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A man finds himself blindfolded and tied to a chair in a classroom. The man's arms are wrapped around the back of the chair and tied together at the wrists, while his legs are tied together at his ankles. The man struggled to free himself from the chair, but no matter how hard he tried, he was unable to move.Across from the man, there is a black and white teddy bear who is sitting down. Despite appearing to be a toy, the bear is sentient and able to move. The bear watches as the man struggled, taking joy in the man's fruitless attempts. Then, the bear pulls out a device and slams down the button.Suddenly, a rocket appears behind the man. The doors close down on the man as if it's an iron maiden, pulling him inside the rocket. The man screamed in terror as he became trapped inside the rocket. The rocket then began to lift off, plowing through the roof of the classroom.The rocket soared through the sky at high speed. It was launched so far up that the stars are becoming visible. After a while, the rocket reached the peak of its launch before plummeting back down towards the surface. As the rocket fell, its engines boosted it even faster, generating an intense amount of reentry heat that cooked the interior of the rocket. At this point, the man was already dead, presumably from the intense g-force and the reentry heat. But if those things didn't kill him, then the crash down into the surface certainly would.The bear watched as the rocket crashed back into the classroom it had launched from, this time upside-down. The rocket then opens up, revealing that the man trapped inside had turned into nothing more than a charred, unrecognizable corpse. The bear could only laugh manically as he saw that his execution had worked. Now, it's time to take that concept and apply it to other people...The massive high school towers over the surrounding buildings, even in this urban area. It stands out among the rest of the buildings, having a grandiose appearance in contrast to the boring office buildings. It would be considered out of place in most cities if it weren't for one thing: this school isn't just any ordinary school. This school is Hope's Peak Academy.Hope's Peak Academy is widely considered to be the most prestigious school in all of Japan, maybe even the entire world. The school was founded many years ago in order to raise hope for the future of Japan, and soon the entire world. The building of hope is what led to the school's name. For decades since its foundation, the school has produced hundreds of highly talented students who would go on to have highly successful lives. In fact, many science and political leaders were once students of Hope's Peak Academy. For this reason, it is often said that graduating from this school would guarantee success later in life. Hope's Peak Academy has lived up to this reputation time and time again.Unlike most schools, Hope's Peak Academy has an unusual way of recruiting new students. No ordinary student could even enroll into the school. For starters, in order to qualify to enter the school, one must already be attending high school. This makes Hope's Peak Academy a two year school for most students. Secondly, one must also be the very best in any field for their age. It doesn't matter what field the student excels at, be it sports or arts or hobbies or careers. As long as they are considered to be the best for their age, they are qualified. When these students enter the school, they gain an Ultimate Title that describes what they are the best at. Lastly, one does not simply submit an application to enter the school. The school must scout the student out first and then invite them into the school.For years, Hope's Peak Academy has operated this way, scouting highly talented students to invite them into school, and then build them up to enter the work force. It used to work this way for most of its existence, until something happened that would change the school forever. In recent years, the school has been hosting lotteries once a year to invite one ordinary student into the school. The winners of these lottery became known as the Ultimate Lucky Student, as they were admitted into the school through sheer luck alone. It doesn't matter if these students have any talents or are the best at a certain field. They simply gain this title should they win the lottery.This change sparked many debates over whether or not luck can be considered a measurable skill. Supporters of the decision claimed that since some of the school's students have talents which cannot be measured, luck can be considered a valid talent. Also, they said that many of the students can attribute most of their success to them being lucky. Opponents say otherwise, claiming that luck can't be considered a talent since how is one supposed to improve their luck if it's out of their control? Plus, they say that admitting these ordinary students who lack any talent would be an insult to those who worked long and hard to gain their talent, as well as insulting those who weren't so lucky.Regardless of one's opinion on the topic, there is one thing about this change that everyone can agree on. The lottery has made Hope's Peak Academy seem more accessible to most students. Previously, students need to be considered the very best at a certain field, an impossibility for most students. Even some professionals struggled to keep up with the students of Hope's Peak Academy who specialize in the same field as them. With this change, everyone has an equal chance of being invited into the school, regardless of their social status. No longer would they have to fight in a potentially highly competitive field just to have a chance of getting into Hope's Peak Academy. No longer will these students be forced to find niche talents to try to get into the school. Now, they must simply be lucky enough to win the lottery to enter the school. And if they don't win the lottery? Well, these students can rest easy knowing that they didn't choose to participate in it. They had nothing to lose by not being the winner, so there's no reason to be upset.Standing before the massive school is the most recent winner of the lottery. The student is a young, short boy with spiky, light brown hair and olive green eyes. The most prominent feature of his hair is a large spike sticking out the top. He is wearing a black jacket over a forest green hoodie, black jeans, and a pair of red sneakers. The boy's name is Makoto Naegi.Makoto was born into an ordinary Japanese family. He had largely considered himself to have no notable traits, aside from his above average sense of optimism and honesty. He's average at everything he does in school, aside from athletics which he is terrible at. His favorite things are what's considered popular at the time. For example, ask Makoto on who his favorite idol is, and he would reply Sayaka Maizono. Coincidentally, she happened to be invited into Hope's Peak Academy as the Ultimate Idol.When Makoto got the news that he had won Hope's Peak Academy's lottery, he initially declined the offer to join the school. Even though most people his age dreamed of getting into the school, Makoto didn't feel the same way. He felt like the prestigious school was just too good for an ordinary guy like him, and that he would feel out of place among a class full of talented students. He would rather stick with the high school he's already attending. But his family disagreed with him. His parents want him, their eldest son, to live a successful life. The prospects of getting a highly successful life upon graduating the school was just too good to pass up. Plus, his sister, Komaru, is a huge fan of Sayaka Maizono and wanted her brother to spend time with her favorite idol up close and personal. Makoto tried to protest against his family's wishes, but they won out in the end, and soon Makoto found himself on the campus of Hope's Peak Academy.Before entering Hope's Peak Academy, Makoto looked up on who his classmates will be. There is, of course, Sayaka Maizono, who he is surprised to see in his new class. Then there's the Ultimate Baseball Player; pro teams have their eyes him for years ever since he first played the sport. There's also the Ultimate Fashionista, who has made appearances on the cover of countless fashion magazines. Then there's the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader and the Ultimate Yakuza...Yeah, when Hope's Peak Academy says that they will accept any talent, they really mean it. Some of the talents Makoto found on the forums are...unusual. The Ultimate Fan Creator? Really? The school just invited someone who creates many fan works? This school is...as unusual as some of the talents they accept.Still, Makoto can't help but feel overwhelmed looking at the list of students in his class. He is an ordinary student about to be surrounded by a class full of highly talented students, after all. He doubted that any of them would be as ordinary as him. He felt like a little house cat who had wandered into a pride of lions, or a little puppy who had wandered into a pack of wolves. It's easy to develop an inferiority complex in this situation. Despite the discomfort in being surrounded by these talented students, Makoto had hope that things will turn out well for him in the end.With a deep breath, Makoto took his first steps into Hope's Peak Academy. He thought that even though this is a prestigious school, his time there would go like any other high school. But when he entered the entrance hall, something unusual began to happen. The world around him began to warp, and he began to feel dizzy. Try as he might, he just couldn't regain his footing after that moment. Soon, Makoto blacked out and collapsed, and nothing would be the same from that point onward.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Day 1 - 12:00 AMClassroom 1-A, First Floor
"Ugh..."Makoto woke up to find himself resting on a desk. It's nothing unusual to him. He had slept through a couple of boring lectures in the past. But in this case, something felt unusual to him."...Huh? Where...am I?"Makoto has no idea how he pass out at the entrance hall and then woke up in a classroom. He tried his best to remember how he got here, but he came up blank."What is going on...? I don't understand..."Makoto decided that it would be best for him if he assessed the situation first. He looked around the classroom he found himself in. It looked like an ordinary classroom, aside from the metal plates that are bolted to the windows. At least, he thinks they are covering the windows. The teacher's desk in unremarkable, too. There's also a television screen at the corner of the classroom. Weird. He doesn't remember seeing any televisions in any school he had attended in the past."Hmm...that's strange..." Makoto concluded. "I thought that since Hope's Peak Academy is said to be the most prestigious school in the world, the classrooms would be luxurious or something. I guess not..."There is one more thing that stands out to Makoto. On the desk in front of him, there is a crudely written note."Huh? What's that?" Makoto asked himself as he reached out to grab the paper. He then read the message written on it."Hey there, new kid!" the note read. "The next semester is starting soon. Meet up at the gym. Starting today, this school would be your whole world."Makoto is baffled upon reading the crudely written note. "What the...?" he said. "Is this some sort of joke? What kind of school would make their orientation guide this way? Hope's Peak Academy, you're not living up to your prestigious status."Makoto placed the note back down on the desk. He then stood up from the desk."Okay, I don't understand what's happening here," Makoto said. "First I enter the front doors of Hope's Peak Academy. Then, I pass out for some reason. And then, I found myself in a classroom with no memory of how I got here. How...? I can't think about this." He then thought about what to do next. "Okay, so it looks like orientation will begin in the gym, so I should head there next. There might be other students waiting for me there..."Makoto then opened the sliding doors of the classroom and ran out into the hallway.Day 1 - 12:03 PM Hallway, First Floor*WHAM*"Ah!"Okay, maybe Makoto should have paid attention to what was in front of him before running out of the classroom. Stupid him. Now he had hurt himself along with whoever he had run into."Ah, I'm so sorry!" Makoto apologized as he rubbed his head. "I didn't mean to-" He stopped himself upon realizing who he had ran into.The girl Makoto ran into has long, navy blue hair that reaches down to her hips. She wore a white school girl's uniform with a blue collar and cuffs. A large pink ribbon is tied around her collar. At her waist, there is a pleated blue skirt with a plaid pattern on it. Going down to the girl's legs, there is a pair of dark blue socks that reach up to her thighs, as well as a pair of dark brown Mary Jane shoes.Makoto could feel his heart race as he recognize who the girl is. Her fair skin, doll-like face, and that long blue hair...Makoto has seen that look many times before. The girl then opened her eyes, revealing that they are dark blue as well. This confirms Makoto's thoughts. He knew that he would meet her in this school, but he didn't expect this meeting to happen so soon.The blue-haired girl stared at Makoto with a bewildered look on her face. "Huh...?" she asked. Her voice sounded so soft and cute. "Why are you giving me that look?" She then realized who she had ran into. "Wait a second...are you...?""Uh..." Makoto grunted. He's struggling to find a way to introduce himself to the girl he just met. "I'm...""You're Makoto Naegi, right?" the blue-haired girl asked.Makoto was surprised to hear the blue-haired girl say his name. "W-What?" he gasped. "H-How did you know my name?"
Makoto Naegi - Ultimate Lucky Student
The blue-haired girl pondered for a moment to come up with a response. "I'm psychic," she bluntly said.Makoto was left confused by the response. He had no idea how to reply back.The blue-haired girl then smiled giggled. "I'm just kidding," she replied. "I looked up who my classmates are going to be, and I found your face among them. When I saw your face in person, I knew that I had to be you, Makoto."Of course, the list of students in Makoto's new class was available online. It is expected that some of his classmates have done the same thing as him beforehand.The blue haired girl then lifted herself up to her feet. She then offered her hand out to Makoto. "Here, take my hand," she said.Makoto was struggling to process his feelings. He was about to take the hand of this beautiful and cute girl. He hesitated to grab the blue-haired girl's hand. The blue-haired girl then reached out to grab his hand and pull him back up on his feet."There you go," the blue-haired girl said. "That's better. So, Makoto, you must recognize me too, right?"Makoto stared blankly at the blue-haired girl. "Uh..." he said."Come on," the blue-haired girl said, trying to nudge Makoto into saying her name. "I know that you know my name. Practically everyone knows who I am. Go on. Say my name.""Ah, right..." Makoto said as he felt his cheeks becoming warmer. "You're...Sayaka Maizono..."Sayaka smiled upon hearing her name. "Yep, that's right!" she said.
Sayaka Maizono - Ultimate Idol
Ah, the world famous Sayaka Maizono. Many boys Makoto's age would dream to have her as their girlfriend. Why wouldn't they? She's the top idol in all of Japan as of now. It didn't take much for Makoto to figure out why. Her beautiful face, her slender looking body, and the way she moves...it's all so mesmerizing. It helps that the way she is photographed makes her even more attractive. There's also that pleasant scent of hers that brings her attention.Makoto knows Sayaka personally. They once attended the same junior high school, although he's pretty sure that they never said a word to each other. He remembered attending Sayaka's concerts along with his sister Komaru. He once wished that he get to meet her up close and personal. And now...Well, this is probably not the time to look back at his history with Sayaka. There's probably things that need to be prioritized, such as finding out how the heck they got into this school and what's going on. Still, Makoto can't help but keep his eyes on Sayaka. She's just too beautiful to ignore, almost as if she's a doll..."Huh? Did you just call me a doll?" Sayaka asked.Makoto snapped out of his trance. "Huh?" he said. "Did I...say my thoughts out loud?""No," Sayaka replied."Then how did-?""I'm psychic," Sayaka said bluntly again.Just like last time, Makoto was left confused for a moment. "Huh...?" he said.Sayaka smiled and giggled again. "Kidding!" she said. "I just have really good intuition. I had a feeling you would see me that way."That girl is sharp, Makoto thought.Sayaka then thought about something else to talk about. The topic she choose really sounded like she was reading Makoto's mind. "By the way..." she began to say. "Did you really attend-"Before Sayaka could finish her question, someone shouted from down the hallway. "Hello? Is anyone there?"Makoto and Sayaka jumped upon hearing that voice."Ah!" Sayaka yelped. "W-Who said that?"Makoto turned around towards the source of the voice. He saw another student round the corner to face him and Sayaka. The student appears to be a boy with short black hair and red eyes. He's wearing a white school uniform with a red band wrapped around his arm. He appears to always have a serious look on his face.The serious looking boy turned around and spotted Makoto and Sayaka standing near the classrooms. "Ah! There you are!" he said as he marched towards them. "I've been looking for you two!""Huh? Who are you?" Makoto asked. "Are you a student here too?""I was about to ask you two the same question!" the serious looking boy said. "Are you two students?""Uh...yes..." Sayaka replied."Good!" the serious looking student said. "Now, tell me your names!""Uh..." Sayaka said, feeling unsure."Wait, hold on," Makoto said. "Would you mind if you introduce yourself first? We have no idea who you are."The serious looking boy paused for a moment before growing a smile on his face. "Ah, my apologies," he said. "I have never met you two in person before, so allow my to introduce myself! I am Kiyotaka Ishimaru! You may call me Taka for short!"
Kiyotaka Ishimaru - Ultimate Hall Monitor
Ah, Kiyotaka Ishimaru. Makoto remembers seeing his name on the forums. Based on his limited research, Kiyotaka has won top honors at the private school he attended. He is known as a hard working student with a perfect attendance record and perfect grades. He's basically the Ultimate Student, if Hope's Peak Academy allows such a title. Kiyotaka is well known for respecting the rules above all else. He has done great work at enforcing school rules in the hallways, which what gained him an Ultimate Title."Now, with that out of the way, how about you two introduce yourselves?" Kiyotaka asked."Ah, right," Sayaka said. "I'm Sayaka Maizono, the Ultimate Idol.""And I'm Makoto Naegi," Makoto said, "the Ultimate Lucky Student. At least, for this year..."Kiyotaka can't help but feel insulted by the way Makoto got into Hope's Peak Academy. "Luck, you say?" he asked. "You mean to tell me that you got into this school because of luck?""Well, all of the winners of that lottery never chose to participate in that," Makoto said. "There's no reason to complain."No reason to complain?!" Kiyotaka said, sounding increasingly angry. "I spent so much time working hard to get top honors at my old school. I worked so hard to gain my Ultimate Title and a place at this school! And you just get into this school...because you won at a lottery! That's...that's so insulting! You being here in an insult to everyone who had to work for their talents! If I were in control of this school when they made that decision, I would want it to be shut down immediately! But alas, that's how Hope's Peak Academy operates now. There's no changing it unless I became a staff member. Which I will be!""Um...speaking of staff members," Sayaka said, "where are they?"This reminded Makoto of something. "Ah, that's right," he said. "I don't remember seeing any teachers in this school. What's going on? Aren't there supposed to be staff members working at a school?"Kiyotaka thought about it for a moment and then sighed. "You're right..." he said. "I have not seen any staff members anywhere ever since I got here. I looked everywhere and I couldn't find them."Makoto turned around and saw another hallway that leads to another part of the school. It is blocked by a gate. Makoto walked up to the gate to try to open it. It's locked. "Maybe that's because we have a limited area to search in the first place," he suggested. "There might be more to this school beyond that gate...""Well, if that's the case, then some staff members would have come to rescue us by now!" Kiyotaka shouted. "Anyways, we've wasted enough time with this chatter. We'd better be heading to the gym. The entrance ceremony will be starting soon!""Hold on..." Makoto said. "If there's aren't any staff members in this school, then...who's hosting the entrance ceremony?"Kiyotaka blankly stared at Makoto for a moment. "I...don't know," he replied. "But that doesn't matter. We have to hurry. Now, let's go!"Makoto and Sayaka immediately started to run down the hallway towards where the gym presumably is. They were stopped by Kiyotaka shortly after that."Hey! No running in the halls!" Kiyotaka said.Makoto and Sayaka came to a sudden halt, with Makoto falling down on his face."Huh? Didn't you tell us to hurry up?" Sayaka asked as she looked behind her."I didn't mean for you two to run in the hallway," Kiyotaka said. "I meant for you two to just get to the gym as soon as possible. Gah, I spent too much time talking. I'm going right now." He then marched down the hallway back towards the gym.Sayaka watched as Kiyotaka matched away. She looked down at Makoto and crouched down. "Hey, are you okay, Makoto?" she asked."Ugh..." Makoto groaned in pain."That fall must've hurt, didn't it?" Sayaka asked. "Come on. Let me help you get back up." She grabbed Makoto and lifted him up to his feet.Makoto stumbled for a moment after Sayaka got him back on his feet. He quickly regained his footing and glanced at Sayaka. "Thanks," he said."You should be more careful," Sayaka said. "If you get hurt, treatment might not come for your help. We don't even know if there's any doctors in this school.""I think I'm going to be fine," Makoto replied as he rubbed his nose. "I'm used to having falls like this. They're nothing to worry about."Sayaka breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good," she said. "Now, how about we head to the gym right now? There might be others waiting for us there.""Right, let's get going," Makoto replied.Makoto and Sayaka then followed Kiyotaka towards the gym.
Day 1 - 12:15 PMEntrance Hall, First Floor
Well, Makoto and Sayaka were about to head to the gym, but they heard some commotion coming from the entrance hall. They grew curious about what's going on, so they decided to make a quick stop there to have a look.The entrance hall is a room with a large metal door at the opposite wall to the hallway door. Hanging above the metal door is a pair of surveillance cameras with turret guns attached to them. Off to the side is a metal box and a . It appears that Kiyotaka had heard the commotion as well, as he's there too. There are three other people who are checking the metal door: a redheaded boy, a man with a pompadour shaped like corn (if you value your life, don't say that about his hair), and a blonde girl.The redheaded boy has light blue eyes. He wears a white jacket, white shirt with a skull design on it, black jeans, and a pair of platform shoes. He is dressed pretty much like a punk, with a padlocked chain necklace, piercings, and studded belts. His hair has a lot of spikes clumped together, and there's a goatee under his chin.The pompadour man has purple eyes, with deep-ridged eye lines surrounding both of them. He wears a long, black overcoat with an ornate gold design on it, beneath which is a white tank top and baggy black pants. His shoes are a pair of white loafers. The pompadour man has a muscular build to him, empathized by his skintight tank top.The blonde girl has olive green eyes and wears a striped black suit, a white dress shirt, a black tie, a black skirt, and a pair of dress shoes. Her cheeks have permanent blush marks on them. There's something about this girl that spells trouble for some reason."There has to be a way to open this damn door," the redheaded boy said as he reached for the control panel. "What do all these buttons do? Does one of them open this door?""Come on..." the pompadour man said as he pounded on the metal door. "Open up already! Dammit...why won't you budge!" He ended up hurting his fist while pounding on the door. "Shit! Gah, my fingers...""What were you expecting?" the blonde girl asked. "You tried to open a metal door by punching it. What a small brained move. That's what I expect from a leader of a pathetic bike gang.""You piece of-!" the pompadour man said as he raised his fist to punch the blonde girl who insulted him. But he froze his fist before he could land the punch. His arm is shaking, as if he's struggling to bring himself to punch the blonde girl.The blonde girl grew a smug grin on her face. "Hah, I knew that you're pathetic," she said. "You might look strong, but your willpower is actually weak. You couldn't even bring yourself to punch a girl. Even if you could, you would still be in a lot of trouble. Do you realize who you're trying to hit?"The pompadour man tried his best to land his punch on the blonde girl, but he couldn't. "I...I..." he said."Hey!" Kiyotaka shouted. "What are you three doing here?"The three students who are checking the metal door turn their attention towards Kiyotaka."Huh?" the redheaded boy said. "Who the hell are you?""I'm Kiyotaka Ishimaru," Kiyotaka introduced himself. "Now, let's save the introductions for later. We'd better get to the gym as soon as-" He stopped himself upon noticing that the redheaded boy isn't paying attention to him. "Hey! Are you listening to me?"The redheaded boy ignored Kiyotaka and set his eyes on Sayaka. He let out a whistle. "Ooh boy," he said. "Look at what we have here." He walked up to Sayaka.Sayaka doesn't know why, but the redheaded boy brought her some discomfort. "Um...hi?" she greeted with an awkward smile. "Uh...who are you?""Oh, Maizono," the redheaded boy replied. "I've been waiting all year to meet you. Ever since I learned that you will my classmate, I knew that I had gotten an opportunity to meet you! Name's Leon Kuwata, by the way. 'Sup?"
Leon Kuwata - Ultimate Baseball Player
Makoto became confused upon hearing that name. "Huh? You're Leon Kuwata?" he asked."Yep, that's me," Leon replied. "Why'd you asked.""That's weird..." Makoto said. "I thought that I had seen a different person with the same name as you...?"Leon grew a concerned look on his face. "Wait, you didn't see that photo of me with the shaved head, did you?" he asked. "Aw man, I hate that photo! Out of all the photos this school had to choose, why did they choose that photo?! Gah, I hate that look. It's so uncool.""Why was your head shaved in that photo?" Makoto asked."Look, I didn't have a choice, okay?" Leon explained. "They made my shave my head as part of national tournament regulations or something. I hate those regulations. I'd rather let my hair grow out and never shave it again.""Kuwata!" Kiyotaka shouted. "How dare you disrespect the regulations of baseball! These people who made these rules have a point! It's highly uncomfortable to-""Dude! Who cares about the regulations?" Leon asked, rudely interrupting Kiyotaka. "I don't like playing baseball. I've never been into a single practice."Kiyotaka was baffled at Leon. "You've never been to a single practice?!" he asked. "How could you?! Practice is important! You may be the Ultimate Baseball Player, but that doesn't mean that you don't get to skip out on practicing. You'd better keep your skills sharp, or else someone might take your place at the top!"Sayaka grew uncomfortable when Kiyotaka said that.Leon slapped Kiyotaka away. "Like I said, I don't like playing baseball," he said. "I don't care about the sport anymore. I'm planning to quit. I have a new dream for my future.""A new dream...?" Makoto asked. "What dream?""I'm planning to get into the world of music!" Leon said with confidence. "That's right, my real passion is music! I want to become the Ultimate Musician or something. I'm gonna start my own band and I'll become successful! And it looks like my path to success is right in front of me."Leon locked his eyes on Sayaka, who just stared at him with a confused look."Huh?" Sayaka said as she pointed to herself. "Me?""Yeah, that's right!" Leon replied. "It's you, Maizono! You're the Ultimate Idol, right? You must be so successful, and I want that same success! So please tell me, what's your secret? How did you become so successful? And, can you teach me how to play music? You must know how to play an instrument, right?"Sayaka was unsure if she could help Leon achieve his new dream. "Uh..." she said."Don't listen to a word she says, Kuwata," the blonde girl said.Everyone's attention turned towards the blonde girl."Huh? Why not?" Leon asked."That blue-haired girl is probably trying to trick you," the blonde girl explained. "She'll use her charm to lure you into a trap. And then...wham! You're dead!""Hey!" Leon shouted angrily. "How's that relevant?! There's no way that a pure, innocent soul like Sayaka would do such a terrible thing, right?"The blonde girl grinned and chuckled."Hold on," Makoto said. "Who are you? We never got your name."The blonde girl gave Makoto a smug grin. "Me?" she began. "I'm not someone who should be trifled with. I'm the heiress to the largest yakuza clan in all of Japan. If you dare mess with me, then you're going to be in a world of trouble. I'm the one, the only, Natsumi Kuzuryu!"
Natsumi Kuzuryu - Ultimate Yakuza
For some reason, that name didn't ring a bell in Makoto's head. He could've sworn that he had looked up who his classmates will be beforehand, so why does that name not sound familiar? Oh well. It's probably not something to worry about too much.Kiyotaka let out a frustrated sigh. "Ugh, I'm wasting too much time here," he said. "Come on, everyone! We'd better get to the gym as soon as we can! The entrance ceremony will be starting soon!"Natsumi blew a raspberry. "Entrance ceremony?" she asked. "What entrance ceremony? No one told me that there would be an entrance ceremony!""Didn't we receive a note telling us to go to the gym?" Makoto asked.Leon glanced at Makoto with a puzzled look. "What note?" he asked."...Never mind," Makoto said.Kiyotaka decided that he had enough of this. "You know what?" he said. "I'm taking you two with me." He grabbed both Leon and Natsumi by the collar and dragged them out of the entrance hall."Hey! What the hell?!" Leon shouted. "What are you doing?!""Let go of me!" Natsumi shouted as she struggled to free herself. "This is not how you treat a woman! Hey! Stop it!"The remaining three students watched as Kiyotaka dragged Leon and Natsumi to the gym."Well...that's one way of getting students into the gym..." Sayaka remarked. "I think we should follow them. Sound good?"Makoto nodded his head. He and Sayaka were about to follow Kiyotaka when the pompadour man stopped them."Hey, wait a minute," the pompadour man said. "What about me? I didn't get to introduce myself.""Huh?" Makoto said as he and Sayaka looked behind them. "Oh, right. We almost forgot about you. Uh, what's your name?""Name's Mondo Owada," the pompadour man introduced himself. "Nice to meet ya..."
Mondo Owada - Ultimate Biker Gang Leader
Unlike with Natsumi, Mondo's name rung a bell in Makoto's head. He remembered Mondo from his research. Mondo is the leader of an infamous biker gang and has earned the respect of every other biker gang. Based on that alone, Makoto knew that he should be careful around Mondo. One wrong word and he might find himself eating a knuckle sandwich..."Well...uh...nice to meet you too..." Makoto replied, being very careful to not make Mondo angry. "Uh...let's get going. The others are waiting for us at the gym."Makoto and Sayaka then walked out of the entrance hall, with Mondo following them.
Day 1 - 12:24 PMGym, First Floor
Makoto, Sayaka, and Mondo made their way to the gym. On their way there, they passed by a few more points of interests. The student store is right across from the entrance hall, and there's an A/V room off to right. Turning left and heading down the hallway, the trio passed by the infirmary, some restrooms, and a set of stairs. The stairs are blocked by a metal gate, so they can't go that way yet. They then turned around and entered the athletics hallway. There's a lot to see in the athletics hallway, but this isn't the time to be checking them out. The doors to the gym are right in front of them, so they went there next.The gym is a large room with lines marking the various sports fields that can be played within it. At the sides of the gym are several rows of seats. At the back wall of the gym, there is a stage. The gym is mostly empty, having only 16 students occupying it. Most of them are taking to each other.Immediately upon entering the gym, Makoto, Sayaka, and Mondo can see Kiyotaka, Leon, and Natsumi in an argument. Leon and Natsumi look like they're not pleased with being forcefully dragged into the gym."What the hell, Ishimaru?" Leon complained. "Do you really have to do that?""Hey, I can get to this place all my myself!" Natsumi shouted."No, you can't," Kiyotaka said. "You two will probably fool around until the very last second. And then you two will become late to the entrance ceremony?"Natsumi blew another raspberry. "Excuse me?" she said. "Since when are we having an entrance ceremony?""It says so right on the note we got!" Kiyotaka said."What note?" Leon asked.The three of them then broke into a fierce argument. It's hard to tell what they're saying since they're shouting over each other."Hmm..." Sayaka said indistinctly. "It looks like not everyone got the note about the entrance ceremony."Makoto was surprised to hear that Sayaka figured out what Kiyotaka, Leon, and Natsumi are saying. "Huh?" he said. "How did you-?""I'm psychic," Sayaka said once again.This is third time Makoto has heard Sayaka pull off that joke. He could get used to this pretty soon. Mondo, on the other hand, seemed to be confused by this, as he had never heard the joke before."...The hell?" Mondo said as he raised an eyebrow.Sayaka giggled once again. "I'm kidding, of course," she said. "I just have good hearing. My ears are trained so that even if a crowd of people is shouting at once, I can pick up what one specific person is saying.""Uh-huh..." Makoto said. "I see..."As the argument between Kiyotaka, Leon, and Natsumi continues on, everyone in the gym began to turn their attention towards them. It was at this point that someone spoke up to break up the fight, as they're becoming an annoyance."Quiet, you three!" someone shouted.The voice made Kiyotaka, Leon, and Natsumi stop their argument. Everyone's attention then turned towards the source of the voice.The student who stopped the argument is a girl with long, lavender hair and purple eyes. A single braid tied with a black ribbon is hanging off the side of her head. Her outfit consists of a purple jacket over a white blouse and a brown tie. She also wears a dark purple skirt, a pair studded black gloves, and a pair of heeled knee-high boots with socks reaching just as high. She has a serious look on her face, maybe even more serious than Kiyotaka's face.The lavender-haired girl approached the three students who were arguing. "Listen, you three," she began. "This isn't the time to be arguing over trivial topics. We have more important things to discuss.""I agree with you!" Kiyotaka said. "Alright, everyone! It's time to discuss! We need to-""Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up," Makoto said."Naegi!" Kiyotaka scolded. "Didn't your parents tell you that it's rude to interrupt?"Makoto paused for moment to let out a sigh. "What I'm trying to say here is that I haven't met everyone yet," he said. "Can we please hold of the discussions until the introductions are done?""And besides, didn't you say that the entrance ceremony could be starting soon?" Sayaka added. "Why you chatting with the others?"Kiyotaka hesitated for a moment to try to come up with a response. "I...uh..." he said as he tried to find the right words. "I was just...trying to find a way to spend the time while waiting for the entrance ceremony to begin. Sure, that could start at any moment, but that doesn't mean that I shouldn't do something to pass the time. Right?"Makoto decided to ignore Kiyotaka and focus his attention on the lavender-haired girl. "Hey, excuse me for a moment," he began.The lavender-haired girl looked away from Makoto, almost as if she's ignoring him."Uh..." Makoto continued. "Could you please tell us what your name is?"The lavender-haired girl still didn't say anything."We're just curious, is all," Sayaka said. "Would you mind telling us who you are?"Without looking at Makoto or Sayaka, the lavender-haired girl gave a basic introduction. "My name is...Kyoko Kirigiri," she said.
Kyoko Kirigiri - Ultimate ???
Just like with Natsumi, Kyoko's name didn't ring a bell in Makoto's head. He doesn't remember seeing her name when looking up the list of his new classmates."So...uh...what are you doing in this school, Kirigiri?" Makoto asked. "Do you have a talent or something?"Kyoko gave a puzzled look to Makoto. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked."Well, you are here because you are considered the best in a certain field," Sayaka said. "Would you mind telling us what you're the best at?"Kyoko turned her head towards Sayaka, also giving her a puzzled look. "Why should I tell you?""You're not going to say anything, will you?" Kiyotaka asked.Kyoko let out a huff of air. "I *don't* have to say anything," she said. "So I won't."Makoto took this as a sign that he shouldn't bother Kyoko anymore. "Let's just move on to another student," he said. He turned to his side and began to walk away, only to bump into another person. The collision cause Makoto to stumble backwards."Makoto!" Sayaka gasped. She ran towards Makoto to catch him. "Are you alright?"Makoto groaned as he rubbed his head. "Not again..." he said."Oh hey look!" a man said. "A new student! It must be fate that we bumped into each other!"Everyone turned their attention to the man who spoke. The man has brown hair styled to resemble a sea urchin. He wears three layers of shirts: a yellow shirt, a white open button shirt, and a green jacket. The urchin-headed man's arms didn't go through his jacket's sleeves. The urchin-headed man also wore baggy black pants and a pair of sandals.Mondo raised an eyebrow upon seeing the urchin-headed man. "Huh? Who the hell are you?" he asked."Name's Yasuhiro Hagakure, Hiro for short!" the urchin-headed man introduced himself. "I'm a world famous fortune teller! Nice to meet you!"
Yasuhiro Hagakure - Ultimate Clairvoyant
Sayaka was confused when Yasuhiro claimed that he's a world famous fortune teller. "Huh? World famous?" she said. "I'm a world famous idol. Practically everyone knows who I am. So...why haven't I heard of you before?""Ah, you must be comparing apples to oranges, miss," Yasuhiro replied. "The fortune telling world is a lot different than the world you came from. Practically everyone in the fortune telling world knows each other! That's what makes me world famous!"None of the students bought that.Yasuhiro then began to see a vision of the future. At least, the students think he's doing that based on what he said next."Ooh, I think I saw something in your future!" Yasuhiro said."Huh? My future?" Sayaka asked."Hmm...let's see..." Yasuhiro said as he took a glimpse at Sayaka's future. He then cringed. "Ooh...that looks painful...""What?" Sayaka asked. "What is it?""Uh...it might be a painful process," Yasuhiro said, "but you're going to bring new life into this world soon!"Everyone was stunned into silence for a moment."...What?" Sayaka said."Wait, wait, wait," Makoto said. "What the heck does that mean?"Kiyotaka became shocked upon realizing what Yasuhiro meant. "Oh no..." he said.Makoto turned around towards Kiyotaka. "What is it?" he asked."You're not telling me...that Maizono is going to have a baby?!" Kiyotaka said, raising his voice in the second half. "How could you say that?! She's a teenager! Girls shouldn't be having children this early on into their life!""Hey, I'm just saying that she's going to have baby eventually," Yasuhiro replied. "Oh, and by the way, I have a feeling that something bad is going to happen to you in the future."Kiyotaka became shocked by this. "What?!" he shouted.Yasuhiro then turned his attention towards Makoto. "And...uh...bad news little guy," he said. "It looks like...you're going to discover an uncomfortable truth about a close friend you made...""E-Excuse me?!" Makoto shouted.Kyoko stepped forward to confront Yasuhiro. "Hold it right there, Hagakure," she said. "What's with these predictions you're making? Don't these sound ridiculous?""Hey, hey, easy there!" Yasuhiro said as he put his arms in front of him. "I'm just making predictions, alright. They're right 30% of time, every time!"Kyoko gave Yasuhiro a puzzled look. "That doesn't make sense," she said."If that's the case, then I really hope that the thing about Maizono having a baby doesn't come true..." Kiyotaka said."Well I sure hope that it's true that Maizono is about to have a baby!" Leon said excitedly, drawing disapproving attention from the others. "By the way, who's going to be the father of Maizono's baby? I hope that's it me.""Hey!" Kiyotaka shouted. "What part of 'not letting teenagers have children' did you not understand?!""My brother would never approve of this!" Natsumi said. "He hates it when he sees teenagers doing adult things!""Quiet, you two!" Yasuhiro said. "I'm trying to get a read on this girl's future.""Who? Kirigiri?" Makoto asked.Yasuhiro tried his best to look into Kyoko's possible future, but then gave up soon afterwards. "Ugh, it's no use," he said. "All I'm getting is a foggy image. I can't tell what your future is going to be."Kyoko sighed. "It's not like I believed in fortune telling in the first place..." she said.Yasuhiro then turned his attention to the remaining students that he haven't gotten a future reading on. "Although...I do have a good idea on what you three's future will be like," he said. "Let's see...the redhead will find himself in a life-or-death situation by someone he calls a friend...""Yeah, yeah, that's cool..." Leon said, paying little attention to Yasuhiro's predictions. Then he realized that Yasuhiro probably meant him in that prediction. "Wait...what?""The blonde girl will see her entire family crumble..." Yasuhiro continued.Natsumi became angered by that prediction. "What did you just say?!" she said. "How dare you say that my family will crumble! Do you even know what my family is? I am the heiress to the Kuzuryu Clan! There's no way it will crumble! It's too big to fall!"Yasuhiro ignored Natsumi as he made his prediction for Mondo's future. "And that corn-headed man will see the one he calls his brother die," he said.Mondo became ticked off when he heard what Yasuhiro called him. "What the shit did you just call me?!" he roared."Hey, I'm just warning you," Yasuhiro said. "You will see your brother figure-"Mondo wouldn't let Yasuhiro finish. He lunged towards the fortune teller and grabbed him by the collar. "Nobody calls my hair corn and gets away with it!" he roared."What?" Yasuhiro asked. "What do you mean? Your hair totally looks like corn!""Shut up!" Mondo shouted. "I don't want to hear that word ever again! And that prediction you just made...how dare you say that to me!"The students began to become nervous as Mondo's anger grew. They felt like someone had to intervene before this escalates into something terrible. Luckily, someone came in right before Yasuhiro could get hurt."Enough of this!" a man shouted.Mondo halted his actions as he and everyone else turned to the source of the voice.The man who stopped Mondo is a tall man with a lean figure. He has messy black hair and stormy gray eyes. He wears a white dress shirt, a black tie with red decals, black pants, and a pair of slippers. His face is both apathetic and drained.The black-haired man walked up to Mondo and Yasuhiro. He set his eyes on Mondo first. "You sir, drop Hagakure immediately," he ordered."Don't you dare tell me what to do," Mondo said with a growl in his voice."You're letting your anger take control of you," the black-haired man said. "Stop it. You must be more aware of your emotions.""But..." Mondo tried to say.The black-haired man gave a menacing glare, which made Mondo drop Yasuhiro down to the floor. Yasuhiro breathed a sigh of relief, but his woes have yet to end. The black-haired man then turned his attention on him as well."And Hagakure..." the black-haired man continued, "enough of your pseudoscience bullshit. I had enough it.""What?!" Yasuhiro gasped. "How dare you insult my talent! Don't you realize how hard I had worked to earn my talent?""People like you are all the same," the black-haired man said. "They're all preachers of pseudoscience who manipulate unaware people into falling for their lies. As a doctor, I won't let anyone fall for your pseudoscience.""Hey!" Yasuhiro shouted. "Don't you dare look down on an adult. I'm older than you!""Wait, you're older than all of us?" Makoto asked.The black-haired man sighed and shook his head. "You may be old," he said, "but being old doesn't always mean that you're wise. From what I've heard, you were held back a couple of times."Yasuhiro tried to open his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the black-haired man."And don't even bother trying to argue against me," the black-haired man said. "You've already lost."Yasuhiro couldn't find anything else to say in response to the black-haired man. So he threw his arms into the air. "Gah!" he yelled as he walked away.Seeing that his job is done, the black-haired man began to walk away. Makoto became curious about who the black-haired man is, so he decided to follow him, with Sayaka trailing behind him. Before they could reach him, a girl with strawberry-blonde hair tied into two big pigtails walked up to the black-haired man and wrapped her arm around him. The girl wears a black cardigan, a white tie with a black polka dot pattern, a short skirt, a pair of boots. Her eyes are ice blue and her face is dotted with freckles. Her pigtails are held in place by two hair ties: one of them is a rabbit and the other is a large black and white bow."Wow, Yasuke," the girl with the big pigtails said with a big smile on her face. "You really did a great job making a fool out of that fortune teller!" Her cheerful expression quickly turned into a deadpan one. "Seriously, I hate that man's guts."Makoto became curious about the girl with the big pigtails as well. "Um, excuse me," he said. "Who are you two?"The girl with the big pigtails heard Makoto's voice and turned her head towards him. "Oh, ciao!" she greeted. "I didn't see you two, so I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Junko Enoshima!"
Junko Enoshima - Ultimate Fashionista
"And this here is my boyfriend: Dr. Yasuke Matsuda!" Junko continued. "Say hi, Yasuke!"Yasuke glanced at Makoto and Sayaka for a brief moment. He turned his gaze away from them and sighed.
Yasuke Matsuda - Ultimate Neurologist
"Ah, Junko Enoshima," Sayaka said. "I remember you! We once met each other during a photo shoot, right?"Junko looked at Sayaka with a confused look on her face. "Uh...what?" she said."Oh, right..." Sayaka said upon realizing it. "You probably don't remember it because you've been to so many photo shoots. It's fine. We can be friends now that we're classmates. From what I've heard, you became popular because of your...uh...interesting fashion tastes...""Oh yeah!" Junko said upon being reminded of her specialty. "That's right! I specialize in western fashion! Hey, you should try out these cool western fashion trends. I think you look great in them!""Yeah...I'll pass," Sayaka replied.Makoto can't help but feel like something's a bit...off about Junko. "Uh...Enoshima?" he began to ask."Yeah?" Junko said. "What is it?""Don't you look a little...different than those magazine covers?" Makoto asked.Junko rolled her eyes. "Ugh, those covers with photos of me..." she said. "You know, take this as a lesson to not expect celebrities to look the same in person as they are in photos. These photos of them are probably edited to hell and back. It's a totally normal thing.""Well, at least I look the same in person as I am in photos," Sayaka added.Junko squinted her eyes as she glared at Sayaka. "Don't lie, Maizono," she said. "You know that there are photo editors are your agency who will make you look as attractive as possible in these photos of yours.""But-" Sayaka tried to say."Enough of this," Yasuke said. "Junko, stop talking to these two. I'm already getting tired...""Oh...right..." Junko said. "Well, it was nice getting to talk to you two. I look forward to the next time we'd get to talk. Ciao!"Makoto and Sayaka then walked away from Junko and Yasuke. They searched the gym for more people to meet."Hmm...let's see..." Makoto said. "Who's next?"The next student Makoto and Sayaka meet is a big, round boy with legs that look a bit too small to be able to support a body this large. His hair as a spike at the top, just like with Makoto. The round boy wears a pair of thick-rimmed glasses, a white shirt, a gray cardigan, dark gray pants, and gray shoes. There's also an orange backpack hanging off of his back."What's your name?" Makoto asked.The round boy adjusted his glasses. "Ah, I see that you have taken an interest in me," he said. "Most people would have run away from me as soon as they see what I look like. People these days. Why can't they appreciate fat people? They're human too, not some horrifying creature!""But these people do have a point," Sayaka said. "I'm concerned at how...heavy you are...""Shut up!" the round boy said. "This is my body! I get to do whatever I want with it! Although, I've got to admit, this is partially out of my control, but let's not drag down the mood too much. From now on, you may call me The Alpha and the Omega!"The name of the round boy sounded a bit too cumbersome to say in any normal conversation. Makoto and Sayaka have a feeling that the round boy has a real name they could use instead."Is that your pen name or something?" Makoto asked. "Do you have a real name?""Yeah, that one's my pen name," the round boy said with a sigh. "But if you want my real name, then it's Hifumi Yamada. I don't mind if you say my real name."
Hifumi Yamada - Ultimate Fan Creator
"By the way, have you two ever delve into the world of fan fiction?" Hifumi asked. "I must say, the things the fan creates are as impressive as the official content, maybe even more! There's a surprisingly high demand for fan created content, by the way. One time, 10,000 copies of my fan comic at a school festival.""10,000 copies?!" Makoto and Sayaka shouted at the same time."Those numbers might seem unimpressive," Hifumi said, "but they're actually quite high by fan fiction standards. Most fan creators can only dream of getting even a thousand views of their works. I'd like to say more, but it looks like we still have some students to introduce to you two. I'm looking down the list, and I can tell that there are five students left.""What?" Makoto asked in confusion."Never mind," Hifumi replied. "Just move on..."Makoto and Sayaka were left confused at how Hifumi was able to do that. They swore that they didn't saw him with a list of students. It's probably best for them if they don't think about it too much, though. Makoto and Sayaka went to the remaining five students to meet them.The next pair of students Makoto and Sayaka met are two girls who are talking to each other. The two girls are vastly different sizes. The bigger girl has a large and muscular build. Her skin is dark and has scars of the face and shoulders. She has long, white hair and pale blue eyes. Her outfit is a typical schoolgirl's uniform, resized to fit her body. Her limbs are wrapped in bandages.The shorter girl appears to be around the same height as Makoto, not counting the curled ponytail that's sticking up. The first thing Makoto can see about the shorter girl is her big...breasts. The busty girl has tanned skin, brown hair, and blue eyes. Her outfit consists of a white tank top, a red tracksuit jacket, blue shorts, a pair of knee length socks, and a pair of green sneakers. There's a red knee brace on her right leg.The two girls turn their attention to Makoto and Sayaka as they approached them. The busty girl seems to be excited to see them."Oh, hey you two!" the busty girl greeted. Her voice is filled with energy. "Good to meet you two! I'm Aoi Asahina! But my friends usually call me Hina, so you can call me that if you want."
Aoi Asahina - Ultimate Swimmer
"Ah, I've heard about you before, Hina," Sayaka said. "You've been chosen as a candidate for the upcoming Olympic Games because of your swimming abilities, right?"Hina performed a couple of stretches. "Yep, that's me," she said. "I'm still a little young, though, so it will be a few more years before I could participate in the next Olympic Games, or any other international swimming competitions. Oh, and by the way, don't let my title fool you! I'm actually quite good at many sports! It's just that swimming happens to be the one I'm the best at.""I see..." Sayaka replied.Hina then glanced at Makoto and noticed that he's...not looking at her face. "Huh? What are you looking at?" she asked.Makoto snapped himself to look at Hina in the face. "Ah, sorry about that," he apologized. "It's just that...I've been hearing discussions about your body as well as your sports performance..."Hina placed her hands on her breasts. "What, you talking about these things?" she said. "Yeah, I must say, my body is a bit unconventional in the world of sports. These things tend to get in the way when I try to play sports. But I managed to work through that limitation and became quite good at many sports.""That's...interesting..." Makoto said. He then looked at the giant girl Hina was talking too. "And...who's that right there?"Hina turned towards the giant girl. "Oh, that one?" she asked. "She's a friend I've made here in this school. She's Sakura Ogami, the Ultimate Martial Artist. She may not look like it, but she's actually kind and gentle! Say hi, Sakura!"The girl named Sakura looked down at Makoto and Sayaka. She made a soft grunting sound.
Sakura Ogami - Ultimate Martial Artist
Makoto was unsure if Hina was right about Sakura. From his limited research on the forums, the posters told him to avoid her at all costs. Looking at Sakura now, these forum posters might have a point. Sakura's big, imposing figure...it might look like she could crush him with her bare hands. How could she be kind and gentle?Oh well. There's probably more to Sakura than meets the eye.Sakura looked at Makoto and began to prod his body with her finger."Hey!" Makoto yelped as he was being prodded. "Ah! What was that for!"Sayaka gasped in horror upon seeing Makoto being prodded. "Makoto!" she cried."Relax," Hina assured. "Sakura is just doing a body assessment. Your friend will be fine! By the way, what's his name""Makoto Naegi," Sayaka replied.Hina paused for a moment to let the name sink in. "Hmm...yeah..." she said. "Interesting name. So...how do you spell that name?"Sayaka was stunned to hear that Hina find it difficult to spell out someone's name. How could Hina forget how to spell? Japanese names are easy to write...in hiragana at least. Kanji, on the other hand, is a lot more complicated. It's understandable to forget how to write kanji, but not so much with hiragana.Sakura finished the assessment on Makoto's body and stopped prodding him. "Hmm..." she said as she made her conclusion. "Your body...it's lacking in muscles. Your strength, stamina, durability...it's all below average.""Ugh...that's what I expect..." Makoto said, groaning in discomfort from all the prodding. "I was never good in any sports..."After finishing her assessment of Makoto, Sakura moved on to assess Sayaka's body. Just like with Makoto, Sayaka found the process to be uncomfortable."Ow!" Sayaka yelped. "Hey! Stop...poking me there!"Sakura then finished the assessment on Sayaka's body. "Hmm...your stamina seems high, but your durability is low," she said. "I would advise that you try to not get yourself hit.""Well, that was an interesting assessment," Hina remarked. "I'd thought that you two would be tougher, but I guess not. Oh well. That means that you two have the potential to become strong with training. I look forward to exercising with you two. See ya later!"With two more students having been met, Makoto and Sayaka moved on to the last few students.The next student Makoto and Sayaka talked to is a gothic looking girl. Her skin appears to be even paler than even Sayaka's skin. Her hair is black with a pair of large pigtails that resemble drills, and her eyes are red. She wears a bonnet on her head, a white blouse with a red tie, a black jacket, a black multilayered skirt with white laces, a pair of knee high socks with white laces, and a pair of dark red Mary Jane shoes. There's also a pair of plated metal rings on both of her index fingers."Hello," the gothic girl greeted. "I not not believe we have met before. Very well. I shall introduce myself. I am Celestia Lundenberg, Celeste for short."
Celestia Ludenberg - Ultimate Gambler
Makoto tried his best to pronounce Celeste's name. "Celestia...Luden..." he tried to say, only to give up partway. "I...I just can't...""That name sounds hard to pronounce," Sayaka said. "Would you mind telling us your name again?""It's Ludenberg," Celeste said. "Celestia Ludenberg. Remember that well. Although, if you do find that name too much for you, then I am fine with being called Celeste.""Celeste..." Sayaka said. "Yeah, got it. That sounds much easier. Thank you for telling us that."Makoto can't help but feel a bit suspicious around Celeste. "Um...Celeste?" he began to ask."Yes?" Celeste replied."Are you...Japanese?" Makoto asked."Hmm?" Celeste said, raising an eyebrow. "Why did you ask me that?""Celestia Ludenberg..." Makoto muttered. "That doesn't sound a name a Japanese person would have, right?""Why, of course," Celeste replied. "I am a foreign exchange student from Germany.""Germany?" Makoto asked. "I don't remember hearing about any foreign exchange student coming to this school for the school year...""Your memory must be messing with you," Celeste replied. "Of course I am a foreign exchange student. Is there a problem with that?""I don't have a problem with that," Makoto replied. "I'm just asking... What's your real name?""How many times do I have to tell you?" Celeste asked. "My name is-""Don't listen to a word she says," another person said."What?" Makoto said in shock. "That's your real name?""No, I think another person is talking..." Sayaka said, looking towards the source of the voice.Makoto and Celeste turned to where Sayaka is looking. Just ahead of them, there is a tall man with blond hair and teal eyes. He wears glasses over his eyes, a black suit, a white shirt with a crossing blue tie, black pants, and a pair of black dress shoes."Who are you?" Makoto asked.The tall man glared at Makoto. He looked like he was about to introduce himself when something caught his attention. He shifted his gaze off to the size. "Would you stop giving me that look, you filthy pest?"The three students turn to where the tall man is looking. They saw a girl with purple hair tied into two braids. She also has gray eyes covered with large, round glasses. Her outfit is a purple schoolgirl's uniform with a long skirt. She appears to be nervous.Makoto grew curious about the nervous girl. "And who might you be?" he asked.The nervous girl looked at Makoto for a moment before turning her eyes away. "I-I'm...Toko..." she said. "Toko Fukawa."
Toko Fukawa - Ultimate Novelist
Makoto recognized that name from the covers of a few novels. He remembered the time when "So Lingers the Ocean" was published and became a massive hit among women. He had never read the book, but based on the reviews, he can guess that it's quite a good read. And Toko wrote it at such a young age. Not many people can claim to have written a bestseller when they are still in high school. It's no wonder that Toko was invited into Hope's Peak Academy as the Ultimate Novelist.Toko gave a suspicious look at everyone who's staring at her. "W-What are you all looking at me for?" she asked. "S-Stop staring like I'm some filthy creature!""That's because you are one," the tall man said. "You never seem to keep your eyes off me."Toko began to squeal for some reason. "H-He acknowledged me!" she said.The others can't help but feel weirded out by Toko's reactions."That girl is...weird..." Sayaka said."I must say, there's a lot one can learn from meeting someone in person," Celeste remarked. "No one would have imagined that the author of 'So Lingers the Ocean' would be so obsessive over the heir to the Togami Conglomerate.""What did you say?" Makoto asked.The man let out a sigh. "Well, guess I should introduce myself," he said. "I'll make this quick. My name is Byakuya Togami."
Byakuya Togami - Ultimate Scion
"Now, enough with the introductions," Byakuya said. "Time to get down into business."Makoto became confused when Byakuya skipped the introduction. "What?" he said. "But we didn't-""Enough chatter," Byakuya said. "This is not the time to be walking around making friends. We have a bigger problem in our hands."Makoto was disappointed to not get to know Byakuya better. But he decided to go with what Byakuya was planning, as he had the exact same thoughts."Okay..." Makoto said. "So...what were we supposed to talk about, again?""Makoto, we bumped into each other outside the classrooms, remember?" Sayaka asked."Yeah," Makoto replied. "What about it?""You woke up in one of the classrooms, right?" Sayaka asked."I think so," Makoto replied."Well, the same happened to me," Sayaka said. "I woke up in the classroom next door."Makoto was surprised to hear that. "Whoa, really?" he said."Yeah, the same happened to everyone else," Leon said as he and the rest of the students joined the discussion. "We were all on our way to Hope's Peak Academy when suddenly, we lost consciousness as soon as we stepped into the entrance hall! And when we woke up, we found ourselves somewhere in the school, with no idea how we got there!""That's not all," Kiyotaka added. "Does anyone remember what the windows look like? They were all covered in big metal plates. We can't see outside!""And that metal door at the entrance hall..." Leon said. "I don't remember passing though a damn metal door when I entered Hope's Peak Academy! I tried to find a way to open it with the control panel, but it looks like it's just for show.""The metal door is tough as hell," Mondo added. "I tried punching it, but it wouldn't budge...""What did you expect?" Natsumi asked. "It's a metal door! You can't punch through that!""Actually, I've heard of some people that can bend metal by punching them," Sakura corrected. "However, the metal door might be incredibly thick. I doubt that we can punch through it, and I'm not willing to break my own fingers trying that out.""Everything about this place is so strange..." Kiyotaka concluded. "What is going on here?!""Could we be...kidnapped by someone?" Junko suggested."No, no, you've got it all wrong," Yasuhiro said. "I bet this is all part of the school's orientation procedure. I'm sure of it.""What kind of school would pull of a stunt like this, though?" Yasuke asked. "I thought that this is Hope's Peak Academy. They shouldn't be doing something like this to incoming students. Is this even Hope's Peak Academy?""And come to think of it...where's the opening ceremony?" Kiyotaka asked as he checked his watch. "It's past 1 PM! It should have started minutes ago. Why hasn't it starting yet?"Right after Kiyotaka asked that question, everyone began to hear a strange voice coming from the school's intercom system."Ahem, ahem!" the voice said. It sounded shrill. "Testing, testing! Mic check! Can everyone hear me? Good, the intercom system is working. Now, has everyone arrived at the gym? Good. Now then, let's get things rolling!"Everyone looked at each other after the shrill voice ended."W-What was that?" Sayaka asked."I don't know..." Makoto replied.Hina then saw something move on the stage. "Everyone!" she shouted, pointing her finger towards the stage. "Look!"Everyone turned their eyes towards the stage at the back of the gym. There's a table with the crest of Hope's Peak Academy on it. A microphone is placed on it. Suddenly, a stuffed bear popped out of the floor and landed on the table. The bear is divided into two halves down the middle, with one side being white and the other being black. The white side has a beady black eye, while the black side has a jagged red eye and a wide, evil-looking grin. On the middle, there is a white snout and a white belly with a belly button sticking out of it. Both the snout and the belly were not affected by the division. Looking at the bear as a whole, it resembles a yin-yang symbol.From that point onward, nothing about everyone's lives would ever be the same.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Day 1 - 1:05 PMGym, First Floor
Everyone was left confused upon seeing the bear. It's hard to take it seriously when it resembles a teddy bear."...What the hell?" Yasuke said. "What's this? A teddy bear?""Aw, that teddy bear looks cute," Junko said. "Can I keep it?"The bear became angry upon being called a teddy bear. "I am not a teddy bear," the bear said. "I am not just a toy! I am Monokuma, your friendly neighborhood headmaster of this school!"
Monokuma - The Headmaster
Most of the students freaked out upon hearing the bear speak."GAH!" Hifumi screamed. "I-It can talk!""This must be the work of the supernatural!" Yasuhiro shouted.Natsumi rolled her eyes upon seeing the students' reaction to Monokuma. "What? Are you all scared of some toy?" she said mockingly. "What a bunch of wimps.""Calm down, everyone," Kiyotaka said. "I'm sure that toy only spoke because there's a speaker inside it. There's no need to worry!"Monokuma grew angrier when he sees that the students still doesn't get it. "I already told you guys," he said as he waved his arms around. "I am not a toy! I am Monokuma, this school's headmaster!""WAH!" Hifumi screamed. "It can move!""What kind of sorcery is this?!" Yasuhiro asked."Seriously, everyone!" Kiyotaka yelled. "Calm down! It's probably just a remote controlled toy."Monokuma can't believe that none of the students are taking him seriously. "How many times to I have to tell you all?!" he said with furious tone in his voice. "I. Am. Not. A. Toy! I'm Monokuma, the headmaster! Gah, I can't believe that you guys treated me like I'm some child's plaything. You all just got into this school and already you've left some very bad impressions on me!"Yasuhiro became increasingly frightened as Monokuma continue to speak. "W-What kind of toy...is this?" he asked.Monokuma became ticked off yet again. "Again?!" he shouted. "Do I have to hammer this fact into all of your heads? 'Cause I won't ever again! My internal remote control systems are so complex, no one, not even the folks over at JAXA, will be able to comprehend me!"Kiyotaka gave a blank stare at Monokuma. "D-Did you just insult our country's space agency?" he asked."Yes," Monokuma replied. "Yes I did."At this point, Kiyotaka gave up in seeing Monokuma as a toy. "Okay, I'll admit it," he said with a pained tone in his voice. "You're not a toy. Got it..."Monokuma then began his speech. "Alright, we've wasted enough time already," he said. "Time to get this entrance ceremony started! Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to Hope's Peak Academy! Now then, let's first talk about what your school life will be like from now on. Make no mistake, you students represent the hope of the world! That's why you're here in this school. But sometimes, the outside world is not a welcoming place for students like you. So to protect this hope, you must all live a communal life together within the confines of this school. Everyone will live in harmony while abiding by the rules."Leon raised an eyebrow when Monokuma mentioned the rules. "Rules?" he asked. "What rules? I don't care about any damn rules!""But we need rules in order to live in harmony with each other," Kiyotaka said. "Speaking of rules, what are they?""I'll get to that later," Monokuma replied. "Now as for when this communal life will end..." He paused to lower his head and sighed. "Well, I hate to break it to you all, but there is no end to this communal life."Everyone became shocked when they heard the news."What?!" Kiyotaka gasped."There's no end?" Makoto asked.Sayaka shivered and pulled her arms closer to her. "W-Wait a second..." she said. "Are you saying...that we're going to live here...until we die?!""Yep, that's right!" Monokuma replied. "You're all going to live in Hope's Peak Academy until the day you die...whenever that is."Everyone began to have questions about their new life in Hope's Peak Academy."Wait, what about food?" Hina asked. "How are we supposed to get food? Ugh...I feel so hungry. I could really grab a bite...""Oh, don't worry about the food situation," Monokuma assured. "We have an abundant budget, so essential things shouldn't be a concern.""What about sleep?" Yasuke asked. "Isn't that a concern, too?""We've got that covered as well!" Monokuma replied. "You see, there are dorm rooms for each and every one of you, each of which are decorated to your personal tastes. Oh, and by the way, illnesses and minor injuries shouldn't be a concern, considering that you're a doctor.""I'm a neurologist," Yasuke corrected. "I specialize in studying and treating brain disorders, not treating injuries.""Well, a doctor is a doctor, right?" Monokuma replied. "As long as he's here, none of you guys will have to worry about treatment not coming!"Yasuke can't help but feel irritated at the oversimplification of the field of medicine."But what about our families?" Makoto asked. "We all have families who are waiting for us outside this school!"Monokuma gave a blank stare at Makoto for a moment. "Well, I hate to break it to you..." he said, "but...your families won't be seeing you again.""What?!" Makoto gasped."T-That's so horrible!" Sayaka added."What do ya mean we can't see our families again?!" Mondo shouted."Did you guys see what the windows are like?" Monokuma asked. "Were they...completely covered in metal plates?"Everyone began to recall the metal plates they saw around the school. They slowly began to realize the purpose of these metal plates."Just to let you all know," Monokuma continued, "you guys are all cut off from the outside world. You're all completely trapped within this school. You can cry for help all you want. Help will never come to you.""Oh no..." Sayaka muttered.Natsumi rolled her eyes. "Oh please," she said. "You guys are taking this far too seriously. This is probably some cruel joke make to freak us out.""Yeah, she's right!" Leon said in agreement. "I don't care who is responsible for this, it's not funny! This is a bad joke taken too far!""Cut this shit out already!" Mondo demanded. "Let us go!"Monokuma laughed at the students who are skeptical of this. "Ah, you skeptics must see what I'm doing as some kind of joke, aren't you?" he asked. "What a bunch of fools. But I guess you can't help it. You guys must be raised in an age where you can't take anything for granted. Every ridiculous event that has ever happened...your first reaction is to assume that it's not real, that it's all a lie. I will assure you, however, that all of this is real. I am not making any of this up. You guys are all trapped in Hope's Peak Academy, forced to live within it until the day you die, whenever that day is."Everyone became incredibly worried. They don't want to believe it, but it's true. They're stuck in Hope's Peak Academy for the rest of their lives. Sure, it sounds like a nice place to live in and all of the essential amenities are covered. But without being able to go outside, they will surely grow bored of this place eventually. This place has become a gilded cage for everyone: luxury without freedom.At this point, Kyoko began to notice that Monokuma worded something in a specific way. "Wait a second..." she said upon realizing it. "You said that we're forced to live in Hope's Peak Academy until the day we die, and our date of death is ambiguous. Would you mind if you elaborate on that?""Ah, so you've figured it out, haven't you?" Monokuma said. "Yes, of course I said that. You're all forced to live in this school for the rest of your lives. However, there is another way to leave this school.""And what's that?" Kyoko asked."As the headmaster of this school," Monokuma began to explain, "I shall create a special clause for those who would like to leave this school. I call it, the Graduation Clause.""The Graduation Clause?" Yasuke asked. "What does that mean?""Recall how I told you guys to live a communal life in this school," Monokuma said. "I told you all that you should live in harmony with each other. That's how things are supposed to go normally. However, if someone were to disrupt that harmony, they are allowed to leave this school. That is my Graduation Clause."The vague wording left everyone wondering what Monokuma meant."What do you mean by 'disrupting the harmony'?" Byakuya asked. "I'm not planning to live in harmony with these commoners.""Oh, you know," Monokuma said before dropping the next part casually. "Murdering someone."It took everyone a moment to take it all in. Then, everyone began to panic."M-Murder?!" Makoto gasped in shock."Stabbing, cleaving, bludgeoning, drowning, burning, blowing up, poisoning, the list goes on!" Monokuma said. "I don't care how you do it. If you want to leave this school, you must murder someone. It's as simple as that.""N-No..." Sayaka said as her entire body shivered. "N-No way...""You have got to be shitting me..." Mondo growled."This is just blasphemy..." Yasuke said. "This is madness! Murdering someone...taking away someone's life...just to leave this school... This is just wrong on so many levels!""Madness?" Monokuma asked. He paused for a moment before raising his voice. "This. is. MY! WORLD! You cannot defy me in my world! This is your new reality now! There's only one way for you to escape this school, and that's to murder someone! Try your best to find another way to escape! It's not gonna work!! And don't you dare defy me! It will never work out!"Everyone was left frozen in silence. They can't believe the game that they're playing. A game of life and death, where they have to sacrifice someone if they want to escape this school. Nobody wants to believe it, but what Monokuma said is true. This is their reality now. They can try their best to accept it, or die trying.Mondo appears to be reaching his breaking point. He has his head down, with his gaze pointed to the floor. His fists are shaking with extreme anger, but he looks like he's trying his best to contain it."You asshole..." Mondo muttered.Monokuma heard what Mondo said and tilted his head. "Huh?" he said. "What did you just call me?"Mondo lifted his head to face Monokuma. "Listen up, asshole!" he shouted. "This shit has been taken too far! What kind of cruel joke is this?!""Eh?" Monokuma said. "What are you talking about, Corn Head?"That's it. Mondo had enough. "You piece of shit..." he said in a quiet voice before exploding into a full blown anger. "YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Mondo ran towards the stage and grabbed Monokuma by the neck."Hey, hey!" Monokuma shouted as he flailed his limbs around. "Let me go!""You piece of shit," Mondo said once again. "Do you think you can get away with calling me that?! That's it, I'm done with this game! I'll rip you to shreds!" He then began to beat Monokuma up."Ow!" Monokuma yelped. "Hey! Knock it off!"Everyone watched as Mondo punched Monokuma senselessly, hearing Monokuma yelp with each punch. After a while, Monokuma stopped yelping, and Mondo stopped soon after that.Mondo brought Monokuma up to his face. "Ha, take that, you stupid bear!" he said. "Was that enough for you?"Monokuma was limp as Mondo held him. He didn't say anything."What?" Mondo asked. "Got no more comebacks?"Monokuma didn't say anything again. Then, he began to make a beeping noise."A beeping noise?" Mondo asked. "Is that all you've got? Come on! Say something, dammit!"The beeping began to go faster. At this point, everyone registered that Monokuma is a bomb that is about to explode. Everyone began to panic.Sayaka grabbed Makoto and jumped away from Mondo. She dove to the floor, taking Makoto down with her. Then, she had Makoto land on top of her. "Ahhh!" she screamed. "Makoto! Protect me!""Whoa!" Makoto yelped as he fell down on top of Sayaka. "Sayaka? What are you doing?"Meanwhile, Junko hid behind Yasuke, who was slowly backing away from Mondo."Yasuke, I'm so scared..." Junko said. "Protect me!""Everyone!" Yasuke shouted. "Stay away from Monokuma!"Mondo still doesn't get that what he's holding is now a bomb. The beeping began to go even faster. "Hey, what the hell is with that beeping?" he asked. "Stop with that beeping! Just say-""Owada! Throw Monokuma!" Kyoko shouted."Huh?!" Mondo said as he looked at Kyoko. "What did you-""Do it now!" Kyoko shouted."Why?" Mondo asked.Suddenly, Monokuma began to speak in a robotic tone. His red eye began to flash in sync with the beeping sound, and his limbs are flailing rapidly. "YOU HAVE VIOLATED A SCHOOL REGULATION," he said. "VIOLENCE AGAINST THE HEADMASTER IS PROHIBITED. COMMENCING EXECUTION."At this point, Mondo realized that he's holding a bomb that's about to blow up on him. "OH SHIT!" he yelled as he threw Monokuma into the air.Monokuma then blew up high above everyone else. The sound created by the explosion was so loud that everyone was left disoriented by the ringing in their eyes. The smell of burnt gunpowder began to fill the air. It was a terrifying event, but at least nobody was hurt."Phew," Kyoko said, letting out a sigh of relief. "That was close. I've never been this worked up in my life."Mondo freaked out upon seeing what he had thrown. "W-What the hell?!" he said, struggling to process what he had just witnessed. "That was a bomb?!""Yeah, that Monokuma turned himself into a bomb, alright," Yasuke said. "That was really scary. I can't believe that happened. Is everyone alright?"Everyone confirmed to Yasuke that they are fine."Good," Yasuke said. "Well, at least that bear is gone now. Can we leave?""No, you can't!" Monokuma said as he appeared again. His appearance caused everyone to freak out."Gah!" Yasuhiro gasped. "Another one?!""The hell?!" Mondo roared upon seeing Monokuma again. "You bastard! How dare you show your face to me again?! You nearly blew me up, dammit!""Yes, I tried to do that," Monokuma said. "And then you threw my body away! I was about to deliver you a punishment for violating one of the school rules, but you managed to escape your punishment. Oh well. It can't be helped. I'll let you get away with that, Corn Head, but mark my words. The next time you violate a rule, there is no escaping it.""Did you just called me that again?!" Mondo roared."Wait a second," Leon said. "What rules? You never told us anything about the rules!""I was about to get into that," Monokuma said. "Now then, to commemorate your entry into Hope's Peak Academy, allow me to give you a special object." He then pulled out a box with 16 electronic devices on them. He went to each student and handed them the device.Makoto grabbed the device Monokuma gave him. The device appears to be a phone bearing the crest of Hope's Peak Academy. "Whoa..." he said. "What are these things?"Monokuma finished handing out the last device to the last student. "These...are your electronic student handbooks," he began to explain. "They're called E-Handbooks for short. These devices were designed and developed by Hope's Peak Academy for use within the school. These handbooks are essential to your student life in Hope's Peak Academy. It can do it all! It keeps track of your assignments, it keeps you in touch with your fellow students and staff, and does everything a smartphone can! But...I had to disable all of those things for the purposes of our communal school life. So just see these E-Handbooks as a useful tool for your new school life. Be sure to not lose these E-Handbooks, as they're irreplaceable."Makoto turned on the E-Handbook. The first thing that is displayed on the screen is his name. He looked around the gym and saw that everyone has turned on their E-Handbooks. By the looks of things, it appears that they have seen their names on their E-Handbooks."Did you all get the right E-Handbooks?" Monokuma asked. "Good. It'll be shameful if you got the wrong one. Now, these E-Handbooks are amazing little devices. Unlike most electronics, these things are completely waterproof! Dunk it into water all you want; this thing will keep on going! Also, its space-age design makes it resilient to impacts. It can withstand a force of up to 10 tons! How tough! These E-Handbooks contain all of our school rules and regulations, so make sure you review them thoroughly!There's an icon on the home screen of the E-Handbooks. The text next to the icon reads "Rules and Regulations". It looks like this contains a list of rules for the students to follow during their school life. Everyone tapped on the icon and began to read the list of rules.Rules and Regulations
Students may reside only within the school building. Leaving the campus without permission is not allowed.
The day is split into daytime and nighttime. Nighttime lasts from 10:00 PM to 7:00 AM the following day. Daytime lasts on all other hours.
Some areas are off-limits during nighttime. Please be outside of these restricted areas before the nighttime announcement plays.
Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory will be seen as sleeping in class and will be punished accordingly. This only applies if the student sleeps on their own accord.
With minimum restrictions, you are free to explore any accessible areas of Hope's Peak Academy. New areas may open up over time.
Violence against Headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited.
Damaging the surveillance cameras and monitors is also strictly prohibited.
Stealing or lending E-Handbooks to or from a live student is, once again, strictly prohibited.
Breaking into locked rooms is, yet again, strictly prohibited.
Violating rules 6-9 will result in punishment.
If a student forces another student to violate rules 6-9, they will receive punishment instead of the rule breaker.
Anyone who kills a fellow student will become the blackened. Blackened students may graduate and leave the school, unless they are discovered.
Additional rules may be added when necessary.
Everyone began to feel dizzy after reading the list of rules. It felt a bit much to have so many rules for living out a school life. There are four rules that will result in punishment should they break them. It probably doesn't matter if they break it accidentally or intentionally. Monokuma will punish them the same regardless."What the hell?" Mondo asked. "What kind of rules are these?! I'm not gonna let a bunch of rules control me!""Yeah, this isn't nice at all!" Leon said. "Why do we even need rules? I'm so sick of them!""Hey, do I need to remind you guys why rules exists?" Monokuma asked. "Rules may restrict what actions you can do, but they can also protect the people who are placed under them. Without rules or laws, society will devolve into a state of chaos. People will regularly steal from each other, murder each other, and will commit any crimes imaginable! Of course, the only crime I will allow under my reign is murder! But in case you didn't get it the first time, allow me to remind you this: any violation of the school's rules will not be tolerated. You will be punished no matter what. Got it?"Most of the students became nervous. They became worried about accidentally breaking any of the rules and getting punished as a result. Yasuke, however, noticed something odd on the list of rules that goes against what Monokuma said earlier."Wait a second..." Yasuke said. "Forcing someone to break a rule is a punishable offense? What? I thought you said that you don't care how someone commits a murder!""Ah, you've got a good eye, doctor," Monokuma said. "It's true that I will accept any other method of murdering someone. But forcing a rule violation? I can't accept that! I won't tolerate any attempts at forcing a rule violation! The student breaking the rules must do so on their own accord. Then I will deliver them their punishment! But if someone forces a rule violation onto another person, then I will punish the one who forced the rule violation instead! So don't think about trying to murder someone by forcing them to break a rule! Got it?"No one said anything. Monokuma took everyone's silence as a yes."Good!" Monokuma said. "Now then, this concludes the entrance ceremony. From now on, this school will be your home. There won't be any escaping from it, unless you kill someone and get away with it. Enjoy your new dreary school life, everyone. I will be seeing you all again soon. Bye!" After finishing the speech, Monokuma disappeared.The gym fell into silence for a moment as everyone took their time to process what they had just witnessed."So...uh...everyone?" Kiyotaka began to ask. "How would you describe...what we had just witnessed?""I...I don't know..." Makoto replied."This all sounds so scary..." Sayaka said. "W-We have to live here...for the rest of our lives? And if we want to escape...we'd have to kill someone?""T-This is too much!" Toko cried. "I can't take it!""This is just so insane!" Hifumi said. "We were abducted by that bear and placed into Hope's Peak Academy, which has been turned into our new home. We were completely cut off from the outside world, and our only way of escaping is killing each other. This is just..what even is this?!""Everyone, calm down," Kyoko ordered. "We need to assess the situation first.""Calm down?" Natsumi asked. "You'd expect us to calm down after learning that we'd have to kill each other in order to escape this school? How could we be calm? Even for a yakuza, this is all too extreme for me!""Everyone, I think Kirigiri is right," Kiyotaka said. "We all need to calm down and try to think about how to handle this situation.""We have to options in how to handle this," Kyoko said. "Our first option is to live a communal life in this school for the rest of our lives. Going down that route, we would never see the outside world again, but at least everyone can live a long, if unfulfilling, life. Our second option is to try to escape this school by murdering someone and getting away with it. I don't like either of two options we were offered.""Why would you think that?" Makoto asked. "Isn't trying to live a peaceful life with each other a good thing?""True, that is our ideal option," Kyoko replied. "However..." She paused for a moment to start thinking."What? What is it?" Sayaka asked."...If we decided to go down that route," Kyoko continued, "then it will only be a matter of time before someone snaps and tries to kill someone. The question is, though...who will be the first to snap?"Everyone then began to look at each other, studying each other's faces for any signs of snapping. A feeling of unease and hostility filled the air. They repeated the Graduation Clause in their heads over and over again. "You must kill someone if you want to leave." Soon, everyone became suspicious of each other. They began to wonder which one of them will be the first to snap. They wondered when someone will get sick of being stuck in this school. They wondered how long this period of peace and harmony will last.In that moment, everyone began to realize something. They had once thought that they were going to Hope's Peak Academy, the school of hope where dreams are fulfilled. But thanks to Monokuma, this school has turned into the complete opposite of that. They were no longer living in a school of hope.Instead, it became a school of despair.
Prologue: Another Return to the Academy
END
Starting Survivors: 16
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Chapter 1: To Live, To Survive, To Prosper, To Die
Daily Life
Day 1 - 2:00 PMGym, First Floor
The tension in the air rose as everyone continued to stare at each other. They repeated those words in their head. "You must kill someone if you want to leave." Each time they repeat those words, it became increasingly clear what they're up against. Anyone can become a murderer at any moment. It was an oppressive thought. Most of the students were left paralyzed upon getting that thought.But as oppressive as the air felt, all it took was one person to break everyone's silence."So? What are you all going to do now?" Kyoko asked. "Just stare at each other all day long, wondering when one of us will snap and try to kill another student?"Kyoko's words snapped everyone back into reality."R-Right," Kiyotaka said. "She's right! We may be afraid of each other, but that doesn't mean that we get to spend all day staring at each other. Even when we're afraid, we've got take a step forward! We've got to trust each other and make sure none of us ever commits a murder?"Hifumi was sweating profusely. "Uh...are you sure all of us can do that?" he asked. "Not everyone is trusting of the others, you know...""I'd say that the first person to snap and murder someone would be you, fatty," Natsumi said. "You look like the most nervous out of all of us, so that means you must be the closest to snapping, fatty!""Hey!" Hifumi yelled. "Don't call me fatty! Do you realize how much that word hurts to people like me?""Hey, what do you think you're doing?!" Yasuhiro shouted. "Are you trying to make predictions of the future? That's my job!""Shut your mouth, urchin head!" Natsumi said, turning around to insult Yasuhiro. "You fortune-tellers are the absolute worse! I once got scammed by one of them!""Uh...what are we supposed to do, again?" Junko asked, looking like she's spacing out."We're trying to find a way out, duh!" Leon replied in an insulting manner."Preferably without having any murders," Kiyotaka added."Also, we need to figure out who's controlling Monokuma," Yasuke said. "Whoever's controlling him must be behind our imprisonment in this school. If we can find that person, then we can be free.""I'm going to beat the shut outta that person," Mondo declared. "There are promises I've made that are left unfulfilled. I can't afford to die with these unfulfilled promises!""Which means that you're going to abide by the rules, correct?" Celeste asked.Mondo gave Celeste a baffled look. "Huh?" he said. "What do ya mean?""You said that you were adamant about not following the rules, correct?" Celeste asked. "Which means that you don't care about rule. You just want to do whatever you want. If you're so insisted on disregarding the rules, then go on ahead and try to break them. I'd personally love to see what happens when someone breaks one of the rules.""Didn't we see what Monokuma tried to do to Mr. Mondo Owada when he attacked him?" Hifumi asked. "That Monokuma straight up tried to blow him up! If something like that happens again, I don't think Mr. Mondo Owada will live to tell the tale...""Yeah...you're right..." Mondo said as he rubbed the back of his head.Sayaka looked at the list of rules again and became confused by one particular rule. "Um...excuse me?" she said. "I have a question."Makoto turned to look at Sayaka. "What is it?" he asked."About the rule about the blackened," Sayaka replied. "It's rule 12, I believe? I'm confused by that. Could someone explain what that means?"
Rule 12: Anyone who kills a fellow student will become the blackened. Blackened students may graduate and leave the school, unless they are discovered.
"Oh, you're talking about the second half, right?" Makoto asked. "Where it says 'unless they are discovered'? Yeah, I was wondering the same thing, too."Byakuya entered the conversation with an answer. "It means that if you want to graduate," he began to explain, "you have to kill someone without anyone figuring it out that it was you. That is what I believe the rule means.""Ah, I see..." Sayaka said upon getting it. "But...what if we failed to get away with murder?"Byakuya sighed. "Personally, I don't see a reason to worry about it," he said. "Just worry about following rules as they are written."Hina then began to tug on the collars of her jacket. "Well, the whole thing about murders might be worrying," she said, "but let's forget about that. Now that we know what's going on, how about we start exploring this school?""Ah, that's right," Kiyotaka said. "We still know very little about this place. I mean, we are supposed to be in Hope's Peak Academy. But we don't know what it looks like from the inside. Also, we don't know where we'll be getting food or where we'll be sleeping. These are the questions we must answer as we explore. So, how about we split off into groups and explore each part of the school?""Sounds like a great plan to me!" Leon said excitedly. He then turned his attention towards Sayaka. "Yo, Maizono? Thinking about exploring this school with me?"Makoto and Sayaka looked at Leon with confused looks on their faces."Um...excuse me?" Sayaka asked."Come on, it'll be fun!" Leon said. "We'd get to spend some time together!""Um...sorry to say this," Sayaka began to reply, "but I'm planning on exploring this school with Makoto. You can team up with another person if you want."Leon was shocked to hear that response. "What?" he said. "No, I won't team up with another person. It has to be you, Maizono! Hey, how about a better idea? If you don't mind, could I join your group instead? That must work for you two, right?"Makoto and Sayaka said nothing in response. Makoto opened his mouth to try to say something when he heard another student's voice."Hey!" Junko shouted in the distance. "Where did you think you're going?!"The trio turned their heads towards Junko. They saw her talking to Byakuya who is walking away from the rest of the students.Byakuya stopped to deliver a response to Junko. "I'm going by myself," he declared."Why would you do that?" Yasuke asked, taking a step towards Byakuya. "Going by yourself sounds stupid, doesn't it?"Byakuya let out another sigh. "Why would I?" he asked. "I know that someone is planning on murdering one of us. I can tell from the looks of everyone's faces. Why would I put myself at risk by grouping up with a potential murderer?""Wait a second!" Makoto shouted. "It's good to go in groups! If one of you guys get murdered, then the survivor-""Shut your mouth, you commoner," Byakuya said. "Don't deny that possibility. If I go with someone, they will backstab me. I'm trying to do things that will ensure my survival. Don't continue to argue with me. Groups are simply too risky. Now, leave me alone. I've got better things to do than to be stuck in this room with the likes of you." He then continued to walk towards the doors of the gym.Suddenly, Mondo ran up to Byakuya and stood in front of him. "Hey!" he shouted. "Where did you think you're going, you rich little piece of shit?"Byakuya scoffed at Mondo. "Out of the way, plankton," he said.Mondo felt insulted by that name too. "W-What the hell did you just called me?" he asked.Natsumi laughed mockingly at Mondo. "Ha, you're letting another insult get to you?" she asked. "I knew that you're a weakling, Owada!""Kuzuryu!" Kiyotaka shouted. "Knock it off!"Byakuya ignored what was going on around him as he continued to talk down at Mondo. "You're a plankton," he said. "A small, insignificant creature drifting in the sea. No matter what it does, it couldn't possibly have any influence on the boundless ocean.""Yer trying to talk down on me, aren't ya?" Mondo asked as he cracked his knuckles. "Well then, I'm gonna kick your ass!"Makoto began to panic. It looks like Mondo is about to start a fight with Byakuya. He felt like he had to do something to stop them. He ran off towards Byakuya and Mondo to try to defuse the situation, leaving Sayaka and Leon behind."Wait! Makoto!" Sayaka cried. "What are you doing?""Well, there goes Naegi," Leon said. "I guess he just wants the two of us together!"Sayaka shook her head. "N-No...that's not it..." she said. "Makoto...he's about to get himself hurt! I must save him!""Nah, he's totally screwed," Leon said. "Come on. Let's explore this school together." He then grabbed Sayaka by the arm.Sayaka tried to pull herself free from Leon. "NO!" she cried. "STOP! LET ME GO!"Meanwhile, Makoto tried to defuse the tension between Byakuya and Mondo. "Stop it, you two!" he ordered. "We shouldn't fight!"Byakuya and Mondo turned their heads towards Makoto."What?" Byakuya asked. "Are you trying to defend that plankton? Don't make me laugh, commoner. This will end badly for you.""Hey, what do ya think you're doing?" Mondo asked. His anger is starting to reach a breaking point. "Are you some goody-goody little bastard? Who do you think you are? My dad? Don't make me laugh!""I don't know who your dad is," Makoto replied. "But all I wanted you two to do is-""SHUT UP!" Mondo roared as he began to throw his punch at Makoto.It was at this point that Makoto realized that he had made a mistake. He acted on his instinct and wanted to break up a fight. But instead, he probably made it worse. As Makoto watched as Mondo's fist got closer to his face, Makoto closed his eyes and covered his face, hoping that the punch wouldn't hurt too much. He anticipated the moment when he would be hit. He did get hit, but not in the way he expected.*WHAM!*Makoto felt something slam against his back. The impact caused him to fall forward and land on his face. Not only that, but it felt like someone else had landed on top of this. This felt weird to him. A punch to the face shouldn't feel like that...Makoto then felt his body being rolled. Someone then began to shout at him."Makoto? Are you okay? Please...answer me!"Makoto can feel his body being shaken."Everyone, stay away! I need to check up on him!""Is he gonna be alright?""Ugh..." Makoto groaned."H-He's moving! I think he's about to wake up!"Makoto slowly opened his eyes, thinking that he had been punched. His vision was blurry at first. There were a few moving figures in front of him, but he couldn't tell what they are. As his vision cleared, though, he began to see a few familiar faces. He saw Sayaka and Yasuke, who are looking down at him.Yasuke let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness," he said. "You had worried for a moment."Makoto had a confused look on his face. "Ugh..." he groaned again. "What...what happened?""Uh...sorry about that," Sayaka apologized. "I freed myself from Kuwata's grip but...I was a little too forceful. I ended up stumbling and ran into you..."Makoto was still confused. "...Did Owada punch me...?" he asked.Yasuke shook his head. "No, he didn't," he replied. "You were shoved out of the way before the punch could land."Ah, that makes sense, Makoto thought. I was wondering why didn't felt pain on my face. But wait a second..."...What happened to Owada?" Makoto asked.Everyone turned their gaze towards Mondo. They saw him kneeling on the floor, clutching his wrist. He was surrounded by students."S-She just came in at the last second!" Mondo shouted. "I-I couldn't lay a finger on her!""You spinless coward," Natsumi said. "You still couldn't bring yourself to hit a girl? How pathetic.""Would you please cut that out, Kuzuryu?!" Kiyotaka asked.It was at this point that Makoto realized that Sayaka had saved him in the last moment. "Oh...I see..." he said.Sayaka then helped Makoto get back up on his feet."Thanks, Sayaka," Makoto said. "You really saved me there."Sayaka grew a soft smile on her face. That smile quickly faded away as she heard Leon's voice."Gah, what the hell, Maizono?" Leon complained as he clutched his stomach. "Do you really have to kick me back there?""Ah, sorry about that, Kuwata," Sayaka apologized. "I didn't mean to. I was just trying to get Makoto out of the way. I don't want to see him get hurt. By the way, you should've let me save me Makoto. You don't have to grab me...""I don't want to see you get hurt as well!" Leon replied, explaining his actions. "Besides, I wanted to spend time with you. I can't do that if you're injured.""If you want to do that, then you'd better be coming with me and Makoto," Sayaka replied."Why?" Leon asked."Well..." Sayaka said, hesitating before continuing her answer. "I just...really wanted to spend time with him..."Leon raised an eyebrow at the answer. "Okay..." he replied. "Well, if you're gonna spend so much time around Naegi, then you'd better be spending the same amount of time with me as well. This is payback for kicking me away. Ya got that?"Sayaka didn't reply.While all of this is happening, Kiyotaka has organized all of the students into groups that will split off and explore the school. Not every student is in a group, but that's fine with him. Not everyone wants to explore the school with another student."Alright, everyone!" Kiyotaka said. "We're all set! Time to move out and explore the school!"The students are divided into the following groups. Junko and Yasuke formed one group, as did Hina and Sakura. Mondo and Natsumi were teamed up with Kiyotaka, though that's only because Kiyotaka wanted to monitor both of them. The next group to be formed is Hifumi, Celeste, and Toko. Toko actually wanted to be with Byakuya, but he refused to work with what he considered a pest. So she is left to group up with Hifumi and Celeste. Makoto, Sayaka, and Leon formed the last group, with Leon only joining to spend time with Sayaka. The remaining three students were left to go on their own. Byakuya doesn't want to cooperate with anyone, and nobody wants to work with Yasuhiro. That leaves Kyoko, who seems disinterested in teaming up with anyone. At least, for now."Well, I guess that settles it," Leon said. "Let's go explore this school together!" He was about to head out the gym when Makoto stopped him."Wait a second," Makoto said.Leon gave Makoto a confused look. "Huh?" he said. "Why are we stopping?"Makoto stared off towards Kyoko, who's standing all by herself. She appears to be thinking about what to do next."Makoto, are you thinking about recruiting Kirigiri into this group?" Sayaka asked."You want to get another girl?" Leon asked. "Damn, Naegi. I didn't know that you're a player.""I-It's not like that!" Makoto replied. "I just...I felt like we could use a fourth member to round out this group.""Really?" Leon asked. "Well, if that's what you want, then go ahead. Invite Kirigiri in. Make this quick, though. I'm itching to see this school with Maizono."Makoto walked up to Kyoko to ask her to join his group. "Hey, Kirigiri?" he began.Kyoko shifted her gaze towards Makoto. "Yes?" she said."I'm just wondering," Makoto began to ask. "If you don't mind, would you please join my group?"Kyoko looked at Makoto's group. She sees both Sayaka and Leon within the group. She felt like the group is big enough. "Why should I?" she asked. "Your group already has enough members.""Well..." Makoto began to explain. "I just...I felt like you shouldn't be doing this on your own, alright? I'll ask this again: would you please join my group?"Kyoko began to ponder for a moment on if she should join Makoto's group and explore the school along with two other students. She felt like this isn't something that she usually does. Her memory is foggy, but she's pretty sure that she usually works alone. Still, there's something about Makoto that intrigues her for some reason. She can't seem to know why...Leon is staring to sound impatient. "Come on, Naegi," he said. "We have to go now!"After a bit of consideration, Kyoko made her decision. "Alright," she said. "I'll join.""Finally," Leon said in relief. "Now, let's go explore this school together!'The four students, now known as Makoto's Group went out of the gym to began their exploration of Hope's Peak Academy.
Day 1 - 2:35 PMAthletics Hallway, First Floor
Makoto's group began their exploration of the school with the room right outside the gym. The Athletics Hallway is a long, narrow room with several shelves with trophies on display. These trophies are presumably won by previous students of Hope's Peak Academy. Looking off to the side, the group saw Hina and Sakura at the other end of the room. Hina appears to be pounding on a door. The group decided to check Hina and Sakura out to see what they found."Hey, girls," Makoto greeted. "What's up?"Hina and Sakura look off to the side."Oh...hey, Naegi," Hina greeted back. She then sighed. "Look, I'm so disappointed right now...""Why are you disappointed?" Sayaka asked.Kyoko looked at the sign next to the doors Hina was pounding on. She read what's written on the sign, drawing everyone's attention to it. The sign reads, "Swimming Pool - Ultimate Swimmer Lab"."That's the swimming pool?" Makoto asked. "And...it's a lab at the same time? How is that possible?""These rooms must be facilities for us to hone our talents," Sakura explained. "They're called Research Labs.""I was so excited when I saw that this school has a pool," Hina said. "I wanna take a dip there and relax. But...it looks like this room is locked for now. I was left disappointed. That room is my Research Lab, and I can't access it yet!"Research Labs?" Sayaka said. "That sounds interesting. I wonder...does everyone have them?"Leon immediately answered Sayaka's question. "Aw...crap," he groaned.Everyone turned their attention towards Leon. He's standing in front of a door with a ball and bat symbol on it. Next to the door is a sign that reads, "Batting Room - Ultimate Baseball Player Lab"."Why is my lab like that?" Leon asked. "Seriously, did nobody ask me if I wanted this lab? This place sucks!""Why are you complaining, Kuwata?" Hina asked."Look, I hate playing baseball, alright?" Leon explained. "I don't like the sport anymore, and I don't like to practice. Why can't this room be replaced with my actual passion? I wanna play music, dammit!""Wait, you hate doing practice?" Hina asked. "How could you? Practice is important! You need to-""Don't say that to me!" Leon shouted. "Who are you? My coach? I don't wanna hear those words again! Got it?"Hina was confused. "But...why don't you like playing baseball?" she asked. "And...why did you want to play music instead?"Leon let out a sigh. "Listen, I don't like playing baseball anymore because I find it boring," he said. "I'm just way too good at the sport. It's no longer exciting to me. Why should I practice if I'm gonna win anyways? What a waste of my time. That's why I decided to become a musician instead! That sounds way more exciting!" He turned around and walked up to Sayaka. "And plus, it lets me get closer to my favorite idol. What do you say, Maizono?"Sayaka grew a bit uncomfortable when Leon got this close to her. "Um..." she said.Makoto continued to look around the Athletics Hallway for more things to find. "So uh...did you find anything else of interest?" he asked."This is all this room has to offer to us now," Sakura replied. "There's also the changing room, but that's locked too. There's nothing else left to see in this room, so we had to go somewhere next.""We'll see you four again soon," Hina said. "If you find us again, please share your findings. I would like to hear what you guys have found. Well, see you guys soon."Hina and Sakura then walked out of the Athletics Hallway for another part of the school. Makoto's group decided that this is their time to leave as well."Well, I guess this is our cue to leave," Kyoko said. "Shall we go, then?"The rest of Makoto's group agreed, and soon they were on their way out of the Athletics Hallway. Before they leave, there was something that caught Makoto's attention for a moment. On one of the display shelves, there is a replica sword covered in gold, underneath which is a plague that reads "Ultimate Swordswoman - Winner of the Slicing Competition". The replica sword seems interesting to Makoto. He might check that out later.
Day 1 - 2:42 PMInfirmary, First Floor
The next place Makoto's group explored is the infirmary. The infirmary contains three beds, as well as cabinets full of medicines and medical supplies. Yasuke and Junko are in the infirmary, as expected. An infirmary would be a natural place for a doctor, after all.Junko saw Makoto's group enter the infirmary. "Oh hiiii!" she said in an enthusiastic tone. "Wow, Naegi. I didn't know that you were a player. Picking up two girls and a boy, wow! You must be...very open about your feelings."Makoto's group could only stare at Junko in silence."It's not like that..." Makoto replied. "Anyways, could you tells us what you've found in here?""Of course!" Junko replied. "Although, I'll let Yasuke explain what we've found because there's no way I can describe what these things are or that they do. Care to explain what we've found?""Huh?" Yasuke said. Then he saw Makoto's group. "Oh...right. Well, there's a lot I have to say about this infirmary. This school is like a hospital when it comes to being prepared. It's probably too complicated for any of you to understand. All you need to know is that we are prepared to respond to any injury, as long as we can act fast enough. We've got blood bags for blood transfusions, bandages to cover up wounds, and IV fluids for emergency treatment. Of course, we do have to act fast enough if we want to save a patient. If we wait too long, then the patient is beyond saving...""It's true," Kyoko remarked. "Time is important when it comes to saving patients. We can't afford to make mistakes, either. One mistake and the patient might die...""Yeah...that would totally suck," Junko replied. "Gosh, I sure hope Yasuke doesn't die. That would be really unfortunate if we lose the doctor first. Also, I would be totally devastated if Yasuke happens to die..."There's not much else to do in the infirmary, so Makoto's group say their goodbyes to Yasuke and Junko for now and move on to another room.
Day 1 - 2:50 PMDormitory, First Floor
On the way to the other side of the building, Makoto's group passed by the A/V room. They checked that room for a moment, but only saw rows and rows of chairs and monitors. There's no one else in this room, so they moved on to another room. At the end of the hallway, the group saw that the gate that was blocking the hallway earlier is now open, allowing access to what's beyond it. Makoto's group went through the hallway and entered another part of the school: the dormitory.The dormitory consists of a large lobby that leads to other rooms. Connected to the lobby is a hallway that loops around, connecting to all of the dorm rooms. There's a branch that leads to another room and another set of stairs, but both of them are currently closed off. There's also the bathhouse, which is also closed off as well. Then they entered the laundry, a room filled with washing machines, clothes dryers and hampers. Yasuhiro is currently in the laundry room, but Makoto's group decided to not bother. That leaves the dining hall as the only option left, so the group went there next.
Day 1 - 2:52 PMDining Hall, First Floor
The dining hall is a large room with several tables for the students to sit at. There's a large table at the center with enough seats to fit most of the students. Surrounding the large table are several smaller tables that can each seat up to four students.Makoto's group entered the dining hall and found Kiyotaka's group sitting at the central table."Hey, Ishimaru," Makoto greeted. "Did you guys find anything?""Ah, hello there, you four!" Kiyotaka greeted back. "Yes, my group did find something: this dining hall!"Natsumi rolled her eyes. "Yeah, of course," she said. "We're in this room right now.""Is that all you have to say?" Kyoko asked.Kiyotaka was silence for a moment before giving an answer. "Yeah...that's about it," he said. "Although, this dining hall looks like it could be a good place to host a meeting. I'd say that tonight, we would all gather around in this room to share our findings. When that time comes, I will go around the school to tell everyone to head to the dining hall. Then we can share what we've found to each other. Sound good?""Sounds like a plan to me," Sayaka replied. "By the way, is there a kitchen, too? I feel like there should be a place for us to get some food to eat...""Of course," Kiyotaka said as he pointed off towards another door. "There's a kitchen right there. I saw Yamada and the others enter there. I would suggest waiting until the meeting to find out what's inside. The kitchen could get crowded if you were to enter it.""No, I think we're going there now," Makoto said. "I want to see what's inside there.""Seriously?" Leon asked. "Do you want to get squished by a fat person?""I think we'll be fine," Makoto assured. "There might be enough room to fit seven people comfortably."Kiyotaka and his group stared at Makoto for a moment. "Well, if that's what you want, then go for it," he said. "I won't stop you. Just don't say I didn't warn you if you get crushed by Yamada. I'll stay in this dining hall in the meantime. I don't want to see these two cause any trouble.""Tsk," Mondo said.Makoto's group then walked towards the kitchen, making sure that they don't get crushed by Hifumi.
Day 1 - 2:55 PMKitchen, First Floor
The kitchen contains the usual things found in a typical kitchen. There are several stoves and ovens to prepare food, as well as several sinks to clean all of the dishes. Mounted on a wall is a kitchen knife set, with each knife placed in an increasing order of size. A large fridge is off to the side, as well as a door that leads to what seems to be a food storage room. There's also a table with boxes full of fruit on them.Makoto's group entered the kitchen to meet up with Hifumi's group."Hey, Yamada," Makoto greeted. "Did you guys find something in here?""Ah, hello there Mr. Makoto Naegi," Hifumi greeted. "And hello to you too, Miss Sayaka Maizono, Miss Kyoko Kirigiri, and Mr. Leon Kuwata."Leon gave Hifumi an annoyed look. "Dude, you don't have to say our full names," he said."Well, that's just his way to addressing people," Celeste replied. "As for what we found, what else did you expect? This is a kitchen. It's full of food. Although, I am disappointed with the selection presented to us. For a prestigious school, I was expecting something better than these commoner food.""By the way, how much food do we have?" Sayaka asked. "I'm kind of worried about running out of food...""I believe it's much better to say how long the food will last for us," Celeste replied. "Considering that there are 16 of us here, it's possible that we could run out of food soon.""M-Make that 15," Toko attempted to correct. "That fat guy over there p-probably can go without food for a while. Y-You could stand to lose some kilograms, you know!""Hey!" Hifumi shouted. "Do you think all this fat I have will help me survive without food? I need carbs and proteins, too!"While everyone was discussing over how long the food will last, Kyoko checked both the fridge and the food storage room to see how much food the school has. She also counted up all the fruit on one of the tables. She counted up all the food and made some mental calculations."Hmm...let's see..." Kyoko said as she walked around the kitchen. "There are 16 of us here. Assuming that we eat three meals a day, and factoring in the shelf life for all of these foods..." Her voice trailed off for a moment before she came across an answer. "Three days. The food will last us for just three days!"Everyone was shocked by Kyoko's conclusion. The fact that the food will last them for only three days is concerning. Even if Hifumi were to not eat anything for a while, that still doesn't leave them with much time to live. Sure, humans can live for some time without food, but still... If they're going to live in this school for the rest of their lives, so to speak, they're going to need a lot more food than that."How are we supposed to live with only three days worth of food?" Sayaka asked."Maybe if we could conserve our food..." Kyoko began to say. She was about to continue when all of a sudden, Monokuma showed up."What? Are you guys worried about the food situation?" Monokuma asked.Most of the students jumped upon Monokuma's arrival."Gah!" Hifumi screamed. "He's back!""What's going on in there?" Kiyotaka asked from the dining hall.Leon looked outside the kitchen and called out to Kiyotaka. "Nothing!" he replied. "We're fine!"Kyoko gave Monokuma a glare. "Monokuma, didn't you say that we don't have to worry about running out of food?" she asked. "Then why did you give us only three days worth of food?""Three days?" Monokuma asked. "Wow, you're a sharp one. It's almost as if you're-" He stopped himself all of a sudden. "Whoops! Almost spilled the secret!"Everyone became confused with Monokuma said that."...What secret?" Makoto asked."Forget what I said earlier!" Monokuma said. "Anyways, I stocked up the kitchen this way because if I gave you guys a lifetime supply of food at the beginning, then most of the food will decay and expire before you could even get to them! Plus, where would I find the space to store all of that food? This kitchen isn't big enough for that! So instead, I decided to only give you guys a few days worth of food at a time. Then, when your food supplies are starting to run out, I'll restock them on a regular basis. This way, you guys will never have to worry about running out of food!""That's good to know," Sayaka said."Anyways, I will be going for now," Monokuma said. "I'll see you all again soon! Bye!" And then, faster than anyone could blink, Monokuma disappeared again."Huh? Where did he go?" Leon asked."I don't know," Kyoko replied. "He moved away faster than my eyes could track him. This school must contain some secrets if he can appear out of nowhere...""I guess that's all we can see in the kitchen," Makoto said. "We should be moving. Come on, everyone. Let's see what else this school has to offer."Makoto's group then exited the kitchen, with Hifumi bidding the four of them goodbye."Bye, you four!" Hifumi said. "I'll be seeing you soon!""Be sure to come back here for the meeting, alright?" Kiyotaka said as Makoto's group exited the dining hall.
Day 1 - 3:10 PMDormitory, First Floor
The last place Makoto's group went to is the dormitory rooms. Looking down the hallway with one's back facing the lobby, the group saw six rooms to their right-hand side, five rooms to their left, and a couple rooms on the far end of the hallway. They don't see enough rooms to house every student in the building, so there must be a few more down the hallways. On each of the doors, there is a nameplate featuring a pixelated image of the owner's face with their name written below them. Above each doorknob is what appears to be a large card reader, and inside each door handle is a keyhole."Looks like these must be our rooms," Makoto said. "I wonder who got which room..."Makoto's group consulted the map to see who got which room. The map revealed a couple more rooms that weren't visible from their current position. In total, they counted 16 rooms, one for each student. There are six rooms "south" of the "south" hallway, five rooms facing directly opposite of those rooms, four more rooms on the "east", and one more room at the "north", right next to the trash room. Of course, without a compass, it was difficult to tell where they're facing, so this is the best that they can do for now. To everyone's surprise, Makoto, Sayaka, and Kyoko's rooms are located on the "southernmost" rooms nearest to the lobby, going in the order of Kyoko, Makoto, and Sayaka."Wait, what?" Leon said in shock. "You've got two girls are your neighbors?!""Wow, looks like we're neighbors, Makoto!" Sayaka said. "Isn't this great?"Makoto rubbed the back of his head as he blushed. "Yeah...I guess..." he replied.Kyoko doesn't seem to care who her neighbor is.Leon became concerned about where is room. "Wait, so if those are you guys' rooms, then...where' my own?" he asked. "Hold on. Give me a second!"Leon then ran down the hallway looking for his room. He soon found his own room, which is located at the far end of the dormitory. His neighbors are Yasuhiro and Sakura."Aw...dammit!" Leon complained from across the hallway. "Why is my room located so far away? And why are my neighbors a stupid fortune-teller and that muscular martial artist? Ugh, I'm going to talk to person who assigned these rooms, if they are here at all!"Seeing as Leon has split off from the rest of the group, Sayaka and Kyoko decided that it's time to part ways with Makoto for now."Well, it's been fun getting to explore this school with you, Makoto," Sayaka said. "But I think it's time for us to go our separate ways for now. Let's explore our rooms on our own.""Yeah, I agree," Makoto replied. "Now...how do we access our own rooms?"Makoto walked up to the door leading into his dorm room and tried to open it up. He grabbed the door handle and tried to push it down, but it wouldn't budge."Huh? It's locked?" Makoto asked. He tried again to get the door handle to move, but nothing works. "How do we access our dorm rooms?"Kyoko was standing in front of the door to her own dorm room. She stared at the card reader above the door handle. Looking at the card reader, she can't help but feel like something would fit inside the slot on it. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her E-Handbook. She then inserted her E-Handbook into the card reader. It perfectly fitted into the slot. The light on the card reader turned from red to green. Kyoko pulled down on the door handle now, and the door opened up."That wasn't so bad," Kyoko remarked."Oh, I see," Sayaka said, now getting how to unlock the dorm rooms. "But...what about the keyhole?""I'm sure that's an alternative way for us to unlock our dorm rooms," Kyoko replied. "It's probably there just in case. Now, leave me alone for now. I need some...time to myself." She then entered her dorm room, closing the door behind her and locking it.Makoto and Sayaka looked at each other for a moment."Well, looks like this is goodbye for now," Sayaka said. "I look forward to seeing you again, soon."Makoto smiled and nodded at Sayaka. "You too, Sayaka," he replied.Makoto and Sayaka then unlocked the door to their dorm rooms and entered through them.
Day 1 - 3:16 PMMakoto's Room, First Floor
Makoto took his first look at his own dorm room. The walls of the dorm room are red, with blue tiled carpet covering the floor. There's a bed with a blue blanket on it, as well as a wooden desk and chair behind it. Placed on the desk is a notepad and a charging port for the E-Handbooks. There's also a low shelf, a table, another chair, a trash bin, a hanging lamp, and a monitor. On the opposite wall to the hallway door, there are metal plates that cover what seems to be the windows. There's also a surveillance camera pointed at the bed.Makoto felt a sense of unease upon seeing the camera. I could've sworn that I've been seeing that camera everywhere, he thought. He began to think about who could be watching him. It could be Monokuma, considering he's the headmaster of this school now.At least each dorm room seems to have their own bathrooms, so that's nice. Aside those things, there doesn't appear to be any decorations in Makoto's room. The room is as bland and ordinary as the owner himself. A fitting room for someone who considers himself completely average. Well, aside from sports, that is....Makoto can't help but feel an eerily silence standing in his dorm room. It was quiet...maybe too quiet. He began to wonder if his neighbors can even hear him."Hello?" Makoto shouted. "Can anyone hear me? Hello?"No response from anyone. Makoto decided to walk up to the wall shared between his room and Sayaka's room. He heard that Sayaka has good hearing. Maybe she can hear him through the wall."Hey! Sayaka!" Makoto shouted. "Can you hear me?"Still nothing...Makoto sighed. "Looks like the walls might be soundproof..." he concluded.Makoto decided to continue exploring his own room. Even though it might look bland, he felt like there's still more to explore in this room. He found a key with his name etched into a metal piece. It looks like this is the key to his room. He decided to take the key and put it in his pocket.There's also a sheet of paper hanging on the wall. Makoto gave it a read."Attention all students! All dorm rooms can be unlocked by putting your E-Handbooks into the card reader. But in case of emergencies, we have offered an alternative way of unlocking your rooms. We gave each student a key that can be used to unlock your dormitory rooms instead. Remaking a key can be troublesome, so please do not lose your room keys. The locks are designed to be completely immune to tampering or lock-picking, so there's no need to worry about anyone sneaking into your rooms without your permission. For your safety, please lock your dorm rooms after you leave them.Additionally, we have included a bathroom in every student's dorm room. These bathrooms come furnished with a toilet, a sink, and a shower. Please note that the water in the dormitory bathrooms will be shut off at night. If you have an emergency, please use the public bathrooms instead. Also note that none of the dormitory bathrooms come with locks, so exercise caution if you use the bathrooms while a guest is around.Enjoy your stay in Hope's Peak Academy!""..."Makoto grabbed the sheet of paper and crumpled it up into a ball. He then threw the paper into the trash.There is one more thing that needs to be pointed out. There's a closet in the room next to the dorm room door. Makoto opened up the closet to see what clothes he has. There's nothing much to say about his wardrobe. They're just a few copies of his jacket, some spare green hoodies, and some spare sets of jeans. Makoto also found a few additional clothes, but doesn't feel like wearing them anytime soon.After spending some time exploring Hope's Peak Academy, Makoto decided to take a break in his room. He relaxed on his bed and waited for the meeting to arrive.
6:00 PM
Makoto spent the hours resting on his best, trying to figure out what's going on. He was on his way to Hope's Peak Academy when suddenly he and 15 other students were kidnapped by some mysterious force. They were then placed into this school, forced to live out the rest of their lives unable to leave it. The only way to leave this school is to murder someone and get away with it...Makoto found that idea disturbing. The thought of someone killing him in an act of desperation was a bit much for his mind to handle. On top of that, the people he's trapped with are highly talented students who are the best at a certain field. He really felt like he's a little cat who had wandered into a pride of lions. The only student he is familiar with prior to entering Hope's Peak Academy is Sayaka. Even so, he doesn't remember talking to her at all back during their junior high school years.Speaking of Hope's Peak Academy, is this place even the real Hope's Peak Academy? There's no way that someone would hold hostages in such a prestigious school. He remembered what the entrance hall looks like, but that's about it. Other than that, the rest of the school is unfamiliar to him. More importantly, where are the other students? What happened to the other staff members? And why is Monokuma the only staff member? Something about this place seems off to him...*Ding-Dong!*"Huh?"It looks like someone is ringing his room's doorbell. Who could it be? Makoto got off his bed and put on his shoes. He went up to the door to answer the bell. He wished that there were peepholes installed on these doors. It would help if he knows who's coming before answering the door.Makoto opened the door to find...Sayaka standing right outside. She must've been the one who rang his doorbell."Sayaka?" Makoto asked."Good evening, Makoto," Sayaka greeted with a bow. "Or at least, I think it's evening. I'm not sure. The clocks say that it's evening, but without being able to look outside, there's no other way to tell the time. Anyways, could you come with me to the dining hall? There's something that I want to talk with you."Makoto raised an eyebrow. "What is it?" he asked."I'll explain later," Sayaka replied. "I'll go on ahead and meet you at the dining hall. See you soon." She then walked away towards the dining hall.Makoto grew curious about Sayaka. He wondered what she wanted to say to him. He decide to meet her at the dining hall as promised.
Day 1 - 6:25 PMDining Hall, First Floor
Sayaka came out of the kitchen holding a tray with two plates full of meals. She placed down the tray at the large table, where Makoto is sitting at. She then sat down besides Makoto and brought the plates towards both of them."Here you go," Sayaka said as she placed down a plate in front of Makoto."Thanks, Sayaka," Makoto replied.Makoto watched as Sayaka began eating her dinner. As he watched, Makoto began to develop some thoughts on this situation. He can't believe that he's doing this at first, but he's having dinner with none other than the Ultimate Idol. It's like a dream come true. His heart fluttered upon getting this thought, though Makoto tried his best to maintain control of himself. Normally, in this situation, whenever someone does anything with an idol, they would lose their minds. Makoto is not like those people. To him, doing all of this feels pretty...normal to him. It's as if he has done this many time before. Or maybe this is because he's treating Sayaka as a person rather than an idol. He's not sure which is true.Sayaka stopped eating her food for a moment and chuckled. Her cheeks began to blush.Makoto became confused at Sayaka chuckling. "Huh? What's so funny?" he asked."Oh, Makoto," Sayaka replied. "You're so sweet.""H-How did-?" Makoto asked as his cheeks blushed."I'm psychic, remember?" Sayaka replied.Makoto was left stunned for a moment.Sayaka then giggled again. "Come on, you know I'm just kidding," she said. "How many times have I pulled of that joke on you?"Makoto lost count of how many times Sayaka has made that joke. But regardless of how repetitive it feels, that joke never fails to bring a smile to Makoto.Makoto and Sayaka continued to eat their meal. When they were halfway done with their meals, Sayaka began to ask Makoto something."Hey...Makoto?" Sayaka asked.Makoto stopped eating food as he looked at Sayaka. "Now what?" he asked."Well...I know that we're continuing the introduction thing," Sayaka began to reply, "but there's something that I really want to ask you. Remember that question I tried to ask you when we first met?""What question?" Makoto asked. "I never got to hear you complete it.""Um...what I'm about to ask you is..." Sayaka said, pausing for a moment before bringing up her question. "Makoto, did you happen to go to Blackroot Junior High? The Sixth one, I mean. Does that ring a bell?""The Sixth Blackroot Junior High School?" Makoto replied. He paused to look back at his memories. "Yeah...I do remember going there.""Ah, I knew it!" Sayaka said in a cheerful tone. "I went to that school, too! Do you remember me?""O-Of course I do!" Makoto replied, struggling to contain his feelings. "I remember those days when you were surrounded by the fans who attended our old school. The teachers and staff were so annoyed at all the clogging that tends to cause. Ah, those were the old days..." He then noticed something a bit odd. "Hey, wait a second...how come you remember me?""Huh? How did I remember you?" Sayaka replied. "We went to the same school for three years! Of course I remember you!""T-That's true..." Makoto said. "But even so...there were a lot of students in our school, right? You're the most popular student in the school...and I...was the complete opposite of that: I'm a nobody. I was never the type who would stand out. I'm average at everything that isn't sports. With someone as unremarkable as me, how could anyone, let alone a world famous idol, possibly remember me?""What are you talking about, Makoto?" Sayaka asked. "Personally, I think you're special!""Special?" Makoto asked, his face looking shocked. "W-What do you mean I'm special?""Well..." Sayaka began to say, but then her voice trailed off. "Let's just say that you did something that puts you into a special place in my heart. I'm...glad that I got to meet someone that I know before. And I'm sure you're glad to see a familiar person, right?"Makoto wasn't sure if Sayaka is right, but talking to her has put his heart at ease. So he has to agree with her. "Yeah...I guess..." he replied.Sayaka grew a big smile on her face. "I really enjoy hanging out with you, Makoto," she said. "That's why I want to become your Ultimate Assistant!""Huh? Ultimate Assistant?" Makoto asked."Yep! I'm your assistant now," Sayaka said. "I'm going to help you as much as I can! I look forward to working with you, Makoto."Seeing all of Sayaka's smile and hearing her say all that...it make Makoto's heart warmed up. He felt pumped about working with Sayaka again.Sayaka then looked at the clock on the wall. "Hmm...what's taking the others so long?" she asked. "The meeting's starting soon. They should be here by now..."Right when Sayaka said that, Kiyotaka entered the dining hall along with the rest of the students."Alright, this is the last place I'll look," Kiyotaka said. "Now where are those-" He stopped himself upon seeing Makoto and Sayaka sitting at the central table."Something wrong?" Makoto asked."Wait..." Kiyotaka said in shock. "You two are here the whole time! Gah! I was wondering where you two went! I've been looking all over the school for you two!"It looks like Kiyotaka was gathering everyone for the meeting. No wonder they didn't see him and his group when they entered the dining hall. Well, it sounds like the meeting is about to start. Makoto and Sayaka made sure to finish their meals and bring the dishes back to the kitchen before the meeting starts.
Day 1 - 6:45 PM
A few minutes later, the students are gathered in the dining hall to start the meeting. Most of the students sat at the central table, while a few others sat at one of the side tables. They were about to begin the meeting when someone noticed that someone is absent."Wait, isn't someone missing here?" Junko asked. "Uh...what's her name again? You know who that girl is, right? The lavender haired girl?""Who? Kirigiri?" Kiyotaka asked. "I've been looking all over the school for her, but I can't find her. So we'll have to start this meeting without her.""Do you think she has been...you know...murdered?" Yasuke suggested.An unsettling fear began to envelop everyone as they gained that thought.Kiyotaka shook his head in denial. "No, that can't happen yet!" he said. "It's too early for a murder to happen! You all are just overthinking things.""But...what if that did happen?" Hina asked."Don't bring that thought up!" Kiyotaka shouted. "For now, let's just assume that she's alive. Ugh...darn it, Kirigiri! You're going to be late to the first meeting? And you never told us that you're going to be late! You're just taking your time, aren't you? Well, no matter. We'll start this meeting without you! And with that, I declare that our first meeting has begun! Now, who would like to speak first?"Everyone in the dining hall began to share with the others what they found while exploring Hope's Peak Academy. Along the way, everyone learned a few things."Wait, you were shouting out my name?" Sayaka asked up learning that Makoto tried to shout through the soundproof walls. "Oh. I see. I thought that our dorm rooms were too quiet. Now I know why.""Well, at least none of us will be disturbed by what our neighbors are up to," Kiyotaka remarked.Then, Sakura talked about what she tired to do with the metal plates."The bolts are placed on the inside, so I thought that I can unfasten them with my bare hands," Sakura explained."And what did you find?" Kiyotaka asked."I couldn't loosen those bolts," Sakura replied. "They metal plates were bolted tightly. There was no way I can take them off.""Wow, not even the world's strongest woman can stand a match against metal," Natsumi said mockingly."Would you cut that out, Kuzuryu?!" Kiyotaka shouted.Then Yasuhiro began to describe the other services available to the students."I found some washing machines and dryers in the laundry room," Yasuhiro said "It looks like we don't have to worry about running out of clean clothes. I also found an incinerator in the trash room, so we know where to dispose of our trash.""That's good to know," Kiyotaka said. "That reminds me something. Everyone, we are all responsible for the maintenance of Hope's Peak Academy. This is our home now, and we'd better take care of it. From now on, everyone will be assigned jobs to perform around the school. Hagakure, you're in charge of the laundry.""Oh, that's really cool," Yasuhiro said. Then he realized that he made a mistake. "Wait, oh no! I don't want to do laundry!""That's what you get for not keeping your mouth shut!" Natsumi said.Kiyotaka had enough of Natsumi's insults. "Kuzuryu, you handling everyone's trash," he said.Natsumi was shocked that she's being forced to some low-paying job. "What?!" she gasped. "Hey, make someone else take out the trash! Do you even know who I am?!"Byakuya took a sip of tea and sighed. "You mock others for not keeping their mouths shut," he said. "Yet you refused to keep your mouth shut, too. How hypocritical."Natsumi was left stunned.Kiyotaka was about to assign the final task. "Now, as for keeping this place cleaned," he began, "I shall hand that job over to-"Before Kiyotaka could finish his sentence, Kyoko entered the dining hall with a large roll of paper."Kirigiri!" Kiyotaka shouted. He then paused to make it clear to everyone that he's not assigning trash duty to Kyoko. "Where have you been? We've already started this meeting without you!"Kyoko said nothing as she walked up to the central table. She tossed the roll of paper onto the table, make it unroll to reveal its contents. Most of the students looked at the large sheet of paper. They couldn't believe their eyes, but this looks like a map of Hope's Peak Academy. And the layout shown on the map matches up with what they have already seen! Furthermore, the map shows the layout of floors they aren't able to access yet. The second floor of the dormitory appears to be scribbled out, however. They could barely make out the room outlines.Seeing the map of Hope's Peak Academy is interesting, but Kiyotaka has questions regarding the map's origins. "Kirigiri...where did you find this map?" he asked."It doesn't matter where I found it," Kyoko replied."It does matter!" Kiyotaka said. "Just tell us where you found this map! You're freaking us out if you don't!""Calm down, Ishimaru," Yasuke said. "If she says that it doesn't matter, then it probably doesn't matter. There's no need to freak out over it.""So then...what does this mean?" Junko asked.Kyoko placed her hand on the map of the academy. "Just look at this," she said. "This map and the places we've seen so far matches up almost exactly. This is Hope's Peak Academy. There's no doubt about it. But...while it does match up in terms of construction, this building we're in appears to have undergone a number of...renovations.""Renovations?" Makoto asked. "Like what?""Just the obvious stuff," Kyoko replied. "The covered windows, the metal door at the entrance hall, things like that. I can't say for sure what's going on in the upper floors. We only have access to the first floor."Sayaka then looked at the scribble in the area above the dormitory. "Wait, what's that over there?" she asked."That might be the second floor of the dormitory," Kyoko replied. "I can't say for sure. It may match up with the dormitory on this floor. Who knows.""So...this place really is Hope's Peak Academy," Mondo said. "What the hell? Is this supposed to be the school where the talented come and learn?""It might be..." Hina replied. "But if that's the case, then where are all the students? I saw two classrooms, but only enough students to fill one...""And where are all the teachers?" Sakura asked."Hey, come on, guys," Yasuhiro said, trying to calm everyone down. "Let's not think about the negative side, okay? I mean, this has to be some elaborate experiment, right? This entire school is probably just a lab designed to study how we behave in a situation like this."What of experiment would place unwilling people into a building and ask them to kill each other?" Yasuke asked. "That's definitely an unethical experiment. No sane lab would ever want to pull that off. Also, is that another stupid prediction of yours? I'm getting tired of your pseudoscience bullshit.""Hey!" Yasuhiro shouted. "Don't take everything I say as a prediction!"Then, Celeste began to laugh all of a sudden. "Haha..." she said at first. Then, she broke down into a laughter of madness. "Hahahahahahaha!"Everyone turned towards Celeste and gave her confused looks."W-Why are you laughing?" Toko asked. "W-What's so funny?""Oh, you poor fools," Celeste said. "Don't you all realize that you're spending too much time worrying?""W-What are you talking a-about?" Toko asked."It's clear to me the situation all of us are placed in," Celeste said. "Trapped in a school with no way out, with no end to the imprisonment in sight.""Y-You don't have to tell that us to us a-again," Toko said. "B-But still...trapped in h-here...with n-no way o-out...and with no e-end in sight... W-What are we s-supposed to d-do?""It's simply, really," Byakuya replied. "If you want to leave, all you have to do is-""Don't even talk about that!" Junko shouted. "We get it already!""Guys, calm down!" Makoto said. "I believe that our best course of action is to try to find a way out of this school together!"Celeste laughed at the idea. "Escape? From this school?" she asked. "I think you're having the wrong reaction, Naegi."Makoto looked at Celeste with a puzzled look. "What do you mean?" he asked."Instead of trying to find a way to escape," Celeste suggested, "we should all just spend the rest of our lives living peacefully together in this school."Sayaka is just as confused as Makoto over what Celeste was saying. "I still don't get it," she said. "What are you saying?""What I'm saying is that we should accept our current situation and adapt to it," Celeste said."What the hell?" Mondo said. "You're telling us that we should just...accept this?!""Face it," Celeste began to say. "Adapting to this place is our best chance at surviving. If you can't adapt, then you won't survive. You know what they say? Survival of the fittest? That means that it doesn't take the to be the strongest, smartest, or fastest in order to survive. In order to survive, you adapt. Without that adaptability, you won't survive."Most of the students are confused by what Celeste is saying, but it appears that Sakura gets her."I get what she's saying," Sakura said. "If you can't adapt, then you won't succeed. I'll give an example based on my experiences. Even though I am the Ultimate Martial Artist, I am constantly finding ways to improve and refine my fighting style. I have fought over 400 matches and never lost a single one. That means that every fighter I face will know how I fight. They will develop counter strategies in an attempt to defeat me. If I don't adapt to those counters, then I will lose for the first time.""Wow, that's so cool..." Hina said."How interesting," Celeste remarked. "It seems that we see eye to eye about this, Ogami. It's true. I have changed my strategies to thwart my opponent attempts at defeating me. As someone who has come out on top many times before, I have a suggestion to me."Mondo raised an eyebrow. "Huh? What do you mean?" he asked."We will be spending many nights in this school," Celeste began. "And we understood the rule regarding nighttime. Are we all on the same page?""Yeah, yeah, we get it now," Leon replied. "We're trapped in this school, blah, blah, blah."Celeste glared at Leon. "Rude," she muttered. "Anyways, about this rule about nighttime. I believe that we should add another rule on top of that.""Aw, don't add another rule to the list!" Leon complained. "Our actions are restricted enough as it is!""What's your suggestion?" Makoto asked, curious about what Celeste has to add."Going out at night should be prohibited," Celeste said.Mondo slammed his hands on the table. "What the hell?!" he shouted. "You're telling us to say in our rooms all night?!""Allow me to explain," Celeste said. "The way things are now, we will have to worry about our own safety when we're walking around the school at night. We might be afraid that someone will kill us in the middle of the night, when everyone else is sleeping. By the time we discovered a dead body, it'll be too late.""W-What?" Sayaka gasped."T-That sounds s-so scary..." Toko said. "I-I don't want anyone to ambush me at night!""Face it, everyone," Celeste said. "If you keep on worry about this night after night, you will be worn down in no time. That goes for all of you. As long as we all remain in our rooms at night, we should be safe. However, unlike all other rules, we aren't forced to comply to it by Monokuma. We all must agree to follow this rule. So, is everyone with me?"Kiyotaka raised his head. "Yes!" he said. "Yes, I do! On behalf of all the men here, I shall comply!""Dude, you can't just speak out for all of us," Leon said. "Let us have a say in this!"Celeste grew a small smile. "I see..." she said. "Then on behalf of all the women, I shall agree to follow this new rule.""Aw, not the girls, too!" Leon complained again. "Hey, girls? Are you with me? You do agree that this new rule is dumb, right?"None of the girls said anything."Then that settles it," Celeste began to declare. "From now on, all of us must follow this new rule. Now, if you would excuse me, I'd better be going." She then got up from her seat and walked out of the dining hall."Hey!" Natsumi yelled. "Where do you think you're going?"Celeste stopped where she is for a moment. "To my room, of course," she said without turning her head. "It's getting awfully late. I want to take a shower before the water shuts off at night. And don't ask me if I had dinner. I already had my meal earlier." After saying that, Celeste continued her way back to her room.Celeste mentioning that she had dinner already made nearly everyone feel hungry."Well, that was an interesting first meeting," Kiyotaka said. "I must say, we have learned a lot about our current situation, but there may be more to discover in the future. I'd say that we reconvene in this dining hall for another meeting first thing tomorrow morning. For now, I declare that today's meeting has come to an end! Everyone, let's have some dinner!"Sayaka then raised her hand. "Um...Makoto and I already ate so, I think we're free to leave now..." she said."Oh, you two had dinner already?" Kiyotaka asked. "Well, then, go on ahead. You two are dismissed now."Makoto and Sayaka then exchanged look with each other."Makoto, are you ready to call it a day?" Sayaka asked."Yeah," Makoto replied with a nod. "Let's head back to our rooms for the night."Makoto and Sayaka then left the dining hall together as the rest of the students began their first dinner together.
Day 1 - Unknown TimeUnknown Location
"...H...lo? A...one th...re?""...""Can a... hear m...?""...""I'm s...k in here... I don't k... how to... out...""...""S...one! P...se! Sa... me!"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Day 1 - 10:00 PMSayaka's Room, First Floor
*Ding-dong, ding-dong!*The monitor in the room turns on, showing Monokuma sitting at a chair while having a drink. Behind him is a wall of monitors, each showing footage from different parts of the school."Ahem, attention all students," Monokuma began to announce. "This is a school announcement. The time is now 10:00 PM, which means that nighttime has officially begun! The doors to the dining hall will be closed at this time, so accessing it is strictly prohibited. Sweet dreams, everyone! And don't let the bed bugs bite."The monitor then turns off, ending the announcement....Despite being called the Ultimate Idol, Sayaka's dorm room is as bland as ever. There's only the furniture that all the other dorm rooms get. Any other decorations are nowhere to be found.Sayaka rested on the bed, covering herself with the pink blanket that comes with the girls' rooms. Her eyelids became heavy as she stared at the ceiling. As she drifted into sleep, Sayaka thought about the situation she and 15 other students had found themselves in. Everyone is forced to live out the rest of their lives within the confines of Hope's Peak Academy, with their only method of escaping is to sacrifice the life of someone. The thought of taking another student's life is a terrifying thought to her. It made her worry about her own safety.On the bright side, at least there's Makoto in this school. Just seeing him again was enough to make her happy. She had enjoyed the time she had spent with him, and wanted to hang out with him again. There's something on her mind that she wanted to let out."Makoto..." Sayaka muttered.That was her last word before she completely fell asleep.
Day 2 - 7:00 AMMakoto's Room, First Floor
*Ding-dong, ding-dong!*"Good morning, everyone!" Monokuma said, waking everyone who heard the announcement. "It's 7:00 AM right now, which means that nighttime is officially over! Rise and shine, everyone! Get ready for a beautiful day!"...That's the strangest alarm bell I have ever heard, Makoto thought as he woke up.Makoto's first instinct is to check the windows to verify the time of day. Of course, the windows are covered in metal plates, so there's no way of telling the exact time of day. All he's got is the clocks placed throughout the school.Makoto slid off his bed and slipped into his shoes. He thought about the meeting Kiyotaka had scheduled for this morning. He remembered him saying that everyone should head there first thing in the morning."Alright, I should go there right now!" Makoto declared.With a newfound determination, Makoto ran out his room.
Day 2 - 7:03 AMDormitory, First Floor
*CRASH!*Okay, maybe Makoto shouldn't have done that. He should have just taken his time and calmly walked his way to the dining hall. It's not like he's in a rush to get here.Makoto landed on his butt. "Ugh," he grunted as he rubbed his head. "Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" He stopped himself upon seeing who he had ran into. "AHHH!"Of course. It was Mondo. Of all people, his room was placed right across Makoto's own room. It was only a matter of time before they ran into each other as they went out of their rooms for the morning.Mondo was irritated over being ran into. "Hey, watch where ya going, ya runt!" he said. "Do ya wanna get a knuckle sandwich or something?""AH!" Makoto screamed. "D-Don't hurt me! I didn't mean to run into you!"Mondo then sensed something familiar about Makoto. "Hey, wait a second," he said. "Aren't you one who tried to be my dad or something? Gah, who cares? All I care about is for you to shut up!" Mondo then tried to deliver a punch to Makoto."NO!" Makoto screamed as he attempted to block his face."Owada!" someone shouted in a scolding manner.Mondo stopped his fist before he could land his punch on Makoto. He turned his head towards the source of the voice. It was Kiyotaka, one of his neighbors."What are you doing, Owada?" Kiyotaka asked. "Trying to punch Naegi? I knew you would cause some trouble.""Hey!" Mondo shouted. "He ran into me!""That one's probably on him," Kiyotaka replied. "It was an honest mistake. Speaking of which..." He then turned his gaze onto Makoto. "Naegi, you'd better slow yourself down and pay attention to what's in front of you. Remember, no running in the halls. Got it?""You told us to get to the dining hall first thing in the morning..." Makoto replied.As the three boys talked to each other, Sayaka came out of her room and encountered the group. "Huh? What's going on here?" she asked.The three boys turned their attention at Sayaka."Ah, good morning, Maizono!" Kiyotaka greeted. "I hope you had a good sleep last night! We're just having a bit of a problem here in the morning. That's all."Sayaka was confused. "I still don't get it," she said. "What happened here?""It probably doesn't matter," Kiyotaka said. "Now, our second meeting is about to start soon, but first we've got to fill our bellies up. We need to prepare food for breakfast. Care to join us?""Ah, no thanks," Sayaka replied. "I have something else planned for the morning.""Really?" Kiyotaka asked. "Well, that's fine. Owada and I make breakfast ourselves.""Wait...me?" Mondo asked, pointing to himself. "What are we making?""You'll see when we get there," Kiyotaka said. "Now come on! We need to prepare breakfast for the others!"Kiyotaka and Mondo then walked off to the dining hall, leaving Makoto and Sayaka behind.Sayaka knelt down to Makoto. "Are you alright?" she asked. She then offered her hand out to Makoto.Makoto rubbed his head again. "Yeah, I'm fine," he replied.Makoto then reached out to Sayaka's hand and grabbed it. Sayaka then pulled him back up on his feet.Makoto blushed as he stared at Sayaka. It felt like she wanted to do something with him. "So...uh...what are we doing?" he asked."Um...while we're waiting for breakfast to be ready," Sayaka began to answer, "how about we...um...find a place to chat?""A place to chat?" Makoto asked. "What do you want to talk about?""I'll reveal it when we get there," Sayaka replied. "Come on. Let's head...somewhere."Sayaka then walked towards the passageway leading to the main part of Hope's Peak Academy. Makoto wasn't sure where Sayaka is heading. There's only so many places in to go in this school so far. Makoto decided to join Sayaka in where she's going.Before they could get to the main part of the school, Makoto and Sayaka encountered Leon who is standing around near the passageway."Dammit...what should I do now?" Leon asked. "There's nothing to do in this school. God, I think I'm gonna freaking die of boredom at this rate...""Something wrong, Kuwata?" Makoto asked."I just...what can I do?" Leon asked. "I can't even race for my dream in this place..."Sayaka raised an eyebrow when Leon mentioned his dream. "Your dream?" she asked. "What dream?"Leon turned to face Sayaka. "You know that dream, right?" he replied. "I want to become the Ultimate Musician or something. You sense that potential within me, right? The strongest vocals, the dexterity to strum a guitar, and the passion to make music. It's all here in one big package! God, I feel so cool saying that in front of a celebrity. Hey, Maizono? Mind if you train me? I wanna know the secrets to your success!""Ah, sorry," Sayaka replied. "But I'm planning something else right now. I want to talk to Makoto about something.""Huh? Him?" Leon asked with a perplexed look on his face. "You two have been spending all day with each other yesterday, haven't you? What? Are you two in some sort of date?""It's not like that..." Makoto tried to explain.Leon doesn't seem to buy Makoto's explanation. "Well, it sure seems like it!" he said. "Dammit, Naegi. Why do you have to steal the girl of my dreams before I could have a chance?"...Hearing Leon talk about his dreams reminded Sayaka of something. "Dreams..." she muttered.Makoto heard Sayaka say something and looked towards her. "Huh? Did you say something?" he asked."Oh, sorry," Sayaka replied. "It's just...I've gotten something in my head. Come on. Let's go."Makoto and Sayaka then entered the passageway, leaving Leon behind to watch them."Aw..." Leon groaned in disappointment. "What can I do now...?"Leon then turned around and came face to face with Hina, to his surprise."Hey, Kuwata!" Hina greeted. "Good morning! I saw that you were feeling down so...do you think you can train with me?"Leon felt like he's going to dread every moment of his upcoming training session.
Day 2 - 7:09 AMHallway, First Floor
On the way to their destination, Makoto and Sayaka encountered Yasuke and Junko. Yasuke appears to be on his way to the infirmary, with Junko accompanying him.Junko spotted Makoto and Sayaka coming. "Oh, hi there, Naegi! Hi, Maizono!" she greeted with a huge smile on her face. "Wow, I can't believe it, Naegi. Not even a full day has passed and already you've got a girlfriend! Are you two on a date again?"Yasuke heard Junko speaking and turned around to see why. "Oh...it's just you two..." he said. "Good morning...""Good morning to you too, doctor," Sayaka replied with a bow. She then turned her attention to Junko. "Um...no, Enoshima. We're not on a date...""Really?" Junko said with a puzzled look. "It sure looks like you two are. I must say, I'm getting kinda jealous of you two! I mean...getting to date a fashionista is one thing, but getting to date a national celebrity? That's something else! And you're even an ordinary boy, Naegi. You're really living up to your title!"Makoto and Sayaka stared at Junko in silence for a moment."...It's not what it looks like..." Makoto flatly said.Yasuke has an annoyed expression on his face. "Would you stop now, Junko?" he requested. "I have something to do in the infirmary."Hearing about Yasuke and Junko's relationship made Makoto curious about something. "Wait, doctor," he began. "Can I ask you something?""Make it quick," Yasuke said. "I need to be in the infirmary soon.""Well, I've gotta ask..." Makoto began to ask. "How did you and Enoshima met?""Oh, you want to know our origin story?" Junko replied. "Why yes, of course we will! Hey, Yasuke! Take it away!"Yasuke let out a sigh. "If I must..." he said before getting to his backstory. "I first met Junko when I was in elementary school. I didn't have any other friends at the time, and neither was she. We quickly became friends after that point, and the rest is history. Now, I've said enough for now. Tim to go." After finishing his story, Yasuke continued to walk towards the infirmary.Makoto and Sayaka were still left confused about Yasuke's story with Junko."Wait, doctor!" Makoto said. "I still don't get it. Could you explain-""That's all you need to know about me," Yasuke replied. "Now leave me alone.""Wait! Yasuke!" Junko cried as she ran towards Yasuke. "Don't leave me behind!"Makoto and Sayaka watched as Yasuke and Junko disappeared behind a corner.Makoto was left still wondering about Yasuke and Junko. "Is there more to them than what the doctor told us?" he asked. "It felt like he's leaving out some details...""We probably shouldn't bother him for now," Sayaka replied. "Anyways, I think I found a good place for our conversation.""Where?" Makoto asked.Sayaka grabbed the door to one of the classrooms. "Here," she replied. "This might be a good place to have a conversation. Come on in." She then entered the classroom.Makoto read the sign to see what classroom Sayaka had entered. He saw that the classroom is labeled 1-A, the same classroom where he first woke up. A wave of nostalgia hits him as he looked back into that classroom. This part of the hallway is also where he met Sayaka, too. With a sense of nostalgia in his heart, Makoto entered the classroom.
Day 1 - 7:12 AMClassroom 1-A, First Floor
Makoto and Sayaka took a pair of seats in the classroom. They stared at each other for a moment, trying to figure out where to start their conversation. Sayaka has her hands placed on her lap while her legs are kicking the air. She looked away from Makoto with blushes on her face."Well, Sayaka?" Makoto asked. "Do you have something to say? It's getting...awfully quiet in here...""Ah, sorry about the silence," Sayaka apologized. "I'm just...not used to having normal conversations. I'm trying to figure out where to start and my mind ends up blank. And I was the one who invited you into this. Sorry for wasting your time, Makoto...""It's okay," Makoto assured. "We don't have find something to talk about. You don't have force yourself into saying something. We can just...sit around and stare off into the distance or something.""Stare off into the distance...?" Sayaka asked as she stared at something with a finger on her chin."You're probably bored, right?" Makoto asked. "Just sitting around with nothing to do but wait for breakfast...""Oh no, I don't find this boring," Sayaka replied. "It's just...I'm never used to having so much free time, and I've never gotten used to spending that time...doing nothing...""I get where you're coming from," Makoto said. "You're an idol. You've got a busy schedule. You always have something to do every day. Don't you agree?""I guess..." Sayaka replied.Sayaka doesn't realize it, but she's doing some small talk right now, and she's doing fine with it. Makoto began to notice this too. He's glad to see Sayaka being about to pull this off. But now it's time for him and Sayaka to talk about an actual topic. This small talk conversation can only go on for so long.Makoto tried to bring up a topic for Sayaka to talk. "If you're feeling bored, then why don't we find something to talk about?" he suggested. "For instance, I heard you muttering about dreams when we talked to Leon a moment ago. Could we talk about that?""Dreams...?" Sayaka muttered. She appears to be interested in the topic. "Um...Makoto? Sorry if this feels like it came out of nowhere, but do you have a dream?"Makoto is sure that it didn't came out of nowhere. He decided to answer Sayaka's question and follow it up with his own. "Well, I don't exactly have a dream," he replied. "I'm not much of a dreamer, to be honest. I don't have any big goals that I want to reach. I just go wherever my live takes me. Sorry if that sounds like a boring answer, but that's how the way things are with me.""So you don't have a dream?" Sayaka asked."Yeah," Makoto replied. "But what about you, Sayaka? Do you have a dream?""My dream...?" Sayaka said. She spent long and hard thinking about her dream. "My dream...is to become the biggest star in all of Japan, and maybe even the whole world. That's been my dream...for as long as I can remember.""That's your dream?" Makoto said in reaction. "Interesting... But wait, haven't you already achieved this dream? You're the Ultimate Idol, right?""That's right..." Sayaka replied. "I remembered the moment when I got that dream. My mom died when I was young, and my grieving father...spent long hours at work. I was forced to spend long hours all alone in my house...without anyone to take care of me..." There was a hint of nervousness as Sayaka told her backstory.Makoto became shocked to learn about the lonely past Sayaka had gone through as a while. "Whoa..." he said. "That's an awful childhood...""There's more..." Sayaka said as she continued her story. "I've spent all of those lonely hours watching television...in an effort to escape my loneliness. I was trying to find something...anything that would make me escape my loneliness. And then...everything changed when I saw an idol show on TV. Those idols I watched...they were like princesses dancing and singing to their heart's content. I saw their big smiles in full display. And when I saw those smiles, I could feel my loneliness melt away. It's those idol shows that made me want to become an idol myself. I want to be like those girls who inspired me, becoming an idol so that I can do the same to others as what they did to me. I wanted to give encouragement to others, to lift them out of their lonely lives. And that...became my dream."Makoto was amazed at Sayaka's story. "Wow, Sayaka," he said. "That's impressive! You were able to achieve your lifelong dream after many years of hard work! Honestly, you're amazing, Sayaka!"Sayaka then stared straight into Makoto's eyes. "I know..." she said. "But...the truth is...that success doesn't come without a price. I had to do everything I can to make that dream come true, even things that were...unpleasant..."Makoto grew a concerned look on his face. "What?" he said. "What did you do?""I'd rather not say..." Sayaka replied.Makoto was left even more confused. Even if he doesn't know what Sayaka did to advance her career, he's still wondering why she did those unpleasant things, and if there's a reason behind those actions."So then...why did you do those...unpleasant things?" Makoto asked.Sayaka took a deep breath. "I did what I had to do," she began, "because I believed that...if you keep on chasing your dreams...you'll get them eventually. But to keep on chasing your dreams, you have to keep your eyes on them. If you look away from that dream for even a second, you won't make it a reality. No matter what happens, you must keep your gaze fixed on your dream. No matter what."Makoto is starting to sense that there's something wrong going on with Sayaka. He wondered what the idol industry did to her to make her turn out like this."So...what was the idol industry like?" Makoto asked."The idol industry..." Sayaka began to reply. "It's a highly competitive industry. In that world, all the agencies are fighting each other...just to get their idols to the top of the charts. And us idols? We had to constantly fight against a current without getting any time to breath. If we lose focus for even a single second, if we make even a single mistake, we'll get swept downstream, and our dream would die. That world is where my dream lives in. I did everything I could to get ahead of the competition, even...unpleasant things. And in the end...only I managed to reach that dream."Makoto was left shocked upon hearing what Sayaka had to go though. "Whoa...that sounds so harsh," he said. "I didn't know that the idol industry was so...competitive. I thought that it was all about singing and dancing and garnering an audience.""That's what I though when I joined..." Sayaka replied. "But the truth couldn't be any different.""Is the idol industry really that tough?" Makoto asked. "Is it really not that fun to go through it?""Oh, don't get the wrong idea," Sayaka said. "As brutal as the idol industry is, it's still a lot of fun to go through. But still, the fact that my success can be taken away at any moment...that's what scares me..."Makoto grew a puzzled look. "Huh...?" he said. "What do you mean now?""I'm the face of my idol group," Sayaka explained. "Out of everyone in my group, I am the one who is the most popular. I'm practically the leader of my idol group. I enjoyed every moment I spent with them. They're a group full of amazing girls. They may be my rivals in a sense, but they mean so much to me. We worked together for as long as I have worked as an idol, so long that they have become a family to me. Without my group, I wouldn't have achieved my dream at all. Working together towards a common goal...just thinking about it brings me happiness..."Then, Sayaka started to become nervous all of a sudden. Her body began to shake as she talked about her fears."But now, I'm worried about my group's future," Sayaka said. "We may be the most popular group right now, but that won't last forever. Soon, the world will grow tired of me, and we'll be forced to retire. Then we'll go our separate ways. And if that happens, the dream I've spent years on will die. All of the wonderful days will come to an end..."Makoto noticed that Sayaka is starting to tremble. It looks like she's terrified of losing her dream that she worked so long and hard to achieve. She's worried that all of her hard work would have been for nothing..."I was so scared for that day to come..." Sayaka continued. "So when I was invited to join Hope's Peak Academy, I accepted it immediately. After all, it's said that graduating from this school guarantees success, right? I thought that by going to this school, I would be able to perform with my friends forever and ever. But now...I'm trapped in this school...unable to get out. My friends...they're probably out there...waiting for me..."Makoto saw that Sayaka is shivering. Her eyes are starting to look empty. He became very concerned about her. "Sayaka!" he cried."I-I don't know what's going on..." Sayaka continued. "But...I think...the world is forgetting about me... Minute by minute...someone is forgetting me...and soon...I'll be right back where I started... I'll... be all alone again... I...don't want that day to come... I don't want everything I worked for to be for nothing..."In that moment, Sayaka threw herself into Makoto's chest. She cried into Makoto's clothes."I don't want to be stuck in here!" Sayaka cried. "I want to get out! I want to go out and sing with my idol group again! I can't afford to be abandoned!"Makoto watched as Sayaka cried into his chest. He was surprised to see how emotional Sayaka can get. At the start of their conversation, Sayaka was happy to talk to him. But by the end, she was weeping, crying out to the world begging to be freed from this prison. She sounded so desperate in that moment. Makoto understood how Sayaka felt. He was never that famous, but knowing that all of those years of hard work could amount to nothing in the end...it's a terrifying thought. No wonder Sayaka was so worried for that moment to come....Makoto felt like he had to do something to comfort Sayaka. So he wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back."Sayaka..." Makoto began to say. "I'll promise to you..."Sayaka lifted her head off of Makoto's chest. "Huh...?" she asked as she looked into his eyes. Her eyes continue to shed tears."I'll never forget about you," Makoto said. "I promise, Sayaka. I won't. Even if the rest of the world forgets about you, even if the world stops listening to your music, even if your dream ends after years of work, I will continue to support you. I will continue to listen to your music. And above all else, I will never abandon you."Sayaka's heart began to race. The tears stopped flowing out of her eyes. "You...won't...?" she asked."I won't," Makoto replied. "I'll always be there by your side, ready to cheer you on no matter what. Because...you matter to me. My sister and I are big fans of you. I don't know where my sister is but...if she learns that your dream has died, she would be devastated. The same can be said for all of your fans. So for the sake of them, please...don't give up. If we can get out of this school together alive, maybe we can save your dream and your career. And if that fails...just know that I'll still be there by your side."Sayaka clutched her fists, tightening her grip on Makoto's jacket. "Makoto..." she said. Her eyes are starting to become full of life again. She then rested her head on Makoto's chest, rubbing her head against it. "Thank you... Thank you so much... You're...such a sweet person, Makoto..."Makoto smiled as he felt like Sayaka's mood has improved. She's starting to come back to the cheerful self he's familiar with.Sayaka then lifted her head off of Makoto's chest and stared at him into the eyes. They locked gazes at each other for several moments. In that moment, something strange began to happen. As if their heads were magnets of opposite charge, their heads began to pull towards each other. Their lips got closer and closer. They're not sure why they're doing this right now. It's an unconscious decision. They were about to lock lips with each other when something interrupted their moment."Hey!" Kiyotaka announced as he opened the classroom door. "Breakfast's ready!"Makoto and Sayaka's minds snapped back into reality when they heard Kiyotaka's voice. They became startled by how close their lips are to each other. Makoto fell backwards, trying to get away from Sayaka, while Sayaka fell forward as she lost her balance. Makoto landed his back on the floor, while Sayaka landed her head on Makoto's chest. Their legs rested on the chair Makoto was sitting on.Kiyotaka became shocked upon seeing what Makoto and Sayaka were up to. "What the-?!" he gasped. "What are you two doing?! Are you trying too...? That kind of behavior is unacceptable in a school environment!"Sayaka lifted her head off of Makoto. She looked confused. "Huh...?" she asked. "What's going on?""Hey, you two!" Kiyotaka said. "Get up! Get to the dining hall! Breakfast is ready! You don't want to go hungry, right? Oh, and don't even think about doing that again. I don't want to see anyone doing something so unacceptable!" He then walked down the hallway to search for the rest of the students.Makoto and Sayaka then got back up on their feet. They were left confused at what they were doing."Uh...what happened?" Makoto asked."Ah, sorry about that," Sayaka apologized. Her face was red from embarrassment. "I kind of got a little carried away, didn't I? It was a supposed to be a simple talk but..." She then shook her head to snap herself out of it. "Ah, never mind that. How about we head to the dining hall to have our breakfast?" She was back to her normal mood almost instantly."Yeah, sure," Makoto replied. "But before we go, there's something that I want to say.""Oh?" Sayaka began to ask. "What is it?""About yesterday's dinner," Makoto began to reply. "That was...great. I never thought that an idol like you would be able to cook so well.""Aw, how nice of you to compliment my cooking skills," Sayaka said. "Hey, want to know my specialty?"Makoto grew curious about Sayaka's specialty. "What is it?" he asked."Chili oil," Sayaka said with a straight face.Makoto became baffled by that answer. "You mean the condiment?" he asked.Sayaka laughed and giggled. "Just kidding," she said.Sayaka's joke has really lightened up the mood. The mood she displayed earlier had disappeared, being replaced by a smile that Makoto has seen many times. It happened so fast, as if she had put on a mask.With no more things to talk about for now, Makoto and Sayaka headed out the classroom to have some breakfast.
Day 2 - 8:00 AMDining Hall, First Floor
The students gathered around the central table with empty plates in front of them. They have finished their breakfast for now, so it's time move on to the morning meeting."Alright, everyone," Kiyotaka began. "We need to form a plan for what we're going to do from now on. Our goal here is to find a way to escape this school without having to kill another person. I doubt that we'll be able to achieve this goal, but we must try our best to not fall for Monokuma's temptations. As you all know, this school will be our home for now on, so it's our duty to maintain this home. I have already assigned the roles of laundry duty and trash duty to two other students, so it's time for me to assign the remaining roles."Natsumi was still bitter about being chosen to handle the trash. "Oh please..." she said as she rolled her eyes. "If you're going to make someone clean this school, then why don't you make that fat sod do it?"Hifumi was angered by that insult again. "Hey!" he complained. "How many times must you call me 'fat'? Do you have a vendetta against fat people?"Natsumi said nothing."Seriously, Kuzuryu," Kiyotaka said. "I am having enough of your bullying habits. Stop it.""I won't," Natsumi replied.Kiyotaka looked around the dining hall for someone to assign the cleaning duties to. He can't seem to find someone who is suitable for the job. "I have no idea who I should assign the cleaning duties to," he said. "If there's anyone who wants to do it, please raise your hand!"Nobody raised their hands at first. It appears that no one who wasn't assigned a job wants to be in charge of cleaning the floors.Makoto then decided to raise his hand. "I'll do it," he said."You want to clean the floors, Naegi?" Kiyotaka asked. "Well then, if that's what you want, the so be it. You're cleaning the floors now, Naegi.""Wait a second!" Sayaka said as she raised her hand.Kiyotaka turned to Sayaka. "Maizono, what are you doing?" he asked. "Are you trying to take Naegi's job?""I'm not doing that," Sayaka replied. "I just want to help him out, is all."Kiyotaka then thought about giving Sayaka the job of cleaning the floors as well. "Hmm...this school is pretty large," he said. "It'll take a while for one person to clean all of the floors. It might be better with two people... Alright, that's it. Maizono, you're cleaning the floors as well.""Phew..." Sayaka said in relief."As for the job of taking care of our health," Kiyotaka continued, "Dr. Matsuda? Are you up to the task?"Yasuke let out a sigh. "Of course..." he replied. "I may be a neurologist, but that doesn't mean that I can't do basic medical jobs.""As for the rest of you..." Kiyotaka said. "Well, I have no more tasks to give out. Just try to find a way out of this school, alright? Now, with that out of the way, I declare that this meeting is over!"Junko then jumped up and raised her hand. "Wait! Hold on!" she said.Kiyotaka gave an annoyed look at Junko. "What is it?" he asked."If Naegi and Maizono were to clean the floors," Junko began, "they would need cleaning supplies, right? So then...where would they find them?""You can find the cleaning supplies in the public restrooms," Kyoko replied. "They're located in a closet at the far end of the rest rooms.""Ah, that's good to know," Sayaka said with a nod."Alright, with that out of the way," Kiyotaka said, "this meeting is now over! Everyone, you're dismissed!"Everyone then got up out of their seats and went their separate ways.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Day 2 - 9:30 AM Ultimate Baseball Player's Lab, First FloorHina decided to take Leon to a batting room, the Ultimate Baseball Player's Lab, in hopes of getting him to train at his sport. The batting room is a narrow room with the practice area surrounded by nets. At the back of the room are several targets."Aw man..." Leon groaned as Hina took him to his lab. "Do I really have to do this?"Hina grabbed a baseball bat and tossed it at Leon. He didn't catch it."Come on, Kuwata," Hina said. "Don't be like that! Baseball is your favorite sport, right? You are called the Ultimate Baseball Player, after all.""I already told you," Leon replied. "I don't like baseball anymore. I'm just too good at it. I want to become a musician instead."Hina picked up a baseball mitt and a baseball. She walked towards the circle marked as the pitcher's mound. "Listen, Kuwata," she said. "Just because you are the best in your field for your age, that doesn't mean that you can just skip out of practicing altogether. You've gotta keep on practicing!"Leon shrugged in dismissal. "Why should I?" he asked. "I already know that I'm good at baseball. I don't need to practice anymore. It's a waste of time to me."Hina let out a sigh. "Kuwata...just take this from me, okay?" she said. "I am the Ultimate Swimmer, and I know it. But that doesn't mean that I get to stop practicing. I still need to train my muscles. Otherwise, I may forget the skills and techniques I've built up over the years, and I will lose out to the competition. Sports is a highly competitive field. When you've reached the top, you've gotta keep on working to maintain that place. If you don't, then someone else will take your place.""If someone wants to take my place, then so be it," Leon replied. "I don't care. I just wanna get out of baseball so that I can pursue my real passion."Hina sighed and shook her head in disappointment. "You're just that stubborn, aren't you?" she said. "Well, let's just move on. Here, try to hit this baseball. You're ready?"Leon halfheartedly picked up the baseball bat and stood at the place marked as the home plate. He tapped his bat on the home plate and gets ready to bat."Alright, Kuwata," Hina said. "Here goes!" Hina then pitches the ball.Leon watched as the baseball flew towards him. His instincts told him to swing the bat, but his mind says otherwise. His arms remained stiff as the ball whizzed past him and hit the net behind him."Really, Kuwata?" Hina asked. "You didn't even try! Here, let me try again. Maybe this time you'll hit the ball. Okay, here I go!" Hina picked up another baseball and pitched it at Leon.Just like last time, Leon let the ball get past him, not putting in the effort to hit it.Hina let out a frustrated sigh. "So much for being called the Ultimate Baseball Player..." she said. "Alright, one more try." She picked up yet another baseball and pitched it at Leon.Once again, Leon didn't bother to try to hit the baseball. He let it get past him again. In a normal game, he would be considered "out".Hina was left baffled by Leon's unwillingness to cooperate. "Seriously, Kuwata?" she asked. "Why do you have to be this way?""I already told you!" Leon replied. "I'm tired of playing baseball! I wanna do something else! That's it, I'm leaving!" He then turned around to get out of his lab."Oh, no you don't!" Hina said, trying to stop Leon from leaving. "You're not leaving this lab unless you can hit at least one of the targets in the back!"Leon turned around and threw his baseball bat towards the back of the lab. Hina yelped and ducked as the baseball bat flew above her. The baseball bat hit the net at the back of the lab on one of the targets. Hina stood up and turned around to see what Leon had done. She realized that Leon had hit the target, though not in the way she expected. She looked back at where Leon was standing and saw that he was about to leave the lab."Hey! Get back here!" Hina shouted as she began to chase Leon. "I meant with the ball, not with the bat! Hey!"
Day 2 - 9:37 AMAthletics Hallway, First Floor
*CRASH*Whoops. Looks like Leon wasn't paying attention to what's in front of him. He had accidentally crashed into someone."Ow!" Leon yelled in pain. "Argh... What the hell? Watch where you're going, dammit!"Leon then looked at who he had crashed into. It was Makoto."Ugh..." Makoto groaned as he rubbed his head. He then looked ahead to see who crashed into him. "Huh? Kuwata? What are you doing?"At that moment, Hina exited the batting room and caught up with Leon. "There you are, Kuwata," she said. She was about to continue when she saw Makoto on the floor. She gasped in horror. "Oh my gosh! Are you okay, Naegi?"Makoto grabbed the mop he was using and lifted himself back up on his feet. "I'm fine," he said. "Though, people should really stop crashing into me, or I should stop crashing into people. By the way, Kuwata, what are you doing out here? Didn't I see you and Hina enter your lab?""We did," Hina replied. "Problem is, Kuwata is refusing to do any practice. I pitched a ball at him and he just straight up ignored it!""Hey, shut up!" Leon said. "I don't wanna play baseball anymore! Let me do my own thing!""Like trying to become the Ultimate Musician?" Makoto asked.Leon gave a confused look at Makoto. "Huh? Who told you that?" he asked."You did," Makoto replied. "By the way, why did you want to become the Ultimate Musician instead? Other than trying to stop playing baseball, of course.""Do I really have to do this?" Leon asked with a groan. "Fine, I'll tell ya why. You see, becoming a musician has always been my passion. For as long as I can remember, I wanna start up a band and go on tours and play in front of a crowd full of a cheering audience. I wanna do that, but nooo. I had to become a baseball player because I'm a natural at it. Freaking idiots. Do they even know me?""You know, Kuwata..." Hina replied. "If you're a natural at something, you should probably-""Shut up!" Leon shouted. "I don't wanna hear that anymore, got it?" He then turned his focus back on Makoto. "Anyways I once met a girl at a salon. I've dated plenty of girls before, but the girl at the salon was something special. Her face is okay, but her body...ooh, her body! It's smoking hot! I wanna get some of that! I once tried to date her, but she told me that she only dates musicians. And so, that's when I decided to abandon baseball and go for music instead!""So you wanted to become a musician...to impress a girl at a salon?" Makoto asked, squinting one of his eyes.Hina grew a concerned look on her face. "Sounds like you've been dating lots of girls before, Kuwata..." she said. "I don't like the sound of that...""Hey, the point of becoming a musician is to become popular, right?" Leon asked. "You become world-famous and you get all the girls. Is that how that works?"Makoto and Hina have no answer to that."I just want to become the Ultimate Musician," Leon said. "That's all. Now, to reach that goal, I'm gonna need a little bit of help. And I know exactly who to look for!"Makoto can easily guess what's on Leon's mind. "You mean Sayaka?" he asked."Yes, her!" Leon replied. "I'm gonna ask Maizono out and make her teach me her secrets to success! Once I got them, my path to stardom is as clear as day!""Just a second!" Hina said. "Before you go, what kind of music do you want to play, Kuwata?""What kind of music do I want to play?" Leon replied. "Well, I wanna be just like The Damned, The Clash, and The Jam! Yeah, I wanna be like those bands! You get that?"Makoto doesn't know who those bands are. But but based on what Leon looks like, it isn't too hard for him to guess."Those are all punk bands, right?" Makoto said."Damn right!" Leon said. "I wanna conquer the world with punk music!""But isn't Maizono a pop idol?" Hina asked. "She specializes in pop music. There's no way that your music styles and tastes can mix together...""Hey, if Green Day can do it, so can I!" Leon said. "The world of pop punk is an amazing place, and I wanna be just like those bands as well! I'm sure it'll work. Don't you two agree?"Makoto and Hina were left silent."By the way, what kind of guys do you think Maizono's into?" Leon asked. "Is she into musicians? Or maybe she's into actors. Ooh, I should become an actor instead! Ah, whatever. I'm sure it doesn't matter. She has tons of admirers. She'll accept anyone. Now, if you would excuse me, I'd better get going. I wanna hang out with Maizono for once!" He then began to walk down the hallway towards the exit.Makoto reached his hand out to try to stop Leon. "Watch out!" he warned. "The floor's-"Leon slipped and fell on the floor. His body slid for a short distance. Hina walked up to Leon to check on him, making sure to watch her step so the same doesn't happen to her."...Can't you see that the floor's wet?" Makoto asked. "Aw man...now I have to clean that spot all over again! Ugh..."
Day 2 - 9:42 AMEntrance Hall, First Floor
Mondo returns to the metal door at the entrance hall again. This time, he brought along Sakura and Hifumi as well. They tried their best to figure out how to bust open the door."So...what can we do about this door this time?" Mondo asked. "I punched it once and I didn't even make a dent."Sakura gave the metal door a touch. She glided her hand across the door to inspect it. "Hmm...so my suspicious were correct," she concluded. "This metal door is thick, perhaps reaching a meter thick in some places. It's made of the toughest steel known to man. It's so thick and tough, no one can make a dent in it with their bare hands...""But if we use a hammer, would that work?" Hifumi asked."I doubt it," Sakura replied. "Striking this door with enough force to make a dent on it would likely break a hammer.""So what the hell are we supposed to do then?" Mondo asked.Hifumi got an idea. "Maybe you should try punching it multiple times in quick succession," he suggested. "Would that work?""How the hell is that supposed to work?" Mondo asked. "A single punch couldn't make a dent, so how the hell would a hundred be any different?""Well, you could give it a try..." Hifumi said.Mondo turned back towards the metal door. "Well...if you insist..." he said as he crackled his knuckles. Mondo put himself into a readied stance as he gets ready to deliver a flurry of punches to the metal door. Then, Mondo began the flurry of punches. "DORARARARARARARA!"In that moment, Hifumi realized that Mondo might have made a mistake. "Wait! Stop it right now!" he cried. "If you keep on doing that, then you might restore the door! Then you would've done nothing!"Mondo finished his flurry of punches...with not a single dent seen anywhere on the door. He also ended up with a pair of bleeding hands."GAAAAAHHHH!" Mondo screamed as he clutched his bleeding fists and fell to his knees. "ARGH! Why the...hell did I do that...?"Sakura looked down at the screaming Mondo and sighed. "What did I expect?" she asked. "No human hands can ever hope to make a dent on a metal door that tough and thick. They can try, but they'll be left with broken hands."Hifumi looked at Sakura and wondered if she can bust through the door instead. "Hey, Miss Sakura Ogami?" he asked. "Do you think you can must through this door?"Sakura glared at Hifumi with a frown. "I'd rather not," she bluntly said before leaving the entrance hall."Hey! Wait, Miss Sakura Ogami!" Hifumi cried. "Come back! You haven't even tried it out yet!"Sakura ignored Hifumi as she exited the entrance hall.Hifumi let out a disappointed sigh. "Guess we're not getting out that way..." he said.As Mondo continued to scream in pain, Yasuke's voice can be heard coming from the hallway."Did I hear screaming over there?" Yasuke asked.
Day 2 - 9:45 AMAthletics Hallway, First Floor
Makoto was done cleaning the Athletics Hallway and Leon's lab, so now it's time to clean the most difficult part of the school: the gym. Well, it's not so much difficult to clean the gym. His job remains the same regardless of location. The issue here is that the gym is large, which means that it'll take him quite a while to clean the whole place.Before he moved on to the gym, Makoto took a moment to look at the replica sword that caught his attention. Its golden coating shines in Makoto's eyes. It might look like a replica sword, but it could still be effective as a weapon. Makoto placed his hand on the sword and gently rubbed his hand on it. The golden coating felt great, until he noticed something odd when he put his hand off it."Jeez!" Makoto yelped upon seeing that his hand is partially covered in gold. "There's gold stuff all over my hands!"Makoto concluded that the golden coating on the replica sword is peeling off. A slight touch is enough to transfer it onto another surface. It might be a bad idea to take it right now and have it leave a mess everywhere. Makoto decided to not take the replica sword for now. Maybe he'll take it later when it feels like the time is right...Ah, forget about the replica sword. He has a job to do, and he's better not break that promise. Makoto ran to the nearest restroom to get his hand cleaned. Then, he went back to work.
Day 2 - 9:50 AMDormitory, First Floor
Sayaka swept the floor of the lobby with the mop she got from the storage closet in the dormitory girl's restroom. It was tiring work. Even though the area that needed to be clean was rather small, consisting of only a handful of rooms, it still took a long time just to get the lobby cleaned. After cleaning just the lobby, Sayaka took a break. She leaned against one of the walls and rested for a while."Phew, that was tough work..." Sayaka said. "Cleaning just this lobby alone took me a while. I haven't done any cleaning before outside of my own room. There's usually a janitor or two at the studios ready to clean after ourselves. I know that these janitors usually don't get paid much, but doing all of this makes me appreciate their work in keeping places clean...""Yo, Maizono!" Leon called. "What's up?"Sayaka was surprised to hear Leon's voice. She turned around and saw Leon standing near her."Uh...Kuwata?" Sayaka asked. "What is it?""Do you have a moment to talk?" Leon asked. "Looks like you're not busy at the moment."Sayaka glanced at the mop and bucket of water near her. She had stopped cleaning for now and will resume her task soon, but for now it looks like she has some time to chat with someone."Uh...sure," Sayaka replied. "So...what do you want to talk about?""I'm just wondering," Leon began to say. "Could you...teach me your secrets to your success? If you want to, you can take this chat to my room.""Ah, no thanks," Sayaka replied."Oh really?" Leon replied. "Then...what are your secrets to your success? How did you become so successful?"Sayaka thought long and hard about what to say to Leon. "Uh...it's complicated..." she replied. "There are a lot of factors behind my success. I'm good at singing and dancing on stage. My smiles never fail to make someone else smile. And...my songs managed to touch the hearts of millions of fans...""There's also the fact that you've got a pretty face and a smoking hot body!" Leon replied.Sayaka felt a bit uncomfortable talking about her looks. "Yeah..." she said. "That too... But wait...what are you planning to do with this information?""Oh, you know..." Leon replied. "I just want to learn how to become the Ultimate Musician. I thought that by following your footsteps, I would be able to become successful just like you! I mean, it's gotta be easy breaking into the music industry. There's tons of bands in that industry right now! I mean, all I've gotta do is to pick up an instrument, gather up a band, get some tips from a successful artist, and then I'm on my way to stardom! Isn't that right?"Sayaka looked away from Leon, her mood feeling like it's dropping every moment when she looks at him.Leon grew a confused look on his face. He tried to lean over to get a look at Sayaka's face, but she just keep on averting her gaze at him."Hey, Maizono?" Leon asked. "Is there something wrong?"Sayaka let out a sigh. "Listen, Kuwata..." she began. "The music industry has a lot of bands, yes, but...these bands are fighting over a limited number of listeners. There's only so many songs that a person can hear in their lives. Do you realize how much those bands had to fight to see any amount of success?"Leon rubbed the back of his head. "Well...if they can do it, so can I, right?" he asked. "I've just gotta replicate what made them successful and boom! Successful band! Is that how it works?"Sayaka gave a brief glimpse at Leon before averting her gaze away from him again and sighing. "Look, Leon..." she said. "If you want to be successful in that industry, you're going to need to find your own way of becoming successful. What has worked for one band may not always work for you. Besides, I can tell from your looks that our genres of specialty are vastly different. There's no way that my lessons will work for you...""Hey, come on!" Leon said. "Don't be like that! Look at me, Maizono. Look at me!""Just...leave me alone, Kuwata..." Sayaka said. "I don't feel like talking to you for any longer.""Please, Maizono!" Leon begged. "Just...give me one tip. Just one tip. Please?"Sayaka turned her body away from Leon. "I can't..." she said. "You'll just have to find success on your own..."Leon was about to say something, but he couldn't find the right words to say. It'll probably be best if he do as she said and walk away."Okay..." Leon said as he began to walk away. "Well, I hope that we get another chance to talk soon. Just be sure to smile for me next time, okay?" He then went back to his dorm room.Even though Leon had already left, Sayaka continued to look to her side in a dim mood. Just talking to him had left her drained. She wished that Makoto would be here to lift her spirits up..."Hey, Maizono?" someone asked.Sayaka heard the voice call out her name. She looked ahead of her to see who it is. It was Junko, greeting her with that big, wide smile."Oh...hey Enoshima..." Sayaka greeted.Junko frowned upon hearing the tone of Sayaka's voice. "Aw...what's wrong?" she asked. "Did something happened to you?"Sayaka drooped her head and sighed. "It's nothing..." she replied."Aw, don't be so dim," Junko said. "Here, let me cheer you back up! So, why is 77 a cowherd's luckiest number?"Sayaka has a bewildered, though intrigued, look on her face upon hearing the question. She wondered what the answer to that question is."Because that's the date he'll get to see his long-lost lover again!" Junko replied. "Isn't it heartwarming?"Sayaka grew a smile upon hearing that question and its answer. "Yeah...it really does..."Junko smiled upon seeing Sayaka smiled. "Aw, that's great," she said.Sayaka then grew curious about what Junko has been up to. "So...Enoshima..." she began. "I've got to ask, what have you've been doing lately? Before you got trapped in this school along with the rest of us?"Junko played with her pigtails as she gave an answer. "Well, I did the usual stuff," she replied. "I've been performing some photo shoots out in the jungles...""You posed for photos out in the middle of a jungle?" Sayaka asked, finding it unusual for a fashionista to have photos of them taken out in the wilderness."Ah, did I say jungle?" Junko asked. "Uh, what I meant to say is, I posed for photos out in the desert!"Okay, that sounded a lot more unusual. What's a fashionista doing out in the middle of a desert?"Ah, did I say desert?" Junko asked, sounding increasingly embarrassed. "Uh, I mean in the middle of a dirty alleyway!"Sayaka had a absolutely baffled look on her face. "...What?" she asked.Junko let out a groan. "I give up," she said. "I can't seem to speak correctly today. Maybe I'll do better next time. I'd better be going. You continue to clean the floors for us. See ya!" She then ran off towards her room, not seeming to care about the wet floor she's running on.Sayaka's eyes were wide as she watched Junko leave. That girl is unusual, Sayaka thought. I wonder where she has been too recently...Shaking these thoughts out of her mind, Sayaka decided that it's time to resume cleaning up the floor. She grabbed her mop and swept it across the floor again.
Day 2 - 11:00 AMInfirmary, First Floor
Cleaning the gym was tough work for Makoto. It is a huge room with a ton of area to clean, so it took him quite a while to clean the entire gym. He wasn't even sure if he got every spot. Oh well. It looks clean enough already.After cleaning the gym, Makoto went on to clean the infirmary. There, he met Yasuke, of course, as well as Mondo who is occupying one of the beds. Both of Mondo's hands are wrapped in bandages."Uh...what happened here?" Makoto asked."Oh, nothing much," Yasuke replied. "Owada broke his own fists trying to punch that metal door, like an idiot.""That yakuza chick is going to mock me for days..." Mondo grumbled."Is he going to be alright?" Makoto asked."He will," Yasuke replied. "Just give him a few days to recover. He didn't break any of his bones, so the injury isn't permanent.""Dammit..." Mondo groaned as he clutched his fists in pain. Well, he tried to clutch his fists while they're both bandaged. The bandages are binding his fingers together, so he can't move them.Makoto grew curious about Yasuke's profession and its origins. "So...doctor?" he began to ask. "How did you get into...neurology?"Yasuke opened up a cabinet full of medical products to check on them. He didn't bother to look at Makoto as he replied to his question. "Do you really want to know?" he asked."Hey, the kid's just asking how'd you get your talent," Mondo said.Yasuke closed the cabinet and sighed. "It's a long story," he said. "I became an orphan when I was growing up. My dad left me when I was young, leaving me with just my mother. She tried her best to take care of me, but then...she developed some sort of neurological disorder. Her mental state deteriorated rapidly after her diagnosis, and she died not too long afterwards."Makoto got curious about what happened to Yasuke's mother. "What was your mom diagnosed with?" asked.Yasuke let out a heavy sigh. "You don't want to know," he replied."But-" Makoto tried to say."I said you don't want to know!" Yasuke shouted. "Are you really that curious? Stop being so nosy. Not everyone wants to talk about everything about themselves!"Makoto was left stunned into silence for a moment."I picked up this field to get a better understanding of what happened to my mother," Yasuke continued, "and to prevent what happened to her from happening to anyone else ever again. Our brains are an integral part of our bodies. If something goes wrong in there, the body will fall apart. My job is to study neurological disorders and find ways to treat them. That is all you need to know about me. Got it?"Makoto felt like his understanding of Yasuke is incomplete, but he understands that not everyone is like Sayaka in that they're willing to spill everything about themselves to him. He decided that it's best to leave the doctor alone for now. "I get it..." he replied."Good," Yasuke said. "Now, if you would excuse me, Owada, you're discharged. That means you're free to go now. And Naegi? Clean up the bed Owada was using. I need it ready for the next patient."Mondo got off the bed, allowing Makoto to step in to clean it. He took out a sheet of wet wipe and cleaned the bed. After doing that, Makoto move on to cleaning the rest of the infirmary. But then, he saw that Mondo is still in the infirmary."Gah!" Makoto yelped. "W-Why are you still here?"Yasuke gave Mondo a disapproving glare. "Hey, I told you to get out, Owada," he said. "There's no need for you to stay here.""No! Wait!" Mondo said. "Let me talk to Naegi first!""Make it quick," Yasuke said. "I need this place cleaned as soon as possible."Mondo turned his head towards Makoto, who is shivering up meeting his gaze. "Hey, kid," he began."W-What do you want?" Makoto asked."Hey, no need to be afraid of me," Mondo assured. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I promise.""Didn't you try to punch me twice earlier?" Makoto asked."Hey, I was just angry, okay?" Mondo replied. "My mind was going haywire in those moments. I wasn't thinking straight. I might not look like it, but I'm actually a chill kind of dude."Makoto is getting mixed messages from Mondo. On the one hand, Mondo appears to be a stereotypical delinquent, what with his prominent pompadour and ornately decorated long coat. On the other hand, Mondo told him that he's a chill person at heart. Makoto wasn't sure which one of the messages to trust."Look, you saw what I did, didn't ya?" Mondo asked. "My instincts wanted me to punch some chicks but...my mind wanted me to not hurt them. That might seem strange, but that's actually a part of my code of honor. I never hurt a chick, no matter what. Even if that chick is hurting me, I will never lay a single finger on her. This is a promise that I made to myself, and I must stick by that promise. Of course, with that yakuza chick mocking me all the damn time, I felt like I wanted to break that rule just for her. But still...I mustn't make any exceptions..."Makoto had a face that screams bewilderment. "Okay..." he said, feeling unsure about what to think about Mondo. "That's...interesting. I'll just...try to avoid you while I can from now on. I don't feel like getting knuckle sandwiches from you...""Hey!" Mondo shouted. "Don't use that as a takeaway! Trust me, I'm just-""Time's up, Owada," Yasuke said. "Time for you to leave."Mondo turned around towards Yasuke. "What?!" he shouted. "Hey, I'm not-""Just leave already, Owada," Yasuke said. "You're free to go!""Ugh...fine..." Mondo said with a groan. "See you 'round, kid." He then slowly walked out of the infirmary.Owada is a strange guy, isn't he? Makoto thought. He looks like a delinquent, yet has a kind heart deep inside him. I'm...not sure what to think of him from now on. I'm not sure if I'm ready to lower my guard around him. Oh well. It's better to be safe than sorry.Makoto then proceeded to clean up the rest of the infirmary.
Day 2 - 12:00 PMDormitory, First Floor
Mondo was on his way to join the rest of the students in the dining hall for lunch. Makoto and Sayaka are still busy with cleaning up the rest of the school, so they'll have lunch at a separate time. Of course, joining the rest of the students in the school means that he'll have to come face to face with the one student who he dreads encountering. It's Natsumi Kuzuryu, and sure enough, she's standing there at the entrance to the lobby."Ah...shit..." Mondo groaned. "Not you again...""Oh, look who showed his stupid corn head to me again," Natsumi said.Mondo growled at Natsumi. "Would ya stop calling me that?"Natsumi noticed that Mondo's hands are bandaged. "Ooh, what happened here?" she asked. "Let me guess. You tried to punch that metal door again, didn't ya, idiot? What did you expect? A single punch wouldn't do it, so what would a hundred punches be any different?""I thought that'll work for sure!" Mondo shouted."Oh please..." Natsumi said as she rolled her eyes. "It's always the same story every time. You may talk tough. You may look tough. You may even act tough. But nothing you can do can change the fact that you're a weakling at heart.""Stop calling me weak!" Mondo shouted. "I hate being called that!""See?" Natsumi said. "Your reactions tell me that you're weak. A strong and tough person would've been unfazed by that.""Stop it..." Mondo grumbled before going into a full on roar. "STOP IT! What gives you any right to call me that?!""You wanna know why?" Natsumi replied. "Because I am superior to you. The world you came from is nothing compared to the world I came from. My world is a lot harsher than your world, yet I managed to survive it. That's why I'm superior to you."Mondo is gritting his teeth. "I still don't get it..." he said. "What kind of world did you even come from?""Shut up!" Natsumi shouted. "Why should you care? I'm the Ultimate Yakuza. You're the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader. Our worlds are vastly different, and I happen to come from the harsher one. Got it?"Mondo is grumbling from the irritation. He ran out of words to say to Natsumi.At that moment, Kiyotaka came out of the dining hall to see what's causing the commotion outside it. He spotted Mondo and Natsumi standing there talking to each other, not heading to the dining hall where they should be."Hey! You two!" Kiyotaka shouted. "Why are you two standing there? Lunch is ready! You don't want to go hungry, do you?"Natsumi heard Kiyotaka's voice and turned her head to look behind her. "What?" she said before turning the rest of her body towards Kiyotaka. "Hey! Who do think you are? Trying to control me?""No, I'm saying that you should get some lunch," Kiyotaka replied. "Now head inside! The food's about to become cold!"Natsumi was about to say something, but then she felt her stomach growl from being empty. She then watched as Mondo walked towards the dining hall. Seeing that it might a bad idea to go hungry, it might be best for her if she do as Kiyotaka says and head to the dining hall. Besides, she hates eating cold food. That sounds unappetizing."Fine..." Natsumi said as she walked towards the dining hall.
Day 2 - 1:30 PMDormitory, First Floor
Makoto and Sayaka are done cleaning the school for the day, so they head to the dining hall to grab some lunch. At this point, the rest of the students were already done, and most of the food has already been eaten. That means that they have to prepare their own meals for them to eat.Makoto and Sayaka sat down at the side table with their meals in front of them. Before they could start their meals, the two have a little chat about the work they have done."That took us quite a while, didn't it?" Makoto asked. "It's a good idea that you decided to help me on that part. Otherwise, cleaning this school might take me all day...""I am your Ultimate Assistant, remember?" Sayaka replied. "Of course I had to help you right there. I don't want you to take on anything by yourself.""Yeah, I agree," Makoto replied. "Well, we've been waiting for our lunch for long enough. Time to eat!"Makoto and Sayaka then went on to eat their lunch. After they're finished, the two stared off at the ceiling, wondering what they should do next.Sayaka then glanced at Makoto. "Um, Makoto?" she began. "If you don't mind, could you...spare a moment for us to talk?""Huh?" Makoto said as he turned towards Sayaka. "What is it?""Um...sorry if I'm being too formal..." Sayaka said."It's okay," Makoto replied. "You don't have to apologize.""Yeah...it's true..." Sayaka replied. "It's just...having you by my side...it makes me feel a whole lot better. If it weren't for you being here, I would've felt so lost..."Makoto nodded his head. "Yeah, I feel the same way, too," he replied."You do?" Sayaka asked."Yeah, I do," Makoto replied. "When I first came into Hope's Peak Academy, I felt like I didn't belong. I was a totally normal student who found himself among a class full of highly talented students. I once thought that there was no way that I can fit in, that I can even talk to anyone in my class. But thanks to you, I feel more comfortable talking to anyone. Well, for the most part."Sayaka grew a smile on her face. "I'm glad to hear that," she replied. "It's so nice getting to see you again, Makoto. It's too bad that we had to meet in such awful conditions...""It would've been much better if we met anywhere else, right?" Makoto asked."Yeah, it would've been better..." Sayaka replied. "Although, it feels kind of strange getting to talk to you like this, just being so...casual around you.""It feels so strange being casual around you, too," Makoto replied. "Why should I be so casual? You're a celebrity. I couldn't just go around being casual around any celebrity. Now that I think about it, this is really strange." Makoto then got an idea. "Hey, Sayaka...I've been wondering. How did you recognize me?""Huh? How did I recognize you?" Sayaka asked. "You're asking that question again?""Well, I'm just a normal, everyday guy," Makoto replied. "And you're a national celebrity. You've seen lots of faces before, right? So how come you managed to remember mine?"Sayaka thought about a response to that question for a moment. "Well...it's because I looked at you all the time," she replied.Makoto was confused at the response. "Huh? You were looking at me?" he said. "But...why?""Because...I wanted to talk to you," Sayaka replied. "I was looking for an opportunity to talk to you.""An opportunity to talk to me?" Makoto asked in reaction."Yes," Sayaka replied. "But...you know, I'm a popular celebrity, even during our middle school years. I was always surrounded by many people. Everyone came up to me, asking me for my autograph. You weren't one of those people who approached me. In fact, you never even looked at me. I was waiting for that opportunity to talk to you for three years, yet that day never came. As a result, we ended up graduating without saying a word to each other. Not getting a chance to talk to you has always been one of my biggest regrets..."Makoto was left scratching his head. "I still don't get it," he said. "Why do you want to talk to me so much, of all people?""Well...uh..." Sayaka began to say. She paused for a moment to find the answer. "Do you...remember that incident that happened during our first year of middle school, when a giant bird wandered into the school pond? I think what happened next was straight out of a fairy tale, like that man who saved a turtle, or that woodcutter who saved a sparrow...""You're talking about that crane incident, right?" Makoto said."Ah, yes!" Sayaka replied. "That one! I remembered that day well. A huge crane had wandered into the school's pond, and it caught the attention of everyone. It looks like the crane was injured. It was unable to fly! The teachers were talking about what to do with it, but none of them had gotten any ideas. Then you came in and rescued the crane, nursed it back into good health, and led it back into the forest behind the school.""Well, that's only because I was in charge of taking care of the animals," Makoto replied. "The teachers made me do it.""Even so, I think that's so sweet of you to go rescue a crane," Sayaka replied. She then paused for a moment to gather up her thoughts. "Um...is it okay if I say thank you right now? It might be a bit late..."Makoto had a shocked look on his face. "Thank me?" he asked."I'm that crane you saved, by the way," Sayaka explained. "I remember your kind touch very well. It was so soft and gentle, I want to experience it again. As a reward for your act of kindness, I'll make you a fine cloak..."Okay, Makoto is pretty sure Sayaka is joking at that moment. There's no way that she could be the crane that he had rescued years ago. A person who is able to transform into an animal? That's the type of stuff that only happens in fiction, such as folktales.Sayaka smiled and giggled, figuring that Makoto would get that it's a joke. "Just kidding," she said. "But in all seriousness, I am impressed by your act of kindness to that crane. It made me want to talk to you, even just once. I wished on every day of my life that I would get to meet you. My wish came true eventually, though...not in the way that I would like...""Yeah, I would agree," Makoto replied. "It'll be much better if we would meet each other at a train station or some other public place, not trapped in this school that's meant to be Hope's Peak Academy...""I do wish that our reunion would be like that..." Sayaka replied. "But even so...perhaps one day, you would help me find my way out of this mess, just like what you did with that crane. You'll save me. It's just my intuition, I know, but still...I believe that it'll become true. You will get me out of this school, right? Do you promise me that, Makoto?"Makoto can feel his heart racing as Sayaka told him that promise. "I-I will, Sayaka," he replied. "I will keep that promise. I'm going to get you out of this school, without sacrificing a single person!"Sayaka grew a big smile. "I'd knew that you'll do it," she said. "I believe in you. Besides, my intuitions are always right, because I'm psychic. Kidding!" She then went into a giggle.As he watched Sayaka giggle, Makoto grew a smile on his face once again. He can feel a deep bond forming between him and Sayaka. After their conversation ended, Makoto and Sayaka picked up their empty bowls and took them to the kitchen to clean them.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Day 2 - 4:00 PMDormitory, First Floor
Byakuya was on his way to the dining hall to get a cub of tea. He was about to enter the lobby area when he felt a strange presence behind him."Hmm?" Byakuya said as he came to a halt. "Who's there?"Byakuya heard some nervous muttering behind him. From this alone, he can tell who's following him."It's you again, isn't it?" Byakuya asked as he quickly turned around. "Pest."Byakuya found Toko following him, as usual. Toko is biting her nails for a moment before she noticed that Byakuya is looking at her."Oh! M-Master Togami!" Toko said. "You've finally notice me!" Her expression appears be...disturbing.Byakuya squinted his eyes as he glared at Toko. "Don't take it that way," he said. "I know exactly what you're trying to do with me."Toko didn't get what Byakuya was trying to say to her. She just continued on as if she didn't hear anything. "Oh, Master Togami!" she said with a moan. "Make me y-your servant! I will do anything for you! Anything!"Byakuya groaned and turned his back on Toko. "Go away, pest," he said. "I am not worthy of the services you provide. Besides, I don't need servants anymore. I can do anything by myself. Frankly, you are disgusting. I can tell that you smell exactly as what I would describe you: a pest."It appears that Toko still doesn't get it, as she's still fawning over Byakuya. Either that, or his words are making her become even more infatuated with him. It's hard to tell."Now, go away," Byakuya ordered. "I don't want to catch you stalking me anymore." He then continued his walk towards the dining hall.Toko stood still as Byakuya walked away. She kept her eyes on him. She appears to have...vivid imaginations regarding him. "Oh, Master Togami..." she said once again. "You're so charming..."As Toko fawned over Byakuya, Makoto and Kiyotaka are behind her, looking visibly disturbed by how she's behaving. They were in the middle of a conversation when they heard Byakuya talking to Toko. The two boys soon turn their heads towards each other, wondering about the same thing."Can someone get Fukawa back in her room?" Makoto asked.
Day 2 - 9:45 PMSayaka's Room, First Floor
The rest of the day was rather uneventful. The students either lounged around in their rooms, talked to each other, or tried to find a way to escape the school. There's not much to do in this school. There's only so many thing one can do given the accessible rooms.Sayaka spent the rest of the evening taking a nice, relaxing shower. She could really use a wash before the water gets shut down for the night. She used the provided soap and shampoo and made sure that both her skin and her hair are silk smooth. It felt great for her to be feeling fresh. Once she felt like she's clean enough, Sayaka turned off the water and dried herself.Sayaka slipped on her undergarments first before putting on her actual clothes. They're a pair of pink undergarments made out of cotton, with both having a lacy bow on then. They're also inexpensive. Her panties went up without a hitch. But when she tried to put on her bra, she noticed something strange.Huh? That's weird, Sayaka thought. This is the same setting that I'm used to putting on, yet my bra felt a little tight on me. I wonder why...It felt a little uncomfortable having her bra be a bit too tight on her chest. Sayaka wished that this school measured her properly and gave her bras that fit her. Luckily, there is a larger setting on the bras she's currently using. Sayaka put the clip onto the larger setting and suddenly her bra no longer feels tight.Ah, that feels much better, Sayaka thought. Still, I could've sworn that my bras are sized corrected for me, and I'm pretty sure my measurements haven't change. Which one's wrong? My bras, or my measurements? Oh well. It's probably not worth it to think about it...Sayaka shook the thought of that oddity out of her mind and put the rest of her clothes on. After that, she headed for her bed and began to sleep for the night. But as she began to fall asleep, she also noticed something odd about her stomach. It felt empty.Again? Sayaka thought. What's with these strange things that's been happening to me? First my bra feels tighter than usual, and now mu stomach feels empty. I could've sworn that I ate the amount of food that I usually eat. What's going on? Ah, why should I care? I just eat a little more tomorrow morning.With all those strange thoughts shaken out of her mind, Sayaka drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
Day 3 - 7:00 AMMakoto's Room, First Floor
*Ding-dong, ding-dong!*"Good morning, everyone!" Monokuma announced. "It's 7:00 AM right now, which means that nighttime is officially over! Rise and shine, everyone! Get ready for a beautiful day!"...Another day, another morning announcement by Monokuma. This is starting to become a routine at this point.Makoto woke up to the morning announcement and quickly got off his bed. Soon, he'll come to the dining hall to grab some breakfast. As he put on his shoes, however, someone began to ring the doorbell.*Ding-dong!*"Huh?" Makoto said. "Who is it?"Makoto walked up to his dorm room door and answer it. It was Sayaka."Good morning, Makoto," Sayaka greeted with a bow. "Um...would you mind if I come to your room for a moment?""Good morning to you too, Sayaka," Makoto greeted back. "Sure, you can come here. Although, I will say that my room is a little bland, just like me..."Sayaka entered Makoto's room as Makoto closed the door behind her. Sayaka looked around Makoto's room, noting the lack of furniture aside from the ones everyone got."Huh..." Sayaka began to remark. "This room looks...just like my own room. Aside from the bed and the closet, everything about this room is the same as my room...""What? Are you're about as bland as I am?" Makoto asked."Of course not!" Sayaka replied. "I'm the Ultimate Idol.""So is everyone's room like ours in that they all look the same?" Makoto asked."I'm not sure," Sayaka replied. "I've never been to anyone's rooms besides of our own, so I don't know what they look like on the inside.""Aren't you in charge of cleaning the dormitory area?" Makoto asked."I was," Sayaka replied. "But...I don't think that grants me access to anyone's rooms. I'm guessing that everyone is responsible for cleaning up their own rooms, so I don't have to go inside anyone's rooms.""I see," Makoto said.A moment of silence then passed by for Makoto and Sayaka."Um...listen," Sayaka began to say. "I know that this might sound like a random question, but...do you have a girlfriend?"Makoto was caught off guard by the question. "Huh? What kind of question is that?" he replied."Remember what Enoshima said to us yesterday?" Sayaka asked. "She assumed that we're dating, which...I think we're not. But that leaves me wondering if you ever had a girlfriend before."Makoto can feel himself blushing from embarrassment. "Uh...no, I don't," he replied."Then how about a crush?" Sayaka asked. "Do you at least have that?""Just hold on a second!" Makoto said. "Why are you asking me these questions?""I'm just curious, is all," Sayaka replied. "It's only natural that I would ask these questions. You are my classmate, after all." She then paused for a moment to think. "Although...now that I think about it, we might be more than just classmates. We're friends!""Yeah, I guess so..." Makoto replied.Sayaka then began to stare at Makoto in the face. "So, Makoto?" she began to ask. "Aren't you going to ask me a question, too?"Makoto had a puzzled look on his face. "What?" he asked."No, not that question," Sayaka said. "I mean, aren't you going to ask the same questions that I asked you? Like...do I have a boyfriend or have a crush on anyone?""Well, I wouldn't be surprised if you did," Makoto replied. "I mean, you're popular, after all.""Nope!" Sayaka replied with a smile. "I definitely don't!""You don't?" Makoto said in reaction."The truth is..." Sayaka began to reply, hesitating for a moment. "I'm way too busy for stuff like that. I just don't have the time to peruse any boys. But as for who I have a crush on... Well..let's just say that there's someone who I'm really interested in..."Sayaka then stared straight into Makoto's eyes. Her cheeks are beginning to be tinted red.Hold on a second, Makoto thought. Is she...thinking about me?Sayaka saw that Makoto was blushing too at that moment. It made her giggle."Huh? What are you laughing about?" Makoto asked."Oh, nothing," Sayaka replied. "But I guess this isn't the time for us to be discussing stuff like this. After all, I feel like someone's going to die soon. By the time we realize our feelings for another person, it might be too late; they're already dead. We must put our focus on getting out of this place. Then...we can reveal our feelings."Makoto nodded his head. "Yeah, I agree," he said. "Let's work together and find a way out of this place."Sayaka smiled and nodded in agreement. "Yeah," she said. "It's a promise."Makoto and Sayaka carved their promises into the walls of their souls as they headed out to have breakfast. They hoped that they can keep that promise for as long as this killing game goes.
Day 3 - 7:30 AMDining Hall, First Floor
Sayaka walked out of the kitchen holding a plate with three slices of toasted bread. It's a little more than what she's used to eating, but she felt like she must eat more to keep herself from getting too hungry. She has noticed that she's getting hungry a bit earlier than she expected. Her body probably should've processed all the food she ate a little slower.Sayaka looked for a place in the dining hall to sit at. Her first choice is to sit next to Makoto, as usual. She enjoys spending time with and would love to take any opportunity to sit with him. However, for today, Sayaka wants to sit with someone else. She felt like she should hang out with more students other than Makoto. So, she looked for anyone who seems to be alone.Hmm...looks like Kyoko is sitting at a table alone, again. Sayaka felt like Kyoko could use a little company for the morning, so she decided to sit down next to her."Good morning, Kirigiri," Sayaka greeted as she sat down next to Kyoko. "How are you doing?"Kyoko shifted her gaze over to Sayaka. She looks confused to see the idol. "Hmm? Maizono?" she began. "What are you doing here?""Oh, I was just..." Sayaka began to say. She paused for a moment to come up with something to say. "I noticed that you were eating alone for a while, so I felt like you could use a little company."Kyoko looked away from Sayaka and huffed out some air. "I don't need company," she said. "I'm fine on my own.""Okay..." Sayaka said. "I'll just...eat my breakfast." She picked up one of the slices of toasted bread and took a bite out of it.As Sayaka ate her breakfast, Kyoko took a glance at Sayaka's plate. She was surprised to see how many slices of bread Sayaka is planning to eat. "Three slices of bread?" she said. "Isn't that a bit much for you to eat?"Sayaka swallowed up her food before talking again. "Yeah, it's a bit much," she replied. "But I feel like I must eat a lot of food, otherwise I'll go hungry before the next mealtime comes."Kyoko began to wonder what's going on with Sayaka. "Has your metabolism changed?" she asked."I don't know," Sayaka replied. "I can't quite recall how long it took me to feel hungry after each meal. All I know is that I feel hungry earlier than usual.""You must not be eating much before, right?" Kyoko suggested. "After all, you are an idol. You must maintain a certain body image in order to remain appealing to the masses. I bet you didn't give yourself much food to maintain that look, right?""Maybe..." Sayaka replied."Well, I would advise you to watch your weight," Kyoko said. "You don't want to wake up to see that you've gotten a little heavier than usual. I would imagine that you would be shocked to see that you've gained some weight, and thus your body image would be ruined.""Yeah...I guess..." Sayaka said.Sayaka and Kyoko then continued on to eat their breakfast. Things were going well until Sayaka noticed something odd about the toast she's eating. She had put some marmalade on the toast to sweeten it up and give it a fruity flavor. However, when she ate it, the marmalade tasted differently than what she's used to."Huh? That's weird..." Sayaka said.Kyoko turned her head towards Sayaka. "Hmm? What's weird?" she asked."This marmalade..." Sayaka said. "It tastes so...strange. I thought that I used the sweet type, but now I tasted sour...""Really?" Kyoko asked, wondering if Sayaka is making things up. "Let me have a taste." She reached out to Sayaka's plate and tore off a piece of toast with some marmalade on it. She then put the toast into her mouth and tasted it.Sayaka was shocked to see that Kyoko touched the food with her gloves. That seems unsanitary to her. "Uh...what?" she said. "Kirigiri...did you just touch my toast with your gloves?"Kyoko finished her taste analysis of the toast with marmalade. "Hmm...this marmalade is fine," she concluded. "It tasted sweet with a hint of sour. It seems that your taste preference is different from mine. You might be more sensitive to sour foods.""Okay, so it's probably just me," Sayaka said. "But...now I'm wondering. Kirigiri, do you ever take off your gloves?"Kyoko rubbed her fingers together to get the crumbs off of her glove. "Why would I?" she replied. "I'm fine with keeping these gloves on all day. I don't need to take them off, except when I'm changing them.""What's underneath those gloves?" Sayaka asked as she reached over to touch Kyoko's gloves.Kyoko pulled her hand away before Sayaka could touch her gloves. "Hey, no peeking under these gloves, got it?" she said. "I don't want anyone to see what these gloves are hiding."Sayaka felt like she really needs to know why Kyoko keeps these gloves on all the time. There must be something that Kyoko doesn't want anyone to know about underneath those gloves. But she understands that it's perhaps best for her if she doesn't know. After all, there are some things about herself that she would rather not talk about with others. So she decided to leave Kyoko alone for now."Okay, if you insist..." Sayaka said. "I'll just...finish up my breakfast. The marmalade might taste a little sour to me, but I can just fight through it."Sayaka and Kyoko then went on to finish their meals. Once they're done, the two girls brought their dishes back to the kitchen for cleaning.
Day 3 - 8:15 AM
Everyone is done with their breakfast for now, so it's time for them to either relax in their rooms or look for a way out of this school. Makoto was planning to return to his room and rest for a while. After bringing his empty dishes back to the kitchen for cleaning, he headed for the door of the dining hall to return to his room. Along the way, he encountered Celeste."Hello, Naegi," Celeste greeted.Makoto stopped at where he is upon Celeste greeting him. "Oh, hello Celeste," he greeted back. "Good morning.""Do you have a moment to play a card game with me?" Celeste asked."Yeah, sure," Makoto replied. "I don't have anything else to do for the day other than wait around. So uh...why are you doing this?""You are the Ultimate Lucky Student, correct?" Celeste asked. "And I'm the Ultimate Gambler, which means that our talents are practically identical.""Really?" Makoto asked, feeling unsure if that's true."Yes, really," Celeste replied. "Our talents practically revolve around our unusually high luck. You got into this school because you won at this school's lottery, while I got here because I have won many gambling games. I was thinking about testing your luck to see if it exceeds my own.""Okay..." Makoto said. "Um...doesn't gambling games involve money or something? I don't think any of us are carrying around any money. All we've got are these...coins with Monokuma's face on them...""Oh, there's no need to worry about gambling money," Celeste assured. "Nor will we be using any simulated currency. This will just be a simple card game played just for fun. And also to test out your luck. That too. So? Are you in? I've got this pack of cards we can use." She pulled out a small box containing a full deck of playing cards.Makoto nodded his head. "Sure thing," he replied.A few minutes later, Makoto and Celeste are playing War, a simple two-player card game. For a simple card game, though, there is a lot to say about it. At the start of each game, both players are given an equal amount of cards, and then the top three cards in each player's deck are placed in front of them face down. Then, both pick on of the three cards to play, and then both cards begin to fight. The highest ranking card will always win, and the winning player will take both cards. If there is a tie, another battle begins, and the winner of the next battle will take all the cards from the previous battle. Once both players' decks are exhausted, the game will end. The player with the most cards win.Being a game of pure chance, Makoto...won his first game to both players' surprise. He had never played the game before, yet he managed to score a victory against Celeste, of all people."Huh? I lost?" Celeste said, finding it unbelievable that she had lost. She then shook the disbelief away from her. "Oh, why should I care? I'm not betting anything on this game, so the outcome doesn't matter. It's just a simple game of pure chance, after all. I'll just chalk that up to beginner's luck on Naegi. Oh, but don't think that this is over yet. I'm still not certain if your luck is better than mind. How about we play another round?"Makoto and Celeste then engage is several rounds of War. Each time, the outcome seem to fluctuate between either Makoto winning or Celeste winning. Neither of them can manage to have a win-streak lasting more than two rounds. At the end of their playing session, the final scores are pretty much tied."Hmm..." Celeste said as she drew her conclusion. "I can't seem to tell for sure which one of us is the luckier one.""This game...seems rather simple, doesn't it?" Makoto asked. "And it's basically all just luck. All we can do is pick a card and hope that it wins.""At least with that game, we can factor everything else out," Celeste replied. "After all, you can't measure luck when there's skill involved."Makoto grew bored of playing War after several rounds. "Hey, do you have another game we could play with cards?" he asked. "I want to play something that is a bit more than just picking a card and hope that it wins.""Of course," Celeste replied. "What card game do you want to play next? I know plenty of games we can choose from."After that, Makoto and Celeste played a different card game using the same deck of cards.
Day 3 - 10:00 AMDormitory, First Floor
Junko walked around the lobby of the dormitory, wondering what she can do for the day."I'm so bored..." Junko complained. "Is there, like, anything else we can do in this school? I haven't been doing any photo shoots in a long time. I wonder how many sessions I have missed..."As Junko muttered to herself, Hifumi walked passed her on his way back to his dorm room. He looks miserable."Hey, Miss Junko Enoshima..." Hifumi greeted.Junko perked up and looked at Hifumi. "Oh, hey Yamada," she said. "Hey, why are you feeling so down? Did something happened to you?""I just got back from a checkup by Dr. Yasuke Matsuda..." Hifumi replied. "He had some...choice words to say about my...figure...""Oh, did Yasuke really said those things to you?" Junko asked. "Don't be surprised about the things he say. He is a doctor, after all. He would be concerned if anyone has a body like yours, Yamada.""That doctor keeps on telling me to eat less and to exercise more often," Hifumi said. "He told me that I should work to get a leaner body, because my current body is unhealthy or something. Well, forget that! This is my body! I get to decide what to do with it!""Well, if it's your body, then you do what you want to do," Junko said. "Just don't say that your doctors didn't warn you if you developed any...health complications from being this fat.""It's not like I can make any babies when I grow up," Hifumi said. "No girl wants a fat guy like me, and I have zero interest in 3-D women. I now prefer the 2-D ones.""Oh...I see..." Junko replied.Hifumi then took a look at Junko's lean figure. "By the way..." he said. "How do you manage to get a body this lean?""Oh, so you're wondering how I got a boy this lean, huh?" Junko replied. "Well, it is a prerequisite for becoming a fashionista. You've got to have the greatest looking body to be accepted, and even then, the photos of us fashion icons are altered to make us even more attractive. I did the usual things, such as watching what I eat and in what amount, as well as doing some exercising.""You did some exercising routines?" Hifumi asked. "Like what?""Well, like, for starters..." Junko began to reply. "I put on my heavy duty boots and run, like, five kilometers daily.""You what?!" Hifumi gasped in shock. He's finding it hard to believe that a fashionista would be doing an exercise routine like that.Junko then continued on, oblivious to what she's saying. "Then, I perform 50 sit-ups per day," she continued, "and then I do 50 push-ups, 50 pull-ups, 50 repetitions of squats..."Hifumi was baffled by all the exercising routines Junko was doing on a daily basis. "Wait, wait, wait..." he said. "You're telling me that you did all of those things...on a daily basis?! That sounds like...way too much for a person to do on a daily basis! How did you manage a routine like that while still retaining that slim look?"Junko then began to wonder what she's saying. "Wait a second..." she said. "What was I saying, again? I was talking about how I maintain my slim body, and now I'm talking about exercising routines. Like, what's going on here?""I was wondering the same thing!" Hifumi said. "If you really did all of those things on a daily basis, then...where are your muscles?"Junko had a confused look on her face. "Huh?" she asked. "What are you talking about?""I'm looking at your arms and legs and I can't see any muscles!" Hifumi said. "Where are they? Are you secretly packing them down there?" He pointed to Junko's abdomen. He then reached to try to grab the bottom of Junko's shirt. "Let me see..."Junko slapped Hifumi's hand away. "Gah! Get your hands off me, you pervert!" she shouted."Ow!" Hifumi yelped as his hand was being slapped. "Hey! I was just curious!""Do you think you can just look underneath anyone's clothes without their permission?!" Junko asked."I was only-" Hifumi tried to say."That's it!" Junko declared. "I'm done with you, Yamada. Don't talk to me anymore! Back into your room you go!" She then began to push Hifumi towards his room."Wait!" Hifumi cried as he was being pushed around. "How are you pushing meeeee?"
Day 3 - 2:00 PMInfirmary, First Floor
Today is checkup day, which means that Yasuke is going to check everyone's health to see how they're doing so far. Each student will come to the infirmary at a certain time and Yasuke will perform a checkup on them. So far, Yasuke has performed a checkup on half of the students, and he's in the middle of preparing for the next student.But as Yasuke prepared for the next checkup, an unexpected visitor arrives at the infirmary."Yo, what's up, doc?" Yasuhiro greeted.Yasuke turned towards the door and was baffled to see Yasuhiro there. "What the-?" he said. "What are you doing here, Hagakure? Your checkup isn't supposed to come until much later.""I know," Yasuhiro replied. "But...listen to me, doc. I've got something important to tell you."Yasuke immediately turned his back on Yasuhiro. "If this is another one of your predictions, I don't want to hear any of it," he said. "Get your pseudoscience bullshit out of this room.""No, no, no! You must listen!" Yasuhiro said. "This is really important! I used my crystal ball to see into your future. And...it's not pretty."Yasuke is starting to become irritated. "What is it...?" he said with a growl in his voice."Well..." Yasuhiro said, feeling pain from having to tell someone this. "It's just...you're going to die soon."That does it. Yasuke turned around and became angry at Yasuhiro. "What did you say to me?!" he shouted."Hey, hey, hey!" Yasuhiro said as he put his hands in front of him. "Don't take it at face value yet. My predictions have a 30% chance of succeeding, every time!""That doesn't make sense!" Yasuke yelled."Nah, it totally makes sense!" Yasuhiro replied. "Listen, my crystal ball has quite the history, alright? It was first discovered in the ruins of the sunken city of Atlantis..."Already, Yasuke is finding it hard to believe Yasuhiro's story of his crystal ball. As far as Yasuke knows, the supposed lost city of Atlantis is nothing more than an ancient myth.Yasuhiro then continued his story. "The people who found the crystal ball then lifted it out of the ruins," he said. "After that point, the crystal ball then found its way into the hands of many famous people, bringing prosperity and power to all who owns it. It has been in the hands of Napoleon, George Washington, and even Genghis Khan himself! And now, it's in my hands!"Yasuke couldn't help but shake his head at Yasuhiro's story. "Ugh..." he said. "I'm finding that entire story hard to believe. Everything you said sounded ridiculous and unbelievable...""It's not ridiculous!" Yasuhiro exclaimed. "Everything I said totally happened!""If what you said was true, then that crystal ball would've been placed in a museum," Yasuke said. "Not in the hands of a grubby fortune teller like you.""Hey, how dare you say that about me!" Yasuhiro complained. "It's a true story! I swear!"Yasuke sighed in frustration over Yasuhiro's stubbornness. "That crystal ball of yours..." he began to say. "It's probably just a cheap glass ball with no historical significance.""Hey, how dare you call my crystal ball cheap!" Yasuhiro complained again. "Do you realize how much money I had to spend just to get my crystal ball? 1 billion yen! It's an important and expensive object. That's why you've gotta trust what it says. If it says that you're going to die soon, then you'd better be prepared to accept your fate. If you can't do that, then you'll-"Yasuke had enough of Yasuhiro's nonsense. He decided that it's time to get him out. "I'm done," he said as he began to turn towards Yasuhiro. "I'm done with hearing your pseudoscience shit. Get out.""What?" Yasuhiro gasped. "But...I'm not done trying to-""I said get out right now!" Yasuke shouted as he began to shove Yasuhiro out of the infirmary. "That's it, you're not getting a checkup today! Out! Out, I say! I don't want to see or hear about any of your pseudoscience bullshit ever again!""Hey! Stop it!" Yasuhiro cried as he was being shoved. "Let me gooooo!"After shoving Yasuhiro out of the infirmary, Yasuke spend some time sitting down at a desk. He felt drained from talking to the fortune teller. He wasn't in the mood to perform anymore checkups. Perhaps he should delay the remaining students' checkups for tomorrow...A short time after Yasuhiro was forcibly shoved out, Junko entered the infirmary, ready for her checkup."I'm here, Yasuke!" Junko said in a cheerful voice. Her smile turned into a frown upon seeing Yasuke. "Huh? Yasuke? Is there something wrong?"Yasuke let out a sigh. "Hagakure came in to tell me about my future," he explained. "He then went on into the history of his crystal ball. I couldn't take his pseudoscience crap anymore, so I shoved him out of this room. And now...I feel so drained...""Oh, I see..." Junko said. "I was wondering why Yagakure was grumbling to himself when I passed by him. Now I get it. So...what did he tell you? What was your future like?"Yasuke refused to say anything about his future, as he doesn't want to make Junko worried about him.Junko gets what Yasuke is feeling and decided to not figure it out herself. "Well, let's not let any of his predictions get to us too much," she said. "After all, his predictions are true 30% of the time, which is a rather low probability. There's a good chance that it won't come true. So don't worry about it!"Yasuke let out a groan."Aw, cheer up, Yasuke," Junko said. "Don't let knowing about your future discourage you. Besides, as long as you have me by your side, we can overcome our fates!"Junko then gave Yasuke a tight hug, expecting him to cheer up from her affection. He doesn't react.
Day 3 - 5:00 PMDormitory, First Floor
Kyoko was walking around the lobby of the dormitory, trying her best to figure out what's going on."Hmm...why can't I remember most things about my past?" Kyoko asked herself quietly. "The others appear to have a gap in their memory between when they arrive at this school and when they woke up. They don't appear to have lost much memories, so why am I different?"As Kyoko thought about the situation, Makoto walked up to her for a chat."Hey, Kirigiri!" Makoto greeted.Kyoko heard Makoto's voice and turned to look at him. "Yes?" she asked. "What is it?""Do you have a moment to talk?" Makoto asked.Kyoko just glared at Makoto and turned her back on him."Hey, don't be like that!" Makoto said."If you're looking for a conversation, you're looking at the wrong place," Kyoko said. "Leave me alone. I have no need to talk to you, Naegi.""But...I mean..." Makoto replied. "Talking to each other is important, right? I mean...we're all trying to find a way out of this school and uncover who's behind our imprisonment. If we want to get that done, then we'd better be all on the same page, right?"Kyoko thought about Makoto's words for a moment. "Hmm...you could make that argument," she said. "Forming friendships and bonds may prevent the killings, and it will certainly help us in solving this mystery. However...it's possible that you have a different reason for making friends. Isn't that right?"Makoto was shocked by the implied accusation. "What?" he gasped. "T-That's not-""If you really are making friends just for the sake of it," Kyoko began to explain, "then you might not pass my quiz. But if you do pass, then it tells me a lot about yourself. So? Are you ready for my quiz?""Uh...they're just simple questions, right?" Makoto asked."The questions in my quiz are easy," Kyoko replied, "as long as you retain some details about the people you talk to. Enough chatter. Let's begin.""Okay..." Makoto said, readying himself for the quiz.Kyoko stare at Makoto as she put him through the quiz. "Question 1," she began. "Hina is one of our classmates in this school. What is her ultimate ability?"Makoto knew the answer immediately. "Ultimate Swimmer," he replied."That wasn't so bad, was it?" Kyoko said. "Next question: Leon detests his current ultimate ability. What is his current talent and what does he want to become instead?"This question requires Makoto to put a little more thought into his answers. "Let's see..." he said as he began to answer. "Leon's the Ultimate Baseball Player, and he wants to become the Ultimate Musician instead."Kyoko nodded her head. "Good," she remarked. "You seem to be doing well so far. Last question: Dr. Yasuke Matsuda and Sayaka Maizono have next to nothing in common, except for one. What is it? Oh, and don't look at their names. You won't find the answer there."This question took Makoto the most amount of effort into finding the answer. At first, he wasn't quite sure about what Yasuke and Sayaka have in common. That is...until he remembers their history. That's where Makoto found the answer."I got it," he said. "They both lost their mothers at a young age, which is why they decided to get their talent."Kyoko assessed Makoto's answer, studying his face through it all.Makoto was confused at the look Kyoko was giving to him. "What? Did I get it wrong?" he asked.After a while, Kyoko sighed and turned her back on Makoto. "I can tell you're not lying," she said. "You seem to be confident in your answer. If you would say a wrong answer, you would feel nervous, right?""Uh..." Makoto said in confusion."Well, that concludes my quiz," Kyoko said. "You seem to know and remember a lot about your classmates. You make friends to get a better understanding of them and deepen your bonds with them. You don't plan on deceiving them anytime soon, or using the information about your classmates against them. When you're recalling certain information, you know exactly what to say. Congratulations, Naegi. You passed my test.""Um...thanks?" Makoto said, feeling unsure if he really deserves it."Now, if you would excuse me, I'd better be going somewhere," Kyoko said. She then began to walk away."No! Wait!" Makoto shouted. "Kirigiri! Come back! We didn't get to start a proper conversation!"Kyoko ignored Makoto as she walked into the passageway leading to the main part of the school.Makoto let out a heavy sigh after Kyoko left him. He just wanted to get to know his classmates more, and initiate the conversation with others instead of waiting for others to start a conversation with him. Oh well. Maybe he'll get his chance next time.
Day 3 - 8:30 PMLaundry Room, First Floor
Most of the students have taken at least one shower at this point, so they're at least one set of clothes placed into the bathroom hampers. Being in charge of the laundry, Yasuhiro took all the hampers and put all the clothes into the washing machines. He has never gotten a good grasp on how to do laundry, but luckily, there is a guidebook in the laundry room to tell him which type of clothes should be washed in which way. After the wash cycles are done, Yasuhiro put the clothes into the dryer to, well, dry them off. Once that's sorted out, Yasuhiro took all the clothes out and attempted to sort them based on which student the clothes belong to.The shirts and pants parts were easy for Yasuhiro. He has seen these students wear them throughout their time in this school. He knows who these clothes belong to. But the undergarments on the other hand...that's a lot harder for him to figure out. Unless he is a pervert who has seen his classmates in just their undergarments, there is no way to tell who these undergarments belong to.Of course, Yasuhiro recognize his own undergarments. They're a blue briefs with a white pattern on them. He can also easily guess that the really stretched out underpants belong to Hifumi, because who else but him would wear clothes that are this large?Still, that pattern on Hifumi's underwear looks really strange. It's probably because they're so stretched out, but still...Yasuhiro can't help but feel like there's something going on in there. He tried to take a closer look and..."What do you think you're doing, pervert?" an angry girl's voice said."GAH!" Yasuhiro screamed. "W-Who's there?"Yasuhiro turned around towards the door of the laundry room. There, he found Natsumi, standing there with a trash bin by her side. She's giving Yasuhiro a disapproving look."W-What are you doing here?" Yasuhiro asked."I'm here to clean out the lint traps, of course," Natsumi replied. "That Ishimaru guy told me that they're my responsibility, since my job is to take care of the garbage. Stupid guy. Who does he think he is, assigning me to take out the trash? Now, what are you doing sniffing someone's underwear?""I wasn't sniffing!" Yasuhiro said, trying to defend himself. "I was just...taking a closer look at one of them! Honest!"Natsumi doesn't seem to buy it. She just groaned and shook her head. "You fortune tellers are the absolute worse..." she grumbled."What does that have to do with anything?" Yasuhiro asked. "Hey, I'm just wondering. Why do you hate fortune tellers so much? I once heard that you were scammed by one of them...""I'll tell you the full story," Natsumi replied. "Some random fortune teller approached me one day and sold me a 'holy stone' under the guise that it'll bring me good fortune. Foolish as I was, I purchased the 'holy stone' for a large sum of money. But when I got home, my family discovered that I had bought a worthless piece of rock salt! My parents were furious at me for wasting money on such a worthless product. We tried to track down the fortune teller who sold me that rock, demanding that he refunded the purchase. We almost succeeded, but then that fortune teller disappeared! We weren't able to track him down ever since.""Ah, I get it now!" Yasuhiro replied. "Come to think of it, I do recall having some unpaid debts to some mafia family or something."Natsumi felt like she's onto something. "Oh yeah?" she asked. "Who do you have debts to?""Uh...I can't tell!" Yasuhiro replied. "My memory is a bit foggy in that area, and I would rather not remember the mafia family I have unpaid debts to...""Hmm..." Natsumi said, giving Yasuhiro a suspicious look. "Well, I can't remember who scammed me with that rock salt, and I would rather not remember their name.""Well, if you can't remember their name," Yasuhiro began to ask, "then you must know what they look like, right? So...what does their face look like?"Natsumi scoffed as she turned away from Yasuhiro. "That's something that I would rather have my family figure out instead of me," she said. "I'm trapped in this damn school along with you, so I can't send any information out to my family. Besides, that scam happened a long time ago. I would've forgotten about his face by now! Although..." She shifted her gaze over to Yasuhiro.Yasuhiro grew confused by the look Natsumi was giving him. "Huh? What are you looking at me for?" he asked.Before Natsumi could say anything, Kiyotaka began to shout from outside the laundry room. "Hey! Are you two done yet?" he asked. "We need our clothes back in our rooms right now, and I want to see those lint traps cleaned! What's with the hold up?""Why don't you guys come in and find your clothes?" Natsumi replied as she faced the door. She then turned back around towards Yasuhiro. "Forget about this talk. I'm cleaning the lint traps now. I don't want to hear that guy shouting at me again.""Wait, are you talking about-?" Yasuhiro tried to asked."No more talking!" Natsumi shouted as she cleaned out the lint traps.Yasuhiro was still left wondering why Natsumi gave him that strange look. Oh well. It's probably best for him if he tries to not think about it too much. Back to sorting out these clothes he goes. Now uh...who owns this white underpants with a yellow star pattern on it?
Day 3 - 9:30 PMMakoto's Room, First Floor
It got a little awkward in the laundry room when everyone tried to get their clothes back. When Makoto entered the laundry room to retrieve his clothes, he caught Yasuhiro sniffing at his own underpants for some reason. That was an embarrassing sight to see.That ordeal is over now, and Makoto managed to get his clothes back without much issues. Looking back at that incident, Makoto wished that someone else was assigned to handle everyone's laundry. It might've been a terrible idea to give Yasuhiro that job. He hoped that the roles will be changed soon. After the first time washing everyone's clothes, Yasuhiro shouldn't be allowed to handle everyone's laundry from now on.Nighttime was nearing and Makoto was growing tired. It had been another long day for him and the other students. So far, they are still nowhere near finding a way out of this school. He thought about calling it a day and going off to sleep, but then he heard a doorbell.*Ding-dong!*"Ugh..." Makoto groaned. "Who's there...?"Makoto walked up to the door to answer it. He expected Sayaka to be there since that always seem to happen. But instead of Sayaka, Makoto got Junko instead."Hi there, Naegi!" Junko greeted in a cheerful tone."Oh...good evening, Enoshima," Makoto greeted back."Do you have a moment to talk?" Junko asked. "I know that it's getting late, but I, like, really wanted to talk to someone before I go off to sleep.""Uh...sure," Makoto replied. "Come on in."Junko entered Makoto's room while Makoto closed the door behind her."So, what do you want to talk about, Enoshima?" Makoto asked."Oh, I just wanted to hang out with you," Junko replied. "That's all. Don't take this as anything else, okay?""Huh?" Makoto said, sounding confused. "Why?""Look, I have a virtue to maintain, okay?" Junko replied. "I mean, I hope you're not expecting anything else from me. It's a girl hanging out with another boy. That's all."Makoto shook his head. "Uh...no," he replied. "I'm not expecting anything else from you, Enoshima.""That's what I thought," Junko said. "I figured that you're not that type of guy, right? Looking at you, I'm getting a total 'herbivore man' kind of vibe, right?"Makoto had a confused look on his face. "What's a herbivore man?" he asked. "Are that...some kind of vegan or vegetarian?""Oh, don't take that so literally," Junko replied. "A herbivore man is a type of man who expresses little desire to pursue any romantic relationships. They aren't very assertive when it comes to relationships with women, and thus they choose to not proactively start any relationships with them. You're a herbivore man, right?"Makoto thought about the term for a moment and how it could apply to him. "Yeah...I guess..." he said, nodding his head. "I think I remember a few girls at my old schools showing interest in me. I...never showed any interest in them in return.""Ah, so you really are a herbivore man," Junko said. "I like boys who are like that. I'm just so sick of attracting boys who always wanting to hang out with me. They kept approaching me late at night and telling me, 'Hey, let's hang!' or something. Like, hello! I have a boyfriend already! I don't need any more boys in my life! It's, like, so totally annoying.""That sounds tough," Makoto remarked. "I mean, you are popular, being a fashion icon and all.""Yeah, I totally get that," Junko replied. "You know, I was, like, thinking about introducing you to one of my friends. They're all 'carnivore girls', by the way, a perfect fit for a herbivore man like you! But I guess you already have a carnivore girl, that being Maizono...""What?" Makoto asked.Junko noticed that she might be saying too much. "Oh, am I talking too much?" she asked. "Sorry about that. It's just...a nasty habit of mine. I got into trouble on more than one occasion by saying too much. Ah, me and my leaky mouth. Just can't seem to stop speaking. Anyways, it was nice getting to hang out with you, Naegi! See you tomorrow!" She held up a V-sign with her fingers before she left the Makoto's room.Makoto was left wondering about what Junko had said before she stopped and left. "Sayaka...a carnivore girl?" he asked himself. He wondered if what Junko said was true before shaking his head. "No...that's not possible. Sayaka told me that she doesn't have enough time to pursue any relationships. There's no way that she's a carnivore girl, right...?"...I guess I should just forget about it, Makoto thought.After a while, Makoto got on his bed to sleep for the night. It was just in time for the nighttime announcement.*Ding-dong, ding-dong!*"Ahem, attention all students," Monokuma began to announce. "This is a school announcement. The time is now 10:00 PM, which means that nighttime has officially begun! The doors to the dining hall will be closed at this time, so accessing it is strictly prohibited. Sweet dreams, everyone! And don't let the bed bugs bite."...Makoto slowly closed his eyes and fell asleep.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Day 4 - 7:30 AMDining Hall, First Floor
There was a sense of unease as everyone gathered in the dining hall for another meeting. After just three nights of being stuck in Hope's Peak Academy with barely anything to do, the boredom is starting to frustrate some of the students."Alright, everyone," Kiyotaka began. "Before we begin this meeting, there's something that I would like to point out first." He then pointed his finger at three pairs of students: Makoto and Sayaka; Junko and Yasuke, and Hina and Sakura. "You six," he began. "There's something that I must point out about your habits.""Oh yeah?" Junko asked. "And what's that?""I noticed that whenever these students talk to the other member of their pair, they usually address the others by their first name," Kiyotaka explained. "I find this highly unusual. Addressing someone by their first names usually suggests that the two people know each other well enough. We were supposed to not know each other before coming into Hope's Peak Academy, yet these three pairs of students are calling each other by their first names! What's going on?""Well, Yasuke and I are childhood friends," Junko explained. "Of course we should call each other by our first names. Isn't that right, Yasuke?"Yasuke just let out a sigh."Ah, I understand," Kiyotaka said. "I find that explanation reasonable enough. Now, as for the other two pairs, what are your excuses?""Sayaka and I used to attend the same junior school," Makoto explained.Leon was shocked to hear this. "What the-?" he gasped. "Seriously? You do?""Yeah, I did," Makoto replied. "Thing is, I didn't really talk to Sayaka at all during our junior high school years...""I can confirm this," Sayaka added. "I never had a conversation with Makoto until just recently. This thing about calling each other by our first names just feels...natural to us.""Okay..." Kiyotaka said, feeling unsure if he should accept this explanation. "I'll...let that slide for now. As for you two girls, what are your excuses?""Hina is just a nickname everyone uses," Hina explained. "No one outside of my family ever calls me 'Aoi', not even my closest friends. Now as for why I call Sakura by her first name...I have no idea!"Kiyotaka pondered as Hina gave her explanation. "This is strange..." he muttered. "What is going on here?""Um...what should we do about this, Mr. Kiyotaka Ishimaru?" Hifumi asked.Hearing Hifumi address him by his full name gave Kiyotaka an idea. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot," he said. "Yamada, what are you doing addressing people by their full names?""Ah, sorry about that," Hifumi replied. "It's just how I like to call people. Don't judge me on that!""I see..." Kiyotaka said. "Now, about how should I go about this...?" After thinking about it for a while, Kiyotaka came up with a solution. "Alright, I got it. I have a feeling that there's more to our relationships than we previously thought. So...how about we all call each other by our first names from now on? And if they have a preferred nickname such as me, be sure to use that as well. Does that sound good?"Everyone was stunned to hear that solution."W-What?" Toko gasped. "Y-You're going to m-make me call Master Togami Master Byakuya f-from now on? Just because of a h-handful of students?""Please, don't you ever call me that," Byakuya ordered. "Drop the 'Master' part. You're never going to be my servant.""That's going to take some getting used to..." Yasuke muttered."Listen, everyone!" Kiyotaka said. "We're all working together towards a common goal, and that's to escape this school without letting anyone die. It's clear that we're going to be here together for a while. It's best to us to jump straight to calling each other by our first names now rather than waiting until later.""It also makes it much easier for the author and readers to follow this story!" Hifumi said."What did you say?" Junko asked, giving him a bewildered look."Nothing!" Hifumi replied.Kiyotaka then closed his eyes. "However, speaking of that common goal," he began to say, "there's something that I must say regarding our progress being made towards it." His eyes then shot open as he jumped from his seat and slammed his hands down on the table. "This is ridiculous! We've spent the past two days looking around this for a way to escape, and so far we have gotten nothing done!""What do you mean we've gotten nothing done?" Makoto asked. "We did talk to our classmates a lot during our time in this school. Are you calling that nothing?""No, no," Kiyotaka replied. "I don't mean that. Talking to your classmates is a normal part of the school experience. The problem is that we're not having a normal school experience. There are no teachers, no other staff members, and there are no other students. We are trapped in this school against our will with no way of escaping. Our only option is to take someone's life and get away with it, which obviously we don't want to happen. So instead, we're going to escape without having to kill anyone. The problem is, we weren't able to find anything about our imprisonment. We've found no clues about who trapped us into this school. We've spent the past two days looking for clues and found nothing! Is there anything else we can do?"Everyone was silence for a moment. They tried to come up with anything else for them to do. But given how limited the available area of the school is to them, there wasn't much else they can do other than wait.Celeste then giggled after hearing about the students' fruitless attempts at finding a way out of the school. "Oh, you all are silly fools," she began to say, drawing everyone's attention towards her. "Don't you all realize that you're wasting your time trying to find a way to escape? It should be obvious by now that there is no way for us to escape unless we take the life of someone away. Which means that someone...will die soon."A wave of dread began to hit everyone. They realize that at least one of them have not much longer to live."Hey!" Yasuhiro yelled. "What do you think you're doing taking away my ability to predict the future?!""Oh shut up..." Yasuke said, feeling drained from hearing Yasuhiro talk too much.Celeste looked around the dining hall for everyone's reaction. "Do you all realize this by now?" she asked. "We've spent nearly three full days cooped up in this school. Three. Full. Days. All during all this time, we've done nothing but wander around the school, looking for an exit that doesn't exist. It's clear to me that someone will snap soon. Someone will grow bored of this school and will try to murder someone to escape it. I can tell. There are cracks showing up on everyone's mask. If you can't stop these cracks from growing...you will die."Everyone then began to look at each other, wondering how close the others are to snapping and trying to murdering one of them. They also wondered over who is going to be the first person to get murdered. Someone's going to target someone else. They're not sure who is targeting who, and that's what scaring most of them.Junko is not buying into what Celeste is saying, however. "What the hell are you even saying?!" she asked."I've said this once, and I'll say it again," Celeste replied. "If you can't adapt, you won't survive. You're all just refusing to adapt because you keep insisting that we should find a way out. You're all just wasting your time and energy. Our real solution right now is to sit back and enjoy spending the rest of our lives in this school.""Have you've gone mad, Celeste?" Junko asked, sounding increasingly angry. "Are you saying that we should be complacent and just accept our new lives trapped in this school?""It sure sounds like she wants to live in this school," Mondo remarked. "Well, more power to her, I guess. But still, that doesn't mean that we can be the same as her! This damn prison...it may be shiny, but it's still a prison. No way in hell am I willing to live in this hellhole of a place! I wanna get outta here!""Sure, go on ahead," Natsumi said sarcastically. "Punch that giant metal door at the entrance for the thousandth time. I dare ya."Mondo looked down at his bandaged hands. They're still recovering from the bleeding they suffered when he tried to rapidly punch the metal door. It's a stupid idea to try that again, so he decides to not bother."Okay, so getting out is not an option," Leon said. "Great. Is there anything else we can do?""How about we find the person behind our imprisonment?" Hina suggested. "There's only one thing I can tell about that person. They are totally messed up. What kind of person would imprison a bunch of students in a school and force us to kill each other if we want to escape?""Um...a psychopath?" Junko suggested."Nah, you've got it all wrong," Yasuhiro said. "This is all some sort of social experiment set up by the school designed to test our mental endurance. Anyone who isn't able to pass the experiment would not get into the school.""That sounds like the least ethical scientific experiment in the history of science," Yasuke said. "There's a reason why we have a code of ethics in the field of scientific research. We don't want a repeat of those messed up psychological and neurological experiments from decades ago.""Well, experiment or not, there is one thing I know for certain," Hina said."Are you trying to steal my predictions?" Yasuhiro asked.Yasuke glared at Yasuhiro with a menacing glare. "...Shut up," he said.Hina then continued on as if she didn't hear anything. "Okay, so we all have some family who is waiting for us out there, right?" she asked. "We've been stuck in here for a few days with no way of contacting the outside world. We haven't heard from our family in days, and they haven't heard from us in return. I'm sure that they're all worried about us right now. I bet they contacted emergency services and sent them on our way to help us out!""Phuhuhu, I don't think so," a voice said from somewhere.Everyone jumped upon hearing that voice. Just as they feared, Monokuma appeared to interrupt their meet."Aw shit..." Mondo groaned. "It's you again!""Hey!" Kiyotaka shouted. "What are you doing interrupting our meeting?""I'm part of this meeting too, you know!" Monokuma replied. "Anyways, I must say, you guys have way too much faith in emergency services right now. Do you even know what purpose they serve these days? All they're good for is cannon fodder, practice targets meant to be used by the bad guys or a giant monster just to show how much of a threat they pose. Are you sure you want these group of losers to come and rescue you? Of course not! The fact that you guys haven't been rescued yet is proof at how useless these losers are at doing their job!"Hina could feel a sense of dread filling her body. "Wait...so you're saying that we're not getting any help...?" she asked."Of course!" Monokuma replied. "There's no other way of escaping. I mean, if you REALLY want to get out of here, then all you've got to do is kill someone! Simple as that!""D-Didn't the rules say that you have to get away with it as well?" Sayaka asked."Ah, yes," Monokuma said. "Thanks for reminding me. If you want to escape, you have to kill someone and get away with it. Sure. Let's go with that. Now, I've been sitting here observing you guys doing your things, and I must say, it's all incredibly boring! Seriously, where's the bloodshed? Nobody has killed anyone so far! I can tell because you're all still here alive and kicking!""That's because there's nothing you can do to get us to kill each other," Makoto said. "We will get out of this together with everyone alive!"Monokuma stared at Makoto for a moment and tilted his head. "Oh really?" he asked. "Are you sure about that?""Uh...y-yes!" Sayaka replied. "He's r-right! We will survive together! I'm sure of it!""I will agree with...Makoto right there!" Kiyotaka said, hesitating for a moment to make sure he calls Makoto by his first name as promised. "Murder is not tolerated in a school environment! I will assure you: no one will die!"Monokuma stared at the three students who stood up to him. "Oh really?" he asked. "Are you three sure about that? Well, I hate to break it to all of you, but your peace times are about to run out!"Makoto, Sayaka, and Kiyotaka were all shocked to hear this. "What?" they said in unison."Aw, how cute," Monokuma remarked. "It seems that you three are in unison. But no amount of unity, no amount of showing defiance towards me will ever change my mind. You see, I was sitting around wondering what I can do to nudge you guys into killing each other. That's when I realized that there's a key ingredient missing: I didn't give everyone a motive!"Most of the students stared at Monokuma in confusion, wondering what he's talking about."Didn't you already given us a motive?" Yasuke asked. "You told us that if we kill someone and get away with it, then we'll get to leave this school. That's part of your Graduation Clause, right?""Ah yes, that Graduation Clause," Monokuma said. "It's true that I will allow anyone who can successfully murder someone and get away with it to leave this school. However, I felt like that's not enough of a motive to get you all to kill each other. So, I decided to give you all an additional motive on top of that.""Oh yeah?" Junko asked. "And what's that?"Monokuma then laughed once again. "You know, I did hear you guys mention something about your loved ones, right?" he asked. "Well, if you're wondering what they're been up to while you guys were trapped in this school, then I have a very special video for all of you! Come to the A/V Room to have a watch. I know you'll like them!"Hina seems confused when Monokuma mentioned the A/V Room. "Wait, the what room?" she asked."The A/V Room..." Kiyotaka said. "That sounds like a place where us students can go and watch some dirty adult video, right? Who designed this place?! That room is simply unacceptable! I want that place closed down!""Oh, don't worry," Monokuma assured. "They're not some dirty adult video or anything. They're just nice, innocent videos featuring your loved ones. The A/V Room is located near the classrooms, by the way. If you want to figure out what's going on with your loved ones, just go there! Well, that's all I've got to say for now! The rest you will see soon enough. Bye now!" He then disappeared once again.After Monokuma left, everyone began to stare at each other, wondering what they should do next."So...now what?" Hina asked. "What do we do?"Kiyotaka thought about everyone's next action. "I don't think we have much of a choice," he said. "If we want to find out what our loved ones' been up to, we'll have to go the A/V Room.""But what if it's a trap?" Mondo asked. "What if that damn bear is tricking us into a trap where he'd kill us all?""I doubt that Monokuma is willing to do something like that," Kyoko replied. "He is trying to nudge us into killing each other, after all. If he wanted to kill us, then he would've done so by now. We would all be dead at the point. But since that didn't happen, it definitely isn't a trap...""Well, what are we waiting for, then?" Kiyotaka asked. "Everyone, to the A/V Room! This meeting is over!"Everyone then got up from their seats and headed out the dining hall together.
Day 4 - 8:15 AMHallway, First Floor
Everyone stood by the door to the A/V Room, acting cautious to enter it. Kyoko, however, is standing in the middle of the hallway, finding everyone acting a bit too cautious."What are you all doing standing here?" Kyoko asked. "The door's right there. Go enter it.""But...it might be a trap..." Mondo said."I already told you," Kyoko replied. "It's not a trap. It should be safe to enter it.""But what if it isn't?" Mondo asked. "What if it is a trap? We might have to send someone in to make sure."Kyoko facepalmed at everyone's overly cautious actions. "I swear..." she said. "You guys are so paranoid...""What did you expect?" Junko asked. "Our lives are at stake. We have to be careful with every step.""Okay, so we're sending in someone to make sure this room isn't a trap," Kiyotaka said. "The question is...who will be sent in first?"Mondo then laid his eyes on Makoto. "Hey, kid," he said. "Why don't you go in first?"Everyone then set their eyes on Makoto.Makoto is confused when everyone looked at him. "Huh? Me?" he asked. "Why me?""You're the one standing closest to the door," Mondo explained. "That's what we always do back in my gang. We always send the low-ranking ones first before sending the rest of the gang. If the little guy doesn't make it out, then it's probably not safe to enter.""Can't argue with that..." Natsumi remarked."So, kid?" Mondo began to ask. "Are you ready to task?"Makoto then stared straight ahead at the A/V Room door. "Okay..." he said with a gulp. "I'm ready..."Sayaka then ran up to Makoto and latched onto him. "Wait! Hold on!" she said. "If you're going, Makoto, then I'm coming too!""What? Why?" Leon asked. "Why would you go in as well? It's not safe!""It's not safe to be entering dangerous places alone, too!" Sayaka countered."Well, two is better than one," Mondo said. "If we send two people in and only one of them gets out, then we know for sure that it's not safe.""I find that logic flawed, though," Kyoko replied. "If two people were to come back alive, it might mean that the obstacles ahead is still unsafe to traverse...""Shut up!" Mondo shouted. "If it works, it works. Now, we're counting on you two. If anything happens, just call out to us! Well, what are you two waiting for? Just get in already!"Makoto and Sayaka nervously gulped as they faced the door to the A/V Room. "Well, Sayaka?" Makoto asked. "Are you ready?"Sayaka nodded her head. "Yeah...""Alright," Makoto said. "Now, on the count of three, we charge in! One...two..."Kyoko realized that Makoto and Sayaka are about to make a mistake. "No! Wait!" she shouted. "Stop!"It was too late. Makoto and Sayaka charged towards the door and...slammed right against it as if it were a wall. Their bodies slid down the door and into the floor. Everyone was left confused on why the door didn't open. Everyone except for Byakuya and Kyoko."...The handle indicates pull..." Kyoko said.
Day 4 - 8:25 AMA/V Room, First Floor
The students sat down at the monitors all around the A/V Room. There are dividers set up between the monitors, so there's no peeking at their neighbor's monitors. Each student was also provided a set of headphones, so that they can hear the audio of the videos all by themselves.The students found a cardboard box in the A/V Room. Inside the box is a set of DVD cases, each of which has a name written on them. These names correspond to the students. The students picked up the DVD cases with their names on them and took them to a monitor of their choosing.Makoto and Sayaka sat down at the rear two monitors. They nervously stared at each other as they put on their headphones. They looked ahead at the large monitor at the far end of the A/V Room along with everyone else. On the screen is Monokuma giving them instructions on what to do next."Alright, everyone!" Monokuma said. "Are you all set? Good? Now, insert your DVD into the slot near your monitor. Then sit back and relax as you enjoy the video inside your DVDs!"Makoto took out the DVD from the case with his name on it. He stared at the DVD for a couple of moments before inserting it into the slot. Then, he watched the monitor display the video from beginning to end.Makoto's video opens up with a shot featuring a young girl with green hair, a man, and a woman, all sitting at a couch in a living room. Makoto can feel his heart racing as he saw the people on the monitor. He recognized them. They're...his family. The two adults are his parents, while the young girl is his younger sister, Komaru."Hey, son!" Makoto's dad said. "Congratulations on being picked to enter Hope's Peak Academy! I will admit, we didn't expect to see this day come since...you know. But hey, make us proud, son!""We're so glad to see you be invited into such a prestigious school," Makoto's mom said. "It's like a dream come true! You have a great life ahead of you, son. I will understand if you find it difficult studying there, but as long as you do your best and don't give up, I'm sure you're going to make it.""I hope that you enjoy your time in Hope's Peak Academy!" Komaru said as she waved at the camera. "Oh, and don't forget to say hi to Maizono for me!"Makoto smiled as he watched the video. It was...his family's message to him to enjoy his time in his new school. He was going to spend a long time in Hope's Peak Academy. It'll be a while before he could see his family again. Seeing them in this video...it gave Makoto hope and strength. It made him wish that he was living a normal school life in Hope's Peak Academy, where he didn't have to worry about being killed or seeing others get killed.But of course, that didn't happen. He's stuck in this school along with 15 other students, forced to live here for the rest of his life. His only way to escape is to take someone's life and get away with it. Knowing Monokuma, Makoto felt like this video won't end on a happy note. As much as he hated that thought, he was right.Soon, the video began to go static, catching Makoto completely off guard. He wondered what's going to happen next. And then...the worst possible image showed up on the monitor. It's the same shot as the first part of the video, only now his family is gone. The couch, the window, and the walls...everything is in ruins. It looks like a war had occurred in this area..."W-What?!" Makoto gasped.Makoto heard the other students gasp in horror as well. It seems that the videos are timed in such a way that everyone would get this reveal at the same time.Then, Makoto began to hear Monokuma's voice."Makoto Naegi, the Ultimate Lucky Student," Monokuma began. "He was invited into the school through sheer luck alone. He was disappointed to learn that he had to leave his life of normalcy behind. But with his family's support, he gained the confidence needed to enter his new life. Ah, how sweet. A totally average family supporting their eldest son on his road to success. It'll be a shame if something were to happen to them. Oh, this is bad. What could've possibly happened to this normal family? Well, Makoto Naegi? Do you want to know? Find out after graduation!"...Makoto's arms were trembling as he moved them to grab his headphones. "N-No..." he said. "This...this can't be..."Makoto's immediate thoughts were to get out of this school right now so that he can save his family. His other immediate thought was to resist this temptation and try to remain calm. These two thoughts clashed against each other in his head. He wasn't sure which one of them is winning at the moment. He's sure that remaining calm is the right choice but...the thought of his family being in danger...it was just too much for him to ignore...All around the A/V Room, Makoto was hearing voices of anger and confusion from everyone."What the hell?" Mondo asked. He then pounded on the monitor. "WHAT THE HELL?!""T-This can't be real, right?" Hina asked as she shivered. "This can't be real...""H-How?" Leon asked. "W-Why? What...? I...I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!""This must be fake, right?" Kiyotaka asked. "There's no way that these videos are real!"Throughout the A/V Room, Makoto was seeing various reactions from everyone. Some were shocked to see what happened to their loved ones, such as Makoto. Others are in denial of what happened, such as Hina. Still others are left in complete silence, such as Yasuke. A few are having a different reaction. They're starting to understand what these motives are."So this what he means by motives," Kyoko said. "He's fueling our desire to leave to make us kill each other.""Puhuhuhu...that's right!" Monokuma said from the large monitor. "These videos that I showed aren't just to show what your loved ones are doing while you kids were gone. It's to give you another reason to escape. If you graduate from this school, for example, you might get to learn what happened to your loved ones."Kiyotaka was left shaken by the implications. "S-So...that means...?" he said."That's right!" Monokuma said. "Something terrible has happened to your precious loved ones! Those sweet bonds outside of this school that you've been treasuring so far? They're all in danger of being wiped away. Of course, you don't know what happened to your loved ones. Are they still alive? Are they dead? Who knows! If you want to know what happened to your loved ones and potentially save them, then you'd better be playing by my rules. There's no other way around this. Kill someone and get away from it and you'll get to see your loved ones again!"Natsumi was shaking furiously as she stared at the large monitor. "So you're telling me...that I have to kill someone...just to see my brother again?" she asked.Monokuma then made a buzzer sound with his voice. "Too bad!" he said. "Looks like you're not seeing your brother ever again, dragon girl, because you just broke a rule!""What?!" Natsumi gasped."Wait, wait, wait, what?" Leon gasped. "What the hell? What do you mean she broke a rule? I've never heard of a rule like that!""Ah, I almost forget," Monokuma said. "Everyone, I have now added a rule regarding the motives! Be sure to check them out!"Makoto pulled out his E-Handbook to check the new list of rules. He was shocked to see the new rule that was added.Rules and Regulations (Version 2)
Students may reside only within the school building. Leaving the campus without permission is not allowed.
The day is split into daytime and nighttime. Nighttime lasts from 10:00 PM to 7:00 AM the following day. Daytime lasts on all other hours.
Some areas are off-limits during nighttime. Please be outside of these restricted areas before the nighttime announcement plays.
Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory will be seen as sleeping in class and will be punished accordingly. This only applies if the student sleeps on their own accord.
With minimum restrictions, you are free to explore any accessible areas of Hope's Peak Academy. New areas may open up over time.
Violence against Headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited.
Damaging the surveillance cameras and monitors is also strictly prohibited.
Stealing or lending E-Handbooks to or from a live student is, once again, strictly prohibited.
Breaking into locked rooms is, yet again, strictly prohibited.
Violating rules 6-9 will result in punishment.
If a student forces another student to violate rules 6-9, they will receive punishment instead of the rule breaker.
Anyone who kills a fellow student will become the blackened. Blackened students may graduate and leave the school, unless they are discovered.
Once a personal motive has been distributed, students may not exchange information about their personal motives with anyone else. Violation of this rule will result in your motive being revoked.
The above rule remains in effect until someone has been killed.
All motives will last until either the time limit has expired or someone has graduated.
Additional rules may be added when necessary.
"So as you can see," Monokuma said, "you cannot share details about your own motives to other people. If you do that, your motive will be rendered null. Got it?"Everyone was left too stunned to answer."Listen up, everyone!" Monokuma said. "You've got 48 hours to act on this motive! If you can graduate from this school within that time frame, then you'll get to know what happened to your loved ones. But once that time has passed, it'll be too late. The fates of your loved ones will be lost forever! Oh, and if your motive has been nullified, such as with this dragon girl idiot, then you won't get to see your loved ones no matter what you do!"Natsumi fell to her knees as she discovered that she will not be seeing her brother anytime soon."You've been a foolish one, dragon girl," Monokuma said. "You should've kept your mouth shut. You had once chance to learn the fate of your loved ones, and you blew it. You only got yourself to blame for this."Natsumi was left shivering after all of this."Alright, everyone," Monokuma said. "I think I've spent enough time relishing in your despair. I'll be leaving for now, but never forget: you have 48 before this motive is gone forever. Tootles."The large monitor then turns off, leaving everyone wondering about what they should do next."...What the hell?" Leon asked. "What are we supposed to do?"Kiyotaka then issued an order to everyone, hoping that they would listen to him. "Everyone, you must listen," he said. "Just don't let these motives get to you. Let the time limit pass. I know that getting to see your loved ones again might seem great, but...what if they're really dead? Then all of our efforts would have been for nothing. You would've sacrificed a life for nothing. I find that offer not worth it at all. So that why...we must all continue to live in peace!""But...what if our loved ones...are still alive?" Junko asked, sounding worried about her own life. "What if someone couldn't take it anymore...and tries to kill someone to save their loved ones?"Celeste listened to Kiyotaka and Junko and can't help but feel like this seems similar to a thought experiment. "You know, this reminds me of the prisoner's dilemma," she remarked."The prisoner's...what now?" Hifumi asked."Let me explain what it is with an example," Celeste began. "Say two people were convicted of a minor crime, but one of them is suspected of committing a much bigger crime. The prisoners are then told that if they can say which one of them committed the bigger crime, then they can leave free while their partner serves a larger sentence. But here's the catch: if both pins the bigger crime on each other, then they'll both serve the larger sentence. If the prisoners said nothing instead, then they'll both serve a smaller sentence. In other words, the threat of treachery leads to a worse outcome for everyone than if they had simply cooperated. That's the situation we're in right now. Our ideal is for all of us to work together, but there's always the temptation to betray the others to gain freedom.""Don't you dare put that thought into our heads!" Kiyotaka shouted. "I can assure you: we will survive! We will work together to get out this school without anyone dying!"Celeste laughed at the notion that everyone will cooperate and survive. "Are you sure of about that?" she asked. "Try to convince everyone to cooperate all you want. Someone will fall into temptation and kill someone. Mark my words: this will happen.""Why are people trying to take away my job?!" Yasuhiro cried."Hey, that sounds exactly like the type of stuff Monokuma would say," Hina remarked. "You're the mastermind of this, aren't you, Celeste? You're the one who trapped us into this cruel game!""What are you talking about?" Celeste asked. "I have no part in our imprisonment. I'm just simply accepting my new life in this school.""Drop the false accusations, Hina," Kyoko said. "This is exactly what Monokuma wants from us. He wants us to turn on each other and potentially try to kill someone else. We should not allow that to happen. We should not give Monokuma what he wants. We should remain calm and-""Remain calm?" Hina questioned as she turned towards Kyoko. "How could we remain calm in this situation?! Our lives are at stake right now! Our loved ones are at stake! If we don't do anything, then they might die!"As Makoto watched the panic began to build up amongst everyone, he can't help but think about what Sayaka is feeling right now. He turned to his side towards where Sayaka is sitting. He was shocked to see that she's hugging herself and shivering in fear. Her eyes are empty, devoid of any soul. It's as if she was reduced to an empty shell."Hey...Sayaka?" Makoto asked as he got up from his seat. "Are you alright?"Sayaka said nothing."Sayaka..." Makoto said, feeling increasingly concerned for her. "Just say something...anything, would you?"Sayaka still said nothing.Makoto thought that maybe all Sayaka needs is a touch from him, so that's what he did. So Makoto reached out and gently touched Sayaka's shoulder. But as soon as he did that..."STOOOOP!" Sayaka screamed as she slapped Makoto's hand away. "GET AWAYYYY!"...Well, Sayaka certainly responded from Makoto's touch. It's just that it didn't happen in the way he expected. Sayaka leapt from her seat and ran out of the A/V Room, slamming the door shut behind her."Wait!" Makoto cried as Sayaka ran away. "Sayaka!"Meanwhile, Junko saw what Makoto tried to do and thought about doing the same to Yasuke. He hasn't said anything ever since he watched his motive video. Maybe all he needs is a little touch from her. So Junko tried to reach out and touch Yasuke.Yasuke slapped Junko's hand away before she could touch him. "Go away!" he shouted. "I don't want to talk to you anymore!"Junko was confused by Yasuke's reaction. "What?" she asked. "But-""Just...don't!" Yasuke replied.Junko was left heartbroken. She can't help but think about what could've caused Yasuke to have a sudden change of heart.Going back to Makoto, he was about to head off and go after Sayaka when Byakuya stopped him."Let her go," Byakuya said. "She doesn't want to talk to you anymore, especially since you two have spent so much time together.Makoto turned his head towards Byakuya. "Let her go?" he questioned. "What do you mean 'let her go'? I can't just...let her go off all by herself. I need to talk to her right now!"Leon then walked up in front of Makoto and blocked his path. "Oh, no you don't!" he said. "You and Sayaka have spent enough time together. Allow me to comfort her."Makoto doubted that Sayaka would listen to Leon. "Are you sure about that?" he asked."Yeah, sure," Leon said, sounding overconfident. "I'm sure I can help Sayaka out! I'll just have to remind her about all the good times she had as an idol."Makoto stared at Leon for a few moments. "I'm pretty sure that's not how therapy works," he said. "Look, if you want to help someone out with their problems, you've got to understand them first. I understood Sayaka better than anyone else. She told me everything about herself.""You sure?" Leon asked, sounding doubtful that Makoto would know everything about Sayaka.Makoto hesitated for a moment. "Look, I can do this, alright?" he said. "Just let me go.""No, I'm not letting you see Sayaka anytime soon," Leon said. "What even gives you any right to comfort her? Who you think you are? The Ultimate Therapist? I don't think so. For all I know, you're just an ordinary lucky bastard. You don't even deserve to hang out with us, let alone a national celebrity."That does it. Makoto became fully infuriated with Leon right now. He felt like he became Mondo for a moment. "You..." he muttered as he curled up his hand into a fist.Leon saw that Makoto was about to throw a punch at him. "What?" he gasped.Makoto then lunged forward and tried to punch Leon. Keyword there being tried. As Makoto charged towards Leon, he ended up tripping over a leg of one of the chairs. He fell flat on his face, only ending up injuring himself."Ow..." Makoto groaned."Whoa, what the hell, dude?" Leon gasped. "Did you just tried to punch me? What did you do that for?""Sounds like you said something that he doesn't like to hear," Mondo said as he walked up to Leon, cracking his knuckles along the way.Leon gave a confused look to Mondo. "Huh? What did you mean?" he asked. "What did I say?""Doesn't matter," Mondo replied. "All I care is that you did something to piss him off. And if you pissed him off, then you also piss me off too!""Wait, what the hell?!" Leon shouted."TAKE THIS!" Mondo roared as he tried to punch Leon. Keyword there being tried, again. As Mondo lunged towards Leon, he ended up tripping over something and fell flat on his face, just like Makoto.Despite having avoided being punched twice in a row, Leon was left shaken after the whole ordeal. "What the hell...?" he asked. "What just...happened?""Did...Makoto tried to punch someone?" Hina asked. "That's strange. For all I know, Makoto is a kind person. He would never do something like that, right?""Plus, he and that foolish Corn Head tripped as they tried to punch Leon," Celeste added. "Could it be that Leon is lucky like me?"Mondo grumbled upon hearing that name again."What? No!" Leon replied in denial.Makoto then got up back on his feet. He stared at Leon with a displeased look on his face."Ah, he's alright!" Hina said."Whoa there!" Leon said, flinching upon seeing Makoto. "Don't give me that look!"Makoto continued to stare at Leon with his displeased look. "Don't talk to me ever again..." he said. "I'm going to talk to Sayaka myself. Don't even bother trying to find me." He then walked out of the A/V Room, shoving Leon away as he left."Whoa! Hey!" Leon yelped as he was being shoved. "Gah... What's up with you, Makoto? How did you get so aggressive?""You will be surprised at how much stress can change a person," Celeste said. "I would watch my back if I were you. I wouldn't want to be ambushed by the last person I would think would attack me.""What did you say?" Leon asked as he turned around towards Celeste."Nothing," Celeste lied.There was a heavy air in the A/V Room as everyone began to leave. They began to sense that one of them will try to kill another soon. The question is, who will be the first to snap? And who will be the first to get killed? Everyone is on edge around each other as they live about the rest of their day.
Day 4 - 9:30 AM (47 Hours, 30 Minutes Remain)Classroom 1-A, First Floor
Makoto searched the entire first floor looking for Sayaka. He knew that she couldn't have gone very far, so he limited his search to the main hallway and the connected rooms. It didn't take him long before he found Sayaka. She was in Classroom 1-A, the classroom Makoto first woke up in, and the classroom where he had his heartfelt talk with Sayaka."There you are, Sayaka!" Makoto said.Makoto found Sayaka standing at one corner of the classroom, up against the wall with the metal plates. She was hugging herself and shivering nervously. She appears to be muttering to herself, saying the words, "I wanna get out, I wanna get out, I wanna get out," over and over and over again. Her expression on her face was completely blank. It really does look like she had been reduced to an empty shell."Sayaka?" Makoto asked. "Could you talk for a moment?"Sayaka stopped muttering and looked at Makoto for a brief moment. She quickly turned her eyes away from him. "Go away!" she shouted. "Leave me alone!""Sayaka..." Makoto said as he reached out grab Sayaka. As soon as he did that, Sayaka began to thrash around, trying to free herself from Makoto."AH!" Sayaka screamed. "Let me go! I don't wanna be stuck in here any longer! I wanna get out right now!""Sayaka!" Makoto shouted as he tried to maintain his grip on Sayaka. "Calm down!"Sayaka stopped thrashing around. Her body was completely frozen as she stared at Makoto."Sayaka..." Makoto began to say. "I understand how you feel right now. Seeing your loved ones be in danger...I get that feeling. I had the same thoughts are you...when I saw...whoever that was on my video."Even though he felt like getting rid of his motive is the right decision, his other thought kept begging him to not reveal who he saw in his motive video. It took him a moment to regather his thoughts."Listen to me, Sayaka," Makoto continued. "You must remain calm. You mustn't let Monokuma win! You can't allow Monokuma to control your actions! What you're doing right now is exactly what he wants you to do. He wants you to fall into his temptations! Think about it, Sayaka. There must be no way that these videos are actually real. If they did, there would be an uproar. People will notice that our loved ones have gone missing. They will try to figure out what happened to them. And soon, they will figure out what happen to us!"Sayaka hugged herself even tighter."Sayaka..." Makoto continued. "If we lose our calm, then we have lost. Monokuma will manipulate us into killing each other and all would be lost. We can't allow that to happen. That's why...we must keep on working together! As long as we can do that, then we can get out of this place alive without having to kill anyone. And who knows? Maybe help will arrive soon and we'll be out of here."Makoto knew that he's trying to convince himself as much as he's trying to convince Sayaka. He kept thinking to himself to remain calm, to drive away the thought of trying desperately to save his family. His heart was pounding as he continues on with this.Sayaka was shivering violently. Her self-hugs were becoming as tight as they could get. "But...what if there isn't a way out...?" she asked. "What if help never arrives?"Makoto tightened his grip on Sayaka. "If that ever happens..." he said before raising his voice, "then I'll get you out of here myself! I'll do anything to get you out, no matter what!"Sayaka froze in place when Makoto said that. Her breaths became small and shaky.Makoto grew a concerned look on his face when that happened. "Sayaka...?" he asked.Sayaka then threw her face into Makoto's chest. She cried and wailed uncontrollably. "Why?!" she cried. "Why is this happening to me?! To kill or be killed... To be sacrificed for another's desires... I can't...I just can't... I can't take this anymore!"Makoto can feel himself losing his balance as Sayaka pushed herself into him. "Whoa!" he yelped. "Sayaka!"Makoto ended up falling down into the floor, dragging Sayaka down with him. Makoto landed on his back, while Sayaka landed with her head on his chest. This seems familiar...Sayaka then lifted her head off of Makoto's chest. She stared at him with her wet, puffy eyes. "Can I...believe what you said...?" she asked. "That you'll...do anything to get my out of here...no matter what?""O-Of course I will!" Makoto replied.Sayaka gripped the sides of Makoto's jacket. "Makoto..." she said. "You're the only one I can trust...the only one I can rely on. So please...promise to me... No matter what happens..you'll be on my side... Please promise to me that... I need you..."Makoto wasn't sure why he's doing that, but he moved his arms and wrapped them around Sayaka for a hug. "I promise..." he replied. "I will be there for you...always. You are my assistant, after all. And you'll do the same too, right? You'll be on my side no matter what, right?""Right..." Sayaka replied."Then that settles it," Makoto said. "We'll be working together to escape this school alive.""...Thank you..." Sayaka said.Sayaka then stopped tearing up. Her eyes became full of life again. Makoto couldn't help but stare into those eyes. It looks like she's begging, no, screaming at him to do...something with her. Slowly, Sayaka pulled herself up to Makoto's face. Their lips then began to move closer together. It was an unconscious act. They have no idea what they're doing. Right before their lips could touch, an interrupt happened at the worst possible time."It's growing..." Monokuma said as he appeared.Hearing Monokuma's voice snapped both Makoto and Sayaka out of their trance. This made them realize what they're doing. In shock and disgust, Sayaka quickly pulled herself away from Makoto."Ah!" Sayaka screamed as she wiped her lips. "W-What was I doing?!"Makoto covered his mouth, wondering if his lips had been touched. "I...don't know," he replied. "I hoped our lips didn't touch each other...""Aw, what a disappointment," Monokuma said. "I was looking forward to seeing some smacking action from you two."This made Makoto and Sayaka realize that Monokuma is in the room. They turned their heads towards him."Gah!" Makoto yelped. "Monokuma?!""That's right!" Monokuma said. "It's me! You know, I really thought that my appearance would make you lips smack, but I guess not! Oh well. We've still got some more hot action going on down there! Hey, Sayaka! Can you feel that?"Sayaka was both nervous and confused as Monokuma talked. "F-Feel what?" she asked."Makoto's flagpole," Monokuma replied. "Can you feel it growing, stiffing up beneath your you-know-what?"Sayaka realized what Monokuma meant by that. She quickly leapt off of Makoto, putting her hands on her skirt and screaming in the process.With Sayaka now off him, Makoto lifted himself up to a sitting position. "Monokuma, what the heck are you saying?" he asked."What? You didn't see the situation you've found yourself in?" Monokuma replied. "A girl, an international superstar, has placed herself on top of you! It is a dream come true for young boys like you. It's the perfect opportunity to reach into her skirt and play with her-""Just stop!" Sayaka screamed. "Please!""Monokuma, why are you doing this?" Makoto asked. "There's no way that I would...do that to Sayaka!""Why not?" Monokuma replied. "You had the perfect opportunity to do that to her, and you blew it! I am so disappointed in boys like you." He then suddenly left.Makoto and Sayaka got back up to their feet. They were left confused by the end."What was...that?" Sayaka asked."I think he's just messing with us..." Makoto replied."I really hope he doesn't do that again..." Sayaka said. "Ah, sorry about making you worried about me, by the way. I was just...freaking out there...""You should take a rest, Sayaka," Makoto advised. "I think you'll feel much better after a nap. Well, should we head back to our dorms?""Yeah..." Sayaka replied.Makoto and Sayaka then left the classroom and began to head for their dorm rooms.
Day 4 - 10:30 AM (46 Hours, 30 Minutes Remain)Hallway, First Floor
Makoto escorted Sayaka to her dorm room, where he bids her goodbye for now. After Sayaka entered her dorm room, Makoto walked around to try to find someone to talk to in an attempt to calm them down and get them to cooperate. Unfortunately, most of the students are unwilling to talk. They're either distrusting Makoto or are holed up in their rooms. Only Kiyotaka is doing neither, and even then he looks too stressed out to be willing to talk.The last person Makoto tried to talk to was Yasuke Matsuda. He saw the doctor walking towards the infirmary for some reason."Hey! Dr. Matsuda!" Makoto said as he ran up to Yasuke. "Wait up!"Yasuke stopped in his tracks and turned towards Makoto. "Shut up!" he shouted. "Get lost!"Makoto stopped right behind Yasuke. "What?!" he gasped. "But...why?""I won't say," Yasuke replied."Do you not trust me anymore?" Makoto asked."I said I won't say!" Yasuke shouted. "Why are you so nosy? Get lost! I don't want to talk to you anymore!" He then continued his way to the infirmary.Makoto persisted on in trying to talk to Yasuke. He followed the doctor for just a little bit longer. "But...I saw you slap away your girlfriend when she tried to comfort you," he said. "Why won't you accept Junko's help? She's only trying to help you."Yasuke stopped right in front of the infirmary. He took in a deep breath as he continued to talk to Makoto. "Listen, Makoto," he said. "This is a killing game that we're in. We can't trust each other anymore. Someone's going to be killed soon.""But your girlfriend-" Makoto tried to say."I don't care about Junko anymore!" Yasuke shouted. "Face it, Makoto, It's time to accept the reality of this situation. We cannot ignore it any longer! We are playing a game where even our best friends can turn into our worst enemies in a heartbeat. We are playing a game where we have to fight for our own survival. We are playing a game where we could die at any moment! I cannot trust you anymore. You can't trust me anymore. You come to the infirmary for a checkup by me, and I will jab a syringe full of a lethal substance into your body. There is no trust anymore in this game. It's every man and woman for themselves."Makoto was intimidated by Yasuke's death threat, but he still clung to the hope that Yasuke will cooperate. "Please, doctor," he said. "You must listen to me! You must-""No one wants to listen to you anymore!" Yasuke shouted. "Everyone is fearing each other right now. They might say that they're listening to you, but they're just pretending. They're going to take advantage of your kindness and use that against you. It's just as Celeste said: no adapting means no survival. It's time for you to change, Makoto. It's time for you to drop that mask of idealism. It's not going to work anymore."Makoto was left heartbroken by Yasuke's rant. He felt like his entire character was broken down in a single speech. He could feel the life dying inside him with every word. By the end of it all, he was barely above an empty shell."Now, if you would excuse me," Yasuke said in a harsh tone, "I'd better be in the infirmary to do something. Do not enter the infirmary while I'm there. Now leave me alone." Yasuke then entered the infirmary, closing the door behind them.Makoto thought about the series of events that happened that day. In just a single morning, everyone turned from working together towards a common goal to fearing each other. In a single morning, everyone learned that their loved ones are in danger and if they don't do anything, then their loved ones will die...if they already alive, that is. In a single morning, Makoto went from comforting a friend to having his entire character be wrecked.Makoto was left with nothing left to do anymore. He decided to leave for his dorm room, leaving Yasuke alone.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Day 4 - Unknown Time (Unknown Hours Remain)Unknown Location
"You can't be serious about this, Monokuma," a mysterious figure said. "Threatening both my family and my boyfriend at the same time, but I can save only one? How is this fair?"Monokuma laughed at the figure who spoke to him. "Phuhuhu..." he laughed. "Did you like the motive video I gave you?""No, I did not, you bastard!" the figure yelled. "I swear, everyone else only got one option, a single group of loved ones for them to save. Why do I have to be the only one who has to choose between two options?""Because, you have two groups of loved ones!" Monokuma explained."Calling my boyfriend 'a group' is calling it a stretch," the figure said. "He's just a single person...""Hey, groups can consist of just a single member, right?" Monokuma replied."I don't think so..." the figure replied. "Please, Monokuma. I beg of you. Let me save both my family and my boyfriend at the same time!""Oh, is that what you want?" Monokuma asked. "Do you really want to save both your family and your boyfriend? Do you want to know the fates of both of them? Well, if you wanna do that, then all you have to do is cooperate with me! How's that sound?""...What are the terms to this agreement?" the figure asked."It's simple, really," Monokuma began to explain. "All you have to do is to murder someone. There's no need to get away with it. Just kill someone and you'll be free, with both your family and boyfriend having been saved. However...you must only do this on one condition.""What condition?" the figure asked."See that timer I gave everyone?" Monokuma began to reply. "That's the amount of time everyone has before the fates of all of their loved ones are lost forever. Once that time limit begins to expire, that's when you come in and kill someone. Don't try to do this too early, though. Otherwise, you'll be subject to the same conditions as everyone else. Sound good?"The figure was silent for a moment."Oh, and one more thing," Monokuma continued. "Under no condition must your status as my mole be revealed to the others. Once this happens, you'd better be prepared. You will find yourself as the target of murder, and the terms of your service to me will be revoked. So? Are you willing to work with me? Are you ready to throw away your morality for the sake of your loved ones?"The figure thought about working with Monokuma for a while before making their decision.
Day 4 - 11:00 AM (46 Hours Remain)Makoto's Room, First Floor
Makoto went back to his room to rest for the day. He was left stressed out over the events that happened a couple hours ago. He can't shake that image out of his head, the image that featured his decayed house with his family nowhere to be see. The temptation was there: kill someone to learn the fate of his family, and hopefully try to save them. Makoto tried his hardest to fight back against the temptation, but no matter how hard he tries, the temptation always returns.Makoto collapsed onto his bed and stared at the ceiling. He began to think about what he should do.What can I do? Makoto thought to himself. Everyone is distrusting each other now. They're getting worried that one of them will try to kill each other. I really wanted to talk to them, try to convince them to calm down and work together to escape this school without anyone dying. But...after failing to convince Dr. Matsuda...I doubt that anyone else would listen to me. Maybe Taka would, but I doubt that he has the energy to talk...Makoto then thought about Sayaka and became incredibly worried about her.Sayaka... Makoto continue to think. I...I really wanted to get out of this school with her. That's the promise we made to each other I'm the only one she trusts completely, and she's the only one I trust. I can't afford to get her into harm's way. I must keep her safe...no matter what.Makoto then began to doubt that he can protect Sayaka. What is he supposed to use? His own body? Based on Sakura's analysis of him, he is quite frail and couldn't take a hit. There was no way he can simply protect Sayaka. And what if he gets targeted instead? Then he has to fend for himself, and there's little chance that he'll survive a murder attempt made against him. Sure, his luck can save him, but luck can only protect him for so long..."That's it..." Makoto said, coming to a decision. "I'm getting a weapon. I can't afford to go around defenseless any longer. I need something to defend myself with in case of an attack. How could I protect Sayaka if I couldn't protect myself?"Makoto decided to go to the Athletics Hallway to retrieve the replica sword that caught his attention. It might be messy, but it'll work for him. Makoto got off his bed and began to head out of his room.But before Makoto could leave, he noticed something on the table. There's a sheet of paper placed there for some reason.Huh? What's a paper doing here? Makoto thought. Was it always there this whole time?Curious about the paper, Makoto walked up to the table to give it a read. It appears to be a letter made by Monokuma. The contents of the letter were...shocking."Hey, Makoto Naegi!" the letter greeted. "So, you wanna escape this school along with your precious Sayaka Maizono, right? Well then, I've got just the solution for you! All you have to do is to kill someone and get away with it. Then you can graduate this school along with Sayaka! But do be warned: you cannot allow anyone else to know about your murder plan, not even Sayaka. If that happens, then both this additional motive and your current motive will be revoked. Enjoy planning out your murder!"...Makoto tore the letter into shreds and dumped the remains into the trash bin. No, he will not do that. He will not kill someone so that he can escape along with Sayaka. He would like to do that, but he felt like he mustn't put Sayaka's safety above everyone else. He wants everyone to get out of this school alive, no matter what it takes....Now that he thinks about it, Makoto's plan to bring the replica sword to his room might not have worked. There might be others out there walking around the school. If they caught him transporting a replica sword to his room, he would become suspected of planning out a murder. He might try to explain that it's for self-defense, but he doubted that the others will buy it. He decided instead to wait in his room for an opportunity to bring the replica sword to his room.
Day 4 - 9:00 PM (36 Hours Remain)Athletics Hallway, First Floor
The rest of the day went by quietly. There was little interactions between the students anymore. Barely anyone had talked to each other at all throughout the day. The meal times were rather quiet as well. It was decided that whoever is preparing the food would do so under supervision to make sure no poison was mixed into the food. Soon, nighttime was approaching, which means that everyone should be in their rooms at this point.With the coast now clear, Makoto quickly made his way to the Athletics Hallway to retrieve the replica sword. Knowing that the sword will make a mess if he touches it, Makoto decided to bring something along with him: one of his spare green hoodies. He pushed his hands into the sleeves of the hoodie and grabbed the stand the replica sword is sitting on. Then, he carefully carried it all the way to his dorm room, making sure that no one is around to see him.Eventually, Makoto made it to his room without anyone noticing.
Day 4 - 9:45 PM (35 Hours, 15 Minutes Remain)Makoto's Room, First Floor
Makoto placed the stand with the replica sword on top of his shelf. He wasn't sure if he felt any better with a weapon available to him. The sight of the replica sword sitting right across from his bed made him uncomfortable. But at least he'll get a chance to defend himself should the need arises....Makoto looked up at the clock in his room. It's getting late. Soon, the nighttime announcement will be playing soon. There wasn't anything left for him to do for the day. Everyone's too paranoid to want to talk. He was about to head off to his bed to sleep when...*Ding-dong!*"Huh?" Makoto said upon hearing his doorbell. "Who's there?"It's times like this when Makoto wished that peepholes were installed into the doors. That way, he wouldn't have to answer the door to know who rang his doorbell.*Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong!*It sounds like whoever is ringing his doorbell is getting desperate, trying to get him to answer the door immediately. That's a definite sign that someone's out to murder him. Luckily, Makoto just got himself a weapon to defend himself with. He walked up to his replica sword and grabbed it by the handle on top of the sheath. He had cleaned off the handle earlier so that he doesn't get his hands coated with gold every time he uses it. He went up to the door with the replica sword in his hand. He answered the door and gets ready to strike."Ah!" someone shrieked.Makoto was about to grab the sword and swing it at whoever is ringing his doorbell. He stopped himself when he realized who's outside."Huh? Sayaka?" Makoto said in confusion.Sayaka placed one of her hands on her chest, with the other hand being in between her back and her hair. "Oh...good evening, Makoto..." she greeted with a sigh of relief. "You really scared me there." She put her hand right back in between her back and her hair. She appears to recognize the sword Makoto is holding. "Oh...that's the replica sword from the awards display, right?""Uh, yeah," Makoto replied. "I got this weapon for use in self-defense. You know, just in case.""I see..." Sayaka said. "Um...can I...come in for a moment? There's something that I...really wanted to talk about. Sorry if I came in late..."Sayaka appears to be trembling for some reason. Makoto wondered why."Uh...sure," Makoto replied. "You can come in, I guess..."Sayaka then entered Makoto's room, with Makoto closing the door behind her. She seems rather insistent on keeping her back to her wall for some reason. Makoto placed his replica sword back on the stand as he stared at Sayaka. Looking at her now, Makoto got a concerned look."Um...Sayaka?" Makoto began to ask. "Is there something wrong?"Sayaka looked at Makoto with a nervous look on her face. "Y-Yes..." she said. "Just a while ago, I was...laying in my room...when all of a sudden, my door started to rattle..."Sayaka's voice sounded like the air in her lungs had been squeezed out of her. It's almost like she was ill..."I-I tried to ignore it, but...it just kept on going..." Sayaka continued. "Then they started to ring my doorbell like crazy. It was a nightmare to go through. It's...almost like whoever is out there is trying to force my door open, desperately trying to get into my room. My door was locked, of course, so they couldn't get in. But still...I can't shake the feeling that whoever is out there is trying to kill me. I was so scared...my body was frozen...""You think someone's trying to kill you?" Makoto asked. "I...get that feeling. All of us are probably thinking about murdering someone, and we're all worried that we might get targeted for murder. So...what happened next?""After a while, it just stopped," Sayaka continued. "I got up after a while and checked outside, but there was nobody there. I don't know who's going after me. I'm not suspicious of anyone, but...I'm so scared. What if something like that happens in the middle of the night? Even if my door is locked, I'm still going to be scared. I don't think I feel safe in my room anymore...""Well, it's nothing to worry about, right?" Makoto said, trying to assure Sayaka. "I mean, we're not allowed to go out at night.""But...isn't that a promise we made?" Sayaka asked. "We're not forced to abide by it or anything. If someone were to break that promise then...""Look, if you don't feel safe in your room anymore, then why don't you stay in my room tonight?" Makoto suggested. "Would that make you feel better?"Sayaka gave Makoto a confused look. "...What?" she asked. "You mean...that I should sleep...outside of my room...?""The school rules just say that we have to sleep in the dormitory, right?" Makoto asked. "It shouldn't matter which room we sleep in. As long as we sleep in any dorm room, we should be fine, right?""Y-Yeah...I guess..." Sayaka said. "But wait...two people sharing one room is a little...weird, right?"Makoto looked at the bed in his room. It is large enough to comfortably fit a single person. So if two people were to share a bed of that size..."Ah, jeez," Makoto said. "Sorry about that. I didn't think about how we could fit each other on the bed at the same time.""Yeah, I didn't think about that either..." Sayaka replied."How about you sleep on the floor, then?" Makoto suggested. "Or how about you sleep on my bed while I'll sleep on the floor? Sound good?""Um, I don't think this floor is suited for that kind of use," Sayaka pointed out. "And I don't think I see any sleeping bags anywhere..."Makoto was left wondering on what to do with Sayaka. "So then...what are we supposed to do?" he asked."Uh...how about we...switch room?" Sayaka suggested. "Just for tonight?"Makoto gave a puzzled look at Sayaka. "Switch rooms?" he asked. "But, didn't you say that someone tried to break into your room? Isn't your room unsafe for anyone now?""I guess..." Sayaka replied. "But...I can't imagine a way for us to share the same bed. We have to swap rooms. It's our only good option.""Well, if it works, then I'll go for it," Makoto said.Sayaka smiled and nodded her head. "Thank you, Makoto," she said.After making that agreement to switch rooms for the night, the nighttime announcement began to play.*Ding-dong, ding-dong!*"Ahem, attention all students," Monokuma began to announce. "This is a school announcement. The time is now 10:00 PM, which means that nighttime has officially begun! The doors to the dining hall will be closed at this time, so accessing it is strictly prohibited. Sweet dreams, everyone! And don't let the bed bugs bite."..."That's the nighttime announcement..." Sayaka said."Okay, it's settled, then," Makoto said. "I'll head to your room right now."Makoto was about to say something, only for him to remember a rule regarding personal belongings.Ah, that's right, Makoto thought. There's a rule against exchanging personal belongs with each other. I'm guessing that means we can't exchange our room keys and E-Handbooks. How am I supposed to access Sayaka's room if I can't have her keys?"Oh, there's no need to worry about that," Sayaka said. "I've left the door unlocked for you, Makoto, so you an access it. Just remember to lock the door after you enter it.""Ah, thanks," Makoto said. He stopped himself he realized something. "Hey, wait a minute. How did you-?""I'm psychic," Sayaka explained.Okay, here goes that joke again, Makoto thought."I'm kidding, of course," Sayaka said, cracking a small smile. "Anyways, just remember to not answer the door if anyone knocks or rings the doorbell.""I promise," Makoto replied. "And the same goes to you, right?""Right," Sayaka replied."Okay," Makoto said. "I'll be going, for now. See you tomorrow, Sayaka."Makoto was about to leave his room when Sayaka stopped him."Oh, and Makoto?" Sayaka said.Makoto stopped and turned around. "What is it?" he asked."You almost forgot your replica sword," Sayaka reminded.Makoto looked at the replica sword on the shelf. "Ah, thanks," he said as he walked up to the replica sword and grabbed it. "It'll be a terrible thing if someone were to attack me and I have nothing to defend myself with. I hope this doesn't make too much of a mess...""Oh, and one more thing," Sayaka continued. "Remember all those times when I joked about being a psychic?""Huh?" Makoto said in reaction. "Now what?""It's just..." Sayaka said as she glanced off to the side for a moment. "I'm very perceptive, honestly. I can tell exactly what people are thinking.""Ah, I see..." Makoto replied.Sayaka's smile grew a little larger. "Good night, Makoto," she said. "See you tomorrow."Makoto smiled in return. "Good night to you too, Sayaka," he replied.Makoto then walked towards the door and exited his room. With Makoto now gone, Sayaka began to make her way to the desk to do something. She was in the middle of the room when suddenly..."Wah!""Huh?" Sayaka said as she turned around towards the door.Makoto walked backwards into his room, chased by both Hina and Sakura. Sakura closed the door behind her, trapping everyone inside."Makoto, what are you doing walking around with a weapon?!" Hina asked, sounding furious.Sayaka became confused by what's going. "Huh?!" she said. "Hina? Sakura? What are you two doing here?"Hina turned her gaze over to Sayaka. Looking at the way Sayaka is holding her hands, Hina had a feeling that the idol is hiding something. "I knew it," she said. "It was you who did that!""Huh? Me?" Sayaka asked."Hold on a second!" Makoto begged. "What's going on? I don't understand!"Hina shifted her gaze over to Sakura. "Sakura, take care of Sayaka," she ordered."As you wish, Hina," Sakura said with a nod. She then walked up to Sayaka.Sayaka looked up at Sakura, feeling incredibly intimidated. "Uh..." she said. "Can I help you?"Sakura doesn't give a response. She curled up her hand into a fist and punched Sayaka in the abdomen."Sayaka!" Makoto cried.Sayaka could feel immense pain coming from her abdomen. Her hands loosen up from the pain, dropping something behind her. It's a kitchen knife. Sayaka clutched her stomach as she collapsed onto the floor.Makoto became baffled upon seeing the kitchen knife. "What the-?!" he gasped."Aha!" Hina said as she walked up to the dropped kitchen knife. She then picked it up off the floor. "I knew that you stole that, Sayaka! You must be planning to murder someone, weren't you?"Sayaka could only groan in pain."W-Wait a second!" Makoto begged. "Let's not jump to conclusions, Hina. Uh...what's going on? Why are you in my room?!""I'll explain later," Hina replied as she turned around to face Makoto. She then spotted the replica sword Makoto is holding. "Oh, and don't think you're off the hook just yet, Makoto. You have something suspicious that must be taken away." She made a signaling gesture at Sakura."What?" Makoto gasped.Makoto only had enough time to glance over at Sakura before she punched him in the face. The blow made him fell to the floor, dropping his replica sword along the way."Ma...koto..." Sayaka cried in pain.Sakura picked up the replica sword that Makoto had dropped. Hina then walked up to her and hand over the kitchen knife."That's both weapons confiscated," Sakura said."Good," Hina said with a nod. "Now, put these weapons somewhere safe, where neither of them can have access to them.""Of course," Sakura replied with a nod. "Good night, Hina.""Good night to you too, Sakura," Hina replied as Sakura exited the room. "Now, as for you two, I'm going to stick around to make sure neither of you two leave."Makoto lifted himself back up on his feet. "Hina, I still don't understand..." he said. "Why did you and Sakura decided to barge into my room? Why did you take my replica sword away?""I'll tell you right now!" Hina began to explain. "Sakura and I were in the dining hall having a late snack. She's the only one I trust, by the way. We saw Sayaka enter the dining hall and into the kitchen, and then shortly after that, she left the kitchen and the dining hall. When we went into the kitchen to clean off our dishes, we saw that one of the kitchen knives had gone missing! I figured out that it was Sayaka who stole them, so I decided to put a stop to whatever murder plans she might have.""H-Hold on, Hina!" Makoto shouted. "You can't just accuse someone for planning a murder over one piece of evidence. You can't just jump to conclusions!""Listen, Makoto!" Hina replied. "Our lives are at stake right now. We have to take anyone carrying a weapon at face value and assume that they're planning to murder someone.""But what if they're planning to defend themselves in case of an attack?" Makoto asked."Don't ask me with those 'what if' questions," Hina replied angrily. "Anyone carrying around a weapon is an immediate sign that someone's about to commit a murder. If we want to prevent any deaths, we must prevent anyone from carrying around anything dangerous, no matter what! Oh, and by the way, Makoto? Sneaking around when no one's watching just to bring that replica sword to your room? Yeah, that's a definite sign that you're planning to murder someone.""But-" Makoto tried to explain himself."No more excuses!" Hina said. "Don't try to hide your intents anymore. You and Sayaka are just the same: you're so scared about the fate of your loved ones that you've resorted to murder. And because of that, I'm not letting you two leave this room!" She then leaned against the door and stared at both Makoto and Sayaka.Makoto was left shocked. He can't believe that he's being accused of planing a murder along with Sayaka. He then felt a rumble in his pocket. He took out his E-Handbook to see the most recent notification. His screen reads, "Someone has discovered your murder plan! Your motives have been revoked. Too bad! Better luck next time!""Dammit..." Makoto grumbled.Well, there goes Makoto's chances of ever seeing his family again. That Monokuma is a really cruel headmaster. He counts him stealing a replica sword as a planning out a murder? Figures. Makoto should've known that sooner. He put his E-Handbook back into his pocket. He turned around towards Sayaka and saw her staring at her E-Handbook and crying. It looks like she's planning out a murder as well, and Hina had foiled her plans....Still, Makoto felt like he needs to confirm that Sayaka really was planing a murder. He walked up to Sayaka to check on her."Hey, Sayaka?" Makoto began.Sayaka cried and sniffled as she stared at the message on her E-Handbook.Makoto offered his hand out to Sayaka. "Here, take my hand," he said.Sayaka looked up at Makoto and grabbed his hand. He pulled her up back to her feet.."Makoto..." Sayaka began, struggling to say anything. "I'm...I'm so sorry..."Makoto was silent for a moment. "Sayaka...please tell me..." he said. "Is it true? Are you really planning to murder someone?""Y-Yes..." Sayaka replied through her tears. "I...I...really do...""...Who are you planning to murder?" Makoto asked."I...I can't tell...right now..." Sayaka replied.Makoto understood that feeling. It looks like Sayaka isn't comfortable enough to reveal the details of her murder plan. Still, now that her motives have been revoked, Makoto felt like it's time for Sayaka to reveal who she saw in her motive video."So...who was on your motive video?" Makoto asked. "Who are your loved ones?"Sayaka tried her hardest to tell who was on her video. "My..." she began. She paused for a moment to sniffle up. "My... my..." But she couldn't say anything. She was too devastated to say anything. She ended up throwing her head into Makoto's chest once again, crying into it uncontrollably and wailing all the way."So you can't say it right now, can you?" Makoto asked. "That's...fine. I'm...sure you'll feel better after a good night's rest..." He then turned his head towards his bed. "Although...we might have to figure out how to fit both of us into the same bed...""Well, figure it out, then!" Hina said from across the room. "If Sakura and I can sleep on the same bed together, so can you! Sakura is much larger than me, remember?"Makoto turned his eyes towards Hina upon realizing the implications. "Wait, you and Sakura did what?" he asked."Forget about it," Hina said in dismissal. "I'll sleep in front of the door, by the way. Don't worry about me or anyone breaking into this room. I already locked the door."Well, that's assuring... Makoto thought.Makoto turned his eyes back on Sayaka. "Hey, Sayaka?" he began to ask. "Are you fine with sharing a bed with me?"Sayaka just groaned.Soon, Makoto and Sayaka are sleeping on the same bed. Their bodies are near the edges of the bed and they're facing each other. Makoto could feel Sayaka's desperate breaths from this distance. She looks so scared now, scared of being alone. Her body is shivering as if it is cold. The thin blanket probably doesn't help....Makoto found it hard to believe, but he's sleeping with Sayaka right now. It's not quite a dream come true, however. They didn't do it because they have deep feelings for each other. They did it out of necessity, as they're now unable to leave this room. This isn't the ideal situation for them to be sleeping with each other.If Taka ever hears about this, we will never hear the end of his rants, Makoto thought.Makoto can't see Hina from the bed. He's pretty sure she's standing right up against the door, not allowing either him or Sayaka to leave. She'll probably made sure that he and Sayaka are both asleep before returning to her room, or just spend the night in his room and sleep in front of the door. Who knows what she'll do....Makoto is getting really tired. It had been a long, exhausting day for him. The tension in the air had left him drained. His eyes quickly switched between open and closed for a few moments before they closed for the night. The last thing Makoto saw before falling asleep was the sight of Sayaka's depressed face.
Day 5 - 6:57 AM (26 Hours, 3 Minutes Remain)
"Makoto..."...Makoto could feel something jumping on his body. It felt so...fluffy, like a stuffed animal..."Wake upppp..."And the stuffed animal's voice... It sounded so shrill......Wait a second...Makoto opened his eyes to see...Sayaka's exhausted face. Her hair was all messed up. It's like she didn't get any sleep at all. That's a concerning look if he's ever seen one.But more importantly, who's bouncing on his body?"Look at me... I'm here..."Makoto and Sayaka stared at each other for a moment. They looked confused at who's speaking to them right now. Then they turn their eyes towards the other end of the bed and found...Monokuma."Rise and shine, ursine!" Monokuma announced. "Man, I always wanted to say that.""GAAAHHHHH!" Makoto and Sayaka screamed in horror at the same time. Sayaka instinctively latched onto Makoto in fear."Huh?! What?!" Hina shouted from beyond the corner. She ran up to the bed to find Monokuma on it. "What the-?! Monokuma? What are you doing here?!""T-That's what I was about to ask," Makoto said.Monokuma observed Makoto and Sayaka for a moment. "Wow, Makoto," he remarked. "You're being bold, aren't you? First you let Sayaka be on top of you, and then you decided to bed her! How sweet."Sayaka tightened her grip on Makoto as she became more frightened."S-Shut up!" Makoto shouted. "It's not what it looks like!""Hey, what do you think you're doing, Monokuma?" Hina asked. "This isn't funny!"Monokuma turned around and saw Hina as well. "Oh, and what's this?" he asked. "You've got two girls sleeping in your room? How bold of you to do that!"Hina was left flustered. "W-What?!" she gasped. "Hey, this isn't what it looks like! I'm not spending the night with Makoto! I'm just...uh...making sure that he and Sayaka doesn't leave!""That still counts as spending a night with Makoto, doesn't it?" Monokuma asked.Hina felt even more embarrassed. She felt like she's digging herself a deeper hole as she tried to explain the situation."Look, Monokuma..." Makoto said as he covered his head. "Enough of this. Just get out of my room right now."This reminded Monokuma of something that he has schedules. "Oh yeah, I remember now," he said. "It's almost 7:00 AM, right? That means that I should do the morning announcement. Hold on. Give me a second." He then disappeared.Shortly after Monokuma left, the morning announcement began to play.*Ding-dong, ding-dong!*"Good morning, everyone!" Monokuma began to announce. "It's 7:00 AM right now, which means that nighttime is officially over! Rise and shine, everyone! Get ready for a beautiful day!"..."What a strange wake-up alarm clock..." Hina said. "I can't believe we were woken up by that. Well, at least nobody died thanks to me. I'd better start eating breakfast right now. See you two at the dining hall!" With a smile on her face, Hina left Makoto's room for the dining hall.Makoto and Sayaka figured that they should be heading to the dining hall as well. Before they could leave, Makoto decided to ask Sayaka something."Hey, Sayaka?" Makoto began to ask. "Did you get any sleep at all last night?"Sayaka made a soft grunting sound in response."Can you speak?" Makoto asked. "I could've sworn that I heard your voice just a moment ago."Sayaka hung her head down as she spoke. "I didn't sleep..." she admitted."You didn't sleep?" Makoto said in surprise. "How come?""...I just couldn't..." Sayaka replied.Makoto brushed his hand against Sayaka's hair. It felt unkempt. "Your hair is messy," he said. "Looks like you could use a brush. How about you brush your hair before we head off for breakfast? Sound good?"Sayaka said nothing. She made another soft grunt."...You're not in the mood to do that, are you?" Makoto said. "Tell you what, how about you get some rest right after breakfast. I'm sure you'll feel better after a nap. Does that sound good?"Sayaka said nothing again.Makoto sighed as he slid off the bed. "Well, I'm not willing to waste any more time doing this," he said. "Come on, Sayaka. Let's go to the dining hall. Follow me."Makoto walked around to the other side of his bed and pulled Sayaka off of it. They then left the room to join the others for breakfast.
Day 5 - 7:15 AM (25 Hours, 45 Minutes Remain)Dining Hall, First Floor
Makoto and Sayaka entered the dining hall for breakfast once again. As expected, Hina was there along with Sakura. They are having breakfast at a table together, as usual. Kiyotaka was there as well, greeting everyone that enters the dining hall."Ah, hello you two," Kiyotaka greeted. "And good morning!" He then noticed that Sayaka's hair is messy. "Whoa, what happened to you Sayaka? Why is your hair so...messy?"Sayaka felt too miserable to say anything, so it's up to Makoto to explain what happened."Sayaka...had a rough night," Makoto explained. "She spent the entire night awake, unable to sleep.""So you're saying that Sayaka didn't get any sleep?" Kiyotaka asked. "I understand that. After all, it's hard to shake off what we saw yesterday. Even now, I can't shake that image of my loved one out of my head. Well, no matter. I'm sure you'll feel better soon, Sayaka!"Sayaka let out a soft grunt once again.Kiyotaka stepped off to the side and guided Makoto and Sayaka to one of the tables. "Here, have a seat, you two," he said. "I will be bringing breakfast to you two soon. And don't worry! The food isn't poisoned at all!""...Not that we have access to any poisons..." Makoto added.Makoto and Sayaka soon took a seat at one of the tables. Kiyotaka soon served them some breakfast. As they ate their breakfast and waited for everyone else to arrive, Makoto began to make observations about when everyone arrives. Looking at the first five students in the dining hall, including himself, Makoto concluded that they are model students. They are usually the best behaved of all the students and are rarely late to anything.Now that I think about it, maybe I'm not so average after all, Makoto thought for a moment. He then shook that thought out of his head. No...that can't be right...Soon, a few more students entered the dining hall, those being Mondo, Junko, Celeste, Hifumi, and Natsumi."'Sup?" Mondo greeted as he entered the dining hall."Ah, good morning, Mondo!" Kiyotaka greeted in return. "How was your night's sleep?"Mondo just let out a groan in response."Sorry if I'm late," Junko apologized as she entered the dining hall. She sounded dejected. "My make-up game is not on point today...""Maybe you should wake up early next time," Celeste suggested as she entered the dining hall. "Putting up make-up takes quite a while. You shouldn't rush it.""I'm here!" Hifumi announced as he entered the dining hall. "My sincerest apologies, everyone. I was a little late because my...uh...morning duties took a little longer than usual...""What morning duties?" Natsumi asked. "Don't tell me that you had a potty failure right when you woke up.""I did not!" Hifumi shouted.Makoto considers these students to have a more relaxed sense of time. They typically don't like to rush things and like to come to class right on time. At least, that description probably applies to Junko, Celeste, and Hifumi. As for Mondo and Natsumi...Makoto wasn't sure if the same can be said about them.Lastly, there's the group that kept everyone waiting practically forever for them to arrive. Those students are Kyoko, Leon, Toko, and Yasuhiro."Am I late?" Kyoko asked as she entered the dining hall. She looked around the room to count the number of students. "I suppose I am, considering that most of you are here...""No, no, no, you're not late," Kiyotaka assured. "I can assure you that it's still breakfast time."Kyoko rolled her eyes as she walked to a table. "Whatever..." she said."Yo, what's up?" Leon greeted as he entered the dining hall. "Sorry if I'm late! It's totally my bad! I had completely forgotten about the morning announcement.""H-How could you forget?" Toko asked as she entered the dining hall following Leon. "That announcement plays every morning!""Hey, at least you weren't like me," Yasuhiro said as he entered the dining hall. "I just got lost on the way here, so that's why I'm late. Nope, I didn't overslept. That totally didn't happen.""H-How could you get lost?!" Toko questioned. "It's not that hard to navigate around the school, y-you know.""I'm blaming my sense of direction," Yasuhiro said. "It's getting all messed up!""Y-You're messed up!" Toko said accusingly. "You and your stupid predictions...t-they're all messed up!""Hey, who do you think you are?!" Yasuhiro shouted. "The doctor?!""Would you two just shut up and get to a table?!" Kiyotaka shouted at Toko and Yasuhiro, getting annoyed at their argument.Looking at the five students who came in a lot later, Makoto concluded that these students don't care about time or other people in general. They like to take their time and move at their own pace. They don't care if they're late to anything.With the arrival of the latecomers, 14 students are currently in the dining hall right now. That leaves Byakuya and Yasuke as the only ones remaining. Everyone in the dining hall waited even longer for these two to arrive, but so far, neither of them have come yet."Okay, where is Byakuya and Dr. Yasuke?" Kiyotaka asked. "Has anyone seen them yet?" He first set his eyes on Junko. "Junko! Have you seen Yasuke? I could've sworn that you two always have meals together."Junko shrugged and shook her head. "Sorry, Taka," she replied. "I just don't feel like having meals with Yasuke today...or at all...""Why not?" Kiyotaka asked."He straight up slapped me away when I tried to comfort him," Junko replied. "And when I tried to talk to him, he said harsh things to me and refused to hang out with me. I thought of him as my boyfriend, but now...we've broken up..."Kiyotaka nodded his head as he understood what Junko is saying. "I see..." he said. "That sounds reasonable. So then...we're Byakuya? Has anyone seem him yet?"Just as when Kiyotaka asked about Byakuya..."Someone called my name?" Byakuya asked as he arrived at the dining hall."Ah, there you are!" Kiyotaka said. "Now, that still leaves us with one more student missing..."Mondo jumped up from his seat and walked up to Byakuya. "Hey man!" he said. "Have you seen that doctor anywhere?"Byakuya gave Mondo a disdainful look. "Out of my way, plankton," he ordered."Don't you dare call me that!" Mondo growled. "I'm asking ya a question! Have you seen that doctor yet?"Byakuya continued to glare at Mondo for a moment. "Why would I?" he asked. "I just simply came straight from my room to here. I didn't do anything else. Besides, the doctor's room was not on my path to here, I had no chance of encountering him.""So you haven't seen him..." Mondo concluded. "Dammit. What are we supposed to do?""We should just wait!" Junko suggested. "I'm sure Yasuke will arrive soon. He just...likes to take his time." She then made a nervous laugh.And so, the students waiting in the dining hall for Yasuke to come. And waited. And waited. And waited. Soon, everyone has finished their breakfast, and Yasuke is still nowhere to be found. At this point, Kiyotaka was getting frustrated."What is going on here?!" Kiyotaka said. "Yasuke is taking way longer than anyone to arrive! There's taking your time, and then there's not showing up at all! Ugh, I'm getting so tired of waiting.""What should we do now?" Kyoko asked."That's it!" Kiyotaka shouted in frustration. "I'm done with waiting for Yasuke to arrive! It's been nearly an hour since breakfast started and he's still not showing up! We're already done with out meals at this point! We have to find him as soon as possible! Everyone! Split up and search the entire school! If you find any signs of Yasuke be sure to report them to me!"Everyone then began their frantic search for the doctor.
Day 5 - 8:00 AM (25 Hours Remain)Dormitory, First Floor
The students searched all over the school looking for Yasuke. They were split into two groups. One group checks every accessible room in the main school area, while the other group checks the dormitory. Makoto and Sayaka were part of the dormitory group, along with Kiyotaka, Kyoko, Leon, Hina, and Sakura. Their first instinct is to check Yasuke's room first, as they believe that he might still be there, sleeping through the morning announcement.Yasuke's room is located right next to the trash room, which is on the "northern" part of the dormitory hallway. Not exactly a pleasant place for a doctor, but where else would this room be located in?Kiyotaka rapidly pressed the doorbell over and over again, hoping that Yasuke would answer the door. But no matter how many times he tried, Yasuke just wouldn't respond."Hey! Doctor!" Kiyotaka shouted as he moved on to pounding the door. "Wake up! Open the door! We're getting worried about you!"Still no response..."Damn, that doctor is a really heavy sleeper, isn't he?" Leon asked. "He just heard the doorbell many times and just slept right through it.""I find that hard to believe..." Hina said.Kyoko is getting really annoyed at Kiyotaka's fruitless attempts at getting Yasuke to answer the door. "That's enough, Taka," she said. "It's not going to work. No matter how many times you try, the results will be the same."Kiyotaka stopped pounding on the door and turned around to face Kyoko. "Don't say that to me, Kyoko," he said. "I will assure you. He will answer this door. Eventually. We've just got to wait it out. I'm sure he'll come."The group waited for a moment for Yasuke to answer the door. Once again, nothing happened."Gah, this is getting so annoying..." Kiyotaka said. "What's taking that doctor so long?""Maybe we should just open the door," Sakura suggested."Open the door?" Leon asked with a puzzled look. "How's that gonna work? Is it really as simple as that? Don't tell me that the doctor forgot to lock his door. I mean, who the hell would do something as stupid as that?"Sakura walked up to the door and grabbed the handle. She then pulled it down. To no one's surprise, the handle didn't move."Well, what did ya know?" Leon remarked. "The door's locked.""Of course the door is locked," Kyoko replied. "Dr. Matsuda isn't stupid enough to leave his door unlocked.""Okay, so the door to Yasuke's room is locked," Kiyotaka said, recaping everything the group knows so far. "And so far, he has not respond to me ringing the doorbell. Which means that he must be out of his room.""So then...where could he be?" Hina asked."We should check in on the other group," Kyoko suggested. "Perhaps they have found a clue to his whereabouts."Then, Sayaka remembered something, a detail that made her horrified upon remembering it. "Oh no..." she said.Makoto turned his head towards Sayaka. "Huh?" he said. "What's wrong?"Sayaka shivered in horror as she revealed the answer. "My room..." she said. "I...left it unlocked..."This caused everyone in the group to turn their heads towards Sayaka in shock."You did what?!" Kiyotaka exclaimed.Sayaka had a very bad feeling about this. It made her shiver even more. "I...I have to go now!" she shouted as she began to run away."Hey! Sayaka!" Leon shouted. "Wait up!" He then began to run after Sayaka, followed by the rest of the group.Sayaka really regretted leaving the her dorm room unlocked last night. She just wanted Makoto to swap rooms with her for...reasons. And thanks to Hina, she was unable to lock her door. There were many thoughts going through her head as she ran towards her room. If Yasuke isn't in his room, then he must be somewhere else within the school. So far, the other group hasn't reported their findings to her group, which means that they haven't found him yet. This leaves the dormitory as the only area remaining where he could possibly be. And since her room has been left unlocked the entire night..."He must be right there!" Sayaka shouted as she burst open the door to her room.As soon as Sayaka got a look inside of her room, she was left in complete shock. Her room was left in a complete mess. There were cuts made all over the walls, and some of the furniture was damaged. It's as if a fight had broken out in her room while she was gone. That alone would've made her shocked. But what shocked Sayaka was something she didn't think would happen. Laying there in the middle of the room...was the lifeless body of Dr. Yasuke Matsuda.Sayaka was left out of breath upon seeing Yasuke's lifeless body. She became more terrified the longer she spends staring at the body.Soon, the rest of the group arrives at Sayaka's location. They soon saw what Sayaka saw, and they too were left shocked."W-What?" Makoto gasped."H-How?!" Hina cried."Oh no..." Kiyotaka whispered"Seriously, Sayaka?" Leon said as he caught up with the rest of the group. "Do you really have to run off like that? Why don't you-?" He stopped himself upon looking into Sayaka's room, and the lifeless body that lies inside it. "...What the hell?"Sayaka couldn't take it anymore. Her horror levels were just too much for her to handle. She let out an piercing scream that echoed throughout the entire school.From that moment onward, nothing about their school life would ever be the same. There's no turning back after this. They had crossed the point of no return.
Chapter 1: To Life, To Survive, To Prosper, To Die
Deadly Life
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Day 5 - Unknown TimeUnknown Location
"...Dr...Yasuke?"..."N-No...it can't be..."..."I've worked with him for so long on that project. He may not be the nicest person, but he's still willing to work with me. I remembered all those times when we worked together on that project while we're stuck in this school. Dr. Yasuke Matsuda was a man dedicated to exploring the limits of medical treatments. He had poured years of his life into this project."..."And now...he's dead. Someone...has murdered him..."..."I don't know what to do now. Someone...please. Free me..."
Day 5 - 8:10 AMSayaka's Room, First Floor
*Ding-dong, ding-dong!*"A body has been discovered!" Monokuma announced over the intercoms. "Everyone, please gather at the dormitory as soon as possible!"...Everyone was absolutely baffled upon seeing Yasuke's body. They couldn't believe what they were seeing at first. They don't want to believe what they saw. They wished that they were in a nightmare, that none of what they're experiencing is real. But no amount of denial will ever change the fact that Yasuke is dead. His body laid motionless in Sayaka's room. He responded to no stimuli. There's no doubt about it: Yasuke is dead and he's the victim of a murder."H-How?!" Hina asked. "How is this possible? I thought that I had done everything I could to prevent a murder from happening!""Apparently not..." Kyoko said. "I shouldn't be surprised. There are 15 of us and only one of you. There's no way you can possibly monitor everyone to make sure a murder doesn't happen."Hina began to tear up as she realized that her efforts to prevent a murder has been fruitless. "N-No..." she said through her tears.Kyoko looked off towards the corridor that leads to the main part of the school. She can sense the others approaching due to the announcement. "The others are coming soon," she said. "We should take a look at the body while we still can."Following Kyoko's suggestions, the group entered Sayaka room to take a closer look at Yasuke's dead body. Makoto and Sayaka didn't join them. Sayaka suddenly felt nauseous upon seeing Yasuke's dead body, and Makoto had to stay behind to comfort her."You're feeling alright?" Makoto asked as he patted on Sayaka's back.Sayaka covered her mouth with her hand. "N-No..." she replied, trying her best to not throw up. "I'm not...""Just hang in there," Makoto said. "Just...try to not look at Yasuke's...corpse too much. If it bothers you, then look away."Sayaka whimpered as she struggled to recover from the nauseous feeling.Meanwhile, the others were taking a look at Yasuke's dead body to see what they can find. Yasuke's limbs were stiff and straight. His feet were pointing towards the door. His eyes were wide open and stared at the ceiling. His mouth was gaping open as well. There were bruises spotted all over Yasuke's dead body, along with some yellow dust surrounding the bruises. Most strikingly of all, there was a knife stabbed into his stomach. Blood was pouring out of the stab wound, forming a circular shape.Leon look around the room, seeing the slice marks all over the walls and the damaged furniture. "What the hell happened here?" he asked. "Did a fight broke out in your room, Sayaka?" He heard no response from Sayaka. He turned around towards the door, thinking that Sayaka is outside. "Sayaka? Answer me!"Leon heard Sayaka whimpered from outside.Hina's eyes widened upon seeing the knife. That alone was concerning enough. But then she saw something else near Yasuke's body: a long, thin, golden sword. Almost immediately, she knew what the sword and the knife are."Hey, wait a minute..." Hina said in realization.Everyone in the room turned their eyes towards Hina, with the exception of Kyoko who was still checking Yasuke's corpse."What is it, Hina?" Kiyotaka asked."That's the sword and knife I took from Makoto and Sayaka!" Hina shouted.Everyone in the room, with the exception of Kyoko, gasped in shocked."They had what now?!" Kiyotaka shouted."What the hell?!" Leon gasped. "Are you saying that Makoto and Sayaka were planning a murder?! I knew it! I should've known that Makoto would be planning something like that when he tried to punch me! And Sayaka?! Dammit, now I don't find her cute anymore!"Sayaka whimpered once again. It broke her heart to hear details of her murder plan to be revealed to the others.Hina then remembered the person who she handed these weapons to last night. She turned to Sakura to look for answers. "You took these weapons to a safe place like I asked, didn't you?!" she asked.Sakura stared at Hina for a moment. It took her a few moments to respond. "I did," she replied. "I just didn't think that the killer would be able get them..."Leon the got confused. "Wait, what the hell is going on?" he asked. "I'm so confused. Can someone explain this to me?"No one gave an answer. It's not like they had time to explain, though, as the rest of the students arrived at the crime scene."What the shit?" Mondo said as he barged into Sayaka's room. "Is this...where you found the body?!""Who died?" Natsumi asked. "Don't tell me it's that doctor you found dead...""Wait, did Yasuke just...?" Junko asked. Then she began to tear up upon realizing what happened to him. "Oh no...Yasuke! Nooooo!" She then charged into Sayaka's room to see Yasuke's body. She ended up pushing against the crowd in the room."Hey! What the hell?!" Leon yelled as he was being shoved."Outta my way!" Junko cried. "I need to see Yasuke!"Kiyotaka then began to feel like the room is getting a bit crowded. "Everyone, get out of this room," he ordered. "This room is getting crowded with the 15 of us in here. Let the others see the body."Everyone who has already seen Yasuke's dead body began to leave Sayaka's room, with the exception of Kyoko. The rest of the students then entered the room so that they can see Yasuke's body."Wait, so the doctor is dead?" Yasuhiro asked. "I knew it! I tried to hard to warn him about his fate, but he just refused to listen! If only he would listen to me. Then he could've avoided the fate that I predicted! Or maybe not, since his fate is sealed anyways. Hey, at least I didn't die first, that's for sure!""Oh shut up..." Natsumi groaned, feeling tried of Yasuhiro talk about fate and fortune telling.Junko stood over Yasuke's dead body. She cried as she looked into Yasuke's lifeless face. "Yasuke..." she muttered in tears. She tried to reach down to touch Yasuke's body, but then Kyoko slapped her hand away."Don't touch the body!" Kyoko ordered."Ow!" Junko yelped. "Ah...why not?""This is a crime scene now," Kyoko replied. "We shouldn't disturb it." After inspecting the body, Kyoko stood up and tries to figure out what could've happened here. Before she could make any conclusions, though, Monokuma made another announcement.*Ding-dong, ding-dong!*"Ahem, attention everyone!" Monokuma began to announce. "I'm sure you're all wondering what happens next now that a body has been discovered. Well, I've got the answer to you! Please report to the gym as soon as possible. I'll be waiting for you there!"..."...The hell?" Mondo said after the announcement ended. "What now?""We just got to see a dead body," Natsumi said. "And now we're expected to go back to the gym? Why?""I believe that Monokuma has something to tell us now that the first murder has happened," Kyoko said. "I don't want to say this, but we can't continue without knowing what to do next. We must do what he told us to do. Everyone, to the gym."Kyoko then left Sayaka's room and headed to the gym. Everyone else doesn't want to believe Kyoko at first, but she's right. What will happen next now that a murder has happened? Would the blackened get to graduate from this school? Or will something else happen? An air of nervousness surrounded everyone as they followed Kyoko to the gym.
Day 5 - 8:30 AMGym, First Floor
Everyone arrived at the gym, where Monokuma was waiting for them."Well, well, well," Monokuma began. "Looks like all of you decided to show up."Makoto stared at Monokuma and gave him an angry look. "Monokuma..." he growled.Monokuma looked back at Makoto and returned a confused look. "Huh? What are you looking at me for, Makoto?" he asked. "Are you mad about me waking you up this morning?"Makoto clutched his fists as he shook his head. "No...it's not that..." he replied. "I'm mad because...someone has been killed! Dr. Yasuke... He may not be a great person to hang around, but he still cared about our health! He's our once chance at a saving a wounded person! And now...he's dead...all because of you!"Monokuma still gave Makoto a confused look. "What? You're blaming me for the death of one of your fellow classmates?" he asked."Y-Yeah!" Junko shouted. "My boyfriend is dead, thanks to you!""Me?" Monokuma said. "What do you mean I killed your boyfriend, Junko? I didn't do anything! In fact, unless someone violates one of the rules, I won't kill anyone! Looking at you, Corn Head!"Mondo growled angrily at Monokuma once again. "Call me that one more time..." he grumbled."Quit abusing your power over us, Monokuma!" Kiyotaka shouted. "Just come forward and say it straight! Who killed Yasuke?!""Huh? Who killed that doctor?" Monokuma replied. "Well, isn't it obvious? The one who killed him...was one of you!"Everyone was left stunned by what they were told. Someone killed Yasuke? That can't be possible, could it?Monokuma looked at the faces everyone was giving him. "Hey, what's with all the looks you're giving me?" he asked. "You all look like you're about to witness a poor crane bird get shot down by an anti-air gun, mistaken for an enemy plane! Did you all forget what I told you all earlier? If you want to graduate this school, you've gotta kill someone! And if you graduate, you'll get to see your loved ones again! Obviously, someone became desperate enough to see their loved ones that they snapped and killed someone! And that poor doctor happened to be the first one to kick the bucket.""Y-You're lying about this, aren't you?" Hifumi asked."Of course I'm not lying!" Monokuma shouted. "One of you is a killer! One of you became so desperate to escape, they became willing to sacrifice another person!""So that's it, then," Byakuya said. "If one of us really did kill the doctor, then that means they'll get to graduate, right?"Monokuma gave a puzzled look to Byakuya. "Huh? What did you say?" he asked.Byakuya became irritated at Monokuma. "Hey, don't play dumb with me," he said. "That's what you said, isn't it? If you kill someone, you'll get to leave, right?"Monokuma became silent for a moment before he began to laugh. "Phuhuhu..." he said before bursting into a full on cackle. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"Mondo became absolutely baffled by Monokuma's laugh. "What the hell?" he said. "Hey! Shut the hell up! Someone has died!""Cut the laughter, Monokuma," Byakuya ordered. "Just say it upfront. Since someone has killed someone else, that means they'll get to leave, right?"Monokuma then stopped laughing. "Oh, you poor fools," he said. "You're all so naive. You're all so GODDAMN HELLISHLY NAIVE! Do you all really think that it's enough to kill someone? Do you all think you can just waltz outta here just by killing someone? Yeah, sure, I did say that you have to get away with murder if you want to escape! But as you all are about to learn, that is simply not enough."Sayaka shivered in fear as she learned more about the killing game. "There's...more...?" she asked."Attention, everyone!" Monokuma began to announce. "Allow me to explain the other part of the graduation rule! As you all remember, the rules state that the 'blackened' will be allowed to graduate this school, assuming that they got away with murder. And by getting away with it, I mean committing murder without anyone else figuring out that it was you who did it. And by that, I mean..." He then paused for several moments."What's with the silence?" Byakuya asked. "Cut that out already and get to the point!""I'm going to do that, Mr. Rich," Monokuma said."...How many names must you make up for all of us?" Byakuya asked.Monokuma then cleared his throat as he continued with the explanation. "Obviously, if we want to count someone as getting away with murder," he continued, "we'll need a system to assess whether or not they have gotten away with murder. And that system is...the Class Trials!"Everyone seemed bewildered upon Monokuma brining that term up."Class...what now?" Hifumi asked."The Class Trials!" Monokuma began to explain. "Once a certain amount of time has passed since a dead body has been discovered, a Class Trial will begin! In a Class Trial, everyone, including the blackened, will participate in a debate to determine who the blackened is. During the Class Trial, everyone will present their arguments on who they think the blackened is. Once all the debates are over, everyone will place their votes, and the outcomes will be determined by popular vote. If the majority of the surviving students voted correctly, then only the blackened will be punished. Everyone else will continue their communal lives as normal. But if you get it wrong or can't settle on any option, then everyone but the blackened will be punished, and the blackened will graduate from this school. That is all you need to know about the Class Trials."Okay, so everyone's on the same page on how the Class Trials will go. If the blackened is ever discovered, then they will not get to graduate from this school. Simple as that. However, there's still one question remaining before they could move on."So...what do you mean by 'punishment'?" Hifumi asked."Oh, you're wondering about what punishment means, right?" Monokuma replied. "Basically...it's execution."A wave of shock hits everyone at once. Sayaka was particularly shocked. Learning about what punishment means brought her down to her knees.Kiyotaka was at a loss for words. "W-What...?" he could only utter."That's right!" Monokuma announced. "Failing to get away with murder will result in execution! Guillotine! Burned at the stake! Poison gas room! Whatever Carrier does to his victims! Anything that could kill you! If you are discovered as the blackened of the case, you will be torn asunder in the most brutal way possible!""T-That's..." Sayaka could only utter. She could feel herself becoming increasingly ill with every word she hears from Monokuma."W-What kind of justice system is this...?" Kiyotaka asked. "Brutally executing someone just because they murdered someone else... There's no way that's fair!""Hey, do I have to remind you guys about the justice system we use in the real world?" Monokuma asked. "Basically, if you're caught committing murder, you will be sentenced to death. I've implemented that part of the justice system into my justice system. Only...I've made it a bit more extreme..."Makoto saw that Sayaka was getting absolutely crushed by what she heard. He felt like a part of himself is being crushed as well from seeing Sayaka like this. It made him furious at Monokuma for subjecting Sayaka to this level of suffering."Monokuma...you..." Makoto began. He was about to swear, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. "How...how could you do this to us?!"Monokuma turned his attention towards Makoto. "Oh, and what's this?" he asked. "Are you trying to defy me, Makoto?" He then saw on the floor next to Makoto. "Oh, I see. You're just doing that to defend Sayaka, aren't you?""How could you call your justice system fair?!" Makoto shouted. "Brutally tearing people apart just because they murdered someone and failed to get away with it...how is that fair?! Dr. Yasuke...he probably died...to that knife to the stomach. How is brutally executing someone for that crime fair?!""Hey, my justice system is totally fair, right?" Monokuma replied. "You murdered someone, you get brutally executed in return! I say that's a fair justice system, am I right?"That's it. Makoto had enough of Monokuma's words. "You..." he said at first before charging towards Monokuma. "YOU MONSTER!"Kyoko realized that Makoto is about to make the same mistake that Mondo did earlier. "Makoto! Stop!" she ordered.Everyone began to panic as Makoto approached Monokuma. They feared that he will be punished for attacking Monokuma, just like what will happen to everyone who fails to get away with murder. Makoto may be the Ultimate Lucky Student, but no amount of luck will save him from whatever punishment Monokuma as in store. But just as when Makoto was about to make a run for Monokuma, something happened to him.*WHAM!*Everyone was in shock upon seeing what happened in front of their eyes. They watched as Makoto flew off to the side and landed on the floor. His body slid for a moment before hitting against the seats. It looks like he was punched, but by who? Turning their heads to where Makoto once stood, they saw Mondo with his fist extended out.Mondo breathed heavily after he punched Makoto out of the way. "G-Gotcha," he said."Ow..." Makoto groaned in pain.Monokuma was surprised to see what just happened before his eyes. "Wow, what did I just witnessed?" he asked. "Someone was about to violate a rule for attacking me, only for someone else to attack my would-be attacker! Great job, Corn Head!"Mondo quickly turned his head towards Monokuma and growled at him."Hey, no amount of growling and anger will ever stop me from calling you that," Monokuma said. "Anyways, I have now updated the rules with this new information. Along with that, I shall provide you guys with something that will help you in your search for the blackened."Everyone then received a notification on their E-Handbooks. They turn them on and see the new list of rules.Rules and Regulations (Version 3)
Students may reside only within the school building. Leaving the campus without permission is not allowed.
The day is split into daytime and nighttime. Nighttime lasts from 10:00 PM to 7:00 AM the following day. Daytime lasts on all other hours.
Some areas are off-limits during nighttime. Please be outside of these restricted areas before the nighttime announcement plays.
Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory will be seen as sleeping in class and will be punished accordingly. This only applies if the student sleeps on their own accord.
With minimum restrictions, you are free to explore any accessible areas of Hope's Peak Academy. New areas may open up over time.
Violence against Headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited.
Damaging the surveillance cameras and monitors is also strictly prohibited.
Stealing or lending E-Handbooks to or from a live student is, once again, strictly prohibited.
Breaking into locked rooms is, yet again, strictly prohibited.
Violating rules 6-9 will result in punishment.
If a student forces another student to violate rules 6-9, they will receive punishment instead of the rule breaker.
Anyone who kills a fellow student will become the blackened. Blackened students may graduate and leave the school, unless they are discovered.
Once a personal motive has been distributed, students may not exchange information about their personal motives with anyone else. Violation of this rule will result in your motive being revoked.
The above rule remains in effect until someone has been killed.
All motives will last until either the time limit has expired or someone has graduated.
Once a body has been discovered, a Class Trial will begin after a certain amount of time. Participation is mandatory for all surviving students.
At the end of a Class Trial, all surviving students must place their votes on who they think the blackened is.
If the blackened is exposed and the majority of students voted for them, they alone will be executed.
If the blackened is not exposed, they alone will graduate, and all remaining students will be executed.
The blackened may only kill up to two people during a single Killing Game. Killing a third person will result in immediate execution.
Along with the new set of rules, everyone has received a case file summarizing what happened to the victim of the case.The file reads, "The victim was Dr. Yasuke Matsuda. The time of death was approximately 12:00 AM. The body was discovered in the dormitory, specifically in Sayaka's room. The victim had suffered from respiratory failure and paralysis. Multiple bruises were detected on his body, and the victim suffered a single stab wound to the stomach. No traces of poisons or toxins were detected in his body."
Truth Bullet Acquired: Monokuma File 1
"Now, this little file here contains everything you need to know about the death," Monokuma explained. "I call it the Monokuma File! You guys aren't experts in that sort of thing. After all, there's only so much you can glance from a corpse. So that's why I did all the dirty work!"Kyoko became puzzled upon reading the information on the Monokuma File. "Wait a second..." she began to ask. "How...did you know all of this information?""Huh? How did I know that?" Monokuma began to reply. "Why, the surveillance cameras, of course! They're installed in every dorm room. And the murder happened in one of the dorm rooms, right? Those cameras picked up the footage of the murder, and I got to witness all of it!""So that means...you saw who did it, correct?" Kyoko asked."Correct!" Monokuma replied. "I know exactly which one of you kids committed the murder! Now, I would reveal who murdered that doctor, but where's the fun in that? You guys will have to figure it out all on your own!"That's good to know, Kyoko thought. Then she took another glance at the Monokuma File and noticed that there's one detail missing from it."Hold on..." Kyoko began to ask. "Where's...the cause of death?"Monokuma became annoyed at the amount of questions Kyoko was asking him. "Hey, enough with the questions," he said. "Is this what you kids do these days? Ask questions over and over again no matter how many times they are answered? Anyways, I won't specify the exact cause of death, because there were so many things that could've caused that doctor to die! You all will just have to figure out which one of them was the fatal blow. Got it?"Kyoko nodded as she understood what Monokuma was saying."Alright, everyone!" Monokuma began to close off his speech. "Have a fun time investigating this murder! Gather as many clues as you possibly can! I will meet you guys at the Class Trial after some time has passed. Tootles!"Monokuma then disappeared off the stage. A heavy air surrounded everyone as they thought about what's going on. Someone has killed Yasuke, and it's up to them to uncover his killer. If they succeed, then the killer will be executed. But if they failed to identify his killer......Let's just say everyone wanted to avoid that outcome."Yasuke..." Junko said in a whimpering tone."Dammit..." Mondo said. "Why did that doctor have to die?""It was fate, I swear!" Yasuhiro claimed. "I saw his future! He was fated to die!""...Shut up," Natsumi said as she glared at Yasuhiro."Look, I don't think that doctor deserves to die," Hifumi said. "He may have said some...harsh things about my body. But I understood where he's coming from. Anyone who dedicates their lives to saving others doesn't deserve to die!"Kyoko sighed after hearing about the things the others have to say about Yasuke. "Look, everyone," she began. "I know that you all want to mourn over the deceased, but this isn't the time to do that.""I do agree with Kyoko right there," Celeste replied. "Continuing to think about the deceased won't do us any good. We should just forget about them and move on.""How could you say stuff like that?!" Hina shouted angrily. "This is the deceased we're talking about! They died because of this cruel game we're playing! They deserved to be remembered! They deserved to be mourned over!""You would only clog up your mind if you continue to carry the legacy of the deceased," Celeste said. "How many times do I have to tell you? If you don't adapt, you won't survive. Anyone who can't accept this situation...will die. Death awaits all of us soon. All we can do now is sit back and accept our fates."Hina stomped right up to Celeste. "Accept our fates?" she asked. "You're telling us that we should just...accept all of this?! How...HOW DARE YOU!" She then slapped Celeste right across the face, much to the shock of everyone."Whoa! What the hell, Hina?!" Leon gasped."Hina! Stop!" Sakura shouted.Celeste then recovered from the slap, covering her cheek where she was hit. "So you're not willing to accept your fate, then," she said. "Fine enough. Go ahead and try to defy your fate all you want. If you die, you've only got yourself to blame.""Do you want to be slapped again?!" Hina asked, her anger rising as Celeste continue to speak to her.Kyoko then stepped in to defuse the tension between Hina and Celeste. "Enough of this, you two," she said. "We shouldn't waste our limited time on pointless arguments. Right now, our biggest priority is gathering clues and exposing the killer. If we can't do that, then we'll all die."Hina felt like continuing to argue with Celeste, telling her that everyone should work together in order to survive. Nobody wants to become complacent to their fate. No one wants to sit back and wait for their death to come. Hina wanted to tell Celeste that everyone should be fighting for any chance to survive. But...she couldn't bring herself to continuing this argument, or else she'll waste even more time on pointless topics. She must keep her focus on finding the killer, and nothing else.That's the sentiment everyone has in that moment. Everyone's lives are on the line. If they fail to identify Yasuke's murderer, then none of them except the culprit will survive. That's why...most of them decided to put their focus on solving this murder case. With a resolve to survive the killing game, everyone begins the investigation.But before anyone could leave the gym, there are some things that needs to be resolved first."Before we begin the investigation," Kyoko said, "we need to decide who will be guarding the crime scene. After all, we don't want anyone to disturb the crime scene. Some evidence might become lost if that were to happen."Mondo then raised his hand. "I'll do it," he suggested.Byakuya raised an eyebrow as he glanced at Mondo. "Hmm? Why you, plankton?" he asked."I just...don't mind doing it," Mondo replied. "I don't like having to think. I'll just let the rest of you guys do it. Besides, I'm good at guarding things and keeping 'em safe."Byakuya grinned at Mondo. "Well, in that case, I'll have someone else join you on guard duty," he said.Mondo became puzzled upon hearing that. "What? Why?" he asked."Isn't it obvious?" Byakuya asked. "By volunteering for guard duty, you would've given yourself the perfect opportunity to mess with the crime scene, obscuring critical evidence needed to identify the culprit. Isn't that right, plankton?""W-What?!" Mondo gasped. "Are you seriously accusing me of murder?!""Of course," Byakuya replied. "That's why I wanted someone else to accompany you on guard duty, just so you don't get any funny ideas.""Dammit..." Mondo grumbled."In that case, I'll volunteer for guard duty as well," Sakura suggested. "But that means that I won't be able to help with the investigation. We're putting faith in the rest of you to solve this murder."Hina grew concerned for Sakura. "Are you sure you're going to be safe?" she asked."Don't worry about me, Hina," Sakura assured. "I'll be fine.""Are we all done talking?" Kyoko asked. "We should start our investigation soon. We don't have much time before the Class Trial begins. At this point, we should all split up and look for clues. Then, we can get to the bottom of this and figure out who killed Dr. Yasuke.""Do we really have to do that?" Hina asked. "Because I have a pretty good idea of who killed the doctor!"Kyoko raised an eyebrow, not believing in Hina. "Are you sure?" she asked."Yes, I'm sure!" Hina replied. "It's...that one right there!" She pointed her finger at Sayaka, who was curled up on the floor and sobbing.Kyoko grew a confused look as she and the others stared at Sayaka. "Hmm? Sayaka?" she asked. "Are you sure it's her?""Yes, I'm sure!" Hina replied. "I mean, look at her! She has the strongest reaction to hearing about what happens after someone has been murdered. That means that she realized that she has made a big mistake!"Sayaka whined as she was accused of murder."Hey, Hina!" Makoto shouted from the seats. "Don't accuse Sayaka of murder! She has done nothing wrong!"Hina quickly shifted her gaze over to Makoto. "Hey, don't you dare defend Sayaka, Makoto!" she shouted. "She has definitely done something wrong! I mean, have you seen the crime scene? There's a kitchen knife stabbed into Yasuke's stomach! And I know exactly who took a kitchen knife! It's Sayaka!"Sayaka whimpered in fear.Hina then remembered something. "Oh, and looking at you reminds me of something, Makoto," she continued. "I remembered seeing a sword at the crime scene. There's only one sword in existence in this school, and I know who took it! It's you, Makoto!""What?!" Kiyotaka gasped."Did you say a sword?!" Natsumi asked."What are you doing, Hina?" Makoto asked."That's what I was about to ask you, Makoto!" Hina replied. "Tell me, are you defending Sayaka because...you cooperated with her? You took that sword just so you could assist her?""P-Please...!" Sayaka begged. "STOP!""Hold it, Hina!" Kyoko shouted. "How did you know all of this? How did you know that Sayaka has a knife and Makoto has a sword?"Hina turned her head towards Kyoko, giving her a confused look. "Huh?" she said.Kiyotaka felt like he needed to do something to resolve this. "Alright, show of hands!" he said. "Raise your hand if you've spent the night in your own room!"Most of the students, including Kiyotaka, raised their hand in response. Junko hesitated for a moment before raising her hand. The only ones who didn't were Sayaka and Hina. Not that Sayaka would be able to raise her hand since she was left frozen in fear."Hmm...looks like Sayaka and Hina didn't spend last night in their own rooms..." Celeste remarked.From this, Kiyotaka knew who he should ask first. "Alright, time to figure this out!" he said. "Sayaka! Where were you last night? Whose room did you sleep in?"Sayaka let out a whimper, unable to give a response."Hold on!" Hina said. "Allow me to explain!""It's not your turn yet, Hina," Kiyotaka replied. "We must wait for Sayaka to say something.""No, no, no, wait!" Hina said. "I can explain where Sayaka was last night. Not only that, but I can explain how I knew that Sayaka had a knife and Makoto had a sword."Everyone began to stare at Hina, wondering what she has to say."...Go ahead," Kyoko replied."Alright," Hina began to explain. "So, before the nighttime announcement yesterday, Sakura and I were in the dining hall having a snack. That's when we saw Sayaka enter the dining hall. We watched her walk to the kitchen to spent a few moments there before leaving. Once we saw that the nighttime announcement was about to play, we decided to return our dishes to the kitchen for cleaning. But that's when I noticed that one of the kitchen knives had gone missing! And since the last person we saw enter the dining hall was Sayaka, we knew who took the kitchen knife."Most of the students gasped in shock upon hearing Hina's testimony."So it's true..." Leon said. "Sayaka was planning to murder someone...""That's what I thought," Hina said. "We decided to head towards Sayaka's room to confront her about the kitchen knife she stole, and put a stop to any murder plans she might have. We waited in front of her door, waiting for her to come out. But then...Makoto walked out of his room...with a sword."Everyone soon turn their eyes on Makoto."Hey, don't look at me like that!" Makoto shouted. "It was for self-defense purposes only, I swear!""That's what you would say," Hina replied. "However, I knew that you were the one who stole that sword. Because that sword...was the one that in the display shelf!"Most of the students gasped in shock again upon hearing that Makoto stole the sword on the display outside the gym."Wait, what?!" Natsumi gasped. "He's the one who took the sword?! I was wondering where that went!"Hina took a step towards Makoto and pointed her finger at him. "You can claim self-defense all you want, Makoto!" she said. "But don't try to hide it. You were planning to murder someone all along. You took that sword without any of us noticing, until I caught you holding one in your hands!"Makoto opened his mouth to try to form a counterargument. But he couldn't find the right words to say it.Kyoko stepped towards Hina, pressing her for more information. "Hold on," she said. "We're not done yet, Hina. Tell us: what happens next?""Oh, what happens next?" Hina began to reply. "Well, after I caught Makoto and Sayaka with the weapons, I had Sakura confiscate them to take them away to a safe place. Once she left, I blocked the door so that they couldn't escape. As a result, they had to spend the night together along with me."Most of the students gasped in shock once again, though this time, it's for learning that Sayaka had slept with Makoto."Wait, so are you saying...that Sayaka slept with Makoto?" Kiyotaka asked."Don't tell me that they shared a bed..." Leon said.Hina nodded her head. "Yes," she confirmed. "They slept on the same bed."There was an outcry among the students upon hearing this information."GAAHHH!" Leon screamed. "Makoto!""This is an outrage!" Kiyotaka shouted. "A boy and a girl sharing the same bed... I can't accept that in a school environment!""Hey, it's not like we had a choice!" Makoto tried to explain. "Hina was blocking the way out! Sayaka was unable to go back to her room!"It was at this moment that Kyoko made a realization. "Wait a second," she said. "Does that mean...?"Hina replied immediately. "Yep," she said. "I slept in Makoto's room...in front of the door."That's interesting to know, but Kyoko felt like she needed more information. "Did either of them leave the room at any point during the night?" she asked.Hina shrugged and shook her head. "Not that I know of," she replied. "I was asleep the entire night, and when I woke up, they're still there on the bed.""Don't tell me that did anything...funny with each other," Natsumi said.Kyoko felt like she heard enough of this. "Alright, enough talking," she said. "I've gotten plenty of clues already from this, but it's still not enough for us to pin down the identity of the culprit. We need to investigate this place thoroughly. So for now, let's stop talking about this topic."
Truth Bullets Acquired: Hina's Account, Kitchen Knife, Replica Sword
"Anyways," Kyoko continued, "we should be starting our investigation right about now. We've wasted enough time already, so we need to act fast before the Class Trial begins. I suggest that we all split up into groups and explore each part of the school. We need to collect enough clues to pin down the identity of the culprit. If we get this wrong...well, do I even need to say it?""I would rather not hear that grim reminder again..." Hifumi replied.Kyoko let out a huff of air. "Well, we've been talking for long enough," she said. "Now, if you would excuse me, I'd better go back to the crime scene." She then walked out of the gym.Mondo then remembered what he volunteered for. "Oh, that's right!" he said. "Hey! Wait for me!" He began to run after Kyoko."Don't forget about me," Sakura said as she went after Mondo. "I'm on guard duty, too."One by one, each other students began to head out of the gym to gather clues by themselves. Makoto walked up to Sayaka to help her get back up to her feet. He offered his hand to Sayaka. It took Sayaka a moment to look up to see Makoto's hand. She grabbed the hand, and soon Makoto pulled her up to her feet."Alright, Sayaka," Makoto began to say. "I know that...you're really stressed out right now. You learned what really happens after someone commits a murder, and you were accused of murder. I have no idea who killed Yasuke, but I know that it's definitely not you, and it's definitely not me. If we want to solve this murder and survive, then we'd better be working together. You're my assistant, right? You told me that earlier. So...are you ready to start investigating?"Sayaka took a moment to think about it. She felt...nervous about investigating the murder of Yasuke Matsuda. For one, most of the students believed that it was her who committed the murder, with Makoto assisting her. She knows that she didn't do it. She wanted to clear her name, to convince everyone that she didn't do it. But she doubted that the others would believe her.Still, she trusts Makoto that he would get her out of this killing game alive. Right now, everyone is at risk of dying. If they get it wrong, which they will if they voted for her, then everyone but the true blackened will be brutally executed. She doesn't want to die, at least, not in a horrifying way. She believed that, if she helped Makoto find the truth of the case, then she and everyone else will survive.So with that in mind, Sayaka nodded her head. "Yes..." she said weakly."Good," Makoto replied. "Now, let's go."Makoto and Sayaka began to head out of the gym to begin the investigation. Before they could leave, however, they came face to face with Hina, who gave them a suspicious stare."Whoa!" Makoto yelped upon seeing Hina. "Hina? What are you doing here?""Listen, you two," Hina began to say. "You may think that you're not the ones who murdered the doctor, but that doesn't mean I'll let you off the hook. I'm still suspecting that you two are behind this murder.""Hina, let's not jump to conclusions," Makoto said. "You can't just accuse anyone of committing a murder without any evidence. Remember, if we voted for the wrong person as the blackened, then we'll all-""Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it," Hina said, interrupting Makoto. "We get it wrong, we all die. No need to tell me that again. So, to make sure that neither of you two do anything funny, I'm going to stick around and monitor you two.""W-What?" Sayaka gasped, shivering in fear."Hina..." Makoto tried to say."Don't say anything else to me," Hina said. "I'm not letting you two go until I'm absolutely sure that the culprit wasn't you two. Got it?"Makoto and Sayaka said nothing."...I'll take that as a yes," Hina said. "Now, let's go get some clues. And don't you two ever get away from me."Hina then walked out of the gym, with Makoto and Sayaka following her. They maintained a close distance to Hina, as to not make her go angry.
Day 5 - 8:50 AMAthletics Hallway, First Floor
The trio of students left the gym to look for places to investigate. Hina's first thought was going to the kitchen to prove that one of the kitchen knives was stolen last night. On the way there, however, the trio encountered Natsumi, who was standing in front of the trophy display staring at the spot the replica sword once occupied.Natsumi spotted Makoto as he was walking across the hallway. "Oh, hello there, sword thief," she greeted.Makoto stopped in his tracks as he looked at Natsumi. "Huh? Natsumi?" he asked.Sayaka and Hina stepped out of the hallway for a brief moment before stepping back into the Athletics Hallway."Hey, Makoto?" Hina said. "Aren't you coming?""I will, Hina," Makoto replied. "It's just...it looks like Natsumi has something to say to me."Hina and Natsumi exchanged looks for a moment. Natsumi then turned her attention to Makoto."Okay, sword thief," Natsumi began. "What were you thinking? Sneaking out when no one's looking and stealing a trophy sword?""Trophy sword?" Makoto asked, looking puzzled."That sword you stole..." Natsumi began to explain. "It was won by my bodyguard during a speed slicing competition. It was a decisive victory. She won the competition by a landslide. That trophy was her reward for winning that competition. According the ones who made that trophy sword, the sword is functional and can be used as a weapon. The blade may be dull, but it'll still hurt if you swing it hard enough.""I see..." Makoto replied. "No wonder Hina saw that replica sword as a weapon...""Well, duh!" Hina said. "Of course I saw that sword as a weapon! I mean, a sword is a sword, right, and swords are a type of weapon. I don't wanna see anyone carry around a weapon, no matter what intentions they might have.""I was planning on using it for self-defense!" Makoto shouted. "I was never intending to kill anyone!""Oh yeah?" Hina asked. "Well then why did you sneak off when everyone else isn't watching and stole that sword?"Makoto felt like he doesn't want to explain his actions to Hina anymore. He turned his attention back on Natsumi to talk about another thing about the replica sword."Okay, so about that replica sword," Makoto began to say. "It...has a nasty tendency to make a mess. I barely grazed by hand against the sheath and I got gold dust all over my hands...""Oh, that's another thing about that trophy sword," Natsumi began to explain. "You see, the sheath isn't actually made up of pure gold. There's just a thin layer of gold placed on top of it as decoration. Thing is...the gold layer tends to flake off if something even brushes up against it, so it's recommended that you don't touch it. The same goes for the trophy sword itself. It's not made out of gold; it's just a wooden sword with a gold layer coating it."
Truth Bullet Updated: Replica Sword
"The sword is made out of wood?" Hina gasped. "Oh...I see. I guess it's a mistake to take that away since it'll probably break if it strikes a-""Nope!" Natsumi said, shaking her head. "The type of wood used to make the trophy sword is sturdy type of wood. It was survive plenty of swings before breaking."Hina paused for a moment to let it sink in. "Oh..." she said. "Well, never mind, then. I guess I was right in taking that sword away from you, Makoto."Makoto just glared at Hina, feeling a little mad at her for taking away his defensive options. Sayaka also gave an angry look at Hina, feeling mad over her knife being taken away."Anyways, it was nice taking to you, Natsumi," Hina said, "but we've really got to go. I've got to check on the others to see how they're going. See you at the Class Trial."Hina then grabbed both Makoto and Sayaka and dragged them out of the Athletics Hallway."AHHH!" Sayaka screamed. "Let me go!""Hey!" Makoto shouted. "What are you doing, Hina?! Let us go!"Natsumi watched as Hina dragged Makoto and Sayaka away. She let out a sigh as she began to walk around the hallway wondering what to do next.
Day 5 - 9:00 AMInfirmary, First Floor
On the way to the dormitory, the trio of students passed by the infirmary where they encountered Leon who is blocking the way."Yo!" Leon greeted. Then he saw that Hina was dragging Makoto and Sayaka along. "Uh...Hina? Why are you dragging Makoto and Sayaka?""Let me go!" Sayaka screamed as she struggled to free herself. "Please!""What's going on out there?" Byakuya said from inside the infirmary."Nothing!" Leon replied."I can see what's going on from here," Byakuya said, catching Leon lying. "Now cut it out and focus."Leon sighed as he returned his focus on Hina. "So...Hina," he continued. "What are you doing with these two?""Oh, I'm just...making sure that these two don't escape me," Hina explained. "I'm suspecting that they're the ones behind this murder since their weapons are present even though I had Sakura take them away. How did these two manage to get past me and get their weapons back is beyond me. So that's why I'm keeping under my watch.""Oh, so you're still thinking that Sayaka did it, right?" Leon replied. "Well, here's my opinion: I don't think Sayaka did it.""Oh yeah?" Hina said, feeling doubtful of Leon's opinion. "Why?""Look, Sayaka is just pure and innocent to be doing stuff like that," Leon explained. "And besides, you were blocking the way out of Makoto's room. I can't imagine a way that she would escape without taking you up. And on a related note, I don't think Makoto did it either, because he also can't leave.""Didn't Makoto tried to punch you yesterday?" Hina asked.Leon opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't find anything to say."Would you two cut out the chatter?" Byakuya asked. "We're in the middle of an investigation.""Oh, right," Leon said. "Anyways, as I was about to say, could you come to the infirmary for a moment? You've gotta see this!"Hina was puzzled over what Leon wanted her to see, so she entered the infirmary, dragging Makoto and Sayaka with her. Upon entering the infirmary, Hina was left in shock. The entire infirmary was left in a mess. Bottles of medicines are scattered everywhere. Luckily, their caps are still on, so the contents of these bottles aren't left to spill on the floor. Still, it might be a good idea to watch her step. She could slip on them and fall if she isn't careful.Byakuya saw that Hina was dragging along both Makoto and Sayaka. Sayaka was thrashing around, trying to free herself from Hina's grasp.Byakuya gave Hina a glare. "What are you doing with these two?" he asked."Oh..." Hina began to explain. "I'm suspecting them to be the culprits, so I'm keeping them in my hands to make sure-""Drop them," Byakuya ordered.Hina was shocked about the order. "What?" she gasped. "But if I do that, they will-""Now's not the time to be drawing conclusions," Byakuya said. "I'm not willing to risk my life on baseless accusations. Now drop them.""But-" Hina tried to say."I said now," Byakuya said, making his words clear.Hina left out a defeated sigh as she dropped Makoto and Sayaka onto the floor."Ow!" Makoto yelled as he landed on the floor on his back. "Ugh... Hina, do you really have to that?""What? I can't have you two do go off and do whatever you want," Hina replied.Makoto sighed as he lifted himself back on his feet.Leon walked over to Sayaka to help her get back up. He offered his hand out to her."Hey, Sayaka?" Leon began to ask. "I know that I learned that you were planning a murder, but-"Sayaka didn't let Leon finish. She slapped his hand away as she lifted herself up."Ow!" Leon yelped. "Hey, what the hell, Sayaka? What did you do that for? I thought that we're friends!"Sayaka gave Leon a menacing glare. "How could you...?" she muttered.Leon got confused at the look Sayaka is giving him. "Hey, what's with the look?" he asked. "What did I do? Also, you should comb your hair, Sayaka. You don't look cute and beautiful anymore when your hair's like that."Sayaka growled at Leon for making that comment.Makoto lifted himself up and looked around the infirmary. He was surprised to see the mess in the room. "Uh...what happened here?" he asked."We have no idea," Byakuya replied. "We found this room in this state while we're searching for Dr. Matsuda. The last time I saw this place, it was perfectly clean with nothing scattered all over the floor. Looking at this place now, it's clear to me that someone's been here last night.""Who could've done this...?" Makoto asked."Again, no idea," Byakuya replied. "And before you ask, no, I see no reason why these bottles would still have their caps on and not have their contents spilled everywhere.""Maybe whoever was last in this room was in a rush to find some medicine," Hina suggested."Perhaps..." Byakuya replied. "Still, I don't see how this mess relates to the murder case. We should clean this mess up before someone slips on the bottles."Makoto began to feel like the mess in the infirmary does have a connection to the murder of Yasuke. It's probably a piece of evidence that could be used to help find out who killed him and what they were doing. He wanted to speak up and tell everyone to leave this room how it is so that the other students can verify what they said about the infirmary was true. Then again, most of the students probably have gotten a look at the infirmary at this point, so it might not matter. Besides, he was afraid that if he spoke up, he might land himself into deeper trouble with the others. So he decided to go ahead and help the others clean up the infirmary.
Truth Bullet Acquired: Messy Infirmary
The students went around the infirmary to pick up all the bottles of medicines on the floor, with the exception of Sayaka. She just sat down at one of the beds looking away from the rest of the group.Leon noticed that Sayaka isn't doing anything to help. "Yo, Sayaka?" he began to ask. "Aren't you gonna help us clean this place up?"Sayaka let out a sigh as she spoke to Leon without looking at him. "Go away," she said in a bitter tone. "I don't want to talk to you anymore.""Hey, don't give me the cold shoulder," Leon said. "We're friends, right?"Sayaka turned her head even further away from Leon."What's going on over there?" Makoto asked as he walked up to Leon.Leon turned towards Makoto. "Hey Makoto, you've gotta help me," he said. "Sayaka is acting...sort of weird, don't ya think? She's becoming so cold to me all of a sudden. What happened to her? Where's her cheerful self? I wanna see her smile again!""Clearly, you've underestimated the power stress has over a person," Byakuya said as he stepped into the conversation.Leon quickly turned his head towards Byakuya. "What?" he said in reaction. "What are you talking about?"Byakuya didn't explain what he meant by that. He doesn't have time to explain anyways, as Hina interrupted him."Um, where do these bottles go?" Hina asked."Just place them back in the cabinets," Byakuya ordered. "I don't care where they go.""I can't open this cabinet up," Hina said."What?" Byakuya asked.The boys then walked up to Hina, who's struggling to open up one of the cabinet. The cabinet Hina was trying to open appears to have a lock on it."It's locked," Byakuya concluded. "You need a key to open it.""Thanks for pointing that out, Mr. Obvious," Leon said sarcastically.Byakuya scoffed at Leon before returning his gaze to Hina. "Ignore that," he said. "Just put the medicine bottles back into the cabinets.""Okay..." Hina replied as she put the medicine bottles back into the cabinets.As Hina put the medicine bottles into the cabinets, Makoto began to wonder what's inside the locked cabinet. It must be locked for a reason, right? Whatever is in there must be too dangerous for anyone to have free access to. Who could've had the key? Perhaps the late Yasuke must have a key on him somewhere.
Truth Bullet Acquired: Locked Cabinet
It looks like there aren't clues left to found inside the infirmary, aside from the potential clues that could be found in the locked cabinet. With the infirmary done for now, Hina decided to move on to the crime scene to look for more clues. She took Makoto and Sayaka along with her. But before the group could leave, Leon walked up to one of them to ask a question."Hey, Sayaka?" Leon began to ask. "If you don't mind, do you think you could-""Leave me alone..." Sayaka replied."Hey, quit being so cold to me, alright?" Leon said. "I know that you were planning a murder, but I believe that you're not the culprit. There's no way you could've pulled off a murder after what happened last night, right?"Sayaka said nothing.Makoto let out a sigh. "Leon..." he began to say. "Cut it out. The only reason you're asking to join this group is to spend more time with Sayaka, when she's clearly not interested in you.""What? No, I'm not!" Leon replied in denial. "I'm totally not doing that! Honest!""Yes, you are," Byakuya replied. "Now do as she says and stop bothering her.""Oh, shut up," Leon replied. "I'm sure Sayaka is interested in me. She must be playing hard to get to make me work harder to get her attention. Am I right, Sayaka?" He turned around towards where Sayaka was standing, only to find her gone. Not only that, but Makoto and Hina have left as well. Leon was shocked to see them missing. "Huh? Where did you go?"Byakuya let out an exasperated sigh. "I swear, you are the most insensitive person I've ever seen," he remarked.
Truth Bullets
Monokuma File 1: The victim was Dr. Yasuke Matsuda. The time of death was approximately 12:00 AM. The body was discovered in the dormitory, specifically in Sayaka's room. The victim had suffered from respiratory failure and paralysis. Multiple bruises were detected on his body, and the victim suffered a single stab wound to the stomach. No traces of poisons or toxins were detected in his body.
Hina's Account: Before the nighttime announcement played last night, Hina and Sakura were in the dining hall having a snack when Sayaka passed by them and entered the kitchen. She was soon seen leaving the kitchen shortly afterward. During the clean-up of their plates, Hina noticed that one of the kitchen knives has gone missing and concluded that Sayaka must've stolen it. She and Sakura soon confronted Sayaka about the knife, confiscating it along with Makoto's sword. Hina then spent the night in Makoto's room guarding the door.
Kitchen Knife: One of the weapons that was involved in the murder of Yasuke. It was stolen by Sayaka from the kitchen, but it was confiscated by Sakura upon being caught with it. It was later found at the crime scene stabbed into Yasuke's stomach.
Replica Sword: One of the weapons that was involved in the murder of Yasuke. It was a trophy sword won by Natsumi's bodyguard, the Ultimate Swordswoman. The sword is coated with a thin layer of gold that flaked off upon being touched by something. Even the slightest touch would transfer some gold over to the other surface. Makoto took this sword from the trophy display case, but it was confiscated by Sakura upon being caught with it. It was later found at the crime scene near Yasuke's body.
Messy Infirmary: The infirmary was left in a mess. Bottles of medicines were scattered all over the floor. Their caps were still on. It looks like someone was in a rush to find a medicine, but couldn't be bothered to place the bottles back where they found them.
Locked Cabinet: The infirmary contains several cabinets filled with various types of medicines. One of the cabinets appears to be locked, and it requires a small key to unlock it.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Day 5 - 9:25 AMDormitory, First Floor
Hina's next stop was the crime scene. She felt like she hasn't gotten a good enough look at the crime scene, so she wanted to go back there to see what else is there to find. Just like before, she is joined up by Makoto and Sayaka, though this time Hina was not dragging them around.On the way there, however, Kiyotaka walked up to them to ask them about something."Hey, Hina?" Kiyotaka said.Hina stopped in her tracks along with Makoto and Sayaka. "Oh, hey Taka," she greeted back. "So...did you find any clues?""No," Kiyotaka replied as he shook his head. "I looked inside the kitchen and couldn't find any clues. But that reminds me: Hina, did you really see Sayaka steal a knife from the kitchen?"Sayaka shivered and whimpered as everyone drew their attention to her."Uh, yeah," Hina replied. "I have an alibi, remember? You can confirm my alibi with Sakura. She's with me last night before she took the knife and the sword from Sayaka and Makoto respectively.""Oh yeah?" Kiyotaka asked, looking at Hina with a suspecting gaze. "Then explain this! Here, come with me into the kitchen." He then walked into the dining hall.Sayaka felt nervous about entering the kitchen and seeing the evidence that she did stole a knife. She wanted to stick to the original plan and go back to the crime scene, as uncomfortable as it sounds. She tried to run away from Hina, only for the athletic girl to grab her by the collar and drag her into the dining hall. Makoto followed them into the dining hall, wondering what Kiyotaka wanted him to see.
Day 5 - 9:26 AMKitchen, First Floor
The students arrived at the kitchen, where Sayaka had stolen a knife from according to Hina. Celeste and Hifumi were there as well. Kiyotaka pointed a finger towards the knife rack on the wall. All the knives are still there."What?" Hina said in shock upon seeing that the rack is full."See?" Kiyotaka said. "I had a feeling that you were lying about Sayaka stealing a knife from the kitchen, Hina. When I was preparing breakfast for everyone, I didn't notice a single knife missing!"Hina was left scratching her head. "I...I don't understand..." she said. "I could've sworn that Sayaka took a knife from that rack. I saw a missing knife with my own eyes!""Perhaps your memory is missing with you," Celeste suggested. "The stress of this killing game must've warped how you remember things."Hina shook her head in denial. "No..." she said. "No, I swear. I'm not lying. My memory isn't messing with me. Sayaka really did stole a knife last night. I saw her walk into the kitchen for a brief moment before walking right out. When I went back into the kitchen, I saw that a knife had gone missing!""Which one?" Kiyotaka asked."Uh...that one?" Hina replied, pointing to the largest knife in the set. "The big one right there. I could've sworn that Sayaka had stolen that last night.""Are you sure?" Kiyotaka asked again."Uh...Miss Sayaka Maizono?" Hifumi began to ask. "Is it true that you stole the large kitchen knife last night?"Sayaka groaned as she hugged herself. It felt so hurtful to confess that she had stolen a knife, even though everyone already knew that she had planned to commit a murder until her plan was foiled."Sayaka..." Makoto said, his voice sounding so drained. "Just...admit it already. We already know what you did at this point."Sayaka groaned again as she considered whether or not to confirm that she had stolen a knife. It took her a while, but with the growing pain in her heart, Sayaka confessed what she did."Y-Yes..." Sayaka replied. "I...did stole a knife...from the kitchen. I...took the largest one...I could find... I'm...so sorry...for all of this..."Celeste rolled her eyes at Sayaka's apology. "Ugh, it took you long enough," she said.Hina then jabbed her elbow at Makoto."Ow!" Makoto yelped in pain. "Hey! Hina!""And you'd better apologize for stealing that sword too, Makoto!" Hina shouted."Okay, okay!" Makoto replied. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean for all of you to panic. I just wanted a weapon to defend myself with! That's all!""But stealing a sword while nobody's watching?!" Hina replied. "That sounds like highly suspicious behavior if you ask me!""Hina, enough of this," Kiyotaka ordered. "Save the accusations for later. We've got a murder to investigate."Hina let out a soft growl at Makoto and Sayaka."So, we know that Miss Sayaka Maizono was planning a murder, right?" Hifumi asked. "So then...who was she originally planning to murder?""That's not important right now, Hifumi," Makoto replied as he walked up to the knife rack. "The more important thing here is that we need to confirm that Sayaka had stolen the largest knife. Forgive me, Hina, but I need this to compare with the knife at the crime scene." He then took the largest knife from the rack."Hey!" Hina shouted. "Put that back right now, Makoto!""I'm sorry, Hina," Makoto apologized. "But we can't afford to risk our lives with incomplete information. We need to know who killed Dr. Yasuke and what happened. If we get it wrong, well...you've heard Monokuma.""But-" Hina tried to say."Sayaka, you taught me a valuable lesson," Makoto said. "If we wanted to achieve something, we must be willing to extreme measures. Even if we don't agree with the actions we have to take, even if they go against our moral code, as long as the end result is positive, we will take those extreme measures. I have no idea who was in your motive video, but based on what you've done last night, you must be willing to do anything to save them and find out their fate."Sayaka whimpered as she looked back to who she saw in her motive video. Just thinking about them brought her pain and tears.Makoto clutched the knife in his hand. "And with that in mind, I must take this knife," he said.Celeste was impressed by Makoto's brief speech, but she wondered about something. "Is that really necessary, Makoto?" she asked. "Do you really have to take that knife?""Yes, Celeste," Makoto replied. "I had to."
Truth Bullet Acquired: Kitchen Knife Set
Kiyotaka then got an idea. "You know, maybe I should've done this earlier," he said. "I'll just make a list of the kitchen's equipment. Now that we know that a knife was stolen from this kitchen, I'd better make sure that it won't happen ever again. Give me a few moments. I need to count everything in the kitchen."Kiyotaka pulled out a pocket notebook and began to perform a survey of the kitchen's equipment. While he's doing that, Hina decided that it's time to go back to the crime scene to look for more clues. She led Makoto and Sayaka out of the kitchen and dining hall, returning to the crime scene.
Day 5 - 9:35 AMSayaka's Room, First Floor
Of course, the trio of students needed to get past Mondo and Sakura first before they could enter the crime scene. Needless to say, Makoto has some explaining to do regarding the knife he brought with him."What the hell?!" Mondo shouted. "Did you just took another knife?!"Makoto looked at the knife he brought for a brief moment. "Yes, I did," he bluntly replied.Sakura gave Makoto a stern look. "You do realize that this is a dangerous thing to do, right?" she asked. "We're in the middle of an investigation, and you thought that it would be a great idea to bring along another weapon?""I'm not using this to attack anyone, alright?" Makoto explained. "I'm just using this to compare with the knife in the crime scene. I heard from Sayaka that she took the biggest knife she could find, so I need to confirm that what she said is right.""Dude, the knife in the crime scene looked big as hell," Mondo said. "You don't have to bring another knife to compare it with.""Well, you never know unless you try," Makoto replied.Sakura thought about letting Makoto enter the crime scene with the knife for a brief moment. She then came to a decision. "Alright, I'll let you into the crime scene, Makoto," she said.Mondo quickly gave a shocked look to Sakura. "What?!" he shouted. "Are you crazy?! You're telling me that you're okay with letting someone walk around with a knife again?!""It might be crazy," Sakura began to reply, "but it looks like Makoto has no intention of using the knife to harm anyone. At least, for now. We should trust him and let him into the crime scene.""You serious?" Mondo asked, questioning Sakura's logic."I'm serious," Sakura replied. "Let him in."Mondo is left at a loss for words.Hina then bowed at Sakura. "Thanks for letting us in, Sakura," she said. "That was...easier than I expected. Alright, come on in, you two. Let's see what we can find in the crime scene. And don't you dare stab anyone with that knife! Got it, Makoto?"Sayaka shrieked upon hearing that reminder again."Okay, okay!" Makoto replied in a panic. "I get it! You don't have to remind me again, Hina..."The trio of students then entered the crime scene.Sayaka shook nervously as she approached Yasuke's corpse. The murder of the doctor...it happened right inside her room. She berated herself for not locking the door to her room last night. She had been planning to swap rooms with Makoto for her murder plan, but that had been foiled, and she wasn't allowed to exit Makoto's room to lock her door. If she was allowed to lock her door, then the murder wouldn't have taken place in her room. Of course, who would bring a fight to someone else's room? Who would think that someone had left their room unlocked last night and decided to use the unlocked room as the site of the murder? Just thinking about how this murder happened made Sayaka feel sick.Kyoko was in the crime scene inspecting the corpse. She dragged her hands across Yasuke's lifeless body, trying to get every last detail out of it. Looking at Kyoko inspecting the corpse made Sayaka feel even more sick. That girl is touching corpses without any issues! At least Kyoko is wearing her gloves...As Sayaka became lost in her thoughts, Makoto and Hina talked to Kyoko about what she found."Hey, Kyoko," Makoto greeted. "Did you find anything on...Dr. Yasuke?" He hesitated upon seeing what Kyoko was doing to the late Yasuke."I did," Kyoko said as she stood up. "I found a lot of things that I didn't catch when I first saw the body." Her eyes then drifted over to the knife on Makoto's hand. She squinted her eyes, giving Makoto a suspicious look. "What's with the knife?""Oh, this?" Makoto began to explain. "Um...I heard from Sayaka that she took the biggest knife she found, so I took this knife to see if she's-"Kyoko felt like Makoto didn't have to explain why he brought another knife with him. She swiped the knife from Makoto's hand and compared it to the knife that is stabbed into Yasuke's corpse."Hey!" Makoto complained. "What are you doing?"Kyoko ignored Makoto as she looked at the two knives. "Hmm..." she said as she formed her conclusion. "These two knives look exactly the same. Their sizes are identical, their designs are identical, and the branding on these knives are identical. The company that makes these knives is a renowned manufacturer of kitchen supplies. That just confirms it further. The knife that was stabbed into Yasuke did came from the kitchen.""Well, duh," Hina said. "We know that already. There's no need to tell us that again.""At least we know for sure that Sayaka took the knife," Makoto replied.Kyoko then set the knife down. She grabbed Yasuke's head and turned it around. "There's something else that I want to show you," she said. She placed a finger on Yasuke's neck. "Did you see it?"Hina scratched her head, wondering what Kyoko wants her to see. "Um...what are you trying to show me?" she asked."Take a closer look," Kyoko replied. "Can you see it now?"Makoto knelt down next to the late Yasuke to take a closer look at his neck. He freaked out upon seeing what's on Yasuke's neck. "Whoa!" he yelped. "What the heck?!"Turns out, there is a small hole in Yasuke's neck. Just the sight of it can make some people nauseous.
Truth Bullet Acquired: Small Hole in Yasuke's Neck
Hina leaned over to look at the hole. "Oh my gosh..." she said in horror. "What could've created that hole?""It must be a small, sharp object," Kyoko replied. "There's nothing else that could've created a hole that small.""That looks...painful," Makoto remarked. "I wondered if that's the cause of Yasuke's death..."Hina gave Makoto a puzzled look. "Huh? What do you mean?" she asked.Makoto pulled out his E-Handbook to open the Monokuma File. "The Monokuma File doesn't specify the cause of death," he said. "It only mentions that Yasuke suffered from paralysis and respiratory failure...whatever that means.""It means that your lungs fail to bring in oxygen to your body," Kyoko explained, "thus leading to asphyxiation.""Ah, so that must be the cause of death," Hina concluded. "The knife was just there to confuse us.""But that still leaves us with a question," Makoto replied. "What caused Yasuke's lungs to fail?""There's no sign that Yasuke was strangled to death," Kyoko said. "So that leaves us with a substance." She then got an idea. "Hmm...I'm getting an idea on how this murder played out...""Huh? You got it?" Hina asked.Kyoko dismissed her thoughts and stood up. "We'll save that for later," she said. "For now, let's focus on the other clues.""Other clues?" Makoto asked. "You mean...the scratches all over the walls?"Everyone stopped to look around Sayaka's room. They were reminded of how much of a mess they found this place in just a few hours ago."Oh yeah, that's right!" Hina said. "It looks like a fight broke out in this room, doesn't it? Maybe that's what happened?""It would be a reasonable assumption..." Kyoko replied, "...if it didn't contradict with what I've found on Yasuke's body."Makoto and Hina gave Kyoko a confused look."What?" Hina asked."You see, if a fight did broke out in this room, then Yasuke would've received some wounds all over his body," Kyoko began to explain. "However, when I checked his body, I only found bruises and wounds on his front side. There weren't any bruises on his sides or back.""Well, maybe you didn't look hard enough," Hina suggested. "After all, it's hard to look at the undersides of things.""No, I did check his back," Kyoko replied. "Trust me. There weren't any wounds there. Now, unless his killer was really precise, there's little chance that all of his wounds would be received at the front. This is a strange oddity. We'd better keep this in mind."It's also good to keep in mind the state of this room, Makoto thought. Who knows when it will be useful.
Truth Bullets Acquired: Signs of a Fight, Wounds on Yasuke's Body
Hina noticed that Sayaka has been rather silent for most of the investigation. "Huh? What's up with Sayaka?" she asked. "She hasn't said a lot during this investigation."The students turned their heads towards Sayaka. They found her kneeling near the trash bin. She looked nauseous and was about to throw up, but was trying her best to keep it all in."Sayaka?" Makoto asked. "What are you doing?"Sayaka reached into the trash bin and pulled out a DVD case. It contains the disk with her motive video, which reminded everyone about the motive."Is that...your video?" Makoto asked.Sayaka silently nodded her head."Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that," Hina said. "You...freaked out a lot when you saw your motive video. I mean, you screamed and bolted out of the A/V Room when Makoto touched you. Based on what you did after that, I can tell that you really wanted to save whoever you saw on your motive video. You're willing to commit a murder in order to save your loved ones. The same applies to you, Makoto."Makoto glared at Hina with a disapproving look. "...Would you stop saying that I was planning a murder?" he asked in an annoyed tone."Hey, you did steal that sword without anyone knowing about it until I stopped Sayaka's plan," Hina replied."I just don't want to get into any trouble with anyone..." Makoto explained his actions. "Anyways, Sayaka, would you tell us who you saw in your motive video?"Sayaka hung her head down. "I can't..." she said weakly."We can talk about the motive videos later when they're relevant," Kyoko said. "It's clear that they played a huge role in influencing our actions. Once we learned about each other's motive videos, we will gain a better idea about why someone has taken a certain action."
Truth Bullet Acquired: Motive Videos
Kyoko them remembered something about what Sayaka had said earlier. "By the way," she continued. "You said something about you forgetting to lock your dorm room last night, correct?""Huh...?" Sayaka replied. Then she remembered what she did with her dorm room lock. "Oh...yeah... I did leave my room unlocked..."Hina scratched her head in confusion. "How did you manage to leave your door unlocked, Sayaka?" she asked.Sayaka gave Hina a bitter look. "...You never let me," she replied."I didn't let you lock your door?" Hina replied. "But...couldn't the dorm room just lock themselves instead? That way, you don't have to lock your door every time you leave. Is that right?"Makoto remembered a sheet of paper he saw taped to one of the walls when he first got to his dorm room. "We were reminded to lock our doors when we leave, right?" he asked."Uh, yeah," Hina replied. "But even so, the doors should be able to lock themselves, right?""How about we take a look?" Kyoko suggested.
Day 5 - 9:45 AMDormitory, First Floor
The students gathered around the door to Makoto's room for a experiment on the door locks. They need to determine if the doors are able to lock themselves automatically. The results of this experiment are critical in understanding how the murder played out."Alright, Makoto," Kyoko began. "We'll be using your dorm room door to see if they lock themselves automatically. Make sure that you turn the doorknob every time you close the door. Do you understand what you have to do?"Makoto nodded his head. "Of course," he replied.Hina then wondered about something. "Hold on," she began to say. "Shouldn't we test this on everyone's doors? I wonder if everyone's door act a little differently.""There's no need to do that," Kyoko replied. "Every dorm room door is the same, so we don't have to test every single one of them. Any conclusions we can make from Makoto's door can be applied to everyone's doors.""Okay, I think I get it now," Mondo said. "But...why are we using Makoto's room?""You'll see..." Kyoko replied. "Alright, try opening your door, Makoto."Makoto turned the door handle to his room. It doesn't budge."Okay," Kyoko said. "Now use your room key."Makoto pulled out his room key and inserted it into the lock. He twisted the key to unlock the door and opened it slightly."Good," Kyoko said as she nodded her head. "Now, close the door. But don't remove the key just yet."Makoto closed the door without twisting the key. He turned the door handle again, and to no one's surprise, the door handle turned just fine."How unsurprising," Kyoko remarked. "Now, try using your E-Handbook."Makoto put his keys back into his pocket and swapped them for his E-Handbook. He inserted his E-Handbook into the reader to unlock the door. He turned the door handle and opened the door again."Oh, so the door opens fine again," Hina said. "What's next?""Watch what happens when Makoto closes the door this time," Kyoko said.Makoto closed the door to his room and tried turning the door handle. To everyone's surprise, the door handle continued to turn."What?" Mondo said."It still turns unimpeded!" Sakura said."So, that means that the doors don't lock themselves at all!" Hina said."Interesting result," Kyoko remarked. "But that still leaves us with one more question: what happens when we insert the E-Handbook into the reader this time?"Makoto inserted his E-Handbook into the reader once again and tried to turn the door handle. This time, it wouldn't budge.Kyoko made her conclusion. "That does it," she said. "The doors don't lock themselves automatically. In order to lock the doors, we have to either use our room keys like most people, or we'll use our E-Handbooks on the card readers. Either method works.""Ah, I see," Hina said. "But then...what's the point of the E-Handbook readers, then? Can't we just use our room keys all the time?""Both locking mechanisms are there as redundant systems in case someone loses their belongings," Kyoko concluded. "With these two systems, there is a high chance that someone will retain access to their dorm room even if they lost their belongings. Personally, I find these card reader systems to be impractical at best. They are interesting in theory, but when implemented, they just lead to a lot of complications. The traditional method is there in case the power goes out.""Will that ever happen, though?" Hina asked in a worried tone."I sure hope not..." Makoto replied.
Truth Bullet Acquired: Dormitory Door Locks
"Okay, so we know that Sayaka's room was left unlocked the entire night," Hina said. "I...really should've let Sayaka lock her room last night. Then we wouldn't have that scene happen in her room."Mondo stretched and rubbed the back of his neck. "So, now what?" he asked. "What do we do next?""Actually, there is a reason why I decided to use Makoto's door for the experiment," Kyoko replied. She turned her eyes towards Makoto. "Makoto, the sword you stole from the trophy display case was involved in the murder of Yasuke, correct?""...You don't have to remind us that," Hina said as she gave Kyoko a glare. "We saw that sword in the crime scene."Makoto gave Kyoko a confused look. "Why would you ask me that?" he asked."Because...there could be clues in your room," Kyoko replied. "Unlock your door again. I need to investigate it."
Day 5 - 9:51 AMMakoto's Room, First Floor
The students entered Makoto's room to look for more clues. The first thing that caught everyone's attention is the streak of gold on the carpet. Makoto frowned upon seeing the streak of gold."Oh...yeah," Makoto said. "I forgot about that...""That came from when you dropped that gold sword, didn't it?" Hina asked."I think so," Makoto replied."Is that a piece of evidence, though?" Mondo asked."It's a definite sign that the gold sword was here," Kyoko replied. "But the question is...how did Makoto get the sword here?"Everyone then turned their eyes on Makoto."Well, Makoto?" Hina said. "Do you have an answer to that?"Makoto felt uncomfortable about the attention he's getting. He hesitated to give the answer for a moment. He was about to explain how he got the sword to his room when Kyoko interrupted him."I'll take a look around this room," Kyoko said. "There must be something that Makoto used to get the sword here." She then walked around the room to find a clue.As Kyoko looked around Makoto's room, the students continue to ask Makoto about what he used to carry the sword to his room."So how did you get the sword here?" Mondo asked.Makoto grew a sense of dread as he watched Kyoko enter his bathroom. "I think Kyoko is about to find out..." he said.Not too long after Makoto said that, everyone heard Kyoko's voice coming from the bathroom. "Aha! I found it," she announced.Kyoko exited the bathroom holding a green hoodie, identical to the ones Makoto usually wears. She placed the hoodie on the bed and everyone walked up to it to have a better look at the hoodie. As it turns out, there are traces of gold dust on the sleeves of the hoodie."Whoa!" Hina gasped. "There's some gold on this hoodie!"Sakura glanced at Kyoko. "Where did you find this?" she asked."I found this in the laundry basket," Kyoko explained.Mondo gave a puzzled look at Makoto. "Did you use that to carry the sword here?" he asked.Makoto felt ashamed for thinking about bringing the trophy sword to his room. He just wanted something he could use to defend himself with, but that ended up landing him into a lot of trouble. He glanced at Sayaka, who felt ashamed as well for stealing the knife from the kitchen. He wasn't sure which one of them had the most shame: him or Sayaka. In either case, there is one thing Makoto has over Sayaka: he's more willing to explain his actions."Yeah, I did," Makoto explained. "I had to use something to cover my hands as I carried the sword stand to my room. I quickly found out that the gold coating on the sword flakes off easily with the slightest touch. I...may have accidentally brushed my hand against the sword as I was carrying it. I used my hoodie to cover my hands because...well, what am I supposed to use instead?""Gloves?" Kyoko suggested. "There are some disposable gloves in the infirmary.""Yasuke told me not to bother him while he's using the infirmary," Makoto replied. "I can't just go there to borrow some gloves.""What about the handle?" Hina suggested. "Why don't you use that instead?""I needed a place to put the sword down," Makoto replied. "I don't want to place that sword on a table and have gold stains all over it.""Then why don't you just use your bare hands to carry the stand?" Mondo asked."Enough with the questions," Kyoko ordered. "It's clear to me that this killing game is stressing Makoto out, and stressed people tend to make irrational decisions. Just ask Sayaka. She's clearly undergoing the most stress out of all of us, and she nearly did something that could've costed her life. Makoto just wanted to transport a sword without making his hands messy, so he used what he felt like the easiest option to use."With that in mind, Hina remembered that her decision to stop Sayaka's murder plan might not be the most rational thing she could've done. "You know...stopping Sayaka's plan might not be the smartest thing to do," she said. "I was just...stressed out, alright? I was really worried that one of us might be planning to commit a murder. Well, at least I did stop one murder plan from happening." Her mind then went back to the topic of why Makoto decided to use his spare hoodie as makeshift gloves. "Anyways, couldn't you just clean the gold dust off of your hands if you got some on them? They're easy to rub off the sword, right? So it must mean that it's easy to clean."Makoto was left in silence. He had no idea what to say next.Kyoko sighed upon seeing how long this topic has been dragging on. "Let's just move on..." she said.
Truth Bullet Acquired: Gold Stained Hoodie
"There is...one more thing that I need to bring up," Kyoko continued. "You know that I check Yasuke's body thoroughly, right? Well, I tried to look for his belongings, but I can't seem to find his E-Handbook or room key on him.""You're saying that someone stole them?" Hina asked. "That sounds great! If we can find whoever has these items, then we know who killed Yasuke!"Kyoko shook her head. "Not exactly," she said, disappointing Hina. "A smart person would've never allowed themselves to be caught holding those objects. They will try their best to hide them somewhere. Besides, there's no guarantee that whoever has these objects is the killer. The killer may have given these objects to them in order to frame them.""Wait, how is the killer able to steal those belongings?" Mondo asked. "Didn't the rules say that we're not allowed to lend or steal them?""The rules only say that we're not allowed to steal or lend our E-Handbooks to or from a *live* person," Kyoko clarified. "If the owner is dead, then we're free to take their E-Handbooks."Being reminded of that rule made Sayaka realize something. "Wait...does that mean...?" she asked."What is it?" Makoto asked.Sayaka fell to her knees upon realizing it. "Oh no..." she said. "I...I could've kept my door locked...and just lend my room key to Makoto!"Kyoko sighed and shook her head. "That's why you pay close attention to the rules, especially in a life-or-death situation," she said. "Always, while I didn't find any belongings on Yasuke, I did find this on him." She pulled out a small key from her pocket and presented it to everyone.
Truth Bullet Acquired: Small Key
"Is that a key?" Hina asked. "What does it unlock?""No idea," Kyoko replied. "My best guess is that Yasuke has this key for a reason."Makoto took a closer look at the small key and wondered something. "Hey, Kyoko?" he began to ask. "Can I borrow that key?"Kyoko raised an eyebrow upon hearing that question. "Hmm? What is it, Makoto?" she asked."I'm wondering if that key unlocks that cabinet..." Makoto replied.Kyoko grew a bewildered look on her face. "What?" she said.Makoto felt like it's time for him to act. "Excuse me for a moment!" he said as he swiped the key from Kyoko's hand and ran out the door.Hina was angered when Makoto decided to run away from her. "Hey! Makoto!" she shouted as she began to chase Makoto. "Get back here! Where do you think you're going?"Sayaka saw that Makoto is going away and decided to follow him. "W-Wait for me!" she cried as she got up to her feet and ran out the door.Kyoko, Mondo, and Sakura had no idea what Makoto was planning to do with the small key, so they decided to follow him as well.
Day 5 - 10:15 AMInfirmary, First Floor
Makoto ran all the way back to the infirmary along with several other students. He was on his way to unlocking the locked cabinet when the rest of the students caught up with him."There you are!" Hina shouted. "Makoto, what were you thinking running away from me like that? You can't just go off on your own!""Just give me a moment!" Makoto said as he inserted the small key into the lock. "I almost have this..."As Makoto began to unlock the cabinet, Mondo turned his head towards Kyoko to ask her a question."What is he doing?" Mondo asked."Looking for clues," Kyoko guessed. "I should've figured out that the small key would unlock something in the infirmary. Dr. Yasuke had spend a lot of time here. I wouldn't be surprised if there's something he wants safely secured."Kiyotaka then ran up to the group in the infirmary to scold them about all the running."Hey! What you are doing?" Kiyotaka asked. "Don't you remember that you shouldn't run in the halls? It's dangerous, and there's no need to be in a rush!""Our apologies, Taka," Sakura said. "We were in a hurry.""In a hurry?" Kiyotaka asked. "There's no need to be in a hurry. We have plenty of time to carry out this investigation. We can pace ourselves."Mondo glanced at Kiyotaka. "Dude...we have no idea how much time we have left..." he said.While this is happening, Makoto managed to unlock the cabinet with the key. "Got it!" he said as he opened the cabinet. "Looks like this key unlocks the cabinet. That's good to know.""Now," Makoto continued. "Let's see what's inside this cabinet."
Truth Bullet Updated: Small Key
The students helped Makoto take out most of the medicine bottles found in the newly unlocked cabinet. They read the labels on the bottles to determine what category of medicine these fall into.Hina gasped in joy upon seeing what one of the bottles contain. "Protein powder?!" she gasped. "This is...this is so great! Now I can use this to help build up my muscles! I wonder why a bottle of protein powder is behind a locked cabinet..."Kyoko gave Hina a odd look. "Focus, Hina," she said. "We're in the middle of an investigation.""Oh, right..." Hina said as she placed down a bottle of protein powder.Kiyotaka gave a confused look at one of the bottles. "What is this?" he asked. "I don't know what it is. All it says here is that I shouldn't use this in large doses...""Side effects include..." Mondo muttered as he read the label on the bottle he's holding. "Gah, I can't read that much...""What are these medicine?" Makoto asked. "I can't even pronounce their names..."Kyoko studied one of the bottles closely. "Hmm...this medicine is dangerous at even small doses," she said. "It appears that this cabinet is full of medicine that are dangerous if used improperly. Now I get why that cabinet had to be locked. We wouldn't want these medicine to be freely accessible."
Truth Bullet Updated: Locked Cabinet
"I don't get it," Hina said, looking confused after reading so many bottles with confusing labels and instructions. "How is this have anything to do with the murder?"As Hina asked that question, Makoto picked up a bottle with something strange on the lid. There's a small hole punctured on it."Hmm?" Makoto said upon seeing the bottle. "This bottle has a hole on the lid...""What?" Kiyotaka said in shock."Give me that," Kyoko ordered.Makoto handed the bottle over to Kyoko, who proceeded to study the label."Botulinum toxin," Kyoko read. "A.K.A., Botox.""Botox?" Hina asked. "As in, the cosmetic product?""It's not just a cosmetic product," Kyoko replied. "It's also a medicinal product. Botulinum toxin is one of the most potent toxins known to mankind. Even a nanogram of this toxin would be lethal."Hina gave Kyoko a confused look. "What's a nanogram?""Nanogram..." Kiyotaka said, recalling his metric prefixes. "It contains the prefix 'nano', meaning billionth. So nanogram means a billionth of a gram.""Correct," Kyoko replied. "Now, this bottle says that it contains 100 doses. But half of the doses have already been used up. The hole on the lid looks freshly made, so it means that this bottle was full.""What happens if you overdose of botu...botcha..." Mondo began to ask. He struggled with pronouncing the name of the toxin. "Uh...Botox?""The side effects of too much botulinum toxin in the body..." Kyoko began to reply. "It can lead to a potentially fatal illness called...botulism."Makoto shook upon hearing that name. "Ugh, hearing that name gives me chills," he said. "What are the symptoms of...botulism?""It's going to take too long to explain for now," Kyoko replied. "I'll save the symptoms for later when they're relevant."Oh yeah, that's right, Makoto thought. We probably need to hurry up now. The investigation started on 8:30 AM this morning. Assuming that we are given two hours to do the investigation... Well, we don't have much time left to investigate, do we?
Truth Bullet Acquired: Bottle of Botox
"Okay, I think we should wrap things up," Makoto said. "So, does anyone have anything else to add?""I found something in this disposal bin," Sakura said as she presented a bin for disposing medical waste. Inside the bin was a syringe with some blood on the needle. The size of the needle looked about as big as the holes found on Yasuke's neck and the bottle of Botox."Is that...the weapon used to kill the doctor?" Hina asked."Kill?" Kiyotaka asked. "We don't even know how he died. Besides, how do you even kill with a syringe of all things? Just stab a person with it over and over again?""No, it's much more simple than that," Kyoko replied. "You can inject a toxic substance directly into the victim's bloodstream. Then the substance can wreak havoc on the victim's body, possibly leading to their deaths. Perhaps that's how Yasuke met his fate..."Mondo saw how bent the needle was. "Damn," he remarked. "That needle is bent.""Looks like someone was in a rush to dispose of that syringe..." Sakura replied.
Truth Bullet Acquired: Used Syringe
"Is that all?" Makoto asked. "Is that all the clues we could gather?""Hold it!" Kiyotaka said. "I have one more piece of evidence!"Everyone turned their attention on Kiyotaka."What do you have, Taka?" Kyoko asked.Kiyotaka pulled out his pocketbook and turned to the page where he recorded the kitchen's inventory. "Here," he said as he handed over his pocketbook to Kyoko. "I was counting up all the equipment in the kitchen. I found out that there are 20 knives for each size of knives. Well, except for the largest size, of course. I only counted 18."Kyoko was puzzled by the names Kiyotaka gave to each knife type. They were all size based. There was a "Small Knife" label, a "Medium Knife" label, and a "Medium-Large", "Medium-Small", "Extra Small", and so on. It felt weird having to read through a list with labels like that."...You never bothered to measure how long these knives are, correct?" Kyoko asked."Do I look like I have a ruler on me?" Kiyotaka replied.Kyoko sighed. "Well, the exact size of these knives doesn't matter," she said. "The only thing that matters here is the knife count. As you said earlier, there are 20 knives for each size of knives, with the exception of the largest size of which only 18 were counted. We've already accounted for two more of the largest knives: they're both in the crime scene. Which means that in total, there are 20 knives that are of the largest size, just like the rest of the sizes.""That sounds...reasonable," Hina remarked. "I wonder why we didn't think of doing that earlier. It would've been way easier for us to notice that a knife had gotten missing.""I don't think we even thought of doing that in the first place..." Makoto replied."Indeed, Makoto," Kiyotaka replied. "We never thought about keeping track of the kitchen's inventory...until now. Alright, everyone! Listen up! From now on, I will be checking the kitchen's inventory every day so make sure that no more utensils are stolen from it. With so many knives available to us in the kitchen, it is inevitable that someone will get the same idea as Sayaka and steal a knife from the kitchen. If a knife or any utensil ever goes missing, I will notice it and will try to find out who stole them! Everyone got that?"Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. Sayaka hesitated for a moment before reluctantly promising to never steal a knife from the kitchen ever again."Good!" Kiyotaka said. "And please be sure to remind everyone else about this. Now hand back my pocketbook, Kyoko."Kyoko gave back the pocketbook to Kiyotaka.
Truth Bullet Acquired: Kitchen Inventory List
As soon as Kyoko handed the pocketbook back to Kiyotaka, an announcement played across the school.*Ding-dong, ding-dong!*"Ahem," Monokuma began to announce. "Attention everyone! The time for the Class Trial has come! All surviving students, please gather at the elevator room. You'll find that room behind the large red door on the first floor. I'll be seeing you there!"..."Looks like our time is up," Kyoko concluded. "We should be going. The Class Trial is about to start soon.""Have we really gathered all the evidence?" Hina asked. "I feel like we might have missed a critical clue...""I'm sure that the clues we have right now is enough for us to figure out who the culprit is," Kyoko replied. "Now, let's meet up with the rest of the students."The group then exited the infirmary to meet the others in the elevator room.
Day 5 - 10:35 AMElevator Room, First Floor
Everyone soon gathered up in the elevator room. Well, most of the surviving students, anyway. There's still two more students to wait for, those being Toko and Junko."What's taking those two girls so long?" Kiyotaka asked as he checked his wristwatch."I don't know," Hina replied. "I'm pretty sure I haven't seen those two at all during the entire investigation.""Don't forget about Hiro," Sakura added. "I haven't seen him either.""Oh yeah, him too," Hina said. Then she realized something. "Hey, wait a minute. What were you doing this entire time, Hiro?"Yasuhiro was surprised to see someone ask him. "Huh? Me?" he asked. "Why me?!""We were wondering what you've been doing while the rest of us are investigating the murder," Byakuya replied."What have I been doing?" Yasuhiro began to reply. "Well, I pretty much spent the entire investigation period consulting my crystal ball for answers."Byakuya glared at Yasuhiro. "You used your crystal ball to find out who the culprit is?" he asked."That sounds like the stupidest idea I've ever heard," Natsumi added."Hey! It's not stupid!" Yasuhiro shouted. "I've seen the murder happen with my own eyes! I watched that stupid doctor tried to sneak up on someone from behind, and then WHAM! The doctor became the one who got stabbed instead!"Everyone's eyes widened upon hearing Yasuhiro make that claim."...Are you sure that's how the murder went?" Kyoko asked, skeptic that what Yasuhiro said was true."Yeah! I'm sure of it!" Yasuhiro replied. "I completely trust what my crystal ball tells me. Its visions are true 30% of the time, every time!"..."That still doesn't make sense," Kyoko replied.Soon, Junko and Toko met up with the rest of the students in the elevator room."Junko! Toko!" Kiyotaka shouted in a scolding tone. "You're late! What took you two so long?!""Sorry about that..." Junko replied in between breaths. "I've spent the entire time in my room mourning over Yasuke. I was...late in noticing that the investigation has ended...""I-I spent the entire time in my r-room, too!" Toko added. "A-Although...I could've sworn that I b-blacked out in the middle of it. When I w-woke up, the investigation was already o-over...""So you two have spent the entire time doing nothing to help us solve this murder," Kyoko concluded. "You two are so useless..."Shortly after Junko and Toko arrived, Monokuma showed up to greet everyone."Ah, you're all here!" Monokuma said. "It took you guys long enough. Alright, everyone! We'll be hosting the Class Trials in a room right underneath your feet! Just step into that elevator and it'll take you straight into the courtroom, where your fates will be decided with each murder case. I'll be seeing you all there soon. Phuhuhu..."Monokuma then disappeared. Soon, the doors to the elevator open, and everyone began to board it. The last ones to board are Makoto, Sayaka, and Kyoko. Sayaka grew nervous about boarding the elevator. She leaned on Makoto and latched onto his arm, shivering as her grip tightened.Makoto turned his attention to Sayaka. "Huh? Are you scared, Sayaka?" he asked.Sayaka silently nodded her head."Yeah, me too," Makoto said. "To be honest, I'm not sure on how this Class Trial will go. We know we didn't commit the crime, but will everyone believe us if we tell them that?"Sayaka let out a soft whimper."If you don't confront your fears, you'll never be able to reach the truth," Kyoko said.Makoto and Sayaka turn their heads towards Kyoko. They had confused looks on their faces."...What?" Makoto asked."I can tell that you two are scared," Kyoko explained without looking at Makoto and Sayaka. "You're scared that everyone might think that both of you are the culprit. You two took those weapons, and they were found at the crime scene. It's going to be difficult trying to convince everyone that you're innocent with that piece of evidence. It's easy to cave in to the accusations, easy to admit defeat. But if you do that, then you'll never reach the truth of the case, and everyone but the true culprit will die." She then turned her head to look behind her. "The fates of everyone now rests in your hands. It is up to you two to find the truth."Kyoko's message for Makoto and Sayaka were a bit much for them to swallow. They weren't sure what to make of this.Kiyotaka grew annoyed that three students have yet to board the elevator with the rest of the class. Not only that, but he was also annoyed at Kyoko for wasting everyone's time with a little speech. "Hey, what's taking you three so long?" he asked. "And what's with all those words, Kyoko? Get on the elevator right now! You're leaving us waiting!"Kyoko soon went ahead and boarded the elevator, with Makoto and Sayaka slowing making their way towards it as well. With every step, their bodies shake with anticipation. Their hearts were racing as they got closer to the elevator. It didn't help that some of the students were giving them glares, as if they are still the prime suspects. Soon, they stepped onto the elevator, and the doors closed behind them. The elevator then began to make its descent.The ride down to the bottom took a while. There was no music playing in the elevator. It's just the sound of the elevator moving down the shaft. Feeling bored about the long ride down, some of the students decided to do something to pass the time."...Is this what it feels like to be a death row inmate when their execution finally comes?" Natsumi asked."No, it's more like we're approaching a place where we'll receive our judgment," Celeste replied."How long is this damn elevator ride gonna be?" Mondo asked. "It feels like we're being taken to the gates of hell.""Be patient," Kyoko replied. "I'm sure we'll be there any second now."Leon glanced at Sayaka and wondered if she wants to talk to him now. He took one step closer to her and...Sayaka hid behind Makoto, pulling him away from Leon."Hey!" Makoto yelped as he was being pulled."Aw, not again, Sayaka!" Leon complained. "I thought that this time, you would want to talk to me now!""Hey, quiet down, everyone!" Kiyotaka ordered. "We're about to be at our destination soon. Just wait a moment."Soon, the elevator arrives as its destination. And with a ding of the bell, the elevator doors open up.
Day 5 - Unknown TimeTrial Room, Underground
The courtroom where the Class Trials will be taking place is a large, circular room with a circle of podiums at the center of it. The large chair is placed near the circle of podiums, facing directly at the elevator. There are rows of chairs surrounding the main area, but they're all empty.The courtroom is themed to resemble a hospital room. There are medical beds placed around the main area, with prop human figures placed on them. Protection screens are placed on the walls, suggesting that the people participating in the trial are being quarantined from the non-existent audience.Monokuma then showed up sitting on the large chair. "Welcome, one and all, to the trial room!" he greeted. "Please, head to your assigned podium and we'll start the Class Trial shortly."Everyone soon walked up to their assigned podiums. The students are placed as followed, starting from the front of Monokuma and going clockwise: the late Yasuke Matsuda, Yasuhiro "Hiro" Hagakure, Natsumi Kuzuryu, Byakuya Togami, Celestia "Celeste" Ludenburg, Leon Kuwata, Toko Fukawa, Hifumi Yamada, Makoto Naegi, Sayaka Maizono, Kiyotaka "Taka" Ishimaru, Junko Enoshima, Sakura Ogami, Kyoko Kirigiri, Mondo Owada, and Aoi "Hina" Asahina. Of course, since Yasuke was dead, he couldn't participate in the Class Trial. In his place was a portrait of him that is crossed out with a pair of neurons. This arrangement meant that Makoto was standing right across from Yasuke's portrait, which felt uncomfortable to him.The other students noticed Yasuke's portrait as well."Hey, what's with that portrait?" Hina asked. "Why is that there?"Junko shivered upon seeing the portrait of Yasuke. "Ugh..." she said in a cringed tone. "I can't believe I'm forced to see that face again...""Look, Junko," Monokuma said. "I know you're all in a bad mood because your boyfriend is dead, but that doesn't mean he gets to miss out on the Class Trials! And so in his place will be a portrait of him, just so that he doesn't have to feel left out of the Class Trials. That goes for all of you, by the way. If you die, you will be replaced with a memorial, just to remind everyone that you're dead. As we all know, friendship penetrates any barrier, even death!"Hifumi grew a puzzled, and perverted, look on his face. "Penetrates?" he asked.Monokuma ignored what he said earlier. "Alright, enough talk!" he declared. "We're starting this Class Trial right now! Please placed your E-Handbooks into the designated slot on the podiums. Then, we can get this Class Trial started!"Everyone followed Monokuma's instructions. They placed their E-Handbooks into the empty slot and it opens up a new screen. With the E-Handbooks in place, it's time for the Class Trial to begin.Dr. Yasuke Matsuda, the Ultimate Neurologist... He was a rather cold guy to pretty much everyone but Junko. Even so, his medical skills are valuable to everyone. He was their one chance at saving a life in case someone got seriously hurt. And now...he's dead with no one to save his life. Who could've done this? Who could've killed Yasuke and why? How did he die? What were Makoto and Sayaka's weapons doing in the crime scene? Why was he in Sayaka's room of all places?All of these questions and more will be answered...in the Class Trial.
Truth Bullets
Monokuma File 1: The victim was Dr. Yasuke Matsuda. The time of death was approximately 12:00 AM. The body was discovered in the dormitory, specifically in Sayaka's room. The victim had suffered from respiratory failure and paralysis. Multiple bruises were detected on his body, and the victim suffered a single stab wound to the stomach. No traces of poisons or toxins were detected in his body.
Hina's Account: Before the nighttime announcement played last night, Hina and Sakura were in the dining hall having a snack when Sayaka passed by them and entered the kitchen. She was soon seen leaving the kitchen shortly afterward. During the clean-up of their plates, Hina noticed that one of the kitchen knives has gone missing and concluded that Sayaka must've stolen it. She and Sakura soon confronted Sayaka about the knife, confiscating it along with Makoto's sword. Hina then spent the night in Makoto's room guarding the door.
Kitchen Knife: One of the weapons that was involved in the murder of Yasuke. It was stolen by Sayaka from the kitchen, but it was confiscated by Sakura upon being caught with it. It was later found at the crime scene stabbed into Yasuke's stomach.
Replica Sword: One of the weapons that was involved in the murder of Yasuke. It was a trophy sword won by Natsumi's bodyguard, the Ultimate Swordswoman. The sword is coated with a thin layer of gold that flaked off upon being touched by something. Even the slightest touch would transfer some gold over to the other surface. Makoto took this sword from the trophy display case, but it was confiscated by Sakura upon being caught with it. It was later found at the crime scene near Yasuke's body.
Messy Infirmary: The infirmary was left in a mess. Bottles of medicines were scattered all over the floor. Their caps were still on. It looks like someone was in a rush to find a medicine, but couldn't be bothered to place the bottles back where they found them.
Locked Cabinet: The infirmary contains several cabinets filled with various types of medicines. One of the cabinets was locked, and it requires a small key to unlock it. Inside, the cabinet contains various types of medicine considered to be dangerous to be freely accessible.
Kitchen Knife Set: A set of kitchen knifes found in the knife rack. According to Hina, Sayaka stole the largest knife from the kitchen, so there should be gap at one end of the rack. However, when Kiyotaka saw the knife rack the following day, another knife had taken its place.
Signs of a Fight: Sayaka's room was left in a mess overnight. It looks like a fight had broken out in her room.
Small Hole in Yasuke's Neck: A small hole was found on Yasuke's neck. It appears to have been made by a thin, sharp object.
Wounds on Yasuke's Body: All of the wounds found on Yasuke's body are on the front side. There were no wounds to be found on his sides or back.
Motive Videos: Momokuma distributed the motive videos to everyone in an attempt to manipulate them into murdering each other. Most of the students were shocked by what they saw, but there were two reactions that are noteworthy. Sayaka panicked upon seeing her motive video, while Yasuke was completely dismissive towards Junko.
Dormitory Door Locks: The locks on the dormitory doors don't lock themselves automatically, contrary to what the card reader might suggest. In order to lock a door, a student must use the correct key or E-Handbook, and the same applies to unlocking a door. Before Yasuke's body was discovered, Sayaka realized that she hadn't locked her door since last night...
Gold Stained Hoodie: A copy of Makoto's hoodie that was found in Makoto's laundry basket. Some gold streaks were found on the sleeves. According to Makoto, he used his hoodie to transport the replica sword along with its stand without having to fear getting his hands stained with gold.
Small Key: A small key that was found on Yasuke's body. It unlocks the cabinet containing dangerous medicines.
Bottle of Botox: One of the items found in the locked cabinet in the infirmary. It contains botulinum toxin, a highly potent chemical used to treat muscle disorders and skin wrinkles. A small hole was found on the cap, and some of the substance appears to have been used up.
Used Syringe: Found in the medicinal waste disposal bin. It extracts and injects fluid through a small needle. Some blood was found on the needle. It appears that the syringe was hastily disposed of.
Kitchen Inventory List: A list made by Kiyotaka to keep track of the inventory of the kitchen. According to the list, there are 20 of each size of knives except for the largest size, of which there are 18. The two large knives had already been accounted for, meaning that there's a total of 20 knives that are of the largest size.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Chapter 1: To Live, To Survive, To Prosper, To Die
Class Trial Part 1
Dr. Yasuke Matsuda was found dead, and Sayaka became the prime suspect with Makoto being suspected as the accomplice. Can Makoto dispel these accusations and clear his and Sayaka's names? And who really killed Yasuke and why? The first Class Trial begins as the reality of the killing game settles in...
Truth Bullets
Monokuma File 1: The victim was Dr. Yasuke Matsuda. The time of death was approximately 12:00 AM. The body was discovered in the dormitory, specifically in Sayaka's room. The victim had suffered from respiratory failure and paralysis. Multiple bruises were detected on his body, and the victim suffered a single stab wound to the stomach. No traces of poisons or toxins were detected in his body.
Hina's Account: Before the nighttime announcement played last night, Hina and Sakura were in the dining hall having a snack when Sayaka passed by them and entered the kitchen. She was soon seen leaving the kitchen shortly afterward. During the clean-up of their plates, Hina noticed that one of the kitchen knives has gone missing and concluded that Sayaka must've stolen it. She and Sakura soon confronted Sayaka about the knife, confiscating it along with Makoto's sword. Hina then spent the night in Makoto's room guarding the door.
Kitchen Knife: One of the weapons that was involved in the murder of Yasuke. It was stolen by Sayaka from the kitchen, but it was confiscated by Sakura upon being caught with it. It was later found at the crime scene stabbed into Yasuke's stomach.
Replica Sword: One of the weapons that was involved in the murder of Yasuke. It was a trophy sword won by Natsumi's bodyguard, the Ultimate Swordswoman. The sword is coated with a thin layer of gold that flaked off upon being touched by something. Even the slightest touch would transfer some gold over to the other surface. Makoto took this sword from the trophy display case, but it was confiscated by Sakura upon being caught with it. It was later found at the crime scene near Yasuke's body.
Messy Infirmary: The infirmary was left in a mess. Bottles of medicines were scattered all over the floor. Their caps were still on. It looks like someone was in a rush to find a medicine, but couldn't be bothered to place the bottles back where they found them.
Locked Cabinet: The infirmary contains several cabinets filled with various types of medicines. One of the cabinets was locked, and it requires a small key to unlock it. Inside, the cabinet contains various types of medicine considered to be dangerous to be freely accessible.
Kitchen Knife Set: A set of kitchen knifes found in the knife rack. According to Hina, Sayaka stole the largest knife from the kitchen, so there should be gap at one end of the rack. However, when Kiyotaka saw the knife rack the following day, another knife had taken its place.
Signs of a Fight: Sayaka's room was left in a mess overnight. It looks like a fight had broken out in her room.
Small Hole in Yasuke's Neck: A small hole was found on Yasuke's neck. It appears to have been made by a thin, sharp object.
Wounds on Yasuke's Body: All of the wounds found on Yasuke's body are on the front side. There were no wounds to be found on his sides or back.
Motive Videos: Momokuma distributed the motive videos to everyone in an attempt to manipulate them into murdering each other. Most of the students were shocked by what they saw, but there were two reactions that are noteworthy. Sayaka panicked upon seeing her motive video, while Yasuke was completely dismissive towards Junko.
Dormitory Door Locks: The locks on the dormitory doors don't lock themselves automatically, contrary to what the card reader might suggest. In order to lock a door, a student must use the correct key or E-Handbook, and the same applies to unlocking a door. Before Yasuke's body was discovered, Sayaka realized that she hadn't locked her door since last night...
Gold Stained Hoodie: A copy of Makoto's hoodie that was found in Makoto's laundry basket. Some gold streaks were found on the sleeves. According to Makoto, he used his hoodie to transport the replica sword along with its stand without having to fear getting his hands stained with gold.
Small Key: A small key that was found on Yasuke's body. It unlocks the cabinet containing dangerous medicines.
Bottle of Botox: One of the items found in the locked cabinet in the infirmary. It contains botulinum toxin, a highly potent chemical used to treat muscle disorders and skin wrinkles. A small hole was found on the cap, and some of the substance appears to have been used up.
Used Syringe: Found in the medicinal waste disposal bin. It extracts and injects fluid through a small needle. Some blood was found on the needle. It appears that the syringe was hastily disposed of.
Kitchen Inventory List: A list made by Kiyotaka to keep track of the inventory of the kitchen. According to the list, there are 20 of each size of knives except for the largest size, of which there are 18. The two large knives had already been accounted for, meaning that there's a total of 20 knives that are of the largest size.
Class Trial 1
IN SESSION
"Welcome, everyone, to the first Class Trial of the killing game," Monokuma greeted. "Before we begin, how about we remind everyone on how the Class Trials work? During the Class Trials, you will all present your arguments on who you think the blackened is and how the murder happened. Once all the discussions are over, we will vote someone out as the blackened. If you get it right, then the blackened alone will be executed. But if you pick the wrong person or can't reach a consensus, then everyone but the blackened would be executed. Place your votes carefully, children, or else your life would become forfeit."The Class Trial beings with everyone staring at the memorial for the late Yasuke, except for Sayaka who hung her head down."Yasuke..." Junko said with a pained expression on her face."Who could've killed him...?" Makoto asked."Is the culprit really one of us?" Leon asked."Of course!" Monokuma replied. "Who else could've done it? The only ones in this school are you kids! There's no way to get in and no way to get out. So the culprit has to be one of you!"Natsumi rolled her eyes. "Yeah, duh," she said sarcastically. "Thanks for reminding us...""Hey! Wait a minute!" Yasuhiro shouted.Everyone turned their attention towards Yasuhiro, with the exception of Sayaka who's still looking down."Huh? What is it, Hiro?" Hina asked."How are we supposed to do this?" Yasuhiro asked. "We're in a trial, right? So that means that we must need lawyers to get through this. Where's my lawyer? Let me call my lawyer!""Calm down," Celeste said. "There's no need for lawyers in this Class Trial.""What do you mean we don't need lawyers?" Yasuhiro asked.Celeste smiled and giggled. "I mean, we don't have to hire any lawyers," she explained. "We'll become our own lawyers. We'll be serving the roles of lawyer and defendant at the same time.""I'm sensing some serious impartiality issues from this arrangement," Kyoko commented. "This is definitely not how court trials work in the real world.""Well, you guys aren't in the real world anymore!" Monokuma said. "You're in my world now! I get to decide what the laws in my world are! And in my world, it is perfectly acceptable to be both the lawyer and the defendant at the same time! Don't question it. That's how it works in my world!""Bah, enough with the discussions!" Kiyotaka declared. "We don't have time for that nonsense! Everyone! Close your eyes! Raise your hand if you're the killer!"No one followed Kiyotaka's orders. No one raise their hand."Dude, do you think anyone's dumb enough to fall for that?" Mondo asked, wondering what Kiyotaka was trying to achieve.Kiyotaka looked at everyone and saw that no one has raised their hand. "Really? No one?" he asked. "Come one, the killer has to be one of you! I'm sure of it!""Do you really expect anyone to reveal that they are the culprit immediately?" Kyoko asked.Kiyotaka was left in a stunned silence for a moment. "Fine!" he said. "Guess we're doing this the hard way then!"It's about the begin, Makoto thought. Everyone is going to start discussing who they believe the culprit is. So far, they seem to believe that Sayaka did it. I must...I must defend her with everything I've got. Every evidence I brought up, the words that I say... I must choose them carefully to get to the truth of this case. This trial...it isn't just about me, Sayaka, or Yasuke. Everyone's lives is on the line. If we get this wrong, we all die. Monokuma has told us this several times. Yasuke... I know that we don't get along well when you were alive, but you don't deserve to die. I will find out who killed you. I promise.
Nonstop Debate 1
START
Kiyotaka: Alright, let's review the facts! / The victim of this Dr. Yasuke Matsuda!Mondo: Dude, do you really have to repeat what we've already know?Byakuya: The murder took place in Sayaka's room...Leon: What was he doing there of all places? / What? Did Sayaka invite him into her room?Toko: T-That dumb doctor... / He had f-fallen into her trap!Natsumi: He was probably caught by surprise. / I bet he didn't get a chance to resist!
Huh? What she said sounded off. If Yasuke didn't put up a fight, then how did Sayaka's room got turned into a mess? I'd better speak up before this discussion goes in the wrong direction!
Truth Bullet Used: Signs of a FightWeak Point Refute: "he didn't get a chance to resist""No, that's wrong!"
BREAK
"Just a second, Natsumi," Makoto said. "Are you sure that Yasuke didn't put up a fight?"Natsumi gave Makoto a puzzled look. "Huh? What are you saying?" she asked."Try to remember what Sayaka's room looked like this morning," Kyoko hinted. "Did you notice something?""Uh, yeah!" Natsumi replied. "It was in a mess. So what? What does that mean?""With how much of a mess Sayaka's room was left in," Makoto explained, "I think we can agree that a fight definitely broke out over there. Yasuke likely put up a fight against his killer. He managed to last for a while, but in the end, it was him who died.""So are you saying that he was expecting to see someone?" Natsumi asked. "He wasn't caught by surprise?""I doubt it," Celeste replied. "He was visiting someone else's room, after all. He probably didn't expect the room's occupant to attack him. Regardless, he didn't go down without putting up a fight.""L-Looks like you're the dumb one, yakuza girl!" Toko said mockingly.Natsumi angrily growled at Toko. "Hey! How dare you call me that!" she shouted.Leon still as a question about the victim. "Hey, why was that doctor in Sayaka's room of all places?" he asked. "Did she invited him over to her room? I mean, if she's gonna invite someone, then it better be me. Right, Sayaka?"Sayaka looked up and gave Leon a displeased glare."Hey, what's with that look, Sayaka?" Leon asked. "Surely, you must secretly like me, right?"Sayaka said nothing in response."Focus, Leon," Kyoko said in a scolding tone. "This isn't the time for side chatter. We've got a murder to solve, remember.""But...the site of the murder..." Leon said."We can talk about that at a later time," Sakura said. "For now, we should be talking about the murder weapons next. There were two weapons at the crime scene, correct?""Yeah, I can remember," Hina said as she nodded her head. "It's the knife and the sword, the ones that these two took..."Everyone turned their attention towards Makoto and Sayaka. So far, it's unclear how involved they are with the murder of Yasuke. The evidence would suggest otherwise, but some of them felt like there's still the possibility that they're the culprits. Sayaka shivered upon looking at everyone's faces. They're all so...cold."Hey, don't look at us like that!" Makoto said as he waved his hands. "It's not like we did it.""Oh yeah?" Leon asked. "Then why is Sayaka giving me cold looks as well?"Sayaka whimpered as she gave Leon another glare.Kyoko then did something surprising. "Let's assume that the culprit really is Sayaka," she said, "with Makoto being her accomplice."Sayaka was shocked to hear that."Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a second!" Makoto shouted. "You can't just draw a conclusion just yet! We barely even started this Class Trial!""I'm not making a conclusion," Kyoko replied. "I'm making an assumption. There's a method to finding the best theories. You test out several alternative theories to see if they logically hold up. If a theory leads to too many unexplainable issues, then we discard it. We know that Sayaka took the knife, you took the sword, and both weapons were used in the murder. I'll see if the theory that Sayaka is the culprit can hold any water.""Hold water?" Hifumi asked. "How could a theory hold any water? It's not like it's a cup or anything...""I-It's an expression meaning the t-theory can be supported, dummy," Toko explained."Hey, don't call me dummy!" Hifumi shouted."Well?" Kyoko said. "Shall we test that theory out?"Makoto can't believe that this Class Trial is starting out with the assumption that he and Sayaka killed Yasuke together. He felt anxious about this. He turned his head towards Sayaka. She seems to have a pale look on her face.I don't know if I'm okay with this, Makoto thought. I'm definitely sure that this theory will fall apart. I've just got to point these contradictions out...
Nonstop Debate 2
START
Kyoko: Let's assume that Makoto and Sayaka worked together to kill Yasuke. / How would their murder plan play out?Byakuya: And just to remind you commoners, / the murder must end with Yasuke getting stabbed.Leon: Well, to start off... / Sayaka invited Yasuke to her room...Hina: And the she tried to stab him... / only for him to dodge the attack.Yasuhiro: And while he is being distracted by Sayaka, / Makoto swooped him to strike him from behind! / A sword-based sneak attack!Hina: Hey! How dare you butt into our discussion!Yasuhiro: What? We're all a part of this discussion, right? / Besides, that vision is what my trusty crystal ball tells me!Natsumi: I'd rather not rely on that stupid thing...
It seems reasonable that the murder of Yasuke would play out like that. However, there's one piece of evidence that shuts it all down.
Truth Bullet Used: Wounds on Yasuke's BodyWeak Point Refute: "strike him from behind""No, that's wrong!"
BREAK
"Sure, it seems possible that the murder of Yasuke would play out like that," Makoto said, "assuming that the culprit is Sayaka while I'm acting as the accomplice. Sayaka distracting Yasuke while I use my sword to attack from behind seems like a reasonable thing that would happen. However, the wounds on his body...it doesn't match what would happen if that's the case.""What?" Yasuhiro gasped. "Are you saying that my crystal ball visions are wrong? How could they?! They're right 30% of the time, every time! I've done studies, you know!""I think I can predict what your apartment smells like, Mr. Hagakure," Hifumi said as he adjusted his glasses. "Let's see, there's a 60% chance that your apartment reeks of...used gasoline.""Hey!" Yasuhiro complained. "My apartment smells fine! And I don't even have an apartment!"Everyone proceeded to ignore Yasuhiro and move on."Anyways," Makoto said, continuing on with his explanation, "if I were to attack Yasuke from behind, then he would've had wounds on his back side. However, all of the wounds were on his front side.""Trust me, I checked thoroughly," Kyoko said. "I looked everywhere on Yasuke and couldn't find any wounds on his back or sides.""Well, maybe that's because Makoto's a wimpy boy," Leon said. "I mean, look at him! He's so small! And Mondo's punch sent him flying! There's no way he could wound anyone with a sword!""Actually, he could!" Natsumi replied."What?" Leon gasped, his jaw dropping from shock. "How?""I know from experience that even the weakest of people can inflict wounds with a sword," Natsumi explained. "That is, if they can swing it hard enough. That sword at the crime scene... It may have a dull edge, but it can still deal serious damage even if Makoto uses it. And besides, knowing that sword, it will still do something even if it doesn't deal any damage.""Oh yeah?" Toko asked. "And what's t-that?"Natsumi grew a smug look on her face. "You see, that sword was actually a trophy sword," she explained. "It's made out of wood with a thin layer of gold on top.""Wait, so are you saying that sword wasn't entirely made of gold?" Yasuhiro asked. "Dang it! I was looking forward to selling that sword to pay off my debts! Wait, what about the other trophies, then? Are they just made out of cheap material and are covered in gold?"Byakuya groaned when he heard that idea. "Seriously, Hiro?" he asked. "Stealing trophies from a prestigious school just to pay off your debts? How low could you go?"Natsumi ignored what Yasuhiro said earlier and moved on. "Anyways, the gold coating on that sword doesn't stick well to it," she continued to explain. "If that sword even brushes up against another surface, some of that gold would rub off into the other surface. So you've got to be really careful with handling that sword. Otherwise, you'll have gold dust everywhere!""Okay, I get it," Leon replied. "But what the heck does this have anything to do with the murder?""Well, there's something else that I must bring up about Yasuke's body," Kyoko answered. "Not only were the wounds only found on his front side, but the gold dust markings are also only on his front side as well. And just to be clear, the places where the gold dust markings showed up are the same places as where the wounds are. So that definitely means that the replica sword was used to harm Yasuke before the final blow was dealt.""Oh, I get it, too," Leon replied. "So that means that Makoto must be attacking Yasuke from the front. So...where does that leave Sayaka? Did she attack Yasuke from behind or something?""Remember, all of the wounds were found on Yasuke's front side," Kyoko reminded, "the side facing the ceiling. If Sayaka were behind Yasuke while Makoto was attacking him, then she should've had the opportunity to stab Yauske from behind. But as we saw on his corpse, that isn't the case.""Okay, so they simply attacked him from the front," Leon corrected himself."If they do that, then they would get in each other's way," Kyoko replied. "It would also put them at risk of accidentally hurting each other while trying to kill Yasuke.""Take it from my experience in the yakuza world," Natsumi said. "You do NOT want to attack a person from the same direction at the same time, especially not in a confined area such as, oh, I don't know, your own dorm room?""Look, I don't care how tempting that idea is," Mondo added. "Ganging up on someone is a risky thing to do. It could get your friends hurt if you're not careful.""Plus, if Makoto and Sayaka were to attack from the same direction," Kyoko added, "then Dr. Yasuke would had a much easier time defending himself against them than if they attacked from different directions. Remember, we've established that the victim fought back against his murderer. I can't imagine that he would be killed by two people who kept on getting in each other's way.""So is that it, then?" Leon asked. "Is there any way that Makoto and Sayaka could've pulled this murder off?"Kyoko opened her mouth to say something, but before she could speak another word, Yasuhiro interrupted the discussion."Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Yasuhiro shouted. "Wait a second! I have a question!"Byakuya glared at Yasuhiro with an annoyed look. "What now?" he asked with an annoyed sigh."How did these two manage to get their weapons?" Yasuhiro asked. "I mean, they have to materialize them out of nowhere, right?"Makoto stared at Yasuhiro with a baffled look on his face. "...What?" he said.Kyoko gave Yasuhiro a disapproving look. "You do realize that you can't materialize things from thin air, right?" she asked. "Both weapons that were found at the crime scene had to come from somewhere. We know that Sayaka stole a knife from the kitchen...""...While Makoto stole the sword from the trophy display," Natsumi finished."Ah, so they stole their weapons without anyone noticing!" Yasuhiro concluded."No, they didn't!" Hina refuted. "At least, Sayaka didn't. There's a reason why I confronted Sayaka about the knife she stole! If I hadn't saw her stole that knife, I wouldn't have put a stop to her murder plans!""You idiot!" Yasuhiro said as he pointed his finger at Hina. "You must be lying! How could you come up with stuff like that?""...Says the one who keeps on making up statistics," Byakuya muttered."I can back Hina's alibi up," Sakura said. "I can confirm that we saw Sayaka enter the kitchen for a brief moment before walking out. When we entered the kitchen again, we noticed that one of the knives has gone missing."Sayaka shivered as she spoke. "I...really should've checked the dining hall...before I tried to steal that knife..." she said."What did you say, Sayaka?" Kiyotaka asked."I think she said that she should've made sure nothing was watching her take the knife," Makoto replied. "I'll blame that on her lapse of judgment. She was really stressed out. She should've been more like me; be absolutely sure no one was watching me as I carried that sword to my room...""Oh yeah, that reminds me..." Yasuhiro said. "How did you manage to get that sword to your room, Makoto?""I can explain!" Makoto replied. He was about to speak up, but Yasuhiro wouldn't let him."No, you won't!" Yasuhiro insisted. "You might make up lies to cover up the truth! Here! Allow me to explain!"Makoto could feel himself sweating over hearing Yasuhiro's unusual theories. Oh crap, he thought, preparing himself for a wave of dread and cringe.
Nonstop Debate 3
START
Yasuhiro: I've got this wild theory... / ...that Makoto used his telekinesis to carry the sword!Byakuya: That sounds like a ridiculous theory. / There's no way you can prove that's true!Natsumi: So then, how did he carry that sword? / With his bare hands?Leon: Nah, he just used someone's clothes he stole.Kiyotaka: No, none of these can be right! / You're all forgetting the simplest answer! / He used gloves! That's all he used!Hifumi: There's so many options to choose from! / I wonder which one Mr. Makoto Naegi chose...
I should know how I carried that sword around. I'll make myself look like an idiot if I don't. Hmm...looks like I have to agree with someone where. Which evidence should I use to support someone's theory?
Truth Bullet Used: Gold Stained HoodieWeak Point Agree: "clothes""I agree!"
BREAK
"I think you're onto something, Leon," Makoto replied. "I did use clothes to carry the sword.""Really? Was I right?" Leon asked, surprised to hear that Makoto agrees with him on something. "Oh, so *now* you've decided to side with me on something.""As if he had never sided with you on anything before..." Celeste muttered."So, whose clothes did you use to carry that sword?" Leon asked. "Considering how close you two seem to be, I wouldn't be surprised to hear that Sayaka has offered you her own clothes. Come on, I'm sure you're excited to see her show off some skin to you, Makoto!"Sayaka gave Leon a disdainful look as she let off a growl."Hey! How dare you make that insensitive suggestion, Leon!" Kiyotaka shouted in a scolding tone. "Saying that a girl would be willing to strip herself in front of a boy is just...unacceptable! That kind of stuff is intolerable in a school environment!"Kyoko gave Leon and Kiyotaka a disapproving look. "Focus, you two," she ordered. "We're in the middle of a discussion here."Makoto steered the discussion back on track. "...Anyways," he continued, "no, I didn't use anyone's clothes to carry the sword. I used my own clothes."Leon was shocked to hear that. "You what?" he asked."Our closets are full of spare copies of the clothes we usually wear," Makoto explained. "My closet has several green hoodies just like the one I'm wearing right now. I used one of my hoodies to wrap my hands around them so that I can carry the sword without having to worry about my hands getting stained in gold. I may have accidentally made the sleeves brush up against the sword as I was carrying it. Oh well. The gold will be washed off after it gets cleaned.""But...why would you use your own clothes instead of gloves?" Kiyotaka asked. "Kyoko has gloves! Why don't you ask her to let you borrow some?""I'm not willing to give away my gloves to someone," Kyoko replied. "If someone asked me to give my gloves to them, I would become suspicious of them immediately.""Okay..." Kiyotaka said. "So what about the gloves from the infirmary? Can he use those instead?""Um, sorry if I'm being quiet for most of this Class Trial..." Junko said. "But I'm pretty sure Yasuke has locked the door to the infirmary after the motive videos were given out. So...no gloves from there...""And what about the bare hands suggestion?" Hifumi asked. "Would that work?"Makoto felt embarrassed about this, but he felt like he had to bring it up. "Well, I did rub my hand on that sword when I first took a closer look at it," he said. "That's when I discovered that the gold coating rubs off easily. I tried to clean my hands of the gold dust but...let's just say that took me a while to get my hands cleaned. I'm not willing to let my hands be stained with gold again.""Plus, if Makoto did use his bare hands," Kyoko added, "he wouldn't have left behind evidence that he used his spare hoodie to cover his hands.""That settles it, then," Sakura said. "Makoto used his spare hoodie to transport the sword."After everyone reached that conclusion, Mondo turned to Natsumi with a puzzled look. "By the way, why did you think that Makoto used his bare hands?" he asked. "Didn't you say that gold coating rubs off easily and this no one wants to get their hands covered in gold?""I was joking!" Natsumi shouted."Right, so we have a clear idea on how Makoto got the sword to his room," Kiyotaka said. "Which leaves us with Sayaka. How did she manage to sneak in a knife?""M-Maybe she hid it underneath her skirt," Toko suggested.Kiyotaka was grossed out by that suggestion. "Gah!" he screamed. "Underneath there?! Why would anyone hide a weapon underneath someone's skirt? That's disgusting!""Nah, I don't think that Sayaka hid her knife there," Leon replied. "Besides, skirts aren't really known for holding stuff.""Plus, that knife is pretty big..." Hina said. "I'd imagined that it would be difficult to hide something that big into that small space.""Also, that knife would weigh the skirt down," Junko added. "It would cause the part of the skirt it's on to sway. You would definitely notice that she's hiding something there.""Well, what about her pocket?" Leon suggested. "That works too, right?""Our pockets are only designed to be large enough to hold our E-Handbooks," Junko replied. "That knife is definitely larger than our E-Handbooks, so you can't hide a knife there too.""We're running out of options, aren't we?" Kiyotaka asked. "It shouldn't be possible! There's no place where Sayaka can hide her knife!""Not quite," Kyoko said. "There is one place where Sayaka could hide her knife.""Her clothes?" Leon suggested. "She hid her knife underneath her clothes, right?"Kyoko gave Leon a disapproving look. "That's too dangerous," she explained. "If she did that, she'll put herself at risk of cutting herself with the knife. No, she used something else.""Like what?" Hifumi asked.Kyoko turned her head towards Makoto, giving him a grin. "You saw Sayaka last night, correct?" she said.Makoto pointed a finger to himself. "Me?" he asked."Yes, you," Kyoko said. "Tell us: did you notice anything suspicious about her last night? Anything that's just a little...off? If so, that could give us a clue on where Sayaka was hiding her knife."Something suspicious, Makoto thought. What did I saw last night that would make Sayaka suspicious?As Makoto began to think about where Sayaka could've hid her knife, Hina raised her voice to try to talk."Hey, I saw Sayaka last night too!" Hina said. "I can-""No, Hina," Kyoko said. "This is a question that must be answered by Makoto alone. Let him figure this out."Hina groaned in disappointment.Meanwhile, Makoto dove into his memories to see if he found find any clues that point to where Sayaka was hiding her knife. Let's see, Makoto thought. What was Sayaka doing last night that gave away the location of her knife? I wonder...
Logic Ride 1
START
Question 1: Where was Sayaka holding her hands last night?A. At her frontB. Behind her backQuestion 2: From where did the knife fell from Sayaka?A. Her backB. Her skirtQuestion 3: Did Sayaka put her hands in front of her hair or behind?A. In frontB. Behind
Now that I think about it, there's something weird about the way Sayaka was holding her hands last night. She doesn't normally hold her hands that way. And from my perspective, her arms aren't obscured by her hair. Also, she was insistent on facing me, making sure that I don't see her back. Which means...
Answers1. B / 2. A / 3. A
"I got it!"
BREAK
"I got it!" Makoto shouted. "I know where Sayaka was hiding her knife!""What?!" Leon gasped. "Really?""I remember now," Makoto began to explain. "Last night, Sayaka placed her hands in an unusual manner for her. Normally, she held her hands in front of her. Sometimes, she would put one of her hands behind her, but she'll always have at least one hand in front of her."Leon rolled his eyes at Makoto's explanation. "Yeah, yeah, big deal," he said sarcastically. "Who cares about the way someone positions their hands? That doesn't matter.""It does matter!" Makoto insisted. "Because last night, Sayaka had both of her hands behind her, and she kept her hands that way until Hina and Sakura confronted her! Therefore, the knife was hiding right behind Sayaka!"Kiyotaka was in disbelief by what he's hearing. "What? That's nonsense!" he said. "If Sayaka had her knife behind her back the whole time, then Hina and Sakura should've seen that knife as she was leaving the dining hall. They would've confronted her then and took the knife from her!""That's when Sayaka used something else to hide her knife," Makoto continued. "She used...her own hair!"Mondo was bewildered by that explanation. "Hair?" he asked. "How the hell can you use hair to hide a knife?""Take a look at Sayaka," Kyoko explained, drawing everyone's attention to Sayaka who is currently hugging herself, shivering in fear. "Do you see how long her hair is? It's long enough to reach down into her hips. Therefore, from behind, her hair covers her entire back.""Sayaka placed her hands between her hair and her back," Makoto added. "This means that from the front, her arms would appear in front of her hair, which I saw last night! She held her knife in such a way that made it hard to tell that she's holding a knife. No matter what angle you try to look at her from, you can't tell if she's hiding a knife or not. However...the fact that Sayaka hid her knife behind her back doesn't matter in the end, because Hina and Sakura already figured out that a knife went missing and Sayaka had stolen it."Natsumi then noticed something off about that theory. "Wait, there's multiple knives of the same size in the kitchen, right?" she asked. "Why didn't Sayaka just replace the knife she stole with a different one of the same size? That way, those two meatheads wouldn't have figured out that she had stolen a knife."Hina felt insulted by what Natsumi called her. "Hey!" she shouted. "Who are you calling a 'meathead'?!"Sayaka froze in place, unable to respond to Natsumi's question.Makoto decided to answer in Sayaka's stead. "We didn't know until recently that the kitchen has multiple knives that are of the same size," he explained. "We just assumed that there's only one knife that's of each size. If we don't know that there are multiple duplicate knives, we weren't able to replace a knife with another one of the same size. Therefore, when Sayaka took the knife and walked away, she left a noticeable gap in the knife rack. That's how Hina and Sakura realized that Sayaka must've stolen a knife!""And so, we're brought back to Sayaka's murder plan," Kyoko said. "With the weapons ready, it's time for Sayaka to bring her murder plan into motion. First, after stealing the kitchen knife, Sayaka went to Makoto's room. There, she tricked Makoto into swapping rooms with her.""We didn't know at the time that we could exchange our room keys," Makoto added. "We just assumed that we're not allowed to take each other's room keys like with our E-Handbooks. So Sayaka left her room unlocked for me to-""Hold it!""What did you say, Makoto?!" Kiyotaka shouted. "Are you saying that Sayaka left her dorm room unlocked?"Makoto was shocked by Kiyotaka's sudden interruption. "Uh...Taka?" he said. "What are you saying?""I'm saying that it shouldn't be possible for our dorm rooms to be left unlocked!" Kiyotaka shouted."That's not-" Makoto tried to say."Don't say another word!" Kiyotaka ordered. "You don't understand a thing on how this school works!"I think you're the one who doesn't understand how the dorm room locks work, Makoto thought. That's right...you weren't there when we tested out the dorm rooms' locks. Well, let me show you how wrong you are.
Rebuttal Showdown 1
Kiyotaka vs. Makoto
START
Kiyotaka: Sayaka didn't leave her dorm room unlocked all night. / She tricked us into believing that it was! / After she got ahead of us, / she used her E-Handbook to unlock her door. / Either that, or she used her room key. / Sayaka is such an amazing, hard-working idol. / It's possible for her to feign panic! / So as you can see, / she had us all fooled!
ADVANCE
Makoto: But when we caught up to Sayaka, neither her E-Handbook nor her room key were on her hands. Furthermore, her panicked reaction looks and feels genuine. What made you believe that Sayaka had her dorm room locked?Kiyotaka: Don't you get it? / This school is full of hard-working students! / They would never make such a simple mistake / such as leaving their rooms unlocked! / Even if they did, / there would be a system in place to prevent that from happening! / The doors automatically lock upon being closed! / That must be how the doors work!
If the dorm room doors automatically lock upon closing, then there wouldn't be a reminder for us to lock our doors, would it? And based on the experiment results, the dorm room locks clearly don't work that way. I must show him that result and prove that Sayaka's room was left unlocked!
Truth Blade Used: Dormitory Door LocksWeak Point Cut: "automatically lock""I'll cut through your words!"
BREAK
"I understand that you would believe that the dorm room doors lock themselves automatically," Makoto said. "After all, there are card readers attached to each door, making it look like the doors can lock themselves automatically. But when we actually tested them out, we discovered that the doors aren't about to do that!"Kiyotaka was shocked by the revelation. "What?!" he gasped. "Seriously?!""There's a reason why we're told to lock our dorm room doors whenever we leave," Makoto said. "It's because the dorm room doors can't lock themselves! We have to lock them manually!"Kiyotaka was left bewildered by that design decision. "But...why would they be designed like that?" he asked. "If you're going to use a machine as an alternate method of unlocking the doors, when why not let them lock themselves automatically?""Ahem, allow me to explain why the dorm room doors are like that," Monokuma said. "You see, in the very unlikely, but possible, scenario that a student has left both their E-Handbook and their room key in their dorm room, they would be locked out of their room if the doors lock themselves automatically. It would really suck to be stuck outside of your room, never to return to it. So, I disabled that function. Oh, and by the way, it's technically not against the rules to exchange your room keys with each other. But...I would advise against doing that as whoever you gave your room key too could just throw your room key into an inaccessible place, meaning that you won't have a backup option in case something happens to your E-Handbook.""Oh..." Kiyotaka said in realization. "Now I get it. Still, it feels silly to have those locks designed like that. Why couldn't they just lock themselves automatically..."Monokuma then cackled at Sayaka's expense. "Oh, Sayaka!" he said. "You're such a fool! You let your room unlocked the entire night, meaning that anyone can waltz into your room and take all of your belongings! Not that it matters, since your room has no decorations. But if you have anything that's important to you in your room, be prepared to say goodbye to it! Your murder plan was so poorly thought out! I can think of a thousand other ways it could be pulled off better!"Sayaka blankly stared at the floor, pulling her arms closer together. She was frozen in place, feeling too crushed by guilt to respond to anything."By the way..." Mondo began to ask, turning his gaze over to Hina. "If that blue-haired chick's room was unlocked the whole night, why didn't you enter her room?""I didn't know that Sayaka had left her room unlocked," Hina replied. "I assumed that she's in her room. I tried ringing the doorbell to get her to come out, but she never answered. That is...until Makoto walked out of his room with a sword in his hands. Then, Sakura and I discovered where Sayaka was really at.""That brings up another point," Kyoko said. "All of this set up leading up to Yasuke's murder doesn't matter."Everyone was shocked upon hearing that the entire discussion up to this point was useless."Whaaat?!" Yasuhiro gasped. "What do you mean none of that matters?""Since Hina and Sakura intercepted Sayaka before she could carry out her murder plan," Kyoko explained, "there is simply no way Sayaka could commit murder and get away with it. Too many people knew about her murder plan at that point. Therefore, Sayaka couldn't possibly be the culprit.""Also, I took away Sayaka's weapon," Sakura added. "And also Makoto's. Both of them were completely disarmed. They weren't able to harm anyone.""That also means...Makoto can't be the accomplice either," Kyoko concluded."So wait...what the hell are we even doing, then?" Natsumi asked in bewilderment "We've spend all this time discussing who the culprit could be, and all we got was nothing?!""You know, somethings running into dead ends can be a good thing," Hifumi said. "If you keep running into dead ends, then it means that you should backtrack and try something else. Trust me, if you write yourself into a corner, maybe reconsider what you're writing and rewrite the entire section. I know that I've run into that issue plenty of times.""I agree with that notion," Kyoko said, nodding her head in agreement. "Now that we know that Sayaka couldn't have committed the murder, we should try approaching this problem from a different perspective.""Like what?" Kiyotaka asked."Instead of asking us if Sayaka could have committed the murder," Kyoko said, "we should be asking who had access to the weapons at the time of Yasuke's murder."Yasuhiro then thought about the person who is able to use both the knife and the sword at the time of Yasuke's death. "Hmm...the person who had access to both weapons..." he began to say. "At first, it was Makoto who had the sword and Sayaka who had the knife. However, both of them were taken away by Sakura. Which means...you're the culprit!" He pointed a finger towards Sakura.Sakura was shocked to see that she's the new suspect. "What?!" she gasped.Hina panicked upon seeing that Sakura is now being accused of killing Yasuke. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" she said. "Hiro, what you doing?! You can't just...accuse Sakura of being the culprit!""It's true!" Yasuhiro insisted. "Sakura must be the culprit! She used the weapons she took from Makoto and Sayaka as part of her own murder plan!""She did what?!" Hina gasped. Then she quickly shook her head in denial. "No...no, that can't be it! Sakura may be big and muscular, but she's also a sweetheart! She'll never kill anyone!""Have you seen Sayaka?" Yasuhiro asked. "She may be an idol and act cute and pretty. But we just learned that she tried to hatch a plan to murder someone! No one can be trusted anymore! Everyone is a suspect!"Natsumi seemed doubtful that Yasuhiro's accusation is true. "Are you sure you didn't consult your crystal ball while making that accusation?" she asked. "Because it sure sounds like you did.""No! Of course not!" Yasuhiro shouted. "It's as clear as day! Sakura had the weapons at the time, therefore, she must be the culprit!"Hearing the chaos surrounding the accusation of Sakura as the culprit made Sayaka snap out of it and began moving again. She looked around the trial room and heard what everyone is saying. She looked even paler than when she was accused of being the culprit."Um..." Sayaka said, feeling anxious at what's going on around her.Makoto glanced over to Sayaka. He saw that she's responding to stimuli again, which is great. However, he doesn't feel any better about this situation. He sweated as arguments are being made for and against the idea of Sakura being the culprit.I get it, Sayaka, Makoto thought. First, you're being suspected of killing Yasuke, and now Sakura is. I didn't think of that. I should've figured out that Sakura would do something with our weapons after the took them away from us. However, I don't think that Sakura is the culprit. I have a feeling that there's a hole somewhere in Hiro's argument. I just need to wait until it shows up before I can point it out...
Nonstop Debate 4
START
Yasuhiro: Sakura didn't just take the weapons. / She also stole Sayaka's murder plan! / She took the weapons from Makoto and Sayaka / and used them in her own murder plan!Leon: Wait, why would she need weapons to kill someone? / She's the Ultimate Martial Artist. / Can't she just, you know, punch people to death?Mondo: Nah, that'll be too obvious. / If we saw fist marks on the body, / we'll know who did it.Hina: Sakura is a gentle person! / She'll never punch someone to death!Yasuhiro: You just don't get it, don't you? / That ogre is the one responsible for this. / She's responsible for every wound on the doctor's body!Sakura: ...
Could Sakura have done the crime? Maybe. However, there is one injury that simply couldn't be explained as being caused by a knife or a sword. Once I bring that up, Hiro's entire argument falls apart.
Truth Bullet Used: Small Hole in Yasuke's NeckWeak Point Refute: "every wound on the doctor's body""That's where you're wrong!"
BREAK
"Hold it, Hiro," Makoto said. "Not every injury on Yasuke's body can be explained by Sakura, or anyone, using the weapons she confiscated on him."Yasuhiro looked at Makoto with a baffled look. "What are you talking about?" he asked. "Of course all of those wounds were caused by those weapons!"Makoto shook his head in disagreement. "Not every wound, Hiro," he replied. "There is one wound that can't be caused by either the knife or the sword. Now, I will forgive you if you overlook this, since it's really hard to spot, but there is a small hole found on Yasuke's neck."Yasuhiro was shocked to hear about the small hole. "Wait....what?" he asked."Oh yeah, that thing," Hina said. "I almost forgot about that small hole. Thanks for reminding me, Makoto."Leon was confused about the small hole. "Wait, what does a small hole have to do with anything?" he asked. "I mean, it's just a small hole, right?""Wrong," Kyoko said. "That small hole gives us a clue about what happened to Yasuke. Based on my analysis, the hole is around 1 millimeter in diameter and penetrates deep into his neck. Such a wound can't be made by a sword or a knife. You can use the tip of the blade to make a small hole, but you can't penetrate deep into the skin without creating a huge wound.""So...what does it mean?" Hifumi asked."The existence of that small hole could only mean one thing," Makoto said. "A third weapon was used to kill Yasuke!"The students were about to move on into discussing what the third weapon could possibly be. Then Kiyotaka interrupted the discussion."Wait, hold on a minute!" Kiyotaka said. "Something's bothering me!"Everyone gave Kiyotaka a bewildered look."What?" Byakuya asked. "Can't you see that we're in the middle of a discussion?""I feel like there's something that needs to be cleared up," Kiyotaka said. "Who was Sayaka planning to kill?"Makoto was puzzled by Kiyotaka's question. "Seriously?" he asked. "You're asking us that question?""Whoever Sayaka was planning to kill doesn't matter anymore," Kyoko said. "We've moving on from that. We have a more important topic to discuss.""No!" Kiyotaka insisted. "I need an answer! If Sayaka's murder plan had gone through as she intended, who would she kill?""Hey, you're dragging down the entire discussion, dummy," Natsumi complained. "Just drop it and move on!""No, we can't drop it!" Kiyotaka shouted. "This is important for us to know!""Who cares what person Sayaka was planning to kill?" Hina asked. "She didn't kill anyone! Her plan was stopped before she could pull it off!""But if we don't answer it now, we'll never get another chance to answer it," Leon said. "Come on! Even if Sayaka didn't kill someone, that doesn't mean that finding out who she was planning to kill doesn't matter!"Sayaka listened to everyone as they argued over if they should stop to ask the burning question or try to push the discussion forward. She recalled what she was planning to do last night, until Hina and Sakura came in and took away her knife. She had never told anyone about what her plan was. Thinking about her plan now, she felt too ashamed to want to talk about it anymore. But with the debate grinding to a screeching halt, the pressure to confess grew too much for her to handle. If she doesn't reveal her plan, then this debate will never continue. And so, Sayaka decided to reveal her plan. Not only that, but she decided to also reveal the reason why she chose that person to be her target."It's...Leon..." Sayaka said, trying to hold back her tears.Everyone stopped talking as they turn their attention towards Sayaka."What?" Kiyotaka said."Hey, what did you say, Sayaka?" Leon asked. "Was that my name you just said?"Makoto was stunned by what he heard from Sayaka. "Sayaka?" he asked. "Is...what you said...actually true?"Sayaka lifted her head up, pointing her eyes straight towards Leon. Tears poured out of her eyes as she delivered a rant."Leon..." Sayaka began to say. Her voice started with a whisper before raising it to a raged-filled rant. "How could you?!"Hearing Sayaka raise her voice made everyone jump."Ah, Sayaka!" Leon said. "What the hell?""Do you really think you can just waltz into the music industry and succeed immediately?!" Sayaka shouted."That's not-" Leon tried to reply."Don't lie to me!" Sayaka shouted. "I know that you wanted to become a musician so badly. So you discarded your own talent and tried to become one! I will admit, I admire your efforts in diversifying your skills, but why did you choose me to train you of all people?!""Well, you're a successful idol," Leon tried to explain. "I wanted to know the secrets behind your success so that I can apply them to my music career.""Do you really want to know my secrets?!" Sayaka yelled. "Do you even know how much I had to do to earn my title as the Ultimate Idol?! I had to push my body to its absolute limits, do rehearsals after rehearsals, and perform concerts after concerts, just to stay ahead of the competition! The idol industry is a highly competitive place. Very few idol groups ever see any amount of success. I was lucky that I managed to succeed at all! And I was lucky that I even got to where I am! My journey to the top has been nothing but pain for me! And then you came in, believing that joining the music industry would be easy for you! How...how could you think like that?!"Leon was left scratching his head. "Uh...is the wider music industry really like that?" he asked. "As far as I know, it's all-"Sayaka didn't let Leon finish his sentence as she continued her rant. "And don't even get me started on you wanting to hang out with me," she said. "I know exactly what you want from me, Leon. You may say that you want to hang out with me so that you can get music lessons from me. But really, you only came to me because you like my body. How dare you treat me like that! Don't you see that it's dehumanizing to treat me as some...object?!""Whoa, there!" Leon said. "That's not true! I don't see you as an object to be desired!"The other student's couldn't help but facepalm at Leon as he dug himself deeper."Yes, you do!" Sayaka countered. "You told me that I've got a pretty face and a hot body! That's... Makoto would never say something like that in front of my face! Ever! And I'm not even talking about how much trouble I would get into if I'm caught dating you! Even if I'm allowed to date someone, I would never risk my career by dating you! Just looking at you, I can tell that you want to be a punk rock star, and already, that's a sign that we're not compatible. Don't you get it? I'm an idol! I have a reputation to uphold! If I'm caught dating you, my entire career would be ruined! Face it, Leon! We're never becoming more than friends! So why don't you just accept the truth and-"Kiyotaka decided that he heard enough of Sayaka's rant. He covered Sayaka's mouth and held her in place. "Sayaka, calm down!" he ordered. "That's enough!"Sayaka struggled to free herself from Kiyotaka. "Let me go!" she said, her voice muffled from her mouth being covered up.The other students were left stunned by the end of Sayaka's rant. Most of them were left speechless."What the hell...?" Natsumi uttered. "I've...never seen an idol...become that angry before.""I figured that she would be like that," Celeste remarked. "There's something brewing underneath that mask of hers."Makoto reached over to Sayaka and grabbed her by the shoulder. At first, Sayaka jumped upon being grabbed from both sides. But when she turned to face Makoto, she stopped struggling. She stared into Makoto's eyes, those forgiving, understanding eyes. Her eyes began to water with tears of regret as she stared into Makoto's eyes. Kiyotaka lowered his hand as Sayaka threw herself into Makoto's chest and cried into it."Makoto...I'm...I'm so sorry..." Sayaka cried. "I...I tried to use you...as my fall guy...for my murder plan... Please...forgive me..."It was at this moment when Makoto learned the full truth of Sayaka's murder plan. Everything that she did last night...her insistence on keeping her back hidden, her agreeing to swap rooms with him, and her encouraging him to bring the sword with him... All of it was part of her plan to kill Leon and frame him for it. Makoto was shocked upon realizing this. He couldn't believe for a moment that his best friend would betray him, to use him as her scapegoat.But at the same time, Makoto can't help but answer Sayaka's wishes and forgive her. It's clear that Sayaka deeply regrets doing this. She doesn't want to do this, but whatever she saw in her motive video pushed her into planning a murder. It's a good thing that Hina and Sakura intervened before Sayaka could even begin her murder plan. It costed Makoto his sword, but at least Sayaka didn't become the blackened...or became the victim should her plan backfire on her. With that in mind, Makoto wrapped his tender arms around Sayaka.Leon was baffled by Sayaka's rant. "Wait, what's going on?" he asked. "What's with that rant? Sayaka, why did you decide to rant about me?"Sayaka felt too burdened with guilt to respond, so Makoto explained in her stead."Leon..." Makoto began. "I think...Sayaka hates you...and wants you dead.""She what?!" Leon gasped."You should've read the signs, Leon," Kyoko said. "Sayaka doesn't want to talk to you. She sees you as more of a nuisance than anything else. She kept giving you the cold shoulder every time you tried to talk to her. You may see this as her playing hard to get, but in reality, she's not into you. And you just keep getting on her nerves. That's why, when Sayaka formed her murder plan, she was planning to target you."Leon was left speechless for a moment."Leon..." Makoto began to add. "When Sayaka panicked after seeing her motive video, you tried to go after her to calm her down. I had a feeling that you might make things worse for her, so I stopped you. If other people believe that you shouldn't be hanging out with Sayaka, then you should steer clear of her. I don't know how long Sayaka was planning to kill you, but if she was, then...I don't want to imagine how badly you trying to calm her down would go..."It was at this point when Leon finally snapped. He countered Sayaka with a rant of his own. "Sayaka...you bitch!" he roared. "How could you this to me?! I was willing to believe that you're not the culprit, that someone so cute with a smoking hot body would never harm anyone! But now that I know the truth of what you're planning to do, I'm done trying to hang out with you. You're not longer an idol to me. You're-"Celeste slapped Leon in the face, putting his rant to a stop."Ow!" Leon yelped. He covered his bruised cheek. "Argh... What the hell?""Shut up," Celeste ordered. "My ears can only take so many rants.""But-" Leon tried to say."Don't give another rant," Byakuya said in an annoyed tone. "I don't want to hear two of them in a row.""So, we've learned about who Sayaka was trying to kill," Kiyotaka said. "What's next?""We're going back to the topic we were about to talk about," Kyoko replied. "As we've learned earlier, a third weapon was used in the murder of Yasuke. That weapon explains the wound on Yasuke's neck. If we can figure out what that third weapon is, we'll find ourselves closer to the truth."The third weapon that was used in the murder of Yasuke... Makoto thought. That weapon created the small hole in Yasuke's neck. I wonder...what could've created such a wound?
Class Trial 1
INTERMISSION
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Class Trial Part 2
Truth Bullets
Monokuma File 1: The victim was Dr. Yasuke Matsuda. The time of death was approximately 12:00 AM. The body was discovered in the dormitory, specifically in Sayaka's room. The victim had suffered from respiratory failure and paralysis. Multiple bruises were detected on his body, and the victim suffered a single stab wound to the stomach. No traces of poisons or toxins were detected in his body.
Hina's Account: Before the nighttime announcement played last night, Hina and Sakura were in the dining hall having a snack when Sayaka passed by them and entered the kitchen. She was soon seen leaving the kitchen shortly afterward. During the clean-up of their plates, Hina noticed that one of the kitchen knives has gone missing and concluded that Sayaka must've stolen it. She and Sakura soon confronted Sayaka about the knife, confiscating it along with Makoto's sword. Hina then spent the night in Makoto's room guarding the door.
Kitchen Knife: One of the weapons that was involved in the murder of Yasuke. It was stolen by Sayaka from the kitchen, but it was confiscated by Sakura upon being caught with it. It was later found at the crime scene stabbed into Yasuke's stomach.
Replica Sword: One of the weapons that was involved in the murder of Yasuke. It was a trophy sword won by Natsumi's bodyguard, the Ultimate Swordswoman. The sword is coated with a thin layer of gold that flaked off upon being touched by something. Even the slightest touch would transfer some gold over to the other surface. Makoto took this sword from the trophy display case, but it was confiscated by Sakura upon being caught with it. It was later found at the crime scene near Yasuke's body.
Messy Infirmary: The infirmary was left in a mess. Bottles of medicines were scattered all over the floor. Their caps were still on. It looks like someone was in a rush to find a medicine, but couldn't be bothered to place the bottles back where they found them.
Locked Cabinet: The infirmary contains several cabinets filled with various types of medicines. One of the cabinets was locked, and it requires a small key to unlock it. Inside, the cabinet contains various types of medicine considered to be dangerous to be freely accessible.
Kitchen Knife Set: A set of kitchen knifes found in the knife rack. According to Hina, Sayaka stole the largest knife from the kitchen, so there should be gap at one end of the rack. However, when Kiyotaka saw the knife rack the following day, another knife had taken its place.
Signs of a Fight: Sayaka's room was left in a mess overnight. It looks like a fight had broken out in her room.
Small Hole in Yasuke's Neck: A small hole was found on Yasuke's neck. It appears to have been made by a thin, sharp object.
Wounds on Yasuke's Body: All of the wounds found on Yasuke's body are on the front side. There were no wounds to be found on his sides or back.
Motive Videos: Momokuma distributed the motive videos to everyone in an attempt to manipulate them into murdering each other. Most of the students were shocked by what they saw, but there were two reactions that are noteworthy. Sayaka panicked upon seeing her motive video, while Yasuke was completely dismissive towards Junko.
Dormitory Door Locks: The locks on the dormitory doors don't lock themselves automatically, contrary to what the card reader might suggest. In order to lock a door, a student must use the correct key or E-Handbook, and the same applies to unlocking a door. Before Yasuke's body was discovered, Sayaka realized that she hadn't locked her door since last night...
Gold Stained Hoodie: A copy of Makoto's hoodie that was found in Makoto's laundry basket. Some gold streaks were found on the sleeves. According to Makoto, he used his hoodie to transport the replica sword along with its stand without having to fear getting his hands stained with gold.
Small Key: A small key that was found on Yasuke's body. It unlocks the cabinet containing dangerous medicines.
Bottle of Botox: One of the items found in the locked cabinet in the infirmary. It contains botulinum toxin, a highly potent chemical used to treat muscle disorders and skin wrinkles. A small hole was found on the cap, and some of the substance appears to have been used up.
Used Syringe: Found in the medicinal waste disposal bin. It extracts and injects fluid through a small needle. Some blood was found on the needle. It appears that the syringe was hastily disposed of.
Kitchen Inventory List: A list made by Kiyotaka to keep track of the inventory of the kitchen. According to the list, there are 20 of each size of knives except for the largest size, of which there are 18. The two large knives had already been accounted for, meaning that there's a total of 20 knives that are of the largest size.
Class Trial 1
RESUME
"So...could there be a third weapon that was used to murder Yasuke?" Hina asked."It's the only logical explanation," Byakuya replied. "That small hole could not have been made by either the knife or the sword.""But what kind of weapon would make such a small wound?" Kiyotaka asked.The weapon that created the small hole... Makoto thought. It definitely couldn't have been caused by the knife or the sword. The hole is 1 millimeter in diameter and penetrates deep into Yasuke's neck. What weapon could've made a wound like that? Think...think... There has to be an answer here somewhere...
New Hangman's Gambit 1
START
Question: What weapon was used to make the wound on Yasuke's neck?Hint 1: The wound is 1 mm in diameter, so the weapon has to be around that size.Hint 2: The hole penetrates deep into Yasuke's neck, so the weapon has to be long and narrow.ANSWER: NEEDLE"I got it!"
BREAK
"Could it be...a needle?" Makoto suggested.The most of the other students were puzzled by Makoto's suggestion."Huh?" Kiyotaka asked. "A needle?""Ah! Like a sewing needle!" Junko said. "You know, the one used to make clothing? That could be it!""B-But...a sewing needle is too t-thick," Toko said. "It can't create a h-hole that s-small...""So...are we wrong, then?" Hina asked. "Could it not be a needle?"Kyoko shook her head. "Not quite," she said. "You were close, Makoto. The weapon used to create that hole in Yasuke's neck is definitely a needle. However, the needle is just one part of the weapon used to kill Yasuke."Makoto was confused by what Kyoko is talking about. "Just one part of the weapon?" he asked. "What do you mean?""Look through the evidence once again, Makoto," Kyoko replied. "Do you remember seeing anything with blood on them? And no, the knife stabbed into Yasuke doesn't count. If there's anything with blood on them, that's definite the weapon involved in Yasuke's murder."So I was right, Makoto thought. Yasuke was stabbed by a needle to his neck. But it's not just any needle. The needle used to stab Yasuke was just one part of the weapon that was involved in his murder. Kyoko told me to look back at all of the evidence I have gathered so far. If there's blood on any of the evidence that was found outside of the crime scene, then's the weapon that was involved in his murder. Hmm...I wonder what fits that criteria? Has a needle and has blood on it... What could that possibly be?And then it hit him. "Ah! I got it!" Makoto shouted, drawing everyone's attention to him."What? What did you find out?" Kiyotaka asked."The third weapon that was involved in Yasuke's murder was...a syringe!" Makoto shouted."A syringe...?" Yasuhiro asked."You mean...the medical tool?!" Natsumi asked, shocked by the revelation."During the investigation, we found a used syringe inside the infirmary's medical waste bin," Makoto explained. "The needle on that syringe had some blood on it! Which means...it was used to stab Yasuke in the neck!""You're out!""Makoto, you stupid, stupid, bastard!" Leon shouted. "How dare you assume that the syringe killed the doctor?"Makoto was confused by Leon's counterargument. "Uh...Leon?" he asked. "What are you talking about? I never said that syringe killed Yasuke.""But you implied that it did!" Leon countered. "You're so stupid! You're stupid, stupid, stupid! I refuse to listen to you! You keep on defending that bitch Sayaka even after you learned that she tried to use you as part of her murder plan!"Sayaka was left shaking from Leon verbally attacking her. "P-Please...Leon..." she begged."Shut your mouth, you bitch!" Leon roared. "I don't wanna listen another word from you!""Leon, enough of this nonsense," Byakuya said. "If you have something to say, then say it. Don't bury it underneath all of this nonsense talk.""You want my counterargument?!" Leon said. "I'll give you one! Just you wait, Makoto. I'll make you look like a stupid bastard!"
Rebuttal Showdown 2
Leon vs. Makoto
START
Leon: Why did you say that the syringe killed the doctor? / It's impossible! / The needle is too small to do any real damage! / There's no way that it could've killed the doctor! / I can't believe you're so stupid, Makoto. / How dare you overlook such a simple fact!
ADVANCE
Makoto: But I never said anything about the syringe killing Yasuke. I'm just saying that it was involved in his murder. Just because the syringe didn't deal the killing blow, that doesn't mean that we can dismiss it!Leon: So what? / Even if the syringe was used, / it wouldn't matter in the end. / It's clear how the doctor died. / He was killed by the knife! / The knife that stabbed into his abdomen / was his true cause of death!
Wait, do we even know Yasuke's cause of death? Throughout this entire debate, we didn't bring up how Yasuke could've died up until now. We just tried to find out who could've done it. This isn't the time to be jumping to conclusions. I must remind everyone that we don't know the cause of death!
Truth Blade Used: Monokuma File 1Weak Point Cut: "killed by the knife""I'll cut through your words!"
BREAK
"Wait a second, Leon!" Makoto said. "Are you sure that Yasuke was killed by the knife?""Yeah, I'm sure!" Leon insisted. "That knife was stabbed into his body. Therefore, he died from that!""But if you look through the Monokuma File," Makoto said, "you'll find that no causes of death are listed anywhere. It just lists off a bunch of things that happened to Yasuke at the time of his death.""Are you kidding?!" Leon said, stubbornly sticking to his beliefs. "Why do we even need to check that file? We already know how he died, right?"Kyoko shook her head. "No, we don't," she said.Leon turned to Kyoko with a baffled look on his face. "Huh? Why not?!" he asked."Check the Monokuma File again," Kyoko said. "You'll see that Makoto is right."Leon blew a raspberry. "Nah, I don't need to!" he said. "I don't need that Monokuma File to figure out what's going on! Just looking at the corpse will tell me everything!"Hina looked through the Monokuma File again to verify that Makoto is right. "Uh...not really," she said. "I don't see a cause of death here...""Same with me!" Kiyotaka replied after checking the Monokuma File."It doesn't matter how hard you look," Byakuya said. "You'll never find the exact cause of death."Leon is baffled by what everyone is saying. "Wait...what's going on here?!" he asked. "Why isn't there a cause of death listed on the Monokuma File?""Ahem, allow me to explain how you should interpret the Monokuma Files," Monokuma said. "If a cause of death is listed, or if it stated how the victim died, then you should take it at face value. If no cause of death is listed, then it means that the exact way the victim died is unknown. In that case, do not assume how the victim died.""Since we don't know Yasuke's exact cause of death," Kyoko said, "we can't assume that he died from the knife stabbing into his abdomen. We must look at the clues we have to try to find out how he died.""So...he didn't die from the knife...?" Leon asked, shocked that his conclusion was wrong."And speaking of that knife," Kyoko continued, "there's something else in the crime scene that makes me doubt that Yasuke died from being stabbed.""And what's that?" Mondo asked."Pay attention to Yasuke's corpse," Kyoko said. "Specifically, look at the way his body is bleeding. Did you notice anything unusual about it?"Kiyotaka scratched his head in confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked. "What do you want us to see?""Remember the bloodstains on his body," Kyoko said. "That alone will reveal the truth of how he died."Makoto recalled what he saw at the crime scene, keeping in mind the hint Kyoko gave to everyone. Hmm...the way Yasuke bled... he thought. What about it seems unusual? I mean, what can be so unusual about the way someone bleeds? There's no way-And then, it hits him. "Wait a second..." Makoto said in realization. "That's it!""Huh? What's it?" Kiyotaka asked."I didn't realize it until now," Makoto began to explain, "but thanks to your hint, Kyoko, I was able to see that the way Yasuke bled does look unusual! Think about it: if Yasuke did die from being stabbed, then some of his blood would've flowed downward, towards his legs. But looking at his corpse again, I can see that all of his blood flowed outward, towards his sides!"Sayaka gasped upon realizing what happened to Yasuke. "Does that mean...that he was stabbed...while he's...on the floor?" she asked."It seems like it," Makoto replied."Hold on!" Mondo shouted. "Are ya saying that the doctor was pinned to the floor and then got stabbed? If that happened, he could've fought back against his killer!""If Yasuke's killer did pin him down, then he wouldn't be stabbed in the abdomen," Kyoko explained. "Instead, his killer would've targeted places where they can reach, such as his face or neck. And they stand up to access his abdomen, then he would've moved out of the way""So...what's going on here?" Natsumi asked. "Why is everything about the corpse feel so...strange? I don't understand a thing!"Makoto thought about the strangeness surrounding the entire case. There's only one thing that could explain everything strange about this case, he thought. Once I figure that out, we'll become closer to finding the truth of this case. Think...what word can describe the truth of the crime scene? The answer is around here somewhere...
New Hangman's Gambit 2
START
Question: What is the truth behind the crime scene in Sayaka's room?Hint 1: The blood from the knife wound flowed outward instead of downward.Hint 2: Why do all of Yasuke's wounds and bruises are on his front side?Hint 3: Does the way Yasuke fell to the floor look natural?ANSWER: FAKED"I got it!"
BREAK
"That's it!" Makoto exclaimed. "The truth of the crime scene we found in Sayaka's room was that it was faked!"Everyone was stunned by the revelation."The crime scene was...fabricated?" Byakuya asked."What the hell?" Mondo asked. "You're telling me that the crime scene...isn't real?!""Looks like we've been fooled all along..." Celeste remarked."Wait, what does that mean?!" Leon shouted."It means that Sayaka's room isn't where Yasuke died!" Makoto said. "The real culprit made it look like he was lured to Sayaka's room and was killed there. In reality, he died somewhere else!""I had suspected that the crime scene was fake the moment I saw the body," Kyoko said. "After all, bodies don't typically fall down with their arms stiffly by their sides. And if a fight had broken out in Sayaka's room, then Yasuke would've been hit from all sides, not just at his front."Sayaka was shocked by the implications. "So...does that mean...I was framed...?" she asked."It definitely looks like it," Kyoko replied. "His killer found out that your room was unlocked, and so got the idea of moving his corpse there. After all, if a body is found in one of the dorm rooms, whoever owns that room would immediately become a suspect.""Couldn't the killer just drag his body into his own room?" Mondo asked. "After all, he's dead. They're free to take his stuff and hide his body into his own room.""If the killer simply wanted to obfuscate where Yasuke died, they could've done that," Kyoko replied. "And if Sayaka had locked her room, that was their only option. However, the killer had a different plan. They didn't just wanted to obfuscate where Yasuke died. They wanted to frame Sayaka for their crime!""But how did the killer find out that Sayaka's room was unlocked?" Natsumi asked."They probably tried out every door to see which one is left unlocked," Makoto said. "Once they found the unlocked room, they decided to hide Yasuke's body there."Yasuhiro scratched his head. "Wait, I'm confused," he said. "How exactly did the doctor die?""That's a good question, Hiro," Kyoko said. "Let's get into that."
Nonstop Debate 5
START
Kyoko: Regarding the true cause of Yasuke's death... / Since we know that the crime scene was faked, / we can rule out both the sword and knife / as they were used postmortem.Byakuya: Which leaves us with the syringe as the murder weapon...Leon: Hold on! Didn't I tell you guys earlier?! / It's impossible for the syringe to kill anyone! / The needle is just too small!Natsumi: Maybe the syringe didn't directly cause his death. / The killer must've injected something into him!Toko: O-Or they could extract blood...Yasuhiro: Nah, that syringe was a red herring. / The knife was the real cause of death!Kyoko: No. Yasuke must've been stabbed postmortem. / We've already established that.Byakuya: How dumb can you be...?
What could a syringe do that would lead to Yasuke's death? Looking at the evidence, I can see that there's another thing with a small hole as well. Perhaps that's the answer...
Truth Bullet Used: Bottle of BotoxWeak Point Agree: "injected something""I agree with that!"
BREAK
"You're onto something, Natsumi!" Makoto said. "Something was injected into Yasuke that caused his death!"Natsumi was surprised that she got something right. "What? Really?" she asked. "What do you mean?""During the investigation, we found a bottle with a hole on its lid," Makoto explained. "Looking at hole closely, it looks like it's the same size as the hole found on Yasuke's neck. That implies that the same syringe was used in both instances.""What does that bottle contain, by the way?" Hifumi asked."Botulinum toxin," Kyoko said. "Also known as Botox. It's among the most potent toxins known to mankind. Even a nanogram would cause serious damage to the nervous system, possibly leading to death.""What does botulinum toxin do when it's injected into the body?" Byakuya asked."Botulinum toxin blocks the release of neurotransmitters," Kyoko explained. "These neurotransmitters link the nervous system with the muscular system. Now, our muscles don't move on their own. They need a signal from the brain to tell them to move. A neurotransmitter's job is to relay those signals to the muscles so that they can move. But if something prevents these signals from being relayed, those muscles would be left unable to move. In most medical cases, botulinum toxin is used to treat overactive muscles and other muscle disorders. And in most cosmetic cases, the toxin is used to reduce facial wrinkles. However...if too much botulinum toxin is injected into the body, then it could lead to a disease called botulism.""Wow, I'm impressed that you know so much about...whatever that thing is called," Natsumi remarked. "What are you? Some sort of doctor?"Hearing about the toxin again reminded Mondo of something. "Hey, weren't you going to explain the symptoms of...whatever that is," he said."Botulism," Kyoko said. "It's a potentially fatal disease cause by an overdose of botulinum toxin. Symptoms include weakness, blurred vision, fatigue, and difficulties speaking. Normally, the disease doesn't affect a person's consciousness. A person can remain awake while suffering the effects of botulism. However, in severe cases, botulism will indirectly lead to someone blacking out and dying. You see, our breaths are controlled by muscles in our respiratory system. If those muscles become paralyzed for any reason, such as botulinum toxin preventing signals from the brain from reaching those muscles, it could lead to respiratory failure. And based on the Monokuma File, that's exactly what happened to Yasuke."Makoto thought about what he saw on the Monokuma File and realized Yasuke's true cause of death. "Now that I think about it, that might be how Yasuke died," he said. "If that toxin prevented him from breathing, then he would've died from oxygen starvation!"Leon is puzzled by the term Makoto brought up. "What the hell is oxygen starvation?" he asked. "You can't starve to death from a lack of oxygen.""Actually, you can," Kyoko replied. "It's called suffocation.""Don't forget about drowning," Hina added. "My swimming teachers advised us to not stay underwater for too long. Otherwise, you'll run out of oxygen and drown. From what I've heard, you can survive without oxygen for only a few minutes at best.""So the killer injected that...Botox stuff into his body," Mondo said, "which stopped his lungs from breathing, which led to his death.""That's a reasonable sequence of events," Kyoko remarked.Kiyotaka then noticed something wrong with the theory that botulinum toxin led to Yasuke's death. "Wait a second!" he said. "Hold up! How dare you say things that clearly contradict what the Monokuma File said?!"Everyone turned to Kiyotaka with a puzzled look on their faces."What's the matter, Taka?" Makoto asked. "What do have to say?""You guys claim that botulinum toxin was the cause of Yasuke's death?" Kiyotaka questioned. "How could that be? The Monokuma File clearly states that no traces of toxins were found in his body!""Don't you remember what you said during the investigation?" Kyoko asked. "A nanogram means a billionth of a gram. It's tiny amount.""Even so, that toxin should've been detected in his body, right?" Kiyotaka asked."Ahem, allow my to explain how my Super Advanced Toxin Detection Machine (Patent Pending) works!" Monokuma said. "This advanced piece of technology allows me to detect any toxins that were found within a dead person's body! All I need is a small sample of their blood and then I can run the tests to see if something toxic was used within their murder! That said, my Super Advanced Toxin Detection Machine (Patent Pending) is a tad inaccurate. It can't detect things if they are, oh I don't know, less than a microgram in mass. Still, it is a useful machine, don't you think?""So it can't detect things if they're less than a microgram in mass," Kyoko said. "A microgram is a millionth of a gram, and botulinum toxin is lethal on the order of nanograms, which are a billionth of a gram. It's possible that Yasuke was injected with enough toxin to kill him while also avoiding detection by the machine.""Oh...I get it..." Kiyotaka said, nodding as he understood what Kyoko is saying. But then another thought hits him. "So wait...where did the culprit get that toxin? How did the culprit managed to get their hands on the toxin?"Makoto gave Kiyotaka's questions some thought. Hmm...where could the culprit have gotten the toxin, he thought. We found a bottle of Botox in the cabinet of the infirmary. That cabinet contains lots of dangerous substances. It's usually locked. You need a key to have access to that cabinet, and the key was found on Yasuke's body. How was the culprit able to take from the key from Yasuke?The more Makoto thought about how the culprit got the botulinum toxin, the closer he got to finding the truth of the case. He felt like he's on the verge of a major revelation, one that will turn everyone's perception of the case on its head.Something's definitely off about this, Makoto continued to think. There's no way that the culprit could've gotten that key from Yasuke. Could they have known that he's carrying that key? I wonder...have we gotten this wrong the whole time? Think...think... There has to be an answer here somewhere...
Logic Ride 2
START
Question 1: Who had access to the locked cabinet in the infirmary?A. YasukeB. The culpritC. MonokumaQuestion 2: What was used to extract the Botox?A. EyedropperB. PaintbrushC. SyringeQuestion 3: Who originally had the syringe?A. The culpritB. YasukeC. A third partyQuestion 4: How did Yasuke lose the syringe?A. He threw it awayB. Someone stole itC. He left it behind
There's only one person who had access to that cabinet, one person who could've used the botulinum toxin, one person who had access to the syringe, and only one explanation for how the culprit got their hands on the toxin. That must be it. That must be how his murder went down.
Answers:1. A / 2. C / 3. B / 4. B
"I got it!"
BREAK
"That must be it!" Makoto shouted upon realizing it.Hifumi turned his head towards Makoto, giving him a confused look. "Huh?" he said. "What did you say?""There's only one way for the culprit to have gotten their hands on the toxin!" Makoto declared. "They stole the toxin from Yasuke!"Some of the students were left scratching their heads."Uh...I don't understand what you mean by that," Natsumi said. "What? Are you saying that the killer stole the bottle of...whatever from that cabinet?""If that were the case, then the killer had no reason to put it back where they found it," Byakuya replied. "They could've kept that bottle all to themselves."Makoto shook his head. "No, I don't mean that the culprit stole the entire bottle," he said. "That's impossible. What I mean is...that we've been getting this case wrong the entire time!"Everyone was baffled by what Makoto is saying."What the hell?!" Mondo exclaimed. "What are you even saying?!""That is crazy talk, Makoto!" Kiyotaka said, pointing a finger towards Makoto. "You can't just say stuff like that!""Actually, that's the truth!" Makoto insisted. "I tried to find an explanation for how the culprit got the toxin from Yasuke, and in doing so, I made a realization. Yasuke wasn't the victim. He was originally the culprit!"Everyone gasped upon hearing that revelation."W-What?" Sayaka asked, stunned by what Makoto is saying."Whoa! What a twist!" Hifumi hollered. "The victim was originally the culprit all along? Who could've seen that coming?""But why would you think that way, Makoto?" Hina asked."It's the only logical explanation I could come up with," Makoto explained. "Think about it. The bottle of Botox was found in the cabinet in the infirmary, a cabinet only Yasuke had access to with the key he had. Yasuke is also a doctor. He knew how to handle syringes properly. He used a syringe to extract the Botox from its bottle. That syringe became his intended murder weapon. He then attempted to use that syringe on someone to inject them with a lethal dose of Botox.""But...why Botox...?" Sayaka asked."I'm not sure," Makoto replied. "He probably wanted his victim to die a slow death where they die from their lungs being paralyzed. Anyways, somewhere along the way, Yasuke's plan backfired on him. His would-be victim took the syringe he was holding and used it on him instead, thus swapping the roles of victim and culprit. Yasuke would soon die by his own murder plan.""Wow! Talk about someone's murder plan ending up backfiring on themselves!" Monokuma said. "I sure didn't see that coming, or seen it happen like a thousand times before.""And so, we become one step closer to finding the truth of this case," Kyoko said. "Now that we know that Yasuke was the original culprit, we can find out who he was originally going to target was. Whoever he was planning to kill, that person is the true culprit of this case.""Alright, everyone!" Makoto said. "We're almost there! We just need everyone's account of what they did last night. Then, we can-""It was me."Makoto was stunned into silence when he heard the confession. "Huh?" he said in confusion."What's going on?" Kiyotaka asked. "Who said that?""You heard me. I did it.""Uh...what the hell was that?" Mondo asked. "Whose voice did I just hear?""I'm saying it right now. I'm the culprit you've all been looking for."It was at this moment when everyone made a collective realization. Slowly, they turn their heads towards the source of the voice. They saw Junko Enoshima hanging her head low, as if she's confessing something.Sayaka gasped in horror upon seeing who the culprit of the case is. "Junko...?" she asked. "You're...the culprit...?""Of course I am," Junko replied. "Is there any doubt about it?""Wait, this doesn't make any sense!" Leon shouted. "How come you're the culprit?! Are you lying?!""Calm down, Leon," Kyoko ordered. "Let Junko explain."Junko nodded her head as she explained her account of what happened last night. "So...last night," she began. "I was in my room trying to get some sleep for the night when suddenly, I heard my doorbell ring. I don't know who's at my door, so I cautiously answered it. To my surprise, it was my boyfriend Yasuke. I thought that he had abandoned me after watching those motive videos. I was so relieved that he came to talk to me again. Or at least...I thought he was going to do that. Then, he pulled out a syringe from his pocket, took off its cap, and lunged at me. I was frightened. I thought that I was going to be killed. My survival instincts kicked in. I fought back and took the syringe right from his hands. And then...I jabbed that syringe straight into his neck.""You poor thing..." Hina said."Did you know what's in that syringe?" Natsumi asked."I didn't know," Junko replied. "Shortly after I jabbed the syringe into his neck, Yasuke...froze in place. I was stunned. I couldn't believe what I had just done. My own boyfriend...was killed by me. I pulled myself away from and he just...fell to the floor. I tried shaking his body, trying to find out what's wrong with him. But I just couldn't find out. I was so ashamed of what I had done that I ran out of my room...""Oh no..." Sayaka said in shock."Did you try asking Yasuke anything?" Makoto asked. "Did he respond?""I tried speaking to him, but he wouldn't respond," Junko replied. "In fact, it was like he's completely unable to say anything...""Normally, the effects of botulinum toxin is limited to the injection site," Kyoko explained. "A typical dose of the toxin is small enough that it would not cause any complications. But since Yasuke was injected with an extremely high amount of the toxin, the effects of botulinum toxin was able spread across his body. And since the toxin was injected directly into his bloodstream, it was able to be distributed all around his body in a short time. The toxin wrecked havoc on his body as it stopped signals from getting to his muscles and internal organs, causing his body to shut down. If Yasuke doesn't receive immediate medical care, he will die. And in this case, we were far too late to save him."And then, another shocking thing happened."I must also confess something," Sakura said.Hina gasped when Sakura said that. "Huh?!" she said. "You too, Sakura?!"Sakura nodded her head. "Yes," she replied. "The truth is, I encountered Junko as she was exiting her room. She was in a panic, as if she did something she deeply regrets. She led me to her room, where I found Yasuke's body.""Was he dead back then?" Byakuya asked.Makoto gave Byakuya's question some thought. Hmm...in order for Sakura to have encountered Junko, she must've done so while they're both in the dormitory hallway, he thought. Yasuke's listed time of death on the Monokuma File is 12:00 AM, two hours after the nighttime announcement. If I recall correctly, Sakura left my room shortly after taking the weapons from me and Sayaka, and that happened shortly after the nighttime announcement. Which means..."No, Yasuke wasn't dead yet when Sakura found his body," Makoto answered. "He was still alive, but he was just hours from dying.""How could you tell?" Byakuya asked."Sakura left my room after she took the sword and the knife from me and Sayaka respectively," Makoto explained. "Hina and Sakura's confrontation with Sayaka occurred just after the nighttime announcement played. Since she encountered Junko shortly after leaving my room and Junko left hers shortly after injecting botulinum toxin into Yasuke, it means that Junko's brief fight against Yasuke must've happened while Hina and Sakura are confronting Sayaka about the knife she took from the kitchen.""So...a murder was happening close to where I am..." Hina said in horror.Yasuhiro then spotted something wrong about the theory. "Wait, something's not right!" he said. "If both events happened at around the same time, then why didn't Hina and Sakura spotted that doctor walking towards Junko's room? I mean, Junko's room and Sayaka's room are close to each other, right? Why didn't those two girls see him at all?"Makoto thought about it for a moment before giving his answer. "Yasuke was probably on his way to Junko's room while Hina and Sakura were waiting in front of Sayaka's room," he said. "Once he saw that Hina and Sakura were near his destination, he hid somewhere to evade their sights.""But where would he hide?" Yasuhiro asked. "It's a hallway! There's no place you can hide in there?""Actually, you can use corners as a hiding place," Makoto replied. "Yasuke's room is all the way up there near the trash room. His route to Junko's room would've taken him around a corner. After seeing Hina and Sakura in the hallway, he knew that he couldn't get to his destination without drawing their attention. He knew that if he was caught, his plan is done for. So, he hid at the corner and waited for both girls to leave the hallway. Once he saw that both girls had entered my room, that's when he made his move. He went to Junko's room as fast as he could before Hina and Sakura could leave my room. And from there...you all knew what happened, so I won't mention it again.""By the way, Hina..." Kyoko said. "How long was that confrontation with Sayaka?""Oh, I don't know," Hina began to reply. "Like...it was probably a minute long at most.""One minute, huh?" Kyoko said, making sure to keep that time in mind. She then turned her head towards Junko. "And Junko, how long was that fight against Yasuke?""Uh...it probably wasn't that long..." Junko said. "The whole fight consisted of him lunging at me, him raising his arm up, me grabbing the syringe from his hand, and me jabbing that syringe into his neck. If I had to guess, it was probably less than a minute long.""I see..." Kyoko said. "So the confrontation with Sayaka lasted about a minute, while the fight against Yasuke lasted less than that. I see enough time for Yasuke to walk up to your door, and for you to regret your actions.""Junko, what did you do after showing Sakura what you did?" Byakuya asked."Well, after I showed Yasuke's body, I asked Sakura to help me find a cure for Yasuke's condition," Junko explained. "We went to the infirmary to look for something, anything that could save Yasuke's life. But we never found a cure. We didn't clean up after ourselves, so...we left behind clear evidence.""Evidence like...the mess in the infirmary?" Makoto asked.Junko nodded her head. "Yes," she said."What about that syringe?" Kiyotaka asked. "Did you dispose of it while you were looking for a cure?""I did," Junko replied. "I took the syringe with me to get rid of the evidence. I...kind of, sort of, slammed the syringe into the medical waste bin.""After failing to find a cure, we went back to Junko's room to check on Yasuke," Sakura continued. "We stood there watching Yasuke waste away...until he passed away from suffocation."Hina was left in tears after hearing that story. "Oh Sakura..." she said. "I...I can't believe...that you watched someone die...before your eyes..."Kiyotaka then realized what Sakura watching Yasuke die meant. "Wait a second..." he began to say. "Sakura, if you watched Yasuke die, then that means you're the first person other than the culprit who saw the body! In that case, we should've heard an announcement stating that a body has been discovered in the middle of the night! So...why didn't we hear such an announcement back then?""Ahem, allow me to explain how the body discovery announcement works," Monokuma said. "In order for the body discovery announcement to play, at least half of the surviving students who aren't the blackened must set their eyes on a dead body. That's all you need to know about the body discovery announcement!""You know, you could've just explained all of this to us earlier instead of delaying it until it's too late," Natsumi said.Kyoko thought about the criteria needed for the body discovery announcement to begin playing. "Hmm...at least half of the surviving students must see a dead body before an announcement could play," she said. "Let's see...we stared out with 16 students. One of them died, so we're down to 15, and one more student committed the crime, so we're down to 14. That means that we need at least seven people to see the dead body before the body discovery announcement could play.""There were seven people in our group when we discovered Yasuke's dead body," Makoto added. "Those people were me, Sayaka, Kyoko, Taka, Leon, Hina, and Sakura. However, Sakura had already seen Yasuke's dead body earlier, so we just need six more people to discover the body before the body discovery announcement could play.""And it just so happens that we had just enough people in our group to fulfill that criteria," Kyoko said. "Thus, when we all set out eyes on Yasuke's corpse, the body discovery announcement began to play. Now, back to the topic at hand..."Junko nodded as she continued her testimony. "So, after I watched Yasuke die," she continued, "I noticed that Sakura was holding two weapons in her hand. I asked her where she got them from. She told me that she took them away from Makoto and Sayaka. That's when I got an idea. I decided to make it look like they did it, to frame them for my crime. I checked every dorm room too see which one I can use. I discovered that Sayaka's room was left unlocked, so I decided to fake a crime scene there. And...you knew how the rest went..."Sayaka was left in tears. "Junko..." she said, whimpering as she learned what Junko did to her room.Junko turned to Sayaka. "I know, Sayaka," she said. "I'm so sorry for using your room. I'm so sorry for framing you and Makoto for my crime. But...I felt like I had to do it. I wanted to clear myself of any suspicion. But...I guess there's no running away from the truth now."Sayaka sobbed as she felt like she's being used as part of someone else's crime. It made her feel even worse for nearly doing the same thing to Makoto. She threw herself into Makoto, crying into his chest. Makoto patted Sayaka on the back to help her calm down.Meanwhile, Hina was left with a heavy question about Sakura's involvement in the cover-up of Junko's crime. "Sakura..." she began. "Why? Why would you help a murderer...cover up her crime...?""Y-You could've just...k-killed her...instead of helping her," Toko said. "A-After all, you've caught the murderer...""Just to remind you kids," Monokuma began to explain. "If you were to murder a blackened...guess what? You've become the blackened instead! Only I have the right to deliver punishment to anyone to commits a murder within this school. If you try to take my job away by delivering punishment to the blackened in my stead, I'll punish you instead!""Well, in that case, why don't ya just not help her out at all?!" Mondo asked.Sakura hesitated to give an answer for a moment. "Junko...made me help her out to keep me from revealing her crime too early," she said. "I promised that if I helped her cover up her crime, then I won't say that she's the one who killed Yasuke."Hina was despondent as she learned that Sakura had willingly helped someone cover up their crime. "So...that's why you helped Junko..." she said.The trial room became silent as all of the questions surrounding the case had been answered."Well, that was an interesting trial," Kyoko said. "Looks like we have everything we need to go over what happened in this case. Shall we begin?"Makoto nodded his head. "Right," he replied.Makoto then began to do a recap of the entire case from start to finish. But before that could happen, he pushed Sayaka back to her podium and let her wipe away her tears. Then, he started his closing argument."So, here's everything that happened in this case," Makoto began. "The case began last night. I was at the trophy display case in the Athletics Hallway, having my eye on a specific weapon. That weapon was the gold-coated trophy sword. Due to the motive videos Monokuma had given us, I became concerned that-""We're not done yet," Leon said, interrupting Makoto's recap of the entire case."What?" Makoto said.Kyoko turned her head towards Leon, wondering what he's planning to do. "Leon...what are you doing?" she asked. "We're done with this case. There's no need to-""SHUT UP!" Leon roared.Everyone jumped when Leon roared out his rage."Oh no..." Byakuya muttered in disgust. "Have you learned nothing?!""Leon, stop it," Kyoko ordered. "This case is over! The culprit has been-""It's not over yet!" Leon declared. "There's still the possibility that bitch Sayaka could the culprit!""Me...?" Sayaka said in horror. The shock from the continued accusation made her drop to her knees."Dude, what the hell?!" Mondo shouted. "Why are you still attacking that Sayaka chick?!""It's because she could be the culprit!" Leon insisted. "Everything that Junko said must be a lie! She's tricking us into believing that she's the culprit to cover up for Sayaka's crimes!""But...that doesn't make sense!" Makoto shouted. "We've already established that there's no way Sayaka could be the culprit. We already have proof that she couldn't have done it!""So what?!" Leon shouted. "There's still a chance that bitch Sayaka could've pulled it off! You hear me?!"Leon is getting stubborn, Makoto thought. He still believes that Sayaka committed the crime, that she killed Yasuke, even though all the evidence points to otherwise. Well, looks like I'm going to have to show you the definite proof that Sayaka couldn't have done it! It doesn't matter if Sayaka had her weapons. All she needs is access to the crime scene at the time of Yasuke's death. And based on that one piece of evidence, she didn't have access to her own room when Yasuke died!
Argument Armament
Vs. Leon
START
"Shut up!""You bastard!""Why do you still believe in Sayaka?!""She was planning to kill me!""Don't you get it, you lucky bastard?""Everyone here is a monster!'"You can't trust anyone!""Junko must by lying!""She's only claiming to be the culprit to cover up Sayaka's crime!""Just...shut up already!""You're stupid...""All of you are stupid!""Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid!"
Moment of Truth
"Sayaka can go to her room and commit her crime there!"HINA BLOCKED THE DOOR
This is my answer!
"Gaaaaaahhhh!"
BREAK
"Even if Sayaka was able was able to get the weapons used Yasuke's murder," Makoto explained, "she couldn't access the fake crime scene, her dorm room, because Hina was blocking the door!""I told you guys about my account of what happened last night, remember?" Hina said. "I blocked the door to Makoto's room to prevent him and Sayaka from leaving. There's no way they could've accessed the fake crime scene.""So?!" Leon asked, still sounding insistent that Sayaka is the culprit. "You must be sleeping last night, were you? That means Sayaka must've waited until you fell asleep and then exited Makoto's room without you noticing!""But I had my back to Makoto's dorm room door the entire night," Hina countered. "I slept right in front of it. If that door were to open up, I would've woken up upon feeling my body move. Either that, or the door would've been difficult to move with me being in the way.""Also, look at Sayaka, Leon," Kyoko said. "Does that look like someone who has the will to kill someone?"Everyone drew their attention to Sayaka. She was on her knees, with her hands gripping the railing of the podium she's on. She's crying nearly uncontrollably."Ever since Sakura took away her weapon," Makoto began to explain, "Sayaka was in an awful mood. I have no idea what's she saw in her motive video, but...from the looks of it, she highly values the lives of the people that was in her motive video. She wanted to do whatever it takes to save their lives, including murder. She came up with her murder plan to try to save them. So when her murder plan had been foiled, she felt like she lost...everything. Her mood became like this ever since."Leon was baffled by what Makoto said. "W-What?" he asked. "How...? But she can still..." He was too frustrated to continue talking."It takes a lot of willpower to bring yourself to kill someone," Kyoko explained. "After all, you're taking away someone's life. Most people will hesitate when presented with the choice to end someone's life. And when that happens, most people will regret their actions. Sayaka here exemplifies this. She's simply too weak-willed to being herself to end someone's life. Do you get that?"Leon was left speechless."By the way..." Mondo began to ask. "Why did the doctor target the fashion chick? I thought that they were close friends.""I can explain that," Junko replied. "So, after we watched those motive videos, Yasuke became dismissive towards me. He refused to talk to me no matter how hard I tried. I'm not sure what he saw in his motive video, but...that video must've turned him against me. I think...he was planning to kill me from that moment onward...""Aw...what a sad way for a relationship to end," Monokuma remarked. "It's also a surprisingly common way for a relationship to end.""So, that should be it," Kyoko declared. "Everything about this case is cleared up. It's time for the denouement.""Don't you mean denouncement?" Kiyotaka asked."Y-You should get your ears c-cleaned," Toko said. "She clearly said de-new-man.""What does that mean?" Kiyotaka asked.Makoto ignored the little tangent. "Everyone!" he said. "Let's go over everything that happened in this case, starting from the beginning!"
Closing Argument
START
The case began last night. I was at the Athletics Hallway, looking at the trophy display case for a specific weapon. That weapon was the gold-coated trophy sword. Due to the motive videos Monokuma had given us, I became concerned that someone might try to kill me. So, I decided to grab the trophy sword for use in self-defense. However, the gold coating easily rubs off the sword if it even slightly touches a surface. I don't want to get my hands stained with gold, so I used my spare hoodie as makeshift gloves to protect my hands as I carried the sword and its stand to my room.Meanwhile, Sayaka went to the kitchen, passing by Hina and Sakura along the way. There, she looked for a specific weapon to be used in her murder plan. She soon found a suitable murder weapon: a large kitchen knife. It was one of the many large kitchen knifes that can be found in the kitchen. Sayaka took the large kitchen knife and walked out of the kitchen and the dining hall. Normally, it would've been difficult for anyone to get away with stealing a kitchen knife. But thanks to Sayaka's long hair, she was able to hide her knife underneath it, so she got away with stealing a knife. Or so she thought...And earlier, Yasuke was in the infirmary preparing his murder weapon. He had locked himself within the infirmary so that nobody would catch him with his murder weapon. Using his access to the dangerous substances cabinet and his vast knowledge in neurology, Yasuke extracted an extremely high dose of botulinum toxin using a syringe. He planned to use the syringe to inject his victim with a lethal dose of botulinum toxin, thus dooming them to a slow death where their body would shut down and they will die from respiratory failure.All three of us had taken our weapons independently of each other. We all planned to use our weapons to either murder someone or to defend ourselves in case of an attack. But little did we all know, our weapons would become involved in a tangled up murder case where the truth is buried underneath a pile of complications. If it weren't for our actions, this case wouldn't have happened.Soon, nighttime was approaching. After taking the knife from the kitchen, Sayaka immediately went to my room. She had planned to swap rooms with me so that she can trick a certain someone into my room, kill them there, and then frame me for her crime. For this reason, she left her room unlocked so that I can enter it. That would turn out to be a big mistake. I foolishly let her into my room, not knowing about her murder plan.Meanwhile, Hina and Sakura went back to the kitchen to clean up their dishes when they noticed that one of the knives had gone missing. They concluded that since Sayaka was the last person they saw enter the kitchen, she must be the one who stole the knife. And so, the two girls went to Sayaka's room to confront her about the knife.Elsewhere, Yasuke exited his room and made his way to the culprit's room. He had his syringe full of toxin in his hands, ready to use it against his victim. However, along the way, he encountered something he didn't expect to see. Hina and Sakura were in front of Sayaka's room, waiting for her to come out. The culprit's room is close to the two girls. There's no way he can go there without being caught. Yasuke knew that if was caught with the syringe, his plan would be done for. So, he hid behind the corner and waited for the two girls to go away.Back in my room, I had foolishly agreed to swap rooms with Sayaka. I went out to go to her room, not knowing that she had planned to use me as her scapegoat for her murder plan. But that's when it began to fall apart. Just after leaving my room, I encountered Hina and Sakura. The two girls spotted me and chased me back into my room. There, they saw that we both have weapons and concluded that we were planning a murder. Sakura took away our weapons and walked away, leaving Hina behind to prevent us from leaving my room.Outside in the hallway, Yasuke saw that Hina and Sakura were gone, but he knew that his window of opportunity was short. He quickly made his way to the culprit's room and rang the doorbell. The culprit answered the door, expecting a conversation to mend their relationship. But they were wrong. Yasuke lunged at them, intending to inject the toxin into their body. In a panic, the culprit stole the syringe from Yasuke and used it on Yasuke himself. Thus, the roles were swapped. Yasuke, who was the original culprit, became the victim. And his intended victim became the culprit. Immediately, the culprit regretted their actions and wished for a way out of the situation they had out themselves in.Sakura then exited my room with both my weapon and Sayaka's weapon in her hands. She met up with the culprit and saw the body. The culprit explained to Sakura what they had done. The culprit thought that she had injected poison into Yasuke and thought that there would be a cure for it. They soon searched the infirmary looking for a cure, but no such cure for the disease Yasuke is undergoing, botulism, was available. The only thing they could do is watch as Yasuke suffocates to death.Seeing the weapons that Sakura had confiscated from me and Sayaka, the culprit decided to frame both of us for their crime. And seeing that Sayaka's room was still unlocked, the culprit decided to move Yasuke's body there. After doing that, the culprit worked with Sakura to make it look like Yasuke was actually killed there. And so, a fake crime scene has been created.That was everything we know about how the crime happened. This case is a tangled, confusing mess, but we managed to get through it.So, do you have anything else to say, Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Fashionista?
COMPLETE
"Well? Any questions?" Makoto asked after finishing his conclusion of the case.Junko shook her head. "No...I don't," she said. "That was...everything that happened..."Sayaka lifted herself up and stared at Junko. Her eyes were red from all the tears she shed. "Junko..." she muttered.Hina began to regret not getting out of Makoto's room when she had the chance. "If only I didn't stay in Makoto's room and looked outside for just a moment..." she said in lament. "Then I could've prevented another murder from happening...""There wasn't much we could do to prevent Yasuke's death, Hina," Sakura said. "As soon as we both entered Makoto's room, Yasuke's fate was sealed.""Nah, he was totally doomed to die," Yasuhiro said. "I saw his fate with my crystal ball. He's definitely going to die soon.""You know, I would complain about how you relied on that stupid crystal ball to see everyone's futures," Natsumi replied. "But I just...I just don't have the energy anymore...""Damn..." Mondo grumbled. "Why does it have to be this way?"Everyone was in silence as the Class Trial came to a close."Wow!" Monokuma exclaimed. "That Class Trial ended quickly! I thought that this will take a lot longer what with all the red herrings you encountered. But since the blackened has decided to confess, I guess that means that this Class Trial is now over, which means that we can finally move on to the long awaited Voting Time! Everyone, please case your votes on the blackened!"A special screen then appeared on everyone's E-Handbooks. It's the voting screen. It consists of a 4 by 4 grid of everyone's faces. To cast their vote, the students pick one of the faces and press a button to confirm their selection. Since Junko had confessed to killing Yasuke, everyone decided to pick her.
Voting Results
Junko Enoshima: 14 votesSayaka Maizono: 1 voteEveryone else: No votes"I would ask if you guys had either made the right choice or the dreadfully wrong one," Monokuma said, "but that would be fluff. You all know who the blackened is. Anyways, onto the results!"
Final Verdict
The blackened of this case is: Junko Enoshima"Congratulations! The blackened was discovered!"
Class Trial 1
ALL RISE
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Day 4 - 9:59 PMDormitory, First Floor
Yasuke exited his room and locked the door. He made his way towards Junko's room, planning to murder her. She used to be his girlfriend, but not anymore. Ever since he saw his motive video, he doesn't Junko as his girlfriend anymore. There's a syringe in his pocket, filled with an extremely high dose of botulinum toxin. With his vast knowledge on neurology, Yasuke decided to use a neurotoxin to commit his crime. He doesn't care if his crime could be traced back to him. After all, who else but a doctor can think of using a syringe to inject a deadly toxin to his victim's body? And only he had access to the dangerous substances in the infirmary. A moderately competent person would've figured out that the culprit could only be him. He doesn't want to escape this school. He wanted Junko dead.However, along the way, Yasuke encountered an obstacle. He turns around a corner to reach the part of the hallway Junko's room is connected to. Immediately, he saw Hina and Sakura standing in the hallway in front of Sayaka's room.That's no good, Yasuke thought. If those girls catches me with my murder weapon, then my plan is done for. I'd better hide...Quickly, Yasuke backed off and hid behind the corner before the two girls could notice him. From there, he waited until the two girls leave.Soon, the nighttime announcement played. Yasuke peeked from around the corner to see what's going on. Shortly after the nighttime announcement played, Makoto exited his room. Hina and Sakura spotted Makoto and chased him back into his own room, closing the door behind them as they went in. Seeing this opportunity open up, Yasuke acted quickly. He rushed to Junko's room door and rang the doorbell....Junko answered the door and sees Yasuke outside. Initially, she seems excited that her boyfriend wants to talk to her again."Oh, hi Yasuke," Junko greeted. "I'm glad that you decided to talk to me for once. Are you here to apologize for pushing me away?"Yasuke had no intention of mending his relationship with Junko. He squinted his eyes as he reached for his pocket.Junko grew a concerned look on her face. "Um...Yasuke?" she asked. "What are you doing?"It looks like Junko is suspecting that Yasuke is planning to do something to her. Yasuke knew that he had to act fast. Hina and Sakura could come out of Makoto's room at any moment. He pulled the syringe out of his pocket, took off the needle cover, and lunged towards Junko."Whoa! Yasuke!" Junko cried.Junko grabbed onto Yasuke's hand and tried her best to push it away from her. She saw the syringe in his hand. She doesn't know what's inside that syringe, but it'll probably kill her if it was injected into her. Thinking fast, Junko did something that Yasuke didn't expect her to do. She threw Yasuke down into the floor, knocking the syringe off of his hand.Junko then jumped on top of Yasuke, pinning him down to the floor. She then grabbed onto Yasuke's neck, planning to choke him to death. Yasuke tried his best to pull Junko's hands away from his neck. But for some reason, Junko's grip on his neck was tighter than he expected. He doesn't know why. Junko then reached out for the syringe and grabbed it. Then, she lifted the syringe high into the air.Yasuke's eyes widened upon seeing Junko grab the syringe. He knew what was about to happen. His own murder weapon was going to be used against him!Junko then jabbed the syringe straight into Yasuke's neck and injected him with everything in the syringe.Yasuke froze in place as the botulinum toxin was injected into his body and flowed through his bloodstream. The dosage he got was much higher than what is considered safe. Soon, that toxin will block signals to his muscles, making them unable to move again.Junko then became horrified at what she had done. "Oh no..." she said. "Yasuke...?""Junko..." Yasuke said as he felt his chest becoming tighter. "What...have you...done...?"Junko got off of Yasuke, pulling the syringe out of his neck in the process. She stood above him as she realized that she had killed her own boyfriend. "No..." she said in denial at first. "No...nonononono! No! What have I done? What have I done?!"It was at this moment when Sakura exited Makoto's room with the confiscated weapons in her hands. She noticed that the door to Junko's room had been left open, so she went there to check. There, she saw Junko standing in front of Yasuke on the floor."What's going on?" Sakura asked. "What happened here?"Junko turned around and saw Sakura at her door. She freaked out at the sight of Sakura. "Ah!" she screamed. "Oh no! I've been caught!"Sakura looked down at Yasuke. He seems to be alive, but something's seriously wrong with him. "Dr. Matsuda..." she said. "Junko...what did you do to him?""I don't know!" Junko replied. "Yasuke lunged at me all of a sudden with a syringe in his hands! I had to do something to save my life! So, I took that syringe and jabbed it into his neck, injecting everything in that syringe into his body! I don't know what's inside that syringe, but it's probably killing him...""Jun...ko..." Yasuke gasped out. "How...could you...do...this...to me...?"Sakura heard Yasuke's voice and concluded that he's still alive. "So he's alive," she said. "Based on how he looks, he might not have much time left to live. We could save him if we acted fast..."Junko perked up upon hearing Sakura's suggested. "You think we can cure...whatever Yasuke is suffering from?" she asked. "That sounds great! Hey, let's get to the infirmary and see if we find a cure!"Junko and Sakura rushed to the infirmary to look for anything that could save Yasuke's life. They searched through every cabinet they had access to in hopes of finding a cure. But all of the medicine they could find treats minor ailment such as headaches, runny nose, sore throats, and the like. None of them could possibly treat what Yasuke is suffering from. Not that it matters, since neither of them are doctors, so they have no idea what medicine treats what ailment.The two girls returned to Yasuke empty-handed. By the time they returned, Yasuke was breathing his last breaths. His gasps for air are weak, as if his lungs are being restricted. Soon, he stopped breathing altogether. And without being able to breath in precious oxygen, Yasuke passed away not too long afterwards."Yasuke..." Sakura said in sorrow.Junko knelt down next to Yasuke's lifeless body. She cried over the death of her boyfriend, knowing that she had killed him. "What should I do...?" she asked. "I...killed my own boyfriend. I...know that he attacked me first, but still... This shouldn't have happened... If the others found this body in my room...then...I'm done for. I won't be able to escape this school..."Sakura lifted up the weapons she has been holding the entire time. "Well, what about these weapons?" she suggested. "Do you have any idea on what we should do with them?"Junko stopped crying as she turned her heard towards Sakura. She saw the weapons in her hands. She can't believe that she had missed these weapons the entire time. No wonder Sakura didn't help her at all in finding a possible medicine. Her hands were too full. She wondered where Sakura had gotten those weapons, though."Sakura..." Junko began to say. "Where did you get those weapons?""I confiscated them from Makoto and Sayaka," Sakura explained. "I caught them with these weapons. Hina assumed that they were planning to murder someone, so she had me take those weapons away from them.""Makoto and Sayaka...?" Junko said. An idea then formed in her head. "Hey...do you think I could...move Yasuke's body somewhere else and frame someone for my crime?""If that's what you want to do, then go ahead," Sakura said. "I'll hand over these weapons to you. Then, you can use these weapons to create a crime scene that will frame whoever you want for your crime.""Aw, thanks," Junko said as she took the sword and the knife from Sakura. "By the way...why are you helping me?"Sakura turned her back on Junko. "I cannot say," she replied. "You're on your own, Junko. I'm going back to my room."Sakura then walked away. With the weapons in her hands, Junko soon got to work in creating a crime scene to frame someone of her choosing. She doesn't want to do this, but since the weapons were taken from Makoto and Sayaka, Junko decided to frame both of them. She tried out every dorm room door to see which one she could use. If there aren't any, she could always use Yasuke's room. Yasuke is dead, so Junko should be free to take his E-Handbook and room key. Soon, Junko discovered that Sayaka had left her room unlocked. Junko then dragged Yasuke's corpse into Sayaka's room, turned the room into a mess as if a fight had broken out there, beat up Yasuke's corpse with the sword, and finally stab him in the abdomen with the knife.After creating the fake crime scene, Junko left Sayaka room and held her breath as she waited for everyone else to discover the body.
Day 5 - Unknown TimeTrial Room, Underground
Everyone stepped off of the podiums as Monokuma delivered the announcement."Wow, what a shocking surprise!" Monokuma said sarcastically. "The person who confessed into committing the crime turns out be the culprit! Yes, you've got it right! The person who killed Yasuke Matsuda, the person whom Yasuke was trying to kill, was none other than his girlfriend! Junko Enoshima!"Everyone stared at the guilty Junko. Well, almost everyone. Junko looks ashamed at what she had done. She had killed her own boyfriend, and had done everything she could to try to obscure the truth as much as possible. Even if it turns out that Yasuke initiated the fight and was intending to murder Junko, he still doesn't deserve his fate.Monokuma then turned his attention to Leon, who still looks pissed. "And to the one person who rebelled from the rest and voted for someone else," he began to say, "jeez, do you have a grudge against whomever you voted on? Even after you heard all of the evidence pointing to the contrary, you're still insistent that she's the killer?"Leon began making incoherent sounds as he stared at Sayaka."Jeez, Leon," Mondo said. "How pissed off are you? You look even angrier than me on my worst days."Sayaka took one look at Leon before turning her head away. She doesn't want look at Leon in the eyes ever again.Kyoko got annoyed at Leon for continuing to be angry at Sayaka. "Leon, drop the grudge," she ordered. "I know that you're mad at her for planning to kill you. But you must understand that her plan had been stopped. It's in the past now. Get over it.""If anything, you should be thanking me for saving your life, Leon," Hina said. "If I hadn't intervened and stopped Sayaka's plan, who knows what might happen...""Shut up!" Leon shouted. "She planned to kill me, dammit! How could I stay calm when the girl I liked was planning to kill me?! I thought that Sayaka was interested in me. I thought that she liked me. I thought that if I learned some tricks from her, my music career would be a successful one! But now...I can't see Sayaka as anything other than a bitch!""If there's anyone to blame for this, it's you," Byakuya said.Leon turned towards Byakuya and grew angry at him. "What?!" he asked. "What do you mean I'm the one at fault here? Sayaka is the one you should be blaming! She's the one who planned to kill me, remember?!""Face it, lion-wannabe," Byakuya began to explain. "You're no different than that pest standing there. You remain insistent that the person you're interested in is reciprocating your feelings, even though all the signs point to the opposite. You got on Sayaka's nerves and made her angry at you enough to want you dead. You're a leech, a person who offers nothing of value in return to the person you're with. Those who become leeches to the person they're in a relationship with doesn't deserve to be in a relationship! Unless you're willing to learn from that mistake, you should stay away from girls!""H-Hey!" Toko complained. "D-Don't compare me to t-that loser!"Leon is at a loss for words. He doesn't know what to say next. He stuttered and stuttered until he ran out of things to say."Enough with the talk about Sayaka, Leon," Kyoko said. "This case isn't about her. It's about Junko. She's the one we should be focusing on."Everyone soon turned their attention towards Junko."Look...it was an accident, okay?" Junko said. "I just...I didn't expect to see my boyfriend try to kill me. I didn't know that my boyfriend was intending to inject me with a toxin that would paralyze me to death. I relied on my instincts, and I...I ended up killing Yasuke...with my own hands..."Makoto began to recall his last conversation with Yasuke. In that moment, he realized that what Yasuke had said back then was a warning for what will happen next. "You know...this reminds me of something," he said. "I talked to Yasuke just after we watched our motive videos. I asked him about why he slapped away Junko when she tried to comfort him. His reply... I can't help but feel like what he said is an ominous message...""What did Yasuke said to you?" Kyoko asked."Yasuke told me that we're playing a game where our best friends can turn into our enemies," Makoto replied. "He told me that we can't trust anyone anymore. Someone may attempt murder on another person at any time. He gave me an example that if I tried to get a checkup from him, he may jab a syringe full of a lethal substance into my body. Looking back at my last conversation with him, I should've taken that as a warning of what he's planning to do.""So he was planning to murder Junko from the moment he watched his motive video," Kyoko concluded."Wait, so if Yasuke was planning to kill Junko the whole time," Hina began to ask, "then why didn't you tell us that? We could've stopped him from carrying out his murder plan long before he had a chance to do it!""It's just as Yasuke said," Makoto explained. "Our trust in each other is fragile after we watched our motive videos. Everyone is on edge, worried that someone might try to kill them. If I told you guys that Yasuke was planning a murder, I doubt that any of you would believe me. Besides, it's not like I can do anything to stop Yasuke once I learned about his plan. If I try to enter the infirmary while he's preparing for his murder plan, he might inject a toxic substance into my body and kill me.""So in the end, that doctor was fated to die," Yasuhiro concluded. "The moment that doctor made his murder plan, he was doomed. Now if only would listen to me and hear my predictions for his future, he would've done everything he could to stop himself from dying. My predictions do come true 30% of the time, every time. Once you learned about your fate, you are given a chance to avert it. But since that doctor chose to ignore it, he's doomed to die.""What did you expect?" Natsumi asked, exasperated at Yasuhiro still making these stupid predictions. "Yasuke was a doctor. He'll reject anything that doesn't conform to his scientific viewpoint.""And one more thing about what Yasuke said in my last conversation with him," Makoto continued. "Do you remember what he said about our best friends turning into our enemies? Well, that's kind of what happened in this case...twice.""What do you mean by that?" Kiyotaka asked."Leon thought the world of Sayaka," Makoto explained. "He once saw her as a world-renowned idol. He thought that learning her tricks would help him become a musician. But after learning that Sayaka had planned to kill him, he lost all respect for her. He no longer sees Sayaka as a friend anymore. And as for Junko and Yasuke, they were dating each other until they watched their motive videos. After watching his motive video, Yasuke turned against Junko and wanted her dead. In both cases, a friend had turned into an enemy."Leon threw his hands into the air. "So what?!" he shouted. "What about you and Sayaka? How come you didn't turn against her when you learned that she was trying to use you as part of her murder plan?!""Because...I knew that Sayaka was in a really bad mental state," Makoto explained. "From the moment I saw her reaction to her motive video, I had a feeling that she might do things that she'll never do under any normal circumstances. Sayaka deeply regrets what she tried to do to me. That's why I forgive her for her mistake. I don't see her as...whatever mean word you want to call her. I see her as a victim of the situation we're all trapped in. That goes for all of you. I won't blame any of you for trying to kill each other, because at the end of the day, we're all the victims."Monokuma tilted his head in confusion to what Makoto is saying. "Eh? What do you mean by that?" he asked. "Don't tell me..."Makoto then turned his head towards Monokuma, pointing a finger at him. "Because, the one we should be blaming for all of this tragedy," he continued, "is you, Monokuma! It's all your fault! You made this tragedy happen! You nearly pushed Sayaka into murdering Leon. You pushed Yasuke into trying to kill his girlfriend Junko, and because of that, she ended up killing him instead! Every murder that will ever happen here is all because of you!""Aw, come on," Monokuma said. "Do you really think that it's my fault that you guys decided to kill each other? If anything, the real blame should be placed on you guys! You all saw this opportunity to betray each other and used it to your advantage. I had no part in any murders that happened in this school.""Yes, you do!" Makoto shouted angrily. "You all trapped us into this school and forced us into playing a killing game! You offered the prize of getting to escape this school should we get away with murder! You gave us motives to push us further into killing each other! If it weren't for you, none of us would've died. All of us would still be alive! We all could've worked together to find a way out of this school! But thanks to you, we began turning against each other. Don't you see? It's all your fault! Every tragedy that will ever happen in this school is your fault! So stop blaming us and accept that you're-"Kyoko ran up to Makoto and restrained him. "Makoto! Calm down!" she ordered."Hey! Kyoko!" Makoto yelled as he struggled to free himself from Kyoko. "Let go of me!""Stop trying to get Monokuma to change his mind," Kyoko said. "No matter what you try to do, you can't change Monokuma's mind. He'll dismiss everything you try to say to him.""She's right," Monokuma said in agreement. "You can't change my mind. You think you can end the killing game just after your first case? You're such a naive fool, Makoto. I won't stop this killing game. It'll continue on until there's only two people remaining! Or at least, until my motives stop working. But it'll definitely end once there are two people who are left alive! Oh, and by the way, do you remember the special motive I gave to you and Sayaka?"Everyone became shocked by what they heard, especially Makoto and Sayaka."...What?" Makoto said as he stopped struggling."Special motive?" Kiyotaka asked. "What do you mean they had a special motive? I never heard anything about someone getting a special motive!""Phuhuhu," Monokuma laughed. "That's because I gave them the special motives in secret, while none of you guys aren't looking. You see, I saw how close that couple had gotten ever since this killing game started. I thought about getting one of them killing off one of them to give the surviving so much despair, but I find that too boring. Killing off a protagonist's love interest just to move the plot forward is just too cliche these days. So instead, I gave them an opportunity to graduate together! As long as one of them commits murder without the other discovering their murder plans, both parties will get to graduate together! However, if at any point one of the parities discovers the other's murder plan, then both parties' motives would be revoked!""That sounds so cruel..." Hina said, lamenting her decision to stop Sayaka before she could pull off her murder plan.Leon grew angrier at Sayaka after learning about her special motive. "So you were planning on murdering me just so you can escape this school with that damn lucky bastard!" he shouted. "You bitch! Why would you save his life over mine?!"Sayaka fell to her knees and cried uncontrollably. Kyoko let go of Makoto to let him try to comfort Sayaka. Mondo saw how devastated Sayaka is and decided to punch Leon in the face as punishment."Ow!" Leon yelped. He covered his bruised cheek in pain. "Hey! What the hell?!""You leave that blue-haired chick alone!" Mondo shouted."She planned to kill me!" Leon countered."So what?!" Mondo shouted. "She was stopped before she could kill anyone!"Leon shoved Mondo away. "Even so, I can't stop being mad at her!" he shouted. "I once respected Sayaka, seeing her as my idol. I once thought the world of her! But now...I saw what she truly is. She's a bitch, and I won't forgive bitches who tried to kill me!""But what if Sayaka's murder plan did succeed?" Celeste began to ask. "What if she did try to kill you?""Huh?" Leon said as he turned to Celeste, giving her a confused look."Let's say that Sayaka is approaching you, and you didn't know that she was intending to kill you," Celeste said. "How would you act once she begins trying to kill you?""Well, I would try to fight back, obviously!" Leon replied without thinking."But you respected Sayaka," Celeste said. "You thought of her as your idol. You thought that she's interested in you. Surely, you would lower your guard once she approaches you, right?""Huh?" Leon said again. "Why would I do that?""That's what you get for getting on Sayaka's bad side," Byakuya said, "and not picking up the signs that she's not interested in you. There's a reason why she chose you as her target. She believed that you would lower your guard when she's around you. And once she saw that your guard has been lowered, she'll move in for the kill.""But-" Leon tried to say."Enough of this talk about Sayaka and her murder plan," Sakura said. "It's not relevant anymore. Her plan has been foiled, and her and Makoto's motives were revoked once I confiscated their weapons from them."Makoto was confused when Sakura mentioned that his and Sayaka's motives were revoked. "Huh?" he said in surprise. "How did you know that my motives were revoked along with Sayaka's?"Sakura let out a sigh. "I cannot say," she said.Makoto tried to open his mouth to question Sakura further. But before he could say another word, Monokuma interrupted him with an announcement."You know, I would love to stick around and hear what everyone has to say about that Class Trial," Monokuma said. "But I'm getting bored here. The execution is ready and it's thirsty for the blood of the blackened!"Junko knew that her life is about come to an end. "Well, this is it," she said. "I'll get my punishment...for murdering my boyfriend...""So what's your execution going to be like?" Celeste asked. "Will you get your head chopped off via a guillotine? From what I've heard, even the most vile person in history was executed with a guillotine.""How about an electric chair?" Kyoko suggested."Or hanging," Kiyotaka added. Then he realized what he just said. "Wait, why are we talking about executions in a positive manner? We're about to watch one of our own be executed!"Monokuma looked at all of these suggestions and laughed them off. "Hahaha!" he laughed. "No, you silly students. My executions are nothing like that! I've tailored my executions to fit with the talent of the blackened, and I made sure to make these executions as painful and humiliating as possible! You won't find any dignity in any of my executions! Now then, for our very first punishment of the killing game, I've prepared a special one made just for the blackened, Junko Enoshima!"A door then opened up in one of the walls. A claw came out of the opening, weaving its way around the students as it approached its target. It soon reached Junko Enoshima. The claw clamped down on Junko's neck, ready to drag her away to the execution chamber.Before the claw could yank her to the execution chamber, Junko made one final request to Monokuma. "Hey Monokuma," she said. "Can I...say some last words?""Make it quick," Monokuma said. "You don't want to keep your execution waiting."Junko then turned towards Makoto and Sayaka. "Makoto... Sayaka..." she called.Makoto and Sayaka lifted their heads up to Junko."...What?" Makoto said."I'm sorry to say this to you two right before I die," Junko confessed. "But...you two are the best friends I could ever ask for. Even if we only knew each other for a short time, I will treasure every moment we spent together."Makoto was left stunned and confused. He had no idea that Junko had these thoughts about him. Those words she said to him...they felt...strange for some reason. Makoto became silent as he struggled to process these feelings.Sayaka cried even harder after hearing Junko's confession. "Junko..." she muttered.Monokuma then declared that the execution has been waiting for long enough. "Alright, that's enough!" he declared. "Now then, I've prepared a very special punishment for Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Fasionista!"Sayaka began to panic as she watched as one of her friends was about to be executed. "No...please!" she begged. "Junko! Please stay here...for just a little longer..."Junko shook her head. "I'm sorry, Sayaka," she said. "But rules are rules, and I must face my punishment...no matter what.""Let's give it everything we've got!" Monokuma shouted. "It's PUNISHMENT TIME!"The claw then yanked Junko into the execution chamber, leaving everyone behind. Sayaka fruitlessly tried to reach out to Junko as she was being dragged away, disappearing into the darkness."JUNKOOOOO!" Sayaka cried.
GAME OVER
Junko has been found guilty. Time for the punishment!
The footage of the execution begins in complete darkness. Sounds of clothes ruffling fill the air. It sounds like Junko is being disrobed and is dressed up in a new outfit. Soon, the ruffling sounds stop and the lights turn on, revealing that Junko is in a catwalk surrounded by all sides by a crowd of Monokuma units. Her outfit leaves little to the imagination. It can only be described as a black X that spans across her torso, conveniently covering her naughty parts. The black X is connected to a miniskirt not too different from the one Junko usually wears. Her footwear simply consists of a pair of black high heels. The outfit as a whole looks like a wardrobe malfunction waiting to happen. Hopefully, something like that doesn't happen during the execution...
Catwalk to Death
"Search traffic are going to spike after this!"
Ultimate Fashionista's Execution
Junko looked confused and mortified at the situation she's in. She's confused at the fact that she's on a fashion show catwalk for her execution, and mortified at the outfit she's wearing for her execution. Her outfit is incredibly revealing, showing off most of her skin for everyone to see. She began to regret killing her boyfriend Yasuke, but it's not like she had a choice. It's either she dies and Yasuke gets executed, or the other way around. Either way, they're both going to be dead. That's the only good thing that will come out of this execution.Junko then felt a sharp pain coming from her back. She turned around and saw Monokuma poking on her back with a spear. It looks like he wants her to walk out into the catwalk as part of the fashion show. Junko reluctantly agreed to doing what Monokuma wants from her. She walked out into the catwalk to show off her...embarrassing outfit to the crowd of Monokuma units.The crowd of Monokuma units pulled out cameras and began taking pictures of Junko. Junko initially tried to pose for the camera to make herself look good in her final moments. But it quickly became apparent to her that the crowd of Monokuma units are more interested in the amount of skin she's revealing than the outfit as a whole. Junko could feel her dignity dropping as more and more photos are taken of her.Then, the real execution began. Monokuma came down from the ceiling of the stage welding an assortment of weapons. He revved up the machine gun and began firing it off into the catwalk. Immediately, Junko saw that she's under attack, and soon made a run for the end of the catwalk. Platforms began to rise up from the floor, extending the catwalk further.Junko ran across the stage on the catwalks, desperately trying to escape the barrage of attacks coming from Monokuma. Monokuma grew frustrated at how Junko is avoiding all of his shots, and so decided to use more of his arsenal. He fired rockets at Junko, lobbing grenades at her, even launching harpoons at her. None of these attacks hit. Somehow, Junko managed to avoid all of the attacks. She jumped, slid, and sidestepped out of the way of every attack, frustrating Monokuma even more.Finally, Junko reached the exit doors. She's excited to see them at first. She thought that she could escape from her execution and get to live with the rest of her classmates. Sure, some of them will want to keep their distance from her as she's a known murderer. But still, she just wanted to survive, even after she had done something so horrible. She reached out to the doorknobs, opened the door, and...was greeted with a spear to the abdomen, the exact spot where she stabbed Yasuke to make the fake crime scene.Junko froze in disbelief after seeing that she was hit. She can't believe that she let her guard down for even a single moment. She can't believe that she had been tricked by Monokuma into thinking that the exit door is real. Monokuma approached Junko from behind with the machine gun in his hands. He fired the gun at Junko, tearing countless holes into her body. The spear then retracted, leaving Junko's now-lifeless body to flop to the floor. The execution ends with a view of Junko and her bleeding body, focusing on her wide open eyes....Every surviving student was shocked at what they had witnessed on the big screen. The entire execution left scars on everyone's minds. Junko...the girl who murdered her boyfriend in self-defense, was executed mercilessly. Everyone watched as one of their classmates was shot to death. Soon after the execution ended, Monokuma came out of the headmaster's podium to announce the results."Wahooo!" Monokuma cheered. "What a despair-inducing ending! Do you guys really think that Junko can escape me forever? I sure didn't! I made sure to puncture her with more holes than what can be found in Swiss cheese!"Sayaka felt like vomiting at the sight of the execution. What she saw was so sickening. She saw so many holes in Junko's body. Junko was impaled by the spear so hard that it left a gaping hole in her body. And the worst part? Sayaka felt like that could've been her. If Sayaka had successfully pulled off her murder plan and fails to get away with it, she will find herself executed in a similar manner to Junko. The entire thought made Sayaka feel stick to her stomach.Makoto patted Sayaka on the back to stop her from vomiting. He too felt disturbed at the thought of witnessing Sayaka be executed like Junko. That execution was far crueler than he could've ever imagined. Being impaled by a spear and being gunned down by a machine gun is a brutal way to be executed. Well, it's a good thing that Sayaka's murder plan was stopped in time. If that wasn't the case... He doesn't want to imagine the feeling of sentencing his best friend to death.Toko had passed out upon seeing the spear impale Junko. She woke up shortly after the execution ended, wondering what's with everyone's shocked looks on their faces. "H-Huh?" she said as she looked around, seeing everyone's reaction to the execution. "W-What happened? W-What did I miss?""You didn't miss much, Toko," Sakura replied. "Junko was doomed to die the moment that spear impaled her in the abdomen. Monokuma then did something else to Junko just to make sure she's dead. You don't want to know what happened to Junko after she got impaled."The other students had more vocal reactions to seeing the execution of Junko."What the shit...?" Mondo said, wishing that what he had witnessed wasn't real."W-What the hell?!" Leon gasped in horror. "So...you put Junko into a sexy outfit...and then put holes all over her body?! Gah! That just sounds...so wrong in so many ways! Now I don't feel like looking at barely-clothed girls anymore...""You see that execution?" Monokuma said. "This is what you get if you disturb the harmony. This is what you get for murdering someone and failing to get away with it. You will die in a humiliating way, tailored to your talent. And if you think that witnessing this execution will get you to stop murdering each other, then you're wrong! This won't be the last time someone gets executed! Mark my words: you will continue to see this!""That was...so brutal!" Natsumi shouted in horror. "Even my yakuza clan's punishments weren't as brutal as that! And we often let the people we punish live!""Ugh, that looks disgusting..." Hifumi remarked, repulsed by what he had witnessed. "I prefer 2-D women over 3-D women, but still, watching a woman be gunned down is just..." He was unable to bring himself to speak further."Oh no..." Hina said in horror. "Poor Junko... Even if she did commit murder, she didn't deserve to die like that...""...Well, that certainly was an interesting way to execute someone," Celeste remarked. "I didn't expect Junko to be executed like that.""How could you say something like that to someone who just died?!" Kiyotaka shouted.Byakuya glanced away from the rest of the group. "Shut up," he ordered. "Why should we care so much about someone who died? Junko got what she deserved."Kiyotaka turned towards Byakuya, appalled by what he said. "Huh?! Are you saying that you're not going to care about someone who just died?!" he shouted. "Come on! That was our friend! We can't just dismiss our friends after they died!"Hina became angry at Byakuya after hearing what he said about Junko's death. "Hey, did you just say that Junko got what she deserved?" she asked. "I don't think so! None of us deserve to die! It's not our fault that we're trying to kill each other. Like Makoto said, it's all Monokuma's fault! He's the one to blame for everyone's deaths!""Aw, are you kids still insisting that it's my fault for everyone's deaths, that I'm the one to blame for all the tragedy?" Monokuma asked before shaking his head in denial. "No, no, no. I'm not the one at fault here. I may have trapped you kids within this school, but you're the ones who chose to kill each other to try to graduate from this school. My paws are completely spotless, just like the all of you...for now. This won't be the last Class Trial that we'll be doing. You kids will find yourselves in another Class Trial soon enough. Now, if you guys would excuse me, I'd better be going. See you guys back at the surface!" Monokuma then vanished from the trial room...."He's gone..." Kyoko said."So...what do we do now...?" Yasuhiro asked. "We just watched one of our classmates die in a brutal way..."Everyone then heard a bell sound coming from where the elevator is at. They turned their heads towards the elevator and saw that its doors are open."Looks like we can head back to the surface..." Makoto said.Kiyotaka then came up with an idea. "Alright, here's the plan, everyone," he said. "Once we head back to the surface, we'll begin an emergency meeting to discuss what we should do moving forward. Got it?"Most of the surviving students agreed to Kiyotaka's plan. With heavy hearts, they made their way to the elevator and took the ride back up to the surface.
Day 5 - 3:00 PMDining Hall, First Floor
Everyone gathered around in the dining hall to have lunch before the meeting started. Most of the students sat around the central table, although there are some that sat at the smaller tables. Byakuya sat alone at one of the tables, disinterested in the meeting. Leon, still pissed at Sayaka for planning to kill him, sat alone at another table as far away from Sayaka as possible. Finally, Makoto and Sayaka sat together at yet another table, watching the meeting from a distance. Sayaka felt uncomfortable sitting with the other students after the Class Trial ended. She felt like the others might want to keep their distance from her now that they know that she could try to commit murder again. Makoto sat down with her to make sure that she doesn't feel too lonely.Celeste began the meeting with a remark about how poorly her suggested rule went. "Well...my suggestion about not going out of our rooms at nighttime didn't work as well as I thought," she remarked. "Our very first murder of the killing game happened right after nighttime began, and we didn't discover the body until the next morning.""This is what you get for voting on our behalf, genius," Leon grumbled, making a snide comment at Kiyotaka.Kiyotaka turned to where Leon is sitting. "Hey! Don't call me that!" he shouted.Hina became confused at Kiyotaka's reaction to what Leon said to him. "Huh?" she said. "What's with that reaction? Aren't you being...praised or something?""No, I'm not being praised!" Kiyotaka said. "Being called a genius is one of the most insulting things you could call me, because I'm no genius! I'm just a hard-working student!""I was being sarcastic," Leon clarified."That just makes it worse..." Mondo said.Kiyotaka then cleared his throat as he began to explain his reason behind agreeing with Celeste's suggestion. "Anyways, I thought that it would be a good idea if we all stayed in our dorm rooms at nighttime," he explained. "After all, if everyone stays in their dorm rooms, no one's going to get murdered. However, as we could all see, that also means that should a murder happen at nighttime, it would take a long time before the body gets discovered, thus giving the culprit plenty of time to try to cover up their crimes."Natsumi lets out a sigh. "I knew that we should've spoken up about that suggestion when we had the chance..." she said. "Then we could get everyone's opinion on it before we place our votes...""So...what should we do now to prevent another murder from happening?" Hina asked."I suggest that we should disregard the self-imposed rule against going out at night," Kyoko replied. "Instead, what we should do is be on the lookout for any signs that someone is planning a murder.""But that would require having every student monitor each other," Hina said. "How are we supposed to find out if someone is planning a murder or not? I mean, I managed to figure out that Sayaka was planning a murder, but that's only because she left behind the obvious clue that she took one of the knives. If a student really is planning a murder, can we really trust what they say about the others?""Nah, none of that is necessary," Yasuhiro said. "Just a single gaze into my trusty crystal ball will bring me visions of the future. I can see people's deaths coming! My predictions may only come true only 30% of the time, but that's still a lot better than most other fortune tellers!"There was a moment of silence as everyone stared at Yasuhiro, not trusting his method of finding out potential killers."...Shut up," Natsumi said.The next topic to discuss is the reassignment of roles. With Dr. Yasuke Matsuda dead, there is no longer a doctor who can look after the health of all the students. The students began a discussion of who should replace Yasuke as the doctor and if any roles need to be reassigned."So, we need a new doctor to replace Yasuke now that he's dead," Kiyotaka said. "I can't believe that out of all the people who died, it's our doctor who died first. As a result, we could get into serious trouble if any of us becomes ill. Is there anyone willing to take on his role?"No one raised their hand to volunteer to be the doctor. Sure, illnesses are a concern, but that's nothing compared to the threat of being murdered by someone. Besides, what are the odds that someone's lives can be saved from a major injury? No one has the medical knowledge to save lives. It looks like this role may remain empty.That's when Makoto realized something. He wondered if he still had that thing he had picked up during the investigation. He reached into his pocket and...pulled out a small key.Sayaka glanced over to Makoto and noticed the key in his hand. "What's that...?" she said weakly."It's...the key to that cabinet in the infirmary, Makoto replied.Everyone turned their attention towards Makoto upon hearing that."What? You still have that key?" Hina asked."I didn't remember until now," Makoto explained, "but I put this key inside my pocket after the investigation was over. I never pulled this out during the Class Trial, but this might help with explaining why I believe that Yasuke was the original culprit.""It's too late for that," Kyoko said. "We've already concluded that Yasuke was the original culprit without that evidence.""So, does this mean that you get to be the new doctor?" Hina asked."What? Me?" Makoto said in surprise."Alright, it's been decided!" Kiyotaka declared. "Makoto will be our new doctor from now on!""Why didn't you let us vote on who we want to be the replacement doctor?" Leon asked, growling at Kiyotaka."Listen," Kiyotaka began to explain with a sigh. "We're all tired from that Class Trial. I would like everyone to get their rest as soon as possible.""Wait, isn't Makoto a janitor?" Hina asked. "Why are you making him a doctor? Sayaka will have to clean this entire school all by herself! I mean, that would be a suitable punishment for trying to kill someone, but still, it'll take a long time for anyone to clean this school.""I don't care who's responsible for cleaning this school," Kiyotaka replied. "No one is in charge of keeping the floors clean. It's not like the floor will get dirty anytime soon...unless a murder happens..."Natsumi then got an idea. "Wait, does that mean-" she tried to say."No, Natsumi," Kiyotaka said. "You're still on trash duty.""Dammit!" Natsumi grunted.Kiyotaka darted his eyes over to Yasuhiro. "The same applies to you, Hiro," he said. "You're still in charge of laundry."Yasuhiro rolled his eyes. "Well, at least I get to keep my chance of sniffing everyone's clothes," he said.Everyone was shocked at Yasuhiro for saying something like that."You've been doing what to our clothes?!" Mondo shouted. "Why are you sniffing people's clothes?!""...Okay, so Hiro is no longer in charge of handling our laundry," Kiyotaka declared. "Mondo, you do that instead.""What did you say?" Yasuhiro asked."What?" Mondo gasped in shock. "Why me?""...You two should've kept your mouth shut," Byakuya said.The rest of the day then went on with nothing much happening. Everyone doesn't have the energy and motivation to do anything, so they spent most of the remaining day resting in their rooms, only going out to have dinner. The only exception is Sayaka. Her room is unavailable as it's being cleaned up.
Day 5 - 9:45 PMDormitory, First Floor
Sayaka walked up to her dorm room door along with Makoto. Earlier, they've been told by Monokuma that the former's room is now cleaned up. They should find no trace of the fake crime scene there. With nighttime approaching soon, Makoto and Sayaka decided to take a look inside the latter's room before going to bed.Sayaka nervously shivered as she stared at the door handle and the E-Handbook reader. She was still disturbed at how leaving her room unlocked led to her and Makoto being framed for murder."Are you feeling okay?" Makoto asked.Sayaka said nothing in response."Look, Yasuke's corpse won't be in your room anymore," Makoto tried to assure. "You won't have to sleep with a dead body."Sayaka lowered her head and whimpered. "Are you sure...?" she asked."Well, if what Monokuma told us is true, then there shouldn't be any corpses in your room," Makoto said. "Still, it's best if you checked your room to make sure. So, go ahead. Unlock your dorm room's door."Sayaka pulled out her E-Handbook and inserted it into the reader. The door unlocks and Sayaka opened the door. As she stepped into her room, Sayaka can see that there really are no traces of the fake crime scene. Yasuke's corpse has disappeared, the walls are repaired, and all the damaged furniture has been replaced with new ones. The room looks good as new, as if a murder had never happened there."Looks like Monokuma is right..." Makoto said. "Your room has been cleaned up. There's...nothing left of the fake crime scene. Well, I hope that you rest well tonight. I'll be heading back to my room to sleep. See you tomorrow, Sayaka."Makoto then headed off to his room, but he didn't get far as Sayaka stopped him."Wait, Makoto," Sayaka said.Makoto stopped in his tracks and turned around. "What is it?" he asked."Look...I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with sleeping alone for now..." Sayaka said."Why don't you feel comfortable?" Makoto asked."It feels...scary...to be all alone in my room..." Sayaka explained. "I feel like...if I don't have someone by my side...I might snap again... And...my own room...it was used...to fake a crime scene... Even if Yasuke's corpse is gone...I can still feel his presence lingering in the air... I...don't think I want to sleep in a room...that used to have a corpse...""Well, what do you want to do, then?" Makoto asked. "There's not many options. I don't know where Yasuke's belongings went, and I doubt that you want to sleep in Junko's room."Sayaka thought about it for a brief moment before giving her suggestion. "Can I...sleep with you...?" she asked.Makoto was shocked to hear that from Sayaka. "What?" he gasped. "You want to sleep with me again?"Sayaka nodded her head."Well, if that's what you want, then I'm okay with it," Makoto said. "After all, if you want someone by your side, then...your only option is me. I doubt that any other student would want to hang out with you after learning about your murder plan, especially Leon. And...I wanted to keep you safe from now on. I promised to you that we would get out of this school alive as long as we work together. If we become separated for too long, then...one of us might not live to escape this school alive. Now that we know that we can't protect ourselves from murder if we remain in our dorm rooms at night, we should spend as much time as possible keeping an eye on each other. So...do you mind if we stick with each other at all times?""Yes," Sayaka replied."Alright," Makoto said. "Let's go to my room."
Day 5 - 9:48 PMMakoto's Room, First Floor
Makoto and Sayaka entered the former's room in preparation for nighttime. On their way to the bed, they noticed something on the shelf. The trophy sword and the kitchen knife that was involved in the fake murder scene. Most of the gold on the sword had been flaked away, revealing the wood underneath. Sayaka yelped upon seeing the weapons. Just looking at them made her feel ill."Huh?" Makoto said in confusion. "Is that the sword I took and the kitchen knife? What are those doing here in my room?""Uh...I don't know..." Sayaka said. "Are they...a keepsake or something?"Makoto walked up to the shelf wondering if Monokuma left a message explaining why he put the weapons there. No such message can be found, so it's a mystery why the weapons are in Makoto's room. Either Monokuma put them there so that Makoto has a weapon he can use to defend himself with...or he's trying to nudge Makoto into attempting murder. It's either those two reasons, or the weapons really are a keepsake. Regardless of the reason, Makoto doesn't feel like touching those weapons ever again."So...uh...what are your thoughts?" Sayaka asked, nervous about having to sleep with the weapons visible from the bed.Makoto let out a sigh. "Just...ignore those weapons," he said. "I don't know what Monokuma is planning next, but he might be planning on trying to push you into commuting a murder. If that's the case, then don't let him control your actions. We can't let him win no matter what."Sayaka lowered her head and whined. "I know..." she replied.Looking at the weapons gave Makoto an idea. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the key to the infirmary cabinet once again. As this key gives its holder access to the cabinet with the dangerous substances, he felt that it would be too big of a risk to keep it with him. If someone knocks him out and stole this key from him, he could expect to see a murder that involves poisoning. He doesn't want to see that again. With that in mind, Makoto placed the key on the shelf near the sword and the knife, not intending to touch it ever again.A few minutes later, the nighttime announcement began to play. By that time, Makoto and Sayaka are already on the bed. Just like the previous night, they stared at each other closely as they began to close their eyes. For some reason, they felt an urge to pull their faces close to each other. Their hearts are racing as they stared into each other's eyes. They have no idea why they're feeling this way. It's been only a few days since they met each other. Then again, Sayaka is the Ultimate Idol, and Makoto is a huge fan of her. It's probably a natural feeling that comes from sleeping with an idol....Makoto can feel his eyelids becoming heavy. Today has been another exhausting day for him. He had spent nearly all of his energy on that Class Trial, exposing the truth behind it and watching one of his classmates die before his eyes in a horrible way. Even if it's ultimately Monokuma's fault that this tragedy happened, and even if Junko accepted her fate, Makoto can't help but feel a little guilty over sentencing someone to death.Makoto watched as Sayaka closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep. She deserves a long rest. She barely got any sleep last night, if she did sleep at all. Seeing that Sayaka had fallen asleep, Makoto closed his eyes and fell asleep as well.
Chapter 1: To Live, To Survive, To Prosper, To Die
END
Surviving Students: 14
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I've shown who I'm truly am to everyone in the killing game.I'm not the perfect girl that everyone says. I'm not infallible. I'm not a goddess that should be worshiped wherever I go. I'm...just a normal girl...who is terrified of losing everything that I've worked for. Expecting me to live up to my public image just isn't realistic, especially in this killing game. It just puts too much of a toll on my mind...for me to handle it.I joined the idol industry to try to escape my lonely life, to carry on the legacy of the idols who preceded me. I just wanted to uplift the people who are just like me, those who are lost in their lives and trying to find a way out of it. I never intended to become the Ultimate Idol. I just wanted to have fun. But it was due to chance that I happened to become wildly popular, and my managers wanted to capitalize on my popularity.My managers made me do...many uncomfortable things on the road to become the Ultimate Idol. I ruined so many of my rival's lives and career...just so I could stand alone at the top of the charts. I did all of those things for the sake of my friends...my idol group. I have made so many sacrifices to push my idol group to become the most popular. I worked so hard to make our shared dream a reality. They wanted a successful idol career, and I delivered on that promise.But now that I'm stuck in this killing game, retaking that dream may no longer be a possibility. The fate of my idol group is unknown. They might be dead, or they might be alive. Who knows. This killing game pushed me to make a desperate attempt to find the answer. But in doing so, I had revealed to everyone that even the most kindhearted of people can turn into monsters once the right buttons are pushed.I nearly betrayed my best friend in this school. I nearly framed Makoto for the crime I'm about to commit. I had doubts about if I really wanted to do this, but...I felt like I had to do it. I had to stop my fame and career that I worked so hard for to be all for nothing. If Hina didn't stop me at the last moment, I probably would have lived with the regret of betraying my best friend. Or maybe I would've died. I'm not sure if my plan would've succeeded anyways...But now that I've revealed what's underneath the mask that I've been wearing all the time, I'm left to wonder: what terrifying secrets lie underneath everyone's mask? What is everyone trying to hide that they don't want others to know about? How ashamed are they about their deepest, darkest secrets? Do I really want to know their secrets?And...what potential do they have to become murderers? Can they become even bigger monsters than me at my worst? On the other hand, do the people we call delinquents really have hearts of gold? Are they...softer than they look? I'm not sure. I may not want to know the answers to these questions...-Sayaka Maizono
Chapter 2: The Serial Killer Among Us
Daily Life
Day 6 - 6:55 AMMakoto's Room, First Floor
"Makotoooo!"..."Wake uuuuuup!"Ugh, it's that shrill voice again, Makoto thought. I think I'm getting used to hearing Monokuma's voice every morning."I'm over heeeeere!"Makoto can feel something bouncing on his body.Huh? What's going on? Makoto thought again. Why am I feeling something soft bouncing on my body again? And that voice...it doesn't sound like it's coming from the intercoms."Hey! Your flagpole is growing again!"It was at this point that Makoto woke up and opened his eyes. Just like yesterday, he's greeted to the sight of Sayaka's sleeping face. He was relieved to see that Sayaka is at least sleeping peacefully. The events of yesterday did put a toll on her mental state. It'll be a long time before she fully recovered from what happened yesterday...assuming she even lives to see that day."Hey! Look at me! I've over here!"Huh? Makoto thought once again. That voice...it sounded a lot like Monokuma. Wait a second...Monokuma?Makoto turned his head around to see Monokuma sitting on top of him. He freaked out upon seeing the malicious stuffed toy bear."GAAH!" Makoto screamed. He backed away from Monokuma until he was sitting on his bed. "Monokuma?! You again?!""Yep, I'm here in your room again, ready to wake you up!" Monokuma replied. He then looked at the sleeping Sayaka. "My, my, looks like you're being bold again. You've bedded your precious Sayaka two nights in a row! How sickeningly sweet."Hearing Monokuma's voice made Sayaka wake up. "Ugh..." Sayaka groaned as she opened up her eyes. "Makoto...what's going-?" She stopped herself upon seeing Monokuma and soon shrieked."Ahahahaha!" Monokuma laughed. "Oh, hearing the sounds of your terrified screams brings me so much joy!""Monokuma, what's going on?" Makoto asked. "What are you in my room again?""Well, I'm here to tell you something regarding you letting Sayaka sleep with you," Monokuma replied. "Seriously, what are you thinking? You just learned that your precious Sayaka tried frame you for her murder plan, and you just...let her sleep with you? Come on! That girl is a dangerous beast! One of these days, she'll snap and try to commit murder again!"Makoto stopped getting fearful of Monokuma and returned to becoming angry at him. "You didn't listen to me, right?" he said. "I told you, every murder that happens here is all your fault! You pushed someone into commuting murder! If it weren't for you, Dr. Matsuda would have never tried to kill his girlfriend Junko. They could've survived together!""Oh? And what's your point?" Monokuma replied. "Are you trying to tell me that I'm the one at fault here? That what happened to those dead lovebirds wouldn't happen to you and Sayaka? Don't make me laugh! I would advise that you try to stay as far away from Sayaka as possible. One of these days, she will try to betray you again!""No she won't!" Makoto countered. "Sayaka has learned her lesson. She won't betray me ever again!""Are you sure about that?" Monokuma replied, doubting that Makoto is right. "Why don't you ask from Sayaka herself? Hey Sayaka, will you try to betray your precious Makoto again?"Sayaka is too terrified to give any answers. She stuttered as she tried to get her words out."Yeah, I thought so," Monokuma said, interpreting Sayaka's silence as yes."Wait, she didn't even say anything!" Makoto shouted. "What do you mean 'you thought so'?"Monokuma refused to give an answer, as he noticed that it's almost time to play the morning announcement. "Oh, would you look at that," he said. "It's almost 7:00 AM! I'd better get moving. Toodles!" He then vanished.*Ding-dong, ding-dong!*"Good morning, everyone!" Monokuma announced. "It's 7:00 AM right now, which means that nighttime is officially over! Rise and shine, everyone! Get ready for a beautiful day!"...Makoto let out an exasperated sigh. "Ugh...that Monokuma..." he groaned. "He is toying with is..."Sayaka winced as she leaned over to Makoto and latched on to his arm."Did you sleep well last night?" Makoto asked.Sayaka tilted her head down and groaned. She didn't give an answer.Makoto looked at Sayaka's face. She appears to be tired. "I take it that you have trouble sleeping, right?" he asked.Sayaka nodded her head."The events of yesterday must've hurt you that hard, huh?" Makoto remarked. "I understand that. I still don't know what you saw in your motive video that pushed you into trying to commit murder, but I think it's someone who is so important to you that you're willing to sacrifice someone just to see if they're safe. Isn't that right?"Sayaka paused to think for a moment before giving a response. "Yes..." she said."I see..." Makoto said. "So, will you tell me who you saw in your motive video now?"Sayaka opened her mouth to speak, only to decide that she still feels too uncomfortable about who she saw in her motive video. "Never mind..." she replied."...So you're still not ready to reveal it, then," Makoto said. "That's...fine. I can ask again once you feel better. Anyways, we should get going to have breakfast."Makoto and Sayaka got off the bed and began to prepare for the morning. Since Sayaka's hair is so messy, Makoto thought that she could get it combed. So they headed to the bathroom. Sayaka stood in front of the mirror while Makoto stood behind her. Sayaka watched as Makoto combed her hair. Slowly, Sayaka's hair went back to what it was before she watched her motive video. Seeing her hair return to normal made Sayaka feel a little better. She felt like she was preparing for her idol concerts, getting dressed up and getting her hair combed for the event. At least she doesn't look like someone who is slowly losing their mind to the killing game.But then...something happened that prevented Sayaka's hair from being combed back to normal. There's a tuft of hair at the top of her head that sticking up away from the rest of her hair. It's sticking up at a shallow angle, but still...it's noticeable. Makoto tried his best to comb that tuft of hair down, but no matter how hard he tried, it just refused to stay down."Hey! Stay down!" Makoto said as he tried to comb down the tuft of hair. "Work with me! You're stopping Sayaka from returning to her original look. Please!"Makoto pressed the comb down so hard, Sayaka could feel pain coming from her scalp."Ah! Makoto!" Sayaka screamed. "You're scratching up my scalp!""Oh, sorry about that, Sayaka," Makoto apologized as he stopped coming Sayaka's hair.Sayaka looked up at the cowlick on her head and groaned. "Ugh...my look is ruined..." she said. "I'll never look the same with that...thing on my head. I've had bad hair days before, but this is on another level. Is there anything we could do to get rid of that...?"Makoto gave a shrug. "Sorry, I'm not a hair stylist," he replied. "I have no idea how to get rid of that thing on your head. It...kind of reminds me of the hair spike on my head. Maybe if we find a pair of scissors-""Nope! Not doing that!" Sayaka declared. "I'm not getting my hair cut! It's fine the way it is!"Makoto let out a sigh. "Well...I guess that means I'll leave your hair at that..." he said.Makoto and Sayaka soon left the room and headed off to the dining hall.
Day 6 - 7:15 AMDining Hall, First Floor
Makoto and Sayaka then arrived at the dining hall. Most of the students were already there eating breakfast. Some of them are still feeling down from the events of yesterday. Others appeared to have moved on from the tragic events.Kiyotaka walked up to Makoto and Sayaka to greet them. "Ah, good morning, you two," he greeted. "You two sure did take your sweet time. I was about to go out there and drag you two over here. What took you two so long?""Sorry if we're late," Makoto apologized. "I had to...uh...brush Sayaka's hair. It was a complete mess."Kiyotaka glanced over to Sayaka to see how she's looking. "Hmm...you look like you turned back to normal," he said. "So, how you feeling right now? Did you sleep well last night? I would imagine that it'll be really hard to sleep with a rotting corpse in your room!"Sayaka cringed upon hearing that."Taka..." Makoto said as he gave Kiyotaka a disapproving look."Dude, what the hell?" Mondo complained. "Why would you say that shit to a traumatized chick?""Look, it's not like that," Makoto replied. "I checked Sayaka's room last night and...her room was spotless. Yasuke's body...was gone. And her entire room was repaired. It's as if her room being turned into a fake crime scene had never happened.""Still, I'd imagine that it'll be tough staying in your room knowing that something terrible has happened there," Sakura remarked. "So, did Sayaka sleep in her own room?"Makoto and Sayaka blushed upon being asked that question. They know what they did last night."Hey, what's with that look on your faces?" Kiyotaka asked. "Why are both of your faces' red?""Well...it's just..." Makoto began to explain. "I...I had Sayaka sleep with me...again..."A sudden save of shock flooded the dining hall."You did what?!" Kiyotaka gasped.Leon spit out his drink in shock, going into a coughing fit for a brief moment. "Gah...what the hell?!" he shouted. "You let that bitch sleep with you again?! How could you?! Don't you get it already? That girl is a bitch!""Enough of this, Leon," Kyoko ordered. "Drop that grudge right now.""But she planned to kill me!" Leon countered."This isn't her fault," Kyoko said. "Sayaka wasn't planning to kill you from the start. You may have gotten under her nerves at times, but Sayaka never wanted to kill you. She only planned to do so once she saw her motive video.""But...she chose to try to kill me," Leon countered again. "It's her choice!""Blaming the person who did or planned to do a crime won't solve anything in the long term," Kyoko said. "Instead of pointing fingers at someone, we should ask ourselves: what pushed that person to make that decision?""Uh...what's your point?" Leon asked. "It's obvious why Sayaka planned to kill me. She said it herself! She hated me. She planned to kill me out of her own volition!""But if Sayaka never got her motive video, would she make the decision to try to kill you?" Kyoko asked.Leon was left speechless. He found it difficult to imagine how things would've been like had those motive video weren't distributed."Listen, Leon," Makoto said. "Sayaka isn't a scheming girl looking for an opportunity to kill anyone. She's a vulnerable girl with big insecurities. Monokuma took advantage of her insecurities and nearly pushed her into committing murder. I've said this many times, but this is all Monokuma's fault in the end. He made Sayaka plan to kill someone, and he made Yasuke want to kill his girlfriend. That's why...I forgive both of them for their actions. And as for Junko? Well...I forgive her too.""Didn't we sentence her to death?" Yasuhiro asked. "Seriously, we sent that girl off to die just because she killed someone! That's no different than if we all killed her with our own hands! That makes us murderers too!""It's not like we had a choice," Hina replied. "It's either we all die except for the blackened, or we sacrifice the blackened to preserve our lives.""Besides, we had no choice but to vote for someone," Makoto added. "I...really don't want to know what happens if we refuse to vote for anyone. In the end, Monokuma is the one responsible for all the tragedies. So, don't waste your anger on anyone. Instead, direct your anger at Monokuma.""Hmm...I get what you mean, Makoto," Kiyotaka replied. "You forgive Sayaka and chose to blame Monokuma instead. However...that's no excuse letting her sleep with you again!""Sayaka is in a fragile state!" Makoto countered. "I don't want to leave her alone in her room. She might snap from loneliness!""Hey, what's your problem with letting two people sleep with each other?" Hina asked. "I've slept with Sakura every night since the killing game began, except that one night when I had to stop Sayaka from leaving Makoto's room.""Because...it's a boy and a girl sleeping together!" Kiyotaka said. "Think about it. When a boy and a girl sleeps with each other, that provides them with the perfect opportunity to do...disgusting things with each other! Such things are unacceptable in a school environment!""Taka, calm down," Kyoko ordered. "This isn't something to be upset over. Makoto and Sayaka are hungry. Let then have breakfast. And don't get angry whenever you heard that they're sleeping with each other. They might be doing that for the foreseeable future. Besides, we have much more important things to be concerned about."Kiyotaka let out an annoyed sigh. "Fine..." he said. "The food's in the kitchen. Go grab something to eat..."Makoto and Sayaka soon went into the kitchen to get food for breakfast. Makoto came out of the kitchen holding a plate with a modest amount of food on it. Meanwhile, Sayaka's has practically a mountain of food on it. Everyone is shocked to the amount of food on Sayaka's plate."Whoa!" Kiyotaka said. "Sayaka, are you're seriously planning to eat that much?""...I felt hungry..." Sayaka explained."...I hope that you get fat, bitch..." Leon muttered."Hey, what did I just hear from over there?" Hifumi asked from across the dining hall. "You know, it's fine that people have a choice in what they do to their own bodies, but you can't wish that someone got an unhealthy body. Not everyone wants their body to have some girth to it!"Leon made a disapproving interjection. "Shut up, fatty," he grumbled.Makoto and Sayaka sat a table together to begin eating their food. As everyone continued to eat their breakfast, Kiyotaka noticed that someone is taking a really long time to arrive at the dining hall."Hey, wait a minute," Kiyotaka said as he began to do a headcount of everyone in the dining hall. He made sure that everyone who is currently arrive is accounted for, and one of them has yet to arrive. "Where's Byakuya? Has anyone seen him?"Mondo gave a shrug. "Beats me," he replied."He must be in his room, right?" Kiyotaka said. "Wait here, everyone. I'll go out to drag Byakuya to the dining hall. I'll take a minute."Before Kiyotaka could leave the dining hall, Toko stopped him in his tracks."You can't!" Toko yelled. "M-Master Togami isn't in his room!"Kiyotaka turned his head towards Toko. "Are you sure?" he asked."Y-Yeah, I'm sure!" Toko replied. "I-I tried ringing his doorbell this morning and h-he never responded! He always a-answers the door when it's me who rings his d-doorbell!""You're as delusional as that baseball loser," Natsumi remarked. "I'd bet he'll want you dead if you irritate him long enough.""Hey!" Leon shouted. "What did you just call me?!"Kiyotaka let out a sigh. "I don't know if I should trust Toko on that part," he said. "I'll go check myself." He took one step forward before someone else stopped him."My, my," Monokuma began to say as he appeared in front of everyone. "Looks like someone has figured out what happens after a Class Trial has been overcome ahead of everyone else!"Kiyotaka quickly turned around to face Monokuma. "What? Monokuma?" he said. "What are you doing here?""Ahem, allow me to make a special announcement," Monokuma said. "As a reward for overcoming a Class Trial, a brand new world shall open up to you guys!""A brand new world...?" Yasuhiro asked, curious at what Monokuma is talking about. "What's that?""You see, it's a real shame that you kids are stuck in this school forever with nothing to do," Monokuma said. "If I continue to have you kids bored for all of eternity, one of you guys might snap and try to kill someone! I love to see some bloodshed and all, but there must be some time in-between the killings. Otherwise, there won't be any hope built up that will be crushed by despair. And so, to keep you guys occupied for the time being, I'll open up more of the school for you kids to explore! Enjoy the new areas while you can!" He then left the dining hall...."Did he say that he's going to open up more of the school to us?" Makoto asked.Kiyotaka then looked out the doors to the dining hall. He saw that the doorway at the other side of the lobby has been removed. "Hold on, that room on the other side of the lobby has opened up!" he said. "The barrier that was blocking the way is no longer there.""Hold on," Hina said. "Do you think that we can find a way out of this school in the new areas?""I find that unlikely," Celeste replied. "Monokuma has taken over this school and forced us to participate in this killing game. I doubt that he's willing to let us have a way of escaping.""Well, we'll never know 'till we look!" Mondo said."Alright, so here's the plan for today!" Kiyotaka began to declare. "Once we're done with breakfast, we'll split up and explore the newly opened up areas of this school. If any of you guys find Byakuya, be sure to let me know. Once we're done, we'll meet back at the dining hall to exchange what we've found. Now, let's eat up and get moving!"The rest of the students then finished eating their breakfast and left the dining hall to begin exploring the school. Makoto and Sayaka stayed in the dining hall for a little while, due to the amount of food on Sayaka's plate and Makoto not wanting to leave her unattended. It took a while for Sayaka to finish all of her food. Once they're done, Makoto and Sayaka put all of the empty dishes back into the kitchen and began to explore the school.
Day 6 - 7:50 AMBathhouse, First Floor
The first place Makoto and Sayaka explored is the bathhouse. This area was originally blocked off by some tape and barriers, but now that the first Class Trial has been finished, the bathhouse has been opened up. The lobby of the bathhouse consisted of a room with its floors and walls made out of wooden planks. Some benches are visible in the bathhouse lobby. There are three doors leading out of the bathhouse lobby, not including the one that links to the main lobby. The two doors on the opposite wall have a male and female sign on them. The one off to the side has a glass door that peeks into a room that appears to be a sauna.In the bathhouse, Makoto and Sayaka met Kiyotaka and Mondo there."Ah, hey you two!" Kiyotaka greeted. "Check this out! This place turns out to be a bathhouse! You know what that means?"Makoto and Sayaka were confused for a brief moment."What?" Makoto asked."It means that we have a place where we can relax for once!" Kiyotaka said. "Think about. We'll get to sit down in the hot springs soaking in the hot water.""Taking a dip in the hot springs can be great for ya," Mondo added. "The hot water makes ya loosen up, and the heat makes your heart and body pumpin'. Plus, it makes for a great bonding experience. We've all gotta bear ourselves to each other."Makoto and Sayaka felt embarrassed to hear that."I'm sorry...what?" Makoto said. "Are you saying that we should...uh...be naked around each other? Hey Taka, didn't you say that you have a problem with me and Sayaka sleeping with each other?""Don't mention it!" Kiyotaka ordered. "I do not want to hear about you two sleeping with each other ever again! Even if you two do it again next night, I don't want to hear about it. Anyways, I believe in the philosophy that when the body is naked, so is the soul. When we're naked, the complexity of our social standing is broken down, allowing us to bear our true selves to each other. In the end, it doesn't matter what clothes you wear. Deep down, we're all human."Makoto and Sayaka were so embarrassed that they were left speechless."What? Have neither of you two ever been to a bathhouse?" Mondo asked.Sayaka looked away as she grabbed her arm. "...No," she replied. "I've...never been in a bathhouse...""Look, I find the concept of being naked in a public place to be...embarrassing," Makoto explained. "Even if I'm in a public place where being naked is acceptable, I...won't take off all of my clothes...""I get where you're coming from, Sayaka," Kiyotaka replied. "You're an idol. Or at least, you're used to be one, considering your current mood. It'll cause quite a scandal if you were caught in a public bathhouse, even if being naked in there is acceptable. But Makoto? You should toughen up and act like a man! You shouldn't be ashamed of being naked around other boys. Hey, I have an idea. Why don't we all spend some time in the bathhouse? It'll be a great time for both the boys and the girls.""Uh...no," Sayaka said."Me neither," Makoto said. "By the way, Taka. How come your attitude is so...high today? Didn't we saw two people die yesterday?""Listen, Makoto," Kiyotaka began to explain. "We must keep our morale high in the face of this killing game! The killings only began because someone lost hope and tried to kill someone."Sayaka cringed upon being reminded of what she did yesterday."If we want everyone to get out of this school alive," Kiyotaka continued, "then we must make sure that nobody falls to the motives. We must calm down and focus on working together to get out of this school alive. Don't you agree?""Uh...yeah," Makoto replied. "But we must also never forget those who died. They serve as a reminder of how we failed to keep them alive. If any more of us died, then we should take it as a sign to work harder to stop another tragedy from happening again.""That's exactly that I've been saying!" Kiyotaka replied.Sayaka felt like the boys are ignoring something of importance here. "Um...boys?" she asked. "What about...Byakuya...? Have you...seen him yet...?"The boy were then reminded of who they were supposed to be looking for."What? You're talking about that rich ass?" Mondo asked. "Oh...right. We didn't find him here.""That reminds me," Kiyotaka added. "Have you two seen Byakuya yet?""Not really," Makoto replied. "We just came out of the dining hall, and this is the first place we've explored.""Then look somewhere else, dummy!" Mondo shouted.Makoto flinched when Mondo raised his voice. "Alright, you don't have to shout at us," he said. "Come on, Sayaka. Let's go to another place."Makoto and Sayaka then walked out of the bathhouse.Before Makoto and Sayaka could step out of the bathhouse, Kiyotaka attempted to make a reminder to Makoto. "Be sure to meet us here tonight, Makoto!" he said. "We're going to have a great bonding session!"Makoto...ignored the invitation.
Day 6 - 8:15 AMHallway, First Floor
Makoto and Sayaka stood in front of the stairs that leads up to the second floor. The gate that closed off the stairs has been lifted up, granting the students access to the second floor. Makoto and Sayaka looked up at the stairs, wondering why lies above them."This must be the whole new world Monokuma was talking about," Makoto said. "I wonder what's up there. Has Byakuya arrived there already?"There's no point in delaying this any longer. Makoto and Sayaka began climbing up the stairs to the second floor.
Day 6 - 8:16 AMHallway, Second Floor
Makoto and Sayaka took their first step into the second floor of Hope's Peak Academy. The hallway of the second floor is basically a straight line with little branching paths. There are two classrooms on this floor: one near the stairs to the first floor, and another that's all the way on the other side of the floor. Some restrooms are located near the stairs. Looking down the hallway, Makoto and Sayaka could see...Hifumi leaned out of a door waving at them."Hey! Mr. Makoto Naegi!" Hifumi greeted. "Miss Sayaka Maizono! Come over here! We've found Byakuya!""Byakuya?" Makoto asked. "Where did you find him?""You've gotta see this for yourselves!" Hifumi said as he went back into the room.Makoto and Sayaka are curious about what Byakuya is doing right now. They followed Hifumi into a room with a sign featuring a book hanging above it.
Day 6 - 8:17 AMLibrary, Second Floor
The library is a large room with many shelves of books on them. Several tables are placed around at the front area. Each has a desk lamp placed on them, their cords reaching all the way to the walls. Sitting at one of the tables is Byakuya. He appears to be reading a book. Surrounding the table Byakuya is sitting at are Hifumi and Toko.Makoto felt relieved upon seeing Byakuya. "Byakuya! You're here!" he said. "What are you-""Shh," Byakuya said. "Be quiet. This is a library. Anyways, to answer the question you're about to ask, I'm reading a book.""Well...duh," Hifumi said. "We can clearly see that.""What kind of book are you reading, though?" Makoto asked, making sure to lower his voice."It's none of your business," Byakuya replied. "Don't bother me.""I-Is it one of my books?" Toko asked. "I-I hope that it's one of them. Ah...Master Togami...reading my own books...! It's like...a dream come t-true!" She acted weirdly upon saying that.Byakuya gave a disapproving glare at Toko before shifting his eyes back on his book.Sayaka then began coughing all of a sudden. Makoto grew a concerned look on his face as he looked at her."Are you okay?" Makoto asked. "What's wrong.""There's...something in my lungs..." Sayaka said before returning to a coughing fit."This place sure is dusty, isn't it?" Hifumi remarked. "I wonder when is the last time someone cleaned this place up. What a shame. A plethora of books is being neglected for a long time! I would love to give them the read they deserve, but none of the books catches my eye. There's not a single manga book in this entire library! How could this Japanese school not carry a single volume of manga?!"Byakuya gave a highly annoyed look at Hifumi. "Would you shut up?" he demanded. "I'm in the middle of reading this book here."Suddenly, a door at the back of the library opened up. Kyoko walked out of the door holding what appears to be an envelope in her hands. She walked up to the tables where everyone has gathered."Kyoko!" Makoto said. "Where did you go?""There's an archive behind this library," Kyoko explained. "It contains a record of important events that happened in this school. I was unable to find anything of importance regarding the school's history, but I was able to find this." She tossed the envelope onto the table Byakuya is sitting at.Byakuya pulled his eyes away from his book. "What's that?" he asked. "Can't you see that I'm trying to read this book?""You can save the reading for later, Byakuya," Kyoko said. "For now, we shall see what's inside this envelope.""Isn't that someone's mail?" Makoto asked. "It might be rude to read other people's mail without permission...""Perhaps," Kyoko replied, agreeing with Makoto in that notion. "However, something tells me that we shouldn't leave this letter unopened. So, shall we take a look inside?"Byakuya took the envelope and opened it up. He pulled out a sheet of paper and unfolded it out. From there, he read what was written on the letter."For generations, Hope's Peak Academy has been a pinnacle of education institutions," the letter read. "We have shaped many youths over the years into leadership roles in every major field. Our graduates have used their knowledge and talent to improve all of society one step at a time. However, our golden years must come to a close, at least for the time being. This was not an easy decision to make, but serious issues beyond our control has made it impossible for us to continue operations as is."But make no mistake. This is not the end of Hope's Peak Academy. We will resume normal operations as soon as the issues that forced our closure have been resolved. For now, Hope's Peak Academy will cease operating as an educational institute. I will personalty and sincerely thank everyone who has supported us over the years. We are currently waiting official government approval to give us authorization to formally cease operations. Once approval has been granted, Hope's Peak Academy will close its doors for now."It appears that someone signed this letter, but the name has been blacked out."What an interesting letter..." Byakuya remarked. "There's no way to know who wrote this letter, but its contents are interesting.""It would seem that Hope's Peak Academy had stopped functioning as a school," Kyoko guessed. "It appears that it was closed a while ago. Based on the amount of dust in the archives, I would guess that this letter is at least a year old.""So the school has been closed for at least a year?" Hifumi asked."Wait, that doesn't make sense," Makoto said. "We just got to this school a few days ago, right? If the school was closed at the time of our arrival, we wouldn't have been invited to it in the first place. Plus, if the school was shut down, wouldn't its closure be all over the news? This school is well known across all of Japan. Everyone would be talking about its closure. But when I looked it up online, I've never heard anyone talk about how this school is going to shut down.""So...is this letter...even real?" Sayaka asked."Perhaps not," Byakuya guessed. "This might be part of the mastermind's plan. They fabricated the story of how this school was shut down as an excuse to convert it into a place where a killing game happens.""A school being shut down..." Kyoko muttered. "That would explain why we're the only ones in the school...""But why would Hope's Peak Academy be shut down?" Hifumi asked. "It says in the letter that it's for 'serious issues beyond our control'. What does that mean?""I'm not sure," Kyoko replied. "We may need more clues to find the answer to that question. I'll head back to the archives. There may be things that I have overlooked. The rest of you can split off and explore the rest of the newly opened up areas. We can share what we've found in the next meeting." She then headed back to the archives."I have no interest in exploring more of the school other than this library," Byakuya said as he picked up his book to resume reading. "So I'll just stay here and continue reading this book." He read a few lines of the book before he felt like someone's staring at him. He glanced off to the side and found Toko, still standing there and staring at him. "Would you quit ogling at me, pest? Do you want me to try to kill you like with what Sayaka tried to do with Leon?""Please don't remind me of that..." Sayaka begged. "I wanna get out of here...""I agree, Sayaka," Makoto replied. "Let's go somewhere else to see what the others have found."Makoto and Sayaka then left the library."Hey!" Hifumi shouted as he ran after Makoto and Sayaka. "Wait for me!" He left the library as well.Byakuya let out an annoyed groan as someone shouted in the library again.
Day 6 - 8:40 AMAthletics Hallway, First Floor
Aside from the library, there's not much to say about the second floor. The classrooms on this floor are unremarkable. There's nothing to see except rows of desks and some artwork on the chalkboards. It appears that the hallway continues further into the dormitory area, but it's blocked off. Going back to the stairs, there is a bit of hallway that branches out from the main hallway. It leads to another set of stairs that goes up to the third floor. It's currently blocked off, so it looks like another Class Trial will need to be overcome in order for it to open up.With nothing left to explore on the second floor, Makoto, Sayaka, and Hifumi went back down to the first floor. So far, they haven't seen everyone yet. It looks like the rest of the students are exploring the newly opened up areas on the first floor. The trio went to the athletics hallway to see if there's a room that's been unlocked.Makoto looked through the window of the pool doors. There, he saw Hina taking a swim around the pool. That must mean that the pool has opened up."Guys, the pool's open," Makoto announced. "Let's take a look inside."The trio then entered the pool.
Day 6 - 8:41 AMPool, First Floor
The smell of chlorine filled everyone's noses as they entered the swimming pool room. The room itself is about as large as the gym. Rows of seats line the edges of the pool, much like the gym. Lifeguard seats are placed along the edges of the pool, allowing lifeguards to have a good view of the pool. The pool itself is quite large. It's not as big as the swimming pools used in the Olympic Games, but it is large enough to accommodate several classes of students.Hina is seen in the school provided swimsuit, making laps around the pool. Sakura, Celeste, and Leon are also in the pool area. They're watching Hina swim around the pool."Hi, Sakura," Makoto greeted. "Hi, Celeste. Hi...Leon. What's up?"Sakura, Celeste, and Leon turn their heads to the trio that came in. Leon looked in the trio's direction for a moment before turning his head away from them."Hina saw that the swimming pool has opened up," Sakura explained. "She got excited that she gets to practice her favorite sport, so she went into the locker room, which was also unlocked, and began to swim laps around the pool."Sayaka then remembered an adage she heard regarding swimming after eating. "Wait...aren't you...supposed to not swim...right after eating a meal?" she asked."That's a misconception," Sakura explained. "There is no increased risk of stomach cramps when swimming right after eating a meal. Hina should be fine swimming around at this time.""You know, there are a lot of common beliefs that people believe are true, but are actually false," Celeste remarked. "For example, I've met countless gamblers who insist that their odds of them winning will increase after a string of losses, and this will make needlessly risky plays. Of course, their odds of winning never changes, so they kept losing lots of money anyways."Makoto grew curious about Celeste's gambling career. "Celeste, have you ever fallen into that fallacy?" he asked."I have not," Celeste replied. "I have never fallen into the false belief that the odds change based on previous outcomes. I always knew that my odds of winning are the same, so I played it safe and watched as my opponent stumble into this fallacy and gave me lots of money.""How interesting..." Hifumi remarked.It was at this point where Hina stopped swimming laps around the swimming pool. She emerged out of the water like a dolphin, leaning back and basking in the light."Ah, it's so nice to be swimming again," Hina said. "I can't remember the last time I swam in a pool like this. I miss being in the water. I feel so great right now." She turned her head towards Makoto and Sayaka. She waved at them. "Hey, Makoto! Hey, Sayaka! Wanna join me in the pool? It's really refreshing!"Sayaka doesn't feel like she's in the mood to go swimming, so she shook her head. "Uh...no..." she replied."I'm...going to say no to that," Makoto replied. "I'm not good at swimming. I don't think I'll fare well in a pool like that.""If you're gonna ask me, I'll say no," Hifumi said. "Swimming is exercise, and exercise is not for me. It sucks!""I prefer to not go in the water," Celeste said. "I would rather not wear those boring school swimsuits and swim around in the water. Instead, I prefer to bring in my own swimsuit and go sunbathing.""This pool isn't meant for sunbathing, Celeste," Sakura said. "There are no pool chairs for us to sit at. All the chairs are meant for spectators. Besides, there's no sunlight in this pool. All of the windows are blocked off. As for me swimming in a pool, I'll consider it."Leon refused to give an answer.Hina frowned upon seeing the amount of students who would want to swim with her. "Well, that's disappointing," she said. "Hey, I have an idea. How about instead I show you the lockerrooms where I changed into this swimsuit?"Makoto grew curious when Hina mentioned the locker room. "Wait, so the locker room has been opened up too?" he asked.Hina climbed out of the pool. "Yeah, that room's opened up!" she replied. "It's right across from the pool. I can show you guys that place."Most of the students in the pool agreed with Hina to explore the locker rooms. Even Hifumi joined in with the rest of the group, though he has...less than pure reasons for visiting the locker room. The one exception is Leon, who refused to go with the rest of the group."Count me outta this," Leon said. "I don't wanna be anywhere near that bitch anymore."Hina grew an annoyed look on her face. "Look, Leon," she said. "We can't just leave you alone here. It's our job to prevent another murder from happening again, and a good way of preventing murders is to make sure no one is alone for too long. Otherwise, someone might do things without anyone to witness them do it. Now come with us, Leon! And don't mind Sayaka. With me and Sakura around, she won't try to kill you ever again.""I'm pretty sure Sayaka already knows to not kill anyone..." Makoto muttered.Leon turned away from Hina. "Nope. No way," he said. "That bitch might try to kill me again while you're all looking away from us.""Leon, aren't you forgetting something?" Celeste said. "If any one of us tries to commit murder here, there will be far too many witnesses for them to be able to get away with it.""So what?" Leon replied. "She still might do it even if there are witnesses. Screw her. I'm not going anywhere near that bitch.""You know what?" Sakura began to declare. "I'm dragging you along, Leon. We're not leaving you behind." She then grabbed Leon by the collar and dragged him out of the pool room."Hey! What the hell are you doing?!" Leon shouted as he flailed his arms around. "Let go of me! Gah!"The rest of the students then followed Sakura and Leon into the locker rooms.
Day 6 - 8:44 AMExercise Room, First Floor
The group entered the room that is across from the pool. The room they entered is full of exercise equipment. There's dumbbells, barbells, pull-up bars, mats on the floor, various types of balls, and so on. At the other side of the room are a pair of doors, each of them labeled as being for girls or for boys."I must say," Celeste began to remark, "the amount of facilities that have been opened up to us has increased drastically. This school is feeling a lot more comfortable to live in. We have a lot more things to do that will keep ourselves occupied. Perhaps these Class Trials aren't as bad as we thought."Most of the students then gave Celeste a disapproving look."Well, we do have to lose two students in order to have more things to do," Makoto said. "I'm not sure the sacrifice is worth it...""...Fair point," Celeste replied."At least I won't get bored anytime soon," Leon said. He then glared at Sayaka. "You don't deserve any of this stuff, you bitch. You should've been the first one to die for planning to kill me."Sayaka cringed as she clung to Makoto. Makoto then glared at Leon in return."Leon, stop this," Makoto said. "This isn't the time to be holding grudges."Leon growled at Makoto in response.Hifumi walked up to one of the locker room doors. "So...how do these doors work?" he asked. He grabbed the door handle to try to turn it, but it wouldn't budge. "It's locked. I wonder how you unlock these.""Well-" Hina tried to explain."Allow me to explain!" Monokuma said as he appeared in front of everyone.Hina was annoyed that Monokuma cut her off before she could explain how the locker room doors work. "Hey! Monokuma!" she shouted. "Can't you see that I'm about to explain how these doors work? And didn't you explain that to me when I first got to this place?""I did!" Monokuma replied. "However, there are some new faces here this exercise room, so I must explain the locker room doors to them as well! Even if someone of you have already heard me explain them before, you're still gonna hear it!"Hina groaned and rolled her eyes."Now then," Monokuma began to explain, "in order to unlock the locker room doors, all you need to you is swipe your E-Handbook into the card reader near the door. Then the door will unlock, allow you to enter inside. It's that simple!""Great, thanks for pointing out the obvious again, genius," Leon said sarcastically, rolling eyes eyes as he said it."That seems...easy enough to understand," Makoto remarked. "So...what's the catch?""Oh, you want to know what the catch is, huh?" Monokuma said. "Well, the catch is that to ensure maximum security, only a boy's E-Handbook can open the boy's locker room, and the same goes for he girls. The door only remains unlocked for a limited time, so enter the locker room right after scanning your E-Handbook. If you dare try to use a boy's E-Handbook to unlock the girl's locker room, or vice versa, you will get an electric shock! I was thinking about mounting a Gatling gun onto the ceiling to shoot at anyone who tries to access the locker room they're not supposed to be in, but I found that my Gatling gun is so heavy that it'll rip a hole in the ceiling. So I settled with electrocution."Hifumi then got an...interesting though. "Hmm...what if a girl unlocks the girl's locker room, but a boy sneaks in?""If you dare try to sneak into any locker room after someone else unlocked it," Monokuma explained, "then you'll be electrocuted as well! It doesn't matter who does it to which locker room. I will not tolerate anyone to dares commit such indecent actions! Walking into someone while they're in the middle of changing clothes...that's just scandalous! You teenagers are such sex-crazed maniacs. I bet that if you see someone in a state of undress, you might try to hump them!""That sound exactly like what that stupid rule-upholding boy would say..." Leon remarked.Hearing Leon's remark reminded Makoto of something. "Wait, if you don't want a boy and a girl to do...dirty things together," he said, cringing when he mentioned dirty things, "why didn't you stop me and Sayaka from sleeping together?""It's your private dorms!" Monokuma replied. "You can do whatever you want in there. I don't care. The point is, all I care about is protecting the pure image of this school!""Considering that two people have already died within this school," Celeste began to remark, "I wouldn't call this school's image pure anymore."After hearing that it's possible that a boy and a girl can do...intimate things with each other in their dorm rooms, Leon glared at Makoto and Sayaka. "You'd better not have taken that bitch's v-card, you lucky bastard," he muttered.Makoto didn't catch what Leon said, but he swore that he heard something from him. "What did you say?" he asked, turning his head towards Leon."Nothing!" Leon lied."But I heard you say something about-" Hifumi tried to say."Hey, don't talk about it!" Hina ordered. "I'm...getting uncomfortable just hearing about that..."Monokuma stood in place for a moment, not saying a single word. Then, he suddenly spoke up. "Alright, I'm outta here," he declared. "Enjoy the new facilities, everyone! Toodles!" He then left the exercise room."So...what's next?" Sakura asked after Monokuma left."Have you guys explored the second floor yet?" Makoto asked."I've seen the stairs, but I've never went up to the second floor," Hina replied. "What's up there?""It's nothing much," Hifumi said. "There's some classrooms and a library, but that's about it."Leon blew a raspberry. "Who cares for some silly books?" he asked. "I don't.""Yeah, me neither," Hina added. "I'll just...swim around the pool for a little longer. I'm thinking about timing myself to see how fast I can swim across the pool and back.""I'm sticking with Hina," Sakura said. "She needs someone to time her on how fast she could swim.""I'm going back to the dining hall," Celeste said. "All this exploring has made me thirsty. I would like someone to make me some tea.""Why don't you make it yourself, you lazy bitch?" Leon asked.Celeste glared at Leon. "I would prefer if you don't call me that name," she said. "Anyways, Hifumi? Would you be so kind to make me tea?"Hifumi became confused about why Celeste chose him. "Huh? Why me?" he asked."Your round figure..." Celeste began to explain. "It reminds me the barista of the coffeehouse I used to frequent. Come with me to the dining hall. I could feel my throat drying out." She then left the exercise room.Hifumi pondered for a moment on if he should follow Celeste's orders. He sighed and followed her out of the exercise room. "Fine, if you insist..." he said."Well, Sayaka," Makoto began to say. "Looks like that's everything new that was unlocked. We should go back to the dining hall and wait for everyone to come back."Sayaka nodded in agreement with Makoto. Together, they followed Celeste and Hifumi back to the dining hall. Behind them, Leon watched as they left the exercise room, giving both of them a glare."Hey, Leon?" Hina asked.Leon turned his head towards Hina. "What?" he said in a grumpy tone."Look, we should talk about your opinion of Sayaka," Hina said. "I know that you're mad at her, but...something tells me that you're planning on doing something to her as revenge for what she tried to do..."Leon stood in place as he growled at Hina. Then, he silently walked out of the exercise room and headed for his room.Hina let out a heavy sigh. "Fine, we can talk later," she said. Then, she uplifted her mood. "Okay, now I should head back to the pool to see if I can beat my swimming record..."
Day 6 - 9:12 AMLobby, First Floor
Makoto and Sayaka were on their way back to the dining hall when they encountered Yasuhiro and Natsumi."Hey, you two!" Yasuhiro called.Makoto and Sayaka stopped in their tracks as their turn their attention towards Yasuhiro and Natsumi."Oh...hi you two," Makoto greeted. "Where were you two this entire time? I didn't see you at all in the new areas. Did either of you two get a look at the second floor?""We did," Natsumi replied, "for a brief moment.""We saw that the hallway on the second floor leads right into the dormitory," Yasuhiro explained. "We tried going back to find a way up to the second floor of the dormitory, but the stairs leading up to there is blocked as well.""So that place hasn't been unlocked to us yet," Makoto concluded. "I wonder when that'll open up to us...""Our efforts aren't foodless, though," Yasuhiro said. "We did find a storage room behind the kitchen. It has a lot of stuff in it! You should check it out!""It's 'fruitless', dummy," Natsumi corrected. "You're getting your words mixed up."Leon walked past Makoto and Sayaka during the conversation. He didn't bat an eye to anyone."...Was that place always unlocked?" Sayaka asked.Yasuhiro gave a shrug. "I don't know," he replied. "I never checked that place out before. It might be locked before today as far as I know. Anyways, go ahead and check out the storage room if you want. I'll be heading back to my room to see what the future holds for me. See you soon!" He then went back to his dorm room.Makoto and Sayaka looked down the hallway that leads to the stairs in the dormitory. They saw that it's blocked off by another gate. Connected to that hallway is the storage room. Assuming that place was unlocked after the first Class Trial, this is the last newly unlocked place that they have yet to explore."Well, looks like we have one more place to explore," Makoto said. "Shall we head in?"Sayaka nodded her head in agreement. Together, she and Makoto began to explore the storage room.
Day 6 - 9:13 AMStorage Room, First Floor
Makoto and Sayaka didn't know what else to expect out of the storage room. There's just shelves full of stuff everywhere. Most of them doesn't seem useful to anyone at the moment. There's a set of ladders, some sports balls, a large net, a box full of candy, a tub of some powder, and so on. Overall, the storage room is unremarkable."Hmm...not sure what to do with all of this stuff," Makoto said. "Why do we even bother with exploring this place?"Sayaka then began coughing again. "Ugh...this storage room..." she complained. "It's so dusty..."Makoto wiped his hands on one of the shelves and saw a visible trail where the dust has been cleaned off. "Oh my god," he said. "This place is really dusty! How long has this place been neglected for?"Sayaka continued to cough. "Let's...get out of here..." she said in a pained tone. "I don't want to get my lungs filled with dust..." She then coughed again.Makoto began coughing as well. "Yeah...you're right..." he said.The two then quickly got out of the storage room.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Day 6 - 9:20 AM
Dining Hall, First Floor
After everyone has finished exploring the newly unlocked areas, most of the students went back to the dining hall to discuss what they've found. Kiyotaka went around the school to remind everyone to head back to the dining hall to share their findings. It's taking quite a while for everyone to return. So far, the only ones who have yet to arrive are Hina, Kyoko, and Byakuya. The students in the dining hall waited for these three students to return, while Hifumi is in the kitchen preparing some tea for Celeste to drink."Ugh, what's taking these three so long?" Kiyotaka asked as he looked at his watch. "They should be here by this point.""You should give Hina some time," Sakura replied. "It can take a while for someone to take off their swimsuit. They need to take a shower to wash off the smell of chlorine.""So the pool has been unlocked?" Kiyotaka said. "Okay, I get that excuse. But what's Kyoko and Byakuya's excuse for taking this long to come here? What's taking them so long to find in that library?""D-Don't look at me!" Toko said. "They kicked me o-outta there before they could tell me..."Kiyotaka let out a sigh. "Well, looks like we'll have to start without these three," he said. "Anyways, aside from the library and the pool, can anyone tell me what they found in the new areas?""There's a storage room behind the kitchen," Yasuhiro replied. "It can only be accessed from the hallway, though.""What did you find in that storage room?" Kiyotaka asked.Natsumi gave a shrug. "Nothing useful," she said. "There's just a bunch of junk scattered all over the shelves."Kiyotaka gave a suspicious look at Natsumi. "Are you sure about that?" he asked. "I might have to take a look in there myself to see if there's anything we can use. Anyways, does anyone else have anything to share? Did anyone find anything resembling an escape route?"Everyone just stared at Kiyotaka in silence."No? Nothing?" Kiyotaka asked in bewilderment. "Come on, there should be a way out in the new areas, right?""I'm afraid not," someone said from the entrance of the dining hall.Everyone turned their heads towards the doors of the dining hall. They saw Kyoko and Byakuya standing at the doors. Byakuya has a black book on his hands."Oh, you two are here," Kiyotaka said. His eyes turn to look at the book Byakuya is holding. "Uh, Byakuya? What's that on your hand?""I'll save that for a little later," Kyoko said. "For now, regarding the escape routes, I have not found such a thing anywhere on the second floor. I checked every room thoroughly, and there doesn't seem to be a secret passageway that leads outside.""Are you sure 'bout that?" Mondo asked."I am sure," Kyoko replied.As the discussion continued, Hifumi exited the kitchen holding a teacup on a small plate. He brought it over to where Celeste is sitting."Madame!" Hifumi called. "I have fulfilled your request and brought you this lovely cup of tea! Please enjoy it!""Why, thank you," Celeste said as she took the cup of tea from Hifumi. She sipped in some tea from the cup, smacked her lips a little bit and...threw the cup at a wall, near where Makoto and Sayaka are sitting at. Everyone became shocked at what she did."Ah!" Sayaka screamed as she flinched."Whoa!" Makoto yelped as he leaned backward and watched the teacup fly in front of his eyes. The teacup nearly hit him, but Makoto leaned back to hard that he ended falling down into the floor. The teacup smashed against the wall, its shards scattering on the table."GAH!" Hifumi screamed. "Madame! What have you done?! That was a perfectly fine cup of tea! How could you throw it away?""What the shit?!" Mondo exclaimed."Celeste! What are you doing?!" Kiyotaka shouted, scolding Celeste for her action. "That's a teacup you just threw away! You could've hit someone and gotten them hurt!"Celeste ignored Kiyotaka and began to shout at Hifumi. "This...was not a fine cup of tea!" she roars. "I hate it!""But...I made what you ordered," Hifumi said. "It's milk tea, right?""You say that this is milk tea," Celeste began to rant. "But my taste buds can tell that the milk was added to the tea after the brewing process. I am among those people who prefer their milk tea with the milk being part of the brewing process from the outset! The fragrance is just so overwhelmingly sweet if it's made that way! Adding milk or lemon into your drink right before you drink it is like pouring salad dressing into your salad before you eat it. You're treating the milk like a condiment instead of an ingredient!""...Maybe you just don't like the taste of milk anymore," Natsumi tried to explain. "My brother hates milk. He's highly lactose intolerant. He'll get stomach cramps if he-""It's not like that!" Celeste shouted. "I like milk in my tea, just not if it's added on top of the tea! Before I place my order in a cafe, I first review the menu to see if it serves the proper style of milk tea. If it doesn't, then I'll refuse to visit it ever again!""But I...put so much effort into making this tea for you," Hifumi said. "How could you throw away all of my efforts and ask me to go even further?""Yes, I know it's a hassle to make milk tea the proper way," Celeste said, continuing her rant. "Even in cafes that serve proper milk tea, it's always more expensive to make it instead of just serving tea with a small carton of milk. Sure, it takes more time to prepare, but why even bother offering both options when there's clearly a superior one?""Well-" Hifumi tried to counter."Don't say anything!" Celeste ordered. "Bring me another cup of milk tea! This time, make it the proper way, swine!""Uh...okay..." Hifumi said as he ran back into the kitchen.Everyone was left absolutely bewildered by the end of that scene. It felt so bizarre to be real."...What the hell was that?" Leon asked."No idea," Kyoko replied. "Let's move on with the current topic of discussion."As everyone went back to the original topic, Hina finally made it back to the dining hall to join the others. She's currently wearing her everyday clothes."Hey, guys," Hina greeted. "Sorry if I'm late. Changing out of my swimsuit took me a lot longer than I thought. Anyways, what did I miss? I thought I heard something about milk tea."Everyone decided to not talk about the milk tea incident.Makoto got back on his feet and lifted the chair back upright. He sat down on the chair and faced Kyoko and Byakuya. "So, what were you two going to talk about?" he asked. "Did you find anything in the library or the archives?""We did," Byakuya replied. "And what we've found was...highly interesting. Take a look at this." He then tossed the book he was holding onto the central table for everyone to see.Everyone then began to read the title of the book Byakuya had shown to them. Makoto and Sayaka stood up from their tables and walked towards the central table to get a better look at the book. The title of the book reads, "The Murder Cases of Genocide Jack"."Genocide Jack..." Kiyotaka said, shuddering in fear. "I do not like the sound of that name.""Wait, who's...Genocide Jack?" Hina asked, shivering in fear."You've never heard of that name, haven't you?" Kyoko said. "Well, allow me to explain who Genocide Jack is. Genocide Jack is an infamous, elusive serial killer who has committed many murders over the years. He is infamous for his...unique way of murdering and displaying his victims. It's difficult for me to describe how Genocide Jack kills people, so you'd better see it for yourself in the photos included in this book. But be warned: what you're about to see within this book might not be for the faint of heart."Hifumi overheard the discussion in the dining hall and went out of the kitchen to check. "Hey, what's going on out there?" he asked. "Can't any of you guys see that I'm making milk tea for Madame Celeste?""I'll save the milk tea for later," Celeste replied. "This Genocide Jack person is much more interesting.""Genocide who now?" Hifumi asked.Before Hifumi could get an explanation of what's going on, Kyoko opened the book of Genocide Jack cases. As soon as everyone saw the contents of the book, they freaked out."Holy shit!" Mondo exclaimed."What the hell?!" Leon gasped."Gah!" Natsumi screamed. "That's...that's so gross!""Oh no..." Hina said as she covered her mouth in horror. "Those poor people..."Toko took a look at the photos of Genocide Jack's victim. She immediately fainted upon seeing all the blood.Hifumi looked confused at everyone's reactions. "Hey, what's with the horrified looks?" he asked. He walked up to the central table to look at the book's contents. "I don't see what part of that book would make you-" He stopped himself when he saw the contents of the book. He let out a nearly ear-deafening scream.Sayaka could feel her already broken mind be shattered even further. It was horrifying enough having seen Yasuke's dead body and witnessing Junko get pierced by a large spear. But the bodies seen in the book of Genocide Jack cases? They lean closer to Junko's execution. Seeing those dead bodies be killed in brutal ways made her complexion pale. She covered her mouth and nearly vomited.Makoto was horrified by what he's seeing before his eyes. He thought that he had seen the worse that this killing game has to offer. It's just photos of dead bodies instead of actual dead bodies being physically present. These cases definitely occurred in the past. But still...the thought that these people were killed in brutal ways...it made his body feel cold. He turned towards Sayaka and saw that she's in a really bad state. He rushed up to her to try to stop her from vomiting."Sayaka, calm down!" Makoto shouted. "Whatever you do, don't vomit!""I...probably...shouldn't have ate...that much food..." Sayaka muttered in regret."Is that...everything there is to see...?" Yasuhiro asked. "I-It can't get any worse, can it?""There's more..." Kyoko replied. "This book wouldn't be a collection of Genocide Jack cases if it's only recorded within these two pages.""Take a good look at the photos we're about to show you," Byakuya said. "There's a certain pattern to how Genocide Jack kills and displays his victims."Kyoko flipped through the pages of the book to show even more victims of Genocide Jack. Each victim shown was murdered in a more brutal way than the last. It was horrifying for all to see. As they looked through more and more of the Genocide Jack cases, the students began to spot a few patterns. First off, all of the victims are men. There are no dead women to be found anywhere in the book of Genocide Jack cases. Second off, all of the victims were propped up on a wall, pinned in place by scissors piercing their wrists. Finally, the words "BLOOD LUST" was seen on the walls where the victims were being hung from, written with their own blood."That's so gross..." Hina said. "Using your victim's own blood to leave behind a calling card... That's just...wrong on so many levels...""My family fears no man," Natsumi began to remark. "They're leaders the most notorious yakuza clan in all of Japan. No one can even touch them. But Genocide Jack? Even that guy would scare them..."Kiyotaka is left confused in the end. "I don't understand this," he said. "Who is Genocide Jack? What kind of person would kill these men in gruesome ways and display their bodies like that? And...why would Hope's Peak Academy hold a book of his victims?""This is a school where only those who are the absolute best in their fields for their age are allowed to enter," Byakuya explained. "We are examples of such students. Perhaps...this Genocide Jack person is much younger than we think. He isn't an adult who's going around murdering men. He's...around our age."Everyone became shocked at this discovery."So...are you saying that Genocide Jack...is a teenager?" Hina asked, shivering nervously as she spoke. "Are you saying that he's been killing people ever since he was a child? That's...so messed up..."Sayaka was so sickened by this discovery that she could feel her mouth full with vomit. She couldn't being herself to swallow it back up. Makoto began to panic upon seeing that Sayaka is about to vomit."Ah! Sayaka's about to throw up!" Makoto yelled. "Can someone escort her to the nearest restroom?!""Uh, I think there's a trash bin in the kitchen," Hifumi said. "You can use that if you-"Sayaka didn't hesitate to act. She ran towards the kitchen as fast as she could. Sounds of her throwing up can be heard from the kitchen. Makoto cringed upon hearing those sounds. It made him feel sick as well."Ugh, I can't believe that a serial killer who is a teenager would exist," Kiyotaka said. "So, what about my last question? Why would Hope's Peak Academy hold a book about him?""Perhaps...Hope's Peak Academy is planning on inviting him into the school," Byakuya guessed.A huge wave of gasps sweeps across everyone. The most prestigious school in the world...inviting a known serial killer as one of its students? The thought of that is unbelievable. They couldn't believe that their school would do such a thing. As everyone struggled to process what they heard, Monokuma showed up from out of nowhere."Hey! What's going on over here?!" Monokuma asked."Gah!" Mondo screamed, as if what he's hearing about Genocide Jack was shocking enough. "Y-You! What the hell are you doing here?!"Byakuya gave a disapproving glare at Monokuma. "Can't you see that we're in the middle of a discussion, Monokuma?" he said."I know that!" Monokuma replied. "It's just that one of you has started sleeping while outside their dorm room. I need to make sure that they're actually sleeping!"Everyone's eyes turn to Toko, who is still on the floor passed out. Monokuma walked up to Toko to check on her."Hey. You there," Monokuma began. "Glasses Girl! Are you asleep? Hello? If you don't respond, then I'll have to punish you."Then, Toko suddenly opened her eyes and catapulted herself off the floor. "Wha-?!" she gasped. She spent a few moments gasping for air. "W-What happened? I-I thought that I-I saw blood and-""Aw..." Monokuma groaned in disappointment. "You were merely passed out instead of being asleep. How disappointing. I was looking forward to sending another student to an execution. Oh well. These types of things do need some time in between them. An execution right after another execution wouldn't be as satisfying as having both of them spaced apart. Anyways, I'll be going back to my job. See ya!" He then vanished from the dining hall.After that strange moment, the students went back to the current topic. Sayaka then walked out of the kitchen rubbing her mouth. She looked miserable."I just...I just don't understand this," Kiyotaka said. "Why would Hope's Peak Academy want to invite a serial killer into the school? You're just asking to get your reputation ruined if you do that!""The school inviting students with morally questionable talents isn't new," Kyoko replied. "Hope's Peak Academy has a history of inviting students who hold all kinds of talents, no matter how morally or legally questionable the talent in question is. And if you don't believe me, do I have to remind you that in this class, we have the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader, the Ultimate Gambler, and the Ultimate Yakuza?""Don't drag me into this..." Mondo muttered."So? What's your point?" Kiyotaka asked."The point is, it's not entirely unreasonable that Hope's Peak Academy would want to invite a prolific serial killer," Kyoko said."Okay, but how are you supposed to find a serial killer whose identity is unknown?" Leon asked. "We don't even know who Genocide Jack is!"Toko is twitching nervously for some reason."There is the possibility that Genocide Jack isn't a single person," Celeste said. "Rather, the serial killings are the work of several twisted individuals. Genocide Jack is a infamous urban legend. Perhaps the original Genocide Jack inspired others to take on the moniker and imitate his style of murdering people.""An urban legend, you say?" Kiyotaka asked. "So...are you saying that Genocide Jack is not real? That it was a myth created by a group of twisted people to trick us into believing that all of these murders are the world of a single person?""That could be a possibility," Byakuya said. "However, I must point out that-""Gah!" Kiyotaka screamed, having enough of Genocide Jack. "I'm getting so sick of all of this talk about Genocide Jack! We're straying too far from the original point of this meeting which is to share what we found in the newly unlocked areas!"Byakuya groaned and shook his head, feeling annoyed that he was prevented from sharing a critical piece of information regarding Genocide Jack. He leaned forward and closed the book of Genocide Jack cases to spare everyone the grim sight of all of those corpses."Anyways, back to the original topic at hand," Kiyotaka said. "Does anyone have anything else to say about the newly unlocked areas?"No one said a thing."No one?" Kiyotaka said. "Ugh, fine. I'll share my findings. So, Mondo and I have stepped foot into the bathhouse. We didn't see anyone other than Makoto and Sayaka enter that place, so I'll have to explain to all of you what I've found. As the name implies, the bathhouse is a place where we bathe in hot spring water. There are two changing rooms that lead into the hot springs: one for girls and one for boys.""So...just like the changing rooms near the pool and gym," Hina said."Yeah, like that," Kiyotaka said. Then he stopped and realized something. "Wait, this school has two changing rooms?""You're not gonna believe this, genius," Leon said, calling Kiyotaka a genius sarcastically. "People just want their changing rooms to be in convenient places. No one wants to walk all the way to the changing rooms near the gym, change into their bathing suits, and walk all the way back to the bathhouse while in their bathing suits. Although, that would be an interesting sight, especially if-""Get your mind out of the gutter, redhead!" Natsumi shouted. "No one wants to hear that!""Leon, you'd better stop saying stuff like that," Kiyotaka said in a scolding tone. "You don't want to get on another person's bad side and make them want you dead!"Leon gave an ice cold glare at Sayaka. It made her shiver."Anyways, Mondo and I took a look inside the hot springs," Kiyotaka continued. "We discovered that the hot springs is separated into two by a wall. It looks like the girls and the boys will be bathing in their own sections, so we don't have to worry about anyone taking a peek on the other side of the wall. Hopefully.""Don't forget the sauna," Mondo said."Yes, the sauna," Kiyotaka replied. "This place has a sauna as well. So, if any of you feels too stressed out by this killing game, you can always head to the bathhouse and relax in the hot springs. It could also be a great bonding experience with your fellow classmates! You know what they say: when the body is naked, so is the soul!"Most of the students felt embarrassed upon hearing that phrase."Alright, that should be it for now," Kiyotaka declared. "Everyone, you're dismissed!"After the meeting ended, everyone stood up from their seats and went off to do their own thing.
Day 6 - 11:00 AM
Makoto's Room, First Floor
Makoto is in his room taking care of Sayaka. He's sitting on his bed while Sayaka is resting her head on Makoto's lap. Makoto rubbed his hand on Sayaka to calm her down, especially after she vomited into a trash bin."Are you feeling better?" Makoto asked.Sayaka let out a moan, indicating that she's still a long ways off from fully recovering from the trauma."...Still need more time, don't you?" Makoto said. "Well, you must be feeling good enough to tell me who you saw in your motive video, right?""...Do I have to...?" Sayaka asked."Look, I need to understand you a little more," Makoto explained. "I can't help you if you don't tell me who you saw in your motive video. I promise, I will keep this between us."Sayaka tilted her head downward and curled up her legs. "But...the motive..." she said."The first motive has been expired," Makoto said. "At least, I hope that it's expired now that a murder has occurred. I doubt that Monokuma would care if we decided to share details about our motives to each other. So please...tell me. Who did you saw in your motive video?"Sayaka thought about revealing who she saw in her motive video. She wondered if she felt comfortable enough with telling Makoto this information. It took her a while, but she decided to come clean and reveal to Makoto who she was trying to kill for, the most important people to her life. She lifted herself up from Makoto's lap and revealed the truth."The person I saw in my motive video..." Sayaka began, only to stop and correct herself. "The group of people...that I saw in my motive video... They were...my idol group..."Makoto raised an eyebrow upon hearing that from Sayaka. "Your idol group?" he asked. "Those are your most important people?"Sayaka nodded her head in confirmation. "Remember what I said about my idol group being my family to me?" she said. "I mean it. I view them as my family. My mother is dead, and my father is too absent from my life. In my house, I was always alone. So if there's a group of people that I found myself attached to, I would call them my family..."So there's more than one way someone can be called a part of your family, Makoto thought. You don't have to be directly blood-related or have someone marry into the family...Sayaka curled up her fingers as she continued to talk about how much her idol group means to her. "My idol group..." she said. "They...they were the ones who help me achieve my dream. And I...am the one who helped them achieve their dream. Without me, my idol group would be nothing more than an underground idol group. Because of that, I grew to care about them a lot...""Sayaka..." Makoto muttered out of concern.Then Sayaka's voice started to change. She began to sound panicky. "So...when I saw my idol group in my motive video," she continued, "I...I became terrified. I became scared that...everything that I worked for...all the hard work that I've put into my idol career...all the sacrifices I've made to make career succeed...would be for nothing in the end. I...I thought that something...terrible has happened to my idol group... I became desperate...to figure out what happened them...to try to save them an my idol career! I don't want my career to die. Not now. I have...so many years left in my idol career! I don't want to be forgotten... I don't want to be abandoned like how I was when I was a kid! I don't want to be alone anymore!""Sayaka! Calm down!" Makoto shouted. "Don't panic. Just...take a moment to calm yourself down!"Sayaka gasped for air after that brief period of panic. After she calmed down, her mood plummeted. She slumped forward and covered her face with her hands."But now...my worst fears...might have come true..." Sayaka said. "My idol group...might've been dead all along... All of my efforts to save them and my career...would be for nothing. Everyone out there...would've heard about the death of my idol group... Everyone would cry...over the loss of a top idol group... And then...they would move on...to another rising idol group. I would be back where I started...abandoned and alone. All the work that I put into my idol career...all the fame that I've built up...and all the strain that my body underwent... All of that...was for nothing..."It was at this moment when Makoto got a better understanding of what Sayaka has been going though. "So that's what you saw in your motive video," he said. "And why you acted the way you did upon seeing your motive video. You...really care a lot about your idol group and your career. You don't want all of your efforts to be wasted in the end. Is that why you decided to sacrifice Leon to try to save your career?"Sayaka nodded her head.Makoto took a moment to let out a sigh. "Well, to be honest, I'm not sure how much your efforts to save your career mattered in the end," he said. "We have no idea what's going on in the outside world. Perhaps...it might too late for you to save your career. Given your current mental state, you might not be able to save your career anyways, even if you managed to save your idol group. I've said this once, and I'll say it again. Even if your idol career ends and everyone in the outside world has moved on from you, I will still be by your side. I won't abandon you...no matter what."Hearing those words again from Makoto... It made Sayaka feel a little bit better. It's not much, but some progress has been made on her recovery. She then became curious about what Makoto saw in his motive video. So she returned the favor."So...what about you, Makoto?" Sayaka asked. "Aren't you...going to tell me who you saw in your motive video?"Makoto was surprised to hear Sayaka ask that question in return. "Huh? Me?" he replied. Before he could ask anything else, Sayaka answered the question in his head."I just wanted to get to know you better, is all," Sayaka explained. "I'm just wondering who your most valuable person is."Makoto was bewildered for a moment, but then he figured that Sayaka would pull off that psychic joke on him once again. This shouldn't be the appropriate time to be making a joke, and yet Sayaka decided to do it anyways. Instead of being bewildered, Makoto regained his composure and gave a proper response to Sayaka's question."Well..." Makoto began to respond. He struggled for a moment to bring himself to say it. "I saw...my family in my motive video."Sayaka raised an eyebrow upon hearing that answer. "Your biological family?" she asked."Yeah," Makoto replied. "My mom, my dad, and my sister, Komaru. I saw all of them in my house, cheering me on as I enter Hope's Peak Academy. Seeing their faces again made me feel...happy for a moment. But then...the video cuts to a scene of my house, now in ruins with my family nowhere in sight. I was...devastated when Monokuma implied that something terrible has happened to them. To be honest, I was almost tempted to try to murder someone. I...really wanted to figure out what happened to them and see if I could save them. I got a little...aggressive after I saw my motive video...""So...our motive videos featured our families...both biological and metaphorical..." Sayaka concluded. "That reminds me... My motive video...features my idol group congratulating me for making into Hope's Peak Academy. My heart warmed a little upon seeing their faces. But then...the video cuts to a shot featuring them unconscious, with the screen behind them displaying Monokuma's face..."A thought popped up in Makoto's head. "How...did your idol group get convinced to film that video?" he asked. "Was the video even real? Or was it staged?""I don't know..." Sayaka replied. "I've been filmed in many commercials during my career, so I have a good understanding of what's real and what's staged. Still...I have a feeling that what I saw in my motive video was...real...that none of it was staged. These poor girls...they were probably forced to film that video against their will...""Well, whatever the case, I hope that our loved ones are alive out there," Makoto said. "Even thought we may never figure out their fates, they might be out there, trying to find a way to get us out of this school. I hope that when help finally arrives, we would be alive by then.""I...hope so..." Sayaka replied. "But...knowing Monokuma...it's also possible that our loved ones...might be dead all along...meaning that murdering someone to find their fates...would be for nothing..."Another thought then popped up in Makoto's head. "You know...talking about our motive videos has me wondering," he said. "What did the others saw in their motive videos? What person or group of people is so important to our classmates that putting them in grave danger would want our classmates to try to kill someone?"Sayaka curled up into a ball upon hearing that question. "I...I don't think I want to know..." she said."I think we should know who our classmates treasure the most," Makoto said. "It probably wouldn't hurt to ask our classmates what they saw in their motive videos. Anyway, I think that's enough talk about our motive videos for now. How about we...stay here for a little longer?"Makoto would spend most of the remaining day comforting Sayaka.
Day 6 - 1:30 PM
Storage Room, First Floor
After lunch is over for the day, Kiyotaka and Mondo went to the storage room to see what they could find."Let's see..." Kiyotaka said. "Is there anything useful in this storage room?"Kiyotaka and Mondo looked up at the large shelves full of boxes in the storage room. Mondo looked unimpressed."Nope, not seeing anything that we can use," Mondo said. "There's nothing in here but boxes.""Oh, don't give up too early," Kiyotaka said. "We haven't even taken a look inside those boxes yet. I'm sure that at least one of these boxes will contain something useful. You know what they say: you'll never know until you look. Come on! Let's look inside what's in these boxes."Kiyotaka and Mondo then went around the storage room opening up various boxes. Some of the boxes contains canned food, which excites Kiyotaka."Oh look, canned food!" Kiyotaka said. "This storage room is stocked full of them! I know that the kitchen is restocked regularly so we don't have to worry about running out of food, but at least we can have these canned food as an alternative.""Are you sure these things are safe to eat?" Mondo asked."Don't worry!" Kiyotaka assured. "Canned food can be safe to eat for a long time. There's no need to worry about being sick from eating canned food. Although, if canned food is improperly stored, there is the possibility that it could become contaminated." He then picked up a can to read its sell by date. "Hmm...what date is it today?"Mondo gave a shrug. "Hell if I know," he replied. "I didn't see a calendar anywhere in this school.""Oh well, it probably doesn't matter," Kiyotaka said as he set the can back where it found it. "As long as we aren't too far into the future, these canned food should still be safe to consume.""...You're real smart when it comes to this," Mondo remarked.Kiyotaka felt offended to hear that. "Hey, I'm not smart about this!" he said. "I just know a lot about food safety!""I'm just complementing you, is all," Mondo replied."Complimenting me?" Kiyotaka asked. "If you're going to compliment me, you could've praise me by using anything other than 'genius' or its synonyms. I'm just a hard-working, spirited student! That's all I am!"Mondo was puzzled for a moment. "Hey, what's your damn problem with that word and anything else that means the same thing?" he asked."You know what?" Kiyotaka began to declare. "Let's not talk about this anymore, okay? There's still more stuff in this storage room. We should look through at least most of these boxes."Mondo growled in disappointment. He wanted to learn why Kiyotaka doesn't like hearing the word "genius" or its synonyms when it comes to describing him. Maybe he'll reveal it later when the time comes. For now, Mondo continued to look through the storage room along with Kiyotaka.The two boys then stumbled across a box full of candy. The candy pieces are wrapped in a small piece of paper with a polka dot pattern on it. The two boys picked up a piece of candy each. The candy pieces feel rock-hard, almost like they're pebbles."Is this...candy?" Mondo asked."It sure is," Kiyotaka said. "I'm not sure who would put a box full of candy in this school. Normally, I'm against having these confectionery sweets in a school setting. But...a single piece wouldn't hurt. I'd better remind myself to drink some water after this...""You think we should eat it?" Mondo asked. "I don't have much of a sweet tooth, and I have no idea how long this box of candy's been sitting here.""This should be safe to eat just like those canned food," Kiyotaka said. "We might as well give this a try."The two boys unwrapped the piece of candy from its wrapper and put it into their mouths. Mondo immediately swallowed the piece of candy he ate, while Kiyotaka let it sit in his mouth for a moment. They cringed not too long after eating the piece of candy."Ugh, this candy tastes like a sugar cube with some flavoring," Kiyotaka said. "It's made of nothing but sugar!""I feel like I swallowed a rock..." Mondo groaned. "I think it's stuck...""You're supposed to let it melt in your mouth first, then you swallow it," Kiyotaka lectured. "Oh well. It'll melt in your throat, eventually." He then cringed even more as the candy piece continued to melt in his mouth. "Gah, this tastes so awful. Let's...make sure no one ever gets a taste of this..."Kiyotaka closed the box of candies and put it on a shelf. He was unable to find packing tape to seal off the box, so he left the box as is.The last thing the two boys checked in the storage room is the large net. It's rolled up into a cylinder and has a white border around its edges. A loop of string and another string with a hook and latch can be seen coming out of both of the net's short sides. Right next to the net is a pair of large metal poles.Mondo looked confused upon seeing the net and poles. "What...are those things?" he asked."Looks like a net and a pair of poles to me," Kiyotaka replied."Yeah, I can see that, Mr. Obvious," Mondo said. "I'm asking what kind of net is that thing."Kiyotaka knelt down to get a closer look at the net. "Hmm...this net doesn't look like the one used to catch fish," he said. "Or insects. The gaps between the strings are too big to catch insects, and it doesn't have a handle to hold it with.""Then what is this net even for?" Mondo asked again.Looking at the net closely, Kiyotaka gets an idea for what it could be. He picked up the net, placed it on the floor, and unrolled it to its full length. The net is large and long. With the loops of string and the strings with a hook and latch coming out of the short sides, Kiyotaka figured out the net's purpose."Aha!" Kiyotaka said. "This is a sports net, used to divide up the playing field.""What kind of sports?" Mondo asked.Kiyotaka turned his head towards Mondo. "You've never played any sports before, right?" he asked."No, I haven't," Mondo replied."That's alright," Kiyotaka said. "I'm sure Hina can explain what kinds of sports a net would be used in. She knows a lot when it comes to sports. She'll explain it when it time comes.""Okay..." Mondo said, feeling unsure about how useful the net is. "So...what are we gonna use that net for, then?"Kiyotaka turned his eyes towards the sports balls on the shelf nearby. One of the balls happens to be a volleyball. With the net, the poles, and the volleyball in mind, an idea formed in Kiyotaka's head. "Hmm...I think I have a good idea of what everyone can do together..." he said.
Day 6 - 3:00 PM
Leon's Room, First Floor
Leon's room looks nothing like a room belonging to a baseball player. It looks more like a room belonging to an upcoming rock star. There's an electric guitar, an amplifier, a set of headphones, and a microphone on a stand. There's no baseball equipment anywhere to be found in this room.Leon is lounging in his room, resting on his bed. He stared a the ceiling as he thought about how Sayaka had planned to kill him. He cursed at the idol for planning to kill him, believing that she's in the wrong for doing such a thing. He refused to believe that it was partially his fault for making Sayaka too uncomfortable with him to want him alive, that if he wasn't so obsessed over her she wouldn't have tried to kill him. He also cursed at Makoto for siding with Sayaka even after he learned that she was planning to use him as her fall guy. He believe that Makoto was going to put himself in danger for continuing to side with someone who could snap and try to kill someone else at any moment.Then, someone began to ring the doorbell. Leon turned his head towards the door."Ugh..." Leon groaned. "What now?"Leon got off his bed and walked up to the door. He answered the door and found...Hina outside. She has a not-so-pleased look on her face, and she's also crossing her arms."Hey, Leon," Hina greeted in a not-so-cheerful tone. "Listen, we need to talk."Leon doesn't feel like talking to anyone at the moment. He slammed the door right in front of Hina and began to walk back to his bed. He didn't make it far, as Hina rang the doorbell again. Annoyed, Leon went back to his door and answered it again."Hey, you can't just slam the door on me!" Hina complained."Go away," Leon insisted. "I don't wanna talk to anyone anymore.""Listen, Leon," Hina said. "Remember what I said about us talking about your opinion of Sayaka? Yeah...we're doing it now.""Uh, are your ears plugged?" Leon asked. "I already told you what I think of her now. She's a bitch. End of story."Hina glared at Leon for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh. She stepped into Leon's room to continue the conversation, closing the door behind her. She stood near the bed, pausing to collect her thoughts."Leon..." Hina continued. "You may think of Sayaka as a heartless person for planning to kill you, but what about your thoughts of her before when we got out motive videos?"Leon knew what his thoughts on Sayaka were before Monokuma distributed those motive videos. He just refused to say it."I knew what your thoughts about Sayaka were before that point," Hina said. "You thought the...what was the saying again? Ah, forget it. Highly. You once thought very highly of Sayaka. You wanted to hang out with her more than playing baseball.""That's because baseball's no longer my passion," Leon replied. "I'm tired of playing that sport. I wanna pursue music, my real passion!""And you're doing that because you wanted to get girls," Hina said. "Isn't that right? You said so yourself, didn't you?""Uh, yeah," Leon replied. "What's wrong with that?""It sounds to me that you want to become a musician for a selfish reason," Hina replied. "I doubt that Sayaka would want to hang out with someone who has selfish reasons for becoming a musician.""Hey, I just thought that she would be into musicians!" Leon explained. "I thought that she would pay attention to me if I made into the music industry.""That sounds like even more of a selfish reason," Hina remarked."Look, I just wanted to hang out with Sayaka, okay?" Leon said. "She's the perfect girl in my mind. She's got that smoking hot body, that super cute face, and everything I need to launch my music career! I really wanted to date her and make her my girlfriend! And then...she had the gall to plan to kill me! How could she?! I tried so hard to get her attention, and she repays me by trying to kill me?!""Leon..." Hina said in a scolding tone. "Don't you think that you're...disturbing Sayaka by acting that way around her?""What?" Leon questioned. "What are you talking about? I didn't do anything!""Clearly, you must've done something to Sayaka that made her want to kill you," Hina said. "Listen, Sayaka is a widely popular idol. She has millions of fans. There's hardly anyone in this country who hasn't heard of her. With that many fans, there's bound to be some people who acted really creepy towards her. Sayaka has probably seen some of those people in person. She must've been disturbed seeing them act that way. And you...you might be acting just like one of those people.""No, I don't," Leon said in denial."Don't lie to me!" Hina shouted. "I know that you were acting like a total creep towards Sayaka. You made her uncomfortable! Is there any surprise that she planned to kill you when the opportunity arises?""Whoa there!" Leon said. "Don't jump into conclusions! I'm not a creep, I swear! I know who Sayaka is supposed to be! She's supposed to be an idol!""Oh yeah?" Hina asked. "Do you really know who Sayaka is that much?""I do!" Leon replied. "I've been a fan of her ever since her career began, at least until this damn killing game!"Hina gave another glare at Leon before sighing. "You know nothing about Sayaka other than the surface-level details..." she said.Leon has a puzzled look on his face. "What?" he asked."Face it, Leon," Hina said. "You only know Sayaka from her public appearances, where she only shows things that appeals to her fans. She's an idol. She never shows the public things that would break her image as an idol. She only shows her insecure side to people she trusts. Now, she would accept you as a friend if you treated her like a human being. But instead of doing that, you...you treated her like she's your ticket into becoming the Ultimate Musician. I know that you're bored of baseball and wanted to try a different career path, but why did you, a punk star, want to receive training from a pop idol?""Because...she can teach me on how to become a successful musician?" Leon replied with a shrug.Hina gave Leon a disapproving look and let out a heavy sigh. "Leon..." she said. "You must understand that you're pursuing a different music genre than what Sayaka specializes in. She's a pop idol, and you're trying to be a punk star. There's little overlap between the fans of those two genres. Trying to ask a pop star on how to write punk music is like asking a professional swimmer on how to succeed in baseball: it's not going to work as it's outside their field of specialty."Leon got confused by the metaphor. "Huh?" he said. "What do you mean?""Listen, Leon," Hina began to explain. "We would have never become Ultimate Student in our sports without the help of coaches who specialize in the sport we want to excel at. Without their help, we would not be in this school. If we tried to get help from people who don't play the sport we want to play, well...we wouldn't get good advice."Leon is still left confused. "I don't understand a thing you're saying," he said. "What is the point of all of this?""The point I'm trying to make is that you should accept some responsibility for making Sayaka want to kill you," Hina replied. "You act like a creep towards her and you treat her as something she's not: a perfect girl who knows everything you need to succeed as a musician. Not everyone can live up to what you think of them. If you refuse to accept the blame...don't be surprised if someone tries to kill you again. I doubt that Sayaka will try to kill anyone ever again, but what's stopping someone else from deciding that they're sick of you? It's just as Celeste said: if you don't change, you likely won't survive."Leon growled as Hina began to wrap up her lecture."Now, you can either choose to change your behavior and apologize to Sayaka for making her uncomfortable," Hina offered, "or you can continue to blame Sayaka for planning to kill you. And by way, I saved your life by putting a stop to Sayaka's plans, and I haven't gotten any thanks from you.""That's because no one deserves any thanks from me..." Leon grumbled."Well, maybe you should be grateful that you're alive instead of being killed by someone you trusted," Hina said. "If you're gonna still be bitter about what Sayaka tried to do to you, then don't say I didn't warn you if someone decides to target you next. And whatever you do, don't try to target Sayaka for her failed murder plan on you. We're playing a game where we could get killed by someone at any time. Life is too short to hold a grudge against someone, especially in this setting."Leon continued to growl at Hina as her lecture comes to an end.Hina then turned around to face the door. "I'll be off to my room for now," she said. "You'd better have learned your lesson by tomorrow." She then left Leon's room.After Hina left, Leon went back to laying on his bed. "That stupid girl..." he muttered to himself. "Who does she think she is? My coach? Bah. I'm not listening to anyone who acts like my coach. I'm not listening to anyone who tells me what to do. That bitch... I'm going to give her what she deserves..."Leon took Hina's lecture and discarded it, unwilling to accept responsibility for making Sayaka want to kill him. He would rather blame Sayaka for making the plan in the first place. A dark thought formed in his mind.The rest of the day went on without much remarkable things happening. Kiyotaka and Mondo did went to the bathhouse as they promised to each other, but no other boys joined them. Soon, nighttime came in, and everyone went to sleep.
Unknown Day - Unknown Time
Unknown Location
Long ago, there was a boy who was routinely mocked for being weak. He has a small frame for someone his age. He's so weak that even a mild amount of exercise would strain his body. He never played games outside with his classmates. It didn't help that people around him kept mocking him for being so weak."That boy is so weak," a student said. "I've heard that he's so weak and frail that even a light tap would knock him out!""Is there something wrong with his hormones?" another student asked. "A real boy shouldn't be *that* weak.""Are you even a real boy?" yet another student asked. "'Cause you don't look like one. Look at your arms! They're like twigs!"The boy was so ashamed of being bullied this way. He developed a weakness complex as a result of all the bullying he received. In an attempt to escape the bullying, the boy dressed himself up as a girl so that people wouldn't bully him for being a weak boy. The boy and his family moved to a different city so that no one would recognize that a girl among them is really a boy in disguise.But the boy's solution of dressing up as a girl didn't help much, as it doesn't address the root of the problems: that he has yet to accept himself for who he is regardless of how people thought of him. Moving to a new city only made his anxiety issues worse, as now he fears that, should the truth about him be found out, he would be bullied even more. Sooner or later, people will pick up the signs that something's off about this "girl". "She" never participates in gym classes, "she" never uses public restrooms, and "she" becomes uncomfortable whenever people talk about the differences between males and females. It would be a matter of time before they discover that "she" is really a "he".His father recognized that the boy's real issue is his low self-image. The boy kept believing that he's weak because he lacks any physical strength and people kept saying that he's weak. The father reached out to him and attempted to make him feel better about himself."Look, son," the father said. "You don't have to hide who you are anymore. You're only hurting yourself by doing that.""But...if people found out that I'm a weak boy, then they'll bully me just like what happened at my old school," the boy replied. "I'll never hear the end of it...""Oh son..." the father said. "You're not getting the full picture of what strength really is. There's more than one way you can be strong. You may be weak physically and there's no changing that, but you can still be strong mentally."The boy gave a confused look to his father. "How can I do that...?" he asked."All you have to do is to accept yourself for who you are," the father said. "Don't let what others say about you bring your opinion of yourself down. Show your bullies that their words are no longer having an effect on you. By doing that, you'll show that although you are weak physically, you are strong and tough mentally."The boy hung his head down, clutching his arms. "But...I'm not sure I can do that..." he said."I'm sure you'll learn that there's more to strength than having lots of muscles," the father said. "You'll soon see that having a strong will is more than enough to make up for your weak muscles."The boy then looked at his hands and twig-like arms. He wondered if his father is right, that being a real boy or man takes more than having big muscles. With arms like this, he'll never be able to build up any muscles. Would willpower be enough to make up for that physical weakness?The father then came up with an idea. "Tell you what," he began to say. "How about I have you do something for me?"The boy became curious about what his father wants him to do. "What is it?" he asked."I have this incomplete software," the father explained. "It's an data retrieval system that can use vocal inputs from a microphone. I've been trying to complete it, but I have lots of other projects to do and I just don't have the time to do it. Could you finish that software for me? I would appreciate it the help. And who knows? Maybe that'll get you to find your talent."Since the boy can't play outside with his friends and classmates, he mostly spends his free time indoors on a computer. He's grown up to be quite knowledgeable on using various computer software. He's even explored the code behind these programs to see how they work. Perhaps he could even develop his own programs. With a project like what his father was working on, perhaps the boy can see what he can do to finish it. And maybe, he could add in his own modifications to improve the program.And so begins the boy's journey into the world of programming.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Day 7 - 7:15 AMDining Hall, First Floor
Another morning, another announcement. Everyone soon woke up and headed to the dining hall for breakfast. Well, almost everyone. Kiyotaka counted up everyone currently present in the dining hall and discovered that someone is absent...again. This time, it's Toko who is absent."We're missing a student again," Kiyotaka said as he looked around the dining hall to check who has arrived. "Has anyone seen Toko yet?"Most of the students stared at Kiyotaka in silence. They look like they have no clue where Toko went."What's with all the confused looks?" Kiyotaka asked. "Don't tell me that none of you have seen Toko at all!""Nope, haven't seen her yet," Hina replied."Me neither," Sakura added."I'd rather keep that pest out of my sights," Byakuya said as he sipped his tea."Byakuya, don't speak of your classmate like that!" Kiyotaka shouted in a scolding tone. "You could hurt their feelings!""I'm saying that because that's what I think of her," Byakuya replied.Kiyotaka let out an exasperated sigh."Do you have any idea where Toko could be?" Makoto asked."Oh, my crystal ball can tell where Toko is!" Yasuhiro said. He pulled out his crystal ball and began to peer into it. "Hmm...let's see... You'll that girl at...a place filled with lots of books!""You mean a library?" Natsumi asked."Yeah, a library!" Yasuhiro confirmed. "That's where you'll find Toko! I mean, she's a writer, after all. She must be there looking for...inspiration! Yeah, she's looking for inspiration to write her next book!"Most of the students stared at Yasuhiro, wondering if they should take his words seriously.Kyoko had a doubtful look on her face. "Are you sure you're right?" she asked. "Because I don't believe a single word you said.""Sure I am!" Yasuhiro insisted. "My crystal ball visions come true 30% of the time, every time!"Byakuya just shook his head in disapproval. "Every time you say that," he said, "I can only think that you've never taken a single course in statistics. Why do you keep saying that?""Because...I have studies to back me up!" Yasuhiro claimed.No one believed what Yasuhiro said."How about we go to her room first?" Hina suggested. "That might be a good place to start.""Oh yeah, that's right," Kiyotaka said, being reminded of when he tried to go to Byakuya's room to drag him to the dining hall. "Why didn't I think of that sooner? Alright, everyone. I'll try to get Toko out of her room. Wait here."Kiyotaka was about to leave the dining hall for a moment when a school announcement began to play.*Ding-dong, ding-dong!*"Ahem, attention all students," Monokuma began to announce. "This is a school announcement! Everyone, please make your way to the gym. I have something to say to all of you."...A sense of dread filled everyone's bodies after Monokuma made that announcement."Oh no..." Hina groaned. "What now? Is Monokuma gonna drop another motive onto us? It's too soon for that!""We just got a Class Trial..." Byakuya said. "Why does he feel the need to summon us to the gym again?""Dammit...what does that bear have in store for us?" Mondo asked."And why now at this time?" Kiyotaka asked. "We're in the middle of breakfast!""I don't know what Monokuma is planning," Kyoko said, "but his announcement sounds too important to ignore. We should head to the gym as soon as possible."Kiyotaka let out a groan. "Alright, everyone..." he said. "Right after we finish our breakfast, we're going to the gym. We can't keep Monokuma waiting."Everyone then proceeded to finish their breakfast as fast as possible. Once they're done, everyone went out the dining hall and headed for the gym where Monokuma is waiting for them. Well, all except for two. Makoto and Sayaka were left behind in the dining hall. Makoto has already finished his breakfast at this point, but Sayaka has barely eaten her meal. She spent most of the time sliding her partially eaten slices of toast on her plate."Come on, Sayaka," Makoto begged. "Hurry up. Monokuma is waiting for us at the gym, and I don't want to know what happens if we take too long to get to the gym."Sayaka groaned as she continued to poke at the slices of toast, not bothering pick one of them up to put into her mouth.Makoto grew a concerned look on his face. "Sayaka...aren't you going to finish your meal?" he asked. "You put a lot of food on your plate, and yet you didn't eat any of it. You're going to waste food!""I...feel so hungry..." Sayaka said with a sigh. "And yet...at the same time...I don't feel like eating...""You've been like this for every meal," Makoto said. "You kept taking a long time to finish eating your meals. I know that you keep on getting a lot of food on your plate, but it shouldn't take you this long to finish your meals."Sayaka moaned again as she picked up a piece of scrambled eggs and put it into her mouth.Makoto then grew nervous that Sayaka is taking too long to finish her meal. "You know what?" he began to declare. "You can finish your meal later. We're heading to the gym now. Come on!"Makoto grabbed Sayaka by the arm and began to drag her out of the dining hall to join the others at the gym.
Day 7 - 7:40 AMGym, First Floor
Makoto and Sayaka arrived at the gym to join everyone there. On the stage is Monokuma, who looks irritated at everyone to taking a while to come to the gym."That took much too long for my liking," Monokuma said. "What took you kids so long to come here?""You made your announcement while we were in the middle of having breakfast," Kyoko explained. "We had to finish our breakfast first before coming here.""Breakfast?" Monokuma said. He then blew a raspberry in dismissal. "Who needs breakfast? I'm sure you kids can survive without food for more than a few days. Actually, now that I said it, I'm getting ideas on what the upcoming motives could be.""Don't you dare get any ideas, Monokuma," Kiyotaka said. "And speaking of motives, why did you summon us here in the gym this early? We've just woken up and had gone through a Class Trial a few days ago!""Oh, don't get that idea," Monokuma assured. "I did not summon you guys here to announce the next motive."Everyone has puzzled looks on their faces upon hearing that."...What?" Mondo said.Monokuma then noticed that the group of students appears to be a bit smaller than he expected. "Hey, is it just me?" he asked. "Or is someone missing from the gym?""Toko is absent," Kyoko explained. "She must be in her room.""Toko?" Monokuma said. "You mean that bookworm girl who's always stuttering? She's hiding in her room for some reason, huh? Eh, that's fine. She probably won't care about what I'm about to say.""And what do you have to say to us?" Byakuya asked.Monokuma pointed his arms at everyone. "Your bodies!" he shouted.Everyone was confused at what Monokuma meant by that."Our bodies?" Makoto asked. "What do you mean?""Look at your bodies!" Monokuma shouted. "You guys haven't done much physical activities since the killing game began! At this rate, everyone is going to become scrawny! Their muscles will deteriorate and soon no one would be strong enough to even kill each other! To prevent this from happening, I'm gonna need all of you here to perform exercise routines!"Everyone felt nervous over Monokuma's reason for making them go through exercise routines. He sounded concerned for the health of everyone at first, but in reality, he just wanted to see the students drop dead like flies on a spider's web."Exercise?" Leon questioned before blowing a raspberry. "Why would I need to exercise? I don't need to exercise. My muscles are fine enough already! And besides, I don't need good muscles if I'm gonna-"Monokuma had enough of Leon's rant and threw a baseball at him. It hit him right on the head."Ow!" Leon yelped. "Ah... What the hell?!""I expected you to catch that baseball," Monokuma said. "And you didn't catch it, because you let your muscles and reflexes deteriorate in favor of becoming a musician. That's what you get to disrespecting your own talent!"Even though she disliked Leon enough for her to want him dead, Sayaka can't help but feel sorry for Leon. She attempted to reach out to him and checked to see if he's okay. "Are you-?" she tried to say."Shut up, bitch!" Leon yelled, cutting Sayaka off from finishing her sentence. "I don't wanna hear you talk to me anymore! You hear me?!"Hina sighed in disappointment and shook her head. "Oh Leon..." she said. "You never learn, don't you?"Hifumi also has something to say about being forced to exercise. "What about me?" he asked. "I don't like to exercise either, 'cause it sucks! I hate running with my big, hefty body everywhere!"Monokuma, in annoyance, threw another baseball at Hifumi. It bounced off his belly. Hifumi felt a mild pain coming from his belly, but he's mostly fine."Ha!" Hifumi laughed. "Now you have seen the benefits of having a lot of fat! Any blows you receive will be absorbed by it and you won't feel much pain. I knew that making myself fat was a-"Hifumi was interrupted when Monokuma threw yet another baseball at him. This time, it hit him right on the head. The force of the impact was so great that Hifumi was knocked off balance. Hifumi tried to regain his footing, but he's so top-heavy that he's unable to remain upright. He soon fell down to the floor with a big thud."Ahem," Monokuma said after those two interruptions. "Now that the changing room has been unlocked, I'm going to ask all of you here to work out at least once a day. You can use the changing rooms to change into your gym clothes, but don't forget about the rules regarding those rooms! I don't want to see any boys walking into the girls while they're in the middle of changing, and vice versa! Now then, let's get changing! I have some workout routines for you kids to follow!"Celeste rolled her eyes at the idea of having to change clothes for gym. "Oh, please," she said. "Are you asking me to change my clothes for gym? Do you realize how long it takes me to put on this highly elaborate dress? I had to wake up early just to have enough time to-"Monokuma picked up yet another baseball to throw at Celeste just to make her shut up. Everyone jumped upon seeing Monokuma hold the baseball again. They worried that Celeste might get hit by a baseball just like with Leon and Hifumi. Monokuma thew the baseball at Celeste and...it ended up flying past her face, brushing up against one of her hair drills. She didn't even flinch."Grr!" Monokuma growled. "I missed!"Celeste got confused at what Monokuma tried to do. "Excuse me, was that supposed to hit me?" she asked."Yes, it was!" Monokuma yelled. "I was aiming for your face to shut you up, and for some reason, I missed! Let me try again!" He then reached for where he was keeping his baseballs, only to find that he ran out of baseballs. "Grr...I'm out of baseballs. I should've brought more of them here. You'll get away with this for now, Celeste. But the next time you dare to interrupt my speech, you won't be so lucky."Celeste smirked at Monokuma's threatening words. "I'd like to see you try," she replied.With those interruptions out of the way, Monokuma finished off his speech. "Now then," he began to finish. "Everyone, head off to the changing rooms and change into your gym clothes! And remember, one person may only enter the changing rooms at a time, and no trying to enter each other's changing rooms! Got it? Good! Then let's get going!""Wait, are we doing this right now?" Kiyotaka asked. "We just had breakfast! I don't want to run around the gym while my stomach is still full!""Hey, I thought that it's a myth that swimming right after having a meal would give you stomach cramps," Hina said. "Would doing any other exercise routines be any different?""And Sayaka barely ate any breakfast," Makoto said. "I doubt that she'll want to run around the gym on an empty stomach."Sayaka could feel her stomach growling. She felt so lethargic with her stomach this empty. She doesn't recall a time in her life when she's this malnourished. She remembered the times when her agency placed her on strict diets to maintain her ideal figure. They were strict, but they were nothing compared to what she's going through right now."Who care's about that bitch?" Leon sneered. "She's doing that to herself! If she wants to starve herself as punishment for what she tried to do to me-"Hina picked up a baseball and threw it at Leon. Leon flinched as the baseball soared past him, almost grazing him."Ah!" Leon yelped as the baseball missed him. He then gave a furious look at Hina. "Hey, what the hell? Can't you see that I'm trying to talk here?!"Hina gave a disapproving look at Leon. "Shut up..." she ordered.Monokuma gave the students' concerns some thought before making his decision. "Alright, fair enough," he said. "I'll give you kids some time to walk around the school before you're all forced into doing exercise routines. After all, we don't want to exercise while our stomachs are full! It may cause problems! I'll give you until...say...8:30 for your stomachs to process the food you ate. Then, we can get started on those exercise routines! Alright, class dismissed! Be sure to come back here dressed in your gym clothes by 8:30!"The students were disappointed to hear that Monokuma had delayed the exercise routines for around 30 minutes. Still, most of the students didn't eat that much for breakfast, so an extra 30 minutes should give them enough time for their stomachs to process the food they ate. Everyone soon went out the gym to do whatever they can before they're forced to do the exercise routines. As they left the gym, Hifumi regained consciousness and lifted himself up from the floor."Ugh...my head..." Hifumi groaned, his body wobbling from dizziness. "I should've known that there's also a downside to being fat..." As he got up, he noticed that the rest of the students are leaving him behind in the gym. "Hey! Where are you guys going? Wait for me!" He then began to run after his classmates.
Day 7 - 8:00 AMDormitory Hallway, First Floor
While waiting for the exercise sessions in the gym, Makoto and Sayaka decided to check up on Toko. On the way to Toko's room, Makoto went back inside the dining hall and picked up Sayaka's leftovers. After that, they then went to Toko's room and rang the doorbell. From there, they waited until Toko answered the door.Toko then opened her room's door slightly, just enough for her head to be visible from outside. She looked nervous about something, as well as surprised that anyone had rung her room's doorbell."H-Huh?" Toko asked. "W-What is it? Why are y-you two at my room?""Hey, Toko," Makoto greeted. "Just to let you know, Monokuma has decided to perform exercise routines in the gym."Toko was confused at the idea of Monokuma making everyone exercise. "W-Why did he want us t-to do those things?" she asked. "H-He trapped us in this school... T-Two people...have died s-so far... And now...he w-wants us...to exercise? Why?""He's making us exercise for...nefarious reasons, let's just say," Makoto explained. "Still, it wouldn't hurt to try to stay healthy while we're stuck in this school. You want to join us at the gym? Oh, and you also have to wear gym clothes while exercising."Toko was horrified at the idea of her wearing gym clothes. "G-Gym clothes?" she gasped. "You...want me to wear...gym clothes?""Well, I'm not the one making you wear gym clothes," Makoto clarified. "Monokuma is.""No!" Toko shouted. "I'm not wearing gym clothes! I'm not s-showing off my legs to you p-perverts! I'm staying here in my room!"Makoto was disappointed that he couldn't get Toko to leave her room. "Well, if you're going trap yourself in your own room, then you should at least have something to eat," he said. He then offered the plate of Sayaka's leftovers to Toko. "Here, you can have Sayaka's leftovers."Toko took one look at the plate of Sayaka's leftovers and declined to have them. "She can finish that food!" she shouted. "She put that food on her p-plate, so she should e-eat it all up! Besides, I can feed myself w-while the rest of you are in the gym!" She then froze in place in terror. "Oh no...it's happening..."Makoto and Sayaka were confused at what Toko was talking about."What?" Makoto asked."Go away!" Toko shouted. "Leave me alone! Don't b-bother me anymore!" She then pulled her head back into her room before slamming the door shut."...What's up with her?" Sayaka asked.Makoto only gave a shrug. "I don't know," he replied. "Toko hasn't been this much of a shut-in since this killing game started. I'm not sure when she started acting like this, or what caused her to confine herself to her own room. Anyways, we can't let this food go to waste. Want to finish it, Sayaka?"Sayaka only responded with a grunt."Look, we're about to go through...whatever exercise routine Monokuma has in store for us," Makoto said. "You'd better get your stomach filled up. I don't want you to go hungry in the middle of the routines." He then picked up one of the slices of toast up and moved it up to Sayaka's mouth. "Here, you can finish this slice. I'll eat the other one."Sayaka hesitated to finish the slice of toast she had eaten during breakfast. She's not in the mood to eat much as of now. At the same time, something in her body keeps telling her that she should eat something. Her mind is in a whirlwind of conflicting signals. It was difficult deciding what to do next. As she became stuck in her thoughts, her body then instinctively leaned over and took a bit out of the toast. This caused her to snap out of her thoughts. She blushed upon realizing that she's being fed by Makoto."There you go," Makoto said as Sayaka chewed on the toast. "I'm not sure why you decided to put food on your plate that you can't finish. Oh well."Sayaka then grabbed onto the slice of toast she was chewing. With his hand now free, Makoto picked up the other slice of toast and eat it as well. It was a sweet moment, even if the toast tasted bland from a lack of spread. Sayaka's heart warmed a little. It gave her hope that, one day, she would get out of this pit of depression she had found herself in.
Day 7 - 8:30 AMGym, First Floor
Soon, the time to gather at the gym for exercise routines has arrived. The students went to the changing rooms to change into their gym clothes. The gym clothes consists of a white t-shirt with pants that vary across the students. Most of the boys got shorts that reach down to their mid-thighs, while the girls' shorts leave nearly their entire legs exposed. Yasuhiro got a pair of baggy pants, while Hifumi has so much girth that his gym shorts barely cover his legs at all. Everyone also got a pair of gym shoes...except for Yasuhiro who insists on still wearing his sandals. After that, they went to the gym and stood in front of the stage, where Monokuma is there waiting for them."Ah, good," Monokuma said. "You all arrive at the promised time. Alright, then! Let's begin my patented exercise routine! It's guarantee to keep you kids in good shape while cooped up in a school converted into a facility for a killing game! You've gotta keep those muscles strong enough so that you can end a person's life! Now then, let's begin the-"Before Monokuma could begin the exercise routines, Kiyotaka noticed something off about the students present. "Hold on!" he shouted.Monokuma growled in annoyance at Kiyotaka. "What is it?" he asked in an annoyed tone. "Can't you see that I'm about to start the exercise routine?""I'm looking around at everyone present," Kiyotaka explained, "and I just noticed that Celeste is missing!"Everyone grew concerned looks on their faces upon hearing that."Celeste is absent?" Monokuma asked. "Grr! Where could she be right now? Don't tell me that she decided to skip out on gym at the last minute! And don't bring up that bookworm girl! I tried to get her out of her room, but she wouldn't budge! But she did give me inspiration for- Bah! What am I saying? Just tell me where Celeste is and I'll drag her to the gym!""Celeste did went into the changing rooms along with us, didn't she?" Hina asked."She did," Kyoko confirmed."She's in the changing room, then?" Kiyotaka replied. "What could be taking her so long?"Makoto recalled what he heard from Celeste regarding how long it takes her to change clothes. "Hold on..." he began to say. "Didn't Celeste say that it takes her a long time for her to put on and take off her outfit? It looks elaborate."Everyone turned their heads towards Makoto, surprised to hear that from him."You remember that?" Kiyotaka asked."Hey, where did you get that information?" Hifumi asked.Kyoko glared at Hifumi, thinking that he's stupid for forgetting that he was knocked unconscious when Celeste said that, as well for not paying attention to what Makoto said.This reminded Hina of something. "Oh yeah..." she said. "I do remember seeing Celeste walk into one of the changing stalls and taking a long time to come out. I was wondering why she was taking so long...""Enough of that wannabe rich girl," Byakuya said. "We have more urgent issues that needs resolving.""Like...what?" Yasuhiro asked as he scratched his head.Byakuya presented his E-Handbook to everyone. "Our E-Handbooks," he said. "What do we do with them while we go through these exercise routines?"The gym shorts don't come with pockets, and everyone can't just leave their E-Handbooks behind at the changing rooms since they need them to access those rooms. So everyone is holding their E-Handbooks on their hands as they went into the gym. Not that it matters, as even if the shorts have pockets, who wants to exercise with an electronic brick on their leg? Something has to be done about their E-Handbooks.Before Monokuma could give an answer, a new person entered the gym. It's a girl. Like the girls, she's wearing shorts that leave the entire leg exposed. Unlike everyone else, she's wearing a black tracksuit, presumably on top of her t-shirt. She has short, black hair and red eyes. For some reason, the girl looked familiar to everyone. Upon seeing the girl, everyone was confused."...Huh?" Yasuhiro asked.Natsumi gave the girl a suspicious look. "Who are you?" she asked."She's...not a new student, right?" Hina asked."It couldn't be," Kyoko replied. "This school is closed off to the outside world. We started off with 16 students, now we're down to 14. This girl standing before us must be someone we already know.""That is correct," the familiar girl said. "I do believe that we have met before.""So you must be..." Hifumi attempted to say."Celestia Ludenberg," the familiar girl introduced herself. "Celeste, for short."Everyone was still confused at Celeste's new look."Uh...Celeste?" Makoto began to ask. "Where are your...hair drills?"Celeste glanced off to the side. "I'd rather not talk about it," she replied, sidestepping the question.With everyone (except for Toko) present, Monokuma then began to answer Byakuya's question. "Alright, everyone!" he began to announce. "I see that all of you have brought your E-Handbooks with you...because the stupid person who designed your gym clothes didn't bother to give any of you some pockets!""Hey, my gym pants have pockets!" Yasuhiro countered."Your pants don't count!" Monokuma shouted. "Because...that's not gym clothes! Those are just regular pants that you pass off as part of your gym clothes!""Where did you even get that pair of pants, anyway?" Natsumi asked."Shut up!" Yasuhiro replied. "Why do you even care?""Enough of this crap!" Monokuma said. "We've delayed the exercise routines for long enough! To address your concerns for what to do with your E-Handbooks while you exercise, I have a solution for all of you! Just give me a moment. I'll be right back!"Monokuma then disappeared from the stage for a moment. He soon returned with a metal box with 16 slots, each with a different student's name on it. He set the box down on the stage."Here, have this box" Monokuma said. "You can use it to store your E-Handbooks while you go off and do the exercise routines. Make sure that you put your E-Handbooks into the slot with your name over it! Once you're done, you must retrieve your E-Handbook from this box. Make sure that you take your own E-Handbook! You don't want to get a nasty surprise when you tried to use it on the card reader at the changing rooms!""That's a relief," Byakuya remarked.Kiyotaka then noticed something strange about the box Monokuma had brought in. "Hold on..." he said. "Why are there 16 slots in that box when there's only 14 of us remaining?"Kyoko also noticed that two of the slots have been closed off. "And why are two of the slots closed?" she added."Quit asking!" Monokuma exclaimed. "Enough talk! Pay no attention to the two closed slots. They're none of your business. Now then, put your E-Handbooks into this box and let's begin the exercise routine!"Everyone then lined up in front of the metal box and placed their E-Handbooks into the slots with their name on it. As they got closer to the metal box, everyone can get a better look at the names above the slots. The two locked slots are labeled as belonging to Junko and Yasuke, the two students who recently died. Was their deaths related to locked status of these slots? Who knows. Everyone soon set aside their E-Handbooks without giving the two locked slots much thought.After a long delay, it's time for the students to begin Monokuma's exercise routine. At first, everyone was concerned about what Monokuma has in store for them in his exercise routine. He did say that the purpose of these exercise routines is to make them strong enough to kill someone, after all. But as it turns out, the exercise routines weren't that bad. Monokuma made the students do some stretches for the first part of the routine."Okay, that's it!" Monokuma said to encourage the students. "Keep those arms moving! One, two, one, two!""One, two, one, two!" Kiyotaka said, repeating Monokuma's words.Monokuma then raised his arms high into the air. "Now, reach waaay up," he ordered. "Reach as high up as you can! Up, up, up!"The students followed Monokuma's poses. They attempted to stretch their arms as far out as they could. They could feel their arms straining from trying to stretch out.Monokuma then bent downwards, making his arms reach out for his feet. "And...bend alllll the way down," he ordered. "Reach out and try to touch your feet, but don't let your legs bend!"The students followed Monokuma's new orders and bent down to reach their feet. Hifumi is having a hard time following those steps, though."Gah, this is so hard!" Hifumi complained as he struggled to bend down. "I can't do this! See, everyone? This is why I hate exercising!""That's only because you're so fat, you could act as a rolling boulder!" Leon replied."Shut up!" Hifumi shouted. "Don't you dare make fun of my weight!""Quiet, you two!" Kiyotaka ordered. "Just focus on the exercise routine!""How long do we have to hold this...?" Makoto asked, feeling his back becoming strained from bending so far down."Go on! Keep it up!" Monokuma said to further encourage the students. "Give your muscles some strength! Let them become strong enough to snap someone's neck!"Everyone's willingness to follow the exercise routine dropped when Monokuma said those "encouraging" words. Some of the students couldn't hold the pose anymore and collapsed onto the floor. The students who are left standing are Kyoko, Sakura, Hina, Celeste, Kiyotaka, and Byakuya."I can't take this anymore..." Sayaka groaned."Gah, what the hell?" Mondo said. "Why do you have to say that to us?!""My back hurts..." Yasuhiro complained.Monokuma was disappointed to see that nearly half of the students who are attending his exercise routine had given up so early. "Hey, what's the matter?" he asked. "Why did nearly half of you kids give up so early? Is it because your resolve is too weak?""No, it was something you said," Byakuya replied."We've heard everyone give up when you told us to make our muscles strong enough to snap a neck," Kyoko added, lifting her head up to face Monokuma. "As soon as you said that, half of the students couldn't hold this pose you're making us do and collapsed.""Nah, nah," Monokuma said, denying responsibility. "It wasn't my fault that half of you decided to give up. It was totally your lack of resolve! Seriously, is your willpower so low that you can't even get through a simple exercise routine?""No, it's your fault," Makoto said as he laid on the floor. "You drained us of our resolve..."Monokuma turned his attention on Makoto. "Really, boy?" he asked. "Blaming me again for all the misfortunes you kids had suffered? How many times to I have to tell you? It's not my fault that terrible things are happening in this school. It's all your fault!"At that moment, the students who remain standing had enough of holding their backs in a bent position. They lifted their torsos up and stood straight."Face it, Monokuma," Kyoko said. "We all know exactly why you're making us go through these exercise routines. You say that you want us to remain healthy while being trapped in this school. But in reality, you just don't want us to become so weak that we're unable to kill each other. We should know. You told us this when you announced the exercise routines!""Nah, I never said anything like that!" Monokuma replied, denying that he wanted everyone to remain strong enough to be able to kill each other. "I'm just a humble headmaster who is concerned about everyone's health. After all, being trapped in an enclosed space like Hope's Peak Academy is bad for your bodies! You don't want your bodies to weaken during your time in this school, right?"Although everyone would like to remain healthy by exercising regularly, they don't want to do so for the sake of fulfilling Monokuma's wishes. Nobody said anything as a result.Interpreting everyone's silence as them wanting their bodies to weaken, Monokuma threw his arms into the air and made an announcement. "Grr! You want your bodies to waste away while being trapped in this school?!" he shouted. "Well, I'm not letting that happen! As punishment for putting a stop to my exercise routine, I'm going to make all of you run 100 laps around the gym! No breaks!"Everyone groaned as they're forced to endure a brutally long exercise course by running around the gym 100 times. The gym itself doesn't look that big. They could probably run a single lap around it in around 30 seconds. But doing that 100 times without any breaks? Most of the students will be left exhausted by the end of it. Everyone tried to protest against this, but Monokuma threatened to punish them harder if they try to defy him. So everyone had no choice but to run laps around the gym.Everyone then began to run laps around the gym, with Monokuma monitoring them from the stage. He made sure that no one is running too close to the center of the gym, as he considers that cheating. Given that all of the students are running at different speeds, it's impossible to keep track of how many laps each student has done. So everyone had to keep track of how many laps they've done on their own. However, Monokuma did warn that, should a student decide to stop too early, he'll become suspicious that didn't do 100 laps and will force them to continue running around the gym.As exhausting as running 100 laps around the gym sounds, to Sayaka, it doesn't feel as bad as everyone thinks. She recalled everything she did to become the Ultimate Idol, and everything she did to retain her idol group's place at the top of the charts. Compared to running around the gym 100 times, maintaining her idol career was like running a marathon every day. She remembered all the dance rehearsals she did before each concert. They were painful to go through. It's a good thing that she ranted about what she had to go through to earn her title of the Ultimate Idol.As she continue to run laps around the gym, Sayaka began to feel like her mood is improving. Sure, running 100 laps around the gym will leave her tired in the end, but as long as she paces herself, she'll be fine. At least she's in control of how intense she exercises. Slowly, the pain from the previous Class Trial faded away. Her mind is clearing up as she focuses on controlling her pace. She had hope that one day, she will recover from her depressive state and will come out with a more resilient-*WHAM*"Ah!" Sayaka yelped as she was knocked down to the floor.Everyone stopped running around the gym once they heard Sayaka's yelp. They looked at where Sayaka is at and saw her on the floor, with Leon standing above her. From that alone, it is easy to tell what happened that made Sayaka fall.Monokuma was annoyed that everyone stopped running long before he's sure anyone has completed 100 laps. "Hey, what's going on here?" he asked. "Why has everyone stopped? Didn't I tell you kids that there won't be any breaks?""Sayaka's been injured!" Makoto cried out. "She needs help!" He then ran across to gym to reach Sayaka. Soon, most of the other students began to gather around Sayaka.Sayaka rolled around to see who had knocked her down. She was frightened when she saw Leon standing above her. He looked pissed."You bitch," Leon growled. "Do you think you can just brush off what you tried to do to me? I won't let you get away with planning to murder me!" He then kicked Sayaka in the stomach."AAHHHH!" Sayaka screamed in pain."Sayaka!" Makoto cried.Shortly as Leon kicked Sayaka, Sakura went behind Leon and tried to pull him away from Sayaka."Hey!" Leon shouted as he struggled to free himself from Sakura's grip. "Let me go!""Leon, didn't I tell you to let go of your grudge with Sayaka?" Kyoko asked."How can I forgive her?!" Leon asked. "She planned to murder me, dammit! And then she starts smiling for some reason. I can't let her have that!"Hina sighed and shook her head in disappointment. "Oh, Leon," she said. "Why are you like this?"Makoto went over to Sayaka and lifted her up. "We need to get Sayaka to the infirmary," he said as he panicked. "Now!"Monokuma leaped off the stage and walked up to Makoto. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?" he asked. "Are you planning to ditch the 100 lap run right now?""Sayaka is injured!" Makoto explained. "She needs to recover at the infirmary!""If you're going to do that, why don't you let me transport injured students to the infirmary while the rest of you kids continue the run?" Monokuma asked."I'm...so tired..." Yasuhiro said as he gasped for air."This sucks so much..." Hifumi groaned as he laid on the floor."I think my shirt is soaked from all the sweat..." Natsumi remarked. She then realized that her gym shirt has become partially transparent, causing her to cover her chest in embarrassment. "Hey! Don't look at me, perverts!"Monokuma became confused at why everyone is complaining about being tired. "Hey, what's with all the complaining?" he asked. "Isn't being tied to be expected from a workout like this? Come on! Stop complaining and finish your runs!""Don't you see?" Kyoko said. "Everyone is getting tired of running around the gym for so long. As soon as you leave them unattended, they'll likely leave the gym and stop the runs. You don't want that to happen, do you?" She grew a smirk on her face.Realizing that the students may ditch the 100 lap run when he's not looking, Monokuma decided to let Makoto transport Sayaka to the infirmary. "Fine, Makoto!" he began to declare. "I'll let you take your precious Sayaka to the infirmary. But you two better return to the gym and complete the 100 lap run! Understand?""Wait, how many laps have I completed?" Makoto asked. "I lost count.""Well, I lost count either!" Monokuma replied. "Which means that you two will have to do all 100 laps all over again!""Wait, what about the rest of us?" Hina asked. "How many laps have each of us completed?""Doesn't matter!" Monokuma answered. "I'm going to keep all of you running around the gym until I'm sure that everyone has completed at least 100 laps. There is a slowpoke among you, so don't expect to stop running anytime soon.""Who are you calling a slowpoke?" Hifumi muttered.Makoto groaned at the idea of having to run 100 more laps around the gym. But, this is what he gets in exchange for getting Sayaka to the infirmary. If this is what Monokuma wants from him, so be it. He begrudgingly accepted the deal."Come on, Sayaka," Makoto said. "Can you lift yourself up?"Sayaka groaned in pain as she put her arm over her stomach."Hang in here," Makoto assured. "You're going to be fine soon. I promise."Makoto helped Sayaka get back up on her feet. He then escorted her out of the gym and towards the infirmary.Behind Makoto and Sayaka, Leon managed to free himself from Sakura'a grip. He then began to charge towards Makoto with a fist aiming for the back of his head. "You bastard!" he shouted."Huh?" Makoto said, stopping in place. He turned around and saw Leon about to punch him in the head. He panicked upon seeing this. "Ah!""How dare you forgive that bitch!" Leon shouted. "I'm not gonna-"Before Leon could finish his sentence and reach Makoto, Sakura recovered from Leon freeing himself from her grasp. She caught up to Leon and gave his head a light tap, which is enough to stun him and cause him to fall down right behind Makoto.Monokuma saw that Leon has been knocked out. "Oh no!" he said in a faux worried tone. "Now Makoto will have to escort two people to the infirmary, and they both hate each other! How will he ever manage that? There's no way-""He'll be fine," Sakura assured. "I just tapped on his pressure point and stunned him. No major damage was done."Monokuma paused for a moment after hearing that Leon isn't injured. "Oh..." he said.Makoto let out a sigh of relief as he resumed to escort Sayaka to the infirmary. They soon left the gym.With Makoto and Sayaka having left the gym, Monokuma decided to have the remaining students continue the 100 lap run. "Alright, now with that interruption over, everyone must continue on from where they left off," he announced. "I will not let any more of you leave until everyone has completed all 100 laps! Got it?"The students groaned again as they continued to run the 100 laps around the gym.
Day 7 - 9:30 AMInfirmary, First Floor
Sayaka laid down on one of the beds in the infirmary as Makoto treated her injury. He applied an ice pack to Sayaka's stomach to alleviate the pain of Leon kicking her there. It felt to have her stomach be made cold, but it's better than feeling pain emanating from her stomach. As Sayaka recovered from her injury, Makoto also wiped away the sweat dripping down her face as well as his own sweat."Are you feeling better?" Makoto asked.Sayaka took heavy breaths as she felt the pain her stomach fading away. "Yeah...I am," she replied.Makoto felt assured knowing that Sayaka will recover from her injury soon. Still, he can't take his mind off of the person who had shoved Sayaka down to the floor."Leon..." Makoto muttered. "He still hasn't forgiven you for what you planned to do to him, hasn't he?"Sayaka let out a pained moan. She still felt bad about planning to murder Leon. Her mind wasn't quite in the right place after she saw her motive video. She had a low opinion of Leon due to him acting too much like some of her creepiest fans. But once she saw her motive video, her dislike of Leon became full on hatred. Looking back at her rant against Leon, she felt ashamed for letting her thoughts about someone change this much due to outside factors. If it weren't for this killing game, perhaps Leon could've been just friends with her.Makoto let out a heavy sigh. "You know, Sayaka," he began to say. "Maybe you should've told Leon that you're not into him, that he's not your type. You should've been more open about your opinion of others, instead of leaving people guessing.""I was taught my by coaches to be as welcoming as possible," Sayaka explained. "I was told that every person I met is a potential fan, and that I should nudge them into becoming a fan of me. I was told to never hurt someone's feelings, that I shouldn't give people a reason to not like me. But...I was never taught that sometimes, I'll have to hurt someone's feelings if they make me uncomfortable. Leon...he makes me uncomfortable with his...advances on me. I...don't want to hurt his feelings...""I swear, every time we talk, I learn another uncomfortable truth about the idol industry..." Makoto remarked. "Anyways, there's something about Leon that may give you another reason to dislike him. I've heard that the only reason he wants to become a musician is so that he can become popular and pick up girls.""...That just makes me dislike him even more," Sayaka said. "Leon...he sounds like he has a selfish reason for becoming a musician. Look, I never became an idol to become popular. I never intended to become the Ultimate Idol and be invited to this school. I just wanted to make people smile, to carry on the legacy of the idols who inspired me, and to encourage people who are just like me, those who had suffered a major loss and wanted a way out of their lonely lives. I'm just like...many other idols in the industry. I only became the Ultimate Idol...through sheer luck.""I get where you're coming from," Makoto replied. "I am the Ultimate Lucky Student, after all. I'm just an otherwise ordinary student living out my life. Honestly, I never asked to be in this school, even if we disregard this killing game. When I got the news that my name was drawn at the lottery, I declined the offer. I don't want to go to a school that's too good for me. I just...wanted to live a normal, humble life. But my parents really wanted me to live a successful life. They bought the belief that graduating from Hope's Peak Academy would guarantee success in life. Plus, my sister really wanted me to be in the same class as you. So...they sent me here.""I get that too..." Sayaka replied. "I...I just wanted to be able to sing with my idol group forever and ever. Or at least...far past when most idols would retire. I came into Hope's Peak Academy...just to keep my dream going." She then began to shed tears. "But now...I can't take back my idol career anymore. My friends out there might be dead and I'll never know their fates. Even if they're alive, this killing game... It's breaking my heart too much...for me to continue being an idol..."Makoto reached out and patted Sayaka's shoulders in an attempt to comfort her. He decided to change the topic as the current one is making Sayaka cry."So, uh, there's one more thing about Leon that you might want to know about," Makoto said, continuing on from the previous topic. "I've heard that he's a serial dater, and that-""Please...enough about Leon," Sayaka begged. "I've...know enough about him already. I...don't want another reason...to dislike him more..."Makoto decided to end the topic right there. Continuing to talk about Leon would only bring Sayaka's mood down even further, and would make it take even longer to fully recover from the events of the first Class Trial. He remained in the infirmary until Sayaka has recovered from her stomach injury.Although...a question did pop up in Makoto's mind. "Hey, Sayaka?" he began to ask. "Why does it hurt so much to be hit in the stomach?"Sayaka placed her hand on the ice pack covering her stomach. The pain has mostly faded away for now, but that doesn't mean that she should stop worrying about her abdomen. "I...I don't know," she replied. "I guess...my stomach has become more sensitive to pain..."Makoto became even more concerned for Sayaka's health after asking that question. He wasn't sure what's causing Sayaka's stomach to be sensitive to pain. It's probably something he should watch out for in the upcoming days.Once Sayaka has recovered from her stomach injury, she and Makoto went back to the gym to resume the 100 lap run.
Day 7 - 10:00 AMBoys Locker Room, First Floor
After everyone ran the gym for quite a while, Monokuma decided to end the run for everyone at the gym. They weren't sure how many laps they did overall, but some of them are pretty sure that they've completed at least 100 laps around the gym, maybe way more than that. The only exception is Hifumi, whose sluggish running speed made everyone run around the gym for way longer than they should. Monokuma is pretty sure that HIfumi ran less than 100 laps around the gym. But even though not everyone has completed all 100 laps, Monokuma is satisfied with everyone's performance and declared the 100 lap run over. He soon left the gym, letting everyone spend the rest of the day as they see fit.Of course, everyone is exhausted by the end of the run, so the first thing that came to their minds was to rest at their dorm rooms. The students picked up their E-Handbooks and headed for the locker rooms.Inside the boy's locker room, some of the boys are confronting Leon about what he did to Sayaka."What the hell were you thinking, dude?" Mondo asked. "Shoving a chick down to the floor... That's just...wrong!""Did you guys forget?" Leon said, his face still fuming in rage. "Sayaka was planning to kill me! And I caught her with a smile on her face! There's no way I'm letting her get away with what she tired to do to me!""We get it," Byakuya said in an annoyed tone. "Sayaka planned to kill you, but she was stopped before she could pull it off. Now stop reminding us of our first Class Trial. Get over it already.""No, I won't get over it!" Leon shouted. "I'm not forgetting Sayaka's plan to kill me! I won't let her forget about her plan to kill me!""Leon, enough of this," Kiyotaka ordered. "Sayaka knows what she did and is ashamed of herself for nearly pulling off her murder plan. There's no need to remind her of what she tried to do to you. Besides, if it weren't for that motive video, she would've never made her plan to kill you.""So?!" Leon shouted. "What's your point?!""The point is, you should do what Makoto did," Kiyotaka replied. "You should forgive her."Leon threw his arms into the air. "Forgive her?!" he shouted. "You're telling me to forgive the person who planned to kill me?!""Hey, that blue-haired chick is a human!" Mondo said. "She may be an idol, but you can't expect her to be perfect all the damn time! She makes mistakes too!""Listen, Makoto's got a point," Kiyotaka said. "Sayaka isn't the one at fault for making her plan to murder you, Leon. She may have created the plan, but she wouldn't have done so if it weren't for those motive videos Monokuma gave us.""What do you mean?" Leon asked. "What are you talking about? That can't be true. That bitch was totally planning on killing me from the start!""Does that chick hate you so much that she wanted you dead?" Mondo asked.Byakuya let out an exasperated sigh. "Would you boys shut up?" he asked. "I'm getting tired of hearing about Sayaka.""Yeah...running around the gym absolutely sucks," Hifumi said. "My legs are killing me! But hearing you guys argue about Miss Sayaka Maizono? That just hurts me even more!"Kiyotaka let out a heavy sigh. "Look, Leon," he said. "Just...don't talk about Sayaka anymore, got it? And...keep your distance away from her for now. The last thing I want to see is you trying to murder her as revenge for what she tried to do to you. We've lost two of us already. I don't want to see another life lost again."Yasuhiro glimpsed at his crystal ball and was disturbed by what he saw. "Uh, I don't want to break it to you," he said, "but my crystal ball is giving me a grim look into the future. It looks like there's going to be more deaths, and we'll find ourselves stuck in an endless cycle of-""Shut up," Byakuya ordered. "I don't want to hear another one of your fortunes.""I'm not telling a fortune!" Yasuhiro said. "I'm just foreseeing into the future! You're just like that dead doctor! You keep dismissing my warnings about the future!""Ugh..." Byakuya groaned.Soon, the boys changed back to their everyday clothes and went out of the locker rooms.
Day 7 - 10:05 AMGirls Locker Room, First Floor
Meanwhile, in the girls locker room, some of the girls are expressing concern about Leon. Celeste is in one of the stalls changing back into her elaborate uniform, so she didn't join the conversation."You know...I'm getting worried about Leon," Hina said. "His...uh...bitterness towards Sayaka... It hasn't faded away in the slightest.""In fact, his hated of Sayaka has only grown..." Sakura added."What the hell was she even thinking?" Natsumi asked. "Planning to murder an athlete when she looks like she barely has any muscles? I get that she dislikes him for how he treated her, but still...why did she even target him? It's so...stupid! Was she asking to get herself killed?"Kyoko gave Natsumi's questions some thought. "Hmm...I might have to ask Sayaka on what she was thinking when she made her murder plan," she said. "The rant she gave during that Class Trial may have given us an explanation on why she decided to target Leon. But still...I can't help but feel like something's missing...""We have to do something about Leon," Hina said. "He could be planning to murder Sayaka as revenge for her failed murder on him. And I still haven't gotten any thanks from him for me saving his life!""That ungrateful boy..." Sakura grumbled. "He's playing a game where he could get killed at any moment. Why couldn't he appreciate the life he has now instead of wasting his time holding grudges? Monokuma has yet to give us another motive, and already, Leon could be thinking about murdering Sayaka...""If Leon ever causes any trouble again, I'd say we tie him up and leave him in his room!" Natsumi suggested.Hina gasped at Natsumi's suggestion. "What? Are you crazy?" she asked. "If we do that, then he's gonna starve to death! No, wait...he's gonna die of thirst first! And...gah, I don't want to think about this, but he still needs to use the bathroom. Who's going to take care of him while he's stuck in his room?""Didn't you stop Sayaka from leaving Makoto's room when you put a stop to her murder plan?" Kyoko asked.Hina remembered what she did the night before Yasuke's corpse was discovered. "Oh yeah..." she said."We'd better keep an eye on Leon," Kyoko said. "We can't let him spend too much time unattended, and he can't let him be left alone with Sayaka.""And what if he does try to kill Sayaka?" Natsumi asked. "Then we can tie him up?""That might be our only option..." Sakura said."Not quite," someone said.Everyone was surprised to hear the new voice."Hmm? Who said that?" Hina asked."Over here," the new voice said.The girls turn their heads in the direction of the new voice. It turns out that it was Celeste who said that. She had just changed back into her everyday clothes, including putting her hair drills back on."Celeste?" Hina said. "You're done changing clothes already?""I did," Celeste replied. "I've been listening to your discussion regarding Leon, and I must say, you've all been overlooking an obvious answer.""Oh yeah?" Natsumi said. "And what's that?"Celeste grew a smirk on her face. "We could just kill Leon," she suggested. "After all, he can't do anything to Sayaka if he's dead."Hina was horrified at Celeste's suggestion to kill Leon. "Are you-?" she said, unable to comprehend what she was hearing. "How is that a solution?! Stopping a murder with...murder? That makes no sense!""You're joking, aren't you?" Natsumi asked with suspicion. "There's no way you're serious about this, right?"Celeste covered her mouth with her hand. "It's simple when you think about it," she said. "If you suspect that someone is about to commit a murder, kill them before they could pull it off.""But...won't you become the blackened if you do that?" Hina asked. "And...what if someone else suspects that you plan to murder someone to stop their murder plan? Would they try to murder you so that you won't murder someone who's-""GAH!" Natsumi screamed, clutching her head in pain. "Enough of this! My head is hurting from all this confusion!"Kyoko sighed from the direction this discussion is going. It looks like everyone can't agree on what to do with Leon. The only idea she agrees with doing is her own: keeping and eye on Leon at all times and making sure he doesn't get too close to Sayaka. She hoped that Celeste never gets around to implementing her solution. As Hina pointed out, murdering a potential murderer would lead to a lot of complications.Soon, the girls changed back to their everyday clothes and exited the locker rooms.
Day 7 - 11:30 AMGym, First Floor
After a while, Sayaka recovered from her fall as well as her stomach injury. The injuries weren't that severe, so it wasn't long before Sayaka felt no more pain from the injury sites. She and Makoto went back to the gym to resume the 100 lap run. Monokuma returned to the gym after they arrived there so that he can monitor them during the run. Due to there being fewer students running around the gym, as well as Makoto and Sayaka being in sync with each other, Monokuma is able to keep track of exactly how many laps around the gym both of them have done.Makoto and Sayaka have been jogging around the gym for around 30 minutes, each having completed about 50 laps at that point. Things appear to be going well so far, but then...Makoto fell down to the floor from exhaustion.Sayaka stopped and turned around to check on Makoto to see if he's okay. "Makoto!" she cried.Makoto gasped for air as he struggled to lift himself up. "My legs..." he groaned. "They hurt...so much... I can't...continue this...""Hey, what's the big idea?" Monokuma asked, seeing that Makoto and Sayaka have stopped running. "You couldn't even do half of the laps I'd asked you to do? What a shame!""I think...I've ran more than...100 laps in total..." Makoto said, his voice strained from the pain in his legs."You think so?" Monokuma replied. "I wasn't paying attention to how many laps you've done when you're running with the rest of the kids, but I'm pretty sure you didn't do 50 laps before you had to leave to take care of your precious Sayaka.""Actually, I think we both done at least 50 laps before we have to leave," Sayaka claimed."Are you sure about that?" Monokuma questioned."...I think so," Sayaka replied.Monokuma then noticed that something felt a bit...off about Sayaka. He jumped down the stage and walked up to Sayaka to get a closer look at her. "Hey, is it just me? Or do you look a bit more uplifted than usual?" he asked."What?" Sayaka said in confusion."Aren't you supposed to be all gloomy or something?" Monokuma said. "Two days ago, it was revealed that you were planning to kill one of your fellow students, and you had to watch another student get brutally eviscerated right your very eyes! And that person you planned to kill is now furious at you for planning to kill them! Anyone who went through those things would be traumatized for life! And yet here you are, taking little steps to get back to your normal self. Just what do you think you're doing sweeping those things under the rug?"Sayaka could feel her mood drop a bit after being reminded of the events of the first Class Trial yet again. She wondered if her mood could ever return to normal for the remainder of the killing game.Makoto recovered enough energy to lifted himself up a little. His arms shook as they struggled to support his weight. He's still gasping for air. "Please...Sayaka..." he begged. "Don't listen to Monokuma. He's trying to break your spirit...""What did I just hear?!" Monokuma shouted. "Did you do this, Makoto?"Makoto gave Monokuma a confused look. "What are you talking about...?" he asked."Don't play dumb!" Monokuma shouted. "You gave your precious Sayaka some encouraging words while you're helping her recover in the infirmary, don't you?""I never did such a thing," Makoto claimed.Monokuma then threw his arms into the air. "Bah!" he exclaimed. "I should've known that it was a mistake to have you escort Sayaka to the infirmary, Makoto. I should've have someone else escort her to the infirmary instead. Not that it matters, since you won't accept anyone's assistance but Makoto's. Seriously, why do you cling onto him, Sayaka? Don't you see that you're becoming a leech? When will you learn to stop being so clingy?"Sayaka could feel her mood dropping even further as Monokuma continued to tear her spirit apart."Ah, whatever," Monokuma began to declare. "I'm having enough of this. I've taken my eyes off the other students for long enough. I'd better go check on them.""If you leave this gym, Sayaka and I leaving as well," Makoto said. "Our legs are having enough of running around the gym for so long without a break.""I don't care," Monokuma said. "You two may leave while I'm not looking. I'm sure that both of you have completed more than 100 laps. Perhaps having all of you run around the gym for so long might be a mistake. I should probably have you guys do something even more strenuous for your next exercise routine.""Like...what?" Sayaka asked nervously."You'll see," Monokuma replied before abruptly leaving the gym.Makoto and Sayaka got back up to their feet shortly after Monokuma left."Monokuma..." Makoto muttered. "He just wouldn't stop reminding you of what you did a few days ago..."Sayaka winced as she thought about Leon's attack on her a few hours ago. "Leon..." she said. "I've made him mad at me...for trying to kill him... I'm...not sure if I can see him again...ever..."Makoto let out a sigh. "I wonder how long it'll take for him to forgive you..." he said. "He still hasn't realized that at the end of the day, it's all Monokuma's fault for pushing you into such a vulnerable position."Sayaka then got more troubling thoughts about Leon. "...That attack on me..." she said as she shook in fear. "It...might be the start of something... Now I'm worried that he might try to kill me...as revenge...for what I tried to do to him...""We should keep an eye on Leon," Makoto suggested. "Who knows when he'll do something...drastic to you...or us."Sayaka nodded her head in agreement.Makoto then stepped towards the metal box to grab his E-Handbook. "Let's head out and change out of these clothes," he said. "I need to rest from all that running."Makoto and Sayaka then picked up their E-Handbooks and walked out of the gym to change clothes.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Day 7 - 2:30 PMMakoto's Room, First Floor
Makoto and Sayaka spent most of the afternoon resting in the former's room, recovering from their run around the gym. Makoto is lying on the bed while Sayaka is sitting on a chair. As they recovered their energy, Sayaka can't help but think about Leon shoving her down to the floor earlier in the day. She decided to bring up her concerns about Leon to Makoto."Hey...Makoto?" Sayaka began.Makoto lifted his head up off his bed's pillow. "What is it?" he asked.Sayaka nervously brushed her hand against her hair as she formed her thoughts. "Um...about Leon..." she said.Makoto remembered what Leon did to Sayaka this morning. He shared her concerns. "I know..." he said. "You're worried about what he will do next after he...did that to you...""What should we do about him...?" Sayaka asked. "I'm...afraid that he might do something...drastic to me...after my murder plan...was exposed to everyone...""Like...murdering you?" Makoto replied.Sayaka winced and froze in place upon hearing that response. The thought of being murdered by Leon as revenge for what she tried to do... It frightened her.Makoto sighed. "I hope that Leon doesn't choose to go down that route," he said. "If he did that, then he would've become another blackened, just like Junko back in the first case. After Yasuke and Junko died, I don't want anyone else to die ever again.""What should I do...?" Sayaka asked. "Should I...apologize...to Leon? I...I know that it's...his fault that I...want him dead... But still...should I do it..."Makoto gave Sayaka's possible decision some thought. "Hmm...that might work..." he said. "An apology might be enough to get Leon to calm down and forgive you. But given his reaction to you revealing that you were going to kill him...would he even accept an apology from you?"Sayaka whined in pain after hearing Makoto's thoughts about her apologizing to Leon. She doubted that her apology would work so soon after Leon learned about her plan.Makoto let out another sigh as he laid his head back on the pillow. "Well, I guess the best we can do now is to avoid Leon as much as possible," he said. "Monokuma hasn't given us a new motive yet. But once he does...we'd better be watching out."Just as when Makoto and Sayaka finished their conversation, someone rang the doorbell.*Ding-dong!*"Ah!" Sayaka yelped, jumping in fear upon hearing the doorbell.Makoto lifted himself up off the bed. "Hmm? A visitor?" he said."W-Who could that be?" Sayaka asked, nervous about who the visitor could be."I don't know, and I don't want to know," Makoto said. "Just...ignore the doorbell. I'm sure they'll go away."Makoto and Sayaka remained where they are and didn't answer the door, hoping that their visitor would leave them alone. It didn't work. The visitor rang the doorbell again.*Ding-dong!*"T-They're still here!" Sayaka said in a frightened tone."Keep ignoring the doorbell!" Makoto ordered. "They'll realize that we're not answering the door, so they'll-"*Ding-dong!*It looks like the visitor is persistent in ringing the doorbell. They won't leave until their call is answered. Makoto decided to get up and answer the door."Okay, fine," Makoto declared. "I'm answering the door. One moment."Makoto got off his bed and put his shoes back on. As he slipped his feet into his shoes, he noticed something that is of concern to him. The replica sword that was involved in the previous case... Part of it is peeking beyond the corner into the hallway that leads to the door. If a visitor noticed that sword, they will surely walk up to the shelf and notice the other mementos from the previous case, including the knife that Sayaka stole from the kitchen. The visitor will definitely suspect either Makoto or Sayaka of plotting a murder again and confiscate them. Knowing what happened last time, that would likely lead to another murder which involves those two weapons. Makoto needs to keep that sword hidden from the visitor's view."Hey, Sayaka?" Makoto began to request. "Could you move that sword a little bit to a side? Make sure that no part of it is visible from the door."Sayaka turned her head towards the mementos of the previous case. She looked confused at why Makoto would make such a request. "Why?" she asked."If the visitor saw that sword, they might take both it and the knife away from us," Makoto explained. "The last time that happened, they were both used to frame us in a faked crime scene. I'm sure that if those two weapons get taken from us again, they might be involved in another murder case. After what happened to Yasuke and Junko, I don't want the same thing to happen again."Sayaka understood where Makoto is coming from. It would be very bad if those weapons were taken from them again and the visitor used those weapons to frame both her and Makoto for a murder they didn't commit. "Okay..." she said as she moved the sword stand so that no part of it is visible from around the corner. Not only that, but she moved the knife and the infirmary cabinet key down to a lower shelf.*Ding-dong!*"I'm coming!" Makoto announced as he walked up to the door. He opened the door slightly and found...Hina outside.Hina leaned over to the side and peeked through the opening. "Finally!" she said with a sigh of relief. "I was waiting for you to answer the door, Makoto!"Makoto was puzzled about Hina being at his dorm room door. "Hina?" he began to ask. "What are you doing here?""I presume that Sayaka is staying in your room lately, yes?" Hina asked."Do you need her for something?" Makoto asked back."Yeah, I want to ask her something," Hina replied. "Is Sayaka here?"Sayaka leaned over from beyond the corner and looked at the door. Makoto looked behind himself at Sayaka before turning his head back towards Hina."Uh...yeah," Makoto replied. "You can talk to her. She'll be here shortly.""You'd better not keep me waiting," Hina said. "I've waited for you to answer the door for long enough already."Makoto signaled Sayaka to come over to the door. Sayaka stood up and walked up to the door. Makoto then opened the door wide open so that the two girls can see each other as they chatted. He then stood off to the side."So...Sayaka," Hina began. "How are you feeling?""Um..." Sayaka said, taking a while to form her thoughts. "Uh...not great...""I meant while you were running around the gym," Hina clarified. "How were you feeling then? I've heard that the reason why Leon shoved you is because you were smiling for some reason. Is that true? Were you smiling back at the gym?"Sayaka looked back to when she first ran around the gym. She remembered feeling like her mood was improving as she ran around the gym. Her mood reached a point where she felt like smiling for a brief moment. She wasn't entirely sure if she did smile, but she did remembered that she could smile genuinely if she wanted to."I...think I did..." Sayaka replied."Ah, you might be experiencing runner's high in that moment," Hina said.Makoto and Sayaka got confused looks on their faces upon hearing that term. They're pretty sure that they haven't heard of that term before."What's runner's high?" Makoto asked."It's something you experience while you're exercising," Hina explained. "I've heard that exercising is a great way of improving your mood. As you run, your mind starts to clear up, leaving more room for happy thoughts. Or...something like that. I don't know exactly what goes on in your mind as you exercise. All I know is that exercising can improve your mood. I would say that the effects of runner's high are more effective when you're running outside, but we can't go outside this school.""It's not like we know what's going on in the outside world," Makoto added. "All of the windows are covered with metal plates, and we have no idea how to remove the bolts."Sayaka then wondered how the rest of her idol group is doing in the outside world. She may not be able to see them again, but she hoped that nothing terrible has happened to them..."Oh well," Hina said with a sigh. "I guess we'll have to keep on using the athletic facilities in this school. Oh, and Sayaka?"Sayaka lifted her head up to face Hina. "...What?" she asked."Be sure to keep on running around the gym on a regular basis," Hina said. "I'm sure that if you do it enough, your mood will return to normal.""...Okay," Sayaka said. She then made a mental note to herself to exercise on a regular basis from now on. After all, her mood did improve while she was running around the gym. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to remain in shape.Makoto then wondered why Hina is at his door in the first place. "Hey...Hina?" he began to ask.Hina turned her head towards Makoto. "Hmm? What is it?" she asked."Why are you talking to Sayaka at this time?" Makoto asked. "Weren't you the one who put a stop to her murder plan?"Hina's mood dropped after she was reminded of what she did that led to the faked crime scene back at the first case. "Oh...right," she said. She then faced Sayaka again. "You know, Sayaka... I wanted to apologize for going after you when I realized that you had stolen the kitchen knife."Sayaka had a surprised look on her face after Hina apologized to her. "Really...?" she asked."Look, I just wanted to prevent someone from committing a murder, okay?" Hina explained. "I had a feeling that you were planning a murder when I saw that a knife was missing. I wanted to make sure that no one is going to get murdered! But..." She stopped for a moment to let out a heavy sigh. "...It turns out that someone else was planning a murder, and I didn't realize it until it was too late...""Yasuke..." Makoto said. "He isolated himself in the infirmary ever since we got those motive video. He didn't let anyone enter the infirmary while he's in it.""Yeah...he made sure that there was nothing we can do stop him from pulling off his murder plan..." Hina said in agreement. "Speaking of isolation, how's Toko doing?""I'm...not sure," Makoto replied. "I hope she's doing fine in her own room. Did you check on her before coming here?""I...didn't," Hina replied. "Now that you mentioned it, I should check on Toko after this..." Then something else came to her mind. "Oh, and by the way, Makoto? I'm sorry for having Sakura take both your sword and Sayaka's knife. If it weren't for that, then Junko wouldn't have the tools needed to create the fake crime scene and frame both you and Sayaka..."Sayaka moaned after being reminded of the first case.Makoto noticed that Sayaka is feeling down again. He decided to change the topic. "Let's not talk about the first case anymore," he said. "While you're here, Hina, how about I ask you something?"Hina turned her head towards Makoto. "Hmm? What?" she asked."I've briefly mentioned the motive videos a moment ago," Makoto said, "and I was wondering: who did you see in your motive video?"Hina had a puzzled look on her face. "Didn't you say that we shouldn't talk about the first murder case anymore?" she asked. "Weren't the motive videos a part of that case?""The motive videos did push Yasuke into attempting to murder Junko," Makoto replied. "But still...we never got to learn who Yasuke saw in his motive video. Nor did Junko tell us who's in her motive video before she was executed...""So, what's your point, then?" Hina asked. "Why are you bringing the motive videos up when they ended up leading to a murder?""Look, I don't want to talk about the details of the first case anymore," Makoto said. "That's behind us now. I'm just asking: who are your loved ones?""My loved ones?" Hina said. She then looked off into the distance, recalling who she saw in her motive video.Sayaka looked up at Hina as she gripped her hair. "So...what was in your motive video...?" she asked."Hmm..." Hina said as she thought about her motive video. "I think I saw...my brother in my motive video.""Your brother?" Makoto said. He became curious about who Hina's brother is. "So...what's he like?""His name us Yuta," Hina explained. "He's an athlete just like me. He's tried out many sports in an attempt to beat me. Of course, as the older sister with more experience, I tend to beat him when we compete.""So...you're rivals to each other...?" Sayaka asked."Yeah, you could consider me and my brother to be rivals," Hina replied. "Even so, I care a lot about him. He's a part of my family, after all. Even if I beat him all the time, I still look forward to the day he finally beats me in a competition.""...So you have a sibling too..." Sayaka remarked. Her head then drooped as her mood dropped once again. Her voice then quieted down to a murmur. "I wish I have a sibling..."Hina then became curious about who Makoto and Sayaka saw in their respective motive videos. "What about you two?" she began to ask. "Who are your loved ones that you saw in your motive videos? Especially you, Sayaka. Who did you saw in your motive video that pushed you into creating that murder plan?"Sayaka is too depressed to answer, and Makoto is too distracted by Sayaka's depressed state to answer as well."Uh-oh," Makoto said. "Sayaka's feeling down again. I'm sorry, Hina, but we'll have to end this conversation here.""What?" Hina gasped. "But I haven't heard who Sayaka's loved ones are yet.""You'll get your answer once Sayaka's mood improve," Makoto replied. "For now, please leave us alone. I've got to comfort Sayaka...again...""Oh...okay," Hina said, understanding that Sayaka is currently not in the best state to discuss sensitive topics.Makoto then closed the door and locked it. He guided Sayaka back to the bed, where he spent the rest of the afternoon comforting her.
Day 7 - 3:00 PMDormitory Hallway, First Floor
Hina didn't expect her conversation with Sayaka to turn into a conversation with Makoto. It felt like Sayaka barely spoke at all while Makoto did most of the talking. The topic of what was in their motive videos did leave her wondering: who did everyone saw in their motive video? Sayaka almost committed a murder due to her motive video, so whoever was in that video must've been really important to her. As for Junko and Yasuke, whom they considered their loved ones will remain a mystery.That leaves the rest of the students whose loved ones can be learned about right now. If someone else were to become driven to commit murder aside from Sayaka, who would they be killing for? What loved ones are her classmates desperate to see again? And how much to her classmates value their loved ones? Inspired by the topic Makoto had brought up, Hina decided to go around the school asking her classmates about their motive videos and their loved ones.Her first thought is to ask her friend Sakura about her loved ones. Despite being friends with her, Hina felt like she knew very little about Sakura. She doesn't know when or how the two of them became friends. All she knows is that when their eyes met each other, they felt a bond forming between them.Come to think of it, weren't Makoto and Sayaka acting a bit...close for a couple that only knew each other for only a week? Do they knew each other before coming into Hope's Peak Academy, before this killing game all began? And what about Junko and Yasuke? They claimed to be dating each other, but they don't act like a couple. A real couple wouldn't be driven to murder each other within the span of a few days, right?Ah, what was Hina thinking? These thoughts are getting distracting. Hina shook those thoughts out of her head as she walked up to Sakura's door and rang the doorbell.Sakura opened the door slightly and peeked her head out. "Who's there?" she asked."Hey, Sakura!" Hina greeted. "It's me, Hina."For some reason, Sakura doesn't look too excited to see Hina. Perhaps it's because they've spent enough time with each other already what with all the running around the gym and changing clothes in the changing rooms. Still, she doesn't mind talking to Hina again."What is it?" Sakura asked."Um...I'm just wondering..." Hina began. "I mean, we're supposed to be friends, and yet...we know very little about each other."Sakura gave Hina's words some thought. "Hmm..." she said. "Now that you mention it, I don't remember why we are friends...""Yeah, it feels like there's a...hole in my memory," Hina replied. "I'm not sure why. Anyways, could you tell me who your loved ones are? You know...the people you saw in your motive video?"Sakura was stunned to be asked that question. "What?" she gasped. "Why would you ask me that question?""Like I said, I'm just wondering," Hina replied. "But also...remember Sayaka? The girl we stopped from murdering anyone...only for you to end up helping Junko cover up her accidental murder...""What about Sayaka?" Sakura asked."I just talked to her and Makoto a moment ago," Hina explained. "Makoto then suddenly asked me about who I saw in my motive video. I was shocked at first, but then we revealed who our loved ones are to each other.""And who are Sayaka's loved ones?" Sakura asked. "What was her murder plan for?""I don't know," Hina replied. "She never told me that. She's...not in the mood to talk about that for now..."Sakura looked like she was about to say something, only for her to shake that off. "So what's this have to do with me?" she asked."Sorry if I'm getting a bit off track here," Hina apologized. "I just want to learn something about you. I mean, we're friends, after all, even after you helped Junko cover up her murder. I just wanted to know who your loved ones are...who you saw in your motive video. Could you please tell me that?"Sakura thought about her motive video for a moment before giving her answer. "I'm sorry, Hina," she said. "I can't tell you who my loved ones are."Hina was shocked to hear that response. "What?" she gasped."This is...sensitive information," Sakura explained. "It's best if I'm the only one who knows what's in my motive video.""Wait, can I tell you who my loved ones are instead?" Hina suggested. "If you're not willing to tell me your loved ones, then what about-?""This is not the time to be talking about our motive videos," Sakura said. "That motive is over. It's best if we accept that we're not seeing our loved ones anytime soon.""But-" Hina tried to say."No more protesting," Sakura said. "Lingering on the past won't get us anywhere. We must keep our focus looking forward." There was brief pause in her speech. "Goodbye."Sakura then closed the door in front of a distraught Hina.Hina was disappointed that she didn't get to learn who Sakura's loved ones are. Perhaps that topic might be a bit sensitive given what happened a few days ago. Not everyone is willing to reveal who their loved ones are to each other. Feeling a bit hungry, Hina decided to head back to the kitchen to grab a little snack. But along the way, she bumped into Natsumi who had just left her room."Whoa!" Hina yelped."Ah!" Natsumi screamed. "Hey! Watch where you're going, idiot!""I'm sorry..." Hina apologized. "I didn't notice that you were leaving your room...""Typical excuse," Natsumi said. "You probably weren't even watching your sides as you passed by my door!""I was heading for the kitchen to grab a snack, okay?" Hina explained. Then she got an idea now that she's talking to Natsumi. "By the way...you did reveal that you have a brother, right?"Natsumi had a puzzled look on her face. "Huh?" she said. "Why are you asking me that question?""I'm curious about who my classmate's loved ones are," Hina explained. "And...uh...you were the only one who revealed who your loved ones are..."Natsumi groaned as she looked back to when everyone got their motive videos. "Ugh, I don't like looking back at that moment," she said. "Look, I didn't know at the time that revealing my motives would get my motive revoked. That wasn't part of the rules! That damn bear punished me for breaking a rule before he revealed the new rules! So unfair!"Hina can't help but agree with agree with Natsumi on that part. "So...about your brother..." she said. "What's he like?""My brother..." Natsumi began to answer. "My brother is the other heir to the Kuzuryu Clan. My family is going back and forth over who should be the one to lead the clan in the future. It's either me or him. So far, they haven't settled on a decision.""Is your brother older or younger than you?" Hina asked."Older, by a year," Natsumi replied. "Although...he is shorter than me."It felt a little odd to Hina that the elder brother would be shorter than his younger sister, but...oh well."So...how much do you care about your brother?" Hina continued to ask."Very much," Natsumi replied. "The yakuza world is full of violent fights. Many grunts would fight each other just because they can. They usually end up with many bruises. My brother...he's highly protective of me. He had to be protective. Otherwise, we would end up seriously hurt. We may annoy each other at times, but deep down...we're a family.""Is the yakuza world really that brutal?" Hina asked. "I thought that in-between fights, yakuza members would sing karaoke songs."Natsumi became confused when Hina suggested that yakuza members sing karaoke in their free time. "Where did you get that idea?" she asked.Hina shrugged. "I don't know," she replied. "It's just something that popped up in my head."Natsumi cringed for some reason. To alleviate the discomfort, she decided to talk about something else. "There is...one more person who I saw in my motive video," she said."There's more?" Hina said in surprise. "Who else was in your motive video?""My bodyguard," Natsumi said after a brief pause."Your bodyguard?" Hina replied. "Isn't that the person who...won that trophy sword that was then involved in covering up the first murder?"Natsumi nodded her head. "Yes," she replied. "She's my brother's assigned bodyguard, but she also protect me at times. So I consider her my bodyguard as well.""What's your history with your bodyguard?" Hina asked."She was found by my parents before I was born," Natsumi replied. "Nobody knows the parents of that baby or why they abandoned her. My parents decided to adopt her and raise her as my brother's bodyguard. She was trained to become proficient with a sword, which lead to her being recruited into Hope's Peak Academy. During her time there, she won that trophy sword which then...well...you already know what happened to it.""Yeah, we all know," Hina replied. "That reminds me...what happened to the trophy sword after the first Class Trial ended?"Natsumi shrugged. "I don't know," she said. "It could be discarded. We might never see it ever again.""I do hope I don't see that sword again..." Hina said. "So...about your brother... Do you think he's a student of this school?""I believe so," Natsumi said. "I remembered my parents protesting against the school's recruiting my bodyguard. They don't want the heirs to the clan to be left without their bodyguard. They made the school recruit my brother into the school as the Ultimate Yakuza. That's why I came here. I don't want to be left behind by my brother and bodyguard. I want to be in the same school as them.""Wow, you really do care a lot about your brother and your bodyguard..." Hina remarked. Then she realized something. "Wait, so if your brother and your bodyguard are supposed to be in this school, then...why haven't we seen them yet?""That's what I was thinking!" Natsumi replied. "I came to this school just so I can be with my brother and my bodyguard again. But so far, we haven't seen any sign of them yet! Or anyone else for that matter. Are we...really the only ones in this school? Is it really just us and that damn bear? Where are the other students?"Hina is starting to get a headache from thinking about if there's anyone else in this school other than her classmates and Monokuma. So she decided to end the conversation there. "Look, I've gotten enough from you already," she said. "I've learned more about who your loved ones are, so I'll just end it here. Oh, but I can tell you about my loved ones in return. How about we go to the dining hall talk about this while we're having snacks?""I'm just out here to take a walk," Natsumi replied. "I'm not interested in knowing who your loved ones are, nor am I hungry. Now leave me alone. I need to start my walk." She then began to walk away from Hina."Natsumi! Wait!" Hina cried as she reached out for Natsumi.Natsumi ignored Hina as she continued to walk away.Hina then let out a sigh before thinking about her impromptu conversation with Natsumi. Huh, for someone who is called the Ultimate Yakuza, Natsumi sure doesn't act that unfriendly, she thought. I wonder if there's another side to her. She kept these thoughts in her mind as she continued her way to the dining hall to grab a snack.
Day 7 - 6:30 PMDining Hall, First Floor
Dinnertime soon arrives, so Makoto took Sayaka out to the dining hall for dinner. To avoid Leon, they began their dinner at a later time than everyone else. They planned to have noodles for dinner, so that's what they're preparing in the kitchen. The noodles are easy to make: just put them into a pot of boiling water and wait until it becomes soft. Making the broth is easy too: just simmer the meat and vegetables into a pot of water and wait. Once both the noodles and the broth are done, pour both into a bowl and it's done. It was supposed to be a simple process, but they ran into some difficulties when it comes to adding in the ingredients for the broth.Sayaka looked down at the cutting board with some scallion on one hand and a knife...in the...other...hand... That knife is making her uneasy. It reminded her of her failed murder plan. Just holding hte knife is making her hand quiver. Try as she might, she couldn't bring herself to make a single cut on the scallions. Nearly all of her cooking skills she had gotten over the years had vanished within the span of a few days.Makoto noticed that Sayaka is having trouble chopping the scallion to add to the broth. He walked up to her."You're having trouble using a knife, right?" Makoto asked.Sayaka turned her head towards Makoto. She saw the concerned look on his face and knew what he was thinking. She nodded her head in response."I understand," Makoto said. "That first Class Trial... It must've really affected you...""I...used a knife...in the past..." Sayaka said. "I used it...to cut food for meals. I used to hold a knife...without any worries about hurting myself. But now...I'm afraid that I'm going to hurt myself with a knife..."Makoto glanced over to Sayaka's shaking hand. It looks like she could miss her cuts and end up accidentally cutting her hand. If only it could stop vibrating, then Sayaka would be able to use a knife with confidence. He then let out a sigh."Look, Sayaka," Makoto said to try to comfort Sayaka. "If you're scared of hurting yourself with a knife, you're going to end up cutting yourself. Your hand is shaking. You might hurt yourself accidentally with a hand like that. Here, if you don't want to cut these scallions, I can do it instead. You can watch over the noodles and broth. Want to trade roles?"Sayaka nodded her head. "Okay..." she replied. She then handed the knife over to Makoto and walked up to the stove. Makoto then proceeded to chop up the scallions.Soon, the noodle soup was ready. Makoto and Sayaka took the noodles out of a pot and split them evenly among two bowls. Then, they took the finished broth and poured it on top of the noodles. Finally, they took the chopped scallions and garnished the noodle soup with them. With their meals ready, they took the bowls out to the dining hall and began eating them.Makoto ate his noodles at a steady pace, while Sayaka is a little slow to eat her noodles. Even though she asked to have this much noodles and broth in her bowl, Sayaka found it difficult to bring herself to eat all of the noodles and drink all of the broth. She wasn't in the mood to each much food, yet at the same time, she felt compelled to eat as much food as possible. This might be due to all the running she did in the morning, but still...she felt conflicted.As Makoto and Sayaka continued to eat their meal, they were visited by Kyoko."Oh...hey, Kyoko," Makoto greeted. "What are you doing here?"Kyoko said nothing as she turned her head towards Sayaka. She pulled out a chair and sat next to her.Makoto became confused, wondering what Kyoko wants to do with Sayaka. "Uh...Kyoko?" he said. "What do you want to do with Sayaka?"Kyoko stared at Sayaka as she prepared to talk to her. Sayaka appeared to not have noticed Kyoko's presence, even though she must've heard Makoto call out Kyoko's name. She decided to do something to get Sayaka's attention."Sayaka," Kyoko began to say.This made Sayaka snap out of her trance. "What...?" she said as she turned her head towards the source of the voice. "Kyoko...?""There's something I want to ask you about," Kyoko said. "It regards...your plan to murder Leon."Makoto groaned upon hearing that topic be brought up again. "Ugh...not that again..." he said.Kyoko sighed as she shook her head, partially covering it with her hand. "Listen, Sayaka..." she said. "I can't help but ask...what were you thinking?""Huh?" Sayaka asked."You had a severe reaction to seeing your motive video," Kyoko said. "I can tell that whoever is in your motive video, you would do anything to see them again, even going so far as to take someone's life. If you're going to do that, then...why did you target Leon of all people?""What?" Sayaka gasped."You said in your rant that you dislike Leon," Kyoko continued. "You believe that Leon doesn't take the music industry seriously since he believed that getting into it would be easy with your help. You believe he's a creep for admiring your body instead of you as a person. And...you believed that he wouldn't be a good person to hang out with. Makoto said it himself. You wanted him dead. I get that. He got on several people's bad sides. He made Makoto attempt to punch him.""He did...what?" Sayaka asked."Please don't remind me of that..." Makoto said as he cringed.Sayaka decided to let that thought slide."Your mind was in an awful place at the time," Kyoko said. "I understand that you wanted to kill Leon to see whoever is in your motive video again. But...don't you think that Leon is a poor choice to target?"Sayaka moaned as she became even more miserable."Face it, Sayaka," Kyoko said. "Leon is an athlete. He's called the Ultimate Baseball Player, after all. I doubt that a fight between you and him would end well for you." She then reached out and grabbed Sayaka's arm."Hey!" Sayaka yelped. She tried to free herself from Kyoko, but Kyoko's grip was stronger."Your arms..." Kyoko said. "They're lacking in muscle mass. You're built more for agility, not for strength. I doubt that you're able to inflict much damage even with a knife. Even if you were strong enough to stab a knife into someone, I doubt that you would be able to bring yourself to take a person's life."Sayaka was stunned to hear how poorly thought out her murder plan was. Sure, she may have made the plan in a hurry when her mind is not in the best mental state, but still... She tried her best to justify her choice of target."I...thought that could...use my charms...to make Leon lower his guard..." Sayaka explained. "He...may be an athlete...but if I could find an opening...for even a single moment...I thought...I could kill him...""Even so, trying to kill an athlete when you're clearly weaker than them is a poor choice," Kyoko replied. "You could've chosen a weaker target to kill. Is there anyone else in this school who you're willing to kill?"There was a moment of silence in the kitchen as neither Makoto nor Sayaka could come up with an answer. They couldn't find anyone else who was weak enough to not stand a chance against Sayaka, gullible enough to fall for Sayaka's trap, and not paranoid enough to believe that Sayaka could kill them. And no, Sayaka can't just murder Makoto. She's not that heartless.Kyoko let out a heavy sigh. "And besides," she continued. "Even if you do succeed in killing someone, how do you plan to get away with it?""I thought...that I could charm everyone...into believing that I didn't kill anyone..." Sayaka explained. "After all...no one will believe that an idol could kill anyone...""Well, you certainly won't be fooling anyone now that everyone knows that you made a murder plan," Kyoko said. "And everyone knows that even the kindest person can become violent if the right buttons are pushed. Remember when I said that Makoto tried to punch Leon?" She then turned her head towards Makoto, prompting Sayaka to look in the same direction.Makoto noticed that Kyoko and Sayaka are looking at him, as if they're reminding him of the time when he tried to punch Leon. He then sighed. "Okay, I'll admit it," he said. "Leon tried to go after you, Sayaka, to try to comfort you after you watched your motive video. I...had a feeling that his comforting you would end poorly, so I tried to stop him. He then called me something that I really didn't like to hear, which made try to punch him. I...ended up tripping. I guess...me trying to punch Leon should've been a warning to everyone that anyone had the potential to become a murderer, even the kindest of people...""Perhaps Hina realized this sooner than nearly everyone else," Kyoko said. "That must be why, when she noticed that a knife had gone missing and Sayaka was the last person she saw enter and exit the kitchen, she deduced that Sayaka was the one who stole a knife. And thus, she decided to intervene."Makoto was surprised to hear that. "Did Hina really realize that?" he asked. "I thought that she was jumping to conclusions when she saw that I had stolen that trophy sword. She might be smarter than we thought..."Kyoko nodded her head. "Point is..." she said, speaking to Sayaka. "Your murder plan is going to fail one way or another. Leon is simply too strong for you to kill even with a knife. If he took that knife from you, then you're likely done for. Even if you killed Leon successfully, you might not be able to get away with it. Your crime would be exposed, and you would meet the same fate that Junko faced. It's a good thing that Hina and Sakura intervened and put a stop to your plans. You would've died if your murder plan went as you intended."Sayaka moaned again, feeling like she's at her lowest point. Her head drooped a bit, almost to the point where she dipped her head into the noodle soup. Seeing Sayaka in pain once again, Makoto decided to end the conversation here."Kyoko, that's enough," Makoto declared. "I think you should leave now.""No, I'm not done yet," Kyoko said. "There's one more thing I must find out. Sayaka, who were you trying to save? Who was your murder plan for?""You're curious about what in our classmates' motive videos too?" Makoto asked.Kyoko held a finger in front of Makoto. "Quiet," she ordered. "Let Sayaka answer."Makoto and Kyoko waited for Sayaka to answer the latter's question. But Sayaka is too depressed to answer. She couldn't get a single word out. Seeing that Sayaka is unable to answer, Makoto decided to answer for her."Well, if Sayaka is not going to answer, then I should do it for her," Makoto said. "Sayaka's motive video features...her idol group."Kyoko took some time to let that answer sink in. "I see..." she said. "So that's who Sayaka wanted to see again. She must've valued their lives so highly. That's why her reaction to her motive video was so intense. Still, Sayaka, you shouldn't have planned a murder even if you're so desperate to see your friends again. Think about it: even if you got away with murder and escape this school, how would your friends think of you once they learned that you killed someone? And since you're an idol, you must also think about how your fans will think about you. Do you think your fans will continue to see you as an idol after they learned that you killed someone?"Sayaka felt like she's falling down deeper into the hole of depression. It's going to take even longer for her to recover from this killing game.Kyoko sighed as she interpreted Sayaka's silence. "I thought so," she said. She then stood up from her seat. "I'll be taking my leave for now. You two enjoy your dinner together." She then walked out of the dining hall.After Kyoko left, Makoto picked up a clump of noodles with his chopsticks and put it into his mouth. The noodles tasted a little cold. They must've cooled off from all the talking Kyoko said. He signaled Sayaka to finish her meal."Hey, Sayaka?" Makoto said, grabbing Sayaka's attention. "We'd better finish up our meals. These noodles are getting cold."Sayaka shifted her eyes up at Makoto. She subtly nodded her head as she resumed to eat her noodles."Oh, and one more thing," Makoto said. "Please, Sayaka. Always remember that none of this was your fault. Monokuma manipulated you into planning a murder. Had your plan succeeded...well, you won't be with us anymore, one way or another. Stop blaming yourself, because the real one to blame is Monokuma. Never forget this."Sayaka gave everything she heard during her dinnertime some thought. After a while, she managed to gather the willpower needed to speak a single word. "Okay..." she said.Makoto and Sayaka then proceeded to finish their noodle soup dinner.
Day 7 - 8:30 PMLeon's Room, First Floor
Leon is lounging in his room, still bitter about Sayaka's plan to murder him. He still couldn't comprehend how someone he once respected would want him dead. He thought about how Sayaka could've murdered him. He imagined himself walking into Sayaka's room in the dark of night, if "night" held any meaning since nobody can see outside due to the blocked windows. There, he would see himself letting his guard down, as he thought that he was about to have a casual conversation with the idol he admired for once. Then, Sayaka pulled out her knife and lunged at him. And then...he would be murdered.Had that happened, at least Leon would get to take his killer down with him. It wasn't revealed at the time that after a murder had happened, everyone had to go through a Class Trial. If the culprit was identified, they alone would be executed. But if they fail, then everyone but the culprit would die. Now that the details of graduating from this school had been fully revealed, Sayaka was unlikely to attempt to take another life ever again.Still...Leon can't shake the uneasy feeling out of his body. Sayaka is in an precarious mental state ever since the end of the first Class Trial. What's stopping her from snapping again and try to murder him again? And once Monokuma unleashes another motive... Well...Leon will have to watch his back for anyone attempting to take his life.*Ding-dong!*"Huh?" Leon said as he lifted himself up from his bed.Leon wondered who could be visiting him at this time. He hoped that it's not Sayaka outside his door. He wanted to stay away from her, not that it matters since she and Makoto are actively trying to avoid him when they can. He muttered to himself about the school's lack of peepholes. They could've been so useful.Leon walked up to the door and answered it. Outside, he found...Kiyotaka and Mondo standing there excited about something."Good evening, Leon!" Kiyotaka greeted.Leon took quick glances at Kiyotaka and Mondo, looking a little puzzled. "What are you two doing here?" he asked."Mondo and I are thinking about using the sauna," Kiyotaka explained. "I thought that it's going to be lonely with just the two of us in that sauna, so I'm thinking about inviting you to join us!"Leon's face became more puzzled. "Why do you want me to join you guys in the sauna?" he asked."Listen, Leon," Kiyotaka began to explain. "You need to chill out. Your current attitude towards Sayaka is unacceptable! I know that you're mad at her for planning to murder you, but we can't risk letting you want to murder her in retaliation!""...How the hell is relaxing in a sauna is going to help me chill out?" Leon asked. "Isn't a sauna, like...a hot place?""You've never been in a sauna, haven't you?" Mondo asked."No," Leon replied. He tried to explain why he hasn't been in a sauna yet, but he then got interrupted."Come on!" Mondo said. "How about we show you what being in a sauna is like?""Plus, it'll make for a great bonding experience!" Kiyotaka added. "You know what they say: when the body is naked, so is the soul!"Leon was shocked and embarrassed to hear that statement. "What?" he uttered."Ugh, I'm losing my patience," Mondo grumbled. "Come on! Let's get to the sauna as soon as possible!""Wait, don't-!" Leon cried out.
Day 7 - 8:45 PMBathhouse, First Floor
Soon, Leon found himself in the sauna along with Kiyotaka and Mondo. All three of them have stripped themselves naked, with only a towel placed on their lap to cover them up. Kiyotaka and Mondo are sitting on one side of the sauna, while Leon sat alone on the other side. The sauna is filled with hot air."Ah, this shit feels so great!" Mondo said. "Don't you agree?""I sure do," Kiyotaka replied. "And please stop talking like that. The type of language you're using is unacceptable in a school environment.""Hey, you don't have to tell me what to say," Mondo said, engaging a banter with Kiyotaka. "I can say whatever the hell I want!""I wouldn't be surprised if you got into trouble due to the type of language you're using!" Kiyotaka bantered back.Leon looked at Kiyotaka and Mondo, displeased that they dragged him into the sauna. "Why am I stuck in this sauna with you two?" he asked. "What is even the point of this?""Duh, the point of a sauna is to chill out," Mondo explained. "Me and my boys used to go to saunas all the time to chill out. You can't be rowdy all the time, you know?""How is a sauna supposed to help me chill out?" Leon asked, baffled at the idea of letting oneself be surrounded by hot air to relax."I've read studies on the health benefits of using a sauna," Kiyotaka said. "One of the benefits of using of a sauna is reduced stress, which we could use at a time like this. So, Leon? Have you calmed down yet? Are you ready to forgive Sayaka?""What? Do you expect me to forgive her just by using a sauna?" Leon asked with a scoff. "No. Way. I'm not forgiving that bitch anytime soon!""Seriously, just drop your grudge against that blue-haired chick already," Mondo said. "She's been hurt enough already."Leon rolled his eyes. He felt like being in this sauna is not helping him calm down at all. In fact, it's probably making his bitterness worse. It doesn't help that he's feeling like he's being cooked in this sauna. Wait...is he really being cooked?"Say, is it just me? Or is this sauna getting...really hot right now?" Leon asked, sounding a little panicky."Nah, it's just you," Mondo replied. "I ain't feeling hot in the slightest!" He then glanced over at Kiyotaka, who is looking a little red on his face. "Hey...Taka? Your face is all red.""Ha, what are you talking about?" Kiyotaka replied. "I...just so happened to be born with a red face! I'm...fine!""You know you can leave this sauna if you want to," Mondo suggested."No, I'm won't!" Kiyotaka insisted. "I'm going to outlast you! Just you wait!"Leon is getting confused and worried at the same time. "Wait, what the hell are you two talking about?" he asked. He then gasped for air as he sweated profusely. "Damn...it's so hot in here... What's the temperature of this thing?""Hell if I know!" Mondo replied.Leon looked around the sauna for a thermometer. He found one installed near the door. The temperature of the sauna is...shockingly high."What?!" Leon gasped. "That high?! But why?!""Oh, I forgot to mention," Kiyotaka began to explain. "We're doing an endurance contest in the sauna!""We've set the temperature to be as high as possible!" Mondo added. "And then we test each other to see how long we can stay in the sauna! The first one to leave...loses!""Why didn't you guys tell me about this before you drag me into this?" Leon asked.Neither Kiyotaka nor Mondo were able to come up with an answer.Leon then stood up, wrapping the towel around his waist. "Alright, that's it," he began to declare. "I'm out. Screw this competition.""Hey!" Mondo yelled. "You're leaving already? Are you going to give up right now?""Look, I can't stand this heat anymore," Leon explained. "I don't want to stay here for any longer than I can tolerate. I'm going back to my room. You two can have this competition without me." He then left the sauna, leaving Mondo and Kiyotaka behind."Well...looks like...Leon is the real coward," Kiyotaka remarked, taking breaths in between his words. "He can't...handle the heat anymore...so he left!"Mondo then glanced at Kiyotaka with a concerned look. "Hey man...you're sounding a little weak," he said. "Have you...reached your limits...?""No...I have not..." Kiyotaka replied. "In fact...I'm starting to feel...kind of cold in here...""That...doesn't sound good..." Mondo said. "Well...looks like that means...that I'll...outlast you!""Not if I outlast you first!" Kiyotaka countered.The two boys proceeded to continue their endurance contest all the way up until nighttime. The winner of the competition is unknown.
Day 7 - 9:30 PMYasuhiro's Room, First Floor
As nighttime approaches, Yasuhiro is in his room peering into his crystal ball. He's trying to see what will happen to his classmates next and if any of them have a future. But as he peered into the future, he saw something that shocked him."Ah!" Yasuhiro yelped.The vision of the future Yasuhiro saw was disturbing. He didn't expect to see *that* happen so soon in the future. If what he saw in his crystal ball becomes true then...No! Yasuhiro thought as he shook that vision of the future out of his head. That vision of the future... It can't be true! Right?Yasuhiro wanted to deny that his vision of the future will come true. He wished that the future he foresaw never happened. At the same time, though, many of the predictions he made in the past have become true at a way higher rate than his claimed 30% accuracy. Perhaps there is a high chance that what he saw in the future will happen.Yasuhiro then curled up into a ball and tried to assure himself. "It's just a prediction," he muttered. "It might not come true. My predictions only come true 30% of the time, every time."...Yasuhiro then wondered how much longer he will last in this killing game.
Day 8 - 6:57 AMMakoto's Room, First Floor
"Hey, you two!" a shrill voice said. "Wake up!"Makoto can feel something jumping on his chest once again. A dreadful feeling filled his body in the moments before he woke up.Oh no, Makoto thought. Is Monokuma in my room to wake me up again?Makoto slowly opened up his eyes to see if his fears had become true. Sure enough, Monokuma is on his chest once again....Figures, Makoto thought.Sayaka is sleeping right next to Makoto, laying on her side and pressing her body up against Makoto's side. Her arms are wrapped around Makoto's chest, while Makoto has one arm wrapped around Sayaka. Makoto used that arm to shake Sayaka awake.Sayaka soon opened up her eyes. "...Huh?" she said as she lifted herself up and rubbed the sleep off of her eyes. "Is it morning alre-?" She stopped herself upon seeing Monokuma on Makoto's bed. In that moment, a rush of energy filled her body. "Ah!""Good morning, you two!" Monokuma gleefully greeted. "I must say, you two have been sleeping together for quite a while now. How many nights in a row have you done this so far? Four? Wow, Makoto. You must be really bold sleeping with an idol who was known to have created a murder plan. You really are a lucky bastard."Hearing that phrase again made Makoto catapult up from the pillow, causing Monokuma to jump backward. "What did you call me?!" Makoto asked."Ah, so you do have a trigger phrase," Monokuma remarked. "I guess even the sweetest person has their limits. You should've known that from Sayaka.""W-What's going on?" Sayaka asked, shivering in fear. "W-Why have you come to this room again?""Eh, nothing much," Monokuma replied. "I'm here to give you two another wake-up call!""That was more like a rude awakening..." Makoto countered."What part of that awakening was rude?" Monokuma asked, acting oblivious to the fact that he had woken Makoto and Sayaka before the morning announcement played yet again. He then cleared his throat. "That aside, I'm wondering why you two haven't given into your innermost desires already. I mean, you two have slept with each other on a bed designed for one person for four nights in a row!""W-What are you talking about?" Sayaka asked."You know, boys these days get excited whenever a girl decides to sleep with them," Monokuma said. "They'll have the perfect opportunity to sneak their hand into a girl's skirt or pants and have fun playing with you-know-what, if you catch my drift. You wanted to do that to Sayaka, don't you, Makoto?"Sayaka blushed intensely and cringed. She was tempted to cover up her unmentionable parts, but her arms are frozen in place.Makoto pulled his hands back and held one of his wrists with his other hand. "What? I would never do whatever you're talking about to Sayaka!" he shouted. "This is...not the time to be doing stuff like that!""Admit it, Makoto," Monokuma replied. "You know you want to play with Sayaka's...unmentionable parts. I can tell, because that flagpole of your sure has grown big!"Makoto blushed intensely and held his hands over his lap. He felt something hard on his...unmentionable parts."And if things get really steamy between you two," Monokuma continued, "then you can always strip each other of your clothes and-""JUST STOP!" Makoto and Sayaka shouted."Hey, what's the matter?" Monokuma asked as he began to sweat. "You're not willing to submit to your innermost desires? Come on! I'm just waiting to capture some spicy action with these surveillance cameras!"Oh right, the surveillance cameras that are placed all around the school, including in the student's dorm rooms. To be honest, everyone has gotten used to seeing those cameras everyone, so they won't bother with trying to look for them. Although, that does bring up an interesting question: is there anywhere in the school that doesn't have a surveillance camera observing it at all times?Anyways, Makoto and Sayaka felt too awkward to give a response. They just sat there staring at Monokuma with their faces entirely red.Then, Monokuma looked at his wrist as if he's checking his watch. "Oh my!" he said. "Would you look at that? It's almost time for the morning announcement! I'd better get going and wake everyone else up! Toodles!" He then vanished from Makoto's room.A few moments later, the morning announcement began to play just as when Makoto and Sayaka got off the bed.*Ding-dong, ding-dong!*"Good morning, everyone!" Monokuma announced. Makoto and Sayaka tuned out the rest of the morning announcement, as it's still the same as every other morning announcement."That Monokuma is so annoying..." Makoto said with a sigh as he slipped on his shoes. "All he does is mess with us for his own amusement..."After getting ready for the day, Makoto and Sayaka headed out of the room to meet with the others at the dining hall.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Day 8 - 7:15 AMDining Hall, First Floor
The students are gathering up at the dining hall for breakfast as usual. For some odd reason, though, Kiyotaka has yet to arrive at the dining hall, even though he was usually the first person to arrive. Right before anyone could wonder where he went, Kiyotaka entered the dining hall along with Mondo. They have their hands on each other's shoulders, laughing jovially as they walked together."Last night was great, wasn't it, bro?" Kiyotaka asked."That sure as hell was great, bro!" Mondo replied, followed up by a jovial laughter.Most of the students were weirded out by how close Kiyotaka and Mondo were acting towards each other."Uh...what?" Natsumi asked, baffled by what she's witnessing."Since when did these two began calling each other...'bro'?" Hina asked."How curious..." Celeste said. "What could've caused these two to form this strong of a bond?""Ha!" Kiyotaka began to respond. "You girls don't seem to get our manly bond! Friendship between men is stronger than blood! You women could never understand that!""Dude, that phrase is as cool as shit!" Mondo said with enthusiasm. "'Friendship between men is stronger than blood.' I should get that phrase tattooed on my body somewhere.""No, bro!" Kiyotaka replied. "You mustn't do that! Your body is a sacred temple, gifted to you by your loving parents! You shouldn't stain that temple by painting objectionable things on it!""Hey, I can do whatever the hell I want with my body!" Mondo countered. "You don't have to tell me what I should and shouldn't do with it."Makoto grew confused at the banter going on between Kiyotaka and Mondo. "Uh...what's going on between those two?" he asked. "Was there something I missed?""These two held an endurance contest at the sauna," Leon dryly explained.Most of the students turned their attention towards Leon."How did you know that?" Hina asked."I was there with them," Leon explained. "These two dragged my ass into their stupid contest.""Hey, don't call that contest stupid, bro!" Mondo said. "That was fun, wasn't it?""No, it wasn't!" Leon shouted. "I can't stand how high you assholes set the temperature to! I'll pass out if I stayed in that sauna for any longer! And don't call me 'bro'! We're not even friends!"Makoto grew curious about the contest Kiyotaka and Mondo had in sauna. "Wait, so who won that contest?" he asked.Leon threw his hands into the air. "How the hell am I supposed to know?" he replied. "I wasn't there when they finished that contest!""Who the hell cares?" Mondo said. "It doesn't matter who the winner is. All that matters is that my bro and I hung out in that sauna together, baring our bodies to each other."Leon was shocked to hear that Kiyotaka and Mondo don't care about who won that contest. "Wait, you two don't care if either of you won that contest?!" he asked. "Then why the hell did you have that contest in the first place?""Leon, calm down," Kiyotaka ordered. "There's no need to get upset over a contest that you left early. You don't even seem to mind being considered the loser of that contest!""I...what?" Leon said in a baffled tone."Anyways, we should hang out in the sauna again in the future," Kiyotaka suggested. "This time, we're going to invite as many boys into the sauna as possible and have everyone bare their bodies to each other. You know what they say: when the body is naked, so is the soul!"Half of the students cringed upon hearing that notion. The other half was either indifferent or intrigued by that notion.Byakuya was getting annoyed by all the talk about the sauna. His face and body isn't showing it, but he's cringing at the idea of nudity communicating honesty. "Can you boys cut it out with all the talk about the sauna?" he requested. "It's irritating me."Kiyotaka appears to be holding it in. "...Okay! Enough of that contest my bro and I held last night," he said. "Time for breakfast!""You've got it, bro!" Mondo replied. "I could use a bite after that time in the sauna. Let's go!"Kiyotaka and Mondo then marched together towards the kitchen, their arms placed on each other's shoulders.As everyone finished up their breakfast, they began to turn their attention on the entrance to the dining hall. So far, Toko still has yet to leave her room. Or at least, everyone has yet to see Toko outside of her room. Day by day, everyone's concern for Toko grew larger and larger. They were left wondering when Toko will finally let herself be seen outside of her room."Toko still hasn't come out of her room, hasn't she?" Hina asked."She may have done so when she knows that we're not going to see her," Makoto said. "I remembered talking to her yesterday before we began doing Monokuma's exercise routine. She told me that she'll feed herself while everyone else is at the gym."Kyoko turned her head towards Makoto. "You talked to Toko?" she asked. "Did you learn why she was hiding herself in her room?"Makoto shook his head. "No, I didn't," he replied. "She never told me.""Then did you notice anything strange about her behavior?" Kyoko asked."Well...she did tell me that something's happening to her right before closing the door on me..." Makoto replied.Kyoko gave Makoto's words some thought. It became clear to her that there's something about Toko that she doesn't want anyone else to know about. She's been hiding herself in her room in the days since everyone first heard of Genocide Jack, only going out when she's sure that she won't be seen by the others. Kyoko wondered why Toko is acting that way. Before she could come to a conclusion, Kiyotaka made an announcement."Alright, everyone!" Kiyotaka began, grabbing everyone's attention. "Listen up! I have big plans for what we should do for today!""Oh great..." Natsumi groaned. "Here he goes again..."Kiyotaka clapped his hands together. "So, things have been getting a little slow, hasn't it?" he asked. "A lot of us hasn't been interacting with each other much. We need to change that. I'd say that it's time for a team building exercise!"Hifumi was dismayed to hear the word exercise again. "Oh no..." he groaned. "Are we exercising again? We just had an exercising session yesterday! I'm going to be left so exhausted...""Don't you worry, Hifumi," Kiyotaka assured. "We're not going to exercise like what Monokuma made us do yesterday. We're going to have a volleyball match!"Most of the students had a confused reaction to hearing that they're going to play volleyball, with two exceptions. The first exception is Mondo, who understood what Kiyotaka is talking about. The other exception is Hifumi, who groaned upon being forced to exercise again."...I knew it," Hifumi groaned. "We're going back to the gym..."Makoto then noticed something odd about Kiyotaka's plans. "Wait...volleyball?" he said. "Do we even have the equipment to do that?""Surprisingly, we do!" Kiyotaka replied. "You see, my bro and I took a look inside the storage room a few days ago, and we some poles, a large net, and a volleyball. That gives us enough equipment to set up a volleyball court so that we can play volleyball together!"Leon put his elbow on a table and propped up his head with it. "So what? Are we gonna have a volleyball match?" he asked as he tapped his fingers on the table. "Are we gonna see who will win that match?""Nope, it's just a team building exercise," Kiyotaka replied. "We're not going to keep track of each team's score."Leon then jumped from his seat and threw his hands into the air. "Then what's the point of having a volleyball match if there's no scoring system?" he asked."You're not getting the point of this, Leon," Kyoko replied. "The point isn't to see which team can win a volleyball match. The point is to make us rebuild our trust with each other by having us work together towards a common goal.""Kyoko's right," Kiyotaka said. "Junko and Yasuke died because they lost trust in each other. The previous Class Trial has broken our trust with each other, and if we don't rebuild our trust before Monokuma brings us our next motive, then we'll repeat the mistakes that the deceased have made. If we want to escape this school together, then we must rebuild our trust with each other. To do that, we're going to do a team building exercise by playing a game of volleyball. So, once we're done having breakfast, we're going to meet up at the gym to begin our team building exercise! Are we good about that?"Leon immediately turned his head away from Kiyotaka and blew a raspberry. "Oh please," he groaned. "Don't you dare drag me into another team sport. I'm not interested. And besides, I don't want to end up on the same team as that bitch who planned to kill me."Sayaka winced in pain upon hearing that from Leon."Leon!" Makoto shouted, appalled that still hasn't forgiven Sayaka for her murder plan."Hey! Don't you dare talk shit about that blue-haired chick!" Mondo shouted angrily. "Has your time in that sauna not calmed you down?""My time spent in that sauna has only made me angrier," Leon counted, "because you two assholes dragged me into that competition without telling me first! Plus, I can't stand the heat of the sauna, and you've had it set to, like, the highest setting!"Hearing Leon continuing to rant made Hina irritated. "Leon, knock it off!" she ordered. "Have you learned nothing from all of this?""What?" Leon asked, in denial of what he just said.Kyoko covered her face and shook her head in disapproval. "Leon..." she sighed. "You must never forget why Sayaka planned to kill you in the first place. You got on her bad side.""So?!" Leon replied. "It wasn't my fault that Sayaka wanted me dead! She chose to make that plan to kill me! It was all her fault!""But if it wasn't for Monokuma giving us those motive videos-" Makoto tried to say, only to be interrupted."Shut up!" Leon shouted. "It was totally her fault! You're only biased because she's your friend!""Leon, stop this right now!" Kiyotaka ordered. "Do not get on any more people's bad side. If you keep this up, soon others will want you dead! I don't want another death to happen under my watch. So please, just calm down and...make peace with others.""I believe the term you're looking for is 'burying the hatchet'," Hifumi commented.Kiyotaka grew impatient with how long everyone was taking to get to the gym. "Alright, that's enough talking for now," he declared. "Everyone, once we're finished with our breakfast, we'll head out to the gym to begin our volleyball game. Make sure that you're all changed into your gym clothes. Does everyone understand all of that?"Most of the students agreed to Kiyotaka's plan. They may have been forced to exercise for two days in a row, but if playing volleyball meant that it would rebuild everyone's trust in each other, then it could be a good idea. This "team building exercise" could finally convince Leon that he has to drop his grudges if he wants to lead his team to victory, as...well...Everyone hoped that Leon doesn't do anything...drastic to anyone, especially to Sayaka.
Day 8 - 9:00 AMGym, First Floor
After everyone finished their breakfast, it was time for the students to begin playing volleyball. Mondo and Sakura took the poles, the net, and the volleyball all the way from the storage room to the gym and began to set up the court. While this was happening, everyone else headed to the changing rooms and changed into their gym clothes. Once that was done, everyone headed off to the gym and was greeted with a volleyball court. After that, Mondo and Sakura went to the changing rooms to change into their gym clothes."Ugh..." Hifumi groaned in anticipation of pain. "Here we go again... Back at the gym for more exercising..."Kiyotaka strode back and forth around the gym as he explained his plans for the day. "Alright, here's how this team building exercise will work," he began. "We'll be playing a friendly game of volleyball. There won't be a scoring system, so don't treat this as a competition. We'll be split into two teams of six."Leon immediately spotted something off about that arrangement. "Hold on!" he exclaimed. "Six? Two teams of six? Why six?"Everyone glared at Leon, with some giving him disapproving looks."...You've never played any team sport other than baseball, haven't you?" Kyoko asked."What are you talking about?" Leon asked."The rules of volleyball state that each team should have six players each," Hina explained. "I know that, because I've played volleyball before. I did mention that I played various sports, remember?""However, we only have thirteen people who are able to play," Kiyotaka added. "Which means that one of us will end up being excluded.""Well, if you're going to do that, then why don't you exclude that bitch from playing?" Leon suggested, pointing his arms at Sayaka. "She looks like she could drag the team she's on down with her!"Sayaka shrank as Leon kept tormenting her about her plan to kill him. She wondered how long it would take before this ends..."Hey, this is a team building exercise, remember?" Kiyotaka said. "We should let Sayaka participate in this volleyball game. Perhaps this could get her to improve her mood. She was the lead singer of her idol group, after all. She must have skills for working as a team.""Besides, we've gotta have someone be the referee," Hina added, "and it better not be Monokuma. As the one who has played volleyball the most, I say that I should be the referee.""How could you be sure that you've played that sport the most out of all of us?" Byakuya asked.Hina had an annoyed look on her face. "Byakuya!" she shouted."That was rude, Byakuya," Kiyotaka said. "Don't interrupt us again. Got it?"Byakuya just responded with a sigh."Now, all we have to do is wait for Mondo and Sakura to return," Kiyotaka continued. "Then, we can begin."Just when Kiyotaka said that, Mondo and Sakura entered the gym to rejoin the others, now having been changed into their gym clothes."Alright, bro!" Mondo said as he ran up to the rest of the students. "We're all set. Are we ready?""Ah, there you are," Kiyotaka said. "Yes, bro. We are ready to begin. Alright, everyone! Listen up! When I call your name, head to the side of the court I'm pointing to. I will be on the side closest to the stage, by the way."Before Kiyotaka could begin assigning teams to each student, Leon made another remark that drew disapproving glares towards him. "Whatever you do, be sure to pit me against the team Sayaka is on," he said. "I would love to spike a volleyball into her head."A few moments later..."You. Have got. To be shitting me." Leon growled in frustration.Leon's team, which was on the side closest to the gym doors, consisted of himself, Makoto, Sayaka, Kyoko, Yasuhiro, and Natsumi. The other side, which was closest to the stage, consisted of the remaining students aside from Hina, who is sitting on the seats watching over the court."Oh joy," Natsumi said sarcastically. "A would-be victim is on the same team as his would-be murderer. This would definitely go well."Yasuhiro became confused at what Natsumi remarked. "It would?" he asked."I was being sarcastic," Natsumi explained."Hey, that sounded like a prediction to me!" Yasuhiro complained. "Why are you trying to steal my job?""I wasn't!" Natsumi shouted back. "I'm not making a prediction on how well this would go. Why would I? Nobody would believe my predictions in the same way nobody would predict your predictions, urchin!"Makoto looked at the argument Natsumi and Yasuhiro were having with each other, the tension between Sayaka and Leon, and Kyoko's aloofness towards the rest of the team. He compared his team with the other. As ramshackle as the other team was, Makoto had a feeling that they have the better chances of working well together.Kyoko had a similar sentiment towards the rest of her team. "I'm not liking how this will go," she said. She then turned towards Kiyotaka. "Taka, why would you two pairs of students who don't like each other on the same team? This is going to be a disaster.""Hey, this is a team building exercise, remember?" Kiyotaka reminded. "We'd better have the pairs of students who don't like each other be on the same team to help convince them to cooperate with each other. We're trying to get out of this school alive, remember? Having bad relationships with others will hinder us towards our goal!""Besides, Leon," Hina began to add, "you said that you wanted to be on the the team opposite of Sayaka's team so that you can spike a volleyball into her head. We can't let that happen, so...you'll have to work with her.""Come on!" Leon complained. "Just let me compete against Sayaka! I wanna get her back for making that murder plan against me!""You've already shoved her while we're running around the gym," Kyoko said. "There's no need to hurt her anymore.""But...I need to lash out at her for making that plan," Leon replied. Then he got an idea. "Hey! Other team! Mind if one of you guys trade places with me?"Everyone on the opposite team shook their heads at Leon."No way, dude," Mondo replied. "We all know that you want to hurt that blue-haired chick.""You're not even trying to hide your intentions," Celeste remarked."Why are you so cruel to Miss Sayaka Maizono?" Hifumi asked.Leon threw his arms into the air. "Are you a dummy?!" he shouted at Hifumi. "Have you forgotten what that bitch tried to do to me?!"Byakuya let out an exacerbated sigh. "I'm getting so sick of this," he declared. "Can we get going on this for once?""Fine..." Kiyotaka replied as he sighed. "Leon, enough with the rants. You're delaying this team building exercise. Just accept the team you're working with and try your best to be a good sport. Are we clear about that?"Leon just slumped forward and growled.Kiyotaka took Leon's silence as a "yes". He then clapped his hands together. "Alright, we've delay this for long enough already," he began to announce. "Enough chatter. Let the game begin!"Before the volleyball could be served, Makoto took a look at Sayaka. She appears to be uneasy at the idea of working with Leon, especially after that rant he gave out. Even though this was supposed to be a team building exercise meant to improve everyone's relationships with each other, Makoto felt like this could end up damaging Sayaka and Leon's relationship even further. This cannot end well, he thought. I'm sure of it.The volleyball game then began. Makoto's team began the game by serving the ball over the net...or it would be if Yasuhiro had hit the ball hard enough to send it over the net...which he didn't. The volleyball slammed right up against the net, only to bounce back and land on the side of the court it was served from. Everyone awkwardly watched as the volleyball rolled on the floor."Well...that was an interesting start," Celeste remarked."What the hell was that?!" Leon shouted angrily at Yasuhiro. "You call that a serve?!""I-I don't know!" Yasuhiro replied. "I swear I was trying my best!""You look like you weren't even trying!" Natsumi complained.Leon picked the volleyball back up and ran to a corner of the court. "Here, let me show you what a real serve looks like!" he shouted.Leon then attempted to serve the volleyball by tossing it into the air and striking it with his palm. Unfortunately, he aimed a bit too low with the volleyball, as it ended up hitting the net again. The volleyball bounced back from the net again and rolled on the floor towards Kyoko. She picked up the volleyball as soon as it reached her.Natsumi gave an annoyed look at Leon. "Really?" she asked. "You call that a 'real serve'?"Leon was too stunned by his failed attempt to serve to react.Hina sighed and shook her head in disappointment. "Ugh..." she groaned. "Two times in a row, one of the teams failed the serve the ball over the net...""Hey!" Mondo called from the other side. "Can you guys get that ball over to our side? We wanna hit it!""You'll get your chance soon, other team," Kyoko replied. She then turned her head back and forth between Yasuhiro and Leon. "Here, boys. This is what a real volleyball serve looks like."Everyone then began to watch Kyoko as they anticipated her serve of the volleyball. Will she be the one who will send the volleyball over the net, and thus begin the game?Kyoko held the volleyball on her left hand, her body facing the net. She began to calculate the exact trajectory the ball needed to go to get over the net and not land outside of the court. The calculations took her quite a while. The air grew tense around her as everyone began to wonder when she'll serve the volleyball.Mondo soon grew impatient over waiting for Kyoko to serve the volleyball. "Come on!" he demanded. "Just serve the ball already!""We've been waiting for this game to start for long enough!" Kiyotaka said. "Just begin the game, Kyoko! Don't just stand there!"Finally, as soon as Kyoko calculated how hard she needed to strike the volleyball and the angle of the trajectory, she made her move. She tossed the volleyball up into the air and jumped up to it. Then, with the palm of her right hand, she struck the volleyball, sending it over the net to the other side and finally starting the game."That took long enough..." Hina said, sighing with relief.The rest of the volleyball game was rather unremarkable, save for a few misplays and accidental rule breaks that both teams made. One time, Mondo's team attempted to set up the ball so that one of them can spike it over to the other side. They bumped the ball three times, but it wasn't enough. Before anyone could position themselves to hit the ball a fourth time, Kiyotaka called them out."Hey! Bro!" Kiyotaka shouted. "Your team failed return the ball within three hits!""I'm sorry!" Hifumi apologized, blaming himself for failing the set the ball up.Hina also called out Sakura for not doing anything to help out her team. "And Sakura," she added. "Why didn't you help your team? You just stood there watching everyone hitting the ball.""It'll be rude everyone on my team ends up relying on me to succeed," Sakura explained. "This is supposed to be a team building exercise, after all.""Oh...I see," Hina replied. "But still, you could've done something to help your team!"A few moments later, Leon makes a foul as he bumped the ball up and hits it again. This gets him called out."That's a foul, Leon!" Hina shouted."Huh?" Leon asked, looking confused at why he's being called out. "What did I do?""You've hit the ball twice in a row," Hina explained. "That's not allowed.""What do you mean that's not allowed?!" Leon asked. "Since then-""Leon, this is a team game," Kiyotaka replied. "Don't think you can do everything by yourself. This is the whole point of the volleyball game!"Leon just stared at Kiyotaka and grumbled before the game resumed.A while later, the volleyball ends up hitting Hifumi...right in the stomach. The ball bounced off his belly and rolled across the court."Ooh, my belly..." Hifumi groaned in pain.Then, the volleyball is sent flying over the net, with its landing point being at where Sayaka is standing."Sayaka!" Makoto called. "It's coming towards you!"Sayaka had a few moments to bump the ball towards another person. She got into a wide stance, held her hands above her head, and, with eyes closed shut, she bumped the ball. But...the bump was a weak one, as it barely gained any height. The ball soon landed on the floor before anyone could reach it. That was the first time Sayaka had made contact with the ball...and her effort was lackluster. Even Makoto managed to hit the ball harder than that, and he was trying his best that time."Wow," Natsumi remarked, having no other words to describe Sayaka's performance. "Just...wow.""Ugh...I knew that you would be a liability, you bitch..." Leon grumbled.Sayaka was...despondent from the negative feedback she was getting from Leon. She felt like it was a terrible idea to have her be on the same team as Leon. Kiyotaka may have good intentions, but it looks like his attempts at getting her and Leon to mend their relationship is only making things sourer.Makoto stared at Sayaka as she looked like she was about to cry. He had a different opinion towards this team building exercise than Sayaka. Sure, it looks like it's backfiring as Leon's relationship with Sayaka is worsening, but that's probably because Leon refused to let go of his grudge against Sayaka. If they could learn to work together and not berate each other for their mistakes, then perhaps they could mend their relationship. Makoto raised his hand to request a time-out."Can we...have a time out?" Makoto asked. "I need to say something to Sayaka."Hina fulfilled Makoto's request and suspended the volleyball game until Makoto finished talking to Sayaka. Makoto began to walk up to Sayaka, only for Leon to step in and pull him away from her."Excuse me!" Makoto yelled."Listen, you Lucky Bastard," Leon said, causing Makoto to freeze in place. "Forget about trying to comfort that bitch. I don't care how many times you do it. She's never going to get over what she tried to do to me.""J-Just give her time!" Makoto replied. "Traumas don't just go away in an instant!"Leon then shoved Makoto to the floor, causing nearly everyone to gasp in horror. "Shut up!" he shouted. "Forget about it! Don't even bother doing it anymore!""Leon!" Kiyotaka shouted. "Cut it out! This is not how you should treat your fellow students! Even if they've done terrible things to you or are close friends with those people, we've still got to remember that none of what they've done to you was completely their fault. This wouldn't have happened if that Monokuma didn't trap all of us here in this school, after all. Now let Makoto comfort Sayaka and we'll resume this game."Leon shifted his attention over to Kiyotaka. "Resume this game?" he questioned. "This game has been a disaster! Everyone's making misplay after misplay, and these attempts at making me work with Sayaka are not working! Why did you even make us do all of this?!""I just wanted to make sure you don't try to target Sayaka again!" Kiyotaka explained."Well, you've made me want to kill her even more!" Leon countered. "Look at her! She didn't do anything the entire game! She's useless! And the one time she did do something, she's utter crap! Face it: this entire 'team building exercise' has been nothing but a disaster! You hear me?!"A stunned silence swept across the gym as everyone wondered what the hell Leon was thinking. A few moments later, a single voice broke the silence."It's only a disaster because you've let it become a disaster."Everyone soon turned their heads towards the source of the voice. Of course, it was Kyoko who said that."Kyoko?" Leon asked. "What the hell are you talking about?""How many times do we have to tell you?" Kyoko asked. "Drop your grudge against Sayaka right. Now. Your continued refusal to forgive Sayaka of her mistakes has only made her more anxious when you're around her.""So?" Leon replied. "She deserves all the pain she gets from me."Kyoko smacked Leon on the cheek with her hand, displeased with what he said."Gah!" Leon yelped in pain. "What the hell?!""You don't seem to get it, don't you?" Kyoko asked. "People aren't inherently good or evil. Everyone is born neutral. They only become good or evil due to external factors, and how they choose to handle those external factors.""What's your point?" Leon asked, still aching in pain. "Sayaka...must be a bitch! All that smiles and kindness...must've been a cover for her true behavior...""Sayaka isn't inherently a bad person," Kyoko explained. "But due to outside circumstances, she often finds herself forced to do things she doesn't want to do, but had to do anyways. She is an idol, after all. I'd imagine that she had done many uncomfortable things on the road to stardom. The same applies to her murder plan against you. She didn't want to do it, but her motive video pressured her into making that plan anyways. She felt like murdering someone is her only option if she wants to save whomever was in her motive video. The reason why she tried to target you, Leon, is that you got on her bad side the most, and therefore, she values your life the least."Leon gritted his teeth as he stared at Kyoko, feeling like he's being talked down on.Meanwhile, the other team is getting annoyed that the volleyball game has been taking a long time to resume."Hey, can you cut the...uh..." Mondo began, only to have his voice trail off when he couldn't find the right word to say. "Uh...what do you all it when you get all deep or some shit?""Philosophical?" Byakuya replied.Mondo wasn't quite sure if that's the word he was looking for. "Whatever," he said. "Hey! Can you cut the talk and continue this game?"Kyoko turned around and held her hand in a stop gesture. "We'll resume when we're done," she said. She then turned her eyes back on Leon. "Now, even though it's made clear that Sayaka regretted her actions and that none of this would've happened if it weren't for Monokuma, you still have yet to forgive Sayaka for her mistakes. You attacked her once before, and now you're threatening to hurt her again.""But...I just wanted to get back at her...for what she tried to do to me..." Leon explained.Kyoko glared at Leon for moment, then let out a sigh. She turned her back on him and stared off into the distance. "Leon...you may feel as though your actions against Sayaka are giving her what you believe she deserves," she said. "But revenge isn't justice. If you hurt those who have wronged you before, even if they don't express any regrets, then you won't become any better than them. I'm speaking from my vague recollection of my experiences, but violence begets violence. If you don't let an outside party resolve tensions, then the cycle of violence will never end."Leon opened his mouth to try to speak, but then Kyoko quickly turned around and put a finger over his mouth. The look on her face signaled that she's getting tired of Leon trying to justify his actions against Sayaka. It's been several days since the first Class Trial ended. She felt like it's about time everyone gets over that Class Trial, aside from Sayaka who still needs time to recover.Kyoko then went over to Makoto and helped him get back on his feet. After that, Makoto went up to Sayaka to do what he's been trying to do before Leon stepped in and interuppted him. He struggled to find the words to say to Sayaka. His ideas on how to comfort Sayaka could end up backfiring if he phrased it improperly. Swallowing up his fears, Makoto began to comfort Sayaka once again."Look, Sayaka..." Makoto began to say. "Your performance was just...uh...okay?"Sayaka turned her head towards Makoto, looking confused at what he's saying about her performance throughout the volleyball game.Makoto turned around towards Kyoko. He caught her giving him a stern look. It doesn't appear that she approved what he said to Sayaka.Makoto returned his focus on Sayaka and let out a heavy sigh. "Alright, I'm not going to sugarcoat it," he said. "Your performance was awful. You barely did anything throughout this volleyball game. You hardly went for the volleyball when it was on our team's side of the court."Sayaka stared at Makoto for a moment before turning her gaze away. She looked down at the floor and sighed. "I...I felt like I could've been better than this..." she said. "I...remembered playing this game when I was young. I know the basics, but...here it feels like I've lost all of my skills in this game..."Makoto turned his head towards Leon for a moment, who is currently in an argument with the others with how...spiteful he's been acting towards Sayaka ever since the first Class Trial. Everyone once understood where Leon was coming from with his newfound distaste for Sayaka, but now they're just getting tired of it. They're currently arguing against Leon over if he should stop being so angry towards Sayaka for things that are now days into the past. With that in mind, Makoto came up with something to comfort Sayaka."You know...maybe you're letting your fear of Leon get to you," Makoto said.Sayaka turned her gaze back on Makoto, appearing puzzled over what he said. "...What?" she said."Look, what you tried to do to Leon was...really bad," Makoto said, trying to put things lightly. "I never would've imagined that an idol would end up resorting to murder. But...what Leon is doing to you in response for learning about your plan? I think...he's taking things too far. He did shove you to the floor yesterday while we're running around the gym, remember?"Sayaka winced as she was being reminded of that incident yesterday."Just...don't let Leon's presence make you too anxious," Makoto advised. "I'm sure he'll cool off and understand why you targeted him...hopefully."Sayaka remained silent and hung her head down, unsure if Leon will ever forgive her.After Makoto attempted to comfort Sayaka, Kiyotaka felt like the volleyball game has been delayed for long enough. "Alright, that's enough," he declared. "Time to resume the game."The students then went back to playing the volleyball game. This time, things are going a bit smoothly for once. Sayaka has made some effort in making sure Leon's presence doesn't make her anxious, putting her focus on the game and improving her mood. Meanwhile, Leon has made some effort in making sure Sayaka's presence doesn't bother him too much, as well as not criticizing her too harshly whenever she makes a mistake. As for everyone else, they're performing a bit better a playing volleyball. They've learned how to coordinate with each other so that the ball can bet set up to be spiked into the other side. It looks like this team building exercise is working.But then...the unthinkable happened.Sakura set up the ball so that Kiyotaka can spike it over to the other side. Kiyotaka aimed the ball so that it'll land near Sayaka. He expected her to intercept the spike, bumping the ball so that someone else can set it up for a spike. However, right before Kiyotaka could hit the ball, Sayaka had a panic attack. She started to see Kiyotaka as Leon, as they both share similar physical qualities. She believed that Kiyotaka, as Leon, is targeting her as revenge for what she tried to do to him. In a panic, Sayaka stepped out of way of the ball at the last moment.Kiyotaka became confused when he saw Sayaka move away from where he was aiming his spike. This confusion threw off his aim and cause him to spike the ball so that it landed somewhere else. Unfortunately, the ball's new path made it bounce off the floor and hit Makoto right in the chest. Makoto fell to the floor soon after being hit by the ball. Everyone became stunned into silence as they watched this sequence of events.Sayaka turned around and saw Makoto on the floor, clutching his chest in pain. "Makoto!" she screamed as she ran up to him. "Makoto, are you alright? P-Please, answer me!"Makoto just groaned in pain.Kiyotaka went under the net and up to the downed Makoto. "Sorry about that," he apologized. "I didn't mean to aim the ball towards you. I was intending for Sayaka to intercept my spike, but then she moved out of the way at the last moment, throwing off my aim."Ugh..." Makoto continued to groan.Kiyotaka then turned towards Sayaka. "By the way, Sayaka," he began to ask. "Why did you move out of the way?""I-I'm sorry, Taka," Sayaka apologized. "When I...saw you try to spike the ball towards me...I...saw you as...Leon..."Leon was baffled by Sayaka's explanation. "What the hell?!" he yelled. "You mistook Taka for me? How the hell is that possible? We look nothing alike!""Actually, looking at you two side by side, you two do look similar," Mondo corrected. "At least, when it comes to your bodies."Kiyotaka let out a sigh. "Ugh, this is exactly as I had feared," he said. He then turned his head towards Leon. "See, this is why I put you and Sayaka on the same team! I wanted to prevent situations like this!""Well, maybe it's your fault that you put yourself on the team opposing Sayaka's team," Leon countered. "She mistook you for me, and because of that, this happened!""But how are we supposed to know that Sayaka would mistook me for you ahead of time?" Kiyotaka asked. "Ah, you know what? Enough of this. Sayaka, take Makoto to the infirmary."Sayaka lifted Makoto up so that he's back on his feet. She then hung his arm around the back of her neck and began to escort him out of the gym. As she walked towards the gym doors with Makoto, Sayaka lamented that she ended up doing the same thing that Makoto did to her yesterday."Why does this have to happen again...?" Sayaka muttered as she exited the gym with Makoto.Leon groaned upon seeing the situation his team is in now that Makoto and Sayaka are gone. "Aw man!" he began to complain. "This is unfair! Now we're down two players! How are we supposed to have a match when one team has less players than the other?"Hina raised her hand. "Well, I can join your team and play along with you guys," she suggested."But that still leaves us down a player!" Leon said. "We'll have to invite Toko to participate, and we all know how unwilling she is to leave her room!""I'll switch teams, then," Kiyotaka declared. "This will be a five-on-five match from now on."Leon was puzzled to see Kiyotaka decide to switch teams. "What? You can't do that!" he complained. "Why would you switch to the team who has a member that you've accidentally injured?"Byakuya rolled his eyes over Leon's constant question. "Shut up..." he said, giving Leon an exasperated look."Alright, let's resume this game!" Kiyotaka said.The remaining students then continued on with the volleyball game without Makoto and Sayaka. It took some time to adjust to the reduced team sizes, but everyone managed to adapt. They continued to coordinate with each other, setting up the ball so that a teammate can spike it to the other side. Things are looking great for once.But sadly, the great times won't be lasting for long.
Day 8 - 10:25 AM
Leon bumped the ball over to Kiyotaka, who is in position to spike it to the other side of the court."Time to do this again!" Kiyotaka announced as he leapt up into the air.Kiyotaka aimed his spike at the part of the court where there's hardly anyone to intercept the spike. He slammed his hand down on the ball, sending it hurtling towards where he was aiming. In a real game of volleyball, this shot would score a point for his team. The ball was about to land on the floor with no one to intercept it. But right before it hit the floor, the ball got punctured by a set of claws.For a moment, everyone was left confused on why the volleyball got punctured by a set of claws. Then, they looked down and saw that Monokuma is in the gym, much to their shock."Sorry for interrupting your moment of fun," Monokuma apologized in an insincere tone."Aw man..." Hina groaned. "That was a good spike...""You've gotta be shitting me!" Mondo growled. "Of all the times you could've showed up, why now?!""Can't you see that we're playing a game of volleyball?" Kiyotaka asked."Of course I can see that!" Monokuma shouted. "Do you think I'm blind? Though, I will admit, seeing all the drama unfolding between a would-be killer and her would-be victim is amusing."Kiyotaka was puzzled by Monokuma implying that he finds Leon berating Sayaka to be amusing. "How was that amusing?" he asked.Monokuma refused to answer Kiyotaka's question as he tossed the punctured volleyball away. The punctured volleyball soon deflated from the holes Monokuma made."Anyways, onto the real reason why I'm here," Monokuma said. "I was getting bored watching all of you kids try to rebuild trust in each other after the first Class Trial. It felt like I was waiting for months for something to happen! I was wondering how long it would take before another one of you kids snapped and try to kill someone. I mean, you kids were trapped in this school for a little over a week, with no way to contact the outside world!""That's because you showed us the consequence of committing a murder and failing to get away with it," Kiyotaka countered. "We all saw the way that you punished Junko after she revealed that she killed Dr. Matsuda! After we saw the consequence, there's no way that any one of us would fall to your motives ever again!""Man, you do sound like that one kid who keeps insisting that it's my fault that someone has died," Monokuma remarked. "Even though clearly is you kids' fault for being unable to stop yourselves from falling to my motives. But are you sure that another murder won't happen again?""No, it won't!" Kiyotaka replied."Actually, I took a peek of the future using my crystal ball earlier this morning," Yasuhiro said. "And...uh...looks like another one of us will end up being killed..."Everyone gasped at Yasuhiro after he made that reveal."What the hell did you just say?!" Mondo roared."Oh no..." Hifumi said, feeling an overwhelming sense of dread. "Is...another one of us...gonna be murdered?""Uh...C-Calm down, everyone!" Natsumi said, trying her best to assure everyone. "D-Don't listen to that urchin-headed man! His predictions are wildly inaccurate! What he saw in his crystal ball might not come true at all!""Hey, don't call my predictions inaccurate!" Yasuhiro countered. "A 30% accuracy is a respectable accuracy rate, you know? And stop calling me an urchin! I'm not an urchin!""Actually, that urchin-headed man is onto something," Monokuma said, much to the dismay of everyone except Yasuhiro, who was more annoyed over being called an urchin again. "Let me ask you all this: do you kids remember something that is so shameful about yourself that you never let anyone know about it?"Everyone was left wondering what Monokuma is even talking about. What could he mean by something that is so shameful about themselves that they don't let anyone else know about it?Monokuma saw the confused looks on everyone's faces. He let out a sinister chuckle. "Well, looks like you all don't remember that shameful thing about yourselves," he said. "But I do. I have all sorts of dirt regarding you kids."Kyoko then reached an unsettling conclusion. "Don't tell me..." she said before Monokuma cut her off.Monokuma reached behind his back and pulled out a collection of letters, each with one of the surviving student's name on it. "Introducing the second motive of the killing game!" he began to announce. "Inside these envelopes are what I considered to be your deepest, darkest, most embarrassing secret about yourself! These secrets are so shameful, you would do anything to prevent anyone else from knowing about it! Perhaps even...murdering the one who knows about your secret.""What?" Mondo muttered."Wait, does that mean-?" Leon tried to say."Oh, don't get the wrong idea," Monokuma said. "I'm not gonna give you someone else's secret and have you try to figure out who has your secret. You kids probably aren't even aware that you have a deepest, darkest secret until now! And you kids are probably not smart enough to figure out whom each secret belongs to. So you're all getting your own secrets. Now remember: after the secrets are distributed, you kids will have 48 hours to murder one of your own. Fail to do that, and I'll reveal everyone's secrets to the outside world. You will all become the subjects of ridicule once the outside world learns your secret. And once your secret is learned by the outside world, there's no going back. Try to hide it all you like; it'll only draw more attention to your secret. So, which one of you has a secret that is so shameful that you'll commit a murder just to prevent the outside world from knowing about it?"Everyone was stunned into silence as they looked at each other. They began to wonder what secret about themselves they're going to get, and if it's worth killing someone and getting away with it to prevent the outside world from knowing about it.Monokuma looked around the gym and saw that a few students are absent from the gym. "Hmm...looks like we're short a few students," he said. "They must be somewhere else within this school. Ah, that's okay. I'll just deliver these secrets over to them. Anyways, here are your secrets!"Monokuma went up to each of the students and handed them over the envelope with their name on it. After handing the envelopes over to everyone who is present at the gym, Monokuma walked over to the stage."Now just as a reminder," Monokuma said. "When opening your envelopes to read your secret, be sure that no one else but you gets to see what your secret is. If they learn what your secret is, guess what? I'm voiding both of your motives and will reveal your secrets to the outside world no matter what you do! These secrets are for your eyes only. Remember that."Everyone opened up the envelopes they got and reading the secret inside. They made sure that no one else but them gets to see what their own secrets are. Most of the students were shocked to see their own shameful secrets."What the hell...?" Leon said upon reading his secret. "How...how did he know about this?""Shit..." Mondo groaned upon reading his secret. "I knew this would be my most shameful secret...""Oh no..." Hina gasped upon reading her secret, hovering her hand over her mouth. "It...it can't be..."Celeste is darting her eyes around the gym, looking a bit more anxious than usual.Yasuhiro was shocked to see what his secret is. "What?!" he gasped. "That's..." He was too shaken to continue to talk."N-No way..." Natsumi said as she tightened her grip on the slip of paper that contained her secret. "Is that...really true...?" She then looked around the gym for a moment.Monokuma watched as everyone reacted to reading what their secrets are. "So? How was your secrets?" he asked. "Are you shocked to learn that I know what your most shameful secrets are, and that I'm willing to share them with the outside world if you don't act? Are you finding yourselves being pushed to commit murder to prevent your secrets from being known to the outside world? If so, that's great! I'd love to see some bloodshed in this school! Now, if you would excuse me, I must deliver the remaining envelopes to those who aren't present in this gym. Toodles." He then vanished from the gym.After Monokuma left the gym, Hina walked down the seats and up to the deflated volleyball. She picked it up off the floor. The volleyball is completely useless now that it's deflated with no way of being inflated ever again."Well, there goes our plans for the volleyball game..." Hina said, lamenting the loss of a volleyball."That was the only volleyball in the school!" Kiyotaka said. "And Monokuma destroyed it! Now we can't play volleyball anymore!""What the hell are we supposed to do now?" Leon asked."We are presented with a choice here," Byakuya said. "Either we kill someone and prevent our secret from being known by the outside world, or we don't kill anyone and let the outside world learn our secrets. Personally, I would just let my secret be known to the outside world. I don't consider my secret to be embarrassing enough to push me into killing anyone.""If only all of us had that option..." Hifumi said."We'd better form a plan about how to prevent any more deaths from occurring," Kiyotaka said. "We must not let what happened to Junko and Dr. Matsuda happen to any one of us ever again! A lifetime of being shamed for one's secret is nothing compared to the cost of taking someone's life. We'd better get ourselves prepared for a lifetime of shame. Let's head to the dining hall to discuss our plans for how to handle our secrets."Most of the students agreed to this plan. They decided to meet up at the dining hall to discuss what to do with their secrets. Before they could leave the gym, however, one more thing needs to be taken care of."What about the net?" Sakura asked. "Shouldn't we take it down first?""Ah, right," Kiyotaka replied.Everyone then proceeded to help with dismantling the volleyball net.
Day 8 - 10:40 AM (47 Hours, 50 Minutes Remain)Infirmary - First Floor
Makoto and Sayaka are back at the infirmary, with their roles reversed from yesterday. Sayaka applied an ice pack to Makoto's chest to help with alleviating the pain."Do you feel better now?" Sayaka asked."I think so..." Makoto replied.Sayaka then sighed. "I can't believe we had to do this again..." she said.Makoto and Sayaka had a moment of silence together as they waited for the former to recover from his chest pain.Makoto then glanced at Sayaka. "So...why did you mistook Taka for Leon?" he asked. "I know that their bodies look pretty similar, but still...their faces are different enough that you can tell them apart. How did you manage to think that it was Leon who was about to spike the ball towards you?"Sayaka just whined, refusing to think about how she got Kiyotaka confused for Leon.Makoto then remembered something that Leon said that probably lead to this moment. "...It was when Leon said that he wanted to spike a volleyball at your head, right?" he guessed. "Taka became concerned that you would end up getting hurt by him if you two were on opposite teams. That's why he decided to have you two be on the same team. But still...you must've let your fears of getting hurt by Leon get to you. You began to believe that anyone who is about to spike the ball towards you is trying to hurt you. You saw them as...Leon. See, I told you to not let Leon's presence bother you too much. But it looks like you two need more time..."Sayaka began to feel regretful for letting herself be anywhere near Leon too soon after he learned that she planned to kill him. But this school is simply too small and too linear for them to be able to avoid each other's presence for long. If only they have more space and are in a more open area...And then...Monokuma showed up to ruin the moment. "Ah, there you two are!" he said."Ah!" Sayaka yelped upon seeing Monokuma, her heart skipping a few beats.Makoto turned his head towards Monokuma. "You again?" he said, sounding annoyed that the bear had to show up in this moment."Aw, did I interrupt something again?" Monokuma asked, feigning sincerity. "Sorry about that. Hey, weren't you two in this infirmary yesterday, just with the roles reversed? Makoto, how did you end up in the infirmary? Why is there an ice pack on your chest?""That's none of your business..." Makoto replied."W-What are you doing here?" Sayaka asked, shaking from Monokuma's presence. "Why...did you come to us?""Why am I here?" Monokuma began to reply. "I'm here because you two, along with that neurotic author girl, were absent when I made the announcement that I'm giving out a second motive!"Makoto and Sayaka became shocked upon learning that Monokuma had given out a second motive."W-What?" Sayaka gasped."Don't tell me..." Makoto said. "You're going to push someone into murdering another one of us, aren't you?""I'm not pushing someone into committing a murder," Monokuma corrected. "I'm just giving you kids more reasons why you should graduate right now instead of spending the rest of your lives trapped in this school.""Those are the same things in your eyes!" Makoto countered. "Didn't you say that in order to graduate from this school, we had to murder someone and not be caught as the culprit?""Jeez, Makoto," Monokuma began to remark. "You're talking a whole lot even though you're injured at the chest. How are you finding the strength to talk?"Before Makoto could respond back, Sayaka asked a question."Wait, what about the second motive?" Sayaka asked. "What did you give to everyone?""Ah, about that," Monokuma began to reply. "You see, I have given everyone their deepest, darkest, most shameful secret about themselves. I told them that if they don't kill someone soon enough, I'll reveal their secrets to the outside world!"Makoto was puzzled about the second motive of the killing game. "A secret...?" he began to ask. "What person would try to murder someone...over a secret?""Admit it," Monokuma replied. "You all have done something in the past that you're now ashamed of. So far, there's hardly anyone who knows about your deepest, darkest, most shameful secret. But as I said earlier, if you don't kill someone soon, then the outside world will learn what your shameful secret is. And once your secret gets out there, you'll never live it down. You may have forgotten about your shameful secret. But I haven't. I have complete information about your entire lives. And I will make you two learn what secret I'm about to reveal to the outside world."Sayaka was really anxious to learn just what secret about herself Monokuma is threatening to reveal to the outside world. "Just...what is our secret...?" she asked."You'll find out..." Monokuma said as he pulled out two envelopes from behind him, "in these envelopes!" He then tosses the envelopes to Makoto and Sayaka, with both of them getting the one with their name on it. "Open up these envelopes and read what's written on the paper. That will be your most shameful secret, and what I'll reveal to the outside world if you don't act soon. And just as a reminder: don't reveal your secrets to each other. Otherwise, I'll void your motives and will reveal your secrets to the outside world no matter what you do! Now, open them up!"Makoto stared at his envelope, feeling nervous about what kind of dirt Monokuma has found about his life. Meanwhile, Sayaka's hand is shivering as she stared at her envelope. She had a lot of things about herself that she considered to be shameful. She was wondering just which one of those things did Monokuma choose to be her most shameful secret. Unable to hold back their curiosity, Makoto and Sayaka opened their envelopes and read their secrets.Makoto was shocked upon seeing what was written on his paper. "What?" he gasped.Makoto's paper reads, "Makoto had stolen his title of the Ultimate Lucky Student from someone else who had won the lottery."Makoto was in disbelief upon seeing what his secret is. He had no idea that he wasn't the original holder of his title. Is it really true that he had stolen that title from someone else, the original winner of Hope's Peak Academy's lottery? This secret was so shocking that Makoto couldn't help but utter it out."I...stole the Ultimate Lucky Student title...from someone else...?" Makoto uttered.Sayaka overheard what Makoto said. She was shocked too. "You too...?" she said."What?" Makoto gasped as he looked at Sayaka.Sayaka looked like she was about to confess something. "It...seems like we got out titles in the same way," she said. "Because...my secret says pretty much the same thing." She then showed Makoto what's written on her paper. It reads, "Sayaka had ruined the lives and careers of her rival idols to gain the title of the Ultimate Idol."Monokuma saw what Makoto and Sayaka were doing and threw up his arms in anger. "Hey, what did I say about not sharing your secrets to each other?!" he shouted. "Do you two not care about what the outside world will think of you two once they learn your secrets? Come on, Sayaka! You're the Ultimate Idol! Shouldn't you care about what your fans think of you?"Sayaka was too depressed to respond. She knows that she'll never get her idol career back. She's just too mentally damaged at this point."Gah!" Monokuma growled. "Two times in a row, someone has ruined their motive by revealing it to someone else right after they got their motive. Now I'll have to reveal your secrets to the outside world, which means that two less people will be incentivized to try to graduate from this school. This won't do. I'll have to find a different secret that'll motivate you two to graduate." Then, he gets an idea. "Ah, I know. I'll just threaten to reveal a different secret to the outside world."Hearing that Monokuma is about give out a different shameful secret made Sayaka snap out of her depressive mood. "What did you say?" she asked."Since you two seem to spend so much time together," Monokuma said, "I'd bet that you two have a shared secret that neither of you two want the outside world to learn!"Makoto became bewildered at what Monokuma is saying. "A shared secret...?" he asked."W-What do you mean by that?" Sayaka asked."It's just what it sounds like," Monokuma explained. "You two share a secret that you both don't want the outside world to know about, that you two will do anything to prevent your secret from being known by the outside world. You two have a secret that is so shameful, the outside world will never forgive you once they learn about it. And guess what? Since I have a feeling that you two are going to share your secret with the others, I'll just not tell you what your shared secret is!"Makoto and Sayaka were shocked to hear this. They're not going to even learn what their shared secret is? How is that supposed to get them to try to murder someone if they don't even know what secret they're preventing the outside world from learning? Talk about cruel..."Anyways, I'd better get going now," Monokuma said. "I have one more secret to deliver, and you probably already know who hasn't gotten their secret yet. Goodbye for now!" He then began to mutter to himself before leaving. "I should really put some more thought into the next motive. I can't have these kids share their motives between each other again."Sayaka overheard what Monokuma was muttering about. "What did you say?" she asked."You heard nothing," Monokuma replied before disappearing.Makoto and Sayaka were left wondering what could possibly be their shared secret, if it existed in the first place. The fact that they have a shared secret implies that they have a shared history together. But as far as they know, they haven't interacted with each other at all before finding themselves trapped in this terrible situation. They only share two things with each other: their hometown and the junior high school they had attended. They do not have a shared history together before coming into Hope's Peak Academy...right?Sayaka began to doubt something about her memories. "Makoto..." she began to ask. "Am I...really misremembering something?"Makoto gave a confused look to Sayaka. "Like what?" he asked."We...never spoke a word with each other...before coming to Hope's Peak Academy, right?" Sayaka asked. "I mean, we did used to attend the same junior high school, but we didn't get to talk to teach other before we graduated. Still...is that really true? Have we...talked to each other during our junior high school years?"Makoto shook his head in response. "Not at all, as far as I know," he said. "I'm definitely sure that we never spoke a word to each other in junior high. If that ever happened, then it's unlikely that both of us would have forgotten about it by now.""That doesn't mean that it never happened," Sayaka replied, doubting her memories even more. "If we did hang out with each other during our junior high school years, then...what we did together...it must've been something super embarrassing, so much so that we've both forgotten about it. Could that thing be...our shared secret?"Makoto grew concerned at Sayaka for doubting if her childhood memories are correct. "Sayaka, I think you're going crazy," he said. "We shouldn't be thinking about what our shared secret could be. It's not worth it.""But...I just want to know what our secret is!" Sayaka cried. "I just want to know if it's worth letting the outside world know about it if it means not killing anyone!"Makoto was surprised at what Sayaka had just said. For a moment, he thought that Sayaka was going to say that she wants to know if it's worth it to prevent their shared secret from becoming known by the outside world. The old Sayaka would've done anything to prevent her terrible secrets from being known by the outside world. But not this time. It seems that she had learned her lesson in not letting Monokuma push her into attempting a murder. Then again, Makoto is involved in this as well, so that could've influenced what Sayaka is saying.Makoto let out a sigh. "Just...don't think about what our shared secret could be," he said. "Regardless of what our shared secret is, we shouldn't let it push us into trying to commit murder. It's not worth killing someone just to prevent the outside world from knowing about it."Sayaka just stared at the floor in silence."Anyways," Makoto said as he lifted the ice pack off of his chest. "I'm feeling better now. I don't feel pain in my chest anymore."Sayaka perked up upon hearing that Makoto has recovered from his injury. "Oh, you feel better now?" she asked."Yeah," Makoto replied. "Let's head back to the gym. I'm sure that we can rejoin the volleyball match."Sayaka nodded in agreement. She helped Makoto get off the infirmary bed, and together, they began to walk back to the gym. Little did they know that the volleyball game was over at this point...
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Day 8 - 10:50 AM (47 Hours, 40 Minutes Remain)Athletics Hallway, First Floor
Makoto and Sayaka attempted to go back to the gym to rejoin the volleyball game. What they found instead was everyone transporting the volleyball equipment back to the storage room."Huh? What's going on here?" Makoto asked."You're back already?" Kiyotaka asked as he walked up to Makoto and Sayaka. "How did you recover so fast, Makoto? You were in real pain when I accidentally hit you with a volleyball. Are you sure you're feeling okay in your chest?""...Maybe a little," Makoto replied."I don't understand..." Sayaka said. "Why is everyone moving the volleyball equipment away from the gym?""That damn Monokuma just had to show up and ruin our game!" Mondo replied as he was passing by."Monokuma?" Makoto asked. Then he remembered something Monokuma had said earlier. "...So you guys did get the second motive, right? Monokuma threatened to reveal your deepest secrets if you don't kill anyone. Is that it?"Kiyotaka let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, that's exactly what he did," he said. "But no worries! I've got a plan to prevent any more murders from happening!""And what's that plan?" Sayaka asked."We'll be discussing the details of this plan in our next meeting," Kiyotaka replied, "which will be coming up soon. For now, we'd better be changing out of our gym clothes."Makoto and Sayaka took a peek inside the gym from the hallway. The volleyball net is no longer there. It looks like everyone else is either changing back to their regular clothes or putting the volleyball equipment back in the storage room. The students who were storing away the volleyball equipment don't need any additional help, so Makoto and Sayaka had no choice but to head to the changing room.
Day 8 - 11:08 AM (47 Hours, 22 Minutes Remain)Dining Hall, First Floor
The remaining students, minus Toko who is still unwilling to leave her room, gathered around the central table of the dining hall to discuss plans for how to deal with the second motive. The air felt heavy as everyone wondered what everyone else's secret is and how important it is for them to prevent their secret from being known to the outside world."So, uh...Mr. Kiyotaka Ishimaru," Hifumi began. "What exactly does your plan to combat the second motive entail?""My plan is really simple, actually," Kiyotaka replied. "All we have to do to prevent any more murders from occurring is to simply reveal our secrets to each other."Everyone aside from Makoto and Sayaka was shocked to hear the full details of Kiyotaka's plan. They assumed that he's going to implement some complicated measures to stop them from killing each other."Seriously?" Natsumi asked, doubting that Kiyotaka's plan would work. "Is it really that simple?""Of course!" Kiyotaka replied. "My plan is so simple, I'm sure it'll work!""Are you sure?" Leon asked. "Where exactly is your plan coming from?"Kyoko then remembered a detail in the list of rules of the killing game. "It...has something to do with the rule against sharing our motives," she guessed."That's right, Kyoko," Kiyotaka said. "Now, have you all memorized the list of rules of this killing game? One of the rules state that once a personal motive has been distributed, we're not allowed to share details about our personal motives with each other. Otherwise, our personal motives will be revoked."Hearing that rule made Natsumi remember the time when she blurted out the fact that she has a brother who is in danger, thus causing Monokuma to revoke her motive mere moments after she got it. "Oh no..." she groaned. "You're not saying...?""Yes, Natsumi," Kiyotaka said. "It's thanks to you that I've figured out how to prevent any more murders from occurring. You see, if our motives become revoked, then we no longer have a reason why we should try to murder someone and leave this school. Everyone gets to live! The only catch is that the current motive involves our secrets. Monokuma will reveal our secrets to the outside world if we don't kill someone soon. We'll have to live the rest of our lives with the outside world knowing our deepest secrets. But...I'm fine with that."Everyone was bewildered to hear that Kiyotaka is fine with letting the outside world know his secrets."...The hell, bro?" Mondo began to ask. "Why would you say that?""We're students of Hope's Peak Academy," Kiyotaka said. "We are the absolute best in our fields of study for our age. We are called the lights that shall guide the world towards a brighter future. However, there comes a time where we must not let our status as Ultimate Students make us filled with hubris. Sometimes, we must swallow our pride and accept that we're not perfect, and that's fine. That is a lesson that my grandfather learned the hard way many years ago. You see, my grandfather used to attend this school.""Your grandpa attended this school?!" Mondo gasped."Yes," Kiyotaka replied. "Long ago, Hope's Peak Academy recognized my grandfather for his unmatched management skills. He began to attend this school to carve out a path for his future. He was considered a genius by his peers. There were few who could be considered his equal in academics. After he graduated this school, he pursued a career in politics, believing that with his management skills, he could lead Japan to a brighter future. Within a few years of beginning his political career, my grandfather rose to the rank of Prime Minister."Leon is starting to get tired of Kiyotaka's story. "This is so boring," he complained. "Why are you telling us about your grandfather, Taka? What are we supposed to get from this?"Kyoko had gotten a feeling of where Taka's story is going. "...And shortly after your grandfather became Prime Minister," she said, "he got involved in a political scandal, which forced him to step down from his position."Leon gasped upon learning that an alumni of Hope's Peak Academy had gotten into a scandal long ago. "He did what?" he said. Then a thought crossed his mind. "Hold on, that is your secret, isn't it, Taka?""The Ishimaru corruption scandal," Byakuya began to explain. "Within a few months of becoming Prime Minister, Toranosuke Ishimaru used his newfound position to grant favors to those whom he believe would help Japan. Unfortunately, the clients that Ishimaru had granted favor to were discovered to have used his support to commit some heinous acts. Ishimaru was blamed for letting these clients commit heinous acts and getting away with them. Initially, he believed that he had done nothing wrong, that the clients he supported had good intentions. But the public disagreed, and he was soon forced to step down from his position. To this day, this political scandal has become a cautionary tale to people in positions of power to think twice before giving favors to certain people."Several students looked at Byakuya, surprised to hear that he knows about the scandal that Kiyotaka's grandfather had been involved in."You know that scandal, Byakuya?" Makoto asked."It's been recorded in the history books," Byakuya explained. "That scandal was so well known at the time, it had to be recorded to prevent future scandals like that from happening again.""...So it's not Kiyotaka's secret, then," Leon concluded."It's not," Kiyotaka confirmed. "My grandfather's scandal has left my family's name in shambles. We weren't able to recover from the scandal ever since."Sayaka looked away from Kiyotaka, feeling like she's in the same position as his grandfather right now. She used to be a highly respectable person, being titled the Ultimate Idol. She used to be a shining star that everyone can look up to. Now, thanks to this killing game, Sayaka has been reduced to a shadow of her former self. She doubted that she'll ever return to being her idol self ever again."So...what was the point of all this?" Mondo asked."Yeah, why even talk about your grandfather which his scandal isn't your secret?" Natsumi asked."The point I'm trying to make here is that we shouldn't delude ourselves into thinking that we are perfect," Kiyotaka explained. "We all must've done something shameful in the past, and Monokuma intends to reveal our shameful secrets to the outside world if we don't murder each other. However, we mustn't try to stop our shameful secrets from being exposed to the outside world. Doing so would result in terrible consequences. Instead, we must do the opposite, and reveal our secrets on our own terms!"Everyone aside from Makoto and Sayaka were shocked at Kiyotaka's suggestion."What the hell?!" Leon gasped."Bro, have you lost your mind?!" Mondo shouted. "Who would want the outside world to know their secret?""You're asking us...to share our secrets with each other?" Celeste asked."Monokuma is threatening to reveal our secrets to the outside world, correct?" Kiyotaka said. "Then I say that we should let our secrets be revealed! We mustn't deny that we have done some shameful acts anymore! Instead, we'll let the outside world learn our secrets on our own terms and move on.""But why would we want to reveal our secrets to-?" Natsumi said, only to remember what happened to her first motive right after she got it. "Oh wait...""So you're saying that we should make our motives be revoked?" Kyoko asked."Yes, that's right!" Kiyotaka said. "If we reveal our secrets to each other, then Monokuma will revoke our motives! And if we don't have any motives, then no one would have any reason to try to murder each other and escape this school!""Nullifying our motives to make sure no one dies..." Celeste began to remark. "I must say, that sounds like a brilliant plan.""Um...I'm not so sure about your plan, Taka," Makoto said.Everyone except for Sayaka turned their eyes towards Makoto, wondering why he's disagreeing with Kiyotaka's plan."...Why not?" Celeste asked."Monokuma is an observant bear, isn't he?" Makoto asked. "And he's also cruel when it comes to the rules. What if he catches onto what we're doing to our motives?""Don't worry!" Kiyotaka tried to assure. "If that ever happens, then he'll have to come up with a new motive. That'll buy us time to come up with a plan on how to escape this school without any more deaths."Sayaka heard what was going on and leaned towards Makoto to express her concerns. "I'm not liking where this is going," she whispered."Alright, let's all reveal what our secrets are to each other," Kiyotaka declared. "I'll start! My secret is...I had fallen in love with a boy when I was in junior high!"Everyone just stared at Kiyotaka, stunned to hear what his secret is."Uh...seriously?" Mondo asked. "That's your secret?""Yes, that's my secret!" Kiyotaka replied."Are you sure about that?" Byakuya asked. "If you're intending us to reveal our secrets to each other, then how are we supposed to know that whatever secrets we're hearing is true?""It's written in our letters, remember?" Kiyotaka replied. "We can just show our letters to each other!""But how can we sure that the person sharing their secret to everyone else is telling the truth?" Byakuya continued. "For all we know, everyone else's secrets are lies that Monokuma made up just to push us into killing each other.""No, it's-!" Kiyotaka tried to say."Hey! What's going on here?!" Monokuma said as he appeared in the dining hall.Everyone except for Makoto and Sayaka gasped upon seeing Monokuma again."You again?!" Mondo shouted.Monokuma turned towards Kiyotaka and began to berate him. "Kiyotaka, what are you doing?" he asked. "Do you think that you could outsmart me by sharing your secret to the others? Are you intending to invoke the rule against sharing details about your personal motive to your fellow students?""...So you really are telling the truth," Byakuya said to Kiyotaka."That rule exists to make you kids shut up and not talk about your motives," Monokuma said to Kiyotaka. "Otherwise, there's nothing stopping you kids from sharing your motives and stopping any murders from happening! But it looks like I've underestimated your cleverness. If you insist on revealing your secret to the others, then I will reveal your secret to the outside world. And then, I'll find a different secret about you and threaten to reveal the new secret to the outside world. To prevent you from sharing your secret with the others again, you won't even learn what your new secret is!""What?!" Kiyotaka gasped.Monokuma then turned towards the rest of the students. "As for the rest of you," he continued, "if I catch you revealing your secrets to each other one more time, then I'll revoke everyone's motives and reveal everyone's secret to the outside world immediately. After that, I'll just find a different motive to give to all of you, one which you won't be able to escape from until a murder happens."Well, there goes Kiyotaka's hopes of preventing a murder from happening ever again. Even if his plan did succeed, it would only delay the next murder for a few more days. Since at least one person has gotten their motives revoked soon after getting them, the next motive will likely be something that they won't be able to end without a murder occurring.After that impromptu speech, Monokuma threw his arms up in the air in frustration. "Gah!" he groaned. "Not again! How many times must these kids ruin their motives as soon as they got them? I'd better put more thought into my next motive." He then vanished.Kiyotaka was left dismayed upon seeing his plan to prevent another murder had been foiled."...So much for that brilliant plan," Celeste said in lament."Congratulations, genius," Leon said sarcastically. "You've made everyone even less willing to share their secrets with each other.""Even if your plan had worked," Mondo said, "who the hell would be willing to share their secrets with others? What if our secrets bring us so much shame that we don't want anyone to know 'bout them, even our friends?" He was shaking nervously as he asked that question.Natsumi and Yasuhiro are looking a lot tenser than when the meeting began...Makoto began to wonder if what Kiyotaka said about his secret is true, given that Monokuma intervened the meeting to stop anyone else from sharing their secrets. "Taka...is it really true?" he asked. "Have you...really fallen in love with a boy once?"Kiyotaka hesitated for a moment before giving an answer, as he's recovering from the shock from hearing that his plan had been foiled. "Uh...meeting's over!" he said to dodge Makoto's question. "Lunchtime is coming up, and we haven't prepared any food yet!"Makoto felt disappointed to see that Kiyotaka doesn't want to talk about his secret anymore. Maybe next time...
Day 8 - 1:00 PM (46 Hours Remain)Dormitory, First Floor
After lunch is over, Makoto and Sayaka decided to check up on Toko to see if she had gotten her secret. Of course, they won't get to know what her secret is, but they should be able to get an idea of what Toko's secret could be. They went up to Toko's door and ring the doorbell....Makoto and Sayaka waited for a few moments, and Toko has yet to answer the door. How predictable. They have seen their classmates attempt to Toko to come out many times before, but their attempts rarely work. Byakuya might have a chance of getting Toko to come out, but it's unlikely that he's willing to put himself anywhere near someone whom he views as a pest.Makoto tried to ring the doorbell again, thinking that it will get Toko to answer the door. Again, Toko didn't respond. So Makoto resorted to mashing the doorbell button. He kept it up until Toko finally answered the door."Would you cut it out?!" Toko shouted as she answered the door."Ah!" Sayaka yelped, being startled by Toko's sudden outburst."Oh, there you are, Toko," Makoto greeted. "I was wondering when you'll answer the door."Toko then saw that Makoto and Sayaka are talking to her again. "Y-You two again?" she asked. "W-What do you two want t-this time?""It's about the second motive Monokuma gave us," Makoto said. "Have you gotten your secret?"Before Toko could say anything, Sayaka noticed that Toko's room is in a bit of a mess. "Uh...Toko?" she asked. "Why...is your room messy?""Huh?" Toko said before looking behind herself. To her dismay, Toko saw that the messy state of her room is visible from the dormitory hallway, assuming that the door is fully opened. In a panic, Toko moved the door until only a small opening remains between it and the frame. "Y-You saw nothing! You didn't see anything!""Wait, was your room always messy?" Makoto asked, remembering that he hadn't gotten a good look inside Toko's room until now."D-Doesn't matter!" Toko shouted. "Anyways, w-what do you two want to k-know about my secret?""...So you did receive your secret," Makoto said. "Anyways, if you don't mind, would you tell us the details of your secret? Don't tell us exactly what your secret is, though. Monokuma will threaten to reveal a different secret if he catches you revealing your current one, and you won't know what that secret is until it's too late."Toko is shivering as she thought about what to say regarding her secret. It appears that whatever her secret is, it's making her deeply uncomfortable. "Y-You're...not gonna tell anyone else a-about this, are you?" she asked."W-We're not..." Sayaka replied."We promise, Toko," Makoto assured. "Unless it's absolutely needed, we won't tell anyone else about the hint to what your secret could be."Toko contemplated on if she should give an hint of what her secret could be to Makoto and Sayaka. "A-Alright," she said. "I'll...tell you two the hint about my s-secret. It...has something to to w-with why I'm hiding in my room. I'm...not hiding in my room t-to to avoid you guys. I'm hiding in my room...to p-protect you guys from something horrible...something that will put everyone in danger..."Makoto and Sayaka were baffled by this hint. What could Toko possibly be meaning when she said that she's trying to protect everyone else from something horrible?"Is that...it?" Makoto asked. "I'm not getting what you're saying...""Wait, Toko!" Sayaka cried."That's all I'm gonna say about my secret!" Toko shouted. "Now leave me alone!" She then slammed the door shut.Makoto and Sayaka were left confused by the clue to Toko's secret. Her secret is so horrible that having it revealed would put everyone in danger? And she's hiding in her room to protect everyone from her horrible secret? What kind of secret does Toko even have? What was Monokuma threatening to reveal about Toko? So many questions..."...What should we do now?" Sayaka asked.Makoto gave only a shrug. "I don't know," he replied. "Maybe we could walk around and talk to the others?"Sayaka just looked off into the distance, feeling uncomfortable about that plan.Makoto grew a concerned look on his face. "What's wrong?" he asked.Sayaka took a moment to answer. "I'm...not sure if it's safe to talk to anyone else right now..." she said. "Everyone has gotten their secrets...and Monokuma is threatening to reveal everyone's secrets if we keep telling each other what our secret is. I think...everyone is worried that they might accidentally reveal what their secret is...just like us...""Fair point," Makoto replied, recalling the time when he and Sayaka had revealed their secrets to each other right after they got them. "Although...to be honest, what are the odds that someone might reveal their secret is a normal conversation?""...I'm worried about Leon," Sayaka confessed. "Just...what kind of secret did he get?""Leon?" Makoto asked. He then sighed. "Sayaka, I think that you're worrying too much. Didn't I tell you to not let his presence bother you too much? Today has been a draining day, hasn't it? Maybe we should just rest for a while."Sayaka nodded in agreement. Then she wondered about if Makoto had fully recovered from his injury. "Um...what about your chest, Makoto?" she asked."I feel fine," Makoto replied. "My chest is aching a little, but it's not something to worry about."Sayaka responded with a soft moan as she and Makoto headed to the latter's room.
Day 8 - 1:10 PM (45 Hours, 20 Minutes Remain)Kiyotaka's Room, First Floor
Kiyotaka and Mondo are in the former's room to begin discussing on how to prevent another murder. It appears that Kiyotaka has made a new plan during lunchtime, and he had revealed the details of his new plan to Mondo."Are you shitting me?" Mondo gasped after hearing the details of Kiyotaka's new plan. "That's your new plan?""Of course!" Kiyotaka replied. "If we monitor the students who are most likely to have a secret that they don't want to get revealed, then we'll prevent them from committing a murder!""Dude, do we really have to do all of that?" Mondo asked. "Why don't we just use some rope, tie 'em up, and then lock them up in a secure place?"Kiyotaka was appalled by Mondo suggestion. "That's just going overboard!" he said. "If we do that, everyone else would think that we're taking things too far when it comes to preventing another murder!""Well at least whoever we tired up won't be able to hurt anybody!" Mondo said."...Let's just stick with monitoring the students who look like are plotting a murder," Kiyotaka said. "Alright! I've identified two students who look like they could be plotting a murder! They are Leon and Natsumi!""...So the baseball dude and the yakuza chick, then," Mondo replied. "Why those two?""Leon might be planning to kill Sayaka as revenge for what she tried to do to him," Kiyotaka explained. "We've been trying everything we could to prevent him from making that murder plan. But it might not be enough. His secret might push him into committing murder to prevent it from being revealed to the outside world. We must do more. As for Natsumi, she's the heiress of a yakuza clan! She must've been involved in some shady things that she doesn't want us, or the outside world, to know about.""Okay, I get monitoring the baseball dude," Mondo said. "As shitty as what the blue-haired chick tried to do to him, we can't let her be killed for it. She was left in a shitty state after the last Class Trial. But the yakuza chick?""Natsumi was looking really paranoid when she got her secret," Kiyotaka explained. "It's clear that whatever secret she had gotten, it's pushing her to commit murder to prevent the outside world from learning it. We must not let her make a murder plan!""How could you be sure 'bout that?" Mondo asked.Kiyotaka is starting to get annoyed at the amount of questions he's being asked. "Would you quit asking me so many questions?" he asked."Bro, I was just asking..." Mondo replied."Were you paying attention to everyone's reaction to seeing the secret that Monokuma is threatening to reveal?" Kiyotaka said. "I saw how Natsumi reacted to getting her secret. She was turning her head, looking all around the gym! That tells me that she's incredibly paranoid about her secret getting exposed!"Mondo is getting increasingly confused on how Kiyotaka reach the conclusion that Natsumi could be plotting a murder. "Uh...what?" he said.Kiyotaka then sighed, feeling like his explanation of his plan is going nowhere. "You know what?" he began to declare. "Enough talk. Here's what we need to do. We'll monitor Leon and Natsumi closely and make sure that they don't get any thoughts about planning a murder. If we do it for long enough, then we'll get past the second motive without anyone dying! Sure, our secrets will be revealed to the outside world, but that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. Then again, we are cut off from the outside world, so we'll have no idea on how they'll react to learning about our secrets..."Mondo hung his head down, feeling uncomfortable at the idea of letting his secret be revealed to the outside world if it means everyone gets to live. His deepest, darkest secret is something that he considered so shameful, he doesn't want anyone else to know about it. But is it worth killing someone just to prevent his secret from being revealed? Mondo felt conflicted over this.Kiyotaka saw that Mondo is looking away from him. "Uh, Mondo?" he asked. "Are you okay?""...It's nothing," Mondo lied."Ah, good," Kiyotaka said, feeling assured that Mondo isn't thinking about making a murder plan. "Now, there's another thing that we must do. We must get Leon and Natsumi to vent away their anger.""How?" Mondo asked."By exercising, of course!" Kiyotaka replied.Mondo groaned upon hearing that Kiyotaka is planning to make everyone exercise for the third day in a row. "Seriously?" he said. "We just finished exercising! We can't do it again for yet another day in a row!""Hey, we'd better keep ourselves in shape while we're trapped in this school," Kiyotaka replied. "And Leon and Natsumi need a way to vent their anger without getting anyone hurt or killed." Kiyotaka then noticed that Mondo is looking a bit tense. "Hmm...it seems that there's anger growing within you, Mondo. Do I have to make you vent away your anger as well?"Mondo has no comment."...I'm not sure what to take your silence as," Kiyotaka said. "But since we're exercising together along with Leon and Natsumi, you might as well vent out your anger.""...Fine by me..." Mondo replied."Alright, we've got our new plan locked down!" Kiyotaka declared. "We'll invite Leon and Natsumi to exercise with us tomorrow morning and get them to vent out their anger before they could get a chance to kill anyone! Make sure that you tell them ahead of time. We don't want to invite them at the last minute. You got that down, Mondo?""I've got it, bro," Mondo replied."Good!" Kiyotaka said. "Now, you're dismissed!"Mondo then walked out of Kiyotaka's room. He opened up the door and...encountered a panicked Yasuhiro right away, much to his and Kiyotaka's surprise."Ah! Mondo!" Yasuhiro shouted."GAH!" Mondo yelled in shock. "What the hell?!""Hiro?" Kiyotaka began to ask. "What's going on? Why are you panicked?""Listen, you've gotta hear this man!" Yasuhiro said. "I've seen bad things about the future!""Shut the hell up!" Mondo shouted. "As if we're gonna believe anything you say about the future!"Kiyotaka sighed as he saw Mondo go out into a fit of anger. "Oh, bro..." he said. "Now I really have to get you to vent out your anger by exercising...""You've gotta believe me!" Yasuhiro insisted. "What I'm saying will come true! I've seen it with my crystal ball!""Why would I believe you?" Mondo asked. "All you've made are stupid predictions.""My predictions aren't stupid!" Yasuhiro countered. "They have come true in the past, and they will come true in the future! Remember that time when I warned the doctor about the bad future he's gonna have? I foresaw his death! I tried to warn him about his impending doom, but he just wouldn't listen! Because of that, he failed to change his fate. If he had just listened to me, he wouldn't have made that murder plan that lead to his death..."Mondo was surprised to hear that Yasuhiro is trying to prevent deaths by telling people about their future. "...What?" he uttered."So you want to save everyone's lives?" Kiyotaka asked. "I see. You have the same goal as me, Hiro. I could commend your goals, but I won't. I have a serious problem with your method! You can't just tell people about their future and expect them to take measures to prevent it! You've got to put effort into preventing deaths before they could happen!""Aren't we doing the same thing, Taka?" Yasuhiro asked. "I'm saying that if I tell people about their bad future, they might do something to try to change their fate!""Telling people about their future isn't the same as being proactive on preventing deaths," Kiyotaka countered. "You've got to take preventative measures ahead of time!""Listen, Taka," Yasuhiro said. "I have dire news of the future. A heavy object is gonna fall from high above and land on someone's head! They're going to be killed instantly from that!"Kiyotaka and Mondo were confused by Yasuhiro's predictions."...What the hell?" Mondo asked as he looked up at the ceiling before looking back at Yasuhiro. "We're in a building, idiot! How the hell is a heavy object supposed to fall from high above?""I'm not warning you, Mondo," Yasuhiro said. "I'm warning Taka.""Even so, I'm doubtful that your prediction will come true," Kiyotaka replied. "As Mondo said, we're in a building. It's improbable that we'll be struck by a falling object from high above.""But it could happen!" Yasuhiro countered. "I have foreseen the future! It's going to happen to someone!""Who?" Kiyotaka asked. "Who did you see die? I'm doubtful that whoever you predict will die is really fated to die, but at least we could do something to prevent their death!"Yasuhiro hesitated for a moment, then he shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said. "I cannot say.""What?!" Mondo shouted. "Then what the hell is the point of you telling my bro your prediction?!""I'm just warning him!" Yasuhiro replied."Bro, calm down," Kiyotaka ordered. "Don't let Hiro make you angry."Hearing Kiyotaka say that made Mondo decide that he doesn't want to be a part of this anymore. "Gah, I'm so done with this shit," he declared as he stomped out of Kiyotaka's room, shoving Yasuhiro aside along the way. "Outta way, idiot.""Hey!" Yasuhiro exclaimed as he was being shoved away.Kiyotaka gave a disapproving glare at Yasuhiro. "You know, Hiro, you'd better stop making these ridiculous-sounding predictions," he warned. "You're going to annoy them, and you may get on their bad side if you keep doing that. And if you get on someone's bad side, they might want you dead. I don't want that to happen. So just...don't annoy anyone to the point where they want you dead."Yasuhiro glared back at Kiyotaka. "I'm warning you, Taka," he said. "You'd better be looking out for any heavy objects."After repeating his warning one more time, Yasuhiro closed the door to Kiyotaka's room.Kiyotaka was doubtful that Yasuhiro's prediction is going to come true. After all, a 30% chance that a stated prediction will happen is still too low for it to be considered something to worry about. And who know? Maybe saying that a prediction will come true may actually prevent it from happening, as now the person who heard that prediction can take measures to prevent the prediction from happening if they don't like it. Still, it probably doesn't hurt to be watchful for any heavy object that is on the verge of falling down."...Just you wait, Hiro," Kiyotaka declared. "Your prediction won't happen. I'll swear by it."
Day 8 - 4:00 PM (42 Hours, 30 Minutes Remain)Hallway, Second Floor
Kyoko walked back and forth through the hallway on the second floor, pondering over what everyone's secrets could possibly be. She's not concerned over her secret being exposed to the outside world. She considered her own secret to not be worth murdering someone else to prevent the outside world from learning about it. As for the others, she had an idea of which one is the most likely to commit murder to prevent their secret from being exposed. Based on everyone's reactions to seeing what shameful thing about them Monokuma is threatening to expose, it appears that Natsumi is getting close to snapping. It's no surprise, considering that she's the Ultimate Yakuza. She might had done some shady business in the past. It might be best to be watchful of her..."Excuse me, do you have a moment?" a voice asked.Kyoko turned her head around upon hearing the new voice. It's Celeste."What brings you here, Celeste?" Kyoko asked."I've had something on my mind regarding our secrets," Celeste replied. "I'm not going to reveal what my secret is to you. We've heard Monokuma. Though, I will admit, Taka's plan to get everyone to confess their secrets to each other was clever.""He must've learned from Natsumi," Kyoko said. "He realized that, if we use the rule forbidding us to share details about our motives to our advantage, then there won't be any reason for us to try to murder someone and escape this school.""It's a shame that Monokuma stepped in and stopped us from confessing our secrets," Celeste said. Then something else crossed her mind. "Speaking of Natsumi, everyone's been watching out for her, haven't they?""I was thinking about her a moment ago," Kyoko replied. "She is the Ultimate Yakuza, so she must've had done a lot of shady things that she doesn't want us to know about. If there's anyone who is likely to commit murder over keeping a secret safe, it's her."Celeste nodded in agreement. "Do you think we should tie her up and lock her in a room?" she then asked."No," Kyoko bluntly replied. "That's a terrible idea. She'll likely catch on to what we're about to do to her and will fight back. It would not end well.""...I figured that would happen," Celeste said. "After all, you can't let your opponents know what your next moves are." Then something else came up in her mind. "You know, this whole motive about killing each other to keep our secrets safe reminds me of a phenomenon called the Streisand Effect. Have you heard of it?"Kyoko was pretty sure that she had heard of such a phenomenon before, but she can't remember the exact details of what the Streisand Effect is. "Explain," she said."Well, the Streisand Effect is the phenomenon where attempts at suppressing something will only make it more well-known than if no action was taken," Celeste explained. "If you try to hide something that you find embarrassing or defamatory, people will want to know about it. And the harder you try to keep your secrets hidden, the more well-known those secrets become. The only way to fight back against this phenomenon is to not make a big deal out of your secrets becoming well-known.""I see..." Kyoko said, now remembering what the Streisand Effect is. "Well, I don't consider my secret to be worth killing someone to keep it from becoming public knowledge. And judging by how calm you look, I assume that you find your secret to be not worth killing someone to keep it hidden as well, correct?"Celeste was silent, her eyes gazing away from Kyoko. It became hard for Kyoko to tell if Celeste was genuinely afraid of her secret becoming public knowledge, or if her secret really is something that isn't worth stressing over."Say something, Celeste," Kyoko said. "You're making yourself look suspicious if you don't respond to my question regarding your secret.""...I'd rather not say," Celeste replied. "By the way, do you know the origins of the Streisand Effect?""This isn't the time to be talking about origins of phenomenon," Kyoko said."...Well I have nothing better to do than wait until the next murder happens," Celeste replied. "Anyways, there was a study made on the coastline of California. Many photos were taken as part of the study. One of those photos just so happened to be of Streisand's house, since it's on the coastline. Upon discovering the photo, Streisand sued the people behind the coastline study for violation of her privacy. The public soon caught wind of the lawsuit and wanted to know what Streisand was making a fuss about. They quickly discovered that the photo she wanted to hide was just an innocent photo of her house. There's nothing scandalous about it! And so, Streisand became the namesake of a phenomenon where trying to surpass something will only make it well-known."Kyoko listened to the story behind the name of the Streisand Effect. "Hmm...interesting..." she said. "I'm not sure why you felt the need to bring up the origins of a phenomenon...""Oh, don't be mistaken," Celeste corrected. "Although this phenomenon has gotten its name in recent times, its occurrence has been observed throughout all of history. I've heard of a proverb that states that trying to cover up things will only make them more conspicuous."Kyoko is starting to get tired of all this talk about the Streisand Effect. "Why are you telling me about this phenomenon?" she asked. "Do we really have nothing better to do but wait until someone gets murdered?""Perhaps," Celeste admitted. "I am yearning for recreation. That mock volleyball game did not give me enough satisfaction. I'm looking for someone to play a game of cards with me, and I couldn't find anyone.""Maybe that's because you're the Ultimate Gambler," Kyoko guessed. "You have a history of playing games that are rigged in your favor. Your potential opponents know that they'll going to lose against you, so they won't play a game with you.""...I can assure you that my wins are due to pure chance," Celeste said. She then went back to the original topic. "Anyways, the reason why I brought up the Streisand Effect is that whoever ends up committing a murder will have their secret be revealed to everyone anyway. Their attempts at keeping their secret safe will only end with everyone knowing their secret."Kyoko was puzzled by Celeste's prediction on what will happen in the event of a murder. "How could you be sure that the culprit's secret will end up being revealed to everyone?" she asked."Think about it," Celeste began to explain. "If someone commits a murder, we want to know why they did it. Considering that Monokuma is threatening to reveal our secrets to the outside world if we don't graduate, we are motivated into killing someone to keep our secret safe. But doing so will make everyone want to know what the killer's secret is. They want to know if the killer's secret is really worth taking someone's life to keep it safe. And so, the killer's attempt at keeping their secret safe has resulted in everyone knowing their secret. Does that make sense?""I'm getting it..." Kyoko replied. "So that means that our best course of action is to not care if our secrets get revealed to the outside world.""That's correct," Celeste said. "That was the course that Taka had tried to get us to take. He didn't care if this secret became well-known. Instead of letting Monokuma reveal his secret, Taka decided to reveal it on his own terms. His plan could've worked, if only Monokuma didn't step in and prevent any more of us from revealing our secrets on our own terms...""It's not like his plan was going to work in the first place," Kyoko replied. "Not everyone is willing to reveal their secret to the others, even if it means they don't have to kill someone to keep it hidden. There may be at least one student who has a secret they considered so shameful, they'll do anything to keep it a secret, even murder.""Which brings us back to Natsumi," Celeste said. "So, back to the original topic, do you think we should do something about her? She could murder one of us at any time within the time limit."...On second thought, Kyoko felt like everyone's putting their attention on the wrong person. Sure, Natsumi may have in involved in some shady business in the past, but there also could be others who have a secret they considered to be worth killing someone to keep it hidden from the public. By watching out for Natsumi, everyone else is putting themselves at risked of being murdered by someone who has a deeply shameful secret.Celeste noticed that Kyoko is taking a while to respond. "Hmm? Kyoko?" she asked. "Are you still there?""...What if we're putting our attention on the wrong person?" Kyoko asked. "What is it's not Natsumi who we should we worried about, but someone else? There are 14 of us remaining in this school. There's bound to be at least one person who has a secret they considered to be more shameful than whatever shady business Natsumi was involved in.""Well, whoever that person is," Celeste began to remark, "we will end up learning what their secret is anyways by the end. So, now with all that talk out of the way, how about a game of cards?"Kyoko is not in the mood to play any games at the moment. "Not interested," she said as she began to walk away from Celeste."I'm only asking you to play with me to pass the time," Celeste said. "You have nothing to gain or lose by playing with me.""I told you. I'm not interested," Kyoko replied. "Now leave me alone." She then began to head for the stairs.Celeste watched Kyoko as she headed down the stairs, disappointed that another student has declined to play a game with her."...Why can't I just have some simple fun?" Celeste asked.
Day 8 - 8:00 PM (38 Hours, 30 Minutes Remain)Dormitory, First Floor
Natsumi was already stressed out when she learned what secret Monokuma is threatening to expose to the outside world. But as the day progressed, her stress levels became even worse. Everywhere she walked, she felt like there's at least one person who's keeping an eye on her. In fact, it felt like everyone's keeping an eye on her, as if they're expecting her to snap and try to kill someone in an attempt to prevent her secret from being exposed to the outside world.As the heiress to the Kuzuryu Clan, Natsumi had been involved in some very shady business. Money laundering, bribery, manipulating businesses from behind the scenes, the list of shady activities her clan had done or was involved in goes on. With so many shady things that Natsumi had done, surely Monokuma would choose the crime that would get her into the most trouble if the public ever learns about it.But no, the "secret" that Natsumi got doesn't feel like a secret that would bring her shame or a mountain of trouble if it got revealed to the outside world. Instead, it felt more like a warning to her, that someone in this school is out to kill her for what she had done to them in the past. Just what she had done to the others to make them want her dead? Who knows! As far as she knows, everyone in this school is new to her. She doesn't know them personally prior to her arrival at this school. Even if she had encountered them before, she doesn't remember their names or what they look like. It's almost as if this motive is designed to make her paranoid.Natsumi thought to herself on what she should do about this. She needs to find out just who in this school is out to kill her without letting anyone know what her secret is. Not only that, but she must be on the lookout for anyone trying to murder her. Whoever that person is, they be the one whose life was ruined by her. Either that, or they decided to attempt to murder her for unrelated reasons. As she thought about the possibility of her being murdered, she heard a voice call out to her."Hey, uh...yakuza chick?" a voice said."Ah!" Natsumi yelped upon hearing the voice. "Hey! Who's there?"Natsumi looked around the lobby to try to find the source of the voice. She soon found Mondo, who is walking up to her."Oh, it's you, biker boy," Natsumi greeted. "What's brings you here at this time?"Mondo appears to be nervous, as if he has a secret that he really doesn't want the others to find out. "Uh...can I...ask you something?" he began to ask. "D-Don't take this the wrong way, you know. It's not like I'm asking you to go out on a date...""Or ask me to come with you to a distant place and murder me," Natsumi said.Hearing Natsumi's remark made Mondo flare up in anger. "Why the hell would I do that?!" he shouted."Admit it," Natsumi said. "You must have a secret that you don't want anyone to know about! You'll resort to murder to keep it hidden! I can tell that you're thinking that way from the look on your face.""It's not what it looks like!" Mondo shouted. "I'm just...uh..."Natsumi noticed just how much trouble Mondo has in getting this thoughts out. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Can't even talk to a girl? Jeez. I knew that you can't bring yourself to hurt a girl. But seeing you having trouble with talking to a girl? Wow, you're even more pathetic than I thought.""I'm not pathetic!" Mondo shouted. "I don't even have problems when I comes to talking to chicks. It's just..." His voice trailed off as he sweated nervously.As Mondo continued to struggle with getting his thoughts out, Hina walked into the conversation."What's going on, you two?" Hina asked."Ah, shit..." Mondo muttered upon seeing that he has to talk to two girls now."Oh, hey, water girl," Natsumi greeted. "What brings you here?""I'm looking for Sakura," Hina explained. "I wanted to hang out with her again, but I can't find her anywhere. Do you know where she went?""Why would I care?" Natsumi replied.Mondo only shrugged. "Hell if I know," he replied."...So you don't know where Sakura is," Hina said, followed up with a sigh. "Well, I'm sure that she'll show up again tomorrow. I could try to ask her where she went next time. Anyways, what are you two talking about?""Us?" Mondo began to reply. "Uh...I was just...uh..." He fumbled his words for a moment.Hina became confused at what Mondo is trying to say. "Uh...what?" she said.Mondo then took a deep breath. "I was just asking this yakuza chick to blow off some steam with me," he explained.Natsumi was confused by Mondo's response. "Blow off some what?" she asked."Steam, huh?" Hina said. "As in..." She then gasped in horror. "Wait, you're not inviting Natsumi to the bathhouse, aren't you?!""What?!" Natsumi gasped. "You pervert! How dare that you invite me to that place! I'll never accept that invitation!"Flustered by the misunderstanding, Mondo clarified what he was actually meaning. "I meant I wanted to ask her to exercise with me!" he said.Hina calmed down upon hearing what Mondo actually meant. "Oh..." she said in realization. "That's what you meant."Natsumi became even more confused at Mondo's invitation. "Exercising?" she asked. "With me? Why would I want to do that?""You know, exercising is a good way of relieving stress," Hina said. "We could probably get rid of our urge to murder someone by exercising. In fact, now that you mention it, Mondo, I think I'll join in."Natsumi is starting to understand the benefits of exercising. "Okay I get what you're saying," she said. "But why me? Why am I invited to an exercising session? Didn't we do that twice already?""Look, you're the Ultimate Yakuza," Mondo explained. "You must've done some shady shit in the past. Everyone's been thinking that you have done something that you don't want anyone to know about. You'll be in deep shit if everyone learns your secret.""Well, my secret isn't something that I should be worried about," Natsumi countered, her face revealing that she's not entirely honest about that."Still, it wouldn't hurt to blow off some some steam," Mondo said. "I mean, you'd better find a way to vent out some anger soon. We don't want you to snap and try to murder someone, like with what happened with the idol chick and the doctor. Oh, and Leon will be there, too. He's got to blow off some steam as well.""Leon is exercising as well, huh?" Hina said. "Well, as long as he vents out his anger, he won't be hurting anyone. Especially Sayaka.""So, uh...yakuza girl?" Mondo began to ask."It's Natsumi, idiot," Natsumi corrected. "Use real names next time.""...Whatever," Mondo said. "So, will you join me in the exercising session?"Natsumi thought about accepting Mondo's invitation for a moment. "Hmm...maybe," she replied. "Then again, do I really have to go exercising three days in a row?""Come on, Natsumi," Hina said. "This killing game has been stressing all of us out. We could do some exercising to get our minds cleared up.""I'll go, then!" Natsumi replied, much to the surprise of Mondo."Whoa, really?" Mondo asked.Before Natsumi could continue her response, the trio heard some footsteps coming from the hallway with everyone's rooms."Huh? What was that?" Hina asked.The sounds of footsteps was followed up with the sound of a door opening up and a door closing. It sounded like someone was running back to their dorm room."Eh, probably nothing to worry about," Mondo said, dismissing the sound. He then turned back towards Natsumi. "So, uh...Natsumi, was it? Are you serious about this?"Natsumi then blew a raspberry. "Ah! I got you!" she said mockingly.Mondo then flared up in anger. "What?!" he gasped."Do you really think that I'll agree to hang out with losers like you?" Natsumi asked in a mocking tone. "Of course not! You're just the leader of a biker gang, who just goes around causing a ruckus wherever they go. Meanwhile, I'm the heiress of a yakuza clan who pulls off calculated crimes without anyone realizing what we had done. Don't you see? We're on completely different leagues."Mondo growled in anger at Natsumi. "You bitch..." he said. "How dare you trick me like that! I'll..." He thought about punching Natsumi, but couldn't bring himself to do it due to his code of honor.Natsumi took notice of Mondo's clutched fist. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Couldn't bring yourself to punch me? How pathetic. If you think that you're strong because of your muscles, then think again! Go ahead! Just try to punch me! You won't!"Mondo felt like Natsumi was infuriating him with each word that she said to him. He wanted to break his code of honor just once to give Natsumi what she deserves. His arm shook as he decided between maintaining his code of honor or breaking it. Try as he might, Mondo just couldn't bring himself to hurt Natsumi, even if she was becoming a thorn on his side.Meanwhile, Hina was calling out Natsumi on her behavior. "Natsumi!" she scolded. "Stop that! You're only gonna make things worse if you keep doing that! Remember what happened between Sayaka and Leon? She tried to target him because she viewed him as a nuisance! What you're doing is way worse than what Leon had done to Sayaka before she made her murder plan!""What are you talking about?" Natsumi asked. "It's not like the others would be willing to kill me just because I'm a nuisance to them. That would be too obvious!""But what about your brother, Natsumi?" Hina asked. "You did mention that you have one, right? I know that he's also an heir to your clan, but shouldn't you care about what could've happened to him?"Hearing her brother be brought up made Natsumi stop to think about what could've happened to him. "Oh..." she said in realization. "Ah, it's probably something that is not worth thinking about. My brother can handle himself fine out there! I'm sure that he's safe. Besides, it's not like something terrible has happened to my brother."Hearing Natsumi's statement really rubbed Mondo the wrong way, because that's uncomfortably close to what his secret is about. It felt like his secret was getting close to being revealed to the others. And once his secret is revealed to the others, everyone will have their secrets revealed, and Monokuma will impose a new motive onto them. That is...not a favorable outcome.Hina looked at Mondo and noticed that he's looking a bit ill. "Hmm? What's wrong, Mondo?" she asked."...I've gotta go," Mondo replied. "See you two chicks tomorrow." He then began to walk back to his room."Hey! Wait!" Natsumi shouted as she ran after Mondo. "Stop right now! We're not done here!"Hina watched as Natsumi attempted to get Mondo to speak to her again, just so she could find ways of making fun of him. "Oh, Natsumi," she said with a heavy sigh. "When will you change?"Hina then thought about what, or who, could've made those footsteps during her conversation with Mondo and Natsumi. It sounded like someone was eavesdropping on that conversation. She wondered who could that be. She then dismissed that thought, thinking that it's not worth trying to find out who was eavesdropping. After all, it's not like what was being talked about during that conversation would play a role in the next murder case, if it ever happened. Right?
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Day 8 - Unknown Time (Unknown Hours Remain)Unknown Location
"So, how is the new motive affecting everyone?" Monokuma asked the mysterious figure. "Do you think it's pushing anyone into planning a murder?""It's hard to tell," the mysterious figure replied. "After the events of the first murder, everyone's been trying their best to not fall for the next motive. Although, there might be someone who is getting close to turning to murder to keep their secret safe...""Wonderful," Monokuma said in satisfaction. "Soon enough, a murder will happen, and then everyone will have to go through a Class Trial all over again! You know, I've been noticing that some of your fellow students have been trying to prevent murders from happening. They think that focusing on those who are the most vulnerable to committing a murder will ensure that no murders will happen by the time the motive expires. That Taka guy even went as far as revealing his own secret on his own terms!""Speaking of Taka..." the mysterious figure said, "what was the new secret that you're threatening to reveal?""Ah, that's not for you to know," Monokuma replied. "Who knows? There might be someone out there who could be eavesdropping on our conversation!""...We're in a place the others can't access yet," the mysterious figure reminded."I know that," Monokuma said. "Anyways, these foolish kids think that they've outsmarted me, that they've found a way to get everyone to escape this school alive. Well, aside from the ones who had died. Too bad for them! But little do these foolish kids know, there's no way to save everyone. There's always someone amongst them who has fallen to the motive I gave them. One of them will resort to committing murder, just to keep their secrets safe. And little does that future murderer know is that by committing a murder, their secret is now doomed to be revealed to everyone!""...Why does it have to be that way?" the mysterious figure asked. "Being cruel to both the spotless and the blackened...do you really need to do that?""Well, I'll only reveal the killer's secret if they failed to get away with their murder," Monokuma said. "Getting to know the killer's secret is the reward for everyone for making it through a Class Trial! And who knows? Maybe the killer's crime will lead to other people's secret being revealed! Oh, I can't wait to see the looks on everyone's faces once they learn that some of their secrets will have to be revealed!""...You're so cruel, Monokuma..." the mysterious figure remarked.Monokuma then pondered for a moment. "Then again, the foolish kids' might have outsmarted me and prevented any murderers from occurring," he said. "In which case...you know what to do. That was part of our deal, remember?"The mysterious figure sat silently as they contemplated their next action.
Day 8 - 10:00 AM (36 Hours, 30 Minutes Remain)Makoto's Room, First Floor
*Ding-dong, ding-dong!*"Ahem, attention all students," Monokuma began to announce.Makoto and Sayaka tuned out the rest of the nighttime announcement, as they had gotten used to hearing the morning and nighttime announcements. They laid on the bed together, trying to fall asleep. But even though they were left drained from the events of the day, they're having some trouble staying asleep.Makoto laid on his back while Sayaka laid on her side, with her hand placed on top of Makoto's chest. Sayaka clutched her fist, wincing in distress."What's wrong?" Makoto asked, turning his head towards Sayaka.Sayaka tilted her head down a little. "I...I can't stop thinking about our shared secret..." she replied."Didn't I tell you to not think about it?" Makoto asked."I tried," Sayaka replied. "But...the thought just kept on coming back, no matter how hard I tried to push it away...""Do you really want to know what our shared secret could be?" Makoto asked.Sayaka hesitated to answer. She felt unsure on what to say."Well, whatever our shared secret could be, it's probably not something to worry over," Makoto said. "We've only knew each other personally for a few days. There's no way that we've done something together that's super embarrassing.""I know..." Sayaka said. "But still...I feel like...we have...a deep connection between us... I...don't know what this feeling is, but...it only appears when I'm close to you..."Makoto thought about how he felt when he's around Sayaka compared to how he felt when they're apart from each other. It's indescribable, but he can feel his mood change a bit when Sayaka is near him. "You know...I feel the same way," he said."Really...?" Sayaka asked."Yeah," Makoto replied. "I don't know when this feeling first appeared, but...it was here from the start of the killing game.""...I had this feeling from the start, too," Sayaka replied. "Maybe this feeling first formed...when I saw you rescue that crane...""Are you sure?" Makoto asked. "Because I'm pretty sure that I didn't have these...feelings for you back during our junior high school years..."Sayaka felt unsure on what to think of this. Something tells her that she's missing a critical piece of the puzzle...Makoto, meanwhile, felt like talking about the secrets and his past with Sayaka is going to keep him up at night. He let out a big yawn. "All this talk is making me sleepy..." he said. "We'd better start sleeping now. Good night, Sayaka." He then began to sleep.Sayaka felt like she isn't done yet. There's still something on that she needs to get off her chest. "Um...Makoto...?" she said.Makoto woke up and looked at Sayaka. "What now...?" he asked.Sayaka clutched her hand on her chest. "There's...something that I wanted to talk about," she said. "It's...about our secrets...""We can talk about that later," Makoto said. "For now, let's get to sleep.""No, I want to talk about our secrets now," Sayaka insisted. "Um...sorry for revealing my secret to you. You were...probably shocked to hear that I had ruined the careers of so many rival idols...""...What made you do that?" Makoto asked."It's just...sometimes I can't help but reveal the darker sides of myself," Sayaka confessed. "It feels like...when I'm talking to you, I have the need to get something off of my chest. You're the only one that I believe could accept every part of me, even the bad ones. Besides, you've already revealed what your secret is to me...""I'm...not sure how that counts as my deepest, darkest secret," Makoto replied. "I stole the title of the Ultimate Lucky Student from someone else? How is that possible? How did I do it? Who did I steal that title from? Out of all the embarrassing things that I've done in the past, why did Monokuma choose that as my initial secret when I had no idea that I did that? It makes no sense...""You know, there can be only be one Ultimate Lucky Student every year," Sayaka said, "just like there can only be one Ultimate Idol. Now that I think about it, it's ironic that I got by ruining the careers of my rival idols. I joined the idol industry to carry on the legacy of the idols who came before me, to become a source of inspiration for many people. But then my managers took every opportunity to boost my popularity. They made my sabotage the careers of my rival idols, just so that only I can be called the Ultimate Idol. And now, because of them...I'm trapped here... My life...is in danger... My career...is in ruins... Everything that I worked for...is for nothing! I...I..." Sayaka then broke down into tears after saying all of that. She had offloaded all of those weights on her chest onto Makoto. But no matter how much she offloaded, her chest still feels heavy.Makoto patted Sayaka to calm her down. Hearing Sayaka talk about how she had ruined the careers of her rival idols made Makoto think about what his classmates did to get their titles. Did they stole their titles from others who had worked on their talents just as hard as they did? There's probably a couple of talents out there that are highly competitive. Only one person per year could be an Ultimate in their field. And ruining the careers of her rival idols... Was that one of the unpleasant things that Sayaka had to do to gain her title?"Ah!" Sayaka gasped. "Ah, I'm...so sorry that you had to hear all of that. I didn't mean to...""...You said that you did unpleasant things to become the Ultimate Idol, right?" Makoto asked, reminding Sayaka of one of their earlier conversations. "Was ruining the careers of your rivals one of those unpleasant things?"Sayaka gasped again and her heart skipped a beat. The look on her face confirmed that she finds watching the careers of her rival idols be ruined by her, directly of indirectly, to be unpleasant. She then glanced off to the side, not having anything else to say regarding her rival idols.Makoto then yawned, having delayed his sleep for a bit longer than he would've liked. "Alright, that's enough," he declared. "Good night." He then closed his eyes and went to sleep.Even though she had just finished talking about it, Sayaka can't stop herself from thinking about her secrets. She felt bad for Makoto for having to hear that her success as an idol came at the cost of the careers of her rival idols. She felt like Makoto didn't really deserve to hear all the unpleasant things about the idol industry, and yet she did.But more importantly, there's that other secret that she and Makoto supposedly share. Monokuma is threatening to reveal that secret to the outside world if she or Makoto didn't murder anyone soon, and he's also not telling them what that secret is. Sayaka is desperate to know just what that shared secret is. But at the same time, the thought of knowing the shared secret terrified her. Just what did she and Makoto did together that was so embarrassing, Monokuma believed that they would kill someone to keep it safe?Eventually, Sayaka became overcome with exhaustion and fell asleep.
Unknown Day - Unknown TimeUnknown Location
One day, as the boy worked on a program on his computer, the boy's father entered his room."Hey, [REDACTED]?" the boy's father asked.The boy stopped what he was doing and looked at his father. "What is it?" he asked."I've got a letter for you," the boy's father said. "It...brings me so much joy to see you be invited by that school..."The boy's eyes widened as he heard the news. "What?" he said.The boy's father handed the letter over to him. The boy opened the letter and read the message."Dear, [REDACTED]," the letter began. "You are invited to attend Hope's Peak Academy as the Ultimate Programmer. Congratulations! We look forward to seeing you there next school year!"The boy was stunned upon reading the message. He was invited to attend Hope's Peak Academy, the most prestigious school in Japan? No words could describe what he's feeling after receiving the news.The boy's father wiped off the tears of joy he was shedding. "I'm so proud of you, my son," he said. "The school has recognized you for your brilliant mind. You have done so much work in the world of programming. I hope that one day, you will become the greatest programmer the world will ever see, and will make the greatest program the world will ever see."The boy felt encouraged by both his father and the invitation to Hope's Peak Academy. He felt like he has gotten a place where he is accepted for who he is, and where he can work on projects alongside other brilliant minds. For far too long, the boy had been ridiculed by others for spending so much time indoors instead of playing outside. For far too long, he had been stressing out over being exposed as a boy who had disguised himself as a girl to hide his frail physique. For far too long, the boy had little social interactions. Now that he had been invited into Hope's Peak Academy, this is the boy's chance to break out of his shell and grow as a person.But in order to break out of his shell, the boy will need to build the courage to confess that he's not a girl, that he's a boy in reality. He's not sure if he has that courage yet, and he's not sure if his new classmates would be accepting of him if he revealed his secret...
Day 9 - 6:40 AM (27 Hours, 50 Minutes Remain)Makoto's Room, First Floor
"Goooood morning!" a shrill voice said.Makoto was snapped out of his dreams by the voice he heard. A dreadful feeling filled his body as he recognized the voice.Not again, Makoto thought. Why is he here again...?Makoto opened his eyes and just as he expected, Monokuma is here to wake him up again. That bear just has no sense of privacy. Makoto gave Monokuma an annoyed glare."Hey, nice glare!" Monokuma insincerely complemented. "I was expecting to hear another scream out of you, but I'll accept a glare!"Makoto shook Sayaka to get her to wake up. "Sayaka, it's Monokuma again," he said.Sayaka suddenly woke up upon hearing Monokuma's name. "Huh...?" she said as she woke up. She then turned her gaze down the bed and flinched upon seeing Monokuma."Ah, that's more like it!" Monokuma said.Makoto is starting to become really sick of Monokuma being his personal alarm clock. "Why have you waken me and Sayaka up yet again?" he asked."Because it's fun," Monokuma explained. "And also, man I am so disappointed that you two haven't submitted to your innermost desires yet. Then I could threaten to reveal to everyone that you two did something really dirty to each other! Sayaka, your reputation will be ruined if the outside world ever learns about that, as if your reputation wasn't already ruined by what you did a few days ago!"Sayaka curled up into a ball upon hearing what Monokuma would do should she submit to her innermost desires, whatever that means. Her career is already beyond saving due to her current mental condition. Having it be ruined even further just feels like her mental condition is being beaten down more."That won't happen," Makoto said. "This isn't the time to be doing...whatever you want me and Sayaka to do. Just...stop it.""Hey, don't say that you'll never submit to your innermost desires," Monokuma said. "You know you want to!"Makoto just glared at Monokuma."Anyways, you two better not get too comfortable with sleeping together," Monokuma said. "Who knows? Maybe while you two are in the middle of embracing your innermost desires, something terrible would have happened to one of your classmates, and you two won't learn about it until it's too late."Makoto was stunned to hear that something terrible might've happened to one of his classmates. "W-What?" he gasped. "Don't tell me...""Well, that's what you two get for focusing too much on each other than your fellow classmates," Monokuma said, ignoring Makoto's words for a moment. "And by the way, whatever happened to your classmates is up to you two to find out. Good luck! Well, actually, considering that you're the Ultimate Lucky Student, you might that as a sign that things will get better...which they won't. So a better phrase would be...tough luck!" He then vanished...."...Is he gone?" Sayaka asked."He is," Makoto replied."What did he say?" Sayaka asked. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."Makoto has gotten a bad feeling about this. "...We'd better check on everyone," he said. "The current motive will last for little while longer, but that doesn't mean that someone hasn't taken any action yet. We must make sure that everyone is alive."Sayaka is feeling nauseous. She held her hand over her mouth, as if she's about to throw up. "...What time is it?" she asked."It's probably before 7:00 AM," Makoto guessed. "I haven't heard the morning announcement yet." He then looked at Sayaka and saw that she's looking ill. "Are you okay?"Sayaka just grunted as a reply.Makoto is unsure what Sayaka is meaning to say. "Um...what do you need?" he asked.Sayaka said nothing as she continued to hold her hand over her mouth.Makoto took Sayaka covering her mouth as a sign that she's not feeling well. "Just...hang in here," he said. "I'll be going out to check on everyone. You can rest for a little longer."Makoto got off his bed, put his shoes on, and began to walk towards the door. Behind him, Sayaka tossed and turned as she wondered how she had gotten sick in the first place. She ruled out an infection as a possible cause, as Makoto would've been infected as well if that were the case, and Makoto seems perfectly fine after sleeping with her. Just what could be causing this nauseous feeling?Day 9 - 6:45 AM (27 Hours, 45 Minutes Remain) Dormitory, First FloorMakoto walked out of his room and attempted to check on everyone to see if anyone had been murdered at this point. Keyword being "attempted", as Makoto didn't make it far before something happened to him.*WHAM!*"Ah!" Makoto yelped as he got rammed by someone and fell to the floor.For being the Ultimate Lucky Student, Makoto just keeps finding the worst possible times to exit a room. How ironic..."Ow..." Makoto groaned. "Hey, who ran into-?" He stopped upon seeing who had ran into him. "Leon?!"Leon lifted himself off of Makoto. He looked panicked. "Shit!" he exclaimed."What's going on, Leon?" Makoto asked. "Why are you panicking?""Your clothes!" Leon shouted.Makoto was bewildered by what Leon said. "My clothes?" he asked. "What are you-?" He stopped upon seeing what Leon is really talking about. As it turns out, Leon had left bloodstains on his jacket! Makoto screamed in horror upon seeing blood on his jacket.The commotion made Sayaka get up and walk outside to see what was going on. "Makoto, what's going on...?" she asked as she tried her best stay upright. "Why are you-?" She stopped and snapped to wakefulness upon seeing what appears to be a horrifying scene. Makoto is on the floor with bloodstains on his jacket. The bloodstains look like they were made by a hand. Nearby is Leon, who has blood on his hands. Sayaka screamed in horror upon realizing the implications."Wait, Sayaka!" Leon shouted. "I-It's not what it looks like! Gah! I should've gotten my hands washed...""Leon..." Makoto said in horror. "What have you done?""I didn't do anything!" Leon shouted. "I didn't kill anyone! I promise!""B-But you..." Sayaka said, struggling to get her words out. "You have... You have...!"Makoto got back up on his feet as he began to warn everyone about Leon. "I'm getting everyone," Makoto said. "Sayaka, make sure that Leon stays put! And Leon, don't touch anything!"Sayaka reached out into the closet and pulled out one of Makoto's spare jackets. "Wait, what about your jacket, Makoto?!" she asked.Makoto realized that the others might think that he had killed someone if they see the blood on his jacket, even though the bloodstains were made by a hand that's not his. "Ah, thanks," he said as he grab the jacket and changed into it. Then he began to ring everyone's doorbells to warn them about Leon, as well as making sure everyone is alive. He was going to do that anyways, but with the knowledge that Leon might have killed someone, he felt pressured to do it.
7:00 AM (27 Hours, 30 Minutes Remain)
*Ding-dong, ding-dong!*"Good morning, everyone!" Monokuma announced over the intercom.Everyone ignored the morning announcement as they gathered in the dormitory hallway.Hina exited her room to get to the meeting point. Along the way, she encountered Sakura, who is very much alive to her relief."Oh, there you are, Sakura!" Hina said. "Thank goodness that you're alive! I thought that something terrible has happened to you. Where were you last night?""That's not important right now," Sakura replied. "There's something that we must address right now.""Oh...right," Hina said upon being reminded on why she and everyone else is having an emergency meeting.Hina and Sakura then headed for the meeting point, which is in the middle of the dormitory hallway. There, they could see almost everyone, as well as Mondo pinning Leon down to the floor. Natsumi can be seen holding Makoto's bloodstained jacket. Even though the blood on Makoto's jacket is visible to everyone, Makoto assured that the bloodstains came from Leon's blood-stained hands, and that it was an accident that his jacket became stained with blood.Hina looked around and saw that there were a few people missing. "Is this everyone?" she asked."Not quite," Kyoko replied. "We're still waiting on Taka and Byakuya.""Bro hasn't left his room yet?" Mondo asked. "How? Isn't bro some...model student or some shit? How is he late to a meeting?!""At least Byakuya is taking his time to join this meeting, as I expected," Celeste remarked.Hina noticed that Kyoko left someone out. "What about Toko?" she asked. "Is she okay too?""Ask her yourself," Kyoko said. "I doubt that someone has tried to murder her. She won't let anyone into her room."Hina turned around to look at Toko's door. It's currently closed. Hina walked up to the door and ring the doorbell. After a brief moment, Toko answered the door by slightly opening it."I-If you're wondering how I'm doing, I'm f-fine!" Toko said. "Now l-leave me alone!" She then slammed the door shut.Hina was startled by Toko slamming the door shut. "Uh...okay..." she said. She then turned back to the rest of the students.A concerning aura enveloped everyone as they waited for Byakuya and Kiyotaka to arrive. Something tells them that a terrible thing has happened to one of them, but which one?"I-I can't take this..." Sayaka said as she shivered from the stress. "W-We must look for Byakuya and Taka right now!""No, we must stay here," Kyoko said. "We must make sure that everyone is accounted for at all times. We can't let anyone wander off on their own at a time like this.""I'm sorry, Sayaka," Makoto apologized. "But it's for the sake of everyone's safety. Without Taka around, who is supposed take charge?"Sayaka has nothing to say to Makoto's questions.Everyone became increasingly concerned for Byakuya and Kiyotaka with each passing minute. Meanwhile, Leon is still refusing to give a clear answer about what he was doing prior to him running into Makoto, continuing to insist that he had done nothing despite the bloodstains on his hands.And then, everyone heard a voice coming from the lobby."What's going on here?"Everyone jumped upon hearing the voice. Could it be one of the absent students? Everyone turned towards the source the voice. They saw Byakuya approaching them, which means that Kiyotaka is the only one who has yet to be accounted for."Who ordered this meeting?" Byakuya asked. "And why is it being held here of all places?""Byakuya?" Makoto said as he and everyone else looked at Byakuya's room for a moment before looking back at Byakuya. "What are you doing outside of your room?""That's none of your business," Byakuya replied."But we need to know what you were doing before the morning announcement!" Makoto said.Byakuya then noticed the bloodstains on Makoto's spare jacket. He was shocked to see those bloodstains. "What?" he gasped. "Makoto...what did you-""Leon left those bloodstains on my jacket when he ran into me," Makoto explained."Leon?" Byakuya asked. He then looked down at Leon. "Did something happen? What did you do?""I did nothing!" Leon shouted."Liar," Byakuya countered. "I can clearly see blood on your hands. Clearly, you did something spilled blood onto your hands.""I told you already!" Leon continued to shout. "I didn't do anything!""Continuing to lie will only dig yourself a deeper hole, you know," Celeste said."...Says the Queen of Liars," Natsumi remarked.Celeste gave a disapproving glare at Natsumi for saying that.With Byakuya now accounted for, there's only Kiyotaka who has yet to arrive at the meeting point. He's taking way too long to arrive. Everyone is growing concerned about his safety."What's taking Taka so long?" Hina asked. "I've rung his doorbell many times already, and he still hasn't answered the door!""Do you think he's outside his room?" Kyoko asked."That could be the case..." Makoto replied. He then turned to Byakuya. "Byakuya, you were outside your room before the morning announcement. Have you seen Taka yet?"Byakuya took a moment to give an answer. "I haven't," he replied."But where were you?" Makoto asked."Like I said earlier, that's none of your business," Byakuya replied.Looks like Byakuya won't budge. Makoto might need to ask someone else if they had seen Kiyotaka before the morning announcement. That's when he remembered something. Leon had run into him earlier, which means that he too is outside his room before the meeting began. Perhaps he had seen Kiyotaka recently, and that there's a reason why he's running across the school in a panic."Leon..." Makoto began to ask. "Have you seen Taka recently?"Hearing that question stunned Leon for a moment. "W-What?" he said.Kyoko saw Leon's reaction to Makoto's question. "Looks like we've found someone who knows Taka's last whereabouts," she said."Hey, what's this all about?" Leon asked as he struggled to free himself from Mondo's grip. "I-I haven't seen Taka this morning! Nope! Not at all!""Then why were you outside your room?" Makoto asked."I-I just decided to go on a morning walk!" Leon tried to explain."But why a morning walk?" Kyoko asked."Uh..." Leon said.Sayaka felt like the stress is becoming too much for her to handle. "I can't take this anymore!" she declared. "We need to find Taka now!""Now?" Makoto asked. "But we don't even know where-"Sayaka grabbed Makoto by the wrist and began to run for the doorway out of the dormitory section. "Come on!" she shouted."Ah! Sayaka!" Makoto shouted as he's being dragged away."Wait! Sayaka!" Leon shouted. "Don't go to the Exercise Room! Ah shit!""What the hell did you just say?!" Mondo shouted."Looks like we know where to go next," Kyoko said. "Everyone, follow Makoto and Sayaka!"The rest of the students then began to go after Makoto and Sayaka. Behind them, Mondo let go of Leon so that he join the rest."Hey, wait for me!" Mondo shouted as he chased after the rest of the students.Leon got back up on his feet and began to chase everyone. "Hey!" he shouted. "Come back! You...you guys don't want to see what's in the locker room!"
Day 9 - 7:40 AM (26 Hours, 50 Minutes Remain)Exercise Room, First Floor
Since Leon warned everyone not to go to the locker rooms, it's likely that something terrible has happened there and he doesn't want them to discover it. Upon arriving at the Athletics Hallway, the students saw that the door to the Exercise Room had been left open. They entered the Exercise Room...and found a blood-stained dumbbell on the floor, as well as a pool of blood nearby.Sayaka gasped in horror upon seeing the blood-stained dumbbell. "Oh no..." she said."What happened here...?" Makoto asked."What did you two see over there?" Mondo asked from the back of the group, who is outside the Exercise Room. "I can't see! Outta my way!" He then began to make his way towards the front of the group, shoving his classmates along the way."Hey!" Yasuhiro exclaimed as he was shoved away. "Don't shove me!"Mondo soon reached the front of the group and saw the blood stains on the dumbbell and on the floor. He became shocked. "What the hell...?" he said. "Is that...blood?""Well, what else could that looked like?" Byakuya replied. "That is clearly blood.""But whose blood is that, though?" Hifumi asked.Mondo then made a frightening revelation, one that he refused to accept is true. "No..." he said as he shook his head in denial. "No...it can't be true..." He then turned to the back of the group. "Hey! Baseball dude! Where the hell is my bro?!"Leon looked at Mondo with a confused look. "Huh?" he said. "What the hell are you talking about?""You warned us to not check the Exercise Room," Kyoko said. "Is there a reason why you don't want us to go there?""I...uh..." Leon tried to explain, sweating profusely from being anxious. "Um...can I see inside the Exercise Room? I can't tell what's going on from back here...""Uh...there's just a blood-stained dumbbell on the floor," Makoto explained."A blood-stained dumbbell?" Leon replied. "What about Taka? Oh shit..."Natsumi saw that Leon realized that he made a major slip-up. She looked confused. "'Oh shit'?" she asked. "What do you mean, 'oh shit'?""Wait, so you do know where Taka is, Leon?" Hina asked."Uh...no I don't!" Leon lied. "I don't know where Taka is!""But you asking about Taka implies that you do know his last whereabouts," Celeste countered."Why would you ask about Taka at this moment?" Kyoko asked. "Perhaps...you know that something happened to him.""Nope. I don't know anything," Leon lied again. "I have no idea what happened to Taka.""Hey, stop dodging the question!" Mondo shouted. "Where is my bro and what did you do to him?!""I didn't do anything!" Leon replied. "Please, everyone! You've gotta listen to me!""You do realize that digging yourself a deeper hole won't help you get out of the hole you've created," Celeste remarked.Leon gave Celeste a baffled look. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"While Leon is having an argument with everyone about the whereabouts of Kiyotaka and what happened to him, Byakuya, on a whim, decided to investigate the Exercise Room to find out where Kiyotaka could be. His search took him to the door to the boy's locker room, as the main doorway is blocked by his classmates and he doesn't have access to the girl's locker room. Pulling out his E-Handbook, Byakuya swiped it over the scanner to gain access to the boy's locker room. He opened the door and, upon seeing what's inside, made a huge announcement."Everyone," Byakuya said, pausing for a moment for dramatic effect. "I've found him."Upon hearing Byakuya's announcement, everyone stopped what they're doing and ran up to him. There, they looked inside the boy's locker room and saw a horrifying sight. Time felt like it stood still as they struggled to process what they were seeing.There are two sets of pull-up bars placed near the back wall of the boy's locker room. At the back wall of the locker room is a message written in blood. It reads, "BLOODLUST". Partially suspended in-between the pull-up bars...is the lifeless body of Kiyotaka Ishimaru. His hands were tied to the pull-up bars with some sort of rope, and his head looked like it had been cracked open."T-Taka...?" Makoto asked as he struggled to comprehend the sight of his recently-deceased classmate."N-No..." Sayaka said in horror as she realized that one of her classmates had given into Monokuma's motives, just like her and Yasuke.Everyone else aside from Byakuya were left shocked upon seeing the now-dead Kiyotaka. The model student who tried to bring the class together during these dark times, the student who made the surviving students go through a volleyball game as a team-building exercise, and the student who is willing to reveal his most embarrassing secret to everyone in an attempt to render his motive void...has been murdered. Most of the students felt sorry for Kiyotaka. They felt like he didn't deserve to die, especially not like that.But out of the students who saw Kiyotaka's corpse, none had a reaction more extreme than Mondo."B-Bro...?" Mondo said. "Taka...? No...no...!" Mondo tried his best to deny the reality, that the friend that he had bonded with for just a few days at this point...is dead, murdered by someone. He wanted to believe that Kiyotaka is alive, that all of this was just an act made by him. Sure, Kiyotaka's not the type of person who pulls off jokes like this, but Mondo hoped that his best bro is alive, or at least, can be saved from this condition.Unfortunately, all it took was for Kyoko to walk up to Kiyotaka and touch his body to confirm Mondo's worst fears. "He's dead," Kyoko said. "There's no surviving an injury like that.""Taka..." Mondo muttered, before his voice became a roar. "TAKAAAAAAAAA!"
Chapter 2: The Serial Killer Among Us
Deadly Life
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Day 9 - Unknown TimeUnknown Location
"...Taka?"..."No...not him too..."..."He was...like an elder brother to me. He...was one of the classmates who supported me...even after I revealed to everyone that I'm hiding my real identity. He may be overbearing and naive at times, but I considered him a good friend."..."Mondo...he must've been hurt really hard by the loss of his friend. I know how he feels. This isn't the first time he had lost someone close to him. Even though he might look strong, deep down, he has a vulnerable heart."..."I...don't know how much longer I can handle this. My heart may be strong, but I'm not sure if it can handle this pain any longer. Someone...please get me out of here..."
Day 9 - 7:50 AMBoy's Locker Room, First Floor
*Ding-dong, ding-dong!*"A body has been discovered!" Monokuma announced over the intercom. "Everyone, please gather at the boy's locker room as soon as possible! Soon, a Class Trial will begin, and the remaining survivors must figure out who among them is the blackened!"..."Goddammit..." Mondo said as he pressed his body against a wall. He then began to pound on it in frustration. "Goddammit, dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit! GODDAMMIT!"Makoto watched Mondo's reaction to seeing Kiyotaka's corpse. He can't help but feel his pain. He glanced over to Sayaka and wondered how he'll react if she had been killed.If Sayaka were to get murdered, I would've reacted the same way as Mondo if I discovered her corpse, Makoto thought. She's my best friend in this school. We've grown really close to each other in the few days we've known each other, especially after the nights we've spent sleeping together. If her murder plan had gone through as she planned, she'll likely...no, she won't be alive anymore...Sayaka looked at Makoto as well. By the looks of her face, she's having the same thoughts about her potential reactions to Makoto's death. It looks like the weight of her guilt from forming her murder plan is continuing to crash down upon her.Leon shoved his way into the boy's locker room. He was shocked upon seeing Kiyotaka's corpse, but his words are implying something. "What the hell?!" he gasped. "How did he get in there?!""Uh...I don't know!" Hifumi shouted."It's just as I predicted," Yasuhiro said, his face wincing in pain. "I warned him that someone's going to die from having a heavy object fall on their head, and he didn't listen to me! And because of that, the fate that I had predicted has happened to him!"
Truth Bullet Acquired: Yasuhiro's Prediction
Everyone aside from Mondo and Byakuya looked at Yasuhiro in confusion."What the hell did you just say?" Leon asked."I'm just saying that if Taka had listened to me, this could've been prevented!" Yasuhiro replied."Hiro, every death could've been preventable if it weren't for Monokuma..." Makoto countered.As everyone looked at Kiyotaka's suspended body, the girls remembered something. They've entered the boy's locker room, yet they weren't electrocuted. How did they managed to get in without being zapped? Monokuma mentioned that a student will get zapped if they entered the wrong locker room. Was he lying just to trick everyone into thinking that he made the school sound more dangerous than it really is?"Whoa, that was fast!" Monokuma remarked as he appeared, his voice drawing nearly everyone's attention to him. "Twice in a row, I've given you kids 48 hours from the moment I gave you your motive to enact a murder plan, and twice in a row, someone's been murdered with plenty of time remaining! Perhaps I'm getting too generous with how much time you kids have before your motives expire." He then noticed that someone's absent. "Hey, are we missing someone? Oh right, that bookworm girl is absent again. She has spent so much time stuck in her own room! Hold on. Give me a minute. I'll be back. Oh, and in case you girls didn't notice, I've made it totally safe for you to peep on the boys changing their clothes during the investigation. The same goes for you boys, so peep away, everyone!" He then left the exercise room....Well, that was a strange way of saying that it's okay for the girls to enter the boy's locker room during the investigation, and vice versa.While waiting for Monokuma to drag Toko to the crime scene, the rest of the students decided to check their E-Handbooks to see if a Monokuma File is available to read. It's currently not ready yet, so they decided instead to analyze the crime scene to pass the time."Poor Taka..." Hina said, lamenting the loss of her classmate. "How could this happen...?""It seems that we weren't vigilant enough," Sakura said."...Says the one who assisted a killer in faking a crime scene," Natsumi remarked."I had to find a place to put way the weapons I confiscated," Sakura countered."Cut the side talk," Byakuya said. "There's something important that we must talk about. See that writing on the wall back there?""The what?" Leon asked."Over there," Byakuya said, pointing to the writing on the back wall. "Do you see that?""It reads 'bloodlust'," Makoto said."Could that be a dying message?" Hifumi asked."I don't think so," Kyoko replied. "It seems too strange of a message for a dying person to leave behind. Plus, it's too high up on the wall. A dying person would be lying on the floor, and they can't reach that high up.""Don't forget that Taka's hands are both bounded to the pull-up bars," Celeste added.
Truth Bullets Acquired: Writing on Wall and Status of Dead Body
As Sayaka continued to stare at Kiyotaka's dead body, she can't help but feel...sick. The nauseous feeling that she had been holding off since this morning had finally broken through. Now, it felt like she's really about to throw up."...I don't feel so good," Sayaka said.Makoto turned to Sayaka out of concern. "Huh? What's wrong, Sayaka?" he asked."...I need to go..." Sayaka replied."Where?" Makoto asked."Excuse me..." Sayaka said as she left the boy's locker room, clutching her stomach and covering her mouth along the way.Shortly after Sayaka left the exercise room, Monokuma came charging into the boy's locker room, dragging Toko along the way."Coming through! Coming through!" Monokuma said as he dragged Toko into the boy's locker room. "And here you are, Toko! Gaze upon your dead classmate!"Toko froze in place upon seeing Kiyotaka's corpse. Then, she began to shiver. "N-No..." she said. "W-Why? Why?! Not...this...again..." She then began to foam around the mouth as she lost consciousness and fell down to the floor."Well, that certainly was a reaction to seeing a dead body," Monokuma remarked. "It's almost as good as watching Corn Head bawl out his late friend's name!"Hearing that name again only made Mondo even more furious.Monokuma then noticed that someone is now absent. "Hold on," he said. "Weren't there more of you here the last time I checked? Oh, right, Sayaka left, didn't see? I saw her leaving this room looking really sick. That must be the third best reaction to seeing a dead body, don't you agree? Anyways, the Monokuma File is ready. Go read it! Just like last time, there will be an investigation period. You kids have a limited amount of time to gather as much clues as possible before the Class Trial begins. Make sure that you investigate thoroughly, or else you won't have enough clues to find out who the blackened is. Good luck!" He then vanished....Hina let out a heavy sigh. "Do we have to this again?" she asked. "I'm...not sure if I can take this anymore...""We're two murders in, and already you want to give up?" Natsumi asked. "Wow. You're such a weakling.""I'm not a weakling!" Hina shouted."Cut the fighting, girls," Kyoko said. "We have an investigation to do. Our lives are on the line. We can't afford to fight amongst ourselves."Hina and Natsumi exchanged bitter looks with each other.Makoto looked down at Toko, wondering if she's okay. "Um, can somebody check on Toko?" he asked. "Is she okay?"Just as when Makoto asked that question, Toko suddenly shot. As in, she jumped up from where she was laying and landed right on her feet. It looked like a stylish way for someone to get back on their feet. Everyone became shocked at how fast Toko got up off the floor. After that, Toko began to behave in a rather...strange way. For starters, she's sticking her tongue out."Whoa, that was something," Toko said. "A dead body? Again? Who would've thought."Everyone was alarmed by the manner Toko is speaking."Uh...what the hell?" Leon said."Toko? Are you...really okay?" Hina asked."What are you talking about?" Toko replied. "I'm fine. Nothing strange is going on with me.""But...your tongue is sticking out!" Yasuhiro said. "And...the way you're speaking...it's totally weird!"It was at this moment when Toko snap out of...whatever that was, and went back to her normal self. "Wha...?" she said, her voice sounding weird due to her tongue sticking out. "Hwat's going-?" She stopped herself upon realizing that she's sticking out her tongue. She retracted her tongue back into her mouth and covered it with her hands.Everyone became confused over Toko's sudden shift in behavior."Um...what happened?" Hifumi asked."Y-You saw nothing!" Toko said before running out of the boy's locker room."Toko, wait!" Hina cried as she reached out for Toko. "Come back!""Ignore her," Byakuya said. "She's not important to this investigation...yet. We have more pressing issues to address, such as this crime scene."Considering that there is a limited amount of time before the Class Trial begins, it looks like it's best for everyone if they don't waste that limited time on irrelevant things. Before beginning the investigation, everyone began to check the Monokuma File, as they've delayed reading it for long enough.The file reads, "The victim was Kiyotaka Ishimaru. The time of death was about 6:40 AM. The body was discovered in the boy's locker room near the gym and pool. The victim suffered severe head trauma that resulted in the dislocation of the neck. The victim was killed instantly."
Truth Bullet Acquired: Monokuma File 2
The thing that surprised everyone was the time of death that was listed on the file. 6:40 AM, a little over an hour before the body was discovered. So it appears that Kiyotaka was killed recently. The fresh-smelling blood confirms this.After reading the Monokuma File, everyone split off to different parts of the school. It's getting a little crowded in the boy's locker room, which could get in the way of the investigation. Only Byakuya, Kyoko, Makoto, Mondo, and Leon remained behind. Since Leon was seen running from the exercise room and with blood on his hands, he is put under suspicion."Hey! Baseball dude!" Mondo shouted. "Did you do it?! Did you kill my bro?!""I-It wasn't me!" Leon replied. "I swear!""Liar!" Mondo roared. "The killer must be you! You're the one who killed my bro and did...this with his dead body!""Mondo, calm down," Kyoko ordered. "This isn't the time to be jumping to conclusions.""Actually, it is time to jump to conclusions," Byakuya said. "Because we've got our answer right over there." He said that as he pointed to the writing on the back wall.Makoto was confused by what Byakuya meant by that. "Huh? What do you mean we've already have our answer?" he asked."Do you remember seeing that writing somewhere?" Byakuya asked.Makoto then realized that he had seen the word "bloodlust" written somewhere before. "Oh yeah," he said. "Um...where did I last see that word again?"Byakuya then attempted to nudge Makoto into saying the right answer. "The murderous fiend who had killed many men using a bizarre and brutal method," he said. "The victims are propped up on the wall in the exact same way. And on the wall the victims were pinned to, the exact same word was written with their own blood, over and over again. No one knows who this serial killer is. The police have tried many times to catch them in the act, but they kept slipping away before the police could reach the crime scene. All everyone knows about this serial killer is the name they had given to them. And that name is..."Makoto, Mondo, and Leon blanked out upon trying to remember the name of the serial killer Byakuya had described. They know that they have heard of that name before, it's just that they had discarded that memory as they deemed it as irrelevant. After a moment, Kyoko just decided to say the answer herself."It's Genocide Jack," Kyoko said.Byakuya sighed in disappointment. "I was expecting one of the boys to remember that name, Kyoko," he said. "We've all seen the name Genocide Jack when I brought up the list of his case files.""So this Genocide Jack person is behind this murder, isn't he?!" Mondo concluded. "And since the baseball dude must be the murderer, that must also mean he's Genocide Jack!""Hey, what the hell?!" Leon shouted. "That can't be true! I'm not a man killer! I'm a lady killer!""That just sounds even worse..." Makoto remarked."I meant I'm a ladies man!" Leon corrected himself."Plankton, aren't you forgetting something?" Byakuya said. "There is no such thing as a Genocide Jack in this school...or is there?"Mondo looked at Byakuya in confusion and anger. "What the hell do you mean by that?" he asked. "And what did you just call me again?"Byakuya ignored Mondo's second question. "You see, I have discovered something about Genocide Jack that is...relevant to our current situation," he said. "Apparently, Hope's Peak Academy has taken an interest in him. I did say that Genocide Jack could be a teenager, remember?""Wait, what the hell?!" Leon gasped. "You're saying that we have a serial killer in this school?!""That could be the case," Byakuya replied. "The real identity of Genocide Jack is among us. If we find out who Genocide Jack is, then we've got the blackened."Makoto grew nervous over the idea of living with an infamous serial killer. So...one of is really is Genocide Jack, he thought. And Genocide Jack is the one behind the murder of Taka. I...wonder who Genocide Jack really is. He couldn't be one of the already deceased students. They can't just return from the dead just to take one of us down with them. Now that I think about it, there is a possibility that Genocide Jack could be a girl all along. In that case, Genocide Jack could be any one of us!Makoto then looked back at Kiyotaka's dead body. Now that he had been reminded of how Genocide Jack murders and displays his victims, Makoto compared the way Kiyotaka's body was murdered and suspended to the way Genocide Jack murders and suspends his victims. At first glance, Kiyotaka's looks just like any other Genocide Jack case. But on closer inspection, Makoto started to notice some differences in Kiyotaka's case.Then again, does it really matter who Genocide Jack is at this point? Makoto thought. I think we could be dealing with a copycat case. Someone is trying to trick us into thinking that Genocide Jack did it. In that case...Makoto's mind trailed off as he thought about the possibility that he's dealing with a copycat case. All he's doing is trying to ask the exact same question: who killed Kiyotaka? Maybe it's best if he push those thoughts aside and move on. Time is limited, after all.
Truth Bullets Acquired: Genocide Jack's MO and The Identity of Genocide Jack
After hearing about the possibility that Genocide Jack's true identity is one of the remaining students, Mondo went back to the conclusion he made earlier. "So that still means that the baseball dude is Genocide Jack!" he said."Don't you dare call me Genocide Jack!" Leon yelled. "I am not a serial killer, and there's no way Genocide Jack is me!""Mondo, slow down," Kyoko said. "This isn't the time to be jumping to conclusions. We don't have enough evidence to say that any one of us is Genocide Jack. That said, we still have questions regarding your involvement in Taka's murder, Leon."Leon is getting frustrated over how many times he's suspected of being Kiyotaka's murderer. "Why can't you guys just leave me alone?" he asked. "I didn't do anything!""But you ran into me shortly after Taka was killed," Makoto said. "And you had blood on your hands. What did you do? And what happened? What were you and Taka doing in the exercise room?""Why are you asking me so many questions?" Leon groaned. "Do you have a grudge against me after what I had done to Sayaka?""No," Makoto replied.Mondo then remembered something. "Hey, this reminds me," he said. "Taka and I were planning to use the exercise room, along with the baseball dude and the yakuza chick.""What?" Leon asked, trying to deny that he was invited to an exercise session."...You're talking about Leon and Natsumi, aren't you?" Kyoko said."So, you were in the exercise room at the time of Taka's death," Byakuya said. "Isn't that right, Leon?"Leon realized that he's being pushed into the corner of a hole that he had dug out for himself. "Shit!" he exclaimed."Leon...were you really invited by Taka to go to the exercise room with him?" Makoto asked."I was!" Leon admitted.Kyoko sighed after seeing Leon take so long to reveal the truth. "This would've been much easier if you had just spoken the truth from the start, Leon," she said."So, what did Taka do this morning?" Makoto asked."Okay, so I was sleeping away in my room, when all of a sudden, I hear my doorbell ring!" Leon explained. "I don't know if the morning announcement had played yet. I thought that I had overslept. I then answered the door and, to my surprise, Taka was outside. I closed the door on him, as I don't want to spend time with him, but then he just won't stop. Ringing. That. Doorbell! I finally gave in and let Taka talk to me. He said that he wanted to exercise with me. I think he said something about...blowing off some steam, whatever that means. So then we went off to the exercise room. Taka opened the door and wham! A heavy object fell on his head!"Everyone's eyes widened when Leon claimed that he saw a heavy object fall on Kiyotaka's head."A heavy object?" Makoto asked.Kyoko recalled that she had heard something like that before. "That sounds suspiciously similar to Hiro's prediction," she remarked."I remembered hearing something like that earlier, too," Mondo said. "That wasn't the first time I heard that prediction."Byakuya glared at Mondo with suspicion. "Where did you first hear that?" he asked in a suspecting tone."It was when bro and I were discussing how to prevent a murder," Mondo explained, "after that goddamn bear put a stop to bro's plans. We concluded that we should get the ones who are the most likely to commit murder to blow off steam by exercising. We picked Leon and the yakuza chick because we thought that they're the closest to committing a murder. That's when Hiro came in and tried to warn bro about an upcoming death.""Did Hiro say anything about who's going to die?" Kyoko asked.Mondo shook his head. "Not at all," he replied. He then somberly looked at Kiyotaka's corpse. "I...wished that he did, because we could've prevent bro from being killed..."Kyoko felt like something was off about Leon's account of the events surrounding Kiyotaka's death. It seemed incomplete. How could a heavy object fall onto Kiyotaka's head from opening the door? Her attention turned to Leon as she asked him this question."What was the exercise room door like when you and Taka arrived?" Kyoko asked.Leon was puzzled to be asked that question. "Huh? What the hell is that question?" he asked."Was the door slightly open when you and Taka arrived at the exercise room?" Kyoko asked again.Leon recalled his memory of the moment when he watched Kiyotaka get killed. "Uh...yeah," he replied.Kyoko arrived at a conclusion. "That must be it," she said. "That must be how a heavy object fell onto Taka's head."Mondo looked at Kyoko in confusion. "What?" he asked."We'll get to that shortly," Kyoko said. "So, Leon, after you saw Kiyotaka get killed, you touched his body and then ran away, which led to you running into Makoto. Is that what you did?"Leon's face looked like he wanted to lie his way out of this mess, but couldn't."There's no need to say it," Byakuya said. "We've already seen the blood on your hands."
Truth Bullet Updated: Yasuhiro's Prediction
Truth Bullets Acquired: Leon's Account and Exercise Room Plans
"So wait," Makoto began to ask, confused about the conclusion Kyoko had reached. "How did a heavy object managed to get dropped onto Taka's head? I don't see how that could've happen.""The answer is right outside," Kyoko explained. "Follow me. I'll show you where Taka was likely killed."Kyoko then lead the boys outside to the exercise room.
Day 9 - 8:30 AMExercise Room, First Floor
The group gathered around the entrance of the exercise room, where everyone saw a blood-stained dumbbell. Based on its location, it is likely that Kiyotaka was killed here. And looking at the bloodstains, it's clear that this dumbbell is the murder weapon. Looking around the doorway, the group couldn't find a place where a dumbbell could be placed in such a way that it would fall down when the door was opened. More importantly, however, the group noticed something strange about the blood-stained dumbbell upon closer inspection."What the hell?" Mondo said upon seeing how the weights of the dumbbell are distributed. "Why is this dumbbell so...unbalanced?""The technical term for that would be 'lopsided'," Byakuya said."Why is it so lopsided, though?" Makoto asked. "What kind of person would want a lopsided dumbbell?""More importantly, who could even lift that dumbbell?" Kyoko added."Hey, baseball dude!" Mondo said."Would you just call me Leon for once?!" Leon shouted."Whatever!" Mondo replied. "Can you lift that dumbbell?"Leon took one look at the blood-stained dumbbell and shook his head. "Nope. Not happening," he said. "I ain't getting my hands stained with blood again."Mondo walked over to the dumbbell rack and pulled out a dumbbell with the same number of weights of it as the blood-stained dumbbell. "Here, try this instead," he said as he handed the dumbbell over to Leon. "This one's balanced, but it should be no different than the blood-stained one."Leon took the dumbbell from Mondo...and immediately felt its weight."Wah!" Leon yelped as soon as he got the dumbbell. He struggled to keep the dumbbell above his knees, and that's when he's having his knees and back bent. "Gah! It's so...heavy!"Makoto began to panic as it looked like Leon could drop the dumbbell on his feet. "Be careful with that!" he shouted. "You could hurt yourself if you drop it!"Leon felt like his arms are going to snap from holding this dumbbell for too long. So he set it down on the floor and let his arms rest. "My arms..." he groaned. "They hurt so much...""What? You can't even lift that dumbbell up?" Mondo asked."I could, but barely..." Leon replied."What about lifting it above your head?" Mondo asked again. "Could you do that?""...Feels like I could get myself killed if I do that," Leon replied.Byakuya is puzzled by what Mondo is trying to get Leon to do. "I'm not getting this," he said. "Why is this plankton trying to get Leon to lift this dumbbell above his head?""Call me that one more time..." Mondo growled as he clutched his fist.Byakuya glared back at Mondo, not caring about how angry Mondo is becoming from being called that name so many times."This dumbbell has blood on it," Kyoko began to explain. "We can all see that. Which means that this dumbbell is the murder weapon. And since Taka was killed by a blow to the head, that means that he died from being struck in the head by this dumbbell. That could only mean two things: either the killer brought this dumbbell down onto Taka, or this dumbbell was dropped onto Taka's head. Let's assume that the killer did hit Taka with the dumbbell. The only way that could happen is if the killer was strong enough to lift the dumbbell above their head. Then, they could strike Taka in the head with it, killing him.""But the only person who was with Taka at the time of the murder was Leon," Makoto said. "And Leon...well, he wasn't able to lift the dumbbell above his head.""Even if I could, I might end up getting myself killed if I dropped that dumbbell on my head," Leon added."Either that, or the dumbbell would be incredibly hard to wield due to its weight," Kyoko said. "That issue would be made much worse due to the uneven distribution of the dumbbell's weight.""So, the baseball dude couldn't be the culprit, then," Mondo concluded, much to his frustration. "Dammit! Why couldn't it ever be the obvious suspect who is the culprit of a murder case?""There is a way for the first method to be possible," Byakuya said. "Taka could be lying down on the floor. Then anyone could lift the dumbbell up and drop it onto his head. There would be no need to try to lift the dumbbell above one's head.""Who the hell would be stupid enough to do that?!" Mondo shouted."...I'm just saying it's possible if it was done that way," Byakuya replied.
Truth Bullet Acquired: Bloodstained Dumbbell
So it's been concluded that the first way that this murder could've happened is definitely not how it went. That leaves the second way as the only option: having the dumbbell be dropped onto Taka's head. But how could such a method be pulled off? Where would the dumbbell be placed in such a way that it would fall when the door was opened?As everyone searched for a place that fits that description, Leon has a question regarding the dumbbells."Hey, can you, like, adjust these dumbbells?" Leon asked. "What if I want a lighter dumbbell?""Oh, that's easy," Mondo began to reply. "The weights on the dumbbells can be removed."Hearing that the dumbbells are adjustable caught everyone's attention."What? You can do that?" Makoto asked."Yeah," Mondo replied. "See those caps at the ends of the dumbbell? They keep the weights locked in place. When you remove them, you are free to adjust the dumbbell to whatever weight you want. Here, let me show you how it's done."The group watched as Mondo removed the caps on the non-bloodstained dumbbell. It appears that the caps are held on by a screw mechanism. From there, he removed each weight one by one until there were none left on the dumbbell. It looks rather easy. The weights can just slide in and out of the bar. As Mondo demonstrated how one can adjust the dumbbell to their desires, Kyoko thought about how the culprit made the murder weapon."And that's how you do it," Mondo said after finishing the demonstration."...Well, that's good to know," Leon said after watching the demonstration."How heavy are these weights, though?" Makoto asked.Mondo handed over a weight to Makoto for him to hold. Makoto was surprised by this way of answering his question, and he was surprised further upon discovering how easy it was for someone like him to hold one of these weights."Whoa..." Makoto said upon feeling how heavy the weights are. "Are the weights this light?""They have to be that light," Mondo replied. "Otherwise, hardly anyone would be able to adjust these dumbbells.""Interesting..." Kyoko said. "That might be good to know for the Class Trial..."
Truth Bullet Acquired: Dumbbell Weights
"This still isn't answering the question at hand," Byakuya said, reminding everyone on what they're supposed to be focusing on. "Where would this dumbbell be placed in such a way that it would fall down when the door was opened? And how could the dumbbell fall in the first place?"Mondo checked the doorway again. "Um, I don't see a contraption or some shit," he said. "There's nothing here that would make a dumbbell fall down."Seeing the lack of a contraption only further confirmed Kyoko's conclusion on how the dumbbell fell. "So that must be it," she said. "The only place where a dumbbell could be made to fall down when the door was opened is...the top of the door itself."Everyone looked at Kyoko in confusion, wondering what she's talking about."The top of the door...?" Makoto asked."The tops of most doors are usually flat enough to support an object on top of it," Kyoko explained. "The top of the door is narrow, though. Any object that is placed on top of a door will likely fall off as soon as the door is moved.""So you're saying that the dumbbell is placed on top of the door?" Leon asked. "That's impossible! If such a heavy object was placed on a door, it'll break!"Mondo decided to disprove Leon's words by putting his full weight on the door handle. Neither the door nor the door handle broke, and Mondo is a lot heavier than the bloodstained dumbbell. "Nope," he said. "Still fine.""Really?" Leon said to his dismay. "Still, the of the door is really high up. You need, like, a stepladder or something in order to reach that high!""A stepladder?" Kyoko said. She looked around the exercise room to look for one. But there wasn't a stepladder in sight, nor could she find anything else that would allow anyone to reach high places. A stepladder had to be involved in case, so it's possible that the culprit took it with them as they left the exercise room.Makoto then noticed that Kyoko is pondering for quite a while after hearing Leon mentioning a stepladder. "Um, Kyoko?" he began to ask. "What are you thinking?""...We might need to ask everyone about if they had used a stepladder recently," Kyoko replied.
Truth Bullet Acquired: Top of the Door
At this point, the group had figured how Kiyotaka was killed and how the trap was set up. However, that lead to a problem: if Kiyotaka really was killed at the entrance of the exercise room, then his body should've been discovered right there. But instead, his body was discovered in the boy's locker room. How did his corpse get there? There wasn't a trail of blood that leads to the boy's locker room. Immediately, Byakuya asked questions regarding Leon's involvement in Kiyotaka's murder."Leon, what did you do to Taka's body?" Byakuya began to ask.Leon realized that's being suspected again. "Oh no..." he groaned. He then began to defend himself. "Listen! I didn't do anything with his body, other than touching it, of course. I did not move Taka's body to the boy's locker room. I swear!""No, you did," Byakuya insisted. "After witnessing Taka's death, you moved his body to the boy's locker room to prevent anyone else from seeing it. Isn't that right?""No, I didn't!" Leon shouted. "Gah! Why won't you believe me?!"It looks like Kiyotaka's body being moved from where he died is being a serious talking about. It might be worth noting that down.
Truth Bullet Acquired: Moved Body
Makoto felt like he had gathered enough clues from the crime scene. He wanted to leave the exercise room and check on the others to see what they've found, as well as letting Sayaka know about the clues he had gathered. But Byakuya and Leon are in his way, and they're having an argument over whether or not the latter have moved Kiyotaka's body. So he decided to speak up."Guys, can you please stop?" Makoto said.Byakuya and Leon turned to look at Makoto, with Byakuya giving off a glare."What?" Byakuya said."Uh...Makoto?" Leon said as he tried to come up with a way to get Makoto involved in this argument. "Um...defend me or something! Tell Byakuya that I didn't move Taka's body! Tell him that...someone else did it!""But you and Byakuya are the only ones who were seen coming from the classroom area," Kyoko said. "Therefore, one of you two must've moved Kiyotaka's body from where he was killed.""What?!" Leon gasped in shock."We don't have definitive proof to conclude that one of you two did it," Kyoko said. "So for the time being, you're both suspected of tampering with the crime scene, Byakuya and Leon.""Aw man..." Leon groaned."...It was definitely Leon," Byakuya said."It was not!" Leon countered."Wait, hold on a second!" Makoto said. "Byakuya, where were you before the morning announcement went off?"Byakuya turned his head and glared at Makoto. "Why are you asking me that?" he asked.Kyoko realized that Makoto had brought up a good point. "Hmm, that's a good question, Makoto," she said. "Byakuya, you must tell us your whereabouts at the time of the murder."Byakuya rolled his eyes. "Do I have to answer that question?" he asked. "It's not like my last whereabouts is important to this case. I was simply at the library, passing the time by reading books. I did hear a faint thud coming from below, but I didn't think too much of it...until I went downstairs to get breakfast and saw the rest of you gathering around at the dormitory.""The library..." Kyoko said. She thought about the library for a moment and wondered if there some clues that could be found there.
Truth Bullet Acquired: Byakuya's Account
"So as you can see," Byakuya continued, "I am clearly not the one who moved Taka's dead body. Therefore, the only other person who could've done that is-""Don't say it!" Leon suddenly shouted. "I wasn't me! I swear!""...Well it had to be someone who moved Taka's body," Byakuya countered. "And that someone must be you, Leon.""No, it's not!" Leon countered.Makoto is getting sick of this argument. "Look, guys," he said. "Could you please save the discussions for the Class Trial? You two are kind of in my way, and I want to check on the others to see what they've found..."Byakuya decided that he's done having this argument with Leon...for now. "Fine," he said. "Go ahead and leave this room. I'll be walking around the school waiting for the Class Trial to begin." He then left the exercise room.Leon let out a frustrated sigh after Byakuya left. He hoped that this is the last time he gets suspected of being involved in the murder of Kiyotaka."Well, we've seen all the evidence that can be found in this room," Kyoko said. "Let's move on."The rest of the group then left the exercise room.
Day 9 - 8:30 AMAthletics Hallway, First Floor
Makoto, Kyoko, and Mondo gathered around at the hallway as they made plans about their next move. Leon decided to go back to his room, as he felt drained from being suspected so many times."So...uh...what do we do next?" Makoto asked."Makoto, we're heading to the library next," Kyoko replied."The library?" Makoto said. "Isn't that where Byakuya said he was at before the morning announcement?""Yes," Kyoko confirmed. "We're going there next. There may be clues that could be found there.""You think so?" Makoto asked.Kyoko simply nodded her head."Okay, then..." Makoto said, agreeing with Kyoko's plans. "But what about Mondo? What's he going to do?""Oh, I'll just stay here and guard the crime scene," Mondo replied. "I don't wanna let anyone else get near my bro's body...""So you're not going, then?" Makoto said. "Well, if that's what you want to do...""We have limited time to spare, Makoto," Kyoko said. "Let's move." She then walked out of the Athletics Hallway and into the Main Hallway.Before leaving, Makoto took some time to have a talk with Mondo. "Hey, Mondo?" he began."...What is it?" Mondo asked."You know, you haven't really been acting like you were really hurt by the death of your friend," Makoto remarked."I am really hurt by my bro's death," Mondo replied. "It's just...I've gotta...keep a strong face... I've gotta...find the asshole...who killed my-""Makoto!" Kyoko called."Ah! Coming!" Makoto replied, turning his head in the direction of Kyoko's voice. He then looked back at Mondo. "Sorry, Mondo. But I've got to go. See you soon!" He then ran out of the Athletics Hallway."Hey! Wait!" Mondo shouted as Makoto ran away. "I'm not done yet!" But he was too late. Makoto had already left. Mondo is now left alone to guard the corpse of his dead friend.
Truth Bullets
Monokuma File 2: The victim was Kiyotaka Ishimaru. The time of death was about 6:40 AM. The body was discovered in the boy's locker room near the gym and pool. The victim suffered severe head trauma that resulted in the dislocation of the neck. The victim was killed instantly.
Yasuhiro's Prediction: Apparently, Yasuhiro had warned Kiyotaka that someone will get killed by a heavy object falling on their head. According to Mondo, Yasuhiro didn't say anything about who's going to die. Kiyotaka didn't listen to the warnings.
Writing on Wall: The words "Blood lust" is written on the back wall. It is written in blood. It looks like the calling card of a certain serial killer.
Status of Dead Body: Kiyotaka's body had been suspended, with his hands tied to the pull-up bars with some sort of rope. His head appears to have been cracked.
Genocide Jack's MO: According to the book of Genocide Jack Case Files, all of his victims were murdered in the exact same way, with their dead bodies being positioned in a certain way. On the walls the victims were pinned to, the words "blood lust" were written using the victim's own blood.
The Identity of Genocide Jack: According to the book of Genocide Jack Case Files, the infamous serial killer had caught the attention of Hope's Peak Academy. The school may have invited him to attend it, which meant that there's a high chance that one of the students is Genocide Jack. They might still be alive...
Leon's Account: Before the morning announcement played, Leon was woken up by Kiyotaka. Kiyotaka asked Leon to join him in the exercise room, to which Leon agreed after being annoyed enough times. They soon arrive at the exercise room. Upon opening the door, however, a heavy object fell on Kiyotaka's head, killing him instantly. Leon checked Kiyotaka's body to see if he's okay, but upon realizing that Kiyotaka had died, Leon ran away.
Exercise Room Plans: Kiyotaka and Mondo planned to invite Leon and Natsumi to the exercise room so that they can "blow off steam" and get their murdering urges out of their system. Kiyotaka and Leon went to the exercise room first, with the expectation that Mondo and Natsumi would arrive next.
Bloodstained Dumbbell: The dumbbell near the entrance to the exercise room had a significant amount of blood on it. It is quite heavy, with only Mondo and perhaps Sakura being able to lift it above their heads without showing signs of being strained. The weights are distributed unevenly, with one side having much more weights than the other.
Dumbbell Weights: The weights of the dumbbells are removable, allowing the user to adjust the dumbbells to their preferred specifications. The weights are heavy, but not too heavy. Even Makoto can carry them without issue.
Top of the Door: The top of the door is flat enough to support an object on it, so long as the door remains open. The door is quite narrow, so objects can easily fall off if the door is moved. It is also quite high up and out of reach of most students, so it is likely that a stepladder was used.
Moved Body: Kiyotaka's body had been moved from where he was killed. Leon initially saw Kiyotaka's body at the doorway to the exercise room. By the time everyone arrived at the exercise room, his body had been moved to inside the boy's locker room. Leon claimed that he wasn't the one who moved Kiyotaka's body.
Byakuya's Account: Byakuya was in the library in the minutes before the morning announcement was scheduled to go off. During his morning reading session, Byakuya heard a faint thud sound coming from below, but he didn't think too much about it.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Truth Bullets
Monokuma File 2: The victim was Kiyotaka Ishimaru. The time of death was about 6:40 AM. The body was discovered in the boy's locker room near the gym and pool. The victim suffered severe head trauma that resulted in the dislocation of the neck. The victim was killed instantly.
Yasuhiro's Prediction: Apparently, Yasuhiro had warned Kiyotaka that someone will get killed by a heavy object falling on their head. According to Mondo, Yasuhiro didn't say anything about who's going to die. Kiyotaka didn't listen to the warnings.
Writing on Wall: The words "Blood lust" is written on the back wall. It is written in blood. It looks like the calling card of a certain serial killer.
Status of Dead Body: Kiyotaka's body had been suspended, with his hands tied to the pull-up bars with some sort of rope. His head appears to have been cracked.
Genocide Jack's MO: According to the book of Genocide Jack Case Files, all of his victims were murdered in the exact same way, with their dead bodies being positioned in a certain way. On the walls the victims were pinned to, the words "blood lust" were written using the victim's own blood.
The Identity of Genocide Jack: According to the book of Genocide Jack Case Files, the infamous serial killer had caught the attention of Hope's Peak Academy. The school may have invited him to attend it, which meant that there's a high chance that one of the students is Genocide Jack. They might still be alive...
Leon's Account: Before the morning announcement played, Leon was woken up by Kiyotaka. Kiyotaka asked Leon to join him in the exercise room, to which Leon agreed after being annoyed enough times. They soon arrive at the exercise room. Upon opening the door, however, a heavy object fell on Kiyotaka's head, killing him instantly. Leon checked Kiyotaka's body to see if he's okay, but upon realizing that Kiyotaka had died, Leon ran away.
Exercise Room Plans: Kiyotaka and Mondo planned to invite Leon and Natsumi to the exercise room so that they can "blow off steam" and get their murdering urges out of their system. Kiyotaka and Leon went to the exercise room first, with the expectation that Mondo and Natsumi would arrive next.
Bloodstained Dumbbell: The dumbbell near the entrance to the exercise room had a significant amount of blood on it. It is quite heavy, with only Mondo and perhaps Sakura being able to lift it above their heads without showing signs of being strained. The weights are distributed unevenly, with one side having much more weights than the other.
Dumbbell Weights: The weights of the dumbbells are removable, allowing the user to adjust the dumbbells to their preferred specifications. The weights are heavy, but not too heavy. Even Makoto can carry them without issue.
Top of the Door: The top of the door is flat enough to support an object on it, so long as the door remains open. The door is quite narrow, so objects can easily fall off if the door is moved. It is also quite high up and out of reach of most students, so it is likely that a stepladder was used.
Moved Body: Kiyotaka's body had been moved from where he was killed. Leon initially saw Kiyotaka's body at the doorway to the exercise room. By the time everyone arrived at the exercise room, his body had been moved to inside the boy's locker room. Leon claimed that he wasn't the one who moved Kiyotaka's body.
Byakuya's Account: Byakuya was in the library in the minutes before the morning announcement was scheduled to go off. During his morning reading session, Byakuya heard a faint thud sound coming from below, but he didn't think too much about it.
Day 9 - 8:47 AMLibrary, Second Floor
Makoto and Kyoko arrived at the library, where there are supposed to be a clue.Makoto looked around the library, confused at what Kyoko is looking for. "So...um...what are we supposed to be looking for?" he asked.Kyoko focused her gaze at the back door of the library. "The archives..." she said. "There must be something we can find there..."Makoto wasn't paying attention, as he noticed something that was...off about one of the desk lamps. "Huh?" he said. "That lamp..."Kyoko turned her gaze on Makoto, curious about what he found. "Did you find something?" she asked."I'm not sure if that's what you're looking for," Makoto began to explain, "but...if I recall correctly, that lamp's cord used to extend all the way to the socket."Kyoko looked at the lamp Makoto was referring to. It's the lamp on the desk that is to their left and is closest to the library entrance. The end of the lamp's cord sways above the floor, not even reaching it."Hmm...good eye, Makoto," Kyoko complimented. "I almost didn't catch that." She then looked at the rest of the lamps, whose cords are long enough to reach the sockets that are on the hallway wall."How could this happen?" Makoto asked. "Why can the rest of the lamps' cords reach the wall socket, but this lamp can't?"Kyoko then noticed something that all the cords that can reach the wall sockets have in common. The long cords have what appears to be a bulge on them. That's when she gets an idea. "Try pulling the cord apart, with both hands placed on opposite sides of the bulge," she suggested.Makoto looked at Kyoko in confusion. "Huh?" he said."Go ahead," Kyoko said. "Try it out.""Okay..." Makoto replied.Makoto then walked up to one of the other lamps whose cord extends all the way to a wall socket. He found the place where the cord bulges and placed his hands on opposite sides of the bulge. He then pulled the cord apart. At first, he thought that he was going to break the cord, which is what happened...just not in the way he expected. The cord was pulled apart, revealing that it was actually a plug and socket."Whoa!" Makoto gasped. "What happened? What did I do?""You've never used an extension cord, haven't you?" Kyoko asked. "The cords on the desk lamps are too short to reach the wall sockets when they're placed on the desks, so they need an extension cord to connect to the wall sockets. By the looks of things, one of the extension cords have gone missing since the last time we've been to the library...""Where do you think one of the extension cords went?" Makoto asked."Who knows," Kyoko replied. "That extension cord could be anywhere."Come to think of it, the rope used to tie Kiyotaka's body to the pull-up bars doesn't look quite like actual rope. Makoto might come back to the crime scene and check. For now, he'd better keep the missing extension cord in mind for the Class Trial.
Truth Bullet Acquired: Missing Extension Cord
"Alright, that's enough distractions for now," Kyoko said. "Time to head to the archives."Makoto and Kyoko went to the archives to search for clues.
Day 9 - 8:50 AMArchives, Second Floor
The archive section of the library is semi-circular room with bookshelves lining the walls. The bookshelves themselves are filled to the brim with books and files."Whoa, there's even more books and files in the archives," Makoto remarked. He then coughed a few times. "And so much dust, too.""Be careful when pulling the books off of the archive shelves," Kyoko advised. "Some of these books have been left untouched for years. Opening them up may put your health at risk.""It feels like even standing in this room poses a risk to my health," Makoto replied. "So...what do these archives contain?" He then began to read the labels on the shelves. "Let's see... Government Documents, Unsolved Mysteries, Secrets of the World, Major Crimes...wait what? Why are these documents in this school? Why would anyone entrust this school with these documents?""Pay no attention to the rest of the archives," Kyoko said. "They are irrelevant to this murder case. Besides, I doubt that you would be able to handle the information contained in these books and documents.""What...?" Makoto said. "Then why are we in the archives?"Kyoko turned her gaze towards the book that stood out to her: a black book on the shelf labeled as Serial Killers. "Ah, good," she said as she reached for the black book. "He didn't take this book out of the archives."Makoto was confused at what Kyoko was talking about...until Kyoko pulled the black book out of the shelf and presented it to Makoto. A sense of dread filled Makoto's body as he saw the title of the book Kyoko is holding. It's the book of Genocide Jack cases."Oh no..." Makoto said in dismay. "Do we have to look at those images again?""Yes," Kyoko bluntly replied."But why?" Makoto asked. "Didn't we already see those images earlier?""We have seen them," Kyoko said. "And we did look at how Taka's body was displayed at the crime scene. Byakuya claimed that Taka's murder was the work of Genocide Jack. However...is that really the case?""Huh?" Makoto said in surprise."Let's review the Genocide Jack cases to see if there are any similarities between them and Taka's murder case," Kyoko said. "Any perhaps, we might be able to spot something that the Genocide Jack cases have in common that we didn't learn previously."Makoto felt uneasy about have to look at images of dead people again. He hoped that this would be the last time he would see those gruesome images.Kyoko flipped through the book of Genocide Jack cases until she reached the last page that the rest of the class got to see. She lingered on those pages long enough for Makoto to study them, much to his discomfort."Remember seeing these images?" Kyoko asked."...Yeah," Makoto replied with unease."Good," Kyoko said. "Now, recall what I said earlier. Byakuya claimed that Genocide Jack was behind the murder of Taka based on the similarity between the crime scene we found downstairs and the crime scenes depicted in these photos. Do you see any resemblance?""Well...they do look pretty similar-" Makoto said, only to stop when he realized that someone was off now that he got to see those gruesome images again. "Hold on a second...""What is it?" Kyoko asked."Those men were stabbed with scissors and were pinned to the wall with scissors," Makoto said. "But according to the Monokuma File, Taka suffered a severe head trauma, and we've learned that it was because he got struck in the head by a falling object."Kyoko grinned upon seeing Makoto's observation skills. "That's a good point," she said. "While at first, Taka's murder seems to resemble that of Genocide Jack's murders, upon closer inspection, you'll find that Taka's cause of death does match that of the rest of Genocide Jack's victims. As you said, Taka died from head trauma, while Genocide Jack kills his victims by stabbing them with scissors.""But we never found any scissors at the crime scene," Makoto added. "And as for the way Taka's body was suspended, he was tied to the pull-up bars with some sort of rope! He wasn't even pinned to the wall!""Correct," Kyoko said. "Now, do you know what this means?"Makoto blanked out a little as he tried to figure out what the dissimilarities between Taka's murder case and Genocide Jack's victim's cases mean. "Uh...that Genocide Jack can't be the culprit?" he guessed."Not just that," Kyoko said. "It also means that someone's trying to trick us into thinking that Genocide Jack is behind Taka's murder.""But who would do that?" Makoto asked.Kyoko already has someone on her mind, and she's not ready to say it just yet. Makoto wasn't sure just who Kyoko was thinking about, but he's pretty sure that the critical differences between Taka's murder cases and Genocide Jack's victim's murder cases should be kept in mind for the upcoming Class Trial.
Truth Bullet Acquired: Crime Scene Differences
"We'll expose that student's lies later," Kyoko said. "For now, let's keep going. There's one more thing that we must look over before going on.""One more thing?" Makoto asked. "But what about-?""We'll reveal the truth during the Class Trial if the need arises," Kyoko said. "Now, back to this book. It reveals something else that all of the Genocide Jack cases have in common. Have a look at this."Kyoko turned the pages to a new section of the book of Genocide Jack cases, a section which Makoto has never seen before. It contains additional details about what every Genocide Jack case has in common."All of these crimes that are suspected to be committed by Genocide Jack took place either on weekdays at night or on holidays at any time of day," the book reads. "These patterns suggest that Genocide Jack could be either a student or an office worker. Police officers attempted to reach the crime scenes as soon as possible in an attempt to apprehend Genocide Jack. But all they could find was the same person who had been knocked unconscious. When asked about their involvement with Genocide Jack, the person claimed that they had no idea how they ended up where they were found. Because of their proximity to the crime scenes and their confusion when being questioned, it has been suspected that Genocide Jack may in fact be a split personality, and the true identity of Genocide Jack may be the person that was always found near the crime scenes. Their identity has not been disclosed to the general public."Makoto became puzzled when he got to the part where the book implied that Genocide Jack may in fact be someone's split personality. "A split personality?" he asked. "How could that be the case? I thought that split personalities only happen in TV shows or something.""It is possible for someone to have a split personality," Kyoko said. "We call it dissociative identity disorder. It's when a person has multiple personalities that don't share memories with each other. When a person with this disorder changes personalities, their former personality stops making new memories while their current personality begins developing memories. It's a rare disorder, and it's even rarer for it to be displayed at the levels of the true identity of Genocide Jack.""...You've learned that from Dr. Matsuda, haven't you?" Makoto said."Dr. Matsuda was a neurologist, not a psychiatrist," Kyoko corrected. "That said, both fields involve the brain.""Okay..." Makoto said. "So if Genocide Jack is really a split personality, and the real identity of Genocide Jack is a student of Hope's Peak Academy, then..." Makoto winced upon reaching that conclusion. It looks like one of the students has a split personality, who turns out to be Genocide Jack. But who could be the real identity of Genocide Jack? Are they still alive? Probably, given how many students are still alive at this point. Or maybe the topic of Genocide Jack is irrelevant since their real identity isn't in this school. Either way, everyone must watch out for the moment when Genocide Jack reveals himself.
Truth Bullet Updated: The Identity of Genocide Jack
Kyoko then closed the book on the Genocide Jack cases. "Alright, that's enough clues for now," she said.Makoto was surprised that Kyoko decided to end the investigation of the library right now. "What? Already?" he asked."We've gathered all the clues we needed from this library," Kyoko said. "We'd better move on to someplace else. Come on." She then began to walk out of the archives, with the book of Genocide Jack cases still in her hands."Wait, what about that book?" Makoto asked. "Why are you bringing it out of the archives?""We might need to bring up its contents during the Class Trial," Kyoko replied. "This book is our only reliable source of information regarding Genocide Jack. We'd better trust it."Makoto felt uneasy at the idea of showing everyone those gruesome images of those dead men again. He then began to wonder where Kyoko is going. "So...uh, what are you going to do now?" he asked."I'm heading back to the crime scene," Kyoko said. "I need to verify what you said about the crime scene is true, that it doesn't match up with what Genocide Jack usually does to his victims. Oh, and one more thing: do not trust Byakuya's words."Makoto was puzzled by what Kyoko meant by that. "Huh? Why not?" he asked."He must be up to something," Kyoko replied. "Now, if you would excuse me, goodbye for now. I'll see you at the Class Trial."Kyoko then left the archives, with the book of Genocide Jack cases in her hands.Makoto remained in the archives for a few moments as he thoughts about his next actions. Hmm...I wonder what the others are doing, he thought. Have they found some evidence as well? I should probably check up on them. Oh, and I also should tell Sayaka and Toko about what I've found during the investigation. They need to know about the evidence before the Class Trial begins...With his plans decided, Makoto walked out of the archives and exited the library.
Day 9 - 9:15 AMHallway, First Floor
Makoto walked downstairs and through the hallway on his way to the dormitory. As soon as he stepped into the first floor, however, someone caught his attention."Hey! Makoto!" Hina said as she stood in the middle of the hallway, waving her hands in the air. "Over here!"Makoto was puzzled at why Hina is trying to get his attention. So he walked up to her. "Hina? Did you find something?""Oh, thank goodness," Hina said in relief. "I was trying to get someone to the infirmary, but everyone just ignored me!"Why does it feel like I have to be the one present for evidence to be gathered? Makoto thought.Hina then grabbed Makoto by the wrist. "Come on, Makoto!" she said as she began to drag Makoto into the infirmary. "In here!""Hey! Hina!" Makoto yelled as he was being dragged into the infirmary.
Day 9 - 9:16 AMInfirmary, First Floor
Makoto was taken to one of the beds in the infirmary, where two pieces of evidence are laid on top of it. One of the them is a towel. It has bloodstains on it. The other is a pair of disposable gloves. It also has bloodstains on it."More bloodstained objects..." Makoto muttered. "Are these involved in Taka's murder too?"Standing to Makoto's sides are Hina and Natsumi. They've spent the entire investigation in the infirmary, waiting for share the evidence they had found to someone.Hina shrugged at Makoto's question. "Maybe," she replied. "I mean, they've got blood on them, just like that dumbbell, but I'm not sure if they were used in Taka's murder..."Makoto paid close attention to the two pieces of evidence. He thought about where they could've come from. He knows that the bloodstained gloves had to come from the infirmary. That place has seemingly endless amounts of them. As for the towel, it looks kind of familiar..."So, what do you think?" Hina asked. "Do you think that these things were involved in Taka's murder?""They could be," Makoto said. "Where did you two find these evidence?""Oh, we found them in the trash bin," Natsumi explained. "That sporty girl thought that the infirmary was involved in this case just like last time. It was there when we spotted these things in the trash bin.""Were they there the last time you checked the trash bin?" Makoto asked."I don't know," Natsumi replied. "I didn't check that trash bin last night."Makoto wondered when the bloodstained towel and gloves were tossed into the trash, as well as wondering if these two pieces of evidence are really that important to solving the case. Oh well. They both have blood on them. That blood could've come from Taka's corpse. He might as well keep them in mind for the Class Trial.
Truth Bullets Acquired: Bloodstained Towel and Bloodstained Gloves
Looking at Natsumi, Makoto remembered something. She was one of the students who had planned to use the exercise room this morning. He wondered how involved Natsumi is in the overall case. So he asked her a question."Hey, Natsumi," Makoto began to ask."What?" Natsumi replied."I've heard that you were one of the students who planned to use to exercise room," Makoto said. "Is that true?"Natsumi raised her eyebrow. "Uh, is that important to you?" she asked."I can explain!" Hina said. "So, I was walking around the school last night looking for Sakura when I saw Mondo and Natsumi in a conversation. It looked like Mondo was inviting Natsumi to do something with him. I learned that they were both planning on using the exercise room.""I already know that," Makoto said. "Is there anything else I need to know?"Hina thought about what she saw last night, and then shrugged. "Sorry, I can't quite recall what I've heard last night," she said."Is that really true?" Natsumi asked. "I swore that I've heard something last night. Wait..."This made Hina remember something. "Oh yeah, I did hear something!" she said. "Right, so after Natsumi said that she was going to accept Mondo's invitation, we've heard some footsteps coming from the hallway. It...sounded like someone had overheard our conversation...""And then right after that, I revealed to that biker boy that I was lying about having accepted his invitation!" Natsumi said."Natsumi!" Hina scolded."Hey, I had a reason for rejected his invitation," Natsumi replied. "Him inviting me must've be a part of some plot to get me killed. What other reason could he have for trying to invite me to hang out with him?""We were only trying to get you to let off some steam, so to speak..." Hina said as she slouched over."Wait, hold on," Makoto said, finding what Natsumi said a little odd. "Natsumi, did you really think that Mondo was going to kill you? Why would he do that?""Obviously, he wanted to kill me to keep his secret safe," Natsumi replied. "Hey, don't tell me that you've forgotten about the motive!""But Mondo said that he doesn't hurt girls," Hina said."No, he said that he doesn't hurt chicks," Natsumi countered."I saw Mondo try to bring himself to hurt you!" Hina said. "He couldn't do it!""That pathetic biker boy only stopped himself because you're a witness!" Natsumi said. "He knew that if he had killed me, he would get into trouble because you saw him do it!""Why would he even want to kill you?" Hina asked. "We don't even know his secret yet!"As Hina and Natsumi argued against each other over if Mondo was involved in this murder case, Makoto thought about what Hina said she saw last night.So, Hina saw Mondo trying to invite Natsumi to join him in the exercise room, Makoto thought. During their conversation, they heard footsteps coming from the dormitory hallway. It sounded like someone had overheard their conversation. But who could it be? Was it Taka trying to make sure that his plan succeeds? Or was it someone else? I'm not sure if this will take me closer to finding the truth, but I'd better keep this in mind...
Truth Bullet Acquired: Hina's Account
After finishing his thoughts, Makoto looked back at Hina and Natsumi, who are still having an argument. Feeling like he has little time remaining before the Class Trial begins, and seeing that there are no more clues left to be found in the infirmary, Makoto decided to leave."Uh...I'll be going now," Makoto said as he turned towards the infirmary door. "You girls can...continue having your argument at the Class Trial. See you soon." He then left without Hina or Natsumi noticing.
Day 9 - 9:23 AMDormitory, First Floor
With pretty much all the evidence he felt like he needed, Makoto decided to convey the information he has gathered to Sayaka. But before he could do that, there is one more thing that he felt like checking first. On the way to Sayaka's room, where Sayaka is presumably at, Makoto decided to give Toko one more visit. He saw Sakura guarding the door to Toko's room, so he walked up to her."Hey, Sakura," Makoto greeted.Sakura turned her head towards Makoto. "What is it?" she asked. "How's the investigation?""I've gathered pretty much all the evidence I needed," Makoto replied."Have you figured out who killed Taka?" Sakura asked.Makoto shook his head. "I haven't gotten an idea yet," he replied. "Byakuya claimed that Genocide Jack had killed Taka, but..."Sakura raised an eyebrow. "But what?" she asked.Makoto shook that thought out of his head. "Never mind," he said. "So, how's Toko doing? Is she hiding in her room again?""I rang the doorbell," Sakura said. "Toko is in her room."Well, that's to be expected, Makoto thought.Sakura then squinted her eyes as she looked at Makoto. "What do you want?" she asked."Can I talk to Toko for a moment?" Makoto asked. "There's something that I want to ask her about.""What are you asking Toko about?" Sakura asked."Just...give me a moment," Makoto said as he walked up to Toko's door. "Excuse me."Sakura stepped aside from Toko's room as Makoto rang the doorbell. There, they waited until Toko answered the door.Toko opened her door slightly, just enough for her head to be visible. She looked shocked to see Makoto at her door again. "Y-You again?" she said. "W-Why won't you leave me alone?""Toko, there's something that I want to ask you about," Makoto said. "You told me that you're hiding in your room to protect us from something terrible. Could you tell me what that is?"Toko is angered by Makoto being so nosy about why she's hiding in her room. "W-Why do you want to know that?" she asked. "There's a r-reason why I'm hiding in my room, you know!""Toko, please," Makoto begged. "Just...open up a little. Tell me what you're protecting us from!""Go away!" Toko shouted. "You don't want to know what I'm hiding! This is none of your business!" She then slammed the door shut.Makoto was disappointed that he didn't get to know what Toko is trying to hide. Sakura, meanwhile, gave Makoto a disapproving look."You shouldn't have asked Toko that question, Makoto," Sakura said."But I really want to know what Toko is protecting us from," Makoto said."It's just as Toko said," Sakura replied. "You don't want to know what Toko is trying to hide from us. Besides, it might involve her secret that Monokuma is threatening to reveal."Makoto wondered if what Sakura said about Toko's secret is true. "You think so?" he asked."I'm just saying that it could be the case," Sakura replied.Makoto then thought about Toko's behavior for the past few days. Hmm, Toko has been hiding in her room for the past few days, he thought. It began when...everyone learned about the existence of Genocide Jack. Is that just a coincidence? Or is there a deeper meaning behind this? Toko did say that she's hiding in her room to protect everyone from something terrible. What could that be? Is that even relevant to this case? We're trying to solve a murder, not figure out what someone's secret is. Unless...Makoto wondered if revealing Toko's secret is essential to solving the murder of Kiyotaka. After all, she hid herself in her room after everyone learned about Genocide Jack. And given how much Byakuya has insisted that Kiyotaka's murder was committed by Genocide Jack... Hmm, looks like revealing Toko's secret really is essential to solving Kiyotaka's murder.
Truth Bullet Acquired: Toko's Behavior
Sakura stared at Makoto as he thought about Toko. "How long are you going to stand there for?" she asked. "Don't you have anything else to do?""Ah, sorry," Makoto apologized. "I was thinking for a moment. I'm not sure how much time we have before the Class Trial begins, so I'll just share the evidence with Sayaka.""Are you sure you have enough time to do that?" Sakura asked. "The Class Trial could begin at any moment.""I'll just try to share as much as I can," Makoto replied as he walked up to Sayaka's door and ring the doorbell.After a moment, Sayaka answered the door. She opened the door just enough to make her face visible. She looked miserable."Hey, Sayaka," Makoto greeted. "I knew that you would be in your room. I'm pretty much done with the investigation, so now I'm sharing the evidence with you. Sound good?"Sayaka said nothing. She just stared at Makoto with her dull eyes."Huh? What's gotten into you, Sayaka?" Makoto asked. "Why aren't you saying anything?"Sayaka still said nothing.Makoto let out a sigh. "Look, can I come in and have a talk with you?" he asked. "I want to share evidence with you. You should know about the evidence before the Class Trial begins, okay?"Sayaka thought about letting Makoto in for a moment. She hasn't done anything during the investigation other than hide in her room much like Toko. Therefore, any evidence that the others have gathered will surprise and confuse her when they are brought up. Perhaps it might be a good idea to be informed of the evidence ahead of time. Having come to a decision, Sayaka opened the door wide open."Ah, thanks," Makoto said as he entered Sayaka's room.Sayaka then closed the door after Makoto went inside her room.
Day 9 - 9:27 AMSayaka's Room, First Floor
Makoto and Sayaka sat down together at the table. During their conversation, Makoto observed that Sayaka still looked uneasy to be in her room. She kept on looking at the spot where the late Yasuke's body was found, as if his body is still there.Makoto waved his arm to grab Sayaka's attention. "Hey, Sayaka," he said. "Over here."Sayaka shifted her gaze over to Makoto, though her face is still pointing at the spot where the late Yasuke used to be."I know that being in this room is bringing back bad memories," Makoto said. "To be honest, I don't understand why you chose to hide in your room. Is your room really the only place you could hide?"Sayaka silently nodded her head."Figures," Makoto said with a sigh. "This is the only safe place you can access with your E-Handbook. Anyways, so I'll just briefly summarize what I've found during the investigation. I've gathered a lot of evidence, so this might still take a while. So pay attention, okay?"Sayaka listened to Makoto as he went over every piece of evidence that he has gathered during the investigation, aside from the evidence which everyone already knows about. For the evidence that was gathered at the crime scene, Sayaka formed a picture in her head on how the murder of Kiyotaka went down. Based on what Makoto said about the crime scene, she figured that Kiyotaka was killed by a dumbbell that fell on his head. That explains why the dumbbell on the floor had bloodstains on it, as well as explaining the cause of death that is listed in the Monokuma File.However, when Makoto got to the evidence that was found outside of the crime scene, Sayaka looked confused. She has no idea how those pieces of evidence relate to the case. She has questions about those pieces of evidence could help solve the case. She wanted to ask those questions, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. And when Makoto mentioned Genocide Jack...Sayaka felt sick to the stomach."So essentially," Makoto summarized after sharing all the evidence he had gathered to Sayaka, "Byakuya claims that Genocide Jack is behind Taka's death. And at first glance, it looked like the serial killer did it. But if you look closely, you'll find that the way Taka was killed and displayed doesn't match how Genocide Jack kills his victims and displays their bodies. Taka was killed by blunt force trauma, not by stabbing. No scissors were involved in his death. Taka wasn't even pinned to the wall! He was suspended in front of it! Something suspicious is going on here. There's probably a reason why Kyoko told me to not trust Byakuya's words. He might be-"At this point, Sayaka moaned in pain. She's clutching her stomach and covering her mouth."Oh...sorry about that," Makoto apologized. "Hearing about Genocide Jack again must've made you sick, right?"Sayaka just groaned as a reply.Makoto let out a heavy high. "Look, this case is confusing," he said. "It might seem impossible for us to figure out who killed Taka. But trust me. There's probably a way for us to find that solution. We'll just have to fight out way to the solution."Sayaka wondered if it is even possible for a solution to be found. She worried that this might be it. Whoever killed Kiyotaka might be able to get away with his murder. Everyone else but the culprit is doomed. As she thought about the worst possible outcome, an announcement began to play across the entire school.*Ding-dong, ding-dong!*"Ahem," Monokuma began to announce. "Attention everyone! The time for the Class Trial has come! All surviving students, please gather at the elevator room. You'll find that room behind the large red door on the first floor. I'll be seeing you there!"...Sayaka winced at the idea that this might be the end of her and everyone else.Makoto stood up from his seat, feeling ready to face the Class Trial head on. "Well, it begins," he said. "Time to meet with everyone."Makoto and Sayaka then left the room, heading for the elevator room to begin the Class Trial.
Day 9 - 9:42 AMElevator Room, First Floor
Everyone gathered around at the elevator room just like last time. Well, with the exception of Toko. Monokuma is probably out to drag her to the elevator room. As they waited for Monokuma to return with Toko, some of the students noticed that Kyoko is holding a book in her hands. Those students were hit with a dreadful feeling as soon as they recognized the book that Kyoko has brought to the Class Trial."Wait...is that...?" Hifumi asked, getting really sweaty upon seeing the book that Kyoko is holding."The book of Genocide Jack cases," Byakuya said. "Kyoko, why have you brought that out of the archives?""We might need to bring up the contents of this book during the Class Trial," Kyoko explained. "Which means...we will need to see the images of Genocide Jack's victims again."Sayaka felt lightheaded from the thought of having to see those gruesome images again. She leaned on Makoto for support, as her felt like her legs are about collapse."Well, that won't matter," Byakuya said. "We all know that it was Genocide Jack who is behind this murder. There's no mistaking it. All that's left to do now is to expose the true identity of Genocide Jack, and I indent to do that in the Class Trial!"Makoto and Kyoko glared at Byakuya, feeling doubtful that Genocide Jack, or his true identity, is the one who murdered Kiyotaka.After Byakuya declared what he intends to do during the Class Trial, Monokuma returned to the elevator room, dragging Toko behind him as he entered."And that's everyone!" Monokuma said upon arriving.Toko sneered at Monokuma for dragging her around again. "Y-You're terrible!" she shouted. "You're just t-terrible! D-Dragging me around like t-that again...! I swear, i-if you do that to me one m-more time...""Hey, if you don't want to be dragged around by me next time, then use your feet!" Monokuma shouted.The elevator doors then open up. Everyone began to enter the elevator, except for Toko who had to be dragged into it by Monokouma, as well as Mondo who stood still for a moment before stepping into the elevator."Bro..." Mondo muttered as he closed his eyes. "I promise to you. I will find the asshole...who took your life! This will end badly for them...but still...I can't let them get away with killing you!" His eyes shot open as he said those words."Hey, cut the sentimental talk and get inside that elevator!" Monokuma shouted as he went behind Mondo and kicked him."Gah!" Mondo yelped as he was forced into the elevator.As soon as everyone got inside, the elevator closed its doors and began its descend downwards.Everyone spent the entire elevator ride staring at the downed Mondo. They wondered if he got hurt when Monokuma shoved him into the elevator."You know, if you had just gotten into the elevator instead of standing still like an idiot, this wouldn't have happened to you!" Natsumi said.Most of the students turned their attention to Natsumi, giving her disapproving looks."...Shut up," Byakuya ordered.The elevator clanked against the sides of the shaft as it went deeper into the ground. The clunking sounds continued on for a while. The uneasy feeling in everyone's hearts grew bigger and bigger as they got closer to the bottom. Finally, after what felt like forever, the elevator arrived at its destination.
Day 9 - Unknown TimeTrial Room, Underground
The courtroom had undergone a redesign since the last time everyone had undergone a Class Trial. It looks like a generic courtroom, with scaffolding and paint buckets placed all over the place. Just outside the elevator is a cart with some bread rolls and bottled water on it. It looks like it was placed there so that everyone can have something to eat before the Class Trial begins.Monokuma appeared in front of everyone. "Welcome back to the courtroom!" he said. "Apologies about the mess. I didn't have enough time to decorate this courtroom to be themed around the victim of this case. Besides, I was having a lot of trouble coming up with a theme in the first place! How am I supposed to theme a courtroom around someone who is a hall monitor?"Byakuya groaned at Monokuma for wasting his time. "Quit wasting our time with these stupid topics," he said. "Let's get this Class Trial over with.""Hey wait," Hina said, reminding everyone that someone's absent. "What about Mondo?"Everyone turned their heads towards the elevator, where they saw Mondo get back up."Ugh..." Mondo groaned as he lifted himself off the elevator floor. He saw Monokuma and growled at him. "Hey! Stupid bear! What did you do that for?""I am not a stupid bear, Corn Head," Monokuma said. "I am a genius bear! I only kicked you into the elevator because you're delaying the Class Trial. Now then, everyone get into your assigned podium!"Everyone went to their assigned podiums and inserted their E-Handbooks into the slot. Looking around at the podiums, they saw two additional portraits in place of the newly deceased students: the executed Junko Enoshima, and the murdered Kiyotaka Ishimaru. Coincidentally, they stood next to each other. Seeing the two adjacent portraits made Sayaka feel even more uneasy. She wondered how much longer she can withstand this uneasy feeling before passing out.Kiyotaka Ishimaru, the Ultimate Hall Monitor... After the deaths of Dr. Yasuke Matsuda and Junko Enoshima, Kiyotaka tried his best to lift everyone's spirits up. All he wanted to do was to prevent any more deaths from happening. When Monokuma revealed everyone's next motive, Kiyotaka intentionally told everyone what his secret is so that he no longer has a motive that would push him into committing murder. It didn't work, of course, and it's highly unlikely that Kiyotaka is willing to commit murder in the first place, but at least he tried. And now...he's dead.Who killed Kiyotaka? Who set up the trap that killed him? Why did they do it? Is the culprit one of the people who was planning to use the exercise room? Or was it someone else? If that's the case, then how did they know that Kiyotaka was going to use the exercise room? And who is the true identity of Genocide Jack? Is he involved in this murder as Byakuya said?This murder case is looking to be a complicated one. The innocent students hoped that they would untangle this mess and solve the case. Their lives are on the line, after all.
Truth Bullets
Monokuma File 2: The victim was Kiyotaka Ishimaru. The time of death was about 6:40 AM. The body was discovered in the boy's locker room near the gym and pool. The victim suffered severe head trauma that resulted in the dislocation of the neck. The victim was killed instantly.
Yasuhiro's Prediction: Apparently, Yasuhiro had warned Kiyotaka that someone will get killed by a heavy object falling on their head. According to Mondo, Yasuhiro didn't say anything about who's going to die. Kiyotaka didn't listen to the warnings.
Writing on Wall: The words "Blood lust" is written on the back wall. It is written in blood. It looks like the calling card of a certain serial killer.
Status of Dead Body: Kiyotaka's body had been suspended, with his hands tied to the pull-up bars with some sort of rope. His head appears to have been cracked.
Genocide Jack's MO: According to the book of Genocide Jack Case Files, all of his victims were murdered in the exact same way, with their dead bodies being positioned in a certain way. On the walls the victims were pinned to, the words "blood lust" were written using the victim's own blood.
The Identity of Genocide Jack: Genocide Jack is an infamous serial killer who is known to have murdered and displayed his victims in gruesome ways. Police kept on trying to catch him in the middle of an act, but upon arriving, they kept finding the same person near the crime scene, who appears to be confused about how they got to the crime scenes. It's been speculated that Genocide Jack is really someone's split personality who doesn't share memories with their normal personality. Genocide Jack's actions have caught the attention of Hope's Peak Academy, and so have invited him to become one of their students. Because of this, it is likely that Genocide Jack's real identity is lurking somewhere within the school.
Leon's Account: Before the morning announcement played, Leon was woken up by Kiyotaka. Kiyotaka asked Leon to join him in the exercise room, to which Leon agreed after being annoyed enough times. They soon arrive at the exercise room. Upon opening the door, however, a heavy object fell on Kiyotaka's head, killing him instantly. Leon checked Kiyotaka's body to see if he's okay, but upon realizing that Kiyotaka had died, Leon ran away.
Exercise Room Plans: Kiyotaka and Mondo planned to invite Leon and Natsumi to the exercise room so that they can "blow off steam" and get their murdering urges out of their system. Kiyotaka and Leon went to the exercise room first, with the expectation that Mondo and Natsumi would arrive next.
Bloodstained Dumbbell: The dumbbell near the entrance to the exercise room had a significant amount of blood on it. It is quite heavy, with only Mondo and perhaps Sakura being able to lift it above their heads without showing signs of being strained. The weights are distributed unevenly, with one side having much more weights than the other.
Dumbbell Weights: The weights of the dumbbells are removable, allowing the user to adjust the dumbbells to their preferred specifications. The weights are heavy, but not too heavy. Even Makoto can carry them without issue.
Top of the Door: The top of the door is flat enough to support an object on it, so long as the door remains open. The door is quite narrow, so objects can easily fall off if the door is moved. It is also quite high up and out of reach of most students, so it is likely that a stepladder was used.
Moved Body: Kiyotaka's body had been moved from where he was killed. Leon initially saw Kiyotaka's body at the doorway to the exercise room. By the time everyone arrived at the exercise room, his body had been moved to inside the boy's locker room. Leon claimed that he wasn't the one who moved Kiyotaka's body.
Byakuya's Account: Byakuya was in the library in the minutes before the morning announcement was scheduled to go off. During his morning reading session, Byakuya heard a faint thud sound coming from below, but he didn't think too much about it.
Missing Extension Cord: The library desk lamps' cords are too short to reach the socket on the wall, so they require an extension cord in order to reach them. One of the extension cords appears to have gone missing.
Crime Scene Differences: Although the crime scene in the boy's locker room seems to resemble the crime scenes where Genocide Jack's victims were found, there are several key differences between them. Kiyotaka's body wasn't pinned to the wall, no scissors were involved in his murder, and his cause of death doesn't match how Genocide Jack kills his victims.
Bloodstained Towel: A bloodstained towel that was found in the infirmary's trash bin. It looks familiar, as if Makoto had seen it before.
Bloodstained Gloves: A pair of disposable gloves that was found in the infirmary's trash bin. They were stained with blood. It looks like they were used recently.
Hina's Account: She was walking around the school last night looking for Sakura when she came across Mondo and Natsumi. She learned that Mondo was planning to invite Natsumi to join him in the exercise room the following morning. Natsumi accepted the invitation, but before she revealed that she was lying, everyone heard some footsteps coming from the dormitory hallway.
Toko's Behavior: Ever since everyone learned about the existence of Genocide Jack, Toko has been secluding herself in her room. She claims that she's doing this to prevent something terrible from escaping, but what could it be?
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Chapter 2: The Serial Killer Among Us
Class Trial Part 1
Kiyotaka was killed in trying to prevent two students from thinking about murdering someone. Byakuya claims that Genocide Jack is behind this murder. But is that really the case? Who is Genocide Jack? And if he's not involved in the murder, when who set up the trap that killed Kiyotaka? A tangled case lies before everyone...
Truth Bullets
Monokuma File 2: The victim was Kiyotaka Ishimaru. The time of death was about 6:40 AM. The body was discovered in the boy's locker room near the gym and pool. The victim suffered severe head trauma that resulted in the dislocation of the neck. The victim was killed instantly.
Yasuhiro's Prediction: Apparently, Yasuhiro had warned Kiyotaka that someone will get killed by a heavy object falling on their head. According to Mondo, Yasuhiro didn't say anything about who's going to die. Kiyotaka didn't listen to the warnings.
Writing on Wall: The words "Blood lust" is written on the back wall. It is made of blood. It looks like the calling card of a certain serial killer.
Status of Dead Body: Kiyotaka's body had been suspended, with his hands tied to the pull-up bars with some sort of rope. His head appears to have been cracked.
Genocide Jack's MO: According to the book of Genocide Jack Case Files, all of his victims were murdered in the exact same way, with their dead bodies being positioned in a certain way. On the walls the victims were pinned to, the words "blood lust" were written using the victim's own blood.
The Identity of Genocide Jack: Genocide Jack is an infamous serial killer who is known to have murdered and displayed his victims in gruesome ways. Police kept on trying to catch him in the middle of an act, but upon arriving, they kept finding the same person near the crime scene, who appears to be confused about how they got to the crime scenes. It's been speculated that Genocide Jack is really someone's split personality who doesn't share memories with their normal personality. Genocide Jack's actions have caught the attention of Hope's Peak Academy, and so have invited him to become one of their students. Because of this, it is likely that Genocide Jack's real identity is lurking somewhere within the school.
Leon's Account: Before the morning announcement played, Leon was woken up by Kiyotaka. Kiyotaka asked Leon to join him in the exercise room, to which Leon agreed after being annoyed enough times. They soon arrive at the exercise room. Upon opening the door, however, a heavy object fell on Kiyotaka's head, killing him instantly. Leon checked Kiyotaka's body to see if he's okay, but upon realizing that Kiyotaka had died, Leon ran away.
Exercise Room Plans: Kiyotaka and Mondo planned to invite Leon and Natsumi to the exercise room so that they can "blow off steam" and get their murdering urges out of their system. Kiyotaka and Leon went to the exercise room first, with the expectation that Mondo and Natsumi would arrive next.
Bloodstained Dumbbell: The dumbbell near the entrance to the exercise room had a significant amount of blood on it. It is quite heavy, with only Mondo and perhaps Sakura being able to lift it above their heads without showing signs of being strained. The weights are distributed unevenly, with one side having much more weights than the other.
Dumbbell Weights: The weights of the dumbbells are removable, allowing the user to adjust the dumbbells to their preferred specifications. The weights are heavy, but not too heavy. Even Makoto can carry them without issue.
Top of the Door: The top of the door is flat enough to support an object on it, so long as the door remains open. The door is quite narrow, so objects can easily fall off if the door is moved. It is also quite high up and out of reach of most students, so it is likely that a stepladder was used.
Moved Body: Kiyotaka's body had been moved from where he was killed. Leon initially saw Kiyotaka's body at the doorway to the exercise room. By the time everyone arrived at the exercise room, his body had been moved to inside the boy's locker room. Leon claimed that he wasn't the one who moved Kiyotaka's body.
Byakuya's Account: Byakuya was in the library in the minutes before the morning announcement was scheduled to go off. During his morning reading session, Byakuya heard a faint thud sound coming from below, but he didn't think too much about it.
Missing Extension Cord: The library desk lamps' cords are too short to reach the socket on the wall, so they require an extension cord in order to reach them. One of the extension cords appears to have gone missing.
Crime Scene Differences: Although the crime scene in the boy's locker room seems to resemble the crime scenes where Genocide Jack's victims were found, there are several key differences between them. Kiyotaka's body wasn't pinned to the wall, no scissors were involved in his murder, and his cause of death doesn't match how Genocide Jack kills his victims.
Bloodstained Towel: A bloodstained towel that was found in the infirmary's trash bin. It looks familiar, as if Makoto had seen it before.
Bloodstained Gloves: A pair of disposable gloves that was found in the infirmary's trash bin. They were stained with blood. It looks like they were used recently.
Hina's Account: She was walking around the school last night looking for Sakura when she came across Mondo and Natsumi. She learned that Mondo was planning to invite Natsumi to join him in the exercise room the following morning. Natsumi accepted the invitation, but before she revealed that she was lying, everyone heard some footsteps coming from the dormitory hallway.
Toko's Behavior: Ever since everyone learned about the existence of Genocide Jack, Toko has been secluding herself in her room. She claims that she's doing this to prevent something terrible from escaping, but what could it be?
Class Trial 2
IN SESSION
"Before we begin, how about I remind everyone about how the Class Trial works," Monokuma began."Don't waste our time," Byakuya said, interrupting Monokuma before he could explain how the Class Trial works. "We already know how the Class Trial works. There's no need to explain it again.""Hey, I'm just trying to explain how the Class Trial works again just in case someone has forgotten how they work," Monokuma replied."It's been four days since the last Class Trial," Byakuya said. "How could anyone of us possibly forget how the Class Trial works?"Monokuma then threw his hands into the air. "Gah! You're delaying the start of the Class Trial!" he complained. "You know what? Fine! I'll give a succinct summary of what happens during a Class Trial! Everyone debate, then places their votes. Fine the blackened, they get punished. Get it wrong, everyone but the blackened is punished. There! Happy now?"Byakuya sighed and facepalmed, seeing as his attempt to get the Class Trial started as soon as possible has only resulted in the Class Trial being delayed a little. Monokuma's succinct explanation on how the Class Trial works did not make up for the lost time.With the beginning of the Class Trial, everyone began to debate on where to begin."So...where should we start?" Hina asked."Let's start by doing an overview on what we know about how the victim died," Kyoko suggested.Mondo looked over the Monokuma File on his E-Handbook. He looked like he was holding back his tears. "Taka...bro..." he said. "It says here that he died from blunt force trauma in the head...""Gee, I wonder what could be the murder weapon," Leon said sarcastically. "Maybe it's the bloodstained dumbbell that was found on the floor!""Uh, no," Yasuhiro said. "It can't be that obvious."Everyone aside from Sayaka and Byakuya looked at Yasuhiro with confused look."W-What makes you think that?" Toko asked."Here me out," Yasuhiro said. "What if that dumbbell was actually a red fish...or something?"Everyone was baffled by what Yasuhiro meant by that...except for Hifumi."What? Are you saying that Taka was killed by a fish?" Hina asked."I believe the term you're looking for is 'red herring'," Hifumi said."Herrings can be red?" Hina asked.Makoto saw that Yasuhiro is about to derail the debate from the start. This can't be good, he thought. Some of the students are going off on tangents, and some of them are doubting that the dumbbell is the murder weapon. What is Hiro up to? Regardless of his intentions, I'd better get everyone to agree that the dumbbell is the murder weapon.
Nonstop Debate 1
START
Yasuhiro: Okay, here me out, everyone! / What if the actual murder weapon... / ...was actually an iron pipe?Hina: An iron pipe? Yeah, that would make for a powerful weapon...Sakura: It says on the Monokuma File... / ...that Taka was killed by blunt force trauma. / An iron pipe would cause such a wound...Leon: But where the hell would we even find a pipe?Yasuhiro: I'm...sure that you can find one if you look hard enough.
An iron pipe was the murder weapon? No, that can't be right. It's too obvious what the murder weapon is. I'd better correct everyone before the entire debate is derailed...
Truth Bullet Used: Bloodstained DumbbellWeak Point Refute: "an iron pipe""No, that's wrong!"
BREAK
"Can we all agree that the murder weapon was the dumbbell?" Makoto said. "It was found near the crime scene, it had blood on it, and we have access to the dumbbells. The bloodstained dumbbell is just one of the many dumbbells that are found in the exercise room.""Plus, the wound on the victim's head exactly matches the shape of the dumbbell," Kyoko added. "If the murder weapon was an iron pipe, then the wound would've been straight and narrow. But the wound on Taka's head had a large area. There's no doubt about it. Taka was killed by a dumbbell.""Wait, did you really check Taka's head wound?" Hina asked, looking shocked."Yeah...she did," Mondo replied, feeling uneasy recalling the moment when he watched Kyoko touch Taka's corpse."The wound had a large area?" Yasuhiro said. "Then...the murder weapon must've been a hammer instead!""A hammer?" Leon asked. "What are you talking about? I don't see a hammer anywhere in this school! That can't be the murder weapon!""Shut up!" Yasuhiro shouted. "I'm sure you can find a hammer if you look hard enough!""Cut the discussion on what the murder weapon could be," Byakuya said. "That won't be necessary."Most of the students turned their heads towards Byakuya in confusion."What the hell are you talking about?" Mondo asked. "Of course we have to talk about the murder weapon first! We need to know how he got killed by the murder weapon! Then we can move on to who could've killed him!"Byakuya sneered at Mondo. "Plankton, aren't you forgetting what I said when we discovered the body?" he asked. "I already told everyone that the culprit responsible for this murder is obvious."Makoto had a feeling that Byakuya would move the discussion in that direction. "Don't tell me..." he said.Sayaka shrunk back as she realized where Byakuya is going. She's not liking where he's taking the discussion.Byakuya pointed his finger forwards as he made his conclusion. "The culprit responsible for killing Kiyotaka is none other than the fiendish serial killer Genocide Jack!" he declared.
Nonstop Debate 2
START
Byakuya: We've all seen what the crime scene looked like. / Based on that, it's obvious that Genocide Jack is the culprit. / Well, looks like this case is closed.Hina: Case closed? Uh...no!Byakuya: Hmm? What makes you think this case isn't closed yet?Hina: Well, uh... / I mean, how could Genocide Jack be involved in this case? / There's no proof that he did it.Celeste: Plus, we don't even know who Genocide Jack is...Leon: Uh, not me! It's definitely not me!Toko: ...
The evidence that shows that Genocide Jack could be involved in this case... I don't want to do this, but it looks like we need to bring that up again...
Truth Bullet Used: Genocide Jack Case FileWeak Point Lock: "no proof""Hold it!"
BREAK
"I think Byakuya's onto something," Makoto said. "There is evidence that he could be involved.""Wait, really?" Hina asked. "Is that why...?"Kyoko sees this moment as her opportunity to being up the book that she brought to the Class Trial. She lifted up the book of Genocide Jack cases and presented the cover to everyone.Hifumi had a dreadful feeling about this. "Oh no..." he said. "Don't tell me that you're going to open that book up!""I will in a moment," Kyoko said."That book was found in the library's archives," Makoto explained. "Remember this book? Byakuya showed us the contents of this book when he told us about the existence of Genocide Jack. Now, I don't want to subject all of you to those gruesome images again, but I felt that it's necessary for us to see them to compare the crime scene to those images!"Hifumi then grabbed onto Makoto and began to shake him. "Wah!" he cried. "Don't make Miss Kyoko Kirigiri open that book! I don't wanna see those images again!""Hey! Hifumi!" Makoto shouted. "Let go of me!"Sayaka glanced at Makoto and wondered if she should help. As much as she wants to help Makoto free himself from Hifumi's grip, she just couldn't find the energy to do so."There's no need to open that book," Byakuya said, making Hifumi stop shaking Makoto. "We've already seen the contents of those books once. I'll spare all of you the sight of those dead people and move on to a more important topic. According to that file, there are two defining characteristics of every Genocide Jack murder case. The first is that a message written in the victim's blood can be found at the crime scene. It appears to be Genocide Jack's calling card.""The message is 'bloodlust'," Kyoko said. "That's what we saw written on the wall near where we found Taka's body.""Correct," Byakuya said. "Now, as for the second characteristic...that's the more important one. This other defining characteristic is something that has never been made public knowledge to prevent someone else from getting the same idea and creating a copycat murder. Do you know what that is?"Mondo tried to recall what the other characteristic of every Genocide Jack murder case is. But it appears that the gruesome images of those dead Genocide Jack victims had slipped his mind, and he doesn't have the willpower to recall those images. "Uh...I have no idea what the hell that is," he said."I can explain-" Kyoko tried to say."You've already told us what the first characteristic is, Kyoko," Byakuya said, interrupting Kyoko. "I'm letting someone else answer this question. Why don't we let Makoto give us an answer?"Makoto was surprised to hear that he's being picked to tell everyone what the second characteristic is. "Me?" he asked."Go ahead, Makoto," Byakuya said. "Answer this question: what is the other characteristic of every Genocide Jack murder case that has never been made public knowledge?"The other characteristic of every Genocide Jack case, Makoto thought. Now, why would Byakuya choose me to answer this question of all people? Does he expect me to not know the answer? Or maybe...does he know that I know the answer to that question? Byakuya is acting more suspicious than I thought..."Time's running out," Byakuya warned. "If you think took long, you'll be holding back the-""It's the way the victims are positioned," Makoto replied.Byakuya was surprised to hear that Makoto knows what the second characteristic to every Genocide Jack case is. "What...?" he said. "How did you...?""Apparently, Genocide Jack positions his victims in a certain way," Makoto continued. "He always suspends their body in a certain way. Other than him, only the people who made the book of Genocide Jack cases know this detail. And it makes sense why this isn't public knowledge yet. I checked the labels on the shelves in the archives. They all sound like things that no ordinary person should ever have access to! And one of the shelves is labeled 'Serial Killers', which is where the book of Genocide Jack cases was found!""Wait, what?!" Yasuhiro asked, freaking out over Makoto revealing this information.Byakuya grinned upon seeing Makoto know all this information. "Hmm, impressive, Makoto," he said. "I see that you know the details of the contents of the archives. Yes, it is true that the archives hold documents that no ordinary person should get their hands on. And yet...us students of Hope's Peak Academy have easy access to them.""Hold on," Leon said. "What's all this have to do with Genocide Jack?""I'll tell you," Byakuya said. "The fact that Genocide Jack suspends his victim in a certain way was never made public knowledge is proof that we aren't dealing with a copycat crime. We're dealing with the real Genocide Jack, and he is lurking among us!""NOOOOOOO!" Hifumi cried."Wait, that makes no sense!" Natsumi shouted. "You told us that the way Genocide Jack suspends his victims is not public knowledge, yet you showed us those images of Genocide Jack's victims! That means that it's no longer public knowledge, and therefore any one of us could be copying Genocide Jack!""Hmm...good point, yakuza girl," Byakuya said."My name is Natsumi, dammit!" Natsumi growled."Whatever," Byakuya said in dismissal. "It seems that you have forgotten one detail. Even if all of us knows that Genocide Jack suspends his victims, who would be willing to replicate his crimes? No one, but the real deal, that's who!""Huh?" Natsumi said in confusion."So...you're saying that Genocide Jack really is one of us," Celeste concluded. "Is that correct?""Yes," Byakuya said. "And the true identity of Genocide Jack is none other than...Toko Fukawa."Everyone was caught off guard when Byakuya revealed the true identity of Genocide Jack. It felt too...abrupt for all the buildup.Toko froze in place upon being outed as the true identity of Genocide Jack. "W-What?" she gasped. "M-Me...? G-Genocide J-Jack...?""Wait, this makes no sense!" Hina shouted. "Doesn't Toko have...bloodophobia or whatever? What kind of serial killer is afraid of blood?""Plus, you've implied that Genocide Jack a boy," Leon said. "And now you're revealing that Genocide Jack is a girl all along?""WAHHH!" Hifumi cried. "YOU LIAR!""Is it really true that Toko is Genocide Jack?" Byakuya asked, as if he knows what everyone is thinking. "The answer is...yes and no.""Yes and no?" Yasuhiro asked. "What do you mean? Man, why does this have to be so complicated...?"Makoto thought about the question at hand. So...Toko is Genocide Jack, he thought. But at the same time, she's not? How could that be? Hmm, I remember hearing Kyoko mention that term when she said that could be someone's...ugh! I swear that I remember what this term is. I just need to think...
New Hangman's Gambit
START
Question: What is the nature of Genocide Jack?Hint 1: The case files speculated that Genocide Jack is this...Hint 2: Toko's behavior after seeing the body does seem odd...ANSWER: SPLIT"I got it!"
BREAK
"Could it be that Genocide Jack is a split personality?" Makoto suggested.Hina looked at Makoto in confusion. "Huh?" she said."I remember reading about that in the case file," Makoto said. "They said that Genocide Jack could be someone's split personality. It is believed that the true identity of Genocide Jack is suffering from...what's it called again?""Dissociative identity disorder," Kyoko answered."Ah, thanks, Kyoko," Makoto said."So wait," Hifumi said. "Miss Toko Fukawa has a split personality? How could that be? That sounds ridiculous!""It's not ridiculous," Byakuya replied. "We have proof that Toko does have a split personality! Recall what we saw happened to her when she was dragged into the crime scene."Everyone aside from Sayaka and Toko began to recall what they saw happened to Toko when she arrived at the crime scene and saw Kiyotaka's corpse."Let's see..." Makoto began to say. "After Toko was dragged to the crime scene and saw Taka's body, she fainted. When she woke up, her body became much more mobile than her build would suggest. Not only that, but she began to stick her tongue out...""D-Don't you dare m-mention that!" Toko shouted angrily. "Y-you never saw that!"Hearing Toko speak reminded everyone of something."Hmm...now that I heard you speak," Hina said, "the way you spoke after you woke up does sound strange. That stutter in your voice? It was no longer there after you woke up. You sound more sure of yourself in that other personality.""In other words, Toko has two separate personalities inside her," Byakuya said. "There's the main personality, who is always nervous and can't stand the sight of blood. And then there's the other personality, the one which is calmer and can handle seeing blood. That other personality can only be Genocide Jack! Isn't that right?""Eek!" Toko shrieked as her hidden personality is being uncovered."And that's not all," Byakuya continued. "There's more evidence that proves that your other personality is Genocide Jack! Right after everyone learned about Genocide Jack's existence, Toko decided to hide herself in her own room. That sounds suspicious enough.""And then there's the part where Monokuma gave us the second motive," Makoto added. "After he gave us our next motive, I decided to check on Toko to see if I could get any details about what her secret could be. All she told is that she's not hiding in her room to hide from. She's hiding in her room to prevent something from getting out. When I asked her again during the investigation, she told me that I don't want to know what she's trying to hide from us.""In other words," Byakuya began to conclude, "Toko Fukawa, your secret is that Genocide Jack is your other personality."Toko gasped in shock upon seeing that her secret has been exposed."Aw...snap!" Monokuma began to announce. "Looks like someone's secret has been exposed during this Class Trial. Here, I'll announce it to tell you all that yes, this is indeed what I have written down to be Toko's secret. Ahem. Toko Fukawa, your secret is, 'You have a murderous alternate personality named Genocide Jack.' So? How does it feel to have your secret exposed?"Toko began to shook violently, as if she's starting to lose control of herself."Toko, you know that you have a murderous split personality," Byakuya said as he pointed a finger at Toko. "You felt that Genocide Jack is a danger to everyone. You don't want Genocide Jack to kill any more people. And so, you have done whatever it takes to prevent Genocide Jack from coming out and to prevent others from knowing that you are Genocide Jack. However, those days of hiding that other personality are over. As the one harboring the culprit of this case, you must let Genocide Jack out.""N-No!" Toko cried. "D-Don't make me d-do that!""It's time, Toko," Byakuya said. "Stop trying to hide Genocide Jack anymore.""I-I've promised...to m-myself...that I w-won't let G-Genocide Jack take c-control..." Toko said as she continued to shake violently. Then she had a full blown breakdown. "N-NO! S-STOP IT! DON'T-!"Toko suddenly lost consciousness and fell to the floor. Everyone looked at Toko as she laid on the floor."Hey, uh, Toko?" Leon asked as he leaned over towards Toko's podium. "You alright?""Miss Toko Fukawa!" Hifumi called as he leaned over towards Toko's podium. "Are you okay? Please, answer me!"Then, Toko's eyes suddenly shot open and her body sprung back up on her feet. Except...Toko's face looked different. Her eyes changed color to a blood red, and her tongue is sticking out. Her mood is different too, being a bit...unhinged. "Why hello there, everyone!" she said in a tone that definitely not Toko's normal tone."WAH!" Leon and Hifumi screamed at the same time."Man, that took a while for me to get out," Not Toko said. "That Toko spent so long trying to hold me back. But it looks like she could hold back no more."Everyone was shocked to see Toko's other personality."Toko?" Hina asked, wondering if that's still Toko who is standing at Toko's podium."No, it's..." Byakuya said."That's right!" Not Toko said. "Fear the might of the Ultimate Murderous Fiend, Genocide Jack! Wait, no, that doesn't sound fitting to me. What's with you people assuming that all serial killers are male? How stereotypical. From now on, you may call me...Genocide Jill!"Genocide Jack/Jill - Ultimate Murderous FiendMondo stared at Genocide Jill, stunned by her sudden appearance. "What...the shit?" he uttered."This is completely insane!" Natsumi said. "How could such a timid girl house such a monster within herself?""Just admit it," Genocide Jill said. "We all have internal monsters that lie deep inside ourselves, just waiting to reveal themselves to the world. Just like how every has a head and a tail, how ever inning has a top and bottom, and how every light has a shadow, every dark and gloomy soul hides another that shines as bright as the sun! Conversely, every shining soul hides dark, gloomy shadow underneath it!"Sayaka felt like panicking upon hearing that sentence. Considering what had happened to her a few days ago, that felt insensitive.Hifumi then wondered something. "Um...Miss Jack-er, Jill?" he began to ask. "Can I...ask you a question?""What's your question, big ball of fat?" Genocide Jill asked.Hifumi felt insulted from being called that. "Um...could you be...the mastermind behind our situation?" he nervously asked."Why, of course I am!" Genocide Jill replied. "I'm the mastermind of masterminds...just kidding!""What?" Makoto said. "That's not...true?""Of course it can't be true!" Monokuma said. "There's no way that freak could be mastermind! Why would she even be the mastermind? It makes no sense when you think about it!""Even if she wasn't the mastermind behind our imprisonment in this school," Byakuya said, "Genocide Jill definitely is the one behind Taka's death. She has a motive for doing so, remember?""A motive...?" Sakura asked."Recall what Monokuma told us about our motives," Byakuya said. "If we don't murder someone within the time limit, our embarrassing memories and secrets will be exposed to the outside world. We know that Toko's secret is that she's the true identity of a serial killer. If that secret comes to light, Toko's life would be ruined forever. So, she had a motive to never let the rest of the world learn about her other personality.""How interesting," Genocide Jill said. "So you think that I have a motive to kill someone. It would make sense. My host's life would be ruined if word got out that I'm her other personality. But as much as I hate to admit it, I'm not the culprit!"Byakuya is stunned to hear that Genocide Jill admit that she's not the culprit. "What?" he said."But...it has to be you!" Yasuhiro said. "I mean, no one else but you could've killed Taka and displayed his body like that!""I killed Clockworks?" Genocide Jill said, to the confusion of everyone. "Sorry, but I don't remember getting anywhere near him. That boring Toko had done a good job keeping me confined to her room.""You liar," Byakuya said. "Why would we believe a word from you? You killed Taka. End of story.""Hey, what I'm saying is the truth you know!" Genocide Jill said.Looks like Byakuya's accusation is falling apart, Makoto thought. Now's my chance to expose his lies!"How could we trust your words if you're the culprit?" Hina asked."Y-Yeah!" Yasuhiro said. "I-It must be you who's the real liar!""No, I'm not," Genocide Jill insisted."Wait, who's right?" Mondo asked. "Is Genocide Jill telling the truth? Or is she lying?""Do you even need to ask?" Byakuya asked. "Of course she's lying! Now shut up and let me-""Uh, hello?" Genocide Jill said. "Are you listening to me? I'm telling the truth! I did not kill Clockworks.""Who the hell is Clockworks?!" Mondo shouted."Everyone, calm down," Kyoko ordered. "We must proceed this discussion in an orderly fashion."But it looks like Kyoko's words fell on deaf ears, as several of the students began to shout at each other over if Genocide Jill is telling the truth, and if they can trust Byakuya in that he told the truth.W-What's going on? Makoto thought. It...sounded like several discussions are happening at once! I-I can't keep up..."I'm not getting this shit!" Mondo growled. "Who's the real liar?""Enough of your lies, Genocide Jill," Byakuya said. "Admit to your crimes already!""Is anyone listening to me?" Kyoko asked. "I need all of you to stop!""Answer me!" Mondo shouted."Your days of escaping justice is over!" Byakuya declared at the same time."Just calm down already!" Kyoko shouted.
Mass Panic Debate
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Mondo: Hey! Are you listening to me?!Jill: Sorry, but I didn't kill anyone!Kyoko: Everyone, stop this at once.Mondo: Who the hell should I trust?!Jill: Not in this school, anyways...Kyoko: One person at a time!Leon: Uh...I don't know!Celeste: Would looking over everyone's alibis chance things?Hina: Huh? Did I hear something?Hifumi: Hmm...they both sound like they're telling the truth...Byakuya: That won't be nessessary.Sakura: It's hard to hear anything in this crowd...Hifumi: ...but they also could be lying as well!Byakuya: If you compare your past murders to this incident...Hina: What are we supposed to do?Hifumi: Wah! I don't know who to trust!Byakuya: ...you'll find that the M.O. matches completely.Yasuhiro: Man, if only we have someone who has, like, super hearing.Mondo: What was that?! I didn't hear you!Jill: Sorry, I couldn't hear you!Kyoko: This debate is a mess...
How am I supposed to deal with this? There's too many voices at once! I'm...pretty sure that there's a contradiction somewhere. But I can't focus! All of these voices are distracting me! This is too much! I can't handle this!
Makoto is overwhelmed by the number of students that are speaking at once. He knows that there's a contradiction in the debate somewhere. But with with how chaotic the debate has become, he can't concentrate on what a single student is speaking. How is he supposed to single out a statement if that statement is being drowned out by several other people talking? It looks like this debate is at a standstill.But in that moment, Sayaka began to think about what she should do in this situation.
What am I supposed to do? This debate...it's getting so messy. It looks like Makoto is having trouble trying to track what everyone is saying. Makoto...I had promised to him that I would be his Ultimate Assistant, that I would help him at every chance along the way. But so far, I have not helped him at all. What good is being an assistant who can't help? I feel so useless right now...
After thinking about her next action for a moment, Sayaka makes her decision.
No! I can't think like that! I...I had gone through so much on the road to achieving my dreams! Most people would break down upon seeing the reality what being an idol entails. But I...I made it here...as the Ultimate Idol! Even as I went through so many hardships, I never gave up trying to pursue my dream...my group's dream! This killing game... It's pushing my mind to its limits! I can't...I can't afford to give up now! Makoto...it looks like he needs my help! He can't handle this debate by himself! I must help him... There's a contradiction in here somewhere. I can hear it clearly! I just need to...speak up...!
Truth Bullet Used: Genocide Jack's M.O.Weak Point Refute: "the M.O. matches completely""I hear it!"
BREAK
"Everyone! Listen to me!" Sayaka shouted.Suddenly, everyone stopped shouting at each other as they turn their attention to Sayaka. They were stunned to hear her speak."Sayaka...?" Makoto asked.Sayaka then lunged forward and gasped for air. Her bottled up emotions had just been released. She's having a hard time managing them after snapping out of her depressive mood."Sayaka!" Makoto cried as he reached out towards Sayaka. "Are you okay? What's gotten into you?"Sayaka turned her head towards Makoto. "I'm...fine," she assured. "It's just...it looks like you really needed my help. It...pains me to see you stuck like this..."Byakuya was taken aback by Sayaka's sudden recovery. "What's going on?" he asked. "Why do you want everyone to listen to you? What do you have to say?"Sayaka lifted her head up to face Byakuya. "Byakuya..." she said in between her breaths. "I believe...that you're the real liar."Byakuya was shocked to hear that he's being accused of lying. "What?! Me?!" he gasped. "A liar? How could you tell that I'm lying?!"Sayaka then lifted herself to an upright position. "Byakuya...you've been saying that Genocide Jill is the culprit behind Taka's death," she said. "You told us that there are two characteristics that every Genocide Jill murder case share. But aren't you forgetting something?""Forgetting what?" Byakuya asked. "I know every detail of the Genocide Jill case. There's no way that I'm forgetting a detail.""If you know every detail of every Genocide Jill case," Sayaka said, "then you know what all of them have in common! You've told us that the two things that every Genocide Jill case has in common are that there's a message written in the victim's blood on the wall and that the victim's body was suspended. We've also known that every one of Genocide Jill's victims is a man.""Oh yeah, I forget about that detail," Hina remarked. "I don't think I remember seeing a female victim at all in that case file. D-Don't open that case file, Kyoko! I don't want to see those images again!""But why would Genocide Jill target only men?" Leon asked."I'm a ferocious little tiger, you see," Genocide Jill began to explain. "When an adorable man catches my host's eyes, I compel her to follow them all the way to their homes. Then, when the time is right, I gobble them up alive so that they're mine and mine alone! They'll never see another girl who they considered cuter than my host ever again!""A-As if anyone would consider Miss Toko Fukawa cute..." Hifumi said nervously."So as you can see, that's three elements of my signature style of murder down," Genocide Jill said. "But as Blueberry said, there's one more element left to uncover.""Blueberry...?" Makoto asked, confused at who Genocide Jill is referring to."Does anyone remember the fourth element of my signature style of murder?" Genocide Jill asked. "I'll give you a hint: it all comes down to the murder weapon!"Sayaka began to think about the question at hand. The murder weapon that Genocide Jill uses to kill her victims, she thought. I think...I know what the answer is. Makoto told me about this when he described the evidence he had gathered. Not only that, but by revealing this answer, we can prove that the culprit couldn't be Genocide Jill!
Logic Ride 1
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Question 1: What is the cause of death of Genocide Jill's victims?A. SlashingB. StabbingC. Blunt ForceQuestion 2: What did Genocide Jill use to kill her victims?A. KnifeB. SpearC. ScissorsQuestion 3: What is Kiyotaka's cause of death?A. Blunt ForceB. PunchC. StabbingQuestion 4: What is the likely murder weapon?A. HammerB. PipeC. Dumbbell
The cause of death of Genocide Jill's victims and the murder weapon used to kill them... They don't match up with how Taka died! That must be it. The fourth characteristic of every Genocide Jill murder case...and the evidence that proves that she couldn't have killed Taka!
Answers
1. B / 2. C / 3. A / 4. C
"I get it now!"
BREAK
"The fourth characteristic that all Genocide Jill cases share," Sayaka began to declare, "is that she kills her victims by stabbing them to death! And the weapon she uses to kill them are...scissors!""What?!" Yasuhiro gasped. "Scissors?!""That's right, Blueberry," Genocide Jill said. "Whenever I kill my victims, I always make sure to use some scissors to kill them. But not just any scissors. My scissors are custom-tailored to suit my needs! Don't believe me? Here they are!" She then revealed her signature scissors, which startled everyone, especially her neighbors."Ah!" Leon yelled."Watch it!" Hifumi complained. "You could hurt someone with those things!""She uses those things to kill her victims?" Hina asked."You've all seen those images of Genocide Jill's victims, remember?" Kyoko said. "Surely, you must also remember that all of her victims were killed using scissors right?"Some of the students felt embarrassed at the fact that they had forgotten that detail."Also, does anyone remember seeing any scissors at the crime scene?" Makoto asked.Some of the students were also embarrassed that they forgot that there weren't any scissors to be found at the crime scene."What's going on?" Byakuya asked, looking panicked when he saw that his accusation was being broken down. "Why are you defending that murderer? Isn't the culprit of this case obvious?""Byakuya, aren't you forgetting something important?" Sayaka asked. "All this time, you've been saying that Genocide Jill was the culprit. But in doing so, you're overlooking a critical piece of information! According to the Monokuma File, Taka was killed by blunt force trauma, not stabs!""Plus, the murder weapon was already obvious," Makoto added. "The bloodstained dumbbell on the floor and the fact that the shape of the wound matches the shape of the dumbbell... There's no doubt about it! That dumbbell is the murder weapon!""But even so...Genocide Jill could still be the culprit of this case!" Byakuya insisted. "She could've used the dumbbell instead of her scissors!""Nope! Not possible!" Genocide Jill said. "I strictly adhere to my methods of murdering people. I never deviate from my methods! Ever! Also, I should mention that I use my scissors to pin my victims to the wall!""But Taka wasn't pinned to the wall," Makoto said. "He was suspended right in front of it! And his hands weren't pinned to the pull-up bars with scissors. They were tied to them up with a rope!"Kyoko then thought about how suspicious Byakuya has been acting this entire morning. "Hmm, the more I think about it," she said, "the more it sounds like all of this was set up to pin the crime on Genocide Jill. The insistence that Genocide Jill is the culprit, the attempts at shutting down anyone who challenges that theory, and the fact that Byakuya was the first person to find out where Taka's body had moved to... Byakuya, have you tampered with the crime scene to make it look like Genocide Jill is the culprit?"Byakuya was shocked to hear that he's being accused to tampering with the crime scene."When it was suggested that we should search the school to look for Taka," Kyoko continued, "you went straight for the boy's locker room immediately, Byakuya. Now, it is likely that the boy's locker room is the only place where Taka's body could've been hidden. However, the way you moved towards the boy's locker room...it's almost as if you already knew that he was there. Isn't that right?""Gah!" Mondo roared. "I knew that I shouldn't trust you! You always called me plankton!"Byakuya was left in silence as his attempts at deceiving everyone had been foiled."Well, Byakuya?" Makoto began to ask. "Do you have anything else to say about-""I am not backing down!""Oh, Makoto," Byakuya said. "You naive fool. You let me have a chance to talk, so I intend to use this opportunity to defend myself!""What...?" Makoto asked."Makoto!" Kyoko scolded. "What have you done?!""I-I was just trying to let Byakuya explain what he did!" Makoto replied.Byakuya then turned his attention to Sayaka and gave her a menacing glare. "Sayaka," he called."Huh?" Sayaka said."Since you're the one who first uncovered my attempts at deceiving you all," Byakuya said, "I shall challenge you into a one-on-one showdown! If you really think that I'm the one who tampered with the crime scene, then tell me: what's the proof that I did?""We already have enough proof that you had tampered with the crime scene," Kyoko said. "Are you asking us for more proof?""Hold on, Sayaka!" Makoto said, trying to help Sayaka out. "Let me provide-""Stand back, commoner," Byakuya said. "You have no place in this fight.""What?" Makoto gasped."So, Sayaka," Byakuya began to ask. "So you have the answer? Do you have the proof that only I could've tampered with the crime scene?"Oh no, Sayaka thought as she entered the showdown against Byakuya. Why do I have to do this...?
Rebuttal Showdown 1
Byakuya vs. Sayaka
START
Byakuya: If I did tamper with the crime scene, / then that would make me the culprit. / After all, I would have a reason / to pin my crime on someone else. / However, I am not the culprit. / I was too far away from the crime scene / at the time of the murder. / Therefore, I couldn't have tampered with the crime scene!
ADVANCE
Sayaka: But you're the only one who could've tampered with the crime scene. And Taka's body was suspended with a rope. Where did you get that rope?Byakuya: Where did I get that rope? / That's ridiculous. / I have never seen that rope before in my life. / We have all seen how Genocide Jill suspends her victims. / Even if we don't have access to her scissors, / a rope would make for a suitable substitute. / Therefore, anyone could've tampered with the crime scene!
According to Makoto, Byakuya was at the library at the time of the murder. Makoto said that he saw that one of the extension cords had gone missing when he investigated the library. Hmm...now that I think about it, the rope that used to suspend Taka does looks a little strange on its ends. I wonder where that "rope" came from...
Truth Blade Used: Missing Extension CordWeak Point Cut: "I have never seen that rope""I'll cut down your words!"
BREAK
"Actually, Byakuya," Sayaka began to declare, "you have seen that rope before! Or rather...that extension cord?"The reveal that the "rope" that was used to suspend Kiyotaka is in fact an extension cord shocked nearly half of the class."WHAT?! Hifumi gasped. "An extension cord?!"Byakuya became shocked that Sayaka knew that one of the library's extension cords had gone missing. "What?" he gasped. "I...used one of the library's extension cords...as a rope? How did you know that? I haven't seen you do anything for the entire investigation!""Because...I told her," Makoto answered. "Before the Class Trial began, I shared what I had found with Sayaka, just to let her know the evidence ahead of time. After I explained what I had found to Sayaka, I told her that you're acting suspicious, that you're tampering with the crime to frame Genocide Jill as the culprit. However, you knew full well that she couldn't be the culprit, and you also know that if we collectively vote for the wrong person, everyone but the real culprit will be killed!""What's that?" Genocide Jill asked. "Master Togami was trying to frame me for murder? How shameful! I'd rather commit my own murders instead of letting someone else frame me!"Byakuya gave Genocide Jill an irratated look. "Don't...call me your master," he said with a scowl."But what does this have to do with using an extension cord as a rope?" Leon asked."Byakuya, I'd like to give your account a full assessment," Kyoko said. "You said that you were at the library when you heard a thud sound coming from below. Is that correct?""That's true..." Byakuya replied."I see," Kyoko said. "And when you hear the thud sound, you didn't think much of it. Is that true?""Yes..." Byakuya said nervously."You think so?" Kyoko asked. "Well, let me ask you this. If you did hear a strange noise coming from below, wouldn't you think to check downstairs to see what made the noise?""Guh?!" Byakuya gasped."That's what you did, right?" Kyoko said. "You checked downstairs and found Taka's dead body in the exercise room. That's when inspiration struck. You decided to head back upstairs and took an extension cord from the library. Then, you went back to the exercise room and dragged Taka's corpse to the boy's locker room. Finally, you suspended Taka's corpse on the pull-up bars, using the extension cord as a makeshift rope."Hina felt like Kyoko's summary of Byakuya's actions sounds a bit off. "Wait a second..." she said. "How would Byakuya know to check the exercise room after hearing that thud?""More importantly," Sakura added, "Leon said that he fled from the exercise room after he witnessed Taka's death. His path would have intersected Byakuya's path as he ran to the dormitory. But yet, he never reported seeing Byakuya...""Can confirm," Leon said. "Didn't see him at all.""Um...Mr. Byakuya Togami?" Hifumi began to ask. "Did you see Mr. Leon Kuwata run away from the exercise room?""Wait, did Byakuya watched me run away?" Leon asked.Byakuya didn't give an answer.Sayaka then wondered if Byakuya really did see Leon run away from the exercise room, and if he did, where would he be standing? Considering the layout of the school and the route the two boys had taken, Sayaka realized that there is a place where Byakuya could see Leon, but not the other way around. Byakuya came from upstairs to check the source of the thud sound he heard, which means..."...Byakuya, you saw Leon from the stairs, right?" Sayaka asked."What?!" Leon gasped in shock. "He was at the stairs?! How did I not see him?""It's likely because you never checked the stairs, Leon," Kyoko explained. "Your route to the dormitory would have made you turn left, away from the stairs which were to your right. Since going for the stairs would have taken you away from your destination, you didn't check that place, and therefore, you didn't see Byakuya. Meanwhile, Byakuya can see you from the stairs. He saw you run away from the exercise room, which made him check that place. That must be how Byakuya discovered Taka's corpse!""Well, Byakuya?" Makoto asked. "Are you ready to give up? Have you finally admitted to tampering with the crime scene?"Byakuya stood at his podium, stunned to see that his web of lies is being untangled. He thought for a while on how to respond to everyone accusing him of tampering with the crime scene to frame Genocide Jill as the culprit. Before he could say anything, one of the students brought up one more question."Hey, wait a minute!" Hifumi said. "If Mr Byakuya Togami did drag the late Mr. Kiyotaka Ishimaru into the boy's locker room, then how come there isn't a trail of blood leading into that room?""And if Byakuya were to handle Taka's body," Celeste added, "he would have gotten blood all over his hands, much like what we saw with Leon."Leon looked at the palms of his hands, regretting his choice to check Kiyotaka's body after he witnessed his death. "Why did I do that...?" he asked himself."But when he showed up to our emergency meeting," Celeste continued, "his hands were clean. Not only that, but his clothes are clean as well. And no, he couldn't have changed into a different set of clothes. Who would even have the foresight do bring extra clothes with them all the time?""Uh...me?" Yasuhiro said.Celeste glared at Yasuhiro. "I was not looking for an answer," she said.Mondo realized to his horror that the discussion about Byakuya tampering with the crime scene is going on for even longer. "Aw shit..." he groaned. "How much longer do we have do do this?!""Hold on!" Sayaka said. "I think I know the answer!""Stand back, Sayaka," Makoto ordered. "Let me handle this."Sayaka looked at Makoto in confusion. "Huh?" she said. "But didn't I...?""You've done your part, Sayaka," Makoto explained. "You can take a break now. Besides, some of our classmates aren't likely to listen to you if you haven't helped out in the investigation. I appreciate your help, but don't forget who told you all the evidence."Sayaka was disappointed that she didn't get to assist Makoto this time. But he has a point: she hadn't done much during the investigation, and the only reason she knows about all the evidence is because Makoto shared what he found to her. Perhaps this is the time to let Makoto solve this mystery.Makoto then thought about the question at hand. The mystery of the missing blood trail, he thought. How did Byakuya managed to prevent a trail of blood from being created when he dragged Taka's body into the boy's locker room? And how did he prevent getting his hands stained with blood as he moved the body? Hmm...I know two people who found evidence that could give us an answer. I wonder what they have to say...
Nonstop Debate 3
START
Celeste: Byakuya was completely spotless when he showed up. / I wonder why...Kyoko: Byakuya, you know the answer to this quesiton. / Answer me!Byakuya: ...Hifumi: I-It's no good! He's not responding!Genocide Jill: Hey, Master Togami! Are you there?Hina: Hmm...now that you've brought up that question, / I do remember finding some towels and gloves in a trash bin.Celeste: But where would he have gotten those things?Natsumi: Obviously, he got the gloves from the infirmary. / As for that towel...Leon: You know, there are plenty of towels in the exercise room. / Do you think he used one of them?
I already know where the gloves came from, so there's no need to point that out again. As for the towel...I think I know where Byakuya could've gotten one!
Truth Bullet Used: Bloodstained TowelWeak Point Agree: "plenty of towels in the exercise room""That must be it!"
BREAK
"That's it!" Makoto said. "Byakuya used a towel from the exercise room!"Everyone aside from Byakuya turned their heads towards Makoto, with most of them looking confused."What?" Leon asked. "Did I say something?""Uh...I don't get it," Hifumi said. "What do you mean?""When Hina and Natsumi showed me the towel they got from the infirmary trash bin," Makoto began to explain, "I thought that it looked familiar. And that's because...I have seen that towel before! It was in the locker rooms! Byakuya had easy access to the locker rooms since they are close to the crime scene, so he unlocked the boy's locker room and took one of the towels.""But...how could Mr. Byakuya Togami have used a towel to wipe away blood?" Hifumi asked. "Those bloodstains don't look easy to clean...""It's not necessary to wipe away bloodstains if you prevent them from happening," Kyoko explained. "More likely, Byakuya used the towel as a makeshift bandage. He wrapped the towel around Taka's head, preventing blood from dripping onto the floor as he transported Taka's body to the boy's locker room. Once he done fabricating the crime scene, Byakuya removed the towel and disposed it in the trash.""As an extra safety precaution," Makoto added, "Byakuya used gloves from the infirmary to make sure that he doesn't get blood on his hands or his clothes. With the towel and the gloves, Byakuya was able to move Taka's body without leaving behind a trail of blood and getting blood on his clothes."Genocide Jill assessed the conclusion Makoto had reached and was left wondering what the hell Byakuya was thinking. "You know, that sounds like a lot of effort just to frame me as the culprit," she said. "Why do all of that when you can instead make it look like you're the culprit instead? You could do that, right, Master Togami?"Byakuya hung his head down low as his fortress of lies crumbled into a pile of debris."Well, Byakuya?" Makoto asked. "Do you have anything else left to say?"Byakuya stood still for a moment, almost as if he's a statue. Then, his arms twitched, and he let out a short laugh. "Ha..." he said."What was that?" Leon asked.Byakuya then lifted his head up, revealing that his face had grown a smirk. His sudden change in mood sent shivers down everyone's spines. "It seems that you commoners are much smarter than I thought," he said. "You commoners are able to see through the deceptive display that I have set up. What a shame. I had put so much effort into making that fake crime scene.""But...why would you do that?" Sayaka asked. "Why did you all the trouble to frame Genocide Jill...when she isn't the culprit?""I thought that this case would be too obvious to solve," Byakuya explained. "You all saw what Leon looked like this morning, haven't you? All the blood on his hands...it looked like he was the killer, wasn't it?""...That's what I thought at first," Makoto said. "That's why I made everyone gather around at the hallway just to make sure that no one had died.""But of course, someone had died," Leon said. "And I happened to me the unfortunate person who witnessed Taka's death. Oh, and in case I didn't make it clear the first several times, I'm not the culprit! I swear!""Look, Byakuya," Kyoko said. "This case is complicated enough already. We still have no idea who set up the trap that killed Taka. There's no need get a serial killer involved in this case.""How ironic," Celeste remarked. "When this Class Trial began, you chastised Monokuma for wasting our time. And yet...all you've done is waste everyone's time.""I just wanted to make this killing game interesting," Byakuya said.Hina was infuriated by what Byakuya implied by saying that. "Wait..." she said. "Are you saying that you see this killing game...as an actual 'game'? That's...how could you think like that?! Do you even understand our current situation?! Our lives are on the line! How could you-?""Okay, that's enough for now," Monokuma declared. "Man, you kids have been debating on and on all this time, and yet somehow you have made no progress towards finding out who the blackened is? How shameful! This is why societies have a hard time getting things done. They kept wasting their time on pointless things instead of the things that actually matter! Ugh. And I must point out that all of you have skipped breakfast. You kids must be hungry at this point! I'd better feed you kids something. Starting now, I declare that we're having a Class Trial Recess!"
Class Trial 2
INTERMISSION
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Class Trial Part 2
Truth Bullets
Monokuma File 2: The victim was Kiyotaka Ishimaru. The time of death was about 6:40 AM. The body was discovered in the boy's locker room near the gym and pool. The victim suffered severe head trauma that resulted in the dislocation of the neck. The victim was killed instantly.
Yasuhiro's Prediction: Apparently, Yasuhiro had warned Kiyotaka that someone will get killed by a heavy object falling on their head. According to Mondo, Yasuhiro didn't say anything about who's going to die. Kiyotaka didn't listen to the warnings.
Status of Dead Body: Kiyotaka's body had been suspended, with his hands tied to the pull-up bars with some sort of rope. His head appears to have been cracked.
Leon's Account: Before the morning announcement played, Leon was woken up by Kiyotaka. Kiyotaka asked Leon to join him in the exercise room, to which Leon agreed after being annoyed enough times. They soon arrive at the exercise room. Upon opening the door, however, a heavy object fell on Kiyotaka's head, killing him instantly. Leon checked Kiyotaka's body to see if he's okay, but upon realizing that Kiyotaka had died, Leon ran away.
Exercise Room Plans: Kiyotaka and Mondo planned to invite Leon and Natsumi to the exercise room so that they can "blow off steam" and get their murdering urges out of their system. Kiyotaka and Leon went to the exercise room first, with the expectation that Mondo and Natsumi would arrive next.
Bloodstained Dumbbell: The dumbbell near the entrance to the exercise room had a significant amount of blood on it. It is quite heavy, with only Mondo and perhaps Sakura being able to lift it above their heads without showing signs of being strained. The weights are distributed unevenly, with one side having much more weights than the other.
Dumbbell Weights: The weights of the dumbbells are removable, allowing the user to adjust the dumbbells to their preferred specifications. The weights are heavy, but not too heavy. Even Makoto can carry them without issue.
Top of the Door: The top of the door is flat enough to support an object on it, so long as the door remains open. The door is quite narrow, so objects can easily fall off if the door is moved. It is also quite high up and out of reach of most students, so it is likely that a stepladder was used.
Moved Body: Kiyotaka's body had been moved from where he was killed. Leon initially saw Kiyotaka's body at the doorway to the exercise room. By the time everyone arrived at the exercise room, his body had been moved to inside the boy's locker room. Leon claimed that he wasn't the one who moved Kiyotaka's body.
Hina's Account: She was walking around the school last night looking for Sakura when she came across Mondo and Natsumi. She learned that Mondo was planning to invite Natsumi to join him in the exercise room the following morning. Natsumi accepted the invitation, but before she revealed that she was lying, everyone heard some footsteps coming from the dormitory hallway.
Class Trial 2
RESUME
"Okay, has everyone eaten enough food to last the rest of the trial?" Monokuma asked after everyone had finished the food he gave them. "Don't say anything, because this Class Trial Recess is over!"The snack Monokuma had given to everyone tasted terrible, not just because of the poor quality, but also because everyone was bitter over the fact that they had wasted an hour defending a serial killer from a crime she didn't even commit."Shit...why does it have to be this way?" Mondo asked with a growl in his voice. "We've wasted all this time clearing a serial killer's name, and so far, we haven't gotten anywhere near figuring out who killed my bro!""Wow, Corn Head is looking pissed," Genocide Jill remarked."WHY DO PEOPLE KEEP CALLING ME THAT NAME?!" Mondo roared, feeling like tearing his pompadour out of his head."Mondo, calm down," Kyoko said. "This isn't the time to get angry. And Genocide Jill, use people's real names next time. They might consider the nicknames you gave them to be hurtful.""What? I just love giving people nicknames, Lilac," Genocide Jill said, to the annoyance of Kyoko. "You know what? How about we play a little game? Everyone, try to guess who am I calling when I say these nicknames. You ready? Kiwi! Urchin! Huffy! Dragon! Melon! Lion!"Most of the students were confused by who Genocide Jill is referring to when she says those nicknames...with the exception of the last one."Are you talking about me?" Leon asked. "You just changed one letter of my name and called it my nickname.""Ah, good," Genocide Jill said. "That's one down. Now, can any of you figure out the rest?"Most of the students are annoyed that they're resuming the Class Trial with an irrelevant topic."...Just cut that out," Kyoko said."So...uh...what are we supposed to be talking about again?" Hina asked."Let's go over what we know so far," Makoto said. "According to the Monokuma File, Taka was killed by being struck in the head. The murder weapon used in this case is most likely the bloodstained dumbbell. Now, the question we have to ask is how did Taka get struck by a dumbbell?""Since I witnessed Taka's death, I'll just tell you guys how he was killed," Leon said. "When Taka opened the door to the exercise room, I saw something fall on his head. I think it must've been a dumbbell. I did hear a loud thud nearby after I saw Taka get killed.""Liar!" Yasuhiro shouted.Everyone turned their heads towards Yasuhiro, wondering what he accused Leon of being a liar."What's wrong, Hiro?" Makoto asked."Don't listen to Leon!" Yasuhiro said. "There's no one else to confirm his account of events! He could've lied about what he witnessed to trick us into thinking that he's innocent!"Leon was exasperated by how much he's been accused of being the culprit so far. "Why does this keep happening to me?!" he screamed."Please, Hiro!" Sayaka begged. "I...I know that I've made Leon angry at me...by making my plan to kill him. But still...I believe that he's innocent! He did not kill Taka!"Leon looked at Sayaka in shock over the fact that she's defending him. "Are you defending me?" he asked, wondering if Sayaka is genuine about this."Quiet, you would-be killer!" Yasuhiro countered. "Why must you be the one who defends Leon?""Because-" Sayaka tried to say."Shut up!" Yasuhiro said. "Don't say another word! Here! Let me tell you what actually happened, as foretold by my trusty crystal ball!""Oh no..." Natsumi said with a dreadful look on her face. "Are you bringing that stupid thing up again?"Kyoko is having a suspecting look on her face as she gazed at Yasuhiro. There's something about his behavior that seems...off.
Nonstop Debate 4
START
Yasuhiro: Okay, so as Leon and Taka entered the exercise room... / ...Leon picked up that dumbbell... / ...and brought it down on Taka's head!Sakura: Why would he do that, though?Leon: Yeah! That's right! / Why would I want to kill Taka? / I don't have a reason to do it!Yasuhiro: Well, of course you do! / You have a secret to protect, remember?Byakuya: This entire discussion is plain stupid...
Could Leon have used the dumbbell to kill Taka? No...that can't be the case! I already know the proof that Leon couldn't be the culprit!
Truth Bullet Used: Bloodstained DumbbellWeak Point Refute: "picked up that dumbbell""No, that's wrong!"
BREAK
"No, Hiro," Makoto said. "Leon couldn't have killed Taka with the method you described.""Why not?" Yasuhiro asked."Because the dumbbell that was used to killed Taka was heavy," Makoto explained. "When Leon tried to lift it up, he couldn't bring it above his knees.""Hey, that's not true!" Leon said. "I didn't lift that bloodstained dumbbell up! I was asked to lift a dumbbell that weighted about the same!""Either way, that leads us to the same conclusion," Kyoko said. "Leon couldn't be the one who killed Taka. He simply cannot left that dumbbell above his head. Even if he tried, the strain on his arms would cause his grip on the dumbbell to be unstable. He would need to grip the dumbbell incredibly hard, which would reddened his hands. Now tell me: were Leon's hands reddened when we saw him this morning?""His hands were reddened!" Mondo replied. "His hands were covered in-""Ignore the blood," Kyoko said. "Try to remember what Leon's hands looked like this morning. Does it look like he had been gripping onto something that strained his hands?""Well, when Leon ran into me, I did get a good look at his hands," Makoto said. "I don't think that they were reddened.""Yeah...I can confirm," Sayaka added. "Aside from the blood, Leon's hands weren't reddened at all.""Same here," Hifumi added. "Mr. Leon Kuwata's hands aren't reddened when I saw them.""That settles it," Kyoko declared. "Leon did not pick up the dumbbell.""Wait, wait, wait!" Yasuhiro said. "There's still a chance that Leon could be the culprit, right? What if Taka was laying on the floor?""I've heard this before and I'll say it again," Mondo said. "Who the hell is stupid enough to do that?!""Um, aren't we forgetting something here?" Hifumi asked. "If Mr. Leon Kuwata did say that he saw the dumbbell fell and land on Mr. Kiyotaka Ishimaru's head, then where did the dumbbell fell from?""That's a good question," Kyoko said, "and I happen to already know the answer.""You do?" Hifumi asked."Let's look at the facts at hand," Kyoko said. "The dumbbell fell on Taka's head when he opened the exercise room door. That meant that a trap was placed there. But when we checked the exercise room doorway, there was no contraption to be found anywhere. Leon did say that the exercise room door was slightly opened when he and Taka arrived. Isn't that right?""Uh...I think so," Leon replied."That sounds good," Kyoko said. "Now, with that in mind, there is only once place where the dumbbell could be placed on that would make it fall when the door is opened. Or should I say, when the door was moved at all?""It's the top of the door," Makoto replied, having known the answer beforehand. "We reached this conclusion when we investigated the doorway, right?"Kyoko nodded in agreement. "That's correct," she said. "The dumbbell that killed Taka was placed on top of the door, where it fell on his head when he moved the door!"Natsumi then wondered something. "Wait, hold on," she said. "If the door was slightly opened and the dumbbell was placed on top of the door, then wouldn't Taka have seen the dumbbell on the door ahead of time?""I guess we weren't paying attention..." Leon said in a regretful tone."Also, if the culprit did set up that trap," Hina added, "they would've done so from inside the exercise room. But doing that would leave them stuck inside the exercise room with no way of leaving that wouldn't trigger their trap.""Maybe the culprit found a secret passage?" Yasuhiro suggested."More likely, the culprit left the door open just enough to allow them to leave without triggering their trap," Kyoko said."That still leaves us with one more question, though," Sakura said. "If the dumbbell was so heavy that Leon couldn't lift it above his head, then how did the culprit managed to get the dumbbell on top of the door?""...Maybe they used a stepladder?" Hifumi suggested. "I think there's one in the storage room.""Uh, did anyone check the storage room?" Sayaka asked.The looks on everyone's faces suggested that they haven't thought about investigating the storage room."...I guess not," Sayaka said."Even so, lifting such a heavy object above one's head would be risky," Sakura said. "If it got dropped, the culprit might get themselves killed instead."The method the culprit used to get the dumbbell on the door, Makoto thought. I know the answer to this already. But it looks like another debate is starting. I might have to wait until someone says something that would lead us to a solution...
Nonstop Debate 5
START
Sakura: In order to get the dumbbell on top of the door... / ...the culprit would need to be incredibly strong.Hina: But the strongest student in this school is you, Sakura. / *Gasp* Don't tell me...you're the culprit?!Sakura: I don't think so. / My body is so large... / ...that I would need to leave the door wide open... / ...in order to leave that room without moving the door.Genocide Jill: What about Corn Head? He looks pretty strong.Mondo: Hell no! I would never try to get my bro killed!Natsumi: Gah, this feels so restrictive. / Why does that dumbbell have to be so heavy anyways? / If only the dumbbells were adjustable... / Then anyone could be the culprit!
If it's not the two strongest students, then the culprit who set up trap has to be someone else. But how could anyone get a heavy object on top of a door? Perhaps they didn't get the dumbbell up there all at once. They did so in pieces! I've got it figured out! Now I just need to match the evidence with the correct statement...
Truth Bullet Used: Dumbbell WeightsWeak Point Agree: "adjustable""I agree with that!"
BREAK
"That's exactly what you can do with the dumbbells, Natsumi," Makoto said. "You can adjust them to fit what you're able to lift.""What?!" Natsumi said in surprise. "Seriously?""The weights on each dumbbell is not static," Makoto explained. "They can be removed or added to the dumbbells as you see fit. You can make the dumbbells as heavy or as light as you want, just as long as you can lift the whole dumbbell up. Now, each individual weight isn't that heavy. Even I was able to carry them without issue. But if you have enough weights attached to a dumbbell, then it would be very heavy.""But how does this help us figure out who the culprit is?" Hina asked."It doesn't," Kyoko replied. "It only explains how the culprit managed to get the dumbbell on the door. You see, a side effect of the dumbbells having removable weights is that someone doesn't have to lift the whole dumbbell all the way up there. Instead, they can lift each individual weight one at a time and then assemble the dumbbell on the door.""So...what does this mean?" Natsumi asked."It means that anyone could be the culprit," Kyoko replied. "Anyone could've set up the trap that killed Taka!"Everyone was unnerved at the idea that any one of them could be the culprit. With so many suspects, they wondered if they'll ever find out who the culprit is.Mondo then remembered something. "Hey...I've got a question," he began."What's your question, Mondo?" Kyoko asked."The dumbbell that killed my bro..." Mondo began to ask. "It was unbalanced, right? There were more weights on one side than on the other, right? Why would the dumbbell be set up like that?"Hearing Mondo mention that the dumbbell was unbalanced reminded most of the students of what the dumbbell looked like."Oh yeah, that dumbbell does look unbalanced," Hina said."It's an unusual way of setting up a dumbbell," Sakura remarked. "Why would anyone want an unbalanced dumbbell?"Kyoko then figured out a potential answer. "Hmm...it looks like the culprit could be a genius," she said. "They've figured out how to make the dumbbell as unstable as possible!""What? How?" Leon asked."The culprit took advantage of a special point that all objects have," Kyoko explained. "They set up the dumbbell in such a way that would make that special point as high as possible! This would make the dumbbell as unstable as possible, meaning that it is very easy to have it topple over and fall off the door!"Hifumi looked confused at what Kyoko is saying. "Um...can you please use normal language that we can understand, Miss Kyoko Kirigiri?" he asked. "You're being too vague about this..."Makoto then thought about what Kyoko is taking about for a moment. The special point that all objects have, he thought. I think that point has a name. What's it called, again? And where would it be located? I'd better start thinking about this. There must be an answer around here somewhere...
Logic Ride 2
START
Question 1: What's the name of the "special point" that all objects have?A. Center of ForceB. Center of CircleC. Center of MassQuestion 2: Where would the mass be concentrated on the dumbbell?A. The Heavier SideB. The Lighter SideC. The CenterQuestion 3: Which side of the dumbbell would be placed down on the door?A. The Heavier SideB. The Lighter SideC. Both
I think I remember hearing about this term during a physics lesson. And looking at the dumbbell...I think I know why the culprit had the weights distributed like that!
Answers
1. C / 2. A / 3. B
"I got it!"
BREAK
"I got it!" Makoto said. "The special point that Kyoko was describing is an object's center of mass!""Center of...what now?" Leon asked."The center of mass..." Byakuya began to explain. "It is the point on an object where the weighted positions of all of its mass equals zero. In other words, it is an object's balancing point.""That sounds about right," Kyoko said."Looking at the dumbbell," Makoto continued, "it's obvious where its center of mass would be located! It would be on the side with more weights! And if the culprit wanted to make the dumbbell as unstable as possible, they would've placed the dumbbell on it's lighter side! That would make its center of mass as high as possible, which means that it would be easy for it to topple over if the door was moved!""But...what if the weights have different masses?" Yasuhiro suggested."Shut up!" Mondo shouted. "The weights all have the same mass!""And with that, we're going to find the answer that we've been looking for the entire time," Kyoko said. "Who is the culprit? Who is the one who set up the trap that killed Taka?"Most of the students began to look at each other with suspecting looks. They wondered if the person they're looking at is the culprit...
Nonstop Debate 6
START
Mondo: Shit, there's too many suspects... / How are we supposed to find the culprit?!Genocide Jill: Just to remind you all... / ...I could not be the culprit! / I strictly adhere to my style of killing, you know!Sakura: Do we just randomly pick a student?Celeste: Even as the Ultimate Gambler... / ...I do not the odds of correctly picking the culprit.Hifumi: Ugh, this sucks so much. / If only there's a way to narrow the list of suspects...
Hold on... All this talk about who the culprit could be reminded me something: how did the culprit know that Taka was going to use the exercise room? Unless...
Truth Bullet Used: Exercise Room PlansWeak Point Lock: "narrow the list of suspects""I've got it!"
BREAK
"Hold on!" Makoto said. "I think I know how we can narrow down the list of suspects!""Huh? You do?" Hifumi asked."Taka was killed by a falling dumbbell when he opened the door to the exercise room," Makoto said to remind everyone. "Now, in order for that to happen, the culprit must've known that Taka was going to use the exercise room ahead of time! Which means that list of suspects can be reduced...to the ones who were planning on using the exercise room along with Taka!"Mondo, Leon, Hina, and Natsumi all became shocked when they realized that they're the only possible suspects left."So? Which one of you did it?" Kyoko asked."Definitely not me!" Mondo replied immediately. "I would never set up a trap to kill my bro! Never!""Uh...not me," Leon replied. "If I did set up that trap, I would've accepted Taka's invitation immediately.""Hey, I prevented a murder from happening, okay?" Hina said. "Why would I try to set up a trap to kill someone?"Natsumi was too stunned to say anything.Sayaka assessed the suspect's words to see if they're lying. "Hmm, I'm willing to believe that Mondo, Leon, and Hina couldn't have done it," she said. "After all, it'll probably be really hurtful to try to kill your friend, Leon's not the type of person who would do something like that, and it'll be hypocritical for someone to set up a murder trap after they've...stopped my murder plan..." Her voice trailed off as she brought up her foiled murder plan."It's alright, Sayaka," Makoto said in assurance. "That's in the past now. Don't let it drag your mood down too much."Sayaka set her guilty feelings aside and put up an assured face. "But what about Natsumi?" she asked.Everyone then turn their attention on Natusmi, which made her feel even more anxious."Well, Natsumi?" Kyoko asked. "Did you do it?"Natsumi was sweating profusely. It looked like she was about to reach her breaking point."C-Come on, yakuza girl," Yasuhiro said. "J-Just admit it already. You set up-""I didn't do it!" Natusmi hollered.Mondo shook his fist at Natsumi. "You'd better not be lying when you say that!" he said. "If you're really the one who took away my bro's life-""I'm not!" Natsumi shouted. "I didn't set up that trap!""But you're the only suspect left," Sakura said."What the hell did my bro do to you?!" Mondo shouted. "What did he do that made you want him dead?!""Hey, I find that model student annoying," Natsumi explained. "He keeps shouting at us whenever we do something that's unfit in a school environment. But he certainly didn't annoy me enough to want him dead, unlike what someone did to make someone else want them dead..."Leon sheepishly smiled when Sayaka's failed murder plot was brought up again.Byakuya then remembered something. "...You do have a secret to protect, do you?" he asked."What?" Natsumi gasped."That was the motive that Monokuma gave us, remember?" Byakuya said. "He threatened to reveal our secrets to the outside world if we don't kill anyone within the time limit. You set up the trap to protect your secret, right?""I did not!" Natsumi insisted."Hey, what is Natsumi's secret, anyways?" Hina asked."Oh, so you kids want to know what the suspect's secret is, don't you?" Monokuma asked. "Well, looks like it's time for me to reveal the secret of Natsumi Kuzuryu, the Ultimate Yakuza!"Natsumi panicked when she heard that her secret is going to be revealed. "Wait, don't!" she shouted.For some reason, Yasuhiro is looking nervous as well."Alright, here goes!" Monokuma began. "Natsumi Kuzuryu is the heiress to the infamous Kuzuryu Clan. Throughout her life, she had faced major hardships working in the backstreets of Japan's major cities. She had put up a tough look to handle those hardships, but underneath that mask lies a soft soul, shown only to her brother and her bodyguard."Natsumi stood in her podium, frozen in place as she heard Monokuma tell her life's story.Leon was confused upon thinking that he learned what Natsumi's secret is. "Wait, that's your secret?" he asked. He then gets a mallet to the face from Monokuma. "Ow!""Hey, keep quiet!" Monokuma said. "I'm not done yet! Now, where was I? Oh yeah. One day, Natsumi was walking down a back alley, down on her luck due to a string of unfortunate events. Then, a strange young man showed up, presenting her with an irresistible deal. The young man had sensed her misfortune and sought to remedy that by selling her a 'holy stone' for an exorbitant amount of cash. Natsumi, foolishly, brought the 'holy stone'. When she got back to her family, however, they discovered that the 'holy stone' is just a worthless piece of rock salt! Angered to see that they had been scammed, the family launched a search for the man who scammed Natsumi, demanding that they pay her back! But they never found the scammer, and by extension, didn't get their money back. And so, the family moved on with a dent in their finances."Everyone was left scratching their heads as Monokuma finished the story."So...is that Natsumi's secret, then?" Sayaka asked. "She was scammed by someone?""That's not all," Monokuma continued. "When Natsumi entered Hope's Peak Academy, one of her classmates just so happened to be the one who scammed her! Oh, fate. You can be so cruel. And because one of her classmates is her scammer, I gave Natsumi a special motive!""A special motive...?" Makoto asked, being reminded of the time when he was given a special motive."You see, I offered Natsumi a deal," Monokuma said. "If she manages to kill the student who scammed her, I would allow her to graduate immediately! But if she fails to do that, then she'll still have to go through a Class Trial! So to summarize, Natsumi's secret is that she was scammed by one of her classmates in the past!"Natsumi was mortified to hear Monokuma reveal her secret.After hearing Monokuma's story, everyone began to put the pieces together. Natsumi was scammed by someone who happened to be her classmate, and she is tasked with finding and killing her scammer. That could only mean that her scammer was one of the participants of this killing game. And since Kiyotaka was the victim, that would mean...Kiyotaka had scammed Natsumi? Wait, hold on. Something isn't right."Hey, this makes no sense!" Mondo said. "Bro would never try to scam something! That would go against his moral code!""Maybe Taka's new secret is that he had scammed someone," Yasuhiro suggested."For the record, Kiyotaka Ishimaru had no interactions with the Kuzuryu Clan prior to this killing game," Monokuma said."Did he really, though?" Hina asked."Nope. Not at all," Monokuma said."Then why the hell did my bro die?!" Mondo shouted.Kyoko then gave everyone a cold glare. "I should mention something about that trap," she said. "The plan to kill someone by dropping a heavy object on their head when they opened the door has a fatal flaw.""A fatal flaw?" Hifumi asked. "Are you saying that trap has a major flaw that is holding it back from its full potential?"Kyoko glared at Hifumi for a moment before moving on. "Even if you know that someone is going use the door the trap was set on ahead of time," she said, "there is no guarantee that the person you're trying to target will be the first one to use that door since you set the trap. The dumbbell on the door is a trap that can only be activated once. It has one chance kill its target! And if that trap kills the wrong person, then your target will still be alive!"Everyone was shocked at the revelation."Wait, so are you saying...?" Sayaka asked."...That Taka was the wrong target?!" Makoto asked, finishing Sayaka's question."It's likely whoever set up that trap didn't mean for it to kill Taka," Kyoko said. "They were trying to target a different person, only for it to kill someone else.""So you're saying...that bro was not involved in this fight between the yakuza girl and her scammer?" Mondo asked. He then teared up and collapsed onto his podium's railings. "Shit...why did bro had to die like that...? Why did bro had to be caught in this fight? What did my bro do to deserve this...?""Wait, so who scammed Miss Natsumi Kuzuryu?" Hifumi asked. "Who was she trying to kill? Are they even still alive?""Hey! Natsumi!" Leon called. "Do you remember who scammed you?""Uh..." Natsumi said, struggling to put her words together. "I...I don't know!""You don't remember who scammed you?" Hina asked."I...don't remember...what my scammer looks like..." Natsumi said. "My family...has been trying to find them for years... But no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't find them...""Man, con artists are the worst!" Genocide Jill remarked. "They always swindle people out of their money while offering nothing in return! I would want to kill them, but that would go against my preferred targets. Boys who swindle people don't deserve to be killed by me!"Everyone ignored Genocide Jill and moved on."Gah, this is pointless!" Leon said. "We'll never find out who Natsumi was trying to kill!""What are we supposed to do now?" Hina asked.Makoto thought about the question at hand. The person who scammed Natsumi, he thought. Who could it be? Monokuma said that Natsumi's scammer is one of us. So...which one of us had an encounter with her in the past? What kind of person would be able to swindle the heiress of an infamous clan?As Makoto thought about the identity of Natsumi's scammer, Sayaka looked across the trial room and noticed that Yasuhiro is looking...anxious for some reason. "Um...Hiro?" she began to ask. "Is there something wrong?"Yasuhiro became panicked for a moment. "What?" he asked."Why are you anxious?" Sayaka asked. "We're not even talking about you.""Uh...I'm just...uh..." Yasuhiro replied, struggling to get his words out. "I'm...unsure if...we'll ever...find out who the yakuza girl was trying to kill... I-It can't be me! I-I'm sure of it!"Natsumi took one look at Yasuhiro and realized something based on what he said and his recent behavior. "Wait a second..." she said. "Don't tell me...you're the one who scammed me, Yasuhiro?!""Wait, what?!" Yasuhiro gasped in shock.Everyone became shocked when Natsumi accused Yasuhiro of being her scammer in the past. It felt like the accusation came out of nowhere."You're the Ultimate Clairvoyant, right?!" Natsumi shouted. "That means you must believe in the supernatural and superstitions! Therefore, you're the one who sold me that worthless piece of rock salt, claiming it to be a holy stone!""P-Please, stop this," Yasuhiro begged. "That's...totally absurd! Me, selling a piece of rock salt to a yakuza heiress? That's...that's nonsense!""But out of everyone who is left alive," Byakuya said, "you're the only one we can think of who could've pulled off a stunt like that. Believing that holding 'magic stones' will ward away demons and grant the holder good luck... That's something that only you would believe in!""Uh...no!" Yasuhiro replied. "There...must be someone else who also believes that magic stones can grant good luck! That yakuza girl wouldn't have brought one if she believed otherwise!""Are you just confirming that you're the one who swindled Natsumi out of her money?" Kyoko asked. "Because what you're saying sounds like something a scammer would say!""Guh?!" Yasuhiro gasped."And your behavior throughout this Class Trial," Kyoko continued, "and the things you said during this Class Trial... Trying to nudge Natsumi into confessing... Becoming anxious when Monokuma told us the story of Natsumi's secret and when it became time to find out who scammed her... And you claiming that you couldn't be the one Natsumi was targeting... They suggest that you're the one who scammed Natsumi in the past!""So that's it..." Hina said. "Natsumi wanted Hiro dead because he had scammed her, so she set up a trap that's designed to kill him. But unfortunately, Taka triggered that trap first and died instead. That must be what happened!"Makoto immediately saw that there's something wrong with Hina's conclusion. "Wait, hold on a second!" he shouted. "Something isn't right here!"Hina looked at Makoto with a confused look. "What's wrong?" she asked."If Natsumi was intending to kill Hiro," Makoto began to ask, "then why would she set up a trap at the exercise room that's highly likely to kill the wrong person? More importantly, how would Natsumi know that Hiro was going to use the exercise room if Hiro didn't plan to use the exercise room?""Wait...what?" Hina asked. "What are you even saying?""I'm saying that we've gotten this backwards!" Makoto claimed. "Natsumi didn't plan to kill Hiro. It was Hiro who was planning to kill Natsumi!"Everyone became shocked at Makoto's claim."He was what?!" Natsumi gasped."And somehow," Makoto continued, "Hiro knew ahead of time that Natsumi was planning to use the exercise room!""N-No! That's wrong!""W-What's with that claim?!" Yasuhiro asked. "Me? Planning to kill Natsumi? N-No...that can't be true! You're just pulling that claim from thin air!""But...you're the one who set up that trap in the exercise room, right?" Makoto asked."Shut up!" Yasuhiro shouted. "The odds of that statement being true is way lower than 30%! In fact it'll never be true, every time!""Your blatant misunderstanding of probability disgusts me," Byakuya said."Acting like that will only make you look even more suspicious, Hiro," Kyoko said."Hiro...please tell us..." Sayaka said. "How did you know that Natsumi was going to use the exercise room?""I know nothing!" Yasuhiro screamed.
Rebuttal Showdown 2
Yasuhiro vs. Makoto and Sayaka
START
Yasuhiro: You're wrong! You've got it all wrong! / I'm not the one who set up that trap! / It was...someone else! / It had to be ones Taka invited to the exercise room! / One of them had set up that trap!
ADVANCE
Makoto: No, the culprit can't be the one who Taka invited to the exercise room. Mondo doesn't want to unintentionally kill Taka, Leon's behavior doesn't suggest that he set up the trap, Hina wants to prevent murders from happening, and Natsumi would rather kill her target specifically than set up a trap that risks killing someone else. You, Hiro, are the only one who could've done this!Sayaka: Hiro...please tell us. What did you do last night?Yasuhiro: Huh? What did I do last night? / Ugh, I didn't get much sleep last night. / I spent all night having nightmares! / I tried going outside my room to clear my mind... / ...but when I heard voices outside... / I panicked and ran away! / I...couldn't tell whose voice I heard...
Hiro didn't get much sleep last night? That sounds like he spent all night setting up the trap. He must be lying when he said that he had nightmares. But wait...one of the other things he said... Doesn't it match what I've heard from someone? Does that mean...?
Truth Blade Used: Hina's AccountWeak Point Cut: "ran away""Hold it right there!"
BREAK
"Hiro..." Makoto began. "You just said that you ran away after hearing voices outside your room, right?""Uh...yeah," Yasuhiro replied."And Hina," Makoto continued, "you said that during your conversation with Mondo and Natsumi, the three of you heard footsteps coming from the dormitory hallway, right?""Yeah," Hina replied. "It was almost like someone had overheard our conversation." That's when it hit her. "Wait a second...could it be...?""You...overheard me inviting the yakuza chick to the exercise room, fortune-telling dude?" Mondo asked.Yasuhiro had a frightened look on his face, which tells everyone that he did eavesdrop on that conversation."So that must be what really happened, right, Hiro?" Makoto asked. "You claimed that you didn't get much sleep last night because you were having nightmares. In an attempt to clear your mind, you tried going out of your room to go on a walk. But that's a lie, right? The reason why you didn't get much sleep last night is because you've spent most of the night setting up that trap! You set up that trap at the exercise room because you believed that Natsumi will enter that room next morning! And the reason why you know that Natsumi was going to use the exercise room is because you've heard that Mondo was going to invite her to that room!""Eep!" Yasuhiro yelped."And the part when you said that you went out of room to clear your mind," Sayaka added. "Based on what you said earlier, it sounded like you did that in the middle of the night. But that was a lie too, wasn't it? You didn't go out of your room to clear your mind. Were you...spying on Natsumi the whole time?""Eek!" Yasuhiro yelped again, his face looking more and more panicked with each statement that was made against him."Wait, something here doesn't feel right!" Leon said. "If Hiro really was the one who set up that trap, then how did he come up with the idea of dropping a heavy object on someone's head when they opened the door? He looks so stupid! He couldn't have known that objects would fall down if the surface they're on was moved.""We did hear Hiro say that he foresaw someone being killed by a heavy object dropped on their head," Kyoko said. "According to Mondo, the only ones who were told about this warning before the murder was him and Taka. However, as we discussed earlier, Mondo can't be the one who set up the trap, as that would put Taka at risk of being killed. Besides, if Hiro claimed that something will happen, what's stopping him from making sure that whatever he foresaw will happen?""S-STOP! PLEASE!" Yasuhiro begged. "I can't...I can't take this anymore!""As for the fact that an idiot could not have come up with a trap that requires physics knowledge to set up," Byakuya said. "Well, I see that trap as an idiot's idea of what a genius murder plan looks like. An idiot would believe that a genius murder plan involves setting up an elaborate trap that would leave no trace of their involvement. In reality, however, a genius murder plan is a simple murder plan. There is no need to rely on an elaborate trap plan that has multiple points of failures when you can instead just simply kill your target with a weapon that everyone has access to.""I SAID STOP!" Yasuhiro cried."You piece of shit!" Mondo shouted. "Stop trying to deny it! You set up the trap that killed my bro, didn't you?! Why?! Why would you do this?!""Mondo brought up a good question," Makoto said. "Why, Hiro? Why did you try to kill Natsumi? You must've been motivated by the threat of your secret being exposed, right? What do you don't want us to know?""Why won't you leave me alone?!" Yasuhiro cried, begging for his life."I bet that your secret is that you scammed me, right?!" Natsumi asked."It wasn't me!" Yasuhiro shouted. "I didn't scam you!""But you had a reason to try to kill me, right?" Natsumi asked. "So what's your reason?""Because...you're a danger to my life!" Yasuhiro shouted."Sorry, but killing someone because you perceive them to be a danger to your life isn't a good enough reason to kill someone," Kyoko said. "There must be a better reason why you targeted Natsumi!""Then...I don't know!" Yasuhiro said.Makoto watched as Yasuhiro continued to bury himself under a pile of lies that the others kept digging away. No matter how cornered he gets, Yasuhiro keeps trying to insist that he isn't the one who set up the trap that killed Kiyotaka by accident. He just won't shut up, Makoto thought. I doubt that Hiro will ever admit to his crimes at this rate. What are we supposed to say that'll get him to shut up for good?"Hey..." Sayaka said, remembering something that she heard during the previous Class Trial. "Didn't Hiro say something that implies that he did have a reason to target Natsumi?""He did?" Makoto asked. Then he looked back at what everyone said during the previous Class Trial. He wondered what Sayaka is talking about."It's a minor thing, so you might've forgotten about it," Sayaka said. "I believe that if we bring that up, Hiro will stop."Considered that Yasuhiro did scam Natsumi for what Monokuma described as "an exorbitant amount of cash", Makoto figured out that Yasuhiro had a strong motive to try to kill Natsumi. "Ah, I get it now," he said.Sayaka nodded as she saw Makoto get what she's talking about. "Alright," she said, getting ready for the last stage of the Class Trial. "Let's end this case...together!"
Argument Armament
Vs. Yasuhiro
START
"P-Please...stop this!""Leave me alone!""I didn't do anything!""I didn't set up that trap!""You must've got the wrong person!""If you all vote for me...""...then everyone will die!""All of your futures are bleak!""Why won't you guys stop?!""Why do you think I did it?""It wasn't me, it was someone else!""They weren't targeting anyone!""Taka was just an unfortunate victim!""Why aren't you listening to me?!"
The Moment of Truth
"I had no reason to target Natsumi!"YOU HAD UNPAID DEBTS
This is our answer!
"G-Huh?!"
BREAK
"Hiro, you've made Natsumi pay a large amount of money for a piece of rock salt," Makoto said, "claiming it to be a 'holy stone' that will bless her. However, when her parents discovered that she had been scammed, they attempted to find you, demanding that you give back what Natsumi had paid for. But instead of giving back the money, you decided to go into hiding and look for things that will pay off your debts to the Kuzuryu Clan.""I have...debts?" Yasuhiro asked. "Wait, how did you guys know that I had debts?!""You told us, didn't you?" Sayaka replied. "Back at the first Class Trial, you said that you were thinking about selling the school's trophies to pay off your debts. Back then, we didn't think too much of it since it wasn't important to the overall discussion. But now that we know that you had scammed Natsumi and was demanded to give the money back, it makes sense that you wanted to find ways to pay off your debts.""Wait, Natsumi," Leon began to ask. "How much did you paid for that rock salt?""Uh...I think I paid somewhere around...1 million yen for that rock salt," Natsumi said."1 million yen?!" Hina gasped in shock."...I had expected that amount to be a lot higher than that," Byakuya said. "For an amount that is described as 'exorbitant', 1 million yen feels low.""...Says the richest student in this class..." Hifumi said."So wait," Celeste said. "If Hiro was paid 1 million yen in exchange for a piece of rock salt, then he would've had that amount of money on hand. Why couldn't he have given that money back when the Kuzuryu Clan asked for it?""Because..." Yasuhiro said, unable to say anything else. "Because...!""Well, looks like it's time for another story!" Monokuma remarked. "Shall we begin?"Yasuhiro realized that Monokuma is about to tell the story behind his secret. "Wait, what are you doing?" he asked right before panicking. "No! Please! Don't-!""Yasuhiro Hagakure was born into an impoverished family," Monokuma began. "His father was a deadbeat dad, while his mother is a skilled, but disgraced, nurse. One day, his old home burned down because someone decided to go to sleep with a lit cigarette still in their hands. His parents then got into an argument, disagreeing with each other on who's responsible for the fire. In the end, the parents broke up, with Yasuhiro living with his mother."The entire mood of the courtroom shifted as Monokuma revealed Yasuhiro's backstory. Everyone once thought of Yasuhiro as a swindler who managed to scam the heiress of the largest yakuza clan. It probably wasn't intentional, and it ended up getting him into a lot of trouble, but he did it. Now that everyone learned about what Yasuhiro had to live through, all they see is a poor man, forced to swindle others out of their money to get by."Wanting to support his mother and get them out of poverty," Monokuma continued, "Yasuhiro sought ways to making money. He found success in the fortune-telling business, getting people to pay him large sums of money to read their fortunes. He would often overcharge his clients, but he managed to get away with it as his clients would often never come back. During his time as a fortune teller, Yasuhiro managed to get his hands on a large collection of strange items of supposed mythical origins. For a few years, he managed to get by with the money he made from reading people's fortunes. That is...until he decided to get a female client to pay him an exorbitant amount of money for a 'holy stone', after sensing that she had gone through a period of misfortunes. Unfortunate for him, said client happened to be Natsumi Kuzuryu.""I figured that I would be mentioned..." Natsumi said."Upon finding out that they had been scammed," Monokuma continued, "the Kuzuryu Clan sought out Yasuhiro in an attempt to get him to give back their money. Unwilling to part with his money and collection of artifacts, Yasuhiro went into hiding and evaded the Kuzuryu Clan for the next three years. During that time, he attempted to gather the money needed to pay what he owed to the Kuzuryu Clan. But fearing that his previous clients would come out of the shadows, demanding that he pay them back, Yasuhiro never paid back the debt. Eventually, he found shelter in Hope's Peak Academy, where he would join Class 78, this class. But to his dismay, one of his classmates just so happened to be the one who he had scammed all those years ago!""How unfortunate..." Celeste remarked."So does this mean that Yasuhiro has gotten a special motive as well?" Kyoko asked."Yep! That's right!" Monokuma replied. "In addition to keeping his secret safe should he kill someone and get away with it, I also told him that if he kills Natsumi and only Natsumi, then I would wipe away all of his debts. He won't have to worry about the Kuzuryu Clan chasing him down anymore! But as you can see here, he didn't. He killed the wrong person! And since he failed to get away with his crimes, he'll have to be executed!"Yasuhiro was reduced to tears upon realizing that he's basically doomed. There is no escaping his fate."Hiro..." Sayaka said in a sorrowful tone."Dammit..." Mondo said as he began to shed tears. "My bro's killer...was that dude all along? A dude who grew up poor and wanted his debts wiped out? I...I thought that my bro's killer was a bastard...who killed him to keep a minor secret safe. But now...I have no more anger left to let out. Now all that's left...is pity...""Poor Hiro..." Hina said, feeling sorry for the clairvoyant.With everything said and done regarding this case, Makoto felt like it's time to give a summary of the entire case from the very beginning. "Alright everyone," he said. "Time to wrap this up. Let's go over the entire case from the start."
Closing Argument
START
The chain of events that led up to this case began long ago. Natsumi Kuzuryu, down on her luck, was approached by a strange merchant. The merchant offered her a "holy stone", claiming it to bring her good luck as long as she carries it around. In exchange, Natsumi will have to pay a large amount of money to get the "holy stone". Natsumi brought the "holy stone", only to discover that she had actually brought a worthless piece of rock salt. Angered about being scammed, the Kuzuryu Clan attempted to find the merchant, demanding that they pay back the money they had swindled from Natsumi. But they never found the merchant who sold the rock salt. The merchant had gone into hiding.Years later, Natsumi and the merchant, now the culprit of this case, were brought back together in Hope's Peak Academy. When Monokuma distributed the second motive, Natsumi and the culprit were also give a special motive. For Natsumi, she was tasked with identifying the student who had scammed her in the past and kill them so that she can escape the school without having to go through a Class Trial. For the culprit, they were tasked with killing Natsumi so that all of their debts can be cleared. Enticed by the prospect of having their debts cleared, the culprit began making their plans to kill Natsumi without letting her know their plans.The culprit spied on Natsumi for the rest of the day, trying to come up with a plan to kill her without being caught in the act. It was during the evening before the nighttime announcement when the culprit began to make their plan. Hiding in a place where Natsumi couldn't see them, the culprit eavesdropped on her conversation with Mondo and Hina. You see, as part of his plan to prevent another murder from happening, Kiyotaka had decided to invite the students who looked the closest to committing a murder to the exercise room so that they can get their murdering urges out of their systems. Mondo invited Natsumi to join him in the exercise room, an invitation that she accepted...at first. Hearing that Natsumi was going to the exercise room tomorrow, the culprit ran away to their room so that they can make their plans....Except that Natsumi was actually lying when she said that she accepted Mondo's invitation. She was not actually planning on going to the exercise room tomorrow. Had the culprit stuck around for just a little longer, they would've learned that Natsumi was not going to use the exercise room, and thus should change their plans. But they didn't. And so, the culprit went along with their plans, not knowing that their murder plan was not going to kill its intended target.And so, in the middle of the night, the culprit went to the exercise room to set up the trap that they thought would kill Natsumi. Having predicted that someone was going to get killed by a falling object, the culprit decided to make a dumbbell land their target's head by having it fall down from the door as it was being opened. The dumbbell that they used for the trap was incredibly heavy. Not everyone was able to lift that dumbbell above their heads. But thanks to the weights on the dumbbells being removable, the culprit was able to lift each piece of the dumbbell up to the top of the door and assemble the dumbbell there. After some experimenting, the culprit found out that it's best to make the dumbbell top-heavy so that it is easy to make it fall off and land on someone's head.After they're finished with setting up the trap, the culprit left the exercise room, being very careful not to trigger the trap they set up. And from there, they waited for Natsumi to trigger the trap. Of course, Natsumi wasn't planning to go to the exercise room in the first place, and there's no guarantee that Natsumi would be the first person to open the exercise room door since the trap was set up. What would end up happening is that the trap would kill the first person who happened to be entering the exercise room.On the following morning, before the morning announcement played, Kiyotaka knocked on Leon's door, inviting him to a morning exercise session. Leon eventually agreed to join the exercise session, and together, the two boys made their way to the exercise room. But upon opening the exercise room door, Kiyotaka triggered the trap, and the dumbbell the culprit had set on the door fell off. The dumbbell landed on Kiyotaka's head, killing him instantly right in front of Leon's eyes. Horrified to witnessed someone's death, Leon ran away.And so, the culprit, in their attempt at killing Natsumi, ended up killing someone who was uninvolved in this mess. That would be the end of this story...but no.Upstairs at the library, Byakuya was reading some books when he heard a thud sound coming from below. He went downstairs to investigate, and that's when he saw Leon running away from the athletics area. Curious about what Leon saw, Byakuya checked the exercise room and found Kiyotaka's dead body. Finding inspiration, Byakuya decided to...intervene in the situation, and make this case more complicated than it needed to be. Covering Kiyotaka's head with a towel and using the gloves from the infirmary, Byakua dragged Kiyotaka's body to the boy's locker room.From there, Byakuya went back upstairs, took one of the library's extension cord, and used it to tie Kiyotaka's body to the pull-up bars. Then, using Kiyotaka's own blood, Byakuya wrote a message at the wall. He did all of this to create the illusion that Genocide Jill was responsible for this crime, even though he missed out on multiple things that every Genocide Jill case shares.Since we were distracted by Leon and was waiting for everyone to arrived, Byakuya had enough time to set up the fake crime scene. It was only after he had finished creating the fake crime scene when he showed up to the emergency meeting. But even though he put in a lot of effort into framing Genocide Jill, we managed to see through his lies. And from there, we found the truth of this case.This is the truth of what you had tried to do. Isn't that right, Yasuhiro Hagakure?
COMPLETE
"So? How about it?" Makoto asked after finishing his conclusion. "Is there anything that needs to be looked over again?"Yasuhiro looked like he was about to cry again. He felt like giving up on his life."Shit...to think that all of this happened...because one dude wanted to wipe away his debts..." Mondo said."I feel...so bad about all of this..." Sayaka said, looking like she's about to burst into tears. "Another person...who is forced to kill someone...because they were caught in a terrible situation. But instead of killing their intended target, they ended up killing someone unrelated. Why...why does this have to happen...?""You know, Urchin," Genocide Jill said. "This could've been prevented if you weren't such a swindler!""Hey, that's just insensitive!" Hifumi complained. "Do you realize that Mr. Yasuhiro Hagakure didn't have much of a choice?""To think that all of this happened because of a series of unfortunate events..." Celeste remarked. "What a shame.""Well, at least Natsumi can rest easy knowing that her scammer had been caught," Hina said. "Hey, Natsumi? How do you feel about all this?"Natsumi just faced away from everyone and lowered her head. She didn't say anything about her thoughts about finding out who her scammer was all those years ago."Well, I'm sure Natsumi is glad to see that person who scammed her will be brought to justice," Monokuma said. "But enough about that. Everyone, it's time for the moment you've all been waiting for! Did you find out who the blackened is? Or did you waste all this time chasing the wrong person? Place your votes right now!"Everyone then saw that the voting screen has appeared on their E-Handbooks. They placed their votes on Yasuhiro and hoped that all of their efforts weren't for nothing. At this point, Yasuhiro panicked once again."No! Wait!" Yasuhiro cried. "Stop! Please! Have mercy on me!""Quit your yapping place your vote already!" Monokuma shouted.Yasuhiro panicked even more and place his vote on the student he believes should be punished. Right after he placed his vote, voting time was declared over, and the results were shown to everyone.
Voting Results
Yasuhiro Hagakure: 12 votesNatsumi Kuzuryu: 1 voteEveryone else: No votes"And here comes the final verdict!" Monokuma said after showing how everyone voted. "Did you make the right choice? Or did you make the dreadfully wrong one?"
Final Verdict
The blackened of this case is: Yasuhiro Hagakure"Congratulations! The blackened was discovered!""NOOOOOOOO!" Yasuhiro screamed upon seeing the final verdict.
ALL RISE
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Three years ago
Natsumi was walking down the backstreets, bitter about the streak of misfortune she had gone through over the past few days. She had no idea what she did to curse herself with bad luck. It just...happened. She wondered when her streak of misfortune will end. So many bad things had happened to her that she could hardly remember any of them. For an heiress to the largest yakuza clan in Japan, this was embarrassing. There's no way she could see herself becoming the head of the Kuzuryu Clan if she continues to have bad luck. How is she supposed to end this streak of misfortune?"Hey, kid," a strange man greeted as he approached Natsumi. "Feeling down lately?"Natsumi turned around to face the strange man. To her, the strange man's face was a blur. The only thing she could remember about the strange man was that his hair resembles an urchin. She glared at the strange man with some suspicion, as she had not met him before."What do you want?" Natsumi asked."I've been noticing that you were walking around with your head down," the strange man said. "Did something happen to you?"Natsumi turned her head away from the strange man. "Go away," she said. "What I'm going through is none of your business.""Hey, don't be like that," the strange man said, trying to be friendly with Natsumi. "I can sense your aura. It looks like you've been cursed by some evil spirits."Natsumi was confused by what the strange man is saying. "What?" she said."These evil spirits don't seem like they'll be going away anytime soon," the strange man continued. "If they continue to linger around you, something terrible will happen in the future.""Like what?" Natsumi asked."Like...death," the strange man said.Natsumi was shocked to hear that she's going to die soon...probably. "What?!" she gasped."Yeah, that would be a bad thing if that ever happened," the strange man said. "But don't worry! There is a way to avoid that fate!"Natsumi calmed down a little when she heard that there's a way to avoid her terrible fate. "There is?" she asked."Of course!" the strange man replied. "Here, let me give you something." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cloth with a rock inside it.Natsumi looked at the rock in curiosity. "What's that?" she asked."This is a holy stone!" the strange man said. "It'll ward away any evil spirits that may come your way. It'll also prevent the terrible future I foresaw!""Really...?" Natsumi asked."Yes, really!" the strange man said. "Now, all you have to do is to keep this holy stone with you at all times. Make sure to recharge its warding energy in moonlight every couple of nights. Otherwise, its warding powers won't work anymore."Natsumi looked at the strange man with some skepticism. "Hmm...I'm not sure if I should believe you," she said. "But if buying a holy stone will prevent a terrible future, then..." She considered for a while on if she should buy the holy stone."And guess what?" the strange man said. "It's all yours for only 1 million yen! It's pretty high, but I can assure you that the good luck this holy stone will bring you will be worth it. So, what do you say?"The holy stone costs 1 million yen?! That sounds like a high price for a good luck charm. But considering that Natsumi is part of a yakuza clan, 1 million yen doesn't sound too much. The clan could survive if it spent 1 million yen. So...Later that day, Natsumi returned to her family's home. Her brother, a boy with dusty blond crew cut hair, walked up to her. Like with Natsumi, he has permanent blush marks on his cheeks."There you are, sister!" Natsumi's brother said. "What took you so long? I was worried that something happened to you, considering all the things that you went through recently.""I was taking a walk, brother," Natsumi replied. "What? Do you not trust me that I will be safe out there?""Of course I trust you!" Natsumi's brother replied. "You're my sister! It's just that you've been having a lot of misfortunes lately. I'm not sure what will happen to you next, but until your unlucky streak ends, we must be careful. You do realize that our bodyguard can't guard us both at the same time, right?"A silver-haired girl with braids then entered the scene. She's carrying a bag with a long wood stick on her back. She's the siblings' personal bodyguard. "Is something the matter, young master?" she asked."Ah, there you are, [REDACTED]," Natsumi's brother said. "Listen, this might sound like a strange order, but I'm going to need you to watch over Natsumi for the next couple of days."The bodyguard raised an eyebrow at the order. "Why must I do that?" she asked."You know how Natsumi's been getting unlucky lately, right?" Natsumi's brother asked. "She's been getting into unfortunate situation after unfortunate situation. I swear, this world is out to get her. The other day, a sign fell down and nearly crushed her.""I could've sworn that someone sabotaged that sign," Natsumi claimed. "It must've been someone from a rival clan..." She was about to continue, but then she an uncomfortable sensation coming from her pocket. "Agh, what's going on in my pocket? It feels like there's a bunch of rocks in there..."Natsumi's brother and the bodyguard turned to look at Natsumi."What's wrong?" Natsumi's brother asked.Natsumi reached into her pocket and pulled out a small cloth bag. She looked inside the cloth bag...and grew a shocked expression on her face. "What?!" she gasped."Huh? What's that?" Natsumi's brother ask, pointing his finger at the cloth bag. "Give me that!" He then took the cloth bag and looked inside it. He was...confused at what he's seeing. "What? Natsumi, why are you carrying around a bag filled with rocks? Were did you get this? What are those rocks?"Natsumi then realized where the small rocks came from. "Oh no..." she muttered.The bodyguard stick her finger into the cloth bag, picking up a small amount of rocks. She then placed the rocks on her tongue and gave it a taste test. She felt the rocks dissolve in her mouth, and that's when she realized what those rocks are. "This is...salt," she said."Salt?" Natsumi's brother said. "That...sounds strange. Why would anyone carry around salt in a bag like that?""I think...that was a holy stone..." Natsumi confessed."You brought a what?!" Natsumi's brother gasped in shock. "Natsumi...you stupid bitch! Didn't our parents taught us not to just people who are selling those kinds of stuff? They're always con artists looking to swindle people out of their money! How could you let yourself be scammed?! Tell me! Who sold you that rock? How much did you pay for that?""I...don't know where I got that 'holy stone' from," Natsumi replied. "I can't remember what that man looks like...or sounds like!""Well, how much money did you spend on this so-called 'holy stone'?" Natsumi's brother asked."Um...1 million?" Natsumi replied."1 million yen?!" Natsumi's brother exclaimed. "That's...that's too much money to spend on a useless piece of rock! We can't allow this! We must get that money back!" He then began to walk around the house. "Dad! Send someone to look for the person who scammed my sister! Tell them to give that money back!"A few days later, Yasuhiro Hagakure, the young man who sold the 'holy stone' to Natsumi, was walking down the backstreets when he stumbled across a pair of suspicious looking men talking to someone who dwells in the backstreets."Have you heard of someone who is selling holy stones for high prices?" one of the suspicious men asked."Huh? Are looking for a fortune teller or something?" the backstreet dweller replied. "There's lots of those guys walking around the backstreets. How are you supposed to know who you're looking for?""Have you seen a blonde girl with permanent blush marks walking around with a cloth bag in her hands?" the other suspicious men asked. "I've heard that she's a dangerous girl. She's a high-ranking member of a yakuza clan."That's when Yasuhiro freaked out. He remembered selling a holy stone to a girl who fits that description. Those suspicious men said that she's a high-ranking member of a yakuza clan. Could he have incurred the wrath of a yakuza clan? Have they sent grunts out to hunt him down? If that's the case, then he'd better be running. He really needed that 1 million yen to support his mother. He's not willing to part with his money, nor is he willing to give away his collection of strange objects that he considered artifacts.And so, Yasuhiro went into hiding, being very watchful for grunts working for the Kuzuryu Clan...
Day 9 - Unknown TimeTrial Room, Underground
"Well, looks like you kids got it right again!" Monokuma announced. "Yes, the blackened for this case is none other than Yasuhiro Hagakure! I'm counting him as the blackened, because he's the one who set up the trap that ultimately killed Kiyotaka Ishimaru. Good job everyone!"Despite Monokuma's words of praise, nobody felt any satisfaction after the Class Trial ended. They all stared at Yasuhiro, who had fallen to his knees after seeing how everyone voted."Goddammit..." Mondo muttered. "Why does my bro's killer...have to be that guy...?""To think that he's trying to kill me to wipe away he debt he owed to my family..." Natsumi said. "And to think that he would try to kill me by dropping a dumbbell on my head... What kind of person would think that's a great idea?""An idiot who has the wrong idea on what makes an unsolvable murder," Byakuya replied. "That's the type of person who would come up with such a stupid plan."Celeste then glared at Leon, thinking that he's at fault for letting Kiyotaka die. "You know, this could've been prevented if you had bothered to look up," she said."I told you, didn't I?" Leon countered. "Neither me nor Taka didn't look up at that door to see if there's anything on it! We didn't think to check!""But Taka was warned that someone was going to die from a falling object, wasn't he?" Celeste asked. "What a shame. He should've been watchful for anything that's about to fall on his head, in case the person who will die happened to be him. Alas, he didn't. He brought his death onto himself for not checking for falling objects."Hina was incensed by Celeste implying that it was Kiyotaka's fault that he ended up dying. "How dare you say that, Celeste!" she shouted. "How was Taka supposed to know that there was a dumbbell on that door?""The exercise room door was opened slightly as Taka approached it, right?" Celeste replied. "He should've took that as a sign that there's something on that door that could fall on him if he moves the door. In fact, he should've closed the door first just to make sure that there's nothing on it.""What kind of person would think that a slightly open door means that it's a trap?!" Hina countered. "They'll be crazy if they think that way!""Girls! Stop it!" Makoto shouted, stopping Hina and Celeste's argument. "Look, this isn't the time to be pinning the blame on someone, okay? Yes, Taka did trigger the trap that killed him. But don't forget that it was Hiro who set up that trap in the first place! Even so, I wouldn't blame him for creating this mess. He was stuck in a vulnerable position due to the threat of his secret being exposed, as well as fearing that the girl he scammed is out to get him. Instead, we should be pinning the blame on Monokuma, because he's the one who made all of this happen!"Monokuma tilted his head upon being blamed for causing another murder to happen. "Aw, are you saying that it's my fault for letting this murder happen, boy?" he asked. "Do you really think that trick will work on me a second time?""Yes, Monokuma," Makoto replied. "It really is your fault that all of this happened in the first place! You pushed Hiro into creating a trap that ended up killing Taka! If it weren't for you, Taka wouldn't have been caught in this mess! He would still be alive!""No, it's not my fault that Yasuhiro was saddled with debts to the Kuzuryu Clan," Monokuma countered. "If Yasuhiro didn't resort to swindling people out of their money to make a living, he wouldn't have the Kuzuryu Clan chasing him down, demanding that he gives the money back! Fortune-telling is such a phony career, you know? All of their predictions have such a low success rate, so their clients ended up paying a lot of money for a service that won't do anything!"Makoto glared at Monokuma, frustrated that his words are falling on deaf ears.Monokuma then turned his attention towards Natsumi. "Oh, and don't think that you're out the blame game just yet, Natsumi!" he said. "It's also your fault that all of this happen! If you weren't such a foolish girl and didn't brought that so-called 'holy stone', you wouldn't have pushed Yasuhiro into trying to kill you!"Natsumi just turned away from Monokuma, refusing to make eye contact with him."Stop trying to pin the blame on us!" Makoto countered. "If you haven't threatened to reveal our secrets to the outside world, if you haven't nudged Hiro into creating that trap to clear his debts, then none of this would've happened!""Shut up!" Monokuma shouted. "It's totally Yasuhiro's fault for making all of this happen! He's the one who set up that trap, after all."Meanwhile, Kyoko is looking over the book of Genocide Jill cases, reviewing the images of the crime scenes of Genocide Jill's victims. "You know, Byakuya, your imitation of Genocide Jill's signature style of killings is quite convincing," she said. "If you had used scissors, we could've been fooled.""I would've done that if I had more time," Byakuya replied. "I had no idea when the rest of you would search the school for the missing Kiyotaka. I had to rush things.""For a rushed job, you did great job making it look like Genocide Jill did it," Kyoko complimented. "Still, to think that you had so much time unsupervised... If we had sent someone out to go look for you and Taka, you would've been stopped." She then sighed."Man, I can't believe Master Togami would try to frame us for a murder I didn't commit," Genocide Jill remarked. "If my mail personality ever lusts over him again, I'll just have to remind her that he framed us for murder.""Good," Byakuya said in relief. "Get that pest out of my sights as much as possible.""Okay, master!" Genocide Jill said with a smile, albeit with her tongue sticking out.Sayaka walked up to Yasuhiro, grabbing her along the way. "Um...Hiro...?" she said. "Do you...really have to do all of that...? What made you think...that setting up a trap to kill the girl you scammed...would be a good idea?"Yasuhiro shook in place as he buried his head into the floor."Your debt of 1 million yen..." Sayaka continued. "That...sounds like a lot of money, especially for someone like you. But...is it really worth sacrificing someone and risking your life just to wipe away that debt?""My debt...is way more than 1 million yen..." Yasuhiro replied, his face still buried on the floor. "All of my former clients...are out to get me... They all wanted...their money back...""Even so...is it worth taking that risk?" Sayaka asked. "Scamming the heiress of a yakuza clan... That...hardly sounds like the most embarrassing thing someone has done. You know...we've all done some embarrassing things in the past. I know I had done some...unpleasant things during my rise to the top. I often worry that if everyone learns about the shameful things that I did in the past, my reputation would be ruined. Most of us...probably felt that way...when they learned that their secrets were about to be exposed. I...had a feeling that there's someone in this school...with a much more shameful secret than you...""How would you know that...?" Yasuhiro asked. "You don't know everyone's secret!"Hearing Yasuhiro say that Sayaka doesn't know everyone's secret gave Monokuma an idea. "Hey, speaking of secrets," he said, "everyone other than the blackened! Listen up! You have failed to take someone's life to prevent your secrets from being exposed. Since several of you have already gotten their secrets exposed during the Class Trial, I'll just reveal the secrets that I can reveal!"Mondo then realized what that means. "Oh shit," he said. "No! Don't say what my secret is you bastard bear!""You know, the more you don't want us to know your secret, the more we want to know it," Celeste said. "Haven't you heard of the Streisand Effect?""The what?!" Mondo asked."Alright, here we go!" Monokuma began. "Mondo got his bother killed in a motorbike race!"Everyone was shocked to hear that this isn't the first time that Mondo has lost a brother...or at least someone he considered to be a brother."You did what to your bother?!" Natsumi gasped."NOOOOOOOO!" Mondo screamed."Leon tried to enter a girl's locker room to get a new girl," Monokuma continued. "He was kicked out as soon as he entered."Some of the girls gave Leon a disapproving glare."Hey, that's not true!" Leon complained. "I just walked into a girl's locker room by accident!""Well, that sounded like you were doing that intentionally," Hina said."It was not! I swear!" Leon countered."Hina had an accident during a swimming competition!" Monokuma continued again."You had a what?!" Leon gasped.Hina had an mortified look on her face as Monokuma revealed her secret."What kind of accident was it?" Sakura asked."...You don't want to know," Hina replied."Sakura once threw a fight!" Monokuma said. "I'm...not sure how embarrassing that was, but it's the most embarrassing I could find!""...I expected that to be brought up..." Sakura said."Hifumi's first fan work was terribly made, to the point that it was unreadable!" Monokuma said. "I bet that you think that he wrote some smut when he was young, but you're wrong! He was too innocent at the time he made his first fan work!""Anyone who thinks that I only write smut needs to get their heads out of the gutter!" Hifumi said. "That said...yeah. I can't stand reading my old works...""Byakuya sentenced his half-siblings to death, at least in the eyes of his family," Monokuma said.Byakuya was shocked to hear that secret be revealed. "What?!" he gasped. "That wasn't written as my deepest, darkest secret! You lied to me!""Hey, I never said that the secrets that I threatened to reveal will be the ones that I will reveal when the time comes," Monokuma replied. "Anyways, Celeste... Oh, it looks like revealing your secret might mess things up later down the line. So I won't reveal it now."Celeste let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness," she said."And Kyoko," Monokuma continued, "looks like your secret is classified! Revealing it now will also mess things up later down the line. So your secret also won't get revealed."Everyone looked at Kyoko in confusion. They wondered what kind of secret she has that is so dark or embarrassing that not even Monokuma is willing to say what it is. Either that, or he's planning something..."Alright, that's all of them," Monokuma said. "Time to move on to-""Wait, hold on," Leon said. "Aren't you forgetting someone? Did Makoto and Sayaka get their secrets?"Makoto and Sayaka had a dreadful feeling when they were reminded about their shared secret. They still have no idea what their shared secret is, assuming that it even exists. They wondered why Monokuma is hiding their shared secret from them. What kind of plans does it have with them?"Oh, I did give them their secret alright," Monokuma replied. "And guess what? I'm not gonna reveal what their secret is! Their secret is something they and they alone should know about."Kyoko took notice of how Monokuma worded that sentence."And as for Kiyotaka?" Monokuma said. "Well, since he's dead, I guess that means that he'll be taking his secret to his grave! None of you will get to know what his secret is! And with that, I'm done revealing secrets! Time for the moment you've all been waiting for: the punishment for the blackened!""Ooh, the blackened is gonna get punished?" Genocide Jill said with excitement. "I wonder what's gonna happen to them."Yasuhiro jumped to his feet and panicked as he realized that his end was nigh. "Oh no..." he said in horror. "Am I gonna be executed for this? No! Please! Don't! My debt! What about my debt?!""Oh, your debt is gonna be wiped out, Yasuhiro," Monokuma said. "It's just that it will be wiped out once you're dead. Hey, I never said that I won't clear your debts if you fail to get away with murder!""Please! Have mercy!" Yasuhiro begged. "I'm warning you right now! There's gonna be one more murder after this! Then there won't be any more!"Another prediction from Yasuhiro? He said that there will be just one more murder after this case? Well, at least the surviving students can rest easy knowing that they won't have to worry about being killed by anyone and having to go through a Class Trial again. But if his prediction is wrong..."Hey, calm down already," Monokuma said. "Take your immanent doom with dignity, just like the previous blackened!""Someone! Please get me outta here!" Yasuhiro cried as he began to pray for something, anything to happen. "God? Buddha? Mother Earth? If anyone can hear me, I need help!""Praying for some random gods won't save your from your doom!" Monokuma said. "Get ready, folks! Let's give it everything we've got! It's punishment time!"A wall then opened up and out comes a claw. It flies towards Yasuhiro and clamped onto his neck. It then began to pull Yasuhiro into the execution chamber."SAVE MEEEEEEE!" Yasuhiro cried as he was dragged away.
GAME OVER
Yasuhiro has been found guilty. Time for the punishment!
Yasuhiro is thrown into a room that resembles a city block, where he becomes face to face with Monokuma, who is dressed as a fortune teller. In front of Monokuma is a crystal ball, not too different from the one Yasuhiro uses to see into the future...supposedly. Monokuma then showed Yasuhiro a vision of his future with the crystal ball, and Yasuhiro became terrified upon seeing it. The crystal ball showed Yasuhiro his own dead body. The cause of death is unknown, but it will happen. Additionally, Monokuma set a tarot card on the table and flipped it over, revealing it to be the Death Arcana. Normally, this Arcana represents the end of one cycle and the beginning of another. But since this is Monokuma who is doing the fortune telling, this is not a good sign. Panicking, Yasuhiro stood up and tried to run away from his impending doom.
Curse of the Superstitions
"Bad things will happen if you do these things..."
Ultimate Clairvoyant's Execution
Yasuhiro ran around the execution chamber, trying to find a way out of it. Along the way, he ran underneath a ladder that is leaning against the wall. A paint bucket then fell to the ground, creating a loud crashing sound that drew Yasuhiro's attention away from where he's running to. This made him run into a mirror, shattering it into many pieces and causing him to fall to the ground.As Yasuhiro rubbed his bottom in pain, he looked ahead and gasped at the sight of the shattered mirror. He can see an image of himself in the mirror, but it's heavily distorted due to the amount of pieces the mirror had shattered into. He then looked back at the ladder he had ran under. He can see a Monokuma unit at the top of the ladder. It looked frustrated that its plan of dropping a paint bucket onto Yasuhiro's head had failed. Seeing both the ladder and the shattered mirror, Yasuhiro began to wonder how much bad luck he had accumulated over the course of his execution.Suddenly, Yasuhiro felt a rumbling sound that's approaching him. He looked back at the shattered mirror and watched as the wall it was attached to crumble into pieces, revealing a much larger Monokuma unit. Frightened by the sight of the large Monokuma unit, Yasuhiro got up and ran away from it. The large Monokuma unit then proceeded to chase Yasuhiro down.From then on, Yasuhiro continued to do things that would bring bad luck to him, according to people who believes in superstitions. During the chase, Yasuhiro looked behind him, checking how far away the large Monokuma unit is from him. But this prevented him from seeing what he's about to run into, so he ended up running into a giant salt shaker, causing it to fall down and spill its contents. He changed directions and ran off in another direction, only to encounter a black cat who is walking across the alley. Yasuhiro stopped and stepped back upon seeing the black cat, only to hear a loud crunch sound coming from his feet. He looked down and moved his feet, where he discovered that he had crushed a giant ladybug.The giant Monokuma unit then began to close the distance between it and Yasuhiro. Seeing the giant Monokuma unit once again, Yasuhiro panicked and ran away from it again. He then came across a flight of stairs that has thirteen steps, at the top of which is a doorway that is too small for the giant Monokuma unit to fit through. Given all the bad luck Yasuhiro had inflicted upon himself, he felt uneasy taking the flight of stairs to safety. But it looks like that is his only option to escape. The giant Monokuma unit is about to trap him in this alley. And so, Yasuhiro decided to step up the flight of stairs.But upon taking the thirteenth step, the flight of stairs tilted downwards, creating a slope that Yasuhiro slid down on. At the bottom of the flight of stairs, a trapdoor opens up, sending Yasuhiro down into a pit. Yasuhiro then fell through three floors before stopping on the fourth. The fall was a crippling blow to Yasuhiro. Most people wouldn't be able to handle a fall like that. But despite the long fall, Yasuhiro is still able to move his body. He slowly lifts his body up, until he was back on his feet. His legs were struggling to support his body weight, but Yasuhiro still managed to remain upright.Yasuhiro then looked ahead and saw a door with light pouring out the window. Excited, Yasuhiro limped his way to the door and opened it up. Beyond the door is what appears to be freedom. Thinking that he has escaped death, Yasuhiro walked through the doorway. But as he entered the supposed freedom room, a giant crystal ball landed on his body, crushing him to death. And so, he ended up dying in the same way as his (unintended) victim: a heavy object being dropped on his head. Hey, he never said that only one person will die from a falling object landing on their head, right?...Everyone felt like they had their hopes crushed after watching the execution footage on the big screen. For a moment, Yasuhiro looked like he was going to survive his execution, despite his injuries and all the bad luck he had accumulated from doing all of those superstitious things. Alas, that was not meant to be."Man, that clairvoyant really thought that he was going to escape his fate, didn't he?" Monokuma said as he reappeared. "He thought that since fortune tellers have really low success rates for their predictions, he was going to survive his execution. Little does he know that I'm the real Ultimate Clairvoyant! My predictions become true 100% of the time, every time!"Natsumi just hung her head down in disappointment. Now she's never going to get back the 1 million yen that she paid for that worthless piece of rock salt.Monokuma then saw that Natsumi doesn't look happy to see that her scammer is now dead. "Hey, what's the matter, yakuza girl?" he asked. "Shouldn't you glad that the person who scammed you is dead? I mean, that fortune teller got what he deserved for swindling you all those years ago, right?"Natsumi didn't respond."Man, that execution was just lame," Genocide Jill complained. "I was expecting a lot more bloodshed, you know? I thought that executions are supposed to be brutal. Ah, whatever. I'm overstaying my welcome. Time for me to get some rest! But don't take this as a goodbye! I will return! Alright, see you later!"Toko's body fell down to the floor as Genocide Jill became dormant. Shortly afterwards, Toko woke up, with her eyes being normal again."W-What?" Toko gasped in a panic. "W-What's going o-on? What h-happened?""You were out for a long time," Makoto explained. "Genocide Jill took over your body after you lost consciousness. She was active for the rest of the Class Trial.""Genocide Jill...?" Toko asked in confusion. "Wait, but I t-thought that she was called Genocide Jack! And...w-what are you all doing outside of your p-podiums? Are we s-still doing the-?""It's over," Byakuya explained. "The Class Trial is over. We've caught the culprit, and he is now dead.""It's...over already?" Toko asked. "W-Who was the culprit?" She then looked around the trial room and saw that someone's missing. "And...who's m-missing? D-Did someone leave...?"Everyone said nothing as they waited for Toko to come to the realization that Yasuhiro is the culprit.After a while, everyone began to return to the surface.
Day 9 - 6:00 PMDining Hall, First Floor
Everyone held a meeting in the dining hall after finishing dinner. They wondered what they're supposed to do now that Kiyotaka is dead."Shit..." Mondo grumbled, pounding his fist on the table. "Why did it have to come to this...? Bro is dead...and now we're without a leader. What are we supposed to do?""Perhaps it's time for us to pick a new leader," Hifumi suggested. "Does anyone have any suggestions?""What about Mondo?" Hina suggested. "He's the leader of a biker gang. He could lead us from now on.""Hell no..." Mondo replied. "I...don't feel like being a leader...not after you've all heard...about my dead brother...""Besides, I'm not willing to let a lowlife be my superior," Byakuya added."How did your brother die?" Makoto asked."You don't want to know..." Mondo replied."Then what about Natsumi?" Hina suggested. "She's the heiress of a yakuza clan. She could be our leader."Natsumi scoffed at the idea of being the leader of this class. "Do I look like I want to lead this group?" she asked.Byakuya sighed at Hina's suggestions on who the leader should be. "Why do you make the worst possible suggestions for someone to be our leader?" he asked."Because...these two are the leaders of their respective groups," Hina explained. "I'm...sure that they have the leadership skills to lead us.""Why should we trust a biker gang member and the heiress of a criminal organization to lead this group?" Byakuya asked. "I find them to be untrustworthy of that position. The only person alive in this school who should be entrusted with the position of a leader is me. So from now on, I shall be the leader.""Uh...hell no, you won't," Leon countered. "What the hell should we trust you with being our leader? Didn't you tamper with that crime scene?""That reminds me," Kyoko said. "Byakuya, do you really have to tamper with the crime scene to frame Genocide Jill? Do you really have to risk getting caught in the middle of setting up the fake crime scene just to make the Class Trial more interesting in your eyes?""I was just testing you all," Byakuya explained. "That was simply a test to see who can break down my lies as they're pursuing the truth. Now that the test is over, I now know who to watch out for should I decide to become the blackened.""Bullshit!" Leon shouted as he slammed his fist on the table. "You call that a test?! You could've gotten all of us killed!""Wait...who are you watching out for?" Hina asked.Byakuya turned his gaze towards Makoto and Sayaka. He leered at them. "Those two," he said. "If I ever decide to become the blackened, those two will my biggest obstacle to my success."Makoto and Sayaka were shocked to hear that Byakuya considers them to be the biggest threat to his success a blackened."Us?" Makoto asked. "Why us?""Have any of you noticed that whenever we are doing a debate," Byakuya began to explain, "Makoto was the first person to point out a flaw in our arguments using evidence to support his claim? Either that, or he supports another person's argument using evidence to back them up. And when we decide to challenge Makoto's claim, he was able to break our arguments down using evidence. From this, I conclude that Makoto has developed an ability to spot flaws in our arguments and use the evidence he had gathered to either refute or support them.""He was really doing that...?" Hifumi asked. "What does Mr. Makoto Naegi think he's in? A video game? A visual novel? What kind of ability does he have...?""Wait, what about Sayaka?" Hina asked. "Is she doing the same thing as Makoto?""Yes," Byakuya replied. "It appears that Sayaka has developed the same ability. When the trial room descended into chaos as everyone spoke over each other, Sayaka managed to spot the flaw in my argument and expose me as the one who tampered with the crime scene. She's the one who provided the evidence that proves that I tampered with the crime scene, even though she didn't find the evidence herself. And when Yasuhiro claimed that he had no reason to target that yakuza girl, she and Makoto decided to work together to show the proof that he did have a reason. To think that they would use a throwaway comment from the previous Class Trial to back their claim..."Makoto and Sayaka became concerned with what Byakuya is planning to do with this."So...are you planning to be a culprit in the future?" Sayaka asked."Of course not," Byakuya replied. "Do you think that I'm stupid to do that? I will not fall for that bear's traps. I will not succumb to his temptations. No matter what happens, I will prevail.""Then why the hell did you risk our lives for a test?!" Leon shouted, jumping from his seat."Leon, calm down," Makoto ordered. "This isn't the time to get angry."Leon then sat back down on his seat."Man...we still haven't decided on who should be our new leader..." Hina said with a sigh. "Does anyone have any ideas?"No one said anything. Everyone is still unsure on who is trustworthy and willing enough to replace the late Kiyotaka as the leader."Looks like we're still undecided," Hina said with a sigh. "Either that, or we won't have someone to lead us anymore..."Hifumi then looked at Toko, sweating in fear of Toko's other self. "Um...about Miss Toko Fukawa..." he said. "We now know that her other personality is a serial killer, right? So...do we have to worry about Genocide Jill killing one of us?""Oh, d-don't worry about her," Toko said. "I'm...trying me b-best to keep Genocide Jill from t-taking over my body. Besides, I don't think that she'll find any of you b-boys cute enough to be killed by her...""Also, remember that Genocide Jill has a signature style for her murders," Byakuya added. "She never deviates from that signature style. Should we see another dead body that is propped up on the wall, we definitely know that Genocide Jill is behind it.""Either that, or someone is attempting to frame Genocide Jill, such as you," Leon said in a bitter tone."Do you think I'm foolish enough to do the same thing twice?" Byakuya asked. "I doubt that you're all foolish enough to fall for the same trick twice.""So...now what?" Hina asked. "What do we do now?""Considering what happened last time," Kyoko said, "Monokuma will likely open up the next floor for us to explore. We're all tired from that Class Trial. I suggest that we all get some rest and explore the next floor tomorrow morning.""That sounds like a good idea," Makoto said. "Let's do that. We all deserve a break after what happened today."Hina then wondered if Kyoko would make for a good leader moving forward. "You know, Kyoko," she said. "You sound like you want to be our new leader. So...would you mind taking charge from now on?"Kyoko shook her head. "I'm not saying that because I intend to take charge," she said. "I'm just saying that everyone should rest."And with that, the meeting is pretty much over. Everyone got up from their seats and went their separate ways. The rest of the day then went on quietly as everyone waited for the next floor to open up.
Day 9 - 9:45 PMDormitory, First Floor
Before going to sleep for the night, Makoto and Sayaka decided to check the crime scene to see if it had been cleaned up. Sure enough, it was cleaned up. Kiyotaka's body is no longer in the boy's locker room, and all traces of blood have been wiped off. The dumbbell that killed Kiyotaka had been cleaned, while the pull-up bars had been moved to their original places. The only thing that was left behind was Kiyotaka's pocket notebook. It contains everything that Kiyotaka has written during the killing game, including the kitchen inventory list that was used during the first Class Trial. Makoto decided to take the pocket notebook as a memento of his dead classmate.Having gotten a memento, Makoto and Sayaka headed for the former's room. Soon, they arrived at the door to Makoto's room. Makoto didn't unlock his room's door immediately, as there's something on his mind that he wants to talk about."Huh? Aren't we going to head inside your room?" Sayaka asked."You know, Sayaka, there's something that I want to ask you," Makoto said. "How are you feeling?"Sayaka gave Makoto a puzzled look. "...Why are you asking me that?" she asked."You did a great job helping me during the Class Trial," Makoto replied, "especially during the time when several of us spoke at the same time. That was so chaotic back there. I couldn't keep track of what everyone was saying. If you haven't snapped out of it and spoke up, it would've been much harder to expose Byakuya's lies and find the truth behind Taka's death. Not only that, but you also helped me in getting Hiro confront the truth that he was exposed as the one who set up the trap that killed Taka. So...thanks for that. You really are proving yourself to be my Ultimate Assistant."Sayaka softly smiled to Makoto's compliment. "...Thanks," she said."Ah, that's what I wanted to see from you," Makoto said upon seeing Sayaka smiling. "So...are you feeling better now?""I think...I am making progress," Sayaka said. "Though...after Hiro's death...I felt like I'm back to where I started... Seeing someone who lived a terrible life die a horrible death... It hurts my heart... I felt like every death I see...undoes all the progress I've made towards recovery... I...doubt that I'll become happy ever again...""Don't give up, Sayaka," Makoto said in encouragement. "Just give it some more time, a cherish every little progress you've made. I'm sure that you'll recover eventually...assuming another death doesn't happen again." He then glances off to the side and sighed. "You know, you think that spending a lot time around me would make you feel better, but I think that we should spend more time apart from each other.""Huh? You think so?" Sayaka asked."We've been around each other for four days straight, hardly spending any time apart from each other," Makoto said. "The only times when we're apart is when we're changing in and out of our gym clothes. And we've been sleeping together for the past several nights. I know that you might feel comfortable sleeping with me, but...I'm sorry, but I can't stand Monokuma teasing us every morning.""So...what do you want me to do?" Sayaka asked."Sayaka, I think you should sleep in your own room, just for once," Makoto said.Sayaka gasped at Makoto's suggestion. "Sleep in my own room?!" she said. "But...it feels so...scary to be in my room! I'm going to be all alone for the whole night, not to mention that my room was used to create a fake crime scene... I feel like I'm going to go crazy if I spend a night apart from you!""Calm down, Sayaka," Makoto said. "If you let those things bother you, you won't get good sleep. It's all in the past now. You can move on."Sayaka then hugged herself and shivered in fear. "And...what if something happens to one of us...when we're apart...?" she asked. "What if one of us gets killed...when the other is in a different part of the school...? How can we be sure that the other is safe...when we can't see them? I don't want to lose you...and you don't want to lose me...""Just trust me, Sayaka," Makoto said in assurance. "I'm pretty sure that I can be safe when I'm apart from you, and I can trust that you'll be safe when you're apart from me. Besides, after seeing two murders and the consequences of being caught, I doubt that any one of us is willing to commit a murder. Hiro did say that there's going to be one more murder after the last one, and that's assuming he's right...""But...what if he's wrong...?" Sayaka asked. "What if there's going to be more murders after the next one? When...is this killing game going to end? How long...must we endure this torment...? Are we ever going to escape?!""Sayaka, this killing game will end eventually," Makoto said to try to comfort Sayaka. "Soon, none of us would be willing to commit a murder anymore, no matter how hard Monokuma tries. We will escape this school. We just have to-"Sayaka then threw herself at Makoto into a hug. "No! I can't sleep in my room!" she cried. "I feel like I must...I must sleep with you every night! I don't want to be apart from you..."Makoto was startled when Sayaka threw herself at him. It looks like Sayaka isn't quite comfortable with sleeping in her room yet. It might be a while before Sayaka is in a state where she's fine with not sleeping with him for at least a night. With a sigh, Makoto decided to let Sayaka sleep with him once again."Alright, if you insist..." Makoto said. "Just don't let Monokuma bother you if he shows up again, okay?"Sayaka nodded to make a promise to not be surprised the next time Monokuma decides to wake her and Makoto up. Being done for the day, Makoto and Sayaka then entered the former's room, sleeping together once again.
Day 9 - 11:00 PMUnknown Location, Unknown Floor
"Well, these past few days have been quite interesting, haven't they?" Monokuma said to a mysterious figure. "Did you see how that couple tore themselves to death so soon after I gave out those motives? Did you see how that man tried to kill that girl to wipe away his debts to her family, only to end up killing someone who is completely uninvolved in that affair? Those things were crazy! I'm glad that they happened before things had a chance to become boring. This killing game is just like a roller coaster. Everyone will climb up to the top of the hill. And just when things are looking bright, they'll end up plunging all the way down, crashing into the ground! And then, they'll do the whole thing all over again! Isn't that fun?"The mysterious figure seems unsure on what to make of that simile."That said, I am disappointed in you," Monokuma said. "Twice so far, those students have acted and committed a murder before you even had a chance to make a move. This is so frustrating! I went through all the trouble of convincing you to work for me, and those kids won't even let you do the think I asked you to do! Oh well. There's nothing we can do about it. I don't have complete control over everyone's actions. So the next time I give out a motive to everyone, keep an eye on the ones who are vulnerable to falling for the motives. If they're taking too long to act, that's your chance to make the move. Got it?"The mysterious figure nodded as as they agreed to Monokuma's plan. Then they asked something. "So...about the seventeenth student," they said.Monokuma was shocked to hear that topic be brought up. "The what?" he asked. "What did you just say?""The seventeenth student in this school..." the mysterious figure said. "Who are they?""Hey, that's classified information, okay?" Monokuma said. "You may be my servant, but not even you will get to learn about the seventeenth student! You might betray me if I tell you about them. Nope! Nu-uh! Denied! So don't you dare ask me about that ever again. Otherwise...do you remember the promise I made to you, right?"The mysterious figure remembered why they agreed work for Monokuma and so decided to not ask about the seventeenth student anymore.
Day 10 - 12:00 AMNatsumi's Room, First Floor
Natsumi found it hard to fall asleep. The hallow feeling from watching Yasuhiro's execution still remained in her heart. The man who scammed her all those years ago is now dead...but at what cost? All the money she had wasted on a phony rock is never going back to her. That accursed holy stone...she felt like it had brought her more misfortune than if she had not brought it. If only she wasn't so naive back then...A worrying thought then entered Natsumi's head: her brother. It's been a while since she had last seen him. In fact, it felt like she hasn't seen her brother for a long time. Maybe that's because these past nine days felt like forever to her. So much had happened over the past nine days that it's overwhelming. It made her wonder when her brother will arrive to rescue her. If he ever found out that his own sister was in danger, he would surely attempt to rescue her by now. Why hasn't he arrived yet?"Fuyuhiko..." Natsumi muttered. "Brother...where are you...? I'm...your sister...right? We...grew up...together... Why haven't...you rescued me by now...?"Natsumi paused for a moment as her thoughts shifted over to her bodyguard."And...Peko..." Natsumi continued to mutter. "You were...supposed to be my bodyguard...and protect me...when I'm in danger... Why aren't you here as well...?"Natsumi paused for a moment again, as if she's waiting for a response from someone. Of course, as the only person in this room, she didn't get a response.Natsumi let out a groan. "This is so frustrating!" she said. "Why isn't my brother or my bodyguard here? Things would've been so much better if they were here! Oh Fuyuhiko...oh Peko...where are you both? Don't tell me that you're both dead! If you can hear me, then come get me outta here!""Hello? Anyone there?""Ah!" Natsumi yelped upon hearing the unfamiliar voice. Her body sprung up after hearing the unfamiliar voice. "W-Who said that?""Can anyone hear me?" the unfamiliar voice asked."W-Who are you?!" Natsumi asked. "Where are you? What are you doing in my room?!""...Your room?" the unfamiliar voice asked. "Just who are you? You don't sound like Master."Natsumi shivered in fear as she thought about what that voice could be. "This room isn't haunted, isn't it...?" she asked. "I'm not...hearing things, am I?""You're not hearing things," the unfamiliar voice replied. "I really am here! Now open up this drawer and help me see!""But...I don't know who you are..." Natsumi said."Just trust me," the unfamiliar voice said. "I can be helpful!"Natsumi got off her bed and began to search for the source of the unfamiliar voice. "W-Where are you?" she asked. "I don't know where this voice is coming from...""Just follow the sound of my voice and you'll find me," the unfamiliar voice said.That voice...it sound like it's coming from the drawer in the desk. Natsumi became confused upon seeing the desk. How could a person fit into the tiny space of a drawer? Is it really a person who is making that voice? Nervously, she opened the drawer...and found what appears to be a laptop. A microphone is plugged into the laptop, as well as a large battery. Is this laptop the source of the voice? Curious, Natsumi lifted the laptop set up on the desk. She opened up the laptop and saw...a disembodied head on the screen, whose face is unfamiliar to Natsumi."Hi," the unfamiliar face said."AHHHHHHH!" Natsumi screamed.
Chapter 2: The Serial Killer Among Us
END
Surviving Students: 12
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
How far is one willing to go to win a game?The point of a game is to win it. It doesn't matter what that game is. It doesn't matter what the objective is. It doesn't matter who the participants are. In the end, all games are destined towards the same outcome: one person or team will win.This is a killing game, where our objective is to either kill someone and get away with it, or figure out who committed the crime and sentence them to death. Depending on what objective a person is trying to achieve, they would either have to create the perfect crime or to uncover the killer based on the evidence that was found. Both sides must put in effort to win this game. The killer must make sure that there are no witnesses and to ensure that their crime cannot be traced back to them. The innocents, on the other hand, must find a way to break through the killer's veil of lies to uncover the truth. With their lives on the line, it's only a matter of time before someone resorts to cheating to get what they wanted.Cheating is the most disgraceful act a person can do in a game. By cheating, it implies that the cheater doesn't have enough confidence in themselves to reach their goal in the natural, intended way. So they attempt to use underhanded tactics to gain an advantage. This will lead to undesirable outcomes. If the cheater succeeds, they will reach their goal and get away with it. However, they will be left with a hallow victory, as they will have robbed themselves of the satisfaction that comes from undertaking the intended road to victory. If the cheater gets caught, they would no longer be trusted with completing the objective of the game without resorting to underhanded tactics.I've seen people cheat in an attempt to win a game. In fact, I had witnessed my own half-siblings attempt to cheat to win my family's game of inheritance. You see, the Togami family has a...particular way of choosing its successors. Instead of marrying, the head male of the family makes children with many exceptional women from around the world. When all of those children have become old enough, they are forced to participate in a game of inheritance, where the winner of that game will become the next head of the family, while the losers become "dead to the family" and are exiled into a life of a commoner. With their status on the line, it's inevitable that some of them will resort to cheating in an attempt to win this game. However, by cheating, they have only shown to the Togami family that they are unfit to serve as the new head of the family, so they are immediately disqualified.By the end of the game, I became the one who came out on top. It was an unprecedented moment in the history of the Togami family, as it was the first time the youngest heir won the game. Nobody thought that I would have a chance to win that game of inheritance. As the youngest potential heir, I had the least amount of time to gain experience. And yet...I won in the end, and I did it without the need to resort to cheating.I have gone through a death game once already. And now, I'm going through it again. But this time, I do not intend to play that bear's game. I am utterly disgusted by how that bear is willing to let people die for his own enjoyment. My half-siblings may have become dead to my family, but at least they get to live. Forcing people to kill each other and sentencing the killer to death if they're caught...this is taking things too far. If I intend to win this game, I will do so by killing that bear. I will show that bear that he messed with the wrong family.Unfortunately, I do not believe that my foolish classmates share the same goal as me. They want to escape by any means necessary, and that includes attempting to get away with murder. One of these days, someone will succumb to that bear's machinations and will resort to cheating to get their way.-Byakuya Togami
Chapter 3: A Legend of Lies
Daily Life
Day 10 - 7:00 AMMakoto's Room, First Floor
*Ding-dong, ding-dong!*"Good morning, everyone!" Monokuma said, waking everyone who heard the announcement. "It's 7:00 AM right now, which means that nighttime is officially over! Rise and shine, everyone! Get ready for a beautiful day!"...Makoto and Sayaka opened up their eyes upon hearing the morning announcement. Well, they were woken up by Monokuma again, but this time, they heard his voice from the intercom. It doesn't sound like he's in this room waiting to wake them up. Makoto and Sayaka sighed in relief, as they won't have to worry about Monokuma teasing them for sleeping together."Oh good..." Makoto said. "He's not here. Finally...""I was getting so sick of him waking us up every morning..." Sayaka said. "I mean, him entering this room and waking us up personally.""Do you really think that I won't wake you two up personally?" Monokuma asked.Makoto and Sayaka were shocked to hear Monokuma's voice. They got up off the pillow and looked around the room looking for Monokuma. They found him standing on the table, staring at them with his hands placed on his hips."Oh no..." Makoto said. "Not you again...""Why do you keep on coming to this room every morning?!" Sayaka asked. "And...how did you get here so fast after making the morning announcement?!""I just gave quick feet!" Monokuma replied. "My legs may be short, but I'm surprisingly fast! And don't forget that I can appear and disappear as well! I can go wherever I want in this school! Anyways, I'm here to ask you two about something.""Like what?" Makoto asked."You two have been sleeping together for so many nights in a row," Monokuma said. "I know that it's cute to see a boy submit to his innermost desires and let a girl sleep with him, especially when that girl happens to be the Ultimate Idol. But in doing so, you're letting one of the rooms be empty, and I hate to see a room go to waste when its owner is still alive.""Just get to the point already..." Makoto groaned."So, if you two insist on sleeping together for the rest of your days," Monokuma continued, "how about I merge your rooms into a single room?"Makoto and Sayaka were confused at Monokuma's proposition."You want to do...what with our rooms?" Sayaka asked."I mean, your rooms are right next to each other," Monokuma said. "They share a wall for crying out loud! All I have to do is to break that wall down! And guess what? This one's on the house!"The proposition sounded too good to be true. Monokuma is going to break down a wall, turning two rooms into one. And he's going to do that without charging them anything. Considering that this is Monokuma they're dealing with, there be an additional, hidden cost behind this..."What's the catch?" Makoto asked."The catch is, once you accept this deal, there's no going back," Monokuma replied. "The process of breaking a wall down is irreversible. Once your rooms have been merged, you two will have no choice but to sleep with each other. Forever. Or at least, until this killing game is over."Of course the catch is that the process would be irreversible. Breaking down a wall is a lot easier than building a wall. Makoto and Sayaka wondered if there are any additional catches as well."Oh, and also," Monokuma said, "your rooms will be inaccessible while I'm in the process of merging your rooms. So until I'm done, you two will just have to sleep in someone else's room. And hey, there are now plenty of rooms for you two to borrow since their owners are dead!"...That's another obvious catch. Of course their own rooms would be unavailable while Monokuma is breaking a wall down. It wouldn't be safe. There must be a catch in that proposition that they wouldn't be able to see coming."Anything else?" Makoto asked."Nope! That's all!" Monokuma said. "So, what do you think? Do you accept this or not?"As exciting as seeing two rooms be merged together would be, Makoto and Sayaka were hesitant about accepting the deal. Why would they want their rooms be merged? They were already doing well sharing a bed together, even if there's little room remaining on the bed. Would combining two beds really benefit them at all? And there's the fact that Sayaka's room was once used to fake a crime scene. Would they feel comfortable knowing that one of the rooms that was involved in the merge used to have a dead body in it? And what about the catch? Is Monokuma going to do something sneaky with their rooms during the merging process? This proposition doesn't sound so great now that they think about it."Still thinking?" Monokuma asked. "If you don't decide now, you won't get this chance again in the future!""Just leave my room..." Makoto said."Hey, I'm offering you a great deal!" Monokuma said. "If you two are going to share a room, then why not have a bigger room?"Before Makoto or Sayaka could say anything else, someone rang the doorbell."Oh, looks like you have a visitor," Monokuma said. "Who could it be? It would be quite a shock if your visitor sees me in this room. Well, I'd better get going now! See ya!" He then vanished.With Monokuma gone, Makoto got off the bed and walked up to the door. "Who is it?" he asked as he answered the door.Standing at the hallway is Hina, who seems to be...distressed. "Uh...good morning, Makoto," she greeted. "You too, Sayaka.""Hina?" Makoto began to ask. "Is there something wrong?""Yeah..." Hina replied. "I was on my way to the dining hall...when I noticed that the door to Natsumi's room was opened. Natsumi doesn't appear to be in room. And then...I think...I heard a ghost in her room!"Makoto was shocked to hear that. "A ghost?!" he exclaimed."What did you just say, Hina?" Sayaka asked."I swear..." Hina said. "I've been hearing voices coming out of Natsumi's room! I don't know whose voice is that, or where it's coming from! I think...this school might be haunted...""What?!" Makoto gasped."No, this isn't a ghost," Kyoko's voice said from the hallway. "In fact, this is something that's much more interesting. We might need to do a meeting..."Makoto and Sayaka then met up with everyone in the dining hall to discuss what Kyoko had found in Natsumi's room.
Day 10 - 7:12 AMDining Hall, First Floor
The remaining students gathered around at the central table, looking at the laptop that has a face displayed on it. There are three students who didn't attend the meeting: Byakuya, Toko, and Natsumi. The face depicts a person with layered light-brown hair and hazel eyes. The face looks like of doll-like. It's ambiguous as to if the person the face belongs to is a boy or a girl, as it is neither masculine nor feminine."Uh...what the hell is this?" Leon asked as he scratched his head."Ah, hello everyone!" the face in the screen greeted."Gah!" Hifumi screamed. "It can talk!""Why are you surprised that a computer can talk?" Kyoko asked. "We've spent the past ten days living under a talking bear." She then turned to the face on the screen. "Apologies for everyone's reactions, but this is the first time everyone has seen you.""Oh, am I scaring everyone?" the face on the screen. "Sorry about that. Some people aren't used to talking to an artificial intelligence.""An artificial intelligence...?" Makoto asked."Oh, and I forgot to introduce myself," the face on the screen said. "I am Alter Ego, an AI program that's capable of communicating with people like an real person.""An AI that's able to talk like a real person..." Sayaka said. "Technology sure advances quickly these days...""Is that program really an AI?" Leon asked. "Are you sure that this program isn't just a real human whose mind has been stuffed in that laptop?""No, I'm pretty sure that I am an AI," Alter Ego replied. "My creator programmed me to behave like a real human.""Programmed you...?" Hina asked. "Wait, so who made you? Who's your creator?"In that moment, Natsumi walked into the dining hall for breakfast. She looked weary, as if she hadn't gotten much sleep last night. "Ugh..." she groaned. "I can't believe that I found a laptop that's been haunted by a ghost..." She stopped when she saw the laptop on the table, and then afterwards, she freaked out. "AHHH!"Natsumi's scream caught the attention of everyone. They turned their heads in her direction."Huh? Natsumi?" Makoto asked."Where have you been?!" Hina asked. "Your door was open and I couldn't see you in your room!""T-That doesn't matter!" Natsumi replied. "What matters more is that why the hell did you bring that haunted laptop to the dining hall?!"Alter Ego recognized Natsumi's voice and began to speak to her. "Oh, there you are," they said. "You're the one who found me. You...panicked and ran away upon seeing me. Sorry about that."Kyoko began to ponder about why the laptop was in Natsumi's room in the first place. "Natsumi...you're the one who created Alter Ego, right?" she asked."What? No!" Natsumi replied. "Do I look like someone who makes programs that speak to their users? No! Have you forgotten what I am?!""Then why do you have a laptop in your room?" Hina asked."I don't know!" Natsumi replied. "I don't remember bringing a laptop to my room...or to this school!""Then who made Alter Ego?" Makoto asked."It should be pretty obvious," Alter Ego began to answer, "but only a programmer could've made an AI that's as advanced as me. As far as I know, there's only one person who is my creator. That person is the Ultimate Programmer, Chihiro Fujisaki."Everyone was stunned to hear the name that Alter Ego mentioned. Not only that, but they were also stunned when Alter Ego revealed the title of their creator."The Ultimate Programmer..." Sayaka muttered. That's when she realized something. "Wait, that's just like our titles! We're all called an Ultimate at something. Alter Ego, is your creator...a student of Hope's Peak Academy?""And the name of Alter Ego's creator..." Kyoko said. "Chihiro Fujisaki... I don't think I recognize that name. Does that name ring a bell to anyone?"Mondo just lifted his head up from the table and stared at Kyoko in confusion. "Huh...?" he said.Kyoko turned her head towards Mondo. "You've reacted to that name, Mondo," she said. "Do you know who Chihiro Fujisaki is?"Mondo is not in the mood to answer, not that it matters since his mind came up blank. "I haven't got a clue..." he replied."Hey, Alter Ego," Makoto began to ask. "Could you tell us what you know about Chihiro Fujisaki?""Well-" Alter Ego began to reply, only to be interrupted when a certain bear showed up."Hey! What's going on here?!" Monokuma asked.Everyone began to panic when Monokuma appeared. They thought that Alter Ego's existence has been exposed."Aw, not you again!" Leon shouted."What are you doing here?" Hina asked.Monokuma jumped over everyone's heads and landed on the central table. There, he took a look at Alter Ego. "Who are you?" he asked. "What are you doing in my school?"Alter Ego gave Monokuma a glare. "I'm Alter Ego," they said. "You look dangerous. I do not look forward to seeing you again.""Oh, so you're an advanced AI," Monokuma said. "Interesting..."Makoto saw this as a good opportunity to ask Monokuma about something. "Hey, Monokuma," he said.Monokuma turned his attention towards Makoto. "What is it?" he replied."We've heard from Alter Ego that there exists a student named Chihiro Fujisaki," Makoto said. "They're known as the Ultimate Programmer, which means that they are a student of this school. However, we have not seen them anywhere within this school. So Monokuma, do you know anything about Chihiro?""Huh? What do I know about him?" Monokuma asked.That's when everyone learned that Chihiro Fujisaki is a boy...probably."Chihiro is a boy...?" Hina asked.Monokuma realized that he made a slip-up. "Did I reveal that Chihiro Fujisaki is a boy?" he asked himself. "Whoops! I said a little too much!""You're calling the reveal that Chihiro is a boy a little too much?" Makoto asked. "I don't think so. That's not enough information. We need more.""Sorry! That's all you get to know about Chihiro Fujisaki!" Monokuma declared. "That, and his title being the Ultimate Programmer. No more!""Where is Chihiro?" Makoto asked, trying to press Monokuma for more information. "He must be somewhere within this school, right?""Uh...don't even bother trying to search for this Chihiro Fujisaki," Monokuma said as he sweated. "It's not worth your time. He...uh...didn't make it to this school.""He what?" Sayaka gasped."That's it!" Monokuma declared. "No more asking me about Chihiro Fujisaki anymore! He's not in this school, got it? Oh, and whatever you do, don't trust a word that Alter Ego says. That thing will probably spout out lies to mess with you kids. That's what you get for trusting an artificial intelligence."Judging from Monokuma's reaction, it seems as though he has some information regarding Chihiro Fujisaki, and he's not willing to share it."Anyways, I'm here to remind you kids that the next floor has opened up," Monokuma said. "I'm telling ya! There are some great things to be found in the third floor! This is your reward for getting through another Class Trial! As for what I'm planning to do with Alter Ego, I'll leave that thing alone for now. But if you let that thing say too much... Well, you kids know exactly what I will do to that thing if I catch it saying too much, right? I'd better be going for now. Toodles!" He then vanished...."Hmm...this is troublesome," Kyoko said. "We might have to be careful when it comes to Alter Ego from now on. Who knows when Monokuma will declare that they have said too much.""Don't worry about me," Alter Ego assured. "I'll make sure that I won't say too much.""Even so, we might need to keep you safe if Monokuma changes his mind about you," Makoto said."But...where should we put Alter Ego to keep them safe?" Sayaka asked."I'll find a place where Alter Ego can be safe," Kyoko said. "The rest of you can go on ahead and explore the third floor. I'll catch up to the rest of you when I find a safe spot to put Alter Ego.""That sounds like a good plan," Hina said. "I'm wondering what's up there on the third floor. After seeing two more people die yesterday, I feel like we all need something to lift our spirits..."Leon looked around and saw that Byakuya and Toko still haven't shown up yet. "Gah, what's taking that snobby rich dude and the girl who has a murderous split personality so long?" he asked."You're talking about Byakuya and Toko, right?" Kyoko asked. "Hmm...I'm not sure where they went. My best guess is that Byakuya has explored the third floor ahead of us. As for Toko..."Speaking of Toko, here she comes now. Or rather, her murderous other self, Genocide Jill."Kyahahahaha!" Genocide Jill laughed as she entered the dining hall, startling everyone as she made her appearance. "Finally, a place where I can be my murderous self! No more being held back by that boring girl you call Toko! No more hiding in the recesses of her mind waiting to strike! I can just act like this all the time, whenever I want to! This place is amazing! And check this out! Whenever my other self feels the need to take back control of this body, I can just sneeze and we'll switch places! Watch this!"Genocide Jill then sneezed, which, as she said, caused her to revert back to Toko."Ugh..." Toko groaned as she rubbed her nose. "M-My nose... It's so r-runny... I think...I'm having allergies..."Toko then looked around the dining hall and saw everyone's bewildered faces."...What?" Toko asked.
Day 10 - 7:37 AMHallway, Third Floor
After finishing breakfast, the students headed up to the second floor and approached the stairs that lead up to the third floor. Just like last time, the gate that was blocking the way has been lifted, giving everyone access to the third floor. They headed up the stairs and took their first steps into the third floor. Immediately, they are greeted with a door that leads into the recreation room, which sounds exciting as now everyone can play some games to pass the time instead of waiting around and doing nothing. From there, the hallway branches out into two paths. To their right, they can see two more classrooms, which doesn't sound nearly as exciting as the recreation room. To their left, the hallway appears to go on for a bit longer, leading to additional rooms.The students decided to split up into groups and explore each part of the third floor one room at a time. Makoto, Sayaka, and Celeste began to explore the recreation room first, while the rest began to explore different rooms.
Day 10 - 7:38 AMRecreation Room, Third Floor
The recreation room...a place where students can play many games and relax during their break times. There are plenty of things to do in the recreation room. There's a pool table, a game table, a dart board, a magazine rack, and a shelf filled with many types of board games. At the back of the recreation room are some lockers...for some reason. At the side of the recreation room, there is another door with a label on it. And on the shelf with the board games, there's a set of six bottles, each with a Monokuma figure and a chess piece inside it."So...this is the recreation room..." Sayaka said as she looked around the room."I'd never imagined that a school would have a place like this," Makoto remarked. "A room dedicated to letting students play games... What kind of school would have such a room?""Well, not a normal school," Celeste said. "This is Hope's Peak Academy, known as the most prestigious school in the world. I would imagine that this school would give us special treatment, such as letting this room exist."Makoto then slumped forward at the idea that Hope's Peak Academy is a prestigious school, considering what they had been through over the past ten days. "For a prestigious school, Hope's Peak Academy is treating us horribly..." he said. "Seriously, what kind of school would allow its own students to participate in a game of death, where they have to kill each other to escape or die trying?"Celeste shrugged at Makoto's question. "Perhaps times have changed, and death games have become acceptable now," she said.Sayaka then walked up to the side door. She read the label on the door to see where it leads to. "Let's see..." she muttered to herself. "This is...the Ultimate Lucky Student and Gambler's Lab... Wait, you two share a Research Lab?""Huh? Celeste and I share a lab?" Makoto asked, surprised to hear that there's a lab that is shared by two students."Hmm...it makes sense when you think about it," Celeste said. "To win at gambling games, one must also be lucky. They are games of chance, after all. You could say that the Ultimate Gambler is also the Ultimate Lucky Student as well.""Wait, so is Makoto also the Ultimate Gambler as well?" Sayaka asked."I'm pretty sure it doesn't work like that..." Makoto replied. "I've never played any gambling games, so I can't say that I'll win at those games all the time.""Oh...I see..." Sayaka said. "Let's just move on, shall we? Thinking about that is hurting my head..."Celeste then walked up to the magazine rack. "Oh, and look at this," she said. "This school is kind of to provide us with a magazine rack. Those would do wonders with keeping our boredom at bay.""What kind of magazines does this school have?" Makoto asked."Let's see here..." Celeste said as she searched the magazine rack. "This school has got magazines on sports, fashion, video games, and-" She stopped upon taking a closer look at the covers of the magazines. "Wait a second...""What's wrong?" Makoto asked."Those covers..." Celeste said. "They're photos of...us! I can see Junko on the fashion magazine, Yasuke on the science magazine, Leon on the sports magazine...at least, I think that's Leon. It's hard to tell from the different haircut. And...uh...a swimsuit magazine featuring Sayaka."Sayaka was shocked to hear that Hope's Peak Academy has a magazine of her in swimsuits. "Wait, what?!" she said, raising her voice. "Let me see!" She went up to the magazine rack and picked up the swimsuit magazine. The cover of the swimsuit magazine is a photo of her in a white frilly two-piece bikini and a blue-white cloth that's wrapped around her hips. She's standing in between two pillars and is wrapping her arms around them, and her right leg is place in front of the left leg. Upon seeing this photo, Sayaka felt...embarrassed."Huh? Is there something wrong, Sayaka?" Makoto asked."This photo...and every photo in this...large magazine..." Sayaka said. "I...remember doing that photo shoot...doing all kinds of poses while being dressed in various swimsuits...as well as other...revealing outfits. I think I did that photo shoot...before I was invited into Hope's Peak Academy...""That photo shoot happened before you were invited into Hope's Peak Academy?" Makoto asked. He looked at the photo at the cover of the swimsuit magazine. The Sayaka in that photo doesn't seem to look that much different than the Sayaka in this school, aside from the clothes. "Huh. Looks like that photo shoot happened just before you entered Hope's Peak Academy, considering how you don't look that much different than that photo of you...""My body...might not have changed much..." Sayaka said. "But my mind...it has changed so much. I can't believe that I changed so much in so little time. Looking at this photo now, I can't help but ask myself 'what was I thinking?' Why did I accept that photo shoot? Why did I let my managers make me do that photo shoot? Posing in revealing outfits for photos, knowing that those photos will be featured on magazines that will be distributed to the public...it's so embarrassing... Ugh, the things I am forced to do for the sake of my idol career..."Celeste looked at Sayaka in confusion. "Uh...Sayaka?" she asked.Hearing Celeste's voice made Sayaka snap out of her embarrassment. "Oh, was I talking about my idol career?" she asked. "Sorry. I didn't mean to do that...""No, no," Celeste said. "Go on. I'm interested.""Sorry, Celeste, but I can't talk about my idol career in a place like this," Sayaka said. "I just...did it without thinking about it."Celeste felt disappointed that she didn't get to learn more about Sayaka and what she went through during her idol career.Sayaka looked at the swimsuit magazine featuring her, and felt uncomfortable with having it be kept in a public place. "Uh, I think I'll...be taking this for now," she said. "I...can't have anyone else have a look at these photos of me in revealing outfits...""You're doing what?" Makoto asked."Excuse me for a minute," Sayaka said as she hurried out of the recreation room with the swimsuit magazine.Celeste is confused at why Sayaka doesn't want her swimsuit magazine be kept in a public place, or who shouldn't be allowed to see those photos featuring Sayaka in swimsuits and revealing outfits. "Hmm...I wonder who Sayaka doesn't want to allow those photos to be seen by," she said. "Makoto, do you have any ideas?"Makoto thought about Sayaka's current relationships with the rest of the surviving students. Based on that, he had a pretty good idea on who Sayaka doesn't want to catch seeing those photos. "I think I know who," he said."You do?" Celeste said. "So who is it?""You'll figure it out if you think about it," Makoto replied, not giving Celeste a straight answer. "Anyways, I'd better be going. I want to explore more of this school.""But aren't you going to stay here and play some games with me?" Celeste asked."We can do that later," Makoto said. "For now, see you later." He then walked out of the recreation room.Celeste sighed as she stood alone in the recreation room. "Games aren't much fun if you're playing by yourself, you know..." she said.
Day 10 - 7:45 AMHallway, Third Floor
Makoto walked out of the recreation room and began to head down the hallway that leads to the rest of the third floor. He isn't interested in exploring the classrooms, as he felt like there's not much to be found over there. Along the way, he passed by Kyoko."Oh, hey, Kyoko," Makoto greeted. "Are you done putting Alter Ego in a safe place already?""I did," Kyoko replied. "They're in a safe place now. Monokuma is unlikely to bother them for now. Though, there's something that I must ask.""Hmm? What do you want to ask?" Makoto said."I passed by Sayaka on the way here," Kyoko said. "She appears to be holding a book of some sorts. Do you know what that book is?""Oh, it's nothing much," Makoto replied. "It just...uh, contains a lot of things that Sayaka finds embarrassing...""Does it contain her secret?" Kyoko asked."Probably not," Makoto replied. "That book was released to the public, so whatever is in that book is public knowledge by now.""I see..." Kyoko said. "Well, that's all I have to say for now. See you later." She then walked towards the classrooms to begin exploring there.Makoto wondered what the others have found on this floor, so he went further down the hallway and entered he next door he encountered.
Day 10 - 7:47 AMArt Room, Third Floor
The art room is a large room with several rows of large desks that can seat two people. In front of the desks are several easels surrounding a statue. The sketches appears to be partially finished. On the sides of the art room are various statures and busts, one of which is Monokuma.Inside the art room are Hifumi and Leon. Hifumi appears to be rather excited to be in the art room."Ah, greetings, Mr. Makoto Naegi," Hifumi greeted as Makoto entered the art room. "Check this place out! Finally, a place where I can scratch my artistic itch! There's so many art supplies, I can't wait to use them all!"Makoto seems confused at why Hifumi would be excited to be in an art room of all places. "Why are you excited about the art room, Hifumi?" he asked."Hey, being a fan creator is more than just making fanfics for your favorite franchises," Hifumi said. "You also got to express your love for your favorite franchises through art as well! I'm talking about fan art, of course! There's lots of fans who love to create artwork for their favorite franchises. If you want to be like them, you'd better be willing to study art!""You said 'favorite franchises', like, three times," Leon commented."Shut up, Mr. Leon Kuwata," Hifumi said."So, what kinds of art do you do?" Makoto asked."Well, normally, I limit myself to 2D art," Hifumi replied. "Because that's the easiest form of art for me. But sometimes, I do sculptures and figurines as well. Lately, however, I've been practicing working with cardboard to recreate weapons and items from my favorite franchises. Cutting cardboard and folding it into shapes can be hard, but once you master that, you can make pretty much anything!""But why would you want to practice so many forms of art?" Makoto asked."Because I wanna be part of the Elite Four!" Hifumi began to explain. "What? You haven't heard of them before? They're regarded as the best artists of this era!""Yeah...to you," Leon said sarcastically.Hifumi ignored Leon as went on to describe the members of the Elite Four. "There's Charanbo, whose depictions of muscles and their movement is immaculate; Pumpkinhead, whose sculptures are the greatest of this century; and Saburo Ronppongi, who is well known for the bestselling Mecha Musume series! Truly, they can only be regarded as the Elite Four!"Makoto and Leon were confused when Hifumi listed off the Elite Four."Huh? But you only listed three people," Leon said. "Shouldn't you call them the Elite Three?""Well, that just sounds stupid, doesn't it?" Hifumi replied. "No, the Elite Four's fourth member is none other...than me! Or at least, that seat is reserved for me. For now, I shall continue my journey into becoming the Ultimate Artist!""Ultimate Artist? Yeah, right," Leon said. "There's no way a fan artist would ever obtain such a title...""Says the baseball star who tried to change his title to the Ultimate Musician!" Hifumi countered. "Besides, there are many artists out there who make fan art of their favorite franchises! The fields of being a fan and an artist totally overlap! You, on the other hand, tried to enter an industry that is based on artistic expression when your current talent is based on athletic ability! There's no overlap in those two fields!""Hey, I'm just trying to branch out, okay?" Leon shouted. "It feels so restrictive being stuck playing baseball, you know?"As Leon engaged in an argument with Hifumi, Makoto decided to not get himself involved in that and instead went for the door at the back of the art room.
Day 10 - 7:51 AMArt Repository, Third Floor
The art repository room contains many things that are used in various types of art. Shelves of art supplies line the wall, there are stacks of canvases, a hand truck is found on the floor, and on the back wall are mallets of varying sizes as well as various other tools.At the center of the art repository room is a...frustrated Hina."Huh? Hina?" Makoto asked. "What's wrong?"Hina turned around towards Makoto. "I found a photo on the floor," she began to explain, "and when I tried to take a look at it, Monokuma showed up and took that photo away from me!""What did that photo show?" Makoto asked."Well...it was a strange photo," Hina explained. "It...shows Junko and Yasuke...hanging out with each other...even though they're supposed to be head. But what's stranger is the background. The windows...they show clear skies! There wasn't a single metal plate to be found!""What?!" Makoto gasped in shock upon hearing Hina's description of the photo she found. "Are you sure you're not misremembering things?""I just saw that photo!" Hina replied. "I know some of the details! Monokuma did insist that it was just a really realistic painting, but I don't believe him. I mean, what kind of person would be able to paint a realistic painting on a small canvas? It shouldn't be possible..."Makoto began to wonder why that photo is in the art repository room in the first place. Who could've dropped that photo? Monokuma? Doesn't seem likely. And...why did Monokuma take that photo away from Hina after she found it? What kind of things is he trying to hide...?
Day 10 - 7:55 AMHallway, Third Floor
After putting that swimsuit magazine away, Sayaka went back up to the third floor to catch up with Makoto. However, she has no idea where he went after she left. She began to look around the third floor for him."Makoto? Where are you?" Sayaka called as she walked down the hallway. "Please...don't tell me that something terrible has happened to you while I'm gone!"As Sayaka went deeper into the hallway, she passed by a stairwell that leads up to the fourth floor. It's currently blocked off by another gate, which means that everyone will have to go through yet another Class Trial in order to gain access to the upper floors. Next to the stairwell is another door. It leads to some kind of lab. Sayaka wondered if Makoto had explored that place yet, so she went inside.
Day 10 - 7:56 AMLaboratory, Third Floor
The laboratory is a large room that looks less like a classroom and more like a research institute to research...science stuff...or something. Many complex electronics and equipment can be found here. At the center of the laboratory is a large of unknown function. Natsumi can be seen sitting in front of the control panel, with Mondo watching from nearby."Ugh...what does these things do?" Natsumi asked. "I don't understand a word on these labels. What kind of machine is this?"Mondo said nothing, just a grunt.Natsumi let out a sigh. "Well, this is a laboratory," she said. "It probably wouldn't hurt to do some experimenting. I mean, that's the point of science, right?"Monokuma then appeared suddenly. "Hey! Don't mess with that machine!" he shouted.Sayaka and Natsumi yelped when Monokuma showed up, while Mondo just let out an annoyed groan."Not you again..." Mondo groaned.Monokuma then began to scold Natsumi for trying to mess with the big machine. "What are you doing?!" he shouted. "Are you planning to do some quantum leaping?"Sayaka was confused when Monokuma said that. "Huh...?" she said. "Quantum leaping...?""This right here is a time machine!" Monokuma explained. "Pretty awesome, am I right? It was designed by the Ultimate Physicist, who yes, used to be a student of Hope's Peak Academy! Unfortunately, they're long gone. They left before they could complete that machine. So...it a prototype, which means that it's a tad unstable. One wrong room and suddenly, you're in a different time period! Luckily, it only takes you forward or backwards, like, one minute. So you won't be affected much."Everyone in the laboratory was disappointed to hear that the "time machine" wasn't as amazing as they first thought."Aw, are you all disappointed?" Monokuma asked. "Because I lied. This isn't a time machine! This is an air purifier! It converts toxic carbon dioxide into slightly-less-toxic-but-essential-to-life oxygen! Hey, it's a fact! Too much oxygen is bad for you! An infamous priest was executed by being trapped in a room that's filled with pure oxygen. True story!"I'm...uh...not sure if I wanted to hear that, Sayaka thought."Anyways, try not to mess with that machine," Monokuma said. "Otherwise, you won't have fresh air to breathe in anymore. That's all I have to say! Toodles!" He then vanished.Natsumi leaned back on the chair in front of the air purifier. "Well...now we know what that machine does," she said. "Although, it would've been far nicer if that thing was actually a time machine..."Now that she knows what that machine is and what it does, Sayaka explored the rest of the laboratory to see what she could find. It doesn't look like Makoto is here, though Sayaka did find something. On one of the tables is a pink camera with a plump angel on it. It looks rather tacky, as well as a little beat up. But it still works. It turned on just fine. No photos have been stored on it, though.There's another room that's attached to the laboratory. Sayaka wondered what could that room be. She went to that room next.
Day 10 - 8:02 AMLaboratory Storage, Third Floor
There's not much of interest to be found in the laboratory storage room. It just contains boxes and shelves of lab equipment. Some tarp can be found as well. Aside from that, the room has a rather...interesting smell.Genocide Jill is seen in this room. She seems to be enjoying the smell."Ah, can you smell that, Blueberry?" Genocide Jill asked. "It's the smell of formaldehyde. My favorite! It's so calming...I wanna dunk myself right into it! Do you wanna try it?""...I'll pass," Sayaka said as she swiftly exited the laboratory storage.With the third floor fully explored, everyone headed back to the dining hall to share their findings.
Day 10 - 8:15 AMDining Hall, First Floor
Everyone gathered around the central table of the dining hall to share what they've found on the third floor. Byakuya is here as well, but having explored the third floor ahead of everyone, he seems uninterested in engaging with the meeting."Where were you, Makoto?" Sayaka asked."I was in the art room," Makoto replied. "What about you, Sayaka?""I...uh...went to the laboratory," Sayaka replied. "I thought that you went there, but I guess not...""Quiet down, you two," Kyoko said. "We have more important things to discuss here. So, what has everyone found on the third floor?""I found an art room!" Hifumi replied."Yes, we know that there's an art room on the third floor," Kyoko said. "Now, does anyone have something that's more worthy of being shared?"Hina raised her hand. "I found a photo in the art repository," she said. "It has...Junko and Yasuke in it..."Everyone was surprised to hear there's a photo featuring Junko and Yasuke. As far as they know, those two are dead. Why are they in a photo?"What are they doing?" Sayaka asked."They...seem to be hanging out with each other...like a couple," Hina replied. "And...there's more. On the background...there's clear skies. There's no metal plates on those windows!"Everyone was shocked to hear that Hina found a photo which features a window with a metal plate covering it."What? How?" Sakura asked. "All of the windows that point outside are blocked! Where was this taken? When?""I don't know..." Hina replied. "Monokuma took that photo away from me before I could share it...""Do you think those two have taken that photo after we came to this school?" Hifumi asked. "They probably left this school and took that photo!""That's impossible," Kyoko said. "Junko and Yasuke are both dead. We saw their dead bodies with our own eyes. Their deaths occurred just a few days ago. Even if their injuries were survivable, I doubt that they would recover fast enough to be able to take that photo.""Do you think that Monokuma could have forged that photo?" Celeste asked."I don't think so," Hina replied. "That photo looked so realistic. I doubt that anyone could've made a realistic painting on a small canvas...""Besides, if Monokuma did forge that photo," Makoto added, "why would he leave it out in the open for us to find, only for him to take it away as soon as we find it? That wouldn't make sense, would it?"Everyone was left wondering why that photo of the late Junko and Yasuke exists, or why Monokuma took it away as soon as it was found.Sayaka was then reminded of something. "Speaking of photos," she said as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a pink camera. "I found this in the-"Hifumi gasped upon seeing the pink camera. "That's...!" he said as he grabbed the pink camera from Sayaka. "This is...a genuine Princess Puggles themed camera! Where did you find this, Miss Sayaka Maizono?""Uh...in the lab," Sayaka replied."Huh? That was in the lab?" Natsumi asked. "How did I miss that?"Makoto is confused at what Hifumi is talking about. "Um...what's Princess Puggles?" he asked."Haven't you heard of Princess Puggles?" Hifumi began to explain. "It's a famous magical girl show that features this character! Sure, she might be a little chubby, but I don't care! It appeals to me! I've got lots of Princess Puggles merchandise in my room!"Everyone was puzzled to hear that Hifumi is a fan of such a show."Doesn't that show sound like it's aimed at girls?" Hina asked."Hey, just because something is aimed at girls, that doesn't mean that boys can't like it," Hifumi said. "Don't be so close-minded!"Everyone else was annoyed that they had to sit through Hifumi squealing over a camera featuring a chubby magical girl.With a sigh, Kyoko moved on to a different topic. "Does anyone have something else to share?" she asked.Natsumi then remembered something. "Oh right, I found an air purifier in the lab," she said. "It supplies us with oxygen as long as it's running, so we won't have to worry about running out of oxygen.""But this school is rather big, isn't it?" Kyoko said. "It'll take a long time before we have to worry about running out of oxygen. Anyways, did anyone found anything else?""What about you, Kyoko?" Makoto asked."Me? I explored the classrooms," Kyoko explained. "There's not much to be found there.""I also explored the classrooms," Sakura added. "I didn't find anything else, too.""Is that really everything that the third floor has to offer?" Leon asked. "Man. How disappointing. I was expecting there to be more to do on the third floor. At least we have access to the rec room, so that's something.""Speaking of the recreation room," Celeste said, "do you know that Makoto and I share the same Research Lab?"Everyone aside from Makoto and Sayaka was puzzled to hear that."...The others didn't need to hear that, Celeste," Makoto said with a sigh.After a while, the meeting was over, and everyone began to go their separate ways. Before leaving, Hifumi had something to say to everyone."I'm going to be in the art room for a while," Hifumi said. "I have a special project in mind that I want to work on. Don't disturb me while I'm working on my project!"And then, he went up to the third floor and entered the art room. He's going to be in there for a long time as worked on his project.
Day 10 - Unknown TimeUnknown Location
"So...that have found my creation...Alter Ego... I...hope that I programmed Alter Ego right. They'd better make sure that they don't reveal too much about the situation they're in. Otherwise...Monokuma will want them gone..."..."I have spent...so much time working on Alter Ego. They're my greatest creation. If they're destroyed, then...all of my hard work would be wasted. I...would be left devastated..."..."I wonder why Monokuma hasn't taken action against Alter Ego yet. They might become a threat to him in the future. What is he planning to do with Alter Ego? Whatever happens, I hope Alter Ego doesn't get destroyed..."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Day 10 - 9:00 AMRecreation Room, Third Floor
Sayaka decided to take Makoto to the recreation room to play a game that she's been looking forward to playing."So, what game are we playing, Sayaka?" Makoto asked.Sayaka searched the shelf for a specific game. "Let's see..." she muttered. "Does this school have that game? Ah, there it is." She then pulled out a box and presented it to Makoto.Makoto read the name of the game that Sayaka is holding. "Othello?" he asked."I...remember playing this game a lot with my dad," Sayaka said. "Even if he's rarely at my home for more than a few hours before bedtime, he still made sure to play this game with me. I may not look like it, but I'm pretty good at this game. I wouldn't say that I'm on a professional level, though. I only played against my dad. So, do you want to play this game with me, Makoto? It'll be the first time that I'm playing against a new opponent."Makoto felt nervous about playing a game of Othello with Sayaka, especially since she's quite experienced with playing that game. "Um...I'm not sure," he said. "I have played this game before, but I'm quite bad at it. I swear, I could never make the correct moves. I kept on losing to my friends whenever I play this game with them...""Oh, don't worry about winning," Sayaka said. "I'm just trying to have fun. Come on. Let's play."Makoto wasn't sure how well the rounds of Othello will turn out for him. He might end up losing most of the rounds. But since he and the rest of the students had just gotten through a Class Trial, they deserve a break. Perhaps it's best for him if he tries to focus on having fun rather than trying to win rounds.Makoto and Sayaka played several rounds of Othello against each other, taking turns with who gets the first move. To their surprise, they ended up winning the same number of rounds overall, despite Makoto's poor past performance and Sayaka's long experience playing the game. Things got a little tense in a couple of rounds as they what move the other could take and how it will affect their chances of winning later down the line. After a while, they decided to stop."Wow, Makoto," Sayaka said after seeing Makoto's overall performance. "You taught me a lot about this game. I was surprised to see how well you're doing. I guess I can only so far playing against the same opponent over and over again...""You can also say that it's hard to judge your own performance if you compete against a limited number of opponents," Makoto said. "Now that I have played this game with you, I can say that I'm not bad at this game; it's just that my friends are simply better at this game than me.""How long have you've been playing Othello?" Sayaka asked."Since I was a kid," Makoto replied. "I was introduced to this game by a friend.""Really?" Sayaka said. "So that means we have the same amount of experience playing this game..."Makoto noticed that Sayaka has been acting a lot less depressed since last night. He wondered why. "Hey, Sayaka?" he began to ask."What is it?" Sayaka said."You mood..." Makoto said. "It looks like it has improved a bit since last night.""It has?" Sayaka asked. Then she looked back and noticed that's behaving quite a bit differently since she began playing Othello with Makoto. "Oh...my mood really has improved, hasn't it?""What do you think could be the cause of that?" Makoto asked."I don't know..." Sayaka replied. "Maybe playing this game again...just takes me back to the good old days, you know? I've had...so many good memories...playing this game with my father. He wasn't home for much time before he went to sleep, so I made sure to cherish every moment I got to spend with him. Either that, or snapping myself out of it and helping you out has really improved my mood...""It could be both," Makoto suggested. "Or maybe...spending time away from me has improved your mood."Sayaka was puzzled for a moment. "Huh? What do you mean?" she asked."When we explored the third floor, we got separated after you took that swimsuit magazine out of this room," Makoto explained. "After that, we went on and explored different rooms. I explored the art room, and you explored the lab. From the looks of things, you didn't panic a lot after we got separated.""Oh, I did panic while I was in that lab," Sayaka replied. "But that's because Monokuma showed up suddenly and shouted at everyone in the lab. Also, I got a little worried about you, so...sorry about that...""You don't have to worry about me," Makoto assured. "We just got through a Class Trial. I doubt that there's someone who's willing to commit a murder so soon after a Class Trial ended, especially since Monokuma hasn't given us a new motive yet. For now, I think we should split up.""Huh? Why?" Sayaka asked."We were together for nearly the entire time between the first and second Class Trials," Makoto explained. "You were in a rough position after your murder plan was exposed. Back then, you felt unsafe being away from me for long periods of time. Now that your mood is in a better place, I think that we should spend some time away from each other and do separate things.""But...what about us spending the night together?" Sayaka asked."I'm fine with you sleeping with me if you want to," Makoto replied. "I'm just saying that during our waking hours, we shouldn't be spending so much time with each other and not anyone else. Are you fine with that?"Sayaka spent some time thinking about Makoto's suggestion. It felt a little scary having to be separated from him for who knows how long. As long as they're separated, they won't know what the other is doing. They won't even know if the other is safe. But given that a Class Trial has happened recently, it probably wouldn't hurt to split up for a little bit and do their separate things. Plus, they've got a little more room to move around and a lot more to do during their free time. So that's something.With those things in mind, Sayaka made her decision. "I'm fine..." she said. "I can live with that...""Good," Makoto said. "Now, what should we do next? Should we continue playing this game, or...?""Actually, I have one more question," Sayaka said. "It's about Mondo.""Mondo?" Makoto replied. "Yeah...he's in a rough spot, isn't he?""Taka..." Sayaka said, feeling down upon thinking about her recently killed classmate. "He...died so suddenly... To think that he was killed by a trap...that wasn't meant for him... I feel really bad for Mondo. He...looked like he had lost a family member...""Yeah..." Makoto replied. "And if Monokuma is right, that wasn't the first time Mondo has lost a family member...""Do you think we should ask Mondo about the incident that killed his brother...?" Sayaka asked."We can ask him when we get the chance," Makoto replied. "So, what do you want to do next?"Sayaka bounced back to a less depressed mood. "Oh, how about we play a game of darts next?" she suggested. "I always wanted to play that game. It seemed like a game that game that only adults play...""You want to play darts next?" Makoto asked. "I...uh...never played that game before, too.""Well, how about we learn how to play that game together?" Sayaka asked."Sure," Makoto said.Makoto and Sayaka put the Othello set back in its box and began to try out darts.
Day 10 - 10:00 AMHallway, Third Floor
"What a weird scoring system..." Makoto remarked as he and Sayaka walked out of the recreation room."What kind of scoring system was that?" Sayaka said. "Starting with a number of points, then reducing the score all the way down to exactly zero... It felt so strange...""Still, that was fun, wasn't it?" Makoto asked."Yeah, that was fun," Sayaka replied. "I look forward to playing darts again. Next time, let's try to land a bullseye."Makoto nodded his head, reminding himself to try to practice his throwing skills. He and Sayaka missed their intended target multiple times, often leading to them going bust.Makoto and Sayaka then began to walk towards the stairs that lead down to the floor below. Before they could reach the stairs, they spotted someone leaning against the wall. It's Mondo."Huh? What's Mondo doing here?" Makoto asked."I'm...not sure what he's doing," Sayaka replied. Seeing Mondo here gave her an idea. "Hey, since he's here, should we ask him about his brother?""Well, I did say that we can ask him about his brother when we get the chance," Makoto replied. "Let's do it."Mondo overheard the conversation and turned his head towards Makoto and Sayaka. "Huh? What did you two say?" he asked.Makoto and Sayaka turned to face Mondo."Oh, were you listening on us?" Makoto asked."...I thought that I heard you two talk about my brother," Mondo said."We were," Sayaka replied. "We...all heard from Monokuma...that your brother was killed in a motorbike race. Could you...tell us about that?"Mondo turned his gaze away from Makoto and Sayaka. Just thinking about his late brother made his heard ache."Come on, Mondo," Makoto said. "Just say something. Why did you challenge your brother into a race that led to his death? How did he die? Is his death preventable? Answer me, Mondo. If you don't give us answers, then we can't help you recover from Taka's death."Mondo turned his back towards Makoto and Sayaka. "All you need to know is that my brother was killed in a motorbike race," he said. "That is all I want to say about it. Now, if you would excuse me, I need to find a private place." He then took a few steps down the hallway, away from the stairwell."Mondo, wait!" Sayaka cried.Mondo stopped in the middle of the hallway. "...What?" he asked."Look, I understand the pain that you're feeling," Sayaka said. "Losing a family member...especially so suddenly...it hurts so much... It hurts to see someone who has been present in your life and you have formed bonds with for years...be no longer with you. One day, they're alive, and the next...they're gone. It...always hurts...to see a family member die...""...What do you mean you understand my feeling?" Mondo asked."My...mother died when I was young," Sayaka explained. "Her death was devastating to me and my father. It made him spend long hours away from home...just to escape the pain. As a result, I would end up spending most days all alone in my house, with no one to raise me. It felt so...lonely being all by myself... In fact...that was one of the reasons I decided to become an idol: I want to escape that lonely feeling.""...So you lost your mother when you were young," Mondo said. "How...do you feel about it now?"Sayaka wiped away a tear that formed in her eye. "I've...I've gotten over it," she said. "My mother's death is in the past now. I had learned to accept my mother's death and move on. Although...sometimes I do wish that my mother was still alive...""...You don't sound so...down anymore," Mondo remarked. "What happened to you?""I get that this killing game is wearing us all down," Sayaka replied. "All of our friends, the ones we have made over a short amount of time, are at risk of dying. They could be killed, or be executed. It can get really stressful knowing that one day, your friend could be dead. I got...really stressed out when I discovered that my idol group was in danger. It got so bad, I couldn't think straight. I...tried to come up with a plan to save them but...well, you know how that went. I was so devastated when I learned that I won't get to see my friends again. I felt like I had sank to my lowest point...""...We already know how you were feeling after the first Class Trial," Mondo said. "How...did you snap back so fast?""Because...I realized that being an idol was stressful work," Sayaka explained. "Being an idol is more than just singing and dancing. You've got to schedule concerts and manage your public image. You've got to deal with rival idol groups and devoted fans. And...you've got to please both your fans and the agency you work with. It's...a lot of work for someone to handle. Most people would break upon discovering what being an idol entails. I never thought that I would become the Ultimate Idol. And yet...here I am. And the reason is that...I never gave up chasing my dream despite facing so many obstacles."Mondo grew a puzzled look on his face. "Hmm? You never gave up chasing your dream?" he asked. "But...didn't you gave in to that damn bear's motive?""Yeah...that was foolish of me to fall for that motive..." Sayaka said, feeling ashamed for trying to come up with that murder plan. "My idol group was like a second family to me. Seeing all of them in danger was like seeing all of my sisters in danger. I...can't believe that I was about to lose several family members at once. So my mind went into a panic and...well...you already know what happened..."Mondo didn't say anything to Sayaka admitting that her decision to try to come up with a murder plan was a mistake. He then turned to Makoto, wondering if he had lost any family members in the past. "What about you, Makoto?" he asked."Oh, me?" Makoto began to reply. "Well, I did see my family in my motive video. I...panicked too when I saw that they were in danger. If I found out that they had all died, I would definitely be devastated. But we can't know for sure about the status of our loved ones. As for any lost family members...well, I'm not sure if this really counts as a family member, but I did lose a pet when I was young."Mondo raised an eyebrow upon hearing that Makoto used to own a pet. "Your pet...?" he asked."My family used to own a dog," Makoto explained. "He was alive when I grew up. Me and my sister had a lot fun playing with our dog. Unfortunately, he passed away due to old age. When he did, me and my sister were heartbroken. We eventually got over our dog's death. We came to learn to accept the fact that we'll likely outlive our pets. After all, they tend to have a shorter lifespan than us...""Hmm...I get how you feel, man," Mondo replied. "I used to have a dog, too. His name was Chuck. He was so smart and helpful. He'd bring in the newspaper every morning. And he way he would beg us to take him out on a walk...it was so cute...."Sayaka was surprised to hear that Mondo used to own a dog as well, especially since his dog was likely a cute-looking breed. "Huh...I thought that you would own a tougher-looking dog..." she said."Is Chuck dead?" Makoto asked.Mondo was surprised to hear that Makoto had figured it out. "How did you know...?" he asked."The way you talked about your dog..." Makoto explained. "It sounded like your dog had passed away, right?"Mondo let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah..." he said. "Chuck's...dead now..." He then gripped his chest in pain. "Gah! Why did I talk about that? I don't wanna remember that shit! Bro... Chuck... No...!""Are you feeling okay, Mondo?" Sayaka asked."I've gotta go," Mondo replied. "I need some alone time..." He then began to walk towards the classrooms."You know, Mondo," Makoto said as Mondo walked passed him. "We have access to the rec room. If it helps, you can play some games to-"Mondo didn't listen to Makoto. He just went inside one of the classrooms."Poor Mondo..." Sayaka said. "He had lost both his brother and his dog. And now...he lost Taka too. I wonder if he'll ever recover from Taka's death...""Just give him some more time," Makoto said. "It's too soon to expect Mondo to get over Taka's death.""But...what about his brother?" Sayaka asked. "We never got to know what happened to him...""We can ask Mondo about that at a later time," Makoto replied. "Anyways, I think we've spent enough time with each other for now. I'll just...go off and do my own thing.""Huh? We're splitting up now?" Sayaka asked."Yeah," Makoto replied. "I'm letting you go off and do whatever you want while I'm in a different part of the school. Are you fine with that?"Sayaka wondered if she would really be better off if she didn't spend so much time around Makoto. Maybe she should give it a try. It probably wouldn't hurt to do so."I'll...give it a try," she replied."Ah, good," Makoto said. "Well, see you later, Sayaka.""You too," Sayaka replied.And so...Makoto and Sayaka split up and went their separate ways...for now, at least.
Day 10 - 10:30 AMHallway, Second Floor
Now that she has split up from Makoto, Sayaka decided to look for someone to talk to. The question is, who does she want to talk to? The list of available students whom she's willing to is surprisingly short. Natsumi's currently sleeping in her room to make up for her restless night. Hifumi wants some privacy because he's working on something in the art room. Byakuya is not interested in spending time with anyone. And Leon...well, even after she had taught herself to no longer fear him, she still felt uncomfortable talking to him. So not counting Makoto and Mondo, that leaves...five students, six if Genocide Jill is counted as a separate person from Toko. That doesn't sound like a good list of options..."Hey, Sayaka," a girl's voice greeted.Sayaka snapped out of her thoughts and turned her head towards the stairwell that leads downstairs. She saw Hina walking up to her."Oh, hi, Hina," Sayaka replied."I just passed by Makoto on the way here," Hina said. "I wanted to talk to him, but then he told me that you would be up here. So that's what I did. It looks like...you two have decided to split up for now, right?""Yeah," Sayaka replied."You know, it feels so weird not seeing you and Makoto around each other all the time," Hina remarked. "Especially since you didn't get sick and ran away."Oh yeah, I did ran away from Makoto after I saw Taka's dead body, Sayaka thought, looking back at the events of yesterday. I felt so sick...looking at another dead body. I didn't even ate anything odd-looking the evening before. I think there's something wrong with my stomach...Hina say that Sayaka is becoming concerned about her stomach. "Hey, are you feeling okay?" she asked. "You're rubbing your stomach. Is there something wrong?""I'm...fine," Sayaka replied. "It's just...I feel like there's something...wrong with my stomach...""You think so?" Hina asked. "Are you sure you didn't eat anything weird this morning?"Sayaka shook her head. "No, it's not like that..." she replied. "I don't know how to describe this, but this feeling in my stomach...it's a little weird.""Do you think you should get that checked by the doctor?" Hina suggested, right before realizing who the current designated doctor is. "Wait...Makoto is the doctor, isn't he? I...uh...don't think he can help you with that. Or maybe...he can? There are some medicines in the infirmary that can help your...uh... What's the word used to describe a sickness in the stomach that leads to vomiting, again?""...Never mind," Sayaka said, dismissing the current topic. "Let's just move on.""Oh...alright, then," Hina said. "So...what do you want to talk about?"Sayaka tried to come up with a topic to hold a conversation with Hina, but her mind came up blank. "Uh...I don't know," she said. "Sorry, I'm not used to doing small talk.""I see..." Hina said. "Well, how about this? How are you feeling?""Better..." Sayaka replied. "Getting to use the rec room has really put my mind at ease. I...actually got to have some fun again.""Really? That's great!" Hina said. "I'm glad to see that you're taking steps towards your recovery. Seeing Taka get killed and Hiro get executed...it had really brought down everyone's mood. Neither of them deserve to die like that, especially Taka. He wasn't even involved in the whole conflict between Hiro and Natsumi..." She then noticed that she's bringing down the mood by talking about her two recently deceased classmates. "Oh, am I bringing down the mood? Sorry about that. I can't seem get Taka and Hiro out of my mind. Speaking of Taka...how's Mondo doing? Have you talked to him yet?""I have, along with Makoto," Sayaka replied. "Mondo's...not doing great. He's still grieving over Taka's death...""Well, it's only been one day since Taka's death," Hina said. "Just...give Mondo more time. I'm...sure he'll recover. Anyways, we've heard from Monokuma that Mondo's brother died in a motorbike race. Did you or Makoto get Mondo to share details about his brother's death?"Sayaka shook her head. "We didn't," she replied. "I don't think Mondo is ready to happened in that race that killed his brother. Maybe later, though...""That's fine," Hina said. "Based on Mondo's reacting to his secret getting revealed, it looks like his brother's death is something that he really doesn't want to talk about. I get what he's feeling. If I ever found out that my brother is dead...his death will be something that I really don't want to talk about...?"Sayaka grew curious upon hearing about Hina's brother. "Your brother...?" she asked."Ah! What am I doing?" Hina said, snapping herself out of it. "I don't wanna think about that! My brother...is probably fine out there! He's safe." After giving herself a pep talk, went back to her usual mood. "Anyways, now that we have access to the rec room, how about we go up there and play some games?""I appreciate the offer, but no thanks," Sayaka replied. "I just finished playing some games with Makoto in that room. I don't feel like going back up there right now. Maybe next time, though.""Oh...okay," Hina said. "I'll just...find someone else to play with, then. Maybe Sakura is willing to join me. Well, it was nice getting to talk to you. See you later."Hina then walked away from Sayaka to look for Sakura. After Hina left, Sayaka wondered what she should do with her free time. Makoto is probably in the the middle of doing something on his own. Perhaps it isn't time for her to rejoin him yet. Hmm...there is the library available, with many books to read. Admittedly, Sayaka hasn't gotten much reading done in her life since her busy schedule as an idol gave her little time to read any novels. Maybe she should read some books to experience some of the most popular works of their time. And who knows? Maybe she'll find one of Toko's books in that library. So that's what she did until lunchtime.
Day 10 - 10:40 AMDormitory, Fist Floor
Makoto felt nervous standing in front of Toko's door. Now that her secret has been made known to everyone, Toko should be a bit more open to everyone. However, Makoto has no idea whether he'll encounter either the regular Toko or Genocide Jill. He hoped that the latter won't be the one who answers the door. If that were the case, he'll be in a world of insanity as long as he talked to her.A few moments after Makoto rung the doorbell, Toko answered the door and opened it up suddenly. A little...too suddenly, because as it turns out, it was Genocide Jill who answered the door."Hey there, Kiwi!" Genocide Jill greeted."Wah!" Makoto yelped upon seeing Genocide Jill."What's up?" Genocide Jill asked. "Are you here to talk to me?""Uh...no," Makoto replied. "I was trying to talk to Toko. Could you...switch back to her...?""What? You want to talk to that boring version of me?" Genocide Jill asked. "No thanks! If I switched back to Toko, she'll reject you after seeing you! Besides, isn't it more exciting to talk to a serial killer in person instead of an author? You must have nerves of steel if you want to talk to me!"Makoto just blankly stared at Genocide Jill."So, got anything to talk about, Kiwi?" Genocide Jill asked."...Why did you call me a kiwi?" Makoto asked."Because I feel like it," Genocide Jill explained. "I love giving nicknames to everyone I met. Normal names are so boring. I find it more fun to call people by whatever I want to call them! Also, because you're fuzzy and sweet, and kiwis are fuzzy and sweet!"Makoto felt awkward being compared to a kiwi fruit. He understood that he's a real sweetheart, but fuzzy? He's not that hairy. Is she talking about his clothes?"You're certainly much better than the White Knight who tried to frame me for a murder I didn't commit," Genocide Jill continued. "He did a sloppy job in imitating my signature style of murder. How did you guys managed to get fooled by that? Forget what Foggy Girl said. You guys should not have fallen for that fake crime scene!"Based on what Genocide Jill is taking about, Makoto figured out who she is referring to when she said those nicknames. "You're talking about Byakuya and Kyoko, right?" he asked. "Kyoko did say that Byakuya's attempt at imitating your killing style was a rushed job, yet he still managed to convince us that it was you who was behind Taka's murder.""Rushed job or not, the White Knight should've known that I always use my signature scissors in my kills," Genocide Jill said. "Good thing that Blueberry managed to remind you all about the differences between that faked crime scene and the crime scenes of my victims. Otherwise, we all could've died! Oh, speaking of blueberries, doesn't a fruit salad consisting of blueberries and kiwis sound nice?"Makoto felt awkward about hearing Genocide Jill talk about his relationship with Sayaka, if that's what she's even referring to when she said "Blueberry". It probably is, considering the context of when that nickname was used. He decided to change the topic, as he doesn't want to hear Genocide Jill talk about the nicknames she gave to their classmates any longer."So...Jill?" Makoto began to ask."Yes, Kiwi?" Genocide Jill said."You're a serial killer, and we're all stuck with living with you for the foreseeable future," Makoto said. "We're all trapped in this killing game, where we have to kill someone and get away with it to escape. Do we...have to worry about getting killed by you?""What? Do you think that just because I'm a serial killer, it means that I always get the urge to kill someone?" Genocide Jill asked. "Don't be so stereotypical! It's been one day since I appeared in this killing game, and I've basically got the gist of it. Kill someone and get away with it? You get to leave this school. Fail to do so? You'll get killed by that bear. Do you see the problem with me trying to get away with murder in this setting?"Makoto got reminded of how he and Sayaka proved that Genocide Jill couldn't have been the one who killed Kiyotaka. "Oh...right..." he said."I always kill my victims in the exact same way!" Genocide Jill explained. "I never deviate from my style of killing, because I can't stand any deviations! But if I were to attempt a murder, I would have to leave my calling cards everywhere on the crime scene, which would immediately point to me being the culprit! Leaving behind calling card would be counter-productive if I want to get away with murder. And even if I don't plan on getting away with murder, there's no one in this school who I'm willing to kill! I only kill boys that I find cute, you know, and so far, there's no cute boys to be found in this school! Maybe except for you..."Makoto felt nervous about being potentially Genocide Jill's next victim."...But I won't!" Genocide Jill said, much to Makoto's relief. "So rest assured, I will not kill anyone in this killing game. How ironic. The serial killer is the one who is the least likely to commit a murder. Who would've-" And then she sneezed.Makoto jumped from being startled upon seeing Genocide Jill sneeze. It looks like Toko is taking back control over her own body.Toko lifted her head and rubbed her nose. "N-Not again..." she said. "Why does this keep-?" She stopped herself upon realizing that she's outside her room. She yelled and ran back inside her room."Toko, wait!" Makoto shouted as he reached out for Toko. But he was too late. Toko had already slammed the door behind her.Well, so much for him wanting to get to know Toko more. It looks like Toko just needs a little bit more time to figure out how she should handle her murderous other self. Maybe Makoto will get his chance next time.
Day 10 - 12:15 PMDining Hall, First Floor
Sayaka stared down at her plate of food as she wondered if she should finish her meal. There's some food left on the plate, but she's not in the mood to eat it. She wondered what she was thinking when she put this much food on her plate. Why did she put so much food on her plate if she's not going to eat it all? She wanted to stop eating lunch, but something her that she may end up feeling hungry a little early if she doesn't finish her meal. Plus, she doesn't want to waste any food. Who knows how long this school's food supply will last.Suddenly, an unexpected person decided to sit down at the table Sayaka is sitting at. It's the last person that Sayaka wanted to find herself sitting with."'Sup, Sayaka?" Leon greeted.Sayaka jumped when she heard that voice. She lifted her head up and saw Leon sitting across the table. A nervous feeling went through her body as she stared at Leon."Looks like Makoto isn't eating with you, for once," Leon remarked. "Did something happened between the two of you? What did I miss?""Uh...nothing," Sayaka replied, feeling a little nervous from talking to Leon. "It's just, Makoto felt like we should be spending our time away from each other and do our own things.""Oh, really?" Leon replied. "You know, seeing Makoto being around you all the time is really annoying. It's like you were clinging onto him, never wanting to let go of him for any reason. Well, aside from the times when we changed into our gym clothes. And...the time when you ran away upon seeing Taka's dead body..."Sayaka let out a pained moan upon looking back at that moment. Now that she thought about it, Leon had the exact same reason upon seeing Kiyotaka getting killed right before his eyes, aside from him feeling like he wanted to throw up. She soon shook that thought out of her head as she wondered why Leon wanted to talk to her at this time."So...why do you want to talk to me?" Sayaka asked.Leon opened his mouth to speak, but then he got an idea. "Um, do you think this is something that Makoto should be hearing?" he asked. He didn't let Sayaka say something. "Hold on. Give me a second." He then stood up from his seat and waved at Makoto. "Hey! Makoto!"Makoto was on his way to bringing his empty plate back to the kitchen. He stopped in place upon hearing Leon call his name. "What?" he said as he turned his head towards the direction of Leon's voice. He saw that Leon is sitting at the same table that Sayaka is sitting at. He looked shocked and nervous at first, but then he calmed down after thinking about why Leon would want to talk to Sayaka."Could you come over here?" Leon asked. "I...want you to hear this!"Makoto let out a sigh. "Look, Leon," he said. "If you want to make amends with Sayaka, go for it. Don't drag me into this."Sayaka was surprised to hear that Leon wants to make amends with her. "Huh?" she said with a gasp. "You...want to make amends with me...?""What?" Leon gasped. "Hey, how did you know that I was going to make amends with Sayaka?""That's what it looks like what you're doing in my eyes," Makoto replied. "You and Sayaka have gotten pretty bad opinions of each other after the first Class Trial ended. From the looks of things, it seems that your opinions of each other has changed, and you're taking steps to making amends with Sayaka. I'll just...stay out of this. I don't want to get in your way of making amends.""No, no, no," Leon said. "I'm not just making amends with Sayaka. I'm making amends with you, too. So you've gotta come over here and listen to me!"Makoto wondered why Leon wants to make amends with both him and Sayaka at the same time. What could've gotten Leon to finally realize that holding a grudge against someone isn't the best idea in a setting like this? Feeling like he's being dragged into Leon's conversation with Sayaka, Makoto decided to give Leon a listen. "Alright..." he said. "Just give me a moment."Makoto went inside the kitchen to put his plate into the sink. After that, he walked up to the table Sayaka and Leon are sitting at, pulled a chair from another table, and sat down."So...what do you want to say?" Sayaka asked."Alright, just give me a listen, you two," Leon began. "I'm sorry."Makoto and Sayaka felt like Leon's apology is a little shallow. They wanted more."And...?" Makoto asked."Sayaka, I'm sorry," Leon continued. "I'm sorry for everything that I've done against you in the past several days. I'm sorry for rubbing you the wrong way, I'm sorry for calling you a bitch, and I'm sorry for hurting you. I just...I thought that you were the perfect girl for me. You're...cute and beautiful and...you had everything that I wanted in my life. I...really wanted to become a musician. I wanted to go against people's expectations of me, that I should be a baseball star. I thought that you could teach me the skills that I needed to become a successful musician. But now...I realize that trying to make you my teacher would be a bad idea.""Why not?" Makoto asked."Hey, I'm not talking to you, Makoto," Leon said. "But anyways, Sayaka, you're right. Anything that you've learned as an idol, anything that has worked for you, probably won't work for me. Our music styles are totally different and are going to appeal to different groups of people. There's no way that the things that worked for you will work for me as a musician. It's just like you said. If I going to find success as a musician, I'm going to have to find my own way of success."Sayaka felt like Leon's apology had a little more impact now that he had explained what he's apologizing for and his thoughts about her. "I see that you're getting my words," she said, looking back at a past conversation that she had with Leon. "You know, even if you do find your path to success, there's no guarantee that you'll find the success that you're looking for. Not everyone has what it takes to become a famous musician. For every band that makes it big, there are many others who aren't as successful.""Yeah, I guess you're right," Leon replied. "Now that I think about it, I should've been grateful that I became a baseball star. Becoming a sports legend is a rare thing! Imagine how many players join a sport, believing that they'll become just like the best players in the world, only to fall far short and become just become another sports player or member of a team. The same can be said for music. There are many people who form bands, believing that they'll become just as successful as some of the most famous bands and musicians of their time, only to never grow beyond obscurity.""That's what you get when you join a competitive industry expecting to be successful right away," Sayaka said. "You always get disappointing results.""I guess the best solution is to just...not expect to be famous when you become an athlete or a musician," Makoto remarked."Or an entertainer," Sayaka added. "Or expect to be famous in anything right away. Either your fame takes time to cultivate, or you become famous by accident."Oh yeah, that's great advice, you two!" Leon said, followed up with a laugh.Seeing Leon redeeming himself and being genuine about it made Sayaka smile a little. It looks like amends are being made. Her spirit was uplifted enough to make her want to finish eating her meal.Makoto then wondered something. "So, Leon," he began to ask. "When we get out of this school alive, when all of this is over, do you plan on going back to playing baseball?""Totally!" Leon replied to Makoto and Sayaka's surprise."Really?" Makoto asked."Yeah, really!" Leon said. "I can't believe that I'm saying this, but I miss playing baseball. It's been so long since my last game. Throwing the ball, striking the batter out, and scoring runs... I miss doing those things. I feel embarrassed to admit it, but I really do enjoy playing baseball. I think that once we get outta this school, I'll go look for my old school and ask them if I could rejoin their team, as well as apologizing for being such a bad sport."Sayaka finished swallowing her food as she asked another question. "What about expanding your skill set?" she asked. "Are you going to try out other sports?""Oh yeah, I'm definitely trying out other sports!" Leon replied. "I mean, we have Hina here, who is good at many sports. Meanwhile, I'm a star when it comes to baseball...and only baseball. It feels so restrictive being stuck playing baseball for the rest of my life. Maybe I can ask Hina for tips on swimming. Hey, do you think Hina would make for a better girlfriend for me? Sure, her face is alright, and her personality isn't quite cute. But her body...ooh, that body...it's so great! I-I'm totally talking about her limbs, okay? She's a swimmer, so she's gotta have good-looking limbs, right?"No, you're definitely thinking about Hina's...chest, Makoto and Sayaka thought."Anyways," Leon said, moving on to start another apology, "Makoto, I've got something for you, too. Sorry for call you a lucky...uh... Is it safe for me to call you that? I'm gonna be safe and apologize for dismissing you as an ordinary student. I thought that Sayaka doesn't really deserve someone like you, because you don't have a talent. I thought that she would never become interested in someone like you. I thought that you had no right to try to comfort her when she's in a panic. But as it turns out, she's...uh...very interested in you, to put it lightly. There...must be a good reason why she's willing to stick around you for so long...""That's because...um..." Sayaka began to explain. "Uh...back during our junior high years, I saw Makoto do an act of kindness that I would never forget.""What did he do?" Leon asked."I saw him save a crane," Sayaka replied. "Admittedly, I didn't know at the time that Makoto was in charge of taking care of the animals, and the teachers placed responsibility of the crane onto him. Still, he took it upon himself to nurse the crane back to full health. When the crane fully recovered, he released it back into the wild. I...saw him released that crane back into the wild. It warmed my heart seeing that crane fly again. That's when I knew that Makoto would be the right person for me.""Ah...I see..." Leon said. "Maybe Makoto should've been called the Ultimate Animal Caregiver instead. Then I wouldn't be so jealous that you and Sayaka had a thing for each other!""I don't think this school would try to scout me out if I had that talent..." Makoto said. "There's got to be a better, more experienced animal caregiver out there who is around my age...""Hey, you'll never know if you're the best at something until this school says so!" Leon said. He then chuckled for a moment. "Oh, and also, sorry for provoking you into punching me. I...uh...didn't know that you were sensitive to certain phrases...""Don't feel too bad," Makoto assured. "We were all really stressed out after we watched those motive videos, so we all acted in ways that we normally wouldn't most of the time. I...got really mad when you called me by that name. It must've brought back bad memories or something. Sorry about trying to punch you, by the way."Hearing Makoto's apology reminded Sayaka that she should apologize as well. "Oh, and uh...sorry for trying to kill you, Leon," she said. "I...wasn't sure what I was thinking when I made that plan. I was in a panic, and we all didn't know the consequences of committing a murder but failing to get away with it...""Ah, thanks for the apology, you two," Leon said. "So, we're all cool, then?""As long as you're being sincere about your apology, we should be fine," Makoto replied. "Just...make sure that you don't attack anyone ever again, unless it's in self-defence. Can you keep that promise?""Sure, I can!" Leon replied. "Anyways, thanks for letting me apologize to you two. I'll be going now.""Wait, Leon," Sayaka said, stopping Leon from standing up and walking away. "Before you go, I want to ask two more things.""What is it?" Leon asked."Why...are you apologizing to us?" Sayaka asked. "What made you change your mind about us?""Well, because...you two defending me made me realize something," Leon replied. "We're all stuck playing this killing game, where any of us could die at any moment. If I want to survive this killing game, I'd better stop giving people reasons to want me dead. I can't just be an ass and rub people the wrong way all the time. I've gotta prove that I'm someone that can be trusted, who is not willing to throw people under the bus when the opportunity arises. If I can't do that, then sooner or later, I'll find myself getting targeted. But even if I don't be an ass to others during the killing game, anything that I did to the others before the killing game could come back to haunt me, like with what happened to Hiro...""Poor Hiro..." Sayaka said, still lamenting the fortune teller's death. "I can't believe that he tried to get Natsumi killed because he feared that she might kill him for scamming her...""Oh, and by the way," Leon said, "thanks for defending me during the previous Class Trial. I didn't think that you two would defend me after that I had done to you two for the past several days.""You're welcome," Makoto said."Oh, and I spent some time thinking about Taka's death," Leon continued. "Now that I thought about it, I realized that it's kind of my fault that Taka ended up getting killed. If I weren't such an ass, I wouldn't have been dragged into that exercise session."Makoto shook his head. "That's not true," he said. "You had no part in influencing Hiro's decision to create that trap in the exercise room, and you didn't know that there's a trap on the exercise room door until it's too late. Taka's death could've been prevented had either of you two had looked up at the door for any traps. In fact, if Taka hadn't invited you to the exercise session, we wouldn't have discovered that Taka is dead until much later.""...Yeah, I guess you're right," Leon said. "Gah, I can't believe we're so stupid. We should've taken Hiro's predictions seriously..."Now that Leon had explained the reason why he calmed down after yesterday's events, Sayaka went on to asking her second question. "So...are you still thinking about starting a music career?" she asked."Oh, that?" Leon began to reply. "Yeah, I think I'll just...forget about that. I don't think that being a musician would be a great choice for me when I'm already a baseball star. Maybe I'll play music as a hobby instead. How's that sound?""I'm fine with that," Sayaka replied."That's great!" Leon said. "Well, that's all I have to say to you two. See you-" He stopped himself when he saw Kyoko approaching. "Huh? Kyoko?""Are you three done?" Kyoko asked as she walked to the table."Uh, yeah," Makoto replied. "We're done."Sayaka took a moment to look down on her plate. She saw that she had finished the rest of her meal during her conversation with Leon. She was puzzled about how that happened."What are you here for?" Leon asked."There's something that I want to show you," Kyoko said. "Follow me once you're done.""Ah, okay," Sayaka said as she stood up and picked up her plate. "Just...give me a moment..."Sayaka went back to the kitchen to put her plate in the sink. After she returned, she and Makoto followed Kyoko out of the dining hall. Leon, curious about what Kyoko wants to show to Makoto and Sayaka, decided to follow them as well.
Day 10 - 12:40 PMBathhouse, First Floor
Kyoko led, Makoto, Sayaka, and Leon to the bathhouse, much to the trio's confusion."Huh? The bathhouse?" Leon asked with a puzzled look on his face. "What do you want to show us here?"Sayaka covered her mouth for a moment, feeling a little nauseous from all the food she ate for lunch.Makoto turned his head towards Sayaka. "You okay, Sayaka?" he asked.Sayaka uncovered her mouth and swallowed. "I'm...fine," she replied. "I just...ate a bit much..."Kyoko walked up to one of the lockers and opened it up, revealing the laptop that contains Alter Ego."Ah, finally," Alter Ego said in relief. "I get to see light again. It was getting really lonely in here. Hello there, again."The trio was surprised to see that Kyoko has decided to put Alter Ego in the locker room of the bathhouse."You put Alter Ego here?" Makoto said."But why?" Sayaka asked."I'll explain later," Kyoko replied. "For now, there's something that I want to ask Alter Ego.""...You want to know more about my master, correct?" Alter Ego asked."Correct," Kyoko replied. "Now, tell me what you know about Chihiro Fujisaki.""Wait, that guy?" Leon asked. "Are we really gonna look for him? We don't even know what he looks like.""Well, I'll show what my master looks like so that you can know what to look for," Alter Ego said. "Here, I'm showing it right now." They then faced the screen face-on.The trio gathered around Kyoko to get a better look at the laptop. They expected Alter Ego to pull up an image showing them what Chihiro Fujisaki looks like. But so such image showed up. They were left confused by this."Huh? Where's the image?" Sayaka asked."You...have an image on Chihiro in that laptop, right?" Makoto asked."Don't you get it?" Alter Ego asked. "I'm showing you all what my master looks like right now!""I'm not getting this," Leon said. "Where's the image?"Kyoko sighed after seeing that the trio isn't getting what Alter Ego is trying to convey. "I can't believe that all three of you missed this," she said. "We've actually been seeing what Chihiro Fujisaki looks like the entire time, because Alter Ego is taking on Chihiro's appearance."The trio was surprised to hear that they've been looking at Chihiro Fujisaki the entire time. Or at least, an AI whose face is made to resemble him."Whoa, really?" Makoto said."That's...crazy!" Leon remarked.Sayaka then realized something. "Wait, so if Alter Ego can take on the appearance of someone else," she said, "then can they also appear as someone else, even down to their voice?"Alter Ego nodded their head. "Yep," they said. "My creator has designed me so that I can look like and sound like someone else. As long as I have data on someone's appearance and voice, I can turn myself into anyone I want. Unfortunately, I only have appearance and voice data of my creator."The trio was left feeling a little strange after that. So it turns out that they had already found Chihiro Fujisaki. It just that they haven't found the real deal yet. All they had found is a AI that looks like and speaks like him. Still, the search for the real Chihiro isn't over yet. Clues to his whereabouts might be found in the upper floors. Unfortunately, that means that they had to go through yet another Class Trial if they want to find the real Chihiro, which means that another murder has to happen. That doesn't sound like a good trade."So, is there anything else that we need to know about Chihiro?" Makoto asked."I'm sorry," Alter Ego apologized. "This is all that I could say about my creator for now. Do come back another time, though."...Well that's disappointing.After finishing the conversation with Alter Ego, Makoto, Sayaka, and Leon began to ask Kyoko about why she bought the AI to the bathhouse of all places."Okay, so why did you bring Alter Ego here?" Leon asked. "Isn't the bathhouse a little...you know...moist? You do realize that electronics and water don't mix, right? And you do also realize that the bathtubs and sauna are nearby...""Does this place feel humid to you?" Kyoko asked.Leon was confused when Kyoko asked that question. "Huh? What do you mean?" he asked."She means how moist the air is," Makoto explained. "And this room...it feels just as moist as the rooms outside...I think.""Yeah, this room doesn't feel that moist," Sayaka said."Correct," Kyoko said. "Which means that we don't have to worry about the laptop getting damaged by moisture. As long as we don't dunk the laptop into water, Alter Ego should be fine here.""So...that means that Alter Ego should be safe here," Leon said. "Then...why are they here?""Take a look around," Kyoko said, giving away a hint. "Did you notice something?"The trio looked around the bathhouse entrance, wondering what Kyoko is looking for. They came up empty.Kyoko squinted her eyes at the trio. "You threw didn't notice that there's something missing, right?" she asked."Huh? What's missing?" Makoto asked.Kyoko sighed and shook her head. "You three don't seem to get here, do you?" she asked. "I expect better from you two, Makoto and Sayaka. You two managed to solve a case together, even though one of you didn't do any investigating."Sayaka felt a little bit of regret from not participating in the investigation of the previous case. If she had done so, then Makoto wouldn't have the need to spend so much time explaining the evidence he had found to her. Oh well. Maybe next time..."Gah, I give up," Leon declared. "So what's missing from this room?""It's the cameras," Kyoko answered.The trio were bewildered by the answer to Kyoko's question."Huh? The cameras are missing?" Sayaka asked."Yes, the surveillance cameras," Kyoko said. "They're not installed anywhere in the bathhouse area."The trio looked around the bathhouse entrance to see if Kyoko is right. Sure enough, there isn't a single surveillance camera to be found. Every room they've explored so far seems to have at least one of those cameras, except for this one. To be fair, they have gotten used to seeing those cameras everywhere. It's easy to ignore them and accept the fact that they're being watched at all times."You know what this means, right?" Kyoko asked. "If the one who is watching over us can't see what we're doing in the bathhouse, then they won't do anything to stop us. Therefore, this should be a safe place to put Alter Ego, as the mastermind behind our imprisonment won't know what Alter Ego is telling us. We can also use this place to host secret meetings if we find information that the mastermind doesn't want us to know about. You three got all that?"The trio became confused over what Kyoko is saying."Uh, I'm not getting this," Leon said. "I think I got lost somewhere. Could you repeat that?"Kyoko shook her head and let out a heavy sigh. "You're so dense, Leon," she said."Huh? What do you mean I'm dense?" Leon asked."Leon, I think what Kyoko is saying is that we should discuss secret information here," Makoto said. "Though, I'm not sure what would count as secret information. How are we supposed to know if something isn't meant to be known by us?""We'll know that the information we found is sensitive based on Monokuma's reaction to us finding it," Kyoko explained. "For example, the photo that Hina found in the art repository. There must be something about that photo that Monokuma doesn't want us to know about."Sayaka grew a concerned look on her face. "I'm getting worried that one day, our secret meeting place won't be a secret anymore," she said. "What if Monokuma finds out that we've been using this place to hold secret meetings? Even if he can't appear in this room, what's stopping him from appearing in a different room and walking into this room? And about Alter Ego...what if Monokuma discovers that we've been keeping Alter Ego in this room? If someone comes over to take Alter Ego, then who's going to stop them?""Don't worry about me getting taken away," Alter Ego assured, drawing everyone's attention towards them. "I've got a secret plan prepared just in case. I can see things through this laptop's built-in camera. If anyone suspicious shows up, I'll scream out loud to alert everyone.""What kind of plan is that?" Leon asked."That's a...pretty basic plan, I'll say," Makoto said. "Then again, it's not like you could do much outside of the laptop you're in...""But what is we're too far away to hear your screams?" Sayaka asked. "I don't know how loud you can scream. Based on your tone of voice, I doubt that you would be able to raise your voice much...""Hey, I can adjust the volume setting on this laptop when I can," Alter Ego replied. "If someone tries to take me away, I'll raise the volume up as high as the settings will allow me and scream as loud as I can."After hearing Alter Ego's plan on alerting everyone in case someone tries to take him away, the group moved on to address Sayaka's concern about the secret meeting place."Regarding your concerns, Sayaka," Kyoko began, "yes, Monokuma will get suspicious of us if we use the bathhouse as a secret meeting room too often. Therefore, we must only use this room when absolutely necessary. That is, if we find information that Monokuma doesn't want us to know about. We must also limit how many students attend a secret meeting at once to prevent any information we found from spreading too fast.""How much is too much?" Sayaka asked. "What's the limit on how many students can attend a secret meeting?""At most, we can have four students attend a secret meeting," Kyoko replied. "Though, that number will need to be decreased as more of us dies.""That sounds...reasonable," Makoto said."So...what now?" Leon asked. "What are we supposed to do? What's Alter Ego gonna do while we're away?""Oh, this laptop has some locked files in it," Alter Ego explained. "It'll take some time for me to gain access to them. The next time we see each other, I can show you what I've found.""Okay..." Sayaka said. "Hmm...I wonder what kind of files are in that laptop..."Kyoko felt like she and the others have been in the bathhouse locker room for long enough. "We should be going," she suggested. "The mastermind might get suspicious of us if we spend linger here for too long.""Wait, so you guys are all going?" Alter Ego asked.Kyoko turned towards Alter Ego. "Yes," she said. "Me and the others will be leaving for now. Don't worry. We'll be back.""Okay, then," Alter Ego said. "See you later!"Kyoko then closed the locker holding the laptop. Soon, she and the others left the bathhouse and went their separate ways.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Day 10 - 2:00 PMRecreation Room, Third Floor
"Aw...crap," Leon said as he held the sports magazine. He is dismayed at the photo used for the magazine's cover. "Of all the athletes out there, why does this magazine have to use me as its cover? And why is it using the photo of me with the shaved head? Gah, I look unrecognizable in that photo..."Leon then put the sports magazine back in the magazine rack, disinterested in giving it a read. He browsed the rack to look for something to read. He could've sworn that there's a magazine here that would at least interest him. It had to be here, and yet for some reason, it's not there. Where could it be?Celeste then entered the recreation room and saw Leon at the magazine rack. "Oh, greetings," she said. "I didn't that I would see you here, Leon."Leon heard Celeste's voice and turned around towards the door. He looked surprised for a moment. "Oh...hey there, Celeste," he greeted. "What brings you here?""I'm just looking for a game to play," Celeste replied. "And you, you're looking for a magazine to read. Is that correct?""Ah, yes," Leon replied."And you have seen the sports magazine that has you on the front cover," Celeste continued. "At least, that's supposed to be you on the cover. It's hard to tell from that shaved head.""What?" Leon gasped. "How did you know that I had looked at the magazine that has me on the front cover?""The sports magazine is right there," Celeste said, pointing to the sports magazine's spot on the rack. "You clearly must've saw it as you browsed that rack.""Oh..." Leon said in realization. "Of course...""You're so easy to read," Celeste remarked. "So, are you thinking about reading that sports magazine?""Uh, no," Leon replied. "Just looking at me with the shaved head feels so...wrong. I look like a completely different person in that photo! Anyways, I don't see anything interesting in this rack. Do you have any suggestions?"Celeste then recalled what Sayaka did during her visit to the recreation room. "Would you believe me if I told you that there's a swimsuit magazine that features just Sayaka?" she asked.Leon glared at Celeste with suspicion. "What? That can't be true!" he said. "You're just saying that to mess with me.""I'm not lying," Celeste replied. "I'm telling the truth. There really was a swimsuit magazine that features just Sayaka.""Really?" Leon asked, still feeling like Celeste is lying. "Where is it?""...Sayaka took it with her," Celeste replied."Aw..." Leon groaned as he slumped. Even if Celeste was telling the truth, Leon would be left disappointed that he didn't get to see photos of Sayaka posing in swimsuits.Celeste then got something on her mind. "Speaking of Sayaka," she said. "I've been noticing that you're acting friendly with her and Makoto all of a sudden. Why is that? Didn't you hate Sayaka for her plan to murder you? What has gotten into you?""Oh, that?" Leon began to reply. "It's just that... Look, Sayaka may have planned to kill me, but at least she didn't follow through with that plan. Besides, she had a reason to try to target me. Our loved ones are in danger, and Sayaka had a...let's just say a terrifying reaction to seeing her motive video. I don't know who Sayaka saw in her motive video, but they must be really important to her. Also, it's kind of my fault that Sayaka tried to kill me. I rubbed her the wrong way, and I didn't realize that I'm making her uncomfortable until others told me about it."Celeste seemed doubtful that Leon's explanation was sufficient. "Oh yeah?" she said. "Even after you were told that you were making Sayaka uncomfortable enough to make her want you dead, you still attacked her and want her dead instead. What happened to you since? What has gotten you to change your mind?""Well...the reveal that Hiro was the culprit," Leon explained. "Hiro was stupid. He doesn't look like the type of person who would be able to come up with a murder plan. And yet...he did. He created a trap, intending for it to kill Natsumi so that his debts to the Kuzuryu Clan can be wiped away. That sounded like a smart idea. It was a shame that the wrong person happened to trigger that trap first. I swear, that could've been me right there. If I had gotten ahead of Taka, I would've been dead while he would be still alive.""You know, you did witness Taka's death," Celeste said. "You saw Taka get killed by a falling dumbbell right before your eyes. Why didn't you tell the truth of what happened?""Because...I didn't think that anyone would believe me!" Leon replied. "I had ran into Makoto and Sayaka while trying to run away. I had bad relationships with them at the time, so I don't think that they would believe me if I told them what I saw. I had blood on my hands, so everyone else thought that I had committed a murder. I was really stressed out, so I tried telling them things that would make them stop believing that I was the culprit. As you saw, that didn't work out.""I know that," Celeste said. "But that still doesn't explain why you've changed your mind about Makoto and Sayaka.""Did you forget?" Leon said, raising his voice as he brought up the previous Class Trial. "They defended me during that Class Trial! Even if I had bad relationships with them, they still believed that I couldn't be the culprit! They looked at all the evidence and concluded that I'm not the culprit! That's when I realized that I couldn't go around holding grudges against anyone anymore. That Class Trial truly taught me that anyone can become a murderer if they're pushed in the right direction.""You don't say..." Celeste said, having already known that everyone is a potential future murderer."A cute-looking idol tried to kill me, and an idiotic fortune teller tried to kill the girl he had scammed," Leon continued. "They were both pushed into going down those paths by Monokuma, who took advantage of their biggest fears. If they can potentially become a murderer, then everyone can become a murderer. There's just no telling when they'll snap and try to kill someone! That's why I decided that if I want to survive, I'd better get on everyone's good sides. Otherwise, they might want me dead if they fall for those motives...""Is that your reason why you decided to change your mind about Sayaka?" Celeste asked."Yes," Leon replied. "I began by apologizing to Sayaka and dropping my grudge against her. Not only that, but I apologized to Makoto, too. And guess what? They accepted my apology and apologized back. You did remember the time when Makoto tried to punch me, right?""I do," Celeste replied. "However, I doubt that both of them are willing to forgive you so quickly."Leon became confused when Celeste implied that Makoto and Sayaka might not be genuine about their apology. "Huh? What do you mean?" he asked."You said it yourself," Celeste explained. "Anyone can become a murderer, which means that all of us are wearing a mask that hides our murderous sides. All it takes is a little nudge for that mask to be ripped off. Every one of us is one step away from becoming a murderer. You'll never know when that moment will come."Leon became concerned about Celeste. "Uh, are you feeling alright, Celeste?" he asked. "I don't like what you're saying..."Celeste realized that she's taking for quite a while now. "Oh, did I bring down the mood too much?" she asked. "My apologies. I do not mean to do that. I was looking forward into playing some games to pass the time, and all that talk is getting in the way of that."Leon was confused about what Celeste was about to say. "So...what were you trying to say?" he asked."Just be weary of those who forgive you too soon," Celeste advised. "You'll never know when they're taking advantage of you."Leon was unsure if Makoto and Sayaka are the type of people who would trick him into thinking that they forgive him when in reality, they're not. Well, maybe Sayaka might deceive him into thinking that she forgives him, but after the first Class Trial, she's definitely not going to lure people into a trap ever again. Besides, they worked together to uncover the truth behind the murder of Kiyotaka, so they're definitely trustworthy."Anyways, since you're here, Leon," Celeste continued, "how about I play some games with you?""Oh, sure thing," Leon replied. "So, what are we playing?""Ready for some card games?" Celeste asked as she pulled out a box of cards."Oh no, not cards," Leon replied. "Knowing you, you'll win those games every time. I wanna play something that I have a shot at winning!""Then how about chess?" Celeste suggested. "Or checkers? This school has those games."Leon suddenly felt unsure about if he wants to play games with Celeste. Chess and checkers sound like games that require strategy to win, and he's not confident that he'll win in those games against Celeste. There has to be something else in the recreation room that he felt comfortable playing with Celeste. Like...the dart board."What about darts?" Leon suggested. "Can we play that? I wanna show you my throwing skills!"Celeste turned her head towards the dart board. "Oh, you want to play that game?" she asked. "Sure. I don't mind.""Aw yeah!" Leon said with confidence. "Just you wait, Celeste! I'm gonna beat you in darts!"Celeste grew a grin on her face. "I'd like to see you try," she said.Leon and Celeste then decided to play a few rounds of darts.
Day 10 - 3:30 PMSayaka's Room, First Floor
Sayaka sat down at the table in her room, looking over the swimsuit magazine that features just her. She tried to not let the fact that a dead body used to be nearby discomfort her. Images of her deceased classmates still flashed in her mind occasionally, but compared to the photo of her in swimsuits, they were less bothersome. Sayaka cringed after seeing so many photos of her in all of these swimsuits. She found it hard to believe that she allowed herself to be offered so many sets of swimsuits and are asked to pose for the camera in suggestive ways. And she went through all of that embarrassing work for what? She doesn't remember how much she was paid to pose for these photos, but it probably wasn't worth the effort.Eventually, Sayaka went through every page in the magazine, getting a good look at every image of her in swimsuits. The magazine had a lot of pages, so there was also a lot of photos in it. Seeing all of photos was an exhausting experience. To think that this magazine was widely published for the public to see. She wondered how many copies of this magazine was sold to the public and how many of her fans had gotten a look at its contents. Considering that adult men made up a large portion of her fans, the thought of those men getting a look at her in revealing outfits made her uncomfortable. And since one of her classmates had made her uncomfortable with his advances, it's probably a good thing that she didn't let Leon get a look at the magazine's contents.Sayaka then thought about Makoto next. She wondered if Makoto had gotten a copy of this magazine. She quickly dismissed the possibility. While she knows that there are many copies of this magazine in existence, it is also a highly sought after item for her fans, meaning that it's unlikely that an ordinary person would get their hands on it. And considering that Makoto never mentioned that he owns a copy of that magazine, he definitely never got one.It was a strange thought, but Sayaka began to wonder if this magazine would be a great gift for Makoto. He may be a sweet and kindhearted boy and would never treat her as a mere object to satisfy his desires. But perhaps deep down, Makoto might be a little dirty-minded. He is a high-school student, after all. Maybe he wants to look at some skin.Ah, forget about it, Sayaka thought, shaking the thought of gifting this magazine to Makoto out of her mind. This isn't the time to be having those kinds of thoughts. ...Then again, it probably wouldn't hurt to gift this to Makoto.
Day 10 - 5:10 PMDining Hall, First Floor
"Goddammit..." Leon grumbled as he rested his head on the table.Everyone stared at Leon as they began to eat their dinner. Most of them are confused on why Leon is feeling so down right now."Uh...what happened to Leon?" Makoto asked."He looks so down all of a sudden," Sayaka remarked. "Did something happen?"Kyoko caught Celeste grinning for a moment. She grew a suspicious look on her face after seeing Celeste grin. "Celeste, what did you do?" she asked.Celeste turned her head towards Kyoko and feigned ignorance. "Hmm? What are you talking about?" she asked."I saw you grinning for a moment," Kyoko said. "You did do something to Leon, right?""What? No," Celeste replied in denial.Makoto decided to ask Leon directly. "Hey, Leon?" he asked. "Where were you this afternoon?""I was in the rec room..." Leon replied."The rec room..." Kyoko said. Then she deduced what Leon likely did in the recreation room. "You did play some games in that room, right?""Yes..." Leon replied."Who did you play with?" Kyoko asked.Before Leon could tell everyone who his opponent was, Celeste interrupted him."Oh, don't listen to Leon," Celeste said. "He must be lying. His opponent in those games is definitely not me."Hearing Celeste say that just made everyone even more suspicious of her.Kyoko facepalmed and shook her head. "Celeste, we did talk about this back when the second motives were released, remember?" she said. "The more you try to try to hide something, the more suspicious you look and the more curious everyone becomes. That was the Streisand Effect, correct?"Before Celeste could say something in response, Byakuya interrupted them both."Enough of this useless chatter," Byakuya said. "You said all remember what we're supposed to be talking about once we're finished with dinner, right?"Makoto became confused at what Byakuya is saying. "Huh? We're having a meeting soon?" he asked. "Since when? Who planned that meeting? And what will the meeting be about?""Our next meeting will be about who the replacement leader will be," Byakuya replied. "We still haven't decided who should replace the late Kiyotaka as our leader going forward.""It's only been a day," Natsumi said. "Do you expect us to figure out who the new leader should be in a day while we're busy exploring the next floor?""You know, speaking of Taka," Hina said, "I think we should honor him by doing something that would make him proud of us.""Really?" Sayaka said. "How?""By baring ourselves to each other!" Hina announced.Half of the students in the dining hall became shocked by what Hina is suggesting that they should do. Byakuya was so shocked that he spit out the tea that he was in the middle of sipping. It did caught the attention of Mondo, who spent dinnertime brooding over Kiyotaka, and it also make Leon lift his head off the table."W-What?!" Makoto gasped."A-Are you saying...?" Sayaka asked."Yeah, I'm taking about that!" Hina replied.Byakuya coughed out some tea that went down the wrong pipe. "Gah!" he gasped. "Couldn't you have picked a better time to make that suggestion? We're in the middle of eating dinner!" He looked at his table and saw droplets all over it. "Ugh, look at this mess. Now someone has to clean this up...""Why don't you clean that mess up?" Celeste suggested. "You made that mess, after all. That's what you get for drinking tea at the wrong time, as well as for tampering with a crime scene."Byakuya gave an angry glare at Celeste for saying that."So...where are we going to...bare ourselves to each other?" Sayaka asked, feeling awkward about doing that."In the bathhouse, of course!" Hina replied. "This school has bathhouse, right? We haven't used it so far, so this should be a good opportunity for us to use it. Besides, we need to strengthen our bonds with each other to ensure that what happened the last two times won't happen ever again!"Leon got a little...excited at the prospect of seeing some skin. "Ooh, so are we gonna use the bathhouse together?" he asked.Several students gave Leon a disapproving glare. Sayaka became a little concerned that Leon might go back to his old habits after he had apologized to her."Hey, what are you all giving me that look for?" Leon asked."The bathhouse is segregated," Mondo explained.Everyone then turned their attention to Mondo after hearing his voice. He's still hanging his head down, not even bothering to look in everyone's direction."Mondo?" Makoto asked. "Were you listening?""I was," Mondo replied. "I heard that you guys are planning to use the bathhouse soon. Well, just letting you know that the bathhouse are separated into two sections by a divider: one for boys and one for girls. Trust me. I checked.""Ah, well that's good to know," Hina said. "That means that everyone can use the bathhouse at the same time. We don't have to worry about anyone trying to peep on us when they're not supposed to! Such as someone..." She said that as she shifted her gaze over to Leon."Uh...Hina?" Leon asked. "Why are you giving me that look?""Boys, you'd better not try to peek on us while we're using the bathhouse," Sakura warned. "If you're caught, you'll be punished by us. The reverse is true for the girls. Just stay in your respective sections."Leon was disappointed that he won't get to peek on the girls. "Aw man..." he groaned."So, is everyone going to be at the bathhouse, then?" Sayaka asked."Well, not everyone," Hina said.Everyone looked around the dining hall and noticed that Hifumi still hasn't come downstairs for dinner."How long is Hifumi going to work on his project?" Makoto asked. "When will he come downstairs and have dinner? Is he going to be alright?""Oh, don't worry about Mr. Fat Guy," Genocide Jill said. "He's gonna be fine!"Everyone turned their heads towards the corner of the dining hall, where they saw Toko's body with Genocide Jill being the active personality."Genocide Jill?" Makoto said with a confused look."Mr. Fat Guy is well...fat!" Genocide Jill said. "I'm sure he'll live without food for a while.""But what about sleep?" Makoto asked."Sleep?" Genocide Jill replied. "Oh, Kiwi, you have no idea how persistent us artists and writers are when it comes to our craft. Once, my host wrote a draft version of a novel for three days straight without any sleep! Once she finished, she passed out, and that's when I took over! I saw her work and was impressed with what my host had done in just three days! Granted, that novel was unpolished and sloppy at some points, but it was still impressive work! Don't you agree?""Wait, which novel was that?" Sayaka asked."I'll tell you what novel my host wrote in three days!" Genocide Jill replied. "It was-" And then she sneezed before giving out an answer, switching back to having Toko take over their body."Ugh...I'm so s-sick of this..." Toko grumbled. "Jill, just let me h-have control over my b-body for more then a few h-hours..."Sayaka was disappointed that she didn't get to hear the name of the novel Toko had written in three days.Toko then looked around the dining hall and became confused on what everyone is talking about. "Uh...did I m-miss something?" she asked. "I-I could've sworn that you guys were t-talking about bathhouses." Then she realized that she might've been invited to join the rest of the girls in the bathhouse, which means that she'll have to bathe. "Wait...am I...invited...?""Yes, you are," Hina replied. "All the girls are going to be in the bathhouse together. That includes you. Don't be afraid, Toko. It'll be fun.""N-No, I can't!" Toko said. "I don't want to bathe, especially not with any of you girls!"Mondo sighed and shook his head. "You're missing the point, book chick," he said. "Despite the name, bathhouses aren't about bathing. They're about relaxing.""Submerging yourself in water is still bathing in my eyes!" Toko countered. "I-I'm getting out of here! I don't want be a part of this!"Toko stood up and stormed out of the dining hall. She didn't even bothered to finish her meal."...Well, that's two people who aren't going to the bathhouse with the rest of us," Hina remarked. "Hey, is everyone okay with going to the bathhouse?"As awkward as being naked around other people sound, all the remaining students agreed to use the bathhouse together. If what Kiyotaka believed in is right, then this will be a great bonding experience for everyone. After all, they could really rebuild trust in each other after going through two Class Trials.Once everyone is finished with dinner, everyone began to head back to their rooms to prepare to bathe in the bathhouse together. Before leaving, Makoto has something to say to Hina."Hey, Hina," Makoto said.Hina stopped in place and turned around towards Makoto. "What is it?" she asked."You know, you sounded like you're taking charge when you invited everyone to the bathhouse," Makoto said. "Maybe you could be our new leader from now on.""Huh? Me? Leader?" Hina asked. "Uh, I don't think that I'm fit to become a leader. I may be a team player, but I wouldn't consider myself fit to be a leader. I was just scheduling an event, is all.""Well, you did put in some effort in preventing murders," Makoto commented.Hina was reminded on the times when she tried to prevent a murder from occurring after hearing Makoto point that out to her. "Oh...right," she said. "Yeah, I guess you're right.""Do you think everyone will want you to be the new leader after being reminded of that?" Makoto asked."Hmm...I don't know," Hina replied. "We might have to ask everyone at a later time. Anyways, enough talk! Let's go and change into our robes! We'd better get ready to bathe!"Hina then ran out of the dining hall to get ready for the gathering in the bathhouse. This made Makoto the last one to leave the dining hall. He spent some time wondering how he'll fare with using the bathhouse with the boys. He felt nervous about getting naked in front of others, even if they are his friends.I'm not sure how well this will go, Makoto thought. But if it means strengthening our bonds, then I'll do it. Taka, I hope that you're right. I hope that this will get us to be more open to each other, especially Mondo...With those thoughts in mind, Makoto left the dining hall.
Day 10 - 8:00 PMBathhouse, First Floor
Everyone, aside from Hifumi and Toko, began to enter the tub area of the bathhouse. Thanks to the divider, the boys and the girls can use the bathhouse at the same time. As long as nobody tries to peep on the other side, things should be fine.On the boys' side, the boys stood in front of the pool while wearing some bathrobes that they found in the changing rooms. They're getting ready to take their bathrobes off and take a dip in the water. Before they could begin, they have a few things to say."Gah, it's so steamy in here," Leon remarked, feeling like he's sweating just from being in the bathhouse. "Do bathhouses have to be this hot? I feel like I'm gonna melt...""It must be the humidity," Byakuya said. He took off his glasses as the steam would make the lenses foggy. "The water vapor is making the air feel much hotter than dry air that's of a higher temperature."Leon looked at Byakuya with a puzzled look. "Huh? How is that possible?" he asked."Water vapor transfers thermal energy at a faster rate than dry air," Byakuya explained."But why?" Leon asked.Byakuya gave an annoyed glare at Leon. "You never paid any attention to physics lessons, do you?" he asked."What physics lessons?" Leon asked. "I don't remember being taught any physics lessons!""Calm down, you two," Makoto ordered. "We shouldn't be getting into any fights...""Yeah, I'm with little bro," Mondo said. "What are you all waiting for? Let's disrobe and dip into the water.""I agr-" Makoto said, only to stop himself upon wondering who Mondo is referring to when he said little bro. "Wait, Mondo? Who did you call 'little bro'?""Huh? Mondo got a little brother?" Leon asked. "Since when?"Byakuya just glared at the other boys. "Shut up," he said.The boys were about to take off their robes and get into the tub when they heard some voices coming from the other side."Wow, this tub is pretty big!" Hina remarked upon getting a look at the tub. "It looks like all of us can fit inside!""It's dug into the floor, though," Kyoko said."And the floor looks slippery," Celeste remarked. She had taken off her hair drills as she would rather not let them get soaked."I feel like I could die from slipping and falling into that tub..." Natsumi said."Just make sure and watch your step," Sakura advised."Okay, girls!" Hina said. "Enough talk! Let's get into that tub and relax!"The boys stared at the divider and got some...thoughts regarding the girls. Byakuya is the exception. He just gave a disapproving look at the other boys."Don't even think about that," Byakuya said."What?" Leon asked.The girls heard the boys talking from the other side."Huh? Did I hear...?" Hina asked."Looks like the dividing wall is thin enough to let sound through," Kyoko concluded. "Just don't let that concern you."Looks like the boys can hold a conversation with the girls during their time in the bathhouse, even if neither side can see each other. Without further delays, the boys took off their robes and stepped into the tub.Before joining the rest of the girls in the tub, Sayaka has a question regarding Kyoko's gloves."Um, Kyoko?" Sayaka began to ask.Kyoko stopped and turned towards Sayaka. "Yes?" she replied."Are you...going to get in the tub wearing those gloves?" Sayaka asked."Yes," Kyoko bluntly replied. "Why did you ask?""Are you...worried about getting your gloves soaked?" Sayaka asked.Kyoko sighed. "Stop worrying about my gloves," she said. "They're going to be fine."Sayaka wasn't sure why Kyoko feels so comfortable wearing her gloves in situations where they should be taken off. Why does Kyoko want to keep her gloves on at all times? What could Kyoko be hiding under her gloves? Sayaka would like to know, but remembering the last time she tried to peek under Kyoko's gloves, it probably wouldn't go well. Sayaka then pushed those thoughts aside as she joined the rest of the girls in the tub.Everyone in the bathhouse spent some time relaxing in the tubs, soaking in the heat and getting their blood flowing."Ah, I knew that getting everyone to use the bathhouse was a good idea," Hina said. "Well, almost everyone. Still, we could use the time to relax after what we went through yesterday. Hey, is everyone enjoying this?"No one replied to Hina's question."Huh? I'm not hearing anything from anyone," Hina said. "Hello? Can anyone say something? Girls? Boys?"Kyoko gave an annoyed look at Hina. "Would you quiet down?" she asked. "Why do you feel the need to bury the silence?""Well, it'll feel awkward if no one says anything while we're all in the bathhouse," Hina replied. "We've gotta say something to pass the time.""This already feels awkward enough..." Makoto said, his face turning red from the embarrassment.Leon then realized something about the composition of the current surviving students. "Hey, wait a minute," he began. "The boys' side does feel a lot emptier than the girls' side, doesn't it?"Sayaka turned her head towards the divider. "Huh? What do you mean, Leon?" she asked.Celeste thought about Leon's observation. "Hmm...I get what Leon is saying," she said. "Recall back to the beginning of the killing game. How many boys and girls did we start with?""Uh...let's see..." Hina said as she counted out everyone who is currently alive as well as everyone who had died. "There's...hold on. One, two, three, four...""We started off with sixteen students," Kyoko answered. "Eight boys, and eight girls. So far, three boys had died, while only one girl had died. That means there's currently five boys and seven girls who are left alive. One boy and one girl had declined to join us in the bathhouse, which means that there are four boys and six girls in the bathhouse. But that's easy enough to observe.""Then why did you point that out?" Natsumi asked."Shut up, girls," Byakuya ordered, getting annoyed over being able to hear voices from the other side. "We're trying to relax here."Hearing that there are just four boys in the bathhouse made Mondo feel down. He thought about the late Kiyotaka and lamented how he'll never be able to enjoy spending time in the bathhouse. Well, at least Kiyotaka got to use the sauna, so that's something.Things then got quiet in the bathhouse for a few minutes. Hina felt like everyone needs to have something to talk about while they're in the bathhouse. She thought about what topic to talk about next."So...about our secrets," Hina began.Kyoko groaned upon hearing Hina try to bury the silence again. "This again?" she asked. "Why do you keep trying to find topics for small talk, Hina?""I'm not doing small talk!" Hina replied. "I'm asking about our secrets."Natsumi felt uncomfortable when the topic of everyone's secrets was brought up. "Ugh, I don't like that topic..." she groaned."Oh yeah, that's right," Leon said. "Byakuya, your secret said that you had sentenced your siblings to death. Is that true?""Half-siblings," Byakuya corrected. "And no, 'death' in this context does not mean what you think it means. To my family, 'death' means that a member is disowned.""We did hear that your half-siblings are considered dead in the eyes of your family, after all," Makoto said."Oh, that kinda makes sense," Leon said. "So, we've also heard that the secret that Monokuma revealed wasn't the secret that you got when the motive was revealed. What was the original secret?"Byakuya averted his gaze away from Leon. "I will not tell," he replied.Leon groaned in disappointment."Hey, that reminds me," Hina said. "There were a few secrets that we didn't get to hear, right?""Like who?" Natsumi asked."Like...Celeste!" Hina replied.Celeste turned towards the rest of the girls upon hearing her name. "Hmm? What is it?" she asked."Hey, Celeste," Hina began to ask. "What's your secret? Care to tell us what it is?""...I do not understand why you would want to know my secret," Celeste replied."Come on, tell us!" Hina said. "I mean, we're all...naked here. This should get us to open ourselves up to each other, right?"Celeste rolled her eyes. "I do not see why I should tell you all my secret," she said. "If Monokuma won't reveal what my secret is, then I won't either.""Please?" Hina begged."Hina...cut it out," Sakura said. "If Celeste doesn't want to tell us her secret, then don't bother her further.""Aw..." Hina groaned in disappointment.Hearing that there are some secrets that have yet to be revealed gave Leon an idea. "Hey, there are still more people whose secrets haven't been revealed yet, right," he said. "Like...Kyoko! Hey, Kyoko? Mind telling us what your secret is?"Kyoko sighed and shook her head. "What has gotten into all of you?" she asked. "Why are you all so nosy?"Leon was confused at what Kyoko had said. "Huh? Noisy?" he asked. "What do you mean we're noisy? We haven't made that much sound!""She means 'nosy'," Byakuya clarified. "Kyoko is asking why we're all so curious about each other's secrets.""It's 'cause we're all naked," Mondo said. "As my bro said, when the body is naked, so is the soul. We're all baring ourselves to each other, so we should be more open to each other. Unfortunately, it looks like you all don't share the same beliefs as my bro...""That's only because the people we've asked to reveal their secrets aren't willing to do so!" Hina shouted. "Anyways, that leaves us with just two people left whose secrets haven't been revealed yet: Makoto and Sayaka. I'm sure they're willing to reveal what their secrets are, right?"Sayaka shook her head. "Unfortunately, I can't," she said."Me neither," Makoto added."What?!" Hina gasped. "You two?!""Why not?" Leon asked."It's because...we don't know what our secrets are," Makoto explained.Kyoko got a confused look on her face when she heard that Makoto doesn't know the secret that Monokuma was threatening to reveal."I mean...we did get our secrets," Makoto continued, "but then we revealed our secrets to each other right after we got them. So Monokuma decided that our initial secrets will be counted as 'revealed', and replaced them with new secrets to threaten to reveal instead. But he never told us what our new secrets are.""So, you both got your motives revoked right after you got them," Natsumi said. "Why would you two do that?!""We were right next to each other when we got our secrets," Sayaka replied. "We couldn't help it.""So, what were your secrets, then?" Leon asked."Our secrets were that...we stole our titles from someone else," Makoto replied."You both did what?" Hina gasped.Celeste gave Makoto and Sayaka's initial secrets some thought. "It does make sense when you think about it," she said. "This school can only accept one student per field of expertise. There are bound to be many others in the same field who tried their best, yet lost their chance to attend Hope's Peak Academy to someone else who is the absolute best in that field. As for the title of Ultimate Lucky Student, that's decided by a lottery. There can only be one winner of that lottery, so the winner can be said to have stolen the title from every participant. Frankly, I do not understand why Monokuma gave you two such a secret when the same can be said for all of us.""...I don't understand how someone can steal a lottery from someone else," Makoto said.At this point, Leon felt like he's getting uncomfortably hot in the tub. "Ugh, I can't take this heat any longer...!" he said. "I'm getting out! You boys can relax in here without me!"Leon stepped out of the tub, picked up a towel, and wrapped it around his waist. As he dried himself, he took a look back at the tub to see if there's anyone looking in his direction. Sure enough, he caught Makoto and Mondo looking at him."Hey, don't look at me!" Leon shouted. "Why are you looking at me? Get your eyes off me!"Makoto and Mondo did what Leon said and turned their eyes away from him. Byakuya gave them a disapproving look.After he finished drying himself, Leon put on his bathrobe and opened the door to the boy's changing room...only to find Toko on the other side.Suddenly, the girls began to hear the boys screaming in panic, much to their confusion."Huh? What's going on?" Hina asked.Sayaka listened to what the boys were screaming about. "It...looks like Toko is peeping on them," she said."What?!" Hina gasped. "Didn't Toko say that she wasn't going to join us in the bathhouse? How did she get to the boys' side? The bathhouse doors should have locks on them, right? Did the boys really forgot to lock the doors?"The rest of the girls sighed as they already saw that the bathhouse has no locks."How did you not notice that there weren't any locks to begin with?" Natsumi asked.The girls felt awkward about overhearing the boys screaming in panic. It's going to be nighttime soon, and everyone is starting to feel tired. The girls decided to end their bathing session and get out of the bathhouse.
Day 10 - 9:15 PMDormitory, First Floor
Everyone in the bathhouse gathered around in the lobby, glaring at Toko with disapproving looks. They're all wearing their bathrobes."Eek!" Toko screeched as she cowered in fear. "M-Master Togami! Forgive me! I-I was just trying to get a look a-at you while you're b-bathing...""You were trying to peep at me while I'm bathing?" Byakuya said. "Disgusting. You should be ashamed of yourself for doing that.""What the hell, Toko?!" Leon shouted, his face having turned red. "Did you forget that there are several boys sharing the same bath as Byakuya?!""I-I did know!" Toko replied. "I-It's just... I c-couldn't resist the temptation of getting to see Master Togami in the n-nude! G-Genocide Jill wouldn't make me enter the b-bathhouse, but I took c-control of my body back from her!"Everyone was repulsed by what Toko had to do to sneak a peek at the boys bathing. They wished that Genocide Jill had worked harder to prevent Toko from trying to fulfill her...questionable desires. It made them wonder if Toko will be able to resist falling to the next motive should it comes up.As everyone reprehended Toko for her actions, Hifumi walked out of the dining hall, curious about what's going on."Hey, I'm hearing some talking going on out there," Hifumi said as he walked out of the dining hall. "Can anyone tell me what's-" He stopped himself when he saw that everyone but Toko is in bathrobes. "Uh...why are you all in bathrobes?""Hifumi? You came down here?" Makoto asked. "Are you done with your project yet?""What? Do you think that a project can be done in a day?" Hifumi replied. "Of course not! My project will need one more day of me working on it before I could call it finished! Anyways, what's with the bathrobes?""Oh, that?" Hina began to explain. "We...just finished a bathing session in the bathhouse."Hifumi gasped upon hearing that everyone aside from Toko had bathed in the bathhouse. "You were in the bathhouse?!" he asked. "All of you?! Why wasn't I invited?!""You weren't with the rest of us when we started plans to use the bathhouse," Makoto explained. "And you told us not to bother you while you're working on your project. So we didn't invite you to the bathhouse.""Besides, who would want to take a bath with you?" Leon added. "If you got into that tub with the rest of us, you would've gotten water spilled everywhere!""And, not all of us took a bath in the bathhouse," Hina added. "Toko declined to join us in the bathhouse because she claims that she hates bathing...until she was caught trying to peep on the boys..."Toko grumbled to herself over being caught peeping on the boys. "I-I should've peeped on the girls," she said. "Y-You girls would've okay with me p-peeping on you, right?""What? Do you think we'll be okay with that?" Natsumi replied. "No, we won't."Kyoko took a look at Hifumi and saw that he might be having some...dirty thoughts forming in his head. She gave him a glare. "Don't even think about it," she said."Huh?" Hifumi asked. "Don't think about what?""Just...don't," Kyoko replied."Anyways, that should be it for today," Hina declared. "Let's get some sleep. It's getting late, and we're all getting tired."Everyone agreed that they should go to sleep for now. A lot has happened today. They discovered Alter Ego, they explored the newly unlocked third floor, and they got to spend time in the bathhouse. Everyone was left drained by today's events. They began to head to their rooms to change out of their bathrobes and into...whatever clothes they wore to bed. Well, all except for Hifumi. He was seen heading towards the classroom section, presumably to resume work on his project.Before heading into their rooms, Makoto and Sayaka stood in the hallway and talked about what it was like to spend time apart from each other."So, how did it felt to be away from me?" Makoto asked."It felt strange to be saying this, but... that felt more comfortable than I thought," Sayaka replied. "I expected myself to go into a panic if you weren't around me all the time. But....I don't recall panicking at all when you're not around me. Though, to be honest, I did get worried about you while we're exploring the third floor...""That's fine," Makoto assured. "I mean, it's great to see that you're making progress in your recovery. You seem to be doing great. Though honestly, I figured that you would be fine with spending time away from me when you decided to take that swimsuit magazine out of the rec room.""You think so?" Sayaka asked. Then she looked back at when she took the swimsuit magazine downstairs and realized how calm she was acting the entire time. "Oh...right..." Then she got an idea. "Wait, that reminds me! Uh, stay here. I'll be back in a moment."Sayaka then walked up to her dorm room door, took out her room keys from her bathrobe pocket, unlocked the door, and entered her room. While waiting for Sayaka to come back, Makoto thought that Sayaka might be taking the opportunity to change back into her regular clothes. In that case, he might as well do the same. Makoto pulled out his room key and entered his room.
Day 10 - 9:40 PMMakoto's Room, First Floor
Makoto was doing the finishing touches on putting his clothes back on when he heard someone ring the doorbell. Curious about who could be visiting him at this time, Makoto walked up to the door and answered it. Standing outside in the hallway is Sayaka, who has changed back into her regular clothes. She is holding the swimsuit magazine in her hands."I figured that you would be in here changing into your everyday clothes," Sayaka said.Makoto became confused at the swimsuit magazine Sayaka is holding. "Uh...Sayaka?" he asked. "Why did you bring that with you?"Sayaka looked down at the swimsuit magazine. "Oh, this?" she began to replied. "Uh...I thought that it would make a great gift for you."Makoto was shocked to hear that Sayaka is gifting this magazine to him. "What?" he gasped. "Why?""Well...I looked through this magazine's contents," Sayaka explained, her face turning dim as she talked about the swimsuit magazine. "And I can't help but ask myself, 'What was I thinking? Why did I let myself pose in these revealing outfits for a magazine that will be seen by a lot of people?' Just thinking about how many people could've seen this magazine made me feel sick.""...How many copies of this magazine do you think exist?" Makoto asked."I don't want to know," Sayaka replied. "It's probably a lot." She then blushed. "Um, this might be a strange question, but...do you own a copy of this magazine?"Makoto was shocked at Sayaka's bizarre question. "What? No!" Makoto replied. "I don't remember how much that magazine costs, but I don't think I can afford it. Even if I could, I don't think my parents would've approved me spending my allowance on this..."Sayaka's face then brightened up. "Oh, okay," she said. "Then I'll let you have this." She then handed the magazine over to Makoto.Makoto felt embarrassed to be getting his hands on the swimsuit magazine. "Uh...what?" he said with a puzzled look on his face. "Why are you giving this to me? Didn't you say that you're not comfortable with the idea of people getting to see these photos of you in swimsuits?""Well...I'm making an exception for you," Sayaka replied. "I'll...let you have a look at these photos. I'm...sure that you'll enjoy getting to see me in all of these swimsuits."Makoto wasn't sure what to think of that. He then moved on to a different topic. "So, where will you be sleeping, Sayaka?" he asked. "Do you think you're ready to go back to sleeping in your room?"Sayaka's face became blank upon being asked that question. "Oh..." she said. "I...haven't really thought of that. Um..." She nervously put her fist on her chest as she looked off into the distance."Well? Where do you want to sleep?" Makoto asked, trying to get Sayaka to answer. "If you don't feel ready to sleep by yourself, then I don't mind spending another night with you. Though, we might get woken up by Monokuma again if we do that..."After some consideration, Sayaka made her decision. "I'll...give my room a try," she replied. "It's...been a while since I last slept in my room. I'll try not to let the fact that my room was used to create a fake crime scene bother me."Makoto smiled with approval. "That sounds great," he said. "Let me know how you felt about that tomorrow morning.""Okay," Sayaka said as she nodded her head. "Good night, Makoto. Stay safe.""You too," Makoto replied.Makoto closed the door and headed off to his bed.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Day 11 - 6:55 AMSayaka's Room, First Floor
Sayaka tossed and turned in her bed in the moments before she woke up. She was having a bad dream last night. In her dream, she found herself in a hospital undergoing some sort of treatment for an injury. She couldn't recall what she went through that led to her being hospitalized. All she knows is that she was injured and needed treatment.As her vision began to clear, Sayaka noticed that something was...off about the hospital room she's in. She saw streaks of red splattered across the otherwise pristine white walls. The room smelled unpleasant. What could possibly be happening? Curious about what's going on, Sayaka lifted herself up from the hospital bed, which is also odd as she might be undergoing treatment. She shouldn't be able to lift herself off the bed at all. Sayaka then caught something at the corner of her vision. She turned her gaze down towards the floor. Laying near her hospital bed is...a murdered Dr. Yasuke Matsuda."AH!" Sayaka screamed as she flung up from her bed. She took some panicked breaths as she processed what she saw in her nightmare. She wondered how she ended up having such a dream. Dr. Yasuke had been dead for days, and so far, Sayaka had not been hospitalized yet. She had even promised to herself that she would not let the fake crime scene from the first case bother her too much. Did she not give herself enough time away from her room to make the fake crime stop bothering her? Or was she trying to hard to not let the fake crime scene bother her? Maybe she should stop thinking about the first case the next time she sleeps in her room..."You must have some guts to sleep in your room again after it was used for you-know-what," a shrill, familiar voice said.Sayaka jumped upon hearing that voice. A sense of dread filled her body after hearing that voice. Turning her head towards the source of the voice, Sayaka found herself face-to-face with Monokuma...again."...Why does this keep happening?" Sayaka asked."I just can't help myself!" Monokuma replied. "It brings me so much joy to see the looks on your face when I serve as your personal alarm clock! Though, I am disappointed that I didn't get to wake you and Makoto early at the same time. For once, you decided to sleep in your own room. Your precious Makoto must've felt really lonely in his room last night when he learned that you weren't going to sleep with him, so he decided to have some pleasure in looking at photos of you in skimpy clothes."Sayaka was shocked to hear what Makoto was doing last night. She didn't want to believe it since Monokuma was the one who said that, but still, it's rather shocking."Hey, you allowed that to happen!" Monokuma said. "I saw you take that swimsuit magazine out of the rec room, and I saw Makoto holding that exact same magazine in his room! You were the one who gave that magazine to him, right? Come on, don't act like you're innocent of that act."I wonder if I should toss a pillow at Monokuma just to make him shut up, Sayaka thought. She wondered if Monokuma won't punish her if he doesn't get hurt. She then shook her head. No, I shouldn't chance it. I shouldn't be risking my life for that..."Ah, whatever," Monokuma said, dismissing his question to Sayaka. "I'd better be going soon. It's almost time for the morning announcement! But before I go, I must remind you that the offer to merge your room with Makoto's room is still available. You know you want it!"Oh yeah, there's the offer to merge Makoto and Sayaka's rooms together into a single room. Sayaka had forgotten about that. Well, her stance on the deal is still the same. She felt like the deal is too good to be worth accepting, so she won't accept it.Monokuma looked at the clock and saw how little time he has left before 7:00 AM. "Ah, why am I wasting my time in here?" he asked. "I should be doing the morning announcement! Anyways, keep my offer in mind and consider accepting it someday. You'll never know if you won't get that opportunity to accept it again! Toodles." He then disappeared.Shortly after Monokuma disappeared, the morning announcement began to play once again. As the morning announcement was being played, Sayaka got off her bed and thought about what she should do for the day. She then thought about Monokuma's offer, and wondered how long it'll last before it expired. Ah, it's not worth thinking about. That offer will probably expire soon. It's not like her life will be at stake if she doesn't accept the offer. After coming up with plans for the day, Sayaka walked out of her room.
Day 11 - 7:02 AMDormitory, First Floor
Sayaka was walking towards the dining hall for breakfast when she met up with Makoto. It looked like Makoto has something on his mind."Good morning, Makoto," Sayaka greeted."Good morning," Makoto greeted back."Did Monokuma visit you?" Sayaka asked."He did. Again," Makoto replied. He followed it up with a sigh. "Seriously, why does this keep happening? Why does Monokuma keep on waking us up every morning? The morning announcements are enough to wake us up. Why does he keep having this need to wake us up personally? I don't understand...""Do you think that this might be happening to anyone else?" Sayaka asked."I don't know," Makoto replied. "I haven't asked anyone.""I see..." Sayaka said. Then someone else came up in her mind. "Um...so about that swimsuit magazine I gave you last night...""Oh, that?" Makoto replied. "I did get a look at its contents, though not by choice. I woke up with that magazine shoved into my face.""Did Monokuma do that to you?" Sayaka asked."Yes," Makoto said, his face suggesting that he doesn't want to talk about the swimsuit magazine anymore.Sayaka decided that she shouldn't be asking what Monokuma said to Makoto anymore. She left it up to her imagination.Having finished with their morning greetings, Makoto and Sayaka headed off to the dining hall together to have breakfast and meet with the others.
Day 11 - 7:45 AMDining Hall, First Floor
The students gathered around at the central table to begin another meeting. They waited for Hifumi to arrive since they don't want anyone to be left out of the meeting. But he never came."What's taking Hifumi so long?" Hina asked as she stared at the doors to the dining hall. "How long is he gonna work on his project?""Do you think we should check on him?" Leon asked. "I know that he told us not to disturb him while he's working on that project. But still, he should at least know what we're talking about!""Why does Hifumi have to spend so much time on that project of his?" Celeste asked. "Ugh, I want milk tea so much. It's been so long since I last had a cup of it. Could someone make a cup for me?"Byakuya took a sip of his tea and glared at Celeste. "Why don't you do it, Celeste?" he asked. "You be able to make a cup of tea by yourself."Celeste slammed her hand on the table. "No! I won't do it!" she said. "If I want tea, it should be made by a servant!"Byakuya sighed and shook his head in disapproval. "Celeste...when will you learn not to act like you're the queen of this school?" he asked. "Not everyone's purpose is to serve as your own servant. Go make your own tea."Celeste just sat in her seat and grumbled over not being able to have a cup of tea.Soon, it was decided that the meeting will begin without Hifumi, and that someone will have to convey what was being discussed during the meeting to him the next time they meet him. Everyone began to think about what they should talk about for the meeting."So...now what?" Sayaka asked. "What do we do now?""It's...kind of hard to come up with something to talk about without a leader," Makoto said. "We still haven't figured out who should replace Taka to be our new leader.""This again?" Natsumi asked. "How long are we going to asking this question?""As long as we don't have someone to lead us," Kyoko replied. "we'll still be asking this question.""Do we even need a leader?" Leon asked. "We've been doing fine without one for a little while.""Well, after what we've been through," Hina said, "we're gonna need a stronger sense of unity if we want to prevent any more murders. And that means picking someone who can committed to getting as much of us out of this school alive as possible. Now that I said that, I think we have the perfect candidate to pick as our new leader.""And who might that be?" Makoto asked.Hina turned her head towards Makoto. "Makoto, I the new leader should be you," she said.Makoto was surprised at Hina's suggestion. "What? Why me?" he asked."I've been thinking about it last night," Hina explained, "and I realized that you might serve as the perfect replacement for Taka."Makoto felt unsure about being selected as the new leader. "Okay..." he said. "Are there...more reasons why I should be the new leader?""Yeah!" Hina replied. "You're also the who leads us to the truth of each case. Anytime someone lies or makes a mistake, you're the one who spoke up to make sure that we're all heading in the right direction. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be able to figure out who the culprit was or how they committed the murder...""Didn't Junko confessed that she was the culprit?" Natsumi asked."Dude, we know that Junko confessed that she's the culprit," Leon said. "We've heard it straight from her mouth! There's no need to remind us.""Actually, we do need reminders of what happened in the previous Class Trials," Kyoko said. "Some of us might have forgotten details of the past Class Trials over time. We must receive reminders of the previous Class Trials periodically to make sure that we remember what we had went through in this killing game." She then turned her head towards Makoto. "As for you, Makoto, I must admit something.""Admit what?" Makoto asked."You were ahead of me when you claimed that we had gotten things backwards," Kyoko replied, "that it was Hiro who had planned to kill Natsumi instead of the other way around. I had a feeling that there was something wrong about that idea. There was no way that Natsumi could've known that Hiro had planned to use the exercise room ahead of time, and Hiro never said anything about using the exercise room. The only possibility I could think of is that Hiro had somehow heard that Natsumi made plans to use the exercise room. I was about to point out that contradiction, but you've beaten me to it. So, good job, Makoto.""Uh, thanks," Makoto replied. A thought then crossed his mind. "So, has anyone else figured out that we had gotten that backwards as well?""Get back to the point," Byakuya said, feeling like the discussion is getting off track. "What other reason do we have to pick you to be our new leader, Makoto?""Ah, good point, Byakuya," Hina said. She then tried to think of other reasons why Makoto should be the new leader. "Uh...let's see... What else did Makoto do that would make him a good leader?"Sayaka then remembered something that Makoto did at the beginning of the killing game. "Oh, I know!" she said. "He broke up an argument between Byakuya and Mondo! Or at least, he tried to."Mondo groaned upon hearing his argument against Byakuya be brought up. "Shit, that thing?" he asked. "Ugh, I hate remembering that thing. Just hearing the word 'plankton' in my head just gets me riled up. At least call me a shrimp!""I won't, plankton," Byakuya replied. "I will continue to call you 'plankton', because that's who you are: just another sea creature drifting aimlessly in the ocean of society.""What the hell does that even mean?" Leon asked."You'll figure it out," Byakuya said as he took another sip of his tea.The students then continued on with the discussion regarding Makoto's qualities as a leader."So Makoto leads the discussion in the right direction during the Class Trials," Hina said, listing off what Makoto had done during the killing game. "And he tries to resolve conflicts before they could escalate. That's two good qualities so far. Is there anything else that would make Makoto a good leader?""There's one more thing that Makoto had done that we mustn't forget," Kyoko said. "That thing is...standing up to Monokuma.""Standing up to Monokuma?" Natsumi asked. "What do you mean?""Recall what Makoto said after both the previous Class Trials," Kyoko said. "Both times, he confronted Monokuma and told him that it was really his fault that the murders happened in the first place. The culprits were driven into a corner by the motives, and because of that, they felt like they had to act before it's too late. Junko was forced to kill Yasuke because he was trying to kill her, and Yasuke was driven to kill Junko because of the motive Monokuma gave him. Likewise, Hiro was forced to-""Yeah, yeah, we get it!" Natsumi said. "That stupid fortune teller wanted to wipe his debts to my family. There's no need to remind us of that again! We just went through a Class Trial that involves that!"Everyone gave disapproving glares to Natsumi for interrupting Kyoko.Hina then tried to come up with additional reasons on why Makoto should be the new leader. "Hmm...let's see..." she said as she pondered. "What other reasons do we have to make Makoto the new leader?"Sayaka then got an idea. "Ah, I got it!" she said. She then turned to Makoto. "Makoto, you have that pocket notebook with you, right?"Everyone became stunned to hear that Makoto has a pocket notebook, presumably a memento from the late Kiyotaka."Wait, what?!" Mondo gasped. "You've got a pocket notebook?!""Yes, I do have it," Makoto said with a sigh. "One moment. I'll go get it."Makoto stood up and walked out of the dining hall to retrieve the pocket notebook. A few minutes later, he returned with the pocket notebook in his hand."Here it is," Makoto said as he presented the pocket notebook to everyone.Kyoko took the pocket notebook from Makoto's hands and flipped through the pages. She saw that this is indeed the pocketbook belonging to the late Kiyotaka. She can tell based on the neat and organized handwriting. Mondo leaned over to Kyoko and looked over her shoulder. His eyes began to tear over seeing Kiyotaka's handwriting."No shit..." Mondo muttered. "This is...really bro's..." He then turned to Makoto. "Hey! Little bro! Where'd you get that?!"Leon is still confused on who Mondo is talking to. "Uh, who the hell is your 'little bro'?" he asked. "Could you not refer to people like that?""Are you talking to me, Mondo?" Makoto asked. "Well, I got that pocketbook from the boy's changing room near the gym. Taka's body is...gone now. This is all that's left of him.""No..." Mondo said, feeling devastated over not getting to say goodbye to his late friend one more time.Kyoko flipped through the pocket notebook until she reached the blank pages. There's still plenty of them left. She handed the pocket notebook back to Makoto."Alright, then that settles it," Hina declared. "From now on, Makoto will be our new leader!""Wait, didn't we already made Makoto the new doctor?" Sakura asked.Hina's face became blank upon realizing that. "Oh...right..." she said. "I guess we're making Makoto inherit all of the roles that used to belong to the victims...""Aren't we making Makoto shoulder too much responcibility?" Celeste asked."I'm...sure he'll be fine," Sayaka said. "He can handle it.""Well, Makoto?" Kyoko began to ask. "Got anything to say to us as the new leader?"Makoto decided that it's time for him to exercise his role as the new leader. He walked up to one of the ends of the central table and began to make a speech to everyone."Alright, everyone," Makoto began. "Listen up."Everyone turned their gazes towards Makoto, listening to his words."As your new leader, it is my job to look after all of you and ensure your safety in this school," Makoto said, sounding like he's forcing himself to sound charismatic. "As you all know, we have failed twice so far in making sure no murders occur within this school, and unfortunately, the previous leader was among the deceased. But despite this, we must never give up! We mustn't let this killing game continue to claim more lives! Everyone, for the sake of the lives of those around you, do not fall for Monokuma's next motive! We know that he wants us to kill each other, and we know that he will offer us motives if he gets impatient. Under no circumstances must you give him what he wants from us! Does everyone get this?"Natsumi rolled her eyes after Makoto stated the obvious. "Of course we get this!" she said. "That's what we've been trying to do this entire time! Do you really have to tell us what we should obviously do?""You know, Makoto does have a point," Celeste said. "The past two murders were committed because Monokuma gave the culprits a motive. Well, a culprit and a victim who would've been the culprit had his intended victim not kill him instead. If that pattern continues, then it'll be a safe bet that the next motive will cause another murder. I'm sure of it.""So then, what the hell is the point of telling us to not fall for the motives?" Leon asked. "Wouldn't someone just fall for them anyways?""Don't worry, Leon," Makoto tried to assure. "I have faith that all of us will learn from the mistakes of the past and ensure that no one commits a murder ever again. We will find a way out of this school without letting anyone die again. I'm sure it'll happen one day.""What about Chihiro?" Hina asked. "Don't we have to look for him too?""Ah, yes," Makoto said upon being reminded of Chihiro. "Chihiro Fujisaki. We also have to look for him as well. I don't think he's anywhere in the accessible areas, so he must be on a higher floor.""But in order to gain access to the upper floors, a murder must occur first," Sakura said. "We can't have access to the upper floors while keeping the rest of us alive at the same time.""I'm sure we'll find a way up to the upper floors without letting a murder happen," Makoto replied. "Anyways, with that out of the way, let's get to our jobs.""Oh great..." Natsumi said with a groan. "We're going that again. What am I gonna do this time? Am I still on trash duty?""I'll get to that later," Makoto replied. "First off, we need to reassign a role. Hiro used to be in charge of our laundry, but he's now dead, which means that we'll need a new person to handle our laundry.""Preferably someone who won't do something funny with...someone else's clothes," Mondo said. "Bro would never approve of that if he's still alive.""Who would be in charge of the laundry from now on?" Sayaka asked.Hina then raised her hand. "I'll do it," she said. "I can be in charge of the laundry.""That sounds great, Hina," Makoto said. "Now, as for the cleaning duty, we have a lot of places to clean. So, here's my plan..."Makoto then went on to assign one student to each accessible sector of the school. Three of the sectors are the three floors of the school, while the other two sectors are the athletics area and the dormitory. The rest of the students are tasked with cleaning their rooms. With the tasks assigned, it is time for Makoto to announce his plans for the day as the new leader...except for one thing.Byakyua was appalled when he heard that he was tasked with cleaning the athletics area of all places. "What?!" he gasped in shock. "Why me? Why do I have to clean the gym and the pool?""You tampered with the crime scene in the previous case," Makoto explained, "and nearly got us all killed by misleading us about who the culprit is. I figured that, as the new leader, I had to do something to teach you a lesson.""But I promised to all of you that I will never fall for that bear's machinations," Byakuya countered. "I said that I won't attempt a murder ever in my life!""There's no telling when you'll break that promise," Celeste said. "Everyone is distrusting you, Byakuya. They know what you've done.""Are you all forgetting-" Byakuya tried to say, only to get cut off."Quit complaining and accept your assigned job," Kyoko said. "You're wasting everyone's time."Byakuya was left grumbling over having to clean what's perhaps the largest part of the school all by himself."Now, as for my plans for the day," Makoto began to announce, "I think it's about time we all have a checkup.""A what?" Mondo asked."A checkup," Makoto clarified. "As the replacement doctor, I also have to look after everyone's health. We're all stressed out from being in this killing game. I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that the levels of stress we're experiencing can't be healthy. I'm doing this checkup to make sure that everyone's doing fine.""How will you be doing our checkups?" Leon asked."Everyone will be assigned a time to perform a checkup with me," Makoto explained. "When it's time for your checkup, meet me in the infirmary and I will do what...doctors do during a checkup. You...all know what I mean, right? You all have seen a doctor at least once in your life, right?"No one said a thing.In that moment, Hifumi walked into the dining hall to grab a bite before resuming work on his project. "Phew, I've made good progress on my project!" he said. "Time to do a little refueling before I-" He stopped himself upon seeing everyone around the central table. It looks like they're in the middle of a meeting. "Uh, did I miss something?"Everyone explained to Hifumi that Makoto was made to be the replacement leader for the late Kiyotaka and that he's making everyone go through a checkup. In the meantime, the rest of the students will be cleaning the school and performing other jobs.With Makoto's plans for the day being made, everyone was dismissed from the meeting and began to do their assigned jobs.
Day 11 - 9:30 AMInfirmary, First Floor
It's time for everyone's checkup to begin. Makoto sat down at the infirmary with the late Kiyotaka's pocket notebook in his hands. Seeing Kiyotaka's neat and organized penmanship made Makoto miss him. He wished that Kiyotaka didn't have to suffer from such an unfortunate fate, getting caught in a murder plan for an incident he had no part in. He flipped through the pocket notebook until he reached the empty pages. There's still plenty of them left. Makoto began to write on the empty pages.The first patient then arrives at the infirmary. It's Hifumi. He doesn't look like he wants to be in a checkup, but here he is."Ugh, do I really have to do this...?" Hifumi asked as he walked into the infirmary, his head hanging low from a lack of enthusiasm.Makoto sighed. "Yes, you do," he said. "Now that you're here, let's begin by measuring your height and weight.""Okay..." Hifumi said. "But don't you dare make fun of me for being fat! And don't be concerned about my health because of my weight! Got it?""Just stay calm," Makoto said. "This won't take long, okay?"Makoto then made measurements on Hifumi, using the large height gauge to, well, measure height, and the scale to measure weight. The results are as followed: Hifumi is 173 cm tall and, unsurprisingly, is really heavy for someone of his height. Makoto grew a concerned look on his face upon seeing how alarmingly heavy Hifumi is.Hifumi saw that Makoto is expressing concern and became angry. "Hey, uh, Dr. Makoto Naegi!" he shouted. "I told you not to be concerned about my weight! Did you forget my warning?""No, I didn't," Makoto replied. "But...yikes. I know that you should be heavy because...you know. But I didn't expect you to be *this* heavy. I'm surprised to see that you're still moving around just fine with a weight like that. It's probably a good thing that I'm doing the checkup instead of Dr. Matsuda. If he saw how heavy you are...""Please don't bring up our dead classmates," Hifumi said, feeling down from hearing the late doctor's name. "I'd...would rather not hear their names again. Also, what did you record as my height? Are you sure that you measured my height correctly? That height feels a bit larger than it should be.""Uh, I swear that I measured your height correctly," Makoto replied. "Your shoes were off when I measured your height, and a took your height from the top of your head instead of the top of that...spike.""No, you didn't!" Hifumi argued. "You included my hair spike when you measured my height!""If I did, I would've measured your height as being way taller than 173 cm," Makoto replied. "And I'm pretty sure that you're a bit taller than me, Hifumi.""Can you measure my height again?" Hifumi asked. "I want to know that you're measuring me correctly!"Makoto is not in the mood to repeat measurements, especially since he's on a time limit with these checkups. "No, I won't," he said. "That'll be wasting time, and I don't have a lot of time to do your checkup. Now please let me check your vitals."Hifumi decided that he should be measuring himself on his own time. For now, he agreed to let Makoto check his vitals. Accounting for the killing game making everyone stressed out, Hifumi's vitals are looking normal...for a fat person. After recording Hifumi's vitals, Makoto decided that it's time to get ready for the next patient."Alright, Hifumi," Makoto said. "Your checkup is done. You're free to go now. But before you leave, I want to ask about your project. How's it going?""Oh, it's doing great!" Hifumi replied. "I'm making great progress on my project last night. It should be done pretty soon."Hearing that Hifumi had worked on his project all night long made Makoto a little concerned. "Wait, so you didn't sleep at all last night?" he asked."What did you say?" Hifumi asked."Ah, never mind," Makoto said, dismissing his concerns for Hifumi. "I don't have time for that. So...when can I see your project?""Oh, you can't see it yet," Hifumi replied. "It's still a work-in-progress. There's some finishing touches I need to do before I could shot it to you all. And don't worry about anyone spoiling my project to you! My project is in the art room, and I've told Mr. Leon Kuwata not to look inside the art room and see my project!"Hearing Hifumi say that reminded Makoto of something that Celeste said after the end of the second Class Trial. "Wait, didn't Celeste say something about trying to hiding things only brings more attention to it?" he asked. "I forget what that effect is called."Hifumi realized that he might have sparked Leon's curiosity. "Oh crap," he said. "I've gotta stop him!" He then stood up and sprinted out of the infirmary.Mondo's startled voice was heard from outside as Hifumi exited the infirmary. "Gah!" Mondo yelled. "What the hell?! You nearly ran into me! What's the rush?"Makoto sighed as he watched Hifumi run out of the infirmary. Someone could've gotten hurt by Hifumi accidentally running into them. Based on Mondo's voice, Makoto can tell that Mondo didn't get hurt. But if he did, Makoto would have to treat Mondo's injuries during the checkup. Gah! This is not the time to be thinking that! Makoto pushed his concerns aside and moved on to the next scheduled patient.
Day 11 - 9:46 AMHallway, Third Floor
Leon mopped the hallway of the third floor over the course of the morning. He found the job to be tedious. It's not difficult, but it can take a while for him to clean the floor of a single room. The classrooms are the worst rooms to clean. He had to maneuver the mop around the desks and chairs to clean the floor under them. He's not even sure if there's a point to cleaning the classrooms. They're not going to be used since there's no teachers and there's not enough students in this school to fill even a single classroom. He wanted to ignore the classrooms, but ended up cleaning them anyways, fearing what Makoto might say upon learning that the classrooms were left uncleaned. Makoto may be a nice guy, but who knows how terrifying he'll become when push comes to shove.Then again, the only thing that Makoto will be furious at is Monokuma...Having cleaned the floors of most of the rooms on the third floor, it's time to move on to the last uncleaned room of the third floor: the art room. However, this is the room that Hifumi had told him not to enter because there's a project that he's working on that he's not willing to show until it's finished. Leon wondered what Hifumi could be working on inside that room. Why is Hifumi not willing to show off his project until it's done? Curious about Hifumi's project, and wanting to get all the rooms on the third floor cleaned, Leon began to reach out towards the door handle.But right before Leon could touch the door handle, a voice called out to him."Don't touch that!" Hifumi shouted."What?" Leon said as he turned his gaze down the hallway.Leon looked in Hifumi's direction just in time to watch him slip on the wet floor and fall on his back."Oh, great," Leon said sarcastically. "Now we'll have to send you back to the infirmary to get your back injury treated! You're done with your checkup, right?"Hifumi groaned as he lifted himself up from the floor. "Ow..." he groaned as he rubbed his back."Hey! I asked you a question!" Leon said."Be quiet!" Hifumi said. "Of course I got back from my checkup! Do you even need to ask?"Leon rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he said. He then looked at the art room door. "Anyways, could you let me inside the art room? I need to get that place cleaned, and I don't want to be berated by Makoto."Hifumi flipped out when Leon asked him if he could enter the art room. "No, you can't!" he shouted. "I won't let you enter the art room and see my project before it's finished! And do you think that Dr. Makoto Naegi will be as harsh as the late Mr. Kiyotaka Ishimaru?"Leon grew a puzzled look on his face upon hearing what Hifumi called Makoto. "Did you just call Makoto a doctor?" he asked."Ah, forget that part," Hifumi said. "Anyways, I'm here both to get back to working on my project as well as stopping you from looking at my currently unfinished project. And by the way, I saw you reach your out to the door handle. You were about to enter the art room and see my project!""Uh, no I wasn't," Leon denied. "I was just trying to enter the art room so that I can clean it.""Don't deny the real reason you wanted to enter the art room!" Hifumi said. "You wanted a look at my project before it was finished! I can't let that happen!""Why do you don't want us to see your project before it was finished?" Leon asked."Because I want the reveal to be a surprise!" Hifumi explained. I want to surprise everyone when they see the results of my time and effort in working on my project. If someone sees my project before it's finished, it might spoil the surprise!""Why do you want the reveal of your project to be a surprise?" Leon asked.Hifumi became fed up with Leon trying to ask him questions about his project. "Enough with the questions!" he declared. "I'd better be getting back to working on my project. No peeking!"Hifumi walked around Leon and entered the art room without letting Leon get a glimpse of the inside. Hearing Hifumi be so insistent on keeping his project a secret had only made Leon even more curious. What could Hifumi be working on? Leon felt like he had to find out. He walked up to the art room door and opened it up slightly, hoping to see Hifumi working on his project.But it appears that Hifumi had anticipated Leon to try to sneak a peek at his project. As soon as Leon tried to open the art room door, Hifumi shoved the door into Leon, closing the door and bruising Leon's face in the process.
Day 11 - 10:06 AMInfirmary, First Floor
"And that's how I got a door to the face," Leon said, finishing his story of how he got his face bruised.Makoto could only let out a sigh after hearing Leon's story. "Leon...do you really have to do that?" he asked. "Have you learned nothing after hearing that Sayaka had planned to kill you? First, you made her uncomfortable, which made her want to kill you after she received her motive. Now you're invading Hifumi's privacy by trying to get a look at his project?""Hey, don't look at it the wrong way, okay?" Leon replied. "I just wanted to clean the art room, is all. I totally didn't want to get an early peek at Hifumi's project. Nope. Not at all!" He then nervously laughed.Makoto wondered if Leon was truly sincere when he said that he only wanted to enter the art room to clean it. He figured that Leon might also be curious about what project Hifumi is working on. He let out another sigh after seeing that Leon might not have learned his lesson."Leon, you're better than that," Makoto said. "You had apologized to Sayaka for making her want to kill you, and for all the terrible things you did to her after learning about her murder plan. You had apologized to me for making me want to punch you in the face. In turn, Sayaka and I had apologized to you for trying to hurt you. Granted, neither of us were in the right state of mind at the time we decided to harm you. Monokuma had nearly pushed us into giving him what he wants from us...""So what's your point?" Leon asked."Point is, you've proven that you're willing to learn from your mistakes," Makoto explained. "You're willing to forgive people for their mistakes. You've understood our current situation and that this killing game is pushing us into doing things we normally wouldn't do. You even told me that if you want to survive this killing game, you shouldn't give people a reason to want you dead. So please, just respect Hifumi's privacy and try not to bother him. The others might become suspicious of Hifumi if you end up dead..."Feeling nervous at the idea of Hifumi killing him for the seemingly minor action of invading his privacy, Leon agreed to leave Hifumi alone. "Fine," he said. "I won't bother Hifumi anymore, or anyone else! So, who's gonna clean the art room now?""I'll leave that to Hifumi," Makoto replied. "He can clean the art room up once he's done with his project."Leon realized that he should've thought of that in the first place. "Dammit..." he groaned. "Now I really look like I wanna get an early look at Hifumi's project..."Seeing Leon in the infirmary gave Makoto an idea. "You know," he said, "since you're here, Leon, I might as well do a checkup on you while I can. Unfortunately, that means that I'll have to reschedule everyone's checkup, so I'll have to tell everyone their new checkup time.""Hey! Makoto!" Hina's voice called from outside. "Are you done? Is it my time for a checkup?""Just a moment, Hina!" Makoto replied. "I'm rescheduling your checkup to a later time. Please wait a little longer, okay?""Wait, so you're doing my checkup now?" Leon asked. "I thought that my checkup was supposed to happen at-""Please don't waste any more of everyone's time," Makoto said. "Your presence is pushing back everyone's checkup time. I'm going to do your checkup right now. Just stay here. This will be quick."Makoto then began a checkup session with Leon.
Day 11 - 10:45 AMHallway, First Floor
Due to Makoto having to perform an impromptu checkup on Leon, everyone who was scheduled to have their checkup before Leon had their checkups be rescheduled. It was a little annoying having to wait an additional 15 minutes for their scheduled checkup, but at least they have gotten some extra time to do their task.Natsumi had just finished her checkup session. She walked out of the infirmary to let the next person, Byakuya, in."This better be quick," Byakuya said as he entered the infirmary to begin his checkup.Now that her checkup is finished, Natsumi wondered what she should do to pass the time. All the trash bins are empty at this point, so all that's left to do is wait. What would she do at this time...?"Hey, Natsumi?" Hina asked as she walked up to Natsumi.Natsumi turned her head towards Hina upon hearing her voice. "Huh? Were you waiting for me this whole time?" she asked."I wasn't," Hina replied. "I just got back from the laundry room. The washing machines should be done at this point. Wanna help me load the clothes into the dryer?"Natsumi crossed her arms and turned away from Hina. "Why don't you do it yourself?" she replied."Hey, we have a lot of clothes to dry," Hina said. "It's not surprising, since there are, like, twelve of us left alive at this point. It's gonna take a while for me to move all the clothes into the dryer on my own. You don't have anything else left to do, right?""Well, I've tossed out everyone's trash..." Natsumi replied."Great! Then you can help me out with loading the clothes into the dryer!" Hina said after hearing that Natsumi is done with her tasks.Natsumi slumped forward when she learns that she had to do even more tasks. "Do I have to do this?" she groaned."Well, we've gotta do something while we wait for Monokuma to reveal the next motive," Hina said. "Speaking of that, do you mind if you workout with me? After we're done loading clothes into the dryer, of course."Natsumi realized what Hina was talking about. "Aw, come on," she groaned. "This again?""Look, we didn't get a chance to do that because...you know," Hina replied. "But now that we don't have to worry about heavy things being dropped on our heads, I think it's time for your exercise session. Sound good?""What even is the point of doing an exercise session?" Natsumi asked. "To vent out my anger? But I feel so drained after the last Class Trial...""Still, it could be a great stress relief after everything we've been through," Hina replied. "Ah, enough talk! Let's load the clothes into the dryer!" She then grabbed Natsumi's hand and dragged her towards the laundry room."Hey! Let go of meeee!" Natsumi yelled as she was being dragged away.
Day 11 - 11:17 AMBathhouse, First Floor
With her checkup finished and nothing else left to do for the day, Kyoko headed for the bathhouse to check on Alter Ego. She opened up the locker where the laptop is stored to see if it's still there. Sure enough, the laptop wasn't taken...yet. Kyoko was relieved for now, but she grew concerned that one day, Monokuma will become suspicious of Alter Ego and will take them away.Alter Ego was startled when its locker was opened up. "Huh? Who's there?" they asked. Then they saw that it was Kyoko who opened up the locker they were in. "Oh, it's you, Kyoko.""How are things going?" Kyoko asked."I'm doing fine," Alter Ego replied. "The laptop's battery still has some charge left in it. Though, the battery bank might need to be recharged."Kyoko looked at the battery bank that is plugged into the laptop. "How much charge do you think the battery bank has left?" she asked."I don't know," Alter Ego replied. "I just felt like it needs to be recharged."Kyoko picked up the battery bank and inspected it. She saw that its charging port looks similar to the charging ports that are found on the E-Handbooks. An idea formed in her head. "Do you think we can charge this battery in the same way as the E-Handbooks?"Alter Ego grew a puzzled look on their face upon hearing about the E-Handbooks. "Huh? E-Handbooks?" they asked.Kyoko felt like she's going to waste her time explaining the E-Handbooks to Alter Ego. This AI was developed by a student of Hope's Peak Academy, right? How could it not have seen or heard about the school's E-Handbooks in its entire existence? When was Alter Ego even made? Kyoko dismissed these questions as she moved on to what she actually wants to talk about."Never mind," Kyoko said as she unplugged the battery bank from the laptop. "I'll see if I can charge this battery bank myself.""Hey! Where are you taking that thing?" Alter Ego asked as it watched Kyoko take away the battery bank."To my room," Kyoko replied. "Don't worry. I'll return it when its fully charged, if I can even charge it." She then put the battery bank in her pocket. "So, how are the files looking? Have you decrypted them yet?"Alter Ego shook their head. "Not yet," they replied. "I haven't gained access to the locked files yet. It looks like whoever locked these files has gone to great lengths to make sure that I don't get access to them. I'll keep working on it, though. If I ever gain access to the locked files, I'll let you know the next time we see each other."Kyoko signed in disappointment. It looks like it'll be a while before Alter Ego unlocks the locked files. She then moved on to her next question. "Has anyone visited you since our last meeting?" she asked."No," Alter Ego replied. "I haven't seen anyone since our last meeting. Actually, how long was it since our last meeting? I had lost track of the time...""It's only been a day," Kyoko replied. "I wasn't expecting anyone to visit you in that time. Anyways, it's a relief to see that nobody has tried to take you away, not even the mastermind."Alter Ego became confused and concerned about hearing Kyoko mention the mastermind. "Huh...?" they asked. "The mastermind...?"Kyoko felt like she's spending too much time in the bathhouse talking to Alter Ego. "I should be going now," she said. "We can talk about the mastermind later. In the meantime, continue to find a way to gain access to the locked files. I'll be back soon.""Okay," Alter Ego said, understanding that the mastermind might become suspicious of them sooner or later. It's only a matter of time before that happens. "Goodbye, now. Make sure that you charge that battery bank for me."Kyoko closed the locker Alter Ego was in, and Alter Ego went back to work on unlocking the locked files.
Day 11 - 11:28 AMExercise Room, First Floor
Natsumi gasped for air after that intense workout session. Her arms and stomach are straining from all the push-ups and sit-ups that she did. She had never done that many push-ups and sit-ups in a single session before. Hina is similarly winded, though she did more push-ups and sit-ups than Natsumi."Ah, that felt so great to do," Hina said, breathing a sigh of relief after that workout session. "Hey, Natsumi? Are you feeling better?""Feeling better?" Natsumi asked in-between breaths. "How is this supposed to make be feel better? My arms feel like they're going break apart...""You know, there are many benefits of exercise aside from gaining more muscle," Hina began to explain. "For starters, exercise can help improve your mood. I had talked about this with Sayaka the other day, but basically, doing exercise helps clear your mind of negative thoughts, which allows your positive thoughts to-"Natsumi felt like she's going to be here for a long time if she lets Hina explain the effects of exercise on the brain. "Ugh, enough with the boring speech," she said, cutting Hina off. "I don't wanna hear it."Hina then sighed. "Well, in that case," she said, "it might be better if you experience it for yourself. Just do some more exercise and you'll feel the results." She then got up to her feet and walked up to a bench with a bottle on it. She picked up the bottle and drank from it.Natsumi wondered what Hina was drinking. "Hey, what's that you're drinking?" she asked.Hina pulled the bottle out of her mouth. "Oh, this?" she replied. "This is a protein shake, made with protein powder."Natsumi then wondered where Hina got the protein powder. Then the remembered what happened during the first investigation. "Wait, so you took that bottle of protein powder with you?" she asked."Yeah," Hina replied. "I need all the protein I can get to build my muscle. The powder tastes good and it feels safe to drink. I haven't gotten sick since I drank the protein shake made from that powder. Hey, you wanna drink?""...What did you mix with the protein powder?" Natsumi asked."Oh, I mixed the protein powder with milk," Hina replied.Natsumi was disgusted when she heard what protein shake is made out of. "Ugh, milk?" she said, cringing in disgust. "No thanks.""Why not?" Hina asked."My family is lactose intolerant," Natsumi explained. "They get sick if they eat anything with lactose in it, which are usually dairy products. My brother once spent days in intensive care from being tricked into drinking milk. I don't have lactose intolerance, but still, I can't stand the taste of milk..."Hina was confused at Natsumi's explanation for why she doesn't like milk. "Uh, I'm pretty sure the milk I used for the protein shake doesn't contain lactose," she said. "It's plant-based. I think it's made from...gosh, I forgot...""Well, whatever that milk is made out of, I'm not drinking it," Natsumi said."Well, that's fine," Hina said. "It's not like you really need all the protein..."It was at this moment when Sakura entered the exercise room. She saw that Hina and Natsumi are in the room, both of whom have changed into their gym clothes. "Oh, you two are here," she said.Hina perked up upon seeing Sakura. "Hi, Sakura," she greeted. "Are you done with your checkup?""I have," Sakura replied."Great!" Hina said. "So that means that you're here to join us, right?"Sakura looked at Hina and Natsumi with a puzzled look on her face. "Why are you two exercising?" she asked."Oh, we're just making up for the exercising session that we missed because...you know," Hina replied."Ah, that's right," Sakura said upon remembering what Hina planned to do with Natsumi. "But wait, weren't Mondo and Leon also invited to the exercising session? Why aren't they joining you?""Oh, I didn't invite them," Hina replied. "I didn't feel like reaching out to them.""I see..." Sakura said.Hina then did some stretches. "Well, now that you're here," she said, "why don't you join us in our exercising session?""...Sure," Sakura said after giving Hina's question some thought.This made Natsumi realize that she's going to be exercising for a long while. "Aw man!" she groaned. "How much longer do I have to do this...?"
Day 11 - 12:00 PMInfirmary, First Floor
Makoto dismissed Celeste after finishing her checkup. Aside from her being mildly underweight for her height, Celeste looks fine. There's nothing concerning about her current health. Before leaving the infirmary, Celeste said something to Makoto."Oh, and by the way," Celeste said, stopping in front of the infirmary door. "Would you like to play some card games with me?""Huh?" Makoto replied. He thought about accepting the invitation for a moment. "Uh, sure. I could do something to pass the time.""Good," Celeste said. "Meet me at our shared Research Lab. I would love to see what's inside."Celeste then left the infirmary, letting the last student inside for their checkup: Sayaka. Makoto had scheduled Sayaka to be the last student to receive a checkup, as he wanted her to do a checkup on him after he's finished with everyone's checkup. If there's anyone who could perform a checkup on him, it had to be the one who called herself his Ultimate Assistant.Sayaka nervously stepped inside the infirmary. For some reason, she's looking a little pale. This seemed strange to Makoto, as Sayaka had stepped into the infirmary without any issues previously. He wondered why Sayaka is being nervous about the infirmary all of a sudden."Um, Sayaka?" Makoto asked. "Are you...okay?"Sayaka snapped out of it and turned her head towards Makoto. "Huh?" she replied. "Oh, I'm fine. It's just...I had a bad dream about being in a hospital, and this infirmary is kind of like a hospital for us...""You had a bad dream?" Makoto said. "That might be because you were stressed out. I'm not surprised. We had been through two Class Trials so far, and Monokuma is finding a way to try to push us into murdering each other. It's stressful having to live under that bear. That, and last night was the first time you slept in your room, where...yeah." It was at this moment where Makoto wondered if Sayaka has really gotten rid of the image of Yasuke's dead body being found in her room. It could be a while before that image no longer bothers her.Seeing that Makoto is about to do a checkup on her, Sayaka wondered if all this stress she's experiencing is having an adverse effect on her health. "Um, should I be worried about the test results?" she asked."Don't worry," Makoto assured. "I'll make sure to account for your stress in the test results as best as I can. Just try your best to stay calm. It'll be alright."Makoto then measured Sayaka's height and weight. She is recorded as being 166 cm tall and weighing 50 kg, a bit light for someone of her height. After that, Makoto checked Sayaka's vitals. Her heart and breathing rates are both elevated, but this is no surprise to Makoto. Most of the students have elevated heart and breathing rates due to the stress the killing game has placed on them. Aside from that, the rest of her vitals are looking normal. So there's nothing to worry about. However, as Makoto wrapped up Sayaka's checkup and prepared for his own checkup, Sayaka felt like Makoto is missing something."Uh, hold on," Sayaka said. "Aren't you forgetting something?""Huh? Forgetting what?" Makoto asked.Sayaka was embarrassed to say it, but felt like she had to. "Uh, could you...measure my chest?" she asked.Makoto was bewildered upon hearing that request. "What? Why?" he asked."I've been noticing something lately," Sayaka replied. "My...bras don't feel like they fit me anymore, at least when I've set them to the setting that I'm used to.""What? Do they feel too loose or...?" Makoto asked."Too tight," Sayaka said, finishing Makoto's question. "They feel too tight on me. My bras do have multiple settings, though. So I put them on a higher setting. Still, I've been wondering...have my measurements changed?""I don't know," Makoto replied as he shrugged. "I don't have records of your previous measurements, so I can't say that your measurements have changed." He then picked up the late Kiyotaka's pocketbook and flipped to the first page. "Look, earliest entry on this pocketbook dates back to when this killing game began. There's no sign that this pocketbook was used before that point.""Well, I do remember what my previous measurements were," Sayaka replied. "They were recorded as 83-56-88."Makoto stared at Sayaka wondering what those numbers mean. He opened his mouth to try to ask a question."Those are the chest, waist, and hip measurements, respectively," Sayaka explained, as if she had read Makoto's mind. "They're necessary for the clothes designers to ensure that our clothes can fit us."Makoto had a puzzled look on his face after Sayaka explained what those numbers mean. He didn't get a chance to ask a question. He wondered if Sayaka had used her supposed psychic powers in that moment.Sayaka then stared at Makoto. "You have...taken everyone's chest measurements...right?" she asked.Makoto blushed in embarrassment before shaking his head. "What? No!" he replied. "Why would I do that? It's just as you said: those body measurements are for designing clothes, and it's not like we're going to need to get new clothes anytime soon.""I know..." Sayaka said. "We're high school students now. We've just finished growing up. Still, what if we decided that we don't want to wear these clothes all the time anymore? We can't get new clothes from the outside world. We'll have to make them ourselves. How much longer will we have to live in this school? Years? Who knows. I think...we should take everyone's measurements, just in case."Makoto wondered if he should've taken everyone's body measurements during their checkup. It didn't take long for him to come to a conclusion. "Uh, no," he replied. "You do...realize what I'll have to ask everyone to do in order to get accurate measurements, right?"It was at this moment when Sayaka realized what taking everyone's body measurements entails. She remembered the first time her body was measured in order to get idol dresses that fit her. It was embarrassing, but it had to be done. "Oh...right," she said."I'm doing a checkup, not a body measurement," Makoto said. "And I'm not an actual doctor. I only took this job because I had the key to the cabinet, and everyone entrusted that key to me. I have to respect everyone's boundaries, so the only measurements I can take are everyone's heights and weights.""But...you will take my measurements, right?" Sayaka said. "You're willing to see me...you know..." Her face is looking bright red.Makoto thought long and hard about taking Sayaka's measurements, his face turning red as well. "Let's hope that Monokuma doesn't show up and interrupt us..." he said before making his decision.Makoto grabbed a tape measure while Sayaka took off her shirt and skirt to get her body measured. They spent the entire time worrying that Monokuma will show up and make a perverted comment about what they're doing. But he never showed up for some reason. Makoto measured Sayaka's body without any issues, as from trying his best not to make things awkward and uncomfortable for Sayaka. They were relieved for now, but worried that Monokuma might show up and talk about this at a later time. There is a camera in the infirmary office, after all.As Sayaka put her clothes back on, Makoto recorded Sayaka's measurements as being 84-58-88. It's a small difference, but it might be enough to cause some discomfort when wearing form-fitting clothes."Uh, Makoto?" Sayaka began to ask as she put her skirt back on. "What are my measurements?""Hmm...your new measurements..." Makoto said as he compared Sayaka's current measurements to her past measurements. "Hmm, it appears that your...uh...chest has gotten bigger, as well as your waist...""Huh?" Sayaka gasped as she put her shirt back on. "Does that mean...I'm getting...fatter?""I don't think so," Makoto replied. "Sakura is really heavy, but that's only because she has a lot of muscle. Maybe you're gaining muscle?""I'm not sure..." Sayaka replied. "I don't recall working out a lot recently..."A question then appeared in Makoto's mind. "Hey, when was the last time you were measured?" he asked."I'm...pretty sure it was before I entered this school," Sayaka replied."How long ago was that?" Makoto asked.Sayaka tried to recall how much time has passed since the last time somebody took her measurements. Her mind came up blank. "I...don't know," she replied.Makoto then tried to come up with a reasonable-sounding estimation of when Sayaka's measurements were last recorded. He initially guessed a month, but that wouldn't be enough time between then and now for Sayaka's measurements to have changed that much. Those differences may be small, but even small changes in a human's body can take a long time to become noticeable. In the end, Makoto decided that it's not worth thinking about."Anyways," Sayaka said, trying to change the topic. "It's time for your checkup, Makoto. And, uh, since you took my measurements, how about I do the same to you, just to make us even?"Makoto felt uncomfortable with having his chest measured, especially considering what it'll entail in order to get accurate measurements.A few minutes later, Makoto was finished with his checkup. His measurements were taken as well. As he put his hoodie and blazer back on, Sayaka recorded Makoto's measurements on the pocket notebook."And...that should be everyone," Sayaka said. "Well, everyone who is currently alive, that is.""That...was uncomfortable to go through," Makoto said as he finished with putting on his blazer. "Let's not do that with anyone else.""Why not?" Sayaka asked. "It'll be weird if we're the only ones who got their chest measured.""Given what we had to do to get accurate measurements," Makoto explained, "I'm sure that Monokuma will show up at one point to make some perverted comment about what we're doing. Though, speaking of Monokuma, I'm surprised that he hasn't shown up to...well...""I wonder why he hasn't shown up," Sayaka said. "I mean I did do...you know, in order to get my body measured. I showed you so much of my skin, didn't I? Do you that we've...really gotten to embrace the concept of naked communication?"Makoto blushed and looked away from Sayaka. "I'd rather not talk about it..." he said.Sayaka blushed and looked off to the side as well. "Okay..." she said. "Well, shall we get going? I think lunch should be ready right now.""Yeah, let's have lunch," Makoto replied.Makoto and Sayaka then walked out of the infirmary.