Chapter 5: Where Angels Fear to Tread, Part VII (Class Trial)
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For the fifth, and hopefully the final time, the screen located behind the throne on which Monokuma sat displayed a small animation. An animation of that dreaded roulette wheel, the pointer landing upon Ayane's visage this time around. The confetti and the jingle confirmed the brutal truth facing us.
Ayane Mitsurugi, the Ultimate Prosecutor, was the murderer of Madoka Uryu, the Ultimate Con Artist.
But before she would be taken to her execution, she would be given the chance to say some final words to us. There was no doubt that she would try to motivate us to succeed in which she failed.
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Kaiji was the first to comment. I could tell from his sharp eyes that little remained of the self-deprecating boy we were familiar with. Instead, there was a bitter young man, almost certainly having just... given up.
Kaiji: So, what have we learned? When fools rush in where angels fear to tread, the results aren't pretty.
Souta: Geez... We could have avoided all of this.
Ayane: Yes.
Umiko: I... ah... Ayane, wh-wh-why?!
Ayane: (sigh) Why? As in, why I killed her?
Kaiji: Yes, obviously.
Ayane: I didn't mean to. Madoka probably wasn't going to survive anyway. But... I tried. In the end, I did...
Kaiji: Tried what? You don't have much time.
Ayane: ...I tried saving her life.
Kaiji: Why? She tried killing you. She easily could have been the scorpion to your frog, the viper to your farmer, repaying your kindness with evil. And yet you still took a gamble with giving her a second chance? She could have easily went after your head again-
Ayane: And then what would have happened? Umiko, Souta, either one of you could have died if I didn't at least try!
Monokuma: And all you managed to accomplish was signing your own death warrant! Bravo, Ms. Mitsurugi! A big round of applause everyone!
Kaori: ...
Daigo: ...
Ayane: ...
Monokuma: ...Killjoys.
Daigo: Ayane... I...
She reached out her hand, and he took it. With a small tug, she pulled him over towards her.
Daigo: This... What can I do now?
Ayane: Before I go, I want to say something.
Daigo: ...What?
Ayane: Don't waste your life. Always remember that you have something worth living for. You never know how long you have until you're about to die...
Daigo: ...Anything wrong?
Ayane: (sniff) ...Yes. Even now, I don't want to die. But it's too late now... Everyone, I'm begging you.
Kaori: What?
Ayane: Please work together. Your trust may be the key to finally stopping him once and for all.
Monokuma: Ha! As if that's ever going to happen!
Ayane: And Daigo? (sniff) Sorry... for failing you.
Daigo: Ayane... Stop it! I still don't believe it... I...
Ayane: Daigo. This is for the best. I have to die for you. I have to die for you all. And I... I...
Daigo: Ayane-
Ayane: I'll never get to say it again, so...
She threw her arms around Daigo's shoulders, and leaned in for a kiss. Daigo returned the favour - locking his own arms around her waist, and pressing his own lips against her own.
Ayane: I love you... And I'll miss you.
Daigo: ...I don't want to let go...
Ayane then took a step back. And with tears in her eyes, she responded:
Ayane: You need to, Daigo. It's for the best.
Daigo: ...Okay then... Goodbye...
Kaori: Ayane. I hope your afterlife will be a peaceful one.
Souta: Well, I guess it's time to bid you farewell.
Umiko: I... I'll miss you, Ayane... (sob)
Kaiji: I guess you'll see them on the other side.
Ayane: Everyone... goodbye. (sob) It was a honour to be with you all.
Monokuma: Oh me, oh my! What a tragic ending for these star-crossed lovers! Upupupu!
Daigo: I won't let you kill her-
Monokuma: Too late! You spent your last moments with her, and time's ran out! Just let me get it over with!
Daigo: No...
Monokuma: Now then, let's give it everything we've got! IT'S PUNISHMENT TIME!
Daigo: NO!
With that, the bear picked up his gavel and slammed it down on the button, once again activating the screen. A similar pixel animation played: Monokuma walked up to Ayane, and dragged her away - but uniquely, Daigo was shown as well, running after Monokuma to no avail. Indeed, without any resistance, the chain appeared to clamp itself around her neck and drag her off to her demise.
Daigo ran off after her, and the doors blocked both of them out of sight.
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GAME OVER: AYANE HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY, TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT!
The Guilty Verdict: Ultimate Prosecutor, Ayane Mitsurugi: Executed
A gigantic Monokuma, clad in a judge's wig and red robe, was slamming an equally gigantic gavel repeatedly at the end of a fairly narrow, slow-moving conveyor belt. On the belt was a classroom chair, being moved along towards the gavel until it would inevitably be crushed underneath it. And tied to that chair was none other than Ayane.
She was squirming and struggling, anxiously looking back with her teary eyes towards the mechanism that would end her life. But... was there some glimmer of hope for her? At the start of the conveyor belt, on the opposite side of Monokuma and the gavel, were a pair of courtroom doors. Suddenly, they flung themselves open, and Daigo ran out of them as fast as he could towards Ayane - almost certainly to remove her restraints and get her out before it was too late.
His hopes were crushed in a heartbeat though: the conveyor belt sped up in response, and before he knew it she was directly underneath the shadow of the gavel, right as it was about to fall once again. Daigo must have known by now that saving Ayane was impossible without getting himself killed, as his face of pure despair betrayed to me, but he couldn't help but at least try. One moment, he reached out his hand with a final scream for Monokuma to cease his madness.
And the next moment, it slammed down, instantly covering Daigo in her pink blood. With that, the conveyor belt came to an abrupt stop and the gavel rose for the last time, leaving the boy all alone, on his knees, facing little more than an utterly destroyed chair and, more importantly, the liquified remains of his beloved.
Ayane Mitsurugi, the Ultimate Prosecutor, was dead.
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Monokuma: Well, second time's the charm, I guess! ...You know, tried a similar idea with that lucky bastard, didn't quite work out, but Ayane's dead and I couldn't feel any happier!
We didn't feel any happier. We all felt miserable. Ayane, for all of her faults, was a guide. A light leading us through the darkness of the Killing Game. And now she was gone. Gone forever.
The doors opened, and a bloodstained Daigo, head hung low in shame, solemnly and silently walked back into the courtroom.
Daigo: I... feel... sick...
Monokuma: Ah! Daigo! Glad to see that you didn't end up killing yourself trying to save her! Bet that really worked out for you, didn't it?
There was no response from the salaryman.
Monokuma: Hmm? Have I finally broke you? Have I finally driven you to despair?
Again, there was no response from the salaryman.
Monokuma: ...I'll take that as a YES! WOO-PEE! HOORAY! This is the best day of my life! No more second-rate Makoto Naegi trying to dissuade me from going ahead with whatever it is I'm doing and not actually doing anything about it! All bark, no bite, upupupu! Now, I think I'm going to hold myself a little party by myself to celebrate this most despairful happenstance! So long, suckers!
And as soon as I looked back, Monokuma was gone, off to shamelessly self-promote his latest grotesque triumph. The only people in the courtroom were the five of us.
My head turned towards Kaiji; an expression of pure, utter malice gradually forming upon his face. With a voice tinged with venom, he burst into a tirade against all of us:
Kaiji: Idiots. Idiots, all of you.
Souta: ...What do you mean-
Kaiji: I know the secrets behind the Nautilus. Count on the Ultimate Private Investigator to find out what others would really want to know. All of you have denied yourself the right, though.
Kaori: Why?
Kaiji: Kaori Hotaru! Even as I stood silently, waiting for a turn to reveal my findings, who did all of these lost souls turn to?! YOU. Yes, you, a simple, ordinary weaver I hadn't even heard of before all of this! And take a look at what happened to most of them because they followed your lead - not the expert's!
He extended his arm outward, directing me towards all of the portraits. Mugen's. Haruhi's. Masao and Kozue's. Hirou's. Madoka's.
Kaori: ...Kaiji, why are you doing this?!
Kaiji: When you feel so powerless, you'd take any chance to feel powerful. Have I made myself clear?
Kaori: (I couldn't think of anything to say towards him.)
Kaiji: Exactly. Souta Furusawa!
Souta: Yes?
Kaiji: Have you even learned anything from Hirou's death? From Yukiharu's, even? You made a big show of disavowing your curiosity and yet you indulged in it and proceeded to derelict your duty. Now Madoka and Ayane are dead, and the blame rests squarely on your shoulders. Do you feel proud of yourself?
Souta: I don't, to be honest.
Kaiji: Hmph. Makes no difference. Umiko Nitori!
Umiko: Aah! Kaiji! Is it about the Otonashi Found-
Kaiji: No, and don't go blathering about such compromising information! And besides, you gave in to temptation - you knocked over the first domino that led to this most recent tragedy. You nearly took her life; you nearly became what you probably would never want to.
Umiko: That is...?
Kaiji: A murderer. And last, but not least, Daigo Bushida!
Daigo: Kaiji, you-
Kaiji: Even as it became clear to us that Ayane was the killer, you did everything you could to kill us all so that she would live! Clearly, you never truly cared about us; only her. And why? So you could play hero?
Daigo: ...I did.
Kaiji: You started off risking your life trying to call out Monokuma's misdeeds and you ended up risking your life so that Ayane could get out of here. Congratulations, all you did was replace one toxic brand of "heroism" with another, Daigo. How utterly shameful.
Daigo: Ayane's dead, you know!
Kaiji: I do.
Daigo: Ayane is gone. She will no longer talk, no longer laugh, cry... or get angry... What about us... what are WE supposed to do? What about my pain?
Kaiji: ...And that's your problem.
Daigo: My problem? You feel no sympathy for me? For us? For her...?
Kaiji: No.
Daigo: ...No way... This... THIS IS UNFORGIVABLE!
And all of a sudden, Daigo tackled Kaiji and wrestled him to the floor.
Kaiji: Daigo, you-
Daigo: THINK ABOUT WHAT THEY WENT THROUGH! THINK ABOUT HOW THEY SUFFERED!
Kaiji: Are you out of your mind, Daigo?!
Daigo: GRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! KAIJI! I'LL KILL YOU!
Souta and Umiko could do nothing but flee from the two madmen engulfed in a whirlwind of chaos. A black key flew out of one of their hands - I legitimately couldn't discern who held it, and slid towards me. I discreetly picked it up from the floor before leaving the two of them behind. As I went up in the elevator, all alone, I stared at the jet-black key in my hand. What did it lead to? Where did it lead to, in fact?
When I walked out, a strange feeling overwhelmed me, and I felt the need to investigate something that had been on my mind. It was the loose tile on the first floor - my previous attempt at finding out what was underneath it a long time ago proved to be futile. I knew about Rule #11, which he had implemented as a direct result of my actions. And he was there.
Monokuma: Hey! I wasn't kidding when I said you needed authorisation to go down there-
I showed him the key in response. He appeared to inspect it thoroughly, then said something rather surprising.
Monokuma: Well, uh, you know, strangers shouldn't really be snooping around down there, but somehow you've got the authorisation. Congrats, I guess. If you want to, take a look.
He turned around, giving me the window of opportunity to finally remove the tile and reveal what it led to. There was a steel ladder, descending into a pitch-black void. I knew it was dangerous to go alone, but if it meant a potential end to the Killing Game, then so be it. I made my way down the ladder and into the darkness.
After a few minutes, I found myself at the bottom of the ladder. A long, badly-lit hallway stretched out into the distance, and a wooden door was ominously awaiting me on the other side. I took a step forward. And another step. And another step. The sound of my footsteps echoed through the hallway, until I was right in front of the door; which was securely locked.
I could hear banging on the other end. There was somebody on the other side. Somebody who most likely needed help. I knew what needed to be done.
I inserted the key, unlocked the lock, put my hand on the doorknob, and slowly opened the door.
What I saw next would change everything.
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The door led to a small room, barely bigger than a broom closet. In it was a young girl around our age, with familiar blazing red hair and wearing a tattered brown school uniform, blindfolded, gagged, and tied to a chair. Thankfully, it appeared that she was still breathing. Without hesitation, I ran off to gather the others and show them who I had found.
Umiko must have heard the commotion with her impressive hearing, as she was already climbing down the ladder as if to follow me. Soon, Souta was accompanying us, not out of curiosity (God, I hate saying that now when it came to him), but out of legitimate concern. And thankfully, we discovered that neither Daigo nor Kaiji had killed each other - both were battered, bruised, and bloodied, but alive nonetheless. Tired and exhausted, both of them refused to say anything in the other's presence. Eventually, all of us were huddled around the young girl as I removed her blindfold and gag.
I then gave her a command to speak.
Kaori: ...Please respond to us.
With an understandably hoarse and raspy voice, she did.
???: Eh...? What do you want me to say...?
Kaori: Are you Naoya Edogawa, by any chance?
???: N-no...
Kaori: Then what's your name?
None of us expected what she said in response.
???: If... If I remember correctly... it's... it's Ryoko... Ryoko Otonashi...
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Chapter 5: Where Angels Fear to Tread, Part VII, End
5 Remain