Danganronpa: ReProgrammed

Pain of a Junk Food Junkie: Part 5

"So do you know who this 16th student is?" Chihiro asked.

"Unfortunately, no, I don't," Kyoko frowned "the Mastermind must have gone the extra mile to ensure that we didn't find out. There was a file on a 16th student, but most of the important information had been scribbled out with marker."

"Darn it!" Chihiro snapped "you mean we still don't have anything!?"

"I didn't say that," Kyoko said "while I wasn't able to be sure of all the details, there are two things I'm sure of."

"And those are?" Chihiro asked.

"Firstly," Kyoko said "whoever the 16th student is, I'm guessing they are a woman."

"Why do you think that?" Chihiro asked again.

"Well, it's not so simple that each class has 16 students by itself," Kyoko said "each class of Hope's Peak is split down the middle in gender. Each one contains 8 boys, and 8 girls. Of our own group, we only had 7 girls. Me, Mukuro, Sayaka, Hina, Toko, Sakura and Taeko, so it stands to reason the last student is also a girl. The other thing I deduced is that whoever this 16th student is...is dangerous."

"Dangerous?" Chihiro parroted "how so?"

"It's possible..." Kyoko thought "that she could end up being the Mastermind."

"The Mastermind!?" Chihiro exclaimed "but...didn't Alter Ego say that the headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy was the Mastermind?"

"No...The headmaster is not the Mastermind." Kyoko said, sounding quite sure of herself "there's no doubt in my mind, despite my lack of proof."

"That's...pretty unusual for you, Kyoko..." Chihiro observed "but assuming the Mastermind isn't the headmaster, that makes it whoever this 16th student is?"

"I've pretty much said everything that I know," Kyoko said "the point is after all this time, we finally landed our hands on something potentially big. Letting this opportunity slip away isn't something we can allow."

"You say that but..." Chihiro scratched his head "we don't even really know what that key opens."

"That's exactly what I intend to find out. I can't risk Monokuma catching me while he's already on guard tonight, so I'll have to wait until tomorrow," Kyoko said "which is why I need your help. I need you to distract Monokuma for me again, while I go and figure things out."

"So you're gonna go sneak off again!?" Chihiro exclaimed "that's too risky! What makes you so sure that you won't get caught!?"

"Earlier, when I asked you to go to the data processing room, that wasn't only a distraction, but it doubled as an experiment," Kyoko said "you see, there's something that I've given some patient thought about..."

"What's that?" Chihiro questioned.

"I don't know how..." Kyoko said "but I don't think the Mastermind can control Monokuma and observe us through the cameras at the same time. That's why I was able to sneak into the headmasters office earlier."

"But couldn't that just have been a coincidence!?" Chihiro exclaimed "what if it's possible there are two or more Mastermind's watching over us?"

"I can't deny either of those claims..." Kyoko said "but that's why there's merit in trying the same thing again. Besides, where's the harm even if I do get caught?"

"Oh, I don't know!" Chihiro snapped sarcastically "maybe that your life is on the line if Monokuma finds out you went where you weren't supposed to!?"

"Is it?" Kyoko smirked "I think you'll find the opposite is true."

"H-Huh? What do you-?" Chihiro was about to ask, but before he could finish, Kyoko produced her E-Handbook from her pocket, and showed Chihiro a section of the rules page.