Return, Retry, Restart...Continue? (Danganronpa V3 X Reader)

Chapter 70

"Huh!?" Kaito shouted, "What do you mean lie!!?" 

"Nishishi... you know. The one about you and Maki being the one to trip off the body discovery announcement." Kokichi grinned, "I saw you ya know~ You were the only one to enter the tennis court right~ Sure Maki came in laterrr but only you tripped off the announcement righttt....?" 

Wait huh. Isn't that- 

Before anyone could even say anything Kaito conceded. "Alright alright! I messed up! I freaked out seeing the body that I thought Maki was with me the whole time- but I didn't see you there." 

"That's cause he lied Kaito." Shuichi started, "He was with Miu before remember?" Somewhere in the back Miu makes some crude comment that you tune out again.

"Huh that's.... why you...!" Kaito glares at Kokichi, who's only responding with a sheepish shrug. 

"I didn't want Kaito to get away with such an awful lie after all!" 

Maki rolled her eyes,"Fine. The brat's right I didn't trip the body announcement. But the culprit isn't me." 

"You don't have an alibi though..." Shuichi began, "But I also don't see why Ryoma- if he is protecting the real culprit- would protect you. Were you close?"

"Perhaps the motive videos? If Ryoma saw Maki's perhaps he empathized with her situation and wants her to leave?" Kirumi spoke up. Of course the maid would think up of that. 

Rantaro shakes his head a bit, "I don't- I don't think so." He shares a glance with you, and you nod. After all Maki's secret isn't exactly something you'd protect her over. 

Kokichi mumbles too quietly for most to hear, "...Unless this is a 'one murder to another' sort of situation..." You frowned at the thought... would Ryoma really protect someone just cause they're also a killer? No that doesn't make sense. 

"Soooo... the culprit is Maki then~?" Angie asked. "Atua says it's suspicious that she didn't say anything for so long! And doesn't have an alibi!" 

You rolled your eyes at the Atua comment but don't say much as Maki talks. You don't think the assassin did it- this sort of murder isn't really... her thing. 

"It's not me. I didn't say anything against it cause I didn't want to be suspicious." Maki frowns, "Though since it's come to this anyway. It's not me. Do with that what you will." 

Shuichi frowned, "Then did you happen to hear or see anything? Your lab is close by to Ryoma's." 

Maki crossed her arms. "I did hear arguing, I think somewhere down near Ryoma's lab but I didn't bother to check. I didn't even leave my lab until I heard the announcement." 

There was a lot of muttering about it probably being Maki but this one was even less likely than Ryoma. You... didn't want this to go on forever. You had to put a stop to this. You had to convince Ryoma to tell the truth. 

"More importantly, Kaito being the only one to trip off the guarantees that someone other than the culprit saw the body. Ryoma you... would that be you? Why are you protecting the real culprit." You stare straight at him, hoping for some sign. 

Ryoma doesn't say a word. 

Kaito bangs his fist on the podium, "Say something damnit! You might be fine with dying but the rest of us want to live! Don't throw away all of our lives just cause you don't want to live." 

Ryoma just pulled his hat down further. "Hmph." 

Everyone falls silent as if just... thinking about how to approach this. For the second time, the culprit is being protected. A part of you gloats at the fact that you were likely right about it not being Ryoma. But.... who could it be then? Who would Ryoma protect? And why?