The Ultimate Assassin [SDR2 x Reader]

Chapter 20 - Class Trial [Part 1]

Your descent came to a halt, filling the lift with a tense silence. It was clear that no one was ready for what was about to happen, even after the first trial, but you were. You were now prepared to find the one who betrayed the trust of everyone in the room, and had taken the life of someone so innocent.

You were greeted by a blinding light as the door revealed the courtroom, the last place you had seen Teruteru in person. This time, the room had a beach or underwater theme to it. Monokuma had redecorated it, the illusion of moving water projected onto various banners around the room. You probably would have admired the change, if only it wasn't the place it was.

Monokuma practically begged for praise on his handywork, gaining little response in return.

"To put so much effort into something this intricate... What are your real intentions?" Sonia asked sadly.

"Nothing much, really... to be honest, this killing game is just to kill time, anyway!" Monokuma whistled. This brought an uproar from Akane.

"To kill time?!" she growled.

"To break away from my purpose! That is my purpose alone!" Monokuma cackled. "A purpose will only be a weakness! The ones who have a purpose are always the weakest ones of the whole group! That's why you guys should completely forget about something so cheap like 'surviving'... and just enjoy the class trial with all you haaaaave!"

Everyone took their places at their designated stands, you slotting in between Akane and Fuyuhiko. Mahiru's portrait was placed to the right of Hajime, a bloody cross splattered over her pure face. You took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling steadily. Your gaze hardened as you concentrated on the trial at hand, gathering every piece of evidence you had collected in your mind. You glanced around at everyone else one more time before plunging into the battle.

The battle between hope and despair.

-

Monokuma recited the rules once again and reminded everyone about what would happen and how the trial worked. Once he had finished, he cheerfully clapped his hands together and suggested a starting point.

"Now then, how about you guys discuss the motive, first? That masterpiece of gaming: Twilight Syndrome Murder Case!"

"What the hell?! Nobody cares about that stupid game!" Ibuki protested.

"That is true... the outcome of this trial should be determined by whether or not we are able to find Mahiru's killer," Gundham said mysteriously.

"Regardless, we shouldn't just ignore it... after all, it is the motive," Nagito pointed out.

"Yeah, you're right. We should try discussing that first," Chiaki agreed.

"I'm certain that everyone who has beaten the game already knows that it's based on a real life murder case," Nagito continued, only to be interrupted by Peko.

"But some of us have not beaten that game. Give us a detailed explanation," she subtly demanded.

"He means that Twilight Syndrome Murder Case is a nonfiction game – It's based on real life events," you elaborated. "Some people here are also characters in the game."

"S-Some of us are characters in a game?!" Nekomaru yelled in surprise.

"That's right... so, I think it's best if we clarify who each character is, first," Chiaki said sleepily.

"Girl A was timid and quite submissive," you informed, letting Hajime take over.

"Girl A was most likely Mikan Tsumiki," he finished, looking at said girl. "Based on the list of names that came up in the credits, it doesn't seem likely that it would be anyone else."