Disclaimer: I own nothing except the fanfiction itself.
A/N: This story is a re-telling of Case 3's murder, so expect some canon inside. All forms of criticism are welcome, so please leave a review even if all you have to say is a single word! Thanks for reading!
"But I'm not really into music…"
"That's not a problem! You can just pretend you're playing an instrument while a music track plays in the background."
Is that really something the Ultimate Musician should saying…?
"But even if I'm pretending…I've never even held an instrument before."
"Everyone starts at that point. As long as you feel the love, there's no problem!"
"What do I do if I don't…'feel the love'?"
"It's okay! Just jamming out is super duper fun! You'll be really popular with the ladies! Chicks go out with guys who pretend to be musicians all the time! By the way, Ibuki thinks guys who don't like bands are narcissists, so she doesn't like them!"
That's…not something the Ultimate Musician should say either…
"Yep, mm-hmm! Now, choose what instrument you want! Ah, but Ibuki already has dibs on the guitar!"
"…Then…I guess the drums."
It's always sudden. Of course it is; Monokuma wouldn't have been pleased otherwise, and if heads had started to roll immediately, then what was the point of hosting a Mutual Killing School Trip? If all he wanted was blood, he would just as soon have dropped the lot of them (or "the little shits" as the headmaster so lovingly referred to them by) into a colosseum and forced them to kill each other. No, Monokuma was a much more merciful ruler than that. He at least gave his prisoners the choice of whether or not to commit murder. The only crime he was guilty of was providing the means and incentive for killing, but there was no way he could be held responsible for whatever might happen after that, at least by his corrupted logic. If the bear had to be honest, however, he didn't find their initial reactions to this whole predicament displeasing; maybe just misguided. Their fear was palpable, their anger, harrowing, and their sorrow, exquisite; all excellent reactions of course, but such trite sentiments didn't satisfy the stuffed bear's appetite.
What he craved was that warm, lovely feeling that only despair could deliver. It was such an orgasmic rush that could only be achieved through proper preparation and very meticulous planning. As a high school teacher, he'd seen enough half-assed work from students in the past to know what happened when one didn't apply their all towards something. In his experience, the best assignments always came from those who laid out some form of groundwork and carefully thought about each individual attribute coming together to create a cohesive and finished product. Following this example, the devilish bear had set up his own rubric for himself; he supplied the students with a large enough variety of weapons to complete the ABC's of murder, and he even let his precious Monobeasts be defeated on purpose just to expand the possibilities for betrayal! It was far too exhilarating to see that familiar glint of hope sparkle in their eyes, wondering if the next island might have something to facilitate their escape, only for it to be absolutely dashed upon the next body discovery announcement. Watching the students of Hope's Peak Academy claw desperately for even the smallest sliver of hope in death's shadow filled the little bear with such euphoria that he was positive his stuffing would burst out.
As such, it was only natural that Monokuma was thrilled when he saw Hajime sprint out of the hospital doors, nearly tripping over himself as he raced towards the music venue.
The killing game had started again.
"Do you know what's the most important thing about playing music in a band?"
"Um…a sense of unity?"
"Ding ding ding! That's correct! It's all about that! The band members performing as a singular unit on stage: that's the perfect concert! That's where the greatest music is made! That's why you need to create a sense of unity!"
…I see. That's…surprisingly deep, coming from her. Despite how carefree Ibuki acts, there's no doubt she takes her music seriously. I feel as if I'm starting to see a different side of Ibuki.
"In order to do that, it's very important to eat cake with everyone after school!"
…Is this still about performing music?
Hajime's thoughts raced faster than his legs. Until he personally saw what was inside the music venue, he had to accept that video as reality. If he took that as fact, then the mystery lied in determining who was killed. The most likely candidates were those currently in the hospital, given that the figure in the video was wearing a hospital gown. That narrowed the potential victim down to either Akane, Nagito, or Ibuki. How convenient it was, that those three were also the ones currently afflicted with the Despair Disease, Monokuma's latest motive.
"Was that how he was trying to manipulate us? Instead of trying to provide an incentive for the murderer…was he hoping to tempt us by making it easier to murder our friends?" He couldn't immediately think of anybody who would actually fall prey to such a backwards motive like that, but he didn't have to. "We've fallen to Monokuma's motives twice already; it wouldn't be strange for someone to fall to this one too. I can't really trust anyone here…can I…?" Hajime's thoughts quickly corrected themselves. No, there was one person here he trusted, and that thought alone quickened his pace. The fear and anxiety in his chest multiplied with each step he took. The faster he identified the person in the video, the faster he would either confirm or assuage his worst fears. This wasn't a reality he liked at all, but one he had to accept nonetheless. After all, he knew that one of them, the very symbols of hope, had committed murder once more.
"No, there's still the possibility that the video was some kind of trick. Maybe some kind of decoy was used and that video is…" Hajime's inner monologue trailed off. Even if he accepted that best-case scenario, it meant that someone in their small group had set a plan in motion, and on Jabberwock Island, there was only one thing a plan was good for, especially if it involved a video so…ghastly.
"FUCK!"Hajime had wanted to forget all about that damned video as soon as he left the hospital, but it was impossible. He could recall every detail of it clearly; he remembered the dim candlelight that illuminated the eerie scene as well as the person slowly entering the frame, wearing a hospital gown and a bag on their head (a detail that unnerved Hajime even more). He remembered how their slippers slowly shuffled towards the stepladder carefully positioned under a noose. He remembered how they climbed to the final step, reached out for the noose, grasped the rope, and suddenly…darkness. The candle had been snuffed out, leaving Hajime to stare at his own horrified reflection on the screen. It was just as well, as he felt that that was all he could stomach to watch before he ran out onto the street and towards the music venue. About a minute after, he arrived at the doors of the music venue and pushed right through them.
As of that morning, when Hajime left the hospital, four students were out of commission: Nagito, Ibuki, Akane, and Nekomaru. It was at that time, when one third of the island's unwilling inhabitants were unable to act, that another killing had occurred.
"…Hey Ibuki. Why did you leave your old band? Was it because you had creative differences with them?"
"Hmm, how should I put it? Creative differences…? Personality differences…? Ah well, it's not a big deal! That's the destiny of a band member after all! Remember when Ibuki said the most important thing is a sense of unity? Technique is something you get from practicing, but until you play together, you won't know if the group will mesh well, and if it doesn't, that's something you can't really help. So…that's why Ibuki doesn't really regret leaving the band! Still, going solo…is a little bit lonely."
I see… From the way she's twiddling her thumbs, I can tell she's waiting for a response, but what should I say? Maybe I should just play along with her games. If I can ease that loneliness, even just a bit… Well, then I guess I don't mind entertaining her for a while. I might even…have some fun too.
"Let's continue our headbanging! 10,000 headbangs for today's music club practice!"
The last ten minutes of Hajime's life felt closer to an hour. He was now entering the music venue for the second time that morning, and even though he had companions this time, he felt like his heart was being crushed in an icy fist with every pulse. Oh, how he almost wished his heart would stop pumping! If that happened, then he might be able to quell the pain he was feeling right now. How could life turn on its head in the span of ten minutes? Not that long ago, he had arrived at the music venue by himself to investigate the unnerving video, and it was clear that he had been the first one to come across the crime scene.
As soon as he had entered the music venue and saw the disturbing scenery before him, his blood froze. Up on the stage, coated in limelight, high above a collapsed stepladder, hung a limp body. It looked identical to the one in the video, from the hemp bag on its head to the slippers on its feet. From where he stood, it was impossible to tell who the body belonged to, but he had a faint suspicion from the build and height of the dangling corpse. He wanted to get closer and inspect it immediately, but his legs refused to cooperate. "D-Damn it! Not now! Right foot, left foot! Right foot, left foot! Fuck!" Just a few seconds ago, they had been so willing to carry him to the music venue, but now, it seemed their strength had departed. When he was finally able to move once again, he decided to dash in the opposite direction and go to the motel.
His internal reasoning for such an action was that he didn't want to be caught in such a compromising position. Since the morning announcement had happened not too long ago, it wouldn't be long until the rest of the class woke up and discovered what had happened. If he stayed here and someone happened to walk in on him inspecting the body, it could be used as incriminating evidence against him in the upcoming class trial. He desperately wanted to confirm what was under that hemp bag, but he had managed to restrain himself for the time being. How odd that he was adjusting to life on this island so well; after finding a body, he had the forethought to stop his instinctual response and think about how to deal with the upcoming class trial. It seemed that murder was becoming a natural and accepted occurrence on this island.
"Am I…getting numb to this sensation? The feeling of seeing my friends' dead bodies…?" Hajime reflected again on his way to the motel. The old Hajime from two weeks ago would not have been able to handle that sight on his own; the only reason he had been okay on the night of the first murder was because he had been in similar company. At least in that instance, when he lifted the tablecloth and revealed Byakuya's corpse, everybody else had shared his reaction, and that was enough to keep him grounded at the time. Hajime shook his head, cleared his thoughts, and faced forward as he neared the motel. "N-No way! No matter how I look at it, there's no way I could get used to seeing a corpse… It's just not normal!"
Of all the people at the motel, Gundham had been the one Hajime least wanted to run into. His convoluted manner of speaking and reverence to whatever nonsensical pantheon of gods he believed in caused most of his speech to go in one ear and out the other, at least in Hajime's case. As such, he ended up wasting more time than he should have trying to explain the current situation to both him and Chiaki (who luckily happened to hear the commotion outside her room and investigate it). Even with the latter's support and insistence that they take even the smallest precautions, the Ultimate Breeder remained skeptical of the other youth and chose to remain as a sentinel at the motel "lest any more foolish mortals attempt to invoke pandemonium on these grounds". There was no time to bother persuading him otherwise, and Hajime prepared to leave with Chiaki in tow. But, as if guided by a hand of fate, the pair bumped into two more of their peers as they stepped back onto the road: Fuyuhiko and Mikan.
"Fuyuhiko! And Mikan! Shouldn't you be resting?" Hajime spoke up first.
"I was going to lay down for a bit, b-but I thought I'd check in on everyone before that a-and…" The young nurse struggled to finish her sentence due to her usual nervousness, but she seemed even more anxious than usual; fortunately, Fuyuhiko had no such issues.
"Forget about that! We need to look for Ibuki!"
Hajime's breathing stopped abruptly halfway down his throat and contracted. It felt like a weight had been dropped on his chest, for no matter how hard he gasped, the oxygen managed to elude his lungs every time. He nearly sputtered what little saliva and air he still had, but managed to choke out one word in the end, albeit too raspy to be his own voice.
"I... Ibuki?"
Fuyuhiko, seemingly oblivious to Hajime's pained expression, took that as an opportunity to elaborate further and thus continued. "Yeah, Mikan says Ibuki's been missing from her room since the morning announcement!"
And it was with that one sentence that Hajime's spirit cracked. His singular slice of actual paradise and joy on this faux tropical paradise was gone. While he would normally find the truth to be liberating, at this very instance, it was everything but; it was bitter, agonizing, and absolutely despairing. There was no need to further deceive himself; no need to try and convince himself that his initial theory was incorrect. The hanged body in the music venue belonged to Ibuki Mioda.
"Ibuki Mioda, the goddess of music, thought you might remember something if she stimulated your senses! Perhaps you were too dull for it to work, Hajime? Well, I guess it doesn't really matter if you remember or not…because the Hajime I know is the same person you've been from the very start."
"What do you mean?"
"Umm…It's pretty embarrassing for Ibuki to say it, but…it doesn't actually matter if you remember your talent or not! Because…Hajime's standing right here. Even if you go looking for yourself, the you that's looking…that's you. Even if you're worrying about other things, that's still you."
"…"
"I believe finding yourself means accepting that you're someone who is constantly changing. So that's why…it's important to give it your all when expressing yourself!"
I stared at Ibuki as if she was an entirely different person than the Ibuki that I knew. She must have noticed it too, considering the look she's giving me.
"Just kidding! Ibuki's just saying things she wouldn't normally say!"
She tried to shake off her previously serious demeanor with a laugh, but I couldn't help feeling that there was some truth in her words. The Ibuki who said those things…was still the Ibuki I knew. That's what she had been trying to say all along, right? Ibuki might act spontaneously, but maybe that's just her way of coping with this killing game. I have to remember…we're both just high-school students in this mess. I think that I'm finally understanding Ibuki better after spending so much time with her.
"Ibuki…Thanks…I think…"
"There's no need to thank me, Hajime."
Ibuki firmly grasped my hands in hers and looked up at me. I'd never realized how bright her irises were until I was forced to look into them. There, inside those eyes, I could see a flame…a blaze of determination that could never be extinguished.
"No matter what happens from this point forward, never ever give up. We'll leave this island together, okay? It's a promise!"
It's a little surprising that I'm learning something from Ibuki…but by the time that thought reached my mind, her words had already taken root inside my heart. I won't give up. I'll definitely leave this island with everyone…with Ibuki…
"Hajime, you're making a very nice face right now! Could it be because you keep finding ways to catch me alone?"
If the death of Ibuki had not been enough to throw them into despair, the killer made sure to drive the knife in a second time and twist it deep by adding Hiyoko's corpse to the pile. The tiny girl's body was suspended to a pillar near the hanged body, and Hajime was positive that it wasn't there upon his first visit; he'd have to make a mental note of that during the investigation. Her death stung their morale as well, and her colorful vocabulary would be missed, but Hajime could not in good conscience deny that there was something bigger preoccupying his mind. Fuyuhiko had just managed to lower the hanged body enough for the students to retrieve it and lay it down. Even despite Chiaki's warning, Hajime wasn't prepared to confront reality when she removed the bag over its head.
As the pink-haired girl removed the bag from the body's head, their identity was finally revealed. It didn't take long for everyone to remember the name of the girl with horns in her hair.
"God fucking dammit!" was Fuyuhiko's response. He must have suspected who was under that bag since he walked through the doors, but the identity of the body didn't have any profound effect on him. All that mattered was that somebody else was killed; not who it was that was killed. Peko's last request, to ensure that another senseless killing did not occur again, had clearly been tossed aside, and that's the only part that mattered to him.
"I'm so sorry! I should have- I needed to- I…!" Mikan was the next to speak up, and just as expected, she instantly offered her apologies to no-one in particular. She tried to compose a statement about how this was all her fault and that no one would forgive her, but the nurse quickly turned into a blubbering mess. She assumed the responsibility for Ibuki's death, but Chiaki was quick to offer her comfort. The quiet girl said nothing as she embraced the sobbing Mikan, but she glanced dolefully at the lifeless face lying at her feet. Even as an outstanding pillar of support amongst the students, she, too, appeared crestfallen. In the end, they were all mere high-schoolers forced into a life-or-death situation; hell, most of them had probably never been this close to a dead body before in their life. Some found better ways to cope than others, but with so much despair and hopelessness, everyone's resolve would undeniably wither away in due time. The Ultimate Gamer was no exception to this cold truth, and that's why nobody could fault her for feeling the way she did.
Hajime stood over Ibuki's body and stared at her pale face. She always had a pale complexion, but now, it was paler than he could have ever imagined it. He didn't know what clues, if any, he expected to find from just staring at her features; the last five minutes had not proved fruitful, but that was completely secondary to him right now. Yes, he had heard footsteps rushing behind him and the wave of exclamations he expected to follow; Sonia's scream, Kazuichi's disbelief, and Nagito's ramblings about hope were the only things he heard before he tuned them out completely.
"Why…why is this happening? You were supposed to live! You and I were supposed to leave this island together, along with everyone else! Wasn't it a promise?! This…THIS wasn't supposed to happen!" Hajime tried to rationalize the current events in his mind, but he would have had to live another lifetime in order to reach a conclusion. He knew it was wrong, selfish even, to wish that someone else had died in her place. He tried to reason that it was unfair for the cheeriest person in the group to meet such a grim end, but even he couldn't find the words to refute reality. On this island, anyone could die. Title, character, status, gender; death did not discriminate its victims, a truth even he knew deep down.
An uncomfortable weight grew in his stomach: the feeling of guilt. As it sat heavy in his gut, he pondered over this morning. If he was faster, could he have saved at least one of them? Would he have been able to prevent a killing? The reminders of his ineptitude lied no less than three feet in front of him as well as tied to a pillar nearby. As his spirit slumped, memories of Ibuki and their short time together kept replaying in his mind. He remembered her homemade fashion, the quirky way she referred to herself in third person, her overwhelming, exuberant aura, and too many other little details to name. He kept hearing her voice, thinking about things she had told him, things she might have said if they had managed to escape together. Suddenly, in the middle of wallowing in his sorrow, he had another thought; what would Ibuki say if she saw him in this condition?
"Huh, what's Hajime moping about for? You know, it's normal to be sad and all, but unless you do something with those feelings, you'll just feel worse after! When Ibuki feels down, she writes a song about it! I usually scrap those… Ah, let's play a few games of Rock, Paper, Scissors, but with our faces! You gotta smile for paper, stick your tongue out for rock, and wink for scissors! You better turn that frown around if you want to stand a chance against the Duchess of Rock, mister! Got it? Duel, start!"
Hajime couldn't help but crack a tiny smile at that; he could actually recall a specific instance where she had roped him into playing that particular game and given him those exact instructions. That memory was a small ray of happiness in the otherwise gray atmosphere. It didn't change the fact that his heart still felt like it got stomped on and thrown on the side of the road, but it sparked a small ember of conviction inside him that gradually grew into a raging fire. "I have to find the murderer. Whoever killed Ibuki and Hiyoko…I have to expose them!" He felt that it was the least he could have done. Granted, it was a task he would have had to undertake regardless (unless he wanted the rest of his classmates to die), but now, he would pursue it with vigor. It wouldn't be easy to condemn another one of his classmates to death, but he needed to know the truth behind this murder for his own sake. Still…it felt like there was something missing, and the young boy knew exactly what it was. He steeled himself and took one final glance at Ibuki's lifeless face. His broken heart twinged at the sight, for he knew this would be the final promise he'd ever make to her: "Rest easy Ibuki. I will find out who did this." Under a new oath, he turned on his heels and rejoined the rest of the class.
"You should lighten up more! Go ahead, try it! Byakuya was on Ibuki's mind, then she felt sad, so she decided to start the day with a joke!"
"Byakuya…was on your mind?"
"Of course! He may have had ham hands, but he had such a cool aura! Dammit! Why'd he have to…?!"
Byakuya Togami, the Ultimate Affluent Progeny… He acted like he was above us commoners, but he also guided us through our first week on the island. He assured us there would be no victims under his leadership, but in the end… that promise cost him his life. There was something in his past troubling him that he clearly wanted to talk to me about, but now, I'll never know what he wanted to say. If only I had pressed him for more information or tried harder, I may have been able to help him…
"Keeping a promise you make might seem pretty easy, but Ibuki actually thinks it's super difficult!"
I stopped and thought about my response for a moment before replying.
"Yeah… especially under these circumstances."