Kazuichi felt himself choke on the air as his eyes laid upon the motivational speaker's corpse. He felt his hands tremble as an electric shock shot up his spine until it hit the base of his head, causing a giant burst of pain as an image ruptured into his mind. It flashed for a moment, dissolving and letting Kazuichi get another glance of the corpse of one of his students.
Another shock blasted through him as his stomach twisted into thick knots. He barely felt it as his legs collapsed underneath him, buckling as he headed downwards. The mechanic wasn't even aware as someone scooped him from the air, keeping him from the horrible pain of bashing his face onto the ground.
His vision fogged as his world seemed to spin. Spinning and spinning as his mind dragged his consciousness back into the past. The heavy feeling in his gut burst when he saw the corpse talking to him, alive and well.
"Souda-Sensei! I've been looking for you all day!" Sugai bent down underneath the car as the large figure looked for his teacher underneath the metal box. The student probably knew exactly why the teacher was hiding at this point.
"What do you want?" Kazuichi shoutes as his hands pretended to work on the machine above him. The car didn't need any more work, though. Kazuichi had already fixed it earlier this morning.
"I heard what happened, I came to help you!" Sugai barked, his voice bellowing through the small space.
"I don't need your help!" Souda yelled back, though his voice was more of a cracked screech at this point. "I've got everything under control!"
"Aw, Teach, you don't have to lie to me. Come on out." The student didn't really wait for a response, just grabbed the teacher by his leg and dragged him out.
The teacher tried to resist but surrendered after a few seconds. There was nothing he could grab onto that wouldn't break the car. Might as well become an embarrassment then look like an idiot and give himself more work. Once he was out, he pouted, crossing his arms and glaring. "What the hell do you want?"
"I just want to help you." Sugai's voice lightened. The student dug through one of his pockets, pulling out a pack of gum and handing a piece to his teacher. "Chew this. It's got herbs that help relax your muscles. It will help you calm down."
Kazuichi grumbled, snatching the piece from him and tossing it into his mouth. Grumbling to himself as he angrily gnawed on the rubbery piece. Kazuichi couldn't help but notice the numbness that slowly washed over his mouth. The feeling slowly sinking down into his gut.
"Now, do you want to talk about it?" Sugai asked. The motivational speaker was now sitting in the dirt next to him. The pants of his white suit most likely getting dirty from the messy floor of Souda's garage. Looking back, Souda wished he could have offered him a nicer place to sit. He wasn't worth ruining such a clean suit.
"Hell No." Souda growled, folding his legs against his chest.
"That's okay, we'll work up to it." Sugai sounded confident as he roughly patted his teacher's back.
"Why are you trying to help me? I said I don't need it! Can't you take a hint?" Kazuichi hissed, unsure of why anyone would stick around to help him. What happened was his own fault and he didn't deserve help. What he deserved was to be run over with a car.
"Because I owe you my life, Souda-Sensei." Even now, looking back to this lost memory, those words caught Souda off guard. How could anyone owe him anything.
"How?" Souda mumbled, suddenly confused how the student could ever owe him anything, especially something as serious as his life. "What could I possibly have done?"
"You inspired me." Sugai leaned over, patting his teacher on his back. "I've always heard stories of how my words affect people. I see people cheer and how their eyes light up. But I've never met anyone like you. Your inspiration and self esteem are so low that when I inspire you I can actually see the sudden change of heart. The fire behind your eyes. When I came here, I thought I'd hit a brick wall. I thought I'd never improve, that all my inspiration had only temporary effects on those who listened to me."
Kazuichi didn't speak. He just watched the motivational speaker's face closely has he kept speaking. Though the student had mainly sharp, jagged features in his face, most of them felt soft at this moment. Rounded to match the kind personality of the man who bore them.
"But with you, I can see it, the confidence growing inside of you everytime I talk to you. My words mean something to you. They… they have a permanent effect on you, even if it's a slow one."
Kazuichi wished he had control over this memory, that he could change what was about to happen. He wished he could tell the student to run from the school, to leave so that he would never be stuck in this killing game. All in hopes to free him from the current killing game they were all trapped inside. But instead he said -
"That's the dumbest shit I've ever heard." Kazuichi pouted, huffing as he pulled his legs tighter against his chest like some kind of child. "I'm still as worthless as the day you got here."
"You're too hard on yourself." Sugai laughed, brushing off his teachers shut down with ease. "Now, let's discuss how to boost your confidence enough to ask out your sweetheart!"
"Sh-Shut up! Someone will hear you!" Souda yelped, moving to try and cover the tall student's mouth.
"Haha Don't worry pal, no one's out here." Sugai promised as he grabbed his teacher's wrists and gently put them back down, away from his face. "You can trust me, alright? A lot of people trust me with their secrets."
"Like who?" Souda barked. The teacher felt shame at how much he doubted his student's abilities. Why did he use his fears and hate for himself to attack other people.
"Well, I won't say their name but one of my fellow classmates talks about how they're ashamed of where they came from." Sugai's voice started to break, but not in a normal way. Almost as if there was interference with the audio of the memory. "They came from a Despair Recovery Center. They're afra○□ □○ □○□□ □○□○ □□○□ ○□ □□○● □○○□□ ○○□..."
The words cut out, slowly becoming an incoherent mess of syllables that Souda had no chance of understanding. Broken pieces of something legible as the teacher felt the words collapse underneath him, along with the vision. The teacher felt his head spinning again. Looking around, he found himself in one of the rooms on the third floor. He could feel his stomach churning with disgust. Tears broke from his face. The memories mixed with the sight was too much for his weak heart. With a gag he reached out, dragging one of the trash cans closer so he could try and toss up some of the horrible feelings within his gut.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Hajime working to drag Gundam into the room, gently setting down the teacher near the other. Hajime paused a moment, looking over the two before crouching down in front of them. Checking to make sure they were both okay.
Watching the other teacher, Souda couldn't help but noticed the glossed over look of fear on the other teacher's face. He wondered if he was suffering from the same pain as well… the memories hurt and he hoped his fellow teacher was okay.
The ride down into the basement was quiet. Usually everyone gathered near the door during these trips but this ride was different. Himura stood near the door, hands crossed in front of his lap as he stood there in silence. His eyes watching the ground in silence as a large gap surrounded him. Students were avoiding him like he had a horribly contagious disease. Most of them stared as the accusations and guilt flooded their vision. Sweeney and Bellerose looked angry, judging him for the crimes he had committed.
Koba looked around, noticing the fact that Kaito was pushed into the back of the group, almost as if he was avoiding the attention. That or he was trying to give Himura the needed space. Koba tried to walk next to the barista, to stand near his side and show his support but it was like an invisible wall stood between him and his friend. A thick wall filled with unbearable tension that seemed to be even thicker around Himura.
Koba almost worked up the courage when the door finally opened. Bringing the students into the open trial room to face off against each other once again. Koba sighed as he tucked the dark green earphone into his ear as he stepped out. Quickly Koba noticed something drop to the floor. Another dark green communicator.
Koba picked it off the ground. Watching as his teachers left to their own stations. Souda was still staggering, looking woozy from earlier events. Tanaka seemed as if he was slowly starting to get himself put back together. Koba looked to make eye contact with his own teacher. What was he supposed to do if one of his students lost their earpiece. As he turned to join his fellow students, more realisation washed over him like dark wave.
Himura had tossed his communicator onto the floor. He could see the other student take a stand at his podium. His ear was empty of the communicator. Was he really that sure he knew who the killer was. How could he be so ready to die?
Taking a deep breath, Koba hopped onto his podium as he took a moment to absorb their new battlegrounds as he tried not to let the panic show on his face.
The arena had changed once again. The walls were changed into those of a coffee shop, jars of strange beans covered every wall. The walls were a brighter, more obnoxious color than a normal coffee shop. It was as if someone added a ton of reds and yellows to the usually muted greys and browns of a peaceful shop. They made Koba feel more on edge than he already was.
Taking a deep, Koba tried to regain his composure. To try and pull himself together and reshape this mess into a solvable situation. He gathered up all the notes he'd gathered in his head over the course of the investigation and took a deep breath. He could do this. He could prove find out who the real murder was and save his friend from the wrong conviction that was about to fall and crush him.
"Are you ready to undergo the next trial?" Monokuma spoke, drawing Koba's attention back to the bear as he sat in his deep, comfortable throne.
"More than ready." Sweeney spoke, waving one of his hands as he moved his glare from Himura to Monokuma. "We already have a confession of who the killer is so this will be a short trial."
"What? Already? But that's so boring!" Monokuma growled, slouching back in his throne as he looked over the entire class. He looked like a child about to throw a temper tantrum.
Bellerose nodded, "Unfortunately all the evidence lines up perfectly. There's no point in dragging this on since the killer already admitted what he'd done."
"...Oh? Well, if you're all so sure you know who did it than we might as well end this here and start the voting, riiiiiiiight?" Monokuma sounded as if he was… burning time for someone. Almost as if he was waiting for someone to interject. It was like one of those scenes when someone was stalling for someone else to-
"Kobayashi, if we don't do something, Himura will die. We all will die." Kaito whispered over to him, looking at him with a stern gaze. Right! It was Koba's job to interject this time! He had to lead the discussion.
"It's just Koba, I-I mean I object! Himura didn't do it and I have proof!" Koba pointed a finger out, unsure of who to target with the gesture. His mind stuck on the tattoo artist, since Sweeney had started this discussion anyways. "I'll prove you all wrong and together we can find the real killer."
"God, I knew you were an idiot, but is this really pushing it." Sweeney remarked, looking over everyone as if he was waiting for them to agree with him. "Himura confessed, why are you trying to fight this? Just accept that your friend killed two people. Don't be stupid!"
"No! You're being stupid! We should go over the facts, remember, if we're wrong…" Koba paused, hating how selfish the tattoo artist was at this moment. He had to get at least half of the remaining members on his side. If he couldn't do that than this would all be over quickly. "Everyone dies! Rushing forward like this is as stupid as it gets, Sweeney!"
The tattoo artist jolted back a bit for a moment, almost as if he'd taken a hard blow from Koba's words. The other students looked as if they were contemplating his words, worry and confusion bubbling over their faces as they glanced over each other. A puffy eyed Niijima glanced over at Himura before looking back to Kobayashi. This was it, this was the opening he needed.
"Don't any of you think it's suspicious that Himura was found unconscious with the dead bodies? Who kills their friends then just goes to sleep?" Koba decided to start at the obvious. When they had entered the room, Himura had been out cold. With a set up like that, it was easy to see he was framed, right? Who passes out after killing someone?
"What!" Bellerose's voice cracked a moment as she gently laid a hand on her chest. The confusion on her face showing bright as she stared Koba down. "We didn't know that! He was awake when we entered the room!"
"He woke up shortly after I arrived." Kaito added as he pulled a rose out of his dress shirt and batted his fan of eyelashes.
"Right, when I first entered the cafe -," Koba knew this would be a blow, enough to knock everyone back to considering the possibility that someone else was the killer, "-I thought Himura was dead as well!"
Everyone paused and started chattering. Koba had delivered the blow he needed to take all suspicion from Himura. He felt the smile crease his lips as they all started to try and find ways to continue the conversation. He couldn't help but notice the panicked look of Sweeney as the tattoo artist must have realized they all lacked the evidence that Koba had gathered.
So far, so goo-
"There's an easy answer to that." Himura spoke up, the student scratched his head through his beanie, his dark eyes seemed to be spinning in the dark room. A deep swirling rounding through his eyes as he casually fixed Koba's issue with the situation at hand. "When I get really angry, I go into a rage and everything goes black. After a bit of being swallowed by the heavy, endless feeling of anger I pass out. It's happened before."
"Wha-" Koba was taken off guard. He could see all the eyes turn back to him as they awaited another response from the scientist. Their eyes seemed to burn his skin as he tried to gather more points in his head. For some reason, it never occurred to him that Himura himself would try to fight him on this point. "W-Well when we found Himura the sc-"
"I knew what Kusonoki looked like before I even saw the room, remember? I had just woken up and recalled exactly what she looked like. That Kusonoki had died from several stabs in the gut, right? Five to be exact. If I didn't do that, then how would I know that?" Himura interjected again. Breaking through Koba's sentence and hitting everyone with these facts that Koba wasn't sure how to counter yet.
"Well you could ha-"
"No, I had the knife in my hand. It was covered in blood. It was sticky and thick and clung to my skin. It was on all of my clothes. There's no doubt that I had blood splash onto me."
"But what if i-"
"Sugai's body was right across from me. His body is too heavy for someone to move on their own. The most logical answer is that he fell there, across from me as I slit his throat." Himura made a slicing gesture in the air as his spoke, his eyes becoming more wild as he talked.
"I ju-"
"Listen, Koba, no matter what you have to say, no matter what you found, there's no way evidence can override my confession. Stop trying to defend me, I'm a monster! I killed Kusonoki and Sugai with my bare hands! Punish me for my crimes and allow the rest of you to move on with your lives and get out of this place."
"See, your objections are useless!" Sweeney barked, "Stop trying to fight it and let's keep going! There's no point in wasting our time in this dungeon."
The wild look in Himura's eyes… it was something Koba recognized but couldn't put his finger on. The look causing clockword to start to spin in his head. He took a deep breath as his mind raced to put something together. This was a horror show that was unfolding in front of him had to be handled before it exploded in his hands. It was like handling a readied bomb and some fool had put Koba in charge. If he cut the wrong wire then everyone would die… Everyone except the bomb's creator.
But how could he fight back? How could he beat an actual testimony. There was nothing he could do if Himura kept undermining everything he said. But there had to be some way that Koba could stagger the biggest force working against him at this point. There had to be something, a way to get Himura to question his own memory. He had to find a way to defeat Himura so he could save everyone!
"Well Koba?" Monokuma probed as he looked over towards the scientist, "Any last objections or should I start the vote?"
But… right now he had nothing! All evidence was swept under by the confession. If only he had some kind of way to break through the thick layer of doubt surrounding his friend. He needed a new bullet of truth, one that wasn't already in his arsenal. But who could have the information he needed. Who-
"I guess it's time I spoke up, huh?" The buzz of Komaeda's dreary voice sounded in his ear, ringing around his head as the teacher finally spoke. "I think I have the information we need to win this. Listen closely to me, this is our chance. I need you to tell Monokuma you want to review the New Home Cafe's murder case. It will get us some time."
He wasn't sure what he was talking about, but a chance was a chance. This was still the opportunity he needed and even if he was just stalling for time at this point, anything was better than just standing here with his mouth dangling open like some kind of idiot.
"WAIT! I want to review the case file of an old murder! The murder at the New Home Cafe!" Koba shouted and even though he was talking to Monokuma, he felt his eyes drawn to Himura's reaction.
The Barista reeled at what he was saying and for a moment, there was a break in the glazed over look in his eyes. When the words finished coming out of Koba's mouth, the barista's hands dropped to his side as he stared over at his fellow student. His lips weakly mouthing the words W?
"OOoooh! So Makoto didn't just throw that junk away? Seems like a waste but I'll bite. Better make it entertaining, though. The second this gets boring I'm cutting the life line." The bear laughed before a folder dropped down from the ceiling. The bear moved quickly, snatching it up before opening it up and going to read the contents. "Now, let me read the details of this unsolved murder case."
"Are you serious?' Bellerose interjected, grabbing the front of her shirt as a stern look was shot towards Koba. "Why the hell should we review some old murder trial? This is a waste of our time and could get us killed!"
"This does feel like a waste of time. As much as I don't want to believe it all the evidence points to Himura." Eguchi frowned as she spoke.
"I agree! Doesn't anyone else oppose this? Come on!" Sweeney remarked, gripping the stand in front of him as he glared over at Koba. "This is disrespectful to our dead friends! We should be focusing on helping them, not running around in circles like it doesn't matter! Get your head out of your ass and le-"
"No," Niijima spoke up from her spot, the sad look on her face as she scanned the room, "What Koba is doing isn't disrespectful. He's looking for answers. Kusonoki used to tell me that ghosts exist for a reason. Even if this case doesn't seem related… maybe it's because we haven't given it the time and truly listened to it."
"Sugai would have wanted us to listen to everything Koba had to say!" Sato said next, tears welling up in the corner of her eyes. "I know he trusted Koba more than anyone else in this school. He said A kid like that can never have bad intentions, pal." She lowered her voice to mimic his speech for a second which only caused her voice to shake as more tears welled up in her eyes. "That's why I will listen to whatever Koba has to say. For Sugai and for Kusonoki."
"I don't have anything deep to say," Luna added, "but Koba is the only one of us who investigated. Which means he knows more about this murder trial than any of us."
"She's right!" Iris spoke up, it had been the first time he'd seen her so determined in a while. "We can't give this up until every stone is unturned."
"You know my answer already," Kaito responded, twirling the rose between his fingers before his eyes focused on the barista. "I'm here to prove him innocent.
"See, when presented with hope, they will follow. This is the chance you need to get to the truth. I'll be here if you need my help." Komaeda gave him the last bit of support he needed to carry on with this case. It caused a fire to roar within his chest. The light that had pulled him together earlier was back, burning inside his chest. It felt as if it was causing him to glow with the need to finish this trial and save his friends.
"Alright, that's enough of that. Looks like the yeses outweigh the nos, so we'll be continuing. I don't want anyone to interrupt me, got it?" Monokuma warned, looking over the entire group before he cleared his throat and moved onto the file that laid flat on his small lap.
"Now listen up. Right before your school life started a murder took place outside the school boundaries. The victim's name was Uso Tsuki and he was about to go into high school just like the rest of you except he was boooring. Uso worked as waiting staff at the cafe. He cleaned the tables and helped with customer service. Though to be honest, he was a huge dick. He was one of the only two staff members who work at the cafe."
"I don't see why this is necessary." Himura suddenly jumped in, causing a glare from Monokuma as he looked up from his file. "I don't understand why we have to bring this up! It's not important! It's old, worthless informa-"
"Hey! Shut your mouth! No interrupting!" Monokuma barked, causing Himura to slouch over his stand as if he'd taken some fatal blow. Clenching his chest in pain as he hunched over. "Now, if you open your mouth again I'll shut it for you, understand?"
"...understood." Himura mumbled, looking defeated as he hunched over the pedestal. "I'll… keep quiet."
"What a good boy, Kazuki Himura." Monokuma praised the barista before moving on with the file in his lap. "Now, where were we….. Nope, already said that line….. And a huge dick, yadda yadda… Right! The other employee at the store was the owner and the barista of the cafe. You all know him, he's Kazuki Himura! Now no need to gasp in surprise everyone, you had to have seen this coming. Anyways On that day, Nagito Komaeda and Aoi Asahina happened to wander into the cafe. The two ended up buying coffees after scouting out another student. As they drank their coffee, they soon became aware that the barista had the ability of an Ultimate Student. So, after speaking with the barista, they decided to decide over night if the barista could join the school's growing cast of characters.
However, when they returned the next day, they discovered a crime scene had taken over the small cafe. Murdered in the back room of the cafe was young Uso Tsuki. He was leaned up against a few bags of coffee beans near the far wall. Five stab wounds total dotted his gut. The murder was never solved because the murder weapon went missing so they couldn't prove anything. Though the police greatly suspect Kazuki Himura as the murderer. However security footage shows no sign of the barista ever leaving the bar, making it hard for him to dispose of the weapon. Eventually the case ran cold and Kazuki Himura escaped that horrible bloodbath of a cafe and entered Hope's Peak."
'Wh-Wha? Is that true?" Iris gasped, covering her mouth as she jumped slightly at this new news.
"That… That sounds just like…" Niijima whimpered, hugging herself for a moment as she tried to get out what everyone had gathered from that details of the old case.
"That sounds just like how Kusonoki died." Bellerose swallowed hard, gripping her shirt tight as she looked bewilderedly at the bear as he thumbed through the file.
"Thaaat's right! There's more info too!" Monokuma snapped his fingers and suddenly all of their student tablets began to vibrate. Koba tugged his out of his pocket, tossing the pad in front of me onto the stand. The usually dark colored tablet lit up with pictures of evidence from the case, including more detailed information on the subject.
Koba took this moment to look over the information present to him at this moment. The new files that were delivered to them contained images of the murder scene, showing the bloodied body of Uso Tsuki. The man was decently attractive with smooth, well kept hair that covered most of the right side of his face. His pale, thin facial features featured a blank, empty expression. His eyes glazed over as death seemed to take hold of his entire body. However, the most startling image was the fact that the picture looked vaguely familiar… almost as if he'd seen it before. There was a small amount of blood splattered onto the walls.
There was also a list of evidence from the police. Things like an autopsy report, a replica of what the murder weapon would have looked like, and additional notes from the police. The autopsy report seemed pretty basic, Uso died from a stab that went right through his heart, a blow that would have killed him instantly. The other stabs seemed as if they were more for show as the victim was already dead when they were inflicted. Then there was the replica of the murder weapon. A long, specially made looking blade. From what the cops had gathered from molding the wounds, it wasn't a basic kitchen wife. Instead, it would have looked more like some kind of ornament than a weapon. Not something that could easily be misplaced, that was for sure. The odd design was obviously made to kill quickly and cleanly. Finally, there were the notes. Koba went to look them over. They mentioned another possible suspect to these crimes but…
"If anything I think this just makes Himura look more guilty!" Sweeney sounded a little startled by the new information that had just been presented to them.
"Y-You're right... This murder sounds just like the one we're dealing with right now." Eguchi remarked, running a finger over her student handbook as she seemed to absorb all the information it put forward.
"This is exactly what I wanted." Komaeda buzzed in as he flipped through the notes. "You understand where to go with this information, right?"
Koba thought it over for a moment. At first, he couldn't see why his teacher wanted to bring up this old case. Right now, it looked like it only made Himura look more guilty. But upon further thought… this opened up a lot of doors and possibilities to what was about to happen. As Koba took in Himura's reaction to the case and matching up this new information with what he'd already collected, this blew major holes in the trial they had now. Koba couldn't stop the blossoming joy that formed in his chest.
"Do you see now, Koba." Himura spoke, his dead gaze returning to the scientist as his eyes began to spin once more. Slowly he placed a hand on his forehead, running his fingers through his hair before covering half of his face with his palm. "Is this enough for you to finally see the monster I really am? My horrible secret… is that I was a murderer before I even came to this school. This old case file… proves that I'm the killer you're looking for."
"I beg to differ, homie! If anything, this old junk proves your innocence!" Koba felt the large grin rip across his face, spreading from ear to ear as he could taste the victory slowly spread in his chest. The warm sensation spreading through him as he readied himself to win this battle for good.
"You've got to be kidding me. Are you fucking stupid? How does it prove that at all?" Sweeney growled, leaning forward as if the small figure was going to jump over the podium and strangle Koba right here and now.
"Get on my level ya dushbag! Open your eyes and look at the truth you loser." Koba smirked as he went over the pages within the file. "For one, if you'd read the entire file, you'd know that Himura wasn't the only suspect of the case!"
"Wh-what? That doesn't sound right…" Himura stumbled on his words, his fingers digging deeper into his face as he contemplated the idea. "I don't remember anyone else at the cafe that night."
"Koba's right! A celebrity was seen at the cafe close to closing. They even had security footage of her!" Iris seemed happy as she looked over the info, probably glad that suddenly it was so easy for her to help with the trial. "Her name was Eun Rhee!"
"I know that named," Luna spoke up next, looking over her handbook as if to double check the information. There was a strange look on her face as she read over the information, almost as if she couldn't believe what she was reading for a moment. "Rhee is a famous skateboarder from Korea. She's known for her amazing tricks and cool attitude. Why would she ever be in such a small cafe."
"That's what I'm wondering too." Sato added as the racer looked over the info. "A cute, famous girl like that would never go to such an unknown establishment like that! Especially at night."
"Th-that doesn't mean she did it." Himura objected. "People don't just kill without a motive. Even if she was there that night, she didn't have a reason to kill Uso, I did."
"Motives are always a good place to start." Koba wasn't about to be thrown off yet. It was true, he had no idea what Himura or this Rhee person's motive might have been but he could keep this rolling if he tried hard enough. Maybe he'd pick up new information as time went on. That was when a good question popped up in his head. "Did you have a motive for killing this time?"
"Of course I did… it had to have been to keep my secret safe." Himura stated as he made the answer seem fairly obvious. He reverted back to his cold, unstable demeanor that was present before they started to show evidence he was the killer.
"Well if that was the only motive than why would you kill Sugai as well? You only needed one person to keep your secret safe. So why would you kill two people?" Koba questioned, looking over the other as he waited for a response.
"I-I don't know… I can't remember." Himura groaned, rubbing his head as he tried to coax out the lost memories. "M-maybe he walked in?"
"An I don't know is barely a solid answer, Himura! A logical guy like you wouldn't kill for a maybe. I don't think you'd kill for your secret either." Koba patted his chest gently, gesturing at his heart as he spoke in a gentle tone.
"Wait… Makoto says you were attacked…" Bellerose had a finger placed to one of her ears. Her eyes looking wild for a moment as she focused on the barista. "He said he heard someone come at you with a knife… but who did that?"
This was new information that sat well with Koba. If someone had tried to kill Himura then they had the identity of the killer already. It made sense that they would frame their next murder on the guy who escaped their deadly knife. Guess it was time to figure out who the killer was and put this whole thing to rest.
"Just tell us who attacked you," Koba asked gently. "You don't need to protect them, okay? If they killed Sugai and Kusonoki then they need to be punished or else everyone else will die."
"You think I'm doing this to protect someone? That my motive is some holy, selfless sacrifice from my heart? I promise you, there's no point in protecting the person who attacked me that night." Himura was slowly sinking back into the panicked state he was in before, the look of certainty reappearing on his face as he spoke. "I promise you Koba, this line of questioning is only going to dig a deeper hole for you to climb out of."
Koba hesitated. Should he continue with this line of questioning? There was a lot of points he still wanted to touch on but at the moment he was unsure… was this the right one. Taking a deep breath he came to a conclusion. As long as Himura told the truth, the facts would lead to the answers they needed. Only facts could dig them out at this point!
"I think I know what I'm doin'." Koba smirked, rubbing under his nose as he grinned. "Don't hold back any information!"
"Alright, if you're so damn sure you want to this." Himura growled, rubbing his face with his palm. "I already admitted to my guilt, so I'm glad to further that line of reasoning. That night, right after the motives were announced, I was out late at night. I was doing a favor for Naegi-Sama when I was suddenly tackled to the ground. That's when Kusonoki tried to stab me to death."
The room grew silent for a moment. They could hear each other's heart beats for a moment as they all sat around. This… wasn't where Koba thought that line of questioning would go. He had no idea that was where this was going to go. He had hoped this would be some kind of solution to the problem. Instead, Himura was right as this fact only seemed to bury them deeper into the dirt. He could feel as the suspicion level rose. Everyone's eyes were going between Himura and Koba as they tried to figure out who would speak next.
"Th-That means you had a reason to kill Kusonoki! More than just to keep your secret safe!" Sato covered her mouth as she spoke, looking stunned as she stared Himura down. "You killed her because she had tried to kill you."
"If that's not a solid motive, I don't know what is." Sweeney stated, his voice becoming flat and thoughtful as he looked over to Koba. "How can you argue with this?"
Koba was thrown back for a moment. He had no idea how to resist this line of reasoning. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he tried to recall anything that might change this entire situation. But he hit a wall. That was a solid motive. Maybe if he could redirect the attention to something else until he got more facts on the current situation.
"Can we come back to this?" Koba scratched the back of his head as he spoke, "I need more information than what you're giving me... "
"This is a stupid line of reasoning." Kaito spoke, his voice flatter than usual as he stared Himura down. "You know that's not a good motive but you're not saying anything. You're making yourself look guilty. Why are you throwing yourself under like this?"
"Stop protecting me! I'm a killer, It's about time I was punished for all of my crimes!" Himura shouted back. It was almost as if the barista was slowly sinking deeper and deeper as he was slowly being swallowed by the world around him. Each time he spoke sounded exasperated. Like the last breaths of air were swallowing him as he sank deeper. It was as if his lungs were being crushed underneath the weight of it all. "All my life I've been a waste of space. A pathetic excuse for a human! No one ever loved me because I'm so emotionally stunted. Even when I was a child… I was an abnormal freak. It was only a matter of time before all those emotions and dark feelings bubbled out and that I attacked someone! For all the people I let down, for the three people I killed, I deserve to die without anyone there for me. You shouldn't try to save me. What I did was unforgivable."
"Yeah, there's a huge hole in that logic, Himura. So how about you shut up for a little bit? I can't say everything I want at this very moment but… you're wrong. I'll do anything to prove to you that you're wrong. But first, let me start off with the biggest problem with what you just said. Kazuki Himura, you have never killed anyone in your entire life! Not even Uso Tsuki died at your hands! And we're going to prove it to you!"
Koba felt something bubble inside of him as he watched Kaito. It was as if he was inspiring him to keep going. He could see the dedication in his friend's stern face. He paused as Kaito slowly turned to look at him, something fiery burning behind his bright blue eyes. "Koba, you know how to prove it, don't you?"
"Shut up! Why don't you just listen to me? I-I AARRGH! Why are you both so stubborn?" Himura was almost snarling now, obviously frustrated at this point. A sudden, burst of rage seemed to burn in the center of his eyes.
With those words, something seemed to make sense. It was as if he was finally getting a rubix cube together, that satisfying feeling as all the sides started to become the same color. The facts, it was all starting to make sense. Koba was so close to figuring out who the killer was.
"I have an important question for you, homie." Koba grinned wide, he'd wanted to say this for so long, and finally, a situation appeared where he could finally utter these awful words. "You mad bro?"
"Yes! How could I not be? You two keep undermining everything I sa-" Suddenly, Himura's sentence stopped and he collapsed to the ground. A scream sounded across the courtroom as Iris covered her mouth.
"Oh god you killed him!" Iris squealed as she pulled her hat over her eyes.
"Nope, he ain't dead!" Koba said proudly. "He just passed out."
"Wait… he got so angry he passed out?" Bellerose repeated as Koba could see the information start to click in his head. "But… didn't he say he goes into an aggressive, blind rage first?"
"It was a lie." Kaito responded as he looked down at Himura's unconscious body. "Or at least he thought he did."
"But… what does this even prove?" Sweeney growled, if he kept this up, he might turn into a dog.
"We'll know for sure when he wakes up," Koba smirked as he spoke, it felt so cool to solve a mystery like this, "but if he remembers everything that happened before he passed out it means he couldn't have forgotten killing Sugai, Kusonoki and even Uso."
"How long will it take him to wake up?" Niijima asked, her eyes worriedly watching their unconscious friend.
"A few minutes." Kaito responded in a heartbeat before gently spinning his rose between his fingers. "While we're waiting, let's move on. Don't want to waste precious trial time."
Koba nodded. Now was the time he could bring up his points from the very beginning. Himura wasn't here to stop him. He needed everyone to listen and right now, all eyes were on him.
"Now, as I started before, isn't it weird that Himura was found unconscious with the bodies?"
"No, you just showed us why that happened." Eguchi remarked, rolling her eyes before she folded her arms. "There's nothing suspicious about it."
"Except when you think more deeply about it. A condition like this should only keep Himura out for a half an hour, tops. However, I found Himura in there early in the morning. Meaning however he passed out had to keep him out for Much longer than a half an hour."
"Maybe the murder was more recent than we thought." Luna suggested, tapping her finger on her bottom lip as she thought it over. "There isn't anything that puts a time on the murder, right?"
"Wrong again! While I was investigating Sugai's room, I found a bloodied suit stuffed under his bed." Koba started, though he wasn't surprised when one of his fellow students interrupted him.
"How did you get into his room?" Eguchi asked.
"What does that have to do with a time of murder! A bloody suit is fucked up but it doesn't prove anything." Sweeney countered.
"You're right, but what's important was in his pocket." Koba smile and continued through this new fact. "In the pocket of his jacket I found a note. It said 'If I don't return to my room in an hour please come back.'"
"Wait! But who wrote that note?" Eguchi questioned as she ran her fingers through her hair. "He could have gotten that note from anyone. It could be old for all we know."
"No, I saw Kusonoki write it the night of the party…" Niijima whispered as she started to fidget with the headphones. "I remember how Kusonoki acted the night of the party… she was scared… she said she had to talk to someone but she was afraid she might not make it back. I remember watching her write it but I had no idea who she gave it to… But that's definitely her handwriting. Thinking back… there was a moment before Sugai left that she could have given him that note."
"R-Really?" Koba paused, he didn't know he was going to get such a quick answer for this. But it seemed he found a way to continue without having to push ideas and possibilities onto people. "I mean, of course! But with this note, it proves that the murder had to have happened an hour after the party. That was when Sugai went up to the murder scene!"
"B-But that means Himura should have woken up before the body was discovered!' Iris audibly gasped as she spoke, looking stunned at the idea.
"That's correct, plus my sweet flower girl," Kaito started, running his fingers through his long hair before combing it onto his shoulder. "Plus the Body Discovery Announcement went off twice… at different times. Once when I walked in and again once Himura woke up."
"W-Wait a minute! That doesn't make sense. Monokuma, does the killer count as someone who witnesses the body?" Bellerose desperately tossed the question to the bear, who only shook his head.
"Of course not! What kind of bullshit would that be? A killer would always see the victim so it would just be two witnesses every time if that was true. It's almost like you two can't think for yourself sometimes… YEEESH." Monokuma whined, covering half of his face with his paw.
"So… Himura counted as a witness… that means… He couldn't have been a murderer, right?" Luna rubbed her neck as she pondered over the new facts.
"That doesn't mean he couldn't have killed Kusonoki." Eguchi argued, looking unconvinced by their new line of info. "He could have killed Kusonoki and then someone else could have killed Sugai."
"But why would they go through all of that trouble?" Kaito questioned, spinning the rose between his fingers. His words rolled off his tongue with a sharp sting to them like poison. "If a murder happened, their secret would be secure. There would be no reason to kill another student. In other words, your claim holds no logic."
"Yeah, pretty boys right, that wouldn't make any sense at all." Sato added.
Koba smirked. It seemed everyone was slowly coming around to his logic. They understood that there was a chance that Himura wasn't the killer. He'd successfully opened their eyes to the truth.
"...Uhhhg…" Himura slowly pulled himself to his feet. Rubbing his eyes as he slowly seemed to regain himself. He leaned heavily on the pedestal in front of him. Looking out of breath. "Did… Did I pass out?"
"You sure did," Kaito remarked as he leaned forward. "Do you remember what was happening right before you passed out?"
"Koba… asked me if I was angry? Oh god, did I rage out?" Himura seemed to panic, rubbing his face more as he seemed to be looking for someone who was injured.
"Not at all, darling. You passed out after that." Kaito smirked, a large grin forming over his face. "Do you see what I mean now? Whoever told you you go into a blind rage and then pass out is a liar. You've never killed anyone in your life."
"B-But I'm the only one who had a motive… No one else had a reason to kill Uso except for me. So what if a celebrity was there that day? If she was just passing through then what reason would she have to kill?"
"Please, just listen to us for a moment," Koba begged, "There's proof you couldn't have been the murderer if you'd just-"
"He's right, Kazuki. Open your eyes. The knife was an extremely special knife. Did you have a knife like the one used to stab Uso to death?"
"No but I could ha-"
"Nope, no speculation. A knife like that would be impossible to just come across. Now, I have a more important question. When you woke up, did the back of your head hurt?"
"Yeah… I remember the back of my head hurt so bad… almost like something underneath my skull was about to burst out of my skull." Himura rubbed the back of his head, flinching when he touched it. "Actually… it hurts right now too."
"That's what I thought." Kaito started, looking over at Koba. "Any idea what that might mean, babe?"
"Y-yeah! It sounds like someone cracked you on the back of the head! What a dirty trick!" Koba shouted, clenching his fists tight.
"Wait… that might actually be possible… but how could someone copy that trial… so precisely?" Himura started, his eyes widening as he obviously started to remember something important.
"If you had your ear piece in, you'd know. Monokuma gave Naegi a file containing the old police case." Koba explained. "Komaeda-Sensei told me to ask about it!"
"So… you think there's another student who found the case and then copied it to blame me?" Himura questioned. Slowly it seemed as if the other student was coming around to the idea that maybe someone was trying to frame him. "I'm still not too sure that I didn't do it though. But maybe you're ri-"
"Hold on a minute, there's still one piece of evidence I don't understand if Himura's not the killer…" Niijima spoke up, hugging herself gently, "When I saw K-K- her body, I stepped on something on the floor. At first, I figured it was just a normal coffee bean. But upon further investigation, it became clear to me that it was one of those chocolate covered mocha beans Himura loves so much."
"!" Himura's head jolted, his eyes on alert for a moment as he stared her down. Something behind his eyes seemed to churn.
"Aren't you the only one with beans like that Himura? I remember you saying you couldn't find them anywhere else inside the school…" Niijima questioned further as she continued to look worried about the situation.
"You're right… I was the only one with that snack in the whole school" Himura stared as if a beast had just been revealed to him. Pausing for a moment before he stood up completely straight. "But there's a huge problem if they were at the scene because I ran out of those after our trip to the beach!"
"Wha-!" Iris gasped. "Then where did these one's come from?"
"I… don't know for sure yet. But now… Now I'm certain someone was trying to frame me…" Himura looked frightened for a moment. "I… I almost got everyone killed because I was so blind to the truth… Koba… can you please finish this for me… and for Kusonoki and Sugai?"
"I wouldn't want anything else." Koba smiled as he moved on, "But since you're a lot more willing to talk, I had a really important question for ya."
"Hit me."
"Did you take a shower after the murder?" Koba asked as he looked Himura over one last time.
The question seemed to confuse him but he slowly gave a nod. "Y-yeah. I couldn't stand the amount of blood that was on my body… I had to get it off."
"Well, last I checked, you can't wash bruises and cuts off, yet for some reason, your entire face is clear."
"! Wait! He's right! You were covered in bruises before you left the room." Iris squealed as she covered her mouth again. "I couldn't stop staring at you when you left, so I remember it clearly. You looked like you were just in a fight."
"I had no idea… I… I just remembered how thick the blood was a-"
"Wait, did you just say thick? What do you mean thick?" Sweeney asked, the artist had remained silent for awhile but he was finally speaking up again.
"It clung to my skin in heavy globs. It seemed… just thick." Himura explained.
'Blood ain't thick, and it don't glob together. That's a real weird way to describe blood." Sweeney rubbed his jaw, also pointing out the points that seemed too weird to let go.
At this very moment, Koba figured it out. He knew who to target because he figured out exactly who the killer was. Everything came together like a dawning light. Now all he had to do now was cement all of the reasoning together. Now was the time to help everyone else come to the same conclusion as him.
"I guess nows the time to reveal something else as well." Koba smiled as he ran back through his notes. "I believe the stab wounds on Kusonoki were faked."
"F-Faked?" Sato said aloud, "How could stab wounds be faked?"
"Why would you think they're fake?" Eguchi tested, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Koba. "Or are you just tossing around ideas and trying to see what will stick?"
"Because the wounds were exactly like the ones in the photo. Weird, right? If this was supposed to be a murder done while someone was in a rage, no one would copy what they've done before. That would be absurd. But looking at this image, the knife wounds are all in the same exact place as the picture. Heck, even the blood splatters are relatively the same."
"That doesn't sound like enough to prove their fake." Bellerose stated. "Do you have anything to add to that?"
"Well, the clothes around her wound were perfectly cut, almost as if someone had taken the time to perfectly cut open her shirt where they needed the wounds to be." Koba finished, feeling so good to slowly piece all of those spots together.
"If she didn't die from the knife wounds, then what did she die from?" Eguchi asked, slamming her hand onto the pedestal as she sternly glared over to the skater. Her sharp, fake teeth glistening in the dark.
"She died from a wound to the back of her head. While investigating, Kaito found blood on the back of her scalp. Meaning someone had bashed her head in."
"But with what? You can't do that with a knife, you idiot."
"Oh, I found the murder weapon too. A strange bat inside of Sugai's room. It didn't match the others. It had the name Ryan Batter signed onto the wood."
"Ryan Batter?" Kaito paused, a smirk showing on his face. "That's the name of a fictional baseball star. I played him in a movie once. It was a major block buster, of course. If it's signed with the name, that means it must be a movie prop."
"A-A movie prop…" Niijima spoke softly, her hands cupped in front of her chest.
"Sugai had bats in his room, but they were all from professional players who he had encouraged to keep going. They were given to him as thanks for his help and positive attitude… so why would a movie prop be in his room?" Sato asked, her eyes focusing on Koba for answers.
"Because that's where the killer hid all of their tools for murder." Koba responded, "Now, Kaito, do you remember who got to take the bat home?"
"Oh yes, it was the the mastermind behind the special effects of Ryan's face. Specifically when the super star beats another man with his own bat. They gave the bat to them for creating such lovely prosthetics and to help make such a touching scene."
"But… there's only one person here who fits that description…" Luna said softly, her eyes slowly turning to look at Eguchi. Soon, everyone was looking as the Special Effects master began to sweat. She paused, digging through her bag in a hurry.
"Y-You're trying to pin this murder on me? Fuck you!" Eguchi raised her head up, her eyes shining like that of a cat, pupils thin and tainted as they stared him down. "What motive do I even have to kill? Why would I kill two people? Huh? Answer me this?"
"Motive is easy, you killed to protect your secret." Kaito said simply.
"But I told everyone my secret, you idiot." Eguchi snapped back. "Or did you forget? I Wet the bed until I was 15!"
"Eguchi, I'm no idiot. That secret is a lie." Kaito started, setting the rose down one the table as he spoke more. "You think you could reference the first killing game and that I wouldn't notice it? Hun, I played Makoto. I know you worked on that movie as well. You stole that secret from the first trial in order to hide the fact you refused to share your real secret!"
"Right! I do remember watching the movie adaptation…" Sato mumbled, looking even more suspicious. "I remember laughing so hard at that scene."
Eguchi audibly gasped as the attack was thrown at her. She clenched her chest since now she was trembling. "B-But why would I kill Sugai?"
"That's easy, he walked in on the murder. If you had let him go, he would have told everyone. You'd been caught before the body was even discovered." Koba responded to her quickly, not even giving her a chance to catch her breath.
"B-But his throat was slit! How could I even reach up there to do that?"
"That wound was fake too. When I found the suit hidden in his room, I found stab wounds through the chest."
"But Him-"
"You snuck up behind Himura in the hallway, you lured him out and used the fact that the hallways made a complete circle in order to sneak up behind him and bash him on the head."
"No I-"
"Then you used my skateboard to move the bodies where you needed them. Even a heavy guy like Sugai was easy to move with my wheels. You could put him wherever you wanted."
"I-"
"You had everything planned out so perfectly. But your past experience in horror movies really set you back. You used too much blood, you have no idea how much people bleed in real life, do you?"
"STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!" Eguchi screamed at the top of her lungs as her voice seemed to rip through the air like a sharp knife. "Shut up you little fucker. You keep running that mouth of yours but-but-but! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
"Face it Eguchi, there's no way you can wiggle your way out of this." Koba pointed at her, grinning wildly. "Your meltdown proves it all."
"I… I-" Eguchi suddenly started to sob. Tears welling up in her eyes. They started to fall from her face in thick globs as she realized how cornered she really was. "I killed Kusonoki and Sugai! I-I got Himura to check the hall after I made a loud noise. I used the round hallways to come up behind him and hit him. Then I came into the cafe and bashed Kusonoki's head in. I put everyone in their places in order to copy the murder. But when I was halfway through setting it up, Sugai walked in… he didn't see Kusonoki's dead body at first. He just grabbed by shoulder and… and tried to talk me out of it… he- he thought he could still save me."
Eguchi continued to sob, clutching at her chest as she swallowed even harder. "I got so mad at him… Mad that he trusted me sooo much that he thought he could stop me. So I stabbed him… I- he coughed up blood so I stabbed him again, and again- and again and *sob* I put the knife in Himura's hand and I dropped the few beans I had left on the floor and I went back to my room and I waited…. And when Himura got up and said he didn't it… I was happy… because I thought I had gotten away with murder."
"But what secret was worth all of this? What did you need to hide that was this important?" Sato asked. "What was worth killing our friends to keep from us?"
"I… Even now I can't say… Even now I'm still ashamed of who I am…" Eguchi whimpered, her soggy, red eyes focusing on Koba… as if he knew something else.
"...Was… Did you come from a DRC?" Sato spoke again, this time, she slowly took her finger of her ear piece.
"A Despair Recovery Center… How did you… Either way… I guess its good you know… That I used to he a monster… My mother and I were infected with despair. When the world started to change, they gathered us up and put us in that place… it was- it was nice. It freed us from the chains of memory and I was able to leave… but when people know you were locked up there… they look at you different. They don't trust you.. they think you're still filled with despair." Eguchi let out a long, drawn out sigh. "You know what I'm talking about, right Kobayashi?"
"Why would I know?" Koba asked, confused why she was suddenly talking directly to him. Everything was still fuzzy from the story she'd just told. But he didn't know why she targeted him.
"You don't have to play dumb, Koba. There's no way your secret was the truth." Eguchi wiped a few tears from her eyes as she spoke. "Stop pretending you don't understand… at least give me some reassurance that it's true… that place is a place worth escaping."
"I-I really don't know what you're talking about." Koba confessed once more. His confusion running high at this point.
"Koba I kne-"
"So, are you all ready to vote?" Monokuma asked, breaking up Eguchi's words and looking over the entire class.
No one hesitated. The answer was easily solved as they all reached out and voted for their dear friend Eguchi in silence. This time, however, after voting there was no time in between her talking and her execution.
The teachers reached the bottom just in time for Monokuma to speak again. Komaeda staring down his own student as she was dragged away. His face was almost unreadable as he carefully watched the fate of the killer.
"I think you've spoke enough." Monokuma remarked as he started to drag her away from the rest of the group. "This trial took waaaay too long. I'm so ready to watch you die."
"Now, Everyone get ready! It's Punishment Time! Who's ready to see the execution of the Ultimate Special Effects master?!"
Class execution of Saya Eguchi
Childhood Monsters
There she was. Suddenly in a large, childlike bedroom. Eguchi found herself sitting on the bed. Looking around, she found everything was stylized in a realistic yet off putting way. That's when she heard it, the heavy footsteps that made the room start to shake. Fear began to pile in her gut with each step.
thump
Thump
THUMP
P
a moment of silence followed. Eguchi felt her mouth grow dry as she watched the bedroom door. Her hear pounding as she watched it closely. Her eyes fitted with the deep, dark fear of her life ending. She could almost feel the familiar sensation she had known so well as a child. The despair was slowly welling up in her chest. But even in these final moments, she refused to let it control her like it had her mother for so many years.
Suddenly the bedroom door burst open and pieces of wood blasted across the room, sticking onto the wall behind her and forming her silhouette in the wall behind her. Eguchi had almost taking the shards into her face if she hadn't grabbed the pillow off the bed. Now the soft fabric was lodged with the sharp pieces of wood.
Quietly, Eguchi set the pillow aside, tossing it onto the bed as she looked towards the door. But… there was nothing there but a small, Monokuma shaped doll. Swallowing hard, Eguchi snatched up the lamp next to the bed before hopping onto the floor and slowly walking towards the door.
The special effects artist was unaware of where the true evil lurked as she slowly inched herself closer to the bear. Lamp held up high as she was about to strike. Hands shaking as fear caused her body to tremble. With a long, solid breath, she striked down on the plushy, only to be scared by the sudden, loud squeak of a toy.
Pausing, she stared at in confusion. But she didn't have long to ponder as she felt cold hands wrap around her ankles. Her mouth opened, an attempt to cry for help tried to crawl its way out before she was forced down, causing her to smash her head onto the floor. She was barely conscious as the monster dragged her under the bed.
The bed bobbed and snarls escaped from underneath. The sickening sound of flesh tearing sounded from underneath the bed. Occasionally, blood splattered out from the dark crack of the bed. After one last, sickening crunch, everyone could hear a long, unsettling stream of silence. Everyone watched as the bed slowly folded upwards, revealing the mangled, destroyed corpse of Saya Eguchi. The Special Effects Master was almost completely unrecognizable in this pulpy state.
The world outside the execution was even more torn as a loud, scream of pain filled the air. Everyone turned to see Komaeda collapse to the ground. The sickly man looked as if he'd been broken. His thin fingers were digging at his scalp, as if they were trying to pry open his brain.
"Komaeda?" Hajime tried to pick him off the ground but it seemed the white haired man had become some boneless creature. "Are you okay?"
"Oops!" Monokuma laughed as he walked out of the back room. His annoying grin beaming at them as they worried about their pained teacher and newly dead friends. "I guess Nagito wasn't healthy enough to handle the memories."
Hajime swallowed hard, scooping up Komaeda and working to carry him up the stairs as the teacher now flopped around like a boneless noodle. His head down on the other teacher's shoulder as he tried his hardest to carry him up the stairs. It only took a few moments for Kaito to jog over, the tall actor easily scooping the teacher off his feet and carrying him up the stairs.
At this moment, Koba felt overwhelmed. Why had Eguchi singled him out? Despair Recovery Centers were for people plagued with the monstrous feeling. His family grew up in a peaceful home in the suburbs… they'd never even been touched by despair… so why… why had she tried to out to him like that… why… why were her final words to him.
Plus… the name Eun Rhee left a burn in his mind, almost like someone had used it to put out their cigarette. He had never even heard of that name before but she was apparently some amazing skater… He felt as if he knew more than he was telling himself. Maybe he'd seen her on television before… If she was famous, that would make sense.
Silence followed as most of the students pulled themselves away from the sight. A gruesome scene that everyone flinched away from. Niijima was one of the last to turn away, her face blank as she silently stared into the distance. She only turned away once the gentle hand of Luna was rested onto her shoulder. Fear seemed to leak out from the groups as another one of their fellow students perished at their hands. Yet, two other students had perished at her hands…
Everyone around him was still stunned, their eyes glued to the bloody mess that used to be Saya Eguchi. Blood slowly seeped from her wounds, creating a puddle around her body like a small lake filled with… regrets. Koba felt his mouth go dry. Small bolts clicking in the back of his head. An ominous sound as it seemed to tick like an ancient clock. Eguchi's long, black hair mixing with the pink on the ground like some kind of bridge to hell and Koba watched as it was slowly swallowed by the rising waters. His head started to spin, his world slowly moving underneath his feet and he felt like he could no longer stand. In a way, he caused this. Without his help on this case, Eguchi never would have died.
"It's hard… isn't it?" Himura asked, though his voice barely pulled Koba out of this twisting vortex of feelings.
"Yeah." Was Koba's answer. He knew what the barista meant, even if he didn't address it directly.
"I'm sorry you had to do it this time… I should have been more vigilant to what was going on."
"Don't apologize. No one should have to do this alone." Koba turned, looking at his friend with the most serious look he could muster. "From now on, I'll always have your back. I'll do anything I can to help."
"But will it matter… won't this end with only one survivor?" Himura's gaze drifted as he looked out over to the ocean of gore that was once their friend. "Is there even any point?"
"I'll make sure we live through this." Koba felt that surge in his chest again. The great desire held within him to protect his friends as he moved his hand to hover over his heart, almost as if he could feel the warmth radiating from deep within his heart. "I'll do everything in my power to protect my friends."
"Koba… I… I'm sorry I was so selfish."
"Selfish… how were you selfish?" Koba probed gently. Catching the slight, painful tinge drifting inside his words.
"I think a part of me knew I didn't do it… that I should help investigate and find the truth. But a bigger part of me just wanted all of it to be over. Not just the game either but life too. It felt like an easy way out. I don't want to stay here but I don't want to go home either. A large part of me wants to just melt away from this world, as if everyone would be better off without me." Himura sighed, an exhausted sound that seemed to come from every muscle in his body.
Koba wasn't too sure what to say, but something in his words made the flame in his chest ignite. Without thinking, he reached over, gripping the other student's shoulder as he smiled, pulling himself from the world around him to take this time for his friend. "Himura, when we get out of here, things will get better. I promise you things will get better. Together, we can stop the mastermind."
Himura paused before chuckling weakly. "I don't know how you stay so confident, Koba. But I'll be looking forward to the day we both make it out of here. Now let's get out of here… we can talk more tomorrow." Himura turned to leave, heading up the elevator door to catch up with their friends. Koba followed behind closely, but found his gaze drifting to lock onto the bear. The thing was standing near the glass, stuffed arms dangling near his side as he stared back into the execution room. His emotionless face staring off into the bloody mess of Eguchi. What kind of sicko would be controlling that monster. What kind of person would willingly watch the dead body of such a young girl for so long.
Koba looked forward, clenching his fists as he headed to the elevator. No matter who was doing this, he would stop them from hurting anyone else.
...Even if it killed him...