Ultimate!M!Reader x Danganronpa

Chapter 14

[3rd Person POV]

During their descent, the remaining students shared a moment of silence before the trial that may once again decide their fate began.

No words were said, and no ideas were exchanged, it had been far too late for that as the time for investigations is over.

Y/N spared no words, not even a glance. He stood from way at the back and simply looked to the side quietly.

Naegi couldn't help but worry since he had never acted this way before, but first, they need to get past this Class Trial.

A double murder, Yamada Hifumi and Ishimaru Kiyotaka. Whoever had done this did a great job creating a shroud of mystery within this case.

Nothing more can be said as the carriage's doors slowly opened to reveal the courtroom, then the students took to their podiums and had officially begun their Class Trial.

[CLASS TRIALS: IN SESSION!]

"Okie-dokie, so the first agenda is..."
Monokuma started before being interrupted by the Ultimate Swimmer.

"We know who the culprit is already!"

"Ohohohoho?"

"He has no alibi for the murders or disappearing bodies and, most damningly, was found in thay costume..."
Celeste added.

"No matter how you look at it... You're the culprit, Hagakure Yasuhiro!"
Asahina pointed an accusing finger at the clairvoyant.

Y/N glanced at the evidences carried by multiple people in the classroom, while Hagakure vehemently refused the actively partaking in the murder.

He began to slowly piece things together himself since it was only now, was he actually able to see the many evidence they held.

The broker has an inkling of an idea how the murder plan probably started.

"I'm sorry, Hagakure kun... We even have evidence."

The gambler presented the blueprints for the costume that the clairvoyant was supposedly using to commit the crimes.

"The blueprints for that costume. And... The numerous parts likely used to construct it. All of this was found in your room. This is unequivocal proof... that you built the costume, dressed yourself in it, and proceeded to commit a long string of crimes..."

"I-I'm telling you, I... I..."
Hagakure tried his best to deny it, but with evidence against him, he can only do so much.

Because of that, he broke into a fit, repeatedly denying that he knew anything, regardless whether or not it made him even more pathetic than he already is.

Of course, in order to truly find out what happened, they had to get to the bottom of the actual case itself.

Y/N knew that there's more to it, but he merely kept quiet and listened to the debate happen... whilst feeling time count down slowly...

"Your room gave us everything we need... These blueprints, these raw materials... They all point to you being the culprit."
Celeste started the debate.

"I-I know nothing! It's all a trap! A conspiracy!"
Hagakure denied

"Why'd you kill them... Hagakure?!"
Asahina gritted her teeth at the clairvoyant.

"Just hold on a second, please!"

"Did... Hagakure kun really draw those blueprints?"
Naegi suddenly interrupted his own silence.

"What are you trying to say?"
Celeste asked the Lucky Student.

"Take a look at this... This is the note Hagakure used to gather everyone together after Alter Ego went missing..."

While Naegi showed them his evidence, Y/N clicked his tongue, of course this wasn't enough to catch everyone's attention, but Naegi noticed it.

But he ignored it and continued to present his evidence and reasoning.

"Compared to these blueprints... The handwriting is clearly different, see?"

"He's right. They don't appear to be written by the same person..."
Kirigiri agreed

"He could have simply changed his handwriting."
Celeste proposed, but was refuted by Ogami.

"No, the difference is too great to have been only a change in handwriting..."

"A-Anyway... I'm not talented enough to do something like change my handwriting at will!"
Hagakure pointed out.

"Then are you saying Hagakure's not the culprit, Naegi?",
Asahina went to check with the Luckster, but Togami answered instead.

"It's not just Naegi. I don't think he is, either..."

"But then, who was Justice Robo, really!? Are you saying Hagakure's right, and someone else wore a costume just like it!?"

"The identity of the madman? Oi, Naegi. Answer her."

The heir pushed the question to Naegi, causing him to sweat-drop.

"Come on, Naegi! Answer me! What's Justice Robo's real identity?"

The broker merely glanced at the swimmer, he's already figured out at this point that the person inside the Justice Robo suit was merely a scapegoat, and that's all the importance he's got.

Since the costume perfectly fit Hagakure, it only meant that the murder plan had always intended to put the blame on him.

Thankfully, Togami pointed out that despite Hagakure being inside the costume, he wasn't necessarily the culprit.

Some people really do have a knack at being dumb, even if they don't put the effort in it.

But this is a good thing... Isn't it? The clock's slowly ticking...

Just for a little longer...

"Do you have any evidence to suggest the madman is not the culprit?"
This came from Celeste, who had a hand over her mouth.

"Of course I do. But first things first... There's something that must be made perfectly clear. So let's talk about that first."
Togami answered the gambler, causing the swimmer to react.

"Hey! Cut the theatrics and spit it out!"

"Everything has an order in which it must be done."

"So, what is this matter you must make clear before we proceed?"
Ogami questioned the heir.

"The method by which Ishimaru's corpse was moved. It seems certain things were used when his corpse was moved... Can you tell me what those were, Naegi?"

While he made Naegi answer, Y/N quietly listened as always. He's never stuck around the 3rd floor long enough save for the recreation room where he spent a certain amount of time with Celeste.

But he does remember there being a trolley, and also since Ishimaru's corpse only moved within the 3rd floor, from the Physics prep room to the Art storage room, it's safe to say that Ishimaru was moved using this.

"A trolley and a vinyl sheet... right?"

Y/N hadn't looked at the final crime scene for both, so he wasn't aware of a vinyl sheet, but he understands where it'd probably be used for. To cover blood tracks.

Togami clicked his tongue for some reason.

"U-Umm... Let me explain... After Ishimaru kun's corpse vanished from the Physics prep room, when we rediscovered it in the art storage room... it was wrapped in a vinyl sheet, right? That same vinyl sheet had been in the physics lab."

"When the culprit moved Ishimaru kun's corpse from the physics prep room, in order to not leave a trail of blood behind... they used one of the vinyl sheets there in the room."

Naegi finished his explanation, it makes sense to think so. This attempt at obfuscating the crime scene was definitely better than Togami's attempt at one.

He also added that there was a trolley from within the physics prep room, but when Ishimaru's corpse was moved, the trolley disappeared with it. And then, when they found both Ishimaru and Yamada's corpse together again, the trolley was in the art storage room.

"In other words, you're trying to say the corpse was moved using the trolley? Are you sure you're not misremembering?"
Celeste confronted Naegi.

"Huh?"

"Was the trolley actually in the physics lab when Ishimaru kun's corpse was discovered there? That trolley is there to carry sculptures and the like in the art room, is it not? For it to have even been in the physics prep room in the first place is unusual. Are you not just mistakenly assuming it to have been moved when it was in the storage room the whole time?"

"There you have it, Naegi... So, how will you respond?"
Togami stared the Lucky Student down, wanting to hear his response.

"Don't worry about it, Naegi kun. Nobody's expecting anything from it's you, anyway. It's common knowledge that you misunderstand everything you come across."
The gambler coldly insulted the luckster with that smile on her face.

As Y/N continued to watch the ongoing debate, he fully believes Naegi's reasoning, but as always, since Y/N didn't do any investigation, he doesn't have any evidence to prove it. But he does find Naegi's reasoning believable.

He just needs to layout the needed evidence.

After a heated argument inside of Naegi's head, where the person he's talking to keeps quacking at him and repeating their words before shooting them with sentences, he countered Celeste's argument.

"There is, in fact, evidence that shows the trolley was moved. When I saw the trolley in the art storage room, there was blood on the tires... The puddle of blood on the floor in the physics lab had tracks that matched those tires. When the culprit moved the body from the lab, he must have accidentally rolled it through the blood... and, with blood still on the tires, they moved it to the storage room. There's your evidence that the trolley was used to move Ishimaru kun's body!"

"Tch!"
The gambler clicked her tongue, just like what Togami did earlier, causing Naegi to worry if he's somehow rubbing people the wrong way.

Y/N glanced at the corner of the room, so both bodies were moved.

He wasn't able to check Yamada's body earlier before he disappeared because he was more worried about Celeste, then he just followed what she wanted him to do to make her feel better. Y/N considered the possibility of Yamada up and moving on his own, then went up to murder Ishimaru himself, but if both are dead then 2 possibilities would be branched.

Either both were killed by the same person or either Yamada or Ishimaru murdered one another before whoever was alive got decked on.

The broker squinted his eyes at the latter.

"If Justice Robo isn't the culprit, then which Robo was it!?"
Asahina suddenly yelled, breaking Y/N out of his own trance.

"Asahina, I think it best you do not concern yourself with Robos..."
Ogami crossed her arms.

"Then I'll spell it out for you, as to why the madman isn't the culprit!"
Togami exclaimed.

Y/N focused his attention elsewhere, they're still fighting as to why the culprit could not become the madman.

Taking just a single look at the blueprints they literally presented, the broker could easily tell why Hagakure can't commit the murder. The costume's design is similar to a trap, not much movement can be made, and there's a fastener as well. You can't see, hear, or do anything... It's a miniature prison.

The Ultimate Clairvoyant wouldn't even be able to do anything wearing that.

Having already solved this, Y/N just opted to watch the rest slowly realize the painfully obvious reason as to why Hagakure Yasuhiro could not possibly be the culprit. Sure, he's a dumb nugget, but that's about it.

"No, hold on a minute, please. Have you all forgotten about the photograph I took?"
Celeste showed her evidence via the camera.

"You've all seen it, as I recall. The photograph of Yamada being dragged away by the madman... If the madman is not the culprit, then what is it I witnessed? Further, we have testimony from Yamada himself, one of the victims... As long as we have these facts, we can only draw one logical conclusion."

'So Yamada had gotten struck already before his death and disappearance...?'

Y/N's mind raced again, piecing together what had potentially happened... But as expected, some parts of the story is still missing, everyone but Hagakure had alibis during his death, so it couldn't have been possible. Unless...

"The culprit is Hagakure kun, without a shadow of a doubt."

"Yeah! Yeah, she's right!"

Suspicion returned to Hagakure once again, causing him to tremble in fear, but as is consistent in Class Trials... he was saved by Kirigiri Kyoko.

"It's still too early to draw a conclusion."

When she spoke, both her and Y/N made eye contact with each other, but Y/N looked away from her.

So she acknowledges that she's basically on her own during this trial.

"Besides, we don't have to cast our votes right this second... Before that, wouldn't it be to our benefit to at least discuss some other possibilities? It's easier to see the truth when you look at things from multiple angles and don't bind yourself to one."

"Then, what do you propose we do?"
Ogami asked the lavender-haired girl.

"Let's try going back over the sequence of events from the start. In doing so, we may uncover something new."
She proposed.

"Bahah! What a pain!"
Syo cackled

"Our lives are on the line. A little bit of inconvenience is unavoidable..."
Ogami agreed with Kirigiri

"Plus, we can use this opportunity to explain things for Kirigiri chan, since she wasn't there when it happened!"
Asahina also agreed

"Very well. Then let us go back to the beginning. It started during the morning. This morning, it was only Asahina, Kirigiri, Naegi, L/N, and I who were present at the cafeteria."
Ogami began to retell the entire event

Celeste spared the Information Broker a look, he was further away from her. Directly behind Leon's portrait, when before he doesn't even know what personal space is. She sighed because of this and looked away, if she continued to look at him then...

......

"For as long as we waited, no one else came, thus we decided to search for the other students. That was around 8:00AM."
The Martial Artist concluded, causing Asahina to add something

"Immediately after splitting up, both Kirigiri chan and L/N went missing..."

With a nod, Ogami continued.

"Finding Celes in the 3rd floor recreation, Asahina quickly reconvened with Naegi and I."

"I had been attacked by a madmad and lost consciousness for around an hour. Which means that I was attacked about an hour before you found me... Just after 7:00AM."
Celeste added to Ogami's story.

She nodded in acknowledgement of Celeste's story before continuing.

"At the time, we learned--from Celeste's photo--the madman was dressed in an unusual costume. Justice Robo... Additionally, we discovered Yamada had been dragged off by the very same Justice Robo... We began our search for the madman, met with Fukawa and Togami, then found Yamada injured in the library."

"After escorting Yamada to the infirmary on the first floor, we resumed our search. Then, just after we left the infirmary..."
Ogami trailed off before Naegi finished what she was trying to say.

"Based on Celeste san's sighting, we all went to the 2nd floor and split up to look for the madman. And not long after that..."

"I saw the madman on the 3rd floor and immediately shouted to inform everyone. It was also at that time L/N kun came running to my rescue."
Celeste added to Naegi's story before he continued.

"And yet again, just moments after that... We heard Yamada kun scream from the first floor, so we split into two groups. Celeste san, Asahina san, L/N kun, and I returned to the infirmary... And Ogami san, Togami kun, and Fukawa san went after the madman on the 3rd floor. There, in the Infirmary, we discovered Yamada's dead body... and, at that time... we heard the Body Discovery Announcement. I left Celeste and Asahina san behind with L/N kun following behind me and returned to the 3rd floor to report the bad news."
After Naegi stopped, Ogami took to telling what happened again at her side.

"However, at the same time... we had just found Ishimaru's corpse in the prep room. Yamada and Ishimaru's corpses were likely discovered at nearly the same time... I, too, heard the Body Discovery Announcement immediately after we found Ishimaru's body."

The moment Ogami said this, Y/N's eyes widened... He made a mistake...

"I informed Togami kun and Ogami san about Yamada kun and the three of us headed for the Infirmary together. But just after we left the Physics Lab, we heard surprising news from Celeste san who had come upstairs after me. We hurried back to the Infirmary, and Yamada kun's body was gone..."
Naegi trailed off.

"After that, remembering we had forgotten Fukawa, we all returned to the prep room... This time, it was Ishimaru's corpse that had disappeared... We quickly set out to search for the two missing bodies. And then, after some searching..."

Togami interrupted the Martial Artist's retelling.

"...Hearing Celeste had found the corpses, we all headed for the art storage room... And there, we "rediscovered" the two missing bodies..."

"And that's everything that happened."
Naegi officially concluded.

"I see. It seems this incident is fairly convoluted. I don't think we'll shed much light by examining this as a connected series of incidents..."
Kirigiri responded.

"Then... what should we do?"

Of course, they all need Kirigiri to hold their hand and guide them during the trials.

Without her, who knows how long they would've lasted.

"Rather than as a series of incidents, try thinking of them as individual incidents. From there, you'll be able to see the contradictions in these incidents. Let's begin right away. First, let's start with Ishimaru kun..."

Kirigiri then posed a question.

"Was Ishimaru kun killed... before Yamada kun? Or was it after?"

"We know what order they were killed in! Ishimaru was killed later!"
Asahina answered

"Why do you think that?"
Asked Ogami.

"The numbers on the Justice Hammers!"

"Yamada was killed with Hammer #3, and Ishimaru was killed with #4..."
Togami pointed out.

"See!? Ishimaru was obviously killed later!"

Just this stupid point to make was enough for Y/N to immedtiately figure out what order the two were killed in.

And since Kirigiri proposed such a question, Y/N felt inclined to believe that she probably found something that would point to Ishimaru being the first victim.

Ishimaru was definitely killed first, so his suspicion on who killed him became Yamada and the person who killed Yamada.

He knows it doesn't matter in the end, but he would prefer to at least know what really happened.

"No, it's not necessarily the case that they were killed in the same order as the hammers were numbered! In fact, wouldn't it make sense if that was all just a diversion by the culprit?"
Naegi countered Asahina's point.

"If the numbers on the Justice Hammers were a diversion by the culprit... then, in reality, Ishimaru was killed first, and Yamada was killed after that? If that's the case, could you present some evidence?"
Togami looked down on Naegi.

Y/N continued to watch the debate whilst Naegi played Hangman's Gambit for a moment.

"That's right! Ishimaru kun's wristwatch! Look at this--it's just broken. And the hands were pointing to just after six when it happened."
Naegi gave Togami the evidence he wanted.

"It was likely broken when he was attacked by the culprit. After all, when we saw him last night... Given his watch wasn't broken last night, there's no mistaking he was attacked at six this morning."
Kirigiri deduced.

"But if he was killed six this morning, it happened much before Yamada was murdered..."
Ogami realized this before Naegi added to her point.

"And even before Celeste san was first attacked, a little after seven..."

"Yes. Ishimaru kun's murder happened before any of the other incidents."

Kirigiri Kyoko had just saved them once again by making them realize their wrong assumption.

Who the heck even follows trails that were purposefully left behind by the culprit anyway? The moment they decided to follow the exact numbers provided was what almost led them to certain death.

Even Togami felt the gravity of this dumb take.

"Furthermore, if we assume Ishimaru kun was murdered just after six, then nobody has an alibi for his murder. Reason being, he was murdered before we met up in the cafeteria..."
Kirigiri pointed out, causing Ogami to nod in understanding.

"Indeed, that is the case for Ishimaru's murder... but, everyone has an alibi for the time Yamada was murdered."
The Martial Artist also pointed out.

"Ah, yeah... When Yamada was killed... When we heard Yamada's scream from the infirmary, everyone but Hagakure and Kirigiri chan were together... After that, we rushed down to the infirmary and saw Yamada's corpse..."
Asahina told her account.

"I got it! The culprit recorded the scream with a tape recorder and played it back later, dude!"
Hagakure uh... tried his best...?

"And where's this tape recorder?"

"Beats me."

"Don't just spew anything that comes to mind!"

"In any event, when we heard Yamada scream, we all clearly had alibis... Which means nobody was there with us could have killed Yamada."
Ogami explained.

"And not just Yamada kun's murder, either. The subsequent disappearance of the corpse is the same. When Yamada kun's corpse disappeared from the infirmary... Asahina san and I were together in the restroom and everyone else was in the physics prep room, yes? And it was the same when Ishimaru kun's corpse disappeared from the prep room... At that time, we were all gathered in the infirmary because of Yamada kun's corpse."
Celeste added, while Genocider Syo explained she was asleep the entire time.

This pretty confirms what had happened to Y/N.

The moment everyone left Yamada... that was it...

That moment repeated again and again in Y/N's head, it was like living in some sort of limbo... That moment... That mistake...

"Then couldn't Genocider have moved Ishicchi's corpse!?"

"Even if she could have relocated Ishimaru's corpse, she couldn't have moved Yamada's from the Infirmary. When Yamada's corpse went missing, she was still unconscious in the prep room."
Togami explained

"'course I didn't do either of 'em anyway!"
Syo cackled again.

"In short, none of us are capable of having committed Yamada's murder or relocating the corpses. Looking at it another way, only Hagakure kun or Kirigiri san--who were unaccounted for-- could have done it..."
Celeste summed it up

"What now, Kirigiri san...?"
Naegi asked the girl weakly.

"This conversation's just going in circles trying to decide “who dunnit”... so, rather than who did it, how about we try thinking about how they did it? I believe the method by which Yamada kun's corpse was moved is of particular importance..."
Kirigiri proposed again as a counter to Celeste's accusation.

Y/N knew perfectly well, that try as they might... They won't win against Kirigiri in a fair debate. In fact, Y/N believes she's probably almost done solving the case herself.

And Naegi seemed to agree with her, since he also couldn't understand how his body was moved.

Apparently Celeste also gave her case to Naegi that Yamada had only been out of sight for a full minute.

Just. A. Minute.

The more they look into it, the heavier it became for Y/N, that nagging and gnawing reminder at the back of his mind, constantly making sure that he's aware of his mistake.

Naegi tried his best to rationalize how Yamada could be moved in the span of a single minute, but failed to do so. As expected, Kirigiri had to come in and save them again.

"And what if I said there was a way to make that impossible feat possible?"

"What!? How?"

"Have the corpse move itself."

"Eh!?"

"Y-You mean the corpse could move on it's own!?"

With that statement, Y/N's mind went blank, at this point he has the whole story pieced together in his mind.

From the start he had already known... but he found out too late, it was already over. He just didn't know what exactly happened, but when Kirigiri revealed one of his suspicions to be true, then...

.....
........
...........

He was pretending to be dead, both Kirigiri and Togami already acknowledged and have agreed upon it happening.

Y/N turned his head slightly to look at Celeste, there was currently a debate going on, but he couldn't hear it anymore.

He doesn't need to hear anymore of it... He doesn't want to...

"Was that Body Discovery Announcement actually triggered by the discovery of Yamada kun's corpse?"

"Of course it was. We heard the announcement immediately after finding Yamada kun's corpse."
Celeste responded to Naegi's question.

"But the people who found Ishimaru kun's corpse experienced the same thing..."

"He's exactly right. We heard thay announcement immediately upon discovering Ishimaru's corpse."
Togami supported Naegi's claims.

"What I'm saying... aren't we confusing... Ishimaru kun's Body Discovery Announcement for Yamada kun's Body Discovery Announcement?"

"Had two corpses been discovered, there should have been two announcements."
Togami added again to support Naegi's claim

"I imagine Monokuma was just being lazy and combined them both into a single announcement..."
Celeste stated, which prompted Togami to respond by asking the bear itself.

"What do you say about that?"

"I don't wanna step on anyone's toes, so I can't go into much detail...  but I'll tell ya this... A Body Discovery Announcement only occurs when three or more humans first discover a dead body!"
Monokuma gave a vague answer, but that would seem to be enough for the heir.

"He said it only happens when we first discover a dead body... Which means, no matter how many times we “discover” the same body, multiple announcements won't be made. That being so, what triggered the Body Discovery Announcement?"

"Huh? Which one?"
Syo happily splayed her hands

"Over the course of this day, we heard the Body Discovery Announcement made twice... The second one was made when we rediscovered the bodies in the storage room. At the time, I didn't pay the announcement much mind, but that contradicts what Monokuma told us?"
Naegi answered

"If they're only made “the first time” a body is found, we wouldn't have heard one when we rediscovered them."
Togami finally concluded.

"So that's it! What we'd thought was us “rediscovering” the corpses was, in reality... discovering one of them for the first time!"
The Luckster summarized.

"Put simply, when Yamada was first found in the infirmary, he was not yet dead... and we “discovered” his corpse, in the true sense of the word, in the art storage room."
Ogami also summarized for herself.

"That's not all. There's more evidence to suggest that Yamada kun was still alive in the Infirmary..."

"Evidence? Hmmm... I know. HE WAS SIMPLY GOOD AT PLAYING DEAD!"
Syo laughed like the madwoman she is.

"That can hardly be called evidence.... As I expected, there exists no evidence that he was actually alive."
Celeste responded to the Serial Killer.

"In that case, let's go back over--once more--the condition Yamada kun's body was in. I'm certain it'll all be clear to you then--whether he was alive or dead..."
Kirigiri proposed.

"I doubt anything will come of it..."
Celeste tried to discourage her.

"We first discovered Yamada's corpse in the infirmary. But while Celeste chan and I were in the restroom... his body suddenly disappeared."
Asahina opened the conversation first

"And it was next discovered in the art storage room."
Togami added.

"Before he was moved, and after he was moved, aside from orientation nothing changed about his body."
Celeste pointed out, causing Y/N to furrow his eyebrows.

Pointing that out only made things worse.

Naegi refuted this claim, pointing out that Yamada's glasses were the difference between him playing dead and him actually dying.

His glasses were covered in blood when they first found him, but when they found him in the storage room again, his glasses were no longer drenched. Naegi also found a glasses cloth in the Infirmary's trash can.

To add to it, the cloth used to wipe the blood also has a similar design to the camera Yamada brought with him, it is also the one Celeste used to take a picture of the Justice Robo.

"But even so, that doesn't necessarily mean he did it himself."
Celeste twirled a lock of her hair, Naegi went and continued to prove otherwise.

"Think about it a second. What benefit is a clean pair of glasses except to the person wearing them?"

"You make... a fair point..."
Ogami crossed her arms, acknowledging Naegi.

"In which case, that means Yamada kun was still alive when he was found in the infirmary... and after using his own glasses cloth to wipe the blood from his own glasses... he left the room on his own two legs. The formerly impossible task of moving Yamada kun's corpse doesn't seem so implausible anymore, does it?"
There came Kirigiri's conclusion on Yamada's case.

"If he was just playing dead in the infirmary, then where did all that blood come from? Could it have been paint or something?"
Asahina questioned.

"The infirmary's refrigerator is stocked with blood for transfusions. In all likelihood, that's what he used."

As expected of the one constantly investigating anything available, Kirigiri was able to answer any underlying questions.

"I'm guessin' he went waaaay overboard splattering the blood everywhere when he was gettin' ready! And that's why he needed to clean his glasses! Oh, you're such a ditz, Hifumin~"
Syo laughed in amusement.

"Furthermore, if Yamada was alive at the time, we can also explain the disappearance of Ishimaru kun's corpse. It's obvious, now, who moved his corpse."
Kirigiri pointed, which led to Naegi answering her.

"Yamada kun did it, didn't he...?"

"So while we were all gathered in the Infirmary, he was moving Ishimaru from the physics prep room?"
said Togami

"If that's the case, we can also explain why the art storage room's door was locked..."

While they talked about Yamada transporting Ishimaru's corpse, Y/N had been having his own inner turmoil ever since the topic of Yamada being alive when they found him started.

Again and again... He was reminded of that one mistake, and because of that mistake, he was about to lose something... permanently.

He should've stayed, he should've checked on the body.

It'd only take another look from him to see if Yamada was actually dead at that time, but no... He was too concerned about Celeste's well-being that he failed to notice what was really going on

If only he had looked back, if only...

"By faking his death, Yamada kun was able to slip under the radar and bring Ishimaru kun to the storage room... Meaning, he wasn't simply a victim in this incident--but a perpetrator."
Kirigiri revealed.

The more they started to realize what really happened, the harder Y/N lamented on his mistake.

Just that one moment, if he had rechecked everything. He would've been able to put the blame on just Yamada and saved...

.....
........

Just this simple reveal from Kirigiri would not be able to make the others believe her, so she presented evidence.

"If it's that hard to believe, then I could show you another piece of evidence. The most conclusive evidence of Yamada kun's involvement has yet to make an appearance..."

"You're talking about the note Yamada kun has hidden on himself, right Kirigiri san?"
Naegi went to confirm, but he knows this is most likely the answer.

"Hidden... on himself?"
Asahina trailed off

"We found it hidden in his underwear when investigating his body..."
Said Naegi, getting reactions from Syo and Asahina

"Inside!?"

"His underwear!?"

"His underwear... I see..."
Ogami closed her eyes, acknowledging the absurdity.

"Putting this whole “underwear” thing aside... How about we take a look at what the note says?"

Naegi showed the note, it was indeed a notice to summon Ishimaru at the physics prep room at 6:00AM. Claiming that the writer had found a way out.

Hagakure came in and confirmed his said differently, to only come to the rec room at 1AM and how bad it'd be if Monokuma found out.

So their conclusion, In addition to Hagakure, one other person was called in by the culprit.

And the other person who received another notice was Ishimaru.

Genocider Syo objected to this and claimed since it was found in “Hifumin's” underwear, it has to be him instead of “Kiyo-tan.”

Kirigiri had to give everyone hints and clues just in order for them to get why it was actually Ishimaru who received the letter.

The letter mentioned 6:00AM, which is the time of Ishimaru's death which is shown on his broken watch. Also, he was killed in the physics prep room, also known as where the note specified to meet up on.

It would seem that Genocider Syo was convinced of this and just cackled while claiming she had no more objections.

Of course, Togami demanded evidence, something Naegi immediately gave.

"When Kirigiri san and I were investigating Ishimaru kun's body, we found a scrap of paper clenched in his hand. If my suspicions are correct, then the torn paper of this scrap of paper... Just as I thought! It matches the note Yamada kun had."

"Then the scrap of paper Ishimaru was holding on to and the note Yamada was hiding..."

"Exactly! They're both the same sheet of paper!"

"Ishimaru kun held a fragment of the note he'd supposedly received, while Yamada kun possessed the remainder... There's only one way to explain this situation..."
Kirigiri cupped her own chin as Ogami continued her conclusion.

"Ishimaru died with the note held tight in his hand. Yamada, attempting to rob him of it... mistakenly left the corner of the page in Ishimaru's grip... Is that what you're saying?"

"In which case, that means Yamada knew the note was an important piece of evidence..."
Togami summarized

"Yes. And that, in itself, is evidence of Yamada kun's involvement..."
Kirigiri finished her conclusion.

"I see, Yamadacchi was involved with the whole thing, then that means... Yamadacchi is still alive, right now, and he's the culprit, dude!"
Hagakure exclaimed..

Oh if only that were the case...

If only it were, then Y/N wouldn't have changed a shade.

But it wasn't... At some point before, maybe that was the case, but not now.

Having said that out loud caused Y/N to wish so hard that what Hagakure was saying were the case.

But it simply wasn't...

Naegi refuted this and reminded Hagakure that Yamada, once they found him in the art storage room, was definitely dead and accompanied by the Body Discovery Announcement only confirms it.

"Then... who killed Yamada!?"
Asahina asked the Lucky Student.

"The true culprit..."

"He was likely murdered where we found their bodies--in the art storage room--just after moving Ishimaru kun."

"Then, he was murdered in the span of time between Ishimaru's disappearance and when we found the bodies."

"At that time, we had all split up to search for the missing corpses. Which is to say, nobody has an alibi for Yamada's murder."

Kirigiri, Ogami, and Togami respectively, pointed out the possible time of Yamada's murder.

"But me and Sakura chan were together!"

"Have a little shame, would ya, you fatuous whale!"
Syo shouted at the swimmer

"Who ya calling a fat whale!?"

"Anywho, dudes. The time of death is important and all, but we have an even more important issue on our hands!"
Hagakure finally decided to use that single brain cell he had left.

"An even more important issue, you say...?"
Celeste questioned the clairvoyant.

"What kinda weapon was used to kill Yamadacchi?"

"Weapon?"

"I mean, look at this, the Monokuma File says... Ishimarucchi and Yamadacchi had their heads split open in a similar way, with similar weapons... But dude, Justice Hammers #3 and #4 were left in the infirmary and physics prep room, you know? If Yamadacchi was killed in the storage room, wouldn't that mean the culprit went back and got one of those hammers, offed Yamadacchi and returned the hammer to the room it came from? But isn't that a bit too risky?"

"Not there's a surprise. You've actually got something other than air in that skull of yours..."
Togami insulted Hagakure

So I guess using that brain cell is a bit of a stretch, considering if you did look around the room, there're several hammers used for arts and crafts.

"I'll have you know that it's packed to the brim, dude!"

"Hagakure is correct. That does, indeed, pose a problem... The Monokuma file says the two of them were killed with similar weapons... but Hammers #3 and #4 remained in the rooms they were originally found..."
Ogami posed this question.

"Then how do you propose the culprit went about carrying one of the hammers? I can't even imagine a possibility..."
Celeste asked.

It's as if the whole "order of hammers used" thing suddenly became irrelevant. They're still basing around the whole colored hammers being only weapon used in the murder.

Y/N hadn't even looked at the crime scene and he already knew what was used to whack Yamada and Ishimaru, considering Yamada was talented of a dork enough to create Justice Robo, painting or creating those hammers would not be too much of a problem to him, and since the culprit of Yamada's murder probably did not possess such skill in arts and crafts, and the weapons used in both Ishimaru and Yamada were similar, they probably just whacked him with a regular 'ol hammer.

The actual Justice Hammers themselves don't even look like they possess much lethal force, considering the size of it. The most it could do is induce bleeding or a  concussion... Except the 4th Hammer... The size of it was enough to kill someone.

"Isn't it possible something else was used as the murder weapon?"
Togami suggested

"There's no way it could've been anything else! They were killed with *similar* weapons!"
Hagakure corrected the heir.

Absolute dumb*ss.

"In which case, what was the weapon used to murder Yamada?"
Ogami questioned.

They were having another nonstop debate due to this, but Y/N was simply having a hard time listening anymore.

He felt sick, he wanted to vomit right then and there.

Someone's gonna get executed today, they're gonna get taken away... And they're never coming back...

All because he didn't look back that one time...

It was repeating in his head again and again.

If he would've only rechecked, Yamada would be standing there right now, being blatantly obvious that he did in Ishimaru. Instead, he got killed too.

Or not... Y/N disappeared when Yamada's corpse also disappeared...

That was when...

......

He could've stopped him... He could've still stopped him...

That single moment of Yamada playing dead wasn't the only opportunity he had to stop the plan completely.

He got too emotional and retreated somewhere else.

'It's my fault... It's my fault...'

The heavy feeling within his chest got all the more heavier as the class continued to have their discussion about another murder weapon, and slowly piecing together things that had already happened.

"Just hold on a minute. We already discussed this. An accomplice has nothing to gain given the rules set concerning graduation from the academy."
Y/N got broken out of his trance by Celeste refuting Asahina

He was able to catch on everything she was saying and immediately began to grit his teeth.

That's exactly why this case is so complicated. Nobody expects an accomplice in a scenario where accomplices cannot share the advantages the true blackened has.

"In other words, it's not possible there was an accomplice, and you should perish the thought."

She's right. She's really right... but even if Yamada were to gain nothing from being an accomplice... Doesn't necessarily mean the real culprit is exempt from the rules.

'Just what am I even talking about anymore...'
Y/N thought to himself, his mind is slowly becoming a mess.

The dreaded time is drawing closer and closer with each tick of the clock.

The class continued their debate, this time the topic is if accomplices are even possible in the first place.

Celeste was taking lead of the conversation, her voice seemed to echo inside Y/N's ears. That same voice continuing to shake his entire core.

Naegi was able to refute her claims, with Kirigiri supporting him.

"Naturally, having an accomplice is only out of the question in the case of there being a single crime. One murder can save only one person--by adding another, you throw the scales off balance..."
The lavender-haired girl deduced.

"Throw the scales off balance?"

"It's a matter of risk versus reward... In other words, the renumeration must be enough to offset the danger. There's no point in co-conspiring a murder if you, too, won't be saved. On the other hand, if you balance the scales, it's not impossible to form a mutually beneficial partnership."

"Two culprits, committing two separate murders assisting each other in their own respective crimes."
Togami understood Kirigiri's claims before the girl continued with her point.

"The true culprit proposed this plan to Yamada kun in order to gain his cooperation in their crime... Most likely, Yamada kun was the one who killed Ishimaru kun. By committing his murder, Yamada kun lost his escape route and was forced to help the culprit commit theirs."

Y/N squinted his eyes. Kirigiri is right. He was thinking this was how it would likely go down.

Considering how Ishimaru and Yamada fought over Alter Ego so passionately, it was bound to get one of them killed, and this became quite the playing card for the real culprit.

Naegi summarized it already.

"In short, what happened today wasn't a serial murder at the hands of a single culprit... but two separate murders by two separate culprits. And the fact that it was made to look like a serial murder was all misdirection by the culprit... The disguised madman; the serial murder weapons; the bodies' disappearance... By giving them these commonalities, the culprit made it seem as though only one crime had taken place!"

"The culprit proposed the plan, secured their accomplice's cooperation... and in the end, eliminated the biggest obstacle to his own success by murdering that accomplice. Which means betraying Yamada was part of the plan from the get-go."
Togami added to Naegi's summarization.

The plan was both despicable and terrifying. Such a complicated plan only achieved through thorough manipulation and psychological warfare.

Y/N knows someone who excels in both, someone who had used these even before becoming an Ultimate due to the nature of their livelihood.

Togami said it best, it was a fairly solid plan, only the choice of accomplice was questionable, but considering that accomplice's standing during the plan, there was never a more perfect person to coerce into a murder plan.

Kirigiri knew this from the very beginning, and that's why she was steadily leading the class when they're being backed into a corner. She's outstandingly scary, makes you wonder how well a culprit she would've made if she did become one.

Y/N dreaded that idea... But he has faith that she won't stoop so low.

Now the true culprit...

A person excelling in manipulation, with both the brains and the skills to commit it. A person who had lived their life gambling said life everyday.

Yes there's only one person who'd be able to do it.

"Celeste san..."
Naegi accused the gambler.

"Ara~? Have I done something suspicious? Ehehe... You wound me. But enough with the jokes..."
The gambler bit back.

Y/N's heart sank. He knew, he already knew. But being made to hear it loudly...

His breathing became a little ragged. It's that part of the trial now.

Only a few more before she's convicted.

The story so far made sense, and she's been the most suspicious.

The only one to see the madman, the only one to constantly push for Hagakure's guilt, the only one to constantly shoot down any attempts otherwise...

Celestia Ludenburg is the culprit.

But... If Y/N had stayed with her then... If he had looked over Yamada's body then, if he didn't up and disappear when Yamada did then... If he didn't assume the deed was already done and stayed by Celeste's side then...

If he had done everything carefully then...

His talent as the Ultimate Information Broker meant carefully looking through everything and having every information accurate.

But he wasn't able to do it at all here.

When it came to Celeste, Y/N became narrow-minded. He only had her as his objective, and he needed to see if she was alright. He didn't bother with anything else at all.

Then at some point he heard something that basically confirmed Celeste's involvement with the whole thing.

He assumed she's already done something since Ishimaru was already dead by then, he didn't consider Yamada... One check was just what he needed and maybe he'd be the one voting Yamada off right now.

The broker's thoughts spiralled out of control as he felt so complicated.

Celeste betrayed him, but he also wasn't able to save her from this... Doesn't that cancel it out?

He feels betrayed, but it doesn't hurt as much as the regret he's feeling right now.

Careless careless...

Her greed and his carelessness would lead to them never seeing each other again... Ironic, isn't it? Both of their defining traits led to this.

But as said before, Fate is never kind.

"Not a chance in hell, you sh*t-for-brains! Who in their right mind would work with that gutless coward!?"
Celeste shouted at the Lucky Student.

"Eheh, excuse me."

"I'll have you know, we do have evidence."
Togami informed the gambler.

"Evidence?"

"Yes. The two of you--and only you--did something in particular over the course of the incident... and that's the evidence that the two of you were working together!"

They're only talking about what Y/N had already concluded, Togami even got angry at Naegi for helping.

But it's just as he says, Yamada and Celeste were the only ones to see the madman, something Y/N has already concluded earlier, but it was just Celeste for him as he never saw Yamada when he was still "alive."

So it was all a lie.

Then the topic of Celeste shouting on the third floor began.

Togami probably commented that the cry was rather exaggerated coming from her, but Y/N didn't know this before.

His only concern at the time, was making sure she was alright.

So even at that time too?

Of course...

She was also the one suggesting they split up...

Togami was basically able to figure out that Celeste and Yamada became cogs in the machine, and every bit of coincidence was already planned.

Y/N knew this already, but for some reason, he failed to realize it... Why? Deep down he knew...

He cared too much...

"And as an aside, that overblown shout of yours... That also served as a signal for Yamada, did it not? A signal saying, “I've arrived at the third floor, just as planned. Start screaming.” That's why you shouted so loudly it could be heard throughout the enire school, is it not?"

'So it was never meant for me...'
Y/N thought to himself.

Celeste would always have an aura of prestige to her, never doing anything as even slightly uncouth, but her scream.

That scream haunted Y/N the moment he heard it, and he knew he had to act, but even then he felt as if something was off...

Considering the situation, he had no time to process it properly and he simply needed to check if Celeste was alright.

He even left Kirigiri to a potential attack because of that...

"Then we found Yamada kun dead in the infirmary, what you said then was also suspicious..."
Naegi began

"You were the first one to say that Yamada kun was killed, right Celeste san? By saying that, you made us believe that Yamada kun was actually dead."
The luckster concluded.

"N-No way... I can't believe it, Celeste chan was acting the entire time!?"

"When Yamada kun's body disappeared, you and Celeste san were together, weren't you, Asahina san?"

"Yeah... I wasn't feeling very good, so after she talked with L/N about her being alright, Celeste chan helped me to the restroom... Ah! Then, that was--"

"She wasn't trying to help you, or reassure L/N kun. Asahina san--she was creating an opportunity for Yamada kun to escape..."

Y/N's eyes widened. Despite him already knowing at this point in time, back then, he was actually none the wiser.

Typically he would already have control of the situation or is aware of what was going on, nothing would even be able to get past him, but... This was Celeste...

She mattered to him so much that he was easily blindsided because of his concern for her.

It hurt.

"By themselves, they all seem like small things--but put them all together, and it starts raising flags... Wouldn't you agree, Celeste?"
Togami confronted the Gambler beside him.

"Whatever might you be referring to?"

"Feigning ignorance won't save you... You made a critical mistake."

"A mistake?"

"When you first said it, I didn't give it much thought... but now I can say with certainty: That was you making a fatal mistake."

"And what would that be?"

"After we heard Yamada's corpse going missing and returned to the infirmary, you said this..."

"If this goes on, we'll all be killed... We'll be killed just like them."

"I, too, heard those words... But what about them do you believe to be suspicious?"
Ogami asked the heir.

"Remember--it was you, Fukawa, and I who discovered Ishimaru's corpse in the physics prep room. After that, we heard from Naegi and L/N that Yamada had been murdered, and you,  Naegi, and I left the prep room... We ran into Celeste when we stepped out into the hallway, and the four of us headed for the infirmary. Not one of us said a word about Ishimaru's death before we arrived in the infirmary. When you think about it like that, Celeste's comment seems extremely out of the ordinary. Excessively so."

Can't believe he's thinking this, but Y/N agreed with Togami. Actually, that was the comment that did him in the first place.

The moment Celeste spat that out, Y/N became incredibly suspicious of her, no, it confirmed her guilt to him. He already formulated an entire story just around that confession, but he initially thought that she murdered both stupidheads at that point, he didn't bother thinking about how the body disappeared.

He also never investigated because he didn't want to dread her execution that he already currently is.

But that never mattered as everything is being laid out in front of him. Forcing him to listen as they slowly dissected the case and pieced it together.

How he regrets that he disappeared during that moment.

Maybe if he had followed her around instead... She never would've been able to do her plan and she could've just left Yamada for dead.

"Hey, Celeste. Everyone's confused. Repeat what you said, word for word, for everyone's sake. I'm sure your friend there will also appreciate it considering he disappeared during that time. If you're not the culprit then there's no problem, is there?"
Togami urged the gambler.

Celeste felt nothing more than how much she wanted to kill this heir beside her at that moment. He had to have involved Y/N in this...

Looking at Y/N once again, there was no doubt in her heart that he probably already knows everything and is just refusing to say anything.

But being in a trial for her own life, she had no choice but to play along.

So she slowly repeated everything she had said, which would become the final nail in the coffin.

"That's right... There's no way you should have been able to say, “we'll all be killed like them,” Celeste san. Because at that point, we hadn't told you about Ishimaru kun yet."
Naegi pointed out, basically supporting Togami's claim.

"Plus, we met you in the hallway, after we left the physics lab. So you didn't even have an opportunity to see the body for yourself in the prep room."
Togami added.

"And yet, despite all that, why did you know... that it wasn't just “him” who had been killed, but “them”?"
Naegi pointed an accusing finger at the gambler, causing her to become mute.

"Ehe... Ehehehe... You all have quite the active imaginations, don't you?"

"Imagination... you say?"

"Did you not just say that, every time I claimed to have witnessed the madman, I was lying? In that case, what does that make this photograph?"

Celeste showed the picture of Justice Robo to them once again.

That was... a weak attempt at an argument, Y/N knew this well. She's losing all her playing cards.

She's about to have nothing left.

"How do you intend to explain the photograph I took of the madman carrying Yamada kun?"

"It's a... fake? Like, Celestecchi put on the costume and set a timer before taking a photo?"
Hagakure being the nugget that he is, came to an impossible conclusion.

"Have you forgotten? Only you can fit in the costume, Hagakure kun. Also, this digital camera doesn't have a timer on it. Therefore, it is the unequivocal truth that the madman abducted Yamada kun. If you wish to discredit my testimony, then please explain this picture for me."
Celeste argued

"First of all, is that actually a photograph of the madman abducting Yamada kun?"
Kirigiri suddenly spoke

"What do you mean by that?"

"I'm saying, it's possible that the madman didn't abduct Yamada kun, but that something else happened entirely."

"No such possibility exists..."

Naegi cupped his own chin, thinking about what Kirigiri said.

Then he got it...

"That's not a picture of Yamada kun being abducted by the madman... but of Yamada kun abducting the madman."

"Ngh!"

"You cannot deny the possibility. The one being abducted in that picture isn't Yamada kun, but the madman... And we just wrongly assumed Yamada kun was the one being abducted. The peculiar costume was probably used for the express purpose of inviting that misinterpretation. Anyone would assume, seeing someone dressed like that, that they were the suspicious party..."

Kirigiri explained the impossible again.

Even though Y/N is in a lot of emotional turmoil right now, he's very confident that even without his help, they'll pull through because of Kirigiri Kyoko.

He knows that more than anyone.

"Ehe... Ehehehehe... That's... Preposterous. Yamada kun abducting the madman? That's absolutely preposterous."
Celeste denied the possibility

"Is it really not possible? That's not what I think..."
Kirigiri stared Celeste dead in the eyes, basically challenging her at that point.

"In that case, allow me to give you proof that it could not be possible."

Another debate began...

"While I was knocked out, you made me wear that suit... and had Yamadacchi carry me! And that's how you made everyone suspect me!"
Hagakure yelled at the gambler.

"I told you, that's not possible... The madman in this picture is standing up straight. If the person inside were unconscious then he wouldn't be able to hold himself up like that.

"Sore wa chigau yo!"

"No. Even if the person inside were unconscious, they could still be standing upright. Thanks to a special characteristic of that Justice Robo costume..."
Naegi refuted

"That's right! The design flaw is that the back doesn't bend at all!"
Asahina recalled as she had tried it during the investigation.

"But I wonder... was it actually a design flaw in the first place? Perhaps it was intentionally made that way for the sake of being able to take the photograph?"
Kirigiri concluded with a tiny smirk, basically pinning Celestia down.

"By dressing an unconscious Hagakure kun in a suit with a rigid back... Celeste san and Yamada kun were able to fabricate that photo... so we'd believe there really was a madman!"
Naegi continued further, causing Celeste to become cornered.

"And that... would be checkmate..."
Togami laughed.

"Check...mate...?"

....
........
.............

"Ehe... Ehehehehehe.... Ehehehehehe....."

"YOU F*CKIN' KIDDIN' ME, YOU CRETINS!? HUH!? THIS IS NOT CHECKMATE!"
Celeste went into a flurry, causing fear amongst the participants.

"C-Celeste chan...?"

"It seems you guys are dead set on settin' me up as the culprit, but that's a big mistake! Are your memories shot!? Have you forgotten about Yamada's dying words!?"

Y/N raised an eyebrow, Yamada's dying words?

"When asked the culprit's name, Yamada gave a clear answer, did he not? He said the culprit's name “Yasuhiro”~ THAT IS TO SAY HAGAKURE YASUHIRO!!"

"M-My name isn't actually Yasuhiro, i-i-it's actually Tarosuke!"

"You needlessly complicate things by telling such inexplicable lies..."

'Ah, so that's where we're going...?'
Y/N just listened to everything slowly unfold.

"But is the “Yasuhiro” Yamada kun mentioned actually referring to Hagakure kun?"
Kirigiri questioned, she already knows...

"WHAT ARE YOU SAYING, B*TCH!? DIE IN A FIRE!"
Celeste cursed out the girl.

Y/N clenched his fist, he didn't know what to do.

He wanted to defend Kirigiri, but it's Celeste who's doing the cussing. Normally, he'd have no problems decking out someone who posed even a threat to Kirigiri.

"What're you talking about, Kirigiri san?"

"Remember the way Yamada kun spoke to each of us...? When referring to us, how did he say our names?"

"Right... That's right! Yamada kun referred to everyone using their full names!"

"For example, he called you “Naegi Makoto dono”... Therefore, had Yamada been trying to say Hagakure... He would've said “Hagakure Yasuhiro dono.” But instead, he said, “Yasuhiro ...ak... dono.”
Kirigiri pointed out.

"I-It was happenstance... He was trying to say... Hagakure... and mixed up the order, that's all..."
Celeste denied again.

"For him to have slipped up just that one time is quite the convenient interpretation for you... It was no coincidence. As he always did, Yamada kun was trying to refer to the culprit by full name--in order. But in his dying breaths, we were only able to make out a few seconds of the first name..."

Kirigiri was winning the fight against Celeste...

"Then, Yamada kun was trying to name someone whose last name is “Yasuhiro”?"

"But there is no one here with that last name..."

"No... Hold on... There is one person it could be... Celeste san... You've never once told us your real name..."
Naegi accused the gambler once again.

"Pardon... me...? It's funny... How far you think you can take these baseless accusations... "

Of course this earned a fit from the Queen of Liars.

"Would you kindly stop spouting nonsense!? There's not a chance in hell I'd have a lame-*ss last name like Yasuhiro!! OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!"

"Then tell us, Celeste san... What is your real name?"

"Fine! Clean out your damn ears and listen REEAALLL careful! My real name is Celestia Ludenburg! And I would kindly request you stop making me repeat myself!"

This caused a debate to spark.

Y/N could only watch the gambler lose control of herself as she was slowly being backed into a corner and being forced to reveal her true identity.

While she always carries herself with a blanket of prestige, Y/N knows better than anyone that she's quite short-tempered.

He's been on the receiving end of that temper multiple times already, most of it being due to his own careless usage of outfits she made for him.

"The person Yamada was trying to identify was someone whose last name is Yasuhiro."
Kirigiri repeated

"Only Celeste chan, who wasn't told us her real name..."

"...Could have the surname Yasuhiro."

"As I've told you many times already, my name is... CELESTIA LUDENBURG!!"

"How long do you intend to keep this up?"

"The only thing I'm “keeping up” is the truth and unless you can show otherwise--"

"That's enough..."

Y/N suddenly spoke for the first time.

This garnered a mixed of surprise and shocked expressions as he turned his attention to Celeste.

"L/N kun!? Are you siding with these hooligans too!? Aren't you supposed to keep your mouth shut!?"

"I can't take a side even if I wanted to... but don't you think this is enough? You're caught."

"L/N kun, you of all people, should know what we're talking about, right?"
Kirigiri began.

"Then, will you be the one to point out the evidence?"

Y/N nodded at the girl.

"Naegi chan... Our e-handbook displays our name, right...?"

"Huh...?"

"You know what I'm talking about, right...?"

'He's asking me? No. This is probably a strategy... There's no way he'd need my help for information, but rather... He's just trying to get me to confirm... Alright, if this will help L/N kun.'
The Lucky Student thought before nodding at Y/N.

"Our e-handbook displays our general info, and despite it being only general, it doesn't miss a single fact. Monokuma can attest to this, right Kirigiri chan?"

Kirigiri only nodded.

"I won't be the one to spill your real name, I already know it exists. But if you really insist on playing this game, then pull out your handbook. We'll see, right?"

Celeste took a step back. She knows she is being backed into a corner, but she never expected Y/N to be the one to push her into the wall.

She understands... She knows why he did this. He's trying to save her from further embarrassment by allowing her to say yes to him, but she doesn't give up, he knows that.

"I'm not the type to fold... even if going up against a royal flush. Because..."

"Because, because... Because, because, because, BECAUSE, BECAUSE!"

"Until all the cards have been laid out on the table, there's no saying what might happen!!"

"In that case... I'll be the one to tell the story for you. This doesn't count as helping since I'm going to be confirming this with Naegi and Kirigiri chan, but I'll go back from the start... Reveal every single little bit of your crimes... It is my fault for not double-checking every piece of information, if I had, I would've been able to prevent you from killing... But now it's too late, so all I can do is end it. It started from you, so I'll end it with me. I'll end this lie..."
Y/N seemed entirely different

He didn't possess any of the snark or mischief he usually strides in, instead, he was serious.

It seemed like Y/N is personally talking to Celeste as if there're only two of them in the room.

Even Kirigiri was a little surprise by the change, but she knew this change wasn't for the best...

CLOSING ARGUMENT BEGIN!

"The first step that gave birth to this crime, the culprit joined forces with someone. Yamada Hifumi. By making Yamada chan the accomplice, the culprit was able to execute this series of crimes. The first thing they did was invite a certain person to the rec room last night at 1:00AM. And that person was the Bum: Hagakure Yasuhiro."

"The two called Hagakure chan there so they could set him up for their crime. That's probably all the importance he had in the crime. By drugging him to dragging him to stuffing him into a pool locker, they were able to create a set-up as Hagakure was in a Justice Robo costume, that was when Yamada chan pretended to be abducted by said robo and the true culprit went ahead and snapped a photo of it. All for the sake of fabricating the evidence by casting suspicion on Hagakure chan."

"And at 6:00AM, that was when the murder really happened, having requested Ishimaru chan meet up with them in the physics prep room, they murdered the guy the moment he got there and broke his watch, the first murder was committed by Yamada Hifumi, and if it only were him then you wouldn't be having as much trouble as you are now... The weapon he used was the #4 of the Justice Hammers, the same hammer we would find in the same room."

"The use of the 4th Hammer was to cause a red herring intended to confuse the order of events, even though it shouldn't matter because what dumb nugget leaves behind a perfect trail of evidence. Unless they want to be found, which I assume they didn't want to be. The next thing they did was fake being attacked, both Yamada and the culprit. In doing so, set themselves up as victims and further drilled the suspicion unto Justice Robo... The first fake attack was in the rec room. By showing the 1st Hammer, and the Justice Robo photograph, all of you were thrown in for a loop and convinced that the attack is real. And there was another fake attack in the library, constructed by Yamada chan with the 2nd Hammer. Doing this, the culprit manufactured a notion inside your heads..."

"That some psychopath conspiracy theorist was going around smacking people using progressively larger hammers."

"And carrying that misconception, we all set out to find the crazy as quickly as possible. When you did, you left Yamada chan in the Infirmary all by himself. He was still alive by then as I wasn't present at the time. But that's exactly what he wanted, being all alone in the infirmary, he used that time to use the transfusion bags inside the fridge and the 3rd Justice Hammer to fake his death. I was able to regroup with the others by then, and had heard that duh-doy scream out in the infirmary, and we found him there."

"At the same time, Ishimaru chan's corpse was discovered in the physics prep room and because of that, the discovery announcement was triggered, and we mistakenly assumed Yamada chan was the one who's dead. Ah, if only I double-checked..."

"After we were long gone, Yamada chan slipped away. And after learning of his disappearance we regrouped into the infirmary. That was also the last time I would be seen. And making use of that blind spot in our defense, Yamada chan snuck into the physics prep room, wrapped Ishimaru chan's body in a vinyl sheet and transported it to the art storage room. This is how the case of disappearing corpses came to be. But Yamada chan didn't know that the plan of the true culprit exceeded his, he had been successfully manipulated. The true endgame was to tie up loose ends, and what bigger loose end than the accomplice himself, Yamada chan. They used one of the hammers in the art storage room, that's why it came out as washed during your investigations."

"That about wraps it up. And the one who created and executed the plan was someone I know all too well, I know only you can pull off something of this calibre..."

"Celeste chan, you lose."

Y/N finished the retelling and looked to Kirigiri.

"Did I get everything right?"

"You did. But you didn't need to tell us everything. We already knew it."

Y/N just looked away from her, achieving confirmation. That's when Naegi realized how Y/N slipped past Monokuma's restriction.

He was always asking for someone to confirm his answers, so that must mean he's pretending to be the one being helped, but since his questions were always specific, both answers and clue lie there. The "yes and no" answers were to confirm if the one being asked gets the clue or not, and in Kirigiri's case, she always gets it. So that's why she's been playing along with him.

'These two are terrifying...'
Was Naegi's thought about Y/N and Kirigiri's team-up.

"Lose!? I... Lose...? How long has it been since I last heard those words? They're... powerful words... Especially since it came from you, dear."

"So you admit it? That you're the culprit...?"
Y/N confronted her.

"Ehehehe, my goodness... I appreciate you trying not to reveal my real name unless I really said it myself. Celestia Ludenburg... or rather... You can call me Yasuhiro Taeko."

"There it is."

Naegi gasped at this revelation.

"You've finally given up your facade, huh?"
Togami commented

"I'm not such a sore loser to go down kicking and screaming when defeat catches up to me."

"I see."

Y/N crossed his arms and looked away, already knowing that the inevitable was coming.

"Okay, Monokuma san. I'm ready to begin. Or no. I suppose this is the end, isn't it?"

The broker clicked his tongue as he gripped his own bicep tightly. He's the one to wrap things up this time.

"Indeed it is the moment we've all been waiting for! It's time to vote! If you would, please locate your lever and cast your vote! And when the votes are tallied... Who will become the blackened!? Will you make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one? What's it gonna? What's it gonna beeee!?"

Then the bear pointed to Y/N.

"And you! Since you like trying to participate so much, then you get to cast your vote today! Use the lever on Kuwata Leon kun's podium, and make sure to vote, ooookaaayyy?"

Y/N took a step back as his eyes widened.

"You're making him vote!? That's too cruel!"
Asahina yelled out.

"He wanted this! So as a headmaster, I'm inclined to fulfill the request of a student!"

While they voted, Celeste noticed Y/N refusing to make a move.

His arms shook, his teeth grinding against themselves, and the look on his eyes...

She looked down at her podium and sighed... Who knows when she'll be able to do this again?

The gambler gently grabbed Y/N's arm and placed it on the lever on Kuwata's podium.

Y/N looked at her, that expression on his face wasn't something she's seen before, but she needed to be strong.

Even though they both ended up betraying each other, there's no denying that they really did care for the other, and as such, will not be able to abandon such feelings easily.

She spared him a sweet smile, not one of the ones she normally uses, it felt intimate, similar to the one she used when she pampered him.

Y/N didn't want to vote at all, so Celeste grabbed his hand gently again and had him cast the right vote.

If she's gonna die anyway, then she wouldn't want him to follow her so soon.

And the votes were in.

As expected, Celeste ended up being guilty.

Monokuma confirmed this, even calling Celeste as "Yasuhiro Taeko."

"I lost... Well, that sucks. I guess trying to work with someone else was a mistake, after all. Yamada kun's ineptitude was beyond all my calculations."
Celeste huffed.

"So you did approach Yamada kun with this plan. But how did you get him to agree? I can't imagine he would have happily agreed to commit murder."
Kirigiri asked the gambler.

"I'm sure she relied on her specialty--lying."
Togami answered in place of Celeste.

"My specialty? Don't be absurd. I didn't have to lie to get his help."

"So you used..."

"I knew you'd figure it out, Kirigiri san. You're absolutely right. To get Yamada kun to act as my accomplice I used “it”. For everyone who is left, I won't be mentioning it by name. It was the one thing Yamada kun and Ishimaru kun were both really into."

Kirigiri glanced at the silent Y/N, she remembered him commenting that Alter Ego was a better motive than Monokuma's own. Then he also commented seeing the physics prep room as a potential murder place, in fact, it was the first murder scene in this whole case. He predicted the entire thing correctly again.

"Then you're the one who stole it?"
Kirigiri continued to question the gambler.

"That's right."

"And you used it to drag Yamada kun into the plan you'd come up with."

"Right again. Last night, I paid Yamada kun a visit after we had our meeting about how it'd disappeared."

Celeste began retelling her experience with Yamada, about her lie after lie...

Everything revolved around Alter Ego, which caused Yamada to take action.

"It was amazing how completely he bought it. Hmhm... I can't express how enjoyable that was. Yamada agreed without a second thought. Hmhm. The effect that item had on him was... Remarkable. The power of love... Even a love as twisted as that can still drive people mad, it would seem."

Whatever they were talking about, none of it mattered to Y/N anymore.

All he knows is that Celeste is going to die. He's slowly counting the seconds passing and he was dreading every bit of it.

But he did hear her trash talking Hagakure. Her way of roasting never changed, Y/N always found it hilarious whenever it happened. He wasn't able to laugh this time though.

They were still talking, and while it was only for a short time, Y/N felt it was so dreadfully long.

"From the moment our new life here began, my only thought has been escape."

"B-But... all along you've been saying how we have to accept living here."

"OBVIOUSLY I WAS LYING! I COULDN'T TAKE IT! I HATED IT FROM DAY ONE! MORE THAN ANYONE ANYONE ANYONE ELSE IN HERE! I WANTED TO GET OUT! EVERY DAY WAS FRESH TORTURE! AND DO YOU KNOW WHY? HUH!?"

Her entire demeanor changed back as she cupped her own cheek.

"Because... I had a dream. And accepting life here would have meant nothing less than giving up on my dream forever... And there was no way I could ever do that. In the underground world, I risked my life to make a metaphorical killing. And it was all for that dream."

"And what was this dream of yours...?"

"To live in a European castle."

"A c-castle?"

"And to gather handsome men from all over the world to serve as my butlers/bodyguards. I was going to make them dress up like vampires to satisfy my every need. Once I obtained that, I would have created a perfectly aesthetic world of decadence... Living the rest of my life there was my only dream, and only goal. That's what life is all about!"

"Combined with my winnings, Monokuma's 10 billion yen would have made that dream a reality. I'd even be able to break out L/N kun from here, I got the right edge, but... Unfortunately, my dream has been scattered to the wind. Still, I don't have any regrets. I pursued my dream till the very end, so why would I?"

"So you did plan on taking L/N kun with you."
Kirigiri crossed her arms.

"Of course. He's perfectly capable. I planned to negotiate with Monokuma using the prize money in exchange for L/N kun."

"Upupupupu! I wouldn't have said yes even with that much money!"

Celeste sighed.

"Well, regardless of what could've happened. There's nothing I can do about it now."

"You sound so passionate, but... you were really able to kill your own friends for it?"
Asahina angrily questioned the gambler.

"Are you asking me to feel guilty? That's a pointless endeavor. I think nothing of sacrificing others for my own ends. I feel nothing. That's all there is to me. That's what makes me... complete. Hehehe~ isn't it terrifying how different our values are? There's simply no room for understanding."

"Shouldn't we be the one saying that...? And... How can you be so calm? Don't you realize you're about to die? Aren't you scared?"

"Hmph. My ability to lie is unrivaled, and I take pride in that. It's not just other people--I can even fool my own emotions. The conscious deceive the unconscious."

"And that's why you're not scared?"
It was Naegi's turn to question her.

"That's right. I don't fear death. Kill me however you like. But you know, if I could be reincarnated... If I had a choice, then... I think I would like to come back as Marie Antoinette."

"You'd just get executed again..."
Hagakure commented, causing the Gambler to giggle.

Y/N easily saw through that forced smile... As well as all the statements made before it.

He knows Celeste--no, he knows Taeko all too well for that.

Having the ability to lie is directly proportional to your ability to be resistant to it, that's the case with Taeko. She can't be fooled, and others can't fool her, even herself.

That smile betrayed her in the end.

"You all done? Okay, then let's get rollin'! The blackened disturbed the peace, and must pay the price!"
Monokuma suddenly announced.

Y/N gritted his teeth.

"I guess I'll let Kirigiri san hold on to this."

Taeko reached for Kirigiri's hand in the form of a handshake, keeping the key well hidden.

"This is...!"

"Will it really give you the hope you're looking for? I can't say I ever saw it that way... Which is why... Actually it's not that important."

"I'VE PREPARED A VERY SPECIAL PUNISHMENT FOR CELESTIA LUDENBURG, THE ULTIMATE GAMBLER!"

Taeko approached Y/N, the boy took a single step back as his eyes met with her.

Then she rested her forehead on his chest.

"Don't look at me like that... If only I had known you'd look at me that way, then I would've..."

"T-Taeko..."

Y/N managed to croak out her name, but could not say anything any further. If he continued to talk, then Taeko was sure he won't be able to take it. Because for as long as they knew each other, she had come to know that much about him.

"LET'S GIVE IT EVERYTHING WE'VE GOT! IIIIIT'S PUNISHMENT TIIIMEEE!"

Her talking was only enough for both of them to hear it. She made sure she talked as quietly as possible, and Y/N made sure to listen carefully. It was the last time they're going to talk and see each other, so Taeko made sure to make every second they have left count.

"I'm... scared... but even more..."

"Y/N... I'll miss you..."

[CELESTIA LUDENBURG HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY! COMMENCING PUNISHMENT!]

The entire execution first started in a dimly lit area.

Taeko stood atop a pile of hay, wheat, and anything that can be used to start a fire. There was a large log behind her that was meant to bound her, but for some reason, she wasn't restrained at all.

Seeing as this death was unique, Taeko wanted to go out in a way that is uncommon. Something that separates her from normal people. And burning at the stake in front of an audience is surely befitting of the royalty that is Celestia Ludenburg.

When Monokuma lit the flames, she was slowly engulfed in it, like a witch, she had begun to burn.

She relished in that heat, until...

A firetruck emerged out of nowhere and basically launched itself towards her.

One of the most common deaths a person could experience... A car accident. This was the fitting punishment for Yasuhiro Taeko.

And this is what killed both Celestia and Taeko.

Then it was over.

Silence...

The dreaded third execution has ended.

"Isn't it awful? Someone couldn't cut free of their regrets from the outside world, and so more people had to die... You guys are still young! You need to place more value on your lives! Jeez... And here I thought you guys were gonna pass the torch of hope to the next generation!"

Monokuma taunted the group earning a reaction from them.

They are the embodiments of hope, and it's Monokuma's responsibility to knock them down one-by-one.

Y/N wasn't paying attention at anything. He was simply staring at the execution area. He was trying to found anything that resembled Taeko. But underneath all that rubble, he couldn't even begin to make out where she is or if a semblance of what she was is even in there.

All because of an array of mistakes he did.

He didn't double-check Yamada's body... He didn't stay with her long enough to ruin her whole plan... He retreated because he thought she'd already done it before he even had evidence... A rookie mistake ended up costing him his friend...

Even though they did end up betraying each other during the Class Trial... They didn't hold it against the other. But it still hurt.

He knows Taeko must've felt the same.

Then Monokuma would utter something that put Y/N on edge, simply because of the person it's talking to.

"Kirigiri san, did I see you get some kind of key-type object from Celeste? So uh... You mind telling me the deal with that?"

"..."

Kirigiri kept quiet.

"Huh? What's the matter?"

"I'll answer your question, if you answer mine. What did you do?"

The lavender-haired girl questioned the headmaster.

"What did you... do to me?"

"...What!?"
Monokuma ended up making a perverted face because of this.

"Answer me. What did you do to my body?"

"Uwaaah! Oh man, oh jeez... Oh man, oh jeez! What do you mean, what did I... do!? I-I have no idea...! I don't know anything about it...!"

"..."

Seeing as Kirigiri kept quiet, Monokuma dipped outta there feeling awkward about the whole thing.

After it disappeared, they all shared a moment of silence, before...

"Hey, Kirigiri san. Since Monokuma mentioned it... What's that key Celeste san gave you?"
Naegi asked the girl

"Most likely... It's the key to one of the dressing room lockers."

"Celeste probably hid it there."
Togami commented

"I suppose sometimes it's easiest to miss what's right beneath your nose. Well then, we'd better fo and check."
Ogami suggested

"Good idea."

They all left the courtroom, and Y/N kept quiet during the whole thing, then they all ended up in the dressing room.

When they did, Kirigiri turned to all of them and said...

"I'm going to go on alone from here. Everyone else head to the dining hall. I'll check in with you later."

"Why, exactly, are you going alone?"
Togami questioned

"Do you even have to ask?"

As she spoke, she quickly glanced at the surveillance cameras.

"That's not what I mean. Why *you*? There's still the risk of a spy, you know."

"..."

Kirigiri kept quiet at first.

"Then I'll go, too!"
Naegi proposed.

"You...?"

"Please, let me go!"
Naegi begged the heir who caved in.

"Standing here arguing is going to draw more attention to us. Hmph. Do whatever you want."
He turned his back on them.

Y/N already walked away and entered the cafeteria. He sat where Taeko used to frequent at and merely kept quiet.

He was exhausted... but not the type that gets you sleepy, he just feels empty.

The rest slowly entered the cafeteria and they were just stuck there waiting.

"I feel bad for him..."
Asahina was talking with Ogami.

"Celeste chan and Him were close right? I can't help but feel really bad when seeing him this quiet..."

"Asahina, I think it best if you do not talk about it for now. I'm sure the wound is still fresh."
Ogami suggested.

"Ah! Right, sorry!"

They were talking about the quiet information broker who sat alone.

"Hmph. Unnecessary emotions are not useful in this game."

"Oy, Togami! Be a little sensitive?"

"Why? As I said, it's not necessary. He's also the one who basically condemned her after he finally talked during that trial, so I find it hypocritical for him to feel bad about it."

"I hope you do not become such a let down during this game, people who can actually do something are quite the commodity for entertainment, it just so happens that your friend managed to outlive hers."

"Stop that."
Ogami said, prepared to stop any fighting that may arise due to this.

Y/N stayed silent for a few moments before...

"Do you have any real right to censure me...?"

"What?"

"I know I'm being harsh, but didn't you like, kill all your brothers?"

"...."

"Of course, for regular people something like that would be impossible, but... Don't tell me you still think you're capable of actually being an heir?"
Y/N suddenly frowned, causing a concern from the group.

"Huh...?"

Then the broker gave a sickening grin while his eyes dilated, a look to match how he's slowly losing it.

"You gave up your freedom by coming here and enjoying the game, but besides ruling nothing, you brood like you're doing something, while your entire corporation burns to the ground as you stand idly inside here doing nothi-"

Y/N was suddenly interrupted by a tap on the table.

"L/N kun, stop that. He isn't worth it."

Kirigiri had returned from the locker rooms with Naegi in tow.

She was barely able to stop Y/N from going off at that moment, she's lucky she's able to stop him in time.

They made eye contact, and Y/N retreated by closing his eyes, standing up, and walking back to his dorm.

The group had no choice but to continue their meeting without the broker, therefore missing out on possible important information.

[-NIGHT TIME-]

Y/N sat alone inside his room, he had not changed positions ever since he sat down on his bed.

He couldn't sleep, couldn't do anything else other than just sit there.

Taeko's execution played repeatedly inside his mind while his mistakes constantly remind him that he failed and what he lost.

He knows it isn't like him to do this, but when it was so avoidable, he could not help but relentlessly lament it.

Then he heard his doorbell ring...

Y/N stared at the door for a few seconds first before he stood up and answered it.

Upon opening, nobody was there... Guess they didn't like waiting, until...

"L/N kun."

Kirigiri was leaning on a wall beside his door, mimicking how he usually did it to her.

"Kirigiri chan...?"

"Can I come in?"

"Ah... Yeah, sure..."

Upon entering his room, Y/N went back to sitting on his bed.

He was fully expecting for Kirigiri to interrogate him about what he knows, and he's prepared to answer that he doesn't know anything and that he also isn't in the mood for being questioned right now, but...

Kirigiri sat next to him.

"What's... this about...?"
Y/N questioned her.

"....."

"How did you two know each other...?"

"Huh...?"

Kirigiri looked at Y/N, it took the broker some time until he understood.

"Ah... Taeko? It's... A long time since we first met. We first met a little after we first met."

"So it's been that long, huh?"

"Yeah, it has. We first met as client and broker. She sought me out in hope's of learning more about her future enemies and people that're wealthy, people that're dangerous, and people that're both. We didn't meet each other until a month after our first contact. I would find out everything about her and even her real name, of course, I never sold that information. Nobody's really aware the Taeko was actually just a normal girl with neither French nor German Blood. She was Japanese through and through. We kept contact with each other, and I would become one of her valuable assets as I can supply her even information that's not known to many, being classified or not isn't a problem."

Then Y/N slowly opened his eyes, an endearing look graced his features.

"But 2 years after we had met, she reached out to me with a different request... Apparently, she had enemies who are sore losers, she tried her hand playing with the people who are both dangerous and wealthy, and she ended up winning on top of all of them, so they wanted to get back at her. When she met up with me, she had one request... Protection. It was fairly similar to how it was earlier, only difference is that I was able to protect her. She was lightly shaking whilst she asked for my services, and even though she tried to play it cool, her smile was betraying her completely. So I agreed, in exchange, I get to watch her play cause she didn't want me around her while she played when we first met."

"After that agreement, we both moved to a different place. Since she had stupidly expensive tastes, we both ended up picking a high class apartment, and we split the rent. She and I started to live together 2 years before we entered Hope's Peak. She's..."

Y/N trailed off before a hand went to cover his eyes.

"She's the closest thing I had to a family... I considered her my sister because of the time we spent together. We both looked after the other constantly and lived everyday like that. Then Hope's Peak happened..."

Y/N gripped his hands together tightly as he lamented on what happened.

"I could've stopped it. If I had just spared Yamada chan's body another glance, I would've been able to tell immediately that he was alive. If I had stayed with Taeko the entire time then I could've atleast ruined her part of the plan. If I hadn't disappeared and did something else then..."

The broker breathed in deeply.

"There were a lot of things I could've done differently, and if I did just a single one of them... I wouldn't have to regret so much..."

Kirigiri quietly listened to Y/N, who turned to her with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, I guess I ended up getting a lot more hurt than I thought I would..."

"That's normal. You just lost someone important. That warrants you to at least grieve them. Everything you told me confirms that your feelings of care were genuine."

"Ahaha, I'm glad you understand..."

The pair shared a moment of silence, Kirigiri could see Y/N struggling with himself, so she needed to finish up to give him some space.

"L/N kun, there's something I need to tell you."

"Hm?"

"Naegi kun had asked me to believe in him, and in turn he believes in me. I wanted to give trusting a try, that's why... I came here..."

"...."

"Since you told me everything about your relationship with Celeste san, I can assume you trust me but... I want to hear it from you."

Then Kirigiri reached a hand out to him.

"I know I haven't been good to you... But I want us to continue working together so we can get out of here. I want to extend that trust to you... L/N kun, do you trust me?"

Y/N merely smiled and grabbed her hand.

"I already told you this, right? Even if everyone ceased to believe Kirigiri chan, then I will be the one to always believe you... Whether or not you're actually right or wrong. I'll trust you."

Kirigiri spared the boy a smile of her own in response.

"Then it is decided."

The two shook hands before letting go.

"Nice working with you, partner."

Kirigiri just nodded before opening the door to Y/N's room, but she didn't leave immediately.

"Goodnight, L/N kun."

"Ah... Goodnight, Kirigiri chan."
Y/N responded as Kirigiri finally closed the door.

And with that, Y/N was left alone again. The thoughts of Taeko's death came back to him, but he feels even lighter for some reason.

The broker climbed up his own bed and when he rested on the pillow, he felt something crumple.

He immediately reacted and lifted his pillow to find neatly folded clothes and a folded note on top...

Y/N cautiously grabbed the note, but when he saw the writing his eyes widened...

"L/N kun, if you are reading this, then it means that I failed. Well, considering how there's someone much more important to you within our class, I figured if they never found out my crime, then you would do it yourself.

I left this note so that in the event that I got executed, I would be here to tell you to not blame yourself. Everything happened because I orchestrated for it to happen, you do not have any reason to blame yourself. The entire thing was my sin, and my sin only. You do not need to carry the weight of guilt. But even if I tell you this you will still find a way to blame yourself, right?

L/N kun is carefree, snarky, quick-witted, and has a twisted sense of humor. But underneath all that, lies someone very fragile. I know that.
You distance yourself from other people through how you interact with them and you only opted to observe people from afar. I know that you do not take in emotions the way others normally do. You let everything wash over you, you take it, and then let it wash away. You do not accept it. Because you know that once you decide to care, once you accept it, it's very hard to take it back. You would not even be able to. So I consider myself special in that regard.

If my plan were to become successful, I would have exchanged the entire 10 billion yen for you. I would have taken you with me, so that we can go back to our everyday lives. Only you had made me realize that living everyday normally wasn't so bad. I wanted to continue spending time and continue poking fun at each other. I wouldn't even mind joining you at a pool if we had time. And when you told me you liked my real name, I had let you call me “Taeko” only when we're alone, then you also thought up “Tia” for my other name, which, admittedly, got me embarrassed. I think that was the first time I felt my face heat up. Such a unique experience.

This is getting quite long, but I guess I really did miss the moments more than I cared to admit.

I'm not expecting you to forgive me, and I won't ask for it because I'm aware that there's a chance Monokuma will not exchange you for the money, therefore I would end up betraying you. It was a gamble, this whole thing is... And if I ever wanted to lose in something I was good at, I wanted to at least lose to you.

Well then, this is goodbye. Please, do not blame yourself and live. Eventually, I know you'll reach whoever kept us here, and when you do, beat them and get out. I know if there's anyone in here that can do it, it's you.

Lastly, I know I no longer have any right to say this, but even so, please allow me to do so...

L/N Y/N, I say this both as Celestia Ludenburg and Taeko Yasuhiro, from the bottom of my heart, I love you. And I mean it.

PS: I was able to finish sewing your extra clothes. I know it didn't appear to be that much different from your initial outfit, but the material is made for more rougher activities. I guess I really did end up loving how you looked in them. Also, please always lock your doors, dear. I worry for you."

After the note came to an end, there was only silence.

Silence and then a sound of crumpling paper and pained hitches of breath.

Somehow, Y/N was able to tire himself tremendously to sleep...

REMAINING STUDENTS: 8 LEFT

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

15,900 words yooo....

I hope I did a good job, man.

And I also hope I was able to close up Celeste and Y/N's relationship properly.

Tbh, I was planning on asking Mod Komaeda to write this as he's, like, the Master of Angst, but I didn't wanna bother him as he had been missing sleep recently and he was able to find time to sleep today

I was crying while typing Celeste and Y/N's final conversation too, I was also tearing up when I wrote Celeste's letter.

-Mod Ibuki