Author's Note: This was a quick update. Good lord, but things have certainly taken a turn here. In multiple ways. Be prepared for controversy and despair.

I cursed to myself when Kenta stepped inside, "Oh, it was the boy. What luck..."

"You did it, didn't you?" I accused him, "You already tried to kill him!"

Kenta brushed off my accusations, "How droll. If I was the traitor, I'd have killed him during the waking hours. He was certainly not a threat to me in his current state."

Daisuke pounded his fist into his other hand, "Really, just dismissing his death like that!? What the hell, man!?"

"I am looking for patterns. So far, a member of the Hot Zone was killed. Then a member of the instigators here. I'd venture a guess and say that next will be a Cold Zone survivor," Kenta theorized, "That being said, I feel quite safe knowing my life is fine for another round."

Misery walked towards him. She had this look of unbelievable fury on her face, "Out."

Kenta smirked, "I have a magnum, bitch. I'll shoot you if you even-"

Misery lifted him off of his feet and held him, choking him with no hesitation, "Are you forgetting who I am? Why I became Despair? Your fault lies in the center of that."

He tried to speak, but he was unable to. Misery finally dropped him onto the floor, where he proceeded to get up and run. What a coward.

As Kenta fled from the scene, Satoshi dropped in, "Awe, it's Hajime? That's no good."

"What do you want?" Nari demanded, already sick of his bullshit, "If you have nothing to say, fuck off."

Satoshi just grinned, "Fine. Maybe next time the traitor'll help me out..."

With that, he left.

Daisuke shuddered, "That guy scares me so badly. Wouldn't be surprised if he's the damn traitor."

I was thinking to myself. A Cold Zone survivor would be killed next? No, no way. Kenta was just bullshitting. But then who could the traitor be?

Both Kenta and Satoshi were too obvious to be the answer, but then, who?

The board showed the twelve survivors of the game. The three Hot Zone survivors; Satoshi, Akihiko, and Granberia. The four Antagonist survivors; Misery, Fuuko, Panterbell?, and Kenta. And the five of us that survived the Cold Zone: Nari, Koneko, Daisuke, Shinju, and myself. Statistically, we would be next on the chopping block. Could I prevent that!?

Although the board placed us differently. The first six in a line were; Shinju, Koneko, Daisuke, Granberia, Akihiko, and Fuuko. The second six were the rest of us; Myself, Nari, Satoshi, Kenta, Panterbell, and Misery. Was there any significance in that placement? I couldn't tell.

I walked over to Panterbell and lifted him up. Surely enough, he too, had a bracelet. Well, shit...

Despite how in danger his life was, he snuggled up and curled himself into a ball in my hands, as if everything was as chill as ever. Good kitten, at least...

Daisuke headed to the doorway, "His action is leaving this room. He needs food and water. I'll go scouring for it."

I was somewhat worried. Where was Shinju and the others? "Someone should stay here with Misery and Panterbell. Groups of three are important, but I wanna find the others."

Checking my wristband, I noted the time. An hour and fifty five minutes were left. Another two hour time period, another chance at finding more information before we blacked out again.

Nari nodded, realizing what I intended to do, "Koneko, can you stay with Panterbell? He feels safest with you and Granberry."

Panterbell meowed in agreement and jumped onto Koneko before lying down and purring softly into her hair, his one paw extended over her head as he stretched out, "Well, how can I say no to this precious little guy?"

Nari and I left the three of them behind and hurried down the hallway. Daisuke had already disappeared from sight. I wasn't worried about him, though. He'd never be targeted by the traitor.

No, the traitor wanted to instill despair in one of us. And with Daisuke effectively ruled out, I had concluded that it was Akihiko. He's already lost faith in his friends, so maybe this was their goal all along. He's lost all of his closest friends now...

So who was left that mattered to him? Hajime was an odd choice, but presumably one of the few of us he trusted. Then I felt sick to my stomach. Shinju's group. Akihiko was close to Shinju and Granberia, meaning they might be targeted next. Fuck...

I hastened my pace, with Nari complaining for me to slow down.

In the freezer room, Satoshi brushed his hand down Kibou's frozen face. He had managed to force her neck bone back into place and had laid her head in one of the open racks for corpses. He just needed a body, and legs... "Soon, my darling... We'll be reunited..."

"I should have fucking known. Sick," Akihiko called Satoshi out from the doorway, "Why is she here, Satoshi?"

Satoshi seemed confused, "Whatever do you mean, Aki? This is Kibou... She's just a bit under the weather."

Akihiko shook his head, "Dead. The word you want is dead."

"Don't say that to my face..." Satoshi threatened, "Not when you're the only person left I trust... Shinji's a killer. Daisuke's a miscreant. The girls are all whores... No, only you understand me now... Akihiko, help me remake her! Just get me parts... I'll repay you however I can..."

Was this guy for real right now? "Satoshi... Shizue wanted to tell you something."

Satoshi didn't lighten up even after hearing her name, "No need to concern myself with dead people. Not while Kibou needs my help..."

"Do you really not care about us anymore?" He slowly glanced over at me, "Like, for real? Hajime's dead. Someone is going to kill us all, Satoshi."

"Doesn't matter. Already done," Satoshi murmured, "Dead on arrival. All hope is lost. Never meant to survive. Game is rigged."

Aki demanded, "Satoshi! Tell me now, damnit! What secret did Kiyo tell you!?"

Satoshi looked up, "Crazy... Crazy, me? No, no, no no no no no... I'm the only sane man left. I still value the right things. The rest of you have all been lost to despair, to insanity. Must stay focused, must fix Kibou..." he looked up at Akihiko, "Why are you still here!?"

"I want answers, Satoshi! I've been left in the dark this whole game!" Satoshi sighed and glanced up at Akihiko, "Please... If there's any part of you left that cares..."

"Fine, fine, fine, fine," he pushed Kibou's rack in and stomped over to a nearby table, "Found folder. No use to me. Might be to you. Out, now. Kibou doesn't want to be seen like this. No, she's not ready to return. Must have parts. Must have help. Where are the sewing kits!?"

Satoshi shoved the folder into Akihiko's hands and forced him out of the room, closing it behind him.

Akihiko reluctantly opened the folder and began reading, "What is this...? 'A List of Forbidden Actions'. Wait... This is all of ours!?"

Speechless, Akihiko dropped the folder, his eyes wider than ever before, "Misery is a member of Despair. And so is..."

Akihiko activated his bracelet and grimaced at what it said. Forbidden Action; Expose the traitor or the member of Despair.

What was he to do now...?

Shinju opened her eyes and scanned the room around her. Surely enough, the room was still barricaded. More importantly, Granberia and Fuuko were both safe and sound. She sighed in relief, thankful that none of them had died.

Still, her heart was not calm. Someone had died, and she would have to traverse the hallways back to the main room, or find one of the others who does know of the victim. She feared who it could be, but knew she didn't have a choice now.

Granberia was already dismantling the barricade, "Granberry! The hell!?"

She turned to me, that same vacant expression, "We have to keep searching for clues. Or we die."

Fuuko stood up and brushed herself off, "No need to worry, Shinju. I promised you we'd be safe. I could feel it."

"Traitor," Granberia accused her, "Or not. I don't distrust you, but you must admit it is suspicious to promise that and be right. Watch whom you say that around."

Fuuko slowly nodded, "Uh...Right. Um, Granberia?" she looked back at Shinju's sister, "Can you uh... Call me by name?"

Granberia nodded, "Understood, Tojiko. I'll address you as that from now on."

Shinju moved the last of the furniture with Granberia's help, and the trio walked into the hallways, continuing their search.

Fifteen minutes later, Daisuke smirked as he hit the damn jackpot. The cafeteria had a huge bag of cat food in it. He grabbed a large mixing bowl and filled it to the brim with water. Lugging a thirty pound bag of mixed cat food, he carefully marched back to the main room, his mission complete.

Kenta walked into the nurse's room and inspected Hajime's body. Damn it! His magnum was gone. Did the traitor take it? Or...

Kenta cursed to himself. He had to find a way to keep himself safe when the pattern demanded the blood of one of his allies again.

Misery was untouchable for him, so he'd have to target Fuuko. Sad, since she had some potential. An Ultimate level of skill in 3D animation she had. It was so impressive, he wondered if his interference in her family's bloodline had something to do with it.

No, couldn't be, he decided to himself.

Nari began slowing down, so I had asked if she'd like to rest with me in one of the rooms. She had agreed, and for once not verbally destroyed me. She too, must have understood my worries.

Thankfully, a classroom was nearby, with eighteen desks inside. Nari laid down on one of the desks closest to the front, breathing heavily.

I decided to do the most protagonist thing I could. I sat in the leftmost desk that allowed me to see outside of the building. Neither of us had even considered breaking out through these windows. The only reason they weren't boarded up like the others was because there was no ledge. The other side was a four-hundred feet drop at least, to the beach area below. Building a class next to the overlook of a cliff? Only at Hope's Peak...

Nothing was on the desk, and these desks had no undersides to them. Knowing that, I leaned the entire chair I was sitting in back against the rear wall. That was when I stared up at the ceiling and began counting the tiles.

Then I found an oddity, something worth my time. One of the tiles was colored differently. Why? I got up out of the seat and stood on the nearby desk, pushing the tile upwards. Peering into the area above the tiles, I spotted...something. Praying it wasn't a trap or a spider, I grabbed it and pulled it out. It was another folder.

Inside were papers labeled 'Sakai Project Dossiers'.

Oh, shit... Opening up the first one, I felt my heart ache.

Archer. Mayumi Okishima. Born to parents on a shrine housed on Okishima Island, the island of the Seven Ancient Samurai. Founded in honor of the royal family samurai slain here in the 12th century, the Okishima clan has dwindled to a select few over time due to societal changes. The head of the Okishima clan was proud to participate in our experiments, if only to have a child that wouldn't abandon them this time.

Okay, so this details our backstories and families, huh? Alright... I'll go through this and look for useful information.

Babysitter. Emiko Norita. Norita was one of the first post-WW2 electronics companies to spring up in Japan. A proud producer of camera electronics from 1951 on, Toshio Norita, the founder, exported his cameras and lenses worldwide, eventually expanding to machine tools and more. When Norita went defunct, the family remained influential in designing newer technology. Toshio's grandnephew was ecstatic to participate, hoping to have his child one day rebuild a new Norita company.

Boxer. Akihiko Tanaka. Though an incredibly common surname in Japan, the 4th, in fact, Akihiko is related by blood to Kakuei Tanaka, known as the Shadow Shogun. His daughter and son-in-law both later took power in political offices, though neither became the Prime Minister of Japan like he did. This family foresaw a prodigy child as crucial to cementing their lineage in political positions.

Butler. Yoshikazu Shinozaki. Last in a line of a larger family tree that has been known for occult research and studies. This particular branch of the family instead focused on its ever-present loyalty in serving the Tokugawa Shogunate, and later, to the Emperors. The family had not received an important position for the latest Emperor and hoped a prodigy that made headlines would be sufficient.

Cheerleader. Daisuke Ichijou. A descendant of the esteemed Ichijou family, one of the five families of the Fujiwara clan. Though the family on the surface has long since been considered defunct, the Ichijou family still commands considerable power in the underworld, rivaling even the Kuzuryu family in terms of members and power. The family sought to emerge from the shadows and overtake political power from the current politicians.

Cosplayer. Shizue Koga. A child of the Koga clan, one of the most successful families of the Meiji era. When Takahiro Koga used the assets of the family to create Koga Industries, many saw it as a pointless venture. Now one of the greatest producers of games, anime, manga, and other entertainment products on the market in Japan, Renji sought for his third child to be as brilliant as he was, someone able to match the brilliance of Hisao and Saeko.

Firestarter. Kenji Amagi. A lesser-known family that occupies the area around Mount Amagi. They have been known to be used for wars of treachery as spies. Due to their heavily classified lifestyle, the Amagi family is virtually nonexistent in most modern records. A recent branch of the family has decided to try and undermine the veil of secrecy, and also release high-class secrets of the Japanese government and military. Due to their crimes, they professed to Hope's Peak to allow them to save their child through our program.

Maid. Hanako Ikeda. The current family that heads the Soka Gakkai International, the largest organization of Buddhists worldwide, currently under the affairs of Daisaku Ikeda. His cousin Ryotaro sought to establish the family beyond its religious beginnings to lead Japan to an age of purity and kindness.

Poet. Shinju Sakyubasu, formerly Shinju Tojo. Descendants of the infamous war criminal and Japanese general Hideki Tojo. The new head of the family sought to change his name, but was sought for his relation to a still-famous military official. Reluctantly, they agreed, though their legal name was changed in return for his cooperation, and the family's records of relation to Tojo disposed of.

Rising Star. Nico B. Real name purged from most databanks due to requests by the Family. Nico is actually a former Kuzuryu, who sought their own addition to our ranks. The younger brother of the current leader wished to undermine his brother's son and oust the Ultimate Yakuza from his position in the near future.

Romantic. Shinji Kizami. The great-grandson of Hideyoshi Yamato, a member of the royal family. His esteemed grandfather is Yuki Kizami, the chairman of the Board of Directors and our greatest investor who funded the Sakai Project. Yuki sought for his own grandchild to become a perfect candidate for one day reestablishing his role in the government. His expectation was to make his grandson Emperor, since his blood put him ahead of the current Emperor, if one took claims of Hideyoshi's legitimacy seriously.

Speedreader. Kibou Iwata. Granddaughter to Satoru Iwata, the president of Nantendo. After Satoru's rise to fame as one of the greatest purveyors and creators amongst the video game industry, which has now evolved into a multi-billion dollar industry in the span of a few decades, the family sought an heir who could do Satoru proud, though her parents were estranged with the company for some time in the 80s.

Student Council President. Satoshi Hondo. Name changed but actually a member of the family of Soichiro Honda, founder of the international company of the same name. The only case where a specific talent was requested; something that would make him suitable for management of the company once Takanobu Ito relinquishes his role as CEO.

Survivor. Takeshi Kurosawa. Born to an esteemed family known from making films to performing detective work to maintaining older villages in historical protection missions across Japan. The family seen as most expendable for testing out the tragedy genes.

Tamer. Koneko Sakai. Descended from a former family of daimyos and more recently, an offshoot of the family of WW2 general Koji Sakai. With the rise in power of the Sakai family name thanks to Kenta Sakai, he sought to craft a family member with abilities as amazing as his own. Later augmented further upon personal request.

Thief. Natsume Togami. An heir apparent to the Togami family, one of the most powerful and influential families in modern day Japan. The mother wished to oust the family and have her child be the winner. Due to the rarity of us receiving a Togami candidate, she was accepted immediately.

Tutor. Nari Kawasaki. A proud descendant of Shozo Kawasaki, the founder of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, one of the most prominent international corporations today. The family sought to revive its importance with a new go-getting heir who would raise children to be beyond what many believed possible.

Womanizer. Takumi Adachi. Born into the family of Kenzo Adachi, a Japanese politician born to a family of samurai tracing themselves back, perhaps to the Genpei war between the Taira and Minamoto clans culminating in 1192. Sought to revive its importance through a newly crowned prodigy.

On the final page was another document altogether; the 'Incident'.

"Due to unfortunate circumstances, one of the eighteen children, the son of the Tojo family for the experiment was stillborn. This nearly ruined the legitimacy of the entire project, until luck found a way. One of the other families had a set of fraternal twins. One of the twins was adopted by the Tojo family, keeping her original name; Shinju."

Woah. Shinju's not related to her family by blood. Damn. That's some surprising shit. Who's her twin, then? I looked for the name on the bottom of the document, fearing that they were dead. If they were, that could just break her heart.

I prayed that it wasn't Satoshi or Takumi, since that would have been so many different shades of fucked up.

Looking through it, I spotted a picture of her and her twin along with their names; Shinji and Shinju Kizami. Oh, that makes sense... Wait... WAIT...

In the loudest voice I could manage, so much so I strained my vocal cords yelling it, I had only two words for this, "The fuck!?"

Nari ran over after hearing me scream in agony, and when I handed her the documents, she read through them at a breakneck pace. When she got to the last page, she burst out laughing, "Ahahahahahaha! You banged your twin!? What kind of surprise is that!? Damn, I thought I was the kinky one! Ahahahaha!"

I wanted to puke. I didn't, but oh did I ever want to. What could I even say to this information? WHAT!? Please, please, please for the love of all that is fuckin' holy, be a lie... I prayed to whatever gods would listen to me that this was fake.

"What did I do to deserve this!?"

In an attempt to cheer me up, Nari joked, "Come on, Shinji. There's worse surprises. She could have been your mom."

"Not helping!"

"I know, I know. I shouldn't make jokes... Hey, that means I've slept with twins at the same time..." I glared at her harder than I ever have before, "Silver lining, right? I'd even say you were made for each other."

She dodged my attempt at smacking her upside her damn head, "Not funny!"

Nari headed to the door, "Come on, Shinji, let's share this development with the others. They'll love it!"

"You motherfucker..." I grimaced, wanting to die a little bit.

"That's your stick, not mine," she rebuked me. Wait, was that another incest joke?

All the way back to the main room, I contemplated on where I'd hide bleach if I were Monokuma.

Nari stopped after realizing how choked up I was on this and asked, "Shinji, you alright? I know I'm joking about it, but it really is somethin' you need to come to terms with."

"What are you on about now?"

"I mean, you have a choice to make," she leaned up against the wall, "You can show her this page," she held it out to me, "Clear the air and try to salvage this relationship of yours into a sibling one."

I moaned, "I said I wished I wasn't an only child, but I never wanted this!"

Nari offered, "Or we could just burn it right now. Pretend it never happened. We can act like it's a lie and live on as we are."

"That's wrong. Lie to her? I couldn't do that, Nari."

"Didn't you love her? Can you just abandon those feelings? I mean, you couldn't even abandon one of us, knowing the moral consequences of your actions. Both are taboo." Nari argued, "That being said, I'm not going to influence you one way or the other. I'm dating the both of you regardless what you choose."

I didn't want to think about this. I sniffled a little, on the verge of begging some mysterious entity to tell me why my life couldn't be simple!? Not even once!?

Daisuke arrived back at the main room with a smile on his face as he fed the ravenous kitten Panterbell. Misery smiled as he gently caressed the kitten, trying to soothe him in these trying times.

Koneko commented, "You're a good caretaker of animals, Daisuke. I'm surprised."

Daisuke scratched the kitten under his chin, "I have a cat back at home. An obese son of a bitch, too. Named him Catzilla. Probably hiding somewhere in my neighborhood as we speak, feasting on the local children..." he laughed, "That was a joke. He only likes breakfast foods."

The door opened behind them. Shinju, Granberia, and Fuuko walked inside, their heads held in shame, "We didn't find anything useful..."

Granberia frowned even harder than the other two, "Tch. Nowhere did I break into did we find anything. Why lock doors if there's nothing inside 'em!?"

"Uh, privacy?" Daisuke offered.

"Whose privacy would Monokuma be concerned about?" Fuuko offhandedly commented.

Koneko joked, "If I had to guess, Shinji. I mean, he's alone with Nari right now. I can't begin to think what's taking them so long."

Fuuko blushed upon hearing that, "H-how indecent!"

Granberia shrugged, "Also true."

Before any of them could say anything more, I walked into the room and handed Shinju the documents I'd found this time, "Here, read up. I need to go drink bleach."

"Wait, Shinji-" she grabbed my arm, "We just met up again. What's wrong?"

I wrestled my way out of her grip, "N-nothing!" Damn, my voice cracked. She'd know now, "Nari and I have something important to discuss. So please..."

Shinju grabbed me by the back of my shirt, "Council meeting, now."

Daisuke, Fuuko, and Misery waved us off as we transferred into a nearby classroom.

Granberia, Koneko, and Nari sat on the sidelines like judges to the spectacle that was my life.

Shinju read through the documents, and after getting to the last page, set it aside on the table, "So, what's the problem? Nothing weird on those documents."

Nari pouted, "You said you'd give her the document, Shinji. Did you lie to me?"

"No, it should have been the last page," I reached over and Shinju handed it to me. Damn right it was, I showed it to Koneko and Granberia, who both sat in stunned silence after reading what I'd handed them.

Koneko managed to find her voice first, "Uh, Shinju.. You are mistaken, right? I would expect you'd react to this a lot more... dramatically."

Shinju didn't say anything for the longest time, to which Granberia asked, "Did you find this out sometime before?"

"What!? No! Of course not!" Shinju argued back, "That would just be...wrong."

Son of a despair-mongering whore! "You knew this the entire time!?"

Shinju blushed, "No! Maybe! Yes..."

And then I died of an aneurism. An aneurism of sheer rage.

I was being facetious. Exaggerating. Though I did feel multiple intense feelings, all at once. Betrayal, anger, sadness, confusion, disgust, despair.

How did Leon Kuwata deal with his cousin Kanon confessing to him literally at least once every day since she was six? And stalking his every date? Then again, he made a bet with her that he expected would be easy, so how opposed was he to the idea? And lord knows Komaru was rumored to have a brother complex.

Nari shook her head, "Wait, wait, wait. Roll that back. You had a crush on him in middle school, didn't you?"

"Well..." Shinju was reluctant to admit it, "So... The reason I tried to befriend him in the first place is because my dad told me the truth about him... But he... And I..."

Granberia could barely believe what she was hearing, "Holy hell. And the entire time you've been talking mad shit about this manwhore... You were in love with your brother!?"

On a list of things I'd rather have died not knowing, would this not be the biggest one of all!?

"Okay, let me just... Try to piece this together. You befriended me because of our relationship. And then you began to like me, knowing how taboo it was. I turned you down, and that led to you to becoming an assistant of Despair and killing most of your family and betraying us all here. And all of the abuse you gave to me was while you knew the whole time that I was your god damned sibling!?"

Nari tried to lighten the mood with another terrible joke, "Hey... I'm not the sickest person in the room. Woo!" no one found it funny, "God, Shinju... I know I enjoy some hardcore incest games in my spare time, but to actually do it... Wow."

Koneko tilted her head, "So... I know this is going to be pretty bad of me... But... There's a problem?"

"Yes there's a problem!" I yelled, trying my hardest to calm down and maintain my composure, "This is just..."

"Well, I'm a tamer, remember?" Koneko reminded us, "And in nature... it happens. Not often, but just like homosexuality, it does occur. Sometimes in nature incest is even necessary for survival or promoted. Clownfish children will change gender to mate with their own parents to survive in times of hardship."

I sighed, "Okay, for animals it might not be that weird, but we're not just animals. We're people, too. Would you be okay mating with Kenta?"

Koneko shook her head, "No, but I'm not attracted to him. If I was, it would likely be a different story."

Shinju walked over to a corner and sulked in it, looking away from us, "I should have told him. I know that. I just... I've lost so much because of my feelings for him already. How could I just...forget those feelings deep in my heart? I didn't choose to be related to him..."

Fuuko walked in, probably having overheard this entire discussion of the Second Council of Waifus, "Uh... Daisuke asked me to remind you guys it's almost time... What did I just listen to?"

"The worst kind of heresy," Granberia deadpanned.

Nari, however, shrugged it off, "Shinju. Regardless of your feelings, you should have been upfront. Had you just told him what you knew; you'd probably be together now anyways."

"The fuck, Nari?"

"Let me just run you through a checklist. You fell in love with an old-fashioned dominatrix who would sometimes push you underwater in the hot springs to keep you awake," Mayu only did that once... I think?

"A thief who watched you kill someone and who forces herself on you despite that," And consistently, might I add.

"A girl who could be literally anyone you wanted and loved to roleplay." She was really good at it, though. Too good, sometimes...

"A borderline furry who sometimes comes off as total jailbait," I glanced to Koneko, who was scratching her ear with her foot. Well...

"A girl with every fetish in the book whom you've ravaged in multiple ways that might be considered offensive," Nari smirked, just thinking about it, "And your sister is the line you can't bear to cross? A line you've crossed in fantasy before?"

"You said it yourself! It's...different," I shot down that argument in any way I could, "I may be open-minded, but I'm not some deviant!"

Fuuko walked up to me and patted my head, "I get it, Shinji. You're just mad she didn't trust you, aren't you?"

No, no there was more to it than just that, "That is probably the biggest issue about it right now. Really, Shinju? After all this time you wouldn't even tell me something that important?"

Shinju faced me and opened her mouth to say something, but stopped short, just biting her lip. Eventually, she answered me, "I... I know I can't be forgiven for this one. I'll just... I'll just leave now..."

Before I could stop her, she bursted out from the room, tears flying across the floor.

I moved to the door in a desperate attempt to stop her, but by the time I exited into the hallway, she was gone. Koneko moved by me, "I'll sniff her out. Just stay here."

I sighed, knowing I'd have to leave it to her, "I know you'll talk sense into her, Koneko."

Koneko nodded and flew off down after her at lightning speed.

Fuuko moved by me towards the main room, "I'll uh... Be in here. Get me when you find her."

With that, Granberia, Nari, and I decided to hold up in the room opposite the main one, "Well, that was an adventure," Granberia commented.

"You're not shaken up by this?" I asked, somewhat impressed.

"I nearly passed out from shock," with how calmly she said it, I'd never have been the wiser, "Not even I can brush off that plot twist."

Nari straddled up to me and kissed my cheek, "Are you okay, Shinji? I know this must be hard for you..."

I gave her a confident nod, "I'll survive. When we find Shinju later... I'll... try to resolve this peacefully. I can forgive her... But I don't know if I can..."

"Rock her body right? Pull out? Of the relationship, I mean..," Granberia joked, and when I glared at her, she winked, "I'm not a betting girl, but you're not known for your strength of will."

I sighed, "What about my moral code? I'm pretty sure that-"

Granberia reminded me of a memory engraved in my heart, "Any time your emotions flare up, morals don't factor. Grave Dangers... Your harem. I know you well enough by now."

Nari interrupted us, "Um, Shinji... I have something I should have said to you earlier, but... I was afraid to."

"I swear to God if you tell me we're family too, I'll never speak to you again," I threatened.

She didn't lighten up at my attempt at a joke, "It is about your family, but... Not that way."

Granberia immediately caught on, "Ohohoho... I know the secret."

"Secret? About my family? Nari, what do you mean?"

Nari looked deeply into my eyes, "Shinji... I'm pregnant."

"Oh, of cour-" I did a quadruple take while Granberia laughed mirthfully at the incredulous look on my tired face, "What even!?"

Nari, blushing heavily the whole time, explained, "I uh... Had suspicions before the game started. Kaz figured it out because he was the one who burned our garbage in the incinerator. He guessed it was me. Probably why he wanted to save me. Shizue knew, too."

Granberia stopped smiling and curled up in a ball after hearing those names, "Now I'm sad... They died not just for Nari, but for..."

"Our...child?" I asked, still in utter shock. Nari nodded, and I felt my entire world changing in my mind. On the bright side, this was her fault completely. She never gave me options. That being said... Being a father? I never thought I'd ever get to live out my dream...

Unable to stop myself from crying, I clutched Nari tightly, holding her close, "Nari... I'm... I'm so happy..."

Nari seemed surprised that my reaction was positive, but she quickly hugged me back, "I am, too."

Even as the numbness began to wash over me, even as I felt the sleeping agent injected into my arm, I smiled as I held her the entire time. The last thing I remember is the sound of her gently beating heart so close to mine...

Akihiko awoke earlier than he had expected. Smirking to himself, he moved the tile he's replaced and jumped down from the roof he had been hiding out on. It had kept him safe for that last round, which was mattered to him.

Sparing little time, he ran at full speed to the main room. He burst inside and found the screen blank, "Monokuma, what's the deal!?"

Monokuma appeared in the room, "What's wrong, Akihiko?"

"Why aren't you showing us who died in here!?" He demanded of the bear.

"Well, I won't spoil who died! Someone has to find the body first!" Monokuma gazed around the room. Misery was holding Panterbell, but Daisuke was gone.

Akihiko growled, "Fine. Where are they? You know who I mean..." I held up the document, "Take me to them now."

Monokuma sighed. How did he do that if he's not alive? "I can update your bracelet with a map. However, if anyone follows you into the room I direct you to... It will count as your forbidden action."

Risky, but acceptable, "Fine," my bracelet beeped, and I clicked it, "Thanks, bear."

Misery tried to stop him, "Where are you going?"

"I'm after the final boss," Aki smirked, "Once I'm done, we'll all get out of here."

With that, Akihiko hustled out of the room, following the instructions on his bracelet. It was overly convoluted, likely so he wouldn't be easily followed. Did Monokuma care about him or was it something else?

Ungh...? I opened my eyes. I was in a huge room now. What the hell? Granberia and Nari were both missing. I quickly shot to my feet, worry already taking over. Wait, calm down. Don't panic. Only one person is dead and if Aki is the target, it wouldn't be them. Right?

The lights switched on, and I found myself in a vast gymnasium. So large that with every step that I took, the echo reverberated across the room several times. Near the two doors on either end of the room, just between them in fact, was a white table. On top of it was a present box? It had yellow ribbons and wrapping.

Obviously, I was meant to open it. I glanced worriedly at my bracelet. I had yet to check my forbidden action. What if it was like Nico's? I hadn't checked it because of that fear in me.

What if that was the trap here? I open that box and I die...? With that hesitation, I just stared at it for a while.

Satoshi grinned eerily at Daisuke as he finally stirred, "Hi."

Daisuke screamed in surprise, "What the hell!? What are you doing here!?"

Satoshi reminded him, "Um, you were the one who was brought here. This is just outside the freezer. Oh, I know... The traitor brought you with the parts, didn't they!?"

"Parts?" Daisuke gulped, fearful of what Satoshi meant by that.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with..." Satoshi opened the freezer door, "Get out of here, rapscallion. My work is already difficult enough as it is."

Daisuke, still confused as to why he had been moved, headed back down to the main room. He walked in to see Misery and Panterbell, "Um... What happened? Where's Fuuko!?"

"Don't know," Misery answered earnestly, "Until someone finds the victim, Monokuma won't update the monitor, either."

Daisuke cursed, "Well, it's not us or Satoshi."

"Or me," Kenta peeked in, "If I am right, it should be Nari, Koneko, Shinju, or Shinji. Since you're safe."

"Enough with your pattern shit! Do you have anything constructive to say!?"

Kenta grinned sinisterly, "Oh, no reason. Fuuko's not here? Hm... I'll be on my way, then."

Kenta walked off, probably looking for her. Daisuke felt a bad feeling, one that had always been there, but was more powerful than before, "I... I think I should go find the others."

"No," Misery grabbed him by the ear, "We've been splintered into too many groups. If one of us dies, the other has to care for Panterbell."

Daisuke nodded, "Yeah, you're right... The others won't let us down."

I finally decided to open the box. Monokuma wouldn't set up a trap that obvious. Plus, I had pounded on and tried to force my way out of the two doorways. Both of them were welded shut, and I was trapped inside.

I wavered my hand over the present box before flipping the top off. I looked inside and...

Inside was...was...Error. Error.

Shinji_ has stopped responding. Would you like to send Windows an error report?

Multiple errors occurring... Trying to ...

I fOuNd yOU...

Data corrupted. Rebooting in safe mode...

POV disabled... Redirecting...

-Akihiko's POV-

Finally. My bracelet had directed me here, to the gymnasium. I walked up to the door. I tried to push it open, but it wouldn't budge. No, more than that. It was welded shut. How annoying...

Thunk! A swift right punch flattened the door in front of me. What time did I have to fuck around? Inside this room was the member of Ultimate Despair.

Stepping inside, the lights turned on again. Were there movement sensors in here?

In the center of the room, Shinji faced away from me. I called out, "Hey... Shinji?"

"Check the box."

Three simple words. Unaware of what he meant, I noticed a table in the room. I walked over to the box he meant, and jumped back in horror. Inside was a severed arm. Seeing a ring on it, I felt my heart drop.

I gently picked up the finger and removed the ring. And when I read what was engraved, it sent chills down my spine. "To my rival romantic, it says..."

Oh... Nari Kawasaki was dead and missing, and this was all that was left of her...

I set the ring down on the table and faced Shinji Kizami, the Ultimate Arbiter, "It was you all along..."

"What do you mean?" Shinji asked, still looking away from me, his head slumped forward, his hands tensed up.

"Your girlfriend was killed by Junko to send you into despair. She learned of your existence through Yuki Kizami, your grandfather. He contacted her to try and get her to motivate you to do something with your life... Just before he died. And Junko made you go through hell. And after the Grave Dangers were killed, you went comatose." This was just half of the information that document I had found had explained to me.

Shinji didn't reply for a while, "I remember that... I told you guys. Jun dying, killing the Dangers... How I woke up and was asked to attend..."

I had to disclose the truth, "That's not it, though While you were asleep... Junko used you. Rather, you were left in despair so powerful it made you comatose. And she directed that to the Reserve Course! Of the 2,360 of them, two had been murdered. One became Izuru, and the rest committed mass suicide! Because your power spread despair to them!"

"..." Shinji uttered no words, but he grunted ever so slightly, as if to acknowledge what I had said.

"And then she used it again... To destroy the world," I hated having to do this, "You were a tool of Junko's... But worse than that, you're Ultimate Despair. You were the one who engaged in tricking us... Having us befriend each other for a year... And then forcing us to go through endless simulations! Even now. You probably manipulated Kaz, Mayu, and Takumi to do what they did."

Shinji finally replied to me, "Is that so? You've decided to pin this all on me?"

I clenched my teeth, "No more playing the victim, Shinji! These documents prove it! Fuuko put you through those damn simulations for six months after because it was you on that footage! Choking Shinju out! You even betrayed her, after making her kill everyone she ever loved!"

Shinji finally about-faced, and never before had I ever been more hesitant to fight someone. His aura was an inky black darkness, one that felt as if it would consume me if I came close. His eyes were a deep shade of crimson, and his face was curled into a cruel grin.

He just breathed loudly for a moment before speaking to me, "I have no time for you, boxer. Go overdose on Raxath and meet your brother. Tell him how much you let him down."

"Bastard!" I lifted my fists, "I'll end this now, Shinji! If I kill you... We'll be free to go!"

Shinji smirked, and one of the rings on his fingers glowed. Then he... He transformed.

Pink eyes, tan skin, grey hair... Though he wore the same clothes, his height and weight were different. He was no longer Shinji Kizami... He was now Juzo Sakakura, the former Ultimate Boxer!

"If it isn't what that school thought could possibly replace me... You and that council president are both jokes," he was already pissing me off, "Some pompous brat like you, competing with me? Ridiculous. Out of my way."

Juzo walked towards me, but I stepped in his way, "No, Shinji. I'm ending this here."

Juzo sighed, "If that is what you demand..." He took an attack stance, and I recognized it immediately. He was using his power as the arbiter to manipulate Shizue's talent to become others. However, he didn't even need clothes for it anymore.

Unfortunately for him, I knew his trade weakness. Shinji can't channel two Ultimate talents at once. So if he's using Shizue's talent now, he can't access Juzo's.

Confident, I took to attacking him directly. He didn't dodge, perfect. With all of my might, I charged my favorite strike, the Chest Burster. With all of the speed my momentum allowed me, my right fist soared at him, so fast the air around it was pushed away by the speed of it.

My attack struck, knocking him back. My fist had torn a hole in his clothes, and blood dripped off of his chest from where I struck him. But how had he survived that!?

Juzo grinned at me, "You've got spunk. It's a shame you're weak." He moved, almost teleported towards me at how quickly he was approaching me. I threw several punches that he either deflected or ducked under before he landed a single punch to my jaw.

I felt one of my teeth loosen up and fall out, "Son of a..." Now I knew I couldn't hold back at all. We clashed, and for every serious hit he landed on me, I returned it twofold. He was good, really good. However, he couldn't beat me with such pitiful power.

I knocked him off balance and unleashed another Chest Burster, this time a Mach II. My most powerful punch, perfected long ago. At a speed of 120 kilometers, this would hit him like a freight train.

I promised to never use it because the impact would shatter every bone in my hand, permanently crippling me. But if killing Shinji with it meant I saved my friends, what did my career mean to me?

Before my attack connected, he dodged it as if it was nothing. What!?

With a single blow, he struck my stomach. I coughed up blood and fell to my knees, crouching in sheer pain. He'd turned the fight around with a single punch but... how?

Juzo spat on me before morphing back into Shinji, who greeted me with a smile, "Have fun dueling your better? I could have killed you sooner, but what would be the fun in that?"

God damn it, I won't be beaten. I jumped up to my feet and prepared another Chest Burster Mach II. As I powered up my attack, I heard the sound of someone walking in. And in that moment, I felt the poison hitting me.

"Akihiko!" Koneko and Shinju had entered the room, likely drawn by the fighting. Dammit...!

I was fucked now. With that being said, I lunged forward. I'd kill him with this and end it all.

He moved his hand to match mine, and my fist crashed into it. Blood and bone shattered on impact, his and mine. Unfortunately for me, he didn't just block.

The last thing I felt before the poison hit my heart and ended my short life was the feeling of my ribs crushing under the weight of Shinji's blow.

-Koneko's POV-

I awoke in the hallway next to Shinju, both of us propped up against a wall in the middle of the hallway. I helped her up to her feet, "Let's go back, now. Okay?"

Shinju shook her head, "I don't know if I should... I've done something too unforgivable this time... Betraying my first love like that..."

That was when loud sounds of crashing took our attention. I could see down the hallway, but it was blurry from that far. I could smell Shinji, though. And Akihiko... and blood.

"Shinju, come on!" I grabbed her hand and we ran down to the room the noise was coming from. Jumping over the destroyed door, we saw Akihiko badly beaten and bleeding. He was attacking Shinji, also covered in wounds from their fight.

"Akihiko!" I shouted, trying to get him to ease up. But we were too late for Akihiko to stop his attack, which shattered Shinji's left hand. Blood splattered all over the floor from the wound before Shinji struck Akihiko with his free hand directly into the ribs.

Akihiko collapsed to the floor and stopped breathing. I ran to his side, but Shinji stopped me, "He made a deal with Kuma, you see. The second you walked in... His poison was released."

Shinju couldn't believe it, "He's dead because we..."

"No worries," Shinji oddly reassured me, "If you hadn't come inside, he'd have died by my hand instead. Considering he came here to kill me..." He threw a document at me. Shinju caught it and began reading it.

"Junko... used you?" Shinju sounded heartbroken.

Shinji shrugged, "Oh... By the way... Koneko, your forbidden action is to get physically assaulted by another person. Can't kill Kenta, Satoshi, or the traitor unless they hit you back. Be a shame if I hit you."

I stepped back. How did he...?

Shinji added, "And Shinju... Really, hm? Killing the traitor. How unfortunate..."

Shinji moved towards me so fast I could barely manage to dodge. He slammed his fist into the ground where I once stood, grinning, "Hey, nice moves. You beat me once, but now..."

Our bracelets beeped, and one by one we all passed out. Four of us had died, and we would soon find ourselves in the fifth area. Shinji had fallen into despair... Could we save him before it was too late?