Everyone met back up in the cafeteria. They decided to discuss their findings like the past two days.
"Dammit!" Leon cursed, rubbing his head angrily. "I'm telling you no matter how much times I look I come up with squat!"
"Same here." The sixteen students shared a collective groan. They had three days to look for ways out but still came back empty-handed. The morale was at an all-time low.
"We're stuck. We're never getting out of here." Chihiro began to shed tears. "No one is coming to help us…" She held back a sob, trembling in fright.
Hisato thought about giving her a few comforting words. Hina managed to beat him to it because she sat right next to her.
"Aww. Chin up Fujisaki. Someone on the outside is bound to start missing us soon," She said with a kind smile.
"Yeah! Of course!" Toko realized that there was a ray of hope after all in the midst of her panic. When people notice they were gone, help will arrive at the school to break them out.
Junko, however, didn't see it that way. "You think so?"
"Well. We've been gone long enough to raise the alarm." Hina raised three of her fingers. "We're talking three days. The police are bound to be closing the net on this place!"
Hisato listened to their conversation with little interest. He only came because he wished to eat, but then everyone happened to be here and Taka declared a meeting. This would be the first meeting he and Junko are attending.
Suddenly, Hisato felt something on his lap. He sat at one of the ends of the table, Hifumi sitting at the other end. The Ultimate Schemer dared not to look at what decided to have a seat on him.
Monokuma's laughter rang from below. Hisato gasped once he finally looked down. Monokuma used Hisato's lap as a chair.
"Gah! Get off of me!" Hisato's quickly removed himself from the chair. Monokuma shrugged and took his place.
"Dear, dear. You're not handing your bets on law enforcement's?" Monokuma's face hardened. "You know it's quite simple. If you want out of here all I got to see is some initiative," He reminded them.
Everyone tensed up. They glared at Monokuma, not knowing what his next move would be.
Monokuma crossed his arms. "Well, I got to hand it to your generations ears. You got balls when it comes to authority. Frankly, the attitude only goes so far you're boring me to tears."
Makoto shook his head.
"If you think you can trick us into killing someone you're crazier than I thought!" He yelled.
Monokuma pounded his paws together.
"Eureka! That's the problem. Granted, my setup is perfect. The right atmosphere, a good balance of tension and intrigue, the perfect amount of pressure. But not the vital ingredient to bring it all together!"
Leon slammed his fist onto the table. "What are you getting at buddy bear?!" He demanded.
"Motivation, son." Monokuma's cheeks reddened. "All students report to the AV Room at once. For a brief, informative presentation on just what I need." He silently giggled, imagining the eventual outcome of someone killing because of his little… motivation speech.
Monokuma left in a blink of an eye.
Hisato glanced at Junko, then at Hifumi, and finally at Chihiro. They visited the AV Room more often so they knew the place well. If Monokuma wanted them to go there specifically, then that meant he most likely had some sort of video.
"Let's not keep the bear waiting." Hisato knew firsthand how Monokuma behaved when angered.
The sixteen students exited the cafeteria and entered the AV Room.
Unlike last time, the lights were completely off. A box rested on top of one of the monitors. Hisato peeked inside to see what it contained.
"There are discs here with our names," Hisato informed. He picked up his own disc and read what was scribbled with a marker.
Hisato Sasaki's DVD
'Woah. What the hell is on this DVD?' He wondered as he positioned himself in the middle of the monitors. There were two pairs of monitors next to each other with a barricade used to block only the screen.
"Time to see what the hell is in this shit." Hisato grasped his DVD. By now, everyone found a place to watch their videos. Some sat with each other while others chose to sit alone.
Junko walked over to sit with Hisato. Out of everyone, Kyoko shockingly took the spot next to Hisato. Junko grumbled something unpleasant and sat at the very back on her own.
'Oh no.' Hisato didn't spare a single glance at Kyoko. He literally didn't know a single thing about her, which frightened him. He had no real leverage on her, thus making Kyoko someone he wished not to deal with.
Hisato took a deep breath and inserted his DVD in. He grabbed the nearby headphone and put them on.
The screen lit up, showcasing a familiar room with a familiar person there.
'Uncle Dojavik?' Hisato recognized the man as his uncle. He got along with his uncle more than his father, mostly because he was a trickster that was more lenient with the things Hisato did. His father usually argued with him a lot for his schemes.
"Heya kiddo! Glad to hear you're going to 'the' Hope's Peak Academy! Like, what the hell? You're more special than I thought. You can't do that to someone as ordinary as me!" His uncle's laughter brought a genuine smile to Hisato's face.
"Your parents may not agree with it, but you have my full support! Go and show everyone what you're made of!" His uncle Dojavik grinned and gave him a thumbs up.
The screen started to flicker until it went black, much to Hisato's confusion.
The screen came back on, only this time the room was dark. All the furniture was destroyed and the walls were vandalized.
In the middle of the room was his uncle Dojavik. His lifeless body hanging from a noose.
"What the fuck?!" Hisato ripped the headphones off his head and threw them down harshly. He put his hands on his head, shaking it wildly.
'Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. This is so not real! This can't be fucking happening!' Hisato repeated in his head.
He wasn't the only one to freak out greatly. Sayaka Maizono screamed louder and pushed her back against the wall.
"Noooo!" Sayaka screamed.
"Fuck!" Hisato lost his cool demeanor. "I have to get out of here… I need to see if he's alright!"
He suddenly remembered what the requirement was to gain access to the outside world. He needed to kill someone and get away with it. The knife hidden underneath his shirt felt heavier as he considered his options.
'N-no… Monokuma is just bullshitting us. There no way Uncle Dojavik is dead. He's trying to get us to kill.' Hisato's refused to believe that his uncle was dead. His uncle was smart and strong. There was no way someone murdered him out of the blue and wrecked his house.
Although, the possibility of it really being true clouded Hisato's mind. The video couldn't have been faked. It appeared too real to be fake.
Then he considered what Monokuma said before. He said the final ingredient of having his plan work was motivation. The motivation needed to force someone to kill.
It all made sense now. Hisato hoped that he had Monokuma's plan scouted out. It almost worked too. For now, he needed to get a hold of himself. Otherwise, the urge to get out of the school by any means necessary would haunt him.
Hisato didn't plan on killing anyone. It's morally wrong in his books. The thought of actually killing a living human being disturbed him tremendously.
His eyes wandered over to the person next to him, Kyoko. She abruptly stood up and stared at Monokuma.
"Yeah, who are you really?" She asked, her face as stoic as usual. That's what Hisato disliked the most about her. It's impossible to tell how Kyoko is feeling. "And what are you getting out of this? Is this all some kind of sick game to you?"
Monokuma sat in front of the room. He monitored everyone, loving their devastated reactions. He kept his eyes on one particular girl who reacted the worst.
"Yes. What am I getting out of this? Very good question." Monokuma leaned forward creepily. "My payoff… is your despair!"
Sayaka reached her breaking point as soon as he said that.
"Nooooo!" She screamed, running out of the room.
"Maizono! Wait!" Makoto called out to her. He went after his grieving friend in a hurry.
Hisato rubbed his temples. His stress slowly dispelled and it was replaced with amusement. He began to chuckle darkly. That chuckling turned into full-blown laughter.
"Hahaha! Oh man! You really got us good bear! You did, really!" Hisato got up and left the room laughing his heart out.
"Dude. I think he finally went crazy," Leon said uncomfortably.
"Enough of that. We have to go check on Maizono!" Hina ordered, worried for her friend. The rest of the students, minus Kyoko, Byakuya, Toko, and Celeste went to go check on Sayaka.
What they didn't expect was to see Sayaka on the floor and Hisato towering over her. Makoto was also on the floor, leaning against the wall.
"Snap out of it idiot! What the fuck are you crying for?!" Hisato yelled straight to her face. Sayaka held her cheek, making it seem like Hisato hit her. "Monokuma is messing with your head. Don't succumb to his game!"
"N-no! I need to get out of here! No one is coming to help is!" Sayaka protested.
"No, you don't! And do you think acting like a maniac is going to help?! I dare you to try something because we all know you won't so cool it!" Hisato pulled Makoto back up and shoved him towards Sayaka. "Calm your girlfriend down. I'm not dealing with this."
Sayaka threw herself at Makoto and sobbed heavily on his chest.
"R-right…" Makoto nodded. By then, Hisato stormed off to who knows where.
"Geez. They both got all riled up because of their videos," Hiro noted. He heard both Sayaka and Hisato's yells with his headphone on.
"I don't blame them. Their videos must have been more traumatizing." Taka shuddered, recounting his own video.
"The ones inside don't seem to have any issues," Sakura pointed out, impressed by their bravery. That meant a lot coming from her since she is as bulky as an ogre.
"That stupid idiot…" Junko huffed. She thought about going after him, but then she decided not to at all. She got the idea that if Hisato was this worked up over his DVD, then the motivation will strike him first.
He'll commit the first murder. The plan was working out smoothly. Now all she had to do is wait.
"Should one of us go after Mr. Sasaki?" Hifumi questioned.
"Nah. He'll get it all sorted out," Junko replied coolly. "Boys like him should be able to handle problems on their own like the way they ogle women." She didn't forget about the interaction she had with Hisato. Him calling her hot and all that jazz.
"But maybe we should-"
"I said he'll be fine," Junko repeated herself, cutting off Chihiro's words. "If it'll make you feel better we'll go visit him later."
Chihiro and Hifumi nodded, liking the idea.
The group of students watched as one of their friends were in the middle of a mental breakdown.
Their predicament rose through the roof. Everything went so well until Monokuma gave them their DVD's.
Despair is slowly but surely spreading throughout the school.
The evening soon came about. As promised, Junko, Chihiro, and Hifumi stood outside Hisato's door. Chihiro carried a plate of food for Hisato because he didn't show up for dinner.
Junko pressed the doorbell several times. She got fed up with Hisato's unresponsiveness and began shaking the doorknob.
"Open up! It's just us!" Junko said, banging on the door. After one full minute, the door opened, revealing a disheveled Hisato.
"The hell do you all want? I'm trying to sleep," Hisato grumbled, tugging the edges of his beanie. He wore it to hide his bed hair.
"Sleeping already?" Hifumi inquired curiously.
Hisato yawned, "Well yeah. I desperately want some rest after what happened earlier. I want to sleep through the whole night. I have a bad feeling about tonight. Best to sleep through it."
What thought to be just a hunch turned into a sneaky suspicion for Hisato as time passed on. He didn't know what it was, but an eerie feeling crept through his mind. Especially after seeing Sayaka's mental breakdown.
That and he basically challenged her to do something to him. Not one of his smartest ideas now that he looked back at it.
Hopefully, Makoto talked some sense into her.
"We brought you dinner, Sasaki-sama." Chihiro entered his room without his permission and placed the plate on his desk.
"Thanks, I guess." Hisato paused, glancing at the plate. "How'd you know what sandwich I love? This is literally everything I love combined into one!" Hisato smiled. He lifted the top bread off and saw the contents of the sandwich.
"Huh? O-oh! Miss Enoshima was the one who told us what to get. Chihiro fixed it up for you," Hifumi answered.
"Don't tell him that!" Junko hissed. Hifumi merely shrugged, not seeing the problem with it.
"Thank you, Chihiro, and you too Junko. It's creepy how much you know about me," Hisato said to Junko. He started to eat his sandwich in peace.
'Good. The food is distracting him from my actions.' Junko scolded herself for even telling Chihiro what to make Hisato for lunch. She knew what he liked best and didn't think too much about it.
"We also came to check up on you Mr. Sasaki," Hifumi added in. Hisato stopped eating his food and stared at the floor.
"Hehe…" Hisato chuckled sheepishly. "About that. It's nothing to worry about. I'm over it now. Only a little bump in the road. What you do need to worry about is yourselves."
The way he said that unsettled Hifumi and Chihiro, while it excited Junko.
"You sure you're alright?" Hifumi asked him again.
"Yeah, I am. I appreciate your concern. If you do want to help, promise me one thing." Hisato poked his sandwich a bit.
"Anything!"
Hisato looked at each of them dead in the eye.
"Lock your doors. Barricade them. Whatever it takes, make sure your damn door won't open. Promise me you three will do that," Hisato pleaded.
"Is that it? I suppose so Mr. Sasaki," Hifumi replied, confused. He already kept his door locked whenever he went to sleep. But Hisato adding in the extra tidbit of barricading their doors was weird.
"W-will do!" Chihiro nodded rapidly. She shared similar thoughts like Hifumi. Though she wouldn't dare to go against Hisato's plead.
"Sure." Junko internally rejoiced. Now she knew he was going to pull something risky.
Chihiro suddenly groaned and rubbed her arm.
"What? Did someone hit you?" Hisato asked, going back to eating his sandwich after everyone agreed to his terms.
"No. Take a look." Chihiro pulled up her sleeve and stuck out her arm, revealing a swollen, bright red bump.
"Ouch." Hifumi cringed.
Chihiro looked at the red bump sadly. "Just a little bit ago, it stopped being itchy, and kind of started to hurt."
Hisato got up with his sandwich in hand and examined the red bump closely. "A mosquito bite? Why didn't you just slap it away?"
"Um…" Chihiro's cheeks reddened. "I just happened to look down at my arm last night and saw the mosquito sitting there. I didn't do anything. I watched as it drank its fill of my blood."
"You seriously didn't smack it?" Hisato deadpanned.
"If I smacked it, it would have died," Chihiro revealed innocently. "I'm sure it was just hungry and that's why it took so much blood. I would've felt bad not giving it anything when it was so hungry…"
"Seriously?"
Chihiro closed her eyes, ashamed.
"Mosquitoes are living things, just like all of us. I'm sure he has a family of his own too… I'm sorry…" She apologized profoundly.
"Mosquitoes don't even live that long." Hisato shook his head. "Don't scratch it and you'll be fine."
"But what if it gets really, really itchy?" Chihiro questioned.
"Then tough it out. You're strong, right?"
"S-strong?" Chihiro's face brightened. "Y-yes! You're right! Thanks, Sasaki-sama!"
Hisato's eyes then set their sight on the iron plates. "It is a bit strange though. Where would a mosquito even come from if all the windows are boarded up."
Chihiro thought about this too. "Maybe there's like, a garden or something somewhere in the school, where bugs can survive…" Her eyes lit up. "Or maybe there's a secret passage connected to the outside."
"I wouldn't get your hopes up." Hisato didn't see it that way. Chihiro's first suggestion sounded more logical. "But I wouldn't count it out either." He added that last part in so Chihiro wouldn't be upset.
It worked.
"If that's all, I will like to resume sleeping."
"Of course! Goodnight Sasaki-sama!" Chihiro bid him farewell and was the first one to leave.
"Take care, Mr. Sasaki." Hifumi headed back to his room too.
Junko looked like she was about to say something but held off against it. She was halfway out the door before she decided she did have one last thing to say to Hisato.
"Good luck."
Once everyone had left, Hisato quickly locked the door shut and rushed to his desk. He grabbed a paper file with something written on the tab.
It read:
Sayaka Maizono - Ultimate Pop Sensation
'Shit. I didn't think I'd need to do this so soon. I need to study her files and plan the best course of action.' Hisato thought as he opened the file and began writing his thought down.
He didn't know how much time had passed since he started writing. He ignored Monokuma's night announcements in favor of not breaking his concentration.
He wrote two pages worth of ideas before he heard something from behind.
Someone slipped a piece of paper from under the crack at the bottom of the door.
"What the hell…" Hisato got to his feet and went over to his door. He picked up the note and read over it.
'Come see me in my room. Check the nameplates to make sure you don't get the wrong room, okay?
Sayaka
"Son of a bitch. Does she really think I'm that stupid?" Hisato frowned. He felt his heart skip a beat. This is really happening. Someone actually was planning on committing murder.
The planned victim, none other than Hisato Sasaki.
"Should I do something about it or leave it be?" Obviously, the best choice would be to ignore the note. But something in his head told him to teach Sayaka a lesson. That she needed to learn who she's messing with.
Hisato placed the note under his beanie. So in case things go awry, the others will have a lead. No one will walk out scot free. Those who play Monokuma's game will be brought to justice.
Unaware of the rule that Celeste implanted days prior, Hisato exited his dorm during nighttime hours.
Roaming the halls at night was a much different vibe than in the day. The dead silence made Hisato uncomfortable. Everyone had to be sleeping by now. Well, everyone except Sayaka.
He memorized the floor layout by heart. Being cooped up in his dorm alone allowed him to learn much faster than he would've with the company around.
Imagine what went through his head when he came across Sayaka's room with Makoto's nameplate on there instead.
"W-what? This isn't Makoto's room." Hisato quickly ran towards where Makoto's real room is. Sayaka's nameplate was plastered over his door.
'They switched nameplates. But why?' Hisato didn't have time to dwell on the matter. He needed a new plan. Their nameplates switched upped the concern of whether his plan would work or not.
As far as he knew, there were some differences between the boy's and girl's dorm. The girls' bathroom doors have locks on them and they don't have tool kits like the guys do.
Sighing, Hisato elected to ditch his plan. There was absolutely no point in going inside "Sayaka's" room blindly.
So he proceeded towards his room again to think it over.
Sayaka impatiently waited for her victim. She grasped the kitchen knife in her hands, slithering her finger across the sharp blade.
"Where is he… where is he?!" Sayaka flung the knife at the wall. She was beyond pissed that Hisato hadn't shown up at all.
She came up with the conclusion that someone like Hisato wouldn't fall for her trap so easily. In fact, there was no reason for him to even show up at her supposed dorm. They weren't even friends, so why would he show up?
"Gahhh!" Sayaka pulled the ends of her hair, screaming as loudly as she pleased. The rooms were soundproof after all.
"I need to get out of here. I need to see them…" Sayaka grabbed Makoto's notepad again and wrote the same message that she sent Hisato.
Only this time, she had a different victim in mind.
'Leon. He's as hot-tempered as he is stupid. I saw the looks he was giving me.' Sayaka's first choice was Hisato only because he kept on making Makoto sad. Leon is next on the list because she saw him as the easiest person to manipulate into coming to her dorm.
She had to throw Makoto under the bus. A detail in her plan that she disliked heavily but he was the only person who she knew would trade rooms with her. She wasn't closer to anyone but him.
When she successfully murders Leon and frames Makoto for it because Leon's corpse will be in his room, she'll be free to leave and see her friends.
Then she'd apologized to Makoto afterward. He may not forgive her, it's a huge price to pay. She didn't do everything that she did to reach her dream for nothing. It will not go to waste.
This will just be one of those "bad" things that she did to achieve her dream. After all, only killing one person wouldn't be so terrible. Everyone else would find a way out of the school together. She'd just escape faster than the rest.
Or so she thought.
She'd learn that revelation later on when it's too late. Sayaka marched out of her dorm and walked to where Leon's dorm is located. She slipped the note from under his door and rushed back to Makoto's room.
Her plan is set in motion. Now she had to make sure nothing went wrong.
Morning soon arrived. Makoto Naegi slept peacefully, despite it being weird to sleep in a girl's bed. It wasn't much different than his own.
Monokuma's daily morning announcements woke mostly everyone up as usual.
Makoto's eyes fluttered open.
"Oh, that's right. Maizono and I switched rooms last night, didn't we?" Waking up slightly disoriented Makoto with different surroundings.
He sluggishly removed himself from Sayaka's bed and left her room to the cafeteria.
Everyone agreed to eat breakfast together every morning. It was like a roll call of sorts, to settle everyone's nerves.
Makoto entered the cafeteria and spotted Sakura, Hina, Chihiro, and Taka already there as punctual as ever. He kind of classified them as the good kids, including himself.
Not much later, Mondo, Hifumi, and Junko strode inside the cafeteria. They greeted their fellow classmates as they took their seats.
Sakura, however, had a few questions for Junko.
"Excuse me for gawking." Sakura started.
Junko raised an eyebrow. "What's the haps?"
"Well, you look so different. In-person that is. Forgive me." Much like Hisato a few days ago, Sakura noticed how different Junko appeared than her appearance on magazine covers.
Junko giggled, "Yeah, they sort of glisten me up for the magazine shoots. That's the magic of touching up for ya."
Sakura grunted, "Hmph. You don't say?" She remained skeptical of Junko's explanation.
"Aw, come on. How different can I really look? You're going to hurt my feelings," She pouted cutely.
Sakura dismissed the discussion, not wanting to offend Junko in any way.
Finally, the last batch of students arrived. They consisted of Kyoko, Leon, Celeste, and Hiro.
Hiro had an excuse for his tardiness.
"Well, that's the thing. I didn't oversleep. I got lost. I'm telling ya. This place is like a freaking labyrinth," Hiro explained.
When everyone settled in, Taka got up from his seat.
"This still isn't everyone though."
Hina caught on as well. "Yeah. Where are Togami, Fukawa, Sasaki, and Maizono?"
Everyone looked around to find out that Hina was correct. Usually, Sayaka, Byakuya, and Toko were here. Hisato rarely showed up though since no one told him about the agreement they had.
Makoto's head perked up at the mention of Sayaka and Hisato's names.
"Well okay, here's one of them." Byakuya casually walked in and sat at a separated table from the rest of the students.
"Dude, is Maizono, Sasaki, or Fukawa behind you or what? I'm starving." Mondo asked, wanting to have everyone present so they can finally eat.
"Do I look like their keeper? I came here directly from my room thank you very much," Byakuya snarked, sitting down.
Hifumi rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Little out of character for her and Miss Fukawa to be this late. Miss Maizono is usually here before I am."
"Uh oh. Do you think maybe she's sick?" Hina questioned worriedly.
"Is Sasaki-sama alright? Did any of you check up on him?" Chihiro asked Hifumi and Junko.
"I didn't. I believed Mr. Sasaki wished to be by himself," Hifumi responded honestly.
"Nah." Junko almost failed to hold back a snicker. Either Hisato is dead or he's still trying to cover up some dirt. She was fine with either if it meant that Hisato was gone.
Hiro saw Makoto stare at his lap without moving a muscle. "What? You alright dude?"
Makoto jumped out of his seat.
"Excuse me. I should probably go check on her!" He made a beeline to Sayaka's room.
Chihiro hopped out of her chair. "We should go check on Sasaki-sama too!" She, Hifumi, and Junko journeyed off to Hisato's room.
Makoto stopped running right in front of his room and called out to Sayaka. "Maizono!" He fumbled with the doorknob. For some strange reason, it opened straight away when it should've been locked.
What he witnessed inside made his stomach twist.
The room was a total wreck. Sayaka wasn't in his bed. The floors and walls had been damaged and the replica sword that he found was on the floor instead of on his shelf.
"Please don't tell me this is what I think it is," Makoto begged. Sayaka was nowhere to be found. The only other place that she could be is in his… bathroom.
Makoto apprehensively approached his bathroom door. It had a funny way of opening. Apparently, his door needed to be repaired. He needed to lift it in order to open the door.
"Maizono? I'm coming in!" Makoto opened the door using the technique he learned from Monokuma.
Immediately, something pounced on him like a tiger catching their prey.
"Maizono!" Makoto felt a huge wave of relief overcome him. The thing that pounced on him was none other than Sayaka Maizono. Though, something was very off about her.
Her hair was a mess. She had dark rings around her eyes, indicating that she hadn't slept at all. Her face was filled with absolute terror and she held onto her right wrist in pain. He could've sworn that he spotted something gold on her wrist.
"Maizono?" Makoto shook her in order to get a response. She didn't utter a word. Her frail body shook frequently and she shed several tears.
The Ultimate Lucky Student had no time to press forward as he heard the shouts of several people coming from down the hall.
"St-stay here! I have to go see what's going on!" Makoto carried Maizono to his bed and left her there to go see what's up.
Just about everyone crowded Hisato's door. Hifumi was at the front of the pack, ringing his doorbell and knocking on the door.
"Mr. Sasaki! If you're there open the door!" Hifumi cried out worriedly.
"Sasaki-sama!" Chihiro squeaked anxiously.
"Yo bear! Unlock this damn door for us!" Mondo summoned Monokuma.
"Hmm? Why should I?"
"Just do it!" Several students shouted in unison. Monokuma sighed and disappeared. He granted their request. Hisato's door was now unlocked and everyone rushed inside.
In Chihiro's perspective not much had changed since she last visited his room. It remained a mess, no signs of Hisato actually cleaning up were seen.
Speaking of which, Hisato was nowhere to be found.
Hifumi cautiously gripped the doorknob of his bathroom. Gulping, he pushed the door open and…
"He's not in here?" No one was inside the bathroom. Everyone scratched their heads, confused as to how Hisato's door was locked yet no one was inside.
Junko felt something splash down at her face. She wiped it off with her finger and inspected. An all too familiar red liquid surrounded her finger.
Junko looked up, seeing exactly what she hoped for.
Then she let out a fake scream.
The tense atmosphere already made most of them uncomfortable. The sudden loud scream caused everyone to jump and look at Junko.
She pointed her finger up at the ceiling, feigning a horrified expression.
One by one, everyone looked up and a chorus of terror-filled gasps and screams rang throughout the room.
On the ceiling was a figure who was tied up to ensure that they'd stay on. A heavy wound is located on their chest. Blood still leaked from the body, but no signs of movements came from them.
Who suffered such a despicable fate? Well, it's someone who had the misfortune of intervening on a scene that they weren't supposed to find out. They tried to put a stop to it but failed in the worst way possible.
Toko Fukawa's body latched onto the ceiling by a rope, dead. There was something off about her appearance, but that wasn't the main issue.
"Fukawa!" Hina screamed. "H-how did she even…?"
"Dammit!" Mondo cursed.
"W-what?!" Taka couldn't believe his eyes. Someone actually listened to Monokuma. Now one of their friends is dead for the price of freedom.
Makoto stared at the corpse, unable to comprehend what just transpired.
Leon gritted his teeth. "Well, I believe it's painfully obvious who did it." He slammed his fist at the wall.
"Yes, I believe quite so." Byakuya crossed his arms, examining Toko's dead body. He had no issues with taking a closer look at the corpse.
"Wait! But he wouldn't-" Chihiro tried to defend her friend before more accusations broke out.
"Fukawa's body was found in his room. Who else could've done it?" Hiro placed both hands on his head, trying to regain his composure.
"Not Mr. Sasaki! That's for sure!" Hifumi insisted.
Sakura and Celeste stayed relatively calm for the most part, unlike their panicking classmates.
"I say the best course of action right now is to find our other missing classmate," Kyoko spoke out, loud enough to get everyone's attention.
"I don't think so!" Monokuma appeared out of nowhere. "Everyone is to report to the gymnasium immediately!"
Mondo shook his head. "Hell no! Do you believe we'll listen to you?!"
"That is so disrespectful! We must get Fukawa down from there and-" Taka's words came to a halt when Monokuma fished out his bazooka and pointed it at Taka.
"I said every one to the gymnasium now! Emergency pep rally!" Monokuma shouted. Everyone scrambled out of Hisato's room, leaving Toko's corpse and the mystery of who done it unsolved.
When the students reluctantly all gathered in the gym. Much to their immense shock, Hisato Sasaki was already there.
"Fucking shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!" Hisato cursed aloud continuously, unaware that everyone else was there with him.
"Murderer!" Mondo instantly accused him right on the spot.
Hisato turned around, exposing his exhausted face. "Did you say something?"
"Like hell, something happened! Fukawa is fucking dead and she's in your room!" The Ultimate Biker Gang Leader snarled.
Hisato's eyes widened. "Eh?! Fukawa's dead?!" He gasped.
"Stop playing coy! We know it was you who do it!" Mondo continued to pressure him.
"Dude! Shouldn't we be going to find out who the culprit is?" Either Hisato's acting skills were amazing or he really didn't know what happened.
"Bullshit!"
"Listen." Hisato rubbed his shoulder funnily. "I don't know what happened last night. I remember sending Junko, Chihiro, and Hifumi off and then I went straight to bed. Next thing I know, that dumbass Monokuma is shaking me awake and I was in one of the bathroom stalls. He threatened me with death if I didn't show up here." He explained his disappearance.
Byakuya snorted, "Do you honestly expect us to believe that?"
"I don't give two shits what you think pretty boy. I know what happened to me and that's all that I care about," Hisato growled, not helping his case whatsoever.
A period of silence bestowed upon them. Hisato felt severals judging eyes on him. Not a lot of people bought his excuse.
Just then, Makoto entered the gymnasium with a disheveled Sayaka.
"Good. Maizono is here!" Hina smiled, relieved that she hadn't suffered a fate similar to Toko.
Sayaka didn't spare a glance at the Ultimate Swimming Pro. She did, however, briefly look at Hisato.
When she did, the quickest of smirks came and left Hisato's lips. Sayaka staggered back some. She lowered her head significantly.
"Sato-kun! You're alright!" Makoto smiled. His face slightly fell when he caught Hisato favoring his left shoulder. "Is your shoulder okay?"
Hisato instinctively removed his hand from his left shoulder at once. "Oh yeah. I just slept badly is all. I mean, sleeping in a bathroom stall does that to ya."
Makoto nodded, understanding his predicament. His face then turned serious.
"F-fukawa… she's dead." Makoto is one of the few who don't believe Hisato killed her. "I-It has to be Monokuma! H-he killed her! Who else could've gotten her up on the ceiling?"
Before anyone could respond, Monokuma's voice came from the stage.
"As if little 'ol me would do something like that." Monokuma stood on top of the podium. He raised his left arm. Scouts honor! It wasn't me."
Makoto refused to believe him. "You monster!"
"Use your head Mr. Jumps to Conclusions. Why would I do something that goes against the whole point of this fine institution? You're supposed to do the killing, not me! Rules are rules. You should've seen me at the zoo and folks ignored the 'Don't feed the bear' sign!"
Chihiro rose her finger. "Th-then who else… I mean-"
"Like we don't know." Monokuma's cut her off abruptly. Wake up and smell the formaldehyde! The killer is… one of you!" He declared proudly.
Gasps filled the gymnasium. Their worst fears have come true. A sadistic individual did listen to Monokuma's offer after all. But who?
Junko tuned out Monokuma's speech. Everything was going according to plan. She met up with their oh so lovely principal last night and discussed the plan. Two more people were set to be killed.
Hisato and Junko's deaths were already planned out. Hisato would be the executed once the trial concluded, or if he really didn't do it everyone will be killed. Either way, Junko and the principal decided that she'd pretend to go ballistic and attack Monokuma.
Attacking the principal is strictly against the rules. Junko arranged for her fake death when she will assault Monokuma and get punished for it. There was a room in the school where she'll hide out for the rest of Monokuma's game.
'A plan coming together. Sato-chan would most definitely approve.' Her eyes landed on Hisato's form. Surprisingly, a sense of guilt overcame her. 'Ugh… he's been there for us for a while now. It's going to suck not having someone who talks back to sister. Bah. What am I saying? He agreed to die even when we told him to run the game with us.'
Junko reprimanded herself for even having such thoughts. Backing out last second is not an option. Hisato needs to die, or else that ounce of Despair won't travel amongst their classmates, her and her sister. It'll no doubt hit them the most, but as long as his death gets the job done then they were all in on the plan.
The price to spread despair is heavy, but in the end, their whole mission is to spread as much despair as possible anyway. Even if it meant their lives.
What made think different is the fact that Hisato didn't know who he truly is. He's basically some poor sucker who doesn't know how much of importance he is to the plan.
"Of course he's lying!" Makoto cried out.
"Sorry Charlie. I'm telling the truth. It was definitely one of you." Monokuma answered creepily. "Right now, someone's standing here knows that all too well."
Each student look at the people around them. Distrust began to form.
Taka spoke up. "I demand whoever did it, come forward immediately!" He demanded.
"Tch. As if that'll work smartass." Hisato grimaced once all eyes were now on him.
"Look. Whoever it is I won't judge." Celeste looked at him specifically, believing him to be the most suspicious too.
Hifumi panicked. "It wasn't me! I swear!" He then turned to Leon, who immediately got defensive.
"Nuh-uh! I know you're not looking at me!" The Ultimate Baseball Player clenched his fist aggressively.
Byakuya had enough of this.
"Silence! All of you." Everyone went silent. "Right. Let us assume that the perpetrator is, in fact, one of us. By your own rules shouldn't they have graduated by now?" Byakuya asked Monokuma.
Monokuma burst into a fit of giggles. He then went on to explain the rules of his little game. After each killing, there'll be time to investigate the crime scene and scout for clues. Once the allotted time is up, they all meet up and begin a trial.
During the trial, if the guilty party gets accused of killing the victim and gets caught, they'll be punished and the remaining people get to live on in normal school conditions.
However, if the guilty party manages to slide under the radar and an innocent person gets the mallet instead, the guilty party will win their freedom and the rest have to face punishment.
Hisato listened intently to Monokuma's explanation. A court trial is an excellent way to showcase his skills and prove to everyone how much of a valuable asset he could be.
Sayaka however, froze as still as a statue when she heard the rules. Disbelief was present on her face. She thought there'd only been one murder and that was it. Now there's apparently a trial and if the murderers actually win, the rest get killed off.
She stared at Makoto throughout the explanation, feeling worse and worse by the minute.
Hifumi raised his hand. "Uh, sir. These punishments… what do they consist of?"
"Ah!" Monokuma perked up. "I suppose another name for them would be executions."
Chihiro gasped, "But surely, y-you don't mean that-"
"Oh ho! I mean exactly that sweetheart. We're talking, electrocution, gas chamber, death by a hurricane! Which yes, we can make happen?"
"Wait. I want to be sure I understand. Deciding incorrectly and the jury gets killed?" Taka question anxiously.
"Well obviously." Hisato sneered. "We're playing his stupid game. We're basics playing as judge, jury, and executioner. No matter what happens, at least one person is dying and we're all risking our lives."
Monokuma's cheeks reddened. "Why thank you Sato-chan! I couldn't have said it better myself!" He giggled when Hisato's face twisted in anger from the name.
Mondo stepped forward. "Can't we just start this trial right now? We all know he's guilty as shit!" He pointed an accusing finger at Hisato.
"Excuse me? How do we know you're not the culprit and you're just pinning this on me?" Hisato countered.
"Because I know I'm innocent!"
"Well I know I'm innocent too! The hell kind of argument is that?!" Hisato and Mondo dangerously approached each other. A fight could break out at any second now.
Before the situation escalated, someone else grabbed everyone's attention.
"Nuh-uh! You're a nutjob and I refuse to be a part of this crap!" Junko said directly to Monokuma. The hidden plan is setting itself in motion as of right now.
"I beg your pardon?" Monokuma innocently tilted his head to the side.
"You heard me you psycho hairball! As far as I'm concerned the whole trial thing can get rigged!"
"But why?" Monokuma continued to play innocent.
Everyone watched on as Junko gave Monokuma a piece of her mind. None were brave enough to speak up, curiosity building within them.
'Ugh. What the hell is she doing?' Hisato pinched the bridge of his nose. He disapproved of Junko's actions.
"Is that even a question?! I'm not playing jury if it means risking my damn life and that's that!" Junko bellowed.
"Be reasonable!" Monokuma pleaded.
"Don't even try to talk to me about being reasonable you sadistic freakazoid!" Junko placed her hands on her hips. "I'm out of the game!"
Monokuma's face heated up and his body sweated excitingly. "The presence of evil is so overpowering! Whatever shall I do? I shouldn't succumb! Perish the thought!"
He extracted his claws. "No! I'm stronger than that! When Monokuma fights, he fights to the last breath. I will not be defeated!" Monokuma hopped down the stage.
As soon as he did, Hisato reacted instantly.
"Get back you crazy bear!" He shoved Junko out of the way so he could confront him next. "Don't come near any of us! Have at it!" Hisato foot nearly reached Monokuma's face. He saw Monokuma's spread his arms out wide, allowing him to do as he pleased. When he did, Hisato got the message.
"Hey! I'm going to teach that bear a lesson first!" Junko went for a running boot to the face.
She didn't know what happened. One second she was about to execute the plan to attack Monokuma, the next she found herself on the floor with her cheek in extreme pain.
"You fucking idiot! Don't you remember what happened the first day?!" Hisato screeched to her face. Junko eyes widened in disbelief. He punched her. He actually punched her. "I almost died when I attacked Monokuma! Do you honestly think you're going to receive a warning too?!"
Junko's eyes never left his own. She was beyond shocked that someone actually cared about her safety. Especially from the person who used to ignore her.
"Aww! Sato-chan, you ruined everything!" Monokuma stomped his feet on the floor. Steam fumed from the top of his head.
"Shut the hell up! I'm not allowing another person to be killed today, especially if it's my friend!" Hisato flipped him off, causing Monokuma to gasp in horror. He then looked back down at Junko and offered his hand. "Looks like I had to beat the sense into you. Don't make me do it again. Now tell me if it still hurts."
Junko blinked. She rapidly shook her head and slapped his hand away. "I-I'm fine!" She hastily got back to her feet. "Th-thanks…" She looked away, refusing to meet his eye.
Chihiro's eyes sparkled. Not only did Hisato save himself yet again, but he also saved Junko from what could've been a disaster. That set her mind straight, believing Hisato is one hundred percent innocent.
'Ah. A knight in shining armor cliche.' Hifumi thought, referring back to all the mangas he's read. 'It doesn't fit Mr. Sasaki, yet I can totally see it.'
"Good." Hisato smiled at Junko. "Don't lose your temper at the bear again. I'd hate to see you gone."
"Psh. Whatever." Junko didn't dare to look at him, somewhat embarrassed.
"Grrr! Sato-chan, you interpreted my chance to enforce the rules on that ugly cow!" Monokuma roared. "And here I thought I'd let my favorite student slip out of my school without any requirements!"
Hisato's shoulders sagged. His jaw dropped. "S-seriously?"
"Nope!" Monokuma cackled. "Puhuhu! Look at Sato-chan's face! Now we're even!" He climbed back up the stage and onto the podium. "Here I thought I'd make you all realize that the gravity of your situation is beginning to sink in. Meh, whatever. Just remember students, high stakes are high. Best of luck playing junior detectives! The trial will begin soon. So put on those thinking caps and start investigating!"
Monokuma disappeared after giving his speech, leaving the students speechless.
"Tch. I don't know why we need this stupid trial. We all know it's that bastard!" Mondo once again went back to blaming Hisato. "Right guys?" He looked at Leon.
Leon flinched. He rubbed the back of his head and turned away. Mondo was surprised that Leon wasn't as vocal about his opinion of Hisato as before.
"We can't automatically assume that Sasaki is the culprit. But he is the top suspect." Kyoko leads the conversation. "His alibi is that he somehow found himself in the bathroom when he woke up."
"Yes, I suppose you can say that's my alibi. That and I almost died again. But hey, I saved myself and someone else so that counts for something, right?" Hisato chuckled darkly.
Not everyone else saw it that way. The realization struck them that they couldn't potentially lose two more of their classmates.
"In any case, we won't rule you out as the prime suspect in Fukawa's death," Byakuya concluded.
"I propose that we move forward with the investigation." Celeste clasped her hands together. "Not to sound unduly harsh but mourning for lives lost can only worsen the chances of saving our own."
"Yeah, yeah. You're the edgy girl. We get it," Hisato grumbled.
"And you're also the murderer, we get it," Celeste retorted, wearing a small smile.
"Why you…"
Kyoko broke up the rising tension between the two. "Our personal feelings on the matter are neither here nor there. The situation was tasked with is to unmask the culprit or die. We don't have any evidence on Sasaki so he is just as innocent as all of us until proven otherwise."
Kyoko's words softened Hisato's frustrations.
"Thanks, Kirigiri." They exchanged nods, acknowledging each other.
"Ah, crap. Heads up, guys. We got sent some new pages," Hiro warned them.
Hisato quickly pulled out his e-handbook. A notice popped up when he unlocked it. He clicked on it and it directed him to a new page. On it was Toko's picture with a red 'X' crossed over it, signifying her demise.
The description on the page described her death.
Case 01
The victim is Toko Fukawa
Time of death: Roughly 1:45 am. Found in Hisato Sasaki's private room, tied up on the ceiling. Cause of Death: Stab wound to the chest with a butcher's knife. Multiple cuts located on her arms. There seems to be something… different about Toko Fukawa. Did her tongue get stretched out?
"I suppose that's a good place to start. Come now, everyone." Kyoko preceded to search Hisato's room. Everyone followed her lead.
"Hold on." Hisato stopped one individual dead in their checks. "Sayaka. Dear 'ol pal. I wanna talk to you."
Sayaka froze on the spot, not moving an inch.
"As if! You're coming with us." Mondo opposed the idea of having Hisato unsupervised.
"Fine." The Ultimate Schemer raised his hands. "I'll let you watch over me. We'll talk later." Mondo nodded, approving his offer.
Before Hisato followed Mondo, he had one last thing to say.
"Makoto. I'd advise you not to get too attached to someone. Heh. Everyone has a dark side after all. You may not like what you find."
Junko rolled her eyes. "Yeah, can you not be so mysterious? You're lucky we're more trusting towards you or else you'd be alone."
Chihiro weakly saluted. "S-Sasaki-sama is innocent… until there's evidence… but I still think he's clean!"
"Hope you don't take offense, Mr. Sasaki. We're cautious against anyone remotely suspicious," Hifumi apologized.
"Don't sweat it. Be as suspicious of me as you want. I'd do the same thing as your shoes." Hisato, Hifumi, and Chihiro walked as a unit, discussing the murder. Junko kept her distance, worrying about her own problems.
As for Makoto, he wasn't sure what Hisato meant. Nevertheless, he faced Sayaka and smiled softly.
"Ah… that's Sato-kun for you. Always mysterious when it comes to serious business." Makoto then frowned. "We should go to the scene of the crime. We need to find enough evidence to pinpoint Fukawa's murderer."
Sayaka gulped nervously. "Uh… y-yes! Let's g-go to Sasaki's room! Haha…" Her forced laughter may have sounded a bit insensible. In Sayaka's defense, she literally had to control herself before she went on a full-blown frenzy.
So with that, the students of Hope's Peak Academy began their first investigation. Someone amongst them killed Toko Fukawa in cold blood. The trial begins later, where the true culprit will either get caught or manage to pull it off.
Surviving Members: Fifteen remaining