Chapter Text
Monokuma File #6: The victim is Korekiyo Shinguji. The victim’s cervical vertebrae were fractured due to blunt force, also causing cranial bleeding resulting in death. No other wounds or chemicals were present. The time of death and the time of body discovery was 1:00 pm.
Marker Stone: Korekiyo placed a smooth stone near the middle of the room, and ordered Sonia to position herself with her forehead against the stone.
Sonia’s Recorder: Sonia, who brought an audio recorder with her, recorded a loud crash and a popping sound through Ibuki’s singing.
Sawed Off Piece of Floorboard: One piece of floorboard that Sonia was kneeling on had a piece of it sawed off with a piece of string attached to it. It fit onto the hole next to Kiyo’s body, but the support beam was broken.
Golden Katana and String: A golden katana was found underneath the floorboard, with string wrapped around it. There were no bloodstains of any kind.
Kyoko’s Autopsy: According to Kyoko, Korekiyo’s jaw had been broken, and he also had fractures in the neck.
Ryoma’s Account: Ryoma noticed a bat behind the waterfall fountain in the garden, along with several blades that were attached to loose tree branches. Gonta could also affirm this.
Circle of Salt: Korekiyo had drawn a magic circle that was irreplaceably ruined before the investigation started.
Hole in the Corner: Near the corner where Tenko stood, far away from the entrance, was a hole in the corner that led to a crawl space underneath the shrine. It is the only way into the shrine, with no other way outside.
Black Tarp: The crawl space had a dirt floor, but black tarp was strewn in the corner, allowing one to enter the crawlspace without getting dirty. In total, there was enough tarp stacked on top of each other to cover much more of the space.
Hole in the Roof: The ceiling of the shrine's roof had a hole in it.
Korekiyo’s Room: Korekiyo’s room had a few sharpening stones that were recently used laying on a table, along with a pen. The door was unlocked.
Blackmail: Several students received a letter threatening to out them as killers if they didn’t murder by tomorrow. Only Ryoma’s letter had been made public.
Twilight Syndrome Murder Case: This video game showcased the deaths of a blonde girl, and later that of a black haired girl the next day. They are assumed to both have been killed by someone on this island.
Monomi File #1: The victim is Mahiru Koizumi. The cause of death was blood loss from a piercing wound to the chest. No other wounds or chemicals were present. The time of the body discovery was 1:06 pm.
Scissor Half: Found in Mahiru’s chest was half a scissor, with spikes on the handle. Another identical looking half was found in a fallen tree branch in the garden.
Shuichi’s Autopsy: According to Shuichi, the scissor didn’t pierce Mahiru deep enough to kill her instantly. It’s likely that she bled out after a minute.
Mahiru’s Letter: Mahiru’s Letter that she received said “Meet me at the library later today.”
Baseball Bat: A dented metal baseball bat was found on the floor of the library.
Injured Fuyuhiko: Fuyuhiko’s arm had been broken, requiring Mikan’s medical assistance.
Shotput Ball: A shot put ball attached to a string was found on the ground outside the library.
Golden Diamond: Tsumugi found a golden diamond on the path outside the garden.
**
“M-Maki, what is Byakuya talking about?” Makoto was the first to ask the accused girl.
“You’re pulling that out of your ass, aren’t you?” Mondo clenched his fist at Byakuya. “You think we’ll just believe everything you say from now on?!”
“What about the archives could possibly point to that?” Chiaki asked. “I knew that Hope’s Peak could have one, but information about that was blacked out.”
“How curious… it wasn’t blacked out when I read them,” Byakuya said. “It seems like someone tried to erase the Ultimate Assassin’s identity.”
“That’s not real proof!” Ibuki said. “It coulda been blacked out already!”
“I also had a feeling that the poison Nagito had in the third trial was too subtle, like it was designed to be a lethal weapon,” Byakuya elaborated. “And it was a great coincidence that the library opened right after that trial.”
“That takes me back,” Nagito said. “I stumbled upon it after bumping into Kaito. I’m not gonna question why he would have something like that, but I made use of it.”
“Kaito, what the hell is Nagito talking about?” Hiro asked.
“I should’ve prepared for this…” Maki muttered before Kaito could say anything. The astronaut looked at her, a mix of relief and pride on his face.
“W-What was that?” Shuichi asked.
“If this back and forth continues, we’re not gonna make it out of this trial alive. I’m tired of this.”
“Not tired enough to make an attempt on my life,” Byakuya remarked.
“It’s true that I’m the Ultimate Assassin,” Maki said. “And it’s true that I attacked Byakuya.”
“T-That was unnecessary,” Sonia said. “We could have figured this out without resorting to violence.”
“I wanted to stick it to Byakuya,” She admitted. “Prove that he wasn’t invincible. It was true that I wanted to run and hide this, but as time went on, I realized that Byakuya wasn’t the smartest person on the island by a longshot. Someone else would’ve found out.” The heir’s teeth clenched at that remark.
“That was hilarious to watch!” Monokuma kicked his feet up. “Threatening to hide his body so nobody would find out… you don’t know how much I wanted you to test that!” Byakuya’s fists clenched as he was further angered.
“Hahahaha!” Miu laughed. “Poke a bear in the ass and it’ll eat yours! Serves you right!”
“Silence! The game has gotten so boring because these killers continue to hide… If they laid low for this long, I knew they wouldn’t act without an extra push.”
“Is being the Ultimate Child Caregiver a cover up, then?” Ryota asked.
“No. Even with everything we learned about Hope’s Peak, they couldn’t openly flaunt around a teenaged assassin. Taking care of kids is my talent, and they scouted me for it. But it’s clear they’re far more interested in my other specialization behind the curtains.”
“And Kaito covered for you?” Shuichi asked, and Kaito nodded.
“Poor guy…” Himiko said. “He was always easy to manipulate.”
“Don’t talk like I’m not here!” Kaito shouted.
“The whole time, Maki could’ve been manipulating you into being her scapegoat,” Nekomaru scratched his cheek. “You were willing to take the fall for her if that happened?!”
“Maki Roll tried to run away from this fact and did a lot of risky things… A lot of people would.” Kaito said bluntly. “But she didn’t hurt anyone! She helped us investigate just like we’re supposed to. She’s not gonna take the fall because a bunch of idiots want a scapegoat!”
“It just came out of my thoughts one time… He was extra insufferably honest that day. But, he didn’t judge me. He was dumb enough to tell me to admit it in front of everyone like Ryoma would.”
“If you just told us, we would’ve understood.” Kaede said. “There’s no reason a high school girl should be an Ultimate Assassin! You must’ve been forced into it!”
“You wouldn’t understand,” Maki rebuffed her. “But it’s not like I went into it for fun or money.”
“But, but… is the part about you knowing about the blackmail real?” Angie pointed at her with a brush. “You stood by as you let Peko and Kiyo do their thing?”
“E-Even if Byakuya told her, she should not accuse people so quickly,” Gonta said uneasily.
“Byakuya had every reason to tell the truth with his life on the line,” Hajime said. “Maki, did you know about the blackmail?”
“Don’t blame her,” Kaito said. “That has to be why she got up and started running when Ryoma told her about Kiyo’s seance.”
“Even if she didn’t want to tell us, she didn’t have to wait until the last minute to watch them.” Angie argued back.
“I wasn’t doing nothing,” Maki said, unsure of how much to spill. “I was watching someone else… turns out my eyes were on the wrong person.”
“I was with Toko, and I doubt Ryoma is very high on your watchlist.” Rantaro recalled. “Is it one final person that Byakuya said that we don’t know about?”
“If Maki knew about Kiyo… and Maki wanted to watch this person more than him, they would be unbelievably dangerous!” Hiro’s blood chilled at that thought.
“I watched Mukuro, but I doubt I was being subtle.” Maki said. Mukuro’s head swirled, as if those words struck her in the back of the head.
“I’ve never done anything to you both in and out of trials,” Mukuro stared daggers at the assassin. “Why the hell are you accusing me?” Tensions rose, as Sakura once again stood outside her podium to keep the peace.
“Can we please save this for after the trial?!” Makoto spoke up finally.
“I’m tired of people like you and Kaito simping for these murderers!” Miu yelled. “I-I always knew those two were dangerous! And you’re jumping in to defend them! Do you think it’s gonna get you laid or something?!”
“It did in his case,” Kazuichi gossipped under his breath, hoping Maki wouldn’t hear him. “My room’s next to Kaito’s.” Miu’s jaw dropped, prompting Kazuichi to hush her while pointing frantically in the assassin’s general direction.
“If we survive this trial Maki’s gonna kill me the second Miu opens her mouth!” Kazuichi thought.
“Makoto’s right.” Chiaki said. “As far as we know, Mukuro has nothing to do with the case. Whatever Byakuya’s accusing her of is not our priority.”
“It seems you’re getting tired of these tangents,” Gundham said. “My Devas grow tired… We must not lose sight of the trial… If we forget the executions, the executions certainly will not have forgotten us.”
“Just one more thing,” Tsumugi put a finger up at Miu. “What do you mean by you two? Were you always suspicious of her?”
“W-What kind of a question is that?!” Miu sniveled.
“Do you have something against me?” Maki said, grabbing her bow to fix her composure. “I’m used to it.”
“When Chiaki and I looked at the hidden credits on the cabinet, it said that you were Girl A. Miu must’ve figured that out.”
“That sure wasn’t on the e-book,” Makoto said.
“Well it’s not like you would’ve been able to figure that out!” Miu said.
“W-What does that have to do with anything?” Fuyuhiko questioned. “Girl A said almost nothing and was out of the game after the first day.”
“This game was written by Monokuma,” Chiaki said. “We should take all of these events with a grain of salt. I didn’t push further into the credits because I didn’t want to make any assumptions.”
“Still, nothing that was implemented into that game is without a reason.” Nagito said.
“The Twilight Syndrome played more like an assassination than a murder, huh?” Ryoma said. “No sign of struggle, no mess leading to the killer, and one clean slit across the throat. The photo says that much.”
“A-Are you saying Maki was the one who killed Natsumi?” Peko asked.
“If a regular person killed a student in Hope’s Peak, no doubt they’d be caught,” Byakuya was intrigued by this lead. “But perhaps if the culprit was an Ultimate, they’d sweep it under the rug.”
“Sato said that she contacted an organization that made these problems go away,” Hajime was also coming around to the theory.
“As of now, I don’t know her,” Maki said. “But my order always made themselves sound cleaner than they were.”
“The Holy Salvation Society?” Byakuya asked.
“Yeah… if this is what the game says, then I don’t have anything that can fight it. If it gives you closure, then I’m the culprit of Natsumi’s death. It all has the marks of a trained assassin after all.” There was no joy, fear, or hesitation; only resigned acceptance. After all, it’s not like there’s much more she can do to make people hate and fear her.
“So this Reserve Course is just a playground where students go to die,” Fuyuhiko’s hand clenched in fury. “I can’t believe I let her accept such a damn thing!”
“Y-You killed her?!” Peko was unable to contain her rage, which unsettled the students. “For what?!”
“Peko, please calm down!” Gonta said, anticipating the worst.
“The orphanage I grew up in was funded by that cult. In exchange, they picked some of us to kill for them. We carry out these murders and they toss the money at our feet. If it wasn’t me, they would’ve made another poor kid in my orphanage.”
“T-That is abhorrent,” Sonia said. “A child should not have to bear that burden.”
“Don’t pity me,” Maki held a hand up to silence the princess. “The sooner I stopped crying about it, the better I could do my job. I accepted that as my fate.” Tears of anger welled up in Peko’s eyes.
“I'm the Kuzuryu family’s tool, and I can’t let Natsumi’s death go unanswered!” Peko growled, but Sakura and Tenko quickly stepped up to stop her.
“You can’t be serious!” Kaede had lost her patience. Even if the swordswoman didn’t kill Mahiru, the thought of an attempted hit on Mahiru still sickened her. “You’ve done the same thing in the name of your family, right?! And right after you almost committed a senseless killing, you’re gonna judge Maki for it?!”
“I’m no different.” Maki said. “If they told me to kill one of you, I don’t think I could defy them. Killing is what they wanted me for, and it’s all that I am outside of this island.”
“Enough of that!” Ibuki stopped her. “You’re a student just like the rest of us! You’re hard to understand, and irrational, and distant… But you’re here and helping us out! You did all those terrible things for a reason, and I know if there was a way for you to provide for your lil’ ones without killing, you would do it!” Ibuki knew she sounded mad, attempting to encourage an assassin, but she saw her as nothing less than a friend.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Maki said.
“Everything you’ve done here is the real Maki… you hate and you love, like you’re as much a person as everyone here.” Kaito said. “And each time you lie is a bigger pile of shit that fools less and less people, until you’re the only one falling for it.”
“Who do you think you are saying all this in the middle of a trial?” Maki sighed. “But if I can’t fool the biggest idiot on the island, then that shows how soft I’ve grown.”
“Peko, you say you’re a tool for the Kuzuryu clan, but you’ve done so many things here outside of his command.” Sakura said to Peko.
“Acting like we’re strangers was exactly what he wished for me,” Peko said.
“Your reason for trying to hurt Mahiru wasn’t because Fuyuhiko told you to. You did it because losing Natsumi pained you as much as if you lost Fuyuhiko. The martial artist continued. That was enough for Peko to stop resisting, with tears freely flowing from her face. Her sobs sounded so strange, coming from the normally stoic looking girl. But they reminded everyone how human she was as well.
“What happened was an injustice on so many fronts. But I won’t allow you to throw your life away over this grudge. I know Natsumi wouldn’t want that of you.”
“Sakura, stop.” Fuyuhiko bit his lip. Tears seemed to be welling in his eyes as well. “Fuck… why didn’t Sato have the guts to try and do it herself?” The group was silent for what seemed like an hour, waiting for the crying to die down.
“I… have nothing more I can say,” Peko lifted her glasses to wipe the tears from her eyes. “My senselessness has only endangered everyone.” As much as she felt the need to exact revenge, it was completely impossible. She couldn’t do it without compromising herself and Fuyuhiko. She never failed a hit before, with every action making the Kuzuryu clan more prestigious. Now, her failures burned away at her as she was unable to say anything more.
“Is there ANYTHING ELSE WE CAN USE TO KEEP THIS INVESTIGATION GOING?!” Nekomaru shouted after realizing how far from the investigation they’ve digressed. “We still don’t have a murder weapon for Kiyo!”
“If it’s not any of the blackmailed students, we have to go back to using hard evidence.” Kazuichi said.
“Is there anything more we can say about Kiyo’s injuries that could lead to the weapon?” Ryota asked. “Mikan, is there something you can add?”
“U-Um…” Mikan stuttered trying to think of something new to say. “Injuries to the lower jaw and neck like that are rare. I can only think of something hitting him from below being responsible.”
“And I think we can agree that whatever killed Kiyo caused that hole in the roof,” Rantaro said. “It was there after the body discovery announcement, but not before.”
“Do you think what killed Kiyo was mechanical?” Kirumi offered. “If something was fired from below the floorboards, it would be able to put a hole in the roof.”
“M-Maybe,” Hina considered. “But Ryoma didn’t find anything under there! And that would mean they shot something, somehow!”
“It’s hard to believe, since Sakura took the harpoon gun. It’s the only thing that could be considered a projectile. And a shot from something like that would’ve taken off his head.” Kazuichi explained.
“Maybe you could’ve invented something that can shoot Kiyo, Miu!” Hiro said.
“W-Why the hell are you putting this on me?! I wasn’t even near the shrine!” The inventor shriveled.
“No… There were harpoon guns in the rocket punch market.” Mukuro said.
“They don’t have ammo, otherwise we would’ve dealt with them long ago,” Kaede refuted.
“Unless the culprit made or used their own ammunition.”
“Jeez, that’s a lot of firepower,” Kazuichi said. “It wouldn’t be impossible, but I doubt a badly carved stick could put a hole in the roof… It has to be metal.”
“Everyone was lucky that it didn’t ricochet and kill someone else,” Nagito said.
“I didn’t find any rods outside the shrine,” Hina shrugged.
“T-There is one thing,” Tsumugi revealed. “I found this diamond outside of the garden… It landed on some bushes.” The cosplayer had the diamond in her hands, shiny and golden.
“It looks to be some part of ornament, but not something in the garden.” Kirumi said. “However, as absurd as it may seem, I’m now confident whatever killed Kiyo was from below.”
“T-That’s!” Tenko covered her mouth in horror. “No, it can’t be! This isn’t right at all!”
“Tenko, what’s gotten into you?” Hina asked, but she could give no response.
“That artifact could be used to kill someone,” Gundham crossed his arms and averted his eyes. “Himiko, you don’t have your staff with you. This is part of it, correct?” The magician was frozen, unable to say anything.
“T-That’s not my staff…”
“It does look like the end of her staff,” Kaede anxiously grabbed onto her backpack strap.
“C’mon, Kaede! That thing is just a piece of metal!” Tenko said.
“The rest of it could’ve broken when it hit the roof.” The pianist continued.
“Her staff is thin enough to fit,” Shuichi theorized. “It’s possible that Himiko used the staff as ammunition.”
“You normally carry it with you, don’t you?” Nagito asked.
“This has to be a mistake!” Tenko cut in. “H-Himiko didn’t do it! The culprit must’ve stolen her staff!”
“Then why didn’t she say anything? It was precious to her, and losing it would’ve brought a ton of attention to it.”
“She was one of the people doing the seance,” Angie said with her ever present smile, but her words sounded joyless.
“But she would’ve had to sneak into the crawl space using the only entrance I was close to!” Tenko pointed out. “H-How could you throw her under the bus as well, Angie?!”
“This room is where one must learn to forgive for being accused, or take responsibility.” Angie replied simply. “I pray if we are wrong, Himiko has a lot of that in her heart.”
“She could’ve felt her way with the circle like Kiyo did,” Kyoko said. “She’s small and light enough to get in without anyone noticing.”
“Then the reason I didn’t find any harpoon gun is because Himiko hid it too well.” Ryoma pulled his hat over his eyes. “Hiding stuff is part of a magician’s skills, isn’t it?”
“If that’s true,” Himiko regained some of her composure. “How would I be able to shoot Kiyo from under the floorboard? I-I couldn’t see anything!”
“You could’ve felt for the katana, and when you felt it move, you could’ve fired at the hole Kiyo made when removing the floorboard.”
“Wait, wait…” Jack interrupted. “For all this to work, our little spellcaster here would’ve known about Kiyo’s whole murder plan! No way she would be able to hide all of this otherwise.”
“If anyone was crafty enough to find traps, it would be Himiko,” Ryoma admitted. “There were no alternate entrances to the shrine, so it had to be someone who was inside the shrine when Kiyo died. As much as I hate to say it, the process of elimination says it’s her.”
“We spent so much time on finding the murder weapon,” Kaede said. “We would’ve been lost if Tsumugi didn’t find the headpiece, and if Mukuro didn’t suggest the harpoon gun.”
“When killing Kiyo from above proved impossible, the only other way was from below,” Mukuro said.
“Y-You’re being unfair…” Tenko said. “This case is moving too fast now!”
“We could ask Monokuma if we could search under the floorboard again, or maybe behind the shrine for the rod of the staff.” Chiaki said.
“Then… I’ll take this case from the top to make sure everyone knows what happened.” Kaede closed her eyes and dissected the events that transpired.
Let's take this case from the start. Kiyo’s plan was set in motion when the Twilight Syndrome Murder motive was put back into play. It targeted a forgotten feud that led to the murder of Natsumi Kuzuryu, the sister of Fuyuhiko, and later Sato, the longtime friend of Mahiru Koizumi.. Though both parties wanted to settle their dispute, another motive led to Kiyo taking drastic measures. Byakuya sent blackmail to him and several other students threatening to expose their bloody history.
Immediately after Byakuya blackmailed Kiyo and some others, Kiyo rigged several places in the garden with traps to injure or kill any passers-by. Kiyo’s final trap included suspending a scissor above the library door and attaching it to a shot put ball, which would cause it to fall on top of whoever exited the library. However, Kiyo’s true plan was set into motion when the final motive was announced the day before the murder. He went to the shrine, which nobody entered the building of, and sliced off a piece of the floorboard. He then attached a katana with string to the sawed off piece before setting it back down. This let him retrieve the katana when he would use it to kill someone. Unbeknownst to him, the culprit found out about this scheme and devised one of their own. They entered the crawl space and placed down tarp to keep themself clean, before arming a harpoon gun with her own staff in case Kiyo was going to use it to kill.
“Before we move on to the culprit that killed Kiyo, we have to cover Mahiru’s death. On the day before the blackmail was to be revealed, Mahiru received a letter to go to the library in order to clear the air about what happened in the game. Mahiru, wary for her own safety, brought along Peko to help her mediate. Little did she know, Peko knew Fuyuhiko. When Mahiru arrived at the library, Peko attacked Mahiru with a metal bat they hid on top of the bookshelves. Fuyuhiko, having a change of heart, stepped in and blocked the hit for Mahiru, breaking his arm in the process. Mahiru ran away from the library, but as she exited, the scissor that Kiyo had set up pierced her chest, made heavier by the shot put ball it was attached to. Mahiru ran to the pharmacy before she bled out and died. However, her death was preceded by her killer by only a few minutes.
At the same time, Kiyo convinced Sonia, Ibuki, Tenko, Hajime, and the culprit to conduct a seance to communicate with the dead girl in the Twilight Syndrome Murder Case. The ritual involved placing Sonia in the center of the shrine room, and placing a circle of salt around her. Kiyo then instructed her to place her forehead on a marker stone, before placing a cage with a cloth on top of her, finishing with a heavy idol. Hajime was left outside before the seance began properly. Ibuki, Tenko, the culprit, and Kiyo sang in total darkness. There, Kiyo intended to move to Sonia’s position, which happened to be near where the floorboard that held the katana was placed. He moved silently, as everyone left their shoes at the door, and he guided himself using the circle of salt. He intended to use the katana to stab Sonia’s neck, before cleaning the katana on the cloth and placing it back under the floorboard. However, the culprit made their move first.
The culprit, at the same time, used the same circle of salt to silently move past Tenko, before entering the crawl space. The culprit moved along the tarp until they found the harpoon gun they stored, and aimed it upwards, waiting for the katana to move out of place. When they felt the katana leaving its suspended position, they aimed it through the hole in the floorboards and fired, killing Kiyo. The staff that was fired ended up breaking as it went through the thin roof of the shrine, before its headpiece fell out of the garden onto the ground. The culprit then hurried out of the crawlspace, and back to their original position before the lights went back on, revealing Kiyo’s corpse.
And the person who turned Kiyo’s scheme into his own death was none other than Himiko, was it?”
“I… I knew about the traps as well. My perception skills made it doable,” Himiko admitted after a moment. “Whoever made them scared me, so I hid my defense in case they tried something. I saved my spell power in the shrine in case someone attacked me in the garden.”
“W-What’re you saying?” Tenko asked.
“B-But I didn’t know who made them until Kiyo suggested that seance. I didn’t want to do anything, but the more he set it up, the more I knew that someone horrible would happen.”
“Y-You figured he would try to kill me?” Sonia asked. “Why didn’t you stop the seance, then?”
“I-I’m sorry.” Himiko began to cry. “I-I didn’t want to die. I didn’t want to see you or Tenko get hurt! At first I thought I was fine with whatever happened on this island, but after so many Akane and so many others died, and seeing what Kiyo did, I couldn’t sit and watch again.”
“But this level of planning was premeditated,” Byakuya said. “The thought of escaping must’ve tempted her nonetheless. How shameful, if she stopped the seance, Kiyo would be the one executed.”
“She did what she thought was right, you degenerate!” Tenko yelled at the top of her lungs. “I… I also would’ve done everything to keep Kiyo away if I knew!”
“But she still tried to escape by covering the murder up, right?” Mondo said, astonished by Himiko’s lethal ingenuity.
“Some would say sloth is the greatest sin…” Gundham said. “To kill and end the world you know, in favour of another, is more forgivable than to sit and let the world around you fall apart.”
“If I stopped the seance and told everyone about Kiyo… it wouldn't have undone those traps. He would’ve killed someone eventually… We wouldn’t have been able to watch him with how big this island was getting.” Himiko said.
“We have to vote, no matter how much we wanna just walk away,” Hajime could only look at his podium. Why was it that the next day, Himiko would be gone? Had they not lost enough already?
“Wait just a minute,” Shuichi said. “If there are two different culprits to a case, then who are we supposed to vote for?”
“T-That’s right! We can’t execute Himiko if Kiyo is the one who killed Mahiru!” Tenko raised her hand.
“If there are two murders, by two different culprits, then only the person who committed the first murder is held to trial!” Monokuma announced after a moment of thought.
“B-But that means…” Kaede’s heart sank.
“We found Kiyo’s body first.” Kyoko finished. “We have no choice but to vote for Himiko, as much as we’d like to avoid an execution.” It was everyone’s turn to vote, and reluctantly, everyone voted for the magician.
GUILTY
**
“I’m sorry,” Angie said as she hugged Himiko. “You shouldn’t have been haunted by the ghosts of their past. You were beyond that, yet you were a victim to it anyway.”
“Angie…” Kaede could only say.
“It wouldn’t have stopped Kiyo from doing what he did,” Kaito shot back. “He was way past talking!”
“But it would’ve made him our only concern,” Angie said. “Are you happy knowing what you know now? That these people in the Twilight Syndrome Case went and killed each other?”
“I know what you mean, Angie.” Makoto said. “But ignorance isn’t the way to move past our mistakes!”
“And how has that game taught us anything about the Mastermind or how we got here?” Angie shot back. “This desire caused nothing but pain, even to those who had nothing to do with it.” That desire to escape was certainly unquenchable, but no one could argue how successful Monokuma was at dividing everyone with his games. And the secrets of the blackmailed students divided everyone long before Byakuya made that threat.
“If only it were so easy to let go of the past,” Ryota said.
“Kiyo died because he wasn’t attached to his own life, he was ready to die to give her sister more friends.” Angie continued. “But Himiko was forced to kill because she couldn’t stand Kiyo killing someone in front of her in the present or future.”
“I’m so sorry!” Tenko also went to hug Himiko, tears running down the martial artist’s face. “I-I couldn’t protect you!”
“W-What’s done is done,” Himiko tried to say, but Tenko could feel Himiko’s knees growing weak, her voice barely steady. “J-Just stay alive… Don’t l-let this go to waste like I did.”
“Let’s give it everything we’ve got! It’s punishment time!” Monokuma cheered. With a swing of his gavel, a set of chains appeared to drag Himiko to her doom.
“NO! IT WAS KIYO WHO WAS THE CULPRIT THIS TRIAL!” Nekomaru shouted, prompting Tenko to grab the chains along with him.
“H-Hey, that’s suicide!” Makoto called out. He knew how badly it ended last time. But the manager wasn’t willing to give up without trying. Himiko struggled to escape the bindings, but soon enough, a series of large whips lashed forward to force everyone away from her. Both of them were struck by the whips, causing Gonta and Sakura to pull them out of danger. They could only watch as Himiko was pulled into the abyss, her hat being left behind, and then reappearing in front of the large screen.
The First Class Mage Exam Status: Executed
Himiko was on a large stage, reminiscent of Hiyoko and Sayaka’s executions. In front of her was a small box, and behind her, several Monokumas wielding longswords. They urged the magician into the box, and without a word, she entered. They plunged their swords over and over again into the box, as the students looked on in horror. After seven swords made their way in, the box opened, and miraculously, she was unharmed. She was then forced to walk off the stage as it began to crumble, up a tightrope to an elevated platform. Below the tightrope was a deep pit of fire beneath the earth. Uneasily, Himiko spread her arms and made her way up the tightrope. The students held her breath as she made her way up. Once again, she made it to the platform without incident. But finally, on top of the platform, was a large tank of water, which Himiko was forced into after a mechanical boot to the back. She felt around, looking for an exit as the entrance above was sealed on top of her. A minute passed, and only then did the exhausted magician seem to find a hidden exit. But just as it happened, Monokuma walked onto the platform wearing a purple wizard robe and fake beard. He pulled the curtain, hiding the tank of water and Himiko from view for a moment. When he revealed it again, the entire tank was frozen solid, with Himiko included. With a mighty kick, he forced the tank off of the platform. The tank fell to the ground and shattered on impact, littering the ground with glass, crushed ice, and blood.
Himiko Yumeno, The Ultimate Magician, was dead.
**
“You gotta be crazy, trying a stunt like that again!” Kazuichi said uneasily.
“T-Tenko, you’re hurt!” Mikan walked up to Tenko, who was crouched on the ground, eyes cast down, crying in both pain and grief as tears fell to the ground.
“H-Himiko, I’m-” She could only hear Tenko choke out half sentences.
“I’m sorry…” Sonia said to the screen tearfully. “I’m so… so, sorry.”
“I don’t think I can stay in this trial room any longer,” Sakura said, with her eyes only focused on her injured contemporaries. “Or that anger will overwhelm me.”
The rest of the group silently agreed to leave as soon as Tenko and Nekomaru were able to walk.
“Mikan, you got them, right?” Ryoma gave a thumbs up to the nurse.
“They aren’t seriously wounded, but it looks painful.” Mikan replied. The group made their way outside, breathing in the fresh island air. The air inside the trial room felt stale and unbreathable in comparison after such a long trial. Just about when everyone hard their share of explanations for the night, Kyoko spoke up.
“There’s one thing about the trial I was curious about,” Kyoko said. “Maki, why were you so suspicious of Mukuro?” The soldier tensed at the detective’s words. She thought she could make her forget about Maki’s suspicion of her.
“Trash like me has no right to suspect an Ultimate, no matter how lethal they might be. Mukuro has done such a good job keeping me in check.” Nagito said.
“Maki knew how deadly Peko and Kiyo were, yet she decided to keep an eye on Mukuro.” Kyoko said. “Is there something about her that we should know?”
“H-How about we let her explain?” Kaede asked.
“Mukuro lied to us already when Ryoma brought forth the original sin,” Gundham said. At first, the soldier was silent.
“Mukuro was responsible for slaughtering an entire junior high school,” Maki said. “It was called the Giboura massacre… Though I made Byakuya show me clips, nothing that I don’t see with my own eyes is fully verifiable. But considering that she’s the Ultimate Soldier, I wasn’t going to let her out of my grasp.”
“Everything Maki said was true,” Byakuya said. Mukuro clenched her fist, causing multiple people to flinch.
“No, no, no, no, no…” Tsumugi repeated. “I c-can’t deal with this… All this is too much for a plain girl like me to handle!”
“I-I don’t wanna doubt any more friends,” Chihiro muttered. “I-I thought Kiyo and Maki would be the last awful surprise.”
“Is it really surprising though? She’s the Ultimate Soldier!” Miu said.
“Don’t tell me someone covered for you as well!” Hiro pointed out.
“Nobody,” Mukuro lied. “I kept it to myself.”
“It was a while ago,” Shuichi said. “It wasn’t on the news, but I found from my Uncle’s files that an entire high school was wiped out, and its perpetrator was never caught.”
“That sounds completely impossible to cover up,” Kyoko said. “No gas leak, or natural disaster could be used to explain something like that.”
“If it’s a Hope’s Peak mission, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was covered up,” Fuyuhiko said, having lost all faith in the school.
“I doubt their resources are that plentiful, as prestigious as they were.” Kyoko’s voice betrayed the slightest hint of anger. Not just disappointment or frustration at the situation at hand, but a visceral anger pulled from whatever history the enigmatic detective lived through.
“Mukuro, if you don’t talk, everyone else is gonna make up their mind before you get a word in.” Ryoma said.
“As the test for the Ultimate Soldier, I was tasked with wiping out the school. It was secretly a cult with ties to many terrorist groups, and there was no other way to deal with it… I think the public knowing that an entire school was a cult would be more unsettling than an entire school dying.”
“Is that all you’re willing to say?” Shuichi couldn’t disprove Mukuro’s words, but he knew there was more to it.
“There’s nothing I can say that’ll lessen the blow, is there?” Mukuro asked.
“Only things that’ll worsen it,” Shuichi thought. “Even if Hope’s Peak was as unethical as it’s been made out to be, it seems like an illogical job for a soldier.”
“Were you expecting something even worse? This whole massacre thing sounds like rivers upon rivers of blood already!” Jack waved her scissors dismissively.. “And all for the greater good, they say.”
“At the very least it reminds us what a soldier is capable of.”
“Seeing how Mukuro and everyone else act mostly normal, and being hit by that info, it seems impossible to reconcile,” Ryota said. “An entire school of people killed by one person, I’d have to have seen it to believe it.”
“Good thing you weren’t there,” Mukuro warned him.
“I’ll pray for the souls that were lost,” Angie said. “But this, like the previous motives, only leads to pointless infighting. Atua needs his disciples to rest, instead of arguing until we can’t think straight anymore.”
“I don’t wanna ignore what happened, but Angie’s right.” Chiaki said. “Though everyone eventually admitted to these accusations, there’s nothing we can do to undo them… It’s up to you to decide if you wanna trust their word after all of this.” With that, everyone dispersed, their eyes uneasily still trained on Mukuro. There were mutters of disbelief and scorn, kept to themselves. Only when the newly exposed killers were seen walking away with company did they seem a little more at ease.
**
After ensuring that Jack wouldn’t cause further trouble and everyone was intent on retiring for the night, Kirumi and Rantaro walked back together. They were silent, but Rantaro noticed Kirumi’s eyes glancing and probing at him.
“So everything about you knowing Jack was true?” Kirumi asked the adventurer.
“Yeah, and it’s true that Tenko saved me. Sonia was a leader who seemed interested in this kinda stuff, so we went to her.”
“As a maid, I know it’s not my place to judge, but withholding all of this endangered the students at large, didn’t it?”
“Is coming forward what you would’ve done if you found out?”
“For the safety of everyone, yes. Jack was unpredictable. Though I know you worked hard trying to keep Toko comfortable, there was no way of knowing what Jack would do. It would’ve been less of a risk and burden if everyone was in the know.” Kirumi continued to look sternly at Rantaro, her words painting him in a reckless light.
“We did all that assuming Jack was as dangerous as Toko said she was. She’s frustrated… but she’s worried for me. She would’ve been worried if I told her about Jack the moment it happened, but at least she would’ve felt like she was in control.”
“You should’ve seen the look on my face when I first met Jack. I was never so relieved to see Tenko, even if in the end, Jack wasn’t there to kill me. But the look on Toko’s face showed that she was even more terrified than I was. Everytime I looked at her from then on, I saw that fear.”
“I always took you for a guarded person,” Kirumi admitted. “Yet you jumped through all these hoops for Toko.”
“I mean, now that you know my deal with my sisters, is it so surprising?” Rantaro asked.
“I suppose not,” Kirumi admitted, clasping her hands together. “Knowing that Kaito covered for Maki, and Fuyuhiko covered for Peko, those bonds are what make you take the largest risks, isn’t it? Still, it makes it more difficult for all of us to get out of this alive.”
“I thought we were the only ones doing this stuff behind everyone’s back, so imagine my surprise. I know that tomorrow morning’s gonna be difficult for sure, sorting everything out, and without Mahiru.”
“I’m troubled by all those revelations. I’ve worked with many clients, but this situation is entirely new to me. Still, I must dedicate myself to getting as many of us out alive as possible, in whatever way possible.”
“Thanks for not looking at me like I’m crazy,” Rantaro said. “It means I’m still in my right mind… or maybe you’re being polite about it.”
“Next time something comes up, don’t hesitate to tell me,” Kirumi reminded him with a frown. “I’ve pledged myself to all of you, and it’s my duty to do what’s best for everyone.”
“Thinking you can shoulder everything is what the Mastermind wants,” Rantaro said.
“What?” The maid was confused at the adventurer’s ominous words. It came out of him so naturally, yet it felt so harsh against her.
“Kirumi.” Rantaro could only say after a pause. “I’m glad you’re alive.” The maid tensed up for a moment, as if unable to say anything. She heard those words before, from Hina to Ryoma. Those words shouldn’t be meant for her.
“The simple act of me being alive isn’t something people should thank me for,” She thought to herself. “I made too many mistakes today to be worthy of any thanks.”
“I should be saying that to you, after what happened with Jack.” Kirumi sighed before looking back at him. “To think that you and Toko were struggling so much right under my nose, and I failed to notice the signs.”
“I never suspected Kiyo would be a murderer,” Rantaro said. “He wanted to kill all the girls that would be a good friend to her sister. It meant you, Toko, Tenko, and Sonia. Anyone that would be kind enough to agree to the seance. So just stay safe for me…”
“I’ll be cautious going forward.” Kirumi wondered briefly what she’d do at the seance. She wanted to say that she was perceptive enough to catch onto the impending doom described at the trial. “I promise I’ll see you tomorrow.”
**
Outside the gates, Kaede and Hajime wanted to part ways with the group and go back to the cottage. Kaede watched as Hajime kept looking forward, not wanting to say a word to another student. Eventually, they just found themselves staring. They did so until Sonia silently approached.
“Looks like we’re thinking the same thing,” Kaede thought.
“You two… should you not rest?” Sonia asked. “Excuse me, I know why… It has eaten away at me too.”
“Just at the last trial, I was trying to comfort her after Taka died trying to bury the machine,” Kaede said. “She went down the same path.”
“Mahiru died after an act of service…” Sonia said. “She did not run away or hide behind others when she was faced with that motive.”
“I wish she was there for the trial,” Kaede said. “She would've verbally let loose on everyone like she always did.”
“After finishing the night watch with her she'd go back to her cottage. I went to bed knowing she would show up with you the next morning. I thought I could just look forward to that for as long as we’re on the island.” Hajime grit his teeth.
“Keeping us running is something Mahiru made natural,” Kaede continued to mourn.
“How is it that I can still be alive after that foolish
“She was brave no matter how normal she thought she was.” Kaede said. “It wasn't your fault you almost died, and it wasn't Mahiru's fault that she did… It was Kiyo who thought being kind was worth killing for, and the Mastermind.”
“When Taka died, Mahiru was scared she’d end up like him as well, but she tried to do the right thing… Now Sonia’s scared… but also guilty that she’s alive. It’s the same with me. I’m lucky that I got a second chance, because I know I don’t deserve a third.”
“We could talk endlessly into the night, but it wouldn’t be enough for her memory…” Sonia said. Hajime nodded, urging the two leaders to retire for the night. Anger swirled inside of him, threatening to lash out. He knew Sonia didn’t deserve it for the crime of being lucky.
“Don’t curse yourself for having something Mahiru didn’t.” Hajime said. “Just make use of it.”
When Hajime returned to his cottage, he cried out in anger, loud enough that he swore Ibuki and Kaede would be able to hear her. It was a cry for help that he didn’t want anyone to answer. Every trial made the island a little less worth escaping as the guilt of each departed student beared down on him. And every trial made the world make a little less sense.
“Hope’s Peak covering murders, assassinations, The World Ender, My Talent…” Hajime thought to himself. “Why do I go on? To find out those damn mysteries we killed for are true? What’s that gonna solve… It’s not gonna bring anyone back. It’s not gonna bring her back.”
21 Days Remain
