TW : Self Harm
"Anyway... I'm gonna take off with Y/N now." Kokichi said. You nodded with agreement.
"Take off? Where are you two going?" Rantaro asked.
"Oh, I don't knooow. Maybe we'll go back to my room and think things over. Just the two of us." Kokichi said, pressing a finger against his lips.
"Well, we're leaving now. Come on, N/N!" He cheered, grabbing your wrist and going along with him.
You could hear Miu blabbering on about how she might invite herself to come kill you two, but you knew that wouldn't happen.
》♧《
You and Kokichi made it to his dorm, and it was surprisingly messy.
"Dude, you need to tidy this up." You said.
"Nah, I don't want to." He replied.
You both sat down at the foot of his bed.
"What did you want to talk about?" You asked.
"I just wanted to get out of there. I didn't like the mood." Kokichi said.
There was a knock at Kokichi's door.
"I'll get it." Kokichi said.
He walked to the door and opened it, revealing Tsumugi on the other side.
"Uhm.. is Y/N here?" She asked in a worrisome tone.
"Yeah. She is. You need her?" Kokichi asked, moving to the side to show you in his room.
"Yeah, I just want to hang out with her." Tsumugi said.
"Alright. Later, Kokichi." You said, getting up while leaving the room.
Kokichi shut his door, leaving you and Tsumugi alone in front of his room.
"What'd you want to talk about?" You asked.
"Just come with me." She said. Tsumugi grabbed your wrist and led you to the secret room.
》♧《
After a while of walking, you both were inside the room.
"Alright, what is it Tsumugi?" You asked.
"I may or may not have accidentally went through the library door this morning." She said.
"Wh the- Tsumugi! You know the dust was there in the reader!" You exclaimed. "Y'know what, it's fine. I just have an idea I want to tell you anyway." You said.
Tsumugi nodded, indicating for you to keep going. "I'll be on Kokichi's side while you be on Shuichi's side. It'll make you less suspicious of being the mastermind. They know there's only one mastermind, so they'll technically be correct, but not really. Know what I mean?" You explained.
"Yeah, I do." She said. Just as you were about to part ways, you heard voices coming from the library door.
"Alright, I'll explain everything. First, take a look at the card reader." That voice...
"It's Shuichi and Kaede. Stay quiet." You said. Tsumugi nodded and started listening in as well.
The sound of rumbling could be heard on the other side, meaning they opened the bookcase.
"The dust is gone!" Kaede exclaimed.
"That's right. I checked it right after Nighttime yesterday, and the dust was there." Shuichi explained. "But this morning, it was gone."
"So that means... someone entered this door during nighttime?" Kaede asked.
"That got me thinking. This may sound far-fetched, but..." Shuichi paused for speaking, "Perhaps Monokuma's revival is related to this door somehow."
"How so?" Kaede asked.
"Remember what the Monokubs said?" Shuichi asked.
"Uhm... so there's a machine that can build spare Monokumas?" Kaede mentioned.
"That would explain why we saw Monokuma alive and well this morning." Shuichi said. "At Nighttime, someone went through this door and activated the machine."
I thought I already did that though? I'll think about it later. Maybe Tsumugi went through the door and put Monokuma in that Jibayan cosplay.
"And then there's what Monokuma just told us." Shuichi pointed out. "The way he phrased it seemed peculiar. Why not just say 'everyone will die'? He went out of his way to specify that students 'forced to participate' will die."
"Huh? But why?" Kaede asked.
"My deduction is that one of us volunteered to participate and wasn't forced." Shuichi explained.
I mean, I'm one of the masterminds, but I was technically forced to be here. I guess Tsumugi wanted to play this retarded game.
"That would mean they would avoid execution without breaking any rules." Shuichi continued. "Perhaps that's why Monokuma said it that way."
"And that person is the one in our group that's cooperating with Monokuma?" Kaede asked.
"I don't know if Monokuma is that strict with rules, but if he is trying to protect someone..." Shuichi trailed off before speaking again. That would imply that they're doing more than just cooperating with Monokuma."
"What?" Kaede said in confusion.
"I believe that if one of us can create spare Monokumas... they are the mastermind of this killing game." Shuichi said.
Who said there was one? Wait, I'm just playing Tsumugi. What will happen at the end of this, I wonder.
"So, the person who's responsible for all our suffering... is one of us?" Kaede asked, worry in her tone.
"Of course, this is just what I've deduced, but it is entirely possible." Shuichi said. "That's why I didn't want to talk about this in front of everyone. If we told them now, they might all try to find the mastermind, and be led to murder. That's why... I could only tell you, Kaede."
"So... What do you plan to do now, Shuichi? We're gonna find this mastermind, right?" Kaede asked.
"I'm... thinking of taking the risk, just before time expires." Shuichi said. "I believe the mastermind will come here just before time is up, and I can expose them."
"Wait, how do you know they'll come here right before time is up?" Kaede asked.
"I'm extrapolating from something Monokuma told us earlier..." Shuichi explained. "To produce a large number of Monokumas, the mastermind would have to come here. They would have to get into the hidden room to activate the machine. Of course, none of this is certain. There's a chance the mastermind won't show. Like I said... it's a risk. But I'm willing to take it. It's better than just sitting around, waiting to die."
"Yeah... I'll take that risk with you!" Kaede agreed.
"Ah, but... Kaede, this is just my deduction, it's possible that I'm wrong." Shuichi said.
"Yeah, I know. But I've made up my mind." Kaede said. "You told me about this, so that must mean you trust me, right, Shuichi? Then... I'll trust you too. I mean, I don't have a good idea of my own so obviously I'll help with yours." Kaede paused for a good 3 seconds before talking again. "Okay then! Let's expose the mastermind together, Shuichi!"
"Thank you, Kaede. You... have a way of encouraging me." Shuichi complimented.
"I never expected this to happen, though..." Kaede said. "I can't believe our enemy js with our group, hiding in plain sight."
"Yeah..." Shuichi agreed.
"Now that we know this, I should stop saying everyone needs to work together..." Kaede said. "But whoever the mastermind is, we'll expose them and help everyone else escape! And when this is all behind us, we're gonna stay good friends! That's a promise, okay?"
"R-Right..." Shuichi replied, his voice shaking a bit.
After they were done talking, you and Tsumugi heard their footsteps getting away from the door. After the footsteps disappeared, Tsumugi started talking.
"Everything is going well according to the coding. Just let the timeline do its thing, okay?" You nodded. "Well, I'm off. Bye, Y/N!" She said, waving before she left through the library door. What should I do now...
Free time, START!
I guess I can spend time with Kokichi.
》♧《
I approached Kokichi's door and knocked. The door revealed the purple haired boy standing in front of you.
"Oh, hey Y/N! I assume you want to hang out with me?" You nodded in response. He invited you inside his messy door, closing the door once you were inside.
You decided to tell him about your dream from last night, then he said one of his. You both just ended up talking about dreams you had throughout your life.
~Ding Dong Bing Bong~
The monitor turned on to show a very drunk Monokid sitting on the couch with the other four Monokubs standing behind the couch.
"Hic! This is an official announcement from the Ultimate Academy... Hic!" Monokid drunkenly said.
"As you can see, Monokid has had a little too much honey." Monotaro mentioned.
"He was really, really happy about Daddy's return." Monophanie said.
"Hic! Now let's play darts! Monodam can be the dartboard! And let's go bowling... and Monodam can be the bowling ball!" Monokid exclaimed.
Poor Monodam...
"By the way... which announcement were we making?" Monosuke asked.
"The Nighttime announcement." Monophanie said.
"What, it's already that late? Then we should go to bed soon!" Monotaro exclaimed.
"Bedtime, ursine!" The monitor turned off.
"I swear, those bears are really annoying." You said.
"Yeah. They're total buzzkills." Kokichi agreed.
"I'll be on my way then. Bye, Kokichi!" You said, walking to the door.
"Bye, N/N!"
You walked to your dorm, kicked off your shoes, and layed in bed. You felt your eyes flutter shut.
》☆《
Right now, you were sitting in an interview room at the police station. Your current age during this moment was 12. You were being asked questions for the bombing incident at your current school. Well, it was your school in anyway.
"So, Ms L/N. Why did you bomb your school?" The officer said.
"I was bored." You replied.
"You were... bored?" He asked.
"Mhm!" You happily agreed with a smile on your face.
"I'm afraid that you will have to be in an asylum room for some time. You need to calm down on your antics." The officer explained.
Since you didn't know what that meant, you nodded and followed him.
The room was white. All white. Your bed was white, your floor was white, your ceiling was white, your walls were white.
"You will be here for at least 3 years. We will bring food and water to you. You are not allowed to leave this room. There is a side door with a bathroom in it. Good day." The officer left.
You were fascinated by how much white there was in the room. You've never seen that much white in your whole life. Too bad it'll become boring after a while.
2 years later
You were still in that room. No one ever visited you. You did get your food and water daily. After you ate, you pushed your plate to the door, went back to the center of the room, and sat there facing away from the door. That was your life cycle.
You got so bored after 2 years has passed. You haven't used your voice unless you sang random tunes that didn't go well together.
You didn't even know what to do, until an idea came in your head. You wanted some of the room to be a different color.
You started hitting your arm over and over again until you drew blood. You hovered your now bleeding arm in front of you, letting the blood drip onto the floor in front of you. You didn't move your arm until you stopped bleeding.
You were happy with what you had done. You started to stare at the blood in front of you instead of the white walls. Your eyes recovered from the color and was now adapting to the pink substance in front of you.
The people who were giving you food noticed this and sent janitors to clean it up. After they left, you immediately started to beat your arm again until you drew blood.
That cycle repeated until you were free from the asylum. Once you stepped out of the asylum, you were greeted with the world you missed seeing.
》♧《
~Ding Dong Bing Bong~
You fluttered your eyes open and looked at the monitor.
"Rise and shine, ursine!" Damn it. Even though I knew they were going to be there, damn it.
"This is an official announcement from the Ultimate Academy." Monosuke said.
"It's 8AM! Time to wake up! Let's have a wonderful killing school semester today!" Monotaro exclaimed.
"Geez, Monokid really drank too much honey... How long is he gonna keep sleeping?' Monophanie asked.
"Oh, by the way... Father's time limit expires at 10PM tomorrow night!" Monotaro pointed out.
"So long, bear-well!" The monitor turned off.
"Damn. This place reminds me of the asylum I was kept in." You got up from your bed, did your morning routine, and headed out to the dining hall.
》♧《
When you got there, you heard voices so you decided to wait outside the dining hall and listen in on the conversation. Apparently, you missed the beginning part of it.
"We found and security sensors in the warehouse, and, ah..." Shuichi paused before speaking again. "Do you think you could make cameras that detect movement and make pictures? As in, it would automatically take a picture if the motiom sensor detects something?"
This must be to try catching Tsumugi and me. I want to tell Tsumugi, but she coded this, so it should be fine to let the timeline take care of it.
"The hell you gonna use that for?" Miu asked.
Oh. They're asking Miu. Humor incoming.
"Ah, to... keep Monokuma under surveillance. We might learn important information." Shuichi replied.
That isn't what it's for.
"Y-Yeah. Exactly that." Kaede agreed. "Please, Miu... We need your help to get everyone out of here."
"Ah, okay. I get it now." Miu said. "My answer is no!"
You deadpanned to yourself when she said that.
"What?" Kaede asked.
"You plebs got a lotta nerve askin' ME for a favor!" Miu exclaimed. "Were you grubs in a past life? Is that why you don't understand basic human courtesy? I'll forgive you just this once. Now get outta here before I whip out the bug spray!"
Miu laughed to herself after she said that. You decided to peek through the doors to get a better view of what was happening. When you looked through the door, you saw Kaede on her knees in front of Miu.
"Please, Miu!" Kaede pleaded.
"Heeeeeee!" Miu let out of surprise.
"I really want to get out of here with everyone! And to do that, I need your help!" Kaede said. "So... please! I'm begging you!"
"K-Kaede!" Shuichi stuttered out.
You saw Shuichi get on his knees next to Kaede, also begging Miu.
"Shuichi...?" Kaede muttered.
"I'm begging you, too." Shuichi said. "We could really use your help, Miu. Please..."
"Wh-What the hell...? Q-Quit bowing to me..." Miu shakily said.
"No, I won't stop." Kaede said. "I'm gonna stay like this until you say you'll do it, Miu! I'll do it for however long it takes!"
Damn. Desperate much?
"Wh-Who the hell uses bowing as a threat?" Miu asked. "F-Fine, I'll do it... Okay?"
"What!? Really!?" Kaede asked.
Kaede and Shuichi got up from their knees, and Kaede grasped Miu's hand.
"Thank you, I owe you! Even after we escape, I'll owe you forever and ever and ever!" Kaede exclaimed.
"I-I'm not doing this for you guys..." Miu nervously said. "My research lab in the garden just opened, so... I... I was already thinkin' about... checkin' it out... S-So... can I have my hand back now? Cuz this is startin' to creep me out..."
"Oh! Sorry, I was just so happy." Kaede said, releasing Miu's hand from her grasp. "But... are your hands always this clammy?"
"Heeee! A-Anyways... bring me the security sensors and the cameras before I change my mind..." Miu said. "I'll be waiting in my research lab in the garden!"
You saw Miu starting to head for the door, so you leaning back against the wall with your eyes closed, like you were relaxing there. Luckily, Miu didn't see you there. You went back to listening in on what Kaede and Shuichi were talking about.
"Thank god... I'm glad we managed to convince her." Kaede said, relief in her tone.
"Let's go to the warehouse to get the cameras and sensors right away." Shuichi said.
Kaede and Shuichi were heading for the door, so you stepped back a few and pretended like you were passing by. They weren't suspicious of you listening in.
You decided to look for Kokichi out in the courtyard since you were already needing some fresh air. You headed on your way.
》♧《
You walked outside and went down the stairs further into the courtyard, and you saw Kokichi near the Shrine of Judgement. You walked up to him.
"Hey, Kokichi." You greeted.
"Morning, N/N! I'm guessing that building over there is Miu's lab." Kokichi said, pointing in the direction of the building. "I saw Miu run over there earlier. She was all sweaty and had a total creeper smile."
"Yeah. Kaede and Shuichi told them to make camera sensors or something." You said. "By the way, can I ask you something?"
Kokichi nodded.
"Want to mess up the class trials?" You asked.
"Sure!" He replied, putting his hands behind his head while giving you a closed eyed smile.
"Kokichi," Kokichi turned to you and tilted his head in confusion.
"What is it?"
You tapped him on the shoulder. "Tag!" You ran off.
"Alright, bet!" He chased after you.
》♧《
You two have been playing tag for about 3 hours. Now, you both were laying down in the grass, staring at the caged, evening sky. You broke the silence in between you both.
"Hey, Kokichi?" You asked.
"Hm?"
"Can I join your organization? It sounds fun."
Kokichi turned his head to look at you.
"Sure! I don't see why not!" He replied.
You smiled at him before the bell rang.
~Ding Dong Bing Bong~
The monitor showed the Monokubs sitting on the couch together.
"This is an official announcement from the Ultimate Academy." Montaro exclaimed.
"It is now 10PM. For one o' you bastards, this might be your last Nighttime ever." Monosuke said.
"Don't so something violent to start the killing game. You can make it one more night." Monophanie said.
"Oh! I get it! I totally get it!" Monokid said, still being very drunk. "It's crystal clear to me now! I understand everything! See, look at your face. The way your eyes are angled... The way your face is floating... That's a crazy face."
"Monokid seems really out of it. Is this what happens when you drink too much honey?" Monotaro asked innocently.
"Bedtime, ursine!" The monitor turned off.
"Damn. They're sorta like kids and they already drink." You said.
"Tell me about it... Anyways, race you to the dorms!" Kokichi said, running off.
"No fair! You got a head start!" You yelled, running close behind him.
Soon enough, you both made it to the dorms. As much as you don't want to admit it, Kokichi won the race. For his small size, he was fast. Probably really strong too.
"Night, N/N!"
"Goodnight."
You kicked off your shoes and fell into slumber.
》☆《
White. Everything was white. For a few hours, you saw white.
》♧《
~Ding Dong Bing Bong~
You shot up from bed and stared at the monitor.
"Rise and shine, ursine!"
"This is an official announcement from the Ultimate Academy. Wake up, bastards. It's 8AM." Monosuke said.
"Oooh, today's the day the time limit expires. My heart is pounding with excitement." Monotaro exclaimed.
"Don't worry! Even if you end up in hell, at least you can be proud that you didn't do the killing game!" Monophanie cheered.
"You're just assumin' that they're gonna go to hell?" Monosuke asked.
Monokid was speaking gibberish.
"Hey, Monokid... Why don't we go over there and drink some more honey, okay?" Monotaro suggested.
"So long, bear-well!" The monitor turned off.
"That's odd... That memory was just white. Maybe that was just me staring at the asylum wall." You did your morning routine and went to the dining hall.
》♧《
You walked inside the dining hall to see Ryoma and Rantaro.. fighting? You stood to the side so you could watch. After a few minutes, Kaede walked in.
"What's going on here!?" Kaede shouted.
"Oh, Kaede. Perfect timing." Rantaro said. "I... really don't know what to do, Kaede. Ryoma started talking crazy..."
"That's my language." You muttered under your breath.
"All I was doing was making a suggestion." Ryoma clarified. "So that more people can survive. Even if it's just one more."
"'So that more people can survive'? Ryoma, what do you mean by that?" Kaede asked.
"Don't you get it? If time runs out like this, we'll all get annihilated, y'know?" Ryoma said. "The only way to avoid that is to play along with this killing game."
You let a smirk crawl onto your face after he said that. Interesting.. I do what this game to get started.
"What!? Now hold on a minute!" Kaede protested.
"Kill me." Ryoma said bluntly.
You prevented a wheeze attempting to leave your throat, but you were trying your best to keep it from coming out. You were clutching onto your stomach with your other hand over your mouth.
"Ryoma! What are you saying!?" Kaede asked.
"You don't get that either? I'm saying that I'll give you guys my life." Ryoma said. "I... don't have a reason to live anymore. So if the rest of you want to live, I'll hand my life over to you."
"N-No way! We promised we'd all get out of here together!" Kaede exclaimed.
"Who said everyone promised?" You said, with the crazy look in your eyes.
"Huh?" Kaede muttered.
"I won't repeat myself." You said.
"Hmph, I hoped it'd end that way. That's why I waited so long to being this up." Ryoma said, ignoring what you just said. "But we've just been waiting for the deadline without doing anything to change it. There's no more time left for idealism, don't you think?"
"N-No... it's not idealism--"
"This is the best choice for this situation." Ryoma said, cutting Kaede off. "Whoever murders me gets to leave without a trial. Everyone else survives the time limit. After that, the person who gets to escape can go for help and rescue everyone else. How about it? If you've got a better idea, I'd love to hear it."
"U-Uhm... well..." Kaede muttered.
"Ryoma. There's no need for that." Rantaro said with a menacing look on his face.
"Hm?" Ryoma hummed.
"There's no need for that, because I'm going to end this game." Rantaro said, hands on his hips. "I've already decided."
"You're... going to end this game?" Kaede asked.
"It's not about outfoxing everyone in this killing game, it's about ending the game itself." Rantaro explained. "That's the real goal."
"Can you... even accomplish such a feat?" Kiyo asked.
Damn I didn't even know you were in here.
"I wouldn't be saying this I didn't think I could." Rantaro said as a matter of factly.
"And how will you end it? You understand that the time limit expires tonight, yes?" Kirumi asked.
"Haha, sorry, can't tell you. Actually, if I could, I won't be having so much trouble." Rantaro said.
"What do you mean?" Ryoma asked.
"Just what I said. I'm going to end this game..." Rantaro mumbled. "So don't any of you go and do something unnecessary, alright?"
"Unnecessary...?" Ryoma said quizzically. "Hmph, when you put it like that, it seems like I still have a ways to go. Alright, I got it. I take back my suggestion. Do what you want. Whether you guys live or die is up to you."
After Ryoma said that, he went through the dining hall doors and left.
"Geez, that Ryoma... I hope I helped his calm down a little." Rantaro said, relief in his tone of voice.
"Anyway, Rantaro... We're you serious when you said you knew a way to end this killing game?" Kaede asked.
"Not sure..." Rantaro replied.
"What?" Kaede muttered.
"Well, even if I did have an idea, I couldn't tell you. Can't risk anyone interfering." Rantaro said.
"Okie-Dokie... Then Angie will pray for your strategy's success, Rantaro." Angie reassured. "But if you're lying, Atua says He will punish you for three generations to come, okay?"
"Haha, now that's a threat. Well, I'll do my best to live up to your expectations." Rantaro replied. "I guess... I have to do my best."
And just like that, Rantaro has left through the dining hall doors.
"Ending this game... Is that even possible?" Kirumi asked.
"I suspect he only that to defuse the situation and stop Ryoma." Kiyo mentioned. "I mean, ending this game...?"
"Nyahahahaha, you don't know that!" Angie exclaimed. "Maybe Rantaro's hidden talent is actually a huge explosion! In the end, only Atua knows!"
Will you shut up about Atua, please. It's hurting me mentally and physically.
"Well then, I'll be on my way." You said, heading for the doors to leave. No one stopped you.
You decided to lay in the grass and watch the sky.
"I wonder if this place is real. I know it isn't, but thoughts don't hurt as much, right?"
》♧《
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