[3rd Person POV]
Once again, the students found themselves inside the court room of this accursed school, attending a trial for a second murder they wished hadn't happened.
This time, there were only 11 students, and by the end of this trial, only 10 or 1 would emerge out of the room and back into their “regular” lives.
A mixture of emotions and feelings on their faces as their entire world revolved around this very moment.
Whether they live or die, is entirely up to them.
"Ah, sh*t. Here we go again."
The 2nd Class Trial is about to begin...
[CLASS TRIALS: IN SESSION]
"Now then, why don't we start by discussing the murder weapon?"
Monokuma gave them off an initial topic to kickstart the discussion, and the students didn't waste the opportunity by jumping on it.
"According to the Monokuma Files, the victim suffered a blow to the head with a blunt weapon, which resulted in her death."
Togami debriefed the class.
"Couldn't you have just said “blunt-force trauma”?"
Y/N questioned the heir, prompting a click of his tongue at the broker.
"What could this blunt weapon be?"
Ishimaru asked before being interrupted.
"I don't know, but it probably isn't sharp."
The broker rolled his eyes at the painfully obvious questions, prompting Celeste to silently giggle while she covered her mouth.
"It has got to be a steel pipe!"
Hagakure answered confidently.
"Imma smack you with one, if you don't stop the bull-"
Y/N, once again, had his mouth covered by Celeste's free-hand, as she was still silently laughing into her other one.
"That's wrong!"
Naegi refuted the Clairvoyant.
"Oh right! I was totally off!"
"Well, we didn't find any steel pipe at the scene of the crime."
Yamada sweatdropped at the bum.
"The victim's wound matched the shape of the dumbbell as well."
Kirigiri pointed out, fully understanding as to why Y/N was going off earlier.
Then said broker broke(hehe) from Celeste's grip as he gently took her hand away from his face.
"THE DUMBBELL WITH THE BLOOD SPLATTER WAS LITERALLY BESIDE THE BODY! WHY IS THIS EVEN A QUESTION!?"
"Calm down, L/N kun. I'm sure everyone is still shaken up by it."
Celeste patted the broker's shoulder.
But instead of being dumbfounded by how freaking stupid they are, they're more surprised that Kirigiri checked the wound of the body.
"Y-You checked her wound!?"
"Hiii!!! Gross!"
Yamada reacted while shaking
"The next murder is gonna be me cooking you in the oven."
Commented Y/N, a little agitated than usual. And this prompted Yamada to silence himself immediately.
Ignoring his comment, Celeste added a follow-up to Kirigiri's point.
"Seeing as how there were bloodstains on the carpet, we can safely assume that the murder took place in the girls' changing room."
"No, it didn't."
Y/N whispered to Celeste, but before the gambler could ask, Togami interrupted by taking control of the conversation.
"Let's figure out who did it, then. Though I have already ascertained who it was."
"For real!?"
Owada asked in shock.
"There's no doubt about it. The one who killed Fujisaki Chihiro... was Genocider Syo!"
"You mean the serial killer everyone's talking about!? Impossible!"
Hagakure responded in denial.
"A certain astronaut once said, the impossible is possible, all ya gotta do is make it so!"
Y/N mimicked a certain weird-hairdo man with a goatee in a future game.
"Quite inspiring, coming from you."
Celeste smiled at the boy, who responded with a grin of his own.
"Are you saying one of us is a serial killer!? There isn't any proof!"
"There actually may be."
said Naegi before adding more to his point.
"The documents we found in the library archives documented it."
Then Togami would support Naegi by also adding more to it.
"The Police's confidential records of Genocider Syo contained details on two characteristics shared by all the murders. First, the killer always left behind a message in the victim's blood."
"Bigboob Fever, was it?"
Yamada adjusted his glasses while saying this.
"I think you mean “Bloodbath Fever.”"
Corrected Asahina.
"The other detail is more important. It's a piece of information that was kept hidden from the public. The fact that the killer always crucifies the victim. In other words, for Fujisaki's to have been crucified, it's natural to assume that Genocider Syo is indeed the culprit."
Togami concluded, both his arms crossed.
"Y'know, Togami chan... You can argue that suspecting Genocider Syo is possible due to you reading the archives, but you're so sure that it's Genocider Syo that committed the crime... That amount of confidence displayed means you already know who it is, or am I wrong?"
Y/N's eyes narrowed against Togami as the broker smirked.
Taking this information, Celeste asked Togami a question.
"Does that mean that serial killer is among us?"
The gambler took a moment to realize her words before she gasped lightly and turned to Y/N, who's looking at her with a wide smile on his face.
"AAAMOOGU-"
He was about to start something until Celeste clamped a hand on his mouth.
"To answer both of your questions, yeah. And it's... Fukawa Toko!"
At the mention of her name, Fukawa took a step back, her face paling.
"Wait a minute! Fukawa chan can't stand the sight of blood! What kind of murderer is afraid of blood!"
Asahina came to Fukawa's defense, but was shot down by Togami.
"She's Genocider Syo, but at the same time she isn't."
"Talking in riddles now? Stop beating around the bush."
Then Y/N saw Naegi think to himself.
"Man's playing Hangman's Gambit in the middle of a Class Trial."
"What are you talking about this time, dear?"
"Look, look. He's probably going to say he's got it or something."
Y/N pointed to Naegi.
"That's it! I got it!"
Naegi suddenly said.
"Huh."
Even Celeste was taken aback by Y/N's ability to predict things.
"Told ya."
"The file also stated one other thing. Evidently, there's a chance that the culprit has dissociative identity disorder."
"And there you have it."
Fukawa clawed at her head while her trembling voice reacted to Togami's betrayal.
"Y-You promise you'd keep it a secret!"
"Now let's hear it straight from the horse's mouth."
The heir squinted his eyes at Fukawa before the Writer fainted.
After mere seconds, Fukawa? Instantly rose, everything about her seemed different from before.
Those twisted look in her eyes, as well as that uncomfortably long tongue, and her entire demeanor. Nothing retained from Fukawa to whatever this is with the exception of their appearances.
"Was that my sign to come forward?"
It said with every bit of confidence that Fukawa doesn't have.
This garnered surprise and fear from the students, as there's a literal serial killer right there.
"Am I like, busted already? Whatever. Not like I can change anything. That's right..."
"I'm the Ultimate Murderer, Genocider Syo!"
[INSERT TITLE CARD WITH A POSE]
"My real name, Fukawa Toko, is lame as hell, though."
"What's gotten into you, Fukawa kun...?"
Ishimaru nervously questioned the killer while said killer laughed heartily.
"A healthy killer dwells within a healthy mind and soul!"
"This is vastly different from her usual self."
Ogami stated the obvious.
During this whole event, Celeste unconsciously grabbed Y/N's arm while she tried her best to remain composed. After all, there's only a portrait of the late Leon Kuwata between her and Syo, so such a reaction is warranted.
Y/N glanced at the gambler, taking notice of her ever-so-slightly trembling hands, before he took action and stood in between her and Syo.
"Focus on the trial, Tia~"
The broker whispered, breaking Celeste out of her trance as she let go of his arm.
"Don't call me that."
"This should be enough proof for you. This murderer killed Fujisaki. There's a clear motive as well."
Togami doubled down.
"A motive?"
"Fukawa Toko would do anything to keep Genocider Syo a secret from everyone. Don't you think that's enough of a motive?"
"Makes sense. I see, I see..."
Syo nodded her head several times before...
"Too bad, though! I ain't the killer!"
"Do you really think we'll believe you?"
Ogami got into a stance.
Y/N felt like a fight was gonna break out, so he let an unintentional grin spread across his face.
"Yeah! Nobody's going to trust a serial killer!"
Asahina supported the Martial Artist.
"That may be true. That may very well be true, but..."
Naegi trailed off
"Hah. This and the murders you have committed share the exact same modus operandi."
said Togami to which a certain broker caught and giggled at.
"Look, watch. Naegi chan's gonna say the thing again."
Celeste raised an eyebrow at Y/N before she sighed, playing along with what he's saying.
"Sore wa chigau yo!"
"What was that?"
"Yeah! Tell them what he doesn't want you to tell them, Naegi chan!"
Y/N cheered loudly, Celeste even did a small squeak and a slight jump because of how loud he was, thankfully nobody noticed.
"Oya, oya, oya? Don't you get it? SCRUB!"
Syo yelled at the heir before giving her own explanation.
"Sc--!?"
Said heir was shocked.
"BAHAHAHAHA!"
the broker laughed, high-fiving the killer, he was about to go for another but...
"Dear, let her talk."
Celeste pulled Y/N by the back of his collar and away from Syo, before the killer started to speak.
"I'll fill you in. Being a first-rate murderer, I'm extremely picky about how I do things!"
"She's right. The cause of death is different. Genocider Syo's victims were all killed using scissors."
Naegi agreed with the killer.
"It's the same as a popular ramen shop being picky about their broth, noodles, and other ingredients."
"The crucifixion is different as well. Fujisaki san was crucified using something like a rope, right? But Genocider Syo's victims were crucified with sharp scissors."
Naegi added, earning the killer's approval.
"Bingo! I use my own scissors to crucify them. Also, Ma-kun. That's not all!"
"“Ma-kun”..."
"What's the fundamental rule behind all of my past victims?"
Syo leaned towards her podium.
"The fundamental rule... Oh, right! All of your victims were male!"
"You got it! That's right! The only people I kill with loving passion are cute guys! Kinda like you! But I've given up on you since you're too slippery!"
The killer pointed at a smug Y/N before she got embarrassed.
"Oh, my! This is embarrassing! I can't believe I said it! I'm a fujoshi heading full speed ahead to become an adult woman who loves guy-on-guy p*rn!"
Despite Syo's defense, Togami was still pushing that she's the culprit behind the Former Ultimate Programmer's death.
"You have made your inclinations very clear, but killing others in order to survive is a completely different thing."
"Shut up, loser!"
"Loser...!?"
"REKT, LMA-"
Celeste covered Y/N's mouth just before he put salt into Togami's wound.
As much as she wanted to watch Y/N dig into Togami, Celeste wanted the trial to keep moving along so she could continue working on her project.
But she can't tell the broker that.
"I wouldn't kill for something as lame as survival."
said Syo before brandishing multiple scissors.
"SHE'S FULLY EQUIPPED!?"
Hifumi Yamada panicked.
"I never leave home without my trusty old scissors."
"But you're the only one who could have crucified her! No one else knows about that."
"That's why we assumed it was you and not a copycat."
Owada and Asahina made valid points, something Syo acknowledged but didn't make any replies to.
"Hang on, I think you could've done it... Togami kun. When we went to check the archives earlier, didn't you tell me this?"
Makoto Naegi went on how Togami told him about the same book he had read in his residence's study about Genocider Syo.
"It wouldn't be a stretch to say you were aware of Genocider Syo's method of killing before coming here."
"So you mean that Togami Byakuya-dono is the copycat killer?!"
Yamada freaked out at the revelation.
"Did you hope to frame Genocider Syo for a crime you committed?"
Celeste questioned the heir, now she finally understands why Y/N and Kirigiri were both holding suspicion on Togami during their investigation
"Well, Togami kun!? Answer us!"
Ishimaru pointed at the heir.
"Where is your evidence?"
Said heir pushed up his glasses.
"We have supporting evidence. The “rope” used to crucify Fujisaki san. It wasn't actually rope, but an extension cord from the library. I'm sure you recognized it, Togami kun."
Kirigiri answered, silencing the heir.
"Always when Kirigiri chan speaks that suspects shut the hell up."
Y/N giggled, but this comment from Y/N prompted the heir to continue talking.
"I see. So I killed Fujisaki in the girls' changing room and set the corpse up. In doing so, I made it seem like it was the work of the crazy serial killer. Does that sum it up?"
Togami summarized everyone's suspicion of him, garnering surprise from others that even when he's being backed into a corner, he remained composed.
"Pfft... Is everyone really convinced that the murder took place in the Girls' changing room?"
Y/N suddenly spoke, gaining the attention of other students.
"If you looked at the crime scene for longer that 5 seconds it'd be painfully obvious, as well as if you listened to Monokuma's announcement about sneaky-sneaks attempting to perv upon others in changing rooms, unless you're aware of... a certain loophole, right Kirigiri chan...?"
The broker smiled at the lavender-haired girl who took a second before nodding in agreement with him.
"So this is your plan..."
said girl muttered under her breath.
In addition to what she had proposed to him before the trial, Y/N found another loophole in Monokuma's restriction of him.
"Is it possible that the murderer switched the place of murder around to throw us off?"
Naegi suggested and caused the surprise of many students.
"So you think Togami switched things around?"
Ogami asked the luckster
"There was a poster of a gravure idol in the girls' changing room, and a poster of male idols in the boys' changing room. This is what you're talking about, right? L/N kun?"
"Oh! Normally, it should be the other way around, right?"
"Hmm... I wonder? Are they right, Kirigiri chan?"
Y/N asked Kirigiri who just nodded at him.
"Well, if Kiri-chan says it's right, then it's right!"
Kirigiri observed Monokuma, and he wasn't reacting at all, it was like he didn't expect this kind of thing to happen and wasn't prepared to counter it
"Basically, Fujisaki san was killed not in the girls' changing room, but in the boys' changing room."
Naegi added
"What!?"
Even Togami was surprised.
"Then how did Fujisakicchi enter the boys' changing room?"
Hagakure asked.
"The answer is simple. Fujisaki san... was a boy."
Kirigiri answered, making everyone gasp in surprise at the revelation.
"I found out when I examined the corpse."
She further explained before Monokuma came back to life and confirmed it himself.
"That's right, Fujisaki Chihiro was a boy!"
"What? He was crossdressing!? That's so damn hot! I should have killed him."
Syo gritted her teeth at the fact.
"I could definitely see your other half making an angry blogpost about this."
Y/N commented
"That doesn't change the fact that Togamicchi was the killer, though."
"Except, it really isn't him though, right Naegi chan?"
Naegi nodded at the broker in agreement before answering.
"I don't think it was him."
"Why not?"
"Well, you looked quite shocked when you found out that Fujisaki san was a guy. There's no way the culprit doesn't know. That's why I don't think it's you."
The Lucky Student explained.
"I see. It bothers me that you lack any definitive evidence, but I'll let that slide. I will give you a passing grade."
Togami approved before lightly slamming on his podium and leaning.
"It's just as Naegi says! I am not the culprit."
"Honestly, a surprise to absolutely no one, if you paid attention."
said Y/N as Celeste tapped her own chin while thinking.
'So L/N kun already knew back then that while Togami isn't the culprit, he did alter the scene of the crime.'
'That's why Kirigiri san confirmed his suspicion, but didn't confirm what his suspicion is about. It took one look at the crime scene for both of them.'
'The minds of those two are on a different wavelength... They seem to understand each other perfectly when it comes to the cases.'
The gambler's thoughts were interrupted when Togami explained his account further.
"I found the corpse in the girls'changing room. So I simply set it up to look that way."
"Y-You *sshole! Are you messing with us?"
Owada's anger was justified.
"I wanted to test your abilities and shake up the real culprit at the same time."
"Y-You really think we would believe you?"
"I don't care if you don't believe me. All it means is that you'll be convicting the wrong person. If you don't want that, help me find the culprit---"
"Why you--!?"
Owada was about to jump the heir at this point, but Kirigiri interrupted them before things escalated further.
"Indeed. Let's talk this through."
She agreed.
"Hmm... I assume that even if Togami chan didn't get caught, you'd have a way to break out of this predicament yourself, huh?"
"Naturally, I would've told you all if I had not been caught."
"Finding a body in the girls' changing room... Surely an invite wouldn't be present even if the door was open, so you just snuck a peek in there and found Fujisaki chan's body, right? And given Monokuma's rules about the peeking..."
"Where are you going with this?"
"Togami chan, you saw who dun did it, didn't you?"
Y/N gave the tone that he was asking the question, Togami glanced at Monokuma to see him unresponsive of this, so somehow this didn't count as him helping?
But to further answer Y/N's question, well... He didn't answer at all.
Instead, he laughed it off.
"Isn't that why we're here for? To figure out who did it. We'll resume this culprit-guessing game, then."
"Hmm... Alright, suit yourself. I doubt anyone would be convinced if both us just said yes to anything."
"Precisely."
Y/N knew very well of how much the others distrusted him, even though he hasn't done anything to the gravity of Togami's scene tampering; the first impressions and his way of talking really did sully their opinion of him.
"Let's go over it once more. How did the culprit manage to get into both changing rooms?"
Celeste suggested
"I was able to find the digital handbooks of the 3 deceased in the entrance hall."
Kirigiri answered before Asahina asked what she meant.
"It would be possible to enter both rooms using those."
"No. Kuwata kun's digital handbook wasn't functional."
Kirigiri confirmed before they concluded that the culprit of the case must be a guy to pull this off.
"But isn't using someone else's handbook against the rules?"
"This is the loophole I'm talking about, Celeste chan~ lending your handbook to someone is prohibited, but straight up yoinking that thing isn't, regardless if the owner knows or not, in this case, they don't, right Kirigiri chan?"
Kirigiri nodded at this once again, confirming Y/N's conclusion.
Celeste had been seeing the broker consistently get Kirigiri's approval whenever he answers something, but somehow Monokuma isn't reacting to him at all.
'I see... L/N kun's method is to appear like he's the one being helped instead of the other way around... That's why he's constantly bugging Kirigiri san about his own conclusions, even though it's obvious that he already knew beforehand.'
Celeste concluded the boy's method, causing her to pat Y/N on the back.
"Good job finding the loophole."
The gambler purposefully hid her compliment behind another in order to not give Monokuma a single clue about it.
"Teehee~ Slipping underneath restrictions is what I'm good at, y'know?
To be honest, what's more surprising to her is that Kirigiri played along more than anything. They must've had some form of agreement beforehand.
Monokuma confirmed about the part regarding the digital handbook, which caused them to move in the next order of business.
"So at the moment, we all know that the culprit is male, right?"
"Oh yeah, Celeste san! You saw Fujisaki san that night, didn't you?"
Naegi asked the gambler.
"Yes. Fujisaki kun was holding a sports bag with a jersey inside."
"But we weren't able to find that at the crime scene. The culprit must have disposed of it. Did he leave any other clues?"
said Kirigiri.
Y/N broke into a smile, she was trying to bait someone and he knew it.
"If my memory serves it, there were different types of jerseys."
"Didn't they come in many different colors?"
"I-I don't have a jersey!"
Yamada announced... proudly...?
"I have a white one!"
Hagakure confirmed his.
"Mine's purple for reasons I'm not telling you people."
Y/N admitted unapologetically.
"Wasn't Fujisaki chan supposed to be meeting up with someone?"
Asahina questioned.
"What if they picked their jerseys out together?"
"Oooh, how romantic~"
"I got it! He and the culprit both picked out the same kind of jersey!"
Ishimaru concluded
This caused Y/N to start giggling, the bait had worked.
Kirigiri turned to Y/N and put a finger on her lips, signalling him to halt reacting, as the culprit hadn't completely taken her bait yet.
"So basically, the culprit must have a matching blue jersey, huh?"
"Pfft-"
"Then it can't be me. I've got a black jersey."
said Owada, basically digging his own grave then and there.
"You got that... right!"
Y/N fired his truth bullet, with his own version of Naegi's line.
"H-Huh...?"
The biker turned to the broker.
"It looks like L/N kun and Naegi kun noticed. That careless remark just now."
Kirigiri looked towards the two before back at Owada.
The duo nodded, but Y/N refrained from talking, letting Naegi do it for him.
"Owada kun, how did you know Fujisaki san's jersey was blue?"
This questioned caused the biker to react in surprise.
"I mean, my dear Celeste chan never mentioned a color... isn't that right?"
Celeste nodded in confirmation at this.
"What... are you two saying...?"
"You dug your own grave, Owada kun."
said Kirigiri as Owada turned his aggression towards her.
"What did you say!?"
Y/N's eyes narrowed at Owada, Celeste saw how nearly-instantaneous the entirety of Y/N's demeanor changed from his usual carefree one to that of a complete threat.
Even though they had the Ultimate Martial Artist and the Ultimate Murderer nearby, Y/N felt like the most dangerous person in the room.
"More like you made him dig it."
Togami crossed his arms as the biker's attention turned to the heir.
The moment that aggression left Kirigiri, Y/N went back to his usual self almost immediately.
"I see that was indeed a bluff. This entire thing was a ploy to lure the culprit out."
Celeste stated, wanting to test something herself.
However, Owada didn't project any aggression towards her, but even though the biker didn't, the gambler felt the position of Y/N's arm shift from beside her, to slightly in front of her.
This was enough for her.
"Correct."
"Lmao, man just got jebaited hard."
Y/N joked with a giggle.
"Wait! There's no way my bro could do something like that!"
Ishimaru came to the defense of his “bro” as Owada could not comment any further and only look down in both shame and frustration.
"What has gotten into you, bro!? Tell them! Tell them they are wrong!"
Ishimaru went to the biker's podium as he shook him around, wanting him to answer.
"Yeah! They are wrong! They have got to be! There's got to be some fatal error in their reasoning!"
Then the Hall Monitor turned to the rest of the class.
"You're all just setting him up!"
"The only thing wrong here is that... Did you really think pulling a “you're wrong” will instantly waive any form of guilt he has? Ishimaru chan, what's wrong here is thinking anyone can be completely innocent... It only takes a second for an entire world to be flipped upside down, y'know? And in Owada chan's case, it did a 360 MLG no-scope."
Y/N raised an eyebrow at the Hall Monitor, silencing him.
"L/N kun, dear..."
Celeste sighed before clamping a hand on his mouth again, but he was able to dodge the attempt.
The lengths she goes through just to look after this boy, honestly...
"In that case... Let's look at the whole murder again, starting from the beginning. That will prove whether our reasoning is right or wrong!"
Naegi went into detail about how the entire thing occurred, even Togami's hand at obfuscating the entire thing.
And when the luckster was finished, the culprit, who is now known as Owada Mondo, found himself to be mute.
"Yeah. That's right, I... killed him."
He confirmed with a tremble in his voice.
"Don't tell me you're gonna quack at Naegi chan like 11037 did."
"Quiet."
Celeste scolded the boy before putting a hand on his mouth again, this time she was successful.
"Bro... What are you saying?"
Ishimaru choked on his tears as Owada struggled to keep his.
"Monokuma, please get it started. Begin that “Voting Time” thing."
The biker pleaded.
"Mfmgmhmmggghmm..."
Y/N spoke through Celeste's hand, the gambler took it off to hear what he was saying.
"Hm?"
"I was saying that Owada chan's taking this better than quackerma-"
Then the hand went back to silencing him again.
"Roger!"
Monokuma agreed, and of course Ishimaru tried his best to convince Monokuma to wait, what he should wait for? They don't know. Of course, the headmaster declined waiting and started the voting time immediately.
But the results of Voting Time wasn't surprising, the majority voted for Owada Mondo, the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader, with the exception of Ishimaru Kiyotaka, who voted for himself.
Monokuma reprimanded the Hall Monitor and told him how lucky he was that the majority won.
Ishimaru expressed disbelief in what had just happened, repeatedly yelling at Owada asking why he did that and just... “why” in general, but the biker kept silent.
"The word “why” is gonna sound so weird later..."
Y/N whispered to Celeste.
"Pfft- s-stop that... This is a very emotional moment."
The gambler let a giggle escape her lips as Y/N's reaction showed that he was elated that she found it funny.
"You're right, you're right."
"Since Owada kun is exercising his rights of silence, I'll provide an explanation in his stead."
Monokuma pulled out a board from a place I shall not name, and proceeded to narrate the story as to why Owada Mondo killed Fujisaki Chihiro.
"There was once a boy... His name was Fujisaki Chihiro kun. Ever since he was a child, Fujisaki kun developed a complex from his weakness. Having been forced to hear such unkind words since his childhood, he was unable to overcome his weakness. Instead, he sought refuge in an even greater one. He decided to become a girl! That was how he chose to escape reality. For Fujisaki kun, it was a secret he wanted to keep from everyone else at all costs. If people had found out about it, they would surely give him an even harder time than he had suffered. He was supposed to fall into the throes of despair. Annoyingly, however, he decided to use the threat of having his secret exposed as a chance to change!"
"From that day on, Fujisaki kun decided to start working out. And he chose to help him with that was..."
This was practically a cue for everyone to turn to Owada Mondo, and they did, prompting him to continue Monokuma's story.
"That's right. Fujisaki told me about his secret."
"Bikers are notorious for keeping their promises with fellow men. Furthermore, Owada kun, who reeks of manliness, was the very image of the strong man Fujisaki had longed for."
Monokuma concluded the story.
"To be honest, I thought he was just a furry."
Y/N whispered to Celeste again.
"What gave you that impression?"
"I dunno, he seems to be the guy who has a rough and tough tiger dude as a persona or something..."
"This conversation would be entirely different, if that were the case."
"While I'm at it, I'll tell you something else! About the memories and past secrets Owada didn't want the world to find out about! You see..."
Monokuma started.
"He killed his own older brother!"
"Oof."
"Th-The only reason I joined the biker gang was my brother who had formed Japan's greatest team. My brother was No. 1 and I, No. 2. When he retired, and I was chosen as his successor, the greatness of my super-charismatic brother put me under a world of unbearable pressure! So on the night of his retirement ceremony, I decided to have a showdown between us. In the midst of the race, I drove recklessly in the pursuit of victory. And as a result... I ended up killing my brother."
Owada concluded his story as he struggled not to cry.
"I'm weak! My weakness prevented me from telling the truth! But Fujisaki... He had the strength to face his weakness and overcome them. I was jealous of him. And not just any normal kind of jealousy. It was completely screwed up... and I ended up killing him... I ended up killing him!!"
The biker shook from his podium as he told his story. His words becoming all the more choked up the more he said something.
"Because I couldn't deal with my weakness, no matter how much time had passed, I went and did something horrible!"
"But you destroyed Fujisaki san's handbook after he died to keep his secret safe, right?"
Said Kirigiri.
Owada's attention turned to her as he had an expression of surprise.
"The broken handbook in the entrance hall wasn't Kuwata's. It was yours, isn't it? It overheated and blew up during that sauna battle. That's when you learned how to break one. And we weren't able to find Fujisaki san's handbook because you destroyed it and threw it away, right?"
Kirigiri concluded as the biker looked down to continue suppressing his emotions, using every bit of his strength to appear like the ideal man Fujisaki wanted to be.
Despite being in the face of death itself, where nothing matters anymore...
This emotional moment would soon be cut by Monokuma's trademark giggle.
"Upupupu... Sorry to interrupt this party while it's in full swing, but it's time for punishment!"
This announcement from Monokuma caused Ishimaru to start spiralling out of control.
"This despair doesn't belong just to you, kids! This is a punishment to all of mankind and a way to make them despair!"
"What do you mean...?"
Ogami questioned the bear.
"Meaning? It's meaningless to latch onto the meaning behind each and every thing!"
"Does it matter?"
Togami suddenly interrupted
"In the end, I'm the one who'll emerge victorious."
"Upupupu... I get the feeling the two of us could become good friends."
Monokuma laughed
"Just so you know, the moment I win this whole thing,"
Togami then pointed towards Monokuma confidently.
"I'm going to kill you! In the name of the Togami Family, whose destiny is victory!"
In response to that, the bear continued to laugh at his face.
"You're so cool! Almost like a protagonist. You're too good to waste as an extra!"
"An extra!?"
"Pfft, Togami chan's butt is being handed by multiple people today."
Y/N giggled to himself, and Celeste made no effort in silencing him since she kinda agrees with him.
"It's almost time!"
"W-Wait!"
"I've prepare a very special punishment for Owada Mondo, the Ultimate Biker!"
"Wait! Please wait!"
"Let's give him everything we've got! IIIIIT'S PUNISHMENT TIIIIMEEE!!"
Ishimaru's screams of despair were on par with Monokuma's announcement as he had every bit of intention to kill the student.
"I'm sorry, brother. I couldn't keep our promise between men."
Was Owada's final words before he was sent to his execution.
[OWADA MONDO HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY! COMMENCING PUNISHMENT!]
Of course, much like Kuwata's execution, it was nothing short of brutal.
Being forced on a motorcycle driven by Monokuma with his own copy of your own hairstyle, only to abandonship last minute as you go round-and-round inside a Death Cage with an enormous laser inside said cage.
While Monokuma used a hulahoop for some reason, a bright green covered the entire field with it's light until it had shut down showing a more barren version of the execution area.
Then a food processor lit up, slowly but surely doing it's job until the finished product emerged from it's carriage.
Owada Butter...
Uh...
"O' Death, smile gently upon us. May your soul rest in peace."
Monokuma sat with a full-on pancake breakfast on his table, using Owada Butter as a condiment for his pancakes.
Ishimaru's cries were loud and nothing short of despairing.
Being constantly reminded how fragile their life truly is, especially inside these school walls.
"Well, I guess it ain't easy being so greasy."
Y/N joked causing Celeste to massage her forehead again.
"L/N kun, dear. Please. Not the right time."
"I'm more disturbed by the fact that you think there's a right time to joke about this."
"Touché"
And even after they had since moved from the courtroom and back into the Main Building, Ishimaru continued to cry.
Even up until he arrived in his dorm, his anguished wails continued to haunt everyone.
"Dear, accompany me back to my room?"
Celeste tugged on Y/N's sleeve, accompanying that request with a sweet smile.
Of course, Y/N agreed without any hesitation as Yamada Hifumi continued to seethe at this. He still doesn't have an answer as to what he had seen yesterday night when Y/N popped out of Celeste's room.
But this didn't matter to the two.
[~Later~]
Y/N waited inside the laundry room whilst humming, simply enjoying his alone time until that person enters said room.
There wasn't any agreed time of meeting, they both knew where to find each other, and Y/N made his way to the laundry room ever since he had walked back Celeste to her own room.
He has been waiting for almost an hour now, but he didn't mind much.
Multiple footsteps were heard, each step was methodical that it's impossible to mistake it for anyone else's, and with the opening of the doorknob, he came to greet the person entering.
"Good evening, Kirigiri chan~"
The girl merely stared at Y/N before fully entering the room.
"I knocked at your door earlier and nobody answered. I assume you've been here the whole time?"
She asked the broker.
"Aww, you came looking for me? That's sweet~"
"Don't dodge the question."
"Fine, fine. No need to get all worked up."
Y/N patted the seat next to him as Kirigiri accepted the invitation.
"Yeah, I was here the whole time. I mean, my unrivaled waiting skills have been coming handy recently because of our meetings. So why not use them?"
Of course he'd do something like this.
There's not a doubt in Kirigiri's mind that Y/N would wait around ridiculous amounts of time just to surprise her. She doesn't even see the merit in it, so she fails to understand why, but she guesses that he's just weird like that.
The lavender-haired girl sighed before speaking.
"It's happened again, huh?"
"Yup."
"That means... The 3rd floor..."
"Ah, we leveled up again! I wonder how many we have to kill to get a McDonald's here..."
This joke was met with a stare from Kirigiri, prompting Y/N to raise both of his hands in defense.
"Whoops. Too soon?"
Kirigiri turned quiet, and Y/N knew he probably made her a little mad due to his joke, which he didn't really feel guilty about, but he also didn't want Kirigiri mad at him, so priorities... priorities...
"Say, have you ever thought what would've happened if a murder between Maizono chan and Kuwata chan didn't occur?"
This caught the girl's attention.
"We could be having the time of our lives right now, acting buddy-buddy as classmates, maybe even watch a romance bloom! But..."
Then Y/N turned to Kirigiri with squinted eyes.
"What if the motives had gotten more dangerous the more we didn't try to kill someone? For example... Those loved ones shown in the video be put in an all-out battle royale, or something..."
He made sense, considering the amount of absurdities they've gone through... Something like that isn't impossible anymore.
"Do... you consider a good thing that Maizono had committed the first murder...?"
Kirigiri asked the boy.
"No. I'm just thinking that there'd probably been an insurance in case nothing happened... Something like a traitor, perhaps."
"You're proposing that... someone here is working together with Monokuma...?"
"I'm not entirely sure, but it's a nugget of thought to think about. There's alot of ways that the first killing would've occurred, the Mastermind can kill someone themselves and pin it on someone, granted another murder plan has to be in place for that to actually happen and said plan would fail. Or y'know... Traitor."
"I see what you're saying, but is there any point in thinking about it...?"
"Not really, I just don't have anything to talk about right now."
"I'll keep that in mind."
The possibility of a traitor did cross Kirigiri's mind at some point, but they were all subjected to the same treatment, so she abandoned the thought entirely, but because of Y/N's theory of an insurance in case an incentive didn't work, then...
It's possible.
"In any case, I think we should prepare to when we advance to the 3rd Floor tomorrow, there'd probably be alot to investigate on that floor."
"I assume you'll be waking up early again?"
"Ah-haha~ there's no hiding from you, is there?"
"That's because it's only you, who do this type of thing."
"But doesn't that make me stand out in your eyes...?"
Y/N stared deep into Kirigiri's lavender orbs.
She responded by looking away, closing her eyes, and then sighing.
"You've been able to actually help in the trials today."
She commended, changing the subject.
"Hmm? Help? I was entirely clueless, y'know?"
Y/N sneakily pointed at the cameras and glanced at the PA Systems as he said this.
Kirigiri acknowledged this and played along.
"No, your help within the investigations made the trial go along smoothly."
"You say that, but you're the one who baited Owada chan like a boss. You really are a force to be reckoned with, Kirigiri chan. I wouldn't be surprised if special exceptions were made for you in this school."
While this was meant to be taken as a compliment, Kirigiri felt as if there are hidden meanings behind his words, but knowing him... He always did love to make throwaway comments that would normally disturb someone, and seeing as she had falsely accused him of being the mastermind earlier, she went against her own judgement and let it go.
"How much following around can we really do until something changes...?"
Y/N smiled at her before whispering something.
"We just need to do something to throw them off their momentum. It's either we do something that'd throw them off or... they actively try to do something that'd break the normal procedures, say... attempting to kill someone."
"Isn't that breaking their own rules?"
"Expecting someone as competitive as Monokuma or the mastermind to follow the rules when they're backed into a corner... I don't think they'd follow. Breaking the rules and you having nothing you can do about it, sounds pretty much in character for them."
"I see... Then we really just need to wait for that moment."
"Mhm! Until then... Let's do our best to stay alive, okay? Maybe once we're out we can go for coffee again."
Y/N's face was closer to her than usual as he had just finished whispering something to her.
Of course, it's always been her plan to stay alive to begin with, but it doesn't hurt being encouraged to do so.
"Same to you. Dying while telling someone not to die would be mortifying."
"Don't worry, I won't."
Y/N playfully stuck his tongue out at Kirigiri as the girl finally stood from her seat and dusted herself off.
The Information Broker followed her when she made her exit and accompanied her to her room.
And before she entered, Y/N called out to her.
"Goodnight, Kirigiri chan~"
Much like last time, Kirigiri only spared him a glance to acknowledge what he said before entering her room and locking the door.
Y/N merely laughed at this.
"One of these days I'll definitely get you to say it back."
[???]
"I have to say, things are moving at a nice pace. Yes, things are moving at a great pace! We owe so much to the girl who triggered the first murder before any stalement could occur. But the unfortunate thing is, it took away your chance at the spotlight, even though I worked so hard to sneak you in with them."
"What? You have a question for me? I'll tell you anything other than my 3 sizes."
"Eh? Who's the 16th high schooler if L/N Y/N isn't allowed to participate? I can't tell you that!"
"But you know, speaking of L/N Y/N. Don't you think he's becoming more dangerous?"
"How so? Well, he already knows everyone's secrets even before any murder could occur. And he'll continue to find things out until he knows too much! That's dangerous, beary dangerous!"
"Don't you think a problem should be nipped in the bud? Upupupupu!!!"
REMAINING STUDENTS: 11 LEFT
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TIME FOR CHAPTER 3!!
I'm probably gonna cry while writing it, since I'm very emotional.
When I accidentally uploaded this chapter it was at 1400 words, now this actual upload is clocked at 7093 words.
Also, is anyone interested in love hotel scenarios~?
-Mod Ibuki