Blackened Skies - CSpratt, MrCynical (2024)

Chapter 1: Prologue: Part 1

Chapter Text

"Well… this is as far as it goes.

I couldn't do it. I couldn't get to the Mastermind…

I'm sorry, everyone…

I'm sorry, Rantaro.

I'm sorry, Shuichi."

***

Cold. Uncaring, unfeeling cold enveloped every fiber of her being, as if the girl were made entirely out of ice. It wasn't the natural cold of a chilly winter breeze; rather, it was like the very concept of heat no longer existed in her reality. An eternity passed without her notice, until one day, a realization occurred to her: why did she feel cold? How could she feel cold? She was… the girl's brow furrowed. What was she, again? She knew something important happened, something she should know, yet her thoughts always seemed to circle back to a numb blankness in her mind. It was around this same time that she realized she could feel herself breathing, and soon after began to hear it as well. The air around her was stale, but it felt heavenly for reasons she couldn't quite recall. Slowly, she felt her eyes flittering open, the total blackness she hadn't realized was surrounding her brightening into a dark grey. Pale light peaked through a tiny vent far ahead of her and seemed to beckon her closer. Step by step, the light grew closer and larger, until it was just a few scant inches from her face. She reached out to it…

… and let out an undignified yelp as she suddenly stumbled forward and fell flat on her face. An angry stinging quickly replaced the numbing cold in her body with a pained groan. "Geez… real smooth, Kaede," The Ultimate Pianist grumbled to herself before she shook her head in a vain attempt to banish the pain. Her knees felt scraped as well, but that was far less distracting than the bump on her head her clumsiness had given her. Sighing, Kaede forced herself to her feet, blinking the last remnants of sleep from her eyes. She went stiff as it occurred to her that the room around her was decidedly unfamiliar. It was a spacious yet cozy area with rose colored walls and carpeting accented by rich wood finishes. Much of the room was occupied by a number of large circular tables with immaculate white cloths draped over them and candles burning softly in the center. She could tell even at a glance that it must have been for a pretty large gathering, each table set for four people. To her left was a grand double door with a set of ornate golden handles. Akamatsu frowned a little. A mansion, maybe? It wouldn't have been the first time she performed at one, but why would she fall asleep in the dining room?

Before she could continue puzzling out the strange situation she found herself in, a horrid banging rang out from behind her, half a shriek managing to escape her before she caught herself. She turned to the source of the noise with a growing sense of worry. Before her stood a trio of lockers, the one closest to the wall having its door swung wide open whilst the other two remained closed. It was dubious how long that would last, however, as the rightmost locker was visibly and violently shaking as the furious pounding continued and the poor metal screamed out in protest. A strange sense of deja vu washed over her for a moment, but it was cast aside just as quickly as it appeared. "H-hello?" She called out. To her surprise, the pounding stopped.

"... Someone out there? Hey, let me the f*ck outta here!" A gruff voice called out from the other side of the locker. Kaede raised an eyebrow. Pretty vulgar way to talk to someone you don't even know, but considering the circ*mstances, she couldn't bring herself to be all that offended.

"A-alright, just a second!" She replied, approaching the container. The pianist pulled on the handle and it opened to reveal a rather tall man with a bright orange pompadour and snake-like eyes that snapped closed as the light of the room seemingly caught him off guard. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Just f*ckin' peachy," The man grumbled back, rubbing his eyes. He stepped forward out of his steel prison, Kaede stepping back in turn. After a few moments, he finally seemed to adjust to the light, his orange irises glancing around the room as confusion dawned over his face. "... The hell…?"

Kaede frowned once more. "Guess that means you don't know where we are or why we're here either, huh?" She said dejectedly. The man, whom she could now see was adorned in a flowing black coat and a plain white tank top, met her gaze.

"Was kinda hopin' you might. I know I wasn't invited, at least."

"Not invited? What do you mean?"

He chuckled a bit as he crossed his arms and looked around the room. "Fancy place like this? Yeah, somehow I don't think they'd be interested in inviting over the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader," He replied dismissively. He glanced back to meet her gaze again. "Name's Mondo Owada, by the way. Nice to f*ckin' meet ya."

Kaede's eyes lit up in surprise. "You're an ultimate too? That's great! I'm Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist!" She cheerily replied.

Mondo gave a firm nod in return before the biker moved to inspect one of the closer tables. "Piano, huh? Yeah, with an outfit like that, I guess I could see that. Don't know much about music, but that's kinda rad, I guess…” Mondo picked up a plate in his hand and rotated it around, examining it from all angles, “Jesus, look at all this. This plate probably costs more than my hog. Must've been a helluva party I crashed."

"Do you usually wake up in strangers' houses?" She questioned semi-seriously. A short laugh escaped him as he set the fancy dinnerware down on the table.

"Happens more often than you'd think. The gang tends to go all out when we decide to have some fun."

Kaede smirked a little, rolling her eyes. "He must be a real delinquent if he does this on the regular. Honestly, though, it also sounds kind of fun..." She mused. Too bad the only times she ever actually ended up at a party were the ones she was commissioned to perform for.

Before she could respond to Mondo’s statement, a metal creak interrupted their conversation, causing both Ultimates to turn back towards the lockers. There, they saw a bleary eyed girl slowly walking out of the final locker. Her light pink hair complimented her pale complexion, her head co*cked to the side in clear uncertainty. Another step revealed a teal hoodie over a white dress shirt.

"Oh, hello there. Are you okay?" The pianist asked. The girl blinked, a beat passing without a response. A small amount of sweat collected on Kaede’s brow. "... Did she not hear me? Would it be rude to say it again?"

"... Yep, I'm okay." The mystery girl finally replied. She walked closer to the two Ultimates, gripping a pair of backpack straps that Kaede hadn't noticed until then. "... You guys are really loud. It woke me up."

"Ah, sorry. We're just a little confused right now..." Kaede responded, scratching at the back of her head.

The girl lazily rubbed at her eyes. "... It's fine… I'm just a little sleepy. Probably should have woken up anyway..." She waved off, practically yawning out half of the sentence. Blinking a couple times, she met Kaede's gaze. "... You said you guys were Ultimates, right? Kaede and Mondo?” the mystery girl asked, to which Kaede responded by nodding, “...That’s good. It’s nice to know that I’m not the only Ultimate here. I’m Chiaki Nanami, the Ultimate Gamer… nice to meet you." Chiaki greeted with a small smile. Her slothish demeanor and voice seemed to strike a chord somewhere within the pianist, but the ahoged blonde couldn't seem to place where. Kaede smiled back regardless while Mondo gave a nod of acknowledgement. The gamer co*cked her head to the side again as she examined the room. "...Do either of you know where we are?"

Akamatsu shook her head. "No, sorry. But… this is a little weird, isn't it? Three different people all showing up at the same place without any clue where they are or how they got there? All of them ultimates, at that?" Kaede pointed out. Mondo fixed her with an odd look.

"What, are you sayin' we got kidnapped or some sh*t? You'd have to be pretty ballsy to try something like that." The biker replied, though he didn't seem to totally dismiss the idea.

"That's true, but…" She said, pursing her lips in a pout. Kaede turned to Chiaki to ask her opinion, only to be caught off guard as the girl pulled out a handheld console out of seemingly nowhere and began skillfully tapping away, the hums of digitized explosions and the chirps of eight-bit music reverberating the now silent room. Kaede deflated a little before clapping her hands together. "Well, we won't find out anything standing around here! We should go and look around!"

Owada stared at her. "... Tch. Guess we ain't got many other options… hey, you two. Stay behind me."

Kaede raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

The biker's eyes rolled. "You just f*ckin' said we might've gotten kidnapped. If that's what happened, there's no way in hell I'm gonna let two girls get hurt by these pricks. That's a man's promise." He spoke with a level of conviction the pianist hadn't expected from someone as outwardly shady as him.

"Don't judge a book by its cover, I guess," She mused. Giving a smile, she declared, "Ah, right. In that case, lead the way!" She pumped her fists supportively. Mondo didn't comment as he moved to the door and the trio made their way out into the corridor. It was as upper class as the room they left mere moments prior, though the sharp reds and whites had been swapped for royal blues and yellows. Golden trimmed curtains lined the tops of the walls, almost like a guide in a maze. "Wow… this place is beautiful. It's like a castle or something."

"Kinda frilly for my tastes. Too much pomp. Between this or my garage, I'd be with my bike every day of the week. I dunno. What about you… uh, Chiaki, right?"

"... It's nice, I guess. I usually just hang out in my room though, so I'm probably not the best judge for that… I think..." Chiaki replied as casually as Kaede had ever heard the gamer speak. Then again, seeing as how they had known each other for five minutes at most, that wasn't exactly a high bar. Chiaki looked up from her game for a moment, a part of the pianist relieved that Nanami was finally paying attention to something beside the console. The Ultimate Gamer was staring intently at a candelabra further down in the hall, oddly enough. "... Hey, we should smash that. An axe might pop out," she declared. Mondo looked back over his shoulder while Kaede stared dumbly at Chiaki, who elaborated after a moment. "... That was a joke. But it would come in handy if we had to fight Dracula…"

Kaede, deciding to humor the other girl, smiled wryly. "If we find a piano along the way, I could play some boss fight music."

The man with the orange pompadour grunted. "Stop f*ckin' around," He muttered, though his voice lacked any actual venom to it. Pointedly ignoring Kaede's giggles, Owada continued to lead them through the seemingly endless hallway.

***

Minutes ticked by with little fanfare or notable conversation, the only especially interesting event being a few locked doors that wouldn't budge even to Mondo's considerable strength. Kaede's initial appreciation of the decor was gradually turning sour, feeling less like a beautiful manor and more like a mockingly tawdry prison. Locked door after locked door was all that seemed to await them the further they went down the grand hallway until she started suspecting that they'd somehow started going in circles. Those fears were relieved, however, when the unlikely combination of ultimates finally stumbled across a staircase. It was just as posh as the rest of the rooms they'd seen thus far, with golden railings running alongside mahogany steps covers by a crimson red carpet that served as a guiding path. It likely would have been an impressive sight to behold if they had any idea why they were there to witness it.

"... Should we head up?" Chiaki questioned hesitantly, though whether this was out of actual fear or simply the girl's measured speech pattern was difficult to tell. It didn't help that her face was firmly glued to her game, hiding whatever expression might have hinted towards her true feelings.

"The doors down here were locked, so we don't really have a choice." Kaede countered as she crossed her arms and scrutinized the stairwell. Despite her eager and collected exterior, if she were being honest, Akamatsu's suspicions were beginning to turn into unease. Waking up in a foreign place with strangers was unsettling enough, but to not even come across another person outside of their trio in what must have been at least a quarter of an hour and finding nothing but locked doors was like the set up to a horror movie. Was going upstairs the best idea they had? They had no guarantee of safety when they first left the dining room either, but maybe it was better when they didn't know what to expect. If the next floor had more of the same, or worse-

"Gerrrrrow!"

A heavily muffled yet remarkably loud and guttural noise rumbled from the next floor like a rolling thunderbolt in the distance, catching all three of them off guard. "The hell was that?" Mondo wondered aloud. Kaede shared his sentiments. As the initial surprise wore off, however, curiosity and dread warred for dominance in her mind. It was the first sound not produced by them that she'd heard in ages, which was simultaneously a massive relief and yet incredibly troubling to her. On the one hand, it meant someone or something else was out there. On the other, it meant someone or something else was out there . As it stood, Kaede saw two options: sit around and wait for either an enemy to attack or a possible friend to pass them by, or confront whatever it was head on and make the best of it. Well… Kaede never was one for taking the road most traveled.

"Well, now we have to go up there! Maybe it's another one of us, and if it's not, well, we'll be counting on you, Mondo!" The Ultimate Pianist declared excitedly, trying to psyche herself up for the task as much as she was the two strangers. Chiaki gave an affirming hum over the din of her handheld while the biker in question smirked a little.

"I don't need a pep talk to kick someone's ass. C'mon." He instructed as he once again charged ahead of the pianist and the gamer, the back of his jacket proudly displaying the words 'CRAZY DIAMOND'. Kaede couldn't help but think the name sounded familiar, though where on earth someone like her would have heard of a street gang like Mondo's was beyond her. Regardless, as they made their way up the steps, Akamatsu tried to pinpoint the sound once again. While she generally wasn't one to brag, it was undeniable that her hearing was almost superhuman compared to most. The cheers of her loved ones in crowded concert halls, misplaced notes on the other side of a busy music room, pins dropping multiple rooms away... with enough focus and the right conditions, Kaede could make out just about any sound amongst a chaotic cacophony with relative ease. Closing her eyes, she searched for the sound's elusive source.

Initially, there were nothing beyond small murmurs that were barely audible even to her trained ears. The higher they went, however, the more the indistinguishable white noise was broken up by unique sounds. It wasn't long before she was able to make out one such sound as a voice. " ... -y na-... gane. I-... ayer! "

"There's definitely someone up here. I can hear them talking. Let's keep going."

"Huh? How the hell can you tell that?" The gang leader questioned and Kaede's expression hardened, his voice throwing her off the metaphorical scent of the voice. "Hey... what are you-"

The pianist cut him off before he could distract her any further. "Just trust me on this, okay? I have to concentrate. Keep going forward." Kaede repeated, her eyes still clamped shut. After a moment of hesitation, she could hear his bootfalls resuming and nearly covering the sound of his grumbling. If someone were to ask her to describe what it was like to follow her hearing like this, the closest analogy she could think of was messing with a TV antenna until the picture came in just right. It had about as much trial and error involved at any rate.

Mondo tapped her shoulder. "Yo, Akamatsu, there's a couple rooms here. Left, right, or straight?" He questioned. Kaede took a couple steps forward and turned to find which of the three directions carried the sound the best.

" ... -ame is Gu-... -ka! Reme-... -is wor-! -y four dark- "

"Straight," She called out. Now they were getting somewhere...

" ... Ah… -one else? Plainly, I-... " She could just start to make out the words, though the voice itself was too muffled to discern any distinguishing qualities about it. She frowned at the lack of detail. They must've either been very far or in very well soundproofed rooms for her listening skills to be struggling this much. Still, it was more than she had a few moments before, so that was something at least.

"There's another split up ahead..." Chiaki softly announced. It didn't take long for their enigmatic prey to give her another hint, thankfully.

" Hehehe… -seems I am not-... -uned to the presence of the unholy! " A different voice proclaimed. Akamatsu's brow furrowed. Presence of the unholy? What the hell?

"Uh… I think there might be an exorcism or something going on? Or maybe someone’s watching a scary movie? This guy isn't making a lot of sense… still, go left here." Kaede called out. She picked up the pace, moving past an objecting Mondo as she zeroed in on the strangers.

" ... -on't really know about unholy creatures, but-... -ooking pretty pale. Do you think-... okay? "

"We're almost there. They should be right ahead…"

Mondo's voice was laced with an ominous edge as he warned, "There's three doors. Not many places for them to hide… or for you two, if sh*t goes south. You sure about this?"

Kaede nodded without hesitation. "Absolutely. No matter what, I know we'll protect each other, and get out of here okay. That's my promise." She announced determinedly.

"... Yep, Kaede's right. Let's do it." Chiaki confirmed. She wasn't sure because of how the gamer's head was angled, but Akamatsu thought she could see a ghost of a smirk pulling on the other girl's features.

"Alright! Just let me figure out which one they're in…"

“ Hmm… Yes, I agree, Plain one. It does indeed seem like there is a third one of us within that locker. However, before we attempt to break it from its reinforced prison, I would like to consult my Devas first. We shall need all the ethereal power we can in order to summon the Ebon Witch from its eternal slumber .”

“ Um… I don’t think you need to ask for my permission for that.. .”

Kaede’s eyes shot up towards the middle door down the hall. "There!" She pointed, a sense of accomplishment radiating in her. Although she didn’t recognize the former's rumbling voice, there was something about the latter one that sounded unplaceably yet distinctly familiar to her. The trio approached the door, Mondo reaching for a handle until Chiaki reached out and grabbed his hand.

"Wait," The pink-haired girl whispered. "We should wait and listen first… I think." Chiaki's prior determination managed to disappear completely in the span of those two final words, but it seemed to have enough of an impact on Owada to stay his hand at least for the moment. Instead, the unlikely gathering of ultimates leaned in as close as possible and began to eavesdrop on the peculiar conversation on the other end.

“ Hm… I see. You are indeed correct, San-D. With magical power so strong that it would require a locker forged of the strongest Mythril, there is little doubt that the sleeping Witch within would make for a powerful ally to the Tanaka Empire! Very well, let us begin, my four Dark Devas of Destruction! "

Kaede raised an eyebrow in confusion. Just like it had down the corridor, most of what the male voice had said sounded like complete and utter nonsense to her, almost as if she was listening to someone speaking in a language she only understood a few words of. She turned her head towards Chiaki, whose normally sleepy face now had a small smile adorning it.

“... Hey guys?” Chiaki began, “I think I recognize one of those voices. It sounds… exactly like a friend of mine.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything, but I also recognized one of them,” Kaede confirmed, though her exact familiarity with the voice was still rather dubious. Even this close, it was difficult to actually note anything unique about it, like it was a generic tune rather than a fleshed out melody. "The other guy, though…"

" Step back, mortal, elsewise I cannot guarantee your safety from the dark magic I am about to unleash upon this prison of Mythril and iron! " He roared, barking laughter soon following. Kaede couldn't help the slightly nervous smile she was forming.

“Does your friend… always talk like a… well… like a crazy person?” Kaede asked dubiously, unable to think of a more flattering way to describe it. Chiaki simply nodded.

“Yeah. That’s him, without a doubt. I’d recognize those mannerisms anywhere.” Chiaki replied, her smile seeming to grow despite still remaining tiny. Kaede opened her mouth to reply, but found it slowly closing again as she was cut off by the male’s voice once more.

“ Satanael… I call on thee once more. Hear my call! Smite the magical barrier that surrounds the Ebon Witch, and free her from her eternal slumber, so she may unleash her full wrath against those who oppose the Tanaka Empire! Come forth, Ebon Witch! Rise from your prison, and join me, Gundha-- ”

KA-SLAM

All at once, the male voice’s loudmouthed theatrics ground to a sudden and unceremonious halt as the sound of slamming metal took its stead. However, within a moment, the sound of uproarious laughter filled the air.

“ Bwahaha! It would appear my magical summons was beyond successful! Well done, my Devas! With that being said, Ebon Witch, your grip is a little too tight. Would you kin-- ”

His antiquated ranting was cut short by a fierce yet oddly dignified woman's voice. “Is it? Good.” She hissed, her voice containing a level of foreign sophistication quite unlike the bellowing from Chiaki’s classmate. A pause followed, before the so-called dark mage spoke up again.

“ Ahem. Ebon Witch, I warn you now that the collar you’re gripping is composed of pure dark energy from the astral deity Cephiro! Prolonged contact from anyone other than its owner, such as what you are doing right now, can cause even the most resilient souls to catch fire and burn! I warn you for your own safety; unhand my collar! " He exclaimed, somewhere between a growl and a plea. The European voice chuckled.

“ Oh, so we’ve gone from screaming about utter nonsense to handing out warnings about utter nonsense, have we? Well, I suppose that is at least a step in the right direction. Very well then, as long as we’re giving each other warnings, I suppose it’s only fair I grant you one as well. ” The other voice replied, causing the male to scoff.

Kaede turned towards her fellow ultimates to gauge their reactions. Although Mondo didn’t seem to have any initial response to the voices, his face had darkened considerably at the arrival of the third. Chiaki’s eyes were locked onto the door in front of them, an uncharacteristically calculating look in her eye that juxtaposed harshly with the girl's normally constantly distracted pinkish-purple globes. In that same vein, upon hearing the voices, Nanami had completely put away her handheld for the first time since they’d started exploring. However, the small beam she’d gained when she first heard her friend vanished, now replaced with an expression of mounting worry.

From the other side of the room, the gruffer of the three voices huffed out a retort. “ Hmph, there is nothing you could possibly warn the Supreme Overlord of Ice about. With my beast lords at my side, reality itself bends to my will! Feel fortunate, however, Ebon Witch, because I, Gundham Tanaka, will indulge your request. What is your warning? ” The man apparently named Gundham asked.

“ Oh, it’s nothing much. I’ll keep it simple for you, just to make sure you understand. ” The female voice began, before suddenly dropping the accent completely and switching to a darker, louder voice, completely free of its original European flair. “ If you don’t want me to pull on both ends of your stupid scarf until you see the face of God, then you will do us all a favor, and shut. Up !”

Before either Kaede or Mondo could realize what she was doing, Chiaki opened the door and rushed inside, causing the other two to rush to her defense. The scene before them was almost comical: a girl dressed in all black, white and red with hair spirals larger than her actual head and a ghostly white face distorted into a monstrous glare as she grabbed another goth by the collar of his dark purple scarf, his mismatched eyes glaring darkly at her as he uselessly tried to pry himself out of her deathtrap. More peculiar, however, were the four hamsters that sat two on each shoulder that were letting out a positively enraged hiss at the woman in unison, the no-doubt usually cute creatures gaining a feral and intimidating appearance as they prepared to defend what was likely their master. All the while, Tsumugi stood awkwardly behind the battling edgelords, ringing her hands nervously. Kaede would've laughed if she didn't feel just as concerned as the Ultimate Cosplayer. Of course, immediately after she thought that, a realization hit her like a bus. "Wait... Tsumugi? How do I know her name? Or her talent, for that matter? Did we meet before?" The questions came a mile a minute to her increasingly boggled mind. They would have to go unanswered for the moment, however, as the entire room froze at their arrival and all eyes flocked to them. Before long, however, the hall was filled with the already familiar sound of Gunham's exuberant cackling.

“Well, well! It would seem that hell hath not cast me far if I am encountering she with the Iron Thumbs once more. Greetings, Chiaki. It has been quite some time since fate last dained us to meet!” He proclaimed as he finally managed to escape his attacker's ferocious grip. The unnamed woman glowered at him for a few moments longer before smoothing out her dress and allowing her face to fall to a clearly practiced if still elegant smile.

“Great to see you again, Gundham. It’s good to know that there’s at least one person here who I already know.” Chiaki replied uncharacteristically quickly, her eyes lighting up like a kid on Christmas morning. Kaede smiled at her slothful companion's sudden enthusiasm, but turned her focus to the blue-haired girl that was beaming at her.

"Ah! Kaede! It's good to see you again!"

"Hey, Tsumugi!" Kaede greeted gleefully. She wasn't the closest of friends with the cosplayer, but a familiar face was a familiar face, and it wasn't as if she disliked Shirogane by any means. "God, it feels like it's been forever, doesn't it?"

Tsumugi nodded in agreement. "Totally! I don't think we've seen each other since…" She gradually trailed off as her joyful expression sunk to one of confusion. "Since… when did we last see each other?"

Kaede shot up a finger confidently as she went to reply, only to find her mouth opening and closing wordlessly as any attempt to recall a memory of the girl before her came up blank. "I… I don't remember either. I… I know you're my friend, but I can't remember where we met... sorry, that must sound super rude…" Kaede trailed off apologetically. To her relief, Tsumugi quickly shook her head.

"No, no, I'm the same! I wouldn't blame you for forgetting meeting someone as plain as me, but for me to forget someone like you? I think it might be something serious. Maybe-"

"FOOLS! You were no doubt tempted by the siren scent of a lotus, and forsook your memories for the hellishly sweet taste of oblivion!" Gundham roared out, the accusing tone of his interruption backed up by his glare. "To cast aside a memory is to cast away part of your very soul. I pity you, poor mortals, for you will never-"

"Gundham, do you remember where we met?" Chiaki asked plainly, looking at him with a blank expression.

Gundham threw his head back cackling, something he did so often Kaede had to wonder how he had any breath at all to carry out his monologues. "But of course, sinner! Our paths first crossed… it was our legendary battle at…" His bravado finally failed him as he frowned. "... Hmph. It seems I have fallen victim to a flayer of memory. It must have been a demon most powerful to pierce through my defenses…"

"I have to admire his dedication to his act, at least," Akamatsu thought to herself, simultaneously impressed and exasperated with Tanaka's antics. She turned to Mondo, who was sneering at the darkly dressed aristocrat while she glared daggers at him in turn. Sensing the tension between them, Kaede looked back to Tsumugi. "Sorry, could I have a moment?" She asked. With Shirogane's confirming nod, the pianist quickly made her way over to the pair, clapping her hands together positively. "Hey guys! Do you two know each other, too?"

Owada scoffed. "Yeah, I guess you could call it that. All the people I know, and it's gotta be Celestia f*ckin' Ludenberg I run into? Tch. Some luck."

The girl, Celestia, apparently, turned from him dismissively. "Loath as I am to agree, I must concede, it seems my luck has taken a turn for the worse if I am stuck here with an E-rank such as yourself." Ludenberg passive-aggressively concurred.

"Uh, wow." Kaede's expression hardened a little, crossing her arms at the other girl. "Hey, that's not right. You shouldn't put people down like that!" Akamatsu argued. Celestia turned to face her properly for the first time since the blonde made her presence known. As she met Kaede's gaze, her red eyes twitched so quickly that she wasn't entirely sure she didn't imagine it. The rush of confidence that had filled her mere momenta prior was now mixed with a distinct sense of unsettlement as Celestia looked at her as if she were a slightly annoying puppy.

"Is it not also improper to inject oneself into another's business without permission? Why, we haven't even been properly introduced. I suppose it is to be expected to some extent, given the circ*mstances, but it seems manners have been foregone nonetheless. Allow me to remedy this. I am Celestia Ludenberg, the Ultimate Gambler. However, I would prefer if you called me Celeste," She informed, her monotone voice nearly managing to sound both haughty and kind at the same time despite the clearly measured tempo she was giving it. After a moment of silence, Celeste's calm expression shifted into one of barely contained annoyance. "Would you be so kind as to return my courtesy, or would you rather I make up a name and talent for you?"

"O-oh, right. I'm Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist. It's nice to meet you," Kaede stumbled awkwardly, faking a smile. Celeste, thankfully, didn't seem interested in keeping up the conversation any longer than they had to, bowing out of their tense exchange almost immediately after with a tersed out 'likewise'. She turned to Mondo, rubbing the back of her head awkwardly. "Geez… she's kind of intense, isn't she?"

Mondo scoffed once more, still glaring bitterly at the gambler as the ultimate in question spoke with a less than interested Chiaki. "Tch. That your way of saying she's a bitch?"

"Mondo!"

His fierce expression softened a little, a glint of amusem*nt dancing in his narrow eyes. "What, am I wrong?"

Akamatsu found herself smirking a little despite herself. "... I didn't say that, either. Still, more people is probably a good thing, even if they're… difficult . Gundham seems alright, if a bit eccentric. I know Tsumugi, too, so I think we're good there. Uh… this might sound weird, but do you remember where the two of you met?"

Owada seemed to consider it for a moment before gaining a puzzled look on his face. "Actually… come to think of it, I don't. We ain't exactly running in the same circles, you know?"

"Hmmm… I don't really have any idea why that could be. I doubt it's good, though," She explained. Now that there wasn't a fight nearly breaking out right in front of her, Kaede took the time to give the room a once over. While every room they'd come across thus far was definitely fancy, this room in particular seemed especially high-brow. The flashy blues and yellows of the hallway were replaced by far more reserved greens, reds, and browns, the room bathed in gentle candlelight from an ornate yet tactful chandelier that hung from the center of the room over a sizable table. A few simple but comfortable looking couches littered the room. Three long since abandoned lockers lined the back of the wall next to a long line of various cleaning tools, ranging from washing and drying machines to several different kinds of vacuums to some devices Kaede hardly even knew how to describe. She was hardly a neat freak, but she was glad to see that whoever ran cleaning in this place took it seriously. If she could just figure out what 'this place' was and why she was here, it would probably be lovely. Of course, that task had just gotten a little less daunting.

She shifted her focus back towards the new faces of the room. Celeste, apparently having finished with Nanami, had secluded herself away from the rest of the party, gracefully sitting in one of the sofas. She could almost be mistaken for a doll if it weren't for an occasional blink. Meanwhile, Chiaki and Tsumugi looked to be in a rather animated conversation about something as the pair huddled around the portable game machine. Much to the pianist's amusem*nt, she could just make out Gundham lurking behind them, trying his best to look stoic and mysterious even as he rather unsubtly watched the Ultimate Gamer play out of the corner of his eye. A peculiar feeling of nostalgia took root inside the young maestro at the scene. It felt so very familiar, like her heart was a hot air balloon that suddenly found its flame, yet it was distinctly different from the joy she got from witnessing the grinning and cheering faces of her audience. It was something more akin to seeing people recreate a cherished photograph. A photograph that she couldn't quite picture in her mind or recall who was there or why it was taken, but that was beside the point. Witnessing the seeds of friendship beginning to plant among her fellow ultimates gave Kaede a sudden burst of confidence to propel them all forward. Clapping her hands together, she declared, "Alright, guys! I think we should stick together and explore this place! Who's with me?"

Unsurprisingly, Tsumugi was the first to agree. "It's what plainly makes the most sense to me. You don't win alone, that's just how it is… actually, that quote sounds kinda cheesy out loud. But still!" Kaede's close acquaintance cheered, earning a grateful smile from her.

"That makes four… hey, ice dude, what about you?" Owada queried. The man in question had closed his eyes, appearing deep in thought.

A low and considering hum reverberated from Tanaka. "Hmm… so, the Siren's High Priestess and those under her thrall seek to stray further into the maw of hell itself… HA! Be it courage or foolishness, your tenacity intrigues me! Very well, I, Gundham Tanaka, the Supreme Overlord of Ice, shall lend you my strength! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The boisterous sorcerer howled out, striking a dramatic pose that sent his scarf and coat billowing out behind him. Kaede blinked. After a few seconds, his manic grin began to fall from his face. "... Ahem. The master of four Dark Devas of Destruction, the devourers of countless worlds, has just sworn to aid you. It would be unwise to ignore such an advantage…" He grumbled, looking somewhat cross. Realization struck the pianist as she finally managed to decipher his insane word salad.

"Ah! Thank you, Gundham! And your cute little hamsters, too."

The Overlord of Ice chuckled knowingly. "Ah, I see that even one as powerful as you cannot pierce their veil of illusion. These are no ordinary hamsters. These are the four Dark Devas: San-D! Jum-P! Maga-Z! Cham-P! They are ancient and powerful beings merely taking the guise of hamsters to better observe the mortal realm."

Kaede truly hoped that she didn't look as boggled as she felt. "Calling himself an overlord of ice, saying I'm a siren or something, gods disguised as hamsters… how does he come up with this stuff?"

Wordlessly, the group turned to the final unaligned student in the room. Ludenberg's sharp gaze lingered on each of the ultimates for but a few moments per person, her carefully composed expression completely masking whatever the gambler was thinking. A quick glance around the room proved Mondo and Gundham both flowering at Celeste to varying extents while Tsumugi and Chiaki looked about as curious as she felt. It wasn't really a matter of actually wanting Celestia around; their introduction and actions before they entered the room told Kaede more than enough to know the two likely wouldn't get along. Rather, it was mostly fueled by her increasing unease and suspicion of her surroundings. If she was right and something bad was happening, she couldn't justify leaving someone behind like that, not even the terse and troublesome aristocrat. Finally, Celestia gave a small nod as she rose from her seat. "Very well. At the very least, it is likely safer to move as a group than to stay by oneself. I shall follow your lead for the moment."

"You won't regret it. I promise. Is everyone ready?" A chorus of various levels of affirmation answered her question. Satisfied, she turned and led the procession out of the room. Upon leaving, she turned her attention to the doors that stood on either end of the hallway. To her right was what looked to be an old Japanese shoji door with a symbol she didn't recognize emblazoned onto it. It peaked her curiosity given the far more western influences most of the building seemed to take, but the musician decided to save it for when they circled back around given her group had already come from that direction. To her left, however, was a room that practically screamed to her at the end of the hall. White and black keys of a piano formed a door that stood out like a sore thumb against the more customary color scheme of the corridor.

"Is that… a music room?" She murmured to herself. Despite their situation, a small amount of excitement rose in her heart at the prospect. The collective clacking of six sets of feet made the vast hallway feel far less lonesome than it had the last time despite the nearly overwhelming size of whatever this place was. It seemed larger than almost any concert hall or estate she'd ever played at. Besides, things just weren't adding up. After all, a building this large and this well maintained, yet she'd encountered a grand total of five other people? It brought her no pride to admit that she was becoming more and more confident in her kidnapping theory. Ultimates were practically celebrities, some of them literally so. Managing to take one as a hostage would probably come with a pretty big ransom demand. Multiply that by six… she shook her head. They'd find out what was going on, and if it was what she feared, they could overcome it together!

… at least, that's what she wished she could believe.

After a couple minutes, the group arrived at the threshold of the odd room. Up close, the piano door was even stranger than it looked from a distance. The sharps and flats were clearly three dimensional against the natural keys that made up the door itself. The white keys also had tiny, nearly invisible lines that separated the stems and keytops, something that would have meant little to most yet served as a major clue to the Ultimate Pianist. She carefully traced her finger along the door to test her suspicions and her eyes went wide as they were confirmed. "What…? This is ivory. A lot of it. Geez... I can't even imagine how much it would cost to make an entire door out of this stuff. Whoever owns this place has expensive taste."

"And a vile soul at that. To even consider how many great leviathans of land were slaughtered to create this mockery… they will rue the day they insulted Tanaka the Forbidden One!" Gundham sneered, glaring darkly at the overly ornate entrance. The thought brought a frown to the pianist's face. She'd always preferred ivory keys for their sound, but now that he mentioned it… it was far from a happy thought to say the least.

Celeste cleared her throat politely. "Ahem. Debates about cost or ethics aside, I believe it would be best to simply open the door. That is what we are here to do, no?" The gambler pointed out. Kaede shook her head a little to refocus herself.

"Right. I don't hear anyone, but they might still be stuck in their lockers or something," She justified aloud. It totally wasn't fueled by wanting to play some of her worries away on a piano, not even a little. A small painted doorknob blended in almost perfectly with the white keys. Her skilled hands wrapped around the handle, twisted, and… click clack click! It jiggled in place, refusing to budge an inch. Akamatsu couldn't hide the disappointment from her face. "All that build up just for it to be locked? What rotten luck…" The musician complained to herself. So much for that song… she shook her head as she turned back to her crew. "It's locked. Guess we're not getting in there."

"Um… maybe I'm just plainly being silly, but he looks pretty tough. Do you think you could break the door down or something?" Tsumugi asked Mondo. The ultimate in question glanced at her with thinned lips.

"... f*ck it, might as well give it a shot. Get back." Owada instructed, cracking his knuckles. He started towards the door before Kaede or anyone else could get a word of protest out, a six-foot tower of pure muscle on a mission. Akamatsu took a couple steps away on sheer instinct, too stunned to voice her concerns. Some instinctual gut reaction was screaming that it would be a bad idea, but she couldn't find the sense to say as much. Owada was mere inches from the intricately designed doorway by now, about to ram into it with all of his considerable force-

The sound of something slamming into metal reverberated from down the hall to their right. " God damn it, open up, you useless hunk of crap! " A man's faint shout followed soon after. The group spun in surprise instantly. Suspicious and startled eyes flicked to one another, none quite sure what to do or say. After a few long moments, Chiaki spoke up.

"... There's someone up ahead. We should go."

Kaede leapt at the opportunity. "Yeah, that's right. We can come back to this later. Come on, guys!" The apparent leader of the group declared. She pushed her momentary dismay to the back of her mind as she tried to focus on why that voice struck a chord with her. Like a song that she didn't know the name of, it rang just enough bells for her to know that she should recognize it while staying just short of actually being identified. Frustratingly unlike a song, she didn't have an ultimate talent that would let her perfectly replicate it to jog her memory. It was trapped in an infuriating loop in her mind that simply refused to leave. Even as the others began into idle chit chat, it kept bouncing around in her skull. So little was adding up, despite the pieces standing there in front of her. Her encouraging beam remained steadfast on the outside, even despite the growing hole of uncertainty pooling in her stomach.

***

"How f*ckin' big do these hallways have to be?" Mondo grumbled under his breath. At this point, Kaede was inclined to agree. They had been walking for at least five minutes straight without any sign of anyone else, or even any twists or turns in the stretching corridor. It wasn't unlike the extravagant hall they had found themselves in on the first deck in that regard, yet it seemed so much emptier despite having twice the amount of people. Between the size of the place and the ridiculously classy decorating, it was beginning to feel like they'd been kidnapped by a billionaire or something. It was an unlikely idea, but it was also unlikely to wake up surrounded by strangers and people you shouldn't know yet somehow do, so Kaede wasn't comfortable completing dismissing the idea for now.

"Perhaps a curse has been placed upon us, forcing us to transverse in circles for all eternity."

"Trapped in a hallway that goes on forever? That sounds like a pretty neat idea for a story, actually." Tsumugi offered positively, seeming to miss the dark lord's subtle sarcasm. At least, what the Ultimate Pianist was pretty sure was sarcasm.

"I played a game like that once. It was pretty cool… but they canceled it and made a slot machine instead." Chiaki piped up, a hint of bitter disappointment in her voice as she went on. Akamatsu, not being particularly familiar with whatever game Chiaki was talking about, instead picked up on an opportunity to learn more about the least talkative member of their group.

"Slot machine, huh? Do you think you ever played it, Celeste?" Kaede asked less out of genuine curiosity and more as an olive branch to the gambler. It was possible they just got off on the wrong foot, after all. She'd made rockier introductions into friendships before. She glanced back to the girl in question to see her giving a small shake of her head.

"I cannot say for certain, but I have my doubts. I tend to prefer more skill based games. Poker, blackjack, high stakes mahjong and the like. Much of the thrill of gambling is predicting your opponent's thoughts and moves. Betting against a machine is simply nowhere near as interesting." Ludenberg explained. Kaede was encouraged by the trace of genuine interest in the black-haired girl's response.

Nanami looked intrigued. "... I've only played poker in games. Is it different in real life?"

"If they portrayed the rules right, you'll likely understand the basics, at least. However, there are many subtleties in a match that can only truly be known by playing for yourself. Perhaps I could arrange such a thing, should you prove interested."

"Now we're getting somewhere!" Kaede thought excitedly. The sextet's back and forth continued for quite some time, chattering about whatever happened to come to mind. Most of it tended to be either Chiaki and Tsumugi debating about the newest games or Gundham going on another rant, both with occasional additions from Kaede and the others (namely Celeste threatening the dark mage more than once). Eventually, though, the sounds of jostling and pounding metal and echoing grunts became decidedly too close for her to ignore any longer. It sounded like they couldn't be more than maybe a few dozen meters away, hidden behind the corner of a left turn. Holding up a hand, the maestro stopped and turned to the others. "You guys can hear that, right?"

"It's rather hard to miss. Chiaki's earlier statement is undeniable: someone, or something, awaits." Celeste pointed out nonchalantly. The darkly dressed girl narrowed her eyes, putting a hand over her mouth as her gaze danced over each student. "... Considering what's happened so far, it's not unreasonable to think there might be danger ahead. One of us should go first and see."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Kaede questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Ludenberg's expression was almost completely blank, a poker face truly befitting of the Ultimate Gambler. "Kaede, was it? We've been brought to an unknown place, likely against our will, and have been left to fend for ourselves. Our kidnappers could very well be the ones making such noise. They wouldn't care about being quiet, after all."

Kaede's lips turned downwards. "Well, that's true, but isn't that all the more reason to stay together?" She offered hopefully. Celeste gave a little shake of her head.

"Quite the contrary. Don't you think people crafty enough to capture multiple Ultimates would be intelligent enough to be armed? We cannot pretend to know what they have in store for us, or if they're willing to kill some of us to achieve it. Perhaps they will open fire the moment they see us, or perhaps they're more of us. It's impossible to know unless one of us is willing to take a risk."

Mondo sneered at her. "What, you think one of us should be a damn sacrificial lamb for you? f*ck that puss* bullsh*t. We stick together. If the bastards that kidnapped us are up ahead, I'll rip'em to f*ckin' shreds myself!" The biker declared, clenching a fist. Celeste looked remarkably unimpressed.

"It's not a matter of cowardice. It is merely basic logic. Why go all in when you don't even know your cards? I will not pretend I wish to be the one to confront them, but between possibly losing one or losing everyone, I'm sure even you could understand which choice is better."

Shirogane raised up a finger as she spoke. "Um, sorry, but I call 'not it'. I'm plainly a little bit scared, honestly…" The cosplayer meekly added, a somewhat guilty look crossing her face. Akamatsu sighed. That… wasn't surprising, coming from Tsumugi, but it didn't help the blonde's unifying efforts in the slightest. She refused to let that uncertainty show, however.

"Chiaki, what do you-" A soft snore cut her off, Kaede glancing to her left to find the girl in question rather impressively asleep on her feet. She could only stare in bewilderment. "Uh, Chiaki? Hello?" Kaede called out, extending a hand towards the other girl and tapping her shoulder. Nanami didn't seem to give any hint that she'd even felt it. She scratched her head awkwardly. "How is she even doing that…?" She pondered. After a few more seconds of unresponsiveness, Kaede simply turned to the next in line. "Geez… I guess she really is sleepy. In that case, what do you think, Gundham?"

The heterochromatic teen stared for a few moments in clear thought, his mismatched gaze shifting between herself and Celeste. "... Though her true intentions are shrouded in a blackened veil of mystery, the Ebon Witch's words ring true. The weight of one life cannot compare to that of five. A sacrifice must be decided on if we are to move forward."

Owada moved his glare to the Ultimate Breeder. "You volunteerin'?"

The Overlord of Ice smirked at him. "As if mere mortals could ever hope to bring about the end of Tanaka the Forbidden One. If I'm to meet my end, it would only be through world-ending calamity! So yes, Mondo Owada, I am indeed prepared to unleash upon these fiends complete pandemonium!" Gundham roared.

"Stop f*ckin' yelling!" Owada shouted back, completely oblivious to the irony.

Chiaki's head snapped up, her pink eyes looking at them blearily. "... Huh?"

Sensing that it was getting out of hand, Akamatsu quickly reasserted herself in the conversation. "Guys, wait!" She interrupted, the two arguing teens stopping and turning to face her. Satisfied that they were paying attention, she continued. "We don't know for sure that whoever's up there is bad. We shouldn't pick a fight where there doesn't need to be. If we are splitting up, it should be someone who can handle themselves, but less… intense. You guys should stay behind with the group. I'll see who's there."

"No f*ckin' way! I already gave you my word I'd protect you, didn't I? A man's gotta fulfil his promises, or he's less than nothing!" Owada's response was as quick as it was predictable. His protective loyalty was appreciated, if completely unnecessary to her. Still, his chivalry was quickly becoming a problem. Akamatsu crossed her arms.

"I'm not a little kid, Mondo. I can handle myself if I have to." She said firmly.

The biker scowled. "I wasn't saying-"

Kaede shook her head. "It doesn't matter. Just… trust me, okay? I'm not planning on dying today. I promised we'd escape together, and I mean it."

His expression was hard to read. The orange-haired Ultimate had a slight sneer, though it lacked any malice for her in specific. His snakish eyes flicked over her uncertainty for a few tense moments before his scowl deepened, hanging his head with a sigh. "... If I hear anything goin' down, I'm hauling ass over there, alright? Don't do some stupid bullsh*t that gets us killed."

She managed a small smirk at his foul-mouthed promise. "I'll try not to. I'll be back soon, so stay safe, guys." She instructed, getting a few nods and words of encouragement. She ignored Chiaki sluggishly asking what was going on as the pianist made her way down to the corner and hung a left, finding herself in a wide yet notably shorter hallway. Of course, 'shorter' by the standards of this place still meant that the passage was massive. She could see a trio of blurs at the end of the hall seemed to be responsible for the noise if the now significantly louder groans and grunts of effort were anything to go by. Kaede cautiously began her approach, trying her best to hide her footsteps amongst the racket up ahead. They were maybe a hundred and fifty feet away from her by the time she could finally start making out details. At the end of the corridor stood a large metal shudder that reached from the carpet to the ceiling, the steel glinting brilliantly in the artificial light. Kaede could make out what looked to be another staircase sealed off behind it similar to the one her group had climbed just half an hour prior. What was more of interest, however, were the three people examining the gate. She could only see their backs from her current position, but she could make out some details from where she stood. One of them was incredibly large, practically a ball on legs dressed in a grey blazer and no-doubt uncomfortably tight dress pants. His brown hair was well combed aside from a solitary but massive spike in the center. It almost made him look like an exclamation mark, but she quickly dismissed the somewhat joke as quickly as it came to her. His size made the young woman next to him almost look malnourished in comparison. Flowing braids of silvery white hair stood in harsh contrast to her black uniform and tights. Still, by far the most intriguing thing about her was the large swordsheeth slung across her back. "Wow… is that a costume, or is she actually the Ultimate Ninja or something?"

The final person was hunched over to grab the bottom of the gate. If his groans of exhaustion were anything to go by, he must've been trying to pull up the shudder, and had probably been at it for some time. His spikey midnight purple hair complimented the lilac coat that hung off his right half like a cape. The sight of him made a sense of relieved joy bubble in her, even though his name seemed to be stuck on the tip of her tongue. "I don't believe it's going to move any time soon. We should try a different route." A feminine voice suggested. The familiar man tsked at her.

"C'mon, you two are my sidekicks, aren't you? You guys should be helping me out here." He chastised.

"I never agreed to such a thing."

"That's beside the point. The point is the impossible is possible if we work together! Hifumi, Peko, grab on and pull up on the count of three!" He proclaimed animatedly. She smirked. That was so… whatever-his-name-was of him. The big guy, most likely Hifumi, took a couple steps back while shaking his head.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I can't do that, Mr. Momota! I'm still sore from the last attempt!" He complained.

Hearing the name was like a slap in the face. Of course, how could she have possibly forgotten him?! He was Momota, as in- "Kaito!" She called out grinning. The three by the gate swirled to face her, Peko grabbing for her sword while Hifumi let out a shrill and piercing scream that had her hands flying to her ears in an instant. Kaito visibly cringed at the noise, but once he caught sight of her, he broke out into his trademark massive beam.

"Hey, if it isn't another one of my sidekicks! Good to see you, Kaede!" The Ultimate Astronaut called back. Their mutual recognition seemed to bring the warrior to a pause, freezing halfway through pulling her weapon out. Hifumi's shrieking had thankfully come to an end, though he still looked like he was on the verge of having a heart attack. Momota held out a hand to calm them. "Guys, chill out, I know her. Did you manage to find anyone else here?"

Oh, right, she should probably let her new friends know what was going on, shouldn't she? "Come on out, guys, it's a friend!" Kaede instructed her group. The others stepped forward from the hall and joined by her side. For the first time since her arrival, Hifumi gained an expression beyond pure terror.

"Ah, Ms. Ludenberg! I-it is an honor most fine to be in your presence again! How may I be of service to you, my mistress? Fehehehe…" The portly boy announced in a voice that made Kaede's gut twist. A quick glance to Celeste confirmed she wasn't the only one unnerved by him, a new level of tension peaking through Ludernberg's composed facade.

"... I see. We are in hell. That is the only reasonable explanation for us to possibly meet again..." The gothic girl spoke slowly and evenly despite her harsh words and the slight furrow in her brow. Hifumi either didn't hear or didn't care about his words as he kept grinning (in Kaede's humble opinion) creepily at his supposed 'mistress' with every step she took towards him. "I suppose there is nothing to be done. You remember your place, I presume?"

Akamatsu stared at the pair in mild concern. "That… does not seem like a healthy relationship…" She thought to herself as Celeste all but dragged an all too eager Hifumi to a more isolated position from the group. Peko barely seemed to care about the ordeal, keeping her nearly glowing red eyes moving behind her stylish spectacles to each and every one of them as if they'd suddenly attack at any moment. Kaito, on the other hand, looked somewhere between horribly confused and a little sick. "Um… that aside, it's good to see you too, Kaito. And to meet you, Peko. I'm Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist."

Pekoyama gave a short and respectful bow. It was a touch surprising, given her previously standoffish demeanor, but it wasn't unappreciated. "I am Peko Pekoyama, the Ultimate Swordswoman. It's nice to meet you, too."

"Swordswoman?" Kaede echoed, looking wide eyed at the other girl. "That's really cool! Would you mind if I watched a little after we figure out what's going on?"

"Count me in, too! It wouldn't be right for a hero not to train with his sidekick, right?" Kaito added helpfully.

Some surprise flashed across the silver-haired woman. "'Really… cool'? I… yes, that would be fine. It's merely unusual to find people with such an interest in it."

"How could anyone not be interested? I mean, you've gotta be incredible to be an Ultimate at it, right? You're practically a samurai."

Peko frowned slightly. "I have a frightening aura about me. Most sense that and choose to keep their distance. I have simply come to accept this over the years."

Kaito's fists slammed together as he gained a determined look. "Yeah, well, not from us! I can tell you're a good person, so I'm gonna believe in you, no matter what other people think. Right, Kaede?" The astronaut proudly declared. His enthusiasm was positively infectious as the pianist's own hands formed in their signature pose.

"Yeah, that's right! Kids at my school used to call me Piano Freak, so I kinda know what it's like to be treated differently because of your talent."

The swordswoman closed her eyes. "I… thank you. Once our situation has been resolved, it would be my pleasure to show you my abilities." Peko agreed. It was astounding to Kaede how quickly she switched between intimidating warrior and a somewhat shy teenager. Regardless, the seeds of friendship were planted, and she looked forward to seeing it blossom.

A low chuckling that had already become indicative of the so-called Overlord of Ice bellowed from behind her. As expected, Gundham stood with his arms crossed dramatically and a dark smirk playing across his lips. It was almost funny how much it contrasted to Chiaki's relatively bright color scheme and simple if genuine smile as she stood next to him. "The Swordmaster of Asura's Spirit, trapped in the same gilded cage as I? Heheheh. Causality has an interesting will indeed…"

Nanami's greeting was a far less dramatic, "Hey, Peko."

A small hint of tension seemed to leave the woman in question as she dropped into a less defensive posture. "Chiaki, Gundham. Under better circ*mstances, I would be glad to see you both again. As we are, though… I doubt the reason for our reunion is a happy one. We should be careful."

"Indeed, there is a dark aura permerating every inch of this place. But if we are to overcome its fiendish tricks, we must also know well those who would join by our side. Pekoyama, who is this mortal cloaked with the night sky?"

Peko and Kaede both went to respond only to be cut off by the man in question. "Why, I'm Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars! From crying children to vile villains, everyone admires the Ultimate Astronaut!"

Gundham blinked, staring blankly ahead for a moment. His thinned lips suddenly exploded into a mile wide grin, thunderous laughter drowning out all other sound in the room. "BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! How rare for another to address me by their true title! Very well, Luminary! Before you stands Gundham Tanaka, the Supreme Lord of Ice, master of the Four Dark Devas of Destruction and the unholy spirit of the Forbidden One! Beware, for I am evil incarnate! Do you think you could possibly defeat one as ancient and powerful as I, mortal?!"

Kaito looked as horribly confused as Kaede felt, and for a brief moment, she had a flickering hope that maybe Tanaka's rambling would simply end then and there. Those hopes came to a crushing end when Momota grinned back and threw his coat out behind him with a pumped fist. "That so? Well then, guess my sidekicks and I are just gonna have to show you how it's done! Our fight will span the entire universe; a battle of two men's ultimate passions!" The astronaut proclaimed. Akamatsu pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Are you guys seriously having a monologue-off?" She grumbled, glaring up at Momota warningly. He didn't seem to mind in the slightest, however. A glance to her side showed Peko had simply walked away from the conversation and stricken one up with Tsumugi, Celeste, and Hifumi instead. Or, rather, stood awkwardly as the cosplayer fangirled over the swordswoman's title and appearance while Pekoyama attempted a conversation with Ludenberg. Mondo leaned against a wall with crossed arms, an annoyed sneer crossing his face more and more as the two showmen continued their vapid debate.

"But of course, sinner! I am an unstoppable force confronted with an immovable object, and neither of us shall surrender!"

"It'll be just another chapter in my epic tale! I've defeated the toughest bad guys on land, air, and sea. Only fitting I beat a baron of hell before I conquer the stars!"

Kaede groaned into her hand. "Celeste was right; this is definitely hell..." She grumbled. It went completely ignored by the two boys as they continued their so-called legendary duel of overly dramatic barbs and brags. The pianist positively refused to acknowledge the hint of amusem*nt poking through her exasperation. She damn sure took care not to let it show on her face. The last thing she wanted to do was encourage the pair. Momota could be pretty over dramatic at times, but now that he had someone with just as much of an active imagination and the same taste for monologues, there was no way the astronaut would ever let himself get one-upped by the self proclaimed embodiment of evil.

She felt a poke in her shoulder, pulling her attention towards the petite figure next to her. "This'll probably go on for a while," Chiaki pointed out noncommittally. She reached into her pocket and pulled out two nearly identical handhelds only distinguishable by their colors. Kaede recognized the dark blue as the one the Ultimate Gamer had pulled out during their initial meeting while Nanami held out a hot orange variant towards her. "... Wanna play some Gala Omega?"

After a brief moment, Akamatsu accepted it, handling the unfamiliar device awkwardly. "Thanks. I probably won't be very good, though. I don't think I've ever actually played one before." The pianist warned. Chiaki gave a small shrug.

"Talent isn't everything. It doesn't matter if you're good so long as you enjoy the time you spend with others… I think." Her pink haired friend said casually as she flipped on her handheld with practiced, Kaede clumsily parroting the motions. Her expression fell a little.

"You don't seem to be very sure of your opinions..." Akamatsu noted drearily. The screen in front of her lit up brightly, a few seconds of colorful logos streaking across it before swapping to an equally flashy menu screen appeared. It took her a moment to find the arrow pad, but she quickly scrolled down to the section labeled two players. "You shouldn't be afraid to say what's on your mind without downplaying it. A little bit of confidence goes a long way."

Chiaki's lips curled slightly. "... It's not like that. I'm not scared. It's just better to leave things open."

The blonde leader considered it for a moment. "Maybe, but sometimes you have to take a firm stance and you can't have any doubt."

"... If things get that bad, it means I already let it get too far," Nanami lamented softly, an unexpectedly regretful sheen in her eyes. It disappeared as quickly it showed up, replaced by unwavering resolve in the blink of an eye. "But I think that's enough sad stuff. Ready?"

She wasn't exactly eager to drop the topic, but the same evidently couldn't be said for her companion. She considered pressing it further at first, but the odd aura coming off her new friend gave her pause. As often headstrong as she was, Akamatsu could tell when an approach wasn't working. Forcing the conversation would probably go badly. Plus, she couldn't claim to know Chiaki well enough to justify such nosiness yet. Instead, she made a note of the odd reaction and shifted gears. "Yeah, let's give it a go!" She agreed, pressing the select button and entering the match.

To say Kaede got crushed would be harsh, but completely accurate. Her exceptional finger work did little to help her against Chiaki's relentless marauding. Time after time, her ship exploded in a hail of lasers and missiles that claimed the pianist's lives alongside any chance of victory. In truth, she could hardly be distinguished from the NPCs, just another lamb for the much more experienced player's slaughter all while the same fierce look of determination stayed stuck on the pink-haired girl's face like a mask from beginning to end. It was easy to see how Nanami had claimed the title of Ultimate Gamer if this was how she performed in a casual match. Despite getting handed losses hand over fist, though, she couldn't deny that it had probably been the funnest thing she'd done in a while. She surprised herself with just how invested she got in her attempts to best her opponent. By the time the pair finished the final round,she could definitely feel her heart pumping a little faster than normal, an excited energy still dancing in her fingers. The sheer gratification she'd gotten out of it came as quite a pleasant shock to the self-proclaimed piano freak that never bothered trying anything else. Plus, it served as a window to a new side of Chiaki when the girl was in her element. It was almost enough to make her forget the dire circ*mstances of their meeting. Nonetheless, she looked at Nanami gratefully. "That was actually really fun. We should do it again some time!"

The shorter student looked pleased as she slipped the handheld back into her hoodie. "Sure. I'm up for a rematch whenever."

Before the conversation could continue, the sound of approaching footsteps caught the pair's attention as they looked to find Kaito walking towards them. His verbal sparring partner was notably absent. "Hey, Kaito. Did you out-monologue Gundham?" Kaede teased. Kaito pumped a fist, a wide grin on his face.

"Damn right! Like anyone could beat the speeches of the Ultimate Astronaut!"

"Knowing Gundham… that doesn't sound likely... I think." Chiaki pondered.

"Anyway, you guys finished? I was trying to get this gate open earlier. Me, Peko, and Hifumi couldn't get it up, but there's a lot more people here now. Wanna help give me another shot?" Kaito asked with one hand on his hip and the other shoving a thumb towards the barrier in question.

Kaede took a second to study the gate. The steel glimmered slightly in the bright fluorescent light like the ocean under a full moon. It was clearly well-maintained, not a speck of dust or rust to be found anywhere on it. It didn't look that heavy, but it didn't look light, either. Still, as she glanced around at the gathered Ultimates around her, she was confident in their odds. "Sure thing! How about it, guys?" Akamatsu backed him up cheerfully.

"... I still do not think this will work, but I will assist." Peko reluctantly agreed, uncertainty clear on her face.

Momota shook his head. "C'mon, believing is half the battle! You gotta have spirit!" He proclaimed with slamming fists. He shifted his radiating enthusiasm to the others. "Well? What about you guys?"

"... Sure, why the hell not." Owada drawled, cracking his knuckles.

"It stands no chance against the dark arts of the Tanaka empire!" The dark mage declared, his hamsters popping out of his collar and raising their paws in support.

Tsumugi wrung her hands a little, looking downward. "Um, it plainly seems like the only option we have…"

Celeste shook her head slightly. "It would be a waste of my time," She dismissed. Flicking her hair back carelessly, she ordered, "Hifumi, you do it."

"Yes, my queen!" The Ultimate whatever Hifumi was all too eagerly declared. Kaede tried to suppress a shudder.

A number of expectant eyes turned to Chiaki, who gave a weak shrug. "Okay."

Kaede beamed in approval. Their reactions were more positive than she had honestly expected. Eight out of nine wasn't bad at all! "Alright! Let's do it!" With that inspiring declaration, the pianist and her allies gripped the barrier and shoved up with all their might. After a solid fifteen seconds of effort, however, it became abundantly clear to her that it wasn't working. After thirty seconds, she couldn't keep going, nearly tumbling over as she tried to regain her footing. Her fingers were an angry shade of red with a slight ache passing through them that made her cringe. She wasn't the first to give up, nor did she prove to be the last. Slowly but surely, the others grunts of effort turned into groans of frustration moments before they too stopped trying. Kaede scowled at the metal as if she could intimidate it into submission.

"What the hell is with this thing?! There's no way it shouldn't have gone up between all of us!" Kaito shouted, slamming his foot against the grate to little avail.

"I don't think we're allowed to sequence break here. Whoever put this gate here probably didn't want us going any further… maybe we have to do something before it opens up?" Chiaki suggested with a tilt of her head. No sooner than she said that did harsh static suddenly blare out from every direction as parts of the ceiling and walls folded open to reveal a number of TV screens. There was a monitor every 20 feet or so, each of them showing the same ominous red lightning bolt that seemed to shimmer against the pitch black background. Something about the sight made her skin crawl for reasons she couldn't even hope to explain. The bing bing bing of a digital bell and a squeaky voice that erupted from the screens soon after didn't help.

"Ahem, ahem, is this thing on? Alrighty! I am pleased to announce that all students have awoken! Please gather in the ballroom to meet with your fellow classmates at your earliest convenience. I wouldn't dilly dally too long, though! It's rude to keep people waiting. Puhuhuhuhuhu…" The far too reminiscent voice declared moments before the static image suddenly flicked to a map of some sort. A large red dot labeled 'you are here' sat across the hall from a long rectangle marked as the aforementioned ballroom with an arrow that read 'go here'.

"... That's a little ominous…." Chiaki noted with a hint of worry in her brow. Kaede stared at the map scrutinizingly, uncertain between her suspicion and intrigue. On the one hand, it was pretty clearly a trap of some sort. Whoever was on the TV… whoever the mastermind was… wanted them to go there. Wait… mastermind? Where had she heard that term before? The familiar nothingness she felt trying to recall how she knew Tsumugi returned, much to her chagrin. Kaede scowled at the monitor. None of this made any sense. How the hell did she know these people? Why was she here? Why-

"Yo Chiaki, Kaede? You guys are coming along, right?" Momota's voice carried to her ear and snapped her out of her thoughts. Her eyes shot up to find him and the others waiting expectantly in the direction of the room the map specified, apparently having split off while she was lost in her own head. Kaede gave a quick affirmation once the brief startledness passed. Worrying about that wouldn't get her anywhere right now, no matter how much it weirded her out.

Chapter 2: Prologue: Part 2

Chapter Text

The walk to the ballroom passed much quicker than their previous attempts, probably aided by the fact that there was a clear layout of the building flashing displayed in every direction and a clear goal to reach on top of that. It was amazing how quickly they could move when they weren't checking every single door they came across out of both legitimate curiosity and fear of the unknown. Of course, a fast pace in this ridiculously huge place was still irritatingly slow for her tastes. A few minutes passed before a grand pair of stained glass doors with golden accents stood before them, the elegantly crafted ironwork above it proudly declaring it as the ballroom. Even with as ornate as the rest of their unorthodox prison had been, this place was beyond tawdry. She'd performed in enough gaudy estates to know when someone was trying way too hard on their decorating. Rolling her eyes a little, the pianist led her fellow students through the doors.

The new hall was massive, easily twice the size of the already large dining hall she'd first found herself in. Massive twin chandeliers hung from the ceiling on either end of the room while the creamy white walls were lined with candles that bathed the hall a fiery orange. The floor was a smooth mix of black and white carpet that took up most of the room and a rich mahogany dance floor, the well-polished wood gleaming in the light. It was surrounded by dozens and dozens of tables and fine arm chairs angled to face it. On the far end resided a stage hidden behind crimson curtains with gleaming golden trims. Kaede stared wide-eyed at the Grand sight, her purple irises flicking over every inch of their surroundings. "Wow…" Was all she could manage to say.

"... This is to my liking. Perhaps our stay here won't be as miserable as I feared." Celeste conceded. The gambler's smile was small and measured, but it was without a doubt the most genuine one Akamatsu had seen on her thus far. The others piled into the room shortly after, a gaggle of ultimates crowding around the entrance. Nine pairs of eyes washed over the room with varying levels of appreciation. The quiet beauty of the room only lasted a few precious moments before it was shattered.

"Hey! Anyone in here?!" Kaito called out, cupping his hands around his mouth. Kaede winced. Well, if anyone hadn't known they were there before, they certainly did now. The Ultimate Astronaut was getting more than a couple glares from their more antisocial comrades, getting a confused look from him. "What? The guy on the TV was telling people to come here."

"You mean the f*cker that probably kidnapped us in the first place?" Mondo growled out. "He's probably setting up a trap or something."

"The antihero speaks truly. We must err on the side of caution lest we stumble into the jaws of pandemonium…"

Before anyone else could join the fray, a voice shouted back from behind the curtain. "Yo! Who's there?! You better not be the guy screwing with us!"

Kaede's brow creased deeply. Yet another familiar voice… something about this one was different, though. Kaito and Tsumugi talked the same way she remembered (wherever she remembered them from), but while this one struck a lot of familiar notes, it was so much more energetic and confident than the one she recalled. The same look crossed her two classmates and confirmed that clearly she wasn't the only one getting that odd feeling. Peko stepped to the front of the group with a hand on her sheath. "We could say the same about you. Show yourself. You won't be harmed if you do so now…" The swordswoman declared, her voice steady and firm as a drumbeat. It was a considerable change of pace from the uncertain and slightly embarrassed tone she'd had just a few minutes prior.

"Back to warrior mode, I guess."

A few tense seconds passed in silence. Five. Six. Seven. Kaede was beginning to wonder if they'd scared the stranger off, closing her eyes and trying to focus in on any murmurs or footsteps. She could hear something , but couldn't even begin to try making out what. The pianist didn't have to wait long however.

"... Alright, but you better not be trying anything, alright? 'Cuz my fans are gonna go all psycho on you if you do something! I mean it!" The voice shouted. A couple seconds later, a man with fiery red hair and a goatee stepped forth from the stage. He was dressed in a sleek white jacket over a white shirt with a skull graphic on it, black pants and sneakers completing his look. It might have been a stylish outfit if the boy wearing it didn't look like he got paralyzed with a dumb and awkward smile plastered on his face. The beads of sweat running down his forehead were glistening brightly enough in the warm lighting to be visible from her position on the other side of the room. His fake grin fell to a confused expression as he looked out over Kaede's group. "... Huh?"

"Mr. Kuwata? Another familiar party member… hmm. Most intriguing..." Hifumi muttered, rubbing his chin. Akamatsu frowned. Kuwata? She didn't know anyone by that name, and the teen standing in front of them didn't mentally click with her like Tsumugi and Kaito had. What was so familiar about him, then? Kuwata, as he was apparently called, turned his focus to Hifumi, thinning his lips in a thick pout.

"Ah, sh*t… hey, Hifumi. And Mondo. And Celeste. Damn, that weirdo on the intercom got a lot of us, huh?"

Celeste brushed some of her long twisting hair to the side. "It would seem so indeed. Though I must wonder: why us specifically? After all, though we know each other and are all ultimates, we are hardly of the same caliber. We were surely picked for a reason," Ludernberg stated calmly, her ruby gaze shifting to Kaede. "I suspect whatever tie we have rings true for those we don't recognize as well. The question is what precisely we all have in common."

Akamatsu raised a finger as she spoke. "Uh, speaking of people we don't know, who are you?"

Kuwata seemed to balk at the comment. "Wait, seriously? You don't know who I am?"

"Should I…?" The pianist questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Mr. Leon Kuwata is something of a celebrity. Sports lacks the intrigue or depth of 2D, but even I heard his name once or twice before we met. He's the Ultimate Baseball Star." Hifumi explained, putting on a weirdly deep voice when he reached Leon's title and pushing up his glasses dramatically.

"Baseball star? Hey man, we should totally play a game!" Kaito said, shoving out a big thumbs up. Leon's face soured considerably.

"Oh, no way, man! Screw baseball!" He angrily called back. Kaede took an involuntary step back, surprised by his sudden outburst.

"H-huh? But isn't baseball your talent? Why would you hate what you're good at?"

The redhead scowled. "Look, I don't really want to get into that crap right now, alright? It's super uncool. Besides," Leon suddenly swapped to a flashy grin, striking a pose clearly trying way too hard to be natural. "I didn't get your name."

"Oh, I'm Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist. My friends here are-"

"Pianist, huh? Y'know, I'm a musician too! Piano's a bit old school for punk, but I could probably find something for you to do on my band! Maybe you could be like a cute mascot or something. Cool, right? How about it?" He interrupted thoughtlessly.

Kaede slowly frowned, her finger curling downward uncertainty. "Uh… that's… thanks, but I'm not really looking for something like that right now. I don't really do bands. Well, most of the time. Actually, I was hoping you'd found some other people besides us. Is there anyone else back there?" She segwayed as smoothly as she could manage. Leon visibly deflated, crossing his arms with a slight pout.

"... Alright, I guess you guys probably aren't psychos... Come on, they're backstage." He half-muttered as he turned and walked back behind the curtain without another word.

Chiaki's lips quirked downward. "... I think you hurt his feelings."

Kaede crossed her arms defensively. "It's not like I meant to! Just- what was I supposed to say? 'A cute mascot'? Who says that to someone they just met?" She refuted hastily. A small sigh to her left made her turn.

"Leon, as it would seem. I would not concern myself with his feelings if I were you. He makes offers like that to practically every woman he meets. In a way, it would have been more insulting if he didn't," The gothic gambler dismissed. Picking her skirt up, she began following after her fellow ultimate, only taking a moment to glance back at the rest of the group. "Of course, I would not recommend taking anyone's feelings to heart. Doing so will only bring you pain in the end. Merely my own advice." With that, she too quickly disappeared behind the curtain, quickly joined by her pudgy sidekick. Kaede glanced around the room to gauge the others' reactions. To her relief, no one appeared to take Ludenberg's words to heart, each of her comrades displaying various levels of disapproval or at least neutrality. Kaito was without a doubt the most opposed.

"Where does she get off saying crap like that?" The Ultimate Astronaut bristled. He sighed, shaking his head. "Well, whatever. Guess we should probably follow her."

With a few mumbles of agreement, the group trickled through the heavy curtain shrouding the back of the stage. Once they slipped through, it wasn't long before they met up with the others Leon mentioned. Of course, as with every other interaction the Ultimate Pianist had that day, it was far from a normal meeting. The scene before them was one of the strangest Kaede had ever witnessed. Four lockers stood before them - or, rather, three lockers and a pile of scrap metal that vaguely resembled a locker if Kaede squinted. Half of it was scattered across the room in dozens of pieces that glinted faintly in the dim light. The other half stood seemingly entirely on its own determination not to fall, practically nothing more than a few shreds of steel that barely even resembled a human made structure anymore, let alone a rectangle. Desperately trying to reattach the beyond busted door was a ludicrously tall and muscular man in a suit and tie, his red eyes wide with panic and embarrassment as he pushed the bits of metal together to no avail. Behind him stood a slightly shorter man cloaked in a half-face mask and Celeste as the pair passively watched his attempts to repair the damage with cold and penetrating snakelike stares. Not far from them, Leon scratched his head in obvious bewilderment. Hifumi, as she probably should have expected, was still firmly attached to Ludernberg's hip, somehow managing to be almost as unsettling as the masked man whose gaze soon flicked to meet her own. The flash of recognition in his eyes was surely mirrored in her own in that moment. Kaede felt her spirits rise once more as the pair suddenly clicked in her mind just as her other friends did. "Gonta! Kiyo!"

The gentle giant perked up at his name, a wide, childlike grin spreading across his features upon seeing her. "Ah! Hey! Gonta really glad to see you, Kaede! Ah, but Gonta hope you not hurt. Voice on TV seems scary, though maybe ungentlemanly to judge book by cover."

Kaito's triumphant laugh rang out from next to her, the astronaut flashing the other two a thumbs up. "What's up, big guy!" He greeted Gonta enthusiastically. That energy seemed to drop considerably as he turned to Shinguji. "Uh, hey Kiyo. So, guess you guys are caught up in this crap too, eh?"

"Indeed," Shinguji's voice slithered through the air, the anthropologist closing his eyes as he held up a finger. "It's a pleasant surprise to encounter yet more familiar faces here. I cannot imagine how or why we have been gathered here… but I look forward to observing the beauty of my fellow ultimates' humanity regardless."

"Tch. f*ckin' weirdo…" Owada muttered under his breath, earning a warning glare from Kaede that made him thin his lips.

"He's not a bad guy, Mondo. He's just, uh… a little creepy. No offense." Tsumugi chided as she joined her fellow students, most of her already flimsy edge gone by the time she awkwardly apologized to Korekiyo. The man in question merely chuckled.

"Kehehe... none taken, Tsumugi. You are hardly the first or the last to call me such. Any care I might have had about that stopped long ago. I appreciate your defense," He assured. His gaze shifted to the gaggle of unfamiliar students, a hint of intrigue flashing in his eyes. "If I may be so bold, I'd like to learn your names and talents. I am Korekiyo Shinguji, the Ultimate Anthropologist, as I've come to be known."

"Ah, right! Is gentlemanly to give introduction! Gonta is Gonta Gokuhara, Ultimate Entomologist!" The massive man quickly added. A series of introductions soon followed, swapping names and talents like trading cards at a tournament. Most kept theirs relatively brief, some merely stating their name and title before moving on while the more chatty members of the group struck up short conversations. The most notable exception had been Gundham, whose peculiar ranting seemed to fascinate Korekiyo as much as it completely baffled Gonta, though the latter found himself distracted by the Four Dark Devas peeking out from Tanaka's scarf. It was rather chaotic considering the fact that there were a dozen people all milling about, either exploring or holding often loud conversations with each other all at once or both, and considering the more eccentric characters in their midst, it sounded more like a hundred. Kaede's crew quickly split apart and found their own little cliques, leaving her, Korekiyo, Gonta, Leon, and Mondo, the former three hanging around their lockers whilst Mondo opted to lean against a crate. Kaede's eyes flicked across the heap of scrap metal near Gokuhara, raising an eyebrow as her curiosity once again peaking now that the rush of seeing old friends had worn off.

"So, um, what exactly happened there?" She asked, waving a hand in the direction of the rubble. Gonta cringed.

"Gonta sorry! Gonta's door had lock on it, so Gonta tried pushing harder, but…" The Ultimate Entomologist looked back to the absolutely shredded remains of the locker like a puppy caught chewing on wrapping paper. Shaking his head, he continued. "So Gonta tried fixing it. But… Gonta not really know how, so Gonta accidentally made it worse."

The red haired rocker scoffed, crossing his arms. "'Fix it'? Dude, you kicked the friggin' hinges off! No way anyone coulda fixed that!"

"Gonta know. Gonta very, very sorry he break locker."

Kaede gave him a soft smile, patting his arm. "It's okay, Gonta. I know you wouldn't hurt a fly. Or a locker."

Korekiyo glanced at the wrecked pile of metal and back to them. Something danced behind his glowing yellow eyes, but whatever he thought about it, Shinguji instead chose to change the topic. "... The circ*mstances of our awakening aside, there is a matter we've yet to discuss. I believe there is still another among us that has not yet revealed themselves. Have you noticed it yet?" The anthropologist questioned. Kaede followed his slithering gaze to the final of the four lockers. It was the only one still closed. She'd somehow managed to miss that detail at first, but now it was unmistakably odd.

"Huh? Why haven't they come out?" She wondered aloud. A quiet, airy snicker escaped Shinguji.

"Quite the curiosity, isn't it? Our captor said everyone had awoken, and yet this one remains hidden away. I suspect it's a matter of fear, personally. Fascinating to observe how much reactions vary in frightening circ*mstances…" He said, his mask pulling upwards with his smirk. Kaede hoped her grimace wasn't as obvious.

Mondo glared at him. "You ever think maybe it's 'cuz you're creepin' the f*ck outta them?" He grumbled, drawing an odd look from the lanky student.

"... It has been said that merely observing something can change how it reacts, but as we both know that's not what you meant, I'll choose to let it slide for now," The snake-like student meticulously watched his tone as he spoke, allowing just enough venom to seep into his voice to make Mondo's gaze darken. Before Owada could retort, however, Kiyo made his way towards the locker. "Regardless, I believe this situation can still be remedied. Kaede, would you come here, please? Your assistance would be much appreciated in getting her out."

"'Her'?" Akamatsu echoed.

Shinguji nodded. "Yes. While Gonta was breaking through his locker, I heard a rather high pitched scream coming from beside me. While Leon also has a peculiarly feminine screaming voice, there was a notably higher one as well. Therefore, I believe it is safe to assume that whoever is inside that locker would have to be female. Wouldn't you agree, Gonta?"

Kuwata glared at him. "Hold up, are you saying I have a girly scream? That's bullsh*t, man!"

"How much you wanna bet on that?" Owada dared with a smirk.

Gokuhara, seeming to not notice Leon's distress, confirmed the anthropologist's claim, though he looked rather embarrassed at the reminder of his apparently dramatic entrance. "Um, Kiyo right. Gonta hear two girly screams. Oh… maybe she scared of Gonta? Gonta knows Gonta's face scary. Or maybe it Leon?"

"Hey! The hell's that for?" Leon called back indignantly, crossing his arms and pouting at the goliath of a man before them. Korekiyo chuckled softly beneath his mask. Kaede rolled her eyes at the three.

"Okay, guys? Maybe she's just shy. Three strong, weird looking guys-"

"Seriously, what did I do?!" Kuwata shouted. Akamatsu pointedly ignored the baseball star as she continued.

"-standing around in a strange place that she probably doesn't know or remember how she got to, and locked in a dark locker to boot? I'd probably be scared too. Just… back up a little, okay? Let me try," Kaede intructed, physically shooing the boys away from the locker. Mondo similarly had to be corralled away despite his insistence that he could help, reluctantly striking up conversation with Chiaki and Kaito a few feet away after Akamatsu threatened to have Gonta put him in the corner. Once she was sure they were all sufficiently far away, she glanced through the small air vent. While there was definitely an outline of a person, she couldn't make out any details other than confirming Korekiyo's guess that they were a woman from their long hair.

Akamatsu pulled the door open slowly, giving an encouraging smile to the shaking girl inside. It was hard to make out any features in the poorly lit prison, but she could still see how the shorter figure flinched at her arrival. Shy? Okay, she could still work with that. "Hey, it's okay!" She called out, only to cringe when her target shrunk even further back at the loud noise. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Two large eyes finally found the nerve to look back to hers. "... P-promise? Ah! S-sorry! I-I shouldn't doubt you like that! Please don't hate me!" A meek and high pitched voice cried out in clear panic, her barely visible eyes widening fearfully before slamming shut.

"I- what? No, I don't hate you!" The blonde quickly corrected, bafflement and concern forming a co*cktail of emotional uncertainty. "What kind of person begs a stranger not to hate them for being scared? What's this poor girl been through?" She grimly theorized. On the outside, however, she returned to her gentle smile. "... And yeah, I promise, I'm not going to hurt you. I want to be friends."

The other girl's eyes widened once again, but she was pleased to see a glint of hope rather than fear in them. "F-friends? With… me?" The girl all but whispered. Kaede's comforting smile grew, giving a confirming nod. "Oh, t-thank you! Nobody ever wants to be friends with me! S-so thank you for wanting to not hate me!"

Kaede had to fight off the troubled pout that tugged at her lips. "'Thank you for wanting to not hate me'...? We have GOT to work on her confidence. I'm pretty sure she'll start crying if I say that, though…"

Slowly, almost like the girl wasn't entirely sure if Kaede would leap out and attack her at any moment, the apprehensive ultimate tiptoed towards the door. The closer she got, the more Kaede could see the infinitely small upward quirk of the girl's lips as she approached. "Um… would it be alright if I could remember your name?"

"Of course. I'm Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist. And you are…?"

"M-my name is Mik-EEEEP!" Before she could finish her shy introduction, however, a shrill cry interrupted the conversation. A startled shout escaped both of them before getting cut off by a grunt as the pair hit the ground. Kaede let out a second one as something landed hard on top of her. She groaned a little, pain flaring in her body in response to the unexpected tackling. That was the last thing her mind was focused on at that moment, however. The thing that currently had her full attention was the girl that had landed exceptionally close to her. Wide greyish purple eyes locked with her magenta ones, not more than a few centimeters from her own. Her skin would have been very fair if not for the intense blush spreading across her face, the heat radiating off of her fiercely enough for Kaede to be able to feel it. Then again, considering they were nearly nose to nose, that likely wasn't all that surprising. Kaede's face was positively on fire as she stared up at the other girl's. Of all the words in the world, she knew 'cute' likely shouldn't have been the first to come to mind, and yet it was. The way that scarlet danced across her cheeks, her eggplant purple hair cascading down around her like a curtain, a nose the size of a button… the word fit her to a tee. Akamatsu had always been rather open and playful about those who caught her gaze, for better or worse, but suddenly being this close to someone that was checking her boxes left her completely and utterly mortified. It didn't help that the girl's… considerable chest was completely flush with her own.

"I-um-I-please help-" She stammered uselessly, too taken aback by what was happening. The Ultimate Pianist could hardly believe it was real. It was like reality itself had been taken over by some trope-obsessed manga artist.

The moment couldn't have lasted more than a second despite the eternity that seemed to pass before the stranger shrieked again and desperately pulled herself off of Kaede. "Eeeep! S-sorry! I tripped! Sorry! I-I'm SO sorry! Oh, why does this always have to happen?!" She fretted, tears in her eyes as her hands rung themselves a mile a minute. After a moment, a look of horror dawned on the shy mess of a woman's face. "O-oh no! I-I didn't hurt you, d-did I? You can hit me if I did!"

For a moment, all of Kaede's embarrassment and surprised attraction vanished. "I already promised I wouldn't hurt you, didn't I?" The maestro questioned rhetorically with a small frown. Grunting a little, she pulled herself back to her feet before looking down at the teary eyed teen that was still sprawled out on the ground. She offered a hand. "Really, it's okay. Friends forgive friends, and that's what I want us to be. Alright?"

The painfully shy girl gazed up at her as if she was looking at heaven itself. "I-I… hehehe… ah! Sorry, it's just… nobody's ever been this nice to me. It makes me feel so happy that I just wanna laugh! B-but I can stop if that's w-weird, or annoying, or…" She trailed off again, the almost joyous twinkle in her eyes instantly swapping back to the terrified misery that seemed to be her default. After some gentle encouragement from Kaede assuring her that it would be alright, the still unnamed ultimate reluctantly took Kaede's hand and shakingly rose up to her feet. "T-thank you again… oh, um… sorry, I never actually told you my name like you asked. Sorry… but, um, if you still want to know it… my name is Mikan Tsumiki. I'm, um, the Ultimate Nurse. From the bottom of my heart, I hope we can get along..."

"Finally, a name. I can stop just calling her 'that girl'." Akamatsu silently mused. Her gentle smile brightened, a little more genuine now that Tsumiki didn't look like she was going to collapse if the wind blew too hard. "It's great to meet you, Mikan. And don't worry, we're all going to be the best of friends! I'm sure of it!"

"You… really think so? Hehehe… I would really like that…" Tsumiki giggled, finally looking something close to relaxed. Kaede's soft and encouraging beam didn't fade until she suddenly felt the distinct sensation of being watched. The pianist turned to find nearly every pair of eyes in the room on her and Mikan, and more than a few faces speckled with red. Why were they blush- oh . The horrified gasp from next to her made it clear Mikan realized exactly the same thing Kaede did. "O-oh no! They saw me, a-and you, and- oh, this is so e-embarassing!" The nurse cried out.

“Aww, that’s so cute! It reminds me of this one show...” Tsumugi gushed.

Hifumi hummed, rubbing his chin. “Not really a fan of 3D ships, but if this were 2D, I’d ship it.”

Even as she felt her own face flare up like a furnace, Kaede scowled disapprovingly at her fellow ultimates. "Hey! It's rude to stare at people! Especially when they're shy!" The pianist shamed harshly. It was a cold comfort that they awkwardly went back to their conversations, leaving the two red-faced ultimates to their business. Mikan looked like she wanted to crawl into a hole and hide for the rest of her life, tears slipping past her clamped-shut eyelids. Akamatsu frowned. She hesitated for a second before gently taking the other girl's hand, Mikan's eyes shooting open in surprise at the contact. "See? It's alright. You don't have to worry about what other people think. If you're confident in yourself, then-"

"My, my! Is that you, Mikan? It must've been the soiree of a lifetime last night if you of all people got yourself a girl wrapped around your finger!" A new voice whistled out from behind. Terror suddenly seemed to grip the Ultimate in question.

"A-ah! T-Teruteru, i-it's not anything like that! I… I…" Mikan sputtered out, face red as a tomato. Kaede turned to find that more people had joined them. A giant woman, probably just barely shorter than Gonta and just as muscular, stood like a monolith next to a portly boy dressed like a stereotypical chef. He seemed to be completely oblivious to the withering glare she was sending him. Teruteru, as Mikan had addressed him, was too busy looking at them like they were a pair of fine steaks, much to her discomfort.

"H-huh?! No, I was just helping her out!" She pleaded before she realized wait, why is she explaining herself like she did something wrong? Before she could voice as much, though, the athletic one spoke up.

"I already gave you a warning, Teruteru. You want to see what it's like when I'm not holding back?" A deep voice rumbled, her silver eyes glinting like knives. The color seemed to drain out of the oddly dressed boy before a nervous, somewhat co*cky smirk took its place.

"Under the right circ*mstances, that’d sound like a good time to me, Sakura..." Teruteru retorted, still trying to come across as suave even despite the cold sweat he'd broken into. The comment was like someone had slammed their fist down on a bunch of minor keys after already screwing up a major-scale melody; a sharp and distractingly bad end to an already poor performance. Akamatsu could tell her expression must have fallen to a stern pout from the sudden anxious muttering of the Ultimate Nurse, the girl most likely trying to rationalize some way for Kaede's bad mood to be her fault if their interactions thus far had proven anything. Just as she was about to lay into him, yet another voice cut her off.

"Mister Hanamura, I must insist that you refrain from such comments. I cannot be held accountable for what may happen to you if you don't," The third and final member of the trio called out as they stepped through the curtain. Kirumi's ever-pristine uniform was as sharp as her gaze while her lips were pursed tightly, clearly struggling to maintain a polite attitude. Her piercing emerald eye bore into Teruteru warningly for a moment, her words causing yet more small beads of sweat to form on his forehead, before flicking to the group. Any possible doubt about the Ultimate's identity disappeared in that moment as whatever mental block they had to each other's existence vanished, instantly replaced by a flood of unfamiliar familiarity. The maid blinked once before giving a small incline of her head. "... I see these are the others the announcement mentioned. I didn't expect to see anyone I knew, but it's nice to see you again, Miss Akamatsu."

Kaede beamed. "Kirumi! You too! Er, well, it would be if we weren't kidnapped… you know what I mean."

Tojo gave a crisp nod. "True, the circ*mstances of our meeting are rather poor. I fail to see their objective, however. I can't imagine why our captors would use such a large facility if they intended to ransom us. Whoever's gathered us here clearly isn't concerned with keeping us restrained either. It's… troubling."

"No matter who is responsible, there's got to be an exit. That much is certain." A low voice countered as the significantly taller girl approached them with Teruteru in toe.

"Ah, Sakura, right? I'm Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist, and this is Mikan, the Ultimate Nurse. Oh, and Mikan, this is my friend Kirumi."

Sakura bowed her head slightly. "I am Sakura Ogami. I have claimed the title of the Ultimate Martial Artist." The towering woman said. Kaede waited to see if she would elaborate on it at all. When no such response came, the pink-clad student asked her what exactly it entailed. "I am proficient in nearly all forms of martial arts. Judo, aikido, and taekwondo are among them. It has granted me immense physical and mental strength."

"Wow! That's amazing! You must be incredible to watch in a fight!" Kaede enthused. Her shy companion was notably less thrilled with it.

"U-um… s-sorry to question you, but do you get hurt often? Fighting's pretty dangerous, a-and a lot of the time, people don't even realize they're hurt and end up making it worse…" The purple-haired RN warned through stutters and whimpers. An acknowledging hum rumbled from the martial artist.

"Part of my training was recognizing when to stop fighting. Trust me, I can tell if I am injured. You do not need to worry."

Mikan's slightly disapproving frown remained, but her sudden burst of confidence seemed to dry up as she quietly let the subject drop. After a few more pleasantries, Kirumi departed to meet with the other Ultimates. Sakura initially moved to join her, but hesitated unexpectedly, her silver gaze seeming unable to leave Teruteru. Kaede raised a finger questioningly. "Uh… Sakura? Is everything alright?"

The combat expert glanced briefly at her. "I'm trying to decide if I should risk leaving him alone with someone else. I do not trust him."

The shortest Ultimate present smirked at her. "Oh, Sakura, you wound me. I'm just a man of passion that wants to share it with the world. Why wouldn't you be able to trust me?" He asked in a tone like over sugared tea. She didn't even know his full name yet, but he somehow still managed to make her stomach turn like no-one else she could remember meeting. Truth be told, she wasn't exactly eager to meet him, but a part of her too big to simply ignore insisted on giving him a chance. Faking a small smile, she spoke.

"It'll be fine. You can go and talk with the others. It's just an introduction, right? Nothing wrong with getting to know someone."

Teruteru's smirk deepened. "Oh, I couldn't agree more with that…" He muttered to himself skeevily, making her fight off a tug downwards at her lips.

"Just an introduction. Swap names and talents, and that'll be it…" Kaede chanted the mantra over and over in her mind as if it were a spell she could make come true.

Sakura was silent for a few seconds before bowing her head. "I will be near. Don't make me regret this, Teruteru…" She warned icily, slowly walking away from the remaining trio.

He watched her carefully as if he were a mouse waiting for a cat to leave the room. Once Sakura was sufficiently far away, he turned to Kaede fully. Despite her poor first impressions of him, she couldn't help but notice the fact that he'd clearly taken a punch recently if the mark on his face was anything to go by with some concern. Even despite the sickly pinkish-red bruising on his left eye, the short boy flashed her a lurid smirk. "Enchanté, ma chérie. The name's Teruteru Hanamura, the Ultimate Chef, but that's enough about me. I'd much rather get acquainted with you ." He dropped his tone as deep as he could manage, giving a wink. Kaede's skin crawled.

"Um… I'm Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist. It's… nice to meet you." She lied through her teeth. His smirk grew even more unsettling at that.

"Pianist, eh? I love a girl who's good with her fingers. There's something to be said for music to set the mood, too."

Akamatsu's artificial smile dropped as her face hardened. "Excuse me?!"

"Um, Teruteru, that's really not…" Mikan mumbled only to be promptly ignored.

Teruteru didn't show even a hint of shame. "What can I say? I call 'em like I see 'em. Tall, pretty thing like you and a talent benefiting of a socialite to boot? Oh, yes… I very much like what I'm seeing. Maybe you and me could do a little duet together under your skir-" Kaede's hand slammed against his face before he could finish, a sharp thwap resonating from the impact. A bright red hand print joined his fresh black eye as Kaede glared daggers into the chef. She was all but snarling at him at this point, her trademark patience quickly evaporated by Hanamura's antics. The boy blinked at her in clear shock. For a fleeting moment, she thought maybe he realized what just happened and why he had it coming. Those hopes were dashed to pieces as a thin trickle of blood ran down from his nose and he beamed at her. "... Heh, that actually isn't half bad. Between you and Sakura, maybe I'll get a thing for girls hitting me. You mind trying that again, a little harder this time?" He asked delightedly. Akamatsu's face slowly morphed into disgusted horror.

"I- what is wrong with you?!" She shouted incredulously.

He gave a small shrug, reaching into a pocket and casually pulling out a comb. "Heh. They all say that at first, but it never takes that long to get them singing a different tune either. I know how to spot a freak in the sheets from a mile away, and boy, you've gotta be among the freakiest if you're managing to press Mikan's buttons. All I'm saying is, be it food or love, I only serve and eat the best. So, do you want to make some sweet, sweet music?" He cooed. Kaede felt simultaneously like slapping him senseless and making sure she was never, ever within earshot of this man again.

Before she could piece together a reply between her shock and disgust, Kaede watched as Teruteru was suddenly hoisted up by the scruff of his shirt by someone she hadn't noticed approaching. He let out a startled yelp as he suddenly found himself with a very pissed off Mondo Owada. "HEY YOU PIECE 'A sh*t! THINK YOU CAN TREAT GIRLS LIKE THAT?! I'LL f*ckIN' BURY YOU!" The biker roared, face red with anger. Tsumiki gave a terrified shriek and sputtered out at least a dozen apologies, desperately hiding behind her arms. All hints of color drained from Hanamura's face in an instant.

"H-h-hey now! It ain't like that, Ah swear! Promise!" He squealed out, flailing helplessly in Mondo's grip. The orange haired outlaw bared his teeth at him, presumably having another vicious condemnation on the tip of his tongue when a pointed clearing of the throat caught their attention. Kaede, broken from her trance, turned to find Kirumi fixing the boys with an even stare as she approached.

"Gentlemen. While there is certainly no excuse for Mister Hanamura's… comments ," Tojo said forcefully, her visible eye narrowing at the Ultimate in question. "I cannot condone violence. Mister…?"

"Owada." He gruffed out.

"Mister Owada, put Mister Hanamura down, if you would please. I'd prefer if we could resolve this without further needless roughness." The maid implored steadily. Neither her expression nor her tone betrayed any sign of hesitation or self-concern despite the significantly taller and muscle-bound man still looking ready to kill someone. Shaking the last of her stunned state away, Kaede stepped forward.

"Kirumi's right. Even if he's a massive creep, we should still try to work together for now. And he's going to be on his best behavior from now on and not say anything even remotely like that to me or anyone else again. Right , Teruteru?" The pianist declared with a withering glare that dared the portly chef to try refusing her olive branch. He only hesitated for half a moment before vigorously nodding.

"Y-yeah! That's absolutely right, Miss Akamatsu! I-I'd never dream of it!"

A beat passed in silence. Then another. It hit a third before Mondo's fierce expression finally softened a little. Of course, that was like saying that a bloodthirsty tiger looked slightly less murderous. "... Tch. You're real f*ckin' lucky I give a sh*t today. If I ever even think of you pulling this bullsh*t again, I'll rip you the f*ck in half. Got it?" Teruteru sputtered out a barely intelligible affirmation just as Mondo dropped him to the ground carelessly, making him fall on his ass and quickly scamper away from Kaede and her unexpected defender. He was shockingly fast given sufficient motivation, vanishing almost instantly into the crowd of clamoring Ultimates. Of course, from the way Sakura's face darkened as she began marching towards some unseen destination made it clear Hanamura's suffering wasn't over quite yet. The pianist's own attempts to track him were half-hearted at best, mostly just glad to no longer have to deal with the Ultimate Chef's antics.

"Geez…" She trailed off, her voice as quiet as it was exasperated. The pianist shook her head. "Well, uh, thanks, Mondo. Hopefully that'll give him something to think about."

Kirumi sighed a little. "Unfortunately, given my admittedly short time with him so far, I doubt that."

Mondo defaulted back to a somewhat annoyed scowl as his arms crossed. "My bro woulda kicked his goddamn teeth in for sayin' half of that. Piece of sh*t… just thinkin' of that dude is pissin' me off… huh?" Owada's rant abruptly cut off as the sound of quiet sniveling rang out from next to her. Kaede turned to find Mikan weeping yet again, hugging herself tightly.

"Mikan? What's wrong?"

The nurse visibly flinched at her name. "I-I'm sorry! This is my fault! He's probably acting like this b-because he saw me a-and Kaede- oh!" She rubbed at her puffy red eyes. The pianist struggled to suppress a sigh.

"It's really not your fault-"

"f*ckin' right it's not! Not like you asked that guy to be a goddamn creep. Don't blame yourself for his sh*t!" Mondo declared. Unfortunately, his supportive words only seemed to make the shy girl curl further into herself with a small whimper. "Huh? Hey, stop crying! I'm not angry at you!"

Kaede frowned at him, shaking her head a little. "Mondo, that's not really helping right now. You're freaking her out." She said firmly. He rose a hand.

"I wasn't…" The biker trailed off as he looked over the shivering nurse, gradually hanging his head and resting his hands on his hips. "... f*ck. Look, I'm sorry. I just… damn it. Say somethin' if he starts up again. Later..." He grumbled dejectedly as he turned and walked away. Kaede couldn't help but feel her frown deepen. Mondo definitely didn't seem like a bad guy, but his unfettered temper and propensity for violence were troubling to say the least. Even if Teruteru probably had it coming, considering how much Mondo startled her and Mikan when they were just observing, she couldn't help but picture what it would've felt like for the boy in question, a small pang of empathy for the cook hitting her in that moment. She mentally filed it next to Mikan's… Mikan-ness and Chiaki's more negative eccentricities on the list of people to help. After several minutes of both Akamatsu and Tojo assuring her that no, everything was not in fact her fault, Mikan finally seemed to settle at least a little. Once she was sufficiently calm, Kaede encouraged her to go meet with the other Ultimates, much to the other girl's fretting. It was only with a smile as bright as the sun and a promise that it would be okay did the nurse finally agree to do it.

So of course that would be the moment the lights went out and the room was swallowed by pure darkness.

The more easily rattled among them screamed, naturally. Mikan and Hifumi were expected, but a panicked yell that sounded suspiciously like Kaito was not. It lasted only for a couple seconds before dim red light bulbs flickered on in unison with a dull hum, bathing the room in crimson, but it was enough to put everyone on edge. Kaede could see the Ultimate Astronaut practically bear hugging a rather annoyed looking Peko in the faint light, the swordswoman deftly shoving him off with a steely glare. Realizing the lights were back on, he quickly shifted into a stance far too natural to actually be natural given the circ*mstances, apparently opting to pretend that never happened. "Uh… what the hell just happened?" Kaito called out. Several voices shared the same sentiment in hushed mutterings. Before anyone could offer an answer, a high-pitched metallic screech roared from seemingly everywhere, as if the air itself was screaming at them. Kaede slammed her hands over her ears as they exploded into pain.

"Unauthorized entry detected! Unauthorized entry detected!" A robotic voice howled out over the blaring alarm. Kaede grit her teeth and cursed her specialized hearing for letting her hear the godawful racket clear as day through her makeshift earmuffs. Shining white flashes sparked from the ceiling every few seconds, making the room alternate between blindingly bright white and disorientingly dark red. It was an eyesore to be sure, but it wasn't enough to distract her from the distinctive whir of the walls once again shifting. Instead of TVs, however, the pianist and her comrades suddenly found themselves almost completely surrounded by what looked to be flamethrowers . Fear swelled in her chest as she took an involuntary step back, putting her hands out in front of her defensively. "Access to this location has not been granted by the Captain! Vacate immediately or be eliminated!" It warned. One of the weapons pointed up and spit fire into the air for emphasis, the scorching heat bristling Kaede's skin even from several feet away. The group's previously uncertain mumbles had instantly been replaced by terrified screams.

"Everyone! Run!" Akamatsu called out as loudly as she could manage. She could barely hear it herself over the pandemonium that had taken over the room, but it had thankfully served to kick start some of her friends into fleeing and that in turn caused a mass exodus. Sixteen sets of footfalls created a road almost as deafening as the alarm itself as the Ultimates erupted from backstage in a mad scramble. Kaede had ended up towards the front, but aside from Mikan, who was clinging to her arm with a vice grip, she had little idea where everyone else was in relation to her. Spotting the entrance at the end of the ballroom, she quickly started to formulate a plan as she called out, "Get to the door!"

Leon tore ahead, a red and white blur as he charged towards the entrance with Peko and Sakura on his heels. Kaede probably would have been impressed with her peers' incredible speed if she weren't also running for her life at that moment. The trio of athletes were nearly at the door when the walls once again flipped over and revealed an array of intimidating turrets that quickly let out an angry electronic buzz, presumably their first and last warning. She nearly tripped as she haphazardly skidded to a stop and the blonde desperately scanned the room for another exit. Her heart sank as she confirmed that yes , the door completely surrounded by all kinds of death machines was in fact the only escape from the other death machines. Her heart was hammering in her chest with a growing sense of panic. Her eyes flicked over the equally terrified faces of the others. Even the more stoic among them had trepidation dancing in their eyes amidst the growing chaos of the ballroom, only Korekiyo seeming to be not at least a little intimidated. The guns followed their every movement, freezing them in place. It wasn't long before a chorus of discordant voices roared to life.

"The f*ck is going on?!"

"Eeeeeeep! I'm sorry! Please don't shoot meeeeee!"

"Everybody behind Gonta! Gonta protect everyone!"

"Dark magic twists this realm against us! Reveal yourself, foul sorcerer, or face the unbridled wrath of Tanaka the Forbidden One and his Four Dark Devas!"

"Such desperosity… humanity is so beautiful!"

This was spiraling out of control fast . She had to do something immediately or risk the group completely collapsing. "Guys! Stay calm! I don't know what's going on, but we have to keep together!"

In that moment, the devil himself appeared."What’s that? You don’t know what’s going on? Puhuhuhu… shouldn't that much be obvious by now? You're a lot slower on the uptake than I remember. Then again, considering what you've been through, I guess I can't blame you for getting a bit rusty!" A cartoonish voice chastised from behind.

The assembled Ultimates swirled as one towards the source of the noise just in time to witness a steak of pyrotechnics shooting into the air by the stage three times, one after another and each shorter than the last, before a mess of black and white shot into the air like a rocket. When it finally landed, it took a couple seconds for her to compute that it was a small teddy bear, one half as bright as fresh snow and the other dark as a moonless night sky with a horrid red slash that passed for an eye. Rows of mechanic teeth shifted into a mocking grin that sent shivers down her spine and made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. His horrid eyes seemed to stare directly into her as he spoke. "Sorry to keep you hanging , Kaede, but I wanted to make sure everyone got here first! It's a bit of a pain to do the same explanation again and again and again because some brat wanted to investigate every scrap of wallpaper, you know?" He joked, his voice swapping between dark and malicious sarcasm and perfect cheeriness far too smoothly to ever be close to normal.

Kaede's blood turned to ice. She knew that bear. She didn't know how, or from where, but she knew that her stomach dropped at the sight of him. Every fiber of her being was screaming at her to run as far and as fast as she could, yet she found herself frozen in place. Her mind raced a mile a minute for any explanation of the unsettling creature before her, but each and every time, only one slithering word found its way into her tongue. It finally tumbled out of her mouth like a bottle of poison that finally toppled to the floor before she could even hope to understand what it truly meant.

"M-Monokuma?!"

Monokuma cackled as winked at the terrified teenagers. "Yep, that’s me! Your lovable and iconic headmaster! And if it isn't sixteen of my finest pupils! Puhuhuhu!" The fluffy devil laughed out. His selfish grin somehow seemed to grow larger at their mutual panic. "Aw, I missed you guys too! It's been waaaaaay too long!"

Owada took a challenging step forward with a face twisted in sheer rage. "The f*ck are you doing here?!"

The bear tilted his head innocently, raising a paw to his chin. "Hmm? Whaddya mean what am I doing here? This is my ship! Shouldn't I be the one asking you guys why you're loitering around on my property?"

A stunned silence overtook the room. Even Mikan and Hifumi's screams softened into whimpers at the robot's words. The room became quiet enough to hear a pin drop. After a few seconds, the soft clicking of shoes delicately falling on hardwood drew every pair of eyes in the room to Kirumi Tojo. She was the very picture of calm even as she approached the devil himself, her face measured and voice even. If it weren't for how tightly her hands were balled into fists, Kaede might have believed the Ultimate Maid was truly fearless. "Pardon me," She began, managing to look Monokuma in his mismatched eyes. "But did you just say that we're in a ship? Your ship, to be precise?"

"Yes indeed! Each and every one of you are passengers aboard my pride and joy, the Despair of the Seas! It's a very exclusive honor to get aboard, you know!" He boasted.

Kaito scowled at the bear, crossing his arms. "Yeah, right. How the hell is anything involving you an honor?"

"Why, because in order to get on this ship, each and every one of you had to murder someone!"

If the room had been quiet before, it was dead silent now. Kaede felt… nothing. Absolute numbness overtook her body. The words didn't seem real. Nothing did. Not even the cold dread pooling in her gut like tar could fully distract her from how detached she felt at that moment. It was as if she were watching someone else's story on TV.

"... Murder someone…?" She murmured numbly, staring at the monochrome ursine in incomprehension. A guttural growl broke out from behind her just before Mondo rushed past her in a black and orange blur.

"f*ckin' bullsh*t! The only one getting murdered by me is you, you worthless goddamn-"

Monokuma tsked at Mondo like a haughty teacher as he shook a claw at him mockingly. "Ah ah ah! Violence against Headmaster Monokuma is not allowed! If you wanna die during this little voyage of mutual killing, at least wait until it actually starts!" His high-pitched voice instructed. A mechanical whirl preceded two machine guns suddenly dropping from the ceiling and locking onto the Ultimate Biker, stopping him in his tracks. Monokuma's grin grew dark. "I'd just hate to lose one of my star students right off the bat."

Kaede's senses shot back into her like a slap in the face as she quickly gathered her strength and joined by Mondo's side and grabbed his arm to pull him back. "No one's dying today! I don’t know what you’re trying to pull here, Monokuma, but I would never kill anyone, and neither would anyone else here!" She declared, pointing a finger at him with her unoccupied hand. The bear simply sighed.

"What are you talking about? The one thing all of you have in common is that you committed the biggest crime of all! Do you think I'd be stupid enough to get my blackened and spotless mixed up?!"

"What does that even mean? You know what, whatever! I'm not a murderer! I don't believe you! Right guys?" Kaede sharply refused as she let go of Owada's arm and turned to her fellow students. A chorus of agreements greeted her.

"No way in hell, man! That bear's crazy!"

"Gonta is Gentleman! Gentleman never harm anybody!"

“There’s no way an upstanding young citizen like me would ever do something like that!”

"Yep, that's right… I think."

"To take an innocent life is beyond forgiveness. I would sooner die than do something so cowardly." Sakura's rumbling voice hardly needed raising to be heard around the room.

"I-I could never k-kill someone! T-that's too horrible to even think about!" Mikan sputtered out between sobs as tears streaking down her face from the mere accusation.

"Thousands have perished in battle against the Tanaka empire… but a lowly murder is a mortal's game."

Even most of those that didn't vocally respond at least gave an approving nod or hum. Flashing them a supportive grin, she swirled back to Monokuma with hands on her hips. "Well, Monokuma? What do you have to say about that?" She confidently challenged. The robot stared blankly at her.

"... Are you guys serious? Did you just pretend to know each other earlier or what? Messing with people is only fun when I'm the one doing it, you guys…"

Tsumugi's voice piped up unexpectedly. "Ah! How did you know about that? You weren't anywhere near us!"

Their kidnapper groaned, the long and irritating buzz of a mechanical monster hissing through a voice box. "Uuuuuuugh! I told you, this is my ship! I know everything that happens on here! You know, the way things have worked since the very first killing game?!"

"Hmm… it would seem Monokuma has knowledge we do not. If I may be so presumptuous, I assume we met during these supposed killing games? I believe I would have remembered encountering my peers, not to mention yourself, yet it all seems so… half formed. A curious phenomenon to be certain…" Korekiyo proposed with clear intrigue. Kaede raised an uncertain eyebrow as she glanced back at the anthropologist. Something as dire as missing memories and accusations of murder were a lot more than a 'curious phenomenon' for crying out loud!

"Ding ding ding! Everyone give it up for Mr. Shinguji, clearly the smartest one out of all of you! Of course, seeing as how he still managed to forget the whole reason you're all here, that doesn't really say much."

Pekoyama's tone was as sharp as the sword Kaede imagined rested below the woman's plain sheath. "You keep talking in circles. Explain yourself."

Monokuma was clearly irate at this point. Serrated steel popped out of his only black fist, glittering in the light dangerously. " Like I said , you guys are all former participants of grand games of life and death. You know, murders, trials, general despairing mayhem? Ringing any bells?"

"No, because none of us are or ever will be murderers!" Akamatsu spat out through gritted teeth. "No one's falling for your dumb game!"

"You sound like a broken record. Didn't you say that last time, too? Yet here you are!" He complained, putting his paws on his nonexistent hips disapprovingly.

"What last time ?! Stop screwing around!" Momota demanded as he joined Mondo and pumped a fist towards their supposed headmaster. To their surprise, Monokuma simply giggled. The astronaut slammed his fists together as if it would send the bear flying. "HEY! WE ASKED YOU A QUESTION, ASSHOLE!"

"Oh, that's right. Silly, silly me. I thought you were joking around, but you're all way too dedicated for this to be an act. You guys probably haven't got all your memories back yet, right?" Monokuma sighed, looking down shamefully. "Typical. Trust your cubs to do one simple job, and they'll half-ass the most important part of it. Shame on me for trusting those little brats again…” The heartless headmaster's grin disappeared, an almost solemn look dawning on his features. "This won’t do. It seems that something really bad must’ve happened to your memories while being transferred here. You’re all supposed to be paranoid about each other’s pasts! How can I have a good killing game if none of you can even remember what you did to get here? If I just left you all as is, the game would be un-bear-ably boring!”

“Another bear pun. I do unfortunately remember you being fond of those, for what little it’s worth.” Ludenberg grumbled tersely. Her comment went entirely unnoticed by everyone else as Monokuma's wicked grin slowly started to spread across his face.

"Oh well! This handy dandy little tool oughta help jog your noggins!" He merrily declared as he snapped his not-fingers. A somewhat long stick fell from the ceiling and into his paw before he pointed it at the sixteen ultimates. It looked a little bit like a flashlight, but the pure menace that it's owner exuded was enough to make it a clear threat. Kaede's eyes became as wide as saucers as she took a step back.

"What are you-?!"

Monokuma clicked the switch on the device, and Kaede Akamatsu's world exploded into blinding white.

***

Chapter 3: Chapter One: The Bloodied Hands We're Dealt: Daily Life Part 1

Chapter Text

In one horrible, agonizing second, it all came flooding back to her. Waking up in a locker. Meeting the others. The announcement of the killing game. The time limit. Shuichi's plan. Grabbing the shot put ball.Rantaro, dead and bleeding on the floor. Shuichi exposing her lie. Sobbing out her final wish. The noose around her neck getting tighter and tighter and tighter until it digs into her skin and it hurts hurtshurts hurts-

A choked sob escaped her as she vaguely registered falling to her knees, tears swarming her vision and turning it into a bunch of watery smudges. She couldn't breathe. Her hands desperately pulled at a rope that wasn't there anymore, but she could still feel it digging into her throat and choking the life out of her second by second. She wanted it to stop, would do anything to make it stop, yet it refused. The bit of air she could feel slipping into her lungs was like smoke, making her cough and sputter for oxygen between sobs that shook her entire body. A century could have passed without her noticing. Even when the nightmarish pain ever so slowly began to fade away, her weeping only worsened.

"Oh Kaede, it never dawned on you? As soon as that thought entered your head, Monokuma had you right where he wanted, because what mattered most to Monokuma was that the killing game started. Regardless of your reasons, the moment you felt the urge to kill, you had already lost. You agreed to be part of this killing game when you allowed murder to fill your heart!" Kokichi had all too happily declared without a hint of pity in his eyes. Good. He was right, after all. Kaede Akamatsu murdered one of her classmates in cold blood. She promised that she would save them all, and she was the first one to kill. Disgusted couldn't even come close to describing how she felt. Hypocrite couldn't touch the level of betrayal she subjected her friends to. She failed everyone. She was absolutely vile. She was a murderer. She-

A pair of hands grabbed her shoulders. Someone was speaking to her, a gruff voice laced with heavy concern, but she couldn't really hear them. Not over her own frantic heartbeat. With her vision awash, all she could make out when she turned was a blur of lavender. They were still talking, a part of her recognized. Heedless of whatever the figure was actually saying, she could only quietly murmur, "I killed him. I killed Rantaro. I… I…" They stopped. The only noise she could hear was the pounding in her ears. Akamatsu crumpled into herself as her hands covered her face. "I… I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. He… Rantaro's dead. I'm dead. That- that should have been it! Why am I here?! Was… was it not enough?!"

"HEY!" The voice finally shouted loud enough for her to discern. Startled, her head snapped back up. Kaede wiped her aching eyes until the tears parted enough for her to see a slightly disheveled Kaito before her. His eyes were fierce yet sympathetic, like a doctor trying to calm a panicking patient. She stared up at him dumbly but silent. Apparently satisfied, he continued, his tone a little softer. "I know. It… it doesn't matter right now. Just breathe, alright?" Momota instructed. The pianist took a few shuddering breaths, trying to ignore how alien the sensation felt. The ache in her chest hadn't gone away, but she pushed through it. Calm would be the wrong word to describe her at that moment, but she was certainly more lucid. Kaito offered a hand that she shakily took. As soon as she was on her feet, however, a grim realization struck her. She clamped her eyes shut and grit her teeth.

"... I wasn't the only killer, was I? Monokuma isn't lying…" The blonde leader's question was more of a statement. Kaito's deafening silence confirmed the bitter truth she already knew. Her eyes opened, boring into the Ultimate Astronaut. "... Did you…" Was all she could manage. He opened his mouth for a moment as if he was going to respond only to close it again, unable to meet her gaze. The grief and self-loathing she felt churned and transformed into anger. "Answer me, Kaito! Did you kill someone?!"

His lips pressed into a thin line. "... Yeah. Yeah, I did."

She felt sick. Kaede turned from him, ignoring his pleas to hear him out. Her eyes scanned over the room and her fellow Ultimates. It was pure chaos. Mikan, Teruteru, Leon, and Gonta were openly bawling, distressed wails emanating from them like a macabre bird song. Tsumugi and Kirumi were deathly pale whilst Mondo and Peko were rigid as statues. The rest that she could see managed to hide it better than the others, but not by much. Some had fallen to their knees like she had, others managed to stand their ground, but no matter how subdued their reactions were, their eyes all told the same story.

Everyone she'd met was a murderer, just like her.

"Bwahahahahaha! See? I told you you're all killers! Bears do not lie. We're bear-y honest about that! Puhuhu!" Monokuma boasted with that godforsaken laugh of his. Kaede's jaw clenched as she swirled around to face him. Her hands clenched into fists. The bear's devilish grin somehow seemed to widen even further. "So you see, Kaede, you and your friends already did fall for my 'dumb game'. All that bright, shiny hope of yours… for a bunch of heartless killers! I haven't seen despair this thrilling in years!"

She… they were murderers. Her friends killed her other friends. Rantaro and her were supposed to be the only ones to die, and yet five of her classmates were here. Kirumi, Korekiyo, Tsumugi, Kaito, even poor, sweet Gonta, all of them resorted to slaughtering each other. If all of them only killed one person, that left… four. A quarter of them survived at best. Akamatsu could feel another bout of tears pooling behind her eyes. How could it have all gone so wrong? They were supposed to get along and escape, and instead, they… her wish… was meaningless. Her death was meaningless. She failed them all again . She couldn't even hold it against them. What right did she have to judge them when it was all her fault-

"... Does it matter?"

Kaede blinked. Her head swiveled to find Chiaki taking a few hesitant steps forward, her brow furrowed. The room fell silent aside from a few soft snivels as the hall of blackened observed the Ultimate Gamer. Monokuma tilted his head and raised a paw to his snout. "Huh? Wuzzat?"

"Does it matter if we're blackened? Yes, all of us killed someone… but that doesn't mean we'll do it again. Killing can't be forgiven, but people can change. We don't have to be murderers forever. I… have faith in us."

Nanami's voice was almost as soft as ever, yet it was like a rallying cry. Kaito marched forward with a pumped fist. "Chiaki's right! We're better than that! If it weren't for Monokuma's bullcrap, none of us would be here! It's his fault!"

The pianist stirred a little, as if being woken from a trance. "Monokuma's fault…?" She echoed in her mind. Was that really true? Sure, she commited murder because of the time limit, but it didn't change the fact that she commited murder. That didn't excuse her crimes. But… maybe the others weren't like her. Maybe…

"Gonta… not know why Gonta kill Miu. Gonta sorry he hurt friends. Gonta maybe not forgivable, but… Gonta know friends good people. Gonta forgive friends!" The Ultimate Entomologist shouted, stretching his arms out protectively.

Tsumugi nervously raised a finger, a few beads of sweat on her sickly pale brow. "Um, what he said! I don't think we're just plainly bad people!"

Kaede's brow furrowed. Gonta was so sweet, so gentle… there was no way he'd willingly kill someone, right? There had to be some sort of trick that made him do it! Tsumugi, too! So…. that must've also meant the same applied for Kaito and the others! The ahoged woman felt something warm rising in her chest. It was... strange. She knew this feeling, once upon a time, but it had been so long since it felt so pure. Excluding that morning, the last time she felt something similar, it was in her final moments, as heavy and cold as the ball that had taken Rantaro's life. She'd already given up then like she was giving up now. This was different. This felt more like when they first found the Death Road to Despair. Warm and light like this… it was how hope was supposed to feel. The undeniable sensation of rot was still suffocating her, but there was a light in the darkness she could reach towards now. She might be vile, but that didn't mean the others were. They just made mistakes. Grave ones, sure, but they weren't irredeemable. She… she could still make this work! Summing up as much confidence as she could, she marched forward, pointing a finger at their tormentor. "They're right! You… your tricks won't work on us again! We might've been weak before, but no one's going to kill again!"

She'd been expecting them to snap to their senses and stand together. They were friends, or at least had the startings of friendship. Yet the only ones who gave any sort of affirmation were the ones already standing against Monokuma. Instead, after a beat, only one new voice spoke up. "... Are you certain of that?"

"Huh? Celeste?" Kaede questioned the gambler, suddenly feeling like she'd been thrown through a loop. Ludenberg's icy gaze met hers.

"How can you be so sure none of us will kill again? We've all taken lives before, likely many of them innocent. What is the guarantee that any of us would hesitate to turn on each other?"

Kaede tried her hide the new bout of nervousness she felt at the back of her mind. "I… well, I don't have one, but-"

Celeste's eyes narrowed. "If there is no guarantee, then how can you truly believe it? Belief without proof is delusion. I cannot speak for anyone else, but I know for certain that I hold no such fantasies."

Momota's annoyed growl was almost as loud as his fists slamming together. "That's enough! We believe because we wanna believe, and that's all the reason we need! If you can't believe what you wanna believe, what the hell can you?"

"Evidence, for one. Human nature for another. Neither bode well for your beliefs, I'm afraid."

Korekiyo's soft chuckling followed soon after. "Keheheh… it is rather unfortunate, is it not? Distrust has been both boon and bane to countless civilizations. I wonder which it shall be here… either way, I shall be watching with great interest…" His words slithered, the lanky man almost seeming to hug himself. Were it not for that mask of his, Kaede was certain a grin would have awaited her. She tried to hide her growing frown.

"It- it's not like that! Kiyo, you know us. You know the others aren't evil people. There's no way they're just an exception here!" She pleaded. Her classmate merely shook his head, wagging a finger slightly as if she were a disobedient child.

"What is evil, Kaede?" He pondered aloud. Upon not getting an immediate answer, he continued. "It is only what a culture deems it to be. To some, we are but monsters; frightening stories told to children to make them behave. To others, our actions weren't even crimes at all. Good and evil cannot be judged objectively, nor is it an anthropologist's duty to assign such meaningless names to far more important actions. If I were to say anything, it would be… 'use your best judgement. To do otherwise might just prove fatal'. Keheheheh…" The masked man confidently elaborated.

It was like all the wind dropped from her sails. What were they doing? Were they trying to make the killing game start? How could they say such horrible things? Her gaze hardened as her hands squeezed her arms hard enough to ache lightly "Even if that were the case - which it's not - we don't have to just rely on blind faith. We…" She sucked in a breath. "We all got executed, right? Do you really think anyone's eager to go through that again?" She spoke with a hint of harshness. The indirect threat was sandpaper on her tongue, but it needed to be said. She could practically feel the collective flinch that rocked over the group like a wave. Mikan, Teruteru, and Leon's shrill wailing came back in full force and a number of her friends paled to her dismay but there was no going back at that point. Her gaze stayed firm amongst the growing tension. Celeste's glare became colder than a blizzard. However, she was not the first one to counter Akamatsu's claim.

"By that same token, Siren, not one of us gathered here feared death enough to be dissuaded in our previous lives. What is to say it will stop us in this one should one of us prove so fiendish as to claim the soul of another?" Tanaka scowled, his arms crossed. She held up her hands like Gundham was one of the animals he trained.

"But that's not-"

"We can't know for sure,” Pekoyama's voice cut through her words, her dire warning as serrated as her blade. Kaede wasn't sure when the swordswoman had stirred from her stunned state, but whenever it happened, it had apparently spurred her against the pianist. “I'm sure none of us planned on becoming killers last time either. Friends or not, blindly trusting in each other absolutely will only endanger us all."

Kaede couldn't help but be crestfallen at the rejection. No one else was speaking up in their favor. She could feel the sweat forming on her brow with each distrusting glance the students gave each other, more than a few of them inching away from the ones closer to them while others took on more aggressive stances. If something didn't happen soon, it would be a repeat of the tunnel, but with so much more on the line.

Kaito took it even worse. "C'mon, Peko! What the hell kinda crap is that? You gotta-"

" That said ," Peko spoke forcefully, sparing a momentary glare to the astronaut. "Absolute suspicion will do the same. Vigilance is our only option."

Kaede's frown softened into a slight downward tilt of the lips. That… wasn't great for building trust, but it wasn't as dour and cynical as Celeste and Gundham's words of wisdom. At the very least, the sentiment seemed to lessen the tension between the blackened ever so slightly, the majority of them staying in place rather than making any further moves against each other. Chiaki hummed a little, pressing her fingers together. "Well… that makes sense. But… things will be okay if we all work together. We just have to try." The gamer gave a small beam. Kaede managed one back despite the nearly suffocating feeling of guilt lingering just below the rush of confidence.

"Gonta trust friends, but is okay if people not believe in Gonta. Gonta just need to work extra hard to be trustworthy. Gonta… Gonta not hurting anyone ever again." The gentle giant promised solemnly, hanging his head. She felt a pang for the boy far too kind for his own good.

"Gonta, you-"

A long and clearly exasperated groan made every student's head snap towards Monokuma. The bear was staring up at the ceiling, arms dangling limply at his sides while his monotonous howl echoed around them. It continued on for a few more seconds before Kaito growled, "Hey! Shut up, damn you!"

The bear stopped in an instant, tilting his head. "Hmm? Didn't like me droning on and on like that? Good! Now maybe you know how I feel! Geez, guys, you were doing so good with all that despair earlier, but now you're just going on and on about hope and trust and belief and BLEH! I'm gonna get sick if you keep on like this! Way to kill the mood like you killed all those people!" Monokuma hissed. He threw his paws in the air. "How are we supposed to get a killing game on the road when half of you are being so wishywashy?!"

"We don't. That's the point." Peko curtly refused.

The bear nearly seemed to roll his eyes at them. "You know what? Fine! If you wanna trust each other and be best friends and all that crap, go right ahead. But when someone turns up with a knife in their back, don't be surprised if I say I told you so~!" He singsonged, his red eye flashing menacingly. Kaede just crossed her arms and glared. "Buuuuuut... how can you trust each other if you can't even trust your own memory?"

"What are you even talking about?" Akamatsu demanded. Her teeth grit at that damned laugh of his.

"That's the funny thing: I can't remember… just like some of your near and dear classmates' murders!"

Before she could open her mouth to respond, Shinguji gave a low, somewhat unnerving chuckle. "Keheheh… I see. Can we take that as a confession that you have taken yet more of our memories?"

"Hey, Kiyo, what're you talking about?" Questioned a perplexed Kaito. The anthropologist seemed to smirk beneath his mask.

"Tell me, Kaito: Why did I resort to killing? You survived my trial. Surely you should know." He said far too casually for a murder confession. Kaito scowled darkly at him.

"Isn't it obvious? You were… you killed Tenko and Angie because…" His brow furrowed, his crossed arms loosening. "... I… damn it, why did you kill them?!" The astronaut roared out with a glare. The pianist's heart sank at the news that he'd slain multiple of her friends, but it wasn't the time to call people out. Korekiyo raised a hand demonstratively.

"Do you understand now? I cannot remember the reason for my killings. Nor can I recall yours, Kirumi. Would it be too bold to assume you have the same condition?"

The maid stiffened like a board. Slowly, she bowed her head, fists clenching into her skirt like it was a lifeline in a dark and unforgiving ocean. "... You are correct, Mister Shinguji. I… I'm afraid I cannot recall why I committed such a heinous crime," Tojo confessed, hints of horror and shame managing to leak through her often impeccably measured tone. A sorrowful emerald eye met her pink ones. "... I have failed not only my duties as a maid, but my promise to you, Miss Akamatsu. For that, though it will never be enough, I truly apologize."

The burst of emotion took Kaede aback. She hadn't known the greenish blonde very long, given the circ*mstances, but it was still by far the most sentimental she'd ever seen her. Looking closer, it was plain to see Kirumi's jaw was locked tighter than a bank vault. Conflicting emotions swelled in her chest, uncertain of whether she should try to comfort her friend or press on their apparent missing memories. Both were causes of great distress to two very different parts of Kaede's brain. She didn't get a chance to decide as the Ultimate Nurse sneakily approached them, her despaired sobbing lessening a little while she spoke. "Y-y-you can't r-remember why y-you… why I… I… I'm s-so soooorry-!" She barely managed to choke the words out before collapsing to her knees and into another fit of anguished howls, her face wet and flushed red from all her tears.

The sight stabbed at Kaede's heart, making her decision for her. The pianist put a soothing hand on Tsumiki's back, trying her best to comfort the distraught girl as she spoke to both we and Tojo. "It's-" She stopped herself before she could say 'it's okay' , because there was absolutely nothing okay with butchering someone like she did. Instead, she settled on, "It's not your fault. Not really," She glanced back to the grinning animatronic standing proudly in the stage. Mikan was blubbering at this point, saying something about a best friend, but she couldn't decipher most of it through her choked sobs. "This is all because of him ."

Celeste's sigh was heavy, almost bored even. "The matter of whose fault it is or is not is irrelevant," She drawled, flicking her hair behind her. "What is relevant, however, is that you've left out some details, Monokuma. Why is that?"

The demented teddy bear held his hands out as if he was giving a sermon. "Why, that's simple! If I left you with all your memories, you'd start killing each other willy-nilly! Some of you were a lot more bloodthirsty than others for one reason or another. What good would all this be if half of you ended up dead before the first week was out? While some good old fashioned senseless slaughter and bloodshed can be fun from time to time, these games are so much more fun with rules!"

" Fun ? You… bastard!" Hissed the Ultimate Martial Artist. Kaede flinched out of shock. Sakura had remained as still and silent as a specter, so much so that she had forgotten Ogami was still there. The goliath marching towards Monokuma was entirely unlike the calm and soft spoken girl she had met only a few minutes prior, Sakura's wise silver eyes replaced by hateful black pits while her rage was practically simmering in the air around her. "How dare you?! All these lives you've taken… all the ones you forced others to take… and you won't even let us remember why…? What drives you to inflict such cruelty?!"

He just smirked in response, patting his belly. "Well, reactions like that definitely help make it all worthwhile! Puhuhuhu!"

Sakura grew closer and closer until the armaments that stopped Mondo swiveled to her. Without a hint of fear, she demanded, "... Tell me who I killed. I will not ask again."

"Hmm, I am sure that will convince him," Ludenberg mocked dryly, flicking her hair behind her. A scowl overtook her pale white features. "However, I must confess I too cannot recall my murder either. Even the victim is a blur-"

"Really? Me too, mistress!" Hifumi piped up for the first time since the flashback light went off, his unnerving enthusiasm only slightly dimmed.

Celeste's calm mask had enough cracks that a strong gust of wind could shatter it. "Quite," She tersed out. Closing her eyes for a moment, it was like her entire body reset, all traces of annoyance gone by the time her red orbs reappeared. The gambler's tone was as inquisitive as her analyzing gaze when she asked, "As I was saying, I would like to know more about my murder. May I have an explanation?"

If he smiled any wider, Kaede was certain the robot would break. "Oh, are you curious about the memories that you’re missing? Well that's good, because I'm not going to tell you no matter how many times you ask! Tell you what: if you want your memories back so badly, then someone should really start the killing game as soon as possible! I won't give out any more hints until the first body is discovered. Can you live with not knowing why you killed your buddies, or even which of them you did in?"

"Why not just erase everyone's memories then? Wouldn't that have been easier?" Nanami probed.

"Suspicious, isn't it? Really makes you doubt the people around you…"

Kaito shoved a fist towards Monokuma. "That doesn't answer the question! Too chicken to give us the truth, Monokuma?"

His outrage went completely ignored by their headmaster. "But anyway, as much as I love all this, we're falling behind schedule, so let's step it up a bit!" He proclaimed as he reached behind and pulled out a comically sized remote with a big red button extruding from it out from seemingly thin air. Kaede's blood froze at the sight of it. No. Oh no. That… that was-! She hadn't even realized she was reeling away from him until she nearly fell over. Monokuma's head tilted. "Hmm? What's this? You guys are awfully scared of a little button!" He jerked a paw and slammed the button. Kaede couldn't hold back a panicked yell. The chorus of gasps and cries around her made it clear she wasn't the only one that realized exactly what it meant. It would be maybe a second before that damned collar snapped shut around her neck and dragged her off to her death again, she knew, and there was even less she could do to stop it now than before except close her eyes, throw her hands to her throat and pray it managed to keep the metal from closing. To her bafflement, however, the end never came. After a few tense seconds, she slowly opened her eyes to find Monokuma grinning at her. "What, am I triggering you? Ahahahaha! I'm not executing you guys already, sillies! No siree, fun as those are, I play by the rules I set forth. This button's just to open up the windows on the ship, so if you don't believe me, you can just look outside and see for yourselves!"

"You are allowing us to see the outside? If I may, why the sudden change of heart?" Celeste pondered, her eyes gleaming with genuine intrigue.

"Switching things up is important, Miss Ludenberg. It'd be awfully boring if I ran all my killing games in the same kinda building all the time. Like you said, you can adapt or you can die, and unlike you guys, Monokuma is forever!"

Kaede's breath shook for a few more seconds before anger came boiling to the surface. "Enough with your twisted games already! Say what you want and get the hell away from us already!" She snarled. Monokuma simply smirked.

"My, my! Someone's feisty. Put that kind of enthusiasm into whacking one of your buddies, and you might just make it out for a change, Kaede! Speaking of new changes…. behold, the all new and improved Monopads!" The animal jovially declared. Just as he finished, something in her backpack shook violently. Keeping a watchful eye on her sworn enemy and one hand on a still-shaking Mikan's back, the pianist cautiously withdrew the tablet. Monokuma's obnoxious color scheme stared back at her around the edges of the screen's bright display. "As long as you are onboard this ship, these will be your keys to a happy and homicidal voyage. Literally! Every one of your monopads works on both your room on the first deck that you’ll be staying in, and on your specific Ultimate Lab! Simply scan your monopad on the scanner attached to one of these doors, and if it's yours, your Monopad will allow you to choose whether you want to lock or unlock that particular door, and will keep it that way for as long as you want! Just to make things fair, I'm unlocking everything except your cabins for now, but you can relock them if you have the right key. So make sure you don't lose them, as these are the only things that’ll unlock your cabin and lab doors! Otherwise, you might end up making a nice, easy victim of yourself if you get locked out of your room!" He added with childish glee. Her lips curled in disgust at the sickening sense of Déjà vu she felt reading over the self-proclaimed Cruise Regulations. These rules looked almost identical to the ones she'd read only a few short days prior, some minor wording differences aside. Reading over the regulation stipulating punishing the blackened was far more uncomfortable this time, her throat contracting against her will, but she forced herself to ignore it. In total, only three entries stood out, all of them rules she was certain weren't around before her death:

Rule #4: A blackened may only kill up to a maximum of two people in any single killing game. In the event of two killers, only the killer whose victim died first will be considered the blackened.

Rule #15: No littering the ocean. This includes trash, evidence, dead bodies, living students, and so on.

Rule #16: No physical violence will be permitted during trials. Any attempts to commit a murder while a trial is underway will be met with immediate execution.

Her stomach flipped at the idea of two simultaneous killers. There… there was no way that would happen. She refused to believe it. The other rules were morbid, but exactly the kind of cruel, warped worldview that she'd come to expect from Monokuma. A part of her felt like seeing how far she could throw it just to spite her monochromatic captor, but in the interest of staying alive, Kaede settled for simply roughly shoving it back into her backpack. "Are you happy now? You got what you wanted. Enjoy it, because that's the last time that's going to happen."

"Because none of you are ever ever gonna participate in a killing game, right?" Monokuma mocked, making the pianist grit her teeth at the bear. "Geez, Kaede, you can ease up a little. I'm going to start confusing you with Mondo with all that scowling you're doing!"

Suddenly reminded of him, Akamatsu turned her head just enough to face him. The biker hadn't budged an inch since their memories came back, frozen in place like a statue. "... Mondo?" She called out testingly, going completely ignored by the man in question. His knuckles were as white as a ghost while his face completely hidden from view. If it weren't for the silent, seething rise and fall of his chest, she might have been convinced he'd died on his feet. There was something distinctly unsettling about him like this, so quiet and still compared to the overly expressive man she'd known up to that point. Not even Monokuma's insufferable giggling seemed to be enough to wake him from his trance.

"Anyhoo, this is normally the part where I tell you all about the trials and executions and all, but seeing as how you're all intimately familiar with those, I guess my little speech is ending early! Works for me! I've got a date with a jar of honey and videos of puppies getting kicked! Oh, and remember kiddos, Captain Monokuma is always watching, so try to make your deaths as entertaining as possible, okay? Toodles!" And with that, the black and white monster and his various weapons seemed to sink through the floor and walls, leaving the sixteen murderers stunned and alone. Thick and suffocating, the tense silence that overtook the group in Monokuma's absence felt like a snake slowly coiling around them and squeezing out every hint of life. Gathering up every bit of strength she could, Kaede rose to her feet and faced her fellow students.

"We… we won't give in. We can't. I know I've failed some of you before," She lamented, glancing at the five most familiar faces in the crowd. "But I promise you-"

"What good is a killer's promise?" The Ultimate Gambler spoke simply with the same pointedly numb scorn that she'd come to associate with Maki in the few days she'd known the icy Ultimate. Kaede's speech died in her throat.

"H-huh?"

"We are murderers, Kaede. Murderers are liars by trade," She continued, her predatory gaze stabbing through the pianist, determined not to let her escape. Celestia's tone was light, almost conversational, but with a trace of malice that lashed against Akamatsu's spirit like a whip. "Each of us had a trial, correct? That alone makes it clear none of us simply confessed. I most certainly did not. So, then, why should any of us believe a single word another says? It'll only bring disaster."

It was a verbal punch in the gut, completely throwing Akamatsu off. Her mind scrambled for a response that she never got to give. "Shut the hell up! Kaede's not like that!" Kaito roared, baring his teeth at the pale woman. "You don't know anything about us. Why should we listen to your fear-mongering bullsh*t instead of actually working together and making sure none of that happens, huh?!"

The look Celeste gave him was the closest she could picture the gambler could come to rolling her eyes. "Even if that is truly the case for her, can you say the same for everyone else? We are not friends. Most of us are hardly even acquaintances. If you wish to set yourself up for betrayal, that is fine. I, however, refuse."

Tsumugi wrung her hands over and over, a blue tint coming over her. "Ah… that's…"

Chiaki shook her head. "Monokuma acts like this is PVP, but it's not. It's co-op. Things might go bad if you trust people, sure, but maybe they won't. Maybe it could save our lives."

Gundham shook his head with a scowl. "Or it might bring pandemonium unto us all. Anything that speaks can betray you, Chiaki. Unless you possess the level of dark magic necessary to read the minds of others, the only one whom you can truly know the intentions of is yourself."

Shirogane bit her lip, glancing nervously at Gundham and Celeste on either side of her before her gaze flicked back to Kaede and Chiaki. "... I'm sorry, but… I really don't know if I can trust everyone."

Just like that, the defiantly hopeful atmosphere she'd tried so hard to build came crashing down around her. Kaito was shouting out livid condemnations and demands at the increasingly uneasy blackened, drowning out Gonta and Chiaki's attempts to soothe the situation. Mikan started crying again at some point. Gundham roared back overly dramatic warnings about the nature of human darkness in between the odd comments from Celeste and Korekiyo. The more paranoid among them started to isolate themselves once again. "Guys!" She called out, but her own voice hardly stood out amongst the bickering crowd. "Everyone, calm down! Please!" They ignored her. If anything, they only seemed to get louder. "Stop fighting! This is what Monokuma wants!" She pleaded to no avail. Monokuma's cruel laughter echoed in her mind at the discord on display and her already strained patience snapped. "SHUT UP ALREADY!"

The room fell quiet once more, every pair of eyes falling on her. Surprise. Confusion. Uncertainty. Distrust. Annoyance. Fear. Each set of eyes reflected at least one of those emotions as they bore into her. She stood her ground regardless. "Don't you guys get it? This is exactly what Monokuma wants from us. He wants us to rip each other to shreds. Well… screw him! You might not trust each other completely, but we can all trust that Monokuma is a monster. None of us are nearly as bad as he is, so even if you're afraid, we should still stick together against him."

The usual suspects quickly rallied around her, which while welcome, weren't her target audience. She carefully watched the others to see if her words swayed them at all. Another harsh interjection from Celeste was basically a guarantee, but she was hoping to at least get a foot in the door first. Tsumugi, ever willing to go with the flow, seemed to perk up the words a little. Teruteru, Mikan and Leon still seemed too out of it to really follow along. Hifumi was barely paying attention. Gundham's jaw tightened, a retort dancing in his eyes that was no doubt waiting for just the right opportunity to strike. In contrast, Peko gave a curt nod of agreement. "Agreed. Ultimately, most of the danger here is only present if we allow it. Korekiyo was correct; trust who you can, and those you can't, don't."

"That's still a bunch of crap..." Kaito grumbled, frowning. Kaede suppressed a cringe. Thankfully, before another argument could break out, Kirumi, apparently having collected herself, stepped forward.

"If I may," She raised her voice just enough to draw everyone's attention, somehow managing to keep it steady despite everything. "It has been a traumatic day, to say the least. I believe it would be for the best if we all retire for the evening and reconvene when tempers are cooler in the morning. Is that acceptable?"

Kaede took the opportunity to regain control. "Kirumi's right. It's a lot to take in, and I think we all need some time to cope. We… we'll get things sorted tomorrow."

Not many people responded, though not a soul protested. The once lively bunch of Ultimates had become as silent as the dead. Kaede bit back the creeping sense of dread and guilt that began settling over her shoulders. After all her talk about trust and hope, she couldn't let her fears show through. She couldn't fail everyone yet again. After a few moments of silence, Celeste sighed a little. "I suppose this is fine. At the very least, I see no point in further debate. I have given my suggestions, and in truth, that is all I am inclined to do. If that is all, then I shall take my leave." Ludenberg conceded, giving a small curtsy. With that, she casually left the room.

The blackened started slowly trickling out shortly after, first Hifumi following after his mistress, then Leon and Teruteru's puffy-eyed forms shambled out of the room muttering how it couldn't be real. Tsumugi made her exit paler than a ghost, unable to meet anyone's gaze. Mondo and Sakura both left without a word, their rigid body language speaking for them. With each and every person that left with distrust and worry in their gaze, a bit of her confidence went with them. Eventually, the only ones left in the grand hall were Chiaki, Kaito, Mikan, and Kaede herself. Kaito scratched his head, looking away. "Well, that coulda gone a lot worse…" He attempted to cheer. She couldn't help the forlorn sigh that escaped her lips. Mikan still on her knees, whimpered.

"Sorry… I'm s-sorry… I-I'm s-so sorry…" Tsumiki repeated for what must have been the thousandth time, her tears long since run dry but her entire body rocking with almost-silent sobs. Kaede continued vain attempts to soothe the girl, staring at her with a mix of profound pity, light exasperation and, no matter how much she hated it, suspicion. With Monokuma and the need to fight off Celeste's arguments gone, the suffocating emotions she'd been drowning in when she first recovered her memories -the very same ones that made her butcher one of her friends- were clawing their way back to the surface. She couldn't believe it, certainly didn't want to believe it, but the meek, soft-hearted nurse before her was a murderer. It was impossible to imagine… but then again, just a few days prior, she never could have pictured herself killing another person either. She glanced at Momota and her gut twisted at the insidious thought that he was the same. It was easy to believe in them when there was a clear enemy in the room. On their own, though? A switch flicked and nothing but uncertainty remained. She tasted bile, but no matter how much she willed it away or cursed herself for her hypocrisy, she couldn't shake the horrible feelings from her mind.

Thankfully, Kaito seemed to misunderstand the cause for her distress. "Hey, don't be like that, Kaede. You did great, alright? It's not your fault people are freaked out."

Akamatsu didn't respond, biting her cheek to keep from frowning. Was that really the case? Sure, she'd tried to give everyone hope, but… she tried that last time, too. She was so focused on that hope that she was willing to kill one of her friends. Maybe… maybe her kind of hope brought more harm than good. Her mind flashed to the devastation painted across Shuichi's face as she was dragged off to her death. He trusted her so much, had so much faith in her. All of them did. And then she crushed it all with that damned shot put. "... I…" She trailed off, sighing. "I don't know if I can trust any of you," wouldn't help anything, especially not after arguing directly against it for so long. She didn't like talking as if Mikan wasn't right there with them, but given how distraught the lavender-haired nurse was, she didn't have much choice. Instead, she settled on, "I don't know, guys. I… it feels like we're back at square one."

Chiaki put a hand to her heart. "They're just scared. They'll come around… I thin-... no, I believe. We… we'll never allow another killing. I know it." Her voice held an earnest faith that Kaede wished she could honestly share. The blonde managed to match Nanami's simper by ever so slightly quirking her lips up, taking concerted effort to fake given her grim thoughts.

Kaito's agreement more than made up for her lack of excitement. "Damn straight, Chiaki!" He declared, slapping her on the back. The clearly stunned gamer blinked, apparently not entirely sure how to respond to Kaito's rather physical displays of approval. Undeterred, the Ultimate Astronaut beamed at the girls. His enthusiasm faded at Kaede's silence. "Right, Kaede?"

"That's what we promised last time, too…" A bitter voice reminded her. On the outside, however, she nodded. "R-right…" She managed, praying it didn't sound as hollow as it felt. Kaito gave her an odd look for a few moments before understanding dawned on his face and it swapped back to his customary supportiveness with such ease that it was as if it never even left. It made it a little easier to forge a smile of her own. A beat of silence passed between the Ultimates, a rarity in Kaito's presence, but there was nothing left to say. At least, nothing Kaede would be willing to share with the peculiarly hopeful students.

Chiaki's eyes slowly seemed to droop before she failed to stifle a yawn. "... I think we should probably find those cabins Monokuma mentioned. I'm getting a bit… sleepy…"

Sleep was probably the last thing Kaede wanted to do at that moment, but the opportunity to escape was welcome. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea. Maybe… maybe things will make more sense tomorrow." The pianist said with an optimism she couldn't quite feel. Just as she moved to turn around, however, something caught her foot. A quick glance downward revealed Mikan hugging the blonde's legs, staring up at her with pleading, desperate eyes.

"I-I'm sorry… p-please, forgive me, please…" The inconsolable nurse sniffled. An ocean of guilt slammed into Akamatsu at the sight. She awkwardly tried to kneel down to be eye-level with Mikan despite the latter's unexpectedly strong grip, giving her the most reassuring look she could manage.

"I…" She paused. How could she honestly forgive a crime she knew nothing about? Or a girl she barely even knew at that? There was nothing to forgive in the first place. But as she stared into Tsumiki's teary gaze, she just didn't have the heart to refuse her. "I forgive you, Mikan," Her barely audible voice promised. Not another word left the purple-haired medic. Mikan simply pulled her closer and silently wept, Kaede giving pleading looks to her two remaining companions. With some gentle coaxing from Chiaki and the pianist (and some remarkably measured support from Kaito), over time, they eventually managed to get Mikan to her feet, even if she looked like simply breathing too harshly would break her in half. She was leaning on Chiaki like an old man's cane, after all. Once she was secure, Kaede pulled out her Monopad and checked the map. "Looks like the dorms are on the first floor… guess we should get a move on." She informed. Without further ado, they were on their way.

***

The vast halls of the ship managed to seem infinitely more lonesome on the trek back. Maybe it was her growing sense of unease, or perhaps it was a testament to just how drained she felt after having the guilt of her crime slam into her all at once, but the usually inspired leader had nothing to say the entire walk back. She gave half-hearted responses and gestures when Kaito or Chiaki occasionally prompted her, the pianist only half-tuned to their conversation, but she didn't bother broaching any subjects in favor of mulling over everything she'd learned in the past few hours. She was much too distracted to give any grand speeches anyway, with Monokuma's gleeful declarations holding the space that might have belonged to them instead.

Her mind didn't wander so much as it looped over the events of the past few days again and again, every bad decision and their disastrous consequences laid bare before her. She wasn't sure how long she quietly walked along thinking about the tunnel that brought so much false hope, or Rantaro's blood splattered across the floor of the library, or the looks of betrayal on her friends' faces as the Ultimate Detective tore his heart out to save them all by damning her. Both a lifetime and a few short hours had passed since her execution in her mind, unable to decide which one was reality, but it all led to the same questions. Kaede Akamatsu was dead, and then she wasn't. But why? How ? That was the fate she accepted the moment she realized Rantaro wasn't the mastermind. She'd felt the life leave her body with each strangled breath and stone thrown at her head. The Ultimate Pianist was executed, just as the rules stipulated, and that was supposed to be the end of everything. Yet there she was, alive and able to ruminate on the impossibility of her situation. Each attempt to come up with a way she could have survived was instantly scrapped when her sharp mind found a hole in whatever theory popped into her head until she eventually stopped trying and let her thoughts drift to her companions.

Even when they reached the dorms in the corridor she, Mondo and Chiaki had been joking and bantering with each other in maybe a couple hours prior and gave their farewells for the night, she couldn't shake the disbelief from her heart or the grim reality from her mind as she looked at her friends and tried to compute the idea that they had taken lives. She swore she'd trust them, and she truly wanted to, but doubt was inescapable. It was like the suspicion she'd felt when Shuichi first told her about the mastermind, but so, so much worse because now she knew for sure the kind of things they were willing to do. The almost weirdly serene yet endlessly kind Chiaki? Murderer. The painfully shy and awkward if caring Mikan? Murderer. Even Kaito, with his boundless enthusiasm and loyalty, was a murderer. It was like there was a pane of glass between the real world and what she wanted it to be. The concept was simply too far removed from what she knew to seem real, yet was undeniably the truth, not unlike the world that was teasingly displayed just outside her room's window.

True to Monokuma's word, the walls of their gilded cage had shifted once again, sections of the wallpaper throughout the halls replaced by windows and portholes that led out to the outside of the ship. The world, as it turned out, was a seemingly endless sea of inky black water that stretched on forever in all directions with a hazy-red sky peeking through coal black clouds. Overtime, the darkness seemed to overtake even that, eventually swallowing the world in an inky blanket as night descended upon the sea. It seemed so unreal, and yet, everything pointed to it being the truth. Being on a cruise ship would explain the massive halls and ornate decorations. No matter how long she stared, there never seemed to be a repeating wave or cloud that would out it as an illusion. If she closed her eyes and pressed her ear against the glass, she could even faintly hear the waves lapping against the hull down below. Unless the bear was using some ridiculously advanced holograms or something of the like, Kaede couldn't figure out any way for it to be fake. The bizarro earth waiting just beyond the glass was simply an unexplainable anomaly like the End Wall of her previous prison. Foreign yet familiar, impossible yet real, surrounded yet completely alone, the ship itself was inadvertently a rather fitting metaphor for Akamatsu at that moment.

Kaede sighed, turning away from the sight and letting her eyes scan across her cabin for probably the hundredth time since she entered it. The room was somewhat spacious, consisting of a large bed pressed against the left wall of the room, a TV mounted on the wall with a red couch and glass coffee table forming a small living room on the opposite end of the cabin. A few music books sat loosely stacked by the couch while a few bookshelves by the window were lined with biographies on various classical and modern maestros as well as records to go with a gramophone resting idly in the corner. Lights hung down from the rafters far above, painting the room in a faint yellow light. A door leading to a sleekly designed bathroom stood largely forgotten in the left-hand corner. It was considerably nicer than her lodgings in the academy, a fact that disgusted her given that Monokuma probably meant it as a reward for what she'd done. Part of her wanted to rip it all to shreds simply to spite the monster she'd come to hate so much, only barely restrained by the rational side of her brain reminding her that it would only end with another collar pulling her off to her doom.

The pianist haphazardly fell on the bed with a groan. No, her execution was the last thing she wanted to think about. Thinking in general was the last thing she wanted at that moment. She couldn't sleep, but didn't have the motivation to do anything but stare at the ceiling and try to ignore the grim thoughts drifting through her head. It was mind-numbingly boring, but being bored was better than reliving the self-hatred and agony that defined the last hours of her life. She briefly considered skimming through one of the books on her shelf, but even just the thought of her once-beloved rows of keys made her skin crawl. Akamatsu forced her eyes shut, balling her hands into fists. Leave it to Monokuma to make her pride and joy the source of so much fear...

"Attention! This is your captain speaking!" Monokuma's voice blared out. Kaede yelped, shooting to her feet and guarding her neck before she even fully processed the threat. Her eyes shot to the bear on the other end of the room… or rather, the TV screen displaying him. The white and black beast had apparently picked up a rather tacky sea captain's hat at some point, the cap resting crookedly on his head while he lazily stirred a martini in his left paw. She let out am uneasy hiss, glaring at the coldblooded executioner's cheery expression while she forced her hands back to her sides. She would not give him the satisfaction of being scared. "I have an official announcement: it is now ten p.m. As such, nighttime has officially begun. While you're free to roam the ship to your heart's content, keep in mind, you never know who's around the corner… puhuhuhu! Goodnight, sleep tight, and don't let the murderers bite!" He menacingly advised before the TV flicked off again of its own accord. Her teeth grit in sheer unbridled loathing.

"Why can't you just leave us alone?!" Akamatsu spat out more for her own benefit than actually thinking Monokuma would hear. She couldn't remember ever truly hating something until that damned bear. It was a sickening feeling, sticking to her soul like a stain that just wouldn't come out. Even the thought of the maniacal robot made contempt boil in her. He'd managed to make killers out of her friends, out of herself , brutally executed each and every one of them, and he'd done it all with a smile on his face. She wanted to scream, punch him, do anything that could hurt him, but knew damn well that she couldn't do a thing, and the powerlessness of it hurt most of all. With a growl, she kicked the insultingly luxurious mattress, her foot bouncing off the soft bed harmlessly. Kaede paused, looking at the bed for a long moment before hitting it again. It was childish, sure, but it felt unashamedly good . The principle of it mattered more than actually harming the thing. If she couldn't play her frustrations away, she'd punch them out instead. She had no idea how long she spent pummeling her pillows and bedsheets, slamming her fists into her bedding with all her rage and sorrow. She put every ounce of emotion she had into it until she was spent, collapsing onto the well-worn pile in a heap. She took haggard breaths, her limbs aching lightly from exertion, but it was welcome. For the first time since Celeste completely destroyed any sense of unity between the students, Kaede felt something besides fear, hate, suspicion, and regret. Exhaustion wasn't one of her favorite things in the world, but she'd take it. The first blackened let it wash over her body like a wave. Ever so slowly, she felt her eyes droop down, a warm, numbing blanket on her overstressed mind. Kaede gradually surrendered herself to sleep...

Bingbing! Bingbing!

A bell tolled at the door. And tolled again. Less than half a second later, it tolled over and over and over again without pause, ringing nonstop like a fire alarm. Before she could even try to answer it, whoever was ringing her doorbell started knocking on the door in tandem with the electronic alarm, a discordant mess of an ear sore. The musician cringed, covering her ear as she awkwardly fumbled out of her ruined bed and stumbled towards the door. "I'm coming, just hold on a moment! Geez…" She muttered under her breath. She was so wrapped up in the somewhat annoying normalcy of it that it didn't occur to her that the person at her door would be a convicted killer until it was already opening. Part of her screamed to slam it shut again, but upon seeing a familiar streak of purple hair in the poor lighting of the hall, her curiosity was piqued. Kaede quirked an eyebrow at the man before her. "Kaito? What are you doing here?"

He flashed her a wide smile. "Hey, you opened the door! That's better than the others already!"

"... Um, what do you mean by that?" The blonde asked cautiously. He didn't seem to pick up on her apprehension, however.

"Training! Well, I'm about to, anyway. Wanted to see if you'd wanna tag along. Interested?" The boundlessly energetic man invited. Kaede blinked.

"Training?" She echoed dumbly.

"Yeah, training. Y'know, push ups, sit ups, that sorta thing. You in?"

"Why?"

Kaito grinned. "Because training's the best way to get rid of weakness! I get you're pretty freaked out, so I wanna help. Your body and head are connected, right? So if we work out, we can kill two birds with one stone! I tried asking the others, but no one was down for it. You gonna be the one to break the mold?"

Kaede blinked again. "... Are you serious?"

That seemed to get through to him, the lavender-cloaked cosmonaut tilting his head. "Huh? Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because we're all murderers and being alone with any of us could result in you getting killed?" Akamatsu immediately questioned in her mind. She stared hard at him, scanning for any hint of deception in his expression. Training? In the middle of the night? With her ? It just didn't add up. Kaito was eccentric at the best of times, but could that really explain it all away? In her trial, it had been easy to tell when someone was lying or not. You couldn't fool the culprit herself, after all. Here, though, he seemed so much harder to read. It was way too implausible to be the truth, yet the only thing contained in his body language was genuine bafflement. After a few seconds, his eyes lit up with comprehension and, to her surprise, Kaito smirked a little.

"Oh, I get it. You're trying to tell if I'm hiding something, right? You were doing the same thing earlier in the ballroom."

Kaede's eyes widened. "How the heck did he know that?!" Her mind scrambled at the same time her mouth sputtered out, "Wh- no, of course not!" Her well-intentioned lie sounded almost childishly opaque to her ears. Her shock turned to bewilderment as Kaito laughed.

"Nah, believe me, I get it. Shuichi'd give me that look all the time. I could tell he didn't like it either, always felt guilty doubting me and crap. But I'll tell you the same thing I told him: if you doubt me, pursue that doubt to the end! That's the only way you can get to the truth. And… considering how things have changed since back then…" His enthusiasm tampered off into a more serious voice she couldn't recall him ever possessing during their short time together in the first killing game. "Don't tell Celeste I said this, but you're more than right to doubt me. I screwed up your wish. Pretty much all of us did. So, I get it if you can't trust me. But that said, I still believe in you. Never stopped. Even if you can't believe in me, I promise I've got your back. Just keep that in mind, okay?"

An uncertain feeling settled in Kaede. A flash of hope once again flickered in her heart, but just as soon as it appeared, the darkness of her soul descended and did its best to snuff that candlelight out. "What good is a killer's promise?" Celeste's voice echoed. Kaito was her friend, but he was also a murderer. She was too, but he trusted her, so she should too. Or did he? Was it just a ploy to make her lower her guard and be alone with him so he could…

She clenched a fist hidden by the door. No. She… she couldn't be like that. Her distrust of everyone last time got herself and Rantaro killed. It would have gotten everyone killed if it weren't for Shuichi. She couldn't live with the blood on her hands already. She'd be damned if she let them get drenched further. Even… even if he did kill her, it's not like she wouldn't deserve it, and the others would be smart enough to figure it out. Besides, it was Kaito! If there was anyone she could trust here, it would be him. Managing a tiny, shaky smile even as she tried to choke down her self-loathing, she whispered, "I… I will. And I'm gonna live up to all my talk about trusting each other and being friends," Her voice managed to regain a hint of enthusiasm the further she went on. "So you know what? Sure. Let's do it."

Kaito's grin could've lit up a starless night sky. "That's the spirit! Train today, kick Monokuma's ass tomorrow!"

The Luminary of the Stars' confidence melted away the last icy traces of apprehension. "As much as I want to, that seems a bit soon. Think we could get a raincheck on that second part?" The former leader joked dryly as she stepped outside and gently closed her door behind her. Kaito shrugged.

"Fine, we kick his ass the day after tomorrow. Better?"

She smirked. "Sounds like a plan."

And with that, they were off.

Chapter 4: Chapter One: The Bloodied Hands We're Dealt: Daily Life Part 2

Chapter Text

The dimmed ceiling lights painted the expansive hall of the dorms in a soft, sleepy blue, almost like moonlight as the pianist and astronaut made their way through the corridor. The royal blue carpet was like a silently flowing river down the center, seeming to glow slightly compared to the barely visible yellow walls. It also served to muffle even Kaito's usually thunderous footsteps to a soft thud which each step. Still, her voice seemed to echo as she asked, "So, where are we going, exactly? We probably shouldn't do it here, or we might wake someone up."

Kaito gave a small shrug. "Honestly? No clue. The rooms are too small for a real routine, I didn't get to look around much before Monokuma's announcement, and I don't really feel like stumbling around in the dark trying to figure out if there's a gym or something."

Kaede resisted the urge to roll her eyes in light amusem*nt. Typical Kaito; always ready to offer a hand even when he hasn't thought the how of it through. So, wherever they did it, it had to be open enough for their workout, somewhere they already knew, and far enough away from the dorms that it wouldn't disturb the others. The Victorian-esque room she'd found Celeste, Gundham, and Tsumugi jumped to mind, but exercising on hardwood floors didn't sound particularly appealing. While the ballroom was mostly carpeted, she refused to even humor the idea of going back there after all that happened. "... Hmm. Maybe just the top of the second deck's stars will work?"

Momota rubbed his chin. "Huh… yeah, that could work. Alright, sidekick, let's go!" He declared as he proudly planted a hand on his hip. Kaede crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow.

"I never actually said yes to that, you know..." She pointed out with a hint of exasperation. He simply waved it off.

"We can get the semantics worked out later. C'mon, I'm getting rustier by the second!" His eager impatience reminded her of a kid on Christmas morning nagging his parents to get up faster. She smirked a little. He probably still got that excited for presents, come to think of it. He held out a hand to stop her, making her look at him quizzically. "Wait, better idea. We're racing there!"

"We're racing up the stairs ?" She said the words with an emphasis that silently conveyed, "That's really dangerous and we shouldn't do it." Unfortunately, he was apparently immune to such nuances as he grinned and pumped a fist.

"Yeah! Perfect way to get your heart rate up before we get to the real stuff!" He proudly declared as he dropped to a runner's stance. "Consider this the first step of training. Last one there has to do double! Ready! Set!"

"Kaito, wait! That's not-"

"Go!"

And with that he was already sprinting down the hall at full speed. Kaede could only stare blankly for a few seconds before stifling a curse and desperately bolting after him. While he had the advantage of a surprise head start and a much more athletic frame, he was also trying to run in slippers of all things, so it was only about half a minute before she was able to catch up with the slightly slowed astronaut. "Cheater! Slow down and talk to me!" Kaede demanded with a glare.

"If I'm cheating, try harder and beat me!" He daringly called back. Kaito seemed to draw on some reserved energy as he suddenly pulled ahead, much to Kaede's frustration. Either Kaito didn't realize just how badly he outclassed her physically or he was really set on her getting into exercise. How the hell was she supposed to do double if she didn't even know if she could do the basic routine? At this rate, the only body getting discovered would be hers when she keeled over from exhaustion! The pianist didn't exactly have a lot of experience with sprinting, but there was no way she'd let herself lose to a cheater like him. She tried to push her legs back and forth even faster, storming down the hall as fast as they could carry her in pursuit of the Ultimate Astronaut about thirty feet ahead of her. The entire race couldn't have been more than a couple minutes, but in the heat of the moment, it felt like she was running for hours with her target just out of reach.

Ironically, the stairs she tried to warn him against would prove to be his undoing. Exactly as expected, his remarkable run had turned into an awkward stumble upward as he attempted to pull himself up two steps at a time at a relatively quick pace without sending himself careening down the stairs. Given that it was Kaito, she'd been afraid that he'd manage to trip and hurt himself. By the time Kaede reached him, however, she was far too invested to reissue her warning. With the air rushing through her hair and her heart pounding in her chest, Kaito's competitive spirit had definitely spread to her. "Tried to tell you!" She called out as she zoomed by him with ease and a little more satisfaction than strictly necessary. His reply was lost to the wind while she carried onward. It seemed Kaito's distraction had worked better than she expected, her fears and doubts taking a backseat to the rush of adrenaline brought on by the race. She triumphantly crossed their invisible finish line a good twenty seconds before the purple-haired boy even peeked over the stairs. She couldn't hide a confident smirk as she taunted, "Looks like you're doing double."

Kaito rolled his eyes a little. "Beginner's luck, that's all. Besides, it's not like the Luminary of the Stars is afraid of a few more pushups!" He slammed his fists together with a determined grin. "You ready?"

"Um, I think? I've never really done this before…" She confessed. "I really hope I don't mess up my hands doing this…"

Kaito dropped to the floor in an instant. "I'll show you how! Okay, first thing is you have to square your shoulders…"

Kaede was by no means out of shape, but she was woefully underprepared for a real workout. That much was abundantly clear from how even Kaito's rather casually paced pushups still left her in the dust, the astronaut managing to do about five in the time it took her to do one. Her arms burned after just five, and she felt like a champion when she managed to reach ten and collapsed to the floor… only for Kaito to cheekily point out that the goal was one hundred. By the time she reached twenty, her entire upper body was on fire. Her arms physically couldn't carry her at twenty-five. "I can't," She gasped out, barely managing to roll onto her back. After a few moments, she found the strength to sit up, shaking her head at Kaito. "Can I have a minute?"

"Sure! Taking a breather's important every once and awhile," Momota agreed. His supportive expression shifted into a smirk. "But so's pushing your limit. I mean, if I'm gonna be doing two-hundred pushups-"

Kaede rolled her eyes. "If I say you don't have to do double, we drop it to fifty. Deal?"

"Hmm. I guess since you're a beginner I can let that slide!" Kaito preened. Akamatsu debated whether or not to call out his hypocrisy before settling on playing along with his hero act. He pulled himself up to a half-laying position, looking up at the ceiling. It seemed a little odd to Kaede, making her press for an explanation. "Never thought I'd miss the academy, but at least there you could see the stars at night. Here? It's just the same ugly ceiling everywhere you go. You can't even see them through the window with all those clouds. It's kinda pissing me off."

The blonde didn't know what compelled her to say it, but before she could fully realize how loaded the question was, she blurted out, "You still like space after your execution?"

Momota looked genuinely puzzled. "I mean, yeah. It's been my passion since I was a kid. There's no way I could give that up just because of Monokuma. Wouldn't be much of an Ultimate Astronaut if I was afraid of space, you know?" He asked, blissfully ignorant of the insult he'd unintentionally lobbed at her.

Kaede bit her lip, swearing she could faintly hear The Flea Waltz playing somewhere in the distance. An Ultimate Pianist that was deathly afraid of pianos. It was almost funny, in a horrible sort of way. She tried to ignore the way her throat tightened while she spoke. "... Y-yeah. That makes sense…" Her voice dwindled. She hated the awkward silence that followed. There was no way she'd stay on this topic any longer than she had to, so she wracked her brain for a different one that wasn't completely out of left field until a flash of inspiration hit her. "Is that why you still want to train?"

He nodded. "You have to be fit to be an astronaut, body and mind. Training helps keep both in shape. Besides, nothing builds a bond like working out! Just ask Shuichi!"

"Shuichi? What do you mean?"

"Oh, right. After you… after the first trial, Shuichi wasn't in good shape. None of us were, but he had it the worst. He blamed himself for… you know," He confessed with a regretful frown. Kaede couldn't meet his eyes. Shaking his head, he continued. "He tried acting like he was fine the next day, but I could tell. So, I decided to take him on as my sidekick, and the first order of business was training," A fond smile came to his face as he explained. In a way, it was a relief to hear Shuichi found someone he could rely on after she was gone, though knowing he still blamed himself for her mistake was yet another weight on her heart. The meek detective deserved better than a lifetime of guilt. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice Kaito reaching out until his hand was on her shoulder, making her jump slightly and face him completely. "You'd be proud of him. He took your words to heart. He was like a completely different person by the time my trial rolled around; as confident in himself as a man should be, especially an Ultimate. If I'm being honest… that was all you. I was just his excuse to become who you knew he was."

A frail smile gradually tugged at her lips. "I… don't know about that, but thank you, Kaito. For looking out for him when he needed it."

His serious tone shifted into something more akin to his trademark bluster. "Of course. What kind of hero wouldn't look out for his sidekicks?" He said with a grin oozing compassion and confidence. He shifted back into position. "Alright, another twenty-five, and then we move on to sit ups. After that's jumping jacks, and then we wrap up with another race! Ready?"

Kaede balked even as she prepared to do another set of pushups. "Geez. Did you have Shuichi do this much?"

He smirked. "At first. I threw in a little more each session. It's not that much if you do it instead of talk about it, trust me."

And so the pair continued their regimine. Having something to concentrate on proved to be just what she needed to keep her darker thoughts away, the pianist much too focused with trying to keep up with Kaito's break-neck pace and encouraging challenges to dwell on what happened before. Even the ache of her muscles grew to be a welcome one, as it was the most real she'd felt since her memories returned. "Forty-seven… forty-eight… forty-nine… fifty!" She triumphantly called out between gasps of air. She felt half dead, but it was worth it.

"Nice! But don't pat yourself on the back too much. We're just getting started," Momota cautioned. Kaede's pout just served to make him laugh. "I'll let you catch your breath a bit. In the meantime, watch how I do sit ups so you have an idea for what you're in for."

It was pretty simple to learn the technique. Sit ups weren't exactly hard, after all. She took a minute to get some air back in her lungs before mimicking the astronaut's movement. One after another, the reps came quickly and easily compared to the much more demanding pushups. So easily, in fact, that it didn't take long for her mind to wander. While the earlier routine demanded her focus, there was little keeping her thoughts anchored this go around. Try as she might, her thoughts kept drifting back to the ballroom and the horrid memories gleefully burned into her mind. The first killing game almost felt like a dream. It was impossible to think that she'd met so many dear friends just three days prior, or that nearly all of them were now gone. Whether she knew they were dead for sure like poor Tenko, Angie, and Miu, had fallen by her own hands like Rantaro, or were one of the many students that she could only guess the fates of, there was something in her mind that refused to acknowledge that she could never see their smiling faces again. No matter how she tried to shake her head of turmoil, the burden weighed heavily on her shoulders.

Of course, the victims weren't the only ones she'd failed, were they? No, if anything, they'd been spared the brunt of her defeat. They hadn't been left to slowly fall into their own desperosity and fear until they snapped and took a life before having their own brutally stolen from them in turn. Suddenly, the grim musings that had been haunting her from before Kaito interupted came back with a vengeance. Kaede's pace slowed until she eventually ground to a halt, staring blankly at the ceiling. She hated the feeling sweeping over her with a passion, but was completely unable to rid herself of it. It didn't take long for her starbound companion to notice. "Oh, no way you finished your reps already! Don't give up, you're better than that! C'mon, Kaede! Look alive!"

The pianist inclined her head to stare at him uncertainly. "... How can I if I'm not?"

Kaito stopped halfway through, turning to look at her. His brow knitted deeply in concerned confusion. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

Kaede bit her lip a little. "Just… I didn't think about it when Monokuma gave us our memories back, but… I know it's a bit messed up to think about... how are we alive, Kaito? I… I don't think anyone could've survived that ," She winced at the angry flash of pain that traced along her neck at the reminder of her fate, but pushed on. "But here I am. Do you think we're ghosts or something?"

"We're not ghosts!" He snapped, startling the pianist. Kaito looked almost as surprised as she was, rubbing his head awkwardly in clear embarrassment. "Ghosts are a bunch of bullcrap, alright? So there's no point talking about them."

Despite the grim question that led to it, Kaede couldn't help but feel a grin tug at her lips. "... Are you scared of gho-"

"No I'm not! Ghosts aren't real, goddammit! I'm not scared of sh*t that doesn't exist!" Momota nearly squealed, visibly on the edge of panic. A laugh escaped Kaede.

"Clearly," She drawled, giggling at his glower. The mood heavied once again a few seconds later, falling with her smile. "... Seriously, though. It just doesn't make any sense. How can any of us be here?"

Kaito's anger simmered down into uncertainty, a small frown coming over his usually enthusiastic features. "We…" He clicked his tongue with a sigh. "I don't really know. I mean, the disease did me in before Monokuma could-" He caught Akamatsu's puzzled look and waved a hand. "Oh, yeah. Turns out I had some screwed up stomach bug from space. It ended up killing me like halfway through my execution. That's what makes things weird. Only thing I can think of is if he faked the executions, but if he did that, I should still be dead. I'm not sure it really matters, though. I mean, how ever it happened, we're here, aren't we?"

Kaede mulled over the astronaut's testimony. She'd never seen any sign that he was ill, but then again, three days wasn't a lot of time for an untrained eye to make a diagnosis. It was already an unlikely enough idea that she'd somehow actually survived her execution, but if Kaito had died of sickness of all things, how could their deaths possibly have been faked? Did… did Monokuma really have the power to bring back the dead? He'd already demonstrated absolute control over the world around them. He even managed to take their memories- Kaede's eyes grew as wide as dinner plates. "Wait. Monokuma can mess with people's memories, right?"

Kaito quirked an eyebrow. "Apparently. No clue how, but he must be able to do something. Why?"

An odd, somewhat sickening feeling swept over Kaede. "What if he just made us think we died? What if…" Kaede sucked in a breath. "What if he lied about us being murderers? What if he faked our memories of our killings?"

Pure dread filled her as she watched stunned horror slowly spread across Kaito's face. "Holy sh*t…" The Luminary whispered, a sickly blue tint overtaking him. "That… no way. I… I killed him myself. I'm sure of it…"

"I am too, but if he can fake some memories, how do we know he didn't fake those ones? Maybe-"

BZZZZZZT!

"No, that's wrong!" Monokuma shrieked as he suddenly appeared between Kaede and Kaito, making both jump back with a yelp. He grinned, patting his sides. "Heh, whaddya know, that's actually pretty fun to say! And it's accurate, too, because you're waaaaaaaay off base here!"

Kaito shook a furious fist at the animatronic, his expression shifting into a hateful snarl. "Wh-what the hell are you talking about?! You screwed with our minds! If you can mess with our memories, why would we ever trust anything you say about us?!" He roared as he launched to his feet. Monokuma sighed heavily enough that she could practically see his mismatched eyes roll.

"Seriously, you don't understand it? Geez, you're slow! Fine, let's put on our Ultimate Detective hats for a second here and think this through logically!" The bear derided as he seemed to pull a hauntingly familiar cap out of thin air. Seeing Monokuma wearing Shuichi's hat sent an unexpected fury through the Ultimate Pianist.

"Where did you get that?" She demanded at the exact same time Kaito hissed out, "Take that off right now, you bastard!"

Monokuma ignored them completely and set a paw to his nonexistent chin. "Let's say I faked your executions and murders. That's a lot of stuff to make up, but okay. That would mean you're both completely innocent, right? But if I made all that up…" His red eye gleamed like a forest fire in a moonless night. " What's to say I didn't fake everything about you? "

Kaede stared at him, unable to fully process his words for a few seconds. Once the implications of his words sank in, however, it was like a freight train hit her. She barely managed to stutter out, "Wh-what… what are you-"

Monokuma interrupted her with sad*stic glee. "I mean, if I'm going to go through all that trouble to do that, why not just go 'screw it' and turn you guys into whole new people? Maybe you were a bunch of boring randos, and who you are now is just the product of my imagination!" His words twisted the metaphorical knife. It was like someone had thrown her in a freezing ocean without any warning. How else could someone react to being all but flat-out told they don't really exist? A bitter refusal waited on the tip of her tongue, just begging to be let out and scream at Monokuma until he shut up and told the truth, but it was frozen in place by the horror waiting just beneath his monstrous words.

Kaito wasn't as inhibited. "Th-that's bullsh*t! You're just trying to get in our heads!" Momota roared, taking a threatening step towards the bear. Their monochrome tormentor didn't seem to care as he simply giggled at the astronaut's clear distress.

"Oh? So you're sure you're real?"

"Of course we're real! I'm Kaito Momota, and I'm a human being, not your plaything, damn it!"

His words knocked Kaede's senses back into her, detestment filling her gaze as she bored into their robotic overlord. "I'm not anyone but me," She growled, rising to her feet and crossing her arms warningly. She also took a menacing step forward to corner Monokuma between herself and Kaito. She knew it was pointless; he'd very easily be able to escape from them even without his tricks, and that was ignoring how he could just kill them flat-out if he were so inclined. Still, there was a grim satisfaction to seeing him squirm as they slowly inched closer one by one even if he was almost certainly doing it to mock them. Akamatsu threw out an accusing finger. "And I've never been anyone else! I won't fall for your lies!"

In an instant, the bear's mock-shaking stopped. "If you're real, that means I didn't fake your memories, which means…" He grinned evilly at her, holding out a paw in waiting. Her flash of anger slowly shifted away as the unspoken words rang loudly in her head. In an instant, the rush of confronting him was gone, replaced by the bitter reminder of the harsh truth. She quietly let out a breath, her shoulders slumping in defeat. Much to her dismay, however, Kaito refused to go out without a fight on any subject.

"Means what?! Stop screwing around and get to-"

"He means he didn't fake our murders," Kaede curtly forced out, unable to meet his eye. She squeezed her arm tightly in a vain attempt to comfort herself. "I… I thought for a second that there was hope we weren't, but… there's no escaping it. We really are killers."

"Ah, there's nothing quite like watching a young person's hope shrivel up and die! Takes me back to my college days…" Monokuma rambled irrelevantly, earning a spiteful look from both of them. Kaede could only keep it up for a few moments before slowly slumping back into defeat. Monokuma seemed to bask in her misery for a moment before announcing, "Oh well, I'm sure you kids don't have time to hear an old bear's stories. You've got places to see and people to kill, after all!"

"Just leave us alone already…" She hissed out, barely finding the strength to show defiance to the bear. Mercifully, he seemed to have gotten bored, bouncing back into the wall with only a giggle in response. The pianist watched the wall for a few seconds just in case he decided to make some grand reappearance before finally accepting that he was gone. She turned to Kaito, exhaling deeply. "I…" She trailed off pinching the bridge of her nose. She felt completely drained. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I'm in the mood to work out anymore."

Kaito turned to the side, a troubled expression overtaking his features. "... Yeah. I understand. Stupid frigging bear…" He caught the way she stiffened at the reference to their captor, making him clench his jaw a little. "Sorry. I thought it'd go smoother than this… mind if we tried again tomorrow?" He asked, a hopeful lilt painting his words. She couldn't quite bring herself to give a real smile, but she managed a tender quirk of her lips and a nod that set him at least partially at ease. A hint of his energy returned, putting a hand on his hip. "That's the spirit. We'll show him he can't keep us down. For now, though, get some rest. You've earned it."

The duo made their way back to the dorms in an awkward silence, neither quite sure what to say. Under normal circ*mstances, that likely wouldn't have dampened Kaito's spirit, but it was clear that Monokuma's mind game had rattled him, too, even if he was trying to keep it from showing. It wasn't long before they reached the first deck and parted ways for respective cabins with a simple goodnight. Kaede's door locked behind her with a small click that once again isolated her from everyone else, the girl ghosting over to her bed and falling into it with barely a sound. Sleep didn't come easily or quickly, but eventually, she felt herself drift off to the fickle mercy of her dreams.

***

Bing Bong Bing Bong, Bing Bong Bing Bong!

The TV flicked on in a hellishly bright flash that seared Kaede's corneas through her eyelids. She tossed a hand in front of her eyes with a hiss, blinking rapidly in a vain attempt to adjust her eyes to the sudden light. " Attention! This is your captain speaking! Ahem, goooood morning, passengers! It is now seven A.M., which means that daytime has officially begun! Rise and shine for this bea-utiful day! " A slightly tinny voice announced. The pianist let out a groan as she started rolling out of bed before the morning announcement was even halfway through, stumbling to her feet uneasily. Her arm wildly swung for an alarm clock that wasn't there on muscle memory until Monokuma's grating voice finally resonated and made her remember her situation.

"Oh, right, I'm in a killing game," Her brain dryly noted. She hated how normal that sentence was to her. For the briefest of moments, she pondered why Monokuma himself was giving the announcement rather than the Monokubs like usual until yesterday's events came rushing back to her. "... Oh. Right." She quietly whispered, closing her eyes. Kaede slowly pulled herself back onto the bed with a sigh. Her entire body throbbed, angry bursts of pain flashing through her limbs with every minor movement she made. Clearly, between the phantom pains of her execution and Kaito's rigorous workout, quite a toll had been taken on her. Her soul hurt even worse from the ever-present guilt that had consumed her for what felt like a lifetime. Drowsiness and wakefulness pulled her back and forth, neither letting the other fully embrace her and leaving her feeling like a sailboat without a breeze. She stared blankly at the ceiling for quite some time before she let out a deep breath, running her fingers through her hair. "Okay," She said aloud, hoping the words that followed would be more inspiring if she could hear them somewhere other than her own head. "I'm alive. I don't know how or why, but I am. As long as I am, I have to help everyone else. I can't ever be forgiven for killing Rantaro… but I can make sure no one ever makes my mistake again. I can only do that if I face the day. So," She forced herself to her feet, taking a deep breath and pumping her fists to patch herself up. "Get out there, Kaede!" Akamatsu yelled at herself. Repeating the mantra as needed, she quickly freshened up, grabbed her backpack and left her room.

The hallway was completely barren, as expected, but had at least turned the lights back on so she wouldn't have to wander around in darkness. "Let's see if anyone's up…" She hummed to herself as she pulled out her monopad and flicked it on, quickly scrolling over to the map. To her surprise, a number of people had gathered in the dining hall. That was a significantly better start than she expected after the previous day's disaster, serving to encourage her further. Gathering her courage, she made her way down the hall and pushed through the large doors. "Good morning, everyone!" She cheerily greeted with a beam as she entered. Everyone, in this instance, was a rather unexpected bunch: Gonta, Gundham and Korekiyo sat together at a table close to Mondo's locker, the Overlord of Ice seemingly having the Devas perform tricks for the other two. Gonta's eyes sparkled with delight as they formed a hamster pyramid before backflipping into Gundham's waiting hands. Korekiyo's gaze was more focused on the breeder himself than his animals, his enthusiasm only a touch more reserved than Gonta's. Three barely touched plates and a small bag of sunflower seeds sat forgotten in favor of Gundham's impromptu circus. Just behind them was Peko, sitting in such a way that she could watch the door and everyone in the room at the same time. The wall that had previously been there was now replaced with a window almost as long as the room itself, providing what would no-doubt be a wondrous view of the ocean if the outside didn't look so ominous. In the opposite corner of the room were the Ultimate Gambler and Maid. Celeste graciously sipped from a tea cup before holding it out for a moment before Kirumi diligently refilled it. The group of former blackened faced the door at the sound of her voice.

The Ultimate Entomologist blinked at her in surprise a couple times, as if he was seeing a ghost. Which, now that she considered it, he kind of was. Still, given that it was Gonta, it didn't take long for that confusion to give way to friendliness. "Ah! Good morning, Kaede! Gonta glad to see you!"

Korekiyo tipped his cap. "Yes, good morning. I'm pleased to have you join us."

Peko gave a curt and wordless nod. Gundham set his hamsters down on the table with a low hum. "So the Siren's High Priestess has come to dine upon the spoils of the Apostle of Psyche with us… very well! If you wish to partake in the feast at this table of damned souls, I will not interfere. You shall find the offerings beyond this place, through the cavern where hellfire forges our ambrosia!"

Kaede held up a finger that slowly wilted. "Uh… what?"

"I believe Mister Tanaka is trying to say that I have prepared a breakfast buffet for everyone," Kirumi explained, gently setting her kettle down and approaching Kaede with a small bow. "Good morning, Miss Akamatsu. I hope you slept well, despite… recent events."

Kaede tried not to frown at the reminder. "I... got a little bit. Did you?"

Kirumi paused. Her expression didn't change at all, but her shoulders took on a sudden tenseness. "... I'm rested enough to perform my duties. Thank you for your concern," Tojo said carefully. Despite her words, the message was clear: 'I didn't sleep at all'. As Kaede studied her more closely, more and more evidence of that fact became apparent. Her hair was slightly disheveled by the maid's exacting standards while Kaede could faintly make out dark rings under her eyes obscured by a well-hidden layer of makeup. The maid's hands were wrenched onto each other tightly enough that the leather was visibly creasing under the strain. Kaede's lips tugged downward a little. Without really thinking about it, the pianist took Kirumi's hands in her own, surprising the emerald-eyed servant. "Miss Akamatsu?"

"Are you sure? You don't have to work if you're tired. Nobody will blame you if you need to rest." Kaede offered kindly. Understanding dawned over Tojo's features before she shook her head.

"I… I am truly touched, Miss Akamatsu. However, I assure you, I'm fine. Working… it's the best way to keep my mind off things. I would much rather be able to serve others than be trapped alone with my thoughts. I'm sure you understand."

Akamatsu's lips drew into a thin line. "... Yeah. I do," She conceded, crossing her arms. She looked Kirumi in the eye before continuing. "Just don't push yourself too hard, okay? You can't help anyone if you pass out."

Kirumi considered that for a moment before bowing her head. "... I will consider that a request, and as such, do my best to oblige it. Thank you, Miss Akamatsu," The silver-haired Ultimate graciously replied. She gently slipped out of Kaede's hold and stepped back. "If I may, I recommend you eat something. Would you like me to prepare a plate for you, or would you rather make your own selection?"

Kaede shook her head. "I'll get my own. Have you had anything yet?"

"It would be improper for a maid to do so before everyone is served. Do not worry, I will-"

Kaede crossed her arms imperiously. Fine. She had ways of getting what she wanted. "Kirumi, I request that you take a break and eat breakfast with me! That way, you can relax and not think about things because we're together. Okay?"

Kirumi's eyes widened. Once the initial surprise faded, uncertainty took its stead before ultimately giving way to a polite nod. "... I never turn down a request I can fulfil. Very well, Miss Akamatsu."

Kaede beamed, clasping her hands. "Great! I'm excited to see what you've got, Kirumi!" The pianist happily declared at her minor victory. The maid offered only a reserved smile in reply as she led Kaede through another set of double doors towards the back of the room. As she followed her friend, she missed the way Celeste's narrowed eyes followed her, burning with intrigue.

The inside of the previously unexplored room was like something out of a movie to the pianist; the walls carried the same red paint as the dining hall in significantly brighter lighting that boldly stood out against the white tile floor. Countless stoves and ovens lined the center of the room whilst counters covered in fresh, steaming food and sinks with pots and pans stacked neatly in the drying racks lined the walls. To their left was a large steel door that could easily be confused for a bank vault if it weren't for a digital thermostat built into it next to a similarly huge pantry. It was an incredible sight to see. "Wow… this place is amazing!" Kaede commended.

Kirumi looked perfectly in her element. "It is rather impressive. I have seen very few kitchens this well stocked. I suppose it makes sense that a cruise ship would have a professional setup, but it is still a pleasant surprise."

Scanning over the room again, the blonde haired girl noticed a row of papers in a box attached to the wall. "Hmm? What are these?" She asked aloud as she walked over and pulled one out.

"Oh, Miss Akamatsu, I wouldn't-"

But it was too late, as she was already browsing through it. At the top of the page was a stylized outline of a woman wearing a small chef's hat laying suggestively on top of the words "Sear Naked Restaurant" . Kaede quirked an eyebrow. "Huh? That's a weird name for…" Akamatsu never finished her sentence. She was much too taken aback by the various names of dishes rattled off throughout the page, each more shocking and distasteful than the last. "'Glory Stromboli'? 'Tide and Gagged Platter'? 'Strippin Wings'? Who on earth would ever give their dishes such perverted and twisted-" Her voice tapered out as the dots started to connect, her lips thinning. "... Oh. Oh … this is Teruteru's lab."

Kirumi closed her eyes, something akin to frustration peeking through her calm mask. "... Mister Hanamura's mannerisms are somehow still a burden even when he isn't in the room. It's almost impressive."

Kaede awkwardly put the menu back, unable to shake the distinct sensation of her hands being dirty. Even with Teruteru's unsettling naming techniques on her mind, however, Kirumi's cooking was irresistible. Numerous trays were laid out, each containing rows and rows of exquisitely prepared cuisine. Sausage, bacon, eggs, various kinds of omelets, steamed rice with grilled salmon, miso soup, and just about anything else someone could possibly want for breakfast. Kaede struggled to limit herself given all the choices in front of her, but ultimately settled for a moderately sized sample platter with a glass of orange juice. Kirumi, by contrast, simply opted for a bowl of soup and a cup of coffee. Once their selections were made, the pair of Ultimates returned to the dining room. Given that Gonta's table didn't have enough space to sit two people, she was given the choice of Peko, Celeste, or sitting at an empty one. The latter would be incredibly rude, but when she tried moving to join the swordswoman, Kirumi discreetly whispered, "Miss Pekoyama informed the others and I that she would prefer to be alone. I believe she's willing to use her talent to enforce this."

Kaede hesitated, glancing between Kirumi and Peko, whose expression hadn't changed, but her warningly steely gaze was firmly locked on the pianist. Apparently, the silver-haired girl's hearing was comparable to Kaede's own. "Um… okay then…" She whispered to herself, her brow creasing a little. God help anyone that managed to make an enemy of Peko. Somewhat reluctantly, she approached the table of the biggest obstacle to peace other than Monokuma. The gambler was quietly reading, balancing a book in one hand and her teacup in another. The picture of grace in a number of ways, if one was unaware of her passively vicious personality. Mustering up as much enthusiasm as she could, Kaede greeted her unofficial rival. "Hey, Celeste! Do you mind if we join you?"

Celeste idly thumbed through her novel, not sparing Kaede a glance. "If you do not make yourself a bother, that is fine."

Kaede frowned, but took a seat regardless. After a few seconds of silence, she tried to bridge a conversation. "I'm glad to see you here. Does this mean you've changed your mind since yesterday?"

"Hardly. I am under no delusions about the reality of any of us. Your insistence on trust is still foolishly naive."

Kaede blinked, taken aback. "Huh? But… you're here, eating with the rest of us. You apparently trust Kirumi enough to drink the tea she made. Doesn't that mean something?"

Celeste gave a hum as she sipped the drink in question. "That much is exceedingly simple, truthfully: I do not trust Kirumi not to kill me. None of us would be here if we lacked the capability for that. I do, however, trust her not to do so in front of others or through such obvious means as poison," The gambler explained. She turned to the maid in question. "No offense intended, of course. You are merely the most convenient example."

Kirumi allowed the slightest downward curl of her lips. "... I appreciate your apology, but I assure you, I would not sully my duties as a maid with such heartless cowardice."

Kaede locked her jaw with a stern look. "That can't be it. You wouldn't do something that risky if you really thought there was a chance you'd get hurt. You've got to have at least a little faith."

Celeste sighed like a mother tiring of indulging their child's imagination. "I am a gambler, am I not? Is it a possibility that someone will kill me here? Theoretically, yes. However, I doubt anyone would carry out a murder this early after seeing your reactions. I was hungry, and the chance of death was a relatively minor one, so my choice was obvious. As long as the risk does not outweigh the reward, I see no reason to cower in my room and slowly starve," Ludenberg dismissed, pausing to take a sip of her drink. "Of course, that is not to say I blindly indulged myself. Gonta served as a rather eager test subject to see if the food was poisoned. Korekiyo and I waited until some time had passed and he still didn't show any symptoms. If allowing another to possibly die of poisoning is considered 'trusting', I am not certain I would want to be trusted by you, Kaede."

"That's horrible!" Kaede condemned. Celeste gave a humorless giggle.

"That is being realistic. There is no logic in trusting people I just met, especially given the circ*mstances. You might truly believe no one will kill again, but I require more than blind faith to be convinced."

Kirumi politely cleared her throat, drawing their attention. "If I may," She began. "While I cannot fault you for being cautious, an atmosphere of distrust invites a murder to happen. Would it not be wise to work with each other and ensure there is as little conflict as possible?"

"That assumes everyone is working in good faith."

"You're assuming they aren't." Kaede countered with a slight scowl.

Celeste flicked her hair back with a sigh. "There is no way to be sure either way, which means that we are back where we started. To be honest, I find this conversation tiresome. We will never reach an agreement because we do not even have common ground to start from."

Akamatsu bit her lip. "... There's no way I can convince you otherwise, huh?"

Celeste hummed confirmingly. "I'm afraid not. Unless a month were to somehow pass without a single murder, I cannot bring myself to view anyone here as anything but a potential threat."

Kaede sighed, slumping a little. "Damn it… she's really determined not to cooperate, isn't she? It's clear friendship and hope don't mean much to her… is there another way I could convince her?" The ahoged woman pondered. She idly stabbed at her eggs with her fork. Emotional and ethical appeals were useless. Celestia seemed to operate on pure, coldblooded logic. Kaede was no stranger to logical thinking, but it usually had her sense of justice serving as a guardrail keeping things in check. Thinking without those barriers was difficult… but not impossible. She had to ignore them when she devised her murder plot, after all. It was like walking around on a windy day without a jacket; uncomfortable and somewhat sickening, but entirely doable. Kaede needed Celeste to stop disrupting her attempts to unify the group, but Ludenberg was far too distrusting to play along and too conversationally skilled to beat in a debate. So what could she do…? She took a few moments to come up with a response before settling on her answer. "... I… can't say I'm not disappointed, but if there's nothing I can do, I guess I can compromise."

That got Celeste's attention, the gothic girl finally looking up at her with a hint of intrigue. "Compromise, you say?"

Kaede forced herself to swallow her pride and speak Ludenberg's language of bargains and manipulation. "Well… they say the enemy of my enemy is my friend, right? As much as I want to, I don't know if we'll be friends. But… that doesn't mean we have to get in each other's way. If you don't fight me when Kaito and I try leading everyone, I'll… owe you a favor."

Celeste's expression was unreadable. "A favor."

Kaede nodded. "Yeah. Whatever you need-" She immediately realized the implications of that and added, "- that won't hurt someone - I'll do it. Can you agree to that?"

Kirumi fixed Kaede with a measured look of concern while… something danced just behind Celeste's predatory eyes, both of their reactions immediately making Kaede start to reconsider. "... Hmm. I did not expect such a thing from you, given your speech yesterday. I'm impressed," The gambler praised, the words almost serving as a condemnation of the Ultimate Pianist to her own ears. After several tense seconds, a small, pleased smirk spread across Celeste's lips. "My silence for a favor," She summarized contently, steepling her hands. "Very well. I accept your terms."

The distinct sensation that she had made a horrible mistake swept over Kaede, but she tried her best to smother it. This was good, right? Celeste was the primary threat to the group's unity. The others just either fell to her fear mongering or defended the logic more than the actions themselves. With the main instigator gone, she could focus on keeping a murder from happening. Managing a small smile, she said, "I'm glad. Um… should we do a handshake or something like that to seal it?"

Ludenberg laughed lightly, a touch of genuineness to it that had been missing for much of the conversation. "I don't believe that will be necessary. It would go against my interests to rescind my half of the deal, and besides, as you said, there is no need for me to make enemies for myself where there do not have to be. I'm sure you're aware that crossing me would be a poor choice. As such, this is one thing I believe I can trust."

"That's progress! … probably. I'll just have to hope that favor doesn't come back to bite me too hard…" Akamatsu noted. Close to satisfied, the pianist began enjoying her meal. Kirumi's already astounding cooking was heavenly as she realized just how hungry she actually was. She hadn't actually eaten anything since the morning of Rantaro's death, and the forty-eight hours worth of hunger hit her all at once. She restrained herself as best she could, but her plate was spotless in a matter of minutes. She felt considerably more energetic now that she wasn't subconsciously fasting. "That was great, Kirumi! Thank you!" She cheered. Kirumi simply bowed her head.

"You're quite welcome, and thank you, Miss Akamatsu. I… probably needed this break. If you don't mind, however, I am ready to return to service."

Kaede frowned, but ultimately nodded. "Well, if you're sure. Just remember what I said, okay?"

Before the maid could give a response, the doors swung open with an almost thunderous crash that startled Kaede. She turned just in time to watch as Kaito confidently strutted into the room, a half-asleep Chiaki shambling in after him. "Morning, guys!" He called out with a grin so bright that it almost rivaled the candlelight.

"Are you trying to wake the dead by creating such an unholy cacophony, Luminary?!" Gundham hissed, the Devas peeking out from his scarf cautiously.

"Is ungentlemanly to slam doors, Kaito." Gonta lightly scolded.

"Not to mention that surprising anyone here is a dangerous mistake…" Peko warned, a hand still on her sheath. Kaito scratched his head awkwardly.

"Sorry, my bad. I didn't think I was being all that loud," He apologized nonchalantly. He seemed to scan the room for a second before promptly strolling over and taking a seat at Kaede's table, leaning casually back in the ornate chair. "Hey, Kaede! Kirumi!" His enthusiasm dropped like a rock when he noticed the last person at the table. "Celeste."

"Kaito." Ludenberg's greeting was equally icy. Kaede could feel the ancestor of a migraine threatening to come on at the early signs of their bickering. Mercifully, Kirumi came to her rescue yet again.

"Good morning, Mister Momota. There is a breakfast buffet in the kitchen. Would you like for me to prepare a plate for you?"

Kaito waved a hand. "Nah, I'll grab something in a second. Chiaki could probably use something, though."

Kaede looked around to find the Ultimate Gamer. She didn't know whether to laugh or be concerned to see Chiaki passed out on Gundham's table, her classmates giving the girl odd looks whilst the Dark Lord merely rolled his eyes. Kirumi elegantly rose from her chair. "I'll get her a pillow and set a plate aside. Please, excuse me." Tojo graciously bid farewell as she left the room. Kaede turned to Kaito.

"Well, in the meantime, did you guys see anyone else while you were coming here?"

Kaito scowled slightly, crossing his arms. "No, but not from lack of trying. I knocked on everyone's doors. Everyone but Chiaki either didn't answer or told me to screw off." The Ultimate Astronaut bristled.

"Hmm, I wonder why. Perhaps it has something to do with a stranger pounding on their door completely uninvited?" Celeste asked in a mockingly innocent tone, drawing a growl from Kaito.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" He demanded, glaring daggers into the girl directly across from him and shifting towards her. Kaede groaned.

" Please don't fight right now. We're supposed to be friends, remember?" She glanced at Celeste. "Or acquaintances, at least. Please?" She all but begged. Momota leveled a heavy glare at Celeste, who merely sipped her tea in response. Eventually, however, Kaito rolled his eyes and leaned back.

"Fine, whatever. I've got better things to talk about anyway," The purple-haired boy grumbled. Some of his more upbeat energy returned to him as he continued. "Like getting a feel for this place. I'm gonna be exploring upstairs after we wrap up here. Wanna tag along? It's a big place, so I could use the help."

Eager to steer the conversation away from something that would make the two fight, Kaede clasped her hands. "Sure thing! We should try to find out as much about this place as we can. Maybe Monokuma left another escape route somewhere..."

Celeste quirked an eyebrow. "Pardon me, but did you say another escape route? What do you mean?"

Kaede tilted her head. "In our game, there was a tunnel filled with boobytraps that led to the outside world. Didn't you have one?"

Ludenberg looked somewhere between intrigued and annoyed. "Certainly not. In my game, Monokuma made it quite clear that killing was the only escape. Had there been such a simple exit, I wouldn't have risked an executive." The gambler dourly stated.

"Did you not hear the part about it being full of traps?" Kaito grumbled back.

" Anyways ," Kaede forcefully interrupted. "It's definitely worth taking a look around. Do you want to come along, Celeste?"

"I must decline. I have little interest in blindly wandering around an unfamiliar building. That is why I sent Hifumi earlier, but he has yet to return. If you two find his body, please wait until I've finished reading before you have someone else activate the announcement. I would rather finish this book before standing around for hours at a trial."

"She's joking… right?" Kaede worried in her mind, grimacing. Kaito looked like he was about to slam a fist down on the table in sheer outrage, spurring her into action before things could get any messier. "It won't come to that. I won't let it."

Celeste opened her mouth to retort, but slowly closed it with a slight air of tempered frustration. Kaede wasn't one for smugness, so she hid a smirk by taking a drink. Kaito beamed, not at all trying to hide his feelings. "You got that right," He declared. He shifted his head to look at the others throughout the room. "Hey guys! We're gonna explore the ship! You in?"

Korekiyo gave a small nod. "I must admit, I'm intrigued to see more of this place. I believe I'll join you."

"While I already know what awaits us, as such is the wondrous burden of the All-Seeing Eye, I suppose it might be amusing to observe how lowly humans go about such an endeavor," Gundham agreed, closing his eyes with a conceited smile. It turned into a slight sneer when his eyes opened, however. "But if this is an attempt to trick us, Luminary, I assure you that nothing could save you from the hellfire of my wrath that would await. Tread lightly, sinner, lest you fall into the flames of damnation from your own folly!"

Kaito flashed a thumbs up like he hadn't heard Gundham's threat. "That's what I'm talking about! What about you, Peko? Can I count on my sidekick?"

"... I still haven't agreed to that," Peko bluntly denied. Pursing her lips, she continued. "But Gundham is correct. I'm willing to explore. Betray us at your own peril."

"A hero that betrays his sidekicks isn't a hero at all!" The astronaut refuted. Kaede jumped back as he suddenly stood and propped a foot up on the table so hard that Celeste's teacup clattered. "I, Kaito Momota, swear on my life that I'll never turn my back on anyone here! Not even if they turn their back on me!"

"Get your filthy foot off the goddamn table, you swine!" An unfamiliar voice howled out. Kaede gazed in absolute shock at a rather frazzled Celestia. Her pale features were contorted into sharp, angry lines that accentuated a hateful glare. Not a soul dared speak up. Even Kaito was stunned into silence. A couple seconds later, it was like a switch flipped, the monstrous expression almost instantly slipping back into a neutral mask and her more usual voice. "... Pardonnez-moi."

"Uh… okay then..." Kaito slowly conceded, putting his foot back on the ground. A deafening silence reigned until he coughed awkwardly, finally finding the guts to continue the original conversation. "A-anyways, how about you, Chiaki? You're in, right?"

The gamer in question still looked haggard, but was at least paying attention now. "... Sorry, but no. I'm a little worried about the others. I think it would be better if I tried talking to them. We can meet up in a few hours to talk about what you find. Is that okay?"

"Not giving up, eh? Good on you. How about you, big guy?"

Gokuhara tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Gonta… think he stay, too. Gonta want to protect all friends, but if you all up there, Gonta should be with Chiaki. Ah, if she okay with that."

Chiaki tried and failed to stifle a yawn. "Yeah, that's fine… I think."

The doors softly creaked open as Kirumi returned, a stack of blankets and pillows balanced on one arm while she opened the entrance with the other. She barely got three steps on the door before Kaito bombarded her. "Hey, Kirumi! We're checking out the boat! How about it?"

The maid blinked before giving a nod. "If that is your request, I'll fulfill it as best I can." Tojo gracefully accepted. She made her way across the room and offered the beddings to Chiaki, who sluggishly wrapped herself in the blankets with a sleepily muttered 'thanks'.

Kaito slammed his fists together. "Alright! It's decided, then! Waiting on you guys!"

People trickled out over the next few minutes. Peko was the first to leave, carrying her plate to the kitchen and walking out of the room without another word. Gundham followed suit shortly after, though he opted to give a grand speech that she understood maybe every third word of. Upon making sure that her services were no longer needed, Kirumi joined them on their way. As the room cleared out one by one, Kaede couldn't help but notice how few people were actually left. Excluding Celeste, who had long since returned to her novel, when the last of the exploration group departed, only Chiaki and Gonta would remain. They alone would be responsible for somehow convincing their more isolationist members to rejoin the group. Kaede smiled at them. How good hearted of them, staying behind to help the others despite everything that must have been going on for themselves. "It's really admirable. They're doing so much good, and…"

Then it occurred to her that she was about to leave two convicted killers alone with six other convicted killers. Two people that were considerably weak in opposite ways. For all the gamer's hope and cleverness, Kaede doubted even she would struggle to overpower Chiaki. On the other hand, Gonta was a force to be reckoned with physically, but he was too kind for his own good. If one went down, the other would probably follow shortly after. Try as she might to keep it off her mind, the thought plagued Kaede even as she, Kaito, and Korekiyo left the room and started on their way to the second deck. Over and over the worry played out in her head. Sure, it might be relatively easy to figure out who did it, but that wouldn't bring her friends back. She considered her options as she walked. She could stay, but she wasn't much stronger than Chiaki. Someone needed to be there that could protect Chiaki physically and Gonta mentally. That gave her a pretty clear candidate. The only thing needed now was some privacy to broach the subject. They were about halfway to the stairwell, so she didn't have much time to think things out. "Hey, Korekiyo?" She addressed. The anthropologist stopped in his tracks and met her gaze. Kaede hesitated for only a moment before gathering as much resolve as she could manage and following through with it. "Could you give Kaito and I a minute? We'll meet up with you upstairs."

"Huh?" Kaito questioned. He went completely ignored by both other students.

Shinguji looked at them curiously. "Certainly, though I'm curious what exactly is so sensitive that it must be kept a secret. It's somewhat unlike you," He noted with intrigue dancing in his eyes. "Still, I shall grant you your privacy…" With that, the man chuckled lightly, strolling lankily down the hall.

The astronaut co*cked an eyebrow at her. "Uh… wanna explain what exactly's going on?"

Kaede sighed, pursing her lips. "I know it was your idea to go exploring, but I'd really appreciate it if you helped Chiaki and Gonta out."

He co*cked an eyebrow, turning to face her fully. "Huh? Why?" He said confusedly. After a moment, something seemed to click with him. "Look, if this is about Celeste, I'm sorry. She just really gets on my nerve-"

Kaede shook her head. "It's not that. It's just…" She bit her lip, sighing. "I want to trust everyone, but right now, you're the only one I know I can trust. I think we can trust Chiaki, and Gonta's too sweet to ever willingly hurt someone, but he's really naive, and Chiaki's pretty small. If someone wanted to hurt them… I don't know. I'd just feel better if you were holding down the fort until the rest of us got back."

Momota grimaced. "Do you really think someone would try something?"

Kaede gained a soft scowl. "I don't know. It's not like last time, Kaito. There's no doubt what any of us are capable of. I know I'm a hypocrite for saying this, but… we can't let it happen again. We have to stop this killing game, even if it means distrusting our friends."

Kaito didn't respond for a long moment, cleary contemplating her words. When he finally did, it was more deliberate and careful than she would have thought possible from him. "... I think I get it. I mean, I'm the one who told you to doubt who you need to. You're just trying to look out for everyone, right?" He asked, getting a wordless nod in turn. "Thought so. You're on the right track, trusting someone else with your doubts instead of winging it on your own. It means you've learned from last time."

"Does that mean you'll do it?" She inquired.

Kaito put a hand on his hip. "... Yeah. You can count on me, Kaede. Nothing will happen on my watch. I'll prove to you that we can trust them, and if I'm wrong, we'll handle it together. Besides, I've got some experience getting people to open up when they're trying their hardest to push everyone away, so I might be able to get a couple people to come out," He assured her, a wave of relief coming over her. He folded his arms, looking her in the eyes. "But are you gonna be alright without me?"

Kaede's lips turned downward. "What, do you think I wouldn't be? I can handle myself, Kaito."

Momota shook his head. "Nah, it's not like that. I believe in you. Just needed to know you did too," he explained. A smirk played across his face as his hands fell back to his hips, striking a heroic pose. "My sidekicks are only sidekicks compared to how legendary I am. If you couldn't take care of yourself, I wouldn't leave you alone. Alright, you convinced me. So go on and investigate already! Don't leave a stone unturned! Give Shuichi a run for his money!"

Kaede couldn't help but roll her eyes at his grand hero act even as a small grin grew across her features. "Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Detective? It has a bit of a ring to it, but trench coats and fedoras aren't really my style," She joked back. The newly minted detective pumped her fists. "But I'll still do my best! I'll see you and the others later. Remember, I'm counting on you, too!"

"That's my sidekick! Blow 'em all away!"

Having hyped each other up, Kaito and Kaede parted ways, the former walking back to regroup with Chiaki and Gonta in the dining hall while Kaede went to do the same with the exploration group. The halls didn't seem nearly as long now that she was back to peak performance and so she found herself on the second deck in no time. Just as the first time she explored the ship, she was presented with the choice of a door on either side of the room or a path forward. Unlike last time, Korekiyo was waiting by the door to her left, examining it closely. She pivoted to join him with little hesitation. After all, multiple people exploring at once would speed things up, right? Besides, it'd be better to be able to talk about her findings in real time. "Hey, Kiyo!" She called out, drawing the anthropologist's attention.

"Ah, Kaede. Wasn't Kaito going to join us?"

Kaede held out a hand an explanation. "He's with Gonta and Chiaki trying to get the others to leave their rooms. I figured we had enough people up here, and he could probably be more helpful downstairs." She half-admitted, skipping over the more inconvenient aspects of her reasoning.

He hummed a little. "Hmm… yes, given his time with Maki, I suppose he would have experience with that sort of thing. Regardless, I was just about to begin my investigation. Would you care to join me?"

She nodded. "Yep, that's the plan! I think we should start with this place," Kaede motioned towards the closest opening. She turned to face it, giving it a good look for the first time. Before the pair stood a large paper door that stood out like a sore thumb against the golden yellow walls of the deck. It bore the same unfamiliar crest as the one she'd seen the day prior, though this door was easily twice the length. Her fingers traced lightly over the paper, feeling old yet firm against her skin. "Starting with figuring out what exactly this place is..." She pondered aloud. Korekiyo hummed from behind her.

"I suspect it's a dojo of some sort. This is a traditional shoji door not just in visual design, but in construction as well. I'm sure you've noticed the texture of it. I'm certain that this door is made out of washi, likely at least two-hundred years old. Such care and effort wouldn't be wasted on anything less meaningful."

Kaede balked as she turned to face him. "Huh?! You can tell that just by looking at it?"

Shinguji raised up a finger, closing his eyes. "Partly. The scent of it, its coloration, and the texture are all clues of its age. I've explored many ancient dojos and temples in my time, and in doing so have come to learn the intricacies often hidden in plain sight. Of course, without proper equipment, I can only give a rough estimate."

"That's really impressive, Kiyo!" The blonde praised, clapping her hands together. "I think I know what that's like. If I get a good look at a piano, I can usually get an idea of how well made it is and get a good idea of how it sounds without even pressing the keys." She compared, trying to ignore how her hair stood on end when she thought of the instrument. Korekiyo thankfully either didn't notice the change or was simply polite enough to overlook it given what they both knew happened.

"Indeed. When properly trained, the eye can notice a great many things most people would easily overlook. It is a pleasure to encounter someone else with such a talent."

As impressive as it was in its own right, it reminded Kaede of something that had been nagging her about the structure. "You've studied a lot of languages, right, Kiyo? Can you read that symbol on the door?"

Korekiyo held out a hand, as if preparing to launch into a lecture. "Certainly. It is in kinsei nihongo , an antiquated form of Japanese from five-to-two-hundred years ago. Admittedly, this was the most obvious clue to its age. My pre-modern Japanese is not quite as fluent as I would like, but I believe it means, 'The Dojo of House Ogami.'"

Kaede's eyes widened with realization. "So this is Sakura's lab? I wonder what a room made specifically for the Ultimate Martial Artist looks like... let's check it out!" She excitedly declared, marching forward and sliding the door open. The inside was like she had stepped through time and space itself, rows and rows of cherry blossom trees slowly snowing their petals onto a gravel patch leading towards an archery range to her left. That section of the lab, miraculously, had a bright blue sky and shining, much to her delight. "Look, Kiyo!" She called out as quickly made her way to the trees and stared up at the wondrously normal stretch of sky, holding out a hand to bask in the sunlight...

Only to have a wave of confusion hit her when she felt no difference in heat. "Huh? What's going…" The words died in her throat as she narrowed her eyes at the so-called sky and noticed what looked to be brush strokes. "... Oh. It's not real," She sighed out in disappointment. It didn't take long before that disillusionment to turn into annoyance. "That's a really cruel trick! Playing on people's hopes like that… can't he just not be horrible for once?" Kaede denounced their kidnapper, crossing her arms tightly as she glared at the embodiment of false hope. After a few moments of harsh looks, she gave up on the archery range and turned around to explore the rest of the room in hopes of relieving her sour mood.

Directly in front of her was a spacious square mat that took up nearly a fourth of the gargantuan room. A number of practice dummies stood like sentinels in a back corner, made up of everything from straw to almost log-thick wood. Several bow staffs of varying sizes were placed in descending rows, the longest of which spanned six and a half feet from end to end. Various other martial arts weapons were displayed just below, to Kaede's mild concern. She was somewhat assuaged by the fact that they were complicated tools like nunchucks and bamboo blades and thus unlikely for most people here to actually do real harm with them, but it was worrisome all the same. Nearby was a medium-sized display case filled with various knick knacks that seemed to intrigue Korekiyo as he made his way over to it. When Kaede looked over it, there wasn't much she could take away from it other than most of it being old and kind of neat looking. "Keheheheh… this is truly marvelous. This," He pointed to a small wooden statue of a rather muscular looking man crossing his arms, the expression on its face as hard as the wood it was made from. "Was crafted in the Edo period, likely the mid seventeen-hundreds. Observe the fine hand carving and the smoothness of the wood. That's not to mention…" He proceeded to go on a somewhat lengthy lecture explaining the historical significance of each of the many items littering the display. Kaede didn't particularly mind. It was fun seeing him be so passionate about something he was into, given his usually reserved manner. It was likely about twenty minutes before he reached his conclusion. "... If these are fake -which I very much doubt- they are the most convincing forgeries I've ever laid eyes on, and a work of art in their own right." Kiyo cooed.

"I can't imagine how long it took you to memorize all this, Kiyo. It took me years to learn just Beethoven's works, let alone all the other classical artists." Kaede confessed in astonishment. Kiyo bowed his head slightly, raising a finger like he had another lecture prepared already.

"While I learned a great many things from reading records, nothing compared to experiencing such cultures in the flesh. To live as those who came before us did is to become them, from a certain perspective. Combining the two gives the fullest understanding of humanity a person can manage. Ah, but I'm afraid I've gone on a tangent. We should continue our search."

Kaede nodded, stepping away from the antiques. "Right. We can talk more about it later," She promised. With most of the room covered, all that was left was the right side of the room, which contained a more traditional gym. Bench presses and exercise machinery took up most of the room, everything from standard treadmills and ellipticals to complicated looking multi-workout systems spread throughout. Dumbbells and weights from five pounds to a shocking one-hundred pounds were neatly arranged in escalating order on shelves. Carts stuffed with basketballs and volleyballs alike stuck to the wall opposite the main entrance offered themselves to anyone interested, as well as a couple of duffel bags, whilst a giant tire and a sledgehammer of all things waited in the back corner by the side exit. Kaede stared at it, tilting her head slightly. "... That seems kinda dangerous, but at the same time, I'm not sure anyone but Sakura or Gonta could even lift that thing. I don't think we really have to worry about that..." The words "I hope" went unsaid.

Kiyo tsked slightly. "Indeed, though I'm personally more interested in its intended purpose. The Ultimate Martial Artist's training regimen must be something truly incredible to witness."

A bit of curiosity rose in Kaede. "Have you studied much martial arts, Kiyo? I imagine they're probably important to a lot of cultures, right?"

"I'm more familiar with their cultural origins and influences than the techniques themselves, I'm afraid. I certainly wouldn't be able to match Sakura either in knowledge or physical capability," He explained, slowly looking across the array of equipment. "Kaito might want to hear about this place, assuming he's still inclined to those nightly workouts of his."

"Oh, he is. We were training last night." Akamatsu confirmed.

Korekiyo looked pleasantly surprised, though it was a little difficult to tell between his mask and cap obscuring so much of his face. "Is that so? In that case, would you mind if I observed, Kaede? You and Kaito make for an intriguing duo..." His voice slithered with a hint of anticipation.

Kaede's smile twitched a little. Even with how much Korekiyo had grown on her in the short time they'd known each other, he could still be unbelievably creepy at times. Still, it'd be rude to outright refuse a relatively harmless request, even if it was slightly unsettling. "Um… you'd have to ask Kaito, but I don't have a problem with it," She compromised. It thankfully seemed to appease the anthropologist, as he didn't press any further. She took a minute to reexamine the room for anything of note, but found nothing she hadn't already looked at. Satisfied, she turned to her somewhat sinister companion. "I think we checked out everything here. Are you ready to move on?"

Shinguji shook his head. "Not quite yet. I would like to take a closer look at these heirlooms and antiques, if you don't mind. I believe they may give me a better understanding of Sakura and her motivations. If you wish, you can continue without me."

The pianist hesitated. On the one hand, that was completely in line with Korekiyo's behavior, and probably not all that ominous. On the other hand, Korekiyo apparently had experience killing trained fighters if he managed to murder Tenko, and so leaving him alone in her lab to possibly plan something didn't sit well with her. He'd probably pick up on her distrust if she insisted on staying, making just waiting him out not an option. Of course, it wasn't like she could do much to actually stop him from staying either. She mulled over her options as quickly as she could manage before resolving to find a way to tip off Sakura without targeting her against anyone. Easier said than done, but that could be said for most of her goals. On the outside, she kept up her bright and trusting facade, offering him a small smile and a nod. "Okay then. I'll keep looking around, and if we don't catch up with each other while we're up here, we'll meet in the dining hall for lunch around noon."

Kiyo ran a pair of fingers around the brim of his hat. "Until then, Kaede." He bid farewell. With that, she left the room, hoping that she made the right call.

Kaede gently slid the door closed behind her as she walked out into the hall. Down the hall, she could see the distinctive black and white keys that made up the door of the Ultimate Pianist's lab, and she tried her best to ignore the lump in her throat at the sight. She shook her head to banish the hellish memories and instead forced herself towards the room she'd met Tsumugi and the others in the day prior. She'd already taken a cursory glance, but what would taking a deeper look hurt? As she approached the door, she could hear the soft clicking of heels from the other side. She co*cked an eyebrow. Who would be in there already? Akamatsu pushed the doors open to find Kirumi startling a little, swerving on her heels to face the intruder. "Kirumi?"

The maid's surprised features dulled somewhat, quickly falling back into a neutral expression. "My apologies, Miss Akamatsu. I wasn't expecting you. Please, forgive me. I'm… reflecting, at the moment." Tojo gracefully apologized, bowing her head.

"It's fine. If anything, I should be the one apologizing. I shouldn't have just barged in unannounced like that," Kaede apologized. Kirumi didn't reply beyond a quick assurance not to worry about it, glancing around the ornate room with a sort of wistfulness she wouldn't have expected from someone like her. Awkward silences had become a far too common occurrence, but given everything they'd went through, Kaede couldn't blame most of her peers for not being especially chatty. It didn't take long for her to try and reach out to her prim and proper friend. "Kirumi, I… might be overstepping here, but I think I know what you're going through," The blonde said softly. Kirumi's eyes widened a hair, but she otherwise gave no reaction. "I don't know what happened after… after , but it's obvious you're remorseful about it. You're not some heartless monster, no matter what it might feel like. You can talk to me whenever you feel like it."

Kirumi stared at her, her expression unreadable. "... Your compassion is inspiring, Miss Akamatsu. I truly appreciate it."

"I don't know about that, but anything I can do to help, I'm willing. Just say the word," Kaede reaffirmed. Thankfulness leaked through Tojo's measured expression for a moment before the silver-haired teen looked back to the fancy hall surrounding them. The pianist studied it for a short time, finding nothing had changed since her first chaotic visit. The Victorian aesthetic gave the room a distinctly European vibe now that she was actively looking for everyone's Ultimate Labs, but something didn't seem to click. "This place reminds me of Celeste a little, but I don't see what it has to do with gambling. Whose lab do you think this is?"

"It's mine. It's almost identical to the one I had back at the Academy. A little smaller, perhaps, but a remarkably close impersonation. It seems Monokuma did not want to waste time redesigning existing labs..." Kirumi stated simply, but a pang of regretfulness infected the undertone of her words.

"I think this place fits you pretty well. It's clean, beautiful, prim and proper… the whole room just screams classy. Or, says it in a politefully loud voice, I guess."

Akamatsu joked lightly in an attempt to cheer her up. The small tug up of the maid's lips came as quite a relief.

"I appreciate your kind words, Miss Akamatsu, though they aren't necessary. It's simply part of a maid's duty to be respectable in every possible way. An untidy maid is simply paradoxical."

Kaede gave a soft smile. "You seem to take your work as a maid pretty seriously, Kirumi. Even in a situation like this, you're still devoting yourself to everyone, even if… well, honestly, it makes it easier for someone to take advantage of you."

Kirumi spared her a glance, giving a small shake of her head. "My motto is selfless devotion, Miss Akamatsu. It doesn't matter the situation; I am determined to do my best for everyone's sake, and I do not wish to change that here. Doing such would only further tarnish my reputation as a maid, and I refuse to allow that to happen."

"I see… so, being a maid is that important to you, huh?"

"Of course. Just like how being a pianist is an important part of your identity, being a maid is an important part of my own, and one that I wouldn't trade for anything."

Kaede hummed. The pianist thought it over for a few seconds as she looked across the wide array of brooms, brushes, vacuums, and other cleaning tools. Glancing back at Kirumi, a sense of curiosity compelled her to ask, "Not to sound rude, but... why a maid? I mean... was it something you always aspired to be? I meant to ask back at the academy, but…" She trailed off, her eyes falling to the floor. Mercifully, Kirumi didn't seem inclined to comment on her sudden silence.

"... Not always," Tojo admitted after a brief pause. "In fact, when I was younger, I actually considered the idea of being a servant quite degrading. 'Why on earth would I work yourself myself to the bone, just for the sake of someone else getting the credit?', was essentially my mindset once upon a time..." She sighed quietly. "To be honest, I find my younger self's immature mindset to be quite embarrassing in hindsight."

With her curiosity piqued, Kaede pressed onward. "What ended up changing your mind? I mean, going from finding it degrading to it being your entire passion is a pretty big jump."

"I suppose you could say that it was something of an epiphany. Once when I was only about nine or so, I ended up becoming friends with someone who was considered by other kids to be a 'complete freak'; she had no idea how to talk to people, her hygiene was somewhat lacking, and although she was quite intelligent for her age, and capable of memorizing large chunks of information quickly, her grades were actually fairly subpar."

"A freak, huh?" Kaede echoed ruefully. "I can kind of relate to that. Before I became an Ultimate, most people just said I was weird and avoided me. It… wasn't a great feeling."

Kirumi faced her, giving her a sympathetic look. "I believe I can understand. While I felt that she had potential to be a lot more than what she was, at first, she was convinced that she could never amount to anything. She had been growing more and more detached from everyone else, isolating herself in order to spare herself their harsh words. Eventually, it became so upsetting to see that I decided to try to assist her."

"Were you able to?" The blonde questioned. Tojo gave a nod.

"Over time, I was slowly able to help her become the person she could be. Though she never was able to talk to people she didn't know particularly well, her grades and hygiene improved, as did her general mood. Her self confidence grew enough to where she started searching out new things to do with herself, and though she moved away before I saw it for myself, she apparently ended up developing advanced computer security software that was utilized by multiple companies around the world." The well-dressed Ultimate explained with a sense of fondness Kaede had only heard her use when agreeing to other people's tasks. A nostalgic smile rested on her lips as she closed her eyes and bowed her head towards Kaede.

"That's incredible!" The pianist praised. "It sounds like you were a really good friend to her. After all, without you, she probably wouldn't have had anyone she could count on. Helping and being there for people are the best things anyone can do, and you're so willing to do both. You're pretty cool, Kirumi."

Kirumi's reserved smile grew, something akin to delight tinting the maid's expression. "It seems you understand it perfectly. While a childhood friendship is hardly the same type of relationship as the maid work I now do, I learned that the basic philosophy behind the two is nearly identical: by devoting yourself to helping others, you are able to bring out the best in them. You're able to bring out people's true potential, which helps not only them, but the world around them as well. That is why I'm willing to devote myself to my work, even here. So, please, if you ever have a request for me, do not hesitate to seek me out."

The Ultimate Pianist stared at her friend in awe. "Wow, Kirumi. I had no idea you saw things like that. I'll be sure to ask, but," She pumped her fists supportively. "From now on, I want you to come to me for help, too. Consider me an apprentice maid!"

A small chuckle pittered out from Kirumi with an ease in her shoulders that Kaede couldn't recall ever seeing before. “I appreciate the gesture, Miss Akamatsu. I will be sure to keep that in mind going forward.”

Kaede smiled a little sheepishly, holding up a finger. "You really don't have to address me as miss, Kirumi. We're both teenagers. Please, call me Kaede."

"... If you insist, Kaede."

She beamed, clasping her hands together. "Great! Ready to head out?"

The maid managed a small smile of her own. Sparing one last glance to the room, she bowed her head. "I believe so. Please, lead the way, Kaede."

And with that, the pair of blackened left the lab and continued their search.

Chapter 5: Chapter One: The Bloodied Hands We're Dealt: Daily Life Part 3

Chapter Text

The halls of the ship seemed to get shorter every time Kaede walked them. Whether that was simply her growing more accustomed to them already or the fact that she had a decent idea where she was going this time was a mystery, but regardless, it felt like less of a hassle to get around. Of course, that also meant that she got somewhere she'd really rather avoid much quicker than she anticipated. Just down the hall from Sakura and Kirumi's labs resided an unwanted reminder of her fate, one that was clearly visible even from the opposite end of the corridor. Kirumi's presence did little to help in the face of Monokuma's mockery of her talent.

As Kaede stared at the door to her talent lab, she couldn't decide if she wanted to laugh or cry. It was only yesterday that she looked at the unique, well-crafted mockup of her beloved instrument with unbridled excitement and disappointment when it refused to open. When she looked at it now, though, all she felt was bile in her throat and her knees threatening to give out from beneath her. It took considerable effort to keep on her feet given her sudden wave of nausea. She despised the fact that she was afraid of a god damned door of all things. It was literally just a few feet of material cut into a rectangle, yet when she looked upon it, she was back in the execution chamber feeling her life slipping between her lips with each strangled gasp. She stiffened when a gloved hand gently grasped her shoulder. "Kaede, are you alright? You look rather pale."

"I-I'm fine," Kaede dismissed a bit too quickly. The lie was as blatant to both of them and the look in Kirumi's eyes made that abundantly clear. Kaede bit her lip, looking down at the floor. A tired sigh escaped her as she squeezed her arm. "It… just brings back painful memories. I know it's stupid, but..."

Kirumi shook her head. "Traumatic experiences are not 'stupid', Miss Aka-… Kaede. It's a symbol of something better left forgotten. If I may, it's clear that you are suffering from a form of PTSD. While I can't recommend ignoring it entirely, it is crucial you don't fixate on it if it's bringing you such distress," The maid stressed. Kaede shook her head, forcing herself to take a shaky step towards the door, but Kirumi moved to block her path. "I'm afraid I must insist on this. Your goal is to help our peers, and as your maid, it's my goal to assist you as well as I can. For the moment, I recommend that we move on. Someone else can explore your lab. Forcing yourself to confront these memories before you're ready will only worsen them."

Kaede's frown deepened. "... Are you sure you're not the Ultimate Psychologist, too, Kirumi?" She joked lightly in a vain attempt to lighten the suffocating atmosphere around her. Kirumi was unphased.

"An understanding of psychology is needed to serve my masters to the fullest. In my early days as a maid, I had a master that slowly destroyed himself by stretching himself too thin and refusing to ever properly address the pain of his past, obsessing over it and insisting he was fine instead of taking the needed steps to overcome it. I saw hints of his turmoil, but never saw it fit to confront him about it until it was far too late," Tojo noted with a hint of lamentation. She closed her eyes for a long moment before reopening them, determination brimming in her visible emerald eye. "Since then, I've made it part of my duty to understand my employers' mental and emotional states and assist them as need be. While I cannot force you to take my advice, I implore you to at least consider it."

Akamatsu silently mulled over her friend's words. How exactly was she supposed to properly address being slowly suffocated and beaten to death, all while being humiliated as she butchered the easiest piano piece in the world? Or that she suffered that fate for slaughtering one of her friends? Piano had always been her respite from the worst of her fears and anxieties, and now it was squarely at the heart of them. Kirumi had said it herself; being the Ultimate Pianist was an integral part of who she was. What good was a pianist that had a panic attack every time she thought of the instrument? What would that make her? She had to be strong for everyone, even more so than last time. Why waste time sitting around and worrying over worries when she could try to solve them instead?

At the same time, she'd been the one to tell Kirumi the importance of stepping back and realizing limits. She couldn't really be strong for anyone if she was wrapped up in her own self-pity and suffering, could she? That much was true, but she could count the amount of people she could trust on one hand, and the number of people she could confide feelings like that to on a single finger. Even then, just because Kaito was trustworthy didn't mean she could just freely share every worrying thought that came to mind. She couldn't confront her problems yet, but she refused to just run away. Kaede had no doubt that somewhere on the boat, Monokuma was cackling like he'd heard the funniest joke in the world. Without much other recourse, she simply asked, "How? What can I do to fix this?"

Kirumi gave an apologetic look. "To be blunt, I don't know for certain. Everyone comes to terms in their own ways. All I can offer is my unyielding support."

Not the answer she wanted to hear, but if even Kirumi was at a loss with all her years of experience, it was impossible for Kaede to come up with any reasonable counter argument. She glanced at the black and white carving over Kirumi's shoulder, and upon feeling her gut twist at the sight, she realized her endeavor was pointless. "... Well… okay. I don't like the idea of giving up, but… we'll move on for now." The ahoged girl conceded. Her stoic companion gave the slightest hint of relief, letting her shoulders drop a bit.

"Thank you. Shall we continue?"

Sparing her lab one last glance, Kaede choked down her pride and turned away. "Yeah. Let's see if we can meet up with the others…" And with that, the pair of Ultimates went on their way. Kaede very deliberately forced herself not to think about anything to do with her talent, instead doing her best to mentally recall the layout of the ship. The monopad's map hadn't updated yet, probably waiting until they manually explored before giving them a cheatsheet. After a few minutes of wandering down the barren halls, they finally arrived at the corner of the corridor containing the ballroom. The second stairway at the end of the vast room was still locked up tight, the steel shudder as grand and imposing as the last time she saw it. While she knew the ballroom was waiting somewhere to the far right side, what caught Kaede's attention was a door on the far left she hadn't noticed during the commotion of meeting Kaito, Peko and Hifumi. "Do you know what that is?"

"I'm afraid not. When Mister Hanamura, Miss Ogami, and I awoke, Monokuma ordered us to the ballroom almost immediately. There wasn't much time to look around." Kirumi admitted. Undaunted, Kaede took the lead.

"Well, let's check it out!" She declared. A brief time elapsed before they stood in front of a bulkhead just barely taller than Kaito, painted just a slightly different shade of yellow than the surrounding walls. It was almost completely nondescript aside from a small sign labeling it as the boiler room. Kaede tilted her head. "A boiler room? Aren't these usually at the bottom of a ship?"

"It is peculiar to have it on the same level as guest facilities, but if we're on a sufficiently low level, it would still make sense logistically… perhaps this ship wasn't originally intended for passengers, and Monokuma simply repurposed the vessel?" Tojo suggested, putting a finger to her chin. Kaede smirked a little.

"Is it just me, or does he keep using hand-me-downs and hoping we don't notice?"

"Hehe… it would be impolite to say, but I do not think you're wrong."

The pianist gripped the valve and spun the door open without too much effort, the lock surprisingly light. The bulkhead slowly creaked open to reveal a steam filled chamber bathed in crimson light. Heat rushed out to meet them in an instant, hitting the pair like a brick wall. Kaede cringed at the burst of warmth, glancing at her companion. "I'm not really looking forward to this, but if Monokuma were hiding something, it would probably be in here. We should look around," she deduced. After all, who would actually want to spend time in a boiler room? Kirumi nodded in assent before the blonde stepped into the room. The second she was inside, however, the door instantly slammed shut behind her, throwing the room into an even deeper darkness and creating a gust of air that blew her hair like a flag in the wind. She spun on her heels in an instant, pushing on the exit bar to no avail as it simply rattled in place without any hint of giving way. "Kirumi?!"

"Kaede! The door is stuck. Can you move it from your side?" Kirumi's slightly muffled voice rang from the other side.

"No, it won't budge!" She called back, shoving into it with all her might on the off chance it might finally push open. When it didn't after three attempts, she huffed, taking a step back. "It's no use. I don't think we can get it open alone… try finding one of the others, Kirumi. I'll look around in here and see if there's an emergency release or something."

"I'll be back shortly. Please stay safe." Kirumi politely requested. A part of Kaede that wasn't freaking out couldn't help but appreciate how mannerly Tojo was even in the worst circ*mstances. Kaede faintly heard the sound of the other woman's heels rapidly clacking down the corridor before gradually fading into nothing, a wordless declaration that she was now alone. Taking a deep breath of the sulfury air, Kaede gathered herself.

"Okay… this is weird, but you've got this!" She encouraged herself, pumping her arms in the air. She regretted it a moment later as the taste of ash found its way into her mouth. She sputtered a little, but that was hardly the only thing wrong with the room. Her eyes strained in the poor lighting as she tried to examine her surroundings, though there wasn't much to see when her eyes finally did adjust. Pipes and gauges lined the narrow walls whilst the constant hum of machinery and occasional hiss of escaping steam gave a somewhat eerie soundtrack to the room. Much of the walls, she realized, were actually the boilers themselves, massive cylinders of heat and power that could easily be mistaken for walls in the poor light. Small clouds of steam rolled across the floor like fog, obscuring her shoes behind a heated mist. Everything about it was inviting a migraine that took most of her focus to stave off.

Of course, that wasn't even taking into account how unbearable the heat alone was in the absolutely sweltering halls. The pianist had barely taken ten steps before it started getting to her, only getting hotter and hotter the further into the maze like rows of equipment she went. If one looked closely, they would see the air warping and simmering as it rose off the pipes. Kaede shifted uncomfortably in her woolen vest, pulling at it in a vain attempt to give herself some cool air. "G-geez… I guess they're called boilers for a reason. I'm practically melting in here!" Akamatsu whined internally, wiping the sweat from her brow. She forced herself the trudge onwards, rounding a corner, and the process repeated itself over and over again. Her weary eyes roved over her surroundings with dismay as it became increasingly apparent that there was nothing that would help break out. She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Well, this sucks. Hopefully Gonta or someone can force the door open soon. I should probably just head back there and… wait, what's that?" Her thoughts were interrupted as she rounded one last corner and found herself in front of a wrought iron gate. "... Is that an elevator?" Kaede whispered. She took a few cautious steps towards the structure, and-

" One, two, Kuma's coming for you… " A chorus of eerie, high-pitched voices harmonized, sounding like they were whispering directly into her ears. Kaede swirled around, desperately searching the dreary corridor only to find it completely barren. The voices would be frightening enough on their own, but combined with the menacing dim red lighting of the room and the hellish heat, it was borderline terrifying.

"Wh-who's there?!" She demanded. Her fists clenched tightly enough to feel her nails digging into her palms, but that was the least of her concerns at that moment. Less than a second later, the horrible shriek of metal dragging against metal pierced the air somewhere behind her. She spun on her feet once more and worriedly took a few steps back at the sight of a trio of claw marks that tore across the elevator entrance. The devilish giggles that echoed from everywhere around her sent shivers down her spine despite the hellish heat.

" Three, four, better lock up your door! Puhuhuhu… "

"Knock it off! I'm warning you!"

BANG!

A cataclysmic clang roared out from her left. She swiveled to find one of the boilers' coal doors slightly dented, a tiny fist clearly denting the metal from the inside. Again and again something slammed against the door, each bang sending her another step back. She wanted to run, but shock and fear kept her rooted in place. With one final punch, it slammed open, a burst of flames casting the room in a brilliant orange except for a sinister shadow that fell directly on her. Something small and impossibly fast leapt out at her with glinting knives in hand and a low, bone-rattling roar. Kaede shrieked, desperately throwing her hands in front of her face in a last-ditch effort to save her life. Her eyes clamped shut and waited for an end that never came.

"Puhuhuhu… huhuhu… ahahahaha! Gotcha!" Monokuma's grating voice mocked childishly. Kaede opened her eyes to find the bear cackling in her face, resting his paws on his stomach. He wore a ratty fedora and a striped red and black sweater while his claws glinted brightly in the fire's glow. Kaede's terror quickly shifted into fury.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! That's not funny!" She growled, angrily shoving a finger in Monokuma's face. He just laughed harder.

"Says you! You should've seen your face!" The monochrome monster chortled obnoxiously. He wiped a nonexistent tear from his eye. "Oh, my. Between you and good ol' space case freaking out about ghosts, I've got a regular pair of of scaredy cats! Maybe I could just cancel the killing game and have a show about scaring the crap out of you two!"

Akamatsu glared daggers into him, crossing her arms tightly. "Is there a point to this?" She tersed out. Monokuma tsked at her.

"Geez, you offer to make someone a star, and they just spit in your face? Kids these days are so ungrateful! But fine, if you really wanna know, I'm here to tell you this place is off limits to all students! Until further notice, coming in or out of this room without permission will be severely punished!"

Kaede scowled, gritting her teeth. "Seriously? Why not just lock the door? Why's it even off limits, anyway?"

Monokuma smirked. "Why, because then I wouldn't have gotten to mess with you! As for why it's off limits? Because I said so! That's why! You can explore this place when I say you can; it's not my fault you came in before it was ready!" He yelled, raising his paws above his head. "So scram before I cut your chords, piano freak!"

Despite her annoyance, fear of death proved to be a powerful motivator. Akamatsu didn't take the threat lightly, bolting through the cavernous halls and rounding every corner at full speed. She only sped up once the bulkhead came into view, charging and pushing against it with all her might. She let out a startled yelp when it gave way without any resistance, sending her tumbling to the floor with an undignified 'oof'. Before she could even process what had happened, a pair of firm hands were gripping her. "Miss Akamatsu! Are you hurt?"

She tried to look at the source of the voice, but had to slam her eyes shut again as the bright lights of the corridor set her irises ablaze like she'd stared directly at the sun. It was a solid ten seconds of constant blinking before she finally managed to make out the image of a rather concerned Kirumi staring down at her. Catching her breath, she rasped out, "N-no, I'm fine. Monokuma just scared me a little, that's all," Kaede downplayed. She hadn't noticed just how hard it was to breath in the boiler room until she was finally out of the hellish sauna. Taking a moment to appreciate the comparatively frigid air, she continued. "He says the boiler room is off limits."

A man scoffed. "You were simply frightened? You screamed like the damned smoldering in the deepest pits of hell itself." Gundham grumbled, scowling a little.

"Gundham? What are you doing here?" Akamatsu questioned, making the Dark Lord cross his arms.

"The Apostle of Psyche sought my aid in rescuing you from the boiler room. By the time we arrived from the ballroom, we heard your shriek. What did he do?"

Kaede bit her lip, somewhat embarrassed. She considered making something up, but obviously lying about something so minor wouldn't be particularly endearing to the others. "He… jumped out at me." She confessed lamely. Tanaka just stared at her.

"And?"

"Well, nothing. That was it… hey, don't look at me like that!" Kaede self-consciously defended. She felt like a child whining about a bully kicking her sandcastle. The Ultimate Breeder glared at her in clear annoyance.

"Do you mean to tell me Monokuma was able to reduce you to such terror just by catching you off guard?" He demanded.

Kaede rose to her feet, narrowing her eyes at the eccentric teen. "Of course it sounds silly when you phrase it like that! If you were there, you'd have been scared too!"

Gundham rolled his multicolored eyes. "I, Gundham Tanaka, rattled by a mere bear? Hmph. Fear truly is the silliest of mortal emotions. To think one such as you could not only become daunted so easily but also underestimate my power is disappointing beyond measure, Siren."

Kaede opened her mouth for a comeback, but slowly closed it again. "You know what? Nevermind. Let's just put that aside for now. Did you find anything?"

Tanaka chuckled conceitedly. "Didn't I tell you already? The power of the All-Seeing Eye makes all in this realm clear to me. Of course the Forbidden One discovered something!" Gundham boomed, striking a pose. His hamsters fell into formation almost instantly. "Prepare to be enlightened, mortals! Behind the veil of illusion cloaked around the stage awaited a deceptively small yet wickedly powerful lift, no doubt capable of carrying even the boulder of Sisyphus with ease!"

"I'm uncertain what we could do with that, but it is worth noting, I suppose. Did you find anything else, Mister Tanaka?" Kirumi asked, apparently having taken out a small notebook at some point.

"Were that my only discovery, I would hardly see it fit to share it at all. There is more to tell. With the aid of the Four Dark Devas, I was able to find a passageway to the aether of the stage! There, I discovered a box of infernal power that I corrupted to my will! While it did its best to expel me, its meager power was nothing against my demonic might!"

Kaede took a moment to mentally translate from Gundham to English. "... Wait, are you saying you found a circuit breaker above the stage? Do you know what it connects to?"

The Overlord of Ice smirked smugly. "But of course, sinner. The ancient glyphs marked each switch's particular spell. It holds sway over everything on decks one and two. After consulting with the Devas, I found the secret to its power cycle and have claimed the light as my own! Day and night bend as I command!"

Kaede's eyes lit up. "Um, if I'm not mishearing you, you're saying you changed it so the lights don't turn off at night, right?" She asked. He grinned, opening his mouth to launch into another grand ballad about himself, confirming it. Before he could, she clapped her hands. "That's really helpful, Gundham! Thank you!"

He looked… disappointed, almost. Something like recognition and regret glinted in his eyes before he blinked and turned his head. "... You're welcome," He said plainly. The Devas looked up at him in concern, crawling up his shoulder and nibbling on his ear in between worried squeaks. The sudden change of character lasted only a moment before he cleared his throat and crossed his arms haughtily. "Nonetheless, those were my findings. If there is nothing else, I must go find a suitable offering for the Devas, lest they unleash pandemonium upon this realm. Farewell, mortals." He declared. With that, he strolled past them bearing a stone mask of an expression. Kaede watched on in bewildered concern.

"Is it just me, or was that was weird even for him?" Kaede pondered aloud.

"I'm inclined to agree. He seemed rattled by something, and given Mister Tanaka's general attitude, that is no easy feat..." Tojo murmured, an unreadable look in her emerald eye. Kaede could almost see the gears turning inside Kirumi's head with each passing second.

"What's on your mind?"

Kirumi's eye flicked to the pink-clad girl, Tanaka, and back again. The hesitation struck Kaede as rather unusual for her, but given everything, perhaps it would be stranger if there wasn't some caution. "... I'm debating whether or not I should keep an eye on him. While everyone no doubt has their own trauma to confront, I am unsure it's wise to leave him alone at the moment. While I technically haven't sworn to serve everyone here, I would still consider it a failure of my duties to not offer any and all aid that I can," She deftly explained, the only change in her body language the slightest tilt of her head. Something darker played out across her features as she continued. "Additionally… at the risk of sounding rude, Mister Tanaka's grasp on reality often seems tenuous at best. Unchecked mental scarring combined with his existing delusions could result in something rather dangerous."

Kaede felt her brow knit in concern. "It's kind of hard to imagine a guy like that hurting, but now that you mention it, I think I can see it. In that case, you should go after him. He probably won't acknowledge anything's wrong, but maybe just being there for him would be enough."

"I agree, but to be perfectly honest, it's out of similar concerns for you that I hesitate," Kirumi confessed. Akamatsu was rather taken aback by the statement and it must have shown from her expression as the maid gave a calming gesture. "You're a strong and kind-hearted person, Kaede, but you seem to forget that you're a person . I do not wish for you to overwork yourself in my absence, or find another trigger, for that matter. I cannot allow it in good conscience both as your maid and your friend."

A refusal was waiting on the tip of Akamatsu's tongue, but she hesitated. While she didn't like Kirumi's implications that she didn't know her own limits, she was also self-aware enough that she was stubborn and prone to rash decisions. She simply couldn't debate Kirumi on that front. Simply promising she wouldn't do something stupid likely wasn't enough, given her trackrecord. A solid argument would be needed. It wasn't as if she wanted Kirumi gone, but it was imperative to keep tabs on the more unpredictable members of the group. Just then, a realization struck her. "... Well, that's true, but… whether I should be or not, I'm kind of the leader here, right? In that case, I should look after everyone. If you keep an eye on Gundham for me, that would help keep me from stretching myself too thin. As far as the other thing, I can't promise much other than I'll try to be careful," She rationalized. Kirumi didn't look convinced, so she added, "I want to make sure everyone's alright more than anything else. Please?"

The emerald eyed Ultimate scanned her for a long moment. Kaede almost felt like a whiny teen begging their mom to stay out late, but given their interactions in the past, Tojo would probably resent the comparison. After some clear deliberation, Kirumi finally gave an answer. "... On the condition that you will immediately return to the dining hall if you suspect a stressful episode might be starting, I will fulfil your request. If you fail to do so, I will have to insist on being your escort for as long as we are trapped here. Is that acceptable?"

Kaede nodded sharply. "Yes. You have my word, Kirumi."

"Very well then. I shall accompany Mister Tanaka until I'm certain of his emotional state. Do you have a rendezvous time in mind?"

"I told Korekiyo to meet us in the dining hall at noon. I'll let the others know if I run into anyone."

Kirumi bowed her head respectfully. "Then I shall see you then. Take care, Kaede." With that and a small curtsy, she started on her way after Gundham.

***

Once again alone, Kaede wandered the halls almost aimlessly. She'd already explored everything on the portside of the ship from stern to bow, and given she didn't particularly want to re-explore the ballroom, the pianist got the idea to more or less hug the wall from the dancing hall's door and simply follow along it from there until she found something of note. It wasn't a particularly thrilling or fast journey, but it would ultimately prove worthwhile as she finally came across another door after about five boring minutes of searching. She'd almost literally stumbled upon a pair of double doors emblazoned with Monokuma's cackling face. The bright neon lettering above the door labeled it as the Cruise Giftshop. Kaede rolled her eyes at the tacky decor. "Geez. His ego is insane…" She grumbled to herself.

The door had no visible handles, but a quick push opened up into a somewhat small room absolutely packed with knicknacks of every sort. Snowglobes, Monokuma dolls, cameras, just about anything and everything a person could imagine lined the walls, furniture, and even parts of the ceiling, which had a grand mural of Monokuma parodying various works of classical art. Christmas lights hung like party streamers. Occasionally interrupting the shelves of miscellaneous items were fake movie posters that starred the black and white bear in a new genre on each one. The floor was a black and red checkerboard design with bright white walls and a display case that stretched the entire length of the room from the door to the back wall contained even more junk. The icing on the unappealing, disgustingly egotistical cake was the horrendous music blaring out over the speakers, some sort of bizarre jazzy reggae tune that lacked any sort of cohesion or basic musical value to the pianist's ears. Everything about the room was vaguely insulting to anything that could be defined as good taste. Monokuma, she decided, was clearly not the Ultimate Interior Designer. As distracting as the gaudy decorations were, however, her focus quickly shifted to a rather portly boy playing with a familiar gashapon machine in the back corner. Kaede smiled as she called out, "Hifumi! Hey!"

His unearthly screech sent her slamming her hands to cover her ears in an instant, wincing in agony as Hifumi's scream rivaled an opera singer's highnote. He launched a foot into the air and fell in a massive flop that shook one of the shelves loose and promptly sent it and the dozens of items on it crashing down on top of him. His cries of terror were only replaced by whines of pain. "Ugh… oooh… the pain is too much... Hifumi has fainted!"

Kaede covered her mouth in horror, rushing to his side before she even fully realized what happened. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to scare you! Are you okay?" She frantically questioned. Hifumi stared blearily up at her.

"Mistre- no… Miss… Akamatsu?" He said testingly, as if he weren't entirely sure of it himself.

"Yeah, it's me," Kaede confirmed, silently growing worried. The large boy tried sitting up only to fall on his back again, groaning. "Here, let me help," She instructed. She pushed the shelf off of him and roped her arms under his. "On the count of three, try standing up, okay? One, two, three!" The pianist declared. Her eyes became the size of saucers as she realized just how large Hifumi actually was the moment she tried lifting him to his feet. She only barely managed to keep herself from toppling over while hoisting him up. After some considerable effort from both parties, the boy finally found his footing, though Kaede was nearly exhausted by the time he finally managed it. "Hoo… are… you okay?" She wheezed out between huffs of air.

"Hmm… yes, I think so," Hifumi replied as he took out a small pink scrap of fabric and quickly cleaned his glasses with it. Apparently having reset himself, the blazer-bound teen finally seemed to fully acknowledge her. "Thank you for helping, Miss Akamatsu!"

She waved it off. "No problem, but sorry for scaring you to begin with. That was pretty rude of me."

"Oh, that. No need to worry about it, Miss Akamatsu. I simply thought my Mistress was here..." He elaborated, and Kaede had to fight off a wince.

"Uh… right…" Was all she managed to say without shuddering. It said a lot that he was possibly the creepiest person around given the fact that Teruteru and Korekiyo were also on the ship. Shaking her head, she quickly changed the subject. "So, what are you doing up here, anyway?"

The boy pulled on his backpack straps triumphantly. "Miss Ludenberg told me to explore for her. I've been looking around for hours. It asks much of me, but for my Mistress, it's worth it!"

"Weren't you just playing with that slot machine when I came in…?" Kaede mentally noted. Letting that slide, however, she pressed on. "Have you found anything interesting?"

"Behold!" He declared, swinging his backpack in front of him and unzipping it to reveal a handful of those golden coins Monokuma stashed around the Gifted Juveniles Academy. Clearly the bear hadn't stopped, though Hifumi had apparently picked the deck clean long before her arrival. His voice gained a slightly haughty tone as he explained, "It’s not much to see now, but earlier, there were dozens and dozens of them. I scoured every nook and cranny to find these. Point and click games are usually lame, but currency isn't a bad reward for such labors… speaking of that, Miss Akamatsu, may I borrow your backpack?"

The pianist quirked an eyebrow. "Huh? Why?"

Hifumi pointed to a large clutter of junk, half on the table and half collapsed to the floor. "To help carry the spoils of my efforts, of course. Miss Ludenberg is bound to be pleased by at least some of this, right?"

"You're giving all of that to her?" Kaede questioned. It was a relief when Hifumi shook his head, but that relief was dashed just as quickly by his words.

"No, as far as she’s concerned, most of it wouldn't be fit to get crushed under her heels. It's hardly worthy of even a lowly swine like me. I'm searching for a diamond in the rough to earn her approval! Feheheheh…" The portly boy declared in a tone bordering on obsessive. Kaede's lips formed into a stiff frown.

"... You really shouldn't let someone treat you like that, you know. You shouldn't talk about yourself like that either," She lightly scolded, more pitying him than anything. "Everyone deserves at least basic respect. Besides, you're an Ultimate, right? You should be proud of yourself and your talent!" Akamatsu's voice carried enough confidence to hide the feeling of hypocrisy bubbling in her.

The bulbous Ultimate dramatically threw his hands on his hips, raising his chin up until the lights whited out the lenses. "Do not misunderstand, Miss Akamatsu! In the realm of 2D, I am a being beyond compare! An undisputed king of kings! My mastery of the pen is my entire reason for being! It is only before the majesty of my Mistress that I am but a pig. The feeling of her praise, her scorn, or even her heel on this humble servant's back is the only thing that can compare to the joy of anime!"

Kaede felt her stomach turn. "Okay, yeah, definitely the creepiest guy on the ship," The pianist thought to herself with a cringe. Hifumi was thankfully(?) too absorbed in his own unsettling declaration to notice her discomfort. Despite that, however, he glee in his voice as he described Celeste's casual abuse of him made something inside her snap. "That… that's horrible! How can you be okay with that?!"

The brunette's grandiose pose slowly slumped into a sad shadow of its former self. "... Miss Ludenberg is the only girl that's ever been honest with me without making fun of me. She might be a bit scary, sure, but at least she notices me and doesn't just laugh. Until her, I thought people like that only existed in 2D. She's the first friend I've ever had. A little bit of pain is worth having someone like that, isn't it?"

In that moment, nearly all the discomfort she felt towards Hifumi transformed into pity. The weird and unsettling aspects of him were clear as day, but in light of his confession, so was his obvious loneliness. Someone written off as weird and a freak because of their interests… how could the Piano Freak herself disregard someone whose story seemed to mirror her own? Sure, he was geeky and awkward, but so was Korekiyo, and she considered him a friend. Besides, she wanted to bring everyone closer together, and everyone included Hifumi. As such, the small smile she offered him was the most genuine she could manage. "Well, if you'd like, I could be your second real friend."

"Huh?" Was his only initial response, eyes going wide behind his thick glasses. It wasn't long before those same beady irises squinted suspiciously at her. "... And why would someone such as yourself want to be friends with someone like me? People don't just want to be friends with me. I don't fall for so-called nice girls that just want to stab me in the back, so if that's what you're thinking, don't even try it!"

"What? No! That's even worse than what Celeste does!" Kaede quickly refused in a slight panic. "I want to be friends with you because I know what it's like to be alone because of your hobby! I know it might be hard to believe, but before I met the others, I didn't really have friends either. I was an outcast because people thought I was weird for playing the piano so much. People can be cruel, kids especially. So, I want to be your friend because I'd want you to be mine, if that makes sense." She sincerely sympathized. He stared at her uncertainly.

"Hmm… your charisma and speech stats are considerable, Miss Akamatsu. Against anyone else, they'd be totally OP. For myself, however… well… alright. I'll open up my frail, mortal heart and soul to you, but let me be clear that I will not tolerate any betrayal! I simply couldn't take it!"

Kaede tried not to wince at the accusation. "Never," She agreed. What went unsaid were her more morose thoughts. "I'm done betraying my friends. I promise."

Hifumi rubbed his chin with a hum. "Then, in that case, I suppose we can start working on this social link. I've never tried something like this with a girl before… I wonder if those dating sims were right about the completion reward…" He muttered to himself. Kaede forced herself not to think through the implications of that and instead changed the subject. Thankfully, she quickly realized a perfect way to learn more about the unfamiliar Ultimate.

"Um… well, to start, we never actually properly introduced ourselves. I don't think I ever got your last name or talent. I'm Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist." She offered a grin as bright as the full moon.

"Why, I am Hifumi Yamada, the Ultimate Fanfic Creator; the Alpha and the Omega! I am a knight on a holy crusade to cleanse the world's ignorance of fan works!" Yamada dramatically declared, adjusting his glasses in what he doubtlessly thought was a cool fashion. Kaede tilted her head.

"Fanfic? What's that?"

"Say WHAAAAAAAAT?!" He screeched, Kaede cringing in pain at his voice like nails on a chalkboard. Absolute horror rocked across his face like an earthquake before it snarled into something bordering on anger. "Unacceptable! Absolutely unacceptable!" Hifumi suddenly thrusted a challenging finger towards her. "I cannot permit this! If we're going to be friends, you must be fully informed! I shall present my lecture on fanfic until all preconceived notions are blown away like the worthless strawmen they are! Furthermore, I need to know the full extent of your familiarity with the greatness of 2D!"

The blonde raised her arms up defensively. "H-huh?! I still don't know what that means!"

"Then my lecture is even more important than I thought! You see, the art of 2D as it's known today started in…" Kaede could only sit there and awkwardly take in his long winded rant about the history of anime and the concept of fanfiction. She couldn't exactly deny that parts of it were interesting -Hifumi could be a shockingly good story teller at times, apparently living up to his talent- but that didn't change the fact that she was having her ears talked off by the Ultimate Geek for what must have been at least half an hour about what boiled down to cartoons and how his work focuses on 'humanity's basest urges'. It was like if Korekiyo was an absolute otaku. By the time he finished his ramble, Kaede could only stare and blink at the triumphantly posing Yamada. "... And that concludes the abridged history of fanfic and 2D! Well, Miss Akamatsu? Was it an enlightening experience?"

Kaede hesitantly held up a finger. "So… you make comics based on anime?" She summed up uncertainly. Hifumi sighed.

"Well, yes, in massively simplified terms, I suppose that's accurate. I guess that's fine for a newbie. In future sessions, however, I expect to see improvement!"

"He seems relatively happy… I think this went well!" Kaede mentally noted. She glanced at one of the numerous clocks on the wall -this one an obnoxious character clock of Monokuma, his monochrome paws pointing in opposite directions- to find that it was ten-forty-five. “I’ll keep that in mind. By the way, Hifumi, we’re meeting up in the dining hall around noon. Do you want to join us?”

“Hmmm… yes, I believe that should be acceptable,” He confirmed. Upon glancing at the pile of junk he’d collected, Yamada’s lips slumped downwards. “Less acceptable is this… this trash! How could I possibly turn up to Miss Ludernberg empty-handed, or worse, giving any of that to her?! You’d think I’d get something decent with all the coins I put into that thing, but no! My luck is the polar opposite of the average shonen hero’s!” He ranted, clenching a fist as if he wanted to punch his collection. A long, dramatic sigh escaped him as he shook his head. “I give up… hmm… perhaps your luck would be better, Miss Akamatsu? I’ll lend you my coins as long as you let me have anything REALLY good for Miss Ludenberg.”

Kaede still wasn't thrilled with his obsession with the gothic gambler, but given their talk, it was clear calling her mistreatment out wouldn't change anything. "Sure, I'll give it a shot. Thanks, Hifumi," She accepted the other Ultimate's coins with a grateful smile and testingly put one in the machine. She held back the urge to roll her eyes at the machine's dramatic show of beeps and bloops for a good ten seconds before spitting out a rather large prize capsule. How Hifumi managed to sit through all that dozens of times, she'd never know. Pulling it open, she found a rather colorful DVD case of some anime she didn't recognize. She tilted her head as she examined it for a moment and held it out to the Ultimate Fanfic Creator. "Huh. Do you know this one, Hifumi?"

His beady eyes widened excitedly. "Huh?! Holy cow! Your luck stat must be maxed, Miss Akamatsu! That's the complete series of Notes of Nevermore! Why, this might just be the perfect anime to introduce you into 2D, at least until I can find some Princess Piggles episodes."

"What's it about?"

Hifumi raised a finger, grinning like a professor that just got asked to rant about their favorite subject. "Notes of Nevermore is a three season anime about a struggling pianist in 1920s Tokyo that ends up owing a considerable debt to the Yakuza. While working for the Yakuza to pay it off, he encounters an eccentric Irish paranormal investigator poking around one of the yakuza's dump sites. They get into a fight, only for him to accidentally read out a spell from the other guy's journal that summons the spirits of every body buried there! Bullets, swords, any kind of mortal weaponry is useless against them… unless the right set of notes are played to interfere with its energy, hence the piano connection. Now, he has to work with an unlikely ally to hunt the angered spirits all across Tokyo! Cool, right?" Yamada excitedly declared.

"Actually… yeah, that does sound pretty cool!" Kaede agreed, reading over the back of the box. Watching anime had always seemed a little geeky to her -not that she was the sort to make fun of people over that, of course- but she couldn't deny that the premise intrigued her. It sounded like fun, at least, and offered a way to better connect with one of her new friends. A win-win from her perspective.

Hifumi's grin only grew. "Aha! Perhaps my luck isn't so bad after all! You're a much more eager student than Mr. Naegi was. I'm quite familiar with some of the behind the scenes details of this show, you know. We should watch it together so I can inform you as we go along!" He rubbed his chin, brow furrowed in thought. "Hmm… I wonder if there's anyone else who would be willing to join in…"

Kaede hummed as she thought it over. "Well, Tsumugi would probably be interested if we could get her out of her room, and I think Gundham would be into the paranormal stuff in it. Maybe some of the other guys, too."

Hifumi launched back into one of his overly dramatic poses, deepening his voice almost comically. "It's decided then; an anime viewing party for all that can appreciate the superiority of 2D! We'll meet in my room after lunch!"

"2D superiority…? That… doesn't sound healthy. Still, I think this is a win." The blonde mused. Externally, she asked, "Looking forward to it! What are you going to do in the meantime?"

"I'll be taking this junk back to my room and seeing if there's anything worthy of Miss Ludenberg's gaze. For all her many virtues, an appreciation of 2D and fanfic are not among them. Oh, that reminds me, could you carry some of it? There's no way it'll all fit in mine. Feel free to keep those coins as payment."

The pianist somewhat reluctantly relented, putting the coins, DVD, and as much of Hifumi's collection as she could reasonably carry into her backpack. She was eager to help a friend, but considerably less so to be a pack mule. He confirmed that she could simply drop it off in his room when she came to the anime screening. Bidding each other farewell, Kaede resumed wandering around the long corridors of the ship.

The next several minutes passed by more or less unnoticed, Kaede too busy thinking of what exactly she would do once the others were finally lured out of their rooms to care about the boredom. It hadn't seemed important at first, but now that there was a legitimate chance they would be out and about soon, she had to come up with some sort of plan. As long as there was distrust between them, murder was almost inevitable, but how could she convince them to come together? Even without Celeste's meddling, paranoia and suspicion ran rampant. The killing game had a way of corrupting people against each other. Throw in the fact that they were all convicted killers, and a difficult situation becomes a borderline impossible one.

She would need a long term solution sooner rather than later. Setting up things like her plan with Hifumi were great for individual trust building, but until she could unify the entire group, they were all in danger. Of course, that was assuming that was even possible. The fact that she unified the students back at the Academy was remarkable, and she had lost that credibility when she killed Rantaro. The musician knew she likely couldn't pull the same thing off again given their circ*mstances. Worse than that, however, was the fact that she had no clue what she actually could do. There was no mastermind she could hunt down, no secret exit to the outside she could lead everyone through, not even a detective to help unravel the mystery. The only thing she had for sure were her own wits. A dark part of her found it somewhat fitting. She betrayed everyone, so she got thrown into another killing game without the slight advantages she had in the first one as her true punishment. Regardless of how much she deserved it or not, though, Kaede refused to fail again. Her general plan was more or less to keep having events like that until either as many people as possible formed a connection or she got a better idea. Less thorough than she was particularly comfortable with, but nothing about her situation was comfortable.

Those thoughts would have to wait, however, as she found herself in the corridor leading back to the first deck. Sakura's lab awaited on the opposite wall from where she was standing, marking the entrance to her left the final accessible part of the ship she hadn't explored. "I guess this is it. There's still about an hour before we meet up, so I should be able to get a pretty good look in here. Not much of a mystery who it belongs to, though…"

The door before her was a giant Ace of Spades, making it exceptionally obvious whose lab it was. She hesitated for only a moment when the thought occurred to her that Celeste probably wouldn't want her to step inside, but she quickly dismissed the worry. If Celeste really cared all that much, she would have been upstairs with everyone else. Keeping that in mind, Kaede entered the room and was immediately hit with the stench of booze and old lingering smoke, making her nose crinkle in distaste. A very faint film of smoke seemed to cover the room nearly top to bottom. Electronic bells blared out in a discordant din in the background, the flashing lights of at least two dozen slot machines spread throughout the room. Four grand chandeliers provided lighting for the gambling hall, each about fifteen meters apart from each other. Red carpeting and curtains combined with the pure black ceiling and dark stone walls to give the casino a truly gothic feeling.

It was a touch difficult to see from where she was standing, but the back left of the room seemed to have a cafe of some sort, a few chairs and tables equipped with tea sets and plates with minor snacks. About twenty feet away were a few scattered poker tables, each one looking big enough to seat six. Some sort of racing game brightly advertised itself nearby, accompanied by a few other games and booths. A pair of roulette tables weren't far from them. All in all, the room seemed to be an odd mix of an old castle and a somewhat sleazy casino, containing both the elegant architecture of the former and the uninviting atmosphere of the latter at once. If she didn't have to explore for the sake of the others, she would probably have simply left before the smoke started bothering her any more than it already was, but she pressed on.

Directly in front of her was what seemed to be a large circular building with EXCHANGE printed out in flashy Broadway lettering repeating over and over. She could clearly see a number of gated teller's windows lining the structure, though the only attendants seemed to be cardboard cutouts of Monokuma. Standing in front of one of those windows was Peko, her back turned to Kaede, and her arms seemingly crossed. The pianist only managed to take a single step before Peko's hand flew to her sword, though the silver-haired warrior didn't bother turning around. "Identify yourself. Now."

"Uh, hi, Peko," Kaede awkwardly greeted, rubbing her head. The swordswoman eased ever so slightly, gradually relinquishing her hold on the sword and turning to face the pianist. She steeled herself under Peko's quietly menacing gaze, now realizing just how similar it felt to Maki's glare. Kaede glanced around the casino to stall for a few seconds before speaking. "I guess we found Celeste's lab. Did you find anything interesting?"

Peko shook her head. "No. It appears that this is just a standard casino, aside from lacking any staff. I haven't found anything that could explain our situation… or a way out."

Kaede frowned slightly. "A little disappointing, but I kind of figured we would've found an exit by now if it were here. At least we know about everything on this deck now, even if it's not all that helpful," She admitted as she moved to join Pekoyama. The blonde peered curiously at the exchange booth. She hadn't noticed it from the door, but her proximity allowed her to spot a small, narrow line that ran around the center of the booth just behind the Monokuma standees. "Hmm… that's a little weird. What's that for?" She wondered aloud.

"I'm so glad you ask!" That damned squeaky voice declared, and Kaede barely stifled a groan. She hardly even flinched when the bear popped up next to the cardboard copy of himself, flashing a grin and putting a paw behind his head. "Honestly, it seems like you ahoge-touting guys are the only ones halfway decent at exploration! I guess being the protagonist has its perks, huh?"

The second migraine of the day was threatening to storm over with each grating word. "What does that even- no. I don't care. Don't you have anything better to do than mess with me?"

"Nooope~! This is the job, my dear little blackened! A good captain must always strive for the needs of his passengers, and what you guys need most of all is to slaughter each other like animals! If I annoy you, that might just speed up the process!" The bear singsonged, earning a spiteful glower from the pianist.

"You're disgusting."

Monokuma bowed his head, kicking a foot lamely. "Geez… words hurt, Kaede! And here I thought you were all about friendship and all that crap!"

"Someone as vile as you cannot have friends." Peko curtly insulted.

The black and white robot sighed deeply. "Kids these days have no respect for their elders. And here I was about to give you gifts…

"Gifts?" Kaede parroted suspiciously. The bear perked up instantly.

"Yup! Here on the Despair of the Seas, we put customer satisfaction above all else! So, for your enjoyment, allow me to present… the exchange shop!" He declared, slamming his paw on the counter. The outline Kaede noticed beforehand suddenly shot up to reveal a massive rotating display of dozens of items. Kaede blanched at the sight. Baseball bats, a pair of guitars, books, parasols, and all manner of other mundane luxuries were proudly hung up next to swords, maces, hammers, self-proclaimed bomb making kits, and even a couple firearms, each and every item locked into place and marked with a price tag.

She opened her mouth, a horrified condemnation on the tip of her tongue. "N-no way! You can't just leave those lying around! Are you-" Monokuma cut her off with a pop of his claws.

"Ah ah ah, let me finish! Before you get your panties in a bunch, no, these aren't free for the taking, nor are they cheap. If anyone tries to just grab one," He tapped on the counter and a turret popped from the roof, scanning over the room for a brief second before popping back into the hatch and out of view. "You get the idea. You also can't just buy these with some monocoins you found between the couch cushions. If you want, say, this bad boy," He hopped off the counter, grabbed a shotgun off the rack, and held the stock up for her to see. The price, as it turned out, was a ludicrous five million . At Kaede's startled yet slightly relieved look, he continued. "I promise you, I don't have five million coins lying around, so don't bother looking. Buuuut, what I do have are several million digital monotokens ! Here at the exchange, you can trade in your hard earned monocoins for monotokens to be added to your personal account. Each monocoin will get you ten tokens. To get more tokens, you can bet them in any of the games, and you can make it or break it depending on how you do! Bet ten and get a hundred, bet a hundred and get a thousand, bet a thousand and end up penniless, who knows! Exponential growth can really be something once you get some steam going, so who knows, maybe you'll be the proud owner of this thing! I call it the Heartbreaker!" He propped the gun up and leaned against it, apparently done with his sales pitch.

"Over my dead body." Kaede hissed, shoving a finger towards the captain's chest. He gave a small shrug.

"It just might be, you know. Everyone here has a starting balance of a thousand tokens. Whenever a student dies, whatever was in their account gets distributed amongst the remaining students. Consider it a free motive to keep the killing game a'rollin'. After all, the fewer people there are, the bigger a cut you get!" Monokuma winked. Kaede glowered at him for a few seconds, opening her mouth to decry him once again before shutting it again and simply turning away, refusing to dignify him any further. "Hey! Don't be rude! I'm talking to you!"

"There is no rule saying we have to respect you. You've made your point. Now leave." The Ultimate Swordswoman bluntly ordered. Monokuma scoffed.

"Un-be-lievable. You guys commit one itsy-bittsy little murder, and you're suddenly too cool to hang around an old bear like me. One day, you'll be old and lame too, you know! Well, if you live long enough, anyway…" Their hated enemy taunted. Upon being thoroughly ignored, he sighed, and was gone when Kaede finally bothered glancing back at where he'd stood. The pianist let out a breath, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Okay, fine. I can handle this…" She muttered to herself, silently cursing her own curiosity. As if there weren't enough stray variables running around without having an arsenal around.

"... For what it's worth, I doubt most people here have the patience to buy one of these weapons, or the training to properly handle them. I don't see any ammunition on the shelves either. There isn't much reason to worry, at least in the near future." Peko offered somewhat tentatively. The red-eyed girl was somewhat stiff and awkward, clearly unused to offering comfort, but the attempt was clear all the same.

Kaede managed a small smile of gratitude. "True… I mean, I'm not sure most of the people here could even lift that mace. Thanks, Peko," The pianist said. Peko nodded, crossing her arms. Kaede glanced over the exchange shelf again, focusing on the less lethal arrangements. To its credit, most of it was genuinely nice merchandise, even somewhat tempting to a certain extent. Were the weapons removed and she'd been there of her own free will, Akamatsu probably would have found it all pretty cool. She was ripped from her thoughts by the sound of the doors creaking open, turning her head to see Celeste entering the room, eyes scanning around quizzically. Kaede waved to her. "Hey, Celeste."

Ludenberg slowly strolled into the room, seeming to breathe in the atmosphere. "... This is a casino," The european stated, just the slightest hint of joy in her voice as she approached the pair. The gambler's gaze roamed over the lab, examining each and every game and machine on display. By the time she reached the pair of other ultimates, Celeste's lips tugged into a small grin. She closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath. "Beautiful, is it not? Few things in life are as satisfying as the scent of a gambling lounge."

Peko frowned slightly. "The smell of smoke and alcohol has always been noxious to me. I've been in many casinos during my work, and each left a foul taste in my mouth."

Celeste flicked her hair back with her index finger. "It is an acquired taste, I suppose. As for me, however, it reminds me of the dens I had my start in. The decor is a lovely reminder of home as well."

Kaede quirked an eyebrow at Peko, curiosity once again bubbling in her. "You go to casinos often? I wouldn't expect that from your talent. What is it you do, exactly?"

Pekoyama's jaw clenched slightly, a silent debate playing inside her eyes before she finally answered. "...I'm a bodyguard. I suppose I can tell you that much."

"Bodyguard? That's… unexpected. Who do you protect?"

Peko looked Kaede dead in the eye with complete seriousness. "If I told you, I would be forced to kill you."

The shocked pianist took a step back. "W-whoa. They must be pretty important for… that. Are they the prime minister or something?" Akamatsu pressed. Peko just stared at her for a few seconds before Kaede realized her mistake. "Oh. Right. You'd have to kill me. Uh… anyway, it looks like you like your lab, Celeste."

"Indeed. I believe this is just about perfect," The gothic girl confirmed, appreciating her surroundings for a little longer. "Truly majestic. Why, it almost makes me wish…" Ludenberg suddenly seemed to stiffen slightly, turning to face Kaede and Peko with an unreadable expression. Kaede tried not to squirm the longer it went on while Peko’s limbs noticeably lowered into a ready stance, readying herself to spring into action if need be.

"Speak or stop staring. It's… unsettling." Peko said to the gambler, earning an eye roll from Celestia in turn.

"There is no need for threats. I was merely going to ask if either of you know how to play the game Texas Hold 'Em."

‘Texas Hold ‘Em? That’s… kind of out of left field.’ Kaede thought to herself. Similarly, Peko hesitated for only a moment, likely wondering the same thing as Kaede, before speaking up.

"I have observed a few matches. Enough to learn the rules at any rate."

"Good. And you?" Celeste shifted her gaze to the pink-clad Ultimate. Her brow furrowed.

"No. I've never really gambled. Why do you ask?"

Celeste put a hand over her mouth, observing them carefully. "Because, as we now have a place to play, I was wondering if you two would be interested in a round of poker. I wouldn't recommend refusing outright. This is not an offer I give to just anyone."

Kaede crossed her arms, thinking. "If that's the case, why us? Didn't you say I was delusional?"

"I do believe that, and you are correct on the latter. However, I often put that aside if the people around me show promise. I sense some talent within you, Kaede. You have a gambler's spirit. Willing to bluff and compromise to get what you want, a strong will, a knack for manipulation… you might need to be taught the rules, but you seem to have the basic principles behind it down perfectly," Ludenberg explained, a hint of admiration. Kaede's lips curled shamefully downward. That sounded like a compliment, but it certainly didn't feel like praise. Being a liar and a cheat wasn't something to be proud of. Celeste paid her no mind as she continued. "As for Peko, she at least has a good poker face, and seemingly some experience. I think you would both make for interesting opponents."

Akamatsu held up a finger. "That… makes sense, but why do you want to play at all? No offense, but you don't really seem like the type that likes to make friends with strangers."

"My my, so many questions for someone so trusting," Celeste subtly mocked. "While that is also true, there are a variety of reasons. First and foremost, it would cure my boredom. Few things are as thrilling as an earnest match of poker. Secondly, as I told you at breakfast, it is doubtful anyone would try a killing this early or publicly, so I have nothing to fear. Lastly, it would likely be a bonding experience of sorts. Surely that must appeal to you, Kaede."

Peko narrowed her eyes, unconvinced. "Why ask anyone at all? You were the first to say it would be foolish to trust anyone, and now you're inviting multiple people to a poker game. Even you must realize how suspicious that seems. While I’m not against the idea of playing, why should I believe that this isn’t some form of trap?"

The gambler giggled lightly. "Whilst I can understand the suspicion, Peko, the logic is quite simple. Not only would it be foolish for someone else to attempt a murder, but it would be doubly so for myself. I plan to have a total of six people so we can have a full match. Due to the nature of the rules on this ship, one person can only kill two people. As such, if I or anyone else tried to kill someone during the match, there would be at least three witnesses that could confirm who did it. Additionally, even if they somehow didn't see, I would still be the prime suspect as it happened at my tournament. Above all else, however, it would be the epitome of stupidity for me to try to kill the Ultimate Swordswoman, whom not only vastly outclasses me physically, but is also already vigilant and weary against any possible traps. I assure you, I am not an idiot. In essence, short of a total blackout happening and myself becoming the victim, there is no way a murder can occur," The gambler smiled, resting her chin on her neatly folded hands. "Is that sufficient?"

The pair of Ultimates fell into a debating silence as they thought it over. Kaede couldn't deny that Ludenberg's explanation was rather solid. Even if her personal motivations were questionable at best, the fact was Celeste was basically gift wrapping Kaede another opportunity to build relations between the former blackened, exactly the sort of thing she needed to keep the peace. She decided to be the first to break the silence. "... I'll join. I don't know how good I'll be at it, but you're right. There's more reward than risk doing this."

The pale girl lit up slightly, barely noticeable with her well crafted emotional mask. "Spoken like a true gambler. This should be a treat. As for you, Peko?"

The pianist and Celeste turned to face Peko, who, after a few seconds, finally answered. "... Very well. I'm willing to attend, but know this will not end well for you if I find you're lying."

"I would expect nothing less. Regardless, I'm pleased to hear you both agree. I will need some time to decide on who else will join us and to set it up. We'll meet for it, say, tomorrow before lunchtime? Say, around 11?"

"That should work."

"Excellent. I shall get to work, then. In the meantime, I imagine you'd like to know that a few of the others bothered to leave their rooms, stumbling into the dining hall like drunkards. I don't know their names, aside from Leon, but I'm sure you will be pleased to see them regardless."

Kaede lit up at the news. "That's great! I think it's just about time to meet up with everyone, too, so we should probably head out. See you later, Celeste!" The pianist bid farewell. With that, she and Peko left the room, the swordswoman a step behind her. In total, Kaede considered the outing rather successful. She'd found two reliable allies in Kirumi and Peko, set her admittedly vague plan to unite the group in motion, and got a firmer grasp on their new prison. Things were far from over, of course, but at least now she felt like she had some firm footing on the situation compared to how completely lost she felt just earlier that morning. That hope she told everyone else to feel was finally starting to take hold in herself.

She could only hope that it would continue to grow from then on out.

Chapter 6: Chapter One: The Bloodied Hands We're Dealt: Daily Life Part 4

Chapter Text

Before even stepping inside, Kaede could hear the commotion of the new arrivals waiting on the other side of the dining hall door. She couldn't quite make out specified voices amongst the general clatter, but she could tell at least a few more people had joined the fray if the murmured chatter and occasional clinking of dinnerware was anything to go by. Kaede smiled softly, silently thanking Kaito, Chiaki, and Gonta for their efforts. The sooner they got everyone willing to face each other, the better. Peko didn't seem to particularly care about it as she pushed the doors open and entered without any fanfare. Kaede followed in quickly after, observing the room for a moment.

The room seemed considerably fuller despite only having two new faces in it and seeming to lack Kirumi at the moment. Peko quickly made her way to the back corner without anyone seeming to notice, leaving Kaede alone at the door. Leon sat across from a rather passionate-looking Kaito, the latter once again taking a knee atop the table in a rather dramatic show. The redhead was far from impressed based on his pursed lips, crossed arms, and rolled eyes. "... And that's why you have to cherish your talent with everything you've got! Doing anything else is just betraying yourself!" The astronaut loudly announced. Leon just scoffed and leaned back further in his chair.

On the other side of the room, Gonta, Gundham, and Korekiyo had reformed their little clique, now joined by a slightly more energized Chiaki as well. The Devas were all over a starry-eyed Gonta, one balancing on his giant fingers whilst another seemed to be lounging comfortably in his satchel. To his absolute delight, the largest of them, a fat and bright orange ball of fluff, slept on top of his head. Gundham gave a conceited grin as he continued giving some long winded tale about how he witnessed the Devas be formed from pure nothingness at a demon sanctuary by an ancient and powerful beast, which she mentally translated to seeing them be born at an animal shelter. Korekiyo stared at the so-called Dark Lord with as much intrigue as she'd seen when he discovered the artifacts in Sakura's lab. Two handhelds sat on the table, Chiaki giving inputs at a lightning fast speed with pure determination on her face. Kaede initially wondered if one of the others had tried challenging her to a match and lost, until she caught sight of the head of the fourth of Gundham's hamsters peeking out over the top of the screen, apparently manning the controls of the spare console. Akamatsu blinked, shaking her head quickly to confirm what she was seeing wasn't just her imagination. Sure enough, when a little victory jingle announced the end of the round, Chiaki set the game device down and held out a finger a moment before one of them (Maga-Z, if she recalled correctly) scurried over and shook it with a squeak. Chiaki gave a gracious smile as she announced 'GGs'.

In contrast to the squad's merriment, a rather uneasy looking Tsumugi stood halfway between the kitchen and the exit, wringing her hands nervously while Hifumi animatedly talked about the anime party. The bluenette was visibly conflicted, likely stuck between interest in the offer and her own paranoia. Kaede's lips thinned at the sight. She couldn't really blame Tsumugi, given the circ*mstances, but in all the (admittedly short) time she'd known her, Shirogane was a bit of a coward. The blonde sometimes doubted the cosplayer had an adventurous bone in her body with how much she seemed to fret over almost everything vaguely challenging. Hifumi being the one to invite her probably didn't help seeing as how he was both a complete stranger and just kind of creepily awkward in his own right. Kaede was sure the other girl would find one reason or another to refuse given the chance, so she took it upon herself to approach the pair of geeky Ultimates in an attempt to smooth things over.

"Hey, guys!" She greeted with a smile. Some tension disappeared from Tsumugi's shoulders, but worried weariness still dominated her body language.

"Hi, Kaede," Shirogane replied. Her attempt at a smile looked more like a wince. The plain girl glanced back at Hifumi uncertainly. "... Um… he was mentioning something about watching anime together?"

Kaede nodded. "Yeah, that's right. We should talk about the details together! We could see if anyone else would want to join, too. Maybe Leon and Kaito?" She questioned, mostly as a way of lowering Tsumugi's guard. The more people there were that went along with something, the more likely Tsumugi would be to fall in line with it. Plus, associating it with someone she knew like Kaito would probably help to take away some of the edge of being surrounded by strangers. Yamada opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off. "Hey, Hifumi? While I fill Tsumugi in, could you check with Gundham and the others?" She asked as she pointed to Gundham's table, quietly hoping he either hadn't talked to them yet or at least took the hint. She felt bad sending him away like that, but her chances of getting Shirogane on board were simply better if she did most of the talking.

He stared at her oddly for a moment before readjusting his glasses. "Hmm… I suppose there is a decent chance the Ultimate Gamer appreciates 2D. I'm not certain Mister Gokuhara even knows what anime is, though… I must inform him! I shall return!" Hifumi bellowed dramatically, Kaede giving a silent word of thanks that he took the bait. A brief silence reigned between the two as he walked away, either unwittingly or intentionally waiting for him to get out of earshot before speaking.

"... I didn't really take you for the kind to watch anime. You never got any of my references." Tsumugi noted dryly. Kaede tried not to take that as a barb.

"I'm… usually not, but Hifumi and I found one that looks pretty interesting and I thought it might be a good way for everyone to get closer. It seemed like it would be right up your alley. We can talk about the details with the guys," The pianist tried to entice, taking a couple steps towards the table until she realized Tsumugi wasn't following her. The spectacled Ultimate's expression shifted slightly, though she couldn't quite tell if it was for better or worse. Distrust still wavered behind the cosplayer's eyes, much to the blonde's disappointment. After a moment of deliberation, Kaede took a gamble and reached out to the shy girl, taking her by the hand. Tsumugi startled slightly, giving her a confused and slightly suspicious look. "Hey, Tsumugi? I know you're scared. Believe me, part of me is too. But… you don't have to be afraid. I know it's easy to think everyone’s going to betray you, but the best way to keep that from happening isn't to push people away, it's to let them in. Last time, Monokuma played on us not trusting each other. So why give him what he wants? Trust is hard, but it's worth it. If we all work hard and become friends, I'm sure we can get out of here!"

Tsumugi stared at her in dead silence. The bluenette didn't exactly look convinced. In fact, if anything, she looked more tired and weary than before the pianist intervened. "Kaede… this sounds a lot like what you said last time, and without wishing to oversell it, things went pretty terribly. Do you honestly, truly believe that trusting everyone will help to stop this killing game?"

The honest answer was out of the question. Saying 'No, I don't know anything the others might do or not' was probably the least encouraging thing she could possibly do short of flat out refusing. The obvious answer, then, was to lie. It unsettled her just how easy it was to come to that conclusion in any given conversation in recent times, but that was, rather ironically, the truth of the matter. Honesty would get her nowhere here, where paranoia thrived off of inconvenient truths and doubts. If she told one little falsehood, she stood a better chance of gaining the cosplayer's support and eventual trust, and subsequently helping to prevent anyone from doing anything drastic or suffering a cruel fate. Deception was her best way to pave the way for a more honest friendship down the line. Besides, it didn't even have to be a complete lie; just the reality of the situation dipped in some kind and reassuring if ultimately hollow words to help make the truth taste less bitter compared to the candylike sweetness of a positive imagination.

At least, that was how she justified it to herself. With only a millisecond of hesitation, she answered. "Yes, I do. At the very least, I believe it's worth fighting for until it is the truth," Kaede stated firmly. That was the easy part, given she genuinely believed the second part of it. Now came the complete fib. "I have faith no one here will try to kill again, and I'll do everything I can until everyone else feels the same."

Blue eyes scanned over the optimistic musician scrutinizingly, Kaede keeping her upbeat and sincere mask on as much as she could manage despite squirming just under the surface. It wasn't a stretch to think the Ultimate Cosplayer would be good at reading people's reactions. Part of getting into character was probably having accurate expressions, right? That would mean she would know when someone is faking a look. If Tsumugi suspected she was lying, the consequences were likely going to be far more severe than just missing out on some anime. A beat passed without any response, and Akamatsu's nerves started to get to her. "Crap… did I overplay it? I really did mean most of what I was saying, but maybe she knows I'm exaggerating? I really hope she doesn't just say no… how does Kokichi do this all the time?"

After several more tense seconds, Shirogane sighed, tilting her head to the side. "You know, you really sound like a typical anime protagonist sometimes. Talking about the power of friendship, trust, working together… people tend to bash on them for being bland or naive," Shirogane's apprehensive expression softened into a slightly more trusting one. "But… I've always had a soft spot for them. Okay, Kaede. I'll hear you out, at least. I mean, it would be just plain rude of me not to after that."

"... That sounded kinda rude anyway, but at least she's on board…" Kaede silently mused. On the outside, however, she clasped her hands excitedly, offering a grin as bright as the sun. "Great! Thank you, Tsumugi!" The pianist gratefully declared as she started making her way towards the still-bickering Leon and Kaito, now with her slightly shy companion in tow.

The astronaut noticed their approach before Kaede could greet him, lighting up like a Christmas tree. "Hey, Kaede! Tsumugi! C'mon, grab a seat!" He cheered. Kaede and Tsumugi returned the greeting, the former decidedly more warmly than the latter. Leon gave an acknowledging nod and a somewhat reserved 'hey', his gaze seeming to linger on Tsumugi oddly for a moment before he shook his head and looked away. Kaito either didn't notice or didn't particularly care as he carried on without comment. He quickly explained how their efforts to get the others out of their rooms went. Leon and Tsumugi (obviously) came out without too much trouble, whilst Teruteru took the most effort, only coming out around eleven. Mikan and Mondo didn't answer their door at all, while Sakura politely refused. A mixed bag of news for Kaede, but a fifty-percent success rate wasn't terrible. She tried explaining her discoveries upstairs, but Kaito waved a hand. "Kiyo and the others caught us up on what's upstairs. So there's your, Sakura, and Kirumi's labs, a store, the ballroom, and then a boiler room Monokuma won't let us in?"

Kaede confirmed it with a nod. "Celeste's lab is up there, too. It's an entire casino."

"A casino? That could actually be pretty rad. Never been to one, but it's gotta be sweet, you know?" Leon piped up, mildly interested for what might have been the first time in hours.

Kaito huffed, crossing his arms. "Trust me, it's rigged. Just a bunch of crap to sucker you out of your money."

"Um… but if it's rigged, how did Ryoma and Shuichi make so much money there?" Tsumugi questioned skeptically, earning a glare from the Ultimate Astronaut. Kaede quietly figured it must have been something they found after her death while Kaito rolled his eyes.

"Shuichi's a detective! He probably has some crazy intuition that tells him when to bet or not, or something like that! And Ryoma was just lucky!" He yelled in a rather poor attempt to defend himself. Kaede noticed how he used past tense for the Ultimate Tennis Pro in contrast to Shuichi's present tense, her lips tugging downward at the casual confirmation of yet another friend's grizzly fate. Momota carried on like nothing happened, a subtle signal that Ryoma must have been dead for quite some time if it was that casual a topic. "Besides, it doesn't matter how rigged the games are. I swore off gambling forever!"

Kuwata shrugged. "Suit yourself, man. I'm not lame enough to chicken out over something like bad luck, though."

Kaede could nearly see the fire shooting from Kaito's eyes. "Chicken?! I'm not chicken! Kaito Momota is daunted by no challenge, big or small!" He roared, slamming a fist down on the table. Leon smirked at him.

"Oh yeah? Prove it then! That place has slot machines, right?" Leon asked, looking at Kaede. She nodded and he turned back to the purple haired teen. "You and me at the slots after lunch!" He quickly glanced around the room, sights settling on Gonta, who was awkwardly trying to hold Chiaki's game device in his giant hands. "With that guy as the referee! First one to go broke loses!"

"You're on! I'll show you just what the Luminary of the Stars can do! If I win, you owe me a baseball match!"

Leon glowered at him. "No way, man. Screw that, and screw baseball. I never wanna see another one of those things as long as I live."

The pianist could hazard a guess as to why, but before she could tell Kaito to drop it, he gained a look somewhere between smug and challenging. "What, are you too chicken ? A real man wouldn't run from a challenge!"

She glared at harshly for his reckless words. "Kaito! That's really insen-"

"You know what? Fine, ya bastard!" Leon shot back, leaning forward and shoving a finger towards Momota. "And if I win, you shut the hell up about baseball forever, and you have to play bass in my band for a year!"

Kaito threw out an open hand without hesitation. "Deal!"

"Deal!" The Ultimate Baseball Pro parroted as he grabbed the hand in turn.

Akamatsu stared at the two in total bewilderment. "Um… what just happened?" The pianist questioned, quirking an eyebrow at the athletic ultimates.

"A clash of passions, Kaede! I won't rest until he gives one-hundred and ten percent for his destiny in the universe!"

"My talent is a bunch of bullcrap! I don't care about destiny or whatever; I live in the moment!" Kuwata shot back, glaring fiercely into the astronaut's eyes. Kaede could only rub her head awkwardly.

"Um… okay then. I was going to ask if you guys wanted to come watch some anime with Hifumi and I-"

Kaito grinned like a full moon. "Anime with my sidekicks? Hell yeah! When are we doing this?"

Kaede couldn't help the slightly ironic smile that came to her face. "Immediately after lunch. See the problem?"

Kaito's expression went from ecstatic to deeply conflicted in the span of a few seconds. Something bordering on existential dread crept over his features more and more with each passing moment. "H-huh? Hanging out with my sidekicks or confronting a rival… what kind of a decision is that?" Momota nearly whined out. Before his worry could get too out of hand, though, Tsumugi hesitantly raised a finger.

"Um, sorry, but you were saying you'd talk about the details while we were all here, Kaede? Maybe you could tell us about it first, and then Kaito can decide?"

"Hey, that's a good idea! Hit me with it!" The brash boy in question said excitedly. The redheaded wannabe rockstar stared at her suspiciously through narrowed eyes. Kaede proceeded to give a brief summary of the plan; where they were meeting, the people that had already agreed and the people that might, and the show itself. Tsumugi had brightened up considerably at the title ("What?! That's incredible! The licensing swapped so much that there's only a hundred official DVDs in the world!") whilst Kaede watched with somewhat guilty amusem*nt as Kaito's look transformed from intrigued excitement to a rather impressive shade of blue the more she talked about it. By the time she finished, he looked like he might throw up. "Uh… sorry, but I think I'm gonna pass. Not really my thing."

Tsumugi looked almost insulted. "But it's great! You can't pass without even trying! There's so many iconic moments, like the scene where Ronnie gets possessed by the ghost of a crazed butcher-"

"B-bullsh*t! Ghosts are bullsh*t, and so's possession!" He roared, attempting to glare at the cosplayer and failing spectacularly.

On any other occasion, Kaede would respect his wishes. She was too kind-hearted to force people into things that made them uncomfortable unless she really thought they needed it. Manipulation and playing on people's weaknesses was disgusting. Teasing, however, was different. Light teasing between friends was a great way to get them to open up to new ideas. That had been how Kaito managed to get her into a foot race the night prior, after all. Seeing as how he had already done the former to Leon right in front of her, he was officially fair game for the latter. "It's fine if you're too scared to join in, Kaito. No shame in chickening out." She reassured, her voice as sickeningly sweet and devilishly innocent as her smile. Shock, offense, and realization flashed across his features sequentially, settling on a cross between being impressed and conflicted irritation.

"I-I'm not scared! A-and I'm not f*cking chickening out, either!" Kaito spat out indignantly. He shifted awkwardly in his seat, glancing down at the table for a few seconds before glaring into her eyes with pure determination. "I can't believe one of my sidekicks would give me such sass! Saying I'm some kinda scaredy cat… you know what? Fine! I'll watch your dumb show, and you can see how not scared I am!"

Kaede's smile became genuine, a heartfelt giggle tumbling past her lips. "Thanks, Kaito! I knew you'd come around!"

His harsh look faded into one of just a slight dismay. "It's just some dumb anime… no way it could rattle Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars…" He quietly muttered under his breath, almost certainly trying to hype himself up. He didn't seem to notice Tsumugi's deathglare at his heretical words. Kaito glanced at Leon, rubbing his head with a small shrug. "Sorry, man, I've gotta prove myself to my sidekicks. How about you and me do this, then we have our battle?"

Leon's lips twisted almost scornfully. "Look, man, we can rearrange the time if we have to, but count me out. No way am I falling for that."

Kaede blinked in surprise, her smile falling in favor of a confused frown. "Falling for what?"

The athlete scoffed, waving a hand vaguely at her. "Watching anime? Seriously? Come on. You're trying to play us, man."

Kaede startled at the accusation. "H-huh? No, that's wrong! I just think it would be fun! I know it might sound silly, but things like this can really go a long way towards trusting-"

Leon scowled, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, no. Last time a girl I just met invited me to her room, I nearly got murdered and then accidentally killed someone. Hard pass."

Akamatsu hesitated, stunned by the bluntly brutal confession. "That's… I don't know what to say. I'm really, really sorry that happened. I won't keep bugging you, but… it's nothing like that. I promise."

"Guess we'll see after…" The baseball prodigy said somewhat dismissively.

Tsumugi hesitantly raised a finger. "Um… for what it's worth, wouldn't it make sense for Kaede to just kill Hifumi without inviting anyone else if that's what she wanted? Unless she's actually a vampire, she shouldn't be able to hypnotize us to make us forget or something like that…"

"Why would that be the first thing you think of?" Akamatsu pondered befuddledly.

Kuwata shifted uneasily. "I mean, I guess-"

"Besides, it's Kaede! You might not know her like I do, but she's one of the good guys! Why would she try to kill you or any of us?!" Kaito demanded, pumping a fist. She tried not to wince, as Rantaro's stiff, sprawled out body came rushing back into her mind to haunt her. How could he just forget that she murdered someone in cold blood?

Momota's well-intentioned defense seemed to be the last straw for the athlete. "I don't know! I don't know why Sayaka tried to shove a damn knife in my stomach, either! Point is, I'm not taking stupid risks when I don't know anything! Just… urgh!" Leon growled out in frustration, running a hand through his fiery spikes with a deep frown. "Look, a lot of crap went down like two days ago for me, alright? I don't want to talk about it, so just drop it!"

Kaede quickly stepped up to keep things from spiraling any further down. "Okay, guys, ease up," She ordered, fixing the two with a hard, warning look. Her fellow Ultimates at least had the decency to look a little guilty, Kaito raising his hands defensively while Tsumugi wrung her own, failing to meet the pianist's eyes. Once she was satisfied they wouldn't try being 'helpful' again, she continued, turning towards Leon. "I'm sorry. You shouldn't feel pressured to do anything right now. Take your time to figure things out, okay? And when you're ready, if you feel like it, you can talk about it with us." She apologized, closing it with a small, comforting smile. The stress in Leon's grey irises slowly seemed to lower more and more until it settled on a slightly bitter annoyance.

"... Whatever. Pretend this didn't happen," he grumbled, crossing his arms with the same childish pout he spotted earlier. A few beats passed in awkward silence before he glanced towards the clock and scowled a little. "Geez, how long does it take to make lunch? I've been sitting here forever."

That served to remind Kaede of a notably absent face. "Is Kirumi in the kitchen?"

Kaito nodded. "Yeah. She's been in there making lunch with the short chef guy since she got back a little while ago. He just barged in and started cooking the moment we told him we found a kitchen. I think that was… about an hour ago?" He shrugged helplessly. Kaede hummed in thought.

"That’s… weird. Kirumi's usually pretty quick with these sorts of things. Shouldn't cooking go faster if the Ultimate Chef is helping her?” Kaede briefly ruminated on the situation for a moment, before a grim thought suddenly crossed her mind.

Could… could something have happened?" The maestro realized. Kaede felt her throat go dry. No, no, nothing like that would happen this soon, would it? Not even Celeste thought that was possible. That didn't make the cold dread disappear, however. Her brow furrowed slightly as she held up a finger. "Uh… maybe they just made a mistake and had to remake some of it? They might need some help with that, so I'm going to go check on them. Be right back!" She informed, hoping she didn't look as nervous as she felt. She walked as fast as she could without drawing attention to herself, not wanting to stir up a panic. Getting a bunch of killers gathered in one room on edge sounded like a recipe for disaster.

***

Kaede pushed the doors open as she entered, immediately being met with a wall of heat. It was far less severe than the boiler room's sweltering air, but it was still a noticeable rise in temperature from the dining room. To her immediate relief, she quickly spotted both Teruteru and Kirumi alive and presumably well as they zigzagged to and from various stoves, ovens, and sinks. They danced around each other holding loaded plates, pots, sauces, spoons, and more almost effortlessly in an impressive display. The constant clanging of pots, pans, and cooking utensils joined in with the beeping digital alarms and more traditional clockwork timers to form a frantic soundtrack to their work. Neither seemed to have noticed her appearance as they exchanged banter during their task.

"-ou know, you're looking pretty warm in that stuffy dress of yours, Kirumi! Feel free to take it off if you want; I'm used to girls getting hot and bothered around me~!" Teruteru called out luridly as he stirred some sort of sauce, making Kaede cringe.

"With all due respect, Mister Hanamura, the only thing bothering me is your commentary. I assure you, I would sooner serve rotten fast food to the prime minister than so much as remove a glove in your presence," Tojo cooly shot back without missing a beat, skillfully sidestepping the chef as he rushed to one of the stoves on the opposite side. The maid kneeled slightly to open one of the ovens the millisecond the alarm went off, pulling out a tray of beautiful golden biscuits and setting them atop a trolley loaded with several tantalizing dishes. "I believe the first course is ready to go. I'll be…" She finally noticed the blonde's presence as she moved to push the cart of food out of the room, managing a small, warm smile. "Ah, Kaede. How might I be of service?"

Kaede waved, mirroring the expression with genuine relief. "Hi, guys! Just wanted to check in! The others were a bit worried. They said they haven't seen either of you in a while…"

Kirumi bowed her head. "Ah, yes. I must apologize for the delay. There was an…" Her eyes glanced to the chef, who looked to be sprinkling the final touches on a sandwich. "Incident before I arrived, and we were forced to start from scratch. We've only just finished the first course."

"Well hello there, Kaede! Looking for a little something -or maybe a big something- to make you feel filled? We've got just what you're looking for…" Hanamura purred over the clattering pans and distance between them, earning a glare from both the pianist and maid at once.

Shaking the annoyance off with a small sigh, Kaede waved a hand. "Oh, no worries! Is there anything I can do to help out?" She offered. Kirumi put a gloved hand to her chin.

"... I would ask you to bring the appetizers out, but there is quite a bit here, and all of it is specifically requested. Besides, if they are concerned, it would likely be for the best if they saw I was fine. On that account… could you assist Mister Hanamura for me while I’m gone?" Tojo questioned with a hint of concern as she pushed the trolley towards the door. Kaede tilted her head, not quite understanding what she could do to help and preparing to ask before Kirumi came up beside her and whispered, "When I found him, he was shaking and crying on the floor, covered in spilled flour. I don't know the exact cause, but it's clear he was having a similar reaction as you did. While I know he's… difficult , I do not wish for anyone to have to go through such episodes."

Kaede blinked, completely stunned. Teruteru of all people having traumatic flashbacks? The same Teruteru that had just been making perverted comments just a couple moments prior? He certainly didn't seem traumatized at a glance with that co*cky smirk of his. But… come to think of it, he had been one of the worst affected by the memories the day prior, hadn't he? It had been easy to forget given the ocean of guilt she'd been drowning in at the time, but upon reflection, he was a weeping mess; there was likely a good reason he'd been one of the ones holed up in their rooms. Plus, the others had made it sound like he hadn't actually bothered interacting with anyone before making a dash for the kitchen. Had... he been all alone the entire time before Kirumi came back? That sounded… incredibly lonely.

“He probably tried to find solace in his talent, only to get reminded of his execution, and…” Kaede tried not to stare at him too pitifully, before turning back towards Kirumi.

"... I'll keep an eye on him." Kaede quietly agreed, giving a tiny nod so as to not be noticed by the small chef. Kirumi gave a grateful nod and left the room without another word. The Ultimate Pianist fixed a pleasant smile on her face to greet him with as she approached. "Hi, Teru-"

Before she could so much as finish her sentence, however, he held up a hand in her direction and started tutting without even turning to face her. "Ah ah ah, hold it right there! Sorry, ma chérie, but absolutely no one gets near my dishes without washed hands and a hairnet! Not with a mane like that, anyway! I can't make exceptions, not even for pretty little things like you!" He called out, shifting his hand to point at one of the sinks. "The hairnets are in the dispenser next to it. Grab one, and then maybe we can see about a duet!"

She scowled a little at the condescension, but complied, washing her hands and clumping her hair into the plastic garb. It would ruin her styling, but she could deal with it if it let things go smoother with her least favorite acquaintance. Mustering a pleasant look as she joined by his side, she said, "It's good to see you out of your room. We were worried about you, you know."

Teruteru hummed, grabbing a pair of green onions and rapidly dicing them with a knife that Kaede tried to subtly keep an eye on. "It's good to be seen. A famous chef like me thrives on attention, after all. What good is a dish that nobody notices?" The short boy suavely replied. A second later, he scraped dozens of tiny onion slices into a pot and quickly replaced them with potatoes that were also soon reduced to little more than miniscule squares as he spoke again. “Like, say, the way Kirumi notices you.”

Kaede blinked, quirking an eyebrow. “Huh? What do you mean by that?”

The chef clicked his tongue. "Oh, please. Just 'Kaede'? No title like she does with everyone else? I get the feeling it would take a lot for her to drop her precious professionalism like that.”

“Oh, that? I just asked her to do that because we’re friends and it feels weird to be addressed as ‘Miss Akamatsu’ by someone the same age as me.” Kaede explained, resulting in a hum from Teruteru.

“Hmm, that so? Well, it’s still clear as day that she probably wouldn’t do that for just anyone. Such a personal address like that, for such a prim and proper woman like her? It says quite a bit about both of you. Makes me wonder… if maybe you have even more intimate requests for her when you're alone…" The chef hummed with a smirk that Kaede struggled to keep from smacking off his face.

"Don't be disgusting, Teruteru. We're just friends, and even if we were more than that, it'd be none of your business!" She denounced with a dark scowl and scolding tone, pointing at him accusingly. The stout cook raised a hand defensively.

"I don't judge tastes. The most delicious dish in the world can taste like sh*t to someone with a different pallet, so I can't pretend to have better taste than anyone else. Besides, you can certainly do a lot worse than the Ultimate Maid. Pretty girl with perfect manners, talents that even give me a run for my money, and sharp as a tack too… why, at that point, the fact that she'll literally do whatever you say is just caramel on the custard!"

The pianist crossed her arms with a pout. "If you respect her so much, why do you keep making weird jokes about her? It's gross and uncomfortable."

"I do that for everyone. Frankly, it'd be ruder to cut her out of the fun! She might put up a stern front, but if she really minded them, I doubt she'd have bothered sticking around," Teruteru explained slightly smugly as he finished chopping the potatoes and tossed them in the pot as well. "She might be obedient, but she's also feisty. I have a feeling I'd be stuck in the wall if she really got fed up with me. She's strong enough to do it. Just look at those arms of her-" Before he could continue being uncomfortably descriptive of Kaede's friend, another buzzer went off from the other side of the room, catching his attention. "Ah, that would be the bacon. Mind grabbing that for me? I'd gladly give you a sausage in return!"

Despite her annoyance, she did agree to help, and it would hopefully distract him with his job long enough that he wouldn't make any more perverted comments before Kirumi came back. "Sure thi- h-hey, wait a second! You… ugh!" She shouted in annoyance, realizing the creep's double entendre even as she rushed to the stove in question and grabbed a skillet full of sizzling bacon. Hanamura chuckled gratingly even in the face of her pink-faced death glare when she returned and roughly shoved the skillet on the stove.

"There. Now, we really need to talk about your-" Kaede began, before stopping halfway through her sentence as she realized that the chef simply had ignored her comment, simply guestering to a covered pot on the next stove over. "... Huh? Do you want that pot?"

"No, but you might. Look inside."

She kept a weary gaze on him as she took a few steps to the right and cracked open the lid to find a rather large amount of jambalaya inside. She co*cked her head to the side. "Um, not to insult your cooking, but why would I want this?"

"Why, because it's the sausage I promised! Feel free to let it sit in your mouth if you wanna savour it!" He winked. The pianist felt her face grow as hot as the flames shooting from the stoves, slamming the cover back on the pot with a disgusted scoff.

"There is something seriously wrong with you, you know that?!"

He shrugged as he sliced the bacon just as he had the vegetables a few moments prior. "You say that, but you must have a dirty mind too if that's where your mind went! Your face is as pink as those lacy panties of yours!"

Light embarrassment turned into sheer mortification as she stared at him in open-mouthed shock. "I- wh- I-" She tumbled over her own words as her mind short circuited. Finally, she gathered enough of her senses to process the full implications of his statement. "How the hell do you know that?!" She snarled, her blood boiling with rage. It only worsened at his smug smile.

"Lucky guess, actually, but good to know for sure. If you'd like, I could get an up close and personal look-"

For the second time in as many days, Kaede slapped Teruteru with as much strength as she could muster. He blinked at her, opening his mouth to say something, and caught another slap before he could even get a syllable out. She took a moment to take a long, steadying breath to try and bury heated the torrent of swears that could rival Miu's rants. "... Teruteru. Please don't say things that will make me hate you. I would really prefer if we could be friends, but you're on incredibly thin ice. I'm done with your dumb perverted jokes," The fuming leader warned in a deliberate and carefully maintained monotone. Hanamura parted his lips again, only to fall silent at her hellish glare. He subtly flinched as she raised a hand… and stared in shock as she simply held it out to him. "So… let's just pretend none of that happened and start over, okay?"

Teruteru stared at her, disbelief clear on his face. After a few moments, he gave a clearly strained smile and a false chuckle, taking out a comb and fiddling with his hair. "Hehehe… of course. I'm the kind of pervert everyone likes, so of course you're giving me another chance…" He muttered under his breath. Her lips thinned at the comment, but it seemed like he was trying to reassure himself more than anything. Finally, he reached out and shook her hand, smiling more sincerely. "Sure thing. I can tell when certain ingredients just don't go well with the dish. Just for you-"

"For everyone." She corrected. He blinked, frowning at her.

"Around everyone? You know, it's not right to keep a guy bottled up-" Her glare returned, lingering until he sighed, visibly deflating. "... Alright, I'll try to mix things up period. But you have to understand, sometimes it will slip out. You simply can't make chicken marsala out of beef, if you catch my meaning."

Kaede hummed, weighing her options and ultimately giving a nod. "... Alright, I can give you that much. I know it would be hard for me to just stop referencing classical music overnight," She conceded, even as she silently noted how much harder it would be to make those references with her newfound trauma. She held up a finger like a scolding parent. "But don't think I'm giving you a blank check to be creepy."

"Wouldn't dream of it. Passion is important in any art form, but so is restraint. I know how to follow a recipe without making too many personal touches," Teruteru promised, rubbing his chin with one hand and stirring the pot of soup with the other. He stopped, turning to fully face her for the first time since starting the conversation. "Well, if we're going to use a blank canvas, care to give the first stroke?"

"... I'm just going to assume he doesn't realize how that sounds…" Kaede silently mused. Shaking that off, she glanced at the softly bubbling concoction with some interest. "Well, what we're cooking might be a good place to start. What's on the menu today?"

"I thought you'd never ask! While there were a few special requests, my special today is Cajun style jambalaya with Andouille sausage and grilled shrimp served with cheddar biscuits and collard greens. This here," He pointed towards the pot he'd been working on. "Is a little thing of loaded baked potato soup with a dash of French herbs to tie things in a nice little bow. Of course, that's just for the lunch. I've got some ideas floating around for dinner already."

Kaede gave a positive hum with a nod. "I've never actually tried any of those, but they sound pretty good! And, I mean, you're probably the Ultimate Chef for a reason, right?"

He smirked, twirling his pompadour between his two fingers. "Well, I certainly like to think it's on account of more than just my pretty face, anyway."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Then I'm looking forward to it! I have to admit, though, I'm a little surprised. These dishes are a little more… folksy than I expected from you. I didn't think you'd be willing to cook rustic meals."

That seemed to catch him off guard, his beady eyes widening slightly. "Huh? Oh… well, it's not unreasonable for a cityslicker like me to know a few country recipes. Besides, I was feeling a bit homesick-" He suddenly paused, chuckling awkwardly and fiddling with his fingers. "Er, that is to say, I figured some of the more rural people here might appreciate some old-fashioned dishes given the circ*mstances. Nothing tastes quite like home like a family recipe… or so I've been told, anyway…" The Ultimate Chef explained with a plastered smile. Kaede stared at him in slight confusion.

"Okay, he's a really bad liar, but why make something like that up at all? Who cares if he comes from the country or not?" Akamatsu puzzled. Still, she didn't know enough about him to have any real right to pry, so she chose to let it slide for now. "I… see. Well… how did you get into cooking in the first place?"

Hanamura grinned proudly. "I learned by watching the best chef in the world, practically from birth. Taught me every little trick she knew about how to create the perfect flavors and textures for just about every kind of food imaginable! It… heh. It sounds lame, coming from a refined socialite like me, but when I first started out, it was really just to make her smile. I owe my passion for creating culinary masterpieces to her…" He fondly recounted, before a somber silence fell over him.

Kaede felt sympathy stir in her chest, looking down at the boy pityingly. "Is she…?" She trailed off, feeling she already knew the answer. Teruteru didn't actively give one, however, a melancholic expression overtaking his features as he idly added some seasoning to the soup in a way that more or less confirmed her suspicions. "... I'm sorry, Teruteru. I…" She wanted to say whoever Teruteru's mentor was would be proud of him, but would that really sound true to him, given that he'd resorted to killing just as she had? She certainly didn't think anyone should be proud of her anymore. Only Monokuma could manage to make things this difficult…

Before she could settle on something to say, the pair heard the soft clacking of the kitchen doors, turning to find Kirumi returning with an empty trolley. Teruteru leapt at the opportunity to change the subject like a life preserver, once again fiddling with his comb with a slightly nervous expression. "Ah, just in time, 'Rumi! The main course should be ready in a few minutes. Care to taste the soup? It's creamy with just a hint of salt!" He declared with a somewhat forced-looking smirk.

Kaede could only manage a tired sigh. "So much for having a moment… I guess he didn't want to talk about it. Should have expected that; we did basically just meet, after all. Baby steps, Kaede…"

Kirumi's lips thinned at the crude double entendre, but her eyebrows raised slightly. "... Is that a request?" She questioned slowly, looking at him scrutinizingly.

"Well, it wouldn't do for the Ultimate Chef and the Ultimate Maid to serve even a single subpar dish, would it? I'd like your thoughts on the soup before it gets served."

"I have never doubted your talent, Mister Hanamura… is there a particular reason you're insisting now?" Tojo questioned.

"Kaede said these dishes seemed rather rustic for a cityslicker like me. I want to prove to both of you that even country cooking is by no means inferior or beneath the Ultimate Chef!"

The pianist flinched. "I didn't mean to offend-"

Teruteru waved a hand. "It's really just a matter of principle. Go on, just a sip!" He coaxed.

"... Is there any other reason you're so eager for us to have some?" Kirumi pressed, a slight hint of suspicion tinting her words.

The chef co*cked an eyebrow. "Huh? What do you…?" After a moment of silence, his eyes widened. "Sacre bleu! Are you accusing me of poisoning it?!"

Kaede mirrored his expression. "What?! Kirumi, you think he-!"

"I apologize for the suspicion, but it's better to be safe than sorry. He didn't insist I sample any of the other dishes. Does that not seem unusual?" The maid calmly explained, bowing her head apologetically.

"I didn't see him put anything weird in it…" Kaede defended.

"But did you see him taste it, either? He could have poisoned it before you arrived and I didn't see."

Kaede cringed. Well… yes, that was technically possible, but would he really have-

"Wha-now, hang on a damn minute! Where inda hell would'ah've even gotten poison?!" The chef furiously demanded, suddenly slipping into a thick accent that had previously only come out when Mondo threatened him. "Never! Never ever would Ah tarnish m'cookin' with sometin' a'foul a'poison! Look'ere!" Teruteru ordered, grabbing a stirring spoon and dipping it in the soup before taking a decently sized sip of it. The tension seemed to deflate from his shoulders as he sampled the food until it was almost completely gone. Blinking at the two, he chuckled awkwardly, once again messing with his hair (something Kaede was now certain was a nervous habit for him). "Er… sorry, I don't know what came over me. Not befitting of a proper socialite at all. But, anyway, there's nothing in this dish but top of the line ingredients and my passion!"

Kirumi waited a few seconds, as if waiting for any final hint that it was a trick, before bowing her head low. "My deepest apologies, Mister Hanamura. Given the circ*mstances we find ourselves in, I found it prudent to ensure the safety of myself and those around us. Given that I sincerely doubt you'd consume something you knew was poisoned, it's clear I've made a grave error. Please, forgive me."

Teruteru clicked his tongue, rubbing his chin. "Tch… well, I've always been inclined to live and let live. Besides, you could make it up to me by giving it a try. Sound fair?" He asked as he held out the stirring ladle. The Ultimate Maid wordlessly nodded and joined the pair, gently accepting it and taking a small spoonful of the soup. The moment it passed her lips, it was like a switch flipped, Kirumi's reluctant yet professional expression brightening into pure surprise. Her emerald eyes went wide, shocked delight dancing within. A couple seconds passed before she reluctantly lowered the spoon, Teruteru grinning smugly at the sight. "Well? Thoughts?"

"I… I do not believe it would be an exaggeration to say this is the best soup I've ever had the pleasure of tasting. This is beyond exemplary work, Mister Hanamura. It's almost disappointing that I am on duty…"

Teruteru's grin turned devious before he gave a wink. "I'd be more than happy to give you a very personal serving in my bedroom, 'Rumi; piping hot and straight from the source."

And just like that, the switch flipped again, all hints of respect and delight evaporating from Kirumi's face in an instant. "That won't be necessary. I've suddenly lost my appetite…" Kirumi refused with the closest thing to a scowl Kaede had ever seen cross the maid's features. There was no doubt about Kaede's own spiteful look.

"Teruteru… remember what we talked about?" She growled in annoyance. When he gave defensive shrug, she could all but read his mind before he opened his mouth. "There's a difference between the occasional joke and… that !" His fragrant attitude broke through her patience just long enough for her to warn, "I can teach you, or Mondo can. Which would you prefer?"

It didn't bring her pleasure to watch the color drain from his face, but there was a tiny bit of catharsis in knowing she had him cornered before he even said a word. He twittled his fingers as a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. "H-hey now… don't be like that… that was just a bit of fun, you know? B-but I'll be on my best behavior, I swear!"

Kaede nodded. "I'm glad to hear," The pianist stated plainly. Shifting out of the ever uncomfortable mindset of manipulation, she gave a reassuring smile to boost all three's spirits. "So… this is a muti-course lunch, right? What are we making next?"

"Can't imagine people'll be too hungry after the main course gets out, but we could get a headstart on dinner while we're here…" Teruteru noted, rubbing his chin.

Kirumi held up a gloved finger. "While the second course is more or less finished, I believe the others will be dining on their appetizers for at least ten to fifteen minutes, and likely double that for the main course. Given your personable nature, I assume you have plans with the others, Kaede?" She asked. At Kaede's nod, she continued. "Very well. That would give us about forty-five minutes to prepare a final serving."

Hanamura hummed with a smile. "Just enough time for the three of us to make some dessert together, wouldn't you say? I recommend cream pies."

For her part, the maid hardly batted an eye. "Assuming you're not simply being vulgar, I'm familiar with numerous recipes for them. I would be more than happy to assist you if that is your request."

He chuckled lightly. "That one actually wasn't supposed to be an innuendo. But I wouldn't complain if you wanted to-" He caught Akamatsu's glare and hesitated for a moment, sighing as he decided to forgo whatever perverse joke he was about to crack. "... help."

"I could help too! I don't know much about baking, but I could get ingredients and you guys could teach me the rest! Consider it my first task as an apprentice maid!"

"Marvelous! Let's make something that'll knock their panties off!"

"That's not how the saying goes, Mister Hanamura…"

"Close enough, isn't it?"

Kaede just rolled her eyes. At least she set a foundation for a friendship with Teruteru, as peculiar as it would likely end up being. Maybe one day he'd finally stop making gross jokes… or, at least, she'd grow numb to them. In the meantime, the Ultimate Pianist, Chef, and Maid would simply banter as they prepared pies together.

***

The rest of the lunch went relatively smoothly. She and Kirumi would occasionally bicker with Hanamura, but to his credit, he kept most of his off-color gags to himself. Once the pies were prepared and set in the oven, the three of them finally got to enjoy the food themselves, something that proved just as heavenly as Kirumi's reaction had suggested. It didn't take that long after they started their meal for the others to start dissipating from the dining hall, Kaede taking longer than Hifumi and the other people attending the get-together, between the late start on her own lunch and subsequently staying a few minutes after to help with the dishes as much as Kirumi would allow. Not much, given that cleaning was Tojo's bread and butter, but the blonde was still pleased to be useful.

She bid her farewells to the pair, receiving a curtsey from Kirumi and an odd remark from Teruteru that she wasn't quite sure whether he was hitting on her or not ("'I hate to see you go, but love to watch you leave'? What does that even mean?") . Regardless of the chef's antics, Kaede left the dining hall to meet with the others. The walk to Hifumi's suite didn't take that long, being relatively close to the dining hall itself at just three doors down. Given the size of each room, that still meant it was about sixty feet from door to door, but it was definitely closer than her cabin. Her eyes briefly flicked over the corridor as she stood outside of the fanfic author's lodgings. She hadn't noticed it before, but upon closer examination, each door's scanner lock featured a portrait of the room's owner just above it, though Monokuma had apparently decided to go with a rather unflattering shot of Hifumi staring blankly with his mouth half open. She frowned. Couldn't the bear be bothered to give them even a little respect? Shaking her head to banish the thoughts, she put a finger to the doorbell and rang it.

"Just one moment, please!" Hifumi's slightly muffled voice requested from the other side, followed by the sounds of a chair creaking and some movement before the door cracked open and the portly boy stuck his head out. A grin played across his features the moment he saw her. "Ah, Miss Akamatsu! Please, come in!" He invited as he opened the door fully. Putting his hands on his hips and deepening his voice, he proudly declared, "Welcome to the abode of the Alpha and the Omega!"

"Thanks, Hifumi! Hi everyone!" She greeted the small gathering of Ultimates as she briefly examined the room. The general layout was identical to her own room, though a few personal touches were different. Manga of every variety took up nearly every last inch of his bookshelves and stacks of DVDs rested on the coffee table alongside various figurines and statues. The large ocean view window was covered up by pink curtains emblazoned with some strange Cupid-like creature that also appeared on a number of the merchandise littering the room. Posters of a number of anime lined the walls, some of which she recognized, most of which she didn't. Perhaps the oddest among them was one showing off Monokuma's signature black and white with the words "Danganronpa V3" stylized in the upper-middle. It only caught her attention for a second, the strange resemblance to their captor catching her slightly off guard, but she quickly dismissed it as probably just another obscure show Yamada watched and refocused on her friends. Hifumi's couch was notably longer than the one in Kaede's room by about a meter, though whether that was on account of Monokuma making adjustments for his talent or his size, she didn't know. Gundham had claimed the couch armrest farthest from the door whilst Kaito sat next to him, the determined half-glares they sent at each other making it clear they'd gotten into another monologue battle in her absence. Tsumugi had claimed the opposite armrest and seemed to simply be watching their ridiculous battle like it was part of the show.

"At last, the Siren's High Priestess arrives, ushering in a merging of dimensions that grants us a peek beyond the veil of reality! Steel yourselves, mortals, for the time of reckoning is at hand! AHAHAHA!" Tanaka boomed, roaring with his typical maniacal laughter.

Kaede felt her brow furrow as it so often did in the Ultimate Breeder's presence. "Nice to see you too…?"

"Hey, Kaede," Kaito greeted, noticeably less enthusiastic than usual as a faint shade of blue colored his dreadful expression. "So… we're about to start up, huh? Hey, Hifumi, how long is this thing?"

"Are you honestly attempting to escape your fate, Luminary? Pathetic. How could one as spirited as you show such blatant cowardice in the face of mere fiction?" Gundham sneered, earning a glare from Kaito.

"I-I'm not scared, damn you! I just wanted to know so I know what time I can teach Leon the same lesson I'm about to teach you guys, that being that Kaito Momota is afraid of nothing and no one!"

"A likely alibi, sinner!"

"You dare imply the Ultimate Astronaut is lying?! Looks like I'll have to challenge you too!"

"As if any mere human could ever hope to provide a true challenge to the Dark Overlord of Ice!"

Tsumugi tilted her head to the side, looking on at the puzzling scene before her. "Scenes like this are usually hilarious in anime, but it just feels really awkward in real life…" The cosplayer muttered, her words likely only audible to the pianist's exceptional hearing. Kaede merely rolled her eyes at the absurd pair as she took off her backpack.

"I have the show and the stuff for Celeste. Where do you want it?" Kaede questioned the pudgy prodigy. A triumphant look spread across his expression.

"Feheheh! Excellent! This spot should do for now. I'll sort through it once we're done." Yamada instructed, taking the box set and pointing towards a pile of even more random junk. Kaede did so as he responded to Kaito. "As for your question, Mister Momota, I would watch the entire series, but I imagine most of you unfortunately have non-2D commitments, so I would say the first arc should suffice for now. About three hours, I suspect."

If Kaito's face got any bluer, Kaede would be afraid he was suffocating. "Th-three hours of bullsh*t g-ghosts?" He sputtered, his eyes wide with worry. Kaede's brow furrowed.

"Um, Kaito? You know I was messing with you earlier, right? You don't have to watch if you're actually this sca-"

"If you run, Luminary, you forever taint your soul with the mark of a coward! Stay, and at the very least, you will prove yourself as a brave -if deeply foolish- warrior of the night sky!" Gundham interrupted dramatically, launching off the couch and pointing directly into the astronaut's chest in a theatrical pose.

Kaito reacted about as she expected, leaping to his feet in an instant and pumped a fist with a fierce glare. "I already told you that Kaito Momota is afraid of nothing! I don't care how many g-ghosts are in this stupid show, I'll stay here and fight your evil 'til the end!" Momota growled. "I'll prove myself to you and Kaede!"

"You don't have to prove yourself, that's my point!" Kaede groaned.

"Do not interfere, Siren! The Luminary has chosen his path, and to lead him astray would be a folly beyond forgiveness!"

"He's right! I can't back down, Kaede!" Kaito reaffirmed with a yell. For the second time that day, Kaito's bizarre honor code left her baffled.

"... I really don't get you sometimes. Is it just a guy thing…?" Akamatsu thought, not bothering to give any external response other than a sigh and shake of her head. Deciding to tune out Kaito and Gundham's banter, she turned back to Hifumi. "So, is this everyone?"

The Ultimate Fanfic Creator nodded twice. "Indeed! Miss Nanami unfortunately had to take a nap. Miss Ludenberg briefly returned while you were still in the dining hall and caught up with us in the hallway. She asked Mister Gokuhara to help with something, so they'll probably be busy for a while," A flash of bitterness infected his tone at apparently being at least temporarily usurped as Celeste's henchman. "-and the others just said no. Some philistines unfortunately still wrongly associate 2D with kiddy stuff and refused on that principle. Disgraceful!"

"They're almost as bad as people who just use it as a way to get attention!" Shirogane complained.

"Precisely! Fanworks without passion aren't even fanworks! They're just trash trying to bait true fans!" Hifumi passionately agreed.

The normally reserved Tsumugi seemed to light up. "Right?! So few people seem to understand anything about it! It's so frustrating to get laughed at for having geeky interests while so many of my cosplays go to self-obsessed… posers!"

Kaede awkwardly rubbed her head. "Is this what it feels like for other people when me and Dad start debating about classical and modern music...?"

"It's refreshing to speak to someone that understands the true woes of our profession! I-"

"Hey, sorry to interrupt one of my sidekicks, but are you gonna turn the thing on? I'm hoping there'll be some time between this and beating Leon at his own game to try and get some more people outta the dorms." Kaito inquired, co*cking an eyebrow slightly.

Hifumi sighed a little. "Right, yes, IRL commitments… we shall continue this later, Miss Shirogane! Erm, if that's alright." Hifumi's verbose decree lost its steam as he realized she hadn't actually agreed to it yet.

"Um… alone? Well… maybe. I'll think about it…" The bluenette replied less than certainly, her previous paranoia leaking through and fighting with her more personable side. Yamada didn't seem to mind her hesitation.

"Persuasion check passed! Excellent! In that case," he took out a disc from the case and walked to the TV. Dropping his voice to a rumble, he announced, "Prepare yourselves for… Notes of Nevermore!"

"sh*t..." Kaito murmured under his breath as Kaede sat next to Tsumugi on the couch. Hifumi put the DVD in, took the remaining space on the couch, and pressed play on the remote. Seconds later, the wistful, heartfelt notes of Chopin's Nocturne in C-Sharp Minor reached her ear, starting as barely a whisper and gradually growing in volume as the image of a nearly century-old version of Tokyo on a stormy night faded into view. Kaede sucked in a breath as her body tensed. She felt rigid as a stone from head to toe, her throat constricting painfully as the notes gently continued in the background.

"H-huh?! N-no! Why am I freaking out? I-it's just a song! A song I've played thousands of times! There's no reason to feel so scared-"

"Kaede? Are you okay? You look a little pale..." Tsumugi asked, looking at her in slightly confused concern.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine! It's just the lighting." She quickly waved off the concern.

Shirogane's lips tugged downwards. "But… why are your hands shaking?"

"Huh? They're not…" The pianist trailed off as she raised a hand, only to find it trembling like a leaf clinging to a tree in a harsh breeze. The fake disarming smile she put on dropped completely at the sight. The classical music stopped suddenly and was quickly replaced by Hifumi's voice.

The blonde turned to him, the portly boy scanning her with the remote in hand. "Um… Miss Akamatsu, are you sure you should be watching this?"

She had to! She already agreed to do it! Kaede couldn't just cut and run because of some dumb, baseless worry on her part. More than that, she couldn't let herself look weak to the people relying on her. Not before she had a plan to get out, anyway. "Seriously guys, I'm alright! I just… feel a little off, but it's nothing. Promise!"

Kaito leaned over to face her, an almost uncharacteristic seriousness in his lilac eyes. "You sure? It wouldn't look good on me if one of my sidekicks needed help and I didn't give it to them. You said it yourself, if you don't feel up to it-"

"I'm fine . I mean it. If it's too much, I'll leave. Okay?"

"If the Siren is willing to confront the demons of her past, we are not to interfere. You humans underestimate the power of a dark entity's will." Tanaka rumbled dismissively, earning a small smile from the pianist.

"Thank you, Gundham. I'm good. Let's keep going," She reassured. With just a moment of hesitation, Hifumi resumed the show, Kaede taking that brief moment to steel herself against the coming wave of dread. She felt her jaw lock and hands ball into fists as the music resumed, her heart speeding up in her chest like a revving engine. Despite that, however, she forced herself through it, no matter how bad she'd feel the longer it went on. She nearly lost control when the screen cut to the man playing the piano from the intro, feeling the hairs on the back of her head stand up in unison and her neck begin to ache in a perfect oval around her throat. The blonde felt sick to her stomach by the time the song finally came to an end despite the sigh of relief that escaped her. "Deep breaths, Kaede… besides, focus on the show, not this nonsense. This guy's a pretty good pianist-" She thought the exact moment a well-dressed man noticeably missing a couple fingers grabbed the piano player by the shoulder and threw him to the ground. The (presumed) Yakuza member then promptly grabbed a hidden compartment in the body of the piano and threw it open to reveal a music roll and automated hammers inside, proving it to be a player piano.

"Your 'skills' are a f*cking lie, Yamomoto. Just like everything else about you!" The Yakuza sneered.

"... Nevermind then. Still, he mimed the notes pretty convincingly… maybe he just needs a little more confidence in himself to become a real pianist. I guess this guy's the main character…" Kaede mulled to herself, as the anime continued.

Yamomoto, as he was apparently called, scrambled backwards. "W-wait, this is just a misunderstanding! I told Kuzuhiko I'd have her money, a-and I do! Just not on me right now! Just give me-" The man pleaded before falling silent once the gangster pulled out a pistol.

"It's too late for that. If it were up to me, you'd already be dead," He growled, taking aim. Yamomoto flinched, closing his eyes and waiting… and waiting… but the shot never came. He slowly opened one eye to find the Yakuza smirking scornfully at him. "... But lucky for you, the boss still likes you enough to give you another chance. On your feet, Yamomoto. We're running some errands."

"You know, in the original manga, they had Yamomoto work for an actual Yakuza clan. They had to change it during reprints and the adaptation because the family threatened the creators. It seems the Kuzuryus don't like the spotlight very much." Yamada mentioned, taking on the same tone Kiyo often used when discussing some anthropological trivia.

Kaede balked. "They managed to make the biggest crime syndicate in the country angry? Geez… I thought it was scary enough just doing recitals for a couple parties Yakuza people attended, let alone getting on their bad side!"

Gundham scoffed. "The Kuzuryus are formidable, but I have run afoul of them before and come out unscathed. They simply cannot compare to the awesome might of my power!"

"When the hell would you have met any Yakuza guys, let alone some Kuzuryus?" Kaito demanded skeptically. The Dark Lord chuckled.

"That is a story for another time. Perhaps I shall tell it once you prove yourself."

That was generally how it went for the rest of the show. Hifumi or Tsumugi would offer some tidbit of info, they would comment on it, and Kaede would keep watching on with intrigue throughout. To her great surprise, the longer it went on, the more she found herself enjoying it. Something about it just seemed to click with her, and before she knew it, she was invested. Every triumph and tense scene had her on the edge of her seat, her emotions rocking up and down with each episode. If it weren't for breaking into a cold sweat every time the piano played, she would have said it was the most fun she'd had in awhile. It would make her sick to her stomach to hear the notes she once loved so much, but she forced herself to tough it out every time for better or worse.

Aside from finding a show she liked, the experience taught her just how severe her trauma actually was. The fact that just hearing the instrument could instill such anxiety in her was almost as terrifying as the feeling itself, but Kaede refused to give up. She had to beat it. Giving up on her talent, her greatest passion, was simply not an option. After all, Hifumi and Tsumugi probably had their talents used in their executions too, and yet they were there watching anime without complaint. Kaito still loved the stars, and Gundham didn't so much as blink at the animals he bred. If her friends could still embrace what made them them , surely she could, too. She'd do whatever she had to until she could enjoy her Ultimate ability despite Monokuma's sick and twisted execution.

The last episode of the evening seemed to be winding down, ending on a monologue from the protagonist over a shot that teased another ghost presumably appearing in the next arc. With that, the credits began to roll, and Hifumi paused the DVD. "... And that was the first arc of Notes of Nevermore! Well, everyone? Thoughts?"

"Terrible. Hated it. Bunch a stupid occult bullcrap…" Kaito tiredly grumbled from under his jacket, having decided to hide under it about twenty minutes in. He finally tossed the coat off his face to glare sulkingly at the TV. A mixture of pity and amusem*nt filled Kaede at the sight.

Gundham let out a low hum. "Hmph… I will concede that it had more insight to the world beyond the veil than most mortal entertainment. A noble effort, if ultimately still misguided."

"What about you, Miss Akamatsu?" Hifumi inquired.

Kaede felt a broad smile tug at her lips. "I actually really enjoyed that! The characters were great, the setting is neat, the concept's really original… I never thought I'd like an anime that much! I kind of wrote it off as just not being my thing before."

Tsumugi sighed with a small frown. "That's the mindset most normies have. They see one or two episodes of some shonen anime and write off the entire medium!" Shirogane complained with a hint of bitterness. Her expression softened a little as she continued. "But on the flipside, that's part of why I love anime so much. There's so many great shows for any genre or age group! If someone goes in with an open mind, they're bound to find at least one thing they'll like! It's plainly incredible, honestly. I mean, when I first started watching shows, I was the same way, but Notes of Nevermore was actually one of the first I really enjoyed. In fact, Amaya Kuzuhiko was one of the first characters I ever did a real cosplay of!"

Kaede lit up, staring at Tsumugi in delighted surprise. "Really?! She was my favorite! It seemed like she left pretty early, though…"

Hifumi rubbed his chin in consideration. "Amaya is your favorite, eh? In that case, you might be interested to hear one of my peers that collaborated with me a few years back wrote a story about what she did after leaving the show! I don't often work with other people on fanfics, but his writing proved exceptionally above my usual expectations. In fact, later on, his story was made canon. He was even commissioned by the studio to write some of the official spinoffs!"

Akamatsu was floored. “Seriously? That’s incredible! I had no idea people could get so successful off of things like that! Getting recognized like that… that must be like performing an Elton John song, and then being invited to go on tour with him!”

The Ultimate Fanfic creator held up a finger. “Precisely, Miss Akamatsu! People like to dismiss fanfic as a lower form of writing at best, if not just calling it flatout geeky garbage! Such ignorance would be unforgivable if it wasn’t unfortunately so widespread. Few people realize just how many great authors start out writing fanworks of stories they enjoyed, or the sense of camaraderie among fans that produce and consume such works! That is the true beauty of fanfic; no matter how a story ends or how long ago it did, fanfic lets the characters and stories live on, and the dedicated fans of them continue to meet, debate, and bond with each other the way they did when it was new and relevant!” He proudly exclaimed, wearing the most genuine smile Kaede had ever seen on him.

“That’s… actually kind of beautiful, when you put it like that,” Kaede admitted, suddenly seeing Hifumi in a new light. It might be kind of geeky… well, really geeky, but that’s what the other kids said about her loving the piano so much. If it brought him and other people so much joy, it suddenly seemed a lot harder to just write off completely. Mirroring his smile, she said, “You know what? I think I’d like to read that.”

“Really?!” Hifumi stared at her completely gobsmacked. “No one not already into fanfic has ever listened to my recommendations before! Erm… okay then! It had an official publication a couple years ago, so I might be able to find a copy! I’ll be sure to let you know if I find it, Miss Akamatsu!”

Kaede beamed. “Thanks, Hifumi! And thank you guys for coming!”

Kaito, still looking drained from the whole ordeal, sighed. “I mean… I’m always glad to hang out with my sidekicks, but next time, we’re watching something not about occult bullcrap. Deal?”

“Heheh… deal, Kaito.” Kaede agreed through her giggling. The gaggle of Ultimates started to disperse shortly after, with Kaito sluggishly dragging himself out the door to meet up with Leon, Gundham loudly proclaiming that it was time for the Devas to unleash a fragment of their unholy might lest their unbridled energy tear the entire mortal realm apart (or, as Kaede deduced, playtime), and lastly Kaede herself bidding farewell to Tsumugi and Hifumi after confirming that the former was alright being alone with the latter. As she left Hifumi’s room, she did so grinning. She had a definitive success here, and had gotten considerably closer with her fellow students for it. If she could keep it up, maybe her long shot of a plan would work out after all.

***

After the anime party, Kaede returned to her room. She hadn’t made any other plans for the evening, leaving her with a few hours to kill before dinner would be ready. The ahoged girl had considered joining in on Leon and Kaito’s gambling contest, but decided against it when she thought back to Leon’s apprehensiveness around her and Tsumugi. Kaede figured it would probably be better in the long run if she let him warm up to her on his own rather than forcing him to be friends. Besides, considering Kaito’s involvement, it’d probably end up being a whole ‘bro’ thing anyway.

As such, Kaede was alone in her cabin, currently thumbing through a book on Beethoven somewhat distractedly. It proved to be far more relaxing than she’d assumed the previous night, mostly due to not directly relating to the piano most of the time, so she at least had something to do when she was alone other than dwell on regrets. Reading about one of her favorite musicians of all time was certainly a good way to pass the time, even if she already knew nearly everything in the book. Not that she minded that much. Half the fun of music was learning a piece, but the other half was mastering it, after all. It mostly served as something to do while she ruminated on the day.

All things considered, it had actually been wildly successful. At the very least, she had started building bridges with the more… difficult among the group, as well as strengthen her existing bonds. There were still far more mysteries than answers, much to her chagrin -how they were even here topping the list- but those could be dealt with later rather than sooner.

The only true wildcard was Monokuma. If her killing game was anything to go by, it wouldn’t be long before he gave the first motive, and that would more than likely be disastrous. Shuichi had, ironically, been the one to inspire her to kill last time, but the time limit had still been a crushing weight on all of them, and they had actually been unified. Could she count on that sort of solidarity if he reused it, or introduced something even worse ?

Kaede took a breath, shaking her head slightly. No, those were defeatist thoughts. She could trust her new friends a little more than that. They hadn’t been the first ones to draw blood, now were they? If the pianist kept herself in check, it would be far easier to keep everyone else together. In order to do that, she just had to keep up her current work… and try to convince Mikan, Mondo, and Sakura to join the group. Those three were the only ones she still hadn’t had any real interactions with since their memories were restored, and as such, were the only ones she couldn’t reasonably predict the actions or reactions of. Both pragmatically and just as someone who wanted to make friends with as many people as possible, getting to know them would be her top priority if she wanted to minimize the effect of whatever motive the bear was scheming up. Besides, if they were suffering the same way she was, she had to do whatever she could to help them! In fact… hadn’t Kaito mentioned wanting to try coaxing them out after he was done with Leon? Maybe she should join him… she glanced at the clock. Five forty-five… it would probably still be a while before dinner, and Kaito would probably be done by now.

Kaede gently closed her book and set it aside before rising from the sofa. “Okay… they probably aren’t that different from yesterday. I just have to be careful… and patient,” She murmured, trying to figure out how she should handle the trio of blackened. Having Kaito as backup was basically a requirement for Mondo and Sakura, given their strength, even if they both seemed incredibly remorseful the day prior. She smiled at herself in the mirror, pumping her fists. “You’ve got this!” The pianist declared confidently as she marched over to the door and opened it. Kaede walked out with her head held high... only to collide with a solid wall of muscle that knocked her to the ground. She yelped, startled, falling down on her back and causing a small pain to flicker through her shoulders and elbows where she landed. "Ow…" She groaned, looking up to find an absolutely mortified Gonta staring back at her in surprise.

"Ah! Kaede! Gonta so, so sorry! Gonta not see you! Are you okay?" He fretted, dropping to a knee and bowing his head apologetically as he offered her a gargantuan hand. The guilty look in his soft red eyes actually just made her feel bad for upsetting the gentle giant, completely accidental as it was.

"I'm alright, Gonta. You didn't do anything wrong. I'm sorry, I should have paid more attention to where I was walking," The pianist reassured, taking his hand. He lifted her like she weighed nothing at all, her entire hand barely able to hold just two of his fingers. "So strong, but he's still softer than a teddy bear. How could someone literally raised by animals be this nice?" The blonde wondered. Once she found her balance, she offered him an encouraging smile. "Thanks. You really are a gentleman, you know?"

To her surprise, Gonta cringed. "No. Gonta not gentleman… Gonta never be gentleman. Gentlemen not kill anyone, especially not kill friends. Gonta worse than idiot. Gonta b-bad person."

Kaede's eyes widened before wincing guiltily. "Oh… how could I forget? Even Gonta of all people killed someone. Didn't he say it was Miu…?" She tried to recall, piecing together as comforting a response as she could. He deserved better than to drown in guilt like she did. After all, Gonta wasn't like her. He just didn't have it in him to plan out a murder, be it the intellegence or the cruelty. It must have been something outside of his control, so he shouldn't have to suffer like that. "Gonta, that's not true! You're a great person!"

Gonta frowned deeply, tears prickling in his eyes. "But Gonta killer… how could Gonta be good person?"

An idea struck Akamatsu that she knew he wouldn't try to argue. "Well… do you think me and Kaito are bad people? Or Kirumi and Kiyo, or Gundham?"

Gonta's eyes went wider than dinner plates. "H-huh?! No! Kaede is wonderful person! So are others! Gonta never not like you!" He quickly corrected, looking almost hurt at the insinuation that he thought that way.

"But we killed people, too, didn't we?" She quietly added, the words a stab in her heart. Gonta must have felt the same as the muscular Ultimate flinched.

"But… Kaede wanted to save friends. Gonta… not know why most of other friends kill, but they must have reason, right?"

"... I think I've got him, but should I push this?" The pianist hesitated. If she did and it worked, she'd have some more information on what happened after her death and be able to console her distraught friend. If it didn't work, she might just make him feel worse. That was the last thing she wanted, but she would get nowhere if she didn't have more to work with. Taking risks were the only way forward… even if taking a risk is what got her here in the first place. Steeling herself, she answered, "Maybe so… but that means you must have had a reason, too. Do you remember what it was?"

Gokuhara closed his eyes, bowing his head. "Gonta not remember why he kill, either. Um… Computer Gonta said he kill Miu to save everyone by killing them, but that make no sense! How could killing friends save them?"

Kaede blinked, co*cking her head to the side in bafflement. "'Computer Gonta'?"

He gave a miniscule nod. "At end of trial, Monokuma pulled out computer with Computer Gonta in it. Computer Gonta like Gonta, but… scary. Computer Gonta talk about dying like it good thing. Gonta think Shuichi say Computer Gonta happened when everyone took nap and kept talking about ver-chew-all world… it no make sense at all to Gonta…" He sniffled, tears spilling out from his closed eyes.

Kaede's lips thinned. Virtual world? Computer copies of her friends? Just what crazy things did they find after she died? Despite her confusion about the circ*mstances surrounding it, Gonta did confess something that helped her goal of comforting him.

"... I don't really know what you mean by that, but… you said that you, or the other you, wanted to help everyone, right? It might have been in a really skewed way, but you were still trying to do what you thought was right. If I'm not a bad person for what I did," She lied through her teeth at that, choking down the flare of self loathing that reminded her that yes, she is a horrible person that deserved to die for what she'd done. "Then you can't think of yourself as a bad person!"

The musclebound man was visibly taken aback, slack jawed and wide-eyed. “H-huh?! Do you really mean that, Kaede? Gonta… not bad? Gonta not think you bad, but is Gonta really same as you...?”

“You’re better than I am. Even if you don’t believe that, though, just keep what I said in mind, okay? Don’t beat yourself up for something you wouldn’t hold against someone else.” Akamatsu requested softly, staring at him pleadingly. Gokuhara cringed once again, wincing as if she’d slapped him.

“Gonta… Gonta not sure Gonta could ever do that. Gonta hurt friends, whether Gonta try to or not. Gonta knows Gonta no can fix that. Maybe Gonta not explain this right - Gonta sorry Gonta so bad with words, but... Gonta not blame Kaede for killing Rantaro. But… does Kaede not blame Kaede?”

Now the pianist felt like she’d been slapped. She couldn’t lie about that -she’d sooner be executed a thousand times over than disgrace Rantaro’s memory like that. His death was no one’s fault but her own. It was her fault no one would ever see that carefree grin of his ever again, that they would never get to escape and be friends like she promised. Everything he was is gone because of her . Did Gonta realize just what a loaded question that was… no, of course he didn’t. Gonta would never intentionally say something hurtful. Her discomfort must have been apparent as he quickly raised his hands disarmingly. “Ah! Sorry! Gonta not mean-”

“N-no. Don’t apologize. It was a fair question,” Kaede reluctantly confessed with a grimace. She sighed, squeezing her arm in a vain attempt to comfort herself. “I… I do blame myself. I think I always will. Nothing can take back what I did…” She fought back against the tears prickling at her eyes. She clenched her hand so hard that her arm ached. Kaede Akamatsu could never forgive herself for murdering her friend. It was the complete and honest truth… and it was the exact opposite of what Gonta needed to hear right now. Despairful guilt glinted in his eyes, his own tears rapidly reappearing. That managed to hurt her even more. Choking down the crushing guilt of her actions, she forced herself to continue. “But that doesn't mean I'm giving up. I… I promised I'd expose the mastermind, and I still have to live up to that. I have to for Rantaro's death to mean anything. So… you just have to find a purpose. If there's something you can put your mind to, you can at least try to make things right."

"Gonta… need… purpose?" He slowly, brow furrowed deeply. It only deepened at Kaede's nod. "... What should Gonta's purpose be?"

Akamatsu shook her head lightly. "I can't tell you that. Everyone has to find their own purpose."

"How Gonta find it? Is there map? Gonta not really good at hide and seek..."

Kaede pursed her lips, folding her arms under her chest in thought. "That also usually depends on the person, but… think about something you really, really want to do. Like… something you'd be willing to trade your talent to do."

Gokuhara put a massive paw to his chin. "Thing Gonta really want to do, enough to stop being entomologist? Gonta… Gonta would give up bugs to protect friends. Gonta would even give up Gonta! Gonta failed last time, but… Gonta never fail friends again! That Gonta's purpose!" He professed, determination shining in his auburn eyes like a roaring fire. It was contagious, lighting a spark in Kaede as she clasped her hands together with a beam as bright as the sun.

"Exactly like that! That's wonderful, Gonta!" Kaede heartily agreed. The wild-child turned wannabe gentleman grinned gratefully at her.

“Thank you, Kaede! Gonta not feel as bad anymore! Because of purpose, Gonta know what to do now!”

Kaede felt warmth bubble in her, relieved to have helped her friend. “You’re welcome! I know you’ll do great!” She encouraged cheerfully. A comfortable silence descended for a few moments before a realization struck the pink-clad leader. “Come to think of it, though, what were you doing when we bumped into each other?”

Gonta’s eyes bugged out, the boy stiffening with realization. “Oh! Gonta was supposed to help Celeste! Gonta completely forgot!”

Akamatsu tilted her head. “Huh? I thought you were doing that earlier. Did you end up not going with Kaito and Leon for their casino thing?”

“Gonta did, but Celeste ask Gonta for help again after! Uh, if Gonta being honest, Gonta kind of glad. Leon look really mad when he lost… and he say ungentlemanly words. Lots of ungentlemanly words...” He admitted, looking somewhat embarrassed.

She simply sighed, mentally rolling her eyes as she pictured the Ultimate Baseball Star’s tantrum. “You’d think an Ultimate athlete wouldn’t be such a sore loser. He acts like such a teenager sometimes!”

“Uh… Gonta not good with numbers, but Gonta thought friends were teenagers?”

Kaede paused as she realized her mistake. “Well, yeah, but that’s just an expression. Then again, I don’t think Gonta would really get it even if I explained…” She noted dryly. Externally, she answered, “... He acts like a little kid sometimes?”

“Ah, Gonta get it! Gonta not know many kids that say bad words so much, though.”

Kaede giggled a little. “Me neither. Speaking of that, though, where is Kaito?”

“Gonta think Kaito still arguing with Leon. Gundham come by and started yelling weird things Gonta not understand, and then Kaito also start saying strange things about stars. Gonta… not get it, if Gonta being honest. Very confused.”

“Three arguments in one day? I can’t tell if they love or hate each other! So much for trying to coax the others out...” Kaede actually did roll her eyes at that. “... I guess I should have expected something like that would happen. Oh well... that aside, what exactly are you doing for Celeste?”

Gokuhara put his hands on his hips. "Celeste ask Gonta to help bring chairs from Kirumi's lab to her room. Then Gonta move furniture inside room for her. Celeste said Gonta is 'adequate'!" The entomologist announced with a smile. Kaede’s grin faltered at that.

“That’s not really a… nevermind. Did you say you were taking it from Kirumi’s lab?” He gave an affirming hum and she crossed her arms, pouting at him. “You made sure to ask permission first, right?”

Gonta didn’t bat an eye. “Celeste say Kirumi not mind! In fact, this help Kirumi! Celeste say it less stuff for Kirumi to clean in her lab!”

Akamatsu stared at him somewhere between dumbfounded and completely unsurprised. “... Gonta, Kirumi’s going to have to clean it anyway if she cleans our rooms. Celeste just wanted it for herself.”

Contentment turned to shock and then pure horror in the span of three seconds. “Wh-what?! Celeste make Gonta steal?! Th-that unpossible! Gonta no can be thief!”

Kaede could only offer him a sympathetic look. “It’s okay, Gonta. I know you just wanted to help. You should probably explain what happened to Kirumi, though. In the meantime, I’ll go talk to Celeste.”

He guiltily nodded. “Gonta think Gonta go do that. Gonta sorry again. Goodbye, Kaede.”

She smiled, waving to him as he started going towards the dining hall. “See you later, Gonta!” The pianist bid farewell, keeping up her grin until he stepped through the double doors and her expression fell to a slight scowl. “Seriously, Celestia?! What’s wrong with you?!” She grumbled in absolute disbelief of the gambler as she marched over to Ludernberg’s door. The nerve of it would almost be impressive if Celeste hadn’t apparently made it her mission in life to make things unnecessarily difficult for Kaede! Huffing in annoyance, she raised her hand, knocked, and waited.

Three steps forward, one step back.

Chapter 7: Chapter One: The Bloodied Hands We're Dealt: Daily Life Part 5

Chapter Text

To call the conversation Kaede had with Celeste aggravating would be an understatement on the same level as saying she was alright at piano. Kaede liked to think she was relatively patient with people, if admittedly not in general. She was willing to put up with Kokichi of all people! As such, it took a lot to wear her down. That pretty short list included Miu Iruma, Teruteru Hanamura, and as of that conversation, Celestia Ludenberg.

Kaede really hadn't planned on it being a particularly troublesome conversation. Her plan was just go in, tell Celeste it was wrong of her to manipulate Gonta, and maybe manage to convince her to put at least some of it back. Needless to say, that couldn't have been farther from the case. When she knocked on the door, she expected to see a few of Kirumi's chairs, maybe even one of the smaller tables. As such, when Celeste opened the door and Kaede spotted not only multiple couches, but the entire dining table from the lab, she was absolutely dumbstruck. "I- wh- how?!" She sputtered out, eyes nearly bulging out of her skull in sheer shock.

Celeste blinked at her. "Good evening to you as well, Kaede. May I help you with something?"

After a few more moments of stunned silence, Kaede came back to her senses. "R-right, yes!" She exclaimed before her expression fell to a pout, crossing her arms disapprovingly. "You shouldn't have manipulated Gonta like that!"

The gambler didn't even flinch at the accusation. "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean."

The pianist glowered at her, insulted by the brazen lie. "Don't try to lie to me, Celeste. Gonta literally just told me you had him take furniture from Kirumi's lab, and I'm certain you didn't ask her permission first," Akamatsu pointed over her shoulder at the stolen dining table. "Unless you're trying to say you managed to get that down here… somehow. I don't know how even Gonta could manage that."

Ludenberg stared blankly at her for a few seconds before sighing, her lips tugging downward ever so slightly. "Hm. Seems that bet didn't pay off… c'est la vie. I assume you're here to berate me, then?"

"More or less," Kaede admitted, her hard look softening to a small frown. "But I'm willing to hear you out first. Why did you trick Gonta into stealing furniture? Kirumi probably would have just given it to you if you actually asked."

"Allow me to save us both a long and tedious lecture, then. It's quite simple, really. As you said, she probably would have allowed it. However, I do not know her like you do, and as such, I predicted a much lower chance of her saying yes to all of my requests. Furthermore, probably is not a guarantee. I absolutely needed to replace the subpar amenities Monokuma provided. Lastly, given her personality, it is unlikely she will actually be bothered enough to demand I return it than if I asked and she refused, but took it anyway. It appears I would have gotten what I wanted regardless, so in the end, I simply saved myself time and the chance for rejection," Celeste calmly explained, smiling pleasantly at the pianist. "Will that suffice?"

Kaede's lips thinned. "That makes sense… but you still shouldn't have done it! Taking things without asking is bad enough, but tricking someone else into doing it with you is terrible!"

The gambler's face tightened ever so slightly. "I'm not a child, Kaede. I am well aware that stealing and lying are not socially accepted. I am also not interested in a lecture. What's done is done, I'm afraid. Goodbye."

"Celeste, wai-" Celeste closed the door before Kaede could even finish her sentence, the lock clicking into place a moment after. Kaede stared at the door in surprise. "Seriously?! How can anyone be that spoiled?!" She decried in her mind. Kaede's eyes narrowed into a scowl as she raised her hand and knocked again… and again… and kept knocking at an increasingly fast and irritated pace with each time Celeste ignored her. She couldn't just let her get away with that! It was a matter of principle at this point, the pianist refusing to back down until she at least got another word in.

After about fifteen seconds of knocking, Kaede decided to spare her knuckles and swapped to spamming the gambler's doorbell. Most would call it childish, and in truth, Kaede would be inclined to agree under most circ*mstances. But, for better or worse, stubbornness had always been one of Kaede's greatest strengths and faults. She simply wasn't the sort to leave things unfinished. At the moment, that meant bugging her gothic acquaintance into finishing their conversation. Even if she couldn't get her to acknowledge that she was wrong, the pianist hoped to at least convince her not to do it to Gonta again, if not stop taking advantage of both him and Hifumi.

Finally, after nearly a full minute of ringing, her relentless nagging paid off as the door swung open to reveal a very pissed off Celestia Ludenberg. Kaede started to speak, only to let out a startled squeak as Celeste grabbed her by the tie and snarled in her face. "KNOCK IT THE HELL OFF BEFORE I f*ckING BURN YOU ALIVE! " Ludenberg roared, her accent slipping completely in favor of sheer rage. Kaede stared wide eyed and somewhat terrified at the nearly unrecognizable girl. Almost as soon as the threat left her mouth, she stepped back and slammed the door closed, glaring at her the entire time.

Akamatsu could only stare at the door, completely gobsmacked. Celeste's character breaks were frightening enough when they were directed at other people, but being directly on the receiving end felt like the verbal equivalent to getting slapped by Gonta or Sakura. "G-g-geez! What… what the hell was that?! Does she have a split personality or something?! That might explain it… but either way, that doesn't excuse it! Just who does she think she is?!" She silently fumed in complete astonishment. As soon as the shock wore off and transformed into outrage, the blonde raised a fist, preparing to pound on Celeste's door yet again and demand an apology, but quietly let it fall back to her side with a frustrated huff. As much as it bothered her, Celeste was right about one thing: it would be a complete waste of time to try to convince the Ultimate Gambler she was wrong on just about any account. She'd be better off talking to someone who might listen than someone who absolutely wouldn't. And, frankly, she wasn't eager to get shouted at again.

Defeated, Kaede let out a breath and turned away from the door, debating what she should do next. Teruteru and Kirumi would be busy for a while. Subsequently, Gonta would probably offer to help any way he could to make up for his 'ungentlemanly behavior'. She checked her map to see what the others were up to, but given that most of them had either formed their own cliques or were holed up in their rooms, it didn't seem like she'd be able to join in without being a third wheel at best or an intruder at worst. Of the ones still in their rooms, Chiaki was just taking a nap, Tsumugi and Hifumi were likely still talking about their favorite animes, and she didn't feel comfortable trying to talk to Sakura or Mondo on her own. That left… Mikan.

A pang of guilt hit the pianist. She was ashamed to admit that she'd nearly forgotten the poor, fragile girl with all that had happened in the last day. Mikan had barely been functional the last time she saw her, and she'd been sitting in her room all alone like that for almost a full day… Kaede's heart sank just thinking about it. That regretful pity quickly transformed itself to determination. If the nurse had been that devastated just from remembering she killed someone, there was almost no way she would actually try to attack Akamatsu. As such, she had absolutely no reason not to try her hardest to help the distraught medic.

The only challenge was trying to figure out how to go about it. Mikan was like a glass twig; one false step, and Kaede risked shattering her completely. She couldn't be nearly as risk-taking as she was with Gonta. The pianist did have slightly more experience helping Mikan than the other two, given the incident behind the stage, but while it would probably be a good starting point, the lavender-haired girl was infinitely more intact then, even if that didn't say wonders about her usual mental health. Mikan needed someone strong but kind, willing to guide her without berating her. Very gentle nudging and soft spoken reassurances were probably the way to go, as much as she'd prefer to build Mikan's confidence than simply become a buoy for the girl to let lead. Walking up to the door, the blonde kept thinking about what exactly she should say even as she started executing her plan.

Kaede softly rapped her knuckles against the wood to announce her presence. "Hey, Mikan? It's Kaede," She greeted, pausing to listen for any sign of movement. Pressing her ear against the door, she could very faintly hear the sound of sniffling, at least confirming that the nurse was indeed in there and awake. Despite that, no answer came back, the dead air prompting her to continue. “... I wanted to make sure you were okay, after… everything. Trust me, I know it’s a lot to take in at once… but you don’t have to take it in alone if you don’t want to. I know I wouldn’t be able to handle any of this by myself. I don’t know about you, but for me, bad feelings are always worse when I don’t have anyone to talk to...” The musician offered, a self-deprecating smile playing across her lips with a sad chuckle. “Heh… just between the two of us, I’m kind of a mess right now anyway. I don’t know if I’d have ever left my room if Kaito didn’t talk me into it. I bet it sounds impossible, but it’s true… even if we don’t know exactly what you’re going through, we’re all in pretty similar boats. What I’m trying to say is that you can trust us. You don’t need to be scared, or… or feel like you don’t deserve help. I promise you do, okay?”

The following silence was deafening to Kaede’s ears. She couldn't hear even Mikan’s hushed gasps and sniffs anymore, the former leader left in a damningly perfect quiet. Her tiny smile slowly faltered more and more with each second that dragged by an eternity at a time. It wasn’t long after that she realized her attempts to console and encourage the pitifully fretful girl had likely failed. Kaede sighed disheartenedly. It made sense that the encouragement of someone who was basically a complete stranger wouldn’t instantly get her to open up when it seemed like Mikan was terrified of everyone even before finding out they were a bunch of murderers, but that didn’t keep the emotional side of her brain from feeling deeply disappointed. She wasn’t much of a leader if she couldn’t even inspire people to leave their rooms, let alone make friends with everyone else… of course, she’d be even less of a leader if she just gave up on one of her friends so easily! She just had to figure something out! There was still a way to make this work if she tried; all she had to do was come up with something that could break through whatever horrible thoughts must have been plaguing Mikan! Having successfully re-energized herself with the thought, Kaede closed her eyes as she tried to form a plan. Maybe she could try-

Click…

Kaede blinked. Did she imagine that, or… no, squinting at the door, she could see that it was opening ever so slowly. Had… had her speech actually worked out after all? After several moments, the door was ajar enough for Kaede to lay eyes on Mikan for the first time since they regained their memories. The nurse had clearly seen better days; her eyes were puffy and red, her face marred with streaks from tears old and new alike. Heavy black lines underlined her eyes, making it obvious that she hadn’t slept much, if at all. Her hair looked even more disheveled than it had when they met.The poor thing was shaking like a puppy left in the rain, staring at Kaede with the same terrified, begging eyes of a lost child. Tsumiki flinched the moment she made eye contact with the pianist, slamming the door shut with a pitiful shriek. Akamatsu blinked again, her lips falling to a frown.

“Damn it, so close! I didn’t mean to scare her! Was it something about how I looked?" She mentally swore. Stifling a disappointed groan, she spoke once again. "It's okay… I'm not going to hurt you. You don't have to come out if you don't want to, Mikan, but I promise I'll be there for you when you decide you're ready. Okay? Just take as long as you need…" Kaede gently encouraged, quietly hoping Tsumiki would muster up enough courage to face her again. A few beats passed with no response from the other side of the door beyond pitiful-sounding hiccups and sniveling. Akamatsu closed her eyes. "... I don't think she's coming out. Did I come on too strong, or is she just not ready yet? Can she even get ready if she's stuck being miserable and alone like this? Ugh, I wish I could just reach out and help her like I want, but forcing her might just make everything worse! Why does it have to be so complicated-"

Click…

Her thoughts were once again cut off by the sound of the door unlocking. "...! She's doing it! Yes!" Surprise quickly turned into a tempered elation, the pianist forcing her delighted grin to shrink down to a small supportive smile.

The red door sluggishly creaked open more and more until Mikan's pitiful form was once again visible. She was still quivering like a leaf in the wind, but only flinched at Kaede's gaze instead of running away and hiding this time. "K-K-Kaede… I-I'm s-so sorry! Y-you were just trying to be n-nice, b-but I-I… I… ah! I d-don't deserve it! B-but I-I'm too t-terrible to have any right to say no! I'm sorry!" She shrieked through her tears, barely able to get the words out between her sobs and worse than usual stutter as she curled in on herself as much as she physically could while standing. Mikan tried to close the door, but before she even realized what she was doing, Kaede blocked it with her foot. "H-huh? Ah! I'm sorr-"

"It's okay, Mikan. Really. I forgave you last night, remember?" She reminded tenderly, watching uncertainly as the nurse suddenly stiffened.

"Y-you meant that? B-but d-d-don't y-you… hate me?” Mikan’s voice was little more than a whimper, fresh tears rolling down her face before she even finished the question.

Kaede’s eyes widened, her smile dropping out of sheer surprise before she shook her head without another millisecond of hesitation. “No! I could never hate a friend!”

The lavender-haired girl gasped like Kaede had struck her. Even more tears welled in her greyish-purple irises, her lip trembling and choked sobs rocking her body. “R-r-r-really? Y-y-you w-wouldn’t…? B-but am I r-really your friend? D-do you even want t-to be friends with someone as h-h-horrible as m-me?”

“I promise. No matter what happened before we met, I want to be friends with you, and friends care about each other,” Kaede allowed the smallest smile to play over her features. She gently reached out and took Mikan's hand in her own, much to the latter's shock. “So that means I care about-oof!” She never got to finish her sentence, however, as at that moment, Mikan lunged forward and engulfed Kaede in the tightest embrace of her life. She could only squeak at the sudden pressure as the nurse hugged her with all the strength in her body.

“Thank you! Thank you thank you thank you!” Tsumuiki cried out at the top of her lungs. She rested her head on Kaede’s shoulder whilst her arms were like a vise around the pianist’s arms and torso, squeezing the girl like her life depended on it. “E-even though we just met, you’re being so nice to me! So thank you so much! I a-almost can't believe you'd want to like me even though I… I…" And in less than a second, Mikan's seemingly boundless joy evaporated entirely as she burst into tears yet again. "I-Ibuki… a-and H-Hiyoko... w-why… oh, I-I'm horrible!"

As awkward as she felt under Tsumiki's bear hug, Kaede shyly returned the embrace, rubbing the nurse's back comfortingly even as she grimaced slightly. "... Should I be doing this? This feels really intimate for someone I just met… but… she clearly needs it, so I guess it's okay?" Kaede uncomfortably deliberated. Despite her own uncertain feelings, that was the easier part of the situation to deal with. The trickier part was figuring out what exactly she was supposed to say. She knew nothing about Mikan's murder. She couldn't guess what could drive such a sweet, shy girl to take a life when she was clearly devastated by her actions after the fact.

By that same token, she had no idea what she could possibly say to ease Mikan's suffering. The only real basis she had were her own regrets and her attempts to console Gonta, who at least had a fairly similar situation to her own and wasn't too distraught to tell her about the parts she didn't know. At the same time, though, she couldn't spend much time trying to figure out an answer as Mikan continued crying into her shoulder. The only thing she could come up with was, "No, you aren't. Everyone here has made… mistakes ..." She forced the word out as if it were a curse, the understatement tasting bitter on her tongue. Choking that down, however, she continued. It seemed like her best option would be to glance over the killing itself and focus on the big picture, similar to what she'd done for the Ultimate Entomologist. "... Bad ones, that can't be fixed. But that doesn't mean everyone here's terrible, right?"

"N-no! Chiaki is my friend, a-and Gundham and Peko can be really nice even though they're kinda scary sometimes! A-and Teruteru… um… oh! He doesn't ignore me!" Mikan steadfastly defended with the most confidence than Kaede had ever heard from her. Glancing over the somewhat concerning description of Teruteru, Kaede latched onto the opportunity.

"So if they aren't terrible people, then that means you aren't either. Doesn't that make sense?" Kaede pointed out with a kind but firm tone. On the inside, she was quietly blessing her lucky stars that Mikan was almost even more trusting than Gonta now that she’d finally lured her out of her shell. There would be no way this argument would work against just about anyone else. After all, it barely worked on herself. A couple moments of silence passed before the terribly shy RN cautiously lifted her chin from Kaede's shoulder and moved back enough for her to see the Ultimate Nurse trying and failing to meet her eyes.

"... Do you r-really believe that?"

It was an unspeakable relief to Kaede that she really meant it when she said, "Yes, I do. I have faith everyone here can be a good person!!" The pianist declared, allowing her smile to grow with her enthusiasm. "But you know that's not entirely true, is it? There's at least one person who is horrible..." A dark voice in her mind bitterly spat. The pianist tried to pretend she hadn't just thought that, lest some small change in her expression send Mikan into another fit of hysterics. Thankfully, the nurse didn’t seem to notice whatever minute change might have happened as one of the brightest and yet frailest smiles Kaede had ever seen gradually split across Mikan’s usually anxious features.

“Y-y-you… you r-really do?” She repeated in a significantly more hopeful tone, though the small wince she gave made it clear some part of her was still afraid of Kaede suddenly doing an about-face and tearing into her. At Kaede’s instant nod and confirming smile, the last few traces of apprehension melted away from Mikan’s expression, the shy Ultimate staring at her like a kid meeting Santa Claus. “Heh… heheheh… th-thank you! Y-you’re so nice… I almost can’t believe it… eeep! N-not that I doubt you! I mean, you’re willing to forgive me of all people, a-and you’re hugging-” Suddenly, Mikan’s eyes went as wide as saucers, fright filling her irises as she practically tossed herself off of Kaede. "AWAH! Oh no! I'm sorry, I shouldn't have just hugged you like that without asking! I could have really hurt you! Y-you’re being so nice, and I’m being so mean! Sorry!" She squeaked out, tears yet again threatening to slip out.

It took nearly everything Kaede had not to groan out in exasperation. “You really don’t have to say sorry so much. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Mikan cringed. “S-sorry… oh, I did it again! I’m s- ooooh…” She whimpered meekly. Another guilty pang hit Akamatsu, but at the same time, it was frustrating her so much to watch someone so ridiculously painfully shy. It must have finally leaked through to her face, because the girl curled into herself even more, exacerbating both of the conflicting negative emotions.

Stifling a sigh, Kaede asked flatout, “Did it make you feel better?”

Tsumiki paused, staring at her confusedly. “H-huh?”

“Did you like hugging me?” The pianist asked again.

The Ultimate Nurse looked apprehensive, nervously tapping her index fingers together. “I… um… well… y-yes. You’re just so n-nice, a-and it felt so s-safe, and- wh-!” Mikan was suddenly cut off as Kaede reinitiated the hug, pulling her in welcomingly despite her personal discomfort with doing something so forward. Half-startled half-delighted greyish purple eyes stared into her own lilac ones. “K-Kaede?!”

The blonde’s lips tugged upwards despite the slightly awkward embarrassment she felt committing the act. “If it makes you feel better, don’t feel sorry for doing it. I mean it when I say I want to help you any way I can. That’s my promise to you, okay?”

After several moments of silence, Tsumiki cautiously returned the embrace, as if Kaede were a snake that could leap out and bite her for any false move. When no such thing happened, the girl finally seemed to relax, decoiling in Kaede’s arms. “... I-I don’t know how I could ever th-thank you enough… no one’s ever, ever done something that nice to me, not even people who wanted me to do f-favors for them…” Mikan almost giddily replied.

“‘Favors’ for them...? I don’t think I like where that’s going at all … but I shouldn’t scold her for being taken advantage of. I’ll just have to make sure I talk to her about it later…” She thought to herself in mild concern at the nurse’s implications. She’d simply have to put it on the list of things she’d have to work with her new friends to solve, landing somewhere in importance between escaping the ship, getting the others out of their rooms, and getting Teruteru to be less perverted on the ladder of urgency. “You don’t have to worry about paying me back for anything. I’m happy to help! But, if you’re okay with it, it would mean a lot to me if you had dinner with all of us. We’ve been really worried about you...”

“You have? I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make anyone worry! You can hit me if it helps!” Tsumiki panicked, the precise opposite of the reaction Kaede was going for. So much for making her feel welcome!

“No! No one’s going to hit you! I meant they’d be happy to see you!” Kaede frantically corrected. The nurse stilled in her arms, looking at her oddly.

“People would be happy… to see me ?” She questioned in clear disbelief.

Akamatsu nodded yet again, still caught between serious concern and astonishment at just how little Mikan actually thought of herself. “Of course! Who wouldn’t be happy to see a nice, cute girl like you?”

Mikan’s eyes nearly bugged out of her skull. “H- huh ?! Y-you think I’m…!” She trailed off, the compliment clearly taking her by surprise as her face turned bright red. A few moments later, Tsumiki managed a somewhat nervous if still positive smile. “U-um… well, if you’d like to, and people won’t hate me too much for being there, then… I think that sounds nice. Um, if you don’t mind, or change your mind later, or… oh, s-sorry for wasting your time. I really am happy about this! S-so, um, yes please!” The neurotic nurse finally managed to agree, still holding on to Kaede for support despite the uneasy but genuine grin on her face. An accomplished delight filled Kaede at the sight.

Before she could say anything more, however, a series of heavy footsteps rumbled from the stairway moments before Kaito appeared, quickly making his way down the steps. “Yo, Kaede! Is that you and Mikan? Great job getting-” He suddenly stopped short as he came into view, confusing Kaede until she realized they still had their arms wrapped around each other. Combine that with the scarlet dusting Mikan’s cheeks and… oh . “... Uh... guess you really made a connection… good for you guys!” He declared with a thumbs up, oh-so-smoothly transitioning from awkward surprise to his usual brand of over the top upbeatness.

Mikan squeaked out in dismay, yanking her arms off of Kaede and burying her blushing face in them. “EEEEP! N-no! She wasn't- we weren't- oooh! N-n-not again! I’m so s-sorry, Kaede!” The nurse wailed, horrified. Kaede glared at Kaito, whose expression was one of slightly apologetic bewilderment.

"Seriously?!" Was the only phrase that came to mind. She'd been on this ship for less than two full days, and she'd had no less than four different people make comments about her supposedly getting together with another girl! She wasn't particularly ashamed or apologetic about that aspect of it -if she found a girl attractive, they'd find out pretty quickly, as Tsumugi could attest to- but the fact that they didn't seem to realize just how rude it was to keep assuming things about her was incredibly annoying! Sure, she could be a bit of a flirt at times, but she wasn't some f*ckless playgirl that just went around seducing anyone that caught her eye! Honestly, she couldn't believe the nerve of some people!

Somehow, every last word of that rant must have been carried in her gaze, as Kaito bashfully scratched the back of his head, unable to meet Akamatsu's judging gaze any longer. "Uh… sorry. My bad. Didn't mean to embarrass ya. Just wanted to say it's good to see you out and about. And thanks for keeping up the good work, sidekick!" He said, most of his previous energy coming back despite Kaede's harsh look.

Mikan, looking slightly less humiliated, stared at him. "It is…? Hehe… thank you!"

Seeing how easily mollified the nurse was by Kaito's recovery, she decided to let the issue drop despite her annoyance. "Of course. Always glad to help a friend!”

Kaito beamed at her. “Knew I could count on you! Any luck with the other guys?”

Kaede shook her head. “I haven’t tried yet. I wanted to wait until you got back.” She explained, “just in case” going unsaid but clear nonetheless.

“Ah. Sorry about the wait, then. Leon got pretty pissed off when I beat him, so we ended up arguing about baseball for a while before Gundham showed up and started shouting about… soccer, I think? It was pretty convoluted even by that guy’s standards. Took forever for them to give up, but as expected, the Luminary of the Stars came out on top! Even if was only by one coin!” He boasted pridefully. Kaede couldn’t help but smirk.

“So… you finally found someone with even worse gambling luck than you, Kaito?” She teased, earning a glower from the Ultimate Astronaut.

“Tch! That’s a bad way to look at it! You should be focusing on the fact that he owes us a baseball game now!” Kaito scolded sulkingly. Shaking his head, he changed the topic. “Point being, I’m here now, so let’s do it! Who do you guys wanna try first?”

“Um… I’m sorry, b-but I’m not trained to treat emotional or psychological t-trauma, so I don’t think I’ll be very useful… sorry. Um… and… to be honest, they seem kinda scary… oh, th-that was mean of me...” Mikan meekly added, looking ashamed.

“Ah, c’mon, Mikan! It’s not like we’ve got training for that either. It’s not about knowing exactly what to do, it’s trying to do it in the first place!” Kaito trumpeted, pumping a fist that Mikan violently flinched at, much to the former’s surprise. “Huh? You okay?”

“Ah! Sorry! I d-didn’t mean to insult you! Or make you worried! I-it’s good that you want to help people, a-and I do too! I just… um… people don’t really like talking to me, and then I start saying sorry so much they get upset or ramble and… oh no! I’m doing that right now! Sorry! I… I‘ll just stop talking now...” She trailed off miserably, looking like she might cry again. Kaito, by contrast, was clearly confused and slightly guilty.

“Geez… how can she live like this? Being scared and sad all the time… I thought Shuichi had bad anxiety problems, but she makes him look like Kaito in comparison! She really needs a friend right now…” Kaede noted pitifully. Well, she was more than willing to be exactly that for her timid companion. The pianist gained a simper as she spoke. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Mikan. And you don’t have to be sorry for being who you are, either. We aren’t going to force you to do something you don’t want to… but you shouldn’t be afraid to do it because you don’t believe in yourself,” Akamatsu clasped her hands together reassuringly. “Even if you can’t find that strength in yourself, if you borrow the strength of your friends, you can do anything you want!”

Momota latched onto Kaede’s supportive words to rejoin the conversation. “That’s right! The impossible is possible; all you have to do is make it so! As long as Kaede and I have your back, nothing can stop you!”

Tsumiki stared at the two in absolute stupefaction, nervously holding her hands together almost in a sad parody of Kaede’s friendly gesture. “B-both of you… want to be my friend? Two people like me…? I… thank you so much!” The nurse practically exploded with joy. “I’ve never made so many friends at once in my whole life! I-if you both believe in me, th-then… I’ll try! I promise!”

“Alright! Welcome to the team, Mikan!” Kaito bombastically welcomed with a grin to match. His fists slammed together like a gavel passing a ruling. “Between the three of us, there’s no way they’ll say no! Lead the way, Kaede!”

Giving a confirming nod, Kaede debated her options. Kaito mentioned Sakura had at least heard him out when he invited her to lunch, whereas Mondo hadn’t even answered the door. That meant Mondo was likely dealing with it a lot worse than the Ultimate Martial Artist, but on the other hand, the latter would probably be easier to talking into joining the group. Between the two of them, Sakura would also be less likely to react overly negatively and frighten Mikan. Considering their chances of success with either one, Sakura seemed like the safer pick to Kaede’s mind as she led her companions to Ogami’s suite and knocked.

It didn’t take long to receive an answer, Sakura’s door gently opening as the martial artist stepped before them with crossed arms. Well, this was going smoother than her attempts at helping Mikan already, given that she’d actually acknowledged them without several minutes of coaxing before even answering the door. Sakura, for her part, looked infinitely more composed than Mikan had, though her stiff body language made it clear she wasn’t in a particularly upbeat mood either. The goliath bowed her head respectfully. “... Kaede, Kaito, Mikan… good evening. I am glad to see you are recovering, considering yesterday… I imagine there is much on your minds.”

Sakura’s voice seemed somewhat bittersweet, caught somewhere between genuine relief and distinct discomfort. It was strange to hear such apprehension from someone as stoic and quietly confident as Ogami… until her words from the day prior suddenly rang in Kaede’s head. “That’s right… she had one of the worst reactions to Monokuma before he used that… thing, on us. What was it she said…? ‘To take an innocent life is beyond forgiveness. I would sooner die than do something so cowardly’... and now that she knows all of us are killers… she must be as shaken up as I was. She can’t forgive murderers, and yet that’s the only kind of people here. Even ignoring everything she must be going through too, that would explain why she’s so hesitant to join us for anything…”

On the outside, Kaede frowned a little at the reminder of their shared sin. “Yeah… you could say that… it’s… a lot to take in,” The pianist quietly agreed, before shaking her head slightly. “... But, I know we’re not the only ones dealing with it right now. Me, Kaito, and the others have been trying to help each other as much as we can, and we were hoping we could talk with you, too. Kirumi’s making dinner, and it shouldn’t be that long before it’s ready. Would you like to join?”

Ogami hummed, closing her eyes. “Your concern is appreciated… but no. This is a battle I must face alone.”

Kaito crossed his arms. “Ah, c’mon, Sakura. That’s crap. A hero by himself is all well and good, but what happens when there’s something he can’t do alone? Everyone needs sidekicks, or at least some good friends!”

Kaede’s smile faltered to a pensive frown. “Kaito’s right. I can tell you first hand that trying to solve everything by yourself never ends well. It just hurts the people you were trying to protect...” She sorrowfully advised, stifling a guilty sigh. The bitter irony of her and Rantaro’s shared folly was by no means lost on her. The Ultimate Astronaut shot her a sympathetic glance, but didn’t comment on it.

“... You both speak wisely,” The gentle giant of a woman conceded. A moment later, however, she opened one eye, a silver orb containing the certainty of a lifelong warrior. “But that’s not my reason for isolating myself. It’s not merely a petty matter of pride. It’s one of safety.”

Kaede co*cked an eyebrow. “ You’re worried someone might attack you? I don’t think there’s many people here who could even try that, let alone want to.”

The musclebound girl chuckled curtly and ruefully. “Precisely the problem. No one here stands a chance of defeating me… or defending themselves against me. That is why I must remain alone until I can guarantee the safety of those around me.”

“Huh?! Hold up, you’re saying you’re scared you might hurt someone?” Kaito shot out in clear bewilderment. Ogami nodded.

“More or less, yes. Until I remember why I committed my crime, I refuse to put anyone else at risk. To do so would be an even graver dishonor than I’ve already brought on myself.”

“Um… I-I’m sorry, but… self-deprecating thoughts like that are very bad for you! Studies show a clear link between negative thoughts and declining health! A-and it’s also important you eat properly! Even missing just a couple meals can really throw off your metabolism! If you haven’t come out since yesterday, you’re already low on nutrients and digging into your protein stores, which can break down your muscles and all sorts of terrible things!” Mikan frantically retorted with a rarely seen level of confidence that looked almost alien on the meek nurse. A sort of slightly annoyed yet concerned panic danced in her eyes as she lectured the fighter, who flinched slightly at the remark.

“... Tch. While you’re correct that I can feel my muscles weakening each moment we remain confined here, this is nothing new. Eating properly or not will not prevent me from losing strength, but limiting my time around other people can protect them from me. I am willing to forgo my health -and even my promise to Kenshiro- for the moment if it means I can ensure the safety of the other prisoners on this ship.”

Kaede crossed her arms, her frown deepening. “But doesn’t the fact that you’re so against hurting one of us prove you won’t? Someone willing to kill wouldn’t be that focused on protecting a bunch of strangers.”

Sakura’s eyes darkened so much that it was as if Kaede were staring into a black hole of pure silent rage. “I swore to myself I would never fall for Monokuma’s treachery enough to take another’s life… yet here I am, and I can’t even remember why . It’s clear I can no longer trust myself.”

Kaito’s fist flew from his side into the air, sending his coat billowing out behind him. “Then trust us enough to help you find the truth! We’re all trying to solve our own mysteries here, but imagine how much faster we could do them if we worked together!” He bellowed. Flashing a grin, he added, “Take it from the guy who mentored the Ultimate Detective: he does all his finest work when he has friends around to back him up! He didn’t believe himself either until he let in the people trying to help him, and once he did, he became unstoppable! I bet he’s figuring out some real life Bond villain’s plans as we speak!”

Kaede couldn’t help the wistful smile that pulled at her lips. After all the detective’s hesitation and fearfulness of exposing people’s sins, the fact that Kaito was so confident in his declaration about Shuichi made her heart soar. Of course he was doing great things! If anyone could have solved the killing game, it was him. That was their promise, after all… but she couldn’t dwell on that right now. She had to focus on convincing Sakura to join them, which didn’t seem to be working well right now, given how her jaw tightened.

“You speak as if I haven’t already betrayed my friends to arrive here. It’s clear he did no such thing, and it’s doubtful that he is considered one of the strongest people in the world. If this truth causes me to succumb again, what then?”

Kaito bared his teeth. “You keep assuming you’re gonna fail! You should go in assuming you’ll win!”

Akamatsu pursed her lips uncertainly. “Hmm… I think you both have a point. You should plan on succeeding, Sakura, but a backup plan wouldn’t be a bad idea. You’re afraid no one here could stop you if something went wrong… but what if there was? If you reached out to them, you could get help from friends and make sure there was someone tough enough to keep everyone else safe if something went wrong.”

Sakura looked at her with a mix of intrigue and confusion. “... Who are you suggesting?”

Kaito slammed his fists together loudly, grinning triumphantly. “Well, who’s better equipped than the Luminary of the Stars? Kaito Momota never fails his sidekicks! It’d be my pleasure to take you under my wing! How about it?”

Ogami was less than impressed if her doubtful stare was any indication. “Without being cruel, you wouldn’t be much of a challenge, Kaito, and you’re one of the stronger people here. Though appreciated, I cannot accept your offer.”

Kaito’s face fell, the astronaut somewhat taken aback by the dismissal. Despite his bruised ego, he didn’t get to retort as Mikan spoke up, nervously tapping her index fingers. “Um… in that case, what about Mondo? He’s really strong, and he knows you, so he could help… um, maybe… sorry for assuming things!” Tsumiki frantically added, hiding behind Kaede like a scared child. The pianist tried her hardest not to sigh.

Sakura shook her head. "He is physically capable without a doubt, but he's undisciplined and quick to anger. He could only win a fight against someone weaker than him, and only if he did so quickly if his opponent had any form of training. Besides… given how his killing unfolded, I doubt he would be willing to even spar with a girl, let alone enter a real battle with one." She rumbled, a twinge of sadness painting her deep voice.

Kaede's brow twitched, her eyes closed in thought. "Hmm… think, Kaede. We need someone who's well trained in combat, decently strong, and emotionally composed… is there anyone like that here…?" She mulled over for a moment before the answer practically slapped her in the face.

"... What about Peko? She's not exactly eager to talk to people right now, but I think you two could get on pretty well. Plus, I don't think there's anyone better at fighting here than the two of you." Kaede suggested.

Kaito brightened up in an instant. "Hey, good idea, Kaede! Peko's pretty tough and doesn't mess around, but she isn't a jackass about it either! Right, Mikan?"

The nurse startled at suddenly being called out, her eyes widening in surprise. "Huh?! Er-um-I mean- yes! Peko's a great friend! Sorry! I should have said that sooner! I-I just didn't think you'd care about my opinion!"

Kaede couldn't hold back her slight scowl. "Seriously, Mikan. You really don't have to be sorry for everything. We believe in you, remember?" The pianist pouted in exasperation. That didn't stop the twinge of guilt that hit her at Mikan's cringe.

"S-sorry…" Tsumiki murmured dejectedly. Kaede winced a little, but didn't have time to apologize before Ogami spoke again.

“Hmm… the swordswoman, correct?” Sakura questioned, humming in thought at Kaede’s confirming nod. “She is doubtlessly capable to earn such a title. I can see it in how she carries herself. But… are you certain she would want my company?”

Kaede’s lips thinned. The natural answer was to lie and say yes, but the first answer isn’t always the right one. Sure, she could lie and make things easier for herself immediately, but what happened when Peko almost inevitably reacted poorly to whatever attempt at commeradirie Sakura made? Even if the martial artist didn’t resent her for lying, she’d likely stop trying to connect with Pekoyama, and with that she’d close off her best chance of getting Ogami to integrate with the others. It wasn’t a particularly convenient answer, but they say honesty is the best policy for a reason, don’t they?

“To be honest… no-”

“Kaede! Seriously?!” Kaito immediately interrupted, staring at Kaede in a mixture of surprise and disbelieving annoyance.

“ But ,” Kaede tersed out to retake the conversation. At the very least, it satisfied Kaito enough to make him shut up. “I think that’s just because she’s lonely too. Peko doesn’t seem like she had many friends in general. Kaito, remember when she mentioned people are usually afraid of her as soon as they meet? She’s probably used to being alone. But if she had someone that understood what it’s like to be feared for their looks or talent, maybe she’d be more willing to open up to people.”

Sakura studied Kaede for a long, quiet moment before turning to the side, her expression unreadable. After a beat passed, a low murmur sounded from the powerhouse of a student. “... You’ve given me much to think about. I can’t promise I’ll join you yet… but this could be another path forward. Thank you.”

The Ultimate Pianist nodded. “That’s fair. Just keep it in mind, okay? No one should have to go through this alone, not when there are people that can help.”

The barest hint of a smile tugged at Sakura’s lips, her eyes closing once again. “Your determination is admirable. It reminds me of a friend… I will consider what you’ve told me. Goodbye, for now.” Sakura bid farewell, giving one final nod and gently closing the door. After a moment, Kaito clicked his tongue.

“Well… that went alright, I guess. At least she’s thinking about it now…”

“D-did I not try hard enough? I’m sorry… you two believed in me, and I let you down…” Mikan whimpered meekly from behind Kaede. The blonde looked at her sympathetically, her earlier guilt at upsetting the frail hearted Ultimate.

“No, Mikan, you did great.”

The nurse blinked at her in confusion. “Huh? But she didn’t come out…”

“But now she’s willing to. If someone’s really dead set on something, one conversation won’t instantly change their mind. Just getting someone to consider doing something different is a success,” Kaede explained with a small smile. “I’m proud of you for trying, and I’m sorry for snapping at you earlier. Keep up the good work, and have a bit of confidence in yourself, okay?”

Kaito gave a thumbs up. “Not bad at all for a first effort! Not that I ever had doubts, of course. Kaede knows how to pick ‘em.”

Mikan opened her mouth as if she were going to protest or ask if they were serious, but after a moment, let it fall into a giddy if slightly anxious grin. “... Eheheh… th-thank you! I’ll do my best!” The nurse happily announced. A few seconds later, she blinked. “But, um… what exactly are we trying next?”

Kaede checked her monopad’s clock. “Well, it’s six-thirty right now. We should still have a little bit of time to try and get Mondo out of his room before Kirumi and Teruteru are done. Let’s give that a shot.”

Kaito yet again slammed his knuckles together (though at this point, Kaede couldn’t help but wonder how he could do that gesture so much without hurting his hands) and grinned. “Alright! Leave it to me! I’ll level with him, man to man!” The astronaut shouted confidently as he marched to Mondo’s door and rang the doorbell with Kaede and Mikan in tow. Following several seconds of silence, he pressed it again. And again. By the fourth beat without response, he was mashing the button over and over and knocking directly on the door, his triumphant beam falling to a look of mild annoyance. “Yo! Mondo! It’s Kaito again! Open up so we can talk!”

Kaede co*cked an eyebrow, staring at Momota in cross between amusem*nt and severe doubt. “Um… is this seriously your plan?”

“It was good enough to get Maki Roll out of her lab! Same basic principle!”

Akamatsu stared at him dumbly. “... ‘Maki Roll’? Since when was Maki close enough with… anyone to let someone call her that without punching them or something?”

She wouldn’t get to ponder that for long, however, as there was a very sudden and very loud thud from the other side of the door that made Mikan jump with a frightened yelp. “ f*ck OFF, SPACE CASE! AIN’T f*ckIN’ INTERESTED! ” Mondo’s muffled voice roared from his room.

Momota’s look of surprise only lasted a second before swapping to a fierce look of determination. “C’mon, don’t be like that! We’re all gonna eat dinner together! You can’t tell me you aren’t hungry; I know you haven’t left all day!” Kaito retorted, only to be met with another thud of whatever Mondo was throwing against his door. He scowled. “Stop throwing crap around and talk to me, or I’ll camp here until you do!”

The ahoged blonde knitted her brow at the purple-haired wannabe hero. “Kaito, I don’t think that’s going to work. Let me try.”

“I’ve got-”

Kaede glowered at him, crossing her arms warningly. “ Kaito …”

Kaito held her gaze, the moments dragging by as their determination clashed. At the very least, he was too busy having to keep up his half of the staring contest to keep pounding on the biker’s door. “... It’s like a puppy’s glaring at me,” Momota smirked. It only served to make her scowl deepen, which unintentionally seemed to amuse him more, feeding into the cycle of pouting. At long last, he rolled his eyes with a scoff. “Tch, fine. You try.” He conceded, waving a hand.

“Thank you,” She gruffed, rolling her eyes at his smirk and stepping up to the door. “Hey, Mondo? It’s Kaede. Sorry about Kaito. He can be a bit… forceful. I get it if you don’t want to talk, and you don’t have to, but-” Yet another thud caught her off guard, far louder to her sensitive ears with how close she was to the impact.

“ Just leave me the hell alone, alright?! I’m just f*ckin’ peachy without you guys botherin’ me, and you’ll be better off without me around to f*ck things up! Now piss off! ”

Akamatsu stood there for a moment in shock. That… didn’t go like she thought it would. She glanced back at her companions, Mikan looking like she was about to burst into tears whilst anger flashed across Kaito’s face. She figured Mondo would be more difficult than Sakura, but the pianist hadn’t expected an outright refusal to even talk. It was pretty apparent he had the same concerns as the martial artist, though he was much more… visceral about it. What could she do about that, though? Get him to connect with someone like she did with Sakura? That could work… but who? Kaito was out of the question if their interactions so far were anything to go by. Ogami mentioned he wouldn’t be comfortable around girls, so that immediately wiped out half of the people on the ship. Maybe she could-

Before she could come up with a solution, the sounds of heavy approaching footsteps drew her attention to Gonta as he made his way down the corridor from the dining hall. “Ah! There friends are! Hello!” The entomologist happily greeted with a wave of one of his massive paws, grinning widely at the trio of Ultimates. Kaito returned his beam whilst Mikan said hello back… and promptly apologized for assuming she was one of his friends. By contrast, Kaede looked up at him curiously from her spot by Mondo’s door.

“Hey, Gonta. Were you looking for us?” She inquired.

Gokuhara nodded sharply. “Yes. Kiurmi ask Gonta to find friends and tell them to meet in dining hall soon. Gonta lucky to find people so quickly!”

Kaede hummed. “Guess dinner will be ready soon… did you hear that, Mondo? If you want, we could just leave you a-”

KA-SLAM

“ GO THE f*ck AWAY ALREADY! ” The Ultimate Biker demanded, throwing something large enough that Kaede felt the impact through the door. The pianist jumped and scrambled away from it instantly, staring at Mondo’s suite with wide eyes that slowly narrowed into a cringe.

“... Okay… I think it’s safe to say he’s not coming out right now…” Kaede conceded, cautiously stepping away from the door. Kaito frowned, crossing his arms.

“What, we’re giving up just like that? We’ve barely started on him! You guys go eat. I’ll stay here and wait for him to come out.”

Akamatsu looked at him, decidedly unimpressed. “Kaito, I don’t think there’s anything we can say right now that will get him to come out, or do anything other than annoy him. We should give him more time.”

“Um… if it’s okay to say, I think Kaede’s right. You can’t really help someone that doesn’t want it, at least not with emotional trauma. You can try your best, b-but unless they actually want to change, they’ll just keep hurting themselves. I wasn’t thinking about it until Kaede said it, but I’ve had a lot of patients like that…” Tsumiki offered shyly.

Momota clenched his jaw irritably, but didn’t outright refuse. Gonta, hopelessly goodhearted as he was, put a hand on Kaito’s shoulder. “Is okay, Kaito. You, Gonta and friends can try again later, when Mondo less mad! Gonta have faith we can help when time is right!”

A ghost of a smile pulled at Kaito’s lips. “You know it, big guy. Alright, fine. Let’s have a bit of something and figure things out from there. Lead the way, Kaede.”

Gonta scratched the back of his head, his massive fingers disappearing into his mane of a haircut. “Um… before friends go, does anyone know where other friends are? Gonta still have to find them, and ship is big place…”

“Oh, right. You should be able to see where everyone is on your map.” Kaede said, pulling out her monopad and demonstrating for the larger Ultimate. Gonta’s eyes lit up.

“Oh! That very helpful! Thank you, Kaede!” He said warmly, pulling out his own tablet and mimicking her actions. It looked more like a smartphone in his giant palm, but he didn’t seem to struggle reading it at all despite holding it at nearly arm’s length. “Gonta see friends shortly! Goodbye for now!”

With that, the gentle giant continued down the hall, his thunderous footsteps eventually fading away enough that even Kaede struggled to hear them without focusing. The pianist glanced at the map to see if there was anyone already inside the dining hall. Most of the students aboard seemed to already be there already (including Celestia, though Kaede had no clue when the gambler managed to sneak past them), with the notable exceptions being Sakura, Mondo, Gonta, Leon, Gundham, and...

“... Huh. Gonta missed Chiaki. I think she’s still napping… we should probably get her up…” She noted. It wouldn’t be much of a hassle; the gamer’s room was on the way to the dining hall anyway.

Upon walking over and ringing the doorbell, Kaede could hear Chiaki’s sluggish movements inside the room. A few moments later, the pink-haired girl opened the door, rubbing her eyes and looking up blearily at the pianist. “Huh…? Oh… hi, Kaede. What’s-” Nanami abruptly stopped, suddenly stiffening as her eyes locked on to Mikan. After a moment, Chiaki blinked, all traces of drowsiness disappearing instantly. “... Hey, Mikan.”

The nurse in question smirked nervously, offering a tiny wave. “H-hi, Chiaki. Gonta told us dinner was almost ready, so we wanted to ask if you wanted to join us! Um… not that you have to sit with me if you don’t want to.”

Chiaki stared for a moment before seeming to come to her senses, blinking again and nodding. “Yep, sounds good. Just need a second…” She said, disappearing back into the room for a couple moments before reappearing with her handhelds. “Okay, ready… I think.”

Kaito looked at her quizzically. “Do you go anywhere without some game to play?”

“No,” Chiaki said blankly. At Kaito’s confused stare, she tilted her head. “... Is that weird?”

Momota scratched the back of his head. “Kind of? I mean, Kaede doesn’t have like a tiny piano in her pocket… wait, do you?” The astronaut questioned. Kaede giggled a little at just how serious he looked despite the absurd question.

“No… but to be honest, I probably would if I could.” She admitted, grinning somewhat sheepishly. “... At least, I would if it wasn’t so tainted for me now.”

“I always keep syringes in my pocket in case anyone needs shots! Would you like some?” Mikan way too enthusiastically asked, pulling out a syringe and a vial of some sort to prove her claim. Kaede cringed, subconsciously taking a couple steps away from the medic.

“Um… no thanks! Maybe some other time?” Kaede playcatted, crossed between not wanting to upset Mikan yet again while also really not wanting to get injected with some unknown substance by someone who was still an almost complete stranger.

Tsumiki slumped a little. “Oh… okay… what about you, Kaito?” She suddenly perked up again, turning towards the Ultimate Astronaut, who looked absolutely horrified at suddenly being targeted.

“H-huh?! No way, I don’t want-” Kaede glared at him warningly. As much as she appreciated Kaito’s spirit and friendship, his habit of letting his mouth run faster than his mind was a dangerous one when it came to someone as easily rattled as Mikan. Seeming to realize her intention, Kaito made an admittedly pretty smooth recovery. “-to mess up NASA’s schedule! They’re, uh, pretty strict about when astronauts get shots and stuff like that. Tell you what, though! I should be good to get some by the next time Hailey’s Comet comes around!”

Mikan’s eyes widened. “Ah! I forgot you were an astronaut! You’re right; it could be really bad if you get exposed to too much too quickly! Sorry! B-but, um, if you don’t mind me doing it then, that sounds good!”

Kaede wordlessly raised an eyebrow at the two. “... Isn’t that the comet that only comes by once every seventy-five years…? Mikan’s going to be waiting a long time, I guess.”

Before Tsumiki could even ask, Chiaki shook her head. “I’m good, thanks… but if you want, we could play some Doctor Mario together.”

“Um… I d-don’t know much about video games, but I’ll try! Thank you!” Mikan agreed contently, seemingly appeased despite being zero-for-three on her attempts to medicate her fellow students. Chiaki flicked on her console and handed the other to Mikan, the electronic beeps and chirps becoming a part of the background noise as the four entered the relatively full dining hall. The nearly dozen Ultimates were spread throughout the room, some of them in their usual cliques whilst others seemed to branch out. Towards the back of the hall near the kitchen was the rather strange squad of Korekiyo, Hifumi, Tsumugi, and a somewhat bored/annoyed Celeste staring at them as Yamada and Shinguji heartily discussed the anthropological value of the concept of fanworks as an expression of human creativity, with the occasional remark from the Ultimate Cosplayer. Peko, as usual, sat alone in the far right corner of the room, monitoring the room with a steely gaze. Kirumi was waiting the tables, effortlessly balancing a tray of drinks in one hand and serving them to their respective guests at Celeste’s table with the other.

Just as soon as she’d finished with them, Kirumi glanced over to the door and saw the four new arrivals, turning and approaching them. “Hello again, Mister Momota, Miss Nanami, Kaede. Miss Tsumiki, I’m pleased to see you join us tonight,” Tojo greeted, bowing her head with a professional but warm smile. Mikan startled slightly ( “Is it really that hard for her to accept that people like her?” Kaede mentally frowned. ), but settled on a pleased -if unduly amazed- expression. Kirumi slightly inclined her head towards the tables. “Please, take a seat. I’ll return with refreshments shortly. Any particular requests?”

The maid diligently took their orders and guided them to one of the unclaimed tables, the four teens taking their seats and chatting. Most of the conversation consisted of Kaito regaling them with totally-not-exaggerated tales of his past adventures, though it eventually shifted into a surprisingly in depth conversation with Mikan about the space agency’s health standards and medical technology that was originally developed for space exploration. For once, Mikan was legitimately confident during the discussion, eagerly asking questions and providing some trivia along the way. It warmed Kaede’s heart to see the often terror stricken girl with a wide smile on her face considerably… even if the space talk started massively losing her interest by the third invention.

A short while later, Gonta returned with a somewhat smug Gundham and a rather annoyed Leon. Kaito smirked co*ckily and waved at the redhead… who proceeded to scowl and flip him off before storming over to Gonta’s usual table. Gundham confidently strutted over and joined them, putting the Dark Devas on the table. Reaching into his coat, he pulled out four small packs of sunflower seeds, dangling them about a foot in the air above the table. To Kaede’s amazement, the hamster’s took only a moment to stare up at the packets before squeaking at each other and clambering on top of the largest of them on only their hind legs, forming a wobbling tower of fluff that stretched up to just under Gundham’s hand. Jum-P (she thought, it was hard keeping track of which hamster was which) formed the final head of the tower, staying perfectly still for a long moment before leaping the final few inches into the air and ripping the treats out of the trainer’s hands, the other Devas quickly disassembling their tower to form a landing pad for their friend. Kaede almost felt like clapping at the remarkable display. Even Leon, despite his sour mood, looked impressed, though he didn’t appaude either. Gonta, however, more than made up for their hesitation.

Appetizers were served some time after. It was more of a small buffet of items than a dedicated serving, mostly consisting of an admittedly large salad bar, a veritable amount of breadsticks, and a tub of French onion soup. Between it and the main course served later, it was evident that Kirumi and Teruteru’s cooking was as delectable as ever, but it would prove to be far from the most notable thing that night. The first highlight of the dinner occurred shortly after the first course of the meal was sent out. “... and that’s how we ended up with lasik technology! Pretty cool, right?” Kaito merrily explained, grinning between sips of his soup.

“... It probably wouldn’t be polite to tell him it was boring, would it?” Kaede noted dryly as she glanced around the table. Mikan looked genuinely enraptured by the whole discussion while Chiaki had apparently fallen asleep at some point, if her bleary-eyed confusion and soft ‘huh?’ was anything to go by. Thankfully, Mikan’s enthusiastic reply protected her from having to either obviously lie to or embarass one of her friends.

“Yes! It’s kind of crazy to think something originally meant for satellites ended up being so useful for restoring eyesight… a lot of really important discoveries are made completely on accident like that, actually. Penicillin was found after someone forgot to get rid of petri dishes. In fact…” Mikan continued, though Kaede tuned out in favor of the soft sound of the door opening. She glanced at the entrance out of mild curiosity only to be pleasantly surprised by the sight of Sakura wordlessly walking in. The almost monolithic woman’s arrival didn’t draw much attention, most of the students too caught up in their own conversations to hear her (likely intentionally) quiet arrival. Figuring Sakura probably didn’t want to be put on the spot, Kaede simply smiled and gave a small wave that the fighter returned with a nod.

After scanning the room for a moment, Sakura approached the table of appetizers and took a modest cup of soup before turning in Peko’s direction. Kirumi, who had been serving Celeste tea when Sakura entered, finally took notice of the powerful Ultimate. Excusing herself, the maid moved to intercept Sakura, politely clearing her throat to catch her attention. “Good evening, Miss Ogami. I’m pleased to see you’ve decided to join us. Feel free to sit wherever you’d like. However… I wouldn’t recommend trying to engage Miss Pekoyama right now. She requested to be left alone. I… don’t believe it would be pleasant if you disturbed her.” Kirumi quietly explained. Kaede doubted anyone else would have been able to hear it, as even her trained ears were slightly struggling to pick up on it above the general chatter of the over dozen Ultimates.

Sakura looked from Kirumi to Peko and back again. “... I understand. Thank you for your concern. It is, however, unnecessary.” The martial artist intoned politely before continuing her slow advance towards Peko’s table. Once she was about five feet away from the closest seat, the swordswoman put a warning hand on her sheath, glaring darkly at the muscular Ultimate. Sakura paused for only a moment, perhaps waiting to see if Peko would further escalate things. When it was clear Pekoyama wouldn’t try anything unless provoked, Sakura calmly continued, setting the bowl down on the table and taking a seat opposite of the still-glowering warrior, greeting her with a respectful bow of her head.

A wordless tension settled over the two as Peko kept glaring at the fellow fighter, her hand refusing to waver from the hilt of her blade. Even despite the clear and present danger mere feet away from her, however, Sakura simply ate her soup in silence. At least a quarter of a minute passed before the black-clad samurai slowly reached for her spoon with her spare hand, hesitantly resuming her meal. Kaede couldn’t see Ogami’s expression from her seat, but the martial artist must have been smirking as Peko scowled at her. “Why are you smiling?”

“You’re ambidextrous. You fight with your right hand, but clearly have no trouble using your left. It’s a rare skill to possess, even for an Ultimate.” Sakura rumbled, a touch of admiration in her tone.

“... It was part of my training. My senseis intended for me to be as proficient as possible, no matter the circ*mstances.” Peko conceded, her icy features only slightly softening.

“Mine as well. I learned from having my dominant arm tied behind my back, forcing me to defend myself with my weaker arm until I learned to control it just as well. I assume you learned through a similar method?”

The swordswoman studied her for a long moment before ultimately nodding. “... Yes. I had to be prepared to fight in any situation. So, when my right arm was broken in an accident, I began training with my left…” Peko explained, telling a somewhat vague but remarkable story of her early training that Sakura later followed up with a tale of her own. It was somewhat stiff and reserved on Peko’s part, but the fact that she was willing to tolerate someone else’s presence at her table, let alone speak with them, was a major success. Kaede stopped listening in to allow the pair some privacy, but made no effort to hide her content grin at the sight.

“... Hey, Kaede, what are you looking…? Huh. Guess your plan paid off. Nice work, Kaede,” Kaito praised, apparently finally noticing where she’d been looking at seeing the pair of isolationist warriors chatting amongst themselves. The astronaut grinned. “Maybe she’ll be willing to train with us now! Alright! If that’s happening, I’ll need more fuel for it! Back in a second!” He triumphantly declared, rising from his seat and all but strutting to the salad bar.

“Um… I think I’ll get some more, too, if that’s alright...” Mikan said, pausing and looking at Kaede. It took her a moment to realize the nurse was genuinely asking for permission before she gave her the go-ahead, pointing out that she really didn’t have to ask about something like that. Tsumiki almost giddily thanked her (much to Kaede’s increasing worry for just how low Mikan’s confidence actually was) and quickly moved to join Kaito. Once Mikan wasn’t looking, Akamatsu’s lips thinned.

“... Do you think she’s okay? I’ve known shy people, but this is way deeper than that...” Kaede hummed uncertainly.

“... I was kind of wondering about that. This is going to sound a bit weird, but… can I ask you something, Kaede?” Chiaki asked, looking the pianist in the eye with a weirdly determined look for the often bleary-eyed gamer. Kaede tilted her head a little, surprised by the sudden change of character, but nodded.

“Uh, sure. What’s up?”

Nanami glanced around before leaning a little closer to Kaede. “You’ve been hanging out with Mikan for a little while, right?” She asked, her voice oddly insistent. Kaede nodded, resulting in her pressing further. “Has she said or done anything weird lately?”

Akamatsu quirked an eyebrow. “I mean, kind of? Like I said, she’s really shy and scares easily, but isn’t that just normal for Mikan? Wouldn’t you or Peko be a better judge for that?”

Chiaki frowned. “I mean, weird even for her. Like, being easy to make her angry? Bitter towards anyone? Or… maybe mentioning a ‘beloved’?”

If Chiaki hadn’t thrown up redflags before, she most certainly had now. “No, no, and no. Seriously, Chiaki, what’s this about? You’re kind of creeping me out.”

Nanami glanced off to the side, regret coming over the girl’s features. “We… didn’t end things on the best terms, back in our game. I don’t know how much of it she remembers, but… nevermind. Just worried about everyone, you know?”

Kaede hummed. “Yeah, I know how that feels. I… wait, how much she remembers? Do you remember something she doesn’t?” The pianist pressed, her eyes widening as she realized the subtle slip in Chiaki’s words. Nanami blinked.

“I… hey, guys.” Chiaki greeted as the nurse and astronaut returned, narrowly dodging the question.

Kaede hid a frown, staring at the nurse in confused suspicion. Chiaki just tried to lie to her. Why? That meant she almost certainly did know something, but what could be so important that she’d keep it from everyone? Kaede couldn’t call her out now, not in front of the others, but there was no doubt that the gamer had something to hide. Chiaki was against the killing game more than almost anyone, yet she was concealing information like that… could Kaede really trust her? If she couldn’t… no, she couldn’t just write her off like that, even if Nanami had just painted herself in a very suspicious light. There must have been a reason. She just had to find out what it was, and that was exactly what Kaede intended to do as she made a note to confront the gamer and get a straight answer from her the moment the two were in private.

Despite the quiet tension between the pair, things settled back into a semi-normal groove at the table with the chatter between the four (which Nanami was noticeably more involved in this time). It was almost enough to make her forget the gamer’s slip up as the conversation stretched on. Nothing particularly interesting or important was shared as much as just some companionable conversation. It was the sort of peacefulness Kaede had been working so hard to establish, and exactly the kind of respite she needed after the intensity of the past several days.

Naturally, such a nice lull in the chaos of the killing game couldn’t last forever. Like with Sakura, Kaede’s sensitive ears picked up on the soft creak of the door opening before anyone else, much to the pianist’s delighted surprise. Her lips curled upwards at the sight of Mondo sheepishly entering the room, though it strained slightly when she took in the biker’s appearance. The word awkward undersold just how uncomfortable he looked as the fearsome criminal glanced around the relatively upbeat gathering, his shoulders tensed and arms stiffly at his side. After several seconds of almost statuesque stillness, the pompadoured man let out a resigned sigh and uneasily made his way to the salad bowl, still bowing his head as if it would let him hide from everyone else.

Kaito’s bright grin quickly disproved that hypothesis. “Ha! See? What’d I tell you? I knew we’d get him out of there soon!” He pridefully boasted to Kaede before waving to the biker. “Yo! Mondo! Good to see ya!” The astronaut shouted merrily, seeming to either not realize or care that it put all eyes on the already unsettled man. Kaede could see his jaw tense, but Owada didn’t respond, opting to silently grab a bowl instead. Unsatisfied, Momota rose from his seat. “Be back in a minute guys! I-”

Kaede shook her head. “Kaito, I don’t think that’s a good idea right now. We’re lucky he came at all. We should just let him come to us when he’s ready.”

Kaito rolled his eyes. “C’mon, Kaede, stop babying him! He can handle talking with someone for five minutes!” Momota carelessly disregarded as he started towards the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader. Kaede silently cursed his foolhardiness as she stood up and chased after her hotheaded friend. “Knew you wouldn’t stay cooped up in there forever! How’s it hangin’?” The purple-haired teen greeted enthusiastically. The contrast between himself and the sullen Mondo would have been humorous if it didn’t spell out disaster.

“Fine. Now f*ck off.” Mondo groused with a glare as he tersely poured himself some soup. Kaito put a hand on his hip.

“Doesn’t sound like it to me. In fact, I think you could use someone right about now. Luckily, I’ve got some sidekick positions open! How about it?” Kaito offered, flashing a wide grin and a thumbs up. Mondo glowered at him.

“A f*ckin’ sidekick? Like a comic book or some sh*t?” Mondo questioned, his snakish eyes narrowing before a sneer came over his features. “Seriously? Get out of my face. Not in the mood for this bullsh*t.”

“What? Why not? Being a sidekick is great, especially with a legendary hero like me! Think about it! Daring adventures, legendary bad guys, conquering the very stars themselves! You can’t tell me that doesn’t sound awesome!” Kaito argued, slamming his fists together dramatically.

“Already said I ain’t f*ckin’ interested! Piss off already, you delusional f*ckin’ idiot!” Owada snarled, his grip around the bowl in his hands tightening. Kaito visibly flinched for a second before throwing a fist out to the side.

“Don’t call me an idiot! You know what’s actually stupid?! Hiding away like a coward all the time!” Kaito shouted back challengingly. Mondo went from annoyed to infuriated in an instant.

“The f*ck did you just say?!” The biker demanded, getting up in Kaito’s face with teeth bared just as Kaede got to Momota’s side.

“Kaito, go sit down. Now.” Kaede ordered firmly, pulling on his shoulder roughly.

“No! We’re gonna settle this, man to-”

“Oh, screw this!” The pianist huffed in her mind as she shoved past Kaito and pushed him away. “Now, Kaito! Don’t make things worse!” Akamatsu demanded, losing her patience with Kaito’s macho nonsense. Her pink eyes bore into him, the astronaut unflinchingly meeting her glare. He didn’t move away, but after a few moments of having his mouth open with a retort waiting on the tip of his tongue, Momota slowly let it shut, glowering at the pair silently. Once it became crystal clear Kaito wasn’t going anywhere, Kaede sighed, turning to face Mondo again. “Sorry, Mondo. This wasn’t my idea.”

The orange-haired man grunted. “What-the-f*ck-ever. Just leave me be…”

Kaede’s lips twitched. “I get that you want to be alone, and that’s okay for now. But you should think about Kaito’s offer, okay? We’re both here for you whenever you’re ready. I think we could be really good friends!” She said, clasping her hands in front of her with a beam. Mondo scowled.

“Are you two deaf or somethin’?” Mondo demanded, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his fists. “Stop botherin’ me already, for f*cks sake!”

Akamatsu’s patience was wearing down, her sympathy for Mondo’s plight nearly exceeded by her frustration with his refusal to listen. “I will in a minute! I’m just asking you to keep it in mind. You can’t be alone forever, and you don’t have to be, because we’re here. Don’t just throw it away over some pride. Don’t you want someone to be there for you?” The pianist urged, pleading both with her voice and eyes as she tried to convince Mondo. She’d apparently struck a nerve, as his expression continued to darken more and more with each word until she finished. After a few moments of staring at her with a hard, heated gaze, a low growl rumbled out of the biker’s throat as he turned away from her and started marching away. That rejection stung as if he’d slapped her in the face, the pianist cringing at the pain. Without thinking, Kaede reached out and grabbed the biker by the arm. “Mondo wait-”

“ ARE YOU f*ckIN' DENSE, OR DO YA HAVE A GODDAMN DEATHWISH?! JUST f*ck OFF ALREADY BEFORE SOMETHIN' HAPPENS, ALRIGHT?! ” Owada roared as he spun on his heels to face her, his features contorted in fury as he screamed at the girl. Terror shot up Kaede’s spine in an instant, yanking her arm back and taking several steps away from him in pure shock, her eyes wide and hairs on end. A cold puddle of dread bubbled uneasily within her at the sight of Mondo’s infuriated sneer and pulsating veins making it very clear that he was likely even more upset than he let his words express. Just as quickly as she regained the ability to consciously be scared by the display, Kaito rared up next to her, rolling up a sleeve and forcing himself in between the two.

" HEY! Just who the hell do you think you are, talking to one of my sidekicks like that?! Especially saying that kinda crap to a girl! Pick on someone your own size, or I'll do it for you!" The astronaut growled as he fearlessly -or incredibly stupidly- got up in the pissed off biker's face.

A burst of even more anger flashed across Mondo's features as he raised a fist. "f*ck YOU, ASSHOLE! I WASN'T PICKIN' ON A f*ckIN' CHICK! I-!" His shouts died as he finally seemed to notice just how scared Kaede must have looked at that moment, surprise and intense guilt replacing his fury moments later. “H-hey, stop shakin’ like that! I didn’t-” He took a step towards her, only for the pianist to subconsciously take two steps back.

“Mondo… if you cause her any harm, you will be granted no mercy…” Sakura warned, rising from her seat with a dark glare.

"HEY! I wasn’t gonna- I just-! I… f*ck! f*ck! sh*t! SORRY! I'M JUS- FUUUUUCK! " Mondo howled out, his voice somehow managing to become more and more guilt ridden even as he started to shout, panic on his face before he snapped, screaming out and hurling his bowl against the wall in a fit of rage as he bolted for the exit. Kaede could only watch it unfold before her, completely frozen by fear and surprise even as several moments passed after the doors slammed shut behind the gangster.

Kaito turned to her, an incredulous glower still remaining on his face. "You alright, Kaede?"

She forced herself to give a tiny nod as she found her voice again. "F-fine. I'm fine. Just a little shaken up…"

A touch of relief softened his features slightly. "Good. That asshole had some nerve… I can't stand for this! I'm gonna go talk with him!" The astronaut declared, turning away from her again and taking a couple strides towards the door. Kaede's eyes went wide.

"What?! No, you're not!" She ordered as she grabbed him by his coat to meet his eyes again. He opened his mouth, some stupidly heroic nonsense no-doubt on the tip of his tongue, but she refused. “At best, he just swears at you again and locks himself in his room. At worst... you know . Just let it go, Kaito.”

Kaito scowled. “So what, just let him run around throwing temper tantrums because he might kill someone if we don’t? Bullsh*t! He’s more likely to hurt someone being an angry idiot than if we take it to him now before it becomes a problem!”

“Don’t put words in my mouth, Kaito! I never said we wouldn’t handle it; I’m saying we do it when he might be willing to listen instead of just making him madder!” Kaede shot back in annoyance.

“Why the hell aren’t you as angry about this as I am?! He just threatened you, Kaede! You should be livid right now!”

“Don’t tell me how I should or shouldn’t feel about something! I am upset, I’m just not being an idiot about it! I don’t want you or anyone else to get hurt over some stupid pride!”

“Anger makes people reckless. Unpredictable. To be blunt, stupid,” Peko butted in, sheathing her sword before Kaede even realized the girl had drawn it. Crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes, she continued. “You’re correct about that much, Kaito. However, I also know from experience how people like him are. No matter how good they might be at their core, they’re capable of terrible violence when provoked. For everyone’s safety, listen to your friend and wait for him to calm down.”

Sakura bowed her head low. “... I agree. Even I would be wary of confronting Mondo while he is like this. Trying to talk to him now would be a foolish mistake… and quite possibly a fatal one.”

Momota lips twisted angrily before he growled in frustration. Ultimately, he huffed, balling his fists but no longer pulling against Kaede’s grasp. “... Fine. But the next time I see him, we’re having that talk.”

Kaede held firm. “If there’s other people around and he’s not already screaming, fine. But don’t go out of your way to get hurt.”

After a few tense moments of silence, the hall slowly started filling with the idle chatter of the former blackened once again. Kirumi wordlessly retrieved a broom from somewhere in the kitchen and began sweeping up the shattered remains of Mondo’s bowl, politely refusing Kaede’s offer to help with the mess. It wasn’t long before Kaede and Kaito rejoined the others at their table, finding Chiaki trying to talk to a rather shaken Mikan. Once the nurse had been sufficiently calmed down, the rest of the evening went along pretty peacefully. Between everyone chatting and the pace at which Teruteru and Kirumi brought out the dishes, it was about nine o’clock before most of the students started leaving, whether they be going to bed like Chiaki and Gonta or simply going about their own business like Celeste and a somewhat still irritable Leon. The Ultimates dwindled down until less than a handful remained, even her and Kaito eventually heading out for the second round of their training (Korekiyo thankfully didn’t seem too disappointed at Kaito’s refusal to let him watch). Monokuma thankfully didn’t show up to ruin it this time, but that didn’t keep Kaede’s thoughts from wandering.

As successful as it had been for her, the questions raised that day were troublesome to say the least. Sakura and Mondo’s pasts, Chiaki’s weird suspicion of Mikan, whatever was up with the boiler room, how any of this was possible at all… the mysteries kept seeming to pile on top of each other, even quicker than they did at the academy. She’d managed to set up some strong bonds among the group… exactly like she’d done immediately before Monokuma unveiled the time limit. It wouldn’t be much of a surprise if the first motive dropped soon, but that only raised more questions that she couldn’t possibly answer yet. It was frustrating, having so much to figure out with no way of solving it, but there wasn’t much she could do other than try her best to plan around the uncertainties littering the path forward.

But, she reminded herself as Kaito co*ckily declared victory over her in some undeclared pushups competition, she could deal with that bridge when she came to it. For now, she could focus on making Momota eat his words. Kaede earned that much after all she’d done since that morning.

Not bad, for her first day of not being dead.

Chapter 8: Chapter One: The Bloodied Hands We're Dealt: Deadly Life Part 1

Chapter Text

Bing Bong Bing Bong, Bing Bong Bing Bong!

Kaede woke up with a groan of annoyance, blocking the TV's glaring blue light with her hand before she even fully remembered what was happening. Her body still ached from the previous night’s workout and the one before that, combining to make the sudden disturbance of her relatively peaceful sleep all the more aggravating. The drowsy pianist grabbed a pillow and used it to cover her ears as Monokuma’s grating voice began to blare out of the speakers. “ Attention! This is your captain speaking, with an important announcement! I regret to inform you all that something terrible has happened! ”

The moment those words reached Kaede’s ears, all traces of sleepiness or annoyance evaporated, replaced by cold dread pooling in her stomach. “Wh-what?!” She sputtered out, bolting upright in an instant and wincing at the harsh light of the TV. Kaede frantically blinked until she could clearly see the somewhat distressed looking Monokuma on the screen. Fear trickled up her spine, her breath caught in her throat as she anxiously waited for whatever bombshell the bear was preparing to drop. “No, no, no way. There’s no way someone would have resorted to killing already , is there? There couldn’t be… I refuse to accept-”

“ I’m very sorry to say… everyone is still alive! ”

Never before in Kaede’s life had fear so quickly changed into relief and then again into pure smoldering rage. “... Are you serious?!” She spat out, her voice rising in volume with each syllable until she was yelling at the television, her hands balling into fists out of sheer indignation. How dare he give her a heart attack like that just to complain about a good thing?!

The black and white bastard on screen glared at the camera, throwing his arms in the air. “ Even worse than that, it seems some of you are even making friends with each other! Seriously, guys?! What gives?! Do you know how many people would kill just for the opportunity of getting a second shot like this, and yet here you guys are twiddling your thumbs and chatting over breakfast like some psychotic remake of an 80s comedy?! Come ON! You’re all murderers, so it’s not like you even have to worry about killing a decent person if you still think you’re so high and mighty that you wouldn’t hurt an innocent! ” Monokuma ranted, his face reddening in rage. Kaede wasn’t sure how exactly a robot could get angry enough to blush, but robophobic as Keebo might call her for it, she couldn’t really give a damn about that compared to the bitter satisfaction she felt at the bear’s obvious frustration.

After a moment, Monokuma huffed, lazily falling back in his captain’s chair. " Urg. You'd think a ship full of convicted killers would get a lot more interesting a lot sooner, but I just had to go and pick the most namby-pamby bunch of murderous psychos on the planet by total accident! " He continued to whine, ending with a sigh. " ... But then I realized something. You guys only know what each of you are willing to admit about yourselves! Sure, you all know you're killers, but what about the juicy details? The betrayed friendships, the poor frightened victims, the devious plots and heart pounding trials! I don't know about you, but I know I wouldn't want to be buddies with someone that's stabbed their friends in the back before! It's really unfair of you guys to not be honest about this sort of thing, you know! But don't worry, Captain Monokuma is nothing if not a considerate host! I've taken the time to make a little documentary about each student aboard the Despair of the Seas, covering everything from your bright and hopeful childhoods to your oh-so despairful ends! From the visionary director behind The Wizard of Monomi 2.5D comes… Ultimate Crimes: True Tales of the Killing Game! "

Akamatsu narrowed her eyes at the TV, slight confusion mixing with suspicion and a lingering sense of unease. "... The first motive is just going to be videos of our murders? That's… well, horrible, but why would that make us kill anyone? Does he really think people will get that paranoid?" The pianist pondered cautiously. Then again, it might have seemed like a relatively minor reason to kill someone, but it was still one of Monokuma's motives, and he'd already proven he wasn't above tossing in additional incentives if it sped the game along. She couldn't afford to take it lightly just because it didn't seem immediately dangerous.

Monokuma grinned devilishly. " As interesting as it would be to do it all in one go, I think it would be even more fun if it was spaced out a little! As such, every four hours, four students will receive a random episode detailing another person's murder! How does that work, you might ask? Well, with the nifty difty internet here on the ship, I can simply send the videos directly to your monopads… " He pulled out a monopad of his own and tapped the screen, an electronic chirp sounding off immediately after.

" Like so! Now, four lucky students can watch a different episode of Ultimate Crimes whenever they please! Wow, how quick and efficient! Back in my day, I had to burn these things down on DVDs! The wonders of modern technology… puhuhuhu! But enough about a silly old bear like me. Discover the truths your so-called friends don't want you to know, and decide: do these sound like the kind of people worthy of your trust? "

With that, the screen flicked off, leaving Kaede staring worriedly at her own reflection in the dark glass. So, that was Monokuma’s game? Try to break their bonds by spreading some stupid videos around? That wasn’t exactly something she could contain , especially not if people were getting it at random times, but it was a far cry from the First Blood Perk or the time limit, at least. She could work around it if she was smart about things. “Okay… step one of getting around this is checking in with the others and finding out who has whose videos and whether they’ve watched them or not. Easy enough…” Kaede said to herself as if to confirm her own plans. After getting ready for the day, she left her room and checked her map to see who was already out and about. Kirumi and Teruteru were already in the kitchen as expected, and most of the students willing to leave their rooms had gone into the dining hall already. Even Kaito and Chiaki had bothered getting up early enough to show up at a reasonable time. Practically everyone was there already, in fact. Well, except Mikan, who seemed to be… right next to her?

Kaede looked up from the small tablet, glancing to her left to find nothing. She looked over to her right… and shrieked in sheer surprise at the quietly staring nurse a few feet away from her. Mikan herself freaked out at Kaede’s burst of fear as if the pianist had been the one to sneak up on her. Akamatsu all but leapt out of her skin, clutching her chest with a gasp as her heart threatened to beat right out of her ribcage. “M-Mikan?! G-geez! Don’t scare me like that!” She snapped on instinct, glaring harshly at the other girl in annoyance before it occurred to her that she just shouted at Mikan of all people. Before she could even fully process the regret, the Ultimate Nurse had already burst into tears, cowering behind her hands.

“AWAAAH! I’M SORRY! I-I didn’t mean to sc-scare you like that! I promise! I’ll take my clothes off if that helps! Just please don’t hate me!” Tsumiki wailed pitifully, red in the face as tears rushed down her cheeks. The sight made Kaede feel like she’d just kicked a puppy on its birthday.

“Wh- n-no, it’s okay! Keep your clothes on!” She desperately sputtered out, staring wide-eyed at her fragile new friend. She took a steadying breath to ease her still rampant heart, shaking her head. “I should be the one apologizing. Sorry I yelled at you. You just… really scared me, that’s all. But it’s okay now! Just, um, let me know you’re there next time, okay?”

Mikan looked at least a little less miserable at that, much to Kaede’s relief. “I-I will. I’m sorry. I w-wanted to say hello, but you looked busy and I didn’t want to interrupt you, a-and I'm a little scared because of those videos Monokuma was talking about, b-but that's no excuse! I’m sorry! I totally get it if you don’t want to talk, or go to breakfast with me, or even see me again, or-”

Sensing an opportunity to take control of the conversation and steer it away from Mikan’s self-depreciating reassurances, Kaede offered her a bright grin, clasping her hands together. “Breakfast together sounds really nice to me. I’d love to join you, if that’s still alright,” She agreed sweetly, smiling wider at Mikan’s surprised, if delighted, expression. Giving a wink, she added, “My treat. You can pay for the next one.”

Mikan lit up, only to gain a worried look again almost instantly. “Um… I’m really sorry, but I don’t have any money. I don’t know if I-” She stopped suddenly as Kaede giggled, shifting from perplexed to guilty to perplexed yet again as Kaede held up a hand to keep her from continuing.

“I’m joking, Mikan. The food’s free. You don’t owe me anything. I’d like to say something to the others when we go in, though.”

After a moment, the tension finally left Mikan’s shoulders, expelling itself with a light laugh from the lavender-haired girl. “Oh… r-right. Eheh… um… then, um, thank you anyway! Whenever you’d like to is alright with me! N-not that I’m trying to rush you or anything like that!”

Without much further ado, Kaede and Mikan made their way to the dining hall. The mood inside wasn’t somber, precisely, but it was certainly a little more reserved than dinner the night prior, and it wasn’t simply on account of the lower number of people in the room already. Gundham and Kiyo didn’t seem phased in the slightest, but a hint of worry infected Gonta’s usually joyful expression as he slowly pet Cham-P at the trio’s usual table. Peko’s glare was more scrutinizing than usual, her posture stiff and rigid as she surveyed the others from her isolated perch. Sakura stood in the other corner of the room, arms crossed and expression unreadable. Hifumi and Leon were openly nervous, the latter propping his chair away from the others in such a way as to almost mirror Peko’s stance whilst the first gnawed on his fingers next to Celeste as she quietly sipped her tea. Tsumugi awkwardly sat at the same table, inched away from the other two as much as she could manage without falling out of her seat. Lastly, Kaito was leaning back in his chair, face twisted in a sneer with his arms crossed whilst Chiaki tried to focus on a game, though the frown on her face and distracted look in her eye made it clear she wasn’t taking the motive in stride.

Well, the faster she got this over with, the faster they could start planning how they’d overcome this motive. Clearing her throat, Kaede addressed her fellow killers. “Good morning, everyone. Can I have your attention for a minute?”

The hall practically turned to her in unison, twelve sets of eyes on her all at once. As soon as they noticed her arrival, Korekiyo and Celeste’s gaze carried… intrigue, oddly enough. Maybe one of them had gotten Kaede’s tape, or they were just interested how she’d handle the situation? If that was the case, they’d get what they wanted soon enough. Kaito suddenly set a foot on the table with a loud stomp, the plates and silverware clattering at the sudden impact. “Alright! Shut up and listen, guys!”

“But no one was even talking…” Tsumugi countered dryly. The Ultimate Cosplayer promptly went ignored.

“Um… thanks, Kaito. First, can someone get Kirumi and Teruteru, please? I think it’d be best if everyone was here for this,” She requested. Gonta volunteered, putting down the hamster nearly as big as his hand and quickly disappearing into the kitchen before reappearing with the Ultimate Chef and Maid. Teruteru was probably even more unsettled than Hifumi, beads of sweat rolling down his face despite the co*cky smile he plastered on, relentlessly pulling at his hair with his comb. Kirumi, by contrast, seemed more apprehensive than actively distressed; almost lost in thought. With nearly the entire ship present, Kaede continued. “Thanks, Gonta, and hi guys. Now… I think it’s pretty obvious what I want to talk about, so let’s get to the point. Who here has received a motive video?”

Chiaki raised a hand, Kirumi doing the same shortly after… while everyone else remained silent and still. Kaede glanced at Mikan just in case, but the nurse simply shook her head, a tinge of worry in her eyes. After a few more moments of no one fessing up, Akamatsu thinned her lips. “... Okay then. It’s fine if you don’t want to admit it in front of everyone. But… I’d really appreciate it if you talked to me about it in private. Whether you do that or not though, if you haven’t watched them already, don’t. I don’t know what happened before we met or why, but I’m sure whatever Monokuma says happened is missing a lot of context if he’s not just flat-out lying. We can’t trust whatever he says about anyone. So, if you have… don’t leap to conclusions. If it’s really bothering you, tell me, and we can talk about it with whoever was in the tape you watched.”

Leon narrowed his eyes. “Hold on, you’re saying we should just ignore it? Screw that! Why shouldn’t I know as much about you guys as I can?! Hell, we should all watch them!” The wannabe punk angrily demanded with a glare. Kaito, naturally, wasn’t having any of that.

“Why would you want to know crap like that?! What’s it matter why we’re here? Use your head, man!”

“To see who here is most likely to kill again, I would imagine. Personally, I also wish to see as many of these tapes as possible. Given the company I find myself in, they’re bound to be fascinating…” Korekiyo hummed, smirking beneath his mask.

Peko narrowed her eyes. “Is possibly sparking another senseless killing worth your entertainment? I have nothing to hide. That doesn’t mean I should be forced to talk about it for some imagined benefit of yours.”

“Hey, wait-” Kaede tried to butt in, only to be promptly cut off.

“Um, but what if one of us is secretly some kind of incredibly evil and powerful villain and no one knows, but it’s on one of the videos? Wouldn’t that be pretty important to find out?” Tsumugi questioned worriedly, putting a palm to her cheek with her right hand and cupping her elbow in the other.

Gundham let out a loud harumph. “Fool! I’ve made no secret of my true nature. If you’ve failed to take heed, that is your own folly!”

Kirumi stepped forward. “While I doubt that is the case, Miss Shirogane, that does raise the question about our forgotten motives. Is it possible these videos could at least hint at why some of us committed murder?” The maid suggested, a quiet, reluctant hope in her gaze.

“Um… I-I’m not sure I want to know… b-but I have to! It’s the only way I can get any closure for why I hurt Ib… Ib…” The nurse slowly trailed off, tears prickling in her eyes.

“But that might not be a good thing, either… knowing why we committed our crimes the first time could make one of us kill again.” Sakura rumbled back, making the room fall silent for a brief moment. Sensing her limited window, Akamatsu leaped at the first break in the stream of voices in the sudden swarm of chaos Leon had inadvertently wrought, forcefully reasserting herself in the conversation.

“Guys! Hold on a second! Arguing about this isn’t getting us anywhere! We should-”

“Hang on, who the hell put you in charge in the first place?! I don’t remember a vote!” Leon shouted accusingly, glaring at her harshly. Kaede’s eyes widened, taken aback by the sudden challenge.

“There was vote?” Gonta innocently questioned with a tilt of his head. At the same moment, Kaito slammed a fist on the table.

“We did, because she’s good for the job! I don’t see you volunteer-”

Kaede scowled, the last of her patience snapping like a twig. “GUYS! SHUT UP! We can sort out who is or isn’t in charge later!” She scolded frustratedly, crossing her arms at the two hotheads. The red-haired rocker glowered at her, but didn’t immediately retort, letting the room fall into silence. Kaede sighed. “Thank you… look. It’s clear we’re not agreeing here. I get that you guys are scared. I am too! But we shouldn’t just blindly believe whatever’s in those videos, either! We can’t trust Monokuma! If we’re really dead set on finding out about each others murders, then…” Kaede hesitated a moment, uncertain if she should cross this point of no return. This was the exact opposite of how she wanted this to go. She hated that it had come to this, but unifying everyone against Monokuma and his motives was the most important thing she could do. If so many people wanted to know their motives, then she couldn’t just ignore that, as much as she’d rather let the motive pass in silence. There was only one way she could possibly compromise between the two diametrically opposed positions. Sucking in a breath, she forced out, “... We should just admit it ourselves. That way, at least we know we’re not just getting twisted against each other.”

Leon’s blustering stopped, a rare look of consideration overtaking the baseball star’s expression. The rest of the room generally looked either stunned, supportive, or annoyed.
Hifumi nervously put a finger to his chin. “But… can we really expect people here to be any more honest about their crimes than Monokuma? I don’t think anyone would just admit how they committed something like murder to a bunch of strangers. You usually have to be around for at least half a season before that kind of plot twist gets revealed...” The portly boy murmured, his brow creased in worry.

“Indeed. I wouldn’t be honest about my murder even if I could remember it. It would simply be more convenient to lie. I’m certain I’m not the only one who thinks this. Frankly, as much as he twists the truth, I’ve never known Monokuma to outright lie. These videos are likely the most truthful account of each of our murders we could possibly receive.” Celeste hummed, flicking her hair.

“You’d have to be an idiot to believe anything he says! Come on, it’s obvious what he’s trying to do with this!” Kaito roared, his features warping in frustration.

Kaede cringed. “Well… people that survived past someone else’s trial would know if they were lying-”

“But nearly half of our killings are a mystery even to the culprits themselves, let alone anyone else. There would be incredibly large gaps between stories... not to mention that the final killer of each game would have no one to corroborate their story anyway. We already established Kaito could not recall my motive either, despite surviving my trial. We have no truly reliable sources, I’m afraid…” Shinguji’s voice practically slithered through the air, something dangerously close to amusem*nt in the anthropologist’s voice. The pianist winced as yet another one of her argumentative legs was swept out from under her.

“I… well… then the ones that do remember can say why they did it...”

“Uh… Gonta not entirely understand Gonta’s motive, but Gonta agree with Kaede!” The entomologist offered positively, earning a grateful smile from the struggling leader.

“I don’t know about sharing motives… but if you think this is the right call, Kaede, I’ve got your back!” Kaito agreed passionately, pumping a fist.

“Yep, me too.” Chiaki offered simply.

Peko glowered darkly at them. “I’ve made myself clear. Do what you want, but expecting me to support this is pointless.” The swordswoman warned, murmurs of agreement filling the room as a few suspicious and doubtful gazes further challenged Kaede’s credibility. The pianist hated just how quickly this situation was slipping between her fingers.

“... Fine. I can’t really force you if you don’t want to. But I really do think this is the best thing we can do! That’s why…” She paused, waiting on the threshold of the point of no return. If the words waiting on the tip of her tongue left her mouth, there was no walking them back. It was a terrifying idea, but it was the only thing she could think of that could reunify the group. If all went right, she’d be able to cause a chain reaction that would leave everyone on more or less the same level. It wasn’t what she wanted, but it was the second best way it could go.

All it required was admitting how much of a monster she was.

“... That’s why I’ll go first,” Kaede announced, damning any chance she had of ever being seen as anything but a murderer. She sucked in a breath, curling her hands into fists. “I… I killed Rantaro Amami because-”

“HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!” Monokuma screeched, leaping out of thin air in front of Kaede with claws bared, making the pianist jump in surprise and Mikan wail out in terror. Monokuma glowered at her. “Just what do you think you’re doing?!”

After the initial burst of fear, Kaede took a daring step forward, shoving a finger in the bear’s face. “Outsmarting your stupid motive! Now shut up and leave us alone!”

“You’re very lucky that being rude to your captain isn’t against the rules, or you would be a pink and red smear on the floor by now,” Monokuma growled, his red eye glowing warningly. After a moment, it was like a switch flipped, his homicidal anger suddenly shifting back into his typical game show host positivity. “Buuuut, speaking of breaking the rules, that’s exactly what you almost just did!”

Kaede’s brow furrowed. “What are you talking about-” She tried to ask, only to get cut off by the simultaneous bing of fifteen monopads. The gathered students pulled out their monopads after a momentary pause to discover a new addition to the Cruise Regulations.

Temporary Regulation: Until the first murder is committed, students cannot confess their original motives.

Kaede read the line again and again, her scowl deepening each time until she forced her gaze upward and her furious eyes bored into the black and white bear. “Seriously? You have to cheat just to stop us?”

If she hadn’t hit a nerve before, she certainly had now. “I do not cheat! I might not mention every detail, but I follow my rules to the letter! Just because I make new rules to protect the game doesn’t mean I’m cheating! If you don’t like it, file a complaint with the studio! Now, YOU shut up and let me explain the new rule!” Monokuma roared. Kaede decided not to press her luck too much, settling for smirking in the enraged bear’s face. Taking a moment to compose himself, Monokuma huffed before shaking his head. “Let’s say I’m some high and mighty, self-righteous teenage murderer, and I feel so bad about brutally killing an innocent person that I just have to shout it out to the world. Ahem… woe is me! I, Monokuma, am a foul murderer! I killed Junko Enoshima because she stomped on my-”

In less than a second, Monokuma was impaled by at least half a dozen spears, the screech of tearing metal piercing their ears as they witnessed his robotic form sparking and twitching around the long sharpened spikes rammed through his body like a shish kebab. His arms and legs flailed pathetically for a few moments before falling limp, his red eye slowly fading to nothingness. Not a soul dared to speak up, every blackened stunned into silence by the apparent death of their tormentor. Shockingly, Teruteru seemed to be the first to recover, swallowing thickly as he took a cautious step towards the scrapheap. “Is… is he really…?”

As she watched Monokuma drop from the ceiling behind the Ultimate Chef, she wished she could have been quick enough to warn him. “MMMNOPE! Alive and kickin’! BWAHAHAHAHA!” Monokuma cackled as Teruteru’s face burst into fear, the chef taken by surprise so much that he lost his footing and tumbled to the ground, screaming and frantically scurrying away from the grinning bear. The monochrome robot proudly patted his stomach. “As you can see, trying to be nice is a big no-no. You guys can try it if you really want, but unlike me, you can’t come back. I’m bear -y special like that! Let’s see, was there anything else I meant to say…? Oh, right!” He suddenly stiffened, his painted on grin seeming to grow even larger as he held up a single claw. “I should probably mention that one and only one of these motive videos are faked . The killer’s real crime is a secret, and anyone here that would remember it being different has had their memories altered to fit with it. Good luck guessing who among you is a great big liar! Anyhoo, I’ve gotta go plan my own funeral now. Later!”

With that, he sunk through the floor, leaving the students to their own devices. Once the group’s stunned silence wore off, Chiaki spoke up. “... Monokuma seems pretty desperate. I think we scared him just now. That’s good… it means we’re on the right track. It’s pretty obvious what we should do from here…”

“Um… is it? It seemed like we were more or less okay with finding out at least a few of the motives, so now if we can’t come out and say them, doesn’t that mean we have to watch the videos?” Tsumugi weakly argued, a nervous, slightly bluish tint to her skin. Kaito scowled at her.

“Are you kidding me? He just admitted he faked the videos! Those things are even more untrustworthy now!”

Korekiyo laughed lightly, holding up a finger. “Keheheh… a correction, Kaito: he admitted one video was fake. That implies the others are all genuine. Intriguing, isn’t it? I wonder which cast of our killing games has had their memories falsified… or if we could deduce whose killing is different than we recall. Monokuma has created a fascinating dilemma…”

“But it’s obvious Monokuma wants us to turn against each other figuring it out. Whether someone’s video is fake or not doesn’t matter. He still won’t give us the full truth so it’s easier to be suspicious of each other… I think.” Chiaki softly countered with a frown.

“So it’s better to let our imaginations run wild with speculation? That is likely more dangerous than simply watching the videos.” Celeste hummed. Momota simply couldn’t help himself.

“Bullsh*t! We should-”

If she didn’t speak up now, Kaede was sure it would end up devolving into another massive argument. “Guys! This is going nowhere!” The pianist interrupted, throwing a hand to the side for emphasis. Once everyone’s eyes were on her again, she continued. “We’re arguing in circles. I doubt anyone’s going to change their minds, so let’s just settle it here and now. The most fair thing we could do is take a vote.”

The room paused at her words, a silence of consideration taking over. Kirumi put a gloved finger to her chin as she spoke. “That would make the majority opinion clear. Whichever side has the most votes sets the policy for the motive videos going forward… I agree. This is the best course of action.”

“Hold on, what about Mondo? He’s not here.” Kaito pointed out.

“What of him? If he refuses to join everyone else for group meetings, he has no say in how the group functions. Why waste time trying to get the opinion of someone unwilling to contribute? We should continue without him.” Ludernberg dismissed somewhat callously. A general hum of agreement rang from the gathered students. If she was being honest, a part of Kaede agreed, though she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was doing something wrong by doing this without him. Regardless, if he refused to join them, there wasn’t much she could do about it.

Kaede took a breath. “Okay then. We’ll make this simple. Raise your hand if you think we shouldn’t watch the videos,” The blonde instructed, raising her hand. Chiaki, Kaito, Gonta, Hifumi, and Sakura followed suit almost instantly. Kaede waited a few moments in case anyone was hesitating to vote, trying to ignore the creeping dread settling over her when it became clear that no one else was going to join. She swallowed to keep from grimacing. “... Now, raise your hand if you think we should watch them.”

It was no surprise when Korekiyo, Leon and Celeste raised their hands almost in unison, nor was it when Tsumugi and Teruteru shyly joined them. Kirumi at least looked apologetic to publicly side against Kaede, though her hand didn’t waver for a second. Peko and Gundham simply sat with their arms crossed, apparently abstaining. That made six, so they were tied-

“U-um… I-I’m sorry, b-but… sorry…” Mikan whimpered, looking at the floor with tearful eyes as she raised a trembling hand. Kaede blinked. Damn it, how could she have forgotten Mikan?! The nurse was right next to her, yet she’d completely slipped Kaede’s mind! The surprised disappointment must have shown on her face as Mikan dared to glance up for a second and flinched violently at Kaede’s expression. “S-sorry! Don’t hate me! I-I change my mind!” She suddenly squeaked, ripping her arm down like she’d been burned.

Akamatsu winced, sighing and shaking her head. “I don’t hate you, Mikan, and I promise I won’t just because you vote how you want. Put your hand back up.” She softly instructed. Tsumiki swallowed thickly, hesitating for a moment before raising her hand once again.

Celeste let out an approving hum. “Seven to six. It seems we are decided, then. Excellent. Kirumi, would you be so kind as to bring me some tea, please?”

“Hang on! How the hell can you be so cavalier about this?!” Momota demanded just as the maid started moving to fulfil the request, glaring daggers into the gambler. She simply flicked at her hair in response.

“Because it’s settled. Kaede took a gamble and lost. That’s all there is to it. Please, lower your voice. It’s irritating enough at normal volume.”

“Enough, Kaito. If that’s what everyone wants to do, we couldn’t really stop anyone anyway,” Kaede defeatedly admitted. Her arms crossed once again, but the gesture was born more of self-consciousness than her authoritative confidence from earlier. That was… humiliating, to say the least. At least there had been the excuse of basically everyone being emotional messes when they regained their memories two days prior. Here, they were in their right minds and consciousnessly rejected her. That stung the ahoged woman considerably. It was a close vote, but that was a cold comfort compared to the fact that she’d just failed her first real test of leadership on the ship. For every respite like the anime party, there seemed to be three Death Roads of Despair. Clicking her tongue, Kaede quietly added, “Well… is there anything else we should talk about before we split up?”

Leon held up a hand. “Yeah, actually. While we’re voting on sh*t, I think we should decide on a leader. Make it official or whatever, y’know?” The baseball star argued.

“So, you seek to usurp the Siren’s High Priestess? Tell me, to what end, oh Phoenix of the Fiery Diamond?” Gundham queried, studying the redhead curiously. Leon’s brow furrowed.

“Uh… what?”

“He’s asking why you want to replace Kaede with someone, presumably yourself. While I’ve already made my decision on the matter, I’m curious to hear your reasoning.” Kiyo helpfully translated. Kuwata’s eyes widened a little.

“H-huh? No way! I don’t want to be in charge! Just- look, she just kind of became the leader without asking anyone, and that seems screwed up to me!”

Kaito pumped a fist. “Alright then, let’s ask! If you’re okay with Kaede being in charge, raise a hand!” He ordered. To Akamatsu’s great surprise, every hand in the room but Leon’s and her own went up.

“Huh?” Was all she could manage, staring dumbfounded at the group of blackened suddenly backing her. Possibly the only one more surprised than her was Leon, whose reaction mirrored her own.

“Wait, seriously? What the hell, was there actually a vote I wasn’t around for?!” He sputtered.

Gokuhara put his spare hand to his chin. “Gonta not invited to first vote either… but that okay! Gonta glad to vote Kaede this time!”

“She’s a reasonable choice. Someone willing to not only rally people around them, but also listen to those under their command makes for a strong leader. Unless she proves incompetent, there’s no reason for me not to tolerate her leadership.” Peko summed up.

“Agreed. I doubt there is anyone else here willing to take such a position anyway.” Ludenberg added.

Gundham hummed. “Her experience bending mortals to her will makes her a formidable opponent… one that could be better utilized as an ally. The Dark Lord of the Tanaka Empire is willing to pledge his allegiance… for now.”

“S-she’s my friend, and believes in me… so, um, I believe in her too!” Mikan endorsed.

The testimonies, both glowing recommendations and curt acknowledgements of convenience, kept adding on top of each other. Kaede couldn’t help the somewhat sheepish smile that grew. She definitely hadn’t been expecting that after getting so thoroughly rejected in the first vote… and apparently neither was Leon. The redhead seemed to squirm under the room’s gaze, tucking his arms into each other with a pout before ultimately letting out an aggravated groan and raising his hand as well. “Urgh… fine. Thanks for making me look like an asshole, guys…”

Celeste smiled at him with that mockingly bright grin that always proceeded an insult of some sort. “We didn’t have to try very hard. Now then, if we’re done debating… I’m feeling somewhat peckish. Shall we eat?”

Kirumi bowed her head. “Yes, I believe a meal is in order. Do you feel comfortable preparing one, Mister Hanamura, or would you prefer if I did so?” She asked the still unsettled chef. He blinked, apparently pulled out of his thoughts by the question, before breaking into a clearly nervous grin.

“Er… y-yeah! I can keep it up all day and night, especially for a pretty thing like you!” Hanamura forced a chuckle before all but running back to the kitchen, Kirumi following soon after.

With their impromptu meeting adjourned, the Ultimates gradually went about their own business. The more confident ones struck up conversations with each other while others quietly sat by themselves, a murky fog of tension lingering over the room for the rest of the meal. It didn’t dissipate even after they finished and slowly branched off from each other, simply spreading over the rest of the ship like storm clouds consuming the sky. It was the same kind of cloud that hung over her soul that fateful day in the library when she realized how easy it would be to make a ramp out of all those stray books; a constant weight of suspicion and dread that only seemed to grow heavier over time. It was clear Kaede had already underestimated just how effective a motive those tapes would be with how many people were in favor of watching them. Even if the group still believed in her, there was the question of whether they would after more of those tapes released. Monokuma wouldn’t have to try very hard to paint her as a traitor, after all.

Those worries weighed on her mind as she returned to her room, waiting until the door locked behind her before pinching the bridge of her nose with a long, exhausted sigh. Monokuma’s ability to undo her efforts at every turn would almost be impressive if it wasn’t so infuriatingly horrible. Shaking her head, the pianist walked to the bed and laid on top of the covers. Most of the students were too cautious to hang out with anyone right now, and she needed to think anyway.

It’d been just over an hour since the motive dropped, and it had already set her progress back considerably. Two steps forward…

***

Nearly three hours later, Kaede was no closer to outwitting the black and white monster than she’d been in the dining hall, much to her frustration. She hated how easily the tables turned on her at nearly every turn, always waiting for her to carefully plan out her next step before throwing the board in the air and putting down a new game entirely. Despite that frustration, it was apparent that moping around her room wasn’t doing anything, and a quick glance at the clock proved it was almost time for Celeste’s proposed poker game anyway.

Truthfully, Kaede didn’t know if she was still invited considering her spat with Celeste over tricking Gonta, or even if it was still happening at all with the motive videos upending everything, but it seemed prudent to at least check in. If it was canceled, she wasted maybe thirty minutes or so getting to the gambler’s lab and back. If it wasn’t, she got to hang out with some of her less easily intimidated friends for a while and at least partially undermine Monokuma’s twisted game. That was her thought process as she approached the entrance to the casino and knocked on the door, more out of politeness than actually requesting entrance as she let herself in a moment later.

To her surprise, she found a number of people already gathered around one of the poker tables. Celeste and Peko sat opposite of each other, the swordswoman only allowing her back to be visible to the wall as usual whilst Ludenberg was idly examining what she assumed was a poker chip. Slightly more unexpected were Kirumi and Korekiyo also at the table, the anthropologist seeming to be engaged in some sort of meditation. Kaede blinked before smiling at the pleasant surprise. Clearly the motive wasn’t enough to deter Celeste’s quest for entertainment, or those she invited along. She waved to the group as she called out, “Hey guys! Sorry if I’m late!”

Celeste turned, gaining a small smirk at the pianist’s arrival. “Ah, Kaede. No need to worry. Your arrival is right on time, in fact. It seems the same can’t be said for our final player, however. That is unfortunate, but I suppose we can simply deal her in if she arrives later,” The gambler noted idly. After a brief exchange of pleasantries with the others gathered at the table, Ludenberg launched into a fairly thorough if quick explanation of the rules of the game. It was decently understandable, even if it was apparent there was a lot more nuance to it that she didn’t know yet. When she finished, the red-eyed woman steepled her fingers. “... and those are the basics of Texas Hold ‘Em. Do you understand?”

Kaede hummed, raising a finger. “So, basically, the closer the numbers and kinds of cards are to each other, the better they are in a hand?” She summed up somewhat confidently. The Ultimate Gambler nodded.

“There is more to it than that, but essentially, yes. That should be sufficient for a beginner. Most of the game is built around reading people and predicting their actions and hands from their behavior, but this isn’t something that can be taught as much as it is simply learned through experience. I’m sure you’ll pick up on it as the game goes on,” Celeste explained surprisingly patiently.

The blonde nodded. “Right. In that case, I think I’m ready!”

Ludenberg gained the biggest smile Kaede had ever seen on the girl, though it was still infinitely more reserved than something like her own enthusiastic grins. “Excellent. If everyone else is prepared, I will deal the first hand, and from there, we will take turns moving clockwise around the table from myself. To start,” Celeste paused a moment as she pulled out five small black and white pouches, tossing one to each of the gathered students. Curiously, Kaede tugged open the pull strings to find a hefty amount of monocoins inside, letting out a soft ‘woah’ at the sight. The gothic lolita’s lips tugged further upward at the varying levels of surprise from the players. “A game is nothing without stakes. To make things more interesting, I’ve convinced Monokuma to grant everyone here fifty monocoins each to bet. They’re yours to keep… or lose. They go to whomever knocks their owner out of the game, or yourself if you choose to walk away with your winnings.”

Kirumi put a hand to her chin. “Why would Monokuma agree to that?” She pondered, her brow furrowing a touch. Peko’s eyes narrowed.

“He rarely does something without a reason, even if his childish behavior hides that. There must be something he wants out of this.” The swordswoman argued.

“Perhaps he simply thinks it would be interesting. Entertainment seems to be rather important to him. Regardless, I don’t see the harm.” Korekiyo replied, calmly creating stacks of coins on the side.

Kaede’s lips thinned, an uncertain hum escaping her. “I mean… it’s a bit weird, but it does sound like something he’d do… I guess it’s fine. No one here would kill for something as petty as money.”

“... Quite. Now then, your cards,” Celeste replied as she pulled out a deck of cards and began shuffling them impressively quickly. The pianist caught a card slid to her and a second almost immediately after, awkwardly dumping the dozens of coins in front of her and trying to replicate Shinguji’s neatly structured stacks to little success. Once everyone’s cards were dealt and their impromptu chips were prepared, Ludenberg spoke again. “I believe we’re ready to-”

The sound of the door opening cut Celeste off, Kaede’s finely tuned ears letting her pick up on the noise almost as quickly as Peko. The pair looked to the entrance nearly simultaneously to find a yawning Chiaki lazily walking through the doors, their sudden shift in focus drawing the attention of the three other Ultimates as well. After a moment, Nanami noticed them, blinking. “... Hey guys. You’re early…”

“From a certain perspective, I suppose that’s true… but from ours, you’re almost fifteen minutes late, Chiaki…” Kiyo corrected. Chiaki tilted her head.

“Huh? I…” She pulled out her handheld and suddenly stopped, apparently realizing the built in clock proved the lanky man’s point. Chiaki frowned a little. “... Oh. Sorry, everyone. I might’ve overslept…”

“It is only a minor inconvenience. I had been planning on dealing you in eventually anyway,” The pale teen dismissed, dealing two more cards and a pack of coins to the last unoccupied seat that Chiaki claimed a few moments later. Celeste politely cleared her throat. “Ahem. Well, now that we’re all prepared, we may begin. To start, the blinds will be one and two coins. Kiyo and Chiaki, if you will.” Korekiyo and Chiaki put in their respective blinds before Celeste continued. “And I’ll raise by five. Kaede?”

The pianist checked her cards… and tried not to react at the pair of aces she found staring back at her. Her first hand of poker ever , and she got dealt that ? “G-geez! Okay, Kaede, keep calm…” She ordered herself, doing everything in her power to keep a straight face. “Call…” Kaede said aloud evenly, placing her bet on the table. That was bound to be a good omen! With an opening like that, she was bound to win this hand, right?

… Or, at least, she would have been if even a single card after her initial hand worked in her favor! The luckiest draw in the world didn’t matter much in the face of a three, seven, nine, a queen of spades, and jack of hearts. Kirumi and Chiaki had the sense to fold early, Celeste joining them by the fourth card, leaving the round down to just Peko, Korekiyo, and Kaede. Clinging to a hope for a third ace led Kaede to staying in despite the nearly impossible odds… which turned out to be just as impossible as expected when the river washed away any chance of victory. By contrast, both of her opponents managed competent hands, though Peko’s two pair of seven and nine couldn’t beat out Kiyo’s three sevens, winning the anthropologist the round. “A surprising turn of events, as welcome as it is. Then again, perhaps it was less unlikely than I suspect. Seven is a lucky number in dozens of cultures around the world, after all…” Kiyo cooed as he collected his winnings, both Kaede and Peko down fifteen coins each as a result.

“I don’t play gambling games often, but thirty-eight is usually pretty lucky for me… at least, when people don’t get mad and say I rigged the game from the start…” Chiaki mused, her lips twitching downward at the old accusation. Celeste hummed in affirmation.

“Such people make me wish for a nuclear winter. Win or lose, at least pretend to do so graciously. Anything else is frankly embarrassing.”

Kaede scratched her head, mildly taken aback by Celeste’s choice of phrase. “That’s… kind of intense, but I think I agree. It’s about the fun of it anyway, right? Well played, Kiyo!” The pianist congratulated, Peko offering a nod as well.

Shinguji tipped his cap. “Likewise. I believe it’s your turn to deal, Kaede.”

The next several hands were relatively unnoteworthy, everyone playing somewhat cautiously with their chips in the absence of particularly good cards. Kaede found herself folding more often, waiting out most rounds and only making minor profits or losses in the ones she did play. It wasn’t that she was doing poorly by any means, but the fact that she was running a slight deficit didn’t escape her notice. She couldn’t stay like that forever… especially as Chiaki put down a straight that obliterated her and Kirumi’s lowly two pairs, claiming victory -and the pot- for the third time since the game started. Nanami blinked, apparently as surprised by her own victory as the pianist was. “... I won again? Huh… neat. I thought my RNG was pretty bad that round. I was trying to get a three of a kind...” Chiaki admitted as she collected the moderately sized treasure of twenty coins. Kaede balked at her.

“You won like that without even trying? Geez… I think you’re selling your ‘RNG’ thing short!” The pianist said in shock.

“Indeed. Though largely a game of skill, poker is still, at its core, built around luck. All the cleverness and talent in the world can’t save you from an unfortunate draw. Fortune is a fickle friend, but to truly succeed as a gambler, you must always recognize it as just that: a friend.” Celeste affirmed. Chiaki stared at them for a long moment before turning away with a small frown.

“My luck… isn’t great, usually. I’m not sure anyone’s is. I knew someone that was supposed to be really lucky, but… I don’t think that made him happy,” The gamer said softly, stilling for a moment before she blinked and shook her head. “... Anyway, you’re dealing, Kaede.”

Ludenberg nodded. “Correct. I believe it’s also time to raise the blinds to three and six coins.”

“Er, right...” The pianist confirmed, feeling somewhat awkward as she took the stack of cards and sent a pair to each of the various Ultimates. She could only guess as to what Chiaki was referring to, but whatever it was, it definitely didn’t sound good… much like her hand, in fact. Kaede barely kept her lips from pursing at the eight of clubs and six of diamonds waiting for her. Apparently, just talking about bad luck was enough to have some of it rub off on her! It was tempting to just fold outright then and there… but Akamatsu stared at the pot for a moment.

Starting at nine made it a considerably heftier pot right from the start, even before anyone placed a bet. It wouldn’t be long before it reached the size of her entire collection. Kaede nearly winced as she glanced at her now meager pile of only thirty coins, a rather pitiful pile compared to her all-time high of seventy from just a few rounds prior. Next to the hoards Celeste and Chiaki had collected already, or even the modest piles the other players guarded, it was practically lunch money. Even as small as they still were, the blinds would gradually devastate her if she kept waiting for a solid hand over and over until she got hit with the fine. She needed to bolster her coin count and do so soon, but how? There was no way she could win with a hand like that …

… Unless she tricked everyone into thinking she had something better! She was already used to acting more confident than she felt; compared to leading everyone, bluffing about some cards should be a cake walk! Kaede hid her smirk behind her otherwise useless cards. Celeste glanced at her for a long moment before pushing a stack of six coins forward. “Raise.”

“Raise…” Kaede said carefully, fearlessly putting twenty monocoins forward. It was a risky move to say the least, crazy even, but it was the sort of bold move that would make people think twice about trying for the pot. With ten coins left in her own pile and thirty-six in the pot before anyone else even started, Kaede was positive this would be amazing for her if the plan worked.

“Oh my! A bold move, Kaede. Such confidence… I have to see where this goes.” Kiyo commended, before shifting his attention over towards Kirumi. The maid’s emerald eye scrutinized the upbeat leader, rubbing a gloved finger against her coins thoughtfully. At last, the maid somewhat cautiously anted up.

Peko was less inclined to play along. “Fold.”

“Call.” Shinguji chirped, his mask creasing slightly from his grin. Apparently only having his eyes visible didn’t actually grant the anthropologist much of a poker face. Of course, the intrigue in his eyes would have given his delight away even without his smirk.

“Nope.” Chiaki said plainly, lamely tossing her cards down in front of her.

After staring at the other competitors in the hand for a moment, Celeste gave a non-committal hum of some sort. “Call…” She said, placing twenty of her own coins into the pot.

It took everything Kaede had to keep from grinning. “Yes! This is going great! If I can get something out of the flop, I might not even have to bluff much harder!” The pink-clad girl merrily declared in her mind as she dealt out the first three cards of the hand. “Let’s see… a jack of hearts, oh hey, a six of spades! Aaand… a king of clubs. That’s… pretty terrible, actually. But… I might still be able to get away with this!”

Ludenberg only studied the cards before simply declaring, “Check.”

Feeling much more cautious than when the round started, Kaede opted for a safer move. “I’ll check too.”

The cycle continued with Kirumi, the silver-haired servant unwilling to take a big risk on the odd selection of cards. A bit of caution was to be expected out of any normal person in a situation like that. It would take quite a bit of luck to have anything decent from a flop like that, so most people would play it safe. Unfortunately for Kaede, however, Korekiyo Shinguji was anything but a normal person, as the anthropologist proved by hugging himself tightly with a hum. “Hmm… how quickly confidence disappears in the face of adversity. A tale as old as humanity itself. Keheheh... perhaps you just need a reason to take action. I bet.” He rapsed, tossing five more coins into the already considerable pot. Celeste called it without a moment of hesitation while Kaede could only stare blankly at it, a hint of nervousness rising in her.

“... I was a bit overconfident, wasn’t I? Crap… I can’t back out of this! What can I do? I’m definitely screwed if I fold, but calling just speeds that up! There’s no way I can get around this, unless… that’s crazy! But... okay, this is going to be really tight, but if it works…” The pianist took a breath before shoving every last coin into the pot. “All in!”

The reaction from the rest of the table was immediate. Kiyo raised a hand to his mouth in surprise before laughing in that ever-so-creepy chuckle of his. “Wonderful! Such a small act inspired such great courage! I’m pleased to see you rise to the occasion, Kaede!” He joyfully exclaimed. Kirumi similarly covered her mouth, though no such ranting escaped the surprised maid. Chiaki, who had somehow fallen asleep in the - at most- minute and a half since folding, suddenly snapped awake, looking at her blearily with a murmured ‘huh?’. Peko looked mildly taken aback for a second before her red orbs narrowed scrutinizingly. After several beats of hesitation, Kirumi’s lips pursed slightly before she folded, whilst Korekiyo almost giddily tossing his coins in almost immediately after. With nearly every bet placed, five pairs of eyes shifted to the last student at the table.

Celeste’s heavy ruby gaze bore into her like a scientist studying a particularly intelligent rat. In her right hand, the gambler idly ran a monocoin between her fingers with ease, rolling the small circle of metal across her knuckles as if she’d been doing it since the day she was born while the other daintily rested in her lap. Pure nothingness was encapsulated in Ludenberg’s features, the blankness of it growing more and more ominous with each long moment that passed between the two. The only sound at the table was the soft clinking of the coin when it occasionally bumped into Celeste’s finger guard as she played with it. At last, she stopped, trapping the coin between her index finger and thumb as she looked directly into Kaede’s eyes.

“... You have nothing.” The gambler plainly announced… before pushing her mountain of coins into the pot in a tsunami of bronze.

Kaede’s neutral mask shattered into pure shock, her eyes as wide as dinner plates as the pianist became slack jawed. “Wh-what?!” She sputtered out in disbelief. Celeste didn’t bat an eye.

“Is something wrong, Kaede? You seem somewhat perturbed. A bad bet, perhaps?” The gambler asked blanky, more robotic in her behavior than Keebo had ever been. The pianist tried not to gulp.

“I believe I made the right choice by not participating in this hand any longer. Good luck.” Kirumi wished, and though she didn’t specify whom it was meant for, the intended target was apparent.

Shinguji paused for several moments, looking almost in prayer before reluctantly setting his cards aside. “Yes… that strikes me as a wise decision now. Fold.”

“Oh no, oh no, oh no, what the hell is she doing?! Why would you make a crazy bet like THAT ?!” Kaede all but screamed in her mind. On the outside, she nervously drummed her fingers on the table without realizing it. “... Uh… this is when we show our hands, right?” She asked, as much a stalling tactic as she hoped against all hope that something would happen to miraculously turn her luck around. At Celeste’s nod, the blonde hesitantly picked up her cards. “Right… well…” Kaede flipped her cards over, feeling her cheeks burn brightly as her frankly embarrassing bluff got revealed to the entire table.

Celeste glanced down at the cards, taking in the sight of Kaede’s ploy for a few seconds before humming. “I see… well then,” Celeste laid down her hand, revealing a jack of diamonds and a queen of hearts. Kaede didn’t bother hiding her grimace. At last, the tiniest smirk imaginable graced the gambler’s lips. “Oh dear. It seems you’re in quite the tricky position, aren’t you?”

Kaede didn’t respond as she put down the fourth card to find an absolutely useless two of hearts underneath. “... I am so screwed! If this next card isn’t a six or eight, I’m gone! Please, please, please-!” She all but prayed, flipping over the last card with a desperate hope in her heart and-

A jack of clubs. Kaede glowered down at the card, having never felt so betrayed by an inanimate object in her life. It felt like she’d been punched in the stomach, her entire plan tumbling down around her in one foul swoop. Her oh-so brilliant plan to stay in the game had completely backfired, and with it, her shot at socializing with some of the more reclusive members of the group. A part of her felt silly for taking the loss so hard. It hadn’t seemed that important before she lost, and it was just a game anyways, so why did she feel so bad about it? Unless… maybe the fact that one of her plans had failed again that was bothering her. This was hardly the first time she overestimated her own cleverness and paid the price for it, now was it? Akamatsu slowly sat back in her seat, blushing in embarrassment as she squeezed her arm. “G-geez… I guess that didn’t really work out, huh?” The pianist almost jokingly lamented, smiling ruefully despite herself.

“Not precisely, no. I applaud your tenacity, however,” Celeste confirmed with a smile as she raked in the positively monstrous pile of coins, officially knocking Kaede out of the game once and for all. The gambler quickly got to work stacking the lump of at least a hundred and fifty coins into neat pillars. Glancing at Kaede’s somewhat disappointed expression, Ludenberg continued. “I’m guessing you think you’re going to have to leave the table, correct?” The gambler guessed correctly. Apparently getting whatever answer she was looking for just from Kaede’s face before she could even speak, the gothic girl steepled her fingers. “This would normally be the point where the losing player would walk away… but, I did promise you a bonding experience. You may stay if you like.”

Kaede blinked in surprise, perking up considerably. “Really? Is that okay with you guys?” She double checked, just in case someone else felt differently. After all, despite her natural charisma, years of being avoided and demeaned as a so-called piano freak left her relatively new at having friends. At the others’ varying levels of approval, Kaede felt her disappointment fade away to contentment. “Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it. Well…” She pumped her fists supportingly. “Good luck, everyone!”

With that, the game resumed, sans one player. The discussion was light, mostly consisting of Korekiyo talking about various gambling traditions around the world and Celeste telling the occasional tale of her past exploits that Kaede couldn’t help but silently put in the same category as Kaito’s ludicrous supposed adventures. Still, the gothic girl was talking freely and without insulting or mocking anyone, so it was still a win in Kaede’s book. A number of rounds passed without much of note happening, consisting relatively small bets and standard hands without any major upsets or turn arounds. Far from dull, but not precisely thrilling either.

Roughly twenty minutes after Kaede was knocked out, a small but comfortable break in the conversation prompted Peko to suddenly speak up. “Kirumi. You're the Ultimate Maid, correct?”

Kirumi glanced at her, intrigued by the normally quiet teen’s sudden interest in her. Kaede’s curiosity peaked as well, turning to look at the unlikely pair as they spoke. “Indeed. It is a title I have achieved through years of servitude.” Tojo replied, calling Celeste’s raise without hesitation. The Ultimate Swordswoman followed suit with an acknowledging hum.

“So you’ve served many people before… out of curiosity, have you ever... felt that you failed one of those people?”

A somber frown spread across Kirumi’s elegant features. “... Unfortunately, yes. Some more so than others…” She sighed, not quite meeting Kaede’s eye. The pianist thinned her lips.

“The past is the past, remember?” Kaede offered with a sympathetic gaze. Kirumi didn’t respond.

“... I see…” Peko noted, a hint of dejection bleeding into her words. Akamatsu looked at her curiously.

“Not to sound pushy, but that's kind of a weird question to be hearing from someone like you, Peko. Is there something that would make you ask that so suddenly?”

Pekoyama’s gaze was heavy, her lips curling in thought as the swordswoman seemed to consider whether or not to answer the admittedly rather personal question. After a long moment, Peko bowed her head with a quiet confession. “... Ever since I recovered my memories of my killing game, I've been worried I might've failed someone dear to me.”

“Keheheh... an answer that vague is usually followed by a story. Would you mind elaborating a bit on that?” Korekiyo asked as he called, sounding far more intrigued than particularly concerned.

“I too would like to hear. Please, continue.” Celeste added, watching the silver-haired warrior with intrigue. After a moment of silence, Peko continued speaking.

“... To keep it brief, my… employer and I ended up being participants in the same killing game. During my execution... he ended up getting caught in the middle of the crossfire,” Peko nearly growled, her fierce red eyes forming into a wince as her teeth clenched. “I... did my absolute best to keep him as safe as I possibly could, constantly trying to angle my body so the swords would get caught in my bones instead of piercing through me into him, but even then, as I began to lose consciousness from the executioners attacks, I still noticed the occasional blade slicing him through me… one of the last things I saw before blacking out entirely was my blade slicing his eye.”

Dead silence consumed the room, the game pausing in the wake of that bombshell. Kaede certainly didn’t know how to respond to something like that. Even Kiyo seemed slightly taken aback, though more in the way of accidentally bumping into an old acquaintance than being taken off guard by some genuinely shocking news. Pekoyama turned downwards, staring into the table shamefully. “I... worry about him. He is the closest friend I’ve ever had. There is nothing in the world that is more important to me than making sure he is safe, but... after seeing him in that state…” The normally stoic swordswoman showed the first sign of vulnerability Kaede had ever seen in her, the black-clad woman reminding her of a limping lion.

Kirumi summed it up well. “... You're wondering if you weren't able to save him from your execution...” She said sympathetically. Peko’s grimace confirmed the obvious.

“... If you're worried about Fuyuhiko... well, I don't think you have to worry about him,” Chiaki broke the silence with a hint of relief in her voice. Peko’s head snapped up to face the gamer, giving Nanami her full attention. “I was there for every trial that one of our friends here went through, from Teruteru's to Gundham's. And even during my own trial, right up to the moment when I was executed, Fuyuhiko was there as well.”

Pekoyama became straight as a rod, desperate hope and a quiet fear of despair battling for dominance behind her glasses. “You mean... he's still alive?” She asked, voice unimaginably small for such a legendary fighter.

The pink-haired girl glanced to the side. “... I can't be entirely sure what happened after my trial, but... knowing them, I think he and the others with him made it out okay. Even if I can't be sure…” Chiaki’s lips tugged upwards in a tiny but heartfelt simper. “I believe in them.”

It was like a mountain had been lifted from Peko’s very soul. After a stunned moment, so much of the tension, suspicion, and quiet lethality Kaede saw in Peko every moment since they regained their memories disappeared, the swordswoman sucking in a breath as if she hadn’t breathed in years. Then again, from her perspective, it might as well have been. Twice in the same hour, Pekoyama managed another first for Kaede in the form of the relieved smile that replaced her distressed lour. “Even if you don’t know for sure, that is... a massive relief, to say the least. Thank you, Chiaki.”

“Keheheh… your concern for your friend, how such deep hopelessness transformed into insurmountable relief… such a beautiful display of humanity! Truly wonderful!” Korekiyo howled gleefully, a delighted grin poorly hidden beneath his mask. The entire table stared at him in perturbed bemusem*nt until Kaede decided to steer the conversation in a less insane direction.

“I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to see you again too, once we get out of here. Maybe you could introduce us!” She enthusiastically added.

“... Perhaps. He isn’t the most fond of people… but he might like you.” The swordswoman tentatively agreed, though the pleased expression didn’t leave her face. Celeste politely cleared her throat.

“Yes, well, now that that’s resolved, shall we continue? Call, raise, or fold, Chiaki…” Ludenberg reminded them. With that, the game started back up. The following hands fell into the same usual pattern of cautious bets and unimpressive wins, slowly draining some players of their wealth while rewarding it to the more daring among them. Peko happened to be the primary victim of that, her defensive playstyle slowly bleeding her dry until she eventually bowed out with a modest twenty coins to her name. Somewhat surprisingly, the swordswoman didn’t simply leave like Kaede had expected, opting to watch the match like the pianist herself.

Chiaki didn’t fare as well several hands later. Despite logical strategies befitting of the Ultimate Gamer, it seemed no amount of virtual poker could make up for real experience, as the pink-haired girl repeatedly managed to fall for Kirumi and Celeste’s bluffs until she found herself bereft of monocoins. “Huh… tells in games are usually a lot more obvious. If only I had a magic bracelet that helped me find them…” Nanami pondered aloud as the last of her coins vanished into Celeste’s ever-growing mound of them.

“No amount of magic can beat a sharp eye. More than a few magicians learned that the hard way against me.” Ludenberg boasted, drawing a hum from Korekiyo.

“Sleight of hand can easily be undone by a clever viewer… but I wonder if that would hold true against the Ultimate Magician. Himiko shows so little emotion or movement that I nearly mistook her for a statue at times. Perhaps she could manage to fool even you, Celestia...” The anthropologist mused. A hint of intrigue entered the gambler’s gaze.

“My my. She sounds like a challenge. Assuming no one killed her, I would quite like to test that theory someday,” Celeste announced, commenting on Yumeno’s theoretical death far too casually for Kaede’s taste. “Putting that aside for now, however, it seems that it’s time to raise the blinds to five and ten coins.”

Kirumi glanced around the table, taking note of who remained in the game. “I must admit, I’m a bit surprised. I didn’t expect a poker game against the Ultimate Gambler to last this long.”

“Are you busy? If so, you can feel free to drop out and take your winnings as you go to do whatever you need to do.” Celeste reminded. Kirumi shook her head.

“No, nothing that I cannot complete after the game. I was invited to compete with you, and I intend to do that to the best of my ability.”

Celeste smirked faintly. “I’d expect nothing less from the Ultimate Maid,” She affirmed, glancing around the table herself. “Though I will confess, I am surprised that there’s still more than a single opponent left at the table after this much time has passed. That doesn’t happen often.”

“I, personally, am more interested by the people who ended up surviving this long, myself. After this long, the only people still competing are those who cannot remember why they did what they had done to arrive here in the first place. Quite an interesting coincidence, I have to say…” Korekiyo pointed.

Kaede hummed to herself, crossing her arms in thought. “Huh… come to think of it, that is a little strange. Maybe it’s just weird luck?”

“... Quite the coincidence indeed…” Ludenberg said slowly, her face blank. After a moment the goth leaned in slightly, her red eyes practically challenging her to look away. “On that note, before I deal the next hand, I would like to propose a way for us to… raise the stakes, let us say.

Kaede held up a finger in confusion. “Wait, didn’t you just raise the blinds? What else are you planning on betting?”

“Indeed. This is somewhat unusual to do this late into a match, Miss Ludenberg…” Kirumi noted, her emerald eye scrutinizing the gambler.

Korekiyo waved a hand. “Yes… but it would be a lie to say I’m not curious what she’s planning. If you would, Celeste?”

The girl in question giggled lightly. “I take it you are interested then? Very well. Here’s what I am proposing…” She intoned before reaching into her blazer and pulling out her monopad, setting it down next to her coins, much to the confusion of the gathered students.

“You’re betting your monopad? Doesn’t that strike you as… unwise?” Tojo questioned, brow furrowing. Celeste shook her head.

“Do not misunderstand. I am not gambling away the key to my room and lab. I am, however, providing an offer. You see, a little before our game started, Monokuma ended up sending me a most interesting motive video. A video that helped to shed quite a few lights on someone here.”

The shock was palpable. For a moment, no one spoke, too surprised by the sudden reveal to respond. Chiaki was the first to recover, her eyebrows raised in concern. “‘Someone here? Do you mean…”

“Indeed. The motive video I received was for one of the players in this little game of ours. With it, I learned not only about their murder, but even found out what his or her motive ended up being,” Celeste explained. Korekiyo and Kirumi noticeably shifted their gaze to the tablet, though neither said a word. “It would seem you are both quite interested. Excellent. In that case, I will add some collateral to the victory pot; If anyone at this table beats me at this match, then they will not only acquire all the coins from the game, but as an added bonus, I shall show said victor the motive video that I received. Peko, if you’re so inclined, feel free to buy back in with what you have left.”

Peko crossed her arms, her gaze sharp and unyielding. “No. I meant it when I said I have nothing to hide, nor any reason to pry into someone else’s past. If you have my video, so be it.”

Kaede copied Peko’s pose, narrowing her eyes at the gambler. "Why are you gambling with this, Celeste? If you trust us enough to show whoever wins what's on the tape, why not just tell them outright? You can't be too concerned about anyone targeting you over it, because otherwise you wouldn't have brought it up at all. What exactly are you doing?" She questioned suspiciously, unsure of Celeste's intentions but doubtful all the same.

The gambler didn't hesitate for so much as a second. "Two things, mostly. First, I am of the opinion that truly high rewards require high risk. Information like this should be earned, not merely given," Celeste explained monotonously, almost as if it was a line she'd practiced thousands of times before. "As for the second…" The corners of her mouth twitched up ever so slightly. "It certainly adds a bit of mystery, doesn't it?"

Shinguji closed his eyes, a hidden smile shifting his mask slightly. “Mystery… and desperation. Having us try to chase after a possible link to our past is a clever trick to make us play sloppily, Celeste. Curiosity kills the cat, as they say.”

“If that’s what you want to believe, there is nothing to be done. I am simply offering something I feel will make the game more interesting. Whether you choose to pursue it or not is your own choice.”

Kirumi bowed her head deeply, her eyes closed and lips thin. “... Regardless of whether this is a ploy or not, I assure you, I will do everything in my power to win. I must know why I… killed Mister Hoshi. I at least owe him that much… and you, for breaking our promise,” The maid gravely intoned, tilting her head towards Kaede. The pianist started to speak, but in a rare display of assertiveness, Kirumi interrupted her. “I apologize, but this is not something I can back down from. This is just as much for myself as for others, I’m afraid.”

“Your devotion to others is truly inspiring, Kirumi. For my part, I must admit my goals are not quite so noble. I simply think it would be intriguing to learn more about my fellow prisoners, or myself, if I’m so lucky. As a matter of principle, however, I would be more than happy to share the tape with you if it so happens to be yours.” The anthropologist promised with a tip of his cap. Kirumi noded in turn.

“And I shall do the same if it’s yours, Mister Shinguji. May the best player win.” Kirumi agreed, offering a gloved hand to the lanky man. He accepted with one of his bandage-ridden own.

“Likewise. Win or lose, this has already been well worth my while.”

“At least they’re not turning against each other, I guess? I mean, if this was over anything but one of the motive videos, this would be great…” A conflicted Kaede thought to herself. Peko's distrusting eyes honed in on the gambler, Chiaki looking as uncertain as Kaede felt, but none of them verbally objected.

Celeste's smirk grew ever so slightly. "My my, two against one? This should truly be something. Very well..." Ludenberg dealt the hand as quick as a cobra, holding her cards in front of her like a weapon. "Let's begin, shall we?"

The Ultimate Maid and Anthropologist attempted a two-pronged strategy, each attempting to play at the same time whenever their hands were decent to ensure as many opportunities to whittle down Celeste's considerable fortune as possible. It was likely why it took the gambler six hands before she finally managed to knock Korekiyo out of the running completely, though once he was gone, Ludenberg's wolfish sight fell on Kirumi alone. It was an aggressive war of attrition, the black-clad aristocrat forcing the maid into costly calls every betting round that left her with no choice but to meet or fold. Soon enough, Tojo's stacks totalling at least a hundred found their way into her opponent's pile one by one until the silver-haired girl had to push forward her last coin just to meet the blinds.

"Raise..." Celeste declared more as a favor than any real necessity, offering fifty coins in case Tojo managed to turn things around as the two set their cards down. Kirumi revealed a pair of tens, a strong contender, only to be met with Celeste's ten of clubs and jack of hearts. A tense silence fell over the room as the maid dealt out the flop, which gave way to a jack of clubs, a ten of diamonds, and a six of clubs. A beat passed before the turn showed a mutually useless two of spades. As it stood, Kirumi's hand was nearly unbeatable given what Celeste had. It was statistically next to impossible for her to pull out a winning hand. The dead silence of the room was deafening in the short eternity before Kirumi flipped the final card… to find a jack of diamonds.

“Woah! Really?” Kaede blurted out in disbelief. Though more restrained than herself to varying degrees, the shock resounded across the table. Kirumi’s visible eye went wide with shock, blinking down at the card for a few seconds before closing them with yet another bow of her head.

“Well played, Miss Ludenberg.”

“Thank you, Kirumi, and you as well. To everyone at this table,” Ludenberg complimented, smiling pleasantly as she raked in the last of her winnings. After a moment, she let out a low, considering hum. “... In fact… as something of a runner’s up prize for you and Korekiyo for doing so well, I’ll say this much: this tape is not either of yours.”

“Not to disparage you, Celeste, but how can we be certain of that? It would be easy to simply say that to make sure neither of us sought to get the video through… less legitimate means.” Kiyo pointed out, waggling a finger like a professor pointing out a logical error.

“Is that a threat, Korekiyo?” Peko challenged, fixing the anthropologist with a hard look. Celeste shook her head.

“Quite the opposite, actually. I doubt he would say something so suspicious if he had any real intention of doing such a thing. Hmm… very well. I suppose I can confirm it in a way that makes it more definitive,” Ludenberg hummed, taking a moment to think about her wording. “... The victim of the tape I watched died from a severe blow to the head.”

Kaede failed to conceal a wince. Well, that probably confirmed her suspicions, then. Korekiyo leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms. “Well then… that certainly does confirm what you say, given what I recall of our killing game.”

Kirumi nodded. “For better or worse, yes. I don't know if I would have preferred that or not...”

“Well, either way, the game is done. Thank you all for an engaging match, and if you wish for a rematch, feel free to ask. In the meantime, there’s still some work I need to finish here in my lab, but feel free to leave as you will.” Celeste thanked, giving a small curtsy before turning her attention to the large stacks of currency in front of her.

Sooner or later, each of the gathered students left the casino to go about their own business. Chiaki and Peko were the first to go, bidding farewell and leaving together, the swordswoman likely aiming to have a more private discussion about that friend they mentioned. After ensuring multiple times that her services wouldn’t be required, Kirumi also bowed out, making sure to let them know she would likely be in the dining hall if needed. Some time after, Korekiyo finally departed as well, leaving just Kaede and Celeste in the entire lab.

“And then there were two...” Ludenberg hummed as she rose from the table. The gambler picked up the stack of cards and shuffled it, once again making the relatively simple task seem like the sort of spectacle people paid Himiko quite a bit to see. After several more seconds of moving the cards about, Celeste took a small box out of a pocket in her blazer and put the stack inside before hiding it once again. Figuring she should say something while she had the opportunity, Kaede spoke up.

“So, did Hifumi give you those, or did you find them here?”

Celeste paused, looking at her in confusion. “Pardon?”

“Your playing cards,” Kaede clarified. “He had a huge pile of stuff from the Monomono machine yesterday. He mentioned he was looking for something nice to give to you.”

“Ah. No, these have been mine for a number of years. They were the first set of cards I ever owned, in fact. I bought them as a child.” The gothic girl said casually. Akamatsu blinked.

“Wait, they’re that old? They look practically brand new! You must take great care of them, Celeste.”

“Partly,” Celeste corrected, taking the box out again and looking at the tin. “While I care for them quite a bit, their condition really comes down to how rarely I actually get to use them. Most legitimate tournaments don’t allow players to use their own decks to prevent cheating, and I’ve been banned from most underground circuits in the country. Even when I first started gambling, I quickly won a number of higher quality sets for any number of games simply through my usual tournaments. Still, I have kept them through the years.”

Kaede raised a finger. “I think I know what that’s like. I always loved my first piano, even if it was really just a glorified keyboard toy glued to some plastic. I got so mad at my dad when he accidentally threw it out…” She chuckled, her laugh slowly fading into something more somber as the thought sunk in. “Dad… Kanda… oh god, do they even know what happened to me? Do… do they know I murdered someone?”

She didn’t have long to dwell on that terrifying realization as Celeste smirked slightly. “Indeed. Firsts are important to informing who we are. I’ve kept it as a reminder of how far I’ve come. I still remember how fascinated I was when I first saw her face in the store,” Ludenberg reminisced, her smirk growing into a genuine smile. “The Queen of Hearts. So confident. Composed. Unyielding. Truly royal. Everything I loved. Everything I…” Celeste stopped, blinking in a rare display of uncertainty as she glanced towards Kaede. “... Ahem. My point being, I was so intrigued by that one card on the box that I bought these cards, left everything else behind, and never looked back since. I suppose you could say these cards are the reason I became who I am today.”

Kaede’s brow furrowed, the girl crossing her arms and looking at the gambler with something bordering on pity. “Never looked back? But what about your friends? Family?”

Celeste’s eyes narrowed slightly. “What about them?”

Akamatsu stared at her in shock. “Wh- don’t you miss them?!”

“No. There is a reason I never looked back,” Celeste tersed, a touch of harshness slipping into her carefully measured tone. Kaede could only blink in slack jawed surprise, completely taken by surprise. The words hung in the air for a long moment before Celeste’s features reset, her tone returning to the same slight monotone as if nothing ever happened. “... Speaking of firsts, Kaede, how did you enjoy your first game of poker?”

Kaede managed a small smile. “Actually, it was really fun! Even if I’m pretty bad at it, apparently.”

Ludenberg shook her head. “On the contrary. You did exceptionally well for a beginner.”

The pianist paused, quirking an eyebrow. “But I busted out first…”

Celeste’s lips quirked upward. “Yes… to the Ultimate Gambler. You lost to one of the best poker players on the planet, after successfully fooling the entire table into playing into your trap with one of the worst hands in the game, all during your first time ever playing,” The gambler pointed out, Kaede feeling more silly with each escalation. Celeste sat down once again, resting her head on her hands. “Yes, you lost. But, some rookie mistakes aside, you made rather intelligent moves. Your bluffing in particular is very impressive. If you worked on reducing your tell, you would be a formidable player.”

“My… tell? What?” Akamatsu asked, brow furrowed in confusion.

“Your tell,” Celeste repeated, flicking at a strand of her hair. “Quite a lot can be gleaned from someone’s body language before they ever speak. Every person has their own little quirks and tells that give away their feelings. A nervous habit, perhaps, or a minor twitch that happens every time they do something. For instance, every time you got a good hand, you blinked.”

Kaede blinked. “I did?”

“Indeed. Seeing as how you just did it again, I believe it happens whenever you’re surprised. Or, perhaps, whenever you’re about to tell a lie.”

Kaede glared at the gambler. “I don’t lie to people.”

Celeste’s smirk grew. “And there’s the blink. Thank you for confirming that theory,” Ludenberg said sweetly. Kaede opened her mouth to refute the gambler, only to slowly let it close as it became clear anything she said would just dig her grave deeper. “There is no need to feel ashamed. Everyone lies, Kaede. It’s how and why they do so that determines how society views them. Besides, the ability to mask your thoughts is a key part of poker.”

Kaede thinned her lips. “Well… not that I’m planning on becoming a pro gambler or something, but how can I deal with that ‘tell’ thing?”

“Different players have different methods. Some wear sunglasses, though this makes what your tell is rather obvious. Others choose to exaggerate other aspects of themselves to try to hide it by talking or making dramatic shows out of their moves. Others still simply learn how to mind their own body language. For you? Sunglasses might be an acceptable crutch until you become more experienced.” Celeste explained, an almost mentoral tone in her voice.

Kaede hummed as she closed her eyes. “Sunglasses, huh? That sounds… honestly a lot cooler than how I usually dress,” She admitted with a small chuckle at her own expense. “But I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, Celeste!”

Ludenberg smiled without a trace of the usual restraint or mockery usually adorning the gambler’s features. “Of course. Encouraging new talent is the lifeblood of my profession. Without new faces, the sport is bound to die out. It is my pleasure,” Celeste approved. After a few moments, the gambler gave a small courtesy. “Now then… I believe I shall stay here, for the time being. You may go. I imagine Kaito and the like are waiting for you.”

Kaede nodded. “Probably, yeah. Well, see you later, and thanks again for the game, Celeste!” She bid farewell, rising from her seat and waving at the other girl happily.

Celeste nodded. “You as well.”

With that, Akamatsu left the casino, starting on her way to the dining hall to grab some of whatever food was left. Though she left in high spirits, it didn’t take long for her haunting thoughts of her family to return to her in the ominous silence of the halls. It had been so easy to forget about them with everything going on, between the confused terror of her original situation, fear of the time limit, her horrified guilt at her own plan, and then finding herself in yet another impossible reality, but now that they occurred to her, they wouldn’t leave her mind. It had been hard enough seeing the crushing disappointment and hurt on the faces of friends she’d only had for a handful of days when her crime was revealed to them. The idea of her little sister looking at her with the same betrayed gaze, or her dear father finding out what a monstrous thing she’d done, was like a punch to the gut.

All her life, her dad taught her to be kind to people whenever she could. To try and lift people up, even if she didn’t feel much more confident than they did, because that was the right thing to do, no matter how much the other kids mocked her. Whenever she thought of just giving up and being mean back, her dad would remind her how proud he was of her, eccentricities and all… how proud her mom would have been. Kanda practically hero-worshipped her for it, even! Yet where would that pride and love go when they found out what she did? Who would be proud of a murderer and a liar? They’d hate her for it. She’d deserve that much, but even the thought of it was enough to make her eyes water.

Possibly even worse than that, though, was the possibility that they had no idea what happened. The idea that she just disappeared one day and they never saw her again or found out what happened to her, being left to guess what fate befell her for the rest of their lives. Would they hold out hope that she was still alive? For how long? If they did know… did they have to watch her execution? Oh god … she prayed to whoever was out there that they didn’t. They didn’t deserve that kind of suffering. Kanda couldn’t even handle gory movies for god’s sake! If she had to watch her sister get tortured to death after having her faith in her completely shattered-

Kaede’s dire thoughts were interrupted as she felt herself collide with something hard enough to knock her off balance, a startled grunt escaping her. “Oof! Wha-”

Thump!

Whatever she walked into hit the floor with a grunt of their own getting cut off by the sound of them impacting the ground. Kaede shook her head wildly to banish the confused fog of thoughts as she tried to process what just happened, glancing around her surroundings. She blinked in confusion as she took in the sight of over a dozen red doors spaciously spread across a long hall on each side. Wait, when did she get back to the dorms? She didn’t remember going downstairs! Sure, they weren’t that far from the casino, but she’d only just started walking back, hadn’t she? When did-

“... Ow…” A girl murmured, drawing Kaede’s attention down to a slightly disheveled looking Chiaki. The gamer was staring up at her with a slight wince, rubbing her elbow. Her handheld rested a foot or so away from her, apparently ripped from her grasp on impact. Kaede’s hand flew up to her mouth.

“Chiaki?! Oh, geez, I’m so sorry! Here, let me help you up!” The pianist frantically apologized, quickly kneeling down and holding out a hand to the smaller girl. Blinking and giving her head a small shake, Chiaki accepted, getting pulled up to her feet by the slightly mortified blonde. “Are you okay?”

“Yep… I think. Just startled me a little.”

Kaede cringed slightly, rubbing her head. “Sorry. I kind of got lost in my own head…” The pink-clad musician admitted with a touch of embarrassment. Chiaki shrugged.

“It’s okay. To be honest, I wasn’t looking where I was going either. I just kind of got used to moving around people while I play my games,” Nanami dismissed. Seeming to realize it was missing, Chiaki glanced around until she found the console and picked it up, examining the device carefully. After a few moments, she closed the viewscreen, putting it away in her coat pocket. “I was about to lose anyway… Kaede? You look upset… what’s up?”

“Hm? Oh, it’s nothing. I’m just… a little stressed. A lot going on, you know?” Kaede partially admitted. It wasn’t really a lie, after all. Not giving every detail wasn’t the same as making something up, right…? Pursing her lips a little, the blonde tried to force a change in topic. “Anyway, I was just going to grab a bit of lunch. Do you and Peko want to join? Wait… where is Peko?” She asked, suddenly realizing the two weren’t together anymore.

Chiaki shook her head. “Peko left to practice in Sakura’s lab a while ago. Kirumi left a plate at your door, but isn’t it getting a little late for lunch?”

Kaede raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean? It’s only half past one-” She ground to a halt as she checked her monopad’s clock to find it was nearly three’oclock already, eyes widening in shock. “H-huh?! What?! When did it get so late?!” She all but yelled, completely taken off guard. Kaede stared at the small tablet, unable to believe what she was saying. “G-geez! How lost in thought was I?!”

Chiaki’s brow furrowed slightly. “Are you sure you’re okay? That… doesn’t seem good.”

Kaede shifted uncomfortably. “I… guess I was a lot more worried than I thought. Usually I have to be playing a piano to lose track of time like that…” She said lightly, trying to play it off as something funny despite how much it actually concerned her. Chiaki didn’t fall for it.

“... Hmm… usually when I’m feeling really worried about something, I try to take a nap. I usually feel better when I wake up. That could help… I think.”

Kaede weakly crossed her arms. “But wouldn’t that just waste time? I already blew almost two hours, apparently…”

“It’s only a waste of time if it doesn’t do anything. Games are fun. Piano makes people happy. Sleep helps you think straight. If it helps you feel better, then you should do it. It’s not easy to help people when you’re getting zerg-rushed with bad thoughts.” Chiaki offered, a knowing glint in her eye. Akamatsu hummed as she considered the gamer’s advice.

“... Well… I guess a few hours wouldn’t hurt. Better than just wandering around, at least,” The pianist hesitantly conceded, still not thrilled with the idea, but unable to find a decent argument against it. She couldn’t shake the feeling there was something she meant to do, yet no matter how hard she tried to remember what it was, her mind came up blank. Annoying, but there wasn’t much she could do about it until it came back to her. “Thanks, Chiaki. Could you let Kaito know if you see him?”

“Yep. See you later, Kaede.” The gamer said with a small wave. Kaede mirrored the action as she retired to her room, taking in Kirumi’s thoughtfully prepared meal and putting it on the coffee table and lazily collapsing onto the bed with a sigh.

“Okay… sleep now, plan later…” Kaede muttered to herself. Chiaki was right; she wouldn’t be useful to anyone in her state. Closing her eyes, she tried to ignore the regrets plaguing her mind in favor of the quiet nothingness of sleep.

***

Kaede awoke still feeling somewhat groggy a few hours later, checking her clock to find she’d slightly slept in through dinner. Not by much, as it was only a quarter past seven, but it was still an annoyance to the pianist. “Shoot! What’s up with me today?” She grunted under her breath as she pulled herself out of bed. After making sure she didn’t have too bad a case of bedhead, the blonde quickly rushed out to join the others.

Approaching the dining room, though, she nearly barreled into a remarkably pale Leon as he stormed out of the hall plate in hand. “Whoa! Sorry, Leo-”

“AH! JESUS! Wh- back off!” He barked in a panic, sweat running down his face as he suddenly rushed past her, almost making a break for his room and slamming the door behind him. Kaede blinked in sheer confusion.

“Oookay then…” She muttered to herself, scratching her head before stepping into the considerably empty dining hall. Peko was in her usual corner, though once again joined by Sakura, while the only other people in the hall were Mikan, Kaito, Kirumi, and a very pleased-looking Celeste. The gambler was holding a small black and red umbrella in one hand and her monopad in the other, the frilly accessory lightly laying on her shoulder as she sat at a table closer to the door than her usual nest closer towards the kitchen. Eyebrows raised, she approached the gothic girl. “Hey, Celeste?”

The gambler looked up at her from the screen. “Ah. Hello, Kaede. Is something the matter?”

“Do you have any idea what’s up with Leon? He was acting really weird just now.”

"Oh, that? He approached me with the suggestion of trading motive videos. He had one I was interested in, so I agreed. Apparently, he was unsettled by my tape enough that he felt the need to leave. Oh well." Celeste said with a small sigh. Kaede blinked at her.

"If she does have my tape, that would explain why Leon was so freaked out by me, but…" She crossed her arms, fixing the gambler with a confused look. "You traded motives with him? Why? I thought you said people had to earn your tape."

"Simple. He had something I wanted, and to be perfectly honest, Leon is far too much of an idiot to do anything dangerous with the information I had to give up for it. Coincidentally, this is why I wouldn't trade with anyone else. He is the only one I don't believe could be a real threat." Celeste dismissed casually.

"To you, maybe, but that doesn't mean it's fine for everyone else!"

Ludenberg sipped her tea. "C'est la vie, but believe me when I say he is of no consequence."

"He better not," Kaede warned with a pout, mentally resigning herself to having to deal with Leon's nonsense sooner or later. Sighing, she shifted her gaze to the parasol somewhat curiously. "... Where'd you get this, anyway?"

Celeste twirled the ornate accessory. "Lovely, isn't it? After you left, I spent much of the day converting my winnings into monotokens with the various arcade games for the exchange. I found this and simply had to have it. Such a wonderful prize is simply bound to be mine."

"Uh… huh," Kaede hesitantly agreed, not really in the mood for arguing with the goth yet again. "Well… enjoy it. I'm gonna go talk with some of the others and see where everyone is. See you later."

The rest of the evening passed by in a bit of a blur. Dinner wasn't like the previous day's event, more of an occasional trickle of students in and out of the cafeteria than any sort of real group event. The mood at Kaede's table was more or less unchanged, aside from even more nervousness from Mikan, but the overall room was considerably more tense. Even Kaito’s enthusiasm wasn’t enough to break through the fog lingering over them all. By the time the already few students started dispersing a little over an hour later, the ship felt like a ghost town, and it wasn’t long after that Kaede found herself once again alone in her room, bored and bordering on frustrated.

Clearly, most people had gotten their motive video at this point, and probably watched it as well if the grim silence most of them had was any indication. The question was what precisely she could do about it, and no matter how much she thought about it, she kept pulling a blank. There was no solution she could come up with that wouldn’t either possibly make things worse or do nothing at all. She absolutely hated the now-common feeling of having incredibly important tasks and no way to do them, that high-strung chord in her that felt like any minute movement set it off. She didn’t want to train with Kaito while she felt so on edge, but sitting around doing nothing felt like torture.

Kaede groaned as she pinched the bridge of her nose, throwing her legs over the side of the couch and sitting up straight. Whenever she felt this stressed in the past, whether it be some major recital she had to perform or a big assignment for school she’d completely forgotten about in favor of her music, she had a reliable getaway that let her unwind her worries away and clear her head enough to think through things without getting overwhelmed. Her oldest and one of her dearest friends. The instrument that she’d practically built her life around.

The same one that killed her.

Kaede grit her teeth. “No. Don’t think about that. Just… I don’t know, what do people usually do to relax? Watch TV?” She forced herself to shake her head, picking up the remote and turning it on to find Monokuma on a stage with a spotlight shining down on him and a microphone clutched in his paw.

“ You know, the other day, I saw a blind girl get hit by a bus. It was pretty sad… I mean, she never saw it coming! Not like me. In fact, I sped up when I saw her! Bwahahahahaha! ” The bear cackled psychotically. Kaede scowled and turned it back off, tossing the remote on the couch.

“Stupid jerk…” She muttered to herself. “No way I’m watching that. Maybe I could see a couple more episodes of Notes of Nevermore… no, wait, too much piano… ugh! Come on, Kaede! Stop messing around and just do something already!” She fumed at herself. The blonde just wanted to do something stimulating, anything at all to distract her from her thoughts. Without even bothering to come up with a particular destination, Akamatsu stood up and walked out the door. She didn’t really pay attention to where she was going, or how fast or slow she went. As long as she could focus on the feeling of movement, she was satisfied. In a way, it wasn’t that different from her nervous pacing earlier in the day, only stuck with a slightly less horrible set of thoughts in her mind and a bit more consciousness of her surroundings as she at least noticed when she started walking up to the second deck. Kaede simply followed wherever her feet led her without complaint.

After some time, though, she stopped in her tracks. The long halls of the ship were becoming somewhat familiar to her already, but Kaede didn’t realize exactly where she was going until she was already there. Her jaw hung open as she stared wide eyed at the door to her lab, unsure what -if anything- she should do. It was like a cruel joke. She’d walked all that way to clear her head, and yet her subconscious had led her right back to the one she wanted to do yet was also more terrified of than anything else. For a long moment, she simply stood there, feeling her body tense at the mere sight of the themed door. Kaede tried to turn around and walk away… but found her legs wouldn’t obey. Instead, she took a step forward. Then another. The pianist stopped in shock, blinking at her own actions as what sounded like a drum continued to beat faster and faster in her mind. As it continued, that sound became like a warcry, turning the fearful tension into a fire in her very soul.

“No… no more. I… I won’t be scared anymore! I’m getting over this, right here and now!” She thought to herself, her hands balling tightly into fists as she felt a burst of courage. Before she realized it, Kaede marched up to the door and opened it, stepping into the room specially designed for her. In an instant, the hammering silenced, a deathly quiet filling her lab. The determination swelling in her chest felt like it morphed yet again, an unshakable sense of unease clashing with her resolve. She didn’t know how long she stood there before she finally felt brave enough to take a step towards the patiently waiting piano in the middle of the room like a sleeping dragon. Almost robotically, Kaede felt her legs hesitantly take another step every few seconds, as if moving too quickly would make the instrument attack her. Eventually, though, the firm wood of the bench pressed against her legs before she ultimately took a seat. Not a sound filled the room as she looked down at the rows of white and black, her stomach twisting as she gulped down her fear.

“Okay… okay, this is really happening. You can do this, Kaede. You’ve been doing it practically from birth. You can do it. Just… just like old times…” She whispered to herself, still staring down at the keys. She raised her hands to play… only to find herself shaking even harder than before. It seemed to get worse the more she took in the sight until she looked away with a gasp, staring up at the ceiling. Gradually, she felt them stiffen partially, though it was still like her entire body was vibrating. Kaede swallowed once again. “... O-okay. Looking at the keys makes it worse. So… so I won’t. Just play on memory, okay? Just start with something simple. Like… like C Major. Yeah, that will work…”

The pianist took in a deep, shaking breath as she blindly positioned her trembling hands over the keys, eyes clenched tighter than a vise. The old ivory was cool to the touch when she finally worked up the courage to press down on one of them just enough to trace along them with her fingertips. The subtle dips and grooves on their surface, entirely unnoticeable to anyone without years and years of experience with the instrument, were a bittersweet sensation to her. She always loved getting familiar with a new piano specifically because of those minor details. Imagining how each of those little bumps and cuts came to be helped her come up with narratives and emotions she could put into her music. She'd come up with her own backstories and personalities for keys depending on her mood at the time and the unique quirks in the design each one had. When she was especially young, she would pretend they were her friends. For a lonely little girl without any friends and a geeky interest, those made up stories were the closest thing she had to real emotional connections for years. Now, though, each key her fingers cautiously glided over felt like it was rigged to explode if she dared touch it too hard, merely lying in wait to finish her off for good.

Even with that dread, however, getting her hands into position for the C Major scale without looking was the definition of child's play for her. Kaede's fingers hovered silently above the rows of white for several long moments while the blonde prepared herself for what could come next. Given that the mere thought of pianos had been enough to make her sick to her stomach with fear, actually playing the instrument would probably be like playing Russian Roulette with five rounds loaded. Kirumi would probably blow a gasket if she knew what the pianist was doing at that moment, but the fact was she couldn't run forever. No, she refused to. Kaede Akmatsu was an Ultimate, the best in the world. She was supposed to be the epitome of capability, just like all her friends and peers were for their crafts. Their crafts that, despite almost certainly being involved in their executions as well, they still embraced to the fullest. How could she claim to be able to stand up for them if she couldn't even stand on equal footing with them? If her friends could still enjoy their talents after suffering the same fate as her, then she had no excuse. Those were the justifications swirling in her mind as she took a deep breath, counted to three, and pressed down on C.

The sound of the hammer striking the equivalent chord rang out throughout the suffocatingly quiet room like a gunshot. Her hand shot away as if it had been burned while the note hung simmering in the air for a few seconds, slowly fizzling out like a dying candle. A beat passed before she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose and shaking her head as she felt a humiliated heat rise to her cheeks. "Come on, don't be stupid…" She muttered under her breath, hating how childish she felt at that moment. She made a fist as she readied herself once more and managed to dance her fingers across D, E, F, and G before her hand started trembling too much for her to play.

Kaede shakily guided her hands to her rapidly thumping heart. "Okay… that was a little better," The blonde whispered to herself over the lump in her throat. Baby steps were still steps, she supposed. Impatience had always been a weakness of hers, but as much as it killed her to do so, it was abundantly clear she would have to take it slow. Once the shaking came to a stop and her heart slowed down, Akamatsu chose to take it from the top, stopping and restarting the melody as needed. She continued like that for a while. Sometimes she could get through most of the melody before it became too much, while other times, she couldn't make it past the first note. She wasn't sure how long she sat there experimenting with the same few keys over and over. In a way, it was a return to form for her to lose herself amidst the swirling notes, though those memories of her younger days tended to be much happier and energetic compared to the slightly melancholic relearning she was forcing herself through at the moment.

Kaede didn't notice the first time she finally managed to complete the motion, or the second. The realization didn't strike her until halfway through the third following attempt. It was surprising enough to make her miss the timing on the next key, but that didn't matter. She stared at her hands in delighted shock, relieved to find only the slightest quiver affecting them. A triumphant grin slowly spread across her face as she idly mimed the notes in the air before positioning them back over the ivory and completing the sequence one last time. "There we go! I've still got it!" She proudly proclaimed. Perhaps a bit of an overreaction considering that all she had done was play the piano’s simplest scale a few times, but given all she'd gone through, it felt like she had the world in her palm.

And, for some time, she did. Notes gradually came to fill the air like stars in the night sky as she carefully fiddled with the rows of white and black, playing whatever notes came to her in the heat of the moment. It was far from her best work; the timing was completely off, she held some notes too long and others too short to sound pleasing, and her freeform had never been quite as good as performing existing pieces anyways, but that couldn't have mattered less to her at that moment. What mattered was the fact that, despite the cold sweat on her brow and her body feeling like it was ready to completely revolt, her fear wasn't the most dominant thing in her mind. It was there, of course, churning in her gut like butter and screaming at her to run back to the safety of her room, but more than that was the determination to keep going; a raging fire in her that roared to push it as far as she could go.

This same fire, at some point, convinced her that playing an old melody she composed when she was first starting out with classical arrangements. She knew it mostly by muscle memory at this point, often forgetting the individual songs she put into it until she actually started playing them. As it was designed for beginners, the piece was largely composed of rather simple songs. Prelude in E Min, Claire De Lune, Canon in D, Minuet in G, Blue Danube, and more, all relatively simple to play, and even had a couple of her favorites among them. Her fingers gracefully danced across the keys, shifting from song to song with practiced ease. Pride gleamed in her grin. Finally, she was back to being herself! Screw Monokuma and his tricks; she was the Ultimate Pianist, and nobody could take that from her! She moved her hand over the next set of keys on instinct as she finished Blue Danube. As she recalled, the next track largely consisted of flats, so it should have been simple. Exceedingly so, even.

The moment she pressed the fifth note, however, she felt the world drop out from under her. She missed the next note hard , a discordant crash that shattered the flow of the piece, but that was the last thing in the world on her mind. Kaede felt herself break out in a cold sweat. The Flea Waltz. Of course. How could she have forgotten she included that damned song?! She could still hear it playing in the back of her mind, notes punctuated by Monokuma's sad*stic laughter. Kaede's hands shook violently, like leaves in a hurricane of dread and horror that howled in her ears louder and louder the longer she stared at the keys. Her throat constricted against her will while her mouth became a desert. The pianist's heart hammered like a metronome from hell, threatening to beat right out of her chest. She tried steadying her right hand by grabbing it with her left only to find that she couldn't get her fingers to bend with how badly they were trembling.

Despite all that, however, it wasn't until she realized she hadn't taken a single breath in the last thirty seconds that she finally yanked back from the instrument with a desperate gasp. She stumbled over the bench as she tried to put some distance between herself and the piano, only making it about two feet away before a flash of fiery agony across her neck had her hands flying to her throat to pull off a nonexistent noose.

Her eyes burned with tears as she hacked and sputtered for air. Akamatsu blinked, and suddenly she was in the execution chamber, staring at her friends' horrified faces and incoming rocks from the jeering crowd of Monokumas. Terror overwhelmed her, a soundless scream trying to claw its way out of her, coming out as little more than a desperate, barely audible hiss amidst her choked down gasps and sobs. Indescribable pain consumed her entire body and mind. The collar refused to budge an inch no matter how tightly she pulled against it as it squeezed the life out of her little by little, dragging her along the scales like a ragdoll all while stones pelted her mercilessly. She had just enough air to stay conscious for every anguishing moment of her execution, leaving her in a hellish cycle of being ready to pass out but in too much pain to finally slip through the cracks. Every fiber of her being was screaming out for mercy, but a dark, sickeningly calm part of her mind idly noted that she wouldn't receive it. This was it. Even as the world started to fade to black and the pain finally ebbed into a dull, omnipresent numbness, she knew what was happening.

Kaede Akamatsu was dying all over again.

***

"Hard."

That was the first thought Kaede formed when feeling returned to her body. Something beneath her was decidedly hard and uncomfortable. She ached dully from head to toe, feeling stiff as a board and as weak as a noodle. The second thing she realized was that her face felt wet and sore. The blonde let out a low, murmuring groan, weakly putting a hand to her cheek to find that it warm and damp. "Ugh… wh…" Her words were cut off by a raspy cough that made her mouth feel like sandpaper. "... Huh…? What… where am I?" The pianist struggled to think, her mind sluggish and flashing enough pain to make her wince. Opening her eyelids was a herculean task, taking every bit of what little strength she felt to manage. When she finally managed it, Kaede blearily recognized that she was laying on the wood flooring of her lab, a small puddle of drool slowly drying next to her lips. Kaede blinked. Her lab? Why would she sleep in her lab, let alone on the floor...?

The blonde shakily forced herself to her feet, stumbling so badly she nearly fell face first on the floor again with her first step and forcing her to grab onto the piano bench for support. It felt like a thick fog had descended over her mind, making it hard to even think. Her lab… how did she get here? She didn’t remember going to the room. Her brow furrowed deeply as she tried to recall what she was doing last, only worsening as it kept coming up blank. “... I feel like I was doing something important, but…” Kaede tried to piece together through the cloud in her head. Dinner had been at least a few hours prior… after that, she went on a walk and ended up playing the… the…

Kaede glanced up at the row of keys in front of her, and suddenly, it clicked. She felt her stomach drop out from her half a second before her legs did the same, the pianist tumbling to the ground as terror gripped her body. She frantically scampered away from her once adored instrument, feeling herself beginning to hyperventilate. No, no, how could she have been stupid enough to think this was a good idea?! She was executed by hanging while playing piano, and she thought she could just sit down and get over it?! Self-directed fury mixed with primal fear as she stared up at the piano from the ground like it was a preying lion about to lunge out and kill her again. Her throat constricted painfully, her entire body quivering.

Logically, she knew it couldn’t hurt her. It was an inanimate object that didn’t even have the ability to make noise by itself. These reasonable thoughts, however, could barely peek out above the torrent of fear in her heart and mind. She grabbed onto those thoughts for dear life as she fell back into the same rabbit hole of horror she’d presumably passed out from the first time. Her neck felt like it was burning, hot and sore to the touch that flared every time her fingertips brushed against it. Her body rocked with each forceful inhale and unsteady exhale. Through it all, the only thing letting her be anything remotely close to calm was her own desperate logic. If the piano couldn’t do anything, it couldn’t hurt her. If it couldn’t hurt her, it couldn’t be killing her right now. If it wasn’t killing her, she wasn’t actually dying. It was a pitiful comfort that barely worked for nightmares, let alone whatever the hell was happening to her right then and there, but the almost childish deduction felt like the only thing keeping her sane amidst the chaos of her mind.

Eventually, she found enough strength to force herself to speak. "N-no... s-stop… y-you're fine… you're alive… it’s not real... just... breathe..." She gasped out in between rough and rugged breaths. Being able to hear it out loud made it slightly more believable than just saying it in her mind, at least. Over and over, the words shakily escaped her lips, devolving from a series of logical statements to an almost prayer-like chant. By the time she finally managed to steady herself at least a little bit, her fists were clenched tightly into her skirt in a vain attempt to stop their uncontrollable tremors.

Kaede could still feel her heart hammering in her chest, even if it was only just starting to slow ever so slightly, but she at least felt confident enough to try to stand. She shakily forced herself to her knees and subsequently her feet once she was sure she wouldn’t sprawl out on the floor if she tried to take a step. The pianist could still feel herself quivering a little, the rancid taste of bile in the back of her mouth and aching eyes lingering from her episode like a phantom limb. Most of it was a blur now, nothing but a feeling of almost animalistic fear and terror, but the gist of what happened was clear. Kaede grit her teeth, holding herself so tightly that it hurt. Like always, she arrogantly assumed she could just power through her problems and everything would be okay, because that had worked so well for her before with the mastermind, hadn’t it? Rantaro was just thrilled to get her kind of solution .

At least the only one suffering from her stupidity this time was herself. Akamatsu didn’t dare look back at the instrument behind her as she all but stumbled out of the room. Sleep was basically out of the question at this point -she doubted her dreams would be pleasant even if she could somehow fall asleep any time soon after that - but going to her room was basically the only thing she could do. There was no way in hell she could tell anyone about this. It was bad enough Tsumugi, Hifumi, Gundham and Kaito had already seen a glimpse of how badly broken she was deep down. Something like this? That would completely destroy whatever credibility she had. How could anyone believe in someone that could be reduced to a sobbing, shaking mess by a few notes literally anyone slightly familiar with piano knew by heart? She had to be strong for everyone. She couldn’t be so weak. Not again.

Kaede slowly trudged through the halls, careful not to stray too far from the walls, lest she lose her balance and fall yet again. She had no clue what time it was other than night, given the pitch blackness just beyond the windows of the ship. Hopefully, it was late enough that everyone else had already gone to bed. With luck, they’d just dismissed her disappearance as going to bed early, rather than assuming the worst had happened. Her current state wouldn’t be easy to explain away even without people instantly assuming she must have been attacked. The best thing that could happen was she avoided everyone else, got back to her room, and came up with some sort of plan for how to handle everything the next day. She was still pretty far away from her sanctuary, only about halfway down the ludicrously long hall from her lab to Sakura’s plus the much shorter trek from there down the staircase and finally back to her room, but it should have been a simple journey.

Naturally, it had to be that exact moment that Mondo chose to explode out of Kirumi’s lab just ten feet away from her, the biker throwing the door open with enough force to leave a thunderous BAM as it impacted the wall.

Kaede jumped with a startled yelp, staring at the fearsome Ultimate in shock. “M-Mondo?! What are you doing here?” She called out on instinct, regretting it almost instantly as he suddenly swerved and laid his fiery gaze on her. The pianist felt her hair stand up as she stared back into his snake-like yellow eyes alight with fury. She’s seen Mondo angry. She’d even seen him furious. Neither of those words came close to describing the pure seething rage radiating off his entire body. His lips twisted into a harsh sneer.

“WHERE IS HE?!”

Kaede stared at him in complete bafflement, too caught by surprise to worry about her ruined plan. “What? Who are you looking f-”

Owada slammed a fist against the wall. “HIFUMI! WHERE THE f*ck IS THAT FAT BASTARD?! TELL ME, GODDAMNIT!” He demanded with a snarl.

Kaede threw her hands up defensively.”I-I don’t know! I haven’t seen him since dinner!” She blurted out before she could think of why he would want to know. The muscular monolith of a man growled, turning away from her and powering his way down the hall. The pianist stayed frozen in place for a few seconds before her senses rushed back to her, shaking her head frantically and chasing after the rapidly escaping gangster. “H-hey! Wait! Mondo!” She called out, breaking into an awkward run. Despite not having much of an initial head start, between his longer strides and anger-fueled power walking, Mondo had a solid lead on her. He didn’t have any intention of stopping either, completely ignoring her calls and pleas for him to stop. Owada was already at the door to Sakura's lab when Kaede arrived, trying his hardest to open the door even as it remained firmly in place. “Mondo, stop!” She demanded yet again, only to be completely ignored by him.

"OPEN THE f*ck UP, GODDAMN DOOR!" Mondo yelled out in anger as the door held firm. Upon being ignored once more, Kaede's patience snapped, as she reached out and grabbed Mondo by the arm.

“MONDO!”

That caught his attention. Mondo spun around in an instant, glowering down at the girl with an enraged glare. “The f*ck do you want?!” He spat out roughly. It took a considerable amount of effort on Kaede’s part not to flinch.

“To know what the hell is going on, for starters! What did Hifumi do, and what do you want with him?” She demanded. Owada’s glare deepened.

“I ain’t gotta tell you jack sh*t. f*ck off!” He growled as he tried to pull out of her grasp, making Kaede’s grip tighten. Kaede’s eyes narrowed in determination even as she felt her heartbeat begin to quicken.

“Not until you tell me what’s happening! What did he do that’s so bad?!”

Kaede seemed to strike a nerve with that. “What’s so bad? HOW ‘BOUT THE FACT THAT HE f*ckIN’ KILLED TAKA?! ” He roared, looking at her as if she asked the stupidest question in the world. She couldn’t hold back her flinch this time, pulling back a little, but keeping a firm grip on his arm as he tried pulling away yet again. Mondo’s fists clenched as the words seemed to make him even more angry. “ HE KILLED MY f*ckIN’ FRIEND! MY BEST FRIEND! SO NOW THAT WORTHLESS LARD OF sh*t IS GONNA f*ckIN’ PAY!”

Kaede felt like she’d just been drenched with ice water, her blood going cold in her veins. Oh, f*ck . She’d been so focused on people from other games distrusting each other that she never considered they might have killed each other’s friends. She… she had no idea how to solve that ! There wasn’t a damn thing she could do about people that were already dead! What in the world was she supposed to do?! “Wh-what do you mean by that?” She asked, despite knowing all too well exactly what he meant. The pianist subconsciously sized up the biker, hoping and praying for any hint in his body language that would tell her she was wrong, but that hope died the moment she noticed a weapon clutched in his other hand. Mondo held a formidably sized dumbbell with enough ease that it wouldn’t be hard to imagine him effortlessly swinging the thing for a workout… or caving someone’s skull in. Her heart seized, mouth going dry as she looked back into his eyes and found all her worst fears confirmed. She had no idea where he’d gotten it, but he had a weapon, an opportunity, and a motive that would have driven just about anyone over the edge. The killing game would start tonight...

…

… If she let it.

“N-no…” Kaede refused, her voice barely a whisper. Half a second later, it was as if a bolt of lightning struck her, confidence and determination swelling in her chest like a woman possessed. She pressed her fingers as tightly into Mondo’s coat as she could manage. “No! I won’t let you! I won’t let you get yourself or anyone else killed!”

The biker growled at her. “Back the f*ck off. NOW . I ain’t in the f*ckin’ mood for this bullsh*t! Don’t be a goddamn idiot!”

Kaede held her ground, any fear she should have felt seeming to fuel her resolve. “No! I’m sorry about your friend, Mondo. I truly, truly am. But you can’t do this! Do you think he would have wanted this?!”

“He’s f*ckin DEAD ‘cause of that fat asshole! Whatever the hell he wanted died with him! Only thing I can do is settle the f*ckin’ score!” Owada hissed, trying yet again to break free.

Kaede’s fierce stare unwaveringly challenged the Ultimate Gang Leader’s own. “That’s not true! He might be gone, but he’d want his wish to live on without him through the people he cared about! That means you , Mondo! You know what you’re doing isn’t right!”

Mondo bared his teeth at her, his glare dark and hateful. "I swear to Christ, Kaede, if you don't let the f*ck go of me right now I'll-"

"You'll kill me? No, you won't, but you'll kill Hifumi if I do! I'm not going to let that happen!" She interrupted harshly, tugging on his arm with all her might. Feeling more courage than she'd felt in her entire life, she shoved a finger directly into Mondo's chest. "You aren't going to hurt me, Mondo. Deep down, I don’t think you really want to kill Hifumi, either. I know you can be stronger than that! I know you're not that weak! "

In a moment, everything became still. Not a single sound dared break the silence. Mondo stopped resisting her hold, becoming stiffer than she thought humanly possible. He wasn't looking at her anymore, instead staring down at her hand on his arm intently as his hair covered up his face almost completely. After several painfully long seconds, she saw his already tight body-language become even more rigid. So quietly that Kaede barely even heard, he whispered, "... What the f*ck do you know about being strong?"

Kaede flinched. He had her there, didn't he? Even if he didn’t know it, he’d hit a soft spot. How could she lecture anyone about strength when she was so weak that she took advantage of Shuichi’s kindness to commit murder? The pianist's face softened guiltily. "I'm sorry, Mondo. I just-"

Something slammed into her back hard , a stunned gasp escaping her in a mixture of shock and pain. Half a second later, she realized what she felt was actually the wall, the pianist having been shoved against it harshly. She blinked in surprise at a furious Mondo, his fist clenched around the dumbell to the point of whitening his knuckles. “HUH?! f*ckIN’ ANSWER ME, YOU BITCH! WHAT THE f*ck DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ME?! YOU THINK YOU KNOW EVERY GODDAMN THING ABOUT ME ‘CAUSE WE BOTH KILLED SOMEONE?!” He roared, hellfire in his eyes. Terror filled Kaede as she stared up at him.

“M-Mondo?! N-no! I don’t mean-” She pleaded, only to get cut off.

“SHUT THE f*ck UP! YOU WANNA KNOW WHERE TRYIN’ TO BE STRONG GOT ME?! IT GOT DAIYA KILLED! GOT CHIHIRO KILLED! GOT TAKA f*ckING KILLED! ” Owada howled as he marched up to her like a monolith of death. “AND YOU WANNA SIT THERE TALKIN’ ABOUT HOW WEAK I AM FOR WANTIN’ TO GET RID OF THE SONUVABITCH THAT MURDERED MY BEST FRIEND?! PRETENDIN’ YOU’RE ANY f*ckIN’ BETTER THAN ME, WHEN YOU DID THE SAME sh*t?! PRETENDIN’ YOU’RE ANY STRONGER THAN ME?! f*ck! YOU! ”

Kaede’s heart hammered like a wardrum in her ears, fear rushing over her senses like a tsunami over a lone island in the sea. Every fibre of her being was screaming at her to run, but she was absolutely petrified, her legs refusing to heed the warning of clear incoming danger. She could barely force herself to choke out, “M-Mondo, please! Calm down! Y-you’re really scaring me!”

“SCARIN’ YA?! THAT SOMETHIN A WEAKLIN’ COULD DO?!” The biker bellowed, barely arm’s-length away from her. His right arm raised into the air, the dull metal of the dumbell glinting slightly in the artificial light. “NO! YER SCARED BECAUSE I! AM! STRONG!”

It was at that moment Kaede Akamatsu realized she was about to die. She was about to be killed on some godforsaken boat by one of her friends in a blind rage, and either he or everyone else aboard would die soon after. She’d arrogantly assumed she could just make friends with everyone and everything would be okay, never once stopping to think that not everyone would have planned their murders like she did. It never occurred to her that someone might just snap during an argument and end someone’s life in a moment of weakness, like what was about to happen to her. This wasn’t going to be some grand heroic sacrifice or atonement for her sins like her execution had been. There would be no one to see her demise as a warning for what awaited murderers like her, or inspire someone to carry her wish forward, or anything of the sort. She was going to die alone, except for Mondo, who didn’t even seem to realize what he was doing. He was going to kill her, and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do but wait for it to happen. It was at that same moment she realized something else that set it apart from her last fate, something that she felt throughout her entire body and in her very soul.

Kaede Akamatsu didn’t want to die.

“No! No! NONONO! MONDO! STOP! PLE-”

The dumbbell swung down with all the power Mondo could muster, hitting its mark with a sickening crunch , and the room fell silent.

Chapter 9: Chapter One: The Bloodied Hands We're Dealt: Deadly Life Part 2

Chapter Text

“I can't give up! It'd be a crappy story if the hero gave up so easily!

All you guys are working hard, so I can't just sit back and relax!

It's just...I'm happy you guys wanna save me, but stay safe, okay?"

***

Kaito tapped his foot impatiently as he checked the clock for the millionth time that minute. Eleven-fifteen, just like it had been when he checked it five seconds prior. The astronaut scowled. Seriously, what was taking Kaede so long?! She was already practically an hour late to training! Sure, she mentioned wanting some time to think after dinner, but that was hours ago! What could she possibly be thinking about so hard that it took that long to solve, yet she didn’t want to bring up to the Luminary of the Stars? She was his sidekick, after all! It was his job to help her with this kind of stuff, even if he wasn’t as great as Shuichi at solving mysteries and crap! She should know she could trust him with whatever was on her mind!

“... Screw waiting! She probably just lost track of time! Just gotta go remind her, and we’re good to go!” The astronaut declared boisterously to the empty room. Sure, he was the only one in the room right now, but that just meant he could practice his pep-talking on himself! Launching up from the couch, he purposefully strolled out of his room and over to Kaede’s dorm down the hall before ringing the doorbell. And ringing it again. And once again after that. Patience was a virtue, but as virtuous as Kaito was, he saw no point in wasting time waiting for problems to solve themselves when he could just handle it himself. Just like the first night they spent on the ship, he quickly transitioned into knocking and ringing the bell at the same time. “Yo, Kaede, it’s me! C’mon, sidekick, we’ve got training, remember?” He called out, figuring she’d step out any second now. At the very least, she’d get annoyed enough to tell him to stop. Operation: Maki Roll had yet to fail him, after all.

After what must have been a full minute of that, though, she still hadn’t come out. That was… pretty weird. There’s no way she didn’t hear him if she was in there, unless she was a really heavy sleeper… except… Kaito’s lips thinned. Kaede did seem kind of out of it during dinner, and Chiaki mentioned the pianist was pretty tired before hand. Maybe she was stressed out because of the motives, and trying to catch some sleep? He couldn’t blame her for that, but that still sucked. She shouldn’t let that stupid crap get to her! But… well, if she was that tired, she wouldn’t be able to focus on training, anyway. Kaito sighed as he stepped away from her room. Fine, then. He’d just have to train for both of them!

The lights were still on, as per Gundham’s verbose boasting. He might be a co*cky bastard of a villain, but he was at least a man of his word. The makings of a worthwhile rival, if he kept proving himself to Momota. It definitely made things easier on him as he strutted up the stairway to the second deck. He stripped off his iconic jacket once he reached the summit of the stairs, tossing it to the side as slammed his fists. “Alright! If I’m doing this by myself, I don’t have to hold back! Let’s go with… got it! Routine D-Five-Three!” Kaito confidently decided. It was basically just a more intense version of his usual workout routine, but there was no way Shuichi or Kaede could manage it yet. He started simple, dropping to the ground and getting into position for some pushups. He didn’t bother holding back the grin that broke across his face as he got into the groove of it. Being able to work out as hard as he wanted without throwing up a fistful of blood afterwards was incredibly satisfying.

Just a few minutes into it, however, a strange rumbling sound reached his ears. It was low and indistinct, impossible to make out anything beyond its presence. Even then, Kaito wasn’t entirely sure he wasn’t imagining it. He ignored it at first in favor of focusing on the workout until it eventually grew too loud to ignore, the indistinct murmurings growing into muffled yells. It was obvious something was up at that point, forcing Kaito to stop his routine in favor of investigating to see what was going on. He walked at a casual pace, not wanting to tip off whoever was messing around. Stealth wasn’t his usual choice, but it seemed like maybe Shuichi and Maki were onto something with all that talk about subtlety. Better to sneak up on them than have them manage to slip through his fingers like the mastermind had, at least.

That was the plan, anyway, until a terrified scream pierced the silence of the night as it echoed through the halls before suddenly falling unnaturally silent. It caught Kaito completely off guard, the astronaut stunned in place by it. For a brief moment, his mind leapt to ghosts haunting the boat like one of those stupid old urban legends. A quarter of a second later, though, a much grimmer explanation came to mind and his instincts kicked in. Momota launched to his feet, tearing down the vast halls as fast as his legs could carry him. No way in hell was he letting someone get hurt while he was around! He was Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars, Ultimate Astronaut and hero to all! If he had to kick some would-be killer’s ass to save someone, so be it! He rounded the corner where it sounded like the scream came from, a pair of figures coming into view just a little ways away. “Hey! What in the hell’s going-”

Kaito’s words died in his throat as he took in the sight in front of him, his mind refusing to accept what he was looking at. No… no way. This couldn’t be real. There was no way in hell he could really be seeing this. “K-Kaede…? Mondo? What…” Confused disbelief erupted into fiery anger almost instantly, his fists clenching painfully tight as his expression warped in rage. “WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!”

***

A Few Minutes Prior...

An almost complete dead silence weighed over the vast corridor like a choking fog, suffocating anything that would dare to speak up. The only noise permerating the hall was Mondo’s shuddering, rasping breaths, his broad shoulders heaving with each deep exhale. His grip on the dumbbell slowly went lax, his deathly hold on it slipping more and more until he dropped it to the floor with a sharp clink . His anger faded more and more with every breath like a spirit leaving his body until he finally let out one last sigh, blinking as he came out of his blind rage. The moment he took in the sight in front of him, however, grief and horror filled him to an even greater degree than his murderous rage had mere moments prior. For one of the few times in his life, tears reached Mondo Owada’s eyes, his hands trembling in shock. His mouth went dry and his legs seemed to fail him, buckling beneath the biker as a choked sob rumbled from deep within him. “Oh… no, f*ck, oh god… f*ck, I’m so sorry… I’m so, so f*cking sorry …”

There before him laid Kaede Akamatsu, slumped down the wall from where she once stood, her eyes still wide with terror. The dumbbell idly rolled next to her, making a soft thud as it bumped into the wall. She sat so very still, completely in contrast to the happy, energetic girl she’d always been. Now, though, the Ultimate Pianist could only sit there, staring at the broken man that tried to kill her.

Tried, because Kaede Akamatsu was still very much alive, and very much afraid.

Terror gripped Kaede’s heart, freezing the girl in place and trapping her in her own mind. She could feel her body tremble around her, so subtle that someone likely wouldn’t notice at first glance. She was alive. Barely . If Mondo had shifted his aim by even half an inch, her skull would likely resemble the caved-in bit of wall he’d slammed the dumbbell against with all his might. Kaede had been so shocked, so convinced that she was going to die, that all she could do was fall to the ground, as if he actually had struck her, completely paralyzed with fear.

Her heartbeat roared in her ears, thrashing in her chest so violently it felt like it would break her ribs. Her throat was agonizingly tight, refusing to let any sound out and barely any air in while her hands shook violently by her sides, obscured by her legs. She couldn’t have stopped it even if she wanted to. Adrenaline flooded her system, sending her already panicking mind a thousand miles a minute. She couldn’t believe it. He… he almost killed her. Mondo almost killed her! He would have , too, if his aim was even a little bit better! He… he…

… He could still kill her, too. Mondo was tough even without a weapon. He could strangle her to death without even trying, or punch her until she stopped breathing, or pick up the dumbbell again and finish her off, or any other number of horrible things all without breaking a sweat. The panic coursing through her system left her less like the kindhearted and composed leader and friend she was and more like a cornered animal fighting for its life. In her frenzied mind, she didn’t see a broken and weeping man begging for forgiveness. She saw a dangerous threat that had tried to kill her already, and still had every capability to do it. His whimpered apologies were mute compared to the thunderous beating of her heart. He tried to kill her. He could still kill her. He… he would kill her… unless she didn’t let him.

BA-DUMP.

There was no way she could run away from him when he was right there. If she tried, he’d kill her. Escape wasn’t an option.

BA-DUMP.

She couldn’t fight him, either. Mondo was huge. There was no way he wouldn’t win if she tried punching or scratching him. If she wanted any hope of surviving this, she needed something that would let her win instantly.

BA-DUMP-BA-DUMP.

Kaede’s dilated eyes slowly drifted to the dumbbell, the thing that almost killed her now laying harmlessly against her hip and the wall. After a moment, she glanced back to Mondo kneeling in front of her, staring at the ground in overwhelming shame.

BA-DUMP-BA-DUMP.

She could do this.

BA-DUMP-BA-DUMP-BA-DUMP.

She had to do this. She didn’t want to die here. She couldn’t die here. Her quivering hand slowly moved towards the dumbbell.

BA-DUMP-BA-DUMP-BA-DUMP-BA-DUMP.

The cool metal felt like ice as her fingers shakily wrapped around the grip. It was heavy, almost as much as the shot put ball, but she didn’t need to lift it for long. One swing, and she’d be safe. One swing, and he’d never be able to hurt her again. She could survive.

BA-DUMP-BA-DUMP-BA-DUMP-BA-DUMP-BA-DUMP.

The terrified woman tightened her grip. Just one swing...

BADUMPBADUMPBADUMPBADUMPBADUMPBADUMP-

“Hey! What in the hell’s going- K-Kaede…? Mondo? What… WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!” A familiar voice roared out to her right, and in an instant, a switch flipped.

It was like Kaede was doused in ice water, her eyes going wide as Kaito’s voice knocked her back to reality. She stared at the dumbbell in her hand, heavy and cold, and instantly felt sick to her stomach. Bile rose in her throat as ice water rushed through her veins, the pianist yanking her hand away as if she’d been burned. She felt completely hollow and yet drowning in regret all at once. “Oh… oh my god. No… no way. I… I almost… I almost killed him! What… what the hell is wrong with me?!”

“Answer me, damn it! What did you do?!” Kaito demanded as he stomped towards them with a snarl. Kaede couldn’t bring herself to look at him, though, eyes locked solely on Mondo. The biker was completely unresponsive, tears wordlessly falling to the ground between heaving breaths. Kaede’s gut twisted, her heart sinking. He… he wasn’t a threat. He didn’t even realize what was going on around him! Yes, he’d nearly done something very, very bad… but she nearly did the same. She nearly killed a man begging on his knees for forgiveness, just so she could be sure she’d get away. She almost took a friend’s life again . Tears pricked in Kaede’s eyes. She hadn’t learned a goddamn thing from Rantaro’s death, had she?

“I’m… I’m sorry,” Akamatsu croaked out, her voice thick and wet with misery. She buried her face in her shaking hands, sobbing into them as the tears began to fall. “I’m so, so sorry…”

“Kaede! You alright?! C’mon, let me help you up!” Kaito frantically called out, the pianist feeling him grip her shoulder and back before pulling up. Her legs sluggishly cooperated, her knees buckling at first and leaving her only supported by the astronaut’s hold until she sloppily managed to stand. “Are you hurt? Kaede…? Come on, say something!”

She slowly looked up at him with wet, blurry eyes, his lilac eyes alight with anger-tinted worry. After a moment, she managed to shake her head. “N-no… I’m fine. I… I…” The pianist couldn’t finish, trailing off as she stared down at Mondo. He hadn’t budged an inch, a statue of despair forever frozen in his own misery. Kaede’s heart broke all over again as a choked whine of anguish escaping her as the weight of the dumbbell settled in her gut.

Kaito completely misunderstood the cause of her distress. “... I can’t believe you! What kind of coward tries to kill a girl?!” Momota spat, glaring down at Owada with a sneer. Mondo flinched, but offered no resistance, only hanging his head lower. That only served to further enrage the astronaut as he pulled his hand back and slammed his fist against Mondo’s jaw. “Say something, you bastard!”

“Kaito! Stop!” Kaede shrieked, shoving him back with a tearful glare. He stumbled back with a blink, staring at her in pure confusion.

“Wh-what? Kaede?”

“Don’t hurt him!” Akamatsu hissed, anger mixing with her sickening regret and self-loathing. She swallowed thickly, her eyes slowly drifting back to the silent gangster. On some level, she knew she should hate him. He nearly killed her. The mere sight of him should fill her with fury and fear, leave her mind screaming at her to run away. To an extent, it did. Every hair she had stood on end, her throat constricting and mouth going dry as dread pooled in her stomach just from looking at the man. Nothing could ever take back what he nearly did to her…

… But nothing could change what she tried to do, either. Nothing would change the fact that she almost willingly took a life even after what she did to Rantaro. Whether he meant to or not, Mondo spared her life, and she’d wanted to repay that with murder. Kaede knew she was the worst kind of hypocrite; always setting standards for everyone else that she could never even dream of meeting herself, and she hated that. She hated how much of a fraud she was. So, to hate Mondo for that when she’d done the same? Pretending she was any stronger … no. She couldn’t. Not without being an even worse person than she already was.

Gathering all the strength she could muster, Kaede forced herself to take a step forward despite every fibre of her being warning her not to. She could feel herself trembling even harder as she took another. There was a very real possibility that doing this would go wrong somehow. Not even ten minutes ago, this man had tried to bash her skull in. It would be safer to just run for her life while she could. No matter how logical a conclusion that was, though, it didn't hold a candle to the crushing guilt that consumed her mind and soul looking at the man she'd nearly murdered. She had to do this. For him. For herself. For Rantaro. She had to make amends for her fatal mistakes, and to atone for her weakness.

Kaede Akamatsu would never end another life again, even if that meant losing her own.

Kaito moved towards her, angling himself to get between her and Mondo, but she held up a hand with a pleading gaze. “Wait… please, just wait…” She all but begged, her voice sounding course and pitifully small. The astronaut’s features tensed with uncertain worry, shifting his gaze between her and the biker. After a long moment, he frowned, shifting his footing so he could bolt forward if need be but not advancing any further. Reassured, Kaede looked back to Mondo, taking a deep, shuddering breath, and kneeled down in front of him until they were eye to eye. His greyish-purple irises met hers for barely a moment before they shot to the ground in shame. She could only stare at him for a moment, the million different things she wanted to say to him suddenly disappearing from her mind. Ultimately, all she could manage was a tiny, frail reassurance. “... It… it’s okay. It’s okay…” Kaede repeated, as much for herself as it was for him.

Mondo’s jaw clenched, his teeth bared in a pained grimace. “... No. No, it f*cking isn’t. You know that.”

Kaede cringed. She did… more than he could ever know. Akamatsu breathed deeply. “... I’m okay. You… you missed. We’re okay. We-”

“I could’ve f*cking killed you! Don’t you get that?!” Mondo hissed, glaring up at her though tearful eyes. The anger flaming in his gaze slowly faded away, replaced with heart wrenching remorse. “You got lucky. I got lucky. ‘Sides that, nothing’s f*cking changed. I’m still as weak as I’ve ever been, and you almost paid for that. If I was an inch off... just… just go. Please. For your own good.”

Slowly, Kaede shook her head. “... I can’t do that, Mondo. I’m not abandoning you.”

Owada’s brow furrowed. “‘Abandonin’ me’? The hell are you talking about?”

“I… I know what it’s like to feel weak. To hurt someone you care about in the heat of the moment, and spend the rest of your life regretting it…” Kaede confessed, voice shaking slightly with emotion. She took a moment to steel herself, determination bleeding into her remorse and fear. “I’m weak. Maybe… maybe we both are. But we don’t have to be. I know we can be better than that. We can get stronger, but only if we stick together! If we do that, then… then, we’ll never be weak again. So… I’m not abandoning you, Mondo! That’s my promise!”

Kaede’s determined declaration hung in the air, the hall once again falling into dead silence in the wake of her words. Mondo stared at her in shock, eyes wide with disbelief. As the seconds dragged along in a deafening silence, his lips formed back into his earlier grimace. “... Why? Why the f*ck would you ever want to see my face again, let alone be my friend after somethin’ like that?” Mondo demanded, his voice tired and weary.

“Because that’s my punishment…” Kaede drearily thought. On the outside, she forced herself to meet his gaze. “Because I think- no, I know we could be good friends if we tried. And… I want to be stronger. I can’t do that on my own. I don’t think anyone can. But… if we’re there for each other… I think we can do it. We’ve got a second chance here, Mondo. I really want you to take it with me.”

“... You’re already stronger than me. Even if you weren’t, I don’t deserve your help.” Mondo refused, old regrets painting his voice.

Before Kaede could respond, a growl rumbled out from behind her. “Are you serious?! Stop being a goddamn idiot!” Kaito roared out in fury, his fists clenched tightly as he glared at the biker with gritted teeth. Kaede scowled at him.

“Kaito-”

“No! I’m sick of this self-pitying bullsh*t!” Kaito interrupted fiercely. He jutted an accusing finger at Mondo. “You screwed up! Big time! We all know that! So stop crying about your problems already! Be a man and fix them ! Kaede’s handing you a golden opportunity, so don’t throw it away like a moron!”

Kaede felt shock and anger boil in her heat. “ Kaito! What the hell are you-”

“No. He’s right.”

Kaede blinked in surprise, turning back to find Mondo staring at the ground. “Huh? Mondo?”

“He’s right,” Owada repeated, finally looking back up at her with grim resolve. “What you said just now… that’s something my bro woulda told me. Ever since he died, these past few years… hell, my whole life, I’ve been too weak to stop runnin’ from my mistakes. I’ve been a f*ckin’ angry moron every time I get a chance to change, and people I give a sh*t about get hurt because of it. Daiya… Daiya woulda been enough of a man to face it. Chihiro was strong enough. Stronger than I could ever hope to be. I don’t deserve your help…” Mondo clenched his fists, breathing deeply before letting out a steady sigh. “... But I’m done letting pride get in the way. It’s about time I finally face it. No one else dies because of me. That’s a man’s promise...”

Kaede’s eyes went wide with shock. After a moment, she let out a long breath that drained the tension and worry from her shoulders and soul. Slowly, she rose to her feet, offering a hand to Mondo, determined to do this no matter how much she shook and trembled. She owed him that much. “ We’ll face this. Together. I promise.” Kaede swore, her voice full of resolve. Owada looked at her outstretched hand for a long moment before reluctantly taking it.

“... Together.”

With that, Kaede helped Mondo to his feet, trying to ignore her quickening heartbeat as the biker towered over her once again. Devoid of the all-encompassing anger that consumed him earlier, however, all that remained was a weary shell of a man. A brief silence reigned over the hallway, neither quite sure what to say, if anything, before Katio spoke up again. “Kaede… are you sure about this?” He asked, his tone serious and eyes sharp as he contemplated the scene in front of him. Kaede had never seen the astronaut so dire as he was in that moment.

Sucking in a quiet, steadying breath, she nodded. “Yes. I am.”

For a moment, Kaito simply looked at her, his expression unchanging. In an instant, his fists clenched tightly, his gaze brimming with determination as he pumped a fist in the air. “Then listen up! I, Kaito Momota, swear on my life to help you both! From now on, Mondo, you’re one of my sidekicks, whether you want to be or not! Your failures are my failures, my successes are your successes, and until I draw my last breath, I’ll have both of your backs no matter what! I won’t stop until you become the people you’re meant to be! Understand?!” Kaito roared, traces of his previous fury mixing with an unyielding determination.

Mondo’s eyes went wide. “Huh? Wait, why the hell’re you-”

“Kaede said she believes in you, and I believe in her! So that means I believe in you, too! Now come on! The march to redemption starts now!” Kaito dramatically declared with fire in his eyes. Mondo could only stare in shock, eventually muttering something under his breath that Kaede couldn’t quite catch, but offering no resistance to the astronaut.

Kaito’s burst of energy, however, only served to remind her of how exhausted she was, her entire body still aching from her flashbacks and her energy completely drained between that, Mondo’s attack, and the poisonous, shameful disgust at her would-be murder attempt. Weakly, she shook her head. “... It’s been a long, crazy night. Before we do anything, I think we should wait until the morning. Give everyone a chance to think and get some sleep, you know?”

Kaito’s fierce expression softened slightly, his lips curling downward, but he looked to the side in thought. “... Alright. Yeah. Better to make sure this works out in the long run than force it in one night, I guess.”

Mondo didn’t bother replying, silently taking the lead on the uncomfortably quiet march back to the dorms. Kaito was only a couple paces behind the biker while Kaede lingered closer to the back, their unspoken lineup ensuring Mondo couldn’t run away or attack the pianist again, though Akamatsu severely doubted he would do either at this point. The only delay was Kaito taking a moment to reclaim his haphazardly discarded coat, and once that was done, their silent trek resumed.

In the absence of conversation, her thoughts swam through her mind. In the span of fifteen minutes, she’d almost been murdered, almost committed murder, and then sworn to befriend the man at the center of both. Kaede learned more about herself in that one moment than she had in almost her entire life, but what she found, she despised. She hated the person at her core; a scared, vengeful murderer willing to slaughter and betray her friends when they least expected it. She hated that girl even more than she hated Monokuma and his sick game. She wanted to kill it. She would kill it. No matter what it took, she would kill the vile person inside of her and become the kind, heroic girl her friends thought she was.

They eventually reached their dorms, though she was so lost in her thoughts yet again that she couldn’t tell how long it took. Mondo’s was the closest to the stairs, the biker lingering just outside his door. “... I guess this is goodnight…” Kaede said quietly, the normality of it feeling surreal after everything that happened. Gripping her arm to distract herself from the awkwardness, Kaede managed the barest a ghost of a smile. “... I’ll see you guys tomorrow, okay?”

“Yeah. See you then…” Kaito nodded, though he lacked his usual boisterousness. The other man didn’t respond, merely opening his door without turning around. The pianist frowned slightly but didn’t push him any further. Pleasantries weren’t exactly the most important thing at that moment, after all. Without another word, Kaede continued down the hall towards her room in the eerie quiet of the night.

“Hey, wait a second,” Mondo’s voice suddenly rumbled from behind her. Kaede looked back to find him staring at her with a grimly serious expression, hand outstretched in offering. “Take this.”

Kaede’s brow furrowed as she looked at what he was giving up. “Your monopad...? I don’t understand. Why are you giving me this?”

Mondo’s jaw tensed slightly. “Monokuma said our doors only unlock if we’ve got these things, right? If that’s true… I shouldn’t have it. Not yet.”

“Huh? What’re you talking about?” Katio questioned.

Owada’s eyes went dark. “Because I can’t promise I won’t beat that fat f*ck to death next time I see him. Until I’m strong enough not to, I ain’t puttin’ anyone else in danger. Lock me in my room when there aren’t people around to keep me from doing some stupid sh*t, alright?”

“Don’t just assume you’re gonna fail! If you want to succeed, you have to believe you can first!” Momota countered. Mondo scoffed.

“You’re seriously saying that after what just happened? Believin’ in myself means jack sh*t if it doesn’t work.”

Kaito opened his mouth to retort, but slowly seemed to reconsider. “W-well… fine. Tonight, maybe. But going forward, with Kaede and I having your back, you’ve got no excuse not to believe in yourself! I’m holding you to that!”

Kaede’s knee-jerk reaction was to refuse outright. How could she agree to imprison one of her friends right after promising to help him? That’s terrible! How could Kaito of all people agree with it, or at least not try to fight it that hard?! Yet, the more she thought about it, the more difficult it became to argue against. Mondo had already proven how dangerous he was. She still couldn’t tell if she was alive because of some subconsious restraint on his part or pure dumb luck. If it was the latter, lightning almost certainly wouldn’t strike twice, and she refused to test the former. Clearly Mondo felt the same if he felt the need to do this. If she refused and something happened… the pianist somewhat reluctantly accepted the device. “... Are you sure about this?”

The biker sneered slightly. “I already said to f*ckin’ take it, didn’t I?” He said harshly. After a moment, he sighed, tone softening as he continued. “Positive. Look… maybe it’s stupid, but I think I can trust you, alright? I know you’re not going to stab me in my sleep or some sh*t. Very least, I trust you with this more than I trust myself with Hifumi. So just do it already.”

Kaede pursed her lips, but ultimately nodded, holding the tablet at her side. “... Okay. But only until tomorrow. We’ll deal with all of this then, okay?”

“I don’t know why the hell you trust me so much… alright. Tomorrow. Until then... later.” Mondo awkwardly bid farewell, walking through his still-open door and disappearing behind it once again. Kaede raised Owada’s pad to the scanner and heard the faint click of the lock sealing him inside. Uneasiness filled the pianist knowing that he was once again at her mercy, but there was nothing she could do to change that. Not yet, anyway. Sighing, Kaede turned from the door to find Kaito crossing his arms. He nodded to the side, motioning for her to walk with him. Once they were a decent ways away, he spoke up again.

“You wanna tell me exactly what happened before I showed up?" The astronaut asked bluntly, concern and uncertainty. Kaede winced.

“... Mondo watched one of the motive tapes. Hifumi killed his best friend. He was looking for him, but found me first. I ended up calling him weak for wanting revenge, and…” Kaede trailed off, waving a hand vaguely. She gripped her arm a little tighter. Kaito’s eyes widened, jaw parting in surprise before he looked off to the side, dismayed.

“... Was that guy’s name Kiyotaka?”

Kaede blinked at him. “Huh? How’d you know?”

Wordlessly, Kaito took out his monopad, tapped the screen a couple times, and held it out to her. The screen displayed a logo of Monokuma sitting in an ornate red armchair with a pipe and stereotypical detective’s hat atop the words “Ultimate Crimes: True Tales of the Killing Game” . Just below that was an all too familiar silhouette of a tall man in a long flowing coat, and next to him, “Episode 2: Mondo Owada, Ultimate Biker Gang Leader.” Kaede gasped, only tearing her eyes away from the tablet to look Kaito in the eyes.

“I wasn’t gonna watch it,” Kaito said before she could say anything. A cringe crossed the astronaut’s face. “But when I saw it was his, I thought maybe it’d give me a clue or something so I could get through to him. I thought about what you said the other night and wanted to figure out what I was gonna say to him before trying anything. But… when I saw you slumped against the wall like that, and him just standing there…”

“... That’s what happened last time, isn’t it?” Kaede quietly asked, already knowing the answer before the words ever left her lips. “He lost control and killed someone. When you saw us, you thought I was dead.”

Kaito nodded solemnly. “Yeah. I couldn’t believe it. If you didn’t move, I probably would've beat the hell out of him,” Momota admitted, a frown adorning his face as his brow creased. “... It doesn’t excuse it, but… Jesus. If someone here killed Shuichi or Maki, I don’t know what I’d do to them. He needs people to be there for him. I’m glad you’re one of them, Kaede.”

The pianist ignored the pit in her stomach that formed at the dark irony of that. “You too, Kaito. It won’t be easy at all, but,” She pumped her arms as she forced a smile, though it only barely pulled her lips up. “I know we can get through this together.”

Momota smirked. “That’s the spirit, sidekick. Monokuma won’t know what hit him!” Kaito proudly declared, some of his usual energy returning to his voice. Flicking off his monopad and putting it back in his coat, he gave a cross between a salute and a wave. “Try to get some sleep, alright? We’re gonna need it for training tomorrow… if you’re feeling up to it.”

“It’d probably help, honestly. Count me in. I’ll see you tomorrow, Kaito.” She bid farewell, waving the astronaut off before finally getting back to her room like she’d tried to do what felt like a lifetime ago. For a long moment, she could do nothing but stare at the gilded cage before her, suddenly feeling like she was in a dream. In her heart, the pianist didn’t expect to ever see this place again. The fact that she was here, alive -if not particularly well- in her cabin after two of the most horrific experiences of her life happening back to back, like nothing ever happened… it almost didn’t feel real.

“... Is it real? Or… am I just dreaming, and Mondo really did…?” Kaede swallowed thickly at the horrifying thought. “N-no. Don’t think like that. You’re alive. You’re just tired, alright? Tired and scared. Just… just need some sleep…” She uneasily reassured herself. She was fine . He didn’t hit her, and this wasn’t her imagination dreaming up some sort of happy ending. It was real. If it wasn’t… well… she’d never be around to realize that after she fell asleep. Dragging herself to the bed, the weary musician all but collapsed onto it, her exhaustion rushing up to meet her. Before long, it enveloped her completely, the world around her disappearing in a comfortable, hazy black.

***

Though sleep came to her quickly, it wouldn’t last. Her sleep was restless and fleeting, the pianist constantly switching between drifting into half-remembered nightmares and shooting up in her bed in terror, only to find herself too exhausted to ignore the pull of slumber. The only hints of her hellish dreams that lingered in her mind each time she woke up were off-key notes, unimaginable pain, and an overwhelming panic that left her heart jittering like a rabbit. The cycle of nightmares, waking to cold sweats, and passing out to yet more bad dreams trapped her in a constant limbo of horrifying sleep deprivation.

At some point, her brain managed just enough sleep to keep her awake, Akamatsu staring dully at the ceiling. She still felt completely fried, though thankfully not enough to be dragged back into the dark recesses of her subconscious, but still leaving her without the energy to do anything. Not that she particularly wanted to do anything after the night she’d had, but the boredom was nearly as torturous as her dreams. Kaede sighed wearily, mustering up whatever strength she could to sit up in bed and pinch the bridge of her nose. “This is pointless…” She grumbled to herself drearily. The blonde fumbled around the nightstand for her monopad to check the time, wincing with a groan at the bright blue light searing her eyes in the nearly pitch-black darkness of her room. “Five forty-five…? How can it still be this early? It feels like I’ve been trying this for days!”

Kaede growled, flicking the tablet off and setting it back down on the nightstand. Two hours until the morning announcement… she couldn’t sit around in the dark for that long, or worse still, fall back asleep. No way in hell she was touching any of her music books or records right now. She needed to do something to distract her at least until the others were up… at which point she’d have to deal with a bunch of paranoid former murderers that were also incredibly eccentric and unpredictable teenagers. “... Okay, maybe something to distract me for awhile …” Kaede sighed. She dragged herself out of bed, throwing on her shoes and grabbing her monopad before marching out the door. What exactly she should do was the biggest question at the moment. Her lab was obviously out of the question. Piano was ruined for her, plain and simple, and nothing could fix that. There was nothing left for her there but pain. She was way too exhausted to try any of the workout methods Kaito taught her. Trying out some of the games at the casino could be fun… but the idea of being alone in a room full of weapons didn’t sit well with her. Short of pounding on someone’s door before the sun even rose up, she wouldn’t have anyone to hang out with no matter what she did, and she refused to be that kind of a burden even if someone was willing to answer her calls. Excluding her own room, that left just the dining hall.

“... You know what? I just need something to keep myself busy. Maybe I could try cooking something for once. I did tell Tsumugi we should try to expand our lists of hobbies. It’d keep me busy, at least…” Kaede decided. It wasn’t long before the pianist found herself in the kitchen looking for cookbooks. As it turned out, cooking something required actually knowing what to cook before starting. After quite some time of fruitless scouring, Kaede gave up on making an actual dish and opted to just try making some hot chocolate instead, grabbing a few chocolate bars and a milk carton before making her way to the stove. “Hot chocolate’s just melted down chocolate in some milk, right? How hard could that be?”

Grabbing a pot from a nearby cupboard, Kaede put the bars in the bottom of it and set the container on one of the stoves. Once they melted down, the blonde poured the milk in and stirred it with a whisk over the course of a few minutes until it ended up as a sort of light brown sugary broth. The musician eagerly took a sample spoon to her first ever real attempt at cooking… and felt her lip curl down sharply in distaste at the completely unexpected flavor that awaited her. “... Ugh… what...? That’s completely wrong!” Kaede complained aloud, glowering down at the pot with a pout as if it would suddenly taste better if she made it clear how disappointed she was. Unfortunately for her, it was an inanimate object that wouldn’t be swayed by any amount of harsh looks. Kaede frowned with a sigh, crossing her arms. “... Did it need more milk, or more chocolate? Or am I just missing something completely? I really should have learned some stuff about cooking, or-”

“Kaede?”

The girl in question swerved on her heels with a yelp, nearly jumping out of her skin out of shock. That startlement died the moment she laid eyes on a slightly surprised Kirumi Tojo, the maid staring at her with just a hint of a quirked eyebrow. Kaede put a hand over her heart to try and calm her sudden burst of shock. “Kirumi! G-geez, you scared me! What are you doing here?”

“I always arrive at six sharp to start preparing breakfast early. Pardon my bluntness, but I could ask you the same. It’s unusual to see anyone else out and about at this hour…” Kirumi slowly trailed off, her emerald eye searching the pianist up and down as concern slowly crept into the maid’s features. “... Are you alright, Kaede? I’m sorry to say, but you look terrible. Have you gotten any sleep at all?”

Kaede winced, hesitating for a long moment before squeezing her arm shamefully. “... That obvious, huh?” She lamented ruefully, smiling wearily. That ghost of a smirk faded into a frown soon after. “... Not really. I… it’s been a bit of a rough night, to say the least. I couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d try making some hot chocolate, but think I just made some really bad chocolate milk instead…” Kaede joked lamely. She knew it wasn’t particularly funny, but she regretted how her words only seemed to worry Tojo further as the silver-haired girl’s gaze only grew more concerned.

“... I understand. Please, take a seat. I’ll prepare a cup for you immediately.” Kirumi instructed with a small bow of her head. Kaede complied and took a seat at the table closest to the kitchen, not wanting to refuse her friend’s offer despite the urge to keep herself busy with something . She didn’t notice when she started drumming her fingers nervously against her knees out of habit as she tried to focus on how Tojo was making the drink to little success with how much distance was between them. She probably could’ve asked to make it with her, but she doubted the maid would’ve permitted it with how clearly shaken Kaede was, even if she phrased it as a request. It was clear her friend knew something was up, even if she could never possibly imagine everything she’d gone through in just a few short hours.

It wasn’t long before Kirumi returned with a dazzling cup of hot chocolate topped with whip cream and dusted with cocoa powder. Kaede offered a small, grateful smile as the other girl diligently handed the mug to her. “Thanks, Kirumi. It almost looks too good to drink...” Akamatsu praised, taking a moment to admire the maid’s decorating before taking a small sip. An appreciative hum followed soon after, her eyes widening at the taste of the perfect chocolatey blend. “Oh, wow. This is incredible!”

“Thank you, Kaede. You’re most welcome.” Kirumi said. Somewhat surprisingly for the usually subservient woman, Tojo took a seat next to Kaede, folding her hands in her lap and focusing her gaze on the musician. An expectant silence loomed over the pair as Kaede stared back at Kirumi, her hands wrapped around the mug to keep from fidgeting. She occasionally sipped on the brew without a word, internally debating her options.

It was obvious Kirumi was waiting for her to broach the subject of whatever was keeping her up. She couldn’t tell the full truth, naturally. If possible, she’d prefer that what happened between her, Mondo, and Kaito remained something they all took to their graves. It wouldn’t be a lie to say she’d been having bad dreams… but the fact that they were happening because she went directly against what Kirumi told her to made it feel like a betrayal of trust to not mention. The maid tried to protect her, after all. The tricky part was the fact that it would require not only admitting her folly, but how badly it had affected her as well. How shaken it left her. How powerless she felt. How she’d completely and humiliatingly failed .

On the other hand… Kirumi had been the first to realize what was wrong with her. She knew at least some of the turmoil eating away at Kaede, and didn’t think any less of her for it. Even now, despite it completely throwing off her schedule, Tojo was taking the time to comfort Kaede and offer her a chance to admit what was bothering her. They might not have been particularly close in their first killing game, but ever since they ended up on this godforsaken ship, Kirumi had been by her side without a hint of hesitation or deception. Maybe… maybe she could expand her circle of trust, just a little. Kaede needed more people she could believe in without an asterisk. It took her longer than it probably should have, but in the wake of all that happened, it seemed like she finally realized she had someone else she could rely on. Taking a swig of the hot chocolate for courage, Kaede tentatively began. “... Hey, Kirumi?”

“Yes, Kaede?” Came Kirumi’s instant response, her emerald eye meeting Kaede’s magenta ones in no time. The blonde resisted the urge to look away, tightening her grip on the cup instead.

“... I… I did something really stupid earlier. I…” Akamatsu paused, a sudden bout of hesitation coming over her. This was her last chance to keep the genie in the bottle. There would be no taking back her confession once it passed her lips. Was she really willing to admit just how badly she lost her own gambit…? Kirumi stared at her intently, the restrained yet clearly worried anticipation in her eyes giving away the maid’s otherwise patient expression. Kaede waited for only a few moments longer before sighing in defeat. No. She had no right to stoke Kirumi’s worries like that and then refuse to be honest out of some stupid sense of pride. “You’re going to start trusting her, remember? Trust means being honest. Just spit it out already.” She firmly reminded herself, the heat of her drink warming her palms as her hands tensed even tighter around it. “... I tried playing the piano again last night.”

Kirumi’s eyes widened, surprise, sympathy, and Kaede thought might’ve been frustration pooling together in her green irises. She opened her mouth instantly, but hesitated, taking several long moments before finally speaking. “... Kaede… before anything else, I want you to know I’m truly sorry for what you must have gone through, and doubly so for not being there to help you through it. I cannot possibly imagine what it must have been like,” Tojo solemnly apologized, voice heavy with empathy for the traumatized blonde. Her expression tensed slightly, a frown pulling at her lips. “That said… if you’re willing, I’d like to ask why you would do such a thing after what we talked about.”

Kaede flinched guiltily, looking down at the cup to avoid having to face Kirumi. “I-I didn’t mean to. Not at first. I… I was just so frustrated . Seeing how scared and suspicious the others are now, avoiding each other like the plague and knowing it’s at least partly because they didn’t trust me to keep them safe… I felt completely powerless, and it was driving me crazy. I went on a walk to try and take my mind off things, but before I knew it, I was back at my lab. Looking at it, I got so scared that I felt sick to my stomach… but the longer I felt like that… the angerier that made me.” Akamatsu scowled down into the cup, a faint simmer of that former indignation lighting deep down inside her.

“It made you angry? Why?”

“Because it’s something else Monokuma beat me at. I loved playing the piano so much, and he ruined it. He took the thing that defined my entire life and made me scared to death of it. He… he stole part of who I am!” Kaede shouted, a burst of outrage surging from the bottom of her heart. It went as quickly as it came, the pianist pausing as it was replaced with embarrassment at losing her cool. She pinched the bridge of her nose with a groan. “Oh, geez… I’m sorry. God, this is embarrassing…”

Kaede’s head shot up at the feeling of a leather glove gently grasping her hand to find Kirumi’s compassionate look. “There’s no need to feel ashamed. As your maid, and more importantly, as your friend, I’m not here to judge you. Please, don’t feel pressured to put on a strong face, or force yourself to go any further than you want to. My duty right now is to help you any way I can.”

A shaky, fragile simper tugged at Kaede’s lips. “... Thank you, Kirumi. Really. I’m sorry to just dump my problems on you, but… would you mind if I kept going? I haven’t talked about any of this with… anyone, really.” She admitted, an uncharacteristic bashfulness coming over her.

“You’re doing no such thing, Kaede. If you want to continue venting, however, please, do.”

Akamatsu took another drink before continuing. “After a little bit, it was like something snapped. I wasn’t scared anymore. All I wanted to do was prove to myself that I could still do it. I wanted to prove I’m still me, no matter what. So, I just marched in there and forced myself to start playing. And, for a little bit… I think it worked. It’s pretty fuzzy after I started, but I remember feeling great. Scared and sick, but great. Like going on a roller coaster, you know? But… I screwed up. Really screwed up. I got co*cky. I… I don’t know exactly how it happened, but I ended up playing the Flea Waltz, and I… it felt so, so real… I...” Kaede felt herself choke up, her eyes filling with tears. Oh, god, no. Opening up was one thing, but crying in front of someone? How could she do something this stupid? How was she supposed to be strong for anyone while she was acting like a little girl?! Why?! Why couldn’t she just get over these stupid feelings?! Why was she-

In her miserable, tearful stupor, Kaede didn’t realize Kirumi wasn’t sitting down anymore until she suddenly felt the maid start rubbing her back, swiveling her head to the blurry mess of colors that vaguely resembled her dear friend. She tried to say something, but by the time she managed anything beyond intelligible gasps and sobs, Kirumi was softly shushing her. “It’s alright, Kaede. I promise. You’re not alone. There’s no need to be ashamed of grief.”

Sitting there with tears running down her face and her friend’s gentle encouragement, a dam broke in Kaede, and the girl well and truly wept. In a moment, everything from the past week rushed back to her all at once. Waking up kidnapped. The first killing game. The Death Road of Despair. The time limit. Betraying Shuichi. Killing Rantaro. Shuichi’s heartbroken forsaking of her in turn. Her execution. Reliving all of that again when her memories were restored. Realizing her sacrifice went unavenged. Rejection after rejection by the other blackened. Her newfound phobia of her beloved instrument. Mondo almost killing her. Her almost killing Mondo. In just under seven days, she’d gone from a relatively normal if eccentric and upbeat teenage girl to a convicted murderer that died, came back to life, and nearly died again . All that happened in the span of a week to her mind… and she’d never really had time to process any of it. She was always busy trying to extinguish whatever fires popped up to replace the ones she managed to put out, watching the flames grow and grow around her and being able to do nothing but pretend she didn’t feel the heat. Now, however, there was no pretending that they weren’t consuming her alive, each and every trauma mercilessly serving as yet another weight thrown on her shoulders until she finally couldn’t carry it anymore.

And so Kaede cried. At long last, she mourned every tragedy that had befallen her, and that she had thrusted upon others. She cried for the friends she failed to protect. For poor, innocent Rantaro, whose only crime was not trusting anyone enough to share what he knew. For Shuichi, who put his faith in the wrong person and paid for it in tears and blood. At last, she cried for herself, mourning the girl she used to be before Monokuma twisted her into this monstrous parody of herself. Her tears fell for what felt like a lifetime with thick, pitiful sobs that wracked her whole body each time on rumbled out from the depths of her very soul, weeping until her eyes finally went dry and her sobs faded to miserable sniffles.

“... Do you feel better?” Kirumi gently asked as she offered the whimpering girl a handkerchief. Kaede grimaced, her face already red with emotion but deepening in embarrassment even as she accepted it.

"I-I'm sorry. I don't know what happened. One second I was fine, and the next," She lightly dabbed Kirumi's handkerchief against her puffy red eyes still soaked with tears. A self-depreciating chuckle escaped her. "And the next, I'm ugly-crying and ruining your handkerchief. I'm such a mess right now…"

Kirumi shook her head. “You’ve been holding things in. Things that really musn’t, or they’ll eat away at you more and more. You don’t have to discuss it if it’s too distressing, but I assume the lack of sleep is because of nightmares. Am I correct?" A nod from Kaede spurred her to continue. "Are they of your…” Kirumi trailed off, her eloquent vocabulary failing her for once. After all, there wasn’t really a polite way to talk about being agonizingly hanged and stoned to death, now was there? Kaede saved them both the trouble and nodded.

“Y-yeah. I can never remember for sure, b-but…” Akamatsu swallowed down her nerves, tracing a hand along her neck without realizing it. “... But I’m pretty certain… god. You’d think that would be something you’d remember pretty clearly, right? There’s no way someone could ever forget it… yet, it’s always either a blur of pain, or I remember everything . There’s no in between. Except…” A rueful, wet croak of a laugh rumbled from her as she put a hand over her tearstained face. “Except I always remember that the song’s offkey, and how much that bothers me. I guess I really am a piano freak, huh?”

“Forgetting seemingly obvious parts of the event is quite common in people suffering from conditions like yours. As for that detail, I’m afraid Monokuma excels at preying on even our smallest annoyances and making their importance seem insurmountable. He certainly accomplished that during my own… but that’s a different discussion,” Kirumi dismissed with the slightest bit of haste. Her small frown returned once again as she retook her seat. “More to the point, I can’t help but notice that you keep downplaying your concerns. I assure you, there’s no need to do that. I did say you needn’t feel ashamed of this, didn’t I? Confessing your feelings doesn’t make you weak, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

That struck a nerve Kaede didn’t know she had. “How is anyone supposed to believe in what I’m saying if I’m coming apart at the seams? How could they believe in me ?” Kaede all but hissed, regretting her harshness the moment the words left her mouth but resenting the maid’s unbelievably naive comment. She closed her eyes shamefully with a sigh. “They wouldn’t put their faith in someone who has stupid overreactions like that. I know you, Kaito, and the other guys from our game trust me, but that doesn’t mean everyone will.”

“Nonsense. You earned all of our trust by this time in the last game, Kaede.”

Kaede scowled. “And then I betrayed everyone. Besides, no one knew I was a murderer back then, either.”

Tojo paused, blinking in surprise before thinning her lips. “... That descriptor is rather nebulous given your present company, Kaede. Anyone that held that against you would be incredibly foolish, not to mention hypocritical.”

Akamatsu winced. “But none of you-”

“Are any different,” Kirumi interrupted. Kaede was so taken aback by the fact that Kirumi of all people cut her off that she couldn’t even try to butt back in. Though her voice started off steady, more and more emotion seeped into her tone as she continued. “If anything, our crimes are far less understandable. And, if I may be frank, Kaede, the only foolish thing about you is this insistence on pretending you’re invulnerable. I promise you, whatever good you think it’s doing, it will do you infinitely more harm in the near future. So please, stop this dangerous facade while you can .”

The pianist gazed slack jawed at the normally perfectly composed teen, completely taken aback by Kirumi’s burst of emotion. “Kirumi? Are you alright?”

Tojo took a deep breath, bowing her head apologetically. “... I apologize. That was unprofessional of me. However… I do mean what I said. Do you remember when I told you about one of my former masters, Kaede?” She questioned, Kaede nodding in turn. “Shortly after I came under his employ, he and his family left for vacation. They left later than they intended, and they were going to miss their flight. In a rush, my former employer instructed his driver to start speeding. However, when they tried to run a red light, their car was hit by a semi truck. Miraculously, he survived… but he was the only one.”

Kaede gasped, covering her mouth. “Oh my god… that’s so horrible! I couldn’t imagine…”

Kirumi closed her eyes. “Devastated couldn’t come close to describing him after that. He completely shut down for months, hardly leaving his study, sometimes not for days at a time. The few times I saw him during that period, and every time I saw him after it, however, he acted like he was fine. Hurting, of course, but stable. He wasn’t,” She sighed deeply, her features twisting into an unmistakable look of regret. “He was deteriorating. I never learned for sure, but I believe now that he formed PTSD and depression in the wake of their demise, holding himself responsible for it. He was simply good at hiding it behind a smile and his wit. Every time I grew concerned, he’d laugh it off. At the time, he’d been running a company, and felt that the board would lose confidence in him if he showed so-called weakness over his loss, including seeking treatment for his depression. So, he said to me what he said to everyone: he was fine, and there was no reason to worry. That I was too kindhearted for my own good. Being young and inexperienced, I eventually believed him… even when I noticed how often he was slurring his words, or couldn’t walk in a straight line, or the smell of whiskey on his breath.”

Kaede felt her heart sink at the implication. “That poor man… it’s not like he meant for them to die. None of that was his fault.”

Tojo hung her head lower. “If only he saw it that way. Because he refused to admit his emotions to anyone, he turned to self-medicating. It was a pointless endeavor, in the end. When he showed up to a meeting drunk, his alcoholism was discovered, and he lost his position anyway. He felt he had to be strong in front of everyone he knew, only to slowly chip away at his soul until he was left a hollow husk of the man he’d been. Without his job, he had nothing left...” Kirumi’s voice shook ever so slightly, hardly noticeable even to Kaede’s remarkable hearing. The maid paused, quietly sucking in a breath before staring directly into Kaede’s eyes with an unyielding gaze. “I found him dead in his study the following morning.”

Another sharp gasp escaped the lamentful leader, her magenta eyes going wide with stunned disbelief and sympathy. “O-oh my… Kirumi, I’m so sorry. I… I don’t know what to say. That’s just so awful…” Kaede meekly offered, too shaken by the maid’s story to muster any of her usual fierce determination.

“... It was, without a doubt, one of the worst experiences of my life. When the signs became more and more obvious in my mind, the guilt was crushing. Even now, I can’t help but think of what I could have done differently to make sure he was still alive today. It did, however, teach me a vital lesson: cloaking negative emotions does nothing but make them stronger and stronger until they become uncontrollable. That’s why I must beg you to entrust this to someone consistently , Kaede. Not just when you’re left with no other options. Reactions like this happen when feelings are allowed to fester and worsen because they’re never properly addressed. When they’re left bottled up too long…” Kirumi let the words hang in the air, the unspoken conclusion heavy on both their hearts.

Kaede cringed, looking down guilty at the floor as she gripped her arm out of habit. There was someone she promised to trust enough to confide at least some of that in… but there was no way she could explain who that was without preparing a fresh hell for herself and Mondo. Kaito knew, but that was more from her being unlucky enough to have episodes and lapses of judgement around him than Intentionally letting him in. Neglecting to mention the two of them, that left only the truth at the core of her problem. “... I don’t want to be a burden on anyone. It’s not fair of me to just dump my problems on people.”

“Is that how you think of Mister Saihara?”

Akamatsu’s head snapped up to the blank faced maid, brow furrowing in disbelief. “Excuse me?” She demanded, her heart clinging to the hope that she’d somehow misheard Kirumi despite the offense already bubbling in her.

“I believe we both know that Mister Saihara is not someone with great self-confidence. Given how close the two of you were, and how he spoke of you in our time together, I have no doubt that you offered him your aid whether he sought it out or not. He found similar relief in Mister Momota. Am I to understand that you consider him a burden for asking others for help?”

Kaede couldn’t believe what she was hearing, a glare coming over her. “No, that’s wrong! I’d never think of him like that! He just needed someone to be there for him! That’s not being a burden, that’s just needing a helping hand! How could… wait, why are you...” Kaede trailed off as she noticed Tojo’s lips curled ever so slightly upward. After a moment, her own contradiction struck her like a bus, Kaede’s lips thinning as she struggled to come up with an argument. Kirumi didn’t give her the opportunity.

“The others trusted him with their lives at my trial, and doubtlessly continued to long after. They were well aware of his struggles… yet they didn’t hesitate to turn to him for guidance. Just as everyone here turns to you. Knowing that, tell me, Kaede: why should you consider yourself a burden for considering what you are proud of Mister Saihara for doing? Or, for that matter, what I’m certain Miss Tsumiki is seeking in you now?” Kirumi asked rhetorically, well aware that she’d left the pianist no escape from the truth.

“... It’s… it’s just different, okay? I’m not ready for anyone else to know yet. It’s not fair of me to force that on them, and it’s not fair to me to have to do that. Not while we’re still trapped here, at least,” Kaede pleaded defeatedly, tiredness seeping into her bones and soul. Her eyes, still puffy and red, looked directly into the maid’s emerald own. “Look. I… I get what you’re trying to say. And I appreciate it a lot. But… this is really something I’d prefer we kept between us for now, okay?”

Kirumi closed her eyes, gently bowing her head. “If that’s truly your request, then it is my duty to accept. However… I’m afraid I must ask one stipulation”

The blonde furrowed her brow, concern and confusion mixing together at the sudden request. “Stipulation? What do you mean?”

“What I mean, Kaede, is that if you’re ever going to recover from your trauma, you must be willing to tell people when you’re having problems. If you promise me that you will come to me whenever these thoughts are haunting you, and that you’ll at least attempt to confide these feelings in someone else as well, I swear that I will do everything in my power to help you through this without forcing you to compromise your pride too much,” Tojo said firmly, though not unkindly. Her gaze was sharp, but more akin to the forcefully concerned looks Kaede herself would give Shuichi whenever he’d make some self-depreciating comment than any sort of malice. The maid put her steepled fingers flat against the table. “Essentially, I’m asking you to help me by helping yourself in addition to my aid. This is simply something that I cannot do alone. Are you willing to do that, Kaede?”

Kaede hesitated for a moment. That… was a very reasonable request, in all honesty, but the idea still gave her pause. Having to spill her guts out to Kirumi whenever she felt terrible about something would have been a difficult request given the pianist’s mindset before she had those feelings on a daily basis. Sure, it was technically Kirumi’s job as a maid to listen to Kaede vent if the musician wanted, but just because it was theoretically a part of her title didn’t mean it should actually have to be her responsibility . It was bad enough how much work everyone shoved on the poor girl without her having to deal with whatever random thing bummed Kaede out.

On the other hand, Kaede herself had ironically been the one to point out that someone can’t be helped if they didn’t truly want to be. She wanted to fix this more than anything, to not be sick to her stomach and rattled to the core every time she so much as thought about her talent. But, by refusing to actually talk to Kirumi or someone about her shameful feelings, wasn’t she actually just making everything harder for herself and everyone else? What if the next time she got overwhelmed, it was in front of the entire group instead of just Kirumi? That would completely destroy her confidence even more than the loss of her talent had. Confessing her problems did help, too… she certainly felt a lot less like she was suffocating at least, even if she had to trade that for her eyes stinging and her face feeling wet and hot. Besides, she was already planning on opening up at least partially to Mondo and Kaito. There was no way she couldn’t after the night the three of them had. All she had to do was swallow her pride and count on her friends as much as she expected them to count on her. She could do that. “That’s what I told Mondo, right? Getting stronger together… it’s not that different here...”

Taking a breath, Kaede gave a slow nod. “... Yeah. I’ll do it. I promise.”

The tension visibly lifted from Tojo’s shoulders, the prim girl’s firm look softening in relief. “Thank you, Kaede. I’m not sure you’ll ever know what a relief this is to me,” Kirumi said with a grateful incline of her head. "But I will do everything I can to demonstrate that gratitude in my service. You've done the right thing."

Akamatsu managed a small smile. "Shouldn't the person asking for help be the one this thankful instead of the other way around? All I did was say I wouldn't make things worse… but, really, thank you, Kirumi. It's going to be hard, but I think this is going to work out. In fact," She pumped her arms in a show of confidence she was trying to feel. "I'll consider it part of my responsibilities as your apprentice maid!"

“Then I have every confidence you’ll succeed,” Kirumi encouraged contently. A beat of companionable quiet fell over the two, the pianist returning to her previously forgotten hot (now only mildly warm) chocolate. After a few moments, the maid politely cleared her throat. “Is there anything else that has been troubling you, Kaede?”

It was amazing how people managed to keep asking her loaded questions with no idea how difficult they were to answer honestly. There absolutely was, but given how upset Kirumi had become over Kaede accidentally triggering her own PTSD, there was no way in a million years she would admit that she very nearly died that night. Instead, as guilty as it made her to do after promising to be more open, the blonde opted to lie through her teeth. “... I don’t think so. That’s pretty much everything.”

Tojo nodded and gently rose from her seat. “Very well then. In that case, I shall begin breakfast. Do you have any particular requests?”

Kaede shook her head. “No, thanks. I’m not really hungry right now. I think just some cereal will be great.”

“I’ll have it prepared shortly,” The silver-haired servant assured. She bowed her head as if she were about to leave, but she suddenly seemed to hesitate. “... Kaede? If you don’t mind my pressing… would you like for me to clean your lab?”

Kaede failed to hide her wince. “... It’s probably a mess after last night, huh?” She idly mused aloud, less speaking to the maid and more saying the realization as it struck her. Her lab… what a sick joke. Monokuma knew . He knew just how much he’d corrupted the very core of her identity. He was laughing while she was hanged to death playing piano for god’s sake. That damned stuffed animal… something in her gut twisted as the reality of her situation fully sank in. She could never play piano again. Her biggest passion in life, what used to bring her such overwhelming joy, was forever tarnished. Last night proved that no matter how hard she tried, all the love and comfort she once found in her instrument was replaced with pain and terror. It… it would never be the same again. It would haunt her for the rest of her life, a specter of the girl she once was. Unless... “Y-yeah. That’s fine… but… I’m sorry, but could I ask you another favor?”

“Certainly. What do you need?”

“Remember earlier, when I was talking about how Monokuma stole part of who I am?” Kaede quietly asked, the gravity of what she was about to propose weighing heavily on her as Kirumi nodded. Gulping, she forced herself to continue. “I… I don’t think I’m ever going to get that part of me back. Not anytime soon, at least. So… I think it might be best to just say goodbye to it.”

Kirumi’s eyes went wide. “... Kaede, do you mean to say that you’re giving up your talent?”

Akamatsu flinched at the blunt remark, but nodded. “Yes. I don’t know if it’s forever, but… I… I need to move on. Before I can do that, though... I need closure. It meant so much to me, so I can’t just drop it, you know? So… could… could I come with you and say goodbye to it? See it one last time before… whatever it is that comes next?”

Kirumi didn’t say a word, staring at the pianist with an unreadable expression. The silence stretched uncomfortably long, nervousness settling more and more in Kaede’s gut as the seconds ticked by. “Kaede… are you certain about this?” She finally asked, her tone very deliberately neutral. Akamatsu nodded, but before she could speak, Tojo held up a hand. “Please, before you say anything, consider all that this entails. You’re effectively forfeiting the skill you’ve devoted your life up to this point developing, something you acknowledge as an integral part of yourself. In doing so, you are going to return to a room entirely themed around the source of your traumas after this very same room that caused a violent flashback and multiple panic attacks less than twelve hours ago. I understand why you want to do this, but please, consider whether this is wise or not first.”

Kaede gripped her arm yet again, not quite meeting Kirumi’s gaze. “... I know it’s brash. Maybe even a bit stupid. But… please , Kirumi. If I don’t, it’ll just keep haunting me again and again. The goal is to move past what happened to me, right? That means leaving what’s broken beyond repair behind. Please. Help me do that.”

Tojo was visibly unmoved, the maid’s steely gaze unwavering. After some time, however, Kirumi spoke. “... Kaede, please answer what I’m about to ask honestly. If I refuse your request, are you going to attempt to do this anyway?”

Akamatsu blinked at the sheer bluntness of the question. “I… don’t know. I’m not planning on disobeying you… but I didn’t plan on doing that last night, either.” She reluctantly admitted the truth. Kirumi closed her eyes, a hint of tension forming in her jaw.

“... I was afraid you’d say that…” Kirumi tiredly stated. Her eyes reopened to reveal a pitying yet weary gaze. “... Very well, Kaede. I am willing to fulfill your request. However… I will be doing so as a chaperone. If at any point I believe it becomes detrimental to your mental, emotional, or physical safety, I will escort you back to your room immediately whether you agree or not. I’m afraid that is not up for negotiation. Is this agreeable?”

Kaede hesitated for only a moment before giving a nod. “That’s fair. And, I mean, it’s what I promised you the other day, isn’t it? There’s no way I’d back out on that,” Akamatsu agreed. Rising from her seat, the pianist brought her lips into a fragile ghost of a smile. “... Thank you, Kirumi. This… really means a lot to me. When would be a good time?”

“If you’re ready, now would be fine. Breakfast will be a rather lengthy process, so if you’d prefer to get it done as soon as possible, now would be optimal. Given the overall mood on the ship, I doubt I’ll need to prepare as hearty a breakfast as usual before anyone arrives, so that gives us a little more time as well. On the other hand, if you wish to take some time to consider it more, I’m also willing to abide by that.”

Kaede hummed, thinking it over for a second before coming to a conclusion. “If you’re sure it doesn’t mess with your schedule too much, I think I’m ready now.”

“As you wish. Please, allow me to lead the way.” Kirumi requested, though it wouldn’t be that hard to take it as an instruction instead. With that, the pair of Ultimates began their trek to Kaede’s lab, a contemplative silence falling over them. Each step seemed to confuse Kaede’s emotions further, with both anticipation and dread pooling in her stomach more and more with every inch closer they drew. She was effectively closing the book on a chapter of her life she’d once thought would last to the end of her days. It was strange to think of it like that -especially for someone that already died once- but was true all the same. Nervousness, relief, excitement, sadness, all those and more swirled in her chest at what she had to do. That was the most important thing for her to remember, though: she had to do this. For Kaede Akamatsu to live, the Ultimate Pianist had to well and truly die, or both of them would destroy each other. Clinging to that with all her strength, the blonde leader strode with as much purpose as she could muster.

Just after reaching the second deck, the quiet was interrupted by the soft sound of a door sliding, though it seemed much louder in the near dead silence of the empty hall. Kaede turned back to see a familiar tower of bronze skin and muscle walking out of the Ultimate Martial Artist’s lab. “Sakura?”

Ogami’s head swiveled at the sound of Kaede’s voice, the woman shifting out of a defensive posture nearly as quickly as she’d assumed it. “Kaede, and Kirumi. Good morning.” She greeted after noticing the maid just ahead of the pink-clad teen. Akamatsu managed a wave and a smile.

“Good morning! Oh, and sorry for just calling you out instead of saying hi. I was just a little surprised that anyone else was up already.”

Sakura bowed her head. “Likewise. Aside from Kirumi, I thought only I tended to get up this early.”

“It is something of a rarity to find teenagers willing to wake up before six a.m.,” Kirumi joked lightly. It didn’t take long after that for her usual sense of professionalism to reassert itself. “I hope your routine went well this morning, Miss Ogami. Would you like your usual protein shake with breakfast?”

The gargantuan woman nodded. “Yes. Thank you, Kirumi. I was able to complete my workout with no problems… though I couldn’t shake a strange feeling while I was meditating. I’m unsure what the cause is, but it was… unsettling.”

“A strange feeling? Like what?” Akamatsu asked, tilting her head in intrigue.

“I’m not entirely sure how to describe it other than a distinctly wrong aura surrounding me. It permeated the prison from my game, and the ship as well to varying extents, but it seems particularly strong in the dojo for whatever reason. That’s why I am going to the dining hall somewhat earlier than usual. If you don’t mind, of course.” Sakura rumbled, a look of deep thought and weariness crossing over her features before she addressed Kirumi.

“Not at all, though I’m afraid breakfast will be slightly delayed. I’m currently handling a rather urgent request. I apologize for the inconvenience.”

Sakura nodded once again. “I was wondering what the two of you were looking for here this early. If you’d like, I’m willing to assist if I am able.”

“Thanks, but I think we’ve got it handled. The good news is this shouldn’t take very long, so we’ll see you at breakfast pretty soon!” Kaede enthusiastically promised with a lot more upbeatness than she’d actually felt all morning. Kirumi agreed more moderately, but it still got the point across.

The Ultimate Martial Artist gave one final nod (clearly a favorite of the rather stoically expressed warrior). “As you wish. I will see you both later.” Sakura bid farewell, turning towards the stairs. Their brief, impromptu meeting over, the duo parted ways with the other girl and continued on their way to the source of so many of Kaede’s woes until they finally arrived.

Standing before the ornate door, Kaede could already feel her breath threatening to hitch as her blood chilled and gut twisted. It was through sheer willpower that she didn’t double over and vomit then and there. She could feel Kirumi’s hawkish gaze already studying her closely, no doubt counting as Kaede’s visible stress slowly built up points on some mental scale until it passed acceptable levels. With that unofficial time limit in mind, Kaede took a long, steadying breath to try and ease her quickening heart. “... This is really it…” She murmured to herself.

“Are you certain you don’t want to stop? There’s no shame in reconsidering, Kaede…” Tojo quietly offered her an escape. The head of the group forced herself to shake her head despite her worry.

“I’m sure. I… I just need to do this. I can do this,” Kaede declared aloud, clenching her firsts for strength. She closed her eyes as tightly as she could, taking an uneasy but determined step forward. And another, and soon another after that until she could feel her lightly shaking hand grip the doorknob. “I will do this. I… I’m Kaede Akamatsu, and I don’t need-” She swung the door open…

… and was instantly hit with the noxious stench of death.

The horribly familiar coppery smell of blood caused her eyes to snap open to a sight ripped straight from a nightmare. Dark red was splattered across the once beautifully white keys of the piano, drying blood and brain matter forming sickening clums of gore where they cooled. Some of it had dripped all the way down from the shattered remains of what had once been a skull onto the ivories and slowly down the piano and finally to the floor from there, while most of it pooled around the broken bowl of bone and viscera and soaked the body’s clothes in scarlet. The keylid gleamed a sickening reddish black in the soft light of her lab, only notable because of the fact that it was lodged in what had once been a person’s head. Their body hunched awkwardly over the instrument in a sick parody of someone sitting down to play; their arms hanging limp at their sides as their chest and ruined skull slumped against the stained white keys. Their skinny legs stiffly pressed against the bench, halfway between resting on the wooden seat and collapsing to the floor entirely.

Bile rushed to Kaede’s throat, the world exploding into a hellishly warm heat that somehow made her feel like she was freezing at the same time. No logical thoughts went through her mind, entirely replaced by pure shock and horror at the impossible scene mere feet away from her as a bone chilling scream rumbled from the deepest depths of her soul.

Before Kaede laid the gruesome corpse of Hifumi Yamada, the once bright and creative Ultimate Fanfic Creator now dead and lifeless with his skull broken and greymatter splattered across the keys of her piano.

Chapter 10: Chapter One: The Bloodied Hands We're Dealt: Deadly Life Part 3

Chapter Text

This couldn’t be happening. This couldn’t be real . Kaede couldn’t make sense of what was right in front of her. There was no way Hifumi could be dead. They… they’d spoken just yesterday evening and he was fine! A little shaken up sure, but certainly not dead ! Kaede was vaguely aware of a pair of hands grabbing her by the shoulders, but her eyes refused to leave Yamada’s corpse. This had to be fake. She… she must have been having another nightmare! That’s the only explanation! She’d wake up any second now and wake up back in her room like nothing happened at all because there’s no way he could really be dead-

“KAEDE!” Kirumi shouted desperately, and in that moment, the world exploded into noise. Kaede could hear herself screaming, sounding more like a high-pitched and terrified screech of the damned than her own voice. She stumbled backwards into the hold as her body tried to put as much space between herself and the hellish scene before her as it could manage. She felt herself bump into something tall and strong less than a second before the hold on her shoulders wrapped around her torso and tried to pull her away. “Don’t look!” The maid all but begged. She knew Kirumi was right. She shouldn’t look. She didn’t want to look. But in her panicked state, her body refused to obey, the girl becoming as rigid as a rock as she froze with horror.

“He… he’s dead,” Kaede numbly uttered, voice devoid of emotion despite the paralyzing, sickening fear that washed over her entire body. Her vision trembled- no, her entire body trembled as the sight of Hifumi’s brutalized corpse forever burned itself into her mind. His blood and brains painted the keyboard, the dark stains forming a trail back to the unnatural mishmash of bone and gore that had once been his skull. The stench of it was overpowering, the smell of parts of the body a person should never get an opportunity to know put on gruesome display for anyone unfortunate enough to stumble across the scene. Soaked in the deceased Ultimate’s ichor, the keys of the piano looked distinctly like the bloodied maw of a savage predator not yet done with its victim. Somewhere, somehow, off-key notes faintly played with sad*stic glee, each note perfectly in sync with the terror and bile rising in her. “Hifumi’s dea- urch -!”

Kaede’s stomach lurched, and in an instant, the blonde was doubling over and retching out the meager contents of her stomach. Her throat burned like hell, her eyes watering in agony and disgust as she heaved and shuddered. She was freezing and on fire at the same time, a swirling concoction of contrasting extremes that rocked her to her core. Kirumi’s hold was the only thing keeping her on her feet, one arm still reaching across her shoulders while the other moved to support the vomiting girl’s back. Tojo was saying something, but the phantom song in her mind and the sound of her own pained gasps drowned out whatever comfort Kirumi might have provided.

Even when Kaede managed to steady herself enough to stop, she still felt sick to her stomach. Disgusting couldn’t come close to describing the sensation that seeped into her bones like a winter chill. Akamatsu took long, shaking breaths, wincing at the lingering taste and stench of bile each time. She was revolted by herself and the mess she made, but that couldn’t compare to the sickening scene just beyond the door. It took every modicum of strength she had to keep staring at the floor, too afraid of the horrible reality looking back up would confirm. “Please, please let me wake up now... just let this be a nightmare…”

Suddenly, the sound of thunderous footsteps tearing down the hall rang through the corridor like gunshots. It started off somewhat distantly, but it was nearly upon them in mere seconds. Kaede weakly turned her head just in time to see Sakura round the corner and charge towards them at a nearly inhuman speed. Mere moments later, the Ultimate Martial Artist stood before them, fists pumped and body hunched in preparation for a fight. “I heard a scream. What’s happening?!”

“... There’s been a murder.” Kirumi announced grimly. Sakura’s eyes went wide with shock, her jaw dropping, before her gaze went dark.

“... Who?” Ogami rumbled. Before Kirumi could say anything, Kaede shakily held up a finger, pointing into the room without a word. Sakura marched forward, and less than a second later, Kaede’s last shreds of hope came crumbling down around her with a dull hum of static.

Ding Dong Dong Ding!

“ A body has been discovered! Now then, after a certain amount of time... ”

Monokuma kept babbling on, but Kaede didn’t bother listening. She was too caught up in the torrent of thoughts that all came rushing to her at once. This wasn’t a dream. This wasn’t some screwed up byproduct of her traumatized subconscious coming to haunt her for her sins. This was real . Hifumi was truly dead. His corpse was as real as Rantaro’s had been just a few days prior. No matter how much she wished it wasn’t, or that it could all be some horrible joke, she knew in her mind -and worse, in her heart- that it was all undeniably, unforgivably true.

The killing game had started.

“One of us is the killer.”

Those six words turned the world upside down. Kaede felt completely numb. Everything outside of her felt hot yet freezing, a sickening fog of pure dread that slowly began to seep back into her body as the seconds ticked by. Instead of draining what little strength she had left, though, the feeling of weakness was purged from her body. In its place was an uncomfortable but unyielding determination, one she had only felt once before in her entire life. It was the same feeling she had when she decided to die if it meant exposing the mastermind at her trial. Someone murdered one of her friends, and was going to kill everyone else if she didn’t act. Her fists clenched tightly as she closed her eyes, her nails digging into her palms. No . She wasn’t going to let that happen. She’d make sure of that, no matter what.

Kaede felt like her body went into autopilot as she forced herself to stand up. Her body ached from head to toe, a queasiness dancing in her gut and threatening to make her keel over and hurl yet again, but these previously all encompassing sensations now felt distant and weak compared to the steely resolve surging in her. “Kaede, are you alright?” Kirumi asked worriedly, the former pianist turning to face her concerned friend.

“I… I’m fine. But even if I wasn’t, that doesn’t matter right now. We… we can’t afford to waste any time,” She said as firmly as she could, trying not to wince at the soreness of her throat. Sucking in a breath, she shook her head, looking directly into the maid’s eyes. “Kirumi, I need you and Sakura to stay here and stand guard while I get everyone else, okay? I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Kaede instructed, determination and worry blending together in her voice. Tojo’s shocked worry was evident on her face.

“Kaede, I apologize for my callousness, but a murder just occured. There is no way I can leave you alone in good conscience when there is a killer hiding amongst us. I will do no such thing.” Kirumi outright refused, her tone and gaze unwavering. Kaede stared at her, completely take aback, but the girl never got an opportunity to fire back.

“I’ll go. I shall return shortly.” Sakura declared. Before either of her companions could object, the Ultimate Martial Artist was tearing down the hall yet again, vanishing around the corner in a matter of seconds. Kaede stared for a couple seconds, a heavy sigh escaping her after a moment.

“So much for having the strongest person here guard the crime scene… at least she’ll be fast.” Akamatsu thought aloud. Kirumi shook her head.

“Kaede, there’s no one to guard the scene from yet. You and I are the only ones here right now. I sincerely doubt whoever the killer is would attempt to return and disrupt evidence after the body has already been discovered, and even if they did, they would have to make it past the others, Sakura, myself, and you undiscovered. That’s rather improbable, wouldn’t you say?” The diligent servant calmly explained, her gaze soft and reassuring.

Kaede’s lips thinned, gripping her arm out of habit. “... I mean… that is a lot of people to get past between the dorms and-” The blonde stopped dead in her tracks, mouth going dry and blood turning to ice water as the implications of the scene of the crime hit her like a ton of bricks. “Oh god… my lab…”

The silver-haired girl tilted her head, uncertainty leaking into her measured expression. “Kaede, what-”

“My lab,” Kaede parroted, feeling the color drain from her face more and more with every following word. “Kirumi, there’s a dead body in my lab ,” She stressed the last few words for emphasis. Kirumi caught the ex-pianist’s meaning, her eyes widening and jaw dropping. The crack in the maid’s composure sent Akamatsu’s simmering fear exploding outwards as she desperately stammered out, “I-I didn’t do it! I swear! I-”

Kirumi grasped her shoulders once again, forcing the blonde to look directly into her eyes. “Calm down, Kaede. I know you didn’t. It’s evident that you’re being framed.”

Kaede sagged with relief, her sudden burst of panic leaving her with a long, shaky breath. “Th-thank you… you don’t know how good that is to hear,” She gratefully said, her friend’s trust in her acting like a lifeline pulling her away from the dark and murky waters of fear. However, one last seed of doubt planted itself in her mind, an uncomfortable thought that formed a pit in her stomach. Her thankful gaze slowly shifted into a grimace. “... But... how do you know?”

Tojo blinked, puzzled. “I beg your pardon?”

“... How do you know I’m not the killer?” Kaede forced out, the words tasting like ash on her tongue.

Kirumi blinked once again. “... You want me to explain why I don’t suspect you?” She asked, a hint of disbelief in her tone. Kaede, unable to find the words, merely nodded. The maid sighed slightly, shaking her head with a disappointed expression. “I must admit, it saddens me that you feel the need to ask, but I at least understand why. Very well. There are three main reasons,” The prim girl announced, bowing her head slightly. “Firstly, I know that you can’t so much as look at a piano without having the onset of a panic attack. You already discussed what happened when you tried simply playing one. Given that, it’s impossible to imagine you managed to kill someone utilizing it as it appears Mister Yamada was.”

Akamatsu tensed her grip on her arm slightly, but nodded. “That makes sense…” She conceded, trying to keep the shame of her ridiculous phobia out of her voice. “What else?”

“Secondly,” Kirumi glanced to the side, a slight grimace coming to her face. “I doubt anyone could fake… that sort of a reaction to finding a body…” The maid put as gently as she could, though that didn’t stop the surge of embarrassment Kaede felt at the reminder. The blonde didn’t bother commenting on that, merely looking pointedly away from the other girl. Taking the hint, Kirumi continued. “Thirdly, and most importantly… I know you, Kaede. I know you would never do something like this.”

Kaede’s eyes snapped up to Kirumi’s in disbelief. Shock, confusion, anger, and finally weariness flashed across the Ultimate’s face as she stared at Kirumi with thinned lips. Was that supposed to be some kind of sick joke? She opened her mouth to retort, but Kirumi held up a hand. “Yes, you killed Rantaro… in an attempt to save the lives of fourteen other people both from the killing game itself and the time limit. While that might not make any difference for you, the fact is that it took an incredible amount of pressure for you to decide that killing was the best option, and even then, it’s as clear now as it was at the end of your trial that his death weighs heavily on you,” Tojo clarified without a hint of blame or hesitation. If anything, it sounded like she was almost vindicating her friend’s crime, just as Shuichi had insisted on for reasons she couldn’t possibly comprehend. No amount of good intentions and tearful apologies would bring Rantaro back from the dead. Kaede didn’t get the opportunity to reject Kirumi’s justification, however, as a pair of gloved hands enveloped her hands and gently squeezed. “I sincerely believe you would never take another life, Kaede. Certainly not over a motive like this one. That, more than anything, is why I know you cannot possibly be the killer.”

Kaede could only stare at Kirumi, her regrets and insecurities wrestling with the wonderfully warm feeling Kirumi’s words instilled in her. “... Is this what it feels like to be on the receiving end of one of my pep talks?” She half-jokingly wondered to herself. In truth, it certainly felt like it. It bothered her how much Kirumi basically brushed Rantaro’s unjust death under the rug, but whether she deserved it or not, Kaede would be lying if she said it didn’t feel good to be trusted so completely. It made the daunting task ahead of her seem less impossible. Kaede wasn’t the killer… but someone here was, and they wanted to blame her for it. If they were going to get through this, she needed to stay strong… just twelve hours prior, those words were an unimaginable burden. Now, though? Now staying strong didn’t have to mean slowly killing herself. She could do this with them, just like she’d promised a lifetime ago. Slowly, the corners of her lips curled upwards in a tiny, appreciative smile. “... Thanks, Kirumi. Seems like I’m saying that a lot these days, but I mean it.”

Tojo bowed her head, mirroring the expression. “Certainly. It’s my pleasure to help you however I can. In that vein, whatever I can do to aid the investigation, please just let me know and I will do it to the best of my abilities. I have absolute faith that you’ll see us through this.” Kirumi encouraged as warmly as she could, given the dire circ*mstances. After a few moments, the faint din of distant whispers reached Kaede’s sensitive ears, making the musician take a deep breath.

“Thanks again, Kirumi. First thing I have to do is come up with a plan. The others are on their way… I need to figure out what I’m going to say to them. I just need a minute...” Kaede murmured, more speaking to herself than her companion at that point. The maid bowed her head and moved to guard the door, giving Kaede the space she needed. No matter what, this was going to be hard. There was no easy way to look at all her friends and admit that one of them was a murderer, yet they should all work together and trust each other anyway. Some -most, if she allowed herself to be hopeful- would be smart enough to realize they at least had to cooperate to survive, but the few that were likely to give into panic and try to isolate themselves were the ones she was mainly worried about. If everyone scurried off with whatever potentially invaluable information they had, they’d never find the culprit! That’s why she needed to do something that would band them together as best she could… but what?

One of her usual speeches wouldn’t be enough. Those weren't always effective even when everyone was still breathing. Worse still, the certain uncertainty of knowing someone gathered there had betrayed everyone else but not which one of them did so was bound to weigh just as heavily on her own mind as it did the crowd. She’d have to take great care to make it clear just how seriously she took Yamada’s demise while not lashing out at anyone. More than even that, though, she needed to get a lid on their paranoia as quickly as she could, lest it devolve into baseless accusations almost immediately. So… get thirteen ex-murderers and one unknown reoffender to not suspect their fellow known murderers of once again killing someone and band together long enough to expose the odd one out before sending them to the gallows. Kaede closed her eyes, crossing her arms for support. “... Don’t overthink it, Kaede. Just… think of where to start and go from there, okay?”

The troubled teen only had a few scant minutes to form a plan before the others arrived, the gaggle of a little over a dozen Ultimates crowding the corridor in varying states of emotion. She had no doubt they must have deduced who was absent by now, assuming Sakura didn’t tell them outright, and that realization was evident in their reactions. Some, like Tsumugi, Mikan, Leon, and Teruteru were visibly on edge, sweat lining their pale brows as they constantly glanced around at the other blackened. Others betrayed little to no emotion, with Celeste, Korekiyo, Gundham, and Peko maintaining either perfect stoicism in the case of the two former or unwavering, scrutinizing glares of the latter pair. Kaito looked furious, his jaw locked tight and anger flashing in his eyes like fire. The last general reaction was that of weary but contained unease that painted the faces of Gonta, Chiaki, and…

Mondo.

Kaede tensed. Hifumi was dead, and the man who wanted to see that happen more than anything stood maybe ten meters away. That didn’t prove anything on its own -and she certainly didn’t want to believe it even if it did- but the timing of it was horrible to say the least. The confusion, apprehension and a flash of guilt in his yellow eyes for the split second they met each other’s gaze before he pointedly looked to the floor made it clear he must have known that all too well. She didn’t have to wonder how the biker managed to escape his room as Sakura approached her, bowing her head. “I apologize. Mondo’s door seemed to malfunction. We had to get Monokuma to open it.”

“Malfunctioned, huh? Right… let’s go with that…” Kaede quietly thought to herself. On the outside, she shook her head slightly. “It’s fine. This is everyone, right?” She asked, the unsaid ‘still alive’ as heavy in the air as if the words left her mouth. Her headcount was confirmed by Ogami’s nod, the blonde taking one last breath to steady herself… only to get cut off before she could even start.

Kaito slammed his fists together with a growl. “Okay, no more screwing around! Whoever did it, be a man and show yourself here and now!” The astronaut roared out daringly, his teeth clenching as he glared at the group in lieu of the mystery traitor. Celeste looked at him incredulously.

“Yes, I’m sure the killer is simply going to offer their life up on a silver platter just to prove their braveness to you, Kaito. A truly remarkable strategy…” The gambler dryly mocked, earning a glower from Momota.

Sensing the upcoming argument, Kaede couldn’t help but feel a touch bitter. One of their friends was dead , and they were still squabbling like a bunch of whiny kids? No. She refused to let Hifumi’s death get sidelined because of one of Celeste’s snide comments. Gathering her strength and balling her fists, she marched out in front of her surviving friends and spoke up. “Everyone! I need all of you to listen to me!” She commanded as loudly and evenly as she could, forcing her voice to stay level. In an instant, every set of eyes on the ship was upon her, a dead silence befalling the hall. The moment of dread was at hand, but she had to stand firm. Anything less would be an insult to everything she stood for. She pushed down the fear and steeled herself. It was time to be the leader.

“... I won’t lie to you. We all heard the body discovery announcement, and I’m sure you’ve already noticed someone isn’t here when they should be. And for that, I’m so, so sorry. This shouldn’t have happened… but it did, so we have to handle it. I don’t know if Sakura told you already, but… Hifumi’s dead,” Kaede sorrowfully announced. The more uneasy of the blackened as well as Kaito flinched at the confirmation while some merely closed their eyes in a show of respect or had no reaction at all. Sucking in a breath, the mournful musician pushed on. “I’m sure all of us know exactly what that means. But, if we’re going to get through this, we can’t just turn on each other, no matter how scared we feel! We all need to work together to solve this case! I-”

“H-hey, hold on for a sec! You’re telling me someone here already screwed us over and killed a dude, and you’re saying we stick our necks out and hope they don’t stab us in the back again?! That’s bullsh*t! Why the hell should I trust any of you guys, huh?!” Leon demanded angrily, his greyish blue eyes dilating with distrust and fear. His words generally earned him glares from the rest of the group, the athlete particularly flinching under Mondo and Peko’s warning gazes. While that made it clear most of the group agreed with her, she was more concerned with how the more nervous ex-killers were taking his words to heart, if Tsumugi curling into herself like a coiling snake was any indication. Kaede opened her mouth to shut him up… before being cut off by an unexpected ally.

“Because if you don’t, you will die.” Celeste said simply, staring at Leon with a completely blank expression. Despite not raising her voice in the slightest, the gambler’s words rang out like a gunshot, once again reducing the hall to a stiff silence. Leon blinked at her, freezing in place with pure confusion and surprise.

“H-huh…?” The baseball star numbly asked. For once, Kaede could relate to Leon, the blonde completely blindsided by Celeste’s sudden declaration.

“If you don’t trust anyone, you will die,” The gambler repeated, her red eyes burrowing into the wannabe rocker’s very soul. “That is simply the reality of our situation. Seeing as how you chose to become the first killer-”

“IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, GODDAMNIT!” Leon screached, glaring fiercely at the gothic girl. Ludenberg didn’t so much as blink.

“... You do not know what it is like to rely on others during an investigation, but I do. Make no mistake; I still believe completely opening up to each other to be a foolhardy mistake that invites betrayal. However, given that a murder has already occured, we’ve lost the luxury of distrust. In a life or death situation like this, you simply have to invest a certain amount of faith in those around you, if only in that they won’t act suicidally and put their own lives at risk by hampering the investigation,” Celeste calmly explained before leaning forward towards Kuwata. “For once, Kaede and I are in complete agreement: if we are to survive the coming trial, cooperation is required for the moment. Do any of you intend to get in the way of that?”

A stunned, deafening silence once more overtook the hall, no one daring to speak for several seconds. Somewhat surprisingly, Gonta was the first to respond. “Uh… Gonta think Celeste right. At Gonta’s trial, most friends not trust Kokichi or Shuichi when they say Gonta was blackened. Not even Gonta think they right. Friends fight… and almost die over it. Gonta want friends to live, so friends need to trust friends as much as Gonta does!” The Ultimate Entomologist proclaimed, determination adding an edge rarely seen in the gentle giant’s soft eyes. Kaede was so focused on the man himself that she didn’t notice the way Kaito grimaced and shamefully looked away from Gokuhara.

“Every game is easier with co-op. The more people are looking for clues, the higher the droprate for evidence will be… I think.” Chiaki added supportively. That… didn’t make a whole lot of sense to Kaede, given the gamer jargon, but she thought she got the core message. The group’s encouragements -both Celeste’s dire warning and the more lighthearted appeals of Chiaki and Gonta- seemed to be swaying the last few holdouts, with Tsumugi, Leon, Teruteru, and Mikan looking more conflicted than borderline terrified as they’d been a few minutes prior. Sensing her opportunity, Kaede moved in to seal the deal.

“I get it if you guys have doubts. That’s only natural with something like this. All I’m asking is that you find the courage to work through those doubts so we can find the truth together. Can you do that, not just for me, but for yourselves and everyone else?” Kaede pleaded, facing the entire group as a show of how important it was for everyone to agree instead of just pressuring the easily swayed among them.

After several moments, a trembling hand raised just slightly above a head of long, uneven lavender hair. “... U-um… I d-don’t know if anyone wants my help… b-but I’m willing to… ah! S-sorry for not saying yes sooner!” Mikan shrilly apologized, overlooking the fact that she of all people garnered the most courage first. Kaede shot the nurse a small, reassuring smile that seemed to at least keep her from openly bursting into tears.

Teruteru let out a forced chuckle as he fiddled with his comb, stroking his hair aimlessly. “... Heh… eheh… they say too many cooks spoil the broth… but personally, I’ve found many hands make quick climaxes. Alright. I don’t mind helping finger the culprit.”

Kaede tried to ignore just how disgusting almost everything he just said was and focused on the fact that he was willing to help. A few moments passed, the expectant eyes of the group falling on Leon and Tsumugi as the seconds dragged on. At last, a long, exasperated sigh bordering on a groan rang out as the penultimate student caved. “... Screw this, man. I’m not gonna be the one looking like an asshole this time. Just… this better not be a trick, alright?! I’m seriously gonna lose my cool if it is!” An already decidedly cool-lacking Leon warned, crossing his arms with a miserable pout on his face. Akamatsu struggled not to frown at that. He was working with them for now, which is what really mattered the most in the moment, but it kind of stung just how much he wanted to distrust her. Was whatever Monokuma said about her on that tape really that bad?

Finally, the last one yet to sign on, somewhat surprisingly, was Tsumugi, who stood a few feet away from the rest of the group. In truth, they didn’t really need to get her on board, or any of the holdouts except possibly Mikan for that matter. Kaede didn’t really expect them to do a whole lot during the investigation other than for Mikan to examine the body. It was the fact that their disconnected splintered the group that concerned her. Harmony is a delicate thing, especially in a situation like the killing game. It wouldn’t do them much good if they got through the first trial only for everyone to be at each other’s throats immediately. Kaede’s goal was to encourage that sense of unity as best she could to keep any-... any more murders from occurring. Part of that meant making sure everyone felt included and counted on. Hence her current challenge before they even officially began the investigation.

The Ultimate Cosplayer kept glancing around at the others nervously as she wrung her hands over and over, a deep, uncomfortable frown tugging at her features. “... A choice between a charismatic blonde pianist in pink asking me to have faith, or my gut instincts...? Oh… this choice is so much harder than the anime made it out to be…” Shriogane whined indecisively under her breath. “I… don’t really know…” She lamely announced somewhat louder. Kaito scoffed.

“Seriously?! Come on! I know Hifumi was your friend! Don’t you want to find out who did this?!” Momota demanded incredulously.

Tsumugi flinched. “O-of course I do! He was the only person I ever met that took fan stuff as seriously as I did! He was my friend, or at least starting to be… but... someone here…" She trailed off, her skin taking on a shade of blue not dissimilar to her hair. "I-I plainly don't know if I can count on anyone right now!"

“Then there is nothing to be done except simply continue without you. Of course…” Celeste put a fist over her lips, her eyes sharp and narrow. “Refusing to investigate is rather suspect in our situation, especially when you were so close with the victim. Is there something you wish to tell us, Tsumugi?”

Shirogane’s eyes went as wide as dinner plates, shock and horror warping her expression. Before the cosplayer could even get a word out, though, Kaede was already leaping to her defense. “No, that’s wrong! We haven’t even started the investigation yet! Don’t just throw accusations at people like that!” Akamatsu fiercely reprimanded, glaring at the gambler warningly. Her gaze softened somewhat as she looked at the now even paler Tsumugi. “Tsumugi… I can’t force you to do anything. It’s up to you… but I really think you should investigate with us. This is our only chance to get justice for Hifumi. And… honestly, I think doing this will help make it easier to move on. If you still aren’t sure… what do you think he would have done?”

The bluenette stiffened. For a long moment, the cosplayer looked at the ground, her thoughts unreadable behind the worried sadness on her face. At last, a defeated hum rumbled from Tsumugi as her shoulders sagged, something between resignation and usefulness tingeing her features. "... I don't really know… but he probably wouldn't want to just be a Sachi to my Kirito. The lone wanderer trope is plainly played out, after all. So… o-okay. I'll try."

Kaede gave the meek girl a smile. "Thank you, Tsumugi. It's really great to hear that."

"It really is," A high-pitched voice hummed in agreement from behind her. Kaede swerved on her heels to find Monokuma staring at her. The monochrome menace suddenly scowled at her, raising his paws above his head threateningly. "Because cheese and crackers was that boring ! How in the hallowed name of the killing game did you manage to turn the first body discovery into a snooze fest?! It started off good and despairful, and then you just had to go and make it another one of your gross hope speeches!" He howled in frustration. The bear let out a tired sigh as he let his arms drop, staring gloomily at the floor and lightly kicking at it. "I really thought throwing a bunch of murderers together would be a lot more exciting…"

Kaede's face turned to stone, her hateful glare the only reaction she deigned to grant the loathsome ursa. "Just shut up and give us the Monokuma File already…" She tersed out. Their captor instantly perked up, his mechanical grin stretching even wider than usual.

"I thought you'd never ask! Technically you didn't, but I'll let that slide for now! It's my great pleasure to reveal the new and improved… MONOKUMA FILE !" Monokuma delightedly declared as a loud pop sounded, the robot stretching his paws to catch a tablet that dropped from the ceiling in a hail of confetti. Kaede would have snatched it out of his hands if she wasn't afraid that would count as attacking Monokuma, the former pianist having to settle for shoving her hand out expectantly. The murderous mascot waddled over and handed the device to her with a small laugh. "Puhuhu… maybe now things will start getting interesting! Once you’ve read over the file, a digital copy will be sent to all surviving students’ monopads. Good thing, too. Considering how much time you've spent just standing around, you'll have to act quickly to make up for lost time. Happy hunting, kids! I'll be waiting…" He singsonged ominously, and in an instant, Monokuma vanished as inexplicably as he appeared.

Burying her loathing for the bear, Kaede turned back to her fellow blackened and put her plan into action. "Alright, everyone. This is it. It's a big ship, so we have to be smart about this. Sakura, Gonta, I need you two to guard the crime scene."

Gonta gave a sharp nod. "Gonta do his best! Gonta not fail friends!"

"I as well. I promise no one will tamper with the crime scene so long as I am here." Sakura agreed, her crossed arms backing the certainty of her words like holstered weapons.

Offering them a grateful nod, Kaede continued. "Mikan, can you do autopsies?"

Mikan flinched at the sound of her name, but managed a shaky nod. "N-not officially, b-but I have experience from my game. I'll try not to disappoint too much…"

Akamatsu managed a supportive simper. "I know you won't. Just trust your skills as much as I do, okay?"

Tsumiki blinked, a touch more nervousness appearing on her face, yet her hunched posture seemed to straighten a little. The nurse met her eyes for a brief moment, and it pleased Kaede to see a glimmer of determination in those palish purple eyes. "O-okay. I… I'll do my best, too!"

Satisfied, the leader gave her final instructions. "Everyone else, grab a partner or team up in groups of three and pick a room. You don't have to stay there or with each other, but stick with at least one other person at all times so we know exactly what everyone was doing when. Got it?" Kaede questioned, receiving a torrent of confirming nods and statements. "Alright. Then… keep your eyes open, everyone. Remember, we're all counting on each other. Lastly… good luck, guys."

With that, the swarm of Ultimates began to pair off, and the greatest challenge of Kaede's life so far officially began.

Investigation: START!

Before Kaede could even think about where to start, Kaito was already approaching her with a proud grin. "Nice work, Kaede. Couldn't have done it better myself!" He praised with his signature thumbs up. She managed a small smile, the grim situation robbing her of her usual enthusiasm.

"Thanks, Kaito. If I'm being honest, I'm kind of surprised how well that went… but we'll have to think about that after we're done here. Do you wanna join up for the investigation?"

"Of course! You're my sidekick, aren't you?" The astronaut proclaimed, planting a hand on his hip like some superhero to Kaede's light amusem*nt. Momota's brand of determination was certainly a welcome respite from the heavy situation. His talent for lightening the mood without coming across as callous was a rare one. After a few moments, his grin fell to a more serious expression. "Alright. What’s the plan, Kaede?”

Akamatsu glanced down at the tablet in her hands with a slight grimace. “Well… we should probably start with the Monokuma File. There might be something important on here…” She explained, booting up the device despite the sickening feeling just holding it gave her. Kaito huddled next to her as the screen came on in a flash of light. It opened on a normal picture of Hifumi, the word DEAD messily stamped across it while a general description of his measurements took up the rest of the screen. Scrolling down revealed a vertical view of Hifumi’s corpse that took up the upper-middle portion of the screen, a black and white outline of the deceased Ultimate filling in the bottom left. The entire upper portion of his head was sploched over in pink, along with two small dots of pink over his torso. Kaede’s brow furrowed as she read the description of the crime.

“The victim was Hifumi Yamada, the Ultimate Fanfic Creator. The victim's body was discovered in the Ultimate Pianist’s Lab at 6:55 AM. The estimated time of death was nighttime. The victim died of excessive blood loss. Their skull was caved in using a blunt instrument, and the victim was also subjected to two stab wounds, including one to the heart. No other injuries were detected.”

“‘The estimated time of death was nighttime’? Huh? Why is it so vague?” Kaede question, baffled. Kaito scoffed in annoyance.

“Monokuma messes with the file whenever he thinks leaving in all the details would give the killer away. Trust me, that jackass knows exactly what he’s doing.”

The blonde pursed her lips. “... Well… that implies that when exactly Hifumi died is a big clue. If we figure that out, who did it should be pretty obvious, right?”

Kaito scratched the back of his head. “Maybe. There’s something else about this I don’t get, though.”

“What’s that?”

Momota tapped his finger over the silhouette of Hifumi. “It says he got stabbed twice, right? Well, did that kill him, or did bashing his head? If it did, why smash his head in? If it didn’t, why stab a dead guy? It doesn’t make any sense.”

The blonde crossed her arms in thought. “You’re right. There’s no reason to do both… unless…” Kaede traced her finger under the cause of death. “... Maybe they wanted us to be confused. Look here. It just says he died from blood loss, right? It’s vague enough that it could’ve been caused by either of his injuries. I can’t say for sure, but… I think the killer might’ve been trying to cover up what actually killed him.”

“That’d make sense… it’s seriously messed up, but I could see it. It doesn’t really clear up which happened first, though... tch... I can’t tell which would be a worse way to go out…” Kaito cringed.

Kaede’s lips thinned as she flicked off the device. “Y-yeah. I don’t think we’ll know for sure until Mikan’s done with her autopsy, but it’s definitely something we should keep in mind.”

Truth Bullet added: Monokuma File

Truth Bullet added: Contradicting Causes of Death

“I think that’s all we’ll get without looking around ourselves. We should…” Akamatsu paused, turning to Kaito with a small wince. “... We should probably take a closer look at him. Let’s go,” She reluctantly instructed, handing the device to the astronaut and quietly taking a breath before turning towards her lab. The door was opened wide enough to hide the piano design, but that was hardly a comfort compared to the nightmarish scene that hid just behind Gonta’s wide form. She forced herself to ignore the sinking feeling that grew with each step, putting on a brave face for the Ultimate Entomologist even as she felt borderline nauseous for the second time that morning. “Hey, Gonta. Could you let Kaito and I through? We were hoping to check for clues.”

“Ah, yes! Gonta can do that!” Gokuhara declared as he stepped aside. Kaede kept her eyes on him, a part of her quietly hoping to avoid actually having to examine the body as long as she could despite knowing the urgency of their situation. “Kirumi and Chiaki inside with Mikan. Gonta sorry Gonta no can investigate too… but Gonta do best”

“Don’t worry about it, big guy! You’re doing great!” Kaito declared supportively.

Kaede managed a tiny grin. “Yeah! We couldn’t do this without your help.”

The look of pride on Gonta’s face warmed Kaede’s heart nearly enough to counterbalance the cold dread bubbling in her. Savoring that levity for only a moment longer, Kaede closed her eyes and stepped through the door. A lot of crime TV shows she’d occasionally see on the few occasions she watched TV said that rooms with bodies had a distinct feeling different than anywhere else. She hadn’t felt that with the library when Rantaro died. The crushing guilt of her crime was one that followed her everywhere, the only places it felt especially worse being right next to his body and under the heavyhearted gazes of her friends at the trial. Here, it was different. The underlying tension prickling at her skin like the edge of the knife was familiar, the same sickening sensation that smothered her every time she so much as thought of the piano. Less familiar was the sense of dread entirely distinct from her usual suffering, less of a smothering cloud and more akin to an icy fog, a constant uncomfortableness that settled itself in her bones before she’d even opened her eyes. She wanted nothing more than to turn and run… but she had a job to do.

Forcing her eyes open, Kaede took in the scene. Hifumi’s body still sat slumped lifelessly over the keys, now accompanied by an anxious Mikan carefully poring over him from head to toe while Chiaki stood nearby. For a moment, Kaede couldn’t tear her eyes away from the brutal sight. Hifumi’s corpse was horrifying enough in its own right to make her sick to her stomach. What the blonde couldn’t help but focus on was the sickening river of red that repainted the once pure white keys a hellish shade of scarlet.

It was wrong. Selfish. Stupid. All number of negative descriptors came to mind, but that didn’t change the fact that the sight of the bloodstained keys surrounding what remained of the victim’s skull froze her in place, her gut twisting as her hair started to stand on end. Kaede let out a shaky breath that sounded like a distant cousin of a sob while her hands started to twitch. She should have looked away, but she didn’t. Her mind screamed at her to stand still, but she couldn’t. Kaede took unwilling step after step forward, her heart starting to loudly thump in her chest as her throat constricted tighter and tighter. Why was she going towards it?! Her legs refused to obey her, mechanically continuing forward no matter how hard she tried to stand still. Now only a few feet away from Mikan, the ivories once again seemed to shift into bloodied fangs, the phantom melody of damnation humming in her ears like the growl of hungry beast. An indescribable, absolute agony flared up in a circle around her neck. She wanted to look away, needed to look away, but she couldn’t, not when the collar’s so tight and making it so hard to breath-

Kaede leapt as someone suddenly put a hand on her shoulder, the ex-pianist swerving on her feet to suddenly come face to face with a tuft of silver hair and a familiar emerald eye filled with concern. “-aede?”

“H-huh?” She sputtered out, shaking her head to clear banish the disoriented confusion and focus on the girl in front of her. “S-sorry. I… spaced out for a minute there. What’s up?”

The understatement was painfully obvious to both of them, though the slight furrowing of Tojo’s brow was the only indication of as much that the maid deigned to give. “It’s quite alright. I was asking if you’d like to hear what we’ve discovered so far. I was hoping to hear your thoughts on them,” Kirumi explained, before dropping her voice to a whisper. “ And once we’ve finished, I must insist that you let someone else examine this room, for your own wellbeing. You can’t lead us if you’re having a panic attack. ”

Kaito’s heavy footsteps signaled his approach. “Lay it on us, Kirumi. The sooner we get this figured out the better!” He declared, mercifully unaware of Kirumi’s warning.

Kaede kept a measured face, holding back a pained wince at the blunt dismissal. Kirumi was right, of course, but that’s what made it all the more frustrating. One of her dear friends was dead, and she couldn’t give the investigation her all because just being near a piano was enough to leave her a terrified, shaking mess? Damn her stupid fear and damn Monokuma for giving it to her. Akamatsu forced herself to nod. “Y-yes, please. Every little bit helps.”

The silver haired girl nodded in turn, reaching into her pinafore pocket and retrieving a small notebook. “Firstly, Miss Nanami has been taking photographs of the crime scene on her device for future reference. If anything occurs to you as the investigation progresses, she has photographs to prove exactly what the scene looked like before anyone entered. You may wish to speak to her at some point.”

Hearing her name, the Ultimate Gamer looked up from the piano and noticed the pair. “Hey hey,” She greeted as she approached, her handheld console waiting in her palms. “Everyone’s been careful not to mess with the scene too much, but some things had to get moved for us to get a better look. Here, take a look,” Chiaki offered the device to Kaede, the blonde somewhat reluctantly accepting it and looking at the screen. “This is your lab, right, Kaede? Did anything look different or out of place since the last time you were here?”

She quickly skipped past the first photograph of the view from the doorway, the image already scarred into her brain for the rest of her life. The following several photos were of Hifumi’s body from various angles, which were unsettling for sure, but seemed slightly less horrifying than looking at the actual body mere feet away. After that, the focus turned away from the body itself and onto the rest of the lab, such as the wall of CDs and records that made up the entire left side of the room, the rows of music books on the opposite end, and the chalkboard behind the piano.

Truth Bullet added: Crime Scene Photos

“Hmm… I’m not sure…” She muttered. Her brow furrowed as a sense of something being off hit her, the feeling increasing whenever she looked at a picture showing the body from the left or right. She couldn’t tell what it was that looked out of place, besides the obvious, but that nagging feeling wouldn’t leave her be. Akamatsu narrowed her eyes, squinting in hopes of finding whatever seemed wrong with the picture. It took her a few solid seconds of staring in the same place, but at last, something clicked. “... Hey, wait a second… is it just me, or does the shadow under Hifumi’s body look a little off?”

Kaito co*cked an eyebrow. “His shadow? What do you mean?”

“Is there a way to turn the brightness up?” Kaede questioned, Nanami pointing to a slider on the right hand side of the device. Sliding it all the way up, Kaede was shocked to find her suspicion confirmed. “Here,” She instructed as she pointed towards the screen, resting the tip of her index finger against the suspicious spot. “It’s a little hard to see, but look. With how the lights are, Hifumi’s shadow should be completely flat against the floor, right?” She asked rhetorically before tracing along what could almost be mistaken for a small ink splotch if it weren’t a digital photograph, the tiny hump waiting just past the bench holding his body. “But there’s something sticking up here. See where the color’s a little different?”

“... Huh, now that you mention it, I can see something there. Hold on a sec,” Kaito instructed before suddenly marching away from her. Kaede looked up just in time to see the astronaut kneel down and stick his head under the body of the instrument. “... Wha…? Hey, guys, take a look at this!” He called out just before the harsh screech of dragging metal pierced the room. A second later, the purple-haired Ultimate popped back up, a relatively thin yet heavy-looking grid of metal in his hands as he power walked back and presented it to the trio of girls.

Kaede tilted her head at the strange object. “What is this thing? I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“May I see that for a moment?” Kirumi requested, putting a gloved hand to her lips.

Kaito held it out to the maid. “Careful, it’s heavier than it looks.” He warned.

“Thank you, Mister Momota,” Tojo said as she gently took hold of Kaito’s discovery. Kaede watched as Kirumi carefully scrutinized the hunk of metal, her visible eye narrowing like a hunting hawk’s. She flipped it over and continued quietly examining it for a few moments before she adjusted her grip, shifting the grate by ninety degrees. “... That’s… peculiar.”

“Did you find something, Kirumi?” Kaede asked, completely lost on whatever discovery her friend had made. As far as she could tell, as out of place as it was, it was just a normal bit of metal. Thankfully, Kirumi had a more detailed explanation.

“... I cannot say for certain, but I believe this might have broken off of something. Notice how these sides aren’t as even as the others.” Tojo pointed out, carefully balancing the grate against her arm in one hand and trailing a finger down the points of interest with the other. Looking closely at the parts in question, the blonde could see that there were indeed some small scratches and cuts marring the surface of it. There were also a few subtle dips and and sharp points that backed up the idea of it being ripped off something else.

Kaede crossed her arms, humming in thought. “So someone broke this off of something else, probably on accident… but why leave it here? It’s not like they didn’t notice it. I mean, wouldn’t that make a lot of noise as it snapped off?”

“Perhaps they couldn’t… Kaede, could you hold this for a moment?” Kirumi asked. Kaede quirked an eyebrow, but nodded.

“Sure, but I’m not sure what that- woah!” She cut herself off with a startled cry as Kirumi handed her the evidence… and it almost instantly fell out of her hands, Akamatsu just barely managing to keep her grip on the shockingly heavy object. Holding it as high as she could left it just below her knees, the blonde partially hunched over to support her hold. “G-geez! This thing weighs a ton!”

Kirumi bowed her head. “As you can see, it’s not very easy to hold even when someone else has already prepared it for you. Mister Momota, you weren’t able to pick it up directly, were you?”

The eccentric teen shook his head, scratching at his hair. “Nah, couldn’t get a good grip on it. Had to drag it off the platform before I got a good hold of it.”

“I suspected as much. Kaede, could you set it flat on the ground and then try to pick it up?”

Kaede pouted at her. “And screw up my nails? Kaito, try it again!” She passed the buck to him as she nearly dropped the thing on the floor, her meager strength used up. Momota’s eyes went wide.

“Huh? Hey, wait, what about my nails?!” He demanded incredulously.

Kaede pointed a finger at him. “What do you care about your nails? You’re a guy!”

“I don’t! It’s the principle of it! Besides, this is a sidekick kind of job!”

This was possibly the dumbest argument Kaede ever had that didn’t involve Miu. The pianist crossed her arms, glowering at the astronaut as her pout deepened. Before their spat could continue, though, Chiaki simply shrugged and moved forward, kneeling down and giving it a shot herself. The gamer grunted in effort, but after three concerted attempts, gave up. “Nope. Too heavy. I don’t think anyone but Gonta or Sakura could lift that… maybe.”

Tojo nodded. “Thank you, Miss Nanami. If you’d indulge one last experiment, could you try nudging it with your foot?” The maid asked, a faint knowing certainty in her voice. The gamer did as instructed, and with some considerable effort, managed to slide the metal about a foot or so, leaving a noticeable scuff where it dragged along. Kirumi held up a finger. “That confirms it. Given this, I believe we have discovered part of the mystery behind the unusual markings we found earlier.”

The Ultimate Pianist tilted her head quizzically. “Unusual markings? What do you mean?”

“Please, follow me,” Kirumi requested as she walked a few paces towards the door before kneeling down. Kaede and Kaito joined her shortly after, following the maid’s gaze in faint confusion. Noticing their uncertainty, Kirumi traced a finger along a spot on the floor. “As a maid, part of my talents include recognizing when a floor is damaged or even slightly dirty, so this detail stuck out immediately. They are somewhat faint here, but,” She lightly waved in the direction of the piano, Kaede hesitantly moving her gaze upwards to find some faint scratches marring the otherwise beautifully maintained flooring. “There are scratches along the floor here, and they become particularly noticeable closer to the body. I believe the connection is clear.”

Kaede crossed her arms once again, humming in thought. “So, if I’m getting this right, you think whatever this thing is was dragging along the floor, and then broke off completely at the piano. Once it did, it was too heavy for the killer to pick it up again, so they just slid it under the body hoping no one would notice?” The blonde theorized, earning a nod from Kirumi.

“Precisely. Admittedly, where this theory comes up short is regarding what exactly this grate came from and why the killer brought it here to begin with. I don’t have an explanation for that, but I believe these clues are too closely related to be mere happenstance.”

Truth Bullet added: Broken Metal Grate

Truth Bullet added: Scratch Marks on the Floor

Kaede nodded in agreement as she rose back to her feet. “Totally. There’s no reason for something like that to be in my lab normally. It’s got to be involved somehow… but we can figure that out later. Did you guys find anything else here?”

Kirumi nodded. “Miss Tsumiki is still conducting her autopsy, but she immediately informed us that the bloodstains on his clothes don’t entirely match his obvious injuries. Upon closer examination, she found two stab wounds in his chest. It’s a testament to her expertise that she noticed such an inconsistency, given the shocking state of Mister Yamada’s remains. However, she’s focusing rather intently on this, so I would advise against talking to her right now.”

Truth Bullet added: Inconsistent Bloodstains

Akamatsu held up a finger. “That lines up with what we found on the Monokuma File. I think I understand the case a little more, but... Kirumi, when Mikan wraps up her autopsy, could you tell her to come talk with me?”

“Certainly,” Tojo agreed without hesitation. “Lastly, there was one final thing we discovered… or, rather, something we didn’t.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Kaede asked for what felt like the dozenth time that morning. It made her feel silly to ask, but she’d rather endure that minor embarrassment than misunderstand something vital and go down the wrong track when the trial rolled around. Thankfully, Kirumi’s patience didn’t strain under her repeated interrogations.

“When we looked for Hifumi’s monopad, we couldn’t find it anywhere on his person, nor anywhere else in the room. I went so far as to check the map, but his icon was missing as well.”

Kaede felt a rush of air to her right, and before even turning around or hearing his obnoxious voice, she already knew Monokuma would be there waiting for her. “Well, of course his icon was missing! You can’t track something that doesn’t exist anymore!” The bear enthusiastically declared, shaking a claw at them like a scolding teacher. Mikan let out a yelp, the poor nurse nearly falling to the floor in surprise. Sakura, who the blonde had somehow missed standing vigilantly in the corner next to the door, suddenly stepped towards their kidnapper in warning while the other blackened quickly rounded on him. Kaede herself would have been incredibly annoyed with the infuriating stuffed animal… if Kaito didn’t shout out his frustrations first.

“For the love of… what do you want?! I swear you didn’t used to show up this much!” Momota complained, glaring at Monokuma with a sneer. The bear glared right back, putting his paws on his hips haughtily.

“I’m trying to help you guys with your investigation! But if you’re going to be brats about it, fine! I’ll keep my vital info to myself!” He nagged at them, turning away from the Ultimates with a haughty harumph .

Kaito’s scowl grew. “Yeah right! Like you’d ever-”

“Mister Momota, please, wait a moment. We cannot afford to be hasty right now.” Kirumi cut him off as politely as possible. Kaito blinked at her, caught off guard, before his fierce purple eyes narrowed.

“C’mon, you can’t seriously-”

Monokuma spun back around with a grin. “Uh-uh-uh! She said shut up, space case! Clearly your friends are smart enough to realize they should really listen to an old bear’s wisdom from time to time. Now, quiet down. The adults are talking.”

Kaito’s eyes lit up with outrage. “You…!” He grit his teeth as he trailed off, making a fist at the smug bear. Still, Momota didn’t obstruct any further, opting to quietly stew in his indignation. Monokuma’s smile only grew wider.

“Aaaanyways, as I was saying, the monopad map is not magic. It simply can’t track things that don’t exist!” He repeated insistently, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Kaede glared at him, once more crossing her arms.

“You keep saying that, but what does that mean?”

“Exactly what I said!” Monokuma replied, a hint of annoyance slipping into his showman like enthusiasm.

Akamatsu gripped her elbows tightly. “Hifumi’s dead, but that doesn’t mean he never existed! Stop messing with us and just get to the point!”

Monokuma fell completely silent, all signs of life disappearing in an instant as he stared at her expectantly. A beat passed. Just as the last shreds of her patience started to wear out, Chiaki spoke up. “… Wait. You keep saying, ‘doesn’t exist’. Not ‘dead’. You wouldn’t be that picky unless it was important…” Nanami pointed out, her pinkish eyes locked with Monokuma’s own. Her brow furrowed for a few moments before realization seemed to strike, the slightest twitch of her eyes revealing the Ultimate Gamer’s discovery. “... The map doesn’t track students, does it? It tracks their monopads.”

Monokuma’s grin bloomed. “Dingdingding! Correct!” The creature giddily bellowed, throwing his arms out to the side. “Thaaat’s right! The trackers that allow you to monitor your fellow classmates like the creepy stalkers you are-” ( “I’m sorry!” Mikan miserably screeched in the background ) “-are actually built into your nifty difty handbooks! Of course, having all these signals going on at once is a pretty complicated and expensive process. So, once a student dies, there’s no point in cluttering up the system with their pads. That’s why you can’t find it: I took it away!”

Kaede’s lips thinned. “Well, where is it now ?”

The bear stared at her blankly, slowly tilting his head to the side. “... Beethoven must be a big role model for you, because I’ve never met a pianist with as poor listening skills as you.”

Kaede’s hands balled into fists, the blonde taking a daring step towards Monokuma. Behind the bear, Sakura’s glare darkened. “Don’t waste our time with games, Monokuma. Tell us what we want to know. Where is Hifumi’s monopad?” Ogami demanded, the bear looking between her and the small group of students.

Monokuma’s features took on a shade of red, an irritated growl rumbling from the machine as he threw his arms in the air. “Am I speaking Greek or something?! I already told you, it doesn’t exist anymore! Zip! Bam! Null! Gone! Reduced to atoms!”

Kaede’s eyes went wide as Monokuma’s words finally clicked. “Wh-what?! How?!” She sputtered out in disbelief. “Didn’t Monkuma say they were indestructible?!”

“Why, that's quite simple! I used the pad to destroy the pad!” He gleefully exclaimed, his anger vanishing in an instant. “Before you ask, no, I’m not going to elaborate any further. I’m bear -y concerned with my privacy, you know. All you need to know right now is that dead students’ monopads can’t be tracked.”

Truth Bullet added: Hifumi’s Missing Monopad

Truth Bullet added: Monopad Tracking

“Anyhoo, that’s it for me! No more hints from here on out, kiddos! See ya at the trial!” Monokuma bid his obnoxious farewell before disappearing as suddenly as he appeared. Kaede simply stared at the space he’d been occupying for a few moments before pursing her lips.

“... Well… it’s good to know, at least. I don’t like how vague he’s being about this, though…” Kaede thought aloud, saying it more to herself than the others. She shook her head. “I think that does it for evidence here. But… before we go…” Kaede forced herself to ignore the guilt clawing at her throat before she even spoke the words. She had to ask. Better ask and be sorry than say nothing and end up being truly sorry. “... Could you tell me where you were last night?”

It was a small mercy that Tojo was unphased by the question. “Of course. For most of the evening, I was preparing, serving, and subsequently cleaning up dinner with Mister Hanamura. I would say this probably lasted until 9 PM or so, at which point he retired to his chambers. Most of the other students returned to their cabins by 8:30 PM , except for the aforementioned Mister Hanamura, Miss Ludenberg, Miss Pekoyama, Miss Ogami, and myself, though only Mister Hanamura and I stayed in the dining hall during this period. Miss Ludenberg requested a small dessert and returned to her room shortly after 9:15 . However, I’m uncertain when the others returned to their cabins or if everyone stayed in their chambers afterwards, as I myself returned to my room by 10 PM and went to sleep shortly after 10:30,” The maid reported with a small bow of her head. “Unfortunately, that is all I know.”

Truth Bullet added: Kirumi’s Account

“So, as far as Kirumi knows, everyone but me was already in their room when nighttime officially started, and the Monokuma file said he died during it… we have to find out when, though. Hifumi’s body definitely wasn’t there when I left my lab last night, but what time was that? That might be the key to this case…” Kaede thought to herself, trying to put the pieces together as she got them. On the outside, she gave the maid a reserved smile and a nod of thanks. “Thanks, Kirumi. Sorry to ask at all, but… you know.”

Kaito rolled his eyes. “C’mon, Kaede, what’d I tell you? You gotta doubt who you gotta doubt if you want to get to the truth. ‘Sides, you aren’t a mindreader, so how would you find out if you didn’t ask?”

Tojo nodded once again. “Agreed. As Mister Momota said, Kaede, it would be more concerning if you didn’t ask. That said, is there anything else I can assist you with?”

Akamatsu shook her head. “No, I think that’s all. Thank you for everything, Kirumi. Just keep up the good work, and I know we’ll get through this alright!” She encouraged, pumping her fists energetically.

Kirumi gave a small curtsy. “You as well, Kaede. Best of luck to you and Kaito on your investigation.”

“Who needs luck when you’ve got the Luminary of the Stars and his sidekick on the case? Don’t worry, we’ll get this thing cracked in no time! C’mon, Kaede!” Kaito boisterously declared, his co*cky grin nearly as bright as the fiery passion in his eyes.

“Well, luck or not, I’ll see you later. Goodbye for now,” The leader of the blackened bid farewell to Kirumi before turning towards the door. Despite her intentions to leave, however, the former pianist paused as she realized she’d been overlooking someone in the room the entire time. “Actually, Kaito before we go… hey, Sakura? Do you have a minute?”

Ogami shifted her gaze to the pair as they approached. “Certainly. How can I help?”

“I had a couple questions I wanted to ask you. When Kirumi and I ran into you earlier, you said you were doing a routine in your lab, right? What time did you go there?”

“I see. I woke up at a little before six this morning and went to my lab shortly after. I didn’t leave again until we encountered each other,” Sakura answered. “Though you did not ask, I feel I should also mention that I was using my lab fromnine twenty until ten thirty last night, and went to bed immediately afterwards.”

Truth Bullet added: Sakura’s Account

“Hold up, you were working out? You should totally join me and Kaede next time!” Kaito invited unpromptedly. Sakura hummed.

“I’m afraid my workout is a little… excessive compared to what you’re used to,” She gently refused, opting to ignore the half indignant, half co*cky look Momota was giving her. Shifting her gaze to the girl, she asked, “Does that answer your question, Kaede?”

Kaede crossed her arms in thought. “If I remember right, it was just before seven when we bumped into each other… thanks, that clears something up for me. You also said you felt something weird in your lab. Did you get that feeling as soon as you stepped in?”

Ogami nodded. “Yes. I’m uncertain of what exactly caused it… though it now seems clear what I was sensing.”

“Okay… one last question… Hifumi was from your game, right? You probably knew him better than we did. Can you think of any reason why someone would have targeted him?” Kaede inquired. She certainly knew one reason, but she hadn’t exactly learned a lot about what Hifumi was like during his first game just from getting screamed at by the Ultimate Biker.

The stoic strongwoman gently shook her head. “Hifumi and I weren’t especially close. I believe he was afraid of me, to be honest. That’s most of what I remember for certain about him, unfortunately. Whatever Monokuma has done to me rendered the last several days of my life a blur… including Hifumi and Celeste’s cases. I cannot remember what drove either of them to kill, or who they might have made enemies out of in doing so.”

Akamatsu did her best to conceal a frown. That… wasn’t great for Mondo. She knew he couldn’t have done it -even putting aside her belief in him over their mutual debt, there was no way he could have gotten out of his room and back in- but explaining how she knew that was the last thing she wanted for either of them. Even if she didn’t, though, it wasn’t like she wanted to suspect any of her friends… but… the two of them had sworn an oath. She wanted to believe in him, because if she didn’t, she was just as hopeless. On the outside, Kaede gave a nod. “Thanks, Sakura. You’ve been a big help.”

The martial artist exchanged goodbyes with the pair of Ultimates before they left the room, Kaede deep in thought. For the first time in her life, she was investigating a crime she really knew nothing about, and if she were being honest, a part of that intimidated her. Kaede was no Ultimate Detective. That amazing ability Shuichi had to read a crime scene with as much ease as she did her sheet music was simply beyond her capability. She wasn’t unobservant by any means -she wouldn’t have become a world-class musician if she was lacking in perception- but looking for evidence was so much harder now that she didn’t know who did it. With Rantaro, it was easy; she already knew every last detail of the crime inside and out. All she had to do was find the evidence to back up everyone else’s alibis until either she was the only weak link or she managed to expose the mastermind. Given where she found herself right now, it wouldn’t be unfair to say she wasn’t especially skilled at unraveling mysteries she didn’t create herself.

Yet that didn’t mean she was just giving up. Sure, she wasn’t Shuichi, but that didn’t mean she was dumb or helpless. She just had to give it her all! Even if she couldn’t solve it by herself, between her and everyone else, they were bound to end up at the right answer! They’d already discovered a few clues, after all. The pieces of the puzzle were revealing themselves one by one. All she had to do was put them together.

“Hey, Kaede, where to next?” Kaito questioned from beside her, bringing Kaede out of her reverie. The amateur detective tapped her fingers against her arm as she thought it over.

“... I think we should check out Sakura’s lab next. She said something felt weird about it, so there might be some clues there.” Akamatsu decided. “I’ve got a strange feeling about it, too. Maybe we’ll find something that can explain my hunch…”

Kaito nodded, putting a hand on his hip. “Then lead the way! We’ll blow this whole case wide open before you know it!”

With that, the pair started on their way to the Ultimate Martial Artist’s lab, determined to overcome this trial. The investigation was only just getting started, but so were they.

Chapter 11: Chapter One: The Bloodied Hands We're Dealt: Deadly Life Part 4

Chapter Text

Somehow, the Ultimate Martial Artist’s Lab managed to be even more breathtaking from the side entrance than the main doorway. The room stretched on before her almost like a movie set, the luxurious and modern gym that occupied one half while the subtle and understated beauty of ancient Japanese architecture claiming the other half stood in such contrast that it almost looked like two different rooms put together and then given the same paint job to mask that fact. In the far back of the room, the false sun of the archery range shined brightly over the snow of falling cherry blossoms.

“Woah… this place is awesome. We’re totally using this place for training from now on. Just look at that view!” Kaito all but whistled in astonishment. Kaede was inclined to agree. It would have been beautiful… if it wasn’t currently the subject of a murder investigation. Kaede brushed aside appreciation for the scene as she forced herself to examine it with a scrutinizing gaze instead.

Three of her fellow Ultimates were already mulling over the scene. Peko and Korekiyo were on the opposite end of the room, the swordswoman kneeling down to examine something Kaede couldn’t see while Korekiyo was intently studying the wall of staffs and training dummies. Closer to her and Kaito was Gundham, who stood perfectly still in the center of the gym with his eyes closed and fingertips pressed together in prayer, muttering a language she didn’t recognize in a low, hushed tone. Kaede slowly quirked an eyebrow. That seemed a little… eccentric, even by Gundham’s standards. Approaching the Ultimate Breeder somewhat wearily, she called out to him. “Um… hi, Gundham. What exactly are you do-”

“Shh!” He suddenly hissed out, the suddenness of it making Kaede take a startled step back.

“H-huh? What’s-”

Gundham opened his right eye, the red iris glaring at her warningly. “Silence, Siren. You are intruding upon the ancient spell of summoning. Any further interruption may cost you your mind, if not your very soul...” He warned gruffly before once again closing his eye and resuming his strange muttering.

Despite the Dark Mage’s threat, Kaede’s confusion and curiosity only grew. “Summoning spell? Who are you trying to summon?” She asked, staring at the gothic teen in mild bewilderment. A thought occurred to her that made the girl wince, gripping her arm for comfort. “... If it’s Hifumi, I don’t think-”

“Does your prattling never cease?” Tanaka demanded, glaring at her with clear annoyance in his mismatched eyes as a perturbed sneer crossed his face. “I repeat, Siren, if you have any regard for yourself or this investigation, you must let the ritual proceed!”

Kaito scoffed with a roll of his eyes as he planted a hand on his hip and looked judgingly as the so-called forbidden one. “Seriously? Stop screwing around with occult bullcrap and help out! We’ve got a murder to solve!”

Gundham let out a scornful grunt as he fell out of his ritualistic stance, crossing his arms and glowering at the astronaut and ex-pianist bitterly. “Tch! Wonderful! Now, thanks to you two, the connection has been torn asunder and I have to repeat the ritual from the beginning! Your reckless villainy knows no bounds, Luminary.”

Kaito’s eyes went wide with surprise only to narrow in outrage. “Villainy?! I’m Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars and hero to all! You’re the one muttering about nonsense like a creep while everyone else is trying to figure this thing out!” Kaito pumped a fist accusingly. “There’s no such thing as ghosts or crap like that, so stop trying to summon demons or whatever and help us!”

A dry, mirthless scoff of a laugh rumbled from Tanaka. “Foolish mortal, you know not of what you speak. I have no need for the aid of demons at this time, nor do I seek communion with the dead. What I am attempting is of far greater significance than any mere man or hellspawn could achieve. I possess the only means of dispensing the fog of deceit shrouding the one among us who has blackened their heart with the blood of Hifumi Yamada! To do that, however, I must consult with my four Dark Devas of Destruction posthaste. Alas, their search for evidence has spread them far and wide, straining my binding spell so much that even I am unaware of their exact location. As such, I’m forced to resort to the dark magic of translocation to bring them to me. A ritual that you have now ruined.” Gundham spitefully added after his lengthy yet confusing explanation. Kaede’s brow furrowed as she tried to translate from Gundham to English while Kaito just stared at him.

“... Uh… so, if I got that right,” Kaede hesitantly held up a finger, uncertainty clear on her face. “You sent your hamsters to look for clues, but lost them, and now you’re trying to get them to come back to you by doing… whatever that was?”

The Supreme Overlord of Ice hummed. “If you are referring to the ritual of tethered souls, then yes, that is an accurate enough comprehension of my dark actions. Do you see now the folly in your rash actions, Siren?”

Kaede awkwardly rubbed her head, not feeling particularly remorseful or justified in her actions but not wanting to aggravate Tanaka any further. He was just trying to help, as… inexplicable as his methods may be. “Er… sorry, Gundham. We didn’t mean to mess up your ritual… thing. It won’t happen again.”

Gundham didn’t say anything for a moment, simply scowling at the lowly mortals before him. At last, he let out a grunt, his posture relaxing slightly. “I suppose it was but a momentary annoyance... very well. I shall let it slide… this time. But know that this mercy will not last forever. Do you understand?” He warned sternly. Kaede nodded.

Kaito scowled right back at him. “Wait a second, didn’t you say you have a magic omnipotent eye or whatever? Why don’t you just find them with that?”

Gundham opened his mouth to respond bearing the expression of a teacher having to explain the most basic concept ever, only to suddenly pause as the annoyed certainty faded from his face and found itself replaced with dumbfoundedness tinted with a hint of dread. “Erm… w-well… ha! That’s exactly the sort of foolish question I expect from a mortal such as you!” The supposed mage laughed in Kaito’s face, confidently angling his head to look down upon the spikey-haired teen despite how clearly strained his grin was. “The All-Seeing Eye is indeed under my power, but it is far too dangerous for even one such as I to use alone! To ensure the safety of this realm, the power of the Eye must be split between myself and my Devas so as to not rip the very threads of reality asunder! That is why I cannot simply use the full extent of my awesome might in this endeavor!”

Kaede’s brow furrowed deeply, the pink-clad girl holding up a finger. “Uh…” She said, entirely unsure where to begin with any of that. So, instead, she simply decided not to, slowly curling it back into her fist. “... Huh. Y-yeah, that explains it. Well… tell you what, how about we help you find your hamsters to make up for messing up your thing?”

“Wait, what? Why do we have to find this guy’s pets?” Kaito instantly questioned, fixing her with an odd and slightly irritated look. She crossed her arms.

“Well, we did interrupt him when he was trying to get them back. Besides, if he needs them to investigate, shouldn’t we want to get them back to him as soon as possible?” The blonde pointed out, her inflections making it clear she didn’t want to hear an answer besides ‘yes’. Unfortunately, Kaito was immune to such nuances.

“C’mon, he’s the Ultimate Breeder. I’m sure he can find his hamsters on his own while we’re solving the mystery.”

Kaede rolled her eyes. “We can do both, you know. I’m not saying we drop everything just to hunt for them. Just, you know, keep an eye out for them while we’re investigating and pick them up if we find them. Maybe they could even lead us to some clues!”

Tanaka thinned his lips as he looked at the pair, his thoughts unreadable. “... While Kaito is right that I don’t need your assistance… I would not object to it, if that’s what fate decides.”

Kaede smiled at him. “We’d be happy to!” She agreed pleasantly. Kaito, still pouting, opened his mouth to say something, but a quick elbow to the ribs and a pointed look from Kaede made the astronaut shut up and merely nod begrudgingly. Tanaka closed his eyes.

“An intriguing twist of fate… very well, Siren,” He rumbled as he reached into his coat and took out two decently sized packs of sunflower seeds. “Should you or the Luminary encounter my Devas, grant them an offering so as to indebt them to your command. Then, instruct them to return to me. Succeed, and the Tanaka Empire will not forget this favor.”

Kaede accepted the baggies, putting one in her backpack and handing the other to Kaito, who stuck it in his coat pocket. “We’ll get it done. They’ll be back before you know it!” Akamatsu promised with a bright grin. This was a great opportunity. First and foremost, if the Devas actually had managed to find some clues like Gundham told them to, it could prove to be the difference between life or death. Second and less urgent, though not less importantly, this could hopefully be the start of a more genuine connection between her and the Ultimate Breeder going forward… if he wasn’t secretly the culprit, at any rate. The tighter she got their bonds, the less likely something like this was to ever happen again. That’s what she wanted to believe, anyway.

“We shall see, Siren. I doubt your song is powerful enough to lure my Devas… but it is not impossible. Now then… what is it you seek here?”

Akamatsu straightened up, banishing all other thoughts to focus on the task at hand. “Right! We wanted to look around and see if there was anything weird in here. Have you guys found anything yet?”

Gundham frowned slightly. “Unfortunately, proof of the culprit’s true identity still eludes me. However! They cannot hide forever! Once I convene with the Devas, the truth shall be mine!” The would-be conqueror triumphantly proclaimed as he criss-crossed his hands, holding his bandaged hand up like a claw while the middle and index fingers of his right hand formed a platform for a hamster that wasn’t there. After a moment, his dramatic pose lessened slightly as the gothic man made a quiet confession. “... But I believe the Observer and Pekoyama may have found something already.”

Kaede glanced over to the other Ultimates in the room, Korekiyo now joining Peko by the archery range, and then back to Tanaka, offering him a grateful nod and smile. “Thanks, Gundham. Let us know if you find anything, okay?”

She and Gundham exchanged their goodbyes (or whatever eccentricity counted as goodbye for the wannabe supervillain) while he and Kaito opted to do some weird silent eye-argument that guys somehow entirely understood each other through. It left her baffled, but it was at least over quicker than their usual long winded monologue wars, so Kaede took what she could get. As she and Kaito made their way over to Kiyo and Peko, the astronaut dropped his voice to just above a whisper. “You saw that, right?” He questioned, earning a confused glance and raised eyebrow from his sidekick.

“Saw what? Did he do something suspicious?”

“What? No,” Momota said, a touch of disappointed annoyance in his voice. “I meant how I knocked the wind out of him with his own lore! I bet he didn’t think I was paying attention to all his magic and occult crap, but when I hit him with that demonic eye thing of his, he didn’t know what to say! I totally won that one! That’s Kaito twenty, Gundham zero!”

Kaede stared at him for a long moment in pure disbelief. “Twe- Kaito, we’ve only been here for three and a half days! How have you already had twenty arguments with that guy?!” She demanded in a hushed shout. “And that’s ignoring the fact that he supposedly won all of them…!”

Kaito grinned in a mixture of determination and triumph. “The Luminary of the Stars would never let a villain go unchallenged! It’s my job to get in his way at every opportunity! I mean, what kind of hero would let a self-proclaimed demon lord go about his evil schemes?” He asked without a hint of irony or self-awareness. Kaede’s brow furrowed as genuine concern started to take root in her.

“... Kaito… you know he’s not really a demon, right? He’s just a teenager like the rest of us…” She asked testingly. To her absolute relief, Kaito rolled his eyes.

“Well, duh! What, do I look like Himiko or something? The occult is a bunch of bull, so obviously there’s no way we actually screwed up some ritual. I know he’s not really a baron of hell.”

Kaede let out a small sigh of relief. “Phew… for a moment there, he really had me going. I almost thought he really thought Gundham was-”

“... He’s just a run of the mill supervillain that thinks demons are cool!” Kaito concluded. Kaede blinked at him numbly, unable to comprehend the fact that he really just said that. Momota’s expression hadn’t changed in the least, giving no indication of it all being a big joke or anything other than his legitimate opinion. After a couple moments, Kaito tilted his head to the side as his expression fell a little. “Hm? What’s up, Kaede?”

Akamatsu was about to point out everything wrong with what he just said… but opted to simply purse her lips and shake her head instead. Nope. Not worth it right now. “... I’ll tell you later. We should hurry up and see what they found.”

They were only a handful of feet from the pair of students in question by then. The sound of their footsteps announced their presence to Peko before they could even say anything, the Ultimate Swordswoman rising from her crouch and turning to face them with an acknowledging nod. “Kaede, Kaito. I assume you’re here for the investigation.”

Kaito returned the nod as he put a hand on his hip. “You got it. Find anything yet, sidekick?”

“I still haven’t agreed to that,” Peko blandly objected as she crossed her arms. “But yes. When I came in, I noticed the gravel here was uneven with the rest of the patch. When I shifted it, I discovered this.” She stepped aside, allowing Kaede and Kaito to lay eyes on a large dark and uneven stain that tainted the otherwise immaculate stones. It was largely pooled in a single large but rough circle, the original shape of it likely lost when the stones were shifted the first time, but it was easy enough to imagine what it would have looked like once upon a time. Kaede’s nose crinkled at the faint smell of copper, a grimace crossing her features as her hunch was all but confirmed.

“Is that…?” She trailed off, already knowing the answer in both her mind and heart.

“Blood,” Korekiyo confirmed, his eyes closed as he carefully trailed his fingers over the rocks. “Quite a lot of it, and not very long since dried, at that. While I couldn’t give you anything as precise as our dear nurse is capable of, based on my own knowledge, I’d say whoever bled here did so at least six hours ago.”

Kaede stared at the bloodied ground with a heavy heart. She knew what it meant the moment she laid eyes on it, of course. She wasn’t stupid. If anything, she’d been expecting to find something like it as soon as Sakura’s words put the notion in her mind. And yet, having her theory confirmed gave no sense of satisfaction. If anything, it only made her feel resigned sorrow. “... This blood is Hifumi’s…” She solemnly announced, her voice sounding pitifully small to her own ears. Akamatsu firmly squeezed her elbow for comfort. “This is where he died, isn't it?”

“Yes, that seems the most likely explanation,” Shinguji hummed, his eyelids sliding back to reveal a pair of yellow snakish orbs tinted with morbid curiosity. "I cannot imagine anyone else losing this much blood without giving any sort of sign of injury or weakness. Plus, why else would someone take the time to try to bury it if it were unrelated to the crime? It only makes sense for this to be the blood of our dearly departed Yamada, I'm afraid."

Truth Bullet added: Gravel Bloodstain

"Why would he be here , though? He wouldn't have any reason to come here, especially at night..." Kaede thought aloud. After a moment, she looked up from the dark pool of blood before her and towards the door leading out into the hallway. "... And how did he get all the way to my lab if he died in here?"

Korekiyo rose from his crouch, crossing his arms and once again closing his eyes. "That much is impossible to know without more evidence, unfortunately. Someone could have invited him, or he invited someone else only to meet his end, but it's ultimately nothing but conjecture unless we find proof one way or the other."

Kaito closed his eyes, gritting his teeth and balling his fists. "Damn it…" Momota hissed, pain, frustration, and anger as clear in his voice as the blood was on the ground. Kaede looked at him sympathetically. Hifumi had been her friend to be sure, but it was obvious Kaito was taking this even more personally than she was. It made sense, if she were being honest. He always said he'd have his sidekicks' backs whenever they needed him, and now one of them was dead, leaving the world alone and in a torrent of blood. She wished there was something she could say that could ease his conscience, but if he was anything like her -which he'd already proven to be on several occasions- then the words would be hollow comforts compared to the harshness of their personal judgement. Instead, Kaede went with the best compromise between helping him and continuing the investigation that she could manage.

"... Hey, Peko?" She addressed the swordswoman, her bespectacled red eyes shifting to the blonde in an instant. Kaede tried to hold back a wince as she asked possibly the most gruesome question of her life thus far. "You… probably know a lot about what swords and that sort of thing can do to people, right?"

Peko's steely gaze didn't waver in the slightest as she curtly replied, "Yes."

Akamatsu hesitated for a moment to brace herself for whatever answer came next. "The Monokuma File said Hifumi was stabbed twice in the chest. Would… it be over soon?" She phrased it as delicately as she could, more for herself and Kaito than the stoic blademaster and anthropologist.

Peko's lips thinned. "I can't say for certain without knowing exactly how he was stabbed… but assuming the killer hit something vital and retracted their blade quickly, I doubt Hifumi would have survived more than a minute at most. He'd likely have lost consciousness before that point," Pekoyama coolly explained. Kaede would be lying if she said that it didn't creep her out just how calm and unphased the other girl was as she discussed the death of a man with as much familiarity as the blonde would have explaining how the pedals on a piano work, but given the circ*mstances, she couldn't bring herself to object to the detailed report. After a moment, Pekoyama's lip twitched uncertainty. "... For what it's worth, I doubt he suffered long."

Truth Bullet added: Exsanguination Report

"I've always found it curious how so many desire a quick death, yet almost always choose the longer and more painful end of waiting for natural causes or letting disease take them. Some primal refusal to accept the end, perhaps?" Korekiyo mused, a hint of intrigue tingeing his usual light rasp. Three sets of eyes glared at him incredulously before he bowed his head slightly. "My apologies. I suppose that was rather insensitive, given the circ*mstances. I'll keep my ponderings on such matters to myself until our business is concluded."

After a moment, Kaede shook her head, turning back to the silver-haired warrior. " Anyway … thank you, Peko. It's good to know that much, at least," The leader gratefully intoned, receiving a dutiful nod in turn. Kaede crossed her arms in thought. "Well, it looks like you guys already found one major clue. Was there anything else you guys found?"

“I noticed a large dent in the wall by the side entrance, but it lacked blood or anything that could point towards what caused it or why. All I can say for certain is that someone must have hit it with considerable force,” Peko conceded, a touch of dissatisfaction at that uncertainty in her voice. Kaede took great care to keep a neutral face. She knew exactly what that meant, but if it was possible to get through this case without that mystery ever getting solved, she’d try her hardest to do just that. The swordswoman shook her head shortly after. “Otherwise, I haven’t, unfortunately. My focus has been on this section of the lab only so far. Korekiyo?”

Korekiyo raised a finger, his arms still coiled around himself like a snake. “I’m uncertain of its significance, but there was certainly something that struck me as odd. If you would follow me.” He said, taking long strides towards the wall she’d seen him studying earlier. Kaede and Kaito trailed behind him until they all stood before the carefully arranged panel of weaponry. Bo staffs, nunchucks, bamboo shinai, and other martial arts weapons were proudly displayed exactly as she’d seen them the last time she explored the lab. So exactly, in fact, that she could only stare at it with a slowly raising eyebrow as the seconds ticked by.

“Uh, Kiyo? What exactly am I looking at?” Kaede asked, sparing the lanky teen a glance.

Kaito scratched his head. “Yeah, I’ll be honest, I’m lost too. It just looks like a bunch of standard stuff to me.”

Korekiyo clicked his tongue as he stepped forward and delicately took the longest bo staff off the wall. “Ah, yes. Apologies, I sometimes forget most don’t have as trained an eye as myself. Allow me to demonstrate. As I said, it’s not a smoking gun or anything of the sort. That said, however, direct your eyes to the ends of the staff,” Shinguji instructed, tracing a bandaged finger over the point in question. Kaede tilted her head with a squint. There was… something there, but she couldn’t tell if it was any different than how the staff normally was. “Feel free to touch it if need be. Some things simply need to be felt to be understood.”

Kaede hesitated for a moment, really put off by Kiyo’s almost Teruteru-like choice of words, but shyly reached her hand out. She couldn’t put everything at risk just because of some poor wording… even if it did make her skin crawl. Her fingertips gingerly brushed over the old bamboo that felt as smooth and firm as ice. It felt pretty normal, especially given that she’d never held anything of the sort before. Kaede frowned at Shinguji. “I really don’t get what’s up with- huh?” She abruptly cut herself off as her thumb brushed over something less even than the seemingly perfect sphere. Akamatsu testingly repeated the motion and once again felt a slight chafe. She narrowed her eyes at the spot in question only for them to widen slightly as she finally spotted what caught Kiyo’s eye. “... What…? It looks like it got squished here, and those look like scratches, but… how? These things are used for fighting, right? Shouldn’t it be really tough?”

Shinguji ran his fingers around the brim of his hat. “Precisely what I find so curious about it. One would imagine a tool prepared for the Ultimate Martial Artist herself would be rather indestructible, and yet it’s damaged all the same. Admittedly, there are any number of explanations for its current state, but I’m sure you agree that the circ*mstances make it questionable to say the least.”

Truth Bullet added: Damaged Bo Staff

Kaede handed the thing to Momota, letting the astronaut take a look for himself as her lips tugged downward in thought. “Yeah… it’s definitely weird, at least. Something to keep in mind. Was there anything else out of place, Kiyo?”

The Ultimate Anthropologist gently shook his head. “Unfortunately, not that I’ve discovered thus far. I’m certain the killer has made other mistakes. It’s simply a matter of time before they make themselves apparent… but that time hasn’t come quite yet.”

“Well, when it does, they won’t know what hit ‘em! I, Kaito Momota, promise you that!” The man in question unwaveringly asserted as he gave the pole back to Korekiyo. “They’ve already left a bunch of evidence lying around. We just have to look harder to see whatever it is we’re missing. We do that, and we’re bound to find something! Just keep your eyes open and something will pop up, like-”

“MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Gundham suddenly and uproariously cackled from the other side of the room, all four other Ultimates snapping their gaze to him as he threw his head back with a laugh. “At last, my patience has been justly rewarded! Heed my call, mortals, for Gundham Tanaka has discovered a truth beyond any other! Come and see, if you are bold enough to approach!” He boomed as he all but dared his fellow students to check out his discovery. Kaede only spared her companion a momentary glance and a small shrug before walking over to the Ultimate Breeder.

“Did you find something, Gundham?” She asked the self-proclaimed tyrant as they approached. He smiled conceitedly.

“But of course. Didn’t I already tell you nothing shall escape my vengeful gaze even without the power of the All-Seeing Eye?” He boasted. His grand display was only met with indifference and slight weariness, however, as Peko merely crossed her arms and gave him a hard stare. Kaede could have sworn his lips tugged downwards for the briefest of moments, but in an instant it was replaced with a knowing smirk. “But enough talk. Behold, the forbidden fruit of my labor! Gaze upon it and realize the culprit’s folly!”

With that bold declaration, he stepped aside with a dramatic twirl of his coat and scarf as he threw a hand out towards his discovery to reveal… a moderately sized collection of dumbbells. While Kaede struggled to contain a slight flinch as her mind instantly leapt back to Mondo’s near-miss the night prior, after a moment, she was left staring in mild silent confusion. No one spoke for several moments, waiting for Gundham to elaborate, but the Dark Lord merely stood back at them with an expectant expression. At last, someone asked the question they were all thinking.

“... Uh… I don’t get it. What’s so weird about dumbbells in a gym?” Kaito lightly challenged. Gundham’s confident look dropped, replaced with a slight scowl.

“Surely you can’t be that blinded by my deductive might, Luminary. Look closely, and the truth shall rise like a reborn phoenix in your mind!” Tanaka commanded incredulously. Kaede frowned at him.

“Gundham, we really don’t have time to mess around. Could you please just-”

“The dumbbells are out of place.”

The novice investigator stared at Peko in bewildered surprise as the swordswoman stepped forward and began poring over the row of weights. “Huh? What do you mean, Peko?”

The silver-haired girl didn’t pause to look at her. “I’ve been using this lab for my own routines. Every time I’ve been here, the dumbbells were arranged from lightest to heaviest with their weight face up. Now, however, they’re completely randomized.” Pekoyama pointed out. With that context, Kaede could kind of see what they were talking about. Some dumbbells had numbers presumably signifying their weight imprinted onto the metal facing up from the rack while others were blank. There seemed to be little rhyme or reason to their order after a certain point, where after gradually increasing in heft, they suddenly jumped from five pounds to fifteen, and then to 30 only to be followed up by two blank dumbbells and then a ten pound one. That was strange, but...

“Couldn’t Sakura have just done that last time she was here?” Kaito questioned, his expression making it clear he had no clue what this was supposed to do with anything. “If she was using a bunch of them, maybe she didn’t want to stand around sorting all of them out and just put them there for later.”

“Doubtful. Almost all of these are lower end weights. Think about Sakura’s strength. She’d likely only use something substantial for her training, yet every dumbbell out of place is less than forty pounds. Whoever did this probably wasn’t strong enough to try using anything heavier than that.” Peko countered with considerable certainty.

Truth Bullet added: Out of Place Dumbbells

Suddenly, Peko stopped completely, her gaze locked on one particular spot. She reached down, and after a moment, raised a noticeably different dumbbell from the rest. It was somewhat smaller than the others, but visibly denser to compensate. What especially set it apart was the chalky white drywall still dusting one end of it. The sight of it made Kaede’s stomach drop.

It was hard to forget the thing that nearly killed her just a handful of hours ago, after all.

Peko studied it for a long, silent moment. Without a word, she walked towards the sliding door and stepped out of the room. Kaede didn’t need to follow her to know exactly what the fighter was testing. She quietly sucked in a breath. Well, that cat was out of the bag. There was no way they’d be willing to let that drop during the trial without some serious convincing that it was unrelated, but how on earth was she supposed to do that without revealing the truth of what happened and completely derailing everything? She had to come up with something by the time that discussion rolled around, meaning she had… maybe an hour before the trial started and however long it took for that to come up once it was underway...

“This is what made that hole,” Pekoyama announced as she walked back through the open shoji. “The dent and the end of this dumbbell line up almost perfectly.”

Kaede spared a brief glance at Kaito, meeting his eyes that held the same grim understanding she did. The unspoken plea not to say anything thankfully rang loud and clear for the astronaut, who after a brief moment, simply turned his gaze back to the suspicious item in question. Korekiyo let out a low hum as he stepped closer to examine the object. “Hmm… so, whatever the reason for it, the culprit made that dent using this dumbbell, and then saw it fit to try and hide it with the others? To what end, I wonder?”

Kaede’s heart skipped a beat. Gundham was saying something, but it was lost to her ears as her thoughts demanded her full attention. “Wait. Mondo never took his dumbbell back last night, but now it’s in here. That doesn’t make any sense, unless someone moved it afterwards. Did… did the culprit know about our fight ?” She realized, an icy sense of horror spreading throughout her body. How was that possible? There was no way anyone else was upstairs. Between herself, Mondo, and Kaito, one of them would have had to notice someone skulking around, right? And yet, the only logical explanation for it to be in Sakura’s lab now was if someone tampered with it after they left. But who? When? Why? The shocking revelation of that clue rattled her to the core. If the killer knew what she’d been doing and they opted to use that against her during the trial, or worse yet, someone else knew and tried to extort her or Mondo-

“Something the matter, Kaede?” Korekiyo’s slithering voice pulled her from her thoughts, the ex-pianist blinking and looking at the expectant anthropologist like a deer in headlights.

“H-huh? Oh… sorry, I was trying to think of what the culprit would’ve needed the dumbbells for,” She partially lied, giving a small shake of her head to banish the remaining fog of worry from her mind. She quickly came up with a false justification for her spacing out. “It’s just… weird. The Monokuma File said Hifumi’s skull was caved in, but we already found what the killer used to hit him over the head close to his body, and it wasn’t anything like this. If they did that, what would they need a set of dumbbells for?”

“I must admit, I’ve been wondering the same thing. It’s peculiar without a doubt… but I fear we can’t know the answer until we establish a sequence of events for the crime,” Shinguji lightly lamented. “Still, this might prove to be a critical discovery later. Well done, Gundham.”

Tanaka looked crossed between surprised and baffled for a split second before a smug look dominated his features, the supposed evil mage crossing his arms with a low chuckle. “Yes, I suppose it is, isn’t it? Expect nothing less of the Supreme Overlord of Ice!”

Truth Bullet added: Mondo’s Dumbbell

“... You had no clue this was actual evidence until Peko said something, didn’t you?” Kaede quietly concluded in her mind. At any rate, as many terrifying questions as it raised, Gundham’s accidental discovery was doubtlessly an important one. Whoever the killer was knew something they shouldn’t. If she played her cards right, she could probably use that to find out whose story didn’t add up. She’d just have to hope she found out who they were before they made the first move. “I think we should all take another look around the lab in case there’s anything else we missed. There might be some more clues the killer forgot to cover up.”

The fellow blackened gave various signs of approval before spreading throughout the room, each taking a different area than they had previously been examining. After a few moments, Kaito was the only one still standing nearby, looking at her with an unusually serious expression. He opened his mouth to say something, but she shook her head. “We’ll talk about this later,” She all but whispered, careful to keep her voice low enough that only the astronaut could hear it. Momota’s lips twitched in dissatisfaction, but he nodded. She crossed her arms as she tried to plan out her next move. “... Is there anything the two of us haven’t already checked yet?”

Kaito glanced around. “Well, we didn’t really get a good look at the gym part of this place before we met up with Peko. Wanna see if there’s anything interesting?”

Akamatsu, not having any other ideas leaping out at her, agreed. “Sounds like a good place to start. Lead the way, Kaito.”

Kaede and Kaito spent a couple minutes examining the various bits of machinery and exercise equipment for any hint of foul play to little success. No specs of blood, scratches, or even simply odd positions were found on any of them, giving them nothing to work with beyond what they already had. After a short while, basically everything in the gym had been carefully studied and cleared for any potential clues, Kaito crossing his arms in a pout near one of the ball carts. “Seriously? Nothing?” He said in clear dismay, a touch of frustration in his features. “Now I’m wondering if they did that thing with the dumbbells just to mess with us so we’d waste time looking at every random bit of junk in the room.”

Akamatsu sighed a bit, but shook her head. “I don’t know about that… but still, it’s better we looked and found nothing than skipped it and ended up missing something important, right?”

“That’s true… ah well. We’ve still got this. And hey,” Kaito’s voice lightened slightly as he reached into the nearby cart and pulled out a soccer ball, displaying it to his sidekick. “Least now we know this place has a bunch of stuff we can throw into our training. We should totally do some soccer sometime!”

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to play sports indoors?” She lightly teased. Kaito chuckled a bit.

“Yeah, actually. My grandma… right after grounding me for a month for accidentally kicking a ball through the window.”

Kaede’s eyes widened. “Kaito! That was probably really expensive!” She scolded, crossing her arms with a soft glare. He just shrugged at her.

“Well, yeah! That’s why I got grounded for a whole month!” He shot back as if that were any sort of defense, much to the blonde’s exasperation.

“That still means you broke the rules, though! You can’t just break people’s stuff by being reckless, Kaito!”

Momota scratched the back of his head. “Well, yeah, but my place was way smaller than the boat. The halls here are big enough that we could kick the thing as hard as we want without worrying about breaking anything,” He argued, apparently pretty dead set on his soccer idea. “Think about it; I could beat Gundham at his favorite game, you’d get to train, everyone gets to hang out, it’d be awesome! And hey, to sweeten the deal, I’ll paint some eyes on it and pretend we’re kicking Monokuma in the face. Pretty tempting, right?”

Kaede allowed herself a small grin at that. “Hmm… that would be pretty satisfying. Plus, it actually sounds kind of fun... I’ll admit, you’re starting to sell me on it. I’ll put it as a ‘maybe’ for now… but we should probably get back to investigating.”

Kaito grinned. “Alright! Trust me, it’ll be great! After all, it’s another stellar plan by Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars!” The purple-clad boy gleefully declared as he tossed the ball back in the cart. His good mood was short lived, however, as a sudden high-pitched squeak quickly gave way to a growl as an irritable brown and white hamster with a chipped ear suddenly poked its head up from the mound of balls and glared at the eccentric teen, its tiny maw parted as it started hissing at him. Kaito pulled back in an instant, startled, before bewilderment overtook his expression. “Huh?! O-oh, it’s one of Gundham’s hamsters. Sorry, little guy,” He apologized, pulling out the pack of sunflower seeds as he approached. “Here, I’ll make it- OW !”

Kaito cried out in pain as he yanked his hand back, clutching his index finger with both hands. The hamster’s harsh hiss only grew in volume in response to Momota’s angry glare. “You little bastard! I was trying to say sorry!” He shouted at it, shoving an accusing finger towards it before quickly thinking better of it and retracting his hand. Kaede quickly approached them, giving the astronaut a hard look.

“Don’t shout at him, Kaito! He’s just mad at you. Here, let me try,” She instructed as she retrieved her own bag of treats and opened it. She offered the small yet ferocious beast a small smile as she knelt down to close to eye level and held up her hands. “Hey there, buddy. You’re…” She paused for a moment, trying to remember which of the hamsters angrily sat before her. “Um… Maga-Z, right? Sorry. Kaito didn’t mean to scare you. Do you want a treat?” Akamatsu asked sweetly, the hamster ceasing its hissing for a moment. Kaede’s smile grew a little as she pulled a seed out of the bag and held it between her index and middle fingers in offering, slowly advancing it towards the creature. “Here you go. Who’s a good little-” Maga-Z’s guillotine-like teeth slammed down on both fingers at once, Kaede’s eyes becoming as wide as dinner plates as pain shot through her system. “ OW ! Owowowow !” She cried out as she all but slammed her afflicted hand into her chest from reeling back so hard. Kaede stared at the nearly symmetrical bite marks in abject horror, slowly trailing her gaze back up to the glowering rodent in utter betrayal. “Wh- why ?!”

Maga-Z responded only with another hiss, his beady eyes boring hatefully into the unfortunate pair. Kaito glared right back with a low growl, balling his fist and angrily shaking it at the rodent. Kaede looked miserably at her hand, silently mourning her poor, poor fingers. Before either of them could do or say anything to further antagonize the ridiculously aggressive pet, a series of rapidly approaching heavy footfalls announced the arrival of a somewhat irritable Gundham Tanaka. “Fools! Stand back, lest you further endure the wrath of the Crimson Steel Elephant!” Tanaka bellowed, dramatically throwing his hands out in a pseudo-martial arts position as he pointed at the disobedient hamster and cautiously approached him, drawing nearer and nearer with each word. “Maga-Z, in the dark name of the Forbidden One, cease this reign of destruction. You weren’t given orders to strike out at the enemies of the Tanaka empire. This is the will of your- urk !” Gundham grunted as the foul-tempered Deva sank its teeth into his bandaged hand, the breeder’s only other reaction being a brief wince followed by a disapproving glare before he hunched over and lightly blew air in its face. After a brief moment, it let go of his hand, slowly leaning back and staring at him with a scrunched-up face. It was like he flipped a switch as the previously fierce hamster submissively fell on its back and presented its belly to its master. Gundham lightly rubbed its stomach with his fingers for a moment before expectantly holding them out like a bridge between the stacks of balls and his body. The hamster quickly scurried up his arm and to his shoulder before seeming to bow its head, standing perfectly still.

“Hey, how’d you get it to do that?” Kaito asked, somewhere between astonishment at the breeder’s skills and annoyance at having been defeated by a hamster. Gundham closed his eyes, petting the hamster lightly as he spoke.

“Years of practice with both the arcane arts and the care of inhuman spirits combined with a bond forged in the fires of hell itself can result in the merging of any two beings’ souls. It is a complex and ancient magic not for the faint of heart or weak of will…” He rumbled with the slightest touch of fondness infecting his voice, though his expression remained unchanged. The hamster tilted its nose up to Gunham’s ear and squeaked just before the man adopted a dour expression. “Speaking of the weak willed, perhaps this lesson in learning to not cast orbs of destruction at my Devas will help you realize the significance of thinking before you act, Luminary .”

Kaito’s eyes went wide with offence. “I didn’t throw a ball at anyone! I just put it back in the cart and he started freaking out!” He decried Tanaka’s slanderous claim, glaring at the murderous ball of fluff innocently sitting on Gundham’s shoulder. After a second, a look of realization crossed Momota’s features. “And hey, wait a second! You said you were calling these guys back earlier, right? So what was he doing hiding in there?”

Kaede tilted her head curiously as she nursed her injury. “Actually, that’s a good question. I’ve seen how well trained those guys are, so why didn’t he listen to you earlier?”

Gundham looked to the hamster expectantly. Kaede could have sworn the thing shrugged at him before letting out a series of chirps, one corner of Tanaka’s lips curling up in a faint ghost of a smirk after a moment. “Hmph. It seems Maga-Z’s dedication to my commands is even greater than I suspected. I instructed my Devas to return with evidence of the culprit’s activity. Maga-Z was determined to return only when he found something of import. However, when Kaito disturbed his investigation, he unleashed a temper only rivaled by Zeus himself,” The edgelord explained. He held out a hand palm-up in front of him, his lone Deva hopping up into it and looking its master in the eye as he gently ran a finger along its back. “Your loyalty is deeply appreciated, Maga-Z… but there is sometimes wisdom in retreat. One lost battle means nothing in the name of a victorious war in the name of the Tanaka Empire.”

The belligerent hamster bowed, much to Kaede’s astonishment. She almost couldn’t believe how smart these things were. A part of her wondered if that was the result of Gundham’s talent, or if it was his natural inclination towards animals that made them pick up human habits. It was wildly impressive either way. Eccentric as he may be, there was simply no doubting the Ultimate Breeder’s ability. After a brief pause, Maga-Z rose once again, letting out a few more squeaks that seemed to surprise Gundham. “What? You say… heheheh… well done, my Deva.”

“What’s up? Did he find something?” Akamatsu asked as she rose back to her feet, wincing slightly at the air shifting over her open wound. Gundham smirked pridefully.

“Indeed. It seems the culprit tried to cast a spell of illusion around a piece of evidence… but no disguise could ever deceive the eyes of even one of the Four Dark Devas of Destruction! Watch as I reveal the truth behind the killer’s veil of lies!” He roared out as he grabbed the front of the cart and suddenly tugged it towards himself. A thunderous crash erupted as dozens of balls spilled out of the back of the cart, flowing forth like water from a burst dam. Kaede could only watch the cascade in absolute shock as a sea of sports equipment began consuming the floor, cringing and covering her ears. When the last of the reverberating whines of the scattered balls finally subsided, Kaede slowly drew her hands away from her ears as she approached the cart with wide eyes.

“No way…” She said in disbelief, unable to tear her eyes from the glaring impossibility before her.

“Th-the entire back half of this thing is missing!” Kaito yelled out. Indeed, where the back panel of the cart should have been was nothing but thin air, looking more like an incredibly uncomfortable bench on wheels than an actual ball cage. Kaede shook her head rapidly to clear her surprise as she knelt down to take a closer look at the thing.

It was almost like a partially assembled toy; an entirely solid and convincing facade of a finished product from most angles, but if someone happened to approach it from the back with it hollowed out like this, there would be no missing the distinct lack of a fourth wall to keep its contents in place. The ends facing the open air were level at a glance, but narrowing her eyes at it, she could see slight imperfections running up and down each end. A cautious trail down the sides confirmed it, slight dips and pokes distracting from what should have been a perfectly smooth and even section of metal. Kaede’s brow furrowed as she trailed her gaze over to the door, and unseeingly, the lab beyond it. “... Could this be connected to that thing we found? But… how? And why?”

The trademark unsettling chuckle of Korekiyo gave away his approach before his footsteps did. “Keheheh… indeed, though that’s not the only curiosity here. Look at the wall behind it.” Kiyo instructed. Kaede’s eyes moved to the point in question to find small scratch marks dug into the finely crafted wooden walls. Sure enough, trailing her gaze between the marks on the wall and the cart practically showed a straight line between the two. The ex-pianist thinned her lips as the clues started coming together.

Truth Bullet added: Damaged Ball Cart

“Okay, that’s definitely suspicious,” Kaede agreed as she stood back up, her gaze lingering on the evidence for a few more moments before turning to their darkly dressed assistant. “Good find, Gundham.”

The Dark Lord’s loyal companion let out a series of indignant chirps, locking eyes with the blonde. “ And Maga-Z?” He corrected expectantly. Kaede simply stared for a moment before she realized he was serious, a somewhat embarrassed smile coming over her as she tried not to roll her eyes.

“ And Maga-Z. Couldn’t have done it without you, little guy.”

“I’m not gonna thank him for biting me,” Kaito gruffly announced, glowering at the prideful pet with a hand on his hip. Maga-Z made some considerably more annoyed-sounding noises, its master’s eyes all but bulging out. Kaito quirked an eyebrow. “Uh… what exactly did he just say?”

Tanaka quickly shook his head. “Cursed words unfit for any human tongue. I assure you, Luminary, you do not wish to know.”

Kaede stared blankly at the pair, thought about what it might have said for a moment, and then quickly decided Gundham was right and she didn’t want to know after all. “We’ll just… take your word for it,” Akamatsu agreed. Shaking her head, she addressed a more pressing concern. “A-anyways… have either of you guys found anything else since we split up?”

Neither said yes to that. In truth, that was fine. Kaede had a pretty strong feeling she’d found everything of note in the room already. At least, she’d found enough to get a pretty clear picture of how things might have happened. The questions she had left were the nitty-gritty details of who, when, and why, plus a few specifics about what was used in the crime. Still, vague as a lot of it might be, she at least had a solid base to work from now. The next question she asked was in service of that, as much as she hated to ask at all: alibis. She wasn’t sure whether to be thankful or disappointed that neither of the Ultimates’ stories were especially noteworthy. Dropping all embellishments from Gundham’s account and Korekiyo’s naturally unsettling mannerisms, both seemed to go along with what Kirumi said, each man having returned to their room by half past eight and supposedly stayed there for the rest of the night. Not especially helpful, but at least it didn’t force her to suspect them any further than she had to. Giving her thanks to the pair, she and Kaito made their way over to the final unaccounted variable in the room.

"Hey, Peko? Do you have a minute?" Kaede called out to the swordswoman as they approached, who had silently been watching Gundham's dramatic reveal from halfway across the room. Her piercing red eyes felt like they were pinning the blonde in place even despite the lack of any definitive emotion. In contrast to her intimidating gaze, the girl gave a small bow of her head.

"Yes. I imagine you want to hear my alibi for last night?"

Kaede nodded. "Just as a precaution. Better to know everyone's story ahead of time, right?"

"While I know it's a rather weak alibi, everything I'm about to tell you is the truth,” Peko admitted right out of the gate. “After dinner, I left the dining room at eight-fifteen . From there, I went to Sakura’s lab and meditated from around eight-thirty to nine-fifteen. I returned to my cabin without encountering anyone else and fell asleep shortly after.”

Kaede folded her arms, closing her eyes in thought. “I see… just to make sure, would you say it takes about fifteen minutes to walk from the dining hall and dorms to Sakura’s lab?”

“More or less depending on the person’s speed.” The swordswoman confirmed.

Truth Bullet added: Peko’s Account

“Well, that partially explains how she didn’t run into Sakura. One of them probably would have said something if they bumped into each other, so I guess she got back just before Sakura left…” Akamatsu deduced. She nodded, uncrossing her arms. “Thanks, Peko. That’s everything we need to know for now. Let us know if you find anything else though, okay?”

Peko gave a firm nod. “Certainly. Assuming we do not meet before then, I shall see both of you at the trial. Goodbye for now.”

“See you later, Peko!” Kaito bid farewell with a small wave as both he and Kaede turned from her, the astronaut walking a couple paces ahead of the blonde leader towards the nearby exit towards the middle of the room. He reached out to open the sliding door, only to remain standing there in confusion when it didn’t budge. He tried a couple more times, not succeeding in doing anything but slightly jiggling the door in place. “Huh? What’s up with this thing?”

Kaede quirked an eyebrow as she raised a finger. “Have you tried sliding it the other way?”

Momota shifted his hands to do just that, but a voice from behind put those efforts to bed before they could even begin. “That door was locked when we came in. I’m uncertain why only that one is locked, but we have been unable to open it,” Peko explained neutrally. “I didn’t mention it as it seemed irrelevant at the time, but given what other seemingly unimportant details turned out otherwise, it might be worth remembering.”

Kaede studied the door for a moment, trying to think of an explanation for it. “Why would the main entrance be locked while the side door is open? Only Sakura and Monokuma can unlock these doors, so if Sakura locked it when she left, why wouldn’t he just lock or unlock both? Unless... maybe there’s some reason Monokuma left the doors like this…?”

Truth Bullet added: Locked Sliding Door

Only taking a few more moments to consider the strange inconsistency, Kaede turned towards the side entrance. “Hmm… weird, but I doubt there’s anything we can do about that right now. We should move on.”

With that, Kaede and Kaito started heading out of the room, the newbie sleuth and her partner walking side by side as she considered their next destination. With both the apparent crime scene and the actual crime scene bagged and tagged, that rounded out the places of direct suspicion. Despite that, though, there were still important questions in need of answering, the murder weapon chief among them. There were more places someone could get such a tool than she was comfortable with, but a couple places definitely stuck out in her mind. As much as she’d love to check them all, though, the musician doubted Monokuma would give them enough time. A decision had to be made…

“So, got any ideas yet, Kaede?” Kaito asked somewhat suddenly. Kaede’s head perked up as she glanced at Momota, her lips twitching in thought.

“I… don’t want to say anything for sure just yet. There’s too much I don’t know to be comfortable sharing theories,” She awkwardly deflected with a frown. “But… yeah. I’m working on it. Just trying to figure out where we should look next, actually…” Kaede paused as an idea struck her, biting her lip as she debated whether or not to ask the admittedly rather loaded question. It felt like ash on her tongue, but the fact was they had to choose as soon as possible, and that meant deciding which place on the boat was most likely to turn something up. “... Hey, Kaito? This is entirely hypothetical, but… I’ll just say it. If you were going to kill someone, where would you go to get a weapon?”

Surprise lit up Kaito’s face for a moment, a slight cringe taking its place soon after. “Tch… uh… well, the casino’s got a bunch of swords and guns and stuff like that, right? That’d probably be a good place to start.”

Kaede hummed as she nodded and stepped through the open shoji door. “Then we should probably go there next. If we’re lucky, we might be able to find-”

The musician was cut off by the sharp fweet of a wolf whistle. “Well well, if it isn’t just the girl we were looking for, right on time! And here you thought I was taking too long. Just goes to show, I always know exactly when to pull out !” A certain chef crassly joked, making Kaede stop dead in her tracks and swerve on her heels. Directly to her right approached Mondo and Teruteru, the Ultimate Chef giving her a cheeky grin and a wink while the significantly taller man sneered down at the portly chef for a few moments before glancing up at Kaede. Their eyes locked for a moment, Owada’s annoyed scowl giving way to a painful, shamed grimace almost instantly. Kaede failed to cover up part of her own, though she silently prayed Hanamura thought that was on account of his disgusting innuendo. A tense mixture of guilt and awkwardness settled in her gut at the stood face to face with the man that had nearly killed her just a few scant hours ago. She was really not prepared for whatever was about to follow, but short of just bolting away right then and there, she had no escape. Even if she had, though, she knew she couldn’t take it. If they had something related to the investigation, she’d be a damned fool to pass up potentially vital information just to avoid an uncomfortable conversation. Besides, equally important as that in her heart was the fact that she’d promised to be there for him from here on out. She was a liar, that much she couldn’t change, but Kaede refused to be a traitor on top of that any longer. Plastering on a fake grin after a second, she waved at the pair of new arrivals.

“H-hey guys! What’s up?” Akamatsu asked, despite having a sinking feels that she knew exactly what Mondo was there for. Owada hesitated for a moment, the former pianist noticing him clench and release his fists before he spoke.

“Yo. We, uh… need to talk. In private. You got a minute?” The biker said somewhat stiffly, not quite able to meet her eye for more than a second or two. Kaede looked at him in confusion. She could easily tell he was nervous, though Owada hid it well behind his gruff exterior. But… why? There was no way he could have killed Hifumi when he was locked in his room all night, so there was no way he was going to confess to it. It wouldn’t have made sense for him to get her in the middle of the investigation to apologize for last night, not when they all knew the stakes if they didn’t find what they needed to. Why would he need to talk to her alone, unless… she suddenly felt an iron vice clench around her heart, her blood going cold.

“Unless he realized what I tried to do last night…” Kaede thought soberly. That would explain it… and be terrible for her. She prefered to think he wouldn’t do anything violent -his breakdown at what he’d nearly done was too heartwrenching to be okay with the idea that he’d end up attacking her again anyway- but even if he just metaphorically tore into her and left it at that, it would be devastating, especially if he proceeded to tell anyone else. It’d be entirely earned - god knows he had every right to do that if he wanted after what she’d attempted- but it was still as crushing to think about now as the act had been just a handful of hours ago. If that was what he was going to talk about… well… she had no right to refuse. That was the absolute least her debt to him entailed, after all. She quietly took a breath as she glanced at the other two people around them. Kaito kept a relatively neutral expression, though his body language became noticeably more rigid, while Teruteru looked… somewhat amused, for some reason. Despite the building nervousness tickling at the back of her neck, Kaede nodded in agreement.

“Sure thing, Mondo. I don’t think anyone’s in Kirumi’s lab, so we can talk there. Teruteru, do you mind staying here while Kaito and I handle this real quick? It’ll just be a minute…”

The portly cook’s smirk grew with a small hum. “Only a minute, huh? That’s a little disappointing… but that aside, I’m afraid I can’t say yes to that. You said no one can be alone while this thing’s going on. That means I either have to go with you guys, or go where Hifumi’s body is. I think you can guess why a socialite like me wouldn’t wanna see that. I’d stay here, but, heh, well,” His smirk suddenly grew a little strained, beads of sweat dotting his brow as he tapped his fingers together. “Peko already told me she’d hurt me in all the wrong ways if I got within ten feet of her, and for once, I don’t feel like pressing my luck with that. So, looks like I’m with you guys,” He explained, a small chuckle escaping him as he glanced up into her eyes. “Don’t worry, I’m fine just watching.”

Kaede struggled to contain a shiver of disgust. Mondo made his own much more apparent, the gangster snarling at Hanamura warningly. “Keep talkin’ and I’ll knock you the f*ck out and drag your sorry ass around by the ankle until we’re done. Hear me?” He growled out. Every hint of color drained from Teruteru’s face, the pervert offering only a meek nod in response. Kaede grimaced, rubbing her arm to steady herself.

“... He’s not entirely wrong, though. I did say that, and I’m not going to force someone to do something they aren’t comfortable with unless I absolutely have to…” She admitted a touch reluctantly. It certainly didn’t do her any favors to back up Teruteru’s point -nor did she particularly like siding with the slightly creepy chef- but it was a matter of personal decency. For all the moral gymnastics she’d been doing ever since the start of the killing game, she simply couldn’t justify bullying someone into letting her break her own rules just to make her own life easier. She had to cling to the last few principles she hadn’t already violated if she was to ever justify her existence. She looked to the unusually silent man next to her, all but biting her lip in hesitation before she came to a decision. It was a bad idea… but all the ideas she really had these days were varying degrees of bad.“... Kaito, I need you to stay with Teruteru for a bit. We’ll be back later.”

Describing Kaito as startled would be an understatement. His purple eyes all but popped out of his head, looking at Kaede as if she had given the order in Greek. "Wh-what?! Seriously?" He sputtered out in shock. She nodded in confirmation, the surprise on his face hardening into a doubtful uncertainty.

"We'll be quick. Could you do me a favor and just wait outside or something?" She pleaded, hoping the look in her eye conveyed what she was really saying. As much as she didn't like the idea of being alone with Mondo, she'd have to get over that sooner or later anyway. Might as well start while they had to work together regardless of preference. Kaito still looked unconvinced, disagreement clear in his gaze. “ Trust me, ” She silently mouthed to the spacefaring Ultimate. He stared at her hard for several seconds, Kaede all but able to hear the argument in his head as he decided whether or not to grant her request. At last, he scratched the back of his head with a frown.

“... Alright. Teruteru and I will hang tight for a bit. We’ll be right outside...” He reluctantly agreed, visibly not pleased with the whole thing but unwilling to fight her on it, at least in front of other people. The idea of having them just stand around waiting on her account while the clock to the trial kept ticking was a disquieting one, but she’d be lying if she said she didn’t prefer having them there as an insurance policy, as disgusting as she felt to think like that. Still, Kaede opted to overlook his incredibly poor choice of words and grasped her hands.

“Let’s head out, then,” She declared, taking the lead. It was a pretty short walk all things considered, no more than five minutes down the massive hall, but the awkward quiet that fell over the four on the way there made it feel a lot longer. She couldn’t help but glance towards Mondo every so often, even catching him doing the same to her once, a low tension settling in her as she tried to figure out what exactly she could say to him and what he’d say to her. There was… quite a bit to unpack, to say the least, and she was certain they didn’t have time to get through all of it. The only thing she could really hope for was that they could handle the most dire parts now so they could focus on whatever Mondo and his group already found, get through the trial, and deal with the rest later. When they reached the Ultimate Maid’s lab, Mondo didn’t wait for a moment before reaching for the handle and walking in, leaving the others behind without a word. Kaede managed a small smile and a wave for Kaito and Teruteru despite the bubbling worry deep within her. “Be back in just a bit, guys.”

With a nod from Kaito and no response from Teruteru, Kaede mustered up her courage and followed Mondo into the room. The once finely decorated room was considerably emptier even at a glance, nearly all of the furniture having vanished from the lab at Celeste’s command. The formal if cozy feeling of the room was gone, replaced with a distinct feeling of disuse, like walking through an empty home. Still, she didn’t have much time to dwell on that, given the situation at hand. The click of the door as it closed behind her was the last sound in the room for quite some time, a tense, deafening silence falling over the two as Mondo hid his face behind his hair by staring at the ground, the biker unwilling to face her. Kaede couldn’t blame him. She found herself at a loss for words too, the countless things she knew she should say somehow all feeling wrong whenever she tried to say them out loud. The blonde grasped her left arm, squeezing it for comfort amidst the suffocating silence. After a few more moments, it simply became unbearable, forcing her to start the conversation with a lame, “... Hey.”

Mondo didn’t say anything, the only sign that he’d heard her at all being the shameful grimace she could just barely make out behind his pompadour. The man that nearly killed her took a deep breath and sighed it out with a muttered curse before finally looking up just enough to her to see his heavy and conflicted yellow eyes. “... Hey,” He finally said, the greeting just as weak and uncomfortable as Kaede’s own. After a few more seconds of quiet between the two of them, he let out something between a sigh and a growl. “Urgh… damn it… why is this so f*ckin’ hard to say…?” He trailed off, a slight sneer coming to his features as he seemed to grow frustrated with himself. Mondo rubbed the back of his head with one hand, the other balling into a fist and releasing over and over again. “... You know what? f*ck it. I’ll just say it. I know what I said last night, and I f*ckin’ meant it. If I’m bein’ honest… I still do. But I swear this wasn’t me.”

Kaede quietly let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. That… wasn’t great, exactly, but it also wasn’t the confrontation she’d been expecting. She could deal with this. “It’s okay. I already know you can’t be the killer. We made sure of that ourselves when you let me lock you in your room last night,” Akamatsu steadfastly reassured. After a brief moment, though, she couldn’t help but fixate on something else he said. With a furrowed brow, Kaede raised a finger and asked yet another question she was afraid she already knew the answer to. “But… when you say that, do you mean you still think Hifumi-”

“Had it comin’? Abso-f*ckin-lutely,” Owada groused with a glare. “That bastard killed the best friend I ever had. I ain’t sheddin’ a tear for him.”

Kaede struggled to suppress a burst of disgusted anger at that. On the one hand, it repulsed her how callous Mondo was being about the death of one of her friends. His complete lack of basic empathy for the departed Ultimate sparked a fire out outrage in her chest that demanded she denounce him for the passive cruelty of his words. On the other hand, though, she could also understand why he was so cold blooded about it. Whatever his reasons might have been, Hifumi not only killed an almost certainly innocent person, but one of the few people Kaede ever heard Mondo speak positively about. Given how much Hifumi’s death hurt when she’d only known him for a couple days, she could hardly imagine the suffering the Ultimate Biker must have been going through at that moment. Knowing exactly who caused that pain… it was really only natural for him not to mind. In truth, if her plan had actually succeeded and only the mastermind met their end that fateful night… she wasn’t sure she would mourn them either. That thought process is what held her back from lashing out at him.

In place of any rant or lecture, she only offered a single question. “... Are you glad he’s dead?” Kaede asked, her voice soft with saddened resignation as she awaited the biker’s remorseless confirmation. What came instead threw her off completely.

“... I don’t know,” Mondo quietly admitted after a long pause, confliction softening his often harsh features. “I mean, I should be. I wanna be. That f*cker got what was comin’ to him. Hell, I was gonna do it myself until-” His increasingly loud declaration came to a sudden and severe stop, the remorseful killer falling silent as a pained look of guilt crossed his face. He balled a fist, taking a breath as the look shifted into a more manageable grimace. “... I thought it’d feel good. But…”

Mondo trailed off, shifting his gaze back to the floor. Kaede knew she probably shouldn’t push her luck. However… she couldn’t help but be intrigued by the almost complete change from the murderous contempt he’d felt for the late fanfic creator the night prior. It was… relieving, in a way. “... But?” She gently pressed, hoping to spur him forward. If it was going the way she thought it was… well... perhaps it was foolish of her to feel hopeful about such a thing, but it’d certainly help ease some of her concerns about the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader if he lost his taste for vengeance.

Owada frown deepened. “... But I don’t. Ain’t sad about him dying… but I thought it’d at least be a little satisfying the son of a bitch was in the ground. There’s just… nothin’ at all. Not a damn thing…” He huffed out a sigh, almost as if he wanted to be angry about that but couldn’t bring himself to. “... I don’t get it, and it’s pissin’ me off. Why the hell can’t I feel good about this?”

“... Maybe because it’s not really what you wanted.” Akamatsu gently proposed. Mondo’s confused eyes shot up to meet hers.

“Huh? What’dya mean it’s not what I wanted? He killed Taka! Of course I wanted him dead!” He objected forcefully, holding up a hand like he wanted to strangle her words. The sight of his raised hand sent a spike of fear through Kaede, the blonde instinctively taking a step back from him before she managed to push that feeling down and forced herself to stand her ground.

“You say that, but if it was really what you wanted, you’d be happy you got it. That’s why I don’t think him dying is what you really wanted,” Kaede argued more firmly. She took a moment to figure out the best way to phrase the core of her message, wanting to be tactful without talking down to him. “... Think about it like this. If you could choose between bringing your friend back or killing Hifumi for what he did, you’d pick your friend every time, right?”

Mondo narrowed his eyes. “What kinda piece of sh*t wouldn’t? Course I’d bring Taka back!”

Now for the riskier part of her statement. “But you can’t . We can’t control things like that, no matter how much we wish we could,” She somberly added, her lips tugging down in regret as Rantaro’s smiling face flashed through her mind. With a small shake of her head, she continued. “What you could do was hurt Hifumi for it. It wasn’t what you really wanted, but it was the only thing that you could actually control. Now that he’s gone, though…”

Mondo’s eyes widened with realization. “Wait... that empty feeling... you’re saying it’s ‘cause there’s nothin’ left for me?”

“Well… kind of. It’s because you think there’s nothing left… but that’s not true,” Kaede corrected. “As long as you’re alive, you can carry on your friends’ memories. Their wishes, their dreams… all of them depend on you. That’s what you have left.”

Mondo fell deathly silent, his mouth agape before he wordlessly closed it and bowed his head, staring down at his feet. A beat passed without so much as a whisper between them. As the seconds ticked by, Kaede’s worry grew more and more. “... Did I say something wrong? He… doesn’t look angry, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t. Please, don’t tell me I screwed up again…!”

“... Chihiro always wanted to be stronger,” Mondo all but whispered, his quiet voice ringing out like a gunshot in the silent room. He was still looking down, but the weariness painting his tone making his regretful expression on his face easy to picture. “Kid thought he was weak, but… he already had all the strength he needed. Strength I wish I had. He just never knew it. My bro… Daiya… he wanted me to lead the gang. Be there for the guys that mattered. And Taka…? Heh...” A small, rueful chuckle escaped the ruminating biker. “He wanted to be the prime minister. I sure as sh*t ain’t cut out for that. But… more than that… I think he mighta just wanted a friend. Be someone else’s friend, too…”

Kaede gave a small, kind smile. “Then that’s what you have left: getting stronger, making friends, and being there for them,” She encouraged, taking a small step towards the man. He looked up at her, intently listening to the leader’s words. “I’d say you definitely have a start on those already, too.”

His eyebrow raised curiously. “What makes ya say that?”

“You, me, and Kaito are sticking together from now on. That’s our promise. Once you get to know some of the other people here, they can be your friends, too!” Kaede declared as she pumped her fists in the air with a beaming smile. “As long as you keep going forward and finding things that matter, their wishes live on through you!”

Mondo stared at her, a mixture of surprise and consideration clear on his face. “Livin’ on through me…” He repeated softly, almost as if he were speaking to himself rather than her. “... Y’know… when you said that last night, I thought it was total horsesh*t. Pissed me off more than anything. But… thinkin’ about it now… that’s what I was tryin’ to do for Daiya all these years. I… I f*cked up my promise to him,” He sighed out regretfully, bowing his head once again. “The gang’s gone. Even if they didn’t split apart, there’s no way they’ll ever let me lead again. How am I supposed to live up to what he wanted now?”

Kaede’s first instinct was to say there’s no way his gang would turn on him… but common sense smothered that line of thought before she could say it aloud. She knew basically nothing about Mondo’s gang, his killing game, or even the man himself. Saying something like that would be ignorant at best and downright insulting at worst. “Well… you said he wanted you to be there for the people that mattered, right? I don’t know what happened between you and your gang, but… maybe that can mean different people than it used to. Maybe you could make a new gang. Not as a replacement or something like that, but just… more people you can count on, and who count on you, you know?”

Owada fell silent once again for a beat. “... The Crazy Diamonds were the closest thing to family we ever had. Built it up with our own hands through sweat and blood. Me and my bro spent years doin’ that. I know how to do it… but is it really somethin’ I can do ? Just make a new gang right after losin’ the old one?”

“... I can’t tell you whether it’s right or wrong. All I can say is that there’s a way forward, and no matter what you decide, I’ll be there to help you through it. That’s what friends are for, right?” Kaede promised, offering a small smile to the biker. He stared at her in contemplation, his lips in a firm, thin line.

“... Yeah. I guess they are,” He slowly agreed, before giving a small shake of his head. “Still got no f*ckin’ clue why you’re so deadset on tryin’ to be my friend, though…”

Kaede tried to keep her friendly expression even as she internally winced at the phantom feeling of the dumbbell in her hand ready to end the life of the man before her. She couldn’t tell if it was a blessing or a curse how oblivious he was to just how close she got to killing him. The guilty stabs through her heart whenever he said things like that definitely made it seem like the latter. “W-well, like I said last night, I-”

“Think we could be good friends? Yeah, you said that. I’m wondering what about getting shouted at and nearly dying gave you that impression,” He cut her off with a slight sneer. It softened after a moment, the criminal glancing to the side with a frown. “Look, don’t get me wrong. It’s more than I deserve, and really, I appreciate the f*ck out of it. I’m just still trying to wrap my head around why.”

Akamatsu swallowed thickly, rubbing the back of her head. Even if he hadn’t figured things out yet, it was obvious Mondo didn’t buy her friendship spiel, at least not entirely. “I…” She began, only to trail off as she found herself pulling a blank. If he didn’t believe she was just that nice a person, which she knew all too well she wasn’t, then there was basically nothing she could say that wouldn’t just be blatantly dodging the question or suspicious or both. She prayed for some sort of escape from the conversation so she could figure out an actual answer besides the truth of her crime, dread creeping up the back of her neck more and more with each ticking second. Through some miracle, she got her wish.

Scratch scratch scratch… scratch scratch…

Kaede’s brow furrowed as the strange sound reached her ears, faint but decently close. “Wait… do you hear that?” She asked Mondo, just as much to confirm with him as to change the topic. Mondo’s expression hardened, the pompadoured gangster opening his mouth to presumably confront her, but she shook her head. “No, seriously. Listen closely,” She instructed, closing her eyes and listening for the sound. It didn’t take more than a moment, the soft scratching once again tickling at her ears from the right. She turned to the direction of the sound to find what looked like a white panel over the area that had been lined with various cleaning tools the last time she visited the lab with Kirumi. The ex-pianist advanced towards the strange pseudo-wall, the sound growing louder with each step until she reached for the handle and pulled it to the side to reveal… nothing? Kaede blinked… before a high-pitched chirp rang out from her feet. A quick look down revealed a decently sized orange and white hamster staring up at her expectantly. “Huh? O-oh. Hey there, little guy…”

“Huh? You find somethin’, Kaede?” Mondo questioned from behind, sounding genuinely taken aback that she wasn’t just trying to avoid the question.

“One of Gundham’s hamsters. He sent them out to look for clues earlier.” She called back as she once again pulled out the pack of sunflower seeds, this time cautiously putting the seed on the ground rather than risking subjecting her delicate fingers to another bite.

“Tch. Seriously? The hell are a buncha gerbils gonna do to solve a murder?” Owada said with a derisive scoff, earning a shake of Kaede’s head.

“You’d be surprised. One of them already found a pretty big clue,” She retorted as she observed the second of Tanaka’s pets. The brightly colored rodent picked up the treat and eagerly munched on it, letting out a presumably appreciative chirp. Once the seed was consumed, it started tapping its paws on her shoe, motioning its head upwards repeatedly, to her curiosity. “... Do you want to go up?” She asked, ignoring how silly it felt to ask a hamster’s opinion. The little ball of fluff ( “San-D? Or was that the fat one?” ) nodded excitedly in response. Kaede somewhat hesitantly offered her hand as a platform, the hamster scurrying into it almost instantly. Once she’d raised it to roughly chest height before it leapt from her palm on top of the washing machine and started tapping frantically on the door of it. Kaede quirked an eyebrow. “The washing machine…? What’s so special about-?!”

The words died in her throat as she opened the door of the device and was immediately hit with a sickening mishmash scent of soap, bleach, and copper. Kaede wrinkled her nose in disgust, but the metallic twang of it immediately set alarms off in her head. Inside, she could see a crumpled up white table cloth. It looked relatively normal, except for a small stain that just peaked out from a buried part of it. She blinked, squinting her eyes at. “Is that…?” She whispered to herself, reaching in and pulling the thing out. The second she did so, it unfolded to its full size, a shocked gasp escaping her as she spotted the large, dark red stain in the center of it. It was slightly faded, as if some of it had disappeared from the fabric, but the identity of the substance was undeniable. “Blood?!”

“Wh-what?” Mondo’s startled voice came from behind moments before his footsteps rapidly got closer to her. She could feel him looming over her shoulder as she stared at the thing in shock. “Holy sh*t… that's gotta be important, right?”

Akamatsu nodded, still somewhat stunned. “Y-yeah. There’s no way this isn’t related to the case. We should go tell Kaito and Teruteru.”

Truth Bullet added: Bloodied Tablecloth

Less than half a minute later, Kaede was presenting the stained fabric to the Ultimate Astronaut and Chef. Kaito stared at it in a mixture of surprise and thought. “Woah… do you think that’s Hifumi’s?”

“It’s definitely not just spilled wine if that awful smell’s anything to go by…” Teruteru muttered with a cringe, slightly reeling back from the evidence.

“No sh*t, Sherlock. ‘Sides, who the f*ck else’s blood would it be?” Mondo grumbled in response.

Before the three could get into a pointless argument, Kaede nodded her head in confirmation. “I think it’s safe to assume it’s his, and that someone didn’t want us to find it. They probably tried to clean the thing, but clearly that didn’t work. So… I think they just locked it away and hoped no one would find it.” She explained, waving a hand for emphasis.

Kaito tugged at his goatee. “So the killer definitely came here after killing Hifumi to destroy evidence… Tch. Coward…”

The blonde nodded once again. “That’s what makes the most sense. I don’t know what they used this for or where they got it, though…”

Hanamura clicked his tongue, cupping his chin. “Well… I haven’t had the privilege of seeing it myself yet, but isn’t there supposed to be a cafe in the casino? Our culprit could have picked it up there while getting a little midnight snack…”

The familiar sound of Momota’s fists slamming together rang out with a sharp crack as his knuckles collided. “Then that’s just another reason to check out Celeste’s lab! C’mon, guys!”

“Hold on a minute,” Mondo gruffly denied him, holding up a hand. “I won’t pretend I got an eye for detail or some sh*t, but this place looks a f*ckton different than last time I was here. Isn’t that important?”

“I don’t think we’d find anything. Celeste had Gonta move pretty much everything in here into her room a couple days ago. Everything being out of place is probably because of that. Even if it wasn’t, I doubt we have the time to look all over here and the casino.” Akamatsu answered with a frown.

Mondo sneered. “Tch… yeah, that sounds like something ‘her royal’ pain in the ass would do. Fine. Let’s blow this place.”

A squeak brought Kaede’s attention back to the Deva behind her. “Oh, right! Yeah, we’re going there next. Let me just handle this real quick,” She instructed as she fetched a couple more seeds and offered them to the significantly nicer of Gundham’s hamsters. It eagerly accepted them and promptly got to chewing as Kaede gave it the Dark Lord’s orders. “Thanks for your help, little guy! Gundham’s pretty worried about you, though, so you should go find him now, okay?” The blonde praised. Almost as soon as she finished, the hamster looked up at her and gave a sharp salute (or at least as sharp a salute as a hamster could manage) before leaping onto her outstretched hand, running up her arm, and jumping off her back.

“Wh- h-hey! Get the f*ck offa me, ya stupid rat!” Mondo nearly shrieked, Kaede spinning on her heel to see him frantically swatting around as the hamster crawled up the collar of his coat and on top of his ridiculous hairdo. It raced down the short distance of his pompadour and leapt once again to a previously unseen vent before vanishing from sight, the click of its claws against the metal air duct the only indication of where it went. Kaede just barely failed to contain a giggle while Kaito and Teruteru openly laughed, all of them earning a glower for it. “... Laugh it up, assholes…”

“Sorry, Mondo,” Kaede apologized, struggling to stifle her smile. It faded as she glanced back at the bloodstained clue that prompted this whole discussion in the first place, the ex-pianist setting it down on the machine before addressing her fellow blackened. “Right… onto the casino, everyone.”

Kaito gave a sharp nod and moved for the door, the portly cook following close behind him. Kaede started after them after just a moment, Mondo by her side. As much as their conversation had improved her image of Owada, she had to admit that it felt distinctly uncomfortable to be that close with what happened. It made her feel a bit bad, but the fact was there was a reason for that worry. There was about five feet of distance between the back half and the two in the lead as they started on their way to Celeste’s lab. When Kaede went to close the gap, however, Mondo tapped her arm. “Hey, Kaede?” He prompted, dropping his voice low enough that only she could hear. The girl turned to him curiously. His lips were quirked downward in a slight frown, but his snakish yellow eyes seemed to have a sort of determination in them. He looked her up and down for a moment, his jaw tightening a touch, but his voice was an appreciative one. “... Look. Whatever reason you’re doing all this friendly sh*t and advice for… thanks. I’m gonna put some thought into that thing you said about buildin’ somethin’ new. It won’t change a thing that’s happened, but… I don’t know. Maybe some of this bullsh*t can mean somethin’.”

Kaede’s surprise only lasted a couple moments before a warm, genuine smile came to her face. “I’m really glad to hear that, Mondo. And like I said, once we get through this thing, Kaito and I will be there every step of the way. We’ve got this.” She brightly encouraged. Mondo didn’t give a response beyond the slightest tug upwards of his lip before he turned his gaze back to the hallway, but it was good enough for her.

Kaede had nearly all the clues she needed, her friends by her side, and a plan going forward. They were in the home stretch, now. If she could just get a bit more evidence, she was positive they could get through this.

All she had to do was hope they found them in time.

Chapter 12: Chapter One: The Bloodied Hands We're Dealt: Deadly Life Part 5

Chapter Text

The Ultimate Gambler’s lab was, in many ways, a perfect representation of its owner. The red, grey, and black color scheme of the room’s fine decor exuded a sophisticated yet slightly intimidating aura, not helped by the grand and ostentatious size of the casino. Combining that with the slightly hazy film of smoke tinting the bright and inviting games and machines, the heavy smell of ash and alcohol in the misty air, and the showy chandeliers that stood out against the shadowy black ceiling like the lights of angler fish in the deep sea, the gambling hall was a perfect mix of elegance and subdued menace. A fitting encapsulation for Celestia Ludenberg if there ever was one.

Perhaps it was simply the dire circ*mstances they found themselves in, but Kaede couldn’t help but think the place looked a lot more foreboding than it had the morning prior as she entered the room with the trio of other Ultimates, wincing slightly at the heavy smell of vice that permeated the hall. It was crazy for her to think that it had only been a little less than a day since she was playing poker at one of the tables off to the left with everything that had happened… but she didn’t have time for reverie. They didn’t have much time before the investigation came to an end, so Kaede was determined to get as much found in the limited time they had as she could. That meant picking her priorities and handling them as quickly as she could. Thankfully, it seemed she’d have a bit of a head start on one of those leads, as she could see Tsumugi and Celeste already examining Monokuma’s twisted prize exchange from the entrance, Leon hovering uncomfortably a few feet away. “Hey, guys.” Kaede called out with a small wave as the party approached the pair of girls. They turned, silvery-green and ruby red eyes soon locking onto the musician turned investigator.

“Oh. Hi, Kaede...” Tsumugi greeted with a meek wave of her own. The bluenette looked only slightly less uneasy than she had before Akamatsu’s speech, a small, worried frown adorning her features. Leon skipped any verbal introduction in favor of a quick wave and nod. In contrast, Celeste looked perfectly calm, lacking any hint of emotion in her expression except for a polite smile in favor of a near perfect poker face as the goth gave a small curtsy.

“Kaede, and others. It is good to see you again.”

Teruteru hummed, a co*cky smirk coming to him as he twirled the end of his pompadour. “It is, eh? I knew it was just a matter of time before I started growing on you, Celeste. Guess I’m playing my cards right after all...”

Celeste’s cooly welcoming expression didn’t shift so much as a hair, but Kaede could practically feel the gambler’s mood sour at that. “My apologies, Teruteru, but that statement wasn’t intended to include you. Rest assured, you’re only growing on me in the same sense as a tumor; unwelcomely and to my own detriment,” Ludenberg calmly elaborated, closing her eyes with a sarcastically bright smile. “Does that adequately clarify my feelings towards you?”

Kaede’s jaw dropped, caught somewhere between shock, wanting to scold Celeste for being so mean, and yet also some admittedly guilty amusem*nt at just how thoroughly the crude chef was denied. Teruteru looked absolutely stunned, his smile wiped from his face in favor of blank surprise, before rubbing his chin as a small chuckle bubbled out of him and he regained a confident grin. “Heheheh... that still means I’m growing on you, ‘Lesty! You might be playing hard to get, but I’m willing to bet you’re just itching to have someone put the ‘lewd’ in Ludenberg!”

That managed to fracture the gambler’s mask, Celeste scowling at him with a slightly tensed jaw. “Excusez-moi? I surely must have misheard you just then. After all, if I didn’t, I’m afraid you will very much not like what comes next…” She all but growled out that last part, her eyes boring into Hanamura menacingly. Mondo had a similarly dark look, sneering at the cook, while Kaito looked more squicked out and annoyed than truly angry about the comment. Tsumugi awkwardly curled into herself, though the cosplayer’s discomfort was hardly noticeable in the face of everyone else’s much more visceral reactions.

“What the hell is wrong with you, porky?” Leon demanded with a glare, though his outrage wasn’t enough to make him draw closer to anyone else.

Kaede herself crossed her arms as she approached the short Ultimate with a glower. “Okay, no. I’m not letting that slide. Sorry, guys, but Teruteru and I need to have a chat real quick. Don’t we, Teruteru?” She stated in a hard voice, all but directly challenging him to refuse. His entertained look vanished instantly, morphing from the stunned look he had a few moments prior to a genuinely nervous expression as sweat started to form at his brow.

“H-huh? Oh, no, we don’t need anything like that, it was just a-” His words died in his throat as Kaede’s glare darkened, tensing her grip on each arm in an unspoken threat. Hanamura stared at her for a moment, his tannish skin turning a ghostly white before he gave a quick, obedient nod. “Um. Yes ma’am. L-lead the way…”

“You mind if I join in?” Mondo gruffed, giving Teruteru a threatening smirk that visibly made the boy tense. Kaede shook her head.

“No, you and Kaito stay here. Hey, you three? Do me a favor and tell them anything you found so far. We might take a bit…” Akamatsu requested, her voice losing most of its ire as she addressed the others before hardening once again as she glanced at the uncharacteristically quiet chef she was about to read the riot act. Kaito scratched his head through a nod.

“Uh, sure thing, Kaede. See you in a bit,” Momota bid farewell while Mondo simply glared at Teruteru without another word. Celeste’s outrage had subdued itself into merely a hint of bitter satisfaction at seeing quite possibly her most loathed student on the boat so completely cowed in the face of Akamatsu’s quiet anger. Tsumugi basically just tried to pretend she wasn’t there. With her intentions well established, Kaede briefly scanned over the room to identify the cafe before starting her march there with Teruteru reluctantly in tow. If she was going to have to waste time bickering with the Ultimate Chef and his sick sense of humor, she’d at least do her best to investigate at the same time. As she walked away, she pretended not to hear Kaito drop his voice to a mumble. “ ... Geez… I almost feel bad for the guy. Kaede can be pretty feisty when she’s pissed. Hate to be him… ”

“ She’s almost like a reverse tsundere… it’s a neat twist on the formula, but managing to set her off must be like setting yourself up for an emotional Ora Ora-ing! ” Tsumugi agreed, sounding somewhere between intimidated and enthused. Celeste let out a pleased hum.

“ Your sympathies are misplaced. Frankly, my only disappointment here is that I don’t get to witness his comeuppance. ”

Mondo rumbled out something between a scoff and a chuckle. “ Heh. Finally, something we can agree on. Halle-f*ckin-lujah. ”

“ Why do I keep getting locked up with weirdos that say disgusting crap like that…? Hell, maybe it’ll be a good thing if she freaks out on him. ” Kuwata muttered more to himself than anyone in particular.

Kade thinned her lips. It wasn’t like she was doing this to be mean! Wanting someone to be a little less creepy towards every girl he met surely wasn’t that bad of a wish. And sure, she was pretty mad, but that was because he already promised to stop and was going back on that! Her pink irises flicked over to Teruteru. His beady eyes were focused on the floor, his lips turned downward in a nervous pout while he kept tapping his fingertips anxiously. He had the defeated slump of someone who knew they’d already lost the game and was simply waiting for their strike on the record. With his bowed head and prisoner’s gait, Kaede couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty for him.

“What he was saying was really, really gross… but… he was joking, wasn’t he…? Did I snap at him a bit too much?” She pondered, starting to regret her forcefulness despite the blonde’s lingering anger. It wouldn’t be that strange to think that she was more aggressive towards his behavior than she’d normally be. God knows she was already tense enough with everything going on without having to deal with Teruteru’s crass remarks on top of it. Yet, in place of his usual arrogance was a constant uneasy fidgeting she’d mostly come to associate with Mikan. Kaede turned away from him before she let her features soften, the former maestro rethinking her plan. It would be easy to just yell at him, but that wouldn’t really do anything to solve the problem other than make him afraid of her. No, if she wanted things to change, she had to get to the heart of the matter. Reaching the front of the cafe, Kaede stopped and turned to Teruteru, her angry scowl replaced with a carefully measured frown. Hanamura glanced up at her for a brief moment before quickly looking back to the ground with a cringe. After a few moments of silence, she sighed, crossing her arms. “Look… I’ll be honest, I’m still really annoyed at you,” Kaede started, allowing a slight glower to cross over her face before shaking her head. “But we’re not going to get anywhere if I just yell at you over and over. So… I’m willing to hear you out while we look around. Explain yourself.”

Teruteru’s head snapped up to her in total shock, staring at her with eyes as wide as dinner plates. “H-huh? Wait, ya mean it?” He stammered out in pure disbelief, his voice taking on a slight twang as his accent seemed to slip. Kaede nodded.

“I mean it. I want to know why you constantly say weird things like that so I can help get you past it. You can’t tune a piano without knowing which chords are off, after all.”

The tension gradually seemed to fade from Teruteru’s shoulders as he took out his comb and awkwardly started messing with his hair. “... I didn’t mean anything by it. Honest. Just wanted a laugh was all...” He weakly defended, trepidation mixing with the hint of country drawl. Kaede’s frown deepened at that as she began to examine the tables for any indication of where the bloodied cloth came from. It was easy enough to tell at a glance that none of these tables were the ones to lose their coverings, but she was taking a closer look to see if they were made of the same material and had close enough measurements in case it had been taken from the same stock or such.

“What you said to Celeste was a little more than just a joke…” Kaede lightly pressed, shooting a glance to him. He shrugged.

“Humor’s like food and beautiful women, Kaede; everyone’s sense for what makes it good is different. Some people like things sweet and bubbly, while others have a taste for something that gives them a little bite, and some that don’t care as long as they skimp out on the dressing and they’ve got some melons to go with it. Occasionally you’ll get someone with a sort of neapolitan charm of all three like yourself-”

Kaede’s eyes snapped to him as she scowled bitterly. “ Excuse me ? I said I’d let you explain yourself, not make jokes about my… you know!” Akamatsu harshly scolded with clenched fists and a slight blush. Embarrassment and anger mixed together as they so often seemed to in the little creep’s presence, the sickening sting of objectification adding fuel to her existing aggravation. Some of his old nervousness came back, sweat glistening his brow yet again, but he kept a ghost of his smirk.

“S-sorry. I don’t mean to get those pretty panties of yours in a bunch- er,” He suddenly stopped, the last traces of his self-assured smile vanishing in favor of a grimace. “I mean, I’m not trying to make people mad, you included. In fact, it’s the opposite. I’m trying to make everyone feel as good as they can… well, good as good as they can without using my tongue for a little more than words, anyway- nonono, I-I mean, it’s for lightening the mood! C-cause not everyone’s as good with their fingers as the Ultimate Pianist, you know? W-wait, that didn’t-!”

An exasperated growl hissed out of Kaede as she all but shoved off of the table and slammed her palms down on it. “Enough! I’m sick of it!” She shouted, shoving an accusing finger towards Teruteru. “I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt with everything going on, but all you’ve done is make disgusting jokes and BS excuses! Didn’t that second chance I offered mean anything to you?!”

Hanamura defensively threw his hands up with an expression of desperate mortification. “N-now hold on! I was jokin’ ‘cause things are gettin’ oh-so tense, y’see? With Hifumi d-d- dyin ’ an’ de trial, a-an’ what ‘appen’de last time-!” Teruteru flinched as his skin started to pale, raising his fists up with angry panic dominating his face. “Ah-ah-ah g-got fried to a damn crisp! YI’know dat?! Less’en a week ago! Wasso wrong about a lil joke after dat, eh?!” He demanded with a teary-eyed glare, the boy shaking as his words became more and more incomprehensible with every syllable of his rant. Kaede instinctively put up her hands in a calming gesture.

“W-woah! Calm down! I-it’s okay!” The blonde frantically tried to pacify him. The chef kept trembling in place as tears started streaming down his cheeks. Kaede could only stare at him like a deer in headlights as her brain struggled to process how exactly he’d gone from almost perfectly fine to a blubbering, panicking mess in mere minutes. She certainly hadn’t meant for that to happen. She was just trying to help him and lost her temper, not trying to make him cry! Guilt flooded Akamatsu’s heart as her rage evaporated and she came to her senses, stepping away from the table and quickly joining by his side. “Teruteru, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to- h-huh?!”

The moment she got within arm’s length of him, Teruteru launched forward and desperately wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her vest with a despairful wail. Kaede’s hands hovered in the air as he hugged her, the girl completely at a loss for what she should do. Gently push him off? Hug him back? Neither? She’d done it for Mikan, but Mikan hadn’t been making innuendos about her immediately prior. On the other hand, unlike with Mikan, she was arguably the reason he was having such a reaction. She’d been the one to keep pressuring him before ultimately snapping at him, after all.

“Great going there, Kaede… geez…” She mentally scolded herself. After a few moments, Kaede awkwardly rested her hands on his shoulders for lack of any better ideas. “Uh… there, there… it’s alright…”

For the next several minutes, Kaede stood there attempting to console the distraught Teruteru as he sobbed and bawled seemingly endlessly. It wasn’t how she expected this conversation to go at all . She could only quietly be there for the former blackened she’d accidentally pushed over the edge, attempting to give the same wordless comfort Kirumi provided for her. Kaede forced herself to push down the awkwardness of the situation and focus on waiting out his emotional breakdown. After what felt like an hour, Hanamura’s whimpers finally started to subside as his grip around her went lax. He blearily looked up at her through puffy red eyes, his face flushed and nose running. Ignoring the small part of her mourning the mess he must have made of her vest, Kaede gave him a sympathetic look. “Hey,” She softly greeted, putting on a reassuring ghost of a smile. “It’s alright now. Do you feel better?”

He stared at her for a few moments before giving a small, almost unmoving nod. “... Mhm… y-yeah… Ah thinksa, anyway… erm,” He took a moment to clear his throat, testing his jaw a few times before continuing. “I mean, just fine, thank you. After all, what boy wouldn’t be fine with such a great view of the valley?” Teruteru remarked with a small smirk as he slipped back into his so-called ‘city’ voice. It took her a second to understand, but the moment she did, Kaede’s lips turned downwards as she let out a tired sigh and stepped out of his hold. She’d object to the remark much more fiercely under any circ*mstances, but given the breakdown he’d just had, she didn’t want to send him down another emotional rabbit hole over a stupid joke. No sense in risking making him suffer legitimate emotional trauma for some petty revenge and keep throwing away the precious time they had left to investigate. To her surprise, however, his lascivious smirk faded away into a grimace. “... I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

Kaede crossed her arms, looking at him with a mix of tired weariness and slightly strained sympathy. “There’s not a lot of ways you can mean something like that even as a joke, Teruteru…” She counted, careful to keep a neutral tone lest he freak out again.

Hanamura’s frown deepened, the chef looking away as he started toying with his hair again. “... Okay, fine. I did mean it like that. But I didn’t mean to say it!” He quickly added, throwing his hands up as if she might rip his throat out for the confession. Akamatsu’s eyes widened curiously as she unfolded her arms.

“You didn’t mean to say it? But… why did you, then?”

The chef rubbed the back of his neck. “I… I don’t really know. It’s just… stuff like that makes me laugh. It’s funny getting a rise out of people, you know? Seeing people go pink and flustered tickles something just the right way. Whenever things start getting to me, I feel like I should lighten the mood, so I start joking around. But… it’s like I can’t help myself once I get started. I swear, I do care about the chance you gave me. Just… well, if this wasn’t stressing me out, it’d be because I already had a heart attack, like a nun walking into a strip club.”

Kaede ignored that last remark as she instead raised her eyebrows slightly and held up a finger. “Wait. So, you’re saying you say things like that… because you’re scared?”

Teruteru cringed, but nodded. “I wouldn’t wanna say scared, but… yeah. More or less.”

The once-Ultimate Pianist narrowed her eyes guiltily, rubbing her elbow for comfort. “So, when I yelled at him for those jokes earlier… oh, no. No wonder he ended up having a breakdown…” She remorsefully realized. The blonde took a moment to mull over the information. It certainly wasn’t the craziest idea she’d ever heard. Kaito trains, Kokichi lies, Kirumi takes on extra chores, she used to sit down and play piano for hours… everyone had their own way of dealing with stress. Cracking jokes, gross and unsettling as his were, was probably one of the more normal reactions all things considered. If the past several minutes were anything to go by, he definitely had some stress to cope with even before the murder. Of course, the problem was the stress he was giving everyone else by doing that. Kaede considered her response for a short period before letting out a hum.

“Well… at least I can get your reasoning now. I’m sorry for losing it at you earlier,” She began, apologizing in earnest to him. Her look hardened slightly with determination. “But you promised you’d change, and I’m going to hold you to that. The good news is I’m willing to help. You said you start making these jokes when you’re feeling anxious, right? Then we already know where to start!”

Hanamura looked at her in puzzlement. “We do?”

Kaede nodded, a confident smile coming to her lips. “Yep! We can’t change what makes you anxious to begin with, but maybe we can figure out some other way for you to relieve stress!” The blonde cheerfully announced. The chef’s face took on a half-startled, half-intrigued expression, his eyes widening with a silent question. Akamatsu’s bright look fell to a glare for a few seconds, putting a scolding finger up. “It’s not that , so don’t even think about saying it,” She warned darkly. He smiled with a slight shrug, but nodded, prompting her to roll her eyes before continuing. “ Anyways , as I was saying, the best way to get you to make those jokes less is to make you feel like you don’t need them as much. So… we just have to find something you can do instead!”

Teruteru blinked, rubbing his chin in thought. “Something else, eh? I’ll admit, you’ve got me curious, but that still might be a taller order than you think. What’d you have in mind?”

“Well, the gift shop probably has a stress ball or something for when you can’t just drop what you’re doing, but it’d be better to go with something that really calms you down. Like… a happy place, you know? Think of one of your happiest memories and tell me about it.”

He let out a small huff. “That’s pretty cliche, don’t you think? Someone with a sweet tooth isn’t going to change from chocolate bars to salads just because people say it’s better for them.”

Kaede frowned. “Just give it a shot, okay? Maybe you’ll surprise yourself.”

Despite all but rolling them at the suggestion, the chef finally closed his eyes, lips thinning in thought. “... Well… before I realized just how special my cooking was, I may have worked in a quaint little diner for a few years. Small place, not up to the scale of big-city restaurants befitting of a cityslicker like me, but it was ho-... pretty nice, given all that,” He quickly corrected himself, almost wincing at his words. It didn’t take long for his lips to quirk upward in one of the most genuine smiles she’d ever seen on the boy. “Anyway, I was working as the head chef for this diner. One day, a big family came in for our lunch service. Five kids. Considering how nice the mom’s curves were, I can guess how they ended up with that many. Heh…”

“I really hope this story isn’t going where I think it is…” Kaede lightly warned with a pout. Teruteru quickly shook his head.

“No no, not that sort of happy memory. Scout’s honor,” He reassured, holding up a hand. Kaede kept a suspicious gaze on him, but didn’t provide any further objections as he continued. “As you can imagine, big family like that, they didn’t have an easy time keeping track of everyone. Kids are kids, you know? Well, one of them got bored of waiting for their order and ended up wandering into the kitchen. Ma- er, my boss was trying to get him to leave, but the kid saw me and just lit up. Begged her to let him stay and watch. Little tyke was too cute to say no to, so I ended up showing him the ropes of it. The look in his eyes when he saw how all the ingredients came together to make the perfect dish and the proud smile she gave me… it felt warmer and sweeter than the finest flambéed crêpes in Paris.”

Akamatsu found his smile infectious as she gained one of her own. “That’s really sweet, actually. I wouldn’t have taken you for the type to enjoy teaching.”

A light chuckle escaped him. “Me either. I usually prefer keeping that sort of thing close to the vest. Food is like any other art performance; half the fun is trying to guess how they did it. Still, there’s something to be said for seeing it click with someone for the first time.”

The leader clasped her hands together with a bright grin as inspiration struck her. “Then that’s what we can do! Whenever you’re feeling worried, you can think back to those days, and use them for inspiration! Coming up with new recipes, trying out old ones… hey, maybe you could even teach me how to cook!” Kaede excitedly exclaimed. Teruteru’s eyes widened in what Kaede initially hoped was realization, but her brow furrowed as pained regret replaced his smile. “Huh? What’s wrong?”

He didn’t say anything for a long moment, his lip trembling without offering any words. When he finally did speak, his voice was pitifully small. “... I don’t know if that place is still waiting for me…”

Kaede stared at him, confusion and concern mixing inside her. “What do you mean?”

“Monokuma… he won’t tell me what happened to the place. To Mama… all he’ll say is something happened, and I wasn’t there to help them... d-damn him! Damn Nagito, too! I-I’d never have tried something like that if that bastard didn’t force me!” Teruteru cried out again, some of his earlier rage and desperation returning to him. Just as quickly as it arrived, it left him again, the country cook slumping like a limp doll. “N-now, I went and killed someone, an’ I don’t even know if I’ve got a home waitin’ for me even if I did get outta here…”

Kaede silently cursed herself for making yet another blunder with him. How could she have overlooked the fact that Monokuma would’ve used those kinds of memories against him? She once again put her hands on his shoulders in an attempt to comfort him as she spoke. “H-hey, don’t think like that. He’s just trying to get in your head. That’s what he wants. Monokuma wants us to feel despair, so don’t give it to him!” She urged, looking him in his sorrowful brown eyes. The stout cook furrowed his brow.

“B-but-”

The musician shook her head. “No buts. You have to believe there’s something left out there, and that we’ll get there without anyone else having to die! No matter what Monokuma says, we have to stay strong for everyone we care about on the outside… in fact, that makes those memories even more important,” Kaede boldly declared, her voice full of determination. He blinked at her, his chubby features creasing in uncertainty, prompting her to elaborate. “We… we both did something we can’t ever take back. All of us have. That’s why we have to keep those memories close; so we know why we have to get out of here without making those mistakes again. Those memories are a reason to keep going on. So… don’t let yourself get controlled by them, but don’t be afraid or ashamed of them, either!”

Teruteru looked lost in thought for a long time. As the seconds ticked by, the girl couldn't help but silently wonder if her speech was actually helping him at all or simply making things worse as her previous attempts had. “... Mama didn’t raise a fool. Not a total one, anyway…” He finally murmured, a quiet acceptance in his voice. “I know you’re right. Monokuma’s been playing with me like a kid rolling brussel sprouts around his plate. I’ve been letting him, because it’s easier than thinking that Mama’s… she’s…” He trailed off, Kaede gently gazing at him with the utmost sympathy. It was blindingly apparent who the mysterious mentor Teruteru had previously mentioned was, and given how he’d spoken of her then, it was just as obvious what he’d figured her fate to be by now. He sniffed, but managed to hold in the tears this time. “... I don’t wanna talk about this no more.”

Kaede nodded. “That’s fine. Just think about what I said, okay? And... I’m sorry for bringing that on. That was cruel of me…” She apologized, only to get a wave from Hanamura.

“Sometimes flames fly when you just want to put a twist on the flavor. That’s just as true in conversation as it is in cooking. Besides… much as I might have a taste for my jokes, you are trying to help me at heart, sweet thing that you are. I can take a little broiling for that,” Teruteru conceded, a touch of his usual confidence returning to him. He paused for a few moments before clicking his tongue with a sigh. "And… I did promise I'd try to keep a leash on my more… intimate tastes. I suppose it's only fair of me to keep up my end. Again, I can't promise authentic fettuccine alfredo from store-bought macaroni, but I've made better from worse ingredients with enough time."

Kaede nodded in agreement. "Effort is what I'm looking for more than anything. As long as I can tell you're trying, we're good," She said with a small smile. It started to fade away as the blonde rubbed her head. "... Though we should probably cut this off here and get back to the group. I didn't mean for it to take this long, and it doesn't look like the thing we found came from here anyway."

Teruteru hummed. "I'm pretty sure they think you're beating me like an egg right about now, so at least you won't have to worry about any nasty rumors. Anyway, I'm ready to bid this cheesy little hole in the wall ad-!" The brown-haired boy suddenly stopped, his eyes going wide with a stunned gasp as he pointed at her. "Oh, sacre bleu! Your clothes!"

"H-huh? What-" Akamatsu looked down at her vest… only to grimace at the noticeable stain where Teruteru had been sobbing into it earlier. "Oh, no… ew ..." She whimpered, her cringe worsening the longer she looked at it.

"I’m sorry, Kaede! I splattered your clothes in the totally wrong way!” Teruteru exclaimed in dismay, before suddenly pausing and gaining a guilty cross between a wince and a smirk as he tried to stifle a chuckle. “Er, ignore that last part.”

The musician glowered at him for a moment before rolling her eyes in annoyance. “This time, I will...” She curtly said with a hint of warning, before sighing and shaking her head. “Gross as it is, it’s not the end of the world. I always carry a spare, so it’s easy enough to fix. Give me a second to go in the back and change and then we can move on, okay?” Akamatsu explained, the implied order not to follow her thankfully ringing loud and clear for the chef as he gave a nod with a slightly anxious chuckle.

"Of course. Seeing as how I blew my… er... I'll be out here."

Silently glad that he cut off whatever innuendo he was about to make, Kaede pulled on the straps of her backpack and stepped inside the small kitchen area of the cafe. It wasn’t very big, hardly a fraction of the massive kitchen on the first deck, but it was at least out of view of any potential peering eyes as Kaede took off the ruined vest and fetched the clean, almost scarily identical spare from her bag, trying to ignore the way her throat tightened and a cold chill nipped at her bones at the sickening sense of deja vu she felt doing so. Part of her expected to feel the heft of a shot put ball hidden within, the former pianist clenching her fists and taking a deliberate breath to banish the haunting thoughts before continuing. It didn’t take long before she finished, looking as if nothing had happened to begin with, and she only spared a few seconds to glance over the practically barren room for any hint of evidence before giving up when nothing remotely dangerous or suspicious presented itself. Teruteru rose from the seat he’d taken at one of the tables once she stepped out. “My, my! If I didn’t know any better, I’d never guess you had a stain. Maybe I should keep spares around, too…”

The blonde elected to not take the remark at anything beyond face value for her own benefit. “It can come in handy if you ever have to change on the fly. It’s good to be prepared wherever you are” She said diplomatically as they began walking back to the middle of the casino. “Or have to smuggle a murder weapon…” A grim voice bitterly whispered in her head. Kaede bit her lip to keep from showing any reaction. “N-no, don’t think like that right now. We have to focus. The killer might not have gotten the tablecloth from here, but there could still be other clues laying around! Besides, I still have to hear where everyone was last night…” Akamatsu sternly reminded herself as she glanced at the portly cook falling into step just behind her. “... Hey, Teruteru? Speaking of wherever things are… could you tell me where you were last night?”

Hanamura turned to look at her, a brief gambit of surprise, indignation, and finally slightly bothered acceptance playing across his features as he took on a slight grimace. “Oh, right… I almost forgot about that,” He somewhat lamely admitted. “Let’s see… well, ‘Rumi and I were cooking and dishing out dinner for a good chunk of last night. Once that was done, we cleaned that kitchen until the floor sparkled like sugar in a sunset. Prolly… from a little after eight to nine, I’d say. I… wasn’t feeling that good, so I ended up going to sleep not long after.”

Kaede nodded along as she quietly compared it to Kirumi’s alibi. He didn’t seem quite as confident about the times, but the story still matched up with the one the maid gave. “I see… did you leave after that, or did you stay there the whole night?”

“Well… I was having a bit of a hard time sleeping, so I went to the kitchen and made a little midnight snack around… oh, maybe one or so?” He somewhat hesitantly admitted. Kaede tried to suppress a quirk of her eyebrow.

“Didn’t he say something like that when we found the tablecloth…?” She recalled, picking up on his repeated use of the phrase. “One in the morning… hmm. Did you see anything strange while you were out?”

“Not really. No one else was out and about that late. Though, that reminds me,” He suddenly gained a somewhat amused, conspiratorial tone as he looked up at her. “Pardon the intrusion, but I have to know: when did you and Mondo become a pair?”

Kaede blinked at him uncomprehendingly. “... What are you talking about?”

Hanamura smirked with a little shake of his head. “Come now, you don’t have to pretend. I know what you two were up to last night.”

Kaede’s mouth went dry as her blood turned to ice. He… knew? But that… that meant he would’ve been the one to mess with the dumbbells, and that meant…! She stared at him in pure dread and shock, praying she didn’t look as terrified as she felt. “Teruteru… I-I don’t know what you mean…” She denied as levelly as she could, even as she felt her fingers start to twitch nervously. The possible culprit let out a low chuckle.

“Really now?” He said teasingly, like a teenager enjoying some gossip rather than flaunting blackmail material like a new outfit. Kaede didn’t dare say a word, keeping as silent as the dead as she waited for him to play his hand. After a moment, Teruteru shrugged, that easy smile still pulling at his lips. The words that followed, however, were not a threat or coercion, yet were nearly as shocking as those. “I’ll admit, I didn’t think bad boys would be what gets your engine purring, but everyone’s got their type. C'est la vie, right? I’m just curious how you two went from screaming at each other in front of everyone to sharing a bed.”

In an instant, the frigid dread that gripped her body evaporated into complete confusion, and once the words fully processed, absolute mortification. “Sh-sharing a bed?! Wh- no! No! He’s not- we didn’t- nothing like that happened!” Kaede desperately refused a bit more loudly than she intended, feeling her face flush at the implication. Her flusterment only seemed to confirm Teruteru’s suspicions as he grinned knowingly at her, earning a glare very much undermined by the bright shade of red her cheeks had taken on. The blonde crossed her arms incredulously and dropped her voice to a hiss. “Wh-where would you even get that kind of idea?!”

“Hmm, where do I start? Him getting touchy whenever your name came up? The way he suddenly wanted to see you for a ‘talk’ even with everything going on? Or maybe the fact that he was in your room with you last night might be a clue,” He hummed out, much to Kaede’s confusion. “I happened to look at my map while I was in my lab. When I did, I saw the two of you right next to each other, getting cozy in the same cabin. I might have even felt a little jealous, though who of is up to you to decide.”

Akamatsu didn’t even care about the multiple innuendos he let slip. She was too focused on the big mistake she’d made without even knowing it as her earlier encounter with Monokuma practically slapped her in the face. “Of course, the monopads track each other ! When I took Mondo’s pad last night, it must have looked like he was with me, and… o-oh … wait, no, that’s not the important part right now! His pad’s still in my room, isn’t it ?” Kaede realized, her eyes widening. That… could work very well for her if no one else noticed, or incredibly terribly if someone did. It would give both her and Mondo alibis, even if it came at the cost of her self-dignity, but only if no one noticed that Mondo still appeared to be in her room when he clearly wasn’t. If someone did , then it would completely backfire and paint her and Mondo as incredibly suspicious… Kaede couldn’t hold back a grimace, glancing away from Teruteru. The chef, however, seemed to misunderstand the source of her discomfort.

“No need for a long face. I’m certainly not judging. What two people get up to in their own time is just that, even if I’m admittedly interested,” Teruteru offered in what seemed to be a genuine attempt to cheer her up. His smile was less teasing than it had been before, closer to the one he wore preparing a meal than when making his crude jokes, though a slight bit of mischief seemed to sneak in as he continued. “And… well, if you’ll let one more comment slide, you don’t have to worry about anyone else picking up on it. The dorms are soundproof for a reason, after all…”

Kaede pressed her lips into a thin line, ignoring the rising blush from that last remark in favor of deciding what to say. “I… I’d really, really appreciate it if you didn’t mention this to anyone else, Teruteru. Can you do that for me?” She requested, silently hating the fact that it served as a tacit confession of accusations she knew were false. The musician tried to take some solace in his quick agreement.

“Sure thing. Besides, I doubt anyone would believe little ol’ me on anything like that. Dirty minds get dirty looks, after all.”

The blonde didn’t bother to respond beyond a simple nod of her head. Well… that was humiliating. The good news is that Teruteru wasn’t trying to blackmail her over Mondo’s murder attempt. The bad news was now at least one person on the ship thought she was sleeping with the biker, which was just… ugh. That made four instances in as many days where someone aboard made assumptions about her lovelife, though for once it didn’t involve Mikan. She stifled a weary sigh. Still, at least she had a bit more information to work with now. Teruteru was in his lab at one in the morning and ‘saw’ her and Mondo, so that meant… a contradiction slammed into her like a bus, Kaede turning to face Hanamura with a burning question. “Wait a second. You said you checked your map last night and that’s how you knew… that. But… isn’t there something else that should have looked out of place?”

Teruteru raised an eyebrow at her. “Not really sure what you mean, chérie. Everyone else was in their own cabin.”

Kaede raised a finger. “Was everyone , though?” She pressed. If her hunch was right, there should have been a notable exception to that claim. After a moment, Teruteru’s narrowed eyes rocketed open in realization.

“Actually… come to think of it, I don’t remember seeing Hifumi’s little icon. I didn’t really think about it last night, but… oh…” Hanamura all but whispered as he came to the same conclusion she did.

Truth Bullet added: Teruteru’s Account

Kaede closed her eyes in thought. “I think I understand now… thanks, Teruteru. You’ve been a big help, all… that stuff aside.” She said gratefully as they arrived back at the exchange counter. Mondo, Leon and Kaito had apparently left it behind as she could see them checking out the opposite side of the room from where she and Teruteru had just been while Celeste and Tsumugi remained by the gaudily designed store. The gambler noticed their arrival first, casting a brief but withering glare at Teruteru before reverting to a somewhat amicable gaze for Akamatsu.

“Hello again, Kaede. I trust our pest problem has been resolved?”

Kaede frowned at the snide remark, crossing her arms. “We talked things out, and agreed on a way to fix it going forward. Right, Teruteru?”

Hanamura tapped his fingers, clearly uncomfortable with Celeste’s elegant yet somewhat imposing posture as she seemed to slightly lean forward towards him. “Uh, yeah, that’s right. Have everything worked out.”

The slightest smirk came to Celeste. “Excellent. I’m quite pleased to hear that,” She announced, but behind that statement was a thin trace of malice that became more clear as she turned her head slightly and flicked aside a bit of hair. “But… to be perfectly honest, I do not feel like looking at you right now. Would you please join Kaito, Leon and Mondo?”

Kaede’s eyes widened before narrowing disapprovingly. “What? No, that’s mean,” The ex-pianist argued. Celeste’s eyes darkened, giving a warning glare to both her and the chef. She had no intention of backing down. “I already said we got everything-”

“Er… r-right! See you lovely ladies later!” He suddenly shouted, giving a shaky grin and a quick wave before none-to-subtly speed walking away from Ludenberg and her ominous stare. Kaede stood there with her mouth hanging open for a moment, slowly closing it as she realized he cut off her opportunity to stand up for him. She frowned at the goth.

“... That was really unnecessary, you know. You didn’t have to kick him while he’s down.”

“No, but he doesn’t have to be an annoyance and yet chooses to be just that. Such is the law of reciprocity,” Celeste countered without a hint of regret. She challengingly locked eyes with the blonde. “Before this continues, do you truly wish to waste time debating politeness, or do you wish to hear what we’ve discovered? Do keep in mind that we are working against the clock.”

Akamatsu pressed her lips into a slight pout, displeased with her attitude, but knowing she couldn’t argue against it. “... Fine. We can talk about this later. Did you guys find anything?”

Tsumugi held up a finger. “Technically, no. But, um, there was enough stuff missing from here that it plainly seemed suspicious. Monokuma won’t let us get close, but look...” The bluenette instructed, pointing towards the racks of various weapons and commodities alike. It wasn’t hard to see what she meant, as even at a glance, Kaede could tell a number of items were missing from the last time she’d examined the exchange. Most of it seemed to be fairly mundane stuff; a couple books, some trinkets, and one of the parasols that she’d seen Celeste with the other day were no longer up for display, leaving faint outlines where they’d once been kept with little other indication that they’d ever been there at all. What was more concerning, however, was the distinctive outline of something long and curved with a slightly thicker base. Kaede’s eyes widened as she recalled what had occupied that spot just a few days ago.

“Uh… am I misremembering, or did there used to be a sword there?”

“Indeed. I also remember a blade being there. Somewhat suspicious, is it not?” Celeste agreed, her tone much more certain than her words. “It would seem someone managed to acquire a weapon at some point. When, however, I’m afraid I do not know for certain. All I can say for certain is that I am certain it was still here before I left the casino after our match yesterday.”

Kaede looked at her curiously. “Huh? What makes you so sure?”

“I spent most of yesterday here after our poker match experimenting with the various machines Monokuma provided. Once my curiosity was satisfied, I came to the exchange and traded my tokens for one of the parasols,” She calmly explained, Kaede glancing to the spot in question. It took a few moments for the massive display to rotate into the right position, but once it did, Kaede noticed the cause for Celeste’s certainty. Despite the world of difference between the two items, the silhouettes were rather close together with the small umbrella being almost directly beneath the sword’s position. “I’m sure you’ve noticed by now. As you might imagine, a missing sword would have been rather concerning for me had it been gone by the time I made my purchase and left.”

Truth Bullet added: Missing Exchange Items

Tsumugi’s brow furrowed slightly as she nervously held up a finger. “Um… sorry, but couldn’t you have just bought it while you were here, used it on Hifumi, and then lied about it being there? We wouldn’t really be able to prove it either way…” The cosplayer pointed out. If Celeste was bothered by the accusation, she made no show of it, simply angling her head towards her with a blank expression.

“While that is possible, why, praytell, would I bother to point it out to you both and open myself up to the accusation? I fail to see how doing that would be remotely beneficial to myself were I the killer. Besides which, do you truly believe I’d be foolish enough to use a murder weapon that provably came from my lab?” Ludenberg pointed out as if it was as obvious as Kaede’s hair color. In truth, she was inclined to agree. That would’ve been a pretty weird and needlessly complicated gambit with way too much risk even for someone whose talent revolved around luck.

Shirogane, however, wasn’t entirely deterred. “Well, I suppose that makes sense… oh, unless the killer got framed by someone else who knew they did it, and then the killer used that to make themself look innocent! A turnabout like that would be amazing!” She all but gushed, seemingly wrapped up in whatever storyline she was confusing for reality. Kaede rubbed her head.

“,,, I think you might’ve watched too much anime, Tsumugi… anyway, now’s not the time for that kind of thing. We can start giving theories and accusations once we get to the trial, but for now, we have to focus on working together!”

Tsumugi looked a touched embarrassed, weakly crossing her arms and looking away. “Erm… right. Sorry. I guess I got too wrapped up in your femme-fatale aura.”

If Kaede didn’t know any better, she could have sworn Celeste smirked a little at that. “There is nothing to be done except move on. Not that there is much else to discuss, unfortunately. Nothing else of note turned up from our efforts. If the culprit returned here after slaying Hifumi, they did an excellent job of hiding that fact.”

Akamatsu nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I didn’t find much in the cafe, either. If no one’s found anything else, I guess it’s time to move on. Before I do, though, can you guys tell me what you were doing last night?”

“Certainly. After leaving the dining hall around eight-twenty or so, I decided to see if there was anything of worth in the cruise gift shop. When nothing caught my eye, I returned to the dining hall close to nine-fifteen and asked Kirumi for a slice of opéra gâteau. Unfortunately, she didn’t have any prepared, so I settled for pie instead. After that, I retired to my cabin for the rest of the night. Is that satisfactory?” Celeste replied without a hint of hesitation. After taking a moment to mentally compare it to what Kirumi told her, Kaede nodded once again.

“Yeah, thanks, Celeste. What about you, Tsumugi?”

The bespectacled girl cupped her elbow as she rested her head against the opposite hand. “This isn’t going to sound very good, but my alibi is a bit plain. I was pretty nervous about the motives, so as soon as I finished eating, I just went to my room and read manga until I fell asleep. I can’t remember what time exactly it was… um, but maybe someone else noticed?” Tsumugi offered without much confidence, forcing Kaede to hold back a frown. Now was really not the time to be vague about important details. At the same time, however, nothing Shirogane said ran contrary to Tojo’s testimony. As much as she’d prefer solid times -and witnesses if possible- Kaede simply didn’t have anything to refuse Tsumugi’s rather thin defense. Of course, even if she wasn’t entirely sold on the girl’s alibi, there was no reason to make that obvious.

Truth Bullet added: Celeste’s Account

Truth Bullet added: Tsumugi’s Account

“Probably. Kirumi and Peko are pretty diligent about when people come or go,” Kaede reassured. If Tsumugi wasn’t the culprit, then the reassurance would help settle her nerves. If, god forbid, she actually did do it, then hopefully saying that would make her think she wasn’t a suspect and possibly lower her guard a little. With a silent prayer for the former, Akamatsu gave one final nod to the pair. “Thanks for your help, you guys. Kaito and I have a couple more places to check out before time runs out, so I’ll see you there, okay?”

“Actually, Kaede, may I speak with you alone for a moment?” Celeste suddenly requested, her subtly intense gaze locked firmly on the ex-pianist. Kaede returned a curious look. The gambler gave no further indication of what was on her mind or why they had to be alone, but the unspoken insistence carried in her gaze was enough to peak the amateur investigator's interest.

"Oh… kay? Uh, Tsumugi, could you go let Kaito know we're heading out?"

The girl in question looked a little disappointed. “To be honest, I was kind of hoping you’d forget I was here. I’ve always wanted to know what it was like to see a secret protagonist/rival meeting in real life. So much for my wall-flower power…” Shirogane lamented with a small sigh before leaving to fetch the Luminary of the Stars. Kaede watched her go for a few moments before turning back to Celeste expectantly.

“... If I’m not mistaken, you shared a killing game with Tsumugi, correct?” Ludenberg began, still maintaining a perfectly neutral expression.

Kaede nodded. “Yeah. I… wasn’t around very long, but that’s where we first met. Why do you ask?”

“I would like your insight into her. While we’ve been investigating, Tsumugi’s behavior has struck me as… strange, to say the least. I’m sure you noticed how quick she was to accuse me the moment I testified about the sword, or that nonsense about framing myself as if this were some silly crime thriller and not a real murder. Does that seem normal for her given your time together?” The pseudo-European aristocrat asked, looking directly into Kaede’s eyes. The blonde’s lips tugged downward slightly.

“Well… more or less. She was always kind of off in her own world, even during the investigation. I don’t think she went more than a few minutes at a time without making some obscure reference or comparing life to a manga or something. She didn’t use to be quite so suspicious of people, but I also don’t know much of what happened after I… after my trial.” Kaede quietly finished, glancing off to the awkward if sweet Ultimate in the distance. How someone affable as Tsumugi managed to become a murderer was just another mystery to her, and one she wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to know the answer to.

Celeste seemed to consider that for a moment. “... I see. That does explain away some of her behavior, peculiar as it is. Then again, I suppose eccentricity is only natural for Ultimates. One does not become the master of a trade by being average, at least… but that is a different discussion. Besides, Tsumugi is not all I wished to discuss,” The gambler announced, narrowing her fierce red eyes and pinning Kaede in place. “I’m calling in my favor.”

Akamatsu stared at her in shock and slight apprehension. In truth, with everything that happened in the past few days, she’d nearly forgotten about her deal with Celeste. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. Celeste was far and away the biggest threat to her attempts to unify the group aside from Monokuma himself, and without anything else of value, a favor seemed like a reasonable enough offering. Now, however, the words sent a shiver down Kaede’s spine. Owing a debt to the Ultimate Gambler was a foolish decision, and one she already worried she’d come to regret. “... Does it have to be right now? Hifumi is dead . We don’t have much time before the trial-”

“That is precisely why I am asking now,” Celeste interrupted with just the slightest raise of her voice. If her words weren’t enough to make the blonde silent, the almost hypnotic intensity of her stare was. Once she was sure the ex-pianist wouldn’t counter her, she continued. “This is admittedly little more than a hunch, but Hifumi was not precisely the most trusting person long before we ever ended up on this ship. To be frank, it would not surprise me if he put more stock into the words of a fictional character than he did any living person. Given that, it would not have been easy to convince him to go somewhere alone unless he trusted the culprit a great deal… or they had something he wanted.”

“What could anyone have that would be important enough to kill him over?” Akamatsu questioned.

Celeste was unphased. “I’m not certain, but the possibility can’t be ruled out. Whatever his reason for being out at night time, it died with Hifumi. However… it is possible he left some sort of clue behind. That is why I would like you to search Hifumi’s room.”

Kaede stared at her for a long moment, scrutinizing every aspect of the gambler. It made sense, in truth. Hifumi was a bit weird and detached, but he didn’t strike her as an idiot. He probably would have left some sort of evidence behind if something was going on. On the other hand… “Okay… but why do you want me to do it? Don’t take this the wrong way, Celeste, but you’re not exactly the most trusting person either. Why leave something like this up to someone else?”

To her surprise, Ludenberg gained a small smile at that. “My, what an apt question for someone as trusting as you. You’re learning,” The goth praised, folding her hands. Kaede tried to ignore the veiled insult. “The answer is rather simple: people trust you. Were I to make a discovery like that, I would be met with suspicion at best and scorn at worst. You, on the other hand, are generally liked amongst everyone. People would be willing to listen to your word over mine.”

That… also made a lot of sense. Kaede didn’t like to consider herself above anyone else, but it was undeniable that she’d done a better job of establishing trust with everyone than her darkly-dressed counterpart had. And, as guilty as part of her felt about it, she’d be lying if she said she particularly trusted Celeste herself. “Would I believe her if she suddenly had some evidence that changed everything…? Or… would I just assume she was lying?” The blonde pondered for a moment. Given everything she knew about Celeste and her personality, she couldn’t deny that it would definitely seem a little odd if something like that happened. An odd feeling started to simmer within her, but Kaede slowly nodded despite it. “... Alright. I’ll check it out for you.”

Ludenberg allowed only a hint of satisfaction into her mask. “Thank you, Kaede. For the sake of all our lives, let us hope something turns up. Oh, and of course, should you discover anything, I expect to hear about it. Are we in agreement?”

Kaede thinned her lips, but nodded again. “Yeah. We are.”

“Excellent. Now then, Kaito and Mondo are approaching, so it seems this is where we part ways. Good luck, Kaede.” Celeste bid farewell, giving a small curtsy before walking away from the exchange counter and towards where Tsumugi and Teruteru were now awkwardly hovering around in the back corner with a still-distancing Leon. She passed by the pair of gruffer Ultimates without a word, earning an odd look from Kaito and a momentary glare from the biker as they joined Kaede.

“What was that about?” Momota wondered aloud, still looking at the fleeing goth in mild confusion. Owada scoffed.

“Don’t worry about it. It’d be weirder if she wasn’t being a bitch…” Mondo dismissed with a sneer.

Kaito shook his head. “Nah, I’m used to her ignoring me. I mean what did she want from you, Kaede?” He questioned, turning his curious gaze to the girl in question. She gave a light shrug.

“She asked me to take a look around Hifumi’s room in case he left any clues behind, so I guess that’s where we’re going next,” The blonde explained to Kaito, before her eyes drifted to his darkly dressed companion and the familiar sense of guilt and anxiety-born awkwardness started looming over her. “... Are you coming along too?”

Mondo glanced away. “If that’s a problem-”

“No no no, nothing like that!” Kaede frantically clarified, raising her hands in a show of good faith. She had no intention of getting out of her promise, no matter how many opportunities Owada presented her with. Once she realized how desperate her sudden refusal sounded, though, she put her arms back down, feeling a touch embarrassed. “I was just curious. I’m fine with you joining. The more the merrier, right?” She said with a small smile. Mondo met her gaze and held it for a moment before giving a small nod and crossing his arms.

“... Right...” He finally agreed. Kaito grinned, slapping both their backs to the pair’s mild surprise and dismay.

“Of course! You’re both my sidekicks, so that means both of you are helping me figure this thing out! It’s just a matter of time before we blow everyone away with the truth!” Momota bragged, a mix between confidence, determination, and a trace of outrage painting his declaration. Kaede couldn’t help but smile at Kaito’s seemingly superhuman passion. Mondo curled his lip for a moment, but let it fade with a small grunt and roll of his eyes.

A moment passed without anyone moving, prompting Owada to ask a blunt if apt question.. “Well, are we goin’ to that asshole’s room or not?”

“O-oh! Yeah, let’s get a move on!” Akamatsu declared, and with that, the unlikely trio left the casino for what could very well be the last time in their lives.

***

The trek back to the dorms took a little longer than Kaede would have liked even with the rather fast pace the party maintained. She couldn’t decide whether it was more or less stressful not knowing exactly how much time they left, but the race against the clock was still in full swing either way. The long cavern of a hallway that made up the dormroom corridor softly echoed with their rapid footfalls as they finally reached the halfway point to the dining hall, Hifumi’s room only a short distance ahead. Before they went there, though, Kaede made sure to make a quick stop in her own dorm to retrieve Mondo’s monopad from her nightstand. Despite initially refusing to accept it, a quick explanation of how the tracking worked was enough to make him begrudgingly take the device back at least for the moment.

With that, it wasn’t long before the three stood in front of the Ultimate Fanfic Creator’s door. Kaede looked at the portrait of Hifumi with a heavy heart. His death still hadn’t entirely processed in her mind. Sure, she knew he was dead, but the fact that he was dead and gone was something that she couldn’t wrap her head around. Now, though, as Yamada’s forever frozen face stared unseeingly back into her eyes, the reality of it started to sink in. She promised there would never be a murder, and yet... Kaede sucked in a quiet breath, closing her eyes and tensing her fists. “Deal with that later. You have to focus right now…” She reprimanded herself before taking a step forward and turning her head to look at her companions. “Okay, guys. I don’t really know what we’re looking for, but if there’s anything that looks strange, point it out. It could be important.”

Kaito nodded, his expression taking on a look of fierce resolve. “Right. I might not have been there for him when I should’ve, but I’ll be damned if I don’t find something to avenge my sidekick! C’mon! Let’s get in there already!”

Mondo didn’t give any sort of response, the biker looking past her at the picture of Yamada with an unreadable expression. She hesitated for a moment in case Mondo said anything, but when it was clear whatever he had on his mind was staying there, she shook her head and turned the doorknob. In many ways, Hifumi’s room was identical to how she’d last seen it just two days ago, and yet felt completely different at the same time. The room had once seemed rather inviting, but without Gundham and Kaito’s bickering, Hifumi and Tsumugi’s random bits of trivia, and the din of the TV, the dead silence of the room was positively deafening. She looked around the room with an increasingly unshakable feeling of intruding somewhere she shouldn’t as she gazed at the countless books and trinkets resting on shelves awaiting an owner that would never return, damned to collect dust for the rest of their existence. It was almost like a sense of deja vu settled over her; simultaneously familiar and yet uncomfortable with the place she found herself in. Biting her lip in an attempt to banish the thoughts, she glanced back to her companions. “... I’ll check out the living room area. You guys let me know if you find anything.”

Without further ado, the blonde walked towards the couch and wall of bookcases. It made up a decent chunk of the room, but most of that was on account of the spacious couch and coffee table, so it was thankfully a little less arduous than one might assume. Her first stop was the coffee table itself on the off chance that he’d left it in plain sight. While none of the figurines noticeably out of place or disturbed and the particular DVDs laid out for viewing were slightly different, both of those were trivial compared to the new addition to the display. Right in the middle of the coffee table was a katana with a blue and white handle put on display like a museum item, the spotless silver blade glimmering dangerously in the light. Kaede stared at it in surprise, drawing closer for a better look. “Is it… yeah, this is the sword from the casino!” She recognized. Without a doubt, this was the same blade she’d seen just a few days prior, the weapon’s shape lining up exceedingly well with the outline she remembered from the exchange. Akamatsu put a hand to her chin with a hum. “But… why would Hifumi have it?” She pondered aloud.

“Huh? You find something?” Mondo’s voice unexpectedly rumbled from behind, slightly startling Kaede. The gangster was partially hunched over a rather large desk littered with pens, paper, and various art tools as his thin yellow eyes focused on her. Kaede nodded, stepping aside so that he could see.

“Yeah. Apparently Hifumi bought a sword at some point.”

Mondo’s eyes widened as he noticed the weapon. “The f*cker bought a sword ? Seriously?” Owada cursed out in disbelief, before his eyes darkened a little. “... What was he plannin’ on doin’ with that thing?”

Kaede thinned her lips. “I… don’t really know. I’d like to think he had a reason for buying it that wasn’t anything bad, but… well… why else would someone buy a weapon in a place like this?” She lamentfully noted, frowning down at the sword. She crossed her arms with a sigh and a shake of her head. “There’s something that doesn’t make sense, though. If he had this, then if he was doing something shady last night, then why didn’t he have it with him when he died? Wouldn’t he have wanted something to defend himself with? I kinda doubt he knew how to use a sword, but- huh?” She cut herself off as she hesitantly reached down to feel the weight of the sword, only to be taken aback by its complete lack of heft when she effortlessly raised it. Despite its large and ominous appearance, the thing was as light as a feather even to the relatively weak musician. Kaede lifted it up to her face in pure dumbfoundedness. "What in the world…? How is this thing so light?"

"Damn… you're stronger than you look." Owada said, slightly impressed if mostly surprised. The once-Ultimate Pianist shook her head.

"I'm really not. This thing is just super light for some reason, but I have no idea how. It almost feels like a prop I had in a school play years ago… actually… wait a second," She murmured to herself as a lightbulb went off in her head. Still casually holding the sword's grip in one hand, she cautiously brought her other hand to the dull sides of the blade and, with a brief moment of hesitation, squeezed against it. The distinctive soft crinkle of foil cried out in response. "H-huh? No way… are you telling me this thing is…" With only a touch of reluctance, she put her fingers against the supposedly sharp edge of the blade and gently pressed down… and stared in amazement as it crumpled beneath her grip. "... It's a fake. This thing's paper mache!"

Truth Bullet added: Fake Sword

Kaede lightly swung the thing a few times, even going so far as to tap it against her arm with a decent bit of force to see if it could hurt at all. Beyond a very light and momentary sting, there was no evidence she'd ever been struck at all. Her brow furrowed in thought. "Do you think he bought it for a weapon and then found out it was fake, or just thought it looked cool?"

Mondo scowled a little. "Hell if I know. His talent was basically being the Ultimate f*ckin' Nerd. He coulda got it for both without botherin' to think if he could actually swing the thing if it was real. Wouldn't be the first idiot I knew to do that..." Owada gruffed out to Kaede's mild curiosity.

"I'm surprised you know anyone like that. I mean, how many people use swords these days besides guys like Peko?"

The career criminal thinned his lips. "I knew a guy from another gang, once. Dumbass kept a huge ass sword on his back even though he couldn't swing it for the life of 'em. Made him look 'stylish' or somethin' like that… tch. Yeah. He looked real stylish when he ended up guttin' himself on the thing after he crashed."

Kaede cringed as she tried very hard not to picture that. "O-oh… uh… wow…" Was all she could bring herself to say, feeling her stomach twist in her gut a bit. Mondo nodded grimly.

"Yeah. Daiya made it a rule that day that no one carries anything bigger than three feet on open road. Seein' as how the leader of the Cryin' Devils got himself killed doin' just that, even the bigger chucklef*cks in the gang didn't have to get told twice."

Kaede thinned her slightly curled lips. "Uh… yay for road safety, I guess?" She said uncertainly, drawing a husky chuckle from the biker.

"Yeah, let's go with that… anyway, he's got a lotta sh*t here, so I'll yell if I find something..." And with that, he returned to poring over the cluttered desk.

"Hopefully he doesn't mean that too literally… oh well. Now, if I were Hifumi, where would I hide a clue...?" Akamatsu thought to herself as she resumed her own search. Nothing else of note was on the coffee table, and a quick check between the couch cushions also failed to produce anything beyond a couple monocoins, so her attention turned to the vast array of books Hifumi had out on display. The colorfully decorated spines of countless manga collections proudly showed off the names of unfamiliar books interspersed with the occasional franchise she’d heard of at least in passing, the rows and rows of comics seemingly arranged in alphabetical lane name order. Upon noticing this, inspiration struck Kaede, the pianist quickly scanning through the names in search of one particular author. “With all these books here, if he did hide a note in one of them, he probably would have put it somewhere he could find easily without anyone guessing which one at random. Who better to start with than one Hifumi did himself?” She reckoned, a touch proud of her deduction.

It didn’t take long to finally stumble across books touting the name of H. Yamada. She grinned triumphantly at the sight, picking one of the volumes up at random. The cover was a little strange, featuring the weird angel thing that decorated a good portion of the room in a maid costume as well as a ridiculously buff shirtless man with a sword in his teeth. Kaede quirked an eyebrow. "'Princess Piggles and the Pirate King's Wrath'? That's… weird. Then again, he was an Ultimate for a reason, so maybe it's actually good? Maybe Kirumi would like this if I could convince her to take a break sometime…” She mused, quickly thumbing through the book to see if any loose papers were hidden within. About halfway through, she thought she felt a page slide, so she quickly stopped and flipped back a few pages. Once she examined the page in question, however, she immediately wished she didn't. Her lavender eyes became the size of pinpricks as her face flushed in sickened horror. “Wh- oh my god!” Kaede shouted out in disgusted shock, the ex-pianist slamming the manga shut and tossing it haphazardly on the shelf. Kaede buried her bright red face in her hands, flustered. “W-was that Cupid-looking thing using a sword to- nope! Not gonna think about that! Or remember it!”

“Kaede? Everything okay?” Kaito called out, the mortified leader turning to see him and Mondo looking at her in clear concern from each of their stations. That only seemed to make her sheepishness worse as she grabbed her elbow like a security blanket.

“Y-yeah. Well, no, but… be careful about browsing through any of Hifumi’s books, or you might see something really, really wrong,” Akamatsu cautioned. Kaito quirked an eyebrow, but she quickly shook her head. “Don’t ask. Please . The sooner I can forget about it, the better...” Kaede pleaded, already mourning the time when she didn’t know what kind of ‘art’ Hifumi did. “Not that I think I can ever scrub that out of my brain… seriously, what would push him to draw something like that ?! Who wants to see someone having sex with-no! Forget! FORGET!”

Mondo scowled slightly, a glint of understanding in his eyes as he muttered something about 'sick bullsh*t' under his breath while Kaito stared at her for a few seconds before shrugging and going back to his own search. Slightly traumatized, Kaede somewhat reluctantly returned her gaze to the wall of manga. After a few much more weary glances through Hifumi’s novels, the ex-pianist concluded that her hunch was wrong, having only the horrifying fantasies of the late Yamada to show for her efforts. Disappointed and more than a little grossed out, she gave the area one final lookover for anything of interest before sighing and turning to join Kaito. The Ultimate Astronaut had made an absolute mess of Hifumi’s previously decently-made bed with the pillows, plushies, sheets, and the comforter thrown off haphazardly around the floor. At the moment, he was searching through the drawers on the nightstand, the man looking more like a giant blob of purple from behind.

“Hey, Kaito. Anything turned up yet?”

He straightened up with a shake of his head as he turned to face her, rubbing the back of his spiky hair with a small frown. “Nah. I’ve been looking over every inch of this place, but there’s nothing here. Actually… it’s kind of weird, now that I think about it.”

Kaede tilted her head. “How so? I haven’t found a lot here, either.”

“That’s what I mean. In my nightstand, there’s a bunch of space encyclopedias and training manuals and stuff. Hifumi’s is totally empty, though. Look!” Momota elaborated as he pointed towards the drawers. True to his word, they were completely barren, lacking even a hint of what might have been stored there. “That probably means someone else took whatever was in here, right?” He declared confidently. The blonde furrowed her brow as she raised a finger.

“I mean… I guess it’s a little strange, but I’m not sure it proves anything. There was nothing in my nightstand either when I checked it. We can’t really take anything from this.” Kaede countered.

Kaito looked a touch disappointed. “Really…? Ah. My bad. Guess I jumped the gun a bit… still. We didn’t have to ask Monokuma to open the door or something when we got here. If it was unlocked, then couldn’t the killer have come here last night?”

Kaede paused as she realized he was at least partly correct. Monokuma already showed he was willing to leave doors locked or unlocked for whatever mysterious reasons he saw fit. If they didn’t have any trouble opening the door, then that must have meant it was unlocked at some point or another. “Huh… that makes sense. We’d have to figure out when exactly it was unlocked, though…” She mused aloud. Talking about time reminded her of a key detail she’d yet to figure out. “Oh! That reminds me. Kaito, do you remember what time it was when you found Mondo and I last night?”

Momota pulled on his goatee in thought. “Let’s see… I was waiting for you to drop by for training until a quarter after eleven. I stopped by your room and knocked for a little while, but then I figured you weren’t coming out and went upstairs. It probably took five or ten minutes to get upstairs, and I was going through the routine for a little bit before I heard you guys arguing and started walking towards the noise. When you screamed, though, I took off running, and you know the rest. All in all, probably... eleven-thirtyish?” Kaito stated decently confidently.

Truth Bullet added: Kaito’s Account

Kaede crossed her arms, closing her eyes as she mulled over the information. “So, then, if the killer did know about what happened with Mondo, then they would’ve had to have been around by half-past eleven at the latest. Nighttime starts at ten, and Kiyo said the blood in Sakura’s lab was a few hours old… but did Hifumi die before Kaito met up with us, or after ?” Akamatsu began piecing together in her mind. The two possible situations provided different suspect lists. If he was already dead, that ruled out herself, Mondo, and Kaito for certain. If he died after , though, that unfortunately nullifies Kaito’s alibi… Kaede tried to stifle a wince at the thought. Kaito was arguably her best friend at the moment despite the limited time they’d known each other. There was no way she could ever picture him killing someone, let alone as gruesomely as Hifumi had been… but there was also no way she could prove that if the evidence said the victim died after they parted ways. ”With any luck, it won’t come to that…”

On the outside, Kaede gave a nod. “I see. Thanks for clearing that up. Anyways, nothing important turned up over here?” She asked. Kaito bristled slightly.

“Nadda. I looked over every inch of the bed and his stuff here, but there’s no hints about what he was doing last night. I even checked inside the pillows!” He added with a pumped fist. What pray tell he could have possibly found inside a pillow was beyond her, but the leader of the blackened didn’t bother commenting on that.

“So there was nothing under the bed either?”

Kaito blinked at her in bland surprise. “... Under the bed?”

“Well, yeah. You did check there, didn’t you?” She questioned again, only for him to keep the same dumbfounded expression. Her lips thinned. “... You didn’t, did you.”

“I didn’t think about it!” He defensively shot back.

Kaede crossed her arms. “Seriously? Didn’t you ever hide comic books under your bed or something like that?” She demanded in light exasperation.

“No, I always kept that stuff in my pillows!”

“Why?”

“Because almost everyone thinks of checking under the bed first! Who’d go looking through a guy’s pillows? It was the perfect hiding spot! There’s no way anyone actually does that cliched crap!”

“... There is so much wrong with that. I don’t even know where to start…” Kaede dryly noted in her mind. In lieu of continuing the bizarre argument, she simply rolled her eyes and knelt down to the floor to check for evidence. As she probably should’ve expected, it was almost pitch black under the mattress, forcing her to pull out her monopad and use it as an impromptu flashlight. The space was admittedly a lot smaller than she’d thought, barely big enough to hold her pad out without her thumbs bumping the ceiling, but it was just enough to smuggle the small box pressed up against the wall, cleverly hidden from sight by the darkness and top left foot of the bed. “Aha! I knew it! Told you there’d be something here!” She triumphantly called out as she grabbed the box and slid it out, offering a smile that may have been a touch more smug than she’d actually earned.

Momota rolled his eyes with a hilariously grumpy look. “Getting sassed by my own sidekick… tch! Whatever. I’ll give you that one, Kaede, but don’t think I’m giving up just yet! Now, let’s open this thing up!” The astronaut roared determinedly. Kaede picked up the box and set it on the bed before pulling up on the lid… and blinking in confusion when it refused to budge with a gentle rattle.

“Huh? Why won’t it-... oh…” Kaede trailed off disheartenedly as she noticed the large lock on the other side of the box keeping the top firmly in place. It wasn’t especially thick or bulky, but to her dismay, the keyhole staring soullessly back at her shot down any ideas of her managing to guess the combination with her hearing.

Kaito’s passionate expression fell to bewilderment and quickly into a mix of annoyance and confidence. “A lock? Like something like that could ever stop Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars! He’s gotta have a key around here somewhere! We just have to find it!”

The blonde frowned a little as she cast an uneasy glance at the clock. "Where would we start, though? This room's pretty big, and he probably wouldn't keep the key anywhere- wait, Mondo? What are you-"

"Give me a second," Owada curtly cut her off, the bulky man apparently having wandered from the desk at some point. He pushed past her and grabbed the box, setting it down on the floor directly against the wall. Before Akamatsu could ask what exactly his plan was, Mondo reared his foot back and slammed it against the case with all his might. “UURGH!” He roared out as a screeching CLINK! echoed throughout the room, his kick sending the small bits of metal that used to be the lock soaring through the air in splinters and shards while the box itself bounced up a few inches before crashing back down to the ground, a clear dent marking where his foot connected with the weak tin. With a small grunt, he knelt down and picked the box up before presenting it to the pair with a smirk. “There. Found the key.”

Kaede’s startled, “G-geez, Mondo! Are you okay?” rang out at the same time as Kaito’s proud declaration of, “Good goin’, Mondo!”, spurring her to glare at Momota with a pout. He shrugged uncertainly at her.

“What? He got the thing open, didn’t he?”

The ex-pianist’s pout deepened. “Yeah, but he could’ve really hurt his foot!” She shot back, turning her half-concerned, half-disapproving gaze to the man in question. “Are you alright?”

Mondo scoffed, rolling his serpentine eyes. “I’m the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader. Didn’t get that title by bein’ a puss* that breaks his foot tryin’ to kick sh*t. Don’t worry about it.”

Pushing down the urge to argue against that, Kaede bit her lip. “... Alright. Thank you, Mondo,” She conceded somewhat reluctantly as Owada set the box down on the bed and flipped the lid open, accidentally tossing the crumpled remnants of the lock in a lame half-arc before it landed on the bare mattress, instantly forgotten in favor of the secretive contents it protected. Inside awaited what admittedly seemed like a bunch of random junk to Kaede. There was what looked like a kid’s toy camera emblazoned with the same character that dominated so many of Hifumi’s possessions, an action figure of a blue robot person with a large mallet, and other random trinkets that she couldn’t understand keeping in a locked container. What did stand out to her, though, was a notebook partially buried underneath the clutter, its slightly faded blue cover plastered with various designs and drawings surrounding the large print in the center that read PROPERTY OF HIFUMI YAMADA. Kaede gently took a hold of it and held it in front of her, a tension prickling at her shoulders as she gazed upon what could possibly be the decisive clue of the case. "This is probably his journal if he went through all the effort of keeping it locked up, right? If anything happened before he died, it'll be in here…"

Kaito slammed his fists together with a fierce expression on his face. "Then what are we waiting for?! Let's find out who did this already!" He boomed. Kaede complied, opening the book and quickly thumbing through to find the latest entry. It seemed to be a mix of a sketchbook and a journal, as entries were often intermixed with drawings, some being incredibly detailed designs complete with diagrams highlighting specific parts while others were far simpler and occasionally just cartoonist sketches. There seemed to be little rhyme, reason, or continuity behind the designs beyond whatever he had been thinking of at the time, until it eventually seemed to shift from general anime-ish designs to exaggerated caricatures of people. Some were familiar, like a rather regally portrayed Celeste and Mondo in an almost comically oversized version of his coat posed dramatically alongside a boy with spiky black hair and striking red eyes that complimented his pristine white outfit. Others were less familiar, such as a blue-haired girl that bore a strange resemblance to Tsumugi in a dazzling pink outfit and somewhat plain guy with an ahoge somewhat similar to her own. Strangely, it seemed some pages had been rather roughly torn out, leaving strands of paper poking out from the spine as it suddenly leapt from the collection of strangers to more familiar faces like Kaito, Peko, and even herself. After a few last pages, she finally turned to a blank one, a quick turn backwards revealing the last things Hifumi Yamada ever wrote. "Stop! This is it!" Kaito declared, shoving a finger where the prior entry ended and the final one began.

Kaede nodded confirmingly. "Yeah, it looks like it. Time to see what it says…" She agreed, and with that, began reading the entry aloud.

“I can’t believe it. It’s… it’s got to be impossible, and yet… no, it’s not impossible. I know all too well that it’s not. How many times have I tried to open up to people just to get mocked and ridiculed by stupid medicore humans or tricked by liars again and again? All those times, and yet I let it happen AGAIN.

She’s been lying to everyone here. She's been lying to ME from the second we met. I can’t believe how foolish I’ve been. I let myself fall for her ridiculous front even when I already KNEW the kinds of horrible things people here are willing to do, including her. Everyone in this place is a killer, yet I was dumb enough to let my walls down? Foolish boy! How could I do the same stupid mistakes countless protags have done and paid the price for? The way she pretends to help people, even when she’s scheming behind their backs… it’s diabolical! She tricked me into thinking she was my friend, but that was just another deceit of a cruel, twisted mastermind!

She’s the closest thing to a true villain that exists IRL. Beneath those smiles is just pure evil putting on an innocent face… I can’t trust her. I can’t do ANYTHING with her around. I’m not safe unless everyone else knows. But what can I do? If I just tried to tell everyone, they’d take her side, even if I showed them proof! I have this tape, but what's it matter when no one would believe a chubby, fragile-hearted boy over someone like her anyway?! But if I don’t do anything, then it’s only a matter of time before she hurts someone else, and no one would even know!

I… I have to do something! There’s no way I could let her run amok again! If no one else believes me, then… then I can just stop her now and force her to reveal her true self! When that happens, everyone can be safe, she’ll be stopped… and maybe some people will even ACTUALLY like me for it! I know what I have to do now. For the few genuine friends I have. For my dignity. For Princess Piggles!”

For a long moment, no one said a word, Yamada's last words hanging oppressively in the air. Kaede swallowed thickly, a sudden nervousness making it feel like she was being boiled and frozen alive at the same time. On the one hand, it was excellent news. The journal narrowed the suspect list by over half, leaving only a handful of likely culprits. Yet, despite that, she couldn't bring herself to feel pleased. Narrowing it down made what was to follow so much more real . It was no longer an abstract of someone killing Hifumi and either getting executed or killing them all. Now, the names and faces of her friends were attached to that anonymous, shadowy figure she pictured in her head.

Someone she cared about was going to die.

Truth Bullet added: Hifumi’s Journal

Before she could descend down that rabbit hole any further, Kaito spoke up, his voice grimly serious. "Alright… so whoever killed Hifumi is a girl, and she did it after he confronted her about whatever was on his tape. Sound about right?" He summarized, drawing a somewhat dismayed noise from Mondo.

"You're sayin' a chick did this? Didn't his head get bashed open?" The biker questioned. Kaito scowled.

"Bastard stabbed him, too. Whoever did this is a damn animal…" Momota growled. Kaede offered him a sympathetic look but couldn't manage a proper response, the girl still half-lost in thought.

"Jesus… whatever was on that tape must've been pretty serious sh*t to lay into 'em like that. What kinda secret …" He started before suddenly trailing off, snapping his mouth shut with a grimace. Akamatsu furrowed her brow in concern.

"Mondo? Are you-"

"We found what we were lookin' for, right? Then let's hurry up and get the f*ck outta here." Mondo tersely ordered as he turned away from the pair. Kaito tensed his jaw.

“Hey, she was just asking! Don’t get snappish!”

“I’m not! Just sayin’ that we shouldn’t waste time in that asshole’s room if we already found the sh*t!” He shot back, turning just enough to give the astronaut a heated glare. Kaede could see the biker become more rigid, his hands tensing into fists by his side. A familiar sense of dread shot up her spine that made her unwillingly curl into herself, her foot automatically taking a step back only to bump into the bedframe. Mondo’s warning gaze briefly settled over the slightly cowering musician before lightening up, guilt and frustration flashing across his features. “Goddamn it, I didn’t- urgh…! Just… what the f*ck ever! I’m fine, alright? Just sick of looking at useless bullsh*t...”

Kaede frowned, concerned and uncertain of what caused Mondo’s sudden and severe shift in attitude. “I really wish I knew more about him. What could have set him off like this? He seemed fine until he said something about secrets … unless… was that why he-”

Bing Bong Bing Bong, Bing Bong Bing Bong!

A harsh crackle of static drew the attention of the three Ultimates to the TV screen behind them, lines of crackling grey giving way to reveal Monokuma’s devilish grin. The bear was once again sporting his ridiculous captain’s hat and stirring around a martini in one paw, leaning back in his chair contentedly. “ They always say parting is such sweet sorrow. I know I certainly agree with that saying. It’s been a blast watching you guys flail around teary-eyed over your buddy’s death! Alas, it’s time for some sorrow of my own, as it’s with a heavy heart that I announce that the investigation is over… and with absolute joy that I announce that the heart-pumping, mind-racing, super exhilarating class trial is about to begin! I know you guys are just dying for another go in the courtroom, so your gracious captain is happy to deliver! Please make your way to the boiler room on the second deck and await further instructions! See you soon~! ” The loathsome beast giddily declared in a singsong voice before the screen flashed and changed to display a map with a childishly drawn arrow marking where to go.

“Guess we wouldn’t have gotten to look around anyway…” Kaede surmised almost lamentfully as she stared at the screen. Her body felt as rigid as a stone, the tension in her shoulders causing a dull ache that was almost a welcomed distraction from the horror about to come. Another class trial. Only the second of her life, yet just the words were enough to send a shiver down her spine. It almost didn’t feel real, like a nightmare with an exit that was just out of reach, but the fear trickling through her veins made it clear that wasn’t the case. Someone among them was a liar and a killer once again. Her vision slowly drifted back down to the book in her hands, the evidence that could have been a smoking gun if Hifumi had only written down a name. The evidence that could still be just what they needed… if she embraced the same lies of omission that dragged her down by the neck at her trial. Her lips tugged downwards in preemptive shame. Worse than those, in fact. “... Well, we know what to do now, but… I need to ask you two a favor.”

Kaito quirked an eyebrow, his deep purple eyes meeting her own questioningly. “Sure thing. What’s on your mind?”

Mondo didn’t say anything, but his expectant gaze compelled her to force out the first step of her gambit. “I need you guys to not say anything about this until I’m ready.”

That did manage to get a response from Mondo, the biker widening his eyes before narrowing them suspiciously. “Hold on. You said we all had to work together, but now we’re hiding evidence? The f*ck is the point of that?”

Even Momota seemed a bit conflicted, his gaze considerably less weary yet still uncertain. “... I mean… I’m sure you’ve got your reasons, but I gotta be honest, that’s a little weird, Kaede. Why aren’t we letting everyone know about this?”

Akamatsu tried not to flinch at their pointed, if entirely accurate remarks. “I-it’s not like that! I promise! It’s just…” She sighed, unable to meet their eyes as she debated how exactly to word it so they’d understand without giving away how little she actually trusted most of the people she called friends. “Even with all our investigating, we don’t have anything that really tells us who did it. This is the closest thing we have to that, but it won’t work if the killer knows about it. If we tell everyone about it now, they can start planning around it or come up with ways for it to not be as important as it is. If we keep it a secret, just for a little while, we can spring it on them when there’s more we know for sure about the case. I… I won’t sugarcoat it. I’m asking you to lie for me, but I swear on my life that this has to be done. Can I count on you two? Please?”

The Ultimate Biker thinned his lips, glancing off to the side. “Gonna use it to trap the killer, huh? Tch… that does make sense. Alright. Let’s nail the f*cker.”

The blonde managed a small, grateful smile. “Thank you, Mondo. I really, really appreciate this. Kaito?”

Kaito grimaced at the sound of his name, the astronaut having one hand on his hip while he stared down at the other with an uncertain expression. “... Lies always come with a price, Kaede, and it’s almost always more than it's worth…” He stated seriously, an air of grim experience painting his dire words. After an eternity, he balled his fist and released it, his expression hardened decisively. “... I’ll trust you on this, because I know you’re good for it. Just promise me you won’t lose sight of the truth, alright? It’s easier than you think to lose control of your own stories.”

Kaede bowed her head. “I promise. Cross my heart and hope to… you know the rest.”

The purple-cloaked student smirked, a hint of his trademark heroic brashness returning to him. “Of course you won’t. Like I’d ever let one of my sidekicks wander down the wrong road… now, let’s get this thing over and done with. Everything after that’s a cakewalk.”

The former Ultimate Pianist couldn’t bring herself to fully mirror the smile, but a distant cousin to it slowly crossed across her features before the trio left the room. The instant they left, though, they almost literally bumped into an unusually focused Chiaki and a more typically jittery Mikan. Nanami noticed their presence first, turning to the opening door curiously and giving them a small smile that almost masked the curious glint in her soft pink eyes. “Hey hey. Looks like the trial’s about to start…” Chiaki pointed out. Mikan offered an almost pathetic wave with a blatantly strained nervous smile, apparently too scared to speak up and interrupt her classmate yet unwilling to let Kaede go without some sort of greeting. The warm grin the pianist returned it with practically gave the nurse a heart attack if her shocked expression was anything to go by.

“Hi, guys. Looks like we’re heading to the boiler room, so it’s a pretty long walk. Wanna catch each other up to speed on what we found on the way?”

“Sounds good. We should start now… I think,” Nanami agreed, and with that, the five Ultimates began on their way to the courtroom. Given where they were, it wouldn’t surprise Kaede if it would take half an hour to get there even at a decent pace, but the delay was something of a blessing to her mind. At least she’d have a little longer to figure things out. Chiaki fell into step beside Kaede as she explained at least some of what happened since they split off. “After you and Kaito left, Kirumi thought there might have been some clues in the ballroom, so I went with her. We didn’t find much there… but one of Gundham’s hamsters ended up leading us behind the stage, and we found a lift with a bit of blood on it.”

Kaede turned to her in surprise. “Blood? But… Hifumi didn’t die anywhere near the ballroom. Was it someone else’s?”

Nanami shook her head. “I can’t say no completely, but I doubt it. It’d be a little too coincidental, don’t you think? When we took a closer look, the lift had a sign saying its weight limit was three-hundred pounds. Hifumi’s profile says he was… a lot more than that, so we brought it back to your lab and had Sakura and Gonta test it out together. It didn’t break, but it also couldn’t move anymore until one of them got off. We don’t really know how it’s connected, but we think there has to be some way it is.”

Truth Bullet added: Bloodied Lift

Kaede hummed in thought. “That does sound pretty strange… is that when you and Mikan teamed up?”

Chiaki nodded. “While the three of them were testing that, Kirumi asked Mikan to see if she could find anything that could’ve been used as the murder weapon. I volunteered to join her, and we were just finishing in the kitchen when Monokuma said the investigation was over.”

“... Did she volunteer to be nice, or does this have something to do with those weird questions from the other day?” Kaede connected in her mind with a hint of suspicion. She didn’t get to dwell on that, though, as the shorter girl had a suspicion of her own to address.

“So… it looked like you were coming out of Hifumi’s room when we met up. Did you find anything in there?” She asked, the unspoken follow up of why they were in there carried quite clearly in her questioning if earnest gaze.

“We were hoping to see if Hifumi might’ve left any clues in his room, but we couldn’t find anything,” Kaede lied as casually as she could, carefully making sure her eyes didn’t stray from the shockingly observant Ultimate Gamer's own. If Chiaki picked up on the deception, she gave no sign of it, the lying leader giving a mental sigh of relief as she continued. "I thought I might have found a possible murder weapon, but it was just a prop. Nothing all that useful, sorry."

Mikan nervously clasped her hands together from Kaede’s right. "R-really? Oh… I'm s-sorry for being selfish, but that actually makes me feel a bit better. Chiaki and I were looking for what could've been used to m-murder Hifumi, but almost n-nothing seemed to have the right dimensions for it…"

Kaede quirked an eyebrow curiously, raising a finger. " Almost nothing? So there was something that came close?"

Tsumiki frowned, looking at the floor. "Um… w-well, we found an iron skewer that wasn't that different. B-but it wasn't as thick was whatever was used on poor Hifumi, so it isn't the murder weapon…”

“Yep. We checked pretty much everywhere, but there didn’t seem to be any missing knives or anything like that, either. It’s strange, but it’s almost like whatever was used for it vanished.” Chiaki added, her brow furrowed slightly with a small frown.

Truth Bullet added: No Matching Murder Weapons

“Nothing on the entire ship lined up with Hifumi’s wounds? Where could the killer have gotten something like that, and how?” Akamatsu silently asked herself. On the outside, she gave a nod. “That’s good to know, even if it brings up more questions than it answers. Did you two find anything else?”

Mikan weakly tapped a finger against her cheek. “Um… I can’t think of anything else… o-oh! K-Kirumi said you wanted to talk with me, Kaede?” She suddenly recalled, perhaps a touch too enthusiastically.

“Right! I wanted to ask how the autopsy went. Did you find anything the Monokuma file didn’t mention?”

The purple-eyed nurse fidgeted a little. “O-oh... um… I’m positive that he gained the wounds to his head after he died. While there was a lot of b-blood, it wasn’t as fresh as it would have been if he was still alive when it happened. With how clotted and thick it was, I think he was dead for at least a few hours before it happened. Um, I’m really sorry to say this so bluntly, but I don’t think he lived for very long after he got stabbed, either. With his injuries, the heart would’ve been too hurt and overworked, and he would have died in a couple minutes at most. That’s the best conclusion I can give… i-if I didn't make any mistakes, I mean…" She added apologetically.

Truth Bullet added: Mikan’s Autopsy Report

Before Kaede could say anything, Kaito rebuked the nurse's self-depreciating remark. "C'mon, I'm sure you did it right! My sidekick knows how to pick 'em, and she picked you, so that means you're bound to succeed! It's like you're one of my sidekicks by proxy if you think about it!" He reassured with a beam that Kaede quickly backed up.

"Mhhm! Like I said at the start; I believe in you, so you should totally believe in yourself, too. You did great, Mikan. Peko said something pretty similar, so now we have it confirmed. Thank you so much for your help.”

“... Er… yeah. Good sh*t.” Mondo awkwardly attempted to support as well. Somewhat stilted as it was, the genuineness in his voice was impossible to mistake.

A shaky yet bright smile slowly spread across the nurse’s often fraught features. “... Heheh… thank you. I-I’m glad I could help…” She gratefully singsonged, and with that, all the clues of the investigation were discovered. Now, on the long walk to what would inevitably be the end of someone’s life, Kaede could do nothing but think about the evidence she’d gathered, and pray it would be enough.

She wouldn’t live to regret it if it wasn’t.

***

When the five finally reached the bulkhead leading to the boiler room, everyone else was already gathered, each in various stages of unease. It was quiet enough that the sounds of their approaching footsteps were loud enough to draw the crowd’s attention. “Hm. How nice of you all to arrive. I don’t believe I’ve had to wait on anything that long in quite some time…” Celeste hummed out, a subtle venom lacing her otherwise nonchalant words. Mikan let out a whimper.

“I-I’m sorry! We were by the kitchen, s-so it was a really long walk, b-but I’m still sorry! You can use me as furniture if you want!”

Celeste put a fist to her mouth. “Hm… tempting. Perhaps you would be serviceable as a footrest.”

“Wh- nobody’s using anyone as a footrest!” Kaede shouted out in disbelief. Every set of eyes in the room snapped to her in a moment, the retired pianist suddenly the center of attention. She blinked, clearing her throat and subconsciously straightening her tie before continuing. “... Hi, everyone…” She began rather lamely, the words she needed simply not coming to her. Speeches always came naturally to her, yet in that tense moment of uncertainty, nothing seemed right to say. With everyone staring at her so expectantly when she had no answers to give, she could suddenly understand Shuichi’s desire to hide behind his hat. “... I guess we all know why we’re here, and what we have to do. I don’t really know what else I can say other than I know we’ll get through this if we stick together, so that’s exactly what we’re gonna do. I wish I could say everything’s going to be okay… but I can’t lie to you guys. All we can do is survive and promise that this will be the last trial any of us ever have to go through. But before we can do that, we have to face it head on. So… let’s do exactly that.”

Not exactly her most inspiring speech, but something bright and hopeful wasn’t really appropriate. Not from her. Not for them. At the very least, that declaration was enough for Monokuma to make his entrance, the heavy steel bulkhead letting out a groan as its handle quickly spun around and it slid open to reveal their self-declared captain standing with his arms spread wide. “Oh, it’ll be someone’s last trial, that much is for sure! Thank you for that eloquent reminder that one of your buddies is gonna bite the bullet for good this time, Kaede! Puhuhuhu!”

“Shut the hell up!” Kaito spat out, shaking a fist at the bear warning. “Stop screwing around and just show us where the damn elevator is already!”

Monokuma crossed his arms in a pout. “Geez! You’re awfully pushy! Then again, maybe I should be glad to have such eager students! Very well, Mister Momota, your gracious host Captain Monokuma will grant your wish! Please, follow me!” The unstable ursine far too happily declared as he turned around and began waddling into the ominous, red-tinted darkness of the boiler room.

The former blackened looked amongst themselves for a moment, no one entirely willing to be the first to follow, until at last Kirumi stepped forth, her lips curled in a small frown but otherwise perfectly stoic as she addressed everyone. “Unfortunately, there is little point in delaying the inevitable. If I may be so bold, I believe it would be wise to get this over with as soon as possible.”

Sakura bowed her head as she joined the maid’s side. “I agree. Whatever machinations Monokuma has in store for us, the less time we give him to plan, the better.”

Peko stepped forward next, then Gundham, and then it wasn’t long before the entire group began walking forward and filtering through the thin, maze like and hellishly hoy halls of the heart of the ship. Kaede and her companions ended towards the front of the line up. While the blonde knew exactly how uncomfortable it would be, Kaito was decidedly less prepared, the Ultimate Astronaut’s face twisted in a sweat-drenched grimace. “Ugh…! This sucks… stupid bear…” He grumbled half under his breath, earning a scoff from Owada despite the beads of sweat rolling down his own face.

“You call this hot? Don’t be such a puss*… this is nothin’...”

Just ahead of them, the Supreme Overlord of Ice (who Kaede felt absolutely terrible for in that big black coat and scarf) let out a low laugh. “The Antihero speaks truly. This lowly warmth is nothing compared to the fires of hell from which I formed eons ago. If anything, this is a refreshing reminder of my realm!” Tanaka insisted with a grin, despite the furrowing of his brow that suggested the exact opposite was true. Kaito scowled at him for a long moment before suddenly smirking.

“Heh… is that why your makeup’s running?”

The sheer panic in Gundham’s mismatched eyes was like he’d just been convinced everything he knew was fictional. “Wh-what?! Impossible! These markings are meant to last-” He put a finger up to his ash-pale face and drew it back, when his horrified expression sank to a cold, barely contained fury as Kaito chuckled at his expense. “... This deception will not be forgotten, Luminary. I promise you that…”

Kaede tried to stifle a smile at their antics, apparently failing if Gundham’s glower was anything to go by. After what felt like an eternity of trudging through the steam and humidity, they finally stood before the elevator Kaede had stumbled across days earlier, Monokuma’s claw marks still glinting dangerously in the warning red lights. Monokuma was standing at the door with his trademark grin. “Is that everyone? One, two, three… ah, screw it, you’d just get executed if you weren’t here, so I’m just gonna go out on a limb and assume all of you are stuffed together like a bunch of murderous sardines back there! I understand this setup’s a little more complex than what all of you are used to, so that’s why I felt the need to be a good captain and guide you little ones here, like moths to the flame! In the future, though, you brats are on your own, so I hope you paid attention! Are there any questions before you all hop on the elevator and ride your way to another wonderfully despairful court battle of life and death?”

“Hold on, if the elevator is all that’s in here, why did you insist that no one could come here? What’s so special about this place?” Kaede confronted, feeling the need to press the issue even if Monokuma was almost certainly going to sidestep it.

As expected, he did just that, holding up a paw and waggling it at her. “Ah ah ah! You’re getting ahead of yourself, little miss protagonist! That’s for me to know and you to find out later! And, just so you know, I’m not budging on this, so don’t try annoying me into changing my mind! I promise you I’m better at it! Now, any other questions?”

Leon’s voice shot up from a ways behind her. “Uh, yeah! Why the hell is it so hot in here?! I’m freakin’ drenched! This is mega uncool, man!”

Monokuma put both paws over his maw in a failed attempt to conceal his sinister giggle. “Puhuhuhu! What an unintentionally appropriate choice of words, Mister Kuwata! As for why? Well, it’d hardly be fair if the killer was the only one sweating buckets on the ride to the courtroom, now would it?” He cracked wise, going so far as to wink his smaller eye at everyone as he put an arm behind his head. “Besides…” The bear added, before his red eye lit up so brightly that it was nearly blinding to look at even through the haze of steam partly obscuring it. “You just might be about to go somewhere a lot warmer than this, so consider it a practice run for what awaits.”

The room fell deathly silent at that, only the gentle thrum of the pipes and hiss of released steam daring to break the quiet. Monokuma’s smirk seemed to grow. “Anyone else? Going once? Going twice? Alrighty then! With that out of the way, it’s time for everyone’s favorite part of the game: the trial! See you down there!” The bear bid his farewell before leaping off to the side, disappearing amongst the darkness. The elevator doors slid open with a soft screech, and with nary a word, the fifteen teenagers stepped forward and into the cage of death. As the gates shuddered close once again and the loud humming of the gears sounded off before it began slowly rising upward, Kaede once again took a moment to consider the gravity of their situation.

"... None of this should have been possible. All of it was supposed to end with my execution. My life, the killing game, all of it...

Yet that's not what happened. Against everything rational and good, I'm still alive, thrust into yet another twisted game of heartache and betrayal.

It seemed so simple the first time. Expose the mastermind, end the game, and die for what I'd done if I couldn't do that.

But now, with everyone here relying on me... all my friends, classmates, and fellow murderers... I can't afford to just accept the end.

Someone murdered Hifumi. No matter how much I hoped and prayed otherwise, someone here chose to take another life. Every piece of the puzzle is in front of me now. All that's left is to put them together and expose his killer.

No matter the reason, I can't forgive whoever did this anymore than I could ever forgive myself.

Even if I wanted to, I can't let them get away with this, for the sake of everyone here. For Hifumi. For Rantaro. For everyone that's died because of my mistakes...

I refuse to fail again. I won't back down.

I'll expose the lies, just like Shuichi did for me.

I'll find the truth behind this case no matter what. No matter how painful it is to face their betrayal, I'll take on that burden for everyone. And more than that...

I will do everything I can to make this the last deadly class trial."

Chapter 13: Chapter One: The Bloodied Hands We're Dealt: Trial Part 1

Chapter Text

The low whir of the elevator was the only sound to be heard as the fifteen Ultimates stood in deathly silence. Perhaps it was strange, but Kaede almost wished they would engage in the sort of tense banter Kokichi attempted on the ride down to her trial. At least then it might have felt less like a slowly moving morgue. She’d been nearly sick to her stomach last time, but that came from the knowledge of what answering for her crimes would entail. She could never have expected just how twisted her demise would turn out to be, but even then, at least there was a certainty of what would happen. No matter what they discovered at the trial, she never intended to make it out of the courtroom alive.

No such certainty was around to comfort her this time. Whoever killed Hifumi already demonstrated that they were playing this sick game to win, and the deaths of everyone else present meant nothing compared to doing exactly that. It took considerable effort on Akamatu’s part to not let her eyes stray from the elevator doors to any of her fellow blackened, the blonde quietly taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. “Stay calm. Everyone’s innocent until proven guilty, so don’t psych yourself out and get scared. Just look towards the truth, not whoever’s in the way of it…” She told herself, squeezing her fists tightly against her sides. She could do this. She would do this. As long as everyone worked together, they could overcome it with ease!

“Maybe if I repeat that lie enough, I’ll trick myself into believing it, too…”

Kaede mentally kicked herself for having such a grim thought. “N-no, it’s not a lie! It’s the truth! And I’ll use this trial to prove it!” She swore to herself, glancing down to the floor in shame. This was maddening . How did the others manage to go through six trials with this damning uncertainty lingering over them when it was rattling her already? “Come on, don’t fall apart now! It’s always best to get bad stuff over with quickly, right? Just hold it together long enough to do the hard part, and then the rest of this won’t matter. They’re counting on you, so stay strong, Kaede!”

Mercifully, someone finally chose to break the silence. “Hmm… rather unusual, isn’t it? We’ve been moving upward for quite some time now. Just how high are we going, I wonder? And to where?” Korekiyo’s voice slithered out, his low and raspy musing shattering the silence like a thunderbolt and ripping Kaede from her own unwanted ponderings. Gundham let out a low hum from towards the front of the elevator.

“Is it not clear, Observer? Each and every person aboard this elevator consigned themselves to damnation when they claimed another’s life. Clearly, we are being delivered from the underworld to purgatory, where our own judgement shall decide our fate. To make the journey with so many while bypassing the River Styx, however… the depths of Monokuma’s dark magic are deeper than even I had imagined…”

Tsumugi let out a cross between a whimper and an almost disappointed sigh. “I kind of thought it’d be more like a big grey forest filled with shinigami. At least one of us could have gotten a cool book out of it in that case…”

“Erm… y-you guys don’t really think we’re in… y’know… h-e-double hockey sticks, do you? Th-that’s just part of your act, right, Gundham?” Teruteru fretfully questioned, his voice high enough that it almost sounded like he was begging Tanaka to concede that point.

“Of course we’re not, because we’re not dead! And we’re not spirits or some crap either, so don’t even bring that up!” Kaito dismissed forcefully. Aside from an annoyed sound from Gundham, no one bothered arguing with the brash man, once again letting the elevator fall into silence. Kaede didn’t have to suffer through it for long, however, as it was only a few more moments before their giant cage shuddered to a stop and let out a sharp ding as the doors slid open once more. With only a moment’s hesitation, the students walked through the entrance and into the sprawling trial room before them.

The courtroom was as massive as the hall Kaede remembered, though the almost church-like design of that court had been swapped for a spacious observation deck with a perfect three-hundred-and-sixty degree viewing area of large windows in place of walls that gave an unrestricted view of the oil black ocean below and blood red sky above. The exception was the high-above ceiling that broke the illusion with a massive mock-up of Monokuma’s signature red eye glowering down at them all. Were it not for the bright red carpet on top of the darkly colored steel floor, it would be easy to mistake what was solid ground and what was the ocean. The bear himself sat atop a luxurious throne high above everyone’s trial stands directly behind where Rantaro’s portrait had resided in her trial. That spot sat empty for now, but immediately to its left resided a greyscale photo of Hifumi, a pair of cartoonish X’s drawn over his eyes and a similarly childish drawing of a tongue hanging out of his mouth like a dead cartoon character disrespectfully scrawled over it, much to Kaede’s disgust. Even in death, Monokuma insisted on humiliating them… repulsive. Monokuma’s permanent grin grew as he spotted them all, throwing his paws in the air in a grand gesture. “Welcome, welcome! Welcome one and all to the new and improved trial grounds! Please, find your seats so that the trial may begin! I don’t know about you guys, but I’m really pumped for this!”

“No one’s excited for this but you, you monster…” Akamatsu spat with a glare, tensing her fists even as she did as instructed and looked for her stand.

Monokuma pouted, hanging his head in mock-hurt. “Monster? You wound me, Miss Akamatsu… and after I went out of my way to give you the best seat in the house, too! I mean, what could be better than getting to stare right at me through the whole trial?” His usual grating cheer came back at that, Kaede giving him a confused look until she checked the nameplate on the first stand directly across from the elevator. Sure enough, the spot that had belonged to Shuichi the first time around was now hers, with Monokuma and an uneasy Mikan dead ahead of her. The blonde looked up from her gold-emblazoned name to glower at the bear.

“Not having to do your sick trials at all to start with!” She shot back. He simply scoffed at her.

“A killing game without any trials? What do you think this is, some cheap spinoff? No way, young lady! Monokuma provides nothing but the finest and most genuine killing game experiences! My brand depends on that! Now stop complaining, it’s really getting on my nerves!” Monokuma growled, his welcoming posture swapping to a more threatening pose. The musician kept up her glare but bit her lip lest she push her luck too far.

Someone let out a pleased hum to her left and drew her attention. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m certainly not complaining about my spot. The way I see it, I got the best spot. What could be better than getting stuck between two fine ladies?” Teruteru said with a deceptively easy smile, giving Kaede a confident wink despite the nervous sweat still making his earlier unease as clear as day. She frowned at him, slightly sympathetic given their prior conversation but undeniably feeling the urge to put him in his place. Thankfully, the other girl he was referring to was more than willing to handle that for her as Sakura’s deep voice rumbled out a warning.

“For your own protection, Teruteru, pray I don’t see your eyes drifting to anything untoward. This trial will be the least of your concerns if I do. Do you understand?”

Teruteru raised his hands up a touch defensively. “Wouldn’t dream of it, Sakura. Getting choked is only fun up to a point, and I’m sure we have two very different definitions for that.”

Kaede barely kept herself from reaching for her throat as a phantom pain pulsed out threateningly, looking away from the pair without a word. “Don’t think about it. Stay calm. Breathe…” She ordered herself, cursing the fact that having air in her lungs suddenly felt so alien.

“... Tch… I guess it’s better than being next to the mask freak…” Leon muttered under his breath as he took the stand to her right, the baseball star taking a few moments to cast scrutinizing looks at the girls on either side of him as if they’d suddenly lunge out with kitchen knives and attack him. Just past him was a pensive Chiaki, whose light pink eyes slowly roved over the rapidly filling courtroom with an attentive gaze. The longer Kuwata’s eyes lingered on her, the more uncomfortable Kaede felt, the blonde pulling her arms closer to her instinctually.

“Leon, I get it if you’re on edge, but could you stop staring at me, please? It’s pretty rude you know…” Akamatsu lightly scolded with a frown. Her words seemed to snap him out of a stupor as he suddenly shook his head and glanced away, rubbing his bright red hair awkwardly.

“Er, sorry. Lame as it is to say, I kinda spaced out for a minute there…” He semi-apologized before turning his greyish eyes in the opposite direction. Kaede’s lips thinned doubtfully.

“Spaced out, huh? You’re right; that is a lame explanation. But what did I do to screw things up? Is this still about whatever was on that tape...? Well, if it is, there’s not a lot I can do about it right now. At least he stopped, anyway...”

It seemed she wasn’t the only one displeased with her spot, however. “Oh, no. I do believe there’s been a mistake. Surely you don’t expect me to stand here next to these two …” Celeste’s dignified voice carried a slight growl to it as the gambler stared up at Monokuma challengingly. On either side of her podium stood an equally annoyed Gundham and Kaito, the Dark Lord’s arms crossed with a glower on his face while Kaito put a hand on his hips and rolled his eyes.

“Believe me, witch, it is hardly my desire to be anywhere near your foul aura, either. Fate mocks us both with this outcome...” Tanaka grumbled. Ludenberg quickly swiveled to him, her ferocious glare clear even with only part of her face visible from where Kaede stood.

“ My foul aura? I’m being lectured about foulness from the man that reeks of rodents and screams out absurdities at any given opportunity?” She demanded incredulously. “How ridiculous. I refuse.”

“Seriously? C’mon, don’t be such a baby!” Kaito scolded, in turn taking the gambler’s wrath upon himself.

“Says the other person with no volume control and even less self-awareness. Perhaps you’ve simply gone deaf, but I’d rather not lose my hearing between the two of you shouting all the time. Monokuma, surely there’s somewhere else I can stand.”

Despite herself, Kaede couldn’t help but hold a finger up. “Do you want to trade? I’d be fine taking your spot.”

Celeste turned to her, setting a hand over her mouth as she seemed to contemplate the offer for a long moment. Her eyes shifted slightly to the people flanking Kaede on either side, and after a moment, the goth shook her head slightly. “Tempting, truly, but being next to Teruteru is perhaps the only worse position than my current one.”

“I’m glad you think so, because no one’s changing seats with anyone else! I spent a lot of time coming up with this set up, and I’m not reworking it on her royal majesty’s whims, so there! Now hurry up and find your seats!” Monokuma flatly refused. It didn’t take much longer to everyone to find their podiums, and soon all the surviving students stood in a grand circle.

“Lessee, one, two, three… fourteen, fifteen, yep! That’s everyone! Thank you all for coming!” Monokuma gleefully announced.

“Ain’t like we had much of a choice, you know…” Mondo pointed out with a scowl. Monokuma just shrugged.

“Well, free will is a lie and everything’s fictional, so who’s to say what’s a choice or not? Point being, after a way too long waiting period, we can finally begin the real meat and potatoes of this whole shebang! Now then, seeing as how a number of you guys didn’t hang around for very long last time, I’m going to be giving a basic explanation of the class trial before you step up to bat and things really heat up ,” The maniacal mammal segwayed, the emphasis of his words enough to make it clear exactly who he was referring to with his oh-so subtle digs. Kaede swallowed down the bitter anger threatening to poison her thoughts and forced herself to listen to Monokuma’s description. Her revenge would come when she found a way out of here and could make the monster behind all this pay. For now, she had to focus on getting this right. After giving the same line for line spiel as his explanation from her trial, Monokuma leaned back in his throne contentedly. “... Alrighty! And with that, I officially declare this class trial in session!”

Kaede made the first move. “Before anything else, I want to give whoever did this a chance to spare us all a lot of heartache and confess right now. If you’re the one that killed Hifumi, then please, just admit it,” She pleaded. Her words lingered in the air for several suffocatingly quiet moments before she let out a weary sigh. “... Alright then…”

Gundham fixed his red and grey eyes on her with a hard expression. “Surely you didn’t expect the killer to actually step forward after all the effort they put into concealing their wicked deeds, did you?”

Akamatsu shook her head defeatedly. “Honestly? No. But I wanted to at least give them a chance. Let’s get started, then.”

Tsumugi shifted awkwardly in place, her brow creased deeply. “Um… where exactly should we start? This is plainly a pretty big case.”

Leon gained a slightly cross expression as he held up a hand. “I’ve got an idea. This is gonna sound really stupid, but... did anyone find a bunch of numbers or something written in blood? ‘Cause if you did, flip them over and it probably spells out the killer’s name.” He asked, shockingly straight faced as he made that ridiculously specific claim.

Peko crossed her arms as she incredulously narrowed her fierce red eyes behind her glasses. “You’re joking. No one would leave such blatant and clear-cut evidence behind. It’s ridiculous to even suggest something like that.”

Celeste smiled cruelly as she met Kuwata’s gaze. “Indeed. It would take a truly idiotic person to miss a clue as damning as that, wouldn’t it, Leon?” She questioned with a mockingly innocent tone that made Leon’s face turn red with anger.

“Oh, like you knew what the hell that meant before that Kyoko chick pointed it out? Screw you, Celeste!” He snarled out, shaking a ringed fist at the gambler. After a moment of seemingly jostling the rage out of himself, the fiery-haired Ultimate crossed his arms with a huff. “Whatever, man. Just thought I’d ask, alright? Ya don’t have to jump down my throat over it.”

“... Did he seriously get caught because he didn’t notice someone wrote his name down? That… almost sounds like a joke.” Kaede somewhat shamefully thought to herself. On the outside, she shook her head. “No, it’s a fair thing to bring up. The sooner we have something to work off of, the better. We could spend hours going in circles if we don’t have something to focus on.”

“Then that is what we have to do. When fighting a tough opponent, the first step is to identify their weak points and target those before you attempt the more solid areas. That leaves the matter of which weak point we choose to strike first.” Sakura wisely intoned, her powerful arms folded like sheathed blades.

Kirumi bowed her head in agreement. “That seems an apt strategy. Perhaps it would be best to go over the basics of the case and see where the most misconceptions lie?”

“Ah, Gonta agree with that! Gonta not really good at mysteries, so basics would be very helpful!” The muscular man chimed in.

Mikan rather reluctantly raised a hand. “U-um, I’m s-sorry, b-but shouldn’t we start with everyone’s alibis? I-it seems like knowing what everyone was doing w-would be good to know…”

“A logical idea, but it’s inefficient at the moment. Given that the murder happened during nighttime, nearly everyone’s alibi is simply going to be that they were in bed, and there’s nothing anyone can say that can disprove that outright. Once the facts of the case are established, it will be easier to tell who’s lying or not.” Celeste dismissed. It wasn’t especially unkind, but Mikan still wilted at the objection all the same.

“O-oh… s-sorry…”

Chiaki gave a small nod. “It’s fine, Mikan. But I agree with Celeste, too. Things will go a lot more smoothly if we have some common ground.”

Kaito slammed his fists together determinedly. “Then let’s do it! Ready, Kaede?”

Akamatsu nodded confirmingly. “Kirumi, could you start us off?”

“Certainly. I’ll begin with the Monokuma File, and we’ll proceed from there.” Tojo said as she brought out her monopad, and with that, the first debate of the trial began.

Nonstop Debate: START!

“The victim, Mister Hifumi Yamada, was found dead in the Ultimate Pianist’s lab just before seven AM this morning by Kaede and myself. Approximately a minute later, Miss Ogami arrived, triggering the body discovery announcement.”

Korekiyo clicked his tongue as he held up a finger. “Pardon my intrusion, but that caught my interest. Sakura was not with you when you first found the body, you say?” He questioned, though it came across as more of a statement. His yellow eyes narrowed slightly. “If I may be blunt, what exactly were you doing so close by, and how did you know to investigate Kaede’s lab, Sakura?”

The towering woman bowed her head. “I was returning from a workout in my lab when I heard a scream. Fearing the worst, I ran to the source of it, and encountered Kaede and Kirumi.”

Kaede pursed her lips with a hint of embarrassment. “It’s true. I… was pretty shocked when we found Hifumi’s body. You were saying, Kirumi?”

“Right. There’s no specified time of death beyond the fact that it happened during nighttime. According to the Monokuma File, Mister Yamada died of excessive blood loss. At some point, he suffered two lacerations to the chest and a crushed skull without any other notable injuries.”

Gonta’s brow furrowed considerably, the giant boy somewhat shyly raising a hand. “Erm… lass-eh-rations? Sorry, Gonta not understand…”

“ It means he was stabbed .” Peko bluntly explained.

“Who cares about breaking out a dictionary right now? Seems like there was something hella more important than that!” Leon scoffed with an exaggerated frown as he crossed his arms in annoyance.

“Huh? What’s that?” Kaito asked with a confused look.

Leon rolled his eyes. “Seriously? Maybe the fact that we know he died getting his freaking head smashed in ?!”

BREAK!

Kaede shook her head. “You’ve got that wrong, Leon.”

Kuwata turned to her in clear confusion. “Huh? Why’re you so sure about that?”

“Because there’s evidence that proves there’s no way that’s how Hifumi died. Isn’t there, Mikan?”

The timid nurse flinched violently at the sound of her name, her greyish eyes going wide as they snapped to Kaede. “H-huh? M-me?” She sputtered out in slightly terrified surprise. Kaede offered her a reassuring look.

“Remember what you told me about your autopsy?” She lightly pressed. It turned out to be just what Tsumiki needed to snap back to reality as the nurse suddenly straightened up despite the nervous stammer shaking her words.

“O-oh! Yes! Um, when I was l-looking at Hifumi’s body, I noticed that the blood around his head wounds was thicker than it should have been if he was alive when his skull w-was crushed. Um… to put it simply, H-Hifumi had already been dead for hours when that happened...” Mikan elaborated as professionally as she could given the fact that it looked like a strong wind could send her flying.

Leon tilted his head to the side in bafflement. “Huh? Hold on a second, you’re saying he was dead for hours ?” He parroted, before disgusted horror began spreading across his features. “Wh- dude ! What kinda sick psycho does sh*t like that?”

“Probably the same kind of person that stabs people to death in the first place…” Tsumugi unhelpfully added with a frown.

“That’s irrelevant right now. Throwing labels around is meaningless until we have a better understanding of how the crime happened and who committed it. That should be what we’re discussing.” The Ultimate Swordswoman firmly reasserted, drawing a nod from Kaede.

“Peko’s right. We have to get all the facts before we worry about anything else.”

Tojo cupped her chin in thought. “Perhaps the first thing we should establish is what precisely was used to kill Mister Yamada. Miss Nanami, were you and Miss Tsumiki able to identify anything that might have been the murder weapon?”

Chiaki shook her head apologetically. “Sorry, but no. We looked around as much as we could, but nothing seemed to match up.”

“Maybe they threw it out the window when they were done with it? That’d make sure no one could find it.” Teruteru suggested, only to be countered by the Ultimate Entomologist of all people.

“Uh, Gonta no think that possible. Isn’t it rule that no evidence get thrown in ocean? If killer destroy clue that way, wouldn’t they be punished?”

Their captor decided to chime in at that with a gleeful tone. “Yep! We here in the business of despair are very eco-conscious! We don’t want a bunch of evidence wasting away at the bottom of the sea, where the only things getting killed are sea turtles and fish! It’s much more exciting to have it here, where it can help kill some of you guys! Anyone that tries to dispose of evidence that way will find themselves going overboard next!” Monokuma gleefully elaborated.

“Mister Gokuhara and Monokuma are correct. Rule fifteen makes it explicitly clear that disposing of evidence that way is considered a serious violation of the rules,” Kirumi confirmed as she looked up from her monopad. Setting the device to the side, the maid once again bowed her head. “Given that everyone but the victim is present, we can say with absolute certainty that the killer did not do as Mister Hanamura theorized.”

Celeste let out an almost disappointed sigh. “Loath as I am to even partially agree, Teruteru’s suggestion is not wholly idiotic. It is possible the killer put the weapon somewhere we wouldn’t think to look.”

Kaito pulled at his goatee as he theorized aloud. “Somewhere we wouldn’t think to look, huh...? Hey, wait a second!” He suddenly shouted, his eyes going wide with realization as they locked on Korekiyo. “Back during our game, Kiyo stuck the murder weapon inside of a statue. Do you think the killer this time could’ve done something similar?”

Shinguji let out a considering hum as he wrapped his arms around himself. “An astute observation, Kaito. I’m unsure if anyone that survived my trial would risk copying my tactics while I’m still alive, but the possibility is certainly on the table.”

Nanami held up a finger as she spoke. “Actually, I was thinking about that, too. There was a case like that in my game, so I kept an eye out for anything that might’ve been a secret weapon. I even checked all the meat in the kitchen by pulling on the bones, but-”

“Wh- now hold on a minute!” Teruteru suddenly shouted out, the tiny chef rounding on the gamer with an aghast look on his face. “Now why would you go and do something like that?! That’s… that’s unthinkable!”

Gundham scoffed, glowering at the portly cook. “You speak as if we’ve forgotten that was your treacherous deception to begin with, Teruteru.”

Hanamura angrily shook his fists. “That’s beside the point! The point is you’re telling me you went and touched my meat without asking?! Sacre bleu, Chiaki!”

The girl in question just stared at him in blank incomprehension as Tsumugi scrunched her face a little. “Um… I can’t tell if this is more innuendo, or if he’s serious right now…”

“Serious as a damn heart attack! Do you have any idea how unsanitary that is?! I’m gonna have to throw all of it out now! There’s a reason you always use protection no matter how much you want to feel it!” He furiously protested.

“... He either has no idea what he sounds like right now, or every idea. I don’t know which is worse…!” Kaede thought with a wince. Deciding she’d heard quite enough about Teruteru’s meat being violated, she butted into the conversation. “Hey, we’re getting off track here, guys. Teruteru, I’m really sorry about your… ingredients , but we really have to focus on the investigation right now. You can sort this out later.”

The Ultimate Chef’s glare lost some of its edge until it finally faded into a sulk. “... A-alright, fine. I can show her the right way to handle someone’s meat later…” He begrudgingly condeded, and just this once, Kaede decided to pretend he meant that in the least sexual way possible.

Kirumi politely cleared her throat, drawing the attention of the court. “If we’re finished with that matter for now, I’m afraid we still haven’t addressed where exactly the weapon could have been hidden. I believe knowing the places it could have been kept could help identify what was used to begin with.”

“... H-hey… we’re overlooking something pretty obvious, y’know?” Leon somewhat hesitantly spoke up, looking at Kaede… or, rather, past Kaede. The musician quirked an eyebrow as he followed his gaze all the way to the Ultimate Swordswoman.

Peko narrowed her eyes, her glare as sharp as a blade through the lenses of her glasses. “If you have an accusation to make, say it.”

Kuwata visibly stiffened at that, a hint of color draining from his face, but he slowly swallowed it down and followed through on his statement. “... You know what? Yeah, I’m saying it coulda been you!”

Akamatsu looked between the two in shock. “Peko could have been the culprit…? I can’t deny that it’s possible, but… is that really true…? I better listen in and see if there’s anything wrong with his argument…”

Nonstop Debate: START!

“Hold on, what’s making you say Peko did it?!” Kaito immediately interrupted with a challenging look.

“I would also like an explanation. As far as I’m aware, she’s done nothing to warrant suspicion…” Ogami added, staring at Leon expectantly.

The Ultimate Baseball Pro threw a hand out in Peko’s direction with a somewhat strangled cry of frustration. “Seriously?! C’mon, you all know what I mean! She’s literally carrying a sword on her right now! Don’t you think that’s suspicious ?!”

Pekoyama tensed her jaw as more and more eyes drifted towards her, the warrior’s podium sliding into the center of the court as a red spotlight faintly glowed from above and the other podiums slowly began circling her. “My sword is bamboo. While I won’t deny that it’s still capable of killing, it is impossible for it to have stabbed Hifumi.”

Chiaki nodded in assent. “It’s true. It’s completely blunt.”

“But can we be certain your sword is the one in the sheath right now?” Celeste questioned, resting a fist on her chin to mask her expression.

Sakura’s eyebrows twitched slightly as she fixed the gambler with a questioning look. “I don’t understand. Who else’s sword could she have?”

“Oh! I think I know this one!” Tsumugi much too excitedly interjected. “You’re saying she’s the one who took the sword from the casino , right?”

“I’m stating that it’s a possibility, at least,” Ludenberg corrected. “Certainly, it would be rather foolish to commit murder with a weapon people know you have.”

“If Peko did have another sword,” Gundham rumbled. “Then even if she is indeed carrying her usual blade, we cannot ignore the possibility that she killed him with it and stowed it elsewhere . Perhaps she pierced the veil and left it in another realm?”

The Ultimate Cosplayer seemed to space out. “A swordswoman so skilled, she can cut through reality itself? I wonder if she ever ate an Op-Op fruit …”

BREAK!

“Actually, that’s something we can be sure she didn’t do!” Kaede shouted out, pointing a finger up with a proud look of realization.

“Yeah! There’s no way someone can use a sword to cut through the universe itself! The idea’s completely ridiculous!” Momota barked out with a fist in the air. Kaede’s burst of confidence fumbled slightly, her finger curling downward with a frown.

“Er… that’s true, but that’s not what I meant. There’s no way Peko could have used the sword from the casino to kill Hifumi. Mondo knows what I mean.”

Mondo’s eyes lit with comprehension as he caught on to what she was talking about. “Yeah, come to think of it. You’re talking about the fake one we found in Hifumi’s room, right?” The biker asked. Kaede nodded.

“Yep! During the investigation, we ended up finding a sword that matches up with the one missing from the casino. I thought it could’ve been the murder weapon, but not only did it not have any blood on it, it wasn’t even a real sword. It was just a really convincing looking paper mache prop,” Kaede explained, a grin spreading across her features as she clasped her hands together. “So, seeing as how we found it and it wasn’t real, I’m confident there’s no way Peko could have used it!”

A general murmur of debate resonated throughout the courtroom as the gathered students mulled over the information. Peko’s stand gradually shifted back into place, the swordswoman inclining her head gratefully towards the ex-pianist. “Thank you, Kaede. While that should be proof enough, if you’re not yet convinced, let me ask: if I were the culprit, why would I use a sword and implicate myself at all?”

Leon looked a bit uneasy, his lips curling in uncertainty as he glanced away, rubbing his head. “... Tch… I guess that’d be kinda obvious, huh? I… whatever. Sorry.”

Peko’s expression didn’t change, but she offered a nod in the redhead’s direction. “The matter’s been resolved, so it can be put aside.”

For a moment, Kaede had thought her argument had worked flawlessly. Unfortunately, after a moment, a low chuckle from Korekiyo echoed in the spacious hall as the anthropologist's snakish eyes bored into her. “Keheheh… is that so?”

Mondo glowered at Shinguji, his lips morphing into a slight snarl. “What’s so funny about that?”

The lanky teen shook his head, running his fingers along the brim of his cap. “My apologies. It’s simply that it seems rather convenient. You found almost completely exonerating evidence that just so happens to come up when someone becomes the prime suspect, when no one else was around to confirm that discovery… if I may be blunt, Kaede, surely even you can see how this seems, especially given your defense of Shuichi in your trial.”

The orange-haired man let out a growl as his sneer worsened. “Hey, weren’t you listening, asshole? I was with her when she found it!”

“And I was in the same room! You callin’ all three of us liars?!” Kaito angrily demanded. Korekiyo clicked his tongue.

“Not necessarily. I was under the impression that only Kaede and Mondo were present for this supposed discovery. It’s less likely for three people to lie than two… but not impossible. Besides, that’s not the only thing I find odd,” He remarked, unphased by the infuriated looks he was getting from the pair. Instead, he focused his attention on Kaede, meeting her gaze with a hint of intrigue. “You claim you were in Hifumi’s room. While it’s reasonable to search the victim’s domicile for clues, I find it curious, given my other concern. Is there anyone who can confirm what you say?”

Before Kaede could respond, an almost disappointed hum from Celeste drew everyone’s attention. “I’ll admit, I was hoping this matter could stay discrete, but clearly the opportunity for that has passed. Seeing as how it’s bound to come up sooner or later, I’ll simply save us the trouble of a debate and clarify this now: I asked Kaede to investigate Hifumi’s room, and when we parted ways, she did so with Kaito and Mondo. Given that, I am inclined to believe she’s being truthful.” The Ultimate Gambler conceded, much to Kaede’s shock.

“Celeste coming to the rescue? Huh. Maybe I’ve been a bit too harsh on her…” Akamatsu noted, offering the woman in question a grateful smile.

“U-um…” A painstakingly shy voice muttered from dead ahead. Kaede turned to see Mikan somewhat hesitantly raising her hand, as if a pack of wolves would suddenly descend upon her if she moved too quickly. Visibly mustering up all her courage, the nurse spoke up in her defense as well. “K-Kaede, Mondo, and K-Kaito were definitely in Hifumi’s r-room together. Chiaki a-and I met them there. S-so, um, I believe them.” She said with the closest thing to confidence Kaede had ever seen in the frightful girl. Chiaki gave a confirming nod with a soft smile, and with that, Akamatsu was confident that she was in the clear.

“Does that prove it, Kiyo?” She questioned.

Korekiyo bowed his head slightly, tipping his hat. “Yes. Your story is quite inarguable, it seems. Very well; I concede my point and apologize for my suspicion, though I’m sure you understand the need for it.”

Kaede thinned her lips, but nodded concedingly. Peko crossed her arms, her back straight as a rod as she spoke decisively. “Then it’s agreed that the sword from the casino could not have been the murder weapon. Are there any other theories for what it could have been?”

The first to speak up was Kirumi, though the maid seemed almost hesitant to state her theory. “If I may, there’s something I still find concerning about this. Kaede, you said the sword was paper mache, correct?”

Akamatsu tilted her head curiously as she answered. “Right. It’s a little strange, but what seems wrong about it?”

“Wrong? Nothing on its own… but there’s something we’re overlooking regarding that. As strange as it may seem, it would be less peculiar for Hifumi to have had a real sword than a prop given where we are. While I have no doubt that the sword you found was indeed a fake, are we certain it was actually the sword from the casino?”

Kaede’s brow furrowed in uncertainty. “Er… I don’t follow. How could it have been a fake if-”

Mondo’s head snapped up, cognition clear in his features. “Hold on. I think I get it, actually. Yamada was a total f*ckin’ nerd. That’d probably mean he knew about costumes and sh*t like that, right?” He suggested, sounding decently confident in his deduction. Tojo gave a light shake of his head.

“While that’s certainly possible, Mister Owada, there’s unfortunately a larger suspect if my suspicions are true. It brings me no joy to say this, but surely creating a paper mache replica of a real weapon they possessed would hardly be a challenge for someone like the Ultimate Cosplayer. Would it, Miss Shriogane?” The maid accused, a nearly apologetic yet determined glint shining in her visible eye as she focused on the startled girl in question.

“Another accusation with this sword at the heart of it… is it really that important, or is this all part of someone’s plan? I guess there’s only one way to find out…” The former Ultimate Pianist steeled herself for another round of debate as they once again began to circle around a suspect like sharks in bloodied water.

Nonstop Debate: START!

“H-huh? Me? But… that’d be a horrible misuse of cosplay! I could never shame my passion like that!” Tsumugi cried out in dismay.

“That’s worse than being accused of killin’ a guy?” Mondo groused.

Ignoring his comment, Kirumi continued. “Your experience with costume design would mean you would be familiar with how to create props like the one Kaede described , and your closeness with Mister Yamada would provide you with the opportunity to plant it in his room.”

“Yet the same could apply for Hifumi as well. Though it might not have been his talent, he made his appreciation quite clear during our discussions. He could also have had the weapon and made a duplicate for one reason or another...” Shinguji pointed out.

Tsumugi wringed her hands as her face took on a faint shade of blue. “I plainly don’t think either of us did it! I mean, where would we even get cosplay supplies here?”

Gundham looked at the bluenette doubtfully. “Knowing Monokuma, the gift shop is bound to be rife with instruments of pandemonium . It’s not impossible to think one could gather whatever ingredients of catastrophe they needed aboard this ship.”

“I have to agree. While Mister Yamada may have been able to do it, it would be irresponsible to ignore Miss Shriogane’s skill at such things, especially given the fact that she’s been alone for vast spans of time lately,” Kirumi reasserted. “If there is some proof for your defense, please, share it. But as it stands, there’s nothing to say you didn’t purchase the sword previously and then spend that time afterwards creating the false sword.”

BREAK!

A flash of inspiration struck Kaede like a lightning bolt, her eyes snapping open as an idea formed. “Hold on a second, Kirumi. I think there actually is something that can prove it. Celeste, you said the sword was still in the casino when you left it yesterday, right? Do you remember around what time that was?”

Ludenberg let out a soft hum as she raised an ironclad finger to her lips in thought. “Hmm… I should say approximately four-thirty in the evening. Is there something you’ve realized?”

“I think so. I don’t know a lot about arts and crafts, but paper mache takes a while to dry, doesn’t it?” Akamatsu pressed.

Tsumugi’s lips tugged downward. “Well, I’d say yes, but that’s plainly suspicious coming from the main suspect…” She lamented. Thankfully for her, there happened to be another expert to back her up.

“Then allow me to confirm. You are correct, Kaede; even the most efficient methods take at least twenty-four hours before they are ready. It’s been practiced for over two-thousand years, but there has yet to be a technique that can speed the process without compromising its integrity. Did you know it was originally used by warriors of the Han dynasty of China to craft helmets? To make such equipment out of mere paper… humanity’s ingenuity is truly incredible…” Korekiyo noted in a scholarly tone. After a moment, he shook his head. “Ah, but that’s beside the point. More to the matter at hand, paper mache most certainly requires a large investment of time.”

“Yeah! I remember making a paper mache model of a rocket as a kid. It took a full day for just the base to dry before I could even get started painting the thing. Looked awesome when it was done, but I was in it for the long haul.” Kaito mentioned with a nostalgic smirk.

Kaede nodded as she confidently held up a finger. “Then that proves that there’s no way Tsumugi or Hifumi made a duplicate!”

Kiyo chuckled, the corners of his mask visibly lifting in a grin. “Keheheh… yes, I believe I know where you’re going with this. Cleverly played.”

Teruteru tapped his fingers together uncertainly. “Erm, maybe you could shine a light on it for the rest of us? I don’t quite understand…”

“Think about it. If they wanted to make a decent copy, they’d probably have to get a pretty close look at it, right? But Celeste just said that it was still in the exchange counter when she left, so we know that it must have been there until at least half-past four yesterday. If they bought it any time after that, even if they copied it right away, there’s no way it would be dry enough to look like the real thing by the time we found it!”

Kirumi’s eyes widened in shock. “Which means that it would be impossible for either of them to have made the false sword…” She concluded, raising a hand to her mouth as she solved the puzzle. Turning her sights back to Tsumugi, she bowed her head apologetically, her hands folding into each other in front of her. “... It seems I’ve made a grave error in judgement. For that, I offer you my sincerest apologies, Miss Shirogane.”

Tsumugi rubbed at her arm with a small sigh. “It’s fine. I guess it was just plainly bad luck that things happened like this... ah, but maybe that means I’m in for really good luck going forward!” She more chipperly noted.

“Alright, so we proved Tsumugi didn’t do it! Nice one, guys!” Kaito enthusiastically declared. Not everyone was quite as passionate, however, as Celeste was quick to correct him.

“Kaede proved she did not forge the sword, and nothing more. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves and start unreasonably removing suspects from the list.”

Tsumugi deflated slightly. “... Oh. I guess I still have to wait for that luck to kick in…”

Sakura let out a low hum. “We can’t waste time arguing about who the culprit is before we solve the rest of the crime, especially as we’ve yet to solve the mystery of where the real sword is.”

The blackened once more fell into a general chatter without any real ideas being put forth. After a short period, Gokuhara thinned his lips as he gave a less than confident suggestion. “Um… maybe this ‘cause Gonta not smart, but what if real sword is fake?”

Leon looked at him like the biggest idiot in the world, his eyes narrowed in a flat look of disbelief. “How can the real one be the fake one? What kinda sense does that make?”

Despite Leon’s confusion, the words clicked instantly for Kaede. “Actually, I think Gonta’s right. This whole time, we’ve been working off the theory that the sword from the casino must have been a real one that went missing, but maybe we’re just totally overcomplicating things. For all we know, it was always just a prop.”

Peko’s mouth drew into a thin line. “Which would render almost all of our debate so far null and void… if it was a trick to send us down the wrong path, the culprit certainly succeeded.”

Kaito let out a cross of a growl and a scoff. “There’s no way all that could’ve been for nothing!” He shouted out angrily, earning a well-hidden wince and significantly less subtle glare from Celeste.

Mondo mirrored his expression, crossing his arms. “... You know what? f*ck this bullsh*t. Hey, Monokuma!” He demanded as his snakish eyes turned to the bear silently watching them all. The captain tilted his head exaggeratedly, raising a paw to one ear as his black eye seemed to squint.

“Hmm? Did you guys hear something just now?” He asked innocently, pointedly looking at the stands furthest away from the biker. “I thought I did, but surely one of my darling students would take on a nicer tone before asking me something!”

Mondo took a decidedly not nice tone in response to that condescending remark. “Are you… HEY! Don’t f*ck with me, asshole! I’m asking you a goddamn question!”

“There’s that noise again! Did I leave one of the windows open?” The monochrome monster wondered aloud.

Owada’s face exploded into indignant fury as the outlaw slammed a fist down on his podium with a mighty thump . Kaede tried to ignore the spike of fear that shot up her spine seeing Mondo’s fury, focusing on Monokuma to keep from triggering something that’d throw her off. “WAS THE PIECE A sh*t A FAKE OR NOT?!” He roared out. After a moment, he blinked, some of his rage seeming to taper off as he squeezed his fists and took a deep, bullish breath before settling for glaring daggers at their kidnapper.

Monokuma didn’t say anything for several moments as he simply tilted his head side to side as if he was trying to pinpoint a troublesome noise, Mondo’s enraged scowl slowly starting to return more and more with each second until Gonta held up a hand. “Um, Monokuma?”

The so-called captain turned to him without a second of hesitation. “Ah, yes, Mister Gokuhara?”

“Was sword real or fake whole time?”

Mondo stared at the two in mild disbelief. “Un-f*ckin’-believable…” He muttered with a scowl, his outrage promptly ignored in favor of the discussion at hand.

Monokuma crossed his arms with a slight huff. “Geez, what kind of phony do you kids take me for? Of course, it was a one-hundred percent certified, Monokuma approved prize as real as you or me! I wouldn’t charge for nonexistent prizes!” He sidestepped flawlessly.

Kaede crossed her arms at the bear warningly. “That’s not what he asked and you know it! Stop messing with us already!”

“Messing with you? I’m not the one who made a big ol’ mess in one of my painstakingly created talent labs!”

Kaede felt her blood begin to boil, the ex-pianist ready to bark out another condemnation for the disgusting creature in front of her. Before she had the opportunity, though, a soft but firm voice asserted itself in the conversation. “... Monokuma, if you don’t tell us one way or the other, the trial isn’t going to go anywhere. That wouldn’t be very fun for you, would it?” Nanami pointed out, the small girl fearlessly gazing up at him.

Monokuma once again fell silent, but the stuffed animal lacked any of the mocking movement from earlier. His gaze was focused solely on Chiaki as he remained as still as the dead, unreadable thoughts swirling in the dark mind behind his cutesy design. At long last, in a voice lacking any of his usual mirth and showmanship, he muttered a confirmation. “... Hm. Alright. The sword from the casino was never an actual weapon, and there are no duplicates of it anywhere aboard the ship.”

Kaede’s eyes widened in shock. That… that worked? She couldn’t believe that Monokuma had actually given them a straight answer without any hint of trickery, yet clearly the threat of boredom was enough to spur him into playing nice for once. It was unnerving to hear him speak so calmly, the piercingly high notes of his ridiculous gameshow act almost seeming pleasant compared to the sinister unflappability he now embraced.

The mutual surprise of the class didn’t last forever, though. “R-really? S-so i-it’s not the murder weapon?” Mikan asked, her voice full of intrigue and astonishment tinged with the hesitant fear that hung over the nurse like a cloud.

Just as quickly as it had disappeared, Monokuma’s trademark chipperness came back full force. “Yessiree! It’s just a fun prize for the dedicated anime geeks aboard to waste their time and money trying to collect, and boy did our late Yamada do a lot of that! In other words, it’s basically completely unrelated to the case at hand!”

“Wh- so all that was a waste of time?!” Leon sputtered out resentfully, balling his fists in front of him.

“Corrrrect~!”

The baseball star looked like he was about to explode.“I-wh- no! That’s bullsh*t, man! Why didn’t you say something like half an hour ago if you knew this was pointless?!”

“Because it was still entertaining half an hour ago! Now, it’s getting a bit dull, so I’m giving you a hint so you can spice things up again. Now, unless you want to use up your precious few hours before voting time arguing with yours truly, you might want to start solving this mystery! Puhuhuhu!”

“For all these efforts to have been for naught… truly, you are a blight beyond words…” Gundham growled out with a sideways glare towards the robot.

It was definitely demoralizing to find out one of the key points of their arguments was a red herring the entire time. Regardless, Kaede refused to give up that easily. “Guys, we can’t get stuck on this! We have to keep things going if we’re ever going to solve this case!”

“Kaede is correct. As unfortunate as it is, this setback means we must try even harder than before to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible.” Tojo steadfastly backed her up, soon followed by Kaito’s own gruff decree.

“Yeah! So stop sitting around crying about when you can use that energy to push forward! We’ve got this as long as everyone plays their part!”

“I-I’m sorry! I-I won’t cry!” Mikan shrilly apologized, flinching violently at Kaito’s exclamation as tears formed in her eyes despite her words. A sort of tired pity came over Kaede as she prepared to yet again tell Tsumiki that she didn’t have to apologize for things she didn’t do, but unfortunately, the trial steamed on ahead before she had the chance.

Celeste idly flicked her hair back, only the barest hint of aggravation slipping past her usual mask. “We cannot abide more idle chatter. Our time would be far better spent figuring out what exactly killed Hifumi if all of our theories thus far have been wrong.”

Chiaki pursed her lips, the gears practically visibly turning in her head. “Whatever they used, it’s something they were pretty careful about making sure no one noticed it was gone…”

“So what the hell did they take? It’s not like there’s a lotta sh*t you can take and stab a guy to death without people noticing.” Mondo pointed out.

Teruteru rubbed his chin. “Chiaki and Mikan already said it wasn’t anything in the kitchen, and if it wasn’t that sword either, I can’t think of anything that’d be able to stab a guy like a pork roast...”

Kaede let out a somewhat cross sigh. The bloodied shot put ball had made this part of the crime a non-issue, yet it was without a doubt one of the most confusing ones this go around. “Well, it had to be something ! They couldn’t have done what they did without some kind of weapon. There’s gotta be something we overlooked.”

Kaito reached up and scratched the back of his spiky hair. “Don’t get me wrong, I agree with ya. But we’ve been talking about the murder weapon for a while now, and we’re still not a whole lot closer to figuring out what it was. Maybe there was somewhere we didn’t look?”

“Impossible, I’m afraid. I’m certain that every possible room of interest was explored by myself or someone else at some point or another during this investigation. Were it as simple as an unexplored room, I’m confident Monokuma would have provided some sort of hint to maintain the fairness of the trial as he just did with the false sword.” Korekiyo dismissed with a shake of his head. An uncertain quiet enveloped the trial hall, no one quite sure what to say or do given the apparent dead end they’d run into despite their best efforts. Akamatsu looked around at her fellow blackened as a pit seemed to form in her stomach.

“... Does anyone have any ideas?” She finally asked, to another wall of silence. Just as the dread was truly starting to settle in, however, someone spoke up.

“Hmm… maybe we should try something else. We could put the murder weapon aside for a while and try figuring it out after we’ve looked at some of the other clues. That might help us understand what we aren’t getting... I think.” Chiaki suggested in a soft voice, her cotton candy-colored eyes slowly scanning across the courtroom.

Kirumi’s lips quirked downward, the maid slightly inclining her head. “I’m afraid we might not have any option but to do that. We’ve exhausted every possible avenue of discussion for the weapon… though this brings up the question of what exactly we move onto instead.”

“If I may make a suggestion,” Celeste said, slightly raising her voice to ensure everyone’s attention was on her. “Though it might seem rather self-evident, I cannot help but wonder about the crime scene. I believe addressing those concerns could be the most important step to understanding this murder.”

“I agree. There are a number of things I was thinking about myself. Perhaps solving those will help lessen the burden of the case at large.” Sakura said with a concurring nod.

Gundham closed his eyes, arms crossed and lips thinned in thought. “Then if this is the path fate leads us towards, it would do us well to follow it. Very well! Let us begin!”

Kaede tried her best to keep a neutral face during this even as she felt herself begin to tense. “The crime scene… I have a feeling I know where this is going. Just keep it cool. I know I didn’t do this, and there’s enough proof to show that’s true. I just need to find the right time to present it…”

Nonstop Debate: START!

Celeste spoke up, her hands neatly folded in her lap as she directed her ruby eyes towards the blonde. “As previously stated, Hifumi’s body was found in your lab, correct, Kaede?”

Kaede cringed a little, but nodded. “Yeah. Kirumi and I were the first ones to find him.”

“Gonta kind of confused. Gonta thought labs could lock, but Hifumi got in somehow. Can Kaede’s not?” The entomologist asked, his red eyes sparked with somewhat hesitant curiosity.

Akamatsu rubbed her elbow, an odd sense of shame washing over her. “I didn’t bother to. I didn’t think anyone would use it for… this.”

“Erm… I’ll admit that I haven’t really thought about it until now, but that’s plainly suspicious , isn’t it?” Shirogane said uncertainly. “I mean, it’s not that I want to suspect you or anything, Kaede, b-but it’s not easy to overlook considering he was in your lab, and since you were the first killer last time…”

Kaito slammed a fist down on his podium with a furious glower. “Hey! What kinda bullcrap logic is that? This case is nothing like hers besides being the first!” He angrily roared out, the Ultimate Cosplayer flinching slightly at his wrath.

“Hang on a sec! I agree with… uh, sorry, what was your name?” Leon asked the bluenette, who gave a small pout at already having been partly forgotten.

“Tsumugi-”

“Yeah! Tsumugi’s got a point!” He excitedly declared. His energy died off considerably as he turned to Kaede, but he continued nonetheless. “I mean… it doesn’t totally mean you’re the killer, but it still seems pretty important to me. Like, what the hell was he doing in there when he got killed , anyway? We can’t just ignore hella suspicious stuff like that!”

Kirumi looked at him with a touch of hardness entering her stoic features. “That’s not the same as evidence of guilt, Mister Kuwata. If I may be blunt, you should take a more measured approach .”

BREAK!

The contradiction was blindingly apparent to Kaede, who instantly latched onto it. “Actually, I think you’re on the right track, Leon. You’re just jumping the gun a little.”

Leon’s suspicious look quickly turned to bewilderment at her apparent support. Chiaki looked at her curiously from just behind the athlete as he asked a rather blunt question. “You… huh? What do you mean by that?”

Kaede held up a finger confidently as she met Kuwata’s gaze. “It is pretty weird that Hifumi was in my lab… especially because we know for a fact that’s not where he died. Don’t we, Kiyo?”

The Ultimate Anthropologist waved a hand like a lecturing professor as he began to explain. “Indeed. Hifumi bled to death from his stab wounds, which necessitates all of that ichor to have gone somewhere. Given the pool of blood we discovered in Sakura’s lab, the true crime scene is rather apparent. It’s impossible for him to have died in Kaede’s lab.”

“Furthermore, were Kaede truly the killer, it would be exceptionally unintelligent of her to not only kill someone in her own lab, but leave his body there on top of it. If anything, we could tentatively consider that a point of evidence in favor of her innocence considering the sheer incompetence it would require.” Celeste added with a neutral expression.

Kaede couldn’t help the slight furrowing of her brow. Ludenberg’s point was logical and the defense was certainly welcome… but what did she get out of it? Perhaps her suspicion was just another mark of her many failings, but if there was one thing she knew for certain about the Ultimate Gambler, it was that she always had an idea for how to make things go in her favor. “Is she genuinely being helpful, or is she planning something...?”

Regardless of her own suspicions, there was a much more notable reaction to the exchange in the form of Sakura. The Ultimate Martial Artist stared at Shinguji in clear shock, her silver eyes wide with disbelief. “Hold on. You discovered blood in my lab? Where?”

“We found a large pool of blood in the archery range hidden under some shifted gravel. Presumably, this was the killer’s doing.” Peko clarified.

The blonde leader nodded confirmingly. “Whoever did it wanted to cover up their tracks, at least for a little while, so-”

“Your stance is weak.”

Akamatsu was so thrown off by the sudden, blunt refusal that she could only blink in surprise at Sakura. Ogami’s jaw formed a steely line, confusion hardened by disbelief warping her usually measured expression. “H-huh? Sakura?”

“There’s no explanation for how he could have died there. Of that, I’m certain.” She decreed, her voice firm and unwaveringly.

Kaede frowned at her with a questioning look. “He couldn't have...? But Kaito and I saw the blood, too. It was definitely there.”

Sakura shook her head once again. “That is something I don’t know about, but I am certain we both know why that cannot be the case, and why your argument is critically weak.”

CROSSBLADE DEBATE!

“You say that Hifumi was killed in my lab…

but there is no way that could have happened.

I cannot say for certain whose blood was in my lab,

or how it might have gotten there,

yet it is beyond question that he could not have died there.

You should know exactly why that’s the case, Kaede.”

ADVANCE!

Kaede threw a hand out to the side as she spoke, brow furrowed in doubt.

“You keep saying that, Sakura,

but you aren’t explaining why.

I don’t want to doubt you, but you aren’t making much sense!

Please, if you have proof, just tell us why it’s so impossible!”

Sakura bowed her head slightly with a hum.

“I assumed the reasoning was obvious, but it seems I was mistaken.

The proof of why he couldn’t have been killed in my lab

is our meeting this morning. When I finished my meditating,

I left and locked the entrances behind me.

I do this every time I leave my lab, and it stays that way until I return...

so it would be impossible for him or the killer to enter without my knowledge.”

BREAK!

Kaede couldn’t hold back the disappointed frown that spread across her features. “Sakura… why did you lie just now?”

Though there was certainly a flash of offended anger in her gaze, Sakura managed to keep a relatively level tone as she spoke. “... What exactly did I lie about?”

“You said you lock both doors to your lab every time you leave… but I know for a fact that at least one person’s been to your lab without you unlocking it,” The ex-pianist pressed, crossing her arms in dismay. “Right, Peko?”

The silver-haired warrior nodded, her lips thinned and reddish eyes narrowed in a mix of suspicion and slight reluctance. “Yes. You said the doors are always locked, but I was able to access your lab without any problems whenever I wanted. The side entrance has never been locked… including when I went there last night.”

“You told me you went to your lab around nine-twenty last night, Sakura, but Peko says she was using the dojo almost a full hour beforehand. And even if she wasn’t telling the truth about that, it wouldn’t explain why the rest of us were able to go in there to investigate when Monokuma never mentioned unlocking the doors-”

“Which, by the way, I didn’t!” The bear oh-so-helpfully called out from his throne.

“-So that still means that what you said about the doors isn’t true,” Kaede finished almost lamentfully. She hated the air of doubt that settled over the room following her words, a thick tension descending upon them like a cloud as Sakura was both metaphorically and literally brought into the spotlight of suspicion. It felt wrong and ugly, but there was little choice in the matter. Giving the muscular woman a pleading look, Kaede repeated her question. “Given all that, Sakura… why did you lie about it?”

Despite being called out on her lie, however, there was no sign of the unique nervous energy of an exposed liar like she’d felt at her own trial in Sakura’s body language. Instead, the only clear reaction she had was complete bewilderment, her eyebrows knitting together in uncertainty. “I… do not know what to say. I cannot explain this contradiction, but I swear on my honor as an Ogami that I’m not trying to decieve you. I’ve always enabled the lock after stepping out of my lab.”

“But can you produce evidence to back this claim? Anything can be claimed to be reality, but there is a fine line separating it and the realm of fiction.” Gundham countered, his rumbling baritone challenging the suspect.

“And I’m sure you can see where our suspicions will go next if you are indeed lying…” Celeste added with a perfectly blank expression.

Pekoyama folded her arms, her gaze sharp but not unempathetic. “But if you are telling the truth, there’s bound to be evidence that supports it. We simply have to find out what it is.”

Kaede nodded in assent. “I really want to be wrong about this, so whatever you come up with, I’m willing to hear you out.”

Sakura’s surprise gave way to gratefulness, twitching a phantom of a smile before she closed her eyes in thought. “I see. In that case…” She trailed off, silent thoughts forming together just below the surface. After a few moments, a single eye slid open, determination glinting in the silver orb. “... I have a theory.”

“Let’s hear it! The more people we can prove innocent, the better!” Kaito encouraged with a grin. The fighter didn’t quite share his enthusiasm, but did as he said.

“There is the possibility that I made a faulty assumption. Until now, I thought both entrances to my lab were controlled by the same lock. However, if the other door was open despite locking the main door as I left, then perhaps each door has their own lock.”

Shirogane let out a small hum. “Hmm… that would make things pretty simple, but it doesn’t seem like an easy thing to prove…”

Kaede crossed her arms, tapping her finger against her elbow in consideration. “I think there was a scanner by the door, but that could still work if both doors were connected…” She reluctantly noted, her lips thinning. She did want to believe her, and the theory sounded decently plausible. The only problem was that she couldn’t think of anything that could prove it, but… “Hang on!” She suddenly blurted out as realization struck her like a thunderbolt. “I think I know how to prove it! Just a few minutes ago, Monokuma said he didn’t unlock either of the doors to Sakura’s lab for the investigation. However, while the side door was open, the main door was still locked like Sakura said she did. If Monokuma didn’t mess with the doors, then that must mean she’s telling the truth, and each one works independently!”

“Which means Miss Ogami could have locked one door mistakenly thinking it sealed both while unwittingly allowing people to come and go as they please,” Kirumi summed up, holding up a hand demonstratively. “And thus, consciously or not, the killer took advantage of this when they murdered Mister Yamada.”

“S-so both Kaede and Sakura are right? H-Hifumi died in Sakura’s lab, and th-the lock made it seem impossible despite that?” Mikan sought to confirm.

Chiaki nodded gravely. “I think that’s right. That’d explain why all the blood was there, and why it didn’t seem like an option at first. That leaves figuring out how he ended up in Kaede’s lab if he died there, but it’s a start, at least.”

Sakura’s features darkened, her eyes seeming to become black voids of simmering rage. “Then it’s true… whoever did this took a life in a dojo marked with my family’s crest , and managed to hide their crime when I was right there …” She all but growled, the sound of her cracking knuckles ringing out like the click of a gun’s hammer being pulled back. A fierce energy radiated from the martial artist, Kaede subconsciously leaning as far away from her as she could at her podium as she could practically see the rage warp the air around Sakura’s body. “... Damn! I cannot forgive this! I swear on my family’s honor that the culprit will pay dearly for this crime. I refuse to simply sit by and abide such an immortal disgrace!”

“Damn straight! We’ve gotta give it our all to find this guy!” Kaito agreed in a burst of passion, his mouth formed into an intense snarl of determination and a fist to flung to the side as his coat fluttered out behind him like a cape. “And to do that, we’re gonna solve these mysteries one by one, starting with how the body ended up in Kaede’s lab!”

Chiaki once again reasserted herself, Kaede unable to help but notice how the petite girl was becoming more and more proactive as the trial went on. “Yeah. Figuring out how the killer moved the body seems like the next logical step here. In fact, it might even give us an idea of why Kaede’s lab was chosen in particular… maybe.”

“Why my lab was chosen… if my theory’s right, then I already know the answer to that. I can’t tell whether it’s worse being right or wrong… but there’s no option but to face the truth head on either way. At least this is one part of the case I’m positive I have figured out already. No use putting it off…” Akamatsu thought to herself as she prepared for yet another round of debate. “Alright, everyone! Whatever theories you have, put them forward, and we’ll work it out together. I’ll get us started...”

Chapter 14: Chapter One: The Bloodied Hands We're Dealt: Trial Part 2

Chapter Text

Nonstop Debate: START!

Kaede folded her arms across her chest and closed her eyes as she began. “So, we know that after Hifumi died in Sakura’s lab, the killer must have used something to move his body across the hall into my lab, but what was it?”

Gonta held up a hand. "Oh, Gonta think Gonta know this one! This have to do with lift Kirumi and Chiaki found, right?"

"I'm not so sure. There was blood on it, but it couldn't move at all when there was more than three-hundred pounds on it…" Chiaki pointed out with a small frown.

Kirumi gave a nod. “I believe it’s an automated safety feature to keep the lift from being damaged. Otherwise, the device could break when trying to move above its capacity.”

“So we can assume whatever was used didn’t have the same restrictions…” Peko noted.

"Maybe they just picked him up , and that blood is from something else?" Teruteru offered, earning a scowl and scoff from Kuwata.

“Seriously, man? Don’t be stupid! There’s no way that thing wasn’t involved !”

Gundham crossed his arms with humph. “Then how precisely was it used if it could not carry the body?”

“Er…” Leon droned, seemingly not expecting to actually have to explain it. After a series of somewhat exasperated noises, he ran his hand through the messy spikes of his hair with a frown. “... I dunno, but that blood’s gotta mean something!”

Tojo cupped her chin with a gloved hand. “Perhaps the lift was used to help put Hifumi’s body into something else that could carry him ?”

CONSENT!

Kaede’s eyes snapped open as it finally clicked with her. “I think you’re completely right, Kirumi. In fact, I think we even know what it was used with!”

“W-we do? I-I’m sorry for wasting your time, b-but I really don’t know what you mean…” Mikan whimpered, her eyes prickling with tears.

“Gonta also confused. Is there something else we find that could carry people that Gonta not know about?” The entomologist asked, tilting his massive head to the side like a puppy.

Kaede turned to face Gundham, a smile coming to her as she spoke. “It’s alright, guys. I’ll explain. While we were looking around in Sakura’s lab, we ended up finding a ball cart that was missing one side of it. I think that might have been how the killer carried the body.”

“Hang on. If the thing was missin’ an entire side of it, how’d it manage to keep the fat*ss from fallin’ out of it?” Mondo gruffly questioned, one eyebrow hitched up doubtfully.

Kaede shook her head. “It couldn’t… if it was always broken. If it broke because of him, then it’s possible they could have moved his body before the side broke off.”

Comprehension and intrigue gleamed in Tojo’s eyes as she spoke up. “I believe I know where you’re going with this. You believe the metal grate we found under the piano is the missing side to the ball cart, correct?” The maid predicted. Kaede gave a firm nod.

“That’s right. I have an idea of why that broke off, too. You mentioned that the stage lift automatically locked its wheels if the weight limit was exceeded, but this is just a regular ball cart you’d find in any gym. If something too heavy -like Hifumi’s body- was put in there, it would probably be hard to move, but wouldn’t be able to protect itself like the lift could.” Akamatsu explained confidently. It felt oddly satisfying to figure it all out, despite the grim knowledge of just how serious their situation was scolding her for it.

Kaito’s fists slammed together like a gavel as the astronaut added onto the theory.“I get it! So with all the pressure Hifumi’s body was putting on it, the hinges of the thing must’ve just snapped off!”

Mikan cringed, unable to meet anyone’s eyes as her painfully worried and high-strung voice whimpered out a meek objection. “U-um… a-are you sure about that? N-not that you’re wrong! I’m sorry! B-but…”

Kaede looked at her in a mix of curiosity and reassurance. “Is there something on your mind, Mikan? If we’re getting something wrong, don’t be afraid to point it out. The only way we can find the truth is if we’re willing to confront each other’s ideas.”

Tsumiki glanced at her only for their eyes to lock, Mikan completely unable to look away once she’d made contact. The nurse seemed to search the blonde’s soul for a short eternity, the ex-pianist gave her an encouraging nod, hoping the silent message that it really was okay would ring true for the miserably shy girl. At last, the lavender-haired girl took a shaky breath and dared to contradict Kaito. “... If Hifumi just laying there was too much pressure, th-then shouldn’t all of the sides have broken? A-and shouldn’t there have been some blood left in it?”

“Oh… that’s a good point, actually. If there was blood on the lift, there plainly should have been something on the cart too, right?” Tsumugi hummed, rubbing her cheek with a slightly disappointed expression.

“Actually, I got an idea for that!” Momota confidently called out before Kaede could even ruminate on a response. “There’s totally something that coulda kept any blood from getting on the cart when they put the body in! Right, Kaede?”

Akamatsu blinked in surprise. “Huh? Something that could have kept the blood off…?” She muttered, momentarily lost, until their discovery in Kirumi’s lab came rushing back to her. “Oh! I get it! The tablecloth!”

Mondo rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, now that you mention it… if the killer put it over the thing first, it totally coulda soaked up the blood!” The biker agreed, realization lighting up his features.

Tojo looked between the three puzzlingly. “Tablecloth…? I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

Kaede decided to take on the task of explaining. “During the investigation, we ended up stopping by your lab, and we found a bloodstained tablecloth shoved into one of the washing machines. I think the killer tried to wash it, but they couldn’t get it to come out, so they just tried hiding in there. Teruteru saw it too.”

The portly cook had noticeably stiffened a little, but he offered a nod all the same. “It’s true. Either someone was making a real mess with some spoilt marinara, or… well… someone made a real mess out of Hifumi...” He attempted to joke, though he cringed at his own comment before he even finished saying it.

Kirumi bowed her head, a deep frown cutting across her usually measured expression. “I see… so my lab was also used to cover up the crime. It truly disheartens me to know someone sought to use my talent against us all. However… to avoid any accusations, I also left my lab unlocked. There was nothing dangerous within, so it seemed unnecessary at the time. Clearly, this was a mistake on my part.” Kirumi established in advance, her visible eye roving over the trial room with a small frown.

Sakura let out a low, thoughtful rumble. “That would certainly explain the lack of blood on the cart, but that doesn’t explain why only one part of it would have been damaged that badly if Hifumi’s weight was the cause. Is there a solution for that?” She asked genuinely.

Kaito blinked, his lips thinning as he knit his brow. “... W-well… there’s gotta be something to prove it! Right, Kaede?”

The blonde thinned her lips, grasping at her elbow uncertainly. “I definitely think the ball cart was used here, but I don’t know what the answer would be to that... unless we’re going down the wrong track,” She corrected less confidently than she wished she could be. “If it was just because of his weight, then they’re right; all the sides should have broken. So, something else must have happened to break it off, or at least make it weak enough that Hifumi could have.”

“I agree. The grate seems too important to just rule out, so we should try coming up with ideas of how it happened. That way, we’ll be a little bit closer to the truth… I think.” Chiaki backed her up readily.

“Then let us solve this mystery as well. I shall begin this time.” Korekiyo agreed, seemingly setting the stage for the next debate.

Kaede briefly glanced towards the gamer appreciatively, though with a hint of internal skepticism. The gamer was being helpful without a doubt, and she was definitely less immediately troublesome than Celeste, but the musician still couldn’t shake a slightly strange feeling about her. After all, she’d gone from basically a passive observer over the past several days to one of the spearheads of their efforts seemingly at the flick of a switch without much indication of what exactly had clicked for her. “... She definitely knows some things I don’t, and not just for this case. If- when we get out of here, I really need to talk to her and figure out what exactly is going on…”

Nonstop Debate: START!

Korekiyo lightly waggled a finger as he spoke. “If Hifumi’s body was indeed carried in the ball cart, then finding out what caused the panel to snap off is imperative. We cannot simply assume it was mere bad luck on the killer’s part.”

Leon let out a quiet scoff and muttered under his breath. “Bad luck… tch. Seems reasonable to me …”

“Um, I think I have an idea! If he got rolled into it from the lift, maybe he hit that side when he was falling in and weakened it?” Tsumugi piped up with a hint of enthusiasm.

Sakura shook her head. “But if that was the case, shouldn’t it have broken in my lab, or perhaps the hallway?”

“Then perhaps it truly was bad luck, and the culprit had run afoul of Bishamonten!” Tanaka boomed out dramatically.

“Must you scream all the time?!” Celeste hissed out with a poorly hidden cringe.

Kirumi looked on at them with barely hidden disappointment. “If I may be blunt, I ask that we focus only on plausible answers.”

“Maybe we already have something that can prove it,” Chiaki proposed, a certain knowing gleam in her gaze. “I think we can figure out why if we look at Hifumi’s body itself .”

CONSENT!

Kaede rose a finger somewhat hesitantly as she spoke. “Hifumi’s body…? Do you think there’s something in the pictures of the crime scene that could give it away, Chiaki?”

Nanami nodded. “I don’t know for sure, but I have a hunch. Monokuma, do you have any way of showing these pictures to everyone at once?” The gamer asked the bear as she raised her game device in the air, their captor letting out a jovial cry in response.

“Ah, don’t mind if I do! I’ve been waiting for a chance to test these suckers out! Alrighty, let’s give it a go!” Monokuma all but cackled, tapping an unseen button on the armrest of his throne. In an instant, four massive monitors the size of movie theater screens dropped down from the ceiling, one in each direction so that every student could have an unobstructed view of at least one TV set. Similarly, a robotic cable ending in a phone jack of some sort unfurled from above all the way down to where the Ultimate Gamer was standing. Initially blinking in surprise at it, Chiaki shrugged, reaching over and plugging it into the machine moments before the screens exploded into the bloodstained colors of the Ultimate Pianist’s lab.

Kaede instantly felt her stomach twist at the gruesome scene she’d had the misfortune of seeing in the flesh mere hours prior. Hifumi’s mutilated body was only slightly less horrifying in picture form than it was face to face, some indescribable disconnect between the two making it just barely tolerable enough to look at without feeling like she was going to vomit. Some of the others that hadn’t seen the corpse yet reacted significantly worse, with Tsumugi, Leon, and Teruteru in particular looking like they could faint at any moment. Even Mondo looked disgusted, his eyes widened in shock and a small grimace overtaking his usual rough expression. Sucking in a breath, Kaede shook her head and turned to the girl who took those pictures to begin with. “A-alright, Chiaki… what exactly should we be looking for here?”

“Do you see how Hifumi is slumped over the keyboard here?” Nanami pointed out, getting questioning looks from nearly everyone present.

“I should say it’s rather difficult not to notice…” Korekiyo dryly noted, voicing aloud the thoughts of his fellow blackened. The pink-haired girl frowned slightly, but elaborated.

“That’s the point. He’s slumped over the piano… so how did he end up like that? To pose him like that, someone got him out of the cart somehow. Maybe it happened while the killer was moving the body into place.”

Kaito pulled at his goatee a little. “I get what you’re saying. Whatever the killer did to get him out of the cart must’ve put enough pressure on the thing to make it snap, right?”

“Yep. Does that make sense to everyone?” Chiaki checked, with only one indirect objection in response.

“It certainly flows logically, but is there any solid proof to help secure this theory? Working on logic alone can only take us so far, I’m afraid.” Shinguji pointed out, looking more interested than particularly opposed to the idea.

Kaede folded her arms over as she thought back to the crime scene for anything that could be used as a definitive link. There wasn’t anything that served as a smoking gun or anything of the sort, but mulling over her options, enough minor evidence seemed to pile up that she felt fairly confident she could convince the others. “I don’t know what exactly you’re looking for, Kiyo, but I think I can make a case for it. Chiaki, do you have any pictures of the scratch marks on the floor?” The blonde asked, and with a nod from the girl in question, the screens soon changed to a picture highlighting the grooves and cuts leading up to the base of the piano. Kaede pointed to the screen directly across from her for the sake of convenience, hoping the others would follow along well enough. “If you look closely, you can see the marks start about four feet away from Hifumi’s body, and they start getting really noticable the closer it gets to the piano itself. Try to think about how his body would have been in the cart. His feet would probably either be pressing against that side of the cart from inside or hung over it from above, right?”

“Indeed. I can picture it perfectly with the All-Seeing Eye. We can also assume the side that broke off was the ramp, for the other sides stood rigid and firm.” Gundham added, somewhat confirming what Kaede had already expected.

“Mhmm! Now, given that Hifumi was… pretty large, they probably would have needed a bit of space to figure out how exactly they’d get him over the keys. So... if the killer tried putting down the ramp a few feet away from where they wanted to dump him, and then tried pushing him forward and out from behind, there’s a good chance the cart would go forward with him because they probably wouldn’t be able to push him and hold the cart still at the same time.”

Peko jumped in, apparently having caught on to where Kaede was going with all this. “I see… so while they were trying to move his body, he was likely putting much more weight and pressure on the ramp than any other side of the cart. When they finally succeeded at shoving him forward, the sudden jerking combined with the pressure caused the ramp to snap off beneath Hifumi, resulting in the grate you discovered. Am I correct?” The swordswoman theorized aloud, earning a sharp nod from Akamatsu.

“Exactly what I was thinking!”

Chiaki decided to add onto their deductions, tugging on the straps of her backpack as she spoke. “I think there’s something else that helps prove it, too. At this point, the killer got what they wanted with Hifumi hunched over the piano bench and keys, but they also had to deal with the broken ramp. If I had to guess, it probably ended up halfway on the platform with the piano with the back half still on the floor, and the worst marks here by the platform happened when they tried pushing it up to hide it under the piano.”

Tojo raised a finger sharply. “Given our experiment, I feel confident that this is exactly what happened.”

“Experiment? What do you mean?” Tsumugi piped up curiously.

Kaito took on the burden of explaining that. “We tried messing around with the grate to see how the killer coulda moved it around. The thing’s heavy as hell, so we couldn’t really pick it up. Kicking it around worked, but scratched the floor pretty bad.”

“I see… my curiosity is satisfied, then,” Korekiyo conceded, running his fingers along the brim of his hat. “I believe we’re now all in agreement; the ball cart was indeed used to transport the body. There are some questions I have about the exact details, but those can be put aside for now. We’ve solved where he died and how he found his way to the lab. So… where should we go from there?”

Gokuhara crossed his powerful arms, a somewhat dismayed look on his face as he glanced off to the side. “There something Gonta not really understand. If culprit have such hard time with getting Hifumi’s body into right place, then why did killer do it at all? Is having body in Kaede’s lab important enough for so many clues to happen?

Celeste let out a slightly dismissive hum. “Isn’t that self-evident? The killer must have wanted to distract us with where the body was found away from the actual core of the mystery. It wouldn’t shock me if they intended on framing Kaede as well, as frail a line of defense as that is. They certainly decided to be rather dramatic with it, at any rate.”

The Ultimate Maid shook her head slightly. “Mister Gokuhara raises a valid point, however; we know for certain that at least three Ultimate Labs were unlocked at the time of the murder. Given the options of leaving it in Miss Ogami’s lab, putting the time and effort into making such a scene of Kaede’s, or depositing it in my own, why was hers chosen? There must have been a significant reason for this grotesque display.”

“I’m inclined to agree. Though my murders were rather dramatic in their own right, there was a practical application to each and every theatric I engaged in. This strikes me as somewhat of a side detail to the crime, but it could very well be an important factor to consider in its own right.” Korekiyo agreed, Kaede trying her best to not think about what exactly he meant by that.

Chiaki seemed to have a bit of a sharper idea on what the exact cause could have been. “I think it might be as simple as Celeste said. They could have done almost anyone’s lab if they wanted to, but if they left it in Sakura’s lab, she or Peko would have found it a lot sooner than they probably wanted. Same for the casino. So, between Kirumi and Kaede’s lab, they probably figured they could cause a bigger distraction there than anywhere else. Sometimes the culprit is banking on the scene being shocking enough for people to overlook evidence…” The gamer argued, and despite Nanami not so much as glancing in the general direction, Kaede could see Mikan violently flinch at the words in the corner of her vision.

Akamatsu had to stifle a worried frown. “There’s no way my lab was chosen on accident or over something as simple as that. Whoever did this had to have done it knowing about Mondo and I… let’s just hope I never have to prove that part of it…”

Teruteru clicked his tongue, messing with his hair as he proposed a different line of thought.

“Er, maybe I’m overthinking things here, but there’s still something that smells fishy here. Believe me, I've been in enough freezers and French ladies to know that smell well-” He cracked with a smug grin that only partly faltered under the immediate harsh glares of nearly everyone in the room, though he seemed especially eager to avoid Kaede and Sakura’s deadly looks. Faking a cough, he shook his head. “A-anyways, whatever they did it for, if the killer went through all that trouble playing around with Hifumi’s body, why didn’t they bother taking that grate with them instead of just leaving it there for anyone to find? I mean, it seems like a pretty big thing to overlook.”

Kaede quirked her lips at that. “Well, like Kaito said, it was pretty heavy. They probably couldn’t pick it up, so they just went for the next best thing they could manage.”

“True, but -pardon me for swiping at the dead here- Hifumi wasn’t exactly a feather himself, either. Sure, we know they moved him with the ball cart, but that’s still a lot of weight to try man-handling. Wouldn’t that mean whoever did him in was a rather succulent specimen themself?”

“That would explain some of the stranger aspects of the case, but…” Kaede thought back to one particular discovery in Sakura’s lab that proved otherwise… yet hesitated. She knew that what Teruteru was asserting had to be wrong, but if she brought up the evidence that confirmed it, there would be no escaping the line of thought that followed. If she was lucky, maybe she’d be able to redirect it easily enough, but what she was about to do was definitely a gamble she wasn’t very comfortable with. Racking her brain as much as she could, however, there simply wasn’t any other proof that could back what she knew was the truth, nor any lie that could steer them away from that falsehood. Sucking down her bubbling worry with as much courage as she could muster, she went for the leap of faith that could easily turn into a downward spiral. “... We can’t say that for sure. The dumbbells in Sakura’s lab tell a different story, right, Peko?”

The silver-haired warrior gave a sharp nod of confirmation as she corroborated the ex-Ultimate Pianist’s claim. “Agreed. While the weights in the Ultimate Martial Artist’s lab are supposed to be arranged in order of magnitude with their individual weight shown at the top, when we found them, numerous sets were in the wrong places, their positions randomly swapped around and carelessly shoved into place. That clearly marks someone’s involvement besides myself or Sakura on its own, but the truly notable detail is that all of the affected weights had something in common: they were all under forty pounds.”

“Less than forty pounds? That hardly seems fit for a beginner…” Sakura mused, an eyebrow quirked with what almost looked to be skepticism.

“Hardly fit for- dude, that’s friggin’ heavy! How can you say that with a straight face?!” Leon sputtered out a bit indignantly. Celeste let out a distant cousin to a giggle.

“He said to one of the self-proclaimed strongest people in the world. Yes, Leon, how could that possibly be the case?”

The red-haired athlete had a flash of anger across his features that quickly gave way to a disheartened look as he crossed his arms with a pout. “I- whatever, man, just lay off already…”

“A bunch of weights belonging to someone named Sakura being important…? I feel like I’ve seen this in something else before…” Tsumugi muttered to herself with a contemplative expression. Kaede could only stare at her, silently wondering where on earth she could have seen a set of circ*mstances that specific anywhere else. Fortunately, the blonde didn’t have long to ponder the question.

“If we may return to the matter at hand,” Kirumi butted in a touch forcefully, though she kept her polite tone as much as possible. “What Miss Pekoyama just said seems rather important to me. If they were all below a certain threshold, then it’s not unreasonable to believe that must be the maximum weight the culprit could move with any degree of proficiency. Taking that into account, along with our own testing, it’s highly plausible that the killer was physically too weak to move the broken ramp beyond simply kicking it out of view. Troublesome as it was for them, they simply had no other option. Were they strong enough to handle the grate with ease, they likely wouldn’t have needed to bother with the cart or lift to begin with,” Tojo explained quickly and confidently, her emerald eye alight with the determination that comes with absolute certainty. Holding out the palm of her hand as if she could show it to them right then and there, she concluded her deductions. “In short, the killer was almost certainly someone with average or lesser strength.”

“So the perpetrator of this foul crime has little power even by mortal standards? Hmph. It seems their cunning and cruelty more than make up for their pathetic strength, then!” Gundham scoffed, his eyes narrowing as if the culprit would suddenly be revealed by his dark glare.

On the complete other side of the spectrum, Gonta put his giant hands on his hips as he flashed a bright smile. “Ah! Gonta see! Congratulations to all strong people for not being killer!”

“That’s really not something you should congratulate people on…” Leon grumbled.

Ignoring their banter and moving to redirect the conversation while she still could, Kaede spoke up. “So that’s why they left the grate behind, Teruteru. In fact, I have a theory about what happened. After all the trouble they had moving Hifumi’s body in the first place, and then… doing what they did to his head… they probably didn’t have the energy to deal with the ramp even if they were strong enough to pick it up. If I had to guess, once they were done in my lab, they probably went to Kirumi’s lab to try and wash out the bloody tablecloth, but gave up when it was clear it wouldn’t work,” The blonde explained, one finger held up like a lecturing professor as she talked through her own thoughts and guesses. “Instead, they focused on getting the cart back to Sakura’s lab and trying to make it as unassuming as possible by pressing it up against the wall and filling it with all the balls they had to take out earlier. It left a lot more evidence than I’m guessing they would have liked, but seeing as how they didn’t have any other option-”

“Are you sure of that?” Peko’s words suddenly sliced through the air, cutting off Kaede’s explanation like a crack of thunder on a peaceful night. Akamatsu instantly fell quiet, stunned into silence by the sudden interruption as the swordswoman’s gaze bore into her. Before she had an opportunity to so much as ask, Pekoyama exposed a hole Kaede had never even considered for this case. “While I said we couldn’t simply assume the killer was someone strong, you have all taken that in the wrong way. Simply because one assumption about the killer is false doesn’t mean the opposite must be true. We cannot rule out anyone as a killer just yet… or as an accomplice.”

That single word flipped Kaede’s entire world on its head. Her blood ran cold in her veins, her pupils turning to the size of pinpricks as an involuntary gasp escaped her. “A-accomplice...?” She barely managed to get out, so taken aback by the concept that she could hardly believe what she’d heard.

“Y-y-you think someone e-else might be helping the killer?!” Mikan shrieked out in alarm. The shocked and paling faces of many of their fellow blackened around the room made it clear that the sentiment of horror was mutual. A general mumble of dismay rumbled through the courtroom as they worriedly bounced the idea around.

Peko lowered her head grimly. “I have decided that it’s something we have to at least consider given some of the evidence we discovered.”

“An accomplice… I must admit, I hadn’t considered such a thing until now, but I am intrigued. Might we hear your reasoning for your claims?” An inquisitive Celeste probed with a glint in her eye.

Pekoyama was willing to oblige as she folded her arms across each other and instantly commanded the attention of the room. “While there is nothing that proves it for certain, there is something about the dumbbells in Sakura’s lab that made me consider the possibility that it could have been someone stronger, and Teruteru’s comments on handling the body readdressed them. I suspected that the killer must have been relatively weak when we first found the weights, but the more I think about it, it’s just as plausible that someone intentionally left these clues behind to dissuade us from suspecting the more capable among us. They certainly could handle Hifumi’s girth easier than a less trained individual. Likewise, it could also have been done specifically to cast doubt on someone with lesser strength.”

Leon rubbed at his head with a bit of nervousness leaking through his slight look of annoyance. “I mean, that makes sense and all, but we wanna know what you’re talking about with that accomplice stuff. Did someone seriously help out with this psycho crap?”

The warrior’s face seemed to darken slightly, her lips drawing into a tense line. “I’m aware this sounds… flimsy, but there was one particular detail in Sakura’s lab that stood out to me: the different dumbbell mixed in with the others,” She revealed, and Kaede instantly felt her stomach drop. It took every fiber of Kaede’s being to keep a straight face amidst the rising well of dread that churned in her as Peko continued. “Along with the other dumbbells that were tampered with in the gym, there was one that had a different design from the others. Along with that, it was coated in drywall. Right outside of the lab, there was a dent in the wall almost the exact size of the out of place dumbbell.”

Mikan fretfully wrung her hands, a wince already crossing her features before she even raised her question. “U-um… I-I’m sorry if this is a stupid question, b-but how exactly does that prove someone was working with the killer?”

If Peko did consider it foolish, she called no attention to that as she answered. “If the killer was able to stab him without making the murder weapon obvious, they had to have had it ready before hand. There would have been no need for them to attack with the dumbbell… unless they weren’t the only one attacking Hifumi at the time.”

“Ah, I believe I understand what you’re implying. You believe he was being targeted by multiple people when he met his demise and the dumbbell was the weapon of choice for our mysterious third party, correct?” Ludenberg deduced, her face almost completely blank.

“Yes. If what I imagine happened is correct, Hifumi could have been attacked somewhere else on the second deck and attempted to flee. As he got to Sakura’s lab, the accomplice could have been stationed there to ensure he couldn’t escape, and made their own attempt against him. He avoided the swing of the dumbbell by going into Sakura’s lab, causing the dent in the wall and unknowingly trapping himself between a locked door, the killer, and their accomplice.

Kaito slammed his fists together with a loud crack . “Hang on! There’s no way anyone would willingly go along with something like that! Even if you don’t believe in everyone enough to think that, only the killer gets to leave if we vote wrong, right? There’s no way someone would go through all that effort just to end up dying with everyone else!”

“Your accomplice theory also contradicts some of what we deduced about the cart. If they had a partner, surely removing Hifumi’s body would have been less of an ordeal…” Kiyo pointed out with an even tone.

Tsumugi raised a finger up, her greenish blue eyes wide with speculation. “But it would explain a lot of other things about the murder, too. Plus, we don’t know how long the two were working together, so maybe the killer didn’t help out with the body?”

“Or someone else mighta f*cked around with it after…” Mondo let out in a slight growl, a dark look settling in his eyes.

Peko closed her eyes with a restrained frown. “I’m aware that it is an imperfect theory, but the possibility is too important to ignore.”

Kaede’s cheek felt raw from how tightly she was biting it in an attempt to not let what she was feeling show through. She knew it was wrong, of course. She could point out every last incorrect detail and mistake in their claims without a hint of uncertainty. The problem was that there was no way she could do that without revealing her own brush with death the night prior, and that was the absolute last thing she wanted to do now or ever. If she didn’t want to expose Mondo and get the trial railroaded to his false conviction, she’d have to play along with a theory she knew for a fact was incorrect and risk running out of time to solve the mystery… Akamatsu tensed her fists behind the podium, silently damning the situation she found herself trapped in. “H-hold on, everyone! I… can’t rule out what Peko said just yet,” She lied, the deceit tasting like broken glass as it left her mouth. She shook her head both to clear her own thoughts and to transition to the point she would much rather focus on for a while so she could brainstorm a way around the swordswoman’s theories. “But we won’t get anywhere arguing in circles about whether it happened or not. Whether something like that really was going on or the killer acted alone, the best chance we have of figuring it out is looking at where everyone was last night and going from there. The sooner we get that settled, the sooner we can get to the bottom of all this!”

“That’s probably for the best. Getting an idea of where everyone was might even help clear up when exactly certain bits of the murder happened, if we’re lucky.” Chiaki agreed with something akin to a small smile, though it was clearly restricted by the grim subject matter at hand.

Celeste casually clicked a bit of hair to the side. “I believe it would be pertinent to set a baseline of information that we use to compare each alibi with. If they are as similar as I expect, it would be easier to search for something distinctly out of place than chase every herring in the trees.”

Kirumi folded her hands and closed her eyes. “Then, if I may, I will give a basic explanation of where everyone was to the best of my knowledge, and the individuals in question can fill in the details as need be. Shall we begin?”

Akamatsu nodded, but didn’t say a word, too focused on her own thoughts to bother with anything beyond what was needed. “Alright… I managed to hear most of their alibis during the investigation, but not everyone, and not at the same time. If anything’s out of place or someone changes their story, it should be fairly obvious. I just have to keep an ear open….”

Nonstop Debate: START!

Kirumi promptly launched into her explanation, summarizing what she’d told Kaede in her lab with little pomp and circ*mstance. “After dinner was served, everyone gradually returned to their cabins, with the majority having gone to bed or otherwise leaving the dining hall by eight-thirty . Mister Hanamura , Miss Ludenberg , Miss Pekoyama , Miss Ogami, and myself are the exceptions to this.”

Teruteru twirled the end of his pompadour between his fingers as he chipped in with his side of the story. “‘Rumi and I were getting down and dirty in the kitchen to clean up everything until nine, so we can vouch for each other until then.”

“As said before, I was using Sakura’s lab between eight-thirty and nine fifteen last night. Once I was finished, I left through the side door and returned to my cabin without seeing anyone else.” Peko restated with a few extra details compared to her brief explanation earlier in the trial.

Sakura let out a low, considering rumble of a hum with her eyes closed. “That might explain why I didn’t see you when I went there, considering the distance between the main entrance and the side door from the exterior. I was in my lab from nine-twenty until roughly half-past ten . I also encountered no one upon returning to my cabin.”

Celeste folded her hands over each other. “I spent some time in the gift shop before returning to the dining hall approximately a quarter past nine and spoke briefly with Kirumi before going to bed myself.”

“I can confirm Mister Hanamura and Miss Ludenberg’s testimonies for certain. Given what we’ve already established, I believe we can trust Miss Pekoyama and Miss Ogami’s statements as well.” Tojo affirmed.

“What about other friends? Should Gonta say Gonta’s alibi too ?” The muscle-bound boy asked genuinely.

Chiaki gave a small shake of her head. “Kirumi said everyone else was gone already, so wouldn’t we all just basically be saying the same thing?”

“Most of us, indeed, but there are some here without an alibi at all…” Ludenberg cryptically added. Before anyone could state their confusion, she slid her ruby eyes over to the Ultimate Maid. “Kirumi, did you see Tsumugi leave the dining hall last night? Or Mondo at all for that matter?”

The biker’s eyes flared wide for a second before narrowing down to a challenging glare that the gambler didn’t even seem to acknowledge, a sneer starting to curl at his lips despite him managing to keep silent. In contrast, Tsumugi curled into herself with a small sigh. “I’m plainly not suspicious … I just have really bad luck!”

Kirumi’s brow furrowed slightly, a hint of a frown pulling at her lips. “I’m afraid I can only vaguely recall Miss Shirogane’s departure, as she did so rather abruptly and quietly . As for Mister Owada… no. I’m unaware of him ever leaving his cabin.”

Something seemed to glint in Korekiyo’s eyes. “Keheheh… curious, isn’t it? Is there anyone who can confirm or deny that claim ? If not, it’s certainly an unfortunate coincidence…”

That was enough to get a response out of Mondo, his glare swerving over to the disturbingly calm anthropologist. “You got somethin’ you wanna say, asshole?”

PERJURY!

Kaede took a deep, steadying breath as subtly as she could, the air feeling abnormally cold around her and in her lungs. In a way, she thought she should have been used to doing this by now. She’d done it throughout the entirety of Rantaro’s investigation and countless times after, yet lying still filled her with a horrible feeling every time. She had to. The other option was admitting to locking Mondo in his room and everything else that came with it. “Just… play it cool. One lie, and we can get back to looking for the truth…” Akamatsu tried to reassure herself. With only half a moment of hesitation, she opened her eyes and forced out yet another fiction. “Calm down, Mondo. There’s no reason to get upset when we both know you have an alibi.”

Owada’s wide, confused eyes instantly locked with hers. “Huh…? Wha-”

“Mondo, Kaito and I were working out together last night. Kaito likes to do these late night exercise sessions, and he’s been inviting me along since our first night here. Right, Kaito?”

The purple-haired astronaut blinked before quickly coming to his senses. “Er- yeah! A hero and his sidekicks gotta stay fit, after all!!” He somewhat clumsily lied, but the grin on his face quickly transformed into a more genuine one as he flashed a big thumbs up. “Took a lot of convincing, but no one can resist the charms of Kaito Momota forever!”

Mondo’s surprise lingered for only a couple seconds before comprehension flashed in his eyes. He crossed his arms with a small scoff, managing to look fairly natural for someone that literally just heard his alibi. “Don’t act so co*cky about it, jackass… but yeah. I got tired of them f*ckin’ with me and said I’d go along with it if they shut up. I was with the two of them last night.”

For a moment, no one spoke. Kaede could faintly hear the beat of her heart ticking along like a clock as she waited, the ex-pianist putting all of her focus on keeping her expression still. Her eyes slowly drifted across the courtroom as she tried to take in as many of their reactions as possible without being obvious. Surprise was decently apparent in most of their expressions, almost everyone in the room looking towards the pompadoured criminal with various levels of astonishment after his declaration… with the notable exception of the Ultimate Maid. Kirumi glanced at Kaede with the slightest furrow of her brow, her stoic face slightly tinged with hints of doubt. She felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up with an icy sense of dread washing over her shoulders as she made eye contact with the only one besides Kaito or Mondo who knew for certain that she’d just lied to everyone, sucking in a small breath without meaning to. “Please,” She pleaded in her mind, hoping against hope that Tojo could understand her thoughts somehow. “Please don’t call me out. You know I didn’t do this, so just trust me, please-”

“... Well, I guess that proves it. All three of them were together, so they all have alibis.” Chiaki’s voice finally proclaimed as the gamer gave a small smile that Kaede forced herself not to give a massive sigh of relief at. The thick tension that seemed to envelope Kaede like a shroud finally seemed to dissipate at Nanami’s backing, the looks of her friends seeming less questioning and doubtful than they had a few seconds prior.

Kirumi’s confliction lingered for a few moments longer as her expression seemed to shift minutely back and forth before ultimately giving a small bow of her head. “... A three-way alibi is certainly difficult to argue with. I believe it’s safe to consider it truthful.”

Akamatsu gave a silent thanks to her diligent friend, counting her lucky stars that Kirumi was willing to play along with her lie. It seemed like she’d gotten away with it. Excellent. Without Mondo around as the scapegoat, that meant they could focus on-

“Aren’t you being rather brash?”

The words sliced through Kaede’s thoughts like a samurai’s blade, the blonde instantly ripped from her internal scheming as she stared at the source of the voice in absolute shock. “C-Celeste?”

The ever perfectly composed gambler had hardly shifted her expression, only a slight narrowing of her eyes giving an indication of her feelings. “Is it not brash to believe such a thing simply at Kaede’s word?”

Kaede barely held back a wince, a deep, worried frown adorning her face as she waved a hand to the side. “B-but it’s not just my word. Kaito and Mondo also said-”

“One of whom lacked an alibi before hand and would latch onto any offered like a lifeboat, and the other of whom you had to prompt first?” Ludenberg challenged with an obviously doubting tone, her eyes continuing to narrow at the musician. She gave a light shake of her head. “I can certainly appreciate the daring, but I’m afraid your ploy was rather easy to see through. ”

“That doesn’t mean anything! If just checking with someone to confirm something means it’s a lie, then everyone’s been lying this whole trial!” Kaito bellowed out with a glare, a hand balled in outrage.

The morbid aristocrat didn’t so much as blink. “Most people here aren’t spending time with Kaede more often than not, either. They are far less inclined to lie to protect her or her interests.”

Mondo was similarly displeased, a scowl on his face as he glowered at the meddling goth. “You wanna show some actual proof we’re makin’ this up, or are ya just f*ckin’ with us?”

Celeste didn’t back down in the face of his wrath. If anything, she visibly grew more pleased, a confident, tiny smile pulling at the corners of her lips in an unnervingly menacing smirk. “Relax, Mondo. There is a simple question that can determine your honesty. Answer it correctly, and we can be confident that Kaede told the truth and your alibi is fact.”

Something lurched in Kaede’s stomach, the same tense of dread she had felt immediately after telling the lie returning far more powerfully than before. Mondo’s harsh look morphed into a snarl “Are you f*ckin’ serious? Did you forget we’re on a time limit here? We can’t waste time on stupid-”

“If we truly have no time to waste, then it’s all the more reason to answer my question as soon as possible.” Celeste cut him off, a touch of malice bleeding into her composure.

Teruteru nervously tapped his fingers together with an uneasy look on his face. “Eheh… not that I like seeing you on the grill like this, but wouldn’t it be a lot easier just to answer it? I mean, if it’s really something simple, it’s not like you’ve got much to lose, right?”

“Speak truly, and you may be spared. However, damnation holds no mercy for the soul of a deceiver forcefully laid bare. Think through your options carefully, sinner…” Tanaka warned grimly, his arms crossed and scarf pulled over the lower half of his face.

As the pressure began to build, Kaede could see Owada’s fists tighten, the tension building in his shoulders with each thinly veiled accusation. “Fine,” He finally spat out with a dark glare. His snakish eyes flicked directly to the gambler in an unspoken challenge. “Hurry the hell up and get to the point.”

“Very well then,” Celeste agreed, her eyes starting to gleam as she put forth a seemingly innocuous question with a damning trap attached to it. “What time did the three of you get together?”

Mondo hesitated for a moment, looking like he wanted to rub the back of his neck but forcing his hands to stay by his sides to avoid suspicion. “I… around eleven, prolly. Happy?” The biker replied, and the instant the words left his mouth Kaede knew he stumbled right into whatever plan the Ultimate Gambler had designed.

Celeste smiled slightly, a horrible knowing smirk that was as intimidating as a predator’s maw. “Hm. Is that so?” Her far too innocent voice questioned. Mondo rolled his eyes in annoyance and moved to respond only to fall silent as she cut directly to the heart of the matter. “I find that rather curious, given that Kaede was in her lab at the time you were supposedly meeting.”

The world flipped on its head. Kaede’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets in shock. “H-huh?!” She sputtered out before she could even realize what she was doing, too startled by the reveal to think out a proper response. She instantly regretted it, the edge of panic silently announcing it as the truth painfully obvious to her ears. She couldn’t believe what she’d just heard, but the surprised and increasingly suspicious eyes shifting to her all around the room confirmed that she hadn’t misheard the gambler. It took a few seconds for her to come to her senses, shaking the disbelief away as she forced herself to meet Celeste’s razor sharp gaze. “I... don’t know what you mean. I mean, we met a little closer to eleven-fifteen than Mondo said, but we were together, and I wasn’t at my lab last night.”

The goth let out an almost disappointed hum. “You haven’t fixed your tell, Kaede. Attempting to bluff against the Queen of Liars is a bold decision that I can certainly admire, but it doesn’t change the fact that you just lied twice about what you were doing last night. That’s also overlooking how you had Kaito lie for you and Mondo as well.”

“Hey! If you wanna call me and Kaede liars, how about you show some evidence?!” Kaito angrily demanded, glaring fiercely at Ludenberg.

It wasn’t Celeste that furthered the theory, however. “... Sorry. I thought this would be way more of a cool ‘objection!’ moment, but now that it’s happening, I plainly just feel bad about this…” Tsumugi lamented with a slight grimace as she shyly raised her hand.

Kaede blinked. “Tsumugi? What’s this about?”

The cosplayer rubbed at her cheek, frowning. “Well… I’m kind of the one that told Celeste that. Last night while I was reading, I thought I heard something outside my door, so I checked the map on my monopad to see if someone was trying to get in. There wasn’t… but I saw some people weren’t in their rooms. It struck me as pretty suspicious, so I checked the second deck… and I saw your icon in the piano lab.”

“What time was it, Tsumugi? And was there anything else strange?” Celeste pressed with a knowing tone. Tsumugi rubbed at her elbow.

“Kaito was still in his room, but Mondo was on the stairwell between decks. I remember checking the clock and seeing it was about eleven-ten…”

Kaede’s blood froze in her veins. In the span of just over a minute, she’d gone from being in control and confident to having her lies exposed before she could even try to step towards the truth. “... N-no! I can’t let things come apart before they even get started! We’ll never find the truth if everyone gets stuck on this one little detail! I have to keep it up… even if that means making people doubt her. I’m sorry, Tsumugi…” Akamatsu decided, the guilt of what she was about to do already settling in her stomach like a stone. On the outside, Kaede stood before them unafraid, her face hiding her worry and shame behind a mask of determination. “Tsumugi… I don’t know why you’re doing it, but you don’t have to lie.”

The way those greenish eyes of hers widened with bewilderment and hurt felt like a gut punch to Kaede. “L-lying…?! N-no! I’m plainly telling the truth here!”

“Are you, Tsumugi? I cannot say for certain one way or the other, but that is precisely the problem with your claim. Kaede could very well be lying, but your word against hers is hardly solid proof, especially when there are corroborating witnesses for her account,” Korekiyo pointed out, his voice taking on an odd sort of constricted amusem*nt that seemed to make the words slither despite his relatively polite phrasing. “Unfortunately, your sense of timing has given us another situation like the receiver debacle. Is there anyone else who can confirm this?”

Shirogane seemed to shrink as dead silence smothered the courtroom. “Erm… I guess not… b-but I swear I’m telling the truth!”

“You insist your innocence with such vigor, yet it is undeniable that you’ve held onto this supposed truth until it became convenient for discrediting another. Why conceal evidence of such import, plain one?” Gundham questioned.

“Because Celeste told me not to say anything about it until she did!” The bluenette desperately cried out, throwing a hand in the direction of the gambler. “I told her about it while we were investigating together, and she said to keep it a secret! I’m not like some weird antagonist that likes giving important details way too late in the season!”

Every set of eyes in the trial hall shifted to Ludenberg, the gambler’s lips pursing more and more with each suspicious glare. Kaede was no different, her arms crossing as her eyes narrowed at the goth. On the one hand, her turnabout was working wonderfully, as the focus had been completely shifted off of her, but in turn, that now left the question of what exactly Celestia was plotting. It figured she must have had something going on, but there wasn’t enough to work off yet to figure out what. The girl stayed quiet despite fourteen sets of questioning eyes on her until Kaede decided to start applying pressure. “Well, Celeste? Is that true? Did you tell Tsumugi to lie if I brought up our alibi?”

Kaede suppressed a wince at Tsumugi’s muttered objection in favor of Celeste’s response. “I merely told her to say what she said to me once it was relevant to do so. I never instructed her to lie. If the information she gave me is false, that rests squarely on her shoulders.”

“But you don’t deny telling her to hide what she knew…” Sakura challenged with a hard look.

“You also previously admitted to giving Kaede instructions on where to investigate without notifying anyone else. I cannot help but notice a pattern forming here, Miss Ludenberg. Have you been orchestrating people during this investigation?” Kirumi asked with a glove to her chin

Celeste once again toyed with her hair, looking almost bored by the accusations. “Only so as to ensure that their testimonies could not be planned around by the culprit if they were true. You do not get very far in gambling if you cannot keep at least some of your cards close to your vest.”

“Bullsh*t. You’re up to somethin’. Stop f*ckin’ around and just spit it out.” Mondo gruffly demanded.

Celeste’s gaze darkened. “The burden of proof falls back to you to prove that, and I’m certain you wouldn’t even begin to know what clues to look for even if I was doing such a thing. I have no interest in dying, Mondo, so at the very least you can trust in my aversion to suicide and believe me when I say these efforts are solely for the sake of exposing the truth of this dreadful crime.”

The biker looked like he was going to object again, but Kirumi intervened, cutting off their argument before it could begin. “As concerning as Miss Ludenberg’s machinations are, it is imperative we establish where we stand on Miss Shirogane’s testimony before we go any further. Our consensus could very well determine the course of this trial going forward.”

Kaito scratched at the back of his head. “Isn’t it obvious it’s a bunch of crap?” He wondered aloud, his purple eyes drifting from person to person before lingering on the rather distressed Shirogane a couple podiums away. “I don’t think Tsumugi’s lying, but there’s no way she saw what she thought she did. There’s gotta be something going on here.”

“I swear, it’s the truth! If I were a book, it’d plainly be written all over me! Oh, if only someone here had a stand like that…!”

Peko showed little concern over Tsumugi’s increasingly dramatic pleas. “Whether you are or not is less of a problem than the fact that it can’t be confirmed. You already said you were alone in your room when you saw this and didn’t mention telling anyone about it when it was happening. That means it’s impossible for anyone to support what you claim. It would be hasty to entirely discount it, but there isn’t enough to justify taking it further than it’s already gone.”

Leon looked clearly uneasy, his hands shoved in his pockets as he slightly swayed where he stood. “Tch… not gonna lie, that sounds mega friggin’ suspicious, but… only she saw it, right? I mean, if she said I was walking around, there’d be jack I could do to counter it besides saying I didn’t, whether I was or not…”

Akamatsu’s apparent victory brought her no satisfaction. If anything, the taste of ash bitterly permeating her mouth reinforced the guilt she could already feel emerging within her. “‘Lies always come with a price’... let’s just hope this one balances out…” She solemnly mused, already making a note to apologize to Tsumugi as soon as she got the chance.

Mikan tapped her fingers together, an odd sort of cross between a nervous grin and a grimace on her face. “S-so does that mean we should listen to Kaede? Because, um, I-I believe in her… n-not that I don’t trust Tsumugi too! I didn’t mean it like that!” The nurse shrieked out in a panic.

Shirogane simply sighed with a dejected look. “It must be nice being the heroine instead of a background character…” The cosplayer muttered under her breath. Her rotten luck seemed to take a turn for the better, however, as an unexpected Ultimate came to her defense.

“Before we switch burners here, there’s something on my mind I want to get sorted,” Teruteru spoke up as he rubbed his chin curiously. “Once you guys finished up working out together, did any of you happen to do anything interesting to round out the night?” He asked, and if looks could kill, everyone in the courtroom would have been guilty of ending his life right then and there.

“Seriously, ya skeevy little fat*ss?!”

“Does your delusional search for carnality never end, incubus?!”

“How uncouth…”

Those and many more protests erupted almost simultaneously in sheer loathing of the short cook’s insinuation. Kaede was no different, a fierce look coming over her as she grit her teeth. Kirumi was only a little more restrained, the outrage quietly glinting in her eyes instead of flashing outward like so many others. “Mister Hanamura, a man is dead. This is no time to be making unwanted and unfounded inquiries on the private lives of our peers. I do not wish to repeat this again…”

Teruteru frantically threw his hands up in surrender. “Nonono! Not what I meant! Bad choice of words, that’s all! I swear on my life there’s a point here!”

“Your life is one matter. Are you willing to stake all of our lives on this supposed point?” Celeste demanded bluntly.

Teruteru gave a shaky nod. “... Y-yeah. I think it’s that important.”

Leon glared at him, going a bit red in the face. “Then what the hell are you waiting for?! Hurry up already!”

“Tsk… no one has a sense of foreplay these days…” Hanamura grumbled. “Fine. Without anything you think I might be implying along with it, what did you guys do after your little get together?”

Kaito quirked an eyebrow, settling a hand on his hip. “Seriously…? We just went back to our rooms. It was almost midnight, and there’s no way to stargaze around here. Not like there’s much else we could do.”

“Yeah. Big f*ckin’ mystery, Sherlock. Ain’t like I’ve been out and about anyways; I’d have no idea where to look for somethin’ worthwhile if I wanted to.” Mondo pointed out. Something glinted in the portly chef’s eyes, an almost rueful smirk coming to him.

“Is that so…?” He all but chuckled, his gaze briefly flicking to the confused blonde next to him. His smile fell a little, the boy quickly glancing away. “Sorry, chérie…” Teruteru quietly apologized, and before she could even think about what he meant, his confident grin returned. “I guess you didn’t have to look very hard then, seeing as how you were in Kaede’s room last night.”

Surprise, betrayal, and a jolt of fear shot up Kaede’s spine, her pink eyes widening at his dramatic reveal. “H-huh?!” Was all she was able to get out, too taken aback by the turn of events to get her thoughts in order. He promised to keep that a secret, yet there was no denying or misinterpreting what had just been brazenly announced in front of everyone. Anger and hurt didn’t have long to fester, however, as the Ultimate Biker was quick to react in possibly the worst way possible.

“HEY! What the f*ck are you sayin’?!” Owada roared, slamming a fist down on his podium with a snarl. “I never went near her cabin! You think you can say sh*t like that about a chick?! Or me ?! Whatever sick thoughts you’ve got, keep’em to yourself, or I’ll make ya spit out your teeth!”

Teruteru paled, the lurid Ultimate taking a step back on his podium. “H-hold on, I never said you two were getting frisky! Whether anyone took a ride on a Harley or not, all I’m saying is that I saw you two’s icon in the same cabin last night!” He frantically clarified, either not noticing or not caring about the vulgar act he much more explicitly accused them of in his panic.

“Guys, let’s ignore the weird stuff for now. Try to focus on what he really means here,” Chiaki calmly interrupted before any more vulgarities could be exchanged. Nanami turned directly to the boy in question, a firm but unjudging look on her face. “Teruteru, if you’re not joking, why didn’t you bring this up earlier? Could you tell us that?”

Teruteru rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. “W-well, it didn’t seem all that important until now. I figured you guys wouldn’t believe me anyway even if I did say it earlier, given it’s coming from moi. And…” He hesitated for a moment, seeming to debate whether or not he should finish what he was going to say before clicking his tongue. “... Honestly? Kaede asked me not to mention it.”

The ex-Ultimate Pianist could feel sweat starting to form on her brow as she yet again became the center of attention. Shock, suspicion, intrigue, concern, and more filled the gazes of her fellow blackened, Kaede unconsciously tensing her hands into fists against her skirt. “Well, Kaede? Is that true?” Celeste asked somewhat mockingly, throwing the leader’s own accusation back in her face.

Kaede tried her hardest to keep a neutral expression even as a hellish chill of anxiety started creeping over her. She could try to lie… again … but there’s not much she could say that would actually disprove what he claimed. If anything, trying to deny it after such a direct and pointed accusation would just make her look more suspicious than she already did. She couldn’t just keep claiming everyone that said something against her was lying like a bratty little girl and expect people to trust anything she said, after all. With a quiet breath, she crossed her arms and admitted the truth. “... Yes. It is.”

A few gasps and startled comments erupted around the room at her reluctant confession. “H-huh…? Does that mean… friends lied about last night?” Gonta asked, his red eyes full of an incomprehension only innocence could allow. Mondo’s shocked stare was more akin to someone that had a rug pulled out from under them and suddenly found themselves cascading towards the floor. Both served as the first of many pains to follow.

“M-Mondo was in her r-room last night…?” Mikan narrowed down, distress tinting her voice.

Tsumugi let out a disappointed sigh. “He was? Oh… rest in peace my OTP, I guess. Sorry, Mikan.”

“H-huh?! Wh-what do you m-mean by that?!” The nurse squeaked out, eyes wide and face taking on a slight flush.

Kaede glanced nervously at Kirumi, the maid caught somewhere between deep concern and a sort of reluctant curiosity. “... I never told her about Mondo. She’s as in the dark as everyone else…” She realized, most of her mind focused on how exactly to explain without going down a road she’d rather avoid. She wouldn’t have the chance, however.

Sakura ignored the banter of the other students, crossing her arms and letting out a low hum. “Hmm… this is... disturbing. It seems there is no choice now. I cannot ignore what I saw this morning any longer.”

Kirumi’s brow furrowed, her emerald eye glinting with reluctant curiosity as she fixed her gaze on the muscular girl. “... Miss Ogami, I’m afraid I don’t understand what you are referring to. We have been together nearly the entire morning, but I cannot think of what in particular you’re talking about. Could you please explain what you mean?”

The Ultimate Martial Artist inclined her head a little to meet the maid’s gaze directly. “I apologize for being blunt, but I am referring to you and Kaede, Kirumi.”

Tojo blinked, clearly caught off guard. “... I beg your pardon?” She asked as politely as she could despite the tinge of uncertain offense in her voice. Sakura closed her eyes.

“I did not think it was worth mentioning, but given what Teruteru and Tsumugi claim, I cannot help but question both your actions when we first encountered each other this morning. You said that you were busy assisting Kaede with something important, which turned out to involve her lab. On its own, this means little…” Sakura conceded, only for her silver eyes to open with a pointed gaze to the former pianist. “However… if Kaede was in her lab last night as Tsumugi said, then her ‘urgent request’ becomes much more concerning, especially as you were quick to send me away. We have already established that you lied about one aspect of your alibi, Kaede. Though it brings me no joy to say, your actions have cast doubt upon yourself and those close to you. Knowing all that, I ask of you: what were you planning to have Kirumi do in your lab?”

“Hold on! It’s not like that! It’s just… I thought it could probably do with a clean up, but didn’t want Kirumi to have to do it alone! A-and I didn’t think it would be a big problem, so I didn’t want to waste your time!” Kaede half-lied. It was getting harder and harder to keep her voice steady as the eyes of the people around her grew less and less trusting with every breath, her own excuses sounding weak to her ears.

“And why pray tell would your lab need cleaning if you were never there to sully it to begin with? There are few here who would dare tread in the lair of a fellow killer. There would be no reason to request Kirumi’s services…” The Dark Overlord of Ice coldly dismissed, his mismatched eyes boring into her doubtfully.

Kaito was quick to leap to her defense, teeth grit and fist pumped. “Stop screwin’ around! Okay, yeah, I didn’t know about the Mondo thing, but there’s totally reasonable explanations for her not wanting to bring that up! And that stuff about her lab coulda happened any day! It’s total coincidence!”

Korekiyo let out a series of tsks. “Once is chance, Kaito. Twice is coincidence. Thrice? That is a pattern. No less than three individuals have found something odd about her alibi. Which, let me remind you, is also yours . Overlooking that would simply be suicidal in these circ*mstances.”

“Everyone, I must request that you calm down. Accusations born of conjecture are baseless, and emotional arguing will get us no closer to the truth… no matter how well intentioned,” Kirumi calmly declared with only the slightest raise of her voice, though she almost muttered that last part as she sent a conflicted glance to Kaito. Gently clasping her hands together, the maid continued. “... Kaede is telling the truth. When we met this morning, she asked that I clean her lab and insisted on accompanying me. She said it was something she needed to do.” Tojo carefully explained. With as graceful and fluid as her report was, had she been anyone else, Kaede would never have even suspected that the silver-haired servant had just told a massive lie of omission. The musician looked to her as gratefully as she could without looking suspicious, trying to push down the desire to run over and hug her dear friend right then and there. Twice now Kirumi had covered for her, and twice now Kaede could only pray she’d find a way to make it back up to her somehow.

The dire words that came next, however, shattered that brief moment of peace into a thousand pieces. “... G-guys…?” Tsumugi anxiously called attention to herself, her face taking on a ghostly shade of blue. The cosplayer’s hands were gripping each other so tightly that her nails might have left marks in the skin if she held the position too long. With a thick gulp as she seemed to physically swallow down her apprehension, Shirogane made the most damning accusation yet. “... What if there was a mess Kaede needed help cleaning? Something she really had to have someone check out as soon as possible? Like, something that happened just last night…”

Kaede stared at her in incomprehension for several long moments until the shocking weight behind the words finally clicked and her mouth turned as dry as a desert. It felt like she’d been tossed in a frozen lake, yet her tongue felt like chalk as she struggled to respond to that. N-no way… surely she wasn’t…! “H-hang on! A-are… are you saying you think I knew about Hifumi?!” Akamatsu stumbled out in absolute horror before she desperately shook her head and threw her arms up defensively. “N-no! No, I swear, I didn’t-”

“Nevermind that. Fear mongering won’t help, Tsumugi,” Peko warned with a sharp glare before turning it onto Kaede. “Kaede. You admitted that you told Teruteru not to testify about what he’d seen. It’s all but confirmed that you lied about going to your lab last night. If you truly care about the truth of this case, answer this: why? The most obvious reason would be that it’s true, which means it’s all the more important you explain yourself. I recommend you do so immediately.”

Kaede’s hands shot out to grab her podium as it rocked beneath her slightly and lurched forward to present her to the court, her growing dread only worsening under the ominous red spotlight. She gripped at her elbow tightly, forcing herself not to look away from their expectant gazes despite the borderline terror she was becoming engulfed by. “No, no, no! E-everyone suspects me …?! This can’t be happening!” The frightened leader screamed in her mind. She didn’t do it. She knew she didn’t do it. Yet, despite all her talk of the truth, she let herself get tripped up by her own lies, and now they were spiraling down the wrong road that ended in the deaths of everyone here. “G-guys… I-I swear… it’s not…!” She disjointedly pleaded as an explanation failed to form, her mind going blank as fear began poisoning her thoughts in a cloud. Her lack of response clearly didn’t impress her increasingly suspicious friends as Peko’s eyes narrowed warningly. The swordswoman was hardly the only one, more and more of her fellow blackened gaining looks of doubt, fear, hurt-

“f*ck this.”

Kaede’s eyes went wide, surprise and confusion briefly overriding her panic as she turned her head towards the source of the voice. “M-Mondo…? What…?”

“f*ck this,” The biker gruffly repeated, his fists clenched tightly by his sides as he looked down at the ground. His chest rose as he took a deep breath and quietly let it out before his head slowly rose up, Mondo’s hard yellow eyes trailing over each and every face in the courtroom as his jaw locked firmly. “I can’t watch this sh*t anymore, so I’m just gonna say it. You’re right about one thing: Kaede lied. I wasn’t hanging out with them last night. All that bullsh*t was her tryin’ to cover for me.”

The courtroom exploded into noise, but Akamatsu couldn’t hear any of it. All she could do was stare at him numbly, completely unable to comprehend what in the hell he was doing. She jolted back to her senses with another spike of dread distinct from the overwhelming panic from mere moments prior. “M-Mondo! What are you doing?!”

“Telling the truth. I ain’t letting you get f*cked over for my mistakes. A real man wouldn’t have let it get this far to start with.” He solemnly intoned with a shake of his head, only able to meet her gaze for a second before looking away again.

“Keheheh, what an intriguing turn of events! Do explain what you mean, Mondo…” Korekiyo all too excitedly encouraged.

“sh*t, is he saying what I think he’s saying...?” Leon muttered out in disbelief.

Kaito stared at him with the utmost seriousness the astronaut had ever displayed around Kaede. “Mondo…” He started, but never finished, uncertainty tinting his features before he could get any farther.

The other students chirped in with their own comments and statements of surprise, most talking more to themselves than actually trying to join into the debate. Kaede shook her head, just a little at first but becoming increasingly desperate each millisecond. She couldn’t let him do this. Things were already going horribly wrong, but if he made his confession, they’d throw him to the wolves, and everyone else would join him soon after. She couldn’t- she wouldn’t let this happen. “Mondo, stop lying! You WERE with us! We-”

“Cut the sh*t, Kaede. It’s obvious no one buys that,” He shot back assertively. Owada showed no reaction as his podium replaced her spot in the center, the red light above painting his face in shadow beneath his hair. Instead, he simply took his opportunity to address everyone. “You listenin’? Kaede didn’t have anything to do with this, and I can tell you exactly why.”

The blonde’s distress quickly transformed into a mixture of horror and anger, her blood burning and freezing in her veins all at once. “Don’t do this! Mon-”

“Calm yourself, Siren, lest you draw more suspicion upon yourself. Mondo’s words must reign free if we are to dispel the fog surrounding this mystery!” Tanaka boomed with a glare.

“Mister Owada, if you have proof that can clear Kaede of suspicion, then I encourage you to present it. However, you have to be aware of what exactly you’re saying here…” Kirumi warned, her gaze wary and knowing.

Mondo shook his head. “I ain’t saying that … look. I didn’t kill Hifumi… but I wanted to-”

“Mondo! Shut ! Up !” Kaede shouted as the last of her patience snapped, nothing but pure emotion consuming her thought process. Fury, fear, panic, all of it swirled in her like a storm, the girl hoping with every fiber of her being that the biker would finally listen and stop while the situation was still somewhat salvageable.

But he didn’t, and without a moment of hesitation, Mondo confessed what she’d hoped would remain a secret to the day they died. “- I tried to kill him last night-”

“ MONDO! ”

“-and I almost killed Kaede doin’ it.”

For the briefest of moments, everything fell silent. Not so much as a whisper disturbed the suffocating silence that overtook the hall, Mondo’s words ringing like a gunshot in their minds as nobody could do a thing but stand and stare with absolute shock on their faces. Kaede felt hollow, her mind going blank as the absolute worst case scenario she could have pictured played out right before her eyes. The girl that had been the Ultimate Pianist blinked, sucking in a small, icy breath as if it was the last she’d ever take…

And then everything went to hell.

Chapter 15: Chapter One: The Bloodied Hands We're Dealt: Trial Part 3

Chapter Text

To say the others reacted poorly to Mondo’s confession would be an understatement beyond compare.

“I-impossible…!”

“Th-the hell, man?!”

“H-hang on, weren’t they investigating together?!”

“EEEEK! N-no! Y-you couldn’t have! Wh-why would anyone-”

“ That’s the kind of smashing you were up to last night?!”

“You attack Kaede?! No way! Why would friend do that?!”

“You would target ones weaker than yourself…?! You coward !”

Nearly everyone in the room let out some proclamation of stunned disbelief, even the ones managing to keep silent found themselves unable to hide it from their faces and body language. Not even the Ultimate Gambler could quite manage to conceal the fact that she was flummoxed, Celeste blinking and gaining a hint of a startled grimace. Only Kaede and Kaito were relatively unaffected, though the leader turned suspect was still unable to comprehend what he’d just done with his admission. The most visceral reaction, however, came from person Kaede could never picture becoming overtaken by emotion.

“You did what ?!” Kirumi bellowed, the maid well and truly losing her composure for the first time since Kaede met her as shock and outrage shattered through her ever-stoic mask. Her previously narrowed and scrutinizing eye had all but bulged out of her skull, openly glaring at the man. Were Kaede less beside herself from Mondo’s abrupt declaration, she would probably be completely taken aback by Tojo’s sudden burst of genuine anger.

To his credit, Mondo didn’t so much as flinch at the volley of spiteful accusations and condemnations, simply standing there and silently taking their anger. If she didn’t know better, Akamatsu might have thought he was a statue, the man as still and lifeless as the defaced portrait of Yamada. When it became clear that he wouldn’t be saying anything more, Kirumi turned her sights to the former Ultimate Pianist. “Kaede, is this true?” She asked, concern replacing some of the fury in her voice. Her emerald gaze was almost pleading, but there was an undeniable firmness to them that carried an unspoken message loud and clear: “Don’t try to lie about this.”

Kaede blinked, the question partially pulling the girl from her stupefied state. She looked around at her friends and fellow prisoners, only vaguely being able to acknowledge the disbelief on their faces. It almost felt like she was in a dream, a nightmare of the worst possible way things could’ve played out, yet she was just conscious enough to know that wasn’t the case. She let out a breath she forgot she was holding, shaking her head slightly in an attempt to dispel the fog that descended over her mind. “This wasn’t supposed to happen,” She thought to herself, the words dull and monotone even in her own mind. “It was supposed to be easy. Now… oh, god…” Her thoughts trailed off as she suddenly became keenly aware of the people all waiting for her answer.

They were staring at her again, their suspicious glares from earlier now replaced with something dangerously close to pity that somehow cut far deeper than their distrust ever could. Akamatsu clutched at her elbow like her life depended on it, enveloping herself in a hug that only served to make herself feel worse for showing such weakness in front of the people depending on her. Shame filled the hollowness she’d felt mere moments prior, the musician completely unable to look at anyone, let alone dare to meet their gaze after all she’d done. Kaede closed her eyes, wincing at the awful feelings stirring within her. Her lies failed. Her attempt to protect her friend failed. She failed. Now, she got to pay the price of not only having those mistakes exposed and being revealed as a liar, but have the very thing she was trying so hard to cover up be brazenly revealed, the crescendo of the nightmarish symphony the trial had become. A quiet, defeated sigh escaped her, Kaede’s shoulders slumping and head bowing like a prisoner awaiting the guillotine. “... You weren’t supposed to tell them, Mondo…”

Her indirect confirmation was more than enough to convince them, a deathly quiet falling over the previously bustling courtroom as the words truly began to sink in. “Holy sh*t, man…” Leon finally muttered out, completely stunned. For once, the baseball star seemed to be speaking for the majority, as everyone else was too taken aback by the turn of events to voice anything different.

After a short eternity, someone finally mustered up the courage to speak up. “... Well. That statement certainly leaves us with a lot to unpack, given that you not only just admitted to two different murder attempts, but also invalidated the entirity of two other people’s alibis. I believe an explanation is an order, though where to start is a large question all on its own. Would anyone care to take the lead?” Celeste calmly asked, the goth seeming to be the first to fully return to their senses. Ludenberg’s question was like a wake up call for the others as they too snapped back from their daze and promptly leapt back to the task at hand.

“The beginning would likely be a good idea. The sooner we have the full -and honest - story of what happened last night, the sooner we can understand all of this,” Peko declared decisively, her gaze firm and voice unwavering. Crossing her arms, she prompted the pair to explain themselves. “Both of you, tell us everything that led up to this and what followed after in as much detail as you can. We’ll figure out how to proceed from there.”

Kaede didn’t say a word, stuck between wanting to make amends for her deception by abiding their request and the stifling shame of what was being exposed in the first place. She opened her mouth to start, but her courage instantly faltered, the disgraced leader looking down at the floor. “... I… I’m sorry… Mondo, could you…?” She trailed off with a resigned sigh, vaguely waving a hand in his direction. “Just to get us started. I just need a minute…”

The biker was out of her field of vision, but she could all but hear his nod. “Yeah… yeah, alright,” Mondo agreed, his voice almost alien in how soft it was compared to his usual ferocious snarls. “From the beginning, huh? Guess that’d prolly be when I got my motive video… a while after the nighttime announcement last night, I was in my room just… existing, I guess, when all of the sudden my pad started beepin’. Thought it was an alarm or some sh*t, so I was gonna throw the thing across the f*ckin’ room, but right as I grabbed it, the thing flashed on and popped up with one of the tapes Monokuma was talkin’ about. I wasn’t plannin’ on watchin’ it if I got one, but… tch ,” Owada let out a derisive mix of a scoff and a humorless laugh, a touch of bitterness bleeding into his voice. “But honestly? I was bored as all hell. I saw that thing pop up and thought to myself, ‘f*ck it, why not?’, so I started it up. Turns out, it was Yamada’s video… and that fat son of a bitch killed someone I cared about over a goddamn laptop .”

“... That’s right... Alter Ego…” Sakura muttered, a far away look on her face. She seemed to return to reality a few moments later with a small shake of her head. “... I apologize. That simply reminded me of something I’d forgotten.”

Before Mondo could get back to his story, however, Kaito’s eyes went wide. “Hey, hang on a second. Did you just say ‘alter ego’?”

Ogami’s silver gaze turned to him, an eyebrow raised curiously. “Yes. From the look in your eye, it seems you know what I’m talking about…” She noted somewhat probbingly, subtly trying to spur the astronaut to elaborate.

Kaito pulled on his goatee with a furrowed brow. “Alter Ego… isn’t that what Monokuma called that digital copy of Gonta?”

Leon blinked dumbly. “The what?” He questioned, only to be promptly ignored.

“Ah, that right! Computer Gonta say he was Alter Ego! But… does that mean Sakura knew Computer Gonta?” The Ultimate Entomologist asked, clearly confused. Sakura let out a low, disagreeing hum.

“I do not recall ever meeting someone like you before this killing game, but it seems we somehow both met Alter Ego. But… how?”

Monokuma through a pair of paws over his mouth in a failed attempt to stifle a giggle. “Puhuhuhu…! I wonder what it could mean!”

Kirumi politely cleared her throat, distracting them from their discussion as she thinned her lips. “While this link between our killing games is peculiar, it is something that will have to be tabled for now. Mister Owada, if you would please continue? You had just finished watching the motive video.” Tojo instructed. Most of her composure had returned from her earlier outburst, but there was a notable rigidness in her tone as she addressed the Ultimate Biker, her eyes hard and somewhat expectant.

“Right… at first, I couldn’t believe it. I was just sittin’ there, staring’ at the thing like a robot or somethin’,” Mondo said. Almost immediately after, a dark scowl encompassed his features as his jaw locked and his hands tensed into fists by his sides. “But once it really sank in what that f*cker had done, I wanted to rip his goddamn head off. I can’t remember a whole lot of it after that clearly, but I remember grabbin’ one of the dumbbells in my room and goin’ out to look for him. Couldn’t find the bastard anywhere, but I was too pissed off to stop tryin’... ‘til I ran into Kaede.”

Akamatsu winced as the memories of the night prior involuntarily flooded her mind again and again with every moment of Mondo’s explanation. Her name sounded like an accusation to her ears, barely managing to keep herself from flinching at the mention. She took a shaky breath, closing her eyes and swallowing thickly as she once again felt the dreadful weight of everyone’s waiting eyes fall upon her. Chills rocked the ex-pianist’s body despite an uncomfortable warmth enveloping her from head to toe. It was the same feeling she had when she looked into Shuichi’s eyes and realized they both knew the truth. And just as she did then, she knew she had to face it head on, no matter how much she wished she could run away from it all.

Mustering up all the courage she had, Kaede looked up from the ground, not quite able to meet anyone’s eyes but refusing to turn away anymore. “... Before I say anything else… I’m sorry, everyone. I lied because I didn’t want things to turn out like this, but it’s obvious all I’ve done is ruin everything,” She apologized, and unlike so much she’d said during the trial, she meant every word of it. It’d be a miracle if any of them ever trusted a thing she said from then on, but if they believed one thing, she hoped it was that. Still, she didn’t bother waiting for their responses before starting her explanation, refusing to look like she was fishing for forgiveness when she knew full well that she didn’t deserve it without doing anything to make amends. “As you probably figured out by now, Tsumugi’s telling the truth. I was in my lab last night. With the motive and everything else that’s going on and already happened, I needed to do something to take my mind off things. So, I ended up playing the piano for a while. But...”

The blonde hesitated. She couldn’t lie again , but there was no way on earth she could ever admit what actually happened. No matter how much Tojo insisted that it shouldn’t be, her ridiculous condition was absolutely humiliating. It was mortifying enough that Kirumi knew and a couple others probably suspected it. Announcing in front of everyone that she freaked out and fainted over something as stupid as playing the piano? Just the thought of it made her sick to her stomach. “... I ended up losing track of time and stayed there way later than I meant to. Kaito and I were supposed to meet up around ten, but I didn’t leave my lab until… probably eleven twenty. I was making my way back to the dorms when I ran into Mondo outside of Kirumi’s lab. He wanted to know where Hifumi was, and when I wouldn’t let him leave without explaining what was going on, we got into an argument, and it only got worse when I realized what he was going to do. I said trying to get revenge was weak…”

Mondo sighed as he picked up where she left off. “Hearin’ that… somethin’ snapped. I couldn’t believe she’d just said something like that to me. After everything else I’ve been through, to have someone call me weak to my face…” He closed his eyes with a pained grimace, his knuckles turning a ghostly shade of white from how hard he clenched them. “Everything went red. Next thing I know, there’s a huge damn hole in the wall and Kaede’s slumped against the wall in front of me. To be honest... I’d thought I’d killed her.”

“Then the hole we found next to the side entrance of Sakura’s lab…” Kiyo raised, waiting for one of them to finish the thought. Kaede gave a weak nod.

“Y-yeah. That’s where our fight ended.” The former Ultimate Pianist solemnly confirmed.

Peko’s expression had hardly shifted since they started, an occasional glance between Kaede and Mondo during each other’s testimony being the only possible hint of what she was thinking. “... I see. What happened after that?”

“I tried to murder him,” A voice uncomfortably close to her own spat out cruelly. Kaede squeezed her elbow like a child with a stuffed animal, trying to take some solace in the firm pressure. She couldn’t admit that. Ever . No matter how much they deserved the truth of who she was, she refused to let things spiral any further out of her control than they already had. Swallowing down yet another lie of omission, Kaede started to answer the question. “When Mondo swung the dumbbell, I… didn’t realize he missed. I just closed my eyes and waited. I heard it hit something, and I figured that was it. It took me a few seconds to figure out I was still alive, and even then, it didn’t really click until Kaito found us.”

Like clockwork, the gathered students turned their focus to the Ultimate Astronaut, his usually expressive face harboring only a small frown. Celeste let out a small hum, gaze narrowing at Momota with a hint of intrigue. “And once again, you come up. I must admit, I’m rather curious as to your involvement in all this. Has one of your tales of heroics finally come true?”

For once, Kaito didn’t take the bait, the seriousness of their situation outweighing his desire to always have the last word. With only a sideways glare towards the gambler, he offered his side of the story. “Like Kaede said, she ended up staying in her lab and accidentally ditched out on our training session. I figured she was probably getting some sleep, so I went up to our usual spot on the second deck alone, but I started hearing some voices from down the hall. Right after that, someone screamed, and I ran as fast as I could towards it. When I got there, I saw Kaede slumped against the wall and Mondo kneeling down in front of her,” He explained. Grimacing, he put a hand on his hip, looking down at the other as he balled it into a fist. “The second I saw that, all I could think about was making sure she was alright and beating the hell out of him. Kaede talked me out of the second part.”

Leon quirked an eyebrow. “Huh? Seriously? The dude tried to bash your skull in and you were defending him? Isn’t that kinda weird?” He questioned, genuinely puzzled, before a flash of anger soured his expression and he pointed at Celeste. “Before you say anything, this is different and you damn well know that!”

The gambler stared at him in a bland disinterest. “Luckily for you, I happen to be interested as well. Kaede, if you weren’t interested in having Kaito carry out revenge on your behalf, what exactly did you do with Mondo?”

Kaede tried to respond, but found herself hesitating, the words just waiting on the tip of her tongue. It shouldn’t have been that hard compared to everything else she’d had to admit thus far, yet... her gaze drifted to the silent biker, biting her lip uncertainly. Up until now, as much as she wanted to avoid talking about it, she at least felt like it was hers to discuss. Whether Mondo knew it or not, they both nearly died that night. They were both victims of each other with equal claim to it. What they talked about after, though? That was Owada willingly opening up to her, coaxed as it might have been. She risked nothing by admitting it, but to expose his fears and shortcomings like that… after all the lies she’d told to protect her own insecurities, the idea left a foul taste in her mouth. “... Mondo, are you alright if I say what happened?” She asked carefully, trying to meet his eyes.

Mondo scowled slightly, glancing away from her before looking down with a sigh and putting his hands on his hips. “Don’t exactly have a choice here… do whatever ya have to.”

Akamatsu couldn’t help the small frown that came to her. That wasn’t exactly permission, but it wasn’t a refusal either. Still, he seemed to be more or less at peace with what was about to be revealed, so Kaede took it as her sign to continue, though she’d try to keep as many of the details out as she could regardless. “... The reason I didn’t want Kaito to hurt Mondo is because when he was kneeling down, he was begging for forgiveness. He could have finished the job and taken his chances at the trial. As far as he knew, no one else was around. He could have taken another shot, and there’d be nothing I could do to stop him, or even just ran away, but he didn’t. Instead, he was trying to make things right. That’s when I realized that everything he’d done was in a moment of weakness… and I know what that’s like,” Kaede admitted, a knowing tiredness sapping the already frail power out of her tone. Rantaro’s easy going smile flashed through her mind and stabbed her heart like a dagger, her nails digging into the palms of her hands as she clenched her fists. “So, we made a promise together. As long as we’re both alive, we’re going to be there for each other. As long as we do that, we’ll never be that weak again. I lied because I knew there was no way he’d have done this after that.”

Silence reigned over the courtroom. Kaede struggled not to squirm under the intense, wordless gazes of her fellow murderers, forcing herself to remain rigid and firm as a statue no matter what. Her confession ended up sounding a lot more like a speech than she’d wanted, but hopefully that didn’t obscure the fact that each and every word of it was sincere. The worst part of their silence was trying to determine if they believed her or not, the expressions of the other blackened varying greatly from person to person. The first one to voice their thoughts didn’t help much in that regard, either. “A man tried to kill you… and your solution is to make a friendship pact with him.” Celeste summarized in a voice that bordered on disbelief. Her ruby red eyes were hard and discerning, the only hint of emotion on the gambler’s face.

Kaede thinned her lips. “That’s a bad way to put it… but basically, yeah.”

That seemed to spark its own set of reactions, though nowhere near as dramatically as the initial confession. “Hmm… I can’t speak for everyone, but I for one find this fascinating. To show such forgiveness in the face of overwhelming hostility… keheheh, what a beautiful display of humanity...” Kiyo humed out, something about his words making Kaede distinctly uncomfortable.

Clearly she wasn’t the only one as Mondo gave the anthropologist a tired glare. “Could you either stop with the creepy comments or just shut the f*ck up?”

“Could you reconsider your behavior? Given what we’ve just spent several minutes going over, it doesn’t seem like an unwarranted course of action.” Korekiyo shot back, the venom in his voice carefully curtailed by his wording. Mondo’s eyes widened with anger as the biker raised a fist and opened his mouth… only to realize he was about to prove the man’s point. Instead, the only response the biker could muster was a dark scowl.

Tsumugi rubbed at her cheek with a somewhat distracted glaze in her eyes. “So this is what it’s like for other people when a shonen protagonist decides to try reforming one of the antagonists… I’ve gotta say, it feels way different in real life. It’s less inspiring optimism and more like borderline suicidal naiveté.”

“I dunno; it usually turns out pretty well. If you just focus on the bad stuff, you’re only seeing the shadow of a person. People have to be given chances to do the right thing. That’s just how we live and learn… I think.” Chiaki offered, certain and genuine until defaulting to that odd verbal tic of hers.

Shirogane’s eyes lit up. “Wow, you managed to make two different references in one go! And such great taste, too! That’s plainly impressive! ”

“I apologize for being blunt, but I don’t believe this is the time for such discussion,” Kirumi lightly scolded with a small frown. It didn’t lessen as she turned to Kaede. If anything, the musician could have sworn it actually deepened for a moment, though the maid retained enough professionalism to quickly hide it if so. “That said… Miss Shirogane’s original assessment is not entirely inaccurate, Kaede. As admirable as your compassion is, even ignoring the danger involved in making that pact in the first place considering what immediately preceded it, your attempts to cover for Mister Owada have put yourself and everyone else here at risk by derailing the trial. I know you never meant for that, but it has happened all the same.”

Kaede cringed guiltily at Kirumi’s pointed words. “I know, and I’m truly sorry I ever let things get out of hand. I didn’t want to lie to you guys, but I knew this would be exactly what happened if we told the truth,” She apologized almost pleadingly, shaking her head with a sigh. “Trust me, I know how it looks, but I know for a fact that Mondo didn’t do this.”

“You say that with quite a bit of certainty. Is there anything that backs that up?” Peko pressed.

Kaito piped up before she had the chance to respond. “Yeah! When we got back to the dorms, Mondo gave Kaede his monopad so we could lock his door. Er, not that we thought he was going to do anything, of course. I trust my sidekicks with my life, and that means there’s no way he woulda tried something after Kaede stopped him the first time!” The Ultimate Astronaut somewhat awkwardly added once he realized what his first statement implied.

“U-um… I-I have a question. P-please don’t hate me for this, b-but… didn’t you agree with Kaede last time too?” Mikan shyly pointed out, tears already welling in her eyes when the mentioned pair turned to face her. “N-nevermind! I-it doesn’t matter-!”

Kaede shook her head, biting her lip to conceal a small frown. “No, I understand what you mean. Kaito went along with my lie last time, so you don’t know if he’s telling the truth now, right?” She asked somewhat warily, knowing full well that was the answer and more so trying to get the nurse to admit as much instead of backing down out of fear.

Tsumiki wrung her hands fretfully, shamefaced. “S-sorry... I-I r-really do believe you! I-I just want everyone else to, b-but they’ll want proof, a-and…” Almost perfectly on cue, the lavender-haired girl began crying, her greyish-purple irises watery and pleading for forgiveness.

“H-hey, don’t cry! We’re not upset!” Kaede attempted to comfort, holding her hands up in front of her. A quick glance to Kaito proved that he was more confused than anything, the boy clearly taken off guard by Mikan’s sudden outburst.

“As she says. There is no point in tears over what must be done,” Sakura sagely offered. Her gaze shifted to Kaede, her eyes holding no clear preference for believing the ex-pianist or not. “And the need for evidence is absolute. If this is indeed the truth, there must be something to confirm it. Do you have anything of the kind?”

Kaede paused for a moment. Kaito could definitely vouch for what happened, but the others clearly didn’t rank his word all that higher than hers at this point. “Is there anything that shows for sure what happened? There wouldn’t be any sort of evidence we could’ve left behind… no one else was in the hall, so they couldn’t have seen us… wait a second!” Akamatsu’s eyes widened slightly as her mind raced back to one particular piece of testimony everyone agreed was fact. “Yes, actually. There is something that backs up our story. Isn’t that right, Teruteru?”

The chef blinked at her. “Huh? Er… you did say my name, right? I’m sorry to say I don’t really know what you’re talking about…”

Kaede shook her head. “Maybe not directly, but there’s something you said earlier that confirms it. You said you saw Mondo in my room last night on the map, right?” She reminded, a bit of her earlier confidence returning to her.

Tsumugi raised a finger with a furrowed brow. “Erm, doesn’t that actually go against what you’re saying? He plainly couldn’t have been in two places at once. Unless... hey, have you mastered the art of Bunshin no Jutsu?!”

“Bun- what the f*ck are you talkin’ about?” Mondo bluntly refuted in total bewilderment.

Akamatsu paused for a moment, equally thrown off by the cosplayer’s strange remark. “Uh… I doubt that part. But you’re partially right; that would contradict what I’m saying… if the monopads tracked people .”

Gonta inquisitively tilted his head to the side like a puppy. “Huh? Monopads don’t track people? But… pad shows where friends are, doesn’t it?”

Chiaki’s eyes lit up with comprehension. “Actually, I think I get it. You’re talking about what Monokuma said about the pads, right?”

“You sound like Monokuma told you something we didn’t hear. Would you mind elaborating on that?” Celeste prompted, a purposefully posed fist masking her expression.

The Ultimate Gamer tapped a finger against her chin. “While we were investigating the body, we had trouble finding Hifumi’s monopad. When Monokuma showed up, he said that the monopads can’t track things that don’t exist. Since Hifumi’s body was still right there, we realized it can’t be tracking people, or else it would have shown him as being in the lab. If it wasn’t tracking us directly, there’s only one thing it could be using for the map.”

Teruteru’s beady eyes grew in size as he picked up on what they were saying. “Hey, I think I get it now! You’re saying that our pads are tracking each other, right?”

“Correct! Not all that impressive, seeing as how Miss Nanami basically had to spell it out for you, but still. B-minus for effort!” Monokuma chirped with a wink.

Ignoring the amoral animatronic, Peko quickly deduced the main point they were getting at. “So that’s your proof. Mondo appeared to be in your room last night because you still had his pad, and there’d be no reason for you to have it unless Mondo gave it to you as Kaito said.”

Sakura closed her eyes in thought. “I see... that would explain the supposed malfunction with Mondo’s door. It wasn’t opening because only Kaede had the key, and she was on the second deck at the time…”

“S-so that means Kaede and Kaito are d-definitely telling the truth, right?” Mikan suggested, visibly delighted by the turn of events.

Kirumi cupped her chin in thought. “Going over each step of it, this sequence of events would certainly explain many of the inconsistencies we’ve encountered thus far. Kaede was in her lab until at least eleven-ten PM as Miss Shirogane observed, giving grounds for requesting a cleaning the following morning. At the same time, Mister Owada was beginning his search for Mister Yamada. When they eventually encountered each other and got into their struggle, Mister Owada struck the wall by the side entrance of the Ultimate Martial Artist’s lab, and ultimately surrendered his monopad. As an unintended consequence, it appeared as if Mister Owada spent the night in Kaede’s room, hence the contradiction Mister Hanamura pointed out,” Tojo explained calmly and succinctly to the class, making sure to demonstrate how each key point of Kaede’s explanation matched up with the pitfalls of her earlier lies. Once she finished, she folded her hands in her lap with a bow of her head. It was nearly impossible to tell with the distance between them, but Kaede could have sworn there was the slightest hint of a smile on the maid’s face as she gave her exonerating remarks. “I see no contradictions between the events they have described and what we know as fact. As such, I believe it is safe to believe it’s the truth.”

A relieved sigh escaped Akamatsu as the words sunk in for the gathered students. It was obvious her credibility had still taken a major blow, as most of their gazers were considerably cooler and warier than before -some even being flat-out glares- but it was still a marked improvement from her earlier situation. A couple were even still on her side if Mikan and Kirumi’s reactions were anything to go by. Tsumugi still didn’t look that pleased with her, but the bluenette gained a small smile as she looked towards Mikan. “Actually, now that I think about it, the fact that Mondo wasn’t in Kaede’s room means my ship isn’t sunk just yet! You’re still in luck, Mikan!”

Tsumiki’s delighted grin vanished instantly, eyes bulging out in pure terror as her face flushed. “Wh-haaaaa?! Wh-why do you keep saying things like that?!”

Celeste didn’t bother humoring their banter or even looking at Kaede, instead glancing off to the side as she flicked at her hair with an almost bored expression. “Excellent. After half an hour of debate, we’ve arrived at the exact point we would have if they were simply truthful to begin with. Truly a wise use of our precious time.”

Peko set her jaw. “I don’t disagree, but bickering over blame won’t bring us any closer to identifying the culprit before time runs out.”

Kaede glanced away guiltily, but forced herself to nod. “Peko’s right. I know I have a lot to answer for, and I promise I will, but we have to make it through this trial first. I think we have most of the case figured out by now, so it’s mostly a matter of finding out which one of us could have done everything we know the killer did. The first part of that is considering where everyone was last night,” The blonde explained, crossing her arms in thought. “... Hmm… just to be sure, I think we should go over our alibis again. At this point, I don’t think anyone but the killer has something to hide, so we just have to see what doesn’t match up.”

“Um… is that really necessary at this point?” Tsumugi hesitantly asked with a frown as the cosplayer glanced slightly to her right. “I mean, it plainly seems like the culprit is already pretty obvious…”

Kaito’s fists slammed together, the harsh crack of his knuckles colliding reverberating through the courtroom like distant thunder. “Seriously?! Weren’t you paying attention? We already proved Mondo innocent!”

“Not exactly, Kaito. We concluded that your sequence of events was plausible, but that alone doesn’t rule out Mondo as a culprit,” Korekiyo countered, waggling his finger like a professor scolding an overeager student. “There are still a handful of possibilities where he is indeed the one behind Hifumi’s death. Until those are addressed, I am unwilling to take him off the table.”

Mondo’s eyes narrowed into a glare. “Do you seriously think I’d try anything after what happened with Kaede?” Owada questioned, voice low and warning as his eyes narrowed into a glare.

“We cannot know anything for sure without evidence. Character alone is hardly proof, especially in our situation. If there is nothing for you to hide, then there is no reason for you to object to this line of questioning. You do intend to be honest with us now, yes?” Celeste challenged in a tone far too innocent to be genuine.

The biker turned his dark glower on her, opening his mouth to respond before ultimately giving up on any response beyond a low growl. Kaede’s lips thinned as her eyes drifted between Mondo’s three accusers, brow furrowing as a touch of worry returned to her. “Out of the fire, but right back to the frying pan… how exactly do they think Mondo could have killed Hifumi after our testimony? It should’ve been impossible for him to leave, shouldn't it…?” The ametuer investigator thought to herself, and with that, the next round of debate broke out.

NONSTOP DEBATE: START!

“Kaede claims that Mondo was in his room all of last night,” Korekiyo began, opening his eyes and giving a wave of his hand. “But we don’t know that for certain.”

Kaito looked quizzically at the anthropologist through narrowed eyes. “What are you talking about, man? Kaede locked the door right in front of me! There’s no way Mondo could’ve gotten out!”

Tsumugi held up a finger. “What about the outdoor balconies everyone has?”

“The what? Since when did we have those?” Leon asked in visible bewilderment.

“They have been accessible through the bathrooms since the first night here,” Kirumi pointed out, eyebrow quirked slightly. “I had assumed everyone was aware of them after exploring their cabins.”

Kaede shyly raised a hand. “Um, to be honest, I didn’t know about those either.”

“Ah! I think I know what happened!” Tsumugi confidently declared, eyes bright as she pointed dramatically towards Mondo. “After Kaede locked your door, you used your shinobi skills to run up the side of the boat !”

Mondo stared at her uncomprehendingly. “... Wh… are you f*ckin’ with me?”

“Profanity aside, I’m inclined to agree,” Kiyo intoned somewhat dismissively, shooting an unimpressed look at Shirogane. “While not impossible, scaling the outside of the ship is certainly implausible. What I’m primarily referring to is the fact that either Kaede or Monokuma could have unlocked his door at any point.”

“Huh? Hey, why the hell would she’ve done that? Did you forget what happened or somethin’?” Owada demanded.

The Ultimate Anthropologist let out a small hum. “I can think of a few reasons, but those can wait until the possibility is addressed.”

Teruteru’s head perked up at that. “But if Kaede did that, then what about what I saw on the map? You’re not saying they actually did get together, are you?” The chef asked in complete seriousness, until a lurid smirk began crossing his features. “That mask of yours tells me you have ideas, but I’m not sure they’re that freaky…”

“Please don’t sink my ship!” Tsumugi desperately blurted out in clear dismay.

Korekiyo scowled at the portly cook. “Teruteru, if you say something like that again, I’m afraid I’ll have to tear out your nerves ,” Shinguji all but growled, his yellow eyes fierce and cold as Hanamura paled under his gaze. “As for your point, he wouldn’t have had to get his monopad back for someone to open his door.”

BREAK!

Kaede cupped her chin thoughtfully as she looked towards her lanky classmate. “Hang on, Kiyo. You sound pretty sure when you say someone could have unlocked Mondo’s door, but I don’t think that’s right.”

The anthropologist matched her gaze with conserved intrigue. “Is that so? Then please, do elaborate. I’m curious to see your rationale.”

Somehow, the excitement Korekiyo displayed at the idea of being proven wrong was more worrisome than if he was simply earnest in his belief that Mondo was the culprit. Setting that slight discomfort aside, Kaede went straight to the point. “Like you said, there’s only two people that could have unlocked Mondo’s door after I took his monopad. I know I didn’t let Mondo out last night, and Teruteru’s testimony proves it was still in my room after I fell asleep, so no one could have stolen it. That leaves Monokuma… but we already know he didn’t do it.”

“My my, what a confident declaration. I assume you have more than bravado to prove your point, however?” Ludenberg chirped, her carefully maintained expression allowing just a hint of interest through.

Kaede held up a finger as she launched into her investigation. “I do, and there isn’t a doubt in my mind that this will clear things up. Think back to earlier in the trial when we were talking about the doors to Sakura’s lab. Before we figured out that each door works on its own, Monokuma made it clear that he did not mess with any of the doors. Since we know that Mondo’s door was still locked this morning until he let him out after the body discovery announcement, that means Mondo’s door was locked all night after we split up. If he couldn’t have gotten out of his room, then there’s no way he could have killed Hifumi!” The former Ultimate Pianist proudly declared.

The way the eyes of her fellow blackened widened with realization almost perfectly in sync made her chest swell with satisfaction. In the heat of the moment, it was almost fun in a way, loath as she was to admit it. She could practically see the gears turning in everyone’s heads as they took in the information and tried to find any possible holes in it. To her relief, it became rapidly apparent that they couldn’t find any as even some of the more problematic students began to concede her point.

“... Actually… huh, that does make sense…” Leon admitted, scratching at his head with a thoughtful expression.

Gundham crossed his arms as he closed his eyes. “Hmm… if the Siren cast a sealing hex upon his door, then it would be all but impossible for a lowly mortal such as him to challenge such a spell. Though he may have sworn to spill the blood of Hifumi, there is little Mondo could do to act upon that bloodlust without an escape.”

Chiaki smiled lightly. “And since the doors are controlled with the monopads, that means there’s no keyholes that could be picked, so Mondo definitely couldn’t have unlocked it from the inside. If he couldn’t force the lock, Monokuma didn’t change it, and Kaede left it alone, then there's no way he could have left the room. So… I think all this means Kaede’s right, and Mondo can’t be the culprit.”

Tsumugi rubbed at her cheek with a hum. “So he really didn’t do it… I thought it might’ve been a double twist of the most obvious culprit actually being the culprit because no one would expect it, but I guess that’s a bit too tropey for real life, huh?”

Kaito grinned brightly as he gave Kaede a thumbs up. “Just like we’ve been saying this whole time! There’s no way one of my sidekicks would do anything like that! Nice job proving it, Kaede!”

Mondo’s lips thinned, his eyes narrowing slightly. “I told ya I wasn’t the killer…” He grumbled with a hint of bitterness. After a moment, he let out a huff and shook his head. “But with everything else that happened, I guess I can’t blame ya, either… whatever. Long as we’re on the same page about this, I don’t really give a sh*t.”

“Hold on. I think we’re overlooking something here,” Peko cut in suddenly, her arms folded and gaze neutral but firm. “Monokuma said he didn’t meddle with the doors… but that was specifically in the context of the investigation. Your story seems plausible, but the only proof we have is a rather vague statement. We haven’t ruled out the possibility that his door was unlocked before that point, unlikely as Kaede is to have done so.”

Kaito frowned at her, resting a hand on his hip. “C’mon, seriously, Peko? It’s obvious he didn’t do it!”

Pekoyama’s gaze hardened. “And shortly before that, it was ‘obvious’ that he did. I do not feel comfortable ruling out suspects on what seems obvious or not. With our lives on the line, we cannot afford to take even small possibilities lightly.”

Kirumi tilted her head with a small frown. “I can understand that concern, Miss Pekoyama, but how precisely are we to determine if Monokuma or Kaede did such a thing? We don’t have sufficient proof to rule one way over the other.”

Chiaki’s brow furrowed, a calculating expression on her face as she folded her hands together. “... Well, there is someone that knows for sure. After all, if anyone knew, it’d be you, right, Monokuma?”

Kaede failed to contain her mild surprise. “Wait, is she going to just ask him? That worked with the sword, but I don’t think he’s going to make things that easy on us again in the same trial… I kind of hope you have a plan if this doesn’t work out, Chiaki…”

Monokuma tilted his head enough that he was almost leaning his entire upper body. “Hm? Know what?” He asked, making it clear from the get go that we intended to play dumb. Kaede’s thin layer of patience for their bear instantly evaporated as she crossed her arms warningly.

“Don’t waste our time, Monokuma. We both know Mondo’s door was locked last night. You want your stupid trial to go on, right? Then just admit no one touched it so we can get past this.”

“Hm? But why would I do that?” The monochrome creature questioned, sounding almost genuinely confused if not for the slight trace of sadism in his voice. “If that was the case, then I’d basically be giving you a freebie by taking a suspect off the table. If it’s not, then that makes things pretty obvious, and that’d make the trial pretty boring for me. Sorry, kiddos, but you’re getting no help from me this time. Figure this one out for yourselves!”

The wave of outrage hit immediately and harshly. “Are you f*ckin’ kiddin’ me?!” Mondo cursed, shaking a fist at their eccentric captor. His wasn’t the only reaction, but it was by far the loudest and the best summation of the room overall. Glowers warped the faces of nearly every student gathered to some extent, even if it came across as more cute than intimidating on some of them like Chiaki. Despite their glares, Monokuma was more than pleased with the sudden attention, happily patting his belly with a grin.

“Nope! In fact, I’m just about the farthest thing from kidding! I might throw you guys the odd bone or two, but you’ll never be prepared for the dark, despairing realities of adulthood and the outside world if I do all the work for you! It’d be simply irresponsible of me as your headmaster to not make you work for yourselves a little! Too bad! Now, seeing as how there’s only…” He made a show of looking at his wrist, checking a watch that didn’t exist. “Yeesh, a pretty short amount of time left, I recommend you stop arguing with me and start arguing with your buddies! Your lives depend on it, after all… puhuhuhu!”

Kaede’s glare darkened, her hands balling into fists as an anger only that damned bear was capable of bringing out flared up in her chest. “You’re awful, you know that?” She hissed out. Monokuma only grinned wider in response, feeding into her frustration even more. Before she could wind herself up too much, however, someone else went for a gamble.

“I don’t think he’s going to budge on this…” Chiaki noted lamentfully with a frown. However, it didn’t quite seem to reach the gamer’s eyes, a calculating if slightly cautious glint in her pink irises clashing with her crestfallen voice. “I guess we’ll just have to figure it out without him. Besides, doing it that way might be better, I think...” Nanami said cryptically as she reached up and pulled her hoodie over her head. “Since he could just lie to us if he wanted.”

Kaede’s eyebrow shot up in confusion, a puzzled address waiting just on the tip of her tongue. “Huh? What are you talking about? Monokuma’s a monster, but I don’t think he’s ever-” She prepared to say right up until the moment she locked eyes with Nanami. An an instant, Chiaki’s unspoken plan clicked in her mind, and she understood exactly what the other girl was going for. “...! I get it! So this is how you’re going to make him tell the truth… okay, Chiaki. I’ll follow your lead here.”

“... Lying…?” An uncharacteristically bland voice softly said from high above. Kaede glanced over to see Monokuma sitting unnervingly still in his throne, all hints of joy wiped from his face in favor of a quiet, simmering outrage. “... Lying?” He repeated, a touch more forcefully this time. She could see his animatronic features slowly shifting into a snarl, his button eye seeming to narrow at the pink-haired Ultimate.

Akamatsu took the opportunity to stir the pot a little further, crossing her arms and closing her eyes in mock-thought. “Hmm… I guess that’s true. I mean, we’re assuming he even knows everything that happens here, but that could be an act too, right?” She added, barely able to keep from smiling cruelly at the sound of his increasingly infuriated growl. Opening her eyes, she added the last straw, practically just for the sake of insult to injury at this point. “In fact, maybe he’s so desperate for us to figure it out because he doesn’t know. It’s not like some dumb bear could solve a murder, after all.”

It was at that exact moment that Kaede knew she opened the floodgates as an enraged roar of outrage rang out, the bear’s ominous red eye glowed a threatening red. “Excuse me?! Is this some sort of sick gag?! You’re accusing your near and dear captain, the impartial judge and executioner of our little game, the one and only Monokuma himself, not only of being incompetent, but of lying?!” He growled out, his high pitched voice managing to sound intimidating simply through the sheer anger carried within it. A fierce growl thundered from their demented headmaster as he threw his arms up in the air, red in the face and claws shooting out of his paws. They glinted sharply in the red lighting, Kaede unable to help but notice the uncanny resemblance it bore to blood stains at certain angles. “How dare you?! Bears do not lie! It’s one of the reasons we’re inherently superior to people! I say what I mean and mean what I say! And what’s this rubbish about me not knowing everything that goes on on this boat?! I’m your captain for Pete’s sake! Of course I do! I… I… gah, I’m so angry right now! If I weren’t a stickler for the rules I made, I’d punish you two for this horrible slander right here and now!”

“So when you say you didn’t meddle with the doors at all, you mean it?” Chiaki lightly pressed, casting a line out and waiting for Monokuma to take the bait. Fortunately for her, he was more than willing to do just that.

“Of course I do! I only bothered unlocking his door because attendance of the trial is mandatory and you kept insisting he join the investigation! Frankly, I’d have been fine leaving him in there to starve to death if it meant a murder technically happened!”

Kaede picked up on his slip in an instant, her eyes narrowing at the bear as she put in the killing blow of Nanami’s trap. “So you’re saying the lock on Mondo’s door stayed completely the same from last night until you touched it this morning?”

“Grr, aren’t you listening?! Yes! That’s what I’ve been saying this whole-” The bear suddenly stopped, freezing in place as if someone had ripped out his batteries. He sat there dead and lifeless as a normal teddy bear for several moments before he finally let out a sigh. “... Oh, dang it.”

Kaede didn’t waste a second. “So it’s true, then. No one touched Mondo’s door after I locked it last night, and we can be absolutely sure that it stayed that way until the moment Monokuma opened it this morning. In other words, it’s impossible for him to have escaped his room,” Akamatsu asserted, her confidence building up and carrying her forward like a train’s momentum as she thrust an accusing finger directly towards Monokuma. “So there’s no doubt about it: Mondo isn’t the killer in this case!”

With Monokuma’s slip of the tongue, what she knew with such certainty in her heart was finally an undeniable fact. The sudden turnabout had clearly shocked even the ones on her side as Kirumi’s visible eye widened slightly with realization while Mondo himself looked positively stunned, though that much might have been on account of tricking Monokuma into confessing the truth. Kaito was grinning ear to ear with his fist pumped victoriously. “Ha! How about that , Monokuma? You shoulda learned by now that you don’t stand against me and my sidekicks!”

“... What exactly did you do during all this?” Tsumugi quietly asked aloud, brow furrowed and finger wilting slightly even as she held it questioningly at Kaito. As always, the plain girl was immediately ignored, becoming just another part of the background. Even Kaede barely noticed her muttered objection, much too focused on the case and the boost of confidence she suddenly felt to bother noticing her cosplaying friend slightly tightening her jaw as her words went promptly forgotten.

Part of what was distracting from the bluenette was the uncharacteristically silent Monokuma as he glared down at Chiaki without a hint of his trademark sad*stic glee. The robot looked almost genuinely terrifying simply from his unspoken smoldering rage. Instead of launching into another outburst, however, he let out a long and weary sigh. “Alright, fine, you got me on that one, but don’t expect that to happen again! Gamer brains aren’t to be underestimated, but neither are bear brains. Besides, that’s just poor conduct on your part! Fool me once, I’m mad. Fool me twice, how could you. Fool me three times, you’re officially that guy. You know the one; walks into the trial like-”

“Oh, would you just put a sock in it?! Stop trying to distract from what matters here!” Kaede interrupted impatiently.

Before Monokuma could try butting in again, the Ultimate Gambler moved to cut him off. “Agreed. Your inane rambling is becoming bothersome. If you wish for this trial to progress, perhaps you should let us actually discuss our findings.”

The black and white monster seemed to glower at her for a long moment before simply leaning back in his throne with a sigh. “Kids today have no taste… fine, go ahead. I’ll just get nice and comfy and watch this play out,” He grumpily conceded with a lazy wave of his paw. Kaede almost didn’t hear the muttered comment he let slip under his breath. “ At least it’s not a total rerun… ”

Akamatsu perked up at that comment, her magenta eyes locking with Monokuma’s in confusion. He sat so still and nonchalant that she almost assumed she didn’t actually hear it, but why would she imagine him saying something like that of all things? She wouldn’t get the chance to confront him on it, however, as Kirumi stepped up to take the reins of the trial before the ex-pianist could say anything. “I’m uncertain if there’s anything left to discuss of this matter. We have direct confirmation from Monokuma that the locks were not tampered with in any way, and given the lack of any other plausible escape routes, Kaede’s assertion is simply the most logical. Despite my… misgivings with Mister Owada’s actions, at this point, it’s undeniable that he is not the killer.”

Peko gave a nod of agreement. “I am convinced. Though the timing is certainly suspect, that much can be boiled down to coincidence given the rest of the evidence… or, perhaps, something more ominous than that.”

Kaede shot the swordswoman a puzzling look. “More ominous…?”

“That perhaps Hifumi dying on the same night Mondo tried to kill him wasn’t simply a stroke of fantastically poor luck, but an intentional and decisive choice in victim made specifically with framing him in mind,” Celeste said, her ruby eyes gleaming with… something, sending a distinctly uncomfortable feeling down Kaede’s spine. The feeling wasn’t helped by the small predatory smile that tugged at the gambler’s lips. “I was beginning to wonder if I was the only one who came to that conclusion. It would certainly explain many of the more peculiar factors of this case, after all. Killing Hifumi in the first place, planting his body in the piano lab, going through the extra effort of caving in his skull… each of those strange decisions takes on a very different light when we consider the possibility that the killer knew about Mondo’s intentions and his near-murder of Kaede, does it not?”

“Holy sh*t…” Mondo murmured, a stunned look on his face. A similar state of surprise was evident in a fair number of the other gathered students, with Kaede as one of the notable exceptions. Her lips only thinned in response as the dreadful suspicion she’d held onto since the start was not only confirmed, but expanded upon. It was far from comforting to know that the culprit definitely knew about their fight somehow. She wouldn’t stop her pursuit of the truth for anything, but the knowledge that something she’d done had once again contributed to a death -and that the one behind it was hidden somewhere among her friends and peers- was yet another regret weighing down on her heart.

Apparently her reaction didn’t go unnoticed as Korekiyo suddenly addressed her. “... You suspected as much, didn’t you, Kaede?” He said, less a question or an accusation as much as a confident statement of fact. He ran a pair of bandaged fingers along the brim of his hat. “When you noticed the dumbbell in Sakura’s lab, I thought your reaction was rather strange, but I understand it now. You were unsettled because you knew the killer must have somehow been aware of it.”

The former Ultimate Pianist grimaced slightly, but didn’t bother denying it. “... Yeah. I definitely thought it was weird, but,” A guilty and mirthless parody of a smile ghosted across Akamatsu’s face. “I couldn’t really tell anyone why. But, now that the cat’s out of the bag, I definitely think the killer knew exactly what happened. I don’t know how, exactly, but there’s way too many coincidences for them not to know something.”

Mikan nervously tapped her fingers together, half-grimacing before even proposing her idea. “Um… s-so, if we figure out who exactly knew about your fight, th-then we’ll know who the killer is?” The nurse asked somewhat hopefully despite the clear hesitance in her voice.

Kirumi cupped a gloved thumb over her chin. “That would certainly give us a good idea of who tampered with Hifumi’s body, at the very least. Even if they aren’t one in the same, they likely know who the culprit is.”

“Then what’re we waiting for?! Let’s find the bastard already!” Leon roared, raising both fists for emphasis.

Sakura shook her head slightly with a hint of a frown. “But that’s the problem we’ve been facing this entire time. Because of when Hifumi was killed, few people here have an alibi, and only Mondo has one we can be certain of. Even after all this debate, we’ve only been able to rule out one person. We need some way of narrowing down the list of suspects with a degree of certainty before we can proceed any further.”

The familiar feeling of uncertainty once again settled over Kaede as she found herself faced with yet another difficult decision. It wasn’t the same as the smothering, cold sensation she had when she lied about Mondo’s alibi, but it weighed on her just as heavily, a reminder that she was on the precipice of the point of no return. There would be no coming back from the admission she was about to make… and no way to avoid the inevitable blow to her already deeply fractured credibility in everyone’s eyes. At the same time, it was clear that trying to go any further without presenting the evidence she’d been keeping secret this whole time was a hopeless endeavor. Kaede closed her eyes, taking one last long, steadying breath, and crossed the boundary. “... I think I have just what we’re looking for.”

Without bothering to wait for anyone to respond, the leader reached into her backpack and soon after pulled out Hifumi’s sketchbook. “While we were investigating Hifumi’s room, we didn’t just find the fake sword. He kept a journal talking about both killing games he was in, and the last entry is pretty serious. It doesn’t name anyone in specific, but it’s pretty clear that he found out something bad about someone here. I can’t say for certain, but… I think he tried to confront whoever he’s talking about here, and they killed him for it.”

Celeste gave her a hard stare, her piercing red eyes narrowing bitterly. “Excuse me, Kaede. Did you forget the terms of our agreement? I specifically asked you to share whatever evidence you found with me first specifically so that I could have an understanding of them before the trial began. If I did, perhaps I would have realized Mondo’s innocence sooner and all of that discussion could have been avoided. Yet, not only did you not do that, but you bring up this potentially game-changing information after nearly two hours of debate?” Ludenberg demanded, barely restricted discontent bleeding into her artificially polite tone. Her coldly furious gaze shifted to Kaito and Mondo soon after. “And the two of you didn’t say a word about this for what reason, precisely?”

Each of them scowled at her, Owada gaining a sneer while Momota slammed his fists together angrily. “Seriously, after the crap you pulled with Tsumugi?! You don’t get to-”

“Because I asked them not to,” Kaede shamefully admitted before he could go any farther, sighing and frowning deeply as she bowed her head deferentially. “Before anyone says anything, I agree with you. It was wrong of me to lie about this and worse to make them do it too. But… I didn’t bring it up for the same reason Celeste didn’t mention what Tsumugi told her: I couldn’t risk the killer finding out what we knew and figuring out a way around it before we had the chance to bring it up. Even if you don’t agree with it, I think you’ll get why once you see what I’m talking about.”

Peko started at her with an unreadable expression, her thoughts perfectly hidden behind her eyes. At last, the swordswoman spoke. “We can argue about the validity of that later. For now, our focus should be on finding the culprit, and that book is our next best step towards that. Show us what it says.”

A general assenting murmur followed Peko’s wise compromise, causing Kaede to nod and open the book up. After a moment of deliberating how exactly to share the information so they could verify it for themselves, a glance at the giant monitors still waiting above gave her an idea, reluctant as she was to actually follow through on it. “Okay... Monokuma, is there a camera or something that can show what’s on the page and put it on the monitors? It’s important everyone can see exactly what this says.”

The black and white bear made a big show of rubbing a paw against his nonexistent chin. “Hmm… I don’t really have a drop down camera rigged up to the system… but Monokuma is nothing if not resourceful! Yoink!” He gleefully called out as a metal claw suddenly shot down from the ceiling and clamped down on the book, tearing it out of her hands and rushing it to Monokuma before she could even realize what was happening. Hifumi’s journal plopped down into his waiting paws moments later, their self-described captain briefly letting go of one end to tap his stubby fingerless hand against his noggin a few times. “Razzle dazzle, hocus pocus, alakazam!” He suddenly shouted out, a strange, low hum of static seeming to emit from all around the room as his misshapen eye began to glow a faint but steady red. Instantly, the dormant monitors came to life, all displaying the faintly rose-colored footage of Yamada’s final entry. “Testing, testing… ah, good! Looks like that worked after all!”

Kaede stared at him with wide eyes. “H-huh?! Wait, how long have you been able to do that?”

Monokuma shrugged a little, the movement mirroring in the broadcast just as soon as he did it. “Well, since at least right now, apparently. I’m still kinda working out the kinks with this whole thing since I usually don’t bother with it. Back in my day, students were fine just passing evidence around to each other during trials, you know…” He joked irrelevantly, clearly trying to distract from his apparent new ability. Kaede could only stare at him, trying to figure out how exactly he was managing that. His casual displays of power on the ship had definitely been more dramatic than his fairly subdued shows back at the academy, but whether that was a change in attitude or ability was a complete mystery to the former pianist… one that she could already tell was going to trouble her deeply. Without bothering to hear any protests, Monokuma grinned widely, mockingly putting a paw over his chest. “Now then, while all of you should be able to see this, your kind and generous captain has decided to grace you all with a free sample of my upcoming career in audio books by giving a dramatic reading of Mister Yamada’s latest -and last- diary entry!” The bear enthusiastically declared. His clear enjoyment didn’t seem to falter at the handful of groans and much larger amount of dirty looks that earned him.

“Oh… audio books make me kinda sleepy…” Chiaki murmured, trying and failing to stifle a yawn. Those nearby merely glanced over to give her a flat look for a moment while most ignored the comment entirely as they silently started reading over the page without Monokuma’s narration.

“Well, try not to fall asleep during this one, or you might end up doing it with the nice fish outside this ship! Or do; I get to watch something really special either way! But enough of that, let’s get to my debut! Ahem, lessee… ‘ I can’t believe it …’”

He proceeded to read out the entire page just as promised, his squeaky voice grating on their collective nerves and dragging out what took maybe forty seconds for most of them to read through into an almost five minute ordeal. Kaede didn’t bother listening to his prattling, instead running over the letter again and again in her mind for anything she might have missed the first time. Still, no matter how many times she thought through it, only the same key details came to mind, and with them, the same handful of potential killers. It was like a stab to her heart to even consider any of them as the one behind all of it, but no matter what, she couldn’t deny that it and the rest of the evidence meant it only could have been one of them. One of her dear friends not only murdered Hifumi, but went out of their way to frame her and Mondo for it, willing to kill them and everyone else on the ship just to escape. It was horrible, unforgivable, unbelievable… yet absolutely true.

Once he finished his excessively dramatic narration of the diary, the monitors once again flicked off as his eye slowly returned to normal before Monokuma finally fell silent long enough for someone to retake control of the discussion. “... Poor Hifumi…” Tsumugi said mournfully, her brow furrowed and eyes full of sadness.

Celeste hummed, her expression unreadable in light of the new information. “Poor Hifumi indeed… well then. That’s rather decisive, isn’t it?”

Kaede crossed her arms in response, addressing the others with an odd mix of guilt and determination. “It is, and that’s why I didn’t want anyone else knowing about it for as long as possible. If the culprit knew anyone else was aware of this thing, they would’ve had time to think of ways around it. Springing it on them this late in the trial insured that there’d be no way for them to run. That’s what I was thinking when I decided to hide the journal.”

“Our bad for lying, guys, but it wasn’t to screw anyone over. Well, ‘cept the killer, I guess...” Kaito apologized as he distractedly rubbed at his hair.

To her mild surprise, Gonta was the first to respond, a bright glint in his eye as he raised a finger. “Gonta think Gonta understand. Kaede’s plan sound kind of like how Gonta use traps sometimes to catch bugs. Timing has to be just right, or bugs get away!”

The blonde managed an encouraging smile, considerably duller than her usual beams given the regret she had over doing it at all, but the message was the same. “Yeah, just like that, Gonta. I figured this book was our best shot, and we all know how important it is that this ‘bug’ doesn’t get past us.”

A raspy chuckle hissed out, fading into a hum as Korekiyo began to speak. “Complicated plans and unwitting accomplices, Kaede? It seems old habits… ah, perhaps that expression is in poor taste,” He mused, his mask shifting slightly as the telltale mark of his hidden smirk. He closed his eyes with a shake of his head, folding his arms and holding out an open palm. “But, that’s beside the matter at hand. More to the point, I believe there’s quite a bit that can be gleaned from the final words of our late dōjinshi .”

“The masked one speaks wisely. It seems almost impossible that whomever Hifumi sought to confront is but a mere observer in this case. To be the focus of such distilled fury by the victim, and yet be completely uninvolved? Nay, I say! I assert that the fiend behind this foul deed is the very same that the victim sought to render his judgement upon!” Tanaka boomed, his mismatched eyes narrowed in absolute certainty.

“It would certainly make sense for the culprit and the person on this tape to be one in the same in terms of explaining all the effort put into framing Mister Owada and Kaede. It would also give a reason for why the victim went to the second floor so late at night if he was confronting them as he planned,” Kirumi added. The maid closed her eyes with a slight frown on her face as she continued. “As to who exactly that is… well, the entry alone rules out half of everyone here by default. Considering how Mister Yamada described our unnamed suspect, it’s also likely she is someone for whom he had a considerable amount of respect and fondness for before discovering whatever was revealed in her tape. That doesn’t necessarily exclude anyone in particular, however.”

Kaede took a small breath as she faced the moment she’d been dreading since she first found the notebook. All this time and evidence, yet she still hadn’t been able to completely rule out any of the key suspects she’d had in mind since heading into the trial. It was a painful confirmation of the fact that she was right, no matter how much she wished she wasn’t, but delaying the inevitable would only make it hurt that much worse. “I’ve been thinking about that a lot since I found the journal, and I think I know how we can narrow it down some more. Hifumi mentioned that whoever he’s talking about pretends to help people, right?” She pointed out, waving a hand to the side. “No offense, you two, but Peko and Sakura are kind of loners. I don’t think he’d say something like that if he meant one of the people keeping to themselves the most.”

“Hey, that’s great! Congrats on getting in the clear, sidekick!” Kaito cheerily piped up, offering the Ultimate Swordswoman a thumbs-up with a mile-wide grin.

“I… thank you,” Peko reluctantly said, initially looking like she was going to object yet again to Momota’s perpetual nickname before seemingly giving up on the futile effort. Glancing towards the blonde, the bespectacled warrior’s gaze turned slightly curious. “It’s no small feat that we’ve gone from fifteen suspects to six, but is there anyone else that can be ruled out, Kaede?”

Akamatsu nodded confirmingly. “I think so. Like Kirumi pointed out, the way he talks about this person makes it pretty clear he considered himself friends with her before viewing her tape. We can’t know for sure if that was reciprocal, but that’s definitely the impression he was under. Chiaki, Mikan, and Kirumi, did Hifumi try to spend much time with any of you?”

Nanami gave a small shake of her head. “Not really. He invited me to the anime party the other day, but other than that, we didn’t talk very much. I was hoping to try some games with him, but…”

Chiaki trailed off, letting the silence speak for her. Satisfied with the answer, everyone’s focus shifted to Mikan instead, the mousy nurse shrinking into herself under their collective gaze. “N-n-no. I-I’m not sure we ever had a conversation together…” She mumbled. Tears pricked in her eyes as a pathetic cross of a whimper and a cry escaped her. “H-how terrible of me… I n-never talked to him, and now…!”

“It’s quite alright, Miss Tsumiki. There’s no way any of us could have expected this to happen,” Kirumi offered sympathetically, though a slight hint of discomfort leaked into her expression as she continued. “In regards to myself and Mister Yamada… I’m uncertain if calling us friends would be the most accurate descriptor, but we were definitely on amicable terms and interacted fairly often. Enough so that I would be remiss to not confess that it’s possible he considered us to be on close terms…” Tojo explained, and in a rare sight for Kaede, hesitated for a moment before she bowed her head and willingly put a nail in her coffin. “I assure you that I’m not the killer… but circ*mstances also forbid me from being objectively ruled out as a suspect.”

Kaede barely hid a grimace. “That’s what I was afraid of… please, Kirumi. Please be telling the truth. Just let it look bad and nothing more than that…” She silently pleaded, a knot rising in her chest at the grim possibility she was being presented with. She couldn’t give up on the truth, not when they were so close and not when all their lives depended on it, but she prayed to whatever god could hear her that her worst-case scenario wouldn’t be revealed as the truth of the case. Externally, she simply gave a small nod of acknowledgement. “I thought so. Unless anyone can prove otherwise,” The ex-pianist paused for a second just in case anyone did object, continuing once it became clear no one would. “Then we can cross Mikan and Chiaki off the list as well.”

“R-really? That’s wonderful! But, um, I-I’m sorry for the people still on the list. I-I’ll try my best to help you guys, too!” Tsumiki promised, a hint of determination sticking out amongst her usual anxiousness. The sheepish girl was even managing to mostly meet their gazes for at least a few seconds at a time as she said it. A touch of warmth flickered in Kaede despite the dread of what was coming next. Perhaps Mikan was taking her and Kaito’s advice to heart after all…

Chiaki pulled on her backpack straps. “We’re getting warmer, I think. Is there anything else we can figure out from the letter?”

And thus was the moment of bitter truth. “No. Whoever Hifumi was confronting was a girl he thought of as a friend and was actively meeting with other people. I hate to say it, but… there’s only three people left that fit that role: Kirumi, Tsumugi, and Celeste. There’s no doubt about it. The killer has to be one of them.” Kaede proclaimed with absolute certainty in her voice and ash in her mouth. The others were bursting out with their own reactions, whether it be shocked cries or stunned silence or anything in between, but the former Ultimate Pianist wasn’t paying attention to them. Her focus was solely locked on the last three people it could have been, scrutinizing each of them with the knowledge that she could very well be matching gazes with the culprit.

Tsumugi’s eyes went wide and fearful, the cosplayer paling and warily glancing between each of them. “O-one of us…?! Could that really be true?”

“It’s difficult to imagine someone outside of this circle being the culprit at this point…” Kirumi stated neutrally, lacking the obvious distrust Shirogane exuded but the glint of suspicion still visible in her hardened emerald eyes.

Celeste calmly folded her hands in front of her with a completely blank expression. “I am well used to being in the final bracket, so this is of little concern to me. However, I can’t help but notice there’s one other possible suspect you failed to mention, Kaede.”

Akamatsu knitted her brow, uncomprehending. “Other suspect…?”

“Why, yourself, of course.”

Dead silence dominated the courtroom for a short eternity, Kaede unable to do anything but stare blankly at the gambler in pure shock. “M-me?” She stumbled out, too taken aback to even properly object to the remark.

Kaito was more than willing to take on that role, however. “Hey! What are you talking about, Celeste?! There’s no way you really think Kaede’s the killer!”

Ludenberg’s eyes narrowed a touch, her expression still carefully measured. “Whoever I think is the killer is not the point. I am merely pointing out that we have not ruled her out as a suspect, and yet we are allowing her to dictate the direction of this trial,” She shot back dismissively before returning her focus to their pink-clad leader. “It’s nothing personal, I assure you. I simply wish to explore all options before we vote. Overlooking even a small detail could potentially mean the deaths of everyone here, after all.”

“That’s true…” Sakura admitted, a conflicted look on her face. “... I do not believe Kaede is the killer. However, leaving any aspects of this case unsolved before voting is… unwise.”

Mondo glared at the martial artist. “Are you jokin’?”

“The furthest thing from it, Mondo Owada. If this trial is to continue under her command, we must prove beyond measure that her deductions are untainted by the blood of Hifumi. I too wish to dispel this mist of doubt, for once it is clear, we can follow Kaede without worry of being led down the path of damnation…” The Dark Overlord of Ice stated unwaveringly.

“But can we be certain this accusation isn’t another misdirection in and of itself?” Tojo warned.

Kaede watched their back and forth with a slithering sense of discomfort coiling around her. Oddly enough, it felt less suffocating now than during her last round under suspicion despite the raise of stakes, but this still wasn’t going the way she’d planned in the slightest. They did have a point, as painful as that was to admit, but she still couldn’t let things go off the rails once again. “Guys!” She called out, raising her voice just enough to make sure she caught everyone’s attention. Once their eyes shifted back to her, she continued. “I understand why you’re worried, but I’m not the culprit. I didn’t name myself because I know I didn’t do it… but if you can’t believe that alone, then let me prove it! I’ll show you that I’m not the killer!”

“If you can do that, Kaede,” Celeste addressed, unreadable thoughts drifting just below the surface of her unflinching gaze. “Then I encourage you to do so promptly. Process of elimination is our best option at the moment, and I’d prefer if we could use it to solve this case as quickly as possible.”

Kaede gave a firm nod. “I’ll do just that. No matter what it costs, I won’t let the truth fade away.”

The Ultimate Anthropologist gripped the brim of his hat. “Inspiring, Kaede. I truly hope those words are genuine… and that is why I’ll take it upon myself to give the opening remarks. I eagerly await your defense.”

“What kind of logic is… no, that doesn’t matter. What matters is proving that I’m not the killer. We’re almost at the end… just a little bit more, and we can finally put all this behind us…” Kaede reminded herself, tensing her fists for comfort. “Fine. Ready when you are, Kiyo.”

Nonstop Debate: START!

“To start with, Hifumi’s description of our likely culprit could easily apply to Kaede,” Korekiyo began, resting a gloved hand on his cheek. “After all, she is doubtlessly the most social among us, and held some degree of closeness to him before his demise.”

Leon sent an uneasy glance in her direction as he crossed his arms. “He said the chick on his video acts like she helps people, but does crap when they aren’t looking, right? Isn’t that kinda what she was doing earlier with Mondo ?”

Owada narrowed his eyes at the baseball star. “The f*ck’s that supposed to mean?”

“He means that she was willing to lie to everyone in order to serve her own interests ,” Celeste bluntly summed up. “Which ties into a key part of this possibility. You never checked Kaede’s lab while you were searching for Hifumi, correct?”

The Ultimate Biker quirked an eyebrow. “No, I didn’t… hey, are you sayin’-”

“Then isn’t it possible,” Celeste interrupted sharply. “That he was already dead , and she was returning from planting the body there?”

Kaede’s eyes went wide, the girl subconsciously raising her hands up as if the words were weapons. “H-huh?! No! There’s no way I’d do something like that!”

Kaito pumped a fist as he glared at Celeste. “Yeah! Even ignoring how screwed up that is, it’d be incredibly stupid! Why would she frame herself?!”

Tsumugi gripped at her elbow with an almost melancholy expression. “But if she did do it, then wouldn’t the body in her lab make it seem like someone was framing her , so we’d all rule her out?”

“Placing the body in her own lab would be a massive risk if she were the killer. Do you really think anyone would be that willing to rely on reverse-psychology?” Peko argued.

Korekiyo hummed in response. “Bold to be certain, but not impossible. If she did kill Hifumi by the time she met with Mondo, it would certainly put her insistence that he stop looking around in a new light…”

Chiaki frowned, tilting her head to the side slightly. “But wouldn’t she have had blood on her if she did that?” Nanami pointed out, a hint of a grimace coming over her as she continued. “The killer probably would have got some on them when they smashed his head…”

Ludenberg hardly batted an eye at that. “If she did that first, then yes. However, she could have decided to do that after her encounter with Mondo in order to frame him,” The gambler suggested, looking off to the side as she flicked at her hair. “Given the fact that he almost killed her, she’d certainly have a reason to stick it to him. Kaede could have simply done all that as an act, waited until you and Kaito were out of the picture, and then traveled back to her lab, at which point she used the piano’s keylid to bash Hifumi’s skull in. It would be easy to conceal the evidence by showering and changing outfits once this was done. Thus, the true cause of death is hidden and the one who tried to kill her and has a definitive reason to target Hifumi can take the fall.”

“f*ckin’ bullsh*t!” Mondo eloquently objected, snarling out the words with a sneer. “Why the f*ck would she do somethin’ like that and then stick her neck out to cover my ass earlier?! That doesn’t make any sense!”

Tsumugi flinched, slightly curling into herself even as she offered her own response. “But that’s exactly what Kaede did for Shuichi last time…”

“Those are completely different and you know it!” Kaito roared.

Kirumi gave the cosplayer and gambler an unconvinced look. “Agreed. This is simply too inconsistent both logically and in terms of Kaede’s character.”

“Yet there seems to be no evidence that can firmly place it in the realm of impossibility, either…” Gundham pointed out. “I can attest that the machinations of reality are stranger and more unbelievable than any mortal fiction could dream of. Until it is proven, the possibility cannot be ignored.”

BREAK!

Kaede knew exactly what could prove that wrong. It was exceedingly simple yet completely absolving, and yet the words felt impossible to get out. Her throat felt tight and dry, choking down her confession before could even fully muster up the courage to try forcing it out. “... So this is how Shuichi must have felt…” Kaede dreerily noted, subconsciously squeezing her elbow out of habit. “I have to prove her wrong, or we’ll keep going down the wrong road forever, but… this is going to ruin everything . If they know I’m this weak, there’s no way they’ll trust me to keep everything together. Maybe… maybe some of them will even think I’m an easy target because of it… is this really something I can do?”

Backing out, however, was not an option, as evidenced by the expectant gaze of the Ultimate Gambler. “Well, Kaede? You’ve been silent for some time now, but you look like there’s something you want to say. Do you have something to contradict my theory?” Celeste pressed. Oddly, her tone didn’t seem like an accusation. Rather, it almost reminded her of the edge Kokichi’s voice would take on whenever he was fishing for information while pretending to joke around. Just as with the Ultimate Supreme Leader, Kaede had no clue what Celeste’s game was, yet felt like there was no way not to play it at this point.

“There’s no evidence that proves her wrong outright, and lying would just make me look way guiltier than she ever could. She probably knows I’m hiding something, and this is how she’s getting me to admit it…” The musician realized, hating the fact that Ludenberg had her perfectly pinned down if that was indeed her intention. Her nails pressed harshly against her arm, the sleeve of her shirt the only thing keeping her from leaving angry red marks on the skin. Once again, she’d managed to end up in the worst possible scenario with no easy way out. Without realizing it, Kaede found her eyes drifting over to the only other person that knew the truth of her dilema, meeting the gaze of the Ultimate Maid.

Kirumi’s confliction and concern was evident on her face, Tojo’s years of experience measuring her expressions almost certainly being the only thing keeping it this reserved. A sense of shame came over the blonde as she realized she’d inadvertently left her friend in an even worse position: betray Kaede’s trust and save the group, or keep silent and risk her falsely being voted as the culprit. Her heart panged guiltily even as the realization of the inevitable set in. “Between protecting me and the group, even if she feels terrible about it, she’ll pick them. That’s just part of her promise to serve everyone… which means there’s no other choice, is there? They’re going to find out no matter what... Kirumi’s just giving me the chance to admit it on my own. If that’s what she’s doing…” Kaede closed her eyes, her shoulders tensing as she made a decision that could very well haunt her for the rest of her life. “Then that’s just what I’ll have to do, too. I already lied to their faces once. I’d be a pretty terrible leader if I tried doing it again just to protect myself, huh? Besides… even if they all look down on me for it, or… or even try exploiting it, at least we’ll all be alive for that to happen, right? I promised I’d face the truth. It’s time I do exactly that.”

Kaede opened her eyes, determination holding firm against the fear clawing at the back of her mind as she steeled herself for what was about to come. “... You said I used the piano to crush Hifumi’s head, Celeste, but that’s not possible.”

A flash of intrigue made Ludenberg’s eyes glimmer. “Is that so? Then I’m sure you have something to back up this assertion.”

And thus, the moment of truth. “I don’t know if you can call this evidence, exactly, but there’s definitely something that means I couldn’t have done it. It’s impossible for me to have used the piano lid because I…” She trailed off in hesitation, a surge of shame and anxiety overcoming her resolve just enough to give her pause for a moment. Akamatsu felt incredibly small under everyone’s waiting eyes, the indignity of what she was about to admit forcing her to close her eyes and all but hiss out the words. “... I’m terrified of pianos.”

The crushing silence that followed was more mortifying than she could ever have imagined. She could already feel their stares boring into her judgmentally even before she finally worked up the courage to open her eyes and see it for herself. At best, they were looking at her in undisguised confusion, while others were narrowing their eyes into glares as if she’d made a bad joke. Even Mondo and Kaito were giving her odd looks, the astronaut completely baffled whilst Owada’s face practically screamed ‘are you serious’. She couldn’t help but look away, gritting her teeth as she felt her face warm up. After a few moments of the smothering quiet, an accented voice spoke up, her tone painfully blunt as she parroted the words. “... You, the Ultimate Pianist, are afraid of pianos…” Celeste said slowly, leaning forward as if she were addressing an obviously lying child, only furthering Kaede’s humiliation.

“You don’t think I know how that sounds?!” Akamatsu snapped, indignant fury flaring up for a moment before slumping back into self-conscious shame. Leon physically flinched away from her while those farther away startled slightly, their confusion and judgement quickly shifting into surprise. She let out a huff, clamping her eyes shut with a grimace. “I know it sounds ridiculous. Trust me, I know. It feels even more ridiculous to say than it sounds, but it’s the truth. Even just looking at a piano puts me on edge...”

“... Notes of Nevermore,” Tsumugi suddenly gasped out, a mixture of realization and pity in her voice that made each word feel like a lash. “When we were watching it, you’d get pale every time the piano played. And your hands kept shaking…”

Kaede gave a shaky nod, hating how pathetic it felt to confirm that. “Y-yeah. If I think about it for too long, or hear some notes, or see something that looks like a piano, it feels like right before my execution… like I’m about to die.” She confessed, her voice all but dropping to a whisper at the end as her nails dug into the palms of her hands.

“It f*cks with you that bad? Jesus…” Mondo muttered somewhat sympathetically, clearly not entirely understanding why but at least convinced that she was serious now.

Celeste looked at her like someone studying a particularly interesting puzzle. “... This relates to your execution, I presume,” Ludenberg deduced, Kaede’s involuntary wince confirming the suspicion instantly. She gave a small, thoughtful hum. “I see. I truly apologize if this is insensitive to you, then, but if you were already aware of this condition as Tsumugi implied, why precisely did you go to your lab last night?”

The girl couldn’t hold back a scowl at that. “You already pointed out how stupid it is. The Ultimate Pianists terrified of her own instrument?” A mirthless, self-deprecating scoff of a laugh choked out of Kaede. “It’s a sick joke. I went to my lab because I wanted to force myself to get over this stupid thing. I thought if I could just sit down and play until I stopped feeling so scared of it, I could move on. But…” She hesitated yet again, debating whether or not to expose the full extent of her patheticness to them all. It was absolutely the last thing she wanted to do, but it was clear that even the smallest hole or vague detail in her story would bring suspicion upon her once again. Swallowing down what was left of her pride, Akamatsu forced out the truth. “It didn’t work. All I did was make it worse. I didn’t lose track of time because I was having fun playing the piano. I lost track because I kept freaking out and remembering my… my execution .” She confessed, practically spitting out the word like a slur.

“Y-you kept triggering flashbacks?!” Mikan cried out in abject horror, her greyish eyes frenzied with concern. “Oh n-no! Y-you can’t try to force yourself through trauma like that! It’s not only very bad for your mental health, b-but when you keep putting your body through adrenaline rushes like that, you’re putting a lot of stress on your heart! Panic attacks are really serious! Please don’t put yourself at risk like that!” The nurse all but begged in clear dismay. Oddly enough, her stutter seemed to vanish almost completely in the face of this surge of medical-based worry despite the obvious increase in stress.

Kaede barely held back a wince. “I know. Kirumi told me the same thing as soon as she realized what was going on with me. But… I was sick of feeling powerless. For better or worse, that’s why I was there all night.”

Pekoyama closed her eyes. “I see… I assume you tried to return to your cabin once you recovered from these episodes, but ran into Mondo first?” The sword master guessed.

The musician gave a quiet confirming hum with a nod. “Yeah… I was so ashamed of it that I didn’t want anyone else to know, but if the alternative was having everyone hung up on me being the culprit when I know that’s not true, there wasn’t much of a choice,” Kaede lamented, bowing her head. Glancing up at Celeste, Kaede tried not to feel too bitter about what she was forced to reveal over the gambler’s accusation. “... Well, Celeste? Is that proof enough that I couldn’t have done that to Hifumi?”

Ludenberg gave a small nod. “Yes, I believe that is suf-”

“Hold on!” Monokuma suddenly piped up, his paws thrown in the air warningly. The class collectively turned towards him in an instant, each of them taken aback by their headmaster’s abrupt demand. The bear glared down at them with his pudgy paws on his hips. “You’re just going to take her word on this? Isn’t that pretty dangerous for you guys?”

Kaede glared hatefully at the absolute bastard of an animatronic. “What do you care?” She spat out bluntly.

Monokuma’s grin grew, a distinctly unsettled feeling rising up Kaede’s back as his gaze seemed to fix on her. “To be perfectly honest, I don’t. Buuuuut, what I do care about is getting every last drop of despair out of you guys as possible, and if that just so happens to involve helping clear up a portion of the case, it lets me be generous to myself and you guys! It’s rare that I can be such a help to my students,” He joked, tipping up his captain’s hat proudly. “And so, without further ado, your beloved headmaster is going to go ahead and demonstrate whether our dear Ultimate Pianist is telling the truth or not!”

Kaede felt her stomach drop. “Wait, what are you-?!”

Before she could even finish her sentence, Monokuma reached just out of view and pulled out a keyboard and balanced it between his armrests. “A one and a two and a one two three four!” He cheerily declared before launching into brief melody. Hellish pain flared around her neck as soon as the first notes reached her ears, a startled gasp escaping her as her hands desperately flew to grasp at her throat. Her eyes began to water, the girl gasping for air while her knees buckled beneath her. She had to grab on to her podium just to keep from falling over outright. People were shouting, but their voices sounded distant and muffled compared to the mocking music that seemed to laugh at her suffering. Fear surged throughout her entire body, setting it ablaze as adrenaline took effect and her heart hammered in her chest.

After what couldn’t have been more than a few seconds yet felt like a lifetime, the notes finally faded away, the voices gradually becoming louder and more distinct with each passing moment despite having to rival her thundering heartbeat. She became vaguely aware of Mondo howling out profanities and threats to a giggling Monokuma as the class varied between glaring at the bear and giving her shocked and worried looks. Someone was holding her, though she was too distracted to bother figuring out who, especially once she realized that her airway was no longer clamped down in a vice grip. The ex-pianist greedily sucked in a number of breaths, the feeling of air in her lungs stinging almost as much as the lack of it had. “S-slowly. It’s important you don’t hyperventilate. Try to take deep, slow breaths...” A soft voice instructed. Lacking any other options, Kaede tried her best to comply despite the desperate urge to breathe in as much as possible.

Eventually, the world seemed to fade back into being for Kaede, the girl blinking as she slowly began realizing where she was. She slowly pushed herself back up to full height, wincing at the flash of pain in her hand at the pressure as she pushed down on the already ghostly white knuckles. “C-careful! You shouldn’t exert yourself after something like that!” The voice fretted again. Kaede looked to her side to find Mikan dutifully helping raise her up, a worried yet somewhat determined sheen in her eye. That confidence fluctuated a little as she seemed to debate something for a moment before asking a question. “U-um… this isn’t really a smart question, b-but do you think you’re okay now?”

Akamatsu managed a weak nod, needing a moment before she could find the breath to speak. “Y-yeah. I think so…” She finally managed, her voice unsteady and unconvincing to her own ears. Tsumiki clearly shared that assessment if the downward quirk of her lips was any indication, but the Ultimate Nurse didn’t see it fit to object. Kaede forced a reassuring smile, doing her best to ignore how strained it felt and the lingering stinging in her doubtlessly inflamed eyes. It distantly dawned on her that Mikan definitely hadn’t been this close by a minute ago (had it been a minute? So much of it seemed to blur…), and subsequently that the mysterious voice and the fretful girl before her were more than likely one in the same. Her smile faltered, becoming more genuine but tinged with an uncharacteristic shyness. “... You were helping me, right? Thank you. And sorry that you had to see that. I...”

The words died in her throat as she realized the full extent of what she’d just said. Mikan had seen her. Someone else had seen her gasping and blubbering, crying in a pain that didn’t really exist. Mikan had seen all that, which meant… Kaede’s blood turned to ice in her veins. Rude as it was, she swirled around to find almost all of her peers staring at her now. There were no glares or sneers anymore, but that didn’t keep her tears from forming anew in the face of this final humiliation. Everyone had seen it. Each and every last one of the people she’d sworn to protect saw her make a goddamn fool of herself over some poorly played notes. “Oh, god… no, no, no…” Her mortified thoughts pleaded, but reality refused to be denied. Akamatsu wanted nothing more than to vanish, yet was frozen in place, unable to do anything but stand there like a deer in headlights.

“Kaede! Are you okay? What the hell was that?” Kaito frantically questioned, the embers of fury mixing with his concern for her in his voice. Somehow, that only managed to make it all feel worse.

“I…” She tried to say, her mind going blank the second she tried to think of anything to say after that . Her mouth felt dry as ash, a stark contrast to the river of tears running down her cheeks. It wasn’t long before she gave up on trying to come up with any sort of explanation, or apology, or anything to make herself look less pathetic than she felt, the girl defaulting to simply wrapping her arms around herself and hanging her head in shame. “I don’t want to talk about this. Please, just… not now.”

A giggle she’d long since learned to despise mocked her from afar. “What, was my playing really that bad?” Monokuma teased, grinning down at her maliciously. “Geez! I know I’m no Ultimate Pianist, but you don’t have to cry about it! You’re a big girl, aren’t you?”

“SHUT THE f*ck UP!” Mondo roared, swirling on the spot to bare his teeth at Monokuma. “Whatever the f*ck you did, it’s your goddamn fault! I oughta rip out your stupid f*cking face THROUGH YOUR ASS! ”

The Ultimate Entomologist wasn’t too far behind him, the usually peaceful boy seeming to radiate anger around him like a cloud. “Gonta protect friends too! If Monokuma no stop, Gonta will help fight!”

The bear merely shrugged at them. “Geez, tough crowd! And after I went out of my way to help prove your friend innocent, too! Guess some people just don’t appreciate you no matter what,” The animatronic lamented, looking down forlornly for a second before instantly springing back to full spirits, carelessly tossing the keyboard to the side as he threw his paws to the side merrily. “Aw well! I still did my good deed for the day!”

“Good deed…?” Kirumi echoed, her emerald eye narrowed at the bear in clear disgust. Her jaw tensed, and in a rare moment of genuine anger, the maid outright insulted their sad*stic captor. “It’s unbefitting of me to say this, but I will anyway: you truly are abhorrent.”

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me! Though speaking of breaking bones,” Monokuma shot back before turning his devilish gaze to the Ultimate Nurse. “Miss Tsumiki, it’s nice of you to try and help our resident crybaby, but you should probably get back to your seat before you get marked as absent from the trial. I’d hate to have to punish one of my dear students on a technicality…” He threatened, his usual joviality unable to fully mask the menace in his voice.

“Seriously?! Go to hell, Monokuma!” Kaito growled furiously.

The nurse let out a frightened screech, violently flinching at the bear’s cruel words. “I-I’m sorry! I w-want to help, b-but-!”

Kaede vehemently shook her head. “No, it’s okay! Don’t worry about me. You’ve already done great,” She reassured with another strained smile, throwing that last statement on mostly to help sooth Mikan more than anything. She really did mean it… she was just glancing over the fact that she didn’t want her help to begin with. Her skittish friend thankfully seemed to be won over by that, a hint of happiness even flashing in her eyes before she gave a nod and began quickly rushing back to her podium. The musician’s friendly look faded as she cast a glower towards Monokuma. “... Besides, we’re not out of the woods just yet. We still have to solve this case.”

Celeste nodded concuringly. “Quite. Though Monokuma insists on running a jester’s court, this trial is still the most pressing matter at hand. Unnecessary acts of cruelty and idiotic jokes can not distract from that. Fortunately,” She paused, allowing a small, contented smile as she made a shocking declaration. “Thanks to Kaede’s testimony, I have deduced who the killer is.”

Chapter 16: Chapter One: The Bloodied Hands We're Dealt: Trial Part 4

Chapter Text

Celeste’s confident smirk was undaunted by the startled looks and gasps of her fellow blackened, the Ultimate Gambler patiently waiting for the dust to settle in the wake of her shocking reveal. For once, even Gundham and Kaito’s booming voices couldn’t seem to sour her mood as she remained as calm and composed as ever. Kaede had no idea how on earth the gothic girl could manage to be so nonplussed after saying something as chilling and monumental as that, let alone how she could smile at such a thing. It felt terrible enough identifying three people that could have theoretically done it. The idea of directly accusing someone of being the killer…

“Kaede is the culprit,” Shuichi’s weary, almost defeated voice echoed in her mind. Kaede banished the memory with a small shake of her head just as quickly as it came to her. “There’s no time for that now. Focus on the here and now,” She admonished herself before turning her full attention back to Ludenberg. “You know who did this?!” Akamatsu parroted, raising her voice enough to be heard over the general din of the courtroom. Whether they still respected her as their leader or not, the ex-pianist’s demand seemed to quiet most of the uproar down to hushed whispers at most while most fell to an expectant silence. At the gambler’s continued silence, Kaede’s lingering mortification and desolation fueled a growing sense of weary frustration. After all, it was Celeste who forced her to reveal one of her most shameful secrets in front of everyone just to be cleared as a suspect and spurred Monokuma’s cruel stunt, inadvertent as the latter might have been. Perhaps it was simply on account of her mind still reeling from the surge of relived trauma, but Kaede couldn’t deny that she suddenly felt far less inclined to simply let bygones be bygones. Her patience for Ludenberg’s sly tricks running thin, she pressed the issue a little more roughly. “If you know, then just come on and say it! Who’s the culprit, and how exactly does my alibi prove it?”

Celeste’s smirk grew at that. “My my, rather forceful, aren’t you?” The European lightly scolded. Before Kaede could respond with more than narrowing eyes, Ludenberg quickly moved to appease the increasingly impatient leader. “Very well. I will begin with my explanation, and that will help to show definitively who the killer must be.”

“Or ya could get to the f*ckin’ point and just spit it out.” Mondo gruffly rebuked.

Celeste glared darkly at the man. “Oh? Perhaps you’d like to solve the mystery then, Mondo?”

Owada sneered, opening his mouth to fire back at the gambler, but Kirumi was mercifully quick to intervene with a compromise. “I believe it would be best to allow Miss Ludenberg to speak, though I also encourage you to put as few flourishes as possible. Whenever you’re ready to begin, Miss Ludenberg.”

“I suppose that is acceptable,” The Ultimate Gambler hummed, Kaede wordlessly rolling her eyes at the goth’s haughty tone. Shifting back to her unshakable confidence from earlier, Celeste launched into her explanation. “I must admit that this is a suspicion I’ve held for quite some time now. I simply lacked the evidence I needed to confirm a part of it, which we can thank Kaede for giving me. You see, I have noticed that there is someone whose actions have gone all but unquestioned throughout this trial, save for when she was directly linked with one of our previous prime suspects. Despite practically never coming under scrutiny, she has been an undeniable force throughout the course of this trial, investigation, and even the past several days aboard this ship… haven’t you, Kirumi?”

Kaede stared at Celeste in total disbelief, a stunned ‘h-huh?’ escaping her before she could even think of an actual response. The ghostly pale girl paid her no mind in favor of the subject of her accusation, Akamatsu numbly following her gaze to the somewhat surprised-looking Tojo. Her emerald eye widened for a moment, the maid taken aback enough by the allegation for it to slip through her usually measured mask. Kirumi blinked, her brow furrowing as she gave the most simple and direct response she was capable of. “... I beg your pardon?”

“H-hey now, you aren’t saying what I think you’re saying, right…?” Teruteru asked uneasily, an unsettled grimace painting his usually bombastic features in a clear and undeniable sense of dread.

Celeste didn’t even bother looking at him as she responded, her cool eyes completely locked on Tojo. “If you believe I’m implying that she is the killer, then yes, that is precisely what I am saying.”

The sheer bluntness of her words was like a slap in the face to Kaede, the blonde reeling back in shock as her unlikely classmates gave similar displays of startlement. “Wh-what?!” She sputtered out uncomprehendingly.

“Kirumi did it?!” Leon blared out with a horrified expression. “D-dude! I was investigating with the culprit?!”

The Ultimate Entomologist furiously shook his head, his impossibly long hair swishing wildly behind him. “Unpossible! Gonta not believe Kirumi would hurt friends like that!”

“B-but we both went through her trial, Gonta. We definitely know she can…” Tsumugi noted with dismay as she seemed to pale slightly.

Amidst the swell of panicked cries, Peko’s sharp and unflinching tone rolled over the court like thunder. “This bickering is pointless! Until we hear Celeste’s reasoning, claiming Kirumi’s guilt or innocence is a foolish move,” The swordswoman barked commandingly, the trial grounds once again falling silent in the wake of an authoritative presence. Turning her narrowed red eyes to Celeste, Pekoyama struck bluntly. “Explain yourself.”

It seemed the gambler had enough fun as she didn’t so much as bother chastising the other girl for her confrontational attitude. Celeste carelessly flicked at her hair as she launched into her explanation. “As I said, I have suspected this for quite some time, as I noticed a number of coincidences that began building up throughout the trial. Kirumi was among the first to discover the body, and then was the first volunteer to investigate the crime scene itself. More peculiarly, she was leading Kaede there before the body was found, despite doubtlessly being aware of Kaede’s condition by then. She was the one to propose searching in the ballroom where the lift was discovered, which could have been a lucky guess… or an attempt to seem helpful during the investigation with an ultimately inconsequential piece of evidence and thus dissuade suspicion. The tablecloth used to stop Hifumi’s bleeding was found in her lab. Furthermore, she is a close match for the person described in Hifumi’s tape and was quick to confirm a number of alibis, which we readily believed despite having no one that could confirm her own,” Ludenberg pointed out, masking her expression behind a delicately positioned fist. “While all of that means little alone, it would be difficult to deny that it is an odd string of events to be mere coincidence.”

“... That’s it? She sounded so sure in her accusation, but…” Kaede frowned, crossing her arms as her brow furrowed unsurely. “That’s all pretty coincidental, isn’t it? Not to throw stones, but a couple of those apply to you too...” She warned lightly, quietly wondering whether she should be relieved that Celeste’s reasoning was rather thin or disappointed that they still weren’t closer to solving the case after all.

Gundham let out a low hum. “The Ebon Witch’s words are frail… but not so much as to shatter at a mere glance,” The Dark Lord tentatively agreed with a somewhat conflicted expression. “Though I made no secret of the lift’s location within this realm, Kirumi went so far as to mark my words almost as soon as she was made aware of its existence. It was easy to assume as mere devotion to our mutual task at the time, yet in light of this, it is beyond foolish to simply ignore this so-called coincidence.”

Kirumi’s lips tugged downward, the maid slightly bowing her head with her hands firmly folded in her lap. “But as you said, Mister Tanaka, I was hardly the only one aware of it. I made note of it as I did everything else I considered important during my initial exploration of the ship. The only reason I thought to check the lift again was because I already suspected Mister Yamada’s body might have been moved, and remembering your words, thought it would be best to check,” Tojo denied evenly, her composure unflinching even in the face of multiple accusations. The silver-haired girl shook her head with a slightly dismissive wave of her hand. “Merely being the one to discover a piece of evidence because of previous knowledge is not the same as scheming.”

Kaede nodded agreeingly. “Kirumi’s right. Finding a clue you were expecting could just mean you have good instincts for that sort of thing. It’s like how a musician can probably guess what notes are about to come next based on how the song’s been structured up to that.” The former Ultimate Pianist defended. Maybe a music analogy wasn’t the best point of reference for most of them, but it was pretty hard to come up with comparisons to other things when she’d spent her entire life memorizing note sheets.

For a moment, the blonde assumed her explanation might have worked out after all. Just as she was about to try and retake control of the conversation, however, a sage voice rumbled out almost reluctantly from her left.“... On its own, I would agree. However, I must confess that I have noticed some odd coincidences as well,” Sakura announced, lips thinned and eyes closed in thought. Kaede tilted her head in confusion, about to ask the martial artist what she meant when Ogami raised a point she hadn’t even thought about. “I’m sorry, Kaede, but there is something that I must know the truth of. When you first investigated your lab this morning, what did Kirumi say to you that was confidential enough to whisper?”

Akamatsu blinked. “Whisper? What are you… oh...” She trailed off as the memory suddenly came back to her. “‘You can’t lead us if you’re having a panic attack,’” Kirumi’s dire warning rang. Kaede flinched slightly, staring at the ground in a mix of frustration and lingering shame. Of course it had to tie back to that yet again. Kaede pinched the bridge of her nose with a sigh as she forced out yet another degrading confession. “... No point in hiding it now, I guess… Kirumi asked me to let someone else investigate my lab. She was worried that seeing the room like that, with Hifumi’s body… being the way it was, and the blood on the piano, would… give me another episode .” She admitted, all but hissing out the last few words.

“Worried for your emotional health, or worried that you’d be a useful asset to the investigation?” Celeste probed pointedly, earning a harsh glare from Kaede.

“ Excuse me ?” The leader demanded, insult clear in her voice.

Kirumi was no different, the maid narrowing her visible eye in a thinly veiled glower. “Miss Ludenberg, I request that you withdraw that remark immediately. I am willing to endure a great many things, but I will not abide you saying such horrid things about my relationship with Kaede.” Tojo cautioned, her eloquent tone smothering the bite that lingered just beneath the surface. Ludenberg, however, would not be deterred.

“Perhaps my wording is harsh, but it’s not an unreasonable question. Kirumi, you were well aware that Kaede has violently bad reactions to the piano before any of us even knew it was a source of worry, and yet you didn’t show such concern prior to the investigation. Assuming Kaede was telling the truth about asking you to clean her lab, why did you allow her to accompany you to her lab?” Celeste shot back skeptically.

“Hold on! I asked to go with her! She didn’t want me to for those exact reasons!” Kaede interrupted, thrusting a finger towards Celeste. “The only reason she let me come along was because I couldn’t promise I wouldn’t go on my own!”

The Ultimate Gambler stared at her, something unreadable glinting in her eyes. “... Kaede, do you realize what you just said?”

In an instant, her surge of righteous anger tapered as it blended with confusion. “... What do you mean? I’m saying what happened.”

Ludenberg stared at her blankly for a moment, almost as if she were waiting to the musician to take back the words. Once it was clear Kaede had no such intention, the goth leaned forward, her blood-red eyes almost hypnotic in how they zeroed in on her prey. “So Kirumi not only told you to not investigate the crime scene, but tried to go to it entirely alone ?”

Kaede froze. That was… she snapped back to her senses, instantly banishing the seed the gambler was trying to plant. “Th-that’s not what I meant!” She quickly amended, shaking her head violently. “She was just trying to look out for me, because she’s a good friend. Think about it; if she actually did kill Hifumi, why would she let me go to my lab at all? She could have just refused because of my freakouts, gone to the second deck, and cleared out any evidence she wanted. So, why didn’t she?”

“Didn’t you already say you were likely to go there on your own with or without Kirumi’s permission?” Korekiyo drawled, the anthropologist slightly raising an eyebrow as he spoke. “It would have been rather troublesome for you to randomly stumble upon the scene, especially if she was in the process of meddling with it. By taking you there immediately, she would have lost the ability to remove whatever evidence she’d left behind, but would have a major advantage in the form of controlling exactly how the body was discovered and establishing a sense of inconspicuousness early on.”

“Inconspicuousness…? What are you talking about?” Kaito questioned suspiciously.

“Consider the events Kaede had been dealing with up to this point. Between her traumatic experience in her lab, a subsequent near-death experience with Mondo shortly after, and then preparing to visit her lab once again after all that, she was doubtlessly under quite some stress. To not only open up the door and find a gruesome murder scene waiting for her, but subsequently realize that the location of it would almost definitely put her under suspicion as the culprit? I believe anyone would be on the verge of panicking,” Shinguji ominously explained. As he turned his snakish gaze to Kaede, he pulled on the brim of his hat, hiding half his face in shadow. “But, as it just so happens, there was a friendly face there beside her. Did she assure you that she knew you were innocent, Kaede? Give you every assurance that you wanted to hear?”

A chill crept up Akamatsu’s spine. “... How did he know that…?” She reluctantly asked in her mind, an uncomfortable pit forming in her stomach. That was exactly what Kirumi had done from the second they found Hifumi dead. It was all too easy to remember the swell of sheer panic she’d felt when she’d realized just how bad the situation would pan out, new fears building on the old as it mixed with her existing shakiness. How comforting it was to have someone well and truly believe in her without reservation even after everything Kaede had done to undermine that trust. Kirumi believed in her, so she believed in Kirumi. It was as simple as that. That… that couldn’t have all been for show, right? She wanted to speak up and deny the lanky man’s words outright, yet it suddenly seemed so difficult to say anything, the words refusing to come to her. Without anyone leaping to her defense, Tojo took it into her own hands.

“That is pure conjecture, and sickening conjecture at that,” Kirumi bit back, anger slipping past her collected mask. Her gaze was on the precipice of a glare, hard and unwavering as she looked between Korekiyo and Celeste. “In my duties as a maid, and more importantly as her friend, yes, I offered my assurances to Kaede, but it was for those reasons alone. My intentions were nowhere near the sort of maliciousness you’re trying to imply. Construing my actions in the worst possible ways is not the same as actual evidence.”

Leon shifted uneasily in his stand, crossing his arms as he cautiously eyed the maid. “But ya gotta admit that a lot of stuff starts adding up here, you know? When they put it like that…”

Tsumugi turned deathly pale, a cold sweat forming at her brow. “I really don’t want it to be true, but it plainly makes a lot of sense. Especially since there’s something else I noticed…” Shirogane all but mumbled, rubbing her elbow nervously as people turned to her waitingly. Gulping a little, the cosplayer confessed what was on her mind. “W-well, when we were going over our alibis, Kirumi listed everyone that wasn’t in their room last night, right? But… isn’t it kind of weird that she was paying attention to when everyone left and went to bed? Why would she do that?”

Tojo frowned. “It’s simply a part of my duties. I find it important to take note of such things in case someone asks for my help locating another. And, as much as it pains me to say, it simply occurred to me as a good idea to be aware of others’ comings and goings given the situation we find ourselves in.”

“To be certain. It is an excellent way of protecting yourself if something terrible should happen… but is just as valuable a skill to someone trying to craft a false alibi,” Ludenberg pointed out, her hands calmly folded in front of her. “Of course, that’s not the only questionable aspect of your story. Despite having as open ended an alibi as nearly everyone else present, we used your testimony as one of the cornerstones of our understanding of the crime, treating your word as objective fact. We never actually confirmed your alibi beyond our final interaction at nine-fifteen. There is every possibility that you were preparing to commit the murder after we parted ways. Sakura claims she finished using her lab at the same time you say you fell asleep. If you simply lied about the timing, this means you would have had essentially free reign over the ship until Mondo received his motive video. As such, you could easily have been on the second deck in the process of the crime when Kaede and Mondo had their dispute, observed it, and then used it as inspiration for how you staged the body.”

Kirumi’s eyes narrowed, the woman visibly tensing in growing indignation as her podium shifted forward into the hellish spotlight in the center of the circle. “If I was aware that Kaede’s life was in danger, why on earth would I stand idly by and let her or anyone else come to harm?”

“If you were trying to kill someone at the time, revealing yourself would be foolish. Besides, killing almost always comes with the intent to graduate. What would be the purpose in saving Kaede’s life if you knew she would have to die during the trial for you to escape?” Pekoyama countered, boldly meeting Kirumi’s eyes as she made the accusation.

All throughout this, Kaede could do nothing but silently watch on as the pieces of the puzzle seemed to fall into place before her. Realization didn’t strike her like a lightning bolt, but rather seemed to slowly wrap around her and blur the path ahead like a troublesome fog. It made her sick to her stomach to acknowledge, but as the seconds ticked by, the more she understood exactly what Celeste meant. She hated that the idea made more and more sense with every accusation thrown against her friend. If Kirumi were the culprit, of course she wouldn’t want Kaede to go with her to where she knew the body was waiting unless she had no other choice. Of course she’d try to use Kaede’s PTSD as a way of dissuading her from searching the crime scene. Of course she could have even specifically set the body up like that knowing about her condition for the express purpose of throwing her off and framing her. Of course she would go out of her way to comfort her if it meant that it made the amateur detective reluctant to consider her a suspect.

The girl tasted bile, a dreadful cold settling all over her body. “Th-there’s no way that’s true, is there? If Kirumi is the killer, then that means that all this time she’s been…” She hesitated, the thought refusing to process in her mind. Kirumi, who had been her closest confidant the past several days, was playing her…? Could that really have been the case? Every step of it flowed logically, but… all their talks, the time they spent together, everything they’d confided in each other… was it all just part of some master plan to escape?

Celeste must have noticed the former Ultimate Pianist’s growing unease, as she took the opportunity to pour more salt in the wound. “Are you beginning to understand, Kaede? Do you see how each of these pebbles serves to form a mountain of evidence against her?” She challenged, scrutinizing the girl under her damnable, certain gaze.

Akamatsu waited a moment, then another, and ultimately couldn’t bring herself to say anything at all. She dug her fingers into her arms until they hurt, tolerating the pain if it meant she could feel something for certain. Everything made sense, but the fact that it did was what made it all the more unbelievable. Confusion, hurt, denial, certainty, all of them swirled within her, all of them tainted by the bitter sting of betrayal. Why did it have to make sense?! Why couldn’t it have been ridiculous, or impossible, or something that didn’t make the idea of her best friend murdering someone seem so logical?! She’d known this was a possibility. She’d known it from the second she started narrowing down the suspect list. She knew she would have to face a painful truth no matter what she did… so why did it still hurt so much ?!

“... Kaede?”

The blonde flinched at the sound of her name, reluctantly raising her eyes from the ground. Kirumi stared at her, her emerald eye tinged with an anxious dread as the two stood in a crushing silence. For the first time since they met, Kirumi looked genuinely afraid , her years of discipline still unable to hide the way her hands trembled despite clutching onto each other tightly enough to leave bruises. The sight was a knife through Kaede’s heart. She wanted nothing more than to look away, but she felt locked in place, a helpless statue. Magenta met emerald as their eyes locked, and Kaede saw. She couldn’t see deception or malice. She saw fear. She saw the desperation of someone about to die. Someone who was silently begging her friend to save her life . Kaede saw that, and the knife twisted.

Everything pointed towards Kirumi being the culprit. Every odd detail about the case, every small hiccup in the testimony, every major clue. It was overwhelming just how much went against the Ultimate Maid… yet, even all that evidence was rivaled by the pleading look in Kirumi’s eyes. No matter how hard Kaede tried to scrutinize Tojo, all she could see was a friend in need. The leader was at a complete loss what to do. She had zero evidence that could prove Kirumi innocent, yet the idea of casting her vote for her friend filled her with the same anguish she’d felt the moment she realized Rantaro was innocent. That was the crux of it: she didn’t know. She had no idea how to possibly resolve these two wildly different pictures of Kirumi in her head; the dear and devoted friend that she’d entrusted so many of her deepest feelings with over the past several days, or the murderous master manipulator playing everyone for fools that the evidence suggested. Which one was true...?

Unfortunately, the world was not content to sit by and wait for Kaede to decide. Sakura bowed her head deeply, her voice unwaveringly certain as she spoke. “So then… it seems we have arrived at the truth.”

“It would seem so,” Celeste agreed, her tone almost lamentful. “Unfortunately, it appears that there is little doubt that Kirumi is the killer of this case.”

“... Is that really true, though?” Chiaki pipped up uncertainly, her brow furrowed as she frowned. “There’s still a few mysteries we haven’t solved yet, like the murder weapon. Is it really safe to ignore those and just choose a culprit?”

“Gonta not very smart, but that important, right? Gonta not want to believe Kirumi kill friends again… can mysteries prove she not kill them?” Gokuhara asked hopefully, the idea of her being guilty seeming to pain him even just to say.

Leon nervously tapped a finger against his arm, the wannabe rocker casting a wary look at the gamer. “Does that stuff really matter? I mean, it’s not like it’s gonna change the facts here. She totally killed the guy, right?”

Kaito wore an apprehensive expression, the astronaut almost wincing as he set a hand on his hips. “I dunno… it makes sense, but something feels off about this…”

Shinguji gave a neutral hum, closing his eyes. “I must agree with Leon. As nice as it would be to have the exact details of the crime, at this point, it is hardly a necessity.”

“You’re making a mistake!” Kirumi pleaded, looking around the courtroom for anyone that would take her side. “I swear to you, I’m not the culprit!”

“No, I don’t believe we are,” Celeste coldly replied. The gambler turned from the maid without another word, facing their judge and executioner. “Monokuma, I believe we’re ready to vo-”

“NO!”

Celeste stopped dead in her tracks, the gambler spinning in shock as she joined the rest of the class as they gaped at the source of the scream in total bewilderment. “Kaede? What-”

“We can’t vote yet!” Kaede shouted, her heart thundering in her ears like a wardrum. She couldn’t let this happen; not with everything on the line. Not when there was still a shred of hope in her heart. She could already see some of them getting ready to argue with her, forcing her to rush out her reasoning. “Chiaki’s right; there’s way too much we don’t know to vote just yet! If we want to live, we have to get this right, and we can’t do that until we know who the culprit is for sure!” Akamatsu fiercely declared, her swell of panic fueling the fires of determination as she raised her voice louder. “I refuse to just accept that Kirumi’s the killer as long as there’s even a shred of doubt about it! I refuse to believe that our friendship was all a lie!” Kaede bellowed, pointing directly at the maid. “I believe in Kirumi, and that’s why I won’t stop until we expose the full truth of this case!”

Kirumi stared at her in total shock, practically frozen. “... Kaede…” Tojo murmured out, her voice quiet and cautious, as if the blonde would suddenly turn against her if she dared to speak too loud. After a moment, her terrified features eased into a tiny, hopeful -if still clearly uneasy- smile, her eyes gleaming with gratitude.

“Touching, without a doubt, but belief alone cannot change reality,” Celeste dismissed, her voice so uncaring that it was almost more cruel than if she had a more aggressive response. “No matter how much you may believe in her, Kirumi is our killer. I am completely certain of that, and the evidence supports that conclusion.”

“And what if you’re wrong?!”

The Ultimate Martial Artist sighed wearily, offering a sympathetic look to the group’s leader. “Kaede, I understand that you do not wish for any more death, especially of a friend. However, it is difficult to deny that Kirumi is by far our most likely suspect. All that remains are mysteries we cannot solve outright even with all of the evidence. With everything else we have deduced… drawing out this trial would be cruel, to you and Kirumi.”

“Crueler than killing her and everyone else if you’re wrong?!” Kaede snapped back, her emotions getting the better of her for a moment.

Gundham gave a soft glare not unlike the scolding look she’d seen him use on Maga-Z on occasion. “You lash out like a wounded tigress, but it matters not. Proof speaks even louder and more enticing than your pleading songs, Siren.”

Tsumugi cringed guiltily as she looked to the floor. “Um, sorry, but Gundham’s right. I plainly don’t think there’s much left to say…”

Kaede felt another harsh refusal on her tongue, but Gundham’s reprimand gave her enough pause to force it down with a forceful exhale. “I know how it looks, but I’m not running away from the truth. If it turns out Kirumi really is the killer…” She forced out, the words tasting like poison. “... Then we’ll do what we have to. But I won’t give up on her even a second before we know that for sure.”

Kaito’s jaw locked, the astronaut giving a firm nod as he crossed his arms. “Kaede’s right. There’s no way we can say we have the truth yet! Just because something makes sense doesn’t mean it’s right! We’ve gotta keep pushing!”

“Gonta agree! Gonta no can stop until Gonta know why Hifumi died!” The Ultimate Entomologist cried out.

Peko shook her head, her crimson gaze as pointed as a blade. “There is nothing further we can prove. Every unanswered question we have left has ended in a dead end, and nothing we’ve uncovered since then can change that. Only the identity of the culprit must be uncovered for our survival. Further debate about mysteries we cannot solve when we know who the killer is would only waste our time.”

“... I’m not so sure of that,” Teruteru muttered, the chef visibly conflicted. Upon noticing that the others had heard him, he awkwardly fumbled out his comb, toying with it distractedly. “Er, it’s just… I’m not so sure ‘Rumi’s the one that did this. The idea that she’d get so close to someone and then just tear their guts out like a slaughter hog? After everything she’s done to help? I… I don’t believe it! That just doesn’t sound like the woman I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know!” Hanamura proclaimed, pumping his rather small arms out in determination. “This trial is like creating a yummy crème caramel or spreading lotion on a gorgeous partner; if you aren’t careful to cover everything you need, then everything is ruined! Until everything is cleared up, I can’t go all the way into any of these girls in good conscience!”

“I don’t want you to do that no matter who the culprit is…” Tsumugi grimaced. Kaede was too focused to bother getting upset by his numerous double entendres, the only part of his speech that mattered to her being the fact that he was fighting for Kirumi too. She would gladly take any allies she could get right now.

The ex-Ultimate Pianist wouldn’t have to wait very long for her next one as a meek voice apprehensively joined into the growing debate. “U-um, I think we should listen to Kaede. Kirumi’s w-way too nice to have done all those terrible things… a-and, even if she were -which she’s not!- th-there’s just something about this that doesn’t feel right...” Mikan hesitantly argued, her voice almost sounding certain through her nervous tremor.

Leon let out an almost strangled noise, the redhead glaring at them all in baffled annoyance. “Are you guys serious right now? Come on! It’s super obvious she’s playing you guys! Don’t you get that?”

“How do we know the killer ain’t playing us with this?” Mondo gruffed out with a scowl. “I don’t know if Kirumi did it or not, but don’t be a f*ckin’ idiot. Endin’ this sh*t early is exactly what whoever did this wants.”

Korekiyo wrapped his arms around himself as he let out a tisk. “Oh dear… isn’t this troublesome. I’d truly thought the evidence was apparent as being conclusive, yet clearly this is not the case. Belief perseverance is truly a fascinating thing to observe, but it’s troublesome that we seem to be so split about-”

“HOLD ON!”

Once again, a screeching howl broke through banter of the courtroom, sudden and forceful like a freak storm. Practically in unison, the gathering of former murderers spun to face Monokuma, the bear’s paws menacingly raised in the air as he sneered down at them all. Once he was certain every pair of human eyes was locked on him, he covered his snout with his paws in an opaquely terrible job of covering a snicker. “Do my ears deceive me, or did I just hear you say you guys were split ?”

Kaede stared at the bear blankly for a moment before realization dawned on her, weariness replacing it soon after. “Oh no…” She muttered under her breath.

“Oh YES !” Monokuma giddily declared as if he’d managed to hear her from across the room. “That’s right, kiddos! Hohohoho, I’ve been dying waiting for this! It’s been ages since I got to do it! Ladies and gentlemen, felons and fiends, your captain and the Despair of the Seas are proud to announce the triumphant return of the morphenomenal trial grounds!”

“Ah, crap, we’re not seriously doing this again , are we?” Kaito groaned, the resigned annoyance on his face making it clear he had no expectation of his objection mattering. Amongst the blackened not native to the Ultimate Academy, however, bewilderment swept the courtroom.

“Morphin’ what ? The f*ck are you talkin’ about?” Mondo demanded.

“Morphenomenal trial grounds!” Monokuma repeated cheerily, practically sing-songing the words out in delight.

“Er… is he having a stroke?” Teruteru pondered, half-cringing and half-intrigued.

“I doubt we are that lucky,” Celeste shot down ruefully. She turned to the Ultimate Astronaut expectantly. “Kaito, you seem to know what he’s talking about. Would you care to elaborate for the rest of us?”

Kaito quirked an eyebrow at her. “Huh? Wait, are you saying none of you guys ever had to do one of these morphing debate things before?”

Sakura shook her head, crossing her arms. “I do not recall ever undergoing anything like that during our game.”

“Me neither. This is definitely new… I think.” Chiaki chimed in.

“Keheheheh, then it seems this was first an addition to our killing game… how intriguing!” Korekiyo chuckled to himself. Clicking his tongue, he shifted one hand to his podium while he vaguely waved with the other. “For now, however, I would suggest you ready yourselves. The name is not merely one of Monokuma’s thematics.”

“That’s right! Grab a hold, everyone!” Monokuma called out. Moments later, a panel shifted in front of him, spinning to reveal what looked like a nautical steering wheel adorned with the image of Monokuma’s ominous red eye in the center. He grabbed on to either end and started spinning the wheel as fast as his small body could manage, his arms becoming a black and white blur as the image of the eye began to light up. Simultaneously, a faint glow emanated from beneath each of the trial stands. Kaede stumbled slightly as the podium started rocking underneath her once again, the blonde just barely managing to grab onto the podium in front of her before it began slowly levitating higher and higher.

“W-woah!” She gasped out, closing her eyes to try canceling out the sickening, roller-coaster like sensation that flooded over her. Her less prepared peers gave similar cries of surprise, Mikan and Leon’s startled shouts especially sticking out among the growing storm of noise. She sucked in a breath, tightening her grip on her trial stand as she readied herself for the coming debate. Kaede had taken her gamble, and now she had to fight with everything she had to make sure it could pay off. The last time she’d been in this position, she was able to argue Shuichi’s innocence from a place of absolute certainty. Now, when all she had to go on was a desperate hope and pure instinct, the worried hammer of her heartbeat gave a soundtrack to their mutual ascent to the sky. “No taking things back now. I could be wrong, but… no, I can’t think like that. I have to believe that Kirumi’s innocent. No matter what, I have to save everyone here!”

Kaede finally opened her eyes when she finally felt her podium come to a stop to find herself directly across from Celestia Ludenberg, the gothic girl narrowing her eyes with an otherwise blank expression. Joining the Ultimate Gambler was Tsumugi, Leon, Peko, Korekiyo, Sakura and Gundham, Hifumi’s portrait silently sliding into place at the end of the line. Standing opposite from them were Kaede herself, Kirumi, Kaito, Gonta, Teruteru, Chiaki, Mondo, and finally Mikan. Monokuma sat in his throne just past both times, watching them all with his ever-present grin. Each team was floating parallel to one of the massive screens on either end of the courtroom. With every participant finally in place, the screens once again burst to life, a question displayed in large black text lining the top of the screen while each side’s argument rested beneath in red and blue respectively, making it abundantly clear that they were about to begin. Despite that, however, Kaede glanced over to Kirumi, meeting her eye for a moment. The musician mustered a reassuring ghost of a smile and a nod. Tojo silently mirrored the expression, bowing her head thankfully before returning her gaze to the bluenette across from her. With that, they began.

SHOULD WE VOTE FOR KIRUMI?

Yes! No!

SCRUM DEBATE: START!

Celeste took the lead instantly. “Every piece of evidence we’ve discovered fits the theory of Kirumi being the killer.”

Chiaki held up a finger. “But there’s a lot we haven’t discovered yet…”

Leon crossed his arms with a scowl. “What’s that matter? Knowing the murder weapon or whatever won’t change that she killed him!”

Mikan wrung her hands anxiously. “B-but what if the murder weapon was something she couldn’t get…?”

Gundham scoffed dismissively. “The kitchen has long been Kirumi’s domain. It is hardly impossible that she found her weapon there.”

Mondo sneered back at him. “Mikan already said nothin’ in the kitchen coulda been the murder weapon!”

Sakura crossed her arms. “Perhaps, but she also knew about the lift before almost anyone else. It’s possible she found a weapon somewhere we didn’t think to look.”

Gonta pumped a fist determinedly. “But Gundham told others about lift too…”

Peko’s glasses glinted in the lighting like the edge of a blade. “In his letter, Hifumi said that his target constantly ‘pretends to help people’... who better does that apply to then Kirumi?”

Kirumi gently folded her hands in front of her, angling her head downward. “Just because my job is to help others doesn’t mean that I’m the only person he could’ve been referring to.”

Korekiyo’s voice slithered out like a hissing snake. “You knew about Kaede’s condition. You could easily have exploited that for the sake of her murder.

Teruteru rubbed at his chin thoughtfully. “But didn’t Tsumugi say she noticed something up with Kaede too?”

Tsumugi glowered at the chef. “But her being the killer would be a perfect explanation for why she wanted to keep Kaede away from her lab…”

Kaito shook his head. “But then there's no explanation for things like her leaving that blood stained tablecloth in her own lab!”

Celeste glared at them, her elegantly held hands tensing slightly. “None of those coincidences prove that she is innocent. This is a waste of time.”

Kaede matched her glare, pointing at the gambler accusingly. “But none of your coincidences prove she’s guilty, either! We can’t know unless we talk this through!”

THIS IS OUR ANSWER!

The wail of a triumphant siren split the air as Celeste and her compatriots’ podiums were physically sent flying back, the screens changing in a burst of color to declare the defending team the victors. Seconds later, the stands quickly floated back down into place, Kaede’s podium shifting into the center of the circle. Presumably it was to give her temporary command of the discussion as the leader of the winning side, but regardless of the reasoning, that was exactly how Kaede chose to use it. “Do you get it now, guys? There’s no way we can vote for Kirumi yet when there’s so much up in the air still! If we want to get through this, we have to solve this case through and through!”

“Kaede’s right. Trying to speed-run a trial is a bad idea. Even if an answer seems obvious, voting before we’re absolutely sure is dangerous. We should try to figure things out first.” Chiaki affirmed, the gamer speaking with a certainty that could only have come from experience.

“... W-well… it probably wouldn’t hurt if we went over the case one more time, right?” Tsumugi lamely backtracked, ever the social chameleon. Kaede couldn’t be too upset; Tsumugi was a flake, but at least that was working out for her at the moment.

Peko thinned her lips. “No, but I fail to see how it will help, either. We still have no way to proceed further.”

Korekiyo laughed dryly. “Keheheh… once again, we find ourselves with no clear way forward and locked in an agreement to not vote for our prime suspect yet. How curious that this exact situation seems to come up again and again,” He noted with what sounded dangerously close to amusem*nt. The anthropologist held up a finger like a lecturing professor. “If history is repeating itself, then I am curious to see how exactly you manage to intend to get us around this dead end, Kaede.”

Kaede opened her mouth to reply, but slowly closed it with a wince as the words failed to come to her. Truth be told, she was in such a rush to stop the vote that she hadn’t really planned out what she would do once she convinced them to wait. The camera trap had been her ace in the hole last time, but now she was genuinely taking a gamble. If she couldn’t figure something out… “W-well, like you said, there’s got to be a way forward. We just have to think about everything we know about the case and try to figure out what doesn’t make sense.”

Ludenberg, who had still been silently glaring at her this whole time, let the anger fade from her face into a completely blank look that somehow seemed more unnerving than her rage. “Considering what we have already deduced and the theory I proposed, that could be easier said than done. Do keep in mind that we’re under a time limit here. Whether you are ready or not, we will have to vote soon. Be aware of who will be deemed the culprit should this prove as fruitless as I expect.”

Akamatsu balled her fists. “I won’t let it come to that.” She tersed out coldly. Silence reigned over the courtroom for a few moments, her peers looking to her to make the first move. Kaede bit her lip. “Of course. You’re the leader, at least for now…” The girl glumly thought to herself, closing her eyes as she tried to think of where to start. It had to be something solid that she could use to punch some holes in the other girl’s theory, but did she have anything solid enough to start building off of…?

Thankfully, someone was a few steps ahead of her. “... There was something I’ve been wondering about for a while now, actually,” Chiaki spoke up, her lips drawn in a small frown as she spoke. “Earlier, we all agreed that the killer had to have known about Mondo’s fight with Kaede, right? If that’s the case, then how exactly did they find out?”

Kaede blinked. “... How they found out…?” She repeated numbly.

Mondo snapped his fingers. “Oh sh*t! Yeah! How the hell’d they know about that?!”

Suddenly, her own deductions from earlier hit her like a bus. “That’s right! I was trying to figure that out while we were investigating! With everything going on, I completely forgot!”

Kaito was visibly reinvigorated by the question. “Hey, that’s a good point! There’s no way they shoulda known about that!” He pointed out, rubbing at his goatee as he turned to Mondo and Kaede questioningly. “I mean, it’s not like either of you guys told anyone, right?”

Mondo glared at him. “It’s not really the kinda thing I’d brag about…”

Kaede shook her head instantly. “No one. I didn’t even tell Kirumi.” She reaffirmed, a cold, sickening feeling coming over her. Kaito obviously wouldn’t have told anyone, Mondo was locked in his room all night when the killer would have been setting up the crime scene, and she definitely knew she didn’t tell anyone. But if it wasn’t any of them, then how did they find out?

“If friends not tell anyone about what happened, then killer must have found out another way…” Gonta said mostly to himself, brow furrowed deeply. It was clear the gentle giant was putting his all into trying to solve the mystery despite knowingly being out of his league. Surprisingly, it seemed to pay off as his dark red orbs lit up after a few seconds. “Oh! Gonta have idea! Celeste said Kirumi could have watched Mondo and Kaede fight if she was on second deck. Gonta not think it Kirumi, but maybe real killer did that!”

Kaede let out a hum, closing her arms in thought. “I was thinking something pretty similar. It would have been pretty hard to come around later and just guess what happened off of that, so the killer was probably already around when we fought. But where exactly were they…?”

Kaito scratched at the back of his head. “If they were out in the hallway, there’s no way all three of us would have missed them, right? That probably means they were hiding somewhere…”

“No one gathered here possesses the level of power needed to become invisible to the mortal eye. However, even with such an illusion, it would be difficult to remain undetected while lingering close enough to witness their battle. Their cavernous design would surely give away the footsteps of anyone bold enough to try sneaking past.” Gundham noted, looking off to the side.

Mondo rolled his eyes at the Dark Lord’s nonsense. “‘Course they didn’t turn invisible, dumbass. But, you do have a point. Wide and long as those hallways are, there’s not a ton of places to hide out and watch it all go down. If they were around a corner or something, they’d have to be pretty damn fast and quiet to run away without any of us noticing.”

“... What if the killer didn’t have to, though?”

Kaede looked curiously to her right to find the Ultimate Gamer staring down intently at her monopad. “Hm? Did you figure something out, Chiaki?”

Nanami nodded. “I think so. The killer could have been really fast, but it would’ve made more sense that they simply hid. Looking at the map, there are a couple places they could have been hiding. Take a look.” She instructed, the others curiously pulling out their pads and complying. It didn’t take long before someone spotted what she meant.

“Ah, I see. You are referring to the rooms themselves, yes?” Korekiyo identified almost immediately.

“Yep. A lot of them are too far away to work for what we’re talking about, but if the killer wanted to stay out of sight, staying in one of them would be a lot better than taking their chances in the hallway.”

Mikan nervously pressed her hands together with a slight wince. “Um… that would make sense, but which one were they in when Kaede and Mondo fought…?”

Looking down at the map, Kaede studied the layout of the second deck. “That’s the key question isn’t it? There’s a couple places here the killer could have been hiding, but which one were they using…? Actually, wait, hang on…!” She thought seconds before calling out. “Oh! I’ve got it!”

“Huh? Kaede knows? Could she explain? Gonta not really get it…”

Akamatsu nodded, following along the map with her finger as she explained. “We’ve actually been really overthinking this. Let’s make this easy and start by pointing out where they definitely couldn’t have been hiding. Mondo and I ended our fight here, right outside the side door of Sakura’s lab. If the killer was watching us, there’s no way they could have been hiding in the ballroom, the gift shop, or the boiler room, because they’re all on the other side of the ship in one direction or another. The casino’s closer, but looking at where the door is, the culprit couldn’t have been close enough to see what was happening and still be able to hide in there quickly if they had to,” The makeshift investigator confidently ruled out, feeling more certain of her theory with every word. “I had just been in my lab, and I know for a fact that no one else was in there when I left. Mondo was searching Kirumi’s lab right before we started arguing, so he would have seen anyone in there. Knowing all that, by the time Mondo swung the dumbbell, there’s only one place the killer could have been hiding...”

“... My lab.” Sakura finished, realization dawning on her face.

Chiaki nodded solemnly. “I thought as much. That’s the only thing that makes sense.”

A general rumble of surprise sounded in the courtroom as the blackened individually mulled over and commented on the suggestion. “They were in her lab…? Hey, hang on a second. If whoever killed the fat*ss was in Sakura’s lab and the front door was locked, if you guys didn’t see anyone when you were going over there, then doesn’t that mean they were already in there before you guys got into it? Why’d they be hanging out there?” Leon asked.

Kirumi put a gloved finger to her chin. “Actually, that much is easy to explain. If it is as Celeste suspected, then they were on the second deck in order to prepare for their murder. Considering that Hifumi did in fact die in the Ultimate Martial Artist’s lab, they were likely doing just that when Kaede and Mister Owada unknowingly interrupted them.”

“So the culprit was hiding right behind the door the whole time?” Kaito summed up, looking absolutely scandalized as his teeth and fist clenched. “Damn it…! We were feet away from the bastard that did this and never even knew it?!”

“It would seem so, if Kaede’s theory is accurate.” Celeste stated neutrally.

Kaede couldn’t imagine how anything else could be the truth. Short of them somehow crawling around in the air vents, there was nowhere else they could have been hiding close enough to know what they had done and form a plan around it. As frustrating as it was to think that they had only been separated from the killer of this case by a thin sheet of paper, someone skulking inside Sakura’s lab was just what made sense.

Not everyone saw it that way, however. “It’s true the killer could have been hiding in there, but… isn’t there another explanation?” Tsumugi piped up with a grimace. Kaede turned to her with a puzzling look that spurred the cosplayer to elaborate. “I mean, we know you and Mondo couldn’t have done it, but we never really found anything that proved Kaito couldn’t have done it.”

“Wh-what?! Me?!” Kaito demanded incredulously with clear horror.

Shirogane flinched at the man’s outburst, but continued. “I know we decided that the killer probably had something to do with the tape Hifumi had, but what if it really is just a coincidence? Just because Hifumi said he was going to confront them doesn’t necessarily mean he was doing it that night. Whoever it was might not have even known he was going after them. But, if Kaito was there when everything happened, then he would know about how much Mondo wanted to kill Hifumi. So, if Kirumi didn’t do it, couldn’t he have killed him and set everything up to frame them?”

The Ultimate Astronaut threw out a fist. “There’s no way I’d do something like that!” He bellowed through clenched teeth, his furious expression shifting into a slightly softer, almost disappointed look. “Come on, Tsumugi! I know we ended on pretty bad terms last time, but you know me!”

That caught Kaede’s attention, but she didn’t have enough time to so much as wonder what he meant before another voice joined the conversation. “I wouldn’t recommend using character evidence as your defense when everyone here is a known murderer, Kaito,” Korekiyo cautioned. “That said, I find your theory unlikely, Tsumugi. While that is technically possible, there is little evidence that supports the notion compared to our culprit being the target of Hifumi’s ire. Unless you can produce more solid proof implicating him, we don’t have much to go on beyond mere speculation.”

The bluenette frowned, expression hardening a little. “But aren’t we supposed to be bringing up other theories? Kaede wants a chance to prove Kirumi didn’t do it, but that means someone else had to, doesn’t it?”

Kaede thinned her lips at the barb whether it was intentional or not. “That’s true, but I don’t think he did it… and I think I can prove it, too,” The blonde boldly countered. It was a bit of a long shot, but if her theory was right, then it could be the start of the end for the culprit. With that knowledge burning in her chest like an engine, she pushed forward. “Kiyo, when we found the blood stain in Sakura’s lab, you said it was a few hours old, right?”

Shinguji nodded confirmingly. “Yes, approximately six hours prior to our investigation. Without the proper equipment, however, it could well have been a few hours older than I presumed.”

Kaede returned the nod as the first piece clicked into place. “Right. And Mikan, you said you were absolutely positive that Hifumi’s head was crushed a long time after he died?”

Tsumiki winced slightly. “A-ah, um, yes. The blood around his head wounds was much thicker than normal, so that means he was already dead for a few hours when that happened…” The nurse calmly explained, her voice level and unshaken as she spoke for once. As Kaede’s eyes lit up, however, she assumed the worst as her own hazy lavender orbs bulged. “O-oh no! I-I didn’t make a mistake, did I?!” She cried out fretfully, making the much more confident girl shake her head.

“No, you didn’t. Actually, I think you’re absolutely right. If the blood we found on my piano was that different from the blood on the gravel because of how long he was dead when it spilled, then that means the killer would have had to wait for some reason between killing him and doing what they did to the body. But,” Akamatsu held up a finger argumentatively. “If Kaito was the killer, there’d be no reason for him to not do it right after killing Hifumi. Mondo was locked in his room and everyone else was asleep, so he could have done it whenever he wanted. Hanging around with the body when he didn’t have to would have been a bad idea if anyone did wander upstairs, but he would probably already have been planning on framing Mondo and I if he killed Hifumi because of our fight. It doesn’t make any sense when we think about the timing between Hifumi dying and ending up in my lab.”

“What you say makes sense… but, if that’s true, then what reason did the first killer have to wait, either?” Sakura questioned. The Ultimate Martial Artist looked to be more or less sold on the explanation, requiring only a small clarification to fully accept it.

“I’ve been thinking about that a lot since the investigation, and with everything we know about this case, there’s only one explanation that makes sense…” Kaede began as she fought to ignore the subtle creep of hesitation slithering and coiling around her. This was the only possible explanation, but it still seemed so shocking to think despite being the one to come up with the theory. It was sickening to even think about, but with the facts laid out before her, she couldn’t afford to ignore what it all pointed to. Gathering her resolve, Kaede declared the shocking truth. “By the time our fight ended, Hifumi was already dead.”

A suffocating silence took over the courtroom, not a soul daring to speak. Compared to the other twists in the trial, the reactions weren’t quite so dramatic this time, a number of the quicker-witted students clearly having reached the same conclusion. Most of the former blackened were still visibly taken aback, however, including the man that wanted Hifumi dead more than anyone else. “What the… you’re sayin’ someone killed the bastard right next to us?” Mondo asked, legitimately surprised.

Kaede nodded. “I am. If the killer was already in there with Hifumi’s body, then they could have heard us through the door no problem. They’d probably be pretty cautious about leaving any time soon after hearing other people around, but once they were sure no one was around, they had all the time they needed to do whatever they wanted with the body… and the perfect people to pin it on. It’s the only way to explain the killer knowing about our fight and the different blood in each lab.”

Teruteru shot her a confused look, quirking his eyebrow up. “It does explain both, but... wait, that doesn’t really make sense, does it?” He prompted, rubbing at his chin with a small smirk. “I’ll admit that I was having a bit of trouble focusing at the time, what with being sandwiched between two beautiful ladies as they were going at it with all their passion-” Kaede forced down the urge to gag at his lurid description. “-but didn’t you say that door wasn’t locked? Being in there with a dead body would be really bad for them, don’t you think?”

Leon’s brow furrowed, the athlete angling his head to the side as he scrutinized the musician. “Yeah, wouldn't that be way too risky? I mean, if anyone just walked over and opened the door, they’d get caught red-handed! Probably literally!”

Mondo perked up at that, his greyish eyes glinting with a doubtful certainty. Whatever he was thinking, however, didn’t get the chance to leave his mouth. “An apt observation, Leon. The only explanation is that, if Kaede's theory is true, the killer had some method of ensuring no one could enter at an inopportune time...” Korekiyo hummed, his snakish eyes closing in consideration. “Of course, given what we established about the doors earlier, this raises a curious contradiction.”

Celeste lightly crossed her arms, looking off to the side thoughtfully. “Indeed. Monokuma made it quite clear that he did not change the locks on Sakura’s door, and yet we know for certain that the side entrance was unlocked prior to and during the investigation. So, to put it simply, you're suggesting that the culprit somehow locked the door in order to keep themselves and the body hidden until the coast was clear, and then left it unlocked upon departing?”

“So the killer managed to lock the door, huh? That’d explain why it wouldn’t budge...” Mondo said mostly to himself, muttering the last part as the biker rubbing at his chin. After a second, his eyes bulged out as he quickly swerved his gaze to Sakura, absolute shock clear in his expression before he even blurted out his conclusion. “Wait... then that means the culprit must be-!”

The Ultimate Swordswoman cut him off with a sharp glare and sharper tone. “No. There's too much evidence that wouldn't make sense for Sakura to leave behind for her to be the culprit in this case.”

“I also would have no reason to kill Hifumi, let alone use such a complicated method to do what could easily be done with my strength alone…” Ogami added with an unimpressed look.

Kaede nodded, shooting a look towards the somewhat overzealous criminal. “I agree with them. I don't think there's any reason for Sakura to leave behind the grate or mess with the weights if she were the culprit in this case. Besides, she doesn’t line up with the person on the tape. The case only makes sense if someone else is the culprit, so-”

“RIDE OR DIE!”

Kaede startled at Mondo’s sudden roar, turning to find him staring at her incredulously. Before she could so much as say his name, the man was launching into his argument. “C'mon, Kaede! You can’t be tellin’ me you forgot what happened last night!”

The blonde shook her head uncomprehendingly at the biker. “Wh-what happened last night...? Mondo, what are you talking about?”

The Ultimate Biker sneered for a moment, but his annoyed look faded away to a light frown just as soon as it came to him. “Tch… guess I can't blame ya for forgettin’, given all the sh*t that you went through…” He muttered, his podium doing a poor job of hiding his clenching fist. After a moment, it released, Owada shaking his head with a sigh. “Alright. I'll get ya up to speed, and explain why Sakura is the only person here who could've pulled this off!”

Kaede stared at Mondo with thinned lips, silently trying to figure out what exactly the biker was thinking. “We already ruled Sakura out, but Mondo’s still insisting it was her… is there something he noticed that we didn’t, or do I have something that can definitely prove him wrong...?”

CROSSBLADE DEBATE

Mondo put his hands on his hips, bowing his head.

“It's not like I like callin’ a chick out...

But when you think over what happened last night...

The only possible person who could've pulled it off...

Had to be the person with the key to Sakura's lab!

I mean, you saw the proof of it with your own two eyes…”

Owada looked up, throwing his hand to the side with a hard look.

“So you and I would know that better than anyone else here!”

ADVANCE!

Kaede raised her eyebrows skeptically at the Ultimate Biker.

“‘I saw it with my own two eyes?’

What exactly did I see, Mondo?”

Mondo’s gaze hardened into a light glare.

“Remember what happened before we got into it?

I was trying to get Sakura's side door open,

Yet no matter how hard I pulled, the f*ckin’ thing wouldn't budge!

The only way someone could pull that off...

Is if they were able to lock the door!

And since the only way to do that is with the key to the lab ...

Then that means the killer had to be the one with the key to the lab!

And the only person who had that key is Sakura!”

BREAK!

Kaede crossed her arms at him, shaking her head. “You’re wrong, Mondo. I do remember that you tried opening the door last night. It definitely didn’t give, so it had to be locked… but that doesn’t mean the killer actually used the key. There’s something else they could have done to keep it from opening.”

“What, are ya sayin’ the killer just held it from the other side?” Mondo said with a slight sneer. “‘Cause the only ones here who’d have a chance of keeping it in place against me would be Sakura and the big dude, but ya just said you think whoever did it couldn’t lift sh*t!”

Tsumugi let out a loud gasp. “Oh! Maybe the killer has incredible strength sometimes, but due to an injury from an old rival, they can only use it for so long before becoming as weak as an old man!”

Kaede barely reacted to Shirogane’s non sequitur. “Um, no. There’s no way they held the door themselves, but there’s something they could have used to do it for them. In Sakura’s lab, we noticed one of the bo staffs looked a little scuffed, like something put the thing through a beating. I thought maybe it was just wear and tear from Sakura’s training, but thinking about it now, it could be because the killer used it to block the door,” The former Ultimate Pianist deduced, raising an open palm as if the answer were physically in her grasp. “Think about it: both of the doors to Sakura’s lab slide open, right? So, if something got in the way of its track, the door wouldn’t be able to move. Anyone inside the lab could basically lock the entire room even without having the key. The reason the edges looked a little screwed up was because they were pressed up against the wall and the door-”

“And so they got bent outta shape when I started shakin’ and slammin’ the thing,” The Ultimate Biker finished, realization painting his voice. The tension in his shoulders faded away at the same time his annoyance did as the faults in his logic became apparent. A thoughtful look had replaced the irritated curl of his lip, but a slight grimace took its place soon after. “... Which means Sakura probably ain’t the killer. sh*t… sorry, man.”

Ogami nodded acknowledgingly. “Suspicion is necessary in our situation, however unfortunate. Whatever leads us closer to the killer must be endured.”

Chiaki folded her hands in front of her, a discerning expression hardening her usually friendly features. “I think this is really important. The Monokuma File said Hifumi died at some point during nighttime, so that puts it at ten PM at the earliest possible point. If Hifumi was dead when Kaede, Mondo, and Kaito met up, then depending on when that happened, we can narrow down the timeframe he was killed in… Kaede, you said you left your lab about twenty after eleven, right?”

Kaede hummed uncertainly. “I did, but it’s kind of a rough guess. With everything going on, none of us really thought to check the time. Kaito mentioned while we were looking around that he’s pretty sure it was about half-past eleven, give or take a few minutes.”

“That does line up with Kaito’s alibi and the distance from the dorms to the lab…” Peko affirmed, looking to be in deep consideration. “... Hm. I see. Giving a ten-minute margin of error, the absolute latest those three could have met was eleven-forty . Sakura stated that she was using her lab until ten-thirty last night. That gives us an hour and ten-minute period where Hifumi could have been killed.”

Tojo thinned her lips, her visible eye narrowing to a certain stare. “Then at some point between ten-thirty PM and eleven-forty PM, the killer traveled to the second deck and entered Miss Ogami’s lab. Assuming Mister Yamada was not already there, he arrived at the room an unknown amount of time later and was killed, at which point the killer likely noticed others were on the second deck or overheard Kaede and Mister Owada’s struggle and blocked the door with the bo staff. After another indeterminate period, they started enacting their plan to move the body. Is that an accurate account of your theory so far, Kaede?”

“Yeah, that’s right. With everything we know about the case, I’m positive it must have happened during that period.”

“Yes… that does make sense. Regardless of when Hifumi was killed, being in your lab would have thrown a wrench into their schemes. However, I have to wonder if that is the staff’s only involvement in this crime...” The Ultimate Anthropologist mused, much to her confusion. Someone else suggested the same before she had a chance to question what he meant.

“That’s something I’m kinda wondering about too, actually. The thing was used as a doorstop, sure, but aren’t the scratch marks on the thing kind of weird?” Kaito wondered aloud, slightly confused. “I mean, even if Mondo was shaking that thing with all he had, would it have gotten all those marks just scraping against the doorframe?”

Sakura closed her eyes. “That is odd, to say the least. Bamboo is deceptively strong and not easy to damage by any means. While I can understand the ends becoming frayed after Mondo’s treatment of it, it should not have scratched simply from basic usage.”

Leon scratched at his head. “Couldn’t it have just been like that the whole time, though?”

Peko crossed her arms “Doubtful. I examined each of the weapons in Sakura’s lab to determine how dangerous they might be, the staffs included, and I do not remember it being damaged at all.

“So the culprit must have used it for something else, too,” Chiaki reasserted. “Which means that we have to figure out what exactly that was… I think. Does anyone have any ideas on where to start?”

Surprisingly, Kuwata was the first to volunteer. “Actually, hey! I think I mighta just thought of something! Hear me out!”

“Leon has an idea… is it bad I already get the feeling it’s wrong?” Kaede pondered, squashing a tiny smile that threatened to form at the thought. She bit her lip with a small shake of her head. “Well, I should hear out any ideas that come up. Even if he’s not entirely right, there might be something we can figure out from it.”

Nonstop Debate: START!

“So Hifumi was totally in Sakura’s lab when he was attacked, right? Well, maybe when he figured out what was up, he grabbed the thing and tried defending himself! The cuts are from whatever ended up stabbing him!” The Ultimate Baseball Star confidently declared as he pumped both fists.

“No, there would have been more evidence of a struggle if that happened.” Korekiyo dismissed.

“They probably would have been more careful with leaving that kind of evidence if they knew it showed Hifumi tried to fight…” Chiaki agreed, making Leon’s face fall to a pout.

Sakura butted in before the other athlete could voice any sort of complaint. “Then if it wasn’t used to protect against the killer’s attack, then what did cause the damage?”

“Oh! Maybe it’s the other way around and the bo staff was the murder weapon?” Tsumugi proposed.

Korekiyo gave her a flat look. “And how pray tell did a blunt staff stab the victim?”

Shirogane deflated a little. “Ah… I got a little wrapped up in the moment.”

Teruteru smirked deviously at her. “Just because something’s hard and penetrating doesn’t mean it can actually stab you, ‘Mugi. I can prove it to you!”

Celeste stared at him blankly. “Please hold your breath and suffocate .”

Choosing to ignore their banter, Kirumi held her head in thought. “Perhaps it was damaged while pressing against something ?”

“I-isn’t that what Kaito said wouldn’t make sense, though?” Mikan shyly questioned.

CONSENT!

Kaede held up a finger determinedly. “Actually, I think I know exactly what could have done that! There’s something else we found that was scratched up like the staff, isn’t there?”

Tojo’s eyes slowly widened, the maid’s head tilting slightly to the side. “... Are you referring to the broken ramp, Kaede?”

“Yep, that’s right. Remember how much trouble we had trying to figure out how Hifumi made it out of the cart? Maybe it was giving us a problem because we didn’t think that the killer was using something else to help push him out,” Akamatsu advanced, holding out a hand. “Think about it. Hifumi was a pretty heavy guy, and we agreed the killer probably wasn’t very strong. If they were dedicated to getting his body hunched over the piano, they’d have to use whatever they could to help move him. If they had the bo staff between his body and the grate, then that’d make it easier to push him up and forward, but they still wouldn’t be able to deal with the cart pushing forward. So, while they were getting him out of the cart, the ramp was scraping against the floor and the staff, scratching both of them up until he finally fell forward and the ramp broke. That’s how it got damaged!”

Gonta’s brow furrowed deeply. “Uh… Gonta lost. Sorry…”

“The Siren’s High Priestess claims that Hifumi’s body was barreled into hell itself with the borrowed strength of the ancient scepter of Sun Wukong, tearing it asunder!” Tanaka roared unhelpfully, only baffling the entomologist further.

“The killer lifted Hifumi up by pushing down on the bo staff, but accidentally scratched it while moving him.” Chiaki translated immediately after.

Gonta grinned widely. “Ah! Thank you, Chiaki!”

Whether the clarification helped the others or not, Kaede’s explanation seemed to start sinking in, some faces lighting up in realization while others gave more pensive expressions. Sakura was among the latter as she looked at the ex-pianist consideringly for a long moment. “... That would explain the scratches. However, I’m not certain the killer would have been able to push Hifumi’s body as you suggest.”

“What do you mean? Wouldn’t using the staff for leverage make it a lot easier?” Kaede questioned.

Ogami folded her arms, closing her eyes sagely. “Considerably, yes. But if the killer was too weak to handle even moderate weights, I doubt they could manage to lift Hifumi even with that advantage. It would simply be too much weight for them to handle alone.”

“Handle alone…?” Tsumugi repeated hesitantly repeated, her skin taking on a faint shade of blue. “Do you mean there’s still a chance the killer had an accomplice after all? Is one of us really-”

“I don’t think that’s it.”

Sakura opened one eye, leveling a questioning gaze at the Ultimate Gamer. “... I do not disagree, but you sound rather certain. Is there something you’ve realized, Chiaki?”

Nanami maintained a relatively neutral expression as she spoke, though it was tinted by the same serious, vaguely sad air she'd had since the investigation began. "Well, having someone as an accomplice wouldn't make much sense with everything we learned. After all, the culprit probably killed Hifumi over the secret on their tape, so why would they get someone else involved with the murder? They wouldn't have risked someone else finding out what they did before, let alone after becoming the blackened… I think," Chiaki explained, the weight of her deductions somewhat hampered by that ever-present verbal tik. She paused, adjusting the straps on her backpack before meeting Ogami's gaze head on. "Besides, I think there's something the killer left behind that might be able to prove Kaede's theory. ”

Kaede looked at the petite girl curiously. “Something the killer left behind…? It couldn’t have been the ramp itself. I don’t see how the lift would have helped, either. The only thing I can think of is…” She hesitated for a moment before taking her gamble. “... Do you think this has something to do with someone messing with the dumbbells in Sakura’s lab?”

The pink-haired Ultimate smiled slightly. “Mhmm. Hifumi probably would have been too heavy to push up on their own even with the staff, but if they had something to help balance out the weight, then it would be doable. The killer probably saw the dumbbells while they were hiding in the lab, so when they were having trouble pushing him up, they came back and grabbed the heaviest ones they could pick up. They probably didn’t know how much they would actually lift or how much weight was needed, though, so they had to try moving them around and then keep coming back to get more…”

“... And during the process of all this, they likely failed to notice the pattern they were arranged in originally, or at least forgot to restore it to such afterwards. Correct?” Celeste finished, looking at Chiaki almost expectantly.

“Yes. That’s what makes sense to me.”

Ludenberg seemed to consider it for a moment. “... Perhaps. Given our killer’s strength, however, how do you propose they transported the weights to Kaede’s lab, or used them to push down on the staff for that matter?”

Kaede thought back to Sakura’s lab for a moment. There wasn’t a whole lot that could be useful for doing something like that, but… “... Maybe they used the duffle bags in the gym? It wouldn’t be all that easy, but they could put some of the weights inside, carry the bag over, and then hang them from the bo staff until there was enough weight on their side between the bags and themself to push Hifumi over.” The musician theorized. She wasn’t amazing at math, but from her understanding of physics, it made enough sense. She was good enough at it for that stupid trap to have worked, anyway…

Kirumi tapped a finger against her lips in thought. “Hmm… all of the weights used were below forty pounds, but if the culprit used multiple weights up to that, they could theoretically have had up to one hundred and eighty pounds split between however many duffle bags they used. With the dumbbells, their own weight, and the leverage from the staff, I believe they would have had enough total force to push Mister Yamada’s body.”

“I believe so as well. I’ve used a similar method in the past, albeit with some notable differences. Overall, using the staff and weights in such a way should be able to achieve the killer’s goal.” Korekiyo affirmed, drawing dirty and uncomfortable looks from Kaito and Gonta respectively. The rest of the courtroom was less concerned about the context of Kiyo’s knowledge and more focused on the anthropologist’s words themselves.

Sakura let out a rumbling hum. “I see… so, it was possible for the killer. Then I accept this theory.”

Kaito rested a hand on his hip. “That clears up everything we didn’t get about the lab, right?”

The Ultimate Swordswoman shook her head. “No, there is one matter we have yet to resolve: why was Mondo’s dumbbell planted with the others?”

Leon looked at her like she was an idiot. “Isn’t it pretty obvious they were trying to frame him?”

“Maybe, but doing so also meant leaving behind clear evidence that they were aware of his argument with Kaede, which is the entire basis of our discussion now. The circ*mstantial evidence already pointed to him without it. If anything, it’s backfired and made finding the true killer more possible,” Peko argued, her red eyes slowly making their way across the court. “If the culprit was intelligent enough to come up with a scheme like this in the first place, why would they make such an obvious mistake?”

“Hmph… perhaps some lowly imp discovered it and left it amongst the rest of the evidence as an omen of the killer’s scheme. If that is the case, however, this being was aware of it before anyone else and has been hiding that dire truth from us… bah! Coward!” Tanaka hissed.

The idea left a bitter taste in Kaede’s mouth. “Someone knew this whole time and didn’t say anything…? That’s gotta be wrong. There’s no way anyone here would be selfish enough to keep that kind of information to themselves even when we were about to have a vote, right? Not even Kokichi would be that reckless...” She tried to reassure herself, hating how difficult it was to believe her own words.

Before that train of thought could get much steam, however, Kaito shook his head. “Nah, I don’t think that’s it. No one here’s that stupid. Besides, there’s something else that explains it just as easily!” He proclaimed confidently. At Kaede’s questioning look, he elaborated. “We already said that the killer wasn’t paying attention to how things were in the lab, right? Then they probably didn’t know that Mondo’s dumbbell came from somewhere else and just assumed it belonged with the others even if it looked different! They messed up without realizing it, and that’s why they put it there!”

Akamatsu felt her lips curl downwards. “After all that effort, they just made a tiny mistake like that, and that’s why we found out? Can it really be that simple?”

“Speaking from experience, yes. It’s entirely possible…” Kirumi said stiffly, an unreadable expression on her face.

Mondo locked his jaw as he glanced away from his fellow murderers. “Tch… so, what? The killer just f*cked up and that’s it?”

“Maybe it was just to throw us off? I mean, isn’t that why Peko thought there was an accomplice in the first place?” Tsumugi reminded, cupping her cheek with an uneasy expression.

“I believe you are overthinking this,” Celeste chided, silencing the courtroom. Her expression was flat, an indeterminable look in her eyes as she folded her hands in her lap. “Whatever purpose the killer or someone else had in placing the evidence there matters little compared to the fact that it is there. Only facts of this case matter…” She dismissed as her hard crimson eyes locked with Kaede’s magenta own. “And, in the end, the facts have not changed. We are still precisely where we were when you insisted on Kirumi’s innocence. Nearly a full hour of debate has passed with nothing to show for it.”

“Nothing to show for it?!” Kaito squawked out in disbelief. “Are you kidding me?! We’ve solved a bunch of loose ends you said were pointless!”

“And it’s clear that I was correct,” Ludenberg shot back coldly, sparing the astronaut only a momentary glance before addressing the gathered students as a whole. “Tell me, what evidence have we uncovered that disrupts any part of my theory? I will freely admit that we have a more clear picture of the specific sequence of events of the crime and the methods the culprit used, but there has been nothing that proves that Kirumi could not have done it.”

Mondo narrowed his eyes warningly at her. “We also haven’t found anything proving you didn’t do it, either. So what?”

The goth met his glare unwaveringly. “I’m not the one with nearly all the evidence against me at the moment.”

“Hold on! Just because we haven’t yet doesn’t mean we won’t! There’s still a few things we haven’t figured out yet!” Kaede called out in protest, the gambler curling her lip in response.

“You mean the murder weapon and the tablecloth, yes?” She correctly assessed. Kaede didn’t even get to fully nod before being cut off. “Then do you have any ideas about what was used to kill him?”

Kaede opened her mouth to respond, only to hesitate as she found no words would come forth. In truth, she still had no clue about what could have been used. She racked her brain for possible answers she could spout off to appease the other girl to little success. “W-well, no, but-”

“Did you or anyone else discover where that tablecloth may have come from?” Celeste pressed expectantly.

Teruteru grimaced as he uneasily tapped his fingers together. “... I’ve got to admit, the ones in the cafe didn’t match…” The chef reluctantly conceded.

“There didn’t seem to be any missing in the ballroom or dining hall, either…” Chiaki added with a frown.

A beat of silence passed before Ludenberg continued. “... Then it seems we have no leads for where that might have come from, either.”

Kirumi looked at Celeste evenly, only a small frown and her knitted eyebrows hinting at her thoughts. “Perhaps, but rushing to a vote won’t shed any light on those inconsistencies, Miss Ludenberg.”

Celeste hummed. “Perhaps not, but it hardly matters. As I pointed out previously, we are not mandated to solve the case in full.”

Kaede glared at her bitterly. “That doesn’t mean we can just give up! There’s got to be a solution here, and if you’d just stop rushing us, we’d be able to find it!” The musician shouted out, throwing a hand to the side in frustration.

“We already have our solution. You simply refuse to acknowledge it. You said you were willing to do what was needed when the time came, Kaede. Unless that was another lie, now is the time to follow through on that.” Ludenberg coldly rebuked, provoking Kaede even further.

“You don’t-!”

“Enough!” Sakura bellowed commandingly. Her arms were clenched tightly in warning as she fixed both of them with a hard look. Once she was sure neither of them would try talking back, she gave them an ultimatum. “... I cannot claim to know for certain who the killer is, nor can anyone else. The only thing we can know for certain is what fits the evidence. Kaede has proven a number of things we would not have known without her insistence. Casting out her findings as pointless is foolish. That said, if we truly have hit a dead end, we have no choice but to continue forward with what we do know. So, that is what we will do,” The martial artist firmly declared as she turned to the Ultimate Gambler completely. “Celeste. If you are certain of Kirumi’s guilt, then explain every step of the crime we are aware of and convince us,” She ordered, and to the ex-pianist’s surprise, turned to her immediately afterwards. “But if Kaede or anyone else finds any flaws in your reasoning, we will discuss it until solved. Once all possible discussions are exhausted, and only then, will we vote. Agreed?”

Kaede stared at her, stunned. That still left her and Kirumi in a terrible position, but it was infinitely better than what Sakura had been saying earlier. She still had a shot to uncover the truth of this case, if she played her cards right… Akamatsu nodded. “Y-yeah. Alright. That’s the fairest thing we can do.”

Celeste looked considerably less pleased with Sakura’s deal, hints or irritation showing through her carefully maintained mask. “This is pointless…” She groused before closing her eyes and taking a quiet breath. “But, if you insist, fine. Just this once, I’m willing to repeat myself and prove why Kirumi must be the culprit.”

“We’re out of leads, but we’re so close to the truth… there has to be something we can work off of! This can’t be how it ends!”

Nonstop Debate: START!

“Let us go over the case one more time,” Ludenberg began, her annoyance fading away to perfect neutrality. “At some point, Hifumi received a motive video depicting the murder of someone here that he thought a great deal about.”

Korekiyo carried it on at Celeste’s momentary pause. “Seeing it left him filled with rage and determination to stop them, as his note made abundantly clear. Whether by invitation or confrontation, both the victim and culprit ended up in Sakura’s lab between ten-thirty and eleven-forty last night…”

“It is there where the late Yamada met his end upon a yet unknown weapon, and where one who slayed him hid upon discovering others souls wandering the second deck…” Gundham rumbled.

Mondo looked off to the side in thought. “Once me, Kaede, and Kaito were gone, they used the lift, staff, and cart to bring the guy over to Kaede’s lab and dump the body over there…”

“And after some trouble getting him in position, the culprit used the piano’s keylid to disguise the cause of death and started getting to work on covering it up,” Chiaki concluded, an unconvinced look on her face. “That’s definitely how the crime happened, but I don’t see how that rules out Celeste or Tsumugi from being the killer.”

Leon crossed his arms, glancing at the Ultimate Maid as he spoke. “But Kirumi’s the one with a bunch of shady coincidences piling up, right?”

Tsumugi anxiously rubbed at her elbow. “She knew where to get a lot of the stuff the killer used, tried to go where the body was alone, and even told Kaede not to investigate…”

“None of those coincidences are proof even stripped of their context as they are here. Unfortunate, I’ll concede, but not evidence.” Kirumi denied.

Celeste gave a small hum as she resumed control. “But they can hardly be ignored, either, especially given that you also knew about Kaede’s fear well before anyone else, which just so happened to be a central part of the case. You were also keeping notes of everyone’s movements,” She accused, narrowing her eyes at the silver-haired servant. “Between all of those ‘coincidences’, you simply make the most sense as the culprit .”

“Gonta not understand, though! If Kirumi killer, then why move Hifumi and smash his head? That leave big mess and lots of evidence, didn’t it?” Gokuhara pointed out.

The Ultimate Gambler didn’t bat an eye. “To frame Mondo and Kaede , of course. She overheard their argument from inside the lab, and knowing neither of them were likely to confess to it easily, planned on staging the body in a way that could implicate either, After all, Mondo’s attempt on Kaede’s life and Hifumi murdering his so-called bro would make him the perfect scapegoat for the crime.”

BREAK!

Kaede’s eyes shot wide open in surprise. She didn’t mishear that, did she? The words were crystal clear, yet she was reeling as if she’d been slapped, unable to believe what just happened. “Wha… wait, hang on a second… Celeste, what you just said doesn’t make any sense.”

Celestia looked at her in light exasperation. “Come now, Kaede. You should know better than anyone how much Mondo wanted revenge for that.”

The former Ultimate Pianist shook her head. “No, Mondo wanting revenge for Taka makes sense. What doesn’t make sense is how you know about that.”

Slowly, Celeste’s eyes widened by just a hair, something unreadable flashing across her expression before instantly vanishing. After several seconds, she hesitantly spoke up. “... Excusez moi?”

“So she’s going to try playing dumb… alright then. I know how to prove it.”

“When we first got our memories back, we found out pretty quickly that if any of us couldn’t remember something about their murder, no one that outlived them could, either. When that happened, you and Hifumi said something pretty interesting…”

***

A scowl overtook Celeste’s pale white features. "However, I must confess I too cannot recall my murder either. Even the victim is a blur-"

"Really? Me too, mistress!" Hifumi piped up for the first time since the flashback light went off, his unnerving enthusiasm only slightly dimmed.

Celeste's calm mask had enough cracks that a strong gust of wind could shatter it. "Quite," She tersed out. Closing her eyes for a moment, it was like her entire body reset, all traces of annoyance gone by the time her red orbs reappeared. The gambler's tone was as inquisitive as her analyzing gaze when she asked, "As I was saying, I would like to know more about my murder. May I have an explanation?"

***

Kaede crossed her arms as her gaze hardened. “Both of you insisted you couldn’t remember anything about your murders, but if that was true, then there’s no way you should know who Hifumi killed.”

The gothic gambler’s brow creased for the slightest moment before vanishing as she shook her head. “Nonsense. It was simply deductive reasoning. Mondo said Hifumi killed someone he cared about, and Kiyotaka was the person he was closest to in our game, so-”

A shuddering thwump rang out as Mondo’s fist slammed down against his podium. “Bullsh*t! Makoto, Hina, Taka, I coulda meant any of them, but you were damn certain when you said that! Why?!”

Celeste remained perfectly still, unflinching in the face of Mondo’s wrath, but Kaede could see her hands tighten into each other. The blonde didn’t give her the chance to talk her way out of it. “Kaito and I knew because Mondo told us, and he knew because he had Hifumi’s tape. No one else should have known for sure… so how did you?” Kaede demanded with a glare.

A beat passed. The another. Everyone stared at the stone-faced girl expectantly as the seconds dragged on, their gazes growing less trusting with each passing moment. Kaito let out a growl. “Well? Say something already! If you’ve got something that shows you didn’t find out from behind that door, then you have to-”

“I lied.”

Two simple words silenced the Ultimate Astronaut’s heated demands in an instant. The others were much the same, a stunned quiet falling over all of them for several seconds. Kaede blinked, half wondering if she’d simply imagined what she’d heard. “... Huh?”

“I lied,” Celeste repeated dully. Her expression hadn’t changed in the slightest, but her voice had become bland and monotone, confessing to deceiving them all as if she were reading a textbook. The shocked stares of her fellow blackened hardly phased her as she leveled them all with a perfectly flat look and elaborated. “I knew who Hifumi killed the moment I regained my memories… and who I killed as well. After seeing how surviving someone’s trial doesn’t impede whatever memory loss Monokuma has given some of us, when Sakura confessed that she could not remember her victim, I took a gamble and pretended I couldn’t either. Hifumi, being the sort that he was, latched onto my lie instantly, not bothering to think out the consequences… but, in the end, I suppose it wouldn’t have mattered one way or the other. My chances were the same either way: either she would truly be in the dark about my crime, or in the event that she did remember, would remain silent anyway.”

Sakura folded her arms, glowering at Ludenberg. “And what made you so sure of that?” She demanded threateningly.

Whatever reaction she was hoping to spur from the gambler, she didn’t get it. “It’s not as if you had anything to gain by outing my lie if you did remember. Though I can’t speak for what happened after my trial, I know that you were among the most opposed to the killing game in the time we spent together. You would not publicly expose either of us if you thought it was likely to spark a murder.” She dismissed with absolute certainty. The way Ogami’s eyes darkened at that confirmed its accuracy.

“... Um… but if both of you actually remembered, th-then why doesn’t Sakura…?” Mikan shyly questioned.

The Ultimate Martial Artist closed her eyes with a frown. “That is something I too would like to know…”

Monokuma let out an exaggerated hum as he tapped a paw against his head. “Hmm, strange, isn’t it? I wonder what it could mean. Maybe she’s lying to you guys and actually does remember, or maybe she took a bonkin’ to the noggin’ and really doesn’t… puhuhu, isn’t the silence just killing you guys?”

“Would you just shut the hell up already?! You’re wasting our time!” Momota shouted as he glared daggers into the bear.

Kaede took the opportunity to retake control of the conversation. “Kaito’s right; we can’t let Monokuma’s nonsense get in the way. There’s more important things to focus on,” The blonde commanded unwaveringly before turning her narrowing gaze on the Ultimate Gambler. “Like that fact that Celeste lied to all of us, and has been for a while now.”

The goth’s ruby eyes narrowed slightly. “Isn’t it rather hypocritical for you to decry me for lying with everything you tried to hide from us, Kaede?” She asked, her tone polite on the surface, but a river of biting venom just below the surface. That wouldn’t deter the musician, however, as she crossed her arms in turn.

“I might be a hypocrite, but only as much as you. You knew what Hifumi did and how Mondo would react, but you still tried saying only the culprit could know. Why did you try to cover that up?”

“Because we had nothing to gain from revealing it. Mondo has already been ruled out as a culprit, and even before he was, showing my cards would likely have done more harm than good,” Celeste countered with an almost bored expression. A tiny smile slowly quirked at her lips. “Hm. In that way, I suppose you could say we both lied for the same reason.”

Mondo scowled at her, sneering. “Sounds to me like you’re just covering your ass.”

Ludenberg let out a tisk. “If that is how you choose to see it, I cannot stop you. What I’ve said is, however, the truth.”

Korekiyo’s amused voice echoed through the courtroom. “The truth, as stated by the self-proclaimed Queen of Liars... I believe even you can appreciate the irony of that.”

Celeste had nothing to say to that, merely maintaining a dignified silence. The others were considerably less inclined to conceal their thoughts as many of them openly gazed at her in suspicion, ranging from uneasy side-eyes to flat-out glares. Mondo’s menacing gaze in particular stood out, his often explosive rage absent in favor of a quiet but intimidating anger that was almost more frightening than the alternative. Kaede could hear some of the others muttering jeers and wary observations under their breath, but the hall was otherwise almost entirely silent. The suffocating tension beginning to build made it clear that whatever status of authority Celeste had garnered had been shattered just as Kaede before her. If that bothered her, however, she refused to show it, fixing them all with the same cold and even stare that exuded absolute certainty. Just as it seemed like she was well and truly ignoring them, she finally spoke. “... At any rate, I have established how I could have known about Hifumi’s murder without being the culprit. I was aware of it from the start of this game, and thus I did not have to learn about it from overhearing it as Kaito suggested,” She argued with a deliberately slow and level tone, almost as if she were explaining it to a group of children. Her eyes seemed to glimmer with an indescribable look as she made her move. “And so we once again find ourselves out of leads, left only with our existing deductions.”

“Out of leads? Is that a joke?” Kaede demanded, pointing at Celeste. “You covered up what you knew about Hifumi-”

“And have subsequently been forced to explain myself,” She curtly cut off, a hint of scolding entering her neutral voice. “Yes, I lied. I did so for the sake of convenience, and while that has clearly backfired, nothing else has changed. You have failed to disprove my original assertion. The evidence still points to the same conclusion.”

Kaede did her best to hide a flinch as the words struck her like a fist. It pained her to admit, but Celeste wasn’t entirely wrong. While she was certain almost beyond a doubt that Kirumi was innocent, her deductions didn’t do much to actually disprove the maid as a suspect. If anything, it had essentially just painted a clearer picture of how Kirumi supposedly went about the crime. Even after all their debating and mystery solving, she still lacked the one thing she needed to actually do anything about it. She pressed her nails into her palms tightly. “... That doesn’t-”

“That’s a bunch of bullcrap and you know it!” Kaito suddenly bellowed, his jacket blowing out behind him as he threw out an accusing fist. “If you were lying about that, what’s to say you haven’t been lying about everything else you’ve said?! Maybe the evidence only fits your story because there’s something you’re leaving out!”

The goth pressed her lips in a thin line, a ghost of a sneer threatening to cross her face. “If that was the case, Kaito, then why does it ring true for several people with no connection to me? Despite how desperately you wish it weren’t the case, those not blinded by their feelings see that my logic holds up.” Celeste declared with unwavering confidence. Despite his considerable height advantage over her, she still managed to look like she was looking down upon him, her borderline arrogant certainty in her deductions striking Kaede’s nerves like a hammer hitting a piano chord. The pompous edge to her words was as irritating as an expert maestro intentionally playing sour notes. The skill and talent was clearly there, so why were they so insistent on being wrong ?!

“... I’m not so certain that it does.”

In an instant, that look of conviction shattered, Celeste’s eyes widening in shock and what Kaede could have sworn was outrage at being called out. “What did you just-?!” Ludenberg hissed in an almost completely different voice before stopping dead in her tracks with a blink. “... Ahem. Is there something you wish to say, Peko?”

The Ultimate Swordswoman didn’t pay the sudden outburst beyond a momentary quirk of her eyebrow. Instead, her focus was on slicing through the gambler’s words. “Your logic definitely made sense previously. However, after noticing the oddity of the dumbbells, I find it… inconsistent with what I would expect of Kirumi. Throughout this case, the killer made a series of errors that left incriminating evidence behind. Scratching the floors in Kaede’s lab, leaving the broken ramp behind, the haphazard disposal of the table cloth, the blood on the lift and in the gravel, and leaving the dumbbells in such disarray… doesn’t it seem rather sloppy for the Ultimate Maid to have left so many clues behind?”

“Hm… y’know, thinkin’ about it, that is pretty weird. Maids are supposed to be good at keeping stuff clean, but it’s like whatever psycho did this didn’t give a damn about leaving evidence behind…” Leon slowly agreed, a conflicted look on his face.

Sakura bowed her head, a small frown cracking her stoney features. “Or that they were ill-prepared, though even then, Kirumi’s talent surely would have let her dispose of at least some of those clues. For all of them to remain if she is the killer is unlikely, to say the least… I confess that I truly did believe she was the killer, but reflecting on things, I am no longer so sure.”

Celeste glared at them as if she were looking at the biggest fools in the world. “That is hardly proof of her innocence. It’s merely-”

“Coincidence?” Kaede finished challengingly. She couldn’t deny the rush of smug satisfaction she felt seeing Celeste’s eyes go wide at that right before she twisted the knife further. “Like you said, Celeste: coincidences add up.”

If looks could kill, Celeste would have viciously murdered Akamatsu in front of everyone. “I… I…!” She seethed, her voice strained and accent cracking. Ludenberg looked like she could explode at any second, her expression warping with malicious disbelief… until she suddenly closed her eyes, the aristocrat sucking in a deep breath. Like magic, by the time she opened her eyes once again, she was the picture of composure. “I… do not agree with you.”

“Unfortunately, that isn’t enough. I will make it clear that I am still not convinced of Kirumi’s innocence, but just as we couldn’t ignore the logic behind her guilt, it is pointless to deny the possibility that she is not the killer after all that.” Shinguji bluntly refuted, his eyes closed in thought.

“Hmph… and so the tides of fate turn once more. It seems they have lost interest in dragging Kirumi to the depths of damnation… for now.” Gundham mused darkly, his thoughts unreadable behind the breeder’s almost perpetual scowl. Celeste didn’t manage a retort this time, merely schooling her face into an icy blankness.

Kirumi gave her primary accuser an almost sympathetic look. “Miss Ludenberg, while your suspicion is understandable, I am not the killer of this case. The only way we’ll be able to discover who is truly responsible is if you are willing to at least humor that idea.”

With every second that Celeste hesitated, Kaede grew more and more doubtful that she would actually be willing to concede that point. Be it certainty borne of arrogance or just plain stubbornness, Celestia had been unwavering in her doubt of Kirumi, and one thing that she had learned of the prickly woman over the past several days was her absolute commitment to getting what she wanted. A part of her was all too aware of their similarities in that regard, but whatever unflattering comparisons one could make between them were pushed aside in favor of waiting for Ludenberg’s response.

“... Fine then. Unless we fail to find any substantial evidence of your innocence, or until we do discover proof of someone else’s guilt, I can allow this,” She said at last, her gaze practically empty as she moved to meet Kaede’s eyes. “That said, as you seem so confident, I will leave this to you. If Kirumi isn’t the killer, then who is?”

Kaede thinned her lips. “I… don’t know for sure just yet…”

“If that’s the case, then perhaps I can offer you a starting point.” Korekiyo offered suddenly.

Kaede blinked at him, her gaze wary and uncertain. “A starting point…? What do you mean?”

The Ultimate Anthropologist waved a hand as if dispelling a fog. “Just a certain observation I’ve made during all this. It’s not to be taken as a definitive accusation, but something to use as a foundation for our debate going forward. Do you wish to hear it?”

“With how you’re phrasing it, I’m not sure I want to…” She grimly thought to herself. Suppressing a frown, however, she nodded. “If it helps us get closer to the truth, then I’m willing to hear you out.”

“As you wish,” He said as he bowed his head, hiding his golden eyes behind the brim of his hat. “I can’t help but notice something: in all our debate about whether Kirumi or Celeste were more suspicious, we’ve allowed our third suspect to quietly slip into the background. A wise play on their part, but something that must be addressed all the same,” Kiyo questioned, practically purring the words out as his golden orbs settled on the focus of their remarks. “You’ve been silent for some time now, Tsumugi. Tell me, is there a reason for that?”

The reminder hit her like a jolt of lightning. In all the excitement, the group’s leader had hardly even noticed Tsumugi was there, let alone the fact that -now that Korekiyo pointed it out- the cosplayer hadn’t so much as said a word since Celeste’s slip. Kaede’s head snapped towards the now bug-eyed Shirogane as she physically flinched back in her stand. “H-huh?! M-me?” She sputtered out in shock before wildly shaking her head. “N-no! I just plainly haven’t had anything to add! That’s not suspicious!”

Kiyo tutted at her, waggling a finger.“For someone who isn’t a prime suspect, perhaps. However, you are one of three -or, at this point two- people left that could feasibly have committed this crime. Silence is no longer a luxury you can afford.”

The bluenette shakily pushed up her glasses. “B-but there’s no reason to suspect me!”

Mikan winced, turning her eyes to the ground as she wrung her hands. “But couldn’t you or Celeste have done any of the things she said Kirumi did…?

“No! Er, technically, I suppose, but…!” Tsumugi’s dismayed orbs flicked to Kaede pleadingly. “I-I’m telling the truth! I really didn’t do it! I just don’t know what to say to prove it!”

“Screaming like a child will not help you whether you’re guilty or not,” Celeste snapped coldly, only worsening the other girl’s clear fright. Sighing, she turned back to Kaede. “Well then, Kaede. If you are truly insistent on Kirumi’s innocence, there are two possible suspects left. Whoever you choose to pursue and how is up to you, but don’t forget the cost if you choose wrong.”

Kaede curled her fists with a shake of her head. “I’m not targeting either of you until I’m sure who did it,” Akamatsu firmly denied, leveling them both with the same sympathetic but unyielding gaze. After a moment, she let out a small breath, closing her eyes. “... But I know one of you has to be the one… so we don’t have any other choice. Both of you need to make your argument. Prove to all of us that you didn’t do this.”

Prove that one of them was a liar and a traitor. Prove that one of them was willing to kill them all if it meant they had a second shot of escape.

“Prove which one of you has to die.”

Chapter 17: Chapter One: The Bloodied Hands We're Dealt: Finale

Chapter Text

For an agonizingly long moment, Kaede’s dire words hung in the air, neither of the remaining suspects daring to say a word. Unease swirled around the gathered blackened like a fog, invisible but smothering all the same. It crackled through the air like static electricity, holding them prisoner to the unspoken standoff between the three women.

“... We have to prove we didn’t do it…?” Tsumugi finally whimpered, her quiet voice laced with trepidation as the bluenette’s skin turned pale enough that it almost rivaled Celeste’s ghostly makeup. Almost robotically, she slowly shook her head. “B-but what happened to being innocent until proven guilty?!”

“This is not a real trial, despite what Monokuma says. We do not have the benefit of the doubt,” Celeste said coldly, unphased despite the incredible pressure on her. “Also, that is not what we are proving. I’m afraid we have no choice but to speak for ourselves from this point onwards. After all,” She paused, her red eyes flicking to Tsumugi with an ominous glint like a blade in the dark. “If both Kirumi and one of us is not the killer, then whoever fails to convince us otherwise must be our culprit, and I know for certain I am not. Your innocence is yours to prove.”

Tsumugi looked as if she'd been slapped. After several seconds of staring wide-eyed at the gambler, the words finally sank in as she started desperately looking to the others for help. “I- b-but how am I supposed to prove that?! I plainly would have already if I knew how!”

Kaede held up her arms on instinct, subconsciously leaning back as if the Ultimate Cosplayer were a cornered animal about to pounce. “H-hey, calm down! Panicking doesn’t help anyone here! Just take a deep breath and hear me out,” She tried to soothe, managing a strained if hopefully reassuring smile when the frazzled Ultimate met her gaze. “Trust me, I know it’s scary, but you’re not alone here. I don’t like accusing you guys any more than you do. If you can come up with reasons why you’re not the blackened, I’ll do everything I can to help prove you innocent. Just be completely honest with us, and with all the evidence we have, I know we’ll find the truth! Remember that we’re here to find out who didn’t do it just as much as we are who did . So… just believe in us and give it your all, okay?”

Tsumugi paused for a moment as she stared at Kaede uncertainly, a flash of something bitter and hurt clashing with a desperate, pleading hope in her eyes. “... Do you really mean that? You haven’t exactly been on my side so far…” Shirogane drearily noted.

Kaede winced at the barb. “Of course she doesn’t trust me… lying to her would have been bad enough, but accusing her of lying when we both knew it was the truth… we really need to have a talk after this,” She thought as she apologetically bowed her head to her plain friend. “I know… and I’m truly sorry for that. But I mean it when I say I’m on both your sides right now. Even if you can’t bring yourself to trust me, then trust in everyone else to do the right thing. We’re all in this together, so there’s no choice but to trust you for as long as we can.”

Much to Kaede’s relief, the Ultimate Cosplayer seemed to be partially mollified by that, as her stricken expression gradually softened into a mere frown. “... So, as long as we try to prove we didn’t do it, you’ll help us?” She summarized warily right before a meaty thump sounded off as the Ultimate Astronaut slammed his fists together.

“Exactly! We’re gonna believe in both of you until there isn’t a shred of doubt!” Kaito boisterously declared. Glancing at Kaede, he flashed a grin bright enough to light the night sky and offered a thumbs up to the pair of suspects. “You’re safe in the hands of Kaito Momota and his sidekicks!”

“Hmm. How naive of you,” Celeste lightly scolded, earning a glare from Momota. She didn’t react to his dark look in the slightest, but after a moment, she conceded the point. “... Still, I’m not so prideful as to refuse aid offered to me on a silver platter. I accept your offer.”

Kaede crossed her arms warningly, but otherwise chose to let the goth’s haughty reamark slide. Ludenberg wasn’t the only one with a peculiar reaction to their words of encouragement as Korekiyo tittered to himself, giving her a look that almost felt like he was smirking at her. “Keheheh, playing both prosecutor and defense attorney, Kaede? I’m curious to see how this goes,” He said in an almost amused tone that rubbed the once-Ultimate Pianist the wrong way. Shinguji shifted his gaze and offered a small tip of his cap to Shirogane. “I shan’t take up any more of your time. The floor is yours, Tsumugi.”

The geeky girl winced slightly, visibly uncertain about what to do and now under the watchful eyes of the courtroom. “O-oh… I’m first then, huh…? Well… if we’re looking for something that proves it wasn’t me, then…” She spoke slowly in a thinly veiled stall for time, idly rubbing at her cheek out of nervousness. She fell silent for a few moments before letting out a dramatic gasp, her eyes lighting up like Christmas trees. “Oh my gosh, wait a second! If the killer is definitely the person on Hifumi’s tape, then we can figure out who they are right now!”

That certainly got the group’s attention. “W-what?! We can?!” Mikan cried out in shock.

“If you know how, then stop waitin’ around and spit it out already!” Mondo barked with an annoyed sneer, throwing a hand to the side.

Kirumi thinned her lips, but nodded. “I must agree. Whatever information you can provide us, Tsumugi, please do so post-haste.”

Even despite the Ultimate Biker’s gruff order, Tsumugi still had an almost delighted expression on her face as she explained herself. “It’s actually so obvious that I plainly don’t know how we didn’t think of it before. Whoever killed Hifumi was the one whose video he got, right? So, if we all check our videos, whoever’s missing must be the culprit!”

Kaede’s eyes became as wide as dinner plates. “That’s- woah, that’s an amazing idea! Everyone, check your pads and- huh?” She suddenly cut herself off as she pulled out her monopod and turned it on to find a cartoonish scribble of Monokuma dressed like a stereotypical professor waggling a claw at the viewer with a mocking grin. She tried tapping the screen to no avail beyond making the image bounce slightly in place. Her head shot up to the real one lazily leaning back in his throne, narrowing hatefully. “What is this, Monokuma? Why aren’t our pads working?”

“What, you didn’t think I’d let you solve the mystery that easily, did you?” Monokuma sarcastically drawled. “That would be so anticlimactic! No way could I let a trial end on such a boring letdown as that! Like I said earlier, a headmaster must prepare his students for the real world, and that means no cheat sheets! You guys are gonna have to solve this the old fashioned way!”

“Wh- oh, come ON, are you serious?!” Leon demanded incredulously, his skin only a few shades off from his flaming red hair.

“As a heart attack, Mister Kuwata! We take academic integrity very seriously here, you know!” The black and white beast cheerily replied, pretending not to notice the glares from the students below. He mimed checking a nonexistent watch and let out a whistle. “Oh, wow! You guys should probably skip the grumbling and get cracking on this case! We’re getting awfully close to Punishment Time~!”

Mondo growled as he ominously cracked his knuckles. “That’s it, you little bastard! I’m gonna-”

“Restrain yourself, Mondo,” Sakura commanded, the biker pausing under her firm gaze. The gargantuan woman shook her head. “Attacking Monokuma is a pointless endeavor, and even if you were spared, we do not have time to waste. We must focus on this case.”

Kirumi was quick to back the martial artist, giving an approving nod. “Agreed. Even though Monokuma is making this harder, I have an idea on how we can progress. While we may not be able to show our tapes to each other, that doesn’t mean we cannot discuss them at all. We can simply state whose video we received and begin narrowing it down from there.”

Teruteru’s lips curled into a cringe, the boy twirling the tip of his hair uneasily. “But if we’re just going by their word, couldn’t someone just lie about it if they wanted…?”

Chiaki tapped a finger against her chin. “The only one who’d get anything out of that would be the killer, and it would be pretty risky to say they had someone’s tape if someone else had it…” She pointed out, though her tone sounded more like she was thinking aloud than actually disagreeing with the chef. “... But, we could have them say some details about the tape they watched, and the person on it could confirm it for us.”

Celeste shot her a quizzical look. “Would that not violate the rule about confessing our crimes?”

Kaede furrowed her brow. “Oh, right… with everything going on, I almost forgot about that. But, wait…” She thought back to the monochrome monster’s announcement, a part of her unable to believe it had only been a day prior.

***

Temporary Regulation: Until the first murder is committed, students cannot confess their original motives.

Kaede read the line again and again, her scowl deepening each time until she forced her gaze upward and her furious eyes bored into the black and white bear. “Seriously? You have to cheat just to stop us?”

If she hadn’t hit a nerve before, she certainly had now. “I do not cheat! I might not mention every detail, but I follow my rules to the letter! Just because I make new rules to protect the game doesn’t mean I’m cheating!”

***

“... Actually, I don’t think it does,” Kaede realized, holding up a finger as she explained. “The regulation only said we couldn’t confess our motives, not that we couldn’t talk about it at all, and it was only in effect until the first murder happened, not the first trial. Even if that’s how he meant it, the rules make it clear, and you can’t go back on those, can you?” She asked pointedly, confidently staring down the bear.

Monokuma stayed quiet for a long moment before letting out a long, shuddering sigh. “It’s true. Them’s the rules… you guys are off the hook. Well, that hook, anyway. Go nuts.”

Kaede blinked. That… was unexpected. She knew he’d have no choice but to admit it, but… “... Huh? That’s it? You’re not going to argue at all?”

“I’m beary honest. I said what I meant, and so that’s what I’m following. I’m bound by my rules as much as you are,” He confessed with a helpless shrug. His ever-lasting grin seemed to stretch even further as he added, “Besides, this could lead to some pretty interesting stuff, so I’m satisfied with this anyway.”

The words sent a cold dread down Kaede’s spine. If he’d bickered with her like he did about the doors, or tried to sidestep the issue as he normally did, that somehow would have been less concerning than the bear’s sudden and ominous nonchalance. The fact that he was allowing and even passively encouraging it made it feel distinctly unsettling… but, there wasn’t much that could be done about that suspicion. It was still the best idea they had, even if it was playing into that monster’s hands somehow. Chiaki must have felt similarly, as she silently stared at the now silent Monokuma for a few moments before speaking. “... Then I guess we can go ahead. If everyone’s okay with it, that is.”

“... It is unfortunate, but if it is needed to solve this case, I will do as you say.” Peko reluctantly agreed.

A gobsmacked look froze on Leon’s face for a good few seconds. ‘Wait, you.... Really?” He asked in genuine surprise, the gears all but visually spinning in his head. Somewhat anxiously, he rubbed at the back of his head with a small shrug to Chiaki. “... Okay, yeah. I guess it’s alright. We all just have to say who’s tape we got, right? That should be pretty easy-”

A dreadful whimpering howled out from the other side of the courtroom, interrupting the baseball player and bringing everyone’s attention to Mikan as she lightly shook and cried at her stand. “Oooooh… I-I’m so sorry!” She squealed out pitifully. The nurse rubbed at her eyes fruitlessly as she sobbed out. “Y-you have such a good idea, b-but I didn’t watch the video I had, so we won’t have an answer for sure! I could have a tape that proves someone innocent, a-and we wouldn’t know… I’m sorry! I-it’s all my fault!”

“Wh- seriously?!” Leon shouted out in disbelief as he scowled menacingly at Tsumiki. “Why not?! Doesn’t knowing what these guys did seem important?”

Kaede glared at him. “Hey, don’t shout at her! It’s not her fault! Not everyone was planning on watching theirs, you know!” She berated harshly. After a moment, some of her confidence subsided as an unfortunate realization struck her. “... Including me. It kind of slipped my mind until now, but I never saw whose tape I had.”

Leon let out a groan. “You too?! What kind of a dumbass-?!”

“I didn’t watch mine either,” Sakura rumbled out unflinchingly, catching the man by surprise. “I did not believe it was my place to learn of someone else’s mistakes without fully knowing my own, though it seems that decision has had unintended consequences. Does that answer your question, Leon?” She questioned with a hint of warning, her eyes sending a wordless warning to Kuwata.

He flinched, taking a half-step away from Ogami before his eyes wandered back to Kaede’s steely glare and then to the quietly sobbing nurse. “I- h-hey, don’t cry like that! I was just-”

“Is ungentlemanly to make girls cry, Leon! Say sorry!” Gonta denounced, earning a growl from the increasingly aggravated athlete.

“But I didn’t even-”

“Enough! This inane bickering would vex even the most easily entertained beings of chaos!” Tanaka boomed.

As bad as Kaede felt for the nurse and annoyed as she was at Leon for his big mouth (possibly only just resisting the urge to reach over and smack the back of his head. Really? She was the dumbass between them?!), a part of her was grateful that Gundham of all people decided to intervene as she took the opportunity to get them back on track. “Gundham’s right, guys! We have to focus on what matters here. If we can’t do the plan we wanted, then maybe there’s something we can improvise. We only need to know who had Tsumugi, Kirumi, and Celeste’s tapes. So, if you know for sure that you have any one of those tapes, say something.”

Moments passed by with nary a whisper, the gathered Ultimates merely glancing at each other curiously as they waited for someone to come forward. Yet, as was increasingly obvious, no one would. “... Come on! Someone’s gotta have it, right?” Mondo called out in annoyance.

“If they do, then they are either unaware, or are intentionally keeping it from us. In either case, there is nothing we can do.” Celeste hummed with a small frown.

Owada grit his teeth. “So what, it’s a bust? Then what do we do now?”

Kaede sighed, crossing her arms. “If we can’t do this the easy way, then we’re just going to have to either push through one of these dead ends or find some other way to prove it. We should think about everything we don’t know about this case and go from there.”

Korekiyo idly examined a medal as he mused aloud. “The murder weapon is the obvious answer, though there is little to work with there. The same goes for the culprit’s odd choice to leave so much evidence behind.”

Gonta knitted his brow with a deeply uncertain expression. “Actually, Gonta been wondering about that. Gonta think it maybe have to do with something else about case. Gonta kind of ask this before, but… if culprit wanted to move body and work very hard doing that, then why kill Hifumi in Sakura’s lab at all? It make more sense to kill someone in place you want body, doesn’t it?”

Kaito stroked his goatee thoughtfully. “Yeah, now that you mention it, that is pretty weird. What’s really screwing them over right now is the stuff they left behind from moving the body, so why not skip all that and do it in Kaede’s lab?”

“M-maybe we should talk about that and see if we can find anything out?” Mikan shyly suggested.

Kaede gave an agreeing nod. “I think that’s a good idea, Mikan,” She praised, allowing a tiny smile at how pleased the nurse looked at that. It faded as quickly as it appeared as she shifted back into the role of the leader. “Alright, everyone! Share whatever ideas you have! The more we can figure out about this case, the better!”

Nonstop Debate: START!

“If the killer wanted to put his body in Kaede’s lab,” Kaito began, planting a hand on his hip. “Then why not wait for Kaede to leave and then kill him there? Killing him early in Sakura’s lab just made them leave more clues behind.”

Peko shook her head. “The killer wouldn’t have had any reason to frame Kaede until after hearing her confrontation with Mondo, and Hifumi was already dead at that point.”

Chiaki nodded with an unclear expression. “That’s true… there must have been some other reason for doing it there.”

“Could they have summoned Mister Yamada to the room originally intending to frame Miss Ogami or Miss Pekoyama , and then changed targets assuming Kaede and Mister Owada would be easier to incriminate?” Kirumi pondered.

Tanaka let out a humph. “Perhaps the culprit was not the fiend to choose that room…”

“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?” Mondo asked curiously.

“It is clear the immense one held a bloodlust for the killer , and sought to inflict his vengeance upon them as soon as possible,” Gundham reminded before striking an accusatory pose. “Hifumi could have lured the culprit into the lab, only to underestimate their power and meet his end at their hands!”

“If Hifumi were the instigator, whoever killed him likely wouldn’t have had much time to think out their actions,” Peko reasoned as her lips thinned. “So then, you are arguing the trail of evidence exists because the murder wasn’t planned?”

Chiaki considered the idea for a moment. “That would explain why the killer was so sloppy…”

The Ultimate Entomologist curled a finger as he spoke in a slightly hopeful tone. “So culprit not mean to hurt Hifumi?”

Leon scowled, muttering something under his breath.

“If that was the case, how exactly did Hifumi get the killer to go there, and what was his plan?” Celeste questioned with her ever-perfect poker face hiding whatever thoughts she had.

“Th-they could have been told to go there, o-or else Hifumi would show everyone their tape. If it was really that bad, they wouldn’t have really had a choice, would they…?” Mikan said almost lamentfully.

The Overlord of Ice smirked. “A choice between battle and damnation is hardly a difficult one for those proud enough to take such a path to begin with,” The goth dismissed before taking on a much more commanding tone. “Listen well, for I shall now explain the victim’s plan! Upon completing the ritual to ensure his mark’s arrival, he watched from the shadows until they arrived. Once there, he trapped his prey between himself, the wall, and the locked door. It is then that the killer struck like a cornered serpent of the damned, ending him in an instant!”

A low hum sounded from Kaede’s left as Teruteru rubbed at his chin. “That almost sounds like a bit of fun, freaky foreplay … w-well, until the murder part, anyway…”

CONSENT!

“Yeah, that’s right!” Kaede suddenly declared, beaming as the pieces clicked into place.

Teruteru looked almost scandalized, staring at her with mile-wide eyes. “H-huh?! I was playing around!” He quickly clarified, but after a brief pause, a smirk started playing at the corner of his lips. “Unless you’re saying-”

“Wh- ew ! God, no!” Kaede retched, glaring at the chuckling chef even as he apologetically raised his hands in surrender. “I was talking about Gundham’s theory! There’s something that proves it!” She hissed as she threw a hand out towards the Ultimate Breeder.

Gundham blinked in clear surprise before letting out a boisterous laugh. “HA! Of course there is, sinner! I, Gundham Tanaka, arbiter and conqueror of worlds, only craft arguments as impervious to attack as myself! To imply anything less would be a lethal mistake!”

Kaede stared blankly at him for a few seconds, an involuntary half smile forming despite herself. “... Do you even know what proof I’m talking about?”

“Of course! Such a foolish question! You are referring to…” He started only to fall uncharacteristically silent, looking just about anywhere but her eyes. A beat passed. Wordlessly, he pulled his scarf up over his nose, a hint of red peeking out from the top.

Stifling a sigh, Kaede elaborated. “The pool of blood we found was way in the back of the lab in the archery range. The only explanation for that was if either Hifumi or the killer were being cornered when he died, and there was still a bit of space between where he was stabbed and the wall. I don’t think the culprit would have let Hifumi catch them by surprise if they were the one that told Hifumi to meet them there,” She explained as she held up a finger. “Considering all that, the only thing that makes sense is if Hifumi was trying to corner his killer when he died!”

A clamber of noise erupted at the declaration, the uproarious reactions of her peers already seeming like a staple of the court. It wasn’t as long or notable as most of their other outbursts, though whether it was because this particular revelation wasn’t as shocking or they were simply growing fatigued as the trial dragged on was unclear. Either way, her words clearly had an effect on them, as Kirumi bowed her head with a quiet sigh. “I see… so Mister Yamada died attempting to apprehend whoever it was he considered such a threat to us all…” She concluded somberly, a much quieter and more melancholy murmur of agreement following her words.

“Or, perhaps, retire them with a more permanent solution…” Korekiyo morbidly suggested, earning harsh looks from a handful of his peers.

“Assuming such things about the dead is… ugly, Korekiyo. Unless it becomes relevant to the case, please keep such thoughts to yourself.” Sakura scolded.

Shinguji lowered his cap. “Ah, my apologies. I sometimes forget such observations are not always welcome. Her phrasing merely reminded me of something else… but I will respect your wish.”

Kaede thinned her lips, looking away in shame. She didn’t know for certain if he was talking about her specifically, but the connection wasn’t a hard one to draw. Akamatsu didn’t say anything in response, even as she silently prayed the anthropologist was wrong. The idea of anyone else repeating her mistake made her sick to her stomach.

Regardless of her discomfort, however, the trial waited for no one. Leon crossed his arms, his brow furrowed and lips pulled into a suspecting frown. “Okay, so Hifumi set things up to meet with someone, but whatever he was planning went south and he died. That all makes sense, but if it did happen like that, then just what the hell was it on that tape that someone would be willing to kill the guy over?”

“Is that not the riddle we have sought to solve from this trial’s inception?” Gundham pointed out with a flat look, earning a glare from the redhead.

“Actually, I believe Mister Kuwata’s question is worth examining,” Kirumi defended, cupping her chin in thought. “If the killer was protecting some sort of secret, then we may be able to use that fact to identify them. While it’s unlikely we know the exact thing they were hiding, perhaps we could compile enough context from our respective games to identify what may have been in his motive video.”

Akamatsu stiffened slightly. “Some sort of secret…?” She whispered to herself as a grave thought crossed her mind. “A secret worth killing over… like being the mastermind …?”

Shuichi said he was wrong. He’d sworn that he’d made a mistake, that all of her sins were his fault for leading her in the wrong direction. After all, why wouldn’t they have intervened if their game was going to end early with Shuichi’s false conviction? Rantaro died because she was chasing a ghost… but did he really mean that? Were his deductions truly incorrect, or did he just say that as one last ditch effort to absolve her of her crime? There would be no reason for the door behind the bookcase if no one was using it. Come to think of it, if her death wasn’t enough to end the game, someone’s must have… someone like the one behind it all. If they were twisted enough to start a game like that in the first place, they’d probably be willing to kill, right? And if the mastermind actually did exist and was with them now, then they’d be willing to do just about anything to hide their existence after nearly getting caught the first time, wouldn’t they...?

Kaede clenched her fists tight enough to hurt. “Stop it. The mastermind doesn’t exist. You’ve killed enough people already with stupid thoughts like that, so just shut up . Shuichi said he was wrong, and he’d know better than anyone. It has to be something else.”

“Something the killer was hiding…? Well, that’s probably a good thing, right? I’m way too plain to have anything to hide!” Tsumugi declared with absolute conviction.

Leon rolled her eyes at her with a scoff. “Saying stuff like that makes it sound like you totally have something to hide!”

Before the two could start bickering, however, a low voice intervened. “Something the killer was hiding… I might have an idea what that was,” Sakura announced, her silver irises narrowed in suspicion. “Though I remember little of my killing game after Mondo’s demise, one thing that sticks out to me is that Hifumi had grown rather attached to Alter Ego in the days before his murder. Mondo, you said he killed Kiyotaka for reasons involving the computer he was stored on, yes?”

The Ultimate Biker grit his teeth, but nodded. “Yeah. ‘Parently the piece ‘a sh*t thought Taka stole the thing from ‘em for some reason and f*ckin’ murdered him for it…” He growled out, sending a hateful glare in the direction of Yamada’s portrait. With a huff, he warily glanced back at Sakura. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

“Hifumi did not have very many people he cared about in our game. In truth, perhaps aside from Makoto, Alter Ego may have been the only friend he had. Clearly, the idea of anything happening to it was enough enrage him to the point of murder…” Ogami noted as her jaw tensed. “That, however, has its own question: why would someone as dedicated to order and virtue as Taka decide to steal something so precious to Hifumi?”

“He wouldn’t!” Owada angrily denied, fire raging dangerously in his eyes. “There’s no f*ckin’ way he’d ever pull some sh*t like that!”

Sakura showed no reaction to his burst of rage aside from bowing her head. “Indeed. It does sound out of character for him, enough so that I cannot think of why Hifumi would believe something like that…” She said, her tone turning grave and knowing as she turned directly to Celeste. “Unless someone else he trusted told him that.”

A pin drop would sound thunderous in the deathly silence that followed those words. Whether out of shock or anxiousness, no one dared say a word, breathlessly watching the soundless standoff between the two Ultimates. Even Kaede found herself speechless as the implications of Sakura’s statement began to fully sink in. She desperately hoped that what she was picturing was completely wrong and just the result of her own despicable paranoia rather than the horrific truth the statement suggested. The idea that anyone could be so cruel as to-

“... You… evil… mother f*ckER!” Owada roared in unbridled fury, his features twisted into a monstrous snarl as he howled at the gambler. Kaede stepped back without even thinking about it, the sight of the enraged man sending a jolt of terror down her spine. There was no doubt he’d come to the same conclusion she had as his body visibly trembled with anger, the deathly white skin of his knuckles as he clenched them against the podium quite possibly being the only thing keeping him from charging towards Ludenberg and strangling her right then and there. He looked nearly as frenzied as he had the night prior as pure unfettered hatred radiated off of him like heat rising from scalding metal. “You set Taka up to f*ckin’ DIE?! I’M GONNA-”

Peko’s hand shot to the sheath of her blade. “Calm down. Now.”

The others weren’t far behind her, Sakura and Kirumi both shifting to be able to quickly leave their podiums and intercept the man if need be. Gonta tensed and released his mighty fists in preparation, a reluctant if ultimately determined and warning glare hardening his often playful features. Kaito and Gundham hadn’t reacted quite as dramatically, but both men were visibly alert, Tanaka sending an almost challenging glower at Mondo while the Ultimate Astronaut’s gaze carried an imploring firmness not unlike a scolding father.

Mondo spun to bark something at Pekoyama, but just as he opened his mouth to argue, he caught sight of the frightened blonde. The two could do nothing but stare at each other for a long moment, both frozen in place by a sickening sense of deja vu. At last, Kaede finally found the strength to shake her head, gazing pleadingly at him. “Don’t, Mondo. Please . She’s not worth it.”

Mondo didn’t say a word. The moments dragged by in silence, the tension palpable in the air until a low, thundering grow rumbled out from Owada. “... GrrrrrRRR RAH! ” He howled out, swirling back to his own podium before slamming a fist into it again and again. His scream continued, growing more and more raw with each punch he threw. After the sixth one, he finally stopped beating the stand, leaning against it slightly to support himself as he took deep, shuddering breaths. She could see the blood slowly trickling down his hand to the floor from his split knuckles, but he gave no indication of feeling the pain even as he finally calmed himself enough to speak. “... You better hope you’re the killer,” He spat out, raising his head just enough to give Celeste a deathly look. “‘Cause chick or not, if you ever get near me again, I’ll make you f*cking wish Monokuma executed you first. You hear me?!”

“Quite,” Celeste replied dully. Despite the rather credible death threat, she somehow looked like the very definition of calm. If anything, she looked almost bored, her voice completely monotone and face blank with her hands politely folded in front of her. The absolute apathy she showed the biker was unbelievable… because it was. Despite how perfectly composed she was, that only made the tiny, almost invisible bead of sweat slipping past her makeup and her subtle step backwards seem all the more apparent to Kaede. She wasn’t sure if anyone else could notice, or particularly cared to with everything else happening, but she could tell the legendary Ultimate Gambler was genuinely afraid . Those tells, as minor as they were, only lasted for a second at most before Celeste must have realized her small display of weakness and quickly re-upped her facade, burying all traces of anything other than absolute unspoken confidence. Almost as if pretending Mondo weren’t there, she shifted her gaze to Sakura and began speaking. “As for your accusation, Sakura, I will not insult either of our intellects by pretending not to know what you mean. You are arguing I stole Alter Ego and blamed Kiyotaka in order to orchestrate Hifumi into murder, and he learned of that from his motive video, yes?”

Still keeping herself prepared for action, Ogami glanced towards Ludenberg. “Yes. With what I remember of our game and what we know of this case, that seems like the most likely answer.”

Celeste hummed. “I see. I cannot deny that it would certainly be a sound reason for Hifumi to pursue me were that the case. However, this is largely conjecture. You admitted that you do not recall much of our killing game, and as Kaede has so adamantly pointed out so far, simply because something seems plausible does not mean it is the case.”

Peko narrowed her eyes doubtfully. “It’s difficult to imagine any more compelling reason for revenge than being tricked into committing murder and being executed for it.”

Korekiyo tisked. “Though you certainly have a point, Peko, there are other possibilities for the motive. Let us not become too presumptuous yet again.”

“You speak as if you already know what these possibilities are, Observer. Do not waste our time with pointless delays.” Gundham commanded, eyeing the anthropologist scrutinizingly.

Shinguji turned to the Ultimate Maid, holding out a hand demonstratively. “While I apologize for dredging up the past, it would be foolhardy of us to discuss Celeste’s possible trickery while ignoring your ability to manipulate others, Kirumi. Throughout your trial, you played to our hopes and regrets, including our promise to Kaede, for the sake of throwing us off your trail. Even in the end, you nearly incited us into open rebellion against Monokuma for the sake of covering your own escape. That sort of manipulation could very well have been what Hifumi spoke of in his final words.”

The words were like a slap to Kaede. The idea that Kirumi had tried twisting her dying wish into a shield, and tried sacrificing their friends even after losing the trial… if Tojo hadn’t made it clear just how much she loathed what she’d done, the heartache might have become too much for the leader to bear. It must have shown on her face as Kirumi visibly flinched, her emerald eye widening in shock and regret before she slowly closed it with a silent sigh. “I cannot deny the reality of my actions, Mister Shinguji, but I assure you, no one could harbor greater resentment for my crimes than myself. If he wished to expose what I did, I would have no right or reason to intervene. The fact that I am admitting what I did proves my statement.”

“It is unlikely Hifumi would have known that at the time if he was indeed confronting you,” Kiyo rebuked. Instead of continuing the pressure, however, he unexpectedly changed target. “But, there is logic in what you say. Ultimately, there’s little that proves that possibility one way or the other. I merely felt it important to keep us informed of all relevant details.”

“Don’t bring crap like that up and then just drop it when someone calls you out, you coward,” Kaito spat with a dark glare, whatever strained camaraderie they may have had during the previous game clearly long since shattered. Letting out a huff, he shook his head. “Whatever. Are you done, or do you have something else to say?”

Kiyo shook his head. “I have largely said my piece, though I’m sure you’ve also noticed the potential similarities to Tsumugi’s case.”

Kaede’s head perked up in intrigue. That was the second time now someone brought up vague details about Shirogane’s killing during the trial, and she was just as lost on it now as she was the first time. Part of her didn’t want to know; it was difficult enough trying to wrap her head around the fact that Gonta had killed Miu or that both Tenko and Angie fell to Korekiyo. At the same time, however, if it was important to the case… “Similarities? What exactly do you mean by-”

“This is nothing like last time!” Tsumugi cried out, shoving a finger towards Korekiyo. To the ex-pianist’s shock, she could see tears beginning to well in the cosplayer’s incensed eyes.

“A close friend of yours is killed after attacking you for unknown reasons, with their body left in another’s talent lab to try and frame its owner…” Shinguji listed off calmly, unmoved by the bluenette’s decree. “You cannot deny that it certainly rhymes with your killing last time, at the very least.”

Kaede’s brow furrowed. It was... difficult to picture the circ*mstances of how Tsumugi of all people would have done that and to whom, yet Shirogane’s refusal and Korekiyo’s unflinching confidence made it clear it must have happened. The details were rather vague, but the general outline matched up… a little too much, in fact, as Tsumugi pointed out. “But I didn’t do it! Why would I make the same mistake twice?! It plainly doesn’t make sense! Why are you doing this, Kiyo?! Did I do something to you?!”

Korekiyo shook his head. “No, of course not. As I said before, this is merely to cover all possible bases, Tsumugi. Unless it turns out you are indeed the killer, you have nothing to fear from these remarks.”

Kaede decided to intervene before he and the flustered cosplayer could argue any further. “That’s enough, Kiyo. You’ve made your point. All three of them have a potential motive. So, let’s stop fighting about it and focus on ruling out who we can, alright?” She phrased it as a question, though her tone made it clear it was an instruction.

The anthropologist narrowed his eyes a touch, but lowered his cap concedingly. “As you wish. If anyone has a suggestion of how to go about that, I’m sure we’d all be quite eager to hear.”

A brief quiet succeeded, each person seemingly waiting for the next to be the one to step forward. Shockingly, it was ultimately Mikan that stepped forward, the Ultimate Nurse shyly raising a slightly shaking hand. “Um… I’m s-still a little confused about the tablecloth. If it’s alright with everyone else, then I think we should talk about it…” She quietly suggested.

“This again?” Celeste sighed, thinning her lips in slight annoyance. “Very well. I will explain why we dismissed this line of thought in the first place. Listen closely. I do not like having to repeat myself…” Ludenberg instructed haughtily, earning a glower from Kaede.

“Even after all this, she’s still convinced it’s a waste of time… or wants us to think it is. We’ve been able to get past dead ends before. We just have to do it again...”

Nonstop Debate: START!

Celeste addressed the court with a bland expression. “As we established before, none of you found any evidence of where the tablecloth could have come from. Am I correct?”

Teruteru winced, fiddling with his comb. “W-well, not exactly…”

“The cafe , dining hall , and ballroom all seemed to have all their tablecloths,” Chiaki conceded a touch hesitantly. “Is it possible the killer got it from somewhere else , like the Monomono Machine?”

“Somewhere else…?” Kirumi muttered under her breath, unheard amongst the chorus to all but Kaede.

Ludenberg flicked at her hair. “Unlikely. The killer relying on pure luck to get the necessary supplies for their crime is beyond doubtful,” The gambler dismissed disinterestedly. “If there are no other places they could have gotten it, then we-”

“Wait,” Kirumi suddenly spoke up. “I apologize for interrupting, but a possibility occurred to me. Kaede, what shape and color was the tablecloth?”

Akamatsu quirked an eyebrow slightly but thought back to what she found. “It was pretty stained, but it looked like it was plain white. And… sorry, I didn’t pay attention to the shape… but it seemed pretty long, if that helps.”

Despite her vague answer, Tojo seemed to gleam what she was looking for as her eyes lit up with realization. “I see… in that case, I suspect I know where the killer obtained that tablecloth. Kaede’s description perfectly matches something I’ve seen in my lab.”

Leon crossed his arms, giving her a dubious look. “Er, I get you’re probably not the killer, but you know you’re supposed to be finding evidence that doesn’t make you look guilty, right ?”

The maid gave him a flat look. “Were I the only one with access to my lab, that would certainly be a foolish thing to admit. However, as we’ve established, my lab has been unlocked since our first day here.” Kirumi firmly reminded as she lifted a finger.

“It’s true. Didn’t have any problems gettin’ in there last night…” Mondo admitted, glancing away and rubbing his neck awkwardly.

Peko fixed her with a questioning look. “Why didn’t you mention this earlier?”

The Ultimate Maid bowed her head slightly. “As much as it shames me to say, I am not very familiar with my lab. In truth, I’ve nearly neglected it,” She confessed, her seeming lapse in duty no doubt bugging the ever-dedicated servant. “I did not take proper stock of its contents and forgot until Chiaki mentioned the possibility. While I had a strange feeling every time the tablecloth came up, I could not identify why. However, considering the lack of other possible solutions, we can assume that is where the culprit obtained the tablecloth.”

Chiaki looked to be mulling over the information as she distractedly asked, “... Do you know for sure if anyone else has been to your lab?”

“Aside from myself and Kaede, no,” Tojo admitted with a small frown. “However, I know for certain that both Miss Shirogane and Miss Ludenberg have ties to this room as well.”

Tsumugi’s greyish blue eyes went wide with panic. “Wha…? Me? But I plainly don’t know what you’re talking about…!” The cosplayer denied frightfully.

Gundham rolled his eyes. “Is that deception actually meant to fool us, or has fear clouded your mind that easily? Both you and the Ebon Witch accompanied me when we first woke upon this vessel inside Kirumi’s lab. In fact, you were the first among us to step forth from our iron prisons.”

“That is your defense, Kirumi? I must say, I’m underwhelmed. Waking up in your lab hardly means we had the time to fully explore it. It is hardly proof that we are more suspicious than you, at any rate,” Celeste dismissed with a light scoff. “Especially considering that, while I cannot speak for Tsumugi, I have not had any reason to return to your lab since then.”

“And neither did I!” Tsumugi gracelessly called out half a second later only to be promptly ignored.

BREAK!

Kaede’s head shot up in an instant. “Hang on a second… why doesn’t that sound right…? Wait!” She abruptly realized as a certain prior conversation rushed back to her. The ex-pianist felt her lips curl in distaste, eyes narrowing judgmentally. Whatever Celeste’s reasoning was this time, Kaede was sick of her lies. “... Celeste, we both know that isn’t true. I know for a fact that you had to go back to Kirumi’s lab at least once since we got our memories back!”

The gambler shot her an unimpressed look, scoffing. “Oh, do we? Because I’m quite certain that you’re mistaken. Can you explain why exactly I would have gone back? If you’re going to accuse me of lying, you’d better at least have some logic to back yourself up.”

“Actually, I do,” She replied with absolute conviction. For a split second, she thought she saw a hint of surprise on Celeste’s face, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared. That wouldn’t deter her from revealing the truth. “You definitely went there, because you stole almost every piece of furniture inside of it to put in your room! I saw it myself!”

Celeste blinked… and then, to Kaede’s surprise, giggled. “Ahah, ah, pardon me, but you make me laugh. If I’m understanding you correctly, you say I not only stole furniture out of Kirumi’s lab, but then somehow brought it downstairs, and you just happened to be the one to see this? Surely you can understand how ridiculous that sounds.”

“Yeah, it does sound pretty silly when you put it that way… because you’re leaving out that you had an accomplice. Didn’t she, Gonta?” Kaede shot back with a small, knowing smile of her own.

The Ultimate Entomologist cringed guiltily, hanging his head in shame. “Gonta still very sorry about that. Gonta thought he being helpful. Not realize he steal from Kirumi when Celeste ask- oh! Wait! That right!” He suddenly gasped as he caught onto what the blonde was implying. “Celeste ask Gonta to come with her to lab and move furniture down to room for her!”

“Is that so… then it seems you did have a reason to go back…” Peko noted, a subtle suspicion giving a sharpness to her tone as she glared at Ludenberg.

An almost pained noise escaped Celeste, a short and startled sound that was curtly cut off before it could betray her any more than it already had. “Eh… yes, I suppose I did go there once. But, it was not particularly memorable or long, so it slipped my mind,” She defended slightly awkwardly, the boldness of that lie apparent even to the girl telling it. Something shimmered in her eyes as she calmly folded her hands, confidence returning to her voice and body language. “Besides, as he said, Gonta was with me at the time. He would be aware if I were doing anything untoward. Did you see me doing anything suspicious, Gonta?” Celeste asked almost innocently. If Kaede didn’t know any better, she might just have believed Celeste meant it.

Gonta gently crossed his arms, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Gonta not think so… Celeste just tell Gonta which chairs and tables she want. Gonta not remember her looking in strange places or anything like that.”

Celeste smiled brightly at the broad-shouldered man. “Thank you for telling the truth, Gonta,” She said sweetly as she steepled fingers and rested her chin on them. “So you see, while I was admittedly mistaken about going back to Kirumi’s lab, it wasn’t for some nefarious reason as she implies. I merely wished to change the accommodations in my room; nothing more.”

“But that still means you were in my lab on at least two occasions, and quite possibly more that you aren’t sharing with us.” Tojo accused outright, earning a dark glare from the gambler.

“Even so, that is not evidence. Those are the only times I’ve been to your lab, and as Gonta said already, he was watching me like a hawk while we were there. That’s hardly enough of an opportunity to study the room for anything useful, let alone for something as trivial as tablecloths,” Ludenberg scoffed back bitterly. “Honestly, Kirumi, this pedantic nonsense is not helping you.”

Tsumugi held up a finger with a slight grimace. “Even if you didn’t go back before the murder, couldn’t you have just guessed there’d be some there? It plainly makes sense that the Ultimate Maid’s lab would have stuff like that, right?”

“Well, if it was so plain to deduce that, surely the killer could have guessed that regardless of how much time they spent in that room!” Came the goth’s biting response. Tsumugi’s eyes went wide, the girl curling into herself fearfully like a turtle faced with a lion.

Despite not even being the targets of her wrath, Mikan and Teruteru also shrunk back, the latter grimacing deeply. “Sh-she looks fit to be tied, and not in the fun way, either!”

Whether she heard that particular comment or not, Celeste did seem to realize how much of a scene she was making, the supposed aristocrat pausing and collecting herself with a polite cough. “Ahem. I apologize for that crass behavior. I am simply growing frustrated with these paper thin accusations leading us in circles. Even if we do assume that the killer took the tablecloth from Kirumi’s lab, it does little to actually suggest which one of us is the culprit.”

Leon scratched at his head, looking conflicted. “I guess that’s true. Tsumugi was right; it’s not all that hard to guess something like that when you think about it. We’re still at square one.”

“Are you f*ckin’ kidding me?” Mondo snarled out. “All this talk and solving sh*t, and we still haven’t ruled anyone else out? Come on! This is a bunch of bullsh*t!”

“Agreed. Solving the exact details of the case means little if we’re stuck on the most important aspect after everything.” Peko announced sternly.

Chiaki frowned, folding her arms. “We’ve solved almost everything about the case. At this point, the only thing we don’t know is the murder weapon… but, we might not even have to figure out what that is.”

“Huh? What do you mean we don’t need it?” Kaito questioned with a puzzled expression. “Isn’t that one of the most important things to figure out?”

Nanami shook her head. “Not necessarily. In our game, we didn’t always figure out exactly what killed the person. Just putting the other clues together was enough to solve the murder.”

“Hmm… Chiaki speaks truthfully. We never did find what slew Hiyoko, yet we discovered her killer all the same.” Gundham agreed. A choked sob hiccuped from Mikan as she burst into a fit of tears, but there was no opportunity to offer any comfort as the trial marched on.

“So then… if we cannot solve what the murder weapon was, and everything else has been resolved, how do you suggest we decide on a culprit?” Sakura asked the Ultimate Gamer skeptically.

Chiaki folded her hands. “We know for sure that the culprit had to have been in your lab with Hifumi’s body by the time Kaede and Mondo fought. That means someone’s alibi can’t be true. So… we should listen to their stories one last time and see if we can prove them one way or the other.”

Celeste looked at her flatly. “You were the one to suggest that discussing alibis was pointless, were you not?” She pointed out in a bored monotone. “I fail to see how-”

“I’ll do it!” Tsumugi abruptly shouted out, the cosplayer looking almost frantic despite the hopeful glint in her eye. “If it means I can finally prove I’m not the culprit, I’ll go over it all you want!”

Kirumi nodded with a determined expression. “I am willing to testify as well. I will do everything in my power to prove myself to you all.”

Celeste let out sigh, shaking her head slightly in annoyance. “It seems we are going down this road regardless. Very well. Allow me to convince you…”

“I’m plainly not the culprit!”

“I am not the culprit.”

“... That I cannot be the culprit.”

Kaede thinned her lips, bracing herself. “Geez, they’re all talking over each other… but I can’t lose focus! This could be what we need to prove who did it. Just stay calm and keep an ear out for anything that sounds wrong, like last time. We’re too close to the end to let up now!”

MASS PANIC DEBATE

“As stated previously, following dinner service, Mister Hanamura and I were together until nine PM .” Kirumi began, motioning to the chef.

Tsumugi held up a finger, an uneasy look on her face as she spoke. “Last night, I was in the dining hall for a little bit, but I felt pretty nervous, so I went to bed early. I never even went to the second floor!” Tsumugi desperately exclaimed.

Celeste flicked at her hair, her tone brisk and monotonous. “As I have said several times before, I left the dining room at about eight-twenty PM . After being disappointed by the gift shop, I returned to the dining hall, met with Kirumi, and went to bed.”

Teruteru nodded confirmingly. “It’s the truth; I went off to have a very pleasant dream around then.”

“Is there anyone who can confirm that?” Peko asked bluntly.

“We know that much for certain, but what proves you did not leave your room later?” Sakura questioned with a hint of suspicion.

“Th-then you and Celeste saw each other about, um, fifteen minutes later , r-right?” Mikan added somewhat uncertainly.

“Kirumi said she saw Tsumugi leave earlier, didn’t she?” Kaito reminded, putting a hand on his hip. “But what were you doing all night anyway?”

Ludenberg folded her hands calmly. “Simple. Tsumugi and Teruteru both testified that they checked their maps at different times, and I was in my room at both points. Therefore, I am innocent.”

“Correct. I retired to my cabin at approximately ten PM , and fell asleep half an hour later.” Tojo explained.

“Reading manga in my room,” Shirogane replied a touch too fast. “I thought reading something lighthearted might make me feel better…”

“You expect us to believe that bullsh*t?!” Mondo growled threateningly, earning nothing more than an annoyed glance from the girl in response.

Leon crossed his arms with a quirked eyebrow. “Wait, at ten? What were you doing between seeing Celeste and then?”

Gonta smiled brightly. “That true, reading books with pictures make Gonta very happy, so it probably make Tsumugi happy too. Oh! Gonta can recommend book for you!”

Korekiyo narrowed his eyes, holding up a finger warningly. “I must agree. It is entirely possible you simply left your monopod in your room while you went about the murder.”

The Ultimate Maid bowed her head. “I suppose most people would call it busy work; sweeping, dusting, and so on,” She let out a small sigh. “While I’m aware that is an unsatisfactory answer, I’m being truthful when I say I simply wanted to thoroughly clean the area. I find it difficult to work in an environment if I have not personally cleaned it first.”

Shirogane gained an awkward smile. “Um, maybe after the trial, Gonta,” She placated before shaking her head. “A-anyways, I was reading for hours until I heard that loud bang outside like I said. That’s when I checked my monopad and saw Mondo outside and Kaede upstairs. I… was a little scared, honestly, so I just went to bed.”

“That is ridiculous. Why would I leave myself open to an ambush like that?” The gambler refused.

“First times are always deep and hands-on …” Teruteru murmured to himself with a smirk.

Pekoyama thinned her lips. “Do you know if anyone else heard that noise?”

Shinguji didn’t relent, however. “You could have realized how the tracking worked ahead of time, and subsequently decided the benefits outweighed the risks.”

Kirumi clasped her hands with a look of determination. “I am also aware that my alibi doesn’t absolve me of suspicion. Given that I place such importance on cleanliness in daily life, however, there is no reason that I would have allowed such a mess were I the culprit. Therefore, I logically cannot be the killer!”

Tsumugi winced. “Uh… I don’t think so… but there’s probably someone else that heard it!”

Celeste out a hum. “That would be a large gamble even for me. Without proof, your suggestion is a meaningless ‘what if’.”

Gundham crossed his arms, a slight scowl on his face. “Such logic only works if we ignore the possibility that decision was a ruse to mask your actions . It could well still be you.”

The Ultimate Swordswoman crossed her arms with a frown. “If we don’t have a definitive witness, then we can’t assume that’s the truth .”

“How are we supposed to prove when you figured something out?!” Kaito suddenly butted in.

“That would be a pretty big chance to take, though, wouldn’t it?” Chiaki questioned with a deeply furrowed brow, her eyes glinting with something unrecognizable.

“I swear I’m telling the truth!” Tsumugi all but begged.

“How am I to prove the inverse?” Celeste shot back with an almost blank expression. “This line of thought is impossible to prove definitively. We will get nowhere.”

CONSENT!

Kaede’s eyes shot open, inspiration bursting through her as the pieces finally clicked into place. “WAIT! I think I’ve figured something out!” She shouted as loud as she could to be heard over the uproar in the court. The various arguments fizzled out as their collective focus shifted to her. She turned towards the Ultimate Cosplayer, her eyes filled with both worry and hope as they met Kaede’s own confident gaze. “Tsumugi, you said it was ten after eleven when you heard that noise outside your door, right?”

The bluenette slowly nodded, as if moving too fast would make the blonde pounce on her. “Y-yeah…”

This was the moment that could decide the trial. Taking a moment to prepare herself for whatever followed, Akamatsu crossed her arms and staked her claim. “If that’s true, then there’s one person that definitely should have heard something.”

“One person…? Who are you talking about, Kaede?” Kaito asked in genuine confusion.

“I’m talking about you.”

The Ultimate Astronaut blinked uncomprehendingly. “Huh? Me?”

“Think about it. You said you were waiting in your room for me to show up for training until eleven-fifteen, and your room’s only a door or two away from Tsumugi’s. At the time Tsumugi says she heard that noise, there’s only a handful of people we know were awake: Me, Mondo, Tsumugi, the culprit, and you. If Mondo, the killer and I were on the second deck, then the only other person that was definitely awake and close enough to hear a noise like that would be you,” Kaede explained, her confidence growing in tandem with her quiet fear of a terrible truth. Kaito’s eyes lit up with comprehension, spurring on her final question. “So… did you hear anything?”

Not a soul dared disturb the silence. Momota was uncharacteristically taciturn, the man looking lost in thought as his podium noiselessly slid into the center of the court. Kaede could feel herself growing tenser with each passing moment. Another beat. Kaito’s expression warped a little, a tinge of unease slipping into his features. Tsumugi looked like she was about to faint, the girl trembling in place with her skin becoming almost paler than Celeste’s makeup. Yet another beat. Kaede quietly let out a tired breath. “... Okay,” She whispered, pushing down a rising tar of sorrow bubbling in her heart with every scrap of strength she could muster. “Kaito, I-”

A resounding slam thundered through the room as Kaito slammed his fists together, a mile-wide grin splitting across his face with a booming declaration. “I’ve got it! I think I know exactly what she’s talking about!”

The once-Ultimate Pianist flinched back in absolute shock, her surprise reflected on the face of every gathered student in the room. The only exception was Tsumugi herself, whose astonishment only lasted for a second before exploding into absolute relief. “Y-You do?!” She exclaimed in delight. At least five others said the same at once with varying levels of hopefulness to surprise to outright skepticism. She couldn’t be bothered identifying who did or didn’t given the fact that she was one of them, anxiously grabbing onto the fleeting hope his words offered her.

“Yeah! It took me a minute, but now that I think about it, I do remember hearing something around then. Didn’t sound as loud to me as Tsumugi’s saying, but I’m pretty sure I heard a bump or something like that!” Kaito asserted, winking and giving a thumbs up. “So that means Tsumugi’s gotta be telling the truth!”

Kaede had never seen Tsumugi so happy in her life. “See! I told you I wasn’t the culprit!”

Teruteru fiddled with the end of his pompadour uneasily. “Not that I want to rain on this parade, but if you heard something like that, why didn’t you say something a while ago, Kaito?”

Momota rubbed at the back of his head guiltily. “My bad. Like I said, it didn’t sound all that loud in my room, so I thought it was just the pipes or something and forgot about it. Honestly, it totally slipped my mind until Kaede pointed it out.”

“You just so happened to remember exonerating evidence?” Celeste reiterated doubtfully, narrowing her eyes at the purple-clad teen. “That is remarkably convenient .”

Sakura shook her head. “Perhaps, but what reason would Kaito have to lie at this point? Doing so would only protect the culprit, and he would die with us.”

“Indeed. Even putting that aside, however, there is a logical explanation for the slight discrepancy between their accounts,” Shinguji hummed thoughtfully, his yellowish eyes slowly opening as he continued. “Consider the circ*mstances. Comparing when precisely they claim to have heard this noise with Mondo’s testimony, it’s likely the noise she heard was him slamming his door upon leaving his room. While the rooms themselves are soundproof, we do know voices and the like carry through the door if sufficiently loud. It’s reasonable to think that it was a loud crashing sound to Tsumugi yet hardly noticeable to Kaito because of the distance between his cabin and Mondo’s compared to her own being directly across from it.”

“I see… so, by the time the noise reached Mister Momota’s cabin, it would have been much softer after contacting so many sound-dampening walls.” Kirumi extrapolated, earning a tip of the cap from the Ultimate Anthropologist.

Chiaki smiled warmly. “Since both Kaito and Tsumugi both heard the same noise, there’s no way she could have been in Sakura’s lab at the same time. Her alibi checks out.”

Absolute relief was clear on the cosplayer’s face, and in truth, Kaede felt the same. She’d felt so resigned to the possibility that Shirogane was the culprit, even if it was just for a moment, yet being able to soundly rule it out felt like she could breathe again. She met the bluenette’s gaze for a moment, a touch of guilt hitting her for doubting her friend to begin with, but she still mustered up the biggest smile she could manage. She’d owe the girl more apologies than she could count once it was all over, but at least Tsumugi would be there to hear them.

A disgusted scoff rang out from high above, disturbing the moment. “Blagh! Gross! Stop looking so damn happy, it’s making me sick!” Monokuma childishly chided from above, crossing his stubby arms with a glare. “Besides, I don’t know why you’re all smiles. Sure, you cleared one person, but that just means someone else definitely did it!”

The mood deflated like the bear had stuck it with a needle, the momentary celebration cut short as the dark reality of their situation came flooding back. Kaede’s supportive grin slowly faded away, the blonde glancing around the room to find a similar morbidness settling over everyone. “... Wicked as they are, Monokuma’s words ring true,” Gundham spoke up first, a rare touch of discomfort slipping into his voice. “The culprit has all but run out of fiends to hide behind. Our path forward is clear, but soon splits into two.”

“One of them must be the killer. But, how are we to determine which one?” Sakura pondered aloud.

“That is quite simple, Sakura. We simply examine the evidence and identify the weakest link among us,” Celeste replied unwaveringly, her gaze firmly set on the Ultimate Maid. “And I believe it is obvious who that is.”

Kirumi grasped her hands together in a small, tense ball, her gaze darkening. “Yes, I believe it is, Miss Ludenberg.”

Kaede watched on silently, the ex-pianist going over everything she knew about the case. How it was done, when, why, every fact they’d painstakingly collected to paint a picture of the culprit… a picture that was just about complete. Even if the exact details were slightly hazy and missing in some parts, there was no doubt in her mind that she knew who the killer was. “This is it. Once I say it, there won’t be any going back… but I can’t afford to run from the truth. I know I’m right. The only one who could have killed Hifumi is...”

“... I think you’re right. When you think about it, all the evidence points towards one person…” Kaede said, her voice soft but unflinching as she turned towards the culprit. “... It’s you, isn’t it, Celeste?”

…

……

………

“Heh… hehehe…!”

Kaito turned to the giggling girl next to him, wariness and unease clear in his gaze. “Hey, what’s so funny?! She just said you’re the culprit!”

Celeste gave a small shake of her head, daintily covering her mouth to stifle her laughter. “Hehe… pardon me, but that is precisely what is amusing me. Truly, Kaede, we are past the point of jokes. You may make your actual accusation now.”

Akamatsu narrowed her eyes warningly. “I’m not kidding.”

The Ultimate Gambler’s tittering came to an abrupt stop, the girl staring blankly at her accuser for several moments. “... Well then, you are mistaken. I am not the culprit. The only possible explanation for this case is that Kirumi is the culprit.”

“Hm? Why can Celeste not be culprit?” Gonta asked in clear confusion.

“Because the evidence simply does not support it. There is nothing that definitively proves it was me. That is merely an assumption on Kaede’s part.”

“An assumption?” Akamatsu parroted doubtfully, pointing accusingly at Celeste. “It’s the only thing that makes sense! Everything we’ve found-”

“Applies just as much to Kirumi as it does to myself.” Ludenberg interrupted.

Korekiyo hummed, closing his eyes. “Is that so? Then perhaps you could elaborate on that. You’re in a rather precarious position should you fail…”

Celeste’s features shifted into a slight scowl. “Then I simply will not fail. For the last time, let us go over what we know, and you shall see why it simply cannot be me.”

“Even now, she’s still trying to get out of this… but it won’t work. I won’t let you get away with this, Celeste. There’s bound to be something I can use to prove it was you. You’ll make a mistake, and when you do, we’ll finally be able to end this…!”

Nonstop Debate: START!

Celeste folded her tightly clenched hands together. “While you seem so certain I’m the killer, there is nothing that proves it outright.”

“Tch! Bullsh*t! Hifumi had a reason to go after you!” Mondo growled out.

“Or it could have been for Kirumi,” Ludenberg denied flatly. “Besides, there is much more that implicates her than myself.”

Kirumi all but glared at the other woman. “What exactly are you referring to?”

“You knew about Kaede’s condition, something the killer clearly exploited with the false crime scene. You also tried to keep her from investigating. Is that not suspicious?” Celeste reminded.

Peko crossed her arms. “If Kirumi were the killer, why would she leave the bloodied washcloth in her lab, or any of the other easily collected evidence? There is no reason for such an oversight.”

Celeste flicked at her hair. “Unless it was to throw us off. It is the primary reason you do not suspect her, after all.”

“B-but why even bother with something like that? W-wouldn’t it be better to hide everything?” Mikan pointed out.

The goth refused to relent. “To frame someone else if her plan with Kaede failed, most likely.”

Teruteru jabbed a finger towards her. “You could have put it there to frame her!”

“There is no evidence I ever went back to Kirumi’s lab after my visit with Gonta,” Celeste shot back. “Do you not see? None of this actually proves what Kaede says it does. She’s simply refusing to see the truth.”

Kaito clenched his fist, gritting his teeth. “There’s no way my sidekick would do something like that!”

PERJURY!

Kaede silently sucked in a breath. She knew the truth. Celeste had to be the killer. Anything else simply didn’t add up… yet, she was completely right. None of the clues or testimonies Kaede could think of actually proved that. The evidence was entirely circ*mstantial; just enough to make it clear it was a possibility, but too vague to follow through on it. She had nothing… but maybe she could make something. “Are you sure about that, Celeste?”

The gambler gave a dismissive glare. “Positive. Are you willing to face reality now, or are you going to continue with this delusion?”

Akamatsu tightened her fists by her sides to keep them from moving as she looked Celeste right in the eyes. “Don’t blink,” She reminded herself as the lie started to slither off her tongue. “I think you’re the one that can’t face the truth. When Mondo and I investigated Kirumi’s lab, I noticed there were some scratch marks on the floor by one of the tables. It looked like someone tried to move it, but didn’t know what they were doing and just dragged it. Gonta would have been strong enough to just pick it up, and no one else would have any reason to try moving furniture in her lab except you. That means you were definitely there at some point!”

“Gonta very careful not to scratch floors! Would be very impolite to hurt room!” Gokuhara quickly added, looking almost scandalized by the thought. Mondo gave her a momentary look of confusion before he seemed to catch on, turning towards the subject of her lie.

For the briefest of moments, Kaede could have sworn she saw Celeste flinch. It was gone as soon as it appeared, though there was a visible tension in Celeste’s brow despite her plastered smile. “Ah… that… that is…” She stumbled slightly, a hint of unease slipping into her voice. After a moment, her mask cracked, a furious growl escaping her. “That’s bullsh*t! The floors in Kirumi’s lab are scratch proof ! There couldn’t have been any marks on the floor!” Celeste roared out, her elegant features twisted into a monstrous snarl as she held up her armored finger like a weapon. “Which means everything you just said is a fiction! Did you really think you could lie to ME , you arrogant little bitch?!”

Tsumugi jolted backwards in surprise, staring at the gambler in a mixture of fear and intrigue. “W-woah! it’s like she has two completely different personalities! But which one is Diavolo, and which is Doppio…?”

Shirogane was hardly the only one, with most of the others at least flinching at her sudden outburst. Kaede found herself reeling back in shock, her hands thrown in front of her on instinct, but that fear vanished the second she realized Ludenberg’s dire mistake. She forced herself to stand up straight, narrowing her eyes as she confidently met Celeste’s hateful gaze. “... You’re right. I was lying,” She confessed, ignoring the looks of surprise that earned and instead focusing entirely on the culprit. “But there’s no way you should have known that.”

Celeste froze, her eyes widening as she no doubt noticed her own folly as well. “... Excusez-moi?”

Were she a crueler person, Kaede probably would have enjoyed this. “You’re confident the floors in Kirumi’s lab are scratch proof, but Gonta just said he made sure not to risk doing that, and even if Kirumi knew one way or the other, she’d have no reason to tell you. So… how did you know?”

Celeste didn’t say a word even as her podium quietly slid into the center of the circle. In her absence, Kirumi stepped up, oh-so helpfully explaining it further. “There is no visual difference between traditional flooring and scratch resistant substitutes. Even I likely would not be able to tell the difference without being directly informed. The only way Miss Ludenberg could know is if she saw it first-hand.”

“Which means she definitely tried it at least once, and that she must have gone there at least one more time than she said! That proves she could have known about the table cloths!” Kaede concluded, completing the trap and leaving Celeste with no possible escape.

A brief pause came over the court, the information sinking in more and more with each moment. The quicker-witted among them were already deducing the full meaning of it when paired up with the rest of Celeste’s actions, but the red flags her exposed attempt to lie raised were clear to see for everyone. Mondo’s eyes were hidden behind his hair, but his silent, smoldering fury was tangible even from across the room. Tsumugi was the first to speak up. “So… Celeste really did it?”

“Sh-she has been lying a lot…” Mikan murmured guiltily, unable to even look in the other girl’s direction.

“She is the most likely suspect,” Sakura agreed, her eyes closed in thought. “Her behavior is suspicious, to say the least. I’m… uncertain why, but I’m certain I have seen her like this before.”

Kirumi folded her hands with an almost lamentful expression. “Between knowing my own innocence beyond a doubt, the evidence we have discovered, and her actions both before and during this trial, I have no doubt that Celeste is the culprit.”

Chiaki gave a small nod, though she looked more somber than anything. “I think so, too. It’s what makes the most sense with all our theories.”

A few more comments were passed around, but Kaede didn’t pay attention to them. She was focused solely on the Ultimate Gambler, who still stood as a silent statue presented before them all. As the moments ticked by without so much as a sound from her, Kaede felt her patience growing strained. “Well, Celeste? Do you have anything to say for yourself?” The leader of the group challenged.

“... So what?”

Of all the reactions Kaede had expected, that wasn’t one of them. “... Huh?”

“So. What? ” Celeste spat, her ruby eyes seeing to glow menacingly in the dim lighting. “Yes, I hid some of what I knew about the murder. Yes, I lied about going to Kirumi’s lab. Yes, I even lied about my memories. But, like I have been asking this entire time, what does all of that prove, exactly?” She demanded with a slightly strained voice. She stared directly into Kaede’s soul, eyes like knives as she continued. “None of it points to me any more than it does Kirumi. It’s nothing but coincidence and conjecture. Even after all this pointless debate, nothing has changed! You have proven nothing!”

“Even now, you still lash out against reality? Your determination treads dangerously close to lunacy, Witch…” Gundham rumbled, glowering at her in clear disbelief.

Kiyo chuckled lowly to himself. “My, such desperation… what a beautiful thing to witness.”

Ludenberg scowled at them both. “That so-called lunacy is what’s keeping you alive! Do you want to die?! Because that is precisely what will happen if you keep up this ridiculous charade that I am the culprit!”

Kaede stifled a tired sigh as she shook her head. “Please, Celeste, just stop. We know it has to be you. I’m begging you, don’t make this any worse than it has to be.”

“You know…?” She repeated dully, an ominous edge just underneath. A second later, she barked out a mirthless laugh. “Oh, I see, you think you know everything about everything, do you?! Well, there's one little thing that I'd like you to make clear, if you're so desperate to paint me as the killer!” Celeste shoved a finger straight at Kaede. “What did I use for this stabbing in Sakura's lab?!”

Leon took a step back, tilting his head to the side. “Huh? Hang on a second, didn’t you say the murder weapon didn’t really matter earlier?”

“It ABSOLUTELY matters!” Celeste howled. “Think over Kaede's little fairy tale again. According to her, Hifumi threatened to reveal the contents of my tape if I didn’t meet with him last night, and I killed him when he cornered me, correct? But there’s one little problem with that, isn’t there, Mikan?!”

The nurse violently flinched, cowering under a fierce red glare. “Eeek! W-why are you asking me?!”

“Did you not say earlier that there was nothing on the ship that matched up with the stab wounds?” Ludenberg snarled out. Tsumiki whimpered pathetically with a tiny nod, unable to lift her head much without coming face to face with the furious woman. “And that would include Sakura’s lab, right?” Another nod. “And since we do not know when Hifumi supposedly initiated this little plan, and even that moron was probably smart enough not to give someone he clearly distrusted much time to prepare, we cannot reasonably say that I would absolutely have had a weapon prepared!”

Kaito put a hand on his him with a dubious look. “Couldn't you have just taken the murder weapon from the lab to your room after killing him, though? Mikan couldn’t identify something that wasn’t there, especially if it wasn’t obvious that it was missing.”

“I find that highly unlikely,” Korekiyo replied, crossing his arms. “You see, Sakura and Peko had both used that lab the night before the murder, and I had memorized everything of note about it during my first visit. And after the murder had happened, all three of us had checked the lab again either before or during investigation, not to mention the others that scoured it besides us. You and Kaede personally inspected the wall of weapons with me, in fact. And yet, not one of us noticed anything missing.”

“Indeed. Though I admittedly didn’t pay close attention this morning, I’m certain I would have noticed a weapon missing. Even if I didn’t, at least one of us should have.” Ogami confirmed.

Peko put a hand to her chin. “And yet, aside from the scratches on the bo staff, there was no sign that any of the weapons were tampered with in any way.”

Celeste grinned a sharkish smile, smugness mixing with the traces of desperation on her face. “ Exactly ! So, allow me to make it very simple for you, Kaede; if it wasn't something from the lab, and it couldn’t be something I had prepared in advance, then there’s nothing that could possibly have killed him with this theory! In other words, your entire argument is faulty at a base level!”

Kaede fearlessly met her gaze, refusing to back down. “Celeste, why are you still fighting?! Everyone can see you did it! Just stop!” She demanded, throwing her hand out towards the others for emphasis.

“I refuse,” Celeste growled, her hateful eyes boring into Kaede. “I will not give into the lies and conjecture of some pathetic little amateur ! You want to accuse me of being the killer?! Fine! But until you prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was me, I refuse to give any of your idiotic theories credence! I refuse to tolerate your lies!”

“She just won’t give up…! Even when it’s obvious, she just won’t let it end… but we’re too close to the truth to let her stop us now. If she wants me to prove the murder weapon, then… fine! I won’t let this go on any longer! There has to be something she could have used! I just have to find out what. When I do, I’ll prove it beyond a doubt, and then we can finally end this class trial!”

ARGUMENT ARMAMENT!

“You keep insisting I’m the killer…

But you have nothing to prove it!

Nothing but half-baked conjecture and lies!”

“What do you have that shows I did it?!

None of it is definitive!

None of it points to me!

None of it matters!”

“YOU HAVE PROVED NOTHING!”

“You realize lies will get you nowhere, yes?

You need actual evidence.

You know it points to Kirumi,

But you’re too much of a coward to admit it!”

“Do you think you’re the hero?

I promise you are not.

You aren’t saving anyone.”

“YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A LIAR AND A FOOL!”

“All this worthless talk,

And for what?!

For your foolish ideals?!”

“No matter how hard you hope,

No matter how hard you try,

you cannot change the truth!”

“You claim I had some weapon?!

Nonsense! It’s impossible!

Nothing dangerous was missing!”

“Can’t you see?!

I had no way to get such a thing,

And even if I somehow did…”

“THERE IS NOWHERE I COULD HIDE IT!”

INSIDE OF THE PARASOL!

***

In an instant, it clicked. The one aspect of this case that had alluded all of them from the start of the trial practically slammed into her like a truck, the clinching evidence that confirmed it could only have been one person. With that certainty coursing through her, Kaede made her final accusation. “I’m not lying, Celeste… and you just made me realize how to prove it.”

“Oh, what are you blathering about now?! More deranged fantasies about my supposed crime?!” Celeste hissed out through grit teeth.

Kaede didn’t rise to the bait, keeping a level gaze as she began to put the last nails in the gambler’s coffin. “A moment ago, you said nothing dangerous was missing, and that’s true. No matter how hard we looked, we couldn’t find a murder weapon… but maybe we couldn’t find anything because we were looking for the wrong things.”

“Looking for the wrong things…?” Tsumugi repeated questioningly, her brow furrowing in confusion.

Akamatsu nodded, holding up a finger. “This whole time, we’ve been looking for something that looks dangerous, but what if the murder weapon didn’t look like a weapon at all?”

“The murder weapon didn’t- are you joking?! What kind of stupid argument is that?!” Ludenberg sputtered, her accent slipping completely as she glared daggers into the ex-Ultimate Pianist.

“No, I’m not. Think about it. The sword we found in Hifumi’s room looked incredibly dangerous, but it was completely harmless. If something like that was on the ship, isn’t it possible something else could be the opposite?” Kaede argued.

Leon gave her a dubious look. “What, like a hidden weapon? Isn’t that sort of thing only in comic books and crap?”

“No. Hidden blades are very much real, though very rare to come by legally. I have had some experience with them in the past.” Peko countered, not taking her icy gaze off of Celeste.

Korekiyo swayed a finger with a hum. "Indeed. Such devices have been used for centuries. They were especially popular amongst European nobles in the 19th century… as I'm sure someone of your tastes would be aware, Celeste."

Celeste scoffed, crossing her arms. “Really? A hidden sword? How preposterous. You really must be desperate. Even if such a thing is hypothetically possible, there is nothing that would tie this little fairy tale to me. So, would you kindly do us all a favor and shut your goddamn mouth?! "

"You say that, but there's definitely something you have that could be the murder weapon!" Kaede pointed at Celeste with pure determination. "Your parasol!"

Celeste reeled back for a moment, her eyes as wide as dinner plates, before she rocketed forward and slammed a hand down on her podium. "My parasol?! This is insanity! You can't actually believe this!"

Chiaki rubbed at her chin in thought. "If the blade is designed to fit inside her umbrella, it would make sense that the stab wounds don't line up with any of the other weapons here…"

Sakura closed her eyes as she spoke. "It would also explain why she wasn't carrying it during the investigation despite doing so for most of yesterday. Out of sight, out of mind."

"Oh, what a surprise! After being woken by the body discovery announcement, my first instinct wasn't to grab my parasol! Clearly that means I am the killer, right? Idiot !" The gambler snapped furiously.

Chiaki shook her head. "What you're saying does make sense… but a logical explanation doesn't always mean it's the right one."

With absolute certainty, Kaede dealt the final blow. "If what I'm saying is so ridiculous, why don't we take a look at it for ourselves? If I'm wrong, then there's no reason for you to say no!"

Celeste looked positively feral. "I will not! I will not entertain this f*cking insanity !"

Gundham scowled at her. "Fine, then. If we must rely upon the black and white devil to prove your deceit, then we shall do so shamelessly!" He roared before turning to face their headmaster. "Monokuma, we call upon… what?"

"Gundham? What's… huh?" Kaede began to ask, only to cut herself off as she found the cause of his confusion. To her great surprise, Monokuma was nowhere to be seen, his throne empty.

"Huh? Where the hell did he go?" Mondo called out, looking as baffled as Kaede felt.

"Up here, my beloved blackened~!"

Everyone's heads snapped up practically in unison, Kaede swiveling on the spot to face the source of the sound. Sure enough, gracefully floating through the air was Monokuma, the bear comically hanging onto Celeste's parasol wearing a tiny flower-adorned hat and a red and black scarf. "A spoonful of evidence makes the hope die out, the hope die out, the hope die out! A spoonful of evidence makes your hope die out in the most delightful way~! Puhuhuhu!" He giddily sang out as he elegantly drifted over to his throne, landing in his seat with a small flurish of the umbrella. "Don't worry, kiddos! Mono Poppins is here!"

"Mono Poppins?" Kirumi said flatly, the maid looking beyond unimpressed with his act.

Kaito let out a scoff. "I swear, if he starts saying anything about how he's practically perfect in every way…"

Monokuma smirked at that. "Oh? But I absolutely am, Mister Momota!" He jeered, earning a universal glare from the gathered students. The bear tapped a paw against his nonexistent chin with a hum. "But do you know what's definitely not perfect in every way? This umbrella! While I was floating down here, the handle kept coming loose! Y'know, it's almost as if…" Monokuma trailed off as he twirled the umbrella in his paws so he could look at the handle. He grabbed onto it and started tugging with a small grunt, twisting it back and forth. After a few moments, there was a soft click , and with a small 'aha!' and a flick of his wrist, the umbrella was carelessly thrown off to the side…

Revealing the sharp glint of a stainless steel blade.

Shocked gasps resounded throughout the courtroom. "S-sacre bleu!" Teruteru cried out, his eyes all but bulging out of his skull.

“Wh- holy sh*t, man!” Leon elegantly declared.

Tsumugi stared at it slack jawed. “I- I can’t believe it! I thought only singing undead pirates had things like that!”

Mikan was just as bug-eyed as the Ultimate Chef, her greyish purple irises locked completely with the blade. Rather than let out another shocked cry as her peers had, however, Tsumiki’s body language suddenly became very rigid as she stood up to full height. “M-Monokuma… c-could I see that for a second, please?” The nurse asked with an alarming seriousness that seemed almost ill-fitting for the often panic stricken girl.

“Of course! I’m always glad to help my darling students!” He cheerily agreed, hopping down off his throne and balancing the blade between both paws in offering as he approached her.

Mikan delicately took the blade, slowly and carefully examining it from point to handle. Kaede couldn’t see exactly what she was doing with it, but after a few moments, she almost reluctantly turned around to face the group. “It… it’s a perfect match for Hifumi’s stab wounds. I’m positive this is what killed him.”

A knowing silence fell over the court. No one bothered to say a word, the undeniable truth clear to see right before them. Even Celeste was completely silent, a look of absolute disbelief petrified on her face. A few students had gotten over the shock of the reveal and had turned towards the culprit, but whatever they might have been hoping for, the Ultimate Gambler was clearly too deep inside her own head to even try denying it any longer.

“... Well then. It seems we have found our culprit.” Korekiyo finally spoke up, spurring the others to action.

Tsumugi slumped forward slightly, a disheartened expression on her face. “It would plainly be pretty hard to prove otherwise after that…”

“Then let’s hurry up and get this the hell over with.” Mondo rumbled warningly, his face masked in shadow and arms crossed threateningly.

“... Not… yet…”

Kaede blinked, almost thinking she’d imagined the words for a moment. The quiet yet determined voice was none other than the Ultimate Gambler’s, yet it sounded almost alien to hear it lacking the confidence or bite it usually held. It was almost resigned, in a way, yet firm enough that there was clearly something she wanted first. Kaede knew it well.

She had spoken the same way when she asked the Ultimate Detective to well and truly bring the truth to light, after all.

Kaito let out a groan. “Oh, for the love of- why are you still fighting this?! It’s obvious you’re the killer!”

Celeste glanced at him wearily. “Until the game is over, you never know what might happen. I have lived and died by those words, and I see no reason to change now,” She explained, the slightest hint of a frown pulling at her features as her gaze drifted back to Kaede and hardened. “I will not lose on a popular assumption. Until every last card is on the table, I will not give up… so…” She took a breath, and in an instant, the fading embers of her prior determination burst anew. “Prove it! If you’re so sure of your deductions, then show it was me, because I won’t give in a second sooner than that!”

“This is pointless. Even you can’t bring yourself to deny it outright anymore. We should just vote.” Peko said sternly, her eyes narrowed with unconcealed disdain.

“... No, I don’t think so,” Chiaki disagreed, her eyes remaining on the final suspect as she spoke. “Even if the culprit is obvious, we should still go over everything that happened in this case. Once the truth is revealed… then we can do it.”

Kaito nodded affirmingly. “Chiaki’s right. We owe it to Hifumi to figure out exactly what happened,” He said before smiling at Kaede. “And I’ll leave that up to you, Kaede. Reveal the truth!”

“H-huh? Me? But…” She started, caught off guard by the sudden command, before stopping herself. She steeled herself with a solemn nod. “... No, you’re right. This is my responsibility. We should never have had this class trial, but I’m going to end it, here and now.”

Kaede closed her eyes with a breath, thinking over every last detail of the case from start to end. Every bit of evidence and testimony, every lie and omission, everything that they’d fought tooth and nail to learn with their lives on the line. The pieces of the puzzle clicked into place one by one in her mind until it was all in front of her, and once it did, she didn’t hesitate. She would end this case, just like Shuichi did for her. Kaede Akamatsu’s eyes snapped open, burning with determination. “This is the truth of this case!”

Closing Argument!

“It all started yesterday morning, when Monokuma revealed the new motive: videos detailing the previous murders of everyone here.

While it’s impossible to know for sure when exactly Hifumi received his tape, we know that he definitely watched it at some point. As it turns out, he had the culprit’s video. In their killing game, the culprit tricked Hifumi into committing murder, and when he found out, he was determined to make sure that would never happen again.

Hifumi was afraid we wouldn’t believe him if he just told us what was on his tape, so he came up with a different plan. He was going to blackmail the culprit into admitting it by threatening to show their video to everyone if they didn’t meet with him in Sakura’s lab after nighttime started. He bought a fake sword from the casino, but he left it in his room after realizing it was a prop. The culprit is a skilled liar and he knew that, so he probably figured they would see through the fake. He probably slid a note under the culprit’s door with his demands and spent the rest of the day preparing to confront them. With his trap set, Hifumi waited.

What he didn’t bet on, though, was that the culprit could have a weapon ready by the time they met. That day, the culprit had a poker match with four other people, including myself, where they won a massive amount of monocoins. As it turns out, though, these bets weren’t just for fun.

The culprit used the money they earned from the game to buy a parasol from the token exchange in the casino. But it wasn’t just any parasol… it was secretly a sword in disguise. Even if the culprit didn’t know that at the time, it would ultimately become their murder weapon.

Nothing happens until later that night. With everyone worried about the motive, most people went to bed early, including Hifumi. One of the people that didn’t was the culprit, who was up and about until meeting with Kirumi at nine-fifteen. This gave them an alibi for more of the night than most people.

Once they returned to their room, though, they probably found Hifumi’s blackmail letter, putting them on edge. Because of the victim in Hifumi’s case, they couldn’t risk their involvement becoming known, or else they’d be in danger. With no other choice, they waited until after nighttime and went to meet with him.

Sakura was in her lab until ten-thirty last night, so Hifumi probably set the meeting for sometime late, like eleven. Thinking they’d be alone with Hifumi, they brought along the parasol they bought for self-defense. What neither Hifumi or the culprit counted on, though, was that there would be no less than three people on the second deck during their meeting.

Feeling restless, I went to my lab and tried to play the piano for a while, but I... made a mistake, and passed out, leaving me on the second deck well into nighttime. At some point while I was unconscious, Monkuma sent out the last batch of motive videos… including Hifumi’s video. It went to the worst possible person it could have. Mondo saw his best friend be murdered by Hifumi and instantly wanted revenge, which sent him upstairs searching for him. Tsumugi was still awake and heard him slam his door, and so did the final person to go upstairs. Because I was passed out, I never met with Kaito for our usual workout, meaning he got a late start on it at eleven-fifteen. All three of us were unintentionally interrupting Hifumi’s plan, and as it turns out, the culprit’s.

Not realizing I was in my lab, Hifumi waited for the culprit to show up for the meeting somewhere out of sight like Kirumi’s lab so that he could follow after them and make sure he was between them and the unlocked door. He would have known the main door was locked if he tried going in the lab at any point, and probably planned around that. Once his target walked in, he followed them in. Whatever they said to each other must have gone badly, as Hifumi ended up cornering the culprit. That was the last mistake he ever made.

Using the sword hidden inside the parasol, the culprit stabbed Hifumi twice. Shaken, the culprit probably tried to leave the lab, but ended up trapped when Mondo came storming past. Desperate not to be seen with a dead body, they grabbed one of the bo staffs from the wall and used it to block the door.

By then, I’d woken up and was trying to get back to the dorms when I ran into Mondo. After I found out what he was planning, we got into an argument that kept escalating until he attacked me with a dumbbell. Kaito overheard the commotion and came rushing over. What we didn’t realize at the time was that he wasn’t the only one that heard us: the culprit was able to hear almost our entire fight through the door. Hearing us talk things out and realizing we were going to keep it a secret, the culprit got the perfect idea of how to get away with their unplanned murder.

After waiting for us to leave, the culprit started looking around for anything they could use to move the body. They checked behind the stage to find the lift Gundham mentioned earlier and tried to move Hifumi’s body with it, but had a problem because of its weight limit. Still determined to do their plan, they changed strategies and used the lift and the bo staff to dump his body into one of the ball carts. Figuring he might leave blood on it, the culprit was careful to put down something to catch it - a tablecloth from Kirumi’s lab.

With the body in the cart, the culprit quickly brought it to my lab, planning on framing Mondo and I and using our fight to strong-arm me into staying silent. But, they hit yet another snag as Hifumi’s body was too heavy for them to push upwards. At this point, they were in too deep to stop, so they got creative. They grabbed as many dumbbells as they could carry from Sakura’s lab - including Mondo’s - and put them in duffle bags to serve as a counter weight for the bo staff.

With all that weight on their side and a running start, the culprit was finally able to shove his body onto the piano like they originally planned, but the ramp of the ball cart snapped off from the pressure. Too heavy to lift, they had no choice but to leave it there and just try to hide it from view.

That was when the culprit started the last stage of their plan: making Hifumi’s body as shocking as possible to throw everyone off. They took the keylid of the piano, lined Hifumi’s head up with it, and slammed it down as hard and as many times as they could. That way, the true cause of death from stabbing was covered up by his head wounds. “Killing” him like that also pointed towards Mondo because of his murder, which the culprit was well aware of.

Once they were finally done setting the scene, the culprit tried to dispose of as much evidence as they could. They covered up the fact that the cart was damaged by pressing it against the wall and filling it with balls again, put the bo staff back in place, and tried to wash the tablecloth to get rid of the bloodstains. But, the culprit made some mistakes. They grabbed the dumbbells without realizing there was a particular order to them, so when they put them back, it was a complete mess. They also accidentally put Mondo’s dumbbell with the others, proving they must have known about it. Lastly, they didn’t notice the bit of blood left on the stage lift, which showed it was definitely part of the murder.

Once the body was discovered the next morning, the culprit tried to manipulate the investigation by giving hints and theories meant to throw us off. They told me they were suspicious of Tsumugi and used a favor I owed them to make me investigate Hifumi’s room to find any clues. What they weren’t planning on was us actually finding anything. At the same time, they played up Tsumugi’s suspicions of me, convincing her to stay silent about what she saw and heard last night. This was so they could spring it on me once I tried to cover for Mondo during the trial, planning on using the confusion to pin it on us. Even when that failed, they were clever enough to craft a narrative from the circ*mstantial evidence to shift their framejob onto Kirumi and Tsumugi.

The culprit wasn’t originally planning on killing Hifumi, but once they did, they were determined to win this killing game. Bluffing and misdirection is their talent, and they would use every bit of it they had to try and rig this trial in their favor. All they had to do was make sure someone else was at least as suspicious as they were, and they could get away with it… but that was their last mistake. They didn’t plan on me refusing to stop fighting for my friends even when it seemed so obvious who the culprit was. They thought their lies would be convincing enough to blind me to the truth… but they were wrong.

That’s what happened, isn’t it? You lied to all of us, tried to turn us against each other by playing off our doubts… but it was that trust in others you said was so naive that led us to the truth behind your lies, Celestia Ludenberg!”

FINISH!

For the last time, silence fell over the court. Kaede’s gaze was locked with the Ultimate Gambler’s, Celeste gritting her teeth. “... I…” She forced out, voice low and wavering. “... I… fold.”

Kaede let out a quiet sigh of both relief and remorse, her shoulders slumping in exhaustion. “Are you admitting it?” She asked wearily.

Celeste gave a slow, small nod. “There is no use denying it any longer. You got a few details wrong… but that is essentially what happened.”

“Then it’s true… you’re really the one who killed Hifumi…” Kaito said more to himself than anyone in particular, his hand tightly balled in a fist.

“Oui. It was my doing.” Celeste replied simply, crossing her arms with a small frown.

“It seems all your fight has left you, Celeste. It’s almost disappointing to see such a shift.” Korekiyo mused.

Celeste shook her head. “I do not lose often. When I do, I prefer to keep things from dragging out… as such, I believe it is time, Monokuma.”

“Wh- no! ” Mondo shouted out as he slammed a fist down on his podium. “You’re not gettin’ off that easy! You’re gonna f*ckin’ explain this sh*t! You’re gonna tell me why you got Taka killed!”

Monokuma cackled from up above. “Nope, I think she’s right! This is in the running for the longest ever trial already! In fact…” He pressed an unseen button and a previously hidden hourglass popped up from the armrest of his throne, the top nearly entirely empty. “Wow! Five more minutes, and it would have been an end by time out anyway! So close! Ah well, let’s move along to the nerve-wracking voting time! At last, the heart-racing conclusion where the blackened and the spot-, er, other blackened - finally face off! Please press the button in front of you to cast your vote! Oh, and remember,” His eye glowed ominously as his smile warped into something monstrous. “Make sure you vote too, or you’ll be joining our culprit in the execution grounds! So, will you make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one…? Puhuhuhu!”

“V-voting time?” Kaede paroted dumbly as a screen on her podium suddenly flashed to life. On it was sixteen boxes with the faces of herself and her fellow blackened, sans Hifumi, whose portrait was greyed out. Her stomach dropped. Of course . In her desperation to solve the case, it somehow slipped her mind just what winning the trial actually meant .

Celeste was going to die. She was going to be executed yet again, and Kaede was the one responsible for bringing it about. Akamatsu tasted bile, her stomach twisting at the sudden realization. She didn’t want this. She didn’t want to cause anyone else to die. She promised Rantaro would be the last one to suffer such a fate because of her… but, then, what choice did Celeste give her? There’s no way Kaede could have let her get away with it. Not with everyone’s lives on the line. They had to vote for her. Refusing to vote was suicide, and voting for anyone else at that point was simply cowardice. Ultimately, Celeste had brought this end on herself as much as Kaede had the first time. It was with that thought that Kaede hesitantly brought her finger to the screen, selected Celeste’s portrait, and confirmed her vote.

It was no surprise when a computerized chime went off and the giant screens above displayed a unanimous fifteen marks next to Celeste’s name and face, nor when the animated slot machine of culprits came to a stop on three Celestes with a triumphant bing and a thunderous clattering of monocoins. “Congratulations! It goes without saying at this point, but you’re correct! The blackened responsible for killing Hifumi Yamada is none other than Celestia Ludenberg, the Ultimate Gambler!”

Celeste gave a small sigh. “Twice in a row… it seems my luck truly has run out.”

“Celeste…” Kaede began, only to trail off, the words unable to come to her through the storm of conflicted feelings raging inside her.

“Gonta… Gonta not understand. What important enough that Celeste kill friend to keep secret? Why not just tell friends like Hifumi wanted you to? Why Celeste do this?” Gokuhara asked forlornly.

“Who gives a sh*t?” Mondo spat bitterly, clenching his fists with rage as he looked at the culprit. “I don’t give a flying f*ck why you killed that fat bastard. Just tell me why you got him to kill Taka.”

“... He was an easy target,” Celeste finally admitted. “After you died, he became unhinged. Harmless, perhaps, but detached from reality. When I saw his rivalry with Hifumi grow, I saw my opportunity to get two people out of the way and took it. Honestly, it was far from personal.”

“Are you f*cking joking ?” He hissed out. “Do you expect me to believe that sh*t?! Even if that were true, why the hell’d you go after him if you weren’t gonna kill him yourself?!”

Sakura shook her head, a thoughtful look on her face. “No… I remember, now. That was part of your plan, wasn’t it, Celeste?”

Ludenberg thinned her lips, but before she could speak, a high-pitched giggle made the group turn around to glower at their sad*stic headmaster. “Puhuhu… allow me to shed some light on things. As a bonus reward for finding the blackened, allow me to present the episode of Ultimate Crimes that Mister Yamada viewed shortly before this whole thing: Miss Celestia Ludenberg!” He cheerily announced, and a moment later, the screens flicked to a screen similar to the one Kaede had seen for Mondo’s tape. Soon after, it began to play.

It spoke of her past and talent, how she became a legendary figure among both illegal and professional poker associations for her unrivaled skill and luck. How bright and prosperous future she had ahead that was just waiting for her to seize it… and then the killing game happened. The motive of ten million dollars was enough to sway her into trying to escape, where she took advantage of Hifumi’s devotion to her to trick him into thinking Kiyotaka had not only kidnapped his beloved Alter Ego, but assaulted her and planned to kill him. He went along with her plan to get him out of the way… only to die as her victim once he outlived his usefulness.

Kaede was speechless, unable to do anything but stare blankly in shock even as the screen flicked back off. It was too horrible to believe, yet evidently true. Disgust churned in her stomach, the ex-pianist feeling nothing but revolted by what she’d heard. Her gaze slowly drifted back to Celeste, but the goth didn’t pay her any mind, her face completely blank as she simply kept her arms firmly pressed against herself. Akamatsu simply observed as her thoughts swirled and tried to solidify into something certain.

“W-wait… H-Hifumi was a victim…?” Mikan questioned, clearly struggling to process the information.

“In more ways than one,” Korekiyo hummed. “To be manipulated and betrayed so thoroughly by someone you trust completely… I doubt there are words in existence to express how that must feel. It’s little wonder Hifumi was so outraged when he discovered the truth.”

Mondo’s eyes were miles wide, the biker’s jaw dropped in sheer disbelief. “... He thought Taka… he thought we was protectin’ people by killing him…? You did all that… for a f*ckin’ fairy tale castle… ?!” He murmured to himself, his face slowly shifting into a snarl. He didn’t bother saying a word, only making a low growl as he took an aggressive step away from his podium before almost instantly being firmly grabbed by the arm by Kirumi. He opened his mouth to say something, but she didn’t give him the opportunity.

“ Don’t , Mister Owada. You know what’s going to happen next. Don’t subject us to any more deaths today than we have to.”

Mondo tensed, trying to rip his arm back as he prepared to yell something… but, ultimately, shut his mouth with a dark glare as he stopped resisting her hold. She didn’t let go until he fully returned to his stand, but by then, he was entirely focused on Celeste. “... Fine. But we both know you’re gettin’ better than you deserve, you evil bitch .”

Celeste simply hummed. “I’m under no delusions about the sort of person I am. Whatever end I meet, it is ultimately the one I chose. That’s all that really matters.”

“You can’t mean that!” Kaito roared, glaring at her through grit teeth. “Don’t you get what you’ve done?! People died because of what you chose! Those guys mattered!”

The goth’s gaze darkened as she scowled. “I will not be lectured on the value of life by a known murderer. Don’t waste my last moments with your hypocrisy.”

Kaito flinched, his bravado dying away to a quieter outrage as he simply gazed down at his clenched fist. In his place, Chiaki spoke up. “... Putting that aside, all this explains why he went after you. He didn’t trust you not to do the same thing again, so he tried to fix the problem himself...” The gamer summarized, earning a small nod from Celeste. “I see. And… I think I get why he didn’t think showing us the tape would work, too.”

“Yeah, I was wondering about that. It seems pretty damn believable to me. Why didn’t the guy just tell us the truth instead of all this?” Leon wondered aloud.

Kaede stirred from her thoughts slightly. “... Are you talking about the fake video?”

“Yep. Think about it. According to this video, Hifumi is the only person here that didn’t get executed. Isn’t that kind of weird? He probably thought Celeste would use that as a way of saying the tape was fake. Monokuma could fake someone being executed, but it would be a lot harder to do something like that if there were people examining the body, right?” Nanami theorized.

Kirumi’s face fell lamentfully. “I see… between that possibility and his already worrisome self-doubt, Mister Yamada was convinced we would side with Miss Ludenberg over him and subsequently be in danger.”

“The Alpha and the Omega took it upon himself to prevent her deceptions… and paid for it with his life.” Gundham added darkly.

A bitter scoff erupted from Celeste. “You’re all putting him through this heroic lens, forgetting the fact that he was the one that targeted me . Perhaps it is easier for you to see him as the victim through and through, but he was hardly innocent in all this. Tell me, do you press someone into a corner when you’re merely trying to talk to them?”

“That is worth acknowledging. If he only wanted to make sure she couldn’t leave, he could have stayed by the side door. He chose to pursue Celeste further into the lab.” Peko pointed out, though she seemed somewhat conflicted by it.

Chiaki frowned, but put a finger to her chin in thought. “That’s true, too… in the end, there’s only one person here that really knows how everything happened. Could you tell us, Celeste?”

“I… must admit, I have some questions of my own, if you are willing. You said Kaede was incorrect at points during her explanation. Could you elaborate on that?”

Kaede’s head snapped up again at that. A part of her wanted to refuse her the opportunity, bitter and hateful over what the gambler had done to Hifumi before and during this game, yet another couldn’t help but want to hear the other girl out. Every story had two sides… even if one of those sides was a remorseless murderer. Celeste stayed quiet for a long moment, seeming to consider the requests, before eventually offering a nod. “I suppose there is nothing for me to lose at this point. Very well. The first, and biggest, misconception of all this is that Hifumi gave me any sort of forewarning…”

***

Under most circ*mstances, Celeste wouldn’t have risked being out during nighttime. Sure, she’d only really proposed the unofficial rule to stay in the dorms the first time around because it let her have control over something in that damned school, but the fact was that it was also simply good advice. Being caught alone was simply too great a danger to justify wandering about so late. It made sense.

Except these weren’t normal circ*mstances, and nothing made any sense.

She died. She knew for a fact she did. She felt the fire at her feet, the smoke invading her lungs, that ridiculous f*cking firetruck rushing towards her-

Yet here she was, alive and well on a boat full of other murderers, including three men she’d seen die before her eyes. It was insane. Hope’s Peak had been gruelling enough, but at least there was some form of logic to it. People that died stayed dead, no matter how uncanny Alter Ego’s imitations were. She could be certain the basic laws of reality applied, and like any other game, plan around them accordingly.

Here, however? Here, she could be certain of nothing. Celestia Ludenberg was supposed to have absolute control of whatever situation she found herself in, yet she didn’t even know where to start here. As inescapable as it was, at least Hope’s Peak was a stationary building. She knew exactly where she was, even if what was outside its walls was less certain than she’d have liked. How exactly was she supposed to figure out where she was on a random boat in the middle of the sea?! Even if she had the skill to read the stars or the like, nothing shone through the unnaturally dark clouds above. She was stranded with people she knew for certain were willing to kill, including eleven whom she had no firm basis of understanding or knowledge to work with, and all without even a possibility of someone outside knowing where she was.

It was maddening how powerless she felt. She obliterated every last trace of Taeko Yasuhiro to never feel that way again, and yet that smug bastard of a stuffed bear had complete and utter control over her. She’d never show it -Celestia Ludenberg was never intimidated, after all- but that didn’t change the overwhelming restlessness surging through her body. The poker game was fun, and surprisingly, she’d actually found herself enjoying the company almost as much as the game itself, but it had been a fleeting distraction that soon gave way to her more unwelcome thoughts. Same with her prize she bought with her winnings, as lovely as it was.

Considering all that, she didn’t feel particularly bad about choosing to spend some time in her lab even after her prior expedition that night. She took precautions, of course; she had figured out rather early into the previous game that the student handbooks were what allowed the students to see each other’s locations, and a minor experiment with Gonta had proven the same of these so-called monopads. As such, she simply left hers in her room, allowing her to travel without fear of being tracked. The door had to be blocked with one of the chairs from the poker table in place of its proper pad-requiring lock in turn, but the result was just as effective. No one would be getting in, nor would they even have a reason to look for her there. It was the perfect set up to distract herself with some of the games in the casino.

And so that is exactly what she did. For just over an hour, she allowed herself to simply be in her element, with no mask to wear beyond what she chose to for her own enjoyment. It might have been a bit much to bring the parasol along, really, but it simply fit her aesthetic too much to justify leaving it behind when she was trying to truly feel like the Ultimate Gambler again. Even when she’d had her fill of gambling for the night, she couldn’t quite bring herself to go back to her dorm, a part of her insisting on reexamining Kirumi’s lab for anything more of worth despite all but picking it clean earlier. That desire ultimately won out over the idea of once again being stuck with the incessant fear that was Taeko’s internal monologue whenever she let her persona drop.

It would be the worst mistake she would ever make.

After finding little of interest, and finding the little left that was worthwhile was much too heavy for her to move (thankfully, the floors didn’t seem to scratch despite the horrid sound of the table moving across it), she finally ran out of excuses to avoid bed and somewhat reluctantly started on her way back to her cabin…

Only to nearly jump in surprise as she rounded the corner and saw Hifumi storming down the hallway. He looked positively furious, and not merely the sort of pathetic, child-like tantrums he entered whenever someone disrespected an anime he enjoyed. The absolute hatred she could see emanating from him even from about ten yards away was the sort she’d only seen when she spun the tale of Taka’s supposed rampage. “Hifumi…? What the hell? He shouldn’t be up here…!” She thought to herself, a slight bit of fear shooting up her spine. Hifumi looked up, and for the briefest of moments, his eyes locked with hers, and she realized exactly what the cause of his fury was. “... Oh, hell.”

Her first instinct was to step back and hide around the corner, an instinct she gladly followed, but it was too little too late. “YOU! COME BACK!” Hifumi’s voice screeched, his laborious footsteps thundering down the hall as he doubtlessly began to run towards her. That trace of fear suddenly blossomed into a raging fire, the goth stuck in place for a moment in sheer fright. f*ck, f*ck, f*ck, this wasn’t supposed to happen! What the hell were the odds of him getting that tape?! She had to get away, but where was safe besides the dorms, the exact hallway he was coming from?! “... Wait! This place has another door, doesn’t it?!” She remembered in a burst of brilliance, quickly grabbing the door to Sakura’s lab and exploding into the room. Hifumi had the head start on her, but if she was fast enough, she could use the other door to get past him and back to her room! Yes! Of course there was a way to win; she was Celestia goddamn Ludenberg, and she would never go down to something as minor as bad luck! With that hope pushing her forward, she ran as fast as she possibly could towards the other door, grabbing it and pulling with all her might-

But it didn’t budge.

She stared at it in absolute disbelief. “Wh- no! Open, you piece of sh*t!” Taeko hissed as she desperately tugged on the door to no avail. In a panic, she tried pushing it instead, only to be met with the same result. “No, damn it! what the hell is wrong with this thing?!”

After a second more of fruitless struggling, she gave up, sprinting away from the locked door back to the open one with her fist tightened around that stupid umbrella like a lifeboat. Control. She had to have control, or she was already dead. That was what Celeste was all about, and it held true now. Okay, that plan was shot, but she could still-

Hifumi stepped into the doorframe, and she stopped dead in her tracks. The obese man snarled at her, pointing a finger accusingly. “There you are!”

BA-DUMP.

Despite the absolute terror she felt, Celeste managed to plaster a polite smile. “Ah, Hifumi. This is a pleasant surprise,” She lied so blatantly that she had to fight back a cringe at how fake it sounded. “How are-”

“No! Stop talking like that! Don’t pretend we’re friends!” Hifumi snapped, eyes narrowing hatefully. He was shaking with rage as he slammed the door shut behind him and took a menacing step forward. Taeko stepped back on instinct, but managed to only let her smile fall rather than let her fear show entirely. She didn’t say a word, prompting him to continue. “You… you’re despicable! Heinous! Absolutely evil!”

BA-DUMP-BA-DUMP.

“I-I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about. Have I done something to offend you?” She tried to play dumb as she internally scrambled for a plan on how to get past the approaching blob.

A squealing cry of anger was his response. “Offend- are you serious?! Do you really think I’m that dumb?! I know what you did!” He hissed with another step.

BA-DUMP-BA-DUMP-BA-DUMP.

Celeste could hear her heart thundering louder in her ears with every inch she moved backwards, but she tried everything in her power to keep at least slightly calm. “sh*t…! I can’t lie to him outright about it at this point, but maybe I could convince him the video was wrong somehow…?!” She desperately thought to herself. “... H-Hifumi, I can explain. I promise that it’s not what you think-”

“Not what I think?! What part of you tricking me into murdering an innocent person and then KILLING ME isn’t what I think, Miss Luden- no, Yasihiro?! Mister Ishimaru never did the things you said! You lied to me! You- you bashed my head open with a hammer! What part of this is anything but horrible?!”

BA-DUMP-BA-DUMP-BA-DUMP-BA-DUMP.

Celeste glanced behind her, her stomach dropping as she realized just how quickly she was running out of room between herself and the wall. She raised her hands pleadingly as she failed to completely hide the tremor in her voice. “Th- that isn’t-!”

“Yes it is! You know it! And you’re going to tell everyone the truth!”

Taeko nearly stumbled as she backed into the gravel pit, the stones shifting beneath her feet before she could prepare for it. “You know I can’t! Mondo would kill me if I did!” She bit back furiously, her accent falling completely. To hell with her act; she was in a life or death situation! Anger mixed with her ever-growing fear as she shoved a finger towards him. If he couldn’t be reasoned with, she’d scare him into silence. “He’ll kill you, too, you idiot! If he finds out, we’re both as good as dead!”

Hifumi cringed, paling considerably at that. For a brief moment, she thought she had a moment, but he furiously shook his head. “W-well… if no one knows, then you’ll be free to hurt me or someone else again! Even if he is terrifying, at least I know I can trust what Mister Owada will do! If you don’t tell him, I will!”

Something hard hit her back, and Taeko’s blood turned to ice. No. Oh, god, no. Hifumi was still closing in, but she was literally against the wall. Her breaths were ragged with fright even as she glared hatefully at the man in front of her. “D-do you really think anyone will believe you, you worthless tub of lard?! You come up with bullsh*t as a talent! No one’ll take you seriously compared to me!”

Hifumi’s expression exploded into righteous fury. “Grgh! I… I don’t care! I won’t let you hurt anyone else!”

BA-DUMP-BA-DUMP-BA-DUMP-BA-DUMP-BA-DUMP.

He kept going forward, and with literally no other options, Taeko made the only choice she could. “.... f*ck it!” She thought as she surged forward and tried to rush past him, letting out a shriek as he roughly grabbed her by the arm and tugged her back towards the wall. “Urg-! N-no! Let me go!”

“No! You aren’t getting away with this again! I, Hifumi Yamada, shall- ARGH!” She slammed the parasol against his face, making him let go of her in surprise. Running on pure adrenaline, she swung it from the opposite direction, but he just barely managed to catch it in his hand and grab on for dear life. “H-HEY! STOP IT!”

He grabbed for her with his other arm, catching her by the shoulder as she frantically tried to pull the closest thing she had to a weapon out of his hand.

BADUMPBADUMPBADUMPBADUMPBADUMPBADUMP-

It shook and shuddered in his shockingly firm grasp, but refused to come loose, until suddenly…

SHLINK!

The umbrella didn’t move… but in her hand was the handle, and two feet of glinting steel. She could only stare in absolute shock for a moment, her brain unable to process what she was seeing. Hifumi was much the same, a startled ‘wha-?!’ escaping him even as he came back to his senses. Unfortunately, he was just a second too slow.

Operating on pure instinct, Taeko blindly thrusted the blade at him, watching as the cold metal effortlessly slid into his body. Hifumi let out a strangled gasp, his eyes bulging out of his skull as he numbly looked down at the sword in his chest in pure shock. Without even fully realizing what she’d done, the panicked girl pulled back and stabbed him once again with a yell, pushing the blade into him with enough force that his weakened body gracelessly tumbled to the ground.

Taeko stumbled back, her lungs burning with each laboring breath. Her heart felt like it could explode. Once she finally caught her breath, however, her eyes drifted up to Hifumi’s still form, and a cold horror washed over her. “Oh, no… no, no…” She whispered to herself as she shakily approached him, a hand rising to her mouth. Without a doubt, he was dead, crimson staining his once immaculately white shirt and turning his grey blazer a sickly shade of dark red. “No, no, no…”

f*ck. f*ck. f*ck. She didn’t mean to do… THAT! Killing him was one thing, but killing him without a plan ?! What the HELL was she going to do?! She’d be found out for sure! She couldn’t die again, not in this hellhole, not over a stupid f*cking mistake that was HIS FAULT in the first place! But how was she supposed to spin something like this that didn’t make her-

Suddenly, a powerful, repetitive thumping noise sounded from outside the door, Taeko biting her hand to keep from screaming out. The door in the middle of the room shuddered and jiggled in place for a moment before a low growl sounded out and the heavy footsteps resumed. “Oh, god, someone’s out there?! No, no- the other door. The other door!” Her mind screamed at her as she began desperately looking around for anywhere to hide. In a rare moment of luck that night, however, she spotted something better. “That thing could probably block the door…!”

Minutes passed. The thunderous footsteps walked right past the side door, fading out of earshot as they went down the hall, but she didn’t dare make a break for it. That choice was vindicated when the footsteps returned, now joined by a familiar but muffled pair of voices yelling. It wasn’t long before they were immediately outside the door, which just as before, shuddered and jolted in place as the doorstop held firm. “OPEN THE f*ck UP, GODDAMN DOOR!” Mondo roared from the other side, Taeko’s heart nearly stopping. That terror turned into bewilderment when Kaede’s voice joined in… only to turn blank when that pleading voice turned into a scream and suddenly fell silent.

“... Did… did he just kill Kaede…?” She numbly thought to herself. On the one hand, that terrified her. If he killed someone simply for getting in the way, if he knew about her involvement, she was in even greater danger than she first thought. And, perhaps, a small part of her was sympathetic to the painfully naive if relatively harmless girl that just met a bitter end. But, on the other… this could be her opportunity. He was planning on killing Hifumi, who was now dead. Kaede is also dead, and he killed her. Ergo, who is the most likely to have killed them both? Even when Kaede spoke again, miraculously alive by the grace of whatever was watching, it didn’t matter. Only a few details had to change to account for that. Despite herself, she smiled.

Celestia Ludenberg had a plan.

***

Kaede listened without comment, letting Celeste speak from beginning to end without any of the small clarifications her classmates occasionally asked. At the end, she still remained quiet, conflicting thoughts and feelings struggling for dominance after all she’d learned.

“So, you weren’t aware of the parasol’s true purpose until the moment of the murder…” Kiyo said, his tone indeterminable.

Celeste nodded. “Yes. I truly thought it was nothing more than a nice accessory until then. I certainly hadn’t expected it to save my life… or, to lead to the end of it, for that matter.”

“... Then you really didn’t mean to kill Hifumi? All of this… it was because you were scared?” The words left Kaede’s mouth before she was even aware of the thought. Her voice sounded small, painted with a hopeful lilt that she couldn’t bring herself to feel.

Celeste stared at her for a long moment, looking away with a frown. “Please. There’s nothing I hate more than being pitied. Do not misunderstand; sooner or later, I would have killed someone here. In the end, I always intended to escape. I was simply forced to play my hand much earlier than I wanted.” She dismissed, and though Kaede was fairly certain she was telling the truth, she thought she heard a hint of resignation softening the cold edge of the statement.

A hellish giggle mocked them from above. “Puhuhu… it’s true what they say; in the end, two things are certain: death and taxes. Unless you’re a bear, then you get to skip the taxes and go straight to the death part! More specifically, the death of the dirty, no-good murderers ruining the harmony of my beloved students!” Monokuma merrily declared, his voice turning menacing as he flashed his razorsharp smile at them.

Akamatsu’s stomach dropped. That could only mean... “No,” She whispered, before a sudden energy jolted into her. “No! You can’t!”

Monokuma tilted his head curiously. “Huuuh? Whannot? Pretty sure I already did it to her once. In fact, it’s as easy as pressing a button!”

Kaede grit her teeth. “Why would we stand by and let you kill someone?! Come on, guys!”

Despite her plea, not a soul stepped forward. Even Kaito and Gonta stood silently, offering sympathetic and guilty looks but not moving to back her up. She stared at them, dumbfounded and hurt. “Guys…? C-come on, why aren’t you doing anything?”

Monokuma tapped at his chin. “Hmm… I dunno, maybe because of these?” He said, and in an instant, a pair of turrets popped up from the floor behind her and pointed at the once-Ultimate Pianist, the pair of boys next to her letting out a shriek while she froze in place. “Besides, the way I remember it, you were the one that was all gung-ho about the execution last time! What, did you find the first one too breathtaking ? Ahahahaha!”

“Kaede!” Tojo shouted out fearfully.

Kaito paled, but his grit teeth and tightly clenched fist didn’t waver. “Don’t you dare, Monokuma!”

“She ain’t worth it, Kaede…!” Mondo growled, concern for her mixing with the dark bitterness for Celeste.

“He’s correct.”

Kaede blinked in surprise at the fourth voice, staring at disbelief at the source of it. “C-Celeste? What are you-”

“Did I not say I hate being pitied?” Ludenberg interrupted, folding her hands as she stepped away from her podium and began walking towards the blonde. “I have no use for it while I’m alive, and certainly won’t in a few moments. Besides… it would be a waste for such promise to die out over needless heroics.”

Kaede’s brow furrowed, confusion and sadness swelling in her chest. “I… don’t understand what you’re talking about. Why are you okay with this?”

Celeste came closer, now standing behind Kaede’s podium as she met her eyes. “My death is inevitable at this point. Those are the rules of this game, and I am not such a sore loser that I would try to break them,” She explained blandly, flicking at her hair, before a small, rueful smile played at her lips. “However, there is no reason for you to bow out of this game yet. Especially when you have the talent to get far in it. You are one of the few people to have ever out-bluffed me, Kaede. That is no small feat. In all honesty… you’ve impressed me. Your determination to win and the lengths you were willing to go to in the name of that is a talent few possess. You’re still a beginner, and too moral for your own good… but, with enough time, I sense you could become something great. So… do try to survive, would you? I would hate for a C-rank to die needlessly.”

“Celeste…” Kaede started, but trailed off, a thousand things that she wanted to say coming to her mind but none of them sounding right. Even now, she wasn’t sure how she should feel about the girl before her, her sense of justice demanding punishment for Hifumi’s death violently clashing with her wish to see everyone make it out alive. Even if they weren’t such in the traditional sense, she did think of Celeste as a friend… and now she was about to die. Realizing that, she finally found something to say. “... When you’re uncomfortable about something, you mess with your hair. That’s your tell, isn’t it?”

Celeste blinked, stunned for a moment, before an amused hum escaped her. “Case and point. Between noticing that and masking your tell, you’re already improving. Good. You would look ridiculous wearing sunglasses to a class trial.”

Despite everything, the words drew a small chuckle from Kaede. For a brief moment, it almost seemed pleasant… but the reality of the situation couldn’t be ignored, her smile fading away as she felt tears start to prick at her eyes. “... I’m so sorry, Celeste. I failed you, and Hifumi. I should have-”

“Stop.”

Akamatsu stared at her dumbly. “... What?”

“There are a thousand things any of us should have done, or could have done, or would have done. The reality, however, is that we didn’t, and that cannot be changed. That is simply the nature of the past,” Celeste mused, her voice as certain as Kaede had ever heard it. “There is nothing to be gained by thinking of what could have been. Doing so will only blind you to the present, and with that, the future. What matters is not what came before, but what could come after. That ...” She closed her eyes as she crossed her arms, and after a moment, slipped something out of her blazer. “Is what it truly means to never look back.”

Kaede looked at the offered pack of cards, her heart heavy with grief. It should never have come to this. She failed to protect her friends, again , and that was the only reason she was being offered these. But… in a way, this was Celeste’s wish, wasn’t it? Her final words to someone she saw potential in; one last urging before the end… what right did she have to refuse? Carefully, as if they’d shatter like glass if she wasn’t cautious enough, she gently accepted the cards from the gambler, the small weight in her palm feeling so much heavier than it actually was. “... Thank you. And… goodbye, Celeste. I’ll miss you.”

Something sad flashed in those red eyes, but her small smile didn’t falter. “... You are the only one who will,” Celeste said quietly, and with that, she stepped away from Kaede. "... Regardless, it seems my time is here once again. Good luck to you all. Perhaps we’ll meet once again, some day... very well, Monokuma. I am prepared."

"Well, that's great, because I've prepared a very special punishment for Celestia Ludenberg, the Ultimate Gambler!" Monokuma barked out with a laugh.

Even as she folded her hands tightly enough to hurt, Celeste refused to let her calm facade crack, hiding the fear in her eyes by closing them with a content smile.

“Let’s give it everything we’ve got!”

Dread crawled down Kaede’s spine, her breath caught in her throat as her tears began to overflow, blurring her vision of the girl that could have been her friend. The girl she sent to her death. No matter how much her mind screamed at her to move, to push Celeste out of the way, to do something , she found herself frozen in place. Something choked and wet escaped her. “Celeste, I-”

“IT’S PUNISHMENT TIME!”

The chain flew down from above, and in an instant, Celeste was gone.

Behind her, the screens once more crackled to life, a hellishly high-pitched and slightly out of tune song playing as an animation played of Monokuma walking up to Celeste and dragging her along.

CELESTIA LUDENBERG HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY.

TIME FOR PUNISHMENT!

The screens went black before bursting into brightness as a spotlight suddenly cut through the darkness, showing Celeste strapped by her arms and legs to a black wall with the number one written in white on it behind her. Another set of lights flicked on, followed by another, and continuing until it revealed that the Ultimate Gambler was a fixture of a giant roulette wheel, though with half the usual spaces. Fourteen of them were marked with cardboard cutouts of her other prisoners of the ship and a corresponding number, with one other slot featuring a sloppy pink X mark over its number instead, and two final green slots labeled as ‘LIFE’ and ‘LIFE + ESCAPE’ on opposite ends of the wheel, the latter almost directly across from Celeste’s space.

One more light flicked on to reveal a giant Monokuma leaning next to a black and red lever, the bear dressed in a green gambling visor and red vest with a devilish smirk. Behind him was a table similarly bearing pictures of the sixteen blackened fashioned in the style of a roulette betting board. Fifteen incredibly large monocoins were all stacked over Celeste’s portrait, apparently marking the universal bet of the class. Without further ado, Monokuma pulled the lever, and the giant wheel slowly began to spin.

A small bead of sweat trailed down Celeste’s face, but her calm mask remained in place even as the lethargically moving wheel began to speed up. At first, it was hardly noticeable, only moving an inch or two a second. However, as the moments ticked by, it began to pick up more and more speed, a few inches per second becoming a few feet, and then a few yards, and only growing faster from there.

Fear began creeping into Celeste’s expression as the air started blowing harshly against her, her hair drills blowing wildly in the artificial wind. It only worsened as the wheel sped up further. Soon, it was like she was in a hurricane, her drills blowing at practically a ninety-degree angle before suddenly blowing off entirely, the hairclips whipping away and revealing her natural bob cut. She couldn’t fully hide a wince, yet still her plastered smile held.

Soon, the wheel had become nothing but a blur, only the camera focused directly on Celeste able to provide a clear picture of what was happening. It was spinning fast enough that g-forces were starting to take effect, the gambler’s once flowing crinoline skirt crushed flat against her by the tightening pull of gravity. Her mask was beginning to slip, signs of discomfort peeking through the cracks as her features began to sink more and more.

Those signs of discomfort exploded into obvious agony as the speed became great enough that her earrings started to tug against her earlobes more and more until the thin metal managed to slice through completely. A strangled, almost silent scream hissed out of Celeste, her slashed ears bleeding profusely and eyes welling with pained tears as her skin seemed to take on an even more ghostly shade of white. The breaths she managed to steal in between her grunts and gasps of torment were becoming quicker and harsher, but it did little to stop the increasingly shallow amounts of air she could actually take in at a time.

Suddenly, Monokuma waddled to the rim of the roulette wheel of doom holding a large white sphere in his paw and began spinning his wrist. After building up a fair bit of momentum, he rolled the ball into the spinning wheel from the opposite direction. The ball flew into it, spinning around the track nearly as quickly as the wheel was moving. It was dizzying to try to follow, but Ludenberg attempted as best she could despite being completely frozen in place by the sheer speed of her deathtrap. Her ruby eyes desperately tracked it as it spun around, her face turning bluer and bluer with each cycle.

After a few moments, the ball started to slow down, its revolutions becoming longer and longer each time until it finally fell into the ring. It bounced out of the first slot, skipping over a few rows until it finally fell into the ‘LIFE + ESCAPE’ slot. Celeste’s eyes went wide, a faint glimmer of hope shining in them as the wheel finally began to slow down…

Only for Monokuma to slam his paw down on the table with a thunderous crash. The ball launched from the force of the impact, soaring through the air until it crashed down into Celeste’s slot, reducing the Ultimate Gambler to a bloody splatter with a sickening crunch .

After a few moments, the wheel finally came to a full stop. Monokuma reached into his vest, pulling out a small piece of paper of some sorts before picking up the ball that had killed Celeste and turning away from the camera. A second passed before he turned back with a monstrous grin, proudly presenting a queen of hearts… with the dark, unshapely red smear that had once been the Queen of Liars in the middle. With that, the screens fell black once more.

***

Kaede felt sick. Bile burned at the back of her throat, ice water rushing through her veins while an overwhelming ringing screamed in her ears. Her eyes ached from crying, but the tears wouldn’t stop. She couldn’t believe it. Celeste was dead. Not just dead, but obliterated, hardly a trace of her left. Not even a day prior, the two had been bonding over cards, and now…

Now she was gone.

Monokuma cackled uproariously, rolling with laughter in his throne. “AHAHAHAHAHA! They say the house always wins, and it’s true! I haven’t had that much fun in a while!”

“I… I… I d-don’t believe it…” Teruteru muttered under his breath, abject horror warping his features as he violently trembled in place. “Sh-sh-she… she’s…!”

Leon wasn’t fairing much better, both hands tightly pressing against his skull for dear life. “Wh-what the f*ck?! WHAT THE f*ck?!”

“Why… why does this keep happening…?” Tsumugi choked out, curling into herself as tears freely fell down her face.

For a long moment, no one dared to speak. Gonta and Mikan openly sobbed, their bawling the only noise in the courtroom. Chiaki had raised her hoodie, looking down at the ground wordlessly. Mondo’s face was bathed in shadow, the man as still as a statue. Kaede could feel herself shaking, but it wasn’t only in fear. Through her terror and shock, she felt something else boiling below the surface. Something bitter and dark that felt like tar under her skin. “... Why…?” She murmured, and that was all it took to open the flood gates. “Why?! Why did we let that happen?! We just stood here and… and watched! We watched her die! Why didn’t we even try to stop it?!”

Kaito flinched guiltily, the man unable to meet her eyes for more than a second. “K-Kaede…”

It only made her more furious, her teeth aching from how hard she was clenching them. “Tell me! You tried so hard to save me, Kaito, but you didn’t even say a word for her! What’s wrong with you?! Why didn’t-?!”

“Because it would be pointless,” A cold, blunt voice cut through her words, silencing Kaede in an instant. She stared at Peko uncomprehendingly. The Ultimate Swordswoman was undeniably tense, her jaw tight and fists clenched in her folded arms, but her voice was as unwavering as her sharp gaze. “You saw what happened when you merely suggested resisting Monokuma. If you or anyone else tried to save her, the only thing you would accomplish is more unneeded death. Even Celeste said as much. As much as it might weigh on you… there is nothing that could have changed this.”

Kirumi bowed her head deeply, offering the blonde a sympathetic gaze. “Miss Pekoyama is correct, Kaede. As horrific as it is... it’s truly inescapable.”

“Not to mention that we would have met such an end instead had her plan succeeded…” Gundham pointed out with a slight scowl.

Gonta looked down with a shameful grimace. “Even so… Gonta wish he could help. But… Gonta not want friends to get hurt trying to save people. Gonta not think that help anyone.”

Gradually, Kaede’s resolve crumbled, the ex-pianist grimacing as a surge of guilt hit her and she squeezed her elbow as tightly as she could. “I… I know. I’m sorry. It’s not your fault, any of you. It’s…” She closed her eyes with a shaky breath, misery and lingering disbelief swirling inside her with the awful, directionless anger. Thankfully, a deserving target quickly came to mind, her eyes opening into a hateful glare at their still-celebrating headmaster. “It’s his fault.”

The bear looked at her quizzically. “Huh? My fault? But I’m not the one that stabbed Mister Yamada to death. I didn’t make Miss Ludenberg do it, either. That was all on her own. I’m just the impartial judge and executioner trying to protect you guys from the menaces of society… well, the repeat offenders, anyway.”

Sakura’s knuckles cracked loudly as her fists tightened, glaring at him fiercely. “Don’t pretend any of these murders would have happened without your twisted games, Monokuma. Hifumi and Celeste’s blood is on your hands.”

Monokuma shrugged uncaringly. “Eh, maybe not… buuuuut, if we want to play semantics about who killed who, then I would like to remind you that all executions are determined through popular vote. If I’m responsible for them dying for putting them in the situation, then-”

“Monokuma, are we done?” Chiaki demanded bluntly, her face weary and expectant.

The monochrome monster sighed, shaking his head. “Kids these days, always so eager to move on to the next big thing… fine. I just have one last thing for all of you,” He announced, and a moment later, a small plink sound came from her podium screen before it printed off a piece of paper, Kaede warily taking it to give a closer look. “Tada!”

Akamatsu read over the paper, feeling her brow furrow more with each moment she spent reading it. “This is… a report card? What?”

He grinned widely at her. “Correct! This handy little thing is a summation of how well you did during the class trial! The better the grade on there, the more of a reward you get!”

Before anyone could ask what he meant, he snapped his nonexistent fingers and suddenly a cable holding a decently sized pouch carrying a tag with her name on it dropped down in front of her. Hesitantly, Kaede held out her hand and let it drop into her palm over the report card with a small metallic clink . She pulled the drawstrings open to find dozens upon dozens of monocoins inside. “... Reward …?” She hissed hatefully, crumpling the paper as she clenched her hand into a fist around the bag and violently lobbing it against the floor behind her. The coins scattered in a thunderous crash of clattering metal, her glare as bitter and heated as hell itself as she spat out. "I don't want your blood money ."

Monokuma shook his head. "Nonsense! That's not blood money! Trust me, I tried making these things just out of the iron in people's blood, and it just isn't worth it. I'd have to kill seven people just to make one coin! So rest assured, these coins are one-hundred percent not blood!"

"You took that way too literally..." Tsumugi mumbled under her breath.

Monokuma shrugged once again. “Well, either way, I’m not going to force you to take them, so do as you will. I officially declare this class trial adjourned!” He announced, and with that, disappeared from the courtroom.

The gathered blackened simply stood there for a long moment, no one quite willing to be the first to step away. Finally, Mondo wordlessly stepped away from the podium, shoving his hands in his coat and marching towards the elevator without so much as a glance at anyone else. Gundham followed suit soon after, though much less aggressively than the biker. Peko looked around the court for a long moment, her eyes lingering on Kaede a touch longer than anyone else, before giving a small nod and moving to join the pair.

Silently, the others began to split away as well. Some met her eyes or cast quick, conflicted glances at her as they shuffled past while others ignored her entirely, but none said a word. Even Kaito was at a loss, the astronaut looking at her for a long moment with a small grimace, as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t, before ultimately frowning and looking away before joining the rest of the group. A part of her was thankful for that. Even if she’d apologized, it was clear just how much her words hurt him. She felt guilty just looking at him. She’d have to say something more personal to him, but… she needed a moment.

Kirumi somewhat reluctantly approached her, the maid visibly unsettled, but a certain resolve showed through her lone visible eye. “Kaede… I understand if you don’t wish to speak about this right now, and I certainly won’t force you to. But…”

“... Y-yeah. It’s… a lot, but… I promise I’ll tell you everything soon. Just… not now.” Kaede placated, not quite able to meet Tojo’s gaze with the gnawing sense of shame building in her.

Kirumi bowed, giving a small curtsy. “As you wish. But… please, know that no one holds you responsible for this. You shouldn’t, either.” Tojo attempted to console. Kaede didn’t respond, merely dropping her gaze lower. After a moment of hesitation, the servant finally left, the soft clacking of her heels slowly fading away.

Kaede let out a small sigh. She wasn’t ready to go back yet, but nearly everyone was waiting there at this point. The only ones left were her and… “... Chiaki...? Is there something you need?”

Nanami was staring at her intently, something unrecognizable in her eyes. “... Even after everything, you still wanted to save her.”

The ex-pianist thinned her lips, crossing her arms uncomfortably. “Nobody deserves something like that, no matter what. Look, it might seem stupid, but-”

Chiaki shook her head. “No, it’s not. I just…” She paused for a moment and shook her head. “... Nevermind. We should get back to the others. Staying here won’t help at all… I think.”

Kaede ran her thumb over the tin of cards, closing her eyes as she gently squeezed the cool metal. “... You’re right. Come on. Let’s just go.”

With that, the pair met up with the surviving members of the group and finally left the courtroom, the dull hum of the elevator serving as the only funeral march the Ultimate Gambler would receive.

***

When they left the boiler room, the remaining students quietly returned to the dorms, an unspoken but unanimous agreement leading them back to their rooms. Despite not having anything since the night prior, no one could stomach a meal after what they’d seen, leaving no reason to be anywhere else. It wasn’t unlike the first night they were there; a suffocating uncertainty hovering over them all like a thick fog. Hours passed without change, the nighttime announcement coming and going without a care from anyone.

Kaede laid on her bed feeling almost completely numb as she stared unseeingly at the ceiling. It didn’t feel real. None of it did. Celeste was dead. Hifumi, too. Despite seeing both of their bodies, and despite fighting with all her might to prove the gambler killed him, something about it couldn’t click anymore. Her eyes still ached from how hard she cried, but they’d long since run dry, leaving the girl feeling hollow as nothingness replaced her grief. A part of her idly wondered if that was how Shuichi and the others felt after her execution, and a different part hated herself even more for putting them through this hell.

She failed. Again . No matter what Celeste said, there was no other way to look at it. Once again, her arrogance led to the start of the killing game, and now two more of her friends were gone forever. That knowledge was eating away at her, a constant, low ache in her heart, yet she couldn’t bring herself to do anything but sit there and let it happen. What else could she do? It’s not like she could face any of the others right now after all her lies were exposed one by one. No way in hell was she going back to her lab. Music might have helped if she had anything besides piano records for her gramophone, but even if she did, she doubted it could distract her from her thoughts.

Kaede raised her hand, staring at Celeste’s pack of cards with a sense of confliction. In truth, she didn’t fully know why she was still holding onto it. She’d had plenty of time to set it down somewhere in her room, yet in her haze of thought, it hadn’t occurred to her to do so. The blank and lifeless eyes of the Queen of Hearts stared back at her, lacking any of the regality the Ultimate Gambler had fondly described seeing in it. A hint of sorrow slipped through the emptiness. With a tiny, inaudible sigh, she sat up, her gaze still locked on the tin as she debated what to do with it. Looking at it just made everything hurt more, yet the idea of hiding it away in a drawer felt wrong. Those cards were all that was left of her. Putting them out of sight and out of mind… that was as good as forgetting her wish.

Kaede felt her resolve harden. “... You said never to look back, Celeste… but I can’t do that. I can’t leave the past behind. I can’t just forget you, or Rantaro, or anyone else that’s gone,” She whispered, her voice soft with regret. Standing up, she gently placed the cards on her nightstand, gazing down at them as if delivering a eulogy. “But… you were right about one thing. I can’t give up on the future because of it. Shuichi never stopped searching for the truth, and neither can I. No matter what happens, I won’t stop looking towards the future. I promise.”

Silence followed her words. Nothing had changed, really, but the air somehow felt a little less stifling than before. It was impossible, but… she hoped the other woman could hear her, somehow. It was with that faint hope that she bowed her head and turned back to bed. There was basically no chance of getting sleep that night, but hopefully her final farewell would at least leave her less consumed by the sickening numbness. “I have a lot to explain to everyone tomorrow. I should probably at least try to-”

Bingbing! Bingbing!

Kaede paused, turning and looking at the door curiously. “Huh? Someone’s out there this late? But who…” Her mind flashed to Kaito on the first night they were there, his grin shining like a full moon despite the darkness that enveloped them both, and she winced. “... He probably wants to talk things out, or train. Or both, I guess. I… don’t want to do this, but I do owe him an apology… I can at least give him that much.” Akamatsu decided as she started towards the door. As her fingers wrapped around the handle, an icy dread trickled down her spine. What if it wasn’t Kaito? What if someone wanted to…

She opened the door before she could psyche herself out of it, looking up where she expected to see Kaito’s face only to be met with nothing but air. She blinked in confusion before glancing down, her curiosity rising as she saw who it was. “Chiaki? Uh… hi.”

The Ultimate Gamer looked oddly serious, the same calculating glint in her eye she’d worn throughout the trial residing in her gaze now. “Hey hey, Kaede. I know it’s a bit late, but… there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”

Kaede stifled a sigh, trying her hardest to keep from looking away. “... I get it. I should have been a lot more honest with you guys, and I won’t make any excuses for it, but I promise I’ll explain everything tomorrow, okay?”

To her surprise, Nanami shook her head. “It’s not that. It’s something else… but I think it’s really important we talk about it. Can I come inside?”

The blonde felt a twinge of wariness starting to come over her. “... What is it?” She asked, the suspicious edge to her words coming across sharper than she intended.

“... It’s about the motive tapes. After what happened with Hifumi and Celeste, and Mondo… there’s something I wanted to ask you,” Chiaki admitted after a moment, her brow furrowed slightly with a frown. “Please. I get wanting to be careful after everything, but what I have to tell you can’t wait until morning… I think.”

Kaede gazed at her in deep thought for several long moments. Her initial reaction was to say no as nicely as she could and close the door in case this was some kind of trap. Even as small as she was, Chiaki could easily kill her if she caught Kaede by surprise with a weapon. Yet, at the same time, she felt disgusted by even suspecting that possibility. Chiaki had been the first one to refuse the killing game, and tried to help as much as she could during the trial. There was no reason to suspect her… but… that’s what her friends thought about her, too…

“Stop that. Not everyone’s like you. She isn’t planning anything. Just… keep an eye on her,” She scolded herself, finally arriving at a compromise as she slowly opened the door for the other girl. “... Okay,” She agreed, stepping aside so Nanami could enter. Once she walked in and the door closed, an awkward moment of silence reigned over them, not helping Kaede’s silent worries. “... So… what’s on your mind?”

“... Kaede… I think you’re different from a lot of the people here. No matter what, you’ve kept trying to keep everyone safe. Even Celeste. You might have lied a few times… but, it was always to try to help someone else. I’m not sure many people would be willing to do that. Honestly… it just doesn’t make sense that you’re here,” Chiaki said, her lips in a firm frown. She looked directly into Kaede’s eyes with a dire seriousness that shook her to the core. “So… I need you to tell me exactly what happened with Rantaro.”

Kaede flinched as if Chiaki punched her. “R-Rantaro… Chiaki, why are you asking about this now?”

Chiaki’s grave look didn’t falter. “You never got to explain why you killed him. Monokuma cut you off before you could say more than his name. I need you to tell me what happened… because I need to know if I can trust you with something”

Kaede froze. She opened her mouth, but no words would come, the girl caught completely off guard. “Trust me with something…? Then… I was right. Chiaki’s definitely hiding something. But… what? And how does my murder tie into it?”

A moment passed, and then another. Uncertainty churned inside her, her slight distrust of Nanami clashing with her desire to find out whatever it was she’d been keeping secret. There was also the matter of the fact that she more or less owed them the truth if they asked. She’d been expecting them to follow her, and after everything else she’d concealed, surely that was the least she could tell them, right? At long last, she found her answer. “... Okay. I’ll tell you the truth of what happened. Even if it sounds like a lie, I promise it’s true, okay?” She warned. Chiaki nodded instantly.

With that, she explained everything. From the moment the first motive was dropped to Shuichi confiding his mastermind theory in her to realizing her crime and making the plan to out the mastermind during the trial, Kaede told Chiaki the full truth of the death of Rantaro Amami, the Ultimate Gamer listening intently from start to end. “... Then, the next thing I remember is waking up here and meeting you and Mondo.” She finished, a weariness in her voice that she felt in her soul.

Chiaki stared at her wordlessly for a short eternity before slowly nodding her head. “... I see.”

Akamatsu thinned her lips, looking to the floor. “... Do you believe me?”

“I do… I can tell you’re being honest with me,” Nanami smiled slightly for a moment before it returned to a thin line. “Which is why I’m going to trust you. I have something that you need to see, but it has to stay between the two of us for now. Okay?”

A sudden sense of apprehension sparked inside Kaede, but she nodded all the same. “... Alright. I’ll trust you, too. I promise I won’t tell anyone,” She assured, and unlike so many things she’d said lately, she meant every word of it. Despite her growing worry, there was a certain feeling of excitement as she said, “I’m ready when you are.”

Chiaki nodded and reached into her backpack to reveal her monopod a moment later. She held it in offering to Kaede, who accepted it with a slight look. She took a deep breath before turning it on to find…

Her motive video.

Kaede stared at the screen for a long moment, turned it off, and held it out to the other girl. “... I don’t need to see this.”

“Kaede-”

“I already know what I did, Chiaki.” She interrupted coldly, a bitter feeling slinking up her spine.

Chiaki refused to relent, however. “You don’t understand. It’s hard to explain, but… you’ll know when you watch it. Please , Kaede.”

A beat passed. “... If this is a joke, Chiaki, you have a really screwed up sense of humor…” Kaede warned, her patience already worn thin as she turned on the video and Monokuma’s grating voice blasted through the speakers.

“Hello hello hello, viewers, and welcome to Ultimate Crimes, the show where we reveal to the public all of the horrible things that turned some of our most promising students into heartless killers! We’ve got a special one today, ladies and gentlemen, so grab a snack and a seat! All ready? Good! Then brace yourself, because the murderer we’ll be covering today will be… Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist!”

Kaede sent a wary glance towards Chiaki, but the smaller girl’s expression hadn’t changed. Curling her lips, she looked back down to the screen.

“A prodigy practically from infancy, Kaede has always had tremendous talent when it comes to the piano. What she lacked in friends, she made up for in sheer skill, learning how to play countless pieces from memory and even becoming a composer in her own right by the time she was a teenager. She’s played for thousands of people, including royalty, all in the name of seeing their happy faces. With such undeniable talent and passion for music and considerable connections, Kaede Akamatsu could have revolutionized the field of music forever, going down with the likes of Motzart and Bach. So, knowing that, what possibly could have happened to make her throw her entire future down the drain? Well…

For Kaede, it all started with the game itself. Upon the announcement of her killing game, Kaede boldly declared that no one would commit murder. She quickly asserted herself as the leader of the group, and when she thought she found a way out, she forced them all to suffer through it dozens of times, even when they begged her to stop! Talk about a drill sergeant, am I right?”

Akamatsu’s hands clenched as she glared at the screen. “Chiaki-”

“Just keep watching.” Chiaki instructed, though to her credit, she didn’t look particularly convinced by the video either. As much as she wanted to just shut it off, Kaede begrudgingly followed her request.

“Once they finally went on strike, she was forced to give up, but that wasn’t the end of it. A little while later, yours truly decided to raise her group’s crushed spirits with a bit of hope: the first killing of the game would not go to trial. All the culprit had to do was kill someone and fess up! After all she’d done to break down their spirits, it only seemed fair I give them a free shot at escape!

Now then, this next part is important to understand everything. Once my generous offer was introduced and so rudely rejected by them -publicly, anyways- another student approached our dear protagonist. Mister Shuichi Saihara, the Ultimate Detective, had a plan to end the killing game early. He got the idea in his head that one of his classmates was secretly controlling me, and wanted to arrest them and force the game to end. Crazy, right? As if anyone could be a better Monokuma than Monokuma himself!

Anyways, what Sherlock wasn’t counting on was that Watson wasn’t as innocent as she looked. When she heard about his plan, she got the idea to alter his trap so that she could use it to kill someone! She sweet talked him into letting her set up the cameras he wanted to use to expose this so-called mastermind and rigged them to lure whoever was unlucky enough to be nearby right into the path of a deathtrap she arranged without him noticing. That’s right, dear viewer; little miss class president was the first willing to bust open her so-called friends’ skulls! With just the slightest bit of pressure, she cracked like a walnut! In fact, she was so eager that she passed up on the perk and took her shot at the trial, putting all her beloved classmates on the chopping block!”

“‘Sweet talked him’?! ‘Slightest bit of pressure’?! I intentionally put them in danger?! Are you freaking kidding me?!” Kaede seethed, gritting her teeth hard enough to hurt. She made no excuses for what she did, but the accusations made her blood boil. Chiaki’s look silently carried the same message as earlier, but the blonde’s willingness to abide it was rapidly running out.

“So then, once Mister Detective’s plan went into motion, hers did too. He had a receiver that told him when the supposed secret entrance was opening, and once he was scurrying down the stairs, she threw her shot put ball into the trap…”

Her eyes narrowed as the camera cut to her impromptu ramp, all but shoving the screen back to Chiaki. “No. I’m not watching this, Chiaki. I-”

Nanami forced the screen back, genuine concern on her face. “No, Kaede, you have to. This is what I need you to see.”

“To see him die?! No, Chiaki! I already know it’s my fault he’s dead!” Kaede barked furiously, old regrets and self-loathing bubbling back to the surface. She pushed it back once again. “I don’t know what you’re trying to prove, but-”

“PLEASE!” Chiaki cried out desperately, stunning the blonde into silence. She stared into her pleading pink eyes in total disbelief. For the first time since they’d met, Nanami’s calm demeanor broke, a pleading but unyielding glint to her gaze that gave her pause. “Just… trust me.” She instructed. Kaede was too taken aback to resist as she pushed the pad back into her hands, watching as the ball approached the precipice of the trap. It was hypnotic; she wanted nothing more than to clamp her eyes shut or throw the damn thing away, but her eyes were fixed to the screen, preparing to see the death she caused first hand. At last, the ball rolled off the bookcase, drawing a sharp gasp from the guilt-stricken musician as it fell towards Rantaro…

… and harmlessly fell to the ground with a dull thunk .

“Huuuuh? What’s this?”

The camera zoomed in on the harmless shot put, Rantaro’s shadow turning to look at it before a cringe-inducing metallic clunk rang out, the Ultimate Mystery’s corpse falling lifelessly into frame. Moments later, a pixelated hand grabbed the unstained shotput and traded it with a bloodstained one.

“The shot missed? But… that means that Kaede, the terrible, heartless murderer that betrayed all her friends… was only a terrible, heartless ATTEMPTED murderer that betrayed all her friends! And if that’s true, then who really killed Rantaro Amami and framed her? And even if she did fail, what does it say about her for setting him up to die like that?

Tell me, viewers… does that sound like the kind of person who’s worthy of trust?”

The screen flicked off, leaving Kaede staring at her own stunned reflection. “... What…?”

***

Chapter 18: Initium

Chapter Text

He was never the sort to listen to rumors.

Gossip and hearsay had no place in his line of work. Any truth such whispers might have had was inevitably buried under so much conjecture and misinterpretation that trying to unravel it was almost always more trouble than it was worth, so he often disregarded the more blatantly outlandish ideas going around on the street to focus on what was more relevant and likely to be at least accurate enough to form a base from.

The rumors of a new killing game were very firmly in the former.

It was rather obvious why that couldn’t be the case, at least on the surface. For all their vileness and evil, the killing games were, above all else, spectacles. If someone was running such a game, they went out of their way to make sure everyone knew about it in one way or another. They thrived off of the people seeing the horrors of their twisted masterpieces. That had been true from the first game to the last.

So, when he started hearing rumblings of a new game in the works, he didn’t pay it much mind. Reports of supposed killing games were as common as UFO sightings these days, and just as popular among conspiracy theorists and wannabe investigators. Some started such rumors because they wanted attention or thought it would be funny. Others genuinely believed it and thought they were trying to save lives. The worst were always the ones that did so because they enjoyed the games. Those people always revolted him in a way few things could anymore.

In the end, it didn’t really matter what the reasoning was. Any time a report like that was made, it was the responsibility of his department to investigate the veracity of the claims and act accordingly. His peers were well aware of his thoughts on the matter, so they tended to volunteer themselves before anything like that could cross his desk. He appreciated it, but even that couldn’t prevent the weariness he felt whenever he’d hear them discussing their cases in the halls. Still, it was their job and honestly an important one at that, so he couldn’t particularly blame them for it. They at least had the decency to change the topic if they noticed him walking past.

That courteousness was part of the reason why the file he found in his office three days prior was so peculiar. They knew better than to run anything even tangentially related to the killing games by him, and a folder describing exactly that sat at the top of his caseload that morning. At first, he’d thought it was simply a mistake and was going to pass it off to someone else, but some part of his intuition nagged him to take a look at it first. It was ridiculous even by most hoaxes’ standards, claiming that it was happening on a cruise ship of all places. When he saw the list of the ones supposedly involved, he nearly threw the thing in the trash outright. He couldn’t believe that someone had actually bothered coming up with such drivel, let alone actually taking a report on it and presenting it to investigators. If it was supposed to be a joke, it was a horribly unfunny one.

It was just as he was going to file the report as an obvious fake when something he hadn’t seen slipped out of the dossier. A small note no bigger than a calling card stood in sharp contrast with the generic, uniform pages of the report, bearing only three words written in red ink:

Blackened Skies

-Janus

His brow furrowed at the sight, repeating the words under his breath in confusion. A quick examination revealed the card was as simple as it appeared, with no contact information or anything of note to be found anywhere on it besides those three words. It shouldn’t have meant anything; he didn’t recognize what it was talking about, and the rest of the file already seemed like some sort of prank. It was probably just meant to confuse him, which it was certainly exceeding at… and yet, seeing it gave him enough pause that he slowly moved to set the file down in front of him and start reading over it again.

Inevitably, his real work took priority, but he still couldn’t bring himself to just mark it as a hoax and move on. That was what the others advised him to do. Not one of them said yes when he asked if any of them recognized it, not even the intern he’d assumed delivered it. It was probably just a bad joke no one wanted to own up to. The best thing he could do was ignore the thing… yet, no matter how many times he said he would, the file never left the corner of his eye. Every time he swore to himself he’d get rid of it, he found himself pouring over the information again. Three days later, it was still on his desk, the man blankly staring down at the profiles of the contestants. It was foolish. He knew that. There’s no way something as ridiculous as what the file described was true. Yet…

“... Are you still looking at that?”

He nearly jumped at the sudden voice, looking up to see his friend’s stern gaze. “Ah… yeah,” He confessed lamely, feeling a touch embarrassed that she’d caught him off guard. Her shift went on longer than his, so she shouldn’t have been there yet… unless… a quick glance at the clock proved he was almost thirty minutes past the end of his shift. He shook his head with a sigh. “Sorry, I guess I lost track of time. It’s just… strange. I can’t help thinking about it.”

Her gaze dropped down for a moment, glancing over the smiling photographs of people that were long since gone. Something undeterminable flickered in her eyes for a moment before they turned cold, meeting his once again. “... Whatever. I’m picking dinner up on the way back. Are you coming along?”

The man nodded, mentally kicking himself for how oblivious he’d been as he closed the folder. “Sounds good to me. Just give me a minute to wrap up here and we’ll get going.”

Her lips thinned, curling slightly in disapproval, but when she opened her mouth, no scolding came forth. Her intense gaze gradually softened to something almost sympathetic before she simply gave a small nod. “Alright. If you’re not out in five minutes, I’m leaving without you.” She warned, and with that, silently left the room. He stifled another sigh as he took the folder and put it in one of the desk’s drawers, debating whether or not he should ever bother taking it back out.

“... This shouldn’t be bothering me so much. It’s impossible. I should just get this over with already…” He told himself yet again. Despite knowing full well he’d just back out at the last second like he’d been doing for three days straight, he logged into his computer, preparing to submit the report that would mark it as a dud and finally let him drop the case from his workload. His finger hovered uncertainly above the mouse, held in place by something he couldn’t identify. A beat passed, followed by another, and finally, he gave up, leaning back in his chair in frustration. “Come on...” He admonishingly whispered to himself.

He couldn’t keep doing this. It didn’t make sense, and it certainly wasn’t healthy to obsess over it. Getting distracted by something like that could put real people in danger. He’d be damned if someone got hurt because he was too lost in thought to help them. He could be out there solving legitimate cases, finding real clues to prove...

To prove the truth.

The man forced himself forward, determined to finally put the thing behind him. His instincts might not have allowed him to dismiss it outright despite everything, but proof was the one thing that spoke louder than logic. If he could prove to himself that it was a fake beyond a shadow of a doubt, he could move on. With that in mind, he logged into the database. His security clearance gave him access to practically anything the organization had records of. If something existed, it would be there. He already knew the case files of the so-called ‘blackened’ better than almost anyone, but that wasn’t what he was looking for. Instead, he entered a simple pair of words that had haunted him for the better part of a week.

Search for: Blackened Skies

He pressed enter, waiting as the system scanned through the archives for any matches. That was his plan. Once it came back without any matches for anything of the sort, he would finally be able to convince himself to move on. Tomorrow could carry on like any other day, and-

ACCESS DENIED

The man blinked in surprise, staring at the angry red letters in disbelief. “... What?” He murmured, retyping the phrase and hitting enter once again. It could have just been an error or-

ACCESS DENIED

“...”

He sat there for a long moment, unreadable thoughts circling in his head. Slowly, he erased his previous entry and put in something new.

Search for: Despair of the Seas

…

ACCESS DENIED

"..."

Search for: Janus

...

...

ACCESS DENIED

Something cold began settling over his shoulders, a familiar sensation from the worst times of his life. That… didn’t make sense. If there was nothing in the archives that matched, it would simply display no results. The system couldn’t display information that didn’t exist, after all. The only reason a screen like that would appear…

… was if he was trying to access files above his clearance.

His eyes widened with realization, slowly narrowing as the implications set in. Someone was trying to hide something, and someone else was trying to give him a tip. That only raised more questions, but one thing was for certain.

He would find the truth of this case.

***

Incoming Communication Request

>Accept< Deny

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Communication Terminated

Chapter 19: Chapter Two: Fast Times at Felony Funland: Daily Life Part 1

Chapter Text

…

. . .

. . .

There were no words. Kaede stared unseeingly at the screen, her mind blank. She felt… nothing. A complete sense of numbness settled over her entire body. Some vague emotions seemed to be swirling inside her, but it was like water deep below a frozen lake, trapped beneath a hard, mercilessly unfeeling that refused to let anything reach the surface.

The familiar feeling of numb disbelief was the only thing she could identify. For the third time in less than a day, reality ceased to exist around her, replaced entirely by what could only be described as a dream. A horrible, sickeningly twisted dream, not by virtue of being nightmarish, but by being such a cruelly tantalizing impossibility. In fact… a dream was a wrong way to describe it. At least dreams felt real in the moment; had some sort of anchoring to the real world. This…

This was fiction.

Kaede nearly lept out of her skin as a small hand lightly grasped her arm, swirling around at a breakneck speed to meet Chiaki’s deeply worried gaze. Her pink eyes widened slightly, taken aback by the blonde’s abrupt reaction, but the concern in them didn’t falter. “... Kaede?” She asked, her voice soft but tinged with wariness. Akamatsu couldn’t bring herself to say anything, still in shock from what she’d seen. Nanami’s brow furrowed further, but she didn’t give up. “... I know it’s a lot to take in… but do you see why this was so important?”

The musician remained silent. Gradually, her emotions started to return to her like slowly thawing ice, but she still felt detached from reality itself. As if she were watching herself through a TV instead of actually experiencing it first hand. Chiaki frowned slightly, but she didn’t look away from the other girl, her expression as dire as it had been from the start. “... Kaede, you didn’t kill Rantaro. You’re innocent.”

“... No .”

The Ultimate Gamer stared at her uncomprehendingly. “... What?”

Kaede held the monopad out to Nanami, a smothering feeling of tiredness slightly softening the familiar bitter sting of sorrow and self-hatred aching in her heart. “Chiaki… please, don’t. I know you’re just trying to help, but… stop. For my sake.”

Chiaki gently pushed it back, visibly confused. “But the video-”

“It’s wrong,” Kaede bluntly refused, her voice hard and unwavering with absolute certainty. “I don’t know why it showed that, but it’s wrong. I’m definitely the one who killed Rantaro. Nothing else makes sense.”

That only seemed to encourage the pink-haired Ultimate further, her lips thinning as a challenging look flashed in her eyes. “You sound so certain of that… but is it really the truth?”

“ Yes ,” Kaede hissed out more harshly than she intended. She felt a touch guilty about it, but that was insignificant compared to her growing disgust and frustration. Today had already been hellish enough with the deaths of her friends and her humiliating weakness being mockingly paraded in front of everyone still hanging heavily over her mind. To have this sickening false hope presented to her, taunting her with a promise of innocence she knew damn well was forever lost to her… a firestorm of emotions raged inside her, and not one of them was anything close to whatever she was sure Chiaki wanted her to feel seeing that tape. She pushed the tablet back once again, a touch more forcefully this time. “Look… I’m sorry, but whatever kind of person you think I am, I’m not. I’m a horrible murderer.”

“But what if you weren’t?” Chiaki pressed, refusing to back down. Unfortunately, that bold statement struck a nerve Kaede didn’t know she had, bitter anger shooting up her spine.

“I am ! That’s what matters!” Kaede roared out, her fists balled painfully tight. She glared daggers into the infuriatingly insistent girl, untold pain stabbing at her as the scars of mistakes old and new were ripped open once again.

She’d expected Nanami to stubbornly refuse the truth yet again, but to her surprise, she fell silent. After a moment, she bowed her head slightly. “... Sorry,” She softly apologized with a small frown. Kaede blinked, once again taken by surprise, spurring the gamer to elaborate. “I didn’t mean to make you mad. I shouldn’t have said it like that.”

A spiteful part of Akamatsu wanted to hold onto her anger, but as the seconds silently passed by staring at Nanami’s small but genuine look of remorse, she found that harder and harder to do. Kaede crossed her arms, letting her scowl fall away with a weary sigh. “... I forgive you. And I’m sorry, too. It’s just… not been a good day,” She murmured, the understatement making her feel childish. Trying to push down the growing sense of embarrassment for losing her cool like that, she gently handed the monopad back. “You’re just trying to do the right thing, and I’m glad you trust me enough to trust me with something like that. But… it’s just not the truth. That has to be the fake video Monokuma was talking about. I’m sorry to disappoint you.”

Something indeterminable played across Nanami’s features. She opened her mouth slightly, seeming to hesitate for a moment before settling on what she wanted to say. “... I’m not disappointed. I still meant what I said earlier. But… could you do me a favor?”

Kaede tried to keep her lips from thinning in response. So far, doing what Chiaki asked tended to end up poorly for her in one way or another. Part of her felt guilty to hold such blatant suspicion towards someone she was supposed to be on the side as. At the same time, however, with all Chiaki had been keeping secret from her, and likely still was… it was hard to say the feeling was unwarranted, as hypocritical as she probably was for feeling it.She wished she could simply trust Chiaki flat out, but if that wasn’t an option… well, hadn’t Kaito said to doubt people now so you could trust them later? Maybe a compromise was the best idea. “... Depending on what it is, I’d be happy to help.” She replied, quirking her lips up in a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“I want you to think about the video. Even if you still decide it’s fake, just think over the details and try to explain why you feel that way. If you’re still convinced by tomorrow night, tell me why, and I won’t bring it up again. Can you do that, Kaede?” Chiaki asked sincerely, traces of a calculating glint in her eyes.

The former Ultimate Pianist frowned disapprovingly. “Chiaki…” She began, exasperation bleeding into her tired voice. She couldn’t believe the gamer was still so dead set on this despite how obviously fake that tape had to be. After all, the trial proved Nanami was much sharper than she initially let on, yet she was falling for something like that? It was beyond frustrating, not helping her already sour mood in the slightest, but more than anything, she just felt tired. She just wanted it to stop. If that was what it took to finally make Chiaki see reason, then… “... Do you promise?”

Chiaki nodded steadfastly. “I do. I know it might seem weird, but… it’s really important to me. But, I also get that it’s pretty hard on you. So…” Nanami raised a mostly closed fist, with only her smallest finger extended. Her face was as direly serious as it had been for nearly the entire conversation as she said, “Pinky swear.”

Akamatsu stared at the offered pinky, a slightly confused smile involuntarily coming to her. “Uh… isn’t that a little silly?” She asked, partially unsure if the other girl was messing with her. If she was, Chiaki had a considerable poker face, as the only change in her expression was a slight furrowing of her brow and a small tilt of her head.

“... Is it? I thought that was what people did for things like this…” The gamer replied somewhat unsurely, though she didn’t retract her hand.

“Geez… she really is kind of awkward. But she seems so sincere about it…” Kaede silently mused, her unsure simper gradually shifting into a more genuine if small and weary smile. “Pinky swear.” She agreed as she wrapped her own pinky around Nanami’s, sealing the deal.

Chiaki mirrored her expression, and after a moment, the pair broke it off. “Thanks. It means a lot that you’re willing to do that for me,” She thanked sweetly. Kaede couldn’t quite muster her usual enthusiasm, only managing a confirming nod. Still, that didn’t seem to phase her often stoic companion. A second passed before Chiaki’s pink eyes started to droop a bit, the girl trying and failing to stifle a yawn as she sluggishly glanced towards the clock. “... Huh. It’s getting pretty late. We should probably get to bed…”

Kaede nodded, her smirk faltering a bit as she thought about the fallout she’d have to face in the morning. “Yeah. I’ve got a lot to explain tomorrow… and to think about, apparently,” She noted, her attempt to sound optimistic coming across as more rueful. Shaking her head a little, Kaede gave a small farewell wave. “Goodnight, Chiaki. See you in the morning.”

Chiaki weakly returned the wave as she sluggishly moved towards the door with yet another yawn. “G’night…” She sleepily muttered back. With that, the door softly closed behind her, and Kaede was once again alone.

Kaede let out a long, tired sigh, her shoulders slumping with an overwhelming sense of exhaustion as she locked her door and wearily leaned her back against it. That… was horrible. Enough had already happened to mark the day as one of the worst in her entire life long before she was subjected to that. In a way, she supposed she should be thankful Chiaki was understanding enough to not take those heinous lies and half-truths at face value instead of falling for it like she was unfortunately certain more than a few of her fellow prisoners would. The truth of what she’d done was monstrous enough without Monokuma twisting everything in the worst possible way. But, of all the things to make up, to imply that she somehow wasn’t the killer…

A small hiss of pain escaped her from how her fingernails stabbed at her palms. It would be ridiculous if it wasn’t so horrible. She had no clue how someone as bright as the Ultimate Gamer could believe such a gross and blatant lie. When Monokuma said one of the tapes was fake, she figured it would be something so well hidden that nobody would be able to tell the difference. To say that one of the blackened on the ship wasn’t a killer at all? It was insulting how boldfaced the attempt at deception was.

After all, she was definitely the culprit. The Ultimate Detective himself proved that. There’s no way he would have made a mistake as massive as identifying the wrong culprit. Even if he somehow had, the rules of the game were cut and dry. If they voted for the wrong person, the killer would have escaped and everyone else would die, yet that didn’t happen. As demented as Monokuma was, he’d never gone back on one of his rules. There was no way he’d let the game continue after a false verdict, right? It didn’t make sense. There’d just be no reason to.

“... Unless… maybe the mastermind was the one who…”

Kaede wildly shook her head to banish the thought. No, that was even more insane than the idea that she’d been framed at all. “Don’t be stupid. Even ignoring the fact that the mastermind doesn’t exist ,” She forcefully reminded herself, “There’s no way someone could have killed him like that without getting caught on the cameras. That last picture of Rantaro was taken right before he died. Even if they knew about the intervals somehow, they should have shown up in the photo!”

The logic held up perfectly. After all, no one had an opportunity to even look at the photos before they were developed!

… Developed by the Monokubs… who would have been able to do anything they wanted to the photos with impunity… and who worked for Monokuma and thus the mastermind…

Kaede lightly slapped her forehead with a groan. “Stop it. You’ve been through a nightmare of a day, and you’re tired. You aren’t thinking straight. There’s more important things to focus on than stupid conspiracy theories like that,” She scolded herself, a shameful sense of foolishness coming over her. The fact that she was even partially humoring that nonsense was proof that she was beyond exhausted. “Get some sleep, and tomorrow, try to patch things up with everyone. God knows there’s a lot I have to apologize for…”

With those less than inspiring words in mind, Kaede dragged herself to bed, knowing full well she was in for a second restless night in a row. Yet, staring at the ceiling without a thought in her mind as she waited to eventually succumb to exhaustion, she couldn’t help but still find that preferable to trying to think of all the reasons Rantaro’s death was her fault.

Or the possibility that it wasn’t .

***

As expected, sleep proved a fruitless endeavor. Whenever she managed to drift off, piercing music notes and the whir of an impossibly fast wheel inevitably chased her back to reality in a cold sweat. By the time she finally gave up on the idea, she felt almost more exhausted than she had before going to bed, the blonde grimacing at the light as she checked her monopod clock to find it was still an hour and a half before the morning announcement. She stifled a sigh as she sluggishly dragged herself out of bed. “Okay… the good news is that means there’s plenty of time to come up with how to explain myself to everyone. I have to get this right… so,” Kaede pumped her fists, forcing a smile to encourage herself. “I will! I can do this! And the first step towards that is getting out there and facing the day!”

In truth, the words didn’t magically erase the fatigue from her bones or the lingering sludge of misery and regret weighing her down, but at least it gave her some sort of goal to work towards. As long as she had something to focus on, those feelings were far easier to ignore. With that, Kaede grabbed a quick shower and then proceeded to the dining hall, thinking of what exactly to say all the while.

When she arrived at the kitchen, however, Kaede found herself at a loss for what to do. As proven by the previous morning’s hot chocolate, calling her culinary skills lackluster would probably be a compliment, so any actual cooking was off the table. It would still be about half an hour before Kirumi showed up, though, so she might as well keep herself busy with something. "It must be pretty hard on Kirumi to wake up and start working so early in the morning… maybe she'd like some coffee? I'd just have to use a coffee machine for that. Besides, I'm still a bit groggy, so it'd probably be good for me too…" The ex-pianist mused as she began inspecting the vast array of appliances. It took a little bit, but soon enough, she was able to locate it and some coffee grounds, a pot brewing shortly after. It wasn't terribly complicated, but she wasn't exactly an expert barista or even someone that drank coffee particularly often, so she was more or less aiming for something decent rather than the exquisite brews Teruteru or Kirumi could make.

A short time later, a few shrill beeps announced it was ready, spurring Akamatsu to pour herself a cup. She looked down at the mug filled with pitch-black liquid uncertainly. “Hmm… coffee’s stronger the darker it is, right? Maybe trying it straight will help. Only one way to find out,” Kaede thought to herself as she raised the cup to her lips and gently blew on it before taking a sip… and promptly having her eyes turn to the size of dinner plates as the scolding, bitter liquid hit her tongue. She barely resisted the urge to spit it out, letting out a pained squeal as she all but threw the mug on the counter and miserably tried to gulp down the drink, wincing the entire way down. “OWOWOW OW! Wh-what the hell?! Is it supposed to be like that…?!”

Kaede glared down at the drink, feeling unreasonably betrayed by the inanimate object. She crossed her arms in annoyance, almost as if she could somehow intimidate it into not being so hot, but it shockingly didn’t work. She shook her head with a discontented hum. “Okay… maybe it’s just too hot right now. I don’t really know how long it’s supposed to cool down, though… wait a second, isn’t iced coffee a thing?” Kaede remembered excitedly, a small ‘aha!’ escaping her at the thought as she quickly scurried off to fetch some ice cubes from the freezer. Experimentally, she started putting the cubes in, starting with three and gradually adding more as it melted into the brew. The process would have been a lot simpler if she could just dip a finger in to test the temperature, but even if she’d given up on the piano, old habits die hard. As such, she was stuck awkwardly trying to guess the temperature by feeling the air above the cup with each ice cube she added.

It took nearly an entire tray before it was finally cool enough for her to try again. This time, it didn’t set her mouth on fire, which was a definite improvement. However, that did little to disguise the fact that it tasted like dirt, much to her disappointment. “Oh, come on,” She grumbled under her breath. So far, it was shaping up to be as big a blunder as the hot chocolate… but Kaede Akamatsu was nothing if not stubborn. “Fine. Let’s try something different…” The musician declared to the empty room before turning to search for sugar. It was thankfully easy enough to find in the pantry, and soon she was testingly adding teaspoon after teaspoon to the brew. The first teaspoon didn’t seem to help much, so she tried a second… and a third… and a fourth… before she knew it, she’d dumped ten teaspoons into it. After all her effort, it was only just tolerable, the closest taste comparison she could think of being a really bland, flat soda.

Kaede let out a sigh, setting the mug down with a frown. “Well, so much for becoming the Ultimate Barista…” She lamely joked to herself, managing a rueful smirk despite her disappointment.

“Likely for the best. To be honest, I don’t think it has the same ring as your current title.”

Kaede managed to keep from jumping at the noise this time, merely turning her head to face the approaching Ultimate Maid with a smile. “Oh! Morning, Kirumi!” She merrily greeted with a wave, her botched cup of coffee instantly going forgotten.

Kirumi gave a more reserved mirror of the expression, bowing her head slightly. “Good morning, Kaede,” Tojo greeted, but after a moment, her smile began to fade. “... I’m sorry if this is overstepping, but… another sleepless night?”

Akamatsu’s lips turned downward, glancing down to the floor somewhat shamefully. “... I don’t want to talk about it,” She said quietly, hating how pathetic she sounded. She squeezed her elbow tightly. “I know I promised I wouldn’t just bottle it up, a-and I won’t… but…”

Mercifully, Kirumi nodded without forcing her to explain. “I understand, Kaede. This is very recent, after all. So long as you do confide it when you’re ready, I won’t force the issue.”

The former maestro managed a frail, grateful simper. “Thank you. Really. I promise, I’ll tell you everything soon,” She pledged, a sense of unease settling in her stomach at the words despite her reassuring tone. The awkward silence that followed didn’t help. Desperate to change the topic, Kaede quickly glanced around the kitchen, relief surging in her as she spotted the mostly full coffee pot. “Oh, right! I made some coffee if you want some!” She managed a slightly bashful grin. “I can’t promise it’s great, but still!”

Tojo blinked, clearly surprised to have someone else prepare something for her, before a polite, pleased smile came to her. “I see. Thank you, Kaede,” The maid approached the machine and picked up the pot, hesitating for a moment before looking back to her friend. “Oh, forgive me. I’m a little ahead of myself. Shall I prepare you a cup?”

Kaede glanced ruefully at her miserable concoction. “Yeah, that would be-” She started, only to abruptly cut herself off. “Wait! No! I made it so you could enjoy it, not to give you more work!”

Kirumi shook her head. “It truly wouldn’t be that diffi-”

“I request that you enjoy your coffee!” Kaede suddenly blurted out with a dramatic point.

Kirumi stared at her with a stunned look for a moment before a long, lightly amused sigh escaped the silver-haired servant. “... As you wish.” She conceded with a ghost of a smile. With that, she soon poured herself a mug as well. To Kaede’s surprise and subsequent concern, she made no move to cool it down or sweeten it first, simply raising the cup to her lips.

“W-wait, it’s-!”

A pleased hum emanated from the other girl, not a hint of discomfort on her face. Quite the opposite, in fact, her lips quirking further upward as she lowered the cup with a slight bow of her head. “Ah, it’s wonderful. Thank you, Kaede.”

“... You like it like that?” The blonde asked flatly.

“Yes. I find it’s a wonderful way to start the morning.” Kirumi replied completely genuinely, unknowingly blowing her friend’s mind. At least a hint of it must have shown through though as she quickly moved to stifle a giggle. “Ah… it can certainly be an acquired taste…”

“I guess so, but if ten teaspoons of sugar couldn’t help, I don’t think it’s one I’ll be getting any time soon…” Kaede mumbled, rubbing her head sheepishly. The pleased look on her friend’s face served to ease the embarrassment a touch, a touch of pride swelling in her chest. “But I’m glad you like it!” She pumped her arms. “My first happy customer as an apprentice maid!”

Tojo’s smile grew, until a glint of consideration danced in her eyes for a moment. She put a gloved hand to her chin. “Hmm… I’m aware you’ve requested I enjoy this coffee before anything else, and I will gladly do so. But, if you’re truly inclined to learn how to serve as a maid, would you like to learn how to make coffee that would be more palatable to you? Few people enjoy straight coffee, so it would likely be a good base for serving it in general.”

Kaede’s eyes went wide. “Huh? Really?” She asked, taken aback by the offer, before she delightedly clasped her hands together. “Thank you so much! I’d love to!”

Kirumi’s eyes lit up happily as she bowed her head. “Excellent. The first and most important step is to identify the individual’s preferences. For example…”

And so, for the next half-hour, Kaede eagerly listened to Kirumi’s instructions on how to make the perfect cup of coffee. She couldn’t pretend to understand all the intricacies Tojo lectured her on, especially how she somehow magically made designs in the coffee with the milk (which she subsequently kicked herself for somehow forgetting to try adding in her hopeless attempts to fix her original cup), but she intently took in every word and tried her best to get down the parts she could. All the while, Kirumi served as her diligent tutor, patiently delivering her lesson with a pleased smile. No matter how many times Kaede made a mistake -which was several- the maid would simply demonstrate what went wrong, how to fix it, and congratulate her upon correcting the error.

It was exactly what Kaede needed after the hell she’d gone through the day prior; a calm, fun excursion with a dear friend. No ticking clocks, no threat of death, no suffering; nothing but her, Kirumi, and some surprisingly tasty coffee for her efforts, her misery long since forgotten. By the time they were finished, they had enough coffee brewing for everyone on the ship, the two girls chatting amicably over their own cups in the meantime. As she reached the bottom of her mug, a warm grin came over her. “Thanks again, Kirumi. This was a ton of fun.”’

Kirumi contentedly closed her eyes. “Certainly. It is my pleasure to serve… and it’s been quite an enjoyable experience for myself, as well.”

“Me too. There’s few things better than seeing a pair of beautiful women having coffee together…”

Kaede and Kirumi turned practically in perfect unison to glower at the newly arrived Ultimate Chef, Teruteru meeting their glares with a shameless smirk. He winked at them, waving a two-fingered salute. “Morning, ladies!”

“Mister Hanamura.” Kirumi acknowledged bluntly, her happy look wiped away in favor of guarded annoyance.

Kaede was considerably less tolerant of his antics, the blonde crossing her arms with a stern pout. “Teruteru, I don’t even get that one, but knock it off. I was letting stuff slide with everything going on yesterday, but I don’t want to hear something like that again…” She warned in a low voice.

Teruteru’s suave demeanor faltered somewhat, his grin growing strained as his eyes seemed to wince. “Ah… just joking, Kaede. My bad. I guess I’m still a little jittery after… you know,” Teruteru mumbled glumly, grimacing. Kaede glanced away, a pang of regret hitting her, but the portly boy was thankfully quick to change the topic. “A-anyway, how about I make it up to you? I’ve got a large skill set, you know,” He said proudly, a small chuckle escaping him at her flat glare. “N-not in any sort of unsavory way, of course.”

Akamatsu resisted the urge to roll her eyes, instead humming in thought as she considered his offer. “Hmm… well, since you’re here, we should probably start making breakfast… oh! Some pancakes would be nice!” She declared, suddenly feeling her stomach rumble as the thought of food reminded her just how long it’d actually been since she ate.

Teruteru scratched at his chin. “Pancakes, huh? I know a recipe or two that could work… alright! I’ll make pancakes that’ll make you soak your-” He stopped suddenly, a strained laugh transitioning him to a less offensive remark. “Aheh, I mean, make your mouth water!”

“At least he stopped himself this time. Baby steps, right?” Kaede drolly thought to herself. Regardless, she offered him a beaming grin. “Sounds great! And hey, if you don’t mind, could you show me how to do it too? Kirumi was teaching me how to make coffee was a blast, so I think trying to cooking something could be fun!”

Kirumi smiled at that. “Learning to make both coffee and pancakes? At this rate, it won’t be long before you’re ready for breakfast services as a true maid.” She mused, a hint of pride in her voice.

The Ultimate Chef nodded confirmingly. “Of course. I’m never one to complain when someone wants to get hands on with me,” He hummed, though from the look on his face, it seemed he genuinely didn’t realize the double meaning for once. He turned to the pantry with a small wave. “You and ‘Rumi can finish up while I get the ingredients, and then we can get started. Remember, washed hands and hairnets!”

With that, the trio got started on preparing breakfast for the day. Yesterday’s unintentional class-wide fast spurred them to make a considerable feast to make up for it; Kirumi got to work on a variety buffet similar to the from the first morning on the ship while Teruteru demonstrated a surprisingly in-depth technique for how to make perfect pancakes, opening with what ingredients to use to make sure they were as fluffy as the ones on TV. From there, he showed off the different kinds of pancakes someone could make, starting with plain ones and working his way up to blueberries, strawberries, chocolate chips, and even multi-topping pancakes, though Kaede wasn’t quite adventurous enough to try anything more complicated than the basics for now.

The twinkle in his eye throughout was a kind of happiness she rarely saw in the often lecherous man; a genuine pleasure free of any perversion or teasing mockery. Whenever he spoke about whatever technique he was showing her at the time, there was a bittersweet fondness to it that told a story his words didn’t. Kaede had considered asking him where he learned all this once or twice, but one look at his expression was enough to make it clear exactly who’d taught him. She didn’t press, simply letting herself be content with the fact that he’d taken her suggestion to heart after all.

Once they started wrapping up with the pancakes and moved to assist Kirumi with the more general foods for the meal, the three settled into a comfortable groove of cooking and chatting amongst each other. The Ultimate Maid and Chef amicably bickered with each other with the odd comment from Kaede as well, Hanamura managing to make an admittedly amusing nuisance of himself even despite cutting back on his innuendos considerably. It was far from Kokichi levels, but the cook definitely enjoyed teasing his coworkers. Still, even if they were often more… charged than Kaede would have preferred, his jokes did stay within the boundaries of good taste, so she could at least appreciate the effort to heel his impulses. In truth, she was actually glad for his presence, oddly enough. It definitely helped to keep the mood light, a welcome reprieve from her suffocating isolation.

Of course, that was something in and of itself: Kaede couldn’t help but notice just how weirdly normal it felt.

Hifumi and Celeste were dead. It hadn’t even been a full day since the latter perished. They’d been fighting for their lives less than twenty-four hours prior… and now they were joking around and making breakfast. It was boggling for Kaede to think about. A not insignificant part of her felt ashamed to be having such a good time after two of her friends met their unjust ends, and just thinking about the pair made her heart ache… yet, the crushing misery of the night before simply couldn’t break through the happiness she felt at that moment. It made her a bit guilty to acknowledge that, but it was the truth. Being with the friends she had left, truly living life with them… it had a way of making it all seem a little less hopeless. It was a reminder of the reason why she was so desperate for them all to live in the first place, putting the obvious reasoning aside. Maybe it was wrong of her to feel that way, but… looking at Kirumi and Teruteru’s smiling faces, it was impossible for her to resist one herself. This is what she’d fought so hard for… so, she might as well enjoy it, shouldn’t she?

Nothing lasted forever, however. The reverberating bell that preceded Monokuma’s gratingly cheerful Morning Announcement was her final warning of what inevitably had to follow, Kaede’s contentment fading away as dreadful uncertainty took its place. It must have shown on her expression as Kirumi’s own pleased look shifted into one of concern. “Is everything alright, Kaede?”

Akamatsu tried to hide a grimace, forcing a nod. “Y-yeah, I’m fine,” She lied unconvincingly. Tojo didn’t have to say a word for her disbelief to be evident, her visible eye narrowing with a disappointed firmness that silently admonished her dishonesty. As much as Kaede was sure she’d loathe the comparison, it really did remind her of a mother’s scolding look. She only managed to hold out for a few moments before sighing wearily, her gaze falling to the floor as she squeezed her elbow out of habit. “... I’m worried about what’s going to happen with everyone else. I really screwed up by lying to you all. I can’t blame them if they don’t trust me anymore… but…”

“... I see…” The Ultimate Maid murmured with a frown. The refined woman hesitated for a moment, seeming unsure of what to say. Ultimately, that look of apprehension didn’t leave even as she offered her advice. “... To be honest, Kaede, I cannot promise they will forgive you. In the end, it’s up to each of them to decide that. The only thing I can suggest is that you acknowledge their concerns and be truthful with them. It might not make them trust you, but it would go a long way to proving you have their best interests at heart.”

The harsh reality of the words stung. It was a hard thing to accept, given how hard she’d tried to protect them all. Yet… as dour as those words were, the realism of it helped ground her anxiousness over the situation. Admittedly, the worst case scenario of everyone turning on her was always improbable, but something about her friend telling her flat-out that some are more likely to forgive her than others instilled an odd sense of hopefulness in Kaede. It definitely didn’t feel great… but it didn’t feel quite as suffocating anymore, either. Kaede gave a slow, simple nod. “... Yeah, I think you’re right. Thank you, Kirumi.”

The maid dutifully bowed her head. “You’re welcome, and please, remember that I am here for you if you wish for any assistance during this. I’ll do my best to help you any way I can.”

Kaede managed a phantom of a smile at that, but shook her head. “I really appreciate it, but… this is something I have to do myself. I want to show them they can believe in me, no matter how long it takes.”

“Well, I don’t know how much stock you’d put in someone like me, but you’ve got my vote.” Teruteru offered, apparently having noticed their discussion at some point.

The blonde looked at him in surprise. “Huh? I do?”

Hanamura nodded with a hum. “I’d say so. Like I said back in the cafe, even if I don’t mind my jokes nearly as much as you seem to, most people would be happy just punching me and getting on their way, but you aren’t. You wouldn’t keep trying to talk me out of them instead if you didn’t care about me,” He mused, a half-smirk, half-genuine look on his face. It slipped to a frown as a pang of guilt flashed in his eyes. “I… know I didn’t repay that trust at the trial, but it does mean something to me.” The chef said remorsefully, a rare seriousness coming over him.

As bizarre as if felt to say, the fact that Teruteru thought about her like that was actually kind of honoring. “Maybe I’ve been too harsh on him. When he’s not being a creep, he seems like a pretty decent guy. As long as he keeps his jokes to himself, we could probably be pretty great friends,” Kaede resolved as she gave him a grateful smile. “I’m really glad to hear that. Thanks, Teruteru.”

He twirled the tip of his pompadour, his usual air confidence returning to him. “Anytime. There’s nothing I like more than helping girls feel warm and tingly inside.”

“And there’s the reminder why. Smooth, Teruteru...” Kaede thought with a scoff, rolling her eyes. “I’ll let that slide, but you’re pushing it,” The blonde warned. Teruteru simply chuckled (mostly) good naturedly in response and gave a wave of surrender. A small smirk tugged at her lips despite herself, shaking her head to keep from giving him the satisfaction of seeing any hint of amusem*nt. “Well, everyone will probably be here soon, so we should start getting everything moved out. Ready, guys?”

With that, the three began delivering the various buffet trays out into the dining hall to greet the hoard of starving teenagers that would soon arrive. It came as little surprise to find Peko, Sakura, Korekiyo, and Gonta already in the room, the warriors residing in their usual corner while the anthropologist and entomologist seemed to wind up together, presumably waiting for their mutual object of fascination to arrive. Short pleasantries were exchanged, a slight air of unease hanging over the gathered students, but it was a slight improvement from the morning of the motive. The gathering grew as more people dragged themselves from their rooms with every serving table they brought out, some clearly more tired than others if Tsumugi’s unkempt hair and the dark lines under her eyes were any indication. The awkwardness between her and the cosplayer made her skin crawl guiltily, a feeling that definitely wasn’t helped when a half-conscious Chiaki joined at the same table. Kaede tried not to let it get to her, but it was clear Shirogane most likely topped the list of people she’d have to work to win over again.

One of the other people she owed an apology to the most was among the last to walk in. Despite the somewhat grim atmosphere in the room, Kaito marched into the room with his trademark grin. “Morning, guys!” The astronaut boisterously greeted. Somewhat surprisingly, he actually managed to get a pretty good response in turn, with most of the students at least giving a nod or wave back and a handful even calling it back to him. Kaede was among the latter, and though she could have imagined it, she thought she saw a hint of relief in his eyes at her slightly guilt-twinged smile. Following Momota was Mikan, who offered her own meek wave, and more surprisingly, Mondo. The Ultimate Biker was considerably less chipper than the other man, a slight scowl and his stiff body language making it clear he wasn’t all that comfortable, but it still seemed like a small improvement over the last time he was there. Saying something to the other two that she couldn’t quite make out, he grabbed a table for himself and his comrades, leaving Kaede in a conflicted position.

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, they arrived just as she finished bringing over the last cart, meaning there was nothing to stop her from joining the trio aside from her own apprehension. Guilt stabbed at her as her callous words echoed in her head, the hurt on Kaito’s face as damning as it had been at her own trial. The idea of facing him after all but blaming him for Celeste’s death made her heart sink with shame… but, if she didn’t at least try, what good would that do? Cutting off one of her closest friends on the ship over something she did wrong was even worse than what she’d done in the first place. She shook her head, sucking in a breath. “Come on, Kaede. Don’t make things worse just because it’s scary to try. Besides, it’s Kaito! If he still wanted to be friends after… what I did … then there’s no way he’d hold a grudge over that, right?” She tried to psyche herself up, gathering all the courage she could as she forced herself towards the Luminary of the Stars’ table. Kaede managed a warm smile as she approached the three with a wave. “Hey, guys!”

Kaito turned to her, his face lighting up. “Hey, Kaede! C’mon, there’s a seat open!” He cheerfully invited, sliding the empty chair next to him out. She took it gratefully, sitting between him and Mikan.

“G-good morning, Kaede!” Tsumiki greeted with a small but delighted grin. Hardly a trace of the nurse’s near constant fright was left at the moment, much to Kaede’s pleasant surprise. Apparently being around Kaito was a good influence on her if that was anything to go by.

“... Mornin’.” Came Mondo’s gruff reply, the man giving an acknowledging nod but little else. He looked distracted, clearly more in tune with his thoughts than the world around him. It was a little concerning, but given everything that happened in the last four days, she was just glad he was willing to come along at all. Kaede smiled at him, but decided against trying to press just yet. She didn’t want to drive him away when he was finally showing signs of opening up,

The blonde wasn’t sure what to say after that, her usual gift of gab failing her. Fortunately, Kaito wasn’t having any such trouble. “Saw you were helping out Kirumi and Teruteru. I like the initiative! Heroes should always be willing to lend a hand. Keep it up, and you’ll get promoted from being a sidekick in no time!” He proudly praised as he leaned back in his chair and flashed her a thumbs up.

“Sidekick, apprentice maid, siren… geez, I’m gonna have a pretty full resume at this rate!” Kaede thought with a laugh. Deciding to play along, she gave him a cheeky grin. “At this rate, you’re gonna end up as my sidekick.”

Kaito’s eyes bugged out in absolute shock. “Wh-what?! No way! The Luminary of the Stars is the main attraction!” He refused pridefully, pumping a fist. “I’ll prove it! I, Kaito Momota, challenge you! Whoever can do the most pushups tonight wins, and whoever loses has to admit they’re the sidekick!”

Struggling to stifle a chuckle at his outrage, Kaede shook her head. “Hey, that’s not fair!”

The harsh thud of Kaito’s colliding fists disagreed with her. “It’s totally fair! It’s all about how much you want it! And don’t tell me it’s because you’re a girl, because Maki blows Shuichi out of the water every time!”

This was dumb on a number of levels, and Kaede could easily have picked any of them as her reason to shoot him down. Exercise didn’t prove heroics, for one. It wasn’t the sort of thing you competed over, either. For some reason, however, her mind leapt to the response that was only mildly less dumb than his original point. “Well- you’re an astronaut, and I’m a pianist! You’ve got way more experience working out than me! There’s no way it’d be even!”

Kaito gained a smug grin. “Then I guess that means you’re still my sidekick! After all, the whole point of being a sidekick is training until you’re on par with the hero, so that means you still need to follow my lead!”

Kaede scoffed, but made no effort to hide her own grin. It was amazing just how easily he’d managed to make her forget why she was even reluctant to talk to him. She definitely wouldn’t blow up his ego by admitting it, but he was more charming than she’d given him credit for. From feeling afraid to even approach him to getting into banter like this like nothing happened to begin with… it was pretty incredible, if she was being honest. Shaking her head, she decided to let him think he won the argument. “That so, huh? Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. How about you lead us to some breakfast?”

“Um, I think that’s a good idea. It’s really not good to go so long without eating, e-especially if you have things like workouts planned…” Mikan added gently.

“Of course! Keeping a balanced diet’s a key part of an astronaut’s discipline! Gotta have enough energy for training, after all. Alright, guys, let’s dig in!” Momota called out commandingly as he shot up from his chair like a rocket. Kaede and Mikan stood shortly after, but Mondo didn’t move, still brooding in place. Kaito quirked an eyebrow questioningly. “Hey, aren’t you hungry, man? You’ve gotta have something!”

Owada blinked, suddenly ripped from his thoughts by the question. “Huh? Oh… yeah.” He muttered, shaking his head as his lips thinned. Kaede frowned in concern.

“Are you okay, Mondo?” She asked, more so hoping he’d say what exactly was wrong than having him deny the obvious.

The latter is what she got, however, his greyish purple eyes flicking to hers for a moment before looking away just as quickly. “‘M fine. Just slept like sh*t is all…” He muttered half under his breath. Kaede’s frown deepened, her disappointment at his non-answer showing through more than she intended. His expression hardened a little, but the criminal didn’t confront her beyond a muffled grunt as he started towards the buffet. While it only worsened Kaede’s concern, Kaito merely gave a slight shrug and followed after him. She shot a glance towards Mikan, the look in her eyes making it clear they were both thinking the same thing, but she relented after a moment and simply walked after them.

Whether Mondo wasn’t hungry or was just trying to get back to his thoughts as soon as possible, he didn’t spend long picking things out, only grabbing a bowl of miso soup and some bacon before splitting from the three. Mikan similarly didn’t need very long to get what she wanted, at least compared to Kaito, who was helping himself to a bit of almost everything, including enough pancakes to feed a small army. “... Does that ‘balanced astronaut diet’ of yours usually include a stack of chocolate pancakes as big as your head?” She questioned teasingly as she fixed her own much milder (if still larger than usual) breakfast.

“Er… yeah!” Kaito replied with a voice much too confident to actually be so. After a moment, he rubbed at the back of his head bashfully. “Well, okay, not exactly … but it’s important for astronauts to be able to adapt in the face of the unexpected! Abnormal hunger gets an abnormal amount of pancakes! Besides, we’re bumping up your training tonight, so it’ll balance out!”

“Uh huh…” Kaede replied doubtfully, smirking playfully at his light glare. An amicable moment of silence passed, her smile fading away as she recalled what she wanted to say to him to begin with. “... Hey, Kaito? About what I said at the trial-”

“Don’t.”

Akamatsu stared at him, completely thrown off. “... What?”

“Don’t apologize for things you didn’t do wrong,” He said firmly, meeting her eyes in a level gaze. “You were right, Kaede.”

Kaede was frozen in place for a moment, only barely able to bring herself to shake her head. “No, I wasn’t. It wasn’t fair to shove the blame on you like that.”

“No, you were. Every time Monokuma dragged someone off to die, I just stood by and watched. I said I wouldn’t turn my back on anyone here, but I did it to Celeste without thinking twice. I promised you no one else would die, and then I didn’t do a damn thing to keep that from happening,” He cursed himself, clenching his free hand into a fist as he grit his teeth. “Sure, maybe I couldn’t have stopped any of them from happening… but when the hell did I stop wanting to try ? Why didn’t it even cross my mind until you pointed it out?”

Guilt stabbed at the musician, her gaze shifting from apologetic to sympathetic. “Kaito…”

Momota shook his head. “It shouldn’t have taken you to remind me, Kaede. That’s why I know you’re right.”

“... Even if that were true, it doesn’t change that I shouldn’t have done that. I hurt you, Kaito. I’m sorry.” Kaede softly apologized.

He didn’t say anything for a moment, the man still looking like he wanted to argue with her, yet was hesitant to actually do so. “... I didn’t hold it against you to begin with. But… we’re good,” He reassured. Silence once again fell over the pair, less comfortable than the first, but she couldn’t deny it was relieving to hear for sure. After a beat, Kaito offered her a smile. “Hey, how can you frown when you’ve got pancakes? We can mope sometime else. You gotta start the day with a smile!”

The astronaut’s grin was infectious, Kaede unable to fight off the simper tugging at her lips. “You’re right. We should look forward,” She said before confidently pumping her fists as best she could while holding her plate. “So let’s do that!”

Soon after, the pair walked back together, one of Kaede’s biggest concerns of the morning all but perfectly resolved. While she certainly wasn’t happy to find him indirectly blaming himself for the deaths of their friends (a discrepancy with herself that she wasn’t blind to but pointedly chose to ignore), it was definitely reassuring to know she hadn’t run off one of her closest friends in a fit of anger. Once they rejoined the group, it practically went back to how things were a couple days prior. Mondo was fairly silent throughout, though he gave the odd comment at Kaede or Kaito’s light prodding from time to time. The return to lively conversation after shifting between tense silences and life-or-death debates of the prior two days was like a breath of fresh air to Kaede.

However, as fun as it was, it couldn’t entirely distract her from the elephant in the room. It was hard not to notice the too-long glances occasionally shot her way. Even if that much was just her imagination, the stiffness in the air between her and Shirogane and some of the other arrivals spoke volumes about where she stood with at least some of the group. It was difficult to pick up on individual conversations amongst the general ruckus of the gathered students, but she was sure she’d heard her name at least once or twice in the mix. She couldn’t blame them for it; she knew her actions would be controversial at best. It only made sense if people wanted to debate and gossip about her. That didn’t stop the growing sense of anxiousness coming over her as she tried to deduce what they were saying about her, however.

After some time, that worry had eaten away at her reluctance to bring it up. It was terrifying to address it, but the swirling fears in her head wracked her nerves far worse than almost anything they could actually say. “It’s like Kirumi said; even if they don’t trust me anymore, saying something has to be better than pretending nothing happened. Face it head on now, and it won’t be as big a problem later on…” She told herself, quietly taking in a deep breath to steady herself as she collected her courage. Once breakfast finally started winding down, she took her chance, lest she lose her determination before even starting. “Hey, everyone? Could I have a minute of your time?” She called out as she stood up, irrevocably putting her in the center of everyone’s attention.

Thirteen sets of eyes fell on her in an instant, the ambient din of conversation giving way to an intimidating silence. Kaede tried to ignore how suddenly small she felt under their gaze as she began. “... I know I already said it at the trial, but... I’m truly sorry. About everything. I couldn’t live up to my promise to protect everyone, and I lied to you all. I thought things would be better if some things just stayed secret… but, I was wrong. What I meant doesn’t change that I betrayed the trust you all put in me,” She apologized, head bowed in shame to keep from seeing their scrutinizing looks. That wasn’t the hard part, however, the girl tightly squeezing her elbow like a stress ball as she continued. “So… I understand if some of you don’t trust me anymore. I won’t ask you to, or for forgiveness. However you’re feeling right now, you’re probably right to.”

Each concession felt like a step towards the edge of a rooftop. Kaede knew she deserved it; if she wanted their trust, she shouldn’t have been so distrusting of them. Knowing that didn’t change the fact that she was more or less pouring salt on the seeds of cooperation she’d put her blood, sweat, and tears into growing over the past several days. If their supposed leader was admitting she wasn’t trustworthy, what guarantee was there that anyone would be willing to believe in anyone else?

“... But…” Kaede quietly added as she slowly forced herself to look up at her fellow blackened. “Even if you don’t believe in me anymore, I want you guys to believe in each other. Trust in the bonds you’ve been forming so we can make sure nothing like this ever happens again. Hifumi felt like he couldn’t trust anyone… and now he’s gone. We can’t let anyone repeat that mistake. I want all of us to get out of here and be friends, and to do that, we have to have faith in each other. If there’s anything I say you can trust, let it be that,” Kaede declared with absolute conviction, her voice unwavering as all her doubt seemed to vanish for one powerful moment. Once it passed, however, her confidence gradually withered away, the girl straining to keep from looking down at the floor again as she concluded. “... Thank you. That’s all.”

Akamatsu silently took in the reactions of her peers. Some looked unconvinced by her words, such as Tsumugi, who was pointedly not meeting her gaze. Most of the others were less easy to read, either bearing varying looks of confliction or not letting their expression betray their thoughts at all. To her relief, though, some were quick to back her up. “Lying not good thing to do to friends… but Gonta know Kaede just wanted to protect them. Gentlemen believe in people, especially friends, so Gonta still believe in you, Kaede!” The Ultimate Entomologist supported with a broad smile.

“Gonta’s right! A hero’s gotta believe in his sidekick, after all!” Kaito passionately added.

Chiaki offered her a thin smile. “Yep. I agree.”

“M-me, too.” Mikan demurely supported.

Kirumi, who had been dutifully serving each table throughout the meal, bowed her head. “Though we’ve already said it privately, both Mister Hanamura and myself support you, Kaede.” She reaffirmed, an agreeing hum and nod coming from the Ultimate Chef at a serving station he’d set up nearby.

The show of support warmed Kaede’s heavy heart, a faint, grateful smile crossing her face. “... Thanks, guys.”

A long moment passed without a word, Kaede eventually assuming that no one had anything to add, but just as she was about to sit back down, an unexpected voice rose up in resistance. “... To be honest… I plainly don’t think I can trust you anymore.”

If the once-Ultimate Pianist should have expected anyone to speak out against her, Tsumugi was by far the chief among them, but that still didn’t keep her from reeling at the sudden denouncement. Shirogane rubbed at her elbow, giving Kaede a cross between a grimace and a glare. She almost looked reluctant to do so, almost as if it hurt, but there was no mistaking the bitterness and betrayal in her bespectacled gaze. Such emotion seemed so alien on the often passive cosplayer, Akamatsu feeling herself wither slightly under Tsumugi’s glare as she looked down shamefully. “... I understand-”

“I don’t think you really do,” Tsumugi interrupted, stunning Kaede into silence. Shirogane herself looked a bit surprised by the sharpness of her voice, but it was only a momentary distraction before her cold bitterness came back at full force. “You didn’t just lie to us, Kaede. You convinced everyone I was lying when I was telling the truth. Do you know how horrible it is to have no one believe you when you’re not doing anything wrong?”

Kaede flinched as if the bluenette had walked over and slapped her. She hadn’t so much as raised her voice, but the resentment held within it was all it took to keep her quiet. Kaito wasn’t nearly as taken aback, however, as he quickly leapt to her defense. “Hey, that’s not fair! Kaede helped me prove you innocent, remember?!”

“But she’s also why people suspected me in the first place,” Tsumugi groused with a deep frown. “If you didn’t remember that noise, she would’ve said I was the culprit. We all would have…” She trailed off, the unspoken words hung heavy in the air, callously tossing yet another weight on Kaede’s heart.

Mondo let out a derisive scoff. “You seemed pretty f*ckin’ eager to throw me under the bus, too...” He rumbled pointedly. Tsumugi grimaced, some of her nerve vanishing, but she shook her head.

“S-sorry… but I mean it. I’m just not comfortable with Kaede being in charge anymore. So… I don’t think she should be.”

Akamatsu’s head shot up, her eyes widening in shock and hurt. “H-huh?! You… feel that strongly about it?” She quietly asked, her surprise fading into an apologetic weariness.

The Ultimate Astronaut grit his teeth. “Seriously?! Come on, Tsumugi! Everyone gets accused in the trials at some point! That’s not Kaede’s fault!” He argued incredulously.

Unfortunately, the Ultimate Cosplayer wasn’t the only dissenting voice in the crowd. Gundham narrowed his mismatched eyes as he crossed his arms. “While that is true, Luminary, we also cannot forget that many of our follies in that trial were born of the Siren’s deceptions. Regardless of her reasons, had she simply confided the same trust in us she expected us to grant her, much of our debate would not have happened. Hifumi’s killer could have been discovered with far less tribulation on us all.”

“But that only ‘cause she tried to protect Mondo! Reasons do matter!” Gonta viliantly tried to argue in her defense.

Korekiyo hummed. “Noble of her, true… but that also means she was willing to not only lie in order to cover for an attempted killer, but involve other people in her lie as well. Isn’t that so, Kaito?”

Momota jerked back at the accusation, letting out a growl. “You...!”

“He has a point,” Peko cut off, her tone firm but lacking the hostility of Shirogane. “Even granting that the circ*mstances were… extraordinary, Celeste exploited that to manipulate her, and all of us by proxy. It should go without saying why that’s concerning.”

Sakura nodded slowly. “I agree,” She murmured, shifting her sympathetic but unwavering eyes to Kaede. “Though you meant well, ignoring the consequences of those good intentions would be unwise.”

Each accusation was another damning blow to Kaede’s confidence as their supposed leader, their words lashing at her spirit like whips. She’d already been preparing that they might reject her, but even the fact that most of them were at least sympathetic did little to lessen the blow of seeing so many of her friends argue against her. She gradually curled into herself as their complaints piled up, hating how small she felt, yet refusing to speak up in her own defense. How could she refuse what was objectively true?

“Whether you approve of Kaede’s methods or not,” Kirumi spoke up, her hands calmly folded in front of her. “Please remember that it was ultimately her efforts that let us find the truth of the case. Without her leadership during the investigation and the trial, I’m not certain we would be having this conversation to start with.”

Leon crossed his arms, looking unsure. “I mean, I get how that could be true… but, isn’t it weird that she kept stuff like that notebook a secret for so long? She said we all had to trust each other to investigate, and then she keeps a bunch of clues to herself? That’s pretty sketchy, man.”

Kaito shot to his feet growling, slamming his fist down on the table with a resounding thunk and making Mikan yelp and the tableware clatter in his wake. “I can’t believe you guys! You’re all turning your backs on her for petty bullsh*t after everything she’s done for us! You’re seriously pissing me off!”

Kaede shook her head. “No, Kaito, they-”

He swiveled to her with a scolding glare. “And you’re pissing me off the most!”

“H-huh?!” Kaede sputtered out in shocked confusion, raising her hands in front of her on instinct.

“Why are you just standing there and taking this crap?! This is no different from the tunnel!” Momota demanded frustratedly.

Akamatsu frowned at him, crossing her arms. “I’m not going to force people to follow me, Kaito. I’m not a dictator. I’m only the leader as long as people want me to be. If they don’t…” She forced herself to ignore the pang of hurt those words brought on. “... Then I won’t be.”

Confliction tainted the steadfast outrage in Kaito’s amethyst eyes, the two individually agreeable values clashing violently with each other in his mind. “Tch… even so, just because a couple people are saying that doesn’t mean we all want you out!”

Kaede’s frown deepened, her eyes hardening authoritatively. Before the former Ultimate Pianist could give a response, however, Chiaki offered a solution. “... If it’s important, maybe we could have a vote like we did for the videos? If we do that, everyone has a say, so it’ll be fair no matter what happens… I think.”

The blonde thought about it for a moment before giving a somewhat reluctant nod. “... Yeah, I think so too. If nobody has a problem with it,” She glanced at Kaito admonishingly before he could say anything. “Then that’s what we should do.”

A general hum of agreement followed, no one particularly eager for what was about to happen, but at least being civil enough to agree to it. Kaede certainly wasn’t excited for it, a slightly queasy nervousness settling over her as she prepared to officially lose the trust of her friends and fellow prisoners. She’d already resigned herself to that fate as surely as she had her death before, her hope residing more in the possibility of redeeming herself in their eyes than them putting their faith in her even after all she’d done. Taking a deep breath, she started the referendum. “Okay. If you think I should step down, raise your hand.”

Tsumugi was unsurprisingly the first to raise her hand, with Gundham, Peko, Sakura, and a surprisingly hesitant Leon following suit afterwards. More unexpected then that was the fact that Korekiyo didn’t move, simply observing the others silently. That didn’t go unnoticed by the others, the Ultimate Baseball Star raising an eyebrow at him. “Hey, wait a second, weren’t you just complaining that she covered for Mondo? Doesn’t that mean you think leaving her in charge a bad idea?”

Shinguji let out a tisk, shaking his head lightly. “Perhaps… but, it is not my place to interfere. I don’t feel strongly enough about this to involve myself. I am content to observe either outcome.” The anthropologist hummed, drawing dirty looks from both parties, but he was unphased.

It wasn’t particularly comforting to Kaede that the only thing keeping her from having nearly half the group against her was essentially Kiyo’s political apathy. “He brings up arguments against something, and then just leaves them there for other people to use… is that his way of testing people?” She thought with some concern. His vote (or lack thereof) wasn’t the only surprise, however. Her eyes drifted to Mondo, the biker’s face hidden behind his hair. If she was being honest, a part of her thought he was going to vote against her. Between his odd behavior that morning and his bitter silence after Celeste’s death, it wouldn’t have surprised her if he resented her for trying to save the gambler. Even if he didn’t, the fact that at least six of the thirteen students left had a problem with her stung considerably.

After a few more moments, Kaede nodded in acknowledgement. “Alright… if you want me to stay, raise your hand.” She instructed. Kaito, despite still clearly being displeased with the situation, was the first to raise his hand, Kirumi and Gonta quickly following suit. Good to his word, Teruteru joined in with Mikan and Chiaki. Mondo stood still, his arms crossed unflinchingly, but she could feel his eyes scrutinizing her behind the shield of his pompadour. She couldn’t shake the feeling of being analyzed, as if he were studying her for some hint or clue of something she couldn’t identify. After a long moment, he clicked his tongue.

“... Tch. Made a promise, didn’t I?” Mondo murmured, almost like he was reminding himself more of that than anyone else, before he too held up a hand. If he held any reasoning besides their oath, he didn’t bother to mention it, letting his action speak for itself.

Kaede blinked in surprise, gazing at the biker with a mixture of confusion and gratitude. She truly had no idea what was going on inside Mondo’s head to explain jarring shifts in behavior for him to suddenly side with her after seeming going out of his way to say as little to her as possible earlier. “What’s going on with you, Mondo...? I should try to talk to him when I get the chance…”

Whatever was playing out in Owada’s mind, however, would have to be a question solved another time. “Five votes dissenting, seven approving. It seems the majority favors Kaede.” Kirumi noted, a hint of relief slipping into her intentionally neutral voice. Despite counting the votes herself, Kaede couldn’t help but be taken aback by the turn of events. She’d more or less assumed the night prior that she was at least going to be demoted, yet there was no doubt about the will of the group at large. Blinking in surprise, she somewhat shyly looked to the five that voted against her.

Tsumugi’s look of surprise lasted for only a handful of moments before it faded to one of bitter, tired resentment, the sort that spoke of a history of being cast aside. The cosplayer caught her eye for a brief moment, narrowing despite the sad glint of betrayal in them, before she looked away entirely. It hurt Kaede more than Shirogane would likely ever know to see the rejection she’d once begged for come to pass.

In contrast, Leon looked almost bashful, grimacing as he once again found himself on the losing end of a group decision. Gundham was visibly unimpressed with their decision, his gaze hardening judgmentally. Sakura merely hummed in thought, bowing her head concedingly. Peko thinned her lips, her eyes as firm as Gundham’s but lacking the negative aura about them. “... Very well. I will respect this decision… unless I’m given further reason to doubt your abilities.”

“Hmph. The blind willingly choose to follow the blind… fine then. If this is the fate you choose, I shall not save us from it. Let us merely hope for all our sakes, Kaede, that your good intentions don’t pave a road of damnation for you to lead us down.” Gundham rumbled, his expression not shifting beyond the bare minimum as he spoke.

Despite the dire warnings in both their words, Kaede didn’t shy away from them. Rather, the maestro turned leader felt an odd sort of reinvigoration. The direct support from some of her friends was certainly a comfort, but hidden under the sharpness of their remarks was a promise of something Kaede never thought she’d have.

A second chance.

The moment she realized Rantaro wasn’t the mastermind, she knew she could never make amends for what she’d done. Death was the only thing left for her, especially after her second plan failed as spectacularly as the first. As broken as that left her, she’d made peace with it, even as she was dragged off to the gallows. Here, however?

Here, she was alive. She had time, with no immediate promise of death looming over her with every tick of the clock. There was no taking back the fact that she’d killed Rantaro, no matter what that stupid video said, but what she could make up for was the wrongs she did here and now. That was what she was being offered, and it wasn’t something she would let go to waste. “I won’t. I promise. I don’t blame you if you don't have much faith in me, but I swear, I’ll do everything I can to prove myself to you all. I won’t let this be a mistake.”

“See that you follow through on that.” Peko advised seriously, drawing a solemn nod from her leader.

Before Kaede could say anything, though, she suddenly found herself pulled into a side-hug by the Ultimate Astronaut. “Of course she will! No one can fail when Kaito Momota is backing them!” He proudly declared. Kaede couldn’t suppress the small smile that came to her, half-born of light embarrassment and half of genuinely appreciating the gesture. Peko gave him a flat look, but didn’t vocally object to the statement, letting a slightly tense but agreeable silence fall upon the room. After a moment, Kaito broke off the hug, planting his hand on his hip. “So, is there anything else we need to talk about?”

“... There is something we would be remiss not to talk about,” Kirumi brought up somewhat reluctantly. Glancing towards her, it was clear to see the maid’s gaze was focused on one particular person. “Mister Owada… regarding your actions last night-”

“Look,” Mondo instantly interrupted, a scowl on his face as he finally looked up and towards Tojo. “I ain’t gonna make excuses for what happened. I f*cked up, and I coulda f*cked up a whole lot worse than I did if I wasn’t lucky. But I’ve got nothing left to lose here or out there, and the only people I had a problem with here are already dead. There’s no reason for me to try to kill someone, so if that’s where you’re going with this, don’t bother.”

The maid stared at him quietly, her emerald eye scrutinizing him intently. “... I certainly hope that’s true,” She said neutrally, her gaze slowly shifting to Kaede and softening slightly. “Kaede…”

“I believe in him,” Kaede announced before her friend could try to dissuade her from anything. “And I’m going to live up to our promise, no matter what.”

“That’s right. Besides, his mistakes are my mistakes, so any problems you have, take them up with me!” Momota backed up, and with that, the line of discussion effectively came to a close. Whether the rest of the group was actually okay with that or simply didn’t want to bother arguing with the two stubbornest people on the ship wasn’t clear, but either was acceptable in Kaede’s opinion, as she refused to budge on this.

Once a few moments passed, Kaede let out a small breath, suddenly finding it much easier to breathe. “Okay. Is there anything else we should say?”

“Yes indeed! In fact, there’s something that’s been bear -ing on my mind all morning!”

A wave of groans and a couple shrieks rang out as Monokuma suddenly popped down from the ceiling directly onto Kaede’s table. Mikan was among the latter, the girl pitifully flinching back so hard that her chair fell backwards and left her spiraling out on the floor. Kaito and Mondo were far less fearful, both openly glowering at him with clenched fists. Kaede didn’t pay much mind to them, however, as the bear was just about eye-level with her as she spun around to face him. “What do you want?” She snapped hatefully, an untold loathing filling her the instant she heard the mascot’s voice.

Monokuma put a paw to his chest in offense. “Geez! You take that kind of tone for me when I come bear -ing gifts?! How rude! Kids these days have no respect!”

“Knock it off with the stupid puns!” Leon shouted from the back, but no one cared.

Kaede quirked an eyebrow, though her glare didn’t relent in the slightest. “Gifts? What do you mean by that?” She demanded. Surely he wasn’t handing out another motive already, was he?

“Well, technically, I only have one gift on me. You’ll get the others soon,” He conceded with a shrug, before grinning broadly. “Buuut, I DO have something for you! Behold!”

With that, he presented a staggeringly large golden key, about the length of her arm and half that size tall. The handle of it was a royal purple circle with a large golden M in front of it. All in all, it was horrendously gaudy, looking more like something out of a cartoon than an actual functioning key. Kaede didn’t reach out to take it, instead crossing her arms in suspicion. “Um… what exactly is that?”

“It’s a key!” He unhelpfully proclaimed.

“No sh*t. What’s it a key to?” Mondo demanded bluntly, sneering at the bear.

Despite not shifting expressions in the slightest, Monokuma’s smile somehow seemed to become ominous. “Why, it’s a key to the truths of your killing games.”

“H-huh…?”

And just like that, the floodgates opened.

“The truths of our games?”

“The f*ck are you talking about?!”

“Is he talking about our memories?!”

A torrent of questions poured forth from the gathered blackened, every soul in the room straightening up at Monokuma’s startling words. Kaede could hardly hear her own alarmed thoughts as she stared at the animatronic like a deer in headlights. The sheer magnitude of what he said finally snapped her back to her senses as she shoved a finger towards Monokuma demandingly. “Th-that doesn’t make any sense! What are you talking about?!”

He giggled in her face, making the blonde’s blood boil in indignation. “Puhuhuhu! That’s the question, isn’t it? Why did the killing games happen? Who lived? Did anyone live? What happened to your beloved friends and family on the outside?” He rattled off, sounding more menacingly taunting with each question. “If you wanna know, you guys should head up to the third deck pronto! The answers to all these questions and more might be waiting!

“Bastard…! Don’t go around saying crap like that!” Kaito growled, clearly wanting to tear into Monokuma yet unable to entirely reject the information almost literally being dangled in front of his face. He shoved a hand out impatiently. “Hurry up and hand it over!”

Monokuma jerked the key away with a glare. “Hey, who says it’s for you, grabby?! Side characters don’t get important stuff like this!”

“S-side character?!” Kaito balked in horrified outrage.

Ignoring the sputtering astronaut, Monokuma smiled at Kaede, holding out the key. “Since you’re apparently Little Miss Popular among this rowdy bunch of psychos, congrats! This key is now your responsibility!” He mockingly praised. Kaede grit her teeth, wanting nothing more than to punch the bastard robot in the face... but, she couldn’t deny that her interest was piqued. Motive or not, she had to know what happened to Kanda, her dad, Shuichi, and so many others. If this was her shot at learning that, then… she begrudgingly accepted the key. He smirked, giving her a little salute. “There we go! Now, be a good protagonist and get to solving this mystery! I’ll be watching!”

“I hope it bores you,” She spat out, only incurring a delighted laugh from her captor as he hopped off the table and vanished without a trace. In the heavy silence that followed his departure, Kaede could only let out a weary sigh, looking at the others with a growing sense of dread. With that dread, however, was the firm pressure of responsibility that gave her the courage to press forward. “... Well, everyone… I won’t lie; I don’t really trust this. But... I think we should do it, at least so we know what it is.”

Peko nodded. “I doubt we’d have much of a choice anyway, given Monokuma, but I agree. If this is a motive, it’s best we are all aware of it and understand it so there’s no surprises.”

Similar assessments followed, no one particularly wanting to go along with whatever Monokuma had planned, but none willing to refuse him outright. With a universal agreement to go, Kaede quietly drew a breath as she nodded. “Alright. If we’re all ready, then… come on, everyone! Let’s face this head on!” Kaede inspiringly declared, pumping her arms to instill a confidence in everyone she didn’t quite feel herself. It seemed to work at least a little, drawing a few nods of support from the crowd as they collectively took the first steps towards the mysterious third deck. She didn’t know what to expect once they got there, or how she’d prove herself to the people she’d let down, but she still walked with strength in her stride.

Kaede would become the leader they needed, and the road to that started here.

***

The long trek through the halls was a fairly silent one. The odd bit of chatter sounded off occasionally, but it was never more than two or three people at a time, most of the students leaving each other to their thoughts. Kaede had attempted to strike up a conversation with Mondo a couple times, but it didn’t go very well, the biker’s responses being short and vague at best and pure silence at worst. The fact that he wasn’t snapping at her was hopefully a sign that he wasn’t angry at her for one reason or another, but it disappointed her that he was being so taciturn. Whatever was on his mind, he wasn’t sharing any time soon, Owada awkwardly hovering halfway between the front and middle of the group without saying a word. Still, the silence wasn’t entirely unwelcome. At least it meant no one said anything when she took them down the opposite hallway from the one that led to her lab.

When they finally reached the end of the second deck, sure enough, the imposing metal shutter that not even the combined strength of eight of them could lift was magically gone, allowing free access to the level above. Kaede pushed past the odd sense of annoyance that gave her and simply walked up the stairwell.

Once they were upstairs, the first thing Kaede noticed was the drastic change in color scheme. While the first and second deck had distinguished yellow walls and blue carpeting that gave the impression of a ritzy hotel, this deck opted for a more royal design. Flashy red carpeting with gold accents replaced the blue of previous levels, the wallpaper shifting to a harshly bright, sterile white that looked almost like marble. It was more subdued than the other design, yet had an almost imposing aura to it, like walking in a castle or the like. The contrast kind of hurt her eyes a little, but that wasn’t what Kaede was paying attention to.

The layout of the corridor itself was the more interesting aspect of it. Aside from some massive porthole windows that even Sakura could comfortably stand in lining the right side of the hall, and what looked like another shutter barring the stairs at the opposite end of the hall, there weren’t any doors in sight. It was as straight and wide as the corridor on the first deck, but with none of the multitude of rooms, leaving nothing but an annoyingly long and narrow hallway with an eyesore of a design.

It took nearly ten minutes of walking -and complaining from the more impatient members of the group- before they finally came across something. In the middle of the hall to their left was a single tall, rectangular structure. It bore the same color scheme as the key Monokuma gave her, a royal purple design spanning about the size of a small stage entirely trimmed with gold. In the center of it was an odd hole that revealed more of the marble white behind the design. Kaede held the tawdry-looking key in front of her to find that, sure enough, the hole was a perfect outline of the key. “Hmm… I guess this is what we’re looking for.”

“About damn time…” Mondo grumbled irritably.

“Is this really the place, though? Doesn’t it seem kind of underwhelming for how much Monokuma was building it up?” Tsumugi idly pondered.

Leon scowled, crossing his arms. “I’m not dragging my ass all the way down the hall just to find out it is.”

“... Is this a jest? We ventured far and wide for a mere infant’s puzzle?” Gundham bitterly demanded, clearly displeased by the apparent letdown of a reveal.

“What does it matter what it looks like? It’s clearly where the key goes. Anything else is irrelevant.” Peko dismissed.

Teruteru rubbed at his chin. “In that case, maybe we should hurry up and thrust in?”

Kaede nodded. “Yeah, I think- ugh,” She huffed in annoyance, shooting a glare at the smirking chef before shaking her head. “ Anyway, we won’t find out anything just standing here. We might as well…” Akamatsu murmured as she somewhat cautiously walked up to the anomaly and held the key up, sliding it into place with a small click .

For a long moment, nothing happened. Kaede furrowed her brow, staring at it in incomprehension. “... Is it broken?” She wondered aloud.

The moment those words left her mouth, a dull buzzing sounded off as the M on the key suddenly began spinning in place, becoming faster and faster with each passing moment before just as abruptly stopping with a high pitched bing . The rectangle quickly slid into the ground to reveal a darkened stage behind it, and soon after that, a spotlight came on to reveal Monokuma standing in front of a set of white and black curtains. The bear was dressed in a large orange tophat and a long purple coat with a plaid shirt of a lighter shade underneath, the outfit topped off with an oversized yellow bowtie and a purple cane. “Ah, welcome, welcome! I was starting to get worried you guys wouldn’t make it in time!”

“In time? In time for what? And what the hell are you wearing?” Kaede asked, as confused by the statement as she was his ridiculous getup.

Monokuma twirled the cane in his paw with a grin. “Why, for the grand reveal, of course! Hit it!” He called out, and a moment later, a jaunty tune began to play. He bounced up and down on the cane in time with the music, and after a moment, began to sing.

“What if there was a place designed all by Monokuma?

Wouldn't that be the drear-drear-dreariest place in all the world?”

The curtains behind him pulled away, revealing a number of small animatronic dolls. There were fourteen of them in total, many in some variant of a brown and white school uniform Kaede didn’t recognize, though one seemed to be wearing a large yellow hoodie of some sort. They joined in the song as well with tinny, robotic voices.

“Where everyone's a killer

And felonies run free,

Life plays just like a thriller,

It's quite a sight to see!”

“... What.” Was the only thing that came to Kaede’s mind. She couldn’t believe what she was looking at. No, scratch that, she had no idea what the hell she was looking at. Kaede gave a confused glance to either side of her if only to confirm whether or not she was having a stroke right now. The others thankfully looked just as baffled as she felt, with even the more composed among them at an absolute loss, Korekiyo and Peko in particular looking almost comical in how badly their puzzlement clashed with their usual inexpressiveness. She didn’t know whether to be relieved or concerned that yes, Monokuma was in fact singing and dancing in front of them right now.

Monokuma and his robots kept singing and dancing on for nearly two minutes, the bear gleefully performing his musical number as his literal captive audience looked on in sheer bewilderment. Kaede decided early on to simply tune the song out for the sake of her sanity, hoping the whole thing would be over sooner if she didn’t pay attention to it.

About halfway through the song, the background animatronics seemed to turn on each other and started fighting, leaving an increasingly large body count of sparking and dismembered dolls even as the surviving ones continued to sing. At long last, the song reached its closing crescendo, with only Monokuma and one doll left functional on the stage.

“So enjoy the games and rides and homicides

Where merriment and death collide,

Where human life just has no worth

The most despairing place on Earth

Felony Funland ! ”

Monokuma swung his arms back dramatically as he jumped forward, unintentionally decapitating the remaining robot with his cane. What caught everyone’s attention, however, was the fact that just as he finished singing those final words, the wall on either side of the stage and behind it suddenly toppled backwards like cardboard cutouts in a massive cacophony of noise. In its place just behind Monokuma shot up a large golden gate, and behind it...

… was a massive theme park.

Chapter 20: Chapter Two: Fast Times at Felony Funland: Daily Life Part 2

Chapter Text

At first, no one said anything, the sheer shock of what they’d just observed leaving them speechless. All they could do was stare at the dazzling lights and unmistakable outlines of carnival attractions, the distant sounds of rides operating and jovial music humming over far-off speakers. Seconds passed without a word from anyone until Mondo eloquently summed up what was on everyone’s minds. “... What the f*ck?!”

Monokuma tilted his head to the side. “What, did you not like the song? Geez. Everyone’s a critic these days!”

“Wh- screw the song, man! What the hell is that?!” Leon sputtered, flailing his hand towards the unbelievable sight behind the bear. Monokuma scowled, dropping his showman’s pose to cross his arms at the athlete.

“Seriously? I made an entire musical number explaining what this place is, and you’re still asking me that?!” He demanded incredulously.

“... I fell asleep after the first few notes…” Chiaki admitted, the bleary look in her eye confirming the rather improbable claim.

Sensing an opportunity to stick it to the bear, Kaede decided to chime in. “You didn’t miss much. It was terrible.”

“ Terrible?! ” Monokuma growled out, popping his claws out in offense. “What do you know about music?!”

“I’m the Ultimate Pianist.” Kaede retorted with a flat tone and even flatter look.

Monokuma opened his monstrous jaw to fire back, but after a moment, the only sound that left it was a long, overdramatic sigh as he slowly shook his head. “... Whatever. The point being, my dear blackened, is that that ,” He swung the cane to point at the festival behind him. “Is Felony Funland, the world’s first at-sea theme park!”

“Wait, seriously?! It really is a theme park?!” Kaito butted in, looking way more excited by that idea than he should. He almost looked like a little kid.

“Yes indeed! Through a miracle of engineering and a little bit of magic from yours truly, the Despair of the Seas is proud to present an amusem*nt experience like no other! It has everything you could ever want in a park; rigged games, knick knack prizes you get bored with after an hour, overpriced food, rides operated by people who would be just as happy to get hit by the thing as they would to ride it themselves, and all with a wonderful Monokuma twist! Since the trial was such a doozy, I wanted to reward you guys by giving you the first glimpse of the place before it launches worldwide!”

Tsumugi rubbed at her chin in contemplation. “A theme park inside a prison? I feel like I’ve seen this somewhere else…”

“Who gives a sh*t about that?!” Mondo snarled, raising a fist towards the headmaster from where he stood. “You said that key had to do with our games! The hell does some sh*tty park have to do with that?!”

“Well, everything!” Monokuma replied with a smile, stunning the anger out of him.

“Huh…? What are you talking about?” The biker questioned, baffled. Everyone else stayed silent, anxious to hear the bear’s explanation.

Monokuma’s smile grew, clearly enjoying the fact that he’d drawn them all into his ploy. “See, that’s part of what makes Felony Funland what it is: it’s entirely themed around the killing games! Those prizes and rides I mentioned? Well, there might just be some clues about what your buddies got up to after you all bit the bullet mixed in with them, or maybe your missing memories! Or, for those whose lives don’t revolve around school, what’s been going on with your loved ones and the outside world!” The animatronic gleefully declared, his previous game-show tone taking on a sad*stic edge to it that sent shivers down Kaede’s spine. “Everything I promised you can be found right here within the confines of Felony Funland!”

Kirumi narrowed her eyes, her lips pressed in a thin frown. “And if we wish to find them, we have to explore the park, correct?”

“You’ve got it! Luckily for you guys, admission is absolutely free for murderers! After all, it’s dirty criminals like you that put the felony in Felony Funland!”

“You’re despicable, you know that?” Kaede hissed, clenching her fists tightly against her sides.

Monokuma had the gall to look offended at that. “For letting you guys into my five-star park for absolutely free? Geez! Last time I’m being nice to you, Miss Akamatsu!” He huffed, putting a paw on each hip as he scolded her. He seemed to get over it almost instantly, though, as he quickly gave a shrug. “Oh well! One way or another, you guys have to check the place out, so it doesn’t really matter.”

Sakura stepped forward as she spoke. “If that’s the case, then we should get this over with as soon as we can. I’m getting tired of Monokuma’s prattling.”

Korekiyo embraced himself with a soft hum. “I must admit, I am curious to see what an amusem*nt park designed by someone so twisted would look like. I too would like to begin our investigation.”

It was only a couple moments before the majority of the group was with Kaede in front of the gate, the blonde taking her own step forward to lead the group in, only for Monokuma to throw his paws in the air warningly. “Hey, wait a second! Where do you think you’re going?!”

“Did you not just say that our desires await past this gate? Where we are going should be obvious to even the dullest of sinners.” Gundham shot back as if the bear were a complete idiot.

Kaede nodded, crossing her arms. “Yeah! You said we had to explore this place, so just go away and let us do it already!”

Her words didn’t phase the monochrome monster, however, who refused to move out of their way. “Absolutely not! You guys are invited, as in guests ! You aren’t just going to trounce around like you own the place! Every theme park has some way of verifying their guests, and Felony Funland is no different!”

Kaede narrowed her eyes in a harsh glare, her patience for Monokuma’s antics rapidly running out. “Verify? What does that- nevermind. Can you just hurry up and do whatever you’re going to do so we can get a move on?”

The bear sadly lowered his head, kicking at the floor. “Geez… you kids really hurt my feelings sometimes, you know?” He lamented with a sigh. It didn’t take much for him to perk up, however, as he soon looked up at them with a smirk. “Alrighty, but you guys might want to stand back…” He cautioned before he reached into his coat and pulled out the same button he had after restoring their memories, Kaede trying her best to ignore the shot of fear that spiked through her at the device uncomfortably similar to the ones preceding an execution. The teens shared an uneasy glance amongst themselves before they reluctantly complied, moving about ten feet back in total. As soon as he pressed it, a high-pitched beep rang out from above moments before a large crate bearing Monokuma’s face dropped from the ceiling. The animatronic casually strolled over to it and tapped the box rhythmically, and the crate fell away to reveal what looked to be a box office that now stood directly beside the operating part of the gate. “Tada! See? What park would be complete without a ticket booth?”

“Great. Now hurry up and give us the tickets or whatever.” Akamatsu demanded bluntly.

Monokuma vehemently shook his head. “No way! Do I look like the sort of bear that works a dead-end job like that?! No, I’m not giving you tickets! They are!”

“‘They’? Who is he talking abo-”

“RISE AND SHINE, URSINE!”

“Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me…” Kaede hissed out, a headache instantly forming at the obnoxious sound of five blaring voices. She could hear similar disgruntled groans from a handful of the others that knew the hell that awaited them, their mutual frustration only serving to worsen her mood.

Despite her meager hopes to the contrary, however, a certain set of infuriatingly annoying animatronics appeared out of nowhere as they shot up in front of their so-called father. Monodam, Monosuke, Monotaro, Monophanie, and Monokid landed already posing like it was some sort of stunt show, the self-proclaimed Monokubs grinning at the group of annoyed/startled teens. “Never fear, the Monokubs are here!” Monotaro proudly declared, only to get an elbow in the side from his yellow brother. “Ow! What was that for?”

“That’s not the line, ya idiot,” Monosuke chided in a poor attempt at a stage whisper. “You’re supposed to say, ‘Quiver in fear, the Monokubs are here!’”

“Huh? But isn’t that a bad guy line?”

Monophanie tilted her head to the side slightly. “Um, I’m pretty sure we’re the bad guys, Monotaro…”

“Oh, right,” He said lamely, scratching at his head with his shirokin before clearing his throat. “Quiver in fear! The Monokubs are here!”

Despite their banter, most of the group reacted with fear rather than the exasperation Kaede and her comrades felt at the unwelcome return of Monokuma’s children. “Wh-what the hell?! There’s more of him?!” Leon called out, flinching back from the robots with eyes the sizes of dinner plates.

Peko already had her hand on her sword, her glasses glinting dangerously as she readied herself for a fight. “Who are you, and what do you want?”

“What, you got sh*t in your ears or somethin’? We’re the Monokubs!” Monokid crassly called back in annoyance.

“I had thought you weren’t on this ship. How truly unfortunate…” Kiyo growled in thinly veiled annoyance.

Mondo turned towards the anthropologist in surprise. “Huh? Wait, do you know these assholes?”

“Unfortunately, yes. If anything, I’m more surprised none of you seem to. Monokuma was quite insistent on involving his children during our game…” Kirumi noted with a faint scowl.

Kaito grit his teeth, openly glowering at the bears. “Oh, come on! Aren’t you supposed to be dead?!”

“Hey, people in stone houses shouldn’t throw glass!”

“It’s the other way around!”

“Who cares?! I’m just settin’ that punkass straight!”

Jesus Christ , Kaede forgot how much she hated the Monokubs. Her head was pounding after less than a minute of these obnoxious jerks showing up, and after the day she had yesterday and that morning, she was in no mood to deal with their idiocy any longer. “Would you just shut up already?!” She shouted out, taking an aggressive step towards the kubs.

“Eep! She’s scary when she’s mad!” Monophanie pitifully cried out, flinching violently under the musician’s harsh gaze.

Monosuke shook his head. “She’s right though; we are WAY off script here. We don’t get back on topic soon, Pops is gonna start gettin’ angry.”

Monokuma’s red eye glowed ominously. “And you wouldn’t want that to happen, would you, my dear children?”

“N-no!” They each fearfully cried out with their own variant to address their father, quickly shaking their heads. Kaede’s fingers dug into her arms uncomfortably as she crossed them, desperately wishing they’d finish up this ridiculous act already. Monotaro took the lead. “P-please proceed to the ticket booth to receive your varination-”

“VERIFICATION.” Monodam flatly corrected, only to go entirely ignored by the other cubs.

“-and then proceed into the park in an orderly fashion!”

“Or knock someone to the ground and trample the f*ck outta ‘em!” Monokid cheerfully added.

Monophanie yelped in horror. “Please don’t! That’d be so gross and gorey and- urgh- ”

“f*ck this,” Mondo scoffed out with a sneer, shoving his hands in his pockets as he pushed past the others and towards the ticket booth. He cast the group a sideways glance once he noticed none of them were following. “You guys coming, or are ya seriously gonna watch this bullsh*t?”

Having once again become the voice of the people, they didn’t have to be told twice, Kaede nodding tersely and following along after him. The Monokubs kept bantering in the background, but she’d go crazy if she kept paying attention to their antics, so she was more than happy to just ignore them as best she could. She’d ended up second in line behind the Ultimate Biker as they waited for the bears to finally do their apparent job, the boy clamming up in her presence. She felt her lips tug downward in concerned disappointment. He’d been conversing with everyone else just fine, yet whenever she was near, he’d suddenly become cagey. She didn’t want to press and possibly push him farther away, but at this point, it was becoming too worrisome to ignore. Whatever problem he had, it clearly involved her somehow, which meant it was up to her to fix it.

Kaede took a few moments to think about how exactly she should try getting him to open up, ultimately deciding that a light joke might be the best route. Putting on a small smirk, she teased, “You know, I thought it was supposed to be ladies first for this sort of thing…”

“Huh…? Oh, sh*t,” Mondo grumbled under his breath, thinning his lips as he stepped aside. “Go ahead.”

“Chivalrous as always, huh?” She thought with a small giggle, shaking her head. “Just kidding, Mondo. You can go first if you want.”

Owada actually looked a little embarrassed, looking down at his feet with a slight grimace. “Tch… no, you. Only a prick would help himself before a chick.”

“If you insist…” Kaede replied with a small shrug as she complied. “Okay, so he’s not mad at me enough to break his honor code, but he clearly isn’t comfortable, either… is he feeling guilty about… what happened ?” She looked him up and down for any hint of what he was thinking. He still wasn’t quite looking at her, though that discomfort could have come from a lot of things. Likewise, he kept his hands in his pockets, but he was otherwise rather hard to read at the moment. Given her skill at understanding people and Mondo’s usually expressive nature, it was pretty surprising, but that just meant she’d have to be a little more direct. “... Hey, Mondo? I know you already said earlier, but are you sure you’re alright? You’ve been acting a little different this morning.”

His lilac eyes shot up to hers, widening a touch, but he didn’t look away this time. His gaze shifted from surprise to something more scrutinizing, his jaw tensing a touch as he searched for something unknown. Before either had the chance to say anything, however, a third party impolitely butted in. “Hey, lovebirds! Either make googly eyes at each other somewhere else or hurry up! My time’s money, and you’re wastin’ it!” Monosuke crassly rasped out from the ticket booth, his paws on his hips as he glowered at them.

“L-lovebirds?!” Kaede sputtered out in shock, feeling her face warm a touch at the accusation.

Mondo looked even more scandalized by the taunt, his face turning a dangerous shade of red as he raised a fist. “You wanna lose some teeth, motherf*cker?!”

It was impossible to tell without irises, but Kaede had the distinct feeling he was rolling his eyes as he sarcastically raised his paws in the air. “Ooh, real scary, buddy. Now, do ya want your tickets or not?”

Kaede glowered at the bear, aggravated that he ruined her shot at getting Owada to open up, but she didn’t have time to dwell on it. “Shoot. Well, at least I know for sure something’s up with him now. I’ll have to try sometime else, I guess…” She thought dourly as she stepped up to the window.

Monosuke reached under the counter and pulled out two items: a ticket emblazoned with the words Felony Funland in a fancy font, and a black and white bracelet. He handed the bracelet to her first. “This here is your verification pass to the park. Any attraction you wanna do, you’re gonna have to flash this baby at it first to get on. Got it?” He explained as Kaede suspiciously examined the ugly-looking bangle before reluctantly putting it on with a nod. She didn’t like how he smirked at that, but frankly, the less time she had to spend thinking about the Monokubs, the better. “Good. Here’s your ticket. Have fun at the park, and make sure ya keep your wallet open. I get a slice of every dime youse spend durin’ my shift.”

Akamatsu didn’t bother dignifying him with a response, silently rolling her eyes as she stepped aside towards the gate and waited for the others to get their bracelets. Mondo frustratingly kept his distance after getting his pass, glancing at her occasionally, but otherwise using the distraction to escape from their conversation. A glance around proved the other Monokubs had disappeared while Monokuma stood patiently by the gate humming that stupid song to himself. Not wanting to waste her time on a conversation with her demented headmaster, she tried studying some of the park from where she stood. It wasn’t easy to make out much, but she could see a ferris wheel with Monokuma’s face towering above everything else in sight. Tents and stands of various shapes, sizes, and colors littered much of the area around it, implying a fair bit to examine in the apparent center of the park in addition to the distant colorful lights going both left and right with the promise of other attractions. “This place is huge...! How did he even build something like this on a ship?”

It didn’t take too long for everyone to get what they needed, Kaede crossing her arms as she narrowed her eyes at Monokuma. “Okay, now can we go in?”

“Puhuhu! Well, aren’t you eager!” He taunted with a smirk. “Not quite, though. Y’see, there’s one teensey little detail my adorable cubs and I forgot to mention. Those bracelets of yours? Well… they don’t come off.”

Kaede’s eyes bulged out in alarm. “Huh?! What are you-?!”

She just barely heard a faint snkt , and instantly, her wrist exploded into pain.

“ AHHH! ” Kaede screeched out, her other hand flying to her wrist on instinct. The pain was already shifting from excruciating to merely unpleasant, but a sharp stinging was still angrily flaring up where the bracelet was attached. Her first instinct was to try to rip it off, but much to her dismay, it didn’t so much as budge from its vice grip on her wrist. If anything, it felt like it got tighter until she let go of the thing, gritting her teeth and tightly squeezing just beneath the traitorous bangle to try to alleviate the throbbing sensation.

The sharp hisses, yelps, and cries of pain around her made it clear she wasn’t the only one that felt that. Even the toughest among them weren’t unphased, neither the Ultimate Swordswoman nor the Ultimate Martial Artist able to fully hide their winces, though their anger quickly replaced it. “What did you do?” Peko growled warningly, her left hand clenched to a ghostly white color while her other once again flew to her sword.

Monokuma shrugged, looking far too pleased with their distress. “Oh, nothing much! I just made it so you won’t be taking these things off and losing them somewhere! There’s nothing worse than paying for tickets to a world-class amusem*nt park only for the brats to lose their visitor’s bangle and get kicked out! So, being the gracious host I am, I made sure that wouldn’t be a problem!”

“Are you joking?! You just stabbed us in the wrist!” Kaito bellowed out angrily, shaking his fist at the bear through grit teeth.

“Well, duh! It’s not gonna go anywhere if it’s lodged in your arm, now is it?” Monokuma mocked in a tone more fit for lecturing a particularly dumb child.

“B-b-but it hurts!” Mikan cried out tearfully, holding up her wrist with her other hand as if to prove that to the bear.

“Good, that means it’s nice and firmly in place!”

Kaede’s eyes burned into the stuffed animal with an anger only he seemed capable of bringing out in her. “Take these off right now! I don’t know what you’re playing at, Monokuma, but you’re going to regret it!”

He put his paws on his hips with a huff. “Geez, you guys really are deaf! I already told you; it’s basic policy for the park! Maybe if you listened instead of complaining, you’d have heard me!”

“Then why exactly must they latch into our wrists instead of simply lock around them?” Kirumi questioned, masking her discomfort well behind her stoic veneer.

Monokuma giggled to himself. “Oh, I have my reasons…”

Gundham let out a noise that sounded more like an animal than a man. “Vile beast! You dare puncture the flesh of the Supreme Overlord of Ice?! You know not the poison that flows within these veins!”

“It’s funny you should say that! That’s actually part of why you’re wearing them!”

A pregnant pause settled over the aggravated teens, none of them sure what he meant but instantly wary nonetheless. “... What do you mean by that?” Korekiyo questioned, only the slightest hint of unease in his voice.

Monokuma beamed at them all in absolute delight. “Why, that’s actually pretty simple! You see, because of one other reason I’ll reveal in due time, it’s veeeery important that these bracelets stay on. Sooo… if you try to take them off too much, you’ll be injected with poison and die!”

Kaede’s blood turned to ice in her veins. “Wh-what?!”

“You no can be serious!” Gonta cried out, the gentle giant startling back in fear.

Shirogane’s face took on a shade of blue not dissimilar to her hair. “A theme park with lethal injection?! This really is like some sick wonderland!”

“Ahahahaha! That’s right, kiddos! Until either you die or the next murder happens, you’re all going to be wearing those lovely little bangles! Trying otherwise will just get you killed sooner and anticlimactically, so try not to have a boring death like that, would ya?”

“... What is your end here, Monokuma?” Sakura demanded, her voice low and eyes dark. “Junko’s death proved you can kill us whenever you want. What purpose does this serve?”

Monokuma waved a hand dismissively. “Oh, you’ll find out sooner or later. For now, let’s put the foreshadowing aside and move onto something much more interesting: the park itself!” He spun his cane and pointed it at the gate. “Open Sesame!”

On cue, the large golden entrance slowly swung open, officially allowing them into the park. Monokuma looked back at them and tipped his tophat. “Well, I’m off, but I hope you all have a happily homicidal time here at Felony Funland! See you later!”

He once again disappeared from sight, leaving the group of blackened alone to do as they would. Kaede looked back to face the others, taking in their reactions. Dismay was apparent in all of them, some looking furious while others paled with fear and the rest somewhere in between, but not a soul was unaffected. “... Wh-what do we do now…?” Mikan asked whimperingly, turning to Kaede for guidance. The blonde’s magenta eyes trailed down to the band around her own wrist, grimacing at the uncomfortable pressure its hold put on her physically and mentally. If she were being honest, it would be hard to deny she felt just as panicked as everyone else after suddenly being marked for death, but she fought with all her might to hide at least some of that fear as she spoke.

“... I don’t know what Monokuma’s trying to do, but this doesn’t change anything. He said we have to explore the park… and we can’t refuse, no matter how much we want to,” She sighed, thinning her lips at the deathtrap firmly attached to her. “We don’t really have a choice. So… let’s just try to get this over with as soon as possible.”

Sakura looked far from pleased, but nodded. “Agreed. If this is our only way forward, then we are bound to take it.”

“She’s right. Levels with forced debuffs aren’t good… but you still have to do them.” Chiaki added softly.

Between the three of them, the group didn’t need any further convincing, the teens gradually stepping forward into the park and splintering off to start exploring. Most split into pairs while some of the more reclusive students wandered on their own, but the group was scattering throughout the new area all the same. The only stragglers were herself, Kaito, Leon, and Mondo, the Ultimate Astronaut looking at the place ahead with confliction. “I always wanted to go to a theme park, but I never thought I’d be forced to go to one. Why does that damn bear have to make everything so complicated?”

Kaede crossed her arms, careful to avoid bumping her bracelet on accident. “It’s about the only thing he’s good for…” She grumbled pettily, before shaking her head with a small smile. “But… I do like places like this. Maybe it won’t be too terrible.”

Momota perked up a bit at that. “You’re right. Let’s stick it to Monokuma and enjoy this place!” He proudly proclaimed, slamming his fists together. He grimaced slightly, the impact apparently jostling his cufflet a little, but it vanished as soon as it appeared. “Well, are you guys ready? C’mon, sidekicks, let’s check this place out!”

Just as Kaede was about to accept, however, Leon surprisingly spoke up. “Actually, hold up a second. Hey, Kaito? Could we hang for a bit?”

Kaito beamed at him. “Sure thing! I’m sure the four of us can get this place done in no time!”

The Ultimate Baseball star grimaced, shooting an uneasy glance at the musician and the biker. “Uh… I kinda meant just us.”

Kaede bit her cheek to keep from frowning. That… wasn’t surprising at all, to be honest. Leon was already one of the more distrusting students in the class, and she’d given him ample reason to be wary of her and Mondo less than a day ago. It still hurt to be rejected like that though, even if this was probably the nicest he’d been about it of all their botched encounters. She wouldn’t express as much, however. He had a right to be mad, and frankly, the fact that he was still willing to approach Kaito was probably the best she should expect from him right now. If he was willing to try getting closer to Kaito despite his involvement in her lie, maybe he could warm up to them, too.

Kaito didn’t see it that way. “Huh…? Oh, don’t be like that, man! They’re cool! C’mon, hang with us for a while and you’ll see!”

Kuwata frowned, shaking his head. “Look, I’m not gonna pretend I’m totally cool with everything you guys did, but that’s not what this is about. There’s just some stuff I wanna talk to you about in private. Alright?” He asked with a sigh, looking off to the side. It was clear to see something was on his mind, but whatever that something was, an audience wasn’t appreciated.

The lavender-haired man once again looked torn, his interest clearly piqued by the baseball star’s request yet also not wanting to ditch his so-called sidekicks. Kaede herself was curious about it. “Whatever it is, we’re not the reason he wants to be alone with Kaito…? What’s he thinking about? It must be pretty serious to… he… he couldn’t be getting him alone to…” Kaede pinched herself, just barely resisting the urge to slap her forehead. “ God, of course not! He wouldn’t ask him in front of other people if he wanted to do that … a-and he wouldn’t do something so horrible anyways!” She scolded herself, wishing she could believe the latter as much as the former. Trying to shove that dark thought out of her mind, she offered her help to the pair. “It’s alright, Kaito. You two can hang out. If there’s anything worth doing in there, we can come back later and do it together.”

Mondo didn’t say anything to back her up, but he didn’t object, either.

Kaito looked at her, his look of surprise gradually shifting to one of relief. “Alright. I’ll be counting on you guys, so make sure you find something cool, okay?”

She managed a smile and a wave. “You bet! Have fun, guys!”

The Ultimate Astronaut flashed her a grin and a thumbs up before turning towards the gate, beckoning Leon to join him as they wandered off to parts unknown. As their footsteps faded away into the general din of the park, she let her eyes wander to the last member of the group remaining.

Mondo was leaning against the gate with his arms crossed, looking towards the flashing lights and colorful buildings with a faint scowl. She stopped in front of him, waiting for him to step forward, but he made no move to venture in. The two stood there in silence for a long, uncomfortable moment, Kaede forcing a smile as she tried to prompt him. “... Looks like we’re the odd ones out, huh?” She pointed out. Silence. Kaede swallowed a lump in her throat, trying to ignore the discomforting quiet enveloping them. “So… it looks like a pretty big place. Do you want to look around together?”

“... Why are you doing this?”

Kaede blinked. “... What?”

“Why are you tryin’ to hang out with me like nothing happened?” Mondo asked, not moving from his spot or even looking at her. His voice lacked any of its usual harshness. There was no anger in it, or anything but a slight, tired hint of suspicion.

A cold dread slowly started creeping up Kaede’s spine. That… wasn’t a question she was expecting, or one she was prepared to answer honestly. The sheer surprise of it kept her silent for a few seconds, staring at the biker in anxious uncertainty. Without anything to fall back on, she defaulted to the closest thing to the truth she could give. “W-well, we made a promise, didn’t we? I meant what I said that night. I think-”

“You already said that in Kirumi’s lab, and it’s still horsesh*t,” He interrupted, putting a little more force in his voice. “I almost killed you. Even before that, all I did was act like a jackass to you. There’s no reason you’d see a friend in somethin’ like that. You’d have to be a goddamn idiot to keep me around just for that…” Mondo finally turned to face her, his greyish purple eyes narrowed in a piercing wary glare as he stared right into her soul. “And we both know you’re no idiot.”

Kaede sucked in a breath, her heart beating a little faster under his chilling stare. He knew . Even if he didn’t know exactly what she’d done, he saw through her for certain. “... I really don’t know what you’re talking about, Mondo…” She lied, silently pleading that he’d take it at face value. Her prayers went unanswered, however, as his eyes grew harder.

“Bullsh*t. This is exactly what I’m talking about. Every time I try to figure out what you’re doing, you play dumb and try to dodge it. You’re lying through your f*ckin’ teeth, and I don’t even know why,” He growled, tightening his fists. Kaede flinched back without realizing it, guilt flashing through Mondo’s glower for a moment before his harsh expression softened slightly with a sigh. “... Look. I don’t think you’re lyin’ about everything. You wouldn’t have stuck your neck out for me at the trial like that if you didn’t really give a sh*t… but I know you’re not being straight with me about something. So stop f*ckin’ around. Whatever it is, just spit it out already.”

Akamatsu said nothing. All sound seemed to fade away, the faroff sounds of running rides and static-tinted music becoming mute as even her heartbeat became silent to her. There was nothing but her and Mondo, separated by a wall of deceit she built herself. The promise she’d made to him -to everyone she’d failed- was in danger because of it. There was only one way to preserve that oath… and it meant confessing the darkness in her soul she’d tried so hard to hide. A cold dread encased her entire body, sickening her to her core and tightening around her neck like the familiar pull of a noose. She didn’t want to do this. She didn’t want to see yet another person she cared about realize the kind of disgusting monster she was; watch as their eyes widened in betrayal and hate…

But who the hell was she to be so wrapped up in her worries when she was the one in the wrong? She almost murdered him, and here she was, thinking about how shameful admitting the truth would be! “... Okay,” Kaede conceded quietly, her voice hardly above a whisper. It took all the strength in her body to meet his eyes. Her mouth was painfully dry, the words feeling like sandpaper on her tongue, but she forced them out all the same. “... You’re right. I have been hiding something from you, but I shouldn’t. You… you deserve to know the truth.”

Mondo didn’t seem to be expecting a confession, his eyebrows raising at that, but he didn’t say anything. His expectant gaze made it clear what he wanted… so, she would give it to him, no matter how much it hurt her. “... I wasn’t lying when I said I wanted to be your friend. I meant it then, and I mean it now. But… I lied about why. It’s not because I’m a good, forgiving person… because I’m not. I did it to make up for something horrible.”

Owada thinned his lips. “So, what, this is your way of makin’ up for killing someone?” He asked, sounding unconvinced.

Kaede shook her head. “No…” She denied, her voice trembling as she prepared to confess her sin, but the butterflies in her stomach found their way into her throat, desperately trying to suffocate the truth before it could escape. She felt like she could vomit from the hellish spike of adrenaline racing through her at that moment. It was the same fear she felt right before Mondo confessed during the trial, ironically enough. Kaede was practically drowning in her own dread. It took every scrap of courage she had to spit the words out before they’d become stuck in her forever. “It’s to make up for trying to kill you.”

“…”

“...”

“... What?” Mondo finally gasped out, his jaw dropped and eyes wide in shock.

The sheer disbelief in his voice hit her like a bus, but she forced herself forward, nails painfully digging into her elbow. “When you swung that dumbbell at me, I couldn’t believe it. I was so scared I couldn’t think straight. All I could think about was how I almost died, and how you could finish me off if you wanted. I know you wouldn’t, but in the moment... when it rolled over to me and I saw you kneeling in front of me…” She hesitated, her voice becoming more and more strained with emotion as she went on. She grit her teeth, shameful tears pricking at her eyes. “I grabbed it, and right until Kaito showed up, I was going to swing it at your head. If he wasn’t there… I would have killed you.”

Dead silence followed, her words hanging in the air suffocatingly. Mondo stared at her, stunned. “... You… were gonna kill me?”

Kaede couldn’t bear to look at him after that, gazing shamefully at her crossed arms. “... Yes. When I realized that, I was horrified. I… I hate myself for ever even thinking about it. That’s why I made that promise with you, and why I wanted to be your friend so badly. It’s… atonement. Being there for you is the only way I can even start to make up for what I did,” She quietly admitted, her voice soft with remorse as her head hung low. She could feel the tears sliding down her cheeks as she willingly burned one of the most important bridges she had, knowing full well that fire would spread to every connection she had until she was alone. Any trust she had left would vanish the moment they heard that, and they’d be right to reject her, too. Kaede sucked in a breath, her heart already breaking as she whimpered out, “... That’s it. You can go if you want. I won’t stop you.”

Silence once again. She didn’t dare to look up at him, dreading what she knew she’d see if she did. He’d hate her. They all would. Maybe she was a coward for it, but she didn’t want to see that for herself. No matter how much she deserved it, she wasn’t ready for-

“... I ain’t going anywhere.”

Kaede’s head snapped up, locking eyes with the Ultimate Biker. He didn’t look mad, shockingly. If anything, though definitely not comfortable, he looked oddly reassured, his features less hard than they had been before her confession. Her surprise must have shown through, as Owada continued. “I mean… sh*t. I’m not gonna lie and say it’s great to hear that. But, it ain’t like I can blame you for it. Heat of the moment like that… we both know what I woulda done,” He mused, glancing away for a long moment before finally meeting her gaze again. “Honestly… I think I trust you more for it.”

Akamatsu stared at him in incomprehension. “.... What…?” She murmured. “You… trust me more ?”

The burly man gave half a nod. “That’s what I said.”

After a moment, she blinked and shook her head to banish the surreal feeling those words brought. “Mondo... I just admitted I was going to kill you! You should be mad- no, furious! You should hate me!” She shouted at him, her voice raising with each word as she failed to understand what was happening. “Why?! Why are you just forgiving me for that?!”

Mondo blinked, taken aback by her sudden outburst, but it faded as he gave his answer with absolute certainty. “Because it proves you haven’t been bullsh*tting this whole time.”

In an instant, the wind was knocked out of Kaede’s sails, the girl’s self-targeted fury transforming into abject confusion. “... Huh?”

“Ever since I met you, you’ve been on top of sh*t. The second I left that locker, you started callin’ the shots. I figured you were just friendly when you were acting all buddy-buddy with everyone… but, then we got our memories back and everything went to sh*t. Everyone was scared sh*tless and panicking… except you. There you were, still tryin’ to take charge and get everyone to listen to you,” Owada straightened up slightly, thinning his lips. “Then the next time I see you, you come right up to me and start talkin’ like we’re classmates or something when you know I killed someone. You acted like nothing changed. f*ck, even after I…” He let out a hissing noise, clenching his eyes in shame. “ f*cked up , it was like it barely mattered to you. Even then, you were still takin’ control and acting like everything was fine… it reminded me of Celeste.”

Kaede flinched at the name, her brow furrowing in confusion. “... What do you mean?”

The criminal gained a small sneer. “All throughout our game, she was never bothered by anything. The killing game, Monokuma, even bein’ trapped in that damn school, she’d just smile and tell us to deal with it. I knew she had ta either be blind to reality or lying her ass off… and I got that same feelin’ from you. Either you were that f*ckin’ idealistic, or you were hiding somethin’,” He accused, the blonde grimacing at the harsh but true words. “I knew for sure when you tried lying to me in Kirumi’s lab.”

Akamatsu’s eyes trailed to the floor guiltily. “... Well, you’re not wrong. But… I don’t understand. If you didn’t trust me, why did you stick with me?”

Mondo’s hard gaze softened considerably, his lips twisting in a look of confliction. “If I thought you were tryin’ to play me, I woulda told ya to go f*ck yourself. But, you weren’t. Like I said earlier, whatever you were coverin’ up, I still felt like you meant what you were sayin’ about movin’ on and bein’ friends. Why you were honest about that and lying about other sh*t is what kept me from goin’ all the way one way or the other.”

“... I still don’t get it. How does me almost murdering you make me trustworthy?” Kaede asked as she glanced up at him, trying to emphasize just what a ridiculous idea that was despite her weariness.

“Because it’s human ,” He stressed, firm lilac meeting uncertain magenta as their eyes locked once again. “You aren’t some mask of a person. You’re admitting ya got scared, that ya panicked. That you aren’t always in control. Frankly, I trust someone who admits they f*cked up a helluva lot more than a jackass who pretends they ain’t one. ‘Sides… you had the balls to admit that to my face. If I can’t believe in you after ya take a chance like that, then I can’t trust anyone.”

Kaede almost couldn’t believe it. She’d been prepared to lose Mondo’s trust at the very least, yet that hadn’t happened. Rather, the opposite did. She stared at him with countless emotions swirling in her chest. “You… you still believe in me?”

Mondo stepped off from the wall, approaching with his arm outstretched for a handshake. “That’s our promise, isn’t it?” He pointed out, smirking faintly.

The self-hatred, dread, and regret that had been suffocating Kaede since their conversation began disappeared like shattering chains, the blonde’s heart soaring with a relief she’d never thought possible. Her hands covered her mouth in disbelief, her face still wet and aching from her tears. Before she could even process what she was doing, she surged forward, all but slamming into the biker as she threw her arms around him and hugged Mondo as tightly as she could, not noticing the startled noise of protest that escaped him. “Thank you! I won’t let you down!”

“Uh, y-yeah. Awesome…” The man awkwardly muttered as he turned rather stiff in her arms, the embrace going unreturned. A moment passed before he let out an uncomfortable cough. “... Er… Kaede? Couldja let go now?”

Instantly, Kaede became keenly aware of just how close she was to the Ultimate Biker. “O-oh! Uh, r-right!” She sputtered out in a near-panic as she came to her senses, all but shoving off of him with her face flushing in embarrassment. She folded her arms, trying to ignore the heat in her cheeks. “S-sorry. That was kinda weird…”

“It's fine. Whatever, y’know?” Mondo muttered, rubbing the back of his neck and looking away in a poor attempt to hide the crimson tinting his own cheeks. His reassurance only made Akamatsu feel even more awkward about the whole thing. It was probably the best ending their roller coaster of a conversation could have had, but that didn’t mean it was any less cringe inducing for them. A beat passed. “... S-so, are we gonna check this place out or what?” He asked a touch louder than he probably needed to.

It was just what Kaede needed to snap herself out of her funk, clasping her hands together with only a hint of embarrassment in her smile. “Right! The others are probably wondering where we are by now, so…” She pumped her arms. “Let’s go!”

Mondo nodded, his features smoothing into a small smirk as the pair began walking together into the land of mystery ahead. For the first time in what felt like forever, Kaede was able to be by his side in peace, finally comfortable in the bond they were starting to form.

***

The first thing that struck Kaede about the park was just how big it actually was. She’d certainly gleaned as much just looking over the place from the front gate, but that tiny window failed to do justice for the astounding size of the place. Logically speaking, she knew it couldn’t have been any larger than the floors below it simply due to the fact that they were on a ship, but the layout of it definitely gave that perspective. Unlike the rest of the ship so far, Felony Funland wasn’t simply a series of rooms connected by long and cavernous highways. Rather, it was a vast, open chamber of a room that she couldn’t see the end of in any direction, a different ride, tent, or building of some sort standing at practically every turn. She couldn’t even tell where exactly the ceiling was in this place, as looking up past the bright lights of the ferris wheel and other notably tall attractions only showed a shadowy darkness unaffected by the dazzling displays below. That left the various attractions of the place itself to provide lighting, giving it an atmosphere similar to a carnival on a dark, moonless night.

Fortunately, there were enough lights strung about to clearly light the admittedly impressively designed paths leading from the entrance that split off in various directions. There were street signs at the start of each of these divergences, but they were rather unhelpfully labeled only with question marks and a cartoonish picture of a shrugging Monokuma, presumably implying the signs would be marked in once their investigation was complete. Not having any clue where anything was, Kaede and Mondo decided to simply head to the right and see what they stumbled across.

Some time passed without encountering much of note, simply taking in the sights of the festive facade around them as they walked along. The farther they walked down the path, the more it seemed to resemble a flashy commercial street, like they were talking through a cartoonish version of a bustling city. Most of the surrounding buildings had labels and windows, but seemed to be little more than scenery, as any attempt to open their doors was met with little success.

Despite the logical part of her mind vigilantly scanning everything for some potential danger, Kaede would be lying if she said she wasn’t starting to feel at least a little excited about her surroundings, a small sense of giddiness not unlike she felt when she and Shuichi first found her talent lab. She let out a thoughtful hum. “Hmm… it’s weird. I know Monokuma built this place, but it almost feels like a real theme park, you know?”

Mondo glanced at her with a small shrug. “Does it? Never been to one.”

The blonde looked at him, slightly surprised. “You haven’t? Oh. Well, they’re a lot like this, but less… Monokuma-y, I guess?” She gave a vague gesture around her with her hand. “It definitely reminds me of one I went to when I was little, anyway.”

“Guess that makes sense. My bro and I never had the money for it as kids, and by the time we did, we were runnin’ the gang full time, so it was off the table. Disneyland ain’t exactly the place a bunch of bikers wanna be seen.” He mused wryly.

Kaede smirked mischievously. “What, don’t you think mouse ears on your helmet would add to the rough and tumble look?”

The biker scoffed out a chuckle. “Yeah, ‘bout as much as if I paint my bike pink.”

“Hey! Pink’s a tough guy color! Look at me!” Kaede insisted, crossing her arms in mock-incredulity She could only hold out against Mondo’s half-confused, half-flat look of ‘are you serious’ for a few moments before bursting into giggles. “Heheh, alright, fine. Point taken,” She conceded, a more earnest smile overcoming her. “But I think you’d have fun! I bet you’d love roller coasters! We should definitely go to one together when we get out of here!”

Owada’s purplish eyes widened for a moment. “We…? Uh… yeah. That’d be cool.”

Kaede tilted her head curiously, uncertain what caused that nervous stumble, but she didn’t have a chance to ask about it as a shrill voice cut through the air. “Wh-WHADINA ‘ELL IZZAT?!”

The once-Ultimate Pianist flinched, her head shooting up in alarm at the scream. It didn’t take more than a moment for her to realize the sound came from a branching path to the right of them, and before she could fully think it through, she was already barreling towards them at full speed. She vaguely heard Mondo call out from behind her, his footsteps thundering behind her as he rushed to join her. It couldn’t have taken more than a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity had passed by the time Kaede finally arrived at the source.

Before her was a dead-end of an alley, the road leading to what looked to be a fairly small shack of a building that was cozily cushioned between either wall of the alley. It had a flashing sign on the roof in the shape of someone in an electric chair balancing on top of the blue letters “Death Row Delights” , with bright yellow lights alternating on and off to give the effect of static electricity flowing around the letters and into the silhouette above. Below that was a serving window currently occupied by Monodam, what looked like a menu of some sort at a glance, and the main points of interest, Korekiyo and a very angry looking Teruteru. Kaede furrowed her brow, calling out to the two as she approached. “Guys? What’s going on here?”

Kiyo turned to face her, tipping his cap in greeting with one hand while he held a bowl of something in the other. “Ah, Kaede, Mondo. A pleasure to see you. As for what’s going on, Teruteru and I happened upon this food stand, but its offerings are… of poor taste, to say the least.”

“‘Poor taste’? Ah, hell naw!” Teruteru howled out. Even from a decent ways away, Kaede could see the portly boy trembling with indignation as he hollered and pointed at the robot furiously. “Dis issa outrage! Ah ain’ nevah been so ‘fended in mah life! Ah ain’ gonna be dis’erspected by some dumb fas’-food-eatin’ robo’ hick!”

Monodam fidgeted, wringing his metallic paws, but didn’t say anything in his own defense as Kaede stopped a few feet from the chef, Mondo joining them a moment later. “C-calm down, Teruteru!” She pleaded, raising her hands in surprise of his sudden outburst. “I know you’re the Ultimate Chef, but you don’t have to take bad cooking personal-”

“Ta hell wi’ dat low-brow sh*t! Ah would’nta gi’en it da time a day if’d jus’ bad!” Hanamura screamed, throwing a hand towards the menu. Kaede thinned her lips, glancing over the list of items suspiciously… until she realized what was listed, and felt herself grow more nauseous with each entry.

Pa-Nanami Cakes

Shinguji Stew

Mondo Butter Popcorn

Deep-Fried Teruteru w/fries

NEW! Ludenberry Jam Croustades

“O-oh my god…” Kaede retched out, bile tickling the back of her throat as she covered her mouth in horror. She desperately hoped she was hallucinating it somehow, but the words and pictures in front of her were undeniable, as were the racks of display food next to Monodam that confirmed the menu’s validity. “This… this is sick ! What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“Yeah! Is this supposed to be funny, you little asshole?! And what the f*ck is ‘Mondo Butter’ anyway?!” Mondo growled out, stepping towards the robot with a clenched fist.

Monodam fearlessly stared down the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader. “I-AM-SORRY. FATHER-DESIGNED-THE-MENU. I-ONLY-SELL-THEM-SO-THAT-YOU-MAY-EAT-TOGETHER-AND-GET-ALONG-AS-FRIENDS. I-MEAN-NO-HARM.”

“Get along by eating food based on our executions?! Are you insane?!” Akamatsu furiously demanded before a sickening idea rattled her to the core. “... Th-they’re not… actually -”

“I can assure you they’re not,” Korekiyo mercifully interrupted, closing his eyes in thought. “Though it is not the most appetizing dish I’ve ever had -perhaps less salt would improve it, for instance- I am certain this stew is made up of nothing more than common ingredients. Human flesh doesn’t have a distinct flavor, per se, but I don’t taste it here.”

Kaede let out a shaky sigh, only slightly comforted by that. “Geez… I guess at least we know- wait. Back up a second. Kiyo... how do you know what human flesh tastes like?”

All of them fell silent at that, even Teruteru’s ever-present mutters of outrage quieting down as they all stared at the anthropologist. Shinguji didn’t say a word, matching their stares with an unreadable expression, before slowly taking a long, quiet sip of his stew. Some of the most uncomfortable moments of Kaede’s life passed waiting for an answer she’d ultimately never receive as her sense of dread won out against her courage. “... A-anyways, you’re right, Teruteru. This is disgusting.”

“More ‘an disgustin’! Dis issa damn insult ta da culinareh arts demselves!” The cook fumed, balling his fists in anger. “Da name an’ face ada Ultimate Chef shoul’nt be on some sh*tty greasy carny fas’ food!”

“So, you take greater offense at it supposedly being low-class food than the fact that it's an overt reference to your death? How peculiar…” Kiyo hummed neutrally, earning multiple dark glares.

“D-d-d-dat ain’t none a’your bidness!” Teruteru sputtered out, fear entering his beady brown eyes.

Kaede felt a surge of outrage course through her, the blonde pointing at Shinguji warningly. “Hey! Don’t be so insensitive, you jerk!”

Korekiyo blinked in surprise, something dancing in his serpentine eyes for a few moments until they slowly closed. “Ah… yes, that was inconsiderate. I sometimes forget de-... that is a… touchier subject for some than it is for others. My apologies.”

“You really are a pretentious dickhe*d, you know that?” Owada hissed, keeping himself firmly in place but delivering a glare with as much revilement as a punch ever could.

“That’s not helping, Mondo…” Akamatsu pointed out exasperatedly.

Before their squabbling could go any further, Mondom’s robotic voice crackled to life. “OH-NO. THIS-WAS-SUPPOSED-TO-HELP-YOU-GET-ALONG, BUT-HAS-ONLY-BROUGHT-STRIFE. PLEASE-DO-NOT-FIGHT. I-SHALL-FIX-THIS,” The overtly mechanical bear promised, hopping off the counter and out of sight. After a few moments, he reappeared, carrying a tray of golden-brown pastries with dark, chunky red jam in the center of each. “A-FREE-ORDER-OF-LUDENBERRY-CROUSTADES. PLEASE-ENJOY-THESE-SWEETS-TOGETHER-AND-GET-ALONG.”

The splattered mess of a stain that was the corpse of Celestia Ludenberg flashed in Kaede’s mind, and with it, her fury rocketed past the boiling point. “How dare you?” She hissed through clenched teeth, a tar-like bitterness churning deep inside her. “Get out of my sight right now. I won’t warn you again .”

If it was possible for robots to pale, Kaede was certain Mondam would have under her hellish glare. He scampered away with a worried bleep of some kind, nearly dropping the plate of pastries on top of himself in his haste. She didn’t feel any satisfaction in watching his terrified escape, or in the varyingly surprised looks of her friends as the stunned silence dragged on in the wake of her fury, only letting out a weary huff as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “... Sorry. I…” She trailed off, the words failing to come to her. “... Let’s just go.”

“... Y-yeah. Ah can’ stand lookin’ adat place. Less’ move on…” Teruteru muttered, still too upset to care about his slipping accent.

Shinguji nodded, hiding his eyes behind the brim of his hat. “There was little else to be gleaned there regardless. It would be best to carry on.”

Mondo didn’t say anything, but he gave no opposition as the anthropologist and the chef left the alley and wandered off back towards the entrance. There was a certain tenseness in his jaw, a telltale sign that he was trying to keep his mouth shut about something, but Kaede didn’t pry. They both knew perfectly well what he was shutting up about, and harsh as it might sound, she really preferred if it stayed that way. She was grateful that he had the tact not to object to her grief, no matter how much he hated Celeste, but there was little good to be done by bringing attention to that. Shaking her head, Kaede took a breath to recollect herself. “... Well, we’re not getting anything done standing around here. We should go.”

Owada gave one last glance at the shop, his lips thinning with a glower, and nodded. “Yeah. f*ck this place.”

A light scoff escaped her. “Screw this place.” She agreed, and with that, they got back on their way.

***

Odd as it was, she was glad to have somewhere to wander around aimlessly. The walking was a good way of burning off the remnants of her anger, her sour mood fading away as time went on. She and Mondo weren’t speaking beyond the odd comment about something they saw along the way, but it was a companionable quiet, one that was probably needed for her to cool down. It didn’t take overly long before she was back to her usual (relatively) high spirits, the stretches between their small talk becoming shorter as she started to feel more like herself.

It took a few more minutes of wandering down the black and white brick road after that point, but soon enough, they stumbled across the next location of interest. Standing proudly before them was a tall hexagonal building decked out in flashing neon signs of countless colors and designs, a dazzling oasis of light in the night-like atmosphere. Most of it was clearly video-game related with icons and characters that even the rather electronically uncultured Kaede recognized by name, the most elaborate being a PAC-MAN maze that trailed the edges of the entire front of the building as a sort of frame that held the rest, with the ghosts circling the proudly advertised name of the establishment.

“Eight-Bit Zoners, huh?” Kaede read aloud, studying the building with a slight smile. “Wanna bet whose lab this is?”

Mondo scoffed. “If you’re bettin’ anyone but Chiaki, sure,” He mocked. Despite that, though, there was a certain light in his eye as he looked over the elaborate display. “I gotta admit, though, this place looks pretty f*ckin’ cool. Used to get the guys together and crash arcades like this all the time. Wanna check it out?”

Akamatsu nodded confirmingly. “Totally! I’ve never actually been to an arcade before, so this’ll be pretty neat! We can say hi to Chiaki if she’s here, too!” The musician added happily. With that, the pair approached and stepped through the double doors.

Though she’d never been to one personally, the interior perfectly resembled what she imagined an arcade looked like. Dozens of game cabinets and booths crowded the room, six lining either side of the entryway before splitting off in a complex maze of flashing screens and dazzling colors that seemed to stretch on endlessly. The tinted lights lining the ceiling and walls bathed the room in a deep blue that nicely complimented the luminescent pink and green accents in the carpeting. Electronic chirps and tunes blared from all around like market callers in a loud and discordant yet oddly charming chorus. In the center of the room was a spiraling staircase, the railing emitting the same shade of blue as the lighting while multicolored flashes danced towards the top, promising even more games above.

“Woah…” Kaede whistled out, amazed. She could hardly take in what she was looking at, nearly overwhelmed by it all. Despite the somewhat intimidating catalog of titles, it was also rather exciting, like being in a candy store for the first time. “I don’t even know where to start…” She thought aloud. Suddenly, an idea struck her, the girl looking towards the Ultimate Biker curiously. “Hey, do you think they have any of the games you know, Mondo?”

Owada looked a little less blown away than her, though clearly still impressed. “sh*t, probably. I didn’t even know there were this many games. Prolly be weirder if they didn’t have ‘least a couple. Might as well look around.”

And so the pair did exactly that, the biker and the former pianist casually strolling around the myriad of cabinets with intrigue. Kaede didn’t recognize most of them, unsurprisingly, but she could pick out a few of the better known names. The place didn’t seem to have any particular theme beyond gaming in general, as there were decades-old titles next to what were clearly much more modern and visually impressive games and every genre she could theoretically imagine there being games for. She kept an eye out for anything out of the ordinary, bearing in mind Monokuma’s vague hint, but nothing stood out as especially odd. Mondo found what he was looking for near a secondary entrance towards the back, a rare grin crossing his features once they found a beloved beat’em up of his, but they decided to put any playing on hold until they’d explored everything.

Thus, the two continued upstairs. The second floor was less flashy than the first, with the hazy blue atmosphere being replaced by a much brighter and bolder electric yellow. The layout was considerably less complex than yet far from lacking in content, with the area directly in front of the stairwell consisting of an enormous screen more akin to one you’d find in a movie theater than a TV spanning from one wall to the other, a veritable collection of bean-bag chairs that formed rows of semi-circles around the screen in a way that struck Kaede as almost worshipping. Lining the walls from the edge of the screen to about halfway across the room on either side were shelves upon shelves of cartridges and cases with their respective systems to match, Akamatsu surmising that there had to have been at least hundreds of games neatly and densely packed together just at a glance at the almost unimaginable collection.

And, in the center of all of it, was an absolutely exhilarated Chiaki Nanami, the Ultimate Gamer rushing to and fro with an energy Kaede never imagined her possessing. She raced from shelf to shelf with the biggest grin a girl her size could have, her pinkish eyes sparkling with delight. Kaede felt herself smiling at finally seeing her often reserved Nanami truly in her element. “Hey, Chiaki!” She called out with a friendly wave… only to go unnoticed by the fangirling teen, who continued running about with barely audible squeaks of awe. She didn’t particularly mind, though, content to see Chiaki’s joy unfold. “Heh. I’m pretty sure she’s in heaven right now.”

Mondo scratched the back of his head. “Do ya think we should say somethin’, or just leave her be?”

Kaede looked at him, then back to the bouncing ball of hype that was Chiaki, and shook her head with a smile. “With all these games around, I don’t think she’d notice even if we were right in front of her. Besides,” She looked behind her to find there was indeed more in the room. “It looks like there’s some stuff over there, so maybe Chiaki’ll wear herself out by the time we check it out.”

The stuff in question turned out to be a museum of sorts. Most of the displays ranged from specialty items like some sort of glove with buttons on it or replica swords that were hung on the wall and things of that nature. Others were apparently much rarer if their info blurbs were to be believed, such as a cartridge for a game that was apparently so bad that it was literally destroyed en masse until almost no copies were left intact. Most of it didn’t mean much to Kaede beyond being vaguely neat, but there was one thing that caught her interest. It was a handheld a little clunkier than the one she often saw Chiaki with, but what stood out was that it had a golden sheen to it. That would have just been a passing curiosity on its own if it weren’t for a thrilled squee that shrieked out as something all but teleported into place next to her. “Omigosh, I can’t believe it! It’s real!” Chiaki gasped out as if she’d just seen the face of god.

Kaede jumped with a yelp. “Gah-! Ch-Chiaki! Don’t sneak up on people and yell like that! You almost gave me a heart attack!” She scolded, placing a hand over her hammering heart with a pouting glare.

Chiaki’s smile fell slightly. “Oh… sorry, I got a little excited,” She said apologetically, but in a rare display for her, she quickly became energetic again. “But look! It’s real !”

Kaede looked at the device quizzically, raising an eyebrow at Chiaki. “Uh… o-kay…?”

“Isn’t it awesome?!” Nanami demanded, pumping her fists as she leaned in uncomfortably close.

Akamatsu stared at her in silence, a cold sweat dribbling at her brow. “...” She tried to say something, but found herself too confused (and somewhat intimidated) to speak.

Mercifully, Mondo, who had been wandering around in general disinterest, approached the pair with equal confusion. “I don’t get it. It’s just a game, isn’t it?”

Chiaki puffed her cheeks out, apparently dissatisfied with his approximation of it. “You say that like it’s a bad thing,” She noted with a hint of annoyance before shaking her head, her smile growing back to full form as she looked at the device. “But no. It’s a really, really rare Gamegirl Advance SP that was made for a special contest a long time ago. It’s so rare that these things are basically a myth. I mean, there’s only seven that were ever made!”

The musician looked over the handheld with renewed curiosity. “Huh… why so few? I mean, it looks neat, but isn’t themed stuff pretty common usually?”

The stars returned to Chiaki’s eyes. “Usually, yeah. The design actually isn’t unique. What makes these ones special is that they’re made out of solid gold!”

Kaede and Mondo’s jaws dropped in unison. “Wh-what?! Solid gold?!” She gasped out. If her ears weren’t as good as they were, she would have sworn she somehow misheard that. The delight in Chiaki’s eyes confirmed she hadn’t.

“Jesus… that thing must be worth a f*ckton to nerds!” Owada declared in shock, earning a light glare from Kaede.

“Mondo! That’s not ni-”

“It totally is!” Chiaki spoke over her, completely unphased by Mondo’s inadvertent insult. Kaede blinked, slowly closing her mouth and rubbing her head helplessly. “Just being that rare alone makes it priceless to collectors, but the fact that it’s gold just triples it! I know people that would sell their house to get their hands on one!”

“... Are you one of them?” Kaede couldn’t help but joke, smiling awkwardly.

Chiaki’s face suddenly grew very serious. “... Maybe.”

Kaede and Mondo shared a look. That… was probably concerning. “Well, now that she has one in her lab, she wouldn’t be willing to do that if someone offered her a trade like that… right?”

Before any of the three could say anything, though, an unwelcome guest popped in. “Bah! Big deal! I’ve got something WAY rarer than that for ya!”

Kaede let out a cross of a groan and a sigh as Monokuma somehow dropped from the ceiling. How exactly that worked, she had no clue, but nothing about that damn bear made any sense. “You’ve gotta be kidding me...!”

“You again…” Chiaki muttered wearily.

Mondo was far more aggressive in his exasperation. “What the f*ck do you want, you annoying little bastard?”

Monokuma, still dressed in his ridiculous suit and hat, ignored the biker and spoke directly to Chiaki instead. “There might be seven of those things in the world, but how would you like to see a console with only one of its kind in existence?”

Despite the faintly annoyed look she gained at his arrival, Chiaki allowed her curiosity to get the better of her. “... Do you really have something like that?”

Kaede had a gut feeling Chiaki was going to be sorely disappointed in whatever it was the moment the bear’s grin grew. “Of course! Believe it or not, I’m a bear-y big fan of games! So much so that I decided to make some of my own!” He reached into his purple coat and pulled out a decently large rectangular device apparently concealed in his pocket. The thing was a fairly normal rectangle with a color scheme that matched the infamous ursine and a picture of his face to boot, but in the middle of it was what seemed to be the disk drive, right in the middle of his cackling maw. It looked… remarkably cheaply made, the black and white plastic already looking faded and neglected. Monokuma held no shame in displaying it, however, presenting it to the trio with pride. “Introducing… the Mono-Station 11037!”

“Isn’t that a little derivative? And what’s with the weird numbering?” Kaede snarked, crossing her arms. She didn’t notice how Mondo’s lips turned into a slight snarl at the numbers, too focused on the bear itself.

Nanami’s eyebrow rose a hair dubiously. “... And what games does this have, anyway?”

Apparently Monokuma didn’t care what Kaede or Mondo had to say as he once again only replied to the Ultimate Gamer’s query. “Why, only the best games soon to be on the market! Twilight Syndrome Murder Case, Ultra Despair Girls 2, Danganronpa V3: The Game, and so much more!” He jovially announced. Akamatsu’s brow furrowed, an odd sense of familiarity coming to her with at two of the games he mentioned, but she didn’t have any time to ruminate that before he continued his sales pitch. “But that’s not all! You see, along with its thrilling, chilling, and killing exclusive titles, this baby has a unique capability to run any game you put into it from any system and put a special Monokuma spin on it! Replay beloved classics for the first time as they get a remaster with my adorable face and sense of art!”

“Tch! Yeah, ‘cause we’re all real eager to see more of your ugly mug, asshole…” Mondo scoffed.

That finally managed to provoke a reaction from Monokuma, the bear turning just enough to glare at him and huff, “You’re one to talk, corn-cob head!”

Owada blinked, his face turning bright red with anger. “The f*ck did you just say?!”

Kaede shot him an imploring look, the silent message not to do something stupid coming in loud and clear if his grit teeth and low, rumbling growl of defeat as he turned away were anything to go by. Shooting a wink at Kaede (earning a heated glare from her in turn), Monokuma cleared his throat. “Ahem. As I was saying, it’s a truly one-of-a-kind machine that’ll tie your collection together and make you the envy of every basem*nt dwelling fanboy around! So, a collector’s item like this must be worth a fortune, right? Well, as your generous headmaster, I shall grant you my one and only prototype to hone your talent on for absolutely free!”

Chiaki thinned her lips to a small frown. “... What’s the catch?”

The bear vigorously shook his head. “None at all! It’s my job as your leader on our little educational voyage of mutual killing to encourage as much growth in you youngsters as I can!” He said in a voice so close to genuine that its mocking undertones came in all the sharper. After a moment, his smirk turned more devious than usual. “Buuut… if you decline this change to playtest my wonderful machine, I’ll have to ask you for a small donation of a million dollars to make up for the cost.”

Kaede almost choked, her jaw dropping in disbelief. “O-one million dollars?! Are you crazy?! No game’s worth that!”

Monokuma tapped at his chin. “That’s awfully ignorant of how expensive a project like this is, but them’s the breaks. Don’t worry, though; if you do that, we have a special compensation prize to celebrate your support of the studio!” He took off his hat and reached inside to reveal yet another hat, this one a white baseball cap adorned with Monokuma and the words ‘Sorry, I was born stupid’ written over him in pink. He moved each paw up and down as if he were weighing the items. “So, what’ll it be? Play some games, or pay a million big ones?”

The ex-Ultimate Pianist glowered at Monokuma in a mix of annoyance and absolute bewilderment. “That’s ridiculous. What kind of trade is-”

“... Okay. I’ll try it out. Could be fun.” Chiaki blandly said with a small shrug.

Kaede stared at Chaiki for a few moments, blinked, and quietly closed her mouth. “... Nevermind. Chiaki’s really devoted to her talent, I guess. That, or she just really doesn’t want to pay Monokuma…”

“Yippee! I knew you’d make the right choice! You’re not some wishy-washy reserve student, after all!” Monokuma happily chirped. Kaede could have sworn something twitched in Nanami’s expression for a moment, but before she could even begin to think about it, Monokuma was already rambling again. “Well then, right this way, Miss Nanami! Let’s put this baby to the test!”

The monochrome monster hurriedly waddled off to the other end of the room, leaving the trio alone with each other. Chiaki looked to the two with thinned lips. “... Monokuma’s probably going to take a while with this. You guys should go on ahead and I can catch up later… I think.”

Kaede rubbed her head uncertainly. “Sorry you got roped into this somehow…”

Mondo clenched his teeth a little, glaring over at the teddie from hell. “Tch… bastard, forcin’ this bullsh*t on you… he better not push his luck. Tell me if he does, alright?”

“It’s fine. Honestly, I was gonna try it out anyway. I think this is just Monokuma trying to mess with me. It wouldn’t be much fun for him if he pushed too hard and I said no, so I don’t think we have to worry.” The gamer assured.

Kaede didn’t have as much faith in their so-called captain’s sense of self control, but she didn’t have anything to argue with besides her own distaste for Monokuma, so she acquiesced the point with a nod. “Well, if you’re sure, then… okay. We’ll definitely let you know if we find anything important as soon as we can. And… well, it’s easier said than done, but even if he isn’t a threat right now, try not to let him get under your skin, okay?”

Chiaki nodded firmly. “I won’t. I’ve dealt with even more annoying NPCs than him before. This’ll be a minor boss at best,” She jargoned, pulling up her backpack straps in preparation. “See you guys soon.”

Akamatsu managed a simple smile, granting the Ultimate Gamer her support whether she needed it or not. “Okay. See you in a bit, Chiaki.”

Mondo didn’t look happy with it, but he didn’t put up any more of a fight. “Later.”

The duo turned and started towards the stairs, believing the conversation to be over, when Chiaki softly called out to them. “... Hey, Mondo?”

The biker paused, glancing over his shoulder. “Yeah?”

Nanami’s lips pulled up in a small, warm smile. “... I’m glad you’re back."

Mondo blinked, seemingly unsure of how to respond. “Er… yeah. Thanks…” He muttered back unusually shyly. The two hesitated, but once it was clear that was all, Kaede continued down the stairs with Owada in tow. She let a simper grace her features. It was tempting to say something teasing about that, but she didn’t want to embarrass him over it, certainly not when their friendship was this young.

She could simply be content that there was at least one more person willing to forgive Mondo.

Chapter 21: Chapter Two: Fast Times at Felony Funland: Daily Life Part 3

Chapter Text

With their business in the arcade concluded, the two Ultimates ventured out into the unknown areas of the park, leaving through the back entrance to see where that path led. It was initially pretty similar, mirroring the other path fairly closely for the first minute or two of walking with little of note beyond the odd bits of set-dressing standard for the area.

After a short time of further walking, however, they finally came across a structure that dominated the skyline of the park even from the entrance. Standing like a dazzling monolith just beyond a tall archway maybe twenty feet away from the pair was an enormous building easily over a hundred feet taller than the comparatively dwarf-like structures surrounding it, Kaede having to crane her neck up considerably just to see the top of it. Unlike its sleek and modern peers, this building seemed to be strangely artistic, consisting of dozens of classical Japanese style roofings apparently stacked on top of each other at different angles that almost made it look like a grand spiraling staircase to the sky. It was lined with tall, tin metal beams going straight up and down in evenly spaced sets of threes around each directional side of the structure, alternating red and white lights running up and down each beam creating a spectacular sight to behold. Narrowing her eyes a little, the blonde could make out rows of seats at the bottom of the tower connected to the beams, confirming it to be a ride of some sort. In the middle of the arches was a brightly lit picture of a cackling Monokuma and the words “Towa Tower of Terror”.

“Woah…” Kaede murmured in amazement, a sense of intimidation creeping up her spine just looking at the humongous tower. She took pride in the fact that she generally didn’t get unnerved easily, but she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t feeling the least bit antsy in the face of the ride. “I-it’s huge...! I can’t believe it!”

Mondo was similarly astounded, his jaw hanging open slightly. “How the hell’d somethin’ like that even get here?!”

“Didn’t I already say it’s a miracle of engineering?” Monokuma asked rhetorically from right beside Kaede, the blonde jumping slightly with a small yelp of surprise as she swerved on her heels to face him. “I’m actually getting a little concerned now; are you guys actually going deaf?”

“G-geez! Stop sneaking up on us, you weirdo! And I’m not deaf!” Kaede snapped out, crossing her arms with a scowl.

“And we didn’t ask your opinion, so why don’tcha just f*ck off?” Owada spat.

The bear shrugged. “Hey, don’t blame me! You’re the ones not listening to anything I say. How am I supposed to tell the difference? If anything, you’re the weirdos!” He defended, daring to sound slightly offended by the statement. “Besides, Mister Owada, you DID ask, and so I answered!”

Kaede drew her lips up in a pout. “Just calling something a miracle isn’t an answer…” She grumbled, but after a moment, a thought struck her. “Actually, hang on a second. I thought you were busy with Chiaki?”

“I am! But a good headmaster knows how to multitask!” He cheerfully replied with a wink. Monokuma put his paws on his hips authoritatively. “That being said, I don’t like having to repeat myself over and over, so keep any questions about how X, Y, or Z are possible to yourself if my answers aren’t good enough! It’s not exactly a rule per se, but it you keep asking dumb questions, sooner or later, I won’t bother answering the smart ones, either!”

“Like you answer those anyway…” Mondo snarked with a sneer.

The monochromatic monster waved a paw dismissively. “Technicalities! My point is, you might as well just assume that everything you see here is somehow scientifically possible, because if it weren’t, there’s no way it could happen in the real world, right?” Monokuma asked. Kaede simply thinned her lips in response, both her and the biker offering nothing but cold glares of annoyance. He wasn’t phased, however, clapping as if they actually had answered. “Exactly! I’m glad we can agree to only ask questions about things that matter! So, then… is there anything your beloved captain can do for you?”