Chapter 34
"You're joking right?" Toshiro spoke up in a breathless tone, "You have to be. Yet now that I think about it, you do sound like the teen my parents described."
"It can't be him! I've heard of reincarnation but isn't that concept around you becoming a different person?" Shizko exclaimed in disbelief.
Leon remained silent as his companions started arguing among themselves. It was a reaction he wasn't surprised by, anyone would find the claim hard to swallow. He turned toward Mineko to see her staring wordlessly up at him with her mouth hanging ajar. In the corner of his eye he could see Isamu and Naoko staring at him in silence as well. He didn't know if their silence was for being in shock of his identity, or sadness to learned he had killed before the current killing game. He seemed lost in his thoughts until he felt Mineko's grip tighten on his arm.
Focusing his attention back on her, he could see her green eyes were brimming with tears. The red-head was confused by the until he watched as she gently pulled him into a hug with a few quiet sniffs.
"No wonder you called me Sayaka that day." she muttered quietly, "You didn't deserve to be forced through this hell a second time, even if you had claimed a life in your previous life."
Leon remained speechless at this action, stunned by the girl's reaction. Before he could even react, he felt two hands pat his shoulders. Looking at his sides he was greeted with the sight of Isamu resting her head against his shoulder and Naoko patting his shoulder with a smile. He couldn't help but laugh before a small smile of gratefulness formed on his face. Glancing over at Shizko and Toshiro, he noticed the two were no longer arguing with each other and were instead staring at him in surprise.
"You really are Leon Kuwata." Shizko muttered whilst rubbing her arm, "Now I understand why you spoke about admiring that my attempt to save Kiyoshi weren't out of cowardice. It also explains your panic attacks. You had personally experienced the horrors Kazuo, Kiyoshi, Seiichi, and Mineko ended up enduring through."
"But still," Toshiro began with a frown, "why did the murders still happened? Shouldn't you have been able to use your knowledge to prevent them?. No offense but you understand the mindset of a killer having experienced it in your previous life."
The baseball player's smile faltered slightly from hearing the director's question. Part of the reason being he saw the brown-headed teen still retained some of his arrogant ways. The other reason at being presented with the same question Hiroko and Junko had presented him. There was always a part of him that still wished he had done something, but he knew all his companions wished that. All of them wished they could go back in time and save their friends from their deadly fates. But with his time in limbo, he understood that wasn't possible. He knew he could never change past events, but what he could do was use his knowledge of his mistakes to strive toward a better future.
With this in mind, his confident smile returned with full force. The feelings building within him reminded him of his enthusiasm he had once shown for wishing to become a musician; an enthusiasm he thought that was lost the moment he had originally died.
"Some things were beyond my control. But those things are said and done, what's important now is taking down the Mastermind and ending this freaking killing game!" he responded.
Just as his final words left his month, the intercom turned on with Monokuma announcing that investigation period was over. Leon took in a deep breath while flexing his hands a bit. The moment had finally come; his chance to defeat the Mastermind at his own game had finally arrived. Without another word the group of teens each shared a confident nod in agreement before making their way to the elevator. Only the sounds of the elevator doors closing and metal cables moving filled the air as the elevator began its descent.
Leon couldn't help but feel thankful that this would be his final trip on the elevator. It was a relief to know the nightmare would finally end. No more motives, no more paranoia, no more killings, and no more despair. It would all end with one last trial. It only took a few minutes for the elevator to reach its destination and open up its doors once more.
Stepping out of the elevator, the remaining participants were horrified the be greeted with a black and white room filled with countless numbers of deactivated Monokuma units.
The red-head clenched his teeth and furrowed his brows, growing slightly unnerved to see all the Monokuma units at nearly every corner of the room. In an attempt to help himself calm down, he turned his attention to the stands. Instantly he noticed two things that were different from the previous trial. The first thing he saw was a colorless picture of Isas with the traditional red X painted over his face in his usual spot. The second thing he noticed was the addition a sixteenth stand painted black and white with none other than Monokuma standing behind it.
"So the fools have arrived." Monokuma spoke up in the strange professional tone, "The Mastermind can't stand the thought of having to wait for their pawns. The wait is so boring."
Upon hearing the bear's words, Naoko raised a brow in confusion as he pointed out "You're kind of talking weird. You use to talk so goofy like. Now you sound all professional like you are trying to make a business deal."
"Oh that. Let me tell you, trying to sound like Junko can get tiring. Always trying to picture what she would say in the scenario yet being unable to perfectly replicate that demented nature of hers. I'd rather give myself a break and allow my true personality shine through." the robotic bear answered in a dull tone.
Leon clenched his fist. He could the Mastermind had no intent of hiding himself. He wasn't sure exactly what would happen once he exposes the Mastermind's identity, but he didn't want to worry about that for the moment. Right now he needed to gather up the clues in order to insure the Mastermind would have no where to hide. Determination flowed through him as he took his place at his assigned stand. His heart pounded in both excitement and nervousness as the final class trial had finally begun.
"So we're all here to discuss who is Isas Ken's murderer." Monokuma started the discussion, "You insist the killer is the Mastermind controlling me but failed to give out a name. You have three choices, those three being the three participants that weren't present for Isas' murder."
The athlete's eyes glanced over toward Naoko, Toshiro, and Shizko. He immediately realized that Monokuma was trying to shift the blame toward one of them. With none of them really having any alibis for the time of Isas' murder, the robotic bear could easily convince his remaining companions of the possibility that one of the three could be the Mastermind. Thinking fast, he pointed out how Isamu had been searching the Business Room for hours and that if one of the three teens wanted to sneak into the secret room, they would have to cross her path.
But much to his disappointment, the robotic bear easily countered the point by bringing up the hidden passage way. The nineteen year-old clenched his fist with a small snarl. He had forgotten about the passage's existence. His mind sorted through different excuses, trying to come up with evidence to prove the passageway wasn't used by any of his three comrades. If he wasn't able to come up with an explanation then they would already have lost to the Mastermind.
He kept thinking, sorting through different scenarios until Isamu brought up "They couldn't have used the passageway. Otherwise one of them would have blood on their clothes."
Leon's brows raised in surprise. He was only confused by her words for a few seconds before the answer struck him. Wasting no time, he reminded everyone how the killer had gotten Isas' blood on their clothes when they stabbed him during the struggle. None of them were given a spare set of clothes, meaning the Mastermind would have to go upstairs to the washroom and put on the jumpsuit while their clothes washed. The teenage boy knew that with all these factors combined, that only two companions would have arrived at the same time with the third arriving at a later time.
"So what?" Monokuma replied with the shrug of his shoulders, "If you all recall, the body announcement didn't go off immediately. It's simple that the Mastermind washed their clothes before making the announcement. After all, the ones missing from the scene of the murder didn't arrive until they heard the announcement."
"That's a pretty week argument. It would have taken longer than a few minutes for clothes to be washed and dried." Naoko stated with furrowed brows.
Upon hearing this response, the robotic bear fell silent with his red eye glowing ominously. Suddenly the sound of deep laughter rumbled forth from him. The laughter nearly echoed off the walls, causing some of the teens to grow unnerved by the laughter.
"So there is a brain in there after all. Figuring how stupid and naive you are, I figured you would easily buy that excuse. After all you're the dork that demanded why someone would be afraid of a baseball when you totally forgot the first murderer in the Hope's Peak Academy killing game was pummeled to death with a thousand of them! Bah ha ha ha!" Monokuma taunted.
Naoko's body stiffened in response. He had completely forgotten about the time he had unintentionally triggered Leon's PTSD. Now that he knew the reason for the panic attack, he couldn't help but feel guilty. His yellow eyes glanced downward with his body extremely tense. He didn't have to guess to know this was the Mastermind's attempt to unnerve him. If he was filled with despair then he wouldn't be able to be of help to his friends. With his teeth clenched and his feet bouncing slightly as he began to jog in place, the teen gathered his nerves to continue onward in the trial.
"Monokuma, stop beating around the bush." Leon demanded with a slight snarl, "All these attempts to pin the blame on the others is just to shake up our teamwork. You had already confirmed that Toshiro isn't the Mastermind. Shizko and Naoko had placed themselves in situations that neither of them would dream of if one of them were the Mastermind. You aren't afraid to hide so just finally confess about the sixteenth participant you have kept hidden all this time."
"Wait, sixteen?!" Toshiro exclaimed in shock, "Have you gone mad, Leon? Where's all this talk about a sixteenth participant coming from? There hasn't been any kind of clues or implications that there's a sixteenth participant."
The director awaited for the robotic bear to debunk the teen's claims, but much to his surprise, that response never came. Instead he noticed the bear was eerily silent. This prompted him to wonder if his companion's claims had any merit to them. He didn't see how there could be a sixteenth participant, but chose to have faith in his friend. After all, he had seen that Leon had no aim to create any lies and only sought out the truth for the sake of everyone's safety. A fact he was thankful that Hideyo had helped point out even though it cost her life.
His thoughts drifted back to the previous trial. He recalled his purposeful deceit and despicable nature he had put on in order to convince his companions that he was the Mastermind. The nineteen year-old understood that it would have been very easy for his athletic comrade to allow his emotions to guide him and insist that he was the murderer. Yet he was proven wrong when not only Leon but the deceased Isas had stood up for him. As his thoughts shifted back to the present a small smile formed on his face.
"But if you insist that there is a sixteenth participant we failed to take notice of," he began in tone with no hint of his usual arrogance, "then I will believe you. We're all here to find the truth."
"Oh, so you were putting faith in others now? You use to be one of the entertaining ones, Toshiro." Monokuma sighed out of disappointment, "You haven't been the same since that stupid stunt actress got herself killed with that dumb plan that obviously was never going to work. Anyways you don't have proof of there being a sixteenth participant. If there was, that participant would been forced to apply to the rules or otherwise suffer the consequences."
The room fell silent as the group of teens struggled to come up with an answer. If there was a sixteenth participant, surely they would have to comply with the rules. But during all those times they were forced to comply with mandatory meetings, trials, and motives; none of them saw any sign of a hidden individual. How could there be a hidden sixteenth participant if the participant would have been punished for not obeying the rules?
No one had an answer until a female voice suggested "What if this participant has been obeying the rules?"
Everyone turned to see Shizko with her eyes closed and her arms folded in thought.
"It's kind of like how Naoko managed to prevent Mineko from being executed by pointing out a loophole.", she began, "Nothing in the rules state that the participants must remain in sight at all times. After all a rule like that would discourage the participants from committing murder. If the Mastermind is this mysterious sixteenth participant, they can obey the rules without being seen. The Mastermind would be controlling you and you're always present for trials and announcements, meaning they would always be present. As for the motives, the Mastermind would only be required to obey the first motive that forbids participants from using their talents. Besides it's weird that the Mastermind only picked fifteen participants instead of the traditional sixteen. It's like how Junko hid for nearly her entire killing game."
Once the final word left her mouth, she reopened her icy blue eyes. A confident smile formed on her face when she had seen her response had left the demented bear speechless. Her smile only grew wider when she remembered Kiyoshi's final wish. Silently she placed her hand over it chest, feeling the frantic yet strong beats of her heart. It was hard for her to believe that she was almost through with the nightmare she was forced to endure for almost a month. She managed to stay true to her promise to her deceased friend and intended to stay true to it until the very end.
Monokuma remained silent as he stared at the determined teens filled with hope. The sight of the teens did nothing but fill him with amusement. He couldn't wait to crush their hope with a single blow. After all, everything was going according to his plan. Much to his pleasing, he knew it would only be a matter of time until his identity would finally be exposed. Once his identity is revealed, he knew that would be when the fun for him would finally begin. Deciding to proceed in his plans, he requested in a sly tone for the group of teens to answer the name of the mysterious sixteenth participant.
Leon's breath hitched the moment he heard the demented bear's voice. Although he knew the Mastermind had no intention of making himself sound like Junko, he considered the way the robotic bear had just spoke near identical to Junko's serious personality. But he quickly chose not to focus on that aspect, quickly pushing those thoughts to the side with the shake of his head. All that mattered to him was exposing the Mastermind and ending the killing game.
Knowing he needed to give an answer, despite the sense of worry grwoing in his stomach, he answered "Sachio. That's the Mastermind's last name. All the facts line up. The factory was bought by Sachio Construction and Hiroko found a file about a Hope's Peak graduate that was recognized for his lineage. Then there was the file in the security room where one of the files contained a series of photos; one of those photos being of Takechi Kichiro, the man executed in the video on the flash drive. He managed to cry out 'Sa-' before being cut off upon death. Add in the fact he was a security guard for Sachio Construction it's clear that Sachio is the Mastermind!"
Monokuma tilted his head in intrigue from the teen's words. It surprised him how many clues the red-head managed to gather up, but it didn't matter to him. With a small snicker, his form began to disappear behind a cloud of steam.
"So you say the Mastermind is Sachio. Well..." a deep and masculine voice spoke up.
The steam cleared away to reveal in Monokuma's place was now a man with slicked back and spiked purple hair in his late twenties. He was dressed in white suit that remained unbuttoned, a black dress shirt and shoes, and a red tie that hung loosely around his neck. The man wore a sadistic smirk on his face and a mixture charm and insanity filled his blue eyes.
"You'd be right!" he finished with a slightly psychotic laugh and his arms swung out, "Name's Kano Sachio, pleasure to finally make all of your acquaintances in person!"
Kano Sachio - The Ultimate Businessman
Leon blinked in surprise at the purple-headed man's nature. He knew the Mastermind was the Ultimate Businessman, but he never expected him to be so eccentric. At first glance, he could see how no one was able to catch on that the psychotic man was planning a killing game for an unknown amount of time. One the surface, he seemed like a normal cocky rich guy to the teenage boy. But upon closer examination, he could sense the same demented nature that dwelt within Junko in the man's eyes and smile.
"Yo-you're the Mastermind?" Isamu spoke up in a shaky tone, "That means your the one that murdered Isas."
"Got that right sweet cheeks." Kano taunted with a wink, "Such a shame, I was totally intended to kill Saisei, or should I say Kuwata, over here. It's not my fault your boyfriend's noble nature made him so stupid that he willingly jumped into conflict. I have to admit, it was entertaining to see him fight with all his might, but I needed someone dead to trigger the final trial. I would be crazy to pass up a golden opportunity served on a silver platter so I did what any Mastermind would do and stabbed him in the heart."
The robotics expert bit down on her lip hard, both out of rage and hurt. It disgusted her to now be standing before the man that caused the deaths of so many of her friends. Her body trembled as she glared at the purple-headed man, wishing she could instantly wipe away the smirk he constantly wore on his face. But for the sake of her friends, she kept her anger locked up. Throughout the killing game, she had always relied on Isas to help her stay calm, not falling prey to her anxiety. But Isas was gone now; all that was left for her was to brave through the final trial.
She wasn't sure how, but she intended to take down the demented man with her friends' help. No matter what it took, she wanted to honor all of her friends' wishes to escape the killing game with everyone else.
"You know you're being awfully calm. According to your own rules, with you being Isas' killer that means you have to be executed." Mineko pointed out with some uneasiness carrying in her voice.
"Ah ha ha. Didn't you forget sweetheart or are you really that dense? According to your friends, I never clarified that a punishment means execution. Those three dorks just so happened to die to their punishments unlike like you." Kano responded with a chuckle before shifting into his serious demeanor, "But if you're insisting that a punishment means death, I can easily arrange to have you executed like you were suppose to."
The light-brown-headed girl didn't respond, instead opting to slap her hands over her mouth to muffle her horrified gasp.
The Mastermind's mouth twitched into a slight smirk, showing his clear amusement with his success of frightening the girl. Figuring that he might as well explain his joy at being discovered, he asked to the group of teens to explain the reason for the sudden abundance of evidence pointing toward a sixteenth participant. Just like he anticipated, the teens struggled to come up with an answer. He couldn't help but snicker while slicking a few stray bangs back into place.
"Amazing. You kids made it this far by exposing murderers yet fail to see the obvious. Heh, this is going to make my answer all the more sweeter." he taunted with his typical dark chuckle,"Look at the facts. This revelation of my existence came out of nowhere right? If it weren't for you all finding my careful laid out clues, you would have all assumed that it was only fifteen participants. So this of course means only one thing. I'm sure you can put the pieces together by now."
At that moment, Leon felt like his heart came to screeching halt. His eyes were wide whilst his arms hung limply at his sides.
"I can't believe I didn't realize it before." he managed to mutter despite his shock, "I should have known those clues were too easy to find. You were so careful to hide your existence until now. You even confessed to me as Monokuma that you weren't mad that Hiroko had found the flash drive with the video, you were mad that she found it too early. None of that wouldn't make any sense unless you wanted us to reveal your identity."
Kano let out a hum with his brows raised in intrigue.
"You continue to amaze me, Kuwata." he stated whilst stuffing his hands into his pocket, "Managing to be reborn yet ironically enough find yourself in yet another killing game. Makes me grateful that I got to meet your parents as a child, otherwise I probably would have never considered you as a participant. Heck even before I learned your identity as the first murderer in Junko's killing game, you captured my interest. Seeing your drive and your hatred toward me; all those interesting factors were amplified once I learned of your true identity. You're just such an amazing subject of conflict!"
The red-head couldn't help but grimace at the man's words. Hearing the man's praise of conflict made him remember Junko's claims whilst he was in limbo. He remembered the strawberry-blonde stating her disappointment with Kano as the Mastermind, stating that the man was more interested in conflict than despair. Now it was clear to him why she had made such claims. It was clear the businessman had an unhealthy obsession with conflict, evident when he had decided to spark conflict himself by claiming Toshiro was the Mastermind after the third trial.
Suddenly, Leon's thoughts were snapped back to the present when Shizko exclaimed "Why would you want us to expose your identity as the Mastermind?! That's stupid! Doesn't your exposure mean the end of the killing game?!"
The purple-headed sighed man with the shake of his head; the expression of disappointment and boredom painted on his face.
"Geez, isn't it obvious?" he began with his eyes shinning with malice, "If the people want to combat despair, they're going to need a target. By showing everyone my identity I can finally fulfill my greatest goal since childhood! Which reminds me, I have to thank you kids for being such team players. Because of your help, I will have finally succeeded in bringing in the rebirth of the greatest event to happen to mankind. This killing game will only be the beginning of a chain reaction that will lead to the Second Tragedy!"