showing, but an unchanging devotion and an apparently insurmountable goal. So that would fit Amami well. Byakuya could be Geo. Nidai too, I see him as a really strong fit for this actually. The Impostor could be Geo too. Fujisaki getting their Vision like a couple hours before they die is super heartbreaking. Celeste could be Geo as well, I think it works. She’d probably hate it though

And for Electro, hm, how to put it. An inability to let go of what was almost sounds too straight forward, and is also an incomplete understanding, considering Yae and Beidou. Ahh this is just Vibes, I think. Toujo suits Electro, as does Shinguuji. Oh, Electro Saihara is a fun concept. And I’ll round this out with Mukuro.

Oh, and I like your idea for Hinata/Kamukura.

Soooo, what genshin visions do you think DR characters would have? Especially the DR2 cast?

Some current thoughts:

Hinata would be visionless for obvious reasons, while Kamukura feels electro-coded but would probably have some ridiculous artificial vision (maybe a delusion) that can control everything. Postgame Hinata therefore has it too, or maybe it would be upgraded to a genuine vision that causes no problems when used.

Komaeda is EXTREMELY anemo. He'd out-anemo the anemo archon. Someone give this man the gnosis.

Relatedly, Naegi starts visionless but gains an anemo vision in ch6/whatever the narrative equivalent would be in an au.

(DR2) Nanami could be hydro; the element seems to have themes of performing a role and having a strong sense of morality. I could also see dendro thematically (something something cooperation for the greater good as one of its vibes??) and it has computery aesthetics. Actually the more I think about it the more I'm seeing the latter more.

Sonia's definitely hydro for the same reasons; she'd look amazing with some graceful flowy hydro burst. Imposter could be hydro too.

Owari's very pyro. Nidai could be too, but you could also argue for anemo based on his backstory.

My first Saionji thought was electro, but maybe she could be geo because of the way she upholds tradition through her talent. For some reason geo + Saionji's personality is really funny to me. Koizumi is dendro.

Cryo Kirigiri? Something something internal conflict over her familial love.

Kokichi is also cryo and will aggressively pretend love isn't a big theme for the cryo archon whenever it's brought up. It's the element of being a supreme leader, just LOOK at the Fatui??? Then again, maybe hydro fits him really well too because it's about performativity + he has a strong moral code internally?? @ kokichiheads what do you think

[dragondemoness]

i want some comedy so, dr1 cast with a reader who is about to die say "delete my browser history" then laugh

Way too good😆

Browser History - THH Cast x Reader

Makoto Naegi 

He kneeled beside you and held your bleeding body close to him

You were slowly dying from a terrible stab wound, and there were tears streaming down Makoto's face

"M-Makoto..." 

You whispered to him

"What is it, (Name)?? I'm here! I'm not leaving!"

You tell him to lean in closer and he does

"M-Make sure you... delete my browser history..."

That, followed by a breathy chuckle, was the last sound you ever made

Makoto's tears came to a halt

What could you have possibly been looking up that you wanted that to be your final words?

So he opens up your history and-

Quickly deletes your history so that no soul could ever see it

Now he's double traumatized

Byakuya Togami 

You just killed Leon for looking at your browser history

You had taken your laptop and bashed him in the head with it

And now you were heading off to your execution

You turn your head to your boyfriend

"Hey, Byakuya?"

He glares at you

"What?"

"Make sure to delete my browser history, okay?"

Then you get executed and you're gone

He avoids it for a while, feeling too bitter to heed your final wish

But he finds himself bored and decides to go ahead and do it

Then he quickly slams the laptop shut and throws it in the fireplace

Chihiro Fujisaki 

You and Mondo got into a fight over the last piece of pizza

He got pissed and pushed a bookshelf on you

Then he got scared and gtfo'd

Chihiro kneeled in front of the bookshelf, weeping

You reach for his hand

"Hey, Chihiro...?"

"Yes? What is it, (Name)? I'm here."

"Can you... delete my browser history?"

"Wh-What?"

You couldn't give an explanation, as you were now dead

He asks Alter Ego to delete it for him

"Oh, my! Master, it looks like your (Name) has been searching up some... very interesting things-"

"CLOSE IT-"

Leon Kuwata 

It was Sayaka

You said her music sucked and she slapped you repeatedly with a gucci belt

Leon held your body in his arms, crying VERY loudly

"Hey, Leon?"

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Can you... Delete my browser history?"

"What-"

"HaHa it's jUst a PrAnK bRo-"

You jumped up and started laughing at him

Surprisingly, 10-15 slaps with a gucci belt aren't lethal

Then Leon gets mad and pushes you down the stairs

Now you're dead for real

Then he opens your laptop and leaves it in the dining hall for everyone to look at

Now he's gotten his ultimate revenge

But now he's about to get executed for murder

Kiyotaka Ishimaru 

You broke Mondo's kneecaps with your laptop after an argument

He was stumbling around in so much pain, and ended up taking a fall down the stairs

And now, you're taking responsibility

You turn to Taka with your final words

"Hey, Taka?"

He finds it hard to look at you

"Yes, what is it?"

"Can you go and delete my browser history? Thanks babe."

He's v confused-

Out of curiosity, he takes a quick look at your history

"Wh-What?! These websites and images are not welcome in a school environment!"

Out of panic, he hurls the laptop at the nearest wall

No one will ever have to see your blasphemy ever again

Mondo Owada 

You insulted Hifumi's manga and he hit you in the head with a hammer

Mondo found your body and was sad and pissed at the same time

"(Name)?! Who the fuck did this to you?!"

"I don't know... But... Lemme tell you something, Mondo..."

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Please delete my browser history... Thank you."

"What."

And now you're dead

After the trial, he just bangs his fist on your laptop and it breaks

There, problem solved

Yasuhiro Hagakure 

Leon accidentally killed you when he was trying to kill Sayaka

Yasuhiro found your body and got upset

"(Name), no! I knew this was gonna happen!"

"No you didn't."

"You're right, I didn't-"

You didn't wanna hear about his bullshit fortune telling so you decided to change the subject

"Hey, Hiro?"

"Yeah?"

"Make sure to... delete my... browser history...."

"You can't be serious."

"Dead serious, actually. Heh, get it? Dead serious?"

"(NAME) THIS ISN'T FUNNY-"

But now, you were dead and Leon was gonna get smited for killing you

He gets curious and takes a good look at your search history

After a certain point, he's had enough and deletes it

Hifumi Yamada 

You were reading one of his mangas and the character designs were so hot that you got a nosebleed

You ended up losing so much blood that you're on the edge of death

Hifumi was so shocked when he found you

"Damnnation! I never thought my talent would lead my wonderful S/O to their death! What have I done?!"

"Hifumi...?"

"Yes?! I'm here! What is it, (Name)?!"

"Make sure you... delete my browser history..."

"H-Huh...?"

And boom! You're dead

He gets curious and looks at your history

Then he digs deeper and deeper

Completely forgets he was supposed to delete it

Kyoko Kirigiri 

You killed Byakuya by putting poison in his food

You had enough of his bitchyness

As you headed off to your execution, you had one more thing to say to Kyoko

"Hey, Kyoko?"

Not gonna lie, she definitely considered poisoning Byakuya once or twice

So she can't be TOO mad

"Yes?"

"Can you delete my browser history? Thanks."

"What."

After the execution, she just deletes your history without looking

Toko Fukawa/Genocide Jack

Idek who would be the one to kill you in this scenario-

But Toko found you laying in a pool of blood and fainted

Genocide Jill popped up and freaked out

"Who the fuck did this to you?! I'll kill them!"

"Easy, Genocider. But I do have a favor."

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Can you delete my browser history? Thanks."

"Huh??"

Ded.

Unfortunately, Toko didn't get to say goodbye

Nor did she get to hear your final wish

She switched back in time for the trial, but Genocider basically forced herself out after

Instead of deleting your history, she reads into it VERY intently 

She's not gonna delete it, but it'll be your little secret~

Aoi Asahina 

You killed Hifumi by drowning him in the pool

Before you went to go get executed, you still had some unfinished business

"Hey, Hina?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you delete my browser history for me? Cuz, y'know, I can't."

"What?"

"TOO LATE GOODBYE-"

Even if you killed Hifumi, Hina decided to honor your last wish and delete your history

She was curious for ONE second, then she threw the laptop into the pool

Sayaka Maizono 

She accidentally stabbed you instead of Leon

As she held you in her arms while sobbing uncontrollably, you decided to say something witty

"H-Hey, Sayaka?"

"Y-Yes, (Name)?"

"M-Make sure you... delete m-my... browser history..."

"Wh-What?"

You let out a final chuckle before dropping dead

Oof, this one was actually serious-

Before she got executed, she did as you asked and deleted your history

But not without stumbling in on a couple of... things

"Y'know what, I think I'm ready to die now-"

Celeste Ludenburg 

She tried to hit Hifumi on the head with a hammer, but hit you on the head with a hammer instead

Like the previous scenario, she's weeping while holding your body close to her

"H-Hey, Celeste...?"

"P-Please... Call me Taeko. Taeko Yasuhiro."

"Ok. Taeko?"

"Yes, darling?"

"Please... Delete my browser history...?"

"What?"

"Goodbye."

She's left in confusion while she processes the fact that she's gonna die

During the trial, she eventually admits that she killed you

She felt too guilty to deny it any longer

But first, she has to delete your history

She takes a quick glance at it, but quickly looks away and deletes it

"Oh my..."

Sakura Ogami

Not sure who would kill you in this scenario either

But Sakura holds your body close to her, trying her best not to cry

You look up at her with a smile

"Sakura?"

She looks at you, eyes glistening with unshed tears

"Yes, my love?"

You raise your hand to her cheek

"Make sure you delete my browser history."

Then you inhale your last breath and you're gone

After the trial, she deletes your search history without looking at it

She respects your wish, of course

Mukuro Ikusaba 

You were killed by Junko

She shot you full of spears

Mukuro completely dropped her persona and rushed to you

You look up at her, eyes full of pain

"Hey... Mukuro...?"

You whispered it, it's fine-

"Yes, (Name)?"

"Make sure to delete my browser history... ok?"

"O-Ok."

Then you died, and everyone else was left confused

Mukuro then deleted your history, and vowed to kill her sister for what she did to you

Junko Enoshima

She killed you for the despair

You kinda saw it coming, but it was still upsetting

And as she laughed and laughed at the despair, you had one more thing to say to her

"Hey, Junko. Can you at least delete my browser history?"

"Lol NOPE-"

She's gonna set up the laptop for everyone to see

Hell, she'll use Monokuma to announce everything you searched throughout the whole school

Oh the despair!

[righteousness-and-tea]

Hi! It's 🏩 Anon again 😇

I was wondering if I could request some angst(?) with the Yuri S/O request. Same characters.

Basically, [character] sees one of S/Os Club members run out of S/Os clubroom about to '🤢' and they go investigate, that's when they see S/O dead Yuri style™ before that they didn't see S/O for the weekend (because Yuri was in that class room with MC for the entire Weekend). back to what I was typing in the beginning, they find S/O dead like how Yuri was (rotting corpse and all) and there like having there angst moment then the club leader comes in the clubroom and is like "Oh dear you weren't supposed to see that 👹☝️" and basically they restart time back to before the weekend started with there epic Monika powers but [character] still remembers and then they have to prevent S/O from dying again, the rest is up to you 😌

Also I hope your weekend was good! 🐰

Hello again, 🏩 anon! This one was a bit complex, which is no big deal! I ended up making this a longer fanfic type story, so I chose one of the characters to work with-- Chihiro sparked some inspiration in me and I had a difficult time imagining the other characters in this scenario. I'm sorry if it isn't exactly what you were after, but hopefully you like it! It might start bleak, but I tried to give it a happy ending.

-Mod Celeste

You Weren't Supposed to See That: Chihiro x reader (DDLC Crossover):

Disclaimer: Death, blood su*c*de, and angst below!

Fujisaki was on their way to see you in class when a girl ran right past them, panicked. It was as if she'd seen a ghost, really. It was a bit startling, but Chihiro just wanted to see you. After all, you hadn't messaged them all weekend and they began to worry.

"I'm sure they're all right," Chihiro thought. "Just a bit busy, is all." But as they opened the door to your club room, everything changed.

Chihiro froze where they stood. Your body was slumped against a desk, with fatal wounds in your chest and torso. A knife sat in a pool of dried blood close to your ghostly hand-- cold and unmoving. This wasn't recent, either, from the looks of it.

Your dear friend had no choice but to scream in anguish, the sight was too much to bear. How did this happen? Why??? They fell to their knees, sobbing uncontrollably.

Footsteps were approaching, but it didn't matter to Chihiro. They were out of reach, deep in grief. It took them many moments to realize someone else had entered the room.

"Oh dear," said a sweet voice. "You weren't supposed to see this, were you? It's fine, no big deal!" It was a girl your age, with green eyes and a cute ponytail. She didn't seem all that concerned at the sight.

"W-what? How could you? This is... it's just..." Poor Fujisaki couldn't even continue.

"Oh, I know! But seriously, it's fine. Let's just reset this, shall we?" Before they could react, everything stopped. And then, restarted... it was an odd sensation.

Chihiro came to, only to be completely shocked by the events. Your body was no longer there, nor was the cruel girl. Their phone said it was Friday... three days prior. Not only that, but--

You had opened the door. Chihiro was still crying, and seeing you did not help. "Y/n? Y/n???" They ran up to you, making sure it wasn't a dream. "You're alive?? But how?"

None of this made sense. But you didn't really know what to say. "Well, of course I'm alive! What's the matter?"

"I was just here, a few seconds ago, and you... you were dead!! It was so horrible, but now I'm here and--"

"I'm right here, Chihiro. Please, don't worry! It sounds like you just had a bad dream. I have my club now, but I'll see you afterwards, okay?" Your words rang hollow, like an echo of your true self. Dismissing Chihiro like this was simply unlike yourself.

Chihiro knew you wouldn't be okay, based off the events they saw moments earlier. If this really was Friday, then it's safe to assume you died on this day-- soon. The corpse looked as if it had been there for a few days, solidifying this. Not only that, but you were acting strangely...

They didn't have much time to plan. Because of the knife right next to you, it seemed the wounds were self-inflicted... but what would cause that out of nowhere in a club meeting? Who could provoke that???

So, Chihiro waited outside the room. A few of the other girls left, and they figured it would only be you and one other in the room now. They peeked through the small window on the door, watching for anything abnormal. It seemed you were having a discussion with a guy from club, and it looked rather serious. He said something Chihiro couldn't make out, and then--

"WAIT!" They screamed, slamming the door open. The sight of a knife glinting in your hand sent Chihiro into hysterics, and they bolted to you, prepared for anything. The boy in the room did nothing, shocked into silence. They grabbed your hand to prevent any harm.

"Y/n... please. Don't do this..." Chihiro pleaded helplessly, with no other choice in sight.

"What?" Your head was foggy, unaware of the sudden event. You looked down, saw Chihiro clinging to you and the kinfe, and gasped. "Ah, Chihiro! What's happening, why am I...?" You stopped. Something felt oddly familiar about this. Not that it was normal, by any means. But a faint memory of a choice you were forced to make.

"I told you, something isn't right! I'm not sure what's going on, or why you're doing this... but please, don't hurt yourself!" Tears began welling in their eyes once again, proof of their concern. "Whatever is going on, you can't die! People love you here... I love you!"

At that, it all came back to you. Somehow, you were being tampered with. It was unclear how or why, but you were being manipulated... now that you know, you could break free. You dropped the knife. "Oh, Chihiro... I am so sorry! This is all so, so confusing, but now, I think I'm free. Thank you... if it weren't for you I'd be dead right now."

They immediately gave a sigh of relief. Then it occured to them-- would you be safe? What if that green-eyed girl was responsible for this? Before they could think any longer, she appeared.

"Monika?" You asked, even more confused.

"Yep! That's right. Seems like I'm here just in time."

"What do you mean? You saw--" Chihrio implored, but was cut off.

"Well, I thought I'd have to worry about y/n here interfering with something of mine, but it seems like her intentions lie... elsewhere," she pointed at Chihiro. "Thank goodness for that!"

She then walked over to the boy you'd been talking to, who was just as relieved. "We should probably give these two a moment, right? Come with me." The two left.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Chihiro said. Without thinking, they hugged you closely-- then backed away. "Oh, I'm sorry!! I did that without thinking... oh, and about what I said,"

"I love you too," you replied. You embraced Chihiro yourself this time, and you knew things were okay again.

Thank goodness there was a glitch in your simulation.

[boatganronpa]

Killing Among Loved Ones

What if THH's scrapped motive wasn't scrapped, but did indeed happen?

I'll name the person, and my thoughts on them both as a victim and a killer Let's get to the list, shall we?

Gross Butlerix (Aloysius Pennyworth, Byakuya's Butler)

Victim: With all due respect, the man is old. I'm sure he'd be able to fight back a couple of people in his youth, but now? Nu-uh. Most likely a victim.

Killer: Could use a poison or a cane I suppose, it would be fun for the game to pull a "ooooooh it was the butler all along!"

Taichinchin (Taichi Fujisaki, Chihiro's dad)

Victim: This is a very sweet older man, but I don't see him being able to fight off some of the other characters here. He's smart, but also very trusting of people, so I can see him walking into his death quite easily. I'm sorry buddy, I really liked you but no.

Killer: Similarly, as a very kind & sweet man, I don't see him killing anyone really, but he does love his wife and kid very much so, maybe with the right motive, he could be convinced to kill for his family.

Kirihitotein (Fuhito Kirigiri, Kyoko's grandfather)

Victim: Well, this man is someone you don't want investigating your crime. He's professional detective who comes from a professional detective family - but he's also a very old man. He's basically a glass canon. You've gotta break him before he breaks your alibi. If the others know that the Kirigiri's are detectives, he'd probably be the first and the biggest target - if not, he'd have to show his abilities in the first trial, making him the biggest target for the next killer. After all, dead men can't solve crimes.

Killer: I don't really see it tbh. But if he did kill someone, he'd most likely have a bunch of alibis, and if he kills someone after like, 2-3 trials, he'd probably have people's trust so even if his words doesn't fully make sense, I can see people voting with him, which could just give him the win.

Kanondosu (Kanon Nakajima, Leon's cousin)

Victim: I think she'd be distrustful of people and keep to herself, which would both keep her safe - and put her in a lot of danger, as she'd be an easy target. I think she's smart enough to foresee that and pick one or two friends with her to reduce her risk of being targeted. Those two would most likely be Ayaka and Komaru, the two other girls that are close to her in age and she could overpower if she had to. So yeah, I don't see her becoming a victim anytime soon.

Killer: She's quite athletic, smart and pretty, so I can see her using these 3 to her advantage to kill someone. Plus, with her obsession with Leon, it'd be pretty easy to drive her to murder. I think she'd probably use poison, and could - probably would - kill multiple people. Maybe she'd poison the food someone else made, making them the prime suspect and possibly getting away with the murder. Although she'd probably be the first to commit murder and most likely get caught by Fuhito.

Madafujirus (Fujiko Yamada, Hifumi's sister)

Victim: I can easily see her sharing the same fate as her brother, being both a killer and a victim. She doesn't seem to have any abilities that would make it easier for her to survive an attack, so I can see her becoming a victim pretty easily.

Killer: Well, she likes to draw naked men, so, she would know anatomy pretty well? On the wiki she's described as "kind, tender, cowardly and easy to manipulate" so I can definitely see her getting manipulated into killing someone, before becoming a victim herself.

Yutax (Yuta Asahina, Aoi's brother)

Victim: Nope. No, we're not killing my sweet little cinnamon roll again. - But if I have to explain... Well, he's not the sharpest tool in the shed, since he didn't realize the bracelets were  made to keep them in the city. But he's also agile, fast and smart enough to survive a city full of monokumas on his own, without a gun. He's very athletic and so I think he'd be an unlikely victim, especially considering the rest of the cast.

Killer: If he did kill someone, it's probably be accidental tbh. Not to say he isn't capable of murder, he's just very sweet and I don't see him being driven to murder somehow.

Kamekox (Kameko, Toko's bug)

Victim: Honestly, probably the first victim. Probably the victim of an accidental crime. I can't believe I'm explaining how a bug would be the most likely victim of a killing game.

Killer: Yeah, no.

Nekonekomaru (Grand Bois Chéri Ludenberg, Celestia's cat)

Victim: I don't think anyone's killing a cat, no. He's big enough that people would care for his life (unlike a bug's) and he's agile enough to dodge any attempted murderers.

Killer: If Kanon doesn't get the first kill, GBCL does. Yes he kills and eats the bug. No I don't know how that class trial would go. Would probably win because everyone would find investigating a bug's death and accusing a cat of a crime quite ridiculous.

Ayakanegon (Ayaka Haneyama, Sayaka's idol friend)

Victim: I'm 50/50 on this. She's an idol, which requires a lot of vocal training and discipline, as well as physical training to be physically attractive. So I can see her being unexpectedly strong/athletic and just Not Dying. But it's entirely possible for her to become a victim as well.

Killer: I can definitely see her attempting a murder. According to her hit list, she makes boy demons fall in love with her, and she's also super crazy, so combining these two I can see her making an attempt on Yuta, Takemichi or Komaru's lives. Komaru is probably the most likely target for her though, as she is already quite enthusiastic about Ayaka's group, she'd be more willing to trust her and walk straight into her death.

Takaakix (Takaaki Ishimaru, Kiyotaka's father)

Victim: I can see him taking charge and trying to lead the group - at least the kids, becoming somewhat of a father figure to them, promising to protect them etc etc. He'd probably make an allegiance with Taichi and try to keep at least the kids safe - which would be his downfall. I can 100% see this man as a victim, even moreso him becoming a victim because he tried to protect someone else.

Killer: This is the man who raised Kiyotaka Ishimaru. Can you see him killing anyone? Me either. Maybe in self defence? Possibly. He does have a gun though, but I think it's more likely that his gun will be stolen, used as a murder weapon to frame him, and he will Sakura himself out of guilt after the trial than he'll kill anyone with the thing.

Gontakerus (Takemichi Yukimaru, Mondo's gang member)

Victim: I think his reputation as a gang member would keep him fairly safe from attacks, as he'd be able to turn the tables on his attacker quite easily. According to his wiki page, he's also intelligent and coolheaded, which would make him harder to kill.

Killer: Would probably steal Takaaki's gun and kill someone with it. Not that he'd need a gun to kill someone - as a gang member, he'd probably do a significant amount of damage with any weapon, improvised or not - it'd just make it easier to frame someone for the murder. I think he'd be smart enough to pull it off tbh.

Kenshirox (Kenshiro, Sakura's friend/first love)

Victim: It's very unlikely that someone's killing this man by just brute force, or defeating him in any physical way. Which brings up poison as an option again - or a gun, if the person can catch him off guard, and if they're fast enough... Or maybe he's having a bad day due to his sickness... Maybe someone steals all his medicine and kills him indirectly... It's possible, but unlikely.

Killer: Also possible but unlikely. Don't get me wrong, he's perfectly capable of killing someone - to the point where he'd probably accidentally kill someone - he just seems like too sweet of a dude to actually kill someone. But I can definitely see him kill accidentally, in self defence or while protecting someone else.

Hironosaurus (Hiroko Hagakure, Yasuhiro's mom)

Victim: I don't really see it, mostly due to her sheer vibe:tm: I don't think anyone would have the gall, the audacity to kill her. I think everyone would have a reason not to mess with her. She'd also most likely have a friendly/playful banter with Takaaki, with him seeing her as a bad influence on the kids and her just being herself to piss him off. She'd probably also mess with Monokuma a lot, getting him to reveal information he isn't supposed to, which makes her a valuable person to everyone around her.

Killer: She's very smart and cunning, so I can see her killing someone eventually. She'd probably stay a bit distanced from the group, assessing their strengths and weaknesses before attacking anyone. Although, by the point she knows enough about someone to kill them, she'd probably be too attached to all of them to do anything. She might be a survivalist, but she's also quite community oriented. So no, it's unlikely that she'll be a killer.

Slowpokemaru (Komaru Naegi, Makoto's sister)

Victim: If she doesn't have plot armor, I can definitely see her getting killed. She's very sweet and naive, which usually doesn't work in someone's favor in a killing game. She - just like Yuta - didn't understand the point of the bracelets so I'm not sure how I want to judge her intellect. It gets more complicated though, as in UDG, she does solve a lot of puzzles and shows off her smarts. Idk. I can see her naivete being her downfall. But it's also entirely possible for her to fly under the radar and ot be protected by someone and survive.

Killer: Yeah no lol. Oh wait, maybe she's the one who steps on the bug...

Other thoughts:

It'd be nice to start the game with Fuhito as the protagonist, as he is the detective:tm: of this game - and switching to Komaru after his death.

Maybe Komaru communicates with the spirits of the victims to solve the crimes. - This would require the victims to not know or remember their killers though.

I just really like the idea of Takaaki and Taichi unintentionally adopting all these kids and Hiroko becoming The Wine Aunt

Someone please explain to me how the cat and the bug are supposed to vote.

Let me know what you think!

[ask-the-shorty-squad]

Finally you stopped Bullying me...

DID YOU SERIOUSLY THINK I'D GET INJURED AHAHAHAHA IM FUCKIN DEAD YOU MORON YOU CANT KILL A DEAD BITCH WHO LOST FUCKIN FEELING IN THERE BODY!!! HAHAHAHA LEMME SHOW YOU WHAT REAL POWER IS YOU BITCH!! JUST LOOK AT WHATS HAPPENED IN YOUR TOWN!!!

the entire town of Towa City...Is gone!! all thanks to My Monokumas And Monochildren!

Thats Right! I've taken control of all the kids in Towa City....Apart from Masaru Kotoko Jataro Nagisa...Oh right and little Monaca over Here

EVERYONE STOP! IF WE FIGHT HER....THE...THE CHILDREN THEY WILL ALL-

heeyyyy dont go Ruining my plan Fujisaki!!!! *She stabs Fujisaki*

die..all of them...they'll all die...if you....fight....her.....*Fujisaki Faints*

W-What!?!?! Die!?!?!

I knew if i Fought you there was a Chance i could Lose..well Now if i Lose Hundreds of Kids in towa city will Die.. Mhmm That just about Sums it all up!

THEN WHAT THE HELL DO WE DO!?!?!?

I DON'T KNOW DON'T LOOK AT ME!!!

Papa Teru?

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

May I request for Mondo patching up his fem s/o after genocide jack attacked her after togami execution ending it with fem s/o reassuring him it wasn't his fault and comfort one another?

“Crazy fucking bitch..why did she have to go after you, of all people?!”

“I don’t know..just got unlucky, I guess.” You watched Mondo wrap the bandage around your arm, where you got sliced by Genocide Jack’s scissors.

How did such an unfortunate event come about? 

Well, it all started after Byakuya’s execution. In the second trial, it was deduced that he--and not the biker who was the prime suspect--unintentionally killed Chihiro via asphyxiation.

For a while nobody knew the true cause of death until the order of when he got his wounds was finally figured out. Although Byakuya only meant to string him up to expose Toko’s secret...that ultimately killed the programmer and sentenced him to his execution.

And Toko, who had switched back just in time to learn of the culprit, freaked out and watched the execution of her dear “Master Togami” in horror. And the sight of his frozen corpse was enough to make Jack return and lash out at the nearest person--

Who so-happened to be you.

Fortunately she spared you because you were a girl, but Mondo was understandably terrified she could’ve killed you. He would’ve tackled the serial killer for sure had Sakura and Taka not held him back.

The thought of you being dead, and your murder being discussed in another trial so soon would be too much to bear for him. Even though he didn’t actually kill Chihiro, he still felt guilty for hurting someone who looked up to him--and inevitably leaving him to die.

“Mondo?”

“H-Huh?!” Looking up, his face turned slightly red as he saw your concerned expression. “What? I-If you want me out then..just say so!”

“I’m not saying anything like that.” You frowned. “I can tell...you've been blaming yourself for everything leading up to this, haven't you?"

“.....I-I mean...I...” He sighed, lowering his head so you couldn’t see his eyes. “Why not? I take responsibility for all of this shit. For Fujisaki’s death and...for what happened to ya. It’s all ‘cuz I got so goddamn sensitive.”

“Mondo...”

“Why would...y-you wanna stay with me after seeing how much I fucked up?”

"Mondo."

"What if I screw up again and hurt you next-?!"

“MONDO!”

The biker flinched at your loud tone. He didn't expect to be shouted at like that, especially by a girl, but he blinked with confusion as your hand then gently cupped his cheek.

You sighed, calming down a little. "You're not gonna screw this up. You never meant to hurt anybody out of ill intent...it’s okay.” With a smile, you kissed his cheek. “It’s okay.”

“But..” Though he stopped himself from protesting, gritting his teeth. “...y-you aren’t pissed off at me?”

“No.” You pulled him into a hug, rubbing his back as you felt him hold you tightly. “I love you and trust you. If I didn’t, I don’t think I’d be letting you patch me up like this, right?”

“...right.” Mondo seemed to be more physically relaxed now, relieved that you weren’t angry with him like he expected. “But I ain’t trusting anyone else from here on out....u-unless you do. Then I might.”

[dangerouscommiesubversive]

Don’t know if this is feasible, but would you do a crossover between Build and Cherry Magic? Maybe with like Kurosawa and Adachi going over to the cafe for family dinner and they meet the whole squad, not just Sento and Banjou, but Misora, Kazumin, Sawa, and maybe even Gentoku? With the prompt “Why are you staring at me”

Darling, your brain is massive.

15. “Why are you staring at me?”

“How did you find this place?” Yuichi says as they round the corner into the little alley.

“Fujisaki recommended it to me, actually.” Kiyoshi grins up at him. “Apparently she and a couple of her girlfriends like to go here sometimes. She says the coffee’s only ok really, but the pastries are really nice. Here, this is it, Cafe,” he squints at the sign, “Nas--nascita.”

The only other customers inside are a group of people who seem to be friends, clustered around a couple of tables pushed together in one corner. Not wanting to intrude, Yuichi goes to get a table in the opposite corner, and Kiyoshi heads to the counter to order.

The barista’s a middle-aged man with a pork pie hat and tinted glasses who looks like he should be playing jazz at a nightclub, not serving coffee to bored twenty-somethings. He’s cleaning a glass as Kiyoshi approaches, and he glances up, says, “Good afternoon and welcome to Nascita, I’ll be with you in just a--” and then cuts off for apparently no reason.

There’s a long, awkward silence before Kiyoshi says, “Uh, why...why are you staring at me?”

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry, you just.” The barista shakes himself. “You look a great deal like someone I--”

“Hey, do you have a problem with me or something?”

The barista looks past Kiyoshi, frowning, and Kiyoshi himself turns around and nearly runs into...

...himself. Except...different.

The other him is scowling at Yuichi, who’s looking at him wide-eyed. “No, seriously, do I have stuff on my face or something? You’ve been staring at me since you sat down, it’s making me--” He turns towards the counter, nearly runs into Kiyoshi himself, and stops dead. “Uh. Sento?”

Someone else stands up from the cluster of people in the corner and blinks at Kiyoshi several times. “Well, this is unexpected. Banjou, is that you?”

“That’s me. I thought there was only supposed to be one other me.”

“No, uh, I’m me. I’m fairly sure.” Kiyoshi laughs nervously. “Kurosawa, help.”

--

At this point Kiyoshi’s getting the worrying feeling that their new friends might all be insane, which makes it very nearly a relief when Sento, who says he’s a physicist and whose hair has been standing up at the back for most of the conversation thus far, says, “You must think we’re all insane.”

Kiyoshi suppresses a hysterical giggle. “Of course I don’t think you’re. You’re.”

“Oh, no, don’t worry, it wouldn’t be an unreasonable assumption. I mean, we aren’t, I promise there’s a scientific explanation for all of it, it’s just really lengthy and in some places kind of stupid.” Sento peers at him. “You look exactly like him, it’s amazing.”

“Actually pretty sure Banjou’s taller.” That’s the man at the far end of the tables, who speaks with a broad country accent and whose name Kiyoshi vaguely remembers being Kazumi. He keeps looking back and forth between Kiyoshi and his double--Banjou Ryuuga, who’s got red hair and a silk bomber jacket with a dragon on the back, Kiyoshi’s never met someone who looked so much like a comic book character--and sort of gesturing vaguely, as if he’s trying to figure out how tall they are exactly. “By, like, an inch or two.”

“No. He can’t be. Can he?” Sento frowns. “How tall are you, Adachi, if you don’t mind my asking? Strictly for science, of course.”

Next to Kiyoshi, Yuichi seems much more comfortable. In fact, he’s practically giving an impromptu sales pitch to Banjou and Sento’s friend Sawa, who’s a journalist, and who’s listening to him talk about Toyokawa’s new organizational tools with unfeigned interest. Next to her is the cafe owner’s daughter, Misora, who Kiyoshi feels like he recognizes from an idol video he saw Rokkaku watching the other day, although she’s dressed much more simply. She seems less interested in planners than her friend, and after a moment she turns to him and says, “If Sento keeps getting on your case just elbow him or something, he’s always like this.”

Kiyoshi feels his face go red. “No, no, it’s fine.”

“You know,” Banjou says around a mouthful of pastry, “under the circumstances I feel like this worked out pretty well.”

Kiyoshi blinks. “What did?”

“This whole double-whatsit thing. The Swedish word Sento used before.”

“Doppelganger.” Sento rolls his eyes. “And it’s German.”

“Yeah, that one. I mean, it could definitely be way worse. I mean, there’s the other actual me, the one with the same name, but apart from that you seem cool? Like, I’d rather share a face with an office worker than, I don’t know, a cannibal serial killer or something.”

“Was that...likely? I don’t think another version of me would be a cannibal serial killer...”

“Me neither, but you never know, yeah?”

“I mean,” Kiyoshi says, frowning absently into space, “I wouldn’t have expected to have the same face as someone who does shoot fighting, that’s sort of a surprise. Not a bad one, though.”

“Yeah, this isn’t so bad.” Banjou pauses, blinks, and then stands up. “I’m gonna be right back. Hey, babe, if Gentoku shows up before I’m back tell him I said why the hell is he late, I thought politics guys were supposed to be on time for stuff.”

“I’m not telling him that.” Sento leans his face up for a light, brushing kiss, and then Banjou’s off in the direction of the bathroom. “Besides,” called after his retreating back, “you know Kazumi’s going to say it anyway.”

Kiyoshi stares in his direction for a moment, looks back at Sento, and, suddenly, smiles. So we’ve got that in common.

The bell at the cafe door rings, and Kazumi lurches upright in his chair with an abrupt, bright smile and waves. “Hey, Beardy, you’re late! I thought politicians were supposed to be on time for shit!”

At Kiyoshi’s elbow, Yuichi says, weakly, “I’m sorry, Ms. Takigawa, is that the prime minister’s son?”

Kiyoshi looks up in alarm at--the prime minister’s son, who’s wearing a black leather jacket which he opens to reveal a t-shirt that reads:

I HAD TO PLAY TENNIS WITH THE BRAZILIAN AMBASSADOR’S DAUGHTER

Kazumi snorts. “Oh, poor you, you had to play tennis.”

“Fuck you too, Potato, just because you can--I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize we had compa--Banjou?” The prime minister’s son blinks several times and then shakes his head. “Did Banjou dye his hair?”

“No, I’m,” Kiyoshi scratches the back of his head, “I’m Adachi, hello.”

Sento beams up at the prime minister’s son as Kiyoshi stifles a nervous giggle and Yuichi shakes himself. “They have the same face, it’s very exciting.”

[transmascjfk]

i'm,, trans and hc chihiro to be a male..

i'm sorry, but i don't quite understand how that's transphobic. could you please explain how chihiro is transmisogynistic? (sorry if i come off as rude - that's not my intention and i genuinely just don't understand, though i would like to!!)

What is transmisoginy?

"Transmisogyny is a distinct category of transphobia in that transmisogyny mainly focuses on trans women and other transgender individuals who demonstrate femininity, whereas transphobia is a more general term, covering a broader spectrum of prejudice and discrimination towards transsexual and transgender individuals. Julia Serano states in Whipping Girl that "when the majority of jokes made at the expense of trans people center on 'men wearing dresses' or 'men who want their penises cut off' that is not transphobia – it is transmisogyny. When the majority of violence and sexual assaults committed against trans people is directed at trans women, that is not transphobia – it is transmisogyny." "

Chihiro is written to mock trans women, to say that in reality trans women are secretly men, she is a man who is weak and uses being trans as a way to escape her problems, this is a thing that is also said to trans men a lot, that theyre just trying to avoid the hard parts of being a woman by becoming a man. Even if the writters intended it to be like that or not (which they probably did because transphobia is a big thing that happens a lot, obviously) it's still transmisogynistic. Thats that on that

This is a pretty common transphobic trope actually, the "Turns out this one character was actually from the opposite sex??!!", theres more examples of this in other games outside Danganronpa.

But also her experience is pretty different from other examples, her experiences are way too similar with trans womens experiences.

This is mostly for the cis people who call her a crossdresser and refuse to change their mind, on it, sit down.

Written by a trans man.

Don't tell me whats transphobic and what it's not transphobic if you're cis. Just sit down and read.

Tw: transphobia, transmisoginy, death mentions and blood in the pictures.

The game implies a lot of stuff with her dialogue, it doesn't straight up says "I don't want to be a woman anymore, I'm a man" like everyone claims it does.

[ Alt text 1:

Chihiro Fujisaki: I'm going to get stronger...and accept who I am... ]

[ Alt text 2:

Chihiro Fujisaki: Strong enough so that when someone says "even thought you're a boy" I'll be okay. I'll get better! ]

[ Alt text 3:

Chihiro Fujisaki: I wrapped myself in lies. I'm weak. I want to destroy that version of me forever! ]

[ Alt text 4:

Chihiro Fujisaki: ... I want to change. ]

[ Alt text 5:

Chihiro Fujisaki: I have to change. I don't want to be weak anymore ]

She goes to Mondo not because hes masculine, but because she admires him and his strength. She never once says it's because shes a man or because Mondo is a man.

[ Alt text 1:

Chihiro Fujisaki: Maybe talking to Mondo about it will help give me some courage... ]

[ Alt text 2:

Chihiro Fujisaki: I admire... your strength... ]

These dialogues can be read in two ways, the first one being the one the game tries the hardest to put in your head thats shes a man, all of this guessed by other people btw not what she herself says. Which is really transphobic, because she was written as a trans woman and then theyre like "uh no actually hes a man, because he was born as one but hes a coward so he started to dress as a woman to hide from his problems. Because thats what people do right? People who dress as their oppossite gender are so pathetic, specially men amiright? Ahaha"

Reading it in this way really weird, you're doing a lot of mental gymnastics because you would literally call her a trans woman with all of this if the rest of the trial, that consists of cis people assuming shes a man, didn't happen. And sadly you're following transphobic ideas by this. Because the canon is transphobic and transmysoginistic.

And the other way is just read what she says, that she just wants to be stronger and stop lying to everyone, basically about being cis, because shes not, shes amab (assigned male at birth) and thats probably what she said to Mondo, but most people when a trans person who already passes or is in their transition comes out many people tend to think "oh so youre your gender assigned at birth and not the one you claim to be?", because they don't get what being trans is and they think only "biological gender" is a thing. Basically, misgendering and invalidating the trans person.

I can guess all of this just because of how vague they decided to make her dialogue, not even showing how she tells Mondo about being amab.

What did she said to Mondo? "I'm trans"? "I'm a man"? "I was born a man"? We dont know, because they didn't show it and she died right afterwards and then everyone was like "Chihiro was secretly a man" to solve the case and thats it. A lot of people in the discourse get their information from Monokuma who isn't either Chihiro or even Mondo. Monokuma knows many things but he can't read minds to know if she was really trans or not, only she could say it but she died so she couldn't explain if shes trans or not.

[ Alt text:

A youtube comment by Gail Frisbee, posted 4 days ago, this comment was edited by the autor. The comment says:

"It's honestly increible to me when people try to argue that a scene in which a female-presenting character gets their genitals groped and then is posthumously referred to as a male from that point on can't be transphobic just because that character calls themselves a boy in some other side content later. It's on about the same level of intellectual honesty as claiming that Quiet from MGS5 isn't really fanservice because she totally breaths throught her skin you guys.

As it turns out, if you really dig down deep into the lore, Chihiro is a fictional character and the same people who wrote the genital investigation scene also wrote the lines that character says in the game as well. It's a shocking twist, I know." ]

Her fears of being outed and people founding out her secret (being trans) or being transphobic is used as a gross big twist. A trans woman being used as a mockery of trans people? Great totally normal (/sarcasm)

Read this post made by a trans woman. I'll be using this only part but it's still a great read.

[ Alt text:

So. There is a lot to unpack here, but I want to start with something that specifically hurts me as a trans woman, and that's how the game flippantly uses real world horrors trans people face as shocking reveals and twists. You can go down the list for "worst nightmares" of trans people incluiding:

Threatening to be outed against your wishes

Outing yourself to a trusted friend and being met with rejection, or worse, violence

Having your body and privacy examined and invaded

Having your deadname used and being misgendered after death, when you can't correct them ]

Now, let's go to her backstory for a bit. I will be using the wiki for this. (Which sadly uses he/him for her 💔)

" When Chihiro was a child, he became the subject of harassment and bullying. He was always told to "be a man" and that he was "so weak despite being a boy", and because of that, Chihiro slowly but surely began to develop a "weakness complex". In order to escape the bullying, Chihiro began to dress as a girl so that people wouldn't bully him as a weak boy. "

This doesn't sound like a normal crossdresser, this sounds like a trans woman who was bullied for being different when she was younger, like many trans people, and then she decided to transition because she's a woman, she wanted to be more feminine and stop being seen as a person shes not. Specially after so many people tell her to basically man up when she doesn't want that, because shes not a man.

Have you ever heard of the classic stories of "since I was little i knew i was different, i was a boy who liked playing with dolls and was more feminine than the rest" or "i used to be a tomboy when i was little, i had mostly male friends, i liked playing with car toys and was more masculine than other kids" coming from trans people? This just sounds as these types of stories to me.

People also like to say that alter ego uses he/him pronouns and says shes a boy. Many trans people can misgender themselves for personal reasons too guys, she could've been trying to misgender herself because she didn't felt like she wasn't enough to be a real woman, this happens a lot to trans people. If people constantly tell you that you're not actually transgender or you just feel like you're faking it then you might actually believe it, thats were most "detransitioners" come from. And thats basically what they made her, a detransitioner.

Some of you might also don't get how shes trans because you think she doesn't perfect or exact trans stereotypes. Trans experiences can be similar on the feeling of not fitting in, dysphoria, etc. But trans experiences, stories, transitions and complete lifes can be very different, because we all (including cis people) live different lifes, experience, process and cope with things differently. So i can understand why you might not get her being trans coded at first, don't worry. But try instead of just not caring because you don't get it at the first try, to see what trans people say.

This whole discourse its mostly cis people talking over trans people about their own experiences (incluiding the dead trans coded characters experience) saying if theyre valid or not and denying stuff not wanting to learn anything, completely refusing to it because "In canon hes a boy" ok then in canon shes written in a transphobic way too but most of you don't care about that. You would rather call her a crossdresser than try to acknowledge how obviously trans coded she is and how thats used as transphobia.

The way most cis people act in this discourse is very transphobic to me to be honest, if you think you're a good ally but act like this then you should get more educated on the topic as a whole and about trans people too.

-the trans Chihiro flag to finish this up, she has a bit boobie! good for her! good for her.

[catboyyukineapologist]

hi welcome to chilli’s we have burgers and trauma. Genuinely speedran this one in a fugue state upon seeing the first panel of 95-2.

me fucking screaming for a full hour under the cut (slight nsfw warning because i am mentally 12 years old and made a dick joke)

-

NOT THE HARU BACKSTORY RIGHT OUT THE GATE THAT SHIT CLOCKED ME RIGHT ON THE HEAD NO WARNING NOTHING MY HEART

no okay i’m fine i promise [proceeds to cry for several hours]

HARU’S LITTLE SMILE I HATE IT HERE HE HATES IT HERE TOO GOD PLEASE I LOVE HIM TOO MUCH PLEASE LET HIM BE OKAY

My baby is in so much pain.

He is no longer in control of the situation and he’s scared, overwhelmed, and has no idea what’s going on anymore. And yeah that uhhh Hits™.

Arahabaki said what we’re all feeling

Oh no.

Oh no.

the gods are sticking to the righteous net like flies on a spiderweb but I’m sure everything is fine-

he slice. he dice.

don’t say anything don’t say anything don’t say anything don’t sa

EHEM anyway

YATO FINALLY CAME TO HIS SENSES EVERYONE ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR REMEMBERING HIS SON

@ Kazuma you don’t “know” anything please shut up.

What if- Could Yato- Could he cut his dad’s ties? to heaven or?? all of them??? Like is that something he could do? What would happen if he did? Could he cut his ties with Yukine??? Could he cut his ties with Fujisaki??? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS AND SO FEW BRAINCELLS

He called Kazuma Kazune and I just. Yato please. Yato I thought you were using your brain we don’t need you power tripping right now.

GOD OF SWEAT. ODOR BLAST.

Kazuma rly said okay I’m doing what you say but I’ll be a bitch about it the entire time.

HARU BABY OH MY GOD I’M CRYING SOMEONE CATCH HIM

HIYORI OH MY GOD SHE’S NOT DEAD

These transitions will be the end of me I swEAR adachitoka you can’t keep doing this to me

Please I need to know if she'll be okay, why did she just drop to the floor is she better what is she going to do please oh my god.

And as always here’s your monthly reminder that trash dad is a little bitch<3

[kaito-is-baby]

That last request with Chiaki and Ibuki was really good! If it's ok could I request the same with Chihiro and Mikan?

Hi~ Hi~ Thank you so much! Of course it is okay!

As this post also contains the suicide attempt topic I will repeat the same here, if any of you need help or feel down you can totally talk to me, I'm more than happy to help

And don't forget that things always get better and you will feel very strong and proud of yourself once this bad time passes, everything will be alright ♡

Btw, the Chiaki and Ibuki version is here

Once said this

CHIHIRO AND MIKAN CONFESSING TO THEIR CRUSH WHO TRIED TO COMMIT SUICIDE

My wife, I just... gosh I love her so much

Chihiro Fujisaki

•You were having a big mental breakdown

•Another one

•This epast months coud perfectly be described as a big mess of breakdowns and suicidal tendencies

•You just... felt like life was no longer worth of living

•All th pain, the suffering and the hurt that you had to face... none of that was worth the life you were living

•Everything was just... dark for you and you could see no light at the end of the tunnel

•So you just decided to do it on the easiest way you could find?

•Or the most common at least

•You took a razor and filled the bath with water

•And then you just entered it and cut your arms

•The water soon turned to red and you started to feel dizzy

•And from dizzy to total black

•You didn't saw anything

•But you weren't dead yet, you could feel the pain on your wrists from the open wounds

•It was strangely relaxing, almost like falling asleep

•And then a lot of noise kept you from that pain and calm

•And you saw Chihiro

•He was that little light on the end of the tunnel

•Literally, you were too dizzy to see anything but him

•He tried to close your wounds as soon as possible or at least to stop the bleeding

•And called the ambulance at a split of a second

•he just hugged you and made sure you were still alive in his arms

•Crying and shovering incomprehensible things against your body

•You managed to hear something like "I love you too much to lose you" tho

•And after all of the medical treatment, the psychologists questions and all of that you managed to speak with him

•He hadn't left the hospital, not a single second, since you were interned

•And now you teo could finally talk

•He asked you about the reasons and tried to comfort you the best he was able to

•But it isn't easy to comfort a depressed person, it's just... something you must fix

•After you tried to explain to him all of your feelings and promised him to get medical help you asked him about what you heard on the bathroom

•"I... I'm... I'mvery very in love with you and I can't imagine how a life without you would be for me"

•Usually he is the one crying but right now you just can't hold your tears back

•Maybe it's because you are still very emotional after all that hapened

•Or maybe it's because you had been dreaming about this day for so very long

•But you just can't hold your tears

•And now he is apologising while the two of you cry

•But you manage to kiss him and it seems to clear things up for him

Mikan Tsumiki

•She wasn't the one to find you

•You tried to take your life at one of your lowest moments

•It hadn't been the first time and Mikan, as kibougamine's nurse AND your best friend, had seen the scars of some of those failed attempts

•Thanks goodness you failed

•So when she heard that someone had tried to commit suicide and was now on the nursery she knew it was you

•And she run to you

•How could this had happened? She was always so careful of you, she knew you were quite mentally unstable

•This was all her fault, she knew about your suicidal thoughts and she had did nothing

•Sure it was because she liked to feel you were depending on her

•"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Imsorry, Imsorry, Imsorry, ImsorryIms-" was all her mind could think about

•When she arrived to the nursery you tried ot give her a smile

•But you obviously failed

•She saw the bands on your arms and knew exactly what you had tried to do

•"I'm... I'm so sorry, I should have been a better friend! I promise I would do anything you ask me for!"

•"Mikan... you don't have to do that, you aren't the reason why I decided to do this, you are more like the reason why I try to keep living"

•"You... I... I... I am what?"

•Her shyness is now attacking her and she looks like a blushing mess

•Not to mention her happy giggles and how she plays with her fingers

•You could almost swear that she doesn't remembers that you tried to kill yourself

•"T-Then don't ever try to take your life again!" Now she is taking all her courage to yell at you, it is not the best way to help someone in your situation but it might work now "I couldn't make it without you! I don't want to lose you so please don't try to take your life ever again! Do it for me at least so... so I can... so I can confess my love to you!"

•Her what?

•Was she... was she confessing?

•You had been trying to make her notice your feelings for her for the past weeks

•To see her blush while you called her the most perfect woman on earth was almost the only thing that made you smile this past week

•And I say almost and not the only thing because a lot of her others cute actions made you smile, but only she made you smile and forget about your depression

•And now she was declaring to you?

•"P-Please... answer!" Mikan's cries brought you back to reality

•And now you are cuping her face on your hands, wiping her tears the best you can from your gurney

•"I... I promise I won't try to take my life again Mikan, please don't cry, your laugh is the only thing that helps me..."

•"D-does that mean...?" And now her cute giggles are back

•But you're glad they are back, you love them

•"Yes, Mikan, I love you too"

•You try to kiss her but her clumsiness gets in the way and she ends up hurting you a little on your recents wounds

•So she offers to heal it now

•And you spend the whole afternoon with your girlfriend treating your wounds

•Your girlfriend!

•You just... feel so happy that someone as sweet as Mikan loves you back!

I’m not feeling like this is very good but it’s 4:30 a.m at the and I’m trying my best. I just hope you enjoy it and rememeber to stay strong and that you can always message me <3

[memoriashell]

seashells and shores ( and something a bit more )

Characters /  Pairing: Fukawa Touko / Naegi Komaru, ensemble class 78; varyingly background / implied ships are sakuraoi / ishimondo / celeschi / naeleogami

crossposted on ao3

Notes: a very late day 3 for @tokomaruweek​. beach prompt! yesterday i was feeling a little burnt out so i decided to not write since i didn’t want to put out something half assed. hopefully this being a bit longer helps make up for it! ( and by a bit, i mean i basically doubled the word count compared to what i’ve done for this week so far lmao rip so much for hoping i’d catch up tonight )

rated t for touko's trauma. and also for junko having her tits out. thanks junko.

anyways tw for like trauma, the general self-depricating / self-concious stuff for toko but also like. her trauma w/ water is brought up since it's. beach? and also drowning doesn't actually happen but it is brought up. and touko mentions claustrophobia in relation to her trauma offhandedly once, and again, just generally feeling insecure.

also it's kinda implied that chihiro and celes are both trans thank you!!!

Summary:  going to the beach isn't exactly an exciting thought for her, given the fact she has no desire getting in the water.

komaru seems dead set on making sure she makes some memories anyways.

Do you want to come to the beach with us? That is the first text of the morning that she receives, courtesy of Makoto Naegi. Touko considers asking who he means by us, gathers that he probably means some assortment of their classmates, and ( while it is very tempting to say yes ) concludes that she can safely say no. And she intends to do exactly that, but she gets a set of texts that stops her from being able to do so.

touko-chan!!!!

ur coming with us, right?

you should come with us!

itll be fun!

So Komaru would be there too— their...friendship is odd, all things considered. Not that the knowledge of knowing she’d be there makes the offer any more tempting, but she bites her lip and considers what to say. Not that there’s really much of a question, just keep it blunt and to the point as per usual. No point in sugar coating things.

I’m busy. Maybe next time. She’s not that busy, current manuscript aside. Not that Touko intended on ever not being busy. It’s not her fault that Komaru is too dense to take a hint.

awww :(

pls?

if u don’t wanna get in the water, ill make sure they’ll leave you alone. im sure you won’t be the only one that doesnt want to!!

Ah. She might have to ( partially ) retract her statement on Komaru being dense. Had she figured out her reluctance without her even mentioning it, or had that just been a lucky guess? Maybe it was just Makoto’s luck rubbing off on her...

i understand if you don’t want to come

and i’ll leave u alone if u rlly dont wanna come.

but it wont be as much fun without you there :(

Urgh. Yeah, this girl doesn’t understand a thing, does she? She’s probably not even realized the impact her words have on her. Touko grumbles under her breath, but figures she should respond before Komaru sends another text begging trying to convince her.

Fine.

I’m not going in the water, though.

If this goes horribly wrong, I’m blaming you.

That is a lie. Even if worst comes to worst and Syo feels the need to front for her, she won’t hold it against her. She’s the one who agreed, after all. It’s just one last attempt at offering her an out. To change her mind. Like she should. But Komaru is nothing if not stubborn, so she doesn’t really expect that offer to be taken up on. She starts making a mental checklist of what she probably needs to take with her, doesn’t get very far into that list because Komaru’s response is nearly instantaneous.

yayayayay tnk u touko-chan ily!!!!!! :D

we’ll pick u up k????

ur staying @ the place near the dorms right? see u soon!! ♡♡

Touko grimaces at the butchering of language that is Komaru’s texting ( and ignores her own fluttering heart upon seeing the casual hearts sprinkled in at the end ), and sends back, If you love me, fix your grammar.

The car ride over is mostly uneventful. In that she means she feels like she’s going to have a headache before they even get there and Makoto keeps giving her a sympathetic look. In other words, she’s learned that Komaru and both Asahina siblings should not be left to entertain themselves for the hour-long car ride, but the only silver lining here is that it was only an hour-long ride and hopefully they would be tired out for the ride back.

The highlight of the hour was that even if it’d been a tight squeeze in the backseat, that meant she’d been ( somewhat ) uncomfortably sandwiched between the door and Komaru herself. She’s a little surprised that it doesn’t set off her claustrophobia, but reckons that might just be because it’s too bright to remind her of being locked in a closet. And also because Komaru is generally distracting in close proximity, from the way she’d been halfway sitting on her lap, to the faint scent of what Touko figures to be her shampoo.

She also considers it a victory that she did not dissociate in the midst of that, but probably only because Komaru kept checking on her and apologizing for how close they are: she’d had to bite her tongue several times from saying something harsher than she’d really mean. She doesn't hate Syo, but probably counterintuitive to let them front today: whether they are aware of this, or simply just disinterested in trying to front right now, she is thankful. If nothing else, she would consider this some kind of learning moment. Maybe. Something to draw inspiration from?

Still, once she’s free from the confines of the car, she can actually relax a little— or does for all of two seconds before Komaru has grabbed onto her free hand and started dragging her towards the loud group that she recognizes as her class. Yuta and Aoi had bolted out of the car the moment they’d come to a stop to race to the waters ( she can’t imagine being that athletic and feels tired watching them ). Touko gazes back longingly at the confines of the car and the consideration that she might’ve been able to isolate herself there, but her grip’s pretty tight on her hand. Which is nice, and distracts her from thinking about escaping until it's way too late, and she’s forced to look at the group before her, and—

Slaps a hand over Komaru’s eyes with a groan. “Enoshima, wh-what the fuck, you—” She holds off on the ( derogatory ) word she wants to say, and just scowls at the sight before her. “This isn’t a...a nude beach? Are you t-t-trying to get us in trouble or something?” Granted she’s not technically completely nude, but also more revealing than she should be. Seriously, she would’ve figured that Ishimaru would’ve already told Enoshima off already because what else is he good for ( then again, he is single-handedly the only person who would probably take no real issue with it, or be naively convinced by her that it wasn’t really a problem, so maybe she really shouldn’t be that surprised ).

Enoshima cackles at her. “Don’t be a prude, Fukawa! Or are you jealous? I’m just trying to get a sick tan.” While she’s at it, where the hell is Ikusaba to keep her sister in check? Whatever, that’s not really important, and she refuses to dignify that with a response given that Enoshima probably only wants to get a rise out of her.

Instead, she makes sure to put a decent distance between them before removing her hand from over Komaru’s eyes with a huff. “Urgh, honestly...what on earth m-made her think that was a, a good idea?” She grumbles, glancing around now that she doesn’t have to stare directly at...that.

Actually, now that she looks around, the only seemingly responsible person from their class currently present was Oogami— and honestly, she seems too busy being in love with her girlfriend to count ( if it wasn’t kind of heartwarming, she’d probably be disgusted. Not in a homophobic way, in a general ew PDA sort of way ). As for any else viably responsible: Kirigiri being absent wasn’t a surprise, Fujisaki’s too soft to really keep people in check, Byakuya is...his own entirely separate category, and she would rather die than count Hagakure as responsible in any capacity. And Makoto might be a voice of reason, but she’s pretty sure he’s utterly useless here. Which is probably a horrible sign of things to come, but what else did she expect from anything involving her peers?

“You don’t want to go in the water, right?” Komaru’s voice cuts in through her thoughts, watching her closely before taking her hand to start pulling her along then. “We should set up somewhere to sit, then!”

We? She thinks, but instead attempts to free her hand from her grip and voices, “...Don’t you want to go in th-the water with the rest of them? You don’t have to, uh, to stay with me, you know. I’m not a k-k-kid.”

Her expression looks conflicted. “Well, yeah, of course I do want to! But only for a bit, probably? I mean, it’d be kind of rude to leave you alone since I asked you to come?”

She ignores the way her stomach twists at that, and purses her lips. “Technically s-speaking, Makoto asked first. You aren’t— it’s not rude of you to want...to want to have some fun without me. I know I’m n-n-not fun to stick around.” She knows she wouldn’t want to stick around herself if she had the choice. “It’s not like, like I wasn’t prepared for th-that.”

“Yeah, but— that’s the thing. You shouldn’t be! And I want to spend time with everyone, and that includes you too.” And now she’s sulking. God. Fukawa is about to growl back something she’ll probably regret saying, but is saved from doing so by a much calmer voice interrupting, having overheard their argument.

“Why don’t you go join your brother for a bit? Fukawa-san can join us if she would like to. We have an extra seat.”

Celes looks hot— and she means that in a very literal sense ( mostly ), decked out in one of her usual frilly black dresses. She looks out of place in the hot summer heat. Touko is also not sure where and how she managed to get a table out here ( and tea, apparently, and you know what she’s just not going to question it ), but Fujisaki is already pulling out the extra seat in offering, and she sighs reluctantly. Better this than feeling like she’s holding Komaru back.

“G-G-Go. Or...or I’ll let Syo toss you in the water.” Not really a threat - if anything, Syo would dive bomb into the water with her. Argh, maybe she should’ve just let them front today...

( No, no she shouldn’t have. The only person currently present that Syo would’ve mostly listened to would be Komaru— and maybe Makoto or Fujisaki if they were feeling generous— which is an entirely different set of issues she doesn’t want to linger on. Needless to say, she doesn’t particularly want Syo to cause chaos today )

Touko is saved from having to argue further with her on this because as Komaru opens her mouth to protest, Yuta comes to steal her away, blabbering on about something about a game they should play: and while he’s definitely as oblivious as his sister, she’ll consider that a good thing, just this once. The only words Komaru manages to get in is to ask Toko to keep her bag for her, which she would’ve done anyways, picking it up from where she’d dropped it. She watches them wander off ( and only looks away when Komaru starts discarding the clothes she’d been wearing over her swimsuit ) before trudging over to sit next to Fujisaki, who flashes her a small smile as she types away on her laptop.

“I am surprised you came, Fukawa-san. You do not seem like the type for these activities. You are usually quite disinterested in participating in these kinds of things, in fact. Did something change?” Ugh. This is why Touko hates being around Ludenberg. Because she’s observant, generally only bested by Kirigiri in that regard, and is generally good at picking people apart when it comes to lies and acts and fronts ( though Touko would argue this is from personal experience, and not from being a gambler ). And this fact would have irritated her, quite honestly, if she had not self-sabatoged herself by taking it as an insult, instead.

“I-I-I get it. No one really wants...wants me here. That’s what you meant, right...? You don’t have to r-remind me.” She grits her teeth. If nothing else, when she isn’t busy lying, Touko can appreciate her honesty. The tiny hand that wraps around her wrist stops her from saying anything further, even if it doesn’t take much to wrench her arm out of Fujisaki’s grasp: but she gets the feeling she is only able to do so because she isn’t actually trying to hold on too tightly.

“I’m sure th-that’s not what she meant, Fukawa-san...” Ever quick to play peacekeeper, she supposes. Touko simply grumbles at her and rolls her eyes. “...Especially since not everyone was available today, it’s nice that you were able to join us!”

“Yes, it is a shame. I would have liked for Yamada-kun to have been able to help with my tea, today.” Celes sighs as if disappointed— really? That’s what she’s on about?

Touko does a second look at who is not currently gathered, and denotes, “Is Maizono st-still out on tour...?” She thinks Komaru had mentioned something like that in passing.

“Yes! Maizono-san is on tour, Yamada-kun is at an important convention, Ikusaba-san, she’s...doing some kind of training...? I think Kirigiri-san is supposed to be on the tail end of a rough case, and...” Here Fujisaki pauses to giggle into her hand. “I sh-shouldn’t really laugh at this really, but Ishimaru-kun got sick. Oowada-kun had to force him to rest since he had been trying to work through it and made it worse for himself... or so that’s what I was told.”

Oh, so that’s the reason she hasn’t heard the loudmouths today? She might take back her sentiments on Ishimaru being useless, but he’s on thin fucking ice. Of course the overachiever would get sick during the summer holidays— apparently, she’s not alone in that thought.

“Only Ishimaru-kun would get sick during vacation and still manage to find a reason to not take a break.” Celes rolls her eyes, but Touko gets the feeling she’s amused too.

“So wh-what you’re saying is, uh, is that Oowada’s going to get sick next...right? I guess— we’ll find out if idiots get s-s-sick or not.” Touko quips— which earns a softer laugh from Fujisaki, so that’s pretty good.

Of course, it wouldn’t be like her if she didn’t put her foot in her mouth almost immediately afterwards by asking why they aren’t going in the water: she’s not really surprised because Celes rarely participates in gym ( and coming from Touko that says a lot ), but she was pretty sure Fujisaki wasn’t that self-conscious of herself. Not as much? Not that she really has any place to talk in that regard.

“Well, we already went to the beach at the start of the summer holidays! I’m not really missing out on anything, and it’s probably not my last opportunity to go during this break anyways.” And then, a little more sheepishly. “...Also I’m close to making a breakthrough on this code, I think. I wanted the fresh air, but I don’t really think I can afford to take much of a break right now.”

“She would have stayed on the train if I did not warn her we were approaching our stop, I believe. And not all of us can be like Enoshima. The brazenness of that woman is truly something else.” Touko is not sure if she says that from a place of respect or fear, and honestly she relates. And also doesn’t say any further on the subject because Celes gives her a dirty look.

Her gaze goes back out to their peers— she is pointedly avoiding needing to look at where Enoshima is— and spots Komaru and Yuta splashing around with Aoi and Oogami. Well, it looks like just splashing at least, from where she’s at. And Hagakure, who really just looks like an out-of-place sea cretin with the way his hair floats on the water’s surface, so. There’s that?

( No, she’s not at all envious of the fact that all of them get to have fun because they don’t have crippling fears: the ocean does not instill the same fear of confinement that a cramped bathtub does, but fear— there is still the fear that something will tug her down and her body will simply let herself dragged underneath out of instinct, a fear of something worse if she tries to fight for survival— )

Focus. She can feel the way her breath catches a little, the uneasy way her heart beats and concentrates on calming down. She doesn’t seem to have gotten Syo’s attention yet, nor anyone else’s, thankfully. She’ll just...watch Komaru for now, yeah. It takes a moment to relocate her, head breaching from underneath the water and surfacing like...like one of the sea’s legendary enchantresses. She means that in a wholly respectful way, of course, watching the way she shakes the water from her hair, mouth open in a wide grin while she laughs. Touko doesn’t need to hear her to know that on the sole basis of her appearance— the bright look in her eyes is enough to say she is happily enjoying herself without her.

On that note, hm. Maybe she can use some of that for the basis of her next novel— something about a siren and a lady visiting the sea? Tragic romances are always a hit, aren’t they? Okay maybe a tragic lesbian romance is more self-projection, but that's besides the point. No one has to know its self-projection if people eat it up like anything else that has her name on it.

Or maybe you need to talk to a therapist more often? Syo contributes helpfully, apparently having become more conscious at some point. Maybe her panic hadn’t gone as unnoticed as she thought. Not that they’re wrong, but talking to a therapist isn’t exactly going to help with her gay pining ( unfortunately, she wishes it were that simple ).

Yeah, that’s not something she really wants to linger on, and as if Celes can read her mind, says, “How do you ladies feel about a bet?”

“Pass.” Touko says immediately, because she is arguably far from a smart person, but she is smart enough to know to not take her chances against the ultimate gambler. Celes ignores her.

“You see, I would bet that Komaru—”

“No. We’re leaving h-her out of it.” Toko interrupts, and Fujisaki ( thankfully, like the god sent angel she is, even if she seems too good to be real ) nods her agreement.

“I don’t think Naegi-kun would be really happy if he heard us talking about his little sister like that...” Her reasoning is fair, if nothing else.

“Fine. Do you think Naegi-kun is going to interfere on Togami-kun’s behalf, or help Kuwata-kun?” A painted fingernail points out the trio by the sea. Kuwata seems pretty intent on forcing Togami into the sea, suit and all, much to his disdain. The duo is yelling, probably. On the other hand, Makoto just looks like he doesn’t know whose side he’s supposed to be on here.

In the end, it doesn’t matter because by some luck ( or lack thereof ) Togami manages to trip on a washed up stone and ends up taking the other two boys down with him. The heir doesn’t even look all that mad, really, as Kuwata dunks him back under the water in retaliation: she knows what his angry face is, and that is not it, even if it looks kind of like he’s swallowing a lemon.

Or maybe that’s just her and her sour mood feeling like she’s swallowed several lemons raw because Touko doesn’t know how to make lemonade out of all the citrus life has handed her.

“By the way Fukawa-san, about Komaru—” Celes starts, but is interrupted by Komaru’s sharp yelling, which is followed by the wet feeling of her arms wrapping around her. Touko frowns, pushing her away.

“You’re w-wet.” She states the obvious as she makes a face, not that that seems to stop her. “Are you...you're done going in the water f-f-for now?”

“Mhm! It’s too cold in the water, honestly. You’re nice and warm.” Komaru hums happily, and she grabs a towel from her bag to wrap her up in it before she ends up being the next sick kid. “I was thinking we could maybe spilt a snack...? And then we could make a sandcastle! Asahina-san was telling me about shells she saw earlier that we could use?” Touko bites back a small snort at how childish she sounds.

“Yeah, yeah— let go of me, s-so I can get up...” She agrees, ignoring the curious way Celes’ watches their interactions. She mutters something that passes for a thanks before she leaves ( not that she thinks Fujisaki notices at that point, full enraptured by her laptop screen ).

By snack, Touko realizes that this is more of a way of making sure she eats lunch— Syo had not so accidentally let it slip once that when she gets caught up on things, she has the tendency to skip meals. She bites her tongue on saying that it wasn’t necessary and instead pays for their meal because she can do that, she has the money to spare for that kind of thing: and she knows she doesn’t need to, but sometimes she feels like she needs to make it up to her before Komaru gets sick of their friendship.

And if it comes off like a date, that’s simply just coincidence.

When they return to the shore, Komaru drags her off to an area a little more secluded— she doesn’t really realize this at first, simply accepting her fate to follow along, but notices she can’t really hear anyone else. It helps her relax, feel like she doesn’t need to be so guarded.

( It doesn’t stop Touko from briefly complaining about how sandy she’s going to get because of this, which is annoying. And then immediately shuts up because Komaru offers to let her borrow her clothes, and she has nothing coherent that she can say to that. She eventually manages to spit out a no when it becomes obvious Komaru is waiting for her to say something )

“Well, okay then. You can always let me know if you change your mind.” She says, then, “Oooh, Touko-chan! It looks like there are tide pools over here!”

Komaru leaves her to pick out shells for them to use while she does the dirty work of constructing a sand castle. “So you won’t end up too sandy,” she explains. “And I trust your eyes to pick out nice shells.” She can’t really complain— although she almost makes a scathing comment about the fact that her eyes can't really be trusted when she wears glasses— and just keeps away from the waves for the most part. The water laps at her feet while she lingers around the tide pool, and then returns with the fruits of her search.

It’s...not an awfully constructed sand castle. Well, that’s probably more than a little generous to say. You know, if she was going to compare it to something kids made. As it stands ( or doesn’t, if Touko is being honest ), it’s probably not the most...concretely built and looks like part of the base might fall apart at any moment, but doesn’t say anything as she dumps an assortment of shells at her feet. And then pulls out a towel, so she can sit and watch her work. It feels like there’s another problem with this, but she can’t quite place what it is; it’s probably not important enough to point out.

Going back to the novel idea: maybe it’s not about a siren after all. Maybe it’s about a sea princess instead. A lonely girl drowning in the waters called home, in a lonely castle, and—

“Here you go!” Komaru plops a shell into her hand with no warning and beams at her. “It’s nice and pretty just like you, Touko-chan. So you should keep it!”

She definitely doesn’t almost tear up upon hearing that, swallowing thickly as she bites back a self-deprecating, Are you sure it’s not just ugly like me? Instead, she picks out a small shell from the pile and holds it out to her.

“...H-H-Here. Completely plain and, and average like you.” And cute, but that’s not important. Still, Komaru looks like she’s actually said something of worth as she throws her arms around her neck.

“Thank you! I’ll take good care of it.” She acts like she’s given her a houseplant or something of actual value, and not a shell.

Stiffly— because she still really doesn’t know how to respond in these kinds of moments, despite being friends for a few odd months now— Touko pats her back and mutters, “It’s not that big of a deal.”

“It is!” Komaru pouts at her. “It is to me. Isn’t that enough?”

She opens her mouth to point out that she’d really just been reciprocating a gesture, but the wave crashing over them interrupts the conversation— oh yeah, she thinks absently. That’d been the other problem that she’d noticed when Komaru had started building, but hadn’t thought it was a big enough issue to point out.

Once she processes that yes, that happens, her first thought is how cold she is now, soaked to the bone. Touko represses a shudder and tries to ignore the fact that she will need to shower later because salt water gets itchy. The second thing that occurs to her, in the midst of this, is that now Komaru is wailing into her shoulder.

“I should’ve been more careful, I’m sorry Touko-chan! You’re okay? You aren’t upset, are you? I thought th—” Touko leans forward to cut her off. Her lips taste like salt, and vaguely reminiscent of the sweet snack Komaru had coaxed her into splitting. She wants to bite down on her lip, a nervous habit, and pulls back before she can accidentally manage to bite the other’s lips instead. The implications of that are a lot more than she’s willing to handle right now, and averts her gaze as soon as she leans back, so she does not have to acknowledge her actions.

That doesn’t stop Komaru from throwing her arms around her a little too eagerly, a grunt at the impact of their bodies colliding. “Too m-much.” Touko manages to wheeze out, and before she can start apologizing again, follows with, “I’m not upset. I should probably just...just buy something overpriced from one of th-the nearby shops since our clothes are soaked now...”

She takes this in fairly good stride, jumping to her feet and pulling her up by her hands. “Can I pick out an outfit for you? It’ll be fun!”

Their ideas of fun are very different quite frankly, but considering Komaru won’t overthink her appearance like she does, thus meaning it’ll be more time efficient. And quite frankly, she’s tired, so she just agrees. On the condition they can just go take a nap in the car afterwards.

Touko doesn’t quite agree with Komaru’s fashion choices, but she picks out clothes that cover up everything that needs to be hidden, so she can’t exactly complain. Nor does she complain when they do less napping and more snuggling in the backseat. Which means on the ride back, Komaru ends up falling asleep on her shoulder. She thinks about how pretty she looks in the light of the sunset.

Maybe she can rethink her next novel being a romantic tragedy.

[the-peak-of-despair]

Mastermind! Chihiro Fujisaki - The Sixth Trial

This wasn’t exactly an old request, just a suggestion to write whatever I felt like. And I love mastermind AUs so fucking much, please, flood my inbox asking about them, I just wanna talk about our lord and savior mastermind chihiro - Mod Akane

“And that would mean..” Makoto begins, the realization striking him as he turns to Chihiro, staring fearfully back at him. “Y-You’re the mastermind, Chihiro!” 

There’s doubt in his voice. He doesn’t want to believe it. His friend, who’d opened up to him, who shares his deepest secrets, in his most vulnerable state… he’d orchestrated all of this? From the outside, he looked like he would burst into tears if he killed a bee. Suppose that’s the trick behind it…

“C-Chihiro..? I-It was you..?” Asahina stutters, looking at him horrified.

“I-I-” Chihiro begins to stutter. He looks like he’s on the verge of bursting into tears. No one in the courtroom believes this claim, how could they? But the evidence was stacked against him.. 

It’s before anyone can argue that Chihiro snaps into an entirely new persona, and the tears are gone. “Yep! That’s me! I’m the mastermind!” 

Everyone takes a step back. Chihiro’s face contorted in a way no one had ever imagined. In an instant, his entire personality changed. His tears evaporated into thin air and despair seemed to wash over his face, seeping down to his very core as his eyes lost all sign of true emotion.

“Gosh, you’re so smart, Makoto!” Chihiro says, clapping his hands like a child. “I can’t believe you found me out!” 

“No. There’s simply no way this is possible.” Byakuya interrupts, crossing his arms. “Chihiro, stop playing games. There’s no way you are the mastermind.”

“Oh no, I really am!” Chihiro smiles. With a snap of his fingers, Monokuma shut down, almost like he was playing dead where he stood on the ground. Chihiro left his podium and approached the robot, standing next to it and humming while he examined it.

..And then, in a sudden instant, he slammed his foot into the robot, kicking it as hard as he could. Monokuma flew into a distant wall, shattering into a million black and white pieces as Chihiro didn’t even blink. Everyone in the courtroom drew back, even Byakuya and Kirigri, unable to hide their shock.

“H-Holy shit!” Yashuiro screams in fear as Chihiro turns back towards the circle of survivors. The room begins to fill with smoke, making most people cough and wave it away from their faces. In a second, it clears, revealing Chihiro in a new outfit, with a Monokuma-esq color palette to boot.

“Da-dun-dun! That’s right, the mastermind all along was Chihiro Fujisaki!” He smiles wildly, throwing his arms out in a grand gesture. Standing between Asahina and Yashuiro at his new podium, he seems so small, but he’s so.. Terrifying. The sudden switch in personalities shook everyone to the very core.

“This doesn’t make sense..” Kirigiri mutters. “How could you control Monokuma and almost never leave our sight?” 

Chihiro backs up until he’s sat on top of the ‘throne’ Monokuma used to always sit on top of. He crosses his legs and leans back, getting comfortable in his seat above everyone else. “Pfffffffft! He’s an AI, come on Kirigiri, aren’t you smarter than this?” Chihiro mocks Kirigiri. “I’ve been living under your noses as the Ultimate Programmer, Monokuma wasn’t even my best work!” 

“That doesn’t make sense. His movements and conversations with us.. They’re nothing like any AI I’ve ever seen.” Byakuya argues.

“Clean your glasses, Byakuya! Didn’t you see Alter Ego?” Chihiro poses the question as he sits up and leans over the arm of his chair towards Byakuya. “They’re all easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy!~ I’ve got an iron grip on the technology production from here to Towa City!”

“Speaking of Alter Ego..” Kirgiri interrupts, halting Byakuya’s personal slander. “What was the point of presenting him to us?” 

Chihiro lets out a giggle. “Yeaah, Alter Ego was a bit of a mistake on my part! You weren’t supposed to find it. But since you did I thought it wouldn’t hurt to spin you in the wrong direction a bit!” 

“And his execution?”

“Oh, that was Monokuma’s decision! Spur of the moment thing. I didn’t really mind, it was collateral damage!” Chihiro shrugs. “Collateral damage.. Kinda like Mondo and Kiyotaka!” He smiles, and as he watches everyone in the room come to a full stop before looking at Chihiro with disgust.

“C-Collateral d-damage..?” Makoto stutters. “T-Those were our friends, Chihiro! What the.. What the hell!? They were your friends!”

“Huh, were they?” Chihiro asks sarcastically, tapping a finger to his chin. “Huh. If they were, I just used them!” 

“Y-You what…?” Asahina stutters.

“I used them! I mean, Mondo and Taka were like a package deal! I needed Mondo to make me stronger, and Taka only played by my rules! Let me tell you, it was s-”

“S-Shut up!” Makoto interrupts Chihiro, who perks up, interested in his sudden boldness. “W-We still need to talk about what happened in the last trial!”

“Oooh, you mean where I killed Sakura and framed Toko ‘cus I got bored? What’s there to talk about?” Chihiro asks, excited. “...Aha, did I let that slip?” 

“R-Repeat that.” Asahina suddenly becomes cold, her fists balled tight at her sides. 

“I’m sure you heard me, Asahina!” Chihiro smiles, standing from his throne and once again approaching the podium. “I killed Sakua and framed Toko!”

Asahina begins to breathe heavy, doing  everything in her power to contain her anger as Chihiro continues to talk. “I mean, really, do you think Toko could actually kill Sakura? I don’t even think her wacky double-personality could’ve taken her down! So I worked a bit of magic, aaand..!”

“SHUT THE HELL UP!” Asahina screams, slamming her hands on her podium. “Y-You- You bastard! What the fuck is wrong with you Chihiro?!” She screams, turning and grabbing him by the collar, dragging him close to her face, so close that his feet barely grazed the ground. “I- You fucking killed her! Y-You killed Sakura! I-I- I loved her, you...you..!”

Chihiro doesn’t even look phased as Asahina spits venom in his face. “Hey, Hina! You remember what happened to Junko? Right?” He grins sadistically as the fear begins to strike Asahina, who drops him and takes a step back. 

There’s a familiar whirring noise, and out of nowhere there's a spear that shoots from the middle of the room towards Asahina, almost identical to what happened to Junko. Asahina flinches and draws back violently, forcing the spear to only grace her cheek before slamming into the wall behind her. She opens her eyes, breathing heavy with fear as she held her hand to her cheek. “O-Oh my god..”  

“Gah, I missed!” Chihiro pouts. “I need to get better at shooting games.” 

“G-Games?! Y-You could’ve killed me!” Asahina yells, still holding a hand to her cheek. 

“That’s the fun in it!” Chihiro grins. Once upon a time, this was a wide, innocent grin. Now, it was nothing but evil. Full of despair and agony. And that’s probably exactly what Chihiro wanted. 

Makoto could only wonder- what could possibly push this poor boy to the breaking point..?

If you looked close enough, the answer was laid out in plain sight. 

“Well!” Chihiro claps his hands. “What is there to talk about now? Surely the trial won’t come to a close so easily!” Chihiro scans the room, taking in every facial expression of pure disgust and pain around him. 

“Why..? Why did you do all this?” Makoto asks, basically gripping his podium for dear life. He couldn’t just take all of this in easily. One of his best friends, through this entire hellhole, a person he’d protected with his fucking life and would follow into battle blindly… he was the mastermind? Chihiro, a boy who no one would suspect, he was pulling the strings, he’d orchestrated every death, he’d warped Hope’s Peak into a place of despair..? 

He recalls the moment in the bathhouse when he told Kirigiri: “I’d follow you into battle if I had to!” 

And her response.. “Not such a wise choice, is it?”

Chihiro’s face falls. “Do you know what it’s like, Makoto..?” His tone changes, it’s low and unlike anything anyone had heard from Chihiro before. “To be bullied, every single day, pummeled into the fucking dirt?!” Despair overwhelms his entire face, but he starts to laugh.. “Every.. Goddamn day! Until the point where you.. Hahaa.. You’ve gotta change your whole identity, just to be safe!”  

“Chihiro.. I-” Yasuhiro looks like he’s about to set a hand on his shoulder. Forgetting for just a moment that this was a boy who’d killed his friends, and possibly even thousands, just remembering that once upon a time they were friends.  

Chihiro smacks his hand away with alarming strength, still laughing all as tears gather in his eyes. “NO!” He screams, almost like it was a reflex. “I don’t need.. Ahahaha.. I don’t need anyone’s help anymore! That despair..it only.. It only made me stronger! AhahaAHAHAHA! A-And I- I’ve basked this entire world in despair!” Chihiro hugs himself, breaking into boisterous, manic laughter. 

“What do you mean, the entire world?” Byakuya asks, seemingly unphased by Chihiro’s manic breakdown. Of course, Byakuya wasn’t ever ‘friends’ with the boy… though part of him couldn’t help but reflect on the.. Choice words he’d used against him before. 

Chihiro doesn’t even stop laughing. “Oh, ah..ahaha! I forgot all about that! While you were all locked up in here, the entire world has plunged into despair!” He claps his hands twice, before throwing his arms out wide, gesturing towards the monitors on every corner of the room. The monitors flicker, then turn on, showing a repeating news broadcast.

The broadcast was simple, a repetitive broadcast of a red sky overtop of war and destruction, all with the face of Monokuma plastered all over.  It shakes everyone in the room to the core, except for Chihiro, who gleefully watches his handiwork as he wipes his tears away. “Isn’t it lovely!? Everything destroyed.. Right down to your very bloodlines!”

“No. I simply won’t believe this.” Byakuya starts again. “This is foolish. A highschool boy couldn’t just take down the world.”

“Ahaha, I didn’t work alone, silly Byakuya!” Chihiro grins. “Despair spreads like a plague! And that plague even took down your precious Togami family!” 

“Wh-What..?” Fear seems to take over  Byakuya, if only for a split second. “Th-The Togami family doesn’t just lay down and die! Who the hell backs you!?”

Chihiro laughs. “Despair, dummy! How many times do I gotta repeat myself!?” The words send Byakuya down a spiral, even without evidence.. The very thought shook him to the core.

“H-Hey!” Makoto argues. “This can’t be true! Last I remember, the world was just fine! We’ve been here a month, tops, there’s no way you could’ve done this in all that time!” 

“Weren’t we already over this?” Chihiro asks. “You lost your memories! If I whack ya hard enough, you might get ‘em back! But we’ve all been cooped up, shielded from the outside world! And now you’ve spent your days trying to crawl out of this home we all built together! Isn’t that just a tad hypocritical?” 

“W-Wait, you mean..?” Asahina catches what Chihiro means first- the world had crumbled, and they’d all been here for two years, and then they… 

“W-What was the point of all of this!?” Makoto asks, cutting off any other thought processes about how they’d been gone for two whole years. 

“Huh? Well, I kept you alive, hijacked the airwaves, and displayed you murdering each other for the world to see because I wanted to spread despair to the last dying shreds of hope in the world!” Chihiro explains casually. “I mean, I’ve laid this all out in plain sight for you.” 

“W-” Byakuya begins to speak.

Chihiro interrupts. “Yeah, yeah, be quiet, we’ve had enough of you. Now!” He claps his hands together, excited. “Since this is a trial, I give you one last vote. You can vote for despair- vote to give me the punishment I deserve- or, vote for hope, and stay here for the rest of your golden days!”

“L-Let me get this straight..” Asahina starts. “If we just vote for hope, none of us die..?” 

Chihiro hums. “Well, I suppose, but.. That doesn’t sound as fun! So how about this: vote for hope, and I’ll only execute one of you! The rest of you get to live out the rest of your lives with moi.” He folds his hands under his chin, in an oh-so familiar way. Was he mocking Celeste..? 

“W-Who’ll get executed..?” Yasuhiro stutters.

“Hm..” Chihiro hums as he looks around the room. He starts pointing from person to person. “Eenie.. Meanie… minie… you!” He lands on Makoto, who exhibits a fearful look in return.

“Y-You’ll execute me…?” Makoto stutters, fearful. Somewhere inside him, this felt familiar. 

“Well of course! You seem to be the obvious answer.” Chihiro smiles gleefully, as if he didn’t just imply that with ease he would slaughter his friend. “Why, you used to be my closest friend! You.. were the first person I trusted! What better despair than for you to die at my own hands?” 

Makoto takes a deep breath as he turns to his friends, full of despair and pain. Their hands hovering over their levers, obvious that they would seem.. Almost willing to put Makoto’s life on the line. He looks back at Chihiro, with a devilish grin paired with despair-filled eyes. He starts to laugh, like a loud symphony, bouncing off the walls and into everyone’s ears in an inescapable manner. He laughs so hard he almost starts crying once more, laughing so much it hurt.

Laughing like someone who’d been torn up inside and out and loved every fucking minute of it.

[prompt-master]

Consider: angst for the less popular characters in dr. Aka - write a list of the characters you haven't really talked about and list what type of angst/whump you think fits them.

I live to please lets do it

Owada Monda: I 🥺 I think a lot about how Owada said he would give up his talent and become a carpenter in the Escape Button Ending. It feels so right. He's letting go of the past and his guilt to live a new life.

Ishimaru Kiyotaka: ishimaru likely fears that breaking the rules will lead you on the wrong path like his grandfather, so his obsession comes from a sense of protecting. He likely would panic if he ever broke a real, feeling like himself is becoming a bad person.

Fujisaki Chihiro (note: i use all pronouns for fujisaki): i think its really tragic how Fujisaki's father died before finding out what happened to his kid. He clearly loved Fujisaki, and accepted that she presented as female wholeheartedly. To die without ever knowing...even if the truth is gruesome...

Celestia Ludenburg: this might be TOO obvious but for Celeste to rewrite her entire identity into this character she must have a of insecurities. We know she wanted more than anything to feel special. I like to think that overtime with her friends she becomes more comfident in herself while also keeping the gothic lolita look simply because she likes it

Yamada Hifumi: a lot of people like to call Yamada a creep and nothing else and I am here to dispel such claims. He is not the best written character but. I think a lot of people are too harsh on him. Think about it, for Yamada to know Celeste's real name she had to have geniunely bonded with him. But her selfish dream was more important. The picture of what good, teasing friends they were hurts me because they became anything but in the killing game. Yamada just wanted to help her achieve her dream and serve her. Without asking for favors in return mind you. He knew he would die for her selfish dream. I think that as much as he wanted to help her...he was too ugly for her :(

Ikusaba Mukuro: Think about how fuc ked up her life is. And I dont just mean all the Enoshima stuff. I'm talking about her talent. Most Ultimates at HPA were trained young and Ikusaba is no exception. She saw death and murder and knew how to kill from a very young age. She says she had an interest but...she was a child man! And she's easy to manipulate because she sees herself as a weapon and a tool to be ordered around.

Maizono Sayaka: idk if this is true. But every time I've played drthh the first gift I always got the everlasting friendship bracelet first. And...that was the first gift I ever got. And i gave it to Maizono. And now I always give it to her. It kinda feels like its HER gift to me. I remember first playthrough I got the bracelet again and...I felt this "oh..." moment as I remembered what happened. I couldn't and still cannot give that gift to anyone else. I like to think that as Maizono was dying, she had the bracelet in her pocket and remembered who she betrayed and was dooming. She wrote out "LEON" while thinking of Naegi, wishing she hadn't let her fear get the best of her.

Fukawa Toko: Fukawa likely has feelings for Togami BECAUSE hes an ashole. We know that Fukawa is a self proclaimed mas ochist but I think theres more here. Fukawa idolizes love but has never had it go well for her, having been unwanted from birth. So many guys have tricked her by claiming to like her only to ditch her as a joke. Togami tells her straight up that she's disgusting. In her eyes if she can get Togami to admit he loves her...it's a GUARANTEE. Nothing will backstab her after that. (Also 🥺 i think a lot about how her only friend/loved one is a stinkbug)

Kuwata Leon: i aint touching his past. Shiits weird with his cousin man. We instead gonna just say Kuwata probably got a lot of injuries since hes reckless and doesnt really care about baseball too much. He wants to be a musician partially to express his emotions and frustrations. As the music duo I think he and Maizono used to be really really close before the game.

Asahina Aoi: I firmly believe that Asahina will not be able to move on and date anyone in the future. Ogami was the one. That was her Sakura-chan. She may have accepted her death, but the only way she's getting in a relationship again is in the afterlife when she meets back up with Ogami.

Ogami Sakura: A big source of inspiration for Ogami to become not just stronger but embrace her feminine side comes from her first love, Kenshiro. If you don't know: Kenshiro was the strongest man in the world, stronger than Ogami, but fell to terminal illness. Ogami promised him when he beat his illness she would beat him fair and square. Because of this I feel like her feelings for Asahina must have come with a bit of conflict. Kenshiro means so much to her, but Asahina also means so much to her. Unfortunatly she died before she could figure it out, but she accepted that she loved the both of them.

Hagakure Yasuhiro: I think that Hagakure had a REALLY REALLY good relationship with his mom. The entire time game and after hes thinkin about his mom. He wants more than anything after surviving to find her. Dead or alive. If shes dead he wants to say goodbye properly.

[purpli-writes]

Danganronpa: Locked and Reloaded (Chapter 3: Boys, Drinks and Betrayal For Cash)

Summary:

Stuck in Hope's Peak Academy in a cruel killing game, class 78 is forced to either kill or stay trapped forever.

Makoto Naegi, the Ultimate Lucky Student becomes friends with an unusual pair... of people?

Who would've thought discovering who murdered someone would get him two boyfriends.

Spoilers for Danganronpa Trigger Happy Havoc (somewhat)

You can read it on AO3 here

Makoto awoke to Monokuma’s morning announcement annoyed. After the last class trial he was totally beaten mentally.

But I guess I’m faring better than Taka… Makoto thought to himself.

After Mondo’s execution, Kiyotaka had refused to move from his spot. Sakura had to pick him up and move him to his room.

He was just a husk of his former self.

The idea unnerved Makoto. For better or worse, Kiyotaka was the life of the students.

Sure he was loud, a bit bossy, and sometimes annoying. Makoto thought to himself. But he was also a good person at heart and he did things that he thought was for the best.

Makoto frowned at his line of thought. Kiyotaka was going to be fine.

He just had to be.

When Makoto arrived at the cafeteria for the morning meeting, he was surprised that the only other person there was Sakura.

“Ah Makoto,” Sakura said. “You’re the second person to arrive.”

“That’s odd,” Makoto said. “Did something happen…?”

“Not that I know of,” Sakura said. “It seems likely that everyone is still shaken up after…”

“Yeah,” Makoto interrupted quickly. “That was… pretty terrible.”

“Puhuhu!” Monokuma said, appearing out of nowhere. “Already giving up, Makoto?”

“No way!” Makoto yelled. “But… I’m allowed to reflect on the previous events of this ‘killing game’.”

“Aw…” Monokuma said, pouting. “You two are no fun… I’ll come back when everyone else arrives!”

“Do you want to talk about what happened?” Makoto asked. “At least until the others come?”

“No,” Sakura said. “I’ll be fine, eventually.”

“Alright,” Makoto said, falling into awkward silence.

Eventually everyone other than Byakuya, Toko, and Yasuhiro made their way to the cafeteria.

Makoto wasn’t sure if it was a good thing that Kiyotaka had arrived. He didn’t seem any bit better since the class trial.

“Hm,” Celeste said. “It seems that Hiro is skipping, no?”

“That is unlike him,” Sakura noted. “He is not one to miss out on breakfast.”

“It’s a bit too early to assume he was murdered,” Kyoko said. “We haven’t even gotten a new motive yet.”

“Perhaps he’s just oversleeping,” Junko added. “He always struck me as the lazy type of guy.”

“Wouldn’t Monokuma’s morning announcement wake anyone?” Makoto asked. “You could be sleeping like a rock and that would jolt you.”

“Mr. Hagakure dead so soon?!” Hifumi yelled.

“No,” said Kyoko and Junko.

“Speaking of missing students,” Makoto said. “Do we know where Toko went?”

“Wow Makoto, you didn’t notice her huge crush on the rich kid?” Junko asked. “She’s probably stalking him right now.”

“S-stalking him?!” Makoto asked. “You really think she’d go that far?”

“Of course,” Junko said. “Girls like that always chase after the guy they love, it’s in their nature or whatever.”

“Perhaps we should look for Hiro,” Sakura said. “He must have a good reason for skipping.”

“...” Kiyotaka said, staring blankly ahead.

“R-right.” Makoto said. “Let’s go find Hiro!”

Makoto started to leave the cafeteria when he noticed Kiyotaka was following him. Deciding not to comment on it, Makoto thought the best place to check for Yasuhiro would be his room.

Knocking on the door, Yasuhiro warily opened it.

“You can’t let the gh-ghosts get me man!” Yasuhiro yelled. “You’ve got to promise you’ll get rid of the ghosts!”

“Huh?!” Makoto asked. “Ghosts? What are you talking about?”

“T-that green light. Man these ghosts can’t fool me!” Yasuhiro said. “If I step outside I’m sure to be ghost food!”

“...” Kiyotaka said.

“See!” Yasuhiro yelled. “Taka’s seen the ghost too!”

“I still don’t understand,” Makoto said. “What ghosts are you talking about?”

At this point everyone from the cafeteria had gathered up to see what Yasuhiro was talking about.

“The ghost in the bath house!” Yasuhiro said. “Chihiro was surrounded by a green light and he tried to speak to me!”

“Green light?” Kyoko asked. “Could you show us?”

“No way!” Yasuhiro yelled. “That’s a good way to end up dead.”

“As long as you show us,” Sakura said. “No harm will come to you from any ghosts.”

“Do you promise?” Yasuhiro asked.

“Of course,” Sakura replied.

Slowly, but surely, Yasuhiro opened his door.

“A-alright,” Yasuhiro said. “But before we begin, we need something to protect us from the ghosts…”

“Something to protect you from the ghosts?” Junko asked. “What, a vacuum to suck the ghost up?”

“No!” Yasuhiro yelled. “Salt to create a salt circle, that always keeps the occult away!”

Doesn’t that just work on demons and vampires…? Makoto thought to himself.

“Alright,” Junko said. “I’m gonna get some salt. Hope ghosts don’t eat me or whatever.”

“Hey! Take this seriously!” Yasuhiro yelled at Junko’s retreating form.

Shortly after, Junko came back with a salt shaker.

“Will this save you from the ghosts?” Junko asked.

“Was it blessed by a priest?” Yasuhiro asked.

“Sure,” Junko said. “It even said 5 Hail Marys.”

“Then it’s perfect!” Yasuhiro said.

“Lead the way, then,” Kyoko said.

Yasuhiro led the group to the Bath House in which they noticed that a laptop was in one of the lockers.

“Isn’t this the laptop we asked Chihiro to hack?” Celeste asked. “Why is it over here?”

“Perhaps this is what he decided to do with the project we gave him,” Sakura replied. “I believe he wanted to prove himself to us.”

“That doesn’t explain the weird green light, does it?” Junko said. “Or are we assuming Hiro is just going insane?”

“Hey! Don’t be mean, I’m perfectly sane!” Yasuhiro yelled.

“I wonder if we can summon a demon here, Mr. Hagakure.”

“Don’t even joke about that!”

“Perhaps,” Kyoko said. “That green light had something to do with a computer program Chihiro made.”

“A computer program that Chihiro made?” Celeste asked. “What makes you so sure?”

“I’m not,” Kyoko said. “We’ll only be able to confirm this when we turn the computer on.”

Kyoko went to the computer and powered it on.

“Hm,” Celeste said. “There seems to be a program called ‘Alter Ego’, maybe you should turn it on.”

Kyoko clicked on the Alter Ego program, starting it up. The monitor soon showed a green background with Chihiro’s face on it.

“Welcome back, Master!” The image of Chihiro said.

“M-master...?” Hifumi said. “Isn’t this the stuff fantasies are made up of?”

“Hey wait… if this is Chihiro, isn’t that a guy…?” Makoto asked.

“I didn’t know you were so narrow minded, Mr. Naegi!”

“I don’t think this is Chihiro, per say,” Celesia began. “‘Alter Ego’ means other self, no?”

“So you’re saying that this is another part of Chihiro?” Junko asked. “I guess that guy really isn’t dead.”

“Hey,” Makoto said, “I think I’ve heard about programs like this before. They’re supposed to be so advanced that they might take over humanity some day.”

“I suppose a computer program that could learn and grow like a human would have the ability,” Celeste said. “It is scary, no?”

“Well, instead of ogling at it, let’s ask him some questions!” Junko said. “This sort of thing is exciting, right?!”

“Maybe I should do it,” Celeste said. “After all, I am the most trustworthy person here.”

“How are we going to ask him questions?” Yasuhiro asked. “Do we have to learn another language or something…?”

“No,” Celeste said. “I believe I am supposed to type in my answers.”

“Almost like a chat room,” Hifumi said. “I wonder what else it knows…”

“Stay on topic,” Junko said. “No one cares about your fantasies with it.”

“Alright,” Makoto said. “Let’s see how much he knows about the situation.”

“How aware are you of the current going ons?” Celeste typed into the computer.

“Master didn’t tell me much,” Alter Ego said. “But from what I’ve been able to piece together it seems very grim.”

“You keep referring to this ‘Master’. This is Chihiro, no?” Celeste typed.

“Yes,” Alter Ego answered. “My Master is Chihiro Fujisaki.”

“We have to tell him about what happened to Chihiro,” Makoto said. “That’s the right thing to do, right?”

“...” Kiyotaka said.

“I suppose you are right,” Celeste said. “But it’s not like he can feel anyways, no?”

“Your Master was killed by Mondo Owada.” Celeste typed out.

“Oh…” Alter Ego said. “I did know that he had a high chance of dying… but… still…”

“Are there any other things we want to say to Alter Ego?” Celeste asked. “I fear we cannot stay much longer when the threat of discovery lurks near.”

“I want to… apologize,” Kiyotaka said. “For my bro… and my… actions as well.”

“Huh…? Taka can speak?!” Yasuhiro yelled out.

“Hm,” Celeste said. “Well then maybe you can take over, no?”

After saying that, Celeste handed the computer over to Kiyotaka who sat down and placed it on his lap.

“I’msa szoryr fore waht my bros died to hyour master,” Kiyotaka attempted to type while crying and shaking.

“Huh…? I’m sorry but I don’t understand!” Alter Ego responded.

“Maybe it’s better if you let someone else type for you…” Makoto suggested, staring at the garbled text that Kiyotaka had written.

“Can… you tell Chihiro… that I’m sorry for… what Bro has done...” Kiyotaka said, handing over the laptop to Makoto.

“Alright, sure…” Makoto said. “What do you want to say?”

“Tell him… I am sorry... “ Kiyotaka said.

“Taka says he’s sorry about what happened to Chihiro,” Makoto typed. “For both him and Mondo.”

“Apologizing…?” Alter Ego asked. “Huh… does he feel responsible for the death of Master?”

“Yeah,” Makoto typed. “You can say that for sure.”

“Um,” Alter Ego said. “If you don’t mind I have an idea that might be able to lift his spirits.”

“Huh…?” Makoto typed. “What do you mean?”

Suddenly an image of Mondo’s head appeared on the screen.

“Hey, bro!” ‘Mondo’ yelled out. “You’re not takin’ this too hard, are you?!”

Kiyotaka perked up as he heard Mondo, staring intently at the screen.

“Are you already givin’ up?” ‘Mondo’ asked. “What about our manly bond?! Did that mean fuckin’ nothing to you?”

“From what Master told me about Mondo…” Alter Ego explained, “this is the best simulation I can make.”

“Things aren’t going to get better by standin’ around, you know?!” ‘Mondo’ said. “What’s gonna change if you keep mopin’? Nothing.”

“You need to move on, you hear me?!” ‘Mondo’ said. “And I’m not fuckin’ around!”

“I get it now,” Kiyotaka said. “I can feel myself changing deep within my heart, no, my very soul!”

“Those words! They’re inside me…!” Kiyotaka yelled, closing his eyes. After a few short seconds, his hair turned white and his eyes started to flame.

“Taka…?!” Makoto yelled. “What the hell just happened to you?!”

“Taka…? Who the fudge is that?!” Kiyotaka said. “I’m not Taka, I’m me…!”

“That’s an interesting name,” Celeste said. “But perhaps there is something else we could call you?”

“Wh-what just happened?!” Yasuhiro yelled. “Did Taka get taken over by a gh-ghost?!”

“I told you, I’m not Taka!” Kiyotaka yelled.

“Um… what are w-we supposed to call you then, Mr…?” Hifumi asked.

“I’m a mix of Taka and Mondo… so…” Kiyotaka said. “Call me Kiyondo Ishida you dumbfaces!”

“A mix of both Taka and Mondo…?” Kyoko asked, “Could you perhaps explain that in a bit more detail?”

“You wouldn’t get their manly bond!” Kiyondo yelled.

“Woah,” Junko said. “I guess romance can also penetrate the barrier of death.”

“Well, there’s no use staying in here any longer,” Celeste said. “Unless we want to alert the mastermind to our only trump card.”

“We can’t lose Alter Ego!” both Hifumi and Kiyondo yelled at the same time.

“Yes,” Celeste said. “It would appear so.”

“Alright then,” Makoto said. “Let’s head back to the cafeteria!”

After leaving the bath house, the students were stopped by Monokuma.

“Hey, what were you all doing in there…?” Monokuma asked. “Don’t tell me you were getting all frisky!”

“No!” Kiyondo yelled. “That would be fudging unwholesome!”

“Huh…?” Monokuma asked. “Did Kiyotaka go albino since the last time I saw him?”

“Yeah!” Makoto said, “We were all giving him a pep talk and that happened…!”

“In the bath house?” Monokuma asked.

“Yeah!” Makoto said, quickly. “Is there any other place to go?”

“Makoto is right,” Sakura said. “Going to the bath house gives one a clearer perspective.”

“It was very enlightening, no?” Celeste said. “But now we must go have our breakfast so, goodbye Monokuma.”

“Aw,” Monokuma said. “You kids are tooooooo boring!”

After everyone went back to the cafeteria, Celeste started the morning meeting once more.

“Before we discuss investigating the new areas we’ve unlocked,” Celeste said, “I would like to discuss a new rule…”

“Hey!” Yasuhiro said. “Shouldn’t we let our leader lead the discussion if he’s feeling better?”

“Perhaps,” Celeste admits. “But I think this is important to our continued survival.”

“Very well,” Kiyondo said. “As long as you don’t take up too much time with what ya wanna fudgin’ say!”

“I believe I’ve noticed a pattern with the murders,” Celeste began. “That is to say that they all happened at night, no?”

“Huh,” Makoto said. “You’re right.”

“So I suggest we have some sort of curfew,” Celeste said. “Past the night time announcement no student should be out of their dorms.”

“That’s way too restrictive!” Yasuhiro complained.

“Maybe, if you’re a murderer.” Celeste responded.

“But what if we want-” Yasuhiro said, before getting interrupted by Kiyondo.

“Then it’s settled, so everyone listen up!” Kiyondo yelled. “Once ya hear the night time announcement you better get your butts to bed!”

“So now,” Kyoko said. “We must attempt to discover what new areas have opened up.”

“Yeah,” Junko said. “But there’s something that’s been bothering me about our newest revelation.”

“Then speak up!” Kiyondo yelled. “No one here is gonna read your mind you dumbbutt!”

“How did Hiro even discover that anyways?” Junko asked. “I mean he had no real reason to be out, right?”

“H-huh?!” Yasuhiro asked. “Well, um, you see, every couple of years I have to go to a bathhouse and um…”

“And what?” Junko asked.

“And if I don’t, my success rate in predictions goes down!” Yasuhiro said. “It’s really bad and taxing, but it’s what a man has got to do.”

He can’t be serious… right? Makoto thought to himself.

“Isn’t your prediction rate already low?” Celeste asked.

“I’m right at least 30 percent of the time!” Yasuhiro argued.

“Guess someone missed the bathhouse ritual too many times,” Junko said. “If you believe in that bullshit anyways.”

“Alright!” Kiyondo yelled. “Back on topic! We must explore this fudgin’ school until we know all the odds and ends!”

“Alright!” Makoto said. “I’m pumped!”

“This is our only course of action,” Sakura said. “I’ll also see if there’s any hope of escape on the new floor.”

“Everyone split up!” Kiyondo yelled. “And don’t come back until you dumbbutts have explored everything there is to explore!”

Makoto walked out of the cafeteria. Monokuma hadn’t given them any hints on where to explore.

He was really on his own for this one.

Makoto decided the best place to check first was the third floor. It was almost guaranteed that it would be unlocked.

Making his way up the stairs, he stopped when he passed the pool’s door. The scratches were gone, almost like nothing had ever happened.

But that’s not true, Makoto thought to himself. Chihiro, Hina, and Mondo are all gone, no amount of erasing could change that.

Makoto sighs. He knows that line of thinking isn’t going to get him anywhere. Stealing one more glance at the door, he makes his way up to the third floor.

As he made his way up, he noticed Sakura staring at the window annoyed.

“Any luck?” Makoto asked, although he already knew the answer.

“No,” Sakura replied. “It seems that escape on the third floor is also hopeless, as we feared.”

“The Mastermind really thought this through, huh?” Makoto asked.

“It seems, so.” Sakura said. “Good luck on your investigation.”

Sakura walked downstairs, trying to avoid any more conversation.

Makoto couldn’t blame her. She had lost Aoi only recently.

Alright, Makoto thought to himself. Let’s get this over with!

Makoto went to the first room he saw, which seemed to be a recreation room. Celeste was already exploring the area, seeming very interested in it.

“See anything interesting, Celeste?” Makoto asked.

“It seems we finally have entertainment,” Celeste responded. “That is something to celebrate, no?”

“Yeah,” Makoto said. “Wait, are those magazines over there?”

“Puhuhuhu! What a sharp eye, Makoto!” Monokuma praised. “But don’t get your hopes up, those are the only magazines you’ll ever get to read!”

“They do not get updated weekly?” Celeste asked.

“Of course not!” Monokuma answered. “That’s a luxury only people outside of the school deserve!”

“Cruel of you, is it not?” Celeste asked. “Well, I suppose something is better than nothing.”

Monokuma only laughed as he disappeared.

“Nonetheless,” Celeste continued, “I suppose having something to do is better than nothing, wouldn’t you say, Makoto?”

“Huh…?” Makoto asked. “Well yeah, of course…”

“Well, there is much more to explore,” Celeste said, as she began to walk out. “And it seems we have such little time. So until later, Makoto.”

That sure was cryptic, Makoto thought. Well I guess it is Celeste I’m talking to.

Makoto looked at the room once more.

The rec room had darts, othello, and a pool table. Makoto wondered if the magazines were worth reading but decided he didn’t have the time.

I’ll come back here later, there has to be something worth looking at here.

Makoto walked out of the recreation room, deciding to make a turn into the hallway he had ignored before.

“More classrooms…?” Makoto questioned out loud.

“Duh!” Monokuma yelled, causing Makoto to jump back in fear. “This is a school, remember?!”

“Yeah… but I mean, it’s not like you’re teaching us anything…” Makoto replied, scratching his cheek sheepishly.

“I’m teaching you the danger of having friends!” Monokuma said. “It’s a dog eat dog world but that doesn’t apply to me because I’m a bear!”

“Do you have anything useful to say…?” Makoto asked.

“Wow, is our tiny little Makoto finally growing a spine?!” Monokuma asked. “Because if you are, you’re seriously a little late!”

“Um…”

“Anyways, I’ll leave you to explore this classroom!” Monokuma said before disappearing.

Makoto checked the classrooms. He quickly decided there was nothing of note in them other than the weird messages on their chalkboards.

Alright! Makoto thought. There’s only a couple more rooms on this floor, right?

Makoto checked his e-Handbook to confirm that there were only a couple rooms left on the floor.

The icon that was closest was an icon of a statue. If Makoto had to guess it was probably an art room of some sort.

Making his way to the room, he opened the door and saw two desks, some easels, and some statues.

“Hello, Mr. Naegi,” Hifumi said, “enjoying the finer arts?”

“Huh…? No not really,” Makoto replied. “I’m just exploring…”

“Well I’m for one glad this room exists,” Hifumi said. “It now allows me to make more fanwork!”

“Oh yeah…” Makoto said, “you didn’t have any art supplies with you, huh?”

“Unfortunately everything I had of value was taken by the wicked Mastermind!”

“Well, I’m glad the room is good for you,” Makoto said. “But what’s with that door over there?”

“Oh that’s the supply room,” Hifumi said casually. “I’ve already grabbed what I need from there for the time being.”

Makoto nodded before moving to the door and opening it.

Inside was a yellow room with a bunch of art materials, a statue, and some art on the wall.

After a quick glance on the floor, Makoto noticed a picture on the floor. Grabbing it to examine it Makoto realized it was Mondo, Leon and Chihiro.

Huh…? How is this possible? Makoto thought to himself. I thought we all just met each other when the killing game started…?

“Puhuhuhu! Our Makoto is looking at some scandalous material…!” Monokuma said, as he appeared.

“Monokuma!” Makoto yelled. “What is this?”

“What do you think it is?” Monokuma asked. “It’s a picture, you uneducated brat!”

“I can see that,” Makoto said. “But how are they hanging out…?!”

“Huh…?” Monokuma asked. “Well you see, it’s a very long story and we’re running a bit behind schedule!”

“Huh…?”

“Anyways, if you could just give me that…” Monokuma said as he took the picture from Makoto. “Have a nice life, Makoto!”

What the hell?! Makoto thought to himself. How come he can just leave and not explain himself…?

After staring at the spot where Monokuma just was, Makoto decided to leave the storage room.

When he came back into the art lab, Hifumi had already left.

Well, Makoto thought to himself, other than that picture and the Monokuma statue I don’t think there’s anything of note in here.

Checking his e-Handbook, Makoto realized he only had one place left to explore, leaving the art lab he made his way to the last room.

Checking the sign, he saw it read ‘Physics Lab’.

Guess there are more classrooms here, Makoto thought. Not like we’re doing any learning in here.

As Makoto entered the room he could see both Yasuhiro and Kiyondo.

“Hey, Makoto, check it out!” Yasuhiro yelled. “It’s the Psychic’s Lab! Finally, the place for me!”

“Um… isn’t this the physics lab…?” Makoto asked.

“Obviously it is,” Kiyondo said. “This dumbbutt just doesn’t know how to read.”

“Hey!” Yasuhiro said. “Don’t be mean! Now I need to find somewhere else to do my predictions…”

“Why don’t you do your ‘bath house ritual’, then?” Kiyondo asked. “You did fudging mention it before, right?”

“Huh…? The ‘bath house ritual’...? What are you talking about?” Yasuhiro asked.

Did he alright forget his lie already…? Makoto thought.

“Uh, anyways,” Makoto said. “What’s the big machine in the center?”

“Woah! That’s my time machine, so you better be careful!” Monokuma warned.

“Your time machine?!” Yasuhiro yelled. “That’s pretty impressive!”

“Hey, Taka,” Monokuma said. “Aren’t you interested in going back and saving your bro?”

“Obviously that’s not fudgin’ possible, you dumbbutt!” Kiyondo said. “What is it actually?”

“Aww, you saw through my lie too easily…” Monokuma sulked. “In actuality, it’s an air purifier so you freaks don’t die!”

“An air purifier?” Makoto asked.

“Haven’t you been wondering how you’ve been breathing in a locked space?” Monokuma said. “This place is shut tight, so this is the only way you losers can get oxygen!”

“Huh…?” Yasuhiro said. “But don’t you need air too?”

“Of course not, I’m a freakin’ bear!”

Um, Makoto thought. Bears also need air…

“Anyways,” Monokuma said. “If you want to keep living, don’t mess with that machine!”

“He’s gone again,” Yasuhiro said. “Man, I wonder where he gets off to…”

“It doesn’t matter,” Kiyondo responded. “He should be the least of our fudgin’ worries.”

Makoto looked around and noticed a door at the back of the room, just like in the art room.

That’s probably another storage room, right? Makoto thought to himself. Maybe I should ask anyways.

“Hey,” Makoto said. “Have either of you been in the room at the back?”

“Huh…? There’s a door over there?” Yasuhiro asked.

“No,” Kiyondo answered. “I fudgin’ haven’t.”

Makoto hummed, before deciding to head for the room.

Best not to leave any pebbles untouched. Makoto thought to himself. That’s the saying, right…?

Once he made his way to the storage room, he noticed it was largely unremarkable. The room just screamed ‘boring’.

Or maybe that was just because he wasn’t into physics…

Makoto left the room as quickly as he entered.

“Nothing in there, then?” Kiyondo asked.

“No,” Makoto answered. “It’s just a plain old storage room if there ever was any.”

“Of fudgin’ course,” Kiyondo responded.

“Is there anything else I need to see here?” Makoto asked.

“No, you can leave now,” Kiyondo responded coldly.

Makoto frowned at Kiyondo’s response but left the room as suggested.

Alright, the third floor is done. Now let’s see what else has been unlocked! Makoto thought to himself.

Making his way back to the first floor, Makoto noticed that the door near the still blocked staircase was unlocked.

Makoto went inside and noticed it was full of random materials.

“Welcome, welcome, welcome!” Monokuma yelled. “This is the storage closet, filled with all the things you’d ever need and then some!”

“Huh…?” Makoto asked. “‘Filled with all the things you’d ever need’...?”

“Yep!” Monokuma said. “We here at Hope’s Peak Academy wish to make your stay a comfortable one.”

“So this place is just full of everything…?”

“Yep! Anything you could ever think of, although considering it’s you I doubt you could think of much…”

“Hey…!”

“Anyways, enjoy exploring Makoto!” Monokuma said. “And don’t worry, everything here is free!”

Makoto decided not to bother looking around in the storage closet. He had the feeling he would get lost if he spent too much time there.

Just as Makoto left the storage closet, he was intercepted by Junko.

“Hey, Makoto,” Junko said. “Do y’wanna explore together?”

“Huh…? I’ve already explored the third floor and the storage closet.”

“Oh! That means you haven’t been at the nurse’s office yet, then,” Junko said. “I’ll take you there and we can do an ‘examination’.”

“Alright,” Makoto said. “Lead the way, then.”

Makoto and Junko made their way to the nurse’s office.

“So, Makoto,” Junko said. “What d’ya think?”

“It looks very sterile…?” Makoto said. “I’m assuming there’s medicine in here?”

“Yep!” Junko answered. “And sedatives for the desperate girl.”

Makoto walked towards the fridge and opened it.

“Huh…? Is this blood?” Makoto asked.

“Yep! According to Monokuma it’s for blood transfusions,” Junko said. “Although at that point I think you’d be considered dead.”

“I mean, at least it’s useful, right?” Makoto asked.

“Yeah,” Junko said. “I mean, I guess.”

“Anyways, Makoto, I think we’ve explored everything here,” Junko said. “So let’s head back together so we stay safe, alright?”

“That’s smart,” Makoto said. “Alright, to the cafeteria, right?”

“Yep, that’s where the meetings are held, anyways.”

Makoto and Junko headed back to the cafeteria, in which they were the last ones back.

“Oh? Junko and Makoto arriving at the same time?” Celeste asked. “You two weren’t doing anything, were you?”

“You two wouldn’t fudgin’ dare!” Kiyondo yelled. “That’s just not right!” “H-huh…?!” Makoto said. “What are you guys talking about?!”

“Hm,” Kyoko said. “No matter, let us just discuss what we discovered from our investigations.”

“It seems escape from the third floor is impossible, as we had feared,” Sakura said.

“Are the windows just as tight as before?!” Kiyondo asked.

“Yes,” Sakura said. “It seems unlikely that anything we do will get them to budge.”

“Speaking of the third floor,” Celeste began, “there seems to be a recreational room of sorts. I suppose that’s better than nothing, no?”

“A rec room?” Junko asked. “What’s in it?”

“An othello board, a pool table, a dartboard and a few magazines I believe,” Celeste responded.

“Magazines?” Kiyondo asked. “Is there any chance that we’ll be able to use ‘em to get access to the outside world?”

“No,” Celeste answered. “Monokuma has already confirmed that those are the only magazines we’ll be getting.”

“Dang it!” Kiyondo yelled.

“On the third floor there’s also an art lab,” Hifumi began. “Perfect for someone like me!”

“There’s also a storage room,” Makoto added. “Oh wait! That reminds me, I found an odd picture in there.”

“An odd picture?” Kiyondo asked. “Mac, you better fudgin’ explain…!”

Mac? Makoto thought.

“Well, there was a picture of Mondo, Leon and Chihiro all hanging out in school uniforms…” Makoto said. “But that isn’t possible, right?!”

“Hm, and where is this picture now?” Celeste asked.

“Monokuma took it from me and left before I could ask any questions.”

“It was most obviously a forgery, Mr. Naegi!” Hifumi answered.

“Yeah, dude,” Yasuhiro said. “It was probably meant to give you doubt or whatever.”

“Moving on,” Kiyondo said. “There’s also a physics lab with a fudgin’ air purifier.”

“An air purifier?” Sakura asked. “I suppose that would mean that none of the air we’ve been breathing has been fresh.”

“That is worrying, is it not?” Celeste added. “If we’re breathing in recycled air, that means there really is no opening.”

“That has to be impossible!” Yasuhiro yelled. “There’s no way we’re trapped, right?!”

“Perhaps it’s not so bad,” Kyoko said. “That means the mastermind is trapped with us, correct?”

“I mean I guess,” Junko said. “But it’s not like they’re the one trapped inside a killing game, right?”

“Have there been any other discoveries of fudgin’ importance?” Kiyondo asked.

“There’s a storage closet near our dorms,” Makoto said. “Although I think it’s better if we call it a warehouse.”

“Why would you call it a warehouse, Mr. Naegi?” Hifumi asked.

“It’s pretty big and according to Monokuma it has everything you’d ever need and then some.”

“Woah, I wonder if it has more ‘interesting’ magazines…” Yasuhiro said.

“Fuckin’ gross, dude.” Junko responded.

“Stay on fudgin’ topic, dumbbutt!” Kiyondo yelled.

“Sorry, sorry,” Yasuhiro said.

“Oh and before we go to bed,” Junko said. “Makoto and I discovered that the nurse’s office is now officially open!”

“Is there any protein?” Sakura asked.

“No,” Makoto answered. “Just over the counter medication and sedatives.”

“Oh and don’t forget about the blood in the fridge!” Junko added.

“Disappointing,” Sakura said. “But not surprising.”

“Well then,” Kiyondo said. “That should conclude our meeting.”

“Remember, you dumbbutts better hit the sack as soon as Monokuma’s night time announcement plays or else I’ll beat ya!” Kiyondo said. “And also make sure to return here bright and early! Breakfast is very important!”

The class hummed in agreement and they all made their way out.

Makoto was making his way back to his room when the night time announcement played.

Feeling thoroughly exhausted, Makoto locked his door and threw himself onto his bed, quickly drifting off to a dreamless sleep.

Makoto awoke with a bolt, breathing quickly and grasping onto his sheets. He couldn’t remember much about the nightmare, other than Aoi pulling him into the pool and gargling incomprehensible threats to him.

As he realized that sleep was unlikely to come to him again, Monokuma’s morning announcement played.

Makoto shuffled his way into the shower and grimaced when the bathroom light turned on. Quickly showering he turned the lights off and changed into a fresh pair of clothes.

Makoto was the first one in the cafeteria, although he doubted that would be true for much longer.

Makoto turned around as he heard Celeste’s heels clicking on the cafeteria’s floor.

“Makoto, you’re up early, no?” Celeste asked, tilting her head ever so slightly.

“Yeah,” Makoto said. “There was no reason for me to stay in my room.”

“Oh?” Celeste asked. “Do you no longer like sleeping in?”

“It’s a long story,” Makoto replied, looking away. “Plus the sooner I can get to the meeting the better.”

“I suppose that is fair,” Celeste said. “But do be careful you’re getting enough sleep.”

Eventually everyone other than Kiyondo, Hifumi, Byakuya, and Toko made their way to the cafeteria.

“Is our leader skipping the morning meeting?!” Yasuhiro yelled out. “He must be possessed by a gh-ghost or something!”

“Will you shut up about ghosts?” Junko said. “He’s probably doing something ‘private’, if you catch my drift.”

“Still, for Kiyondo and Hifumi to be missing,” Sakura said. “This is worrying.”

“I don’t believe we should assume the worst,” Kyoko said. “After all, there’s no reason for anything to have gone wrong, yet.”

“Maybe we should look for them,” Makoto offered up. “It’s not like we have anything to discuss without them here anyways.”

“Perhaps we should go together as a group,” Celeste said. “I have a feeling I know where they are anyways.”

“Alright,” Junko said. “Lead the way then.”

Celeste led the group to the bath house which they could already hear a commotion inside.

“Sounds like some juicy stuff is happening in there!” Monokuma said, as he appeared. “You don’t think they’re doing anything ‘unwholesome’ in there, do you?”

“Don’t be crude, Monokuma,” Celeste said. “They’re probably brawling it out, no?”

“What are you brats even doing in there?!” Monokuma asked. “I’ve seen Hifumi and Kiyotaka going in there three times just last night!”

“Sounds like the Ultimate Moral Compass is breaking his own rules,” Junko said. “Guess he isn’t that good, right Makoto?”

“Huh…?” Makoto asked.

“You say they went in there last night?” Celeste asked. “Perhaps Yasuhiro’s theory was correct after all.” “You’re saying that Kiyondo was possessed by a gh-gh-ghost?!” Yasuhiro yelled. “I don’t wanna die!”

“Perhaps we should investigate,” Kyoko said. “We don’t know if Monokuma is telling the truth.”

“Hey-” Monokuma began but he was cut off by Sakura.

“You’re right,” Sakura said. “Let’s confirm the situation for ourselves.”

The class moved past Monokuma and went into the bath house. Kiyondo and Hifumi were fighting over Alter Ego, although they hadn’t touched it yet.

“Get out of the way you lard cake!” Kiyondo yelled. “You’re keeping me away from my bro!”

“Your ‘bro’...? Alter Ego is obviously my true love Mr. Ishida!” Hifumi yelled back.

“As if someone like them could love someone like you…!” Kiyondo yelled. “Taka and Mondo’s bond melted into me, I have the fudgin’ right to talk to him!”

“Your ‘bro’ is a fake! Unlike my love for them!”

“How about you say that again to my fudgin’ fist-”

“Will you two idiots shut the hell up?!” Celeste yelled. She looked slightly feral. “If you don’t keep your mouths closed, Monokuma is going to discover Alter Ego.”

Is Celeste okay…? Makoto thought. Did she just lose her temper?

“Huh?!” Both Kiyondo and Hifumi said, only now noticing that they had an audience.

“Monokuma is getting suspicious of the noise,” Makoto explained. “He’s bound to check here eventually.”

“Until Alter Ego can make those files accessible,” Kyoko said. “We should try to keep our time here limited.”

“That is the best course of action, no?” Celeste asked, as she tried to fix her appearance.

“Fudge,” Kiyondo said. “Now you’re gonna say you want us to stay away from the computer or whatever the heck.”

“That is the wisest course of action, no?” Celeste asked. “But you two will have to agree.”

“We already know you’ve broken rules to get into here as well,” Junko said. “Monokuma told us how you both entered here at odd hours of the night.”

“Are you sure this thing isn’t possessing you both?” Yasuhiro asked. “You guys have been acting super weird.”

“Don’t be fudgin’ ridiculous,” Kiyondo responded. “It was a one time slip, it won’t happen again.”

“How the mighty have fallen,” Junko said, as she pushed her hair onto her back. “Anyways, did you two idiots even check Alter Ego’s progress on the files?”

“We might’ve been a bit busy,” Kiyondo admitted. “But that doesn’t give you the right to fudgin’ judge me.”

“Well,” Celeste said. “Then we better ask Alter Ego about their progress then, no?”

Hifumi and Kiyondo moved out of Celeste’s way as she made her way to the computer.

“Hello, Alter Ego,” Celeste typed. “How is your progress on restoring the files?”

“It’s going well,” Alter Ego responded. “Although it might take a day or so longer…”

“Alright,” Celeste typed back. “Keep up the work, we don’t have much time, alright?”

“I’ll do my best!” Alter Ego responded eagerly.

“Then we best depart,” Celeste said. “We don’t want the Mastermind to get too suspicious, no?”

“What excuse are we going to use this time?” Junko asked.

“Perhaps we should blame it on Kiyondo and Hifumi,” Kyoko offered up. “They are the reason we are here right now.”

“Hey! It’s all Mr. Ishida’s fault! He’s keeping me from my true love!” Hifumi said.

“As if anyone could fudgin’ love you,” Kiyondo responded. “You’re the one keepin’ me from my bro.”

“Perhaps we should just drag them out and explain to Monokuma that they are enemies,” Sakura said. “It would not be far from the truth.”

“Maybe we should just say we were bathing?” Makoto said. “I mean, it’s what we’re supposed to be doing here, right?”

“That seems suitable enough,” Celeste said. “Perhaps we should say something of the likes of ‘that was a fun time bathing’.”

“I suppose if it's for Monokuma’s benefit,” Kyoko said. “That would be quite smart.”

“Well Hiro,” Junko said. “You’re the one who spends their time the most doing ‘bath house rituals’ maybe you should announce it.”

“Huh…? But what am I supposed to say?” Yasuhiro asked.

“I dunno, maybe something like ‘Wow, that was a great time at the bath!’,” Junko said. “Or something along those lines.”

“Wow! That was a great time at the bath!” Yasuhiro repeated loudly, as he walked towards the exit.

“God, that guy has no career in acting,” Junko said as she walked out after him.

The others followed after Yasuhiro and Junko as they headed back into the cafeteria.

“So, what the fudge did we miss?!” Kiyondo questioned.

“Nothing of extreme importance,” Celeste said. “We were just worried about the wellbeing of you both.”

“Still, perhaps we should be careful about the bath house now,” Kyoko said. “We do not want Monokuma peeking in at us during questionable times.”

“But it’s not like we can stand guard either,” Makoto added. “We all need to sleep and we have the night time rule in place for a reason.”

“Hm,” Celeste said. “Speaking of which, I find it quite irritating how two of us violated that rule.”

“I wouldn’t have to if that bucket of lard just let me see my fudging bro!” Kiyondo said.

“As if I’m to blame, Mr. Ishida,” Hifumi responded. “You’re the one stopping me!”

“We do not care who started it,” Celeste said. “We only care that you finish it and quickly.”

“Otherwise, perhaps we shall need to look for a new leader, no?” Celeste added.

“Hey! Don’t you dare think about fudgin’ replacing me.” Kiyondo said.

“Then you should step up,” Sakura said. “We are in a tough situation currently.”

“Is there anything else we need to discuss?” Yasuhiro asked. “This is kinda boring.”

“Well, does anyone else have anything to fudgin’ say?!” Kiyondo yelled.

The group stayed silent, having talked about everything of importance.

“Well then, this meeting is fudgin’ dismissed!” Kiyondo said. “Now you dumbbutts should get out of here.”

As everyone went to leave the cafeteria, Makoto was stopped by Celeste.

“Makoto,” Celeste began. “I was wondering if we could have a bit of a chat.”

“Huh…?” Makoto asked, “Sure, what about?”

“You see, I feel we don’t really know each other as well as we should,” Celeste said. “Since it seems we are stuck here for the foreseeable future, I wish to change that.”

“Huh…?” Makoto said. “I guess you’re right.”

“So,” Celeste said. “I think the best way to see into someone is to ask them about their romantic preferences, no?”

“H-huh…? My romantic preferences?”

“Don’t be so shy, Makoto,” Celeste said. “Everyone has preferences, no?”

“U-um, yeah I guess…” Makoto said. “You might as well ask away, then.”

“So,” Celeste began. “What kind of behaviors do you attribute to your perfect partner?”

“I guess they’d have to be someone who can take charge,” Makoto admitted. “I mean, they’re supposed to be your opposite, right?”

“Take charge?” Celeste asked. “Do you mean someone prone to leadership roles?”

“Huh…?” Makoto said. “Yeah, I guess…?”

“Is there anything else you might find desirable?”

“I guess… determination?” Makoto said. “I want someone who sticks to their beliefs.”

Celeste smiled before responding. “That is… admirable.”

“Any other questions?” Makoto asked.

“Ignoring the fact that we’re trapped here,” Celeste said. “Where would your perfect date location be?”

“Hm,” Makoto said. “I guess just a picnic?”

“A picnic? That is sort of cliche, no?”

“Haha, yeah…” Makoto said, scratching his cheek. “I don’t know, it just seems like the best place to have a date?”

“I suppose I cannot judge you on that,” Celeste said. “Is this a picnic in nature or anywhere…?”

“It’d probably be better inside,” Makoto admitted. “With my luck the weather would be extra bad…”

“You are the Ultimate Lucky Student, are you not?” Celeste asked. “Unless you’re implying your admittance was some sort of a fluke.”

“Honestly…? I don’t really know.”

“Hm,” Celeste said. “An interesting fact about you indeed, Makoto.”

“Moving on,” Celeste said. “Perhaps we should talk more about you, Makoto.”

“Huh…? More about me?” Makoto asked.

“What are your hobbies outside of the killing game?” Celeste asked. “You must enjoy some things, right?”

“I like the things that are currently popular,” Makoto said. “I guess you can say I stick to trends.”

“So you would want a partner equally as trendy?”

“I’m not so sure,” Makoto admitted. “I mean it would be nice to talk to them about what I like, but I wouldn’t want them to be interested in the same exact things.”

“Hm,” Celeste said. “So more of an ‘in-general’ thing then, yes?”

“Yeah.”

“Well I’m supposing you cannot do the things you usually do in this school, no?” Celeste asked. “What do you do around here?”

“I mostly talk to everyone else,” Makoto said. “I think it’s nice getting to know everyone.”

“So a people-pleaser, then,” Celeste said. “Unexpected but certainly not a bad thing.”

Huh…? Makoto thought. Was that just an insult?

“Hm, is there anything else you do?”

“Not really,” Makoto said. “Up until now, there wasn’t much to do… I might stop by at the rec room now, but I don’t see any other big change coming.”

“Well, since you interact with everyone so often, what are your thoughts about our ‘peers’...?”

“Hm,” Makoto said, putting one of his fingers to his lips. “I mean, Kyoko’s really a mystery to me, Sakura was a bit scary at first but I think she’s a good friend.”

“I have the feeling Kiyondo might dislike me but I was at least a little close with Taka,” Makoto continued, “Hifumi’s nice when he isn’t talking about 2D.”

“Yasuhiro I’m also a bit friendly with, although I could talk to him more. Junko is a good friend to me, she’s very supportive at the very least,” Makoto said. “You’re nice as well Celeste but I don’t know if we really know each other and I haven’t gotten the chance to interact with Byakuya and Toko.”

“I suppose that all makes sense,” Celeste said. “Thank you for this enlightening conversation, Makoto.”

“Of course…?” Makoto responded.

“Until we meet again, Makoto.”

Celeste walked off after checking her e-Handbook.

Makoto decided to head to his room while he decided who else he would hang out with.

He had a couple of options, but he wasn’t sure he was feeling all too well. Now that he had time to think his nightmare came back to him in full force and it wasn’t the most pleasant thing to remember.

Before he could decide what he was going to do with his time, Makoto heard a knocking on the door.

Opening the door, Makoto discovered that his visitor was none other than Junko Enoshima.

Is she blushing…? Makoto thought.

“Hey, Makoto,” Junko said quickly. “Um, wow you’re looking pretty great.”

“Are you feeling okay, Junko?”

“Yeah, I think I could really go for a picnic or something,” Junko said. “That’s the sorta thing that’s great, right?”

“Huh…?” Makoto asked. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Um,” Junko said. “I mean I think we really need to do something about our current situation.”

“Huh?”

“I mean, someone needs to step up as a leader because I think it’s kinda obvious Kiyondo really isn’t gonna…” Junko explained.

“Do you have any ideas on who that leader could be?” Makoto asked.

“Um, maybe me,” Junko said. “Boys do like a girl in charge, right?”

“I think it depends…?” Makoto asked. “It’s a preference and everything, right?”

Junko stared at him for a moment, before frowning.

“I’ve got to talk to someone,” Junko said. “We’ll uh, talk later, I guess…”

That was really weird… Makoto thought. Does she have a fever or something?

Makoto decided to brush off Junko’s weird behavior for the time being. He wanted to get out and talk to someone else.

Makoto left his room and checked his e-Handbook. Surprisingly the only people near him were Celeste and Junko, both in the cafeteria.

Makoto decided to head towards the cafeteria, as he was feeling a bit hungry.

Once Makoto entered the cafeteria, their conversation stopped.

“Ah, Makoto,” Celeste said. “Are you here for a snack?”

“Um, yeah,” Makoto said. “I’m feeling a bit hungry.”

“Well, while you're eating, let us talk,” Celeste said. “We have much to discuss, yes?”

“Huh? We do?” Makoto asked.

“There’s an endless supply, really,” Celeste answered. “I’ll wait for you while you prepare a meal.”

Makoto entered the kitchen area and checked the fridge. Seeing a microwavable meal inside, Makoto decided to cook it.

When Makoto exited the kitchen, Junko was already gone.

“Ah, Makoto,” Celeste said. “Please do sit down, I have something of importance I must say to you.”

“‘Something of importance’...?” Makoto echoed. “Did something happen?”

“It is becoming clearer that our continued existence might be hindered,” Celeste began. “After all, we have already witnessed two class trials.”

“I want to believe that all of us can make it out of here,” Makoto responded. “But it might be impossible that we won’t face another class trial again.”

“Besides that,” Celeste said. “You’ve already missed your second chance at romance, no?”

“Huh..?” Makoto asked. “What do you mean?”

“First with Sayaka,” Celeste said. “Which I suppose wasn’t really your fault, no?”

Pausing to take a sip of tea, Celeste continued.

“And then with Hina,” Celeste said. “You did know that she was interested in you, no?”

“Huh… Sayaka and Hina were interested in me…?”

“You truly did not notice?” Celeste asked. “I suppose you are about to tell me you did not notice other people getting together as well.”

“Huh…?” Makoto said. “Other people are getting together…?!”

“You did not notice it, then,” Celeste said. “Out of respect for their privacy I will not tell you who, of course.”

“That’s fine,” Makoto said as he awkwardly scratched his cheek. “But what’s the point in bringing up failed romances now?”

“I believe that love is still in your cards,” Celeste answered. “Of course that only applies if you notice it, no?”

“You mean… someone is going to ask me out?”

“Think of it with an open mind,” Celeste said, as she got up with her cup of tea. “A relationship is beneficial for several reasons, no?”

Makoto stared into his food as he heard Celeste leave.

Am I ready for a relationship? Makoto thought. I guess I’ll just have to wait and find out.

After finishing his meal, Makoto cleaned up and walked back to his room. He started to fall asleep just as Monokuma’s night time announcement played.

“So you’re here again,” Sayaka’s voice whispered into his ear. “You’ve come to watch another girl die, right?”

“Sayaka…?” Makoto asked. “I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

“I can already see you betraying someone again,” Sayaka said. “I’m a psychic, you know.”

“I don’t…”

“Do you really not know?” Sayaka asked. “You watched me get executed and then you saw Hina’s body floating in the pool.”

“I’m sorry,” Makoto said. “I didn’t know this was going to happen.”

“Are you really sorry?” Sayaka asked. “Look down at your hands, and see all the blood.”

Makoto did as he was told, his hands were dripping with blood. It was almost enough to make him sick.

“Of course,” Sayaka began. “You don’t feel bad at all, do you?”

Makoto awoke to Monokuma’s morning announcement.

Makoto realized he was hyperventilating. He fell out of his tangled sheets and made his way to the bathroom.

During his shower, Makoto made sure to scrub his hands until they were red, although he wasn’t sure if that made things better or worse.

Makoto made his way to the cafeteria and soon after the morning meeting began.

“So!” Kiyondo began. “What new information have we fudgin’ discovered?”

“Nothing much,” Kyoko said. “Things have been thankfully uneventful.”

“Perhaps we should all convene at the bath house tonight,” Celeste said. “I think it would be a wonderful bonding experience.”

“You mean we get to see…” Hifumi began before being cut off by Celeste.

“Yes,” Celeste said.

“Anyways, I have a complaint to make,” Junko said. “I think we should get a new leader.”

“Huh…?!” Kiyondo yelled. “Do you have a fudgin’ problem with my leadership or somethin’?!”

“Yeah, actually I do,” Junko said. “You’re totally unreliable, you’re fighting with Hifumi one moment and the next moment you’re lusting over your lost bro or whatever.”

“What are you fudgin’ saying?!”

“Not only that,” Junko said. “But you’ve already broken a rule we’ve established between ourselves.”

Before Kiyondo could respond, Makoto interrupted.

“Hey,” Makoto said. “I think that’s enough.”

“Huh…?” Junko said. “You’re telling me you actually agree with his leadership?”

“As if I want Mac’s ideas on this,” Kiyondo said.

“I’m just saying that fighting isn’t going to solve anything,” Makoto said. “Let’s just try to keep the peace, alright?”

“But he’s got no respect for us,” Junko said. “The only person he cares about is long dead.”

“Shut it, Junk!” Kiyondo yelled. “You’re not gonna have your takeover.”

“Junk…?” Junko asked. “Are you calling me trash you albino rat?!”

“This isn’t going to happen again,” Sakura said. “We’re supposed to be co-existing, not killing each other.”

“Technically…” Monokuma began as he appeared. “This is a killing game, so feel free to off each other!”

“Monokuma!” Yasuhiro yelled. “H-how did you get here….?!”

“The same way he appears every time,” Kyoko said. “This shouldn’t be surprising.”

“Perhaps he’s a little slow, no?” Celeste said.

“Anyways, I’m enjoying the fights you all keep having,” Monokuma said. “So if you all could keep that up, it would make your headmaster beary happy!”

“No one asked you, Monokuma,” Sakura replied.

“In fact we will fudging get along just to spite you!” Kiyondo added. “Right, Junk?”

“Don’t call me that,” Junko responded.

“Have fun, kids!” Monokuma said before disappearing.

“That seems to conclude the morning meeting,” Kyoko said. “I suppose we should be careful in these coming days.”

“Do you think something bad will happen?” Makoto asked.

“I’m not sure,” Kyoko said. “But I am sure the motive will be revealed to us sooner than later.”

As the class went to leave the cafeteria, Makoto was once again stopped on his way out.

“Hey Makoto,” Junko said. “Could we talk for a bit?”

“Huh…?” Makoto said. “Sure, of course.”

“Anyways, let’s head to your room,” Junko said. “I want it to be private, alright?”

“Huh...? My room?” Makoto asked. “Shouldn’t it be yours?”

“Already trying to get in my room?” Junko asked. “Damn Makoto, I didn’t know you were a pervert.”

“N-no…!” Makoto yelled. “I’m just saying, there’s nothing in my room, so wouldn’t it be easier to go to yours?”

“If we’re being honest,” Junko said. “My room has nothing in it as well, so we’re not losing anything going to your room instead.”

“Alright then,” Makoto said. “I’ll lead the way.”

Makoto led Junko to his room.

“Alright, Makoto,” Junko said. “Let’s talk about our interests.”

This again…? Makoto thought. First Celeste and now Junko, I wonder if there’s a connection.

“So, um,” Junko began. “I really like picnicking, but sadly there’s like nowhere to do it in this school.”

“Yeah, there would probably be no room here.” Makoto said. “Although I guess if you’re desperate you could probably do it in the cafeteria or something.”

“And get yelled at by Kiyondo?” Junko said. “As if, plus it isn’t as romantic if you’re doing it in a shitty school cafeteria.”

“Romantic?” Makoto echoed.

“Yeah, like first date kinda things.” Junko said. “You know, the perfect girl for you would probably take you on a picnic.”

“The perfect girl for me…?” Makoto asked. “You’re still thinking about matching me up with someone when we get out of here?”

“Yep,” Junko answered. “Damn Makoto, the girl I’m thinking of would wait on you hand and foot. Isn’t that the life?”

“I mean, I guess…?” Makoto said, as he scratched his cheek awkwardly. “Speaking of relationships, Celeste also had a conversation about them with me last night.”

“Huh…?” Junko said. “What did she say?”

“She said she thought it was important for me to get in a relationship,” Makoto said. “Since I’ve already missed my shot twice.”

“She’s probably right you know,” Junko said. “You need someone to take charge for you and keep you fired up.”

“Um… do I really?”

“Yep!” Junko said. “Plus you’ve gotta get over Taka and fast.”

“H-hey…! I’ve told you before I don’t have a crush on Taka.”

“Yeah yeah, sure,” Junko said. “He’s lusting over his dead bro and he’s totally changed anyways. Seriously who the hell calls a girl ‘Junk’?!”

“I mean he’s started calling me ‘Mac’,” Makoto said. “And that’s a bit annoying, so I can see where you’re coming from.”

“So yeah,” Junko said. “But I bet you’re wanting a relationship while we’re in the killing game, huh?”

Am I? Makoto thought. I haven’t really thought about it much, even after Celeste brought it up.

“It’d be safer, right?” Makoto said. “But just getting into a relationship because of that feels… wrong, you know?”

“Yeah,” Junko said. “But, I’ve gotta prepare you for the real girl I’m setting you up with.”

“H-huh…? ‘Prepare me’?”

“Yep!” Junko said. “So let’s just say you’re off the market for now, alright?”

“W-wait, how are you so sure she’ll accept being set up with me?”

“I’ve just got a good feeling, y’know?” Junko said. “So, don’t start dating anyone Makoto or you might just break her heart!”

“Um… alright then.”

“Alright Makoto,” Junko said. “I’m off now, this conversation has made me feel a hell of a lot better.”

Junko left Makoto’s room shortly after, leaving Makoto to his own devices.

Alright, let’s check the e-Handbook and see where everyone is. Makoto thought.

Kiyondo was located in his, or rather, Kiyotaka’s room.

Alright, Makoto thought to himself. I’ve got to talk to Kiyondo eventually, right?

Makoto made his way to Kiyotaka’s room. He hesitantly knocked and Kiyondo opened the door.

“What do you want, Mac?” Kiyondo asked. “Can’t you see I’m fudgin’ busy?!”

“Huh… you’re busy…?” Makoto said. “And anyways, I only wanted to talk.”

“Pff, as if I’d ever waste my time on a buttface like you.”

“Um, alright then,” Makoto said, as he turned to walk away.

“Wait! I’ve changed my fudgin’ mind,” Kiyondo yelled. “I guess we can hang out or whatever the heck.”

Huh…? Makoto thought. I thought he didn’t want me here…?

Makoto was dragged into Kiyotaka’s room by an annoyed Kiyondo.

“So what the heck do you even want to talk about?” Kiyondo asked.

“I want to get to know you better,” Makoto admitted.

Kiyondo only stared at him.

“So um,” Makoto began, awkwardly. “Do you have any of the same interests that Mondo had?”

“Of course I fudgin’ do!” Kiyondo yelled. “Bro is a part of me, now and forever.”

“So I guess you’d know a lot about motorcycles…?”

“Duh,” Kiyondo answered. “Why do you have any knowledge on bikes, Mac?”

“I mean, I guess…?” Makoto said, as he scratched his cheek. “I mean I was almost hit by a motorcyclist a few times. That counts… right?”

“WHAT?!” Kiyondo yelled. “You were almost fudgin’ hit by motorcycles?!”

“Several times,” Makoto said, laughing awkwardly. “I mean, I always dodged out of the way, so that’s the important part, right…?”

“Why are you the one fudging dodging them?!” Kiyondo yelled. “Do you purposely stand in their way or some other fudged up thing?!”

“N-no…?” Makoto said. “I just have very bad luck, I guess.”

“And here you had me all worried over nothing at all,” Kiyondo said. “What the heck.”

“Sorry… I guess?” Makoto said.

Kiyondo just huffed and looked away.

Man, he’s really hard to talk to, Makoto thought. Does he really hate me that much?

“Anyways,” Makoto said, trying his hardest to make conversation. “How much do you know about gangs?”

“What the heck even is that question?!” Kiyondo asked. “My bro was the leader of a biker gang so what the fudge do you think?!”

“Um, I guess a lot…?”

“How much do you fudging know, Mac?”

“I’ve only really seen gangs on TV,” Makoto said, as he reached for his cheek once again. “So I’m not very knowledgeable.”

“Fudging heck, you’re as dumb as Hiro!”

“H-huh…?” Makoto said. “I don’t think not knowing-”

“I don’t even know why I fudgin’ tried to talk to you,” Kiyondo said. “Do you have anything worth saying?!”

“I guess not…?”

“Then get the heck out of my room, you dumbbutt!”

Makoto awkwardly left Kiyotaka’s room, disappointed in himself for the lack of results.

I don’t know how I’m supposed to make any progress with him, Makoto thought to himself glumly. But at least I know for sure that he probably hates me.

Makoto frowned, not knowing what else to do. Luckily for him, he remembered that the class was going to hold a meeting over Alter Ego.

I might as well head there early, Makoto thought.

When Makoto made his way into the bath house he was surprised to see Kyoko already there.

“Makoto,” Kyoko said. “I see you’ve arrived early as well.”

“Yeah,” Makoto said. “But we’re a bit too early, aren’t we?”

“It’s best that we arrive before Kiyondo and Hifumi do,” Kyoko said. “We’ve already seen what they can do when left unattended.”

“It’s worrying isn’t it?” Celeste said as she came in. “I wonder if the Mastermind will prey on this new-found weakness.”

“That would mean that the Mastermind knows about Alter Ego, right?” Makoto asked.

“It’s stupid of us to believe the Mastermind isn’t curious about why we’ve all been coming here,” Celeste said. “We should keep our guard up, Monokuma does have legs, no?”

“I suppose you’re right,” Kyoko said. “But speaking of this meeting and Alter Ego, is this a full class meeting?”

“You mean Byakuya and Toko?” Makoto asked.

“I suppose we should invite them,” Celeste said. “It would be rude of us otherwise, no?”

“It’s unlikely that they’d listen, right?” Makoto said. “And it’s not like we can give out any information without the Mastermind finding out.”

“Perhaps if we’re discreet enough Byakuya will pick it up,” Kyoko said. “And anywhere he goes Toko is sure to follow.”

“But someone has to extend the invite, no?” Celeste said. “It is unlikely for ‘mind-reader’ to be in Byakuya’s skill set.”

“Hey, what are we talking about?!” Yasuhiro yelled. “Are we finally bathing together?”

“No,” Celeste said. “We’re having our meeting, or at least waiting for everyone to come.”

“Aww, so we aren’t bathing together…?” Yasuhiro asked.

“You really thought we were…?” Makoto replied.

“Of course,” Yasuhiro yelled. “Don’t be mean!”

“Did you really forget about the computer?” Kyoko asked.

“H-huh…?!” Yasuhiro said. “Of course not!”

“I suppose if we are picking a messenger, it shouldn’t be Hiro, no?” Celeste said.

“Perhaps we could ask Sakura or Junko,” Kyoko said.

“I could go,” Makoto said. “It’s not like we have anything better to do, right?”

“That is a wise plan,” Celeste said. “Remember Makoto, you must be discreet about it, yes?”

“Of course,” Makoto said. “The last thing we want is the Mastermind finding out about Alter Ego.”

Makoto exited the bath house and just like expected, after checking his e-handbook he discovered Byakuya was in the library.

Makoto made his way to the second floor, power-walking past the pool’s door and went straight into the library.

“Tch,” Byakuya said. “What do you want, Makoto?”

“There’s something I need to discuss with you,” Makoto said. “It has something to do with the sauna.”

“Is this your way of flirting, Makoto?” Byakuya asked. “Because you’re pitifully bad at it.”

“N-no…!” Makoto yelled. “It has nothing to do with that at all!”

Just as Makoto yelled that, Toko came marching in.

“M-makoto..! A-are you trying to get y-your hands all over my M-master…?!” Toko yelled. “B-because I won’t let you!”

“No way!” Makoto yelled. “There’s just a group bonding activity in the sauna, I think you both could benefit from coming.”

“I see,” Byakuya said. “I suppose everyone else is already involved?”

“Exactly,” Makoto said. “You’re not required but I think you both should come.”

“I g-get to see M-master shirtless…?” Toko drooled. “S-someone pinch me, I must be d-dreaming…”

“Shut up,” Byakuya said. “Fine, in a few minutes you will see that I will at least arrive.”

“Thank you,” Makoto said.

“I’m not doing this for you, idiot.”

Makoto made his way back down to the bath house, where he could hear a fight already beginning.

“What do you mean we can’t touch Alter Ego?!” Hifumi complained as Makoto entered.

“That is exactly what it means,” Celeste said. “You do understand words, correct?”

“There’s no getting down and dirty with Alter Ego,” Junko said. “Even if it could, I’m sure it has higher standards than either of you.”

“What the fudge are you implying?!” Kiyondo yelled.

“I think it’s pretty obvious,” Junko said. “Or can you not see beyond the image of Mondo?”

“Hey--” Kiyondo began only to be cut off by Celeste.

“That is enough, no?” Celeste said. “Petty squabbling will do us no good, will it?”

“It seems every idiot has arrived,” Byakuya said. “What is so important that you had to interrupt my reading time?”

“W-wait,” Toko said. “I’m n-not going to s-see Master shirtless…?!” “There is something we discovered, recently,” Kyoko said. “We believe it holds pertinent information that may relate to why we are trapped here.”

“Are you talking about the computer?” Byakuya asked. “If so, you must think that I am an idiot.”

“Huh…?!” Makoto yelled. “You already knew about Alter Ego?”

“Is that what it’s called?” Byakuya said. “No matter. Yes, I already knew about it.”

“I am p-proud to announce that I i-informed Master of it,” Toko added dreamily.

“Master…?” Junko asked.

“You mean you discovered it?” Celeste asked. “Pardon my rudeness but I cannot imagine a reason why you would enter the bath house after the last class trial.”

“H-hey!” Toko yelled. “Wouldn’t y-you investigate a m-mysterious green light…?!”

“So it seems you discovered Alter Ego the same way Hiro did,” Kyoko said. “I wonder if it was trying to announce its location…”

“Huh…? Why would it want to be caught?” Yasuhiro asked. “Unless it’s working for the Mastermind…!”

“Wouldn’t you be worried about your creator if you hadn’t heard from them for a while?” Kyoko asked. “It was probably in its coding to try to locate Chihiro.”

“Chihiro must’ve forgotten to mention that it should stay discreet,” Celeste commented. “Or perhaps it was desperate.”

“We do know Chihiro gave it the task of making those files visible,” Sakura added. “Perhaps it wanted to update Chihiro on its progress.”

“You’re saying that ‘Alter Ego’ is uncorrupting the files on the computer?” Byakuya asked.

“Yes,” Celeste answered. “That is the main reason why we called you here.”

“I don’t understand why we need him fudgin’ here,” Kiyondo complained. “It’s not like he’s interested in working with us as a group.”

“And who are you to talk to me like that?” Byakuya asked. “Especially when you look like that.”

“I’m fudging Kiyondo Ishida and I’ll kick your butt if you dare speak down to me!”

“Maybe we should break it up,” Makoto offered. “We still have to check Alter Ego’s progress on the files, right?”

“An excellent point, Makoto,” Celeste said. “If there are no objections I will ask Alter Ego on its progress.”

After no objections were held, Celeste began typing to Alter Ego.

“Alter Ego,” Celeste typed. “What is your progress on the files?”

“I’m glad to announce that they are finally able to be accessed!” Alter Ego said. “However, the information is a bit worrying.”

“If Alter Ego is worried,” Hifumi said. “We’re all doomed…!”

“Shut up and let the program explain to us,” Byakuya said.

“W-what Master said…” Toko added.

“You also shut up.”

“Could you tell us the contents of these files?” Celeste typed.

“Sure,” Alter Ego said. “Apparently over a year ago, Hope’s Peak Academy was forced out of commission.”

“That we already know,” Byakuya said.

“Not exactly,” Sakura said. “Our current timeline doesn’t add up with that.”

“If Hope’s Peak Academy was forced to shut down a fudgin’ year ago, why the heck are we here now?!” Kiyondo yelled.

“Alter Ego, are you sure this is correct?” Celeste typed. “We were all admitted this year, so it wouldn’t make sense for it to have shut down a year ago.”

“I’m sorry,” Alter Ego said. “But according to the files, Hope’s Peak Academy hasn’t been in operation for at least a year.”

“That should be impossible,” Kyoko said. “But we’ve already gotten ourselves into a very impossible situation.”

“Is there a reason for a school as big as Hope’s Peak to close down?” Makoto asked. “I mean, they were the most prestigious school in the world, right?”

“Do you know the reason why Hope’s Peak shut down?” Celeste typed into the computer.

“Apparently there was an event called the ‘Tragedy’ that took place,” Alter Ego responded. “There’s not a lot of information on it other than it being a devastating event.”

“The Tragedy?” Junko asked. “What a lousy descriptor for an event.”

“I agree!” Kiyondo yelled. “When you’re writing fudgin’ history you gotta make it memorable!”

“Perhaps the Mastermind left out certain details on purpose,” Sakura said. “There is no reason for us to assume otherwise.”

“Of course,” Byakuya said. “This is a game of wit.”

“Mr. Togami, why do you say that like you’re enjoying it?” Hifumi asked.

“Because I am, you idiot,” Byakuya answered. “This is something truly worthy of a Togami.”

“Someone has a murder kink,” Junko said.

“What did you just say to me?” Byakuya asked.

“Moving on,” Celeste said. “There is probably more information in these files, no?”

“Is there anything else of note?” Celeste typed.

“Yes, something extremely worrying,” Alter Ego responded. “I have reason to believe the headmaster of Hope’s Peak Academy is still in this school.”

“Huh…?!” Makoto cried out.

“What…?” Kyoko questioned.

“What do you mean?” Celeste typed.

“Apparently during the Tragedy the headmaster had the school fortified to be practically impenetrable.” “Like the situation we currently find ourselves in,” Sakura said. “Perhaps we should inquire more about this.”

“Are you implying that the Headmaster fortified this school to trap us in here?” Celeste typed.

“I’m not sure,” Alter Ego said. “However the situations seem eerily similar.”

“Even so, we weren’t here a year ago, right?!” Yasuhiro yelled. “That we know for sure, right?!”

“We couldn’t have been here a year ago,” Junko said. “We’ve only entered High School this year, obviously.”

“Perhaps the Mastermind has planted misinformation,” Byakuya said. “Are you idiots really falling for this?”

“Hey! Don’t call us fudging idiots!” Kiyondo yelled. “Because you’re the fudging idiot you dumbbutt!”

“Shut up,” Byakuya said. “You don’t have the right to speak to me like that.”

“Mr. Togami, how could you imply that Alter Ego could lie about something?!” Hifumi sobbed.

“Take your complaints elsewhere,” Byakuya replied.

“I mean, the Mastermind wants this to be a fair game, right?” Makoto offered. “They have to be giving us some information.”

“There is probably some information we can trust,” Kyoko said. “We know the school is boarded up…”

“So perhaps the Headmaster is still here, no?” Celeste added.

“It would make the most sense for them to be the Mastermind,” Sakura said.

Kyoko looked away, clenching her fist slightly before responding, “We shouldn’t make those assumptions this early.”

“I wonder,” Celeste began, “If this computer contained this information if there’s anything else we may find on it.”

“Would Chihiro really have Alter Ego leave out information?” Makoto asked. “It would’ve helped him too.”

“You really believe he intended to share the information Alter Ego discovered?” Byakuya asked. “You really are an idiot.”

“It would fit Chihiro’s character,” Sakura said. “He always seemed eager to prove himself.”

Kiyondo looked uncomfortable, Makoto noticed.

“Alright!” Kiyondo yelled. “Do we have any more questions?!”

“Can I talk to Alter Ego now?!” Hifumi asked.

“Perhaps not,” Celeste said. “However, there is something else we must share with Byakuya and Toko.”

“Huh…?” Makoto asked.

“We now have a ‘night-time’ rule,” Celeste explained. “During the night, no student should be outside of their dorm.”

“And you expect me to follow this?” Byakuya asked. “Tch, the nerve.”

“Of course not,” Celeste replied evenly. “However, you cannot claim that you were unaware of it anymore.”

“Will you unhand my fudging bro?!” Kiyondo yelled, glaring daggers at Hifumi.

“Alter Ego isn’t yours!” Hifumi yelled back. “She’s mine and only mine!”

“Um, I think we discussed this before but isn’t Alter Ego technically a guy…?” Makoto said.

“Mr. Naegi!” Hifumi yelled. “Who said that you could get involved with matters of the heart?”

“Alter Ego is very important to all of us,” Makoto said. “Isn’t it important that we don’t get him involved in our matters?”

“Are you saying that you don’t think Alter Ego is alive, Mr. Naegi?!”

“H-huh…?” Makoto said. “All I’m saying is that we probably shouldn’t be involving Alter Ego in things like this.”

“Leave Mac alone!” Kiyondo yelled. “He’s just trying to save bro and Chihiro from having you slobber all over them.”

That wasn’t entirely my intention… Makoto thought. But thanks for sticking up for me, I guess?

“A computer is introduced and you’re already at each other’s necks like wild dogs,” Byakuya said. “I guess I shouldn’t have expected any less.”

“Shut the fudge up, Byakuya!” Kiyondo yelled. “Guys like you are all talk and no fudgin’ action!”

Byakuya looked insulted. “You all should be thankful for my presence, but instead you act like idiots.”

After insulting the group one last time, Byakuya left in a hurry.

“Y-you…!” Toko yelled, pointing at Kiyondo. “D-don’t think I’ll let you g-get away w-with insulting M-master…!”

“You’re a fudgin’ idiot if you think he respects you!”

Toko only glared in response before she turned and chased after Byakuya.

“Well that could’ve gone better, no?” Celeste asked. “Perhaps it is time we head for bed anyways.”

“Of course, Kiyondo and Hifumi should leave first,” Kyoko said. “They have proven that this computer is too compelling for them to follow simple directions.”

“Hey!” Kiyondo yelled. “It’s my fudging bro and it was one time!”

“Apparently it was several,” Kyoko said. “According to Monokuma, anyway.”

“You’re trusting that dumb fudgin’ bear over us?!”

“Your behavior seems to line up with his accusation,” Sakura said. “It would be easier for you two to leave anyways.”

“You guys need to build up rapport with the group,” Junko said. “Or you’ll forever be known as the computer freaks.”

“You don’t think they did anything weird with Alter Ego, right…?” Yasuhiro asked.

“Perhaps it’s better if we don’t find out,” Celeste responded.

Kiyondo and Hifumi flushed bright red and out of embarrassment left the bath house.

The rest of the class disbanded and went back to their own dorms.

Makoto glared at his bed as the night time announcement played.

Alright, Makoto thought. Let’s see what nightmares await me tonight.

“Makoto,” a feminine voice began. “Did you think I was weak?”

Turning around to meet the voice, Makoto saw Chihiro. His neck was bruised and his eyes were glossy.

“Of course you did,” Chihiro answered before Makoto could say anything. “Everyone always thought I was weak.”

“That’s not true!” Makoto yelled. “You wanted to improve yourself, I can’t think of anything stronger.”

“And yet you’re trying to date my killer's lover,” Chihiro said. “You really have no respect for the dead, huh?”

“H-huh…? Chihiro what are you talking about?”

“He’s talkin’ about Taka, fucker,” Mondo answered.

When Makoto faced Mondo, he found that Mondo looked like himself and not butter.

“You think that now that I’m gone you can just fuckin’ take over my spot, huh?” Mondo asked. “Well guess what, that ain’t gonna happen.”

“I think you’re confused,” Makoto said. “I don’t like Taka like that, I’m just his friend.”

“So,” Chihiro said. “That’s how you’ve been surviving this long, denial.”

“What?” Makoto asked.

“It’s plain as fuckin’ day,” Mondo said. “You’re head over heels for him, too bad he’s into me, right?”

“You guys are wrong!” Makoto yelled. “I’m sorry that you’re dead, but, you’re wrong about that.”

“Whatever the hell you say,” Mondo said. “But remember you’re no better than me, Makoto.”

“Huh…?”

“You got two people fuckin’ killed so far, Sayaka and I,” Mondo said. “So who’s next?”

“I didn’t mean to…” Makoto mumbled, staring at the ground. “It was either you guys or us.”

“What an odd way to justify it,” Chihiro said. “Whatever helps you sleep better at night, right…?”

Before Makoto could respond, he was awoken by the Monokuma’s morning announcement.

That wasn’t as bad as I thought, Makoto thought. Things are finally starting to look up.

Makoto made his way to the cafeteria finding that Kiyondo and Celeste were already there.

“Hello Makoto,” Celeste said.

“Mac,” Kiyondo acknowledged.

“Hey,” Makoto said. “How did you guys sleep?”

“I slept fine,” Celeste said. “Much more peaceful knowing that no one can die at night anymore.”

“That implies that rich kid is gonna fudgin’ follow our rules,” Kiyondo huffed. “I wouldn’t bet even Mac’s life on that.”

“H-hey…!” Makoto responded.

“Who would kill him?” Celeste asked. “I doubt Toko would ever harm him and that’s the only other person who wouldn’t be following the rule.”

“I guess not, but heck,” Kiyondo said. “That girl is totally fudgin’ obsessed with Byakuya.”

“Isn’t she calling him ‘Master’ now?” Makoto asked. “I wonder what sparked that.”

“Perhaps they have bonded,” Celeste offered. “Even Byakuya can’t stay alone forever.”

As the rest of the class, excluding Byakuya and Toko, came into the cafeteria another meeting began and ended without much fanfare.

After the meeting, Makoto went back to his room.

Huh, Makoto thought. I wonder who I can hang out with?

Makoto checked his e-Handbook, the closest person was Kyoko, as she was outside the bath house.

Makoto walked near the bath house before getting stopped by Kyoko.

“Going to bathe?” Kyoko asked coldly.

“No,” Makoto said. “Actually I wanted to talk to you.”

“Oh,” Kyoko answered. “I hope you don’t mind but I don’t want to leave my current position.”

“No, that’s fine,” Makoto said. “We can talk here if it’s okay with you.”

Kyoko looked at the bath house entrance before sighing. “Yeah, that should be fine.”

“I’ve been meaning to tell you this for a while,” Makoto began. “But, wow you are really good at investigating.”

“Is that so?” Kyoko asked.

“Yep!” Makoto answered. “In fact, if I had to guess your talent I would say it’s the Ultimate Detective or something close.”

“Hm,” Kyoko said. “I’m afraid my talent is still a secret, so I won’t confirm or deny your guess.”

“Well that’s fine,” Makoto answered. “It’s more fun to guess than to actually know.”

“Is that so?” Kyoko asked. “I suppose one could say making the theory is much more fun than proving it.”

“Exactly!” Makoto said. “Especially in our situation.”

“Speaking of our situation,” Kyoko said. “Makoto, I must commend you on your ability to bring the group together.”

“Huh…?”

“You believe whole-heartedly in everything,” Kyoko said. “That’s a respectable ability.”

“Hina told me that,” Makoto said. “I’m not so sure I believe it.”

“But,” Kyoko said. “Perhaps you should be careful with it.”

“Careful…?” Makoto echoed. “What do you mean?”

“The bigger you are,” Kyoko began, “the larger you fall.” “Huh?”

“Keep your beliefs reasonable, Makoto,” Kyoko explained. “We are in a killing game, it is not unreasonable to expect the worst.”

“I can see where you’re coming from,” Makoto admitted. “But I’d like to believe in my friends until the very end!”

“You wear your heart on your sleeve,” Kyoko commented. “Perhaps that’s not so bad.”

“It’s really just natural to me,” Makoto admitted.

“Perhaps we could benefit from one another,” Kyoko said. “Your belief and motivational skills would be beneficial to anyone here.”

“Is that something that can really be taught…?” Makoto asked.

“In return,” Kyoko continued. “I could teach you how to investigate better.”

“Really…?” Makoto asked. “I mean that’d be great but I wouldn’t want to force you.”

“Our respective skills are beneficial to living in this school,” Kyoko said. “I don’t see any reason for us not to work together.”

“You’re right,” Makoto said, “let’s try our hardest to work together and get out of here!”

“Hm,” Kyoko said, smiling for a moment before going back to her natural expression. “You really are determined, aren’t you?”

“Of course!” Makoto said. “If we all work together we’ll be out of here in no time!”

“Are you sure you aren’t the Ultimate Moral Compass?” Kyoko teased. “You’ve been a bit more active than Taka as of late.”

“Have I…?” Makoto asked. “Maybe he was rubbing off on me.”

“Speaking of Taka, I think we should end our conversation here,” Kyoko said. “I must keep watch just in case Hifumi or Kiyondo get any ideas.”

“You know you don’t have to do that to yourself,” Makoto said.

“It’s better than not being cautious,” Kyoko replied. “This is important, we can’t lose it now.”

Makoto nodded, quickly saying goodbye and heading back to his room.

Man, Kyoko calls me determined but really she’s the more determined one, Makoto thought. I don’t think I could ever stand that long waiting for someone to try to go near Alter Ego.

Before Makoto could decide to hang out with anyone else, Monokuma’s voice began to play on the speakers.

“Hello my beloved students!” Monokuma began. “I have a very exciting surprise…! Please make your way to the gymnasium!”

Surprise…? Makoto thought. This isn’t a motive… right?

Makoto made his way to the gym, discovering that he was one of the first people to make it there.

“Mac,” Kiyondo said, “what do you think that stupid fudgin’ bear has planned for us?”

“I don’t know,” Makoto admitted. “But it probably isn’t good.”

“That’s not a positive way of thinkin’,” Kiyondo scolded. “You gotta at least try to fudgin’ try to be positive, or it all will go to heck.”

“Huh…?” Makoto said. “Well yeah, I guess…”

As everyone else entered the gym, Monokuma appeared with a laugh.

“So, I bet you’re all wondering why I gathered you all here!” Monokuma yelled cheerily. “Now I know not everyone here is going to have the most stable financial situation, so…”

Monokuma paused as money fell from the sky onto the stage.

“I’ve decided to fund your killing!” Monokuma said. “Ten million dollars waiting for the lucky blackened!”

“Tch,” Byakuya said. “As if that measly amount would get me to even move.”

“That’s not enough money,” Yasuhiro said sadly.

“N-not enough money f-for what?” Toko asked.

“My debt,” Yasuhiro admitted sadly. “It’s not even close…!”

“How much debt do you have?” Junko asked.

“More than I should,” Yasuhiro admitted.

“As much as I hate to fudgin’ agree with the rich kid,” Kiyondo began, “we won’t kill for this, not at all!”

“Are you so sure?” Monokuma asked. “The money might be enticing for at least one of you.”

“He’s right,” Makoto said. “This won’t work, Monokuma!”

“Puhuhuhu! The hope on your faces, it’s hilarious,” Monokuma said. “I can’t wait for it to turn into despair…!”

“Whatever you have planned,” Sakura said. “You have gravely miscalculated.”

“There’s not much else he can do,” Kyoko said. “He has exhausted most of his trump cards.”

“That’s what you all think!” Monokuma said. “Anyways, I must be off, being the headmaster is oh so exhausting!” Monokuma disappeared, leaving the money on the stage.

“This was pointless,” Byakuya said, leaving as quickly as he had entered.

“M-master, please wait up…!” Toko yelled, following after him.

“Perhaps we should disband as well,” Celeste said. “There is not much to be gained staying here, no?”

“I’m going to go to the bath house if you all don’t mind!” Hifumi said while sweating.

“No, you’re not,” Kyoko said. “If you need to bathe, do it in your room.”

“She’s right,” Sakura said. “There is no reason for you to go into the bath house.”

“M-miss Kirigiri…! You don’t understand, I must bathe in the bath house!” Hifumi said in protest.

“Give it up, man,” Yasuhiro said. “They aren’t going to budge.”

“Didn’t know you were that desperate, Hifumi,” Junko commented. “That can’t be attractive at all.”

Makoto decided to leave the group to their arguing over Alter Ego.

“Mac!” Kiyondo yelled, catching up to Makoto easily. “How about we hang out since you have nothing better to fudgin’ do.”

“Huh...? Sure…” Makoto responded.

“Let’s head to my fudgin’ room then,” Kiyondo said as he grabbed Makoto and dragged him into Kiyotaka’s room.

Once they arrived Makoto decided to speak first, “You call this your room, but it’s technically Taka’s, right?”

“As if anything should belong to that weak dumbbutt,” Kiyondo responded.

“Huh…?” Makoto asked. “Taka wasn’t weak!”

“You don’t fudgin’ know because you don’t have his memories, dumbbutt,” Kiyondo said. “He couldn’t even fudgin’ confess to the guy he liked, or save ‘im either.”

“You’re talking about Mondo, right?”

“Of fudgin’ course,” Kiyondo said. “Who the heck else could I be talkin’ about?”

“N-no one,” Makoto responded quickly. “I just wanted to make sure…!”

“And you wanna know why?” Kiyondo asked, not looking for an answer. “Because of his stupid fudgin’ feelings for someone else!” “His feelings for someone else…? Kiyondo, I don’t understand…”

“So now I’m stuck fudgin’ dealing with it,” Kiyondo complained. “Ugh, Mac, it’s so dang hard.”

“I guess I can see why…?” Makoto said. “But if you like that person as well, why don’t you at least tell them your feelings…?”

“It’s not that fudgin’ easy,” Kiyondo said. “It’d feel like betrayal to my bro, and they already have people interested in them anyways.”

“Oh,” Makoto said, not knowing what to say. “Well I’m sure it’ll work out in the end!”

“What makes you so fudgin’ sure?”

“Despite how you act, you’re pretty nice!” Makoto said. “I’m sure anyone would be lucky to be with you or Taka.”

Kiyondo stared at Makoto, face starting to flush.

“How the heck can you say something like that?” Kiyondo asked. “You’re fudging with me, right?”

“N-no…?” Makoto answered, already putting his hand on his cheek. “I’m being serious Kiyondo, you’ve got a shot if you try it!”

“Ugh,” Kiyondo answered. “You’re just makin’ it fudgin’ worse, Mac.”

“H-huh…?!” Makoto yelled. “I didn’t mean to…!”

“Shouldn’t you be headin’ to your fudgin’ room by now?” Kiyondo asked, checking his watch. “It’s almost time for bed for all the good little boys and girls.”

“Hey! I’m not a little kid!” Makoto complained. “But you’re probably right, haha…”

“Make sure you don’t break any fudgin’ rules,” Kiyondo said as Makoto left Kiyotaka’s dorm.

Makoto made his way to his dorm just as Monokuma’s night time announcement began.

Here’s to a good night’s sleep. Makoto thought.

“Hello Makoto,” Sayaka’s voice said. “I see you’re back for another talk.”

“Sayaka…?” Makoto asked. “Why are we here…?”

“I’ve got a word of warning for you, Makoto,” Sayaka said. “Despite the fact that you don’t deserve it, another murder is soon to come.”

“H-huh…?!” Makoto yelled. “No, that’s wrong!”

“Do you really believe in your friends that much?” Sayaka asked. “It’s foolish, you know?”

“No, another murder won’t happen!” Makoto said. “That I can be sure of!”

“When it does happen,” Sayaka said. “Will you eagerly send another person to their execution as you’ve done before?”

“N-no… I didn’t mean for you…” Makoto began.

“Didn’t mean for me to die?” Sayaka interrupted. “God Makoto, you’re lying to a dead girl, how pathetic are you?”

“You knew what was going to happen to me,” Sayaka said. “And you still outed me anyway, you traitor.”

Makoto dropped to his knees and Sayaka bent down to make eye contact with him.

“You’re just as much of a murderer as I am.”

Makoto woke up with a start, clothes clinging uncomfortably to his body.

Makoto waited until the morning announcement played before going into his bathroom.

Leon’s body flickered into existence just as he turned on his bathroom’s light.

“Don’t mind me,” Leon’s corpse said. “This shouldn’t bother you at all.”

Makoto once again awoke with a scream in tune with Monokuma’s morning announcement.

When he went to his bathroom again, there was no body in it.

Slowly but surely he made his way to the cafeteria. Celeste, Kiyondo, Kyoko, and Sakura were already there.

“Makoto, you’re a bit late, no?” Celeste asked.

“Huh…? But not everyone is here yet,” Makoto responded.

“Yes, but this is later than your usual arrival,” Celeste said. “Did you get a good night’s sleep?”

“Um, sure…?” Makoto said. “I mean I did sleep all the way through.”

“Having a good night’s sleep doesn’t mean sleeping all the way through,” Sakura said. “It is rest for one’s body and mind.”

“Mac! If you aren’t well rested you won’t be fudgin’ performing at your best!” Kiyondo yelled.

“Oh,” Makoto said, putting his hand on his cheek. “Ahaha, I guess I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Still, Makoto isn’t the last person arriving,” Kyoko commented. “So perhaps we shouldn’t worry too much, yet.”

As the group in the cafeteria awkwardly conversed, they were only joined by one more person, Hifumi.

“Have you seen anyone else in the halls, Hifumi?” Sakura asked as Hifumi entered.

“I don’t believe so Miss Ogami!” Hifumi answered, slightly flushed.

“Why are you flustered, Hifumi?” Celeste asked. “You wouldn’t be doing anything odd, no?”

“Miss Ludenberg…! I have not been doing anything…!”

“He was probably in the bath house,” Kyoko said. “It seems he couldn’t stay away afterall.”

“That means Junko and Hiro are missing, no?” Celeste asked.

“To think they would just fudgin’ sleep through the meeting!” Kiyondo complained. “And Junk said she wanted to fudging replace me…!”

“Maybe we should investigate,” Sakura said. “I could see Hiro sleeping the morning meeting away, but Junko?”

“You don’t think…” Makoto began.

“We should be on guard,” Kyoko interrupted. “At the very least we should make sure of their locations.”

“Then we should check their fudgin’ rooms, right?!” Kiyondo yelled.

“That would be smart, no?” Celeste said.

The group first went to knock on Junko’s door. When they received no answer they decided to mash her doorbell.

“There’s no answer,” Kyoko noted. “I don’t think she could sleep through this.”

“Maybe she’s sleeping with Hiro…” Makoto mumbled.

“You really think those two would get together?” Celeste asked. “That would not be my bet at the very least.”

“Huh…? Maybe they’re staying in the same room…?” Makoto said.

“A boy and a girl sleepin’ together, Mac that’d be too fudgin’ unwholesome!” Kiyondo yelled.

“I don’t believe that’s what he meant,” Sakura said.

“I for one wouldn’t understand Mr. Hagakure’s tastes!” Hifumi said.

The group went for Yasuhiro’s room and once again received no answer.

“This isn’t good,” Kyoko said.

“You’re right!” Monokuma yelled as he appeared. “This isn’t looking good at all!”

“Why are you here, Monokuma?” Sakura asked.

“I’m here to give you a hint!” Monokuma said. “Aren’t I nice? Don’t answer that, I already know I am…!”

“Just give us our fudgin’ hint you stupid bear…!” Kiyondo complained.

“If you’re so curious about the location of your friends bear-haps you should check the third floor!” Monokuma said before vanishing.

“There’s nothing left to do,” Kyoko said. “We must check the third floor.”

Makoto felt nothing but dread as he followed the group up to the third floor.

“I cannot help but feel a sense of foreboding,” Celeste said. “This all feels too familiar, deja-vu, no?”

“I’m sure everything is okay…!” Makoto answered. “It has to be!”

“Very little things are going according to plan,” Celeste said. “Perhaps we should expect the worst, no?”

When Makoto stared at the rec-room’s door, he already knew what was going to happen. While his classmates were checking the two classrooms, Makoto hesitantly opened the rec-room door.

At first when Makoto entered, things looked normal but when Makoto looked to his right he saw Junko’s body hanging on the wall.

With nothing left to do, Makoto screamed and the waking nightmare began again.

Quickly the rest of the group ran into the room and shortly after Monokuma’s body discovery announcement played.

“Miss Enoshima!” Hifumi yelled. “She’s hanging on the wall…!”

“This is... interesting,” Celeste said. “I have the feeling I’ve seen this body set up before…”

“I believe you’re right,” Sakura said. “This looks to be the work of Genocide Jack.”

“Genocide Jack is here…?” Makoto asked softly. “And he went after Junko…?”

“Apparently,” Kyoko said. “I suppose we should begin our investigation.”

“Mac, you’re not looking too good,” Kiyondo noted. “Are you sure you’re fudging up for it?”

“I don’t have a choice,” Makoto admitted. “But I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

Kiyondo nodded, not looking too convinced. “Then we better get fudgin’ on with it, right?!”

The investigation began, not unlike the one’s previous. As Makoto approached Junko’s corpse, he could feel tears begin to well up in his eyes.

“Wait wait wait…!” Monokuma yelled, appearing from the ground. ”Ya can’t start an investigation without a Monokuma file!”

“Just give it to us, bear,” Kyoko said. “We don’t have time for your usual antics.”

“Aren’t you in a bad mood today,” Monokuma commented. “I can bear-ly believe the lack of respect I get around here…!”

“Well you better learn to believe it,” Kyoko said, looking at Junko’s body. “If you don’t have anything else to say, you should just leave.”

Monokuma pouted silently, leaving after he gave everyone a Monokuma file.

“I suppose we best start investigating, no?” Celeste said. “It seems we do not have much time to waste.”

“Let us assume that the others will come soon,” Sakura said. “They have heard the body discovery announcement.”

“Assuming no one else has died, that is,” Celeste cut in. “After all, apparently a serial killer is on the loose.”

“We know the Blackened has a limit,” Kyoko said. “Monokuma has told us that much.”

“So we can’t assume that they’re dead… right?” Makoto asked, scratching his cheek.

“Mac’s right!” Kiyondo yelled. “We can’t assume that they’re fudgin’ dead so ya better not!”

“Hm, perhaps that is the best attitude to have,” Sakura said. “Assuming the worst only gets you hurt.”

“But it doesn’t matter…!” Hifumi stammered. “We already know Miss Enoshima is dead so what’s the point…?!”

Makoto recoiled at the announcement of Junko’s death, still not coming to terms with it. Kiyondo also stiffened, although for a different reason.

“You don’t have to rub it in Mac’s face y’know!” Kiyondo yelled. “You’re a fudgin’ buttface right now!”

“H-huh…?” Hifumi squealed. “I’m not rubbing anything into Mr. Naegi’s face!”

“Guys,” Makoto interjected. “Can we just start investigating…?”

Kiyondo immediately stopped whatever he was about to say, nodding quickly before responding, “Of fudgin’ course, Mac!”

“Makoto,” Kyoko said, looking away from Junko’s body. “Perhaps you should look at the Monokuma file first.”

Makoto frowned, taking one more glance at Junko’s body. “Yeah, maybe you’re right.”

Kyoko stared at him, frowning ever so slightly. “Call me if you find anything useful in it.”

Makoto nodded before he turned around and took a glance at the Monokuma file.

“It doesn’t say her cause of death,” Makoto mumbled, staring at the Monokuma file. “Although it does say she has a cut on her right arm.”

“What do ya think that means, Mac?” Kiyondo asked, looking over his shoulder.

“No clue,” Makoto admitted. “But it has to have some importance if Monokuma pointed it out.”

“Yeah,” Kiyondo agreed. “But what the heck could that fudgin’ cut even mean?”

“Maybe it was a sign of struggle?” Makoto said, turning the Monokuma file off. “But we won’t find anything else out without investigating this place.”

“Then let’s get to it, Mac!”

Makoto and Kiyondo made their way to Junko’s dead body. Kyoko was looking over the corpse with a strange look on her face.

“That’s odd,” Kyoko mumbled to herself, staring at Junko’s hair.

“Kyoko?” Makoto asked. “Is there something wrong with Junko?”

Kyoko turned around, “Has Junko ever mentioned something about her hair?”

“Huh…?” Makoto asked, looking up at Junko’s hair. “No, I don’t think so. Why?”

“Her hair,” Kyoko said as she reached up to grab one of Junko’s twin tails before pulling it all off, “is a wig.”

Junko’s natural hair was a short black bob and both Makoto and Kiyondo were shocked into silence.

“She was wearin’ a fudgin’ wig this whole time…?!” Kiyondo finally yelled, staring at Junko’s body in shock.

“That isn’t the only thing fake about her,” Kyoko said. “Her nails are also glue-on instead of a manicure.”

“I mean… at least that makes a little sense,” Makoto said, shaking himself out of his stupor. “Manicures are hard to maintain right…?”

“I wouldn’t know,” Kyoko responded. “But other than an injury on her right arm her body seems to be in perfect shape.”

“Speaking of that cut…” Makoto began, looking at Junko’s body. “There’s no cause of death mentioned, but the cut is. Could that be her cause of death?”

“No,” Kyoko said quickly. “There wouldn’t have been enough blood loss caused by this cut. Whatever killed her didn’t leave a mark on her body.”

“Then what the fudge is the cut for?” Kiyondo asked. “If it didn’t do her in, what the heck is the point?”

“I don’t know,” Kyoko admitted. “But I do believe that her arm was cut after the murder rather than before.”

“Huh…?” Makoto asked. “What makes you say that?”

“Just a feeling.”

Before the three could talk more, the door opened once more and in came Byakuya with Toko trailing after him.

“Did none of you plebeians think to notify me of another body?” Byakuya asked, staring at the group in disgust.

“We assumed your ears were working,” Celeste replied. “We will not make the same mistake again.” “D-don’t insult Master like that,” Toko hissed behind Byakuya. “He has the b-best ears in the w-whole world…!”

“Oh Toko, I didn’t realize you were here,” Celeste said. “Why are you hiding behind Byakuya anyway?”

“I-I’m not hiding…!” Toko responded, peering out from behind Byakuya. Before she could say anything else, her eyes caught on Junko Enoshima’s dead body.

Then she fainted.

“H-huh…?!” Makoto yelled as Toko’s body hit the floor with a loud bump. “Did she just faint…?” “Tch,” Byakuya said. “Of course she would.”

“Interesting,” Celeste said. “I suppose she couldn’t handle this murder, no?”

“Miss Fukawa...!” Hifumi yelled. “Maybe that fall will teach her to appreciate manga!”

“Is that really all you can think of right now?” Sakura asked. “How shameful.”

“She can explain herself when she wakes up,” Byakuya said, glaring at Toko’s unconscious body. “For now I have investigating to do, so stay out of my way.”

“Is it really okay to leave her alone like that?” Makoto asked, staring at Toko worriedly.

“She’s gonna be fudgin’ fine, Mac.” Kiyondo said confidently. “But if there’s anything that rich buttface is right about, it is about investigating.”

”You’re right,” Makoto said, looking around the rec room. “There’s nothing else to do until she wakes up.”

“That’s the fudgin’ spirit, Mac!” Kiyondo cheered. “We’ll have this case solved in fudgin’ no time!”

Why does he keep calling me “Mac”...? Makoto thought. It’s kinda… annoying…

“Alright, so let’s look around the room,” Makoto said. “Anything that catches our eyes is probably important.”

Makoto and Kiyondo decided to look at Junko’s body once again. The sooner they got it over with the better.

“Of course the model would be unnatural,” Byakuya muttered, looking over Junko’s body with disgust.

“Hey…!” Makoto said, glaring up at Byakuya. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’m talking about her wig and nails,” Byakuya said. “It should’ve been obvious that the ‘Ultimate Fashionista’ was fake from the very beginning.”

“There’s no fudgin’ reason for you to judge her just because of her fashion choices!” Kiyondo yelled. “She still tried harder than you did, anyway.”

“Tch,” Byakuya said, finally looking down to sneer at Kiyondo and Makoto. “I thought you didn’t like Junko anyway, pleb.”

“Just because she was fudgin’ annoying doesn’t mean she didn’t work for her talent,” Kiyondo said, defending himself. “You’ve got everything handed to you on a silver fudgin’ platter.”

“You absolute idiot of a commoner, you don’t even understand half of what I went through to get my title as the Togami heir,” Byakuya began, face contorting in anger. “I was born-”

“Byakuya,” Makoto interrupted, “I’m sure what you have to say is important… but we kind of have a murder to solve.” “Tch,” Byakuya said, looking away. “It’s not like you idiots would understand anyway.”

Makoto frowned, taking his gaze off of Byakuya and turning it to Junko’s dead body. Seeing her without a wig and a few of her nails was odd.

But he wasn’t sure he disliked how the real Junko looked.

Well, it wasn’t like it mattered anymore.

She was dead, no matter what she looked like.

I’m sorry Junko, Makoto thought. I’ll get to the bottom of this for you!

“Come on Mac, cheer up!” Kiyondo yelled, startling Makoto out of his thoughts. “The sooner we get to the fudgin’ bottom of this, the better!”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Makoto agreed, trying to summon some of his usual enthusiasm.

“Hey.. speaking of things that we need to get to the bottom of,” Makoto said looking up at Junko’s corpse. “She’s hanging… by some sort of rope, right?”

“Actually I’d bet that they’re holiday lights or whatever the heck,” Kiyondo said. “They definitely look just as obnoxious.”

“You’re right…” Makoto muttered. “They kinda look like the christmas lights the stores would sell in bulk.”

“I wonder why she’s hung up like this though,” Kiyondo said, softer than his normal tone. “It’s weird as all heck.”

“Maybe it has something to do with Genocide’s Jack MO…” Makoto said. “Although I wouldn’t know much about it…”

“Well, it’s probably worth fudgin’ remembering.”

Makoto nodded, staring at the holiday lights for a moment longer.

The bright colors of the holiday lights made Makoto feel sick. Holiday cheer was far from Makoto’s mind as Junko’s corpse hung weakly above.

Makoto couldn’t focus on Junko for too long. He didn’t want to get distracted.

“Alright,” Makoto said weakly. “Maybe we should check on what she’s hanging from…?”

“Good fudgin’ idea, Mac!”

Makoto and Kiyondo went to different sides, Makoto went to the side where Junko’s body was hanging from the Dart Board Arcade Machine.

Whoever hung her up took great care to make sure the holiday lights wouldn’t untie.

At least Makoto could confirm that it was done by an expert.

Not that it made him feel any better.

“Hey, Mac, I think you should come see this!” Kiyondo yelled and Makoto quickly rushed to Kiyondo.

“Huh…?” Makoto asked, looking to where Kiyondo was gesturing.

Embedded into the wall was a knife, although Makoto couldn’t see all the blade fully he noticed some ridges in the blade.

“Is this a knife from a kitchen…?” Makoto asked, tilting his head confusedly.

“No you fudgin’ idiot, it’s a hunting knife,” Kiyondo corrected, staring at the knife intensely. “Why the fudge would one of these damn things be here, it’s unsafe as heck!”

“Where would someone even get one…?” Makoto asked. “It’s not like anyone would be hunting right…?”

“Maybe the fudgin’ Mastermind gave it to ‘em,” Kiyondo suggested. “They’d probably help any friggin’ criminal activity…!”

“I don’t know…” Makoto mumbled. “Would the Mastermind give a weapon that didn’t even get used?”

“Fudge, that is a good point, Mac,” Kiyondo said. “But where the heck did they get this damn knife then?!”

“Hm…” Makoto said, putting his hand on his chin. “We can’t be sure, but we should keep this in mind.”

“Yeah, you’re probably fudgin’ right.” Kiyondo said. “So, any other places to check?” “We should just look around the room,” Makoto suggested. “It’d probably be better if we split up, as well.”

“Alright Mac, but as soon as you fudgin’ find anything you better call for me!” Kiyondo commanded. “I’ll do the same for you, got it?!”

“Alright…” Makoto said, putting his hand on his cheek to scratch it.

I guess all of Taka isn’t gone yet, huh…? Makoto thought.

Makoto wandered to where Sakura and Hifumi were standing, seemingly standing guard.

“Hey, Hifumi…?” Makoto began, causing said male to turn over to him.

“Ah, Mr. Naegi!” Hifumi said loudly. “Do you have any questions for me?” “Yeah,” Makoto said, “do you have any information about the blackened?”

“Well of course,” Hifumi said, voice going deeper. “They are a murderous fiend! A serial killer killing such a lady like Miss. Enoshima…”

Before Makoto could say anything else, Hifumi quickly corrected himself. “Not that I’m into 3D or anything, Mr. Naegi!”

So… he doesn’t have anything to say... Makoto thought.

“Sakura…” Makoto began. “Do you have any information about the blackened?”

“Perhaps not about the blackened themselves,” Sakura said. “But I do have information on Junko, or at least how she had been acting before her murder.”

“H-huh…? Junko acting weird…?” Makoto said, excited to hear anything about Junko. “Could you tell me anything about her behavior?”

“She seemed very nervous,” Sakura said, beginning to explain. “She came to me for advice before telling me that it wasn’t that important.”

“She came to you for advice…?” Makoto asked. “When did that happen?”

“Perhaps a day or so after the last class trial,” Sakura said. “Perhaps she thought it was too inconsiderate considering the events…”

That’s right, Makoto thought. Sakura was close to Hina… right?

“I’m sorry about Hina,” Makoto said. “And thanks for the information Sakura.”

“Don’t mention it,” Sakura said simply.

“Hey, Mac!” Kiyondo yelled, causing Makoto to turn his head over to where Kiyondo was in the rec room. “There’s another fudgin’ thing you need to see over here!”

Makoto made his way to where Kiyondo was standing only to be stopped by Kiyondo’s hand.

“You have to be fudgin’ careful where you stand, Mac,” Kiyondo said. “There’s glass shards from a teacup over here, so you better be friggin’ careful.”

“A teacup…?” Makoto asked, staring at the remains of said teacup. “Why would this be here…?”

“Someone was obviously fudgin’ drinking here, Mac,” Kiyondo said. “It’s obvious as heck you dumbbutt…!”

Yeah, I know that, Makoto thought. I mean, what’s the importance of it being here…?

“I mean,” Makoto said, beginning to explain himself. “Why would-”

Before Makoto could continue, a low groaning noise was heard. When Makoto looked over, he could see that Toko was trying to make her way back up.

“Toko…?” Makoto asked, starting to make his way to where she was. “Are you alright?”

“Huh…? Some random stranger...?” Toko asked, staring at Makoto with her tongue out. “Why are you here and what’s it to ya?”

“You just passed out,” Makoto said. “Are you sure you’re alright…?”

“Well, aren’t you just the shining example of a gentleman, ?” Toko asked. “Oh it makes me just feel like a woman!”

“I hate to interrupt this conversation,” Celeste said coolly. “But I just heard an odd noise from the physics lab and it’s best to investigate that, no?”

“As long as it keeps me away from her,” Byakuya said, glaring at Toko’s direction. “Then I don’t see why I shouldn’t at least investigate it.”

“I see you are very keen on her,” Celeste joked. “But I am glad even you see the importance of investigating everything.”

“Tch,” Byakuya simply said, walking out of the room with long strides.

Kiyondo made his way to Makoto soon after Byakuya left, staring at Toko worriedly.

“We’ve gotta fudgin’ investigate that room, right?” Kiyondo asked. “But should we really leave her like this…?”

“I mean, we can take her with us,” Makoto said. “And then after we’ll take her to the nurse or something…?” “Good fudgin’ idea, Mac!”

“Hey, why are you talking about me like I’m not here…?!” Toko complained, crossing her arms. “That’s very rude of ya, y’know.”

“We’re not meanin’ to be fudgin’ mean you know!” Kiyondo said, glaring at Toko. “You’ve just been acting crazy as heck!”

“Well--!” Toko said, about to retaliate, only to be interrupted by Makoto.

“Hey guys…” Makoto said, putting his hands between them. “Maybe we should just investigate…”

“I guess you’re fudgin’ right, Mac,” Kiyondo said, still glaring at Toko. “Let’s just get this damn investigation over with.”

Makoto nodded, leading both Toko and Kiyondo into the hallway.

“Woah, is this Hope’s Peak?” Toko asked, eyes lighting up for a moment in a reddish-color. “Damn this place got a makeover!”

“We’ve been in Hope’s Peak for a while,” Makoto said. “Do you really not remember that?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, average looking stranger?” Toko rebutted.

“Hey, don’t fudgin’ insult Mac’s looks!” Kiyondo barked, getting all fired up again.

“Woah, is this some real Boys’ Love?” Toko asked. “What are you going to do, defend your boyfriend?”

“Boyfriend…?! What the heck are you talking about?”

“It’s totally obvious you two have the hots for each other…!” Toko wheezed. “What an interesting pair-”

“We’re going in,” Makoto said, interrupting Toko before she could go on a tangent.

What’s gotten into her…? Makoto thought as he entered the physics lab. Did she really hit her head that hard?

When Makoto entered the room, he saw Yasuhiro on the floor with Celeste and Byakuya.

Another person dead…? Makoto thought. I can’t… why…? Why would this happen?

Makoto waited for the body discovery announcement to play, waited for hell to begin once more.

A drop, before someone spoke.

“Well I suppose he is not dead,” Celeste said. “After all, we haven’t heard the body discovery announcement, no?”

“Huh…?” Makoto mumbled. “You’re right…” “He couldn’t be fudgin’ sleeping here either,” Kiyondo said. “It’s against the damn rules!”

“Hohoh…? Hope’s Peak Academy has some strange rules.” Toko said.

“Tch,” Byakuya said. “Why did you bring her here?”

“We couldn’t just leave her…?” Makoto said, scratching his cheek.

Byakuya glared at him, but didn’t say anything else.

If looks could kill… Makoto thought. Jeez, that guy would have killed everyone by this point...

“So what are we going to do about Hiro…?” Makoto said, trying to ignore Byakuya’s glare. “I mean, we can’t just leave him here, right?”

“Does anyone find it odd that he’s knocked out here?” Celeste said, tilting her head slightly. “It’s a bit too close to the body, no?”

“We won’t be able to find out anything until he wakes the fudge up!” Kiyondo said.

“Tch,” Byakuya glared. “Do you have any ideas on how to wake this idiot up?”

“Maybe we could pour water on him…?” Makoto offered. “I think that’d wake him up.”

“Good idea, Mac!” Kiyondo said. “I’ll be right fudgin’ back with the water.”

Kiyondo quickly left the room without flat out running, leaving the room a lot more silent.

“He seemed very eager to fulfill your wishes Makoto,” Celeste noted, a slight smile on her face. “There isn’t something more going on between you two, no?”

“Something more going on…?” Makoto asked, scratching his cheek. “I… don’t know what you mean.”

“Of course you don’t,” Byakuya said. “You’re too stupid to catch onto any subtext.”

“Subtext…?” Makoto said. “I really don't understand this at all.”

“Oh,” Toko said, sneering slightly. “You’re the oblivious protagonist then?”

Before Makoto could express his confusion again, Kiyondo burst into the room with a bucket of water.

“Alright, let’s wake this child born of wedlock up before he breaks any more damn rules!” Kiyondo yelled, spilling some of the water in the process.

“If we’re going to wake him up, we’re going to actually need some water,” Byakuya sneered. “Unless you want to go grab another bucket.”

“Let’s not fight, everyone,” Celeste interrupted. “We must discover what brought Hiro here before we devolve into petty squabbling.”

“Fine,” Byakuya said, “but let’s make this quick.”

Kiyondo carefully came over to Yasuhiro, making sure not to spill any more water before he reached his target.

With little to no warning, Kiyondo poured the bucket of water all over Yasuhiro.

Everyone stared, waiting for a reaction.

There was none.

“Is he actually dead…?” Makoto asked, staring at Yasuhiro worriedly. “There’s no way he didn’t wake up due to that, right?”

“It seems that he’s immune to one bucket,” Celeste said. “Perhaps we should try another.”

“That’s the only fudgin’ course of action,” Kiyondo said. “I’ll be right back.”

Kiyondo was off again and the group decided to converse in the meantime.

“Why do you think he’s here?” Celeste asked. “It seems like an odd place to be, no?”

“In the room near the body?” Makoto asked. “Maybe the blackened disposed of him here?”

“Are we so sure he isn’t the blackened?” Celeste asked. “We cannot deny the possibility, no?”

“There’s no point in discussing this until the idiot wakes up,” Byakuya said. “So if you could keep your useless discussion to a minimum-”

Kiyondo burst into the room, or as well as he could with two buckets full of water in his hands.

“That fudgin’ dumbbutt isn’t going to be able to sleep through this!” Kiyondo yelled.

“How did you carry those two up without spilling…?” Makoto asked, moving out of Kiyondo’s way so as to not get hit with water.

“It’s obvious he’s super strong,” Toko said. “Doesn’t that get you all excited…?”

“Shut up,” Byakuya said before Makoto could even begin to question what she meant.

Kiyondo poured the second bucket of water on Yasuhiro. Unlike the first time, there was a bit of an effect.

“At least he twitched…?” Makoto offered, scratching at his cheek. “But this does seem to be a bit… pointless.”

“We’re not throwing the damn towel in yet!” Kiyondo yelled. “We’ve still got one more fudgin’ empty bucket and plenty more to fill up.”

“We don’t have the time for trying to wake this idiot up,” Byakuya said. “You get one more attempt before we just leave him here.”

“Well then this attempt I’ll be sure to fudgin’ wake him up!” Kiyondo yelled, all fired up.

Unlike his previous attempts of just dumping the bucket onto Yasuhiro, Kiyondo got into a more throwing like position.

When Kiyondo did throw the bucket, some of the contents did hit Yasuhiro.

Unfortunately, the majority of its’ contents happened to hit Byakuya.

“You idiot…!” Byakuya yelled, glaring at Kiyondo with more emotion than he had ever shown before. “I’ll have you know my outfit is worth more than your damn life!”

“Well maybe you shouldn’t have been in my damn way when I was trying to wake Hiro up!” Kiyondo said. “It’s not my fudgin’ fault you’re always trying to stand in the center of attention!”

“A Togami is always supposed to be center stage,” Byakuya hissed. “Although an Ishimaru like yourself would never understand.”

“I’m not a fudgin’ Ishimaru,” Kiyondo yelled, somehow rising in volume. “Don’t ever compare me to him!”

“Oh? You’re not an Ishimaru?” Byakuya asked. “Despite what you try to delude yourself into believing, you are still very much the failure that is named Kiyotaka Ishimaru.”

“Guys…” Makoto said, tone pleading. “Can we save this until after the class trial…?”

“Huh…?” Yasuhiro murmured, slowly waking up to the fight in front of him. “What are you guys all doing in my room…?”

“Shut up!” Both Kiyondo and Byakuya yelled, causing Yasuhiro to put his hands over his face.

“Please don’t hurt me!” Yasuhiro cried.

As Kiyondo and Byakuya continued their arguing, Makoto went over to the still shaking Yasuhiro.

“Hey, uh, Hiro, you do realize this isn’t your room, right?” Makoto said, staring worriedly at the man. “Do you know how you got here…?”

“Huh…? It isn’t?” Yasuhiro asked. “So you’re telling me that they didn’t break into my room and they aren’t going to kill me?” “Yeah,” Makoto said, scratching his cheek. “If they’re going to kill anyone… it’ll probably be each other.”

“Oh, well that’s reassuring!” Yasuhiro said, smiling brightly. “Although… that doesn’t explain why I’m all wet.”

“Well um, I was hoping you could explain at least something about this situation…” Makoto said. “Currently, it doesn’t really make sense why you’re here.”

“Ask away, Makoto!”

“So, why did you come to the Physics Lab?”

“That’s easy…!” Yasuhiro said, pausing for a moment. “I’m… pretty sure I got a note.”

“A note?” Makoto asked. “What did the note say?”

“It was just telling me to meet someone in the Physics Lab early in the morning,” Yasuhiro said. “Weird, huh?”

“Do you still have the note with you?”

“Huh…? Let me check.” Yasuhiro said, padding his wet clothes for any note. After a minute he seems satisfied with the results of his search.

“Sorry Makoto, seems like it’s gone now.” Yasuhiro said. “It’s not like it was important right…?”

“About that…” Makoto said, trailing off. “There’s been another murder and… that note could’ve been important.”

“Another murder…?!” Yasuhiro yelled. “Don’t tell me you did it, Makoto!”

“Huh…?! No way!” Makoto said. “I’m just… trying to figure out how you got here.”

“Oh yeah, I never finished the story, did I?” Yasuhiro said. “So after I came here, I must’ve got hit with something because I don’t remember anything afterwards!”

“Someone… hit you?!” Makoto said, practically yelling. “And you didn’t think to mention this at all?”

“I was getting to it eventually!” Yasuhiro said, scratching at his nose. “You can’t rush a story, Makoto.”

“That’s a pretty important detail to mention, Hiro!”

“You still haven’t even explained why I’m all wet!”

“That’s because Kiyondo splashed you with water to wake you up…” Makoto said, scratching his cheek.

Just ignore that it took three buckets and an angry Byakuya, Makoto thought. But at least Hiro is up…?

“Ah Yasuhiro,” Celeste said, walking up to Makoto and Yasuhiro. “It is good to see you back up, yes?”

“Yeah… but apparently I’ve missed a lot, huh?” Yasuhiro asked, scratching his head. “Apparently there’s been a whole murder.”

“You don’t seem very shocked by this revelation,” Celeste noted. “Could you have already known?” “Hey… are you implying…” Makoto said, as Celeste smiled innocently at him.

“Like I said before, we cannot ignore that this is very suspicious,” Celeste said. “Perhaps if he could give us a reason to trust him then I’d be less suspicious.”

“Hey, don’t be mean…!” Yasuhiro said. “There’s no way I could murder anyone!”

“That is what we thought about the last two blackeneds,” Celeste said. “It turns out we were sorely mistaken, no?”

Makoto frowned. Although he didn’t want to be suspicious of Yasuhiro, Celeste wasn’t exactly wrong.

He’s claiming something that we can’t exactly prove… Makoto thought. But is he smart enough to come up with a plan like that?

“We’ll get to the bottom of this in no time,” Makoto said, finally. “If Yasuhiro really is the blackened we’ll figure that out.”

“Oh…?” Celeste said. “You truly do not believe he is the blackened then?”

“I’m not sure…” Makoto admitted. “But we shouldn’t distrust him until we have more evidence.”

“Thanks, Makoto!” Yasuhiro said. “I’ll make sure to prove myself innocent!”

I think the blackened would especially want to prove themselves innocent, Hiro, Makoto thought. But it’s the thought that counts, right?

“Are you fudgin’ done here, Mac?” Kiyondo asked. “That rich son of a gun is too fudgin’ annoying to stay here any longer.”

“Plus, we still have to take Toko to the nurse’s office since she’s acting like a fudgin’ freak.”

“Oh yeah,” Makoto said. “I don’t think there’s anything else here, no.”

“Then let’s fudgin’ go!” Kiyondo yelled, grabbing Makoto and dragging him over to Toko.

“Ooh, getting handsy with your boyfriend huh…?” Toko asked. “This is getting so X-rated…!”

“Shut up, you’re coming with us you fudgin’ freak,” Kiyondo said, as he dragged Makoto out of the physics lab.

Surprisingly, Toko followed, murmuring something about ‘Boy’s Love in live-action’.

“Kiyondo, why are you dragging me?!” Makoto complained. “I can walk on my own you know…!”

“That fudgin’ rich brat, who does he think he is?!” Kiyondo fumed, ignoring Makoto entirely. “Think that he's so high and mighty and so much fudgin’ better for you!”

“Better for me…? Kiyondo, what’s going on?!”

“Ooh, so the white haired one gets super jealous, huh…?” Toko drooled. “Interesting, very interesting.”

With Kiyondo fuming and Toko drooling, Makoto was very confused as the three of them made their way to the nurse’s office.

Finally able to detach himself from Kiyondo’s vice grip, Makoto looked at the nurse’s office warily.

What are we supposed to treat Toko with…? Makoto thought. We can’t exactly cure her new-found behavior with an ice pack, right?

“Um, Toko,” Makoto began, “do you have a headache or anything…?”

“A headache…? How could I have a headache with some real Boy’s Love happening right in front of me…?” Toko responded. “I’m a real connoisseur of that, y’know.”

“Yeah, right…” Makoto said.

This situation couldn’t get any worse, Makoto thought. Or… at least I hope it can’t.

“Well, since we have no clue what the heck is wrong with you,” Kiyondo said, walking over to the refrigerator. “We’re just gonna give you a fudgin’ ice pack.”

Kiyondo opened the refrigerator and quickly grabbed an ice pack. He examined it for any holes before walking it back to Toko.

“Well, that’s all we fudgin’ came here for, right?” Kiyondo asked. “We can leave this damn place, right?”

“I’m not so sure…” Makoto said, looking over the room. “Since we’re investigating, shouldn’t we just investigate this room to be safe?”

“That’s right, Mac!” Kiyondo yelled. “We’re still investigating a murder so we should take every fudgin’ precaution known to man!”

“Am I supposed to help you with your investigation?” Toko asked, looking particularly dead. “Because that’s like super lame.”

“No, you should just work on getting better…” Makoto said.

Makoto went to the left side of the room, examining the beds to see if anything was hidden.

Kiyondo’s side bid a bit more usefulness as he was quick to call Makoto over.

“Hey Mac, there’s something odd you need to see over here.” Kiyondo said, staring at an opened gray cabinet.

“Huh…? What do you mean?” Makoto asked, making his way over to where Kiyondo was standing.

The gray cabinet in and of itself was usually ordinary, although Makoto couldn’t be completely sure about that as he was only in the office once.

“It’s just an ordinary cabinet…?” Makoto asked, tilting his head to try to see better. “I don’t see anything too weird about it.”

“No you fudgin’ dumbbutt you have to look inside the cabinet,” Kiyondo said, reaching inside and pulling out a mallet. “This dangerous thing was just lurking inside waiting to wack another fudgin’ innocent victim!”

“Another victim…?” Makoto asked. “What do you mean?”

“Damn Mac, you really need to learn to pay attention!” Kiyondo scolded. “There’s a bit of fudgin’ blood on the mallet, you damn dumbbutt!”

“H-huh…?” Makoto said, grabbing the mallet from Kiyondo and putting up to his eye.

Sure enough there was a bit of blood on the mallet, but from where…? “Hey, I hate to break your precious moment, but…” Toko interrupted in a sing-songy voice. “Can I just go to my room and rest there, it’s getting super boring just waiting here!”

“Oh yeah, right,” Makoto said. “You should probably rest before the class trial.”

After one more quick-glance around the nurse’s office the trio left to bring Toko back to her room to rest.

Hopefully she can just sleep off whatever happened to her, Makoto thought. Although something tells me I shouldn’t get my hopes up that much…

Once the trio made their way back to the dorms, Toko cheerfully entered her room.

“Remember, don’t kiss without me watching,” Toko said, smiling. “Or else I’ll have to punish you two, alright?”

“K-kiss…?!” Makoto stuttered. “I don’t-”

“Don’t fudgin’ tease us like that!” Kiyondo said, interrupting Makoto.

“Ugh,” a familiar voice groaned, and Makoto could already feel the glare piercing through his head. “What are you two doing here?”

Makoto turned around to meet Byakuya’s glare, smiling politely at him. “We just came here to drop off Toko.”

“Tch,” Byakuya sneered. “Why do you waste time with that shut-in?”

“Because Mac doesn’t fudgin’ judge people like you do, rich brat!” Kiyondo yelled, glaring daggers at Byakuya.

“Shut up,” Byakuya said. “We had this argument before and I won’t bother with it again.”

“Since I found you here anyway Makoto,” Byakyua continued, ignoring Kiyondo’s glare. “There’s something I need to show you, I believe it to be pertinent to the class trial.”

“‘Something important’...?” Makoto echoed. “What do you mean?”

“I’d rather show you alone, Makoto,” Byakuya said, glaring at Kiyondo.

“There’s no fudgin’ way I’m leaving you alone with Mac!” Kiyondo hissed. “Not after what you fudgin’ said to me.”

“Of course you would be so narrow minded,” Byakuya said. “But if you’re going to insist, you might as well come to.”

“Where are we going, exactly…?” Makoto asked, scratching his cheek.

“To the library’s archive, obviously,” Byakyuya said, turning heel and walking towards the second floor’s stairs.

“I guess we should follow him, then?” Makoto asked Kiyondo.

“Be on your fudgin’ guard, Mac.” is all Kiyondo responded with.

As the two followed Byakuya with a careful distance to the library, Makoto could practically feel the tension strangle him.

That fight that they had… what could it have been about…? Makoto thought. And why are they still so angry about it…?

“Before we go into the archive,” Byakuya began suddenly, “be careful with these documents, they’re worth more than your lives.”

“A-alright…” Makoto said, scratching his cheek for comfort.

“Just shut the fudge up and show us what you wanted to show us,” Kiyondo yelled.

Byakuya glared, but surprisingly bit down any rebuttal he had. Leading both Makoto and Kiyondo into the archive, he closed the door behind them.

“You both know of the serial killer Genocide Jack, correct?” Byakuya asked as he grabbed a document.

“Of course,” Makoto answered. “Even if you ignore the fact that they might be the blackened… their murders were a big thing.”

“Well, the school’s archive has the case file for Genocide Jack’s murders,” Byakuya said, dropping a large file in front of Makoto and Kiyondo. “I however have already read these files since the Togami-”

“Yeah yeah, we fudgin’ get it,” Kiyondo interrupted. “Come on Mac, let’s just read these damn files already.”

Makoto nodded, opening the large case file.

If Makoto had seen the images of Jack’s victims earlier he probably would’ve been disgusted. But now, four murders in, he could barely feel anything at all.

The case file talked about the victims Ken Harada, Tetsuhiro Honda and Shoji Gaku. All of them died in similar fashions.

Along with the victims, the case file also speculated that the killer was a high school student suffering from a split personality.

“That’s… a lot to take in,” Makoto said. “I guess we’re dealing with an experienced killer, huh?”

“Don’t fudgin’ worry, Mac!” Kiyondo said. “We’ll figure this out in no time!”

“Tch,” Byakuya said. “Your optimism is naïve at best.”

“Shut the fudge up!” Kiyondo yelled. “You can’t fudgin’ buy your way out of this.”

“I already know who the blackened is,” Byakuya said, smirking as he grabbed the case file. “But of course you two idiots haven’t figured it out yet.”

“H-huh…?! You know who the blackened is?!” Makoto yelled.

“H-he’s probably just bluffing, you know like the hecking dumbbutt he is…!”

“You can believe what you want to believe,” Byakuya said. “Now get out of my sight, I have nothing more to share with you.”

Makoto didn’t want to argue so before Kiyondo and Byakuya could begin to act on the tension that was growing in the room, Makoto grabbed Kiyondo and pulled him out to the hall.

“Mac, what the heck did you do that for?!” Kiyondo complained. “I was just about to put that rich brat in his damned place!”

“You can’t just keep fighting with him,” Makoto said, trying to stress the importance of keeping the peace.

Before Makoto could begin to scold Kiyondo for his behavior, much like Kiyotaka would ironically, the school’s speakers flared to life.

“A-hem!” Monokuma’s grating voice began, and although Makoto couldn’t see the bear smiling, it was obvious he was. “The investigation period is now over! If all my lovely students could head on to the elevator to begin the class trial, that would be very appreciated!”

“And by appreciated I mean required!” Monokuma added. “Ta-ta!”

“I guess it’s time to figure out who killed… Junko…” Makoto muttered, suddenly reminded about this trial’s victim.

“You’ll get justice for her, I promise you that, Mac!” Kiyondo said, smiling.

I want to believe you, Kiyondo, Makoto thought. But… justice won’t bring her back, will it?

Kiyondo and Makoto made their way to the class trial elevator, everyone except Byakuya and Toko were there waiting.

“I suppose this class trial will be pretty cut and dry, no?” Celeste asked the group as she looked at her nails. “This blackened practically handed it to us.”

“Are you really so sure of that?” Kyoko asked. “Very little is as it seems in this school.”

“Ah, Kyoko,” Celeste said smiling. “Isn’t it better to be positive about this sort of thing?”

“I have to agree with Miss. Ludenberg!” Hifumi said, pumping his hand up. “The way she explained things made it very clear.”

“So you two have been discussing this case then?” Sakura asked.

“Is that so wrong?” Celeste asked. “I did want to get a second opinion before I made any theories.”

“No,” Sakura said. “It was just a question.”

After a short period of silence, Byakuya entered the elevator.

“When is this elevator going to begin moving?” Byakuya complained. “I don’t have all day.”

“We’re all on the same schedule, are we not?” Celeste asked. “I do not know why you are complaining.”

“I’m glad you’re all worried about the class trial starting on time!” Monokuma cheered, appearing out of nowhere. “Worry no longer, because this elevator is starting to move down now!”

Before anyone could tell the bear that Toko was missing the elevator’s doors closed and began its slow descent downwards.

Is anyone going to tell Monokuma…? Makoto thought. I wonder if she can just get away with skipping the class trial.

And… if she can, then maybe I should’ve tried to skip this class trial too.

Once the elevator arrived at the class trial ground, each student went to their respective podium.

“Oh, it seems like someone’s being naughty!” Monokuma announced from his chair. “Which one of you brats is skipping the class trial…?!”

“That would be Toko,” Byakuya informed him easily. “If you could just kill her and be over it.”

“Oh? You are so quick to get rid of her over being tardy?” Celeste asked, raising an eyebrow. “How curious.” “I’d get rid of her for much less if possible,” Byakuya replied evenly. “But this is a way to keep my hands clean of her disgusting blood.” “I’ve got bad news, Byakuya!” Monokuma said, not sounding even the slightest bit sad. “All I’ll do is drag her down here, kicking and screaming if I must!”

“Um… about that,” Makoto said. “She was acting a bit weird before the class trial, I don’t know if she’d come willing with you or not.”

“She was acting weird, you say?” Monokuma asked, tilting his head. “Interesting, very interesting…”

“You wouldn’t happen to know anything about her behavior would you, Monokuma?” Kyoko asked, crossing her arms and glaring at the bear.

“Oh me…?” Monokuma asked. “In this case I’m bear-y innocent…!”

“Monokuma,” Sakura said. “If you could just get Toko and start this trial, that would be very appreciated.”

“Fine, fine!” Monokuma said. “Please be patient while I grab your beloved classmate Toko Fukawa!”

In a moment he was gone again, leaving the room in an awkward sort of silence.

“So what do you all fudgin’ think about this case?” Kiyondo’s voice cut through the tension.

“This case seems cut and dry,” Sakura said. “Because of that we should be worried about its actual complexity.”

“Oh?” Celeste said. “I am sure that the real blackened will be revealed as soon as we actually discuss this case.”

“I agree whole-heartedly with Miss. Ludenberg!” Hifumi added.

“Tch,” Byakuya sneered. “As much as I hate to agree with commoners, this case should easily be solved, even by imbeciles like yourselves.”

“Hey, don’t fudgin’ insult us!” Kiyondo hissed, quick to anger.

“Um… maybe it’s just his weird way of complimenting us…?” Makoto said, trying to ease the tension. Although if he was being honest, he didn’t really believe what he was saying.

“Maybe we should just wait for the trial to start,” Kyoko suggested. “We won’t learn anything until we discuss everything thoroughly.”

“Yeah, but before we begin I just need to clear the air,” Yasuhiro began. “I am 100% not the blackened!”

“Oh…?” Celeste said. “Why are you so defensive about that?”

“Why shouldn’t I be…?!” Yasuhiro said. “I don’t want to die, I’m too young to become a ghost!”

“Guys… maybe we should listen to Kyoko and wait for the class trial to begin,” Makoto said. “Nothing good will come from throwing accusations at each other right now.”

“Exactly,” Kyoko said. “Arguing right now won’t achieve anything.”

“We shouldn’t doubt each other until given reason,” Sakura added. “That is our best course of action.”

“You fudgin’ hear that?!” Kiyondo yelled. “No accusing until the fudgin’ trial starts!”

The silence in the room grew once again, and this time no one attempted to break it.

“I-I don’t want to be here, you s-stupid bear!” Toko yelled as the elevator door opened. “Y-you really don’t understand…!”

“And you don’t understand that you don’t get a choice!” Monokuma responded, sounding somewhat exasperated. “I’m the one calling the shots around here, in case you forgot!”

Toko and Monokuma made their way to their respective areas, albeit Toko a little bit more reluctantly and Makoto couldn’t help but feel a bit of dread.

He didn’t want anymore people to die.

He didn’t want to accept that Junko was dead either.

“Now, let the class trial begin!” Monokuma announced.

“Now I have a question for everyone here,” Celeste began easily. “Are we so sure that that this ‘Genocide Jack’ committed this murder?”

“Huh…? What do you mean?” Makoto asked.

“I mean, how can we be so sure that this isn’t a copycat?” Celeste asked. “Afterall, any of us could’ve easily faked the crime scene to frame the infamous serial killer, no?”

“That certainly is a possibility,” Kyoko said. “We all knew about Genocide Jack especially since they were in the news a few days before we entered Hope’s Peak Academy.”

“Genocide Jack was unavoidable,” Hifumi complained. “I tried to watch a new anime and when I first searched it up all I could find were news articles about Genocide Jack!”

What exactly were you trying to watch that Genocide Jack would show up…? Makoto thought. I don’t think most normal animes would even be slightly related to Genocide Jack…

“Tch,” Byakuya said. “Trivial things such as that shouldn’t even be mentioned here.”

“W-why are we talking about Genocide J-jack so much anyways…?” Toko muttered. “It w-wasn’t them, they aren’t even here…!”

“There’s at least a 30% chance that Genocide Jack showed up in one my readings before I entered Hope’s Peak!” Yasuhiro added.

“Hina mentioned it to me a few times…” Sakura said. “She said she was worried about the outside world with a serial killer running rampant.”

“See, Makoto?” Celeste said. “Everything about Genocide Jack was public knowledge.”

“No, that’s wrong!” Makoto yelled, earning a slight grimace from Celeste. “The blackened knew the exact way Genocide Jack hung the bodies, which wasn’t public information.”

“Oh?” Celeste said, mouth opening in shock. “And how do you know this, Makoto?”

“It’s in the case file located in the archive,” Makoto clarified.

“So it would be totally possible for anyone to access the file, would it not?”

“I mean, I guess…?” Makoto said, scratching at his cheek.

“So, you cannot deny the possibility that the blackened could’ve just read the case file, no?”

“We aren’t going to get anywhere with ‘what-ifs’ about the blackened,” Kyoko said. “I suppose you have an idea on who the blackened might be, Celeste?”

“I do, yes,” Celeste admitted. “I think Hiro is the most suspicious out of all of us.”

“H-huh…?!” Yasuhiro yelled. “How am I the blackened…?!”

“You’re the only one in the most suspicious location,” Celeste explained. “In a room near the rec room without a proper explanation.”

“You’re the suspicious one!” Yasuhiro yelled, pointing his finger at Celeste. “You’re just spouting that accusation without any proof!”

“You claimed to be knocked out but there is no proof that anyone actually did that to you,” Celeste continued. “Unless you can somehow prove that you were knocked out, you have no reason for being there whatsoever.”

“Well actually,” Makoto countered. “Kiyondo and I were in the nurse’s office and we found a mallet with a bit of blood on it.”

“What would something like that be doing in the nurse’s office?” Sakura asked.

“The blackened probably fudgin’ stored it in there after they hit Hiro!” Kiyondo explained loudly.

“That would make logical sense,” Sakura said. “Although it is an odd place to hide a weapon such as that.”

“Assuming that Hiro didn’t do it himself,” Celeste cut in. ”You must admit that the possibility isn’t completely unfounded.”

“And how would you explain that?” Sakura said, crossing her arms. “I understand having a reasonable doubt against Hiro’s story but this seems much more.”

“We know that the nurse’s office stores blood bags, correct?” Celeste said. “Who is to say he didn’t just use the blood from there?”

“That’d be a smart fudgin’ accusation,” Kiyondo said. “If it wasn’t Hiro you were accusing.”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“He’s a fudgin’ dumbbutt,” Kiyondo said easily. “You could give him a damn instruction manual on how to get away with murder and he’d still fudgin’ mess it up.”

“Aw thanks, I think…?” Yasuhiro said, smiling brightly.

That was obviously an insult… Makoto thought. How did he not get that…?

“Then what is another theory we can follow?” Sakura asked. “We must discuss something productive.”

“We could let Miss. Ludenberg explain her theory in more detail!” Hifumi offered up. “I’m sure you would all believe her if she explained it to you clearly!”

“Tch,” Byakuya sneered. “Don’t make us go through that waste of time.”

“It’s the only reasonable explanation we’ve seen so far,” Kyoko said. “Unless you have something else to offer up.”

“Of course I do,” Byakuya said. “I already know who the blackened is.”

“You said that before,” Makoto said. “But do you really…?”

“I mean obviously he does,” Yasuhiro said. “The blackened is Genocide Jack! Everyone knows that, Makoto!”

“Of course we all know that the blackened is Genocide Jack,” Byakuya said. “But I know Genocide’s Jack real identity.”

“O-oh…?” Celeste asked. “So it is true that the infamous serial killer is among us, then?”

“Yes,” Byakuya confirms. “Although I’d rather not force the serial killer to reveal, I will if I must.”

“You fudgin’ think a stone-hearted killer would just reveal themself that easily…?!” Kiyondo yelled. “You must be dumber than a bag of rocks!”

“Shut up,” Byakuya glared. “Your voice is grating.”

“Why do you think Genocide Jack will reveal themselves?” Makoto asked. “I don’t think they’d want to be executed…”

“Do you really not remember the file?” Byakuya asked. “You commoners must have worse memories than I realized.”

“Makoto,” Kyoko said, ignoring Byakuya. “You mentioned the Genocide Jack file, but I don’t believe everyone here has read it. Could you perhaps inform us about what it mentioned about Genocide Jack?”

“Huh…?” Makoto said. “Oh sure.”

“The victims the case file mentioned were Ken Harada, Tesuhiro Honda and Shoji Gaku,” Makoto began. “They were each killed in a similar manner and attached to the wall via their injuries…”

“Get to the important information, Makoto,” Byakuya said.

“The police believed that Genocide Jack was a student suffering from a split personality due to their frantic getaways and the schedule of the murders.”

“A student…” Kyoko muttered. “Coincidentally we are all students, so that at least is a possibility.”

“Of course you’re all students!” Monokuma said, interrupting. “And Daddy Monokuma loves you all very much even if some of you are serial killers and others have the tendency to state the obvious.”

“Disgusting,” Kyoko said, shuddering slightly.

“Stop talking,” Byakuya said. “Don’t even imagine that we are even slightly related.”

“Ignoring Monokuma,” Sakura said. “How are we supposed to find Genocide Jack. We shouldn’t expect them to reveal themselves.”

“They already have,” Byakuya said. “They told me who they were when we received the second motive.”

“H-huh…?!” Makoto yelled. “Genocide Jack revealed themselves to you?!”

“Someone fudgin’ trusted you enough to tell you their motive?!” Kiyondo yelled, equally as surprised.

“And you didn’t share this with us because...?” Celeste asked. “Knowing a serial killer was among us would’ve been good information to have earlier.”

“I don’t care about your survival,” Byakuya said. “However, they promised me they wouldn’t kill anyone so I felt no need to tell anyone about their identity.”

“Ah,” Kyoko said. “That is what that mirror meant then?”

“W-wait… you went through everyone’s m-mirrors?!” Toko yelled, completely scandalized.

“H-hey…! I had private information kept on there!” Yasuhiro yelled soon after Toko.

“They were there for anyone to see,” Kyoko said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “There was no reason not to look.”

“You shouldn’t believe what my mirror stated,” Celeste said, more sweeter than usual. “The bear was seemingly wrong with that stupid mirror.”

“Oh…?! You’re accusing your father of getting your own-” Monokuma began.

“Shut up, you stupid bear,” Celeste hissed, face contorting in anger.

“Ignoring everyone else’s motives,” Kyoko continued smoothly. “There was one motive I couldn’t truly understand, up until now that is.”

“T-those were private even if they were p-public,” Toko hissed. “Don’t you have a-any respect for privacy…?!” “Why are you getting so defensive?” Sakura asked. “All of our motives were seen and you seem to be the only one truly bothered.”

“Yeah, my motive was sort of embarrassing but nothing I really needed to hide,” Makoto said, scratching his cheek. “Although I’d rather Kyoko not share it…”

“I already told you,” Kyoko began. “My motive is also just as embarrassing if not more.”

“So… can we just have Genocide Jack be revealed to us?” Yasuhiro asked. “Because after that it’s over and we win, right?”

“That does seem to be the only conclusion,” Celeste said, slipping back into her mask.

“Genocide Jack, if you reveal yourself you probably won’t fudgin’ be judged as much!” Kiyondo declared.

“I don’t think they fear being judged…” Makoto said. “They don’t want to die, or at least they probably don’t.”

“They still committed this murder,” Byakuya said. “So I have no reason to keep their identity.”

“Did they really…?” Makoto asked. “I mean the file mentioned that the police thought they suffered from another personality, right?”

“And, your point?” Byakuya asked. “A person is still dead, a person you were friends with no less.”

“I know…” Makoto said, looking down at his podium. “But is it really right to judge a person for something they couldn’t control…?”

“That does bring up a slight problem in the rules,” Kyoko said. “If Genocide Jack comitted the murder, should the non-murdering personality be punished for the same crime?”

“Puhuhuhu! That does bring up a good point!” Monokuma said. “But Daddy Monokuma has it all figured out, don’t you worry my sweet little Kyoko!”

“Don’t call me that,” Kyoko said, looking away. “I suppose we’ll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it, then.”

“Now, if you’re done with the moral aspect of it all,” Byakuya glared. “I think it’s finally time to reveal Genocide Jack.”

“Wouldn’t you agree, Toko?”

“H-huh…?! Are you r-really accusing me, M-master…?” Toko asked, biting at her nails.

“He isn't lying,” Kyoko confirmed. “Genocide Jack’s less murderous personality is, Toko.”

“Toko… is Genocide Jack?” Celeste asked, staring at Toko critically. “I guess appearances are deceiving, no?”

“I-I… d-don’t…” Toko muttered. “W-why…?”

“You promised me that you wouldn’t let Genocide Jack kill anyone,” Byakuya said. “It’s obvious you couldn’t keep your end of the bargain so why should I keep mine?”

“I mean, I don’t doubt that she’s murderous…” Yasuhiro began. “But I really can’t see her murdering anyone…”

“Well Mac mentioned that the police thought that she had a split personality or whatever the heck,” Kiyondo explained. “So it isn’t Toko who’s fudgin’ doing it, it’s Genocide Jack or whatever.”

“Then we’ll need to see this personality switch in live action, no?” Celeste asked. “We cannot confirm if Genocide Jack is Toko unless we see it for ourselves.”

“You heard her,” Byakuya said. “Switch into that other personality of yours.”

“B-but I can’t-” Toko muttered, only to be cut off by a glare from Byakuya.

After a second, Toko fell onto the floor, startling the group with the loud thump. After a few more seconds, she arose once again.

Although, she did look a bit different.

“Hello, hello and hello!” Toko, or rather Genocide Jack began cheerfully. “You called for me and so I appear!”

“You’re Genocide Jack…?!” Hifumi cried out. “Miss Fukawa is Genocide Jack…?!”

“Miss Morose and I are two very different people, thank you very much!” Genocide Jack corrected. “But I mean according to the law, I guess you could say we share the same body at the very least.”

“Then you were really fudgin’ here this whole time?!” Kiyondo yelled, outraged. “You could’ve put all of us in any fudgin’ amount of danger!”

“Ahh, are you worried about everyone here or are you worried about Mr. Average?” Genocide Jack asked, putting her hands on her cheek, letting her tongue loll out more than usual. “Don’t think I forgot about how touchy you were with him!”

“W-wait…” Makoto said, looking at Genocide Jack worriedly. “That was you before…?”

“Yep yep yep!” Genocide Jack said, smiling. “What…? Did I really pass off as Miss Morose? Or do you really not care for her that much…?”

“It seems a little unreasonable for us to just assume that Toko had another personality,” Sakura said, explaining for Makoto. “I don’t believe anyone could’ve seen it coming.”

“Well, since the blackened has already revealed themselves to us, I don’t see any need to continue this trial any longer,” Celeste said smiling. “We now know that Genocide Jack exists in our group and is the killer. No need to continue this trial any longer, no?”

“Huh…? I’m a killer, but please catch me up on who I killed this time.” Genocide Jack asked. “All those cute boys flutter in my mind and my other regions….”

“You’re disgusting,” Byakuya said, looking away.

“We’re talking about the murder of Junko Enoshima,” Makoto explained.

“Doesn’t ring a bell,” Genocide Jack said simply. “Could you give me a description?”

“Blonde hair, blue eyes…” Makoto said, beginning to list off Junko’s traits.

“That doesn’t really narrow it down, but continue!”

“Freckles…” Makoto said, trying to think if there was anything else that was remarkable about Junko.

I mean, there’s the fact that her hair was a wig and her nails were fake… Makoto thought. But I don’t think the blackened knew that…

“God, you suck at describing people!” Genocide Jack laughed. “I really can’t remember any specific victim with that little description!”

“So, what did he wear…? Anything like that to point out?”

“He…?” Makoto asked. “Junko was a girl…”

“What…?! And you really think I did it…?!” Genocide Jack asked. “I only go after the most attractive of men. You know, the real catches.”

“That doesn’t make sense…” Makoto said, scratching at his cheek. “The murder scene definetly looked like one of yours.”

“Then I must’ve been framed, and hard!” Genocide Jack said smiling.

“You dare deny this accusation when we have proof?” Byakuya asked, glaring. “You really are as annoying as your other personality.”

“Oh…? A cute boy scolding me…? I think I could die right now!”

“Let’s focus on the matter at hand,” Kyoko said. “You say that you didn’t commit the murder but are there any hallmarks specific to your murders?”

“Well let’s see, I only kill the cutest of cute boys and I’m really picky about it,” Genocide Jack explained. “And, I’ll only kill with my special scissors!”

“Your special scissors…?” Makoto asked.

“Well maybe that’s usually the case, but you can’t have your scissors right now Genocide Jack!” Hifumi yelled. “All of our belongings were taken from us!”

“Ohohoho…? Is that what you really believe?” Genocide Jack asked right before she brandished her scissors. “I’m always prepared for any sort of murdering! Provided there’s a cute boy waiting to be stabbed…”

Yasuhiro and Hifumi screamed as soon as the scissors were pulled out while the others stared in a mix of shock and horror.

“Toko has had those fudgin’ dangerous things on her the whole time…?!” Kiyondo yelled. “And she didn’t see even the slightest problem?!”

“Um… I mean, that is a good reason to not change your way of killing then…” Makoto said.

“We should probably keep this in mind for any future proceedings,” Kyoko added.

“Tch,” Byakuya said. “Perhaps Toko disarmed her and she had no other way to kill.”

“That still wouldn’t make much sense…” Makoto responded before Genocide Jack. “Genocide Jack would have no reason to kill Junko, especially because she didn’t fall under her usual targets…”

“And you believe that she’s telling the truth?” Byakuya asked. “You must be stupider than you look.”

“I mean, we don’t have any evidence to show that she’d be lying about it…?” Makoto asked, scratching his cheek. “According to the case file in the archive, all of her victims were male…”

“Although the average one isn’t as cute, he’s completely right!” Genocide Jack said. “I take pride in my work y’know, assuming otherwise is just plain insulting!”

“You… take pride in murdering?!” Hifumi yelled out. “That’s unacceptable!”

“I’m a master at what I do,” Genocide Jack answered, looking at Hifumi boredly. “You might even say I’m the Ultimate Murderous Fiend!”

“You have a fudgin’ ultimate talent?!” Kiyondo yelled. “Unbelievable!”

“Is it really so unbelievable?” Genocide Jack asked. “Like I said, I’m a master at what I do and Hope’s Peak recognized that!”

“It seems more likely that you forced their hand,” Kyoko said. “If they wanted Toko they would have no choice but to take you as well.”

“But when you say it like that, it makes it sound like they didn’t want a serial killer as a part of their roster! Kyahahahahaha! ” Genocide Jack laughed.

They… probably didn’t, Makoto thought. But then again, if their plan was to start a killing game… she’d be a good addition, wouldn’t she?

“Hey… but if Genocide Jack is telling the truth… then she couldn’t have killed Junko,” Makoto said. “I mean… everything she’s been telling us has been pretty in line with what we know.”

“It’s refreshing that I’m proven innocent, for once,” Genocide Jack said. “However, someone went through a lot of effort to frame me, wonder why that is? Kyahahahahaha!”

“That is correct,” Celeste noted. “Who were the main people pushing for the Genocide Jack theory?”

“Um… wouldn’t that be Byakuya, Makoto and Kyoko...?” Yasuhiro offered up. “Wait… does that make them all the blackened?!”

“Don’t you dare fudgin’ accuse Mac!” Kiyondo yelled. “He’s innocent and you better not fudgin’ forget that or else I’ll make you sorry!”

“I don’t doubt Makoto’s innocence, at least not yet, but you’ve been wrong in your trust before, no?” Celeste asked.

“What the fudge did you just say…?!” Kiyondo yelled. “How dare you fudgin’ mention-”

“I didn’t mean to offend,” Celeste said. “I believe that Makoto and Kyoko are completely innocent in this incident.”

“You… didn’t mention Byakuya,” Makoto noticed. “Do you really think he framed Genocide Jack…?”

“Let me ask you this, Makoto,” Celeste began. “Who gave you that information about Genocide Jack?”

“Byakuya…?” Makoto answered.

“And you don’t find it just the tiniest bit odd that he was pushing the theory of Genocide Jack?”

“I mean… didn’t everyone think that Genocide Jack did it?” Makoto asked. “As far as we originally knew there was nothing odd about the crime scene.”

“Yes, that is true,” Celeste admitted. “However, the fact that he was originally pushing so hard shouldn’t be ignored, yes?”

“Then that’d mean that Byakuya is the blackened…?” Makoto asked, staring at the heir.

“If you’re so sure that I’m the blackened then why don’t you vote me?” Byakuya asked, looking smug.

Why is he okay with being voted…? Makoto thought. Did he really do that…?

“Well if that’s solved, we can just vote Byakuya!” Yasuhiro declared. “Right…?”

“I’m not so sure…” Makoto said, looking down at his podium. “Byakuya wants to win the killing game, right?”

“He has said that before,” Kyoko agreed.

“So why would he make such an obvious mistake if he knew how to properly frame Genocide Jack…?” Makoto asked. “It doesn’t make much sense.”

“Perhaps he didn’t have much to work with,” Celeste said. “He could’ve been rushed for all we know.”

“That… can’t be it either,” Makoto said.

“Oh? And why is that, Makoto?”

“Kyoko said that Junko’s injury, which probably gave the blood for the bloodlust message was caused after her death.” Makoto explained. “If he really was in a rush, he’d probably find another way to make the message.”

“That is true,” Sakura said. “Injuring her after her relatively clean death would take time that he wouldn’t have if he was truly rushed.”

“Well, that is troubling, no?” Celeste asked.

“Huh…?” Makoto asked.

“We don’t have even the slightest clue on who the blackened might be, yes?” Celeste asked. “Unless anyone else has a better theory, we should assume Yasuhiro is the blackened, no?”

“Of course, that is expected of Makoto, to not have any better leads,” Celeste continued.

“H-huh…?” Makoto asked. “What do you mean by that?”

“I suppose after everything that has happened you must be a bit worn out, no?” Celeste said. “Or perhaps you never really cared about Junko…”

“That’s wrong…!” Makoto said. “Of course I cared about Junko.”

“Is that so…?” Celeste asked. “Because from what she told me it seemed like you were just tolerating her.”

“She really thought that…?” Makoto muttered.

I’m sorry Junko, Makoto thought. I really valued our time together as friends…

“Will you shut the fudge up about Junko, Lest?!” Kiyondo yelled suddenly. “Why the fudge are you even bringing this up now…?!”

“Lest…?” Celeste asked.

“How Junk felt doesn’t fudgin’ matter now, all that matters now is the truth and finding the damn blackened!”

“Kiyondo is right,” Sakura said in agreement. “We can focus on the finer details later.”

“Why is Mr. Ishida so fired up all the sudden…?!” Hifumi cried out. “Is my future wife in danger?!”

“Isn’t it obvious? He’s standing up for his boyfriend,” Genocide Jack said while drooling. “Ooh, it’s certainly warming in more places than my heart! Kyahahahahaha!”

“Moving on,” Byakuya said, glaring at Genocide Jack for a moment before looking at Kiyondo. “Is it safe to assume that even an idiot like you can see the truth of the case?”

“Don’t fudgin’ insult me you rich buttface,” Kiyondo said. “But, I think I have more proof to debunk Lest’s theory about Hiro doing it, so everyone here better shut the fudge up and listen up!”

“Ah,” Celeste said. “How vulgar, but please, do inform us.”

“During my time with Mac at the nurse’s office,” Kiyondo began.

“Your first date, right?” Genocide Jack asked. “I’m so glad to have witnessed that! Kyahahahahaha!”

“Shut the fudge up!” Kiyondo yelled. “As I was fudgin’ saying, when I checked one of the damn cabinets there was something weird about it!”

“Weird…?” Kyoko asked. “What do you mean?”

“Well other than a fudgin’ mallet being there…” Kiyondo said. “There was nothing fudgin’ else there at all! Seems pretty damn useless for a nurse’s cabinet.”

“Nothing in there at all…?” Sakura asked. “If I remember correctly, the nurse’s office was well-stocked…”

“What does that cabinet have to do with anything?” Celeste asked. “Perhaps we just had the inventory wrong…” “Or,” Kyoko cut in. “The blackened needed the inventory of the cabinet.”

“What makes you so sure…?” Celeste asked.

“Like I fudgin’ said,” Kiyondo began to explain. “There was already that damn mallet in there, so the blackened fudgin’ knew the cabinet existed.”

“Even so,” Celeste said. “That doesn’t disprove my theory, despite what you vulgarly claimed.”

“Are you so fudgin’ sure?” Kiyondo asked, staring at Celeste smugly. “I think that fits in more than whatever you were fudgin’ saying about Hiro.”

“Oh…? What could you ever mean?”

“Hiro fudgin’ claimed that he was hit when he entered the physics lab, right?”

“Man…” Yasuhiro interjected. “I really should learn not to trust any notes I get…”

“And as he just fudgin’ told us, he got a note telling him to go to the physics lab,” Kiyondo said. “Although following that just proves as dumb as poop he really is.”

“Hey!” Yasuhiro yelled. “Don’t be mean!”

“That’s assuming that he isn’t lying,” Celeste said. “Are you really going to trust that idiot over me?”

“It’s not that I want to be rude,” Celeste quickly added. “But he does not have the brightest track record, no?”

“Well, if I’m remembering correctly, which I fudgin’ am,” Kiyondo said. “You told us to check the physics lab because you heard an odd noise or whatever the heck, right?”

“That is… correct,” Celeste said slowly. “Yes.”

“However when we got there, we learned that Hiro was almost fudgin’ impossible to wake up!” Kiyondo said. “So, what fudgin’ noise did you even hear Lest?”

“I… I’m afraid I cannot recall,” Celeste said. “This… whole trial has been very traumatic for me. Afterall, Junko was a very dear friend of mine.”

“Are you fudgin’ sure, Lest?” Kiyondo asked. “Or did you really not fudgin’ think that far ahead!”

“We really were good friends, not that you would understand…” Celeste said. “We confided in each about everything.”

“You confided in each other?” Kyoko asked. “Could you give us an example?”

“Why bother?” Byakuya asked. “We don’t need to hear any useless gossip.”

“Usually when people confide in each other, it is much more than ‘useless gossip’” Sakura said. “Celeste, if you’re willing to share some of what you and Junko talked about, that would be appreciated.”

“It’s a bit… hard to say,” Celeste said slowly. “But I will if I must.”

“Makoto,” Celeste began. “I do believe that you should know that Junko had a crush on you.”

Makoto, who'd been silent up until that moment startled. “She had a crush on me…?!”

“Are you really that dense?” Celeste asked. “It was the only thing she would ever really mention.”

“Really…?” Makoto asked, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach.

“Yes,” Celeste said looking away. “Too bad you never realized it, though.”

How… did I not realize that…? Makoto thought. I’m sorry… Junko…

“Don’t be so harsh on yourself, Mr. Naegi!” Hifumi said, attempting to cheer Makoto up. “Some people are just hard to read!”

“She wasn’t hard to read,” Byakuya cut in. “She was very clear in her efforts, however, Makoto is just the class's biggest idiot.”

“Hey! Don’t fudgin’ insult Mac!” Kiyondo yelled.

“I don’t understand,” Makoto said, ignoring all of his classmates. “Why are you only mentioning this now…?”

“I don’t understand what you mean, Makoto,” Celeste responded. “Was I supposed to mention my friendship with Junko sooner?”

“I mean, if she really confided with you everything,” Kyoko said, trying to assist Makoto. “Did you know her secret?”

“Her secret…?” Celeste asked. “You mean the last motive?”

“No,” Kyoko said. “Didn’t you say those were fake, anyways?”

“Yes, she did. My little baby Celeste insulted my motive despite it being one-hundred percent accurate for everyone!” Monokuma cut in.

“Don’t call me that,” Celeste gritted out. “And if she had another secret, I was not informed of it.”

“Well, can you really say that she confided in you then?” Kyoko said. “It’s relatively inconsequential compared to the last motive.”

“Of course you would know all about that wouldn’t you?” Celeste asked. “Digging into everyone’s personal information like that.”

“I’ve said it before, it was for public use,” Kyoko said. “If people weren’t supposed to look then Monokuma would’ve allowed us to store them in our rooms.”

“Then Celeste hasn’t been entirely truthful during this class trial, then?” Makoto asked, finally regaining some of his spirit.

“What do you mean?” Celeste asked, turning to stare at Makoto, or rather, glare at Makoto. “I’ve tried my hardest to assist everyone in this class trial since it has begun.”

“But everyone seems rather prone to believe two idiots instead of me,” Celeste said. “And there’s nothing I can do to circumvent that, is there?”

“I mean, I’m sure you were friends with Junko,” Makoto said. “But, I don’t think you were ‘close’ friends.”

“And is that so surprising?” Celeste asked. “I am Celestia Ludenberg, it is even an honor to be my D rank, let alone a C rank like Junko almost was.”

“Ranks…?” Sakura asked.

“I can’t allow just anyone to get close to me,” Celeste said. “It wouldn’t look good for my image, and apparently Junko was the same.”

“Then why did you lie to us about ‘confiding’ in each other?” Makoto asked. “It… doesn’t make much sense.”

“Nothing makes much sense to idiots like you,” Celeste replied coldly. “However, even though I tuned out most of her babble, I could easily see how much she wanted Makoto.” “I thought it would be easy,” Celeste said. “Afterall, I’m Celestia Ludenberg, how hard would it be to matchmake a model and an average forgettable boy?”

“You were trying to matchmake Junko and I…?”

“Really, how did you not notice it?” Celeste asked. “I believe even Yasuhiro would be able to tell what was happening. Were you dropped on your head as a child every single day?”

What was her goal…? Makoto thought. You can’t really say she was doing it out of the kindness of her heart, can you?

“Celeste…” Makoto began, hesitantly. “You befriended Junko because you wanted something out of her didn’t you?”

“What are you saying, Makoto?” Celeste asked.

“You were… planning on murdering her, weren’t you?” Makoto continued. He wanted to be wrong, even after seeing Celeste’s true colors.

“What the hell did you just say…?!” Celeste said, glaring fully at Makoto. “Are you really implying that I murdered Junko?”

“Yes,” Makoto said in finality. “And, I can explain my reasoning as well.”

“Tch,” Byakuya said. “Just end this already.”

“Celeste originally befriended Junko because she wanted to use her,” Makoto began. “As soon as she found out that Junko had a crush on me, she began to exploit it.”

“Celeste discovered that she earned Junko’s trust just as the next motive was revealed,” Makoto continued. “So now she had the perfect opportunity.”

“Celeste wrote two notes on the night of the murder,” Makoto said. “One for Hiro and one for Junko.”

“Hiro’s note had him arrive first in the physics lab, where she was waiting for him,” Makoto said. “When he arrived she quickly knocked him out with a mallet.”

“After knocking Hiro out, Celeste went to the nurse’s office to get what she needed to kill Junko,” Makoto said. “She exchanges the contents of the cabinet with the mallet and leaves the nurse's office.”

“She makes Junko and herself tea, although Junko’s tea is drugged. Then she waits,” Makoto said. “After Junko arrives and drinks the tea, she dies, leaving Celeste alone with the body.”

“After Celeste leaves, Byakuya discovers the body and decides to frame Genocide Jack to force Toko to reveal herself,” Makoto said. “Byakuya grabs several items from the warehouse and changes the crime scene.”

“After everything is said and done, the body is discovered by everyone but Byakuya and Toko in the early morning when we decided to look for Junko and Hiro,” Makoto said. “Isn’t that right, Celeste?”

Celeste froze in place, the perfect picture of unbridled rage. And all in one moment, she deflated like a balloon.

“Well, that’s it, then,” Celeste said. “Honestly, it went on longer than I expected.”

“You’re just going to give up then?” Byakuya asked, staring at her with some sort of respect in his eyes.

“There’s no point in continuing when you’ve lost, no?” Celeste asked, accent coming on just as thick. “Or at least, that’s my personal motto.”

“Why…?” Makoto asked, staring at Celeste in shock. “Why did you kill Junko…?”

“For my dream, of course,” Celeste said, smiling. “I dream of a castle with vampire butlers and it’s all owned by me.”

“That money,” Celeste continued. “Would’ve been enough for me to finance my dream after years of saving up.”

“And that’s why you did it?” Sakura asked. “Just for your dream?”

“I am nothing, if not self interested,” Celeste answered. “Although, that should not surprise you.”

Makoto frowned, but she wasn’t exactly wrong.

“Your reasoning doesn’t fudgin’ make sense!” Kiyondo yelled. “At least bro felt sorry about what he fudgin’ did…!”

“Oh, how touching this is, all my children finally bonding!” Monokuma cut in. “Daddy Monokuma hates to be the bad guy, but it’s voting time!”

The class voted for Celeste, and when their vote was announced correct they were left with a few moments of sadness.

“Before this ends,” Celeste began. “Anything you ever hear about me after this point, you can disregard. It’s all unimportant now, no?”

“And, I suppose it would be nice if we could meet again,” Celeste continued. “Perhaps in another life, yes?”

“Well, my darling Celeste got her last words in, and now it’s punishment time!” Monokuma said. “Hold onto your hats and get a fan, this one is going to get hot!”

“Ohohoho, does he mean in a sexual way?” Genocide Jack asked. “Because I’m all up for that…!”

When Celeste reappeared she was tied onto a stake and a castle was behind her. Hay lay haphazardly under her as she was forced to stare ahead.

A plushie resembling Monokuma in color lit the hay underneath her as she began to burn.

Celeste began to sweat but she also smiled, facing forward in some sort of misattributed pride.

Perhaps it was her final stand against the Mastermind.

As the flames grew higher and higher, Celeste looked up, never once losing her smug expression.

Just as the flames began to lick her face, a fire truck revved up with Monokuma as its driver.

It drove onto a ramp and catapulted up towards Celeste, hitting her and breaking the castle behind her.

Another Monokuma with a waterhose extinguished the stick that started the execution, effectively ending the execution as well.

Makoto stared in horror as the events of the killing game finally started to catch up to him. Another person was dead, and it was technically his fault. Wasn’t it?

I’m sorry, everyone… Makoto thought. Junko and Hina… I wish I wasn’t that dense… I wish I could’ve told you that your feelings weren’t ignored…

Sayaka and Leon… I could’ve saved them too if… if I had just noticed… Makoto thought, not noticing that tears were beginning to fall from his face.

Mondo, Celeste and Chihiro… you guys didn’t deserve to die either…! Makoto thought. I’m sorry… I’m sorry I couldn’t help you in time…

Makoto began sobbing loudly, blind to the world around him. He had enough with this game, although there wasn’t much he could do about it.

Suddenly there were arms wrapped around him. When he opened his eyes he could see white from his blurred vision.

“Come on Mac,” Kiyondo said softly. “I’ll take you back to your room.”

Makoto didn’t say anything as he let himself be dragged into the elevator.

He felt so numb.

[theultimatefanficwriter]

Kiyotaka Ishimaru x Mondo Oowada-Dead Boy Walking

Slight NSFW Content

Kiyotaka Ishimaru was happy. He was the star pupil of Class 78 and the designated Hall Monitor. He was set to go very far after graduating from Hope's Peak Academy. What more could he ask for?

"Ow!"

The Ultimate Moral Compass turned at the quiet exclamation. He noticed his close friend Chihiro Fujisaki rubbing the back of his head. Taka noticed a balled up piece of paper come to a stop next to Makoto Naegi's feet. The strict rule follower narrowed his eyes as he looked behind the Ultimate Programmer. He noticed Junko Enoshima covering her mouth, a hint of a smirk peaking over her hand. Makoto looked down as the ball hit his foot. He raised a brow and picked the object up.

Kiyotaka reached across the aisle and held his hand out. "Makoto Neagi, would you please hand that over to me so I could dispose of it?" He commanded in his normal booming voice.

Maokoto jumped a bit and nodded, handing it over. "Y-yeah! Of course, Taka." Taka all but snatched it out of the Ultimate Lucky Student's hand and immediately unfolded it, giving it a read.

Chihiro Fujisaki, the Ultimate Programmer, makes a very pretty girl, doesn't he? Maybe he should stop lying to his classmates and reveal what he really is.

Taka stiffened, his eyes shooting over to Chihiro, his friend continuing on his work with a downtrodden look on his face. Kiyotaka was the only one Chihiro ever told his secret to. How could Junko have known?

The boy in white looked over to the Ultimate Fashionista, who was staring at him with a smug grin. She gave him a finger wave before turning away from him. Taka narrowed his eyes before standing up quickly, causing the desk and chair to screech across the floor.

"Teacher!" He called. "It has come to my attention the Junko Enoshima was bullying Chihiro Fujisaki by throwing this at her!" Taka held the ball between his fingers. His small friend looked up at him, a grateful smile on his face.

"I was just trying to get "her" to stop lying, Teacher!" Junko said innocently as she stood, placing a hand over her heart. Taka glanced back and gave her a look of warning. He noticed that the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader, Mondo Oowada, did as well. Junko ignored both of them as she made her way to Chihiro's seat. "Chihiro here has a dirty little secret." She said in a sing songy voice. She pat the boy on the head, causing him to stiffen up. "Dontcha, Fujisaki?" She gave the programmer a knowing smile.

"Junko that is enough!" Kiyotaka exclaimed, point his finger at her. "Leave Chihiro alone!"

Junko smirked, turning to Taka. "Aw, you're only stopping me 'cause you already know the secret, tattletale." The fashionista pouted. "Why don't you share with the rest of the class?" She held her hand out to everyone, who look extremely uncomfortable.

Kiyotaka glanced over at the teacher, who stood with crossed arms. "Miss Enoshima, that is quite enough." He said with narrowed eyes. "Apologize to Miss Fujisaki and sit down or I must send you to the Headmaster."

The pigtailed girl smirked. "'Miss' Fujisaki? Don't you mean-"

Taka's eyes widened and he dashed over to try to stop Junko somehow. But someone was faster.

Before he could even blink, Kiyotaka saw Mondo standing beside Junko, his hand over her mouth as he glared down at her. "I don't like laying my hands on chicks." He growled. "But if ya would kindly shut the fuck up and sit down?"

Junko looked up at Mondo, her eyebrows narrowed angrily. She moved away from him and went back to her desk. The biker huffed and popped his collar before sitting back down as well. The hall monitor blinked, still stunned, before he shook his head. He pocketed the paper ball, not wanting someone to fish it out of the trash, and sat back down as well.

The class eventually ended, and like usual Kiyotaka sat patiently at his desk for everyone else to leave. And like usual, Chihiro waited with him. Also like usual, Junko stuck her tongue out at him and called him some rude name. But unlike usual, Mondo was still in the classroom, leaning against the back wall.

When it was just the three of them, Chihiro ran over to Taka excitedly. "Thank you so much, Taka!" He chirped. "I was way too scared to stand up to Junko."

The star pupil smiled down at his friend brightly. "But you're getting more confident!" He pointed out. "Don't think I haven't noticed!" He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I am very proud."

Chihiro smiled and looked over his shoulder to Mondo. He gestured for him to come over, so the biker leader pushed off the wall and made his way there. "That's actually thanks to Mondo!" Chihiro informed the Ultimate Moral Compass. "He's been training me!"

Taka's gaze went from Chihiro to the muscular man approaching the two. He crossed his arms and looked him up and down. "Why did you ask this...rule breaker to train you and not me, Chihiro?" Kiyotaka asked, giving the man before him an unimpressed look.

The man with the pompadour scowled. "Maybe because he wanted help with getting stronger, not learning how to be a kiss ass." Mondo retorted.

Chihiro looked between the two nervously. "I...I thought the two of you would be friends..." He said quietly.

The men looked down at him, before returning to glaring at each other.

"I'm sorry, Chihiro, but I've seen Mondo Oowada's record." Taka said bluntly. "He is only trouble and has no regard for safety."

"Yeah, sorry buddy. No way I can be friends with a guy who has an entire pole stuck up his ass." Mondo spat.

Kiyotaka's eyes narrowed angrily at that insult, much to Mondo's amusement. "Why on Earth did you tell this...this delinquent your secret?!" The rule abider exclaimed, turning his head to Chihiro.

The Ultimate Programmer swallowed, clearly uncomfortable. "W-we saw each ot-other at the-" He tried to explain.

Seeing his friend was having difficulties, Mondo placed a gentle hand on his head and gave him a smile. "Calm down. I got this." He soothed. The young boy nodded, taking a breath. Mondo turned back to Taka. "We ran into each other at the gym. I noticed he was having trouble, so I offered to spot him. He mentioned he was trying to get stronger, I offered to train him, and after a few training sessions he felt close enough to me to tell me the truth." He grinned at his friend. "And I'm honored." Chihiro giggled softly.

Kiyotaka analyzed their interaction. Mondo seemed to genuinely care about Chihiro, and vise versa. He did stop Junko from spilling his secret. But how could sweet, kind Chihiro ever become friends with such a thug? He's the type of person Taka would want to protect his close friend from. So it makes no sense.

"I'm still not sure if you should be hanging around him." The role model thought aloud, putting a finger to his chin.

Mondo narrowed his eyes and took a step towards him. "I don't think that's your decision to make, asshole." He growled, shoving a finger into Taka's chest.

The man stumbled backwards slightly. He glowered at the biker and brushed his uniform off. "It was merely a suggestion, but if your way of becoming stronger is to always resort to violence, than perhaps I should try to enforce it."

Mondo's face turned red and he reeled his fist back.

"Stop! Please!"

The man stopped and turned, seeing his small friend with an outstretched hand looking terrified.

"Please don't hurt each other!" Chihiro begged. "I'm sorry I made you two meet. I thought you'd be friends but I was wrong!" He looked to be on the verge of tears.

Mondo looked at him for a moment before turning back to Kiyotaka, who was looking past him at the programmer. Mondo scoffed and backed away. He spat on the ground in front of Taka before heading out the door. "See you at training, Chihiro." He called as he left.

"Are you alright, Taka?" The small highschooler questioned, running up to him.

The hall monitor nodded, glaring at the puddle of spit on the ground and stepping around it. "Excuse me for saying this, but your new friend is a brute." Taka said bluntly, looking to his friend.

Chihiro sighed. "He can be like that, yeah."

The man in uniform smiled and rolled his shoulders. "No matter. You should go to your dorm. I have to clean up the mess he left behind. I'll see you later!" The two waved, and Chihiro left the room.

Taka grabbed the cleaning supplies and cleaned up the spit Mondo had left on the floor. His thoughts kept going back to him. He obviously knew of him before this. He'd heard his name during role call, he'd seen and heard him during class, but most prominently, he'd seen his record when helping the headmaster. It was a sight. So many rules broken, both small and large. Graffiti, littering, fighting. He was dangerous. However, his actions still fit his Ultimate title so...he stayed. Kiyotaka sighed in annoyance. Why did there have to be an Ultimate Biker Gang Leader anyway? Or any other criminal Ultimate? Why is the school encouraging crime? He didn't understand it.

Taka stood, finally finished cleaning. He dusted off his uniform again as he made his way out of the classroom, making sure to turn the lights off and lock the door. He made his way down the hall, keeping an eye out for any rule breakers on his way to his room. He didn't see any, but he did see a particular rule break leaning against his door. He came to a stop in front of him with crossed arms. "Waiting for me in front of my door?" Kiyotaka said, shaking his head. "Do you really want to fight me so badly?"

Mondo sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I...actually wanted to apologize." He muttered.

This caught the man in white off guard. "Wait...what?"

"Yeah..." The biker muttered. "I thought about it on the way to my room. Since we're both Chihiro's friends, we should at least attempt to get along, right? Instead of instantly going at each others throats."

Kiyotaka looked to the side as he gave it a thought. He nodded slowly. "I suppose that makes sense." He agreed.

Mondo nodded as well. "Good, good. We're in agreement then." There was an awkward silence for a moment. "So...what should we do to...get to know each other?"

Taka thought for a moment. "The best way would probably to do what we both enjoy. Participate in each other's interests."

Mondo groaned. "Ugh. I don't want to grade papers or stand in the hall yelling at people." He muttered.

Taka laughed. "Is that what you think I do for fun?" He laughed with a smirk.

Mondo returned it and shrugged. "I don't fucking know, man. Probably."

The hall monitor shook his head with a smile. "Well I can assure you, I have an activity in mind the both of us will enjoy."

"Dude, you fucking box?" Mondo gaped at the gloves Kiyotaka was currently putting on.

The man in white chuckled and nodded. "You aren't the only one that likes to stay in shape." He replied as he tightened the strap of the glove and went on to the next. "The other pair is over there." He gestured with his head.

The Ultimate Biker Gang Leader still looked surprised, but he made his way over to Kiyotaka's dresser and grabbed his second pair of gloves. "I usually prefer to just use wrappings." He told his sparring partner. "But since we're being all buddy buddy and shit, sure. I'll use these."

Taka spat out the strap after finishing tightening the second glove. "You spar with only bandaged hands?" He asked, moving into the area they had cleared out for their sparring match.

Mondo nodded as he hit his now gloved fists together. "Usually, yeah. I like the feeling of fist to face." He chuckled. "But I guess I don't want to actually hurt ya, so this makes sense."

Taka smirked and took an offensive stance. "Well if that's the case then we are getting somewhere." He stated. "However, I don't know if you even could hurt me."

The gang leader barked out a laugh, copying the role model's stance. "You serious? Dude, I would've pulverized you if Chihiro hadn't stopped me."

The Ultimate Moral Compass threw a punch, which Mondo blocked with his fist. "I had plenty of space to avoid you. I was simply giving you the illusion of control." Kiyotaka said cockily, moving around his opponent.

The taller of the two raised a brow, clearly amused. "Uh huh. I'm sure." He shot his left fist out at the man in front of him, which was easily blocked. "You know, when you aren't busting me for walking too quickly down the hall, you're pretty alright." Another blow was thrown.

This struck Taka in the arm, causing him to stumble backwards. He powered through it and shot the one who had hit him a grin. "Nice hit. And yeah. When you aren't littering the halls, you're pretty fun." As he finished speaking, he lunged to the side before throwing a punch.

This caught Mondo off guard enough for the hit to land on his shoulder. The biker chuckled and rubbed the spot. "Fuck. That actually hurt a bit. You're stronger than I thought."

The two continued exchanging blows for nearly an hour, until the two were tired and sweaty. They threw the gloves to the side, and Kiyotaka went into his bathroom to grab them both towels. He returned and threw one to Mondo. "I think this was a success." He said with a smile. "I can safely call you...a friend."

Mondo chuckled and wiped the sweat off of himself. "Yeah. At the very least we ain't tryin' to kill each other."

Taka nodded in agreement and threw his towel into his bathroom, intending to send both the one he and Mondo used to the laundry soon. "I wouldn't mind spending more time with you in the future." He told the biker. He approached him with a wide grin and held out his hand.

Mondo looked down at him with a strange look. He looked...conflicted? Confused? He seemed to snap out of it and smile at Taka, shaking his hand. "Yeah, same here." He tossed his towel into the bathroom as well. "This was actually fun, Taka. I'll be seein' you around." He made his way to the door, the two waving goodbye.

The next day in class was uneventful. Junko was quiet the entire time, which admittedly worried Kiyotaka more than her causing trouble. Regardless, class came and went, and everyone left as usual. Taka and Chihiro stayed, Junko called the hall monitor a slur, the ropes. But like the day before, Mondo had stayed behind. When the young programmer noticed this, he got worried. He put himself between the two as Mondo approached.

The biker smiled down at him and pat his head. "Hey, don't worry buddy." He assured his friend. "Taka and I worked everything out, right, dude?" He looked up at the rule follower with a warm smile.

The man in question nodded and smiled down to Chihiro as well, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, don't worry, Chihiro. Mondo and I are friends now!" He said in his usual booming tone.

The young boy looked up, surprised. "Wait, really?" He asked. When the two nodded, he smiled happily and jumped in place. "That's great! So we can hang out together?!" He looked between the two men excitedly. They both chuckled and nodded at him. The programmer clapped happily, before letting out a gasp. "Oh! We could train together!" He exclaimed. He looked up to Mondo. "Is that alright?"

The biker looked up to Taka, who nodded at him, a grin on his face. The man with the pompadour ruffled Chihiro's hair. "'Course it is, kiddo." He chuckled. The small boy looked ecstatic and grabbed the newly befriended men's hands, rushing out the door to the gym.

"So we're going to go on to twenty pounds, alright, buddy?" Mondo said to Chihiro as the programmer set his gym bag next to the bench press he had chosen to use. He had already gone into the changing room and put on his blue tracksuit.

The determined young man nodded as he took his place on the press. "Yeah! That sounds good!" He took a deep breath and looked between his friends with a smile. "You'll both spot me, right?"

The two nodded. "Of course, Chihiro." Taka replied, giving him a thumbs up. The prize pupil was wearing a red tracksuit and had a towel draped over his arm. Chihiro giggled carefully lifted the weight from where it rested, beginning his reps.

Mondo looked over at Taka, the rebel in a black tracksuit. He smirked at the towel. "You got one this early? You haven't even worked out yet." He teased.

The black haired boy rolled his eyes. "Funny." He replied, giving his new friend a grin. "I got it for Chihiro." As he spoke his friend's name he glanced down at him, making sure he wasn't having trouble. Seeing as he was doing fine, he glanced back up to Mondo. The biker was looking him up and down.

"You really are surprisingly fit for someone so...stuck up." The man in black mumbled.

Taka looked at him surprised. "That was...a bit insulting." He said quietly, rubbing his arm and looking down. "I thought we were getting along."

Mondo's eyes widened and he placed a hand on Taka's shoulder. "Oh, no, dude! Fuck, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that I always saw you as a teacher's pet. I didn't know you were so...tough." He punched the other man's arm, a grin on his face.

A smile returned to the hall monitor's face. "Ah! That's what you meant." He shrugged. "As I told you, I enjoy keeping in shape."

Mondo laughed softly, carefully leaning on the bench press. "You are much cooler than I thought, bro." He held his fist out for Taka.

The man stared at Mondo. "Did you just call me...bro?" He asked.

The biker's face fell slightly, and his fist dropped. "Well, yeah. I thought since we were getting closer..."

Taka held his hands up and shook his head. "No, no, no! You misunderstood me this time." He chuckled. "I'm...honored. I don't have a lot of friends." He smiled brightly and held his fist out for Mondo.

The gang leader returned the grin and bumped his fist against the Ultimate Moral Compass'.

The two laughed as they smiled at each other, bringing their arms down to their sides.

"O-ok. I think I'm done for now." Chihiro panted bringing the weights back up. Both Taka and Mondo rushed forward to grab it, and their hands touched as they did so. They glanced at each other and laughed it off as they helped their small friend. Chihiro threw his legs over the side of the bench as Kiyotaka handed him the towel. He wiped his face and took a long sip of the water bottle he had brought with him.

"You did really good today, Chihiro!" Mondo congratulated him. "You're getting better every day."

"Only because of you, Mondo." The programmer beamed up at his muscular friend.

Taka watched this with a smile on his face. He can't believe he had thought so poorly about Mondo. He's been helping Chihiro so much. The once self conscious boy has become so much more confident. He's become stronger, mentally and psychically. All thanks to Mondo. He's really sweet to him as well. He's actually a really kind guy after all and-

Kiyotaka stood up straight. He glanced over at Mondo and saw him carrying Chihiro on his bicep, the two of them laughing. He gulped and rubbed the back of his neck. Mondo glanced over at him and raised a brow. He placed the young boy down and went over to his newly acquired friend. "Hey, you good, bro?" He asked, placing a hand on Taka's shoulder.

The star student smiled at him and gave him a thumbs up. "O-of course bro! Just fantastic!" He exclaimed.

Mondo chuckled. "Cool. Well, Chihiro wanted to go back to his room and work on his little project. We could go back to my dorm and hang out if you wanted?"

Taka nodded. "Sure, of course. We could do something to get to know each other even more."

"You read my mind, bro." The biker chuckled as the trip left the gym.

Mondo and Kiyotaka said their goodbyes to Chihiro as he went into his room. The two then went into Mondo's. Taka sat on the gang leader's bed as said man locked the door. "So, what are we going to do?" The role model asked as Mondo sat beside him.

The rebel rubbed his neck and looked to the side. "Well...I know this is gonna sound dumb 'n cheesy but...I thought we could just...talk."

Kiyotaka blinked at him.

Mondo sighed. "Goddamn it." He ran his hand over his face. "Look, boxing and shit is fun and all, but if we really wanna be 'bros' and all, which I actually do, we should get to know each other for real. For instance." Mondo cleared his throat. "I had a pet dog named Chuck." The Ultimate Biker Gang Leader coughed into his hand and turned away, shielding his face from Taka. "He...he died...a while ago. I miss him."

Kiyotaka nodded slowly. "I am very sorry to hear that." He comforted his friend, patting him on the back.

Mondo just shrugged and rolled his shoulders before turning to the star pupil. "So what about you?" He asked. "I noticed Junko always gives you a hard time. She keeps calling you curses and shit. What's that about?"

Taka frowned and rubbed his arm. "I don't actually know." He admitted. "She seems to have some extreme hatred for me, but I haven't the slightest why." He sighed as he looked up to Mondo. "I think she's angry at me for always getting her in trouble for constantly bullying other students."

The biker narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. "Well I can get being pissed at you for gettin' them in trouble." He began. "But not if it was for bullying someone. That shit's not cool at all, especially if the person isn't strong enough to defend themselves." The man growled and gripped at his jacket.

Kiyotaka looked at him, a soft smile forming on his lips. "You...have a caring heart for someone that comes off so tough." He said quietly.

Mondo smirked at him and chuckled. "Don't fucking tell anybody." He warned teasingly. "I have a reputation to keep." The two shared a laughed for a moment. As it died down, Mondo looked back to his friend. "So she's just being really petty?" He questioned, bringing his original question back up.

The hall monitor looked down at the floor. "It's more than just that." He muttered. "I...I think she's trying to sabotage me."

The gang leader raised an eyebrow. "And why do you say that?" He asked.

Taka sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "She's been doing things that would hurt me." He explained. His eyes looked away. "I...think what happened with Chihiro yesterday was because of me."

Mondo furrowed his brow. "And how the hell is that the case?" The Ultimate Biker Gang Leader asked, grabbing the black haired boy's shoulder and turning him to face him.

The boy in white looked looked at the taller man sadly. "I don't know how she learned of Chihiro's secret, but she knows I'm close to him. By revealing it to everyone it would not only hurt Chihiro, it would hurt me, because she knows I care about my friends dearly."

Mondo nodded along. "Yeah, I've noticed that." He smiled at the ruler aibider warmly. "You looked about ready to tear into her just for getting close to Chihiro."

"Well, he's my closest friend." The hall monitor admitted. "One of...my only friends."

The rebel watched the man in white as he scratched his arm sadly. He felt a sharp pain in his chest he couldn't explain as the shorter boy looked so dejected. Mondo watched the other closely.

"Junko has also been...spreading rumors around about me." Kiyotaka continued, scratching his head. "In an attempt to ruin my reputation, I believe."

Mondo narrowed his eyes as he tried to remember any rumors he had heard about the boy. Junko spread rumors all the times, but Taka was such a teacher's pet with such a clean record that any rumors were sure to stick out. And sure enough, one popped to the front of his memory. "Oh yeah, I remember." He began, turning to Kiyotaka. "She started tellin' everyone you were gay."

The star pupil stiffened and nodded. "Yes. She did." He confirmed quietly.

Mondo rubbed the back of his neck. "I know it's none of my business, but...are ya?" He questioned, glancing slightly over at his friend. "'Cause there's nothin' wrong with it if you are."

Taka sighed loudly and stood up. "I should get going." He said, heading towards the door. "It was...really good to get to know you some more, Mondo."

The biker frowned and stood up, following him. "Bro, did I upset you?" He asked worriedly.

Taka shook his head as he continued towards the door. "No, of course not. I just noticed how late it had gotten. I will see you in class tomorrow."

Mondo watched as the black haired man placed his hand on the door handle. He bit his lip as he argued with himself on what to do. Finally giving in, he sighed. "It's fine if you're gay, Taka. 'Cause I am."

The man at the door froze.

He slowly turned around and stared at Mondo with wide eyes. "...What?" He whispered.

The gang leader shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "Since we're getting to know each other and shit, thought you should know." He mumbled under his breath.

Kiyotaka looked Mondo up and down. "You...you are..." He blinked. "How are you so open about it?"

Mondo shrugged again. "I just learned not to give a shit about what other people think." He informed the other. "I know it throws a lot of people off. They think someone like me would be off fucking chicks, but nah. I get a lot of shit about it, but it doesn't bother me at this point."

Taka looked up at him in awe. "You just...throw everyone's expectations away without a thought?"

The biker nodded. "Yeah. Fuck what other people think. It only matters what I think about myself, right? And I think I'm pretty fucking cool." He looked down at the moral compass. "So...yeah. Just thought you should know."

Kiyotaka felt a smile form on his lips. "I...thank you for telling me." He said sincerely. "I can see how you've helped Chihiro so much."

Mondo shrugged. "S'no big deal." He muttered, turning his face away from the boy. He was attempting to hide a blush that had appeared on his face.

Taka took a deep breath. "In lieu of this information." He bit his lip and nodded. "I do believe I am gay, yes."

Mondo looked over at this, a smile on his face. "That's awesome, bro!"

His friend shook his head. "But it isn't. Not everyone is accepting of people like us, Mondo. And if I want to become Prime Minister one day..." He trailed off, though fear was beginning to take hold on his face.

Mondo walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. When the shorter man looked up, he saw Mondo had a comforting smile on his face. "Hey. I know that there are some fucking dicks out there. But you're amazing, Taka. You can get anywhere you want in life, and being who you are won't stop you." He smirked. "And if anyone tries anything," He hit his fists together. "I'll fuck 'em up."

Kiyotaka chuckled softly and smiled up at the taller man, the fear in him disappearing. "I...appreciate that, Mondo." He replied quietly. "I'm very glad we became friends."

Mondo nodded in agreement, the comforting smile back on his face. "Me too, bro." The two stood like that for a while, just a few feet apart. Mondo bit his lip and rubbed the back of his neck. "I...fucking hell." He cursed.

Taka looked up at him, confused. "Is everything alright?" He asked.

Mondo ran his hand through his hair. "I...shit. I kinda wanna kiss you." He rushed out.

The man in white looked up in surprise. "Y-you want to kiss me?!" He exclaimed.

Mondo nodded, the blush returning to his face in full force. "I mean I've always thought you were kinda cute. And you look good in that uniform. And this time we've spent together...I think I've grown a fucking crush on you." He looked away and shook his head. "But you're still battling your feelings and trying to understand everything. So just forget it." He turned to walk away, but was stopped by a hand on his bicep.

When he looked back, he noticed Taka's face was completely red. The boy let go of the other's arm and folded his hands together, fiddling with his fingers. "No, it's alright." He stammered. "You...you can kiss me."

Mondo turned back completely to the boy in white and swallowed. "You sure?"

Kiyotaka nodded shyly. "I may still be coming to terms with accepting who I am but...you are the first person to show me it is alright to be...myself. That I shouldn't be afraid of another's opinions. And I can't lie and say that I haven't felt myself become...attracted to you recently."

Mondo's face brightened a bit as he took as step closer to the man in front of him. He slowly leaned down to Taka's height and tilted his head to the side as he ghosted over the black haired boy's lips. The shorter man's eyes flickered between the biker's own lavender eyes and his lips. He swallowed nervously as Mondo smiled softly and finally pressed their lips together.

Kiyotaka's eyes fluttered shut as his hands gripped at the gang leader's undershirt. Mondo placed his hands gently on both of Taka's hips, pulling him closer to his chest. He rubbed the red eyed boy's sides comfortingly as he deepened the kiss.

It was all a lot gentler than Taka was expecting from Mondo. It was a very pleasant surprise. The star pupil smiled into the kiss as Mondo slowly pulled away. "How was that?" The biker asked quietly. He brought a hand up to Kiyotaka's face and cupped it.

The moral compass gave a small smile, a tinge of blush on his cheeks. "I enjoyed that." He replied. "A lot."

Mondo nodded in agreement, running his other hand through Taka's hair. "I did, too."

Taka bit his lip as his face grew even redder, a very school inappropriate thought crossing his mind. "I...would kind of like to do more...with you...?" He said meekly, glancing up at the violet eyed boy.

Mondo looked surprised. "Are...are you sure?"

The boy in white nodded. "Yes. I...really like you." He held tightly onto the muscular man's jacket. "You make me feel...safe."

A smile formed on Mondo's lips. He placed his thumb under the shorter boy's chin and tilted his head up as he planted another kiss on his lips. Kiyotaka placed his arms around the gang leader's shoulders as his eyes closed once more. The brown haired boy slowly walked forward until his partner's back was pressed against the wall near the door. His hands went back on Taka's hips as Mondo's mouth left the red eyed boy's lips and traveled down to his neck. He kissed it softly before giving it a gentle bite. Taka let out a quiet gasp as he grasped the back of Mondo's jacket. The biker chuckled and kissed his neck again. "Did you like that?" He whispered into the black haired boy's ear.

Taka nodded. "Yes." He murmured back. "...Do it again."

Mondo smirked and obliged, biting down on the moral compass' neck once more with a little more force this time. He let out another gasp, which turned into a whimper as Mondo sucked on his skin. The biker gave Taka's hips a small jerk, pulling the boy in front of him flush against him. He pulled away from Kiyotaka's neck to look into his eyes. He couldn't help but smile when he noticed they innocent boy's eyes were shut, a happy smile on his face. Mondo cupped Taka's face, causing him to open his eyes. The gang leader gave him a serious look. "I need to know." He said in a low tone. "Are you serious about this?"

Kiyotaka swallowed and nodded. "I-I am." He stammered. "Unless you don't want to-"

"Oh fuck no!" Mondo interrupted him, grabbing both of the boy's sleeves and yanking them behind himself, causing the black haired boy to stumble into him. Mondo placed one hand on Taka's back and another on his hip. "I wanna fuck you so bad." He growled. Taka shivered, causing the man in front of him to chuckle. "I just wanted to make sure you really wanted this. I'm guessing this is your first time."

Kiyotaka nodded. "It...it is." He confirmed. "I'm a bit concerned, if I'm being honest." He smiled lovingly at Mondo. "But I trust you. And I want this."

Mondo said nothing else. He had heard all he needed. With a smirk he grabbed Taka by the wrist and led him to the bed, once they had reached it, he gave the smaller man a light push, making him fall backwards onto it. He began to strip his clothes eagerly. Looking over, he noticed Kiyotaka unbuttoning his uniform hastily. The two locked eyes and gave each other a loving smile as Mondo made his way over to help his partner out of his clothes.

"You sure you have to go?" Mondo asked, the covers lazily covering his bottom half.

Kiyotaka nodded as he slipped on his uniform pants. "Unfortunately I have to walk the halls later." He sighed, putting on his shoes now.

Mondo rolled his eyes. "Can't you just skip that? Stay with me." He laid his hand out on the bed.

Taka looked at it and smiled. He placed his own in it and gave it a squeeze. "You know I can't do that." He told his lover sadly. "I promise when I'm finished I'll come back."

Mondo brightened up. "I'll fucking hold you to that. That's a promise between men." He said, tugging on Taka's hand. The smaller boy was pulled forward, landing awkwardly in Mondo's naked but blanket covered lap.

Kiyotaka chuckled and nodded. He leaned up and gave Mondo a kiss. The biker placed a hand on the back of the black haired man's head and pulled him in, deepening the kiss. After finally pulling apart, Taka finished getting dressed and turned to go. "I really enjoyed everything tonight, Mondo." He said sincerely. "Thank you."

Mondo smiled and nodded. "So did I, Taka. I'll see you later."

Taka left the biker's room with a love stricken smile on his face.

Kiyotaka was still buttoning and straightening his uniform as he closed Mondo's door behind him.

"Well, well, well! What do we have here!"

Taka froze at the all too familiar voice. He whirled around and felt his stomach drop at the sight of Junko. The fashionista was smirking and making her approach to the boy in white. "Disheveled appearance, unbuttoned uniform." She gave Taka a sniff as she stopped in front of him. "Smell of sweat." Her smirk widened as she chuckled evilly. "You're fucking that psycho gang leader kid? Seriously, Ishimaru?" She barked out a laugh and shook her head, the evil grin still present. "You are finished now. Wait until the entire school finds out that perfect record Kiyotaka Ishimaru is actually a filthy little slut." As she finished speaking, Junko was mere feet from the frightened boy, her smug face not far from his own.

Taka clenched his fists as he felt tears form in his eyes. "Why...why are you so determined to ruin my life?!" He screamed, clenching his still not completely buttoned jacket.

Junko didn't answer. She just gave him a finger wave before she turned on her heel and walked away. Taka watched for a moment before he turned around and reentered Mondo's room.

The Ultimate Biker Gang Leader was beginning to get redressed when his door suddenly opened and closed. He spun around and saw Kiyotaka, tears pouring down his face. Mondo's eyes widened and rushed over to him, not caring that he only had pants on. He pulled his lover into a protective embrace. "What happened, Taka?" He asked, stroking his back comfortingly.

"That fucking bitch." Mondo growled as Kiyotaka finished explaining the situation to him. The two had moved to the bed, where Mondo was still rubbing Taka's back.

"I don't regret doing it." The moral compass said quietly, looking up at Mondo. "But my reputation is ruined now."

Mondo sighed in annoyance. "I don't see why it's anyone's fucking business." He said. "You're gay. So what? We fucked. So what? It doesn't change a God damn thing. Anyone who isn't a complete fucking asshole will agree."

Taka shook his head. "But I'm not supposed to do such...activities." The Ultimate Moral Compass pointed out. "I'm supposed to encourage and show case school appropriate behavior."

The biker narrowed his eyes. "Even in your free time? Even when you aren't at school?" He took the distressed boy's head in his hands and gave him a warm smile. "Taka, you need to stop worrying about other people's bullshit. What they think about you doesn't matter. Even if your reputation does get ruined, you can rebuild it easily." He placed a kiss on Taka's lips. "And I'll be here to protect you from anything, you got that?"

The red eyed man smiled despite himself. He felt his worries disappear, and he nodded. "Alright, Mondo. I'll try." He placed his arms around Mondo's strong shoulders. "Thank you so much."

The gang leader smirked and grabbed Taka's hips. He placed the shorter boy so that he's straddling the brown haired man. He leaned down and kissed Kiyotaka, placing a hand on his back and pressing him close to his chest. "I'll always be here for you, Taka." He assured him. "Always."  

There was silence for a moment before Taka spoke. "So...are we boyfriends, now?"

Mondo laughed loudly and nodded. "I'd sure fucking hope so after earlier." He gave the boy a smirk. "You're an amazing fuck."

Taka's face became beet red as he buried it in Mondo's chest. The biker chuckled and ran his fingers through the boy's hair. "Of course it's not just that. You're amazing at everything. You're kind and smart. I'm lucky you want someone like me as your boyfriend."

Taka looked up, the red in his face dying down. "You're amazing as well." He told the purpled eyed boy. "You're really strong, and you've got a very kind heart. You care about others a lot."

Mondo smiled softly and kissed his boyfriend's forehead. "Guess we make a pretty good match, huh?"

Taka nodded, laying his head on the other's chest.

The next day in class, the two walked in together. They were holding hands at the behest of Mondo. He thought it would be best for them to oust their relationship before Junko could.

But it seemed they might have been too late.

For when they entered the classroom, everyone's eyes shot to them. Or more specifically, them holding hands. Junko crossed her arms smugly. "I told you all it was true." She said, pointing at the couple. "I saw Kiyotaka coming out of Mondo's room right after they fucked!"

Taka's grip on Mondo's hand tightened, and the biker gave his boyfriend's hand a gentle squeeze. "It'll be fine." He whispered.

"Is this true, Taka?" Chihiro asked, looking between the two. "Are the two of you really...dating?"

Kiyotaka took a deep breath before answering. He glanced at Mondo, who smiled, encouraging him. The moral compass nodded. "Yes, we are!" He said enthusiastically, attempting to keep up his usual booming tone.

The whole class was silent for a while. Taka was beginning to get nervous until a chorus of "congratulations'" and "I'm so happy for the both of you" and "you two look adorable together" rang out. Both Taka and Junko looked surprised at this reaction, though the former quickly smiled brightly as he looked up at Mondo, who flashed his boyfriend an "I told you so" smirk. The latter, meanwhile, grit her teeth in annoyance and flopped down in her seat.

The chatter quickly died down as everyone went back to their work. Taka and Mondo smiled at each other lovingly as they gave one another a kiss before heading to their seats.  

Kiyotaka Ishimaru was very happy. He was the star pupil of Class 78 and the designated Hall Monitor. He was set to go very far after graduating from Hope's Peak Academy, and he had a strong, loving and protective boyfriend who accepted him for him.

What more could he ask for?

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

Mysterious People.

...

...

...

...

...

*In the Future Foundation Dorms, Kyoko is sitting in the lobby, watching TV alongside Makoto and Chihiro. Setsuka and Yoruko are also nearby, chatting to each other.

So, which one of them is she?

The one with the purple hair and the gloves.

*Ahem* Ms Kirigiri?

Oh! Hello Shuichi.

...?

*Shuichi glances over at the TV.

And of course, this new, mysterious group is still at large, working behind the shadows. Police have still been unable to find any evidence of their tricks except a small calling card. As of such, we are led to believe that they are working under the moniker of Phantom Thieves for now.

Isn’t that the same reporter who came to do some research about Sonia for the press?

Mitsuba Hagihara...Yes.

A group of Phantom Thieves huh? That sounds mysterious...

Actually, that was on the news the other day too...I think Himiko watched it on the news.

Himiko sure does love watching TV, doesn’t she?

Back to more important things, who’s this? Is this your friend you risked your life in saving?

Sure did. I’m Kaede Akamatsu...

...A-Apparently.

Ah, right, you’ve lost your memories, haven’t you?

How do you know all of this already?

Word gets around these places fast, and I’m foundation leader, so I’m naturally one of the first people that gets it.

You’re Foundation Leader? Then you’re like...super important!

Yes, but to tell you the truth...it was actually because of Mr Fujisaki here.

Hm?

*Chihiro looks up from his computer.

Oh! Hey!

Hey! You’re that person who came in for a trim the other day, right?

That’s right. I’m Chihiro Fujisaki. The Ultimate Programmer and Branch Chief of Branch 3.

I’m Kyoko Kirigiri...and this is...my husband Makoto.

I’m Makoto Naegi. My division is Branch 14.

Nice to meet you all...

So, what brings you here Kaede? I-Is Ms Hasami alright?

...

...

Chinami Hasami is dead Mr Fujisaki...She was killed by Yukari Koime...

O-Oh...no...

I-I’m so sorry...

I-It’s fine...She’d want me to get over it.

More importantly, we were hoping to come to you for help on...my memories...

Well, take it from someone who’s had amnesia before, memories aren’t an easy thing to recover...

Oya? What’s this then?

Ms Chiebukuro?

*Setsuka and Yoruko come over.

I heard something about amnesia. Is that what we’re dealing with?

Setsuka, you shouldn’t snoop, you know?

Sorry. Couldn’t help myself.

Y-You’re the lady who saved me from those thugs, right?

Thanks a bunch for helping me.

Think nothing of it. I’m Setsuka Chiebukuro by the way. And this is Yo-Yo.

It’s actually Yoruko Kabuya, thanks...

Nice to meet you both.

Whatever the case, Kaede’s situation is...complicated.

I’ve told her about all the important details of the killing game, from when I first met her to up to now...

But I’m hoping she can get the rest of her memories back sooner or later...

Hm...

Well, we all were brainwashed and had amnesia as part of our killing game...and then after the end of it, the memories just...returned naturally...

So...I don’t really know what to say to this...

But wait...didn’t we already get an answer?

Huh?

What do you mean?

Like Naegi said, the memories returned naturally after a short while...

So...why not just...wait?

I was going to suggest that too, but there’s one problem...

They already came after her once...Chances are Organization Zetsubou will come after her again.

She’ll be safe as long as she’s with us, but I also don’t want to keep her confined to the academy.

...

If...by chance, I went out with someone escorting me...would there be any problems?

I guess not. Why?

Well, I could always go places with Shuichi, couldn’t I?

M-Me? But, I-

That sounds like a good idea.

Saihara seems reliable, so not bad as far as plans go.

Yeah, same.

Ditto.

Is that ok with you Shuichi.

H-Hold on a second...aren’t you forgetting I’m the entire reason Zetsubou came after her the first time?

Hasami was trying to hide Kaede from them and help her get her memories back...and then I showed up, attacked her, and ruined everything?

Y-You attacked her?

I...

I thought she was a member of Zetsubou...This is what I meant when I said I was the reason she was dead...

Oh, Shuichi...

Speaking of which...what happened with that? Didn’t the Kisaragi Foundation reinvestigate the hairdressers.

By the time we got back, Hasami’s body was the only thing in there. Yukari Koime escaped...

Dammit...!

...

Kaede, no matter what, you can’t trust me...As much as I want you to, it’s not possible.

Hey. I’m the one who decides what’s impossible for me or not. And I’m saying I trust you.

Why!?

I have mixed feelings about Ms Hasami and you fighting...but knowing what she was like, she probably threw the first punch, right?

Well, yes, but that doesn’t excuse...

She’d want you to protect me, wouldn’t she? She can’t do it anymore...

So you’re all I’ve got...

...

[Flashback]

Protect her...

Ok...I’ll bite...

Ms Hasami wanted me to protect you. I’ll...I’ll do what I can...

Thank you...

Remember, we’re all here if you need any support, ok?

Thank you sir. I-I still don’t know if I trust myself with this but...

I can definitely give it a shot.