It All Started By One Single Tear (Rantaro x reader x YandereMastermind Kokichi)

Chapter 5 Part 15: Revisiting the Tunnel of Despair

Your POV:

I could still feel the shock from the events that just happened course through my state of mind. Maki trying to interrogate Kokichi by strangling him...the fact that Kaito was the only one of us who talked some sense into Maki.
Maki dropped Kokichi and kept her bloodlust at bay because of Kaito. He knew if Maki killed Kokichi, she would've been executed. When Kokichi dropped to a heap onto the floor, I could feel myself grow worried for how much pain he looked like he was in.
    How that ended... it ended with Kokichi mentioning how none of us wanted him around before he staggered out of the room, leaving us to feel a weight dropped dead on our shoulders. Kokichi left the Electrohammers for us, and we needed to figure out what we could do with them.
"...Wh-What should we do?" Keebo asked.
"I say that we fuckin' use these babies in the underground tunnel!" Miu exclaimed in response, "I know you all don't fuckin' trust that psycho, but he was mostly truthful about these inventions!"
"Either way, I will refuse to believe anything he says," Maki stated harshly.
"But, y'know..." Kaito trailed off, "if it's not a lie, then isn't this our one chance to escape!?"
As Kaito said that, I noticed his expression seemed to indicate he was in a lot of pain, I could see beads of sweat rolling down his face as Kaito gritted his teeth, trying to pass for not being in so much pain. I was worried about so many things right now, but those things seemed to cease when Kaito mentioned that this could be our only chance to escape.
With Miu backing up what Kokichi was saying, it was a lot easier to believe that this could be a reality aside from fiction. If this was going to happen, I would be able to put myself on the front lines and protect everyone.
"If we use those Electrohammers, maybe we can get through the underground passage..." Kaito explained, "so why don't we try it?"
"You mean..." Keebo nervously trailed off, "actually do what Kokichi is suggesting?"
"Not just Kokichi," Kaito replied, "Miu is a part of this group as well, and she was the one who made the weapons. If anyone knows what those electronics can do, it's Miu!"
"And I will tell you all with a fuckin' one hundred percent guarantee that these babies will take the *trap* outta *booby trap*!" Miu exclaimed, "I know I've done shit that I know I'm not proud of. I know I said that we'd eventually betray each other, but I don't feel that way anymore. Please trust me, and we can try and get out of this shit show together."
"I never thought Miu could actually be sentimental..." Tsumugi muttered in response, "Miu, if we do this, it could be very dangerous. If Kokichi came to us with this idea without you, I wouldn't even want to attempt to take his advice."
    "Our goal is to escape with everyone, right?" Kaito asked, "if there's a chance we can do it, then we should take it. We don't...have enough time..."
    From what Kaito was saying at first, I knew he was right. If there was a chance we all could escape, we should take it. But when he said that we didn't have enough time... I felt my heart sink. I had no idea what he meant about that. A phrase like that could mean many things, but I had no idea what he meant by it.
    "If you don't mind me asking, what do you mean by time?" Rantaro asked.
    "I-I mean with Monokuma," Kaito said in response, "like, he's gonna get in our way soon."
    "True, this is our best chance now that he's not making any obvious movements..." Keebo mentioned.
    "So let's try the underground passage with these hammers," Kaito said, "we'll get to the outside world!"
    "Since Miu made them, I'm sure we can escape..." Himiko muttered, "and...once we escape, we'll find out the secret of the outside world for ourselves."
    "Himiko is right!" Tenko exclaimed, "I'm sure you can combine your magic with those hammers to give more of an extra punch!"
    "We don't even know whether the the truth of the outside world is a lie or not," Keebo stated, "according to the AI Gonta, it was real, but what if it somehow isn't the truth?"
    I knew very well what Keebo was saying. What Alter Ego Gonta said about despair... how the secret of the outside world was terrible and a hell to live in. Was this all a lie? Or was this the truth? We have to get out of here, even if I somehow die in the process. All I was good for was ensuring everyone else's survival.
    "W-We need to try..." I said nervously, "we have to try and escape."
    "Yeah, that's all we've got!" Kaito exclaimed in response, "well, the secret of the outside world might just be a lie anyway!"
     "We need to try either way," Kirumi said calmly, "we should do so, so we don't regret our choice of action."
    "Hey, Ryoma, Maki," Kaede called out, "what do you guys want to do?"
    "I'm just going to help in whatever way I can..." Ryoma replied.
    Maki however was silent for a moment. She was looking to the side before sending a harsh glare towards Kaede for asking such a question. She seemed to be still pretty upset with Kokichi.
    "If those hammers were turned into some trap by that bastard, I'll kill hi—" Maki tried to say before...
    "You can't kill him," Kaito said, interrupting Maki, "just punch him."
    "...I know," Maki replied, "I'm just going to beat him to a bloody pulp."
    "I-I see," Tsumugi said with a frown, "if anyone else is gonna do it...I understand. Then, I'll prepare myself for the underground passage again!"
    "Yeah!" Kaito exclaimed in response, "right on!"
There was one thing that was starting to concern me. Monokuma has been a little too quiet for comfort. I haven't seen the monochromatic bear since the morning announcement. He didn't even show himself during the night time announcement, so that made me wonder where he was.
Based on what happened with my today, Monokuma was just the least of my worries. I had to move try and move forward even if I was in pain. The only thing I could try and do was move forward. Even if the world was crumbling down around me, I had to try.
"Alright!" Kaito exclaimed, "let's get going! We're gonna escape from that underground passage for sure this time!"
"Nyahahaha, I agree!" Angie exclaimed, "Atua gives us his blessing for a successful escape!"
Kaito always was one to give a triumphant shout to get everyone motivated. Though I was in a dark place at the moment, I felt moved by his words. I decided along with everyone else to grab an Electrohammer hammer, so we could try to attempt the underground passage once more.
Everyone around the room aside from Rantaro who was silent was giving each other words of encouragement. That caused multiple people to leave the room in high spirits, but I couldn't help but walk out of the room with a sense of dread. I needed to ignore my feelings and help everyone escape.
The Electrohammer felt slightly heavy in my hands as I made my way to the door that exited the gym. I knew I needed to catch up with everyone, and hopefully I would be able to help in any way I could. I was surprised at the fact that Miu made enough hammers for us. Those must've taken her awhile to create.
    Everyone seemed to be gone aside from me. There was no more walking with other people. No more walking with Rantaro and having a nice chat with him to keep my mind off of the troubling situation I was in. I fully accepted the fact that I was alone. Nothing could change the mistakes I continued to make.
     I walked out of the gym, hearing the echoes of the people I knew from this situation. I could hear Tenko talking about Himiko using her magic from down the hall. I could hear Miu talking away about how her invention would help us, basically acting like she forgot whatever she talked about before. I wanted to be there for everyone, but it felt like all I was good for was keeping everyone alive. Once I was gone, there would be no way for anyone to survive the wrath of the mastermind.
    I exited the polka dot metal door, leading to the area the dining hall was in. I could hear the sound of my shoes hitting the tiled school floor. Everyone was already farther ahead of me to the point where I could no longer hear voices. My guess was that everyone was outside.
I gripped the Electrohammer I was carrying as I made it to the entrance hall. Without haste, I opened the door, being sure to slip out. I could feel the cool night air hit my face once more as I got outside. I took a deep breath, letting the cool air flow into my lungs to help further calm me from the dread I was feeling. I was hoping we could do this.
I walked down the stairs that led to the area that led to the trail that lead to the dining hall, as well as loop that lead to the underground tunnel. I took a left once I got to that area, walking to the area with the underground tunnel. I felt myself zone out as I continued to walk to the trail.
I could feel nervousness spring to life in my chest, and it seemed like the Electrohammer was getting heavier in my hands. I felt a weight grow in my chest as I got closer to the backyard area. I needed to do this. I needed to gain back the confidence that was needed for this situation.
I knew I had to do this. I shifted the Electrohammer to my left hand, causing more weight to shift to my left arm. I grabbed the doorknob that led to the inside of the backyard area. Once I entered, I could see that nothing had really changed. I could see the green foliage cover the floor of this backyard area, some trees and vines that continued to cascade room. I could see that the only one standing in the said room was Keebo. He seemed to be waiting for everyone to go down before coming down himself. That however excluded Kiyo.
If this plan worked out, I would come back for him, but I would have someone accompany me to do so. I walked over to the manhole that was no longer covered by the cover or the rock from when the student council was a thing. My guess was that Gonta led the way so he could lift the manhole cover.
As I got to the manhole cover. I could feel the cold air radiating from the space. It was dark all of the way down, and I was hoping that I could climb down and keep the Electrohammer safe. I had to think about a way to do this.
"Hey, (y/n)," Keebo said, cutting off my train of thought.
In response to Keebo, I looked over at him. I didn't want to give him a hint that I was going through intense emotions from everything that had happened today. I gave the robot a small smile in response to his words.
"Did you need something from me?" I asked in response.
"Well, I-I noticed you have been silent most of the day," Keebo explained in response, "you look like you're very upset about something. Are you okay? Is there something wrong?"
    I had no idea Keebo noticed that I was being more quiet and reserved. He had a feeling I was upset, and he was right about that. The harsh reality of this situation was that I needed to act like I was okay, even if it was just for now. I couldn't let my emotions get in the way of what we were planning to do. I knew that very well, so I knew what I had to do.
    I smiled lightly at Keebo to show him that I *was* okay. I shifted the Electrohammer into my left hand as I got on my knees to help myself get into the manhole without having to hurt myself in the process.
    "I'm perfectly fine," I replied, "I'm just nervous about this plan."
    "(y/n), I'm not going to question what you said, but..." Keebo trailed off, "I feel like you've done so much for everyone. I'm sure everyone would want to see you being your chipper self. I know right now isn't the best time to talk things through, but if you need anyone to talk to, I'll try to be there for you the best as I can."
    I knew Keebo was one who cared about others despite being a robot. He helped in whatever way he could despite being a robot. I felt myself smile once more at him. I knew he wanted to see me happy, but I wasn't sure if I was ready to tell really anyone what was going on. All I had to do was smile and bear it.
    "Thank you, Keebo," I told him, "but I really am fine. Thank you for your concern though."
    After saying that I hooked my legs into the manhole, getting a good step on the metal ladder I had to climb down in order to get to the underground area. I held the Electrohammer, and I slowly poised myself down, being sure to take my time, so I wouldn't fall down the manhole. Carrying the Electrohammer made this more difficult because of the weight imbalance the device provided.
    I made sure my complete train of thought was focused on getting down this manhole safely. It took a good minute for me to get myself down because I really didn't want to fall or embarrass myself in front of everyone.
    Soon enough, I managed to get down. As soon as I did, I saw everyone aside from Kiyo and Kokichi there, carrying their Electrohammers, waiting for everyone to get down safely. As soon as I got down, I noticed that Keebo was also coming down. I could hear the metal clanking from his robot body, and that much was obvious. Once everyone got down, that was when we were going to get started with this plan. I haven't attempted this since I tried doing it alone for everyone's sake. Hopefully these hammers would really help us get past this tunnel. It was our only shot for right now.
"Alright, let's get started!" Kaito exclaimed.
"A-Are we really gonna be okay?" Tsumugi asked in response.
"Wh-Wh-What are you afraid of?" I heard Himiko stutter.
When I heard Himiko start to stutter. I looked in her direction as she spoke, and she looked very nervous. The magician was shaking nervously as if she were a leaf trembling in the wind. A nervous sweat seemed to be rolling down her face.
"Of course it's gonna be okay...right?" Himiko asked.
"Himiko, of course it's going to be okay!" Tenko exclaimed in response, "you're shaking like a leaf! Everything is going to be okay."
"Even though you're consoling Himiko, you look stressed, Tenko," Tsumugi explained in response, "you guys do seem anxious..."
"Heh, there's no need to worry!" Kaito exclaimed in response, "of course it's gonna be a little dangerous, but... We've got all these Ultimates here! If we all work together, everything will be alright!"
I could feel my eyes widen in response to those words. Those words...they gave me a glimmer of confidence despite what was happening. A similar feeling to what I felt when we first got here... when we found out why we were here. Kaede was the one to step up and bring everyone together, and in turn, I did the same thing along with her.
Those words rekindled the wish I felt despite everything that was happening. Even if no one has died yet, and even if it was somehow because of me... the wish to get out with everyone that we all shared was important. Every near death experience made the wish significantly more important. It inspired me in a way I never thought I would experience feeling the way I did before.
Those words made me feel like I could contribute enough to get everyone out safely. Even though Kaito was probably still ignoring me, he still inspired me even in my darkest time. Keebo even wanted to make sure I was okay. I knew people cared, so I knew I could do my best, even if it was the spur of the moment.
"...Kaito, you are amazing..." Kaede said with a smile, "using my own words from the beginning..."
"No, I'm not doing that," Kaito said with a smile, "we are finally fulfilling your wish...the wish everyone has in their hearts. Our promise to work together to get out of here...and become friends..."
"I guess we should fulfill that promise, yeah?" I heard a voice chuckle.
I glanced to the side to see Rantaro having a small smile on his face. I haven't seen his smile in a couple of days, and it made my heart tug. I knew he didn't want to be with me anymore, but that wasn't the thing that was important. Fulfilling the wish of everyone here was what we needed to. That's what I needed to do, before the inspiration would fade to nothing, putting me in another slump. We needed to escape.
    "Now is the time to fulfill everyone's wish," Kaede said.
    "I'll cheer for you guys!" Himiko exclaimed in response.
    "Himiko, you do know you have to do it too, to right?" Tenko asked.
     I turned myself towards the passage entrance. The wooden exit sign was still there like it was from the beginning. It was something that gave false hope after we actually went inside. Right now though, we all have made it so far. I had no choice but to believe we could get out of here. With the inventions Miu made to help us... I had a feeling we could do it... I had to believe that...
    I had to keep thinking positive thoughts as I stepped into the tunnel. I could see darkness as we walked through the tunnel that led to a bigger area with multiple electronic traps. I clutched the Electrohammer I had, preparing myself for the traps I've gotten caught in myself.
    As soon as we started the tunnel escape, I could see all of the traps I've managed to get myself caught in. The cages, the coin looking bombs that Monokuma had in here. The jumps that we were expected to risk for. It was like the only thing I had to do now was swing the hammer. Once I did, I could see pathways forming, bombs leaving as everyone else was swinging to get rid of the traps as well.
     We kept on moving. None of us got caught in any trap thanks to the Electrohammers Miu made. However, despite the fact that Miu's Electrohammers were working, getting father into the tunnel made me realize how long it really was. Monokuma really did have a sense of making us fight for our lives before crushing that hope we had.
    As we managed to get to the second area of the tunnel, separated from the first stage through a small strip of darkness in the tunnel. My body was running off pure adrenaline from the fear of being caught into one of the traps, as well as the fear of failing.
    I continued to swing my hammer and follow where I needed to follow. It was all I could do. It was all everyone could do while we were here. I had to swing my arms to hit the coin looking bombs as someone else hit something that caused a walk way to form. Everyone was working together to get past this, and it really did show.
    It took us a few minutes to even make it to the stage after the one we were in right now. This tunnel really was longer than any one of us thought. Before these hammers, we were only able to get so far in the first stage before we were knocked out by bombs, or trapped by cages.
    Another strip of darkness separated the second stage from the third one. Once we entered the next stage, the color scheme was different than it was from the beginning. It seemed a lot more tame here. It was as if Monokuma didn't think we would get this far. Without Miu's Electrohammers, that answer would be true.
However, all that seemed to be here was cages that we were able to stop through our Electrohammers. The coin bombs were useless, the moving platforms were now useless. My arms felt tired and overworked as I continued on. I could barely contain the hope in my heart when I saw a metal door. We all went through it, and there was nothing left. No traps, no bombs. This really did feel like the end of this cursed tunnel.
We finally made our way out of the tunnel. My heart was racing, and the adrenaline I was feeling was still flowing through my veins. I was panting slightly, both from rubbing and swinging the Electrohammer repeatedly. It never felt like the tunnel was going to end, that tunnel was so long. It was good to know that it was true that the tunnel ended.
At the end of the tunnel...there was a larger space beyond it. There was nothing in this said room aside from a metal door with a green electronic barrier around it. There was a sign that pointed to the tunnel that said it led to the exit. This door had to lead to the exit. It just had to.
"Is this...the exit?" Maki asked.
"I think so," Rantaro replied, "if you look over there, you'll see that Monokuma wasn't lying."
"Yeah, what Rantaro said!" Kaito exclaimed in response, "look there."
I knew they were referring to the door that was close by. I tried not to think much on hearing Rantaro speak. If I did, I would just make myself even more miserable than I already was. I decided to focus all of my attention on the door.
"Oh!" Himiko exclaimed, "it's a door! On the other side of that door..."
"Yeah!" Kaito exclaimed in response, "it's probably the outside world!"
Some people seemed to be excited, while others were more skeptical. We didn't know what the outside world looked like, and that much was true. With the memories that we unlocked, it could be a barren wasteland out there. That was what some of the others mentioned. Kaito however said that the sky was fine over the academy, so it must be okay.
If we were going to go outside, we would need to somehow disable the door. The barrier was similar to the one in the Exisal Hanger. Keebo even said that himself, but there was one thing we needed to do if we were going to open the door. We had to disable the barrier somehow, but none of us knew the code. To get out of here, the first step is going to get rid of the barrier somehow. The lock looked very strong, so I had no idea if we could even use our hammers. We had to think of something to do...and fast.

Hello all! I had no school for a couple of days this week because of a snowstorm that hit! I was able to update well and on my own time XD

So I know I cut it off at a bad moment, but it'll make up for next week. They finally completed the tunnel. I still have a hard time explaining that because it's kinda like a game. The coin bombs were always weird to me.

I'm sure you all will be standing on your seats in anticipation on what's going to happen, but you'll have to wait. Next chapter is going to be big, so just be patient. I know this was short again, but I hope you all have an amazing weekend! Ciao for now- yuki_no_fuyu