A/N: This is the last chapter for trial 1, and I have made the decision that I will start posting bigger chapters for you guys. So, I hope you guys are excited about that :)
Y/N POV: I felt a sudden pain in my chest where my heart was when Shuichi concluded the case, word for word, come on, Y/N. Keep your composure. "N-No...Kaede...did it?" Gonta stammered out. "Damn it!" Kaito said with gritted teeth. "It is a truth I do not wish to accept, but since Shuichi has brought everything to light... We can at least try to trust the Kaede we've come to know up to this point." Kirumi said. Even she looked saddened by this. So why wasn't I...? "The Kaede we've come to know...?" Tenko said. "Even if she did commit a crime, what Kaede has said to us is not a lie. She wanted to protect us, and I firmly believe that is the truth." Kirumi said. "If that was a lie too, it'd be the last straw for me. I'd have nothing left to believe in." Ryoma admitted. "You guys are so nice... Even though I betrayed you all..." Kaede trailed off.
"No! That's not true, Kaede! You were trying to save all of-" "Nice job, Shuichi! I didn't expect any less!" Kaede yelled, interrupting Shuichi's words. "...What?" Shuichi said, sweat dropping a little. "You were super reliable back there! But you still have a long way to go. You need to be more assertive. If you did that more often, you'd be a pretty cool guy." Kaede smiled. Didn't she...hold any grudges at all...? Wasn't she mad or upset that she was caught...? I can't read her. "...Kaede...why? Why are you smiling like that...? Why are you still trying to get me to be brave? Why, Kaede!? Why are you thinking about everyone except yourself!? If you had just been less selfless, you wouldn't have had to murder... Why...? Why do you do that?" Shuichi whimpered. This sight was almost upsetting to look at...almost. "...I'm...sorry..." Kaede apologized. "Stop, stop, stop! At least save it for the end of the trial! Sheesh!" Monokuma yelled. "Looks like the debate is finished, so that means it's Voting Time!" Monotaro announced. "All right you bastards! Press the button in front of you to cast your vote!" Monophanie instructed. "And make sure y'all vote, cuz refusin' to vote is grounds for termination." Monosuke said. "At last! The heart-racing excitement as the blackened and the spotless finally face off..." Monokuma trailed off. "It's...VOTING TIME!!!" Monokuma and the Monokubs yelled all at once.
I let out a breath that I didn't even know that I was holding in. And let my hand hover over my podium to cast my vote. And just like everyone else I pressed on Kaede's picture. After a little while, a big machine started to tally up everyone's votes and of course, it landed on Kaede as the blackened. "Well, at this point it goes without saying, but you all voted correctly! The blackened who killed Rantaro Amami is the Ultimate Pianist, Kaede Akamatsu!" Monokuma yelled. "Good..." Kaede said blandly. "Wh-What...? Good? What do you mean, good!? Is this how you want it to end!?" Kaito yelled. "Not really, but...it could've turned out a lot worse. So this is fine, too." Kaede concluded to us. "I-It's not fine! This is super horrible! The worst ever!" Tenko cried. "Yeah... How did it come to this?" Tsumugi asked. Kaede stayed silent at that. I assume that she was picking out the words she wanted to say in her head. "Kaede, what would possess you to do something like this?" Kiibo asked. "Gonta no can accept this... Not unless you explain..." Gonta stammered out. "Yeah... I won't be satisfied... Until I hear it straight from you..." Kaito sweat dropped.
"Kaede, please..." Shuichi pleaded. "Okay, please allow me a few mere moments of your time, then. It's just like Shuichi said-I was after the mastermind this entire time. I wanted to kill the mastermind, and I thought doing that would end the killing game..." Kaede trailed off. "But why did you try to kill them? Maybe they could have been captured..." Shuichi reasoned. "If it hadn't been for the time limit, I probably would've done that... But the time limit meant that capturing the mastermind was less likely to work, y'know? Cuz the mastermind could've just played dumb to run out the clock and kill us all. I...was worried about that happening." Kaede admitted. "So you sought to kill the mastermind, instead?" Kiyo concluded. "I had made up my mind just before we set up the cameras in the library. I thought it was my last chance to save everyone... I couldn't let that chance pass me by. I had to save everyone, no matter what." Kaede sweat dropped. "Even if you had to kill someone?" Kokichi questioned. "That's right...I thought that killing the mastermind was our best shot at escaping this place together. I...really believed it, too..." Kaede admitted. "Kaede..." Shuichi mumbled. "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 is 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 explained. "W-Wait. To put it like that..." Tsumugi trailed off. "But he's not wrong. She's the reason the killing game started." Miu said. "But...if Kaede hadn't done anything, we'd all be dead by now..." Tenko said. "Kaede save everyone...we no can blame her." Gonta said. "I know! You don't need to remind me! That's why I'm so...pissed off! Pissed off at myself for being so...so useless!" Kokichi cried. Tears were streaming down his face so abruptly it was unnatural. "K-Kokichi...stop. Your a-act isn't convincing." I stammered out.
"...Whoops. That obvious, huh?" Kokichi sneered. "But...Kokichi is right. I was being played. And I didn't even kill the mastermind. I killed one of our dear friends, instead. What I did was so terrible...so unforgivable...I took an innocent life! I'm nothing but a horrible murderer! You should all hate, blame, and be disgusted by me!" Kaede yelled. Despite her words being so harsh she still looked so hurt. Her eyes are holding great sorrow. "Kaede, please calm down!" Shuichi yelled. "...After we found Rantaro's body when I realized he wasn't the mastermind...I thought about ending this by confessing to you what I had done...But I couldn't. Because of Monokuma's First Blood Perk." Kaede said. "I see... If you'd confessed there and then, you would've been able to leave...But you decided you couldn't leave this place by yourself, so you kept quiet." Ryoma concluded. "Because of the First Blood Perk, you were forced to hide the truth from us." Kirumi chimed in. "Yeah, that's right..." Kaede admitted.
"So the First Blood Perk worked against the blackened rather than for them," Kiyo said. "But...at the same time, I thought...If I did this for everyone, then instead of making things easier by confessing...I thought I should lie to you all, so it would motivate you to keep moving forward." Kaede admitted. "Is that the reason for the trial? To reveal the mastermind?" Shuichi questioned. "I felt if I didn't do this, then Rantaro's death would have been meaningless," Kaede said. "We were searching for both the culprit and the mastermind during this class trial." Kiibo pointed out. "Ah, Kaede did mention that." Angie said.
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"But that's why I want to end all of the terrible things happening to us! I'll defeat the mastermind and end this dumb killing game! I'll...I'll even use this class trial to do that!" Kaede yelled.
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"I never wanted to keep my crime a secret...I was going to tell you all eventually...But before I did, I wanted to expose the mastermind first... Then the killing game would've ended, and everyone but me would be saved. I thought that was the best way I could atone for killing Rantaro..." Kaede admitted. More tears rolling down her face. "...This is my fault. I was wrong. There was no mastermind..." Shuichi said. "You were wrong...? But didn't you say the mastermind was one of us?" Tsumugi asked. "That's what I thought at first...But in the end, we have nothing. No one made any moves at the time limit, the trial was useless..." Tsumugi sweat dropped. "Even when Shuichi was about to be voted as the blackened. Still, they did not appear." Kiyo said, tilting his hat down a little. "yeesh, that seriously was a close one. If Kaede had just kept her mouth shut, we'd all be dead right now." Kokichi pointed out.
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"No way. There has to be something else we can discuss. We just gotta think. Right, Shuichi?" Kaede asked.
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"On the other hand, she's only in this mess cuz she decided to say something at that moment." Kokichi said. "I wanted to protect Kaede, but I also wanted to unmask the mastermind. But even when the killer was about to be condemned, they remained hidden. That has to mean that the mastermind is not among us after all." Shuichi said. "So Kaede had the wrong idea the whole time..." Kaito sweat dropped. But...it can't be. That can't be right. "All her actions were taken under Shuichi's flawed logic." Kiyo said. "That's why this is my fault. All of this happened because my detective work was wrong. If I hadn't been so stupid-" Shuichi tried to say, but I guess I had to vocalize my thoughts somehow. "B-But...are we really sure about that...? There is still a chance that the mastermind could still exist." I said. We've had an entire class trial so far to identify the mastermind, I can't accept that we got it all wrong-
"Y/N, shut up! God, why do you have to ruin everything!?" Kokichi yelled, grinning, I guess he really got a kick out of this, huh? I felt myself instantly shrink back. "Heeeee! Wh-What's with the sudden ch-change o-of tone...?" I whimpered. But without another word out of me I put a hand over my mouth to muffle out any kinds of noises that could be made, I needed to shut up after all. Perhaps my voice was just plain annoying. "Oh, nothing. I just wanted to vent my anger, somehow." Kokichi said, his grin never leaving him. "Kokichi no can talk to Y/N like that!" Gonta yelled in my favor. "Leave it be, Gonta." I said, with my hand still covering my mouth. No one was supposed to help the victim, especially if the victim is me, after all. It seemed like what they said to me did have some truth in it after all. Don't let Kokichi get to you, Y/N. He's just trying to get under your skin. "B-But...! Even if there was a mastermind, my point still stands...Rantaro wouldn't have died...and Kaede wouldn't be a murderer! This is all my fault!" Shuichi yelled.
"No, it's not." Kaede said. "...Kaede...?" Shuichi sweat dropped. "I killed him. Not you...Right? Didn't I?" Kaede said, more tears rolling down her face. This sight was getting more awful to look at by the second. "But, Kaede, why did you set up such a convoluted trap? If your intent was to kill the mastermind, there was no reason to cover your tracks." Kiibo pointed out. "Isn't it obvious? It's because...she didn't want Shuichi to know." Kaito explained. "...Me?" Shuichi questioned. "Of course, but...I didn't want everyone else to know, either. Because...I said I wanted to escape this place with everyone. But your guys wouldn't want to become friends with a girl who killed someone, would you?" Kaede explained. No matter how kind Kaede may be, she's not wrong. The thought that we would become friends with someone who killed one of our friends...isn't pleasant. "Be...friends?" Gonta questioned. "Kaede...put a lot of thought into this." Tenko said, tears also rolling down her face. "She put so much thought into this, it drove her to commit murder like a lunatic..." Kokichi trailed off. "God, you're such a dumbass..." Miu sweat dropped.
"I know, right? I'm such an idiot..." Kaede agreed. "We only survived the time limit because of that idiocy..." Ryoma reminded everyone. "Y-Yes! We alive thanks to you!" Gonta yelled. "Kaede...I didn't know how, but I wanted to get out of here with you. I wanted...to be friends." Shuichi admitted. I frowned a little as I felt my voice get caught in my throat as I felt my words fail to come out the way I wanted them to. "I'm so sorry..." Kaede apologized. "So you're saying...everything you did was because you were thinking of us? And you hid that you killed him just to stay and help us...? How did things-" Alright, alright! That's it!" Monokuma yelled over the top of Kaito. "What?" Shuichi sweat dropped. "Wh-What do you mean...? What do you mean...that's it?" Kaito stammered. "Father, are you getting bored?" Monotaro asked. "You know how Pops gets... He can't stand this kinda tearjerker schlock." Monosuke said. "I cant...stop...crying...!" Monophanie yelled.
"Teeheehee... I see nothing gets past my adorable little cubs." Monokuma said. "I don't even let appetizers get past me! Especially if someone else brought 'em!" Monokid yelled. "But we can't let this boring display grind the action to a halt, so...time to make things interesting." Monokuma said, his tone filled with pure malice. I don't think I've heard such a malicious tone before, not ever since that one time. "Make things...interesting?" Shuichi sweat dropped. "And now, the moment you've all been waiting for! Punishment Time!" Monokuma yelled. "P-Punishment...? You mean...Kaede's execution!?" Tenko yelled. "N-No friggin' way! There's no way we'll let you do that!" Kaito yelled. "Exisals assemble!" The Monokubs yelled all at once. And with that five Exisals stood in front of us. Kaito, Gonta, and Tenko walked up to the Exisals and stood in position to fight. Whilst I felt myself shrink back in fear a little at the sight of the Exisals. "Aaaaaaah!" Tsumugi screamed in fear.
"Punishment time is a sacred segment. You're not allowed to interfere." Monotaro explained. "And if ya even try to interfere, we'll just crush youse wit' these here Exisals!" Monosuke warned. "I-It's cruel, but...it's probably better if one person dies instead of everyone..." Monophanie said. "Like hell am I just gonna sit here and do what you say! Kaede fought with her life on the line! And so will I!" Kaito yelled. These...imbeciles, do they not know what they are doing? Sure, Kaede was a good leader and all but risking your life to save a murderer isn't worth it. No matter the circumstances. "Gonta will face you all! Times like this are why Gonta became strong! Gentleman never back down, and neither will Gonta!" Gonta yelled. "Th-This is the perfect chance to test out my Neo-Aikido skills on machines!" Tenko yelled.
"Y-Yeah! I can help! I can-" "Everyone, stop!!! Please...just stop." Kaede said. Interrupting Shuichi. "But Kaede..." Shuichi sweat dropped. "Enough, you guys... I've...already prepared myself." Kaede admitted. "You're... giving up? But why...? You said...you'd never give up...That we'd get out of here together. That's what you said, Kaede... So why are you giving up now!? Did you mean what you said!? I know we can do something! Don't give up until the end!" Shuichi yelled at Kaede. "...I'm not giving up. Because I have you." Kaede smiled. "...What?" Shuichi sweat dropped. "Even after I'm gone...my wish will still be here. So I'm counting on you all! I'm entrusting my wish to every one of you! I believe in you! I believe that you all will make it through this, somehow! You guys better live! Don't go dying on me now! End this ridiculous killing game, survive, and get the hell out of this place! And then...be friends after you escape, okay? I think you'll all be the best of friends." Kaede said.
Is she really that confident about all of us? Or, better yet. Is she confident in me...? In my abilities as the Ultimate Librarian? "Affirmative, Kaede..." Kiibo sweat dropped. "I will do my utmost to fulfill your final request." Kirumi said. "I won't give up! I'll get out of here, no matter what!" Tenko yelled. "Gonta work very hard and keep friends safe till very end!" Gonta cried. "Well, Kaede, you definitely weren't boring." Kokichi said, his face unreadable. "Now, then...let's get started. I have a very special punishment prepared for the Ultimate Pianist, Kaede Akamatsu!" Monokuma yelled. "W-Wait, wait a second! Kaede, please, don't..." Shuichi whimpered. "Shuichi, you better not lose. You can't lose to this killing game! I know you can beat it!" Kaede yelled. "Let's give it everything we've got! It's...PUNISHMENT TIIIME!" Monokuma yelled. I felt myself flinch at that line. My heart began to ache with every passing second. "I believe in you guys! So please, believe in yourself! Okay? It's a promise." Kaede said. Her last and final words that she over spoke to us.
And just like that, she was swept away from us, by the neck. Shuichi made one last attempt to grab her, but of course, it would prove to be useless. She was brought up, out of the room, and dropped down onto a massive grand piano.
Der flohwalzer
Just as quickly as she was dropped was was brought up by her neck, the piano keys under her proving useless as she tried to regain her composure. Monokuma popped out of nowhere, dressed formally. I cringed at the sight in front of me as my mind started to create scenarios of what Monokuma was going to do. The Monokubs popped up also, they were holding long ropes. What I presume, were the ropes that were holding Kaede up by her neck. And much to everyone's dismay, as Monokuma began to conduct the execution...
Kaede was moved around by her neck, in the rhythm of the song Flea Waltz, truly an awful sight before me. Faster, faster and faster she moved. You could see the look of misery and despair on her face as she was moved. I turned my head to Shuichi who had a look of pure anguish. I felt sorry for him, but nothing more, I wasn't close to Kaede unlike Shuichi. Even still, I had to show him that the sadness will only be temporary. I walked next to Shuichi and after a little hesitance...I grabbed his shoulder to indicate that he should probably look away. I received no reaction, however, as he continued to look at the piano. The anguished look on his face never leaving him. It was only when the piano abruptly stopped is when I rushed to cover his eyes with my hands. He made no attempt to stop me. Poor thing must've been frozen. Even if Shuichi gets mad at me for touching him, it would be worth it. He doesn't need to watch something like this. I looked in front of me as I saw Kaede's body hanging there. I grimaced at the sight as the piano began to drop on top of Kaede's dead body, but just as soon as the piano was about to close Monodam pushed Monokid into the piano. But that was the least of everyone's worries as the sight before us was all anyone could look at.
After a little while, we all turned around and went back to the trial room. I pushed Shuichi into the trial room from his back gently as to make sure he wouldn't turn around and look at the sight of his dead friend. J-Just a little further, Shuichi." I whispered. And with one more light push, we were back in the trial room. The second I pushed Shuichi, however. His legs gave out from underneath him. I immediately stood by his side. What was I supposed to say in a situation like this? What would she do? She would probably- "Huh? What that...? Wh-Why is Monokid...?" Monotaro stammered. "M-Monodam? What...have you done...? BLRBLBRBLRBLRBLRB!" Monophanie then proceeded to puke onto the floor.
"Ah, gross! She puked again!" Monotaro yelled. "But this tension ain't so bad, y'know? Finally feels like a proper killing game. If anything, we could stand to use a little more tension in our lives. Right, dad?" Monosuke said. "Nooo! My sweet, darling Monokid... Claimed as collateral damage! This is a nightmare... This is unacceptable... My precious cub is...On second thought, I guess it's okay. After all, I still got four more cubs! Phew! I'm glad you kids came in a bulk." Monokuma said. "...Huh? It's okay?" Monotaro sweat dropped. "I-I'm shocked... Our existence...means that little, huh?" Monophanie stammered out. "What's done is done, what's dead is dead. No point in crying over crushed cubs...Unless you wanna end up like these sad sacks." Monokuma sneered. "What...! What in the world...is this...!?" Kiibo yelled. "A-Are you...fuckin'...kiddin' me!? Talk about overkill...!" Miu stammered. "Atua... Please grant Kaede's soul eternal repose." Angie prayed.
"I...I can't believe this happened to Kaede...I liked her...s-so...m-m-muuuuuch...! WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!! KAAAAEEEEEEEDDDEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!" Kokichi screamed. "D-Do...you k-know the first thing...about being q-quiet...!?" I stammered. I could feel my body shake and I felt my palms become sweaty as well as my face. The cold air of the room beginning to freeze my skin. Why...was I so nervous...? "Puhuhu! All this adrenaline creates such an exquisite feeling of despair! It's moments like this that make all the killings worth it!" Monokuma yelled. "W-Why...are you doing such a terrible thing...?" Tsumugi cried. "You're the worst of the worst! Does human life have no value to you at all!?" Tenko screamed at the bear. "Hey, I know human life is precious. I'm not a monster, y'know. Cuz if human life wasn't precious, ending it wouldn't be nearly as much fun! There's no greater joy than witnessing such a display of despair entertainment!" Monokuma laughed. I felt a little spark of anger begin as the logic of this...thing, made no sense to me. I was told for my entire life by my teachers that I was smart. But...my brain cannot even begin to comprehend the logic that was inside the walls of the Ultimate Academy. There was always one thing that I hated more than anything in the world, and that was not understanding something. I hate that. I was always able to understand everything, but this...isn't something one can understand.
"Kehehe... You've surpassed psychotic by a wide margin." Kiyo said, his glare boring its way through the bear. "...I don't think I've ever felt quite this...irritated." Ryoma mumbled. Now, that was something I can agree with. "I... I won't forgive you for this! Got that!? I won't ever forgive you!" Kaito yelled. "Spoken like a marked man!" Monokuma sneered. "What is your objective, Monokuma?" Kirumi asked the bear. "...Do you hate us? If so, have we done something to make you hate us?" Maki asked. "...Hate you? Puhuhu... Who can say? That's your job to figure out. If you really wanna know what's going on, you're going to have to work for it... Through the corpse formerly known as Rantaro may have had a hunch." Monokuma trailed off. "...Huh?" Gonta sweat dropped. "What do you mean! What was Rantaro's hunch?" Kiibo asked. "Puhuhu... What, indeed?" Monokuma said. "He did say he would end the killing game, and he also knew about the hidden door...Could that be at all related to this hunch you claim he had?" Kirumi said. "Puhuhu... I wonder..." Monokuma said, will he...just stop teasing us already...? "Hey! What the hell's this hunch you're goin' on about!? Spill it!" Miu yelled at the bear. "Puhuhu... I wonder..." Monokuma continued to sneer. "I-If you have no intention of telling us...th-then don't talk at all." I said. I think Monokuma was the only being in this world that I can't bow my head to. He's just so...unlikable...! He's more unlikable than me, which is saying a lot.
"You're focusing on Kaede instead of her deadweight victim. Well, it's not his fault he was useless. He died before his talent could be revealed. If he had lived long enough to reveal it, maybe he would've been more useful...Oh well! He's dead and that's that! That's the indifference of death for ya!" Monokuma yelled. I knew Rantaro would've been more useful, the things he might've known about the killing game beforehand would've been good also. And with how Monokuma is acting about his death, taunting us with Rantaro's 'hunch' his death almost seems too convenient. Almost as if he was targeted, but what do I know...? I'm just a librarian. "He...wasn't really the mastermind, was he?" Ryoma asked. "Huh? Are you still pestering me with these annoying questions!? Aren't you guys focusing a little too much on whether or not he's the mastermind? If you keep this up, you're all gonna end up like Kaede." Monokuma said. I felt...irritated upon hearing that, there is no harm in asking questions, they help us learn after all. But...I guess some questions can be bad, depending on who you ask. I held my elbows with my hands, slowly tightening my grip.
"Wh-What!?" Kaito yelled at the bear. Shuichi's face looked a little more saddened at that remark. How cruel. I looked down at Shuichi who was still on the floor. I was almost tempted to help him up, but he probably wanted to feel the comfort of being alone. "Maybe spend less time worrying about nonsense and more time watching your back, okay? You never know who's gonna become the next killer. Ah, I can't wait! I wonder what kind of killing game we'll get to see next!" Monokuma laughed. "Dammit! You may have gotten us this time, but we'll get you next time! You'll see!" Kokichi yelled at the bear, the only thing was is that Kokichi didn't even look angry while yelling. "Why are you getting all psyched up...?" Himiko said, tilting her hat down. "It's nice to see that at least one of you has some chutzpah around here. I have a feeling you're gonna live for a while." Monokuma said. "Thanks! I'll do my best!" Kokichi grinned. "Shut the hell up! We're...not gonna have another killing game! I, Kaito Momota, am not gonna let you have your way anymore! Got it!? I'm gonna punch that grin right off your face. For sure!" Kaito yelled, sweat dropping. "Oh, really...? That seems unlikely. I'm pretty sure you won't live long enough to do that." Monokuma said, his left eye glowing red. "Krgh...!" Kaito was clenching his teeth now. "Anyway, you guys have a lot to think about... Work hard and do your best to graduate! Cuz the fun's only just begun!" Monokuma yelled. And with that, he left. "Hey, Monodam! Explain yourself!" Monophanie yelled.
"I get that Monokid was obnoxious and rude, but that was way over the line..." Monotaro said. "...I-DID-IT-FOR-US." Monodam said blandly, disappearing. "Hey! Wait, Monodam!" Monotaro yelled, sweat dropping. "Wh-Where are you going!?" Monophanie yelled. "He probably killed him as payback for all the bullying. What an interestin' turn of events..." Monosuke said. The Monokubs left after that. Leaving us all to our thoughts. "I...I don't think I can take all of this...I can't stand this anymore...I-I feel like...I'm going to go crazy..." Tsumugi stammered she looked deathly scared at this point. "Tsumugi, you mustn't give up hope." Kirumi said. "Is there even hope to be had here? The room feels utterly drained of it." Kiyo said, playing with his necklace. I nodded my head, agreeing. The air feels so cold and utterly hopeless. Simply saying that there was hope here would be fiction. "Gh... Ergh... K-Kaede!" Gonta stammered out. "Wh-What kind of degenerate male...cries in p-public...? It's so r-rude." Tenko said with tears rolling down her face as well. "But, y-you're crying too, Tenko." I said. "Now's not the time to point that out, Y/N. Just let it be." Ryoma said, tilting down his hat. "S-Sorry." I apologized. Why do I have to have such a loud mouth?
"In times like this, we should pray for Kaede's soul so she can rest in peace." Angie said, her hands in a praying position. "H-How's anyone supposed to rest in peace after getting killed like that!?" Miu yelled. "What are we gonna do from now on...?" Himiko said, looking down. "Y-Yeah, I'd like to know, too...I'm so over this already..." Kokichi mumbled sadly. "Aaargh! Shut up! SHUT! UP! You all just need to SHUT UP!!!" Kaito yelled, as his voice boomed through the room. Everyone went silent. I felt my eyes widen at the sudden noise. "Every single one of you...and your meek little complaints...You're pissing me the hell off!!! But the one who's pissing me off the most...is you, Shuichi!!" Kaito yelled. I sighed in relief, at least he wasn't mad at me. But the same concerned feeling came back as I turned my head to look at Shuichi. "...What?" Shuichi questioned. Before I could even comprehend what was happening Kaito ran up to Shuichi and swiftly punched him in the face. I took a few steps back, my chest rising and falling, I felt as if I had just dodged a bullet, and in some way I guess I did. Deep breaths, Y/N. It wasn't for you. "Clench your teeth!" Kaito yelled, his fist still clenched. "Kaito! You are supposed to say that before you hit him!" Kiibo yelled. "Didn't you hear what Kaede said!? She said...she believed in you! That she passed her wish on to you! But what the hell's wrong with you!? You didn't say a damn thing to Monokuma! You call yourself a man!?!?" Kaito yelled at Shuichi. Shuichi could only look at the ground, her saddened look never leaving him.
"...What's the matter? Say something already. I just hit you! Aren't you pissed off!? What's your problem!?" Kaito continued to yell. With slight trembling legs, I walked next to Shuichi again, crouching down to his level, and hesitantly put my hand on his shoulder. "...That's enough, Kaito." I said. "Sucker punching is pretty low...even for a lowlife degenerate male like you. You better knock it off or I'm gonna explode my Neo-Aikido all over your face!" Tenko yelled. "...Tch. Fine." Kaito sweat dropped. "Um...are you okay, Shuichi?" I asked. Helping the boy up from the floor. This situation would've been fine if I just maybe...took his place. "...I'm fine." Shuichi mumbled back. "Please stop. This sort of altercation is just a waste of time." Kiibo sweat dropped. "Gonta not sure it waste of time. But Gonta agree, fighting not good..." Gonta said. "Can we leave now? Staying here will only make us more depressed." Maki said. "Kehehe... Well, put. I agree wholeheartedly." Kiyo said. My eyes flickered to the floor, taking a mental note of Maki's words.
"...Sorry, you all should go ahead without me..." Shuichi said. "...Why? Is there a reason you wish to stay in a place like this?" Kiibo asked. "I want to be alone for a little while. Just for a little bit." Shuichi said. "But we can't just leave you here by yours-" "Tsumugi, perhaps it would be best if we allowed him some privacy for now..." Kirumi said, interrupting Tsumugi's concern. "Oh...okay. I suppose..." Tsumugi mumbled. "Shuichi...don't beat yourself up, kay?" Tenko sweat dropped. "Yep! Just hit the reset button on your feelings and you'll feel happy and cheerful in no time!" Kokichi said. I wish it was that simple sometimes. "Being a tad insensitive is important for survival. It helps one avoid suicidal thoughts." Kiyo said, I guess Kiyo is quite knowledgeable in comforting people, huh? "Gonta will go back, too... Let Gonta know if you need his help, okay?" Gonta said. "Hey, Shuichi...?" I said. Shuichi only hummed in response. "I...wasn't close to Kaede as much as you were, b-but...she said that she believed in you, she must've trusted you a lot for her to say that, um...bye." I muttered to Shuichi.
And just like that. One by one, everyone began to exit the room and climb aboard the elevator. Once I saw Kiyo begin to walk to the elevator I quickly began to walk up to him. Kaito stayed with Shuichi for a little while before meeting up with us. Once the elevator reached the destination we all began to walk to our dorm rooms. "Good night, Y/N." Kiyo said. "G-Goodnight, Kiyo." I replied before closing the door to my dorm room. And with a heavy heart, I grabbed the papers that I'd been working on for the span of a few days and began to write about everything what I had learned. What to do. What not to do. What I had to work on. Everything. That trial still had my heart pounding, this was real, but I have to play my cards right if I don't wanna end up like Rantaro and Kaede.
Word Count: 5532
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