Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

One thing that Shuichi didn't expect after the end of the killing game was stumbling out of a locker onto the floor again. Hitting the floor, a sharp sting runs up his arm. He shakes his head slightly, trying to ground himself, his vision slightly blurred, his thoughts confused and mush.

Lifting his head, his eyes land on the familiar face of… Of…

“Aahhh!”

He screams, pushing himself back and causing his head to whack right into the locker.

“Hey! That’s rude!” The blonde scolds, her voice way too familiar for comfort. “Don’t freak out like I’m some sort of monster!”

“I-” He swallows nervously, his hands moving to grab a fistful of his uniform, eyes wide as he scans the other’s face. “S-sorry. Um…”

“I’m sorry too. Are you okay? I noticed you hit your head…”

“Um- Yeah. Yeah, I think so.” He hesitantly stands, his eyes never leaving her face. Her face, her bright eyes. Alive. A dream where she’s alive.

“We need to stay calm, that’s what’s important.” Kaede clasped her hands in excitement. “Oh! Gymnopédie No. 1 by Erik Satie. Try to imagine that sorrowful melody filling your head and soothing your heart—”

Shuichi relaxes slightly, he can listen to her voice all day, how calm she was, her lovely voice. If this is a dream he doesn’t want it to end—

“Rise and shine, ursine!”

With a scream, Kaede stumbles back, the five small teddy bears popping up out of nowhere by their feet.

Of course. A dream to a nightmare with their existence.

“You see, these are monsters! You can freak out about these!” Kaede says, her head snapping towards Shuichi.

Shuichi glared at the Monokubs, not saying anything and not bothering to even register the words they’re saying or adding to the conversation. And once the five disappeared Kaede muttered something before she turned to the other.

“So… Are you also an Ultimate student?” She asks, her mouth drawn into a thin line.

“Y-yeah, I am.” He took a deep breath. Introducing himself to Kaede again… What kind of dream is this? “I’m Shuichi Saihara. They call me the Ultimate Detective.”

“What? You’re a detective? That’s amazing!”

“Assistant.” He mutters noncommittedly, grabbing his hat and pulling it slightly to cover his eyes more.

“Well, that’s still amazing!” Kaede gives him a bright smile. “My name is Kaede Akamatsu. I’m the Ultimate Pianist. Nice to meet you!”

He nods, giving her a shaky smile in return. “It’s nice to meet you too.”

“Well, no one calls me the Ultimate Pianist.” She adds after a few seconds. “Usually just Piano Freak.”

She continues talking, mentioning how she’s played piano since she was a child. Her eyes were bright, an excited gleam in her eyes as she spoke passionately. Occasionally, Shuichi will add a comment as she speaks, smiling softly.

“–But this is my first time meeting another Ultimate student!” She clasped her hands together again before calming down, crossing her arms as she seemed to be deep in thought... “There’s sixteen Ultimate students gathered here now. But why is everyone here? Were we kidnapped? If so, then… is some organization out there trying to kidnap all the Ultimates?”

“I think… it’s more complicated than that…” He spoke lamely, looking away. Tsumugi’s words from the final class trial echoed in his head. They shouldn’t be caught on camera right now. Keebo’s the camera. His mouth drawn into a thin line as he tugged on his hat again.

She sighed, shaking her head. “It’s probably not that big of a deal! We’re confused! We need to relax, that’s all. Like! Let’s imagine Maurice Ravel’s Sonatine…”

After around 10 seconds of silence she turned to him with a smile, looking excited and confident. “Alright! Let’s look for a way out! If there’s any other Ultimate students we should talk to them, too. At least one of them’s gotta know something!”

“Yeah… Good idea.” Shuichi gave her a friendly smile as she started to walk towards the door. Following her outside, he looked at the hallway overgrown with moss, another classroom, the one where the flashback lights were created. And… Kaede’s Ultimate lab.

With the sight of dark cobalt at the corner, he strolls forward, Kaede by his side, saying something encouraging. His frown deepens, eyes focused as he looks at the cosplayer in front of them.

“Hey!” Kaede’s smiles brightly, walking up to Tsumugi. “You’re an Ultimate student, right? Can we talk—”

“Ummm..” Tsumugi isn’t really responding, appearing to be lost in thought.

Kaede continues trying to get Tsumugi’s attention as Shuichi follows behind her, tugging his hat to cover his eyes, his expression grim and dark. He can feel his knuckles clench and his fingernails dig into his skin.

“She’s still not responding. Maybe she’s a really detailed mannequin?”

“No, that’s not the case.” Shuichi mutters, before Kaede can even respond, he adds. “I know what’ll get her attention.”

He’s never been prone to violence, always opting to deal with a situation through words instead of violence. However, this isn’t something that can be solved through words. This isn’t actually real. Anything can be done in a dream. The memory of Kaede’s body being crushed from the fallboard with spikes adorned on it makes his jaw clench as his fist swings, connecting with Tsumugi’s jaw.

The cosplayer reels back, her eyes wide as he can practically see the gears turning in her head. “H-huh? What was that for?” Her voice is panicked as her eyes meet his.

“You know exactly why!” Shuichi nearly yells, his voice raising. She deserves this, for what she did. Everything she did. This is all a dream anyway, no consequences. “You’re responsible for everything!”

“Shuichi, what is wrong with you!?” Kaede’s hand tightly grips the detective’s hand, pulling him back and away from Tsumugi, her hand is warm. Shockingly real for a dream. “What- Why would you do that!?”

Shuichi lowers his voice, taking a deep breath as he calms down. “She’s responsible for everything. The killing game. Your death. Rantaro’s death. She’s the reason behind it all. She’s the mastermind!”

Different emotions pass through the pianist’s face, her expression unreadable as she states angrily, “What do you even mean!? Isn’t it obvious I’m alive? Do you know her or something? From my knowledge she hasn’t done anything!”

“Killing game?” Tsumugi asks fearfully, her eyes wide as she stares in shock as she defends herself. “No one’s dead! I’d never kill anyone!”

“Bullshit!”

“Shuichi, stop!”

He’s never seen or heard Kaede so… livid. He pauses, looking away from her. Isn’t it that when you actively say in a dream that you’re in a dream you tend to wake up? Shuichi’s never lucid dreamed before so he’s not quite sure. But… Kaede’s touch feels real. Her grip around his wrist feels real. Her hands are warm. Just like how he remembers.

“Have you met her before? Do you have any reason for punching her in the face? And I mean an actual reason, Shuichi! Did you punch her in the face just because you wanted to?”

“Of course I have a reason!” Shuichi snaps. “She’s the mastermind! She wants us all to kill each other!”

“No I don’t!”

“I said an actual reason, Shuichi!” She sneers. “Geez, I expected better from you! Do you normally punch random girls you just met!? Accuse them of stuff they’ve never done!?”

“No, of course not! But she deserves it, she’s awful!”

She lets go of his arm and steps back, a look of rage he’s never seen before clear in her gaze. “Fine. If you’re going to be like that, you can be on your own.” She turns away, walking towards the stairs. She sends him one last glare before going down the stairs.

“...Wow. I’m surprised she even left you here with me.” Tsumugi speaks up after a minute goes by, and when Shuichi turns around, her cheek rests on her hand, her calm gaze meeting his. “So you know? The killing game? Hm, I wonder what went wrong. Maybe something with the flashback light. Do you have any idea?”

He glares at her with a grim expression, tugging his hat to cover more of his face.

“You won’t tell me? That’s a shame. You shouldn’t meddle, you know, it’ll be bad for ratings.”

“I don’t care.” He nearly spat. “I’ll make sure everyone stops watching Danganronpa. I’ll make sure the ratings plummet. You’re a terrible person, Tsumugi, and I’ll make sure that you’ll get consequences for what you’ve done.”

She frowns, letting out a small sigh, despite her relaxed posture, her brows furrowed together and her voice is strained with annoyance. “Well, I’ll triple check that my doors are locked tight.”

He doesn’t respond, turning and walking down the stairs. A sense of dread shivers down his spine and settles in his gut. This is supposed to be a dream right…? The situation screams dream but with everything that’s happened it doesn’t feel like a dream. He moves his hand to pinch his arm, wincing at the pain. Shit. What’s going on? He looks around as he walks to the bottom of the steps, pausing at the bottom.

If this really isn’t a dream then… He just put a huge target on his back. She killed Rantaro for less. He’s now a target. He bites his lip nervously, checking over his shoulder up at the second floor to check if she’s watching him. No sight of the deep cobalt blue.

What happened? Everything should have been fine, right? Why is he back here? If this isn’t a dream then somehow, somehow, he ended up going back to the start of the killing game. But why…? There has to be a reason why he’s here. Do Maki and Himiko remember?

With a strong huff, he grabs his hat and takes it off, holding it in his hands before tossing it somewhere off behind the stairs and out of sight. If they do remember, it doesn’t matter. Why he’s here doesn’t matter. What matters is getting everyone out of the killing game. Alive. By any means necessary.

Moving forward, it’s time to think fast. Shuichi moves through the hallway, one which he walked through every morning for breakfast for nearly a month. The route he’s memorized. He thinks, trying to run through every possible solution and outcome. He’s got, what, one chance? He has to make this count. He has to make sure everyone lives, no matter how angry they get at him, they have to understand, even if it hurt his heart to think about Kaede’s livid glare.

He walks quickly past Rantaro, ignoring the other’s quizzical look before he slams open the warehouse door, causing Miu to jump back from where she stood at one of the shelves.

“Heeee! H-hey, what the fuck!? Don’t fucking sneak up on me!”

Shuichi pays her no mind, moving quickly to where the shot-put balls are and picking one up. Briefly, he wonders if this specific ball is one that either Tsumugi or Kaede used to attempt a murder.

“T-the fuck? What are you doing?” Miu leaned forward, looking at the other curiously and nervously. “Are you ignoring the gorgeous girl genius?”

He doesn’t respond, twisting his gaze to glare at her for a second before he turns around and leaves the warehouse with the shot-put ball held tightly in his right hand.

As he was leaving, he could hear her confused and timid mumble of “B-but… What did I do?”

Moving quickly through the halls, he ignores Rantaro again, despite the taller opening his mouth to say a greeting, Shuichi was already turning the corner. Speeding through the halls, he tries to recall exactly where who he’s looking for was at this time.

Slamming open another classroom door, he catches the two inside off guard. His gaze landed on Keebo, who seemed both frustrated from Kokichi’s endless teasing, and confused by his sudden entrance.

“Um-”

Before the robot could finish his sentence, Shuichi goes in front of him, grabbing his shoulder and hitting his antenna with the shot-put ball as hard as he could. There wasn’t much budging from the antenna, the other making a glitchy noise in protest but Shuichi just hit his antenna again and again until it became dislodged. Dropping the shot-put ball onto the floor, he grabs into the antenna and rips it off his head.

“H-hey, stop!”

Shuichi steps back with the antenna in his hand, meeting Keebo’s confused eyes. Free will. No more inner voice. Hopefully this will make him want to blow up the school even sooner. Turning around, he ignores the two’s confused protests as he shuts the door behind him.

He lets out a small sigh, and after a few seconds of trying to decide what to do next, he spots someone he needs to talk to walking right up the stairs. The sight of the assassin brings a smile to his face.

“Ah, Maki!”

The other froze, her head snapping to his, her glare threatening. “Excuse me? How do you know my name?” Her voice is soft, to the point, with an underlying threat.

“Ah, well…” His heart sinks. He bites his lip. Right. He’s not supposed to know anything about Maki. Especially not her talent. She’s terrifying and he shouldn’t get on her bad side. He has to play his next words carefully, even if he’s already screwed up so much. “I… heard about you from someone else.”

“Who?”

“Oh, well, um–”

With the sound of the bell, Shuichi was, very thankfully, able to draw his attention away from the very terrifying assassin and focus on the monitor as the Monokubs call everyone to the gym.

With a bit of nervous laughter, he turns back to Maki, her glare harsh as she returns his gaze. “W-well, I guess we should go to the gym now.”

“...”

With Maki’s lack of an answer and her distrustful eyes looking into his, he turns away, getting out of that hallway and her eyesight as soon as possible. He makes a note to himself to try and mend things the next time he talks to her, and try not to reveal anything else he absolutely should not know about her.

He can’t imagine what she’d do if he accidentally revealed that he knew she was the Ultimate Assassin.

...

Walking into the gym is uncomfortable, seeing people who’s dead bodies he’s seen. Whether their bodies were cold for hours or watching the life slowly drain out of their eyes, their bodies fresh with blood still spilling out their wounds while lying on the floor, impaled with bug stings all over their body, boiled alive with blood leaking out their eyes, or hanged and swaying by a noose—

He can see the cold gaze Kaede gives him, the smile on her face instantly wiped clean. She’s standing by Tsumugi, probably making sure that Shuichi didn’t hurt her too badly with that punch.

If she knew what Tsumugi did, she wouldn’t ever stand by her side like that.

It’s strange. He can hear Kirumi’s voice. The memory of her screaming “You can’t save anyone!” chills him to the bone. It’s weird to see her so calm again.

Shuichi can see the occasional look his way, from either the people he’s met this time or people he hasn’t. He guesses that Kaede didn’t put in the best word about him when talking to others. Probably advising them to stay away from someone violent like him.

After a minute or two of talking amongst the group, something of which Shuichi doesn’t participate in at all, the exisals show up. Shuichi doesn’t say anything, just glares at them. He’s lost in thought by the time they’re mentioning the killing game, tuning out everyone’s voices as he thinks about his next move. Wondering what the hell he should even do. He’s already got the first step, giving Keebo free will. However he’s gone and put a big target on his back for Tsumugi to kill him.

His eyes flit up to gaze at Rantaro. His next course of action. Keeping him alive. He’s got to keep him away from the library by the time he’s supposed to die. He’s got to keep Kaede from setting up that trap. He’s got to keep Tsumugi away from the secret entrance in the girls’ bathroom.

He doesn’t have much of an advantage. Keebo’s antenna being gone doesn’t do much to help him. He’s put a target on himself and seems untrustworthy. This isn’t good. None of this is good. He doesn’t know how he’s gotten himself into this situation. He doesn’t know he’ll get out. But he needs to get out. With everyone alive. No matter how much they may hate him by the end of it all.

He tries to think about who exactly is trustworthy for him. Who he can trust to help him stop the killing game. Kaito, maybe, will have the most trust in him. Kokichi is a long shot, but maybe, just maybe, he might be able to convince him to help. He won’t even try talking to Keebo, he’d just be telling his plans to the audience. Rantaro won’t trust him. Kaede already doesn’t trust him.

This won’t be easy. Not at all. But he has a plan. Even if it’s weak and doesn’t have much of a plan, he has an idea of what to do. He’ll get everyone out alive. Nobody will have to suffer. Nobody will have to die.

Nobody will die this time. He’ll make sure of it.

Chapter Text

“It’s probably a trap.”

Aside from Tsumugi and Kaede, these are the first words that the others hear from Shuichi, his expression nearly unreadable as he responds to Tenko’s words. The only lighting in the sewer being from the cold blue light coming from the open manhole above.

“All I said is that it was weird!” Tenko nearly sneers. “I don’t need a degenerate male agreeing with me!”

“There isn’t any reason to suspect it’s a trap!” Kaede speaks up suddenly, her voice loud and determined. “We’re all Ultimates here! If we work together, we’ll be fine! Everything will work out!”

Shuichi sighs, debating whether or not he could get Kaede to understand that, no matter what, it won’t work out.

“Yeah, that’s what I was going to say!” Kaito adds, his smile bright and contagious. “We’re on the same wavelength, Kaede!”

“No. This isn’t going to work out.”

Kaede turns to Shuichi, frustration clear in her features. “What? Why wouldn’t it work out? If we all work together it’ll be fine! We’ll be able to escape! Don’t you want that?”

He tries to match her determination, standing straight. “Of course I do! But like Tenko said, it’s weird that there’s just a sign that says “Exit”, right? Why haven’t we been stopped? Why would it be so convenient that we find an exit day one? This isn’t the least bit suspicious to you? Really, Kaede?”

“It’ll be fine! If we work together we’ll be able to overcome any trap that may be in there!” Kaede grabs Shuichi’s wrist, glaring at him. “I don’t know what your problem is, and although I don’t like you, I still want us all to get out of here! I’m not going to let your pessimistic views drag us all down! Once we all get through that tunnel we’ll be out of here! We won’t have to participate in the killing game! Would you rather participate in the killing game!?”

“Of course not!” Shuichi pulls away, stepping back. Her determination is commendable but he knows the truth. He knows that the only thing that will be at the end of the tunnel is despair. He knows that they won’t even be able to make it to the end. The only thing that’ll happen is that everyone will end up injured. “I don’t want anyone to die! I don’t want anyone to get hurt! If it’s a trap then people could get hurt!”

“I’m inclined to agree with Shuichi.” Both heads snap towards Keebo, who stands there awkwardly, like he wants to be anywhere but there, his antenna is still gone. Good. “Speaking logically, everything about this current situation is strange. I think Shuichi might be right about that. It being a trap, I mean.”

“God tells me it’s also a trap!” Angie adds, an ever present smile plastered on her face. “If we are to go into the tunnel, we’ll get hurt, as says God.”

Kaede’s eyes widen at the two. “Would you guys really rather give up?” She asks, her voice now softer, confused. “This might be our only chance to escape and you guys want to just give in? Participate in the killing game?”

“No, I’m just following God’s will! And He says that going through the tunnel will be a mistake.” Angie speaks up, taking a step forward before lifting her arms. “God’s will must be followed! Let us all not waste our time!”

“As much as I don’t want to agree with a degenerate male…” Tenko huffs, taking a protective step towards Himiko. “I don’t want me or any of the other girls to get hurt! So I’m not going to go in either!”

There’s a conflicted look in Kaede’s eyes as she glances around, momentary nervousness clear in her gaze before she shakes her head, the determination in her gaze returning. “If you don’t want to go, that’s fine! But anyone who wants to escape stay here! We can’t give up this easily! We’ll escape together and get help!”

“And what about everyone else?” Kokichi asks. There’s a carefree smile on his face as he holds his arms up behind his head, although Shuichi can recognize the calculating glint in his eyes. “They get to stay behind and then what? They kill each other?”

“No!” Kaede turns to him quickly, her voice louder and more determined. “We’re getting help and coming back for everyone else! There won’t be any killing game! Nobody will kill each other!”

“Your thinking is naive.” Maki says simply, turning away towards the ladder. “We’re all strangers. Why would we work together?”

“Kaede might have a point.” Kirumi points out, tilting her head slightly. “This might be our only chance to escape. We shouldn’t waste this moment.”

Kaito grins, giving the maid a thumbs up. “Kirumi’s right! We can’t waste this moment! Come on, everyone! We all should believe in Kaede!”

Miu lets out an annoyed tsk noise. “I can’t afford to die here. I won’t participate in any stupid fuckin’ killing game! The world needs my genius!”

Shuichi shakes his head, his gaze scanning the people staying with Kaede. Gonta, Kaito, Kirumi, Kokichi, Rantaro, Tsumugi, Miu, and Kiyo. Most of them looked determined. Kaede and Kaito’s words lifting their spirits and filling them with the hope they need to try and escape. When Shuichi’s eyes land on Kokichi, he finds that the other is staring back, a frown etched in his features. Kokichi suddenly smiles, bright and empty.

With a frown, he turns away, going towards the ladder before he starts to climb up.

…

By morning, Shuichi is already in the dining hall, having already been awake for an hour before the morning announcement. Tenko, Himiko, and Keebo are already here. Himiko laying her head on her arms on the table, Tenko beside her eating her breakfast. Keebo sits in one of the chairs, looking sadly at the food that he can’t eat. After a few minutes Kirumi walks in, looking as dignified as always, if not for the bandage on her arm.

“Kirumi?” Himiko raises her head, looking up sleepily at the maid.

“Why are you here? Was the degenerate male right? Was it a trap?” Tenko asks, as if Shuichi wasn’t a few seats away from her.

She sighs, dropping her head. “Yes. It was. We tried to go on for as long as we could, but we couldn’t escape.”

“So it was a trap.” Keebo murmurs. “Are you guys okay?”

Kirumi nods. “Yes, we’re all okay. For the most part. We’ve had a lot of injuries, although they were able to be patched up.”

“It’s a good thing we didn’t go in then!” Tenko exclaims, wrapping her arm around Himiko protectively, despite Himiko’s small “nyeh” in protest. “If Himiko got injured I’d never forgive you guys for that!”

“So how’s everyone doing?” Shuichi asks, looking up at her. “You said that there were a lot of injuries, so is everyone alright?”

“Yes, everyone’s fine.” Kirumi confirms, thinking for a minute. “Most of the injuries were pretty minor, at least. Nobody was seriously injured.”

“Ah, God’s blessing!” Angie adds suddenly, as if she was in the dining hall the entire time. Suddenly slipping in from the door, Tsumugi was behind her, the cosplayer sporting what looked like a pretty nasty black eye. “God must have let you all off with a warning! Thank God for this blessing!”

"Tsumugi! Who hurt you? Was it a degenerate male!? Tell me! I'll kill him!" Tenko near jumps up from her seat, her eyes wide and worried.

"No, no. Just that tunnel…" Tsumugi responds reassuringly, her voice soft. "I'm fine. Hurts though…"

"I'll get some ice." Kirumi speaks up, walking in long strides towards the kitchen.

Shuichi sighs, biting his lip as he thinks. Kirumi said that the injuries were minor, thankfully, but Tsumugi didn't end up with a black eye before. Did the injuries end up more severe than last time?

For the next ten or so minutes, everyone in the dining hall settled in, Angie sitting down next to Tenko and Himiko, talking animatedly about her god. Kirumi walked from the dining hall and kitchen, getting anything the others needed, while Tsumugi filled Keebo(and the audience) in about what happened at the tunnel.

As more people file in, Shuichi stays quiet, just eating his food and scanning the other people. Kokichi acts like basically nothing's happened, Gonta looks dejected, the only thing that cheers him up is being asked about bugs, Kaito stays cheerful despite everything, still trying to cheer everyone up, Miu doesn't even arrive, Kaede seems more frustrated than anything else, Rantaro seems distant and focused on something else entirely.

Despite the constant chatter, Shuichi doesn't listen to anyone, looking downcast at his food as he eats.

"So, where's Miu?" He asks eventually, not looking up.

Angie hums slightly and responds, "Oh, I knocked on her door! She snapped at me and told me to go away. I asked God and He said that she's injured and needed time to herself, so I left her alone!"

"If she's injured, shouldn’t we check on her? I feel like that’s the best thing to do." Keebo asks.

"She wasn't that injured though." Kaede adds, looking over to the robot. "She has a cut above her eye but she's not hurt enough to where she needs to be checked up on."

"Mhm! God knows that she's just upset about everything! Give her a while and she will come to us!"

"Or alternatively, fill in the perv later and listen to my announcement!" Monokuma exclaims, popping out of nowhere and climbing up onto the table, startling almost everyone.

Shuichi glares at the bear, not listening to his words. It's not like he needs to. He knows what's happening. He knows the motive. He knows it's starting. His eyes focus on Kaede, her own eyes glued to Monokuma, disgust clear in her expression. He needs to stop her from attempting to kill the mastermind. His eyes go to Rantaro, a similar expression of disgust, just more toned down, on his face. And he needs to stop him from getting killed.

He needs to get everyone out alive before the time limit is revealed.

Chapter Text

If Shuichi remembers correctly, he has only a little under 48 hours until the time limit is revealed. He doesn’t know exactly what to do at this point. Pacing on the second floor, he tries to think about what he should do. Tomorrow would have been the day where he told Kaede about the hidden door. Should he stay in the library to make sure nobody touches the bookcase? Or should he try to do something else?

Letting out a frustrated breath, he tries to calm his racing thoughts. How can he get everyone out? Thinking about it properly, he actually has no clue what’s outside of the spaceship. He came back to the beginning before he could actually find out what was outside.

“Why are you glaring a hole in the floor?”

The voice snaps Shuichi out of his thoughts, his eyes meeting Himiko’s.

“Hey, Himiko… Just… thinking… What are you doing here?” He asks, choosing his words carefully. She’s never really alone, Tenko always following at her side like a loyal puppy. But from the looks of things, the other girl wasn’t anywhere nearby.

“Nyeh, wanted to be alone for a bit. Tenko wouldn’t go away.” She responds sleepily, sitting down on the bench and bringing her knees up to her chest to rest her arms on.

Right. Himiko didn’t like Tenko at first.

“Ah, well…” He responds awkwardly, not really knowing where he’s going with his sentence. How does he talk to Himiko? She’s so… different… than how he remembers. The bright, determined girl isn’t here. Instead, there’s a girl, tired and unhelpful, sitting in her skin. “At least she doesn’t want you dead.”

The magician tilts her head, resting her cheek on her arm, lazily looking up at him. “She’s still annoying…”

“That’s fair…” He clears his throat, looking away. “Tenko can be… a bit much…”

“That’s an understatement.” She mutters, burying her head in her arms, her hat nearly falling off her head. How it even stays on, Shuichi has no clue.

“Well… Why exactly are you talking to me? I’m not exactly well liked here…”

She lets out a small hum, looking up. “I don’t really care. I already cast a protection spell on myself, you can’t harm me if you wanted to.”

…He doubts that.

“How are you getting along with everyone?”

“I don’t exactly have much of a chance to talk with anyone.” She responds with a huff, raising her head and gritting her teeth. “Tenko chases off all the guys so you’re the only guy I’ve actually had a chance to really talk to. Kaede’s nice. Angie’s nice. Tsumugi’s nice. Kirumi’s nice. Miu’s mean. Maki’s scary.”

“So you get along with most of the girls?” He asks, finally deciding to take a seat beside her.

Himiko shrugs. “I guess. Tenko’s annoying, she’s usually the one talking to them. None of them except for Tenko and Angie actually believe in my magic.”

He nods slightly. “Is there anyone you’ve been able to talk to much aside from Tenko?”

“You.” She huffs, pulling down her hat in front of her face. “Tenko won’t really let anyone talk to me. I don’t think she even realizes she’s doing it, but it’s still annoying.”

“Yeah, she can be like that.”

“You keep saying that but I actually haven’t seen you even introduce yourself to her.” Himiko gives him a quizzical glance. “I haven’t cast an invisibility spell any time recently so you wouldn’t have been able to eavesdrop on her.”

Ah. Revealing information he shouldn’t know again.

“I can just tell.” He responds awkwardly. “I mean, it is kind of obvious.”

She shrugs, seeming to accept this answer, before she buries her head in her arms once again. The two fall into a semi-comfortable silence for a few minutes, and when Shuichi opens his mouth to speak again-

“Himiko? Himiko, where are you?” Tenko suddenly rushes up the stairs, her eyes wide. As soon as she spots the two she gasps, horror dawning on her expression. “No! Himiko, why are you hanging out with that degenerate male!? Don’t worry, I’ll save you from him!”

Himiko lets out a frustrated groan, curling up into herself even more. “No, stop.”

“Hiiiya!”

Before Shuichi can even rush out an explanation, Tenko’s already grabbing him by the arm and throwing him across the room.

“Ow!”

He lets out a hiss of pain once his back collides with the wall, and he’s thankful that at the very least she didn’t knock him out.

“Degenerate male! What do you think you’re doing? Trying to get on Himiko’s good side while nobody can defend her!? I won’t let you hurt her!”

“Tenko, stop.” Himiko butts in lazily, looking frustrated and tired of the other’s antics.

“But he’s trying to do something evil, Himiko! What if he hurts you!?” Tenko exclaims, turning to Himiko with a horrified expression. “I can’t let anyone hurt you! You’re too precious!”

She lets out a groan, hiding her face in her arms again. “I’m tired, I think I’m going to go back to my dorm.”

“Oh, let me walk you there!”

When the two finally walk away, Shuichi slowly gets up, clutching his head with one of his hands, a dull ache settling there. He sighs. Well that was pointless. Not only did that get him nowhere on the whole getting-everyone-out mission, but also he now has a splitting headache.

Walking down the stairs, he tries to decide what exactly he should do now. Should he talk to someone? Do something? He’s not quite sure. The ultimate labs aren’t open yet, so he can’t ask Miu to build anything, not like that would be much help to anything at all at the moment. Should he try to talk to Rantaro? Should he punch Tsumugi in the face again?

Thinking about it, maybe that’s not the most helpful option.

…

The entire day is a waste.

That much is clear to Shuichi by the time the nighttime announcement comes around. He lets out a frustrated noise as he leans against the wall of his dorm room, trying to resist the urge to scream.

Throughout the day the only thing he really did was talk to some of the others, like Himiko, Gonta, and Kirumi specifically. A waste of time, if anything. Stalling so that he wouldn’t have to deal with his problems. He learned nothing insightful from any of those interactions. Waste of time.

Sitting down on his bed, he huffs, falling back. The entire day was a waste. He sits up again, holding his head in his hands. Damn him! He needs to focus more and work extra hard tomorrow, he needs to get everyone out and fast.

He stands up and walks over to the lightswitch, flicking it off, his thoughts already swarming as he attempts to come up with a plan for the next day. Might as well attempt to get some shut eye, although he knows he’ll likely be up for another hour just trapped in overthinking hell.

…

…

Something makes Shuichi stir.

…

What time is it?

…

Still drowsy, he can recognize that there’s some sort of strange noise in the room.

…

Footsteps?

…

No, the sound’s gone.

…

A scream erupts from Shuichi’s throat at the sudden pain in his side. With a jolt, his hand hits something, quickly shoving it away. His mind is hazy, the room is dark. There’s a strong burning sensation at every sudden movement. He stumbles out of the bed as he hears a “Shit!” come from someone else.

He’s being attacked.

He’s being attacked.

This isn’t something he anticipated!

He tries to stumble towards the lightswitch, tripping over his own feet, before his attacker grabs his arm, twisting it and tugging him towards them.

Them?

No. Her.

He can recognize the voice from the sudden curse.

“Stop it! That was supposed to kill you immediately! Stop struggling you fuckin’–!”

He struggles, trying to think quickly as he kicks Miu, resulting in her letting out a hiss of pain. Whatever weapon she has in her other hand quickly comes down on his shoulder. It’s not exactly easy to fight in the dark, and wherever she keeps trying to hit him, she keeps missing.

He tries to fight back, trying his best to grab the weapon from the inventor, which really only results in him getting his hand stabbed. Ripping his arm out of her grip, he stumbles back and falls over. It’s hard to breathe. The adrenaline rushing through his veins helps to mask the pain, sure, but the blood pumping in his ears is sure enough to remind him of the absolute danger he’s in.

There’s a boot crushing his lower leg and it hurts. It all hurts. Miu’s trying to kill him. Miu. Why?

He can’t even try to figure that out, the weapon finding home in his stomach again. A hand grasps his hair, pulling his head forward before slamming it back against the floor as hard as the other can manage.

Chapter Text

No. No. No. No. No.

By the time he hits the floor, his thoughts are already swarming in his brain, so muddled and loud and confused that he can’t grasp a single word. Adrenaline already rushes through his veins, his cheeks very quickly becoming wet as he lets out a sob.

He can’t feel any blood on him, not sticky or dry or anything. Like it never happened. There’s no pain from where Miu hurt him. The only bit of pain is from the sting when his arm hit the floor. His vision is blurry as he cries. He doesn’t understand. He doesn’t understand anything.

“Hey, are you okay?”

He can barely register the voice, flinching back and almost screaming when a hand touches his arm. His limbs are shaking. It feels like he’s dying. Shrinking back into himself, he sobs, his back hitting a cold, smooth surface as he moves back.

He’s supposed to be dead, isn’t he? He’s dying. He knows he is. Even if he’s not dead, he’s going to die. He hugs himself tightly, his nails digging into his upper arms, not noticing when the hand retreats. Everything hurts.

Another sob rips from his throat. Help. Help. That word rings over and over in his mind. He opens his mouth to try and speak but he can’t. He can’t let out a word. The only sound that comes out is another sob.

It hurts. He’s pretty sure the sleeves of his uniform have been torn from his fingernails from how hard his nails are digging into his arms. That’s barely a thought in his mind, the thought far back with the muffled cries of confusion.

A hand wraps around his wrist, carefully moving it away from his upper arm and intertwining his fingers with theirs. He sobs again, trying to recoil back into himself. The other person doesn’t try to pull his hand back towards them, just keeping their fingers intertwined. They hum softly. Shuichi can’t focus. Can’t ground himself. He just squeezes their hand tightly, his limbs shaking.

“Hey, can you focus on me? It’s alright, you’re okay.” Who is that? He can recognize the voice but he can’t focus properly, can’t discern anything at the moment. He opens his mouth to speak but he can’t force a single word out as he chokes on another sob. They hum and continue speaking softly. “That’s alright, just try to focus on me, okay? I’m here.”

He squeezes their hand again, the grip so tight it hurts himself. He can barely breathe. It’s like his lungs have collapsed in on themselves, every time he tries to breathe it hurts. He has to force out each quick, shallow breath.

He’s slowly able to realize that they’ve moved his other hand, putting his fingers on their pulse and letting him feel their pulse. “Focus on my pulse, okay? Try to focus on my heartbeat.”

He doesn’t know how long it takes. Doesn’t know how long it takes for him to ground himself, but eventually the person’s counting and Shuichi’s focusing, following their breathing exercises. Everything feels too fast and too slow at the same time. But slowly, slowly, he’s able to open his eyes. Tears cling to his lashes as he meets Kaede’s gaze.

…Kaede?

He blinks. She just smiles.

“Are you okay?” Her words are gentle, her tone soft. “You were having a panic attack.”

“You- I- What?” He swallows, his throat feels dry. His eyes searching Kaede’s expression. There’s no sign of disgust, annoyance, or anger. “You don’t… hate me…?”

“Hate you?” Kaede’s eyebrows furrow and she frowns, her thumb gently rubbing the back of one of his hands. “I think your memories are fuzzy.”

“F-fuzzy…?”

“Did you hit your head?” She touches his head gently, feeling to see if he flinches at any specific spot. Her tone is friendly and empathetic, as if nothing has ever happened. She gives him a friendly smile. “Here, how about introductions. My name is Kaede Akamatsu, it’s nice to meet you.”

He feels like his throat is closing, his eyes welling up with tears once again. “K-Kaede?”

Mhm.” She nods, her expression softening a bit. “What’s your name?”

He swallows nervously and his hands shake. She just squeezes his hand lightly. This isn’t a dream. He can recognize at least that. This is real. He’s not dead, somehow. Somehow, he’s still alive despite Miu stabbing him. “I- Shuichi Saihara.”

She nods, smiling. “Well, Shuichi, it’s nice to meet you. Are you able to stand or do you need to sit for a while?”

“I… I think so… I think I’m able to stand.”

She nods. Without another word she stands up, holding onto Shuichi’s hand and pulling him up. He grips her hand like a lifeline, as if letting go would mean his own certain death. His legs shake as he stands. He’s not in any pain. He has the memory of Miu attacking him, he remembers the pain of the attack, but he no longer feels it. Like it never happened. He wonders if he’s hallucinating or if this is the afterlife.

It’s weird. Shuichi doesn’t understand anything. Somehow he ended up at the start of the killing game after everything was supposed to be over. Kaede still said the same things she said originally. Sure, there were small changes in her words but the big changes were an effect of his actions.

One thing he doesn’t get is what happened with Miu. She was barely a thought in his mind, he didn’t think she was going to try to kill him. Why did Miu try to kill him? Why did he come back to the start of the killing game again after she did? It doesn’t make sense to him. Miu attacked him and tried to kill him. But he’s obviously alive, right? Why did she try to kill him? It doesn’t make sense.

It doesn’t make sense when he looks over at Kaede and knows she’s real. Knows she’s still alive. Knows that her body isn’t cold and lifeless and dead. Her eyes are bright and full of life. Even though what feels like a few days ago, she and most of the other people he’s seen in said few days he’s seen dead. Kaede’s hand is warm. Her skin isn’t gray and stiff.

He can’t wrap his mind around everything. He doesn’t understand anything. This feels real. There’s nothing that’s out of place. But he doesn’t understand how or why he’s here. Somehow he’s alive. Somehow he’s here, right next to Kaede. How? What’s happening to him? Why is this happening to him?

“Hey, Shuichi, why don’t we walk around?” Kaede’s voice is gentle and she squeezes Shuichi’s hand. “We’ll find a way out of here, okay?”

Shuichi nods, following her as the two walk out of the classroom. His thoughts continue to race, wondering what he should do this time. He’s given a second, well, third, chance, he should make the most of it, shouldn’t he? He doesn’t want anyone to die. Maybe Tsumugi. Maybe he wants Tsumugi dead.

He grimaces as soon as Tsumugi comes into sight, Kaede near immediately starting to poke her. He decides to not really add to their conversation, tugging his hat over his eyes and looking away. He doesn’t want Kaede to die. He doesn’t want Tsumugi to frame her again. That can’t happen again. He won’t allow it. But how can he stop it?

Maybe going through this normally would help. This is a reality show, right? Tsumugi must have planned things out to an extent, even as early as now. Perhaps going through everything the same way as he did originally, up until Rantaro’s death would work. Stop him from dying. Stop Tsumugi right away. Have everyone else catch her with that stupid shot put ball.

Maybe that would work. Maybe nobody else will have to die. Not this time. She can just be caught in the act. Kaede will live. Rantaro will live. So will everyone else.

He’s going to save them. He knows he will.

Chapter Text

Everything’s more unsettling, Shuichi’s realized. Kaede leads him along, all kind and gentle words and smiles, while meeting new people. But knowing how so many of these people die makes him want to puke. Actually talking with Tsumugi was easiest, surprisingly. Kaede didn’t push him to speak as much and the cosplayer didn’t even try to speak with him. He was lost in thought until Kaede started guiding him away.

The next person was Rantaro. He’s easy to talk to, at least. Shuichi had to introduce himself and Kaede looked like she was proud of him, squeezing his hand. There was the small thought in his head that he’d be able to save Rantaro this time. No shot put ball would find its way into the back of Rantaro’s head. Not this time.

Then there was Miu. All crude jokes and harsh insults, all of which Shuichi desperately wanted to not hear a second time. She made more than one remark on how Shuichi and Kaede were holding hands. The entire interaction just left him more annoyed than the first time, but it was hard not to think about the moment they had all found her dead body. That lifeless look. It’s weird to see her so full of life, not dead or trying to kill him. Totally made it less awkward to talk to her…

There was less for him to say when it came to Himiko and Tenko. Kaede doing most of the talking when it came to Tenko, and Himiko not really engaging in much conversation at all. It would be hard to talk to them anyways. Tenko with her misandry and glares at Shuichi, and Himiko’s general… not… Himiko-ness… Too tired and asocial for a proper conversation with her.

Just existing in the same room as Keebo and Kokichi is… bizarre. Knowing that Keebo is unknowingly broadcasting every single thing he sees and hears is uncomfortable to say the least, and he wishes he could knock that antenna off his head again. Kokichi’s more childish and carefree in the beginning than he remembers. It’s certainly unnerving seeing the childish joy on his face while knowing exactly what’s going to happen to him.

Ryoma is like Himiko in the way that there’s not really much chance for Shuichi to even make conversation. He’s Ryoma, as he always is. And Shuichi wants him to live, and he knows he’ll find a way to keep him alive.

Talking to Maki is even more awkward. Standoffish and even more asocial, she walks off near immediately. She’s so different, a wall between her emotions and words. A wall Shuichi will never be able to bring down.

He doesn’t like being around Korekiyo. He was always unsettling and creepy, and despite Shuichi’s once fascination and curiosity, that’s all gone now. Now all he can feel is discomfort. Discomfort for what he knows. Discomfort for what he knows Kiyo has done and will likely do again.

When the Monokubs show up, it takes all of his willpower to not kick one of them.

Approaching Kaito, all he can really do is tense up. Kaede coaxes him with kind words and a soft tone for him to actually relax again. But even still, he knows about his illness. Kaito’s smile is bright, but Shuichi still can see the blood dripping down his chin as he coughs. It wasn’t that long ago.

Kirumi’s scary when she’s angry, that much Shuichi knows for a fact. And although Kirumi isn’t angry when he sees her again, he can certainly hear her angered yells in his head. Her execution was brutal, and one that he never wants to see again. No-one should have to go through what she did there, and he’s at the very least comforted by the fact that he’ll do anything to save her and everyone else.

Gonta’s a good person. Sweet and kind, Shuichi finds that he’s most comfortable talking to the gentle giant. Remembering his execution makes his heart sink. He won’t let that happen again. Out of all people, Gonta definitely doesn’t deserve that.

Angie, as always, is eccentric and bright. Like a ray of sunshine on the brightest day of the year. Like a ray of sunshine when you haven’t left the house for a month. Makes your eyes burn. She’s not that much different from when she was by the time of her death, less forceful maybe, but the same cultist nonetheless.

The days following suit were more so the same as the first time. A bit more nerve wracking. Shuichi found himself studying everyone else’s facial expressions a lot more. He’s noticed more. It was just a matter of waiting, through these few days. Everytime something different happens he panics. He’s found he’s become more paranoid.

He ended up blocking his dorm door with the table every night before he goes to bed.

Every night. In reality it’s just been three days. A very stressful three days. He wants everything to be perfect. He wants everything to go according to plan. He ends up retracing his steps. Checking the hidden door, he pretends like he found it for the first time. Even if no-one’s around, he doesn’t know who could be watching. He can’t let Tsumugi catch on.

Kaede is more consistently at his side, checking on him, making sure he’s okay, encouraging him. She’s a constant throughout those three days. The small changes scare him, but he tries to soothe his fears by reminding himself that he hasn’t died. He has Kaede at his side and he’s not going to let her down by giving up. He’s not going to let her down by letting her die.

He can’t help but feel relief when things start going according to plan. The day works out near perfectly, he can practically see the gears turning in Kaede’s head. He knows her plan. The moment when she picks up the shot put ball he feels immense relief. Everything is going to plan.

Even still, he’s filled to the brim with nerves. He bites his nails a lot in the hours leading up to everything, a habit he hasn’t done in a couple years. Everything rides on his actions here. If he fails, everything will be for nothing. He can’t fail. He can’t fail Kaede, he can’t fail Rantaro. He can’t fail anyone.

Kaede comforts him and tells him everything’s going to be okay. He knows that. He knows everything will be okay. He also knows that he’s the one who is able to make sure everything turns out okay. It’s terrifying. But he’s going to make sure that everything goes to plan.

Everything goes the same, at least he thinks everything goes the same. He doesn’t quite remember everything originally. The differences are minor, that’s all he knows. He’s terrified. He tries to do everything the exact same way, say the same things. He probably comes off as even more socially awkward than he already is. It’s easy to see how nervous he is. He’s pretty sure everyone can see it. Little glances of concern and pity.

He ignores it. What matters is everyone’s safety, not their thoughts on him.

The minutes leading up to everything is the most nervous he’s felt the entire time. He wipes his sweaty palms on his shirt several times. His heart pounds in his chest. He can see that Kaede’s nervous too, his behavior rubbing off on her too. Everything makes him nervous. Every little sound, every little action. He jumps when Kaede makes a sudden movement. Everything has to go perfectly.

When Kaito’s group goes to the Game Room he can feel his limbs shaking. Just like the first time, he follows them silently before returning to Kaede. Any second. Everything relies on him. Everyone relies on him. He can’t let the same thing happen to them again.

Then the receiver goes off.

He’s already panicking, nearly dropping it as he tosses it to Kaede. His heart races. The moment he’s been waiting for in the past three days. It’s finally here. He needs to do something. Fast.

“Someone’s moved the bookshelf!” His voice trembles. It sounds too loud and too quiet at the same time in his own ears. This is happening. This is really happening. He can’t fail them. He can’t let them die. He doesn’t wait for Kaede to follow him as he runs out of the room. He knows she’ll stay behind for a minute anyways. Waiting will only slow him down.

He feels like he’s going to pass out as he reaches the stairs, clammy, sweaty hands grasping the handrails so he doesn’t trip and fall. He swallows. Kaito and Tenko are outside the Game Room, he can’t alert them. They’ll slow him down. It’s completely possible that because of them he could miss Tsumugi entirely.

He tries to get down the stairs as quickly and quietly as possible, skipping every other step and nearly falling down six separate times. He can’t waste any time. He can’t, he can’t. Rantaro’s life depends on him. Kaede’s life depends on him. He needs to save them. He can’t let them die. Not this time. Not again.

Opening the front doors to the library he knew immediately that he was too late. Tsumugi’s at the open hidden door, her eyes wide in shock. Hands full. One hand holding a clean shot put ball. The other holding a bloody Survivor Perk Monopad. He’s too late. He’s too late. He failed.

No. He hasn’t failed Kaede. Tsumugi’s expression changes from confusion and shock to anger. She opens her mouth to speak. He doesn’t want to hear whatever bullshit comes out of her mouth. There’s no excuse she can say. No lie she can pull. He doesn’t want to hear it. He needs to stop her. She won’t frame Kaede again. She won’t continue the killing game.

Running forward, Shuichi grabs Tsumugi’s wrist and shoves her into the wall. Books fall to the floor as he hears a loud thud from the impact, dust wafting into the air that makes Shuichi hold in coughs. The smell of blood taints the air.

“What are you doing!?” With a yell, she kicks Shuichi, forcing his grip to loosen in shock. Moving her hand quickly, he feels a sharp, blinding pain in the side of his head, stumbling to the side. Blood drips down the side of his face and his eyes widen. In the shock of everything, he can’t make a connection. Fingers wrap around his wrist so tight he’s sure will cause him to bruise as he’s sharply pulled forward and shoved, hitting the ground.

He tries to get up as quickly as he can but a foot hits his back, pushing him down. It’s happening again. Not again, please, not again. He can’t die again. He can feel the blood dripping down his face, warm and sticky and uncomfortable. One of his eyes is closed, blood spilling slowly over his eyelid. He can register words being spoken.

“What the fuck is wrong with you!?” Tsumugi near yells, her shoe digging harshly into his back. “Do you want to ruin everything for me!? You weren’t supposed to do that!”

He lets out a cry of pain when he feels something sharp slice across his heel, the blood clinging to his skin already. No, no, no, no. He’s already hyperventilating. He can’t die again. He can’t fail again.

But he’s already failed Rantaro.

He can hear Tsumugi laugh coldly above him. “You know what that was, Shuichi?” She asks, leaning down towards him. Her voice is quiet, a near whisper, her tone cold and apathetic. Enunciating her words mockingly, like talking to a child. But in a much more fucked up way. “That was your Achilles tendon. With that cut, you can’t fucking walk.”

She moves away suddenly, kicking Shuichi’s side, making him wince. He can hear her stomp across the room, not exiting the room just yet. He can’t see her, even when he lifts his head. At least, not properly. There’s blood in his eye, forcing his eye closed, while tears well up in both of them, making his vision blurry. He can’t see her other than a blurry blob, but he can definitely hear her.

“Give birth to a Monokuma!” He flinches as he hears Tsumugi yell. She’s loud, not at all trying to be quiet. The walls must be soundproof if she’s not worried about anyone overhearing her. He can see the small, blurry white and black shape. Monokuma’s too far away for him to properly hear what’s being said.

“This fucking ruined everything! How am I supposed to get away with this if I have to deal with Shuichi too!?” She’s angrier than he’s ever seen her. More honest than he’s ever seen her. Her true colors shining through even more so than that final trial. “You didn’t specify the place in the announcement, right!? I’m screwed if I don’t show up with everyone else!” There’s silence for a few seconds. “You need to distract them! Make it so that not everyone shows up immediately! I need to move Shuichi!” Another bit of silence. “I don’t fucking know! Use the fucking Monokubs! They weren’t my idea!”

They continue the back and forth, eventually ending with a yell of frustration from Tsumugi. Shuichi lets out another cry of pain when he moves too harshly, bending his foot and feeling the sharp, agonizing pain from his cut heel.

“Shut up!” She yells at him, stamping her foot onto the ground. “You weren’t even supposed to fucking die! This is all your fault! There’s not supposed to be a double murder in the first case! The ratings are going to fucking plummet!”

She suddenly comes up to him, with what looks like a sheet in hand, quickly wrapping it around Shuichi’s head, tearing a bit of it off to wrap around his ankle. When he tries to move away she sneers and slaps him across the face. She maneuvers her hands so that she can pick him up in a sort of bridal carry. It’s obvious she’s struggling, he can hear her grunt in frustration and quite literally feel her arms shaking. The hold is awkward and he feels like she could drop him at any second.

There’s a part of him that screams at him. A part that screams about how he isn’t struggling. A larger part of him gives up. He’s failed. He’s failed, he’s failed, he’s failed. Rantaro’s dead. He can’t see an outcome where he ends up surviving this. He hopes he at least messed everything up. He hopes that Kaede and everyone else realize who killed him and who killed Rantaro. He hopes Kaede won’t be executed. He hopes no-one else will have to die. He hopes he’s the last one.

He doesn’t really register anything until Tsumugi drops him on the ground, pain shooting through his body at the drop. She bends down, quickly taking off the sheets covering his wounds. Shuichi’s barely given enough time to react before a sharp knife pierces through his throat, quickly slicing, Tsumugi jumping back before his blood can hit her.

His hand weakly moves up, grasping at the wound as the blood pools in his hand, spilling down his neck and bleeding into his shirt. He chokes on the blood. He’s dying again. He’s failed again. Everything he’s done has been for nothing.

He doesn’t even realize when Tsumugi leaves, one of the few things he does realize is that she left him to die in the boys’ bathroom.

Chapter Text

When he falls out of the locker again, he doesn’t really feel anything. Physically, he can. He can feel the pain of his elbow hitting the ground, but emotionally? There’s just static. He’s failed again. And he’s back again. He doesn’t even feel like crying. Kaede talks to him, but he doesn't really respond.

This is all stupid anyways.

That’s what Shuichi realizes. As the days pass he barely has enough energy to get up in the mornings. He tries to go with the flow. He doesn’t really have the mental strength to try and save everyone again. Every second he’s not trying he mentally berates himself. He feels like a failure.

It’s a cycle, is the other thing Shuichi realizes when he dies again, breaking down into tears once again. He doesn’t know what he did to deserve it. He doesn’t know what to do.

The days are a slog to get through. He finds himself sick of the repetitiveness of everything. The first day is always the same, he can’t stop that. Kaede says the same things, the killing game still starts, there’s always that stupid fucking tunnel.

He lies in his bed some days, not wanting to face everyone else. He doesn’t keep track of the days. Sometimes someone, usually Kaede or Kaito, will force him out of his room to eat breakfast. Sometimes he can see others look at him with pity. He tries to ignore it.

He’s failed them, he knows he has. He doesn’t tell anyone about the loop. It’d be pointless anyways.

All that stays consistent is dying. He doesn’t keep track of how many times he’s died. He doesn’t want to. It never gets better. It’s always painful. He never builds up a pain tolerance. He’s a target. Simple as that. Easy pickings for those who decide they need out and for Tsumugi, who finds he acts a bit too odd for her liking. He’s found that he's accidentally made himself her target several times.

He gets snappier as time goes on. It’s all repetitive, his actions have no consequences. He hates dying. He doesn’t fear it. Kaede always says the same things the second the loop restarts. He doesn’t fear the small changes anymore, anything but annoys him.

He’s sick of everything. He’s sick of the repetitiveness, he’s sick of Monokuma, he’s sick of the Monokubs, he’s sick of the killing game, he’s sick of the tunnel. He’s sick of Kaede.

He hates himself for feeling like that, he really does. But he’s so sick of Kaede saying the same things over and over again. He cares about her, but he’s sick of it. It’s the same over and over and over again. The most different thing he gets is if he snaps at her, because she’ll just snap right back.

He hates the days that pass. Seconds feel like hours to him and minutes feel like days. He can’t save anyone. Every time he tries someone else dies, often himself. A few timelines someone dies and he gets to witness a class trial. One time he misled everyone, got them to vote for the wrong person. He regrets that. He’s selfish. He hates the challenge of not knowing.

He hates every second that passes. He gives up several times. Just letting someone else kill him. He snaps at people when they show concern. He hates how he reacts.

Sometimes he wishes he could tell someone. There’s nothing stopping him. But he thinks he’ll die anyways. He’d rather not die again. It never gets better. It always hurts just as much as the first time. He tries to dissociate.

He wants out. He wants to get out of this stupid time loop. He wonders what he did to deserve this. To deserve this never ending hell. He can’t get out. No matter how much he dies, how much he tries. Every single time, he ends up back in that classroom falling out of that same locker.

He feels like he’s going insane, every time he dies. Hearing Kaede say the same thing over and over again. There’s only so much someone can take.

He wonders if Himiko ended up cursing him during that first loop. He hates himself for thinking that, for even having a single thought of blaming an innocent party. Even still, there’s a point where she says something on a particularly bad day, and Shuichi insults her. He doesn’t even fully register the words coming out of his mouth, it wasn’t that bad, he thinks.

But he doesn’t miss the way Himiko’s expression falls and he definitely doesn’t miss the way Tenko clocks him in the face, yelling something about Neo-Aikido and how he’s a degenerate male. Kaede’s the one that comforts him, gingerly pressing an ice pack onto Shuichi’s eyelid.

The next morning when he goes to take a shower, he looks in the mirror, raising a hand to touch lightly on the bruise, wincing. She had given him a black eye. Great.

When he leaves his dorm afterward, he’s one of the first people in the dining hall. The other people already there are Kirumi, Keebo, Kokichi, Himiko, and Tenko. He definitely doesn’t want to see Tenko, and from the look on her face, she’s not too thrilled to see him either. She sneers and he tries to ignore her.

He can already tell she’s going to be a pain to get away from.

Over the next few days, he’s proven correct. She doesn’t leave him alone at all. She’s constantly there over his shoulder, insulting him, glaring at him. He never really took her as the type to hold a grudge, but apparently she does. Any free time she has she spends it following him around and bothering him.

He feels like he’s going to go crazy.

Shouldn’t Tenko be hanging out with Himiko anyways? She’s going completely out of her way to harass him for one thing he said to Himiko. One thing he doesn’t even remember actually saying. Even so, Tenko hates him in this timeline. Hates him for more reasons other than just being a guy.

As the days pass, whenever he leaves his dorm room, Tenko bugs him. It’s annoying. He tries to ignore her. She can be very harsh when she wants to be. She’s also loud. And hard to ignore.

One morning, when he wakes up, he doesn’t wake up to the morning announcement. He doesn’t know the time, but what he does know is that he’s woken up from a nightmare. Something that has been happening more and more frequently.

When he leaves his dorm room, nobody else seems to be up. That is at least, until he leaves the dorms and spots a very familiar face practicing Neo-Aikido by herself. As soon as the two make eye contact, Tenko’s expression shifts to one of pure annoyance.

And he is not dealing with that. Not. Today.

Quickly turning, he stalks off towards the dining hall. He can hear Tenko run after him, her sandals hitting the floor as he yells after him. He tries to tune her out. It’s hard though. She’s loud and angry, just getting more frustrated when he ignores her.

Walking into the kitchen, it feels like there’s a fly that just won’t. Leave. Him. Alone. He’s already drowsy and exhausted, his nightmare still plaguing his mind. That’s all annoying enough. What’s more annoying is Tenko’s constant blabber that’s enough to grate his ears. But he’s trying his best to ignore her. He really is.

His movements are automatic at the coffee machine, adding the filter, the water, the coffee grounds. His eyes automatically scan the room as well for a brief moment, just to check if anything was missing. No knives were taken from the knife block, nothing was out of place. Nothing seemed amiss.

“Hey, degenerate male! Are you even listening to me?” Tenko snaps, slamming her hands on the counter. Her glare is harsh, her expression a permanent sneer.

Her words made it feel like his ears were bleeding.

“You’re such a typical degenerate male!” She scoffs, crossing her arms. Her eyes narrow, his hands ball into fists. “You all just like to walk all over women and then ignore us when you get what you want! You never care about our feelings! You never apologize!”

“Can’t you be quiet?” Shuichi snaps, harsher than intended, turning his head to glare at her. She never knew when to shut up, did she? Her insults hurt.

“Quiet?” Tenko asks, her posture straightening as she smiles. It wasn’t a friendly smile, not at all. Full of contempt and hatred. Mocking. “You degenerate male. Always bossing us girls around. It disgusts me.”

Shuichi wishes she’d shut up.

“What you said to Himiko was unacceptable. You never apologized to her.” She glares at him, leaning forward as her tones go bitter. “You act like you can just hurt girls and get away with it. I don’t know how anyone can deal with you. I don’t know how someone like Kaede can even look at you.”

He needs her to shut up.

“If you were reincarnated as a girl, maybe I’d forgive you. But you aren’t a girl. So I will never forgive you.” She spits out the words, the hatred clear in her tone more than ever. “You’re just a gross, disgusting, degenerate male.”

Something snaps. Not something physical, no. Something mental. Something in Shuichi’s brain snaps. He feels himself pause, his ears ring. His fist clenches against the counter.

Can’t.

She.

Just.

Shut.

Up?

His hand grasps something, he can’t register what. His vision swarms, his thoughts muddled with a layer of static. Tenko’s angry, misandrist rant continues. He can’t focus on it.

”Hk-!”

The strangled, cut off noise brings Shuichi back to reality.

There’s the feeling of something warm and sticky on his skin. A feeling he’s all too familiar with.

In front of him, he can see Tenko, desperately clutching her neck, blood spraying out of the wound. Her eyes are glued to Shuichi’s. Her mouth opens and closes in shock, a bit of blood dribbling down her chin. There’s a range of emotions in her eyes. Anger, shock, horror, pain.

Shuichi can just watch, eyes wide, as the world swarms around him.

And it takes all of his willpower not to scream when he watches Tenko collapse onto the floor with a thud.

Chapter Text

Oh god.

Okay. Okay. Okay.

Calm down.

What the actual fuck?

Automatically, Shuichi retches, thoughts swarming through his head as he covers his mouth with one hand. His vision blurs with tears and his hands shake, something slipping from his free hand and hitting the floor with a clatter, the sound making him flinch and draw his attention to the object.

A kitchen knife, sharper than one should be, covered in blood. Tenko’s blood. It was in the knife block earlier, wasn’t it?

He hesitates before he bends down, picking it up with shaky hands, nearly dropping it again. He can hear his heart beating in his ears, feel his heart racing.

Her dead body is in front of him, blood still spilling out of the open wound and bleeding out onto the floor despite the fact she’s already dead. He did this. He killed Tenko. Why the hell did he do that!? What is wrong with him!?

Head reeling, Shuichi steps back before turning, running out of the kitchen, his racing heartbeat drowning out any other noise. He feels lightheaded, he is lightheaded, his breathing quick and shallow as he panics. No-one’s in the dining hall at least. No-one can see what he’s done.

But they will. Everyone will see what he’s done.

He doesn’t want that. He doesn’t want anyone to know.

At least not have them see him.

His hands shake as he grabs the handle of one of the doors. He opens it slowly, peeking outside into the courtyard, relieved to find no-one out there. Makes sense, the morning announcement hasn’t played yet. But even still, Tenko was out and so was he.

He steps outside carefully, making sure that no-one else is around. If anyone spots him, they’ll know at first glance. The blood on his clothes is a clear indication of what happened. His legs are shaking. He feels like he’s going to fall over. Even as he runs to the dorms, he feels like he’s going to trip and fall on the ground.

He feels like if he did, he wouldn’t get back up.

How soundproof are the dorms? That’s not something he knows, nor something he exactly wants to test. As soon as he enters his dorm, he leans back against the door, hand covering his mouth. His vision is blurry but he doesn’t let himself sob, no matter how much his lip quivers and how wet his cheeks feel.

He doesn’t let himself make noise. He doesn’t attempt to wipe away the tears.

There’s no clocks in Shuichi’s dorm, are there in any? He doesn’t remember. There’s no way to know the time. No way to know how long he has until he and everyone else hears the morning announcement. No way to know how much time he has until everyone finds Tenko’s dead body. Why is he even running away? He’ll die. Everyone will know. Kaede will figure it out. She’s smart. Smarter than him. She’d never do anything like this.

He swallows, eyes squeezing shut. There’s something severely wrong with him. The thoughts going through his head. He feels like a monster.

There’s the sick, terrible possibility that this is how it ends. Not his life. But the time loop. He hates the thought. But the thought is something his brain clings to, despite the dread coursing through him. Despite how much it makes him want to throw up.

If getting it all to end, all the pain, all the suffering, all the dying, is to just kill Tenko and mislead everyone again? To be selfish just one more time?

This might just be a blessing.

The thought makes him want to drive that stupid knife into his heart. That can’t be the only way. Being that selfish. He’d never be able to forgive himself.

He gave up before though. He misled everyone and let them all die.

But he saw them again. It was just giving up once. Misleading everyone, seeing the betrayal on their faces when they realize Shuichi killed Tenko, when they realize he’s just been lying to them.

But he wants out, doesn’t he?

It’s a quiet thought, but one so present he can feel it deep in his bones.

He steps into the bathroom, wincing upon seeing his state in the mirror. Blood cakes the side of his face and all over his clothes and hands. Some of the blood is already drying on his skin, flaky and uncomfortable. Now that he’s aware of it, his skin crawls and itches. The bruise is still there on his face from Tenko’s punch a few days ago. It’s partially hidden away by the blood, but he can see it, dried specks of blood painting over the discolored skin.

He places the knife on the sink, moving away and to the shower, turning it on and stepping back. He can’t bear to look at himself anymore. He’s awful.

…He is that selfish, isn’t he.

He grabs a spare change of clothes from the closet. It’s rather convenient that there’s nothing but the same outfit, but he guess he can understand why. He moves back to the bathroom, his gaze avoiding the mirror and setting his spare change of clothes on the counter. His limbs are still shaking and he feels like he’s going to throw up. He resists the urge.

Even as he washes the blood from his skin, his mind races with the same, consistent thought. He’s a murderer. He killed someone. He killed Tenko. He still doesn’t even know why. Why did he do that? Why was he so stupid? Is he that desperate? That he’d kill someone who annoyed him in one timeline? Pathetic. That’s what he is.

How’s he going to even survive this? He doesn’t know if he can. He doesn’t know if he wants to anyways. Either way, everyone’s going to look at him, knowing he killed Tenko for no good reason. It doesn’t matter what he says or does. If they don’t figure it out, they all die because of him. He gets to see the horror in their expression, their fear at knowing they’re all about to die. And he lives. And then what? He suffers for the rest of his life?

But if they do figure it out? They all watch him die. In a way that’ll likely be more painful than he can even imagine. Then they just move on, the next day maybe someone insults him, or says something nice about him, although that’s much more doubtful, then they forget about him.

He flinches so hard when he hears the morning announcement go off he nearly falls over. Maybe that would have been better, actually. Falling over and splitting his head open. Then he wouldn’t have to deal with this. But maybe then he’d never find a way out. Selfish, selfish.

Is he really going to deceive everyone? Is he really going to lead everyone to their deaths again? This time is different than before. He’s surviving. He has to, right? If he gets out of here maybe it will all stop. It has to stop. It will stop if he gets out of here… Right?

If he dies now then he’ll have to kill someone else to get out. He doesn’t think he has the willpower to do that again. Not on purpose.

A thought goes through his head and he freezes. Right. The first blood perk. He doesn’t have to deal with deceiving everyone. He can just get out. Free. No-one else dies. He just gets to see the disgust on everyone’s faces when they realize he’s a murderer.

He gets out of the shower, drying himself off and checking the mirror 5 times over. He hates looking in the mirror, even just in general. But it’s a necessity, he has to check if there’s even a little bit of blood on him. There’s no blood on him. Thank god. He checks the clothes at least 3 times before putting them on. He could have gotten blood on them when he got them out of the closet.

He looks down at the dirty clothes, before picking them up, shoving them in the cabinet under the sink, he puts the knife in there as well. He washes his hands. There’s no chance anyone is getting in his dorm, but he still hates the idea of evidence being right out in the open.

Leaving his dorm, he’s met with no-one. That makes sense. Most people are still waking up and getting ready for the day. He turns once he closes the door, checking for blood on the doorknob. Nothing. Thinking about it, probably the only person outside is Kirumi. She’s always the one who gets up first, right?

Turning around, he nearly screams, letting out a sharp gasp as he falls back against his dorm. Well, someone else is out too.

“Good morning, Shuichi!” Angie’s smile never faltered, her eyes just watching him. She can be… really creepy sometimes.

“G-good morning.” His voice sounds way too breathless, way too squeaky. He clears his throat, standing straight. “Ah, um, how are you?”

His tone is awkward but it doesn’t seem like Angie cares, although Shuichi admits it’s hard to tell what she’s thinking most of the time. “I’m well! It’s an excellent morning! God is watching over you, Shuichi!”

Although her words were meant to be comforting, those words make a chill run down his spine. He really hates the idea of anyone looking at him today. “O-oh. Why me, specifically?”

She shrugs vaguely, turning around. “He watches over everyone! And He knows when you’re having a bad day. He watches over you, and as long as you pray to Him, He will protect you. Praise be!”

There’s a spring in her step as she walks, occasionally looking back to make sure he’s coming with. He’s thankful his legs have stopped shaking. Either his nervousness is obvious or Angie is more perceptive than he thought.

He doesn’t respond to her words, just following her outside. His heart skips a beat when he spots two people also outside, Gonta and Kirumi. Equally afraid and relieved to find them. If Kirumi isn’t in the dining hall, it’s unlikely anyone is. But at the same time, he’s just delaying the inevitable by not wanting anyone to find Tenko.

Maybe it’s that he doesn’t want to see everyone’s reactions to finding her dead body. He doesn’t want anyone to find her body at all. He doesn’t want to go through this. He wishes he could just curl up in a hole and die.

Everyone will know eventually. Everyone will hate him.

At least it’s just one timeline.

“Gonta! Kirumi!” Angie’s voice is cheery as she walks up to the two of them, the polar opposite of Shuichi’s emotions. He follows behind her. He can’t make it obvious that he’s nervous. Can’t hesitate to move or say anything. If Kirumi or Angie catch onto anything, he might as well have screamed that he killed someone.

He doubts Gonta would catch on.

“Good morning.” Kirumi speaks first, her tone polite. It’s nearly impossible for Shuichi to tell her emotions underneath. There’s no way she knows, right?

No. That’s impossible. He has to stop thinking like that.

“Hello!” Gonta smiles, crouched down on the grass. “Gonta looking for bugs!”

Angie tilts her head, crouching down beside him. “Hm? Still? Maybe if you ask God, He’ll tell you where the bugs are!”

“Oh! Really?” Gonta’s eyes shine. “Gonta’s been having trouble finding bugs. Like they never here. Gonta been searching since before sun come up!”

Shuichi can feel his blood run cold. Okay. So someone else was out at the same time he killed Tenko. Did he see Tenko practicing Neo-Aikido? Worse, did he see him? Did he see her follow him to the dining hall? He did see him leave the dining hall covered in blood?

“God will help you find all of the bugs!” Angie smiles brightly, patting Gonta’s shoulder. “As long as you pray, He will guide you!”

The two continue talking, Shuichi barely paying attention to the words. If Gonta saw him, wouldn’t he say something? Maybe he isn’t saying anything to spite him? No. It’s Gonta. He would never do anything like that.

“Shuichi.” He flinches, Kirumi’s voice forcing him back to reality, his eyes snapping to hers. Her tone is polite and soft, as it always is, but Shuichi can clearly see the worry behind her green eyes. “Are you doing alright?”

“Huh?” He blinks rapidly and swallows. Calm down. “I-I’m fine. I just had a nightmare, that’s all. It was… really bad.”

That’s not entirely a lie. Just… a bit of twisting of the truth. And maybe a little bit of a lie. He’s not fine. At all.

She nods, although the concern doesn’t go away. He fears she might not fully believe him. “Don’t hesitate to talk to me about anything. I am always available.”

He nods as well, but doesn’t answer. He doesn’t believe her, simple as that. He can’t tell anyone. If he wants to keep it a secret, telling anyone is a mistake.

Angie stands up, clasping her hands together. “Well, it’s time for breakfast! God says it’s important to eat almost as soon as you wake up! What’s on the menu today, Kirumi?”

“I’ve yet to decide.” Kirumi says, a small smile returning to her face as she meets Angie’s eyes. “Is there anything specific you would like?”

Angie shakes her head. “Nope! I’m fine with anything!”

Shit. Shit. It’s only a matter of time. He can’t go with the two of them alone, the body discovery announcement won’t go off and it’ll be obvious who killed Tenko. But he can’t just stay behind, that’s suspicious.

Shuichi walks over to Gonta, forcing a smile. “Gonta, want to get something to eat? You’ve been out here all morning, you should eat.”

He pauses, looking conflicted. “But what if while Gonta eating, bugs come out? Then when Gonta leave, bugs already gone?”

“That won’t happen, Gonta, I promise.” He smiles gently, trying to make it seem like it’s not forced. “You’re the Ultimate Entomologist, the bugs aren’t going to hide from you or anything. After breakfast, I’ll help you look for them, okay?”

Gonta’s eyes light up and he smiles once again, getting up. “Yeah! Gonta would love that! Shuichi help Gonta look for bugs!”

“I can help as well!” Angie chimes in, tilting her entire body. “God will lead us to the bugs!”

“Amazing!” Gonta smiles brightly, clapping lightly for a couple seconds. “Gonta have good friends! Bugs will love you!”

The four begin walking and Shuichi checks over his shoulder. No-one else has left the dorms. It’s just them. Just the four of them. They’re going to find Tenko’s dead body. The inevitable is here.

They take the shortest route, of course they do. Why would they take the long way ‘round? Angie and Gonta are talking, and usually, he’d try to engage in conversation, but he can barely hear his own thoughts. His heart pounds in his ears.

It doesn’t happen the second the door to the dining hall is open. It doesn’t happen once they step inside, it’s when Kirumi turns to go into the kitchen, stumbling back in shock, a sharp gasp escaping her.

It’s Gonta who reacts next, once his and Angie’s eyes follow Kirumi’s, a yell escaping him, a look of pure horror on his face. Angie’s reaction is barely noticeable, her eyes slightly widening and lips slightly parted, as if she saw something she couldn’t comprehend.

Shuichi swallows, his limbs starting to shake once more. His mind races. This is happening. This is really happening.

Then the body discovery announcement goes off.

Chapter Text

“Tenko!” Gonta’s the one to speak first, yelling louder than the discovery announcement. He runs forward, crouching beside her corpse, expression contorted into horror. “Oh no! So much blood…”

Shuichi can feel his legs shaking, the blood pounding in his ears, making him feel lightheaded. He can’t tear his eyes away from Tenko’s corpse. Yeah, he saw it earlier, but the sight of it now makes him want to puke. The horror and fear in Gonta’s eyes are enough to make him regret being born.

“Help!” Gonta hesitates before touching Tenko’s neck, his hand immediately recoiling. The blood on Tenko’s skin wasn’t completely dry. Most of it was, but not all of it. He twists his head to stare wide-eyed to the others in the doorway. “Tenko need help!”

It’s Kirumi who steps forward, crouching down beside Gonta. “Gonta, there’s no way she’s still breathing.”

Gonta shakes his head, eyes wide. “N-no! If there any chance Tenko alive, Gonta not give up on her! Gentleman not let anyone die! Don’t matter! Help Gonta save Tenko!”

Kirumi’s eyes soften. Is it from sympathy? Pity? Empathy? Shuichi doesn’t know. And it doesn’t matter either, she still listens to Gonta, moving her hands to apply pressure to Tenko’s wound on her neck, blood bleeding through the fabric of her gloves. Is she still bleeding? Gonta follows after Kirumi, listening to her when she instructs him what to do.

When the door bursts open, he flinches, finally tearing his eyes away. Of course. Everyone else has to arrive too. Time moves even if he doesn’t want it to.

Tsumugi screams upon seeing the body, recoiling back into herself and turning away, screwing her eyes shut tightly. Similar cries of distress can be heard from the people coming inside, but it’s all white noise to him, his gaze glued to Tsumugi  the moment she screamed, his expression dark. How dare she scream as if she didn’t want this to happen. Bitch.

Someone else moves to crouch beside Tenko’s body, her hands hesitantly reaching towards her before pulling back. “T-Tenko…?” He can see Himiko swallow, hands raising to cover her mouth as her face pales, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. “O-oh no…”

He caused that reaction. The thought makes his heart sink, eyes being pulled away from Tsumugi. He’s the reason for all of this.

Kaede gets down next to Himiko, wrapping an arm around Himiko’s shoulder and pulling her closer to her, murmuring something reassuringly while patting her back.

Monster. Killer. Selfish, selfish.

He hesitates, wanting to open his mouth, wanting to comfort Himiko, wanting to do something to help. But he can’t help, can he? All he can do is hurt.

He feels frozen in place, like he’s made of ice. He can’t move, can’t speak. His ears ring, drowning out any other possible noise from everyone else. He can only stare. He can see Gonta’s panic, Himiko’s sorrow, Kaede’s disgust at even the idea that someone would murder Tenko. Of course. Who would think that someone would resort to murder so soon?

He would. For some reason he did. But no-one else knows about that. Probably. But everyone will.

“Tenko dead! Why! Who would…?” Gonta trails off, pulling his shaky hands away. Kirumi does the same, her gloves and sleeves stained with Tenko’s blood.

“That’s easy! Why would anyone kill anybody?” Monokuma asks, popping up out of nowhere, facing everyone and raising his tiny arms. “To get out, of course! And thanks to the First Blood Perk, whoever killed her gets off scot-free! No class trial needed! With that said… if you’re the blackened, please raise your hand!”

Shuichi can see Kaede’s hardened gaze, a clear look of disgust on her face as she scans everyone’s faces. The sight makes his mouth go dry, his teeth clench so hard it hurts. He can’t. He can’t. He can’t speak. The words are stuck in his throat, his arms stuck to his sides.

He can’t deal with Kaede being upset with him again.

He can’t.

“Who the hell did it!? I’ll friggin’ punch you into orbit!”

He can’t deal with Kaito being upset with him again either. It’d be like reopening closed wounds. That alone would be enough to send him into another breakdown.

When the Monokubs show up, it’s too easy to block them out. He’s stuck in his thoughts again, going in circles. He can’t speak, can’t move, can’t admit it. But he has to. But he can’t. He wants to scream. He wants to apologize and admit it and have everyone understand. He wants everyone to forgive him for his horrible mistake. But he knows that won’t happen. No-one will understand. No-one will care for the selfish murderer who killed someone else because she was annoying. No-one will feel sympathetic.

He can feel his ears ringing, feel his vision blur, hear his heart pounding in his ears. Panic, panic, panic. Move. Speak. Tell them.

He flinches back when fingers snap in front of his face, nearly falling over, eyes wide.

“Woooowww! Jumpy!” It’s Kokichi. Of course it is. He just grins when Shuichi meets his eyes. “What? Never seen a dead body before? Isn’t seeing dead bodies your entire job?”

“I- H-huh?” His words shake and he swallows, trying to will his hands to stop shaking. Shit. Did he dissociate? Did he miss his chance? Of course he did. He can’t do anything right.

“Hmmm? Did you lose your hearing? You’re a detective! You investigate dead bodies!” He raises his arms, exasperated, or pretending to be exasperated, as if it’s common sense.

“That’s not the only thing we do…”

“Obviously.” He scoffs and pokes Shuichi’s forehead, causing him to flinch. “You were just standing there like a deer in headlights. You’ve obviously never seen a dead body.”

Kokichi’s oddly serious, glaring at Shuichi as if he’s staring straight at his soul. It’s uncomfortable. He takes a step back and clears his throat. “It’s… hard to process.”

“Well, better process it faster! Everyone else has started investigating. You’re the detective. This is your entire job!”

“It’s really not…” Despite his protests, Kokichi just steps around him grabbing him by the shoulders and shoving him forward toward the dead body. He stumbles forward, nearly losing his balance.

“Is now!” He says, grinning again. “Get to it, detective!”

After sending a glare in Kokichi’s direction, he turns back to Tenko’s corpse, taking a few deep breaths. How can he just pretend he didn’t kill her? How did Kaede manage it? Thinking she killed Rantaro? She had a greater goal in mind. She was motivated by that. He doesn’t.

He moves forward, towards Tenko’s body, trying to ignore the negative thoughts running through his head. That would only make things worse, going in circles and panicking again. His guilt is obvious. He can only hope that nobody notices.

He doesn’t meet anyone’s eyes as he crouches down beside the body. His eyes focus immediately on the cut on her throat. The blood isn’t dry. That makes sense. It’s been, what? 20? 30 minutes? This much blood wouldn’t dry in that short amount of time.

He hesitates, before leaning a bit closer, moving a hand to Tenko’s neck, gently touching near the wound and checking if she’s still bleeding. She’s not. Her body is still warm. The blood around the wound is a mix of both dry and wet. Maybe from Kirumi and Gonta irritating the wound?

He can’t do this. He can’t pretend like he doesn’t know anything. He can’t keep looking at the corpse of the girl he murdered. He can’t—

“Did you figure anything out yet?” He jumps when a hand settles on his shoulder. When he turns his head, he sees Himiko, her hand retreating.

“Well…” He pauses for a second, taking a deep breath. He can’t really lie here. If someone figures out he’s lying, that just incriminates him. He doesn’t meet her eyes when he responds. “Her body’s still warm. Whoever killed her was here not too long ago.”

“Whoever killed her is here now.” She responds, eyebrows furrowing in annoyance.

“I mean that she died not too long ago.”

She sighs, fidgeting with her sleeve. “I know Tenko didn’t really like you, I don’t either, but you’re a detective. You can figure it out… I’m counting on you and stuff.”

Shuichi doesn’t respond, turning away. She’d hate him if she knew.

She will hate him when she figures it out.

“Do you know anything?” He finally asks before clarifying. “I mean, you and Tenko were close. Know anyone who didn’t really like her?”

Himiko just sighs, curling in on herself, her voice small. “I don’t know anything. I tried to avoid her. I don’t know anyone who’d hate her enough to kill her…”

He nods, guilt stirring in his chest. “Yeah, I understand… You can stay outside with Kaede if you need to, you don’t need to—”

“No!” Himiko cut in, head shooting up. She immediately pauses at Shuichi’s wide eyes, shrinking back a bit and hugging herself. “Tenko deserves to be avenged. She was annoying, but that doesn’t justify why someone should die.”

“Are you sure you can handle it?” He asks gently, carefully. He’d prefer it if less people were investigating. That way less people can see his guilt, all of the evidence that it was him. “I doubt you’ve ever seen a dead body before. It’s not exactly easy.”

“I’m sure.” She responds firmly, meeting his eyes again.

He nods. “...You don’t have to stay by the body. You can get everyone’s alibis.”

“I’m investigating with you.” She says quickly, her voice firm. Her fists are clenched, a look of anger and determination on her face. “Whoever killed Tenko needs to pay. And I want to make sure that happens. The best way for me to do that is by investigating with you.”

The guilt builds even more in his chest, along with a growing sense of dread. Himiko acts like how he remembers her. It’s been a while since he’s seen her like this. Does Tenko really have to die in order for her to be like this? He speaks, his voice shaky. “If you say so.”

“I do say so.” She grumbles, eyebrows furrowing before she looks at Tenko, Shuichi spotted the jolt and twitch in her expression from looking at her friend’s dead body. “Did you notice anything else?” She asks, crouching beside Tenko. She doesn’t touch her.

“Huh? Oh, not really. Her throat was slit, but I can’t tell what the murder weapon was.”

She nods, getting up. “Well, it’s probably somewhere around here, right?”

He follows her movements, looking down at her. “Not necessarily, no.” He hates how steady his voice is, but at the same time, he’s grateful for it. Less of a chance for someone to figure out his guilt. “If someone wanted to hide it, they could have easily brought it anywhere else in the school, or outside.”

“It doesn’t hurt to check.” Himiko responds firmly. “If there’s a possibility that the murderer left the weapon here, it’s worth it. We need to find the murder weapon.”

“It’s probably a kitchen knife.” Kaede cuts in from behind them, making Shuichi jump out of his skin.

Himiko turns around immediately, looking at Kaede with wide eyes. “You found the murder weapon!?”

“Oh, no.” She smiles sheepishly. “There’s a knife missing from the knife block. Also the coffee maker is on. Himiko, did Tenko drink coffee?”

“No.” She deflates slightly, disappointed that the murder weapon wasn’t confirmed. “Not that I know of. She was always full of energy from the moment she woke up.”

“S-so whoever killed Tenko drinks coffee, is that right?” Shuichi asks, taking a deep breath. His voice is shaky again.

Kaede nods, looking over her shoulder at the coffee maker. “I can’t really tell what kind of coffee they like, just that they were making it before Tenko died. They didn’t wait around to get their coffee.”

“Do we know who drinks coffee?” Himiko asks, looking between the two. “That could easily narrow it down.”

“We can ask around.” Shuichi says, forcing a smile, trying to shove down the guilt bubbling up his throat. “Keep investigating, Kaede.”

She nods, expression serious. “Good luck.” Is all she says before turning away and walking off.

His expression drops and he looks down at Himiko, a feeling of discomfort shooting through him at her furrowed eyebrows, noticing his change in expression. He cuts in before she can say anything. “Here, let’s go outside. I saw Gonta go out there, we should talk to him.”

“Do you think Gonta did it?” Himiko asks, eyes widening.

“No. Not exactly.” He bites his lip, peering behind him before turning back towards Himiko. “But he was outside before the morning announcement. So was Kirumi.”

“...’Not exactly’?” She repeats, slightly exasperated.  “Are you really suspecting Gonta?”

“I’m not saying that.” He chooses his words carefully and quickly, hating that he knows what he’s doing. “All I’m saying is that we don’t know anyone here. Gonta doesn’t really have an alibi as far as we know. If I were to suspect anyone, he’s one of the ones I’d suspect first.”

Himiko doesn’t respond, her eyebrows furrowing, averting her gaze to the floor. He lets out a small breath, stepping towards the door and freezing. Shit. There’s a smear of blood against the door.

Himiko follows Shuichi’s gaze, gasping once she spots the blood, her eyes widening before she grabs Shuichi’s shoulder, shaking him slightly. “Evidence! Come on, you’re a detective! What does it mean?”

He grimaces at the shaking, trying to ignore the pounding in his head, his headache only worsening. “The murderer left through this door. So it probably means they weren’t inside the school after killing Tenko. There’s a sink in the kitchen. They would have been in a rush.”

“So they left almost immediately after killing Tenko?” She asks, looking at the door. “Do you know anyone else who was out before the morning announcement?”

Shuichi shakes his head before he pauses. “...When I left my dorm, Gonta, Kirumi, and Angie had left before me. I was with Angie the entire time, and we met up with Kirumi and Gonta right outside of the dorms before finding Tenko’s body.”

“So they’re our biggest suspects!” She responds, smiling slightly, though it falters immediately. “But they don’t really seem like the type to kill…”

“We don’t know anything about them.” Shuichi points out. “We’ve met them less than a week ago.”

Himiko doesn’t respond to that, just taking a deep breath before she looks at Shuichi, waiting for him to open the door. He rolls his eyes, opening the door and stepping outside. The blood on the door is dry, so he doesn’t have to worry about any of it getting on his hands.

He can see Gonta jump once they step out, turning towards them hesitantly.

“Shuichi! Himiko! Gonta sorry, Gonta–” He hesitates, hands shaking slightly, breaking eye contact and looking off to the side. “Tenko… Gonta couldn’t help.”

“Enough of that!” Himiko suddenly steps forward, raising her hand, and her voice, and pointing at Gonta. “Where were you when Tenko died!? Why were you outside!?”

Shuichi jumps, caught off guard by Himiko’s loud tone. So was Gonta apparently, who’s eyes had widened, making eye contact with her again. “Huh?”

“You heard me!” She says, emphasizing her words by getting in Gonta’s face. At least the best she can while being so short.

“Himiko… What are you doing?” Shuichi  asks warily, looking between her and Gonta.”

“What?” She turns to him, annoyed. Speaking as if it’s obvious. “I’m doing good cop, bad cop.”

“...What?”

“The- The technique. You know- Good cop, bad cop.”

“Ah, I- I know what good cop, bad cop is. I just… Why?”

“Huh?” Gonta freezes, cutting in before Himiko could respond. “You guys think Gonta killed Tenko? Why? Gonta never!”

“You could.” Himiko responds, turning back to face him, crossing her arms as a scowl crosses her face. “We all saw you lift up that grate.”

“Gonta never kill friends!” He raises his hands in a defense, eyes wide. The blood from trying to save Tenko still on his hands, bleeding into his sleeves as well. Shuichi can see Himiko’s expression twitch.

“You were never her friend!” She snaps, her voice raising to a near yell. “You aren’t anyone’s friend here! How dare you say that!? You’re a suspect!”

Shuichi doesn’t dare to speak, dread spreading through him as he stays silent, taking an involuntary step back. This is what he wants, isn’t it? For them to not suspect him? He knows them, they don't know him. They won’t know how he acts. He just has to divert the attention away from himself.

“What? Himiko–”

“No!” Her voice is harsh and loud, her fists clenched at her sides. “You barely knew her! How dare you call her your friend! I hung out with her a lot more than you and I wouldn’t call her my friend!”

“No, listen!”

“Why should I!? You can’t just assume everyone’s your friend! I don’t know you! Neither did Tenko! No-one knows you! You can’t say anything about being anyone’s friend!”

Gonta flinches, his eyes wide. Shuichi looks between them, trying to shove down the dread and deep, unsettling feeling of wrongness. He can see Gonta’s shock and worry, Himiko’s anger and sadness, the tears in her eyes. He doesn’t speak. Not like he could. His throat feels like it’s closing in on itself.

Himiko turns to Shuichi, wiping the tears from her eyes and scowling. “He killed her. I know he did.” She mumbles, her voice harsh, quiet, and undeniably sad, her gaze stuck to the floor.

“You don’t… know that…” He says hesitantly, moving forward to put a hand on her shoulder. He feels both too slow to act and too quick to act. Taking too much time to think, taking the blame off himself too quickly. It’s best to defend Gotna right now, isn’t it? He doesn’t want it to come off like he’s letting Gonta take all the blame.

She takes in a deep breath, raising her head. “Fine. Fine. I don’t. But I have a strong suspicion. I’m pretty sure he did it.”

“Alright.” He hesitates, breaking eye contact and biting his lip nervously. “We still have to talk to Kirumi and Angie. They also could’ve killed Tenko.”

Himiko looks skeptical but sighs. “Fine. I’ll go talk to them. Get information. You talk to Gonta.”

“Me?”

“I don’t think I can look him in the eyes again.” Her words are bitter as she moves past him, not letting him get another word in as she slips inside the dining hall.

He pauses, staring at the door for a few seconds, weighing his options before he turns back towards Gonta.

“...Does Shuichi think Gonta killed Tenko too?” Gonta asks before he can get a word in, making his entire chest ache.

“N-no. Not exactly.” He responds truthfully enough. “You’re a suspect, but I don’t think you did it. I don’t have any proof.”

He can see him relax a bit, looking away. “Himiko upset with Gonta. Don’t understand why.”

He watches Gonta, choosing his words carefully. “She’s grieving. Nobody knows who killed Tenko.” Internally, he winces. “You’re the most likely suspect in her eyes. She’s blaming you.”

“Is not gentlemanly to fight. Gonta don’t want to fight. Gonta feel it’s wrong to fight with friends. Gonta consider everyone here to be friends… Don’t you?”

Yes. “...I don’t really know you guys.” He lies. “I wish I could, but in these circumstances? It’s hard… I don’t think you’re a bad person for not sharing that opinion.”

Gonta nods, murmuring a thank you, looking away as thinks. “...Gonta want to trust everyone. Gonta can’t believe someone killed Tenko. Purposefully. Who could do that?”

“We don’t know if they wanted to kill her.” He responds, immediately regretting his words. Can’t those implicate him in some way? “It could have been an accident. Or self defense.”

“...Gonta don’t know if he can believe that either.”

Shuichi pauses, eyes scanning Gonta’s expression, although the other doesn’t move to look at him. After a few seconds he asks, “Why not?”

“Tenko’s death can’t be accident.” He responds, voice firm. “How could be accident? No way for it to be. Gonta can’t believe it was self defense. Tenko violent, not murderous.”

Really? Shuichi’s not sure if he can believe that.  He could definitely see Tenko murdering someone. Especially if that someone is a guy. He grimaces, a huge wave of discomfort pressing down on him that he couldn’t quite shake off.

“Do you really believe that?” He asks eventually. “The only other option is that someone killed her purposefully.”

Gonta takes a deep breath, meeting Shuichi’s eyes. “Gonta know… Gonta just don’t want to believe it.”

He nods, eyebrows furrowing a bit. Change the topic back. “Can you tell me what you saw earlier? Before the morning announcement? If you saw anything suspicious or anyone then it could tell us a lot.”

Gonta pauses, thinking for a minute. “Gonta woke up really early, went outside, and looked for bugs. Moon high in sky. Gonta out there for long while before Tenko came out. When Tenko saw Gonta, she told Gonta to get lost. Tenko was angry, so Gonta didn’t stick around. When sun come up, Gonta went back to front of dorms. Tenko no longer there. Right after morning announcement, Kirumi came out and talked to Gonta. Then few minutes later, Angie and Shuichi too.”

“Okay, that’s good. Thank you, Gonta.” He looks away, towards the dorms. So Gonta didn’t see him. Angie didn’t either. Probably. Same with Kirumi. He can’t really shift the blame onto them. Not in any way he can think of. His stomach churns. Don’t think about it.

He shakes his head, before looking back at Gonta, giving him a smile. “You helped, Gonta. This information is really important, even if it’s not much.” Thank god it’s not much. If Gonta had seen him earlier, he’d have better odds of surviving if he had taken the knife and stabbed himself in the heart.

As soon as he hears that all too familiar announcement, he can feel his blood run cold. He lifts his head to meet Gonta’s eyes, seeing that the other is too focused on the monitor to notice his panic. He quickly looks away again, trying to calm himself, tapping his fingers with his thumb in order to distract himself. Calm down.

It feels like his nerves are electrical wires, sparky and panicky. One wrong touch and he sets fire. He feels like he’s stuck in his own head, water in his ears, hearing muffled. He flinches when a hand settles on his shoulder, snapping out of the momentary panic, turning to face Himiko with wide eyes.

“I talked to Angie and Kirumi. Neither of them saw anything. They were both in their dorms before the morning announcement.” She says, not seeming to take any notice of Shuichi’s distress.

“Y-yeah… Gonta’s story lines up with that. He only saw Tenko outside before the morning announcement.”

“So if anyone did it…”

“It’d be Gonta.” Shuichi finishes, averting his gaze. Is this really what he’s going with? Blaming Gonta for his mistake? He has to. Just for a little while. Then he can forget this. Or, at least, he can pretend to forget this. Deep down, he knows he won’t be able to.

Chapter Text

All of this, everything, is too familiar. Shuichi knows where to go, he knows where to stand. He hates it. He can see everyone else, how most of them are uncomfortable standing at their podiums. It’s unfamiliar and strange to them. Of course it is. He hates how it isn’t for him. It only alienates him.

He takes a deep breath, gripping the podium as he looks down, calming his nerves. He has an advantage here. If he just… doesn’t think, he can get out of here. He can’t let himself think about how much he cares about the people here. Surely they’d understand, right? How long can you go on in a time loop like this without going to drastic measures? Someone would understand that, right?

Maybe, just maybe, Kaede would.

“Enough of this.” He speaks up, forcing the words out of his mouth, raising his head to look around. “Let’s go over everything.”

“Seriously?” Miu scoffs from beside him, turning to glare at him. “Did you have to interrupt me?”

“We can’t afford to waste time.” Shuichi bites back before looking at Monokuma. “We don’t know if we have a time limit and I’d rather not find out.”

Kaede clears her throat, her discomfort obvious at that realization. “Shuichi’s right. We need to go over everything we know.”

Kirumi’s the next to speak up, expression and voice as steady and calm as always. Or… almost always. “I came across the body along with Gonta, Angie, and Shuichi this morning. Gonta and I went up to the body because he wanted to stop the bleeding.”

“According to the Monokuma file, she was dead around 30 minutes before the morning announcement.” Rantaro adds. “She was stabbed in the neck, so she died quickly.”

“Why was she in the kitchen?” Keebo asks. “I don’t know why anyone would go inside the school before the morning announcement.”

Miu scoffs, waving a hand, acting as if the answer is obvious. “Obviously she was getting coffee! How else would you explain the coffee maker being on?”

“Actually,” Kaede cuts in, meeting Miu’s eyes. “Himiko told me that Tenko doesn’t drink coffee. Unless she started this morning, or has been secretly drinking coffee, the killer was the one who made coffee.”

“Then we should start by learning who drinks coffee.” Rantaro says, looking around at everyone. “I know I don’t.”

Maki raises her hand, unbothered by the fact that it makes her a suspect. “I do.”

Shuichi hesitates before raising his hand as well. He doesn’t remember if anyone saw him making or drinking coffee in this timeline, but he doesn’t want to risk lying and implicating himself if someone calls him out on it. Looking around, a few other people have their hands raised. Kaito, Ryoma, Kokichi, and Tsumugi. After a few more seconds, more hesitantly, Miu raises her hand too.

Tsumugi clears her throat, lowering her hand. “I only drink coffee at night though, when I’m working on my cosplays.”

“Could you at least give us a fucking alibi?” Miu responds sharply, glaring at her. “We can’t just blindly trust your word.”

“Oh, of course not. Well, I was in my room this morning.” Tsumugi says. “I don’t think there’s going to be any difference in conversation there. Most of us didn’t leave our dorms until the announcements came on.”

Angie nods in agreement, letting out a small hum. “The only one who drinks coffee and wasn’t in their room by the time the body discovery announcement went off was Shuichi.”

He can feel himself pale as everyone turns to look at him, expecting him to respond. His eyes widen a bit and he clears his throat. That was early. Too early. They can’t catch him. He can’t allow it. “Y-yes. I was with Gonta, Angie, and Kirumi when we found Tenko’s body. I was in my dorm until the morning announcement, and Angie was there as soon as I left it.”

Kaede looks over to Angie for confirmation and she nods, opening her mouth to speak.

“I know who did it! Himiko suddenly yells, eyes blazing as she grips the podium, her eyes daggers as she points accusingly at Gonta. “Gonta’s lying! He drinks coffee! I saw him!”

She can’t seriously be doing this, can she? It’s a lie. It’s so obviously a lie. Based on everyone else’s reactions, no-one can quite believe what she’s saying either.

“Himiko–” He cuts himself off, cringing back. What is he doing?

“He only has one reason to lie! I knew it! He killed Tenko! I know he did!” Her yell is furious, full of so much pure emotion that he can hardly recognize that it’s Himiko.

“What? Gonta would never kill Tenko!” Gonta tries to retaliate, eyes wide. “No reason to!”

“Himiko, stop.” Kaede says hurriedly before Himiko has a chance to speak up. “Gonta’s right about one thing. There’s no motivation. Why would he kill her?”

Himiko hesitates before spitting back. “I-I don’t know! I don’t know why anyone would want to kill her! But I know for a fact that it was Gonta who did it! He’s lying! He’s lying about everything! He doesn’t have an alibi! He was last seen with her, right Shuichi!?”

This can’t be happening… His voice is a bit shaky as he responds, tapping his fingers with his thumb. “Well, yes, but–”

“Exactly!” Himiko interrupts with a yell, her voice louder. “There’s absolutely no proof that he didn’t kill Tenko!”

“No, that’s wrong!” Kaede raises her voice, slamming her hands down on the podium. “Himiko, you’re jumping to conclusions. I get that you’re upset, but Gonta doesn’t drink coffee!”

“I hate to admit it, but Kaede’s right!” Kokichi speaks up, grinning as he leans against the podium. “Himiko’s deeeeefinitely lying!”

“During the investigation, I was asking around to try and figure out who drinks coffee. Kokichi game me some valuable insight.”

“It’s Kokichi!” Himiko snaps back, her voice way too loud. “He’s a liar! Why are you trusting him!?”

“Kirumi was able to confirm what he was saying.” Kaede responds, her voice firm. “He told me that a few days ago, he had gotten Gonta to try drinking coffee. He never had coffee before then and that was his only time drinking it.”

Himiko falters but then her expression hardens, scowling. “Then he faked evidence! He killed Tenko and made coffee before leaving! Obviously!”

“No, I can’t believe that.” Rantaro interrupts, crossing his arms. His gaze is steady as he meets Himiko’s eyes, who is about as steady as a river during a storm. “I’m positive that Tenko’s murder was spur of the moment.”

“Spur of the moment?” She responds, clearly in disbelief before she raises her voice again. “What does that change!? He still murdered her!”

“It changes what you say happened.” He responds. “There’s blood on the door, which implies that whoever left did so in a hurry. They wouldn’t leave behind faked evidence.”

“He’s right, Himiko.” Shuichi adds, his voice still shaky, averting his gaze the second her head snaps in his direction. He worried that if he continues this, it’ll backfire and everyone will find out the truth. “T-there isn’t any evidence that he killed her.”

“He— UGH!” Himiko grabs the brim of her hat, pulling it sharply in frustration. “We can’t just say he didn’t do it because of that! He’s the only one that was outside when she died!

Kaede speaks up, trying to be gentle with her tone. “Himiko, we’re not saying that Gonta definitely didn’t kill Tenko. You’re just going on a bit strong with this…”

Himiko freezes, staring at her, before she lets out an annoyed huff, crossing her arms and glaring at Gonta.

As the silence stretches on, Maki’s the one to break it, speaking up. “...So what’s the murder weapon?”

“Oh, that’s easy!” Kaede perks up, responding before anyone else can. “The only real guess is that is was a kitchen knife. There was one missing from the knife block next to the coffee maker.”

“Then that proves Rantaro’s point even more, doesn’t it?” Keebo asks. “If the murder was spur of the moment, the knife was the closest thing within reach.”

Kaede nods. “That’s right! It does line up with the evidence we found.”

Angie speaks up, looking around at everyone. “So now what? We have no way to find out who it is, do we? We may have narrowed it down, but there’s no way to narrow it down further, is there?”

Kaede pauses and she frowns, crossing her arms, not liking the truth to that statement. “That’s true… It’ll be hard to figure it out when there’s no way to verify alibis…”

Shuichi takes a deep breath, trying to figure out what to say. Blaming Gonta is a dead lead now, isn’t it? But, he has to get the blame off of himself. He has to get someone else to take the fall. There is… something else he could try.

He clears his throat, looking up and meeting Kaede’s eyes. “Kaede, I don’t mean this to be accusatory, I just want to check something.”

She blinks, clearly confused but she puts on a small smile anyway. “No worries, ask away.”

“Were you the only one actually in the kitchen when you figured out about the murder weapon and coffee machine?” He feels like he’s going to vomit.

“...No, I wasn’t. You and Himiko were also there, looking over Tenko’s body.” She tilts her head. “Why do you ask?”

Shuichi lets out a small hm, crossing his arms. He knows what he has to do. “How can we trust your word?”

There’s silence for a few moments. Clearly stunned, Kaede just stares at him before giving a small, shocked laughed. “I’m sorry, what?”

“How can we trust your word?” He repeats. “Did anyone else see the knife block was missing or that the coffee maker was on?”

Tsumugi, fiddling with a loose string on her sleeve, adds, “I saw the knife missing, but I don’t think the coffee maker was on…”

Kaede’s eyes widen, looking between Tsumugi and Shuichi, before finally settling on Shuichi. “Are you accusing me of lying?”

“What I’m saying is that I don’t trust you.” Shuichi responds, dodging the question. “Tsumugi just confirmed that the coffee maker was never on, so why did you say that the killer drinks coffee?”

““The killer drinks coffee because it was all but on!” Kaede retorts. “Everything was prepared in the coffee maker, it was just never turned on to begin with!”

“Now hold on, I didn’t say it was never on…” Tsumugi tries to interrupt, but Shuichi ignores her.

“So the only ones in the kitchen while you figured that out were me and Himiko, right?” Shuichi asks, keeping his voice firm.

“Yes, but what does that have to do with–”

“Then who’s to say you didn’t fake evidence?” He interrupts her, raising his voice, trying to ignore the prickles of guilt that’s starting to fester.

“Why would I fake evidence?” Kaede retorts, hands gripping the podium, glaring daggers right back at him.

“I don’t know, Kaede, why would you?” He responds with just as much venom. “Me and Himiko were focused on Tenko’s body. During that time, while everyone else was distracted and not looking your way, you could have faked evidence.”

“And what evidence would be? That the killer drinks coffee? Why would I fake that? I don’t even know how to make coffee!”

“You could.” He retorts. “You don’t need a caffeine addiction to be able to know how to make coffee. Besides, I don’t think that’s the only evidence that was faked. Where’s the knife, Kaede?”

“I didn’t fake either of those things!” Kaede snaps. “I don’t know where the knife is because I didn’t take it!”

Rantaro cuts in, clearing his throat to get their attention. “Before the investigation was done, I checked the kitchen. If Kaede took the knife, she didn’t hide it anywhere in there.”

“That’s true, but there is one place she could have put it.” Shuichi looks from Rantaro back to Kaede, glaring at her. She just stares back before taking off her backpack.

“Let me check.” Himiko says before Kaede could speak, grabbing the backpack from her. There’s silence as she checks, the seconds stretching on. Eventually she shakes her head, handing the bag back to Kaede, clearly frustrated. “Nothing.”

She quickly puts her bag back on, adjusting it as she looks at him. “Why do you think I faked evidence?”

“I’m a detective.” He responds simply, knowing he has nothing to stand on. “I can notice when something’s off. And you’ve been acting strange.”

Keebo’s eyes widen and he speaks up, suddenly excited. “That’s it! Behavior! Who’s been acting off recently!”

Miu scoffs, crossing her arms. “It’s the first time a lot of us have seen a dead body! Excuse me for not acting like my usual fucking self!”

“She’s right.” Maki adds. “Analyzing how people have been acting today won’t work. We don’t know who’s seen people dead before, and if their reactions are any indication of if they’ve done something.”

“No, I know that.” Keebo responds. “I mean earlier. This morning and yesterday, before the body was discovered. Did anyone notice anyone acting oddly?”

“Wait.” Shuichi interrupts. “We’re just going to move on?”

“It seems to be a pattern.” Himiko adds dryly, her gaze distrustful as she looks at everyone.

Kaede sighs, running a hand through her hair. “It’s like you said, Shuichi. We don’t know if there’s a time limit. We’ll come back to what both of you have brought up, but it’s best if we move on. The more we learn, the easier it’ll be to piece everything together.”

Shuichi looks away, biting the inside of his cheek. Annoyingly, she’s right. Completely right. And if he tries to stop her, it’ll just make him look guilty. There isn’t any evidence to pin on him specifically, he could just get out of it if anyone starts to suspect him.

“I… might have information.” Kirumi is the one to speak up, her eyebrows knitting together. “This morning, when Angie and Shuichi came out of the dorms, Shuichi was acting strangely.”

He freezes, not liking the way people are starting to look at him again. That early? She caught on that early? He takes a deep breath, grabbing on to the podium. “Kirumi, I told you. I had a nightmare.”

“I know that.” Kirumi responds. “I’m just bringing it up. You looked like you were panicking. And, honestly, I didn’t think you were being entirely truthful when you said that.”

“He always looks like he’s panicking.” Miu responds, waving her hand dismissively.

“That’s true, but…” Kokichi interrupts, tilting his head. “He’s acting more panicky than normal, isn’t he?”

“What?” Shuichi freezes, eyes darting around at everyone. He tries to speak steadily, feeling that all too familiar sense of panic. “L-like Miu said earlier, most of us haven’t ever seen a dead body before. You can’t just say that I’m acting this way because I killed Tenko.”

“Nobody’s saying you killed Tenko but yourself.” Kokichi retorts with a grin. “So… Did you?”

“No!” He denies immediately, recoiling. “I would never do that.”

“Are you sure about that? Don’t you have a motive? She hated you!”

He pauses, taking a deep breath. He’s trying to get a reaction out of him. He needs to calm down. Kokichi’s observant. Damn it, he should have suspected that someone would catch on before everyone else. He should’ve calculated this. How can he get him off his back? What can he do about–

“Shuichi.” Kaede’s voice is clear, her gaze firm as she stares at him. “Can you be honest with me?”

“I am being honest.” He lies, struggling to keep his voice steady. “Why don’t you believe me?”

Kaede sighs and Shuichi pauses. “Tenko didn’t like you, Shuichi. Everyone could see that. If anyone here had a reason to kill her, it would be you. Did you kill her?”

He avoids the question, trying to steady his nerves. “Tenko hates all the guys, I don’t think I’m particularly special with that.”

“But she went out of her way to antagonize you.” She points out, crossing her arms. “Every single day.”

He’s silent, feeling his blood run cold. This usually takes longer. Why is everyone figuring out so quickly? Is he that obvious?

“They have a point.” Kaito says from beside Shuichi, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head. “The evidence is starting to point to you…”

“You were also antagonizing Kaede.” Rantaro adds.

“I-I have to antagonize her!” He tries, all too aware of the panic rising in his voice. “It’s possible she could have admitted to something if I tried that…”

Himiko speaks up, eyes wide. “That’s not what you said during the investigation…” He can see the gears turn in her brain. It’s unsettling the way it all slowly dawns on her, coming to the conclusion everyone else is starting to. “Shuichi… Did you actually…?”

He freezes, forcing himself to swallow. That reaction hurts more than he thought it would. “I- O-of course not…”

It’s silent, and Shuichi can’t bring himself to meet anyone’s eye. He knows it just makes him look more guilty, but he feels like he’ll just burst into tears if he tries that. He can feel their judgment. They all know. Everyone knows. He can’t tell them the truth. They don’t understand. He feels like he’s going to vomit.

“Why!?” Her voice suddenly cuts through the air and Shuichi’s head snaps up. She’s on the verge of tears. “Why did you kill her!? I know she didn’t like you but she didn’t deserve to die! You killed her! You lied to me! How could you!?”

He couldn’t speak, the words feeling stuck in his throat as dread pooled in his stomach. No-one spoke up to defend him.

“You made me think Gonta killed her! You told me! You lied to me to make me believe it was him! Why-” She sniffles and her voice breaks. “She was my friend…”

Fuck. This isn’t… He didn’t want this. He can’t handle this. “I-I didn’t mean to…” He responds weakly, voice small. “It was an accident…”

He’s gotten used to tuning out Monokuma and the Monokubs, so it’s easy to ignore them when they start talking about voting. They aren’t going forward. Of course they aren’t. He admitted it. He votes himself. There’s no passing the blame anymore. He doesn’t look up at the screen. He knows who everyone else voted for.

“Shuichi. Why?” It’s Kaede.

He looks up, regretting the action immediately. She’s not mad, not like Himiko. She’s calm, but she’s tense. If she’s mad, she’s hiding it. He speaks up, his voice weak, small. “I didn’t mean to…”

She sighs, her voice is gentle. She knows how to calm him down. Somehow, that upsets him even more. “Okay… What happened?”

He swallows, wrapping his arms around himself, hesitating. He has to be honest here. They’ll understand, right? “At some point this morning, before the sun rose, I woke up from a nightmare. I couldn’t fall back asleep so I decided to go get coffee. B-but Tenko was outside… I didn’t want to deal with her, so I tried to ignore her, but she followed me and started throwing insults at me.” He takes a slow, shaky breath, pausing. He hesitates before looking at Kaede.

Her face is mostly neutral, eyebrows furrowed. She nods, encouraging him to continue.

“She kept talking. She wouldn’t shut up. She wouldn’t leave me alone. I was stressed, I was still tired, I haven’t had a moment to truly just breathe… I-I don’t know, something she had said set me off. I don’t know what happened. Just… in a second, she was suddenly… dying. In front of me.” He shudders, uncomfortable at the memory. “Because of me…”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” That was Ryoma.

“During the trial? I was scared…”

“I think he means before that.” Kaede gently puts a hand on Shuichi’s shoulder, concerned. “With the First Blood Perk.”

Oh. “I- I was panicking.” He answers honestly. “I was scared. I didn’t want you guys to think negatively of me… I was trapped in my own thoughts.”

“I would’ve thought better of you if you spoke up.” Himiko snaps, making him wince. Shuichi doesn’t dare to look in her direction.

“Why do you care so much about what we think of you?” Maki asks. “None of us are close with you.”

“I-” He hesitates. What if nobody believes him…? He takes a deep breath. It’s now or never… “I’m stuck in a time loop.”

Silence. Everyone’s staring at him. Fuck.

“Seriously?” Kokichi deadpans, just raising an eyebrow.

“...I don’t think that’s possible.” Kiyo adds. Slimy. His voice sounds slimy.

“This isn’t an anime. Kiyo’s right, that isn’t possible.” Tsumugi says, sounding so annoyingly sure of herself.

“I-I’m being serious!” He cringes, hearing how desperate he sounds. “You guys have to believe me…”

No-one says anything. No-one believes him. He can tell. This isn’t going right. None of this is right. “I can prove it!” He says, looking around. “I know things you don’t! I-” He cuts himself off. There. Rantaro. He goes up to him quickly. “I know your ultimate!”

His eyes widen, surprised at the claim and the fact that Shuichi went to him of all people. But, he doesn’t have a chance to speak before Tsumugi interrupts him.

“Even if you are being honest, there’s no way we can trust what you say. There’s no proof of what you claim.” She tilts her head, eyes calculating.

He glares at her, gritting his teeth. He hates that she’s right. He looks around again, feeling panic rise in his chest before his eyes land on Kokichi. He runs up to him, grabbing him by the shoulders suddenly, ignoring the way he tenses and nearly shaking him. “Your organization! DICE is made up of 10 of your friends!”

“Ummm…” Kokichi smiles, pushing Shuichi’s hands away and stepping back, putting space between them. “Seriously? Preeeeety sure I know how big my organization is more than you do! And it’s definitely not that small.”

He blinks. …Did he seriously expect Kokichi of all people to back him up? Nobody believes him. He can’t convince them. Who else? Who else can he turn to?

“Well, that’s enough of that nonsense!” Monokuma cackles. Shuichi freezes. No. “How about we get to the good part, hm? Iiiiit’s punishment time!”

This can’t be happening. Everyone else is stepping away, putting space between them and Shuichi. Nobody is meeting his eyes. They don’t believe him. None of them believe him. They think he’s crazy.

“W-wait…” His voice is small, he can barely hear it. He takes a step forward, limbs shaking. This can’t happen. No way this is happening. “B-but… I know… I’m in a time loop… Please… I know who the mastermind is…”

But it’s too late for any of that, isn’t it?

Chapter Text

Ah, back once again. Wonderful.

Shuichi wakes up in a daze, clutching his head with a deep feeling of DESPAIR. That’s right. DESPAIR. How many times has he gone through this time loop at this point? Like…

Shuichi counts on his fingers.

…two?

It didn’t sound nearly as daunting as he would’ve thought it.

As he exits the classroom, he takes note of the all-too-familiar faces of his comrades, the poor souls trapped in the school as well as him. He is—

“HEY!”

Shuichi whips around, eyes going wide at the sudden voice.

“So you’re like—trapped in here too, right?” Says fucking uhhhh Katie something like Kade?? Kaede??? The music one.

“Huh?” Shuichi blinks. “Oh—yeah. I’m stuck here too.”

“Cowabummer.” Says blondie. The music one. “I heard we gotta go to the gym to listen to some guy talk about why we’re all here. Race you there!”

Shuichi watches in confusion as blondie (the music one) runs off down the hall, kicking over a frail-looking kid with a beanie idk the one that got eaten by piranhas (I think his name is like Ito or Rito or smth) as she runs.

Due to convenience Shuichi is now in the gym, watching the Oreo rodent give his usual speech, paying no mind to the usual gasps of horror at the realization that they were inside a killing game. The gymnasium had them all: Kaede, Rantaro, Miku, uhh Korky- Koriku??? Kiyo??? (his name will now be Kory), maid girl, the evil one, Angie, Gonta, Himiko, Tenko, someone else, Rio, Keebo, Kokichi, and I don’t think we’re forgetting anyone. But the author doesn’t want to write this, so we are going to skip ahead. Just a few minutes.

Shuichi is now watching a fight in the courtyard, a crowd of onlookers having formed around the squabbling pair.

“You look like you eat bugs.”

“Gonta would never eat bugs! Gonta loves bugs!”

“Then why don’t you marry one 😼”

Shuichi walked between Kokichi and bug boy, inhaling deeply before shouting out “STOP FIGHTINGGG” in a high-pitched, cartoonish sounding voice only that of a crinkly homunculus would have.

Kokichi stared, blinking, before he suddenly smirks widely at him. “Wow babe I didn’t know you had that in you.”

“Gonta is also surprised!” Gonta exclaimed (surprised).

Shuichi huffed, placing his hands on his hips. “Well I do. And don’t call me babe.”

He turned to Kokichi with a whisper. “Not in front of the others.”

“Okay baby.”

“Don’t call me baby either.”

“Okay schoonkums.”

Shuichi grabbed a lead pipe and began bashing Kokichi’s knees in, the sound of each metallic thud ringing out through the crowd of horrified onlookers.

Kokichi collapses on the ground in agony, flailing as his legs were now very much broken.

“*dodges*”

Shuichi stopped.

“Wh—you can’t say dodges, you didn’t actually dodge—”

“Yes I can, I dodged you. You can’t hit me cause I dodged you.”

“Wh—that’s not how it works I’m actively hitting you, see?”

Shuichi whacks Kokichi across the shin with the lead pipe again.

“*dodges*”

“STOP THAT!!”

“*dodges you and places my hands on your neck and snaps it instantly*”

“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU SAYING TO ME RIGHT NOW”

“HAVE YOU NEVER ROLEPLAYED BEFORE??? I DODGED YOU!!!”

“WE’RE NOT FUCKING ROLEPLAYING”

“WHY NOT???”

Shuichi stopped dead, eyes going wide at the rebuttal. Why… not? Why weren’t they role playing? It was a fantastic question, one that Shuichi had no true answer to. Why not? Why wouldn’t they be roleplaying in this very moment? Suddenly he felt very dizzy, as if a whole new world of thought had been opened to his very existence. Roleplay… it had been right there below his nose and he hadn’t even thought to snuff it out! He was a detective for crying out loud, he should always be on the lookout for roleplay! He stood, tossing the lead pipe aside, and helped Kokichi to his feet. Somehow he could still stand.

“I… yeah… why aren’t we role playing right now?”

Kokichi shrugs. “I dunno! Let’s roleplay mermaids!”

They now roleplay mermaids. They did this for eight hours.

“Stop!!” Yells Angie as they sunbathe on the rocks, flapping their iridescent mermaid tails majestically in the sunlight. “Can’t you see this is against God’s will? Clearly you were meant to be humans, not mermaids! You—”

“Keebo? Kill this guy.” Kokichi speaks bluntly, the robot beginning to panic the moment he was made eye contact with.

“Wh-no! No I will not kill her! She is allowed to have an opinion!”

“Well her opinion sucks booty and I want her dead.” Kokichi pushes Shuichi off the rock, who face plants onto the courtyard floor (subtle foreshadowing).

Keebo stamps his foot, fuming at the thought of such a preposterous request.

“I will not eliminate a fellow student!”

Kokichi huffed, crossing his arms with a pout. “Nananana wuss! You’re a wuss!”

“I-I am not a ‘wuss’! And I do not appreciate the attitude I am being given!”

“PLBBT” Kokichi blows a raspberry loudly at Keebo, who short circuits at the obnoxious spray of spit. Rantaro suddenly walks in with an M72 Law (a single-use, shoulder-fired rocket launcher designed for infantry use, primarily against armored vehicles and fortifications (and also blowing up your friends)), hoisting it over his shoulder.

“Ready when you are.”

Angie shrieks, scrambling behind Gonta and pushing him forward as a human shield.

“WAIT!!!” Kaito rushes forward, blocking Gonta with his own body. “Why don’t we just… use the rocket launcher on the bear? Or to blast through the wall? That way we can actually get out of here!”

“Ohhh yeah, fair point.” Rantaro points the rocket launcher towards the ground. Kokichi frowns in disappointment.

Everyone gathers round the nearest wall, Rantaro hoisting the M72 Law to the nearest wall of the courtyard. They hold their breaths in anticipation, watching with eager eyes as that finger hovered over the trigger, before they heard a grating yet annoyingly familiar voice shriek out from behind them.

“WAIT WAIT WAIT!! Hold your horses now!!!”

Everyone turns to see Monokuma followed by his Monokubs, scrambling forward in a meek attempt to block the wall from the rocket launcher.

“Y-You can’t leave just yet! You haven’t even gotten through your first trial! What about the action, the violence, the friendships, the 𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮?”

He falls to his sorry excuse for knees, tears (?) streaming from his eyes (?)

“THINK ABOUT THE 𝓡𝓞𝓜𝓐𝓝𝓒𝓔!!!”

Everyone turns to look at the robot, then to Rantaro, before they all begin chanting for him to use the rocket launcher.

“WAIT!!!” Monokuma shrieks again. “If you do decide to use that… then I will be forced to use my… heh… secret weapon.”

All of a sudden it grows dark, a mysterious fog coating the space in a dim haze. Worried mutters broke out between the students, a few leaping into others’ arms in terror, before a single glowing red eye appears from the depths of the mist.

“Introducing…!!!”

Out steps a Monokub, though this one was… different. It wore dark pants, far too small for the wearer, a red and black flannel jacket, a pair of thick black glasses, a bearded stubble, and a head of thick, luxurious black hair.

No. It couldn’t be.

“MARKIKUB!!!”

“Hello everybody my name is M—”

The explosion was heard before anyone could react, the blast of the rocket launcher reverberating painfully through the fog. Everyone coughs and hacks, waving away the smoke through their ringing ears before they realized the sight that lay before them.
There was a small burn spot where Markikub had been, the single rocket residing in the M72 Law gone as Rantaro stood in a daze. “Whoops.”

Conveniently for them every single Monokub including Monokuma had been caught in the blast, leaving a gaping hole in the courtyard wall with a view of the outside world. It looked like Vegas, with bright, blaring lights and the sound of chiming slot machines ringing out past the crumbling opening.

“C’mon guys!!” Kaito exclaims with a newfound enthusiasm, being the first one to make his way through their freedom. “Let’s go gambling!!!”

“AW YEAH!!!” Everyone files right after him, Shuichi being the last. He stuffs his hands in his pockets, a gentle smile residing on his pale features.

Had it really been that simple all along? With just a bit of cartoonish luck and fourth wall breaking, they had all managed to escape that hellhole. He couldn’t help his smile from growing wider as he followed, a fond warmth growing in the pit of his chest. Although he hadn’t received the opportunity to bond with the others, perhaps he would meet them another day. Some of them were, in his opinion, good riddances, but others he did truly wish to see again. Yeah… that sounded nice. But, for now, he was free. Free from the weight of this miserable world he had woken up in, free of the shackles that kept him contained. He was alive and happy, and all of his friends were alive and happy too. He was free.

He was fr—

Shuichi suddenly slipped on a piece of loose debris, falling forward with a yelp before his head cracked hard on a thick piece of jagged rock.

He awoke with a start, clutching at his shirt with the all-too-familiar feeling of waking up after death.

“FUCK”

The end :]

Chapter Text

It’s the same thing as always. Falling out of the locker, his nerves on fire, vision blurry with tears. There’s one thing that sets this time apart from every other time. He’s still in pain. Agony. He yells when he hits the floor, curling into himself, letting out a choked gasp mixed with a sob as he wraps his arms around himself.

Everything hurts. It all fucking hurts. His nerves are on fire, burning sensations of phantom pain making every little twitch of his muscles bring on a new wave of agony.

“Hey! Are you okay?” He can hear Kaede’s voice and his gaze snaps up. She’s crouched down beside him, a hand extended towards his shoulder, her expression twisted in concern. Her words sound hazy to his ears.

“K-Kaede.” Shuichi near wheezes, his voice wobbling as his hands grasp Kaede’s extended one, his eyes wide and brimming with tears. He struggles to speak, but continues before she can respond. “Help. H-help me.”

Kaede’s mouth opens and closes, struggling to find the words to respond. After a couple seconds, she finally says something. “Hey now, calm down. You’re okay. You’re okay right now. Can you tell me what’s going on?”

“I’ve seen you die! I’ve died! I can’t– I keep–” He breaks into sobs again, eyes squeezing shut as he trembles, squeezing her hand. “I can’t do this anymore… Please…”

“I- What?” Her eyebrows furrow, confused as she processes the information. “You… died?”

“T-time loop– I-I’m stuck in a time loop.” He chokes on the words, trembling. He regrets it immediately. He wasn’t thinking when he blurted it out. His eyes open and he meets her gaze, tense.

“What?” She asks again, stunned. Her voice is soft, the word nearly to herself. “What do you mean you’re in a time loop?”

He shakes his head, limbs shaking as he curls into himself again. He lets go of Kaede’s hand, wrapping his arms around himself instead. “I-I can’t tell you.”

Despite Kaede’s own confusion and growing concern, gives him a soft smile, trying her best to make him feel comfortable. Her hands reach forward and she grabs his hands again. Her touch is soft, her thumbs rubbing the backs of his hands. “Of course you can. I’m here. I’m listening. No-one else is.”

No-one else is listening. Shuichi’s eyes dart around the room, his nerves alight despite knowing she’s probably right. He takes a deep, shaky breath, meeting Kaede’s eyes again. “I– We’re in a killing game. We’re stuck. I’ve been–” His voice breaks and his words get cut off with a choke. He sniffles, tearing up again.

She squeezes his hands. A reminder that she’s there. “Take your time.”

He looks down at their hands, his limbs shaking as he focuses on her grip. He’s terrified. He steadies himself, taking deep breaths before eventually responding. “I’ve been in this killing game for more times than I can count. I don’t know how, I don’t know why, I don’t even know if any of that even matters. I’ve been reliving these same days over and I keep seeing everyone die–” He flinches suddenly, feeling like he’s going to puke. God, he’s here again because he killed Tenko.

“No-one’s dead right now, right?”

He blinks, caught off guard by the question, dragged out of his thoughts. “...What?”

“Right now. In this… loop. No-one’s dead, right?” She tilts her head, expression serious.

He hesitates, not quite sure what she was asking at first, but eventually catching on. “N-no. Everyone’s alive right now… They should be.” He’s not sure why he added that last bit. The dread he feels is probably the reason. Gut reaction or nerves? He’s not sure, but it doesn’t make sense why someone would be dead already.

She nods, understanding. “Come on. Stand up.” She pulls him up, expression firm before it changes to a look of determination. “Everyone’s staying alive, got that? You’re not dying, I’m not dying, nobody is! If you’re in a time loop, you know what’s happening, right? You can stop it!”

“I can?” He questions, voice soft. “I’ve been stuck in this for a while, I don’t know if it’s possible.”

“Of course it is!” Kaede smiles, giving his hand an encouraging squeeze. Her smile is so bright. “Just because you’ve been experiencing it for a while doesn’t mean you’re stuck. I’ll help you. I promise.”

He hesitates, not sure if he should share more of what he knows. He feels so ill. He’s already made himself a target, hasn’t he? There’s those stupid little camera bugs. He didn’t even think of them when he told Kaede everything. Will Tsumugi find out? She has to, doesn’t she?

“Tsumugi.” He says quickly, his hands shaking as he grips her hands tighter, determined to not get lost in his thoughts. He can see the confusion on her face and he continues before she can speak. “She’s the mastermind. We’ll see her first. She’s responsible for everything. We can’t let her know that we know.”

Kaede pauses before smiling again, clasping their hands together. “Don’t worry, you won’t have to talk to her. I’ll handle it.”

As she leads him forward, he keeps minimal focus on the conversation. He knows how this goes. It’s different, just slightly. Kaede’s less playful, but she doesn’t show that she knows about Tsumugi being the mastermind. There isn’t a script or anything, that much he could gleam from the many times he’s been through this. Tsumugi has only ever suspected something was up when he acted “out of character”, not on how much he did or didn’t talk.

Then it came to interactions with the others. Everything was normal until they ran into Tenko and Himiko. Shuichi couldn’t help it. He froze. Kaede had recognized pretty quickly that he didn’t want to meet her, so neither of them came up to them. But aside from those two interactions, it was the same routine. A few changes in what was said, but mostly the same.

Kaede was able to convince everyone not to go into the tunnel. Thank god. There’s one thing that managed to change. It’s a good change of pace. Shuichi… well… he’d just have gone along with it if Kaede didn’t stop everyone.

His stomach won’t stop turning with fear and regret.

When everyone starts splitting off, reality starts coming back to him fully. It’s when Kaede grabs his arm, pulling him off and away from everyone.

“Where are we going?” He asks, his voice, for once, not shaking even slightly.

“Where nobody can overhear us.” She answers, pulling him off the courtyard and through the dense grass. She sits down against a tree, pulling him down to sit beside her.

He hesitates before leaning back, anxiously looking around. He swallows, trying to steel himself to share the information he accidentally kept to himself. “We can still be heard.”

Kaede shakes her head. “Not from the others. Who can hear us?”

“It’s not who.” Shuichi clarifies. “There’s cameras. They’ll pick up us speaking.”

She goes quiet, her eyebrows furrowing as she frowns. After a minute, she turns back to him. “Then we’ll work fast. You already told me who the mastermind is, we can’t back out now. We have to end this, don’t we? Then let’s get out of here.” She grins, determined. The sun lights up her face perfectly and makes her eyes sparkle. It makes Shuichi lose his train of thought for a moment.

“O-oh. Right. Right. How can we do this?” He pauses, thinking. “I… Before… I’ve seen you try to kill the mastermind. You failed and Tsumugi framed you for murder. How can we prevent that?”

Her eyes widen and her smile falters. “Oh. Who was killed?”

“Rantaro.”

She doesn’t respond for a moment, frowning, deep in thought. “Why him?”

“He was trying to end the killing game.” It dawns on him right after he finishes speaking, but before he can say anything more, Kaede speaks up.

“Then let’s find Rantaro!” She smiles brightly again, getting up. “Is there anyone else who you know wants to end the killing game? If we could get them to work with us…”

He opens his mouth before closing it. Well, he does know someone. Several someones. People like Kaito and most of his group he got together before Rantaro’s murder the first time… They’d get themselves killed the second they have an idea of an escape plan, most of them aren’t subtle, or think things through fully. The only other person he can think of… he wouldn’t trust them.

“...No.” He answers eventually, deciding it might be easier with less people. He gets up as well, dusting himself off.

Kaede nods, a spark of determination shining in her eyes. “Then let’s go end the killing game!”

Chapter Text

It’s been 1 day since Shuichi killed someone. 1 full day since he killed Tenko. Or at least, he thinks it’s been 1 day. It’s hard to tell with the timeline resetting. The morning announcement has just gone off and he’s in his bathroom, washing his face. He had another nightmare. It was worse than usual, making it much more in line with a night terror. He woke up crying. It’s not the first time, though.

He puts on new clothes, preparing himself to leave. He leaves his hat on the dresser. He doesn’t want to go back to wearing it. He wipes his face again with a washcloth, hoping that it’s not obvious how stressed he is. He takes a deep breath, steadying himself, and then leaving his room.

It’s quiet. It makes him anxious. He shouldn’t be though. He doesn’t need to worry or be afraid, but he is. He huffs, taking his hands and slapping his cheeks. He needs to get a hold of himself and stop worrying so much!

He exits the dorms, making his way to the dining hall. Once he’s inside, he looks around. Most everyone is here already, aside from a few stragglers. Most of the stragglers, those being Himiko, Ryoma, and Kaito, are not morning people. The only other stragglers are Gonta and Tenko. He’s glad that Tenko isn’t here yet. Too busy accompanying Himiko. He doesn’t want to deal with her right now. Not at all.

Kaede spots him at the table, waving him over with a bright smile. He smiles in turn, forgetting about Tenko for a few comparably blissful minutes to instead focus on more important matters at hand. He sits beside her, not minding that he didn’t grab something to eat first.

“I was thinking…” She begins quietly, putting down her fork to speak. “After we finish eating, we talk to Rantaro, and then we all go to your dorm to talk in private. If it all goes to plan. Is that good?”

“Yeah, that’s fine with me.” He responds. He jolts when Kirumi comes up beside him, placing a plate down with an omelet in front of him with a stern glance. He quickly looks up at her, feeling a bit embarrassed at her scolding look. He gives her a sheepish smile. “Thank you…”

He instead focuses on eating, scanning everyone around the room. It’s so normal… Everyone’s chatting and eating. Nobody’s focused on the killing game, looking at each other like they’ll take their fork and start stabbing them instead of their food. There’s jokes and laughter and conversation. It’s nice. Shuichi’s glad. The last thing he needs is this timeline diverging and for everyone to start killing each other. Not again.

He’s startled when he hears the door open, and even more startled when he hears Tenko’s voice. He ducks his head, looking down at his food. He doesn’t need to look her in the eyes. He can’t look her in the eyes. Her voice is loud and it carries. She’s just talking to Kirumi really, asking for specific food and then gushing over Himiko. It’s unnerving to him. Sure, it’s normal for Tenko. But all Shuichi can hear when she speaks is the sound of her final wheezing breath.

Kaede awkwardly pats his back, and when he’s startled by the touch, she smiles at him, concerned. “You alright?” She asks, voice soft.

“Y-yes… I just… This omelet isn’t good for my stomach.” He lies, smiling in turn. He pushes the plate away slightly. Honestly, he did lose his appetite, but the food was good. He just can’t bring himself to stomach it.

“That’s okay. I was just about finished anyway.” She grins before getting up, offering him her hand. When he takes it, she pulls him up. “I’ll go talk to Rantaro. You wait outside.”

He nods with a smile, moving towards the door. A few curious eyes follow him, but they don’t pay him much mind, going back to their own business afterwards. He doesn’t pay them mind either. Everyone is nosy, sure, but they don’t interrupt or eavesdrop. Not that he knows of. He steps outside, walking onto the wood and waiting. He tries not to focus on the past. Past timelines are dead and gone. Nobody remembers but him. He doesn’t need to focus on them. They don’t matter. No matter how much they haunt him.

He doesn’t know why he’s here, really. A time loop isn’t logical, they should not be able to exist. There aren’t any documented cases of time loops, not any that he’s aware of, at least. He could search through the books in the library, but that's a waste of precious time that could be spent elsewhere. And it’s not like he would open up a page and it would say “Here’s how to get out of a time loop!”. There would be no answer to his questions.

There is no known way out, no known way in, nothing he can use to his advantage to manipulate the way the loops work. It is not chess or a game of cards, although it would all be so much easier to visualize on a board. He keeps focusing on the wrong aspects of old timelines. He focuses on his actions, reactions, and mistakes. Those are not important. Information is. Tenko’s death was not only an accident, but something that he can not glean any information from. Useless in the grand scheme of things.

Most of the timelines are like that. So what can he say was important from each one?

He can’t change the events of the first day, not when he is alone, and when he is, he can’t change it much. He can never stop the killing game, he can only influence what happens in the tunnel. He can’t flat out stop everyone alone, but he can change some minds. Although, then that leads to worse injuries. Kaede was the one who was able to stop everyone. The variable needed to change the timeline. Additionally, he can note that Miu has one of the most fragile mental states, and can easily be pushed to kill someone if stressed enough. She’s paranoid, in a bad spot. When the injuries from the tunnel are worse, she feels as though she is in worse danger and that people are out to get her. Tsumugi is stronger than she appears, able to easily overpower Shuichi in physical confrontation. If he needs to fight her again, he can’t be alone. …What else?

He shakes his head, unable to think of much more. Only minor and obvious things. Monokuma and the Monokubs never seem to care about his behavior. Others will pick up on his odd behavior easily and respond differently, changing the timeline. He’s grasping at straws. He should have paid everyone more mind in previous loops. He doesn’t have enough information to do anything more.

Before his train of thought can continue, the door opens. He jumps, turning and spotting Kaede and Rantaro. “H-hey…” He says, eyes flitting between the two of them.

“Hi, Shuichi!” Kaede says as Rantaro waves. “I told Rantaro we want him to work with us to end the killing game. I didn’t know if you wanted me to share, uh, you know.” She adds with a small, sheepish smile.

“Oh, that’s fine. Um, I’d rather share it when I’m sure nobody can overhear us.” He says, eyes landing on the door of the dining hall. “Follow me.” He turns, leading the two to the dorms. He needs to focus, get out of his own head. Rantaro was told not to trust anyone, that people were going to be after him. He has to convince him to help them.

Once the three are in his dorm room, he closes the door. He takes another deep breath, hyping himself up momentarily before raising his head, meeting Rantaro’s eyes. “I’m in a time loop. I have been for what I think is around a month. I have no idea how, I have no idea why. The time loop starts at the beginning of the killing game when we all wake up and restarts when I die. The first timeline I was in, I saw the killing game end. I want to see it end again, but I do not want anyone to die this time. I need your help to achieve this.”

The other pauses, eyes widening slightly. His mouth opens and closes, not quite sure how to respond to that information.

Kaede speaks up before Rantaro can, however. “Shuichi told me first. I don’t think he’s lying.” She insists, turning to him. “If he isn’t, he put a target on his back for no reason. Please, Rantaro. Work with us. We have the same goal that you do.”

He hesitates, looking at her before looking at Shuichi. He sighs, reaching up to run his hand through his hair, awkward. “How can I be sure about that? This is a crazy thing to just tell someone, you know.”

“I’m aware.” Shuichi responds, fidgeting with his sleeve so he has something to do. “I know it sounds unbelievable, but I promise to you that I’m telling the truth. I know you’re the Ultimate Survivor, if that gives any credence to my story.”

Rantaro sighs, looking thoughtful for a minute before he speaks up. “Okay. I’ll work with you two.”

That’s great!” Kaede says, clapping a little, smiling brightly. “Shuichi, do you have any idea how to end this?”

He pauses, eyes widening. Oh. Right. He actually has to… do that. He clears his throat, speaking his thoughts aloud. “Last time, when the killing game actually ended, it was because there was evidence to prove that Tsumugi, and by extension, Monokuma, had broken the rules of the game.”

Kaede leans over to Rantaro, whispering quickly. “Tsumugi’s the mastermind.”

He continues regardless of the small interruption. “There’s no way to prove that Tsumugi broke the rules just yet, and there’s no way that we can make her incriminate herself to prove who she really is without drawing suspicion to ourselves. So we have to go about this in a different way. I think we should drag this out. Make the killing game go on for a while without any deaths. We can’t let anyone die. If we wait for long enough, there will be another motive. And then another if that fails. Tsumugi will take things into her own hands after a while. We need to catch her breaking the rules.”

“That should be easy, right?” Kaede asks. “Everyone’s friends, there’s no reason they should try to kill each other.”

“That’s true. Mostly.” He responds. “That’s usually what happens, but there’s additional variables. They change every timeline. I’ve seen it.”

Rantaro’s the next one to speak up, his gaze calculating as he thinks. “What’s the new variables this time?”

“We have three. I have not encountered these yet.” He lifts up his hand, counting them off on his fingers. “First, nobody went into the tunnel at all. It was made to break our spirits, to make us give hope that we can escape at all. But nobody went through that. We still have hope. Everyone does. Although, there’s the second variable. Us. We are a group, we are planning something. This is extremely noticeable. I would be surprised if nobody took notice of this already. This will put people on edge. It will look like we’re planning to kill someone. Lastly, we know about Tsumugi. In the timelines where it was known that I knew she was the mastermind, I was a target for her. I do not know how she’ll react to all of us knowing this, but I can’t imagine it’s good.”

“So… What can we do about that?” Rantaro asks, crossing his arms.

He pauses, not quite sure how to answer that. It’s Kaede who speaks up instead. “Well, we don’t hang out! We meet up here, in Shuichi’s dorm, right after the nighttime announcement. During the day, we’ll stay separate instead. However! We don’t stay alone! Never be alone, especially not with Tsumugi. Hang out with other people, get in people’s good graces. Always be by someone’s side. We also can keep watch of everyone. Make sure nobody’s wanting to kill each other.”

Shuichi bites his lip, a bit anxious at the idea. Still though, he nods. “One thing. I’ve noticed… Miu’s spirit is a bit… fragile. We should keep watch on her especially. Tsumugi also needs to be watched, obviously.”

“I’ll deal with Miu, no worries.” She responds, giving both of them a smile.

“That’s good.” He breathes a sigh of relief. He does not want to deal with Miu, but they also need to make sure she doesn’t kill someone. “We should also grab stuff from the warehouse. Anything that we feel like can help. I’ll grab some of those cameras tomorrow. We should all keep one on us in case we see Tsumugi up to something.”

He pauses before remembering something. He clears his throat, adding on a final note. “And please. Don’t do things behind each other’s backs. We need to look out for each other. If we hide things, if we plan things without the others’ knowledge. It will be used against us and it will kill us. We need to work together.”

Both of them nod, agreeing to the arrangement. Good. He (hopefully) doesn’t have to worry about that anymore.

All that is needed now, is to wait and execute this plan.